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Year 1 Issue 27 Thursday, 19.01.12

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Birmingham double murder Britain, probably safer than most countries in the world, may not

seem so to Indians right now. Avtar and Carole Kolar: Police granted more time to quiz suspect Third man held for murders

Victoria’s hair salon, which the tragic couple had owned in Kingstanding.

Britain, probably safer than most countries in the world, may not seem so to Indians right now after two horriﬁc murder incidents recently and the arrest of an Indian teacher in Oxford. Perhaps this is a coincidence but parents wondering whether to send their children to the UK for higher studies after the horriﬁc Anuj Bidve killing in Salford won’t be encouraged by what happened to Avtar Kolar last Wednesday. A third man was arrested on suspicion of murdering the parents of a police

ofﬁcer. The suspect, 37, was held at lunchtime on Monday. Avtar Kolar, 62, and his wife Carole, 58, were found in Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, last Wednesday. One suspect, aged 24, was arrested on Friday and freed on bail. A second man, 41, was released without charge. DETECTIVES probing the double murders of a Birmingham couple found dead by their policeman son have ruled out gold robbery as a motive. In the wake of the murders, there were fears among some residents that homes in

the area were being targeted by violent thieves hunting highly valuable Asian gold. Detectives investigating the murder of the parents of a police ofﬁcer have been granted extra time to question a third man over their deaths. ‘Vile crime’ Mr and Mrs Kolar, who had been married for 40 years, were found at the Friary Road property by their son Jason, who is a West Midlands Police Continued on page 2 >>

Threats of violence force cancellation of university talk on sharia law Muslim man threatens students at debate

A talk organised yesterday by the Queen Mary University Atheism, Secularism and Humanism Society on ‘Sharia Law and Human Rights’ had to be cancelled after threats of violence. ‘Five minutes before the talk was due to start a man burst into the room holding a camera phone and for some seconds stood Continued on page 2 >>

Price: 90p

Anti Islamic Lib Dem Candidate: Dave Stones

Lib Dem’s anti-Islam rants: ‘Put pork restaurant next to mosque’ In a local by-election to be held this Thursday local Lib Dem candidate Dave Stones will be allowed to stand by in spite of repeatedly and shockingly antiIslamic remarks. In one message referring to the site of a religious centre in New York, Mr Stones posted:’ Regarding the mosque being built near ground zero. I say let them build it’. But then, across the street ‘ we should put a topless bar called “You Mecca Me Hot” and next to that a gay bar called “The Turban Cowboy” and next to that a Pork Rib restaurant called “IraqO-Ribs” and next to that...a...check-cashing place called “...Iran out of Money” then we’ll see who’s tolerant’. Stone goes on to encourage others to copy, paste and pass on to others. I’m not aware if he has apologised for this particular rancid rant against Muslims, but two things are very absent: Frist, what does the local Lib Dem party think of having such a representative and even more importantly what does the Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg have to say on the subject ? . Are they both content that he is their representative? Just last week Nick Clegg was very quick to condemn Diane Abbott MP for her clumsy semantic mistake when she forgot to use the word “Some”, before saying ‘white people try and divide and rule Black people. Today, Clegg’s non response is, frankly, deafening. The local MP Mr Blenkinsop has said, ‘The idea that he could be involved in Redcar and Cleveland local government disgusts me when he has shown such a lack of respect towards its Muslim residents, many of whom are my constituents’.

NEWS

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 January 2012

Birmingham double murder << Continued from page 1 ofﬁcer. Post-mortem examinations revealed both died as a result of blunt-force trauma to the head, each sustaining a number of blows. A police spokeswoman said: “Specialist forensic investigators remain at the address carrying out thorough examinations and

detectives and local neighbourhood ofﬁcers continue to conduct local inquiries.” Detectives have said they are looking into a number of lines of inquiry, including a rise in burglaries and gold thefts in the area. Det Supt Richard Baker, who is leading a team of more than 60 ofﬁcers assigned to the case,

has said a possible link between Jason Kolar’s position with the force and his parents’ death was “not a signiﬁcant line of inquiry”. Crimestoppers said the double murder was a “vile crime” and has put up a £10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

Khan:retired medic cleared of modern day slavery charge A retired doctor accused of trafﬁcking an African woman into the UK to work as her slave for more than three years has been acquitted after a retrial. Saeeda Khan, 69, was said to have treated Mwanahamisi Mruke ‘like an animal’, forcing her to sleep on the ﬂoor at her £500,000 home in

Harrow, northwest London. She was said to have paid her £10 a month to work from 5am to midnight and deprived of property. Prosecutor Caroline Haughey claimed Khan had treated Ms Mruke, 48, as a ‘piece of property’ after bringing her to Britain from Tanzania.

Threats of violence force cancellation of university talk on sharia

<< Continued from page 1 filming the faces of all those in the room. He shouted ‘listen up all of you, I am recording this, I have your faces on film now, and I know where some of you live’, at that moment he aggressively pushed the phone in someone’s face and then said ‘and if I hear that anything is said against the Publisher Salah Bu Khamas (UAE) Sabha Khan (UK) UK Office 10 Courtenay Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 7ND UK Phone: +44 20 8904 0619 Fax: +44 20 8181 7575 info@satribune.co.uk

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holy Prophet Mohammed, I will hunt you down.’ He then left the room. The incident took place on Monday evening at a meeting organised by the Atheism, Secularism and

Humanism Society at Queen Mary University in London. Enquiries by Tower Hamlets police are ongoing. A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: “Police were called at approximately

19:00 on Monday 16 January to a building on Mile End Road following a report of a man being threatened by another man. Ofﬁcers attended and the victim was spoken to.”

Two soldiers arrested over claims they abused boy and girl and showed film to colleagues, Sun newspaper reports Military police have launched an investigation into claims that British soldiers abused two children during their tour of duty in Afghanistan. The Ministry of Defence confirmed an inquiry had begun into two soldiers from the Mercian Battle Group, which is serving a six-month stint in the country. The Sun newspaper reported that the men, who were from lower ranks, had been arrested for allegedly abusing a boy and a girl, who were aged about 10. The soldiers are said to have filmed separate incidents then showed the footage to other servicemen on their laptop computers.

Colleagues complained about their behaviour and the pair were arrested and several laptops seized, the Sun said. It reported one source as saying what the military had to “establish is whether we are looking at sexual predatory behaviour or totally ill-judged larking about”.

Art Department UK Ali Ansar (Art Director) Md. Reazul Islam

It is believed to be the ﬁrst time British soldiers in Afghanistan have been

accused of this kind of abuse. The MoD said the matter was being taken “extremely seriously”. “We are aware that an allegation has been made concerning alleged inappropriate behaviour by two servicemen in Afghanistan,” the MoD said. He added, “We take any such allegation extremely seriously. It would be inappropriate to comment further while an investigation is ongoing.” The allegations came just days after video footage emerged apparently showing US Marines urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban ﬁghters.

‘UK unemployment set to hit new records’

UK deputy PM: Settlements are vandalism Clegg speaks alongside PA President Abbas prior to Israeli-Palestinian talks in Amman.

Group Editorial Managers Gulzar Khan (India) Abdul Khalique (Pakistan)

FYI Tribune team Adrian Fellar Misbah Khan Reema Shah Rohma Khan Keziah-Ann Abakah

A trainee electrician accused of savagely beating a TV executive and leaving him to die in the boot of a burning car today (Weds) insisted he had ‘no motive’ to kill him. Harinder Shoker, 20, told jurors he was ‘close friends’ with victim Gagandip Singh but admitted he was concerned about his attitude towards women. The 21-year-old sexually assaulted co-accused medical student Mundil Mahil around six months before his death on February 26 last year, the Old Bailey heard. His body was found in the burning remains of a Mercedes in Blackheath, southeast London, just hours after he was allegedly attacked by Shoker, also known as Ravi, and Darren Peters, also 20, at Mahil’s Brighton home.

UK troops arrested over Afghanistan child abuse claims

Managing Editor & CEO Mohammad Shahid Khan

Editorial Board UK Frances Brunner

Shoker: electrician accused of burning car murder

British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are “deliberate vandalism,” underlining the UK government’s hardening line, British The Jewish Chronicle’s website reported Monday. Speaking alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during his visit to the UK, Clegg condemned continuous settlement building in the

“strongest possible terms.” Abbas welcomed the ofﬁcial remarks, according to the report. He was in London ahead of negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian delegations in Amman, Jordan. The UK has been consistently critical regarding Israeli settlement plans, including those in areas of east Jerusalem past the Green Line.

Ofﬁcial ﬁgures have revealed that the unemployment rate in Britain is set to hit new records in 2012, with public sector civil servants expected to be hit the hardest. Britain’s Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has warned that an additional 120,000 British workers will lose their jobs in 2012 bringing the number of the British jobless to a record high of 2.85 million. The unemployment rate in the UK is already at a 17-year high of 8.3% with 2.64 million people out of work and is expected to reach 8.8% in 2012. Moreover, the CIPD has predicted that UK’s unemployment rate may hit 2.9 million in 2013 and may not fall below 2.5 million by the end of the current decade.

“Unemployment in the coming year will be rising from a much higher starting point, so the UK jobs market in 2012 will be weaker than at any time since the recession of the early 1990s,” said John Philpott, chief economic adviser at the CIPD. Furthermore, the CIPD warned against the continuation of “severe” pay restraint and productivity stagnation, depicting a gloomier picture for Britain’s workforce than what they went through during the recession of 2008-9. Shadow work and pensions minister Ian Austin also criticized the British government saying “as we go into 2012 it is crystal clear that this government is failing to get people off beneﬁts and into work.”

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 January 2012

NEWS

Iran vows retaliation against Israel for scientist “The opponents of [Iran’s Islamic] Revolution and the nation’s progress should have no doubt that the punitive response to the US, the Zionist regime (Israel) and their criminal accomplices will be delivered in an opportune time,” Iran’s Press TV quoted deputy armed forces chief, Brig.-Gen. Massoud Jazayeri as saying on Sunday.

Dead scientist’s funeral sees anger at US, Israel Iran buries a top scientist Tehran says was killed by Israel and the US as part of a covert campaign against its nuclear program. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says they have some ideas as to who might have been involved The Tehran funeral Jan. 13 of a nuclear scientist blown up by a hit man saw the ruling clergy urge Iranians to rally behind it at a forthcoming election and face down Western threats against Iran’s nuclear program. In a mood of high emotion in a city increasingly beset by U.S. and European sanctions and fears of war with Israel and the West, hundreds of chanting mourners carried the flag-draped coffin of Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, killed Jan. 11 by a motorcycle assassin in rush-hour traffic. “Death to America! Death to Israel!” roared the crowd streaming away from weekly prayers at Tehran University, where the dead man was hailed as a martyr in the tradition of Imam Hussein, a revered figure for Iran’s Shiite branch of Islam. State radio described the 32-yearold chemical engineer, whose driver was also buried Jan. 13, as having worked on procurement for the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz. This disclosure may strengthen suspicions that he was targeted by Israeli and Western agencies, who say some covert Iranian purchases confirm their skepticism of Tehran’s assertion that it is not seeking to develop atom bombs. The IRNA state news agency said Saturday that Iran’s Foreign Ministry has sent a diplomatic letter to the U.S. saying that it has “evidence and reliable information” that the CIA provided “guidance,

support and planning” to assassins “directly involved” in Roshan’s killing. The U.S. has denied any role in the assassination. Iran delivered the letter to the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which looks after U.S. interests in the country. Iran and the U.S. have had no diplomatic relations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. IRNA also reported that Iran delivered a letter to Britain accusing London of having an “obvious role” in the killing. It said that a series of assassinations began after British intelligence chief John Sawers hinted in 2010

at intelligence operations against the Islamic Republic. British media have quoted Sawers as saying that intelligence-led operations were needed to make it more difficult for countries like Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Britain’s Foreign Office has condemned the killing of civilians. Israeli officials, in contrast, have hinted at covert campaigns against Iran without directly admitting involvement. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the “abominable” and “cowardly” killing was committed “with the planning or support of the intelligence services

Qatar Emir urges Arab troops deployed to Syria Shaikh Hamad is the ﬁrst Arab leader to publicly suggest foreign intervention in Syria Arab troops should be deployed to Syria to stop the killing there, Qatar’s Emir Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani has told in an interview to US broadcaster CBS. To a question whether he favoured Arab nations intervening in Syria, Shaikh

Hamad said “For such a situation to stop the killing...some troops should go to stop the killing.”

Shaikh Hamad is the ﬁrst Arab leader to publicly suggest foreign intervention in Syria, where the uprising against President Bashar Al Assad is now in its tenth month. Speaking about his own inﬂuence on the uprisings in the Arab world, he said: “We are supporting the people of those countries ... [who are] asking for justice and dignity.

of the CIA and Mossad” of the United States and Israel. He said in a statement his country would “continue with determination” its nuclear activities, which Western governments suspect mask a drive for a weapons capability despite Tehran’s repeated denials. Some media close to Iran’s conservatives have called for “retaliation” against Israeli ofﬁcials. The Iranian government has demanded the U.N. Security Council condemn the “terrorist” killing. The U.S. has strongly denied it had anything to do with the assassination, although Defense Secretary Leon Panetta

said: “We have some ideas as to who might be involved.” The prime suspect is widely seen as Israel, as it was in the murders of three other Iranian scientists in similar circumstances over the past two years. Israel, though, has a policy of not commenting on intelligence matters, although a military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, on his official Facebook page said: “I am definitely not shedding a tear” over Ahmadi Roshan’s killing. Israeli media also highlighted comments just before the attack by the Israeli chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, who said 2012 would see “things which happen to them [the Iranians] in an unnatural way.” Iran’s government has written a letter demanding U.N. Security Council condemnation of the assassination, which it said was backed by unnamed “foreign quarters.” On whether Israel was involved in the Jan. 11 assassination, President Shimon Peres told CNN Jan. 13, “Not to the best of my knowledge.” U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the day after the scientist’s murder to discuss developments in Iran. Iran buries a top scientist Tehran says was killed by Israel and the US as part of a covert campaign against its nuclear program. Both deny the accusations but a top US official says they have some ideas as to who might have been involved.

90 percent British ﬁrms have no women bosses London: Around 90 percent of Britain’s top companies have no women bosses, according to a parliament report. A parliament written answer obtained by former Treasury spokesman Matthew Oakeshott said there was no woman executive director in 310 of the top 350 companies in the country, The Sun reported. Only 43 women are working in other senior roles.

Oakeshott, a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords, said: “Britain’s big businesses are an old boys’ club.”

NEWS

EDITORIAL If the US won’t strike first, the Israelis will The spring of 2012 appears to be critical for the Middle East. Not only in Jerusalem and in Washington but everywhere it seems the smell of gunpowder is in the air. Kenneth S. Brower has estimated Israel has as many as 400 nuclear weapons. These can be launched from land, sea and air, giving Israel a second strike option even if much of the country is destroyed. According to a Haaretz report Iran has material for 1 to 2 atom bombs Olli Heinonen, IAEA’s leading experts on Iran, says the Islamic Republic now possessed three tons of lowenriched uranium. “In theory, it is enough to make one or two nuclear arms. Even at the lowest estimates Israel possesses enough nuclear weapons to destroy every major Middle Eastern city several times over. Like the U.S. and Russia, the Israeli nuclear threat is based on a triad of delivery systems: long-range bombers, ballistic missiles and submarines, with which it can target all of Europe and the Middle East, and much of Asia and Africa. The Israeli nuclear bomber fleet consists of 25 F-15-E and 102 highly modified F-16-I fighterbombers with a reported range of nearly 4,500 kilometers—enough to fly from Israel to Iran and back. The Israeli ballistic missile arsenal consists of approximately 100 Jericho-1 and 50 Jericho-2 missiles. The Jericho-1 missile has a range of over 500 kilometers and can reach Damascus or Cairo. According to the widely respected Jane’s Intelligence Review, the Jericho-2 has an extended range of approximately 5,000 kilometers . The third leg of the triad consists of five DolphinClass submarines .These super-sophisticated diesel-powered subs, built for Israel by the Germans, have an extended range of about 8,000 kilometers. In 2000, an Israeli submarine successfully launched a cruise missile that destroyed a target more than 900 miles away. Israel currently is stationing its submarines in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea—targeting Iran. Israel believes Iran itself has not yet decided whether to make a nuclear bomb. Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel was “very far off” from a decision about an attack on Iran over its nuclear program. Russia would regard any military intervention linked to Iran’s nuclear programme as a threat to its own security, Moscow’s departing ambassador to NATO warned: “ if Iran is involved in any military action, it’s a direct threat to our security.” The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that “U.S. defense leaders are increasingly concerned that Israel is preparing to take military action against Iran, over U.S. objections, and have stepped up contingency planning to safeguard U.S. facilities in the region in case of a conflict.” Both American and Israeli officials say that the decision to postpone a massive joint missile drill scheduled for this spring has nothing to do with hostilities with Iran, although insiders suggest something quite the contrary. Israeli sources say that the decision to postpone the drill does not come as a joint agreement between Tehran and Washington, but is rather a decisions from Netanyahu himself who has become worried by America’s lack of aggression against Iran as of late. Sources suggest that Israel and Iran are at the zero hour, and if the US won’t strike first, the Israelis will.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 January 2012

US, Israel in open rift over Iran Big joint military drill cancelled Iran could face UK military action over nuclear programme, says Hague US-Israeli discord over action against Iran went into overdrive Sunday, Jan. 15 when the White House called off Austere Challenge 12, the biggest joint war game the US and Israel have every staged, ready to go in spring, in reprisal for a comment by Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon in an early morning radio interview. He said the United States was hesitant over sanctions against Iran’s central bank and oil for fear of a spike in oil prices. Meanwhile British Foreign secretary William Hague said in an interview that Britain has not ruled out military action against Iran but is focused on trying to secure peaceful negotiations, The foreign secretary insisted all options remained on the table in relation to what he called Tehran’s “increasingly dangerous” development of nuclear weapons. But he said the UK was not advocating military action and was instead intensifying sanctions in a bid to bring the Islamic republic to the negotiating table. “We have never ruled anything

them, and the increasing pressure of sanctions to try to get some ﬂexibility from Iran.” The row between Washington and Jerusalem is now in the open, undoubtedly causing celebration in Tehran. The exercise was ofﬁcially postponed from spring 2012 to the last quarter of the year over “budgetary constraints” – an obvious diplomatic locution for cancellation. It was issued urgently at an unusually early hour Washington time, say sources, to underscore the Obama administration’s total disassociation from any preparations to strike

out. We have not ruled out any option, or supporting any option. We believe all options should be on the table, that is part of the pressure on Iran,” Hague told Sky News. “But we are clearly not calling for or advocating military action. We are advocating meaningful negotiations, if Iran will enter into

Iran and to stress its position that if an attack took place, Israel alone would be accountable. Israel’s Deputy Prime minister further inﬂamed one of the most acute disagreements in the history of US-Israeli relations over the Obama administration’s objections to an Israel military action against

Iran’s nuclear sites in any shape or form. Israel’s Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya’alon says ‘election-

US Congress had shown resolve by enacting legislation for sanctions with real bite. But the White House “hesitated.” He went on to say: “A military operation is the last resort, but Israel must be ready to defend itself.” Military sources report that a third aircraft carrier and strike group, the USS Abraham Lincoln, is also on its way to the Persian Gulf. This massive military buildup indicates that either President Obama rates the odds of an Israel attack as high and is bolstering

year considerations’ behind U.S. President’s caution over tough Iran sanctions. Yaalon ventured into tricky terrain when he pointed out that

the defenses of US military assets against Iranian reprisals - or, alternatively, that the United States intends to beat Israel to the draw and attack Iran itself.

Central Asia’s largest mosque ravaged by ﬁre

ASTANA, Kazakhstan — Emergency ofﬁcials say at least one person has died in a ﬁre at the largest mosque in Central Asia, in the capital of Kazakhstan.

The Emergency Situations Ministry said Sunday’s ﬁre spread over an area of 800 square meters (8,600 square feet) inside the Khazret Sultan mosque in Astana.

Laborers at the site of the 17,500 square-meter (188,000 square-foot) mosque, which was still under construction, said they heard screams from a man trapped inside the building.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 January 2012

NEWS

The death certificate of the paper dollar: Where to next? The world dollar standard’s death certificate arrives in the mail this week. The Bank of England - “the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street” - one of the most staid, cautious, and dignified entities in the world of monetary policy - signals that the fiduciary currency standard ushered in on August 15, 1971 is, empirically measured, far inferior to the (dilute form of the) gold standard erected at Bretton Woods. Fellow Forbes. com columnist Charles Kadlec thoroughly reprises and analyzes the facts submitted to a candid world by the Bank of England in a paper to be officially published December 20, 2011. The Bank of England’s Financial Stability Paper No. 13, Reform of the International Monetary and Financial System, reported at Bloomberg BusinessWeek and reviewed here, is being seen by many monetary policy observers around the world as the “coroner’s report” on the death of the world dollar standard. What’s next? Presciently, at the watershed October 5-6 Heritage Foundation Conference on a Stable Dollar: Why We Need It and How to Achieve It, Forbes’ editor-in-chief Steve Forbes called for escalating the discourse from “whether” we should restore the gold standard to “how” to do so. The floodgates open. In the second half of 2011 monetary policy scholars, policy virtuosi, financiers and activists have issued over half a dozen books and important monographs on the very subject heralded by Forbes whose call was seconded by Heritage’s president, Dr. Ed Feulner in an influential Washington Times op-ed: That’s why we should welcome a debate about the role of the Fed and what our monetary policy should be. But we have to ask the right questions. ... Should we fix the dollar price of gold? ... ‘If the defect is inflation and an unstable dollar,’ asks Lewis Lehrman of the Lehrman Institute, ‘what is the remedy?’ We can’t answer that without a robust and full discussion. Let’s hope the hard questions being asked now about the Fed touch off a much-needed debate. This, together with ongoing efforts by The Lehrman Institute and by its strategic partner, the American Principles Project (with both of which this writer has a professional association) laid the groundwork for another

critical development: putting monetary reform at the core of the agenda of the conservative movement. The largest and most influential umbrella group of conservativism is the Conservative Action Project. This convened 100 leading conservatives at a summit this month. President Reagan’s Counselor and the 75th Attorney General of the United States, Edwin Meese, III, presided and the Project issued, last week, A Conservative Consensus for 2012. This, which fairly may be considered the consensus conservative platform, calls for Growth, Family, Strength and Accountability. The first element of the very first item on the agenda includes a call to “encourage sound monetary policy, thereby helping the economy grow and create more jobs.” Many conservatives take these words to mean going forward to gold. But how? Earlier this autumn, Lewis E. Lehrman published the fruit of 40 years of study and thought, study that began with his tutelage by French monetary statesman Jacques Rueff, of The True Gold Standard - A Monetary Reform Plan Without Official Reserve Currencies. It was lauded by TV journalist Lou Dobbs as “a compelling read and a compelling architecture for a way forward,” by Federalist Society co-founder and Bradley Foundation “Genius Award” winner David McIntosh as “a must read for policy makers,” by financial journalist James Grant as “The answer, brilliantly expounded....” The New York Sun’s Seth Lipsky summarized its essence: ... a transition in which, on the date that Congress authorizes the resumption of unrestricted

convertibility between dollars and gold, Federal Reserve Bank notes and American dollar bank demand deposits would be ‘redeemable in gold on demand at the statutory gold parity,’ ... the minting by the Treasury and authorized private mints of what Mr. Lehrman calls ‘legal tender gold coin in appropriate denominations, free of any and all taxation,’ ... an international monetary conference ‘to provide for the deliberate termination of the dollar-based official reserve currency system and the consolidation and refunding of foreign official dollar reserves,’... the establishment by the conference of gold as ‘the sole means by which nations would settle residual balance of payments deficits,’ ... and steps to ‘uphold stable exchange rates and free and fair trade - based on the mutual convertibility to gold of major currencies.’ Other noteworthy works on how to restore the gold standard promptly followed. These include monographs by George Mason University’s Prof. Lawrence H. White recently presented at the 29th Annual Monetary Conference of the Cato Institute, entitled Making the Transition to a New Gold Standard, and extensive and erudite testimony shortly preceding Lehrman’s book by Dr. Lawrence Parks, executive director of the Foundation for the Advancement of Monetary Education, at a September 13 hearing of Dr. Ron Paul’s subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy entitled “Road Map to Sound Money.” In addition, financial analyst James Rickards’ Currency Wars: The Making of the Next Global Crisis is receiving significant popular attention and bestseller status, Detlev Schlichter’s Paper

Money Collapse, and we see the publication of Paul Nathan’s The New Gold Standard, a new edition of prominent libertarian (and rocket scientist) Dave Redick’s Monetary Revolution USA and, now, the keenly anticipated Fixing the Dollar Now: Why US Money Lost Its Integrity and How We Can Restore It by Dr. Judy Shelton. Dr. Shelton is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page and was a participant in both the Heritage and Cato conferences (as well, with Forbes, Lehrman and Jimmy Kemp at Atlas Foundation’s own monetary panel conducted at its annual Liberty Forum). She has an international following and is respected by powerful legislative officials in Washington, D.C. Shelton first won worldwide credibility by being among the first to precisely predict the time and manner of implosion of the Soviet Union in her iconic work The Coming Soviet Crash. Shelton’s work The Money Meltdown was praised by Publishers Weekly as “masterful.” Shelton has surpassed herself in Fixing the Dollar Now. This work aptly was called by Weekly Standard founder/editor (and gold standard proponent) William Kristol ‘bold and practical, sophisticated and straightforward.’ It lays out the alpha - the Constitutional underpinnings - and omega - financial integrity, stability, and prosperity - of why the gold standard now is a must. Shelton: What would it take to set up a genuine gold standard with a working mechanism for converting US dollars into gold on demand? The first step would be to address current federal legal tender laws.... The next

major step toward achieving gold convertibility would be to define the US dollar as a fixed weight of gold. Such a major change from our current practice presents significant challenges in managing the transition. ... Still, the advantages of forging an inviolable link between the value of US money and gold through fixed convertibility seem to make it well worth tackling the difficulties. ... Gold convertibility of the dollar would reassert the early principles embedded in both the Constitution and the Coinage Act with regard to establishing a money unit defined as a precise weight of gold or silver. ... Calling for an international monetary conference would reassure the United States’ trading partners that their cooperation is welcomed, even solicited. At the same time, given the pre-eminent role of the dollar in global financial markets, it would be seen as an important step toward achieving radical international monetary reform. The world dollar system has been pronounced, now almost officially, a failure. The main surprise is that the pronouncement took so long. The call by Steve Forbes for a discussion about how to restore gold, and the work of monetary savants such as Lehrman, Shelton, and White laying out precisely how, could not be more timely - or needed. Public pollsters show gold to be extraordinarily popular with voters. Monetary reform is at the core of the conservative consensus. Presidential aspirants are taking note. Anticipate legislation. Onward to gold - and prosperity.

NEWS

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 January 2012

US troops defile dead Afghans on camera ‘This act by American soldiers is ‘First they killed the Afghans with mortars, and they simply inhumane and condemnable then urinated on their bodies. We strongly condemn this inhumane action by the wild American soldiers’ in the strongest possible terms’ Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai ISAF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings said: ‘The behaviour depicted in this video is reprehensible and is not in keeping with the values of U.S. Armed Forces.’ Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain John Kirby said the video was deeply troubling: ‘Whoever it is, and whatever the circumstances, which we know is under investigation, it is egregious behaviour.’ An eye-opening video clip that made it online may cause a scandal on par with what erupted with the Abu Ghraib photographs of 2004. Now US Marines have been caught on film urinating on dead Afghans. A 40-second excerpt of the clip has managed to make it on the Web where viewers can watch four US Marines on patrol in Afghanistan allegedly urinating on the corpses of deceased Afghan men. The victims’ identities are unclear in this incident, but according to a note included with the uploaded file, the US servicemen were members of the Marine Scout Sniper Team 4 and the 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The group was dispatched to the northern Helmand Province in Afghanistan during the summer of 2011. A clip of US troops urinating on Afghans in civilian clothes shocked the Internet on Wednesday. Ten years after beginning military operations in Afghanistan, the US military still maintains an active presence there, making it the longest continuous war in American history. President Obama has vowed to bring back troops in full by 2014, but this event could cause widespread outrage against the military operation, with the latest incident increasing tensions unmatched since the Abu Ghraib scandal. Earlier in the War on Terror, American troops were caught grossly mishandling prisoners at the Abu Ghraib detention facility in Baghdad, Iraq, humiliating, injuring and

Taliban spokesman Only one month ago, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told troops at the US base in Pakika province that the war in Afghanistan “has been a difﬁcult and complicated relationship . . . but it is an important relationship, and it is one that we have to continue to work at.”

PREVIOUS U.S. ARMY SCANDALS

subjecting them to clearly inhumane conditions that resulted in at least one death. Nearly eight years later, the event and the photographs and videos to come out of it are among the most notorious notches in terms of America’s inability to control its own military in the policing of the world. In the Abu Ghraib incidents, US troops were revealed to torture and chastise prisoners who were serving as living detainees within the institute’s walls. In the latest clip, however, Americans are shown not just disrespecting the alleged enemy, but failing to honor those that lost their lives in the name of war. One of the American servicemen is heard in the clip announcing, “Have a great day, buddy,” while he relieves himself on the body of a slain Afghan. “Golden like a shower” sniggers another. Three slain Afghans lay bloodied while American servicemen urinate on their bodies.

According to Camp Lejeune’s ofﬁcial US military website, its mission is “to maintain combat-ready units for expeditionary deployment.” In October 2011, the Marine Corps ﬁnished a $20 million investment in Camp Lejeune, in turn transitioning the facility into a 32,000-square-foot recreation of Afghan turf. “In the Marine Corps, we call this graduate-level training,” Col. Dan Lecce, commander of the camp, told the News & Observer back then. Now, however, the US Marine Corps will investigate how the troops got away with this despicable act and try to nip the blowback in the bud before tensions between the US and Afghanistan worsen anymore. While the exact identities of the victims are not known at this time, the three corpses are clad in civilian clothes, not military uniforms. One man, who seems to be the youngest of the pack, is donned in a blood-soaked shirt. The group is laid out in clear terrain

sheltered by bushes an adjacent to a wheelbarrow, which could mean that the men were ambushed while participating in civilian activity. After the video went viral authorities have responded with a quick rebuttal. “While we have not yet veriﬁed the origin or authenticity of this video, the actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps.” On YouTube, one viewer of the clip writes, “Thanks fellas, you just pissed away everything me and my boys fought for.” An early 2010 incident in which a gang of US troops opened ﬁre and killed Afghan civilians landed charges for at least four of them. Although they have admitted guilt in the so-called “thrill kill” massacre, Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs could be free in as soon as 10 years despite being found guilty of 15 counts, including three charges of premeditated murder.

Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal in 2004 saw U.S. troops photographing themselves humiliating and intimidating detainees. Ringleader Charles Graner and six other members of the Maryland-based 372nd Military Police Company were charged in 2004 with abusing detainees. Graner stacked prisoners into a pyramid, knocked one of them out with a head punch and ordered prisoners to perform lewd acts on themselves while soldiers took pictures. Last August the war criminal became the last Abu Ghraib defendant to be released from military prison and received the longest jail sentence. An attack in Haditha in November 2005 when a U.S. squad killed 24 Iraqis, including women and children had further tainted America’s reputation. Sergeant Frank Wuterich faces nine counts of voluntary manslaughter and is the last defendant in the biggest and lengthiest criminal case against U.S. troops to arise from the Iraq War. The new video is certain to deepen concerns in the Muslim world about U.S. troops fostered by various controversial videos and photos. Those include WikiLeaks’ release of a classiﬁed video showing a 2007 U.S. helicopter attack that killed a dozen people in Iraq. And not forgetting the disclosure that U.S. soldiers killed unarmed civilians in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province in 2010.Photos published in March by two magazines showed soldiers posing with the bloodied corpse of an Afghan boy they had just killed.

Seminar on ‘Sleep View and Habit –A case What are they? Mysterious unexplained of Bangladeshi living in East London:’ on noises now being reported across the globe study the 24 January 2012 organised by ETHOS UK. A series of unexplained noises are with the impression they are coming being reported across the globe and the frequency of these events appear to be increasing. The sounds range in description from “bizarre and creepy” to “industrial and mechanical.” The sounds appear to be omni-directional and seem to have no single traced source of origin or horizontal source of degree graduation- leaving one

from directly overhead or directly underneath the earth. The videos below are reports of the unexplained acoustic phenomenon. Are these sounds omens of an impending disaster, or the deep-churching in the Earth indication the lithosphere is becoming unsettled, mistpouffers, or something else? You decide.

ETHOS UK organised a seminar on ‘Sleep View and Habit –A case study of Bangladeshi living in East London:’ on 24 January 2012 at the St George’s Church Halls, Woodford Avenue/Gants Hill Crescent, Gants Hill, Ilford, Essex, IG2 6XG. Sleep is a regular matter in our life. It is so regular that we don’t usually need to think very much about sleep. It’s routine. Perhaps that is why we do not ask why do we sleep? In this paper our main aim is to investigate knowledge, habit and conditions of a particular segment of people living in east London. Presentation will start at 14.00 hours and lunch will be served at the courtesy of Ethos UK from 13.15 to 14.00 hours. The event will be close at 15.30.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 January 2012

NEWS

‘Pay me 10,000 pounds for access to British PM’

In a major cash-for-access scandal, a 50-year-old Indian-origin Conservative Party activist and fund-raiser was thrown out of the party after he was caught boasting in a video that he could provide Prime Minister David Cameron’s personal mobile phone number or a dinner with him for 10,000 pounds.

• Asian Tory fundraiser tells MoS reporter he can supply PM’s mobile number to donors • He also claims he can arrange meetings with PM and Tory chairmen Baroness Warsi and Lord Feldman • Offers meeting with Theresa May to discuss relaxing immigration laws Rickie Sehgal -- chairman of the British Asian Conservative Link (BACL) -- said donors could dine with the prime minister and raise any issue they wanted, the Daily Mail reported on Sunday. “Those who pay 10,000 pounds a year get Cameron’s mobile,” Sehgal told an undercover reporter. When confronted about his claims, Sehgal said he was “highly embarrassed” to have been caught boasting, which he said he had exaggerated to impress the undercover reporter. Sehgal was sacked from the party Saturday after senior officials studied the evidence. Sehgal was recently photographed whispering into the Prime Minister’s ear at the Tories’ Winter Ball, where tickets cost up to 1,000 pounds. The BACL website features pictures of Sehgal with senior officials, including Home Secretary Theresa May, Attorney General Dominic Grieve and International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell as well as London Mayor Boris Johnson. The daily began the investigation following a tip-off from a legal source who said Asian businessmen were using BACL to gain access to Tory ministers. An undercover reporter posing as a businessman met Sehgal and said he was keen to join the BACL’s exclusive 1000 Club, which the website claimed could give members access to ministers and MPs for business and personal benefits. The meeting took place at the headquarters of Sehgal’s IT company, Transputec Computers Plc, in northwest London. Sehgal claimed he had access to Cameron

to the extent that he can lobby on behalf of parliamentary candidates with an Asian background.

Andrew Feldman, the joint chairs of the party. He said links to the pair gave him access to Cameron. He claimed he knew all Asian Tory politicians, including Priti Patel, MP from Witham, and Alok Sharma, MP from Reading West, both of whom were helped by BACL in their election campaigns. Sehgal is the managing director of Transputec Computers Plc. Transputec has IT contracts with both BACL and the ministry of justice. The company has an annual turnover of 20 million pounds, and reported 375,000 pounds in proﬁts last year. Its parent company, Investact, is registered in the Isle of Man. Sehgal’s wife Pramilla, 52, is listed as a secretary of the Transputec company, while his younger brother Sunil, 48, is listed as

“By association with BACL, we take advantage of positive discrimination that exists today to say there aren’t enough Bangladeshi MPs. I might go straight to the prime minister, or the central party,” Sehgal said. He also boasted of links to other ministers, especially Baroness Sayeeda Warsi and Lord

a director. Sehgal is a graduate in computer science and physics from Chelsea College, London University. He and his wife and their two children, aged 25 and 23, live in a country house in Iver, Buckinghamshire. When confronted with the evidence of his

conversation, Sehgal said he was “highly embarrassed”. “We meet politicians because we are a political organisation, to have lunches, dinner, things like that. In that context, you would be able to meet,” he said. He said the club of donors was a reference to the fact that BACL was being turned into a new organisation, the Conservative Friends of India (CFI), which is expected to be launched by Cameron in the House of Commons later this year. “It has been indicated to me that he (Cameron) would potentially be launching the CFI. That would be the ﬁrst point that there would be any contact with him,” said Sehgal. Sehgal admitted he had exaggerated his inﬂuence to “impress” the reporter, and it was “completely wrong” to say the prime minister’s phone number could be bought. “It doesn’t happen. I was boasting. There are many other people that we know who would just like to part with money and go and talk to Cameron, whoever it is, and actually that does not exist in reality. I myself don’t get to have lunch with Cameron,” he said. “I did not want him to think that direct access is provided, because it isn’t. David Cameron and I don’t really know each other. Please don’t think of me as a crook or anything like that,” Sehgal said. A Conservative spokesman said: “BACL is an organisation independent of the Conservative Party and Sehgal had no authority to make these patently absurd suggestions. They were made without the knowledge or approval of anyone in the party and, as he has since admitted, they were nothing more than idle boasts.”

Arab League confused and divided over Syria mission The Arab League is divided in its Syria observer mission as Algeria defends the President Bashar al-Assad regime despite Qatar’s ﬁerce criticism The Arab League (AL) said that very soon more observers would be sent to Syria although two monitors have quit the mission. Adnan al-Khodair, head of the AL’s monitoring operation room in Cairo, said in a statement that the observers were continuing their work early in six places in Syria. The operation room has received

reports from the observer delegation about what they saw

and heard in Syria. The observer ofﬁce also received complaints

from Syrian nationals, he added. Khodair said on Thursday that an Algerian and a Sudanese have quit the observer delegation for different reasons. Currently, there are 163 observers in Syria. The AL ministerial committee on Syria decided to give the observers enough time to fulﬁll their mission. Head of the observer mission, Sudanese Moustafa alDabi, is expected to submit his report by January 19 to AL chief Nabil al-Arabi. The Arab League is divided over

Syria, with Qatar as the most vocal critic and Algeria defending steps taken by Damascus, as two further monitors quit their duty in the mission. Algeria’s foreign minister said on Jan. 12 that Syria’s government had taken steps to defuse the crisis in the country and was taking up arms against the opposition that threatened wider violence. The comments by Mourad Medelci at a U.N. news conference highlighted differences among Arab states over the 10-month-old Continued on page 08>>

NEWS

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 January 2012

WikiLeaks Reveals U.S. Fears of Nicaraguan-Iranian Rapprochement As the west tightens sanctions and ratchets up pressure on Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has struck back at the United States in an unusual manner by touring through Latin America. The Iranian leader was in Venezuela where he received political support from Hugo Chávez and Ahmadinejad moved on to Nicaragua where he attended the inauguration of Daniel Ortega, a Sandinista hero of the 1979 revolution who was recently reelected to a third presidential term. The agreeable reception from Chávez and Ortega comes at a welcome time for Ahmadinejad, whose country has become increasingly isolated diplomatically. Needless to say, however, the U.S. has not been amused by such geopolitical theater. The Obama administration remarked that Ahmadinejad’s trip was a sign of desperation. “We are making absolutely clear to countries around the world that now is not the time to be deepening ties, not security ties, not economic ties, with Iran,” warned State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has remarked that Ahmadinejad is conducting a “tour of tyrants” which demonstrates Iran’s expanding interest in Latin America.

Sounding the Alarm Bell over Ahmadinejad From Bolaños to Ortega As part of its charm offensive in Latin America, Iran has opened an embassy in Nicaragua and says it will invest $1 billion in agriculture projects in addition to building a deep water port in the small Central American nation. In addition, the Islamic Republic will grant a loan for a hydroelectric plant. Nicaragua belongs to Chávez’s leftleaning ALBA alliance in Latin America, and currently Iran enjoys “observer status” in the group. In Teheran recently, ALBA member states set up a trade exhibition of their products and Ahmadinejad no less showed up to the event. Thankful for Iran’s largesse, ALBA nations have responded in kind by defending Iran’s right to pursue an ostensibly peaceful nuclear program. Predictably, Republican lawmakers have sounded the alarm bell about Ahmadinejad’s trip to Central America, a region which the U.S. likes to call its own “backyard.” Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the

Judging from secret State Department cables recently released by whistle-blowing outﬁt WikiLeaks, the situation in Central America was quite different just a few short years ago and the U.S. had a willing diplomatic partner in the conservative government of Enrique Bolaños. With Ortega’s second reelection in late 2006, however, alarm bells started to go off at the U.S. Embassy. The U.S. Ambassador Paul Trivelli noted that while Ortega “needs us much more than we need him,” and the new Nicaraguan leader relied on U.S. assistance programs and much-needed foreign investment, nevertheless the Sandinista might strike a more independent foreign policy toward Iran. While predecessor Bolaños had worked closely with the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, Ortega struck a number of economic agreements with Ahmadinejad.

Turning up the heat, Trivelli met with Ortega’s new Finance Minister to declare that “U.S. investors had begun questioning what sort of economic model the new government plans to pursue.” Defensively, the Nicaraguans countered that they would be willing to work with the IMF and World Bank, but the “overriding objective of the Ortega administration is to reduce poverty.” In a testy follow up meeting with U.S. diplomats, the new President of Nicaragua’s Central Bank reassured Trivelli that his country would “pursue prudent macroeconomic policy as a way of sending the right signals to investors.” Recent economic agreements with Iran, the Nicaraguan noted, weren’t a reﬂection of Sandinista foreign policy but rather represented “an acknowledgment that Nicaragua depends upon the largesse” of the Islamic Republic for oil.

Lingering Suspicions Financial Transactions

over

The wikileaks cables suggest that the Americans lacked hard evidence about Iranian intentions, but were still paranoid that Ortega would branch out and conduct a

more independent foreign policy. What really seems to have concerned Trivelli and his peers was the possibility that Iran might displace U.S. financial influence in Nicaragua. The ambassador remarked that U.S. financial institutions Citibank and GE Financial maintained a controlling interest in two of Nicaragua’s top four banks, and an American owned a controlling interest in a third. HSBC meanwhile had recently purchased another bank with operations in Nicaragua. Shortly after being reelected, however Ortega made disturbing comments contrasting Iranian promises of “unconditional” assistance with the targeted projects of western donors. In an effort to head off Ahmadinejad, U.S. officials warned Nicaragua not to do any business with Iranian financial entities. The documents suggest that Ortega became more and more combative toward the U.S. over Iran and relations became testy. In 2009, the Nicaraguans said “the region was losing patience with the Obama administration” and expected the U.S. to move faster to change development policies and increase aid to the region. Defiantly, Ortega asserted the right of Nicaragua to develop relations “with whomever we want” as a sovereign country. One Nicaraguan official railed that “we don’t accept the imperialism of the U.S. to say who is good and who is bad,” and Nicaragua would continue to pursue deeper relations with Iran regardless of the U.S. position. Nevertheless, as Ahmadinejad continues his tour in Nicaragua and elsewhere, we can probably expect the usual saber rattling from U.S. officials and the mainstream media making the case that Iran represents a true threat to the hemisphere. The bottom line, however, is this: though U.S. diplomats would like to make alarmist claims about Iran’s footprint in Central America, the evidence is pretty thin thus far. That won’t stop hyperbolic statements from the Republicans and others, however, who still regard Nicaragua as a virtual U.S. enclave.

Arab League confused and divided over Syria mission Continued from page 07 >> anti-government uprising in Syria, which an Arab League monitoring mission is currently investigating. “The government has taken some steps. Perhaps not enough, but some steps – in the sense that there has been a withdrawal of heavy weapons from the cities that are having problems now,” Medelci said. Qatar, however, is critical whether the Arab League mission is meaningful any longer. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, who heads the Arab League committee on Syria, said doubts were growing about the effectiveness of the monitors. “I could not see up until now a successful mission, frankly speaking,” he told a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington. “We hope we solve it, as we say, in the house of the Arabs, but right now the Syrian government is not helping us.” Any admission that the monitoring mission has failed will pile pressure on the Arab League to refer Syria to the

U.N. Security Council, although a Western diplomat there said Algeria, Iraq and Egypt were likely to oppose such a step. Western powers say Russia, a long-standing ally of Damascus, has blocked any tough moves by the council against Damascus and only a direct appeal by the League could shift Moscow’s view. The killings continued in Syria, including a French journalist, despite the Arab League’s presence. However, Medelci said the shooting was coming from both sides, and that the opposition had prevented the Arab League mission from reaching neighborhoods it controlled. The Arab League’s head of the Syria observer mission Sudanese Gen. Mohammed Ahmed al-Dabi, raised particular concern because he served in key security positions under Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted for crimes against humanity in Darfur. That raised questions about whether Arab League member states, with some of the world’s poorest human rights records, were ﬁt for the mission to monitor Syria’s compliance with a peace

plan. The observers also faced accusations that the Syrian government is interfering in their work. Team member Anwer al-Malek quit, telling Al-Jazeera of his disgust that the al-Assad regime was committing “war crimes” against its own people. “The mission was a farce, and the observers have been fooled,” he said. Al-Dabi said in a statement that al-Malek’s comments were baseless and that he had not left his hotel for six days because he said he was sick. The Arab League chief, Nabil Elaraby said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime was either not complying or only partially complying with an Arab League plan that Syria signed last month to end its crackdown. “We are very concerned because there were certain commitments that were not complied with,” he said in Cairo, where the League is based. “If this continues, it may turn into civil war.” The U.N. estimates more than 5,000 people have been killed since the uprising began in March 2011.

aarc S

Saarc international I Thursday 19 January 2012

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Thursday, 19.01.12

international

Gilani not guilty of contempt: Aitzaz Switzerland ready to cooperate in Zardari graft cases “There is no harm in writing a letter to the Swiss authorities. He enjoys immunity in Pakistan and abroad as long as he is president,” Embattled prime minister is not guilty of contempt of court but should bow to pressure and ask Switzerland to reopen graft cases against the president, his lawyer said Wednesday. The comments from Aitzaz Ahsan are the clearest indication yet that Yousuf Raza Gilani may step back from the brink of further confrontation with the judiciary when he is summoned before Pakistan’s top court on Thursday. The Supreme Court has initiated contempt of court proceedings against Gilani, exasperated by the government’s refusal to write to the Swiss asking them to re-open graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari since an amnesty expired in 2009. “Asif Ali Zardari has complete immunity as president,” Ahsan told reporters. “There is no harm in writing a letter to the Swiss authorities. He enjoys immunity in Pakistan and abroad as long as he is president,” he added. Gilani’s decision to appoint Ahsan as his lawyer has been seen as a reconciliatory gesture to the judiciary, which has been on a collision course with the government that most believe will force early elections this year. Ahsan said he did not believe Gilani would be convicted. “I don’t think the prime minister has committed contempt

of court by not writing the letter. Through my arguments I will try to convince the court that the prime minister is not guilty of contempt.” Ahsan said that his stance regarding presidential immunity and the writing of a letter to Swiss authorities has always been very clear. He said that former ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf did not have immunity from prosecution because the cases registered against him were civil in nature. When asked how he would defend his client before the bench hearing the contempt of court notice against the premier, the barrister said that there should remain some

suspense regarding his take on the matter. Last year, a Swiss prosecutor said that it would be “impossible” to reopen a case against Zardari, as he has immunity. Despite expressing complete neutrality on the graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari and terming it an ‘internal matter’, the government of Switzerland has said that they will always be ready to cooperate with other states requesting mutual legal assistance through established channels. Responding to written queries by The Express Tribune, the Swiss Embassy in Islamabad stated that: “Contrary to Continued on page 10 >>

Afghanistan needs £165 million a year from Britain after troops leave Britain will have to provide Afghanistan with £165 million a year after troops leave to ensure the country does not collapse, according to a report by an inﬂuential think tank. Afghanistan ‘will take 30 years to develop into proper democratic state’ Afghanistan will take another 30 years to develop into a properly democratic state, Nato’s senior civilian representative has said. Sir Simon Gass, a British diplomat, said the country has gone through 30 years of disastrous conﬂict which has destroyed infrastructure and institutions. “It will take decades to recover from the destruction that was wrought over that period of time,” he added.

Referring to a World Bank report about countries emerging from prolonged conflict, Sir Simon said they do not have strong institutions, democratic values, rule of law or lack of corruption. “Those are not values that can be delivered in a short period of time. Typically they take 30 years or so in countries coming out of conflict,” he added. Sir Simon told the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London that we “should not judge Afghanistan by standards we would not expect of many of Afghanistan’s neighbours.” Without the cash the fledgling democracy in Afghanistan will be “in serious doubt” with the re-emergence of the Taliban Continued on page 10 >>

SAARC

Saarc international I Thursday 19 January 2012

Core committee stands behind embattled leadership Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani received ‘applause’ from PPP leaders on Monday night for his earlier speech in the NA & was assured of complete party backing when he would appear before the Supreme Court on Thursday to answer a contempt of court notice. PPP’s senior members, including a number of federal ministers, assured the prime minister at a meeting, presided over by President Asif Ali Zardari, that ‘the party will stand behind him in adopting a stance that is correct, respectful and constitutional’. Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Khan Babar told reporters after the meeting held in the Presidency that the PPP leaders had also ‘appreciated the support extended to leaders of the government and the party by all coalition partners and thanked

them for it’. He said the meeting held in the Presidency reiterated conﬁdence in the leadership of President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani, who also attended it. Mr Babar said the meeting reviewed the current situation

and ‘discussed ways and means of overcoming the challenges faced by the party and the government’. Sources in the PPP told Dawn that the main purpose of the meeting was to devise a strategy for the prime minister`s appearance

SAFMA condemns target killing of Pakistani journalist

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibilty for the Tuesday killing of Pakistani reporter Mukarram Khan Aatif, who worked for the Voice of America. Aatif was assassinated in Shabqadar, a small town located in the violence-hit Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Aatif was assassinated in Shabqadar, a small town located in the violence-hit KhyberPakhtunkhwa province, not far from Peshawar. Witnesses and local police say that Aatif was attending evening prayers when two assailants on a motorbike arrived at the mosque. One of them entered the building, they say, and shot Aatif in the head and chest before escaping the scene. The slain reporter, in his mid 40s and a native of the Mohman tribal agency bordering Afghanistan, was rushed in critical condition

to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries. Friends and relatives and that death threats from Taliban militants had forced the slain reporter and his family to abandon their hometown and move to Shabqadar. Soon after news of his death surfaced, local and international media groups condemned his killing as a act an terrorism. Imtiaz Alam, secretary-general of South Asia Free Media Association, a regional media watchdog, called for a probe. “The government must investigate and ﬁnd the culprits and also compensate the family,” Alam said. “And I expect more killings in Pakistan, and journalists are now leaving country under threat from all kinds of actors, especially the extremists.” Pakistani information minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said the

government will conduct a “thorough and transparent” investigation into the incident and promised financial assistance to the victim’s family. “It is really a very sad incident and I condemn it from the core of my heart.” Awan said. “I assure his family and all the media that we have to really interrogate and go for a transparent inquiry, and I am sure that we will be able to find some facts related to this incident.” The minister added that Pakistan’s ongoing war against Talibanled extremists has exposed the entire society to revenge terrorist attacks. In addition to filing reports for Deewa Radio, the Voice of America’s Pashto language service, Mukarram Khan Aatif also worked for Dunya TV, a privately-run local television station. Critics insist that not only militants but Pakistani security agencies are also behind deadly attacks on journalists. The failure of the Pakistani authorities to bring elements involved in such attacks to justice, they say, has emboldened those fearful of increasingly independent media. According to Reporters Without Borders, at least 10 reporters were killed in Pakistan in 2011, making it the deadliest nation in the world for journalists.

before a seven-judge SC bench hearing the NRO implementation case. The PPP’s information secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira refused to give details of the strategy prepared by the party for Thursday. “Why should I share my party’s plan? How are you asking this question and why should I tell you anything which is secret?”. Similarly, when asked whether the prime minister and his party would march to the Supreme Court in a procession, the presidential spokesman said he could not disclose details butonly say that the party did not plan to make the occasion a show of strength. Earlier talking to reporters outside the Parliament House, Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said all cabinet

members would accompany the prime minister to the court. She said the resolution adopted in the National Assembly was aimed at strengthening parliament and not degrading any institution. The meeting at the Presidency was attended by President Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur, Leader of the House in Senate Nayyar Bokhari, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Rehman Malik, Mir Hazar Khan Bijrani, Manzoor Wattoo, Syed Khursheed Shah, Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Syed Naveed Qamar, Babar Awan, Raza Rabbani, Jahangir Badar, Faisal Raza Abidi, Sardar Ali Khan, Nazar Gondal, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Rana Farooq Saeed Khan, Rukhsana Bangash, Fouzia Habib, Mehreen Anwar Raja and Farhatullah Babar.

Continued from page 9 >>

Gilani not guilty of contempt: Aitzaz misperceptions, Swiss banking regulation is no obstacle for authorities to prosecute. It was regularly lifted in all kinds of investigations including tax offences and money laundering cases.” However, one thing is clear: There are no criminal proceedings pending against President Zardari or former prime minister Benazir Bhutto after a Swiss investigating magistrate handed down a six-month suspended sentence against the couple. “One thing must be clearly understood. Contrary to common perception, the Supreme Court is not asking the government to write a letter to re-open criminal proceedings against anyone,” clarified prominent lawyer Abid Hasan Minto. “Pakistan’s government was never party to criminal proceedings against the Swiss companies SGS and Cotecna. Those proceedings were started by the Swiss government on their own initiative since both the companies are Swiss. Once the charges of money-laundering were proven, then the Pakistani government asked the Swiss government to return the $60 million frozen in the name of those Swiss companies,” added Minto. “When the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) was signed by former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s government filed a petition asking to withdraw the application regarding the frozen money. And now the court is asking to revive that application if possible,” said Minto. “However, there is a time-barring factor here. It is believed that if the Swiss cases are not revived by April, they would be rendered dead and then they cannot be revived. That is why the court is pressing the government to write the application now.” Both the SGS and Cotecna are shipment inspection firms who were hired by late Bhutto’s government in 1995 to check imports for quality. Money-laundering speculations surfaced when it was reported in the media that the couple had deposited kickbacks worth millions in two alleged front off-shore companies. The party, President Zardari and Bhutto, during her lifetime, vehemently denied the charges. The Pakistan Peoples Party termed the whole saga a ‘political witch-hunt’. In a recent interview, President Zardari categorically stated that his government would never ask the Swiss government to re-open the matter.

Afghanistan needs £165 million a year from Britain after troops leave

inevitable, the report by the Royal United Services Institute said. The price of supporting the Kabul government and paying wages to the Afghan National Army could cost Britain £5 billion if, as expected, it continues to assist the country for another three decades. There was “an urgent requirement” to decide very soon what measures needed to be taken to shore up stability after the majority of Western troops withdraw in 2014. “The very fact that the Taliban remain active and potent raises concern: the fear is that the withdrawal of ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) will provide the Taliban with an opportunity to re-establish their inﬂuence over large swathes of territory in Afghanistan,” said the report jointly written by the Indianbased Vivekananda International Foundation.

Saarc international I Thursday 19 January 2012

SAARC

WEEKLY REVIEW OF AFGHANISTAN NEWS

Polio cases triple in Afghanistan; Karzai blames Taliban resistance to vaccines

In a country where insurgents have for years attacked and killed people working for the government or the international community, a small army of vaccination teams connected to both have gone through some of the most dangerous areas, mostly safely. Appointed by the government, paid for by international agencies, and given free passage by the Taliban, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s

65,000 volunteers and workers had seemed to have nearly wiped out the disease - until recently. After years of steady decline, only 25 polio cases were reported in the country in 2010, prompting one international health care ofﬁcial to declare that “Afghans are heroes.’’ Then last year, the number tripled to 76, ofﬁcials said. Polio is highly contagious and specialists say that each detected case is an indicator

of hundreds of silent ones, mainly children with mild infections who

become carriers. Polio is now considered endemic

only to Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan - where cases also increased last year - and in northern Nigeria. “This is a national tragedy to end up with a major polio outbreak,’’ said Dr. Bruce Aylward, the polio coordinator for the World Health Organization. President Hamid Karzai yesterday in effect blamed the Taliban. “Those who stand in the way of vaccination are the true enemies of our children’s future,’’ he said.

Reconciled militants receive At least 15 killed in Badakhshan avalanche breakups financial support in Baghlan At least 159 reconciled militants were financially supported by provincial high peace council in northern Baghlan province. Abdul Samad Stanekzai chief of the provincial high peace council committee for northern Baghlan province while speaking during a press conference on Sunday said, the militants who joined peace process and surrendered to Afghan government will be financially supported by provincial high peace council committee. Each commander of the militants will receive 10,000 Afghani rupees while each reconciled militants corpse will received 5,000 Afghani rupees. Mr. Stanekzai further added, high peace council committee in northern Baghlan province had considered financial support for the reconciled

militants for three months. He also said, the high peace council committee in northern Baghlan province is struggling to implement various small and large development projects in this province in a bid to create working opportunities for the reconciled militants.

This comes as a number of the reconciled militants cricitized the Afghan government for being reckless in resolving their issues and the Afghan government has failed to fulﬁll their promises which they committed while the militants surrendered to Afghan government.

According to local authorities in northeastern Badakhshan province, avalanche incident has killed at least 15 people in this province. The ofﬁcials further added, the incident took place in Raghistan, Kohistan, Yawaran and Eshkashim regions of Badakhshan province. A local ofﬁcial in the central city of Faizabad said, a village was completely covered by avalanche in Eshkashim. According to reports, at least 70,000 people were living in the village of Zich, which was struck with the avalanche however the exact number of people stuck inside the snow has not clear yet.

The ofﬁcials also said that the rescue team has started to their operations but there are no reports regarding the progress of the rescue operations. The ofﬁcials have also formed an emergency meeting to discuss further steps for the prevention of the region which are threatened by avalanche. Reports in the central regions of Afghanistan suggests that several highways and roads have been closed as a result of heavy snow.

World’s largest Holy Quran calligraphy inaugurated in Kabul

The inauguration ceremony for the world’s largest hand written Holy Quran was formally launched in presence of high level Afghan government delegation, key religious ﬁgures, religious clerics, scholars & a huge audience of the Afghans in capital Kabul. The inauguration ceremony was also accompanied by opening of Hakim Nasir Khusraw Balkhi Cultural Center and arts exhibition displaying the history of Khurasan. The initiative for the art of the world’s largest Holy Quran was proposed and

sponsored by His Highness Alhaj Syed Mansoor Naderi, a well known religious

personality and leader of the Shia Ismailies in Afghanistan.

The drawing and painting work of the world’s largest Holy Quran was completed in almost 5 years, under the supervision of Hakim Nasir Khusraw Balkhi’s talented artist. The composition work was started in September 2004 and was completed in September 2009, with at least two years of continuous work for the shafting and archiving work. The calligraphy work has been done on 218 pages, having a dimension of 228 cm length and 155 cm width. All the 30 parts of the Holy Quran has been done

in 30 different designs. His Highness Syed Mansoor Naderi while speaking during the inauguration described the completion of the art as a major achievement for the Afghan nation and all Muslims in the world. In the meantime the second deputy for president Hamid Karzai Mohammad Karim Khalili conveyed his message for the inauguration of the world’s largest Holy Quran Calligraphy and opening of the Hakim Nasir Khusraw Balkhi Cultural Center. He said the completion of the world’s largest Holy Quran calligraphy is a major achievement for the Afghan nation and conveyed his congratulations remarks for His Highness Syed Mansoor Naderi. The inauguration ceremony was also accompanied by the appreciation remarks from Nematullah Shahrani Afghan presidential palace adviser and religious cleric. He also spoke on the history of Khurasan and urged for more steps for further recognition of Nasir Khusraw Balkhi.

SAARC

Saarc international I Thursday 19 January 2012

WEEKLY REVIEW OF BANGLADESH NEWS

Bangladesh signs $290 mn deal with World Bank Dhaka: The Bangladeshi government has signed a $290 million ﬁnancing agreement with the World Bank for the country’s second Local Governance Support Project, said the Washingtonbased lender. The project will continue to support Bangladesh’s decentralisation efforts through provision of direct block grants

to Union Councils, the lowest tier of local government system in the South Asian country, for ﬁnancing local priorities, Xinhua quoted a world bank statement as saying. With its nationwide coverage to all 4,504 Union Councils, the project would beneﬁt 86 percent of the country’s population or nearly 130 million people, it said. The project would also provide

increased discretionary resources and introduce performance based grants in addition to expanding the amounts and coverage of direct block grants, said the statement. The project will channel 30 percent of funds to schemes prioritised by the women and would support formation of Women’s Forum at the sub-district level, it added.

Bangladesh to open new raillink to Bhutan, Nepal Bangladesh has decided to open Chilahati-Haldibari rail link latest by December 2012 for easier connectivity with Bhutan and Nepal through India. This route is likely to be the ﬁfth route agreed upon as transit points between these two countries. According to a Railway Board ofﬁcial, Hashimara station in India is hardly 182-km away from Bangladesh’s Chilahati station. Incidentally, Hashimara station is located on Bhutan border as well. Passengers can reach Hashimara in about three hours through the proposed Chilahati-Haldibari route, he said. According to him, Jogbani station in India is located only 40-km away from Haldibari and about 52-km away from Bangladesh’s Chilahati. The proposed rail link could facilitate passengers from Jogbani bordering Nepal to pass through New Jalpaiguri and Katihar route as well, he said. Incidentally, the two countries already have four other railway transit points between them: Rahanpur (Chapainawabganj)-Singhabad, Birol (Dinajpur)-Radhikapur, Darsana (Kushtia)-Gede

and Kulaura (Moulvibazar)-Mahishashan. The opening of the rail link between Chilahati and Haldibari will be a revival of old rail link which was operational till 1965, sources said and added the transit route connecting India and Bangladesh was abandoned following the Indo-Pak war in 1965.

According to the Board ofﬁcial, railway ministry has asked the Bangladesh rail authority to provide a detailed plan so that the new rail link could be thrown open in the larger interest of people of both the countries. Railways has also sought the time frame in which Bangladesh wants to complete the work of opening the new rail link with India, he said. According to sources, Bangladesh railways will have to construct about 7.5-km new rail lines from Chilahati to reach the border while Indian Railways will have to build 4.5-km new track from its border to Haldibari station.

It may be recalled that both the countries had inked a pact last year during Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s visit to the country for opening new rail links with Bangladesh for cultural exchange and various activities between the two countries, sources said. Though the joint declaration between the two countries did not mention this particular route, they later realized that opening of this route would facilitate movement of people from both the countries as well trade and commerce, sources said and added the proposed route would revive easy regional connectivity among members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).

Ghulam Azam released from hospital UK steps up aid for Medical board ﬁnally says he is stable Bangladesh

The medical board, formed to check the physical condition of detained former Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Ghulam Azam, released him from hospital stating that he is stable. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) has already sent the medical board’s recommendation to the jail authorities. Cardiology specialist Sajal Krishna Banerjee, a member of the medical board said they had handed their ﬁnal report to BSMMU Director

Brig Gen Abdul Majid Bhuiyan. “In the ﬁnal report, the medial board said that there is no need to keep Ghulam Azam any more at the prison cell of BSMMU,” he said. Brig Gen Majid, who is from the medical corps of Bangladesh Army, said around 4:00pm they sent a letter to the inspector general of prisons to take a decision on taking Ghulam Azam back to jail. Responding to a query, he said the medical board has also detected a small piece of stone in his gall bladder incidentally through an

ultrasoungram. The BSMMU director, however, said they have already consulted with hepatobiliary specialists who opined that this is not very much harmful and there is no scope to treat it in such old age. Asked, IG-Prisons Brig Gen Ashraful Islam Khan said he was yet to receive the letter sent by the BSMMU. “We will take a decision after receiving the letter,” he said while talking to The Daily Star. International Crimes Tribunal sent Ghulam Azam to jail on Wednesday after he had appeared before it in connection with crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. The jail authorities, however, sent the 89-year-old to the BSMMU prison cell later that day. BSMMU formed the three-member medical board to check his health. Ghulam Azam has been charged with 62 counts of crimes against humanity at the International Crimes Tribunal.

UK’s Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell MPStar Online Report UK’s Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell MP has arrived in Dhaka on a three-day official visit to Bangladesh. Mitchell will highlight the planned scale-up of Britain’s aid programme in Bangladesh and the British government’s commitment to results, value for money and transparency. He will meet Prime Minister Sheikha Hasina, government officials, political leaders, development partners, and officials of non-government organisations, said a British High Commission press release. During his visit, Mitchell will reiterate the UK’s partnership with Bangladesh, discuss the country’s governance and economy, and highlight the opportunities for growth and development. The UK, through the Department

for International Development (DFID), is the largest bilateral grant donor in Bangladesh and has set ambitious goals for its support to the country over the next three years. Mitchell will visit UK-funded projects in urban and remote areas to see for himself how UK aid is helping Bangladesh meet the challenges of urbanisation, climate change and social exclusion. Prior to his arrival, Mitchell said: “Aid spent well has the power to transform lives. I am delighted to be in Bangladesh and see for myself the difference that UK aid is making to the lives of the poor.”

Saarc international I Thursday 19 January 2012

SAARC

WEEKLY REVIEW OF BHUTAN NEWS

A single agency to Tourist spot opened at Bogamati manage transport Transport vision 2040: Given the current rate at which vehicles are being imported into the country, about 800 a month, and the limited road infrastructure available, it could take an entire hour to drive from the centre of Thimphu to the end of the expressway in Babesa, a distance of six kms, by 2020. To address this scenario, the government has come up with a master plan, on the verge of cabinet approval. The transport vision 2040 will serve

required an approval from the trafﬁc police, which required clearance from the home ministry. “So there are obvious reasons for a need for change to take place,” Dasho Kinley Dorji said. Dasho Kinley Dorji said that the vision is timely as a “critical point” has been reached. He said the beginnings of problems that would arise without a planned transport strategy are emerging, such as trafﬁc congestion and the stress and unhappiness

The Bogamati area is located in the IndoBhutan border 30 km off Goreswar. It lies between the two ranges of hills at the foothills of the Bhutan border. The Bogamati hilly area completely belongs to the newly created Baksa district in BTAD. Communication is easy through the Goreswar-SuklaUporkhuti (Bholajhar) PWD road and Nagrijuli-Ambarish Nagar PWD road in Baksa district. It is situated 5 km away from Ambarish Nagar bazar chowk. There are no settlers near Bogamati due to the large, thick forest with big trees/bushes growing close together and also the presence of

various wild animals in the area. A natural gift of the Bogamati spot is the panoramic view of mountains and a wide area of land beside the river Barnadi, which originates from one of the Bhutan hills and

as a master plan to address such emerging and forecasted transport problems by providing the government with an integrated strategic vision to provide the entire population with a safe, reliable, affordable, convenient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly transport system. To achieve this a number of changes will be required starting with the formation of a single agency responsible for transport. This agency, most probably a department of transport, with several other agencies, such as department of roads, Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA), and possibly even the traffic police merging under a single existing ministry. Such a move will be required to eliminate the existing problem of a lack of coordination in transport planning, information and communications secretary, Dasho Kinley Dorji said. “Many ministries and several agencies currently had different transport responsibilities, causing lack of coordination,” he said. He described an earlier experience as an example, where a ‘no left turn’ signboard at a dangerous intersection had taken between four to five months to be placed. He said that firstly RSTA required approval from MoIC, then RSTA required another approval from the city corporation, which in turn required an approval from the works and human settlement ministry, which it was under at that time. RSTA then

associated with it, higher fuel consumption, overloading of trucks and the damage caused to existing roads. He said that the transport vision’s purpose is to de-stress and depollute, make transport more efficient and an enabler for businesses. He said that in March, the urban transport component of the vision would move into its second stage. He said that a study looking at the movement of people in Thimphu, such as of students, office goers, etc., had been completed, and that a basic plan is ready to be implemented. The plan includes 40-seater buses moving between north and south Thimphu, with up to 15 stops in between. At these stops, smaller feeder buses, of the kind currently operated by Bhutan Post, would branch out, connecting the upper parts of Thimphu like Motithang. As an additional value, the buses may be battery operated and so environmentally friendly. The transport vision would also require that this urban transport system seamlessly integrates into other sectors of transport, for instance to the inter-district sector, allowing travellers to use the urban transport system to get to a bus terminal where they can catch a bus to another dzongkhag, for instance, Paro, where upon arrival, an urban public transport network would be available to the airport, allowing the traveller to even catch a flight or receive guests.

ﬂows through the two ridges of the hills. It

divides into three tributaries, namely Mala, Deuchunga and Jabra (i.e Puthimari), the banks of which are covered with soft white sand. Besides, there are two irrigation channels namely Jabra (Deuchunga) and Puthimari, constructed at

the initiative of the Sukla Irrigation Project, Goreswar subdivision ofﬁce. Ganesh Kachari, EM, Suklai Serfang constituency of Baksa district, formally inaugurated the Bogamati tourist and picnicker spot recently. Kachari in his inaugural speech said that with the help of MP fund of Biswajit Daimary, MP (RS), a Buddha statue would be constructed soon at Bogamati with a view to attract the people of Bhutan. The Deuchunga PWD road and the tourist guest house would be constructed here with the help of the world Bank fund this year with a view to provide better facilities to the tourists as well as the picnickers.

Dr. Avtar Lit

Asif Ghazali

CEO Litt Corporation Ltd

Kismat Radio

• Tune in on 1035 AM in Greater London • DAB Digital Radio in West Yorkshire • Nationally on Sky 0173 • Listen live at www.kismatradio.com Launched in February 2005, Kismat Radio is the UK’s only 24 hour Asian talk radio station. We provide the UK’s Asian community with a platform for discussion and debate on all sorts of issues. We bring educational and informative programming speciﬁcally tailored to the needs of the Asian community, as well as playing the best range of music for the discerning listener. Our listeners know and trust the Kismat name and brand, which gives us a loyal, involved, and growing audience.

SAARC

Saarc international I Thursday 19 January 2012

Polio free year, India’s greatest public health achievement: WHO The United Nations and leading world organizations celebrated India’s first polio free year and termed it as a major milestone in their fight against this dreaded disease. The World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan, termed it as the “greatest public health achievement” of India, the Bill Gates, of Bill and Milinda Gates Foundation described it as a major milestone in the global fight against polio. “This is a major milestone in the global fight against polio. Children in India are now protected against this debilitating, but preventable disease, bringing us one step closer to saving and improving the lives of all children,” Mr. Gates said. Mr. Gates in particular congratulated the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, the Union Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and the Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal on this achievement. This success is the result of Indian Government’s hard work and great partnerships with Rotary International, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, WHO and UNICEF as well as millions of volunteers, health workers and community leaders, said the Seattlebased foundation. Celebrating the occasion, the World Health Organisation said, if all pending samples for the virus test negative, India — once regarded as the world’s epicentre for polio — will become free of the disease for the first time in its history, reducing the number of polio-endemic countries to three: Pakistan, Afghanistan and

Nigeria. “India’s success is arguably its greatest public health achievement and has provided a global

U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Anthony Lake attributed India’s remarkable progress to strong leadership

programme that enabled very poor and populous states to have high immunization coverage. “India’s achievement is proof

opportunity to push for the end of polio,” WHO Director General, Margaret Chan said.

at a national and state level, which pushed for the launch of a comprehensive polio eradication

positive that we can eradicate polio even in the most challenging environments — in fact, it is only

by targeting these areas that we can defeat this evil disease,” Mr. Lake said. Headquartered in the U.S., Rotary International, which was majorly involved in the polio-eradication campaign in India, termed it as a major milestone in the global effort to eradicate the crippling disease polio. “With the support of their Rotary brothers and sisters around the world, Indian Rotarians have worked diligently month after month, year after year, to help organise and carry out the National Immunisation Days that reach millions of children with the oral polio vaccine,” Rotary International president, Karlan Banneker, said. Since then, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99 per cent, from more than 350,000 cases a year to only 604 in 2011. The 12-month milestone in India — where the last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal on Jan 13, 2011 — continues the progress of 2010, when the country recorded only 42 polio cases out of 1,352 worldwide. However, UN health ofﬁcials still felt the need of being vigilant. In spite of the current progress, WHO warned that there is no room for complacency. “It is a very welcome milestone, but it is not the end of the road,” WHO’s spokesperson for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Sonia Bari, told the UN Radio. Ms. Bari said the Indian Government must remain vigilant and respond very rapidly to guard itself against any importation of polio from other countries.

Will stand by army if it takes over, says Musharraf Open for an alliance with Imran Khan’s party Former president and chief of the All Pakistan Muslim League General Pervez Musharraf says that he is “reasonably sure” that the military will not resort to a coup but will support the army if it takes over, Indian newspaper The Hindustan Times has reported. “I don’t think the army intends to take over. The environment is not at all conducive for the army to do so. I think the army understands that,” Musharraf told Indian journalist Karan Thapar at CNNIBN’s show “Devil’s Advocate”. But in the event of a choice between the civilian government or the military, Musharraf categorically stated he will side with the

institution that he served until he shed the uniform to become the president of Pakistan. “I’ve

been an armyman and I can never imagine being against the army … I am with the army, I will stand by

the army.” Alliance with PTI Musharraf, whose newly-found party the APML recently organised a lukewarm rally in Karachi, said he was open for an alliance with cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, but will not serve under him if elected to power. “If they [the PTI] want an alliance, certainly I would like to have an alliance. We have to come with a third political option because the two political options presently and in the past have been tried and failed … there is a need of coalition of forces which can bring about that third political option

which can deliver to Pakistan,” Musharraf, who intends to return to Pakistan from self-exile later this month, said. He said he was aware of people in Imran’s party who keep saying that they will not get into an alliance with him. “But they don’t have a vision, they don’t understand what they are talking about. They go into the ﬁeld and lose and then (people) choose the same party. Then Pakistan suffers,” he said. He vehemently rejected suggestions of serving under Imran, if the alliance came to power. “I cannot serve under him. I can be outside … I cannot be serving under anyone,” the former military ruler said.

Saarc international I Thursday 19 January 2012

SAARC

WEEKLY REVIEW OF INDIA NEWS

Priyanka to campaign if Rahul wants

ouring Congress strongholds of Amethi and Rae Bareli in the run-up to U.P. Assembly polls, Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday said she has not decided yet whether to campaign for the party, but made it clear that she will do “anything to help” her brother Rahul. “I have not decided yet... So far I am here in Amethi and Rae Bareli and my brother and I will talk to each other and decide,” Ms. Priyanka told reporters in Rae Bareli.

Talking to workers of a private factory which has been closed for the past two years, she said efforts were on to ﬁnd a way out. “It’s election time so I am not allowed to give them any promises, but we have been working on it for two years...We are thinking of other solutions...somebody else to come and open a new one,” she said, adding that the workers had been demanding help to restart the factory.

“I will do anything to help my brother... whatever is required of me. I will do whatever he requires me to do. He knows to what extent he can require me,” she said. Replying to questions, Ms. Priyanka, said, “For now, I am going to oversee the elections in these constituencies which fall in our Parliamentary constituencies and then, after that, we will see if Rahul wants me to campaign, I will campaign.”

India and China to begin border talks

India and China are due to begin a fresh round of talks aimed at resolving a long-running dispute over their Himalayan border. A number of areas along the border between the two countries are in dispute and the nations fought a brief war in 1962. Numerous rounds of border talks have been held to try to resolve the issues. China protested when Indian PM Manmohan Singh visited Arunachal Pradesh during his 2009 election campaign. Last November China’s ambassador to India became involved in a heated exchange over

a map that showed parts of India within China’s border. State Councillor Dai Bing-guo, who is leading the Chinese delegation at the talks, said the two countries must put aside their differences and seize “a golden period to grow China-India relations”. “There does not exist such a thing as China’s attempt to attack India or suppress India’s development,” he wrote in an article which appeared in The Hindu newspaper. “The world has enough space for China and India to achieve common development, as there are so many areas for us to work together,” he wrote.

The Indian delegation at the talks is being led by the National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon. India’s external affairs ministry said in a statement that the two sides will also hold talks on a “a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest”. Both sides have previously claimed the other is occupying parts of its land. While India has accused China of occupying territory in Kashmir, Beijing has laid claim to territory in the north-east Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Slowing India drags South Asia growth down South Asia’s economic growth is seen to have slumped in 2011, dragged down by a slowing India, according to United Nations’ World Economic Situations and Prospects 2012 report. Real gross domestic product (GDP) growth in South Asia is estimated to have slowed to 6.5% last year from 7.2% in 2010, with India having decelerated sharply to 7.6% from 9% expansion. A combination of domestic and external factors has reined in the world’s second-fastest growing economy, which constitutes almost 80% of South Asia’s GDP. Though India’s economy is mainly driven by domestic demand, its dependence on volatile capital inﬂows makes it more vulnerable

to any double-dip than other South Asian economies, the recession in Europe and the US report pointed out. This, along with the lack of ﬁscal and monetary space, increases the downside risks for Indian economic growth. “The smaller economies in South Asia

are relatively insulated from the rest of the world, in terms of both trade channels and capital inﬂows. In contrast, India’s economy is more integrated with the rest of the world,” said Nagesh Kumar, chief economist at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Paciﬁc (Escap).

Age-row: Army Chief VK Singh sues Indian Govt, moves SC New Delhi, Jan 16: Taking the extreme step over the agecontroversy, Indian Army chief, VK Singh ﬁnally sued the central government after ﬁling a writ petition in the Supreme Court. Calling his battle against the government as “battle of honour”, General Singh moved the apex court to settle the controversy surrounding his date of birth. The decision of the court will also bring solution for the succession problem in the army. Here it can be recalled that the Defence Ministry had rejected his statutory complaint to change his date of birth from May 10, 1950 to May 10, 1951– a step which would

have given him an extra ten months in ofﬁce. However, General Singh claimed that his birth of year is 1951 and he will ﬁght the against the central government not for extra tenure but for honour which believed to have been marred following the controversy.

Sukh Ram’s bail extended till August 7 In a relief to former Union Minister Sukh Ram, sentenced to three years in jail in a 1993 telecom scam, the Supreme Court on Monday extended his interim bail till August 7. A Bench headed by Justice P. Sathasivam also granted relief to former bureaucrat Runu Ghosh and Hyderabad-based businessman P. Rama Rao, who are also convicted in the same case. The Bench listed the appeals filed by all there accused challenging their conviction and sentence to August 7. The apex court had earlier issued notice to CBI on January 9 while granting interim bail to all three accused which was expiring Monday. The CBI, however, has not filed its reply in the case and on a query by the Bench, Additional Solicitor General Vivek Tankha said he was unaware whether the agency would file an appeal in the case or not. Mr. Tankha said he will take instructions from the agency.

Mr. Sukh Ram was granted interim bail by the apex court after he had surrendered before a trial court to serve his three year sentence in the scam case. Mr. Ghosh and Mr. Rao had also surrendered to serve their two and three-year jail terms respectively. Earlier on December 21 last year, the Delhi High Court had upheld the lower court’s 2002 judgement holding Mr. Sukh Ram, Mr. Ghosh and Mr. Rao guilty of being part of a criminal conspiracy to defraud the state exchequer by awarding a telecom equipment supply contract to Hyderabad’s Advanced Radio Masts which had supplied inferior goods at a higher rate to the DoT.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 January 2012

Muhammad Ali Celebrates 70th Birthday

Muhammad Ali in Islam American boxer, Three times World Heavyweight Champion, embraced Islam in 1965. “I have had many nice moments in my life. But the feelings I had while standing on Mount Arafat (just outside Makka, Saudi Arabia) on the day of the Hajj (the Muslim pilgrimage), was the most unique. I felt exalted by the indescribable spiritual atmosphere there as over one and a half million pilgrims invoked God to forgive them for their sins and bestow on them His choicest blessings. It was an exhilarating experience to see people belonging to differe different colours, races and nationalities, kings, heads of state and ordinary men from very poor countries all clad in two simple white sheets praying to God without any sense of either pride or inferiority. It was a practical manifestation of the concept of equality in Islam.” Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942) is a retired American boxer and three-time World Heavyweight Champion, who is

widely considered one of the greatest heavyweight championship boxers of all time. As an amateur, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. After turning professional, he went on to become the ﬁrst boxer to win the lineal heavyweight championship three times. After winning the championship from Liston in 1964, Clay revealed that he was a member of the Nation of Islam (often called the Black Muslims at the time) and the Nation gave Clay the name Cassius X, discarding his surname as a symbol of his ancestors’ enslavement, as had been done by other Nation members. On Friday, March 6, 1964, Malcolm X took Clay on a guided tour of the United Nations building (for a second time). Malcolm X announced that Clay would be granted his “X.” That same night, Elijah Muhammad recorded a statement over the phone to be played over the radio that Clay would be renamed Muhammad (one who is worthy of praise) Ali (fourth rightly guided caliph). Only a few journalists (most notably Howard Cosell) accepted it at that time. Venerable boxing announcer Don Dunphy addressed the

champion by his adopted name, as did British reporters. The adoption of this name symbolized his new identity as a member of the Nation of Islam. In 1975, after performing Hajj, he joined the mainstream Islam, Sunni. He is deeply committed to his faith and prays ﬁve times a day and fasts during Ramadan though sometimes because of his health he isn’t always able to fulﬁll that.” His adherence to Islam is certainly not blind and his spirituality extends beyond only Muslims in a concern for all people. Muhammad Ali in Islam evolved from belief in a “man-god” (and we seek refuge from such belief) and from belief in a self-proclaimed messenger, into one who came to understand that the basic foundation of his religion, Islam, is that “Nothing deserves to be worshipped except Allah (the Creator), alone, who has no partners, and that Prophet Muhammad (born in 570, died in 632) is the last Messenger of Allah.” In 1975, Elijah Muhammad died, and with him died the incorrect beliefs which had been ascribed to both he and Fard Muhammad. Muhammad Ali learned

that his past beliefs had some false elements, mixed in with some very good socially uplifting elements, so he dropped the false parts, kept the good, and moved into more mainstream, orthodox Islam. No longer can he be blamed for harboring anti-white rhetoric or racially inﬂammatory teachings. Those days are long gone and Muhammad Ali in Islam has a new meaning. It is belief in the Oneness of God, in His Angels, in His Books, in His Messengers (all of them), in the Day of Judgment, and in the Ultimate Will of God. That is Islam. And it is in this light and this light, alone, that we must now view Muhammad Ali in Islam.

NEWS

Saarc international I Thursday 19 January 2012

Warsi applauds the Christian community in Pakistan UK Cabinet Minister Baroness Warsi met with the Archbishop of Karachi at St Patrick’s Cathedral and visited the Jesus and Mary Convent in Clifton in the city. Baroness Warsi highlighted the important work the Christian community is doing in Pakistan. Baroness Sayeeda Warsi said it was an honour to meet the Archbishop of Karachi and Sister Berchmans, Benazir Bhutto’s former teacher at the Jesus and Mary Convent. She said she was heartened and inspired to learn about her 58 years of service to women in Pakistan and added that her work is an outstanding example of powerful role faith can play in the world. Commenting further on the Enhanced Strategic Dialogue, Baroness Warsi added whether it is on trade and the economy, or through culture and education, we are serious about building a long-term unbreakable partnership with Pakistan for generations ahead. The Minister also met with Abdul Sattar Edhi, the head of Edhi Foundation in Karachi to highlight the charitable work of the largest welfare organisation in Pakistan.

Pakistan good for British businesses to invest KARACHI: Pakistan is a good place for British businesses to invest and has a potential to be the primary target for all British brands that want to beneﬁt from this relatively untapped market. UK Minister of State for Trade and Investment Lord Green and UK Cabinet Minister Baroness Sayeeda Warsi visiting a new shopping centre in Karachi said UK

government was fully committed to building on the bilateral trade relationship between our two countries. UK advocates market access to European Union and strongly supports European Commission’s proposal to extend GSP Plus eligibility to Pakistan, said Green. Encouraging more British companies, including those in the retail sector, to consider Pakistan as an investment destination will be key to achieving this, he added. British retail company Debenhams will open its ﬁrst shop in April this year in Karachi. Green said, “This new store represents further progress towards our goal of increasing the 1.9 billion pounds worth of trade that already ﬂows between our two countries every year.” Negotiations are ongoing and European parliament’s draft report has welcomed extension of GSP Plus. There is further potential for developing bilateral trade as

UK consumers become more aware of what Pakistan has to offer, he said. He said UK exports in goods to Pakistan showed double-digit level of growth over last year and noted Pakistan’s exports to UK rose by 17 percent from January to October with particularly strong growth in textiles. “UK is top destination in Europe for Pakistan’s exports and also largest European investor in Pakistan of international businesses operating here, one in six is British.” He said one of most important areas where UK and Pakistan could work together to ensure future prosperity is education. There are more students for O and A Levels in Pakistan-some 170,000 than anywhere outside of UK. There are around 30,000 Pakistani students in UK. Prime Minister David Cameron was able to announce 650 million pounds for education in Pakistan during his visit last year which will help to get more than four

million children into schools, help recruit and train 90,000 teachers and provide six million sets of text books. Ms Warsi said, “It is a British company that is opening up the ﬁrst international department store in Pakistan. UK retail companies are up there with the best in the world, so I hope many more will look to invest in and create jobs in Pakistan.” We are already making great progress in our goal of increasing trade between our two countries, with double-digit rises in both directions in the last year, but we are ambitious and keen to do more, she added. British Deputy High Commissioner and Director UKTI Francis Campbell said UKTI is delighted to work with Team A Ventures in helping Debenhams achieve this milestone. The 27,000 sq foot store will be Pakistan’s ﬁrst international departmental store. Debenhams will be joining other British brands in Pakistan like Next, Mothercare, Early Learning Centre, Accesorise and Monsoonto bring popular goods to a growing market. Yasin Paracha from Team A Ventures Pakistan, the franchisee of Debenhams in Pakistan also attended the launch event. Debenhams General Manager Adnan Hamid said Debenhams, with a portfolio of internationally renowned fashion designers, 65 franchises around the world, was here to change lifestyles. In an enthusiastic market like Pakistan, it is going to get bigger and better, the perfect international offering for an extremely prospective local market.

Pakistan mourns young genius Arfa Karim’s demise contact with Pakistani physicians via teleconference. The young girl made headlines when she was named the youngest Microsoft Certiﬁed Professional (MCP). She

The funeral prayers of the youngest Microsoft Certiﬁed Professional was offered in Lahore on Sunday and her remains are now being taken to Faisalabad for the burial, DawnNews reported. Prayers for Arfa Karim were offered at Cavalry Ground, where the Chief Minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif was also present along with a large number of crowds belonging to

different age groups. Her dead body was shifted to Faisalabad from Lahore after offering of funeral prayer at Cavalry Ground Lahore on Sunday Morning. In Faisalabad, Army ofﬁcials, local politicians, Arfa’s class fellows and many other citizens and children of school attended her funeral prayer at D ground. Arfa went into coma on November 22, and Microsoft’s founder Bill Gates took special interest in her treatment and set up an international panel of doctors for her treatment. The panel perpetually kept in

was also invited by Bill Gates to visit Microsoft’s headquarters in the US. Born in 1995, Arfa had earned the Fatima Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of science and technology and the Salam Pakistan Youth Award in 2005 for her achievements. Arfa is also the youngest recipient of the President’s Award for Pride of Performance. Arfa also earned her first flight certificate by flying a plane at a flying

club in Dubai at the age of 10, and was invited by Microsoft in 2006 to be a keynote speaker at the Tech-Ed Developers Conference, where she was the only Pakistani among over

5,000 developers. The sudden demise of Arfa triggered a wave of sorrow in the country. Prime Minster Yousuf Raza Gilani, President Asif Ali Zardari, chief ministers, governors of the provinces and others paid tribute to her and offered their condolences upon her death. Jamaat-e-Islami head Syed Munawar Hasan and Karachi chief Mohammad Hussain Mehanti also expressed

grief at the death. Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain said in a statement that Pakistan has lost “precious talent” in Arfa Karim. He expressed grief at Arfa’s demise and has sympathised with the bereaved family members and prayed for Arfa’s soul. In what could simply be described as an enormous loss for Pakistan, Arfa Karim, the world’s youngest Microsoft Certiﬁed Professional (MCP), Saturday night, lost the battle of life after remaining admitted at Combined Military Hospital for 26 days .

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The ‘Taliban’ women of Israel The ultra-religious groups are gaining increasing power in Israel, where the radical rabbis are exerting inﬂuence and pressure. The Zionists in the west who also exert a powerful inﬂuence through lobbies like AIPAC and the Israel lobby have capitalized on promoting Israel as the only democracy in the Middle East yet little is exposed about the realities of the country. Israel already known as an apartheid state now increasingly resembles Iran and Saudi Arabia instead of Europe. It is a country where there is no civil marriage, and rabbis are the only authority on weddings and divorces. It is also a country where ultra-orthodox schoolchildren are not taught mathematics or English, where every kindergarten

in Jerusalem, in Beit Shemesh and in Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv, the country’s ultra-orthodox strongholds and increasingly spreading to areas where secular Israelis dominate. The tactics

occupying power, a high-tech nation in which a portion of the population still lives as if it were the 19th century, and a country that accepts immigrants from around the world, provided they

and every military battalion has a rabbi, and where an infrastructure minister wants to place power plants under the supervision of rabbis so that even electricity will be in compliance with religious purity laws. The other main demand of the ultra orthodox is that there should be a segregation of the sexes. They are demanding a gender separation in public -- in elections, on buses and in the street –there have also been many incidences that buses passing from these orthodox inhabited areas have been pelted with stones all in the name of a morality. Until now, this trend has been most noticeable

these fundamentalists used to attack Palestinian women and children is now being aimed at secular Israelis. Even a former head of the Mossad Israel’s foreign intelligence agency has warned of the growing threat from ultra-orthodox groups. According to an article by Juliane von Mittelstaedt on ‘The Growing Inﬂuence of the Ultra Orthodox in Israel’, “The odd coexistence of religion and democracy in the Jewish state was long unproblematic. But now the consequences are becoming clear, the signs of fatigue of an overstressed country, a country that is both a democracy and an

are Jews, while at the same time mercilessly deporting refugees. As such, the settlers are, on the one hand, increasingly exhibiting a Messianic nationalism while, on the other hand, the ultra-orthodox pursue a fundamentalism hostile to the state.” Mittelstaedt interviews Naomi Machfud who wants to cover up her face, her mouth, her nose and her eyes with a veil. A black veil without even a vision slit and reveals nothing which she argues is the pinnacle of modesty, the closest a person can get to God. Machfud, a 30-year-old woman with six children wears a wool robe, an apron, a blouse, three

Amir Khan-Lamont Peterson hearing cancelled as appeal withdrawn Continued on page 31 >> controversial ﬁght last month. Amir Khan’s promoters claim they withdrew their appeal over the controversial defeat to Lamont Peterson because they feared the IBF hearing would be “one-sided” and not “fully transparent”. Khan, along with father Shah and business manager Asif Vali, had ﬂown to America ahead of the hearing in New Jersey, only for it to be cancelled at the 11th hour. Golden Boy Promotions released a statement outlining their reasons and chief executive Richard Schaefer has revealed they feared they would not get a fair hearing. Two men central to Khan’s complaints - referee Joe Cooper and WBS supervisor Michael Welsh - would not be

present at the hearing. Cooper has been accused by Khan of unfairly docking him two points in the split decision loss, while Welsh was the man seen being approached and allegedly interfered with by ‘mystery man’ Mustafa Ameen, who had no apparent reason to be there. A statement from Golden Boy read: “Due to the fact that there was only to be partial representation of fight officials who were involved with the December 10, 2011 Amir Khan vs. Lamont Peterson bout at tomorrow’s scheduled appeal hearing of the fight’s outcome before the International Boxing Federation (IBF), Golden Boy Promotions and Team Khan have decided to withdraw their appeal and focus their full attention on Amir’s next fight.”

ﬂoor-length corduroy skirts, a black skirt and trousers. She has a piece of black wool material wrapped loosely around her head. Underneath it is a tight, black veil, and underneath that is a pale pink veil, not a single hair is visible. Machfud is one of a growing number of women who are referred to as the ‘Taliban’ whereas they refer She lives in a settlement in the West Bank, but she dresses as if she lives in Afghanistan. Machfud claims that there are thousands of women like her and they are usually found in Jerusalem’s ultra-orthodox Me’ah She’arim neighborhood, black shapeless ﬁgures holding the hands of their daughters who are dressed in the same manner.

Orthodox Jewish women wear long-sleeved blouses and skirts

and they cover their hair, but this doesn’t go far enough for Machfud. She says that this dress code is

still too fashionable. According to the ‘Taliban’ these women attract looks that should be reserved for the husband and this she believes leads to sin, and as long as there is sin the Messiah cannot appear. The ultra orthodox want to eradicate sin in Israel to create pure conditions for the promised Messiah to appear. According to both women, the gender should disappear from public. They should not go out, and they should not speak with strangers on the street and as the “majority of Israelis don’t understand this, which is why they argue “we are building a parallel system.” The two women do not talk to men, and they leave the room when a man comes in. And they are determined to see their daughters follow in their footsteps. “For decades, the male leaders of the ultra-orthodox have talked about nothing but modesty,” says Hebrew University sociologist Tamar El Or. “No matter what, women are always being lectured on morality, and even the most devout must listen, morning, noon and night, to how they, with their femininity, bring sin to men.” There is a growing movement amongst women who want to cover up and according to El Or, ‘this obsession with virtue is also a rebellion against husbands and rabbis, with women now choosing

to deﬁne their bodies and their faith themselves’.

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF PAKISTAN NEWS

NRO verdict: SC issues contempt of court notice to Gilani The Supreme Court of Pakistan issued a contempt of court notice to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Monday and directed him to appear personally before the bench on January 19, News report . During the proceedings, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Fasih Bokhari tendered an unconditional apology to the court, on which the court said that a written apology should be submitted. Speaking to the media after the hearing, Federal Law Minister Maula Bux Chandio said that he will inform the government about the court’s verdict and admitted that the contempt notice is not something to be taken lightly. Earlier, the apex court resumed the proceedings of the National Reconciliation Ordianance (NRO) implementation case and ordered Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq to seek replies from the government. Justice Asif Saeed Khosa observed that the court’s orders were not being taken “seriously”. AG informed the court that he had forwarded the court’s orders but a reply has not yet been received. Justice Nasirul Mulk replied that the court had ordered the AG to bring a reply, not just forward the orders. Earlier, a seven-member bench hearing the case had deferred the proceedings till 11 am due to the absence of the AG. Additional Prosecutor General KK Agha had informed the sevenmember bench that the AG might have gone to the commission hearing

the Memogate case. Justice Nasirul Mulk observed that the bench knew about AG Haq’s application for adjustment of the case, but he should have been present to inform the court about how long he wanted the hearing to be adjourned. After consultation, the bench put off the matter for the attorney general. Earlier, Haq had ﬁled an application for the adjustment of the NRO case before the chief justice, but he was asked to raise the same question either before the bench hearing the case or the commission probing into Memogate scandal. Proceedings of NRO and Memogate cases are being carried forward simultaneously and the AG has to be present in both the hearings. The AG had approached the chief justice to adjust the date of hearings. He informed the chief justice that he would have a “hard time” attending the memo commission proceedings and the NRO case at the same time. The seven-member bench of the Supreme Court comprised Justice Mulk, Justice Khosa, Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice

Muhammad Ather Saeed. The apex court is expected to deliver its final verdict today (Monday). The hype reached a fever pitch on January 10 when a bench chaired by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa gave six options against the government for non-compliance in the NRO implementation case, including disqualification for Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari. The bench had earlier formulated six options for itself to exercise in case the executive failed to implement the court order. Option 1: Disqualification Reading out the nine-page order inside the courtroom, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa imputed dishonesty to the prime minister for failing to keep his oath on protection of the Constitution. Elaborating upon the prime minister’s role, the bench said Article 190 made it obligatory upon him to comply with the Supreme Court’s verdict in letter and spirit. The bench said it has the option of recording adverse findings against the prime minister, which could permanently block him from getting elected as a member of Parliament.

The president and the law minister also seem to have breached their oaths too and could very well share the fate of the prime minister, the court stated. Option 2: Contempt proceedings The bench said the prime minister and the law minister could face contempt proceedings for “persistently, obstinately and contumaciously resisting” to implement the judgment. A possible conviction may entail a disqualiﬁcation from being elected as a member of parliament for ﬁve years, the bench warned. Option 3: Commission implements NRO Highlighting its powers under Article 187, coupled with the Supreme Court Rules, 1980, the bench stated that it may appoint a commission to execute the relevant parts of the NRO judgment. Option 4: Claim immunity Referring to protection to the president, the prime minister and the federal minister under Article 248 of the Constitution, the bench said anyone claiming immunity should raise it before the court. “…If anybody … wishes to be heard on that question then an opportunity may be

afforded to him in that respect before exercise of any of these options,” the bench held. Option 5: Action against NAB chief The bench observed that the NAB Chairman Fasih Bokhari deﬁed court directions on taking action against those responsible for appointing Ahmed Riaz Sheikh as additional director FIA, and Adnan A Khwaja as managing director OGDCL. While appointing them, the authorities had ignored the fact that their convictions stood restored after the court ruled against the NRO. Besides, the chairman did not take any action against former attorney general Malik Muhammad Qayyum, who had misused his authority in writing a letter to the Swiss authorities for withdrawal of cases against the president. The bench said chairman’s inaction fell in the ambit of misconduct and attracted the provisions of NAB ordinance on removal from ofﬁce. Option 6: Leave it to the people In sharp contrast to its other options, the bench said it could leave the matter up to the judgment of the people or their representatives in parliament to deal with the delinquents.

Ijaz may appear before Deadly drones: Hakimullah Mehsud is dead – again If one is to believe the American media, Hakimullah Mehsud, the young, commission on or after ferocious chief of banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is dead – again. Jan 25: Sheikh Advocate Akram Shaikh, counsel for US businessman Mansoor Ijaz, on Monday told the commission set up to probe on the memo issue that Ijaz would be able to appear before it on or after Jan 25. The commission met under the chairmanship of Justice Qazi Faez Essa. During the meeting, Justice Essa said: “Our patience should not be put to test…when will Mansoor Ijaz appear before the commission?” Shaikh apprised the commission of Ijaz’s reservations over travelling to Pakistan. He said statements regarding registration of treason cases against Ijaz and the sacking of the defence secretary were also causes for concern

for the American businessman. Shaikh said Ijaz was also getting threats from certain quarters and that the ongoing complications in Pakistan’s civil-military relations were also a source of security issues for him. Moreover, Attorney-General Maulvi Anwarul Haq told the commission that Haqqani’s old BlackBerry phone had been lost in the United States.

Hakimullah ‘might have been killed’ in a drone strike that took place on January 12 in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan Agency that had targeted a vehicle, killing six people, according to the US media. Pakistani officials aren’t sure about Hakimullah’s death – but TTP says he’s alive. It’s not the first time Hakimullah has been reported dead. In 2010, Pakistani and US officials had claimed that the TTP chief was killed in a drone strike in Waziristan. But a few days later TTP released a video showing Hakimullah alive. About the Jan 12 drone strike,

Pakistani intelligence ofﬁcials said they had intercepted militant radio communications indicating that Hakimullah may have been killed. “It is not yet 100 per cent sure that Hakimullah was killed but we are investigating the matter,” the ofﬁcials told reporters. However, the newly appointed TTP spokesperson for South Waziristan,

Asimullah Asim, denied the reported death of his group’s chief, claiming that Hakimullah was not in the area where the drone strike had hit. “Our Ameer (chief) is very much alive and in full contact with his men,” he told The Express Tribune by phone from somewhere in the tribal belt.

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF MALDIVE NEWS

Maldives courts boycott sessions to protest chief justice’s arrest Police have released Vice President of Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed tonight following an order by the Criminal Court for the immediate release of Dr. Jameel. The court order stated that of the section 125 of the penal code under which Dr. Jameel was arrested states that “a person can be punished for making a fabricated statement or repeats a statement whose basis cannot be proven” was in direct conﬂict with article 27 and 66 where the former states that “every citizen have the freedom to express his conscience and thoughts orally or in writing, unless prohibited by law in the interest of protecting the country’s sovereignty of the Maldives, of maintaining public order and of protecting the basic tenets of Islam and hence the penal

code section was deemed invalid. Dr. Jameel was summoned to the police last night making it his fourth police summon in ﬁve days and subsequently arrested and transferred to Dhoonidhoo detention facility. Dr. Jameel who had been brieﬂy detained the previous night was later released following an order by

the criminal court issued by Judge Abdulla Mohamed. Police were investigating “slanderous” allegations by Dr. Jameel against the government. Speaking to the media after his release, Dr. Jameel said the incident further exposed the feeble policies of the government and attempts to violate the constitutional right to

freedom of expression to protect the tenets of Islam and the sovereignty of the nation. Meanwhile Criminal Court’s Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed still remain in custody after the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) had “stormed” Judge Abdulla’s home and arrested him last night. Police had summoned Judge Abdulla last night but a High Court order had instructed him to ignore the summon till the matter could be investigated further. MNDF had refused to accept orders from both the High Court and the Supreme Court for the immediate release of Judge Abdulla last night. After the MNDF had failed to comply with the High Court’s order to present Judge Abdulla to court this afternoon the hearing went ahead in his absence.

Following the deliberate disregard of court orders, judicial and constitutional law Criminal court has issued an order to the Prosecutor General to investigate and take action against the Chief of Defence Force and anyone else involved within 3 days. Similar to last night, opposition members had gathered near the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) and the republic square and called for the immediate release of Judge Abdulla and the protection of the constitution. The protests turned violent after protestors clashed with police where stones and bottles were hurled at the police and road blocks were tossed out to sea. Police had sought the assistance of the MNDF after failed attempts to control the crowd.

Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Politics trying to inﬂuence summoned to police media: Maldives Media Council Police Mohamed has summoned Criminal Meanwhile Vice President of

• Maldives Media Council: MMC has said that politics is trying to influence and control the media and Maldives Media Council (MMC) has said that even though the constitution has given media independence in the broadest terms, politics is trying to influence and control the media and journalists. A press release by the media council yesterday stated that politicians have repeatedly warned and threatened the media and also have tried to discredit the independent media networks in the eyes of the public. “We worry that sometimes the words and actions of some politicians cause difficulties for journalists working within the boundaries of the law to gather information and present it to the public” the press release stated.

The council also stated that in a multi-party democracy some media will praise and support the government whilst some would investigate and accuse government actions. It was unacceptable to attack and threaten journalists who oppose the government rather than face or answer accusations by the media, the council added.

Islamic Ministry to investigate anti-Islamic accusations against the government

President Nasheed has informally discussed with the Islamic ministry to investigate the accusations against the government of trying to promote anti-Islamic activities in the country. Islamic Minister, Dr. Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari said that President Nasheed had called late last evening and indicated that the ministry is being assigned the task. But as we are yet to receive an ofﬁcial document, we do not consider that the task has been ofﬁcially assigned, Dr. Bari said.

Once the document is received we can determine the extent of the investigation required, the Minister added. Press Secretary, Mohamed Zuhair conﬁrmed the discussion had taken place and said that the administrative work required in carrying out such an investigation by the Islamic ministry is currently being arranged. Zuhair also said that these accusations have been on going since 2003 and was even investigated by a British company in the name of “Operation Druid” in 2007 during the President Maumoon’s government. “Back then it was Dr. Hassan Saeed, who announced that the ﬁndings showed that MDP did not promote any other religion besides Islam, but now it’s his party that leads the antiIslamic accusations against the government” Zuhair added.

court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed at 8.30 tonight. Media ofﬁcial from the court Ahmed Mohamed Manik said that the police have stated that the Judge is being brought in for questioning with regard to an ongoing investigation.

Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed has also been summoned to the police making this the fourth police summon in ﬁve days. Police are investigating Dr. Jameel’s comments against the government.

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF NEPAL NEWS

Sanghai abduction: Gupta the ‘mastermind,’ court sends him in custody Police investigations have revealed that the plot to abduct businessman Pawan Sanghai was hatched in the Kusunti-based house of former minister and Constituent Assembly (CA) member Shyam Sundar Gupta. It has also been revealed that Gupta played a “double role” and himself collected ransom from Sanghai’s family, while also pretending to mediate between the two parties. Gupta was arrested from his residence in Sidhartha municipality-5, Rupandehi, on Monday. The Kathmandu District Court on Tuesday remanded him in

conversation records between the abductors and Gupta and interrogation of Akash Lama of Kavre and Jit Bahadur Golay, the police found that Gupta masterminded the plot and sent out Lama, Golay and a few others to

China offers $119 million in aid to Nepal four-day custody. Sanghai, 55, was abducted on December 22 from Kamaladi and

freed after 20 days on January 11 after he paid Rs 8.5 million to his abductors. Based on telephone

China wants Nepal-India relations to grow: Wen Amid speculations of growing Chinese influence in Nepal, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, during his short official visit to Nepal, encouraged the continuation of Nepal’s traditional and cordial relations with India. A guest at the luncheon that Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai had hosted in Premier Wen’s honour at Singha Durbar quoted the Chinese leader as saying that Beijing wishes to see the “continuation of Nepal’s warm and friendly ties with India”, pointing that relations between China and India are also deepening. Top leaders of major parties political parties — Pushpa Kamal Dahal of the UCPN-Maoist, Sushil Koirala of the Nepali Congress, Jhala Nath Khanal of the CPN-UML and Mahantha Thakur of the Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party — Speaker Subas Nembang were among those present at the luncheon. “Nepal should have no hesitation in maintaining relations with any other countries in its own way and China will fully encourage that,” the source quoted Wen. Talking to this daily later, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha and PM’s aide Biswodip Pandey had held this position during talks with PM and political leaders. Leading a brood of 11 ministers, including foreign, commerce and energy ministers, Wen had touched down at the Tribhuvan International Airport on an official visit at 11.45 am. After receiving a 19-gun salute from the Nepali Army, Wen held talks with PM Bhattarai. Issues of bilateral concern figured in the

execute his plan. At a press meet on Monday, the Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD) made public its preliminary report, the recorded telephone conversations and the abductors’ statements.

delegation-level talks that followed. “Nepal reiterated that there is only one China in the world. Both Taiwan and Tibet are integral parts of the Chinese territory,” a joint communiqué issued later said. “Nepal ﬁrmly supports China’s efforts to uphold state sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity, and does not allow any forces to use its territory for any anti-China or separatist activities.” Appreciating Nepal’s one-China policy, Wen said his country is keenly following political developments in Nepal and wants it to conclude the peace process and promulgate a permanent constitution at the soonest with its own efforts. Bhattarai said Nepal needs Chinese assistance for socioeconomic transformation through various development projects after the completion of transition. Jiabao reacted positively. During the luncheon, top leaders of all parties apprised China of their

commitment to an early conclusion of peace and constitution-making processes on the basis of consensus. The parties, according to Shrestha, made it clear that all political parties in Nepal take Tibet as an integral part of China. The prime ministerial talks, delegation-level talks, signing of as many as eight bilateral agreements and the luncheon all took place at the Prime Minister’s Ofﬁce in Singha Durbar in a space of three hours. Wen also paid a courtesy call on President Dr Ram Baran Yadav at Shital Niwas before leaving for Qatar on a six-day ofﬁcial tour of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE at 4 pm. After Wen’s departure, DPM Shrestha held a press meet at the VVIP lounge of the TIA, where he apologised to the media for the inconveniences they faced in gathering information about the closely-guarded visit. Shrestha expressed hope that the visit will take Nepal-China relations to new heights.

China on Saturday agreed to provide Nepal with $119 million in aid during a surprise visit to the tiny Himalayan nation by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. Tirtha Wagle, the Nepalese foreign ministry spokesman, said the countries signed agreements under which Beijing will provide economic and technical assistance and strengthen Nepal’s police. Nepal is home to thousands of Tibetan exiles, and the government has worked to suppress anti-China sentiment there. Wen had planned to visit Nepal last month, but that trip was canceled

for undisclosed reasons. This visit came ahead of a Middle East trip by the premier, and was kept secret until a few hours before he arrived. China has built highways and ﬁnanced other development projects in Nepal, which is looking for increased ﬁnancial assistance and investment as it recovers from years of insurgency and political uncertainty. Nepal is looking for China’s help in developing a small airport at Pokhara, a tourist resort, into an international airport, and in building mountain highways and a hydropower plant.

Enjoy the sneak peak Curtain Raiser and Red Carpet free on Zing, Sky 789 and the main extravaganza on Zee TV, Sky 788: Curtain Raiser – 4th Feb @ 7pm on Zing Red Carpet – 5th Feb @ 7pm on Zing & Zee TV Main Event – 5th Feb @ 7:30pm on Zee TV

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF SRILANKA NEWS

LLRC report, basis for reconciliation - Krishna The Indian government yesterday said that the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) has many constructive recommendations which would lead to genuine national reconciliation. Addressing the media in Colombo visiting Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said that Sri Lanka government is committed to implement the LLRC recommendations. He said that the efforts that were taken to end the three-decades conﬂict should now be employed towards the creation of genuine reconciliation and India is always ready to assist Sri Lanka in this respect too. “We are ready to help in whatever way we can in a spirit of cooperation

and goodwill” , he added. Krishna said that the Sri Lankan government has on many occasions conveyed to India that it would work for a lasting solution based on

the 13th Amendment. He said that India expects the discussion between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) would pave way for

Qatar Sri Lanka sign a slew of agreements

The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa wintnessing the signing of agreements between the two countries in Colombo yesterday. The agreements were signed by Qatar’s

Minister of State for International Cooperation H E Dr Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G L Peiris. Colombo: Qatar and Sri Lanka signed a number of agreements during the visit of the Emir H H

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to the island nation. The agreements signed include those on bilateral trade and technical cooperation, cultural cooperation, and legal cooperation. Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) on tourism, education, higher education, and scientiﬁc research were also signed between the two governments. Moreover, MoUs on civil aviation, setting up of a high joint committee between Qatar and Sri Lanka as well as a MoU on bilateral investment between Qatar Holding and the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka were also signed.

Sri Lanka ethnic Tamil party rejects war report Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka’s ethnic minority Tamil party rejected a governmentappointed commission’s report on the country’s civil war because it lacked witness protections and failed to meet international investigative standards. The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission cleared government forces of deliberately targeting civilians, while saying isolated cases needed further investigation, and it accused the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels of routinely violating international humanitarian law. Earlier last year, a UN-appointed panel said serious abuse allegations

on both sides were credible and warranted an international inquiry. Sri Lanka’s government appointed its own commission under pressure and with its report in hand, is expected to argue now that international inquiry is unnecessary.

The Tamil National Alliance, the main political party representing the ethnic minority, said the report by the LLRC ``failed to fulﬁll the expectations of the Tamil community, while also falling dramatically short of international standards.’’

the settlement of the ethnic issue. Krishna added that President Mahinda Rajapaksa assured him that he would be committed to a settlement based on the 13 amendment and plus approach when he raised the issue with him yesterday morning. Touching on the fishermen’s issue, the visiting Foreign Minister added that no force should be used on fishermen. He said that the fishermen’s issues need to be addressed with utmost care and they should be treated in a humane manner. Meanwhile, an Indian High Commission press release quoted Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna as saying at the media interaction: “I am pleased to be in Sri Lanka

again. At the outset, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Minister Prof. Peiris and the Sri Lankan Government for the warm hospitality extended to me and to my delegation. “Earlier, I had the opportunity to call on President Mahinda Rajapaksa. We had a useful exchange of views on ways to take the bilateral relationship forward. With Minister Peiris, we had the opportunity to review progress in various areas, including trade, services and investment, development cooperation, science and technology, culture and education. I am satisﬁed that the projects under our development partnership have progressed well since my last visit.

India, Sri Lanka to work on faster repatriation of ﬁshermen

Addressing a long-standing issue raised by Sri Lankans, India has agreed to work on faster repatriation of Sri Lankan fishermen who get stranded in Indian waters. The Centre could not give this assurance on its own and hence, involved the States where the majority of these fishermen are arrested — either when they are indulging in poaching or stranded because of mechanical failure of their boats. States, led by Tamil Nadu, have evolved a mechanism to repatriate genuine fishermen. Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands too have set in motion the process to create such mechanisms. The fourth meeting of the IndiaSri Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries held here expanded on the gains made in the March 2011 New Delhi round. The Joint Working Group agreed to meet every six months to sort out outstanding issues. “The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation that would allow both countries to pursue their fishing activity in a safe, secure and sustainable manner, including

discouraging fishermen from using destructive fishing methods. They also discussed measures for the expeditious release of bona fide fishermen from both countries,” a joint statement said. Dialogue to continue “Both sides noted the importance of an ongoing engagement between fishermen and fishermen’s associations in India and Sri Lanka. They agreed to encourage a continued dialogue process between the fishermen communities of the two countries through regular meetings. In this context, it was agreed that a delegation of fishermen’s representatives from Sri Lanka would visit India at the earliest in 2012,” it added. The Sri Lankan delegation was led by Kshenuka Senewiratne, Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs of Sri Lanka and the Indian delegation by Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs of India. The 11-member Indian delegation had representatives from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and a host of agencies, including the Indian Coast Guard.

SPECIAL FEATURE

Saarc international I Thursday 19 January 2012

Pakistan likely to import railway engines from India Pakistan is exploring the option of importing locomotives from India to overcome a severe shortage which has badly affected freight and passenger operations of Pakistan Railways. Informed sources told reporters on Monday that import of locomotives from India was one of the options the government was currently studying. Among other options under consideration is an offer by International Finance Corporation (IFC), a commercial arm of the World Bank, to participate in a publicprivate partnership to meet Pakistan Railways` ﬂeet shortage and import of locomotives from China, Germany and the United States. The idea of locomotives` import from India has come from a Karachibased company named Pemcon International Constructors which has reported that `all technical aspects of acceptability of Indian locomotives have already been agreed between Rites Ltd, the export wing of Indian Railways, and Pakistan Railways a couple of years ago` Pakistan Railways, the sources

said, was arranging a meeting on Feb 2 in New Delhi of all relevant Indian stakeholders, including senior ofﬁcials of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Indian Railways, chairman of Indian Railways, Rites Ltd and Pakistani High Commission.The two sides are expected to discuss ﬁnalisation

of a `dry leasing agreement` for locomotives` import. The sources said that Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmad Bilour and Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar had already given a go-ahead for the talks to determine how many locomotives could be made available by Rites

Ltd of India Ofﬁcials said the IFC had also expressed its interest to get involved in potential private sector investment in the PR through infrastructure project development facility (IPDF) of the ministry of ﬁnance and Railways` newly created PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) depart-ment.

The PPP process involves developing the railways` sector on a commercial basis through an increased role of the private sector in the operation and management of locomotives. The IFC is offering an advisory role as well as investment in the railways. The number of operational locomotives of the Pakistan Railways has drastically come down just to 149 from 528 in a matter of a few years. The PR`s overdraft has exceeded Rs40 billion, debt liability touched Rs26 billion and operational losses stood at Rs6 billion as of December 15, 2011, forcing the prime minister to put an indefinite moratorium on repayment of PR`s interest payments. The prime minister had directed the ministry of finance to instruct the State Bank of Pakistan to withhold at source deductions till such time as it is agreed that PR`s financial position permitted interest repayments. Simultaneously, the PR has sought immediate disposal of railways` lands for generating funds to upgrade railways` operations for survival and long-term sustainability.

UK ‘already in recession’, as eurozone crisis hits exports

Black Friday for Eurozone crisis hitting UK exports euro crisis • Ernst & Young Item club predicts 0.2% growth for 2012 • Centre for Economic and Business Research forecasts 0.4% decline

BRITAIN’S economy is most likely already in recession as the country’s recovery is hampered by the growing eurozone crisis, experts have warned. The Ernst & Young ITEM Club and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) both believe that gross domestic product (GDP) shrank in the final quarter of last year and will fall again in the first three months of 2012. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of contracting output. The prospects for the economy in the UK are closely tied to the fate of the eurozone, according to both reports, which is hitting the export trade so crucial to the country’s recovery. The warnings come shortly after France, the second biggest economy in the eurozone, saw its AAA credit rating downgraded by Standard & Poor’s (S&P), in a move which signals more troubles for the single currency bloc. Yesterday, in his first public appearance since the downgrade, French president

Nicolas Sarkozy avoided mention of the loss of the prized AAA status, but called for courage, calm and unity to overcome the ﬁnancial crisis, and he promised new reforms. Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary William Hague said the downgrades required Britain to “redouble our efforts” to boost economic growth. He claimed the renewed questions over the credit-worthiness of countries, including France, also demonstrated the importance of the coalition government’s deﬁcit reduction strategy. Meanwhile, the CEBR revised down its forecast for growth for 2012 as a whole from 0.7% growth as predicted last October to a decline of 0.4% with a risk of a more serious decline of 1.1% if developments in the eurozone are worse than feared. Douglas McWilliams, one of the report’s authors and chief executive of the CEBR, said: “We take no pleasure in outlining

such a bleak forecast. But the world is going through a fundamental change where previously poor economies are industrialising fast.” S&P stripped France of its gold-plated AAA credit rating on Friday, and also lowered the long-term ratings on Austria, Malta, Slovakia, and Slovenia, by one notch. The rating levels for Cyprus, Italy, Portugal and Spain were dropped two notches. There was no change for Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. A Treasury spokeswoman said: “The uncertainty in the euro area continues to have a chilling effect on the UK as well as elsewhere, but there are reasons to be optimistic: business surveys showed the UK service and construction sectors strengthening at the end of 2011, and the government’s credible ﬁscal plan is helping keep UK interest rates at record lows.”

With Standard and Poor’s decision to punish nine euro-zone countries with downgrades and to strip France and Austria of their AAA ratings, Germany is likely to face additional burdens in the euro bailout fund in order to ensure cheap lending to save the common currency. Some are calling for Chancellor Angela Merkel to abandon plans for a tax cut in Germany. The eurozone lurched further into chaos as France was downgraded by a top credit rating agency and talks on a crucial deal to restructure Greece’s unsustainable public debt burden broke down. The value of the euro fell sharply and stock markets in Europe and America witnessed a late selling spree after reports spread that Standard & Poor’s was about to downgrade one of the economic pillars of the single currency. France was joined by Austria in losing the coveted AAA rating last night and they were among nine European countries to be downgraded, including Spain, Italy and Portugal. Markets also reacted badly to an announcement from a global banking lobby group that efforts to persuade Greece’s private creditors to agree to a steep reduction in the size of the country’s debts had failed. David Cameron may be forced to stump up £15billion of British cash to help deal with the -eurozone crisis. That’s 50 per cent higher than the

£10billion Government prediction last year and would amount to about £600 per household in Britain. It comes amid renewed fears that stockmarkets will plunge this week after talks to resolve the ﬁnancial meltdown in Greece broke down over plans for its creditors to take a 50 per cent loss in a bid to keep the country using the euro. The huge loan could leave PM David Cameron facing a fresh ¬rebellion from Tory MPs who ﬁercely oppose pumping more cash into the struggling economies of Greece, Portugal and Ireland. Only Four Euro-Zone Countries Still Retain AAA Ratings In an interview given to French public TV station France 2 on Friday night, Finance Minister Francois Baroin sought to minimize the potential damage. “It is not the ratings agencies that dictate France’s policies,” he said. He also called on people to remain calm, stating that while losing the AAA rating is not good news, “it is not a catastrophe.” France retains an excellent rating, he said.

Saarc international I Thursday 19 January 2012

ENTERTAINMENT

King of Screen Shah Rukh Khan bagged two awards at the Screen Awards Shah Rukh Khan bagged two awards at the Screen Awards recently and the superstar is happy not only for himself but also for his kids who he says are also his competitors. “It feels nice to win awards. There is a sense of competition with my kids because they win prizes for racing, taekwondo, riding etc. So I’ll go home and show my kids that even I have won two awards,” the 46-yearold actor said at the awards function. He bagged popular choice best actor

show hosted by Shahrukh Khan, Sajid Khan, Shahid Kapoor was a total entertainment with lots of stunning performances from the actors from Bollywod. During this event, singing Legend Asha Bhosle was honored with life-time achievement award.Here is the list of Colors Screen Awards 2011 Winners. • Best Actor – Ranbir Kapoor (Rockstar) • Best Actress – Vidya Balan (The Dirty Picture)

• Best Actor in a Negative Role (Male) – Prashant Narayan (Murder 2) • Best Actor in a Negative Role (Female) – Priyanka Chopra (7 Khoon Maaf) • Best Actor in a Comic Role – Pitobash (Shor In The City) • Popular Choice Best Actor – Shahrukh Khan (Don 2) • Popular Choice Best Actress –

Nambiar (Shaitan) • Best Music – A R Rahman (Rockstar) • Best Background Score – Ranjit

(Achcha Lagta Hai – Aarakshan) • Best Story – Akshat Verma (Delhi Belly) • Best Screenplay – Akshat Verma

for Don 2 and best jodi (couple) award for his pairing with Priyanka Chopra. Meanwhile, Khan had two releases last year and both the films — RA. One and Don 2 — crossed the Rs1 billion mark (Dh71 million) at the box office. He said he does not work for money and added: “Hopefully, this year too I’ll work with the same motive and not count numbers. Telephones have numbers and not actors, producers.” Khan is currently working on Yash Chopra’s next untitled film with Katrina Kaif. He is also co-producing Student Of the Year with Karan Johar.

• Best Film – The Dirty Picture and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara • Best Director – Milan Luthria (The Dirty Picture) • Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Deepika Padukone (Desi Boyz) • Best Ensemble Cast – Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar, Kalki Koechlin – (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara)

Barot (Shaitan) • Best Playback Singer (Male) – Mohit Chauhan (Sadda Haq – Rockstar) • Best Playback Singer (Female) –

– Saif Ali Khan (Aarakshan)

• Best Child Artist – Partho Gupte (Stanley Ka Dabba) • Best Actor on Debut – Divyendu (Pyar ka Panchnama) • Best Actress on Debut – Parineeti Chopra (Ladies vs Ricky Bahl) • Best Debut Director – Bejoy

Shreya Ghoshal (Ooh la la – The Dirty Picture) • Performer of the Year – Ekta Kapoor • Jodi Award – Shah Rukh Khan & Priyanka Chopra • Best Lyrics – Prasoon Joshi

(Delhi Belly) • Best Dialogue – Farhan Akhtar, Javed Akhtar (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) and Rajat Arora (The Dirty Picture) • Best Editing – Huzefa Lokhandwala (Delhi Belly) • Best Sound Design – Kunal Sharma (Shaitan) • Best Cinematography – R Madhi (Shaitan) • Best Special effects – Red Chillies (Ra One) • Best Production Design – Shashank Tere (Delhi Belly) • Best Choreography – Bosco Caesar (Senorita – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) • Best Action – Ra One • Best Costume – Niharika Khan and Moiz Kapadia (The Dirty Picture)

The List Of Winners At 18th Colors Screen Awards The 18th Colors Screen Awards

• Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Aditi Rao Hydari (Yeh Saali Zindagi)

First UK Asian Music show on mainstream TV The ‘Asian Beats Chart’ show will be first programme of its kind to be broadcast on mainstream television Box TV, a joint venture between Channel 4 and Bauer Media, has confirmed it will be telecasting the first ever Asian music chart show on mainstream TV. The two-hour programme will be known as ‘The Asian Beats Chart’ celebrating the best in British Asian Music and beyond, featuring rising stars such as SonnaRele, Raxstar, Arjun and K.E. It will be hosted by MawaanRizwan and Amira Kai (pictured) Aadil Rasheed, former music industry guru and conceptual catalyst behind the show said, “The ‘Asian Beats Chart’ is

important for the long term development of artists in this genre in the UK. It is great to be working with Box TV to deliver this ground-breaking show which will give Asian artists a real chance at reaching mainstream TV audiences in the UK.

Oprah drapes sari to meet Ash, Beti B International talk show queen Oprah Winfrey chose to go truly Indian on her maiden India visit as she draped an orange and golden sari as she went to meet Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai and her newborn, nicknamed Beti B, Monday night. Winfrey, who hosted Aishwarya and Abhishek on her popular talk show in 2009, arrived here Monday. If sources are to be believed, meeting Beti B, who was born Nov 14 last year, was among the ﬁrst things Winfrey wanted to do upon her arrival. So, even before heading for a private party organised in her honour at socialite Parmeshwar Godrej’s residence, Winfrey decided to make

a trip to the Bachchan residence to meet Ash and the baby at their residence Jalsa in Juhu. The media parked outside Jalsa could only catch a glimpse of the 57-year-old as she entered the house around 8.15 p.m. She kept to the traditional look

by teaming up her sari with golden bangles. Winfrey left the house around 9.30 p.m. and that too in a car, driven by megastar Amitabh Bachchan. Abhishek sat beside his father in the front seat, while Aishwarya and Winfrey sat behind.

COMMENT

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 January 2012

MOMENT OF TRUTH AND DEATH OF THE US DOLLAR The Paper Money is the Biggest rip-off in human history , but the digital money will be an even bigger rip-off , Sheikh Imran Hosein predicts that the elite will collapse the dollar by 2012 , exactly as Pastor Lindsey Williams revealed recently that his sources amongst the elite will kill the dollar and the Euro by 2012 and will replace it probably with some kind of digital money backed by gold in order to make it acceptable by the people I suspect that this is precisely the kind of colossal worldwide distraction that the US Government would actively seek to exploit for riding the wave of white American resentment against the simultaneous collapse of the US dollar that would now take place. While impoverished black America would certainly suffer from the demise of the US dollar, it is wealthy white America that would really suffer the loss of most of its wealth. That loss of wealth would take place in consequence of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;substitute moneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; being offered to replace the demonetized dollar at an exchange rate of about 5 cents to the dollar. One can now understand why the sharks around the world are busy buying as much gold as they can, while the helpless innocent sardines remain waiting to be sacriďŹ ced at Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s messianic altar. In fact, thanks to

Shiekh Imran Hossein

Tribune Comment the US Federal Reserve, history is repeating itself. The Feds did it to the American people in April 1931 and they are poised to do it again today.

the conclusion, more than 15 years ago, that the US dollar must one day collapse in order to make way for a new international monetary system. That new monetary system would eventually be based on invisible and intangible electronic money that would be controlled by an international banking system largely under the control of Jews of European extract. Those who control the new post-Bretton Woods international monetary system would then use it to Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advantage and on Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s behalf. Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s control over the moneysystem of the world would in turn assist in delivering to Israel the

above do occur they are likely to have a positive impact for Islam since they would separate the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;grainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; from the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;huskâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Muslim. The ranks of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;grainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; who would support or join the armed Islamic resistance against aggression, oppression and occupation, would dramatically increase. Also, just as important, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;grainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; would ďŹ nally realize the bogus and fraudulent nature of western-created money and would now be willing to wage the effort to recover the use of the gold Dinar and silver Dirham as money. The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;huskâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, from captain to cook,

lands of milk and honey. They would consider their residence in western countries to be equivalent to residence in paradise, and would scornfully reject any call to go back home to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in Pakistan. Some of them, still in the queue waiting to go to America, would even acquire a perfect American accent without ever setting foot on American soil. It must be particularly hurtful to that westernized and secularized elite, both in and out of Pakistan, that essays such as this should be penned by scholars of Islam who are unafraid to proclaim the truth in the faces of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest tyrants. In fact this separation of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;grainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; from â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;huskâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Muslims is already taking place and it would accelerate as the real reasons for Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Afghan surge are realized.

Our study of the subject of Dajjal the false Messiah or Anti-Christ, as well as Gog and Magog, led us to

status of third and last ruling State in the world. If and when the events described

would continue to worship at the altar of a US visa, Green Card and Passport, and would continue their efforts to migrate to the

The enemies who are now waging war on Islam have miscalculated. They have underestimated Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who prophesied that a Muslim army would liberate the Holy Land from Jewish oppression. Every â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;grainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Muslim knows that the army would come out of Khorasan, and that the North West of Pakistan is a part of ancient Khorasan.

The British Pakistan Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission is to support Pakistan by encouraging Governments, Charities and People to adopt intelligent ways of improving social and economic development BPF is reaching out to the community through multiple channels

ÂŁ300k raised at inaugural gala to support flood relief efforts

Objectives

Newsletter Social media

Website

BPFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inaugural gala in October 2010 was attended by over 500 members of the Pakistani British community and Friends of Pakistan featuring William Hague, Pakistan Foreign Secretary, James Caan from Dragons Den and other keynote speakers

UK Donors

UK Expertise

Individuals By taking a holistic approach BPF identifies the highest priority needs, develops an action plan to meet those needs and brings together relevant individuals and organizations to execute the plan.

Experts

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â&#x20AC;˘ To build a professional organization that is secular, transparent, credible, and accountable â&#x20AC;˘ To identify powerful, sustainable and scalable initiatives and promote them by mobilizing intellectual and ďŹ nancial resources â&#x20AC;˘ To provide the BPF charter mark to Pakistan related charities that pass strict certiďŹ cation procedures â&#x20AC;˘ To engage and coordinate the efforts of the British Pakistan community and friends â&#x20AC;˘ To improve Pakistanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s image through cultural and community exchanges and interactions Development partners in healthcare:

Pakistan-based partners Local NGOs

Local corporations

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Development partners in education:

Development partners:

Development partners in healthcare:

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 January 2012

COMMENT

Israel’s Plan a clash of civilizations First step war with Iran A surge of war propaganda against Iran is flooding through western media outlets with a hope to poison the psyche of its people and momentarily justify the need for another war. The same poison that numbed a nation temporarily through fabricated reports of weapons of mass destruction and led to millions of innocent deaths not only of Iraqis but also western soldiers who later found out they had participated in an illegal war built on lies. Washington and Israel have been instigating regime change and now it’s the turn of Iran and Syria. Israel wants regional supremacy while Washington wants global hegemony and control of the world’s resources. Both have intensified destabilization tactics in many countries, with fake accusations economic sanctions, isolation, covert and direct confrontation and as recently witnessed in Iran targeted assassinations. An article in Foreign Policy magazine revealed CIA memos clarifying how Israeli Mossad agents posed as American spies to recruit members of the terrorist organization Jundallah to fight their covert war against Iran

certainly has not convinced the world, however it hasn’t stopped the Zionist owned media to continue beating the drums of war. As history has shown, the ﬁrst casualty of war is not only the truth but also a free press. However the twisted phenomena practiced in the Western media is to abhor censorship but at the same time omit the truth. The main trend after 9/11 has been not to question government policies while at the same time omit the facts that do not fall in line with “our reality.” The media is continuing the same narrative it used in the Iraq war, camouﬂaging and distorting the truth. No front page reports about ongoing war games in the Persian Gulf or the massive deployment of troops which have been dispatched to the Middle East or the redeployment of US and allied troops previously stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Nine thousand US troops have been dispatched to Israel to participate in what is described by the Israeli press as the largest joint air defense war exercise in Israeli history According to Michel Chossudovsky, economist and director of the Centre for Research on Globalisation the broader implications of this war

powerful cabal of Zionists and Neo Cons in control of US policies, which had already taken the country to war with Iraq and Afghanistan. The only difference this time around is that Iran is not Iraq, Afghanistan or Libya. Iran is a country of 80 million people and a major military and economic power with huge global oil and gas reserves. If war was to break out between Iran and West, it

120,000 while Iran has a signiﬁcant paramilitary force of several million men and women. The war would also involve Iran’s allies like Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran has over the year’s increased military aid to both. More importantly Russia and China will be actively involved. Both countries have felt an increasing encroachment by US and NATO.

would trigger a third world war with catastrophic casualties extending from the Mediterranean to Russian and China. The Russian government has warned

Russia is threatened through the European Union with US-NATO AMD targeted at major Russian cities, while China is surrounded by US military bases, from the Korean

with an aim for a US/Iran war. The aim was to let Iranians think that the US was behind extreme terrorist attacks in their country and this would create a situation that could provoke Iran to take belligerent action resulting in war. Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev stated that the threat of a US attack against Iran heavily supported by the US Israel lobby is escalating. Patrushev, who served as Director of Russia’s Federal Security Service, the FSB from 1999 to 2008 has warned that the two “reasons” for war with Iran are as false as the “reasons” for war with Iraq, and believes that a false ﬂag attack by Israel will be used to blame Iran and used as a pretext for another ‘defensive war’ . Accusing Iran of developing nuclear weapons with no credible evidence

have not been addressed. He argues: “People are led to believe that war is part of a “humanitarian mandate” and that both Iran as well as Iran’s allies namely China and Russia constitutes an unrelenting threat to global security and “western democracy”. He explains: “the most advanced weapons system is used and America’s wars are never presented as “killing operations” resulting in extensive civilian casualties”. With this mindset realities are turned upside down. “War becomes peace. The lie becomes the truth. The humanitarian mandate of the Pentagon and NATO cannot be challenged.” According to Chussodovsky the “Global Strike” concept, centralized and coordinated by US Strategic Command (STRATCOM) had been planned since 2003. It should also be noted that by 2003 there was a

the US and NATO that “should Iran get drawn into any political or military hardships, this will be a direct threat to our national security,” signifying that Russia will stand by Iran. According to reports Iran has an advanced Russian S 300 air defense system and is equipped with medium and long range missile capabilities: The Shahab 3 and Sejjil missiles have a range of approximately 2,000 km which can enable them to strike targets in Israel. Any aerial attacks against Iran could result in missile attacks directed against Israel as well as US military basis in the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan. As the conﬂict escalates a land war could follow with Turkey playing a strategic military role on behalf of US and Israel. The Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s elite forces, constitute about

peninsula to the South China Sea. The whole conflict will be taking place at a time where the US is bankrupt and suffering the worst economic crisis ever. Due to a massive increase in defense spending and further social economic cutbacks there will not only be conflict internationally but also domestically. The Americans are also waking up to the fact that taxpayers money is going to Israel’s wars while their own children have no future. The clash of civilizations may finally be taking place on all fronts and may be this is what Israel and the neo cons have been planning, that out of the ashes of a destroyed civilization a new world order will emerge.

Shabana Syed

Why does the US want to attack Iran? The US has never found Iran to be any threat to America however it is

Israeli pressure that kept bringing the issue to the forefront. As recent evidence has revealed Mossad has been continuing subversive activities for many years in Iran. According to Joshua Blakeney, a journalist and activist: “I don’t believe it (US Middle East policy) is motivated primarily by oil interests. The war in Iraq, the attempts to destabilize Iran, I think they are first and foremost inspired by Tel Aviv because the US oil policy traditionally in the Middle East was one of fomenting stability for oil markets by propping up existing regimes, So, I think it’s crazy for the US to be alienating and estranging Iran when the US’ obvious antagonists are Russia and China and therefore Iran would be an obvious ally. What interest does the US have in risking the Straits of Hormuz being closed? How is that beneficial to US oil interests? I think since 9/11 we’ve seen a tectonic shift in US Middle East policy, one that’s dictated by Israel.” The idea put forward by Jonathan Cook in his book “Blood and Religion,” clarifies Israel’s actions. He argues that Israel is a pseudo-democracy whose systematic oppression of the Palestinian people was inherent in the Zionist program to establish a Greater Israel, an expanded military state where only Jewish blood and religion counts. In his new book, “Israel and the Clash of Civilizations,” he argues “that the Iraq war was as much a Zionist as an American undertaking and that it was inspired in no small degree by the US/Zionist ambition to sow discord in the Arab and Muslim worlds.” He also explains how in the 1980s, the Jewish state’s security establishment developed ideas about dissolving other Middle Eastern states through a policy of nurturing ethnic and religious conflict. “That such a policy was bound to promote Islamic radicalism was seen by Zionist strategists as positively desirable”, and as recent studies have revealed those fuelling Islamophobia and hatred against Muslims have been Zionist backed groups and media, their aim is to create enough hatred against Muslims so that there is an eventual clash of civilsations. As the built up to war escalates, Israel is busy planning its own expansionist agenda. In October 1990, when the Crisis in the Persian Gulf between the Allied Forces and Iraq was heating up an incident took place in Jerusalem which was not widely reported, fundamentalist Jews took the opportunity of world attention being focused on the Gulf crisis and attempted to lay a foundation stone for the Third Temple on the Temple Mount. According to Jewish religious Continued on page 29 >>

COMMENT

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 January 2012

To the Chief Justice, without prejudiceJamil Omar The ultimate case against any government is its performance in ofﬁce and its highest court is the elections. Let the people decide the fate of the PPP and its leadership

Iqbal Bali’s hunger strike in Islamabad was a milestone in the lawyers’ movement. When Chief Justice (CJ) Iftikhar Chaudhry invited Bali to personally thank him for his support, Bali characteristically replied: “You do not have to thank me. I did it for democracy and the rule of law, not for you.” Bali passed away soon afterwards, probably from complications resulting from his long hunger strike. Were he around, Bali would surely have raised his voice against the Supreme Court’s recent order in the NRO case. He may well have addressed the CJ directly in his typical fashion as follows: My dear Chaudhry sahib, I am writing to record my great disappointment in you and your honourable brothers. When you were down and out the nation stood by you because you symbolised democracy and the rule of law. But ever since your restoration you have chosen to implement justice in a very slanted manner. You have consistently, some say deliberately, targeted a democratically elected civilian government while overlooking a host of other flagrant cases of political corruption. In this singular pursuit you have cast aside all restraint and resorted to extreme judicial activism. The stated justification for your actions is “(to) uphold and maintain the dignity of the court and to salvage and restore the delicately poised constitutional balance in accord with the norms of constitutional democracy”. Sounds great, but I wonder by what stretch of judicial imagination your famous order to fix the price of sugar at Rs 46 per kg can be considered as upholding the dignity of the court or seen as an attempt to restore constitutional balance. Through hindsight, it now seems to be a deliberate interference in the work of the executive with the intention to undermine its authority and thereby wreck the constitutional balance. May I respectfully submit that the honour of our courts and the cause of justice in our land would have been better served had you implemented urgently needed

judicial reforms in order to ensure cheap and quick justice, rid the courts of corruption and clear the cases backlog, and you should have ensured transparency, merit and objectivity in the appointment of judges and checked the growing hooliganism of the lawyers’ community. It is interesting to hear you speak of constitutional democracy, for this is exactly where your elite brotherhood may ultimately cause most harm. Remember that famous Freudian slip that escaped from the mouth of one of your own brothers in open court: “We cannot allow parliament to declare Pakistan a secular state.” Mr Jinnah must have turned in his grave at this. If the recent order is anything to go by, it reads like a medieval Qazi’s fatwa, basing itself more on scriptures than sense. Its rambling, repetitive and tendentious text is full of unwarranted conclusions and unproven allegations. Prosecuting a democratically elected government on the basis of such an order would cause serious political turmoil anywhere; in today’s Pakistan it may well be a historic tragedy. The Supreme Court order indicts the government for its general contemptuous attitude and two specific failures: NAB did not investigate in-depth the wrong appointments of Adnan Khawaja and Ahmad Riaz Sheikh or take action against Malik Mohammad Qayyum, and the federal government did not write to the Swiss authorities. Basing themselves merely on this your brothers have drawn a very broad conclusion: “Such an attitude, approach and conduct prima facie shows that the co-chairperson of the said political party, the prime minister and federal minister for law have allowed loyalty to a political party and its decisions to outweigh and outrun their loyalty to the state and their ‘inviolable obligation’ to obey the constitution and all its commands.” Democracies are a far from perfect system and conflicts of interest between state institutions are not uncommon. Sometimes they arise on account of personalities and at other times on account of the law itself, as was vividly demonstrated in the state of Florida during the 2000 US elections. Mature nations resolve such conflicts through mutual accommodation and consensus; others sink into mutually destructive turf wars. Today, Pakistan seems to be headed for an unnecessary collision between the Supreme Court and parliament. Prima facie there is not much of a case for toppling an elected government but then in Pakistan given proper support from the ‘right’ quarters, our judiciary has hanged an elected prime minister, and hence there is ample room for concern. Pakistan is faced with a foreboding scenario that can easily turn ugly. A few individual whims can easily transform the six options mentioned in the Supreme Court order into another non-negotiable ‘six points’. To avoid a tragedy resulting from our own naivety, let us heed the words of a local sage who recently wrote: “The people are familiar with the strong case against the military’s encroachment in the political

domain; no less strong is the argument against the judiciary’s intervention in politics. What may be legally permissible is often politically wrong and laws are at best silent on the kind of give and take without which governance by consensus is not possible.” Keeping I A Rehman’s above wise and timely counsel in mind, the judiciary and the government need to arrive at a consensus. A closer look at the six options suggests that an accommodation may be reached along the following lines: Option one bases itself on religion and laws thrust upon the constitution by General Ziaul Haq to decree ex parte that the prime minister is not an honest person and therefore unfit to hold office. Similar allegations have also been levelled against the president and the law minister. This is unnecessarily confrontational. As the court has chosen to make Allah a party to the dispute, may I humbly suggest that this option be left to the will of the Almighty. Option two recommends initiating contempt of court proceedings against the prime minister, law minister and law secretary and possible disqualifications. The government should submit and the court should pardon matters of contempt. Option three recommends the appointment of a commission to implement court orders. The Swiss Court issue should be deferred while the president enjoys immunity. The remaining court orders to be implemented by the government. Option four requires the president to request the

court to decide on his immunity. The president’s immunity in matters under review should be proclaimed by the court. Option five requires the chairman NAB to be removed for misconduct; further investigations into wrongdoings of others involved need to be looked into. Appoint a new consensus figure as NAB chairman, follow this by a Truth and Reconciliation exercise covering all related matters, especially those pertaining to improper appointments/promotions, etc. Option six explores the possibility of showing judicial restraint and leaving the matter to the better judgement of the people or their representatives in parliament to appropriately deal with the delinquent. Political delinquents are best dealt with politically. Let the people decide, hold early elections. In conclusion, let me repeat that the ultimate case against any government is its performance in office and its highest court is the elections. Let the people decide the fate of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and its leadership. Meanwhile, Mr Nawaz Sharif should fight his battles in the political arena and not resort to undemocratic ways to topple governments or keep a hold on the Senate and Imran Khan should desist from his favourite hobby of hawai (aerial)firing. The writer is co-President Awami Party. He can be reached at alberuni123@hotmail.com

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 January 2012

NEWS

US Nervous about China restores diplomatic relations with Mynamar CHIANG MAI The Obama administration restored full diplomatic relations with Myanmar, moving swiftly to reward the military-backed government for reforms that include a cease-fire with ethnic insurgents and the release of political prisoners. The move came only six weeks after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made a historic visit that highlighted Washington’s attempts to reengage with a strategic Asian nation that remains under strict sanctions for its dismal human rights record. The White House was eager for rapprochement partly to pull the resource-rich country out of China’s political and economic orbit. Clinton flew to the capital, Naypyidaw, shortly after President Obama announced a “pivot” in U.S. military and diplomatic policy to reassure allies in the Asia-Pacific region who are nervous about China’s increasing assertiveness. Diplomatic relations with Myanmar were kept to a minimal level over the last two decades but never severed. The administration now will send an ambassador to the country for the first time since 1990, and it invited the Myanmar government to send an envoy to Washington. Obama has hailed Myanmar’s progress on several fronts, especially the announced release of 651 prisoners. Although U.S. officials could not confirm the total, or the identities of those released, they said it included some pro-democracy leaders who had languished in prison since authorities in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, crushed peaceful antigovernment protests in

1988. In a statement, Obama called Friday’s release “a substantial step forward for democratic reform.” “Much more remains to be done to meet the aspirations of the Burmese people,” he said, “but the United States is committed to continuing our engagement with the government.” “All trends are shifting to the Pacific,” Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey said after President Barack Obama presented the US’ new defence strategy on 5 January at the Pentagon. “Our strategic challenges will largely emanate out of the Pacific region.” China’s response to ‘Sustaining US Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense’, an official declaration of intent regarding future US defence policy, has so far been somewhat muted. Despite being described as the greatest threat to security in the Asia-Pacific region, the official response from the Ministry of National Defence (MND) in Beijing was restrained. “There is a movement towards greater peace and stability across the Asia-Pacific region,” MND spokesman Geng Yansheng said in a statement on 9 January. “We urge the US to follow the prevailing trend, take an objective and balanced view of China and its military, and behave cautiously and in a manner conducive to developing good relations.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin was less diplomatic. Responding to the report’s claim that “the growth of China’s military power must be accompanied by greater clarity of its strategic intentions in order to avoid causing friction in

ﬁrst step war with Iran Continued from page 27 doctrines Israeli plan to dominate and control the Mideast involves demolishing Masjid Al Aqsa which is Islam’s third holiest site and built on an area that Jews believe is where their messiah will descend to lead them. The Jews are aware that Islam would never accept the building of a Jewish Temple over the desecrated ruins of the mosque; therefore more underhand methods are being used. Since the ﬁrst attempt to lay a foundation for the future temple, the Israeli state has been carrying excavation works all around the Dome of the Rock. The Al Aqsa Foundation for Islamic Endowment (Waqf) and Heritage has warned that Israel is targeting the mosque by weakening its foundations

through constant digging and excavations in the hope that the Mosque will collapse on its own. Jewish religious texts believe that in order for Israel to become a world power it has to first demolish Al Aqsa purify the area and build the Jewish third temple. Jewish scriptures have prophesized that Israel will build the Temple but in order to do that, first a significant event must take place, and it is this event which will bring the Islamic world against Israel and result in Jews vanquishing the armies of Islam in the coming battle. Israel is armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons and pushing for war. Is it Israel’s hope that a war with Iran will divert attention so that the Dome of the rock can be

the region”, Liu said in comments quoted by the ofﬁcial Xinhua news agency that “the accusation against China in this document is groundless and untrustworthy”. The US report goes on to emphasise the importance of maintaining “regional access and the ability to operate freely in keeping with our treaty obligations and international law” - a phrase that along with other elements of the report is directed at China’s development of anti-access/ area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities such as the much-referenced but little-known Dong-Feng 21 (DF-21 or CSS-5) anti-ship ballistic missile. China also unleashed some of its more vehement commentators in the state-managed media. The Global Times argued in an editorial that China “should strengthen its destroyed and the Temple can be built? And is this the signiﬁcant event that will bring the Islamic world against Israel? The Temple is essential to orthodox Jews as it is where the supposed promised Messiah (Mashiach) will descend and restore the position of the ‘Chosen People’ above the goyim and other lesser beings to supremely rule the world Over 34 years ago, an American called John Henshaw wrote about the dangers of Zionism and its rule of Washington and the Mideast. He said: “The metamorphosis of tiny Israel from a midget to a giant is in the making. The grand design of Judaic-Zionist expansionist doctrine is to seize all the oilrich lands from the shores of the Euphrates to the banks of the Nile.”

long-range strike abilities and put more deterrence on the US”, as well as siding with Iran, whose “existence and stance form a strong check against the US”. The Liberation Army Daily – the Chinese Army’s official newspaper - published a commentary by Major General Luo Yuan in which he accused the US of returning to “a Cold War mentality”. “Casting our eyes around we can see that the US has been bolstering its five major military alliances in the Asia-Pacific region and is adjusting the positioning of its five major military base clusters, while also seeking more entry rights for military bases around China,” Gen Luo wrote in comments translated by Reuters. “Who can believe that [the US is] not directing this at China?”

While such a response is understandable - were Beijing to publish a similar policy document the US would be outraged - the Pentagon report is in many ways just a codification of what the US has already started to do. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s trip to the Asia-Pacific region in late 2011 was designed to outline the realignment of US force posture to counter China’s military expansion and reassure US allies. Confirming that trend, the report emphasises building on Washington’s mature military alliances with Japan and South Korea and establishing – or re-establishing – similar relations with the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. Obama’s new strategy makes greater mention of India, describing it as an ‘anchor’ for US security interests in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Whether Delhi is willing to parlay these military sales into a permanent role within a loose US-led alliance of democratic Asia-Pacific nations perhaps depends more on Chinese actions than those of the US. India is alive to the possibility of encirclement by Beijing in the form of military bases in the Seychelles, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and China’s ‘all-weather friend’ Pakistan, the prism through which India views most of its defence policy. Unless the fear of a ‘string of pearls’ – as this encirclement theory has been tagged – becomes a reality, then New Delhi may prefer to keep the US at arms’ length. It is all very well for Washington to see India as an ‘anchor’ in the IOR, but New Delhi may not want the accompanying chain.

Financial markets in turmoil as downgrades spread across Eurozone FRANCE – Standard & Poor’s swept the debt-ridden European continent with punishing credit downgrades last week stripping France of its coveted AAA status and dropping Italy even lower. Germany retained its topnotch rating, but Portugal’s debt was consigned to junk. In all, S&P, which took away the United States’ AAA rating last summer, lowered the ratings of nine countries, complicating Europe’s efforts to ﬁnd a way out of a debt crisis that still threatens to cause worldwide economic harm. Austria also lost its AAA status, Italy and Spain fell by two notches, and S&P also cut ratings on Malta, Cyprus, Slovakia and Slovenia. The downgrades on more than half of the countries that use the euro could drive up yields on European government debt as investors demand more compensation for holding bonds

deemed to be riskier. Higher borrowing costs would put more financial pressure on countries already contending with heavy debt burdens. “In our view, the policy initiatives taken by European policymakers in recent weeks may be insufficient to fully address ongoing systemic stresses in the eurozone,” S&P said in a statement. Stocks fell Friday as downgrade rumors reached the trading floors of Europe and the United States.

NEWS

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 January 2012

Blue Monday is most depressing day of the year, research claims This Monday day was Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year, new research has claimed. Have you heard of Blue Monday? If no, then it is important for you to know that today is blue Monday. It is believed that the third Monday of January is depressing for most of the people. There is a psychological reason behind people feeling sad on third Monday of January. It is believed that by third Monday of January, most of the people give up their New Year resolution and even forget to take in proper exercise for the well being of the body. Mr. Arnall, from the Cardiff University, discovered blue Monday six years ago. According to Telegraph It was supposed to be the Monday of all Mondays, when you’re more than justiﬁed for having a serious case of … the Mondays. And it was supposed to be long over. Except that no one seems able to agree on the exact date of Blue Monday, the day considered the most depressing day of the year. Was it yesterday, the third Monday of January, which is the most often-sited date? Or is it Jan. 23, the Monday in the last full week of January? Or could it have happened as far back as Jan. 1, which is the shortest day of the month? The third Monday of January has been awarded the gloomy title due to a combination of post-Christmas blues, cold dark nights and the arrival of unpaid credit card bills reports the Daily Telegraph . It all adds up to a ‘workplace malaise’ that could be costing

businesses as much as £93 billion in lost productivity, according to the University of Exeter. The research comes as a number of celebrity chefs today revealed ﬂour-based recipes designed to help people banish the blues. According to psychologist Cliff Arnall, today is when most people are at their lowest ebb, a scientiﬁc formula he came up with based on the length of time until next

from Blue Monday’s dubious beginnings. The day was chosen in 2005 by Cardiff University lecturer and psychologist Cliff Arnall, who was asked to identify the most depressing day of the year for U.K.’s Sky Travel as a way to market vacations. Arnall based the date on a calculation that included gloomy weather, post-holiday debt and low motivational levels. He admitted

particular day and a particular way of equating the severity of the low mood — I think that’s somewhat far-fetched,” he said. Part of why people feel so down at this time of year is because of the sense of loss that comes with the dissipation of feelings of good cheer, excitement and hope during the post-Christmas period. In addition, that holiday overspending ﬁnally comes home to roost during

Campbell. “So to say that ﬁnancial issues can cause this to be an even more difﬁcult time of year is certainly valid,” added Campbell. Maintaining relationships with family and friends beyond the holidays is the best way to deal with January winter blues, said Berber. Exercising, having sex and going to the theatre may also help

Christmas, holiday debt and the likelihood of giving up New Year’s resolutions. There are some experts who call Mr. Arnall’s theory stupid and meaningless. However, while supporting the concept of blue Monday, Arnall said, “Motivational levels also tend to be quite low at this time of year. You’ve got something called the ‘hibernation effect,’ when people tend to be more lethargic, they eat more than they really need”. The confusion likely stems

in 2010 that the calculation is meaningless. But the practice of marking the day continues, partly because it can’t be denied that the cold, damp January weather really affects people. Cases of seasonal affective disorder, where the weather triggers depression, do tend to peak around this time of year, said psychiatrist and University of Toronto lecturer Mark Berber. “There is some truth to the fact that we do get low moods in midJanuary, but the idea that there’s a

the month of January. “This is a very difﬁcult time of year. It’s hard to get motivated and, on top of that, we all have to tighten our belts, both ﬁnancially and physically,” said Laurie Campbell, executive director of Credit Canada. Mid-January until March is the busiest time of year for the credit consulting agency for this very reason, she said. Financial issues can trigger stress, depression, marital problems, addiction problems, and health problems in individuals, said

boost your mood, according to a recent U.K. study, conducted by Apple and the London School of Economics. The study, called the Mappiness project, asked 45,000 smart phone users to record their levels of happiness and location throughout 2011. After studying the three million responses, the happiest day was determined to be April 29, the day Prince William married Catherine Middleton. The lowest day, was 8 p.m. on Jan. 31, which was, of course, a Monday.

Israel is under Cyber Attack By Gilad Atzmon The ‘Arab hackers’ attack on Israel escalated . The Israeli Stock Exchange’s and El Al’s sites collapsed on Monday. The hackers say that it is within their capability to crash every Israeli server. “If Israel apologises to the people of the Gaza genocide, we may reduce the attacks,” said Saudi Hacker OxOmar to Ynet in an interview via email. “I want to harm Israel in any way possible. Hitting Israel in the pocket is certainly where it hurts. “I’ll Make the Israeli authorities cry “ warned OxOmar who operates from Mexico. OxOmar wasn’t very happy with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, who called the Hacker’s attacks an act of “terrorism”. Ayalon

also warned that hackers may have to bear the consequences. He obviously referred to Israeli vengeance. But OxOmar seems to be resilient, “If the Israeli authorities, and especially Danny Ayalon, apologise to me and

the people in Gaza, I may reduce my attacks,” he said. “Ayalon has to apologise for threatening to kill me, and Israel should also apologise for the massacre in Sabra and Shatila.” Needless to say that the Jewish State

is pretty devastated by the Idea that a bunch of ‘indigenous Arabs’ are far more technologically advanced than its own chosen cyber pirates. I guess that this Cyber attack on Israel is a clear warning to Britain and America. Every cyber tactic

implemented against Israel could easily be employed against Britain, America or any other Western State or institution. If Israeli banks are vulnerable, there is no reason to suspect that HBSC or Lloyds are much safer.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 January 2012

SPECIAL FEATURE

Corruption top threat to South Asia jobs: World Bank

Corruption is the most severe constraint in job creation in India, a World Bank report on More and Better Jobs in South Asia has said. The report studies the creation and growth of jobs and wages across the eight South Asian countries. The report, which studies the creation and growth of jobs and wages across the eight South Asian countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — said that between 2000 and 2010, these countries created an average of 800,000 jobs a month, which is now expected to rise to 1.2 million a month for the next few decades. That, however, could be at risk as ﬁrms in South Asia face a number of constraints, with political instability, access to electricity and corruption topping the list. India reports the highest incidence of bribes among South Asian nations for obtaining operating licences and construction permits. “Firms in India report spending an average of 2.2% of sales on informal payments and an average 8.1% of managers’ time dealing with the government,” the report said. The manufacturing sector in India is more constrained by corruption than the services sector, paying 4.9% of sales to and devoting 12.6% of managers’ time to bribes, the report said. The

highest incidence of bribes occurs in grant of construction permits, tax meetings, operating licences and electrical connections, the report added. Corruption in the country’s 14 highincome states is the biggest constraint in the business environment, compared to electricity being the biggest constraint in the remaining 18 low-income states, the report said. Nepal second most corrupt country in South Asia KATHMANDU: Nepal is the second most corrupt country in South Asia after Afghanistan, with Bhutan being the least corrupt in the region, if one goes by the Corruption Perception Index- 2011 released by Berlin-based Transparency International today. According to TI, the world’s most credible measure of domestic and public sector corruption, Nepal is ranked 154th with a score of 2.2. It was ranked 146th last year. The index had scored 183 countries and territories from 0 (highly corrupt) to

10 (very clean) based on perceived levels of public sector corruption. Two thirds of the ranked countries have scored less than five. A press statement issued by Bishnu Bahadur KC, chairperson, TI-Nepal, states that any country that scores less than three shows that corruption is all-pervasive there. In South Asia, Bhutan has scored 5.7 followed by Sri Lanka 3.3, India 3.1, Bangladesh 2.7, Maldives 2.5, Pakistan 2.5, Nepal 2.2 and Afghanistan 1.5. The index is based on expert assessment and data from six international surveys commissioned by six independent institutions, covering issues such as access to information, bribery of public officials, kickbacks in public procurement, and the enforcement of anti-corruption laws and their outcome, action against the corrupt, political corruption, and bribery in export and import of goods. “The cause of rampant corruption in public sectors has been attributed to the government’s lethargic performance to control the financial crime in political transition. It reflects the lack of will power and commitment on the part of the government and political parties to maintain good governance and that anti-graft bodies failed in their job,” said KC. New Zealand ranks first with a score of 9.5, followed by Finland and Denmark. Somalia and North Korea (included in the Index for the first time) figure last on the index, with a score of 1.0 each. TI adds that protests around the world, often fuelled by corruption and economic instability, clearly show citizens feel their leaders and public institutions are neither transparent nor accountable enough. Homegrown graft at a glance • CIAA indicted 34 incumbent and former officials of Nepal Police, including three former IGs, in a highprofile corruption amounting Rs. 28.81 crores in the procurement of Armoured Personnel Carriers and logistics for the personnel deputed for the peacekeeping mission under the United Nations flag

in Darfur of Sudan • Supreme Court convicted Nepali Congress leader Chiranjeevi Wagle of corruption and slapped on him 18-month imprisonment and Rs 40.6

million ﬁne • SC slapped 18-month jail term and Rs 14 million ﬁne on former chief of erstwhile Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation Ramagya Prasad

Chaturvedi on corruption charges • Four lawmakers charged with corruption and abuse of power and authority for selling diplomatic passports for monetary gains

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 January 2012

New captain can’t work miracles: Gambhir Indian opener Gautam Gambhir said Tuesday a change of captain for the fourth Test against Australia would not banish his side’s problems and urged the whole team to raise its game. The Indian camp conﬁrmed opener Virender Sehwag would take over the captaincy from suspended M.S. Dhoni for the Test in Adelaide, which starts next Tuesday

and is the final match of the series. Australia has already won the series after emphatic victories in the first three Tests, and the last match is a chance for India to redeem themselves. Gambhir said he was confident Sehwag would do a good job as skipper but conceded that would not count for much if the rest of the team continued to perform badly.

SAT

Sports

Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal rips through England in first cricket Test in Dubai Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal admitted that his preparations were marked with emphasis on bowling to left-handers as he ripped through the England batting line-up on the opening day of the 1st Test in Dubai. Pakistan on top after opening day following offspinner’s career-best 7 for 55. First Test, Dubai International Stadium, day two: England 192 v Pakistan 288-7 Pakistan opener Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar cracked half centuries to put on a 114 runs partnership and help their team post 138 for 2 by lunch on the second day of the first Test at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium England claimed two late wickets to restrict Pakistan to 288-7 by the end of an attritional second day of the first Test in Dubai. Graeme Swann and James Anderson removed Misbah-ul-Haq, who made a patient 52, and Abdur Rehman respectively in the final two overs to give the tourists renewed hope after they’d toiled away manfully in tough conditions. Stuart Broad had earlier picked up two quick scalps as England, dismissed for 192 in their first innings, relied on their bowlers to stay alive. Mohammad Hafeez top-scored for Pakistan with 88 and although it was slow going for long periods, they still ended proceedings with a lead of 96.

Amir Khan-Lamont Peterson hearing cancelled as appeal withdrawn Amir Khan will face Lamont Peterson again on Wednesday at the International Boxing Federation hearing in New York into their Continued on page 19 >> Published by Saarc International Ltd, Suite 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