South Asia Tribune

Remembering

Nawab Akbar Shahbaz Khan Bugti

Bollywood News Priyanka Chopra stars in the first ‘big release’ of 2012 See Page 8

See Page 24

Tribune South Asia

See Page 25

Year 1  Issue 7  Thursday, 01.09.11



See Pages 10

www.satribune.co.uk

Price: 90p

Happy Eid

‘Karachigate’ French broker’s estranged wife could hold key to alleged submarine kickback deal Full story on page 17

2

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 01 September 2011

NEWS

Cocaine seized at Manchester Airport

O

fficers from the UK Border Agency have uncovered around £2 million worth of cocaine among a shipment of vegetables at Manchester Airport.

The 65 kg of class A drugs were discovered yesterday (24 August) in a consignment of 329 boxes of vegetables that arrived from the Dominican Republic.

Colin Brown, UK Border Agency assistant director for Manchester Airport, said: ‘As this detection shows, our officers are on constant alert to keep drugs and other banned substances out of the UK.” ‘Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to drug smuggling should call our hotline on 0800 59 5000 .’

Publisher Salah Bu Khamas (UAE) Sabha Khan (UK) UK Office 10 Courtenay Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 7ND UK Phone: +44 20 8904 0617 Fax: +44 20 8181 7575 info@satribune.co.uk India Office Satya Infomedia Pvt. Ltd. C/O Satya Group.

1st Floor, Avenue Appt., Near Sheth. R. J. J. High School, Tithal Road, Valsad - 396001 Gujarat, India Phone +91 2632 222209 / 222211 Fax: +91 2632 222212 Post Box No. 98 /108 United Arab Emirates Office S.K. Group of Companies P.O. Box 9021, Karama Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 4 2659970, 3359929; Fax: +971 4 2659971, 3341609 www.sk-groupofcompanies.com Managing Editor & CEO Mohammad Shahid Khan Group Editorial Managers Gulzar Khan (India) Abdul Khalique (Pakistan) Editorial Board UK Nayab Chohan (Editor in Chief) Frances Brunner FYI Tribune team Adrian Fellar Misbah Khan Reema Shah Rohma Khan Keziah-Ann Abakah Art Department UK Ali Ansar (Art Director) Md. Reazul Islam

Amnesty petitions Pakistan over disappearances In an Aug. 29 petition on its website, the human rights group alleged the disappearances have increased dramatically since Pakistan joined the American war on militancy after the Sept. 11, 2001 airliner attacks on the United States.

Amnesty International has called on Pakistan’s government to end what it calls the growing practice of disappearances enforced by the state.

In an Aug. 29 petition on its website, the human rights group alleged the disappearances have increased dramatically since Pakistan joined the American war on militancy after the Sept. 11, 2001 airliner attacks on the United States.

Amnesty said a commission of

Those detained — including activists, journalists and students — are sometimes found dead, with signs of

torture.

Thousands may have fallen victim to the practice, Amnesty said.

judicial enquiry

on the so-called enforced disappearances “had failed to resolve the crisis or to hold the security forces and intelligence agencies to account in cases implicating them.”

“The Prime Minister of Pakistan who controls the security agencies needs to urgently step in to address this human rights situation,” Amnesty said on its website.

CIA denies it’s bitter over FBI agent’s 9/11 memoir T

wo of the United States’ security agencies are fighting over the publication of a book, co-authored by a Jewish writer, about the September 11 attacks.

The book “The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaida” is due to be published on September 12.

Based on the experiences of former FBI counter-terrorism agent Ali Soufan during the war on terror, it has been co-written by New York-based security consultant Daniel Freedman.

Chef jailed over riots jewellery

A

chef who handled jewellery looted from a shop during the recent riots in London has been jailed for six months.

Ridha Ghenim, 26, told police he bought the items from someone in a park, Inner London Crown Court heard.

Judge Peter Grobel told Ghenim, of Waite Davies Road, Lewisham, south east London: “You took criminal advantage of

the serious civil disorder.”

Charlotte Welsh, prosecuting, said Ghenim pleaded guilty at Bromley Magistrates’ Court to handling stolen goods and had been committed for sentence.

He was found in possession of property stolen from a jeweller’s called Alton Electro in Lewisham which was looted more than once during the night of August 8/9.

TV station censure over Livingstone

O

fcom warns Bangladeshi TV station over ‘biased’ coverage of Ken speech A popular Bangladeshi television channel that broadcast an election speech by Ken Livingstone was today censured by Ofcom over its lack of impartiality.

Channel S, which is watched by tens of thousands of Londoners, was found to have breached the regulator’s code over its coverage

of the Baishakhi Mela in May. Mr Livingstone was accused of “poor judgment” after appearing at the east London festival in front of about 110,000 people at the same time as Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman.

Mr Rahman was elected mayor a month after Labour sacked him as its candidate over alleged links to the Islamic Forum of Europe and alleged vote-rigging.

Mr Freedman is the director of strategy and policy analysis at the Soufan Group.

Mr Soufan and Mr Freedman are facing calls from the CIA to cut sections of the book, which are said to accuse the CIA of withholding information about the hijackers from the FBI. The first print version of the book will incorporate the requested cuts, but a spokesman for the publisher said that if the authors successfully challenge the CIA an unredacted version will be published.

Online application system unavailable on 30 and 31 August 2011

O

ur online visa application system, Visa4UK, will be offline for maintenance from 09:00 (UK time) on Tuesday 30 August 2011 until 17:00 (UK time) on Wednesday 31 August 2011.

This outage is required to make improvements to our online payment process. Future development over the coming months will enable us to introduce additional payment options and roll out online payments globally.

You will not be able to apply online, or access your application,

during this time. If you have booked an appointment through Visa4UK for the 30 or 31 August you will need to print off your appointment confirmation and a copy of your application before these dates.

If you require urgent travel to the UK, for example, to attend a funeral or for urgent medical treatment, you should contact your nearest visa application centre.

We apologise for any inconvenience.

To advertise call 020 8904 0619

3

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 01 September 2011

NEWS

Benazir assassination case: Trial court orders seizure of Musharraf’s assets

A

n Anti-Terrorism Court in Pakistan Saturday ordered confiscation of property of former President Pervez Musharraf for his failure to appear before the court in the 2007 murder case of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, court officials said.

The court has already declared Pervez Musharraf as an “ absconder” in the assassination case of Benazir Bhutto as he has not agreed to clarify his position in court despite several notices.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had requested the court to summon Pervez Musharraf who was President at the time of the assassination, but he had refused a request to cooperate in the investigation into Bhutto’s death.

Following the lack of cooperation

by Musharraf, he was named as an “absconding accused”, FIA prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar said.

The FIA on Saturday presented a final report in the court about Pervez Musharraf’s refusal to appear and the court issued orders to confiscate property of the former

president. Local media reported that the court has also ordered to freeze Musharraf’s bank accounts.

The court ruled that the trial of Musharraf will be started separately from other accused and after he is arrested.

The anti-terrorism court is conducting the trial of five terror suspects including alleged members of the Tehrik-e- Taliban Pakistan who have been charged with planning and facilitating the assassination.

Bhutto was killed by a suicide bomber shortly after she addressed an election rally in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007.

The chargesheet further said that former Rawalpindi Police chief Saud Aziz and former Superintendent of Police Khurram Shahzad, who were arrested this year by the FIA on charges of negligence in providing security to Bhutto, were acting on the orders of Musharraf. Both former police officers were bailed out and are now being tried in the case.

The FIA’s charge against Musharraf is one of a long list of legal and criminal cases against the former

president who resigned in August 2008 and it could cause problems for his planned return to Pakistani politics.

Musharraf, who has been living in self-exile in Britain since April

2009, said that he planned to return to Pakistan before the next general election in 2013.

He has also formed a new party, the All Pakistan Muslim League, with an eye to the next polls.

The court will resume the case on September 10.

Also on Saturday, accused Sher Zaman filed a post-arrest bail application in the trial court, which will be taken up on September 5.

Bomb alert at India cricket game in Kent P olice forces in England have investigated reports of suspicious activity at the Cricket Ground in Canterbury where India had been playing Kent.

The Indian cricket team was caught up in a bomb scare after their Twenty20 practice match againt Kent last evening.

According to the Sun, police ordered the team to leave the changing room at the St. Lawrence

Ground and go to the middle of the pitch after a suspect package was spotted in a bin.

Skipper M.S. Dhoni and his players were kept waiting for almost an hour before they left the ground in a fleet of taxis with a police escort.

“The place was crawling with the bomb squad,” a witness said.

However, police were unwilling to give any details of the incident.

Hours earlier police had sealed off

parts of the city after a suspected bomb was found on a railway line.

4

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 01 September 2011

COMMENT

M

Karachi: Time to Act

y eyes have dried of tears over Karachi killings and my heart is full of vow. It is my city where I grew up and lived best of my life.

Now the city is bleeding, not because of ideological or party differences, but being a hostage to thugs, mafias and, of course, terrorists who want to establish their control over it. Its horrendous plight being a legacy of the dictators, political parties regretfully are being blamed for the rot. The immediate remedy prescribed by quake zealots is to bring peace by inducting army in Karachi.

There is no doubt that rampant killings are on. The victims are voiceless common people. They do not make big headlines; they are merely numbers for the newspapers and TV channels. There is no doubt that law and order is a provincial subject.

Sind government needs to do more to improve its law enforcing machinery to inspire sense of security amongst the people.

But the bigger question is does the ongoing situation calls for bringing the army on the streets? And if one sees those who are raising these voices

remind one of the past practices that were played in the name of corruption or law and order and ultimately culminated into packing off of the democratic order. Ever since the advent of democracy there has been a persistent endeavour to destabilise the government. Some lunatics are warning of a bloody revolution knocking at our door. Such jaundiced critics want the government to be removed through the judiciary or a combination of judiciary and armed forces. In chorus with them are a bunch of journalists, ex-bureaucrats and retired generals, who are always available to serve the cause of autocracy. They forget that it was military-civil and judicial bureaucratic troika that set in the rot following Quaid’s death.

With the advent of democratic government a new phenomenon of doomsayers’ syndrome has taken birth. It centres round the argument that the present government was corrupt and inefficient. Its proponents have now scattered into various newspapers and TV channels. They keep on orchestrating the dates for the demise of the government. Their

prognosis weighs heavily in favour of a judicial-army coup. They ignore the fact that democracy is a phenomenon which flourishes by practicing it

Wajid Shamsul Hasan

Tribune Comment and degenerates with Praetorian interventions. Their myopic view cannot see far enough the damage it would cause to the body politic of the country. They are not ready to learn lessons from the past interventions.

Another bizarre prognosis given by doomsayers is that integrity of Pakistan is in danger. The so-called “danger to country’s integrity” issue has become so cheap in the political parlance of the country that every

Tom comes up with this warning at the drop of a hat. I have yet to see a country where such nonsense about the integrity of the country is raised over political or law and order issue.

India faces these problems on daily basis, but none of their political parties or their journalists ever calls it a “danger to the integrity of India”.

One explanation about their lethal attitude is that they feel suffocated in a democratic order. For them a regimented state and closed society are the only panacea for the national ills inherited from dictators. They believe in status quo to maintain the status of the country as a security state. For them freedom of thought and freedom of choice are an anathema. A society based on liberal principles is bound to push such elements into dustbin of history and promote a progressive and moderate Pakistan which has been the hallmark of the Pakistan Peoples Party.

Karachi situation needs to be handled deftly as well with an iron hand. No one absolves the provincial government of its responsibility to maintain law and order. But the

detractors of the government are suggesting a remedy of bringing calm to the city which is akin to committing suicide. Deployment of army may perhaps bring about temporary calm—a silence of the graveyard—but it will not revive the spirit of the city.

This has been the bitter experience of the past. A repeat of this exercise and ensuing result would not be different.

The need of the hour is an all party conference to debate about Pakistan’s mega city which is a mini-Pakistan where people from all over the country live and earn their livelihood. It is a city which reflects the true spirit of Pakistan and deserves love and care by the government and opposition across the board. No ethnic group should claim monopoly over the city.

It is a city of Quaid-e Azam whose ideals we cherish and claim to follow.

Therefore, all parties whether in the parliament or outside should unite to seek restoration of order and calm.

As a nation we must demonstrate our love and ownership for the miniPakistan.

Writer is Pakistan’s High Commissioner in London

35 Indian companies in Forbes Asia’s ‘Best Under a Billion’ list Thirty-five Indian companies are ranked among the top 200 Asia-Pacific corporations in Forbes Asia’s ‘Best Under a Billion’ list for this year. The number of Indian companies was second only to the 65 firms from both China and Hong Kong that found a place in the list. Among the Indian companies that made the grade are SRF, which manufactures chemical-based industrial intermediates; Polyplex, which makes polyester film; and Glodyne Technoserve, an IT services company, Forbes Asia said

today.

However, India’s largest storage-battery producer, Exide Industries -- which was present in the list last year - grew too big to be included in the 200-company list for 2011, having breached the USD 1 billion sales mark in the past 12 months. The Asia-Pacific list ranks public companies in the Asia-Pacific region with annual revenues between USD 5 million and USD 1 billion. The companies were also evaluated

in terms of return on equity, said Forbes Asia. Tim Ferguson, the Editor of Forbes Asia, said: “Essentially, these are our picks of the companies that have best managed through the economic volatility that began in 2008.

Most navigated the global credit crunch with little to no debt on their balance sheets. On average, the companies on the list have a 13 per cent debt-to-equity ratio and 67 of these companies carry no debt at all.”

Pakistan has two companies on the list, namely Millat Tractors, which builds agricultural tractors, and software company Netsol Technologies.

Pakistan has two companies on the list, namely Millat Tractors, which builds agricultural tractors, and software company Netsol Technologies.

Sri Lanka has four companies on the list - Asian Alliance Insurance, Ceylon Investment, Renuka Holdings and chicken processing company Bairaha Farm.

5

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 01 September 2011

NEWS EDITORIAL

Confiscation T

he confiscation of the moveable and immoveable property of former President Gen (retd) Musharraf was ordered by an Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi in the Benazir Bhutto murder case, because of his failure to appear before it either in person or through a lawyer as an accused.

This was part of the process of being a proclaimed offender. The General, nowadays in self-imposed exile, plans to return to the country next year, on 23 March.

The Benazir murder will not be the only charge he will be liable to face. However, the pursuit of General Musharraf by a court carries a warning for any aspiring military dictators that they would be criminally liable for their acts.

Apart from the questions arising about how he was able to obtain the property detailed in court, even though he belonged to an ordinary background in which both his parents worked for salaries, and had himself been a salaried state employee all his working life, he still has to answer a number of court questions about his stay in exile in the countries he helped so unstintingly by his support in the war on terror.

It must be noted by all that there is no room any longer for Bonapartism in Pakistan, because the rule of law has been established.

That means that the previous position above the law successfully claimed by certain state institutions has now been blocked, and all state servants, without exception, must be prepared to face the courts for their actions, and thus can engage in illegality, whether that of taking over the entire country or of killing an individual, only at their own risk.

It is for the government of the day to consider why General Musharraf enjoys his cushy exile in supposedly friendly countries despite being an accused in a case which the present government used as a major campaign plank after Ms Bhutto’s death.

To advertise call 020 8904 0619

Dr Imran Farooq killers arrested Dr Imran Farooq murder: ‘Stop spreading untrue reports’ MQM tells Media

T

he Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) tersely urged the media to refrain from spreading “unfounded speculations” about arrests made in Dr Imran Farooq’s murder case.

A statement issued by MQM’s coordination committee said that news reports on two people being arrested at the Karachi airport were “devoid of truth, baseless and concocted.”

The committee said that the purpose behind these “fabricated and malicious” reports was nothing but to “tarnish the image of the MQM and damage its reputation.”

Members of the coordination committee said that MQM was “consulting its legal advisers for (taking) legal action in this regard.”

They said that the case was being investigated by “the (New) Scotland Yard, and the media should desist from spreading false and unfounded speculations.”

In Karachi, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that law enforcement agencies had not arrested any man named ‘Waseem’ from Karachi airport in the Dr Imran Farooq murder case and no agency had sent any report to the British authorities regarding any Pakistani political party.

Rebuffing all media reports in this regard, Malik said this was “all being done to drive a wedge between the PPP and the MQM.”

Malik told reporters that reports regarding arrest of two MQM workers from an airport “are baseless and no information was provided by Scotland Yard or other British agency (in this regard).” He said that the government of Pakistan had not sent any report against the MQM to the British authorities. Scotland Yard also denied sending any men to Pakistan in this regard.

The murder is being investigated

by Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism branch because of the political dimension to the killing. According to Guardian Sources say intelligence suggests his death was linked to rows within the MQM. Farooq, once prominent in MQM, had taken a back seat. A senior Pakistani source said he may have been about to endorse or join a new party set up by Pakistan’s former military ruler, General Pervez

Musharraf. The source said of the motive: According to a published report in Daily Nation Pakistan Khalid Shamim, belongs to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is said to be the mastermind of Dr Imran’s murder, and two other youth were reportedly arrested form Karachi a few days back. According to Nation and Dawn Two men were arrested at Karachi airport a few days ago in connection with the killing of MQM leader Imran Farooq in London in September last year. Dawn wrote The sources said the arrests were made by personnel of the country`s elite intelligence agency with the help of photographs and videos provided by the British authorities. The arrested persons have been kept in Karachi and investigation is in progress.

The accused had flown to London in August 2010 and the murder took place on September 16.

Daiy Nation wrote ,Sources revealed that Khalid Shamim was given the task of killing Dr Imran Farooq in London. He sought the help of a man named Hammad Siddiqi, who provided him two boys both of whom belonged to All Pakistan Muttahida Students Organisation. Khalid Shamim arranged student visas for both these boys. The two youth met an unidentified man in London who briefed them about the routine of Dr Imran, and they killed him near his

house on September 16, 2010.

After the murder, both the killers left for Colombo instead of coming to Pakistan.

After reaching there, they contacted the mastermind Khalid Shamim, who advised them to reach Pakistan.

A secret agency recorded all the conversation between Shamim and the killers and kept the former under strict watch. Shamim had also planned to murder both these boys as soon as they would reach Karachi.

The agencies arrested both the young killers when they reached Karachi from Colombo and shifted them to Rawalpindi whereas contacts were also made with the MQM for handing over Khalid Shamim.

Meanwhile, President Zardari and Altaf Hussain also talked about this issue wherein the latter expressed his displeasure over the issue. A high profile official of the agencies contacted Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad for the arrest of Shamim after which the latter was arrested.

The killers were made to hear all the recording of their conversation wherein they had planned to murder Dr Imran Farooq. After hearing their own conversation, the accused themselves told the whole story to the agencies. Though Shamim presented all facts in different contexts, statements of all the three accused proved similar at the end.

Track down target killers - CJ

A five-judge special bench of the Supreme Court observed on Tuesday that there should be no compromise on people’s fundamental rights in the search for security and asked the Sindh government to track down elements involved in target killings in Karachi.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, who heads the bench hearing the suo motu case on the city’s security situation, said the court wanted to know who the perpetrators were. “Why is the provincial government not waking up itself? The fundamental right to security is being violated.” The chief justice said the compensation to be paid by the government to the families of people killed in the violence was the public money.

One member of the bench said it was not a difficult task to trace the killers because everybody knew them, but blind FIRs against unnamed suspects were registered to be used later. He said the culprits were shown on TV while shooting and yet they could not be identified.

Another judge was critical of the deployment of Rangers in the city for controlling the security situation.

“Why don’t you build your own force instead of borrowing it from the federal government,” he asked the provincial police chief.

The judge referred to the May 12, 2007, incident and asked who had ordered Rangers not to do anything.

The chief justice asked Sindh IG Wajid Ali Durrani about investigation into the murder of Advocate Muhammad Murtaza Chinoy and ordered him to depute a DSP as investigation officer.

The court asked the IG to submit

required to record statements of 18 people who had been freed from the custody of target killers over the past month.

The court asked Attorney General Moulvi Anwarul Haq to submit investigation reports of intelligence agencies on target killings in Karachi at the next hearing on Sept 5.

Earlier, Hafeez Pirzada, the counsel for the Sindh government, concluded his arguments. He commenced his submissions by explaining the

progress reports about investigation into all incidents of target killings, extortion and abduction. The police chief is also

demographic imbalance and after building up his arguments said that measures should be taken for a “witness

protection programme”.

He said the ethnic divide was strong in the city because of increase in population which resulted in division of many localities on the basis of language.

Mr Pirzada laid stress on fundamental rights and placed, specifically on Articles 8 (laws inconsistent with or in derogation of fundamental right to be void), 9 (security of a person), 14 (inviolability of dignity of man), 23 (provisions as to property), 24 (protection as to property rights) and 25 (equality of citizens).

Hafeez Pirzada informed the court that gangsters were involved in land grabbing and extortion, causing lawlessness in certain parts of the city.

He said ethnic and criminals groups were also involved in subverting peace in the city, adding that the provincial government had taken appropriate measures to improve the situation.

The chief justice asked Mr Pirzada to assist the court in this regard.

The Sindh IG apprised the court of actions taken so far by police against criminal elements.

6

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 01 September 2011

COMMENT

After the Breakup: What Next for US-Pakistan Relations? develop a sustainable relationship

C. Christine with Pakistan to secure U.S. interests.

Fair

Tribune Comment

S

ince 9/11, the United States and Pakistan have struggled to sustain military and intelligence cooperation.

Their efforts long strained under diverging priorities, unmet expectations and opposing strategic interests.

After the unilateral U.S. military raid that resulted in Osama bin Laden’s death, Pakistan has arrested this cooperation indefinitely. This may be a good thing.

To Washington, military and intelligence cooperation has dominated the relationship.

The Kerry-Lugar-Berman legislation aimed to rebalance U.S. engagement towards civilian institutions but is moribund. As U.S. legislators increasingly view Pakistan skeptically, funding for that program is doubtful.

Washington’s cupidity for Pakistan’s men on horseback has vitiated Washington’s creativity to

Worse, Washington’s khaki addiction undermines its own interests. Many Pakistanis see their army as a “rental army.”

Pakistanis believe the Pakistan Taliban insurgency is due to their army’s cooperation with the United States rather than blowback from decades of using Islamist militants to secure Pakistan’s interests in India and Afghanistan. Pakistan’s support to the U.S. global war on terror has motivated some of Pakistan’s erstwhile proxies to rebel against the state and under the banner of the Pakistani Taliban.

Pakistan’s military alliance with the United States has dissuaded it from acting against these militants due to the perception that it is “fighting America’s war.” Finally, in unflinchingly supporting Pakistan’s military, Washington has buttressed authoritarianism and left civilian institutions less able to fend against the military’s praetorian tendencies.

Washington should try to engage with Pakistan’s military; however, military relations should be normalized to high-level exchanges, consultation on issues like the war in Afghanistan, continued training and foreign military sales -- preferably channeled to support Pakistan’s ability to counter terrorism and insurgency.

Increasingly, America should engage Pakistan’s emerging civilian centers of power.

Pakistan’s parliament needs assistance.

Parliamentarians -- while improving through the simple fact that democracy has survived -- lack fundamental legislative skills.

They cannot exercise parliamentary powers which could slowly bring the military and intelligence agencies to account, even though there are standing defense committees in both houses, which are constitutionally empowered to do so.

Many politicians claim that they cannot scrutinize military affairs because of the “classified nature” of Pakistan’s defense programs -- including its secretive nuclear program.

The United States, working with parliamentary countries and multilateral institutions like the UNDP, can help.

Rather than congressional delegations rotating through Pakistan to pander to their constituents, Congressional delegations should be purpose-driven.

For example, the Senate intelligence committee -- and its professional staff -- could offer Pakistanis key insights into how this organization functions, including processing for providing civilians with security clearances to review

intelligence affairs.

Washington should focus resources upon expanding Pakistan’s parliamentary capacities at provincial levels, too. With devolution, the provinces have new found resources and power with even less capable cohorts of legislators. America has a diverse array of state assemblies which could offer important insights into local governance under constrained resources.

Washington should work to fortify Pakistan’s institutions of rule of law by providing coherent police training assistance.

However, it cannot provide Pakistan’s police with a forensics capability without a human capital base to support such an effort.

Establishing educational institutions dedicated to building basic science and forensic training is a necessary component. Even if police could be trained (a big if) to collect forensic evidence, without proper labs and evidence storage such efforts are absolutely useless.

Pakistan’s judiciary is shambolic.

There are too few judges who are poorly paid and lacking security.

Prosecutors are loath to take on high profile cases involving organized crime or terrorism. Witnesses are wary of testifying and judges are often too terrified to convict.

Police inability to build a forensics case means that confessions and

witness testimony are often the only evidence.

Judges can easily dismiss a case if there is evidence of coercion and/or if witnesses are unwilling to come forward. And Pakistan’s prisons are overcrowded, decrepit institutions of learning for criminals and terrorists alike.

The most successful investment the United States has ever made in Pakistan is Lahore’s University of Management Sciences (LUMS), the premier institution of higher learning.

It offers scholarships to poorer students ensuring that is not a school only for Pakistan’s elites. Pakistan needs more of these institutions.

Pakistan also needs trade, not aid, to generate job growth.

Notably, American lobbies have resisted giving Pakistan access to U.S. textile markets.

Helping Pakistan’s economy should be an urgent U.S. national security interest that trumps parochial lobbies concerns.

The United States should seize this opportunity. The most likely path to a stable Pakistan involves empowering civilians to exert control over its security and foreign policies.

C. Christine Fair is an assistant professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.

No link between liberative spirituality and racism A

writer in a recent edition of a Washington based paper critiqued racism. The writer coming from a Jewish background has known the suffering of the Jews.

Today because of 9/11 there is a strong anti-Islam feeling which sadly former President George W. Bush used as an excuse to wage a war against terrorism and perhaps laid the foundation for his dubious victory in the 2004 Presidential election.

Recently at a seminar at the Neelan Tiruchelvam Centre it was said that President Barack Obama had shifted from the previous anti-Islamic stance.

The speaker at that seminar a white American Woman now a convert to Islam said that 1/4th of the world’s population followed Islam.

Of them, 65 per cent were today’s Facebook generation and that Washington hoped to touch base with them and present a new thinking on

Islam. She said the recent failure to respect the sovereignty of Pakistan by Washington and the manner in which Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was killed did not show the change in Washington’s thinking.

The recent Norwegian bomb blast in the name of the now emerging anti-Islamic feeling, the murder of a Dutchman, who was critiquing Islam in a film underlines that communalism still held sway.

The history of Sri Lanka also shows the emergence of racism in different ways and times, though politicians often boast about their vision of a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural society. Living and working in the Global Village can one be racist?

Arthur C. Clarke a genius from the world of modern science in his autobiography has said that the Global Village will soon become the Global Family. There is a strong

school of thought which refuses to accept the thinking that the Global Village thanks to the new information technology will turn out to be a Global Family soon.

The recent violence in Britain most analysts believe resulted largely due to a widening gap between the rich and the poor.

This is not the Global Family one wants. Like most party politicians Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron is using violence to combat violence in that country.

Prime Minister Cameron has apparently missed the point because the answer is to get to the roots of the problem and not do what former Premier Margaret Thatcher did.

The Global Village will become a Global Family only when one is prepared to act according to the highest principles of spirituality where people are called upon not to be self-centred or greedy but to

experience the inner liberation of being other centered while working sincerely and sacrificially for the common good of all.

Liberative spirituality teaches us to share. Buddhism abhors selfishness, and greed, Islam speaks about brotherhood and sisterhood of all people.

It is the failure of the Jewish, Christian and Islam communities that in a sense led to Karl Marx

stating that “religion is the opium of the masses” because to a large degree they were preaching escapism and not tackling the issues of an inequitable distribution of wealth and resources or the exploitation if not slavery of the poor workers.

Therefore to combat the evil of racism, those who are committed to liberative spirituality must walk the talk.

A Career

at

South Asia Tribune

SA tribune is looking for talented, self-motivated and results-driven individuals for sales and marketing department. interested applicants are requested to send their cvs with covering letter to

info@satribune.co.uk

7

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 25 August 2011

Bollywood’s Salman Khan takes charge

S

alman Khan, a man of few words, says Bodyguard’s script was tweaked to suit the palate of his fans. Will Khan surpass his previous achievements?

Budget According to Bodyguard’s coproducer Atul Agnihotri, the film’s budget is 15 times higher than the original film, which starred South Indian actors Dileep and Nayanthara.

“It’s not a remake because it’s impossible to make a film frame by frame. When my fans go to see my movie, they expect entertainment, so I sat down with Siddique [the director]

and made a lot of changes. I suggested ideas that will be liked by my audience here. But no, I am not the scriptwriter,” said Khan.

Normally, such interferences are looked upon as stepping on the director’s toes and muzzling their creative freedom, but Siddique has no such hangups.

“The best part about Salman is that we don’t have to secondguess him.

He is honest and will say whatever is in his mind. No games — that’s why I admire him. He’s very open about what he wants,” said Siddique in

revered tones.

Though he has directed several Malayalam blockbusters, including Godfather and Ramji Rao .

Speaking, Bodyguard is Siddique’s first step into Bollywood and Khan’s suggestions about Bollywoodising Bodyguard were lapped up immediately.

“There’s a certain image attached to Salman Khan. In the Malayalam film, the lead hero was a school drop-out, but in Hindi we made him a professional bodyguard. That’s Continued on page 8 >>

8

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 01 September 2011

Bollywood’s Salman Khan takes charge and said that he will do my film.

How many superstars will do that?”

According to the director, half the battle was won when Khan deigned to act in his directorial venture.

The actor, with considerable clout among his own peers, even convinced his former lover Kaif to make a cameo appearance.

Rumour has it that this move didn’t go down too well with the leading lady Kareena Kapoor, who plays Divya — a rich business tycoon’s daughter.

“I am not aware of this. In fact, Kareena told me that she is very happy with the way her role has shaped up and Katrina plays herself in the opening credit song.

See the film and you will know what I am talking about.

It will all make sense.”

Continued from page 8 how it works.”

Translation? Khan — one of India’s deified heroes — is often shown as an extraordinary being with superhuman qualities. For instance in Khan’s 2010 Eid blockbuster Dabangg, he played the lovable corrupt cop, Chulbul Pandey — who could flip aviators with a swish, bash up half a dozen weapon-toting villains in a minute and even do a jig in between the fights.

So a school drop-out would perhaps indicate that Khan is mortal and go against the grain of Khan’s persona.

“Salman knows the industry well and understands the movie business. I feel I am lucky that he chose to be in my first Bollywood film. I still remember the day he picked up his phone

I

Agneepath officially unveiled in Mumbai

t’s billed as the first big release of 2012 and has a buffed up Hrithik Roshan attempting to step into the shoes of Amitabh Bachchan and his iconic gangster role as the underworld don Vijay in Agneepath.

The entire team comprising Roshan, its leading lady Priyanka Chopra and producer Karan Johar were present at the official unveiling in Mumbai.

Chopra also took to twitter to

spread the word.

“So excited to showcase the first look of the film RT@ TeamPriyanka The cast and crew of #AgneepathMovie at the launch!...” tweeted Chopra.

Article continues below Said to be radically different from the original version starring Bachchan, Johar claims that the new version will include new characters, villains and twists.

The modern version of Agneepath

will hit the theatres on January 12.

Bollywood Whisper “It’s not true.”

— Salman Khan when asked if his real-life bodyguard Shera had assaulted one of his fans during his recent visit to Kanpur.

“Let’s stick to Bodyguard” — Salman Khan when asked about his stand on anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare.

9

aarc S

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

Thursday, 01.09.11

See Page 12

international

Sri Lanka will answer questions at UN Human Rights Council session

Triumph for Anna as Parliament backs key demands

S

ri Lanka says it is prepared to face the issues against the country that may arise at the United Nations Human Rights Council session next month.

The Sri Lankan government has appointed a five-member delegation headed by Plantation Minister and Special Human Rights Envoy Mahinda Samarasinghe to address the 18th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva from September 12-30.

The Sri Lankan delegation is scheduled to leave the island on the 08th of September. Minister Samarasinghe is scheduled to address the HRC on 12th of September.

Work displayed in saarc int. are a review of southasianmedia.net.

The information on this page is for information purposes only.

The South Asia Tribune and SAARC International Ltd. assume no liability for any inaccurate, delayed, or incomplete information, nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

The full story can be viewed at www.southasianmedia.net

‘It’s People’s day’

T

he ‘sense of the House’ resolution adopted on Saturday night represented a stunning triumph for the fasting anti-corruption crusader who, just 12 days ago, had been arrested and jailed by a government fearful of the protest he was about to embark upon.

In a historic gesture, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha unanimously resolved to endorse three key ideas that social activist Anna Hazare had insisted be included in the draft Lokpal Bill, now being considered by Parliament.

The ‘sense of the House’ resolution adopted on Saturday night represented a stunning triumph for the fasting anticorruption crusader who, just 12 days ago, had been arrested and jailed by a government fearful of the protest he was about to embark upon.

As news from Parliament reached Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, where thousands of protesters have kept vigil since August 18, Mr. Hazare was gracious in acknowledging this as a people’s victory. Around half past nine, when a letter from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh describing the resolutions was handed over to him by Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, he announced that he would call off his 12-day-old fast at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

The relatively tame denouement followed hours of suspense, drama and some hard bargaining

by Mr. Hazare’s chief negotiators — Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal — who proved equal to their counterparts in the government.

The Parliamentary motions — adopted by the traditional thumping of desks rather than a formal vote — were preceded

by an extraordinary debate on the issues related to corruption triggered by the social activist whose grit, determination and folksy ways captured the imagination of the nation.

The identically worded resolutions, which were read out by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee at the end of the debate, said: “The House discussed various issues relating to the setting up of a strong and effective Lokpal.

This House agrees in principle on the following issues: (a) Citizens Charter, (b) Lower bureaucracy also to be under Lokpal through appropriate mechanism, (c) Establishment of a Lokayukta in the States; And further resolves to transmit the proceedings to the Department-related Standing

See page 10

Committee for its perusal while formulating its recommendations for a Lokpal Bill.”

Barring the influential Yadavs, Lalu Prasad and Sharad — who questioned the propriety of Parliament discussing issues raised by what they said was a section of civil society that did not represent all segments of the people — members cutting across political parties broadly endorsed Mr. Hazare’s anti-corruption agenda and the specific demands he was making of the Lokpal.

Mr. Mukherjee, drafted in as the Prime Minister’s interlocutor in the last stages of the crisis, set the tone for a discussion with a suo motu statement summarising the sequence of events on the dialogue between Team Anna and the government. He also drew attention to the Opposition BJP’s initial reluctance to grant any legitimacy to the civil society

10

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

SPECIAL FEATURE Rajiv Gandhi assassination: Delay in sentencing

T

he hanging of the three men sentenced to death for conspiring to assassinate former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi has been stayed for eight weeks by the Madras High Court, coinciding with the Tamil Nadu Assembly passing a unanimous resolution asking President Pratibha Patil to review the mercy petitions.

Hearing the petitions filed by Murugan (alias Sriharan), T Suthendraraja (alias Santhan) and AG Perarivalan (alias Arivu) that their death sentence be commuted, the high court ordered an interim stay on the hanging pending disposal of the case.

The court has ordered notice to the Union Government returnable in eight weeks. On August 11 this year, President Pratibha Patil rejected the mercy petitions of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, all linked to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

<< Continued from page 9 initiative.

Seeking a sense of the House, Mr. Mukherjee posed a series of questions for consideration. They centred on the three outstanding issues that Team Anna insisted would make all the difference between a toothless, ineffective Lokpal and one that could address the ordinary citizen’s concerns abut corruption.

After nearly eight hours of separate discussion in both Houses, Mr. Mukherjee told MPs that there was consensus in principle on the issues of a citizens charter, inclusion of the lower bureaucracy under the Lokpal and the establishment of Lokayuktas in the States.

(LTTE), and sentenced them to death for their involvement in Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination.

members of Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers militant group and were convicted of plotting the assassination. Murugan and Santhan are from Sri Lanka and Perarivalan is an Indian Tamil.

In 2006, the Tamil Tigers expressed

life imprisonment for Nalini Sriharan, an Indian Tamil woman married to Murugan who was also convicted in connection with the assassination.

“The three convicts are personally informed that today that they will be

He said they had expected the chief minister of Tamil Nadu state to make a personal intervention.

“As there is no sign regarding political intervention, we are exploring other legal options,” he said.

The killing of Rajiv Gandhi by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber shocked India.

All three of the condemned men were

“regret” for the murder.

The Supreme Court in 1999 confirmed the death sentences of the three men, but commuted capital punishment to

hanged,” Mr Pugazendhi, a lawyer representing the three men, told the BBC Tamil service.

The mother of Perarivalan also told BBC Tamil that he denied the charges and said that she believed the judgement was based on a forced confession.

‘It’s People’s day’ Though Team Anna had hoped for a formal vote, in part to be able to identify those MPs who opposed these provisions, the government stuck to the proposal the Prime Minister had made on Thursday in the Lok Sabha: that Parliament debate the issues and forward the details of its deliberations to the Standing Committee currently examining the government’s Lokpal Bill.

Mr. Mukherjee told the MPs not to be bogged down in the nitty-gritty of procedures and was at pains to emphasise that the extraordinary

move was to avoid an impression of an apparent conflict between civil society and Parliament.

In his opening statement the Minister acknowledged that the

that the government might well fall back upon in the weeks and months ahead: “In case a consensus emerges at the end of the discussions, the Standing Committee will, in the course

This is Anna Hazare’s moment and Parliament’s hour specific issues raised by Mr. Hazare were important and deserved serious consideration. But he added a caveat

of its deliberations, take into account their practicability, implementability and constitutionality.”

Reacting to the developments, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, former West Bengal Governor, said: This is Anna Hazare’s moment and Parliament’s hour.

But the day belongs to the people of India who have woken our polity from amnesia.

Even three months ago it would have been unthinkable that Parliament will say and do what it has done so handsomely today.

And just as the RTI campaign led

by Aruna Roy has made RTI an Act that is used every day, we should look forward to the Lokpal campaign led by Anna Hazare to give us an Act and beyond it, a comprehensive mechanism that glares corruption in all its forms into retreat.

11

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF AFGHANISTAN NEWS

Few treatment options for Afghans as drug use rises

A

fghanistan’s afflictions: a growing drug addiction problem and all the ills that come with that, not least H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, which can be transmitted when addicts share needles. There were about 900,000 drug users in Afghanistan in 2010, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, a marked increase from previous years. That means about 7 percent of the adult population of 14 million is using narcotics.

A vast majority take opium-based drugs, which are extraordinarily pure here and very cheap — about $3.50 for enough to get high, addicts say. Afghanistan is the world’s leading producer of opium poppy, and the opium produced and sold here and its derivatives, including

heroin, are among the most potent on earth. About 150,000 of those

Power control, distribution centre opens

A

centre to control and distribute electricity, a $24 million USfunded project, was inaugurated in Kabul, an official said.

The centre has an international computer system and modern facilities, Da Afghanistan Brekhna Shirkat (DABS) chief, Abdul Raziq Samadi, told the inaugural ceremony. Funded

by the USAID, the facility took eight months to complete and was handed over to DABS today, he added.

DABS commercial chief, Mirwais Alami, told Pajhwok Afghan News power supply lines carrying 350 megawatts of electricity from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan had been extended to the centre.

using opium-based drugs are injecting heroin, according to the

World Health Organization.

A measure of the problem is that

surveys show that 12 to 41 percent of police recruits test positive for some form of narcotic — most are hashish smokers — according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office. Another indicator of the problem is a recent report by the Ministry of Public Health in partnership with Johns Hopkins University that found H.I.V. present in about 7 percent of drug users, double the figure just three years ago, said Dr. Fahim Paigham, who until recently directed the Ministry of Public Health’s AIDS control program.

Unlike the situation in many countries, where H.I.V. is transmitted primarily through sexual contact, in Afghanistan the primary transmission is through shared needles.

US offers $1.3b aid for Afghan power system T

he United States pledged $ 1.3 billion in assistance to strengthen Afghanistan’s electricity system and improve the capacity of some universities, a cabinet minister said.

A contract to the effect was signed between Afghan and US officials in Kabul. Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal told reporters a major portion would be spent on modernizing

power-generating units and the distribution system over the next four years.

Without giving details, the minister said the assistance would be used to strengthen the capacity of some universities and teachers. Zakhilwal said $ 98 million would be spent directly by the Afghan government and the rest by the US.

Six Afghan civilians killed in NATO airstrike Magnitude-5.4 quake shakes Afghanistan A magnitude-5.4 earthquake rattled the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan early Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the quake that hit at 1:02 a.m.

Saturday (2032 Friday GMT).

No tsunami alerts were issued.

The quake was deep, some 199.1 kilometers (123.72 miles) below the surface, the USGS said.

The USGS said the quake hit was about 74 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of Faizabad, Afghanistan, and 254 kilometers (157 miles) northeast of Kabul.

Russia welcomes UN recommendations on Afghan drug trafficking

S

ix Afghan civilians from the same family were killed by a coalition air strike in the insurgenthit east of the country, local officials said on Friday.

A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said he could not confirm civilians were killed but that several insurgents were among

the dead in the operation at around midnight Thursday in Logar province.

Logar provincial police chief Ghulam Sakhi Rogh Lewani said that the operation targeted a Taliban commander with a bounty on his head known as Qari Hijran and had also killed civilians.

“Four Taliban terrorists were killed along with three Afghan army and six members of a family during the incident,” he said.

The top official in the district of Baraki Barak where the incident happened, Mohammad Rahim Amin, claimed it occurred when a local teacher provided shelter for the commander in his home.

Moscow supports the United Nations in fighting drug trafficking from Afghanistan, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said.

“Since this year, Russia has increased its annual payment to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime to two million US dollars, and we plan to use a part of that money on financing of a regional programme for Afghanistan and neighbouring countries, as well as on several other anti-drug projects in Central Asia,” spokesman of Russia’s Foreign Ministry Alexander Lukashevich said yesterday.”The

priority is fighting drug trafficking from Afghanistan, which threatens international peace and security.”

Lukashevich highlighted the importance and interest for Russia in a Central Asian regional information and coordination centre on fighting illegal turnover of drugs. “Russia joined it in February of 2011, and one of the events, which Russia organises jointly with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime is the third ministerial conference of the Paris pact on prevention of opiate from Afghanistan,” he said.

12

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF BANGLADESH NEWS

Khaleda’s case investigation to start after Eid T

he Anti-Corruption Commission is going to start their investigation into a graft case against former prime minister Khaleda Zia and three others after the Eid. The anti-graft watchdog filed the case on August 8 for misusing power to establish Shaheed Zia Charitable Trust, named after late president Ziaur Rahman.

The commission appointed its

Assistant Director Md Harunur Rashid as investigation officer (IO) of the case while Director Nur Mohammad as supervising officer.

“We will formally start investigation into the case against the Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia and three others after the Eid,” Harunur Rashid told BSS yesterday.

During the investigation, the

ACC will collect original copies of the evidences including cheques, pay orders, dossier of a piece of land and others to probe charges against the accused.

The commission has already collected photocopies of the evidences and recorded statements of at least 25 witnesses, mainly bank employees, as part of the investigation.

HC seeks footage on 2 BNP leaders’ remarks ‘Khaleda son ran T arms into India’

he High Court Thursday asked for compact disks (CDs) from nine private television channels on the statements of BNP leaders Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Moudud Ahmed about this court.

The High Court Thursday asked for compact disks (CDs) from nine private television channels on the statements of BNP leaders Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Moudud Ahmed about this court.

BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday at a meeting at Jatiya

Press Club in the city said, “Now the court is governing the country as it is giving decisions on everything including the club, field and river.”

Moudud Ahmed was present at the meeting and made a statement about the judiciary.

An HC bench in a suo moto move ordered the authorities concerned of the television channels to submit the video footage on the statements of Fakhrul and Moudud.

The bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik

and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore passed the order as Attorney General Mahbubey Alam brought the statements before it.

The television channels are ATN News, ATN Bangla, Channel i, Mohona TV, Diganta TV, NTV, Desh TV, My TV and Independent TV, which covered the meeting.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told The Daily Star that the court asked for CDs from the television channels to examine the statements of two BNP leaders about the court.

Five CMs to accompany PM to Dhaka

T

he chief ministers of West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram will accompany Singh, an event that is

extremely rare in Indian politics. It is intended to signal to Bangladesh that India is ready to press the reset button on ties with Dhaka.

‘Ensure proper water sharing’ The government should press India during the Indian premier’s two-day official visit beginning September 6 to adopt an integrated project to ensure proper sharing of water from the rivers connecting the two countries, urged speakers yesterday.

The government should press India during the Indian premier’s two-day official visit beginning September 6 to adopt an integrated project to ensure proper sharing of water from the rivers connecting the

two countries, urged speakers yesterday.

Resolution of the water sharing problem should be one of the most prime agendas during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit, they said.

They were addressing a roundtable titled “Common environmental concerns of Bangladesh and India and the ways to resolve” organised by Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) at Mukti Bhaban auditorium in the city.

Signalling the growing importance of Bangladesh to India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will take along five chief ministers to Dhaka when he travels there next week for one of his biggest foreign policy moves in the region.

The chief ministers of West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram will accompany Singh, an event that is extremely rare in Indian politics. It is intended to signal to Bangladesh that India is ready to press the reset button on ties with its eastern neighbour.

B

T

arique Rahman, the son of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, will be charged along with 30 others in the 2004 Chittagong port arms smuggling case.

He allegedly masterminded the botched supply of 10 truckloads of Chinese arms to ULFA boss Paresh Baruah with ISI help when his mother headed the BNP-led

coalition government.

The cache of arms included Chinese made 27,020 grenades, 840 rocket launchers, 300 accessories of rocket launchers, 2,000 grenade launching tubes, 6,392 magazines and 1,140,520 bullets, which, according to a Bangladeshi intelligence official, could have triggered 20 Mumbai type attacks if ULFA had got them.

Sources say that Bangladesh Task Force Interrogation (TFI) officials conducting the investigation are all set to frame charges against Rahman.

Former Jamaat-e-Islami emir and industries minister Matiur Rahman Nizami, former BNP home minister of state Lutfozzaman Babar, who is in CID custody, Paresh Baruah and several others have been charged in the arms haul case. Baruah’s whereabouts are not known as he reportedly fled Bangladesh after the crackdown on Indian insurgents by the Hasina government.

Khaleda puts blame on govt

NP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday said the government has to take full responsibility for the “unnatural death” of Supreme Court lawyer MU Ahmed in police custody.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday said the government has to take full responsibility for the “unnatural death” of Supreme Court lawyer MU Ahmed in police custody.

“The government is responsible for MU Ahmed’s death. It was not a natural death as he was under custody.

Law enforcers tortured him after his arrest. That is why the government

cannot avoid the responsibility,” Khaleda, now in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, said in a statement.

Shairul Kabir Khan, an official of

the chairperson’s press wing, told The Daily Star that the chairperson expressed deep shock over the lawyer’s death.

13

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF BHUTAN NEWS

Thai film festival comes to Bhutan

S

tarting August 29, a fiveday Thai film festival will be organized at the Royal Academy of Performing Arts hall in Thimphu.

The festival is expected to strengthen the Thai-Bhutan friendship.

The festival will showcase around 15 different award winning Thai films based on themes ranging from historical legends to action, drama, comedy, romance and social issues.

The festival will be attended by

six prominent and renowned Thai film directors and producers along with 10 official delegates from the Thai Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the first two days, seminars will be held to share experiences and knowledge in the fields of film making and film business and explore possible future collaboration between the Thai and Bhutanese film industries.

The festival will be open to the

public from August 30 till the end for free.As films are one of the media to portray culture, aspirations, artistic and creative talents, this event will help the Bhutanese audience become acquainted with Thailand’s rich cultural, social and historic interests, and expose them to new genre of films, according to the Department of Information and Media (DOIM), the event organizer.

Thailand has become a tourist and shopping destination for many Bhutanese.

Also, relations between the two countries, especially in the field of education, commerce and health sector, have become stronger over the years.

It is therefore, vital to understand each other’s culture and the role it plays to shape the society, according to DOIM. The festival is organized by DOIM with support from the Department of Culture and Motion Picture Association of Bhutan.

Investigation into internet scam launched

A

n investigation has been launched into an internet scam that has cheated unsuspecting people of millions of Ngultrums. The scams known as

Unipay2u and Visa are reportedly active in the eastern districts.

A team comprising of officials from the Royal Bhutan Police, the Royal Monetary Authority,

the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Local Government are investigating the scam.

In Mongar, around 150 people have fallen victim to the scam.

Together, they have lost an estimated 10 million.

The victims in Trashigang have been cheated of Nu.10 million.

The scam has even penetrated remote Lhuentse district where people have lost around a million Ngultrums.

The two scams lure people by offering 100 percent returns on the investment they make within a short period of time.

The team will be conducting their investigation in Monggar, Trashiyangtse, Lhuentse, Samdrupjonkhar and Trashigang.

Policy dialogue with 40 partners in Thimphu

B

hutan’s first Round Table Meeting after it became a parliamentary democracy will be held on September 1 and 2 in Thimphu.

The 11th Round Table Meeting will discuss Bhutan’s development progress with some 40 development partners.

A press release from UNDP said the RTM will be an opportunity to discuss

Bhutan’s development progress and to ensure that development assistance is aligned with national priorities.

The policy dialogue will focus on Bhutan’s development challenges, the outcome of the 10th Plan Mid-Term Review, and Bhutan’s democratisation process.

The meeting will also review

Bhutan’s macro-economic framework, the application of the Gross National Happiness concept in policy making and development programmes, and road map for the upcoming 11th Five Year Plan.

Round Table Meetings for Bhutan are held twice during the five-year plan and the last meeting was in February 2008.

King to attend show in Lungtenzampa H

is Majesty the King and Queen-to-be Jetsun Pema visited Lungtenzampa Middle Secondary School yesterday. They watched a variety show especially dedicated to them.

His Majesty the King and Queento-be Jetsun Pema are both alumni of Lungtenzampa.King & Queen-to-be attended show in Lungtenzampa Lungtenzampa school presented show for King & Queen-to-be As they walked hand in hand along the school campus, they were greeted by messages written by the students. They also gave

autographs to the staff and students of Lungtenzampa.

At the end of the programme, students sang a song of commitment to His Majesty the King, the country and the people.

His Majesty then interacted with the students after the programme.

He told the students to always dream and to work hard towards achieving their dreams.

His Majesty the King studied in Lungtenzampa from 1989 to 1993.

Queen-to-be Jetsun Pema studied in Lungtenzampa from 2001 till 2005.

Dramatic drop in dengue and malaria cases

I

n what officials claim as a result of continued awareness campaigns, the Phuentsholing hospital recorded only six malaria and 13 dengue cases since the beginning of this year.

All 19 cases were treated and no deaths have been reported, said officials of the vector-borne disease control unit.

Last year, the unit recorded 27 dengue cases and 17 malaria cases. Dengue cases are recorded from May to November every year, while malaria cases are recorded

from the start of the year and are at a peak in summer.

Going by past figures, there has been a drastic drop in vector borne diseases, said officials.

In 2009, Phuentsholing recorded 253 dengue cases and 58 malaria cases. According to officials of the vector-borne disease control unit, continued awareness, free distribution of chemically treated mosquito nets and spraying of residual spray has helped control malaria and dengue, which in the past even resulted in deaths.

14

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF INDIA NEWS

Lokpal alone cannot root out corruption, says Rahul

C

ongress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Friday doubted the proposed Lokpal’s ability to root out corruption. It would be only one element in the legal framework to combat corruption. The Lokpal institution alone could not be a substitute for a comprehensive anti-corruption code, he said in the Lok Sabha.

While welcoming civil rights activist Anna Hazare’s fight

against corruption, Mr. Gandhi said, amid thumping of desks by the Congress benches, “however individual dictates, no matter how well intentioned, must not weaken the democratic process.”

Raising the corruption issue during zero hour, even as the BJP members vehemently questioned on what basis he was allowed to speak suddenly, Mr. Gandhi said the Lokpal could be fortified by

Full victory yet to come: Anna G

ets affirmative ‘voice vote’ from multitude to end fast It was with a burst of deafening applause and firecrackers that thousands of people welcomed Anna Hazare’s announcement that he would break his 12-day-old fast, after he received a letter from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh conveying the ‘in-principle’ acceptance of his demands by Parliament after a debate on Saturday on the three ‘sticking points’ in the Lokpal Bill.

The letter was carried by Rural Development Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who read it out to the people gathered on the Ramlila grounds here.

Thereafter, a happy-looking Anna declared that he would break his fast at 10 a.m., Sunday.

In his inimitable style, Mr. Hazare asked the crowd whether he had their permission to end his fast. The affirmative ‘voice vote’ swept away any misgivings about the lack of a vote in Parliament.

Earlier, it was expected that the government would move a resolution and take ‘voice vote’ in Parliament on Mr. Hazare’s three ‘sticking points’ — inclusion of lower bureaucracy

making it a constitutional body accountable to Parliament like the Election Commission.

“I feel the time has come for us

‘Lokpal Bill will be passed during winter session’

T

in the Lokpal Bill, setting up of Lokayuktas in States and creation of citizens’ charters in government departments.

Describing the outcome of debate in Parliament as a “partial victory,” the anti-corruption crusader said, “The full victory is yet to come.”

he Bill, which would include the key points raised by social activist Anna Hazare, has to be given a final shape by the department-related Standing Committee after perusing the draft, Mr. Moily told journalists.

Union Minister for Corporate Affairs M. Veerappa Moily on Sunday said the revised Lokpal Bill would be passed during the winter session of Parliament.

The Bill, which would include the key points raised by social activist Anna Hazare, has to be given a final shape by the department-related Standing Committee after perusing the draft, Mr. Moily told journalists on the sidelines of the graduation day of the SJC Institute of Technology.

80% of Indians don’t use essential drugs

A

n average Indian suffering from heart attack or stroke is seven times less likely to receive the inexpensive aspirin - the most commonly used anti-platelet drug - and 20 times less likely to receive

statins than an average Canadian.

Presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Paris and published in the British medical journal Lancet, the study involved 1, 53, 996 adults from 17 countries .

to seriously consider this idea.”

Mr. Gandhi went on to state that the democratic process was often lengthy and lumbering, “but it is

so in order to be inclusive and fair.

It provides for a representative and transparent platform, where ideas are translated into laws.”

BJP backs Anna’s 3 key demands A

s the Rajya Sabha took up the debate on the Lokpal Bill, Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley said: “The message is loud and clear, people are not ready to accept the present status quo. Corruption in many areas has become a way of life.”

Pointing to the “loud and clear” message that people were sending out over the demands raised by Anna Hazare, the BJP today lent support to the three contentious issues raised by the Gandhian and his team members.

As the Rajya Sabha took up the debate on the Lokpal Bill, Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley said: “The

message is loud and clear, people are not ready to accept the present status quo. Corruption in many areas has become a way of life.”

He said there was considerable merit in three contentious issues raised

by Team Anna, including covering the entire bureaucracy and Citizens’ Charter for public grievances under Lok Pal and favoured Lokayuktas in the states.

Pointing out that “Our democracy was under trial,” the BJP leader was of the view that inclusion of Prime Minister under Lokpal should be with the exception of certain areas like national security and even foreign policy.

Banks, UIDAI to deploy 14 lakh micro-ATMs

T

he Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is working with the Indian Banks’ Association to create a network of 14 lakh micro ATMs across the country.

While the banks will authorize the transaction, the authentication will be done by UIDAI by biometric association with its database.

The UIDAI is also considering giving unbanked citizens the option to receive a pre-paid payment card issued by banks which can be used for channeling payments from government schemes, including National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. “The plan is to have at least two micro-ATMs in every village.”

15

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF PAKISTAN NEWS

S

Shahbaz Taseer kidnapped

hahbaz Taseer, a son of the slain former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, was abducted by unidentified men on Friday.

The abductors, who were armed, intercepted Shahbaz when he was about to reach his office in Gulberg.

According to eyewitnesses, they were on a black Land Cruiser and a motorcycle, and ambushed Shahbaz on Ameerudin Road.

The SUV blocked the passage behind Shahbaz’s car while the motorbike intercepted him from front.

Police high-ups and officials of other law enforcement agencies reached the spot, cordoned off the area and started investigation.

Police also sealed the entrance and exit points of the city, and set up extra pickets in different areas.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered an immediate recovery of Shahbaz and the arrest of his abductors.

He also announced that he would

personally head the investigation.

According to details, Shahbaz left his house alone in his car without a police escort.

The incident took place at around

10:20am and the abductors, after committing the crime, drove from Hussain Chowk to Jinnah Flyover, and threw out a Russiandesigned automatic rifle before turning towards the flyover. Local

TV channels aired a footage which showed Shahbaz entering the crime scene and a number of people on cars and motorbikes, as well as pedestrians, scampering, probably after witnessing the crime.

Police investigations sources told Pakistan Today that investigators have begun collecting the record of criminals found involved in incidents of kidnapping for ransom across Punjab.

They said investigators had decided to interrogate or include criminals detained in Punjab’s jails on prior counts of kidnapping for ransom.

They said Gulberg Police arrested 10 Pathan scavengers, who were collecting garbage in the area at time of incident, to grill them to prepare sketches of the kidnappers.

MQM chief Altaf Pakistan, US should accept Nine IPPs move for invoking Hussain hospitalised divergence of guarantees views : Gilani A

P

rime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said Friday Pakistan and the US should accept that both countries have divergent views but must learn to trust each other since their relationship was mutually vital.

The PM was talking to a delegation of US senators, led by Robert P Casey, that called on Premier Gilani here on Friday.

The prime minister asked the US senators to devise a common strategy that covered the relationship between the two

countries beyond 2014 and which would be instrumental in each side assisting the other in intelligence sharing and defence cooperation with a view to keeping the region stable.

He reiterated that Pakistan wanted a sovereign, independent, stable and prosperous Afghanistan.

“We support the process of reconciliation which is Afghan-led and Afghan-owned. Pakistan is part of the solution and not part of the problem,” he added.

Premier Gilani mentioned his two visits to Afghanistan and the Afghan president’s visit to Pakistan and said the two countries shared a commonality of views on the process of reconciliation in Afghanistan.

He said positive messaging from the two countries would help strengthen their bilateral relations and deny space to terrorists.

PPP has nothing to do with Mirza’s allegations: Firdous

D

isowning Zulfiqar Mirza’s allegations against the MQM and Rehman Malik as his personal views.

Federal Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan on Sunday said the decisions taken by the party and its leadership with consensus could not be reversed because of an individual’s dissent.

Firdous Ashiq Awan said all the allegations of Mirza were his personal views and they had nothing to do with the party. “He resigned from the cabinet, the Sindh Assembly membership and the party’s slot prior to holding the press conference,” the information minister said.

group of nine independent power producers (IPPs) having a combined capacity of about 1900 megawatts served on Friday notices, as a step towards invoking the government’s sovereign guarantees, over the authorities’ failure to clear dues of Rs81 billion.

The authorities now have 30 days to pay the dues, otherwise the guarantees would be encashed.

Painting a bleak scenario of conditions obtaining in the power sector, former federal secretary Abdullah Yousaf, who now heads an advisory council for 29 IPPs, said that even if the government paid some Rs31 billion within the mandatory 30-day notice period to avoid the embarrassment of seeing the guarantees being invoked, at least four of the IPPs would stop their operations on Aug 28 and could even terminate their contracts.

MQM Chief Altaf Hussain has been in the hospital for the past one week. According to party’s coordination committee Altaf Hussain hasn’t been felling well for one week and has been in a London hospital, reported a private TV channel. some sources claim Altaf Hussain is under Rehablitation treatment for being

Alcoholic Another source claim Altaf Hussain suffers from liver and kidney ailment due to which he might have been shifted to a hospital in Germany. He was treated for a ‘specific’ disorder from which he hasn’t recovered yet and he is at rehabilitation centre. Back in December 2010 Opposition Leader in National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar alleged that the MQM chief had remained under treatment at a rehabilitation centre outside London and he had not yet completely recovered from the ailment. He threatened to make public the record of the rehabilitation centre to prove his claim. However, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, when asked about it at a news conference, only said Altaf had medical check-up at a hospital, while the President of Pakistan and himself had sent him a bouquet of flowers.

Controversial appointment: Rana takes oath as auditor general

A

khtar Buland Rana took oath as the new Auditor General of Pakistan on Saturday after Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry accepted his appointment earlier made

by President Asif Ali Zardari.

Islamabad - After President declared him a right man for the post, Akhtar Buland Rana Saturday has taken the oath as Auditor General of Pakistan.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad

Chaudhry administered the oath to Akhtar Buland Rana in a special ceremony held here at Supreme Court auditorium. The president said that Buland Akhtar Rana was the most appropriate man to hold the office of auditor general.

In his letter to the CJP, the president said that on the principle of seniority Rana’s appointment was justified.

There are no allegations of corruption on Rana and his possession of

dual nationality is no hurdle in his appointment, the letter says, adding that the accusation of having more than one national identity cards has not been proved.

All legal requirements have been meted out for Rana’s appointment, the letter says.

The President also said the dual citizenship of Rana did not hinder his appointment, source said.

16

Pakistani politics witnessed a new first.

Holding the Holy Quran in his hand and then placing it upon his head, Sindh’s senior minister Zulfiqar Ali Mirza made some very bold revelations against his friend’s key, even if troubled, political ally as well as his friend’s closest and most handy aide.

President Asif Ali Zardari perhaps now faces the biggest challenge of his political career as none other than his most loyal friend and senior minister Sindh, Zulfiqar Ali Mirza, at a press conference issued a loaded charge sheet. Mirza gave specific information along with alleged evidence, against all those he accused. He said the ongoing operation was meaningless and that the real killers were not being apprehended.

Zulfiqar Mirza’s attack has produced a complex political dynamic. One with the ‘evidence’ that Zulfiqar Mirza claims he has against the MQM’s alleged involvement in target killings, he has put the MQM under pressure. An MQM on the defensive provides political leverage to the PPP in its ongoing negotiations with that party. It may also help to stem the growing alienation of the Sindhis against the PPP leadership, especially earlier the mishandling of the revival of the local bodies.

The claims made by Zulfiqar Mirza can also potentially strengthen the PPP’s hand in the Supreme Court’s suo motto hearing on the Karachi target killing.

The SC bench now meeting in Karachi is bound to call Zulfiqar Mirza to make good his claims in court.

But the most challenging for PPP’s internal politics is Mirza’s attack on Rehman Malik. Zulfiqar Mirza has made specific charges against the interior minister, holding him responsible for leading a “farcical operation” and for being primarily committed to keeping the MQM on board. In addition to his criticism at the press conference, Zulfiqar Mirza, later in a television

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

Zulfileaks

program insisted that the interior minister “is Pakistan’s enemy and if Pakistan breaks up, then Rehman Malik will be responsible for it.”

Although Mirza insisted that he would remain loyal to the president till his dying day and would give his life in the party’s service, within the immediate context he has created major political challenges for the president. He has alleged that the president’s right-hand man is hand in glove with the killers of innocent citizens.

As for whether these extraordinary revelations will lead to any action against Rehman Malik or the MQM, the punch-line comes from Zulfiqar Mirza himself. While speaking on television he said, “I have rolled the ball, now the ball in the court of the president, army chief, the ISI chief, the PM, the speaker of parliament and the chairman of the senate.” Mirza expects them to use the evidence that he has presented to take action against the MQM and the interior minister. He said the moment the CJP asks him to present himself in court, he will do so.

Zulfiqar Mirza may have become a thorn in the president’s side. But Mirza is one PPP leader that the president will not find it easy to sideline. He will also not able to easily brush aside the alleged charge sheet presented against Rehman Malik nor the MQM. Clearly these moves by Zardari’s closest friend puts the Karachi operation in an even greater spotlight and for all the wrong reasons. It also sharply exposes the weaknesses in Zardari’s politics of “mufahimmat.”

The questions that Mirza’s charge sheet raises only confirms public criticism of the operation. Questions that have no easy answers but ones that will now be repeatedly asked by many political and non-political stake-holders from across the country.

Barely 48 hours after shaking up the country’s political landscape with his

explosive press conference, former Sindh senior minister Zulfiqar Mirza on Tuesday decided to up the ante, repeating and adding to the many accusations he had previously hurled at the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Interior Minister Rehman Malik.

Addressing another press conference, this time at the Hyderabad Press Club, Mirza admitted that the average citizen does not have a favourable impression of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party owing to the current administration’s failure to deliver adequate services.

He added that a band of ‘sycophants’ surrounded President Asif Ali Zardari – whom he continued to refer to as one of his closest friends – who prevented the president from seeing ‘the truth.’

Among those whom he specifically named as being responsible for the party’s state of affairs was once again Rehman Malik, whom he referred to with words that cannot be printed in this newspaper.

“I say this with sadness that we are not going to give Bilawal a good PPP and a good legacy,” said Mirza, who was once again holding up a copy of the Holy Quran during his press conference.

While his rhetoric had been somewhat harsh even on Sunday, Mirza’s words on Tuesday seemed to reach fever pitch, levelling highly incredible allegations against the MQM, accusing them once again of treason and even going so far as to say that the party was planning on acquiring nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

“The MQM is armed to the teeth with 150,000 AK-47 Kalashnkovs, around 15,000 rocket launchers, anti-aircraft guns, anti-tank mines and mortars and is now in the process of procuring nuclear weapons with the help of Uncle Sam,” said Mirza, making the MQM sound more like a rogue state government than a political party.

He repeated his allegation that the MQM had been willing to work with

foreign governments to dismember Pakistan and even work with the United States towards regime change in Iran.

“Uncle Sam was looking for a cruel, ruthless and sordid entity in Pakistan, which would be ready to sell the country’s honour and dignity. They found it in a party which said ‘give me $500 million and finish ISI and we will do whatever you want’, such as allowing Blackwater [a US defence contractor, now called Xe Services] and other groups and also to occupy Iran,” claimed Mirza.

Among the more specific allegations levelled by Mirza was the charge that Babar Ghauri, the former minister for ports and shipping, used his position to divert some of the arms and ammunition meant for Nato forces in Afghanistan towards use by alleged MQM-backed militant and criminal groups.

Mirza cited media reports that several Nato containers have disappeared on their way to Afghanistan as evidence for this startling claim.

He even went so far as to say that the MQM’s attempts to rejoin the ruling coalition – something that the party has so far not been willing to do – were in fact the product of their desire to continue their efforts to use government positions to arms themselves, including, oddly enough, importing Scud missiles, a short-range ballistic missile that became famous for its use by Saddam Hussain during the First Gulf War in 1991.

Mirza also called upon people of all ethnic groups to wage a jihad, though he did not specify against whom. But this call for jihad was interspersed between his comments against the MQM, leading many to believe that his remarks were directed at that party.

“If you do not dare speak up against these criminals who tempt you with the prospect of a completed term, they will bring Uncle Sam and every Tom,

Dick and Harry to exploit your land,” he said, in remarks that seemed to be directed towards the leadership of his own party.

Mirza also praised the Interservices Intelligence (ISI) as a ‘well-organised, patriotic and well-trained’ entity that was ‘100% dedicated to the motherland.’

The former Sindh cabinet minister also highlighted the role of Sindhi politicians in the creation of Pakistan, saying that he did not feel the need to be grateful to another ethnic group for the creation of the country.

“It was these same so-called illiterate, stupid, feudal, aristocratic, lazy fatcats in the Sindh Assembly who voted for the Pakistan Resolution,” said Mirza sarcastically, referring to the pre-Partition support for the creation of Pakistan by the then-provincial legislature in Sindh.

Mirza also claimed that the forefathers of several senior PPP leaders – including the fathers of Hafeez Pirzada, Hussain Haroon and the Khuhro family – were at the forefront of the movement for the creation of Pakistan, and asked what roles the fathers of senior MQM leaders, including Altat Hussain and Farooq Sattar, played in the Pakistan Movement.

When Mirza then opened up the floor for questions, he was asked by Farhan Effendi, the Hyderabad bureau chief for ARY One World, about this, though Effendi conflated Mirza’s questioning of the sacrifices of MQM leaders with that of all muhajirs. Mirza was upset at this mischaracterisation of his remarks and started yelling at Effendi, at which point Mirza’s guards started beating the journalist.

Only when the entire journalist community present protested did Mirza’s guards stop. Under pressure from the reporters, Mirza later apologised for the behaviour of his guards.

17

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

‘Karachigate’

French broker’s estranged wife could hold key to alleged submarine kickback deal Continued from page 1

D

etails are emerging in the latest scandal to hit France’s political elite: the so-called “Karachi Affair”.

Allegations put President Nicolas Sarkozy in the line of fire.

In May 2002, 11 French submarine engineers and four Pakistanis were killed in a bomb attack in Karachi, blamed on al-Qaeda terrorists. But a separate investigation is underway into whether the cancellation of commissions to Pakistani middlemen led to the ‘revenge’ bomb attack.

The latest scandal to hit Nicolas Sarkozy, known as the “Karachi Affair”. It concerns possible illegal kickbacks from defence sales to Pakistan, with funds allegedly used for political campaign funding.

A French paper quotes a former top official in the arms sector in France, Michel Mazens, saying there were “retro-commissions”. The former official, however, is quoted as saying “they did not have a link to a bomb attack in Karachi in 2002”, in which 15 people were killed.

It’s being argued the bomb attack was retaliation over unpaid bribes.

The paper’s editorial stresses that complex investigations are underway and they must run their course.

This is not the time to “jump to conclusions”, it says. In one of its stories, it argues there is “No respite for the Elysée”. The ongoing Bettencourt scandal also centres on allegations of illegal campaign funding.

French judges hope to lift the lid on Mr Takieddine’salleged role in the “Karachi affair” – a political funding scandal involving alleged kickbacks on a 1994 arms sale to Pakistan and the death of French naval engineers in a bomb attack.

An investigating magistrate in the case yesterday questioned Nicola Johnson, 50, who is estranged from Ziad Takieddine, a Franco-Lebanese businessman and her husband of 30 years.

She alleges that Mr Takieddine, a middle man in huge arms and petrol contracts between France and several Middle Eastern countries, has hidden his true fortune in a web of offshore accounts.

She is demanding a €25 million (£22 million) cut of his estate, which her lawyer estimates to be €104 million.

However, Mr Takieddine declares only relatively modest earnings of around €200,000 per year.

Despite making use of a string of opulent properties, whose value in

France alone is estimated to be €40 million, it is alleged that he paid no income or wealth tax in the country last year.

Miss Johnson, about whom little is known, is fighting a 2009 French court ruling that provides her with just €1,000 per month in alimony. “[He] has put in place a highly sophisticated system to hide his revenues and his real assets to French authorities,” her lawyer, William Bourdon, alleged yesterday. “He long claimed that the majority of his assets didn’t belong to him and that he only had temporary use of them as part of

Former director-general of Naval Intelligence The judge mentions Commodore (retd) Shahid Ashraf properties in Antibes on the Riviera, and He also said said that, in 1992, money from the sale of other Paris during the first Nawaz Sharif flats and the couple’s private jet. government, the Navy was given Mr Takieddine itemised assets approval to acquire new submarines worth €97.2 million in a statement for $520 million. he signed in 2008 as part of a loan Commodore (retd ) Shahid Ashraf application, since obtained by said that he was the DG Intelligence Mediapart, an investigative news in those days. “I was informed that website. someone called Niaz was going to Against the backdrop of this marital pay Captain Alvi a sum of $107,000 dispute, French judges hope to lift as part of ‘kickbacks’ on the deal. the lid on Mr Takieddine’s alleged I went to the house of then Vicerole in the “Karachi affair” – a Chief of Naval Staff Admiral AU political funding scandal involving Khan and provided him all necessary

President Asif Ali Zardari and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto were not involved in the deal for the purchase of Agosta submarines from France. a work contract,” he told Libération newspaper.

Earlier this month, a French family court judge ordered all assets that Mr Takieddine held “in common” with his wife to be frozen because of the risk of him selling them off before an appeal ruling on Sept 15.

These assets include Warwick House, in Holland Park, west London, estimated to be worth more than £17 million, and a palatial Paris pied-à-terre in the chic Avenue Georges-Mandel worth an estimate €12 million, whose nominal owner is one Alain F., Mr Takieddine’s butler.

alleged kickbacks on a 1994 arms sale to Pakistan and the death of French naval engineers in a bomb attack.

Last year December in a TV program broadcast in Pakistan Former director-general of Naval Intelligence Commodore (retd) Shahid Ashraf has said that President Asif Ali Zardari and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto were not involved in the deal for the purchase of Agosta submarines from France.

He said that though he was “pressurised to get them involved” but he did not succumb.

information about the people involved, but he refused to allow me to take any action and said that action should be taken with the permission of the Navy chief, Admiral Mansourul Haq, who was on a visit to France and the US. Like Sarkozy and Balladur in France, President Zardari, who was implicated at the time in several financial affairs, earning him the name ‘Mr 10%’, denies any involvement. “When these events took place [in 2002] I was in prison,” Zardari told French daily Le Monde in an interview published on August

4th 2010.

In France examining magistrates opened an inquiry last year into the submarine sale, and another involving frigates to Saudi Arabia.

They are looking into whether some of the large sums officially destined as commissions to officials served as illegal party funding in France.

Seized documents allege that parts of the “commissions” – legal under French law at the time – were siphoned off to help fund the 1994 presidential campaign of Edouard Balladur, then prime minister.

Mr Sarkozy was his budget minister and campaign spokesman.

Both men have flatly denied allegations of involvement. Mr Sarkozy has previously described suggestions of his involvement in illegal kickbacks as “grotesque, ridiculous and a fable”.

When Jacques Chirac won the election, it is alleged that he punished Mr Balladur by halting the remaining payments to senior Pakistani figures.

Mr Takieddine acknowledges receiving payment from a sale of frigates to Saudi Arabia, a contract authorised in 1994 by Mr Sarkozy.

Documents obtained by Mediapart suggest he received €91 million between 1997 and 1998.

France also signed a deal that year to sell three submarines to Pakistan.

Several witnesses have told the magistrates that Mr Takieddine was imposed by the Balladur camp as an intermediary. He denies any role.

In May 2002, 11 French submarine engineers and four Pakistanis were killed in a bomb attack in Karachi, blamed on al-Qaeda terrorists. But a separate investigation is under way into whether it was a revenge attack by disgruntled officials for the nonpayment of sweeteners.

Yesterday judge Renaud Van Ruymbeke was expected to quiz Miss Johnson on her husband’s professional movements and way of life at the time of the submarine deal.

He was also expected to ask about her knowledge of where he placed his fortune.

The affair is embarrassing for the president as Mr Takieddine is close to several of his nearest allies.

Mediapart recently published photos of the head of his UMP party, Jean-François Copé, at Mr Takieddine’s Riviera property.

Mr Takieddine said he had “no comment”. “Let’s wait for justice to run its course and it will all fizzle out.”

18

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF MALDIVE NEWS

Foreign policy endangers independence of Maldives: Dr. Munawwar P

resident of the opposition party, Maldives Reform Movement (MRM), Dr. Mohamed Munawwar has said that the foreign policies of the current government is endangering the independence of Maldives.

In an interview given to local religious NGO, JamiyyathSalaf, in their series of interviews with the possible presidential candidates for the presidential

Income increasing at a steady rate : President P

resident Mohamed Nasheed today said that retailers have informed him of their income this Ramadan being greatly profitable as opposed to that of past years.

Speaking in his weekly radio address given this morning, the President highlighted on the controlled prices of goods in the market, noting that the gain in the retailers’ income was possible because of the Maldivian economy taking a good turn.

President Nasheed further stressed that fishermen’s income has been increasing at a steady rate over the past few months, and that the price of fish has continued to remain at the same level. The President also underlined that the crime rate, especially that of violent crimes,

has gone down significantly in the past few months in comparison to the past.

President Nasheed expressed

his appreciation to the Maldives Police Service for their loyal and unhindered work in protecting the state, the country and the people.

ZakatulFitr MRF 15074 more than last year- Islamic Ministry

M

inistry of Islamic Affairs has revealed that the Ministry received MRF2,324,543.30 as ZakaatulFitr this year in Male’ City.According to the Ministry this is an increase of MRF15074 more than that received last year.

82,573 people are reported to have paid the ZakaatulFitr to the Ministry.

Last year 84,569people gave ZakatulFitr.

According to the Ministry of Islamic Affairs this is only the statistics of the ZakatulFitr given in Male’.

Maldives welcomes Lanka’s decision to lift emergency

Meanwhile, contrary to the legal verdicts of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and the Adhaalath Party, scholars have stated that ZakaatulFitr must be food, not money, so we must adhere to what has been recorded in the Sunnah.

HRCM takes part in Youth Challenge 2011–2012

election of 2013, Dr. Munawwar said that the foreign policies of Maldives prior to the current administration were independent.

In view of the interview, Secretary General of the NGO Mohamed Sobah informed Miadhu Daily that Dr. Munawwar said the foreign policies of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) government have weakened the diplomatic

relations of the country even with some neighbouring countries.

He said that Dr. Munawwar described that the policies of the current government are dictated by the West and one or two neighbouring countries.

Sobah said that this is the first interview that the organization held with a politician in their research of all possible candidates that may run for the Presidential elections in 2018.

President awarded with First Maldivian Contemporary Jazz Album

M

aldivian artist Shameem Mohamed (Shambe) has presented a contemporary Jazz Album ‘Feshun’, which is also the first Maldivian contemporary jazz album, to President Mohamed Nasheed.

Maldivian artist Maryam Rifga Rasheed is featured as a vocalist, and the album is a production by musicians who studied at the International College of Music, Malaysia.

The album ‘Feshun’ is a product of Maldives, copyrighted under Universal Publishing Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), and the artist Shameem Mohamed is signed under Star Mount Records (Malaysia).

The main concept of the Album ‘Feshun’ is to introduce a new product to Maldivian Music Market in all aspects, especially musicality and sound wise and applying different styles of Jazz styles under Dhivehi Lyrics.

Eight MPs choose not to take committee allowance

H

P

resident Mohamed Nasheed has welcomed Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s decision to end the emergency laws.

In a statement issued yesterday, President Nasheed commended President Rajapaksa’s “bold and far sighted move” to lift the emergency

laws imposed nearly 30 years ago to deal with the armed Tamil separatist movement.

“Today’s announcement is an indication of President Rajapaksa’s and the Government of Sri Lanka’s commitment to move forward and rebuild the nation,” he added.

uman Rights Commission of the Maldives has taken part in the Youth Challenge 2011 – 2012, an exhibition for Youth organized by the Ministry of Human Resources, Youth & Sports.

These activities will cover Human Rights issues within the society and address specific areas like Rights of Children, Women and Persons with Disabilities, Right to Education and Rights of Migrant Workers.

The Youth Challenge event in Male’ was held from 17 – 20 August in Dharubaaruge’, every evening at 09:00 pm.

E

ight members of the parliament are not taking the Rf20,000 committee allowance, Secretary General at the Parliament Secretariat Ahmed Mohamed said.Mohamed said the members informed the parliament Secretariat of their decision when the parliamentary Finance

Committee approved the allowance in December of last year.

“It has been decided that the allowance wouldn’t be deposited for them,” he said. Haveeru understands that the eight MPs are mostly members of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

19

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

The city of Dubai is built on foundations that are steeped in history and tradition. From the evocative Dubai Museum to the spectacular Jumeirah Mosque, and from the breathtaking Bastakiya to the imperious Heritage Village. There are many mysteries waiting to be unravelled. Explore Dubai at your pace and relive great traditions from day gone by.

DEFINITELYDUBAI.COM

20

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF NEPAL NEWS

P

New Prime Minister of Nepal sworn-in

resident Dr Ram Baran Yadav administered the oath of office and secrecy to Prime Minister, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, amid a ceremony at the President’s Office in Sheetal Niwas on Monday afternoon.

Subsequently, Prime Minister Dr. Bhattarai administered the office and secrecy to Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bijay Kumar Gachhadar at the same place in presence of the president.

T

Nepal has elected its fourth prime minister in four years, with the Maoist party’s Baburam Bhattarai beating rival Ram Chandra Poudel in an MPs’ vote.

Mr Bhattarai got 340 votes to the Nepali Congress party candidate’s 235, thanks to the support of smaller parties based in the country’s south.

He vowed to complete the peace process after 10 years of civil war and reach agreement on a new constitution. His

Ministry’s ‘failure’ confession

he Commerce and Supply Ministry admits failure in streamlining export in the last fiscal year.

Despite dozens of efforts, we cannot boost up export at the desired level, said joint-secretary of the ministry Chandra Ghimire during the quarterly review of the ministry.

“We just exported goods worth Rs 54.48 billion in the first eleven months of the fiscal year 2010-11, while import has gone up six times to the exports,” he said, adding that lack of agriculture export is the major problem in boosting export up.

“We have lots of agriculture goods to export but lack commercialisation of the agriculture,” he added.

Commerce and supplies secretary Prushottam Ojha said that single market concentration — to America and Europe — has also created problem.

Flash flood fury

“We have world’s largest market in the neighbourhood but we are not targeting them,” he said, adding that it policy flaw.

Maoists and Nepali Congress woo governing party

predecessor, Jhalanath Khanal, was in post less than seven months.

Mr Khanal, who represented the Unified Marxist Leninist party, resigned earlier this month, unable to forge a consensus.

One of the key sticking points in the peace plan has been the proposed integration of 19,000 former Maoist rebel fighters into the army, with military leaders and the Nepali Congress resisting the move.

Court’s dress clarification

T

he Supreme Court airs concern over confusion created among people by its decision relating to the Nepali costume in formal programmes.

The Court has not taken any decision

in relation to formal dress code but only repealed a writ filed based on the notice published by the Home Ministry in the Gazette, said the Apex Court’s assistant spokesperson, Hemant Rawal.



 

T

V

ehicular movement is disrupted on the Rajbiraj-Kunauli Road section linking the district’s southern belt with Rajbiraj following incessant rain.

Rain-triggered floods in various rivers in the southern belt of the district have eroded around five-kilometre of the road under Rajbiraj-Kunauli road section and also swept away the diversion of under-construction Bridge in Lokhram Chowk.

Meanwhile, local vehicular movement has been brought to complete standstill when floods

occurred over the weeks washed away some portion of the road from Belhi customs to Kunauli border in Tilathi VDC. It is the only route linking Saptari district headquarters Rajbiraj with Indian checkpoint Kunauli via dozens of southern VDCs of the district.

Tens of thousands of locals residing in Tilathi, Launiya, Sakarpura, Rampuramlahaniya including bordering villages, Kunali, Kamalpur, Dagmara have been adversely affected due to vehicular disruption on the road sections.

he Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) becomes the decisive force for choosing the next prime minister as the Nepali Congress and the Maoists are set to lock horns for the premiership.

Both the Maoists and NC held talks with the CPN-UML today.

However, the UML has not yet made up its mind regarding its support.

The decision of UML, which is supposedly more inclined towards NC than Maoist, this time around, could also effect the decision of the fourth largest force Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM).

      

  



     

21

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF SRILANKA NEWS Judges call to President

A

group of judges who were penalized during the time of former Chief Justice Sarath N Silva who was in office between 1999-2009, called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees and explained the injustices meted out to them.

They said that 42 senior judges who rendered a remarkable service to the judiciary of the country were subject to victimization and many judges committed suicide.

They said that some of the judges have become ill due to the shock suffered during this period. These judges made a request to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to look into this issue and mete out justice to them.

Parliamentarian Janaka Bandara showed an article which appeared in Ravaya newspaper relating to former Chief Justice Sarath Nanda Silva on this occasion.

Bandara stressed the importance of probing the charges published in the articles and other charges involving the former Chief Justice.

Colombo Dockyard to build six new ships for Singapore and India

Sri Lanka announces end of 28-year state of emergency S S

ri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced the end of the country’s 28-year state of emergency Thursday, saying the country had not experienced a single act of terrorism since the end of a savage civil war in 2009.

When the state of emergency expires in 10 days, he said, the government will not ask Parliament to extend it for another month, as governments have done almost continuously since 1983. “To carry forward the

day-to-day activities in a democratic way, I propose there is no need of emergency regulations any more,” Mr. Rajapaksa told Parliament.

Legal analysts cautioned yesterday that the lifting of the state of emergency does not necessarily signal a significant change in Sri Lanka’s human-rights situation.

The sweeping Prevention of Terrorism Act, which allows police to search and detain anyone suspected of “terrorist activity” without a warrant, will remain in place, and those now held under the emergency act could simply be redetained under the terrorism law.

ri Lanka’s state-owned Colombo Dockyard, a listed firm in the Colombo Stock Exchange, has secured six new shipbuilding projects from Singapore and India.

One of the projects is to construct and deliver four units of 78M Multipurpose platform supply Vessels to its Singapore Client. The agreement has been signed on August 25, said a stock market filing by the company.

Two units of 400 Passenger cum 250T Cargo Vessels are also to be built for an Indian client. The agreement in this regard is to be signed before the end of this month, the Dockyard said.

No indictments under emergency laws F

ollowing the lifting of Emergency Regulations, the Attorney General would not be able to issue fresh indictments under the Emergency Act, a senior official of the Attorney General’s Department said yesterday.

According to the law while the existing cases would be continued, there was no possibility to indict suspects after August 25, on which date President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced the lifting of Emergency Law.

The official said according to the Interpretation Ordinance, the existing prosecution against the accused indicted under Emergency Law could be continued.

However the AG would be able to charge the accused who were initially arrested under Emergency Law and later were detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. President Rajapaksa who was in the parliament proposed the lifting of the emergency regulations that were in force since 2005.

Bundhu Khan Restaurant 43 Commercial Street, London E1 6BD Telephone: 020 7375 2595 Fax: 020 7375 2494 Email Us: info@bundukhan.com

RAMADAN SPECIAL PSC can’t probe me: Former CJ

F

ormer Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva said he could not be brought before a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) as he retired from service two years ago and that the President himself had given him a letter of commendation for his service in judiciary.

Addressing a public lecture titled

‘Good Governance and Corruption’ at the Trinity College Hall in Kandy, the former Chief Justice said he firmly believed that this move was a case of victimisation, since he was now speaking of human rights violations, corruption and the lack of good governance in the country.

US$ 200 million hotel in Colombo with Indian partnership

A Sri Lankan company is partnering with an Indian company to build a US$ 200 million hotel complex in the heart of the Sri Lankan capital city Colombo.Sri Lanka’s Rank Holdings, a consortium of companies

with diversified business interests in hospitality & entertainment industry, has reportedly partnered with an Indian investor to build an integrated hotel and entertainment complex at D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha.

Famous Iftari Buffet £15 19

22

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

UK MP warns govt. to leave Libya alone

A

British Labour MP is warning the government to mind its domestic business rather than continuing the war in Libya saying Libyans should “decide their [own] future.”

Barry Gardiner said the military intervention in Libya was a great mistake and continuing the campaign will cost Britain the hatred of another nation.

Gardiner, who was among the British MPs opposed to the war in Libya from the very outset, said the government should make sure it does not become an occupying force in Libya as such powers “starts off being a friend of someone, and you end up being hated by everyone.”

He told Russia Today news channel that being in the position of an occupying power “is a very dangerous place to be and you

“do it on their own.” “It is for the people of libya to decide what they want to do. It is for them to decide their future,” he said. “We have to live together, we have to find some means of sharing a society, sharing a country and making it work for all of us, and

the military campaign in libya that has so far cost the country hundreds of millions of pounds amid financial woes at home.

Prime Minister David Cameron has so far turned a deaf ear to critics of the war in libya claiming the military intervention in the

We have to live together, we have to find some means of sharing a society, sharing a country and making it work for all of us, should get out as quickly as you can.”

He further advised British forces to refrain from meddling in libyan internal affairs after a new government gains power and

should not try to assume the role of a “stabilizing military force” as that would backfire.

Gardiner said Britain should rather only take a support role allowing the libyan opposition

I believe the people of libya is no less capable of doing this than people in America of the people in the UK,” he added.

His remarks come as British anti-war campaigners as well as members of trade unions are calling for an immediate end to

North African country was a “necessary” action and “legal and right.” He has said that they will continue the war in libya “for as long as is needed” and has even deployed an SAS regiment on libyan soil to hunt for the country’s ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

Karzai’s plans to step down in 2014 S

ensitive information about Afghanistan was accidentally Sensitive information about Afghanistan was accidentally revealed by International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell yesterday when he left Downing Street with the documents on show.

They contained comments on Afghanistan president Karzai’s plans to step down in 2014, stating it would “make politics in the country a better place”.

They said the UK should “publicly and privately” support his decision, adding that it would improve the country’s prospects “very significantly”.

The papers said: “Note that Karzai has publicly stated his intention to step down at the end of his second term as per the constitution.

“This is very important. It improves Afghanistan’s political prospects very significantly.

We should welcome Karzai’s announcement.”

A general strike was observed in most parts of Balochistan

SC larger bench to conduct hearing of suo motu notice on Karachi violence

comrades during a military action near Teratani, an area between Kohlu and Dera Bugti, on August 26, 2006.

The strike call was jointly given by the Baloch Republican Party (BRP), Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP-Talal and Aali groups) and backed by the Balochistan National Party (BNP), National Party (NP), Jaamat-i-Islami, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

A

general strike was observed in most parts of Balochistan on Friday to mark the fifth death anniversary of veteran Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti,

paralysing the civic life and business activities for the day.

The former governor and chief minister, Nawab Akbar Bugti, was assassinated along with 33 other

All shops and markets on the Jinnah Road, Joint Road, Zarghoon Road, Prince Road, Saryab Road, Mezan Chowk and Shahra-i-Iqbal remained closed.

Roads and streets wore a deserted look as medical stores and banks were also closed, while public transport also remained off the road.

A

5-member larger bench led

by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will take up for hearing suo motu notice in respect of target killing and violence in Karachi in Supreme Court (SC) Karachi registry.

The other members of bench are Justice Mian Shakir Ullah Jan, Justice Nasir ul Mulk, Justice Tariq Parvez and Justice Ghulam Rabbani.

Notices have been issued to all stake holders including federation and provincial government and amicus curiae in this regard.

In the light of court’s orders Federal and provincial government will present a detailed report in the court based on the information collected from intelligence agencies with reference to law and order situation in Karachi, target killings and other incidents of violence.

23

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

BUSINESS

India’s forex reserves jump by $1.61 billion T

he forex reserves kitty had dropped by $621 million and $1.86 billion respectively during the previous two weeks after surging to an all-time high of $319.08 billion recorded during the week ended July 29.

India’s foreign exchange (forex) reserves rose by $1.61 billion to $318.22 billion for the week ended Aug 19 as compared to $316.60 billion in the previous week, official data Saturday showed.

The forex reserves rose for the first time in the last three weeks.

The forex reserves kitty had dropped by $621 million and $1.86 billion respectively during the previous two weeks after surging to an all-time high of $319.08 billion recorded during the week ended July 29.

Foreign currency assets, the biggest component of the forex reserves kitty, rose by $1.58 billion to $285.25 billion during the week ended Aug 19, according to the weekly statistical supplement of

the Reserve Bank of India.

The foreign currency assets expressed in US dollar terms include the effect of appreciation or

depreciation of non-US currencies such as the pound sterling, euro and yen held in reserve.

The value of special drawing

rights (SDRs) increased by $19 million to $4.63 billion and reserves with the International Monetary Fund rose by $12

million to $2.98 billion.

However, the value of gold reserves remained unchanged at $25.35 billion.

Half of Indian employees want to change their jobs : Report

RBI warns against accepting high level of inflation

O

T

ne in every two employees, especially women, are considering to leave their jobs for better opportunities, according to a survey.

With improving job scenario in the country, one in every two employees, especially women, are considering to leave their jobs for better opportunities, according to a recent survey.

“About 54 percent Indian employees are seriously considering to leave their jobs for better opportunities in terms of career and base pay,” the latest Mercer’s ‘What’s Working’ survey said.

Women are likely to lead this exodus with 58 per cent of the respondents saying that

they are considering leaving compared to 53 per cent of men, it adds.

According to the report, around 66 per cent of employees under 24 years are seriously considering leaving their organisations even as 82 percent in this age category are satisfied with their organisations.

The Mercer’s survey was conducted among more than 2,000 employees in the country, of whom 70 per cent were men and 30 per cent women employees.

It was also conducted in 16 other markets globally among 28,000 employees covering IT, ITES, pharma, manufacturing, banking and insurance sectors.

he decline in global commodity prices has not been very significant. Should the global recovery weaken ahead, commodity prices may decline further, which should have a salutary impact on domestic inflation,” the RBI said in its Annual Report for 2010-11.

Inflation is likely to remain high and moderate only towards the latter part of the year to about 7 per cent by March 2012, the Reserve Bank of India said on Thursday, while warning against accepting the present inflation level as the “new normal”.

“The decline in global commodity prices has not been very significant.

Should the global recovery weaken ahead, commodity prices may decline further, which should have a salutary impact on domestic inflation,” the RBI said in its Annual Report for 2010-11,

which was released on Thursday.

However, the RBI said that the U.S. Fed’s policy stance “may keep the commodity prices elevated”. The U.S. Fed has indicated that it would pursue its near zero rate policy at least till mid2013. It has also hinted at another dose of quantitative easing.

Downside risks to industrial growth in 2011-12 might arise from falling business confidence, but robustness of the services sector would continue to support the growth process, the RBI said, adding there was a strong structural dimension to services sector growth in India.

Fiscal deficit Investment may remain soft in the near term, while private consumption may decelerate. In the face of moderating demand, expenditure-switching from government consumption expenditure

to public investments would help.

On current assessment, the RBI said that the fiscal deficit in 2011-12 was likely to overshoot the budgeted projections. If the economy slows down beyond what is currently anticipated, the resultant revenue erosion could magnify the fiscal slippage. At the same time, “the fiscal space to support any counter-cyclical policies is more limited than what existed at the time of the global crisis of 2008.”

The continuance of robust performance of exports in 2010-11 and 2011-12 so far faces downside risks. The impact of growth slowdown in the advanced economies could partly be mitigated by continued diversification of exports. The impact could, nevertheless, turn material in case the slowdown in global growth is sharp and widespread.

24

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

Remembering Nawab Akbar Shahbaz Khan Bugti

By SB Zafar

I

t has been five years since the demise of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, the legendry Baloch leader, who once served as minister for interior and Governor of Balochistan, but met with an unfortunate death at the hands of security forces.

On Saturday August 26, 2006, around 2230 hrs, Bugti was killed in a bombing operation that caused the cave roof to collapse on him.

His location was traced through the satellite phone he was using, and Pakistani secret service agencies pin-pointed his location. (It is not clear if he was pinpointed through a satellite phone) The news of his death was broken to the media

by Makhdoom Amin Fahim, leader of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians.

Pakistani President, Gen Pervez

Musharraf, has termed his death a victory for Pakistanis and congratulated the secret service chief who carried out this operation.

Pakistanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani, confirmed that the operation included both air and ground assault.

In a short telephonic interview made to a private television network, Pakistani Information Minister said that Bugtiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death occurred as the cave he was in collapsed.

Akbar Khan Bugti was born on July 12, 1927 in Barkhan, the rural home of the rustic Khetran, a (Marri-Bugti) Baloch tribe. He was the son of Nawab Mehrab Khan Bugti and a grandson of Sir Shahbaz Khan Bugti. He received his early education from Aitchison College and higher education from Oxford University.

Nawab Akbar Bugti was elected

in a by-election to the National Assembly of Pakistan in May 1958 to fill the vacancy created as a result of the assassination of the incumbent, Dr Khan Sahib, and sat on the government bench as a member of the ruling coalition.

Bugti (Republican) served as state minister for interior in the government of Prime Minister Malik Sir Feroz Khan Noon from September 20, 1958, to October 7, 1958, when the cabinet was dismissed on the declaration of Martial Law by President Iskander Mirza.

He was arrested and convicted by a Military Tribunal in 1960, and subsequently disqualified from holding public office. As a result of his legal battles, he did not contest the 1970 general elections. Instead, he campaigned on behalf of his younger brother, Sardar Ahmed

Nawaz Bugti, a candidate of the National Awami Party.

Bugti was involved in struggles, at times, armed ones, in Balochistan in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

He led the current movement in Balochistan for greater autonomy.

He was the public face and provided political support for the movement, while his grandson, Brahamdagh Khan Bugti, led the Bugti tribesmen.

After a wave of terrorism started in Balochistan in 2004, Bugti was widely perceived as a leader, but went underground in 2005. On August 26, he was killed in his cave in Kohlu, about 150 miles east of Quetta, leading to widespread unrest in the area.

On Saturday August 26, 2006, around 2230 hrs, Bugti was killed when a shell exploded in the cave in which he was hiding. The

government says that he killed himself along with senior security officials by firing a shell when he was cornered by the officials who had come unarmed to arrest him, resulting in the collapse of the cave.

Six Pakistani troops, including one colonel and two majors, who went there for negotiations, also died.

His murder had led to widespread unrest in the area, where he is unanimously regarded as a hero and martyr. With a wide following that crossed tribal lines across most ethnic Baloch groups, the contradictions in this western educated tribal leader roused the strongest emotions, both positive and negative.

Despite taking harsh decisions at times, which is occasionally a must for a tribal leader, he had a pacifist image in many groups, and certainly did not espouse a violent path in his early political career.

25

Saarc international I Thursday 01 September 2011

SHOWBIZ Bipasha Basu wants a bodyguard A

ctress Bipasha Basu doesn’t mind having a bodyguard but insists that it should be someone like Lovely Singh, Salman Khan’s character in the movie ‘Bodyguard’.

It would be nice to have a cute bodyguard like lovely singh!.”

The film is Salman’s yet another action remake of south after the success of ‘Wanted’ and ‘Ready’.Kareena Kapoor stars as the leading

Salman who has flown to US for his treatment of facial nerve disorder will not be around as the movie releases on August 31 on Eid.

lady in the film. Bipasha, 32, attended the screening of the movie and later wrote on her Twitter page, “Just saw Bodyguard!

Khans of Bollywood dance to Yash Raj Films’ tunes T

hey might be the biggest Khans of the industry but there is one man who still stands towering over them.

Veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra, the only one who has managed to get all the three Khans — read Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir — to work with his banner, has had

Shah Rukh Khan Bollywood’s ultimate family man What was this Superstar doing during Eid Celebrations?

S

hah Rukh Khan is Bollywood’s ultimate family man and this Eid is no different The Ra.One Star is busy planning an Eid party for his close friends and family on Tuesday night at Mannat, his palatial home in Mumbai.

“I want to have a big Eid party this time because I want to read namaaz with my kids this time. We will call few friends.

I’ve never celebrated Eid in a big way, but this time I feel like celebrating it.

My children are old enough now and I want them to learn about my religion in the best way possible,” said Khan to reporters earlier on Tuesday.

On his exclusive guestlist are the usual suspects including his best friends Karan Johar, Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt and Priyanka Chopra.

the last word with all of them, as far as professional dictates are concerned.

Every actor has been asked to give bulk dates for their respective films.

While Salman has put everything on hold, including the publicity for his next film Bodyguard, Aamir and SRK are also gearing up before they follow suit.

“For the first time YRF is shooting three big-budget films back-to-back. Yash ji and Aditya had informed the actors that all the films would follow a start-tofinish schedule,” says an official spokesperson for YRF. Another industry insider says, “Normally big banners don’t pay big money to any actor.

Looks like Yash Chopra wanted to buy the time of these actors so there are no big delays. But the actors don’t seem too pleased about all the compromises they have had to made so far.”

Maybe someone should remind them that there is no such thing as a free lunch.

26

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 01 September 2011

BUSINESS Economic uncertainties also present new opportunities for India, says Finance Minister Pranab M

r. Mukherjee noted that in the wake of the global economic uncertainties and the resultant slump in overall investor sentiment, India could be a source of stability for the world economy and provide a safe haven for global capital inflows.

Confident that the negative global cues can be transformed to the country’s advantage, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday maintained that the adverse global developments, including the impact of the U.S. sovereign rating downgrade, present new economic opportunities to India.

In his address at a function here to mark the golden jubilee celebrations of the Indian Economic Service (IES), Mr. Mukherjee noted that in the wake of the global economic uncertainties and the resultant slump in overall investor sentiment, India could be a source of stability for the world economy and provide a safe haven for global capital inflows.

“If India can continue to grow and acquire economic strength, we could be a source of stability for the world economy and provide safe havens for restless global capital,” he said while pointing out that it “would also enable us to develop even faster and spread the benefits of growth to the poor and the marginalised.”

Global markets have been severely impacted by the U.S. rating downgrade by Standard & Poor’s

(S&P) and the ongoing debt crisis in the eurozone.

Mr. Mukherjee admitted that these economic developments had impacted India too, and remained a cause of concern.

However, he argued that they did open up new windows. “At the same time, these shocks are markers of shifting balance in the global economy, presenting new opportunities for us,” he said.

Mr. Mukherjee said there was a significant scaling-up of the development efforts in social sectors, higher transfer of resources to the States and a move towards fuller integration of the economy with the proposed implementation of a uniform Goods and Services Tax in the country.

Among others present at the function were Planning Commission Deputy Chairman

Montek Singh Ahluwalia, RBI Governor D. Subbarao, Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth, Finance Secretary R. S. Gujral, Economic Affairs Secretary R. Gopalan, Chief Economic Advisor Kaushik Basu, and other senior officials of the Finance Ministry.

On the occasion, the Finance Minister launched a website of the Indian Economic Service and a logo of the IES was also launched.

Good News from Karachi

PICT declares 40 percent dividend

T

P

akistan International Container Terminal Ltd (PICTL) has posted a higher profit after tax of Rs1.262 billion for the year ending June 30, 2011 and declared a final dividend of Rs4 per share on ordinary shares and Rs1 per share on preference share.

According to the financial results, the pre-tax profit of the company has surged to Rs2.136 billion during the period under review against Rs1.510 billion in 2010.

The earning per share has improved to Rs11.40 compared to Rs8.06 last year.

Homeowners told to prioritise mortgage repayments

housands of homeowners are to be warned by taxpayer-owned banks to forget renewing their Sky subscription or buying a new smartphone, and instead prioritise paying their mortgage.

More than 30,000 Bradford & Bingley and Northern Rock customers will receive phone calls over the next few months from UK Asset Resolution (UKAR), warning them about the danger of them of losing their homes.UKAR

runs the £80bn of mortgages bailed out by the taxpayer and is identifying customers who face the threat of losing their homes, in an attempt to persuade them to change their behaviour.

Chief executive of UKAR, Richard Banks said: “Some people won’t cope when interest rates rise, but for others there are remedies.”They need to think about what is their most important debt. It’s not the credit card, or renewing their Sky

subscription, or going out for the latest mobile technology, it’s their mortgage.”

They have been protected by low interest rates, but the consensus is that rates will start to rise late next year.”

UKAR said around ten per cent of its customers were having difficulties repaying their mortgages, and that their plan is to phone 2,000 customers a week to prepare them for when interest rates start to rise.

27

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 01 September 2011

BUSINESS Zardari to visit China to boost trade

P

resident Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to China will further increase the volume of trade and pave the way for enhancing economic relations between Pakistan and China.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Masood Khan said that President Zardari’s visit will further strengthen bilateral economic and trade relationship between the two countries.

He said that President Zardari’s visit to China would be of great significance as it would help improve trade volume besides opening new areas for business activities between the two sides. Replying to a question, he said that Pakistan had great strategic and political relationship with China.

He said that there is a need to focus on increasing economic and trade relations with the people of China particularly in the areas of Xinjiang.

The Ambassador said that China wanted to increase the trade, agriculture, and science and technology activities in the areas of Xinjiang.

He said that Pakistan wanted to increase trade volume from $8.7 billion to over $15 billion. He said that to achieve this target, there is

a need to improve road, rail and air links on war footings.

Pakistan wanted to bring investment from China, he added.

Masood Khan said that China had opened its two branches of ICBC in Karachi and Islamabad and added that China is investing in various projects in Pakistan.

He said that China had expertise in energy sector and that experience must be utilized by Pakistan to overcome the energy problem. The Ambassador said that there is need to promote and support private sector of Pakistan.

He was of the view that Pakistani traders should go to Xinjiang for exporting and introducing the products in China. Masood Khan said that expansion of Karakuram Highway (KKH) and revival of old Silk Route would help to increase the trade activities between the two sides.

To a question, the Ambassador said that peace in the region grantees development in the region. He was of the view that more employment opportunities must be created for the youth of Pakistan so that healthy and peaceful environment could be flourished in a befitting manner.

Bangladesh Central bank governor defends his reputation

B

angladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman says the reputation of the Grameen Bank will never be left to be destroyed following the retirement of its founder, Muhammad Yunus.

“With a delegated structure of operational management, the Grameen Bank retains firm footing as one of the country’s top three microfinance providers,” the BB governor said after launching a report on the country’s microfinance sector at the Brac Centre Inn in the capital.

Two children greeting each other after offering Namaz at Jama Masjid, on the occasion of Id-ulFitr, in Delhi on August 31, 2011.

CCI seeks proposals from Order on BTRC’s telecom audit move stayed ministry on T power plants T

he Council of Common Interests directed the ministry of water and power on Saturday to submit its proposals within one week on the issue of giving permission to the provinces to set up their own power plants.

The CCI, which met for the seventh time since the passage of the 18th Amendment last year, also approved the handing over of Zakat distribution to the provinces. The chief ministers will work out a consensus formula for the disbursement of Zakat funds.

The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, was attended by chief ministers Shahbaz Sharif of Punjab, Qaim Ali Shah of Sindh, Amir Haider Khan Hoti of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Aslam Raisani of Balochistan.

he Supreme Court on Thursday stayed for six weeks a High Court verdict that declared illegal the appointment of firms by the telecom regulators for two mobile phone operators -- Grameenphone and Banglalink.

The apex court also directed Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to file a regular leave-to-appeal petition with the court against the HC verdict in six weeks.

The full bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Md

Mozammel Hossain passed the order following a petition filed by the BTRC seeking stay on the HC verdict.

In March, the regulator appointed two chartered accountant (CA) firms to audit the two mobile operators after short-listing six audit firms.

Later, KM Alam and Co, one of the short-listed firms that did not get the job, challenged the bidding process, saying there was anomaly.

Following a writ petition filed by KM Alam and Co, the HC on August 18 declared the appointment of the audit firms illegal.

28

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 01 September 2011

COMMENT THE RETURN OF THE ISLAMIC KHILAFAT Shiekh Imran Hossein

Tribune Comment

A

strange ‘obsession’ with Islam explains the Euroworld order’s relentless war on Islam and the ‘biting’ questions that continue to be posed concerning the continuing failure to establish constitutional democracy in the Muslim world.

We believe that an explanation of that strange ‘obsession’ is located in Islam’s view of the End of History, and, in particular, in the prophecies in both the Bible and the Qur’an concerning Gog and Magog.

We respond to the questions, however, by reminding critics that modern political democracy originated in modern secular western civilization, and required the adoption of political secularism as the basis for the establishment of polity and State.

Political secularism, however, like all other applications of secularism, denied religion any significant role in the public order.

This, in turn, facilitated the decline of religion and of absolute moral values, and, around the world, has led to the emergence of ever-changing secular values and, eventually, to an essentially godless way of life.

Let us recall that when the British colonized countries such as India they found Muslims with a political culture derived basically from Islam.

British colonial rule imposed European political secularism ‘at the point of the sword’ as the alternative to Islam. Both Hindus and Muslims eventually challenged the new European religion of ‘secularism’, and sought to restore and to preserve their own indigenous political culture.

This led eventually, and alarmingly so for the British, to an ominous political alliance of Muslims and Hindus in what was called the Khilafat Movement – a

struggle to preserve the institution of the Islamic Caliphate located at the very heart of Muslim political culture. Gandhi himself forged the alliance with the Muslim Khilafat Movement since he, also, wanted to restore (for Hindus) indigenous Hindu political culture and a Hindu model of a State.

The Khilafat Movement threatened to topple the entire system of European political secularism and constitutional democracy that the colonial West was forcing upon the non-White world.

And so a British strategy was devised, in collaboration with Mustafa Kamal’s newly emerging secular Republic of Turkey, to abolish the Turkish Caliphate and, in so doing, to sabotage and to bring about the collapse of the Khilafat Movement with its alarming Hindu-Muslim alliance.

The strategy succeeded. The Caliphate was abolished in Turkey in March 1924.

By the end of that same year the old Indian Muslim leadership, comprised of men who knew and lived Islam, went into irreversible decline.

They were replaced by the secularly inclined ‘All India Muslim League’, led by men who neither knew nor lived Islam.

They presided over the cleverly disguised passage from Islam as the basis of political culture, to the new European political secularism.

It was deceptively spirited in by way of religious nationalism, and emerged as a curious creature named ‘Muslim nationalism’. The passage from the one to the other

culture from Islam to the European model of political secularism.

Indeed the passage from the one to the other has not as yet been accomplished in any final way even in Pakistan or Turkey.

Time and again the religious beliefs of the Muslim peoples in Africa, the Arab world, South and South-East Asia, etc., have impacted on politics in such wise that the West has been forced to continuously resort to devious means, including brute force and barbarism in present-day Iraq and Afghanistan, to thwart the effort to restore Islam as the basis of polity.

Khilafat or the (Sunni) Islamic model of polity and State.

It would surely surprise some of our readers to learn that Islam has never claimed to be a new religion. Rather it has consistently proclaimed that it is the original religion of Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, and Jesus (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all).

It was therefore natural that Prophet Muhammad (s) should have preserved in the Islamic State of Madina the essential model of a polity and State that was established by the ProphetKings, David (s) and Solomon (s)

Will Muslim secularized and

in the Holy State of Israel. What was that model?

Firstly, political culture in Holy Israel tolerated no secular separation of politics from religion.

In both David (s) and Solomon (s), the religious/spiritual head of the community (i.e., the Prophet), was also, himself, King or Head of State.

Secondly, the polity and State recognized God as Sovereign (alMalik), and to Him belonged the Kingdom (al-Mulk), and hence Israel was the Kingdom of God on earth.

Thirdly, God’s authority and law were both supreme in this model of a State.

In the secular European model, on the other hand, sovereignty was taken away from God and vested in the polity and State.

society be constitutional

The Caliphate was abolished in Turkey in March 1924. was so cleverly disguised that it is still not discernible to many Muslims in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The turbulent history of secular European constitutional democracy in the Muslim world cannot be understood without recognition of that effort at fundamental change in political

democracy finally established in the Muslim world? Or, will destiny witness the restoration of the Islamic Khilafat?

Before we attempt to answer that absolutely fascinating question which will eventually emerge at the very heart of political discourse in contemporary international affairs, let us briefly describe the

That was blasphemy (Shirk).

God was further stripped of supreme authority and law and these, also, were vested in the people and the State, and were institutionalized in secular government (administration, judiciary and legislature).

That, also, was blasphemy (Shirk). The people not only assumed supreme authority and installed their own man-made law as supreme law, they even went on, and recklessly so, to make legally permissible that which God had Himself prohibited.

Such was the case, for example, with the Divine prohibition of ‘lending money on interest’, gambling and lottery, etc. The Qur’an has described all these efforts to ‘play God’ as blasphemy (Shirk), which is the one sin that Allah Most High has warned that He would never forgive.

I guess that someone would respond by accusing God of being fundamentalist.

When a people turn away from God, as they most certainly do in political secularism and the secular State, the Qur’an has warned that they would eventually forget Him and would pay the price of forgetting themselves (i.e., their human status).

Their conduct would eventually become worse than that of wild beasts. Prophet Muhammad prophesied that they would eventually engage in sexual intercourse in public like donkeys.

There is an abundance of evidence that mainstream society in this “progressive” modern age is heading down that road and is already approaching the fulfillment of the prophecy of roadside sex.

The Islamic Khilafat differs in no way whatsoever from the model of the Holy State of Israel except that Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet/Head of State, was recognized as Servant of Allah rather than King!

Prophet Muhammad (s) has prophesied that the Islamic Khilafat would be restored at that time when Jesus (s) returns. I believe that we may have to wait for less than 50 years to witness the return of Jesus (s) and the restoration of the Islamic model of a State (Khilafat).

My book, ‘Jerusalem in the Qur’an’ has explained the subject.

29

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 01 September 2011

SAFMA clarifies debate between Hamid, Sirmed

T

his is with reference to a recent debate between Zaid Hamid and Marvi Sirmed that we are constrained to issue the following clarification on behalf of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA): a) The debate in a programme aired by a private TV channel was against some professional ethics as the “accused” (SAFMA) was not represented in the said programme, despite the facts that the whole debate was focused on the association.

This is unfortunate and against professional ethics that despite SAFMA’s caution against hurling of malicious and defamatory allegations

by Hamid in the absence of a SAFMA representative, some allegations of a highly grave nature were levelled by the accused against whom the association had issued a legal notice. b) Whatever Hamid said against SAFMA was atrocious and unfounded and is libel. c) On the other hand, despite her clarification that she is not a member of SAFMA, whatever Marvi had said was being treated wrongly as if they were views of the association. She neither had any right to represent SAFMA nor had any briefing from the media association to defend or represent it. She is entitled to her own views just like Hamid. This is utterly wrong to say that SAFMA or the anchor person of another private news channel sent Marvi to the debate, even though it has a lot of senior journalists to defend itself and is capable of doing at any forum and at any level. d) A lot of debate is going on in various kinds of media on SAFMA, We welcome difference of opinion and its diversity.

But can neither indulge in mud slinging nor take it lying down. We have been advised by our senior colleagues to firmly keep on the legal course against defamation that we have taken and not to give much importance to the accused. In this regard whatever is being expressed by even various SAFMA members in their individual columns and comments are their personal views they are entitled to have. e)SAFMA both at the national and regional levels have journalists from various backgrounds and viewpoints, including hawks and doves pro or against this party and ideology or the other. In Pakistan and India we have both doves and hawks who agree to have talks. In Bangladesh we have journalists from both the contending parties and groups of journalists’ bodies. In Sir Lanka we have both Sinhala and Tamil journalists. The same is true about Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Afghanistan. f) SAFMA has focused on two issues: a) Media its freedom and development: b) Conflict resolution, peace and regional cooperation while strengthening the SAARC process. SAFMA and its affiliates, such as South Asia Media Commission, have been in the forefront

of the struggle for media freedom and will remain steadfast whatever the price. SAFMA is for peaceful settlement of all bilateral disputes, including Kashmir and various border disputes between other countries of the region, water and trade issues between the member countries of SAARC. Indeed SAFMA National Chapters do and must represent their views on various national issues, they are not bound to follow the viewpoint of their governments if they are not conducive to peace. SAFMA has often been caught in the crossfire of the wars of various agencies and conflicting nationalistic rhetoric and have been accused of being an agent of this agency or that. But we are proud to claim that we are agent of none other than the

people to people contacts and trade between the divided Kashmir. SAFMA recognises differences between the two neighbours and is consistent in supporting peaceful means to resolve all differences between the two countries.

(At his personal level the secretary general is determined to help bring peace in the subcontinent regardless of opposition from various quarters in the two countries. He is also committed to the right to self-determination of all the people, including Kashmiris, which also includes Azadi from both not acceptable to India and Pakistan. i) Lastly SAFMA office bearers do not need any certification from any one for their patriotism and love for their motherland. They will remain steadfast

SAFMA is the only body in the region which undertook exchange of journalists across the LoC and helped evolve a consensus on travel documents across the LOC which resulted in people to people contacts and trade between the divided Kashmir. larger interests of our people and the cause of peace and a free media that we are firmly committed to. All our audits of accounts are available for anyone interested in our sources of revenues. g) On various issues facing Pakistan, our SAFMA national chapter is strongly committed to a prosperous, strong, peaceful, democratic and federal Pakistan, even though its members are entitled to have their respective views. h) At the regional level SAFMA has played a significant role in building confidence between Pakistan and India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh and Bhutan and Nepal, etc. SAFMA is the only body in the region which undertook exchange of journalists across the LoC and helped evolve a consensus on travel documents across the LOC which resulted in

against extremism, jingoism, and terrorism and cannot be pressurised by anyone however powerful. Notions of peace, progress and democracy will continue to be the motivating emblems in our efforts for a better South Asia and a democratic Pakistan.

This is with reference to a recent debate between Zaid Hamid and Marvi Sirmed that we are constrained to issue the following clarification on behalf of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA): a) The debate in a programme aired by a private TV channel was against some professional ethics as the “accused” (SAFMA) was not represented in the said programme, despite the facts that the whole debate was focused on the association. This is unfortunate and against professional ethics that despite SAFMA’s caution against hurling of

malicious and defamatory allegations

by Hamid in the absence of a SAFMA representative, some allegations of a highly grave nature were levelled by the accused against whom the association had issued a legal notice. b) Whatever Hamid said against SAFMA was atrocious and unfounded and is libel. c) On the other hand, despite her clarification that she is not a member of SAFMA, whatever Marvi had said was being treated wrongly as if they were views of the association. She neither had any right to represent SAFMA nor had any briefing from the media association to defend or represent it. She is entitled to her own views just like Hamid. This is utterly wrong to say that SAFMA or the anchor person of another private news channel sent Marvi to the debate, even though it has a lot of senior journalists to defend itself and is capable of doing at any forum and at any level. d) A lot of debate is going on in vari ous kinds of media on SAFMA, We welcome difference of opinion and its diversity. But can neither indulge in mud slinging nor take it lying down.

We have been advised by our senior colleagues to firmly keep on the legal course against defamation that we have taken and not to give much importance to the accused. In this regard whatever is being expressed by even various SAFMA members in their individual columns and comments are their personal views they are entitled to have. e)SAFMA both at the national and regional levels have journalists from various backgrounds and viewpoints, including hawks and doves pro or against this party and ideology or the other. In Pakistan and India we have both doves and hawks who agree to have talks. In Bangladesh we have journalists from both the contending parties and groups of journalists’ bodies. In Sir Lanka we have both Sinhala and Tamil journalists. The same is true about Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Afghanistan.

f) SAFMA has focused on two issues: a) Media its freedom and development: b) Conflict resolution, peace and regional cooperation while strengthening the SAARC process. SAFMA and its affiliates, such as South Asia Media Commission, have been in the forefront of the struggle for media freedom and will remain steadfast whatever the price. SAFMA is for peaceful settlement of all bilateral disputes, including Kashmir and various border disputes between other countries of the region, water and trade issues between the member countries of SAARC. Indeed SAFMA National Chapters do and must represent their views on various national issues, they are not bound to follow the viewpoint of their governments if they are not conducive to peace.

SAFMA has often been caught in the crossfire of the wars of various agencies and conflicting nationalistic rhetoric and have been accused of being an agent of this agency or that. But we are proud to claim that we are agent of none other than the larger interests of our people and the cause of peace and a free media that we are firmly committed to.

All our audits of accounts are available for anyone interested in our sources of revenues. g) On various issues facing Pakistan, our SAFMA national chapter is strongly committed to a prosperous, strong, peaceful, democratic and federal Pakistan, even though its members are entitled to have their respective views. h) At the regional level SAFMA has played a significant role in building confidence between Pakistan and India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh and Bhutan and Nepal, etc. SAFMA is the only body in the region which undertook exchange of journalists across the LoC and helped evolve a consensus on travel documents across the LOC which resulted in people to people contacts and trade between the divided Kashmir. SAFMA recognises differences between the two neighbours and is consistent in supporting peaceful means to resolve all differences between the two countries. (At his personal level the secretary general is determined to help bring peace in the subcontinent regardless of opposition from various quarters in the two countries.

He is also committed to the right to self-determination of all the people, including Kashmiris, which also includes Azadi from both not acceptable to India and Pakistan. i) Lastly SAFMA office bearers do not need any certification from any one for their patriotism and love for their motherland.

They will remain steadfast against extremism, jingoism, and terrorism and cannot be pressurised by anyone however powerful. Notions of peace, progress and democracy will continue to be the motivating emblems in our efforts for a better South Asia and a democratic Pakistan.

30

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 01 September 2011

SPORTS Boxer Amir Khan has undertaken pilgrimage to Makkah with his family and has kept his fans updated using Facebook and Twitter.

T

he pilgrimage comes during the holy month of Ramazan in Khan’s off-season prior to his upcoming fights scheduled for after December.

Khan had his head shaved on Friday, but later tweeted: ‘Omg you do not wana see me in a bald,

Ishant was ruled out of the limitedovers series against England after he sustained a ligament injury to his left ankle during the third Test at Edgbaston.

“It [the tour of Australia] is a very important tour and nobody wants to miss it,” Ishant told the Hindustan Times. So I’ll get the surgery done only after the Australian tour. I am going to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, where I’ll stay for a week

or 10 days to undergo rehab and seek a proper schedule. At the moment, I’ve been told to do strengthening exercises.”

India travel to Australia in December and will play four Tests, two Twenty20s and a tri-series also involving Sri Lanka, with the final game of that tournament slated for February 28.

A rehab period of six to eight months means Ishant could miss the IPL, Continued from page 32

I look baaaaad! I miss my hair.’ (sic) He later added: ‘Surprised an arab officer recognised me in a bald, I just about recognise myself lol.’ (sic) The boxer, who recently captured the

which is expected to be played in AprilMay 2012, as well as a yet unconfirmed Test and ODI series against Pakistan prior to that. India tour Sri Lanka for three Tests in July, and then host New Zealand for three Tests in AugustSeptember. This will be followed by the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka and the Champions League. If Ishant goes through with his plan, he is only likely to be back when India host England for four Tests in November-December.

International Boxing Federation’s (IBF) light welterweight title with a fifthround knockout of Zab Judah has been detailing his religious trip on Facebook and Twitter, and has posted several pictures of the sights he is seeing in Makkah.

“Losing three Continued from page 32 after less than 18 players hurt us months in charge, badly,” said Butt. “Salman had citing “personal grounds”. shown great potential as captain Captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said but after that case we had to look the side wants to give Waqar a around for a permanent captain fitting send-off with a successful and it was tough.”

Test and one-day international The side suffered yet another tour of Zimbabwe. blow earlier this month with the Pakistan have sent a new-look surprise resignation of coach side to the African nation and their Waqar Younis, who stepped down fans will hope they bring back

31

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 01 September 2011

Dr Tahir Saeed

Children: Victims of Adult Lust

Tribune Comment

I

refer to an article, recently published in one of the Pakistan’s leading newspapers, reporting very shocking and disturbing figures in regard to sexual abuse of children in Pakistan.

It is a fact that child sexual abuse in Pakistan is rising with an alarming speed.

However the dilemma is that most of these crimes are not reported for multiple reasons.

Like many other crimes, these atrocities, on young children, are committed in places where the perpetrators feel safe and their chances of getting caught are almost non-existent.

In order to replenish their lustful desires, that is so overpowering at times, that they completely lose contact with reality and show no respect for a place or a relationship.

Even the most revered places of worship are selected to carry out these nefarious acts.

And the piety of relationship is trampled when a father turns onto his daughter for sexual gratification with no feeling of any remorse or guilt.

The most alarming part of the article was its identification of the culprits as the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are reported to be non other than the law enforcement agencies themselves.

Majority of these crimes (60%) were committed by the police in one of the cosmopolitan city of Pakistan, Karachi, which is facing one of the worst crises of law and order.

The target of these monsters is usually the most vulnerable children, who do not have a ‘secure’ shelter to live except streets.

They mostly come from unprivileged socio-economic backgrounds and hence, can easily be the victims of these onslaught and abuses.

The socio-economic status of these children carries in itself a licence to protect the perpetrators due to the prevailing inequitable justice system which very conveniently discriminates between the powerful and

powerless.

Reporting child sexual abuse is a very recent phenomenon as prior to 1970s, even in the most advanced countries; instead of

relationship.

Since then there is much more improvement in providing justice to the victims and families in the developed world.

taken at its face value it shows an alarming increase of 9.4 per cent in comparison to 2008.

One surprising outcome of this survey research is that Punjab was ranked highest in committing child abuse at 62%, followed by Sindh with 28%. Whereas Khyber Pukhtunkhwa with 1.5 %, and Baluchistan 1%.

The surprising low incidence in KP, somehow, contradicts the stereotyped attitude attached with Pushto speaking people of their indulgence in child sexual abuse.

The low incidence of occurrence may however, be the unlikelihood of reporting rather than the actual incidents. If this is the case then it would in itself inform us about the dynamics and the attitude towards this menace of the inhabitants of these provinces.

The study reports the age range of these children was within the 6-15 years.

At such a tender age, these children are exposed to adult practices, depriving them of their childhood play stage. If a much more stringent definition of child sexual abuse is applied in

If a much more stringent definition of child sexual abuse is applied in Pakistan; the number of incidence would reach to a dangerous and alarming stage reporting, these incidents were mostly hushed due to shame and guilt associated with it.

It was only in 1974, with the enactment of Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment act, that child sexual abuse was considered as a crime in USA. This has ultimately paved the way for much more stringent laws and consequently the reporting of the incidents also increased many folds.

Subsequently all the other developing countries followed the suit and much more strict laws were implemented in these countries as well.

Related to child sexual abuse, incestuous relationship was considered a taboo until Judith Lewis Herman, a professor of psychiatry published her first book on father-daughter incest

Whereas in Pakistan, this still does not appear to be on the priority list, with no realization of its complexity on the part of the government as there are no specific laws pertaining to child sexual abuse.

A recent survey conducted in 2009 by a Pakistani NGO SAHIL, shows a total of 2012 reported cases of child sexual abuse all over Pakistan.

Not a very authenticated research though, as it is mainly based on the newspaper reporting; which is also acknowledged by the researchers in the report themselves as well as by stating “We believe that the number of incidents presented in the print media do not represent the total number of such incidents in Pakistan-because such issues are a taboo and not easily reported.”

However, even if this report is

Pakistan; the number of incidence would reach to a dangerous and alarming stage.

This international definition of child sexual abuse encompass even asking or putting a psychological pressure of any kind on the child to engage in sexual activities (regardless of the outcome).

This also includes an even indecent exposure of the genitals to a child, or exposing him/her to a pornographic material, or actual sexual contact against a child, physical contact with the child’s genital.

Of course these do not include check up for medical exam.

This also involves using children to produce child pornography or even exposing a child’s genitalia for the purpose of sexual gratification.

Based on this criterion, we will never be able to get the exact and correct figures of child sexual

abuse as majority of these reports in Pakistan mainly focused on the actual commission of an action as they will find it hard to assess the intention of the perpetrators.

The consequences of these crimes on a young child’s mind are debilitating and have an everlasting psychological effect with very rare chance of full recovery from it. It causes a serious psychological damage as these ugly experiences haunt them throughout their life and no psychotherapy or medication has any complete remedy for it except for one’s own resilience.

Besides, if these children belong to a secure home and if they are lucky to get a positive parental support, then there is high chance of them overcoming their cognitive distortions or may be greatly reduced in intensity.

However, the most worrying factor is the sexual abuse of children who live on streets with no psycho-social support available to them. These children are much more prone to indulgence of all sorts of crimes; including anti social behaviour; drug addiction, be a part of a gang.

These children can easily be lured into activities that would prove their control over things to compensate for the loss of power and command when they were young.

This desire for organising and managing their loss could lead them to becoming a vital organ of criminal groups that may bring be a source of fame and some form of power.

This is ultimately the responsibility of our state to protect these vulnerable kids by introducing strict measures so that our children are safe.

Our judicial system should also play its role in providing justice to all the victims across the board.

Our NGOs have to come out from their offices and educate the most vulnerable population about sexual abuse.

These children need to access psychotherapy on a regular basis.

Last but not least, children who live on street should be provided sheltered homes; where they can be provided the security and warmth of a family.

32

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 01 September 2011

Sports

A

year on from the spotfixing scandal that ended in long bans for three leading Test players, Pakistani cricket is still struggling to recover.

In late August 2010, Britain’s now-defunct News of the World tabloid alleged that captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif had arranged deliberate no-balls for money from an agent during the Lord’s Test against England.

“We were settling in the hotel after coming from the third day’s play when police raided the team hotel, showed us documentation and searched the rooms of the players,” then-team manager Yawar Saeed told AFP. “It was earth-shattering and I couldn’t believe my ears for the first 20 minutes.”

Pakistan lost the match by

Spot-fixing still remains an issue for Pakistani Cricket an innings and 225 runs the following day as a visibly upset Butt tried his best to hide his shock, and the claims of spotfixing at the spiritual home of cricket shook the game around the world.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) pulled the trio from the one-day series which followed and Scotland Yard investigated the players before they were allowed to return home on condition they would return for criminal proceedings.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) went on to suspend them and an anti-corruption tribunal led by senior lawyer

Michael Beloff heard their case in Doha in January and February this year.

Butt was given a ten-year ban with five years suspended, Asif seven years with two years suspended and Aamer a flat fiveyear ban -- effectively meaning all three will be out of action for five years.

The gifted Aamer is still only 19 and could yet make a return to the game, but Butt and Asif will be into their 30s by the time their bans expire, and their international careers appear to be over.

Pakistan have not fared badly since the England tour, drawing a

Test series against a strong South Africa side, beating New Zealand away and reaching the semi-final of the World Cup. But Saeed said Pakistan was still feeling the loss of three star players who could have led the side into the future.

“In Salman we had a young captain who in his first Test as leader defeated Australia and then in Aamer we had a worldclass fast bowler who even in his early days was lethal,” said Saeed, who quit his post after the scandal-hit tour.

“I still feel they were set up but the fault lies with them and it seems they did it for temporary

monetary gains. Even today it’s hair-raising when I remember that incident,” said Saeed, who refused to accept the management could have done anything to prevent what happened.

“We barred their agents coming into their hotel rooms but we couldn’t stop them from talking to someone on the phone. Had we known, we would have taken every possible step.”

Forced by the ICC, the PCB took measures to prevent a repeat in the future, forming an “integrity committee” to look into players’ assets and adding stringent clauses on match-fixing to players’ central contracts.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt admitted the loss of three key players had been devastating for a cricket-mad country where the game is often a unifying force in adversity.

See page 30 BAGBASE INTERNATIONAL LTD. 5 Courtenay Road, East Lane Business Park, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 7ND Saka Mineral Water 24 X 330ml - £2.70 Saka Mineral Water 24 X 500ml……£3.00

Saka Mineral Water 4 X 5 Litre……£2.80

Saka Mineral Water 6 X 1.5 Litre……£1.50

Ankle surgery after Australia tour – Ishant I

shant Sharma has said he will undergo surgery on his injured ankle after the conclusion of India’s tour of Australia tour early next year.

See page 30

Isabelle French Mineral Water 6… £1.60

Gain a 5% Discount using the voucher code ‘ADUKNM’ online Visit us online at http://www.bagbaseltd.co.uk Or call us on 020 8904 0707

Published by Saarc International Ltd, Suit 101, 10 Courtenay Road, London HA9 7ND. UK Telephone:020 8904 0619 Fax: 020 8181 7575 E-mail: info@satribune.co.uk www.satribune.co.uk, www.saarc.co.uk. Printed at Webprint UK Ltd, Unit B1 Eastern Approach, Alfred Way, Barking, IG11 0AG