E-paper Pakistan Today 9th October, 2012

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Overseas Pakistanis should have right to vote, says Nawaz Sharif PAGE |02

Six ICC umpires ‘were ready to be bribed’ PAGE |15

Drones no substitute for US national security strategy: Romney PAGE |04

tuesday, 9 october, 2012 dhual-Qi’da 21, 1433

Rs 15.00 Vol iii no 104 19 pages Karachi edition

Govt tables new accountability bill amid PML-N protest Draft of bill states cases older than 10 years will not be reopened g No one, including president and prime minister, to have immunity in any case g

ISLAMABAD

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Staff report

He federal government on Monday tabled the Accountability Bill 2012 in the National Assembly, as the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) put up a strong opposition to the draft.

Presenting the Accountability Bill in the National Assembly, Minister for Law and Justice Farooq H Naik said Pervez Musharraf’s accountability laws were still working in the country and the government wanted a new accountability bill.

Naek urged the passage of the bill from the Accountability Bill Committee by October 11.

The National Accountability Commission Act, 2010, has been a bone of contention between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and PML-N since its presentation in the National Assembly on April 15, 2009, under the title “the Holder of Public Office (Accountability) Act, 2009”. Its title was changed afterwards.

After deliberating for a year, the NA committee on law and justice, headed by PPP’s Nasim Akhtar Chaudhry, passed the draft of the bill in April 2010 despite the opposition’s protest. The PML-N members in the commit-

tee submitted notes of dissent.

On September 6, PPP’s chief whip and Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Shah and Law Minister Farooq Naik handed over its draft to PML-N’s Ishaq Dar and Khwaja Asif.

The PPP leaders expressed the desire to pass the law with a unanimous vote, but neither side has spoken about the bill since.

The accountability bill has seen an exhausted discussion. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice reportedly held 30 meetings that saw several boycotts, walkouts and altercations between the opposition and treasury benches.

The PML-N is not happy with some clauses of the bill passed by the committee. It wants the head of the proposed National Accountability Commission (NAC) to be a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, but the government favours filling the position either by a sitting or a retired judge or any person qualified to be a judge of the Supreme Court.

The PML-N also opposed immunity for a public office holder if an individual was found guilty of committing wrongdoing in “good faith”.

Continued on page 04

ISLAMABAD: A boy places candles at the site of the Margalla Tower to pay tribute to victims of the October 2005 earthquake on Monday. AFP

Govt, authorities indifferent to Balochistan crisis: CJP QUETTA Shahzada zulfiqar

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said on Monday that the issue of unrest in Balochistan was one of the most crucial issues facing Pakistan currently, but the government and administration had no passion for resolving it.

The CJP made the remarks while hearing a petition on the law and order

situation in the province. A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, including Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Arif Hussain, heard the petition filed by the Balochistan High Court Bar Association.

Disagreeing with the claim of police and Balochistan government that law and order situation had improved, the CJP said that nine persons had been reportedly killed during the last three or four days. He said that the appearance

of several personalities, including dissident Baloch leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal, before the court shows their confidence in court, but added that the government and administration were not willing to do anything to improve the situation. “We ask for the recovery of missing persons, but the state institutions deny holding them while they do nothing to improve the situation,” Continued on page 04

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02 News carTOOn

newS

Today’s

Govt failed to resolve energy crisis: Shahbaz

infOTainmenT austrian walks across canyon with no safety rope

Quick look

On Page 11

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Overseas Pakistanis should have right to vote: Nawaz roMe: PML-N President Nawaz Sharif has said overseas Pakistanis should have the right to vote as they are an asset of the nation and are rendering invaluable services to the country while staying away from their homes and near and dear ones.

Addressing a convention of the PMLN on Monday, Nawaz said contributions by Pakistani expatriates to the national economy were highly commendable and were acknowledged by the entire nation.

“Overseas Pakistanis have made all kinds of sacrifices for their country in the hour of need,” he said. Nawaz said the government had made no serious effort for the resolution of serious problems such as price hike, poverty and load shedding. He said there was no load shedding or price hike in his era and terrorism was unheard of, adding that when Pakistan’s defence capability was challenged, his government, despite immense foreign pressure, tested nuclear devices and made the national defence impregnable. Nawaz said Pakistanis should not lose heart even though the situation was critical. He said elections were near and the PML-N had a complete and a comprehensive programme for development and progress and its implementation would result in elimination of price hike, unemployment and load shedding. He said people should exercise their right to vote judiciously and should not vote for such elements that have brought the country to such a pathetic state. online

Over Rs 310 million bank heist in Quetta QueTTa: Unidentified dacoits entered a local bank in Panjgoor area of Jatkan Bazar looting more than Rs 310 million, on Monday. Per details, the robbers held the bank administration and employees hostage before fleeing with the amount. The bank’s security guard, Noor Baksh, tried to resist the robbers who subsequently opened fire at him, injuring him severely. online

Eidul Azha likely to be celebrated on 27th islaMabad: The Meteorological Department on Monday said that the Zil Haj crescent was expected to be sighted on Oct 17 and eidul Azha would be celebrated on Oct 27. According to the Met office, the moon is expected to be sighted as weather would be clear on Oct 17 in most parts of the country. Muslims sacrifice animals on eidul Azha, which is celebrated on 10th of the last month of Islamic calendar. online

Rare fatal disease takes three more lives in Karachi karaCHi: The little known fatal disease Naegleria Fowleri or Brain-eating amoeba is taking roots in Pakistan as three more persons affected with this decease have expired last week, raising the death toll of victims to 10. Accorging to Dengue Surveillance Cell, the three victims belonged to Federal B area. A senior physician dealing with the patients in hospital said that a 4-year-old Naegleria patient from Gulberg was admitted in Habib Medical Hospital on Sept 27 and died on Sep 30, despite receiving proper medical treatment.

Saad, 24 and Zain, 22 could also not survive. inp

Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

quetta: Security personnel collect evidence from the site of a bombing on Monday. online

iHC moved against planned defamation campaign against CJ ISLAMABAD Staff report

The Islamabad High Court was moved on Monday to halt defamatory attacks against the judiciary by a few “corrupt” individuals through the media.

The writ branch of the IHC accepted the petition for regular hearing and fixed the matter for today (Tuesday).

Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui will be hearing the case. Petitioner Nadeem Ahmad through his lawyer Barrister Akram Sheikh requested the the court to direct Pakistan electronic Media Regularity Authority (PeMRA) to immediately issue a written direction to all national news broadcasters that they must not broadcast any interview or press conference that contained any defamatory material or statements against judges of superior courts.

The petitioner also pleaded that PeMRA be directed to suspend the licence of any national news broadcaster that aired defamatory interviews against the judiciary.

Making the Ministry of Information, PeMRA, Islamabad IGP and IGPs of Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa respondents, the petitioner pleaded that the Ministry of Information be directed to restrain newspapers from publishing contents of any such press conference or interview that may

contain defamatory statements or allegations against any member of the superior judiciary.

Plaintiff Nadeem Ahmad also sought court directive to IGPs for registration of cases under Section 499 of Pakistan Penal Code against any person, who instead of following the prescribed mechanism laid down in the constitution, committed the offence of defamation against the chief justice of Pakistan.

The petitioner argued that he believed the judges of Supreme Court and high courts were not above the law and just like any other ordinary citizen of Pakistan, were fully accountable under Article 5. However, the honourable judges, just like ordinary citizens of Pakistan, were entitled to be protected from defamation.

He said since last week, a new round of rumours had been unleashed that a new attack against the chief justice of Pakistan through another live press conference would be launched and that this time, the attack would be so nasty that it would leave the chief justice of Pakistan with no choice except to resign.

This was followed by on-air predictions of two senior journalists that “a lot more is going to be unleashed against the chief justice of Pakistan within days”. Subsequently, another senior journalist had written two stories warning of an imminent defamatory attack against the chief justice within the next few days, the petitioner pleaded.

Anti-drone stance raised at every forum: Malik KArAchI online

Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that the government was against the drone attacks and he had raised the issue at every forum during his US trip. Talking to reporters on Monday upon his return from the US, the minister said he apprised US officials about the concerns of Pakistani nation over drone attacks. “I told them Pakistanis don’t like drones, I told them we are dubbed as American stooge due to US policies,” he added. The minister said the US officials assured him that they would review the policy of using drones.

Malik said he met US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the US attorney general and handed them a letter regarding Dr Aafia Siddiqui. “We are now waiting for their reply and we will send a high-power delegation to the US,” Malik added. The minister said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) respected the courts and its leaders appeared before them whenever they were summoned. He said the PPP wanted supremacy of law across the country.

CourT granTs bail To Malik in dual naTionaliTy Case: A local court on Monday granted bail to Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik in the dual nationality case. The District Court (South) passed the order after hearing a plea filed by the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) on lawmakers’ dual nationality.

Issuing a notice to the minister, the judge ordered Malik to file a security bond of Rs 50,000. Malik’s counsel filed the bonds on behalf of the minister to acquire the bail.

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News 03 arTS & enTerTainmenT

karachi

SPOrTS

emily Blunt is tipped to star in avengers assemble sequel

no more ranking over the coals?

Sialkot carry pakistan hopes on debut

ediTOrial ppp’s only option: No reason good enough to delay elections.

cOmmenT M J akbar says; The temptations of regress: Pakistan remains a work in progress.

in Spearhead research; Towards Moscow: Pakistan and Russia inching closer.

Story on Page 08

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articles on Page 14

Earthquake victims of Balakot miserable even after 7 years construction of new Balakot only 14% complete g residents not allowed to reconstruct their homes g

BALAKOT

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aGencieS

UNDReDS of families who became victim to the disastrous earthquake of Oct 08, 2005 are forced to lead miserable lives, despite the passage of seven years.

The earthquake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, devastated Balakot and Muzaffarabad, killing more than 80,000 people and rendering thousands of others disabled. The infrastructure of the cities was also completely destroyed.

The government and foreign NGOs ‘provided prefabricated houses to the affected population as temporary residence and declared Balakot as a red zone.’ It announced the construction of New Balakot at an alternate location.

The government also banned permanent construction of houses and commercial buildings in the red zone pledging to provide houses and employment facilities in New Balakot. However, despite the passage of seven years, the affected population has been leading a life in prefabricated houses, which are hardly a shelter in extreme weathers and pose a life-threatening risk as they are highly inflammable. A number of lives have been lost in different incidents where the houses would catch fire, burning the residents alive.

Only 14 percent of development work has been done on New Balakot City Project, and even now it is estimated to take another two years to complete. When contacted in this regard, the administration said that despite provisioning of compensation and allocation of plots in New Balakot, affected residents and property owners are not ready to handover the possession of their current land-holdings, and this has been the biggest hurdle in completion of the project. The citizens of Bal-

akot were of the view that if the government could not provide them an alternate place then it should allow them to reconstruct their houses to get rid of the miserable conditions they were living in.

Meanwhile, a mourning day was observed across Balakot city to remember the martyrs of the dreadful earthquake. The day started with prayers in the mosques. Special programmes to mark the occasion were held in educational and other institutions.

The 7th anniversary of the earthquake was observed as National Disaster Awareness day. Special ceremonies were held to express solidarity with the people of quake-hit AJK zone.

A ceremony in a local hotel was held to mark the day in which rich tribute was paid to the victims of the country’s worst natural catastrophe. The day dawned with special prayers in the mosques across AJK for the departed souls of the quake victims.

It was a state holiday in AJK. A major ceremony to observe the anniversary was held in the capital

Pakistan dismisses Karzai’s remarks as baseless islaMabad: Pakistan has rejected Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s remarks that conditions will be attached to negotiations on a strategic partnership agreement with Pakistan. Foreign Office Spokesman Moazam Ahmed Khan in a statement clarified that Pakistan desires to promote good neighbourly relations with Afghanistan on the basis of mutual respect and interest. In this regard comments reportedly made by President Karzai and certain other quarters in Afghanistan are entirely misplaced and without any basis. The spokesman further clarified that the proposed strategic partnership agreement was suggested by President Karzai during the trilateral summit in New York. The same was also reflected in the press release, dated Sept 29, 2012, issued from New York. Referring to allegations against Pakistan, the spokesman said that Pakistan has invested heavily, both in terms of human and economic losses, to promote stability in Afghanistan. online

Muzaffarabad that was attended by dignitaries, including the AJK president and prime minister, ministers, members of both houses of parliament, social and political workers, workers of NGOs and general public.

Rallies, seminars and symposiums were also held in various parts of AJK, including Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimber districts in memory of the quake martyrs.

Officials said 60 percent of the reconstruction and rehabilitation work in the quake-hit AJK had so far been completed with help from financial assistance by the government of Pakistan and foreign donors. Secretary to the AJK government Sardar Muhammad Raheem said the remaining 40 percent of the stipulated reconstruction and rehabilitation work was targeted to be completed by the end of 2014.

The government spent Rs 28 billion for reconstruction and rehabilitation projects while rest of the proposed allocated amount of Rs 40 billion was immediately required for completion of the projects, he said.

Country’s foreign reserves under pressure, NA told islaMabad: The National Assembly was informed on Monday that foreign exchange reserves were under pressure but there was no threat of payments being defaulted.

Minister of State for Production Khawaja Sheraz Mahmood told the House during the Question Hour that the reserves which had stood at $18.24 billion at the end of the financial year 2011 had decreased to $15.6 billion in August this year. He said the decrease was primarily on account of current account deficit and repayment of $1.3 billion to the IMF. To another question, he said the GDP growth rate which was 1.7 percent in 2008-09 had increased gradually to 3.7 percent in 2011-12. Mahmood said the government was implementing a comprehensive strategy for economic growth that included provision of incentives to farmers, unclogging of inter-corporate circular debt and fiscal consolidation to release more resources for private sector investment. To another question, the minister of state said Rs 1,626 billion had been received in taxes, duties and Petroleum Development Levy on petroleum products during the last four years. He said taxes on petroleum products constituted about one-fourth of the total tax collection by the FBR. Staff report

Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

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04 News

Blast targets police in Quetta, kills teenager, injures 15 g

Doctor gunned down in Khuzdar on his way to work QUETTA

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Staff report

bomb blast on Double Road killed a teenage vendor, while injuring 15 others, including four policemen, on Monday.

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Mir Zubair Mahmood said that the bomb was attached with a bicycle parked near a police check post on Double road, outside the office of Urban Planning and Development department. The police chief said that the

blast injured 16 people, including 4 policemen. He said a 15-year-old boy succumbed to his injuries later in the hospital. The CCPO said that teams of police and Frontier Corps (FC), including one headed by him, rushed to the site after hearing the blast, and cordoned off the area, and shifted the injured to Quetta Civil Hospital. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asif Ghafoor said the killed teenager was identified as Jalaluddin.

Police officials investigating the blast said the bomb was detonated through a remote controlled device and targeted the nearby po-

lice checkpost. The policemen injured in the blast were identified as ASI Fetah Sher, Head Constable Karim Khan, Constable Abdul Ghani, and Constable Bashir Ahmed.

According to bomb disposal squad, the bomb weighed five kilogrammes, and the powerful blast damaged the surrounding buildings. The responsibility of the blast was claimed by a lesser known group, United Baloch Army. Its spokesman Mazar Baloch called a news agency from an undisclosed location, and claimed responsibility. Police have registered a case against unidentified men and is investigating the case. kHuZdar killing: elsewhere in Khuz-

dar, unidentified attackers gunned down a senior medical officer of Khuzdar Civil Hospital near the Civil Colony area.

According to police, Dr Dawood Aziz Jan was going to hospital for work when armed assailants riding a motorbike shot at him and fled from the scene. Dr Jan died on the spot.

After getting news of the incident, police reached the site and shifted the body to Khuzdar Civil Hospital for autopsy. The dead body was handed over to the heirs after completing legal formalities, police said.

The reason behind the killing could not be ascertained so far. Police are probing into the matter.

CrimiNals usiNG afGhaN sims iN KaraChi: mPs Continued fRom page 24

Speaking on another point of order, Senator Farhatullah Babar took exception to the instructions to the MPs to sign fresh declarations about their nationality even after they had already signed such declarations at the time of filing nomination papers.

He said there was no quarrel with the constitutional position on nationality and election to parliament. He said the issue was that under what law the MPs were being directed to file fresh declarations. Babar said those who gave wrong affidavits were now being prosecuted.

“This is fair enough and any other MP who is thus found to have submitted a wrong affidavit should also be punished but it is not lawful to ask them to submit fresh declarations and that also in a humiliating manner,” he said. He then read out from the letter of the eCP to the Senate Secretariat that asked the Senate secretary to summon individual members to his office and get him or her sign the affidavit.

Babar said this was not permitted under any law to ask for this additional requirement after a candidate had already submitted his affidavit.

Signing declarations is not the issue but the issue is why fresh declarations he said and thereby paint MPs as liars.

He said what happened to Badr on Sunday night and fresh declarations were symptoms of a systematic plan to erode the parliament’s authority and show it disrespect.

He said the entire parliament should not be punished or held in contempt for the wrong affidavits given by some. He said parliament never criticised the judiciary as an institution just because some of them had taken oath under the PCO. elaborating, he said legislators did not raise the question of Arsalan Iftikhar in parliament out of respect for the judiciary.

The Senate also strongly condemned the airing of a defamatory video clip to malign the personality of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with the members demanding the government convey their sentiments to the United Nations for necessary action against perpetrators.

Government tables new accountability bill Continued fRom page 01

It has also suggested that the commission be allowed to investigate cases dating back to 1947, but the bill proposes that the NAC will not carry out investigations into any crime committed before 1985. The PML-N has opposed the bill because the party’s suggestions in the bill were not given proper heed.

The bill also states that cases older than 10 years would not be reopened, adding that no one would have immunity in any case, be it the president, prime minister, governor, speaker, auditor general, attorney general or retired officers of the armed forces.

If approved, the bill will result in the formation of a new National Accountability Commission that will repeal the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 in favour of the new accountability law.

Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan addresses a press conference on Monday.

Drones no substitute for US national security strategy: Romney WAShINGTON Special correSpondent

Taking a swipe at the Obama Administration’s overreliance on drones in pursuit of al-Qaeda-linked militants, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney Monday said the unmanned aerial vehicles cannot be a substitute for a US national security strategy for the Middle east.

Romney’s statement in a foreign policy speech came four weeks ahead of the November 6 election, as President Barack Obama’s political team also stepped up its criticism of their Republican rival’s recent comments on international issues.

“America can take pride in the blows that our military and intelligence professionals have inflicted on Al-Qaeda in Pakistan and

Afghanistan, including the killing of Osama bin Laden. These are real achievements won at a high cost,” Romney, who is a successful business leader, noted.

However, the former Massachusetts governor said “al-Qaeda remains a strong force in Yemen and Somalia, in Libya and other parts of North Africa, in Iraq, and now in Syria. And other extremists have gained ground across the region.”

“Drones and the modern instruments of war are important tools in our fight, but they are no substitute for a national security strategy for the Middle east,” added Romne in his speech at the Virginia Military Institute.

Romney’s comments coincided with massive anti-dronprotests in Pakistan, where some leading American peace activists from CODePINK have joined in to press

their opposition to the use of pilotless predators in hunt of suspected militants inside Pakistani territory, saying they take a toll on civilian lives. Islamabad has termed unilateral drone operations as counterproductive since such operations inflame militancy and violate the country’s sovereignty.

In his speech Monday, Romney sought to take sharply different positions on several international and global issues. He also argued for a more assertive American role on the fast-transforming world stage as his comments targeted to win voters with the promise of American supremacy around the globe.

Zeroing in on the Afghan war, Romney told the Americans that he would “pursue a real and successful transition to Afghan security forces by the end of 2014.”

Sri Lankan judges on strike over stabbing cOLOMBO afp

Sri Lankan judges went on a strike Monday in an protest over the stabbing of a senior colleague that has heightened tensions between the government and the judiciary.

The Judges Association said all courts were closed one day after four armed men assaulted Manjula Tilakaratne, a High Court judge and head of the independent Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

“We refrained from work as part of our protest against the attack,” Pradeep Jayatillake, secretary of the Judges Association, said.

Tilakaratne was recovering in hospital after being stabbed at least three times in a Colombo suburb.

His mobile phone was also stolen.

The attack came as the local Sunday Times said the government was locked in a “cold war” with judges over a recent announcement by the JSC that it was being subjected to “threats and intimidation”. The

newspaper said the government was at odds with the Supreme Court over decisions that did not favour the ruling party’s legislative programme.

President Mahinda Rajapakse on Sunday instructed police to bring the perpetrators to justice, but no arrests had yet been made.

International rights groups have raised concern about rule of law and accountability in Sri Lanka as the country emerges from nearly four decades of ethnic conflict that claimed up to 100,000 lives.

inP

Zardari stresses on need to exploit Pakistan’s potential ISLAMABAD online

President Asif Ali Zardari has stressed on the need to utilise the great economic potential and strategic location of Pakistan, along with its rich mineral resources and skilled manpower for the economic development of the country.

He said this while speaking at a ceremony held at the Presidency to congratulate the YPO on the launch of their Islamabad chapter on Monday.

Zardari said that the Special economic Zone Bill 2012 was a gigantic step taken by the government to create a business and investor-friendly environment, and expressed hope that the new law would help reduce the cost of doing business and enhance the rate of return to investors, besides increasing exports and creating employment opportunities in the country.

The president informed that under the new law, all capital goods‚ machinery and equipment would be given a onetime exemption from customs duties and the entrepreneurs will also be exempted from income tax for 10 years. He also said that the incentives granted to investors would be protected by law to ensure continuity of economic policies and further strengthen the industrial base of the country.

President Zardari urged the YPO and the World Presidents Organization to take advantage of the new law as well as other incentives that the government was extending to investors and entrepreneurs.

Govt, authorities indifferent to Balochistan crisis: CJP Continued fRom page 01

the CJP remarked, adding that the government’s report on missing persons was full of lies, and shows that it has no resolve or passion for improving the law and order situation.

“We have clearly asked for an end to any ongoing military operation and the activities of ‘death squad’, but armed groups brandishing weapons are still roaming on the streets. Why does it happen in the presence of Frontier Corps whose general is presence in the court,” the CJP said.

While addressing the security forces, the chief justice observed, “You people failed to bring a single missing person whereas the police report submitted before the court shows the involvement of Frontier Corps in every second or third missing person’s case.” While addressing the inspector general of Balochistan Police, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said, “If you are not able to arrest the killers of your police officer, then what importance will you give to the murderer of a common man.”

Speaking in the court, Balochistan Advocate General Amanullah Kunrani claimed that the situation in the province had improved a lot. However, the CJP replied: “What you are talking about? even yesterday two people were killed in Quetta; the people of Frontier Corps are also being killed. Once there used to be terrorism in Sri Lanka, but today an international tournament is being held there. If you say that the situation has improved, then open up Dera Bugti for everyone. Bansara Bugti, a recovered missing person, told the court that he had seen 80 more Bugtis under custody at an FC camp in Dera Bugti. Nasrullah Baloch, chairman of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, told the court that during previous hearings of the case, hundreds of relatives of missing persons had appeared before the court, but they too were losing hope now because of inaction by the authorities. He claimed that the family members of the missing persons were continuously receiving life threats by state agencies for pursuing the cases. “If anything happens to them, these agencies will be responsible for that,” he said. The CJP agreed that the people were losing confidence in court due to inaction by the authorities.

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News 05

Govt failed to resolve energy crisis: Shahbaz g

Punjab cm says not a single allegation of corruption levelled against his government LONDON

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online

UNJAB Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said the federal government failed to pay attention to the energy crisis looming over the country.

Talking to PML-N workers in London, he said PML-N President Nawaz Sharif was the only national leader who could take the country out of the present crises and put it on the road to progress and prosperity.

He said it was an honour that during last four-and-a-half years, there had not been even a single allegation of corruption against the Punjab government and as the province’s chief minister Punjab, he had tried to discharge his responsibilities in an efficient manner.

Shahbaz said every step taken by the Punjab government was aimed at progress and welfare of the people of the province, due to which the popularity of PML-N had increased manifold, a proof of people’s trust

had failed to pay any attention to the energy crisis.

The chief minister said the nation was looking forward to general election in which it would completely reject the looters and thieves who had deprived the poor even of even the basic necessities of life.

Shahbaz said he had held negotiations with foreign experts during his visit to Turkey, Britain and Germany in order to acquire latest technology, especially in the solar energy sector to solve the power crisis, along with inking several agreements in this regard. He said Turkish and German companies were interested in investing in the energy sector in Punjab and in the last week of October, an energy road show was being conducted for Punjab in Turkey in which all Garcia: pakistan Muslim league-nawaz (pMl-n) president nawaz Sharif addresses a workers’ energy-related companies of Turkey would participate. convention on Sunday. inP The CM said it was agreed during round in the party. stroyed national economy; devastated He said people were suffering due to profit-earning national institutions while table sessions in London that mutual coopload shedding despite the almost five-year the decisions of the court are being openly eration between British universities and Punjab energy Research and Development tenure of the government. ridiculed,” he added.

“The incompetent government has deShahbaz said the federal government Centre would be promoted.

Another peace lashkar member killed BArA inp

A volunteer of peace lashkar, an antiTaliban militia, was killed and four others injured during a clash with militants on Monday.

The incident took place in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency. The injured were shifted to Landi Kotal Hospital.

Meanwhile, unidentified miscreants blew up a NATO truck, carrying goods and food items to Afghanistan on Jamrud bypass, but no casualty or injury was reported.

Officials said that militants had planted an explosive device along Jamrud bypass road to target the NATO convoy, adding that two trucks were targeted in the same area within an hour.

Petition filed against adviser to PM over dual nationality

A petition has been filed in Lahore High Court (LHC) against Advisor to Prime Minister on Petroleum and Natural Resources, Dr Asim Hussain, on the basis of dual citizenship.

According to a private TV channel, the petition filed by Naushab Khan states that Hussain holds US citizenship and should hence be removed from his office and forbidden to function until a verdict is delivered over the petition.

The petition has further requested LHC to draw back all salaries and privileges from the advisor.

online

Jamhoori Watan Party chief Talal Bugti On Monday claimed that law enforcement agencies currently stationed in Balochistan were as involved in creating unrest in the province as banned outfits. Addressing a press conference, Bugti said hat the media was kept away from the present situation of the province, where law enforcement agencies included the groups and banned organizations involved in smuggling of heroine, vehicles and livestock in the province.

He said the Baloch leaders would not take part in the coming election without the withdrawal of army, FC and intelligences agencies from the province. Bugti urged the government for giving due rights to the people of Balochistan in order to heal their wounds. He said inadequate strategies of Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf had left the brave Pakistani Army divided.

The JWP chief reiterated that wounds of the Baloch nations could only be healed by holding the murderers of Nawab Akbar Bugti accountable and invited all patriotic political forces to join a grand alliance. He said he would also go abroad to convince angry Baloch leadership for reconciliation.

ISLAMABAD online

Bannu: Visitors look at sacrificial animals at a market on Monday as eidul azha is likely to be celebrated in the country on october 27. INP

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Regularisation of ad-hoc officials in FIA thwarted

in a first, medical school in Karachi will offer sex education LAhOrE

Spy agencies involved in Balochistan unrest: Talal Bugti

The terms “sex” and “education” are a mismatch in Pakistan: The subject simply is not taught in schools. Traditional cultural values have prevented any formal integration of the basics of the birds and the bees into the Islam-based education system.

Here, young people mainly learn about sex from whispered conversations with their schoolyard friends, or by experience.

Many Pakistanis say their parents were loath to give them the facts about reproduction.

That leaves great room for misinformation, unsafe practices, uncontrolled family size, and abortion as a method of birth control, health advocates say.

The Holy Quran strictly prohibits sex outside marriage. Many institutions here take that mandate so seriously that the very topic of sex has become taboo with teachers, and even family physicians shy away from broaching the subject with patients (including married ones).

The prohibition extends from primary schools to colleges. And, until now, no

comprehensive sexuality courses have been taught in undergraduate medical colleges.

According to a report in the Washington Post, Dow University of Health Sciences, based in Karachi, announced that it will integrate reproductive health education into its curriculum beginning next academic year. The medical college said its future doctors will become prepared to treat patients for sexual and reproductive-related problems.

“So when we talk of infections, we will talk of reproductive infections,” said Sikander Sohani of the non-profit organisation Aahung, which collaborated with Dow University on developing the curriculum.

“When we talk of [medical] history-taking, we will talk about taking reproductive health history as well. So it is a holistic approach.” The Dow University sex-ed program will be taught to male and female students every semester. The group also developed a reproductive health guide for faculty and students that comports with the country’s cultural values.

Past attempts to teach sex-ed have met with fierce resistance from conservative re-

The Interior Ministry has halted the process of confirmation of services of 45 officers who had come to the Federal Investigation Agency on deputation on “political grounds”. The officers originally belong to the Civil Secretariat, NADRA, PIA and eOBI and other departments.

They were trying to get permanent positions in the FIA, a move that would have deprived FIA and police officers with a right of promotion. According to the law, FIA can hire the services of officers from the Police, Customs, Income Tax and FBR on deputation as it requires but theses officers do not have any authority to carry out investigations.

ligious leaders and parents wishing to protect their children from secular influences.

“This was me when I was 10,” one Pakistani said in an Internet forum conversation about sex-ed: “Me: Mummy, where do babies come from?

“Her: Allah gives babies to the couples he likes most.”

But Sohani foresees no such cultural roadblocks to Dow University’s plan. The program is based on building clinical skills, he said, and removes moral or religious judgments from teaching. Faculty will focus on what is healthy and what is not when it comes to sex.

“Health starts with reproductive health,” Sohani said. “If sex is healthy, marriage is healthy, the relationship is healthy. They will make good and safe decisions regarding health and family planning. This will improve the economic health and social status of the country.”

The majority of Dow students will become family physicians. “When their skills and knowledge are updated, they will be comfortable with patients,” he said.

Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

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Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

Karachi: employees of lyari town and Saddar town demonstrate against the non-payment of their salaries outside Karachi press club. online

47 accused arrested in last three days KArAchI nni

The Karachi police in their on-going drive against criminals have arrested 47 accused during the past three days.

A police statement on Monday said that those arrested included three absconders and one proclaimed offender.

The statement said that there were five police encounters with the alleged criminals and four gangs of alleged criminals were busted during this period. igP MaPs ouT resPonsibiliTies for junior offiCers: Sindh Inspector General Police (IGP) Fayyaz Ahmed Leghari directed all Station House Officers (SHOs) deputed in the provincial capital to ensure security of all banks in their respective jurisdictions.

The IGP was presiding over a meeting of newly appointed Senior Superintendents of Police (SSP) at the Central Police Office (CPO). The IGP directed DIGs and SSPs ensure eradication of terrorism, targeted killings, `Bhatta’ collection, murder, rape, kidnapping and black mailing from their respective jurisdictions. He also directed the DIG’s and SSP’s to supervise collection of evidence(s) in their jurisdictions.

930 liTers of MoonsHine reCovered froM Hala: excise and Taxation recovered 31 drums containing 930 litres of alcohol in two different raids. excise and Taxation Intelligence unit on the directive of Sindh Minister for excise and Taxation Mukesh Kumar Chawla arrested Bashir Ahmed s/o Qadir Bux at Hala Naka in Hyderabad and recovered a drum containing alcohol. Bashir after interrogation led the unit to Tando Allah Yar where an intelligence team led by S.M. Sadequain raided at Wazir Compound near Sukkur Company and recovered 30 more drums containing 930 liters alcohol.

You don’t need to know Sindhi to teach it! more than 300 ineligible candidates have been issued letters of appointment as Sindhi language teachers g

KArAchI aftaB channa

M

ORe than 300 ineligible candidates have been issued letters of appointment as Sindhi Language Teachers (SLTs) in Karachi, a majority of them belonging to nonSindhi speaking communities, Pakistan Today has learnt.

Despite completion of all formalities, the appointment process of more than 1,200 Sindhi Language Teachers (SLTs) had come to a grinding halt due to a running feud between Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and education Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq regarding the selection of candidates. However, the appointment process was recently resumed by giving additional charge of the responsibilities of director education to a low-grade official Abdul Jabbar Dayo.

The director, sources said, was allegedly famous for appeasing all his bosses and pocketing his due share.

After the resumption of the appointment process, candidates received direct offer letters from Dayo in return for bribes worth Rs 400,000 for BPS9, Rs 600,000 for BPS-14 and Rs 800,000 for BPS-15 appointments.

MNA Faryal Talpur, who is also the sister of President Asif Ali Zardari, or-

dered that the documents of all appointees be verified, when the issue was brought to her notice.

Upon verification, it was found that 300 offer letters for SLTs were issued to non-eligible candidates on cash payments, and the majority of them belonged to Urdu and Baloch-speaking people. It was also disclosed that a majority of these candidates were overage and held fake degrees and certificates.

The PPP-led Sindh had announced recruitment of around 1,200 SLTs in BPS-9, 14 and 15, with two preconditions: candidates must have studied

Sindhi as a compulsory subject throughout their education and possessed a Karachi domicile.

The written test for candidates was held in March 2012 while interviews were conducted in April 2012. The merit list of the successful candidates was to be put on display in the first week of May. From then on the rift over who would receive favours surfaced between the two luminaries of the government, and has remained unresolved.

Candidates seeking a date for the announcement of the merit list only received a vague promise, from the Sindh education Ministry, that the CM would issue the appointments himself. Pir Mazhar was said to be trying to influence the CM to get his way, while the CM was insisting on merit-based recruitment without waiving the preconditions, divulged a source.

Sources alleged that the director education and his close associates were openly selling the jobs and demanding at least Rs 100,000 from the candidates waiting for posting orders. Recently, a group of qualified candidates also scuffled with the director at his office. The angry candidates were given posting orders on the spot.

Pakistan Today repeatedly tried to contact Dayo to seek his version of the story however his cell phones remained unattended for more than two days.

Targetted killing continues Two accused arrested, ammunition recovered g

KArAchI Staff report

At least four persons including a woman were killed and several others injured as target killing continued to claim innocent lives in the city on Monday.

According to details, a 27-year-old woman identified as Seema from Disco area of North Nazimabad, became victim of a stray bullet while sleeping on the roof of her house.

Body of a 25-year-old unidentified youth was recovered by police from Araam Bagh area of the city which was shifted to Civil Hospital for postmortem. Police said the deceased was shot to death after abduction and severe torture.

Body of another unknown man was found from North Nazimabad Block-H. Police said the body’s limbs were tied and it appeared the deceased was killed after he was abducted.

In another incident in Lyari, an unidentified man was killed from firing. The body was shifted to hospital for postmortem.

Sacchal police, during a raid in its jurisdiction, arrested two alleged target killers identified as Jehanzeb and Irfan, recovering arms from their possession.

During preliminary interrogation, the accused admitted killing several persons including a police sub-inspector.

Firing incidents continued in Awami Colony, Super Highway, North Karachi, Sohrab Goth, Lyari and other areas of Karachi injuring more than 10 persons.

The injured were shifted to different hospitals of the city.

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Karachi 07 USaid, ioBm sign nPO training agreement The USAID-Citizen’s Voice Project signed a contract with the Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi for training of not for profit organizations (NPOs) on October 4.

The training for NPOs will be conducted in the areas of compliance, strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, financial management, project management, proposal writing, resource mobilization, public outreach, leadership, hr/admin and procurement over a period of 15 months. IoBM Rector Talib S Karim, Asia Foundation Country Representative Gareth Aicken, Sindh Chief of education Section Muhammad Faheem Akhtar, Citizens’ Voice Project Chief Mukhtar Ahmad Ali, faculty members and officials from NGOs participated in the event.pr

99 victims of Gulf war compensated, 300 to follow KArAchI app

daredeVil: a man crossing the broken fence of hyderabad railway Station. online

kU, BU seminar on future of governance in eU KArAchI

PPP announces mourning day over killing of its activists in Khairpur

Staff report

Karachi University (KU) in collaboration with Bielefeld University (BU) organized a seminar titled; ‘eU and agenda of good governance; can it be a model for developing world?’

KU Director of Area Study Centre for europe (ASCe), Dr Moonis Ahmar said that “a government which functions properly, which has its writ, which can provide good quality of life to its people and which is efficient is a good government”. Bielefeld University Institute of Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence political analyst Boris Wilke presented three propositions of governance; “Governance as a concept that lacks historical and sociological depth, Governance as a practice that does not represent a coherent ideology and lastly, countries of the global South should pursue a course of state building, path-dependent democratization”.

PTcl launches Vfone Sindh package KArAchI nni

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) launched an attractive “Vfone Sindh package” for its Vfone customers in Sindh on Monday, giving them the freedom to communicate at the most economical call rates available in the market. Introduced specially for Sindh , this unique offer would allow PTCL’s Vfone Sindh customers to make calls at nominal rates of Rs 0.50 paisa only. The daily line rent of “Vfone Sindh package” would be Rs. 0.50 per day, while call rates for Vfone to Vfone and Vfone to PTCL Landline would be Rs. 0.50 per minute. Customers could call mobile and other LLOs at Rs. 0.50 per 20 seconds. Supported by high-speed code division multiple access (CDMA) 1x technology, Vfone also offered Short Message Service (SMS) facility to all networks at a nominal rate of Rs. 0.30 per SMS while internet charges were Rs. 2.00 per 15 minutes.

KArAchI

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inp

AKISTAN Peoples’ Party (PPP) observed a day of mourning across Sindh over the murder of seven party activists at a public gathering in Khairpur.

The incident occurred on Sunday night when some unknown miscreants opened fire at the party’s gathering, in Sadori Janwari area, critically injuring several activists besides killing seven of them. Nafeesa Shah, daughter of Chief Minister (CM) Sindh Qaim Ali Shah was supposed to address the workers at the said gathering.

The party suspended all political activities for a day to mourn the brutal killing of its activists. Protest rallies and demonstrations were held in various districts of Sindh, criticising the law enforcement agencies for their failure to provide security to the small gathering, demanding capture of culprits behind the incident.

Police claimed to have arrested 30 suspects during a search operation in the town, adding that a team had been constituted to investigate the incident.

President Asif Zardari took strict notice of the incident and sought a report from the provincial government.

He said that firing on a political rally

constituting unarmed workers was intolerable. CM Shah announced Rs 300,000 for the families of the deceased and Rs 100,000 for each of those severely injured. kHairPur aTTaCk a ConsPiraCy To delay general eleCTions: General Secretary of Pakistan Peoples’ Party’s (PPP) Sindh chapter Taj Haider on Monday termed the Khairpur firing incident a conspiracy aimed at delaying upcoming general polls in the country.

Talking to media, he termed the attack as a plot against democracy and conspiracy to delay the general elections. “All political forces should unite and condemn this attack,” Taj Haider said.

Businessmen to decide line of action in lahore Convention KArAchI nni

Business community in Karachi remains extremely disturbed and may opt for a complete shut down if the government did not take stringent measures to control deteriorating law and order situation, warned leader of the business community S M Muneer. Addressing as a chief guest at a reception in honour of newly elected Chairman Korangi Association of Trade and Industry, Mohammad Zubair Chhaya

by DSI Group at a local hotel, Muneer said that in a meeting of trade and industry’s representatives it was decided to shut down trade and industry across the country for two days. However, “the decision has been put-off for the time being and we have decided to hold a nationwide convention of business community in Lahore in order to plan future line of action”, he said.

He said that Karachi is a mini-Pak-

istan and if anything happens to this city the entire country would get paralyzed.

He said that the business community does not want to impose martial law in the country as it fully opts for democracy.

He however questioned that where is government and where are law enforcing agencies. He said that much of the police force is performing duty for the protocol of VIPs. He said that the business community has demanded of the government to immediately withdraw the police force deputed on VIP duties and ask the minister and MNAs/MPAs to hire their private guards as police is only for the public duty. On the issue of Baldia Town tragedy Muneer said that it was not possible that a factory owner having rs2 billion exports put his own factory on fire.

He said that the factory should be reopened so that over 1,500 workers who have rendered jobless should be given employment. President All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Mian Zahid Hussain

said that the law and order situation in Karachi is worsening and the kidnapping for ransom and target killing has become uncontrollable. “This situation has become unbearable for us”, Zahid warned saying that due to the efforts of S M Muneer the countrywide shut down has been averted for the time being however, the business community would soon decide its course of action in Lahore’s convention. Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan stressed on the business community to get united for their rights as the situation in Karachi is not at all satisfactory.

KATI Chairman Zubair Chhaya called upon the industrial associations to form a joint platform for their rights as difficult days are yet to be over. He said that industries are suffering due to immense problems particularly gas shortage and electricity crisis coupled with ever increasing prices of POL and CNG. Chairperson of the DSI Group Mrs Shabbir Desai also spoke on the occasion. NNI

Member National Assembly (MNA) Shaikh Salahuddin distributed compensation cheques to the affectees of the 1991 Gulf (Kuwait-Iraq) war.

The distribution ceremony was held at the Regional Overseas Office on Monday. The MNA distribute 99 cheques worth Rs.15 million to the victims and their heirs. As per a statement issued by overseas ministry, another 300 cheques would be handed over to the affected after verification of the list of potential candidates. Shaikh Salahuddin said that the present government had vowed to protect the rights of overseas Pakistanis.

He paid tribute to overseas Pakistanis for sending $ 13 billion annually in remittances.

Federal Secretary of Overseas and BOG Chairman for Overseas Pakistan were also present on the occasion.

Shortage of gas supply may increase load shedding KArAchI online

Karachi electric Supply Company (KeSC) on Monday hinted at increasing hours of power load shedding in the city as it suffered from shortage of gas supply. According to the KeSC spokesman, the company was facing shortage of gas supply up to 40 percent which would inevitably result in more load shedding hours in different areas of the city.

He also warned of further increase in load shedding hours if the KeSC did not receive enough gas supply.

Jamna, Shah Zaman join mQm KArAchI Staff report

Prominent social and political figure from Gujrat Chaudhry Safdar Jamna and noted industrialist from Dera Ismail Khan Malik Shah Zaman on Monday announced their decision to join Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in a press conference at Nine Zero.

Both the new members said they had reached the decision to join the MQM after getting inspired by the political philosophy of the party’s leader Altaf Hussain. They said they would make efforts for the rights of the 98% deprived and oppressed people of the country in their respective areas.

They said further that the MQM was a party of the people belonging to the middle class while there was a strong culture of dynastic politics in all other political parties.

Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

KHI 09-10-2012_Layout 1 10/9/2012 5:33 AM Page 8

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Karachi: a trainer is busy training a young elephants at Safari park. online

No more raking over the coals?

Govt to use Thar Coal in all power plants KArAchI

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nni

He Government of Pakistan (GoP) has decided to convert all the existing and new power plants on the specification of Thar Coal versus earlier plan of converting these on imported coal.

In a historic decision, the GoP had decided that a coal off-take agreement would be signed between Generation Company (GeNCO) and Sindh engro Coal Mining Company (SeCMC).

This decision was in line with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Pakistan electric Power Company (PePCO) and SeCMC at the Chief Minister House Karachi last year, whereby it was agreed that after the approval of the feasibility report, PePCO would sign Coal Supply Agreement with SeCMC. Pakistan’s existing power generation mix with 40% reliance on imported furnace oil was not sustainable as reflected in country’s inability to utilize 100% of its power generation capacity due to lack of funds for furnace oil purchase. Development of power plants on imported coal would merely shift reliance from one imported energy source to another with inherent international pricing risks. Our furnace oil based energy tariff had gone up from 1.8 cents in mid 90s to 15 cents presently. Against this, we had previously rejected Shenua’s offer of Thar coal based fuel energy component at Usc 2.7/KWh in mid 90s which would have increased only to USc 3.6 /Kwh presently.

Thar always had an enormous energy potential. SeCMC’s Thar Block-2, which was only 1% of the entire Thar coal reserves, could produce 4000 megawatts (MW) for the next 50 years. The total foreign exchange savings for 4000 MW of Thar coal based power plants were estimated at more than US $ 50 billion for life of the project.

SeCMC had completed the feasibility study

on Thar Coal project, confirming the technical, commercial and environmental viability of the project. All the required government approvals had been obtained and the mining work was likely to start later this year, subject to the coal off-take agreement between GeNCO and SeCMC. The Government of Sindh was also diligently working on the completion of infrastructural setup, which was in line with the development of the mine. SeCMC’s mining project, which would cost US$ 1.3 billion, was expected to take less than four years for completion. Failing which, the company would be liable to pay the liquidated damages. The timeline of mining project had matched well with GeNCO’s power project development at Jamshoro.

GeNCO was planning to convert its Jamshoro’s oil-based power plants and establish new power plants at the same site. This conversion would not only yield a cheaper power tariff, but would also improve the efficiency of the existing plants which could become a model for the other GeNCO and Independent Power Producers (IPPs). After Jamshoro, GeNCO would convert its Muzaffargarh units to coal-based power

"ExERCIES IN ImaGINNG ...

daTe: SePT 25 - OcT 04, 2012

plants. As per the GoP decision, Thar coal would be utilized for new power plants as well as the conversions.

To cover any mismatch in timing, imported coal would be utilized until the indigenous Thar Coal was available for the mentioned conversions. This coal off-take agreement would be yet another feather in the present government’s cap, which was eager to resolve the energy crisis with long-term solution. This decision would unlock the potential of Thar and would enable the GoP to meet the country’s power requirements as well as to produce a number of other chemicals including petroleum products and urea.

This visionary decision by the GoP would be a realization of the dream of late Benazir Bhutto and would enable the government to save billions of dollars from oil imports, that would be spent on the development of the industrial sector and for the well-being of the people of Pakistan.

SeCMC applauded this landmark decision by the GoP and reiterated its firm commitment to fulfill all its obligations in a timely manner, which would hopefully bring energy security to Pakistan and accelerate the industrial development in the country.

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little, if anything, deters the artist meerza ali from creating the way he does. even though he had suffered a serious illness only too recently, that he didn´t think that he´d survive. whose solo exhibition opens kunj on September 26, 2012 at 5:30 pm. and the artist , who was born in calcutta, migrated to Pakistan in 1948. whose father himself, was an artist. who had never taught meerza ali, Thought. So the artist acquired the skills that he needed on his own. who has done especially well with calligraphy and his beautiful figurative work.

Join us at T2f every wednesday for interactive sessions on mirza Ghalib’s poetry, conducted by author and translator, musharraf ali farooqi. Ghalib made easy by @micromafThe poetry of mirza Ghalib (27 december 1797 – 15 february 1869) has been considered complex, abstract and difficult to comprehend. even for Ghalib’s contemporaries, his language and imagery presented a challenge.

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Chavez victory brings cheers and tears cArAcAS

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afp

UGO Chavez supporters poured into the streets of Caracas, cheering, dancing and setting off fireworks after their socialist hero won a new term as president.

But the mood was somber at the headquarters of opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, where the prospect of another six years under the polarizing president brought tears and heartbreak.

Thousands of people massed in front for the Miraflores presidential palace following the results of Sunday’s election gave Chavez a clear victory after almost 14 years in power.

“The revolution is unstoppable,” said Maria Bermudez, a teacher from the northern state of Guarico wearing a red shirt, the trademark colors of Chavez supporters.

“Chavez never lost my vote to continue the revolution.”

A red sea of Chavez supporters waved Venezuela’s yellow, blue and red flag as they waited for the president to speak to them from the balcony of Miraflores.

The rumors of a Chavez victory had already filtered in social media before the official results were announced. Supporters had gathered around cars to listen to the National electoral Council officially declare Chavez the winner.

“How could we not thank him? How could we not be with the revolution?” asked 32-year-old government worker Alfredo Salcedo, who was holding his son’s hand.

“Look, the president has given lots of opportunities to people. I will continue with

France fears hundreds of militants still at large PArIS afp

France’s Interior Minister on Monday predicted more arrests in a crackdown on Islamic extremists and warned there could be hundreds of armed home-grown militants still at large. The minister, Manuel Valls, issued his warning in the wake of a nationwide sweep at the weekend which left one man dead and 12 others in detention on suspicion of either being involved in the bombing of a Jewish grocery last month or of planning other anti-Semitic attacks. “We know that there are dozens, even hundreds of individuals who are capable of organising themselves like the group that has just been dismantled,” Valls said. Police on Saturday shot dead the suspected leader of the group, Jeremie Louis-Sidney, 33, after he opened fire on officers seeking to arrest him in a dawn raid at his home in Strasbourg, eastern France. According to the police, traces of Louis-Sidney’s DNA had been found on the pin of a grenade thrown into a kosher grocery in the Paris suburbs on September 19. Subsequent police raids on addresses in the Paris region and in the Riviera resort of Cannes resulted in 12 suspects being detained and a total of 27,000 euros in cash being seized along with arms, radical Islamic literature, computer files and a list of Jewish organisations and associations. The raids have caused alarm within the French Jewish community, which has registered a steady rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents, both before and since Islamist Mohamed Merah’s March killing of rabbi Jonathan Sandler, his two children and one of their schoolmates in Toulouse in March.

Merah also killed three French paratroopers before dying himself in a police siege. Richard Prasquier, the head of the CRIF, the main representative body for French Jews, said Monday that Islamic radicalism was akin to Nazism and warned that French society had not yet realised “the scale of the evil” it faces.

the president as long as God gives him life and health,” he said, referring to the president’s battle with cancer.

When Chavez appeared on the palace balcony, exulting “Viva Venezuela!”, the throngs erupted with chants of “ooh, aah, Chavez won’t go!” and “Chavez, friend, the people are with you!”

While Chavez has developed a devout following, the former paratrooper has alienated a good part of the population.

Chavez won 54.66 percent of the ballots but 44.73 percent voted for Capriles, the opposition’s best score against the president, highlighting the fractured nature of the South American nation.

The result drew gasps of disbelief Capriles supporters who were convinced that the former state governor could give them their elusive victory.

“I can’t believe it,” said Andres Marcano, 19, who was among the Capriles supporters gathered outside the opposition’s campaign headquarters. “I don’t know what I’ll do with my life. This country has no future.”

“I am disappointed, devastated,” said Daniela Torrealba, 33, who wore a necklace with the Capriles campaign slogan “There is a path” and the same baseball cap in Venezuela’s colors worn by the candidate.

“I don’t understand,” the health worker said.

But some found comfort in Capriles’s promise to continue serving Venezuela, noting that he was backed by 6.3 million voters in the election compared to 7.7 million for Chavez.

“I’m disappointed but not defeated,” said Rosana Gonzalez, a 25-year-old student. “I continue to believe in his project for the country.”

Tunisia journalists end hunger strike Tunis: eight Tunisian journalists have ended a hunger strike over government interference in their Dar essabah press group, ahead of talks with the authorities, one of their colleagues said on Monday.

“The negotiations will start tomorrow afternoon. They stopped the hunger strike to see what happens in the talks,” essia Atrous, an employee of Arabic-language daily essabah, told AFP. The hunger strike, begun on October 1, was the latest protest against the appointment in August of Lotfi Touati, the controversial new director of Dar essabah, by Tunisia’s ruling Islamist party ennahda. The talks on Tuesday will bring together representatives of the editorial staff at Dar essabah, which owns essabah and French-language newspaper Le Temps, Social Affairs Minister Khalil Zaouia and trade union leaders. Journalists and editors have accused the Islamist-led government of seeking to control the editorial content of several public media groups, including by appointing new directors without consulting their staff. afp

Foreign News 09

caracaS: Venezuelan president hugo chavez waves to his fans in joy after being reelected once again. according to the national electoral council, chavez was reelected with 54.42% of the votes, beating opposition candidate henrique capriles, who obtained 44.97%. AFP

British-Japanese duo win nobel for stem cell research STOcKhOLM afp

Shinya Yamanaka of Japan and John Gurdon of Britain won the Nobel Prize on Monday for work in cell programming, a frontier that has raised dreams of growing replacement tissue for people crippled by disease.

The two scientists were lauded for determining that adult cells can be transformed back to an infant, versatile state called stem cells.

“Their findings have revolutionised our understanding of how cells and organisms develop,” the Nobel jury declared. Gurdon told Swedish Radio he was surprised by the honour, since his award-winning research was done more than 40 years ago. “I’m amazed and immensely grateful and astonished that they should recognise work done such a long time ago,” he said.

“Of course I’m extremely grateful to be recognised with Shinya Ya-

manaka who’s done this wonderful work.” By reprogramming human cells, “scientists have created new opportunities to study diseases and develop methods for diagnosis and therapy,” the Nobel committee said.

Stem cells are precursor cells which differentiate into the various organs of the body. They have stirred huge excitement, with hopes that they can be coaxed into growing into replacement tissue for victims of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other diseases.

Gurdon’s achievement in 1962 was to discover that the DNA code in the nucleus of an adult frog cell held all the information to develop into every kind of cell.

This meant that an adult cell could in essence be reprogrammed.

His landmark discovery was initially met with scepticism, as the journey from immature to specialised cell was previously deemed irreversible.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad claim rocket fire into Israel GAZA cITY afp

The armed wings of Gaza’s ruling Hamas movement and the Islamic Jihad group announced Monday they had fired a series of rockets at Israel, a day after an Israeli air strike that injured 10 people. “In response to the injury of civilians in the most recent strike on Rafah, the Qassam Brigades and the Al-Quds Brigades fired a number of rockets at enemy military positions,” Hamas’s ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades armed wing said. “This blessed operation came in response to continuous and repeated enemy crimes against our defenceless people.” Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP on Monday that a barrage of over 20 rockets hit Israel early Monday, causing very light damage and no injuries. The remains of “19 rockets were found in the Ofakim area, specifically near the eshkol regional council. All rockets landed in open areas, and one home was damaged by shrapnel,” she said. In addition, “three rockets were found in the Kerem Shalom area, they caused no injuries or damage,” Samri added. The rocket fire came after an Israeli air strike on the southern Gaza city of Rafah Sunday evening.

syrian rebel strongholds pounded, 23 killed: watchdog BEIrUT afp

A string of rebel strongholds, including in Daraa and Homs provinces and the commercial capital Aleppo, were rocked by shelling and clashes from dawn on Monday that left at least 23 people dead, a watchdog said.

Twenty of the deaths occurred when the army launched an intensive pre-dawn assault on the town of Karak al-Sharqi in the southern province of Daraa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Two civilians meanwhile were killed when troops rained shells down on pockets of rebel resistance in Aleppo, Syria’s commercial capital, while another civilian died when the town of Kfar Zeita, in the central province of Hama, was bombed, the Britain-based watchdog said.

Among those killed in Karak al-Sharqi were at least five rebel fighters, said the Ob-

servatory, which added that some of the deaths occurred when troops blasted cars ferrying wounded people to field hospitals and clinics for medical attention.

“Karak al-Sharqi has suffered repeated military assaults, heavy shelling and attempts to storm it over the past three days,” said the Observatory, which collates its information from a network of activists and medics on the ground.

It added that the town was facing “a crippling blockade and terrible medical and humanitarian conditions.”

In the central city of Homs, the army bombarded the rebel stronghold of Khaldiyeh from the early morning using warplanes, tanks, shells and mortars in a concerted multi-pronged attack, the Observatory said.

“There is heavy shelling as well as fierce clashes around the district, but the rebels are resisting the army onslaught,” Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

elsewhere in Homs province, the town of Houla came under heavy bombardment by government forces, which left an unknown number of wounded, he said.

In March, at least 108 people, including 49 children and 34 women, were killed during a two-day army offensive that began with heavy shelling.

The northern city of Aleppo, which since mid-July has been the focal point of the revolt against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, was rattled from early morning by shellings which hit a string of rebel-held neighbourhoods as well as by firefights between rebels and troops, the watchdog said.

Among the neighbourhoods pounded were Tariq al-Bab, Hanano and Sakhur in the east, and the southwest districts of Bustan al-Qasr, Ansari, Fardus, Kalasseh and Sukari.

Fighting raged in the central district of Midan, Sakhur in the east and Salaheddin

and Saif al-Dawla in the southwest, the Observatory said.

The violence comes a day after 15 people, including five children, were killed in shelling across Aleppo.

On Sunday night, a car bomb struck the Damascus police headquarters, killing a policeman, according to the official news agency SANA. Abdel Rahman of the Observatory confirmed the toll.

“Not more than one or two people were killed in the blast,” he said.

The shelling and clashes on Monday followed a bloody day in which 120 people — 54 civilians, 27 rebels and 39 government troops — were killed nationwide, according to the Observatory.

Not included in the toll were 28 bodies, including three rebels, found in the Damascus town of Hameh after several days of military operations that ended in the army taking control of the area.

Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

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10 Comment The temptations of regress Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

pakistan remains a work in progress

Arif Nizami Editor Lahore – Ph: 042-36298305-10 Fax: 042-36298302 Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 Fax: 021-35381208 Islamabad – Ph: 051-2287414-6 Fax: 051-2287417 Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

PPP’s only option no reason good enough to delay elections

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opefully the elections would be held on time. Rumors meanwhile are afloat regarding the PPP planning to postpone them for a year. Of course, the ruling party can extend its tenure for another year provided it can get it approved from the parliament. Any move of the sort would however meet with stiff resistance from the opposition which had foiled attempts by the MQM in early August for an APC as it smelt a rat in the move.

The PPP must be feeling uneasy about the IRI’s opinion survey showing a steep decline in its rankings. President Zardari, we are told, is keen to get himself re-elected in September 2013 from the present assemblies. He also wants to retrieve his pledge to create a Seraiki province before the polls. The government might be hoping that delay in elections would give it time to deal with the uproar in interior Sindh caused by the Sindh People’s Local Government Law. But these considerations do not justify the postponement.

The PPP and its allies presently enjoy majority in both houses of the parliament. Theoretically, therefore, the PPP can get a resolution passed if all allies are united over the issue. It will however have to defend the stand by giving plausible reasons. Pakistan is steadily moving towards improvement of ties with India, and there is thus no threat on the eastern border. Despite its off and on statements regarding militant sanctuaries in Pakistan, neither the US-led NATO nor Afghan army is going to attack Pakistan. Of course, the law and order situation remains unsatisfactory. But this too though has improved during the last one year.

There has been no major militant attack in Punjab or Sindh and in the KP there has been a considerable decline in terrorist attacks. In Balochistan, the Hazara community continues to be targeted but there has been notable a reduction in the scale of the attacks. The evidence on the ground would debunk any argument regarding law and order situation standing in the way of holding elections.

In case the government was to move the parliament to seek delay in the elections, it would be challenged by the opposition, the media and possibly the courts. The PML-N is meditating on resigning from the assemblies to force the PPP to hold the elections on time. Imran Khan has hinted at taking the next march to Islamabad. The issue is sure to land in the Supreme Court, as most political disputes do these days, where it would be difficult to defend the rationale for the postponement. The strife is unlikely to improve the electoral prospects of the PPP and its coalition partners. The PPP is about to complete its five-year tenure. The best option for the party is to face the electorate now.

third eye

By M J Akbar

T

he story is funny, but not that much fun. On the first Friday, rage was free. The Pakistan government, mixing business with pleasure, declared a holiday so that young men could vent their anger against a virulent and scandalous film on the Prophet of Islam, made by an obscure American crook, who has now been re-arrested for breaking the terms of his probation after a bank fraud conviction. The collateral violence on symbols of sin, like cinema halls in Karachi and Peshawar, not to mention a few vehicles along the way, elicited little more than a shrug.

Boys will be boys. To be fair, one of the theaters, in Peshawar, did have a reputation for showing porn to the starving hundreds. Its owner was a minister, who immediately did penance by announcing an award of a substantial amount for the head of the filmmaker.

American embassy and consulate officials were more apprehensive about the subsequent Friday, September 29, for the police tend to relax during a repeat performance.

The turnout was not as high after Friday prayers, but they did turn out to shout slogans promising death to various eternal enemies. And then, suddenly, instead of frenzy, as if in response to some unseen signal, everyone in the crowd began to melt away. A puzzled journalist asked

why. The answer cleared a great fog.

They were all heading home to watch television, for Pakistan was playing in the T20 World Cup tournament that afternoon.

So, can celebrations begin?

‘Cricket defeats God’ is a pretty neat headline as well. Perhaps we can hold the glee. This neat story obscures a larger picture. There should be no illusions. A significant length of the Muslim street across the globe has bought the narrative that America and its european allies are determined to dominate the Muslim world in an agenda that resonates back to faith-based crusades a millennium ago. American and NATO military boots on Muslim ground are a visible fact. The soft, NGO face of western intervention is dismissed as duplicity.

Critics gleefully note that NGOs spend 80 to 90 percent of their funds on themselves, which is largely true.

But whether in Libya or egypt or Pakistan, there is a parallel message being conveyed by the aggressive crowds to their own government: They will be in charge of the national agenda, and they will calibrate the response to provocation as well as determine the shape of the country’s politics and polity.

This is part of the internal debate for power, not just a voice raised against “Christian imperialism”.

Media will amplify the slogans.

The subaltern debate will command the attention of history. A nation state evolves through process.

Change does not sprout instantly into a full-grown tree. even democracy as we understand it today took at least two centuries of change to reach where it has, even if we brush aside the British assertion that it all started with the Magna Carta in the 13th century (the Great Charter that whittled down the absolute power of kings and gave barons some rights).

When India decided to adopt adult franchise, in Gandhi’s Congress Scheme for a future country written in 1931, French women could not vote. Democracy is much more than

a chance to vote every four or five years. It is a set of freedoms built around equality, individual and collective, as in the exercise of any faith, or it is nothing at all.

The Arab Spring could not institute overnight: It must mature into the full four seasons to achieve stability. Much of the Arab region slipped from Ottoman imperialism to British neocolonisation, where princes elevated from oasis to throne were given absolute power as reward for a strategic alliance with the West. This pattern was partially broken in the 1950s, but the military officers who promised socialism only led their nations into dynastic tyranny. The glimmer of change is visible, but there is some way to go.

Pakistan was created from a different dynamic, and remains a work in progress—or, as it often seems, a journey in regress. It is still grappling over the meaning of an Islamic state. Where do you draw the boundaries as extremists push excess in the name of Islam into all aspects of governance and all corners of society? The ulema’s search for a “pure” (pak) state has only ended up creating a subset of minorities: Barelvi, Deobandi, Shia, Qadiani, Memon and heaven knows how many other sects who are as loyal to their own brand as they are to the common faith.

The questions of a post-colonial age will not be easily resolved. Turmoil will often camouflage itself in more rational headwear. Theocrats, with a mass base and popular institutions, will promote themselves in the guise of idealism, even as a dwindling band of liberals squabble and compromise in the complexities of the short game. But this is not a fast T20; it is life-and-death Test that will span the coming decade.

The columnist is editor of The Sunday Guardian, published from Delhi, India on Sunday, published from London and Editorial and Today India Director, Headlines Today.

Towards Moscow pakistan and russia inching closer

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eaction to ‘postponement’ of President Putin’s visit to Pakistan is quite interesting. Conspiracy theorist blame American and Indian pressure, some also talk about American pressure via Saudi Arabia. Over the last two years or so, there has been a quantum jump in high level Pakistan-Russia interactions. Hence, expectations have been snowballing in the context of a pleasant reset of bilateral relations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov visited Pakistan and General Kayani visited Russia on the heels of postponement of the presidential visit. This indicates that it is not a crisis situation.

Bumpy Pak-US relations have prompted an urge in Pakistan to balance out and diversify its interests. Decades of reliance on America has resulted in multifaceted and lopsided dependencies. As of now, Pakistan can only act as a mere spectator against US policies and demands. Hence, when Obama said he had no time in New York to meet with President Zardari, no one was surprised.

Obama had acted in a similar way during the NATO Conference in Chicago.

Pakistan is not looking for a cold war era style breakaway from the United States; it only seeks a balancing out of its relations by constructively engaging with

Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

other major powers. Moreover, it was with American urging that process of Pak-Russia normalization started in the late 1990s. In this regard, visits by former President Musharraf in February 2003 and by President Zardari in May 2011 were landmark events. However, Russia is watching whether Pakistan is serious in bringing about a paradigm shift in its foreign policy.

Apparently, Russia and Pakistan have left behind the bitterness of the past.

Nevertheless, a total interchange in roles with India switching to the US camp and Pakistan to the Russia’s is not envisaged.

Russia and India have historic ties, which are unlikely to rupture. Likewise, Pakistan cannot do without the US, because Russia is not in a position to offer it requisite level of aid and defense support.

Things are not set to change dramatically.

Nevertheless, even a modest change would be immensely useful. Things in Afghanistan are changing where both Pakistan and Russia have a convergence of interests. The main purpose of Mr Putin’s visit was to attend the quadrilateral summit. However, he was to extensively engage with Pakistani leadership for what was described as “formalizing the silent reset” in Pak-Russia relations.

There have been serious reservations and anxiety in the Indian and the US circles over the growing Pak-Russia relations. India and America have been striving hard to impede the pace. Despite its strategic alliance with United States, India still enjoys very good political, military and diplomatic relationship with Russia. India certainly cannot digest that its

old and time tested partner also becomes a friend of Pakistan. Furthermore, the US too would oppose this development. In fact, America cannot afford that at this critical moment of Afghan war, Russia gets closer to Pakistan and offset the pressures that America has directed on Pakistan.

Whatever caused the deferment, Mr Putin prudently left the door open, “I am confident that in future we shall be able to find opportunities for arranging our personal meetings.” However, it is obvious that he does not intend to visit Pakistan anytime soon.

Recent signing of three MoUs between Pakistan and Russia despite the postponement of Putin’s visit suggests that planned cooperation between the two countries is continuing. Russia will provide assistance of $300 to $500 million for modernization and expansion of Pakistan Steel Mills.

It will also help in constructing New Jamshoro Power Plant of 500 MW capacity. Russia is interested in Tarbela-4, Keyal Khwar and CASA 1000 projects as well.

However, there was no progress on IP pipeline project during talks held with a visiting Russian delegation. No firm commitments were given to the Russian delegation which wanted to get the project without bidding. Diplomatic observers believe that Putin was not pleased with Pakistan’s less than keen response to Russian interest in the IP project.

There is a perception that Putin may have postponed his visit because of mismatch of thinking between military and political leadership of Pakistan. Russian military chief Col-Gen Alexander Postnikov visited Pakistan last year. He had

proposed the possibility of expanding defense ties by holding joint military exercises, exchanging trainees and trainers, and selling and buying weapons. Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafiq Butt visited Moscow in August. His visit has been reported as a significant development towards greater cooperation with Russia in the field of defense, particularly in air defense. Pakistan’s dependence on American military hardware is phenomenal.

Pakistan’s military has always been keen to diversify its supply sources. An opening towards Russia would certainly serve the interests of military leadership.

Pakistan and Russia enjoy an excellent relationship based on mutuality of interest in enhancing greater bilateral cooperation and convergence of views on various important regional and international issues.

Russia also has other reasons for moving ahead with attempts to improve links with Pakistan. Russia is seeking new markets for its military hardware to keep its economy afloat. There has also been anxiety in Moscow over India’s new found warmth with the US and other Western countries in the context of military procurements.

Russia is also keen to gain Pakistan’s help in controlling its own Muslim insurgents. It thinks that better bilateral ties could help sort out some of these problems or at least mitigate their fallout. The endgame in Afghanistan is one of the major factors behind the evolving PakRussia rapprochement. Russia would not like US military bases in Afghanistan and so would Pakistan. India foresees a role in Afghanistan and US military bases would provide her a dedicated strength to

continue as an American proxy. Russian President’s special envoy for Afghanistan Mr Zamir Kabulov said, “Our own experience in the past and the track record of others in recent years has taught us that the problem of Afghanistan cannot be resolved without the constructive involvement of Pakistan and Iran.”

The US-Russia relationship has also run into difficulties. The US has repeatedly rebuffed the Russian attempts to insert the Collective Security Treaty Organization as a security provider for Afghanistan.

Moscow’s recent decision to shut down USAID activities in Russia reminds us of the Brezhnev era. Russia is irritated by President Obama’s stance on Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) deployment in europe. America is hitting hard at Russia’s first circle of strategic interests. Likewise, America is also helping India in developing a Ballistic Missile Defense system that would strain Pakistan’s capability of minimum credible deterrence.

These factors favor an enduring PakRussia relationship. In Pakistan, there is a nationwide consensus, cutting across the political divide, to develop a robust relationship with Russia. We look forward for an early rescheduling of President Putin’s visit. Both the governments should speed up the preparatory work to make the summit a resounding success.

Spearhead Research is a private centre for research and consultancy on security, headed by Jehangir Karamat.

Spearhead analyses are the result of a collaborative effort and not attributable to a single individual.

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Comment 11

Editor’s mail 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.

who’s responsible?

We cannot forget the loss of precious lives in the tragic fire incident in Karachi garment factory, leaving behind the families of dead workers grieving and helpless.

Who’s responsible for this utter carelessness, mismanagement – the government, the owners, the civil society or someone else? Unfortunately, no one is ready to accept the responsibility, so the question remains unanswered.

The poor working conditions and facilities in the factory showed that there were no emergency exits, no proper ventilation, no fire alarms and only one entry and exit door in the whole factory.

We forward this to government to investigate the issue and ensure that the working conditions and safety measures in all other factories and institutions are up to the standard requirements to avoid similar accidents in the future.

MOMINA MAROOF Lahore

honoring our flag According to national flag etiquettes, the national flag should be hoisted from sunrise to sunset on a clear day. National flags should not be flown even in bad weather like during thunderstorms or hailstorms. If a national flag has to be flown at night it should be brightly illuminated.

National flag must not touch the ground, water or the floor.

But unfortunately, to our patriotic but simple Pakistanis, such etiquettes are all alien to them. On every 14 August, millions of national flags are being hoisted on national buildings and private houses to show their patriotism.

But people are so engulfed in this patriotism that they do not bother to hoist down the national flag no matter what circumstances the flag has been facing.

It’s been around two months and still hundreds of national flags are continuously fighting for their survival on the poles above the houses, just like the residents fighting for their own survival inside the houses.

M MOAZEN BILAL Lahore

at long last The Finance Department of Government of Sindh allowed the Time Scale to its teaching staffers of the education & Literacy Department from 07 April, 2010, through its notification No FD(SR-I)I(52)/2010 issued on 07 June, 2010. Primary school teachers, elementary teachers, junior school teachers, high school teachers and subject specialists will get the incentive to reach next higher grade if he/she passes some certain number of years mentioned against each nomenclature. It was good news for the teacher fraternity and their long struggle to get the government to pay heed to their demands came to an

end when it was notified.

Aside from the incentive given to the teacher fraternity alone, there are many departments working within the framework of the government of Sindh such as finance department, parks and horticulture department, infrastructure department, engineering department, human resources department, and traffic and communication department.

Thousands of employees, particularly clerks, have been waiting for their promotion for a decade or so as they do not have proper channel of promotion or enter a cul-de-sac cadre which is also called dead cadre.

PTi and waziristan As usual our armchair politicians sat to comment and criticize Imran Khan for his daredevil tour to Waziristan. Some called it a ‘political stunt’ while others criticized it as SW instead of NW. Whatever, the tour has been done and hundreds of people went with him, including females. All along he kept his cool and did not react to usual methods of blocking him. (Some parties must have been surprised because the method used was imported from outside and practiced already in Karachi).

PTI has had foreign media unanimously support his move against drone attacks and the stupid war against terror. He very rightly said the objective had been attained. One thing he has proved second time is that no-go areas can be visited. His first was Quetta. Our political parties are getting cramps for what Imran can do and particularly when he says something to restore confidence in the people across the country. People are sick of NRO, letter to Swiss authorities, ephedrine, LG government law, fires in factories, stagnant water in Sindh, accidents, rapes, killings, bail or no bail to this man or that, Gilani’s departure from Presidency and hundreds of such self-created issues for TV anchors and analysts to keep them busy.

People are sick of mysteries and ambiguities.

People are sick of rise and fall of petroleum products and of load shedding and firing of one senior officer or loading poor Nargis Sethi with yet another ministry. Imran’s visit is one meaningful and practical step. I guess all politicians should get back to schools and learn the ABC of politics, a lesson that there are better methods of ruling the country other than fooling people and keeping them occupied.

A H MIRZA Lahore

hard luck, Team Pakistan Pakistan is a country where international matches are banned, a country which has never been invited in IPL, a country whose bowlers are at the top spots in cricket but were not nominated for the ICC 2012 awards. Still reaching in semifinal is the most remarkable and awesome efforts by Team Green. Pakistan did lose a match but they have done wonders by reaching semifinals of all four T20

Muhammed Zubair, a friend of mine, who is the Chief Store Keeper, scale14, working in the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, has been rendering his duty for almost two decades in the same grade. I can also cite an example of an employee of KMC, Muhammed Yonus Patel, who has been working in scale-06 for more than three decades in which he was appointed.

Without further ado, I want to mention here that the officers responsible to either decide or recommend a matter of promotion or up-gradation do not take much interest to expedite a case of promotion. When a promotion seeker appears before

World Cups since 2007.

Furthermore, Sri Lankan cricket team is advised to make a few other grounds if they want a big tournament in their country. Two grounds are not enough for a world cup. In the second innings of the semifinal, the condition of the pitch was so bad it looked as Pakistani batsmen were playing on water surface. Hard luck Team Pakistan but you did well.

HIRA MAROOF Lahore

rush hours “Time is money”, goes the old adage. The worst thing that one can do with time is to waste. All over Lahore, rush hour rather rush hours are an absolute nightmare. Traffic moves at a snail’s pace and tests every driver and passenger’s patience.

Tempers run high and tension is palpable during traffic jams. Ambulances get stuck in the traffic and school vans with children are also trapped.

Citizens face immense problems in reaching their destinations and they have to take detours. Since the initiation of Rapid Bus Transit project, Jail Road remains choked all afternoon. Being a college student, I have a tough routine and on top of that my time is wasted due to traffic jams. If indeed time is money, then the victims of traffic jams are vulnerable to poverty as precious time ticks away while waiting for the smooth flow of traffic.

TOOBA MUMTAZ Lahore

Political process in Balochistan Given the number of times the military officials have suspended and tampered with the constitution in the past it is difficult to take comments made by military officials at face value. But considering the current military policy of maintaining a strict apolitical stance, the remarks of the COAS that “Army will extend its support to a political solution to the Balochistan problem, provided that the solution is according to the constitution of Pakistan. However, “any step which goes against the constitution will be unacceptable” can surely be taken at face value this time.

This comment shows that the proverbial tiger is losing its stripes after all. First the army stands behind the politically elected government with

such an officer, he is shown the door on various unfounded pretexts.

Since the Time Scale announced, thousands of the ignored government employees, particularly clerks, victims of red-tape, are seeing it as light at the end of the tunnel as the Time Scale gives a system of promotion for those who have not been promoted for a long period of time. I, therefore, request the authorities concerned to redress the problems of such thousands of employees, especially clerks, who have not been promoted for decades.

JAWED AHMED KHURSHEED Karachi

minimal interference and now the military leadership promises of supporting the political process in Balochistan, provided it’s within the constitution. The statement may be symbolic in nature, that may be issued to delink the armed forces from all the allegations that are being thrust upon them, but it is surely a clear departure from the dominant military mindset that has led to military interventions and takeovers in the past.

It is time that the civil leadership stood up to take hold of the situation and to reverse this mindset by exhibiting their competency in governance matters. The means of reinstating the supremacy of the civilian regime is dependent upon its achievements and its success in winning the hearts and minds of the people. The only solution of the Balochistan problem is political in nature and the government ought to take steps in the right direction and is sure to succeed with the full support of the armed forces.

DR NIDA SHAMI Ontario, Canada

They ought to be ashamed All politicians in Pakistan ought to be ashamed of themselves for the language and phrases they use, particularly for each others. Some go far below the belt by calling others as ‘Jews’ agents’ and try to show their innocence by not being able to find an appropriate word for the word ‘divorcee’. And the joke is that of all the people Maulana Fazal-ur Rehman does so when maulanas are expected to be experts in nikahs and tallaqs. ‘Tsunami’ is yet another word which I detest. Tsunami is destructive and tyrant and obviously very disastrous natural catastrophe of Allah.

‘Bowling out two wickets in one ball’ is a phrase having no sense as far as my cricket sense goes. I can go on writing hundreds of these phrases but all are indecent and street words used by illiterates and not-so-educated people. Can we bring some decency in our democracy? Can we use some decent phrases? I understand that none of these so-called leaders have anything solid to say; hence they have to resort to these indecent methods. But let me advise them that mud-slinging game must be stopped. Have we ever heard any Indian politician using this method?

AMJAD H MIRZA Lahore

Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

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12 subodh will be a great film producer:

I My music reflects my upbringing: adnan Sami

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u M B a I- B a s E D Pakistani singer adnan loves blending western instruments with Indian and says that he has learned this skill due to his upbringing. “the fact of the matter is that I like to present western instrument along with Indian instrument. that is very reflective of the kind of person I am. My father made sure that if I was a big fan of Beethoven, then I should be well-versed with ghulam ali saheb. that is exactly how my music is. It reflects who I am, it reflects my musical education also,” adnan told reporters. neWS deSK

`Sexiest woman alive’ Mila Kunis

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ILa kunis has been voted the “sexiest woman alive” by Esquire magazine. the 29-year-old girlfriend of ashton kutcher, who knocked rihanna off the top spot to gain the coveted title, posed topless on the front cover of the November 2012 issue in just a pair of leather trousers. the actress also posed in sexy lingerie for the photo spread inside the publication, which hits news stands on October 8, radar Online reported. kunis has spoken out about being bullied for her unusual looks as a child in the past. she claimed she was made fun of because of her big eyes, big lips and big ears. neWS deSK

‘Student Of the Year’ will break ‘3 Idiots’ record: RGv

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ILMMAKeR Ram Gopal Varma continues his love-hate relationship with Karan Johar with his tongue-in-cheek comment on the latter’s forthcoming film “Student Of The Year” (SOTY).

Varma, who has often made snide comments on Johar’s cinema, took to Twitter to share his feedback on the trailers of SOTY, which marks the acting debut of Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and Siddharth Malhotra.

“Student Of The Year truly, really and honestly looks like it’s the best film of Karan Johar and the bestest film of Indian cinema ever. I love the sheer, neverbefore-seen imagery and the extraordinary originality and even more extraordinary directorial brilliance. “I don’t know about Student Of The Year, but I would want to be a student for life of Karan Johar’s cinema,” added the maker of movies like Bhoot and Sarkar. “I rate Karan Johar far far more higher than Mehboob Khan, V. Shantaram, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt and Bimal Roy. courteSy toi

Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

t’s the story of a lawyer couple fighting a case against each other, and real-life couple subodh Maskara and Nandita Das, co-collaborators on the play, say that it borrows from their life. Called Between the Lines, the English play, the first creative project from their production house, marks the debut of Nandita as a writer-director and subodh as a producer and actor.

In a chat with tOI, they talk about working together and how work on the play had started as a romantic idea of doing something creative together. sO, whEN DID yOu fIrst thINk Of wOrkINg tOgEthEr? NaNDIta: subodh always had a desire to explore something creative and he wanted to start with theatre. we also wanted to do a film and I am sure he’ll be a great film producer as well. so, we thought of setting up a small company, which will do quality work without compromises and yet make it viable. Our son was small and I was the chairperson of the Children’s film society, India, but I wasn’t doing anything creatively stimulating. so, I said, ‘why don’t we do a play?’ and I chanced upon this script that was offered to me long back as an actor.

I started working on it, but realised I didn’t have enough discipline to work on it alone and that I needed a collaborator. suBODh: the acting part came in a bit later. Initially, it was just a thought. In January, I did some workshops in acting and a director’s workshop and then Nandita said, ‘why don’t you act? and let’s see where it goes’. It was a very organic process. It started with a very romantic idea that both of us will do this play together and we’ll bring our son, and with our small crew, we will travel together. It would be simple. It is anything but simple.

Is it beneficial to work with someone you know so well work? s: I keep telling her that this is a casting couch in reality. the director is sleeping with the producer, the actor is sleeping with the actor and the co-actors are sleeping together! how important is the commercial viability of the play for you? s: having Nandita in the play helps. I am getting into theatre to make it much more viable and not a struggling art as it is today. and that includes taking it to as many places as possible.

N: we want to break even, but that is not our motivation. we’re doing this to make it viable, and eventually sustainable, otherwise there is no point. that’s why we are travelling with it. there’s a lot riding on us. In November, I am speaking in Dhaka at the hay festival and they heard we are doing a play and they asked us to bring it there.-courteSy toi

low-budget films vie for top award at

BUSaN feStIvaL

Two low-budget productions are among those vying for the top award at Asia’s premier film festival this week, with organisers praising their creativity despite their technical limitations. The New Currents award at the Busan International Film Festival carries with it two prizes of US$30,000 and is open to first- or second-time Asian filmmakers. Among the 10 entries this year are local director Lee Donku’s $3,000 “Fatal”, a coming-of-age drama, and Thai director Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s experimental “36”, which is set around 36 static images and was made for US$20,000. BIFF’s executive programmer Kim Ji-Seok said this year’s field represented the diversity of productions found across Asia and highlighted the two low-budget films as a reflection of the dedication needed to break in to the film industry. Previous winners of the New Currents award include Jia Zhangke who won for “Xiao Wu” in 1998 and went on to win the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for “Still Life” (2006). The New Currents winners will be announced on Saturday, the final day of the festival. afp

FoRmER PUSSYCat DoLL KaYa blasts Nicole for saying she sang ‘95 per cent of the vocals’ She is known for playing the shy and retiring type on television.

But it seems there may be more to former X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger than meets the eye.

For former Pussycat Dolls bandmate Kaya Jone has lambasted the singer, branding her a stuckup diva. It comes after Nicole kicked proverbial sand in the faces of the rest of the chart-topping group by claiming she sang 95 per cent of the vocals on their tracks.

Furious Kaya told TMZ the only reason Nicole sang lead vocals for everything, is because ‘there was a lot more going on behind the scenes.’ The Buttons

singer added: ‘Nicole was always someone who wanted to be in the spotlight and would do pretty much anything to get it. ‘To call the other girls in the Pussycat Dolls “window dressings” is a bit farfetched ... every girl in the group was talented.’ Kaya starred in the group alongside Nicole from 2003-06, and left the band just before they broke big with the debut PCD album, though she was a member when their smash song Don’t Cha was released. She estimated she ‘probably did 95 per cent’ of the singing ‘on my own’ for the band’s debut.

Lewis Hamilton’s squeeze added: ‘I hope I don’t get in trou-

ble for the stuff that I say, but I’ll never forget I finished the album, PCD, and Ron and I brought the girls into the studio and we played it for them. ‘It was the first time they’d ever heard the music. Do you understand what I’m saying?

We played the album for the Pussycat Dolls. It was the first time they’d ever heard the songs.’ The album’s executive producer Ron Fair backed up her version of events. He said: ‘Melody sang a bit here and there, but the records were Nicole, with the exception of an occasional ad-lib.

They were Nicole. It was her.’ neWS deSK

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13 Kareena’s wedding close to my heart: Manish Malhotra

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eLeBRITY fashion designer Manish Malhotra, who is designing Kareena Kapoor`s wedding trousseau, says the marriage ceremony is like a family affair to him. Without divulging much details about the attire and the wedding, Manish said it has got an Indian appeal to it. “It`s a wedding which is very close to my heart. It`s almost like a family wedding and there are lot of preparation going on for it. It`s unfair to speak about it tonight. It`s all very Indian,” Manish said at the ongoing Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2013. He showcased his latest Mijwan collection with ac-

asha Bhosle’s daughter varsha commits suicide

tress Parineeti Chopra as the showstopper. She sashayed down the ramp in a blue and orange lehenga teamed with a deep-cut choli. “This show is all about showing the craft of Mijwan women. The whole purpose was to highlight the good cause through fashion week. We recently did a show in Mumbai where a lot of the actors walked for the cause. Fashion week is all about style and trends but sometimes it is good to see the craft that is happening in our villages,” Manish said. neWS

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Kristen Stewart spends the evening with Dad She is keeping her fans hooked ahead of her highlyanticipated reunion with Robert Pattinson. But as she attended the Florence And The Machine concert in Los Angeles on Sunday night, Kristen Stewart opted to take another man in her life - her father John. The 22-yearold actress showed off her milky white skin in a pair of black hotpants, white vest top and hooded jacket as she and her dad arrived for the performance at the Hollywood Bowl. However, it has been claimed that British actor Pattinson has decided to give Kristen another chance, following her ‘momentary indiscretion’ with Snow White And The Huntsman director Rupert Sanders. Apparently, the pair are said to have reconciled since the pictures emerged of Kristen and Rupert kissing, with the couple set to make their big reunion appearance at the world premiere of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 in Los Angeles on November 12.

According to reports, movie bosses are keen for the pair not to be pictured together until the premiere, to maximise the impact of their reunion on the red carpet. However, the instructions have not stopped the couple from seeing each other. neWS deSK LONDON: Lady Gaga arrives at Harrods to launch her first fragrance, Lady Gaga Fame. AFP

Emily Blunt is tipped to star in avengers assemble sequel She is in line to play one of the most sought after roles in Hollywood. Little wonder then British actress emily Blunt has vowed never to play wallflowers or meek women in films. The 29-year-old is vying for the role of Ms Marvel in the highly anticipated sequel to Avengers Assemble. She told Harpers’ Bazaar: ‘I hate it when you get a script and

of course the character who is compassionate or gets emotional or submissive is the girl. ‘I always try and steer clear of that. I know what I feel when I do those scenes.

‘It is like I do an internal eye roll and straight away I know that I am out - I cannot do that character.’ It has been reported that Blunt is in a head to head battle with fellow British actress Ruth Wilson to play Ms Marvel, though the studio has yet to confirm this. The character first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1968 as a security chief Carol Danvers. Captain Marvel saved her after an explosion at a military base and she acquired some of his powers. The new movie is due to begin shooting next year.

Whoever is chosen will star alongside Scarlett Johansson. neWS deSK

EgENDary singer asha Bhosle’s daughter Varsha committed suicide on Monday. she shot herself in the head, police said. the incident occurred around 12.30 p.m. Police have arrived on the spot and are investigating. No suicide note has been found from the spot yet. according to police, Varsha pumped two rounds into herself. the entire area has been cordoned off and people are being restricted from going near the place. a flat in the building is also occupied by asha’s elder sister and singing legend Lata Mangeshkar.

Varsha had attempted suicide in september 2008 by consuming a dangerously high dose of sleeping pills. she was a journalist and a freelance writer working with a well-known publishing house in Mumbai.

Varsha, 56 years old, stayed by herself in a locality same as her mothers’. the second of asha’s three children, Varsha, had worked as a columnist for the sunday Observer and rediff. the Bhosle family had kept mum on the reason behind the suicide attempt then. But it is being believed that a private problem had been troubling Varsha for long. asha, who was attending a function in singapore is reportedly on her way back to India. neWS deSK

aniston, theroux plan a secret wedding?

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CtOrs Jennifer aniston and Justin theroux are reportedly planning to tie the knot secretly, and it is likely to be very soon. that aniston is currently filming “we’re the Millers” in New Mexico is no longer a mere coincidence, says a close friend. the movie set is close to the sprawling taos estate owned by one of aniston’s friends, Julia roberts, whose niece Emma roberts is also co-starring in the romantic comedy, reports Ok! Magazine. If grapevine is to be believed, Emma has offered to give aniston a tour of Julia’s ranch to see which vista would provide the best place for a tent, and which giant old Chilean mesquite tree would provide the best backdrop to create a true southwestern-style wedding for about 100 close friends and family. courteSy toi

Madge draws veil on terror bride

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f there’s one woman who doesn’t take kindly to being told what to do, it’s Madonna. yet the singer has backed down from staging one of her most dangerous stunts yet — messing around with a traditional Muslim bridal costume. Madge had planned to prance around in her new music video — and possibly on stage — dressed as a “terror Bride” as a comment on women’s oppression and war. she already had the outfit — a mix of a traditional Iraqi bridal veil and a us soldier’s uniform — stitched up to fit her and had tried it on. wise choice to drop it — but sad to see Madge censoring herself. some critics got especially worked up when she got her guns out at her Edinburgh gig in July — just 48 hours after the Batman cinema massacre in Colorado. I wouldn’t have liked to have been the messenger telling her the terror Bride wasn’t one of her brightest ideas. neWS deSK

Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

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14 Infotainment

Fitness in its simplest form

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OW you can achieve this goal, not necessarily in the gym, especially if you are the type of person who gets bored easily from regular routines or maybe going to the gym can hardly fit with your normal daily schedule. It is really a hard job to do when you are a working wife with children, almost fighting everyday to put up a flexible schedule that fits allday long responsibilities. It is very common passing through a series of personal challenges that left you without an exercise regime. Let’s face it and work with alternatives to increase your endurance. Try swimming, tennis, or even jogging with your family in the football track, at least to make good use of being around your children in the sports club. Scientifically, fitness is the formula of slow-burning fuel; aerobic energy delivered by a finely tuned cardiovascular system, and the ability of sustaining hours of continuous work. However, don’t be so harsh on yourself, since you are not a contestant athlete.

You can always find an alternative solution, even at your own home. Using an ultra-lightweight speed rope, which swings faster than a regular jump rope, start your jumping workout. Believe it yes. Be positive. Actually, you have several exercises for the typical three categories of a full-body workout up to 45 minutes of continuous jumping.

But be sure to warm up first with five to 10 minutes of cycling or brisk

walking, and as a start, do the jumping sequence, just until you get winded or breathless, says elizabeth Story, the trainer who created the routine. Take small jumps, using just your wrists to turn the rope, and then try the more difficult jumps as you build endurance.

Another important direction in cardio workout is trying to do each jump variation for one minute. Start working your way up to 45 continuous minutes of jumping at the beginning.

If you get tired, add 30 seconds of marching in place between jumps.

This will give you time to recover, while keeping your heart rate in proper range. Here are some illustrative examples for stretching, strengthening, and cardio. Remember: this category order is a perfectly highpowered routine to burn fat quickly.

In conclusion, don’t get influenced by people’s misconceptions surrounding fitness. Many people think that it is so difficult to develop and/or maintain fitness, unless one is either athletic playing a certain sport on regular basis, or follows a rigid routine exercising in the gym. Fortunately, this is not true because fitness is just to maintain the capability of stretching body, strengthening muscles for a fullbody workout that tones muscles as it burns fat via cardiovascular effort. You just need to keep up your physical fitness and firmness as long as you enjoy to workout your full body with strengthening and stretching muscles for your own health, good-looking, and self-confidence. neWS deSK

Privately-owned space rocket blasts off in US

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N unmanned, privately-owned Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo capsule blasted off from Cape Canaveral in the US at 02:35 CeT on Monday. It is on a mission to resupply the International Space Station NASA administrator, Charles Bolden, described this as “a critical event for NASA and the nation” as it returns space station cargo missions to US soil. Following the retirement of the space shuttles last year, NASA turned to the private sector to fly freight to the station and is looking to do the same for crew transportation. The rocket was built

by Space exploration Technologies and this is the first in a 1.6 billion dollar (1.2 billion euro) 12-flight contract to deliver cargo for NASA. The 48-metre long rocket is powered by nine oxygen and kerosene-burning engines.

Carrying food, clothing and science experiments the freighter is expected to reach the space station, in orbit 400 kilometres above the earth, on Wednesday.

Dragon is designed to return to earth intact rather than burn up in the atmosphere. neWS deSK

S Korea ‘Baby box’ pastor says new law brings more babies

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World champs win Maine wife-carrying contest A Finnish couple has added to their victories by taking first place in the North American Wife Carrying Championship at Maine’s Sunday River ski resort.

Taisto Miettinen and Kristina Haapanen traveled from Helsinki, Finland — where they won the World Wife Carrying Championship — for Saturday’s contest. The Sun Journal (bit.ly/Q30QWq) reports that the couple finished with a time of 52.58 seconds on a course that includes hurdles, sand traps and a water hole. The winners receive the woman’s weight in beer and five times her weight in cash. For Miettinen and Haapanen, that meant a check for $530. They shared their beer winnings with the second- and third- place finishers — Jesse Wall and Christine Arsenault of South Paris and David and Lacey Castro of Lewiston. aGencieS

Hanoi communists face ban on ritzy weddings Vietnamese authorities have banned Communist Party members in the capital Hanoi from organising lavish wedding parties, following a public backlash over extravagant nuptials. The number of guests is limited to 600 for both families and expensive venues such as five-star hotels should be avoided, according to a notice on the Hanoi city’s official website seen on Monday. Lavish weddings organised by party members have “caused anger among the public and badly hurt the personal prestige of party members”, it said. Vietnam’s authoritarian government, which has launched an anti-corruption campaign in recent months, is struggling to contain growing public discontent over a weak economy and a string of scandals involving high-level officials. Opulent wedding parties are common in Vietnam, with the guest list usually stretching to about 1,000 people. Some party members questioned whether the authorities would be able to enforce the new rules.

“Vietnamese authorities are very good at proposing laws but whether the laws are applied and strictly obeyed is a different story,” said a 43-year-old party member in Hanoi who did not want to be named. afp

Brazil candidate ‘handed out cocaine with election leaflets’ A Brazil city council candidate has been arrested after she was caught allegedly handing out cocaine with her election leaflets, according to reports.

Carme Cristina Lima, 32, was running for councillor of Itacoatiara, in Brazil’s northern state of Amazonas. Police became suspicious when they saw a crowd allegedly gathering around Ms Lima’s car on the morning of election day on Sunday. Officers searched her car and allegedly found hundreds of packets of cocaine attached to the candidate’s leaflets with instructions on how to vote for her. Speaking to Brazil’s TNOnline website, police chief Daniel Ottoni said: “There was a large gathering of people around Ms Lima, but when they saw the police they all ran away. “The candidate and another man also fled by car but officers caught up with them. “According to locals, she had been distributing the drugs since early in the morning, on condition that people vote for her.” Ms Lima was arrested for electoral corruption and drug dealing. courteSy tt

South Korean pastor who runs a “baby box” where mothers can leave unwanted infants has seen a sharp increase in the number of newborns being left there because, the pastor says, of a new law aimed at protecting the rights of children.

South Korea is trying to shed a reputation of being a source of babies for adoption by people abroad. It is encouraging domestic adoption and tightening up the process of a child’s transfer from birth mother to adoptive parents. The law that took effect in August is aimed at ensuring adoption is more transparent and makes it mandatory for parents to register newborns if they want to give them up. But the regulation aimed at seeing more thorough records are kept, though well intentioned, has sparked a surge of undocumented babies being abandoned, said Pastor Lee Jong-rak.

“The sudden surge of the babies could be due to many reasons,” said the official. Lee has been criticised by some people who say his box encourages desperate mothers to give up their babies. But Lee says he will not close the box until he was sure the government can offer adequate protection for abandoned babies. aGencieS

austrian walks across canyon with no safety rope

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N Austrian daredevil has walked across France’s Grand Canyon du Verdon, without any safety ropes. Mich Kemeter, 23, managed to navigate his way safely across the thin tight rope in just under two minutes with a 650ft drop beneath him. Mr Kemeter was forced to battle gusts strong enough to knock him off balance as he quickly hotfooted it 65ft to the other side in front of stunned onlookers. The impromptu attempt without any safety gear was captured by photographer Pedro Pimentel, from Cardiff. “Mich just disappeared from the path we were walking back on after a climb,” he said. “Then suddenly I noticed he was already walking on the line set up for some highline attempts later that day. “The whole thing was over before I even had the time to properly realise what had just happened in front of my eyes. courteSy tt

Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

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tuesday, 9 october, 2012

Gasquet back to winning ways in Shanghai Page 18

Six ICC umpires ‘were ready to be bribed’ NEW DELhI

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LOSe on the heels of five Indian cricketers found involved in spot-fixing, a latest sting operation has revealed that six umpires were ready to be bribed during the recently concluded Twenty20 World Cup and Sri Lanka Premier League in August.

India TV, which had earlier conducted a sting operation on corruption in India's domestic circuit, has come up with another footage showing six umpires from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, willing to give wrong decisions during a game.

The umpires are Nadeem Ghauri and Anees Siddiqui of Pakistan, Nadir Shah of Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka's Gamini Dissanayake, Maurice Winston and Sagara Gallage. Amongst the officials interrogated on camera, only Shah and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid represent the current umpire panel of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The channel, however, claimed that Sharfudoullah refused to give any favour in lieu of money offered by the undercover reporters.

Jayawardene named captain of icc world T20 team ColoMbo: Outgoing Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene was named skipper of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) team of the World Twenty20 tournament on Monday, one day after his side were beaten in the final by a rampant West Indies.

Jayawardene announced his decision to give up the captaincy after the hosts lost by 36 runs on Sunday, Sri Lanka's fourth successive defeat in a World Cup final, in front of a disappointed full house at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

A five-member ICC panel selected three Sri Lankan players and two each from the new champions and Australia in the 11-man team, the governing body said in a statement. Chris Gayle and all-rounder Shane Watson, the player of the tournament, were named openers while India's Virat Kohli, Jayawardene, england's Luke Wright and explosive West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels filled up the middle-order slots. Young Australian seamer Mitchell Starc and limited-overs specialist Lasith Malinga were the two fast bowlers in the team, while experienced Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal and Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka were named as the two slow bowlers. aGencieS

But Shah, who has officiated in 40 one-day internationals and three T20 Internationals, was ready to fix any match at international or domestic level. Shah also revealed that Pakistani batsman Nasir Jamshed "fixed" matches in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the channel said.

In another video of the sting, Sri Lankan umpire Gallage agreed to leak information on the pitch, weather, toss, and the playing elevens of India and Pakistan ahead of their World Twenty20 warm-up match Sep 17 for Rs.50,000. He was the fourth umpire in the game.

Dissanayake went a step ahead.

Gamini claimed that by providing liquor to Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) officials, one can get any work done.

During the reporter's conversation with Ghauri, a former ICC umpire from Pakistan, the latter promised to do anything for a payment. He has officiated in 43 ODIs and 14 Tests with his last international game back in November 2010.

The channel said Ghauri's countryman Siddiqui was also ready to get a decision in favour of India for money. Anees promised that he would manage the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to accept a decision favourable to India.

Sialkot carry Pakistan hopes on debut SIDDArTh rAvINDrAN Matches: Auckland v Sialkot Stallions at Johannesburg CHaMPions league T20 At long last, a Pakistan team will make its debut in the Champions League T20, when Sialkot Stallions face off against Auckland Aces. Sialkot were scheduled to play in the inaugural CLT20 in 2008, but the Mumbai bomb blasts caused that event to be postponed and the resulting freeze in India-Pakistan relations kept them out of the tournament since. At that time, they were midway through compiling one of the most awesome records in cricket - a streak of 25 successive wins in T20s, the most fickle and egalitarian format of the game.

Their recent form is just as impressive, and were barely troubled during their run to the Faysal Bank Super eight T20 Cup title. Their dominance was reflected in the margin of victories: five wickets, nine wickets, seven wickets, 40 runs and, in the final, eight wickets.

They lack the star power of some of the other teams, but they have several experienced T20 campaigners including captain Shoaib Malik, opener Imran Nazir and fast bowler Naved-ul-Hasan. One of

the revelations of the World T20, leftarm spinner Rana Hasan, is also part of the squad.

Auckland Aces also have little experience at the CLT20, though they are making their second appearance in the tournament. Last season, they lost both their qualifying matches, but were agonisingly close to winning both: they went down by two runs to Kolkata Knight Riders, and were trumped off the last ball by Somerset. Their captain, Gareth Hopkins, insists last year's experience will help the team this time round, and that Auckland have realised

the importance of preparation as they come into the tournament after a long winter break. Their campaign could last only two days but they are making sure they are thoroughly ready for it, having arrived in South Africa as early as two weeks ago.

Players To waTCH While Naved-ul-Hasan hasn't managed to nail down a spot in Pakistan's T20 side, he is a fixture in the shortform leagues around the world. This year itself, he has represented Uthura Oryxes (in the SLPL), Derbyshire (in the Friends Life t20), Sialkot Stallions,

Dhaka Gladiators (in the BPL) and Hobart Hurricanes (in the Big Bash League). In Hobart, he has become something of a local cult hero with his ability to regularly take wickets, and his flamboyant mullet. A master of bowling at the death, with great control over the slower ball and the yorker, his form will have a huge role in determining how far Sialkot progress in the tournament.

Another experienced Pakistan player, Azhar Mahmood will be critical to Auckland's performance. With Auckland unfamiliar with the games of many of Sialkot's players, Mahmood will be able to provide them some insight on the opposition. He can turn matches with either bat or ball, as he has repeatedly shown in T20 leagues in several countries.

QuoTes "We're not looking to qualify but to win this tournament. That spirit is special."

Azhar Mahmood is aiming high "We have the ingredients to become champions as we're a balanced team.

Our biggest positive is our captain who has proved himself a great leader in crunch situations." Sialkot coach Naved Anjum thinks his team can go far in the tournment. cricinfo

Sri lanka not ruthless enough: Jayawardene cOLOMBO afp

Sri Lanka's captain Mahela Jayawardene admitted his team choked in the World Twenty20 final against the West Indies, denying themselves a long-awaited title.

"When we were put under pressure, we did not react well," Jayawardene said after the hosts crashed to a 36-run defeat in Sunday's final in front of 35,000 stunned fans at the Premadasa stadium.

Having restricted the West Indies to a modest 137-6, Sri Lanka fell woefully short with the bat and were out for 101 in 18.4 overs in a match they were favoured to win.

It was Sri Lanka's fourth successive loss in a major final, having stumbled twice in the title clash of the 50-over World Cups in 2007 and 2011 and also in the World Twenty20 in 2009.

Jayawardene, who announced after the final that he was stepping down as Twenty20 captain, was "disappointed and hurt" at not being able to replicate the coun-

try's 50-over World Cup triumph in 1996.

"As a team we gave everything we had," he said. "We wanted to win a big tournament to give something to the fans who have been cheering us."We just did not execute a good game plan and we were not ruthless enough.

We are very disappointed that we could not give the fans what they wanted, and that hurts a lot. "We need to sit together, have a chat on what went wrong and then move on." Jayawardene said the all-round effort

by Marlon Samuels, who smashed 78 off 56 balls and took 1-15 from four steady overs of off-spin, took the game away from Sri Lanka. Samuels' hit six sixes and three fours to lift his team to 105 runs in the last 10 overs after they were reduced to 32-2 from the first 10. "In the pressure situations we could not control the match," said Jayawardene. "Samuels batted really well and he took it away from us a little bit. "We did not react well when we were put under pressure.

When those small mistakes add up, that's where you lose a match like a final, and that's what happened to us.

Sri Lankan misery after home t20 defeat cOLOMBO afp

Sri Lanka's press was distraught on Monday after the host nation lost the World Twenty20 final against the West Indies, with criticism focused on the team's record of crumbling under pressure. Millions of fans had prayed that Mahela Jayawardena's side would not choke in the Colombo clash, but the result was the fourth defeat for the country in major tournament finals since 2007. "Silence of the Lion," said the privately-run Ceylon Today. "West Indies carry out their threat and dance on a Sri Lankan graveyard." "Samuels pummels chokers," said the Daily Mirror in a reference to Marlon Samuels who won the man of the match award, making 78 runs off 56 balls.

"Sri Lanka strengthened their tag as the big-game chokers, losing to the same team they crushed by nine wickets with 28 balls to spare in the Super eight round," the paper added. The privately-run Island newspaper thought one culprit in the humiliating defeat was Lasith Malinga, who gave away 54 runs in four overs and collected no wickets. "The best bowler in the shortest form of the game miserably failed to live up to expectations in the biggest cricket spectacle hosted in (Sri Lanka's) history," it said.

Sri Lanka had started off well and it was "heartbreaking" for 35,000 fans inside the stadium, the paper said. Twitter and Facebook chatter pointed to President Mahinda Rajapakse's presence at the R. Premadasa stadium as a possible jinx on the home side. Rajapakse had told journalists he was in two minds about going to the finals because his presence at two previous World Cup finals had ended in defeat.

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Sports 16

West Indies party after sweet T20 victory cOLOMBO

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eST Indies cricketers partied through the night on Monday after their triumph in the World Twenty20, as defeated hosts Sri Lanka cursed yet another "choke" in a final.

Chris Gayle, the West Indies' star batsman, and his teammates earned a fun-loving reputation during the tournament, and victory in the final triggered further outbreaks of the "Gangnam" dance craze that the players adopted.

"I want to know who (is) bringing me breakfast this morning? I'm still up and ready to replay the T-20 final tonight," Gayle tweeted on Monday morning, joking that he felt like "running a marathon".

The win on Sunday night in Colombo gave the West Indies their first world title since the 50-over World Cup triumph under Clive Lloyd in 1979, although they won the invitational Champions Trophy in england in 2004.

Gayle, one of the world's most feared batsmen, only scored three runs in the game, handing Sri Lanka a major opportunity to seize control until man of the match Marlon Samuels made 78 runs off 56 balls.

The victorious team -- captained by Darren Sammy -- celebrated with a highspirited party that started in the banquet hall of the luxury Cinnamon Grand hotel in Colombo with a cake in the shape of the trophy.

T20 glory turns Samuels from villain to hero cOLOMBO afp

Marlon Samuels will leave Sri Lanka on Monday having finally emerged from the shadows of a controversial career to revive West Indian cricket with a splendid allround display.

Samuels starred with bat and ball as the West Indies ended a 33-year wait for a world title, when Darren Sammy's men upset Sri Lanka by 36 runs to win the World Twenty20 in Colombo on Sunday night.

Samuels smashed 78 off 56 balls to help the West Indies to a modest 137-6 and then took 1-15 from four steady overs of off-spin as the hosts were shot out for 101 in front of 35,000 stunned home fans.

Samuels hit six sixes and three fours to lift his team to 105 runs in the last 10 overs after they were reduced to 32-2 from the first 10.

"This is a moment to cherish and cherish forever. It means the world to us," the 31year-old Jamaican said after being named man of the match.

Samuels has endured a turbulent 12-year career since his debut in 2000, having seen his bowling action questioned before being suspended for two years in 2008 for alleged links with bookmakers.

"The career has been up and down," Samuels admitted. "There have been a lot of tough times. I dealt with them in simple ways and tried to let them pass.

"Being under pressure on a cricket field is nothing compared to what I've been through off the field.

"But as my mentor always said to me, everything that happened to me in life is because I am important. I'm not someone that will ever give up. I never say die.

"The person that I am deep down inside is the reason why I am still here playing cricket. I have a family that believes in me.

If outsiders don't, it doesn't really matter to me."

The win on Sunday gave the West Indies their first world title since the 50-over World Cup triumph under Clive Lloyd in 1979, although they won the invitational Champions Trophy in england in 2004.

Samuels said the victory would turn the tide for Caribbean cricket and win back fans who had deserted the team in bad times over the last decade. "This is a great achievement for past cricketers and for the present cricketers who have bonded together to form a strong unit," he said.

"They were very happy. They had a lot of fun singing and dancing," a Sri Lankan official who was with the West Indies team told AFP. "It was a private affair and no outsiders were invited or allowed in."

A hotel employee who declined to be

match?" tweeted Gayle, who has 300,000 Twitter followers. He finally signed off on Monday morning, saying he had to pack.

Gayle reinforced his party-boy image earlier in the tournament when police bodyguards broke up a party in his hotel

named said the party went on until the early hours of Monday, with armed guards providing security and keeping fans away.

"I'm feeling strong, wonder which wrestler I should take in a wrestling

Amir's Samuels model

Bolt eyes 'three-peat' in rio WELLINGTON

MUMBAI At least the two period-banned international cricketers watched Marlon Samuels heroic innings on Sunday.

Former Pakistani captain Salman Butt and pacer Mohammad Amir were experts on separate Pakistani news channel for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2012 for all matches involving Pakistan and semi-finals and final.

"Watching Samuels playing a major role in the West Indies winning the trophy must have reignited the desire [in Amir] to be back on the field in Pakistan colours. He must be going through mixed feelings of remorse as well as excitement as he reflects on his past mistakes and future opportunities", Maqbool "Max" Babri, the renowned psychologist, who on the request of the PCB, has been motivating Amir, said from Lahore.

Interestingly like Butt and Amir, the 31-year-old, Samuels was also banned for two years for the same offence. In 2007, the Indian police accused Samuels of giving out team information to a known bookie prior to the first ODI against India in Nagpur.

The police claimed that they had taped telephone conversations between a

as he and fellow players entertained three British female fans.

Some downhearted Sri Lankan players were also spotted at the Cinnamon Grand after the final as they tried to come to terms with defeat in the biggest cricket game ever held in the island nation.

The local press was equally distraught over the result, with criticism focused on the team's record of crumbling under pressure.

Millions of fans had prayed that Mahela Jayawardena's side would not choke again, but the outcome was the fourth defeat for Sri Lanka in major tournament finals since 2007.

"Silence of the Lion," said the privately-run Ceylon Today. "West Indies carry out their threat and dance on a Sri Lankan graveyard."

"Samuels pummels chokers," said the Daily Mirror in a reference to Samuels' destructive innings that led to the home side's defeat by 36 runs.

"Sri Lanka strengthened their tag as the big-game chokers, losing to the same team they crushed by nine wickets with 28 balls to spare in the Super eight round," the paper added.

The Island newspaper singled out Lasith Malinga, who gave away 54 runs in four overs and collected no wickets.

"The best bowler in the shortest form of the game miserably failed to live up to expectations in the biggest cricket spectacle hosted in (Sri Lanka's) history," it said.

Sri Lanka had started off well and it was "heartbreaking" for 35,000 fans inside the stadium, the paper said.

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bookie, Mukesh Kochchar, and Samuels. The transcript was later released to the ICC. The International Cricket Council enforced a two-year ban on him for "receiving money or benefit or other reward that could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute though the player had maintained his innocence".

"I think Amir is doing great. He

has certainly learned his lessons and is aware how mistakes have already hurt his promising career. He is now ready to bounce back whenever he is allowed to play. He is young and energetic. I am confidant that he will do wonders", Babri signed off.

Mohammad Amir's other mentor and coach, Asif Bajwa also expressed the same sentiments.

Jamaica's Usain Bolt vowed Monday to defend his Olympic sprint titles in Rio but, buoyed by the West Indies' World Twenty20 triumph, declared that cricket was his "first love".

Bolt, who said in August that he was considering swapping sprinting for the long jump to provide a fresh challenge ahead of the 2016 Games, said he had decided to defend the titles he won in Beijing and London.

"Rio is about going and defending my titles," the reigning 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay Olympic champion told reporters during a visit to New Zealand.

"I don't want to try any different events at Rio because at Rio I will just defend my titles to show the world that there is a possibility that I can do it again -- to do the three-peat, that is the focus." Speaking a day after the West Indies overcame Sri Lanka in the World Twenty20 final to claim their first world title in 33 years, Bolt said he loved cricket. "It was my first love but I don't play much now. The only time I play now is with my brother," said the runner, who played junior cricket before turning to track and earlier this year flirted with playing in Australia's domestic Twenty20 league.

PIETERSEN TEXT ROW CLAIM 'ABSOLUTE RUBBISH' JOhANNESBUrG afp

South Africa have rubbished claims their players provoked the text message row that led to england axing batsman Kevin Pietersen.

Pietersen was dropped for the final Test and a one-day international series against South Africa and the World Twenty20 tournament after allegedly criticising england captain Andrew Strauss in texts to South African players. england and Wales Cricket Board (eCB) chief executive David Collier claimed Sunday in a radio interview that the Pietersen texts were a response to messages from the opposition.

But Cricket South Africa (CSA) acting chief executive Jacques Faul poured scorn Monday on the claims by Collier, labelling them "absolute rubbish" in a statement.

"This is absolute rubbish. What is particularly disappointing is that I had a face-to-face meeting with Collier when in London for the Lord's Test and he did not raise this allegation with me then.

"I would have thought, as a matter of courtesy and decency, that he would have spoken to me about it before going public in the media," said the South African official.

"It is not the way CSA goes about its business and it is not the way the eCB has done business with us in the past. It is very disappointing because our relationships have always been cordial and constructive. "This is an internal eCB matter in which we do not wish to be involved. It served as a distraction to our players that we did not need during the Test series."

South Africa-born Pietersen will be in the country this month as part of the Delhi Daredevils squad competing in the

fourth edition of the Champions League Twenty20 competition.

Pietersen apologised last week for sending the messages and signed a new central contract with the eCB after the two sides agreed "a process for his re-integration into the england team".

Collier said Pietersen, a 32-year-old native of KwaZulu Natal capital city Pietermaritzburg, was only replying to Blackberry Messenger messages sent by the opposition.

"That is our understanding," Collier told the BBC Radio Five Live Sportsweek programme during an interview. "I have not seen those messages and no one has kept those messages.

"These were responses to messages from certain members of the South Africa team and I would not condone an england player doing it if it was the other way round. I certainly think they (South Africa) provoked the situation."

Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

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17 Sports Samir storms into Unm invitational final

LAhOrE Staff report

Pakistan Pride Davis Cupper Samir Iftikhar stormed into Men’s singles final of 2012 UNM Balloon Fiesta Invitational being held at Linda estee Tennis Center Alberque USA from October 5 to 7 by outlasting Danial Ferndez of New Mexico State University (NMSU) in three-marathon sets 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

He will meet Luis Ramirez of NMSU in the singles final who beat Hegelund of UNM 67, 6-4, 6-4.

The 19-year-old Samir Iftikhar of Wapda is currently on four-year Athletic and educational Scholarship at University of New Mexico USA where he is being groomed by Professional US Coaches to come on top International levels.

Fernandez after losing first set fought back and won 2nd set 6-4. Samir came back strongly and displayed superb fitness and skills to win the final set 6-3. The final is expected to be a thriller where Samir will be playing in front of home crowd to avenge defeat of his fellow player by hands of Ramirez in the semi-final.

Pakistan team named for mumbai 7s rugby LAhOrE

cOlOmBO: west indies cricketers led by captain darren Sammy (c) pose for photographers at the independence memorial hall. west indies cricketers partied through the night after their triumph in the world Twenty20, as defeated hosts Sri lanka cursed yet another "choke" in a final. AFP

Staff report

Pakistan Rugby Union announced national 7 rugby team which to participate in the HSBC Mumbai sevens from October 13-14.

The selected players for HSBC Mumbai 7’s series are Umer Butt of Lahore rugby football club who is the captain of team while other includes: Javed(Army), Jamshid (Army), Tahir Rafi (LRFC), Fiaz Doger(Army), Khalid Mahmood (Army), Imran Arshad (Army), Ghalib Javed (DHA), Waqas Khalid (LRFC), Usman Hassan (LRFC), Zafar Iqbal (Army), Umer Usman (LRFC), Daood Gill (DHA) Development Player.

Reserves: Ayub Zafar (Multan), Nasir (Army), Mohammad Babar (LRFC), Shoaib Javed (LRFC), Mohammad Basit (DHA), Mohammad Mujaded (UOL).

Officials: Haji Anwae Ul Haq Zafar (Coach), Shakeel Ahmed (Manager). Team leaves Pakistan on October 11 and in all 16 teams are included HSBC Mumbai sevens.

PUNJaB YoUtH FEStIvaL 2012

SBP achieves all the set goals: Punjab Sports DG

armstrong competes in triathlon ELLIcOTT cITY afp

Lance Armstrong, branded a dope cheat and stripped of his seven Tour de France cycling titles, took part in a triathlon on Sunday in suburban Baltimore that raises money to fight cancer.

Organizers of the Revolution3 Half-Full Triathlon dropped USA Triathlon sanctions so Armstrong could compete in the event. He is banned from events that must follow World Anti-Doping Agency rules because of his cycling punishment.

"This was a race that was built and designed to race money for (the fight against) cancer, so it was an easy decision," said Brock Yetso, president of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.

Two triathletes dropped out as a result of the decision but 300 others said they wanted to compete, including 50 cancer survivors who joined Armstrong, himself a cancer conqueror, for the 70-mile swim-cycling-running event.

Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

LAhOrE

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Staff report

IReCTOR General, Sports Board Punjab, Usman Anwar has said the SBP is maintaining the rhythm and is getting all the set goals in the holding of the Punjab Youth and Sport Festival and the grand event is reaching to its climax with its fifth phase commenced on Monday at various parts of the province.

The Divisional Level of the Festival which is the fifth level, is being held in 23 sectors of the society and competitions will be held in 224 sports and general events.

Usman Anwar informed that the level carries the prize money of Rs 5,740,500. “We are gradually moving towards the upper level. The time Divisional Level concludes, it will mark the start of the Provincial level,” he said.

Director General Sports Board and Youth Affairs Punjab further said that it

a matter of great pride for the participants of the Festival after the Provincial Level, the SBP will be conducting the Punjab International Sports Festival in which 41-foreign teams will be taking part in disciplines of Ju-Jitsu, Belt Wrestling, Traditional Judo, Touch Ball men, Touch Ball women, Fist Ball, Wrestling, Kabaddi, Hockey men, Hockey women, Rugby, Football, IndoPak Dangal, Table Tennis and Baseball are included.

“On Sunday night Orientation Conference of all the volunteers and organisations attached to the Festival was held at the Punjab Stadium. The gathering of around 30,000 youngsters was given the guidelines for the conduct of the upcoming activity including the events of the Guinness World Record.”

“After the conclusion of the international event, a Dosti Cup of Deaf and Dump is likely to be held in which different sports of Pakistan and Indian deaf and dump players compete,” he added.

On Monday, University of Lahore

beat Punjab University by 21 runs in the final of the University cricket for women. The event was participated by 6 universities of the Punjab and in the final University of Lahore set 42 runs targhet but Punjab University was bowled out for 21 runs.

There was competition of painting and photography were held at Baghbanpura School. Around 200 students of various schools took part in this nonsporting activity. MNP Pervaz Malik, who was the chief guest of the event, gave the prizes to the winners of photography and painting competitions.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Punjab Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, who is the chief organiserof the PYF, presided over a meeting of the heads of education Institutes which was also attended by Usman Anwar and eDO. They were directed to make arrangements for the accommodation of the participants of the Festival's provincial level at their institute hostels while other arrangements to facilitate

them and provide them with transportation will be done the organizers of the PYF. “During the fifth level, there will be competitions in 26 sports events that includes arm wrestling, athletics (eight categories), badminton, billiard, cricket, tug or war, volleyball, bodybuilding (three categories), football, weightlifting (three categories), basketball, chess, hockey, Kabaddi, mat wrestling (three categories), mud wrestling (three categories), table tennis, karate (three categories), taekwondo (three categories), tent pegging, baseball, boxing (three categories), marathon powerlifting (three categories), and rugby,” he added.

“The non-sporting events are naat khani, qirat, cooking, painting, pet competition, photography, poetry, mushaira, milli naghme, songs, calligraphy, dress designing, stitching, handicraft, family dressing, healthy baby competition, kitchen gardening, drama, short film, street art, street art theatre.”

KHI 09-10-2012_Layout 1 10/9/2012 5:34 AM Page 19

Sports 18 Gasquet back to winning ways in Shanghai ShANGhAI

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RANCe'S Richard Gasquet rediscovered the winning formula Monday after last week's shock defeat to a Chinese wildcard, cruising into the second round of the Shanghai Masters alongside Croatia's Marin Cilic.

Gasquet crashed to a humiliating loss at the China Open when Zhang Ze closed a rankings gap of 151 places to beat him, just days after the Frenchman won the Thailand Open by beating compatriot Gilles Simon in the final.

But the 26-year-old, seeded 11th in Shanghai, made sure there was no repeat on the second day of action in Shanghai, winning four out of five break points to dispatch American journeyman Brian Baker 6-2, 6-3.

Tenth seed Cilic, who stands 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm) tall, joined him in the second round with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Lukasz Kubot, hitting eight aces and breaking his Polish opponent four times.

Sam Querrey of the United States fired 11 aces in a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Chinese wildcard Zhe Li. "I feel like I'm playing better now than a year and a half ago when I was ranked number 17," said Querrey, now ranked 26th.

"I'm more confident," he added.

"Felt good out there today. It was fun to play in that stadium. I thought I served great. I thought I returned well and I took advantage of the break points. That was the key."

Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov set up a clash with Novak Djokovic by beating Pablo Andujar of Spain 7-5, 6-3. But he faces a daunting task against the second seed, fresh from victory at the China Open and aiming to displace Roger Federer at the top of the rankings.

Frenchman Benoit Paire defeated German qualifier Philipp Petzschner 76 (7/2), 6-4 to set up a second-round meeting with compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the fifth seed.

The number one ranking is on the

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LAhOrE Staff report

Punjab College of Commerce won the Lahore Board Intercollegiate Weightlifting Championship at Govt College of Commerce Sabzazar Lahore.

GC U got second position while Superior College stood third. Punjab College gold medal winners were Saif Rauf Butt, Mohammad Usman Anwar, Salman Akeel Butt, Mohammad Zaigham, Abdullah Adrees Butt with new records.

GCU gold medal winners are Rehan Khalid, Haider Ali, Ali Javed with new records. MPA Mehar Ishtiaq, distributed prizes with Arshad pehalwan, Sattar Rahee, Prof Khizer Hayat.

line at the Shanghai Masters.

Federer can guarantee he remains as the top-ranked player by reaching the quarter-finals but anything less and Djokovic would overtake the Swiss by winning the Shanghai crown.

Federer is beginning his 299th week as world number one, having usurped Djokovic at the top of the leaderboard after winning his 17th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.

Apart from Federer and Djokovic, the top two seeds in Shanghai, the other main drawcard is US Open champion Andy Murray. The top eight seeds get a bye into the second round.

There were also wins on Monday for Spain's Tommy Robredo and Kevin Anderson of South Africa.

when we were a man down for the second half," said Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni.

"We came into this game focused and started aggressively. We got the goal and when Milan came back into it we managed to restricted them in our area."

With only seven goals from seven games the needs of Massimiliano Allegri's AC Milan side are clear, but the coach was

once again left lamenting conceding yet another goal from a set-piece.

"We've conceded again from a setpiece and this is something we need to put right," said Allegri. "Apart from the goal Inter did not create too many chances. We did, and it's a shame we didn't manage to put them away." Inter striker Antonio Cassano, who moved to Inter in the close season and was the subject of boos and jeers throughout the match, helped create the opener when he won a freekick for an innocuous challenge on the left wing. esteban Cambiasso stepped up and sent in a deep cross that evaded the entire Milan defence, including 'keeper Christian Abbiati, and was met at the far post by a diving Samuel. Five minutes later Inter spurned a golden chance to double their lead when Abbiati somehow gave the ball away to Diego Milito but the Argentine striker dramatically fluffed two chances to beat the Milan 'keeper.

i'm not finished yet, warns victorious azarenka World number one Victoria Azarenka warned she was planning to finish her breakthrough season with a flourish after ending a seven-month win drought at the China Open.

The 23-year-old from Belarus started the year with a bang by winning her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, along with trophies in Sydney, Doha and Indian Wells.

But Azarenka has repeatedly faltered at the last hurdle since, losing three finals including at last month's US Open, where Serena Williams' late recovery left her in tears.

On Sunday, she put her frustrations behind her with a 6-3, 6-1 thumping of world number two Maria Sharapova to seal her fifth title this year, second only to Williams' six. And afterwards, she said she was not finished yet.

"I have two more tournaments to play.

It's going to be about 10 more matches, so I'm looking forward to maximizing that potential in all of them," Azarenka said. "It's just going to be the last two pushes.

"I'm actually really happy that in the end of the year I am still able to have that determination I had in the beginning of the year and the desire to go out there and win and show my best tennis, to progress throughout difficult times physically and mentally."

Azarenka will next play an indoor event in Linz as she prepares for the WTA Championships season finale, involving only the world's top eight players, in Istanbul later this month.

Her 26-match winning streak at the year's start was the best beginning to a season by any woman in 15 years. And the China win makes her the first player to win two premier mandatory events in a year, after her victory at Indian Wells.

"It's an incredible feeling," she said of the achievement. "I didn't know the statistic before yesterday (Saturday). It's definitely a great achievement, showing that I have been pretty consistent throughout the whole year." Azarenka finished 2011 in third place on the rankings but her breakthrough Australian Open win in January took her to the top spot, where she has spent much of the season. The $4.8 million China Open was the fourth and final compulsory event of the year, behind only the Grand Slams and WTA Championships in prestige.

PAKISTAN GOLFERS WIN FRIENDSHIP CUP LAhOrE Staff report

wapda’s Salman akeel Butt, a student of Punjab college lifts 140 kgs record weight in 77 kgs category.

Cricket center 7:30PM

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MILAN

Punjab college win weightlifting title

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BEIJING

Ten-man inter claim 50th derby win in Serie A Ten-man Inter Milan survived a secondhalf assault by city rivals AC Milan to win 1-0 at the San Siro Sunday and claim their 50th Milan derby win in Serie A. Inter and Milan began the match, the 157th to be played between the sides in Serie A, with 49 wins apiece from 156 meetings.

However, it was Inter who emerged with the bragging rights after Argentinian Walter Samuel stunned a large majority of the 73,000 crowd with a fourth-minute winner.

Inter had boosted their title credentials last week and did them no harm by moving up one place up to fourth to sit four points off Juventus and second placed Napoli, who beat Udinese 2-1.

"There were two good points tonight, one was the way we approached this game and the second was how we handled it

watch it Live

The three rounds, 1st Lahore-Delhi Golf Contest, between a 14-member Delhi Golf Club team and a 14-member 'Together We Golf Team' of Lahore, concluded yesterday at the Lahore Gymkhana Golf Course with the ultimate result of the competition totally going in favour of the host team.

Pakistan’s golfers used their knowledge of the home course to good advantage to claim the Friendship Cup title.

Indian Golfers did try to make a decent match of it and noticeable was the effort of golfers like Man Mohan Singh, Vijay Dhawan, Maj Gen (r) KNS Shergill, Ashok Singh Malik, Ashwani Luthra and the only lady Bubbles Suneja, who showed considerable spark and excellence in patches, but somehow could not dent the consistency of the host team, that comprised of Shoaib Bokhari, Asad I.A.Khan, Moeen Salahuddin, Mian Asad Hameed, Max Babri, Lt. Gen (r) Sabahat Husain, Imran Miraj, Amir Mehmood, Raja Asif Mehdi, Mohammad Ramzan Sheikh, Sardar Murad Khan, Asad Amin Sheikh, Asad Alam and Sameea Javid Ali.

The golf team from delhi Golf club (sitting) and the Together we Golf Team (standing). STAFF PHoTo This golf competition was fought out over three days, with the hosts winning three matches on the first day, seven on the second and five on the final day and as a result accumulating 15 points as against Delhi team's 6.

All through the three days of golfing, one-day at the Royal Palm Golf course and two days at Gymkhana, what stood out was the fact that these friends from across the border were totally awed by the aura of Lahore, the hospitality of the Lahorites and they did not for a moment stifle their emotions and expressed their

love and gratitude in the most expressive way and requested the host team to prepare for a visit to Delhi in March 2013.

The leader of the Delhi team, Manmohan Singh, has a special love for Lahore as his father was associated with Government College, and he still recalls the stories his father shared with him about this great institution. Another one whose father studied in Government College is Ashwani Luthra besides the fact that his father was born in Sargodah and mother in Gujranwala. Another senior member of the Indian team, Vijay Dhawan is Lahore

born whereas R.S.Bedi has his roots in Chak Bedi, MontgomeryFor all of the them, this Lahore visit was like a dream come true and in their speeches at the prize distribution ceremony, at Lahore Gymkhana they vowed to apply themselves wholeheartedly for improvement of relations and ensuring a lot of support in easing visa restrictions and expand this activity to a much wider level and involve all leading golf clubs on both sides.

To conclude the event a grand prize distribution was held in the evening and also a signing of Memorandum of Understanding between Lahore Gymkhana and Delhi Golf Club with Maj (r) Javaid Nasrullah signing on behalf of Gymkhana and Vijay Dhawan on behalf of Delhi Golf Club. The prize distribution was a grand affair and attended by Shahid Malik,Former Pakistani High Commisioner to India,Sharat Shabarwal,High Commisioner of India in Pakistan,Lt.Gen(r) Khalid Maqbool,former Governor Punjab, Ramzan Sheikh, Abbas Head of UBL International Banking Division, Zia ur Rehman,Chairman, Lahore Gymkhana, the two competing teams and a large number of golfers.

Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

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Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

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Criminals using Afghan SIMs in Karachi: MPs Badr demands probe into ‘desecrating’ raid on his residence for want of former OGra chief g farhatullah Babar slams ECP for demanding fresh declaration from mPs on nationality g

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tayyaB huSSain

treasury member made a startling revelation in the Senate on Monday, claiming that Afghan cellular SIMs were being used in Karachi by criminals to demand ransom and extortion. expressing grave concern over the deteriorating law and order across the country, especially in Karachi, the treasury members of the Upper House called for taking immediate measures, including an operation against gangsters, to restore the

writ of the government in the port city.

Though it was a senator from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) who raised the Karachi situation, Shahi Syed of the Awami National Party (ANP) claimed that gangsters of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were using SIMs issued in Afghanistan in Karachi to demand ransom.

He said 17 people had been killed in Karachi on Sunday only, while industrialists were shifting their businesses from the port city as a gang war was going on unabated.

Syed said 40 offices of his party had been shut in Karachi alone and the TTP had claimed responsibility.

“What would the law and order situa-

tion be like when killers are inducted into police as political bribe,” he argued. He said the criminals were seeking millions of rupees in ransom through phones calls that could not be traced. The ANP leader called for conducting an operation in Karachi against criminals.

Speaking on the motion during the Senate proceedings, Col (r) Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, the mover, said the interior minister or state minister for interior should have been present in the House during the debate.

Senate Chairman Nayyer Hussain Bokhari also took cognisance of the matter and asked the leader of the House to ensure presence of either of the ministers and

the staff of the Interior Ministry to take notes of the speeches made by members in absence of the interior minister.

He said if nobody had been tasked by the Interior Ministry to take notes, the interior secretary should be summoned and questioned over the lapse. Senator Dr Farogh Nasim of the MQM said local police officials should be tasked to take care of the law and order and the appointments in police should be made on merit.

Abdul Haseeb Khan of the MQM said there was no writ of the government in Sindh and even police officials could not enter some specific areas of Karachi. He said the number of killings and abductions were increasing rapidly and needed to be controlled.

Senate Chairman Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari directed the Interior Ministry to submit a detailed report within three days, pinpointing those responsible for

raiding the residence of Leader of the House Jehangir Badr on Sunday.

Calling the incident unfortunate, the chairman directed the Interior Ministry to submit why the raid was conducted and sanctioned it and whether there were any search warrants for raiding the premises. earlier, Leader of the House Jehangir Badr said some officials of Punjab and Islamabad police, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) raided his residence in the federal capital. Leader of the Opposition Ishaq Dar condemned the incident and demanded an enquiry to bring the culprits to the book.

Raza Rabbani said a conspiracy was being hatched to malign politicians and such raids were part of the vilification campaign against the politicians.

Continued on page 04

Govt lost chance to join voice against drones: imran PtI chief defends decision to return from tank, says people’s safety comes first g

ISLAMABAD Staff report

After returning from his anti-drone “peace march” to South Waziristan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan said on Monday that the rally was a great opportunity for Pakistan to raise the issue of drone attacks on international level, however, the government and other parties had wasted the chance in order to protect their personal interests.

“The government machinery opposed us rather than cooperating with us on raising the issue of drone attacks on innocent people,” the PTI chief said while addressing a post-rally press conference in the federal capital. He said the government was not sincere with the people of Waziristan. He criticised the government for showing hypocrisy on the issue, and asked the rulers to stop lying to the people of Pakistan.

Defending his decision to return from Tank, the cricket legend-turned politician said that he took the decision to ensure the safety of PTI workers, rally participants and journalists. “Who would have been responsible if the caravan was hit by miscreants in the dark,” he said. He said that his march was stopped by the military because it was too late to enter South Waziristan.

When asked if he had cut the rally short after getting a telephone call from someone, Imran said that it was Nawaz Sharif’s practice to withdraw rallies on telephone calls.

He referred to the long march by Nawaz Sharif when the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) chief returned from Gujranwala, allegedly on a phone call.

Maldives police arrest ex-president MALE afp

Armed Maldivian police arrested the country’s first democratically elected president on Monday after he ignored court orders to stand trial for abusing his power while in office, his party said.

Police in riot gear and carrying an arrest warrant broke down a door of a house where Mohamed Nasheed was staying on the island of Fares Maathodaa in the south of the archipelago, a famous honeymoon spot for the rich and famous.

The United States, a strong backer of the Maldives, urged all sides of the political divide in the fledgling democracy to stay calm and reject the use of violence following Monday’s high-profile arrest.

An embassy statement also denied any US role in the arrest, following allegations on Twitter that troops trained by US forces were responsible for the crackdown against opposition activists in the archipelago.

Govt to support Imran if he engages in talks with ttP: Kaira islaMabad: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira on Monday said the government would cooperate with PTI Chairman Imran Khan if he engaged in talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Kaira said the government did not prevent Khan from going to South Waziristan but had rather informed him of the law and order in the area.

He said the international community had condemned drone attacks carried out by the United States, adding that the Pakistani government was also opposed to the drone attacks since day one. a p p

flaying faZl: Imran said that hurdles were created by Fazlur Rehman and the government to stop the march from proceeding towards Waziristan. He said that while foreign journalists and activists had come to Pakistan to protest against US drone strikes and to raise voice on international level, Fazlur Rehman was trying to scandalise their participation to secure his vested interests. He said that Fazl was a right-hand man of President Asif Ali Zardari, and was making fortune just like he did in Musharraf’s regime.

QUETTA: Volunteers shift an injured person to the hospital after a remote controlled blast on Double Road on Monday. online

13 girls rendered vanni in Dera Bugti QUETTA online

Thirteen infant girls have been declared Vanni as compensation to resolve a murder issue in Dera Bugti district, along with a ‘private fine’ of Rs 3 million.

A ‘private jirga’ held under the auspices of Baloch parliamentarian Mir Tariq Masoori Bugti passed the verdict in a five-month old murder issue.

The issue revolved around the brother of Roshan Khan alias Pilia Masoori Bugti, who murdered Mira Khan, brother of Karam Khan Shahani.

After being declared guilty by the jirga, the matter was “resolved” with the morbid and accursed penalty of Vanni (forced marriage of women) of 13 baby girls and Rs 3 million in fine.

Mir Tariq Masoori Bugti denied being part of the jirga or commenting on its merits.

He, however, called the “system of reconciliation” through jirgas a good omen for peace and harmony, according to which both sides “agreed amicably” to settle differences.

A cousin of Mir Tariq Masoori Bugti, Mir Sarfraz Khan Masoori Bugti, confirmed the jirga on September 8, 2012.

Mir Sarfraz not only condemned the practice of Vanni, but also urged the CJP to take suo motu notice of the shameful incident.

PM ORDeRS UNINteRRUPteD GaS SUPPLY IN wINteR ashraf also directs ministry to work in coordination with ministry of Water and Power and ensure surplus fuel is provided to thermal power plants g

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Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Monday directed the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources to prepare a winter plan to ensure uninterrupted supply of gas to domestic consumers.

He also directed the Petroleum Ministry to work in coordination with the Ministry of Water and Power and ensure that surplus fuel was provided to thermal power plants.

Ashraf issued directives during a briefing by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, which he visited this afternoon. The prime minister was visiting various ministries and government departments as part of his plan to review their performance.

He said the people of Pakistan expected public utilities to provide them

reliable, affordable and uninterrupted services.

Ashraf stressed that the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources as well as the Ministry of Water and Power should endeavour to improve service delivery and come up to the expectations of the people.

The prime minister said he was fully aware of the difficulties and challenges being faced by various ministries and believed that overcoming these would reflect their performance.

Ashraf said the demand for gas would increase as winter set in. “It is, therefore, imperative that foolproof arrangements be put in place to ensure that supply of gas to domestic consumers remains unaffected,” he added.

He also directed the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources to sensitise the people about the efforts being

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot No 79, Sector 24, Korangi Industrial Area Karachi.

made by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources to ensure provision of uninterrupted gas to domestic users.

He said he was happy to learn that the Petroleum Policy 2012 for exploration and production was well received by investors, which augured well for the future of oil and gas sector in the country.

The prime minister was told that 1.6 million consumers were given gas connections at a cost of Rs 10.41 billion while 879 kilometres of transmission lines and 39,707kms of distribution and service lines were added to the gas network with an investment of Rs 61.164 billion during the last four-anda-half years of the government.

He was also told that as a result of efforts being made by the government, 750MMCFD of gas was likely to be added to the system by June 2013, making an increase of 20 percent.

The prime minister was informed that the ministry had prepared the National Mineral Policy 2012 to meet the Editor: Arif Nizami

challenges of large scale mining and enhance international competitiveness.

He was also briefed about the plans of the ministry to augment gas supplies in the country. These include Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline, TurkmenistanAfghanistan-Pakistan-India Pipeline (TAPI) and import of LNG and LPG. The prime minister was told that the country imported oil to the tune of Rs 15 billion dollars which formed 36 percent of the overall import bill of the country.

Besides, the value of the gas produced in the country is $4.3 billion and oil produced in the country is $2.4 billion.

The prime minister praised the efforts of the Ministry of Natural Resources for increasing the production of oil and gas in the country and expressed hope that the ministry’s efforts would lead towards energy security in the country.

Ashraf also approved a special grant of Rs 200 million for the Petroleum House being constructed in Islamabad.