South Asia Tribune

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South Asia

Rajesh Khanna dies in Mumbai See page 25 >>

Year 2

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Issue 01

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Thursday, 19.07.12

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Britain’s supreme court strikes down key immigration rule for foreign workers The Home Office has suffered a potentially serious legal setback in its efforts to reduce the numbers of migrant workers in the UK. The Supreme Court said ministers could not bar workers unless rules used to do so had been shown to Parliament.

The Home Office said it would act quickly to ensure the judgement requirements were met.

Home Affairs Committee chairman Keith Vaz said the ruling had delivered a “hammer

blow” to the current system.

The judgement could have implications for many rejected cases since 2008 - or possibly earlier.

‘Unlawful’ decision Supreme Court deputy president Lord Hope said Parliament must see rules before they could be

used.

And fellow judge Lord Dyson warned Parliament’s system for overseeing immigration rules may no longer be fit for purpose, given the workload it could now face.

The ruling came in the case of Hussain Zulfiquar Alvi, a Pakistani man who came to the UK in 2003 as a student.

He stayed on after his studies to become a physiotherapy assistant.

In 2009, he applied for further

leave to remain under revised rules for migrant workers called the Points-Based System. The system, which came into force in 2008, uses points to calculate which migrants have the most skills and would be of most benefit to the UK. The Home Office said Mr Alvi could not stay because he did not have enough skills to earn sufficient points.

But Mr Alvi said the decision was unlawful because Parliament had not actually been shown

the specific Home Office-set rules relating to his occupation.

However, Alvi said the decision was unlawful because Parliament had not actually scrutinised the specific Home Office-set rules relating to his occupation.

Under a 40-year-old law, Parliament’s Scrutiny Committee must examine all changes to immigration rules.

In its judgement, the Supreme Court said the occupation list which applied to the decision in Mr Alvi’s case was clearly part of the immigration rules that needed to be examined by Parliament, because MPs and peers wanted a say in how immigration was being controlled.

Lord Hope, the lead justice in the case, said he recognised Continued on page 15 >>

Shafilea’s Brother Accuses BNP leader Nick Griffin launches protest against halal meat in Family Of Lying

The brother of killed teenager Shafilea Ahmed has accused other members of his family of lying in court about what happened to his sister.

Junyad Ahmed was called by the

defence to give evidence in the murder trial of his parents. They are accused of murdering 17-yearold Shafilea, who went missing from home in Cheshire in 2003.

Junyad Ahmed was 13 years old

at the time his sister Shafilea went missing.

He denied that there had been any disagreement or unpleasantness at the family home on the evening in question.

His evidence is in stark contrast with that of his sister Alesha. She told Chester Crown Court that she had seen her parents pin Shafilea down on a settee and push a plastic bag into her mouth.

She said that Junyad had said the following morning that Shafilea had “deserved it”.

He described that as a “pack of lies”.

He said his mother Farzana was also lying when she changed her Continued on page 28 >>

Sunderland sandwich shops

BNP leader Nick Griffin is due to lead a demonstration in Sunderland Thursday.

Mr Griffin and members of his party are planning to take part in a demonstration against the use of halal meat in Subway sandwich shops in the city.

However, despite claiming their

protest is neither politically or racially motivated, their plans were today condemned.

Tahir Khan, chairman of the multicultural organisation Unity, said: “Picking on religious beliefs is very evil-minded and is wrong morally.

I think the BNP is just wasting its Continued on page 23 >>

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 July 2012

Assad names new defense minister, vows to “cut hands” of terrorists Syrian Defense Minister Killed In Explosion, State TV Says

The Chief of Staff of the Syrian Army, Fahd al-Freij, was Wednesday named as the new defense minister, announced the national news agency SANA. Daoud Rajha his predecessor was killed this morning in a bombing attack against ministers and senior Syrian officials, who gathered for a meeting at the National Security headquarters in the heart of the Syrian capital.

Bomber reportedly worked as bodyguard for regime’s inner circle.

President Bashar Assad’s brotherin-law Assef Shawkat, and Syrian Defense Minister Dawoud Rajih have been killed during fierce clashes in Damascus, Arab media outlets reported on Wednesday. Shawkat died in a Damascus hospital where he was taken after the attack.

Assef Shawkat, the brother in law 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 India Office Satya Infomedia Pvt. Ltd. C/O Satya Group.

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Annan says Syria crisis reached “critical point”

The situation in Syria has reached a “critical point”, said the UN envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan Tuesday in Moscow, during talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. On his part, Putin assured that he will “do everything” to support his efforts.

“The Syrian crisis has reached a critical point, I’m glad we have the of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad , was killed this morning in a suicide bombing that targeted the building of the National Security in Damascus, said Al Manar Channel of Hezbollah.

According to a source close to the security services, Assef Shawkat died at a hospital in Damascus to where he was transferred.

According to Al Manar, the Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim al Shaar was injured in the attack.

Syrian TV had earlier announced the death of Syrian Defense Minister Daoud Rajha. According to a source close to the security services, the bomber was a bodyguard close to the Assad regime. The bomber detonated his explosive belt at the time of the meeting of key leaders in the security building.

According to the reports, the officials were killed after a bomb struck a government building in Damascus; other Syrian officials were injured in the explosion, including Intelligence

Chief Hisham Bekhtyar. Al- Arabiya reported that the terrorist who activated the bomb worked as a bodyguard for Assad’s inner circle.

It also claimed that Syria’s Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim alChaarand was also killed in the blast, but Syrian state television denied the reports, stating that he was in stable condition. The reports could not be confirmed.

Two groups claimed responsibility for the explosion. Liwa al-Islam, an Islamist rebel group whose name means “The Brigade of Islam”, said in a statement on its Facebook page that it “targeted the cell called the crisis control room in the capital of Damascus.” A spokesman for the group confirmed the claim by telephone.

The Free Syrian Army also claimed responsibility for the attack, according to spokesman Qassim Saadedine. “This is the volcano we talked about, we have just started,” he said.

opportunity to talk about it,” said Kofi Annan at the beginning of his meeting Tuesday at the Kremlin with Putin. “I can assure you that we will do everything to support your efforts,” said the Russian leader.

“From the very beginning, since the first measurements, we support and continue to support your efforts to restore peace” in Syria, said Vladimir Putin.

The meeting between the two

men took place on the eve of the introduction by the West of a new draft resolution at the UN Security Council, threatening sanctions against the Syrian regime in Damascus.

Meanwhile, Syrian rebels fighting the regime troops in Damascus said Tuesday that the “battle for the liberation” of the capital had begun and that it would end after

the conquest of the city. “The battle for the liberation of Damascus began and fighting will not stop in the capital. We are going to win,” said Colonel Kassem Saadeddine, spokesman for the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

“We transferred the battle from the provinces to the capital. We have a clear plan to control all Damascus,” he added. “Expect some surprises,” he warned without elaborating.

Unemployment down by Muslim Aid AGM Elects 65,000 to 2.58 million New Executive Committee

The London Olympics has helped to create thousands of private sector jobs and cut the UK’s unemployment rate to a ninemonth low, official figures show.

Unemployment has fallen for the fourth month in a row, it was announced this morning, with more jobs being created - especially for over 65s. The unemployment rate is now 8.1 per cent, down by 0.2 per cent.

However long-term unemployment increased, with those out of work for more than two years up by 18,000 to 441,000 - the worst figure since 1997.

The number of people out of work for more than a year rose by 3,000 to 885,000, and there were just over a million unemployed 16 to 24-yearolds, down 10,000 on the three months to February.

The monthly figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that the total number of jobless fell by 65,000 to 2.58 million, the lowest level for almost a year, while the number of people in employment increased by 181,000 to just under 30 million, the highest level

for almost four years.

But those people claiming jobseeker’s allowance increased by 6,100 in June to 1.6 million, including more than 8,000 women, the highest figure for 17 years. The ONS said the increase among women was likely to have been affected by a change in eligibility rules for lone parent income support from May. Most age groups showed increases in employment, with a rise of 52,000 in over-65s in work to reach 929,000, the highest since records began in 1992.

Other figures showed that those classed as economically inactive, including people looking after a relative, on early retirement or who have given up looking for work, fell by 61,000 to 9.2 million, mainly due to a cut of 82,000 among students.

The biggest falls in unemployment, and increase in work, was in London, suggesting that the Olympic Games is having an impact on the figures.

The number of vacancies increased by 10,000 in the quarter to June to 471,000.

The Board of Trustees of Muslim Aid reviewed the performance of the Charity at its Annual General Meeting held in London on 14 July 2012. It welcomed the increase in the overall income of the Charity, including grants in kind, from the previous year. The Board also noted that Muslim Aid has built up a strong reserve of unrestricted funds to finance development projects worldwide tackling poverty and restoring human dignity.

The Board elected a new Executive Committee for a term of 2 years. The new Office Bearers are: Dr Manazir Ahsan MBE – Chairman, Dr Suhaib Hasan – Vice-Chairman, Mr AKM Abdussalam – Treasurer and Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari – Secretary, with Sir Iqbal Sacranie OBE, Mr S M T Wasti, Dr Jafer Qureshi, Mr Farooq Murad and Dr A M Katme making up the rest of the Executive Committee.

The newly-elected Chairman, Dr Ahsan said: “I am indeed humbled to have been given this enormous responsibility. As the Chairman of a premier British Muslim relief and development agency, I look forward to building upon the considerable past achievements of Muslim Aid toward its vision to create a world where charity and compassion produce justice, self reliance and human development. My sincere request to all our donors and supporters is to continue to be our strength in alleviating poverty and responding to emergencies.”

The Board of Trustees expressed their appreciation and gratitude to the outgoing Chairman, Sir Iqbal Sacranie, for his strong leadership, untiring efforts and invaluable contribution to the work of the Charity. Sir Iqbal has completed his two terms which is the maximum allowed under the Constitution.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 July 2012

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U.S. Navy Fires on Ship near Dubai, One Dead three wounded in the shooting

An American Navy ship fired on a boat in the Persian Gulf today, killing one person and injuring three others aboard the craft, U.S. naval officials told ABC News. Lt. Greg Raelson, a spokesperson for the Navy’s 5th Fleet, which is based in nearby Bahrain, said that a security team

emerge. A defense official described the offending vessel was a white pleasure craft, but two UAE officials told ABC News it was a fishing boat with four Indians and two Emiratis on board. The UAE’s official news agency identified an Indian fisherman as the man who was killed.

the same day that the Pentagon confirmed that it had agreed to a recent request from U.S. Central Command to maintain a two carrier presence in the Middle East.

The carrier U.S.S. John C. Stennis has been ordered to head to the region four months ahead of schedule in

region.

Tariq Ahmed al-Haidan, political affairs assistant to the UAE Foreign Minister, confirmed the number of dead and injured.

He said in a brief statement to the UAE’s official news agency WAM that all were Indian citizens, and

and powered by three outboard motors. It had no obvious military markings.

Mr Muniraj, who was shot on his right leg, said the US navy started firing at them after their boat crossed the USNS Rappahannock and was heading towards the shore.

aboard the oil supply ship U.S.N.S. Rappahannock fired a .50 caliber machine gun at a “small motor vessel after it disregarded warnings and rapidly approached the U.S. ship” off the coast of Jebel Ali, a city approximately 30 miles from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The Navy has launched a joint investigation with the UAE into the incident as details continue to

There doesn’t appear to be any indication the incident was terrorrelated, one of the UAE officials said.

A Navy official said it’s not uncommon for Iranian speed craft to harass U.S. ships in the region, but in this case the boat wasn’t Iranian.

“I can’t emphasize enough that this has nothing to do with Iran,” the official said.

Word of the shooting comes on

September to replace the outgoing U.S.S. Enterprise. A Pentagon spokesman said the Stennis is being sent so that there is no gap in between two carrier assignments to the region.

On Sunday, the U.S.S. Eisenhower replaced the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln in the region. By replacing the Enterprise, the U.S. will now be able to avoid having just one carrier in the

they were on board a fishing boat when they came under fire. Emirati authorities are investigating the incident, he added.

The white-hulled boat was inspected by dozens of police officers and other Emirati officials after the incident in a small Dubai harbor used by fishermen and recreational sailors.

The boat appeared to be a civilian vessel about 30 feet (9 meters) long

“We saw the boat from far,” said Mr Muniraj, “When we came close, we slowed down to let them pass to avoid any accidents.

Once we crossed them from behind, they started firing at us,” he said.

“Usually, we know alarms and sirens are sounded by ships. But there were no warnings,” he said.

He was on the boat with five other Indian fishermen and two Emiratis.

Sekar, whose full name and exact age is still not known, died immediately.

All six Indians belong to the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

“Sekar died as soon as the bullet hit him. The other two men received bullet wounds on their arms and legs.”

Mr Muniraj hoped that he would be able to walk again soon.

The US embassy in New Delhi has released a statement today saying: “The Embassy of the United States of America would like to convey its condolences to the families of the crew of a small motor vessel, which came under fire from the USNS Rappahannock on July 16, after the vessel disregarded non-lethal warnings and rapidly approached the US ship. We wish to inform you that the incident is under investigation.”

Indian ambassador, MK Lokesh, said his government’s main concern was the welfare of the injured men.

“We are in touch with the local authorities. We are monitoring the situation,” he said.

Staff from the Indian consulate met with the three victims and promised to assist them.

Bank of Israel Paper Profits of Billions as Dollar Nears NIS 4 Fischer is laughing all the way to the bank. Critics scoffed as he paid 3.3 shekels for a buck. Now a dollar costs almost 4 shekels.

Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer is laughing all the way to the bank. Critics condemned him two years ago for buying billions of dollars when one dollar was worth 3.3 shekels. Monday , the dollarshekel rate is almost NIS 3.99, the highest in more than three years.

Only last year, when the rate was 3.4 shekels, analysts were talking about its going lower, and exporters were whining that they were losing profits because of the lesser amount of shekels they received after converting dollars.

In a similar situation two years ago, analysts were predicting the shekel would strengthen to three to a dollar because of Israel’s robust

and stable economy.

Fischer stepped in and bought billions of dollars to keep the dollar-shekel rate from sinking.

The purchases had little immediate effect, and critics condemned Fischer for wasting money.

“The way that the Bank of Israel chose to intervene in the foreign

exchange market, at first by buying $25 million a day, was ridiculous,” wrote a columnist in Israel’s Globes business newspaper.

In October 2008, with speculators buying huge amounts of shekels on the assumption it would continue to strengthen, Fischer ordered the unprecedented purchase of more

than $1 billion in three days. The shekel-dollar rate barely budged.

Fast forward three years to July 16, 2012: With the dollar-shekel rate at almost NIS 3.99, Fischer is sitting on billions of dollars in paper profits and can sell off dollars at will if he wants to try to keep the rate from soaring past 4 shekels.

Factors working in favor of the dollar are the weaker Israeli economy, compared with two years ago, a drop in exports, and the smaller gap between interest rates in the United States and Israel. The Bank of Israel lowered the interest rate for this month by a quarter of one percent.

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EDITORIAL

Genocide in Myanmar

The Rohingya are a community of 800,000 living in the Arakan region of Burma. According to the United Nations, they are amongst the most persecuted minorities; and aside from occasional reporting, their plight, particularly in current days, remains poorly reported. The Muslim Rohingya people of Myanmar have long undergone systematic discrimination in a country with a bleak human rights record. However, the latest pogrom of violence and ethnic cleansing against the minority group has crossed even traditional bounds of cruelty.

The campaign against the extremely poor and defenceless Rohingyas at the hands of the Buddhist Rakhine majority, and with the tacit or direct support of the government, arrived at a particularly uncomfortable time for western countries. To offset uncontested Chinese economic influence in Myanmar, the US and its allies decided to change course. On July 11, the White House removed most of the sanctions it had imposed on the once-isolated country. It also lifted restrictions on direct US investments in Myanmar.

The successive friendly gestures towards a country that was, until recently, ruled by notorious military juntas, has been justified on the basis of Myanmar’s audacious leap towards democracy.

While the deadly targeting of the Rohingya people has evoked little international action — no emergency Security Council sessions have taken place so far — it also provided a rare, although disturbing moment of unity between various sectors of Myanmarese society. The pro-democracy groups and individuals that dazzled western media when they resisted the four-decade military rule of the junta are either vulgarly racist or remain tight-lipped about the devastating war on the Rohingyas. Writing in the ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ on July 8, Hanna Hindstrom reported that one pro-democracy group stated on Twitter that “[t]he so-called Rohingya are liars,” while another social media user said, “We must kill all the kalar”. Apart from expressing concerns, the National League for Democracy in Myanmar, Suu Kyi’s political party, has done very little, Scouring major Arab and Muslim media regarding the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingyas, I found very little worth noting.

On July 13, the Aljazeera Arabic website broke the silence, but only to publish an article summarising a ‘New York Times’ op-ed by Moshahida Sultana Ritu titled ‘Ethnic Cleansing in Myanmar’.

Official Muslim action has also been embarrassingly lacking.

Bashful statements finally culminated in a letter sent to Suu Kyi by the head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu urged “newly elected lawmakers

to convince the government to accept ‘an international inquiry into the recent violence,’” according to AFP — a strange request considering the economic leverage of Myanmar’s Muslim neighbours. They could easily apply direct pressure on the government to bring the pogrom to a halt. It is important to note that Muslim-majority countries like Bangladesh have shut its borders on Rohingya refugees.

Expectedly, with little or no efforts to end the massacres, the ethnic cleansing continues unabated. On July 12, Radio Free Europe reported on recent horrors: “Burmese helicopter set fire to three boats carrying nearly 50 Muslim Rohingyas fleeing sectarian violence in western Myanmar in an attack that is believed to have killed everyone on board.”

The tragic attitude of simply looking the other way must immediately change if human rights matter in the least.

Because of the Myanmar military regime’s denial of legal recognition, the Rohingya are denied fundamental human rights and freedom, and the military regime consistently perpetrates human rights violations against this vulnerable population.

The Rohingya are a dehumanized and persecuted minority in Myanmar. Many attempt to flee to Bangladesh or Malaysia in rickety boats, but are not accorded the rights of refugees in those countries. Some boat people drown.

Among the crimes against humanity the Myanmar military regime is committing against the Rohingya are: denial of citizenship, imprisonment in displaced persons camps, widespread murder of civilians, denial of the right to travel, denial of education rights for children, and denial of food and medicines.

Genocide Watch issued a Genocide Emergency Alert for the Rohingya of Myanmar. Genocide Watch recommends that: • The Myanmar Parliament should pass legislation that grants full citizenship to the Rohingya, with all rights of citizens of Myanmar, including the right to hold land titles, travel, and other rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; • Plan measures to dissolve Rohingya displaced persons’ camps with international assistance, especially from countries in Asean; • Myanmar authorities should cease human rights violations against the Rohingya; • Bangladesh should adhere to its obligations under the UN Convention on the Protection of Refugees, by accepting boats of Rohingya refugees, permitting them to settle in refugee camps until they can be repatriated with full citizenship rights in Myanmar.

South Asia Tribune celebrates its first anniversary “We are proud to celebrate this significant milestone”

When we started we called it A New Era of Exhilarating-AccurateInformative South Asia tribune.

When our First issue printed we welcomed our readers to the exciting new Concept.

We aimed to bring harmony friendship, understanding and cooperation between neighbors in South Asia. No one can judge South Asia Tribune but you, yes “you” as reader .During last one year we were bringing many exclusive stories and we were touching many issues which many try not to. As we assured our readers that we completely condemn all forms of terrorism in any name or ideology which seeks divide and to destroy humanity. We are friends on each border of the region, and we should think about uniting so that we

can strengthen each other, because only through unity can we all prosper and grow as a community of nations in a free and fairer world. We do not need nuclear weapons or a balance of power with the thought of destruction at any moment, rather we should live to appreciate tolerance, both religious and political. Through this we will all be an independent and united South Asia, like the European Union.

We still believe and assure our readers that we are determined under the banner of South Asia to being accurate and providing true stories, keeping journalism code of ethics and morals intact. We will endeavor to keep to this simple and clear path so South Asians in Europe will always regard our newspaper as their own.

Welcome again . Thanks a lot for your tremendous support and co operation.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 July 2012

Iran has established contact with Syrian opposition: Salehi Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says that Iran has already established contact with a large segment of the Syrian opposition.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has already been in contact with a large segment of the Syrian opposition and has held consultations (with them).

Now, we are also ready to facilitate talks between the opposition and the Syrian government,” Salehi said in Tehran on Monday.

“Regional countries and those interested in regional peace should always work hand in hand to find a way out of the crisis… in order to ensure that the final outcome will be to the benefit of the Syrian people, the region, and the international community,” he added.

On Sunday, Salehi announced that Iran is ready to host negotiations between the Syrian government and the country’s opposition, saying, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to hold a meeting with the Syrian opposition and invite them to Iran, and we are ready to pave the way for negotiations between the opposition and the Syrian government.”

He added, “We believe that the Syrian issue should be resolved through a Syrian-Syrian solution, and nothing, no rule, and no government should be imposed (on Syria) from outside.”

Commenting on the efforts to defuse the crisis made by Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League joint special envoy on Syria, Salehi said, “We have announced that we support all efforts by Kofi Annan.”

He added, “So far, Mr. Kofi Annan has impartially and fairly dealt with the issue, and this has caused certain regional countries to express concern over this fact, which is regrettable.

“However, the realities are coming to light, and, seemingly, it can be generally said that there are great hopes for a way out of the Syrian crisis.”

Salehi also said, “We are in extensive talks with Kofi Annan. Kofi Annan has presented good proposals, including the six-point plan and an additional proposal meant to reinforce it.”

Annan has put forward a sixpoint plan for ending the crisis in Syria, which calls for a UNsupervised ceasefire by all parties, the withdrawal of soldiers and heavy weapons from cities, and the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

In addition, the former secretary general of the United Nations reached an agreement on a “new approach” to help end the violence across the country during his meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on July 9.

Salehi added, “The Syrian issue is a very sensitive one, and, God forbid, if no proper measure is taken in regard to Syria, the entire region will fall into disarray.”

He also expressed hope that effective steps would be taken to help improve the situation in Syria through cooperation between the United Nations, Iran, and certain other regional countries.

Terror suspects ‘waived through’ UK airport ahead of Olympics

Eight terror suspects have entered Britain ahead of the Olympic Games after security lapses by inexperienced immigration staff allowed them into the country.

According to The Sun, all the terror suspects, including five who are said to have arrived on one day, are on the official terror watch list, but were reportedly ‘waived through’ checks at Heathrow. ‘’Once they are in, you have no idea where they might be going,’’ a UK

Borders source warned.

Senior Tory MP Patrick Mercer has demanded that Home Secretary Theresa May launched an urgent inquiry into the security lapses. ‘’The Home Office must tell us what’s being done to detain these people,’’ he added. It has been alleged that some immigration staff at the airport have undergone just a day’s training instead of the usual six weeks, but officials insisted that all the staff are ‘fully trained’.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 July 2012

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‘IT’S A NIGHTMARE’

Terror Suspects On Watch List Let Through Heathrow Passport Control Without Being Quizzed, Claims Border Control Officer Theresa May ‘was told 10 months ago of Olympics G4S failings’ Olympic security: Games will be safe despite G4S shambles, insists London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe Sebastian Coe has insisted that Olympic security will not be compromised despite the shambles surrounding contractor G4S and their failure to provide sufficient guards to man security gates.

Police watchdog raised issues over security firm, concerns echoed by ExCeL Games venue report Independent.

Theresa May was last night under pressure to explain whether she could have averted the Olympics security fiasco as it emerged that the Home Office was warned 10 months ago that there were problems with the ability of G4S to provide security for the Games.

A confidential report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary was presented to Home Office ministers in September 2011, which should have raised alarm bells about the readiness of G4S. The report by the police watchdog into Olympics security preparedness – which has never been published – raised serious issues over G4S last year, The Independent on Sunday understands. It is not known whether the Home Secretary personally saw the report or whether it only went across the desk of James Brokenshire, her junior minister. But given Mrs May’s ultimate responsibility for policing and security during London 2012, she will be under pressure to explain why the crisis came to a head little more than two weeks before the opening ceremony.

The Home Secretary told the Commons last Thursday that the shortfall in guards which G4S could provide became clear only the day before, when the Government announced it was deploying 3,500 troops to cover the shortage.

In her statement, Mrs May said: “We were receiving reassurances from G4S until very recently, and the absolute gap in numbers was crystallised finally only yesterday.”

Opponents point out the Home

Secretary’s careful choice of words could mean she was aware some time ago there was a general shortfall – raising questions over why it was left so late in the day to act.

In another development, ExCeL, the largest competition venue at the Games, last night revealed it had been raising concerns with Locog, the London 2012 organisers, about the handling of security by G4S for several months.

Lord King, the former Conservative defence secretary and a director of the ExCeL exhibition centre in east London, said that doubts about G4S’s security plans had been “an ongoing saga for some time”.

Last night, former Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, who headed security planning for the Olympics, said the problems were “predictable”. “I just couldn’t understand, when I was planning for it, how you could give such a contract to one company. Venues like Wembley already have their own security, and it is just logical to give it

to those who are doing it day in and day out.” He said he also fought against the responsibility for operational planning going to the Home Office. “I was pushing for it to

be kept in the Met. They already plan 3,000 to 4,000 events a year.”

As the row over Olympics security escalated, the IoS can also reveal: * An insider said the root cause of the problem with G4S was its internal computer system which had failed to calculate staff rostering. * David Cameron will convene a regular Olympics Cabinet from tomorrow to run throughout the Games, acting as the Government’s crisis committee. London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, will also attend. * G4S won the security contract with

Locog after submitting a tender at least 25 per cent lower than any other, which would have been hugely attractive to a British Olympic movement paranoid about going over budget.

Nick Buckles, the G4S chief executive, apologised directly to troops yesterday as he revealed that the firm faces a penalty of up to £20m for failing to deliver on its £284m contract, as well as paying the Ministry of Defence for providing the troops, meaning the total loss will be up to £50m.

Three months after the critical HMIC report was handed to the Home Office last September, G4S’s contract to provide 2,000 staff increased to 10,400 personnel. It is not known whether the December increase was as a direct result of the police report, but 2012 insiders said that the leap in numbers should have forced the Home Secretary to keep a closer eye on G4S. A senior source involved in organising the Games said concerns were circulating before the report was published. “For 18 months, there has been a worry about there being enough people,” he said. “I am surprised that senior people at the Home Office didn’t ask these questions.”

Inexperienced UK border staff ‘let in three terror suspects’ Terror suspects are entering the UK ahead of the Olympics because

inexperienced border staff are failing to carry out the proper security checks, frontline Heathrow officials have claimed.

The new staff, who have been recruited to shorten queues at Britain’s largest airport in the run up to the Games, are repeatedly “missing” passengers on the Home Office watch list who should be referred to counter-terrorism officers when they reach passport control, a senior border officer told the Observer.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the UK Border Agency official claimed three terror suspects had been waved through by staff on his shifts since the start of July.

All were registered on the Home Office suspect index system.

Another employee alleged that staff had missed five suspects in just one day earlier this month.

The senior official told the newspaper: “The missing of counterterrorism ‘hits’ is a huge thing, but new recruits are not getting enough time to be taught.

“It is vital these people do not get in without being noted and that the information is passed to the police or security services. Once they’re in, you’ve no idea where they might be going.”

Border officials are instructed immediately to alert counterterrorism police or MI5 if they suspect an “SX traveller” is attempting to enter the UK. But a large number of Home Office officials have been drafted in from different departments to help cope with border staffing shortages before the Olympics.

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 July 2012

“Every Palestinian child is a potential terrorist”

A delegation of nine eminent English lawyers, led by Sir Stephen Sadley, former judge of the highest court, concluded that undisputed facts showed that at least six times Israel violated the UN convention on the rights of children.

In addition, the group that included former Attorney General of the United Kingdom, Lady Scotland, found a breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention on the transfer of Palestinian children arrested in the West Bank to Israel.

These findings are in the report “Children in Military Custody,” based on observations taken on a visit to Israel and the West Bank in September.

The report compares the military justice system in the West Bank with the civil justice system in Israel. The differences between the treatment of Israeli and Palestinian children are shocking.

While imprisoned Israeli children are brought before a judge in the space of 48 hours, the term for Palestinians is eight days; 48 hours after Israeli children are imprisoned they can already have a lawyer. The Palestinians will wait 90 days.

Time to be detained without charge: 40 days for Israeli children and 188 days for the Palestinians. The minimum age for Israeli children being sentenced to prison is 14

years of age. Palestinian children can be sentenced to imprisonment from 12 years of age.

There is obvious discrimination. It is particularly sad that it is being imposed by a people who were discriminated against in Europe

military interrogation center.

Most of them suffered physical and / or verbal abuse and were not informed of their rights to a lawyer and to not answer questions.

Sometimes, they were confined in solitary confinement and forced

of the Child, to which Israel is a signatory.

The English lawyers joined the United Nations against Israel for committing this crime. One of those lawyers, Marianna Hildyard, told The Guardian that “Israel

for centuries. The British lawyers met with authorities of the Israeli government, lawyers, members of NGOs and UN agencies. They interviewed many former child prisoners and soldiers.

They visited military tribunals and the prison of Ofer, near Jerusalem, which often shelters arrested imprisoned children.

The report reveals that Palestinian children were arrested by soldiers at home during the night. They were blindfolded and their wrists were tied. They were then transported, face on the floor of the vehicle, to a

to sign statements in Hebrew that they did not understand. Once in custody, the children had limited access to education and very restricted access to their families.

According to the report: “Each year hundreds of Palestinian children are traumatized, sometimes irreversibly ... and live under constant risk of the harshest punishments in case of being arrested and taken prisoner again.”

Keeping a child confined in solitary confinement for long periods of time is considered torture by the Convention on the Rights

says it is a state committed to law and international principles. To give authenticity to this statement, they need to offer all Palestinian children legal support under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and international law. Urgent measures must be taken to close the gap between the treatment of Israeli children and Palestinian children.”

The report “Children in Military

Oxford sets tests to weed out candidates IT IS one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.

And now demand at Oxford University has outstripped the number of places to such an extent that more than fourfifths of candidates are being asked to sit extra aptitude tests in order to get in.

The university’s undergraduate admissions director Mike Nicholson said “significant” increases in applications have meant the institution has to use additional measures besides looking at exam results to identify the best candidates.

He said that the institution is using the tests as a “sifting process” to give

tutors additional information before deciding who to interview for places.

As a result, during the coming year, around 85 per cent of applicants will take “some form of aptitude test”, he said, which are used by 70 per cent of subjects offered by Oxford.

This has gone up from just under twothirds of candidates, between 60 per cent and 65 per cent, three years ago, and could rise further.

“It’s predominantly been driven by the significant increase in applications that we’ve seen in the last five years,” Mr Nicholson said.

In a subject such as economics and management, there are now around

1,300 applicants for 96 or 97 places, whereas ten years ago there were half as many applications for the same number of places. He said the tests are used to help compare candidates from different countries.

“Part of the value of the tests for our tutors is that it benchmarks the candidates against each other within a discipline, so we’re not having to try and make up complicated algorithms to offset what the German Abitur is against US SATs against the International Baccalaureate.”

Mr Nicholson admitted Oxford is not able to interview every applicant, with around 65 per cent being offered one – about 24,000 interviews in total.

The tests are tailored to different subjects to check relevant skills.

While medicine has been using them for almost a decade to get a shortlist of around 425 candidates for about 150 places, other subjects such as English, humanities and science are now using them too.

Custody” concludes by making 40 recommendations to radically change the treatment of Palestinian children by Israel.

Referring to a recent report on the question of the NGO “Save the Children,” the lawyer, Greg Davies, who wrote it said, “When you think of the trauma caused by being taken in the middle of the night and thrown into prison without anyone knowing where you are, it would be very difficult for a child not to suffer psychological damage.”

Davies said that although members of his NGO had been in court a few hours, they watched the arrival of a Palestinian child chained by the feet. “What’s amazing is that they (Israeli authorities) knew that we would be there that day.”

Apparently the Israelis find their brutal treatment of Palestinian children legitimate .

As an Israeli military prosecutor observed to a group of lawyers: “Every Palestinian child is a potential terrorist.”

It was more or less what the Nazis claimed when criticized for removing Jewish children at places like Dachau or Auschwitz.

Putin to Meet With Annan in Moscow Over Syrian Conflict

President Vladimir Putin will meet Tuesday with UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan to discuss the bloody violence that continues to rage in Syria, the Kremlin press service announced Sunday.

Over the course of the meeting, Putin plans to reaffirm Russia’s support for Annan’s plan to peacefully resolve the armed uprising against unpopular President Bashar Assad, the Kremlin said in a statement.

“The Russian side believes that this [Annan’s] plan is the only viable platform for solving Syria’s internal problems,” the statement read.

Russia is viewed by UN and Arab League members as a potential ally capable of applying pressure on Assad, though so far Russia has

resisted, openly continuing fuel and arms deliveries to its longtime Middle Eastern partner.

Moscow, together with fellow veto wielder China, has stubbornly prevented UN Security Council sanctions against Syria, where the UN estimates more than 10,000 people have been killed since clashes between government and rebel troops erupted in March 2011. Annan’s official visit to Russia, which begins on Monday, comes just a few days after activists said troops loyal to Assad had killed 200 inhabitants in the western village of Turaymisah on Thursday.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry responded Sunday by saying that only 37 had died in the clashes. The Moscow Times

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 July 2012

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NEWS

Iran to close Strait of Hormuz if its security is threatened, warns naval chief

Naval commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, says Iran can stop even ‘a single drop of oil’ passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran could prevent even “a single drop of oil” passing through the Strait of Hormuz if its security is threatened, a naval chief said on Saturday, as tensions simmer over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Tehran will increase its military presence in international waters, said Ali Fadavi, naval commander in Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

“If they (the U.S.) do not obey international laws and the IRGC’s warnings, it will have very bad consequences for them,” Fadavi said, according to Iran’s Fars News Agency.

“The IRGC’s naval forces have had the ability since the (Iran-Iraq) war to completely control the Strait of Hormuz and not allow even a single

drop of oil to pass through.”

Fadavi added: “IRGC special naval forces are present on all of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ships in the Indian Ocean and to its east and west, to prevent any movement.

“This IRGC naval force presence in international waters will increase.”

Iran’s Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said his office has drawn up plans to make newly tightened sanctions against the Islamic Republic ineffective.

His remarks, carried by ministry website shana.ir on Saturday, did not elaborate on the plans. Qasemi’s comments come two weeks after an EU oil embargo went into effect against Iran for its refusal to halt its uranium enrichment program.

from Iran. Insurances are vital for sea transportation. Without insurance, tankers are unable to deliver oil from one destination to another.

The decision of an Indian company means a serious blow to the effectiveness of the US sanctions against Iran in a bid to crank up the pressure over the country’s nuclear activities. The sanctions target companies accused of breaching a European ban on buying oil from Tehran.

very dangerous game that is almost daring somebody to strike first,” the professor believes.

‘Mrs. Clinton should better promote peace instead of war’ A naval clash in the Persian Gulf region is very real, DeGennaro told RT, because military communications do not often go as they are expected to.

“The Iranian military is organized a bit differently than the American military. They can get orders not

Simultaneously, to give their sanctions policies some military support, the US is sending fourth air carrier to the Persian Gulf region.

It has also been announced that America deploys underwater drones to deal with sea mines Iran might plant in the Strait of Hormuz to block the vital route.

“The more warships the US moves [to the region], the more threatened Iran is going to feel and there is more chance of triggering some kind of mistake,” explains Patricia

normally understood… within a context of a country being threatened.”

“We should do more negotiations and more diplomacy,” the professor concluded. “I’d like to see Mrs. [Hillary] Clinton lead the State Department as Secretary of State instead of really promoting more war in the region.”

Western intelligence claims Iran might be just a year away from building a nuclear weapon, while Tehran denies allegations of

The deployment of dozens of small, unmanned submarine-like watercraft was confirmed by the Los Angeles Times this week, which cites military officials speaking on condition of anonymity.

This particular type of craft, unmanned SeaFox submersible, are reported to be sent to the Gulf so that the US military can detect and destroy any mines that may be planted in the waterway by Iranian officials if they escalate efforts to block the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important

DeGennaro, professor of politics at New York University.

She says the act of sending more warships to the region is a dangerous game of “dare”.

“I don’t know what they are going to achieve by putting more warships in the region. This is a very bad move.

Maybe they are trying to make Israel feel safer, but in fact again that is a

developing nuclear power for military use. This confrontation need to be resolved given neither side wants to lose face, which means negotiations in the first place, believes Patricia DeGennaro.

“Let’s sit down and talk before we start pointing weapons at each other, which should really facilitate a really large scale conflict in the region.”

narrow stretch of water that exists as an immensely important conduit for any resources being moved in or out of the Middle East.

The Times says that the subs, at only 4 feet long and fewer than 100 pounds apiece, can move at speeds up to six knots at depths of 300 feet. The price-tag is reported to be $100,000 each, which includes an intricate

War in August? US sends fourth aircraft carrier and dozens of underwater drones towards Iran The US Navy has unexpectedly dispatched a fourth aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf, along with a fleet of underwater drones in what is being considered just the latest move in a series of escalations leading towards a potential war with Iran.

Dangerous game: ‘US almost daring Tehran to strike first’ With sanctions against Iran gradually showing their ineffectiveness, Washington is escalating the situation in the Persian Gulf, as if encouraging Tehran to attack first, a US politics professor told RT. ¬Amid pressure mounting on Tehran, a major Indian company, United India Insurance Co., has agreed to provide insurance for tankers carrying oil

waterproof television camera and a homing sonar system. The US rushordered a shipment in May in a deal with Germany under the direct of Marine Gen. James Mattis, the top US commander in the Middle East. It is reported that a fleet of SeaFox subs were deployed overseas several weeks back, but has only been confirmed now.

The United States has already sent three massive aircraft carriers to the waterways outside of Iran, including the USS Enterprise, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the USS Abraham Lincoln, and will now add the USS John C Stennis to that fleet in August. Unlike these behemoth ships equipped with billions worth of weaponry and service personnel, America’s other new addition to the battlefront is invisible to those on land and can be controlled from anywhere in the world.

“In the Cold War, minesweeping

warfare was a large part of what the Navy did, but we have lost a lot of our minesweeping capability,” Christopher Harmer, a senior analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, tells the Times. “The SeaFox is a relatively simple, off-the-shelf system that we can put off our minesweepers but also any surface ship.”

Harmer adds to the paper that although Iran has the capabilities of coming through with its threats of closing the strait, the latest addition to the United States Navy would make sure a blockade wouldn’t last long.

“If they wanted to close the Strait of Hormuz, they could do it, but they would only be able to do it one time,” he says.

The new fleet of SeaFox subs will accompany two massive aircraft carriers and a collection of F-22 fighter jets that America has already sent towards Iran. When the United States upped its presence in Persian Gulf earlier this year, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters, “We want them to know that we are fully prepared to deal with any contingency and it’s better for them to try to deal with us through diplomacy.”

NEWS

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 July 2012

Obama birth certificate is fake: Ariz. Sheriff

Barack Obama’s birth certificate is ‘definitely fraudulent’, claims Sheriff Joe Arpaio after fresh investigation into disputed document Investigators for an Arizona sheriff’s volunteer posse have declared that President Barack Obama’s birth certificate is definitely fraudulent.

Members of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s posse said in March that there was probable cause that Obama’s long-form birth certificate released by the White House in April 2011 was a computer-generated forgery.

Now, Arpaio says investigators are positive it’s fraudulent.

Mike Zullo, the posse’s chief investigator, said numeric codes on certain parts of the birth certificate indicate that those parts weren’t filled out, yet those sections asking for the race of Obama’s father and his field of work or study were completed.

Zullo said investigators previously didn’t know the meaning of codes but

listen in on an interview he conducted of the former state worker.

The Obama campaign declined to comment on Arpaio’s allegations.

The Arizona Democratic Party said in a statement that Arpaio’s investigation is intended to draw attention away from problems within his own agency, such as hundreds of sex-crime cases that the sheriff’s office failed to adequately investigate over a three-year period.

So-called “birthers” maintain Obama is ineligible to be president because, they contend, he was born in Kenya.

Hawaii officials have repeatedly confirmed Obama’s citizenship, and state officials did again Tuesday.

“President Obama was born in Honolulu and his birth certificate is valid,” Joshua A. Wisch, a special assistant to Hawaii’s attorney general, said in a statement.

“Regarding the latest allegations

from a sheriff in Arizona, they are untrue, misinformed, and misconstrue Hawaii law.”

Wisch also said that “not only are Hawaii’s vital records some of the best managed, but they also have some of the strongest restrictions on access to prevent identity theft and fraud.”

Obama released a copy of his longform birth certificate in an attempt to quell citizenship questions.

Courts have rebuffed lawsuits over the issue.

Response from Hawaii officials In response to the news conference and press release from earlier today in Arizona regarding President Obama’s birth, please see the statement below.

The State of Hawaii has repeatedly confirmed the indisputable evidence of President Obama’s birth in Hawaii.

An exhaustive accounting of this is provided on the State Department of Health (DOH) website (http:// hawaii.gov/health/vital-records/ obama.html). When this issue last arose in May, the Washington Post noted that “the Hawaii Department of Health has released both the short and long forms of the president’s birth certificate; and that all this information, along with clear-as-abell explanations, is available to the public online.”

they were explained by a 95-year-old former state worker who signed the president’s birth certificate. Zullo said a writer who published a book about Obama’s birth certificate and was aiding investigators let them

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Thursday, 19.07.12

Taliban bomb Destroyed 22 NATO Supply Trucks In Afghanistan The Taliban said they detonated a bomb on a fuel tanker Wednesday and then opened fire on other Nato supply trucks in a morning attack that destroyed 22 vehicles loaded with fuel and other goods for US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan.

In western Afghanistan, a Nato helicopter crashed, injuring two troops serving with the US-led military coalition, Nato said.

The helicopter went down early Wednesday at an undisclosed location in the relatively peaceful west. No other information has been released about the crash, which is under investigation.

The Taliban said they attacked Nato supply trucks parked overnight in Samangan province in the north. ”We put explosives on a fuel tanker. When it exploded, we fired on the trucks,” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press in a telephone call.

Sidiq Azizi, a spokesman for the province, said many tankers and semi-trailers caught fire after the bomb went off around 2 a.m.

By mid-day, heavy black smoke still poured from the Rabatak area of the province where the truckers had stopped to rest. Firefighters were spraying water on the burning vehicles. ”There was a big boom,” Azizi said. ”It’s possible that is was a magnetic bomb from insurgents.

We are investigating.” ”I counted 20 fuel tankers burning. There is still a very big fire,” said Azizi, who was at the scene. ”The weather is very hot and it’s hard to get close to the fire.”

The tankers in the convoy were transporting fuel south toward the Afghan capital, Kabul, from neighboring Uzbekistan to the north.

Earlier this week, three Nato supply trucks were destroyed by militants in Sayd Abad district of Wardak province in

eastern Afghanistan. Convoy traffic in the east has gotten heavier since Pakistan reopened its border crossings about two weeks ago.

Islamabad blocked Nato supply trucks for seven months in retaliation for US airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

Separately, Nato reported that two coalition troops have been killed, one Tuesday during an insurgent attack in the south and another on Wednesday in a roadside bombing in the east. The troops’ nationalities have not yet been released.

So far this year, 239 coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan, including at least 172 Americans.

Meanwhile A NATO helicopter crashed Wednesday in western Afghanistan, injuring two troops serving with the U.S.-led military coalition, NATO said.

No other information was disclosed about the crash in the relatively peaceful west. The crash is under investigation.

David Cameron arrives Violence in Karachi: 12 more lives gunned in Afghanistan down death toll rises to 122 in July

British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived in Afghanistan on Wednesday, Afghan officials said. Cameron flew into the southern city of Lashkar Gar, capital of Helmand province, where British forces are based.

“He met with provincial officials including the police chief and acting governor,” provincial police spokesman Farid Ahmad Farhang told AFP. They discussed the transition of security responsibilities as Britain, and its Nato allies, prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, he said.

Cameron is expected to meet

Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul during his visit. Britain Continued on page 10 >>

The menace of targeted killings and violence remained relentless in Karachi as it took 12 more lives and injured as many on Wednesday, News report .

At least two people were injured in a bomb blast in Buffer Zone locality in the evening. The injured were being shifted to a nearby hospital.

The law enforcing agencies also came under attack as unidentified miscreants attacked police in Pak Colony, killing one official.

Two people were reported to be injured by sporadic firing in

Gulbahar. One was killed and two got injured amid firing at a sweet’s

shop in Mominabad area.

Continued on page 24 >>

SAARC

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Saarc international I Thursday 19 July 2012

Per capita income up to $600: Karzai

President Hamid Karzai has said Afghanistan has strengthened from ever before as per capita income increased to $600 this year from $180 a decade ago.

Addressing passing out ceremony in police academy here on Tuesday, the president said that the country was on path to progress and it would be one of the strong countries of the region after the next 10 or 15 years.

About 550 police officers graduated from the police academy.

The Afghan government supported peace and wanted peace and those supporting suicide and other attacks must know that their act was unpardonable, he warned.

“We do not afraid of attacks being

carried out by the terrorists and their supporters. The defenders of this soil, especially the youths, are ready for sacrifice and it is the main reason that we do not afraid,” he said.

He continued, “Those involved in anti-government activities, conduct attacks especially suicide attacks, either they conduct by own or on behalf of others, should not think that they would be pardoned rather every person they have killed is in our memory and would never be forgotten.”

The president said the killers of Afghans would be questioned by Afghans in this world and would be answerable to Allah in Hereafter.

He advised the newly graduated police officers to discharge their

responsibilities above political and party affiliation as they were apolitical people.

Afghanistan has strengthened as the per capita income which was $180 10 years ago has risen

to $600 this year, the Afghan president said.

“Ignore today and focus on the future. The future is ours and Afghanistan will be an exemplary country on the regional level in the

next few years. Try to reach top posts but only through knowledge and abilities,” Karzai advised the newly graduated officers.

He disclosed that British prime minister would visit Afghanistan in the next few days and an agreement would be signed with UK on training of Afghan police.

He said the Afghan security forces are ready to ensure security for their own country after NATO-led forces hand over security charge to Afghan side by the end of 2014.

“I am convinced and the Afghan people are confident that our National Security Forces would ensure security for this country when the handover of security is completed two years later,” Karzai said in his speech.

Iran urges intl. organizations to investigate killings in Myanmar

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast on Monday called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other international organizations to investigate the massacre of Muslims in Myanmar.

“Respecting followers of religions and preparing the ground in such a way that religious and ethnic minorities would be able to use their civil rights is an accepted principle in all schools of thought, and it is expected that the government of Myanmar will pave the way for national unity and cohesion and (the upholding of) Muslims’ rights in the country and help prevent any use of force and humanitarian disaster,” Mehmanparast stated.

In addition, during his regular press briefing on Tuesday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said, “Unfortunately, unpleasant incidents are taking place in Myanmar that have led to the killing of a number of Muslims. The Foreign Ministry seriously advises the government of Myanmar to respect the rights of the minorities.”

According to unofficial reports, more than 20,000 Muslims have been killed, tortured, and displaced by the extremist Buddhists in Burma’s Rakhine province, the worst sectarian killing in this part of the world over the years, the Pakistan Observer reported on July 13.

Opinion: The tragedy of Burmese Muslims General Aung San, father of modern Burma, envisioned a more open nation with respect for differences.

Aung San, head of the Burma Independence Army and father of Aung San Suu Kyi, managed to maneuver the British into agreeing to Burmese independence, but he and much of his

cabinet were murdered in 1947 in a coup d’état before independence.

Aung San was reaching out to Burmese minorities to grant them minority rights, satisfying many but not all. For example, the Karens, with a sizeable Christian (Methodist) minority, undertook an armed revolt.

However, with the coup all recognition of minority rights was off, and many armed revolts erupted.

Roughly a third of the Burmese population is made up of a large number of ethnic minorities. Muslim Rohingyas make up around 4% of the population.

Unlike other minority groups, they are not seen as Burmese citizens but as illegal immigrants. This is in spite of a very long history of Muslims in the Rakhine (Arakan) sector of what is now Burma (or Myanmar).

Burma’s first Prime Minister, U Nu, was responsible for making Buddhism the state religion. He was overthrown in 1962 by General Ne Win, who expelled Muslims from the army.

Turning to more recent times, Burma was the scene of an anti-Muslim riot in reaction to the Taliban destruction of the world-famous Buddha sculptures in Afghanistan.

Bigotry begets bigotry. Another riot occurred because of damage by unknown persons to a statue of

Buddha in Mandalay.

The most recent major outburst against the Rohingyas specifically began in June of last year. It started in reaction to the rape and murder of a Rakhine (Arakan) Buddhist woman by three Muslim men.

Ten Muslims were hauled off a bus and killed by a Buddhist mob and Burmese troops.

Following this atrocity, there have been killings and property destruction on the part of both Buddhist and Muslim mobs, with people of good will on both sides condemning the mayhem.

Homes and businesses have been destroyed.

Muslims have been tortured, raped, and murdered.

Displaced Rohingyas have been placed in concentration camps. Aid workers warn of malnutrition, if not starvation.

Buddhist monks have blocked food transports, and aid workers have been driven out and arrested.

Looking at the situation from a longer perspective, since 1978, Amnesty International reported on the Rohingya situation: “The Rohingyas’ freedom of movement is severely restricted and the vast majority of them have effectively been denied Burma citizenship. They are also subjected to various forms of extortion and arbitrary taxation; land

confiscation; forced eviction and house destruction; and financial restrictions on marriage. Rohingyas continue to be used as forced labourers on roads and at military camps, although the amount of forced labour in northern Rakhine State has decreased over the last decade.

“In 1978 over 200,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh, following the ‘Nagamin’ (‘Dragon King’) operation of the Myanmar army. Officially this campaign aimed at ‘scrutinising each individual living in the state, designating citizens and foreigners in accordance with the law and taking action against foreigners who had filtered into the country illegally.’ This military campaign directly targeted civilians, and resulted in widespread killings, rape and destruction of mosques and further religious persecution.

“During 1991-92 a new wave of over a quarter of a million Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh. They reported widespread forced labour, as well as summary executions, torture, and

rape.”

Over the years, Rohingyas have fled to neighbouring countries, some to Bangladesh which borders with their section of Burma, some to Thailand.

Neither country is receptive.

Bangladesh is negotiating with Burma to return Rohingyas. There have been instances where boats of Rohingyas reaching Thailand have been towed out to sea and allowed to sink.

Faisal, the late Saudi King, welcomed Rohingya refugees, but with his passing the attitude has shifted. Syed Neaz Ahmad, a British academic who found himself in a Saudi prison for some unknown reason, reported in an article in the Guardian in 2009 that some 3000 Rohingya families were in Saudi prisons awaiting deportation.

At the time, it was unclear who would accept them.

Who will help the desperate Rohingyas? Who will demand that the new “reformist” government of Burma allow aid workers back into the camps, give Rohingyas citizenship, and protect their rights?

David Cameron arrives in Afghanistan

Continued from page 9 >> has around 9,500 troops in Afghanistan, making it the secondlargest contributor to the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force after the United States.

London has previously announced plans for most of its troops to be withdrawn by the end of 2014, with 500 coming home by the end of 2012 and the rest gradually withdrawn over 2013 and 2014.

The Sun newspaper reported this week that ministers including finance minister George Osborne want a

faster withdrawal, believing that completing the pull-out it by the end of 2013 could save the government #3 billion ($4.7 billion).

Military chiefs reportedly oppose the move, saying it would risk hard-won gains.

Cameron’s spokesman said on Tuesday that no decisions had been taken on the timing yet but that the drawdown would be “steady and measured” and discussed in coming months.

The timing will also be discussed with Britain’s ISAF allies, the spokesman said.

Saarc international I Thursday 19 July 2012

SAARC

11

WEEKLY REVIEW OF AFGHANISTAN NEWS

US troops to stay in Afghanistan till 2024: envoy Ryan Crocker, the outgoing US ambassador in Afghanistan, gestures an interview with the Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan

A US plan to keep some combat troops and an effective air power in Afghanistan is having a positive impact not only on the internal situation but also Kabul’s neighbours, says a senior US diplomat. According to the plan, outlined recently in the US media, American troops will stay in Afghanistan until 2024 as Washington will not allow the Taliban to take over that country.

Financial Times reported in April 2012 that the US forces will stay in Afghanistan until 2024 under a deal aimed at reassuring the Afghan public, regional powers and insurgents that Washington will not abandon Kabul after most foreign troops withdraw. The agreement was finalised on Sunday after months of fraught negotiations dogged by disputes between Hamid Karzai,

the president, and US officials over night raids on insurgents and control of military prisons.

The Obama administration’s new Afghan policy, although already reported by various media outlets, has now also been confirmed by the outgoing US ambassador to Kabul, Ryan Crocker In April 2012 Ryan Crocker, the

US ambassador, referring to the Afghan team said that “I have been involved in many international negotiations. I can say without doubt, I have never encountered a tougher negotiator,” said Mr Karzai and Barack Obama, the US president, are due to sign the document at a Nato summit in Chicago next month.

Recently two separate interviews to the US media this week; Mr Crocker made it clear that the American military — including some combat troops — will stay in Afghanistan for at least 10 years after the expected US withdrawal in 2014.

Reports in the US media say the troops will include Special Forces soldiers and an effective air power to contain the rebels.

In his interview to Wall Street Journal, Mr Crocker said the new plan was also acceptable to Pakistan, which recently allowed two Taliban representatives to travel to Japan to attend a June 28 international conference on Afghanistan.

Asked whether he thought the meeting represented a step for Afghan-to-Afghan reconciliation, Mr Crocker said: “There’s definitely

smoke — and some fire.”

He noted that the Kyoto meeting may have had some tacit support from Pakistan, where much of the top Taliban leadership is based.

Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, he said, was likely keeping tabs on insurgents and their travels. “They had to get out of Pakistan to get there,” Mr Crocker said. “My guess is that the ISI said, ‘OK’.”

The US diplomat gave two reasons for this change in the ISI’s and Taliban’s attitude: One, Pakistan is increasingly feeling the ‘blowback’ of terrorism, two, the US plan to stay in Afghanistan at least up to 2024.

The US plan, he argued, had made it abundantly clear that Washington would not accept a Taliban takeover in Kabul.

Concerns over schismatic 1800 Afghan security forces killed in past three months campaigns on 2012 Peace Awards

At least 1800 Afghan national security forces were killed during the past three months, former Afghan intelligence (National Directorate for Security) chief Amrullah said.

Amrullah Saleh following an interview with Tolo News said at least 4000 Afghan national security forces were also injured during the past three months.

He said the increase in militants attacks is the main reason behind Afghan security forces growing casualties during the recent months.

In the meantime a spokesman

for Afghan presidential palace Aimal Faizi confirmed the growing casualties of Afghan national security forces however he denied that 1800 Afghan national security forces were killed during the past three months.

This comes as Afghan president Hamid Karzai recently following a session in Afghan house of representatives said at least 20 Afghan security forces are being killed in every 24 hours across the country.

Afghan presidential palace spokesman Aimal Faizi expressed

concerns regarding the growing casualties of Afghan security forces.

According to Afghan officials majority of the Afghan security forces are suffering due to roadside improvised explosive device attacks.

Former Afghan NDS chief Amrullah Saleh during his interview with Tolo News also said the Afghan government was facing civil war in a number of provinces of Afghanistan.

He said Afghan government resources are not properly used to strenghthen the government and there are individuals inside the Afghan government who are misusing the national resources and there are certain groups in Afghaistan who are opposing each other which weakens the Afghan government and in other words are triggering civil war in Afghanistan.

Clashes reported in eastern Nuristan province

According to local authorities in eastern Nuristan province heavy clashes took place between Taliban militants and Afghan security forces in Wama district in this province.

Provincial governor spokesman Mohammad Zarin confirming the report said the clashes started around 12:00 local time on Tuesday after Afghan security forces ambushed

a number of armed militants in Terinik area which is the bordering region between Nuristan and Kunar province. The militants were looking to ambush the vehicle of Nuristan provincial governor.

Mr. Zarin further added an Afghan police officer was killed and two others were injured following the clashes. However he said there

were no reports regarding militants casualties.

He also said clashes between armed militants and Afghan security forces were also reported at Kordar area around 5:00 am local time this morning. Mohammad Zarin said Tamim Nurstani had travelled to the area for the inauguration of KordarNoorgeram highway and was ambushed by armed militants.

Recently United Nations Development Program (UNDP) together with N-Peace Network have nominated 100 peace builders from 6 South Asian countries for 2012 Peace Award. The selections have been based on the past civil and peaceful work activities.

Afghanistan has been included in this process for the first time.

There are 12 candidates from Afghanistan all with civil works background except Farkhunda Zahra Naderi who is a politician in addition to being rights activist. Miss Naderi got the title of peace ambassador by Universal Peace Federation (UPF) in 2010.

How votes are counted?

Each candidate has a specific online page where an E-mail holder can vote by submitting his/her valid E-mail ID and verifying it from the inbox.

The concept of voting and campaigns The voting concept for the peace award is based on the civil believes and democratic values and public fame in consideration of the candidates’ peaceful activities as it is a fully social and civil process.

Peace award with a hatred campaign Qahramana Kakar who is one of the

candidates from Afghanistan; her supporters have recently published an article in one of Afghan Pashtu web portals (http://www.larawbar.net/32597. html) that contains hatred and schismatic message.

This unprofessional campaigning method has been used specifically against Farkhunda Zahra Naderi, another Afghan candidate for the peace award 2012.

This methodology is totally against this awarding process as it does not speak of any peace activity.

In response, supporters for Farkhunda Zahra Naderi have been criticizing this method of campaigning through social networking websites.

Sulaiman Nabeel, a Kabul citizen said, “I strongly condemn Mrs. Kakar’s campaigning method which speaks of schismatic and hatred. Silence of Qahramana Kakar against this article after public criticism will increase rage of peace builders and civil society members.”

This comes as the published article by Qahrmana Kakar’s supporters has directly attacked a specific Afghan Ethnic group to which Ms. Naderi is related to.

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Saarc international I Thursday 19 July 2012

WEEKLY REVIEW OF BANGLADESH NEWS

Bangladesh Population India cross-border hydro stood at 15.25 crore in 2011 project survey in 2 months: BD

The population of Bangladesh stands at 15.25 crore, and not 14.97 crore, according the final report of the 5th Population and Household Census held in 2011, released by president, Zillur Rahman on Monday.

According to the final census report prepared by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics the country’s population stood at 15,25,18,015 in 2011 when the census took place --- 7,63,50,518 of them males and 7,61,67,497 females.

According to the tentative report released by the bureau of statics following the census held on March 15, 2011 the country’s population stood at 14, 97,72,364 with a male-female ratio of 100.3:100.

The president released the report by posting it on the statistics bureau’s website at a function at Bangabhaban.

The final census report says population of Bangladesh grew by 1.37 percent annually in the past decade, 0.21 percentage point less than 1.58 per cent in the previous decade ending 2001.

Although the enumerators collected data regarding 25 areas, the final report only showed distribution of population according to male-female ratio and numbers, literacy rate, ethnic population, density of population and the number of households and their sizes.

According to the report density of population stands at 1,015 people per square kilometre and the literacy rate of the people aged seven years and above at 51.8 per cent.

It says the number of ethnic people stands at 15,86,141.

It says the number of people with disabilities stands at 20,26,612.

The preliminary report released on July 16, 2011 said the population stood at 14.23 crore triggering widespread criticism.

The resulting post-enumeration check conducted by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies found 3.97 per cent errors in the count which means 57 lakh people were not enumerated.

253 more BGB jawans jailed for mutiny

file photo A special court of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Saturday sentenced 253 jawans of BGB Hospital Unit of 36 Battalion to different terms of rigorous imprisonment between four months and seven years in a mutiny case for their involvement in the February 2009 mutiny at Pilkhana headquarters.

A three member Special Court-10, led by Col Khandaker Obaidul Ahsan, also fined each of the convicts Tk 100 and acquitted two others as charges levelled against them were not

proved. Of the convicts, 34 jawans were sentenced to seven years, 15 to six years, 11 to five years, 10 to four years, 38 to three years, two to two years and six months, 111 to two years, 26 to one years and six to four months.

The court which continued for nearly two-and-a-half-hour starting from 10:00am also exonerated an accused, who died during the trial, from the charges.

Lt Col Mohammad Ayub and Maj ANN Fazlul Alam are the two other members of the court.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni today said a joint survey with India on a contentious crossborder hydro project is expected to start in the next two months with the two countries in the process of finalising the names of the surveyors.

India’s plans to build a hydroelectric dam and irrigation barrage on the common Barak River that enters Bangladesh through its northeastern frontier, had sparked wide concerns in the lower riparian country. “The process is underway to launch the joint survey... we expect the joint survey to start in next two months,” Moni told a discussion on the Indo-Bangla relations here. She said Bangladesh had already sent a list of its representatives to be incorporated in the joint survey team and it is now awaiting a list from the Indian side. Bangladesh had demanded a comprehensive joint study on the

proposed cross-border Tipaimukh Dam to assess the “negative and positive impacts” as experts feared the cross-border structure would expose downstream Indian and Bangladeshi regions to severe environmental threats. Asked about the latest status of the agreement on water sharing of the common Teesta River, Moni said Bangladesh was waiting for India to resolve it’s “internal process”.

“Our stand on the Teesta issue remains unchanged... we await for inking the deal,” she said on the proposed agreement that was scuttled last year by last minute

opposition from West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

On the development on exchange of cross-border enclaves and land in adverse possession, Moni said the two countries signed an agreement during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Dgaka visit last year and the deal would be implemented as soon as the Indian parliament ratified the treaty. “We await the ratification of the treaty in Indian parliament in any of its next sessions... you know both the ruling and opposition parties have a consensus on the matter,” she said.

Bapex hits new gas reserve at Srikail

Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Ltd (Bapex) discovered Friday a commercially viable natural gas reserve at Srikail in Comilla district, some 100 km off the capital, a top government official has said.

“We have found presence of gas at 3,020 metres depth from the surface at Srikail while drilling an exploratory well there in a major boost to resolve the country’s mounting energy crisis,” Bapex Managing Director Mortuza Ahmad Faruque told the FE Friday.

He was optimistic about the presence of another gas layer at around 2900 metres depth from the surface at Srikail.

There could be a cumulative 40 metres gas layer in two zones, said Faruque, also a noted geologist of Bangladesh.

Gas is now flowing from the well on a test basis at around 1,900 psi, he said.

The new field is of a medium size, said Mr Faruque. The recoverable reserve of Srikail gas field might be around 300 billion cubic feet (Bcf), he said.

Additional reserve could be found by drilling new wells and carrying out 3D survey, Faruque said. The 3D survey

would be conducted in October next, he said.

He expressed the hope that around 30 million cubic feet (mmcf) of gas could be produced daily from the well from December next on completion of the laying of necessary pipeline and establishment of a process plant.

Bapex -- a subsidiary of the state-owned Petrobangla -- initiated drilling the exploration well on May 5, 2012 and continued until June 30, 2012, he said.

Exploration well at Srikail has cost the Bapex Tk 810 million ($ 9.81 million), Faruque said. Gas discovery at Srikail is Bapex’s fourth success of finding new gas in its past 13 years of operation since 1989.

Bapex has so far drilled six exploratory wells and found gas in four wells meaning that its successful ratio is 3:2, Faruque said.

“This is a piece of very good news for the country, especially when it is struggling to meet the mounting gas demand,” he said.

He expressed hope that the energystarved Chittagong region, where

majority of the country’s heavy industries are located, will get the new gas from Srikail.

Earlier in August 2011 Bapex discovered a new gas field at Sundalpur, some 200 km off the capital.

Gas production from Sundalpur gas field started from March 2012 at around 10 mmcfd.

Bapex had drilled an exploration well at Srikail field in 2004 but could not discover commercially viable gas then, he said.

The new Srikail gas field is the country’s 25th discovered gas field, Faruque said.

But gas production is limited to 20 gas fields, he added.

Bangladesh’s overall gas production is now around 2.15 Bcf per day against the demand for over 2.7-3.0 Bcf per day.

Bapex’s natural gas production is now hovering around 76 mmcfd from five producing gas fields, which is 3.53 per cent of the country’s total output.

The country’s economy has been growing at an average 6.0 per cent a year since 2003, outpacing energy supply.

This has forced Petrobangla to suspend new gas connections to industries since June 2009 and ration supplies to gasguzzling fertiliser and power plants.

From May 2012 Petrobangla has started providing new gas connections to industries but to a limited scale.

Piped gas connections to households have remained suspended since July 2010 by the government to cope with the mounting gas demand.

Saarc international I Thursday 19 July 2012

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF BHUTAN NEWS

9th session in a nutshell

Since consensus could not be arrived between the two houses of the parliament, NA submitted the Disaster Management Bill to His Majesty for the approval to convene a joint sitting in the next session.

After a lot of debates on many issues, the ninth session of parliament endorsed Druk Gyalpo Relief Fund Bill and Education City Bill, which were then submitted to His Majesty for assent.

National Assembly (NA)endorsed the Domestic Violence Prevention Bill and Road Bill and transferred to the National Council (NC).

Since consensus could not be arrived between the two houses of the parliament, NA submitted the Disaster Management Bill to His Majesty for the approval to convene

a joint sitting in the next session.

Parliament also ratified three international conventions – SAARC agreement on intimation of regional standard, SAARC seed

bank convention and Cape Town convention and air craft protocol.

NC transmitted the Alternative Dispute Resolution Bill of the Bhutan to NA. The bill will be tabled

for deliberation in the next session.

NC’s private bill on National Flag, which was deliberated and transmitted to NA could not be deliberated due to the lack of proper legislative procedure to table such a private bill. However, a joint committee of the two houses will formulate rules of procedure governing private bill and will be tabled in the next session.

Land Bill was deferred for further ‘comprehensive’ public consultations after His Majesty’s June 15 Kasho to the parliament which says that parliament while deliberating on the Bill must arrive at a resolution that is in keeping with the aspirations of people of the kingdom.

“However, it is crucial that the

government provide timely compensation or land substitution for the private land acquired by the government and expedites the mitigation of the land related problems,” said speaker Jigme Tshultim.

After intense deliberation, the parliament decided on levying 20 percent green tax on luxury vehicles with engine power of 1800 cc and above and 5 percent on other vehicle.

At the closing of the parliament on June 11, the speaker proposed to offer Lyonchhen Jigmi Y Thinley the title of GHN Ambassador for Life for having rendered meritorious and dedicated service to the Tsawa-Sum and for playing a vital role in furthering the GNH philosophy.

Bhutan tourism’s initiative 31 candidates confirmed: DNT to benefit Indian tourism

Indian tour operators are finding opportunity in the new initiative of Bhutan to increase its tourism royalty by changing its entire tourism tariff framework.

Interestingly, the whole initiative is expected to increase foreign tourist’s footfall in both the countries.

Under the existing Bhutan tourism procedure, every foreign tourist needs to pay a minimum daily tariff of USD 250 during high season and USD 200 in regular season to Government in advance.

After completion of the trip, Government keeps a royalty fee of USD 65 and USD 50 per head per day in high and regular season respectively.

The balance is given to concerned tour operator as reimbursement of his expenditure to arrange logistics for the tourist. The system is however not applicable for tourists from SAARC countries.

They are not categorized as ‘foreign tourist’ and free to arrange their own.

“A proposal is under consideration to increase the royalty to USD80 in high and USD65 in regular season per head per day,” said a senior official of Tourism Council of Bhutan(TCB), an autonomous authority responsible for tourism management of the country.

But addition to increasing the Government royalty amount, TCB is considering withdrawal of the minimum limit of tariff. That can significantly

lower tour expense that is minimum USD 200 per head per day at present. This will attract more number of budget tourists- informed Mr. R. Basu, Chief advisor of Eastern Himalayan Tour and Travel Operators Association(EHTTOA).

Moreover, tourism is the second largest foreign currency earner for Bhutan after export of hydropower. The system of tourism revenue earning is very transparent and spending of that amount is also highly visible in tourism infrastructure development. So, higher income will increase higher spending and betterment of tourism infrastructure in turn facilitating higher footfall.

“As a whole, entire new royalty regime is going increase tourist footfall count significantly,” said Mr. Basu.

While talking on its possible effect on Indian tour operators business he said, “Tourists mostly enter Bhutan through India. In addition, large number of guests to Bhutan prefer touching adjoining Himalayan circuits in India or Nepal too. Naturally, higher footfall in Bhutan means increased Foreign Tourists Arrival at India and business gain for Indian tour operators.”

However, though Bhutan maintains restricted number of tourist entry, the existing maximum limit of 5,000 foreign tourists entry per annum is being considered to be increased to 30,000.

23 of the confirmed candidates have master’s degrees in various fields such as economics, business management, politics, HRD, engineering, among others. Only eight of the confirmed candidates are with bachelor’s degree.

Out of 47 seats required by a political party to contest in the 2013 elections, Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) has 31 candidates confirmed.

“We are not at all disappointed with the progress we have made so far. The focus being to garner candidates, we have managed to rope in some of the best.

Their integrity, sincerity of purpose and intelligence are beyond doubt and, given the chance, we pretty much feel we have the wherewithal to take this country forward,” said the party’s spokesperson, Dr. Tandin Dorji.

He said 11 seats from the 17 constituencies in the eastern Dzongkhags have been confirmed. The six districts of eastern Dzongkhags are Trashigang, Mongar, Lhuentse, Trashiyangtse, Pemagatshel and Samdrup Jongkhar.

From the western part of the country, DNT has nine indentified candidates.

The seven Dzongkhags of western Bhutan has 14 constituencies. The seven Dzongkhags are Paro, Thimphu,

Wangdue, Haa, Gasa, Chukha and Punakha.

In the central Bhutan, out of the six seats in the three Dzongkhags of Trongsa, Zhemgang and Bumthang, four seats are filled.

In the southern Bhutan dzongkhags of Samtse, Sarpang, Dagana and Tsirang out of the total of 10 seats, 7 are filled.

The average age of the confirmed candidates is 44 years. Only four candidates above 50 years. 17 are in the forties. Nine are in the thirties. The youngest is 29 years old.

“The fact that they are also fairly young, the average age being 44, gives us the confidence that they will be energetic, creative, not be afraid to dream big and implement big,” said Dr. Tandin Dorji.

He said in terms of qualification, 23 of the confirmed candidates have master’s degrees in various fields such as economics, business management, politics, HRD, engineering, among others. Only eight of the confirmed candidates are with bachelor’s degree.

As far as work experience is concerned, 80% of the confirmed candidates have at least 15 years behind them.

“This crop of people, I would say, is the generation next. They deserve the opportunity to prove they can shoulder the responsibilities of leading the nation.

And they can. We don’t believe in the indispensability of anyone nor should anyone try to perpetuate that belief.”

The party has five women candidates confirmed. DNT say they are aiming to get at least 15 women candidates.

“The identity of Nyamrup Tshogpa is taking shape – as a party driven by young and energetic people with intellectual acumen, drive and pragmatism,” said the party’s spokesperson.

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Saarc international I Thursday 19 July 2012

WEEKLY REVIEW OF INDIA NEWS

Mamata supports Pranab for President because of ‘no option’, to support Ansari as well

Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday that she would support Pranab Mukherjee for President because there was no other option. She said she would also vote for Hamid Ansari for the vice presidential post since Prime Minister Manmohan Singh “called me even today requesting ... “ Mamata’s announcement at Writers’ is a vote of confidence of sorts for the UPA as the leader of the estranged ally, the second largest at that, kept saying, “Let’s forget and forgive.”

The chief minister convened the press conference after meeting some of her MLAs and MPs. She harped on the “coalition dharma” and said no other compulsion, “no financial deal” but people’s interest alone had forced her party to take the call.

The Trinamool Congress chief’s announcement on the presidential election came a day ahead as she pre-scheduled her decision-making meeting with her party colleagues.

The announcement, a Trinamool

leader, revealed was to avoid further speculation on the issue.

Her hurry gave away the desperation to wriggle out of a situation where the Trinamool supremo seemed politically isolated. (Rebel MP Kabir Suman is openly batting for Mukherjee).

Mamata had been buying time on

candidate.

She put up a brave front insisting on Kalam, even before the former President had decided whether he wished to contest. Over the last one month, as the state Congress leaders jeered and the UPA high command remained politely cold, that she almost came to a point of

the issue, knowing that her strategy backfired from Day 2 when she had been dumped by her partner ( Mulayam Singh Yadav) who agreed to back the UPA presidential

no-return with the UPA, whom she had repeatedly held to ransom over major policies, including the Teesta water sharing.

Before dropping the bombshell on

Agni-I successfully test fired again India on Friday successfully conducted another test of the 700km Agni-I nuclear-capable ballistic

missile, designed with Pakistan in mind, from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha.

The 15-metre tall Agni-I was testfired by the tri-service Strategic Forces Command as part of a “training exercise to ensure preparedness’’. “It was a textbook launch that met all mission objectives. The missile reached the target point in the Bay of Bengal following the prescribed trajectory,’’ DRDO chief controller (missiles and strategic systems) Avinash Chander said.

The missile test was conducted

from a road-mobile launcher system and tracked by radar and telemetry stations located along the coastline. Two naval warships located near the impact point tracked the missile in the terminal phase of its flight.

The armed forces have already inducted Agni-I and Agni-II (2,500-km), which are both basically meant for Pakistan.

The 3,000-km Agni-III, which is now under induction, the 3,500km Agni-IV, tested for the first time last November, and the over 5,000-km Agni-V, tested for the first time in April, are geared towards meeting the threat from China.

The real challenge before the DRDO now is to ensure the country’s most ambitious missile, the three-stage Agni-V, which brings the whole of China within its strike envelope and propels India into the super-exclusive ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) club, becomes operational as soon as possible. But it will only be around 2015 that Agni-V will probably be capable of being deployed by the Strategic Forces Command.

Tuesday, the chief minister gave a extensive prelude to explaining what led to her support for Mukherjee, saying “We have opposed the rise in petrol prices. We shall oppose FDI in retail. We have always said no on issues which we had strongly felt about right from the time we inked our poll manifesto. We shall continue to do so in future.

But for the sake of democracy and coalition compulsion, we have decided to extend our support for the presidential candidate.”

She said, “We wish we could have taken the decision with a smile. But we don’t want our 50,000 votes to be wasted via abstention.”

The chief minister made it clear that the former finance minister is a poor second choice.

“We thought APJ Abdul Kalam was more suited. We also think Krishna Bose is a good candidate for vicepresident. But Kalam chose not to contest. So there were only two left for the president. One was Pranabda and the other was Sangma, who is not even an NDA candidate. He has

the BJP’s and some other party’s support.”

The chief minister added, “Given the two choices, “ to vote with UPA or BJP and other parties,” we had to see whether to vote at all, or who to vote for. So, we will vote for Pranab Mukherjee.”

Replying to questions from reporters, the chief minister said, “We are not supporting him individually. It’s a political decision.

Also, he is from Bengal. Even if we don’ts support him, he will get the votes. So might as well vote for him. This is the only option where we can apply our voting rights.”

She initially avoided replies on whether to support UPA candidate Hamid Ansari for a second term as vice-president. “here is still time. His election will be held in August.”

But then she added, “We shall support him. That’s the Prime Minister’s request.”

Mamata said she had called the Prime Minister in the afternoon and conveyed her decision.

Teachers end up in detention after Kashmir protest

Police in Indian-controlled Kashmir detained dozens of government teachers during a protest on Monday, The Associated Press reports. The teachers had taken to the streets demanding a hike in salary and regularization of their jobs. The police used force to disperse the protesting teachers, mostly employed under Rehbar-e-Taleem scheme. They have been demanding

pay hike. The protestors also included those employed as education volunteers

as they demanded regularisation of their services.

NEWS

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Indian village bans love – marriages and mobile phones for women Police in northern India are investigating a village council after it banned ‘love marriages’ and barred women under 40 from shopping alone or using mobile phones in public, reports said on Friday.

In a slew of restrictive measures on women’s behaviour, the council, or ‘panchayat,’ in Asara village in Uttar Pradesh also insisted women cover their heads in public, said the Press Trust of India. Home Minister P. Chidambaram condemned the orders, saying they had “no place” in a democratic society.

“Police must act against anyone issuing such diktats. If anyone takes action against any young man or woman based on illegal village courts, then they must be arrested,” Chidambaram said at a

Press conference.

Local police superintendent V.K. Shekhar said that an inquiry had been ordered into the legality of the council restrictions.

Asara village council in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh – 70 kilometres from New Delhi

– introduced the bans to protect “naive” young men and women from corrupting influences, according to the Times of India and other newspapers.

The Hindu daily described the ruling as a “Taliban-style diktat” in its online edition, adding that

Asara was Muslim-dominated.

Other minorities were also present when the bans were introduced.

Keeping young women away from the market would protect them from “roadside Romeos,” the Hindu quoted the council, while the ban on mobile phones

reportedly came after complaints of “teasing” and “harassment.”

But women’s activists criticized the measures.

“Why are the restrictions on women only? Why doesn’t the panchayat (council) stop men from visiting the weekly market instead of women?” Shaista Amber, president of the All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board, was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

“If men are kept away, the atmosphere will be equally secure for women at the market,” she said.

Police in the village said they were not yet aware of the measures, according to daily Hindustan Times.Authors: Can Merey, Helen Maguire.

Norway signs funding Aamir Khan apprises PM about scavengers’ plight contract with SAFMA manual Aamir Khan meets PM, welfare

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira has said that all institutions have to work within the framework of powers given to them in the Constitution as this is the way to strengthen democracy in the country.

He was addressing agreement signing ceremony between Norway and South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) in Islamabad here on Friday. The Minister said all institutions including parliament and media have learnt lessons from the past and are showing maturity.

He said both political forces and media are confronting many challenges but these can be overcome through collective and concerted efforts.

Mr. Qamar Zaman Kaira emphasized the need for demonstrating tolerance and said there should be space for acceptance of others’ views. He pointed out that there is unfortunate tendency of imposing views on others.

The Information Minister said media in Pakistan is presently catering for

minister on manual scavenging issue

the information needs of just 20% urban population and urged it to consider issues facing 80% of the population in rural areas. He also thanked Norway for supporting Pakistan diplomatically on different issues and also providing financial and economic assistance.

Earlier, Norwegian Ambassador Cecelia Landverk and Director General South Asia Media Foundation Imtiaz Alam signed an agreement under which the Norwegian govenrment will provide financial assistance to South Asia Media Foundation to run its programmes.

Speaking on the occasion, the

Ambassador said that her coutnry will continue its cooperation with South Asian journalists to promote media in the region.

She appreciated the role of South Asia Media Association in promoting collaboration among journalists of the region.

Imtiaz Alam urged the need for free flow of information in the region to promote tolerance and harmony among people of the region.

He also called for cooperation between the Afghan and Pakistani media particularly in the face of withdrawal of NATO and ISAF forces from Afghanistan in 2014.

Britain’s supreme court strikes down key immigration rule for foreign workers Continued from page 1 >> the judgement could create a huge workload for Parliamentarians.

He said: “The situation that has created this problem is so far removed from what it was in 1971 that one wonders whether the system that was designed over 40 years ago is still fit for its purpose today.” The full implications of the ruling are not yet clear, but legal sources have told the reporters that it could be one of the most important judgements on immigration in a decade.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We will act quickly to ensure the requirements of this judgment are met and that the necessary guidance is transferred into the

Immigration Rules.

“Today’s judgment supports our ongoing work to simplify the immigration system and minimise legal challenge in future.” The rules in the Alvi case are expected to be laid before Parliament before the end of the week, complying with the judgement.

Shahram Taghavi, deputy head of immigration at Lewis Silkin LLP law firm, said: “Today’s ruling will have a profound impact upon the current corporate immigration system, and effectively represents a wholesale collapse of the legal framework for immigration policy in the UK.

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union social welfare minister Mukul Wasnik to highlight the concerns of manual scavengers in the country.

In a meeting at PM’s residence that lasted for about half an hour, Aamir discussed the plight of manual scavengers engaged in cleaning excreta. The society looks down upon those who remove human waste with their hands, the actor rued. He urged the PM to take immediate steps to stop the degrading practice.

Aamir had recently drawn attention to manual scavenging in ‘Satyamev Jayate’, the television show he anchors, and showed how an estimated 3 lakh persons from the oppressed classes are still forced to clean night soil.

Aamir, 47, said he was assured by the PM that he will look into the matter on a priority basis.

“I had gone to meet the PM to discuss the issue of manual scavenging. I requested him that this practice which still exists in our country should end

soon. The PM has assured me that he will look into this matter and he sent me to Mukulji who handles welfare ministry,” Aamir told reporters here.

The actor focused on the issue on the July 8 episode of his TV show “Satyamev Jayate” where he had made a promise to meet the PM. Wasnik too assured Aamir that the government was working to put a speedy end to the problem and rehabilitate manual scavengers.

“Mukulji assured me that he will work towards putting an end to this problem. The ministry is already working on the issue and he says that they will put an end to this soon,” Aamir said.

Wasnik said that he is happy that Aamir brought this topic into the limelight.

“We are happy that Aamir has brought this topic into the limelight and I believe that everyone in this country has the right to live equally.

Government of India is working towards resolving this issue and PM has also turned his attention towards it,” Wasnik said.

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Saarc international I Thursday 19 July 2012

Jerusalem, The Olympics and Zion Cameron would choose ‘Jerusalem’ as national anthem for England’s sports teams

Dark, satanic mills of Industrial Revolution take centre stage at Olympics opening ceremony with smoke stacks and pitheads On official website, Israel had no capital; capital of “Palestine” was Jerusalem. Israelis protested, and error was fixed. The official website of the 2012 London Olympics portrayed Israel as a country without a capital, while Jerusalem was listed as the capital of “Palestine.”

Screenshots of the website before the change and after it It is very scary to know that the Illuminati-Free-Masonic-Zionist alliance, are planning something big. I don’t know if anything is going to happen at the Olympic Games and I hope nothing does happen. But let us make an analysis, what would the world look like if something were to happen at the Olympic Games. The Jews are waiting for a messiah. They did not

Tories”) was used as the anthem when English athletes won gold medals at Commonwealth Games.

But this was switched to Jerusalem for the 2010 games in New Delhi after the hymn was chosen in a poll launched by the Commonwealth

Jesus establishes a new Jerusalem, A metaphor for Heaven, a place of universal love and peace. Blake implies that a visit of Jesus would briefly create heaven in England, in

The poem itself was inspired by an apocryphal story that Jesus accompanied Joseph of Arimathea to the English town of Glastonbury.

Mixed with legends of Troy, it created a powerful mythology that inspired Britain to see itself as holding a special role in the destiny of the world; as such, he gave a new vision to an old nation.

William Blake. The figure is derived from the work of 18th century artists such as Pellegrini Tiboldi (“Neptune” and “Christ in Glory”) and the Christ figure in Michelangelo’s “Conversion of St. Paul” in the Pauline Chapel. Blake also made use of the compasses in The Book of Thel An 18th century writer, artist and esotericist, William Blake had connections with Freemasonry.

Was this early work a declaration of the esoteric agenda, for all to see? After all he was ‘involved’. according to the lists of grandmasters of the Druid Order,

Games Council for England. It is traditionally sung at rugby league’s cup finals and rugby union games.

contrast to the “dark Satanic Mills” of the Industrial Revolution.

accept Jesus (Peace be upon him as their messiah over 2,000 years ago.

The London Olympics theory is an intriguing case, not least because it actually makes a prediction. Either something will happen in 2012 or it won’t: the theory will be right or wrong. What will people such as David Icke do if nothing happens?

“I’ll be really bloody surprised,” he says, “but if nothing happens, I’d say that the forces of good behind the scenes, like us, saved the day and the forces of evil were stopped.”

Prime Minister Cameron has revealed he would choose the hymn Jerusalem as a national anthem for England’s sports teams.

Cameron joked that the hymn may be interpreted as a left-wing rallying call because of its mention of “dark satanic mills” - thought to refer to the Industrial Revolution.

However the Conservative leader said he disagreed and that it should belong to everyone. Blake is a difficult figure for the right wing to co-opt.

Since 2004, it has been the anthem of the England cricket team, being played before each day of their home test matches.

The 1808 short poem by William

As Cameron revealed, so Are we to believe that the London 2012 Olympics are going to facilitate the implementation of Zion - the ‘New Jerusalem’? To recite William

Blake was a grandmaster from 1799 till 1827. Of course, such lists are often grand claims with little substantiation. Still, when he lived at No. 28 Poland Street, between

Blake (music by Sir Hubert Parry in 1916) is inspired by the apocryphal story that a young Jesus, accompanied by his uncle Joseph of Arimathea, a tin merchant, travelled to the area that is now England and visited Glastonbury during Jesus’ lost years.

Blake’s poem ‘Jerusalem’: I will not cease from mental fight, nor shall my sword sleep in my hand Till we have built Jerusalem In England’s green and pleasant land.

The poem is apocalyptic in its setting and deals with the union of the dead and the living.

King George V said that he preferred “Jerusalem” over “God Save the King”. Until 2010, “Land Of Hope And Glory” (or as socialists call it “Land of Dopes and

The Legend is linked to an idea in the Book of Revelation describing a Second Coming, wherein

The Ancient of Days Measuring Time, 1794 The Book of Thel, William Blake.

1785 and 1790.

Blake was a Londoner and it was London, he saw a different London than all those other people that ran through its streets. Blake saw London as a heavenly city; he saw angels, souls, prophets. Hence, to him, London was a “Heavenly London”, a “Jerusalem”, one of his best known poems. Upon hearing the orchestral version for the first time, King George V said that he preferred it over the national anthem.

“The 2012 London Olympic Games closing ceremony shall witness a pre-planned ‘Alien Visitation” (“False Flag Operation”) alongside the anointment of an “End Times Messiah” who will bring forth the “Totalitarian New World Order.”

The Arrival of Masih ad-Dajjal .

Antichrist. Armilus

The Illuminati are Illusionists that give people a false impression of what the truth is, they are all agents of Dajjal [The Evil Spirit] Antichrist, they are preparing for his coming in flesh [i.e. in the

appearance of man] the Illuminati come in many forms of groups and man made religions. They teach by the eye of Lucifer . Masih adDajjal is an evil spirit figure. He is to appear pretending to be Masih (i.e. the Messiah) at a time, before Yawm al-Qiyamah (Judgment Day), directly comparable to the figures of the Antichrist and Armilus in Christian and Jewish eschatology, respectively. Al-Masih ad-Dajjal refers to “the deceiving Messiah”, a specific end-of times deceiver. Mšiha Daggala, as used in the Syriac Language. The Masih ad-Dajjal is an Evil Spirit, to the liking of Iblees (The Devil), he will be similar to the making of mankind in appearance and will be to the liking in abilities of the Jin (unseen spirits made from fire), he will be one eyed (i.e. he will only see naari Baatil, Kufr and Evil), he will have the letters KFR (Kufr/ Disbelief) on his forehead, he will call mankind to total destruction (Idolism: Democracy), he will claim to be a prophet then claim to be the Almighty, he will perform miraculous things to lure people into Shirk and Kufr and ultimately those who follow him will go to Hell. According to Hadith tradition Continued on page 17 >>

Saarc international I Thursday 19 July 2012 Continued from page 16 >> of, Nabi (Prophet) Mohammed Sallallahu Alaihi Wa’salaam, he prophesized that the Masih-adDajjal would be the last of a series of thirty Dajjals or “deceivers” (Masih-ad-Dajjal will be the false prophet).

Dajjal has a connection with the coming 2012 Olympics. The main reason being is that the coming months and in a short time Dajjal is going to be perusing his mission to come as a human being and rule the world from Israel. Before Dajjal (anti-Christ) can come, he needs to have the state of Israel, become the ruling state in the world. I believe that Israel wants to start a war with Iran and get the United States involved in such a war. Because Israel knows that the United States is economically crippled and that it can’t win such a war after having such a failed economy now.

So Israel is setting a military trap for the United States. Now, one would easily ask that why would Israel be setting a trap for its best friend?

Israel is setting this trap so it can take over as the new super power of the world so the false messiah

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NEWS

Jerusalem, The Olympics and Zion

Dajjal can come and rule over the world from the Israeli capital of Jerusalem! And soon after, Israel

Israel has to wage these big wars to take down countries like Iran and Pakistan so it can go ahead

chairman of the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympic Games, has said he will hold a

will also attack Iran which will drag the United States into such a destructive war. Since Iran is a big oil-producing country, this will shoot oil prices sky-high big time.

This could trigger the collapse of the U.S. dollar.

Because the U.S. dollar and the U.S. economy is so weak that it won’t be able to sustain such a catastrophe.

Along with that, I believe that the United States will be suffering a defeat in that war, and that Israel will use its technology to save the United States.

and conquer more Arab territory.

Israel wants to establish its political and economic dominion over the Arabs and then it also wants to establish this political and economic dominion over the world. Also is it a coincident that Shimon Peres, Israel’s President, canceled his visit to the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony on July 27 despite 2012 Olympic and Paralympics are particularly poignant for Israel, coming 40 years after the tragedy at the 1972 Munich Games massacre. Lord Coe,

“personal” memorial for Israeli athletes killed at the Munich 1972 Games during the opening ceremony in London. Olympic officials make up the Protocol Co-ordination Centre (PCC planning unit has even worked out special contingency plans for an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites . Everyone has to keep in mind that it was during the Beijing Olympics of 2008, on the day of the opening ceremony on August 8, that Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili authorized the bombing of South Ossetia, causing

the Caucasus war.

Speculations are that the Zionists would engineer a false flag even, especially at such a popular place to complete their agenda. False Flag operations are incidents deliberately created by Governments to persuade their publics to follow a certain policy . Normally, it involves creating a terrorist incident which can then be blamed on their selected ‘ enemy ‘ so that these policies can be enacted with full public support . It is suspected that 9/11, 7/7 bombing in London and the Madrid bombings were false flags which gave the western world the authority to invade foreign countries and also engendered an atmosphere of fear, which allowed the authorities to take draconian powers for themselves.

As soon as the London Games end, the focus will shift to South America where, in 2016, the Olympics will be staged for the first time.

The chosen logo presented is tridimensional. It represents the union of three people. The logo shows three human forms dancing in a circle, connected at hands and feet, sending the message of “inspiration for the present and a legacy for the future.”

London 2012 Olympics a Terror Target Organizers of the 2012 London Olympics have said the games will be a “symphony of inspiration” -- uplifting and unifying. For Britain’s Islamic radicals, however, the Olympics are providing inspiration of a different sort.

During the past month, British authorities have made a series of arrests in connection with terror plots against the Olympics.

Others, like Islamic convert Richard Dart, were arrested for separate plots against London targets.

Dart is reportedly a follower of London-based MI6 asset and demoniser of Islam so called cleric Anjem Choudary.

“The Olympics is about division. It’s about separation,” Choudary told CBN News.

When asked if he and his followers would have a presence at the games, Choudary answered, “We will have a huge presence, wherever the people are gathering for the celebrations or watching the events.”

Choudary said that true Muslims should oppose the Olympics. British authorities are concerned that some will do much more than that.

Among those they’ve been monitoring is a suspected al Qaeda terrorist who’s visited the Olympic site at least five times.

As a result of such threats, the London Olympics are the most heavily secured events in the city’s history. The British military has even installed missiles on the rooftops of residential homes near the Olympic site in East London.

“Such a massive event in the United Kingdom with such massive international coverage is going to be a very attractive target for terrorists,” Col. (ret.) Richard Kemp, CBE, said. “And I have no doubt whatsoever that terrorists have considered carrying out attacks against the Olympics.”

Kemp, who commanded British forces in Afghanistan, told CBN News that a 9/11-style attack involving airplanes is just one way a potential terrorist could target the games.

“Or maybe a large-born bomb packed with explosives, parked in a place where maybe it wouldn’t get into the stadium, but could well be parked among people who are coming to and from the stadium, causing devastation,” he said.

“And then, of course, for smaller devices, maybe multiple suicide vests, perhaps packages left in places calculated to cause damage,” he continued.

Britain has spent $2 billion on security for the games, and there will be more British troops on hand to protect the Olympics than there are in Afghanistan -- making it the largest military presence in London since World War II. Yet security cracks remain. In recent weeks, several people on a terrorist watch list were able to clear passport control at Heathrow Airport.

Their intentions are unknown.

U.S. security officials will reportedly be working at Heathrow to assist their British counterparts during the games.

Some fear terrorist attack at the Olympics

In Eight days, the Olympic games begin in the main stadium in Stratford, East London. As the excitement builds, so does the panic. The internet is filled with theorists who postulate that the 2012 games will be the site of the next terrorist attack.

Depending upon whose story you read, this attack will be a conspiracy by Islamic Militants, members of the Rockefeller family and the New World Order, or the Illuminati.

The method of attack? Depending upon who you believe, it will be a dirty bomb with large amounts of shrapnel causing the majority of damage, or an acoustic device that also acts as a sonic weapon, or large amounts of hand-cream that are laced with cyanide and smuggled through the airports.

It’s easy to dismiss these claims, but the facts are far more troublesome. Jonathan Evans, the MI5 director-general, briefed the Cabinet last week regarding possible threats to the upcoming games.

There have been multiple accounts that security at Heathrow airport inadvertently let people from the no-fly list into the country. Since the start of July, with just two weeks to go before the Games begin, several suspects on the Home Office “watch list” have entered the country through the London airport without being interviewed, a border control officer claimed.

Two of the people convicted of trying to blow up trans-Atlantic passenger jets were recently

released from prison.

Perhaps most troublesome is the fact that the contracted security provider, G4S, did not deliver on its promise. The chief executive for G4S, Nick Buckles, accepted payment of 444 million dollars in exchange for providing security services for 100 Olympic related events. He promised that he would recruit 10,400 private security guards for the games, but he fell short by over 6,000 officers. In response, Britain will deploy 3,500 members of the service in an effort to protect the country. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has also agreed to help by sending some of its officials from the Transportation Security Administration.

Buckles was the subject of a parliamentary hearing that was broadcast live in Britain today, where he was forced to agree with lawmakers who declared that this situation was “a humiliating shambles.”

Security at the Olympics has always been a daunting task.

In 1972, Palestinian terrorists attacked the Israeli team.

In 1996, a pipe bomb was set off at the Atlanta games.

In 2002, terrorists bombed Madrid on Champion’s League semi-final day.

In 2009, the cricket team from Sri Lanka was attacked by terrorists in Pakistan.

In 2010, the Togo National Football team was attacked by terrorists in Cabinda.

According to the UK Home Office website, Britain’s terror threat level remains at “substantial,” although it is clear that the British government is stepping up security.

Military jets and helicopters are on standby.

New airspace restrictions will begin on Saturday.

The Royal Navy has its largest ship, the HMS Ocean, moored in the Thames.

London’s public transport authority has been warning commuters to avoid tourist hotspots for weeks.

The army has placed high velocity missiles on the roof of the Fred Wigg Tower, an East-End housing project.

In response to all of this, Home Secretary Theresa May says, “There is no question of Olympic security being compromised.”

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Congress outwits BJP in utilising ongoing political game

The Presidential and VicePresidential elections due to come up shortly have given the Congress a fresh opportunity to experiment with its pre-poll strategy by fathoming the prevailing political mood. The Congress, one must say, has utilised the opportunity much better than the BJP, which has struggled to put things together on many counts.

Both the UPA and the NDA have shown signs of fissures in the runup to the presidential election but the Congress has managed to turn things in its favour while the BJP has finished among the also-ran. The Congress must thank its ally Mamata Banerjee for giving it an opportunity to evade further embarrassment for a government which has already witnessed a massive erosion in its popularity in recent times. And a divided opposition in the BJP helped its cause more.

Cong drubbed Mamata in presidential nomination...

In the presidential candidate nomination episode, Mamata Banerjee’s same-side goal gave the Congress a chance to not only hit back at the maverick leader who rocked the senior ally in quite a few instances, but also cornered her in a decisive manner. The Congress found a ‘more reliable’ partner in Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and the two sides were found engaging in a political quid pro quo after Yadav committed support to Pranab Mukherjee, the UPA presidential candidate whom a complacent Mamata stubbornly opposed.

The TMC chief, who was left licking her wounds, clearly lost her position of advantage in the UPA, much to the relief of the Congress. It wasn’t costing the Congress exhibiting ‘goodwill gesture’ to the Trinamool after it had pocketed the bigger battle. The ball is clearly in Mamata’s court and she does not have much freedom to manoeuvre apart from finding solace in the Facebook ‘likes’.

She even publicised the letter Pranab written to her seeking support in the presidential poll. The TMC chief is clearly buying time to find an escape route from the mess she put her in the capital last month. ... and clearly is at an advantage with the V-P nomination The Congress, despite its ‘goodwill gesture’ to the Trinamool, has backed Hamid Ansari as the vice-presidential candidate with a long-term strategy in mind. Just like Mulayam in case of the presidential poll, the Congress’s calculation has the Left Front in the scheme of things in the vicepresidential election. The Left found itself divided in supporting Pranab but in case of Hamid Ansari, who was also supported by the Left in 2007, the Left has a comparatively better unity. This would also give the Congress another possibility to cultivate in the post-2014 Lok Sabha elections scenario.

The Congress, nevertheless, will remain grateful to the Trinamool for giving rise to all problems for this has diverted the public focus from many of its failure. The party covered the facts that Pranab Mukherjee was the man under

whose finance ministership did the country’s economic fortunes took a nosedive. It also put the threat it perceived in Andhra, the vital state where it suffered a blow in the June by-elections, to the backstage for the time being. The arrest of Abu Jundal, one of the accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has also given the Congress some breather by turning all vigilant eyes across the border to Islamabad.

The BJP has not helped its cause As it is said opportunities are never lost, the Congress made use of the opportunities which the BJP could have utilised to its favour. In a last few events crucial from the national perspective, the BJP has not acted as fast and decisively as it should have. In the presidential election, after adopting a prolonged ‘go slow’ strategy, the saffron party decided to back PA Sangma. The party, in an effort to expose the UPA, ended up

witnessing serious fissures within the NDA ranks.

The JD(U) and Shiv Sena have supported Pranab while the JMM and All Jharkhand Students’ Union, who are part of the BJP-led coalition government in Jharkhand, have also expressed inclination towards Pranab Mukherjee. The BJP’s calculation that Sangma’s tribal identity would earn him support in a tribal state like Jharkhand has failed to deliver. Even people like BS Yeddyurappa and Maneka Gandhi pitched for Pranab, which clearly exposes the lack of unison in the party and a poor leadership to arrive at a uniform decision.

The only possibility that the BJP was looking to utilise for the 2014 polls was to inch closer towards parties like the BJD and AIADMK by deciding to support Sangma. However, party like the JD(S) said it would clarify its secular credentials in order to

establish its distance with the BJP, something which again hints at the latter’s limitations.

Alliance tussle over projecting Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 elections and the endless imbroglio over the political crisis in Karnataka also left the BJP much exhausted to concentrate more effectively on the presidential election.

The BJP’s historic limitations would also deprive it of any support from the Left and Mamata and even as it was found wooing Mamata to support both its presidential and vice-presidential candidates, the West Bengal chief minister has a lot in stake politically to ally with the saffron party.

Tactical error?

A section in the BJP felt that the party would not gain much by fielding Jaswant Sinha as the vice-presidential candidate. Jaswant Singh, who was once expelled from the party for eulogising Mohammad Ali Jinnah in his book, got the backing of veteran Lal Krishna Advani. It might be a chance for Advani to establish his hold on the party but inside sources say had the party decided to support Sharad Yadav of the JD(U), it could have been helped minimise gap with Nitish Kumar, who is likely to back Ansari.

In projecting Singh, however, the BJP could also aim to make some impact in the northern parts of Bengal for the veteran vice-presidential nominee is an MP from Darjeeling and try minimise its gap with Mamata.

The BJP, at the moment, is trailing the Congress, clearly.

US urges India, Pakistan to talk Kashmir out

Lalit K. Jha US President Barack Obama has ruled out any outside role in the Kashmir dispute but has emphasised the need for other nations to play a role in stabilising Pakistan.

In an interview with Indian journalist Lalit K. Jha, Mr Obama also advised India to liberalise economy, noting that New Delhi prohibited foreign

investment in too many sectors.

His remarks riled the Indian opposition, which rejected the suggestion as ‘laughable’ and urged the Indian government not to accept his advice.

Mr Obama welcomed the IndoPakistan dialogue process and urged the two neighbours to work together to find a solution to a dispute that had already caused three wars between them.

“It is not the place of any nation, including the United States, to try to impose solutions from the outside,” said Mr Obama, apparently endorsing the Indian position that it would not accept any outside role in settling this issue.

“That said, nations must meet their responsibilities and all of us have a profound interest in a Pakistan that is stable, prosperous and democratic,” said the US president, leaving open

the possibility of involving India in bringing stability to Pakistan.

Mr Jha, the only Indian journalist ever to have interviewed a US president twice, told Dawn that Mr Obama made it clear the best way forward for the two countries was to keep talking to each other.

Mr Obama told him that lessening of tensions between India and Pakistan would not only be good for South Asia but also for the rest of the world.

“President (Asif Ali) Zardari’s visit to India was encouraging. Increased trade and people-to-people contacts between Indians and Pakistanis can lead to greater prosperity and understanding on both sides,” said Mr Obama.

“Efforts in New Delhi and Islamabad to improve relations give hope for further progress, including a possible visit to Pakistan by Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh,” he said.

Mr Obama, however, did not say if he planned to fulfil his promise to visit Pakistan.

Another cause of concern for Pakistan was Mr Obama’s warm welcome to India’s growing role in Afghanistan.

“India will be critical to Afghanistan’s future,” he said, noting that India was already playing a major role in helping Afghanistan.

India, he said, had made generous contributions to Afghanistan’s progress, helping to train Afghan police, promoting development and in improving the lives of ordinary Afghans.

India was the first nation to forge a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Afghanistan, he noted, adding that India’s civil service could be a model as Afghans strengthened their own governance and institutions.

India hosted an international investment conference on Afghanistan

last month and Mr Obama said that by doing so, New Delhi had shown its readiness to champion Kabul’s economic development.

Mr Obama said the United States and its Nato allies had chalked out, at the Chicago summit earlier this year, a clear path for bringing the Afghan war to an end.

By mid-2013, Afghan forces would lead combat operations and coalition forces would have shifted from combat to a supporting role across the country, he said, hoping that this would allow a steady withdrawal of US and Nato troops from Afghanistan.

“By the end of 2014, the transition to Afghan lead for security will be complete so that Afghans can take responsibility for their own country,” said Mr Obama. “After 2014, Nato will continue to train, advise and assist and support Afghan forces as they grow stronger.”

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Pakistan offers new drone-use mechanism

With fissures in their bilateral ties quickly being healed, Pakistan has offered the US a new mechanism encompassing ‘surveillance’ of targeted operations against wanted militants as an alternative to drone strikes in the country’s tribal regions.

The plan, as crafted by Islamabad, involves both the identification of targets by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the tribal areas and swapping of information with the Pakistani security agencies.

The latter will then deal with the situation accordingly, said officials familiar with the development.

“To ensure that Pakistan acts on the information provided by the CIA, the US can use any mechanism to monitor our operation on the ground,” revealed a senior figure of the country’s security establishment.

“They (US) can even use drones for

this purpose,” the official explained.

However, he clarified that no foreign boots on the ground would be allowed for surveillance.

The mechanism is currently figuring in behind-the-scene discussions between Pakistan and the US, he said.

The idea also seeks to dispel the growing perception in Washington

that Islamabad is playing a ‘double game’ in the ‘war on terror’.

He disclosed that both sides had coordinated initial drone attacks when the CIA first launched its campaign back in 2004. Another official remarked that “the CIA later took a solo flight under the assumption that Pakistan is playing a double game”.

The official said Pakistan expects a breakthrough in its ongoing negotiations with the US on finding a ‘mutually acceptable’ alternative to the CIA-piloted drone campaign.

The optimism stems from the fact that until now, Pakistan had never offered the US any serious alternative to predator strikes.

The reason, the official cited, was a tacit understanding between Pakistan and the US to use pilotless drones in the rugged terrain along the Pak-Afghan border where key al Qaeda figures are believed to have found refuge.

Perhaps for the first time, officials also acknowledged that drone attacks eliminated several key militants who posed an equal threat to both Pakistan and the US. In a candid admission, one official went to the extent of saying that collateral damage figures compiled by independent human rights

organisations in the drone attacks were somewhat exaggerated.

However, the official said the government ‘had’ to oppose the drones campaign due to the widely-held public opinion that drones violate Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty and integrity.

“That is why we have offered this alternative to the US – because we (Pakistan) want to become part of the system rather than being isolated,” he maintained.

However, officials did not give any timeframe for a breakthrough on the stalemate over drones, which the US believes are critical to eliminating high-value targets associated with al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Given that it’s election year in the US, many experts are sceptical that the administration of US President Barack Obama would agree on any drastic changes in their drones’ campaign.

Pakistani Politics in London

Pakistan: Policemen arresting the residents of Dadu who were trying to self immolate during a demonstration outside National Press Club Islamabad.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif talking to the media persons during a reception hosted by President PML (N) UK Zubair Gul in London.

Former President and APML Leader Parvez Musharraf addressing a meeting of Pakistani journalists organized by Pakistan Press Club UK.

Sahibzada Fazal Karim talking to the media persons during a press conference in London.

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Saarc international I Thursday 19 July 2012

WEEKLY REVIEW OF PAKISTAN NEWS

Benazir murder case: SC forms five-member larger bench

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has formed a larger bench on Tuesday to hear the Benazir Bhutto murder case even though a second FIR was yet to be registered.

The bench, comprising of five members, will hear the case from next week, whether it is necessary or not.

A three-member bench, headed by the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, heard the case regarding the registration of another FIR for Benazir’s murder.

Earlier the court had noted that a second FIR needed to be registered as the first did not include names of some of the key suspects.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had also submitted a final challan in the murder case and nominated former president Pervez Musharraf as the main offender.

According to the FIA prosecutor, the challan states that Musharraf has been “intentionally” avoiding court notices issued to him and that the hearings should proceed in his absence.

India releases 19 Pakistani prisoners

India released 19 Pakistani prisoners through the Wagah border on Tuesday and handed them over to the Pakistani authorities, Express News has reported.

Among those released are 18 fishermen and an elderly man. A child is also among the fishermen and has been in an Indian jail for six months.

The elderly man, 75-year-old Syed Taqi Shah, was arrested on accusations of using fake currency. Talking to the media at the Wagah border, Shah said that Pakistanis are not being treated well in Indian jails. He said that proper food is not given to the inmates and the sick are not given any medicines either.

Anti-Corruption Court issues arrest warrants for Malik Riaz, son

An Anti-Corruption court has issued arrest warrants for business tycoon Malik Riaz and his son Ali Riaz in a 1,400 kanal land scam, Express News reported on Tuesday.

Special Judge Chaudhry Zafar Iqbal ordered the anticorruption department to arrest the two respondents and present them before the court on July 23.

Other respondents in the case also appeared before the anti-corruption court. Last month, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had taken a suo motu notice against chief justice’s son Dr Arsalan Iftikhar and Riaz, following media reports that Iftikhar had received between Rs300 and Rs400 million from the businessman to influence judicial proceedings.

Riaz had later held a press conference holding a pocket-sized copy of the Holy Quran, unleashing allegations against the chief justice. The court had sent him a contempt of court notice over the press conference. But, the contempt of court law was amended a few days before the Supreme Court had decided to indict Riaz, forcing the apex court to adjourn the indictment hearing. On Monday, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had also issued fresh notices to Riaz to appear before investigators probing the Arsalan-Riaz case.

SC to take up contempt law case on 23rd SC has admitted for hearing all petitions challenging the new contempt of court law adopted by the parliament early this week and which became an act on Thursday after the president’s assent.

A three-judge SC bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, fixed July 23 for hearing all the petitions filed against the new law.

The date is significant since the petitions will be heard by the court two days before it takes up the NRO implementation case in which the government of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf is required to state what it intends to do about the judiciary’s directive to write a letter to the Swiss government to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

It is generally believed that the government rushed through the new contempt law to protect the new prime minister from contempt proceedings.

On Friday, the SC bench decided to club together all petitions filed against the law and issued notices to the attorney general and the

federation through the secretary of the ministry of law.

One of the petitions was filed in the Quetta registry by Baz Mohammad Kakar, former president of the Balochistan Bar Association, and Manzur Bangulzai, the incumbent general secretary.

The petition contends that the new contempt of court is a violation of Article 2A of the Constitution which ensures independence of judiciary and Articles 8, 14 and 25 which provide equal rights to citizens. It is also an attempt to reduce the powers of the Supreme Court.

After an initial hearing on the petition, the court issued the following order:

“This petition under Article 184(3) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan calls in question the constitutionality of the Contempt of Court Act 2012 being inter alia in violation of Articles 2-A, 9, 14, 25, 204, etc, of the Constitution.

“The learned ASC has relied upon the term ‘any person’ used in Article 204(2) of the Constitution, and contended that sub-clause (i) of the proviso of Section 3 of the Act, 2012 curtails the power and the jurisdiction of the court to punish any person, who abuses, interferes with or obstructs the process of the court in any way or disobeys any order of the court. The classification of sub-clause (i) to the proviso to

Section 3 of the Act, 2012 is violative of the Article 25 of the Constitution which guarantees equal protection of the laws.

“It is further contended that the Contempt of the Court Act, 2012 is also violative of the independence of the judiciary, guaranteed by Articles 2-A, 175 and 190 of the Constitution.

It is also contended that the various provisions of Act, 2012 are in derogation/inconsistent with the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

“Let notice be issued to the respondent/federation as well as to the Attorney General for Pakistan in terms of Order 27-A CPC to examine inter alia the questions raised in the

listed petition.

“Office is directed to club all such petitions, which are identical on the subject matter instituted before this court by different petitioners.

Notices in those petitions be also issued to the respondents and Attorney General in the same manner as it has been noted hereinabove.

“The respondent(s) and the Attorney General may file concise statements if advised and desired, before the next date of hearing and the pleadings shall be exchanged between the parties before the commencement of the hearing of the petitions. In view of the importance of the petition as it has been pointed out by the learned counsel for the petitioner in the application for the fixation of the case today and also taking into consideration the involvement of the interpretation of the Constitution, which allegedly touches to the independence of the judiciary, we direct let all these cases be fixed at Islamabad on 23rd July, 2012. All concerned be informed accordingly.

Notice in C.M.A.No.3057 of 2012 be also issued for 23rd July, 2012.”

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF MALDIVE NEWS

Former Maldives president charged with ordering illegal arrest of senior judge The former president of the Maldives has been formally charged with illegally ordering the arrest of a senior judge, a move which sparked weeks of public protests and led to his ouster earlier this year, prosecutors said.

Deputy Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem said charges were filed against former President Mohamed Nasheed on Sunday.

They carry a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment or banishment to a remote island.

Nasheed ordered the military in January to arrest the chief judge of the country’s criminal court, accusing him of political bias and corruption. The judge’s secret detention triggered weeks of unrest.

Nasheed resigned as president in

February after losing the support of the military and police. He now insists he was ousted in a coup.

Nasheed’s supporters demonstrated for a sixth day Sunday demanding

that new President Mohammed Waheed Hassan resign and call early elections.

Hassan said he will hold elections in July 2013, the earliest time

permitted by the constitution.

Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, a party spokesman speaking for Nasheed, said Monday he did not expect the trial to be fair, accusing the

judiciary of being corrupt and influenced by the country’s 30year autocrat Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Nasheed’s supporters demonstrated for a sixth day Sunday demanding that new President Mohammed Waheed Hassan resign and call early elections. The protesters say their campaign would continue until they win.

Hassan says he will hold elections in July 2013, the earliest time permitted by the constitution.

Maldives “needs radical changes”: “UNHRC meeting not UN Human Rights Committee detrimental to Maldives”

The UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) has recommended “radical changes” to Maldivian law to ensure compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). These changes include the abolition of the death penalty, compensation for “systematic and systemic torture,” withdrawal of reservations to the ICCPR’s Article 18 regarding freedom of religion and belief, and

reforming the country’s judiciary.

Following a “Incendiary” session focused on the state of human rights in the Maldives on July 12 and 13, the committee published a preliminary statement calling on the Maldives to “be serious about bringing itself into compliance with all aspects” of the ICCPR as a “critical step” to respect and protect human rights of all the people in the Maldives.

The Human Rights Committee will

make a final report at the end of its session on July 27.

The Maldivian delegation to the UNHRC was headed by Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel, a former Justice Minister during the 30 year rule of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and co-author of a pamphlet entitled ‘President Nasheed’s devious plot to destroy the Islamic faith of Maldivians’, published in January 2012.

Ready to retract Gayoom’s role in coup claim: MDP

Opposition MDP Spokesperson Imthiyaz ‘Inthi’ Fahmy has stressed that the party was willing to retract its claims that former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom had a role in the “coup” in order to facilitate the resumption of the All Party Roadmap Talks.

Speaking during a MDP press conference yesterday Inthi revealed that the continuation of the All Party Talks had the backing of MDP. He

added that the reason behind the support was to restore a democratic rule following the alleged “coup”.

Imthiyaz further detailed that former President Mohamed Nasheed had stated that his predecessor Gayoom had masterminded the “coup” after Gayoom’s own Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) members and MPs had claimed that Gayoom had played an integral role in the regime change.

“We truly wish to facilitate the All Party Talks. Hence in order to secure Gayoom’s participation in the discussions and due to the fact that the investigation of Commission National Inquiry (CNI) is ongoing and at least till the CNI report is issued, we want to take back the earlier statement by Nasheed and pave the way for the resumption of the Talks. Nasheed himself is of the same belief,” he detailed.

In a press release by the Secretariat of the Moderator for the All Party Talks, Ahmed Mujthaba stated that having considered the whole process indepth, it had become apparent that a fresh approach had to be made.

He further stated that he had held a series of constructive meetings, separately, over the past month with the President and leaders of the largest political parties to discuss the prospects of continuing the political party talks.

State Foreign Minister Dhunya Maumoon representing Maldives in the United Nations Human Rights Council has stressed that relaying Maldives’ achievements in the Int’l Convention of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is not detrimental to the country.

In an interview with Haveeru after the meeting in Geneva yesterday, Dhunya detailed that a report entailing Maldives’ accomplishments under the convention had been submitted to the sit-down. Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed had presented the report on behalf of the Maldives.

“The statement in general includes the various levels of successes under the accord. We detailed the challenges faced in achieving them including the laws passed in that regard. In addition we informed the relevant laws that still need to be passed as well,” she added.

Presenting the statement at the meeting the Home Minister had alleged that the articles obligated on the Maldives by the ICCPR had been stymied by former President

Mohamed Nasheed’s government.

Jameel had also highlighted to the Security Council the various unconstitutional acts against political rivals including the arrest and subsequent detention of Chief Criminal Judge Abdulla Mohamed during Nasheed’s tenure as President.

In addition, Home Minister claimed that Nasheed’s administration had engaged in efforts to “intimidate” the justice system.

Some members at the committee had repeatedly inquired over the mandatory condition of being Muslim in order to be a Maldivian citizen, lashing and capital punishment.

“We will share that information in today’s hearing,” Dhunya said.

“In light of this meeting we will find out the areas we need improvement.

Hence this is not something we should be ashamed of as this routine procedure.”

Maldives had signed the ICCPR back in 2006. But this would be the first time Maldives has reported to the Human Rights Committee on the progress made under the accord.

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Saarc international I Thursday 19 July 2012

WEEKLY REVIEW OF NEPAL NEWS

16 Die in Nepal’s 2nd Major Bus Crash in 2 Days

34 Indians pilgrims among 39 killed in another bus accident killed on Sunday A bus veered off a highway and plunged into a river Monday, killing at least 16 people and injuring several more in Nepal’s second road disaster in as many days.

The bus rolled some 100 meters (330 feet) from the highway and plunged Monday in the Trishuli river about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Katmandu, the capital.

Six bodies were pulled from the wreckage and three people died on the way to the hospital. Rescuers were able to pull seven more bodies from the swollen river later in the day.

It was not clear how many people had been on the bus, but rescuers continued to search the river for missing passengers. The river was flooded by the heavy monsoon rainfall, making the search difficult.

Police are investigating the cause, but it was raining heavily at 4 a.m. when the accident occurred.

At least 39 people were killed

Return of monarchy impossible in Nepal: Prachanda

Days after deposed king Gyanendra warned that monarchy could return in Nepal if people wanted, the ruling Maoist party chief Prachanda on Thursday said that those who were talking about its revival were “daydreaming”.

Revival of monarchy, which was abolished in 2008, is just impossible at this moment, Prachanda said.

“It is like-day dreaming, which is not possible in real life,” he said in response to a question. “Nepalese people have marched ahead and there is no going back into history.”

“Nepalese people will not tolerate any activity of those who talk about revival of monarchy,” he said.

If these forces want their end, they can talk such irrelevant things,

Pradesh, were borded into the overcrowed bus that fell into the Gandak canal the Indo-Nepal border on Sunday.

The Police has recovered 39 bodies from the site, 36 were Indian, include 10 women, one girl child and 28 men, while no one know their identities. Out of them 10 injured are Indians and admitted in nearby hospitals in Nepal.

Official source reported that still rescue operations and relief efforts

Sunday in another bus accident in Nepal, a mountainous nation where roads and vehicles are often poorly maintained.

39 pilgrims, mostly Indians have been killed when the bus carrying slipped off the road and plunged into a rain flooded river canal in Nepal’s southern district of Nawalparasi close to 150 km west of Kathmandu.

It has been reported that 70 to 80 passengers, mostly from Uttar

Prachanda said.

The government should be tough on those who wanted to revive monarchy, he said, adding the “Prime Minister has already warned that facilities being provided to the ex-monarch will be sliced if he continues to talk about revival.”

Earlier, reacting to Gyanendra’s comments that monarchy could return if the people wished so, Premier Baburam Bhattarai warned the former king that all the facilities provided to him by the state would be stripped if he continued to talk about his desire to stage a comeback.

Bhattarai had asked the deposed king not to try to take advantage of current political impasse in the country.

“The former king does not seem to have learnt any lesson,” Bhattarai had said, adding that “he will have to lose whatever facilities he was enjoying.”

Maoists had waged a 10-year insurgency against monarchy before joining the mainstream politics in 2006.

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are underway. The chances of the death toll is expected to be rise as more than two dozen passengers are still missing.

Source said, bus was carrying passengers to a popular Hindu temple of Lord Shiva at Triveni to attend the Bolbam festival in south-west of Kathmandu.

As per Indian Embassy in Khatmandu, special teams with a medical doctor has also sent to site facilitates local authorities assistance to help in rescue operation. Beside this, a Control Room has been set up to provide information about Indian injured in bus accident. The contact number of the Control Room is 00-977-14412125 and 4411699 (extension 4109).

Major reason for bus accident is expected due to driver’s negligence who drank at time of driving. Other reports said overcrowding led to the accident. However, police investigate the matter.

‘Mini-Parl’ to resolve Nepal’s political crisis A two-day “Mini-Parliament”, involving representatives from all political parties, civil and ethnic groups, has been convened to draw a road-map to resolve Nepal’s current political stalemate.

“I have called a general assembly involving all political parties, ethnic groups and civil society members on Friday and Saturday during which serious discussions will be held to draw a road map to promulgate the constitution and rescue the country from the current political crisis through consensus among all sides,” Sadbhawana Party President and Health Minister Rajendra Mahato told a press conference here on Wednesday.

Some 400 representatives including Maoist chief Prachanda, Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala, CPN-UML President Jhalanath Khanal and other senior leaders from different ethnic groups such as Madhesis, Dalits, women and marginalised groups, civil society leaders and media persons are invited at the two-day conference, he said.

Mahato’s “Mini-Parliament” is being convened at a time when major parties including Nepali Congress

and CPN-UML are demanding Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai’s resignation to pave way for forming a national consensus government.

The opposition parties have announced that they would boycott the fresh election for Constituent Assembly called by Bhattarai for November 22 saying that the move was “unilateral and undemocratic”.

The gathering will serve as platform for the political parties to resolve the contentious issues of the constitution and finding an alternative to Bhattarai, who has come under fire from the opposition amidst intensified pressure for his ouster.

Nepal is currently passing through a deeper political crisis with the parties failing to draft the constitution mainly due to disagreement over whether the states should be federated on the basis of single ethnicity or multiethnic-cultural-geographical basis.

Meanwhile, President Ram Baran Yadav indicated that he would endorse only partial budget for the new fiscal year as pressure mounts from opposition parties including Nepali Congress and CPN-UML not to announce full budget for new fiscal year beginning mid-July unless national consensus was formed on the same.

Saarc international I Thursday 19 July 2012

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF SRILANKA NEWS

Sri Lanka, Vietnam focus on expanding trade and investment Sri Lanka and Vietnam expect to increase the bilateral trade between the two countries up to the threshold of one billion US dollars within the next three years.

The recent third Joint Commission Meeting of Sri Lanka and Vietnam held in Hanoi and chaired by the foreign ministers of the two countries, the focus was on the expansion of trade and investment.

During the meeting Sri Lanka’s Minister of External Affairs Prof.

G.L. Peiris and Vietnam Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh have identified the practical modalities to achieve the objective of reaching US$ 1 billion in trade set during the visit of Vietnam’s President Troung Tan Sang to Sri Lanka in October last year.

Increased connectivity, removal of non-tariff barriers, and movement towards a Preferential Trade Agreement have been identified as necessary measures to expand the trade between the two countries.

At the Joint Commission the two countries have entered into a new bilateral Air Services Agreement that is expected to promote tourism and people to people interaction.

The two sides agreed on steps for rapid implementation of the memorandum signed last year between the Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam on cooperation in the petroleum sector.

The Foreign Minister of Vietnam has agreed to provide

substantial support to Sri Lanka in the agriculture and fisheries sector. Priority will be given to technology transfer in inland fisheries, aquaculture, ornamental fish breeding and production of high yielding plant material.

The two countries agreed to collaborate on military training for officer cadets and training courses for officers for mid-career development.

Sri Lanka welcomed the participation by Vietnam defence authorities in high level conferences organized by Sri Lanka’s defence establishment, including the Defence Seminar which will be held in Colombo next month.

The two Ministers have agreed to intensify their engagement in the Bali Process and similar fora, especially on issues connected with counter terrorism, transnational crime, maritime security and environmental issues.

Recalling that Sri Lanka was one of the first countries to establish

<< Continued from page 1

BNP leader Nick Griffin launches protest against halal meat in Sunderland sandwich shops

time and resources.”

As part of a day of action, they plan to congregate outside the St Luke’s Terrace Subway shop in Pallion to raise awareness about what they claim is a “barbaric” practice.

A spokeswoman said: “Police are aware of possible BNP activity taking place in Sunderland tomorrow and as is always the case we’re working to establish the extent and make contact with members.”

No-one from Subway was available to comment.

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relations with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has assured to work closely with Sri Lanka in the future.

Prof. has also called on the Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and had discussions with Justice Minister Ha Hung Cuong of Vietnam in strengthening

the bilateral relationship.

Concluding his official visit, Prof Peiris has also delivered a speech on Maritime Security at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.

Policy framework to cement social integration All members of society including politicians, religious leaders and ambassadors, should play an active role in facilitating social integration, eliminating existing divisions, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday.

This all should be without trying to exploit these divisions for petty political and other gain.

He made this observation at the inauguration ceremony of the Social Integration Week at Temple Trees.

President Rajapaksa said national integration itself was insufficient to preserve the victory we gained.

“This is why the government has taken another step forward to build up social integration by launching the Social Integration Policy Framework.”

He said steps were also taken to establish the Social Integration Ministry replacing the National Integration Ministry. President Rajapaksa said almost all religions preach all people are equal.

He said certain politicians were responsible for promoting religious, racial, caste, creed and language discord to secure power during elections which should not be the case.

President Rajapaksa said ambassadors also have to take measures to eliminate divisions in society.

He said the difference between the city and the village should also be addressed.

President Rajapaksa said, however, most suggestions in the Social Integration Policy Framework had

been implemented by the government in advance.

He said for social integration, the government made provisions for A-L students in Kilinochchi with three S passes to enter the Medical Faculty while some students with two A passes and one S pass in Colombo are unable to gain entrance.

The President said for social integration, the government has held examinations only in Tamil language in the North and East Provinces to recruit officers for government institutions.

He said measures are underway to conduct examinations only in Tamil language to recruit cadre for civil administration.

He said measures have been taken to recruit personnel from the area for the agriculture sector, Police and many other fields to serve in the North and East.

President Rajapaksa said people in their own area would not face any

issue with regard to language then. The President said nobody had made such a suggestion even to the LLRC. He said all religious festivals are held at Temple Trees without regard for differences to convey a message to the entire society that this is the right time for us to get together and integrate the society to go forward in the path to form citizens with a wide vision. President Rajapaksa said divisions begin from a young age when they enter Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim schools.

“Some say we need a Muslim school, some others say we do not need Sinhala or Muslim schools but a Tamil School.

Then we finally attempt at integration,” he said and asked: “Who does this?”

The President said during the period of D M Rajapaksa and DA Rajapaksa, a motion was moved in Parliament to make provisions for villagers in their areas to cover the upper part of the body. He said this was done for social integration.

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Saarc international I Thursday 19 July 2012

China, India could work together in oil and gas field India and China have a good opportunity to shed their competitive rivalry in the field of oil and natural gas exploration to begin a partnership, state media has said, commenting on the recent agreement between two state-owned oil companies.

In June, state-owned ONGC signed an agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation on hydrocarbon exploration, crude oil refining, distribution of petroleum products and in building oil and gas pipelines.

Commenting that the history of rivalry between the two stateowned companies would have continued affect economy, the Global Times said a “tighter alignment” between the two was needed.

“But the logic behind a tighter alignment, rather than a rivalry,

between major Chinese and Indian oil companies, is stronger than ever. With greater global scrutiny than ever, China and India have far better institutional capacity, and incentive, than they once did to live up to international commitments that they sign,’’ wrote Jeremy Carl, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and director of research for the Shultz-Stephenson Task Force on Energy Policy.

Under the deal, the two companies will seek to foster cooperation in upstream exploration and production, refining of crude oil and natural gas in midstream or downstream projects, marketing and distribution of petroleum products and in construction and operation of oil and gas pipelines.

Their cooperation will also

Violence in Karachi: 12 more lives gunned down death toll rises to 122 in July

Continued from page 9 >> A political worker was killed in New Karachi while three dead bodies were recovered from Malir River, Manghopir area and Risala. Torture marks were also found on bodies.

Forty-two-year old Yawar Mehdi was killed in Gol Market, Nazimabad.

Meanwhile, Ahtesham, who got injured by firing, succumbed to his injuries in a local hospital. A man, identified as Mohammad Arsalan, was killed in Khokarapar, Malir.

Moreover, police had arrested Munawar alias Mannu from Alfalah, Azeempura. The suspect was wanted for murder of five people. Police claims that the arrested also has political affiliation.

Government using targeted killings to hide incompetence: Afaq Ahmed Targeted killings are taking place in the city on a daily basis because the government and its allies want to distract the public from their own shortcomings, said Mohajir

Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H) chief Afaq Ahmed during a press conference at his home on Tuesday.

“They are sitting and enjoying the [situation] because it means that no one will rise up against inflation and unemployment. If people are freed from the shackles of fear, then you would have many Tahrir Squares in Karachi,” said Afaq, while referring to the public square in Cairo, Egypt, that was the centre of the uprising against former dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Afaq said that over 5,000 people have been killed during the last eight years, including over 1,000 this year alone including 52 policemen.

“Why doesn’t the Supreme Court take a suo motu notice of this?”

But he later alleged that even the judiciary was being held hostage to “terrorists”. He added that a multitude of criminal cases in Karachi were being ignored while those concerning President Zardari were being taken up.

extend to joint participation in hydrocarbon projects in other countries of interest. ONGC has been working with CNPC in Syria, Sudan and on the Myanmar

Pipeline Project where CNPC is a key participant.

Carl wrote that competing with each other in the bidding war would be a strategic mistake for

both countries.

“China and India tend to have countries looking for a financial windfall when they compete with each other in a bid. If they can learn to bid jointly and effectively, they are likely to pay far more reasonable prices to access resources,” the opinion piece said.

It will also benefit India specifically, Carl wrote.

“State-run Indian oil and gas companies are neither politically, managerially, or strategically as nimble as Chinese oil and gas firms are. Joint projects thus allow them to access supplies they could not have obtained operating alone.

India is still a marginal player in the international oil exploration and it is generally ineffective at leveraging the resources of the Indian state to enhance its prospects for winning bids.

US business community worried about India’s investment climate: Obama Industry captains have said it. Economists, including the government’s advisers, have said it and taken it back now and then.

The government has accepted it in parts and resolved action.

Now, in the first such observation from a foreign head of state, US President Barack Obama indicated it might be time for India to implement “difficult reforms that are necessary”, given the stagnation in investment and job creation.

In an interview to PTI, Obama was careful not to be directly critical of the negative investment climate in India but cited the concerns of the American business community to make his points.

Many in the American business community have expressed concerns that the investment climate in India is deteriorating, he said. “They tell us it is still too hard to invest in India. In too many sectors, such as retail, India limits or prohibits the foreign investment that is necessary to create jobs in both our countries, and which is necessary for India to continue to grow.”

While applauding India’s growth even in difficult times worldwide, he said, “there appears to be a growing consensus in India that the time may be right for another wave of economic reforms to make India more competitive in the global economy.”

Slow growth reflection of global

slowdown While pledging support for India as it “makes the difficult reforms that are necessary”, US President Barack Obama stressed that India had lifted tens of millions of people out of poverty to create one of the world’s largest middle classes and the call for reforms should be seen in the context of its “incredible growth and development in recent decades”.

“Indian innovation is an engine of the global economy. And even with the recent challenges, the Indian economy continues to grow at an impressive rate. The Indian people have displayed a remarkable capacity to meet India’s challenges,” he said.

Sounding positive about the Indian economy, “which continues to grow at an impressive rate”, he said that to some extent, India’s slower growth is a reflection of the larger

slowdown in the global economy.

Refraining from prescribing any solutions, he said, “it is not the place of the United States to tell other nations, including India, how to chart its economic future.

That is for Indians to decide.”

Describing PM Manmohan Singh as “my friend and partner with whom I have worked closely”, Obama said he valued the insights of the Indian leader at various international fora including the recent G20 meeting in Mexico.

He said at the G20 they agreed that one of the best things they could do to get the global economy growing faster was to renew the focus on growth and job creation in their own countries. “That’s my priority in the US. Of course, one of the most effective ways we can create jobs is to continue expanding trade and investment, including between the US and India.”

Saarc international I Thursday 19 July 2012

ENTERTAINMENT

Rajesh Khanna dies in Mumbai

Rajesh Khanna, often referred to as the “first superstar” of Bollywood and the Hindi film industry’s biggest heart-throb in his day,

wife and two daughters well.

“I convey my heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family and countless fans and

died on Wednesday after months of being unwell. He was 69.

Khanna, who had been sick since April with an undisclosed illness rumoured to be cancer, passed away at his family home in Mumbai after being discharged from hospital on Tuesday, reports said.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led an outpouring of grief on Twitter where fans reminisced over his greatest movies and wished his

admirers of Shri Rajesh Khanna,” said Singh’s official Twitter feed.

Known as “Kaka” (uncle) to his fans, Khanna was not from an acting dynasty like many big Bollywood names. He was born in the city of Amritsar in the northwest of India in 1942 and enjoyed being on stage from his school days.

He made his film debut in “Aakhri Khat” (The Last Letter) in 1966 but his big break came with runaway

hit “Aaradhna” (Worship) three years later, followed by a string of successes, with Khanna typically as the romantic lead.

His prominent hits of the 1970s included “Kati Patang” (Broken Kite), “Anand” (Happiness) and “Amar Prem” (Everlasting Love).

In total he appeared in more than 150 Hindi films.

Khanna’s entry to the industry came at a time when fans were looking beyond fading stars of Bollywood legends such as Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand.

He was soon getting letters written in blood by his female fans and his car was marked with lipstick stains wherever he went. There were even reports of his female admirers marrying his photographs.

‘Show Me The Money Honey!’

deal”. He added: “Akshay has promised to work with me in my next venture. So after From Sydney With Love, we will look at a suitable script.

Watch the Video: http://youtu. be/4WDfDlHMBnw Singer-songwriter and rap artist Kimeli’s love of music and singing was apparent from childhood, and in London she attended the highly acclaimed Sylvia Young Theatre School from age seven, in conjunction with studies at Putney High School.

She played an active role in singing, drama and dance performances at both establishments.

Kimeli was born in Lagos, Nigeria in 1993, living in Africa with her family before moving to the UK at the age of six. At 14 Kimeli independently began to write and record tracks in South Africa, with well-known producers DJ Jazzy D and Big Boi of Brown Suga Entertainment, which received airplay on Highveld radio, Johannesburg’s top hit radio station.

At 16 Kimeli had the opportunity to work with renowned pop veterans Mark Topham and Karl Twigg, who produced for British chart sensation, Steps, taking the lead in commercial pop band “No Gossip” who signed to independent label Brown Moose Records.

Kimeli’s ambitions to be a stage performer led her to audition for X Factor UK in 2010, where she progressed to the final 100 from 300,000 contestants. She performed “Shut up and Drive” by Rihanna, and later honoured the experience with a tattoo to symbolise her love of music and commitment to her personal journey as an all round entertainer.

Towards the end of 2011, Kimeli joined forces with producer and friend Bharat Goel to produce her first Hindi track, “Money Honey” attracting interest from international

It will be taking three Shah Rukh Khans to try and match the power of Salman Khan when the King Khan will take on Sher Khan on August 15 when the promos of the

the YRF film ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif.

Yash Chopra has finally selected a title for his directorial comeback.

The Shah Rukh Khan-Katrina

Yash Chopra film tentatively titled ‘Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum’ will be aired on the film screens along with

Kaif-Anushka Sharma starrer film will most probably be titled Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum. Incidentally,

British broadcaster Jack Pizzey in a 1973 BBC documentary “Bombay Superstar” described Khanna as having the charisma of Italian actor Rudolph Valentino and the arrogance of Napoleon.

Many Indian hearts were broken when he married young actress Dimple Kapadia in 1973. They had two daughters and later separated, but she returned to look after him during his final days of illness.

Akshay Kumar Goes All Out to Help His Student Enter Bollywood

25

music labels in India, before finally signing with Eros International.

Kimeli’s journey so far has been an international one. She has lived in various parts of the world including Nigeria, South Africa, India and England, and acquired many musical influences. She loves the exceptional sound of the voice as an instrument, and counts women as diverse as Shamshad Begam, and the late soul divas Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse - each unique and unconventional vocal talent - among her musical inspiration.

Expression through performance and entertainment is an integral part of her philosophy, and Kimeli brings the flavour of the international stage to her songs. As Indian music becomes more global in the digital age, and new media makes it more a visual art form, Kimeli is part of Eros’s vision to raise the stakes and bring modern Indian music to the next level on the world platform.

Get more on Kimeli and ErosNowMusic: https://twitter.com/MusicKimeli http://www.facebook.com/ erosnowmusic http://twitter.com/#!/ ErosNowMusic …ends…

Download the MP3 of ‘Money Honey’ (Strictly for media use only) https://www.yousendit. com/download/ QlVqTmZYcHYxUUJvZE1UQw For more info, interviews, images or bookings please contact Media Moguls raj@mediamoguls.com +44 (0)7970 298 499

Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum

Bollywood megastar and Martial Arts supremo Akshay Kumar has once again shown his caring nature by offering to act in the debut film of his one-time Martial Arts student, Prateek.

Akshay and Prateek first met when Akshay starred in the 1992 hit Deedar, which was directed by Prateek’s grandfather and acclaimed director Pramod Chakravorty. During breaks in the filming, Akshay trained his protégé in the discipline of Martial Arts. “When Akshay was shooting for my granddad’s film Deedar, he taught me Martial Arts.

I stopped training and he also got busy with his film career. But I have always been close to him,” says Prateek, Now Prateek, a budding Bollywood actor and director, has penned and starred in his debut project, From Sydney With Love, which he has made under his family production banner of Pramod Films. Akshay has offered to perform a cameo in the film and has also helped to launch the film’s music soundtrack.

Speaking about the project, Prateek said: “Akshay supporting me is a huge

this was a song from the legendary filmmaker’s yesteryear film Silsila.

A source was quoted saying, “While there were various options, both Yash Chopra and Aditya Chopra were not happy with them. There had been reports that London Ishq was the title but the makers had denied it. Yash Chopra had more or less finalised that the film would be called ‘Jai’ but later he did a rethink. He preferred Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum from his controversial film Silsila which starred Amitabh Bachchan with Rekha and Jaya Bachchan.”

NEWS

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 July 2012

Why Pakistan’s rebels are attacking Chinese projects

There is a perception amongst those fighting the government in Pakistan that the only sure shot way of drawing Islamabad’s attention is to attack the Chinese, as the government does not pay much heed to attacks on hapless Pakistani citizens, says Alok Bansal. in the memory of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, in Thatta district of Sindh, is nothing but a conspiracy to turn them into a minority by colonising their home land by non-Sindhis. In their opinion the Chinese in collusion with the provincial and federal government are the main instruments of this colonisation. Their fears have been aggravated by the phenomenal rise in Sindh’s population between 1998 and 2011, which is mainly attributed to the influx of people from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa.

Earlier the Baloch nationalists had

premier was originally slated to inaugurate the port.

In February 2006, Chinese engineers working for a cement plant were killed in Hub. Subsequently a convoy carrying Chinese workers was attacked in Khuzder in July 2007.

At that point of time, a large number of Chinese companies were involved in oil and gas exploration activities and were holding 122 leases in Balochistan, with 1,200 Chinese personnel deployed in the region.

Sustained attacks by Baloch nationalists forced three Chinese companies, Great Wall, BGP and a

In May 2011, during the attack by TTP militants on PNS Mehran, the naval air base at Karachi the attackers were allegedly looking for Chinese nationals working there. A Chinese woman was killed by TTP militants in Peshawar on February 28, 2012, apparently to avenge the atrocities being committed against the Uighurs in Xinjiang. Even in Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir , the nationalist forces are protesting against the increasing Chinese inroads in the region.

Consequently, the terrified Chinese personnel, including those working

a perception amongst those fighting the government in Pakistan that the only sure shot way of drawing Islamabad’s attention is to attack the Chinese, as the government does not pay much heed to attacks on hapless Pakistani citizens.

The fact that serious acts of violence against Pakistani citizens including security personnel by the clerics of Lal Masjid did not stir government to action, but the kidnapping of Chinese nationals did, proves the point. In addition the religious extremists are also driven by their sympathies for the Uighur Muslims.

against China and Chinese products.

Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, the pre-eminent Sindhi nationalist party, declared on July 12 that it would boycott Chinese goods as the Chinese government was facilitating

given a similar call and have been targeting Chinese nationals and assets regularly. They feel that Chinese are not only robbing them of their natural resources, but in collusion with Islamabad are trying to change

unit of state owned CNPC to pull out of Balochistan. On November 22, 2011, an attack on Chinese convoy in Dera Bugti district killed five persons including three security personnel, although the Chinese engineers

in sensitive installations like Karachi shipyard, have by and large been forced to remain confined to their places of work. In regions like GB, the Chinese personnel are being guarded

by Chinese troops. As a result of the

However, in the case of various nationalist forces, which are secular in their orientation, there is also a belief that anti-China stance could possibly win them the support of the United States and the western world.

large-scale Chinese investment into the proposed city of Zulfiqarabad in Sindh, which has been a dream project of President Asif Ali Zardari .

The JSQM also planned a protest rally outside the consulate general of China in Karachi, but the police authorities cordoned off the area and blocked all roads leading to it. The party workers, who could not reach there, burnt hundreds of SIM cards of Chinese telecom companies and have called a province-wide protest against the governments of China and Sindh on July 18.

Amid protests, Sindh takes over 80,000 acres of people’s land to build its new Zulfiqarabad city Sindhi nationalists believe that Zulfiqarabad, a modern city spread over a million acres being planned

the demographic composition of the land through various mega projects being undertaken in Balochistan.

They have accused Islamabad of giving away several profitable projects to China without anything in return and perceive China as the major collaborator in Pakistani establishment’s nefarious designs in Balochistan.

This has led to the targeting of Chinese camps by rockets, as China is the largest source of foreign direct investment in Balochistan. As a result three Chinese engineers involved in the Gwadar port were killed in May 2004. So strong was the threat to Chinese nationals that Pakistani authorities decided against taking Wen Jia Bao to Gwadar during his visit in 2005, although the Chinese

escaped unhurt.

On the other end of the political spectrum, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has also targeted the Chinese nationals. Two Chinese engineers working in Gomal Zam Dam in South Waziristan Agency were kidnapped by the followers of Abdullah Mehsud in 2004 and one of them was killed during the rescue effort by Pakistan Army . Similarly, the clerics from Lal Masjid also kidnapped Chinese women from Islamabad, which eventually led to the storming of the mosque by the security forces. On July 8, 2007, while the siege of Lal Masjid was going on in Islamabad, three Chinese nationals were killed in Peshawar and another was injured, as they were shot at by radical militants.

precarious security situation, many Chinese companies are planning to prune down their investments in Pakistan. In 2011, one of China’s biggest private coal mining firms, the Kingho Group pulled out citing security concerns from a $19-billion deal to extract coal and set up power and chemical plants in Tharparkar district in Sindh province, which could have been the biggest investment by a Chinese company in Pakistan.

The crucial point that needs to be addressed is the reason behind these anti-Chinese actions in a country, where majority of the population is favourably disposed towards China.

The prime reason appears to be the extreme sensitivity of Pakistani government to the targeting of any Chinese interest. As a result there is

This to a great extent has driven their actions against China besides Chinese role in their regions. The Diaspora from the smaller provinces have been quite active in the US and Europe to highlight the growing Chinese influence in Pakistan.

Sindhi nationalists are not only hoping to get their voices heard by their anti-Chinese stance but are also optimistic about garnering the US support for their cause. Their success in garnering the US support for their cause, at this point of time appears doubtful, despite the presence of a sizeable Sindhi Diaspora across the globe; but their actions are bound to cast a shadow on Sino-Pak relations.

Alok Bansal is senior fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies, New Delhi .

Alok Bansal After Baloch nationalists and the Taliban in Pakistan, Sindhi nationalists have also given call

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 July 2012

NEWS

27

Canada Concedes Sri Lanka Committing War Crimes

Canada publicly and officially says Sri Lankan forces committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during war against Tamil Tigers.

In an irreversible development that could fix Sri Lanka at any international tribunal, Canada and its judiciary have officially conceded

Refugee Board (IRB) ruled he was not a genuine refugee because he was complicit in crimes against humanity,” the National Post, a Canadian Englishlanguage national newspaper, , said in a report on Monday (02)..

The Toronto-based newspaper said that his appeal to the Federal Court

said that IRB found that while he had never personally committed a war crime, Mr. Kuruparan “participated in facilitating the navy’s operations, which included the darker aspects of those operations.”

The IRB found that he “had been complicit in the crimes against

scheduled to be held in Colombo next year, demanding that there should be an international probe into the widespread allegations of war crimes committed during the final months of the war in 2009 by Sri Lankan government and its armed forced.

Australian Greens urges Gillard to

that reported allegations against Mr Samarasinghe in a brief provided to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions are being evaluated by the Australian Federal Police. If the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada has reportedly ruled that Nadarajah Kuruparan is not a genuine

that Sri Lankan Security Forces have committed war crimes during the final months of the war that ended in mid May 2009, by repeatedly rejecting an asylum application filed by a top ranking naval officer.

According to Canadian media report, Commodore Nadarajah Kuruparan has arrived at the Canadian border on August 4, 2009 with his wife and two children and made a refugee claim but the Federal Officials “are refusing to accept his refugee claim on the grounds he was complicit in war crimes during the troubled island’s long civil war against Tamil rebels”.

“One of only five ethnic Tamil officers in the navy, he said he feared the government, pro-government militias and rebels but the Immigration and

of Canada was dismissed on June 13, and he and his family now face deportation to Sri Lanka.

‘Disappearances and torture’ “The extensive sources of evidence and the reporting contained therein, including references to tens of thousands of disappearances and the institutionalization of torture, supports a finding that the navy and security forces’ acts were part of a widespread or systematic attack on Sri Lanka,” the newspaper has quoted Federal Court Justice John O’Keefe as saying in his 50-page decision on his case.

Hailing the court ruling as ‘significant’ because it upheld the finding that the Sri Lankan Security Forces committed widespread war crimes, it

humanity because he had a long service with the navy, an organization that was known to regularly and systematically commit human rights abuses against the LTTE, the Tamil population and individuals suspected or perceived to be LTTE collaborators or sympathizers,” The National Post report said.

This is for first time that any government or a judiciary outside Sri Lanka has publicly and officially held that the Sri Lankan Security Forces have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during its war against the Tamil Tiger rebels.

This has come amidst Canada’s persistent warning to boycott the next Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM)

follow suit Canada Commenting on the ruling by the Canadian Federal Court and IRB, Australian Greens Senator for New South Wales Lee Rhiannon, Tuesday questioned Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s moral high ground to keep former Sri Lankan Navy Chief Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe as the High Commissioner to Australia.

“The ruling by the Federal Court of Canada and the Immigration and Refugee Board against a Commodore of the Sri Lankan Navy puts the focus back on Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe,” Lee Rhiannon said in a statement.

“Through recent questioning in Senate Estimates I was able to confirm

refugee because he is complicit in crimes against humanity, then it is important to ask why a former Sri Lankan Naval Admiral still holds the position of High Commissioner in Australia while allegations against him are being evaluated,” Senator Lee Rhiannon questioned.

“If the Prime Minister has information which clears the High Commissioner of any complicity in the war crimes that were committed in Sri Lanka then she should share this with the Australian people. If not, Prime Minister Gillard should immediately ask the Sri Lankan Government to recall its High Commissioner, or move to expel him,” the Australian Green Senator stressed.

Salem-News.com

‘Post 9/11 attacks, Muslims around the world are viewed with suspicion’ Farooq Abdullah says a solution will be worked out to avoid discrimination after discussing it in the cabinet

Puja Bhattacharjee a Correspondent with Governance Now. Angry Muslim youths hooted and heckled National Conference (NC) president and Union minister for new and renewable energy Farooq Abdullah for sermonising and not giving a solution. Abdullah was addressing a conference on ‘Politics of terror, targeting Muslim

youth’ at the Constitution Club on Monday. Abdullah said that ever since the 9/11 attacks, Muslims around the world are viewed with suspicion. He added that even he is not exempt from discrimination.

“The moment they read my name I am called aside and frisked. Even APJ Abdul Kalam was not spared if you remember,” he said.

Abdullah promised that a solution will be worked out after discussing the matter in the cabinet.

Mother of Fasih Mahmood, an engineer who was picked up in Saudi Arabia and has been missing since May 13, lamented at the apathy of the Indian government.

“We are Indian citizens. So we will demand answers from Indian

government and not Saudi Arabia.

It has been two months since my son was picked up by authorities.

We are still clueless about his whereabouts. Family members have run from pillar to post in search of an answer but to no avail.

But I will not rest until I find my son,” she said tearfully.

Shaudab Kazmi, son of arrested journalist Syed Muhammed Ahmad Kazmi, said that the police so far have not told him what exactly the charges against his father are.

“Until now, I have returned empty handed from everywhere. Mass protests had been held to protest his unlawful detention. But it has fallen on deaf ears,” he said.

Swami Agnivesh said that the

man responsible for incarcerating an innocent man should be kept in jail for an equally long time to teach them a lesson. “On June 28, innocent tribals, including children were killed in Chhattisgarh. P Chidambaran was celebrating declaring that Naxalites were killed,” he said while holding out a banner displaying the dead bodies of slain children.

“As long as P Chidambaram is home minister no justice will be delivered,” he added.

Samajwadi Party leader Mohan Singh said that he is ready to give his full support to this endeavour.

“A large number of undertrials who are kept in jail without being charge sheeted and produced

before the court are Muslims, SCs and STs,” said D Raja.

“Each time an innocent is killed, the government comes up with ‘I am sorry’. This attitude has to change. These issues have to be taken up inside and outside of parliament,” he added.

Nilotpal Basu said no solution can be achieved if it stays a fight only for the Muslims. “It is not a communal fight. We have to stand united,” he said.

Seema Mustafa, convener of the conference said that there is no compensation or rehabilitation for those innocent Muslim men who get picked by police on concocted charges and spend years in prison.

NEWS

28

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 July 2012

ON THE BENEFITS OF THE MONTH OF RAMADHAN

Translated from the article of Shaikh Abd alQadir al-Gaylani O young man, the word Ramadhan consists of five letters: 1 - ra’ 2 - meem 3 - dhad 4 - alif 5 - noon.

The ra’ is derived from rahma (mercy), the meem from mujazat (recompense), mahabba (love) & minna (favour), the dhad from dhaman lilthawab (assurance of reward), the alif from ulfa (affinity) & qurb (nearness) & the noon from nur (light) & nawal [the receiving (of grace)] If you give this month its due and act properly during it, these things will come to you from the True One (‘Azza wa Jall).

They will come to you in this world as strengthening and enlightening for your hearts, & as favour & receiving of grace, outwardly and inwardly.

In the hereafter there will come to you what no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard & has never occurred to any human heart.

Most of you are out of touch with Ramadhan. Respect for a command comes in proportion to the respect shown to the commander. As for anyone out of touch with Allah (‘Azza wa Jall), His Messenger, His Prophets & the righteous among servants (Peace & Blessings Upon Them), then how can he be in touch with this month?

Most of you have seen their fathers, mothers & neighbours fast, so they joined them in fasting as a matter of habit not worship. They think that fasting is merely abstaining from Continued on page 01 >> story eight weeks into the murder trial claiming that her husband Iftikhar had beaten their daughter on the night she went missing.

The jury has heard that the teenager had drunk bleach during a family trip to Pakistan months before she went missing.

The prosecution claim it was a suicide attempt to avoid being forced into a marriage arranged by her father.

Junyad Ahmed said that as far as he was concerned, the incident was accidental and that Shafilea was

food & drink, so they do not fulfil its conditions & requirements.

O People give up habitual practice and keep to worship. Fast for the sake of Allah (‘Azza wa Jall). Do not get bored of fasting & worshipping in this month. Do righteous deeds, during it, & make sure that you act with sincerity. Make a regular practice of the prayers of taraweeh.

Illuminate the mosques, for this will be a light for you on the Day of Resurrection. If you obey and respect Allah (‘Azza wa Jall) in this month, it will be an intercessor on your behalf in the presence of your Lord (‘Azza wa Jall) on the Day of Resurrection. It will beg Him to grant you a share of His favour, His Generosity, His Blessings, His Grace, His Graciousness, His Subtle Kindness & His Safekeeping.

Woe unto you! What Benefit would you derive from fasting if you break it on unlawful food & Sleep during these noble nights having committed acts of disobedience?

You fast out of dissimulation & hypocrisy as long as you are among creatures, & once you are on you own you break your fast! Then

you come out & say: “I am keeping the fast”, while throughout the day you are involved in verbal abuse, levelling defamatory accusations, swearing false oaths & taking people’s money by way of defrauding, trickery & exaction.

This sort of behaviour makes you no good at all and does not count as a fast.

The Prophet (Salla Allah ta’ala ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “There are so many people who fast yet get nothing out of their fasting other than hunger & thirst & there are so many people who spend the night in worshipful acts yet earn nothing out of their worship other than fatigue & vigil” There are among you those who are Muslims outwardly but like idol-worshippers inwardly. Woe unto you! Renew your Islam, your repentance, your apology & your sincerity in order that your Master (‘Azza wa Jall) will accept you & pardon your past sins. O You, who are fasting, thank your Lord (‘Azza wa Jall) for preparing you for fasting & enabling you to keep it! When one of you fasts, let his

ears, his sights, his hands, his legs, his limbs & organs & his heart all fast.

When you fast, give up lying, giving false witness, backbiting, defaming people & embezzling their properties. In principle, you fast in order to purify yourselves of your sins & keep away from them, so what benefit could you derive from your fasting if you commit, these sins yet again?

Have you not heard the Prophet (Salla Allah ta’ala ‘alayhi wa sallam) saying: “Fasting is a suit of armour [junna]”, for it protects & covers the person who wears it. This is why the shield is called mijanna, as it protects its owner & prevents the arrows from striking him, & the person who is out of his mind is called majnun, as his mind has been covered up. The fast is a suite of armour for anyone who fasts with pious restraint, fear Allah & sincerity, for in this cause it will prevent the tribulations of this world & the hereafter from striking him.

O you, who are fasting, comfort the poor & the needy with a share of

Shafilea’s Brother Accuses Family Of Lying happy during the trip.

Earlier in the day, a relative of Shafilea denied that there were plans to “marry her off”.

Speaking via video link from Karachi in Pakistan, Abdul Razak told the court that he had discussed the possibility with Shafilea’s father of an arranged marriage.

Mr Razak said he wanted his son to marry “any one” of Iftikar Ahmed’s daughters and agreed that, although no names were mentioned, custom

dictated that it would be the eldest daughter.

The witness claimed that Mr Ahmed said his daughters were not old enough, were still studying and that British law required the woman to consent.

Iftikhar Ahmed has denied any plans to force his daughter into an arranged marriage. He and his wife Farzana have pleaded not guilty to murder.

Shafilea lived with her family at Warrington in Cheshire, and went

missing from home in September 2003. Her body was found five months later by a river in Cumbria.

During cross-examination Mr Razak, who is Mr Ahmed’s uncle, occasionally became emotional saying his head “was not working properly” and that he did not want to answer certain questions.

At one point the judge asked him to remove his hands from his face.

Mr Razak told the court that when Shafilea attended a wedding during a

your food at the time of breaking fast for it increases your reward & it is a sign of acceptance of your fast.

At the time of breaking your fast, all this will disappear & nothing will remain other than that which you do in preparation for yourselves in the hereafter. Therefore, do such preparations as long as you are able to prepare.

On the Day of Resurrection, you will be gathered hungry, thirsty, naked, afraid, ashamed & terrified. The person who feeds the poor and the needy in this world will be fed on that Day. The person who provides clothing for the poor & the needy in this world will be supplied with clothes on that Day. The person who is afraid & feels ashamed before the True One (‘Azza wa Jall) in this world will be made to feel safe on that Day. As for the person who is merciful to others in this world, Allah (‘Azza wa Jall) will be merciful to him on that Day. In this month, there is a night that is the greatest night of the year, which is Laylat al-Qadr. This night has signs that the righteous can recognize. Among the servants of Allah (‘Azza wa Jall) there are those who have the veil removed from their eyes so they see the lights of divinity that is held in the hands of the angels, the light of their faces, the light of the doors of heaven & the light of the countenance of the True One (‘Azza wa Jall) because on that Night He manifests Himself to the people of the earth.

O People do not make obtaining your food your concern because it is a low concern. You have been put to test through eating & drinking, but you have been saved the trouble of securing sustenance, so do not have any concern about it. Glory be to the Self – Sustained One who never eats, drinks or sleeps. Your greedy keenness has increased, while your pious restraint and faith have decreased. Woe unto you!

This world lasts only one hour, so spend it in obedience. family trip to Pakistan a few months before she went missing she seemed happy and helped out with the event.

He denied that there had been a plan for his son to meet Shafilea to “see how they got on”.

Prosecuting barrister Andrew Edis QC asked: “In your culture, if parents agree to a marriage and the marriage doesn’t happen is that something they should be ashamed of.”

Mr Razak answered: “Yes, that’s right. It is shame.”

The trial continues.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 July 2012

COMMENT

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Why didn’t Russia use veto right on Libya?

Why did Russia not use the veto on Libya? Where is the money that was lent to Sarkozy by Gaddafi? What are the chances of a repetition of the “Libyan scenario” in Syria? Who set the West against Muammar Gaddafi and Bashar al-Assad? Said Gafurov, scientific director of the Institute of Oriental and African studies, answered these and other questions .

It is believed that Russia “washed its hands” in terms of the Libyan issue.

“Russia, as you know, abstained in the UN on the adoption of resolution 1973. The then President Medvedev later said in an interview with the Financial Times that Russia made a tragic mistake. Had we known that “resolution 1973” would be interpreted this way we would have voted against it. In fact, Medvedev has publicly stated that the West simply deceived Russia.

And I repeat, what is going on in Libya has nothing to do with democracy. All this can only be called a military coup and subsequent intervention. I do not have any other words.”

What is the story with the money that Gaddafi has lent to Sarkozy?

“I do not think that Sarkozy kept the money lent by Libya in the central French bank. Some Libyan fund that must have been registered in Europe, most likely in violation of electoral laws of France, transferred the money for the election campaign of Sarkozy.

There are documents from the French prosecutor’s office in this regard, and we, I think, will get to see the end of this criminal case.

I think the Persian Gulf sheiks promised to buy the French government bonds to fill the gap in the budget of France, because the war is an expensive business.

While it brought big profits to French companies, it is not a given that it was enough to plug the gaps in the budget, and now the West in many ways is holding back the repetition of the events in Syria in Libya because they simply cannot afford it.”

Can the West repeat this war?

“The West would have calmed down if it were not for the East Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The West should solve the problem with the budget deficit and the collapse of its economy, and the possible collapse of the euro area, and a war

needs to be funded, but there are no funds. Huge amounts of money are coming from the Persian Gulf.

Now each of Syria’s enemies wants to destroy it with the hands of their allies. Even in Russia the Embassy

of Qatar is paying large sums of money to Russian journalists, leaders of medium news agencies and the media.

Would you like to ask me what they are paying for?

A representative of the Syrian rebels in Moscow, Mahmoud Hamza, regularly receives money at the box office of the Qatari embassy. Other Syrians, even oppositional, refuse to give their good name to the business fueled

by Qatari money of the terrorists.

Only those people who have fully compromised themselves receive money from Doha.”

Will the “Libyan scenario” be repeated in Syria?

“The agreement, the plan of Kofi Annan that the Syrians need to solve their problems themselves, without outside interference, has to be executed. This is the position of Russia, and I fully agree with it. Syria must follow the path of democracy and freedom, and foreign aggression on the territory of Syria has to be prevented. The Syrian army and the government do not want to fight! Why would Syria’s army shoot its own people?

If they are able to, I repeat, prevent foreign interference, it would be a way out.”

What are the ways of the West to unleash a war against Syria?

“There are many of them. From the formation of foreign legions, invasion of Syria from Turkey to the Libyan scenario with the bombing option. But I think none of the NATO countries would do it. After all, it’s not just about the

fact that the Syrians know how to fight. The fact is that they know, paradoxically, how to lose. The entire history of Syria is a chain of losses, after which they retreated and regrouped, continued to fight

and eventually won in this way.

The Syrians have held free parliamentary elections. During the next presidential election, I am convinced that the opposition will not be able to have a candidate who would win over Bashar, and I

doubt that the opposition will have time to grow a candidate in their ranks if it blows up bombs in the streets instead of campaigning. In the meantime, Bashar beats any candidate with the advantage of at least six to four. The situation in Syria is now much safer than it appears from the Western media and “Al-Jazeera,” there is a normal life, children go to school, people work, earn money, but Bashar is the guarantor of the economic stability in their country.”

Whose side will have the advantage?

“NATO is stronger than Syria.

However, I cannot imagine the countries of the bloc deciding to use direct aggression. Even political statements by the heads of this block suggest that the countries belonging to NATO want the Syrians to solve their problems, and we should talk about a national dialogue. In Western countries, there is opposition fueled by

Middle Eastern money who wants to destabilize Syria.

And you will notice that most of the world is opposed to NATO. Here’s an example. There was a meeting of the Russian and U.S. Presidents Putin and Obama, but that same day, there was a meeting of the leaders of the BRICS. Nobody knows what they were talking about, there was no communique published, but it is known that four topics were discussed, including Syria, Iran, the IMF and the European crisis, and one of the most important four topics was Syria.

The BRICS countries coordinate their efforts, nearly all of Latin America and all the moderate Arab countries are against neocolonialism of the West. In Egypt, for example, the government is allegedly on the side of the rebels, but journalists in major newspapers are in favor of the Syrian government.”

Igor Latunsky

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SPECIAL FEATURE

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 July 2012

King Khan loses his crown again

Amir Khan knocked out by Danny Garcia Amir Khan admits he ‘got complacent’ after fourthround defeat to Danny Garcia AMIR KHAN’s career lies in tatters after he suffered a devastating second successive defeat in Las Vegas as Danny Garcia knocked him down three times en route to a fourth-round stoppage win.

AMIR KHAN admits he only has himself to blame after suffering a crushing fourth-round stoppage defeat to massive underdog Danny Garcia in Las Vegas.

Khan was floored three times as American Garcia exploited the Englishman’s naive tactics to keep his WBC light-welterweight title and snatch his opponent’s WBA belt.

in with my hands down and Danny took advantage.

“I respect Danny, he was countering very well against me.”

Khan, now 26-3 with 18 early wins and two stoppage defeats, hinted he may have taken Garcia lightly. His tactics backed that up as he tore at his opponent from the opening bell before becoming embroiled in a war which he lost spectacularly.

“We got a little complacent and he took advantage and he caught me,” he said of Garcia’s decisive left hook that sent him down for the first time.

“I was a little surprised the referee stopped it. I thought he was going to let us continue. My mind was

Khan was taken to hospital for precautionary scans after the devastating loss, which was his second in succession after Lamont Peterson’s tainted win over him last December.

“It wasn’t my night,” admitted the Bolton fighter.

“After watching the replays a little bit I thought I was coming

clear and I thought my legs were okay but I respect the referee, the judges and the commission, maybe they made the right call.”

Khan, who had perhaps naively talked about fighting Floyd Mayweather in the near future, had the WBA belt he lost to Peterson returned to him this week but lost it again to Garcia at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Garcia, now 24-0 (15KOs) said: “I always knew I was going to win this fight and I’m now a unified

champion at 140lbs.

“I needed a great fighter in front of me to show how good a fighter I am.

“Now everyone knows. I’m a killer.

I will fight anyone, anywhere, anytime.

“I hit him with the same shots I hit Erik Morales with when I won the title last time and that shows you how great a fighter Morales is.

“People said he was old but he took those shots all night long and Khan couldn’t take them.”

The Philadelphia man added: “We knew Khan was going to come out fast because he thought I had no power but I waited and stepped up to use the power and speed I have, and it worked.

“I was going to fight until the death, just like he did. Now I want to continue to fight the best.”

Khan flew out of the blocks and was in control of the early action.

Garcia was trailing - and cut over the eye - when the fight exploded in the third round.

up passes and running to goal. Hamza Mawaz also played well above his 1 goal handicap dribbling the ball beautifully and landing shots from half way in the goal mouth.

Despite some great play between Harilela Polo Team’s Aamir Khan and Abhimanyu Pathak ‘Dewa’s Own’ were too strong and ran out the winners

5 goals to 6.5. Saqib Khakwani and Emran Akhtar were invited up to receive the trophy and Hamza Mawaz’s pony ‘Gracida’ was awarded BBP. Ham Polo Club continues its run of international visitors next week with teams from Newport Rhode Island (USA) and Accra PC (Ghana) taking on the home side.

Charity Day at Ham Polo Club The match featured teams from India and Pakistan

On Saturday afternoon at Ham Polo Club guests enjoyed the 2nd annual CST Polo Classic charity day. The day featured teams from Pakistan and India playing an 8 goal challenge match on the historic Number 1. ground at Ham. The Pakistani and Indian players had traveled from their

home countries, and in one case the USA, to take part in the event which raised funds for aid in flood affected areas of Pakistan.

CST raised 20,000 pounds at last years event and the money funded vital housing projects in the flood damaged areas of Sindh and Southern

Punjab. It is hoped that funds raised on Saturday will help start a water filtration project, also in Southern Punjab.

The game itself was very closely contested. Dr Tanweer Khan of ‘Dewa’s Own’ Polo Team proved a very useful number one, ably picking

NEWS

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 July 2012

31

Pakistan-India cricket ties to resume in December: reports Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi to host ODIs against Pakistan: BCCI

Indian invited Pakistan for a series later this year on Monday, the first in five years between the neighbours, raising the possibility of an improvement in broader relations.

DawnNews reported that the Indian government had given its approval for the series in December-January which will likely include three oneday internationals and maybe two Twenty20s.

“It was decided to resume cricketing ties with Pakistan by inviting the Pakistan cricket team for a short series in December 2012-January 2013,” the Indian cricket board, the BCCI, said in a statement.

“The modalities will be worked out shortly.”

The neighbors have not played a series since Pakistan’s tour of India in 2007 after cricket ties were snapped following the 2008 terror attacks on Mumbai.

The games will be in New Delhi, Mohali and the Himalayan hilltown of Dharamshala, between December 23 and January 10, news reports said.

They will be sandwiched between England’s short tour of India.

Cricket ties have been the subject of discussions between the governments of both countries,

who have been holding regular meetings in a bid to improve ties.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) swiftly welcomed the proposed series.

“The decision is great and we welcome it. It seems that millions of cricket fans have their wishes fulfilled,” said PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf in Lahore.

Since 2007 the Indian and Pakistani cricket teams have only met in international tournaments.

They clashed in the semi-final of the World Cup last year and also during the Asia Cup in Bangladesh in March.

After BCCI’s Monday’s decision that Indo-Pak cricketing ties will be revived and a three-match ODI series between the two arch-rivals, who have not played each other in

a bilateral series for close to five years, will be held.

Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi will be hosting the ODIs against Pakistan, said BCCI, while Bangalore and Ahmedabad will be the venues for the two T20 matches.

Sunil Gavaskar criticises BCCI’s decision to resume ties with Pak

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar criticised the BCCI’s decision to revive the Indo-Pak bilateral cricket ties as he felt Pakistan was not cooperating in the Mumbai terror attacks probe.

The bilateral cricketing ties had been snapped after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and there have been several attempts by the Pakistan Cricket Board in recent months to convince the BCCI to resume it.

“Being a Mumbaikar I feel what is the urgency when there is no co-operation from the other side,” said Gavaskar.

Gavaskar also felt that India are playing a lot of cricket in the upcoming season and any other series would only put pressure on the criketers.

Resumption of Pak-India cricket encouraging sign: Zaka Lahore—Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board, Mohammad Zaka Ashraf has described the resumption of Pak-India cricket ties a heartening sign to bring closer people of both the countries besides serving as an effective medium for boosting the economy of the region.

“It is a very healthy sign that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially decided to resume cricket ties with Pakistan after the approval of their Government and we welcome this move,” he told newsmen at a news conference here on Monday at Gadaffi stadium.

He said the Indian Board has been given a go ahead signal by their Government to play cricket in Pakistan and PCB welcomes this gesture. “It seems this Pak-India cricket series will surely take place later this year in December or January next year after a gap of five years.”

Pakistan last visited India for a full-fledged cricket series in 2007 and since then both the countries have not played on bilateral basis.

Zaka Ashraf said once they receive the official invitation from the Indian Board after which the necessary modalities regarding number of matches and venues will be decided with

mutual understanding.

“We have to consider the comfort of the Indian Board in this regard (deciding venues) and I am optimistic that we will have a good understanding with them to decide the venues,” he asserted.

PCB Chief praised the positive contribution of President Asif Ali Zardari for breaking the ice on cricket between Pak and India and said he (Zardari) put in his best to persuade India to resume cricketing ties with Pakistan as it was in the larger interest of both the countries.

“It is the result of our six months continuous efforts that finally we have reached an positive outcome and hopefully this series will help further improve ties between the two countries “,said PCB Chairman.

He underlined the importance of reviving cricket between Pak-India and termed it a step forward in bringing closer the people of both the countries besides boosting the economy of the region.

He called for revival of international cricket in Pakistan and urged the provincial governments to extend cooperation and all out support to PCB for ensuring fool proof security for the visiting teams.

“International cricket did not return to Pakistan due to security concerns and it is the responsibility of the provincial governments to make stringent security measures to ensure the safety of the foreign teams,” he said.

Chairman PCB termed cricket a national cause for everyone saying that it was nothing to do with the politics as it was the most liked and popular sport of every political party and the people of the Pakistan. “It is not just a game, it is a passion in which ever one is involved and everyone should contribute in bringing back international cricket to Pakistan.”

“It is not only the Federal Government to make efforts to bring back international cricket to Pakistan, it is also the provincial governments who should play their due role by giving firm assures regarding security and if they do so the sooner the international cricket will be back to our playgrounds.”

England are scheduled to arrive in India for a four-match Test series followed by two Twenty20 Internationals before going home on Christmas. They would be back to play five One-day Internationals, scheduled to take place from January 11.

“Well, my first reaction is that the time the players have between the England series, it is not going to be there. They are playing England in November-December but now they are not going to get the breather,” Gavaskar told ‘NDTV’.

“Players need the time to look after their injuries and get better,” he added.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan player, Zaheer Abbas expressed happiness at the resumption of ties, saying that it will be good for the Indo-Pak relationship.

“The best remedy is to play. At least the country will be busy watching cricket. It will be good for cricket and Indo-Pak relationship. Both the countries should be playing cricket every year. It is a very good sign,” said Abbas.

“People in Pakistan are very happy.

India are becoming a great power in cricket. Playing with India we can improve our cricket also,” he said.

Imran Khan hails IndiaPakistan cricket revival Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan on Tuesday hailed the revival of cricketing ties with India, saying the resumption of one of the world’s great rivalries was good for the sport.

India on Monday invited Pakistan for a short limited overs series in DecemberJanuary, the first bilateral encounter between the neighbours in five years.

India stalled cricketing ties with Pakistan in the wake of terror attacks on its commercial hub Mumbai in November 2008, which were blamed on militants based across the border.

“I welcome India’s decision to revive cricket with Pakistan,” Khan told reporters. “Anything which can bring both the countries to negotiations and normalcy is very good and we must appreciate that.” The thaw came after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari asked Indian premier Manmohan Singh to restore ties during a lunch meeting in New Delhi in April this year. India also invited Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 champions Sialkot Stallions for the Champions League to be held in South Africa this year.

Khan, who captained Pakistan to World Cup glory in 1992 before forming his own political party -- Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (Movement for Justice) -- said India and Pakistan playing each other was a boost for world cricket.

“The prospect of India and Pakistan playing against each other is a good news for international cricket because these matches are followed by millions across the world,” said Khan.

32

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 19 July 2012

Yuvraj in India’s World T20 probables list two home Tests against the West Indies in November,

India on Wednesday picked Yuvraj Singh, who is recovering from cancer, in a 30-man preliminary squad for the World Twenty20 to be played in Sri Lanka later this year. The 30year-old, regarded as one of the most flamboyant batsmen in world cricket, completed chemotherapy in the United States in April after being diagnosed with a rare germ-cell tumour between his lungs early last year.

Yuvraj, who has not played competitive cricket since the

only recently began light training at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. It is not certain that Yuvraj will be selected in the final 15-man squad that must be finalised by mid-August for the September 18-October 7 tournament.

The left-hander will need to play club cricket in the intervening period if he is to remain a serious contender for the tournament.

SAT

Sports

Amir Khan still hopeful for Danny Garcia rematch in December Amir Khan plans to return to action in December with a rematch against Danny Garcia - despite the American claiming he will not offer it.

Khan suffered his second successive defeat as the American forced a fourth-round stoppage in Las Vegas in the early hours of Sunday morning (BST).

However, a bruised Khan has revealed he wants a quick return to the ring.

title.

However, Khan quickly rebuked talk of retirement despite the devastating circumstances of the loss. And he is hopeful of a return against Garcia, despite the American and his father, Angel, claiming they are not willing to offer him one.

Khan said: “We’re working on a rematch. I can’t believe people are talking about retiring which is crazy

“I’m looking at fighting again in December and we’re hoping it is against Danny Garcia,” said Khan.

It was the third defeat of Khan’s career following Breidis Prescott’s shock knockout victory over the Athens Olympics silver medallist in 2008 and his points loss to Lamont Peterson in December 2011 .

A looping left-hook counter from Garcia in the third round of their bout floored Khan, and despite returning to his feet the British fighter was clearly dazed.

Khan recovered to see out the round, but was down twice again in the fourth before referee Kenny Bayless halted proceedings and Garcia added the WBA lightwelterweight crown to his WBC

as I’m only 25. Some people don’t turn professional until they’re 25.”

Khan believes the loss will make him more focused to regain his status as one of the leading lightwelterweight boxers in the world.

“Hopefully in December we can get that rematch and I can bring the belts home to Britain,” Khan told BBC North West.

“I’m in my best days now. I’ve put that behind me. This will only drive me and motivate me to go forward.

“I’ve not had time to be upset. I was thinking on the plane on the way home it would have been great to win all those titles and bring them home. Everyone was rooting for me to do that, but it just wasn’t my time.”

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