E-paper Pakistantoday

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Notice sent to US to vacate Shamsi airbase in 15 days: Hina Khar

Gilani rejects ‘Rs 1 billion annual savings plan’

Police look on as Iranians storm British embassy in Tehran PAGE 17

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pakistantoday.com.pk

rs15.00 Vol ii no 154 32 Pages islamabad — Peshawar edition

Wednesday, 30 november, 2011 muharram-ul-Haram 4, 1433

Pakistan snubs Bonn moot as Kabul pleads Cabinet vows to defend country’s borders, endorses DCC decisions g Karzai calls Gilani, requests him to reconsider decision to boycott Bonn moot g

MULTAN: A protester holds an image of US President Barack Obama for photographers before throwing it into the flames together with a poster of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to condemn the Pakistani government’s support of the US, during an anti-America demonstration on Tuesday. reuters

GHQ evaluating ‘all options’ after unprovoked attack DGMO says no matching reaction because of technological disparity g says NAtO-IsAF had knowledge of Pakistani posts, violated all sOPs g

ISLAMABAD RANA QAISAR

In its first formal response to the November 26 NATO-ISAF helicopters’ violation of Pakistani territory and attack on two border posts killing 24 troops and injuring another 15, the General Headquarters (GHQ) on Tuesday came up with its analysis and conclusion of the situation holding the NATO-ISAF responsible for the incident and said “all options” were under review, though Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad admitted that a military response was, however, not a choice because of technological disparity.

Firming up the military position that the attack was “not unintended”, the DGMO explained to the journalists, invited for a briefing at the GHQ, the chain of events and the follow up actions he had initiated when he was informed about the attack. The analysis of the incident, the DGMO presented, suggested that the NATO-ISAF had by design violated the SOPs of coordination despite his activating all channels of communication as the helicopters had intruded into Pakistani territory and opened fire on the posts.

However, he did not share with the journalists as to what possible objective(s) the NATO-ISAF wanted to achieve and what message was wrapped for Pakistan in this “intended” attack on two border posts. But he appeared confident showing the resolve of the army that this time the political and diplomatic responses would make a difference. “We will give our input and recommendations to the government and the prime minister will make

a statement,” General Ishfaq said, keeping the options Pakistan could use a secret. Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was expected to join the briefing and personally answer the questions but he did not come and Chief of General Staff (CGS) Lt General Waheed Arshad was present to respond, mostly off-the-record, to the questions the DGMO did not consider as falling in his domain or not to be answered for strategic reasons.

The DGMO did not agree to a question when asked as to why the air force had not been scrambled when the attack continued for about two hours and said: “Scrambling air force in a hazy and developing situation would have escalated the scale of the incident.” His contention was that scrambling air force would mean declaring war and “we can’t fight with the NATO-ISAF with technological disparity… the government (political) response is the best and it has to be a whole of government and a whole of national approach”. He mentioned the decisions taken by the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) and said the response of the government regarding vacation of Shamsi airbase was adequate.

He shared with the journalists the conclusion the GHQ had reached – it was an unprovoked military aggression, it was intended and the claim that it was unintended defied military logic, the NATO-ISAF did know about the attack, all procedures of communication and coordination were violated and our troops fought and used all weapons. continUed on Page 04

US SUSPectS nato lUred into raid | Page 24

us unapologetic about NAtO raid LONDON REUTERS

Washington’s top military officer said on Monday that Pakistani anger over a NATO air strike in Mohmand Agency was justified given the loss of life, but he declined to offer an apology saying he did not know enough yet about the incident and that there was a US military investigation underway.

Dempsey, chairman of the US military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Britain’s ITV News that US-Pakistani relations were at one of their worst points in memory after the NATO strike that killed 24 Pakistani troops, but could recover. Questioned whether the situation was irretrievable, he said: “No. I don’t think so.” Dempsey branded the relationship with Pakistan “troubled” when he addressed a forum in London. He said the US could cope with Pakistan cutting off NATO supplies through its territory by channeling supplies through alternative routes. “But I’d like to believe that we could, over time, with Pakistan’s approval, restore those lines of communication,” he said.

Dempsey, who declined to acknowledge the use of drones at the Shamsi airbase, said Pakistan’s demands for the base to be cleared out would be a “serious act in terms of our relationship.”

LAHORE

T

NASIR BUTT

He federal cabinet on Tuesday unanimously decided to pull out of the Bonn Conference, an international moot on Afghanistan’s future scheduled to be held in Germany on December 5, in protest against the NATO air strike in Mohmand Agency that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, throwing into question the future of Pakistan-US relations.

Afghanistan, Germany and the US reacted with disappointment to news of the boycott, but indicated they hoped Islamabad could yet be persuaded to attend the moot. The cabinet met here at Punjab Governor’s House setting aside the usual agenda and discussed the post-attack situation, agreeing that unilateral actions such as the Abbottabad raid and Saturday’s attack on Pakistani checkposts in Mohmand were “not acceptable”.

CABINET: The cabinet main-

tained that such incidents would not be tolerated and the NATO attack was an attack on Pakistan’s security and sovereignty. The cabinet also extended its deepest condolences to the families of the slain soldiers and offered fateha.

The decision to boycott the Bonn Conference, called to deliberate upon a regional security framework in the wake of America’s exit from the region, is the third important step taken by the federal government after the NATO strikes to make its point.

Pakistan has already cut off NATO supplies to Afghanistan going through Pakistan and has ordered the UAe government to return the Shamsi airbase, being used by the US, to Pakistan.

During the emergency meeting of the cabinet, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar briefed the participants about the details of the NATO attack. She told the cabinet about the ongoing diplomatic efforts to highlight the violation of Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty and international

law. Khar also told the cabinet about her discussions with her Chinese, Russian and American counterparts about the incident and Pakistan’s reaction.

The cabinet stated that Pakistan supported peace and stability in Afghanistan and looked forward to the success of the Bonn Conference, but in view of recent developments and prevailing circumstances it had decided not to participate. Prime Minister Gilani told his cabinet about the decisions of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC). He said there could be no compromise on Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity nor on the nation’s resolve to safeguard its frontiers at all costs.

“Life is definitely precious to everyone, but we want to live with honour,” Gilani said. “We will not compromise on issues of national significance; instead, we will take a stand on them. continUed on Page 04

Parliament to decide US tieS | Page 24

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02 News today’s

wednesday, 30 November, 2011

iSLamaBaD

NewS

worLD view

Medical college being moved to NIh

Pakistan tops 2010 list for weather impact

What happened in Pakistan?

Story on Page 05

Story on Page 10

Quick Look

Story on Page 15

Zardari tells PPP workers to stand against undemocratic forces IslAmABAd: President Asif Ali Zardari has warned Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) workers against the “machinations of antidemocracy forces”, urging them to stand firm and united to build a progressive and democratic Pakistan. In a message issued on the PPP’s 45th Founding Day on November 30, the PPP co-chairman said the party was celebrating its founding day amid a “vicious campaign to tarnish its image by the remnants of dictatorship”.

“But let us make it clear that we will foil all conspiracies against the party and will continue to work for strengthening democratic institutions as envisioned by Benazir Bhutto and for what she laid down her life,” Zardari said. He said the PPP government had removed the vestiges of dictatorship from the unanimous Constitution of 1973, introduced political reforms to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR), and gave new strength to democracy through political reconciliation, besides taking on militants. APP

Suspected suicide bomber, teacher killed QUETTA: A suspected suicide bomber, aged between 20-25 years, was killed in a blast in Kuchlak, 15 kilometres from Quetta, on Tuesday.

According to police, the suspected suicide bomber boarded a taxi from Kuchlak and headed towards Chaman. Taxi driver Shariffudin told police that he had requested the Afghan to get down so that he could adjust some lady passengers in the vehicle. The Afghan got off and detonated his explosive-laden jacket. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) (Operations) Hamid Shakeel said that it could not be established whether he was a suicide bomber or just a carrier. The target of the attack could not be ascertained either. The bomb disposal squad said that there were almost 2-2.5 kilogrammes of explosives attached to the jacket. The police took the suspect’s body into custody and shifted it to a hospital. A cell phone was also recovered by the police from the site of the blast. According to sources, the taxi driver has also been arrested and further investigations into the incident are underway. In another incident, a teacher at the University of Balochistan was killed in targeted killing on Tuesday.

According to police, Danish Ali, a 32-year-old Computer Sciences lecturer, was on his way from his residence in Nawa-e-Killi to the varsity when two unidentified men attacked him in Zarghoon area. He received several bullet injuries and died before he could reach the hospital. The assailants managed to flee from the scene. The police shifted the body to the Civil Hospital Quetta for autopsy and later to an Imambargah at Allamdar Road. No group has claimed responsibility of the incident yet.

According to police, the incident could be a case of sectarian targeted killing. Danish Ali is fifth teacher of the University of Balochistan to have been killed during the past few years. The Balochistan University administration has announced to close down the varsity on Wednesday in mourning. ShAhzAdA zULfIQAR/INP

SC dismisses pleas against HBL’s privatisation IslAmABAd: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed identical pleas against the privatisation of Habib Bank Limited (HBL), declaring the privatisation of the bank in accordance with law and transparent. A three-member Supreme Court bench of Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and Justice ejaz Afzal Khan dismissed the pleas filed by Dr Akhtar Hassan Khan, former secretary of the Planning Commission, the Watan Party and others, challenging HBL’s privatisation. The petitioners had made the federal government, the Privatisation Commission and the Agha Khan Fund respondents in the case and had contended that the sale of 51 percent shares of HBL was made for malafide reasons, at a lower price and contrary to the relevant provisions of law. SM Zafar and Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, counsels for the Agha Khan Fund for economic Development (AKFeD), submitted that the Privatisation Commission had, after full scrutiny, qualified AKFeD as the eligible party on account of its banking and related business experience and approved the sale of 51 percent shares of HBL after conducting thorough and proper procedure in which nothing was hidden and laws were followed and applied. They further submitted that the highest bid was placed by AKFeD, which was much higher than the reserve price set by the Privatisation Board. Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, counsel for the Privatisation Commission argued that the decision to privatise HBL was taken after keeping in mind the best interests of the nation and the result shown by HBL since then proved that the privatisation had been successful. After hearing the parties at length, the court dismissed the pleas, saying the privatisation was done after fulfilling the requirements of law and no illegality had taken place meriting interference by the apex court under Article 184 (3). STAff REPORT

QUETTA: A policeman stands near a bus loaded with rickshaws on Tuesday. INP

Notice sent to us to vacate shamsi airbase in 15 days: FM ISLAMABAD/LAHORE APP

Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Tuesday said the government had, in line with the decisions of the Cabinet’s Defence Committee, sent a formal notice to the United States to vacate the Shamsi airbase within 15 days.

Terming the NATO attack on Pakistani border posts a breach of the country’s sovereignty and violation of international law, she said that “time has come to review our relations.” Talking to the Pakistan Television (PTV), Khar said Pakistan had supported the international community in the war against terror and rendered great sacrifices. However, the country’s cooperation must be recognised at international level and should not be taken as its weakness, she added. The foreign minister added Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected at all costs. “We don’t want any aid or assistance, but we want to live with dignity and honour,” she stressed.

Replying to a question, Khar said, “It is up to Pakistan’s political forces to evolve future strategy, keeping in view the current situation. It is for the first time that the decision to halt NATO supply was taken at the highest level.”

Khar added that the government’s focus was on preserving the interests of Pakistan. shAmsI AIrBAsE To BE vACATEd IN 15 dAys, sAys mAlIk: Interior Minister

Pakistan lodges protest with UN IslAmABAd: Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to United Nations Abdullah Hussain Haroon has recorded protest with the UN general secretary over the NATO attack on Pakistani post in which 24 army personnel were martyred. Pakistani diplomat in his letter apprised UNO Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about the decisions taken by the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC), including the stoppage of NATO supplies to Afghanistan and evacuation of the Shamsi Air Base. He demanded the UN secretary general that his letter and the decisions of DCC may be circulated to the presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council as official documents of the UNO.The letter said that such incidents could not be tolerated in future. It also referred to the important role of Pakistan in the war against terrorism. Sources said that after the NATO attacks, Pakistan took up the case in the international community in a very effective way, therefore most of the countries were demanding inquiry into the incident. The US top officials were concerned over the warning of Pakistan to vacate the Shamsi Air Base and efforts are being made to cool down Pakistan on the issue. ONLINE Rehman Malik on Tuesday reaffirmed the government’s decision to recover the Shamsi Airbase from US control within 15 days, saying no decision would be taken against national interests. Pakistan angrily closed down NATO supply routes and asked the United States to vacate a key airbase in Balochistan after NATO helicopters bombed two Pakistani military posts at the border with Afghanistan, killing 24 soldiers.

Talking to reporters at the Lahore Airport, Malik said the government had reacted in “absolute accordance” with the public sentiment. He said the visit by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar

to the United Arab emirates (UAe) had no connection with the government’s evacuation orders on Shamsi Airbase. He said the tour was scheduled 15 days ago. He added that Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Abdullah Hussain Haroon had taken the protest to the Security Council along with the copies of decisions taken by the Defence Committee. Regarding unrest in Karachi on the first day of Muhrram (Sunday), he said the attack was part of a conspiracy to destabilise the country. He alleged an unnamed “third party” of involvement in the Karachi incident.

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wednesday, 30 November, 2011

arTS & eNTerTaiNmeNT

ForeiGN NewS

Woman alleges affair with presidential hopeful Cain After ‘delhi Belly’, Pakistan bans ‘dirty Picture’

SPorTS

News 03 CommeNT

Pakistan start Bangladesh series with crushing win The attack Now is the time to for damage control.

Commission Abbottabad commission was another futile effort.

dr hasan Askari Rizvi says: Foreign friends?: Our foreign friends and their intervention in our internal issues.

Shaukat Unmer says: Dos and don’ts: A guide for all the ambassadors.

harris bin Munawar says: Business as usual with India: Indo-Pak trade in a lighter vein.

Story on Page 19

Story on Page 17

Story on Page 20

articles on Page 12-13

Zardari snubs Kaira for showing ‘apathy’ in defending PPP g

Kaira unhappy with Firdous for firing his ‘blue-eyed’ ISLAMABAD

P

SC moved for declaration of govt’s secret agreements ISLAMABAD STAff REPORT

A constitutional petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Tuesday which requested the court to declare any of the government’s secret agreements with NATO forces unlawful and ultra vires. The petitioner also prayed to the court to declare the government’s agreements with US, NATO and ISAF forces allowing them to them to carry out drone attacks inside Pakistan and to operate Shamsi Airbase in the territory of Pakistan unlawful, void and against the sovereignty of the country. The petition was filed by Maulana Samiul Haq, chairman of the Pakistan Defence Counsel and JUI-S chief under Article 184 (3) of the constitution, making the federation, ministries of Defence, Interior and Foreign Affairs as well as the four provincial governors and chief secretaries respondents. The petitioner requested the court to direct the federation to publicly declare via print and electric media the agreements illegal so that citizens of Pakistan could know about them and take appropriate measures in the national interest as well as for individual and personal security. He also asked the court to allow copies of the agreements and contracts – whereby the government permitted and allowed “Shamsi Airbase” to be used by the US government to launch strikes and operation inside and outside Pakistan – might be ordered to be published by the respondents via electronic and print media for the information of the public at large.

MIAN ABRAR

ReSIDeNT Asif Ali Zardari came out in open to defend Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan in a recent PPP core committee meeting and snubbed former information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira who had complained against Firdous for “termination of feedback support and talking points” on orders of the information minister.

A source told Pakistan Today on Tuesday that Kaira lodged a complaint with the president against Firdous for disbanding a research and reference cell established in the Ministry of Information for intellectual feedback and support to him.

“Justifying his silence, Kaira said he had no backup support and talking points were not being provided to him.

However, the president snubbed Kaira and held him responsible for slackness and not defending the president and the party in response to the opposition’s propaganda.

He also did not buy Kaira’s argument that talking points were not being provided to him, saying if talking points were not being provided to him, he should have developed them for himself and he should actively respond to the opposition’s propaganda as secretary information of the party,

the source said.

He said Zardari also told the meeting that the party leaders needed to follow Babar Awan who, after sacrificing his ministry, was still working relentlessly for the cause of the party and was always there to respond strongly to the opposition’s propaganda.

The source said Kaira had complained against Firdous for terminating the contract of Ammara Durrani, a blue-eyed of Kaira who was working as a director, research and reference cell of the Ministry of Information and

used to feed Kaira with talking points during his stint as information minister.

“Under Ammara Durrani, the cell used to monitor print and electronic media. Talking points were prepared and sent to Kaira by Durrani, who used to introduce her as strategic communications specialist. However, after taking over as minister, Firdous cancelled her contract and appointed one of her favourites, Aman Azhar, on contract as director of the cell. After this appointment, Aman stopped sending feedback and talking points to Kaira which infuriated Kaira,” added the source.

Another source said the president was actually referring to the lack of interest by Kaira towards his new assignment as information secretary of the party as Kaira rarely visits the party’s central secretariat. “Rather, Kaira seems obsessed with the Prime Minister’s House and always remains present in all functions held at there.

The snub to him was to remind him about his job which he was not interested in,” the source added.

During the core committee meeting, the source said that Zardari also expressed displeasure on the maltreatment meted out to former religious minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi, saying that it was unfortunate that the party leaders were being sent behind bars for doing nothing.

MUMbai attacks case

RAWALPINDI Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) prosecutors on Tuesday told Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) Rawalpindi, conducting the hearing of seven accused charged with involvement in Mumbai attacks, that the Indian Supreme Court had appointed the Judicial Commission (JC) head to record the statements of key officials and witnesses of the Mumbai attacks.

ATC No 1 Judge Shahid Rafique resumed hearing of the case at Adiala Jail.

During the hearing, FIA prosecutors submitted a letter written by Indian government to the ATC. The letter said the Supreme Court of India had appointed the JC head to record the statement of key officials and

witnesses of Mumbai attack.

FIA prosecutors requested the ATC Judge Shahid Rafique to direct defense counsels to submit their passports and other relevant documents to the Interior Ministry to issue a notification confirming their nomination to join Indian Supreme Court’s constituted JC to record statements of witnesses and law enforcers.

Prosecutors said Pakistan has to nominate its members for JC and defense counsels who wanted to be part of it should provide their details to initiate the visa process. Prosecutors said the Chief Justice of India had appointed Chief Metropolitan Magistrate SS Sinday as head of Judicial Commission. The court adjourned the hearing till December 3.

Talking to media outside Adiala Jail,

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has summoned the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) management and the federation over a notice issued by the PTA to all cellular service providers ordering them to filter what the PTA terms ‘obscene and indecent’ words. The PTA management and the federation have been summoned to give an explanation for the notice issued by the authority on November 14, which ordered all cellular services providers to censor a list of word drawn up by the PTA. PTA drew severe criticism from cellular services providers, the masses and the international media upon issuance of the list. After the unexpected reaction, PTA decided to softly back out from the decision, saying that the idea had been shelved for the moment, as the list was being reviewed to cut down the number of words. About 1,600 words were included in the initial list, out of which 1,000 were english and about 500 were Urdu words. Hundreds of words included in the list are words used in routine speech. PTA’s step was challenged in court on November 23 on the basis of restricting the freedom of speech, in violation of a right enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan, while also making a mockery of the country in the international media. Following the PTA’s issuance of the list, the international media, including CNN, BBC and ABC news pounced on the decision and criticised it severely, said the petitioner, Syed Waqar Hassan, through his counsels Barrister Rizwan ahmed and Kahlid Ishaque. Judge Mohammed Furrukh Irfan directed the issuance of notices against the PTA and the federation, and sought reply within 14 days, declaring the matter of blocking and filtering of SMS via list as sub-judice.

The matter would be decided in court on legal merit.

ORAKZAI INP

Fia seeks defence counsels’ travel documents STAff REPORT

LAHORE ALI TAhIR

14 militants killed in orakzai operation

AtC told India has appointed JC head g

LHC issues PTa, Federation of Pakistan notices

FIA prosecutors said after the Indian government had appointed its JC head, Pakistan will nominate its JC members.

They hoped an FIA official would be part of the JC which would go India to record statements of key officials and witnesses.

BB case: Meanwhile, in Benazir Bhutto murder case, ATC Rawalpindi Number 1 on Tuesday rejected the pleas of re-framing charges of two accused in former premier Benazir Bhutto (BB) assassination case.

The court handed over the copies of charge sheets and directed the prosecution to produce the witnesses for recording their statements on December 3.

ATC No 1 Judge Shahid Rafique dismissed the application of Sher Zaman and Abdul Rahseed and adjourned the case hearing till December 3 and directed the prosecution to present its witnesses.

Security forces killed 14 militants on Tuesday while one security official was killed in an operation in the Upper Orakzai Agency.

Militant hideouts were targeted during the operation, as security forces shelled the area and destroyed two buildings where militants were taking shelter. Sources said six militants were killed in the incident. eight more militants were killed in a firefight with security personnel in the eidgah area of Khadezai.

On Monday, Swat police arrested militant commander Baacha Zada for alleged involvement in terrorist activities in the region.

Sources said Baacha Zada was arrested during a raid in the Chaprial area of Swat. Security forces in Swat claimed to have conducted more than 1,300 intelligence operations in the area, arresting several militants after the 2009 military operation.

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04 News Centre-Punjab tussle affecting 100 employees LAHORE GNI

The fate of over 100 employees of the ‘Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Centre for Women Project’ is hanging in balance due to a conflict between the federal government and Punjab government, which has refused to own the project after the centre devolved it to the provinces. The Ministry of Women Development had transferred the project to the Punjab government under the devolution plan. In response, the Punjab government told the federal government to decide the project’s fate and handle its liabilities at its own level.

The conflict of interests is evident from the contents of a letter written by an official of the Punjab Social Welfare, Women’s Development and Baitul Maal department expressing the provincial government’s inability to take over the project because of the fact that its Dar-ulAman (women’s shelters) had similar objectives and were already working in every district of the province.

wednesday, 30 November, 2011

Cabinet avoids direct criticism of US LAHORE STAff REPORT

P

AKISTAN People’s Party (PPP) sources claimed on Tuesday that in spite of condemning the NATO air strike on Pakistan Army’s checkposts that killed 24 soldiers, ministers in the cabinet meeting avoided direct criticism of the US and focused on targeting the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for violating international laws and trespassing Pakistan’s borders.

They said most of the time the ministers adopted a careful attitude towards criticizing the US. The sources said further that many ministers were of the view that the matter should be discussed in the Upper House of parliament before bringing it into a joint sitting, but no one stressed on the proposal.

The sources also said most of the cabinet members stated that no deviation should be made on the decision of evacuating the Shamsi airbase and

Nsc to take up NatO strike, memogate on Friday IslAmABAd: Parliament’s special committee on national security has been summoned to meet on Friday, December 2, to discuss the attack on Salala check post by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), as well as the memogate row. According to sources, the Senate secretary on Tuesday notified that the session would be held on Friday. Following the national security committee, a joint session of the parliament would also be summoned to take up the findings of the national security committee on the NATO strike and memo controversy, enabling both the houses of the parliament to make recommendations to the government to decide the future course of action on both contentious issues. STAff REPORT stressed upon the implementation of the defence committee’s decisions in true spirit.

The sources claimed that ministers belonging to the Pakistan Muslim LeagueQuaid (PML-Q) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) were in the mood to discuss the current national political situation but kept mum because of the sensitive situation at the meeting.

The federal government,

express 24/7 calls it a day media WATCh Pakistan’s only 24-hour english news channel, express 24/7, part of the express Media Group (of which The express Tribune newspaper is a sister organisation) bowed out on Monday night after three years of transmission.

The company’s Chief executive Officer Sultan

Lakhani in an e-mail to 24/7 staffers said that the decision had been taken as despite the company’s best efforts “we simply have not been able to make express 24/7 self-sustaining from a financial and commercial standpoint.” He blamed a dismal economic environment coupled with a lack of advertising support which resulted in dwindling revenues thereby making it financially untenable to continue airing

the english language channel. He said niche channels were wholly dependent on advertising in Pakistan.

Dawn News, which began as an english language news channel, had also previously switched to broadcasting in Urdu because of the low demand in the niche market. Geo News had also planned to launch an english channel, which failed to get off the ground for similar reasons. MONITORING dESK

Parliament to decide future ties with allies: Pm ISLAMABAD APP

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday said Pakistan would evaluate all options after the violation of working mechanism by NATO with an attack on Pakistani security forces in Mohmand Agency.

In an interview with a private television, he said Pakistan would revisit engagement with NATO and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the backdrop of the Mohmand incident.

“Pakistan has told the US administration that incident of Mohmand agency will not be acceptable,” he added.

Gilani said he would take parliament and the country’s leadership into confidence to reach a decision.

“The strategy of the government will be brought before parliament so that the leadership can arrive at a consensus. Pakistan has asked the US to vacate Shamsi airbase in two weeks and stopped all NATO supplies,” he said.

Reports about any other base were just speculation, he added.

at the eleventh hour, changed its mind to give a briefing to reporters and twice the programme of the briefing was changed. Reporters who had reached Governor’s House, where the meeting took place, were returned with the declaration that the briefing had been cancelled and news about the meeting would be issued through the Press Information Department and official media.

9.7% candidates pass CSS 2011 examination ISLAMABAD APP

The Federal Public Services Commission announced the results for the Central Superior Service (CSS) 2011 examination on Tuesday with a pass percentage of 9.7. According to a press release, 882 candidates passed out of a total 9,063 who took the exam. The successful candidates include 670 men and 212 women.

SWAT: Brig Bilal Akbar presents a gift to Malala Yousafzai at Khushhal School on Tuesday. ONLINe

GHQ evaluating ‘all options’ continUed from Page 1 explaining the chain of events, he said the communication line with the Volcano checkpost broke down a few minutes after the attack and when the NATOISAF Regional Command (e) was informed about the incident, he (the DGMO) was told that the helicopters had been pulled back.

“When, after knowing about the activity on Volcano post, our company commander ordered the Boulder checkpost to send reinforcement, this communication was intercepted and the helicopters again moved in and this time attacked the Boulder checkpost,” he said.

He said what made the army consider that it was an intended attack was that there were no villages in the areas of these checkposts where the militants could be suspected to have been hiding. “They (NATOISAF) knew that these were

Pakistani checkposts and if they took the communication between the company commander and the Boulder checkpost (asking for reinforcement) as that of militants, it defied military logic as both communications could be distinguished,” he said, adding that it was also conveyed to General Allen, the commander of the RC (e), that no fire was carried out from the Pakistani side of the border and the attack was unprovoked. About a joint enquiry into this incident, the DGMO said three such incidents (June 10, 2008, September 30, 2010 and July 17, 2011) had taken place in the past and the joint enquiries remained inconclusive because of disagreement. He said the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had gathered information about an impending attack from the Afghan side and it was conveyed to the NATO-ISAF but they did not share any

information with Pakistan.

Admitting that it was a “marginal” violation of Pakistan’s territory, the DGMO, however, did not commit that the air force would be scrambled in case such an incident again took place but said: “The response did not lie in military domain.”

This suggested that any decision to intercept the violation of the country’s territory from the western side had to be a political one.

“The positions of the posts were already conveyed to the ISAF through map references,” he said, adding that the area where the attacks were carried out was already cleared of the militants by Pakistani forces and there was not any cross-border movement of terrorists from Pakistan to Afghan territory. He said army deployment on the western border was not against the NATO-ISAF rather it was against the militants.

Pakistan snubs Bonn moot continUed from Page 1 We request our nation to stand by us,” the premier added.

JoINT sEssIoN: He also announced a joint session of parliament for December 10 on the recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security to develop a future strategy on the NATO attack and to discuss the memogate controversy. The premier told the cabinet that the matter had been referred to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and its recommendations would be submitted before the joint sitting of parliament. The cabinet called upon the international community to take cognizance of such attacks, which constitute a violation of the UN Charter principles, international law and could have serious repercussions for regional peace and security.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan and Germany sought to calm Pakistan’s anger and convince it to reverse its decision and participate in the conference. Afghan Presi-

dent Hamid Karzai made a phone call to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and expressed condolences for the lives lost in the NATO attack, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was “very sorry” about Pakistan’s announced boycott next week’s conference and would try to convince it to attend. kArZAI CAlls GIlANI: Karzai expressed concern at media reports that Pakistan would boycott the Bonn Conference and requested Gilani to reconsider the decision as the conference was being convened for peace and stability in Afghanistan.

He said Pakistan’s absence from the Bonn moot would not be helpful to the efforts aimed at bringing about peace in Afghanistan. But Gilani expressed his deepest regrets at NATO’s use of Afghan soil to attack Pakistani forces in Mohmand Agency. The prime minister said the breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty and the killing of army personnel had enraged the people of Pakistan. He questioned how a country whose own sover-

eignty and territorial integrity was violated could play a constructive role in a peace dialogue. He said the recurrence of such incidents would definitely narrow down political space for the government to maneuver. mErkEl: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was “very sorry” about Pakistan’s announced boycott of next week’s conference and would try to convince it to attend. Merkel said Germany would “see what could be done to change” Islamabad’s decision to stay away from the meeting. “We are both interested in constructive development of Afghanistan, which is why I consider the conference hosted by the (German) foreign minister to be very important. We always said that conflicts can only be resolved in the region and Pakistan is part of this region, which is why we are very sorry that this cancellation came today,” Merkel, who will open the Bonn conference, told reporters at a joint press conference with visiting King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Merkel said that Berlin had not given up on convincing Islamabad to attend the meeting. “I understand Pakistan’s concern about the loss of human life due to NATO troops but this should not distract from the fact that this Afghanistan conference is a very, very important conference,” she said.

Us sTATE dEPArTmENT: The US also hoped Pakistan would attend the international conference in Bonn. “We hope that they do in fact attend this conference because this is a conference that is about Afghanistan and building a more stable and prosperous and peaceful Afghanistan.

And so that is very much in the interests of Pakistan,” said US State Department Spokesman Mark Toner.

“This is a relationship that’s weathered difficult times and has yielded success in our shared battle against terrorists and extremists.

We are clear-eyed about where we are at in the relationship. I think we are committed to working through it,” he added.

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‘Vehicular literature’ an expression of popularism

12 killed as van hits roadside tree Driver of ill-fated vehicle lost control as he tried to save a pedestrian, say police ISLAMABAD

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fAzAL ShER

N a bid to save a pedestrian life, the driver of a van instead hit the vehicle with a tree on early Tuesday morning. As many as 12 passengers were burnt alive while several were badly wounded in the fire, which erupted after the van’s head-on collision with the tree. The sad incident took place in the Golra police precincts.

“A Rawalpindi-bound Toyota Hiace bearing registration number RIR-9606 had left from Wah Cantt. It collided with a roadside tree at 7:04 am PST when the driver, Muhammad Asif, lost control of the vehicle when he tried to save a pedestrian crossing the road”, said Motorway police spokesman Javed Chaudhry.

He said the van caught fire due to short-circuiting, which caused the CNG cylinder to explode. He said the motorway policemen, rescue workers and fire brigade staff reached the scene soon after accident and moved the injured to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

“As many as 12 people were burnt alive on the spot and their bodies were hardly recognizable. Seven people including two women were seriously injured”, he said and added that the bodies and injured ones were pulled out after they cut into the wreaked vehicle.

He feared the accident toll might in-

crease since the condition of some of the injured was still serious.

Hospital source said that out of 12 dead, only four could be identified by Tuesday evening. They were: Zahir

Ahmad, Shehzad Ahmad, Faisal Iqbal and Arshad. The identified bodies were sent with the heirs after completing medico-legal process. The injured passengers include Jameel Ahmad, Muhm-

mad Iqbal, Muhammad Asif, Meer Azger, Ferveen and Uzma.

The accident also created a traffic jam due to which long queues of vehicles were witnessed on the road. Motorists re-

waste OF PUblic MONey

Medical college being moved to NIH g

Projects’ critics say haste, ill planning cost national exchequer millions of rupees ISLAMABAD ASMA KUNdI

WHILe inflicting a huge loss to the national exchequer, the management of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has shifted the Federal Medical College to the National Institute of Health after millions of rupees were spent to set up that major health institute within its own premises.

In what can be termed as a clear reflection of the inadequate planning of the PIMS, millions of rupees were wasted on setting up its infrastructure at the PIMS and it was only after spending a huge sum that the administration realised that there was not enough space for the new facility.

And now the FMC is being moved to NIH premises which may cost another millions of rupees. It is important to mention here that right after the decision of setting up another medical college at the PIMS, some consultant doctors had expressed their concerns that PIMS was already dealing with a large number of patients and the new responsibility could hamper the working of many departments of the hospital.

While paying no heed to those doctors’ concerns, the hospital management along with establishment Secretary Khushnood Lashari and the head of the selection committee, conducted interviews of almost 200 candidates for the new college’s faculty posts without preparing the PC1 for the project.

A PIMS official, seeking anonymity, told Pakistan Today that while setting up the infrastructure of college in the basement of OPD (children), labs, expensive X-ray machines and heating ventilating systems, which were donated by Japanese government, were auctioned off on very cheap rates.

“Whereas the pharmacy store, record

rooms and pathology were removed from that building and a hefty amount was spent on the renovation of the building but all the work proved futile as now the building is lying vacant and useless”, he lamented.

He questioned the sagacity of the policymakers and said they could have averted the loss by paying heed to the suggestions by doctors who were opposed to the move.

He said a majority of the doctors appointed as professors for the new medical college were working without the salary since the PC1 for the project was yet to be finalised. Another senior sur-

geon, requesting anonymity, said the idea behind the project was to serve some people’s vested interests.

“All the under-graduate federal medical institutes come under the control of the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) while the post-graduate institutes are overseen by the Ministry of Professional and Technical education. The new medical college has, however, been given under the control of Cabinet Division,” he added.

He reasoned that the Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, situated within the premises of PIMS, was under the

CADD’s control while the new college was being moved to NIG only to bring it under the Cabinet Division’s oversight.

PIMS executive Director Mehmood Jamal, who is also the principle of the federal college, said, “The college was originally under the CADD’s authority but now it is being transferred to the Cabinet Division.”

He said that according to the original plan, the college was supposed to be set up at the NIH but due to the non-availability of a separate building, it was temporarily set up at the PIMS hospital. But now, he said, it would be shifted to the NIH “as per original plan”.

mained stuck for over two hours. An emergency was declared in the city hospitals including Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and Polyclinic Hospital.

iHC returns rawalpindi CNG traders’ petition ISLAMABAD STAff REPORT

Justice Riaz Ahmad Khan of Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday returned the petition filed by the Rawalpindibased CNG owners against the three-day gas suspension, saying the CNG stations of the petitioners do not come under the federal capital’s territory; therefore, they should approach the proper forum.

The counsel for the petitioners, Saeed Khursheed, contended that the recent order of the IHC, in which the load management plan of the Petroleum Ministry was suspended, also applied to the CNG stations of Rawalpindi.

The lawyer submitted that the garrison town also came under the Islamabad Zone, which included the area from Jhelum to Murree and Rawalpindi to Attock.

However, after hearing his arguments, Justice Riaz ordered that the CNG stations of the petitioners located in Rawalpindi fell within Islamabad.

Therefore, the petition was returned because of the territorial jurisdiction and the petitioners were asked approach the proper forum.

Section 144 imposed ISLAMABAD STAff REPORT

The Islamabad administration has imposed Section 144 for 10 days to maintain law and order during Muharram in the federal capital’s territory.

Under the move, writing and distribution of objectionable pamphlets or posters and gathering in the routes of religious processions have been prohibited in the sectors G/6 and G/9.

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eNabliNg PeOPle FOr POsitive critiqUe

Report studies media content in Pakistan g

‘Talking back - ii: From Passive to Proactive’ prepared by Uks research Centre covers various topics for audience and media men ISLAMABAD STAff REPORT

The Uks Research Centre on Tuesday launched ‘Talking back - II: From Passive to Proactive’, a report based on the outcomes of the project on promoting media literacy in Pakistan by building linkages between media and public at a local hotel.

The report marks the conclusion of ‘Promoting Public Discourse on Media Content in Pakistan’ - a oneyear project, the first of its kind in

Pakistan, undertaken by Uks in collaboration with the National endowment of Democracy (NeD).

The project is based on Uks’ monitoring and analysis of media content in Pakistan in collaboration with its partner universities and bringing forth the results of this research to the media practitioners. This project aims to point out the need to educate, both the audiences and journalists, on key related concepts, which is the only tool that can equip them with the skills to comment, critique and influ-

ence change in the way media content is packaged.

As part of this project, Uks partnered with eight universities in Pakistan to promote public discourse and discussion on media content in Pakistan. A selected group of students at these universities undertook a four-month monitoring exercise at their locations which included orientation sessions, followed by monitoring and analysing different newspapers and local TV channels on a daily basis. They also conducted focus group discussions with various segments of the

society based on the monitoring and analysis. ‘Talking Back – II: from Passive to Proactive’ is based on the findings put forth by these students and the analysis done by Uks and it represents the crux of the year-long effort. The report aims to encourage media men by building connections and bridging the gap between the different opinions, views and thoughts.

The guests present at the launch of this report included media, NGO representatives and civil society members who lauded Uks’ efforts on the subject.

The gathering started with a presentation of the project given by the Uks team. Uks Director Tasneem Ahmar, The News Senior Correspondent Amir Mateen, Head of Media Studies Department at International Islamic University Islamabad Dr Zafar and Ammara Fatima gave their feedback and shared their views on the content that is being aired and written in electronic and print media, how the scenario has changed in Pakistan and what sort of effect it is having on the human mind.

HeC workshop for QaU heads of departments ISLAMABAD STAff REPORT

A two-day strategic planning workshop for the heads of departments of the Quaid-i Azam University (QAU) started here on Tuesday.

The workshop is being organised by the Higher education Commission (HeC) under its Modern University Governance Programme for University Management. As many as 30 heads of departments, senior faculty and administration members attended the workshop. The purpose of the workshop was to help the participants understand the concept of strategic planning, its basic principles and processes. Dr Mary Linda Armacost, the former president of two US universities conducted different sessions on academics process, barriers and design of strategic planning. She highlighted the dynamics of the university-based strategic planning.

Addressing the inaugural session, she said the consultation exercise would help the heads of departments and senior faculty members set more realistic goals in line with unique higher education needs. She said effective strategic planning was a tool to face the emerging challenges in an innovative way and a structured approach to anticipating the future. “Strategic Planning is a way to set your priorities, goals and monitoring the progress. It ensures the academic quality by creating real engagement among departments, within the departments, with teachers, students, and external constituencies.” she added.

aioU tops flower shows ISLAMABAD STAff REPORT

RAWALPINdI: Residents of Committee Chowk protest against gas load shedding in the city. ONLINe

Annual evening with shifa residents ISLAMABAD STAff REPORT

Shifa International Hospital (SIH) has emerged as the best place for postgraduate medical education, mainly due to its stateof-the-art medical facilities and job training opportunities for doctors who want to enhance their education and professional capabilities up to an international standard while staying in Pakistan.

This was stated by College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSC) Vice President Prof Khalid Masood Gondal on Tuesday, addressing the first annual residents’ evening at Shifa International Hospital. He distributed shields and prizes among 13 postgraduate residents of Shifa who had passed the examination of Fellowship of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (FCPS) and two postgraduate residents who had earned the Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) of the United Kingdom. As many as 31 other postgraduate residents received certificates. The SIH president, CeO and other senior doctors of SIH, including Dr Manzoor H Qazi, Medical Director Dr Muhammad Salim Khan and Director Medical Services Dr Mian Amjad Sohail attended the event.

Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) stood first on Tuesday in the Chrysanthemum and Autumn Flower Show organized by Pir Mehr Ali Shah of Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, as well as in the Autumn Flower Show held at Rose and Jasmine Garden arranged by Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Islamabad Horticulture Society. AIOU Garden Supervisor Muhammad Nazir received the first prize trophy on behalf of the university from Islamic Academy of Sciences Vice President Dr MD Shami at a prize-distribution ceremony. AIOU Vice Chancellor, Prof Dr Nazir Ahmed Sangi congratulated the gardeners of AIOU, particularly Garden Supervisor Muhammad Nazir, and said, “Flowers are part and parcel of our daily life as they not only add beauty and fragrance to our gardens but also promote the cause of clean environment and healthy society.” Dr Sangi also instructed the Department of Agricultural Sciences and gardeners of the university to focus on floriculture to improve its environment. He further directed them to introduce a number of new varieties of flowers. Dr Sangi said, “Lush green gardens and flowers not only add to the beauty of the environment but also have a positive impact on the moods of the students and employees of the university.”

FBiSe amends policy ISLAMABAD STAff REPORT

In order to avoid the litigation process, the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary education (FBISe) on Tuesday changed its policies applicable to the change of students’ names, fathers’ names and other corrections in the Matriculation and Intermediate certificates. earlier, students used to go to courts for corrections in their certificates. However, under the new policy, FBISe’s five-member committee would decide the matter.

Sources said that the decision would help avoid the litigation process which used to cost FBISe heavily as it had to pay around Rs 6 million during the last two years for litigation in various courts. FBISe issued a notification on November 16 in this regard while a committee has also been constituted.

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Islamabad 07 Calligraphic work attracts people at raC rAWAlPINdI: In connection with the month of Moharram-ul-Haram, the Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC) organised a group calligraphic exhibition on Tuesday, which was inaugurated by Senator Najma Hameed.

More than 50 pieces of 10 renowned calligraphers of international fame were put on display in the exhibition. The work of Aftab Ahmed Khan (Pride of Performance), elahi Bux Matteh, Ibne Kaleem, Imran Tahir, Azeem Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Tabani, Tayyab Munawar, Anwar Saddidi, Mehmood Ali, Irsa Ambreen and Amina Waqas is showcased in the event. The exhibition, which will remain open for a week, attracted a large number of people from the twin cities on the first day. Senator Najma, while expressing her views after the inaugural ceremony, said, “Considering calligraphy as our cultural obligation, we should respect and patronise the calligraphists because it is a unique cultural tradition of Islam,” adding that it reminded of the golden era of Muslim rule. “It is a great contribution of calligraphers that this art is still intact and will be transferred to next generation as well.”

She further said that the works were a landmark in the genre of calligraphy and art in Pakistan. “They are an aesthetic blend of traditional and modern thought.” She said the artists’ works showed hard work and a gift of creativity bestowed upon them by the Creator. “Their designing ability and the holy scripts fuse into each other and the outcome is an aesthetic pleasure for the viewer.” RAC Resident Director Waqar Ahmed said it was an honour for him and the gallery that the artworks of seasoned calligraphers were being displayed for the public. The exhibition includes calligraphy with mixed media on canvas, oil on canvas, mixed media on board and acrylic canvas depicting Quranic verses in an impressive manner. STAff REPORT

ISLAMABAd: f-10 Markaz traders demonstrate against the NATO attack. stAFF PHOtO

FDe plans teachers’ training from Dec 1 ISLAMABAD STAff REPORT

Federal Directorate of education (FDe), in collaboration with the Norwegian government, is planning to conduct a training session for 400 school teachers.

A senior official of FDe told Pakistan Today that the training session would be started under Child Friendly Inclusive Training Programme, a joint venture of Norway and FDe. He said that FDe had completed all arrangements for kickstarting the training session aimed at promoting child-friendly environment in classrooms. The official said that Director General FDe had forwarded a summary to the Capital Administration and Development Division (CAAD) secretary for final approval and it was expected that CAAD would allow FDe to start training from December 1.

The training session would be held in two phases. In the first phase, the FDe would give training to the teachers who had been teaching in schools in urban areas and in the second phase the teachers of rural areas would be given training. The programme was a joint venture of the Norwegian government, under its child-friendly inclusive schooling project and the FDe. The teachers would be given training to promote national standards for childfriendly inclusive schooling through various methods.

Short tenure of members to affect ECP working Citizens’ Group on electoral Process says full-time members’ term should be equal to that of chief election commissioner

g

ISLAMABAD

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STAff REPORT

He Citizens Group on electoral Process (CGeP) on Tuesday demanded that the Parliament should fix the term of the members of the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) at five years, similar to the tenure of the chief election commissioner (CeC).

The group, facilitated by Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), reviewed the Members, election Commission (Oath of Office, Salary, Allowances, Perks and Privileges) Bill 2011, which has been introduced in the National Assembly on November 21.

It noted with concern that the bill, if passed in its current form by the Parliament, would fix the term of office of the eCP members at two years from the date they took the oath of the office. It opined that the move would prove detrimental to the smooth func-

tioning and independence of the eCP, as the CeC had also recommended a five-year term fro the members.

The CGeP said the 18th Amendment had increased the term of the office of CeC from three to five years and highlighted that the CeC and the members served for the same period everywhere in the World, including in the South Asian region.

“The term of the chief election commissioner and the members of the election commission in India is six years, while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh provide for a five-year term.”

The group demanded the government to revise the bill and asked the parliamentarians not pass the law in its present form.

The CGeP also noted that the current government and Parliament deserved the credit for appointing the four full-time permanent members of the eCP for the first time in the history of the country in accordance with the 18th Amendment, as the serving judges of the high court served as part-

time members before the constitutional change.

“The four members of the eCP were inducted on June 13, 2011 following a bi-partisan consensus which is a rare feat in the history of the country.

It is important that the Government consolidates these gains rather than diluting their effect.”

“A short term of the members especially when it is about to end right after the scheduled date of general elections will subject the members to undue pressure,” the CGeP feared.

Members of the Citizens Group who were part of the meeting included Pakistan Today editor Arif Nizami, Dr Moeed Pirzada, ARY News executive Director Special Projects Fahd Hussain, Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi, Babar Sattar Advocate, Ghazi Salahuddin, Daily Pakistan editor-in-Chief Mujib-urRehman Shami, former Punjab governor Shahid Hamid, Balochistan Times editor-in-Chief Syed Fasih Iqbal, PILDAT executive Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, and other prominent personalities.

136 outlaws arrested IslAmABAd: The Islamabad police claimed on Tuesday to have arrested as many as 105 absconding outlaws and 26 gamblers. A police spokesman said the arrests were made during the last three weeks in different crackdowns on various criminals’ dens in the city.

The spokesman quoted Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Bani Amin Khan as saying that the commitment and devotion of the police personnel made those arrests possible.

As many as 105 absconders including 32 proclaimed offenders and 73 court absconders were been apprehended during the last three weeks. Similarly, the police raided various gambling dens and apprehended 26 gamblers and seized the stake money and other items.

Moreover, 14 people were also arrested for their alleged involvement in sex trade and “immoral activities”, the spokesman added. STAff REPORT

‘Baloch distrust rooted in history’ HeC, councils decide to change entry test system ISLAMABAD

STAff REPORT

Speakers at a seminar said here on Tuesday that two years after the prime minister had announced the Balochistan Rights’ Package, most of the Balochis were still dismissing it by terming it a “joke and insufficient.”

The seminar was organised by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Islamabad and Actionaid Pakistan, as part of their campaign to raise awareness among masses about the status of implementation of Balochistan Rights’ Package.

The speakers said the roots of Balochis’ nationalism went back to the partition of British India.

They underscored that the imposition of state’s authority over

Khan of Kalat in 1948 through guns sowed the seeds of disillusionment among Balochis and they turned antagonistic towards the federation.

PPP leader and former senator Taj Haider the relationship between the federation and Balochistan had always been problematic since partition. He opined that the only option the PPP government had was to go for greater reconciliation, rather than confronting the disgruntled Balochis.

He said currently the main issue between the federation and the province was distrust.

Shunning the politics of packages, Senator Dr Abdul Malik Baloch of the National Party said, “Balochis are worried about their identity, and they don’t want eco-

nomic packages”.

He said that the state should reread history before imposing its will on them since they had never been a part of British India.

“Balochis resisted martial laws and bore the brunt for not subduing before the military dictators”, he added.

Other speakers were of the view that government needed to find political solution to address the political issues like Baloch nationalism and the announcement of economic packages was nothing but a futile exercise.

Several politicians and civil society members including former Balochistan governor Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Quadir and Dr Assem Sajjad participated in the event.

ISLAMABAD STAff REPORT

The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) of the Higher education Commission organised on Tuesday a meeting of all professional/accreditation councils here at the commission’s secretariat at which it was agreed that the entry test system should be reviewed to have a common testing system for each discipline.

The main objective of the meeting was to strengthen the bond between the councils and HeC (Higher education Commission) for the improvement of quality education at programme level. Representatives of all the 13 councils participated in the meeting and fully supported the idea of mutual coordination and collaboration between the councils and HeC to promote quality

education in the country.

All the councils agreed to adopt the best practices followed all over the world to standardise their accreditation processes and harmonise the rating process of accredited programmes. A committee would be convened

by HeC Registrar Dr Nasir Mehmood to look into the possibility of standardising the procedures amongst the councils, which should be followed by all the universities while initiating any new programme in any discipline.

HeC executive Director Dr Sohail Naqvi assured continuous support to the councils in the area of capacity building of the councils in general and the programme evaluators in particular. All the councils agreed to conduct meetings at least twice a year to enhance coordination and collaboration between the councils and HeC.

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‘Vehicular literature’ an expression of popularism ISLAMABAD

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MAhTAB BAShIR

MOTIONS instinctively overpower every individual as he tries to find happiness and grievances by utilising these sentiments. Thus, people in their reactions use various modes to express their feelings. Some opt for painting while many take up arms guns in frustration and very few look for poetry, quotes and one-liners to convey their message.

In this perspective, when we peep through the lifestyle of manual workers around us, who earn honestly through labour. Many of the drivers of trucks, buses, vans or taxis cabs, seemingly remain satisfied with their lives. Though, they are mostly illiterate but they, somehow, manage to decorate their vehicles with poetry and prose - often emotional, sarcastic and hilarious - and also with attractive metaphors.

One of the lesser known sides of the Pakistani life: the chaotic public transport blossoms in colour with buses, trucks, rickshaws and taxis that are decked out in bright paint and elaborate designs, and the best part for many is the poetry or quotes.

Poetry in any form is considered as the most expressive literature but the one that comes with humour and sarcasm adds to the spice. We come across many public transport vehicles that have imprinted some form of poetry, mostly at the back of their vehicles, showcasing that the often ridiculed transporters are not hopeless.

Pakistan Today when asked some drivers while exploring why they use poetry, one-liners, quotes or stickers as the tool of expression, many of them opined that every verse and quote was a reflection of their gut feelings. “This is in a very real sense a public conversation which is not in books, which is not in the type of middle class milieus - it’s on the street, and it is what actually we have experienced in our lives and later on engraved on our vehicles,” they said.

A cabbie at F-8 Markaz when was asked why he had inscribed the verse ‘Kis Qadar Khush Nazar Atay Hein Meray Shahar Kay Log- Aaj Akhbar Kisi Nay Na Parha Ho Jaisay’, (People of my city look happier today, it seems as if they have not read the today’s newspaper), Kashif Satti, the driver, smiled and said the verse was not going to be outdated in the given socio-political settings of the country. “The killing of 28

Pakistani troops in an attack by NATO forces in Mohmand Agency has shattered me. It was an act of barbarism and an attack to our sovereignty that can not be pardoned at any cost. But to be honest, such strikes occurred in the past and will continue in future, as we are not at all an independent state in real essence,” the emotionally charged driver said. every now and then one does comes across a very standard poetry sample, which makes one think in admiration of poetic sense of its creator as well as the transport owner. Look at another verse written on a vehicle spotted in Rawalpindi: ‘Jahan Sach Na Milay, Wahan Jhoot Hi Sahi- Jahan Haq Na Milay, Wahan Loot Hi Sahi’ (When you are not to be succeeded honestly, you may use the crooked ways).

“This is not a manifestation of just a driver of a cab, like me - but the reason this verse is here that it reflects the vivid picture how much this society has indulged in corruption, nepotism, and biased to say the least as it seems that an honest man has no place in this country,” said Zahoor Ahmed, the taxi driver.

Of course, the drivers are not writing these verses in a vacuum. These poetic verses and quotes play a very prominent role in popular culture - not just as a form of art, but also as a part of everyday conversation. Religion is the fundamental element influencing our lives and many of the drivers choose verses for preaching and giving suggestions to the readers. ‘Sari Musiba-

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ton Ka Aik Hi Hal- Bistar Utha, Tableegh Ko Chal’ (The only soul smoothing solution of all troubles is - to go for preaching) is one of these verses written on a van.

“I have been driving a truck for the last 15 years and participating in annual ‘Tableeghi Ijtima’ at Raiwind regularly. I feel relaxed there as it appeases my inner self a lot and that’s why I have written this verse,” said Hamza Khan, a bearded person.

Other than this, the drivers of vehicles use poetry for relating their personal accounts of romanticism and livelihood. ‘Musafir Hoon Manzil Ko Ja Raha Hoon - Pait Ki Khatir Taxi Chala Raha Hoon’ (I am a traveller heading towards my destiny and riding this cab for livelihood).

‘Chalta Hoon Har Subha mein Tumhari Talash Mien - Har Shaam Laot Ata Hoon Isi Bebasi Ky Saath’ and ‘Dil to Dye Chukay Hein Ab Naseeb Azma Rahay Hein - Kisi Sangdil Ki Khatir, Taxi Chala Rahay Hein’ are few of the verses that has preserved the natural innocence and spontaneity of the “transport poetry”. Many of the verses are not hum-wazan while others have problem with ‘tazkeer-o-taanees’ (gender) - feminine words sometimes are referred to as masculine and vice versa - but this “lawlessness” in poetry is what makes it so colourful and enjoyable. These hard-pressed mostly illiterate drivers use couplets, quotations or one-liners to explain a situation, something like the way proverbs are used but for the owners of public transport vehicles; it is also about defining their public identity.

They exhibit their love and adoration to literature by getting written poetry and quotes from legendary writers on their vehicles. Some also reflect their patriotism to the homeland as well as the armed forces, by getting painted portraits of former army heroes and martyrs on their vehicles. Some of them also show their political, religious and family members affiliation in writing verses and quotations.

In modern days, the one-liners like ‘Koi Dekhay na Dekhay, Shabbir tu Dekhay Ga’, ‘Qadam barhao Imran Khan - hum tumharay sath hain’ (March forward Imran Khan, we are with you) ‘ye sab meri maa ki dua hay’, ‘Tusi chalay jaso, ya may chadd awan’, and ‘Miss-bell tay maar’ (Give me a miss-bell) are few of new quotes witnessed on the rear of vehicles. Pakistan Today dedicates this piece of writing to all drivers, cleaners, mechanics and transporters of Pakistan who despite all hardships are keeping the wheel of economy moving from Karachi to Landi Kotal or plying their vehicles in the twin cities expressing their thoughts to others.

aN illUstratiON OF PakistaN

caPOeira isltOwN

CoLLeGeS / UNiverSiTieS iNTerNaTioNaL iSLamiC UNiverSiTy 9260765 BaHria UNiverSiTy 9260002 NUmL 9257677 QUaiD-e-aZam UNiverSiTy 90642098 ariD aGriCULTUre UNiverSiTy 9290151 FJwU 9273235 riPHa iNTerNaTioNaL UNiverSiTy 111510510 NCa rawaLPiNDi 5770423 PUNJaB Law CoLLeGe 4421347

DaTe: Nov 24 - 30, 2011 veNUe: JHaroKa arT GaLLery iSLamaBaD

DaTe: Nov 29 - DeC 25, 2011 veNUe: iSLamaBaD

raja Najam ul Hassan Solo exibition of recent work. mr. Thomas Ditt, Cultural attache, embassy of Gemrmay, islamabad will be the Chief Guest. opening reception Thursday, November 24, 2011 at 5:30 pm Preview November 24, 10am onwards.

The exhibition will remain open till 30.11.

Do you have a passion for photography? are you the one whose click could change how we see things? what about using your passion for a greater cause? if yeS is the answer here’s your chance!

DaTe aND Time: every FriDay 6:30-7:30Pm veNUe: KHaaS arT GaLLery iSLamaBaD Capoeira is an afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dancing, ritual combat & music in a unique synthesis of self defense and rhythm.

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wednesday, 30 November, 2011

Oil tanker owners welcome ban on supplies to NATO forces g

NaTo truckers gated at Pakistan-afghanistan border TORKHAM/PESHAWAR

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AfP/STAff REPORT

INGeRING on the border as they waited for a fourth day to cross into Afghanistan with supplies for NATO troops, Pakistani truck drivers sat waiting in fear of Taliban reprisals.

Stopped from driving over the border at Torkham since a blockade began on Saturday amid outrage over the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers by foreign forces, the drivers sipped green tea nervously and awaited official orders.

“It’s relatively safe during the day, but the chances of a militant attack on these terminals increases manifold after sunset,” said 42-year-old driver Saheb Noor, nibbling on peanuts in one terminal housing NATO trucks.

It is a regular fear faced by the drivers who cross the border, keenly aware of reg-

ular gun and bomb attacks on convoys that supply the 140,000 foreign forces fighting the Taliban-led insurgency across the border.

But the blockade left some 100 trucks stranded for longer then usual, until orders came for them to drive off with no indication of when the border would reopen to allow them to attempt the hazardous journey again.

“We have sent all the 147 NATO oil tankers and containers back to Peshawar after receiving a new order from the high ups,” said senior local administration official Sheharyar Khan.

The dusty border town of Torkham has three heavily-guarded terminals, two for NATO containers, trawlers and oil tankers, and one for general goods sent to Afghanistan under a Transit Trade Agreement.

A thick layer of dust caused by the daily movement of heavy trucks and trawlers

caked the terminal. Other workers sat around exchanging pleasantries and listening to Pashto songs on their mobile phones.

Local tribal police official Wali Khan, clad in traditional black cotton tunic and baggy trousers, or shalwar kameez, and covered with dust from head to toe, told AFP that he had been guarding one terminal since Sunday.

“If they target this terminal from the nearby mountains, I will be the first victim of their bullets,” he said fearfully.

Many drivers at the border expressed outrage over the cross-border strike by NATO on Saturday on a Pakistani military base - details of which remain murky.

“NATO should be trying to kill Taliban inside Afghanistan (not Pakistan),” said driver Suhail Amin, bemoaning the fact that he had no alternative but do such dangerous work.

“I have no other option but to carry NATO goods because there are no job op-

eu and uK express condolences over NAtO strike in Pakistan UK foreign secretary says his government supports full investigation into incident g

BRUSSELS/LONDON AGENCIES

european Union chief diplomat Catherine Ashton expressed condolences to the government on Tuesday over a NATO airstrike that killed 24 troops and voiced support for an investigation.

Ashton “is closely following reports of the incident”, her office said after Saturday’s raid near the Afghan border, which prompted a furious Islamabad to cut off alliance supply routes to Afghanistan.

“High Representative Catherine Ashton has offered her deepest condolences to the government and people of Pakistan for the loss of life and injuries resulting from the incident along the Afghan-Pakistani border at the weekend,” her office said in a statement.

The eU official “supports Pakistan and NATO efforts to conduct a full investigation”, it said.

Ashton “underlined the eU’s commitment to continue its engagement with Pak-

istan in pursuit of the shared goals of promoting peace, security and prosperity”.

Her office added, “Pakistan is a vital partner in the region and has an essential role to play in the resolution of the Afghan conflict.”

Separately, the UK foreign secretary also has expressed condolences on the loss of life in the attack.

A Foreign Office spokesman said, “Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar called the foreign secretary on Saturday November26. The foreign secretary expressed his deep condolences to the families, armed forces and people of Pakistan for the loss of life that took place on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan earlier that day.”

“He assured Foreign Minister Rabbani Khar the UK supports a full investigation into the circumstances of this incident. It is more important than ever that all parties do their utmost to improve mutual peace and security, which will be to the benefit of all the countries in the region,” the spokesman said.

Chinese paper slams us over deadly NAtO raid g

News 09

Says US action shows its total disregard for another nation BEIJING AfP

An influential state-run Chinese newspaper on Tuesday accused the United States of violating international law and fanning the flames of terrorism after NATO strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

The strongly-worded editorial in the People’s Daily — mouthpiece of China’s ruling Communist party — came after Beijing said it was “deeply shocked” by the strikes, which have exacerbated tensions between Islamabad and Washington. “The United States and NATO have violated international law and international norms,” the paper said in an editorial condemning the attacks.

“This shows... that at crucial moments, the United States will not show the slightest hesitation to violate the sovereignty of another nation to ensure its ‘absolute security’.” The use of such cross-border tactics will only incite ter-

rorist sentiment, the editorial added.

“The soil nurturing terrorism will become even more fertile, and terrorist activities will become more widespread,” it said. Pakistan has reacted furiously to what it called an “unprovoked” strike, worsening US-Pakistani relations already in crisis after the killing in May of Osama bin Laden north of Islamabad by US special forces. Washington has backed a full inquiry into Saturday’s incident and sent its condolences, while NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Sunday voiced regret over the “tragic, unintended” killings, but did not issue a full apology.

China is one of Pakistan’s closest allies and the main arms supplier to Islamabad, which sees Beijing as an important counter-balance to its traditional rival India. The two countries conducted joint military exercises over the weekend, while Beijing has built two nuclear power plants in Pakistan and is contracted to construct two more reactors.

portunities or labour available in Pakistan,” he said.

Oil tanker driver Tauheed Khan said he didn’t think his government, heavily reliant on American aid money, would take long to reopen the Torkham crossing.

“I am sure that it will not take more than a month... Such decisions only add to problems of poor people like us,” he said.

Meanwhile, All Pakistan Oil Tankers Owners Association (APOTOA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Nasir Ali Khan has welcomed the government’s decision of suspending logistic supply to US led troops in Afghanistan and vowed not to allow any container carrying supply to NATO forces.

Dozens of workers and drivers associated with APOTOA led by Nasir Ali Khan, General Secretary Jan Muhammad Khan and Central Secretary Information Dost Muhammad held a protest rally to condemn the NATO attack on Mohmand Agency.

minor dies in mortar attack in aka Khel PESHAWAR STAff REPORT

A minor died and four women were seriously wounded when a mortar shell fired from an unknown location fell on Minar Khan’s house in Bara tehsil Aka Khel on Tuesday.

The shell resulted in the death of a 2year-old girl on the spot and left four women seriously injured.

The wounded women were rushed to hospital for treatment with two women in serious condition sent to Peshawar. Locals said the shell came from unknown area and exploded with a loud sound. Village residents came out of houses in fear to find out what happened. Official sources said security forces went to the spot for collecting the evidence and lodged FIR against unknown miscreants.

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10 News

wednesday, 30 November, 2011

SC tells trial court to transparently decide car racing accident ISLAMABAD STAff REPORT

The Supreme Court on Tuesday disposed of a suo motu notice against a car racing accident, which killed five people in Bahria Town, and ordered a trial court to decide the case in a transparent manner.

During the hearing, Punjab Additional Advocate General Muhammad Hanif Khattana presented a report before a three-member Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry stating that the accused individuals were being tried in subordinate courts.

The chief justice took the suo motu notice when a private TV channel aired a video, which showed a racing driver losing control over his vehicle and hitting spectators. Five people were killed in the accident which took place on December 9 last year. The driver had run away from the spot. Khattana said that an additional session’s judge in Rawalpindi had converted Section-302 into Section-322, while declaring the event “an incident”.

Hamid Khan, lawyer for Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz, informed the bench that the legal heirs of the five victims had pardoned his client after being compensated. An 11-year-old child, Asfand Yar, and his father were also among the victims. Coincidently, just two days before his death, the child wrote an essay on “The Accident” in his english exam. The road accident he depicted in his essay sadly transformed into reality.

zhOB: The Education ddO inspecting scholarship exams on Tuesday. INP

Pakistan tops 2010 list for weather impact g

UN agency says 2011 caps decade tying record for heat DURBAN

P

AfP

AKISTAN, Guatemala and Colombia topped the league table in 2010 for countries that were worst hit by extreme weather events, according to a “climate risk index” published on Tuesday.

But over a 20-year span, the countries that were most vulnerable were Bangladesh, Myanmar and Honduras, said the report, published on the sidelines of the UN climate talks in Durban.

The index, compiled by a european NGO called Germanwatch, is an annuallypublished pointer of which countries are most in need of shoring up defences against floods storms, drought and heatwaves, which UN climate scientists say will worsen this century.

It factors in the cost of the event in terms of human lives and absolute losses in dollar terms, but also the relative cost according to the country’s level of prosperity.

Pakistan in 2010 was hit by the worst floods in its history, with 84 of 121 districts affected, Germanwatch said. Guatemala was rocked by hurricanes and flooding struck Colombia.

Russia ranked fourth on the list, after a heatwave in July that caused massive forest and peat fires and led indirectly to 55,000 deaths. Scientists are loath to pin single weather events to the longer-term trends of climate change.

But Germanwatch, citing a study in the US peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), said the Russian heatwave could well be considered an exception.

Across the world, more than 710,000

people died from 1991 to 2010 from 14,000 extreme weather events, incurring economic losses in today’s terms of more than 2.3 trillion dollars, it said. When seen across this 20-year period, not a single developed country features in the top 10 for climate risk. Only one – Russia – featured in the top 20, and this was as a result of the 2010 heatwave. “These results underscore the particular vulnerability of poor countries to climatic risks, despite the fact that the absolute monetary damages are much higher in rich countries,” Germanwatch said.

Meanwhile, 13 of the warmest years recorded have occurred within the last decade and a half, the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation said on Tuesday.

The year 2011 caps a decade that ties the record as the hottest ever measured, the WMO said in its annual report on climate trends and extreme weather events, un-

veiled at UN climate talks in Durban, South Africa. “Our science is solid and it proves unequivocally that the world is warming and that this warming is due to human activities,” WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said in a statement, adding that policy makers should take note of the findings.

“Concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached new highs and are very rapidly approaching levels consistent with a 2 to 2.4 Celsius rise in average global temperatures.”

Scientists believe that any rise above the 2.0 threshold could trigger far-reaching and irreversible changes on earth over land and in the seas. The 2002-2011 period equals 2001-2010 as the warmest decade since 1850, the report said. 2011 ranks as the 10th warmest year since 1850, when accurate measurements began.

General wynne meets Sri Lankan air Chief ISLAMABAD STAff REPORT

Sri Lankan Armed Forces Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Air Chief Marshal WDRMJ Goonetileke on Tuesday called on Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Khalid Shameem Wynne.

An ISPR statement said, “both stayed together for some time and discussed matters related to the emerging geo-strategic environment of the region with a special emphasis on South Asia.” earlier, Goonetileke was presented a guard of honour by a tri-services contingent. The Sri Lankan CDS appreciated the role played by the Pakistan army in the fight against terror and thanked Pakistan for supporting different Defence Cooperation programmmes and mutual exchanges.

sC intervention in rPPs scam helps save billions ISLAMABAD MASOOd REhMAN

The Supreme Court’s intervention in the non-transparent award of Rental Power Projects (RPPs) has helped save billions of rupees, besides giving warning shots to the relevant officials that they could not exercise their authority illegally and arbitrarily.

The court, after taking a suo motu notice last year against the alleged corruption in the award of RPPs, recovered Rs 4.5 billion from the Reshma Rental Generation Ltd without any mark-up.

Over Rs 4.5 billion had been given in advance to the company as 14 percent mobilisation advance to set up a power plant. The company had so far failed to set up the plant.

According to a report, submitted by the finance director of the Pakistan electric Power Company (PePCO) in the Supreme Court last Friday, the company had returned Rs 4.576 billion without mark-up, after retaining the amount for two years.

A mobilisation advance of $55.27 million was paid to the company on October 3, 2009, after securing a bank loan at 16 percent mark-up, but the project is yet to achieve the commercial operation date (COD). The plant is producing only 55MW of electricity despite the fact that it should be adding 201MW to the national grid by now. The amount was returned after a SC bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain in a verbal order directed the company to pay back the mobilisation fund with mark-up or face legal consequences.

Similarly, on January 13, the SC had directed the Techno energy (Pvt) Ltd Sahuwai of Sialkot to refund an advance

mobilisation fund of Rs 780 million along with mark-up for its failure to import machinery for the rental power project to generate 150MW of electricity, despite having retained the money for over two years.

Likewise, on December 7, the SC had ordered the Walters Power International (WPI) and its associate headed by Iqbal Z Ahmed to return with interest the $11.28 million it had received as 14 percent advance mobilisation funds for installing rental power plants, namely the 50MW Nadudero- II and the Guddu Rental Power Project. The projects which were approved last year to generate 1,206MW could only generate some 100MW. The National electric Power Regulatory Authority (NePRA) admitted before the SC that the contracts of RPPs were not transparent. NePRA added that it was up to the court to cancel those projects or give guidelines to make them transparent.

The apex court has repeatedly noted

that the RPPs were not transparent, adding that criminal cases should be registered against those responsible for irregularities. “Criminal negligence has been committed in the whole matter of RPPs, however no action has been taken against the responsible quarters,” the court observed.

According to a senior lawyer, Anwar Kamal, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae (friend of the court) in the RPPs case, not only the energy Ordinance, 2002, but the companies and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinances were also violated in the award of RPPs contracts. The case is under adjudication and now the court has to determine the officials involved in the scam. Many senior officials including former Water and Power minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf may face legal action.

The Transparency International Pakistan (TIP), in its application to the chief justice of Pakistan, had referred to a report by the Asian Development Bank on

the RPPs, which said that the procurement of 14 RPPs should have been retendered. The application stated that the TIP had been pointing out to the government on several occasions about the mega corruption being carried out in the RPPs, however no action was being taken on the issue.

The ADB also confirmed that the procurement of 14 RPPs should have been re-tendered due to changes in the terms offered to bidders, after the tenders were opened. The post-bid changes had benefited the sponsors. The ADB report had listed several reasons for suggesting the government to discontinue establishing RPPs in their present form.

After the apex court had taken suo motu notice into the matter, two identical petitions were filed by Federal Housing Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentarian Khawaja Muhammad Asif against the alleged corruption in the award of RPPs.

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wednesday, 30 November, 2011

Editor’s mail 11

why i left PTi? A party with three perfect words and a proper noun: “Imran Khan”, “Change” and “Youth”. Anyone can be attracted and fascinated by these three beguiling words.

Imran Khan: Who is he?

A well-known cricketer, the one who brought World Cup to the country in 1992, a proud moment for Pakistan. A very good philanthropist, made SKMT with the help of people of Pakistan to which cause the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif gave the land tax-free, for a noble cause.

Change: What kind of a change is required by us at present?

We all are so desperate for “change” but what kind of “change” and through which channel and tool? To be very honest, we don’t know exactly what kind of change we want, but the crux is we want “change”, no matter at what cost and where our desperation of “ change

NaTo's strike “would lead us to. We are not concerned with that.

Youth: who are they? engaging and involving youth is no doubt a very good initiative. What kind of youth? The youth has no sense of direction, no vision, who are ignorant, aggressive, intolerant and do not hesitate or don’t even think once before disrespecting their fellow citizens, senior citizens on the basis of political affiliation. Can we bring “change” from this kind of youth on board?

He is Imran Khan “the Imran Khan”.

He talks about change “the change”. He talks about “youth”, about “us”.

Having all the appealing ingredients to attract but still I left PTI. Reason being, I believe it is always better to give another chance to something which you have tried before, only when you can visibly see the difference between the tried and the untried. The new ride which you

are trying to go for is not the one which is required by you.

Having a bad toothache, so I thought of trying some new toothpaste (change is what I need) as I was carried away by the advertisement and the hype created by it.

The fancy packet was appealing too. I was about to purchase it but before doing that I just go through the ingredients on the back of it. And I failed to find a single useful ingredient that will solve my tooth problem. So I realised that I should stick to my old toothpaste, at least it has the required ingredients. May be I am not using it properly or maybe I just overlooked “the new and improved” version of it in my desperation of “change” and in my eagerness of trying something new.

That day I realised, Imran Khan’s speeches and talks are marvellous and can appeal to anyone for the time being.

His charismatic personality no doubt leaves an impact. But on reality grounds

his policies lack practical approach to the core issues. He talked about insignificant issues and without any concrete solutions. Mobilising and gathering people on a platform does not prove anyone as a successful leader. even Shahrukh Khan can gather an immense crowd but this doesn’t make him a leader. It is always the vision and practical approach to the national issues and international issues that can motivate people for a change. Identification of issues and problems is not what we require today. We all know what our problems are. Talking about larger than life and reality will always have an adverse effect as they lack practical implementation.

Trying something new is good only when it is useful and when it makes sense; otherwise, you will end up in more mess.

MARIAM KHAN Lahore

winds of change Charismatic leadership can easily change the fate of a nation. Nations emerged with a strong leadership has a deep penetration power. These nations are deeply rooted and have the ability to face each and every calamity. Pakistani nation is the reflection of such a strong nation that has the ability to flow with the tides of time. The environment that Gothki experienced was full of charge.

The notion with which Imran Khan carried his journey was clearly evident. This is the beginning of a journey for a new Pakistan.

These are the winds of change that will mould the future of Pakistan. The nation was being showered by false commitments of change since very long. The promises were never fulfilled. The addition of Shah Mehmood Quershi will help in cultivating a better political and democratic behaviour in PTI. The huge bulk of people coming in the spheres of PTI are because of the hope that they are seeing in Imran Khan.

The old actions that were experienced on our nation have established a common perception to check the last hope. Imran Khan is loaded with aims and objectives to make Pakistan better and prosperous.

And this is the time that the nation must be told about the goals which can be achieved under the guidance of such a leader.

He is trying to address all the issues with proper solutions. Now it is time that he should be given chance so hat a positive culture of welcoming new people must be grounded. This will help in uprooting the old culture of Pakistani politics. These events are landmarks in the history of Pakistan as it clearly reflects the acceptance of a new leadership. As a citizen of Pakistan, I support every change that has long lasting and positive effects on our coming generations.

MUHAMMAD UZAIR NIAZI Lahore

Cell phone addiction Nowadays global environment technology is very important to all of us. We use technology to communicate, improve knowledge and much more. Mobile phone is a gadget that makes it easy for us to communicate each other. It is easy to use and handy.

Through mobile phones we also connect to the internet and get latest updates and pass the information to others. It has some advantages and many disadvantages but it is up to a person as to how he or she wants to use it but most of the teenagers are addicted to it, wasting precious time. They are no more interested in studies or their religious duties.

Teens line up outside stores to buy latest cell phones but talking on phones is not always their number one priority.

It is text messaging, gaming, music capabilities and internet access that are most appealing features for most of the teenagers.

Affordable internet data packages offer applications, games and much to them, which has badly affected the youth. It is a wastage of our premium resource, both in human capacity and monetary capacity.

ANUM KHAN Karachi

enough is enough. It’s high mourning time in Pakistan as our 40 soldiers are hit by forces for which they laid more than thousands of lives. The latest attack

by NATO forces on our post must be reverted with serious repercussions as they without any reason attacked on our post and killed our soldiers.

There is absolutely no excuse for this act and nothing can repair the loss of our innocent brothers. Mind boggling reality is that despite a very clear and timely exchange of ‘posts deployment map’ to them, they keep attacking us again and again. Further on regular basis, their foreign secretaries, ambassadors and army personnel hold unscheduled meetings with our top ranked rubber stamp leaders and dictate them the agenda against the will of Pakistanis.

History is a great teacher, so if these self-proclaimed leaders do not take moral from history, and still think they are doing some democratic work by endorsing such unjust acts of foreign intrusion, then they should be prepared to face even worse results.

Being a common citizen and seeing the public opinion, I think the US-Pakistan relations were already reeling from a tumultuous year that saw the bin Laden raid, the jailing of a CIA contractor, Aafia Siddique’s ruthless conviction, blasphemy of Quran and regular drone attacks etc. We must also devise a bold strategy to counterattack and immediately make a defence block with the neighbouring powers and peaceful proPakistan Taliban.

SYED ABID HUSSAIN Lahore

Pakistan’s sovereignty

Poverty breeds many effects in a society.

It is true that poverty breeds crimes because every person has some basic needs, and it is necessary for him that he finds a way to fulfil his needs. Food, clothes and accommodation are the basic needs of a person. They have to be fulfilled somehow. This is when poverty brings out criminal nature in

otherwise innocent persons. Social differences are also a factor for poverty. It is the responsibility of the government to remove the causes of poverty in society so that the increasing rate of crimes could be controlled and the society becomes a picture of a civilised nation.

MUBASHIRA NAQVI Karachi

Once again, the NATO showed hooliganism to Pakistan. Its two helicopters on Saturday opened fired on Pak-Afghan border, claiming 26 Pakistani soldiers’ lives and injuring 15 approximately. everybody, as it is a tradition, expressed their grief over the incident. NATO confirmed the attack saying that they were gathering information concerning the incident whereas the US-led coalition said that it was investigating the incident. Unfortunately, they all spoke rhetorically to alleviate possible strong reaction by Pakistan.

Spokesman of the foreign office previously stated that if NATO attacked Pakistan, Pakistan would not only stop its supply but also Pak-US relations would be reconsidered. When will the time come when the government does so? This is a golden opportunity to see the US in the eye. This is the time to avail the opportunity and break this unholy relationship with USA and stop its supply line forever. What a pity that a cadet goes to Kakul to learn and works hard to bag various ranks in future but instead he is deployed on borders to die by at the hands of the so-called friends of Pakistan!

It is an appreciable act that the Cabinet Committee on Defence has decided to take back Shamsi air base from the USA and has ordered NATO’s supply line. Surely, the decision is in Pakistan’s interest and the government needs to be persistent on this decision.

HAFIZ MUHAMMAD NOMAN Karachi

lations’ across our border with Afghanistan must have been passed down to the tactical level. It is in this backdrop that we must try and understand what happened.

Our ‘military incompatibilities’ viz-aviz NATO or ISAF in Afghanistan are too pronounced. If the ‘air machines’ violated our air space, they must have been engaged by our security persons at the border post. When this happens, the other side retains its right to react. On the modern battle field we all know that the side with better military tools in the end prevails. This remains an assumption until an investigation is carried out and the actual facts are known by all. Yet for NATO to deliberately attack a Pakistani post is something that does not serve the interests of the US-led international force in Afghanistan.

The other likely reason could be this operation being an outcome of the ‘renewed regional strategy’ being framed and executed by actors/players that

stage-manage an event to ‘control governments’. Seen in this context this event places all anti-government political activities on the back burner and brings to the forefront the debate of ‘state’s security and survival’. If army is still a ‘factor’ that is central to any political change in Pakistan, then this event changes the focus of army from ‘a nondelivering government and what can be done about it?’ to rush for its own selfdefence to once again justify to ‘question raisers’ within the army as well as the people of Pakistan – why is it fighting this ill-fated war as an accomplice of the US? Post-OBL operation polarisation between Pakistan and the US was a high risk policy option. Our policymakers lost the opportunity to deescalate the rising tensions between the two countries. Considering the manner in which our ambassador discharged his duties in Washington, the two countries were always likely to settle scores on the battle-

ground rather then the negotiation table.

What is unfortunate is that innocent lives have been lost because diplomacy failed. If politics cannot prevail what else can? Are the politicians not good enough to make US understand that out of almost 300 land borders in the world Pakistan is the only country that has border conflicts on either side?

Stoppage of NATO supplies and the instructions to vacate the air base within 15 days are reactions that will generate immense public approval. Yet when this is done, as a country, we will further limit our options to survive and conduct business as usual.

Retaining and sustaining a discredited government has implications. We just witnessed its demonstration. Seemingly an accident or wilful act by NATO on the border post, but in reality it is the manifestation of a failed national security policy.

LT COL (retd) MUHAMMAD A EHSAN Karachi

our way of politics The basic purpose of politics is to serve humanity and the nation of a country. Politicians are considered well-wishers of a nation. But now the concept of politics is totally changed. Politics is now considered an easy way to become wealthy.

In Pakistan, well-known parties arrange press conferences, seminars and processions on daily bases and claim that they are working for the nation. But unfortunately, there is no visible

Poverty and crime

Poverty is a state in which a man lacks sufficient income to lead a sustainable life. Poverty may also be seen as a collective condition of poor people or poor groups.

The proportion of the developing world’s population living in extreme economic poverty has fallen from 28 percent in 1990 to 21 percent in 2001.

outcome of their so-called work. Corruption is a common thing in Pakistani politics. The funds which are kept for the nation are used by ministers and nothing is provided to in return except unemployment, inflation and poverty, and our politicians’ favourite game is blaming each other.

AREESHA ABUBAKAR Karachi

Failed security policies This is with reference to the attack by the NATO helicopters on our border post that resulted in the death of officers and soldiers of Pakistan Army. The civil and military leadership of the country as well as the people are outraged and the ‘violent act’ is being condemned across the length and breadth of the country.

The big question is why and how could this happen? This cannot be an accident as all our border posts are well-known to NATO forces, especially the ‘air strike’ military tools that carry out operational combat missions on and near the PakAfghan borders.

Since the ‘get OBL’ mission executed by the American forces in Pakistan, the Pakistan Army and its leadership were furious on the American ‘unilateral action’ that exposed the weakness of our armed forces. This operation called for ‘response adjustment’ from our security forces so that such an incident should not reoccur. ‘Operational instructions’ for military engagement of all ‘flying vio-

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. Fax: +92-42-36298302. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk. Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively.

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12 Comment The attack what US needs to do

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hat the killing of 24 Pakistani troops in a NATO attack is too serious a matter to be ignored is being increasingly recognised even by the US administration and military high command.

Obama has called the incident tragic, and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey has conceded that Pakistani side has reason to be furious. Meanwhile, CeNTCOM has appointed an air force general to head a probe into the NATO strike inviting Pakistan and Afghanistan to participate.

Pakistan has taken up the issue at both the political and diplomatic levels. First of all, the government has decided to boycott the Bonn conference that was due to take place in Afghanistan next month. Prime Minister Gilani has told the CNN that there would be no more business as usual after the NATO attack. Foreign Minister Khar has talked on telephone to her Chinese and Russian counterparts who have condemned the NATO action and demanded enquiry. The ISPR spokesman has rejected the initial claim that the attack followed firing from the Pakistan side and has demanded proof. The latest military account from the US side is that the deaths of the Pakistani soldiers resulted from mistaken identity with the implication that the NATO might have been lured into the attack by the militants. even while the dispute has raised tensions Pakistan has acted with maturity. During the two hours taken by the NATO strikes, its army and air force could have initiated a tit for tat encounter. Instead, there was no fire from Pakistan’s side. The US too needs to display a similar sense of responsibility. Both countries have to realise that they share highly vital common goals, fighting terrorism being the most urgent at this stage.

Further that they cannot hope to win the war without mutual cooperation. The enquiry ordered by the CeNTCOM has to be honest and convincing. Meanwhile, formal apologies have to be offered from the highest US and NATO quarters. NATO also owes Pakistan reparations for the incident. Washington has to offer iron clad guarantees that incidents of the sort violating Pakistan’s sovereignty would never occur in future.

Pakistan meanwhile should press the issue and record its protest at all forums.

Commission ….and ommission

T

he term “Abbottabad commission” had it in it to become the gold standard adjective to describe the investigation equivalent of a death-bycommittee. Anyone who knows a thing or two about how the cookie crumbles in our hapless republic knows certain quarters will be subject to no accountability at all, regardless of how serious the lapse in question is. The act of killing an investigation but maintaining the pretense of doing something about it could have been called Abottabading a problem.

Former ambassador Hussain Haqqani is set to appear in front of the five-member Abbottabad commission on the 14th of next month. Ironically, it is his own problem, due to be sent to another committee, that won’t be Abbottabaded. The non-paper that he is alleged by a shady character to have written is to be investigated thoroughly. The former ambassador is to be acquitted only after a thorough investigation where the strictest of standards will be adhered to. There is nothing at all wrong with that if that were to happen; given the grave nature of the transgression, an adherence to due process and, in the case of established guilt, a suitable retribution wouldn’t be too bad an idea.

It does merit the question, though, whether the republic would ever see the day when such steadfast attention to detail and thoroughness is applied to all matters, like, now that we are on it, the Abbottabad fiasco that the committee was constituted to investigate? The presence of the world’s most wanted man in a garrison town and the subsequent operation of foreign forces deep within Pakistani territory should come higher than a non-paper on the list.

Regarding the Salala incident (see editorial above) there should be more of a possible evaluation and assessment of the situational preparedness of our forces.

The same standards of professional accountability should apply to the armed forces as they do to, say, the police or the irrigation department.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36298305-10 Fax: 042-36298302 Karachi – Ph: 021-34330811-3 Fax: 021-34330900 Islamabad – Ph: 051-2287414-6 Fax: 051-2287417 Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

wednesday, 30 November, 2011

Foreign friends?

External input has been a factor for far too long

P

akistan’s politics drifts from crisis to crisis. The federal government continuously embroils itself into crises on a more or less regular basis; one crisis is hardly over when it stumbles into another one. One of the latest crises is the Memo episode that can be described as a self-inflicted injury by an ill-advised and adventurist handling of a domestic political issue. The federal government’s self-articulated paranoia of being pushed out of power by the military and the desire to use of external linkages for protecting its power interests have pushed it into an embarrassing situation. This has provided the PML(N) yet another reason to continue with its campaign to pull down the federal government and oust President Asif Ali Zardari.

While the civilian government and the military/intelligence establishment are investigating the matter to separate facts from fiction, some political leaders have accused the federal government of high treason by making definite offers to retrench the military’s role to American satisfaction in return for American support for the power interests of the PPP. However, a review of Pakistan’s political history shows that in the past the government or other political parties have sought external support to fulfill their domestic or foreign policy agendas beyond their domestic capacity.

When politics becomes a desperate struggle for power, the competing players do not mind seeking external support to override the domestic political adversary. Military and economic assistance from other states makes the recipient state vulnerable to the influence of the donor state. At times, other leaders or states manifest varying degrees of interest in Pakistan

By Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi and they use their diplomatic clout or personal contacts to help Pakistan to deal with a difficult domestic situation.

The input from other states or leaders has played a role in Pakistan’s domestic politics. It has influenced policy choices but these inputs or support are ‘one’ factor rather than the sole determinant of policy. Foreign input does not always work. The designation of foreign entity making the input as friend or devil depends on the interests of the domestic players. When the interests of some domestic player are served the foreign input is described as a friendly gesture. Others view this as a blatant intervention in domestic affairs.

In Pakistan, there are numerous instances of foreign input to policy making or exploration of external support for pursuing a domestic politics or foreign policy agenda.

In 1954-55, Pakistan joined the US-sponsored regional al-

liance system and strengthened its bilateral security ties with the United States in order to obtain weapons and economic assistance to contest India. Pakistan was not motivated by a strong desire to fight the Soviet Union or Communism. It was promoting its domestic and foreign policy agenda with external support because it did not have enough domestic resources to withstand military and economic pressures from India. The US exercised reasonable diplomatic clout over Pakistan during the heydays of this relationship.

In early October 1958, President Iskander Mirza informed the US ambassador to Pakistan that he would assume all powers on October 8 by scrapping the constitution.

The joint Iskander Mirza-Ayub Khan military coup took place one-day ahead ie, October 7, 1958. The US administration endorsed the assumption of power by the military within four days through a letter from President eisenhower. On October 23, US Defence Secretary came to Karachi to reiterate American support.

The instances of looking towards foreign allies for help are many, although these hopes did not always materialise. In the last phase of the India-Pakistan War, December 1971, the military regime of General Yahya khan waited in vain for the American 7th Fleet to come to the Bay of Bengal to rescue Pakistan from the extremely difficult military situation in what was then east Pakistan.

Pakistan’s official circles were also disappointed because the Chinese did not make any military move on Sino-Indian border to ease Indian military pressure on Pakistan.

The discreet role of other states can be seen in many difficult situations in Pakistan. In May-June 1977, the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya and the UAe attempted to moderate the political conflict between Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the opposition alliance, the PNA. Their intervention contributed to the resumption of the dialogue between the two sides but General Zia-ul-Haq removed the Bhutto government on July 5 before the protracted dialogue could produce some credible political understanding.

The military government of General Ziaul-Haq got a lease of long life when it joined hands with the US and other Western states to challenge Soviet military intervention in

Afghanistan (1979-1989). General Pervez Musharraf’s military government obtained economic, military and diplomatic support from the US and other Western countries by joining their effort in September 2001 to eliminate terrorism sponsored or supported by the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban based in Afghanistan. These military regimes would not have lasted for such a long period without external support.

During the period of civilian rule (19881999), Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif often cultivated American ambassador in Islamabad whenever the rumors of dismissal of the government circulated in Islamabad.

Nawaz Sharif travelled to Washington for a special meeting with President Clinton on July 4, 1999, for seeking his support for bringing an end to the Kargil War (May-July 1999). He agreed to a withdrawal of troops without getting a commitment from India for ceasefire. (India was not represented in the Sharif-Clinton meeting).

Towards the end of September 1999, Shahbaz Sharif visited Washington to solicit support for the elected government of Nawaz Shairf against the possibility of a military takeover. The US administration issued a statement in support of the civilian government and against military intervention.

However, this did not avert the October 12 coup by the Army led by General Pervez Musharraf.

It is also well-known that the departure of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif and their families in December 2000 for Saudi Arabia after Nawaz Sharif’s conviction in the “hijacking” case was facilitated by the Saudi royal family and Saad Harrari, a former prime minister of Lebanon.

The habit of seeking external support for coping with internal problem and the role of external states or leaders in Pakistan’s internal affairs has come in the open in a very dramatic manner by the Memo issue.

If the federal government and the major opposition parties continue to pursue a “now-or-never” political struggle against each other and cannot put their economic and political house in order, the military will stay powerful and external input will continue to be a factor in domestic politics.

The writer is an independent political and defence analyst.

Regional Press

yes, poverty is reducing!

Daily Kawish

C

ongratulations to all the citizens of Pakistan. Poverty in the country is decreasing and despite many efforts by authorities, they were unable to find the poor, even with their telescopes and magnifying glasses. The authorities could find a little less than six million poor people out of the country’s 180 million-plus population, which means approximately only three percent are poor and eligible for aid. This fact was disclosed in a survey conducted by the Benazir Income Support Programme.

Out of these identified poor persons, less than 50 percent are eligible for aid as the remaining still have to be registered with the NADRA for their proof of being a Pakistani citizen. Nearly 2.7 million are getting aid which is a mere 4.3 percent of Sindh’s population. It means that more than 95 percent population of Sindh is if not rich enough then it is not poor enough either to become eligible for any aid from the government institutions or from any NGO. This is a wonderful job done by the ruling government. On the other hand, due to un-

employment and poverty people are so frustrated that they are burning themselves up, committing suicides and selling their children.

There might come a time when they would not even be able to buy some petrol and a match box for immolation. If anyone has to see the prosperity of the people of Sindh, it could only be seen in the official papers. There would hardly be a day when any poor person or any jobless youth who did not burn himself and become the headline of media. People in Sindh nowadays prefer death over life as it is more miserable living in abject poverty than facing the horror of death once.

Meanwhile, the ruling class has passed half the time making promises and the rest bragging that they have delivered on their promises.There is no second opinion that the Benazir Income Support Programme was launched sincerely by the government to help the poor and needy people but it would have been better if the government instead of giving aid to some people had provided better job opportunities. It is the need of the hour that the government takes immediate steps to provide job opportunities instead of aid.

– Translated from the original Sindhi by Imdad Soomro

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wednesday, 30 November, 2011

Comment 13

Dos and don’ts

Business as usual with India

Our envoy in Washington

Twins always end up on opposing sides of a fight: Bollywood

By Shaukat Umer

“O

ur country! …may she always be right; but right or wrong, our country!” is how an American naval officer Stephen Decatur defined his relationship with the state. A similar commitment is expected of a diplomat because inherent to his assignment is the pledge to promote the country’s interest even if he happens to disagree with his own government on its characterisation. The assumption is that the latter has superior insight on policy issues which an ambassador, whose outlook and expertise is defined by his localised and consequentially limited exposure, cannot match.

His reservations over policy can and should be conveyed and debated with his authorities but never shared with outsiders.

This is the diplomatic equivalent of the Hippocratic Oath.

Washington is a particularly treacherous terrain for a Pakistani diplomat. Apart from being the capital of the most powerful country in the world; it comprises an intricate web of competing and often conflicting demands. So severe is the power imbalance between the country he represents and the country to which he is accredited that it requires the highest level of professional integrity and clarity of purpose to avoid getting entangled in this web.

The problem is compounded in the case of a political appointee given his belief that he owes his appointment to an individual and not the system. This is where Ambassador Haqqani seems to have faltered.

Ms Sherry Rehman has been preferred over a number of seasoned career diplomats which might, understandably,

create a sense of personal obligation. A versatile media personality and a dynamic information minister, while she lasted, she would need to quickly subsume her personal gratitude under the larger diplomatic mission. Her resignation from the cabinet on a matter of principle fosters belief that she would be able to make this transition effortlessly.

Nevertheless, bearing in mind the fate of her predecessor, it might be useful to be watchful of some of the red lines which every ambassador is required to respect.

Agreement to represent a country abroad includes acceptance of its institutional make up regardless of its failings. Ambassador Haqqani sought to use his diplomatic position to transform the state structures by attempting to involve the host country in altering the power balance within Pakistan. Promoting civilian control over the military is unexceptionable but falls outside the ambit of a diplomatic agent. The quest becomes particularly objectionable when an outside power is asked to assist in its realisation.

Not only does this militate against the basic tenets of statecraft but is intrinsically abhorrent since that power will use any such intervention to promote and consolidate its own interests without regard to those of the subject country. To invite another state to put our house in order while expecting it to remain oblivious to its own priorities, strategic, political or economic, is to misread the elementary lesson of diplomacy that it is anything but an exercise in altruism. The ability to promote cooperation with a stronger interlocutor without allowing it to dominate one’s internal decision making is counted as a prized diplomatic asset. Apparently, Mr Haqqani tried to do the exact opposite.

The current state of the civil military equation is a reality of the Pakistani state accounted for by a host of historical and other factors which need not be discussed here. If an individual feels strongly he should try to

rectify the perceived imbalance through political effort at home.

To use the cover of a diplomatic assignment to pursue this objective is indefensible.

For the past two decades the central focus of our diplomacy has been to assure the international community of the security of our nuclear assets.

This effort was lent special urgency in the wake of the AQ Khan exposure. As a Pakistani envoy one was honour bound to minimise and counter the many questions that were raised by pointing to the whole range of steps that were taken by us to upgrade custodial controls. For an ambassador to urge a foreign power to participate in imparting greater transparency to our security mechanisms is, to say the least, unconscionable. It negates the entire bulk of Pakistan’s diplomatic effort in this regard.

Also any notion of fostering greater civilian control over our nuclear programme is as unrealistic as it is unwarranted. The very thought of some of the riotous characters who showcase their talent for verbal abuse daily on television, supervising our nuclear assets sends a shiver down one’s spine.

The new envoy to Washington has her mission cut out for her. The cloud of distrust which hangs over the bilateral relationship darkened further by the latest NATO attack on our border posts needs to be lifted.

The national indignation over the wanton killing of 24 of our security personnel has justly found expression in the suspension of all logistical supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan.

But, clearly this cannot become a permanent condition. A complete meeting of the minds on the conduct of the war on terror has now become critical. On this count alone Ms Rehman’s skills will be tested to the limit.

And one last thing, please stay away from Mansoor Ijaz.

The writer is Pakistan’s former Ambassador to the United Nations and European Union. He can be contacted at shaukatumer@hotmail.com

A

fter six decades of ups and downs, the people of India and Pakistan have finally come to an historic agreement – that both their governments have incompetent foreign ministers.

Realising that it would not be a good idea to let Hina Rabbani Khar and SM Krishna decide how to resolve issues between Islamabad and New Delhi, the people of India and Pakistan want to get on with trade first.

Pakistan's government has approved granting India the Most Favoured Nation status.

When SM Krishna announced Pakistan’s likely move, many in India were skeptical. “What have you been smoking?” a reporter asked.

Hina Rabbani Khar’s statement was not taken seriously either. “Please go in and send a grown up,” a senior journalist told the minister.

Now, many in the country are wary of the impact of the move on their livelihoods. "Negotiating economic matters with diverse stakeholders is like playing the board game Monopoly," one analyst says. "Nobody wins. The only possible outcome is a physical fight."

But experts on both sides are trying to address people's concerns. "India had always been Pakistan's most favoured nation," a retired Pakistani military official told this scribe. "And that is why Pakistan has always set aside a huge sum from its cash-strapped economy to help the people of India liberate Kashmir and Punjab and for the welfare of

By Harris Bin Munawar the Naxalites."

"New Delhi had also made a remarkable effort to help the people of Pakistan in 1971," an Indian historian said. "We are currently involved in providing vocational training and jobs to a large number of unemployed poor men in the Pakistani province of Balochistan."

Trade ties between the two countries have also been outstanding, economic experts say. Useful products and raw material that India has imported from Pakistan include: Freedom fighters: These are useful for India as they delegitimise indigenous movements against the state, and help the country unite against a single enemy. Recent examples include Ajmal Kasab, who has renewed the faith of Indian people in their security apparatus. "If they can spend Rs 450 million to protect him, I hope they can spend a larger amount on my protection," a citizen said.

Man bites dog

Musicians: These are raw material used in the finished products called Bollywood movies. examples include Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Adnan Sami Khan and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. It is not clear how Adnan Sami Khan is transported from one place to another. An insider said the Indian government had waived the requirement to offload him from trucks at Wagah border. Caution is advised during the use of these musicians. Do not listen to them sing whilst standing in close proximity. If they move, large-scale damage to life and property is likely because of their size.

Key products that India has exported to Pakistan include: Pakistan: Muhammad Ali Jinnah was initially reluctant to buy this product but the shrewd and persistent leaders of the Indian National Congress were able to sell it after some value addition. Subsequently the product became a key part of the identity of the people of Pakistan.

Bollywood movies: For a long time, Bollywood movies could not be seen in Pakistan. People used to waste their time and money on other things. Then the advent of the VCRs was a significant event. "First the VCRs came, and then came pornography," a historian explained. "And then, at a significantly later date, came Indian movies."

Bollywood movies have taught Pakistanis the important lesson that if twins get separated when young, they always end up on opposing sides of a fight. But in the end, they should forgive each other. In that spirit of reconciliation, the Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that Ajmal Kasab should be convicted and sentenced to watching "Ra-One" to death.

While on a side note: Tailpiece: Ties between Pakistan and the US saw a new low with the tragic killing of 24 Pakistani troops in a helicopter raid near the Afghan border.

But fears of a military confrontation between the two countries are ironic, because America has been a key supplier of weapons to Pakistan throughout its history. These weapons include several ex-prime ministers, a Birkin bag associated with Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and the Haqqani network – all of which have been useful tools in Pakistan's foreign policy.

The incident shows the amount of mistrust between the two allies. Michael Mullen had said the insurgent Haqqani network in Afghanistan is a "veritable arm" of Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, the ISI. Pakistani defence analysts deny the allegation, saying it is more like their Jim Carrey's claw from the film "Liar Liar".

The Obama administration still believes the US and Pakistan must cooperate for common goals. It is not clear if those common goals include the destruction of American economy and infrastructure.

The writer is a media and culture critic and works at The Friday Times. He tweets @paagalinsaan and gets email at harris@nyu.edu

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14 Foreign News

wednesday, 30 November, 2011

Egyptians wary of Mubarak party loyalists in vote ‘remnants’ of Mubarak’s defunct party free to run g election hailed as successful ‘democracy test’ overall g

FAYOUM

F

QUiTo: The Tungurahua volcano is seen from Juive Grande. authorities in ecuador upgraded a possible eruption warning from yellow to orange, as the activity of the volcano raised suddenly. AFP

Youths take Kuwait into Arab spring KUWAIT CITY AfP

Winds of change that swept the Arab world are finally blowing on oil-rich Kuwait as a concerted youth-led campaign has forced the government to resign amid further calls for wider reforms. Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, a senior member of the Al-Sabah ruling family, on Monday tendered his government’s resignation, the seventh in just over five years, over allegations of corruption.

“The resignation of the government is the first fruit of a campaign against corruption launched under the leadership of youths,” opposition Islamist MP Faisal al-Muslim said Tuesday on his Twitter account.

Kuwaiti opposition figures have been careful not to link the political unrest in the OPeC member state to the Arab Spring revolutions that have so far unseated four Arab leaders, noting

that their campaign is not directed against the emir or the ruling family.

“The Arab Spring has reached Kuwait but with a difference,” said Abdulrahman al-Mutairi, a law student studying in egypt.

“No one (in Kuwait) is calling for toppling the regime or is challenging the ruling family,” Mutairi said as he camped outside the palace of justice to protest against the detention of 24 youth activists. A record number of some 90,000 protesters took to the streets of the Kuwaiti capital Monday demanding political reforms and an end to corruption. Kuwait, which sits on about 10 percent of global oil reserves, provides a cradle-to-grave welfare system with public sector jobs almost guaranteed for citizens, services offered at highly-subsidised rates and no taxation. The emirate has amassed over $300 billion in reserves following 12 consecutive years of surpluses thanks to high oil prices. Much of the surplus was used to raise

salaries for citizens, a fact that leaves outside observers wondering why Kuwaitis are protesting.

“We want to fight corruption and expand democratic freedoms... (Arab) countries around us are making democratic gains and we want to expand our democracy,” youth activist Nassar alKhaledi said. Kuwait embarked on democratic reforms long before its Arab Gulf neighbours by introducing a parliament and a more liberal constitution as early as 1962. But many believe the need for even more democratic change is necessary. The Kuwaiti system, often described as a “half democracy,” offers an elected parliament with powers to unseat the prime minister and cabinet ministers. But the unelected 16-member cabinet holds equal powers to elected MPs and can reject legislation passed by parliament. Kuwait’s emir has the ultimate power to appoint prime ministers, all of whom have so far been picked from the Al-Sabah family which has ruled the country for over 250 years.

ORMeR members of the party that ruled egypt for more than 30 years found pockets of support on Monday in the first parliamentary election since a popular uprising in January, but many voters said they knew who they were and would give them a wide berth.

Know locally as “feloul”, Arabic for “remnants”, members of deposed President Hosni Mubarak’s National Democratic Party (NDP) are free to stand in the election, provided they have not been convicted of corruption or other serious abuses. During preparation for the election over the past months, the political forces behind the uprising had fretted that many feloul would reappear in parliament thanks to their cash reserves, their local connections, or their experience with mobilising thugs to scare off their opponents. But many of the most prominent feloul have decided not to stand and where they have reorganised in new political parties, those parties carry a stigma that put off many potential voters. In Fayoum, for example, a fertile depression in the desert southwest of Cairo, no member of the prominent Wali family is seeking a seat in parliament this year, possibly for the first time since the 1960s, local politicians said. Where former NDP members did stand on Monday, their supporters defended them on the grounds that they did not qualify as feloul because they were really independents who joined the old ruling party to get access to government funds and projects for the constituency.

‘WoN’T GET FoolEd AGAIN’: In the Mediterranean port of Alexandria, egypt’s second largest city, Kareem Nabil, 28, a student and religious conservative, wrote off two independent candidates whose campaigns had cars driving around with loudspeakers and posters.

“Another feloul,” he said. “They won’t fool anybody. egyptians have had enough.” In another

REUTERS

Turkey on Tuesday raised the option of military intervention in neighbouring Syria while Russia rejected even an arms embargo as Damascus tries to stifle anti-government protests. Highlighting divisions among foreign powers on how to deal with the bloodshed in Syria, Turkey’s foreign minister said Ankara was ready for “any scenario”.

Russia’s foreign minister for his part said it was time to stop issuing ultimatums to Damascus. Syria is facing increased economic sanctions and condemnation from many governments over what the United Nations calls “gross human rights violations” but President Bashar al-Assad shows no sign

of buckling under pressure to end his military crackdown on protesters calling for his overthrow. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu suggested military force remained an option, albeit apparently a remote one, if Assad did not heed calls to halt the violence.

“If the oppression continues, Turkey is ready for any scenario. We hope that a military intervention will never be necessary.

The Syrian regime has to find a way of making peace with its own people,” he said.

While NATO bombing of Libya was crucial in helping rebels to oust Muammar Gaddafi, Western countries are more cautious about Syria, which lies at the heart of Middle east conflicts, borders Israel and Lebanon and maintains close ties with Iran. In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov re-

incident in the city, young men were passing out pamphlets for another independent candidate people identified as feloul. Two women took the pamphlets, looked at them and then shoved them back into the hands of the volunteer. “You can go vote for that one yourself,” one of the woman said and they both walked off. “This man is from the Mubarak era. We’re past that,” she said. Where former NDP members are serious contenders, they tend to be from prominent families that enjoy local prestige independently of their old party affiliations. In one Fayoum constituency, former police officer and NDP member Yasser Salloum is standing for the newly created Freedom Party, one of the parties associated with the feloul.

But Mohamed Ata, his agent in the village of Kafr al-Zaafarana, said Salloum had never sought office before so he had a clean slate. The candidate has extensive property and comes from a well-known local family, the agent added. Personal favours and obligations can play a part in support for former NDP members. In Alexandria, one woman said she was voting for the brother of a man convicted for his role in the murder of a Lebanese singer and senior NDP official, Hesham Talaat Moustafa, because of Hesham’s largesse to her family.

Meanwhile, egypt hailed Tuesday the start of its first post-revolution election as a triumph for democracy as more voters headed to the polls, boosting turn-out for a vote that had looked in doubt last week.On Tuesday, the arrival of people at polling booths was a steady stream rather than the deluge seen the day before.“I decided to come today to avoid the crowds,” 30-year-old Rafik told AFP in the Heliopolis area of Cairo. “It was important for me to vote because I feel it’s the first time that my opinion is taken into account.”

The formerly banned Muslim Brotherhood, a moderate Islamist group, is expected to emerge as the largest power, but without a majority, when results for the new lower house of parliament are published on January 13.

Cairo: egyptian police and a soldier help a man into his car after voting at a parliamentary polling station on Tuesday. egyptians waited in long queues to cast ballots for a new parliament — the start of multi-stage elections that are the first since the fall of Hosni mubarak in February. AFP

Foreign powers divided over syria ISTANBUL/MOSCOW

REUTERS

jected calls at the United Nations for an arms embargo against Syria, saying that a similar move against Libya had proved onesided, helping rebels to topple Gaddafi in August. “We know how that worked in Libya when the arms embargo only applied to the Libyan army. The opposition received weapons, and countries like France and Qatar publicly spoke about it without shame,” he told a news conference. Alluding to Western powers and the Arab League, Lavrov said it was time to “stop using ultimatums” to pressure Damascus and repeated Russia’s calls for dialogue between the government and its foes, whom Moscow says share blame for the bloodshed. “For the most part, armed groups are provoking the authorities. To expect the authorities to close

West demands security Council action on syria UNITEd NATIoNs: The United States and Germany late on Monday led Western calls for the divided UN Security Council to act on Syria’s deadly assault against protests after UN investigators said crimes against humanity had been committed. “It is past time for the Security Council to take much more decisive action with respect to Syria,” said US ambassador Susan Rice.

The Council cannot “stand idly by,” added Germany’s UN envoy Peter Wittig. A report by a UN human rights commission,

which said crimes against humanity had been ordered by the “highest levels” of Assad’s government, and the Arab League decision to order sanctions have strengthened the calls for action. Violence flared again in Syria where three more civilians were killed on Tuesday, despite issuance of a damning UN report, one of them in a raid launched after suspected mutinous soldiers shot dead three members of the security forces, a rights group said. AFP

their eyes to this is not right,” Lavrov said.

BUFFEr ZoNE: Davutoglu said the possible scenarios included setting up a buffer zone to contain any mass influx of Syrian refugees. “If tens, hundreds of thousands of people start advancing to-

wards the Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey borders, not only Turkey but the international community may be required to take some steps such as buffer zone. We don’t want that to happen but we must consider and work on that scenario,” he said.

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Foreign News 15

Iranians storm British embassy

rockets from Lebanon hit israel, sparking tension JErUsAlEm: A volley of rockets fired from Lebanon slammed into Israel on Tuesday, prompting the Israeli military to return fire and raising new tensions in an already volatile region. An obscure Islamist group claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, the first such attack in two years, which comes amid fears that unrest rocking Syria could spill over into Lebanon, or provoke new conflict with Israel. The incident marked the first cross-border exchange of fire since August 1 and was a rare instance of rocket fire into Israel since the Jewish state waged war against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in 2006. AFP

Two million state workers to strike in Britain

TeHraN: iranian protesters storm the British embassy in Tehran on Tuesday, removing the mission’s flag and ransacking offices. AFP

russia activates missile warning system near eU MOSCOW AfP

Russia on Tuesday activated a radar warning system against incoming missiles in its exclave of Kaliningrad on the borders of the eU, in response to Western plans for a US missile shield in europe. President Dmitry Medvedev announced that the Voronezh-DM station was moving onto immediate combat readiness, days after threatening to deploy missiles in Kaliningrad amid a growing dispute with the West. “I expect that this step will be seen by our partners as the first signal of the readiness of our country to make an adequate response to the threats which the (Western) missile shield poses for our strategic nuclear forces,” Medvedev said. Using rhetoric reminiscent of the Cold War, he added: “If this signal is not heard, we will deploy other methods of protection including the taking of tough countermeasures and the deployment of strike forces.”

TEHRAN

I

AfP

RANIAN protesters on Tuesday stormed the British embassy in Tehran, removing the mission’s flag and ransacking offices.

The protesters were seen throwing stones at embassy windows, breaking them, and one was seen climbing the wall with a looted portrait of Britain’s Queen elizabeth II. The intrusion occurred as ranks of Iranian police in riot gear stood by, doing nothing. Outside the embassy’s walls, several hundred other demonstrators were gathered, some of them chanting “Death to Britain” and demanding the British ambassador leave the country immediately. The demonstration came a day after Iran passed a law to expel the ambassador within the next two weeks in retaliation for new British sanctions that cut off all ties with Iran’s financial sector. About 300 Iranian protesters entered a second British diplomatic compound in Tehran, which hosts residences for British diplomats and French, German and British schools. The state news agency IRNA said the protesters had foreigners there in their control — that they were described as “protecting.” Britain has threatened to act “robustly” if Iran’s foreign ministry follows through by kicking out its ambassador, Dominick Chilcott, who took up his post only last month.

BrITAIN ‘oUTrAGEd’ AT sTormING oF EmBAssy IN IrAN: Britain said Tuesday it

us, eu threaten further measures against Iran WAshINGToN: The United States and the european Union threatened “additional measures” against Iran late Monday over its suspect nuclear activities and reiterated that it must address international concerns. Britain, Canada and the United States slapped sanctions last week on Iran’s financial, petrochemical and energy sectors, and the european Union is expected to follow suit after the bloc’s foreign ministers meet on Thursday.

After a US-eU summit in Washington on Monday, Washington and Brussels underlined their determination “to work toward a diplomatic solution” to the Iranian nuclear crisis, as speculation grows of a possible Israeli strike. The US-eU joint statement said they would “consider additional measures given Iran’s continued failure to abide by its international obligations.” AFP was “outraged” by the storming of its embassy in Tehran by Iranian protesters, saying it was “utterly unacceptable and we condemn it”. A Foreign Office spokesman urged the Iranian government to “act urgently to bring the situation under control”, citing its duty under international law to protect diplomats and embassies.

Past decade ties for world’s hottest: uN DURBAN AfP

Thirteen of the warmest years recorded have occurred within the last decade and a half, proving that global warming is a reality, the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation said on Tuesday.

The year 2011 caps a decade that ties the record as the hottest ever measured, the WMO said in a provisional report on climate trends and extreme weather events, unveiled at UN climate talks in Durban. “Our science is solid and it proves unequivocally that the world is warming and that this warming is due to human activities,” WMO SecretaryGeneral Michel Jarraud said in a statement, adding that policy makers should take note of the findings.

“Concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached new

highs and are very rapidly approaching levels consistent with a 2 to 2.4 Celsius rise in average global temperatures.” Scientists believe that any rise above the 2.0 threshold could trigger far-reaching and irreversible changes over land and in the seas. The 2002-2011 period equals 2001-2010 as the warmest decade since 1850, the report said. 2011 ranks as the 10th warmest year since 1850, when accurate measurements began. This was true despite a cooling La Nina event — one of the strongest in 60 years — that developed in the tropical Pacific in the second half of 2010 and continued until May 2011.

The report noted that the cyclical climate phenomenon, which strikes every three to seven years, helped drive extreme weather events including drought in east Africa, islands in the equatorial Pacific and the south-

ern United States. While La Nina, and its meteorological cousin el Nino, are not caused by climate change, rising ocean temperatures caused by global warming may affect their intensity and frequency, scientists say. Average surface temperatures over land were above long-term averages in most regions. “There is no single country that has reported 2001-2010 mean temperatures that are colder than their national long-term average from 1961-1990,” WMO Deputy Secretary General Lengoasa told journalists in Durban, citing a forthcoming review of weather trends over the last ten years. For 95 percent of 80 countries that had submitted relevant data, 2001-2010 was the warmest decade on record, he added.

Forty percent had seen national heat records broken in 2001-2010, as compared to 15 percent in the 1991-2000 period, and 10 percent in

the 1981-1990 period. “Urgent action is needed to prevent the worst climate change scenarios in the coming decades,” Lengoasa said. Sea ice in the Arctic shrank to its second lowest surface area after 2007, and has reached record levels of thinness. extreme weather events in 2011 — some influenced by La Nina — hit regions unevenly. In eastern Africa, where agriculture is almost entirely rain-fed, severe drought affected many countries, especially Kenya, Somalia and parts of ethiopia. Some 13 million people required emergency aid, according to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

In east Asia, rainfall during the 2011 monsoon season was far above average, with Thailand and Laos most affected. Floods claimed nearly 1,000 lives across Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar.

loNdoN: More than two million public sector workers are expected to go on strike on Wednesday in protest at changes to their pensions in the biggest industrial action in Britain for three decades. They argue the government is trying to make the low-paid carry the can for a crisis not of their making. Thousands of schools will be closed, refuse will remain uncollected and hospitals will have skeleton staffing. Passengers arriving at London’s Heathrow airport, one of the world’s busiest air hubs, have been warned to expect delays of up to 12 hours to have their passports checked as many border control officials will walk out. The strike will be the biggest test so far of Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition government, which sparked the unions’ fury by proposing to bring the retirement age for public sector workers into line with the state pension. The reforms mean most civil servants, council workers and teachers will have to work until the age of 66 and most will have to pay more into their pensions only to receive a lower payout. Cameron has condemned the strike, arguing the government has made a reasonable offer on public sector pensions at a time when it is ushering in a raft of austerity measures aimed at slashing the deficit. “We have put forward, I think, a very fair and very reasonable offer in terms of public sector pensions. And I think this strike is completely wrong,” Cameron said on Monday.

The leader of the Unison union, Dave Prentis, said there was “absolutely no chance” of reaching a deal in the next few days and predicted 2.6 million people could take part — making it the biggest since the 1926 General Strike. AFP

woman alleges affair with presidential hopeful Cain WAshINGToN: An Atlanta businesswoman claimed Monday a 13-year affair with Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain, whose campaign has already been hurt by a rash of sexual harassment allegations. “It was pretty simple,” Ginger White told Atlanta’s Fox 5 television. “It wasn’t complicated. I was aware that he was married. And I was also aware I was involved in a very inappropriate situation, relationship.” Cain, a former pizza company executive who has faded back in the pack of Republicans seeking to take on President Barack Obama in November 2012, denied the allegations preemptively, shortly before the news broke. “This individual is going to accuse me of an affair for an extended period of time,” Cain told CNN, vehemently denying any sexual relations. “It is someone that I know who is an acquaintance that I thought was a friend.” “I did not have an affair,” Cain said, insisting he had no plans to quit the White House race. Cain also faces sexual harassment accusations from four women — two of them who came forward in public. He has denied all impropriety.

“I will not be deterred by false, anonymous, incorrect accusations,” Cain said earlier this month. His campaign also faltered when he struggled to respond to a basic question about Libya and appeared not to know that China had nuclear weapons, calling into question his presidential credentials. AFP

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wednesday, 30 November, 2011

FASHION

‘Human Zoos’ go on show in Paris PARIS

T

AGENCIES

He story of men, women and children plucked from their homes in the West’s colonies and exhibited like zoo animals is the focus of a major show that opened on Monday at Paris’ tribal arts museum. “exhibitions: the invention of the savage”, at the Quai Branly museum, shows how up until the mid-20th century, labelling indigenous peoples of Africa, Asia, Oceania and America “savages” helped to justify the brutality of colonial rule. Former football star Lilian Thuram, who was born on the French Caribbean island Guadeloupe, is chief curator of the show. He told AFP he was stunned by a visit to Hamburg zoo in Germany. “At the entrance there are animal sculptures, but also ones of Indians and Africans — letting visitors know they are going to see not just ani-

mals but human beings as well,” he said. “They are still there today.”

In 1931, the grandparents of another French footballer, Christian Karembeu, were put on display at the Jardin d’Acclimation in Paris, then in Germany, along with around 100 other New Caledonian Kanaks, cast as “cannibals”. From the Indians brought back to Spain by Christopher Columbus after 1492, until the end of the 18th century, the first wave of shows involved indigenous people seen as exotic or monstrous, shown to a limited european elite. But the phenomenon expanded massively from the early 19th century on, when South Africa’s Saartje Baartman, known as the “Hottentot Venus”, was exhibited in London and Paris. “We reckon that 1.4 billion people were exposed to these exhibitions of so-called ‘savages’, at universal exhibitions, fairs, circuses or theatres,” between 1810 and 1958, said one of the curators, historian Pascal Blanchard.

HaNoi: models present creations by vietnamese designers during vietnam Fashion week Spring Summer 2012. AFP

ustad sultan Khan passes away at 68 MONITORING DESK Renowned sarangi maestro and singer Ustad Sultan Khan passed away due to kidney failure on Sunday, according to a Times

of India report. A close family friend told the paper that Ustad Sultan was undergoing dialysis for the last four years and speech failed him in his last days. He expired on his way to the hospital. Khan's first performance was at the All India Conference when he was 11. Learning sarangi from his father Gulab Khan, he won the Sangeet Natya Academy Award twice. He was rewarded with Padma Bhushan, the third highest Indian civilian honour in 2010, the report said.

A Hindustani classical musician par excellence, Khan was renowned for his international collaborations and will always be remembered as the voice behind Piya Basanti Re and Albela Saajan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.

Censor Board sees

MUMBAI: Jacqueline fernandez says she loves to indulge in chocolate fudge. What’s your favourite from your mom’s kitchen? “Tom Yum soup. I remember mom making it every Christmas in a very big pot for get-togethers at our place.” A cuisine you are waiting to try. “Korean food. I have seen Korean restaurants in the States and Europe. They look very interesting, and convey an idea of social meals.” What you dislike about diet food? “I don’t like the whole idea of rules and restrictions to steer clear of a plethora of foods. I prefer to be careful with the amount of my intake rather than restrict myself from eating something altogether. “A meal you just can’t miss. “definitely breakfast.” A put off ingredient in your food. “I don’t like food that’s too oily.” A dessert you can’t resist. “Chocolate fudge.” Two things you’ll never mix are. “Meat. If I’m having fish, I can’t go for a chicken starter.” What’s your vegetarian quotient? “I eat non-veg only 3-4 times a week, otherwise my meals are vegetarian.” Your choice for instant energiser before a shoot or a workout. “Nuts are great. Sometimes I even opt for dark chocolate.”

What can you cook best? “I can make good fish and Tad Thai noodles.” Your winner from the junk food platter. “Pizza with nice vegetable toppings.” TOI

MUMBAI: you might know about it but you certainly cannot speak about it, at least in Bollywood. Central Board of Film Certification is not amused with the ‘sex’ word in the official trailer of Shakun Batra’s ‘ek main aur ekk Tu’. Starring imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor, the trailer was refused a U certificate because it had the word ‘sex’ in one of the dialogues. Now the problem is that without a U certificate,

red over the trailer cannot be aired on national television. Talking to a daily, a source said, “The film has a scene where a person asks Kareena and imran if they’ve had sex. To this, Kareena replies ‘yes’ and imran says ‘No’. The objection was ridiculous. Trailers of many other recent films with objectionable dialogues and scenes have been given the nod.” Karan Johar said, “For now, i am attaching the current trailer of ‘ek main aur ekk Tu’ to ‘The Dirty Picture’, which has been given an a certificate. i wouldn’t like to say much on this. Frankly, it wouldn’t be correct for me to say for or against the censor board’s decision taken on the trailer of ‘ek main aur ekk Tu’. as a lawabiding filmmaker, i would rather do what i have been told (pauses). i am sure that they would be cooperative when we submit the new version.” zEENEWS

MUMBAI: She is often called a yash raj favourite. which is why it came as a surprise when it was revealed that anushka Sharma would not be part of the production house's venture, Habib Faisal's ‘ishaqzaade’, and that the role went to Priyanka Chopra's cousin, Parineeti, instead. in fact, according to the B-town buzz, anushka wasn't given the part because she was considered too loud for the role. However, anushka is doing the sequel to veer-Zaara, which will see her share screen space with Shah rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif. what's more, the film will mark yash Chopra's return to direction after seven years. "it is a great honour to be in a yash Chopra film and this film is the high point of my career. i look forward to sharing screen space with Shah rukh and Katrina," says anushka. and while reports about her on-off relationship with co-star ranveer abound, anushka maintains she is single. "i have no love life at the moment. in fact, i am completely single and lonely," she says.

AGENCIES

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17 After ‘Delhi Belly’,

Anne Hathaway gets

Pakistan bans

‘Dirty Picture’

to Adam Shulman LONDON AGENCIES

MUMBAI AGENCIES

T

He Pakistan Censor Board has reportedly banned Milan Luthria’s ‘The Dirty Picture’ from being screened in the country. Known for being conservative in its approach to cinema, this move doesn’t really come as a shock. Tanuj Garg, CeO, Balaji Motion Pictures says he has heard about the ban. A Bollywood trade source says that earlier Aamir Khan’s ‘Delhi Belly’ was banned because of what was termed as lewd content; now the axe has fallen on ‘The Dirty Picture’ that is considered not suitable for playing in cinema halls across Pakistan.” Another trade source however says that Pakistan is one of the biggest consumers of Hindi cinema. Pirated DVDs are reportedly available, sometimes even a day before the release Friday. So even if ‘Dirty Picture’ doesn’t play in theatres, it is quite likely that the film may still be widely seen.

VIENNA KULAMARVA BALAKRIShNA

The Times of India’s recent online edition has published the following news story sourcing Bang Showbiz under its Mad World section: a company in India is working on a soft drink made from cow urine. The Cow Protection Department of the Rashtriya Svayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is hoping to create the beverage-which is known as “gau jal”, which means “cow water”, by the end of the year.

Despite concerns about the drink, Om Prakash, the head of the department in charge of the beverage, insists it will be “tasty”. RSS claims cow urine can be used to treat a number of ailments such as cancer and lever disease”.

I am not astonished. The followers of a cow protection guru of Ramachandrapura Math in Karnataka, famed for its silicon city of Bangalore, who appears on stage with a Zebu Brahmin bull in India had been subverting medical doctor’s healing efforts by secretly administering ARKA brand marked “Cow Cola” to patients through the next of kin. They get media support.

Their claim is ARKA Cow Cola cures “all ills including cancer” citing old Sanskrit Ayurveda texts using the word “vrana”

Anushka, Katrina and SRK in

‘Veer-Zaara’ sequel

Invading global market: soft drink made of cow urine

meaning ulcer, as cancer.

My own younger sister was administered daily this Cow Cola by her priestly husband and her eldest son. They cited english language and Kannada language printed media of Bangalore for the justification of the dosage. My sister Sarojini who was under medical treatment of competent doctors suffered swollen belly and

uncontrolled dicharges of liquid and solid wastes about two weeks before her final death.

I took up the matter with the publishers of the media without success. I also complained to the Press Council of India, the quasi judicial statutory watch dog of the printed media in India. The Press Council did not attend it properly even though it took from me an undertaking that having placed the matter before the council, I would not go for other legal remedies. Since then I have been a critic of the Press Council calling it a sleeping watch dog. I am glad to learn the new Chairman of the Press Council of India, Justice Markandey Katju, is an anti-obscurantist rational individual.

This was about seven years ago. Now India’s obscurantist political party, BJP’s (Bharatiya Janata Party) parental social outfit Rashtriya Svayam Sevak Sangh, meaning national volunteers organisation, restricted to only Hindu Nationalists as members, appears to have set up a commercial department

Arjun Rampal’s

real life birthday in reel MUMBAI: ajun rampal recently turned 39 and celebrated his birthday on the first day shooting for ‘Heroine’ as it’s his character’s birthday and the sequence is used in the movie. The actor isn’t sure whether director madhur Bhandarkar planned it. according to a source, arjun plays an on-the-rise actor who latches on to the top actress of the day. The birthday sequence that Bhandarkar shot for arjun’s character fell on arjun’s birthday. “i don’t know if madhur planned it that way. But we ended up shooting my character’s birthday cake-cutting scene on my birthday on Saturday.

Normally, you’ve a star cutting a cake on his birthday on the sets. But doing it on camera in character is, i think slightly unusual,” said arjun whose birthday was on November 26. The national award winning actor is all praise for his co-star Kareena Kapoor. “She looked stunning at the shooting,” said the actor who also celebrated a quiet birthday with family and close friends. “Nothing major. Just a small get-together for close friends. The past year has been pretty eventful. i hope the coming year too remains the same way,” he said. AGENCIES

for the promotion of cow cola.

Its head Mr Om Prakash may find it tasty on account of his “sentiments”. Among the world’s 20 million Indians live a couple millions obscurantists.

They may import cow cola from India for private and commercial distribution. It would be a great tragedy if cow cola is allowed as a ‘health drink!

Cow urine and cow dung are used in India by obscurantist traditionalists. Tourists to Bombay or elsewhere can easily observe men and women feeding some grass or corn balls to a cow. Then they tickle the cow’s genitals for opening up “cow cola” raw flow!

Among the traditionalists it is customary to drink a spoon full of a “punch” made of cow urine, cow dung, cow milk, curds made of cow milk and boiled butter. Its name “puncha gavya” is derived because it is made up five products including liquid and solid wastes of a cow. especially in religious rituals it is an obligatory mode of human body purification to be eligible to perform the rituals.

Anne Hathaway has announced she is engaged to actor and jewellery designer boyfriend Adam Shulman. ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ star confirmed her engagement after she was photographed wearing a ring with her boyfriend Shulman in Brooklyn. Shulman, an actor and jewellery designer, collaborated with Kwiat Heritage Jewels to create the sparkler. Although the pair had been seeing each other since 2008, they were discreet about it and were not photographed together until the next year. “We hit if off immediately but it took us a pretty long time to get together,” the Daily express quoted her as saying. “He thought that I had a boyfriend and I thought that he had a girlfriend, so I thought that I’d better keep my distance because I didn’t want to be that girl,” she said.

She described her union with Shulam as more ‘mellow’ than her previous liaisons. “Mellow doesn’t always make for a good story, but it makes for a good life,” she said. Speaking about the relationship the 29-year-old star said that she was looking forward to spending time as a bachelorrette when she fell for him. “Adam totally ruined my plan. I was really actually looking forward to a little alone time and then I fall in love like a fool,” she said.

Victoria Beckham

triumphs at ‘fashion Oscars’ LONdON: Former Spice Girl victoria Beckham’s elevation into the fashion industry’s elite was confirmed monday when she was awarded a major prize at Britain’s most prestigious design awards. The singer, wife of iconic footballer David Beckham, won the Best Designer Brand prize at the British Fashion awards ceremony held in central London’s exclusive Savoy Hotel. wearing a black halter-neck gown, Beckham claimed the ‘fashion oscar’ after beating off competition from industry giants Stella mcCartney, Tom Ford and Burberry. alexander mcQueen’s Sarah Burton, who designed the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress and her sister Pippa middleton’s bridesmaid outfit, walked off with the evening’s top prize, Designer of the year. other winners included model Stella Tennant and Tv presenter turned catwalk star alexa Chung. among the guests were supermodel Kate moss, oscar winning actor Colin Firth and Samantha Cameron, wife of British Prime minister David Cameron. AGENCIES

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wednesday, 30 November, 2011

Nadal plays down Davis Cup pressure Page 23

Pakistan start Bangladesh series with crushing win DHAKA

DHaKa: mohammad Hafeez plays a shot. AFP

AfP

R

eSURGeNT Pakistan continued their winning form to defeat Bangladesh by 50 runs in a low-scoring Twenty20 international at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka on Tuesday.

Misbah-ul-Haq’s men, buoyant after a successful series against Sri Lanka in the United Arab emirates, where they won in all three formats of the game, proved their mettle once again.

The tourists, playing their 50th Twenty20 match, fought back after being restricted to 135-7 to keep Bangladesh down to 85-9 on a slow wicket that hindered stroke-making.

Mohammad Hafeez claimed 2-11 in four overs and Shoaib Malik picked up two wickets in three balls as Pakistan recorded their fifth successive Twenty20 win over Bangladesh.

The Tigers were in danger of falling below their lowest T20 total of 78 -against New Zealand at Hamilton last year -- when they stumbled to 69-9 in the 17th over. But Nasir Hossain hit a defiant unbeaten 35 with two boundaries and a six to ensure Bangladesh batted out their stipulated 20 overs.

Misbah was delighted by his team’s performance over the past month.

“This is a good time for the team because we are really doing well,” the Pakistani captain said. “It’s just great the way everyone is responding with bat and ball. everyone is performing.”

Misbah said he had hoped to defend a total of around 150 because it was a tough wicket to bat on. “As it turned out, 130-plus was a good score,” he said.

SCOREBOARd PAKISTAN: Mohammad hafeez b Shakib 25 Imran farhat c Rahim b Shakib 16 Asad Shafiq c Razzak b Nasir 19 Umar Akmal st Rahim b Kapali 20 21 Misbah-ul-haq not out 2 Shoaib Malik c and b Razzak Shahid Afridi c Nasir b Kapali 8 6 Sohail Tanvir run out 4 Umar Gul not out EXTRAS: (lb3, w10, nb1) 14 135 TOTAL (for seven wickets, 20 overs) fall of wickets: 1-30 (farhat), 2-61 (hafeez), 3-87 (Akmal), 492 (Shafiq), 5-98 (Malik), 6-112 (Afridi), 7-127 (Tanvir).

Bowling: Shafiul 3-0-20-0 (w1), Razzak 4-0-25-1 (w3), Shakib 4-1-24-2, farhad 1-0-10-0, Rubel 2-0-17-0 (nb1), Nasir 2-0-141 (w4), Mahmudullah 1-0-10-0, Kapali 3-0-12-2 (w2) BANGLAdESh: Naeem Islam lbw b Gul 3 Imrul Kayes run out 2 Alok Kapali c Misbah b hafeez 0 7 Shakib Al hasan b hafeez 10 Mushfiqur Rahim run out 2 Mohammad Mahmudullah c Akmal b Cheema Nasir hossain not out 35 farhad Reza lbw b Afridi 6 9 Abdur Razzak c Afridi b Malik 0 Shafiul Islam lbw b Malik Rubel hossain not out 0 EXTRAS: (lb6, w5) 11 85 TOTAL (for nine wickets, 20 overs) fall of wickets: 1-3 (Naeem), 2-4 (Kapali), 3-15 (Kayes), 4-17 (Shakib), 5-23 (Mahmudullah), 6-39 (Rahim), 7-51 (Reza), 868 (Razzak), 9-69 (Shafiul).

Bowling: hafeez 4-0-11-2, Gul 2-0-7-1 (w2), Ajmal 4-0-19-0 (w2), Afridi 4-0-15-1, Cheema 2-0-9-1, Tanvir 2-0-11-0, Malik 2-0-7-2 (w1).

RESULT: Pakistan won by 50 runs TOSS: Pakistan UMPIRES: Nadir Shah (BAN) and Sharfuddoula Saikat (BAN) TV UMPIRE: Enamul haque (BAN) MATCh REfEREE: Javagal Srinath (INd)

A disappointed Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim conceded Pakistan were the better side. “It was a tough wicket to bat on,” he said. “On pitches like this, it is difficult to beat a side like Pakistan which has been playing such consistent cricket of late.”

The hosts were left to rue a lethargic batting display in which nine batsmen

PHF confident players won’t participate in wSH LAHORE STAff REPORT

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Tuesday expressed confidence that Pakistani players would stay away from the unsanctioned World Hockey Series in India in the wake of the organiser’s claim that all those who have signed for the multi-million event will certainly play. The WSH, a joint venture of Nimbus Sport and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), has not been given sanction by the world body (FIH) which recognises rival Hockey India as the sole governing body for the game in India. But inspite of FIH and HI’s opposition to the event, the orgainsers have finalised all the eight city-based franchise teams through player draft on Monday, and said that Pakistani players Zeeshan Ashraf, Rehan Butt and Shakeel Abbasi will feature in the tournament, a claim which PHF secretary Asif Bajwa rejected. “Apparently these players and some others had signed contracts with the organisers of WSH before the status of the event was known to all,” Bajwa said. “But now once it has become clear it is an unsanctioned series the players have given in writing to us they will not be part of the unsanctioned league,” he added. Interestingly, off all the Pakistani players, reported to have signed up for the WSH, only Shakeel Abbasi is part of the national squad that will play in the upcoming Champions Trophy in New Zealand. But Bajwa said Abbasi had informed PHF in writing that he was no longer associated with WSH. “The PHF is an affiliated unit of the FIH and since the WSH has not been sanctioned by the world hockey body we can’t recognise it ourselves,” he said. “Our stance is very clear any player who takes part in this unsanctioned league will be banned from playing in Pakistan. “So the players who want to go and play in the WSH are well aware of the consequences of their actions,” he added. Bajwa said it was impossible for two federations to co-exist in one country.

failed to reach double figures, while two ran themselves out.

The match was as good as over when Bangladesh lost half their side by the ninth over with the total at 23.

The batsmen undid the good work by the bowlers who kept the Pakistani batting in check after Misbah won the toss and elected to take first strike.

Spinner Alok Kapali, the eighth bowler used by Rahim, picked up two for 12 and former skipper Shakib Al Hasan finished with two for 24. Hafeez topscored for Pakistan with 25, but found little support from the other end.

The rivals begin a three-match oneday series in Dhaka on Thursday, which will be followed by two Tests.

Wasim advocates one coach for Pakistan KARACHI AfP

Former Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram on Tuesday urged the nation’s cricket authorities to appoint a single head coach rather than three separate ones for bowling, batting and fielding. Pakistan have been on hunt for a national team coach since Waqar Younis quit the post in September this year citing health problems. Former opening batsman Mohsin Khan has since led the team on an interim basis and has shown a willingness to continue. But the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has formed a three-man committee to find a replacement for Younis, suggesting a foreigner would be better suited to the hot-seat.

New PCB chief Zaka Ashraf has stressed the need for separate batting, fielding and bowling coaches in addition to a head coach, but Wasim cautioned against complicating team affairs.

“I think the idea of separate coaches doesn’t suit Pakistan,” Wasim told AFP. “Pakistan need one head coach who should guide the team... in case the of

too many coaches things will get complicated.”

The PCB committee had shortlisted five candidates for the post but progress has been delayed after Ashraf said he wanted separate coaches for each department.

Sources within the PCB told AFP that former Australian batsman Dav Whatmore, who also guided Sri Lanka to World Cup glory in 1996, is favourite to take the post. Wasim said he hoped a new coach will build on the success overseen by current captain Misbah-ul-Haq who has guided Pakistan through an undefeated run in Tests and one-day series’ dating back to October last year.

“This current team under Misbah-ul-Haq is doing very well,” he said. “Misbah is very wise and is handling things very well.”

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka 1-0 in threeTests, 4-1 in the five-match one-day series besides winning the only Twenty20 -- all matches played in United Arab emirates.

They are now touring Bangladesh where they will play a Twenty20 on Tuesday, followed by three one-dayers and two Tests. Wasim, who played 104 Tests and 356 one-days for Pakistan during an illustrious career, is currently working for UNICeF as an ambassador. “It is an exciting challenge as under the current programme I am working under the UNICeF umbrella to create awareness among the people of Pakistan as to how we can provide hygienic food to our kids,” said Wasim.

whatmore, rhodes in running for coaching posts with Pakistan LAHORE STAff REPORT

Former World Cup-winning Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore and former South Africa player Jonty Rhodes were in the reckoning for coaching positions with the Pakistan cricket team, PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf said.

Ashraf was reported to have said that the names of Whatmore and Rhodes were under consideration.

Ashraf did not elaborate on the issue, but stated that Whatmore's name was under consideration for a main coaching position while that of Rhodes was for fielding coach.

Whatmore was also in the run for Pakistan head coach's post in 2008 but it went to fellow Australian, Geoff Lawson.

The PCB had last month had advertised for the positions of batting, bowling and fielding coaches and had received about 15 applications from interested candidates. earlier, the PCB had advertised for the post of head coach after the resignation of Waqar Younis and got a response from around 37 candidates, including several foreigners, but it is yet to reach a consensus on the matter.

Interestingly, interim coach Mohsin Khan is ready to take on the role on a permanent basis but only after studying the terms and conditions offered to him by the PCB. "My aim has always been to serve Pakistan cricket in whatever capacity is required.

I am available to the Pakistan Cricket Board in whatever way they want me to work for them and in the best possible way," he had said.

"I did the tough job of chairman of selectors when the board asked me to perform that role and now I was required to do the equally tough role of coach and I have performed that to the best of my ability," Mohsin said.

india lose seamer Kumar for aussie Tests NEW DELHI AfP

Indian seamer Praveen Kumar has been ruled out of next month’s Test series in Australia after fracturing a rib, the Indian cricket board announced on Tuesday.

“Praveen Kumar underwent a scan last evening and was found to have a fractured rib as per the report that came through today,” the board said in a statement.

“He is expected to recover in five-six weeks and has therefore been ruled out of the (ongoing) one-day series against the West Indies as well as the Test series in Australia that follows.”

Kumar’s replacement for the Australia tour will be named on December 5, the statement added.

The 25-year-old has bagged 27 wickets in six Tests and 69 wickets in 61 oneday internationals.

India open the three-month tour on December 15 with two practice matches in Canberra ahead of the first Test starting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26.

The remaining Tests will be played in Sydney, Perth and Adelaide.

This will be followed by two Twenty20 internationals, before Sri Lanka join in for a one-day tri-series from February 5.

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wednesday, 30 November, 2011

india rules out Bhopal boycott of London NEW DELHI AfP

India will resist pressure to boycott the London Olympics over sponsorship by a US company linked to the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, in which thousands of people died, a top official said on Tuesday.

Indian Olympic Association president Vijay Kumar Malhotra told AFP it would not pull out of the Games over the deal with Dow Chemical, which bought Union Carbide, the firm blamed for the lethal gas leak from a pesticide factory.

“The IOA will not boycott the Olympics. Such a thing has not been discussed,” Malhotra said.

However he added that the IOA would “inform the International Olympic Committee of opposition” to Dow Chemical’s sponsorship of London 2012. Shivraj Chauhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh state where Bhopal is located, had urged India to boycott the Games as Dow Chemical bought Union Carbide, the owner of the factory, in 2001.

Dow Chemical, which is sponsoring a fabric shroud to be installed on the Olympic Stadium, says all liabilities over the disaster have been resolved.

The accident killed thousands instantly and tens of thousands more from its lingering effects over the following years, according to official Indian figures. Malhotra said the company should spend money on survivors instead of sponsoring the Games. Malhotra holds temporary charge of the IOA because his predecessor Suresh Kalmadi is in jail over corruption charges stemming from last year’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

London Olympic chief Sebastian Coe has defended the Dow Chemical sponsorship deal but Labour politician Ken Livingstone, who was mayor of London when the city won the right to host the Games, has urged a rethink.

SL add Samaraweera for S africa tour ColomBo: Seasoned batsman Thilan Samaraweera was on Tuesday added to Sri Lanka’s squad for next month’s Test series in South Africa.

The 35-year-old middle-order batsman was included as the 17th member of the touring squad after sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage accepted a request by the selectors. “I had a meeting with the national selectors and I have approved their request,” the minister, whose approval in necessary for all selections, told reporters. AfP

gOverNiNg bOard MeetiNg

PCB ponders ways to bring teams back to Pakistan

LaHore: PCB Chairman Zaka ashraf presides over the governing body meeting of the board. stAFF PHOtO LAHORE STAff REPORT

T

He governing body of the Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday discussed ways to ensure the return of international cricket to Pakistan. The marathon session of the board, that continued till late night, was also the first since new chairman Zaka Ashraf took charge of the office last month.

Talking to journalists at the National Cricket Academy, PCB COO Subhan Ahmed said that there was a 14 point agenda for the meeting. He said discussions on the renovation and upgradation of cricket facilities and stadiums consumed most of the time.

“We went into the discussions for the betterment of the cricket facilities all over the country and those discussions took most of the time. We have also constituted

a committee to look after the construction work and Brig Sajid would be the head of this committee. The details of the duties and the working of the committee would be given in a day or two,” he added.

He further stated that although it was not part of the agenda but the ICC’s conditions to have an elected head of the board was also discussed in detail.

The ICC earlier this year conditioned all the boards to have elected presidents and implement a democratic way of proceeding. It is a step that might leave the boards having government interference isolated from international cricket.

“We have taken several board officials into the loop regarding the elections conditions of the ICC and further steps will be taken accordingly,” he added.

He further said that another main item on the agenda was the ways to bring back international team back to Pakistan.

AfP

Ace Pakistan tennis star Aisam-ul Haq Qureshi Tuesday denied his split with India’s Rohan Bopanna was not bitter, saying his former doubles partner remains a friend and is invited to his wedding.

The 31-yearold Pakistani star

“We have discussed ways with which we would ensure the return of foreign team to play here,” he added.

It was the first meeting of the Board, presided over by the newly appointed Chairman of the PCB. “The Chairman PCB was also briefed on the performance of the team in its recent tour of the United Arab emirates where Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in Test and ODI series,” an official of the board said.

Besides the resumption of international cricket in Pakistan, the appointment of the new coach, the performance of PCB Academy, improvement in domestic cricket structure and setting up a cricket academy in Multan and other important matters relating to the PCB and cricket were also discussed. The official said that the further details of the meeting which continued till late Tuesday night will be made public on Wednesday.

Green Australia attack to face New Zealand BRISBANE AfP

Australia will field their most inexperienced bowling attack in decades against a New Zealand team chasing their first Test victory in Australia for 26 years at the Gabba on Thursday.

An injury crisis has decimated Australia’s pace attack, with skipper Michael Clarke likely to rely on at least two Test newcomers to get the wickets against the Black Caps, who sit a lowly eighth in the world rankings.

The sidelining of Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnston, allrounder Shane Watson and exciting youngster Pat Cum-

mins forced selectors to choose Test debutants James Pattinson, Ben Cutting and Mitchell Starc along with new opening batsman David Warner.

While one of the tyro pacemen is expected to be named 12th man, Peter Siddle will still lead the most inexperienced Australian Test attack since Merv Hughes and Bruce Reid made their debuts against India in 1985.

Suddenly New Zealand, who have won on only three of their last 22 Tests and had been considered an entree to fourth-ranked Australia’s four-Test home series against India next month, are injury-free and in scoring form.

The Black Caps plastered an Aus-

Split not bitter, says Aisam KARACHI

Sports 19

joined hands with Bopanna as a doubles partner in 2007 -- at a time when India-Pakistan diplomatic relations were at a low ebb. Their unlikely partnership was hailed as a symbol of friendship between the rival nations.

Dubbed the “Indo-Pak express”, the duo -- currently ranked ninth in the world -- shot to fame after they reached the US Open doubles final last year. But Bopanna told the Indian express newspaper on Monday that he will team up with veteran compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi in 2012, while Qureshi will next partner Dutchman Jean-Julien Roger at the Australian Open in January.

“Some three months ago Bopanna came to me and told me that in order to qualify for 2012 London Olympics he has to play with an Indian partner and although it was shocking for me I re-

spect his decision,” Qureshi told AFP. “In my opinion it ended on a good note and we will continue to be good friends and ambassadors of peace. In fact he is invited to my wedding and he has promised to attend.” Qureshi is getting married in the eastern city of Lahore on December 16.

The duo actively promoted better India-Pakistan ties and even offered to play tennis over the land border dividing the two countries, which have a history of warfare and political tension. “It was a unique partnership, very very special not only for us but for the people of both the countries and we achieved remarkable results on and off the court,” said Qureshi.

He did not rule out regrouping with Bopanna at a later stage, but for now he plans to focus on his personal sporting goals. “I am not looking far ahead as I am also doing my bit to qualify for the Olympics and since I had to find a partner I have settled with Jean-Julien Rojer,” he said. “I have my own goals and that is to continue to keep my flag high in the world of tennis.”

tralia A attack featuring Pattinson, Cutting and Starc for 890 runs in a highscoring four-day draw last weekend, with three Kiwi batsmen, Jesse Ryder (175), Brendon McCullum (146) and captain Ross Taylor (138) hitting centuries.

New Zealand’s chances have improved of a first Test victory in Australia since the days of pace great Richard Hadlee, who spearheaded their last win, in Perth in 1985.

The Australians, coming off a thrilling two-wicket win over South Africa in Johannesburg earlier this month to draw a two-Test series with the Proteas, will still start favourites to beat New Zealand at their Gabba fortress.

anderson ready for Pakistan test LONDON AGENCIES

england fast bowler James Anderson expects Pakistan to provide a stern examination when they meet england for three Tests in the United Arab emirates early next year. england are the top-ranked Test side in the world after a superb run of recent form, highlighted by an Ashes win Down Under last winter and a 4-0 thrashing of India on home soil. Lancashire seamer Anderson has been an integral part of that success but is aware england will have to adapt quickly to unfamiliar conditions.

Pakistan, who now play most of their 'home' series in Dubai and Abu Dhabi because of security concerns, should have no such problems; they beat Sri Lanka 1-0 over three Tests at those venues in their most recent series.

After their tour of england in 2010 was marred by the spot-fixing scandal that eventually saw Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir jailed, Pakistan have started to regroup on the field under Misbah-ul-Haq's leadership.

"I think it will be a really tough series for us," Anderson told Sky Sports News HD. "Hopefully our spinners will help the seam bowlers out a little bit.

"We've seen them play Sri Lanka there recently and win, so they are obviously getting used to conditions.

"It is something we are excited about, we like a challenge and, if we are going to stay at world number one, we have to win in places like that."

The first Test starts at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on January 17.

india lose seamer Kumar for aussie Tests NEW DELHI AfP

Indian seamer Praveen Kumar has been ruled out of next month’s Test series in Australia after fracturing a rib, the Indian cricket board announced on Tuesday.

“Praveen Kumar underwent a scan last evening and was found to have a fractured rib as per the report that came through today,” the board said in a statement. “He is expected to recover in fivesix weeks and has therefore been ruled out of the (ongoing) one-day series against the West Indies as well as the Test series in Australia that follows.”

Kumar’s replacement for the Australia tour will be named on December 5, the statement added.

The 25-year-old has bagged 27 wickets in six Tests and 69 wickets in 61 one-day internationals. India open the three-month tour on December 15 with two practice matches in Canberra ahead of the first Test starting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26.

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wednesday, 30 November, 2011

afghan FC, waPDa advance in PPFL

DH th th

LAHORE STAff REPORT

Afghan FC and WAPDA got wins in the 8th Pakistan Premier Football League on Tuesday.

Afghan FC had to fight all through the given time to get a win over KRL 2-1 at the Municipal Stadium, Rawalpindi.

The win for Afghan Club came with the efforts of Najeeb Ullah and Ahmad Shah who scored in the 18th and 50th minutes of the match. After give a tough time, KRL managed to get one goal through striker Saad Ullah in the 67 Minute.

At the Railway Stadium, WAPDA walked past Baloch FC 2-0 with the later failing to get a taste of reaching the winners danger end.

Wapda’s captain and forward Arif Mahmood was the star of the match for getting both the goals in the 39 and later in the 79 Minutes on the match.

ZTBL, HeC register wins in PFL LAHORE STAff REPORT

ZTBL and HeC got through their rivals in the 8th Pakistan Football Federation League (2nd Division League) on Tuesday.

ZTBL beat Railway 3-2 at the Jinnah Football Stadium, Islamabad. ZTBL took charge of the game with forward Izhar Ullah scoring two goals in the 23rd and 52nd minutes and in between those two goals Hikmat Ullah managed to move past the defences of the rivals in the 27th minute. But Railway fought brilliantly and came close to give ZTBL a shock when forward Asif Hamid scored in the 68th and 84th minutes.

HeC beat Mecca Flour Mills 2-1 at the Jinnah Football Stadium, Islamabad.

HeC scorers were forward Nauman Shahid who got the goal in the 41st minute and Rashid Masih kicked a penalty in the 55th minute. Mecca Flour Mill took the lead through Sabtain Abbas in the 31st Minute but caved in to the winners attacking pressure.

army romp to win in NBP Gold Cup Hockey FAISALABAD STAff REPORT

Another two matches were played in the All Pakistan NBP Gold Cup Hockey Tournament which is in progress at Faisalabad Hockey Stadium and win came Army and Wapda’s way on Tuesday. In the first match, Army beat HeC. They score one goal each in the either half with goals coming from Hassan Arifi and Fahad Ali. In the second match, WAPDA beat Customs by a solitary goal which came from Aleem Bilal.

Zubair Ahmed, Sports Officer Sui Southern Gas was the chief guest in the last match between WAPDA/CUSTOMS at 1430 hours. On the occasion, Organising Secretary Olympian Rana Mujahid Ali, Tournament Director Olympian Khalid Bashir, Haji Rana Muhammad Mazhar Khan President DHA Faisalabad, Olympian Danish Kaleem, Olympian Malik Shafqat, Olympian Anjum Saeed, International Shahid Hussain, International Shahzad Chishti, Mr. Ghulam Muhammad Khan Advisor to Sports National Bank and officials of DHA were present. On Wednesday, November 30, Wapda will face PIA in the first semi-final at 1200 hours and second semi-final will be played between NBP and ARMY at 1400 hours.

Sharma guides India to win CUTTACK

SCOREBOARd

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R

OHIT Sharma hit a responsible 72 under pressure as India survived a top-order collapse to post a thrilling one-wicket win over the West Indies in the opening one-dayer on Tuesday.

India were reeling at 59-5 following Kemar Roach’s three-wicket burst and Andre Russell’s double strike before reaching the 212-run target with seven balls to spare in front of 45,000 spectators at the Barabati stadium in Cuttack.

Sharma came to his team’s rescue with an 83-run stand for the sixth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja (38) in the day-night game, which was held up for nearly five minutes during India’s innings due to disturbances in the stands.

Sharma, returning to the side after recovering from a finger injury, then added 42 valuable runs with Vinay Kumar (18) to help his team to a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

He cracked one six and three fours in his ninth half-century in one-dayers.

The hosts needed nine runs to win in the last two overs before Umesh Yadav hit the winning boundary off seamer Darren Sammy as India posted their 10th successive one-day win at home.

Paceman Roach removed Parthiv Patel, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli in his sharp opening spell before Russell accounted for skipper Virender Sehwag (20) and Suresh Raina to put pressure on India.

India earlier put in a disciplined bowling performance to restrict the West Indies to a modest total despite Darren Bravo’s impressive half-century.

Left-handed Bravo, who hit two hundreds in the recent Test series against the hosts, top-scored for the West Indies with a 74-ball 60 for his sixth half-century in one-day interna-

WEST INdIES:

CUTTaCK: indian cricketer rohit Sharma (L) and ravindra Jadeja complete a run during the first oDi. AFP tionals.

Bravo, who survived a difficult caught-and-bowled chance off off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on 26, was bowled by part-time spinner Suresh Raina in the 35th over after hitting six fours.

The West Indies were struggling at

52-3 before Bravo steadied the innings with a 75-run stand for the fourth wicket with Danza Hyatt (31).

The tourists failed to build on Bravo’s effort and they added just 44 runs in the last 10 overs, with tailender Russell making a 20-ball 22.

Indian pacemen Yadav and Varun

L. Simmons b Yadav 19 A. Barath c Patel b Kumar 17 10 M. Samuels b Aaron 60 d. Bravo b Raina d. hyatt run out 31 K. Pollard c Kohli b Ashwin 13 d. Ramdin c and b Yadav 14 d. Sammy b Jadeja 0 A. Russell b Aaron 22 12 K. Roach not out 3 A. Martin not out EXTRAS (lb4, w6) 10 TOTAL (for nine wickets; 50 overs) 211 fall of wickets: 1-18 (Barath), 2-46 (Samuels), 3-52 (Simmons), 4-127 (hyatt), 5-154 (Bravo), 6-159 (Pollard), 7169 (Sammy), 8-183 (Ramdin), 9-200 (Russell).

Bowling: Kumar 6-0-27-1 (w1), Yadav 8-1-33-2, Aaron 9-047-2 (w4), Ashwin 10-1-30-1 (w1), Jadeja 10-0-42-1, Raina 5-0-20-1, Sharma 2-0-8-0.

INdIA: P. Patel c Martin b Roach 12 V. Sehwag b Russell 20 G. Gambhir c Ramdin b Roach 4 V. Kohli b Roach 3 R. Sharma b Martin 72 S. Raina c Bravo b Russell 5 R. Jadeja c Simmons b Pollard 38 R. Ashwin run out 6 V. Kumar c Roach b Sammy 18 V. Aaron not out 6 U. Yadav not out 6 EXTRAS (lb3, nb4, w16) 23 TOTAL (for nine wickets; 48.5 overs) 213 fall of wickets: 1-37 (Patel), 2-41 (Gambhir), 3-47 (Kohli), 451 (Sehwag), 5-59 (Raina), 6-142 (Jadeja), 7-159 (Ashwin), 8-201 (Sharma), 9-201 (Kumar).

Bowling: Roach 10-0-46-3 (nb3, w9), Martin 6-1-35-1 (w1), Russell 9-1-29-2 (nb1, w1), Sammy 8.5-1-40-1, Samuels 10-037-0 (w2), Pollard 5-0-23-1 (w3).

RESULT: India win by one wicket TOSS: India UMPIRES: Tony hill (NzL) and Shavir Tarapore (INd) TV UMPIRE: S. Ravi (INd) MATCh REfEREE: david Boon (AUS) Second one-dayer: Visakhapatnam (friday)

Aaron each bagged two wickets.

The tourists raced to 52 off 10 overs after being put in to bat but lost topthree batsmen Lendl Simmons (19), Adrian Barath (17) and Marlon Samuels (10) in the process, with Vinay Kumar, Yadav and Aaron each taking a wicket.

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wednesday, 30 November, 2011

DHaKa: Pakistani cricketers celebrate the dismissal of the unseen Bangladeshi batsman Naeem islam during the only Twenty20 match. Pakistan won by 50 runs. AFP

Sports 21

Confident Amir Khan ready for all comers WASHINGTON

watch it Live TEN SPORTS UEFA Europa League 10:55PM

ESPN Sportscenter 07:30PM

AfP

B

RITAIN’S Amir Khan is confident of victory next week against Lamont Peterson and ready if unbeaten rivals Floyd Mayweather or Tim Bradley come calling, but has no plans to fight friend Manny Pacquiao. “If I train hard and keep training the way I do, I don’t think there’s anybody out there who can beat me,” Khan said on Monday.

Khan, 26-1 with 18 knockouts, will defend his World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation lightwelterweight titles on December 10 at Washington against hometown hero Lamont Peterson, 29-1-1 with 15 knockouts.

“Our job is to beat him and move on to bigger and better things,” Khan said.

“This is going to take me from being a good fighter to a superstar. Beating Lamont Peterson will hopefully make me one of the best fighters in the world.”

A victory by Khan, who has won his past eight fights, likely would launch the 24-year-old englishman into the welterweight division against such foes as Mayweather, who has yet to name an opponent for his planned fight on May 5.

“We need a little more time to think about it, to look into it,” Khan said. “I never shy away from any fight. If they put Floyd Mayweather in front of me, I’ll be more than ready, but first I’ve got Lamont Peterson to take care of.” Mayweather’s insistence upon tougher blood anti-doping tests, which helped scuttle a showdown with Pacquiao, is no worry for Khan, who faces random tests in Britain and knows them from his 2004 Olympic lightweight silver medal days.

“If that fight did come off, I’m happy to give them a test,” Khan said. “I’m a

Gujranwala Pehlwans win Sprite Cricket Next

Khan set to move up division LONDON AfP

clean fighter. I’m used to it.”

One fight Khan has no plans on making is against Filipino icon Pacquiao, who like Khan trains with Freddie Roach in Los Angeles, where the english pugilist has worked for almost two months and “Pac-Man” trained for his victory earlier this month over Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez. “We won’t fight each other. We have too much respect for each other,” Khan said. “Me and Manny, we’re cool. I

Nadal plays down Davis Cup pressure SEVILLE AfP

Spanish star Rafael Nadal on Tuesday played down the pressure the hosts will be under ahead of their Davis Cup final

clash against Argentina here this weekend. “We’re under the same pressure as they are, we have to win the Davis Cup,” insisted the world number two, who has lost just one singles rubber in the competition since making his debut in 2004.

KaraCHi: Gujranwala Pehlwans with the winner’s trophy. lAhorE: Gujranwala Pehlwans won the ‘Sprite Cricket Next 2011’ finals held recently at Karachi. The event was participated by city champions from Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Rahim Yar Khan, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Sukkur. Going through a competitive round of matches starting from their mohalla, followed by the city; the Gujranwala Pehlwans defeated Lahore Leopards in the final to win the coveted title along with a cash prize of Rs. 400, 000 and a year’s supply of Sprite. Legendary cricketer Javed Miandad was the chief guest of the championship finals. Miandad said: “each and every cricketer has played street cricket in one form or the other. I started my cricket on the streets and these matches are a reminder of those days.” Sprite Cricket Next has given street cricketers across Pakistan an opportunity to exhibit their talent in an innovative hightech environment. every individual player gets statistics pertaining to their bowling and batting talent, as speed guns and action replays provide updates of each exciting moment as it takes place on ground. These real time performance indicators have helped help these budding cricketers in honing their skills and improving their ability. Fahad Qadir, Public Affairs & Communications Manager of Coca-Cola said, “We Pakistanis are a cricket crazy nation and the passion one witnesses while watching or being a part of a street cricket match is unmatchable.”STAff REPORT

was in his room the day before he fought Marquez.” As for talk they might one day meet in the ring, Khan says: “We just laugh about it mainly.” Roach sees many similarities in working with Pacquiao and Khan and sees little chance they would fight each other. “They have speed and power. They have good work ethic,” Roach said. “They are great role models for everybody in the world. They are great at what they do because they work at it.

SeviLLe: Spain’s rafael Nadal returns a ball during a training session. AFP

Spain have won the title four times in the past ten years, while Argentina have never lifted the trophy, finishing runner-up three times. But team leader Nadal insisted that playing at home did not increase the pressure.

Nadal will spearhead the team which includes 24th-ranked Fernando Verdasco, Feliciano Lopez (20) and David Ferrer (5), the same line-up that clinched Spain’s last Davis Cup triumph in 2009 against the Czech Republic.

Argentina lost the 2008 final 3-1 to the Spanish at home in Mar del Plata, also falling in their previous two clashes in 2003 and 1926. “The 2008 final was painful for Argentina, so it’s normal that this time they’ll have a special motivation,” said Verdasco. Spanish captain Albert Costa said his side were determined “the Cup stays here,” adding: “It’s hard to say who has the greater percentage chance of winning between the teams. I don’t like giving figures. If we do things well than we’ll have a chance. “One thing that’s sure is that all the matches will be long and tough.” Argentina’s bid to create history starting on Friday will be lead by 11th-ranked Juan Martin Del Potro, who will be joined by Juan Monaco (26), Juan Ignacio Chela (29) and David Nalbandian (64).

“Spain are playing at home and are favourites, so they are under a lot of pressure too,” said Nalbandian. “The 2008 final was completely different.” Del Potro admitted it would be hard to beat the Spanish on clay, at the La Cartuja Stadium where the hosts beat the USA 3-2 to win their 2004 final. “Spain on brick dust are perhaps the best team in history.” But Argentina captain Tito Vazquez warned: “They are favourites with (Rafa) Nadal and (David) Ferrer, but anything can happen, we could lose 1-4 or win 4-1.”

British light-welterweight Amir Khan said Tuesday he will move up a division after his fight with Lamont Peterson in Washington next month if fellow unified champion Timothy Bradley continues to snub a showdown offer.

The 28-year-old Bradley has shown little interest in 24-year-old Khan’s attempts to lure him into the ring.

And Khan believes that if Bradley, his only serious challenger for the position of world number one at 140lbs, continues to refuse a big-money unification bout he will have to shed his own lightwelterweight belts and search bigger challenges at welterweight.

“If the Bradley fight is there for me I’ll stay at 140lbs, but if not I’ll move up to 147lbs,” said Khan. “It’s nothing to do with the making the weight, it’s for the new challenge and motivation.

“I want to meet new fighters and that is what is going to drive me. We’ll see what happens after this fight and whether Bradley is going to take the fight. If not I will move up to 147lbs.”

Khan makes his debut in the US capital at the Convention Center on December 10 and is relishing the prospect of taking on home favourite Peterson in another major American city.

“I’ve got that style that people love - that speed, power and explosiveness - and I truly believe that although Peterson is the home town fighter, I will have more support than him on the night,” said Khan. “They have not had a big boxing match in Washington for quite some time so it is great to be going there. I’ve always wanted to fight in different state capitals, so that everyone has the chance to see me live.

“I’m doing things the way they should be done. The best fighters in the world should fight the best fighters in the world. I wanted to fight Bradley and I fought Marcos Maidana and Zab Judah and beat them.”

Police question Terry over racism claim LONDON AfP

British police have quizzed Chelsea and england football captain John Terry over claims that he racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, British media reported Monday.

A Metropolitan police spokesman confirmed that a 30-year-old man, named as Terry by BBC and Sky News sources, had been interviewed under caution on Friday.

“Police were notified of an incident on Sunday 23 October involving alleged racial abuse,” added the spokesman.

“This is currently being assessed by officers from Hammersmith and Fulham.”

Terry has strongly denied hurling a racist slur at Ferdinand during the stormy west London derby at Loftus Road on October 23.

The claims against Terry emerged after video footage circulated on the Internet appearing to show the england star using racist language.

Terry denied abusing Ferdinand, claiming that footage had caught him asking Ferdinand if he mistakenly believed he had racially abused him.

“I thought Anton was accusing me of using a racist slur against him. I responded aggressively that I never used that,” Terry said.

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NaTo temporarily halts operation in border areas KABUL ONLINE

NATO has temporarily halted operating in areas near the Afghan border with Pakistan. The spokesman for NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen Jacobson, told Shamshad TV that they had decided to restrict their operations in areas near the border of Pakistan temporarily after 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in an air attack of NATO. Pakistani officials have said that NATO forces attacked their military checkpoint near the border with Afghanistan early on Saturday, killing 24 soldiers and wounding 15 others.

Meanwhile, the international forces in Afghanistan said that they had started investigating into the attack and would announce the results soon. Gen Jacobson said NATO had decided to stop operating in the area close to the border until the investigation was complete. “We have restricted some of our military operations in the border areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan because of the investigation.

But our operations are conducted normally in other areas”. Afghan political analysts says the attack by NATO forces on the Pakistani checkpoint was the start of the action which US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked about when she said that “if Pakistan did not take immediate action against terrorists, we would”.

SC to take up memogate case on December 1 ISLAMABAD

Parliament will decide ties with US: Zardari g

US envoy says soured relations between US, Pakistan not in the interest of either country ISLAMABAD

I

MIAN ABRAR

N the midst of a unanimous national mood against the NATO attack on the Salala checkpost, President Asif Ali Zardari gave a cold shoulder to US Ambassador Cameron Munter on Tuesday and declined the US request for an early resumption of NATO supplies and no evacuation of the Shamsi airbase.

A source told Pakistan Today that the president conveyed to the US envoy that since the matter had been taken up by the parliamentary committee while the

government had decided to summon the joint sitting of parliament to review the situation, now the matter was with parliament, which would take the decision on the future of Pak-US relations.

He also said the cabinet had already decided to boycott the Bonn Conference, which was self-explanatory and reflected the will of the people of Pakistan, added the source. The source said that during the meeting with the president, the US ambassador delivered a condolence message from President Barack Obama and urged President Zardari to play his role in pacifying the situation. The source quoted the ambassador as saying that soured re-

lations between the US and Pakistan were not in the interest of either country or regional peace as well as an amicable resolution to the Afghan problem. He also told the president that Pakistan was a trusted friend for the US and decades-old relations must not be held hostage to an isolated incident, added the source.

The source also said the president told the ambassador that the situation in Pakistan was grave and public pressure had pushed the government to take harsh decisions, which could not be reversed without some concrete measures and a way forward by the ISAF and the US administration.

us probe due by Dec 23 kABUl: US-led investigators were on Tuesday given until December 23 to probe a NATO air strike killing Pakistani soldiers, threatening to prolong significantly Pakistan’s blockade on NATO supplies into Afghanistan. The US military appointed Brigadier General Stephen Clark, a onestar air force general based in Florida, to lead the investigation into the attack. The team, set to include a NATO representative, is yet to arrive in Afghanistan but an initial military assessment team went to the border at the weekend. The Afghan and Pakistani governments are also being invited to take part. AGeNCIes

us suspects NAtO forces lured into deadly raid: report MONITORING DESK

SURKhROAd: Afghan men carry a coffin of their relative on Tuesday whom they claimed was killed during a night raid on Monday by NATO troops in Surkhroad district of Nangarhar province. At least two men were killed and two other were arrested

by NATO forces, the provincial government spokesman Ahmad zia Abdlzai said. reuters

STAff REPORT

The Supreme Court will take up on December 1 the constitutional petition of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif and others seeking a probe into the memogate scandal. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry constituted a nine-member special bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, which he will head, to hear the case on December 1. Notices have been issued to the counsels for the petitioners and the attorney general. The petitions were filed by the Watan Party, lawyer M Tariq Asad, Nawaz Sharif and PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar. On Tuesday, the PML-N chief also filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking an early hearing of his petition in the best interest of the nation. He stated that since having filed the petition, the territorial integrity/sovereignty of Pakistan had yet again been blatantly violated a few days ago resulting in the unwarranted killing of 26 “very valuable and valiant soldiers of our motherland”. “What is more agonising are the mere hollow statements issued by those at the helm of affairs,” the PML chief stated. In his petition, filed under Article 184(3) of the constitution, Sharif requested the court to summon the respondents, President Asif Ali Zardari, former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani, Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt General Ahmad Shuja Pasha and the foreign secretary in person to explain the matter of the memo allegedly written to the US government.

“All the respondents be summoned in person to explain the detestable, the despicable and the treacherous memorandum in question,” he stated.

22

Gilani rejects ‘rs 1 billion annual savings plan’ Finance Ministry had proposed monthly compensation to top officials instead of chauffeur-driven govt vehicles

g

ISLAMABAD IRfAN BUKhARI

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has rejected a budgetary proposal adopted by parliament in June this year to offer monthly compensation to top mandarins of the federal government instead of chauffeur-driven official vehicles that would have resulted in savings of Rs 1 billion annually.

An official source said Gilani had rejected the proposal on the grounds that the scope of the scheme was limited to federal ministries only and there was no guarantee that the misuse of official vehicles from each ministry’s pool would stop after implementation of the proposed scheme planned by the Finance Ministry. Secondly, provincial governments had shown no interest in the scheme and even the armed forces were not likely to implement it, said a source in the Cabinet Division.

The Finance Ministry in July this year had submitted the proposal that all

officers of the federal government in Grade 20 to Grade 22 be offered financial compensation of Rs 55,000 to Rs 75,000 per month instead of government-maintained vehicles. The Cabinet Division opposed the proposal, saying it would not result in significant savings, as the ministries would still have to maintain a car pool. The source said the disinterest of the provincial governments and autonomous bodies working under the federal government was another impediment in the successful implementation of the scheme. It was also pointed out during deliberations at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat that officers would be taking hefty allowances, but no checks were mentioned to stop the misuse of official cars if the proposed scheme was implemented.

The officials of the Cabinet Division also noted that some of the current vehicles given to top officials were old and their replacement would serve no financial purpose for the cash-strapped government. “The prime minister was also told that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)

and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) were already implementing the vehicle monetisation scheme but their savings had not witnessed any significant increase,” said the source. It is to be mentioned that soon after floating of the vehicle monetisation scheme by the Finance Ministry, some top bureaucrats had launched efforts to sabotage the scheme. At present 1,391 officers of the federal government are allowed official cars. Under the law, a federal minister and a minister of state are entitled to use one car only, which should be of 1,800cc, while a federal secretary is entitled to a 1,300cc car.

A few months ago, Federal Audit Director General Syed Gulzar Hussain had told the monitoring and implementation committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that of the 18,000 government vehicles in use by the federal government, 14,000 were being used against the law and allocated criteria, which was causing an annual loss of Rs 5 billion to the national exchequer.

NATO forces may have been lured into attacking friendly Pakistani border posts in a calculated maneuver by the Taliban, according to preliminary US military reports on the deadliest friendly fire incident with Pakistan since the Afghanistan war began, USA Today said in a report on Tuesday.

Quoting an Associated Press report, USA Today said the NATO airstrike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers over the weekend in an apparent case of mistaken identity. It said that a joint US-Afghan patrol was attacked by the Taliban early Saturday morning. While pursuing the enemy in the poorly marked border area, the patrol seems to have mistaken one of the Pakistani troop outposts for a militant encampment and called in a NATO gunship and attack helicopters to open fire. According to news article, US officials say the reports suggest the Taliban may have deliberately tried to provoke a cross-border firefight that would set back fragile partnerships between the US and NATO forces and Pakistani soldiers at the ill-defined border. Officials described the records on condition of anonymity to discuss classified matters. According to the US military records described to the AP, the joint US and Afghan patrol requested backup after being hit by mortar and small arms fire by Taliban militants. Before responding, the joint US-Afghan patrol first checked with the Pakistan Army, which reported it had no troops in the area, the military account said. Some two hours later, still hunting the insurgents — who had by then apparently fled in the direction of Pakistani border posts — the US commander spotted what he thought was a militant encampment, with heavy weapons mounted on tripods. The joint patrol called for the airstrikes at around 2:21am Pakistani time, not realising the encampment was apparently the Pakistani border post. Records show the aerial response included Apache attack helicopters and an AC-130 gunship.

According to the report, US officials are working on the assumption that the Taliban chose the location for the first attack to create just such confusion and draw US and Pakistani forces into firing on each other, according to US officials briefed on the operation.