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UK signs Dewani extradition order to South Africa

‘The Karachigate’

The story behind the killing of 11 French engineers Did MQM kill 11 French Naval Engineers? IN May 2002, 11 French naval engineers were killed in a bomb blast in Karachi. Investigations by French journalists point toward the blast being directly linked to a contract signed in 1994 between the DCN, the French defence contractor, and the Benazir Bhutto government, for the sale of three Agosta B submarines to Pakistan. $40 Million Kickbacks Distributed Amongst Pakistani Intermediaries for the Agosta Submarine Deal. French laws didn’t prohibit such kickbacks until 2000. What was illegal then, however, was the use of so-called retro-commissions, which involved skimming money off outgoing kickbacks for payment back to French ofﬁcials. Paris signed a $1 billion deal to sell and assemble Agosta submarines to Pakistan; a year later, the cabinet of newly elected President Jacques Chirac decided to start holding back payment of some $33 million in kickbacks

that had been promised to Pakistani officials who had helped secure the contract. French security officials said that last year French investigators obtained documents and testimonies by people involved with the transaction showing that after those funds were retained, Pakistani officials who were designated in the contract to receive “commissions” for their help repeatedly insisted they be paid. In what could prove to be a major embarrassment to Nicolas Sarkozy, police in Paris on last Wednesday detained for questioning two senior officials known to have close ties to the French President. Tough the Sarkozy administration released a statement saying that the president “knew nothing” about it, he could still be called upon to testify. The arrests have been made in connection with the investigation into the 2002 Karachi bombing case in which 11 French engineers Continued on page 3 >>

The aristocratic wife of a former aide to President Nicolas Sarkozy has publicly accused her estranged husband of making frequent trips abroad in the 1990s to collect “bags of cash” for illegal political funds. Princess Hélène, the great-grand-daughter of the last king of Italy, has become one of the key ﬁgures in the so-called “Karachi affair” since her husband, Thierry Gaubert, and Nicolas Bazire, another close associate of Mr Sarkozy, were arrested last week and formally accused of handling kick-backs on multibillion-dollar arms contracts.

The UK secretary of state has signed an extradition order for Shrien Dewani to be tried in South Africa for the murder of his wife Anni, the National Prosecuting Authority said on Wednesday. “Dewani will have 14 days to give notice of appeal, if he decides to do so,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga said. The British Home Ofﬁce would send a copy of the extradition order to the High Commission for transmission to South Africa. A London judge ruled on August 10 that Dewani could be extradited to South Africa. He is accused of arranging the murder of his wife when they were on honeymoon in Cape Town last November. He claimed they had been hijacked. On his return to the UK, he was admitted to a facility for treatment for post traumatic stress. His defence had said he was too ill to travel. Xolile Wellington Mngeni, Mziwamadoda Lennox Qwabe, shuttle operator Zola Robert Tongo and Monde Mbolombo were arrested during investigations. Tongo was already serving a jail sentence imposed on him by the Cape High Court in plea bargain proceedings. Mbolombo turned State’s witness and would testify in the trial of Mngeni and Qwabe.

NEWS

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 29 September 2011

Eid celebrations in Trafalgar Square

Mayor Boris Johnson urged the community to sign up as volunteers for the London Olympics The Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr has been celebrated in London’s Trafalgar Square. Hundreds of people were expected

at the event which saw performances by artists from Pakistan, UK, North Africa, Somalia, Venezuela and the Middle East. Souks were set up in the square and there were performances by suﬁ, Nasheed artists and hip-hop

groups. Mayor Boris Johnson has called on the community to get involved with the London Olympics by volunteering. Mr Johnson said: “In keeping with the Islamic ethos of charity and

community spirit, I am calling on Muslims to get involved in volunteering during the 2012 Games as well as becoming mentors to work with young people, especially in uniformed groups such as the Scouts and the

Cadets.” R&B singer Mumzy Stranger, Tariq Khan and SK1 also performed at the event. The Greater London Authority organised the event along with Muslim groups in the capital.

Ken Livingstone is up and pitching for the 2012 mayoral election Publisher Salah Bu Khamas (UAE) Sabha Khan (UK) UK Office 10 Courtenay Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 7ND UK Phone: +44 20 8904 0617 Fax: +44 20 8181 7575 info@satribune.co.uk India Office Satya Infomedia Pvt. Ltd. C/O Satya Group. 1st Floor, Avenue Appt., Near Sheth. R. J. J. High School, Tithal Road, Valsad - 396001 Gujarat, India Phone +91 2632 222209 / 222211 Fax: +91 2632 222212 Post Box No. 98 /108 United Arab Emirates Office S.K. Group of Companies P.O. Box 9021, Karama Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 4 2659970, 3359929; Fax: +971 4 2659971, 3341609 www.sk-groupofcompanies.com Managing Editor & CEO Mohammad Shahid Khan Group Editorial Managers Gulzar Khan (India) Abdul Khalique (Pakistan) Editorial Board UK Frances Brunner FYI Tribune team Adrian Fellar Misbah Khan Reema Shah Rohma Khan Keziah-Ann Abakah Art Department UK Ali Ansar (Art Director) Md. Reazul Islam

On the riots, he says: Only a few years ago London was leading the world. Yet now the image of London is a city of civil disorder and violence on our streets. Boris Johnson campaigned for the Tories to be in power and he got what he wished for.” When I heard about the bombings in July 2005 I was in Singapore for the Olympic vote. I just wanted to get

back to London. But where was Boris Johnson when the riots happened? He refused to come back to London. We had the crazy situation of Londoners having to demand their own mayor come back. And what personal example does Boris Johnson set? What is the difference between the rioters, and a gang of over-privileged arrogant students vandalising restaurants and

throwing chairs through windows in Oxford? Come on Boris – what’s the moral difference between your Bullingdon vandalism as a student and the criminality of the rioters? He criticises Boris Johnson’s praise for the New College for the Humanities, A.C. Grayling’s £18,000-a-year private university, and says: “Boris Johnson stands for a privileged minority. He

says anger over bankers’ bonuses is “whingeing”.” He says if elected mayor he would freeze travel fares, reverse cuts to policing and freeze his salary. On Ed Miliband, he says: “I’ve watched him stand up to Rupert Murdoch and he won,” which is an interesting portrayal of the events of the last few months.

I’ll cut fares for Londoners - Ken Ken Livingstone announced details of an emergency fares package to cut fares if elected in May 2012. Ken promised to rip up Boris Johnson’s ‘high fare’ policy which has committed Londoners to 20 years of fare increases at 2% above inflation each year and replace it with a fairer fares package starting with an immediate overall fares cut:- An overall cut in fares for Londoners of 5% in the autumn of 2012 - No further fare rises at all in 2013. From January 2014 and in subsequent years no fare rises above RPI inflation. Boris Johnson has raised fares by 21.1% between 2009 and 2011, yet RPI inflation was just 8% over that period. Boris Johnson’s fare increases have meant the cost of a single bus fare using Oyster has

risen by a staggering 56% since 2008, costing Londoners £260 a year more. A zone 1-6 travelcard is up 22% costing Londoners £509 a year more. Ken Livingstone said, “Fares must be cut - on transport grounds to make the system more attractive, but also on economic grounds to put ordinary

Londoners ﬁrst by putting money back in the pockets that will boost the London economy. ‘The cost of travelling by buses, tubes, trams and trains in the capital will fall in 2012, and it will not rise by more than inﬂation after that. ‘Under Conservative Mayor Boris

Johnson and his Conservative-led government millions of Londoners are less well off and less safe. While the Conservative Mayor has committed bus, tube and train users to 20 year of above inflation fare rises, I will put Londoners first and cut the costs of travel.” In response Daniel Moylan, deputy chairman of Transport for London, the highest paid councillor in the country attacked Mr Livingstone’s plan to cut fares by five per cent if he is elected Mayor next year, saying it would damage the capital’s transport system. He said Mr Livingstone’s scheme would cost TfL about £850million over the course of the next mayoral term and that Londoners would “suffer” if the plans went ahead.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 29 September 2011

NEWS

‘The Karachi Scandal’ working at the Karachi shipyards on Agosta submarines supplied by France were killed in a bomb blast. A separate judicial investigation is looking into allegations that the cancellation of the commissions by President Jacques Chirac in 1996 led eventually to a bomb attack on a bus in Karachi in 2002 in which 15 people, including 11 French submarine engineers, died. When the Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari met his French counterpart

Sarkozy sucked into submarine scandal...

Did MQM kill 11 French Naval Engineers?

Few days earlier in an Interview on Pakistani Media Former Naval Intelligence Chief Shahid Ashraf spills the beans about

those who received kickbacks and commissions in the Agosta 90 B submarine corruption case in addition to the already known names. Was there a frame up in the Navy to cover up the names of top ofﬁcials who were part of the evaluation and deal signing process. He also blamed Admiral Aziz Mirza and then minister Saifur Rehman who forced him to put the blame and implicate Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari in Agosta Commission deal which Shahid Ashraf refused. former DG Naval Intelligence, Vice Admiral (retd) Javed Iqbal calls Pervaiz Musharraf a “dacoit” and reveals the names of those who tried to cover up the commission in purchase of Agosta submarine.Both of them said Admiral Mansur ul Haq was just and escape goat. Former Naval Intelligence Chief Rear Admiral (retd) Tanvir Ahmed reveals names of those who allegedly received kickbacks

and commissions in the Agosta 90 B submarine corruption case in addition to former Naval Chief Mansur ul Haq. Was there a frame up in the Navy to cover up the names of top ofﬁcials who were part of the evaluation and deal signing process ? Former Naval Intelligence Chief Rear Admiral (retd) Tanvir Ahmed said Agosta deal was done before former Admiral Mansur ul Haq, and was done during the tenure of Chief Admiral Saeed Mohammad Khan. The deal or corruption can only be done through Ministry of Defense or Political government and they can be in any deal like hand and glove. He claim more then 28 million dollars

still not accounted . Among top name he revealed were Admiral Saeed Mohammad Khan who was involved in all negotiations and he was a known curropt person . Former Naval Intelligence Chief Rear Admiral (retd) Tanvir Ahmed claimed one of the agents who was involved was related to former Ambassador Najm saqib whos wife was close relative of Admiral saeed Khan he also alleged Pakistan Muslim league (N) misters were also involved in this deal. He revealed names of Admiral Mujtaba , , Admiral I. H. Naqvi and some junior staff were part of the deal. Due to this also Admiral I h Naqvi AND Admiral A U Khan were on exist control list for some time. He named Zafar Iqbal was the man who was arrested by him and handed over to Former Naval Intelligence Chief Shahid Ashraf. He said Zafar Iqabal was one who used to deliver Cash in brief cases to the house of officers involved in Agosta deal. He also named another person Capt Z U Alvi who was according to him was a dubious person, and in Agosat submarine case he used to deliver money too. Later he was made an approver in the case too, to cover up the reality . Also he claimed the chief Admiral Fasih Bukhari did his best to cover up the reality . Former DG Navel Intelligence also claim that Admiral Aziz Mirza was also aware. He claimed that former Minister of Muslim League (N) Saifur Rehman got involved in the Agosta case and asked Admiral Mansurul Haq to go to London and hand over some 3.5 million dollars to one of his man as his share . Former Naval Intelligence Chief Rear Admiral (retd) Tanvir Ahmed also revealed name of Abid Mujtaba who was involved in this deal and said Abid Mujtab awas nephew of then Chief of National Accountability Bureau Genral Amjad, he revealed Admiral A U Khan who was one of the negotiator in Agosta deal was related to former Prime minister Shaukat Aziz as his son was married to his daughter. And due all these relations and contacts there was a big cover up regarding commissions. He also revealed Capt Jamil Ansari who paid monies to Admiral Mansurl Haq was related to another rear Admiral in Navy. Who Really Killed the French Engineers? French officials say the logic of the attack would have been similar to Mafia hits on outstanding debtors: to make an example of someone deemed unlikely to pay up, and thereby send a message that others will understand while officially being able to point the finger at another culprit. Who is the biggest Mafia in Pakistan?

Since many of the named culprits in Agosta deal are of Mohajir origin and also Karachits how is it possible they can have such a big commission and there is no share for MQM. In April 2007 In Pakistan`s commercial capital Karachi following a bomb blast at a religious congregation to celebrate the birth anniversary of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) at Nishter Park , in which at least 57 people, including six prominent religious leaders were killed. Sunni Tehrik, which has been blaming its rival Muttehida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for targeting its leaders and activists in Karachi. According to intelligence ofﬁcials, the bomb used in the attack was 10 to 15 kg, and it was unbelievable that a person carries such a huge bomb and reached near the stage without being noticed by anyone.

French tragedy: The basis of various information threads gathered in Pakistan. This includes a fax sent a few days after the attack to Randall Bennett, the chief security ofﬁcer at the US Consulate in Karachi, by his colleague. The fax details conversations with Pakistani naval ofﬁcers, whom he says did not believe that al Qaeda was behind the attack. Rather, they appeared to be convinced it was aimed at sabotaging the Agosta project. Also there are reports that messages were sent to French dealers warning of dire consequences. Moreover, a Pakistani employee of the DCN was mugged in Karachi in January 2002 and his mobile phone and briefcase containing details on DCN employees in Pakistan were stolen. Two days later, a magnetic bomb was found under the car of a French diplomat in charge of Afghan affairs in Islamabad. The bomb was not only timed to go off 18 hours later, but was of such low intensity as to cause minimal damage; a warning in other words.

Another Blast: Later on May 09, 2002 a suicide bomber, driving a 1974 Toyota Corolla laden with high-powered explosives, pulled alongside a shuttle bus parked outside the Sheraton Hotel and detonated his load. The thunderous explosion also killed the bus’ Pakistani driver and a passer-by,

Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysée Palace in August, there was one subject that was most ofﬁcially not on the agenda. This was the so-called ‘Karachi affair’, a complex story involving murder and allegations of corruption on high and illegal party funding. now French authorities are turning to more controversial — suspicions: that the strike may have been organized by members of Pakistan’s military and intelligence services, as revenge for France cutting off millions of

dollars in kickback payments promised in a 1994 submarine deal. On June 19, lawyers representing families of the bombing’s French victims told reporters they’d received a brieﬁng earlier that day by judges Yves Jannier and Marc Trévidic describing the scenario of Pakistani ofﬁcials having organized the strike as credible, and citing supporting evidence obtained over the course of France’s inquiry into the attack.

shocking an already skittish nation on the front line in the war on terror. No group claimed responsibility. “This was a well-planned-out attack by persons determined and well trained to achieve their strategically selected target,” said a member of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence agency.

Dr Zulﬁqar Mirza and he said that the MQM’s detained activists Ajmal Pehari in the investigation of Joint Interrogation team (JIT) confessed that his London based leadership directed him to torch the markets of M.A.Jinnah Road after the incident of Bomb blast. The question was raised in the Joint In-

Attack on Benazir Bhutto: On 18th October 2007 at least 130 people were killed when two bombs exploded among crowds in Karachi celebrating the return of the former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto. Ms Bhutto had earlier warned that if targeted, she would hold what she described as hidden authorities within the government as partly responsible. Then President Gen Musharraf said the attack on Ms Bhutto’s convoy was a “conspiracy against democracy”. The attacks on the motorcade happened despite a heavy security presence . By the unexpected popularity gained by Ms Benazir Bhutto on 18th October 2007 when she returned to Pakistan after eight years self exile, the US authorities were really delighted but they wanted to convey a message to her that she should not think herself an unquestioned leader. Recently the Sindh PPP leader Dr Zulﬁqar Mirza in an explosive press conference charged the several allegations on Karachi based MQM including the MQM’s involvement in Ashura violence. He claimed that the MQM’s linked target killer Ajmal Pehari and his gang were involved in the bloody violence in Karachi on Ashura 2009, which claims more than 50 mourners lives and miscreants torched the billions of rupees worth buildings and goods. South Asia Tribune interviewed

vestigation Team report unearth by Dr Zulfiqar Mirza is that how can MQM leadership was aware about the bomb blast on Youm-e-Ashura procession and what’s the objectives of MQM to spread the violence in the procession. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) must answer to the allegation, imposed by former Sindh Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, about the MQM’s involvement in Ashura bomb blast and violence in Karachi. Dr Zulfiqar Mirza also suggested its worth investigating 18th October bomb blast attempt on Benazir and he said It’s worth investigating if someone involved in Agosta deal and got so upset for the unpaid commission can contact a most powerful and killer organization specially when so many confessions are with the current government. He said If we carefully look into recent claim made by Wikileaks as disclosed that Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Farooq Sattar told the US Consulate in Karachi that along with some workers of MQM, former President Pervaiz Musharaf, landlords, ISI and other parties were involved in the incidents of 12 May 2007 in Karachi. All these three bomb blast are similar and if one has to investigate the beneficiary then there could only one reason BIG MONEY..and one powerful organization who is capable of and that is MQM

NEWS

EDITORIAL

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 29 September 2011

House ﬁre in London leaves six dead

Diplomacy is the answer

akistan has a history of friendly relations with the US spread over sixty years with bad patches in between. In the past, Pakistan had often blamed the US for acting like a master or leaving Islamabad in a lurch once it had achieved its goals. This time the complaints have come from the US which has accused Pakistan’s military and ISI of duplicity. Long forgotten disputes are being dug out, as a story in the NYT published on Wednesday indicates. Attempts have no doubt been initiated from the US side to resume talks. Ambassador Munter has met the foreign secretary and US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Blake has issued a reassuring statement which maintains that Pakistan being a valuable ally, Washington wanted Islamabad on its side in the future strategy. Despite these comforting moves, there seems to be no end to the “do more” mantra which is highly disturbing for the establishment. Pakistan is in a state of a serious standoff with the US. None of Islamabad’s traditional allies has however gone beyond stylised statements of help and support that one has heard scores of time before. While the allies continue to provide valuable help in a number of ways, none is willing to do anything that might jeopardise its national interests. This is how a realistic policy should be. There is a need on the part of Islamabad also not to indulge in pipedreams or get isolated as it cannot afford to do this in view of its economic compulsions and a hostile environment. It won’t do to taunt the US, as Khar has done, that Haqqani was once its blue eyed boy. So was OBL. There is a need again to enter into talks with the US and persuade it that an operation against the Haqqanis does not suit Pakistan at this juncture and try to ﬁnd a middle ground over the issue. The task might be distasteful in view of the recent statements by Panetta and Mullen but there are no other options. Pakistan has to set its house right before it can act with greater freedom. It has to raise taxes to get rid of the compulsion to seek foreign aid. It has to improve the quality of governance, curb corruption and resolve internal conﬂicts through dialogue to improve law and order. For the time, being it has to make compromises however distasteful they may be.

Six people, including three children and two teenagers, have been killed in a house fire in northwest London. A woman, two teenage girls and three children have died following a house fire in Neasden, north west London, the London Fire Brigade said today. The children who died were boys Yehya, two, Mustafa, five, and girls Amal, nine, Basma, 13, and Hanin, 14 . Mustafa was taken alive from

He said: “Two people have been taken to west London hospitals – a man, aged 51, and a girl aged 16 years. “The girl is understood to be in a critical condition and the man’s condition is described as stable. All those killed and injured are believed to be members of the same family.” Emergency workers were called to the semi-detached property in Sonia Gardens during the early

A man brings ﬂowers to the edge of a cordoned-off street where six persons have been killed in a house ﬁre in north-west London yesterday

the burning building but suffered a cardiac arrest. Abdi Osman, 47, a neighbour, told how he had sat with Mr Kua in an ambulance as paramedics tried to save his son. He said he had heard two explosions coming from the house, which sent bricks from the front wall flying into the road. Basma, 13, left, died in the fire, along with her mother and four siblings. Nur, 16, right, is in a critical condition at St Mary’s Hospital in west London A spokesman for the force also confirmed that two people had been injured in the fire.

hours of this morning after a blaze took hold of the ground and first floors. A neighbour who wished to remain anonymous said: “I was in my room and the window was open. “I heard a loud bang, it was literally like an explosion, almost like a bomb. “I thought it was really strange and within four minutes I heard sirens and police cars and we looked out the window and the fire had literally reached the top within five minutes. “We all went outside and we saw firemen looking out the window and shouting ’there’s people in

there’.” A minute’s silence for those who died was held on Saturday evening by fire crews from across the UK who are attending a firefighters’ event in east London The fire is being treated as unexplained, and the Metropolitan Police and LFB have begun an investigation, a police spokesman said. Around 30 firefighters from Willesden, West Hampstead,

by ambulance.” An LAS spokeswoman said that the two injured victims, a 55-yearold man and 16-year-old girl, were taken to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. Glen Gorman, of London Fire Brigade, speaking at the scene to BBC News, said: “Crews worked extremely hard in some very, very, difﬁcult conditions and were able to prevent ﬁre spreading to adjoining properties and causing

North Kensington and Park Royal fire stations were called to the serious blaze at around 1am, fire officials said. They were joined by officers from the Met and medics from London Ambulance Service. The fire brigade said the blaze was under control by 2.50am. A LFB spokesman said: “It is understood that there were six fatalities – it is thought that this may be three children, two teenagers and one adult, but we await confirmation. “Two further people escaped from the house before firefighters arrived at the scene, both were injured and were taken to hospital

further injuries or even further tragedy. “There is a forensic examination being carried out at the moment, our specialist ﬁre investigation unit, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police ﬁre investigators, will carry out a full investigation which could take a number of days to reach its conclusion.” He added: “Our sincere condolences go out to the family and the friends of the people who have been involved in such a tragic incident.” The post-mortem examinations took place on Monday morning at Northwick Park mortuary.

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah gives women right to vote, run in municipal elections Saudi women are to have the right to vote and stand in local elections, King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud said Sunday. They may also take seats on the consultative Shura Council, the appointed body to which he made the announcement. Women will not be able to stand in municipal elections for another four years because nominations have already been made for the

next poll, which takes place on Thursday. More than 60 intellectuals and activists have called for a boycott of that vote, only the second in Saudi Arabia’s history, because it excludes women. Saudi Arabia, the homeland of the conservative Wahabbi brand of Islam, still bans women from driving and travelling without the consent of a male guardian.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 29 September 2011

NEWS

UN speech revealed Cameron’s hypocrisy British Prime Minister David Cameron is facing mounting criticism over his speech at the UN General Assembly, with analysts saying he lectured others on the very same shortcomings he faces back home. Indeed, Cameron tried hard to project matters outside and hide Britain’s domestic problems behind what he said were difficulties other nations are facing. He said “economic reform has not been fulfilled” in North Africa and described the market economies there as “corrupt and crony capitalism.” Moreover, while Britain itself is mired in a credit crisis created by, what analysts call, “greedy” banking giants, he called for an “open, fair and transparent market economy” in North African countries Cameron’s comments come as the very government he is leading promised an economic reform last year in the form of austerity cuts that - to use his own words - “has not been fulfilled” with experts and members of the opposition hitting out at the coalition for “rushing” the plans without adequate forethought. He also risked calling attention to the ever-emerging links of the British politicians -- including himself and his top communication aide -- to the Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in Britain that blew the lid off the deeprooted corruption within the British

establishment. Cameron’s role in a lobbying campaign by senior British ofﬁcials to facilitate Murdoch’s BSkyB takeover further questioned his demand for the ideal version of the market economy. Furthermore, Cameron directed his interference in North African matters to discrimination against women, as an important part of the society, and their lack of a “voice,” saying “it’s not just the men of the region who want a job and a voice.” His reference to people being given a “voice” was particularly awkward as his government led a brutal crackdown on students, who were trying to have their “voice” heard on the university tuition fee rises, just a few months ago. Just as Cameron said about Egyptian women, students wanted a “chance” to let ofﬁcials know the government’s

education cuts leave them in real misery, but brute force was used to silence that voice. The PM then spoke of “conﬁdence to speak out and act as necessary to support those who seek new freedoms.” Nevertheless, the British government has been putting all it takes to preventing those who seek new “freedoms” in Northern Ireland from attaining their goal making Cameron’s pompous talk of supporting freedomseekers a dirty lie. He linked the freedom claims to another “responsibility” to “stand up against regimes that persecute their people.” He made the comments while Britain engaged in a public state “persecution” over the past months, holding 24-hour trials to sentence thousands of people detained during

the recent social unrest in Britain and giving them what human rights activists described as “highly disproportionate” punishments for protesting the government’s wrong policies. On the international front, Cameron called on the UN to be “united” so that their action “lives up to the UN’s founding principles.” “You can sign every human rights declaration in the world but if you stand by and watch people being slaughtered in their country, when you act then what are those signatures really worth?” he said. This comes as Britain and the UN were criticised during the Libyan campaign as they repeatedly breached the resolutions of the very international body Cameron claimed everyone should adhere to its “founding principles.” “The people of the Arab world have made their aspirations clear. They want transparency and accountability of government. An end to corruption. The fair and consistent rule of law,” Cameron went on to say. “Accountability”, “rule of law” and “corruption” rang especially empty as the British establishment has yet to resolve the ﬁasco around the Murdoch empire and the parliamentary expenses scandal that had sent several MPs to prison since 2009. Cameron also talked of the Arab

world people’s aspiration to have “the chance to get a job” yet passed over the fact that the British economy is wrestling with what his deputy Nick Clegg has called “very serious” problems with inflation at record high levels and unemployment at a staggering 2.51 million. As if that was not enough lecturing, he recognized the Arab world people’s desire to have “freedom to communicate and the chance to participate in shaping society as citizens with rights and responsibilities.” The “freedom to communicate” section of his remarks apparently did not apply to Britain where Cameron himself led the crackdown bid on social networking websites, Facebook and Twitter following the unrest that rocked British cities over the past months. Mean while according to THE JEWISH CHRONICLE The Prime Minister flew to New York this week “to fight for Israel” at the United Nations, Chronical also reported that according to senior Conservative Party sources. The Conservative sources were keen to emphasise that the coalition government had done right by Israel in its reform of the law of “universal jurisdiction”, allowing Israeli politicians and military figures to visit the UK without fear of arrest for alleged war crimes.

Islamophobia Europe:

Muslim women fined in France over veil French police court has fined two Muslim women for wearing the full-face covering Islamic veil for the first time, in a case that could have legal implications across Europe. The court in the town of Meaux, about 40 kilometers east of

Paris, ﬁned Hind Ahmas, 32, and another woman for appearing outside the local town hall in niqab, AFP reported. “We’ve been sentenced under a law that violates European law. For us, it’s not about the size of the ﬁne, but the principle. We

can’t allow women to be convicted for freely following their religious beliefs,” AFP quoted Ahmas as saying. The pair vowed to appeal their case all the way to the European Court of Human Rights. Many Muslims and rights activists

say the right-wing French president; Nikolas Sarkozy is targeting Muslims to gain the votes of anti-immigration supporters. Paris has declared that any woman -- French or foreigner -- who wears a niqab or burqa in public will be ﬁned EUR 150. People who

force women to wear such covers will face a much larger ﬁne and a prison sentence of up to two years. However, France -- home to ﬁve million Muslims -- is believed to have fewer than 2,000 women wearing a full face veil.

Another 9/11? A

group of British-born men who allegedly planned to commit ‘mass murder’ with suicide bombing missions against their own country appeared in court yesterday. The men, who prosecutors claimed had formed a terror cell, are accused of training in explosives, weapons and poisoning techniques during trips to Pakistan. Some of the group are accused of raising money for terrorism during collections on British streets. The six defendants, who are all from Birmingham and aged from 25 to 32, were arrested a week ago by the West Midlands police counterterrorism unit. The men, each wearing black

jumpers and jogging bottoms, spoke only to conﬁrm their names, ages and addresses at the hearing in West London Magistrates’ Court, Hammersmith. Deborah Walsh, prosecuting, said: ‘The terrorist ideology behind these offences is to commit mass murder in the UK.’ Two of the group – Ifran

Nasser, 30, and Ifran Khalid, 26 – have been charged with a string of offences dating from Christmas Day last year to September 19. They are accused of planning a suicide-bombing campaign, making a martyrdom ﬁlm, recruiting others for terrorist acts, collecting money for

terrorism, travelling to Pakistan to learn how to make bombs, weapons and poisons, and advising others on explosives and how to build a homemade bomb. Ashik Ali, 26, is accused of planning a suicide bombing, constructing a home-made bomb, recruiting others for

terrorist training, collecting money for terrorism and stating his intention to be a suicide bomber. His brother, university graduate Bahader Ali, 28, and Mohammed Rizwan, 32, are accused of failing to disclose information which could prevent terror attacks.

NEWS

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 29 September 2011

Muslim peace conference condemns terrorism Leading Islamic scholar Shaykhul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahirul-Qadri has received a standing ovation from thousands of UK Muslims as he denounced terrorism and called for peace. Wembley Arena in north-west London was a sea of colourful robes as an estimated 12,000 Muslims gathered to give their backing to a global declaration of peace. Dr Mohamed Tahir-ul-Qadri, founder of the Minhaj-ul-Quran International (MQI) movement, was repeatedly applauded during a speech in which he said the “terrible” 9/11 attacks in the US had distorted perceptions of the religion over the past decade. The conference launched a campaign to get one million people to sign an online declaration of peace by 2012. Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said the conference would send a message that 10 years of extremist activity should end. ‘Love and smiles’ Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri is the founder of Minhaj-ul-Quran and gave the keynote speech at the event, despite having received death threats after issuing a fatwa - or religious ruling - against terrorism last year. He told the audience: “In spite of statements and memorandum and condemnation of the terror, the voices of the 99% true, peaceloving Muslims have not been heard, they have been drowned out by the clamour and the noise of

totally against Islam,” he told the audience, which included families with young children and students. Islamic scholars, including Tahirul-Qadri, have warned that a power vacuum in North Africa and the Middle East could lead to militant and extremist groups gaining ground in upcoming elections caused by the so-called Arab Spring. “If these elements come into power, it will be a big disaster,” Tahir-ulQadri said.

extremists. “Islam has nothing to do with any act of terrorism. We reject every

“I want to address those who are lost, who have a total misconception of jihad — I want to send them a

act of extremism and terrorism unconditionally.”

message — come back to normal life. Whatever you’re doing is

The event, which took one year to organise, was attended by people from across the UK, many of whom arrived in coaches. Those who attended heard a series of lengthy and impassioned

speeches, some in Arabic, from Islamic scholars denouncing

terrorism and extremism. Ghazala Hassan al-Qadri, president of the MQI Women’s League, told attendees: “Islam teaches love, it teaches compassion, it teaches tolerance, it teaches mercy.” Another speaker - Egypt-based Islamic scholar Shaykh Hassan Mohi-ud-Din Qadri - told the conference: “Islam is a religion of justice, not a religion of injustice... is a religion of manners and co-operation, not a religion of extremism and radicalisation... is a religion of forgiveness and pardon, not a religion of brutality and revenge.” Messages of support The audience heard pre-recorded messages of support from, amongst others, Prime Minister David Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, opposition leader Ed Miliband, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams. And there were prayers for peace from representatives from a number of different religions including the Bishop of Barking, the Rt Rev David Hawkins, Jewish rabbis and representatives from the Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh faiths. The declaration of peace included a call for democracy and good governance in the Muslim world, respect for human rights, and alleviation of poverty throughout the world.

The murder of Dr Imran Farooq Leader of MQM Court calls cases’ details against suspect

Detectives investigating the murder of an exiled Pakistani politican have released an e-fit of a man they want to speak to in connection with the London attack. The Sindh High Court has directed the state to file the most recent travel details of a missing employee of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, who is allegedly involved in the Imran Farooq murder case. A division bench of Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered the police to provide details of cases against Khalid Shamim. The bench comprising Chief Justice of Sindh High Court Mushir Alam and Justice Imam Bux Baloch was hearing a constitutional petition filed by Beena Khalid, wife of Khalid Shahim, here

on Thursday.In her petition, she maintained that her spouse is in illegal detention by Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) since January 6, 2011 and his whereabouts were not known since then. She also claimed that her husband is not an activist of any political party. Additional Advocate General Sarwar Khan informed the bench that the petitioner is misleading the court by saying that her husband had never been to abroad. In fact he had travelled to South Africa and Sri Lanka. He also presented travelling documents before the court. The AAG also informed the court that Khalid Shamim is an active member of a political party and murder cases were registered against him in Model Colony Police Station, Karachi

in the year 2008.The court directed the AAG to provide the detail of the cases against him on the next date of hearing. Reliable Sources in Pakistan MQM Chief designated well known leader of MQM Sindh Waseem Akhtar in Karachi to arrange for the murder of Imran Farooq. According to allegations Waseem Akhtar gave this task to Khalid Shameem and MQM Rabita Committee and coordination committee member Hammad Siddiqui, who are incharge of militant wing of the MQM in Karachi. Khalid Shameem picked two boys from the student wing of MQM, APMSO and arranged students visas for them for the England. Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik denied the reports that two people

were arrested in connection with the murder of Dr Imran Farooq, an MQM leader who was murdered last year in London, from Karachi airport. Earlier on 26th August Dawn reported that Two men were arrested at Karachi airport a few days ago in connection with the killing of MQM leader Imran Farooq in London in September last year.

Officials privy to details told this correspondent that the arrested men had travelled to UK on student visa, stabbed Dr Farooq to death and then flown to Sri Lanka. They were apprehended soon after they came out of the airport in Karachi after having travelled from Colombo.It is learnt that they were arrested on a tip from British intelligence and other sources.Their names have not been disclosed but the sources said that the president, prime minister and security establishment had been informed about the matter.The sources said the arrests were made by personnel of the country`s elite intelligence agency with the help of photographs and videos provided by the British authorities.The arrested persons have been kept in Karachi and investigation is in progress.The accused had flown to London in August 2010 and the murder took place on September 16.London`s Metropolitan Police and Scotland Yard had launched an investigation and arrested a suspect who was released later for lack of evidence. The arrest of the suspected killers is considered to be a major breakthrough in the case.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 29 September 2011

Death Penalty refuses to Die Adrian Felaar There are certain subjects in life which stubbornly refuse to be resolved; they insist on continuing to invoke debate and contention. Such is the retributive subject of the death penalty. Recently, the dormant issue of the death penalty and its validity has been revived by the plight of Troy Davis, a convicted murderer who was executed last Wednesday in Georgia, USA. Notwithstanding Davis’s conviction of the murder of a police officer in 1991, he fiercely protested his innocence even until the death chamber beckoned. Davis’ adamant protestations of guiltlessness sparked global demonstrations from the fences enclosing the White House to the US Embassy in France. What is particularly stupefying about the notion of the death penalty is the present social context. If ever there was an archaic tradition it is the institution of capital punishment. In a time when prejudices such as old world femininity are being abandoned, capital punishment still exists in countries like America, which is a developed nation. One would have thought that society would have progressed along in its evolutionary journey to have realized, by now, a more constructive way of punishing serious offenders e.g. murderers. However, it would appear not. Although I am not qualified to speak empathically on this subject, a harrowing pictorial is sent through my mind when I think of condoning state-sanctioned murder. Yet it is comprehensible to see why the families of some victims feel that the only path of atonement for a criminal, such as a murderer, is to pay with their own lives. Nonetheless I cannot recognize how the death of one person, no matter how hated, can bring about

Marisa Paulson I hated kids, but I loved teaching them. Never had any of my own and never would. These were my kids, I’d beat them if I wanted to, but I couldn’t, I’d get ﬁred. The days were dark and exciting; sometimes an unexpected ﬂash of light would take away those gloomy shadows, part of it was down to the kids. That’s why I liked them, liked teaching kids. I always taught the same, same subject: book reading it was. Wasn’t really much of a subject like English,

peace within a life. Having said that, it is in our downtrodden nature to derive happiness out of someone else’s suffering. I ﬁnd that anger and pain often ﬁnd their expressions in outcries of vengeance and a clamouring for execution. The world, over countless seasonal changes and generations, has witnessed the inhumane action of mobs asking for the cessation of life. Positively medieval! The whole system of capital punishment hangs upon the old proverbial saying “an eye for an eye”. Because someone killed, we think it is only fair to reciprocate this act with more killing. The “an-eye-for-an-eye” syndrome inhibits our capacity to forgive; it leaves us blind to concede that the process of healing from within begins with the single step of forgiveness. Yes it is far easier to kill a felon than to struggle with their reintegration into society; capital punishment seems to be the option

of convenience to some. Why not? Increased killing cannot be the answer to the question of heinous crimes. If you fight fire with fire, the resulting consequence would just be a larger fire. The overriding factor in this debate is determining whether someone is undeniably guilty. Even though forensic science has advanced rapidly, we live in an imperfect world and the possibility of a false conviction (no matter how negligible) is still a possibility. Perhaps this is what transpired in the Davis case. According to a BBC news report “no gun was found and no DNA evidence conclusively linked Davis to the murder”. Furthermore his legal team had argued that ballistic testing from the case “was flawed”. In such circumstances, even the most ardent advocates of the death penalty must acknowledge that such is the finality of the penalty that if a man is innocent, how can he be brought back

to life? For perpetrators of murders, the most popular offence considered punishable by death in states which support capital punishment, killing them would be to let them escape years

One would have thought that society would have progressed along in its evolutionary journey to have realized, by now, a more constructive way of punishing serious offenders e.g. murderers. However, it would appear not. of remorse and guilt. It would be far better if a life sentence to be served in jail would last a lifetime; by stripping them of freedom you take away what we consider vital to our independent existence. But prisons need to be changed from being akin to holiday resorts.

SORRY FOR YOURSELF maths, science and what not, but I liked English – had a degree – that’s why they let me teach book reading. I always read books, different kinds, all sorts, from bad to good, subtle to exploitive, romance to hatred, horror to the opposite of horror, death to life. Each for a different kid, different age group, if I read unsuitable material to the wrong group, I’d get in trouble I would. Yeah, so I liked reading and liked teaching kids, even if they got on my ear side and wound me up, I still

liked teaching them. I drank coffee in the lessons, always, and in this lesson I didn’t get to finish it. Usually it was because the darn kinds made me shout and what not all the time so it went cold and so I threw it away, was break so added hot water to drink up the watery gunk: didn’t really like wasting stuff. No this time I wasn’t able to finish it, wasn’t even able to finish my lesson, my book, and I liked reading books: all sorts. In the middle of my sentence, “And

We must recognize that some people do not feel a jail sentence is enough for heinous transgressions such as murder. Moreover the death penalty does not seem to be an effective deterrent. Yet

then Koobar jumped but missed the target an...” that’s all I got up to, I dropped the book and mug to the ﬂoor, everyone looked at me weird, hated when people looked at me weird. I pulled weird faces I had never pulled before. Then I dropped along with the stuff. I fell and struggled for a while on the ﬂoor. I died. Truly Mr. Yoosh loved us, he loved teaching us, loved teaching us all the books he liked and recommended and then all the books the school curriculum

the resolution of this argument does not lie with either side. Instead the crux of the problem is much better stated by the French journalist Alphonse Karr: “If we are to abolish the death penalty, I should like to see the ﬁrst step taken by…murderers”.

wanted us to read. I thought we irritated him sometimes, but he never let it show, was just a nice, kind of young man who loved his coffee he did. I’d remember one of the best days like no other. I’d remember that last signiﬁcant sentence that we’d never be able to ﬁnd out because it was too taboo or reminiscent it was. But boy did I remember it or what. The day Mr. Yoosh died. The day our class was never the same, the day we all watched, watched and watched. And cried. Continues next week.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 29 September 2011

Gklih{l

ENTERTAINMENT

Is honesty really the best policy? Keziah-Ann Abakah The truth hurts. It is not a saying nor phrase but quite simply it is a fact. The truth is everything no one wants to hear its raw, ugly and very hard to change. Many shy away from speaking it and even more shy away from listening to it so, is honesty really the best policy? Turning the situation around and choosing to look at the opposite side of things we have lies and liars. Everyone lies, out of fear, out of love and at times to avoid an uncomfortable situation and to keep these lies in place we must use another lie to cover the ﬁrst and then another to cover the other. From a perspective such as this the simple solution is to speak the truth or so from the surface this is what it seems. Knowing that speaking the truth will hurt the other person, implicate another and in some

situation destroy the basis of an empire should it still be spoken? Look no further than the world in which we live and observe how far the truth has bought us. A child can be beaten, abused and left for dead then later adopted by a kind soul. When the kind soul thinks they are old enough

they tell the child a truth and that individual must endured the pain of knowing that they have lived a lie. A lawyer may defend a party they already know to be guilty but they do it all the same because hanging in the balance is their career, their money and essentially there life. Lastly a

politician may strive for the greater good of their country, the bigger picture, the foundation of the future generation and to get this they will have to tell one or two lies because ultimately it’s doing a little bad to end up with a lot more good. Now knowing this ask yourself what type of life is the life that we should lead? A life where a simple white lie can give to one person an eternity of happiness? A life where one fabrication can prevent shame, dishonour and disgrace from falling on a person? Or a life where justice remains superior to all? We don’t just do it because we can, we do it because we care but at the days end no matter what you claim your initial intentions to be a lie is still a lie and the truth is still the truth. Life’s short and words are important so ask yourself... Is honesty really the best policy?

Michael Jackson’s voice leaves mother in tears at doctor’s trial

First, prosecutors showed a photo of Michael Jackson’s pale and lifeless body lying on a gurney. Then, they played a recording of his voice, just weeks before his death. The family’s most emotional

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Dear Miss R I am in my final year of a levels and in the process of applying for various universities and doing my UCAS application however I am very spectacle about whether or not I’ll be able to afford to go. My family is not well-off so will not be able to pay for me and I’m currently unemployed as I’m having a difficult time finding a job. I’m not quite sure whether to just not go to university and look for a regular job. What else could I do? Anna Dear Anna You are not the only person in this situation so don’t be disheartened and feel alone. The first thing I would advise you to do is concentrate on doing well in you’re a levels as this will determine whether you get into any university or not. Also, keep looking for a job as an opportunity will arise if you don’t give up which will help with your finances. In the meantime you could do voluntary work which would be great for your CV and UCAS application and could also possibly lead to a paid job. Another possibility is that you could take a gap year after A levels to do an apprenticeship or work for the year to raise finance to go to universities and then enrol the following year. However my advice would be not to give up on universities and find out more about bursaries, grants and student loans. Hope it works out for you! Miss R

aarc S

Saarc international I Thursday 29 September 2011

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Thursday, 29.09.11

international

Pakistan determined to Manmohan calls eliminate terrorism: Khar for U.N. reform to Hina Khar offers ‘uninterrupted’ talks to India

address global crisis

Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has defended her country’s intelligence agencies in ﬁghting terrorism amid a row with the U.S. over allegations that the ISI had backed the Haqqani network in carrying out high-proﬁle terror attacks. Pakistan is determined to eliminate the “spectre of terrorism” from its soil and it is “keenly aware” of the threat that terrorism poses to its neighbours, Ms. Khar said. Addressing the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly on behalf of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Ms. Khar said very few countries have been ravaged by the “monster of terrorism” as “brutally” as Pakistan has been. Pakistan held out an olive branch to India on Tuesday for the resolution of all disputes, including Jammu and Kashmir, through a “dialogue process”, hoping it will be “uninterrupted and uninterruptible”. “We certainly intend to make this engagement fruitful and premise it on the promise of a mutually rewarding enterprise that would enable us to optimally avail the

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for changes in the structure of the United Nations to address a deepening global crisis which has generated “great uncertainty and profound change.” In his speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday, Dr. Singh said, “Till a few years ago, the world had taken for granted the beneﬁts of globalisation and global interdependence. But now we are being called upon to cope with the negative dimensions.” “Economic, social and political events in different parts of the world,” he said, “have coalesced together and their adverse impact is now being felt across countries and continents.” There was a “deﬁcit in global governance” which necessitated “a stronger and more effective United Nations.” “For this,” Dr. Singh argued, “the United Nations and its principal organs, the General Assembly and the Security Council, must be revitalised and reformed.” He underlined the need for “early reform of the Security Council.” Dr. Singh said “the development agenda

complementarities that exist,” She noted that resolution of the Kashmir dispute, “which is among the oldest on the agenda of the United Nations”, according to wishes of Kashmiri people “is a sine qua non for durable peace” in the Sub-continent. In her first address to the world body, Ms Khar noted “the reality of a nuclearised South Asia imposes on both Pakistan and India the onerous responsibility to work together for creating mutual confidence, avoiding an arms race, and enhancing strategic stability. Ms Khar reiterated Islamabad’s desire for peace and stability in Afghanistan. “Pakistan is also firmly committed to promoting stability and peace in Afghanistan. We respect and support the efforts of the government of Afghanistan under the leadership of President Karzai for reconciliation and peace. “We strongly condemn the recent terror attacks in Kabul in which many precious lives were lost. We also express our sympathy with our brothers and sisters Continued on page 27 >>

must be brought ﬁrmly back to the centre stage of the United Nations’ priorities.” The Prime Minister provided a broadbrush account of the key drivers of global instability. He noted that “the traditional engines of the global economy such as the U.S., Europe and Japan, which are also the sources of global economic and ﬁnancial stability, are faced with continued economic slowdown.” In addition, there was an “unprecedented social and political upheaval” in West Asia and North Africa; food and energy prices “are once again spiralling and introducing fresh instability;” longstanding disputes like the Palestinian question remained unresolved; terrorism remained a major challenge; piracy threatening the Indian Ocean’s shipping lanes was escalating. Finally, “iniquitous growth, inadequate job and education opportunities and denial of basic human freedoms are leading to growing radicalisation of the youth, intolerance and extremism.”

NEWS

Saarc international I Thursday 29 September 2011

992 villages remain marooned Orissa begins air-dropping of food, seeks more choppers With flood situation in four north Orissa districts remaining grim, the state government on Saturday started air-dropping of food packets as 992 villages continued to be marooned for the second consecutive day. With flood situation in four north Orissa districts remaining grim, the state government on Saturday started air-dropping of food packets as 992 villages continued to be marooned for the second consecutive day. “It is not practically possible to open free kitchens in worst-hit Jajpur district as flood water had submerged all the places in four blocks. Airdropping of food packets is the only alternative left with us,” state Revenue and Disaster Management minister S.N. Patro told reporters. Stating that two helicopters had already been pressed into the service, Patro said four more choppers are likely to be

Kendrapara and Keonjhar had been severely affected due to very high flood in Brahmani and Baitarani rivers. Balasore district was also hit by flood water of Subarnarekha river while Angul and Dhenkanal districts were affected due to flood in Brahmani

P Chidambaram and Defence Minister A.K. Antony seeking more choppers and boats for rescue and relief work. “This is a very strong ﬂood in Jajpur, Kendrapara and Bhadrak districts,” Patnaik said, adding that the state government was taking all possible

“I tried to speak to the PM on the ﬂood situation. But, it was not possible as he was abroad.” Senior ofﬁcials were deputed to supervise rescue and relief operation in these three worst-hit districts where

deployed in relief operation. Though the second spell ﬂood had affected eight districts, Jajpur, Bhadrak,

river, he said. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik held talks with Home Minister

steps to provide succour and relief to 15.40 lakh population in the eight districts.

people were trapped on rooftops with their houses submerged by ﬂood water of Brahmani and Baitarani.

India hopes to achieve WHO’s doctor-people ratio by 2028 HLEG estimates that the number of allopathic doctors registered with the Medical Council of India has increased since 1974 to 6.12 lakhs in 2011 - a ratio of one doctor for 1,953 people or a density of 0.5 doctors per 1,000 people. India will take at least 17 more years before it can reach the World Health Organization’s ( WHO) recommended norm of one doctor per 1,000 people. The Planning Commission’s high-level expert group (HLEG) on universal health coverage (UHC) - headed by Dr K Srinath Reddy - has predicted the availability of one allopathic doctor per 1,000 people by 2028. It has suggested setting up 187 medical colleges in 17 high focus states during the 12th and 13th ﬁve-year Plan to achieve the target. HLEG estimates that the number of allopathic doctors registered with the Medical Council of India (MCI) has increased since 1974 to 6.12 lakhs in 2011 - a ratio of one doctor for 1,953 people or a density of 0.5 doctors per 1,000 people. The nation has a density of one medical college per 38.41 lakhs. There are 315 medical colleges that are located in 188 of 642 districts.

Meanwhile, six persons died and another went missing in ﬂood waters. While two persons died in Jajpur district, one each died in Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Mayurbhanj districts, special relief commissioner P.K. Mohapatra said, adding that 58,664 people has so far been evacuated. This apart, a large number of snake bite cases were reported from Kendrapara district, but there was no casualty due to timely intervention of medical teams, he said. Jajpur district has been cut off after an old bridge collapsed at Sathipur Friday while the alternative road through Panikoeli area was under water. The administration was facing difﬁculties in transporting relief materials to the affected area, he said. “Flood situation in Jajpur, Kendrapara and Bhardak is grave,” the SRC said, adding that above 400 villages in Jajpur district were marooned followed by 135 villages in Bhadrak district, 163 villages in Kendrapara district and 74 villages in Mayurbhanj district.

Haqqani links: Khar says US should not test patience Pakistan had taken up the matter with the United States, but the spate of hostile statements coming from senior US ofﬁcials meant that Washington had taken policy decision. If that was the case then “We have the right to make our own decision.” Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar says the Haqqani group that the US holds responsible for last week’s attack against the American embassy in Kabul was CIA’s “blueeyed boy” for many years. Responding to questions during an interview with an Arab television, Khar, who is in New York leading Pakistan’s delegation to the UN General Assembly, rejected US accusations against the Pakistani intelligence agency, saying it has no links to the Haqqani network. “If we talk about links, I am sure the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) also has links with many terrorist organisations around the world, by which we mean intelligence links,”

she said. “And this particular network, which [the United States] continues to talk about, is a network which was the blue-eyed boy of the CIA itself for many years.” Speciﬁcally asked about Admiral Mike Mullen’ statement that the Haqqani group “acts as a veritable arm” of ISI, the foreign minister said, “It is something that goes very, very unappreciated on our side. This is unsubstantiated. No evidence has been shared with us.” Partners and allies, she said, do not talk to each

other through public statements. Pakistan had taken up the matter with the United States, but the spate of hostile statements coming from senior US ofﬁcials meant that Washington had taken policy decision. If that was the case then “We have the right to make our own decision.” Khar went to say that scapegoating and blame games would not help. Pakistan wanted to be a US partner. “I just hope that we’ll be given a chance to co-operate with each other and the doors will remain open - because statements like this are pretty much close to shutting those doors,” she added. Such statement would alienate the people of Pakistan. Replying to a question, the foreign minister said the drone attacks not only violated Pakistan’s sovereignty, they were also counterproductive, and greatly anger the people of Pakistan. “I think we must not be tested more than we have the ability to bear,” she added.

Saarc international I Thursday 29 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF AFGHANISTAN NEWS

Afghan demo slams Rabbani murder US warplanes kill 35

Afghan protesters took to the streets of Kabul on September

27 to denounce the assassination of Rabbani, who was killed in a

terror attack on September 20. Hundreds of Afghan demonstrators have rallied in the capital Kabul to condemn the assassination of the former president, Burhanuddin Rabbani. Afghan protesters took to the streets of Kabul on September 27 to denounce the assassination of Rabbani, who was killed in a terror attack on September 20. The angry protesters shouted ‘death to the Taliban’ and ‘death to terrorists,’ vowing revenge for last week’s assassination of former president, Reuters reported. They also demanded that the government investigate Rabbani’s death and try those behind his assassination.

in Afghanistan

The causalities come after the warplanes targeted a residential area in Ab Band district of the Ghazni Province on Tuesday, media has reported. An airstrike by US warplanes has left 35 people dead in the troubled eastern Afghanistan as civilian casualties are on the rise in the war-ravaged country, media reports. The causalities come after the warplanes targeted a residential area in Ab Band district of the Ghazni Province on Tuesday, a Press TV correspondent reported. The US military claims it has

targeted Taliban militants, but villagers say civilians are also among the dead. Similar operations in the past have left behind many civilian casualties. Earlier, Afghan ofﬁcials said nearly 20 civilians were killed in a recent operation by US-led foreign forces in the country’s east. Civilians have been the main victims of US-led airstrikes and ground operations in various parts of Afghanistan over the past few months. The Afghan government has repeatedly condemned the deadly attacks against civilians.

World must ensure security of Seventh festival of theater held in Kabul Afghan personalities: Karzai

President Karzai met with General James Mattis commander of central forces of USA at the Presidential Place. At the meeting the president considered the martyrdom of Prof. Burhanudden Rabbani chairman of high peace council in the series of terror of national personalities and inﬂuential and said that for some time the terror of national personalities are taking place. He added that these terrors are taking place at a delicate time in history of the country when work is proceeding towards transition of security responsibility, the strategic cooperation treaty between Afghanistan and the USA and holding of the Bonn Conference. So the international community should cooperate in ensuring peace, stability and security of great national personalities of Afghanistan. During the meeting both sides exchanged views on struggle against terrorism, regional issues and cooperation between Afghanistan and the US.

The seventh festival of national theater of Afghanistan was opened with a message of Dr. Raheen Minister of Information and Culture in Kabul. At this theater a number of artists of theater from the center and provinces will stage their theatrical pieces. At the function to this end held at the hall of Dr Mohammad Naem Farhan, of Fine Arts Faculty of Kabul University, initially Prof. Hamidullah Ameen Rector of Kabul University talked on importance of arts

and added that we attach value to arts and committed towards encouragement of artists in Afghanistan. Mohammad Usman Baburi deputy minister of higher education talked on the problems on the path of artists said that the grounds in the country are limited and that the work done by artists is great indeed. The message of Dr. Raheen Minister of Information and Culture on the seventh festival of national theater of Afghanistan was read out by Jalal Noorani advisor of

CIA compound attacked in Kabul Gunﬁre was heard from inside a Kabul compound reportedly used by the CIA in what appeared to be the latest in a series of insurgent attacks on targets in the Afghan capital. Afghan interior ministry spokesman Siddiq Siddiqui said police had heard “a couple of minutes” of gunﬁre from inside the Ariana Hotel compound around 9.15pm (local time) on Sunday. An Afghan government source told the AFP news agency that the Ariana compound was used by the CIA.”Our police heard there were some shots from inside the Ariana compound,” he said.

But he added that Afghan forces could not go inside as the site

“belongs to coalition forces” and was “not within the reach of

police”.A US official in Washington confirmed an attack against a facility used by US officials in Kabul, saying “the situation is fluid, and the investigation is ongoing” over the incident. The CIA declined to comment.A spokesman for the US embassy in Kabul, Gavin Sundwall, also said he could not comment on the incident. Major Jason Waggoner, spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, confirmed that “there were shots fired” near the hotel but did not have further details.

the ministry. The message notes that at the beginning of interim government, theater in the country was destructed, artists were wandering and that with the efforts the famous theater of Afghan Nendari was restored despite immense problems and that the Fine Arts faculty was reactivated as well. The message adds that at this festival the ministry through the department of national theater shall not refrain from any cooperation in holding theater festivals.

US Embassy in Kabul attacked again Part of the US Embassy annex in Kabul came under attack early Monday, a U.S. official and an official from the International Security Assistance Force said. The attack was believed to be largely over by 4 a.m. local time (7:30 p.m. Saturday ET), and there was not yet any word on casualties. Insurgents waged a 19-hour siege on the embassy September 14. U.S. officials have blamed that attack on the Haqqani network, which is believed to have clandestine ties to Pakistan’s ISI intelligence service.

Saarc international I Thursday 29 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF BANGLADESH NEWS

Khaleda to announce agitation BNP has made all-out preparations for today’s rally in the capital where the party chairperson will declare agitation programme to compel the government to restore the caretaker government system. BNP has made all-out preparations for today’s rally in the capital where the party chairperson will declare agitation programme to compel the government to restore the caretaker government system. The rally will be held in front of BNP’s central ofﬁce at the city’s Naya Paltan at 2:00pm. It will be the biggest political rally in recent times, said Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, chief of BNP’s Dhaka city unit. BNP chief Khaleda Zia had declared

that her party would not accept general elections without the supervision of a non-partisan caretaker government. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,

however, on Sunday at a programme in New York reiterated that the next election will be held under the political government. The caretaker

BD to vote for Palestine statehood Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said Bangladesh would always stand by the Palestine people to establish an independent Palestine state.“If needed, we will vote for establishing Palestine State,” she said in reply to a question at a `meet the press’ programme at the Bangladesh Mission ofﬁce here on Saturday. Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas formally submitted a written statehood application to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on September 23.

India, BD to discuss bilateral border security India and Bangladesh will discuss cross-border terror and effective patrolling of frontiers as top ofﬁcers of border guarding forces of both countries begin their six-day meeting in Dhaka from Sunday. A 21—member delegation

led by Border Security Force (BSF) Director General Raman Srivastava will today leave for the Bangladeshi capital. The visit assumes signiﬁcance as it comes after recent ofﬁcial trips of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P. Chidambaram where important security issues were discussed between the leaders of both the sides. The

Indian delegation will meet the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) top ofﬁcials led by its chief Major General Anwar Hussain and discuss issues like presence of Indian insurgent groups in that country and their deportation.

Both the forces are also expected to mutually hand over a list of militant hideouts in their respective regions, the ofﬁcial said. A joint memorandum will be signed by them on the last day of the meeting on September 30. BSF and BGB man the 4,096km-long IndiaBangladesh border and the last DGlevel talks between the forces were held in Delhi in March this year.

government system was scrapped through the ﬁfteenth amendment of the constitution. Opposition leaders said that besides agitation programme

like road march and demonstration, Khaleda in her address may declare a time limit for the government to fulﬁl their demands.

Hasina rules out talks with Khaleda on ‘different issues’ Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ruled out the necessity of sitting for talks with the opposition leader about ‘different problems’ existing in the country. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ruled out the necessity of sitting for talks with the opposition leader about ‘different problems’ existing in the country. Speaking to journalists at a ‘Meet the Press’ programme at Bangladesh’s Permanent Mission in UN headquarters on Saturday, the prime minister said the main demands of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia are to release her ‘corrupt sons’ from jail, withdraw the money laundering cases against them and ceasing the trials of liberation war criminals.

Prime Minister unveils her new peace model The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has endowed the world with her new peace model, saying that cherished global peace can prevail under a multidimensional democratic approach with six mutually reinforcing multipliers. The six mutually reinforcing peace multipliers, she said, are: eradication of poverty and hunger, reduction of inequality, mitigation of deprivation, inclusion of excluded people, acceleration of human development and elimination of terrorism. The prime minister introduced her peace model while addressing the 66th annual session of the UN General Assembly, the main policymaking organ of the United Nations, in Bangla in New York Saturday. ‘Let us all try to test this model of peace which I believe has the potential to transform our world of seven billion people into one where our future generations may prosper and live in happiness,’ she said. The prime minister repeated her appeal to declare Bangla as one of the ofﬁcial languages of the United Nations, spoken by about 300 million people across the world She said Bangladesh was partnered in many of the UN endeavours

for peace, democracy and development which demonstrated the country’s strong commitment to conflict resolution. Focusing on the country’s perspectives, the prime minister highlighted two major conflict resolutions during her office as prime minister in 1996-2001. ‘One is Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord and the other is Ganges Water Sharing Agreement with India.’ Hasina expressed her firm commitment to settling all existing problems with neighbouring India through discussion saying, ‘During my current tenure, only this month, we have mediated and signed MoUs with India on our border

demarcation, an issue that had been pending for the last 64 years obstructing the everyday life of my people.’ Clarifying her government’s position in trying the persons responsible for criminal activities during Bangladesh’s war of liberation in 1971, she said the criminals’ eventual punishment would strengthen our democracy and demonstrate that the state was capable of delivering justice. Recalling the terrorist acts so far she faced in her personal and political life, the prime minister in her speech reiterated her full commitment to battling terrorism in all its forms saying her government has a ‘zero tolerance

Saarc international I Thursday 29 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF BHUTAN NEWS

Present voting system not truly representative If the Bhutanese voting system is not changed, the result for the next general election is likely to be no different than that of the 2008 general election. Bhutan follows the First Past the Post (FTPT) voting system, like India and Britain, where a candidate wins even by a marginal majority, and not necessarily by receiving an absolute majority. Based on the last election’s results, the president of the Centre for Bhutan Studies, Dasho Karma Ura, commented during a recent talk on the national television that Bhutan should shift towards a more representative voting system, and that the present voting system is “primitive.”

“First-Past-The-Post voting system forces one nomination per party in single constituencies,” Dasho Karma Ura said in an email interview with Kuensel. “Eastern Bhutan voted overwhelmingly for DPT, the ruling party, while southern, central and western Bhutan voted in DPT candidates with marginal majority,” he said. Given the “bitter gossiping” in an oral society like Bhutan, he said no one would know its effect on shaping voter opinion. The 2008 election saw 67 percent of the people voting for the Druk Phunsum Tshogpa party, and 33 percent voting for the opposition party, People’s Democratic Party. ,

Damage assessment Lhakhang on the verge of collapse in full swing The torrential rain does not deter Dorji Drukpa from walking to his village. With his green bag filled with rations and household essentials, he is returning from Bindu bazar, a bordering town in India, which is almost a half day walk from Changju village, Resting on a partially decayed plank near Jholing suspension bridge, he said he had to rush back to his village, as the gewog and dzongkhag officials would visit his village to assess the damage left by the September 18 earthquake.Wiping the sweat and rain dripping down his wrinkled face, the 58-year old former tshogpa of Changju chiwog said he went to the market after assessing the damage with the gewog gup.“The gewog officials rely on me as I was the village tshogpa for the last 16 years,” he said. After walking in the rain for eight hours, he reaches home by 8pm. Sacrificing the thrue bab celebration with his family, he heads to the affected houses to wait for the dzongkhag and gewog officials’ arrival again.

His Majesty comforts victims in Haa

“Dongkola is about to crumble,” said the monastery’s lam Kuenga Rinchen more than a week after the September 18 quake tremors damaged the place. Located on a hilltop between Paro and Punakha, at a distance of about seven hours walk from the nearest road in Thimphu, the tremor damaged one

side of the main lhakhang wall totally. “If there’s a slight tremor, the whole lhakhang will crumble,” said the lam in a telephone interview. “We’re really scared.” Soon after the earthquake, the lam informed the Paro dzongkhag administration, and also arranged an

engineer to inspect the damage. Engineer Karma Sonam, who visited the lhakhang unofﬁcially, said the risk was from the roof trusses resting on the partition wall. “If the partition collapses, all the nangtens (relics) would be buried under the rubble,” he said. To save the nangtens, monks, about 17 including the lam and the lopens, are busy building a makeshift structure. “There are so many sacred nangtens and we want to shift them temporarily,” said Lam Kuenga Rinchen, adding that there was no damage to the relics and the statues. The lam said the monastery had to be rebuilt from scratch. “It isn’t safe. The chams and dengrigs (wooden poles bearing the weight) are about to fall,” he said.

Higher taxes proposed for land and houses in major towns

When the September 18 tremors hit Takchu goenpa in Haa, 10-year old monk, Lhab Dorji, slid under a bed with two other monks. He learnt to do this, while studying in Jyankhana primary school, before he joined the goenpa a year ago. “Once the tremors stopped, I sneaked out of the room and rushed out to check whether I was normal,” Lhab Dorji said. The 18th century goenpa, which houses 13 monks and a teacher, suffered major damage, with part of its mud rammed walls fallen to the ﬂoor, and its main pillars

slightly tilted. The three-storied traditional mud goenpa is considered one of the oldest and most sacred among the four major goenpas in the dzongkhag. His Majesty the King visited the goenpa yesterday and commanded that religious ceremonies and festivals should be conducted as usual in spite of the damage. His Majesty also visited several houses in Jo Geonpa under Eusu gewog, met the affected victims and listened to their grievances.

If the draft Municipality Finance Policy (MFP) currently under review is approved, residents living in Class A thromdes will be shelling out more in terms of tax, fees and services charges for using civic amenities in the municipality. The draft policy has proposed a host of revision in the taxes, fees and service charges. This, according to the draft MFP, is done to provide a ﬁnancially sustainable policy for delivery of public services by municipalities in Thimphu, Phuentsholing, Samdrup Jongkhar and Gelephu that are categorized as Class A thromdes. Tax collection According to the MFP, the objective for collecting taxes is to ﬁnance the municipal administration including the

thrompon’s ofﬁce and the council, urban development and other subsidiaries that provide municipal services. The draft ﬁnancial policy states that municipalities will increase the tax rates gradually from year

to year. All private, business and public properties will be subject to municipal taxes. The municipalities will register all properties and maintain an upto-date data base of all properties including structures.

Saarc international I Thursday 29 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF INDIA NEWS

Sonia steps in to quell war, meets Pranab, Chidambaram After Mukherjee’s discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York on Sunday, his meeting Sonia just after Chidambaram called on her is clearly intended to put an end to the impression of a raging factional war between the two top ministers. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi stepped in to quell factional fires, with senior ministers Pranab Mukherjee and P Chidambaram meeting her on Monday evening in what seems an effort to put a lid on the damaging controversy over a finance ministry note on 2G spectrum. With the finance ministry note suggesting home minister P Chidambaram - in his role as finance minister in UPA-1 -- failed

to check ex-telecom minister A Raja giving the 2G scam a fresh political twist, the Congress president was forced to act despite still recovering

from a surgery. After Mukherjee’s discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York on Sunday, his meeting

Sonia just after Chidambaram called on her is clearly intended to put an end to the impression of a raging factional war between the two top ministers. Indicating that he would not like to trade charges, the ﬁnance minister reiterated that he saw Chidambaram as a “valued colleague” and a “pillar of strength” ahead of meeting Sonia. The words are conciliatory and Sonia’s intervention should mean that no one will fall out of line and differences are not likely to be aired in public although they are not likely to vanish. There were reports that a miffed Chidambaram offered to quit. This was denied by well-placed sources but the home minister has made no secret of his view that he feels he is

Prime Minister sees campaign under way to destabilise polity “The issues on which the United Progressive Alliance government is now being judged date back to 2006 or so,” Dr. Singh told journalists on board his ﬂight home from New York, “after which the people have voted in support of our performance.”Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said the mounting campaign by the Opposition against his government could be part of a campaign to “destabilise our polity.” “The issues on which the United Progressive Alliance government is now being judged date back to 2006 or so,” Dr. Singh told journalists on board his ﬂight home from New York, “after which the people have voted in support of our performance. This is why I suspect that there is some other agenda at work.” The Prime Minister declined to

answer a question seeking elaboration on who might be responsible for the destabilisation. Mounting furore Dr. Singh was dismissive of the mounting furore at home over the 2G spectrum scandal, saying: “the Opposition is getting prematurely

Iran to export gas to India, Oman

Caretaker director of the National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC) says Iran has reached agreements with India and Oman on exporting gas to the two countries. Hossein Bidarmaghz said on Sunday that negotiations between Iran and India started 11 months ago and are still ongoing “India has called for the construction of a subsea gas pipeline in international waters so

that neither side (Iran or India) will have to pay gas transit fee,” said the NIGEC ofﬁcial, adding that an Indian delegation would soon visit Tehran to discuss the pipeline deal. “Another way to transfer Iranian gas to India is via a pipeline from Oman to India to which a subsea pipeline would connect and take Iranian gas …,” he added. Bidarmaghz said based on a trilateral agreement among Iran, Oman and a third country, Iran’s gas will feed Oman’s liquefaction plant before being processed into various products in the third country. Iran ranks second in the world in natural gas resources after Russia with available gas reserves estimated at over 33 trillion cubic meters In addition to exporting gas to Turkey, Armenia, and Pakistan, the country is currently negotiating gas exports to Iraq.

restless.” He was emphatic, though, that the government would survive its full term. “The government has a

mandate from the people to govern for ﬁve years, and it will stay the course. The Opposition should be patient until the elections.” He denied that there was a feud between Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P. Chidambaram over the 2G scandal. “The rift that you talk about is only in the media. This is a cohesive government. There is no dissension. There is no truth in what has been written in the media about a rift between Mr. Chidambaram and Mr. Mukherjee,” he said.

SC rejects Lalit Modi’s plea against disciplinary panel Continued from page 32>> Modi, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed his plea seeking reconstitution of the BCCIappointed disciplinary panel probing allegations of ﬁnancial irregularities against him. A bench comprising justices JM Panchal and HL Gokhale said that the three-member committee was “validly” constituted by the BCCI and it cannot be reconstituted merely on the ground of apprehensions of biasness expressed by Modi. “We cannot presume that member won’t give fair hearing to the petitioner (Modi),” the bench said adding “committee was validly constituted”. “Mere apprehension of biasness cannot be a ground to reconstitute the committee,” the bench said. Modi had sought reconstitution of the three-member panel comprising Arun Jaitley, Chirayu Amin and Jyotiraditya Scindia for probing alleged irregularities by him. He had sought removal of Jaitley and Amin from the panel, alleging that they might be biased against him as they were part of the Special General Body meeting of BCCI where decision against Modi was taken. He moved the apex court after the Bombay High Court on July 15, 2010 dismissed his appeal of reconstitution of the committee and challenging his suspension from BCCI.

the wronged party. However, he was in good spirits at a meeting of a group of ministers on media on Monday and did not seem in a quitting mode. The 2G note that surfaced as part of 2G litigant Subramanian Swamy’s case in the Supreme Court has been widely interpreted in Congress circles as part of a factional war in which Mukherjee and Chidambaram are ranged on opposite sides. The court is yet to pronounce on Swamy’s plea that the CBI should investigate Chidambaram on his allegedly role in backing Raja’s decision to sell 2G spectrum in 2008 at 2001 prices, and this will ﬁnally settle the issue, many in Congress feel.

Foreign ministers of Pak, India met in US Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar met her Indian counterpart S. M. Krishna at a reception hosted by the Pakistan mission to the United Nations, Indian media reported on Tuesday. The meeting between the two ministers was a brief one. Khar will address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) later today.

Hussey out, Warner in ODI Continued from page 32>> ”We did not think that David (Hussey) quite took his opportunity in Sri Lanka and his place has been taken by David Warner,” Hilditch said in a statement. ”David (Warner’s) form has been irresistible recently and he deserves this opportunity in the one day squad.” Wicketkeeper batsman Matthew Wade will replace Brad Haddin in the T20 squad, while Mitchell Marsh —brother of new test batsman Shaun and son of former opener Geoff —was also included. Haddin and Michael Clarke have opted out of T20 cricket, and paceman Mitchell Johnson wasn’t selected for the shortest form of the game. ”The retirement of Brad Haddin from international Twenty20 and the injury to Tim Paine, has given a welldeserved opportunity to Matthew Wade,” Hilditch said. Patrick Cummins replaces injured allrounder John Hastings in the one-day squad, while Doug Bollinger comes in for Johnson in the T20 squad. ”It is an extremely exciting time in Australian cricket to see such young talent forcing its way into the Australian squads,” Hilditch said. Australia will play two tests, three one-dayers and two T20 matches on its tour of South Africa starting Oct. 13. The tests squad is yet to be named.

Saarc international I Thursday 29 September 2011

SPECIAL FEATURE

Saudi Arabia Ready for Expensive Hajj H

ajj is becoming more and more expensive each year and I just thought it’s because of inflation. But I’ve come across a view that it might be because Saudi wants to commercialise the cities and use the money to just improve the place. Also that it will soon become a monopoly for the richest! That’s a scary thought! How true do you think it is? Each year, millions of people around the world travel by land, sea and air to make the obligatory pilgrimage to Makkah. We know friends and family that are going to Hajj and we make sure to wish them well at the Mosque or even see them off at the airport. Sometimes we make special house calls to visit a friend at home before he leaves; we ask that he forgive our mistakes and we absolve him of any errors. We wish our friends health and a successful Hajj, offering our own prayers so that their prayers will be answered. We also provide pilgrims with our own personal requests. “Please make Du’aa’ (supplication) for my son to find a good wife.” “Don’t forget to make Du’aa’ for my daughter to pass her medical license exam.” The requests are so many. But, when that final moment comes, there is a distinction between those who are going and those who are staying behind. The difference is that those who are going have overcome their obstacles and those that must postpone it yet another year are still jumping their hurdles. Not enough money The number one reason that Muslims cannot go to Hajj is because they cannot

afford it. Monetarily, a Hajj trip can be equivalent to any exotic vacation. Many pilgrims book a trip through a tour company specializing in Hajj trips. The packages usually include airline tickets, hotel accommodations, meals, and all bus transport in and around Makkah Very easily, a standard Hajj trip could cost a family of four more than 10,000 Sterling pounds, or if its Five star then can be more then 25000. But while some blame the economic crisis, others says prices always go up during the hajj season.

“There is an increase in the prices of hotels this year, but it’s not because of the ﬁnancial crisis,” Othman Ali, the owner of a hotel in Makkah, said . He linked the rise to the massive security and safety conditions imposed by the government on hotels before qualifying to host pilgrims. “This has caused a rise in the prices of hotels, while some hotel owners resorted to turn their hotels to residence buildings where pilgrims can rent,” said Ali. “The cost of safety conditions was just so expensive.”

Demand is expected to be higher this Hajj pilgrimage season, raising Mecca’s hotel rooms off-season prices for almost 10 times this November. Last year Mecca received lesser numbers of pilgrims as fears of the swine ﬂu overwhelmed the world, but this year’s soaring hotel prices suggest hoteliers are expecting visitors in record droves. Hotels like Moevenpick and Residence Hajar Tower Makkah are charging approximately between $12,000 and $17,332 for 13 nights during the Haj season, translating into $923 to $1333 per night.

In September, a non-happening month, a hotel room can cost as little as $1715 for 13 nights or $131 per night. “Due to the expected increased costs this year, Haj is not affordable for the majority of people,” said Mohammed Sohail at Al Hamar Hajj Services based in Dubai. “The Hajj quota is limited and the cost of Hajj is increasing every year,” Sohail added. Quotas are still limited with authorities still cautious on allowing too many pilgrims into the country as they work on longer-term plans to improve tourism infrastructure in Mecca. Some of the improvements to infrastructure are already in place. This Haj season will witness the new $1.8 billion metro, the ﬁrst in the holy city, operating a limited service during Haj. The system is expected to ease transport problems between the holy sites, which in the past over crowdedness have led to deaths by stampedes. “Everybody is looking for a better operational environment this year,” said Chiheb ben Mahmoud, the senior vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels in the MENA region. “There’s more visibility,” he said, referring to the travel and visa bans that were imposed last year because of the H1N1 virus. “It’s not like the uncertainty of last year.” This year has showed more earlier booking been made in comparison to last year’s bookings, which were mainly last-minute bookings due to the H1N1 virus frenzy.

Hamad, the biggest name in the desert: Arab sheikh carves two-miles-long name in sand until it’s visible from SPACE

elf-promotion is a lost art among the rich. Sure, Richard Branson’s teeth are a strategically aligned multichannel media platform all by themselves. But in these days of Bilderberg, Zuckerberg and the back-door No 10 visit, it’s a rare moment indeed when the Rupert Murdochs of the world are caught on camera, unbuffered, uttering

actual human words. (Yes, Johnnie Marbles, that means you’re a heavy iron tool.) When it comes to the wealthy and the camera, all the niggaz is Avon Barksdale. Enter the dragon: Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan al-Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family. Better known by the moniker the Rainbow Sheikh (because of

his seven rainbow-coloured cars and not, presumably, his sexual inclinations), Sheikh Hamad has just created a lovely advertisement in the desert for … himself. United Arab Emirates Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan is mega-rich ($22.5 billion rich that is), so rich that he reported has over 200 cars. But just because he’s among the richest men in

the world, doesn’t mean you’ve necessarily heard of him (despite his nickname of “The Rainbow Sheikh”). What better way to get your name out there than have it etched across a two-mile wide portion of your private island? The letters are also a full kilometer tall in some places. The whole thing is so large that

it’s actually visible from space and, perhaps more importantly, Google Earth. Exactly how much this whole thing cost to create is a mystery, yet we can’t imagine it was cheap. Business Insider suggests a price of about $22 million, though no ofﬁcial number seems to have been released. It’s certainly a bit excessive regardless.

The Prophet’s Birth House

The building where the Prophet once lived lies just a few hundred yards from the Grand Mosque. Currently a library, the fear is that it could suffer the same fate as his wife’s house when the mosque expands.

The house of the Prophet’s wife Khadijah was destroyed and replaced with public toilet block. After lengthy negotiations the site was brieﬂy excavated with artefacts found dating back to the Prophet’s time.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 29 September 2011

The Prophet’s Wife’s House

Mecca already boasts dozens of fancy international hotels. At the current building rate it could have 80,000 hotel rooms by 2015. The Mecca Clock Royal Tower Hotel, with more than 800 rooms, occupies what will soon be the world’s second-tallest building, a structure incorporating the world’s biggest clock, with faces at least six times the size of Big Ben’s, and capped by a spire topped with a golden crescent. The hotel building forms just part of part of the Abraj alBait complex, a Gotham City-like eruption of seven huge towers, conveniently sited a stone’s throw from the Great Mosque. Reported Economist. With 1.5m square metres of ﬂoor space, including two helipads, a giant shopping mall and a prayer area said to cater for 30,000 worshippers, Abraj al-Bait is substantially bigger than America’s two biggest buildings, the Pentagon and the Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas, put together. Because many of its rooms directly overlook the Kaaba, the cubical building that houses the Black Stone, and towards which 1.5 billion Muslims turn in prayer, the complex can charge sizzling prices. A one-room studio apartment starts at $650,000. • Much of the best land in the holy city has been razed

to make way for developments including a planned expansion of the great mosque to fit an extra 500,000 worshippers. Just one of the housing schemes under construction, Jabal Omar, is meant to accommodate 45,000 year-round residents as well as 150,000 pilgrims, but backers of the $5 billion project have struggled to raise enough money. Perhaps a new metro system will inspire investors. Its first line, connecting the main sites of the haj ritual, should be up and running by November, just in time for the greatest annual influx of pilgrims. To the al-Saud monarchy, Mecca is their vision of the future – a steel and concrete metropolis built on the proceeds of enormous oil wealth that showcases their national pride. Yet growing numbers of citizens, particularly those living in the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina, have looked on aghast as the nation’s archaeological heritage is trampled under a construction mania backed by hardline clerics who preach against the preservation of their own heritage. Mecca, once a place where the Prophet Mohamed insisted all Muslims would be equal, has become a playground for the rich, critics say, where naked capitalism has usurped spirituality as the city’s raison d’être.

Continued on page 29 >>

Few are willing to discuss their fears openly because of the risks associated with criticising ofﬁcial policy in the authoritarian kingdom. And, with the exceptions of Turkey and Iran, fellow Muslim nations have largely held their tongues for fear of of a diplomatic fallout and restrictions on their citizens’ pilgrimage visas. Western archaeologists are silent out of fear that the few sites they are allowed access to will be closed to them. But a number of prominent Saudi archaeologists and historians are speaking up in the belief that the opportunity to save Saudi Arabia’s remaining historical sites is closing fast. Construction ofﬁcially began earlier this month with the country’s Justice Minister, Mohammed alEissa, exclaiming that the project would respect “the sacredness and glory of the location, which calls for the highest care and attention of the servants or Islam and Muslims”. There is little argument that Mecca and Medina desperately need infrastructure development. Twelve

Over the past 10 years the holiest site in Islam has undergone a huge transformation, one that has divided opinion among Muslims all over the world. Report Independent UK.

In order to build the clock tower and its surrounding skyscrapers - most of which house luxury hotels - the Saudi authorities approved the destruction of an entire mountain and the Ottoman Ajyad Fortress that lay on top.

Royal Mecca Clocktower

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 29 September 2011

Mecca is “turning into Vegas”

In order to accommodate the ever growing pilgrim numbers, the authorities have begun a £690m expansion. House have been pulled down, and it is likely the old Ottoman and Abbas columns will also go.

Expansion of the Grand Mosque

The concept of the King Messiah, the “Anointed One” who would one day come to deliver his people from oppression at the beginning of an era of world peace has been the sustaining hope of the Jewish people for generations. King Messiah is the instrument by whom God’s kingdom is to be established in Israel and in the world. This hope runs throughout the entire Tanakh. This unique Messiah seems to be identiﬁed with the Moshia’ and would be anointed by God to: 1. Restore the Kingdom of David (see, for example, Jer. 23:5, Jer 30:9, Ezek. 34:23) 2. Restore the Temple (Isaiah 2:2, Micah 4:1, Zech. 6:13, Ezekiel 37:2628)

According to some investigators these are the pictures of the throne of Messiah or as Muslim called it Anti Christ. Whether its Anti Christ or not but amazingly these are similar to the design of what Saudis built in Mecca. Do you see any similarity? These investigators claim under Alaqsa Mosque Israelis are secretly preparing for the “Mashiach” . The person (or thing) anointed by God was called mashiach - an “anointed one” or “chosen one”:

In Islam Dajjal or Anti Christ : Narrated by Abdullah ibn Busr (radiAllahu anhu): The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, The time between the great war and the conquest of the city (Constantinople) will be six years,

3. Regather the exiles (as described in Isaiah 11:12 and 43:5-6) 4. Usher in world peace (Isaiah 2:4) 5. Spread Torah knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: “God will be King over all the world -- on that day, God will be One and His Name will be One” (Zechariah 14:9) In the Tanakh, the key passage on which the idea of the Messianic king who would rule in righteousness and attain universal dominion is found in Nathan’s oracle to David (2 Sam 7:11 ff). This covenant cannot have been fulﬁlled by Solomon, and therefore the Seed of which the oracle refers is another anointed King who would sit on the throne forever and ever.

Throne of Mashiach

and the Dajjal (Antichrist) will come forth in the seventh. [Sunan of Abu Dawud #4283] Dajjal will be a Jew. His distinguishing feature is that he will be one-eyed and the word “Kafir” or “unbeliever” will be written on his forehead. Narrated Anas (radiAllahu anhu), The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, “No prophet was sent but that he warned his followers against the one-eyed liar (Ad-Dajjal). Beware! He is blind in one eye, and your Lord is not so, and there will be written between his (Ad-Dajjal’s) eyes (the word) Kafir (i.e. disbeliever).” [Sahih Al-Bukhari, 9.245 - This Hadith is also quoted by Abu Hurairah and Ibn ‘Abbas] That he is a Jew is confirmed from another hadis, which says that his followers will be mainly of Jewish religion.

WHY SIMILAR?

SPECIAL FEATURE

Saarc international I Thursday 29 September 2011

Rabbani death shuts Afghan door of stability: colleague The killing of chief peace negotiator Burhanuddin Rabbani has robbed Afghanistan of the only figure with the range of international contacts to end the conflict there, an influential Arab colleague said on Saturday. “Whoever killed Burhanuddin Rabbani, the intention was to kill any opportunity for peace and stability in Afghanistan,” said Abdullah Anas, a former anti-Soviet fighter and Algerian Islamist activist who has worked behind the scenes in recent years to prepare contacts between warring Afghan factions. “After this assassination, to be honest, I do not know what will happen ... Any group who was behind this assassination meant to close the door of stability in Afghanistan.” Rabbani’s killing at his Kabul home on Tuesday by a bomber claiming to be carrying a message of peace from the Taliban leadership has triggered fears of dangerous divisions in Afghans fighting the Taliban-led insurgency. In the past year, Anas has assisted the High Peace Council overseen by Rabbani, a former Afghan president, guerrilla leader and academic, and a few weeks ago was named Rabbani’s adviser for peace talks in Europe. Speaking to Reuters from Britain, where he is now based, Anas said Rabbani’s varied career in politics, academia and international Islamic

circles, and his record of cooperating with Afghan ethnic groups in the anti-Soviet war of the 1980s, made him acceptable to many inside the country and out as an interlocutor in peace talks. Regional rivalries, the competing demands of different groups inside Afghanistan and international counter-terrorism concerns have complicated the search for peace

in Afghanistan and a negotiated settlement is likely to require contacts among a wide array of players, diplomats say. Anas said Rabbani was not comparable to other politicians inside Afghanistan, most of whom where limited in their contacts due to ethnic or political background and therefore not well placed for the international mediation likely to be

required. “Some of them can visit Tehran, but not Riyadh. Some can visit Riyadh but not Tehran. Some can visit India, but not Islamabad. And vice versa - except one man (RabbanI). He was welcomed in Tehran as he was in Riyadh and in Islamabad.” “At the level of the agendas of the region, no one can have as good a chance for the future of peace talks as this man,” he said. RABBANI “BEST MAN” TO MAKE PEACE Some Afghans fear the country’s most high-proﬁle killing since the 2001 overthrow of the Taliban will re-open fractures from Afghanistan’s civil war and make peace more elusive. “Politically this assassination is assassinating stability and reconciliation in Afghanistan, because to target such a personality, so balanced politically and socially, it’s at the heart of that goal. There is no way for happiness to come back to Afghanistan but through reconciliation. Nothing else,” Anas said. He said he was commenting on the political context of the killing “not about who will be found to have killed him after a legal investigation. This is the domain of the law.” Rabbani, a professor, president and mujahideen ﬁghter, was the most

prominent surviving leader of the ethnic Tajik-dominated Northern Alliance of ﬁghters and politicians. In recent years he had formed an uneasy alliance with President Hamid Karzai, who comes from the largely Pashtun south, but the rapprochement and the push for talks with the Taliban were not supported by all of his old allies. Not everyone is mourning Rabbani. His appointment was divisive, largely because of his mujahideen past and his role in the civil war that followed the fall of the Soviet-backed government and devastated Kabul. But Anas said Rabbani had exceptional connections across Afghanistan’s ethnic communities that were vital for peace talks. “Although he was a Tajik, ... his organization during the Soviet war contained many, many big commanders from the Pashtuns, from Kandahar ... Paktia, Jalalabad and elsewhere,” he said. “Rabbani was the best man to facilitate among the ethnic groups in Afghanistan. He was a moderate, reasonable voice among the nasty ethnic rivalries of Afghanistan.” Anas, head of the UK-based Taruf conﬂict resolution consultancy, was an aide to anti-Soviet guerrilla commander Ahmad Shah Massoud and fought Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

What Pakistan should do Pakistan is fast coming apart, existentially and in terms of thinking. The reason is the dwindling of factors that hold life together. The economy cannot be allowed to start growing through cheap money if law and order are not ensured. As people become unemployed through a shrinking of the economy, their inclination to vandalism and crime becomes not only possible but morally justified. The state is sliding to a halt. It cannot run the facilities it has inherited. It cannot guarantee the survival of those in the private sector. The first and last signature of the state — security of property rights — is fading. The writ of the state is gone in a large part of its territory and going in what is left. If the rupee slides through dollarisation and there is hyper-inflation, the state may have to be labelled as a ‘failed state’. What is to be done? So far, Pakistan is challenging the US on the basis of a thinking that weighs Pakistan heavier in the strategic scale, retired diplomats and generals saying America needs

Pakistan more than Pakistan needs America. Is Pakistan simply creating chaos just because America wants to create order? The economists in Pakistan have ﬁnally disengaged themselves from the

Pak Army and textbook thinking that India wants to occupy Pakistan and rule Muslims. They think that, while the world is suffering from economic crisis, two neighbours of Pakistan, China and India, are growing at high rates. They see Pakistan surviving only as a part of the South Asian economy. This doesn’t mean that Pakistan

should kowtow to India. It doesn’t mean Pakistan giving up Kashmir. It simply means Pakistan integrating with India and growing in tandem with it, taking in investment and beneﬁting from low wages at home, allowing India a land route to Central Asia, providing pipeline-fed gas to energy-starved western India and letting people cross the Indian border under a liberal visa regime. After that, Pak Army can turn around and take on the terrorists before they get to our nukes. There are welcome signs of policy change in Pakistan that cannot be denied. In July 2011, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani went to Mingora, Swat, together with General Kayani and pledged that his government would seek normalisation of relations with India. Before the Mingora overture, the chief of the ISPR had already signalled in his statement that the army ‘won’t mind if Pakistan pursued cooperation and trade with India’, clearly hinting that the ‘conditionality’ of Kashmir was no longer so important.

India’s Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, not so soft-spoken in the post-Mumbai period of 2008, has now refused to bite the bait thrown by a New York Times story that the Pakistani military establishment was keeping in reserve an army of trained Kashmiri militants numbering

well-received in India. Mr Gilani had said: “Pakistan views India as the most important neighbour and desires sustained, substantive and result-oriented process of dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir. We sincerely hope that

We sincerely hope that the ongoing process of comprehensive engagement will be fruitful. However, India will have to play a more positive and accommodating role and respond to Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns. 14,000 to be unleashed on India at a future date. His reaction was that it was ‘highly exaggerated’. There is no doubt that in saying this he was being statesman-like and ignoring some of the assessments made by RAW that are even more lurid than the one aired by New York Times. The Mingora statement has been

the ongoing process of comprehensive engagement will be fruitful. However, India will have to play a more positive and accommodating role and respond to Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns. ”The writer is a director at the South Asia Free Media Association, Lahore khaled.ahmed@tribune.com.pk

Saarc international I Thursday 29 September 2011

Diwali competition

Happy Diwali! Winners Announced for Sightsavers Diwali Photo Competition UK based development charity Sightsavers today announced the winner and three runners-up for its Diwali photography competition.

Communications at Sightsavers in India and one of the judges for the competition said of the entries: “We were absolutely delighted with the entries. People put a lot of thought into their selection and it was lovely to see everyone getting involved and voting for their favourites! It was a tough decision to make, but Sukhmanjit is a worthy winner. The framing in this photograph is great. The light and shadows, all of it give the picture a warm glow. Sightsavers will be very proud to print our very ﬁrst Diwali card with this image.”

Sukhmanjit Grewal from Hounslow in west London, captured the public’s and judges’ imagination with her stunning image of beautifully intricate henna painted hands and a diwali diva, which will now be printed as the Sightsavers Diwali card for this year. Sukhmanjit will also receive a Samsung digital camera and a pair of Polaroid sunglasses. The competition, which was launched as part of Sightsavers’ Vision India fundraising campaign, encouraged anyone over the age of 16, to submit a photo that they felt captured the essence of Diwali through family, fun, colour or light. Sightsavers has been working in India since 1966, and this year celebrates 45 years of positive change having supported around

four million cataract surgeries during this period. However despite progress and continued fundraising the following statistics still need to be challenged:

• In the developing world, up to 60% of children die within two years of going blind • Every minute, somewhere in the world a child goes blind

There are 15 million blind people in India, 400,000 of which are children Poonam Chengappa, Senior Manager of Brand and

Three runners up were also selected and will be receiving a pair of Polaroid Sunglasses each: • Vinod Motiani from Oxford • Abhisek Bhattacharya from London, E14 • Kishan Panchal from Waltham Abbey The winning images for the Sightsavers Diwali Photo Competition can be seen by visiting www.sightsavers.org/diwali

8.8 million population has been affected with the devastating floods in 23 districts of Sindh. PDMA distributes 281072 tents among Sindh flood victims ISLAMABAD, Sep 26 (APP): Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has so far distributed 28,1072 tents and shelters among the flood hit people of Sindh. According to a statement issued here the PDMA has so far distributed 1.5 million family food packs among flood hit people of Sindh. A total of 73,648 blankets, 3,266 water purification units and 324,689 drinking water bottles have also been delivered among the flood hit people of Sindh. PDMA has also distributed 63,538 mosquito nets and 36,655 rice bags of

50 kg among the flood hit people of Sindh. National Disaster Management Authority in collaboration with National Health Emergency Preparedness Response (NHEPR) have so far provided quality healthcare facilities to 3 million flood hit people of Sindh. Addressing a press conference , Dr Fawad, a representative of NHEPR and Chairman NDMA Dr Zafar Iqbal Qadir said a total of 8.8 million population has been affected with the devastating floods in 23 districts of Sindh. The NHEPR has so far distributed 48 emergency health kits among the flood hit people. One kit is enough to cater the needs of 6000 people for one month. 57 diarrhea cure kits have also been delivered among the flood hit

people. Each kit is enough to fulﬁl the needs of 1000 patients. The NHEPR in collaboration with

hit peoples, Dr Fawad said. Meanwhile France will provide 60 million rupees to National Disaster

NDMA has also provided 11032 hygiene kits. While 58,100 Rapid Diagnostic Kits have also been delivered to ﬂood

Management Authority and 10 million rupees each to three non-governmental organizations in Pakistan, as ﬂood

relief assistance. The assistance comprises shelters (tents, blankets, tarpaulins) for 700 families; two water puriﬁcation plants and other related material (tanks, jerrycans, water puriﬁcation tablets) which will provide drinkable water to 40,000 people daily and 1.2 tons of medicines. The NGOs will receive a subsidy of 10 million rupees each as a help regarding their efforts in favour of Pakistani people. In response to the appeal made by the United Nations and the government of Pakistan, France through its Crisis Centre of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, has sent a plane to Karachi transporting 30 tons of relief goods.

Saarc international I Thursday 29 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF PAKISTAN NEWS

Govt mobilising political leadership for united stand P

rime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called the leaders of almost all political parties on Sunday to discuss the security situation faced by the country.The government is mobilising the national political leadership to take a united stand in the face of US pressure and serious allegations levelled against the armed forces and the ISI. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called the leaders of almost all political parties on Sunday to discuss the security situation faced by the country.

A handout issued by the PM’s Secretariat said: “The political leadership of the country has

Kayani warns of ‘hot pursuit’ to curb cross-border attacks Gen Kayani was discussing defence and military ties between Pakistan and the United States in a meeting with US Central Command (CENTCOM) Chief General James Mattis in Rawalpindi on

Saturday. Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani demanded on Saturday a halt to

repeated cross-border terrorist attacks into Pakistani territory from Afghanistan and warned that Pakistan Army would eliminate the “miscreants” responsible for these assaults no matter where they were if NATO and the Afghan army did not take any action against them. Gen Kayani was discussing defence and military ties between Pakistan and the United States in a meeting with US Central Command (CENTCOM) Chief General James Mattis in Rawalpindi on Saturday. Sources said the meeting lasted for over an hour, in which matters related to recent US allegations against the InterServices Intelligence (ISI) regarding the Haqqani network, bilateral relations, cross-border attacks from Afghanistan and the deteriorating Pak-US relations were discussed in length.

welcomed the initiative of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to hold political parties’ meeting soon to

apprise them of the security situation in the wake of threats emanating from outside the country.” It said Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar had been asked to return to Pakistan soon to attend a brieﬁng to be given by the authorities concerned. The prime minister had twice spoken to Ms Khar and directed her to forcefully project Pakistan’s point of view in the General Assembly, said another handout issued by the PM’s secretariat. This is the second time after the

killing of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in a US raid in Abbottabad on May 2 this year that the prime minister reached out to heads of political parties to discuss the security situation. In a speech in the upper house of parliament in the second week of May, Mr Gilani had said: “If we have the country, everyone can have his say, and if we do not have a country, no-one would have any respect. I request you to stand united and give us a strategy on our national policy on security.”

Diplomacy under way to de-escalate crisis Commanders on General Khalid Shameem Wynne, in favour of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. As Islamabad and Washington continued defusing tensions discussions on Monday over latest round Holding a corps commanders’ meeting, possibly for the first time on a Sunday, reflected the seriousness of the crisis created by a series of allegations levelled by US officials against Pakistan’s security forces and its top intelligence agency. Top army commanders held an extraordinary meeting on Sunday in the wake of US allegations about ISI’s links with the Haqqani network and agreed on the need to de-escalate the situation.

The highlight of a series of meetings in Islamabad was a meeting between Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and US Ambassador Cameron Munter. Meng Jianzhu, the Vice Premier of the Peoples Republic of China called

of crisis in their troubled relations spurred by allegations linking ISI to the Haqqani network, Pakistan opened consultations with some of its close allies over the tense situation. The highlight of a series of meetings in Islamabad was a meeting between Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and US Ambassador Cameron Munter. The meeting took place shortly after Mr Munter had returned to Islamabad from Washington.

Pakistan not complicit with Haqqani network: PM

US should not make someone a ‘scapegoat’

Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Saturday said that the United States must not make someone a scapegoat if its goals are not achieved. There are red lines and rules of engagement with America, which should not be broken, she told a private TV channel in New York on Saturday. The foreign minister warned the United States against sending ground troops to ﬁght an Afghan militant group blamed for attacks in Afghanistan. Ties between

Islamabad and Washington are in crisis after American ofﬁcials stepped up accusations that Inter-Services Intelligence was aiding insurgents in Afghanistan. “It opens all kinds of doors and all kinds of options,” she said. The comment was in response to a question about the possibility of US troops coming to Pakistan. Khar, however, insisted that Pakistan’s policy was to seek a more intensive engagement with the US and that she would like to discourage any blame game. “If many of your goals are not achieved, you do not make someone a scapegoat,” she said, addressing the US. Khar also made a strong plea for resolving the two “oldest unresolved disputes on the UN agenda “Kashmir and Palestine to enable the struggling peoples of those lands exercise their right to self-determination.”

Rejecting the assertions of complicity with the Haqqanis or of proxy war, instead, the US seemed confused over a way out in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday said “we strongly reject assertions of complicity with the Haqqanis or of proxy war. It will only benefit the enemies of peace.” The Prime Minister while reading out a policy statement during a briefing on the floods in Pakistan for diplomats and international organisations went on to say “only terrorists and militants will gain from any fissures and divisions. Pakistan’s credentials and sacrifices in the counter-terrorism campaign are impeccable and unquestionable.” Prime Minister Gilani said “allegations

betray a confusion and policy disarray within the US establishment on the way forward in Afghanistan. Clearly, there is concern over the deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan.” “Recent attacks in Kabul including on the US Embassy were disquieting. We condemn these attacks”, he said. Gilani called on the US to work together with Pakistan to form a coherent strategy over Afghanistan, “there is the need for close policy coordination between Afghanistan, Pakistan and the US. We need to develop a clear and coherent strategy together.” “More than 35,000 Pakistanis have fallen victim to the acts of terrorism

and many more have been injured,” he added. Gilani said “we have taken resolute action against terrorists and militants. We have done so in our national interest. The United States knows very well the full account of large number of al Qaeda operatives that were interdicted, captured and killed by our security forces.” Gilani said Pakistan cannot be held responsible for the security of US NATO/ISAF forces in Afghanistan, adding “while there have been terrorist attacks in Kabul and Wardak, there have also been numerous attacks on Pakistan launched from sanctuaries and safe heavens in Nooristan and Kunar in Afghanistan.”

Saarc international I Thursday 29 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF MALDIVE NEWS

Adhaalath Party breaks away from govt coalition M

ale’; Adhaalath Party (AP) has broken away from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s coalition government. The party passed a resolution last evening announcing their decision to break away from the coalition. AP announced that the party passed the resolution to annul the coalition agreement made by the party with MDP on 30 June 2009, after taking a vote among the 34 members of the national assembly. 32 members voted in favour of the decision while 2 members voted against it.A press brieﬁng was held right after the meeting held to

pass the resolution. AP informed the media that no members of the

party can remain in any political posts of the government with

Thasmeen ﬁrmed to work non stop against GST Bill

eader of the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Ahmed Thasmeen Ali has said that the opposition will work non stop against the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Bill.

Thasmeen said that the opposition is concerned with how the government decided to take Goods and Service Tax within one month from the passing and ratiﬁcation of the bill. He said that this will be a burden upon the people when the people are not prepared for GST. He said that the government has not only disregarded the best interests of the people but also failed to make the people aware what GST is and how the government will employ the tax revenue. “When the government is about to implement the GST, the people are least aware of what this tax is about and how it is taken. We the DRP will work with all the opposition parties’ non-stop against this bill. We will prepare leaﬂets, brochures to make the people aware against this decision of the government,” he said. Meanwhile, Thasmeen earlier said on his website that it is not taxation that he is concerned with but how the tax revenue is employed.

We are being humiliated Nothing can be done because of our own sins against Tax bills

Sheikh Ilyas Hussein has said that the reason for the trials and tribulations including the economic woes and the spread of crime in the society are the bad consequences from the spread of immorality and moral degeneration of the society. In last Friday prayer’s sermon given at Masjid Mohamed Thakurufaanu, Sheikh Ilyas said that sins are rampant in the country

and are leading to social decadence and the increase of crime. Ilyas said that it hinders even the activities of the effective individuals of society due to the far-reaching consequences of sin, thus obstructing the progress of the society. He said that some people take Islam as a seasonal religion and only worship and abstain from sin and immorality in the month of Ramadan. He said that these people return to sinning and abandoning the ﬁve compulsory prayers when Ramadan is over. Ilyas concluded his Friday sermon by supplicating to Allah to relieve the pain of the people of Palestine from the oppression of the occupational forces and to restore peace and justice in Palestine.

Former Leader of the opposition Peoples’ Alliance and Mulaku MP, Abdullah Yaameen has said that there is nothing that can be done against the Tax Bills even if all of the opposition parties unites in the Peoples’ Majlis. Speaking at a DhiTV programme, the half brother of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Yaameen said that the opposition does not have enough vigor to reject the tax bills.

the passing of the resolution last evening.

AP said that the party will ofﬁcially notify the members of the party who are in political posts of the government tomorrow that they can no longer remain in these posts while being members of the party. AP who has been recently strongly criticizing and opposing some decisions of the government announced a total of twenty eight reasons for their decision to break away from the coalition MDP government. Meanwhile, in view of the resolution passed by AP to break away from the MDP coalition, State Minister of Islamic Affairs, Hussein Rasheed Ahmed said that he was not informed of the resolution.

Zionists scanning Maldives to grab land: AP

ale’: Adhaalath Party, AP, which the most popular and inﬂuential Islamic party in the Maldives has said Zionists are scanning the islands of Maldives in a bid to own land in the Maldives. AP said it is sheer hypocrisy and mockery for the Government to tell the Maldivian people that the Government is dedicating itself to get the rights of the Palestinian people of a independent state. Adhaalath said it is hypocritical for the Government to say that they are working neck to neck with Palestinian people to get them an independent state in the UN debate on the issue. ” It is true that the Maldives will vote in support of the Palestinian people at the UN to show its support to the world, but the reality is Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Maldives Government has committed its allegiance to Israel.” Adhaalath has said with grave concern. Adhaalath Party’s concerns have come in a statement they issued welcoming the decision of the people of H A. Filladhoo that they will not allow Israeli people to visit their island.

Adalath has exposed some email communications exchanged between the Government and Tissue Agriculture Products Ltd. regarding a one week visit of Zionists team in the in the pretext of conducting an agriculture survey. ” The emails conﬁrm that these people wanted ownership of the land where they develop agriculture. We have revealed the names of the islands and dates where the team was visiting. Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Didi has told on Sun online that the story about Zionists was a big lie. Will the Minister say the same now.” Adhaalath has stated. Adhaalath Party has said that the people of the islands where Zionist team were visiting have been contacting Adalath Party expressing their fear and concern. The party has said transcending any political interest, Adalath Party welcome the courageous decision of the people not to allow Zionists visiting their islands while the brotherly people of Palestine is subjected to inhuman cruelty and sufferings and denial rights and statehood by the Zionist State of Israel.

Saarc international I Thursday 29 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF NEPAL NEWS

Prime Minister, President discusscontentious issues

rime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai is holding a meeting with President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav at the latter’s ofﬁce in Sheetal Niwas on Tuesday morning. During the meeting, Prime Minister Bhattarai is brieﬁng President Yadav about his visit to the 66th session of United Nations General Assembly.

This is a ﬁrst meeting arranged between PM and Prez after the prime minister returned from New York on Monday. During his stay at New York, the prime minister addressed the UNGA session; held discussions with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; attended a reception hosted by the US President Barack Obama besides holding bilateral

talks with his Indian counterpart Man Mohan Singh, Bhutanese PM Jigmy Thinley, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, Chinese President Hu Jintao among others. The duo are also discussing about peace and statute-drafting process in today’s meeting, sources conﬁrmed.

PM seeks Marshall plan to rebuild post-war nations Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai appealed to the United Nations and member countries to come forward with a substantial development package for rebuilding of postconflict countries. Addressing the 66th session of the UN General Assembly on Saturday morning (local time) in New York, the PM said, “I appeal to the UN to come forward with a comprehensive development package. We need a ‘new Marshall plan’ for rebuilding and reconstruction of post-conflict countries.” He said that the spending of “1.5 trillion dollars on war weapons every year while more than two billion people across the globe lack basic necessities of food, medicine, etc” was unjustifiable. “Lip-service and symbolic supports are not enough,” he said adding, it is time for a bold visionary step to deal with the complex problems of today. “This would be a most cost effective approach to deal with the global problems and ensure sustainable peace.” This was the first such address by Nepal’s PM at UN platform seeking a Marshal Plan for rebuilding and reconstruction of the country. Appraising the international community about “Nepal’s homedriven” peace and constitution drafting process at the UN, the PM said that his government is fully committed to the conclusion of the peace process and the writing of a new constitution through the Constituent Assembly at the earliest. “The constitution will not only guarantee the fundamental democratic norms and values. But it will also ensure that our multiparty democracy is inclusive, participatory and life-changing for all, especially the oppressed labouring masses and the marginalised ones.” Elaborating on Nepal’s foreign policy, the PM told the gathering that Nepal would like to be a “vibrant bridge between our two neighbours and beyond”-a

reference to India and China. He appealed for the development of Lumbini, urged the revitalisation the International Committee for Development of Lumbini, headed by UN Secretary General, at the earliest. The Committee was formed after former Secretary General U Thant’s visit here in 1967. The PM said that the recurrence of economic and ﬁnancial crises, fuel and food crises and the deeper structural crises have vindicated the need to seriously review the current economic paradigm. “I

believe this is the right time for deeper soul-searching and the creation of a new, just and scientiﬁc economic order.” Prime Minister Bhattarai also urged for implementation of the Istanbul Declaration and Programme of Action of Least Developed Countries and calling for doing more to mitigate the threat posed by climate changes. “Industrialised countries should bear greater responsibility for this.” Meets Indian PM

Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai met with Indian Prime Minister Manam-ohan Singh in New York on Saturday. During the meeting the Indian prime minister reportedly congratulated Bhattarai and hoped for the timely conclusion of the peace and statute drafting processes. Indian PM Singh also expressed his commitment on the part of the Government of India for the continued support on the twin tasks of peace and statute drafting processes. Addressing the 66th General

Assembly of the United Nations in New York, the PM assured the common forum of 193 countries that Nepal’s new constitution will guarantee fundamental democratic norms and values, according top priority to the oppressed and the marginalised lot. During the half-hour address, the PM touched upon a wide range of national, regional and international issues. He lauded the Maoist “People’s War” and the People’s Movement of 2006 for liberating Nepal from the feudalistic monarchy.

Tourist ﬂight crashes in Nepal, killing 19 aboard

A plane that was carrying tourists to view Mount Everest crashed while attempting to land in Nepal on Sunday, killing all 19 people on board, including 13 foreigners, ofﬁcials said. Ten Indians, two Americans and one Japanese were among the victims,

Tourism Secretary Ganeshraj Joshi said. The turboprop plane belonging to Buddha Air was also carrying three Nepalese passengers and three crew members when it crashed in Bisankunarayan village, just a few

miles (kilometers) south of the capital, Katmandu. A witness, Haribol Poudel, told Avenues Television that the plane hit the roof of a house in the village and broke into several pieces. No casualties were reported on the ground.

Poudel said it was foggy and visibility was very low in the mountainous area. Rewant Kuwar, an official at Katmandu’s international airport rescue office, said 18 bodies were pulled out of the plane’s wreckage, and another victim died after being rushed to a hospital. The two Americans were identified as Andrew Wade and Natalie Nilan, while the Japanese citizen was Toshinori Uejima. Their hometowns and other details were not immediately released. The Beechcraft 1900D plane manufactured by Raytheon Aircraft, now known as Hawker Beechcraft - had taken the passengers to view Mount Everest and other peaks on a one-hour “mountain flight’ and was returning to Katmandu.

Saarc international I Thursday 29 September 2011

WEEKLY REVIEW OF SRILANKA NEWS

VP vows to expel dissidents of party discipline was an offence that warranted expulsion from party membership, and therefore, the Central committee would meet soon to decide on these dissidents. “A handful of party members have created a political dialogue in the country in violation of the party’s constitution. At district level, some comrades of the party have teamed

The JVP today vowed to expel the dissidents from the party on the grounds that their recent actions did not condone with the party’s policies, discipline, political culture and organisational structure. The simmering crisis in the party surfaced. During the past week with a section of the membership led by Kumar Gunaratnam openly revolting

against the party leadership. The rebel group also included central committee members Chameera Koswatte, Duminda Nagamuwa, Ravindra Mudalige and MP Ajith Kumara. The situation also led to physical clashes between members of the two factions. Asked for a comment on the situation, former MP, politburo member K. D. Lal Kantha said breach

Lanka introduces online visa approval system Sri Lanka will launch an online visa approval system from next month for the convenience of tourists visiting Sri Lanka, the government has announced. The Department of Emigration and Immigration is to introduce the new system, known as ‘Electronic Travel Authorization’ from October 01 for the visitors to obtain prior approval for visas through the internet. The new system will beneﬁt the short term visitors and tourists who travel via Sri Lanka, the Department says. The visitors can obtain electronic travel

authorization at the website www.eta. gov.lk. Primary information on the procedure will be available in nine international languages, Sri Lanka’s state-run radio reported. However, applications should be forwarded only in English.

President meets Manmohan in New York

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa met Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Friday at the New York Palace Hotel in New York . Both leaders exchanged smiles and reviewed bilateral relations between their countries. During the meeting, the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations between their countries, especially focusing on

a political solution to the ethnic issue. President Rajapaksa has briefed the Indian Premier on the government’s efforts to resettle the remaining internally displaced Tamils in the Northern Province and to continue the recently resumed dialogue with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to ﬁnd a political solution to the ethnic issue.

199 suspects arrested during a major operation The Police arrested 199 suspects during a major operation carried out in the Colombo, Colombo Central and Colombo North police divisions during the last few days. The operation was carried out under the directions of the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) involving 220 policemen. The police was able to arrest four men wanted in connection with a number of robberies, 59 for possessing ganja, heroin and kasippu, 16 men who were wanted on warrants and 12 main suspects wanted for a number of criminal activities reported from many parts of the island.

President, Ban Ki-moon discuss accountability issue Sri Lanka President who is attending the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly met the UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon Saturday at the UN Headquarters in New York for discussions on Lanka’s accountability issue and reconciliation process. An official readout from the Secretary-General’s office said Mr. Ban and President Rajapaksa exchanged views on the post-conflict situation in Sri Lanka. During the meeting Secretary-General has reiterated the “need for a credible national accountability process” over the alleged violations of humanitarian law and human rights during the last stage of the war against Tamil Tiger terrorists. The UNSG has stressed the need of such a process as “envisaged in the joint statement of 23 May 2009” issued at the conclusion of Mr. Ban’s visit to Sri Lanka following the end of the three-decade long conflict between Government security forces and the terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). He also underlined the need to find a political solution to the underlying factors of the past conflict, according to the readout issued after the meeting with the President.

The Secretary-General during the 18th of the Human Rights Council earlier this month forwarded the report of the threemember Expert Panel appointed by him to probe the last stage of the conﬂict, to the UN Human Rights Council and to the Ofﬁce of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Sri Lankan government strongly criticized the UNSG’s move to transmit the panel report to the HR body without prior notice to the government.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Saarc international I Thursday 29 September 2011

ISLAMOPHOBIA IN USA Report on Islamaphobia in the U.S. raises some important questions A much heralded, arguably misleading report on Islamophobia, “Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America”, from the Center for American Progress, a liberal think-tank with close ties to the Obama administration, warrants our attention. The scapegoating of Arabs and Muslims that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the subsequent U.S.-declared war on terror, which conflated external and internal threats, helped generate what Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was the national security advisor to President Jimmy Carter, described as a “culture of fear” in America, with “Islamic terror” raised to a specter, in the service of a broad, neo-conservative agenda, assisted by a complicit corporate media. A climate of anxiety and paranoia was created, one in which Arabs and Muslims became prime targets for aggression and egregious rights violations, subject to what Rutgers criminal justice professor Michael Welch labeled “hate crimes and state crimes,” convenient scapegoats in a reeling, panic-stricken nation. Among the victims of such virulent Islamophobia, Arabs and Muslims, however, were not alone, as South Asians, Latinos and others thus profiled as Arab or Muslim soon discovered. The murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh man of Punjabi extract, at his Arizona gas station only five days after 9/11 was considered a hate crime; the shooter, a self-declared patriot, mistook Mr. Sodhi’s beard and turban as the markers of an Arab. Months prior to the 10-year anniversary

of Mr. Sodhi’s murder, an Arizona Republican congressman, John Kavanaugh proposed legislation that would remove Mr. Sodhi’s name from

the state’s 9/11 memorial, on the grounds that he was not a victim of the attacks, as if the erasure of Mr. Sodhi’s name could mute critical reﬂection on why he was

killed. While the events of 9/11 and its aftermath signaled a rise in Islamophobia, it might be misleading to believe that America’s Islamophobia began on Sept. 11. Edward Said’s 1981 book, “Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World,” validates that, although a changed media landscape provided new avenues for arousing anti-Muslim, anti-Arab antipathy, at a juncture Condoleezza Rice, who was then the National Security Advisor, called opportune. Ten years removed from September 2001, perceptions of Islam and Muslims in the U.S. have not improved, at least according to a recent Public Religion study. “Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America’, offers an ostensible explanation as to why. The report cites “a small, tightly networked group of misinformation experts guiding an effort that reaches millions of Americans through effective advocates, media partners, and grassroots organizing.” According to lead author Wajahat Ali, “A very small, interconnected group of individuals and organizations” are “responsible primarily for mainstreaming fear, bigotry, and hate towards Muslims and Islam,”supported by substantial funding over 10 years from a small group of foundations. The “Islamophobia network” was central to the campaign to arouse suspicion that President Barack Obama is a Muslim, was heavily involved in last year’s Park 51/”Ground Zero Mosque” controversy,

and had a hand in crafting a recent wave of anti-Sharia legislation across the U.S.. While rightly describing Islamophobia as an ideology, the report fails to draw the linkages between Islamophobia as an ideology and its centrality to the War on Terror, thereby giving undue weight to the “Islamophobia network” in perpetuating Islamophobia, thus distracting attention away from government complicity. The report cites Anti-Defamation League renunciation of leading “Islamophobia network” ﬁgures, thus conferring respectability on an organization longknown for demonizing Palestinians as terrorists, and whose national director, Abe Foxman, was a staunch opponent of the Park 51 Islamic community center. The report praises President George W. Bush for qualifying that the War on Terror was not in fact a war against Islam or Muslims, but against Islamic extremism. While the lengthy report is impressive for its mapping out of important relationships in the Islamophobia industry, it hardly offers anything fresh or substantive not already found in Deepa Kumar’s work. Moreover, its qualitative contributions are undermined by faulty premises and errors of omission. It leads one to question: is “Fear Inc. an “authoritative report” from a “progressive think tank,” as the muckraking journalist Max Blumenthal calls it, or is it liberal beltway propaganda serving to whitewash America’s Islamophobia problem?

Ground Zero “Mosque” opens with no controversy Park51 Islamic Center Opens Its Doors Near Ground Zero An Islamic community center that fueled angry demonstrations because of its proximity to the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has opened quietly in Lower Manhattan, drawing no protesters but bringing words of regret from the developer for not consulting with Sept. 11 survivors during its planning. The scene at Wednesday’s ofﬁcial opening at the building on Park Place, about 2 1/2 blocks from the former World Trade Center towers, was far different from a year ago, when the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks became a platform for groups trying to prevent the center from going forward. Previously, the towering building housed a Burlington Coat Factory, which was damaged in the 2001 attacks and subsequently closed. The new owner’s decision to use the building for an Islamic center, including a prayer space, divided politicians and survivors of Sept. 11 victims, with some saying the project was an insult because it is so close to ground zero. They labeled the center the “ground zero mosque.” Others, who were supported by Mayor

Michael R. Bloomberg, said the center was the ideal way to improve ties among New York’s diverse groups and give Muslims a place to pray, see art exhibits, watch ﬁlms and listen to lectures. But the center is open to everyone, not just Muslims, its developer and the property’s owner, Sharif El-Gamal, said Wednesday in an interview on CNN a few hours before Park51 Community Center, as the site is called, opened its doors. The ground zero mosque, has ofﬁcially opened, celebrating the day with an art ex-

hibit that features children representing 171 ethnicities. The ‘NY Children Photography Exhibition’ brought visitors instead of protesters to the opening at the controversial Park51 Community Center location. The building at 51 Park Place, two blocks from the World Trade Center site, includes a Muslim prayer space that has been open for two years. El-Gamal said the overall center is modeled after the Jewish Community Center on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where he lives.

Saarc international I Thursday 29 September 2011

SHOWBIZ

Rowan Atkinson’s Johnny English

Story: Last time he was sent to a missionary in Tibet after having embarrassed the MI7 in a mission failure. But this time he’s the only one who can perhaps divert an attempt on the Chinese Premier’s life. The question is can Johnny English really unfold a web of conspiracy running through the various secret services, especially now that he has just a week to do the job? Movie Review: So what if he does not have a suave knack for accomplishing missions successfully? So what if he acts as a nerd-cum-wannabe James Bond? And so what if he does not ﬁt into the intelligent world of gadgets... this time mystery, spies and the

missing link? There’s something about Rowan Atkinson that suspense becomes the surprise element even if that means moving from Mr Beans to

a sequel of Johnny English (the earlier version was released in 2003). Enter the scene of crime -- MI7 learns there is a plot to assassinate the Chinese premier the day world delegates are to meet. The suspense grows further when Johnny English realises there’s a loophole at the MI7 end itself. But then the real suspense is watching Johnny put the next (and wrong) foot forward. Imagine Atkinson trying to get logic into his acts, minding his own business and putting a straight, serious face at most times. But then it would be wrong to say Johnny is the only one tickling the funny bone out there. What would all that hopelessness be without his boss Pamela (Gillian Anderson) providing him with sidekick Agent Tucker (Daniel Kaluuya) and ultimately the spoof on Bond -- Johnny’s very first mission at Casino Lisboa in Macau (remember Casino Royale?), his stint with Bond girl Rosamund Pike (Die Another Day) as the confused psycho-analyst, and his flair for gadgets gone wrong. Just one problem. How much can you laugh at people walking into stuff, falling off nowhere, and having their private parts bang here and there? Actually lots. All in all, Johnny English is a fun film to watch at the weekend with Rowan Atkinson showing off his characteristic flair for comedy once again.

It’s hard enough growing up in London but for a young Asian DJ trying to make his way in the country of his birth while embracing his parents’ culture it’s even tougher. From Menhaj Huda the director of Kidulthood comes the sharp as a needle coming of age drama Everywhere and Nowhere. Ash (James Floyd – The Inﬁdel) is a young Asian guy growing up in London who’s torn between fulﬁlling his traditional family duties and following his dreams of becoming a DJ. Everywhere and Nowhere features an outstanding cast of raw young Brit talent including Anuvahood’s Adam Deacon, The Inbetweeners’ James Buckley and Blue’s Simon Webbe alongside veteran actor Art Malik. With an original bad boy soundtrack including traditional

Bollywood hits remixed by the likes of EngineEarZ, Sukh Knight and Nerm & D-Code and some hot club bangers, it comes to DVD on 3 October 2011. Ash lives at home with his family, he loves music and spends his spare time spinning in his bedroom and making his own tunes. By day he works in the family shop to keep his father sweet and by night he hangs with his boys having fun, getting in to trouble and partying. They go to the clubs where Ash hopes one day he’ll be spinning the tunes in front of the masses. Ash is living a double life and soon his two worlds will collide, but which path will he choose? With its strong drama and fresh humour, Everywhere and Nowhere depicts the trials and tribulations of urban life. Follow us on: Hhttp://www.facebook.com/ EverywherexNowhere Hhttp://www.twitter.com/ eandnthemovie The DVD contains Special features: My Generation (cast talk about their personal experiences relating to the concept of the ﬁlm), music feature, interviews with Menhaj Huda, James Floyd & Adam Deacon & a competition winners music video.

Mick Jagger - Dave Stewart – Joss Stone - Damian Marley - A.R. Rahman

ROCK LEGEND MICK JAGGER SINGS IN URDU WITH AR RAHMAN ‘Satyameva Jayathe’ available on ‘SuperHeavy’ the album Musical maestro AR Rahman has achieved another first in his amazing career! First Indian to win an Oscar for his music, first to be part of a ‘Superband’ and now the first person to get rock legend Mick Jagger to sing in Urdu! Jagger sings the words, ‘Satyameva Jayathe’, meaning ‘the truth alone triumphs’ on the single of the same name. Composed by Academy award winning A.R. Rahman, ‘Satyameva Jayathe’ is an instantly infectious tune that feels like a new

anthem in the making. Fans of Rahman will undoubtedly feel the same vibe they did when they ﬁrst

heard the now immortal ‘Vande Mataram’. ‘Satyameva Jayathe’ is featured

on the debut album, SuperHeavy, which was released on Monday and follows debut single ‘Miracle Worker’ that received rave reviews upon release last month. SuperHeavy the band comprises Mick Jagger, AR Rahman, Damian Marley, Dave Stewart and Joss Stone. The concept came together after Jagger and Stewart considered what a band comprising of musicians from different genres would sound like. Despite their disparate backgrounds the members of SuperHeavy instantly connected and hit the ground running; “as soon as we started

playing together in the studio it gelled, all these different styles, it didn’t seem to be a problem to make them ﬁt together” says Jagger. This new and spontaneous way of working for all the collaborators has resulted in an explosive album that deﬁes categorisation. Dave Stewart describes SuperHeavy as a ‘mad alchemist type experiment’, with Mick Jagger adding, “We didn’t know what kind of music we’d make, we didn’t know if it would be any good, but we hoped we’d have fun”.

NEWS

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 29 September 2011

US Walkout During Ahmadinejad UN Speech Fury as Iranian president refers to ‘mysterious September 11 incident’ and accuses Nato of sanctioning drug trafﬁcking

ranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said he believes - as an engineer - the World Trade Center towers could not have been brought down by aircraft. Interviewed after his address to the UN General Assembly sparked a walkout, he told the AP news agency some kind of planned explosion must have occurred. But he stopped short of saying the US staged the disaster 10 years ago. He had been widely condemned for using his UN address to brand the US killing of Osama Bin Laden a 9/11 cover-up. ‘Repair US relationship’ Diplomats from more than 30 countries, including the US and EU nations, left the hall as he attacked the West, denounced Israel and questioned the Holocaust.The mass walkout has become almost a staple of the General Assembly’s meetings.

It came a day ahead of a Palestinian bid for UN membership. Mr Ahmadinejad told AP it was not too late for Iran and the US to repair their relationship. But he was ﬁercely critical of the operation against Osama Bin Laden,

when, he said, the US “killed the main perpetrator [of 9/11] and threw his body into the sea”.” Would it not have been reasonable to bring to justice and openly bring to trial the main perpetrator of the incident in order to identify the

Faster than light

Albert Einstein, who came up with the Special Theory of Relativity in 1905, is credited with saying that ‘a person who never made a mistake, never tried anything new’. It is, therefore, safe to presume that

has it been disproved. That explains the shock and disbelief in the scientiﬁc community over the claim of European scientists that subatomic particles called neutrinos, ﬁred near Geneva, travelled through 730 kilometres at 60 billionth

await even more conclusive tests before daring to prove Einstein wrong. Two possible explanations have already been offered by a sceptical scientiﬁc community. A large number of scientists have expressed their doubts over the accuracy with which the distance and speed may have been measured between the CERN laboratory near Geneva and the facility at OPERA in Italy. Others have speculated about the possibility of an unseen energy ﬁeld, which could have speeded up the journey for the neutrinos. While pointing out other potential sources of error, some scientists have also wondered aloud if the particles could have taken a ‘shortcut’ through an ‘extra dimension’, making it appear as if they were travelling faster. Arguably the most profound discovery, if proved, in the last 100 years in physics, it would not only turn the science upside down but will also open up, we are told, the theoretical possibility of

the great physicist would have been delighted at scientists claiming to have discovered particles which can travel faster than light. It would disprove Einstein’s theory based on the axiom that nothing travels faster than light. For over a century, however, the theory has repeatedly been tested but not once

of a second faster than light before crashing into a brick wall at Gran Sasso in Italy. The experiment apparently has been conducted over the past several years and as many as 15,000 neutrinos ﬁred before the ﬁnding was made public. Still, conscious of the revolutionary potential of the discovery, scientists

travelling back in time. But then false alarms are not all that rare in science. Meanwhile, as physicists grapple with the imponderable, people must be thankful to the scientiﬁc community for continuing to question even those theories, which appear to be cast in stone.

elements behind the safe space provided for the invading aircraft to attack the twin World Trade Center towers?” he had told the assembly. The Iranian president has previously called the 9/11 attack a “suspect event” and a “big fabrication” used to justify the US war on terrorism. White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One that he “found it rich” that Mr Ahmadinejad would criticise US policy, and accused Tehran of “vile mistreatment” of its own citizens. Later, he accused the US and its allies of targeting Iran, which is under sanction over its nuclear programme, because it has challenged orthodoxy. “By using their imperialistic media network which is under the inﬂuence of colonialism, they threaten anyone who questions the Holocaust and the

September 11 event with sanctions and military actions,” he said. The Iranian leader said this made the US and its allies unﬁt to dominate the international system, and called for change to the structure of the UN security council. But he made no direct reference to the issue that has dominated diplomatic wrangling in New York this week – the Palestinian request for statehood to the security council. Mr Ahmadinejad had also used Thursday’s address to accuse Western nations of “weakening countries through military intervention and destroying their infrastructures, in order to plunder their resources by making them all the more dependent”. UK Prime Minister David Cameron hit back at Iran during his speech to the UN. “They do everything they can to avoid the accountability of a free media,” he said.

Tony Blair romantically linked to Ofra Strauss

Britain’s Daily Mail reports former British prime minister closely associated with one of Israel’s richest women. Ofra Strauss’s spokesman denies affair rumors. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has developed a close friendship with Chairwoman of the Strauss Group, Ofra Strauss, prompting speculations the two are having an affair, Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper reported Sunday. According to the report, Strauss, 51, one of Israel’s richest women, was often seen in the company of Blair. It was also reported that Blair’s wife, Cherie was warned about the “sexy affair” between her husband and the Israeli businesswoman, who divorced her second husband last year. The Daily Mail added that even the Israeli press had speculated about an affair between the two. It presented as evidence the fact the Blair’s car was seen parked near Strauss’s house recently. Ofra Strauss and Cherie Blair The former British premier visits Israel frequently as part of his role

as the Quartet’s envoy to Israel. The Mail on Sunday also reported that Blair and Strauss had dined together for more than two hours with friends at one of Tel Aviv’s ﬁnest restaurants. Blair’s security guards remained outside the balcony where the group dined, the Daily Mail noted. The paper quoted Staruss’s spokesman, Rani Rahav, as saying it was “ridiculous” for anyone to suggest there was any romantic element to her dealings with Blair. “There was never any skin between them, never. I have never been asked such an ugly question before,” he said. “Ofra Strauss has contacts with Mrs. and Mr. Tony Blair on philanthropic issues,” Rahav told Ynet. “Over the years a bond of friendship has been forged between the two families. Anything beyond this is untrue.”

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 29 September 2011

BUSINESS

India wants UK to ease visa norms for professionals The UK and India are also expected talk on measures that will boost the trade between the two countries After USA and Canada, now India is all set to press for a relaxation in visa rules and easing the movement of professionals from India to the UK. The matter is expected to come up for discussion on Tuesday when UK’s secretary of state for justice Kenneth Clarke meets commerce and insustry minister Anand Sharma. The UK and India are also expected talk on measures that will boost the trade between the two countries. According to sources, India will press on the migration issues, highlighting that UK immigration measures proposed will result in a numerical capping of non-EU migrants to the UK. “These measures are likely to reduce access of skilled Indians to the UK and further restrict the ﬂow of human capital there. Such a move will further impact the proﬁt margins, competitiveness and also the viability of Indian companies

and Indian skilled workers,” said a government ofﬁcial. Sharma had met British Prime Minister David Cameron and discussed the issue in June. Back then, Sharma raised concerns of the

Indian industry over the proposed cap on non-EU immigration in UK. India has urged for enhancing greater people-to-people contact, which is crucial for the service industry, especially the IT sector. In the proposed meeting with Clarke on Tuesday, Sharma may seek clariﬁcations from UK on whether the category of Youth mobility Visa and temporary workers in Visa regimes of UK takes account of all international trade commitments

including general agreement on trade in services (GATS) and any other bilateral agreement which India has inked or will be concluding. The UK had also put in a clause not clarifying the coverage of categories like commitments under ICT, BV, CSS and IP (these

IMF says Afghanistan making progress toward new loan

The International Monetary Fund will consider a new loan package for Afghanistan once the country completes a number of steps over the coming month, a fund ofﬁcial said in a statement on Monday.”Afghanistan has made substantial progress on a number of actions intended to safeguard ﬁnancial and economic stability, which, when completed, would serve as the basis for a new program. We welcome the progress achieved,” said Axel Schimmelpfennig, IMF mission chief for Afghanistan. An IMF mission will visit Kabul “shortly” so it can update its macroeconomic projections, he said.

The IMF suspended its Afghan program last year after reports emerged of corruption, bad loans and mismanagement at a major Afghan bank, which forced the central bank to take over the politically connected Kabulbank a year ago. Former Central Bank Governor Abdul Qadir Fitrat ﬂed to the United States in June and resigned from his post, saying he feared for his life following his role in investigating the Kabulbank scandal. The IMF and Afghan government have been at loggerheads over the recovery of lost assets from Kabulbank and how to strengthen the ﬁnancial sector to prevent such

a scandal from happening again. IMF support for Afghanistan is a critical seal of approval that is closely watched by donor countries. “Over the last few days, the Afghan authorities and an IMF team reached an understanding on the structural reform agenda of the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies that could be supported by a Fund program,” Schimmelpfennig said. “The Afghan authorities have committed to complete a number of remaining actions over the coming month, and once these are done, the IMF’s Executive Board is expected to consider the request for a new Fund supported program,” he added.

categories are used usually for temporary movement of managers, executives and other professionals on Business Visa). This is also expected to come up during the meeting between the two ministers, sources said. The UK being third largest trading partner of India hold immense

importance as the trade between the two countries has already clocked a growth of 15.45% to $12.33 billion in 2010-11. Since the trade balance is in favour of India with an exports of $7.2 billion and imports of $5.15 billion for the said period, India expects to not just increase trade but also attract foreign direct investment. UK is also the fourth largest destinantion of FDI inﬂow into India. Currently, India has recieved $9.12-billion woth FDI since April 2000- June 2011. Companies like, Cairn UK, Abbott Asia Holdings, HSBC bank, Castrol and Standard Chartered Bank are some important collaborators already working with Indian companies. Sources also added that the talks between the two ministers will also help in convey the ongoing India-EU broad based trade and investement agreement (BTIA) negotiationswith EU which is expected to close by the end of 2011.

Investor confidence on Lanka improving Sri Lanka continues to reap peace dividends after ending the three decade long war against terrorism showing strong growth in economy. Speaking at the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, Sri Lanka’s Minister for International Monetary Co-operation Sarath Amunugama said the international investor confidence on Sri Lanka has been improving steadily due to Sri Lanka’s improved macroeconomic management that has helped stabilize both the interest rate and exchange rate which are conducive for higher investments. “Prudent monetary and credible fiscal policies that were implemented by my government have helped bring down inflation to a manageable level and maintain single digit inflation since 2009,” Amunugama said. The Minister pointed out that the economy grew by 8 percent in 2010

which is the first full financial year after conclusion of the war and there is strong evidence of continuation of the growth momentum in 2011 and beyond as the first half of 2011 also grew by 8 per cent. International rating agencies upgraded Sri Lanka’s sovereign ratings and revised outlook in a positive direction in the second consecutive year, he noted. The fiscal consolidation process has steadily brought down fiscal deficits from 10 per cent of GDP in 2010 to below 7 per cent in 2011.

Pakistan determined to eliminate terrorism: Khar << Continued from page 9 and the leadership of Afghanistan on the tragic assassination of Prof Burhanuddin Rabbani, former president and chairman of the Afghan High Peace Council. Such cowardly attacks will never succeed in deterring our proud Afghan brothers and sisters from realizing the noble goal of reconciliation and peace.” The foreign minister said Pakistan wanted an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned “inclusive process of reconciliation and peace” in Afghanistan. “We want to see Afghanistan as a united, independent and sovereign

state. We urge all concerned to join the reconciliation process. We also call for a de-escalation and cessation of violence.” Ms Khar warned that Afghanistan still had a long way to go before normality was restored. “The road ahead for peace in Afghanistan and our region as a whole is full of challenges. The complexity of the situation and the ground dynamics need to be analysed objectively and carefully. “Clarity and strategic coherence, especially among Afghanistan, United States and Pakistan, is of utmost importance. It is for this reason that we attach importance to the work of the Trilateral Core Group. We also attach considerable importance to the

Afghanistan-Pakistan joint commission for peace and reconciliation.” It is only by charting a clear roadmap that we would be able to bring about necessary operational policy coordination to achieve shared goals and objectives. The foreign minister said although the situation in Afghanistan was uncertain, the world must not leave the country in the lurch. “We must not lose sight of the goals. We must work closely and as responsible partners together in a cooperative manner and not rush to judgment or question each other’s intentions. “A cooperative endeavour, in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, is the only sure way of ensuring peace,

stability and prosperity in the region.” Ms Khar said Islamabad was ready to work with Washington and Kabul for the betterment of the Afghan people. “Pakistan is willing to do its best with the international partners and, most notably, the governments of Afghanistan and the United States, to acquit itself of this high responsibility, at this deﬁning moment in one of the most important struggles of our times.” Earlier, Khar hosted a reception for her counterparts from across the world, also attended by Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna along with his country’s UN ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri. Last year, Pakistan voted for India when it won a non-permanent seat.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 29 September 2011

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

DEFINITELYDUBAI.COM

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 22 September 2011

NEWS

Ten Major Signs of the Last Day - Has One Just Occurred LAST DAY MEANS LAST AGE The term ‘Last Day’ in reality stands for the ‘Last Age’, or the age which would culminate in the end of history—when the true Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary (not son of God), would return to rule the world from Jerusalem with justice and ‘eternal’ rule. It would be ‘eternal’ in the sense that history would end with that event. Life on earth beyond that event, and after Jesus dies a human death and is buried next to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah Most High be upon them both) in Madinah, would not qualify as history. This would be so since the modern secular rope would have reached its predictable end in total godlessness, and with such a consequent collapse of morals, and of moral consciousness, that people would forget their human status and “would engage in sexual intercourse in public like donkeys”. Already it is quite clear (particularly at the time of Trinidad’s Carnival) that we are quite close to the fulﬁllment of that ominous prophecy made by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). So much so then, for the spurious claims of the one-eyed Judeo-Christian western civilization and its ‘colored house slaves’ around the world. They claim that mankind is witnessing unprecedented progress, that the present is the best of all ages, that the world keeps on growing better and better, and that modern western civilization has rendered all previous civilizations, including Islam, moribund and obsolete! So much so, then, for the local one-eyed ‘house slave’ here in my native island of Trinidad who insists that Muslims must remain a part of ‘mainstream society’ -even when that mainstream is heading for the hell-ﬁre. When a ship is sinking and you cannot prevent it from sinking, you have to get off that ship, and urge others as well to do so. The ship of the world is now sinking! The evidence is all around us as plainly visible as daylight! But those who are blind cannot see that the ship is sinking. They use their checkbooks, or the barrels of their guns, to impose

themselves around the world as leaders. The blind then lead the blind until all are lost and will be drowned like the people of Noah (peace be upon him). Prophet Muhammad prophesied many

Shiekh Imran Hossein

Tribune Comment more signs of the Last Day other than public ‘donkey sex’. Most of these are known as the ‘minor’ signs. Let us describe some of them (randomly selected) before we turn to the ten ‘major’ signs in which we venture to include the major underwater earthquake and resultant Tsunami in South East Asia that occurred in late December 2004. Continue Next week. MINOR SIGNS Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah Most High be upon him) prophesied of the Last Age that: • “People would follow a way of life other than mine, and give guidance other than mine”…“I fear for my people only the leaders who lead men astray”…“Before the Last Hour there will be great liars, so beware of them”…“When the most wicked member of a tribe becomes its ruler, and the most worthless member of a community becomes its leader, and a man is respected through fear of the evil he may do, and leadership is given to people who are unworthy of it, expect the Last Hour”. All of these warnings have already been dramatically and ominously fulﬁlled. Around the world today, with but few exceptions, and even here in my native Caribbean island of Trinidad, people, including Muslims, now have the worst leaders. This ominous sign of the Last Day has come to pass, yet there are so many who do not, or cannot see, and they blindly rush

as dumb cattle to endorse or to follow such leaders for personal gain, or fear, or due to sheer ignorance; • “Women would arrange their hair to look like the hump of a camel”, and this sign has already occurred, we see it everyday; • “Women would dress like men”, and we already see them today with trousers, jacket and, perhaps, a tie; and “women would be dressed and yet be naked”, and this prophecy, also, is now fulfilled. When women parade in public “dressed, yet naked”, as they do today, and when Muslims cannot prevent such, they should then seek to flee from such mainstream society rather than to remain a part of it until the women are fully naked and “donkey-like” sexual intercourse is on public display. If they foolishly choose to remain a part of such corrupt and decadent society then they or their children would eventually be ruined by such a society. • “Men would dress like women”, and already this sign also has come to pass. Almost no one can tell that ‘she’, the socalled ‘crossdresser’, is really a man; • Homosexuality (and lesbianism) would become commonplace, and that is now happening before our very eyes. Social acceptance and legal protection for this abominable sexual perversion is gaining ground. Indeed those who hold fast to the divine prohibition of such sexual perversion are now demonized as a people who suffer from a disease called ‘homophobia’; • Children born outside of marriage would become commonplace, in fact marriage itself now seems destined to become obsolete; • Fornication and adultery would become commonplace, that, also, appears to have already been fulfilled in a modern world in which virginity and marital fidelity are becoming oldfashioned; • Disproportion in balance of men and women to such an extent that “one man would have to maintain (not marry) fifty women”, that is yet to occur but could be linked to the impact on male sperm production of such things as environmental pollution and genetically modified food;

Mecca is “turning into Vegas” >> Continued from page 17 But critics fear that the desire to expand the pilgrimage sites has allowed the authorities to ride roughshod over the area’s cultural heritage. The Washingtonbased Gulf Institute estimates that 95 per cent of Mecca’s millennium-old buildings have been demolished in the past two decades alone. The destruction has been aided by Wahabism, the austere interpretation of Islam that has served as the kingdom’s ofﬁcial religion ever since the al-Sauds rose to power across the Arabian Peninsula in the 19th century. In the eyes of Wahabis, historical sites

and shrines encourage “shirq” – the sin of idolatry or polytheism – and should be destroyed. When the al-Saud tribes swept through Mecca in the 1920s, the first thing they did was lay waste to cemeteries holding many of Islam’s important figures. They have been destroying the country’s heritage ever since. Of the three sites the Saudis have allowed the UN to designate World Heritage Sites, none are related to Islam. To build the skyscraper city, the authorities dynamited an entire mountain and the Ottoman era Ajyad Fortress that lay on top of it. At the other end of the Grand Mosque complex, the house of the Prophet’s first wife Khadijah has been

turned into a toilet block. The fate of the house he was born in is uncertain. Also planned for demolition are the Grand Mosque’s Ottoman columns which dare to contain the names of the Prophet’s companions, something hardline Wahabis detest. Under Threat Bayt al-Mawlid When the Wahabis took Mecca in the 1920s they destroyed the dome on top of the house where the Prophet Mohammed was born. It was thenused as a cattle market before being turned into a library after a campaign by Meccans. There are concerns that the expansion of the Grand Mosque will destroy it once more.

• Universal consumption of alcoholic beverages, this “mother of all evils” has already become a horrendous plague in which no one is safe from the drunk driver; the unborn baby drinks when his mother drinks and suffers unimaginably for such; people, including Prime Ministers, drink and become drunk, and then behave in public like asses; • “Religious knowledge would disappear”, since the rightly-guided scholars of Islam are demonized, marginalized, “banned”, or declared to be “great security risks”. Only those scholars who can skillfully skip and dance to the tunes of those who control power are allowed the unfettered freedom to preach a sanitized cosmetic version of Islam acceptable to the godless rulers of the world. Institutions of Islamic learning are forced to submit to the control of those waging war on Islam. If they do not submit, they are shut down. Foreign students are prohibited from studying Islam in certain so-called Islamic Republics; • “Time would move swiftly—a year passing like a month—a month like a week—a week like a day” etc., and already the perception of swiftly moving time is a universal experience; • Such prevalence of random killing, murder and violence that “a killer would not know why he is killing and the one who is killed would not know why he is being killed”, and “every age is followed by one which would be worse”—already around the world senseless random killing has arrived and is constantly escalating; • “Nothing would remain of Islam but the name, and nothing would remain of the Qur’an but the traces (of its writing) (i.e., the Qur’an would not be studied, no one would follow its guidance, it would be recited mechanically etc.); the Masajid (mosques) would be grand structures but would be devoid of guidance; and the Ulama (religious scholars of Islam who represent such people) would be the worst people beneath the sky. From them would emerge Fitnah (trials) and they would be the centers of Fitnah (since they betray Islam)” — there are many distinguished scholars of Islam The site has never been excavated by archaeologists. Ottoman and Abasi columns of the Grand Mosque Slated for demolition as part of the Grand Mosque expansion, these intricately carved columns date back to the 17th century and are the oldest surviving sections of Islam’s holiest site. Much to the chagrin of Wahabis, they are inscribed with the names of the Prophet’s companions. Ottomon Mecca is now rapidly disappearing Al-Masjid al-Nawabi For many years, hardline Wahabi clerics have had their sites set on the 15th century green dome that rests above the tomb holding the Prophet, Abu Bakr and Umar in Medina. The mosque is regarded as the second holiest site in Islam. Wahabis,

who declare that this prophesy, also, has today found fulfillment. The evidence of such is overwhelming. The Islamic Khilafah (Caliphate) has been long destroyed, Zakat is no longer collected and distributed by the state, money itself is now corrupted, the universal Shirk of the modern state has corrupted all of mankind, Riba is universally prevalent, the Hajj would probably soon be abandoned; • Universal consumption of Riba (i.e, money lent on interest, and transactions which ‘rip off’ people through deception in business, etc.) Around the world today Riba in modern banking and insurance, as well as in the monetary system, has already taken total control over the market and over economic life. There are some minor signs which have been couched inenigmatic language such as, • “A slave woman would give birth to her mistress”, made possible through a combination of Riba and the modern feminist revolution, and; • “Naked barefooted shepherds would vie with one another in the construction of high-rise buildings”. This is already being fulfilled when wealth is wasted in grandiose and expensive public relations construction projects commissioned by people who hanker for visible symbols of status in a modern world which recognizes the rich as a ‘somebody’ and the poor as a ‘nobody’ (see story of the rich man and the poor man in Surah al-Kahf of the Qur’an). And then there are minor signs which have not as yet occurred such as: • “The Last Hour would not come until there issues from the land of the Hejaz (which is in Saudi Arabia) a fire which will illuminate the backs of the camels in Busra”. But for the exchange of Basra for Hejaz, this prophecy perhaps, anticipates a nuclear attack in or around Iran which would formally launch Israel into the club of nuclear powers. So many of these minor Signs of the Last Day, and so many more not here mentioned, have already occurred, that we can now turn to the major Signs with a clear recognition that we are already living in that Last Age. To be continued however, believe marked graves are idolatrous. A pamphlet published in 2007 by the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, endorsed by Abdulaziz Al Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, stated that “the green dome shall be demolished and the three graves flattened in the Prophet’s Masjid”. Jabal al-Nour A mountain outside Mecca where Mohammed received his first Koranic revelations. The Prophet used to spend long spells in a cave called Hira. The cave is particularly popular among South Asian pilgrims who have carved steps up to its entrance and adorned the walls with graffiti. Religious hardliners are keen to dissuade pilgrims from congregating there and have mooted the idea of removing the steps and even destroying the mountain altogether.

FASHION

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 29 September 2011

The actor sported Anjalee and Arjun Kapoor’s creation at the India Bridal Week. The theme was inspired by the Victorian and Mughal era

Mallika was seen wearing a gorgeous Orange coloured lehenga teamed with pretty emerald earrings. Adding a royal touch to their designs, Anjalee and Arjun made sure they

stick to the theme throughout. Rhea Pillai, Shama Sikander and Seema Khan were some of the celebs spotted at the show. The Aamby Valley India Bridal Week 2011 is once again setting new trends this year. The grand event, which was started on September 23 and will continue up to September 27 is providing a platform to leading Indian designers to showcase their talent in a unique venue, which will redeﬁne grandeur and opulence. The second day showcased jewellery and bridal couture by jewellery designer Queenie Singh, and designers Bhairavi Jaikishan and Adarsh Gill. Adarsh inaugurated the show with Western wear while Bhairavi’s bridal collection represented a fusion of tradition and revolution. Queenie displayed ultimate pieces of bridal jewellery. Actress Mallika Sherawat was the showstopper for Bhairavi. She looked elegant in a multi-

coloured lehenga choli. Queenie’s show was ended with three winners of the 2011 Femina Pantaloon Miss India—Ankita Shorey, Hasleen Kaur and Kanishka Dhankhar. It’s only in it’s second year yet ‘Aamby Valley India Bridal Week 2011’ is already one of the most anticipated fashion weeks to be hosted in Mumbai.’Aamby Valley India Bridal Week’ will be showcasing beautiful bridalwear made by India’s leading fashion designers.Bollywood beauty Kangana Ranaut was announced as the brand ambassador for the fashion event. Chairman of ‘India Bridal Week’ Vijay Singh told Calcutta Tube: “We are proud to have Kangana associated with Aamby Valley Indian Bridal Week 2011 since she personiﬁes style and her stunning presence will lend an aura of stylish mystique to the event.”The 24-year-old actress said: “I am happy to be a part

of the Aamby Valley India Bridal Week 2011 this year, since this event is centred around one of the most fashiobnable and celebrated occasions in India.”She went on to say: “We have some of India’s best talents presenting their collections here and I hope my association helps in taking Aamby Valley India Bridal Week 2011 to greater heights, on a national as well as an international level. I wish the organisers every success. I hope a lot of brides and their families ﬁnd what they are looking for at the India Bridal Week” she said.Of course no fashion event is complete

without Bollywood stars dazzling on the catwalk and this event is no different. Apart from Kangana, actress Mallika Sherawat will also be strutting her stuff in a Anjalee and Arjun Kapoor gemstone gown. The star studded fashion event will

kick off

tomorrow the 23rd of September till the 27th September 2011.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 29 September 2011

COMMENT

India’s ‘Look East’ policy India’s relations with China have entered a new phase as New Delhi asserts its rights in the international waters of the South China Sea and deepens its engagement with Hanoi. The Indian External Affairs Minister was in Vietnam last week when India snubbed China and made it clear that ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) will continue to pursue oil and natural gas exploration in two Vietnamese blocks in the South China Sea. Asking countries “outside the region” to stay away from the South China Sea, China had issued a demarche to India underlining that Beijing’s permission should be sought for exploration in Blocks 127 and 128 and that without it, OVL’s activities would be considered illegal. Vietnam, meanwhile, had underlined the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to claim its sovereign rights over the two blocks being explored. India decided to go by the Vietnam’s claims and ignore China’s objections. The official Chinese reaction to the Indian decision was an assertion that China had undisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea and its islands and that Beijing remained opposed to any country involving itself in oil and gas exploration there. But the official media has come out all guns blazing. The Global Times, an influential Communist Party-run newspaper, called India’s dealings with Vietnam

a “serious political provocation” that would “push China to the limit.” It went on to argue that “China should try every means possible to stop this cooperation from happening.” Expressing its concern over the involvement of extraregional powers in the South China Sea,

Harsh V. Pant

Tribune Comment the paper claimed, “China and relevant countries should digest the conﬂicts within the South China Sea, but when other countries step in, China should oppose them with all involved having to share the blame and resulting losses.” Though the paper often expresses the more hard-line nationalist sentiment in the party, main editorials are published with the approval of the Communist Party. India’s bold move is aimed at asserting India’s legal claims in the international waters of the South China Sea as well as strengthening its relationship with Vietnam. Both moves unsettle China which views India’s growing engagement

in East Asia with suspicion. With China expanding its presence in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region, India is staking its own claims in East Asia. Most significant in this regard is India’s growing engagement with Vietnam. Bilateral ties between India and Vietnam have got strengthened in recent years with the focus on regional security issues and trade. Traditionally, India has had a favourable presence in Vietnam with its support for Vietnamese independence from France and eventual unification of the country as well as its opposition to the US involvement in the Vietnam War. With the rise of China in recent years, their ties have become strategic in orientation. The two states promulgated a Joint Declaration on Comprehensive Cooperation in 2003 in which they envisaged creating an “Arc of Advantage and Prosperity” in Southeast Asia and have initiated a strategic dialogue since 2009. During his visit to Hanoi last week, the Indian External Affairs Minister, along with his Vietnamese counterpart, co-chaired the 14th India-Vietnam Joint Commission Meeting on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation and agreed to add greater content to bilateral relations in the fields of defence and security, trade and investment, education and culture.” Bilateral trade has grown since the liberalisation of Indian and Vietnamese economies with the trade volume now exceeding $2 billion. The signing of the

India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and India’s recognition of Vietnam’s market economy status will further boost economic ties. Vietnam has backed a more prominent role for India in ASEAN as well as India’s bid for the permanent membership in the UN Security Council. Given that Vietnam and India use the same Russian and erstwhile Soviet platforms, there is a signiﬁcant convergence between the two in the defence sector. Vietnam has sought Indian help in the modernisation of its military hardware. India’s exploration interests near the Vietnamese coasts have been threatened by China’s diplomatic offensive. Delhi and Hanoi have signiﬁcant stakes in ensuring sealanes security and preventing sea piracy while they also share concerns about Chinese access to the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Indian strategic interests demand that Vietnam emerge as a major regional player and India is well placed to help Hanoi achieve that objective. It has been argued in Indian strategic circles that just as China has used states in India’s periphery to contain India, Delhi should build states like Vietnam as strategic pressure points against China to counter it. India has decided to work with Vietnam to establish a regular Indian presence in the region as part of a larger Delhi-Hanoi security partnership with Vietnam giving India the right to use its port of Nha

Trang. Delhi and Hanoi have signiﬁcant stakes in ensuring sealanes security and preventing sea piracy while they also share concerns about Chinese access to the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Indian strategic interests demand that Vietnam emerge as a major regional player and India is well placed to help Hanoi achieve that objective. India has been helping Vietnam for beeﬁng up its naval and air capabilities. If the South China Sea is a disputed area for China and India should refrain from entering the fray so as to respect Chinese sensitivities, then India can rightfully ask China to do the same in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, an area recognised by all major powers as a disputed territory. Yet China has had no compunction in enlarging its military and economic presence in the region. A common approach on the emerging balance of power is evolving with India and Vietnam both keen on reorienting their ties with the US as their concerns about China rise. And a similar commonality of views is emerging among major powers on the South China Sea disputes which will hopefully force China to moderate its maximalist position on this issue. India’s entry into the scene was overdue. Now it should focus on building strategic partnerships with regional powers. Vietnam is a good place to begin this process. The writer teaches at King’s College, London.

London Olympics 2012:

Will Pakistan end medal drought this time? COMMENT - Will Pakistan win back the Olympic glory or will it remain just a mediocre side? Will Pakistan watch one of the top-notchers, Australia, Germany or Holland, sneaking away with the title? Pakistan Hockey Federation officials and the fans have cherished the Olympic dream for the last two decades. The last time they won anything was a bronze at Barcelona Games in 1992. However, the PHF particularly its President Qasim Zia, believe that now is the time. Pakistan hockey is on the right course. “Well, we have a reason to believe because over the last couple of months, the team has done something that was not witnessed lately. They are the number one side in Asia now and are among the top seven teams of the world,” he said. In was in December 2010, when Pakistan won the Asian Games title in the Chinese city of Guangzhou. Earlier this year, they reached the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia before losing to reigning world champions Australia on a penalty shoot-out. And last month, a young Pakistan team without the support of some of the seasoned players reached the final of the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy in Ordos (China) before losing to old rivals India on a tiebreaker. When Qasim Zia and Secretary Asif Bajwa took over in 2008, the Pakistan

team was lingering at number six in Asia and eighth in the world. But now, they are back in reckoning even for the Champions Trophy, to be held later in December in New Zealand. Qasim, who himself was the member of the Pakistan team that won the 1984 Olympic gold in Los Angeles, is so conﬁdent that he believes the team would surely be coming with some honour this time round. “My heart tells me that we won`t come home empty-handed from the Olympics this time,” said Qasim. “The targets we set over taking the ofﬁce were achieved and some are left would surely be accomplished with the way the team is developing and showing passion and hunger for win.” “And for that I have some solid reasons for being so optimistic,”

he added. “The best thing about our team is that after a long time it is playing like a team and even without seniors the team made an impact,” said Qasim. “There is a lot of hunger, motivation and team spirit among the boys which adds to my conﬁdence ahead of the Olympics.” The three-time Olympic hockey champions have failed to win any Olympic medal and returned home empty-handed from Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000), Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008). Critics still believe that Pakistan did not have much chance of winning an Olympic medal in London either. It all depends on how good the Pakistan team performs in London. Though Pakistan have done well at the Asian level in recent times, their record against top teams like Australia,

Germany and the Netherlands isn’t that impressive. Earlier this year, they finished last in a four-nation event featuring Germany, England and the the Netherlands in Amsterdam. “Some wrong planning let the team down. But since then a lot of knowledge have been gained by the players and the recent performance in the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy is the example where even without seniors they reached the final and by the time they go to London, they will be a different team altogether.” “Although result matters in the end, but in the recent times, Pakistan has shown courage even against strong teams like Australia and Germany. “Under Dutch coach Michel van den Heuvel, the team is learning the art of defence and counter attack and the proof is that they have learnt the art of penetrating through such team’s defences and all they need is to enhance their skills and give their moves a finishing touches,” he observed. “As of the seniors, we have not dropped them. It is not like that. They have been given rest and the new lot was put to test and by the time they reach London they will be a quite a different lot altogether.” Pakistan in build up for the London Games, will be touring Australia in October, play the Champions Trophy in

December before embarking on a preOlympic tour of Europe. “After all these series of events a lot of 16 to 18 players will be ﬁnalized for the big event,” said Qasim. “Its our Rs 300 million investment in the establishment of academies that has given us now replacements for every position and whatever decision we take comes through a democratic process of proper consultation,” he added. The PHF Executive board has 13 elected members and three technocrats. Former Olympians and international players are part of the consultation bunch. “Criticism of former players is their right but they should also provide the PHF with solid input and solution to the crisis they feel the game is facing. It is not that there is no accountability. See I hold merit high and remember the entire team management was removed for poor show in the World Cup. But Asif Bajwa, though I have never played with him and he was much junior to me in the game, has proved his worth and I respect him,” he maintained and also stressed the need of the revival of the Pakistan and India series and the live telecast of hockey matches. “Until we give the youth of our country something to follow the game won’t ﬂourish and the series would add an extra impetus to our efforts.”

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 29 September 2011

SAT

SC rejects Lalit Modi’s plea against disciplinary panel

Sports

The two—day hearing of the Cricket Board’s Disciplinary Committee probing allegations of ﬁnancial irregularities against former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, which was scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in New Delhi, has been put off to next month. A bench comprising justices JM Panchal and HL

Gokhale said that the three-member committee was “validly” constituted by the BCCI and it cannot be reconstituted merely on the ground of apprehensions of biasness expressed by Modi. In a setback to former IPL Commissioner Lalit Continued on page 14 >>

England host West Indies, Australia and South Africa next year Hussey out, Warner in ODI squad for South Africa MELBOURNE: Allrounder David Hussey made way for big-hitting David Warner in the Australia limited-overs squad announced Wednesday for next month’s tour of South Africa.

Chief selector Andrew Hilditch said as the Twenty20 and ODI squads were released that Hussey did not make the most of his inclusion in the recent series in Sri Lanka. Continued on page 14 >>

England will play three-test series against West Indies and South Africa next year separated by a ﬁve-match one-day series against Australia, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Wednesday. The home side, who replaced India as the world’s top-ranked test nation this year, will play 14 oneday internationals, including a match against Scotland, and four Twenty20 games during a crowded summer.

PCB to use Akhtar’s book in court to prove him guilty The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sought permission from the Lahore High Court to present excerpts from former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar’s autobiography to question his conduct during his playing days. Akhtar, who has now retired from international cricket, had filed a writ petition two years back against the 18-month ban and seven million rupees fine imposed on him by a PCB arbitration tribunal. Akhtar was provided temporary relief by the court, which suspended the ban, allowing him to resume his international career, but didn’t give a ruling on the fine. PCB got that fine by deducting

money from Akhtar’s dues with the Board and the fast bowler now wants his money back. A recent scheduled hearing

could not held and, according to The Nation, the PCB’s legal advisor said they have ﬁled an application with the court that

“With England looking to maintain its position as the number one side in the ICC’s World Test rankings and also preparing to defend the world T20 title in Sri Lanka next autumn, interest in next summer’s international programme will be intense,” ECB chief executive David Collier said in a statement. “A record number of people attended this season’s international ﬁxtures and with an exciting summer in prospect again in 2012, we would urge spectators to buy tickets early in order to avoid disappointment.” Test match schedule: West Indies First test, Lord’s, May 17-20 Second test, Trent Bridge, May 2529 Third test, Edgbaston, June 7-11 South Africa First test, Oval, July 19-23 Second test, Headingley, Aug. 2-6 Third test, Lord’s, Aug. 16-20

when the hearing is held they want permission to submit excerpts of Akhtar’s autobiography to prove his conduct.

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