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India preparing for conflict with China

Mossad chief holds secret U.S. meetings on Iran nuclear threat, Senate panel reveals

Israel Prepares For War against Iran!

During a broadcasted meeting of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, CIA Director, panel Chairperson indicate they met Tamir Pardo in Washington this week;

Petraeus, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the Senate panel.

During the meeting, Feinstein asked

News of the Mossad chief’s reported Washington visit came as, also on Tuesday, President Shimon Peres said that Iran’s “evil” leadership mustn’t be allowed to

dealing with the Iranian danger. This is an existential threat.”

A lengthy article, “Will Israel Attack Iran,” published in this week’s New York Times

U.S. official: The clandestine Washington visit was exposed during a hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which was participated by CIA Director David

Clapper whether or not Israel intended to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, with the top U.S. intelligence official answering that he would rather discuss the issue behind closed doors.

obtain nuclear weapons capability. Hinting at the possibility of a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, the president reiterated the Israeli stance, according to which “no option should be ruled out in our

confirms that Israel has made advanced preparations for military strikes on Iran.

The author—Ronen Bergman, a wellconnected political analyst with the Israeli Continued on page 2 >>

Four men admit London bombs plot Plotted a Christmas bombing campaign targeting sites that included the London Stock Exchange and Big Ben The men, from London, Stoke and Cardiff, are reported to have been inspired by alQaeda. They had compiled a target list for attacks - found at the home of the ringleader - which included the address of London Mayor Boris Johnson, the names and addresses of two rabbis, and the American embassy.

It also included the letters ‘LXC’, which has been taken to mean the London Stock Exchange.

How the plot unfolded • The conspiracy developed over six weeks Continued on page 7 >>

Scotland’s ‘Stephen Lawrence’ case reopened Surjit Singh Chhokar prosecutors target duo in bid to put prime suspect in dock The family of an Asian waiter murdered by a white gang in Scotland 13 years ago have been given hope of getting justice as his case re-opened.

TWO of the men linked to the Surjit Singh Chhokar murder probe could be offered the chance to escape a trial – if they give evidence against the prime suspect.

Surjit’s niece Jasneet Sangha said

of the decision to reopen the case: “This is a definite move in the right direction and it is what we were hoping for.

“They will reinvestigate the case and Continued on page 6 >>

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India preparing for conflict with China Continued from page 01 >> connected political analyst with the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth—concluded: “After speaking to many senior Israeli leaders and chiefs of the military and the intelligence, I have come to believe that Israel will indeed strike Iran in 2012.”

Bergman corroborated previous articles in the Israeli press reporting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak have been pressing for the country’s security cabinet to authorise an attack on Israel. Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya’alon told Bergman last week: “It is a matter of months before the Iranians will be able to attain military nuclear capability… We are prepared to defend ourselves in any way and anywhere that we see fit.”

Noting that India is increasingly getting concerned about China’s posture on its border, a top US intelligence official today said that the Indian Army is strengthening Publisher Salah Bu Khamas (UAE) Sabha Khan (UK) UK Office 10 Courtenay Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 7ND UK Phone: +44 20 8904 0619 Fax: +44 20 8181 7575 info@satribune.co.uk India Office Satya Infomedia Pvt. Ltd. C/O Satya Group.

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

itself for a “limited conflict” with China.

“Despite public statements intended to downplay tensions between India and China, we judge that India is increasingly concerned about China’s posture along their disputed border and Beijing’s perceived aggressive posture in the Indian Ocean and Asia-Pacific region,” Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said in his prepared testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

“The Indian Army believes a major Sino-Indian conflict is not imminent, but the Indian military is strengthening its forces in preparation to fight a limited conflict along the disputed border,

NEWS and is working to balance Chinese power projection in the Indian Ocean,” he said.

India, Clapper said, has expressed support for a strong US military posture in East Asia and US engagement in Asia. He said China in 2011 appeared to temper the assertive behavior that characterised its foreign policy the year before, but the internal and external drivers of that behavior persist.

“Moreover, although Chinese leaders have affirmed their commitment to a peaceful and pragmatic foreign policy - and especially to stable relations with China’s neighbours and the rest of the world - Beijing may take actions contrary to that goal if it perceives that China’s sovereignty or national security is being seriously challenged,” he said.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 02 February 2012 Many of Beijing’s military capability goals have now been realised, resulting in impressive military might.

Other goals remain longer term, but the Chinese army is receiving the funding and political support to transform it into a fully modern force, capable of sustained operations in Asia and beyond, he said.

Mossad chief Tamir Pardo held secret talks with top U.S. officials in recent days, cursory comments made during a public Senate hearing indicated on Tuesday.

The clandestine Washington visit was exposed during a hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which was participated

by CIA Director David Petraeus, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the Senate

panel.

During the meeting, Feinstein asked Clapper whether or not Israel intended to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, with the top U.S. intelligence official answering that he would rather discuss the issue behind closed doors.

Discussing the Taliban the intelligence chief said “its losses have come mainly in areas where ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) surge forces are concentrated. It remains resilient and capable of challenging U.S. and international goals and Taliban senior leaders continue to enjoy safe haven in Pakistan, he said. “In terms of security, we judge that the Afghan police and Army will continue to depend on ISAF support.”

Clapper also notes that Afghans earned $1.8 billion from the drug trade last year.

Calls for UK inquiry into ‘anti-Muslim media bias’

A campaign is under way for a public inquiry led by a judge into the way some British media whip up Islamophobia by “distorting and even fabricating” stories about Muslims.

Politicians, academics, lawyers and Muslim community leaders were among 60 signatories of a letter to The Guardian last week demanding an inquiry similar to the one now being conducted by Lord (Brian) Leveson, a senior judge, into phone hacking and

media standards.

Supporters of the inquiry said the media, particularly the tabloid press, concentrate on stories centred on violence and crime involving Muslims, so-called honour killings and the activities of extremists, while rarely showing the community or religion in a positive light.

Although she is not backing the call for an inquiry, Baroness (Sayeeda) Warsi, Britain’s first Muslim woman cabinet minister and chairman of the Conservative Party, highlighted the problem last year when she said in a speech that prejudice against Muslims had “passed the dinner-table test” and become socially acceptable in the UK. She blamed the media for creating an atmosphere where anti-Muslim prejudice was seen as normal among so many Britons.

The letter to The Guardian points

to a survey conducted by the ComRes polling organisation last year that indicated that a third of Britons believed the media was responsible for “whipping up a climate of fear in Islam in the UK”.

Signatories include the heads of two on the country’s largest Muslim organisations - the Muslim Council of Britain and the Muslim Association of Britain civil rights activists Bianca Jagger and Jemima Khan, Lord (Navnit) Dholakia, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, two rabbis, several journalists and leaders of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

The original call for the inquiry came from the Islam Channel,

it’s natural for Muslims to be inclined towards violence or more inclined towards sexist actions”.

She added: “I think [a public inquiry] would be a really good opportunity to look at the way the media has participated in creating a campaign against Muslims in this country and, indeed, globally.”

Ahmad Thomson, a leading barrister and co-founder of the Association of Muslim lawyers, who is also supporting calls for an inquiry, said he believed that

“The Leveson inquiry has so far failed to adequately address unfair media coverage as it relates to lessprominent cases, including those relating to Muslims and Islam,

a satellite broadcaster based in London that itself has been censured by Ofcom, the UK’s broadcasting watchdog, for failing to show impartiality in its coverage

focusing as it does on the effect of phone hacking on celebrities and other high-profile individuals,” said the letter.

“An alternative inquiry is necessary to investigate what many regard as widespread and systematic discriminatory practices in reporting on Muslims and Islam in the British media.”

of Middle East affairs and for programmes that appeared to support marital rape and violence against women.

Alana Lentin, professor of sociology at the University of Sussex and one of the letter’s signatories, said that reporting of Muslims had become so slanted that most people “simply believed

most members of the public were unaware of the “depth of the vilification of Muslims” in the media.

“I think the thing is that [an inquiry] will make people think and, if it gets on to the mainstream media, people will look at it more closely,” he said.

“In the long term, the object of this exercise is to raise standards of reporting in whatever form of media, as well as heightening public awareness of this issue.

Maybe they would look at their fellow human beings in a much more favourable light if only the media would let them.”

The campaign has been launched as nine young British Muslims are due to stand trial in London on Monday over an alleged plot to blow up a number of buildings in the capital, including the US Embassy and the London Stock Exchange.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 02 February 2012

NEWS

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EU: Dutch Government Implements Ban on Face-Covering Clothing

Dutch Face Veil Ban Draws Fierce Criticism

The Netherlands government has reiterated its decision on implementing a general ban over clothing that covers the entire face from public view. This will make the Netherlands the second EU nation to ban veils, the first being France.

The Dutch government plans to ban Muslim face veil in public are drawing negative reactions and condemnations from Muslim groups and other political parties as an attack on freedom of religion.

“Women who currently only venture outside, or are allowed to go outside, wearing a burqa, will from now on stay home,” Aydin Akkaya, chair of the Consultative Council of the Turks in the Netherlands (IOT), told Radio Netherlands on Friday, January 27.

In a cabinet meeting on Friday, the Dutch minority government passed plans to ban Muslim face veils such as burqas and other forms of clothing that cover the face from next year.

“We hope that the ban on wearing facerestrictive clothing will come into force at the start of 2013,” interior ministry spokeswoman Vera Hoogendoorn told reporters.

The Dutch cabinet decision was slammed as hijacking freedom of religion for Muslim women.

“Self-determination is our top priority,” Leyla Çakir, who heads Muslim women’s group Al Nisa, told Radio Netherland adding that women should be allowed to decide for themselves.

“Some women may now well decide to wear a burqa in defiance of the ban, but a number of women are now likely not to leave their home any longer.”

Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations.

As for the face veil, the majority of Muslim scholars believe that a woman is not obliged to cover her face or hands.

Scholars, however, believe that it is up to women to decide whether to take on the face veil.

For the Netherlands, the political decision is largely symbolic – only about 300 women in the Netherlands are believed to wear burqas and they are rarely seen in public.

“This is highly symbolic, it’s part of the deal made with PVV,” Maurits Berger, professor

of Islam in the contemporary West at Leiden University, told Reuters.

“We are in the middle of a crisis. There are worse things to tackle.”

Insisting on the decision that would affect a

and the move has provoked some criticism.

Professor of Islam at the contemporary West at Leiden University, Maurits Berger, said that the move was largely a political effort. He said that there are only a few hundred women in the

returned from a visit to Abu Dhabi and Oman -- spent the day reviewing gendarmes charged with her safety at the Royal Palace in The Hague, said the website of the royal family.

It was during here recent Middle East trip that

minority of Muslims, who make one million in Netherlands 17 million people, the government angered Dutch opposition as trying to distract attention from real financial problems.

“Why track and fine a handful of people with a burqa, when people are deeply worried about their future and that of their children?” Green Left Party MP Tofik Dibi told Radio Netherlands, questioning the importance of such a ban in the midst of an economic crisis.

Arie Slob, the parliamentary leader of the small Christian Union party, also questioned the ban’s wisdom at a time of deep budget cuts.

“The way the government of Mark Rutte tackles the crisis: by banning burqas,” Slob said.

“That’s not going to do the job.”

To proscribe wearing clothing that covers the entire face is crucial in guaranteeing a free society where each participant’s voice can be heard on equal terms. It is felt that he principle of gender equality gets ignored when women are required by law to wear burkas or niqabs that cover their faces in public.

All types of face-covering clothing such as burkas and balaclavas come under the ambit of the ban. According to the bill, such clothing will be strictly disallowed in public spaces and buildings, educational and healthcare institutions as well as public transport. Those who breach the ban may end up fined up to €390.

1 in 17 people in the Netherlands are muslim,

Netherlands who wear veils. He criticized the “highly symbolic” move, saying that the country has “worse things to tackle.”

Dutch Queen Sparks Far-Right Outcry Over Headscarf Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands wear the hijab when visiting the mosque of Sheikh Zaid bin Sultan Al Nahayan in Abu Dhabi on Sunday Dutch Queen Beatrix celebrated her 74th birthday Tuesday as the country’s oldest ruling monarch, and royal-watchers said she looks unlikely to hand over the reigns anytime soon.

The energetic Beatrix -- who earlier this month

Queen “Trix”, as she is colloquially known, came under fire from the extreme right for wearing a headscarf over her traditional hat while visiting two mosques.

Pictures of the queen sporting a blue headscarf at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi prompted politician Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) to accuse her in parliament of “legitimising female oppression”.

But the queen, who wore a red headscarf at Oman’s Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, dismissed this in a rare direct comment to reporters as “nonsense”.

Death punishment for mobilephone users in North Korea!

North Korea to punish mobile phone users as ‘war criminals’

North Korea has banned its citizens from using their cellphones for 100 days set aside for mourning the death of Kim Jong-Il. Those who disobey the ban will be branded war criminals.

North Korea has a 3G wireless network which has been operational since 2009 and is currently covering 94% of its population.

Majority of its 1 million users are part of the country’s ruling elite.

The regime closely monitors each call, while surfing the Internet is out of the question. Secretive North Korea is expected to register the 1 millionth cellphone user on its new 3G network by the end of the

year, barely four years after people were thrown into prison camps, or possibly even executed, for owning one.

According to a report , country’s Workers’ Party issued the warning in an effort to deter citizens from crossing the border and settling in China and South Korea. The reports say that around 23,000 defectors have already settled in South Korea.

The country thinks these defectors might turn into a major threat to the current Kim Jong-un regime and country’s stability.

Jong-un took over from his father recently after Kim Jong-il died on December 17.

Such defectors might be punished with life sentence and the repeated offenders might get capital punishment.

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EDITORIAL So-called ‘honourbased’ violence The Metropolitan Police define this as: “a crime or incident which has or may have been committed to protect or defend the honour of the family and/ or community.” It is based on unequal gender roles, where women aren’t allowed to make their own decisions about their lives.

There is no religious basis to honour’ based violence. They are widely condemned by all religious faiths and communities. The concept of “honour” is notoriously difficult to define.

On Sunday a Canadian court found three members of an Afghan family, the father, mother and son, guilty of killing three teenage sisters and another woman. The judge described the crimes as “cold-blooded, shameful murders” resulting from a “twisted concept of honour”. The prosecution argued that for father Mohammad Shafia, honour was everything – quoting him as saying “even if they hoist me up on to the gallows … nothing is more dear to me than my honour”.

This was undoubtedly a brutal and heinous crime. Yet is there a danger in simply condemning it as an “honour killing”, as so many in the mainstream media and government have?

Then in another case here in UK Muslim teenager attacked by brother and sisters for kissing white man.

The case centred on “honour-based domestic violence”,The trial is expected to last six days. The court heard on tuesday, in which Miss Akhtar was punished for breaking her family’s rules. Miss Akhtar came from a strict Islamic family and was controlled by her siblings, but she considered herself Westernised, There is a tendency in the west to see so-called honour killings as exclusively related to specific cultural traditions.

They are often depicted as culturally specific to Muslim communities although they are not, in fact, restricted to any particular religion, culture, type of society or social stratum. In its report on harmful practices, for instance, the charity Imkaan reported a case of a Traveller woman forced to leave her community due to “honourbased violence”. In the UK data from the British Crime Survey 2009/2010 suggests that nearly a million women experience at least one incident of domestic abuse each year, while close to 10,000 women are sexually assaulted every week – how many of these cases relate to the “honour” of the perpetrators being allegedly besmirched by victims and survivors?

We need to bring robust strategies to tackle “honour”-based violence into all the services which address violence against women in Britain. Police, the courts, the health service and schools all need to put protection of women and girls at the top of their agenda.

There is a need for better working relationships between the police and specialist “violence against women” organisations in all communities.

NEWS

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 02 February 2012

Love Leicester, Hate Racism Keep the racist EDL out of Leicester

Anti-racist and anti-fascist campaigners are ready to show their opposition to the English Defence League, who are proposing to march in Leicester on Saturday.

The ‘English Defence League’ (EDL) is threatening to visit Leicester on Saturday 4 February. The last time they came, in October 2010, they attacked shoppers and smashed city centre shops. They also broke away from police control and attempted to march on Highfields, an area with a large Muslim population.

The only thing that stopped them was a mass mobilisation of local people including up to 2,000 Asian young people. Socialist Party members and

answer. However because they bring their racist thugs on these ‘protests’- the issue of physical defence is necessarily raised.

A counter demonstration has been called by trade unions and UAF, which will be well supported. However, there is concern

Racism’ t to counter the EDL. The ‘Sikhs Against the EDL’ group was formed last year in response to some misguided Sikh youth supporting the EDL. They used to carry Sikh flag on the EDL marches and use Sikh insignia and emblems in their vile propaganda.

of Leicester to stand up to these racists & fascists so that they would think twice before they decide to turn up somewhere else.”

Mean while Pubs have been asked to close when the English Defence League stages a protest on Saturday.

other anti-racists stood side by side with the local youth defending their area. At the same time anti-racist protesters who joined the Unite Against Fascism (UAF) rally against the EDL were kettled in by police.

The EDL is a racist organisation that claims to only oppose “Muslim extremism”. In reality their actions on such demonstrations as this prove otherwise. They use Muslims as a scapegoat, but try to win support among people who are looking for someone to blame for the problems they face unemployment, poor services and attacks on living standards.

They aim to divide working class people and must be opposed with a political

that people do not want a repeat of last time when the UAF was kettled but the EDL was allowed to attack people. There is also a desire in the local communities for self defence.

This is the second time the far-right group is set to step foot in Leicester, looking to stir up trouble and spouting their poisonous rhetoric. The EDL’s last visit to Leicester in October 2010 resulted in violence and disruption and the same is feared to happen again.

A number of groups, including Unite Against Fascism (UAF) and Sikhs Against the EDL have been speaking about the people of Leicester, from all communities, coming together under the banner ‘Love Leicester, Hate

However, most of those Sikh youth have now left the EDL, largely due to the campaign lead by the Sikhs Against the EDL but also after the EDL decided to make an alliance with British Freedom Party (BFP), a breakaway group from the BNP but with equally openly fascist policies.

Balwinder Singh Rana, spokesperson for the Sikhs Against the EDL said, “We had always warned that the EDL are no different from the BNP. They are targeting the Muslims today but would turn against all of us tomorrow.

I am glad that those Sikh youth who used to support them have learned the error of their ways, but our job is not done yet. We must support the people

Police have visited bars to urge them to support officers’ efforts to ensure the day passes peacefully, by cutting the sale of alcohol to EDL supporters. Sir Peter said yesterday: “We are learning from what happened last time, so we want to minimise opportunities for the people who are coming here to protest to get alcohol inside them.”

The EDL and UAF have applied for permission to march through the city and to stage rallies, although no details of routes or times have been decided.

The authorities could apply to the Home Office for permission to ban marches, but said they were keeping an open mind on whether that would be justified.

Static protests cannot be banned.

University Applications in U.K. Fall 8.7% After Increase in Fees

The number of UK students applying to start university this autumn has slumped by nearly 9 per cent, official figures show.

In total, 462,507 people have applied for courses beginning in September, compared with 506,388 at this point last year - a drop of 8.7 per cent, according to statistics published by Ucas.

Tuition fees for English universities are due to triple to a maximum of £9,000 this autumn. The figures show that overall applications from all students, both home and abroad, are down by 7.4 per cent.

All areas of the UK have seen a fall in the number of applicants, though England experienced the most striking drop with a 9.9 per cent fall.

Applicants in Northern Ireland fell by 4 per cent, in Wales by 1.9 per cent and in Scotland by 1.5 per cent. Education

experts warned that the Government’s plans to raise tuition fees could be having an impact on application figures. Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU) said the fall in applications reflected students’ concerns about the cost of taking a degree: ‘Today’s figures are very worrying and once again highlight the Government’s folly in raising tuition fees to as much as £9,000 a year.

‘Applications in England are down over 50 per cent more than in any other part

of the UK as a result of the Government making it the most expensive country in the world in which to gain a public degree. ‘We cannot afford a system that puts people off university if we are to compete in the modern world.

‘Other countries are encouraging their best and brightest to get on, not putting up punitive barriers.

‘This Government risks returning us to a time when money, not ability, mattered most for success.’

Total applications, including foreign

students, dropped 7.4 percent, with a 13.7 percent increase in the number of people from outside the European Union seeking to study in Britain.

Even so, the indications are that demand for university places will outstrip supply this year, Curnock Cook said. “Applications are already 50,000 ahead of the number of acceptances in 2011, and last year UCAS received over 100,000 further applications” between the January deadline and the start of courses in the fall, she said.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 02 February 2012

NEWS

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House prices fell 1.3% in England and Wales in 2011 House prices fail to rise for 18 months and buyers eye further falls House prices in England and Wales fell by 1.3% last year, to an average of £160,000, the Land Registry said.

The only region where prices rose was London, where the average cost of a home went up by 2.8% to £345,000.

Prices fell fastest in the North East of England where they dropped by 7.1%, bringing the regional average down to £99,000.

House prices have been depressed by a combination of rising unemployment and continued mortgage rationing.

The number of completed sales in England and Wales also fell last year, the Land Registry said.

Its figures tell a similar story to those of other house price surveys.

The Halifax, part of Lloyds banking group, also said prices across the UK fell by 1.3% in 2011.

The Nationwide said prices had risen last year, but by just 1%.

Two separate reports have revealed the tough times facing the UK property market, with average prices

failing to rise in any month for a year-and-a-half while only a quarter of people expect them to be higher in a year’s time.

A study from property analyst Hometrack reported house prices as being flat in January, following a 0.2 per cent decrease in both December and November. That makes it a yearand-a-half since national prices rose on the index on a monthly basis.

Separately, research by property website Rightmove found some 30 per cent of those surveyed across Britain believe prices will be lower in a year’s time, outstripping the 25 per cent who expect prices to be higher. The Hometrack data confirmed house prices have failed to record any monthly increase for a year-and-a-half, with the pressure on household budgets and the weak economy expected to push them down even further.

A rare bright spot came in London, which Hometrack said was the only area in the study where prices went up, recording a 0.1 per cent increase, while the North East saw the sharpest monthly fall, dropping

by 0.4 per cent.

The average London property remains on the market for just 6.5 weeks, Hometrack said, compared with around three months in the North, the Midlands and Wales.

The report said the relatively strong London market ‘looks set to continue through 2012 as the Olympics firmly focus the eyes of the world on

London, and overseas buyers, in the midst of global uncertainty, continue to consider London a safe haven’.

Across England and Wales, the

New U.N. draft resolution gives Syria 15 days to comply

UN:Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to hand over power

The Cable has obtained a copy of the draft resolution on Syria currently being discussed inside the U.N. Security Council. It calls on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to hand over power to his deputy and says additional measures would be taken if he doesn’t comply within 15 days.

U.N. Security Council diplomats are meeting behind closed doors on Friday to discuss what’s being called the Arab-European draft resolution on Syria. The Moroccan ambassador is presenting the draft resolution, which is designed to implement the recommendations of the Arab League transition plan laid out on Jan. 22.

The draft resolution condemns “the continued widespread and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian authorities,” demands that the Syrian government immediately put an end to all human rights violations, and calls on both sides to end attacks and violence immediately.

The resolution then lays out a political roadmap that matches the Arab League initiative intended to pave the way for a transition “leading to a democratic, plural political system” through the formation of a national unity government, the handing over of all presidential authority to Assad’s deputy for a transition period, and then the holding of free and fair elections with international supervision.

Importantly, the draft resolution requests that U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon report on the implementation of the

resolution every 15 days and also directs the Security Council “to review Syria’s implementation of this resolution [in] 15 days and, in the event that Syria has not complied, to adopt further measures, in consultation with the League of Arab States.”

Representatives from the State Department and the U.S. mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland spelled out the broad goals the United States has for the final version of the resolution.

“We are looking for a resolution that reflects the commitments that the Arab League was seeking from the Syrian government, that -- in its November 2nd agreement, which unfortunately has not been lived up to by the Syrian side,” Nuland said.

She indicated the United States was hopeful that Russia, which has been openly supporting Assad and sending him weapons, will work with the rest of the Security Council to produce a resolution that is strong and effective. Russia and China vetoed European resolution on Syria last fall and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Friday that Russia would veto any resolution that seeks to remove Assad from power.

“We continue to want to work with the Russians so that the whole U.N. Security Council is united in sending the strongest possible message to the Assad regime that the violence has got to end, and we’ve got to begin a transition,” Nuland said.

number of homes coming to market in the last six months has shrunk back by 7 per cent, the sharpest contraction since 2009, with only a ‘modest’ improvement in buyer demand expected over the coming months.

Lenders are expected to tighten their borrowing criteria this year, which could also provide a further hurdle to would-be buyers.

Richard Donnell, director of research at Hometrack, said: ‘The latest Hometrack survey reveals a market dogged by uncertainty.

‘On a national basis house prices have not increased over the last 18 months - a theme carried over into January when prices were unchanged.’

Hometrack said that sellers are generally achieving 92.5 per cent of the asking price, slightly up from 92.3 per cent in December.

Meanwhile, Rightmove has reported that six out of 10 home movers now believe the current market favours buyers, with people in Scotland the most likely to hold this opinion and Londoners the least likely.

Some 30 per cent of those surveyed across Britain believe prices will be lower in a year’s time, outstripping the 25 per cent who expect prices to be higher.

However, in London people tended to be more optimistic, with around one in three people predicting that prices will rise in 12 months, compared with just one in five people in Wales.

The patchy nature of the market was shown even more starkly at a local

level, with two in five people in southwest London predicting increases in a year’s time, compared with just one in seven people in Blackpool who held this optimism.

Up and down Within the Land Registry’s average fall of 1.3% there was a wide range of price movements last year.

The biggest annual drop was in Hartlepool, at 17.5%, with other double-digit falls recorded in Merthyr Tydfill (down 10%), Middlesbrough (down 10%), Liverpool (down 10%) and Oldham (down 11%).

The biggest rise in prices was recorded in Westminster (up 9%) and Kensington and Chelsea (up 7%).

Estate agents have reported that prices in central London have been boosted by foreign buyers who have moved their wealth out of countries such as Greece, Italy and Spain in search of a safer home, as they try to side-step the continuing crisis in the eurozone.

But not everywhere in London saw house prices rise last year.

In Newham they dropped by 3% and there were smaller falls in eight other London boroughs.

“The most expensive property sold in England and Wales in 2011 was £19.25m for a detached house in Hampstead, north London,” the Land Registry said.

“The cheapest property sold in England and Wales in 2011 was £16,000 for a terraced house in Middlesbrough.”

NEWS

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 02 February 2012

120 people convicted for not filling in census form Among those who did not participate in 2011 census were ‘conscientious objectors’ to Lockheed Martin UK’s involvement daily Guardian reported on Saturday.

According to Guardian report At least 120 people have been convicted for failing to complete their 2011 census forms, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

While some may have simply forgotten, others see themselves as conscientious objectors who are being prosecuted for refusing to fill out the forms because of the involvement of the defence contractor Lockheed Martin UK, which won the £150m contract to

run the census.

By this week the ONS had referred 369 cases to the Crown Prosecution Service; of those, 157 prosecutions

Scotland’s ‘Stephen Lawrence’ case reopened >> Continued from page 1 all our hopes will be tied to what they will find. We hope that the outcome is good.”

Legal sources confirmed 43-year-old Ronnie Coulter is the main target for prosecutors.

And they believe his nephew Andrew Coulter and his former co-accused David Montgomery could be the key to putting him back in the dock.

Three men were previously cleared of the 1998 attack on Chhokar but the abolition of the double-jeopardy law means those who have been tried before can be brought to court again if there is new and compelling evidence against them.

Like the Lawrence family, who have waited nearly two decades to get some closure on the loss of their son, Chhokar’s family are hoping they can bring to justice those responsible for his murder.

Chhokar was knifed to death in Overtown, South Lanarkshire by three white men. Race was seen to be a motivating factor but this was ruled out by the police at the time.

The family were failed by the justice system at two separate trials as three original suspects were acquitted. Two inquiries investigating the police and the treatment of the Chhokar family found they were badly treated.

In 2001, the then Lord Advocate, Colin Boyd QC, admitted the Crown office and the police had failed the family as the inquiries found elements of “institutional racism” in the police and prosecution service.

Then, at a separate trial in 2000, Andrew Coulter, 30, and 34-year-old Montgomery were cleared after blaming the crime on him.

One source said: “The hope is that this time there will be no place for any of them to hide.

“But the most compelling new evidence is against Ronnie Coulter – and there will be heavy pressure on the other two to answer serious questions about him.

“They will face a choice of giving evidence against him or being on trial themselves.”

Last week, Ronnie Coulter met with his lawyers after Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland announced on Thursday that the case was being officially reopened.

Indian waiter Surjit, 32, was stabbed in the heart in November 1998 after a confrontation with a group of white men in Overtown, Lanarkshire.

His family have campaigned for justice since the collapse of the second trial in 2000.

Last week, the Sunday Mail revealed the Crown were to reopen the case thanks to changes to double jeopardy rules.

New evidence being looked at includes testimony given by Ronnie Coulter’s sister Margaret Chisholm and exgirlfriend Sandra Tierney.

Their crucial testimonies were not heard at his trial but during the later hearing. The Chhokar family have now met with the Lord Advocate.

Their lawyer Aamer Anwar said: “The meeting was the Crown Office at its very best, in the way that they dealt with the family, their empathy, and we saw a sheer determination to get justice.

“It was a major change from what we saw taking place over 10 years ago. We walked away from it with a glimmer of optimism that we could get justice.”

Surjit’s niece Jasneet Sangha said of the decision to reopen the case: “This is a definite move in the right direction and it is what we were hoping for.

“They will reinvestigate the case and all our hopes will be tied to what they will find. We hope that the outcome is good.”

have been brought to court, with 120 resulting in convictions. Those found guilty face a maximum fine of £1,000 and a criminal record. The

remaining 37 cases are classified as “conversions”, where the defendant completed the census form at court.

The number of forms deliberately not filled in is unknown, but the ONS expected 24.5 million forms to be returned and received 22.9 million, a shortfall of 1.6 million.

Once anomalies, such as vacant properties, have been taken into account, that number will fall. Many of those accused under section eight of the 1920 Census Act say that they are being targeted because of their political beliefs. They wonder how the decision to prosecute almost 400 people was taken when so many forms were not returned.

A spokesman for the ONS, which runs the census in England and Wales, said: “Where there is evidence that householders have wilfully refused to complete a census form, the evidence has been presented to the Crown Prosecution Service, which then decides if a prosecution will go ahead.”

The rate of prosecutions represents a sharp increase on the last census, in 2001. Then there were only 43 prosecutions, resulting in 38 convictions. Previous censuses have seen varying levels of prosecution.

The highest number of successful prosecutions was 692 in 1981. In 1991 there were 342, while 1951 saw just 57.

UK police map to zero in on crime in public places

Home Secretary Theresa May says people will be able to track what crimes have been committed near public spaces like nightclubs, parks and shopping malls.

May said Monday that a crimemapping website for England and Wales that lets users track what crimes have been committed on

a street-by-street basis will now cover places like clubs and rail stations where large groups of people gather.

She said that by May the public will be able to see what happened after a crime took place -- what action police took and whether anyone was convicted.

The website maps crime in Britain according to neighborhood. It launched last year and authorities say it has received more hits than any other UK government website.

PTI elections in UK

Dr. Arif Alvi congratulates newly elected Dr Arif Alvi Secretary General Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf congratulated the elected office bearers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the United Kingdom. In a statement issued on Wednesday he said elections in UK were a difficult process because political parties are not used to such phenomenon and usually there is a lack of trust between people. It has been a long struggle by the office of the Secretary General to allow members in the United Kingdom to elect their own leadership. Congratulations are therefore due to all those who worked hard for this ideal, including International Secretary Dr Humayun Mohmand, Deputy International Secretary Dr Hammad Cheema and of course our SVP Mr Hamid Khan who diligently and impartially completed the task. Mean while in a press release Senior Vice President Hamid Khan has announced the results of the first ever intra-party elections in UK. He has congratulated the winning candidates and encouraged the candidates who could not win, to participate actively in PTI UK

activies and support the elected teams.

Vice President, Qawi Awan said, “We will work tirelessly to achieve our manifesto goals which we shared during the election campaign”.

“PTI London Team will be working in harmony with all the activists and other regions to achieve those goals which will play a crucial role towards making Pakistan a real Islamic welfare state according to the dream of Our founder Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and our Chairman” said Furqan Nadeem, General Secretary PTI London.

Dr Fouzia Sadiq, Information Secretary said ,Together we have demonstrated that we are the only political party of Pakistan who believes in democracy and as a result of these Elections we have been able to organise the first Elected body of PTIUK. She also praised political vision of Chairman Imran Khan on the peaceful, fair and free election process .The vote was “an important step forward”, she added.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 02 February 2012

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NEWS

Two men found guilty plotting ‘terrorist act’ against Danish newspaper over Prophet Mohammed cartoon An Oslo court on Monday sentenced two men to prison for planning to bomb the Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), in Norway’s first-ever guilty verdict for “plotting to commit a terrorist act.”

Norwegian national Mikael Davud, a member of China’s Uighur minority considered the mastermind behind the plot against the Jyllands-Posten daily, was sentenced to seven years behind bars.

Shawan Sadek Saeed Bujak, an Iraqi Kurd residing in Norway, meanwhile received a three-and-ahalf-year prison term.

According to the prosecution, the two men had in liaison with AlQaeda planned to use explosives against the offices of the Danish newspaper and to murder Kurt Westergaard, the cartoonist behind the most controversial of the 12 drawings of the Muslim Prophet published in September 2005.

Westergaard’s drawing, which has earned him numerous death threats and an assassination attempt, showed Mohammed wearing a turban shaped like a bomb with a lit fuse.

The prosecution had demanded prison sentences of 11 and five years respectively.

“There is no doubt that it was

Davud who took the initiative in the preparations for a terrorist act and that he was the central character,” the three judges said in their ruling.

“The court also believes that it was he himself who would have carried out the terrorist attack since he has explained that he planned to lay out the explosives himself,” they added.

The judges also said the prosecution had proven “beyond any doubt that Davud knowingly and voluntarily plotted with Al-Qaeda to carry out a bomb attack against JyllandsPosten with a bomb that was so powerful that he understood human life could be lost.”

The court did not however find it proven that the men had planned

Syrian army retakes control of Damascus suburbs

The Syrian troops are retaking control of Damascus suburbs, an army source said on Monday, citing dozens of tanks and armored vehicles that have entered suburban areas which were earlier

held by rebels. According to human rights activists, more than 60 people, including servicemen, army defectors and civilians, have been killed in Syria in the past 24 hours.

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to assassinate Westergaard.

According to Norway’s intelligence service PST, Davud, a short, bearded 40-year-old, received training

of Waziristan between November 2008 and July 2010.

Jyllands-Posten’s publication of the 12 cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed provoked violent and even deadly protests across much of the Muslim world.

On Monday, the Danish paper refused to comment on the verdict in Oslo.

David Jakobsen, an Uzbek arrested at the same time as Davud and Bujak in July 2010, was meanwhile acquitted Monday of the most serious charges but was sentenced to four months behind bars for helping the two others to procure the materials needed to create the explosives.

in making and using explosives from Al-Qaeda members and sympathisers in Pakistan’s region

The three men had all pleaded not guilty to the charges when the trial opened and their lawyers asked for

Four men admit London bombs plot >> Continued from page 1 in late 2010, before the police arrested the nine men • 7 November 2010: Group meet in Roath Park, Cardiff, to discuss their ambitions • 28 November 2010: Choudhury, Rahman, Miah and Desai meet in London to discuss targets and methodology • 12 December 2010: Another group meeting at Cwmcarn Country Park, near Caerphilly. Stock Exchange discussed • 14 December 2010: Stoke defendants discuss their own plans, under surveillance • 20 December 2010: Police arrest suspects in early hours The conspiracy involved nine defendants – the London duo, three from Cardiff and four from Stoke – but was stopped by undercover anti-terror police before firm dates could be set for attacks. The terrorists met because of their membership of various hardcore Islamic groups and stayed in touch over the internet, through mobile phones and at specially arranged meetings – held in parks in a bid to

make surveillance difficult.

Chowdhury, of Stanliff House, Tower Hamlets and Shah Rahman, 28, of St Bernard’s Road, Newham, both London, admitted preparing for acts of terrorism by planning to plant an improvised explosive device in the toilets of the London Stock Exchange.

They admitted the crime after a Goodyear hearing was held to give them an indication of their maximum sentences. The judge, Mr Justice Wilkie, told Chowdhury he would receive 18-and-a-half years and Rahman 17 years. But the duo will only serve in the region of six years – because five are served on licence, prisoners only serve half their term as standard and they have already been behind bars for more than 12 months.

Brothers Gurukanth Desai, 30, of Albert Street, and Abdul Miah, 25, of Ninian Park Road, both Cardiff, also admitted the same count. The quartet aimed to plant the bomb “with the obvious attendant risk but without any intention to cause death or even injury but with the intention to terrorise, damage property and to cause economic damage”, said Christopher Blaxland QC, Chowdhury’s barrister.

Three of the Stoke defendants admitted

their acquittal.

Davud however did confess to planning an attack, but said it was directed at Chinese interests in Norway and not at JyllandsPosten.

The member of the oppressed Uighur minority in China said he had been acting out of purely personal motives and that he had manipulated the two others so they would help him get hold of chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide, that he needed to build a bomb.

Bujak, 39, meanwhile admitted that he had spoken with Davud about the possibility of punishing Jyllands-Posten for the cartoons, but insisted the comments were vague and did not constitute a terrorist plot.

“Bujak helped Davud with the preparations ... and there is no doubt that he was very much involved,” the judges ruled, nonetheless lending credence to his insistence he had had no intention of participating in the attack itself.

As for Jakobsen, who contacted police voluntarily in November 2009 and was the only one of the three to have been released from custody until the verdict, he categorically denied any intention to participate in the plot. a lesser, specific charge – engaging in conduct for the preparation of terrorism between November 1 and December 21, 2010. Usman Khan, 20, of Persia Walk, Mohammed Shahjahan 27, of Burmarsh Walk and Nazam Hussain, 26, of Grove Street, all Stoke, admitted attending operational meetings in Roath Park, Cardiff on November 7 and in a Newport country park on December 12. Omar Latif, 28, of Neville Street, Cardiff, admitted attending the meetings with the intention of assisting others to prepare or commit acts of terrorism. The fourth Stoke defendant, Mohibur Rahman, admitted possessing an article for a terrorist purpose on December 20 2010. Rahman, 27, of North Road, admitted being in possession of two editions of the al Qaida magazine, Inspire, for terrorist purposes.

The investigation was co-ordinated by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, working with the national counterterrorism network, Staffordshire, South Wales and the Metropolitan Police, the Security Service and Crown Prosecution Service, he said.

“Our priority is and always will be the protection of the public,” Mr Osborne added.

Sentencing of the group will begin on Monday.

NEWS

8

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 02 February 2012

Russia unveils fifth-generation Kalashnikov assault rifle Russia’s largest firearms manufacturer, JSC Izhmash, unveiled its first model of the fifthgeneration Kalashnikov assault rifle. The new rifle is tentatively called AK-12. The assembly of the new weapon, the development of which was initiated by Izhmash’s chief designer Vladimir Zlobin, was completed in 2011. Specialists currently test the new weapon, the press service of the enterprise said Wednesday.

Russia’s Interior Ministry has already requested the AK-12 for test exploitation. Izhmash is ready to arrange the deliveries of the new weapon for the Russian army too, Interfax reports.

Russian news agencies reported Wednesday that the Defense

be ready to arrange the shipments of the AK-12 for the Armed Forces and special units of the Russian

AK47 Ministry of Russia was not planning any purchases from Izhmash within the scope of the state defense order for 2012. It was also reported that the messages about the creation of the new Kalashnikov rifle were not true to fact.

“The AK-12 is being developed for export purposes. However, it also meets the requirements of the Defense Ministry, which the ministry has for the equipment of the soldiers of the Russian army. If there’s an order, the enterprise will

Federation,” the press service of the company said.

The state tests of the rifle may begin at the end of 2012 or in the beginning of 2013. “Developing the new family of automatic rifles is a priority for the development of the enterprise. The company intends to retrieve its international market share,” officials said. For the time being, the company tests the AK-12 at its own base. The construction and ergonomics of the rifle will be changed as a result of

new rifle may vary from 5,45х39 to 7,62х51 mm.

Designers enhanced the ergonomics of the new rifle. The controls of the weapon (the lock, the selector of the kind of fire, the clip latch, the bolt latch) became available for one hand, which a person holds the weapon with.

The Picatinny rails were integrated in the construction of the AK-12. The rails are used to mount additional equipment: optical, collimating and night sights, mexometer, grenade launchers, lights, target indicators and other equipment. The devices

heelpiece. The operating rod handle of the AK-12 can be mounted either on the left or on the right, which makes the weapon comfortable for both lefthanded and right-handed people.

The list of novelties includes three fire modes: single shots, three shots and automatic fire. The muzzle of the assault rifle has been amended to shoot foreign-made barrelled grenades. Specialists currently design new magazine cases for the AK-12 for 95 cartridges.

To increase the efficiency of single fire, the AK-12 was equipped with a new mechanic sight with enhanced

allow to use the weapon effectively during any time of the day.

The new rifle also has the folding stock, and the height-adjustable

sightline. The changes also touched upon the firing mechanism and the construction of the gun group. The AK-12 also uses state-of-the-art technologies in the field of coatings and materials. Over ten technological solutions will be introduced and patented when building various models of the assault rifle.

the tests. “We will have to conduct many consultations with competent specialists who are interested in the creation of state-of-the-art, effective and reliable Russian assault rifle,” Vladimir Zlobin, the designer of the rifle said. The AK12 has classic configuration, which creates a constructively simple automatic rifle with an option to mount powerful muzzles and large magazines. The new rifle is created as a basic platform, which will then

be used for the development of nearly 20 different modifications of civil and military firearms. The caliber of cartridges used for the

McDonald’s to expose everything about its chemical food in Russia

Consumer rights’ advocates filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s fast food chain in Russia. The lawsuit was filed at Moscow’s Tverskoy Court. The plaintiffs intend to oblige the company to indicate the complete list of ingredients on packaging, rather than the content of protein, fat and carbohydrates. Representatives of the Consumer Rights Protection Society claim that concealing the content of products the company violates the status of the retail outlet of finished products, not to mention the fact that it misleads consumers. According to experts, the range of milkshakes, which the chain sells, cannot be referred to as “milk” under the Russian

law, Adindex.ru reports.

Experts discovered the fat of vegetable origin in McDonald’s “milkshakes.”

This drink, according to experts at the Institute of Laboratory of Nutrition, can

be called “milk-containing” but not “milk”. The advocates of consumers rights do not demand any fines from McDonald’s. They only say the company should disclose information and redesign

the product packaging. However, even this measure will entail multimillion costs for McDonald’s once the court upholds it.

The Society for the Protection of Consumers’ Rights reminded that in July 2012, the Federal Arbitration Court of the Moscow District issued a landmark ruling on the suit of McDonald’s against the Moscow territorial division of the Federal Tax Service. The court ruled that McDonald’s in Russia does not provide restaurant services. Instead, the court said, the company sells food products as a store. Therefore, the activities of the corporation should be taxed with 10 instead of 18 percent of VAT. However, according to the

Russian legislation, a store that sells food products (in this case the store also acts as the manufacturer of the food), unlike the restaurant, is obliged to provide all required and accurate information, including the information about the ingredients, food supplements, biologically active supplements, the information about the presence of the GMO, food value, purpose, conditions of use and storage of food, weight (volume), date and place of manufacture and packaging of food. The information about contraindications and indications for use at certain diseases shall also be provided on the product packaging.

9

aarc S

Saarc international I Thursday 02 February 2012

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The information on this page is for information purposes only.

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

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international

Thursday, 02.02.12

Pakistan dismisses Nato report ISI-Taliban links should be cut off: Pentagon Taliban will take over from US and Nato in Afghanistan – leaked US report

Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar: Allegations are “old wine in an even older bottle”Pakistan’s foreign minister says her country has no hidden agenda in Afghanistan, in response to a leaked secret Nato report on Islamabad’s links to the Afghan Taliban.

Speaking alongside her Afghan counterpart in Kabul, Hina Rabbani Khar said allegations in the report were “old wine in an even older bottle”.

Taliban will take over from US and Nato in Afghanistan – leaked US report A leaked internal US military report

reflects optimism among Taliban detainees in Afghanistan, who expressed confidence they’ll retake control of Afghanistan after NATO forces withdraw. classified US military report leaked to the media compiles interviews with Taliban detainees who say their group is primed to regain control of Afghanistan after NATO forces leave in 2014.

Document based on interrogations of Taliban and al-Qaida detainees says Pakistan is backing the resurgent movement A secret US military report says the Taliban, backed by Pakistan, are preparing to retake control of Afghanistan after Nato-led forces withdraw from the country.

The report Taliban 2012 is the latest of a series drawn up by a US special operations taskforce on the basis of interrogations with 4,000 suspected Taliban and alQaida detainees.

Its conclusions, that the Taliban’s strength and morale are largely intact despite the Nato military surge, and that significant

numbers of Afghan government soldiers are defecting to them, are in stark contrast to Nato’s far more bullish official line, that the insurgent movement has been severely damaged and demoralised.

The report, leaked to the BBC and The Times, also portrays the Taliban as being under the thumb of Pakistan’s powerful security agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), but resenting that control.

The BBC quotes the report as saying: “Pakistan’s manipulation of the Taliban senior leadership continues unabated,” and says Pakistan is aware of the locations of senior Taliban leaders, some of whom live close to the ISI’s headquarters, in Rawalpindi.

The report also quotes a senior al-Qaida detainee as saying: “Pakistan knows everything. They control everything.

I can’t [expletive] on a tree in Kunar without them watching.”He added: “The Taliban are not Islam. The Taliban are Islamabad.”

A Pakistani government official rejected the report’s findings, telling Reuters: “This is frivolous, to put it mildly. We are committed to non-interference in Afghanistan.”

Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings, a spokesman for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), confirmed the document’s existence but denied that it was a strategic study of operations. “The classified document in question is a compilation of Taliban detainee opinions,” he said. “It’s not an

India to buy 126 Rafale fighter jets in $11B deal IN WHAT is being seen as a boost for French president Nicolas Sarkozy, India has agreed to buy 126 Rafale combat aircraft from France in a massive £7 billion deal.

It is France’s first export contract for the aircraft. India already has the world’s fourth largest air force – with 700 fighters – after Russia, China and the US. Confirming the deal yesterday, Dassault Aviation said it was honoured to extend co-operation with India, which has a fleet of its older Mirage jets.

Dassault won that contract with the lower bid in a two-way competition against the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, in which BAe has a share. Growing fears over China’s fastexpanding military and the decades-old mistrust of Pakistan have fuelled India’s impetus to add to its defence forces.

The French have for years been trying to get an export deal.

Last month, defence minister Gerard Longuet warned the Rafale programme could be stopped if foreign buyers didn’t materialise.

analysis, nor is it meant to be considered an analysis.”

ISI-Taliban links should be cut off: Pentagon While answering the questions of reporters Wednesday about the recently leaked NATO report that mentions alleged ISI links with Taliban, Pentagon spokesman, Capt. John Kirby said “there is nothing new about the information of links between some elements of ISI and Taliban”.

“We have made it clear already that Pakistan needs to act against safe heavens”, he stressed while going on to add that “we would like ties between some elements of ISI and Taliban to be cut-off”.

He, however, cautioned that the report was classified and done inside ISAF, based on thousands of interviews with detainees. “This report is not an analysis and is merely informational”, he said arguing that “it is important to understand that detainees have several motivations for what they do or do not say”.

When asked about the reaction of Pakistan dismissing the report about Continued on page 15 >>

SAARC

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Saarc international I Thursday 02 February 2012

SC orders release of two owners of pharma companies

PIC suo motu: With 117 dead, interim report to be submitted Feb 6 The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered to release of two of the owners of pharmaceutical companies on bail and directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to submit an investigative report in the drugs reaction case.

The order was issued as a threejudge bench, headed by Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, heard a suo motu case over deaths in Punjab allegedly caused by reaction from medicines given out to patients by the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC).

The FIA told the court that one pharmaceutical company had been manufacturing medicines without a license.

Advocate General of Punjab Ashtar Ausaf, during a suo motu hearing of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) free medicine case on Tuesday, told the Supreme Court that an interim report in the case will be submitted to the court on February 6.

Ausaf informed the court that samples of the drugs were sent out to Switzerland, Belgium and England for tests and the results are awaited.

He said that this step was taken because there was no laboratory in Pakistan which could clearly determine the cause of the deaths by examining the samples.

Ausaf told the court that so far, nothing concrete has surfaced in the investigation and an autopsy of the victims’ bodies will be required to determine the actual cause of

the deaths.

Heading a three-member bench, Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, asked why the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested the people involved in the case.

The FIA officials present in the court informed him that after the 18th Amendment, all the health related issues were transferred to the provincial government and the FIA is supposed to arrest people who are involved in making the medicines.

Justice Jillani ordered the FIA to release the three arrested people.

However, the FIA told the court that the reason of arresting MS of PIC will be explained to the court later.

When Justice Saqib Nisar inquired about the steps taken by the Punjab government, Ausaf informed the

court that the government had contacted the chief justice of the Lahore High Court to constitute a tribunal to investigate the case.

The advocate general also told the court that the ministry of health in Punjab is headed by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, when the court inquired.

The three-member bench observed why Sharif had not taken any action regarding the issue.

The court said that the tribunal will carry on with its investigations, but the FIA and Punjab government will have to submit their replies to the court in the next hearing scheduled for February 6.

Death toll reaches 117 The death toll due to the fake medicines reached 117 on Tuesday as three people lost their lives in the Services Hospital and the Mayo

Hospital.

Two of the dead were identified as 51-year-old Mumtaz Ibrahim and 55-year-old Rabia Bibi.

More than 400 people are admitted in various hospitals and are currently under treatment in Lahore.

Investigations reveal 100,000 adulterated pills handed out Recent investigations into the PIC fake medicine case hinted on Tuesday that more than 100,000 adulterated pills might have been handed out to heart patients in Lahore.

The medicine, called Alfagril, had a manufacturing fault because of which the pills developed brown spots on them and consequently resulted in a disease in the bone marrow.

The Central Drug Laboratory

issued a notice saying that one out of the seven pills that were being given out to heart patients in Lahore was substandard. The pill was identified as Alfagril.

An investigation team has been formed by the Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) to probe the case which has resulted in more than a 100 people in Punjab, while the Supreme Court has initiated a suo motu action.

Probe team visits Drug Testing Laboratory The high-level inquiry committee constituted on the orders of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the Drug Testing Laboratory (DTL) in Lahore to obtain updates regarding the test of the drugs.

The committee, led by DIG Major (retd) Mubasharullah, comprises DIG Elite Force Zulifqar Cheema, DIG Farooq Mazhar, SSP Zulifiqar Hameed, Incharge Investigation SP Shadman and other investigation officers.

Deputy Director DTL Jameel Anwar briefed the investigation team about receiving drug samples and the preparation of tests as well as issuing reports and analysis of the samples.

Saarc moot on regional economic cooperation from 30th

Finance ministers from the Saarc nations will meet in Dhaka on Monday to further expand regional cooperation in economic and financial sectors.

The daylong meeting also aims at setting out the benchmarks to establish a customs union and leading subsequently

towards an economic union; and ensuring greater integration, harmonisation and standardisation of the financial systems.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Fifth Meeting of Saarc Finance Ministers at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel, said foreign ministry sources.

Prior to this meet, the eight finance secretaries from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) nations will hold another meeting tomorrow.

Finance ministers from all the Saarc member states excepting Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will attend the meeting.

India will be represented by State Minister

for Finance Namo Narain Meena, mentioned the ministry sources.

The ministers are expected to discuss greater flow of financial matter, cooperation in financial and economic sectors, investment, global financial crisis, new and imaginative credit mechanism, incentives to support regional business and customs cooperation.

They will outline priority steps to be taken at each implementation phase of South Asian Economic Union and quantify potential gains from strengthened economic integration in the region.

The finance ministers will issue guidelines to move forward project-based regional

cooperation, Saarc Development Fund (SDF) and implement fully the Saarc Preferential Trading Agreement (SAPTA).

Headquartered in Thimpu, the SDF is now implementing some regional and subregional projects, foreign ministry officials noted.

Though having a modest initial paidup capital of $300 million, the SDF has provoked excitement and interest among a wide range of stakeholders in the region to come forward with innovative solutions.

The Saarc, mooted in Dhaka in 1985, is comprised of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Saarc international I Thursday 02 February 2012

SAARC

11

WEEKLY REVIEW OF AFGHANISTAN NEWS

Afghanistan sign economic cooperation pact with Iran A

fghanistan and Iran signed an Economical Cooperation pact during the second phase of the Economic Committee meetings.

Afghan Finance Ministry officials on Monday said, during the second session of Afghanistan and Iran Economic Committee meeting the two sides agreed to form a joint committee to assess customs issues and development of investments at the Chabahar Port.

The officials also discussed the issues of transportation and transit between the two nations.

Economic Committee meetings which was held between the two nations and lasted for two

days mainly focused on mutual cooperation for customs sections, transportation and railway, formation of banking and insurance opportunities, formation of committee for the development of investments and facilities at Chabahar port, issues of the investors of the two countries, prevention of the money laundery and formation of the transportation agencies.

Financial Deputy of the Afghan Ministry of Finance Mustafa Mastoor said, a timeline has been set for each job which makes this session different than those in the past.

In the meantime Iran’s Deputy

President Karzai visits UK to meet with British officials

Afghan President Hamid Karzai visits United Kingdom to meet with the British Prime Minister David Cameron in a bid to sign an agreement setting out how their two countries will work together after British combat troops withdraw in 2014.

President Karzai’s visit to United Kingdom is followed shortly after his trip to France where the French officials decided to speed up the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan.

France is due to leave by the end of 2013 – a year earlier than planned.

During his trip to France President Karzai said, Afghan troops would replace French troops in Afghanistan.

President Karzai said, Afghanistan has received a considerable assistance from France and other allied countries during the past ten years, and Afghanistan is now ready to take more and more responsibilities.

During his visit to United Kingdom President Karzai is due to brief Mr Cameron on the state of peace talks with the Taliban, which are just starting.

The two leaders are expected to sign an agreement ensuring Britain’s commitment to continue providing aid support for Afghanistan after British combat troops withdraw.

British Prime Minister David Cameron is also expected to sign an agreement to build an officer training college in Afghanistan.

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Minister of Economy, Behrooz Alishiri said, economic and trade relations between Afghanistan and Iran should not be affected due to political relations with the

other nations.

Mr. Alishiri further added, we are endeavoured to work on pricniples which should at least minimize the potential risks of

Afghan and Iranian investors.

The trade exchange between Afghanistan and Iran has reached to over $1 billion annually.

According to Iranian officials, the value of trade between the two countries is expected to rise once the issues of the trade and transit are solved between the two countries.

Economic analysts emphasize for the importance of economic ties of Afghanistan with its neighboring countries specifically with Iran and Pakistan.

However the analysts doubt for the implementation of such pacts which have been signed in the past but have not been implemented properly.

Afghanistan, Pakistan seek Taliban talks in Saudi Arabia

The Afghan and Pakistani governments are seeking peace talks with the Taliban in Saudi Arabia separate from USbrokered talks with the insurgents in Qatar, officials said Sunday.

The Taliban, ousted from power by a US-led invasion in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, announced earlier this month that they planned to set up a political office in Qatar ahead of talks with Washington.

Taliban negotiators have begun holding preliminary talks with US officials in the Gulf state on plans for peace talks aimed at ending the decade-long war in Afghanistan, a former Taliban official said Sunday.

But Afghan and Taliban officials indicated in response to a BBC report about plans for talks in Saudi Arabia that both Kabul and Islamabad were looking for their own talks with the insurgents.

Asked for his response to the BBC report, Afghan foreign ministry spokesman Janan Mosazai said: “Of course we support any steps towards the Afghan peace process.” He refused to comment further.

But a senior Afghan government official,

speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP: “We will always pursue all roads towards peace in Afghanistan, including contacts with the Taliban that are not limited to the Qatar office.”He acknowledged the accuracy of the BBC report but said he did not know of any timetable for the talks in Saudi Arabia to begin.

A member of the Taliban’s leadership council, the Pakistan-based Quetta Shura, also backed the report of talks in Saudi Arabia.

“The idea that the Taliban should have a point of contact in Saudi is pushed by the Pakistan and Afghan governments,” he said on condition of anonymity.

“This is because they think they have been sidelined. They want some control over peace talks.”Supporting this theory, Kabul announced Sunday that Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar would visit Kabul on Wednesday.

Mosazai told a news conference the visit would mark a “new phase” in cooperation between the two countries, adding that Khar would hold talks with Afghan Foreign Minister Zulmai Rasoul and President Hamid Karzai.

“Both sides will discuss the fight against

terrorism and Pakistan’s essential support to the peace process in Afghanistan.

“Pakistan plays a key role in the Afghan peace process and Afghanistan need a sincere effort of our neighbouring country toward peace negotiations,”Mosazai said.

Khar’s visit comes after Pakistan made overtures to Afghanistan to resume talks about the Taliban which broke down following the assassination of Kabul’s chief peace envoy, Burhanuddin Rabbani, in September, officials said.

Karzai accused Pakistan of responsibility for the murder and last month said Islamabad was sabotaging all attempts at negotiations with the Taliban.

The president’s initial wariness over being sidelined in the Qatar talks led Washington to dispatch special envoy Marc Grossman to Kabul last week to assure him of a central role for his government in any major negotiations.

And in another effort to soothe Karzai’s doubts, a delegation from the Qatar government is expected to visit Kabul to explain its role in the talks, High Peace Council secretary Aminundin Muzaffari told reporters.

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF BANGLADESH NEWS

4 killed as cops fire on BNP men 100 policemen among 450 injured countrywide; half-day harta l called in the towns

Four persons died in Laxmipur and Chandpur towns yesterday when police fired on demonstrating BNP activists and supporters.

More than 450 people, including 100 police, were injured yesterday when the law enforcers attempted to foil prescheduled marches of opposition activists in different districts.

Condemning the police atrocities, BNP held the government responsible for the killings.

Addressing a media briefing at BNP central office in Naya Paltan of the capital in the afternoon, the party’s acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir demanded exemplary punishment for the persons responsible for the killings.

Meantime, police formed two separate

committees to investigate the Chandpur and Laxmipur incidents, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hassan Mahmood Khandker told reporters at the Police Headquarters in the capital in the afternoon.

The committees, to be headed by Additional Deputy Inspector General of

Police Biswas Afzal Hossain, were asked to submit reports in seven days.

“The committees will also probe whether the policemen were at fault,” the IGP said, claiming that police showed tolerance although resorted to firing.

CHANDPUR

Violence in Chandpur erupted around 11:00am when police asked opposition activists, gathering at Hasan Ali Govt High

School ground, to disperse. The crowd was preparing to bring out a march.

“Without listening to us, they started hurling brickbats,” Alamgir Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Chandpur Model Police Station, told The Daily Star, estimating that there were at least 1,000 people.

Cordoning off the law enforcers, the opposition activists later vandalised a police van.

“The magistrate ordered us to open fire to bring the situation under control,” the OC said.

Bangladesh signs deal with India to build power plant

25 illegal Bangladeshi workers held in UK

Twenty five Bangladeshi illegal workers were arrested in the last seven weeks in several enforcement operations at businesses across the UK. The UK Border Agency is now working to remove them from the UK as soon as possible.

They had committed immigration offences including entering the UK illegally and overstaying their visas.

The men were working illegally in restaurants and take-aways.

These businesses now face fines of up to £10,000 for each illegal worker, unless they can prove that they carried out the correct preemployment checks.

“We will not tolerate illegal working, which undercuts wages and can exploit vulnerable workers. The UK Border Agency will target employers

who ignore the rules and remove people who have no right to be in the UK”, said a UK Border Agency spokesperson.

We’re happy to work with businesses to let them know what checks need to be done on staff, but those who do break the law should know that we are out there looking for them and they will face heavy fines.” the spokesman added.

The illegal workers were arrested in enforcement operations by UK Border Agency and police officers in Worchester, Pontypool and Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales, Exeter, Paignton and Newton Abbott in Devon, Lincolnshire, Warwickshire and Southall in West London, the release said.

Bangladesh’s state-run Power Development Board on Sunday signed an agreement with India’s National Thermal Power Corp., or NTPC, to build a 1,320-megawatt coal-fired power plant in the southwest of the country, officials said.

The signing ceremony in Dhaka was attended by Bangladesh Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith and P. Uma Shankar, the power secretary of India. It was the first joint venture deal the board has concluded with a foreign company.

NTPC will build and operate the $1.5

No need for fund ‘with tag of lies’

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the donor agency concerned again to prove the allegation of corruption in the Padma bridge project saying that the government will not accept its fund for this mega project unless it can establish the accusation “The allegation of corruption will have to be proved.

If not, we won’t accept the fund of that agency for the Padma bridge,” she said while addressing the 19th National Convention and 35th Council Session of the Institute of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC).

As a dignified nation, Hasina said, Bangladesh cannot move ahead accepting any fund “with a tag of lies”.

The government has already decided to construct the mega project by any country, individual or company, she added.

The World Bank, the lead financier and coordinator of the project, temporarily suspended its $1.2 billion loan in September last year raising the allegation of corruption in appointment of contractors for the bridge.

Citing different conditionalities imposed by the

donors for providing funds, she said the donors impose conditions one after another. “The development projects having foreign funds could not be implemented timely for this terms and conditions...government-funded projects move smoothly compared to the donor-aided projects.”

Following a government request, the premier said, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) probed the graft allegation in the Padma bridge and found no corruption in appointment of contractors.

Hasina also voiced her strong resolve to make the

country self-reliant instead of being aid dependent.

“If we can properly utilise the resources we have, it won’t be impossible to achieve proper progress.”

Appreciating the army for foiling the recent coup attempt to topple the democratic government, Hasina warned that no one would be spared for hatching such a heinous plot. “The march forward of democracy in the country must remain uninterrupted.”

The prime minister also asked the diploma engineers to ensure proper utilisation of taxpayers’ money through their honesty, efficiency and dutifulness so that the development activities in the country are properly implemented. “You’ll have to ensure that the development programmes undertaken with taxpayers’ money are implemented properly,” she said.

Hasina mentioned that around 85 percent funds of the government’s development activities are spent through the engineers.

“Proper utilisation of public resources as well as maintaining qualitative standard of the development activities depend on the honesty, efficiency and dutifulness of engineers,” she said.

billion project on a 50:50 equity basis.

Bangladesh has increasingly turned to coal to generate electricity as the nation’s natural gas reserves are depleting fast, and may not last beyond 2021 unless new structures are found and explored.

Officials have said Bangladesh wants to nearly triple power generation to 15,357 megawatts (MW) by the end of 2015. The country, home to 160 million people, now generates the bulk of its energy from natural gas and imported fuel oil, but suffers from power shortages as wide as 1,500 megawatts a day.

Bangladesh new UN peace commission chair

Bangladesh’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, Dr A K Abdul Momen, has been elected chairman of the Peace-Building Commission.

He was elected on Monday.

The six-year-old commission works to mobilise resources and key actors such as UNSC, UNGA, ECOSOC, donors, global financial institutions, national leaders, regional groups, banks and other stakeholders in a bid to help countries emerging from conflict to achieve sustainable peace.

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF BHUTAN NEWS

50,000 Bhutanese refugees resettled in US The number of Bhutanese refugees leaving for the United States as part of the ongoing third country resettlement reached 50,000 on Monday.

Together with 9,000 others already relocated to various Core Group countries, the number of Bhutanese refugees resettled has reached 59,000.

The large scale resettlement of Bhutanese refugees started in early 2008, with the departure of refugees to the US and other Core Group countries-- Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, and the UK.

“We are grateful to our international partners, most notably the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), for their ongoing protection

of this vulnerable population, whether they resettle or not,” said a statement of the US Embassy on Monday.

There are some 55,000 Bhutanese refuges still languishing at various camps in eastern Nepal. While

Bhutanese compassion prevents sterilisation

For Nu 46M, so far about 63 percent of the estimated 50,000 dogs have been sterilised. Dogs evoke different feelings among Bhutanese across the country.

While many like them for being a man’s best friend, some despise them for the nuisance a pack can cause in the night, especially when rudely awakened from a deep slumber and a very few are allergic to them.

But since almost all of them are Buddhist, they are compassionate and consider it a sin to have these canine population gelded.

This compassion, Humane Society International (HSI), an animal protection group spread across the globe, representative said was what made difficult the controlling of dog population in the country.

“There’s an unprecedented number of meat shops and restaurants in the capital, which makes available large quantity of food chucked into the garbage,” society’s India director Rahul Sehgal said.

He said the dogs simply existed on the streets because of the availability of food.

“When the number of dogs grow, the fight for food and territory

begins, creating nuisance for people and environment,” he said, adding the dog population in Bhutan, which numbers about 50,000 today, unlike in India that has 28M, can be controlled through proper sterilisation and support from the people.

The society in partnership with livestock department, which started a three-year national dog population management and rabies program on September 2009 ends in August this year.

Costing Nu 46M, so far about 63 percent of the estimated 50,000 dogs or 32,049 of them and 839 cats have been sterilised, vaccinated and released back to the territories they occupied in the country.

A maximum of them were in Thimphu at 3,074 dogs and 247 cats.

Some of the challenges, especially in the rural areas, Sehgal said they faced was with people disallowing dogs sterilisation for they saw it as a sin and being inhumane.

“Rough hilly terrain, which is difficult for Indian veterinarians to climb is one thing,” he said. “Lack of cooperation from the people,

which makes difficult the catching of dogs is another.”

Unsterilised male dogs, Mr Sehgal said could grow aggressive and anxious of they were unable to mate and were more likely to run away, fight or even bite people passing by.

On the other hand, he said unsterilised female dogs were messy and attracted unwanted attention from male dogs in the vicinity.

“Sterilising in male dogs reduces their urge to roam, mark territories and become a dominant pack member,” he said. “That also eliminates chances of catching diseases such as testicular cancer among males as it does among female dogs the chances of developing ovarian and breast cancers.”

Sehgal also said that most sterilisation done in the past were not up to the standard and the dogs were not clipped on their ears to indicate that they were sterilised.

“We could see sterilisation in male dogs through its missing testicles,” he said, adding the same was not the case with female dogs.

“Some female dogs we operated were seen without ovary,” he said.

“The operations were done in an unacceptable manner with parts of ovary left inside.”

The society has also proposed for sterilisation to be extended until the goal of sterilising 80 percent of the Bhutanese dog population was achieved.

Like in many developing countries, he said the growing dog population had negative impact on tourism.

urging the Government of Bhutan to accept the return of those persons who are eligible, the US has reiterated that it has not set any cap on the number refugees wishing to resettle in the US. “The US is committed to accepting

as many of the Bhutanese refugees whom UNHCR refers to us for consideration in Nepal and who meet the requirements of US law for refugee admission,” added the statement.

The Bhutanese resettlement program is currently the secondlargest resettlement program for the United States. Bhutanese refugees, who have resettled in nearly all 50 States, receive employment and educational support from the US federal and state governments as well as non-governmental organizations to begin anew as productive, engaged residents.

Indo-Bhutan friends mela held at Subankhata Hagrama Mohilary, chief of BTC while addressing as chief guest in the concluding session of the second historic Indo-Bhutan friends mela held at Subankhata recently appealed to the people of India and Bhutan to develop friendship among the people inhabiting in Bhutan and India.

In the course of his speech, Mohilary mentioned the rich heritage of Bhutan which influenced Indian people particularly in greater BTC area. People living in greater boundary area of the two countries have been exchanging their mutual understanding and views as a result of which close friendship was developed since long past.

Similarly, Bhutanese people were benefited in the same style from Indian people. He hoped that such Indo-Bhutan friendship mela would develop brotherhood, friendship and mutual cooperation among the greater IndoBhutan people. He also stressed peace, harmony and integration through the mela.

Chandan Brahma, Minister for Transport, WPT etc., addressing the meeting said that the people of the neighbouring two countries have been living in healthy atmosphere since long past. He said that people of both countries living particularly in the foothill areas of Bhutan maintain the same custom and added that there is no communication gap among people of the two countries.

In course of his speech, he also mentioned the communication of greater adjacent area of the two countries.

Earlier, Banomali Boro, chief

patron explained the significance of Indo-Bhutan historic friendship mela held at Subankhata in Baksa, BTC. Dasho Phub Tshering, Dzongday, deputy commissioner addressing the meeting sought concerted efforts of people of two countries to develop friendship so that culture, heritage, business trends, peace, integration of the two countries can be more fruitful.

Maneswar Brahma, MLA, Barama, Imanuel Muchahary, MLA, Tamulpur NN Rana Patgiri, managing director, BRAWFED, Moonsing Brahma, MCLA, Dihira, Ansumai Khungur Boro, MCLA, Mushalpur, Abir Tamang, Norbu Wangdi, Tshering Tobgey, Nangyel Wang Chack, Rohini Medhi, president, All Assam Journalist Union among others also graced the occasion.

In the concluding day, tug of war game was organised by IndoBhutan mela committee and female group also participated in it. The cultural programme Rekha Raj Nite, Bollywood cine suffi singer participated and was organised by BRAWFED. The programme was inaugurated by Norbu Wangdi and Banomali Boro.

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Saarc international I Thursday 02 February 2012

WEEKLY REVIEW OF INDIA NEWS

No enclave exchange,Mamata now opposing land boundary deal with Dhaka

A

fter the Teesta water-sharing issue, Paschimbanga Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken stance against a DhakaDelhi agreement to resolve the long-pending issue of exchanging enclaves held in adverse possessions.

The Indian parliament is yet to ratify the landmark agreement, signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in September last year, on enclave exchange largely due to the absence of a consensus on the issue, the newspaper said quoting official sources yesterday.

Efforts are on to secure Mamata’s consent on the agreement on exchange of enclaves which would help bring down the curtains on a major irritant that has been there in India-Bangladesh ties since 1974.

Just prior to the Indian premier’s arrival in Dhaka on September 6, Mamata took stand against the Teesta water-sharing deal which was almost set to be signed during

sides of the border as the IndiraMujib accord on the issue had remained unimplemented all these decades.

Since Mamata’s objections prevented the signing of Teesta river water-sharing accord in September last, Manmohan is not willing to go ahead with the ratification of the deal on exchange of enclaves without a consensus, Anandabazar Patrika said in the front-page report.

Main opposition BJP too has opposed the agreement signed by the two countries on exchange of enclaves.

The agreement on exchange of enclaves stipulates that the people Manmohan’s visit.

Manmohan had to backtrack from translating the long cherished dream into reality, putting a strain in the bilateral relations.

The opposition of Mamata-led Trinamool Congress, a key ally of India’s ruling UPA coalition government, would further create frustration to people living on both

India-Thailand FTA by middle of 2012

Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said India and Thailand will finalise by the middle of 2012 a free trade agreement and upgrade the pact to a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA), opening trade in services and investments.

“In my discussion with Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh, we will work together to finalise FTA by middle of this year. This will cut the tariff on remaining products,” Yingluck said in her address to an industry event here.

She is scheduled to hold talks with Singh this evening.

Two-way trade between India and Thailand in the last 10 years had increased from $1 billion to $7

billion, due to an “early harvest” pact that limits trade barriers to only 82 sensitive items.

“This is why the two governments are setting up a goal to double the bilateral trade to $14 billion in 2014,” the visiting premier, who is chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations Thursday, said.

She invited Indian business people to invest in Thailand which is expected to clock a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of five percent.

“Our fundamentals are strong and we expect a five percent economic growth this year. Our consumption is growing and the government is pushing to increase demand.”

IANS

residing in the enclaves would have the option to choose either India or Bangladeshi nationalities as per their will.

Opposing this, BJP said along with exchange of enclaves, there should be exchange of population irrespective of the wishes of the people residing there, the daily said.

Given all this, India is proceeding cautiously on the exchange of enclaves, the report added.

The newspaper quoted an unnamed Indian External Affairs Ministry official saying, “We are optimistic. We are committed to an international treaty. We will get around the small stumbling blocks and take the next step.”

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India says it won’t cut back on Iran oil imports, in defiance of stiffer US and EU sanctions Iran is an “important” country for providing oil to emerging markets, says Indian finance minister.

India will not cut back on oil imports from Iran, its finance minister said, despite stiff new U.S. and European sanctions designed to pressure Tehran over its nuclear program.

“It is not possible for India to take any decision to reduce the import from Iran drastically because, after all, the countries which can provide the requirement of the emerging economy, Iran is an important country amongst them,” India’s finance minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters Sunday in Chicago.

About 12 percent of India’s oil imports reportedly come from Iran, making Iran its secondlargest supplier after Saudi Arabia.

According to some reports India is the first buyer of Iranian oil to agree to pay for its purchases in gold instead of the US dollar, sources expect China to follow suit. India and China take about one million barrels per day, or 40 percent of Iran’s total exports of 2.5

million bpd. Both are superpowers in terms of gold assets.

Speaking at the end of a twoday visit aimed at wooing US investment, Mukherjee yesterday said: “Some other countries, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, the other Gulf countries they also contribute but

Iran contributes substantially.”

“We (India) imports 110 million tonnes of crude per year. We will not decrease imports from Iran.

Iran is an important country for India despite US and European sanctions on Iran,” the finance minister said.

The US and other Western sanctions have been imposed on Iran’s economy over Tehran’s controversial nuclear programme.

US President Barack Obama added to those measures on December 31, last year when he signed into law additional sanctions targeting Iran’s central bank and financial sector.

Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao last week said that India’s purchase of oil from Iran has dropped slightly in last two years and is expected to drop further given the difficulties New Delhi might have in making payments through banks due to tough sanctions imposed against Iranian banks.

India-Pakistan panel calls for Kasab’s death penalty appeal adjourned consular access to prisoners Pakistan panel to visit India The India-Pakistan Judicial Committee on Prisoners asked for a complete implementation of the bilateral Consular Access Agreement signed in May 2008 while concluding its visit to Indian prisons on Friday.

“Members of the India-Pakistan Judicial Committee on Prisoners visited Indian jails in Delhi, Jaipur and Amritsar from January 23 to 27, 2012,” said a joint press statement issued by the Foreign Office. “The members of the committee, Justice (r) AS Gill and Justice (r) MA Khan

from the Indian side, and Justice (r) Nasir Aslam Zahid and Justice (r) Mian Muhammad Ajmal from the Pakistani side visited the jails,” it said.

The Indian authorities presented

46 Pakistani prisoners at Central Jail Tihar, New Delhi, 98 at Central Jail, Jaipur and 45 at Central Jail, Amritsar before the committee, according to the statement. While concluding the visit, the committee recommended that the Consular Access Agreement of 2008 must be fully implemented. The committee said that consular access must be provided within three months of the arrest, and repatriation must take place within one month of confirmation of national status and completion of sentences. It also

recommended that consular access must be provided immediately to all those prisoners who have not been given consular access so far and the process of nationality confirmation should start immediately after consular access is provided.

Pakistan dismisses Nato report Continued from page 9 >>

the reaction of Pakistan, in which they dismissed this report. When pressed further to discuss the implications of the NATO report, he said “this is a classified report and I am not prepared to discuss the contents of this report”. I can only say that “Taliban are under pressure and influence of security forces is increasing in Afghnaistan”.

“Taliban have been a determined adversary though and it is a known fact that they want to have control of Afghanistan back”, he pointed out. On reconciliation efforts with Taliban and their demand for release of Guantanamo detainees, he said “I am not prepared to share details or comment on specifics of reconciliation efforts with Taliban”. “We have made it clear that if it is Afghan-led, we will be interested in participation”, he said detailing the official US position.

over Mumbai prosecution

Pakistani investigators and lawyers will visit India next month to gather more evidence for the prosecution of seven suspects linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, they said Monday.

Pakistan indicted seven alleged perpetrators over the attacks but says that its own commission needs to gather more evidence in India.

Delhi has called for “decisive” action from Pakistan against the perpetrators of the attacks and accuses its efforts so far of being a “facade”, saying it has already handed over enough evidence to convict the accused men.

“If all goes well, the visit will take place between February 4 to February 10,” senior public prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali told reporters.

Both sides, he said, agreed that the Pakistani commission could visit India between February 1 to February 10 to cross examine witnesses of the carnage in which 166 people were killed.

But Ali said there is a “possibility that the visit may be delayed” by the death of the lawyer representing alleged mastermind, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

The deceased’s son, Khwaja Harris

Ahmad, has applied to replace his father and the issue would be taken up by the court on February 4, Ali said.

The commission is made up of two senior prosecutors, a director from the Federal Investigation Agency and five lawyers representing the suspects.

“We can proceed to India before February 10 if our authorities address all the legal requirements,” Ahmad told reporters.

Pakistan had wanted Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving gunman from the Mumbai attacks, to testify.

But Ahmad said Kasab, who has appealed a death sentence in India, was not included on the list of witnesses whom the panel wish to cross-examine.

India blamed Pakistani militants in Lashkar-e-Taiba for training, equipping and financing the attack with support from “elements” in the Pakistan military.

India’s Supreme Court adjourned an appeal hearing on Tuesday into the death sentence handed down to the lone surviving gunman from the 2008

Mumbai attacks.

One of the two Supreme Court judges due to hear the appeal was unavailable on Tuesday, forcing the adjournment, officials said. No date was immediately set for the next hearing.

Mohammed Kasab, one of 10 gunmen who laid siege to Mumbai in attacks which lasted nearly three days and killed 166 people, has appealed for his sentence to be overturned after he was convicted in May 2010.

The 24-year-old Pakistani was found guilty of a series of crimes, including waging war against India, murder and terror acts.

The November 2008 attacks saw 10 heavily-armed Islamist gunmen storm targets including luxury hotels, a Jewish centre and a train station.

Two Supreme Court judges in New Delhi will hear the appeal, which is expected to last several weeks after opening with a statement from Kasab’s court-appointed counsel Raju Ramachandran.

“It is a call of duty,” Mr Ramachandran told the AFP news agency by telephone, declining to talk further about the case.

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The Holy Prophet of Islam and Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was born on 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal . His birth took place in Makkah on a Monday in the house known as Dar Al-Mawlid, in the year of the Elephant, which corresponds to 571 C.E. Both his father, Abdullah Ibn Abdul Muttalib, and mother, Amina Bint Wahab, were well-known individuals. The Holy Prophet never knew his father, who had died in the months before his birth. It was left to his grandfather to name him Muhammad (s.a.w.). It is incumbent upon Muslims to know the importance of this noble Prophet (pbuh) and to abide by the Quran, which was revealed to him Rabi’ul-Awwal is the most significant month in the Islamic history, because humanity has been blessed in this month by the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad , Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. Before the birth of the Holy Prophet, (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam), not only the Arabian peninsula, but also the so-called civilized nations of Rome and Persia were drowned in the darkness of ignorance, superstitions, oppression and unrest. The Holy Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, came with the eternal truth of Tawhid (Oneness of Allah), the only faith which provides a firm basis for the real concepts of knowledge, equity and peace. It was this faith which delivered humanity from ignorance and superstitions and spread the light of true knowledge all over the world.

1) Shereh Bukhari Imam Ahmad Qistalaani (radi Allahu anhu) states in his most distinguished work “Mustataab Mawahibul Laduniyah” that Hazrat Imam Zainul Aabideen (radi Allahu anhu) narrated from His father Hazrat Imam Hussain (radi Allahu anhu) who narrated from His father Hazrat Ali Mushkil Kusha (radi Allahu anhu) that the Beloved Prophet (Sall Allaho Alaihi Wa Sallam) has stated,” 14000 years before the creation of Hazrat Adam (Alaihis Salaam) I was a Noor by my creator.”

2) Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (radi Allahu anhu) says, “Whosoever spends one dirham on the birthday (Moulood) of the Prophet (sall Allaho alaihi wasallam), he will be with me in Jannat.” (An Ne’matul Kubra) 3) The Beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa Salla Allahu ta’ala ‘alayhi wa Sallam celebrated his own Milad by having fast. When the Beloved Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta’ala ‘alayhi wa Sallam was asked about the fast of Monday. He Salla Allahu ta’ala ‘alayhi wa Sallam said: “I took birth and the Quran was revealed upon me in this day.” (Mishkat Sharif, Page 179) 4) The blessed and distinguished Sahabie-Rasool Hazrat Abu Hurairah (radi Allahu anhu) states, “When the beloved Prophet (Sall Allaho Alaihi Wa Sallam) used to smile then the walls would glow with his Noor.”

(Mawahibul Laduniyah pg 271 vol 1, Anwaarul Muhammadiya pg 133, Shifa Shareef pg 39, Hashia Shamail Tirmizi pg 16, Shara Shifa Mulla Ali Qaari, Madarijun Nabuiwat (Persian) pg 12, Hujatullahi Alal Alameen pg 689) 5)Hadrat Abdullah Ibn Abbas Radi Allahu anhu reported that one day at his home he was discussing with others the events of the birth of our beloved Prophet Sayyedina Muhammad Mustufa Salla Allahu ta’ala ‘alayhi wa Sallam and the listeners were enhanced by what

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 02 February 2012

they heard, they thanked Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala and sent Durood upon our Beloved Prophet Sayyedina Muhammad Mustufa Salla Allahu ta’ala ‘alayhi wa Sallam. that moment our Beloved Prophet S! ayyedina Muhammad Mustufa Salla Allahu ta’ala ‘alayhi wa Sallam came, to them suddenly and said to them, “ My Intercession for you is made accepted” (Kitabul- Tanweer, p25) 6) It is reported in Tirmizi Shareef that the Prophet (sall Allaho alaihi wasallam) was great in eyes and grand in heart. His face was brilliant, shining like a full moon and was brightly coloured. His forehead was broad, wide and the beard was thick.”

7) It is on the authority of Hazrat Abu Moosa Ash’ari (radi Allahu anhu) that the Prophet (sall Allaho alaihi wasallam) said, “I am Muhammad and Ahmed and I am the one who came after all the Prophets (Khaatimun Nabiyeen) and I am the one who will give Hashr to the creation (in other words all will be present before the Prophet (sall Allaho alaihi wasallam) on Maidaan-e-Hashr) and I am the Prophet of Mercy.” (Musnad Imam Ahmed - Muslim) 8) Hazrat Abi bin Ka’ab (radi Allahu anhu) reports that the Prophet (sall Allaho alaihi wasallam) said, “On the day of Qiyamaah I will be the Leader and Khatib of all the Ambia (Alaihimus Salaam) and I will be the master of their intercession and I do not say this out of pride.”

9) Hazrat Abdullah ibn Ka’ab (radi Allahu anhu) narrated: “I heard Kaab bin Maalik (radi Allahu anhu) talking about his failure to join (the Ghazwa of) Tabuk. He said, “When I greeted Allah’s Nabi (sall Allaho alaihi wasallam) , his face was glittering with happiness, for whenever Allah’s Messenger (sall Allaho alaihi wasallam) was happy, his (blessed) face used to glitter, as if it was a piece of the moon, and we used to recognise (his happiness) from his face.” (Bukhari) 10) Hazrat Ali Radi Allahu anhu says, “Whosoever respects the Meelad Shareef and is a means of motivating a Meelad gathering, He will take from this world the gift of Imaan and He will enter Jannat without any questioning.” (An Ne’matul Kubra) Our Prophet : Enes Ibn Malik reports that a Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah and greeted him in the Masjid. The Messenger of Allah asked him where he came from. The Bedouin said:” I came from far, seeking answers to some questions”.

Our master told him to ask his questions: “I wish to be an intelligent man, what should I do?”

Holy Prophet replied, “Fear Allah”.

“I wish to be a loyal servant to Allah and do what He wants me to do?”

Holy Prophet replied, “Read the Quran.”

“I wish to be enlightened and have peace of heart?”

Holy Prophet replied, “Remember Death”.

“I wish to be protected against enemies?”

Holy Prophet replied, “Trust in Allah”.

“I wish to follow the Straight Path? “ Holy Prophet replied, “Do good to others for Allah’s sake”.

“What should I do so that Allah does not abase me?”

Holy Prophet replied, “Do not respond to the desires of your flesh”.

“I wish to have a long life?”

Holy Prophet replied, “Praise and thank Allah”.

“I wish for prosperity?”

Holy Prophet replied, “Be in a state of ablution at all times”.

“How can I save myself from the hellfire?”

Holy Prophet replied, “Protect your eyes and your tongue and your hands and what is below your waistline against evil”.

“How can I cleanse myself from my sins?”

Holy Prophet replied, “Shed tears for what you have done and repent by undoing what you have done wrong”.

“I wish to be a respectable person?”

Holy Prophet replied, “Then don’t ask for anything from anybody”.

Birth place of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H)

“I wish to be honorable?”

Holy Prophet replied, “Then don’t divulge the wrong doings of anybody”.

“What should I do to protect myself from the tortures of the grave?”

Holy Prophet replied, “Recite the Surah Mulk”.

“What should one do to be rich?”

Holy Prophet replied, “Read the Surah Muzammil”.

“How should I calm my fear of the day of last judgment?”

Holy Prophet replied, “Remember Allah before you eat anything and before you sleep”.

“What should I do to feel the presence of Allah when I make my prayers?”

Holy Prophet replied, “Give the utmost care in taking your ablutions and in being clean and pure”.

PROPHETS & THEIR AGES :Hazrat Idrees (Alaihi Salaam) : Three-hundred and fifty-six (356) years Hazrat Nooh (Alaihi Salaam) (Noha) : Nine-hundred and fifty (950) years Hazrat Hud (Alaihi Salaam) : Two-hundred and sixy-five (265) years Hazrat Saaleh (Alaihi Salaam) : Five-hundred and eighty-six (586) years Hazrat Ayyoob (Alaihi Salaam) : One-hundred and forty-six (146) years Hazrat Shoayb (Alaihi Salaam) : Eight-hundred and eighty-two (882) years Hazrat Ibraaheem (Alaihi Salaam) : One-hundred and ninety-five (195) years Hazrat Sulaimaan (Alaihi Salaam) : One-hundred and fifty (150) years Hazrat Zakariyya (Alaihi Salaam) : Two-hundred and seven (207) years Hazrat Ya’qoob (Alaihi Salaam) : One-hundred and thirty-nine (139) years Hazrat Moosa (Alaihi Salaam) : One-hundred and twenty-five (125) years Hazrat Ishaaq (Alaihi Salaam) : One-hundred and twenty (120) years Hazrat Haaroon (Alaihi Salaam) : One-hundred and nineteen (119) years Hazrat Ismaaéel (Alaihi Salaam) : One-hundred and thirty-seven (137) years Hazrat Yuusuf (Alaihi Salaam) : One-hundred and ten (110) years Hazrat Yahya (Alaihi Salaam) : Ninety-five (95) years Hazrat Muhammad (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) : Sixty-three (63) years Maahe Rabi-un-Noor Mubarak!!!

Assalam u Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu!

Hope you are well by the grace of Almighty Allah and the Blessings of His Beloved Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam).

The Blessed Month of Rabi-un-Noor has already begun. May Allah Subhanahu Wa taala make this month blessed for us.

Let us try to celebrate this Blessed Month in a unique way, a 7-point program mentioned below. * Recite Durood Shareef 12000 times or at least 1200 times in 12 Days

* Recite 12 Sipaarahs of the Holy Quran or at least 12 Rukus in 12 Days * Feed at least 12 needy. * Visit at least 12 sick people and also try to arrange medicines for them. * Try to arrange the gathering for Meelad-e-Mustafa (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) in the form of Noorie Mehfil. * Visit places where the gatherings for Meelad-e-Mustafa (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and Praise of the Beloved Prophet (Sallallahu Alaiahi Wasallam) are arranged in the form of Noorie Mehfils or Ijtemas. * Decorate your residence and its surrounding with the special flags of Eid Meelad-un-Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and enlighten it with attractive lights.

May Allah Taala make this month a great blessing for us.

--- Aameen.

NEWS

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Afghan family guilty in honour killing

Saarc international I Thursday 02 February 2012

At the heart of Shafia trial, the notion of what is a girl A CANADIAN jury has found an Afghan father, his wife and their son guilty of killing three teenage sisters and another wife in what the judge described as “cold-blooded, shameful murders” resulting from a “twisted concept of honour”.

The jury took 15 hours to find Mohammad Shafia, 58; his wife Tooba Yahya, 42; and their son Hamed, 21, each guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in a case that shocked and riveted Canadians from coast to coast.

After the verdict was read, the three defendants again declared their innocence in the killings of sisters Zainab, 19, Sahar 17, and Geeti, 13, as well as Rona Amir Mohammad, 52, Shafia’s childless first wife in a polygamous marriage.

Their bodies were found on June 30, 2009, in a car submerged in a canal in Kingston, Ontario, where the family had stopped for the night on their way home to Montreal from Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Prosecutors said the defendants allegedly killed the three teenage sisters because they dishonoured the family by defying its disciplinarian rules on dress, dating, socialising and going online.

Shafia’s first wife was living with him and his second wife.

The polygamous relationship, if revealed, could have resulted in their deportation.

The prosecution alleged it was a case of premeditated murder, staged to look like an accident after it was carried out. Prosecutors said the defendants drowned their victims elsewhere on the site, placed their bodies in the car and pushed it into

the canal.

Defence lawyers said the evidence suggested that the deaths were accidental. They said the Nissan car accidentally plunged into the canal after the eldest daughter, Zainab, took it for a joy ride.

After the jury returned the verdicts, Mohammad Shafia, speaking

the apparent reason behind these cold-blooded, shameful murders was that the four completely innocent victims offended your completely twisted concept of honour ... that has absolutely no place in any civilised society.”

The family had left Afghanistan in 1992 and lived in Pakistan,

says his daughters “betrayed us immensely”.

The wiretaps, which capture Shafia spewing vitriol about his dead daughters, calling them treacherous and whores and invoking the devil to defecate on their graves, were a focal point of the trial.

But defence lawyers argued that

through a translator, said: “We are not criminal, we are not murderer, we didn’t commit the murder and this is unjust.”

His weeping wife, Tooba, also declared the verdict unjust, saying: “I am not a murderer, and I am a

Australia and Dubai before settling in Canada in 2007. Shafia, a wealthy businessman, married Yahya because his first wife could not have children.

The months leading up to the deaths were not happy ones in the

at no point in the intercepts do the accused say they drowned the victims.

Were Shafia murders ‘honour killings’ or domestic violence?

Canadians are debating how to correctly describe the Shafia

mother, a mother.”

Their son, Hamed, speaking in English said: “I did not drown my sisters anywhere.”

But Judge Robert Maranger was unmoved, saying the evidence clearly supported their conviction for “the planned and deliberate murder of four members of your family”.

“It is difficult to conceive of a more despicable, more heinous crime ...

Shafia household, according to evidence presented at trial. Zainab, the oldest daughter, was forbidden to attend school for a year because she had a young PakistaniCanadian boyfriend, and she fled to a shelter, terrified of her father, the court was told.

The prosecution presented wire taps and mobile phone records from the Shafia family in court. In one phone conversation, the father

murders — is it domestic violence or honour killing?

The debate represents a fundamental divide in the way the Shafia trial is being interpreted.

Some, like Saleha Khan, board member of the London-based Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration, believe that domestic violence is the issue in this case.

“The essence is that it’s the man’s

sense of control,” said Khan. “It’s unfortunately something that could be anywhere,” she said.

“In certain communities, it will be called a crime of passion,” she said, “but for others it will be an honour killing.”

Many agree with her. et others say the Shafia murders are honour killings.

“This is a real issue,” said Tarek Fatah, founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress, a non-profit advocacy group.

“Honour killing is the logical extreme of the belief that suggests men are the guardians,” he said.

Fatah says his concern is that Canadian political correctness is getting in the way of a frank discussion of the problem: that some Muslims consider women the possession of men.

“If these four women were white women, they would still be alive today,” he said.

“If a white student would go to the principal or the police and say they would be beaten up, no one would go to their parents and say ‘can you repeat what you said to us?’ These girls went to the school, the cops, child services and everyone wanted to protect multiculturalism — not the lives of these young women,” Fatah said.

Semantics aside, most say the Superior Court’s guilty verdict was the right one.

“This verdict sends a very clear message about our Canadian values and the core principles in a free and democratic society that all Canadians enjoy and even visitors to Canada enjoy,” said lead prosecutor Gerard Laarhuis outside court on Sunday.

“The government has realized that they should not entertain any defence with a strong honour crime theme,” said Amin Muhammad, a professor of psychiatry at Memorial University in St. John’s and author of a Canadian study on honour killings, to the Montreal Gazette.

“They have treated this on par with any murder, and that’s the beauty of this verdict.”

Saarc international I Thursday 02 February 2012

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Supreme Court may form larger bench in BB murder case I

n response to President Asif Ali Zardari’s speech on December 27 criticising the judiciary, the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday said that it may constitute a larger bench to address the Benazir Bhutto assassination case.

The court also issued notices to former law minister Dr Babar Awan, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid leader Pervaiz Elahi along with others allegedly involved in the case to submit replies to the court.

The court adjourned the hearing for two weeks.

Heading a three-member bench, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry asked Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq to take directives from the government in this regard.

The chief justice also ordered the special judge of an anti-terrorism court to submit photocopies of the

FIR, reports and records, and a summary of the progress in the case in the next hearing.

The court observed that this case was serious in nature and that the people wanted to know the truth behind Bhutto’s assassination.

The three-member bench, comprising the chief justice, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Pervaiz, said that the court was

concerned because President Zardari had remarked earlier that the court was not taking the matter seriously.

The chief justice observed that the court would have taken a suo motu action in the case, but it didn’t, because a petition was submitted to the court.

During the hearing, the chief justice asked the attorney general if he was satisfied with the progress of the

investigation. The AG said that, there was no problem in the case so far, and the investigations were being carried out. He also specified three different investigations including the Scotland Yard, a United Nations Commission’s report and a joint investigation team.

In reply to which, the chief justice said that the UN commission’s report was civil in nature, not criminal.

He said that it was the task of the government to take clues from it and carry out an independent investigation. The court observed that it was compulsory to have an independent investigation body.

Petitioner requests SC for a new FIR in the case A petition was filed in the court today requesting for a new FIR in BB assassination case to be lodged.

The petitioner, former chief protocol officer of Benazir Bhutto Advocate Chaudhry Aslam, prayed to the court that the first FIR submitted in the case did not mention the names of the “real culprits”.

In a response, Lawyer Chaudhry Amjad Iqbal submitted an affidavit to the court on behalf of the two alleged suspects in the case, Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema and Kamal Shah, and said that that his clients did not have any involvement in the case.

Pakistan should “redouble efforts” on Shahzad murder probe: HRW The Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a news release on Monday said that the inability of the commission, formed to investigate the death of Pakistani journalist Saleem Shahzad, in naming those responsible was a matter of concern.

The HRW moreover stated that the Pakistani government should “redouble efforts” to find responsibility for the death of the journalist who had reported that militants had infiltrated the military.

Shahzad, who used to worked for an Italian news agency and a Hong Kongregistered news site, had told the Human Rights Watch that he had been getting threats from intelligence agents.

“The commission’s failure to get to the bottom of the Shahzad killing illustrates the ability of the ISI to remain beyond the reach of Pakistan’s criminal justice system,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

“The government still has the responsibility to identify those responsible for Shahzad’s death and hold them accountable, no matter where the evidence leads.”

The commission which didn’t single out any person or organisation for the murder, in turn, left the room open for further probe.

“The commission appeared fearful of confronting the ISI over Shahzad’s death,” said Adams.

“Shahzad had made it clear to Human Rights Watch that should he be killed, the ISI should be considered the principal suspect. He had not indicated he was afraid of being killed by militant groups or anybody else.”

The ISI has in the past denied as “baseless” allegations that it was involved in Shahzad’s murder.

Shahzad, a 40-year-old father of three, had vanished in May last year after

leaving his home in Islamabad to appear on a television talk show, two days after writing an article about links between rogue elements of the navy and al Qaeda following an attack on a naval base.

Earlier in 2011 the top officer in the US military, Admiral Mike Mullen blamed and said Pakistan’s government “sanctioned” the killing of journalist Saleem Shahzad, But he said he could not confirm if the country’s powerful intelligence agency, the ISI, was involved.

The Pakistani government called the statement “extremely irresponsible”. The ISI has denied any involvement.

Adm Mullen’s remarks are the most explicit to date in a downward spiral in recent US-Pakistan relations.

Earlier In another report The New Yorker magazine has said that Pakistani journalist Saleem Shahzad could have been killed on the orders of a senior

officer who was part of Pak Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani’s staff, and that the murder was possibly linked to a drone attack days later in which senior Al-Qaeda operative Ilyas Kashmiri was killed.

The article, written by Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist Dexter Filkins, details the events leading up to Shahzad’s death in May this year. “...Reliable intelligence indicates that the order to kill Shahzad came from a senior

officer on General Kiyani’s staff. The officer made it clear that he was speaking on behalf of Kiyani himself,” the article says.

Noting that Kashmiri was killed four days after Shahzad’s body was found, the article suggests that Pak intelligence agencies tortured the journalist to get information on the whereabouts of the terrorist, which was passed on to the US.

The article reports that the inspectorgeneral of Islamabad police told journalists that Shahzad’s cellphone records had registered more than 258 calls from Kashmiri within a one-month period.

The article claims that Shahzad was under the scanner of Pakistani intelligence agencies, as in the months before his killing, foreign intelligence agencies, including Indian and British, had tried to recruit him.

According to the report, Roger van Zwanenberg, publisher of Pluto Press, the London imprint that released Shahzad’s book, claimed that British intelligence officers wanted Shahzad to help them get in touch with Taliban leaders but he declined. He added that when Shahzad attended a conference in Delhi this spring, “officers from an Indian intelligence agency offered to put him on a retainer.”

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Saarc international I Thursday 02 February 2012

WEEKLY REVIEW OF PAKISTAN NEWS

PML-N plans opposition meeting Pakistan Muslim League-N is planning to convene a meeting of opposition parties both inside&outside parliament to devise a joint strategy “to force the government to announce early general election under a neutral set-up&an independent election commission.

PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, who returned from London on Sunday, has decided to summon a consultative meeting of senior party leaders and office-bearers at his Raiwind residence in a couple of days —- probably on Tuesday —- to discuss a host of important issues, including the plan for the “grand opposition conference”.

According to the sources, the PML-N leadership is expected to take some important decisions regarding the party’s strategy on issues like the ongoing judicial probe into the memo controversy, the 20th constitution amendment bill tabled in the National Assembly, forthcoming joint session of parliament and Senate elections.

When contacted, PML-N’s Deputy Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal said his

party would convene the conference but only after knowing the viewpoint of opposition leaders who had met Mr Sharif and sought time to consult their party colleagues before taking a decision about future cooperation.

Earlier this month, Mr Sharif met Qazi Hussain Ahmed of Jamaati-Islami, Maulana Fazlur Rehman of the JUI-F, Aftab Sherpao of the PPP-S and Mehmood Khan Achakzai of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and there was a consensus amongst them that early elections were the only solution to the problems being faced by the country.

Mr Iqbal said the three issues that had come under discussion with the opposition leaders were a strategy to force the government to hold early elections, appointment of a neutral caretaker set-up and the steps to make the election commission independent and powerful.

Responding to a question, he said the PML-N was ready to talk to all parties, including the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf,

on the said issues, but it appeared that Mr Khan was not willing to talk to his party.

The sources said the senior PML-N leadership in their meeting would also take a decision about awarding party tickets for the Senate elections.

They said the party would also devise a strategy for the planned joint session of parliament to discuss the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security on the terms and conditions for re-engagement with the US in the

war on terror.

Moreover, the PML-N leaders will decide about the steps to counter the government’s move of giving legal cover to the by-elections held under an incomplete election commission, currently under scrutiny by the Supreme Court.

The government has already tabled the 20th Constitution Amendment in the National Assembly for this purpose and Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has announced that the PML-N would not support it.

The sources said the PML-N leadership was upset over a delay in judicial probe into the memo case amid speculations that the civil and military leaderships had reached some kind of understanding on the issue after which both sides had started using delaying tactics before the judicial commission. Political analysts believe that detraction of his statements about the role of army in the memo case by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani last week clearly shows that the matters between the two sides have been settled.

Advocate Akram Sheikh, who is representing Mansoor Ijaz, the central character in the memo case, told a TV channel last week that he was “disappointed” to see that Mr Sharif was “not taking due interest in the memo case” because his counsel was yet to provide a list of witnesses.

The PML-N, the sources said, would also finalise arrangements for the energy conference being convened by it on Feb 20.

World Economic Forum: All stakeholders Haqqani to travel to the US: sources favour democracy, stresses Gilani

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday rejected any perceptions of clashes between state institutions in the country and reaffirmed that all stakeholders in the country favoured democracy in the country.

Talking to reporters here after an interview with the BBC, Gilani said that since several issues had propped up at the same time, there was a feeling that institutions in the country were clashing with each other. He, however, quelled all rumours by saying that all institutions were working within the ambit of the Constitution.

Talking about his meeting with Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq

Parvez Kayani and Director General ISI Lt General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, prior to his departure for the World Economic Forum, Gilani said the meeting focused on security matters related to Afghanistan and was also

attended by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.

The prime minister said civil society, the intelligentsia, the media, the parliamentarians, they all want democracy in the country.

“Nobody is in favour of something other than democracy. Democracy is strong and will stay intact and no one has a desire to violate the Constitution.”

Responding to a question about Mansoor Ijaz’s refusal to visit Pakistan, Gilani said he was summoned by the court, and he was not in a position to offer any comments on the matter as the issue was sub judice.

Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani is expected to fly out of the country in the early hours of Tuesday after restrictions on his travel were eased by the Supreme Court, sources .

According to sources, Haqqani will be leaving for Doha on a private jet around 4 am Tuesday morning, from where he will later travel to the US. Haqqani is also scheduled to meet with top officials in the US. Sources also said that the former ambassador met with the Deputy Chief of the US Mission in Islamabad Jonathan Pratt at the Prime Minister’s House where the memo case and other issues were discussed.

Earlier during the day, Haqqani’s counsel Asma Jehangir had requested

Disinformation alleged: Longer tenure ruled out for spymaster

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has rubbished the impression that his administration was considering extending the tenure of the country’s top spymaster in an effort to heal its months-long rift with the security establishment.

Relations between the security establishment and the PPP-led coalition government have been bedevilled by the infamous Memogate scandal which is yet to see its dropscene.

With Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha retiring this March, rumours have swirled

about the government granting him a possible extension.

“It’s disinformation that meetings with the military brass prior to my departure for Davos were meant to ease the tensions with them,”

the prime minister told journalists upon returning from the Swiss city where he attended the World Economic Forum.

The premier refused to comment on his statement about the replies

submitted by army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Gen Pasha in the apex court in the Memogate case.

“Things are settling down. I’ve sacked the person who was responsible for the chaos and I don’t want to re-open the much-debated issue as I’ve already clarified the situation,” he said, referring to former defence secretary Lt Gen (retd) Khalid Naeem Lodhi.

Early elections Opposition parties, especially the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur Rehman Group) have been calling for snap elections.

the apex court to ease travel restrictions placed on her client, who, she argued, had family abroad.

Subsequently, the court permitted Haqqani to travel.

“He is allowed to proceed out of country,” Chief Justice Iftikhar said in his order, after Jehangir guaranteed her client would appear before judges at four days’ notice if required.

The court moreover directed that in case of travelling abroad, Haqqani would have to inform the court’s registrar office.

“I am glad that the Supreme Court has restored my right to travel, which had been rescinded without any charges being filed against me. I will join my family in the US after discussions with the leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party,” Haqqani had told a reporter.

Haqqani twitted after #Husain Haqqani Supreme Court restores my freedom 2 travel. Lest some1 forgets, I returned & resigned voluntarily 2 disprove falsehoods.

Later he twitted #Hussain Haqqani My counsel & I will continue 2 cooperate w/ Inquiry Commission set up by SC.

Saarc international I Thursday 02 February 2012

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF MALDIVE NEWS

“Won’t contest elections without just courts” An audio clip of President Mohamed Nasheed saying that he would not contest in elections until the promises of establishing fair and just courts and freedom of expression are achieved has been leaked last Friday.

“I will not head towards an election after these five years without establishing a fair and just judiciary system and complete freedom of expression. It was a promise we made to the people of the country,” the

President said.

However, it is yet unknown when and where President Nasheed’s statement had been recorded.

The audio recording did not contain any further comments or which election the President was referring to was unclear and hence can be presumed to be a small part derived from a larger statement made by President Nasheed.

Haveeru was unsuccessful in obtaining

23 Dec coalition gives pledge of allegiance to VP 23 December Coalition, the coalition of the Civic Society Coalition and opposition political parties has given their pledge of allegiance to the Vice President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik. and has called the military and the Police to give their pledge of allegiance to the Vice President.

The 23 December coalition alleged that the Vice President has said that he will take full responsibility of the continuous anti-government protests held in the capital city.

After a short while since the start of the last night’s episode of the antigovernment protest, the steering committee of the network of opposition political parties and NGOs held an emergency meeting at 23:20hrs at the office of the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP). The meeting was chaired by the President of the opposition Adhaalath Party, Sheikh Imran Abdullah. After concluding the meeting the participants met with the Vice President Dr. Mohamed Waheed at his residence Hilaaleege.

The meeting held with the Vice President was concluded at 1:04hrs.

Spokesperson of the coalition Abdullah Mohamed informed the media that the meeting with the Vice President was held because the coalition realized that

Maldives is currently in a state of legal vacuum because of the opposition of the President to the constitution and law.

“The constitution is very clear on the responsibilities of the Vice President.

In this state it is the responsibility of the Vice President to uphold the law. Therefore we have informed him that we have given him our pledge of allegiance. We urge the military and the Police to give their pledge of allegiance to the Vice President and obey his orders,” he said. Abdullah said that the Vice President is ready to take his legal responsibilities. “I excuse myself from giving any more information regarding this for now,” he said.

Speaking to the media, General Secretary of the opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) said that this step

taken by the coalition is praiseworthy.

He said that the Vice President’s assurance to save the nation from the current legal vacuum has given the coalition new hope.

“The Vice President is ready to do whatever he has to do in his capabilities to uphold the constitution and law.

The Vice President is very worried and concerned about the current situation. The thinking of the Vice President is very different from that of the President. When all of the political parties aside from the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) observed the same story, the Vice President very keenly listened to the coalition. This means that in our work we have come to a totally new phase of development,” he said. Meanwhile, last night’s protest was dispersed by the riot police with

force. The Police used pepper spray to disperse the protesters. A journalist from the local TV station, VTV said that the Police deliberately sprayed pepper spray on him. A journalist from MNBC was badly hurt and was taken to the hospital. It was also reported that a woman was badly beaten by the Police.

A group of thugs armed with kitchen knives who were apparently against the 23 December coalition were seen outside the DRP office when the meeting of the coalition was going on in the office. Another group entered the ranks of the protesters causing unrest in last night’s episode of the opposition protest against the government.

However, they were sent away by the Police. A number of arrests were also made last night. MP Ahmed Nihan was released from Police custody at Dhoonidhoo last night. He said that he was treated good but the cause of his arrest was doubtful.

Last night’s protest was dispersed at the Artificial Beach area. The protest turned violent and some protesters threw stones and crude oil towards the masked riot Police. The protesters said that they were peacefully protesting and that the Police sprayed pepper spray and used force and therefore instigated violence and unrest.

an official comment regarding the audio recording.

In a previously leaked audio clip allegedly from the President’s meeting with Special Forces last Thursday, Nasheed is heard saying that Judges to the lower courts had been appointed in violation of the constitution and that rulings by these Judges cannot be implemented and he was also considering to withhold the salaries of these Judges.

If the Presidential Election is not held we will topple the govt of Nasheed: Rozaina

Thulusdhoo MP and member of the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Rozaina Adam has said that there is no excuse for the President to not hold the Presidential Election of 2013 and that the government of President Mohamed Nasheed will be toppled if the election is not held.

In view of the recent audio leak of the President in which the President is heard to say that he will not hold the Presidential Election if a just and fair Judiciary is not established, Rozaina said that holding elections at proper dates is something that the international groups and even other countries give importance to. She said that the international groups even pressurize the governments to hold the elections if the governments delay the holding of elections.

MP Nasheed slams Govt for detaining Judge Judge Abdulla’s case to UN Working Group Kulhudhuffushi South MP M. Nasheed has strongly criticized the govt for its blatant constitutional violations with regard to the arrest & subsequent detention of Criminal Court’s Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed by Special Forces since the 16th of this month.

He made the statement whilst addressing the opposition members at their series of anti government protests demanding for the immediate release of Judge Abdulla.

“Even if I’m chopped to pieces I will not back down from saying that the arrest of Judge Abdulla is against the constitution”, Nasheed making his first appearance in these protests said last night.

Making several legal points, and quoting instances of the government’s reaction to previous Supreme Court rulings, he said that the government had overstepped its authority and has violated the individual rights of Judge Abdulla since his arrest.

He also said that the apprehension of

Abdulla Judge was within the criminal boundaries stipulated in the “enforced disappearance” convention and that the first offence mentioned was the arrest, detention, and abduction of persons, and the second being the special forces had acted as agents with the authorization and acquiescence of the State.

Nasheed further stated that whilst dangerous and hard-core criminals were treated in accordance with the law, “Why is he (Judge Abdulla) considered so dangerous that he had been denied his liberties?” he questioned the audience.

“I don’t mind him (Judge Abdulla) being sent away for life, as long as he is convicted by a court of law”, MP Nasheed added.

The case of the “enforced disappearance” of Criminal Court’s Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed in custody of the Special Forces since the 16th of this month has been submitted the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Working Group.

Judge Abdulla’s lawyer Maumoon Hameed said Thursday that the complaint was filed with the UN Human Rights Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance (WGEID) to compel law enforcement authorities to function within the constitution.

“Our aim is to bring Judge Abdulla back to the protection of the law, to unite him with his family and to compel the Special Forces to obey court orders”, Maumoon added.

He further stated that by submitting the case to the UN Human Rights Working Group it would facilitate and pave the way to discussions in the UN Human Rights Council. “This Working Group might make a country visit to the Maldives and would issue a report which would contain the actions and comments of the Government with regard to the case”, he said.

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Saarc international I Thursday 02 February 2012

WEEKLY REVIEW OF NEPAL NEWS

Discharge of retiring fighters ‘from Friday’ The Maoist leadership has assured the opposition parties that the discharge of former Maoist combatants opting for voluntary retirement will begin on Friday, said senior leaders involved in the negotiation.

UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai have told the Nepali Congress leaders that they will not backtrack from the Special Committee’s decision to bid farewell to 7,365 combatants. The opposition parties had grown warier after some commanders of the Maoist army on Sunday pressed the party leadership to ensure tax exemption in cash package and a certificate from the government to the retiring combatants. Both NC and UML have bluntly rejected the possibility of meeting these demands.

“We are cautious and awaiting implementation of the understanding.

The Maoist leadership has told us that the process of retirement would start on Friday,” said a Nepali Congress leader.

Maoist Politburo member Janardan Sharma also confirmed that the process would start soon. However, it was not clear whether the tax exemption and certificate issues could delay the process.

“We are ready to start the process from Tuesday. It is the responsibility of the Special Committee Secretariat to make technical preparations required to start the work,” Sharma said.

The Secretariat is busy opening bank accounts and readying cheques to be distributed to the retiring combatants.

The work will be completed by Tuesday and teams to execute the farewell process will be ready to leave for cantonments by Wednesday or Thursday, said a Secretariat member.

The Secretariat had last month formulated an action plan that outlines handover of account payee cheques to combatants, opening bank accounts and completing work in all seven main and 21 satellite cantonments within 15 days.

However, the army integration process is likely to be stalled until there is a fresh agreement among

Changed equation: PM says Dahal wavering in his support to govt Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has said party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has been wavering in his support to the government following his alliance with the hardline faction.

The Bhattarai camp believes that Dahal is also ‘plotting’ the overthrow of the government.

In a recent meeting with his supporters at Baluwatar, Bhattarai said that after the party’s Central Committee (CC) meeting that concluded on January 15, Dahal has stopped supporting his government. The CC meet had brought Dahal and Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya, who were at loggerheads for long, closer.

“After intensifying interactions and meetings with the Baidya faction, he [Dahal] has started objecting to the government’s decisions instead of defending them,” said a source close to the PM. A Bhattarai loyal said Dahal is maintaining double standards on some crucial decisions of the government.

To appease the Maoist hardliners and the opposition parties, the leader said, Dahal seems weakkneed on issues like BIPAA, decision on war-era property transactions, combatants’ farewell plan and fuel price hike.

“We are not getting complete support from the chairman in some

issues, although he played a leading role in forming this government,” PM’s Political Advisor Devendra Poudel said.

Dahal instructed the party’s student wing and the Young Communist League to take to the streets against price hike to put the government in a difficult position, said a leader. Another leader said Dahal had agreed to hike the prices of the petroleum products but failed to defend the government’s decision. Different wings of the Maoist party have joined hands with the opposition parties to protest the government’s decision to hike the fuel prices.

Similarly, Dahal has piled pressure on the PM for scrapping the Cabinet’s decision to legalise land transactions made through the

Maoist-run parallel government during the insurgency.

A source close to the PM said Dahal is pressuring him through informal channels and opposition parties to withdraw the decision.

“PM Bhattarai has reportedly expressed his dissatisfaction over Dahal’s double standard,” said a source. “Dahal himself had urged Bhattarai to take the decision and he has backtracked from his position now.”

On BIPAA, Dahal has stated that the PM did not communicate with him well before signing the deal with India.

Bhattarai supporters blame Dahal for encouraging the Opposition to seek an alternative to this government and proposing a new national consensus government.

parties on ranks and some other issues. Though November 1 peace deal stipulates that maximum 6,500 combatants will be integrated into the Nepal Army, 9,705 combatants expressed their willingness towards integration during the regrouping process. Maoist leader Sharma said the integration process would commence only after the voluntary retirement process was completed.

“To start the integration immediately means obstructing the process. There are issues like ranks and bridging course that should be settled at the political level,” he said.

Nepali Congress leader Ram Sharan Mahat demanded that Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai instruct the NA to start the integration process.

“Both integration and voluntary retirement process should move hand in hand. The Maoists cannot do what is beneficial to them,” he said.

“They are creating hurdles in each and every step and inclined to bid farewell to combatants because there is cash component,” he said.

Bhattarai has reportedly told NC leaders that combatants opting for integration will be handed over to the Army once the issue of rank is settled at the political level. NC leaders have been arguing that the NA should be allowed to decide on the ranks on completion of the bridging course.

No tax exemption to combatants: NC Nepali Congress leader and Special Committee member Ram Sharan Mahat on Monday said the combatants choosing voluntary retirement should not be exempted from tax. Mahat’s remark comes a day after Maoist commanders demanded that the party leadership ensure that the cash package worth Rs 500,000 to Rs 800,000 be taxfree. “They are not the creatures from another planet. They should follow the law of land and pay tax like common citizens,” he said.

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

Saarc international I Thursday 02 February 2012

SAARC

23

WEEKLY REVIEW OF SRILANKA NEWS

President to help kick-start PSC process “I will be asking all relevant political parties to come together in the Parliamentary Select Committee process in an effort to iron out differences of opinion among them with regard to the issues facing our communities & to speed-up normalization process.

“All these parties and other relevant sections are obliged to put the interests of Sri Lanka above their self-interest,” President Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday at his monthly breakfast meeting with newspaper Editors at Temple Trees.

The issues confronting us in this context should be resolved democratically, through the PSC process.

“Whether it be 13 plus or 13 minus, these and more issues should be sorted out through the PSC mechanism. The Opposition must join in this effort as the problems at hand should be resolved democratically,” the President explained. It is the PSC which must

clear-up all outstanding questions, he said. “Parliament’s decision on these matters is my decision,” the President emphasized.

“I am willing to expedite the PSC process to search for solutions to these issues. There is absolutely no need for intermediaries. While it is the responsibility of all to come together to search for solutions to our issues collectively, some parties in the Opposition are not even nominating their personnel to the PSC. The TNA has, on occasion, acted like the LTTE. They have joined discussions only to leave them abruptly. All need to remember that a problem which raged for 30 years cannot be resolved in a hurry,” the President explained.

When it was pointed out by some in his audience that some parties in the UPFA alliance had taken issue over questions like land and police powers to the Provincial Councils, the President said that it is up to these parties to join the PSC and to resolve

their issues within it. Although they may raise issue on this or that question, they are all committed to the Mahinda Chinthana, which makes it clear that a solution should be found to these questions’, it was pointed out.

Answering a question, Sajin Vaz

Gunawardena MP said that the LLRC recommendations are being studied by an Inter-Ministerial Committee headed by External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, with regard to their implementation.

Minister Basil Rajapaksa said that some of these recommendations are

already being implemented by some state agencies.

On being asked whether Sri Lanka was risking being seen as too closely linked to China, Minister Basil Rajapaksa said that this country was not partial towards China. Not all the moneys coming from China are loans. Most of theses moneys are either grants with no strings attached or gifts; for example, the Nelum Pokuna project and the BMICH renovation.

“Likewise, we are also assisted financially by India in numerous projects. For example, the numerous Northern railway ventures and the Southern railway project are cases in point.” The minister explained that since Sri Lanka meets its financial obligations it is helped in this way.

“Our economy is also seen as strong.

The IMF too has commended Sri Lanka’s financial management.

There is no question of Sri Lanka being bound to any country,” he said. ( L.O.)

Sri Lanka needs our support Special Pinkama to mark two years of President’s says Europe second term

The European Parliament Members (MEPs) have generally agreed that Sri Lanka needs Europe’s constructive support and encouragement, rather than constant harassment in overcoming problems and building a more prosperous and secure future for all Sri Lankans.

Chairman of the Friends of Sri Lanka Group in the European Parliament Geoffrey Van Orden MBE MEP made this observation in a press release after a meeting with MEPs from many different countries and political parties and others concerned, who met in the EU Parliament on January 25 for a roundtable discussion on the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission’s Report.

He said that several MEPs had visited Sri Lanka and heard a range of different views. Orden said that most MEPs had felt that the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) set up by Sri Lanka had addressed the issues of international concern and its

conclusion and recommendations were very encouraging.

“While there are still areas of concern, the MEPs generally agreed that Sri Lanka needs our constructive support and encouragement, rather than constant harassment, in overcoming the problems of the recent past and building a more prosperous and secure future for all its peoples, orden said. He said that what was now most important was that they be implemented. “Those including some normally reputable NGOs - who had suggested that the LLRC’s efforts would result in a whitewash, have been proved dramatically wrong “, he added.

Orden emphasized that an inclusive political process was essential to guarantee reconciliation and ensure that the mistakes of the past were not repeated.

“We were encouraged by the steps already taken through the timelimited Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) ; the Trilingual

Policy; and the bi-lateral talks with a leading Tamil party, the TNA, although there was disappointment that the TNA, through its reaction to the LLRC report, seemed to be stuck in the past”, he added.

Orden noted that the government of Sri Lanka has undertaken to investigate specific allegations of atrocity regarding the latter stages of the conflict; to ensure the dispossessed returned to the lands where they once lived; to end possession of unauthorised weapons; and to restrict the role of the Security Forces exclusively to security related matters.

“Concern was expressed at the continued activities of extremist elements within the diaspora in many countries who promoted discontent and sought to reignite conflict.

There was a call for people of Sri Lankan origin living overseas to do more for their former countrymen and invest in business and development projects.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa attended a Bodhi Pooja Pinkama held at the Gangaramaya, Hunupitiya on Thursday to invoke blessings on him, the War Heroes and the country.

The Pinkama was held to mark the President’s completion of two years of the second term of office following a convincing victory at the 2010 Presidential Election.

The Maha Sangha led by the Most Ven. Udugama Sri Buddharakkitha Mahanayaka Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter were present on the occasion.

After the President participated in religious observances at the Viharaya the Maha Sangha chanted Sethpirith and invoked blessings on him.

The Bodhi Pooja was conducted by Gangarama Viharadhipati Ven. Galaboda Gnanissara Thera and Ven. Kirinde Assaji Thera.

Parliamentarian Sajin Vaas Gunawardena, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Presidential Chief of Staff Gamini Senarath were also present on the occasion.

To advertise call 020 8904 0619

BUSINESS

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Saarc international I Thursday 02 February 2012

India transit to yield BD $ 256m a year Bangladesh is likely to earn US$ 256 million as fees and charges per annum if India is given transit facility to carry cargoes through its territory, the core committee report has estimated.

“If 10 million tonnes of cargoes are transported through Bangladesh, of which 50 per cent through road and the remaining through rail and waterways, the annual revenue from transit fees and charges is likely to stand at $256 million,” the report submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) early this month revealed.

However, the core committee has estimated that the total transit cargoes, both Indian domestic and international, may stand at 17.39 million tonnes per annum with two per cent annual growth.

It said charges for every tonne of cargoes per kilometre will vary for

different routes for the same mode of transport.

“Estimation shows that, depending on the routes, charges will vary from $0.08 to $0.11 for road transport, from $0.05 to $0.06 for railways and $0.02 to $0.03 for waterways,” the report says.

According to the report, the core committee has identified nine road routes, nine rail routes and five waterways for providing transit facilities to India and other neighbouring countries.

Starbucks in deal with Tata Global Beverages; to open first cafe in India

by August-September

Starbucks Corp will open its first coffee shops in India in August or September, a year later than originally planned, and aims to have 50 outlets by year-end through a tie-up with the Tata group, the country’s biggest business house.

The Seattle-based chain, known as much for the trendy urban lifestyle it represents as its costly cups of coffee, enters a market with a fastgrowing middle class and plenty of competition in the small but fast-growing coffee segment.

Starbucks had initially planned to have its first cafes in India open by mid2011 but was delayed by difficulties in acquiring real estate and high land costs, a common problem for chain stores in a country where more than 90 percent of retail is conducted at one-off mom-and-pop shops.

Whle the tie-up plans to take advantage of the Tata group’s sprawling presence by opening cafes in Tata hotels and retail outlets, it is also looking at other locations such as malls, railway stations, airports and offices.

India implemented new rules this

month to allow foreign single-brand retailers to operate wholly owned outlets, but Starbucks said it has not considered changing the 50-50 structure of the Tata Starbucks Ltd joint venture.

The first Starbucks shops will open in Mumbai and New Delhi, and the joint venture initially plans to invest 4 billion rupees ($81 million).

The formal launch of the retail foray into India comes a year after it signed a deal with Tata Global Beverages , a unit of the software-to-steel Tata conglomerate and the world’s secondlargest branded tea company, to buy coffee from India and open retail outlets in the country.

NATION OF TEA DRINKERS Cafe Coffee Day, a home-grown brand that is India’s largest coffee chain, has nearly 1,200 outlets and plans to open one cafe every third day. No.2 player Barista, owned by Italy’s Lavazza, has more than 200 cafes. UK-based Costa Coffee, which entered the market in 2008, has about 75 stores and is growing quickly.

“The condition of identified routes is not good enough to operate the transit cargoes. The current land ports infrastructure is grossly inadequate. Around $6.33 billion investment is required to make the routes operational which may take 3 to 4 years,” the report adds.

The report says that in accordance with the Article-V of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994, while no customs duty can be levied on transit goods, charges for infrastructure,

administrative and other services as per international practices may be levied on the same.

The core committee has proposed to levy user fee, infrastructure development surcharge, congestion charge, air pollution charge, river pollution charge, noise charge, accident charge, security charge, administrative charge and institutional charge on transit goods.

The committee also proposed to levy customs and land port fee,

foreign vehicle entry fee and fuel tax on transit cargoes. It also suggested taking bank guarantee on transit cargoes which is equivalent to total tax payable on import.

According to a recent ADB estimation, Bangladesh may earn $50 million per annum as transit charges. Besides, a Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) research stated that Bangladesh could expect no more than $2.3 billion in 30 years by giving transit to India.

The core committee in the report has suggested offering both the options -- transit and transhipment -- for the neighbouring countries.

Neighbouring India wants to get the transit and transhipment facility in Bangladesh mainly for carrying cargoes to its ‘seven sister states’ ---Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.

India still a foreign investment hot spot: E&Y Foreign direct investment in India is set to swell in coming years as investors stomach a lack of transparency, poor infrastructure and policy paralysis in their search for growth, professional services firm Ernst & Young (E&Y) said in a report.

Overseas investment in Asia’s thirdlargest economy rose for the first time in three years in 2011, the report noted, as global investors put their faith in rising salaries, an expanding middle-class and a large and cheap labour force.

“The fundamentals that make India attractive to investors remain intact,” Farokh T Balsara, head of markets at Ernst & Young India, wrote in the report released on Sunday.

“However, our respondents continue to cite inadequate infrastructure and a lack of governance and transparency as major obstacles to investment.”

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in India rose 13 percent to $50.81 billion in the first 11 months of 2011 from a year earlier (see chart below), while the total number of projects rose 25 percent to 864, the report said, citing data from the Financial Times’ FDI Intelligence service.

Business confidence in India has declined over the past year, as economic growth slowed from an annual rate of 8.5 percent in 2010/11 to about 7 percent, and corruption and policy paralysis discouraged investment in big projects.

Just over half of chief executives in India are still “very confident” of revenue growth in the next 12 months, down from 88 percent a year ago, according to a recent survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The majority of companies surveyed by

challenges far outweigh these concerns,” Balsara said. Automakers led the way in investing in India last year, boosting spending by 46 percent, E&Y said.

Technology and life sciences companies

E&Y were confident in the long-term prospects for investment in India, given sluggish growth in the United States and debt problems in Europe.

Almost 70 percent of 382 international companies surveyed said they plan to increase or maintain their operations in India, said the report, which was prepared for the World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland.

Just 19 percent said they had no plans to enter the country or were preparing to withdraw.

Robust domestic demand, cost competitiveness and a cheap, evergrowing labour force were cited India’s key benefits.

“Although the ongoing global uncertainty…(has) prompted some discomfort among global investors to make long-term commitments, India’s inherent advantages and its proven resilience to counter macroeconomic

were other big spenders, while spending by foreign companies on infrastructure and retail projects declined.

Ford Motor Co, which said this month it would spend $142 million on its Indian operations, and the Renault-Nissan alliance are among companies that are stepping up investment in India.

Other companies, particularly retailers, are not so sure.

Sweden’s IKEA, the world’s biggest furniture retailer, said this week that would be difficult to set up shop in India because of complex government sourcing rules announced this month.

Plans by companies such as WalMart were set back in December when the government, under pressure from political allies, abandoned a long-mooted policy to open up the supermarket sector to direct investment by foreign companies.

Saarc international I Thursday 02 February 2012

ENTERTAINMENT

Shah Rukh Khan, Shirish Kunder call a truce Shirish Kunder and Farah Khan went to Shah Rukh Khan’s home at Mannat on Tuesday evening and patched up. The truce was negotiated by Farah’s brother, Sajid Khan and producer Sajid Nadiadwala. The duo called Shahrukh and Gauri Khan in the morning and fixed up a time with Farah and Shirish and went together for the meeting. “Shah Rukh and I have sorted out our differences and our relationship has become stronger,” Kunder told us adding, somewhat strangely, “No one knows what actually happened. Everyone is giving their own versions of the story.”

“Such things happen in parties,” he said, “We all were drunk and high and so we got into arguments.

We sat down, chatted and spoke whatever was there (sic) in our hearts. We have sorted everything for good.”

Kunder insisted that things were fine not only ‘between SRK and Gauri and me but also between Farah and SRK’.

“We were at Mannat for (almost) three hours and we laughed and cried. And I am grateful that

my brother Sajid Khan intervened along with Sajid Nadiadwala and ended this (fight),” Farah Khan was quoted telling a television channel.

Indian film star Shah Rukh Khan in scuffle row

Earlier in a surprising turn of events,

Shahrukh Khan has denied that he assaulted Farah Khan’s husband, filmmaker Shirish Kunder. Both Farah and her husband have gone on record confirming the assault so it is strange that King Khan denies

the same. Talking about SRK’s attack, Kunder told a tabloid that “I was totally unprepared for this kind of an attack. If I was standing in some area where I would expect some goondaism, I would have been better prepared. But this is a classy party. Who would expect someone to jump on your from behind?” The director adds that Dutt and Baba intervened to stop SRK’s attack. “I walked out of the party after that. He is taking out his personal frustrations on anyone he comes across.” We are waiting for an official statement about this incident from SRK. Watch this space for more. The paper said Shah Rukh was upset with Kunder over jibes on Twitter.

The NDTV news channel said the actor admitted that there had been a disagreement but denied any assault.

25 Saregama is proud to announce Kailash Kher and his band Kailasa’s first ever World Tour.

The tour begins its journey in the UK on April 4th, 2012, visiting prestigious venues in London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Leicester. “Saregama is proud to partner with Kailash Kher on the release of Rangeele and guarantee it will bring listeners much pleasure. We also look forward to hearing the songs from the new album being performed live during Kailash’s highly anticipated forthcoming UK tour in April 2012.” - Amarpal Singh Gaind, Saregama PLC, Head of Operations - Europe.

The world tour will make a pit stop in the Netherlands during the UK Tour before moving on to the United Stated, Canada, Surinam and Trinidad amongst other Caribbean countries.

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is Pakistan’s First Oscar Nomination Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy has become the first Pakistani filmmaker and director to reach the Oscar of Hollywood as her film Saving Face nominated as the best director Documentary or Short Film.

Categories of Oscar nominations were released on Tuesday 24 January 2012.

Sharmeen Obaid has made many international documentary films

including Pakistan: Children of the Taliban, Pakistan’s Open Secret and Saving Face. Sharmeen Obaid has already won the Emmy Award in 2010 for her documentary film Pakistan: Children of the Taliban.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy became the first Pakistani filmmaker to earn an Oscar nomination with her film Saving face, which was nominated in the “Documentary, short film” category as the Oscar nominations.

Sharmeen Obaid is Karachi-based filmmaker and she directed her film with co-director Daniel Junge. Saving Face tells the story of the life of a British Pakistani plastic surgeon who donates his time to heal acid victims in Pakistan.

The film is set to be released in March this year, while the Oscars will be held on February 26.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is bold. She seeks stories that touch the heart and turns them into movies that break it.

Having worked on subjects ranging from child abuse, violence against women, terrorism and natural disasters, Chinoy is passionate about films and views everything through a human mind and yet with the lens of her camera.

From being a brilliant journalist, to an established filmmaker, Chinoy has come a long way. After becoming the first Pakistani to win an Emmy Award, the

first non-US citizen to win the Livingston Award for Young Journalist, she has now become the first Pakistani individual to earn an Oscar nomination.

Last October, Chinoy revealed that her documentary Saving Face had entered the shortlist of Best Documentary (short film) category for the Oscars.

Here, she talks to Dawn.com about the long journey to the Oscars, moments after the Oscar nominations were revealed.

What was it that motivated you to work on this subject, which continues to be neglected in the mainstream media?

The film chronicles the work of acclaimed

British Pakistani plastic surgeon, Dr Mohammad Jawad as he travelled to Pakistan and performed reconstructive surgery on survivors of acid violence. There my co-director, Daniel Junge suggested that we should make a documentary on this. I was sold in an instant, since I personally feel that acid attacks are the

worst form of violence, I stuck to the idea and was determined to show the world the process a woman goes through after this hideous act. I would also like to thank the women for the resilience, patience and dedication they showed throughout the filming of this documentary.

The movie is shot entirely in the Seraiki belt. How common are acid attacks in that part of the country?

The Seraiki belt is sadly the most backward and conservative area of Pakistan, where torturing women is not considered a crime.

What have your critics said about the documentary and its nomination now?

It has been released only in American cinemas and has received a great response so far. Regarding the nomination [chuckles], it has just been an hour since the nominations came out so no criticism yet.

Do you have any plans to follow the lives of these victims?

Yes we have a complete program ready for this. We will be reaching out through a nationwide program, where we will screen this documentary and encourage the victims to speak at local colleges and schools in order to spread awareness.

Also, we will be working with international organisations to provide the victims with skills through training programs and there are plans to rehabilitate some of these women What is the status of Taboo Beauty?

Taboo Beauty has been renamed to Transgenders: Pakistan’s Open Secret and has already been screened in the UK. When and how does the Pakistani public get to see Saving Face?

The film will be aired on March 8 by HBO, which will be followed by screening in selected cinemas across Pakistan.

COMMENT

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 02 February 2012

THE RETURN OF THE ISLAMIC KHILAFAT

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

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

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

Political secularism, however, like all other applications of secularism, denied religion any significant role in the public order. This, in turn, facilitated the decline of religion and of absolute moral values, and, around the world, has led to the emergence of everchanging secular values and, eventually, to an essentially godless way of life.

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

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

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

struggle to preserve the institution of the Islamic Caliphate located at the very heart of Muslim political culture.

Gandhi himself forged the alliance with

Shiekh Imran Hossein

Tribune Comment the Muslim Khilafat Movement since he, also, wanted to restore (for Hindus) indigenous Hindu political culture and a Hindu model of a State.

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

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

The strategy succeeded. The Caliphate was abolished in Turkey in March 1924. By the end of that same year the old Indian Muslim leadership, comprised of men who knew and lived Islam, went into irreversible decline.

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

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

It was deceptively spirited in by way of religious nationalism, and emerged as a curious creature named ‘Muslim nationalism’. The passage from the one to the other was so cleverly disguised that it is still not discernible to many Muslims in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The turbulent history of secular European constitutional democracy in the Muslim world cannot be understood without recognition of that effort at fundamental change in political culture from Islam to the European model of political secularism. Indeed the passage from the one to the other has not as yet been accomplished in any final way even in Pakistan or Turkey.

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

Will Muslim society be secularized and constitutional democracy finally established in the Muslim world? Or, will destiny witness the restoration of the Islamic Khilafat?

Before we attempt to answer that absolutely fascinating question which will eventually emerge at the very heart of political discourse in contemporary international affairs, let us briefly describe the Khilafat or the (Sunni) Islamic model of polity and State.

It would surely surprise some of our readers to learn that Islam has never

claimed to be a new religion. Rather it has consistently proclaimed that it is the original religion of Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, and Jesus (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all).

It was therefore natural that Prophet Muhammad (s) should have preserved in the Islamic State of Madina the essential model of a polity and State that was established by the Prophet-Kings, David (s) and Solomon (s) in the Holy State of Israel. What was that model?

Firstly, political culture in Holy Israel tolerated no secular separation of politics from religion. In both David (s) and Solomon (s), the religious/ spiritual head of the community (i.e., the Prophet), was also, himself, King or Head of State.

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

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

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

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

That, also, was blasphemy (Shirk).

The people not only assumed supreme authority and installed their own manmade law as supreme law, they even went on, and recklessly so, to make legally permissible that which God had Himself prohibited.

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

When a people turn away from God, as they most certainly do in political secularism and the secular State, the Qur’an has warned that they would eventually forget Him and would pay the price of forgetting themselves (i.e., their human status). Their conduct would eventually become worse than that of wild beasts. Prophet Muhammad prophesied that they would eventually engage in sexual intercourse in public like donkeys.

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

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

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

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

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 02 February 2012

SPECIAL FEATURE

27

Bush & Obama?

Israeli assassinations and US Presidents

In the USA, the owner and publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times, Andrew Adler, suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu should consider ordering a Mossad hit team to assassinate U.S. President Barack Obama so that his successor will defend Israel against Iran.

Actually, it wasn’t just Obama whom Adler suggested to eliminate, the Atlanta Jewish Times listed three lethal options to help Israel counter Iran’s nuclear capability. The first, to launch a pre-emptive strike against Hamas and Hezbollah, the second to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities and the third is to assassinate the current American president.

Devastatingly, Adler’s murderous attitude towards politics is wholly consistent with some Biblical and Talmudic anti-gentile teaching.

It recalls clearly certain Old Testament genocidal verses such as Leviticus 26:7-8: Numerous Jewish leaders quickly condemned Adler, who has now apologized for the column, resigned, and there are some reports that he plans to put the newspaper up for sale. An Israeli columnist noted that the hatred being stirred up against Obama is similar to conditions in Israel that led to the murder of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish extremist.

A pretty bizarre reaction, considering that the American Jewish Committee is itself an enthusiastic advocate of a war against Iran. Similarly, warmonger

be murdered, he just thinks that launching another world war is a ‘reasonable’ thing to do. And, as far as I can remember, the American Jewish Committee didn’t rush to denounce Dershowitz or to

was a former 11-term Republican Congressman from Illinois, Paul Findley. In a 1992 article in the Washington Report for Middle East Affairs, Findley described the alleged scheme and how it was

apologise on his behalf or in the name of the Jews.

In reality, however, Adler’s expectation that Israel’s inner circles have explored such a course of action, and would be willing to undertake it, may be entirely accurate. The fact is that Israel has killed and plotted to assassinate people throughout the world; a number have been Americans. One alleged plot was chillingly similar to Adler’s suggestion.

Secret Service warned of Israeli assassination plans There is evidence that in 1991 an Israeli undercover team planned

revealed.

Findley writes that the U.S. Secret

Alan Dershowitz listed recently the ‘legal’ reasoning behind an Israeli attack on Iran. True, he has yet to call for an American President to

to assassinate a U.S. President.

The intended victim was George Herbert Walker Bush.

The first person to write of the plot

Madrid for the opening day of the peace conference to be held that year.

According to Findley, a former

Service had received a warning that elements of Israel’s spy agency might target Bush when he went to

Mossad agent named Victor Ostrovsky who had written a book exposing Israel’s spy agency told a group of Canadian parliamentarians that he had received secret intelligence suggesting that the “the Mossad’s hatred of Bush – and support for Vice President Dan Quayle – might lead to an attempt on the president’s life.”

Israel considered Quayle much closer to Israel than Bush. Bush had particularly angered Israel by attempting to pressure Israel into ending its illegal settlement expansion on confiscated Palestinian land by withholding loan guarantees until Israel ended this practice.

Findley writes that Ostrovsky’s statements were relayed to Findley’s friend and former colleague Paul “Pete” McCloskey, a prominent former Republican Congressman from California who had recently been named by Bush to the National and Community Service

Commission.

McCloskey, a decorated Marine veteran and graduate of Stanford law school who had at one time been considered a presidential contender, flew to Ottawa to debrief Ostrovsky in person and evaluate his information.

Findley reports that Ostrovsky told McCloskey that the Mossad wanted “to do everything possible to preserve a state of war between Israel and its neighbors, assassinating President Bush, if necessary.” Ostrovsky said that a PR campaign was already underway in both Israel and the United States to “prepare public acceptance of Dan

Quayle as president.”

Convinced that Ostrovsky was legitimate and his information significant, McCloskey jumped on the next flight to Washington, where he reported Ostrovsky’s intelligence to the Secret Service and State Department.

The apparent plot never went forward, perhaps because Ostrovsky and McCloskey had given it away.

Ostrovsky gave more details about the plot two years later in his 1994 book, “The Other Side of Deception: A Rogue Agent Exposes the Mossad’s Secret Agenda,” published by HarperCollins.

In the book Ostrovsky writes that an extremist group within Mossad was responsible for the plan. He says they kept the plan secret from then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, though they believed that Shamir would have ordered such a hit himself if he hadn’t been constrained by politics. In the leadup to Israel’s 1948 founding war, Shamir had headed up a terrorist group known for its assassinations.

In his review of Ostrovsky’s book, Ambassador Andrew Killgore, a retired career foreign service officer and publisher of the Washington Report, called the book an “insider’s probing exposé of some Middle East realities that have been hidden too long from all but Israeli eyes.”

Ostrovsky writes that the Israelis planned a “false flag” operation in which they would pin the assassination on Palestinians.

They kidnapped three Palestinian militants from Beirut who were

to be the scapegoats, took them to Israel’s Negev desert, and held them incommunicado.

“Meanwhile,” Killgore writes, “Mossad-generated threats on the president’s life, seemingly from Palestinians, were leaked.

These were designed to throw suspicion on the organization of rogue Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal. Names and descriptions of the three terrorists were leaked to Spanish police so that, if the plot was successful, blame would automatically fall on them.”

Ostrovsky reports that after the assassination plot was eventually Continued on page 28 >>

COMMENT

28

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 02 February 2012

Panetta concerned by Pakistan’s treatment of Shakeel Afridi Shakil Afridi

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has expressed concern about Pakistan’s treatment of a doctor who helped the United States find al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden.

The doctor, Shakeel Afridi, has been arrested and charged with treason by the Pakistani government.

In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” program due to be aired on Sunday, Panetta acknowledged that Afridi, a Pakistani doctor in Abbottabad, the town where Bin Laden was found, had in fact been working for US intelligence, collecting DNA to verify the 9/11 mastermind’s presence.

US Navy SEALs killed Bin Laden on May 2 in a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, north of the capital Islamabad, and later buried him at sea.

“I’m very concerned about what the Pakistanis did with this individual … who in fact helped provide intelligence that was very helpful with regards to this operation,” Panetta said, according to excerpts of the interview.

“He was not in any way treasonous towards Pakistan,” the defense secretary said. “Pakistan and the United States have a common cause here against terrorism … and for them to take this kind of action against somebody who was helping to go after terrorism, I just think is a real mistake on their part.”

Panetta said he still believed someone

in authority in Pakistan knew where Bin Laden was hiding before US forces went in to find him.

Intelligence reports found that Pakistani military helicopters had passed over the compound in Abbottabad, according to the interview.

“I personally have always felt that somebody must have had some sense of what was happening at this compound,” Panetta said. “Don’t forget, this compound had 18-foot walls … It was the largest compound in the area.

“So you would have thought that somebody would have asked the question, ‘What the hell’s going on

might … give Bin Laden a heads up,” he said.

Panetta acknowledged he did not have “hard evidence” that Pakistan knew of the al Qaeda leader’s whereabouts.

He was arrested shortly after the

apparently used as an apparatus by US Central Intelligence Agency to locate Osama Bin Laden, was given out of the turn promotion as Agency surgeon ignoring three senior doctors seemingly to supervise Polio vaccination campaign in Pakistani city of Abbotabad to identify house in use of Osama.

However, when reporters reached his luxurious house situated in posh area of Peshawar, capital of Kyhber Pukhtoonkhwa province, it was found lock. Neighboring people were of the view that family of Dr. Afridi has been disappeared from the scene after the revelation of his active role in locating Arab

there?’” Panetta told CBS. The Pentagon chief said this concern contributed to Washington’s decision not to give Pakistan advance warning of the impending raid.

“It concerned us that if we in fact brought (Pakistan) into it, that -they

operation was carried out by US special forces in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on 2 May last year.

Pakistan was deeply embarrassed by the raid and condemned it as a violation of its sovereignty.

Dr. Shakeel Afridi, who is

warrior Osama Bin Laden.

According to the sources , Dr. Afridi was promoted last year on BPS-18 post and then surprisingly on April 15, 2011 as Agency Surgeon Khyber Agency ignoring senior doctors Dr. Nusrullah, Dr. Nusrat Shah and Dr.

Continued from page 27 >> cancelled, the three Palestinian prisoners were “terminated.”

Targeting Americans If the plot had gone forward, this would not have been the first time that Israel targeted Americans for death. Nor would it be the first false flag operation.

• In 1954 the Mossad planned to firebomb American installations, libraries, and other gathering places in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood was to be blamed for the attacks, thus causing American animosity toward Egypt. An accidental early detonation of one of the devices caused the plot, known as the Lavon Affair, to unravel before it could kill or mutilate the intended Americans.

• In 1967 Israeli air and sea forces perpetrated an almost two-hour assault in which they tried to sink a US Navy ship with a crew of 294. While the attack failed to sink the ship, it succeeded in killing 34 Americans and injuring 174. Some analysts have conjectured that this was also a falseflag operation; it is highly likely that Egypt would have been blamed for the attack if the ship had gone down.

• In 1973 Israeli fighter pilots were ordered to shoot down an unarmed U.S. reconnaissance plane (at the time the U.S. was delivering massive weaponry to Israel to prevent it from losing the “Yom Kippur” war with Egypt and Syria). While the Israelis were unable to reach the altitude of the U.S.

plane, they did manage that same year to shoot down a civilian Libyan airliner that had strayed over Israeli territory, killing 104 men, women, and children. One was an

American.

• In 1990 a Canadian-American scientist and father of seven, Gerald Bull, was assassinated in Belgium. All indications are that it was an Israeli Mossad hit team that drilled five bullets into the back of his head and neck. (Israel has assassinated a number of scientists of various nationalities. The most recent is a 32-year-old Iranian father with a young son.)

• In 2003 it came out that Israeli leaders had officially decided to undertake assassination operations on U.S. soil. An FBI spokesman, queried about the Israeli plans, said only: “This is a policy matter. We only enforce federal laws.”

• In recent years a growing number of American peace activists have been intentionally killed, maimed, and injured by Israeli forces, including 23-year-old Rachel Corrie, 21-year-old Brian Avery, 37-yearold Tristan Anderson, 21-year-old Emily Henoschowitz, and 21-year-old Furkan Dogan.

All of this has been minimally reported in the U.S. press. While major news media from England to Israel to Australia covered the Jewish Times’ apparent endorsement of a possible Israeli assassination of a U.S. President, the scandal has been largely

Pir Muhammad.

Dr. Afridi continued to work on this post till his disappearance from the scene.

“He is actually an influential doctor and had survived his termination from the post twice,” circles close to him revealed, “he was also fined Rs. 1 million and was expelled by leader of Lashkar e Islam, a militant group of the area, Mangal Bagh on public complaints over running illegal health centres in Bara Subdivision.”

Later he visited Washington United States in 2009 with his wife and children on which Dr. Shakeel Afridi clarified the rumors saying “my visit was sponsored by my cousin.”

The mysterious doctor belongs to Malik Deen Khel tribe of Tehsil Bara, Khyber Agency. His grandfather remained a security office during British Era and was given hundreds of acres land in Multan, a southern Punjab city, over his “services”.

Dr. Shakeel Afridi got his initial education from Multan and living in Hayatabad, considered to be a posh area of Peshawar, these days with his three sons and wife. His elder son is studying in Rizmak Cadet College while his wife has been working as BPS-19 principal at Dara Adam Khel Girls College.

Shakil Afridi, Pakistani Doctor, Provided Key Information To U.S. In Advance Of Bin Laden Raid: Defense Secretary

missing from U.S. media. Even Atlanta’s AP bureau inexplicably initially decided not to write a report on it, only finally sending out a story many days later.

Such news omissions concerning Israeli partisans are not rare. In 2004 a fanatic Israel loyalist wrote a letter saying that he was going to burn down Presbyterian churches while worshippers were inside (he was furious at the Presbyterian Church’s decision to divest from companies profiting from the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land). This grisly threat also received minimal media play.

Despite Israeli violence against Americans (even while American taxpayers have given Israel far more of our tax money than to any other nation) American presidential candidates, with the exception of Ron Paul, continue to vie over who is most devoted to Israel. It is ironic that Adler considers Obama so bad for Israel, given that Israeli analysts have rated him second only to Mitt Romney in his fidelity to Israel. And Obama has now released a seven-minute video that may catapult our first African-American president into first place in pandering to an apartheid nation.

But perhaps he’ll be safe from assassins.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 02 February 2012

COMMENT

29

Obama, the Hero, determined to destroy Syria and conquer Russia Sergei Balmasov

U.S. President Barack Obama on January 24 made his third State of the Union Address in Congress.

In his speech he touched upon the issues of economic recovery and key issues of foreign policy.

Obama tried to assure that there was no point in speaking about the loss of the U.S. leadership in the international arena, because his country maintains a leading position in the world. According to the American president, the revival of the American leadership is felt throughout the world.

Broadcast footage of his speech resembled a scene from zombie film where at every mentioning of “the greatness of America” those gathered in the audience would instinctively stand up and vehemently welcome these statements. However, Obama elaborated on his comments, pointing out that American old alliances in Europe and Asia have never been stronger and that the US has made it clear that America is a Pacific power. However, this “leadership” does not have the desired effect on China as it is also a Pacific power that shows growing leadership ambitions in the Pacific Ocean. In addition, the U.S. president said that the U.S. has become more secure and respected country in the world.

According to Obama, it happened thanks to the “the current generation of heroes.” Apparently, Obama considers himself to be one of them. For example, he pointed out as one of the major achievements the fact that for the first time in nine years, Americans are not fighting in Iraq and for the

first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden does not represent a threat to the United States.

Obama also said that the United States had a long-awaited breakthrough in the Afghan war, and that 23,000 U.S. military will be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of the summer of 2012 following the 10 thousand that have already returned home. Obama said that the transfer of power to Afghan forces will continue, and a partnership will be built with this country that will never be the base of attacks on America. He added that most of the leaders of “Al Qaeda” were crushed, and the initiative of “Taliban” was broken, and some of the troops began to leave Afghanistan. He said these achievements were a proof of courage, dedication and teamwork of the Armed Forces of America.

Meanwhile, the Taliban that significantly expanded their control zone over the past two years and that is increasingly penetrating the quiet areas of

Continued from page 32 >>

Pakistan can whitewash England: Shahid Afridi

hold over the English batsmen.

“I see this series as the best opportunity for Pakistan to win the series 3-0. As they keep on winning they are getting hungrier for success and that is always the first sign of a team turning into a top class side,” he said.

“Another good thing is that all the players realise their responsibility and are contributing and supporting each other on the field.”

The all-rounder, who will join the team for the one-day and Twenty20 matches against England from next week, said Pakistani players have made winning a habit. “After winning the first two Tests, the morale and confidence in the team is very high,” he added. Afridi, who was captain of the one-day side until last May, said that the way Pakistan are improving, they could soon match the feats of other great teams.

“Pakistan has the potential to be as good as the Australians were at one time,” he said.

Afghanistan are unaware of Obama’s success.

Obama pointed out that there were a number of unsolved issues. As always, the American super-hero is impeded by villains from whom America must save the world. Now this is Syrian President Assad, crushing Salafi “democracy” in his country, and Iran’s nuclear program.

Obama is ready to celebrate his victory over the latter: He said that the forces of the diplomatic world that had previously been divided and argued about the ways to deal with Iran’s nuclear program, have now united. Now Iran is even more isolated regime, and Iran’s leaders face tough sanctions, and this pressure will not weaken.

America is full of determination to prevent Iran from obtaining and developing nuclear weapons.

Obama has also dispelled the fears of those who were “not in” and feared that he would sacrifice allied relations with Israel in the name of short-term U.S. interests.

According to him, the U.S. will

do everything to protect its main Middle East ally - Israel. Obama stressed the inviolability of the U.S. commitment to Israel’s security. Moreover, assured U.S. President, Washington and Tel Aviv now have the closest military cooperation in history.

President Obama has already written off the Syrian President.

He said he had no doubt that the Assad regime “will soon discover that the forces of change cannot be reversed” and said that the United States would stand against violence and intimidation in the Middle East and beyond.

The U.S. has repeatedly offered Assad to leave his post, threatening to introduce more serious sanctions otherwise.

However, these great developments outlined by Obama are overshadowed by the failures in the economy. Of course, foreign enemies were mentioned as well. In particular, Obama has expressed dissatisfaction with the widespread penetration of “cheap Chinese goods” and promised to

protect American manufacturers.

He talked about the struggle for foreign markets. Particular reference was made to Russia.

Obama called on Congress to take action to protect American interests. He stated that the Congress must do everything so that no country has the advantage over American manufacturers when it comes to access to the financial or new markets, like Russia. He said that American workers were the most effective in the world and promised that America would always win.

Trade relations between Russia and the United States are limited by the Jackson-Vanik amendment, introduced by Washington in 1974 against the Soviet Union for the lack of freedom of emigration, primarily for Jews.

Speaking of Obama’s address, it should be remembered that it was made on the eve of the presidential election, and that the words about the greatness of the United States are intended to restore the confidence of voters.

Test win against England a boost for Pakistan focused if we are to win in Australia, South Africa or England,” he said. “Conditions in this series suited our batting and our spinners.”

Test cricket is in flux and we love it England swamped India, Sri Lanka beat South Africa in South Africa, New Zealand beat Australia in Australia, Australia swamped India, Pakistan swamped England: the rankings tell a longer, deeper story but just in this last year they have not meant anything.

Given what has happened to the last two, on current form, you would not want to be the No 1 side in the world just now.

We also appear to be entering an age of greater territorialism, where few teams are adept at playing in foreign conditions but expert at utilising those at home.

That has been the undercurrent through India’s tour to Australia, but also in the contrast between England’s results against Pakistan in 2010 at home and their results here.

Even Pakistan’s most ardent supporters will

acknowledge that it has helped over the last year for them to be playing in the conditions that they have.

The end begins here for Andrew Strauss Towards the end of top-scoring in England’s 72 all out, Andrew Strauss actually began to look fairly comfortable at the crease. And then he got out, which sums up well his predicament over the past 30 months. Since the end of the 2009 Ashes, he has averaged under 31, with a single hundred in 24 Tests without ever looking horrendously out of form (one fifty in the last 14 innings).

He has done more than enough - and still does as captain - to continue for now, but questions will get louder from here on. At the start of a challenging year - and he will be 35 in a month’s time - this feels like it could be the beginning of a longish end.

The Whatmore question Management structures in sports are built on the most delicate balances. They work as much on chemistry between individuals as on

theory. Mohsin Khan has now been Pakistan’s interim coach for three assignments, all of which they have won. The jury is out on how much of a coach he actually is, rather than just a good manager, but he hasn’t at least broken what he inherited and what didn’t need fixing, which let’s face it, has happened often with Pakistan.

On the other hand Dav Whatmore is a proven coach, which you could argue Pakistan need to evolve. But with a team as pendulous, a little nudge here or there easily upsets the balance and so even as the head says Whatmore should come (and he very likely will), the heart worries it may disturb what Pakistan have got, maybe not for the better.

Commentary: Naive Indian cricketers have to be honest about Australia debacle Last Updated:Jan 29, 2012 It’s hard to tell who they were trying to fool.

It’s been well over a decade since India dominated a home series against a top side from start to finish.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 02 February 2012

Did You Know?

What’s the origin of gold?

The origin of gold on our planet is believed to be the result of a bombardment by meteorites which occurred more than 200 million years after Earth was formed.

Sulfur plays very important role in the creation of gold deposits because it enhances gold solubility.

Gold is formed together with dozens of other elements such as iron, manganese, silicon, lithium, in massive stars that become supernova.

These all elements come together in a package and gold has no chemical or physical properties that would cause only gold molecules to bind together and form planets or any other space bodies.

A child finds a shiny rock in a creek, thousands of years ago, and the

human race is introduced to gold for the first time.

Gold was first discovered as shining, yellow nuggets. “Gold is where you find it,” so the saying goes, and gold was first discovered in its natural state, in streams all over the world.

No doubt it was the first metal known to early hominids.

Gold became a part of every human culture. Its brilliance, natural beauty, and luster, and its great malleability and resistance to tarnish made it enjoyable to work and play with.

Because gold is dispersed widely throughout the geologic world, its discovery occurred to many different groups in many different locales.

And nearly everyone who found it was impressed with it, and so was the developing culture in which they lived.

Gold was the first metal widely known to our species. When thinking about the historical progress of technology,

we consider the development of iron and copper-working as the greatest

contributions to our species’ economic and cultural progress but gold came first.

Gold is the easiest of the metals to work. It occurs in a virtually pure and workable state, whereas most other metals tend to be found in ore-bodies that pose some difficulty in smelting. Gold’s early uses were no doubt ornamental, and its brilliance and permanence (it neither corrodes nor tarnishes) linked it to deities and royalty in early civilizations .

Gold has always been powerful stuff. The earliest history of human interaction with gold is long lost to us, but its association with the gods, with immortality, and with wealth itself are common to many cultures throughout the world.

Early civilizations equated gold with gods and rulers, and gold was sought in their name and dedicated to their glorification. Humans almost intuitively place a high value on gold, equating it with power, beauty, and the cultural elite. And since gold is widely distributed all over the globe, we find this same thinking about gold throughout ancient and modern civilizations everywhere.

Gold, beauty, and power have always gone together. Gold in ancient times was made into shrines and idols (“the Golden Calf”), plates, cups, vases and vessels of all kinds, and of course, jewelry for personal adornment.

The “Gold of Troy” treasure hoard, excavated in Turkey and

Amir Khan gets engaged to Faryal Makhdoom Former WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan made a formal annoucement of his engagement to New York native Faryl Makhdoom last night at a private engagement party in Bolton, England’s Reebok Stadium. Boxer Amir Khan introduces his knockout fiancée Faryal at £150,000 engagement party... held at Bolton Wanderers Reebok stadium Continued on page 31

dating to the era 2450 -2600 B.C., show the range of gold-work from delicate jewelry to a gold gravy boat weighing a full troy pound. This was a time when gold was highly valued, but had not yet become money itself. Rather, it was owned by the powerful and wellconnected, or made into objects of worship, or used to decorate sacred locations.

Gold has always had value to humans, even before it was money.

This is demonstrated by the extraordinary efforts made to obtain it. Prospecting for gold was a worldwide effort going back

during a time when gold had no value as ‘money,’ but was just considered a desirable commodity in and of itself.

The ‘value’ of gold was accepted all over the world. Today, as in ancient times, the intrinsic appeal of gold itself has that universal appeal to humans. But how did gold come to be a commodity, a measurable unit of value?

The first use of gold as money occurred around 700 B.C., when Lydian merchants produced the first coins. These were simply stamped lumps of a 63% gold and 27% silver mixture known as ‘electrum.’ This standardized unit of value no doubt

thousands of years, even before the first money in the form of gold coins appeared about 700 B.C. In the quest for gold by the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Indians, Hittites, Chinese, and others, prisoners of war were sent to work the mines, as were slaves and criminals. And this happened

helped Lydian traders in their wideranging successes, for by the time of Croesus of Mermnadae, the last King of Lydia (570 -546 B.C.), Lydia had amassed a huge hoard of gold. Today, we still speak of the ultra-wealthy as being ‘rich as Croesus.’

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 02 February 2012

COMMENT

31

Israel Prepares For War Against Iran Peter Symonds

A lengthy article, “Will Israel Attack Iran,” published in this week’s New York Times confirms that Israel has made advanced preparations for military strikes on Iran. The author—Ronen Bergman, a well-connected political analyst with the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth—concluded: “After speaking to many senior Israeli leaders and chiefs of the military and the intelligence, I have come to believe that Israel will indeed strike Iran in 2012.”

Bergman corroborated previous articles in the Israeli press reporting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak have been pressing for the country’s security cabinet to authorise an attack on Israel.

Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya’alon told Bergman last week: “It is a matter of months before the Iranians will be able to attain military nuclear capability…

We are prepared to defend ourselves in any way and anywhere that we see fit.”

Claims that Iran is on the point of constructing a nuclear weapon are not supported by facts. The latest International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report—a political document designed to justify the latest US and European sanctions against Iran’s oil exports—provided limited evidence of Iranian research related to aspects of building a nuclear bomb. Much of the “evidence” came from US, European and Israeli intelligence sources. Most of the research projects were discontinued after 2003. Iran continues to deny any plans to build nuclear weapons.

Highlighting the bogus character of Israeli claims, veteran journalist Robert Fisk commented in the Independent: “The Israeli President [Peres] warns us that Iran is on the cusp of producing a nuclear weapon… Yet we reporters do not mention that Shimon Peres, as Israeli Prime Minister, said exactly the same thing in 1996… And we do not recall that the current Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in 1992 that Iran would have a nuclear bomb by 1999.”

The prominence given to the New York Times article suggests that Bergman is the conduit for a message from the Israeli establishment to pressure the Obama administration and more broadly the US ruling elites to take more aggressive action against Iran. The US

and European Union have effectively imposed an embargo on Iranian oil exports, as well as the country’s central bank, to operate fully from July.

In a barrage of comments, senior Israeli figures this week called for tougher measures. Defence Minister Barack demanded “very strong and quick pressure on Iran,” repeating the lie that Iran was producing “nuclear weapons without hindrance.” Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz questioned whether the US/EU embargo was sufficient and called for “a massive blockade” of Iran by sea and air—itself an act of war under international law. Yesterday, former Israel Defence Force (IDF) chief Gabi Ashkenazi stressed that Israel had to “keep a reliable [military] option on the table with the willingness to use it if necessary.”

In Tuesday’s State of the Union speech, President Barack Obama boasted that his administration had ensured that Iran was “more isolated than ever before” and “faced with crippling sanctions.”

He pointedly warned: “Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal.” In other words, the US is prepared to launch war against Iran on the pretext of halting its nuclear programs.

Bergman’s article underlined the close collaboration between the US and Israel, and pointed to the likely timetable for an attack on Iran. Barak told the journalist that “no more than a year remains to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weaponry.” A senior Israeli security source declared: “The Americans tell us there is time, and we tell them that they only have about six to nine months more than we do, and that therefore the sanctions have to be brought to a culmination now, in order to exhaust that track.”

Bergman explained that the Israeli military, particularly since Barak became defence minister, “has prepared in unprecedented ways for a strike against Iran.” The Israeli Air Force “maintains planes with the longrange capacity required to deliver ordnance to targets in Iran, as well as unmanned aircraft capable of carrying bombs to those targets and remaining airborne for up to 48 hours.” The IDF had also prepared plans to deal with any Iranian retaliation.

The article detailed the criminal covert

Continued from page 30 Attended by roughly 1,000 of the couples closest friends and relatives, the couple exchanged rings and took pictures for gathered media.

Khan, and Faryal Makhdoom revealed their plans to marry earlier this month, and made it official this weekend. The couple celebrated with a £150,000 bash at the Bolton Wanderers’ Reebok Stadium.

The 20-year old Makhdoom is still in college but plans to relocated to Khan’s Bolton hometown this year.

Khan is hopeful to get back the ring this spring against Lamont Peterson, who defeated him by split decision last month. While supportive of his career, Makhdoom has vowed never to watch her future husband fight live.

war of assassination and sabotage waged by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad inside Iran since 2004. Under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Mossad was given “virtually unlimited funds and powers” for a “five-front strategy,” involving “political pressure, covert measures, proliferation, sanctions and regime change.” Mossad chief Meir Dagan sent a secret cable to Washington in August 2007 stressing that “the United States, Israel and likeminded countries must push on all five fronts in a simultaneous joint effort.”

The gangster-like operations of Mossad, acting with the complicity or involvement of the US, included financial sabotage, computer viruses, the sale of faulty parts and raw materials, unexplained plane crashes, explosions at Iranian facilities, and the murder of Iranian scientists, most recently of Massoud Ali Mohammadi on January 11. The article indicated that Mossad had financed, armed and

trained two groups—the Muhjahedin Khalq (MEK) and the Sunni extremist outfit Jundallah—to carry out the assassinations.

The barely disguised gloating over these crimes, in Bergman’s article and

by Israeli leaders and officials, points to their real purpose—to goad Iran into retaliation that could provide for the further media demonisation of the regime and the pretext for war. This thuggery underlines the fact that the greatest danger of war in the Middle East stems from Israel, which has an estimated arsenal of 300 nuclear weapons and has repeatedly resorted to wars of aggression to maintain its dominance, and its backers in Washington, which has already invaded Afghanistan, then Iraq and is now menacing Iran.

While publicly the Obama administration has focussed on the “crippling sanctions” on Iran, it is also carrying out preparations for military

action—a subject openly debated in US newspapers and journals. The Pentagon this month doubled the number of aircraft carrier battle groups near the Persian Gulf and thus its capacity to wage an air and sea war against Iran.

Washington’s allies in Europe are getting ready for war as well. French and British warships accompanied the aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, into the Gulf last Sunday.

British Defence Secretary Philip Hammond declared on Monday: “The UK has a contingent capability to reinforce its presence in the region should at any time it be considered necessary to do so.”

By recklessly escalating the economic embargo and military threats against Iran, the US, Israel and the European powers are heightening the danger of a slide into war that has the potential to engulf the region and to spread internationally,

By Peter Symonds

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

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 02 February 2012

Pakistan can whitewash England: Afridi Pakistan’s former captain and flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi feels the team is capable of handing out a 3-0 whitewash to world number one England given the way it dominated the first two Tests.

Pakistan enjoy an unassailable 2-0 lead over the English.

“I think Pakistan will complete a clean sweep in the third Test. They can whitewash England,” Afridi told reporters at a function to launch the autobiography of former chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed.

Afridi said Pakistan enjoyed a psychological Continued on page 29 >>

SAT

Sports

Test win against England a boost for Pakistan Pakistan ‘desperate’ for 3-0 - Mohsin Pakistan’s interim coach, Mohsin Khan, has said that his side is “desperate” to build on their unassailable series lead against England, and whitewash the world’s No. 1 Test side.

“I do not need to look at the rankings table to tell me that England is a very professional team, a very balanced team with no weaknesses at all in any facet of their cricket,” Mohsin told PakPassion.net. “They will once again be tough opposition for us and we will not be taking the opposition lightly, we will have to work very hard and approach the third Test match just in the same way as we have approached the previous two Test matches.

“We are desperate to see a three-nil margin, but no Test victory comes easy and nobody has a given right to win any Test match.

Test win against England a boost for Pakistan

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq says the aim is to restore pride following series win over England Pakistan’s Test triumphs over England come with the territory Misbah’s team took an unbeatable 2-0 lead in their threematch series against England with a 72-run victory in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

The win followed series victories over New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka after Misbah succeeded Salman Butt at captain. Butt and his opening bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were jailed for arranging to bowl deliberate no-balls in the 2010 Lord’s Test against England.

“After the spot-fixing scandal the players discussed things and we unanimously agreed that we need to just do well,” Misbah said.

“I am happy that we have been playing with a lot of focus and discipline. The players have lots of faith in their abilities to perform under pressure. We need to work harder and remain focused if we are to win in Australia, South Africa or England,” he said. “Conditions in this series suited our batting Continued on page 29 >>

Sachin Tendulkar should have retired after the Cricket World Cup -Imran Khan Pakistan great Imran Khan has said Sachin Tendulkar should have retired after the “ultimate high” of a World Cup victory at home last year.

“The best time for him to have gone was when India won the World Cup,” Khan told the CNNIBN news channel.

“He is such a great player and there is still no replacement for him really, but he has to time it right.”

Khan, who himself retired after

leading Pakistan to an epic World Cup triumph in 1992, felt retiring now would not be right for Tendulkar as India reels from a 4-0 test whitewash to Australia.

“If he goes now, he won’t go on a high. If he had left at the World Cup final, it would have been the ultimate high. The World Cup final is the peak, there is nothing bigger than that,” the 59-year-old Khan said.

Tendulkar, who holds the record for

both the most runs and centuries in Tests and one-dayers, is chasing a 100th international century.

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