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CEC wants army SC rejects Gilani’s review petition against at all polling stations, defence secy unwilling his disqualification PAGE |19
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Hekmatyar slams TTP for blocking girls’ education PAGES 09
rs 15.00 Vol iii no 187 19 pages Karachi edition
thursday, 3 January, 2013 safar 20, 1434
PPP, PML-N scramble to pre-empt ‘revolution’ g g
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Army shifts focus on internal security threats
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Senior official says Pakistan Army ready to face conventional and unconventional security challenges
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ISLAMABAD SHAIQ HUSSAIN
N a significant shift in its operational priorities for the first time in the 11-year-old war on terror, the Pakistan Army has declared the internal security challenges as major threat and danger to the country’s sovereignty.
Rehman Malik meets Altaf in London but fails to convince MQM chief against going ahead with ‘long march’ Nawaz tells party members no conspiracy to derail democracy or delay elections would be allowed to succeed KARACHI/LAHORE STAFF REPORT
According to a military doctrine published by the army, the guerilla warfare going on in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and on the western border as well as the terrorist attacks by some militant outfits on individuals and institutions have been dubbed as the biggest threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty. The doctrine is part of a 200-page publication known as Green Book which is pub-
lished by the army on a regular basis to review its operational preparedness and professional capabilities. In the newly published Green Book, a new chapter has been added with the title, Sub-conventional Warfare. Without naming any militant outfit, the new chapter also talks about the militant intrusion in Pakistani areas from across the border in Afghanistan. Continued on page 04
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain on Wednesday told Interior Minister Rehman Malik to stop wasting his energies and time by asking the party to reconsider its alliance with Dr Tahirul Qadri, and should head to Model Town Lahore if he wanted to discuss the prevalent political situation. The MQM, however, assured the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) that it would not part ways with the coalition government. Malik, the PPP’s lead trouble shooter, had headed to London on Wednesday to talk the MQM’s self-exiled chief Altaf Hussain out of his decision of supporting Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran chief Qadri’s planned long march on January 14. The visiting minister was told that news of MQM’s separation from the government and derailing the current democratic system were mere rumours. Despite MQM’s claims of all is good, the duo of Qadri and Altaf has sent ripples across the political pond. Continued on page 04
Qadri says ready for dialogue with president, pM | page 24
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RAWALPINDI: Thick fog blanketed the garrison city on Wednesday. ONLINE
OSD case: SC terms Establishment Division’s report unsatisfactory ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday termed Establishment Division’s report pertaining to the case of removing District Management Group (DMG) officers and making them Officers on Special Duty (OSD) unsatisfactory. A two-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Jawad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain heard the case. Justice Khawaja stated that the report submitted by the Establishment Division over making Hassan Waseem and Farkhana Waseem as OSDs for four years was unsatisfactory and said these officers were victimised. The SC issued another notice to the Establishment Division secretary and questioned as to why contempt of court proceedings should not be launched against him. The SC ordered Establishment Division to explain why it had violated the court’s orders and adjourned the hearing of the case for one week. ONLINE
No new VCs for UHS and KEMU, SC dismisses contempt petition LAHORE: A two-member bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a contempt petition against the Punjab government for not appointing regular vice chancellors in the University of Health Sciences (UHS) and King Edward Medical University (KEMU). The two-member bench comprising Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani and Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany heard the contempt petition filed by Prof. Dr Naseer at the Supreme Court. The petitioner’s counsel in March 2012, submitted before the bench that the SC ordered the Punjab government to appoint regular VCs of UHS and KEMU but the government failed to comply with court orders which was equivalent to contempt of court. However, Punjab Additional Advocate General Faisal Zaman explained that the government advertised the posts in newspapers on November 30 and candidates were being interviewed. He said both the posts will be filled after completion of selection process. The bench dismissed the contempt petition after hearing arguments from both parties. APP
PPP knows how to protect democracy, says PM Only a politician can become caretaker PM: Kaira
PIA stands overburdened with over 6,000 surplus staff ISLAMABAD: Over 6,000 unnecessary staffers are working in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) despite the fact that the entity is running a loss of Rs 13 billion per annum. Per statistics collected from PIA, the national airliner has to incur additional expenses of over Rs 1.1 billion per year on account of salaries and perks of the surplus staff. The sanctioned numbers of employees for PIA stand at 17,410 but 23,526 workers, including 3,058 daily wagers, continue working with the company. PIA is incurring a loss of more than Rs 31.50 million daily, raising the entity’s loss above one billion rupees per month. On the other hand, PIA management has decided to phase out 3,000 employees in the next year. However the incumbent government is not in favour of any move aimed at removing the employees in face of the upcoming general elections. A crew numbering 357 is deployed in every plane while only 150 crew members are required in line with the international standard set by civil aviation. ONLINE
Cabinet meets today to discuss Qadri’s long march ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet will meet today (Thursday) under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to discuss Tahirul Qadri’s march to Islamabad on the 14th of January and the support extended to it by government allies including the MQM and PML-Q, among other things. INP
thursday, 3 January, 2013
ISLAMABAD
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ONLINE
RIME Minister (PM) Raja Pervez Ashraf said Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) rendered infinite sacrifices for democracy and knows well how to protect it. Addressing a ceremony at the PM Secretariat where he distributed certificates of confirmation of services to temporary employees, the PM said those delivering lectures on democracy should first prove their credentials. Ashraf said democracy was the only solution to the nation’s problems. He added that the government had taken important decisions to pull the country out of crisis. The PM said if there was any lacuna in the pres-
FAISALABAD: Only a politician can become caretaker prime minister, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Wednesday. Talking to reporters, Kaira said the caretaker setup will be installed in consultation with the opposition and all other political parties. He said if Tahirul Qadri had a proposal for the betterment of the electoral process‚ he must present it to the Election Commission of Pakistan. “Tahirul Qadri is not a stakeholder and if he wants to be part of the system then he should contest the general elections,” Kaira said. The minister said the assemblies would complete their tenure on March 16 and the general elections would be held after two months of the date. “We have an independent media and a judiciary and no one has the courage to take undemocratic steps, he said. Kaira said the country faced internal and external challenges, including terrorism, law and order in Swat and Malakand, energy crisis, threat of isolation on the international front, economic recession, food crisis and floods when the government came to power in 2008 and the government did its best to cope with all these challenges. ONLINE ent system it could only be removed through the parliament and the constitution. He said everyone had the right to seek support of the people but the way to bring about change is through the ballot alone. He said it was for the first time that a neutral and independent election commission had been established to ensure holding of free‚ fair and transparent elections. He said if a democratically elected government completed five years the democratic process would
take roots and no one would be able to conspire against the system or impose their own agenda. Ashraf said the PPP believed in politics of people and that was why it had been pursuing peoplefriendly policies ever since its inception. The PM said the PPP government with the cooperation of other parties restored the disfigured constitution to its original form and the present parliament made record legislation during its tenure.
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IB funds case: SC declares DG Gorchani’s response unsatisfactory ISLAMABAD
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STAFF REPORT
HE Supreme Court on Wednesday declared unsatisfactory a response filed by Intelligence Bureau Director General Akhtar Hussain Gorchani in a case pertaining to the withdrawal of huge amounts of money from IB’s accounts by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) governments for political purposes in 1988-1990 and 2008-09.
A three-judge bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry heard the case on Wednesday. During the hearing, the bench directed the IB DG to produce the details of the bureau’s secret funds. The bench said it would summon former IB DG Tariq Lodhi if it found the details produced by the current DG unsatisfactory. The court moreover directed the treasury secretary to submit a reply on the withdrawal of Rs 270 million from
Saudi, Pakistan took up strategic ties, roadmap for future relationship: Khar JEDDAH: A roadmap of collaboration and cooperation to further strengthen strategic relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan figured prominently in talks between Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Prince Salman, the Saudi deputy premier and defence minister, and Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal. “I have had intensive discussions on the roadmap that will set out a new vision of relationship between the two countries,” the Pakistani foreign minister said in an interview with a leading Saudi newspaper, adding that the roadmap was agreed upon during the visit of Prince Abdulaziz Bin Abdullah to Pakistan a few months ago. The talks between Crown Prince Salman and Khar were followed by another round of consultations between Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and the visiting Pakistani minister at the Foreign Ministry yesterday. In her interview, Khar said the talks with Saudi leadership “focused mainly on the roadmap and on a range of bilateral and regional issues including Syria and Afghanistan”. Khar, wearing a black abaya, spoke very candidly on regional and international subjects besides giving an overview of the progressively growing RiyadhIslamabad relations with special reference to Pakistan’s presidency of the 15-member UN Security Council that began yesterday.INP
the IB’s secret funds along with concerned records. The bench stated that Lodhi had said that funds had been withdrawn from the bureau’s account, adding that the response filed by Gorchani on the matter was not satisfactory. Directing Gorchani to file his response again, the bench adjourned the hearing until Jan 8. On November 28, 2012, the Supreme Court had taken notice of a report that had appeared in an English daily on March 14, alleging that Rs 270
million had been withdrawn by the PPP government to dislodge the Punjab government in 2008-09. Asad Kharral, the reporter, appeared before the court and alleged that the plot could not succeed because of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s insistence on installing its chief minister in Punjab. Kharral also claimed that in addition to Rs 270 million, Rs 360 million were withdrawn by the PPP government in 1988-1990 to remove the governments in the then North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and other provinces.
Young doctors beat up seniors in Gujranwala GUJRANWALA: Young doctors on Wednesday beat up seniors, including the District Headquarters Hospital medical superintendent in Gujranwala. According to details, young doctors were protesting against blockage of their salaries by the Health Department. They stormed into the office of MS Dr Anwar Amanullah, tortured him and forced him out of the office. The young doctors also beat up reporters. During the brawl, furniture and windows in the MS office were also broken. Upon meeting resistance, they also roughed up other senior doctors. Meanwhile, police said they have arrested Young Doctors Association President Kashif Bilal and raided the hostel to arrest others. On the other hand, Punjab Young Doctors Association (PYDA) has announced to close outdoor services, including outdoor-patient departments (OPDs) across the province. STAFF REPORT
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PAC demands disclosure of media houses’ tax returns ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly on Wednesday demanded disclosure of tax returns of all media houses. The PAC meeting was held on Wednesday and was chaired by Nadeem Afzal Chan. Khawaja Asif of the PML-N raised the issue of disclosure of tax returns of parliamentarians in a recently-published book. He accused the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials of leaking parliamentarians’ tax return record. He also blamed the FBR for protecting former dictator Pervez Musharraf and demanded the disclosure of his tax returns too. Khawaja Asif and Hamid Yar Hirraj of the PML-Q also demanded publicising tax returns of media houses. Asif also demanded the names of those who had got their loans written off in the past 65 years. The PAC chairman instructed that the tax defaulters be immediately served notices. FBR Chairman Arshad Hakim informed the PAC that they had held a survey in which 2.9 million people were taxable, but only 0.8 million paid tax. He said the Hundi rate was 1.4 percent and the FBR was considering one percent charges on it for bringing it in the tax net. Noor Alam Khan questioned the clearance of NATO containers by Custom officials within 30 minutes without a proper checking. He said parliament passed a resolution that NATO supplies could not carry weapons and the same should be enforced. Chan said the NATO supplies issue was under discussion by the parliamentary committee on National security. NNI
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SC orders NAB to get Interpol warrant to nab Tauqir Sadiq ISLAMABAD TAYYAB HUSSAIN
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KABUL: An Afghan child holds his mother’s hand as poor families wait to receive food supplies at a UN relief camp on Wednesday. AgENcIEs
PTA, IT Ministry at odds over internet censorship system ISLAMABAD
tact the cabinet division for approval of the project. According to details about the project, a central point would be established by PTA from where all internet traffic inside the country would flow and objectionable content and pornographic websites would be filtered from there. Under the new mechanism, a URL filtering software worth $ 5 million would also be installed at four landing stations of ‘submarine cable’ which would control internet content on mobile phones as well. According to media reports, various objections are being raised on such systems
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Ministry of Information Technology are at odds over installation of a system to regulate and monitor websites, their contents and internet content filtration, Pakistan Today has learnt. According to details, PTA had submitted a proposal with the ministry for installation of a system to regulate and monitor websites, their contents and internet content filtration. The system which is being imported from China is expected to control internet
traffic and activities across the country per PTA policies. PTA was holding consultations over this new project with other stakeholders for national security including Ministry of Interior, Armed Forces of Pakistan, various intelligence agencies and NTSC. Sources privy to the Ministry for Information Technology told Pakistan Today that the ministry had a few reservations regarding the system, its capabilities and above all its massive cost, following which it rejected PC-I of the project that was forwarded by the PTA. The source also said the ministry directed PTA to con-
7 security men abducted
PPP, PML-N scramble
ANWER ABBAS
KOHAT ONLINE
At least seven security personnel were abducted in area near the Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border on Wednesday. Sources said the security officials were heading back to duty to Bannu from Rawalpindi after spending holidays in their hometowns when unidentified armed men abducted them. The sources said the security officials were kidnapped after they identified themselves. The incident took place a couple of days after Taliban dumped bodies of 21 soldiers after kidnapping them from a checkpost in FR Peshawar area.
Khan baig made additional Punjab iG MOnITORInG DESK Punjab Highway Patrol Additional IG Khan Baig was on Wednesday appointed the Punjab additional IG and given an additional charge of Punjab inspector general of police. A notification in this regard has been issued by the Punjab government. Baig was born in 1954 and belongs to the 8th common course. Reports said Baig had earlier served in Karachi, Faisalabad, Saikot and Quetta, and also served Sargodha as the RPO. He became an ASP in 1980 and promoted as an SP in 1987. Baig was appointed the Highways Patrol additional IG in 2011. He has been replaced by Malik Khuda Baksh as the Highway Patrol additional IG.
thursday, 3 January, 2013
Continued froM page 01
The president had the other day called PM Pervez Ashraf to Karachi to discuss the emerging alliance and talks of revolution, while the country’s main opposition, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, also called in a meeting in Lahore to discuss the newborn alliance. An affirmative Nawaz Sharif told his party members that the country did not need imported politicians and the nation was sick and tired of political gimmicks. Nawaz said launching a long march was the democratic right of every party, but no one was allowed to take
the law into their hands. The PML-N chief said no conspiracy to derail democracy or delay elections would be allowed to succeed and all opposition parties would be contacted to defeat conspiracies and ensure holding of elections on schedule. Meanwhile, an MQM statement said the party chief told Malik to meet Dr Tahirul Qadri to find a way out of the crisis. “It will be advised that a high-powered delegation of the PPP meets Dr Tahirul Qadri for obtaining information and knowing about his reservations,” the statement quoted Altaf as telling Malik. The delegation, he said,
which contend that after installation of the particular system, electronic mails (emails), mobile phone internet traffic and mobile phone calls would likely be monitored by the government. On the other hand, PTA Chairman Farooq Ahmed Khan has denied the formation of a mechanism that would monitor emails and phone calls in Pakistan saying PTA does not have the mandate to implement such a system. However, he confirmed that in the next 60 days a new mechanism for blocking un-Islamic, pornographic and blasphemous material from websites will be activated.
should directly ask Dr Qadri what sort of reforms he wanted. The MQM chief negated the impression that by participating in the long march, his party wanted to derail the democratic setup or was intent to quit the ruling coalition. “Rumours of the MQM leaving the government, wanting to delay the polls in the guise of the long march or the party being keen on derailing the democratic system are all misleading heresy,” Altaf told the interior minister. Altaf said he and Dr Qadri had vehemently denied such “rumours” on several occasions.
HE disappointing performance of Motorway Police to track down the former chairman of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Tauqir Sadiq, has led the Supreme Court on Wednesday to direct the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to get a perpetual warrant issued with Interpol help for the arrest of the accused, who has allegedly fled to Nepal. A two-member bench comprising Justice Jawwad S. Khwaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain also asked IG Motorway Police Zafar Abbas to submit a comprehensive report on the officers who failed to trace Tauqir Sadiq’s vehicle. The court also ordered the Federal Investigation Agency
more than 60,000 killed in Syria conflict: un GEnEvA AgENCIES
More than 60,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime erupted in March 2011, a top UN official said on Wednesday. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said an exhaustive analysis carried out by data specialists showed that 59,648 people had died through the end of November. “Given there has been no let-up in the conflict since the end of November, we can assume that more than 60,000 people have been killed by the beginning of 2013,” Pillay concluded in a statement. “The number of casualties is much higher than we expected, and is truly shocking,” she said. Pillay had said in December 2011 that the UN was unable to provide a precise figure on the number of deaths, and media have been relying on the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based watchdog, which on Monday had put the total number of those killed at more than 46,000.
(FIA) to cancel Sadiq’s two passports. The courts demanded the reports till Thursday and adjourned the case. Earlier, the Motorway Police IG submitted a report regarding its efforts to arrest Sadiq. The court also sought a report from the Acting Inspector General Police Punjab within a period of six days. The court demanded details of the police officers responsible of the 18-member police team which had left for Kathmandu to arrest the absconder on December 27. The bench also took up the implementation issue of its verdict over the appointment of former head of (OGRA), which was declared as illegal. The bench in its order said that the report submitted by the IG Motorway Police was not only perfunctory but also incomplete. It said that despite tele-
phonic information by a NAB deputy director on October 7, prima facie, no necessary action was taken. The bench was surprised at NAB that the top watchdog was hampered in its prosecution efforts as a reference against the absconder had been pending for a considerable period of time. During proceedings, Fauzee Ali Zafar, a NAB official, apprised the bench that a reference against the absconder could not be taken up as an administrative judge had yet to be appointed. The bench directed Deputy Attorney General Dil Muhammad Alizai to get information from the Ministry of Law and Justice regarding non appointment of administrative judge of the Accountability Court Rawalpindi; (NAB) maintains that their reference had not even been numbered due to non appointment.
The threats within It merits mention that India has always been considered as Pakistan’s enemy No 1 by the country’s defence and security circles, but this is the first time that internal security hazards have been dubbed as more serious threat to the country’s sovereignty, which is a significant shift in the army’s doctrine. Seeking anonymity, a senior army official confirmed the contents of the book. However, he said the Pakistan Army was ready to face all conventional and unconventional security challenges. The inclusion of new chapter in the book is meant to prepare the army cadres to face this new warfare and threat as well as to acquire the required public support in this regard. The distribution of the green-colored book is underway among the army officials whereas in future at some proper time, this publication could also be made part of the army’s website for general public. The book says that
some organisations and elements are hell-bent on harming the country’s sovereignty and terrorist attacks were being carried out in the tribal and settled areas for this purpose. It says that the terrorist attacks are being planned and executed in a cruel way and to counter them a high-level preparedness and befitting response are needed. A security official said that the notion of absence of any serious threat on the country’s western border and the concentration of almost all defence power on the eastern frontier resulted in the inability of security forces to detect the American helicopters that flew from Afghanistan to Abbottabad on May 2, 2011 to kill Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. He said the lack of defence capabilities of local military commanders in Salala (Mohmand Agency) back in November 2011 to stop and repulse the NATO assault on Pakistani border posts, which killed several soldiers, also led to the creation of the new doctrine.
years of fighting, they have been deprived of the usual al Qaeda patronage – some killed, others driven away – and the resulting funding squeeze has led them to turn to kidnapping and extortion to fund most of their activities. Beaten in the mountains, they seem turning attention to commercial centres, even as the strategy risks military reaction than will certainly wipe out their remaining sanctuaries. But such action, if untimely, will expose the civilian population to savage retribution attacks from a dying guerilla force. With the military heavily involved in FATA, and an eerie status quo establishing itself ahead of the American drawdown from Afghanistan, the government wishes to avoid driv-
ing the Taliban into a corner. There is also the feeling, on both sides, that enough blood has been spilled. Even military officials acknowledge the heavy civilian casualties incurred in the tribal area, spawning a hatred that stems from a culture of vendetta, and finds an accommodating voice in the TTP rebellion. The ultimate choice, it seems, is between being drawn into renewed violence in our main cities, and a compromise that factors in, and accounts for, losses on all sides. And that will happen by engaging with commanders that are more open to dialogue than the hardline bunch that has so far dominated the TTP, not by the interior minister’s preferred approach, which amounts to discouraging real progress.
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Talking to the Taliban – I LAHORE SHAHAB JAFRY
Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s insistence that a voluntary disarmament by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) must precede peace talks may actually be the biggest hurdle in the way of meaningful negotiations, Pakistan Today has learnt. TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud broke from his longheld position of no discussions with the government last week, even as he ruled out giving up arms and added pre-conditions the government was sure to reject. Yet increased flexibility from both sides is a sign of the realisation, analysts say that only dialogue can bring an end to the insurgency, which has drained military re-
sources and brought unprecedented hardship to the tribal area. THROWBAck TO BLAck cAp DAyS: The Taliban have a history of not responding well to conditions that interfere with the tribal setup, even if certain issues hold little relevance to the insurgency. “The disarmament precondition is a throwback to the black cap days,” said an analyst familiar with the insurgency, referring to the time when observers faulted the government’s failure to leverage a peace initiative from Bajaur Agency strongman and former TTP number 2 Maulvi Faqir Mohammad in ’10. Taliban wore black caps and turbans in those days, and the government’s re-
peated demands to end the practice (of displaying Taliban symbols) typified official focus on issues that were not central to the militant rebellion. “If only the government overlooked the black caps, they would most likely disappear themselves,” Maulvi Faqir was quoted as saying. Faqir’s maneuver failed, and Hakeemullah disciplined him by demotion to ordinary foot soldier. The possibility of exploring an alternative to the confrontation was lost even as black caps slowly fell out of favour. Significantly, Hakeemullah’s hint at talks comes at a time when military action and drone strikes have considerably downgraded al Qaeda and TTP sanctuaries across FATA. There is also
talk of a leadership tussle in the TTP, though with little documentary evidence. “Even the urbanisation of the insurgency points more to desperation than a planned expansion of operations,” said intelligence officers on condition of anonymity. “These are hit and run tactics that feed on impact value. The Taliban know they invite strong military backlash, and also provoke revulsion in the public. In the long run they work against the TTP”. ENOUGH BLOOD SpILLED: The TTP insurgency is in a state of temporary stalemate, at least until a possible military incursion into North Waziristan, or a wider, more coordinated militant push into main cities. For the Taliban, this is a watershed moment. In recent
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mQm observes mourning over killings
KARACHI: Security personnel collect evidence from the site of a blast near Ayesha Manzil. ONLINE
Shahzeb Khan murder case
Suspect’s family manager, security guard arrested KARACHI
Five more civilians killed, 17 felons arrested
NNI
After the apex court took notice of the Shahzeb Khan’s murder case, Karachi police have made key arrests in hopes of tracking down the fleeing duo of alleged killers identified as Shahrukh Jatoi and Siraj Talpur. According to sources, the police investigation team have arrested a manager of Jatoi family and business affairs near Karachi’s Supreme Court registry. The manager is now in being held at an undisclosed location under the custody of police. He was identified as Mustafa Jatoi. According to police, the case is in good progress and despite the negative speculations they are hopeful that the culprits will be traced and arrested within a few days. Two days earlier, the police raided a location in Dadu in hopes of catching the culprits but they somehow managed to escape arrest and fled. It is believed they managed to flee the raid because of insiders’ information from within the police. Three days earlier, a security guard who was believed to be accompanying Shahrukh Jatoi at the time of the incident, was also arrested by the police. However, a case was not registered against the security guard as there was no evidence of him being an accessory to Shahzeb Khan’s murder. Shahzeb was allegedly murdered by Shahrukh Jatoi within the Defence area when bullets were haphazardly sprayed on his car. The incident occurred following an argument between Nawab Siraj Talpur and Shahzeb Khan wherein the latter’s sister was harassed by the former’s servant. Talpur and Jatoi followed Shahzeb and later shot him dead by spraying bullets at his car.
KARACHI
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STAFF REPORT
T least five persons including two police guards were killed in separate incidents of violence at different parts of the metropolis here on Wednesday. According to police and rescue sources, two brothers were targeted at Shah Abdul Latif Bhattai Road when they were on the way to Karachi University to sit in B. Com examination. SHO Jan Khan Niazi said that unidentified armed riders sprayed a volley of bullets when the victims, who were identified as twin brothers Jamal Zafar and Haider Latif, sons of Abdul Ghafoor, stationed their car (AHD-392) at a Tyre shop located in the limits of the Kalri Police Station. Resultantly, both brothers sustained bullet wounds while Jamal succumbed to his injuries on the way to Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK). Doctors at the hospital admitted Haider into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) while terming his condition critical. He said the victims were the residents of Bihar colony and added that the eyewitnesses in their statement revealed that the assailants came on a 125 CC motorcycle from the same street where the victims resided. Replying to a question, he said it was premature to say whether the motive behind the said attack was sectarian or personal enmity. Meanwhile, investigation was underway to ascertain the facts behind the incident. He said the father of the victims was a doctor and employed in Lyari General Hospital. A case 1/13 was registered against unknown attackers.
In another incident, two police guards lost their lives when they offered resistance during a robbery bid near Banaras Bridge in the jurisdiction of the Pirabad Police Station. SHO Faryad Hussain said the deceased, identified as Rizwan and Naeem, were police guards. He said unidentified armed men intercepted a GPO van to loot it. Meanwhile, these police guards sustained fatal bullet wounds when they offered resistance near Banaras Bridge. No case was registered till the filing of this report. Meanwhile, a brother of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) member namely Rameez, son of Mohiuddin, was targeted near Usmania Hotel in the limits of the Jamsheed Quarters Police Station. SHO Inayatullah Marwat said the deceased was the brother of MQM member and might have been killed on political grounds. No case was registered till the filing of this report. Furthermore, another man was gunned down on a flyover near Habib Bank Chowrangi when he was travelling in his car in the jurisdiction of the SITE-A Police Station. SHO Rao Rafiq said the deceased was identified as Javed Aziz and the motive behind his murder was yet to be ascertained. Meanwhile, an alleged bandit was killed while 17 other felons were arrested in separate raids conducted by the security forces of the provincial metropolis. According to Gulshan police, an alleged looter was killed while his accomplice managed to flee during a police encounter that took place at block 13-D, Gulshan Iqbal Area. On being informed by a passerby, the police patrolling party
rushed to the spot and tried to intercept two alleged bandits riding a motorcycle. Instead of surrendering themselves, these alleged bandits challenged the police party and opened indiscriminate firing on them with the aim to get an escape route under the cover of heavy fire. In retaliation, one of the bandits got injured while the other managed to flee. The injured person, who was identified as Imran son of Habib, succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital. Gulshan police said the case 2/13 under sections 353 and 324 of Pakistan Penal Code was registered against them. Meanwhile, Anti Extremist Cell (AEC) of Crime Investigation Department (CID) claimed to have arrested 17 notorious criminals with weapons during raids at Shersha, Maripur, Frontier Colony, Mochko and New Karachi. The officials said the detained persons were identified as Abdul Hameed, Muhammad Khaliq, Israr Shah, Rehan, Talat, Kashif, Asif, Moiez, Nafees, Yousuf, Muhammad Hafiz, Rizwan, Ghulam Muhammad, Qasim, Shakeel alias Hakla, Mateen and Moin. They also claimed to have recovered two Kalashnikovs, 11 pistols, five hand grenades, one repeater, two rifles and 10 kilograms of hashish from them. They said the accused persons during the initial course of investigation confessed to being involved in several heinous crimes including murders, police encounters, robberies and others. Cases in this regard were registered against the nabbed criminals and a probe had been initiated to enable the arrests of the other accomplices.
kARAcHI: The Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) observed a day of mourning on Wednesday to express grief over the killings of its party workers in Tuesday’s blast near Ayesha Manzil in Karachi. It should be mentioned here that a bomb exploded near a bus carrying MQM workers in a crowded area of the city on Tuesday killing at least four people and wounding 50, police said. The bomb appeared to have been planted in a motorbike. Earlier, a political rally was organised by the Muttahida and Tahir-ul-Qadri’s Tehreek-e-Minhaj-ul-Quran at Jinnah Ground, Aziazabad, in connection with January 14 long march. According to a statement, MQM Chief Altaf Hussain endorsed the decision by the party’s co-ordination committee which said all organisational activities of the party throughout the country would remain suspended on Wednesday and fateha would be offered for the deceased. The co-ordination committee made it clear that business activities would continue and public transport would run as usual. Shops and business centers would also remain open. Hussain announced two lakhs of rupees for each martyred worker and directed the co-ordination committee and the medical aid committee of the MQM to provide full assistance to the injured. NNI
Pima to hold free eye screening camps kARAcHI: Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) Karachi will organise a free eye screening camps in Liyari, Saddar, Dariabad, Akhtar Colony, Baloch Colony and cattle colony on Sunday. PIMA Spokesman said this in a statement issued here on Wednesday. Specialist doctors and ophthalmologists will examine patients and select them for free cataract surgeries on 13 January at Adamjee Hospital. PIMA is playing a pivotal role in holding free eye camps to render diagnostic and surgical services in far flung areas free of cost. Earlier, PIMA Relief Karachi and Prevention of Blindness (POB) Trust organised free eye surgery camp on 22 December and more than 135 free cataract surgeries were conducted. NNI
Ji demands sacking of health minister kARAcHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) held the Sindh health minister responsible for deaths of innocent children due to measles. In a statement issued here on Wednesday, JI leaders Muzaffar Hashmi, Laeeq Khan, Nusrullah Shajih, Hameedullah Advocate and Yunus Barai expressed their deep concern over deaths due to measles and demanded to sack the provincial health minister and register a case against him. They said many mothers had lost their children due to the negligence of Sindh government and its health minister. “The measles has been proved deadly as the federal and provincial health departments did not issue tenders for the purchase of the vaccine to prevent measles,” they blamed. They said after the devolution of health department, it was the responsibility of provincial health department to arrange measles vaccine before winter but unfortunately the government failed to pay heed towards this serious issue. NNI
thursday, 2 January, 2013
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06 Karachi national level project on ‘education Sector reforms in Pakistan’ launched kARAcHI: Human Development Foundation launched a national level project entitled “Advocacy Campaign for Education sector reforms in Pakistan” under USAID’s Citizens’ Voice Project in four districts of Pakistan-one district in each province. These provinces are: Mardan, (KPK), Tando Muhammad Khan (Sindh), Rahim Yar Khan (Punjab) & Zhob (Baluchistan).The activities of advocacy campaign are based upon the data collected through a base line survey conducted in these districts. The survey results have helped in knowing the awareness level of the masses of those areas about the clause 25-A of the constitution & other issues relating to education and designing different activities for the achievement of the advocacy project. The campaign is being done through conveying messages to the masses through Radio in regional languages at the district level and building capacities of community organizations working at grass-roots level.
SSuet to hold orientation day
HYDERABAD: A laboratory assistant collects blood sample from a Measles victim in the isolation ward of Civil Hospital. ONLINE
trade and industry condemns increase in gas prices kARAcHI: Trade and Industry has widely rejected the massive increase in gas prices terming it another blow to the industry and the economy of the country. In a statement Patron In-Chief Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) S M Muneer, Chairman Mohammad Zubair Chhaya, President All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Mian Zahid Hussain and Vice Chairmen Najmul Arfeen have condemned the frequent raises in utility charges particularly gas prices by the present regime. On the decision taken by Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to increase gas prices by 6.1 per cent per mm BTU for all consumer categories as highly cruel and detrimental to the local and export-oriented industry. “It seems that government will not leave any opportunity to hit the industry hard and to create worst ever joblessness in the country through its antiindustry and anti-economy decisions”, Zubair Chhaya said adding that industry is suffering hardest time since the inception of Pakistan due to repeated blows of frequent increases in utility prices and cost of doing business has crossed all proportions besides worst ever law and order situation prevailing in the industrial hub of the country. NNI
President directs measures against fuel shortage KARACHI
p
NNI
RESIDENT Asif Ali Zardari has directed the government to take immediate measures for overcoming fuel shortage. He was talking to Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf during a meeting in Karachi on Wednesday. Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh was also present in the meeting. The president also asked the prime minister to direct the concerned authorities for taking appropriate measures to resolve energy shortage being faced by the people. The finance minister briefed the president regarding steps being taken by the government to tackle the situation. Both the leader also discussed overall political and economic situation of the country during the meeting. The president and prime minister
kARAcHI: Preparations have started for new classes at Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology. While admission process has completed, the university has decided to start the new first semester session from January 21 while classes for rest of the semesters will commence from January 24. The university has started arrangements for the “Orientation Day”, a ceremony which marks the beginning of new semester, on January 21. On this day the students are addressed by the chancellor, vice-chancellor, chairmen of various departments and the Registrar who educate the new entrants about their responsibilities and guide them about their academic activities. The university conducts courses in engineering disciplines of computer, electronics, civil, bio-medical and telecom besides computer science. The university at present has over 6,000 students in these engineering fields on its roll. It has been granted the highest category by Pakistan Engineering Council as well as by Higher Education Commission. NNI
Pitb launches data centre said the political activities were not prohibited but stressed that all activities should remain in limits of political process. The prime minister also briefed the president about the energy situa-
tion in the country and various steps being taken to overcome shortage of gas and electricity. Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was also present during the meeting.
kARAcHI: The Pakistan Information Technology Board (PITB) is launching its data centre and cloud computing services. The launching ceremony is going to hold at Sheraton Karachi today. Number of respective IT concerns is invited at the launching event. This will mark as another establishment of the government’s first public cloud by PITB. The PITB cloud will offer all required services of a Tier-III (Intl Standard) compliant data centre to host applications and services of public and private sector. The cloud computing services project, which is named “cloud for everyone”, offers public and private sector four diverse packages VPS hosting, hosted exchange, share-point hosting and website hosting. These services have the capability to cater hosting and IT needs of well-established businesses as well as start-ups at compensable price range. NNI
cid police arrest 2 terrorists
KARACHI: Rangers officer removes hurdles from the road during riots which broke out due to the kidnapping of a trader from the area of Tariq Road. ONLINE
thursday, 3 January, 2013
kARAcHI: The crime investigation department (CID) of police has arrested two members belonging to a banned outfit from Sultanabad area of the city on Wednesday. According to the CID police, the terrorists belonged to a banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangwi and were involved in various incidents of crime including target killings. The police also recovered huge amount of weapons from their possession. The terrorists were identified as Kashif alias Shooter and Tariq. They were also involved in an attack on the rally taken out against blasphemy. NNI
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city directory KARACHI
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emerGency helP reScue 1122 edhi control 115, 32310066, 2310077 motorway Police 130 Police 15 GoVernor’S houSe 136 chief miniSter’S houSe 99202051 fire briGade 16, 99215007-8 bomb diSPoSal 15, 99212667 red creScent 35833973 Khidmat-e-KhalQ foundation 36333811
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when educating farmers regarding proper land utilisation like land leveling and introduction of water saving irrigation practices including furrow irrigation, trickle drip and sprinkler types. The irrigation department could introduce such projects in their respective provinces where water saving goals could be practically achieved. These projects could be based on techniques like lining the earthen channels in saline zone areas and other related measures. The government should adopt the latest irrigation practices and management techniques while arranging substantial funds to accommodate and implement more projects related to water conservation by constructing more dams. A major policy needed to be prepared by the federal and provincial governments for implementation within the line department so as to face abnormal climate changes threatening world food security. A senior official of the irrigation department requesting anonymity told Pakistan Today that it had been decided that the farmers wasting irrigation water would be penalised and strict action would be taken against them. Besides, the Sindh chief minister would shortly chair a high-level meeting that would give approval for the other measures that could help save the country from the implications of a world food crisis.
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colleGeS / uniVerSitieS Karachi uniVerSity ned uniVerSity fuuaSt duhS Smic faSt-nu SzabiSt iobm iba iVS
ITH abnormal climate patterns threatening global food production, the Sindh government is likely to impose a penalty on farmers for wasting irrigation water in the province so that such adverse circumstances could be averted. “During monsoon season in particular and in Kharif/Rabi season in general, the unattended water resources, goes into the drains and gets wasted. There must be a regulation for penalising the party at fault,” mentioned the summary forwarded to the chief secretary by the irrigation department, a copy of which is exclusively available with Pakistan Today. Pakistan had experienced low monsoon rains and so far these were largely below normal. Water level in the country’s reservoirs was the lowest in many years which could affect water availability for the next winter wheat crop. All these analysis indicated that the world was fast leading towards another global food crisis. If we recall 2007-08 food crisis that sparked food riots in more than 30 developing countries, the expected shortages this time were estimated to be at more dangerous levels than the previous shortfall. To save Pakistan from the adverse impact of a global food crisis, the country needed to develop appropriate contingency plans and to see how best it could deal with minimum impacts of drought on Pakistani citizens, particularly the poor people. There is no doubt that due to global warming and the resulting emergence of unpredictable weather patterns, the world was passing through metaphysical changes in the climate pattern. Therefore, countries throughout the world had been facing untimely rains/flood, which would ultimately affect the agro economy and could most likely result in international food crisis. Nowadays, many media outlets had been seen quoting examples of drought prevailing in the United States of America, Russia, Canada, Australia, Brazil and other countries, but the above mentioned department was of the opinion that whereas all the above mentioned countries had separate weather conditions, but the idea of a global climatic catastrophe could not necessarily be rationalised in context of the Asian continent. After the super floods of 2010 and the subsequent un-precedent rainfalls of 2011, the Meteorological Department had forecasted ever increasing thunder storms and heavy rainfalls
during the current monsoon season also, and the people particularly growers had been living in fear ever since they witnessed first-hand the devastation of 2010 and 2011 floods. They were even reluctant to cultivate their lands, so much so that the government had to intervene and educated the masses through the electronic and print media in a bid to persuade them to sow current season’s crops. In a nutshell, the country had been self-sufficient in terms of food, and with the blessing of Almighty Allah would remain the same during the coming decades. However, the threat of global food crisis was a matter of concern and keeping in view the warning of the Met office in mind, the ministries concerned should definitely take preventive measures in this regard. Meanwhile, from the perspective of water resources planning and management authorities, the following measures should be taken to avert the negative future impacts of an international food crisis. There was a need for introducing low water consumption agricultural practices in the country. In this regard, the agriculture department could be consulted to arrange high yielding seeds and develop awareness programmes for the stakeholders. Using innovative irrigation practices which would consume less water while the agriculture department of the country could be consulted
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In, At And ArOund - VIsuAl exPerIences Of MeMOry And trAVel
date: Jan 10 - 17, 2013
PIcAssO In PAKIstAn
date: dec 24, 2012 to feb 02, 2013
eMAc - PArAGlIdInG In KArAcHI
date: dec 21, 2012 to Jan 06, 2013
Venue: unicorn Gallery Karachi
Venue: Gandhara art SPace
Venue: mubaraK VillaGe Karachi,
´in, at and around´ an exhibition of urban landscapes by Pakistani artist, Soraya Sikander on 10 till 17 January 2013 at unicorn Gallery, Karachi, creates awareness about eco-diversity, deforstation and rapid urbanisation. the exhibition features seventeen exclusive paintings created on-site around areas in london and Karachi. the artist traveled around london and trill during her time at Slade School of fine art, where she produced these sensitive works as a response to a changing world.
“abstract art is only painting. and what’s so dramatic about that? there is no abstract art. one must always begin with something. afterwards one can remove all semblance of reality; there is no longer any danger as the idea of the object has left an indelible imprint. it is the object which aroused the artist, stimulated his ideas and set of his emotions. boisgeloup, winter 1934, Quoted in letters of the great artists – from blake to Pollock -, richard friedenthal, thames and hudson, london, 1963, pp. 256-257 (translation daphne woodward)
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thursday, 3 January, 2013
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08 News CAR rebels warned against capital takeover BANGUI: The commander of the regional African force FOMAC has warned rebels in the Central African Republic against any attempt to take Damara, the last strategic town between them and the country's capital Bangui. "Let it be clear, we will not give up Damara," General Jean-Felix Akaga said on Wednesday. "If the rebels attack Damara that would amount to a declaration of war and would mean that they have decided to engage the 10 central African states," he told reporters in Bangui. "I honestly don't think they will go that far." Akaga said Bangui was well secured by FOMAC troops and reiterated that Damara remained the last key governmentcontrolled town before the capital located 75km away. "The red line is Damara," he said. The rebels, who began their campaign a month ago and have taken several key towns and cities, have accused Central African Republic leader Francois Bozize of failing to honour a 2007 peace deal. They said they had halted their advance on the capital on Wednesday and would start peace talks, averting a clash with regionally-backed troops in the mineral-rich nation. The announcement gave only a limited reprieve for President Francois Bozize as the rebels told Reuters they might insist on his removal in the negotiations in Gabon's capital Libreville. "I have asked our forces not to move their positions starting today because we want to enter talks in Libreville for a political solution," rebel spokesman Eric Massi told Reuters by telephone from Paris. AgENCIES
Philippine communist rebels call off truce MANILA: Communist rebels in the Philippines have called off a truce with the government, almost two weeks ahead of schedule, raising concerns about the future of peace talks. The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) blamed the government for their action on Wednesday, but a spokesman for President Benigno Aquino said the CPP just wanted an excuse to cut the ceasefire short. A CPP statement said the truce, originally scheduled to run from December 20 to January 15, had ended at noon on Wednesday because it believed the government only wanted a truce to remain in place until then. "The [communist New People's Army (NPA)] and the people's militias should immediately assume an offensive posture and confront and frustrate the enemy campaigns of suppression," the statement said. However, Aquino's spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government would observe the ceasefire until January 15. He said the rebels had found an extended ceasefire to be "detrimental" to them so they chose to cut it short and blame the government. "The CPP-NPA has always been making excuses... and now they're coming up with other stumbling blocks to peace," Lacierda told reporters. AgENCIES
Venezuela VP says Chavez 'conscious' cARAcAS: Venezuela's vice-president has said that President Hugo Chavez, who underwent surgery for cancer in Cuba for a fourth time, is "completely conscious of the complexity of his post-operative state". In a televised interview in Cuba, Maduro said he had met Chavez twice and that the president seemed to have "the same strength as always". Maduro's comments came amid rumours, some of which circulated online, that Chavez's health had deteriorated and that he was in coma. "All the time we've been hoping for his positive evolution. Sometimes he has had light improvements, sometimes stationary situations," Maduro said in the prerecorded interview, which was broadcast on Tuesday night by the Caracas-based television network Telesur. "I was able to see him twice, converse with him. He's totally conscious of the complexity of his post-operative state and he expressly asked us ... to keep the nation informed always, always with the truth, as hard as it may be in certain circumstances," said Maduro who was handpicked by the president before he travelled for Cuba for his latest round of surgery. Maduro, who is returning to Venezuela on Wednesday, did not discuss the January 10 inauguration plans for the president who won re-election last October, saying only that he was hopeful Chavez would improve. The news may help dispel rumours that Maduro's visit was a sign that the former soldier was near death. AgENCIES
ALEPPO: A Free Syrian Army fighter pulls a boy off the street as a sniper fires during clashes with forces loyal to the president on Wednesday. AgENcIEs
Fighting rages at Syria airbase DAMASCuS
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AgENCIES
IERCE fighting has resumed between President Bashar al-Assad's forces and opposition fighters after rebels attacked regime troops stationed around an airbase in northwestern Syria, a watchdog says. Wednesday’s Clashes between rebel fighters and al-Assad's forces at airbase in Idlib province killed four armed men and an unknown number of soldiers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The monitoring group said Syrian rebels fired machineguns and mortars at helicopters grounded at the Afis military airport near the main Aleppo-Damascus highway on Wednesday. The rebel assault came after authorities announced the temporary closure of the international airport in Aleppo province on Tuesday, after days of attacks there by the rebels who hold vast swathes of territory in northern Syria. A local resident told AFP news agency that the army was carrying out air raids around the Taftanaz base in an attempt to repel the multi-pronged attack.
Fighting also broke out around the crucial Wadi Deif base, one of the last regime bastions in northwestern Syria, the Britain-based Observatory said, in a fresh bid to wrest control of the strategic post. Rebels captured the nearby town of Maaret alNuman, located on the important DamascusAleppo highway, in October. Regime warplanes also bombed the town of Moadamiyet al-Sham, southwest of the capital, killing at least 12 members of the same family, most of them children, the watchdog said. Warplanes also attacked the towns of Shebaa to the southeast and Deir Assafir south of Damascus, where 11 children were killed in November when cluster bombs were dropped on a playground, according to Human Rights Watch. The deadly strikes came as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad battled rebels with artillery fire in Harasta and Douma, rebel strongholds to the northeast of the capital, and in Daraya to the southwest. Army reinforcements have been massing for weeks in Daraya in a bid to drive rebel Free Syrian Army fighters from the town, the site of the bloodiest massacre of the conflict in which hundreds died in August.
Angola stampede: 16 killed at New Year vigil LUANDA: At least 16 people, including four children, have been killed in a stampede during a religious gathering at a stadium in the Angolan capital. Angop, the Angolan news agency, cited officials as saying that 120 people were hurt in the crush in the southern African nation's capital, Luanda. It came as Ivory Coast, in western Africa, began three days of national mourning after a stampede among crowds gathered for New Year's Eve fireworks left at least 60 people dead and hundreds injured. The deadly crush in Angola also happened on New Year's Eve, when panic spread amongst the tens of thousands of people gathered at the stadium for the evangelical vigil. Paulo Gaspar de Almeida, deputy commander-general of the Angolan police, said the victims were killed "due to asphyxia, shoving and trampling of faithful at the entrance of Cidadela stadium". The event was organised by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, an evangelical group founded in Brazil in 1977. "We were expecting 70,000 people but far more turned up," Ferner Batalha, a bishop of the church, was quoted as saying. The Ivory Coast government said 60 people had died in the crush in Abidjan and the average age of those killed was 18. Earlier, the head of military rescue workers, Lieutenant Colonel Issa Sako, told journalists that 61 had died. AgENCIES
India rapists ‘tried to run over victim’ nEw DELHI AgENCIES
The gang of rapists, who brutally assaulted a 23-year old woman on a bus in New Delhi last month, had tried to run her over with the vehicle after the attack, according to reports which cite a grisly police account of the incident. The victim's boyfriend, who was beaten up and thrown off the bus after the woman had been repeatedly raped, managed to pull her to safety just in time, police are set to allege in a 1,000page charge sheet to be presented in court on Thursday. "The woman and her friend were stripped and thrown out of
thursday, 3 January, 2013
the bus," The Indian Express reported. "Her friend pulled her away when he saw the bus reversing to run her over." The victim, a medical student, died from her injuries in a Singapore hospital on Saturday after a 13-day struggle to survive injuries so grievous that her intestines had to be removed. She also underwent three major surgeries and suffered a cardiac arrest before being flown to Singapore. Indian prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty for the men accused of gang-raping her. Five men have been arrested and are expected on Thursday to formally face murder and rape charges in a fast-track
court set up to try them. A sixth suspect is thought to be aged 17 and is expected to be tried in a court for juveniles. The victim, whose ordeal has brought simmering anger about widespread sex crime in India to the boil, bit three of her attackers as she attempted to fight them off, local newspapers and TV reports said on Wednesday. These injuries on the suspects, as well as forensic evidence such a blood, semen and hair samples and the testimony of the injured boyfriend, are expected to form the main evidence against the accused, police sources said. The Times of India newspaper said the charge sheet would likely begin with
details on how the driver of the private vehicle, who allegedly took part in the rape, got his group of friends together and set out for a joyride. One of the charges against the accused relates to the destruction of evidence, the paper said, since the driver had tried to wash the bus and had burned the clothes that were snatched from the victim. The brutality and horrific nature of the attack led to protests in the capital and elsewhere and prompted calls for the death penalty for the rapists. The government set up a special 13-member committee on Tuesday to look into safety issues and review the functioning of Delhi police on a regular basis.
egypt cracks down on satirists and media CAIRO AgENCIES
An Egyptian satirist who has made fun of President Mohamed Morsi on television will be investigated by prosecutors following an accusation that he undermined the leader's standing, a judicial source has said. Bassem Youssef's case will likely increase concerns over freedom of speech in the post-Hosni Mubarak era, especially when the country's new constitution includes provisions criticised by rights activists for, among other things, said the source on Tuesday, forbidding insults. In a separate case, one of Egypt's leading independent newspapers said it was being investigated by the prosecutor following a complaint from the presidency, which accused it of publishing false news. Youssef rose to fame following the uprising that swept Mubarak from power in February 2011 with a satirical online programme that has been compared to Jon Stewart's Daily Show in the US. He has since had his own show on Egyptian television and mocked Morsi's repeated use of the word "love" in his speeches by starting one of his programmes with a love song, holding a red pillow with the president's face printed on it. The prosecutor general ordered an investigation into a formal complaint against Youssef by an Islamist lawyer. The complaint accuses him of "insulting" Morsi, an Islamist backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, and "undermining his standing". Human rights activists say it is the latest in a series of criminal defamation cases that bode ill for free speech as Egypt reshapes its institutions after Mubarak was toppled. "The greatest threat to freedom of expression over the last four months has been this rise in criminal defamation cases, whether it is on charges of defaming the president or the judiciary," said Heba Morayef, Egypt director of the New Yorkbased Human Rights Watch. "The problem is now is we are likely to see an increase in this because criminal defamation is now embedded in the constitution." Rivals accuse Morsi, who won Egypt's first freely contested leadership election in June, of polarising society by foisting a divisive, Islamist-leaning constitution on the country. In the case against the independent daily al-Masry al-Youm, the presidency accused the paper of "spreading false news representing a danger to civil peace, public security and affecting the presidency", the paper said. The article in question was a report on Saturday on the paper's website which cited "informed sources" saying Morsi was due to visit hospital, without giving a reason for the trip, al-Masry al-Youm said in an online account of the case against it.
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Hekmatyar slams TTP for blocking girls’ education g
News 09 Imran seeks power for the people
former afghan premier calls britain’s Prince harry ‘a jackal’ KABuL
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FGHAN warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar re-emphasised the lack of linkage between his group and the Pakistani Taliban, whom he condemned for blocking girls’ schooling. Hekmatyar, a former Afghan prime minister and current leader Afghanistan’s second largest militant group, the Hezb-i-Islami, told Britain’s Daily Telegraph in an interview that fresh attacks would send a warning to “others waiting to invade Afghanistan”. The warlord also vowed to kill as many Western soldiers as possible before North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) combat forces withdraw from the country in 2014. “Before the withdrawal of invading forces, the Mujahideen would like to witness with their own eyes a scene that will teach the invaders to never think of coming this way again,” he said in a video obtained by the Telegraph in response to questions asked through an intermediary. Hekmatyar, designated a global terrorist by the United States, warned that Afghanistan could collapse into bloody civil unrest after Nato troops withdraw, 13 years after the US-led invasion. “The fact is that the government has failed,” said the former premier, who is shown in the video with a white beard and wearing a black turban. “We might have a dreadful situation after 2014 which no one could have anticipated.” NATO is aiming to train 350,000 Afghan soldiers and police
by the end of 2014 to take over responsibility for security. But trust between the two sides has been seriously undermined by “insider” attacks by Afghan forces that killed more than 60 foreign troops in 2012, and the transition process has been beset by other problems including desertions. Hekmatyar indicated that Hezb-i-Islami, notorious for its bloody siege of Kabul in the 1990s, has softened some of its hardline Islamist policies such as banning women from education. He condemned the Pakistani Taliban’s blocking of girls’ schooling, which was thrown into the spotlight in October by its attempted murder of 15-year-old education campaigner Malala Yousafzai on her schoolbus. He insisted that Hezb-i-Islami “consider education is as necessary for girls as it is for boys”, though they object to combined male and female classes. The former premier also blasted Britain’s Prince Harry, who has been serving in Afghanistan since September as an Apache helicopter pilot, as a “jackal”
who was “drunk” while on duty. “The British prince comes to Afghanistan to kill innocent Afghans while he is drunk,” Hekmatyar told the Telegraph. Britain’s ministry of defence said it was “simply absurd” to suggest that the third-in-line to the throne or any other member of the British armed forces was conducting operations under the influence of alcohol. “The consumption of alcohol by UK military personnel is not permitted under any circumstances while deployed in Afghanistan,” a ministry spokesman said.
Bomb jolts Peshawar University PESHAwAR STAFF REPORT
PESHAWAR: Police personnel inspect the damage after a blast in the University of Peshawar’s new academic block on Wednesday. INP
A bomb explosion on Wednesday jolted the Institute of Islamic and Arabic Studies of the Peshawar University. Bomb Disposal Squad official Abdul Haq said the onekilogramme timed device damaged Ibne Khaldun conference hall of the new academic block, shattering its doors and windows. Earlier, PU Police Station official Ihsanullah had said that the explosion may have been caused by the explosion of an AC compressor, but the bomb disposal experts later confirmed that it was a timed device. The official said nobody was hurt in the blast. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing so far. “The university administration convened an emergency meeting and has also beefed up security on the campus while the entry and exit gates of the varsity are now also scanned. Outsiders are not allowed to enter without passes,” Akhtar Amin, media in-charge of the university said.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday deplored the failure of federal and provincial governments in power generation which was resulting into massive layoffs, retrenchments, decreasing income and shutting down of private businesses across the country. In a statement issued from the party’s media center, Imran Khan held the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) governments responsible for the massive economic crunch which, he said, had held the government hostage to the policies of foreign powers and allowing the foreign countries to dictate their terms on Pakistan. The PTI chief expressed concern over the growing energy crisis in the country, stating that the energy shortage had been eating away almost Rs 600 billion per year of the GDP and also resulted in the decline of exports. The PTI chief maintained that the crises also caused closure and the shifting of small and big industry units abroad which further led to the devaluation of rupee and decline in the foreign exchange reserves. Khan said that the federal and provincial governments had badly failed in strategizing to deal with the problem in the past five years. He said that the year 2013 was also a year of severe negligence of accountability and the people of Pakistan would hold the federal and Punjab governments accountable for their sin of ignoring the miseries of the public and making a mockery of the energy crisis. STAFF REPORT
PCSN condemns killing of Swabi NGO workers pESHAWAR: The Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network (PCSN) on Wednesday condemned killing of NGO workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and demanded compensation for the victims’ families. Representatives of various nongovernmental organisations were of the view that the civil society and charity workers were attacked in various parts of the province in the last couple of weeks and 11 NGO workers had been killed so far, adding eight of them had been females. The PCSN urged all stakeholders to unite and raise their voice against such inhuman acts. The latest attack occurred in Swabi on Tuesday when unidentified armed men gunned down seven workers of a local NGO, Ujala. The PCSN said unless the civil society did not pressurise the authorities to halt this barbarism, such attacks would not cease. “It is true that our voice is meagre and the state is not performing its duty to protect the citizens, but we still have to stand up and foil the nefarious designs of anti-state elements that are bent upon destroying the fabric of civil society,” the body said. The participants said, “We all have to strengthen our voice otherwise we will perished,” speaker Idress Kamal said, adding that protest demonstrations needed to be staged to make known their plight to the country and the world. SAJJAD ALI
New restrictions inconveniencing Pak-Afghan cross-border travellers PESHAwAR SHAMIM SHAHID
The federal government’s latest decision regarding the crossing of the Afghan border with mandatory travelling documents has resulted in several problems for thousands of people from both the neighbouring countries. As per details, Islamabad directed officials guarding the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham to discourage people who cross over the border while travelling between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The decision was made after alleged violence took place against Pakistani nationals by Afghan security personnel. The act caused closure of the Pak-Afghan border for three days which reopened on December 29 after a meeting was called by Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Haji Mohammad Daudzai. The decision has led to numerous problems for tribesmen who cross the border daily in connection with socioeconomic activities. The re-opening of
the Pak-Afghan border was made conditional yet every individual must carry travel documents on their person. The act has however enabled law enforcement agencies from both the neighbouring countries to settle scores between them at the cost of innocent and helpless people who visit Afghanistan and Pakistan for socio-economic and health facilities. The reports from Torkham on Wednesday revealed that thousands of people are still waiting to cross over the border. Due to restrictions, some of them are compelled to bribe the security personnel and civil administration whilst some are using inaccessible mountainous routes to reach their destinations. According to official data, around 30,000 people cross the border every day as well as more than two thousand vehicles loaded with goods, mostly supplies for US-led allied troops therefore making the Pak-Afghan border one of the busiest between the two countries. The Afghan security personnel are not the only ones to blame for acts of violence in the region.
fiLE PHoTo
Similar complaints have been lodged against Pakistani policemen and personnel of other law enforcement and secret agencies. Recently, an Afghan journalist while coming to Peshawar with sufficient travelling documents was arrested by Pakistani police at Peshawar. The jour-
nalist’s passport was taken and he was given someone else’s passport. He was then arrested and kept overnight at the Bhana Mari Police Station at Peshawar. The Afghan journalist was later moved to Central Jail Peshawar. A recent decision by Pakistani au-
thorities to have compulsory registration with Special Branch police for Afghans has fuelled anger amongst them. Upon arrival, the Afghan nationals are bound to register themselves with Special Branch police within 24 hours. In reaction to this, the personnel of Afghanistan police, army and secret agencies have chosen to give similar treatment to Pakistani nationals, visiting or contributing in the reconstruction process in Afghanistan. In the recent past, Afghan authorities at every level have tried their best to ease the restrictions for their countrymen regularly who frequently visit Pakistan. A few months back, Haji Deen Mohammad, former governor of Kabul and former deputy leader of Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan (Khalis), made a request before Pakistani officials to review recent restrictions on Afghan nationals. In particular, Haji Din Mohammad had requested Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to direct its police personnel to show better behaviour with Afghan nationals.
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10 Comment A second chance Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami
Arab attitudes toward US rebound
Arif Nizami Editor Lahore – Ph: 042-36375963-5 Fax: 042-32535230 Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 Fax: 021-35381208 Islamabad – Ph: 051-2287273 Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
lending support to militants Wittingly or unwittingly
Washington Watch
r Tahirul Qadri has arrived in Pakistan at a time when the country is facing an existential threat from the extremists. While abroad, Dr Qadri might not have been aware of the threat’s magnitude. On Tuesday, the TTP targeted some of those returning home after attending his rally. This should lead him to rethink whether this is the best time to initiate his long march. Only a stable system capable of rendering full political and material support to those fighting the militants can deal with the threat. The terrorists know this and want to promote instability which helps them in the pursuit of their nefarious agenda. Dr Qadri’s march has already created enough uncertainty in the country. The ISPR had to go out of its way to clarify that the military establishment had nothing to do with the event. Any major incident during the event could lead to demands for the postponement of elections, thus helping the terrorists who do not want a peaceful transfer of power leading to stability. Speeches made at the Karachi rally indicate that the mega event which is being orgnanised at great expense is not going to be a mere symbolic show of force. The rally at Islamabad has been described as a session of the ‘Parliament of the People’ which would decide the composition of the interim setup. Both Qadri and Altaf Husasin insist that all decisions in connection with the 14 January rally will be made by them through mutual consultation. The composition of the interim setup would thus be ‘decided’ by two individuals who have sworn allegiance to the Queen of England, as the citizenship oaths of both Canada and Great Britain require. Any decision regarding the interim setup at the rally would violate the constitution which has clearly laid down the procedure for the formation of the body. Will the two leaders subsequently issue a call for another rally calling it a sitting of the ‘People’s Supreme Court’ to cover the legal lacuna? Altaf Hussain’s highly derogatory remarks about the media are bound to raise concerns. These are not only reflective of a feudal mindset and contradict his claims of being keen to put an end to feudalism but are also a reminder that a leopard cannot change its spots. Dr Qadri is a prominent religious scholar who has done useful work both at home and abroad. In view of his opposition to militancy, one had expected that he would join hands with the political forces that are fighting the militants courageously. In case he is not prepared to do this, he would do well to go back to Canada to engage in more gainful activity that is non-political in nature.
By Dr James J Zogby
D
A
s President Obama prepares to launch his second term in the White House, he can take some comfort in the fact that positive attitudes toward the United States have once again risen sharply in several Arab countries. After plummeting to record lows during the Bush years, the 2008 election of Barack Obama and the new president’s early outreach effort to the Arab and Muslim worlds caused favourable attitudes toward the United States to increase across the Arab region. However, by mid-2011, with Guantanamo still open, US forces still in Iraq, and the White House appearing to have capitulated to Israeli obstructionism, Arab attitudes toward the United States dropped back to Bush-era levels. But now in our November 2012, Zogby Research Services’ (ZRS) survey of Arab opinion, we find that overall US favourable ratings have spiked upward in most Arab countries. More significantly, there are, at this point, strong majorities in several countries who assess that the United States is making a positive contribution to peace and stability in the Arab World. In addition to the countries normally covered in Zogby polls (Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE), Iraq, Palestine, and Tunisia were also surveyed. What the 2012 poll makes clear is that the decline in favourable attitudes toward the United States we witnessed in 2011 has been arrested and ratings are back up. In Saudi Arabia, for example, US favourable ratings are at an all-time high of 62 percent, while in Jordan and UAE positive attitudes have climbed back to where they were in 2009. In Egypt, US ratings are still a low 10 percent. That, however, is double the 5 percent positive rating Egyptians gave the United States in 2011, but nowhere near the 30 percent level it was at when President Obama delivered his “New Beginnings” speech to the Muslim World from the stage at the University of Cairo. In Lebanon and
Morocco, attitudes have held steady. The more surprising findings were the more than 80 percent of Jordanians and Emiratis who now say that they believe that the “US is contributing to peace and stability in the Arab World” — a dramatic rise from the less than 10 percent who held that view a year and a half ago. This is matched by the three-quarters of Saudis, the one-half of Egyptians, and the more than one-third of Lebanese and Moroccans who also agree that the United States is playing a positive role in the region. In all these cases, the rise since 2011 has been substantial. In those countries for which we have no 2011 data, in our 2012 survey, we find low overall favourable ratings for the United States (13 percent in Iraq, 2 percent in Palestine, and 19 percent in Tunisia). But once again Iraqis, Palestinians and Tunisians give high ratings to the US regional role. We found that 65 percent of Palestinians, 49 percent of Tunisians, and 40 percent of Iraqis agreeing that the United States makes a “positive contribution to peace and stability in the Arab World”. In an effort to understand these findings, we conducted some follow-up interviews with opinion makers. We were told that the reasons for this rise in rating, while somewhat varying from country to country, re-
flected an appreciation for the more “low key” and cooperative approach President Obama has taken to dealing with the Arab World. They point to the Administration fulfilling its commitment to withdraw from Iraq; its coalition-building work in Libya; its working diplomatically to support change in Syria; and its principled but non-preaching approach to democratic change in Egypt. The one sore point, of course, has been the Administration’s weakness on the Palestinian issue. Many, however, maintain some hope that the United States will make a renewed push to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian peace in the second term. While this rise in confidence and support should be welcomed in Washington, it also comes with a warning. This is the second spike in favourable ratings for the United States during Obama’s tenure in the White House. Clearly, there is relief that President Obama has moved away from Bush-style unilateralism. But hopes are high that the US has the capacity to lead. The President thus begins his second term with Arab public opinion giving him a second vote of confidence. The challenge is clear. He must act now. A second loss of hope could be irreversible. The writer is President of the ArabAmerican Institute.
The year that was A look back at 2012
T
he year 2012 ended on a grisly and sad note for Pakistan. In December, there was a daring attack on the Peshawar air base that was claimed by the TTP. The attack failed because of determined and bold actions by the security forces. Then there were the drive-by targeted killings of the workers carrying out anti-polio vaccinations that brought the campaign to a halt and badly tarnished the country’s image. The senior minister of the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was assassinated in Peshawar, shocking the nation and the world. There were attacks on two prominent religious leaders in Karachi and while one survived, the other was killed. A bomb attack in a high security Cantonment area of Karachi killed at least six and wounded many more. A security post manned by Levies (para-
thursday, 3 January, 2013
military personnel) was attacked by at least 200 Taliban. They killed one person and kidnapped 22 persons out of whom 21 were also killed later and their bodies thrown on the roadside. One person who managed to escape died later. At the tail end of the month, a bus carrying Shia pilgrims for a pilgrimage to religious sites in Iran was blown up by remotely detonated explosives killing 19. Earlier in the year, the TTP attack on Malala had rocked the nation and led to widespread worldwide condemnation. December also saw the political debut of Mr Bilawal Bhutto, the son of President Zardari and the late Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, with an impassioned speech by him on the death anniversary of his mother. Another political event that led to much speculation was the sudden advent of a crusader for reform — Dr Tahirul Qadri — who addressed a mammoth gathering in Lahore and promised a bigger one in Islamabad on 14 January in case his demands for reforms in the political environment were not met. In a surprising move, the coalition government’s partner, the MQM, pledged its unstinted
support to Dr Qadri for his agenda and march to Islamabad. The already bubbling political cauldron became more active with many more speculative theories. Elections have been promised by the government in the second quarter of 2013 with a caretaker government put in place earlier. The sectarian attack on December 30 highlights the fragility of the situation in Balochistan that prominent Baloch leaders have blamed on the lack of an effective administration. A similar situation prevails in Karachi. The meeting between the Chief Election Commissioner and the Chief of Army Staff has signalled that the elections are likely to be free and fair with preliminary checks of voters and constituencies completed well before the Election Day. From a statistical analysis of 2012, the conclusion that can be drawn is that the level of violence was down from 2011. There was a 25 percent reduction in terror attacks with about 4,800 killed against the 7,000 that died in 2011. However, there was a qualitative change in the targets selected with most attacks being on specific personalities and security forces personnel and facil-
ities instead of random acts of terror against people. There was also a shift in the pattern with more and more attacks using remotely controlled explosive devices rather than suicide bombers. The total attacks in 2012 were 2,084, down from a high of over 3,800 in 2009. The aim of the terrorist attacks, however, remains consistent – the economic and political destabilisation of Pakistan and the demoralisation of its security forces and society. If anything the attacks are now much more focused on these objectives than before with an increase of more than 28 percent in targeted attacks. Sectarian attacks also increased sharply during the year with Malakand, Swat, Gilgit- Baltistan, Karachi and Balochistan emerging as the centres of gravity of such activity. The Hazara community in Balochistan was subjected to particularly vicious attacks. The year also saw the reopening of NATO logistics through Pakistan and a steady improvement in US-Pakistan relations. Pakistan has been recognised as a central player in the US pushed intraAfghan reconciliation and peace process and as a consequence Pakistan
is making a very positive contribution. Relations with India have improved marginally, especially in the trade and travel sectors. The driving force is the desire to move away from conflict and towards economic gains for the people of both countries. This fits into the broader regional vision of the new ‘Silk Road’ and energy flows across South Asia. Both India and Pakistan, as also South East Asian nations, recognise the importance of China’s growing economy and its vast trade potential and the reality of the geographic proximity of Russia with South Asia. There is also the fact that the ‘pivot to the Pacific’ may interest the US more than South Asia once it is out of Afghanistan. For the people of Pakistan the main concerns were, and remain, human security, economic issues, gas and power shortfalls with all hopes pinned on elections and policies that bring effective governance and focus on the people and the institutions that support and protect them. Spearhead Analyses are collaborative efforts and not attributable to a single individual.
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Comment 11
AIDs stigma
Editor’s mail
A barrier untouched in Pakistan By naeem Malik
G
enerally, it is considered that Pakistan, being an Islamic country, is a low prevalence area for HIV/AIDS but when and wherever the blood screening of the people is conducted at a large scale, the picture becomes very different. For example, four years back, a Lahore based NGO (New Light) conducted blood screening of hundreds of residents of Muhallah Jogi Pura in a small town Jalalpura Jattan (JPJ), situated at 12km eastward from Gujrat city. The NGO declared through media that almost 250 persons were found HIV-infected in that small population (The Nation, November 14, 2008). The Programme Manager of the National Aids Control Programme, Dr Hassan Abbas Zaheer, told that on the basis of the initial information provided by the New Light, a team deputed by Provincial Aids Control Programme Punjab also conducted blood tests of 89 persons out of the 250 identified people and found that all the cases were HIV-positive (NACP FELTP report on HIV Outbreak in district Gujrat 2009). Whatever the case, 89 persons were confirmed with HIV-infection. After only two years and three months, the figure reached 363 as revealed in a local newspaper of Gujrat, the daily Daak on 8 February, 2011. When I was conducting a study survey on HIV/AIDS in JPJ to complete my M Phil thesis, for that I collected confirmed data from the local public health office. It showed that number of HIV carriers was alarmingly increasing and up to July 2011 more than 400 cases had been confirmed by the Shaukat Khanum Clinical Lab, Lahore. The epidemic either prevailed or rapidly spread to the near villages and muhallahs. The data from Civil Hospital, JPJ, showed that the surrounding areas of JPJ with infected persons included urban area with Muhallah Haji Pura, Muhallah Jatt Abad, Muhallah Faiz Abad, Muhallah Imran Pura, Muhallah Nai Abadi, Muhallah Loharan, Muhallah Kashmir Nagar and Muhallah Islam Garh in JPJ city while the affected rural population comprised villages Nandpur, Kulachor, Meon-
wal, Chopala, Mehsam, Shahbazpur, Noashehra, Dhillu Sharqi, Langrial, Thhimka, Behlpur, Memoodabad, Fatehpur, Kot Miana and Daulatnagar etc. Even some patients belonged to nearby villages which fell in the area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Jalapur Jattan could not be regarded as a single case in rapid spread of AIDS. The Dawn, dated 28 June, 2009, revealed that 54 out of 2,106 prisoners were found HIV positive in Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore. The screening was carried out on Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Ch’s directions. A similar news story was witnessed in the daily Pakistan, Lahore, dated 16 December, 2010, which showed that there were about 280 HIV/AIDS patients in the jails of Punjab but no preventive measures were being taken to halt further spread of HIV/AIDS. In Pakistan, the number of HIV/AIDS victims is around 97,500, as informed by the federal minister for health in the National Assembly session last year. Epidemiological Fact Sheet on HIV and AIDS 2008, available on the website of World Health Organisation (WHO), shows that average number of HIV positive persons in Pakistan is 96,000 which varies from 69,000 to 150,000. Among these, about 94,000 persons are adults aged from 15 to 49 years while 27,000 women are infected and about 5,000 deaths have occurred due to this disease. Pakistan has committed to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic by signing “Declaration of Commitment (DoC)” at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS in June 2001, so our country has become a part of global consensus to achieve the sixth Millennium Development Goal of ‘halting and beginning to reverse the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2015’. But the graph of infection is escalating almost vertically. On the other side, a latest report submitted by WHO on internet shows that further spread in Africa, wherein the disease originated, has successfully been halted. It means that by 2015 we have only two years to complete our commitment to halt or reverse the spread of disease, while the facts and efforts made by the gov-
ernment don’t seem optimistic. Although a huge budget is spent on the public health communication campaigns to inform the people about causes, preventive measures and treatment of the disease but some very important aspects are not addressed which result in partial or whole failures of such campaigns. The most important of them is a clear difference between HIV and AIDS. HIV stands for “Human Immunodeficiency Virus” while AIDS stands for “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome”. In fact, AIDS is a late and fatal stage of HIV infection. Someone infected with HIV is called “HIV positive”. He may prolong his normal life up to 20-25 years with the help of supportive drugs while the person who has acquired immune deficiency i.e., AIDS, cannot survive that long. Anti-HIV drugs can delay or prevent the onset of AIDS in most persons infected with HIV. Despite a particular difference between the both, it was found that the term HIV and AIDS were being misperceived in the given study area. It is very crucial for both victim and non-victim to know this difference because it implicates a lot on treatment and aggravation of stigma. The patient at initial stage i.e., infected with HIV, can prolong his life up to 25 years with suitable treatment. During my survey it was found that even well-educated persons i.e., educationists, lawyers, bankers and civil servants, were unaware of this fact. Once I met a young girl in a hospital of JPJ who was recently declared HIV carrier. She was physically healthy but she seemed quite disturbed and nervous. I asked her gently whether she knew that there was a large difference between HIV and AIDS. She said no. When I briefed her that she could live more than 20-25 years normally with the disease, she at once became calm and cool. After a while, she slept with her sweat fully dried. Even her three family members did not know about this. That’s why media must spread awareness about this fallacy, particularly in the high risk areas. The other main barrier in this regard is misconception about catching the disease. People believe
that the patient has got it through sexual intercourse, thus causing guilt and stigma for the patient. While many women, children and babies are innocent who get infected from their spouses or mothers. I went from village to village for my study. Whenever I came across an infected person, rather than accepting the truth, they would blame it on the doctor diagnosing them, saying that he was telling lies. With this heightened sense of stigma, many infected persons try to hide or conceal their disease, thus keeping themselves away from proper treatment. The AIDS related stigma adds to the miseries of the residents of a locality in other ways too. I was told by some notables of Jogi Pura that “as soon as the news appeared on electronic media, we were swarmed with the news channels’ teams of reporters and health officials on a daily basis. But that’s not the main problem; the main problem is that since the news got out, we are being treated regarded as disgusting people. Some marriages have ended in divorce, engagements have been called off, regardless of the fact that the fiancé is non-infected. No one wants to purchase property here as property rates have going down the hill”. Keeping the above in view above, it is necessary for media campaign designers that they should address the issue of stigma effectively; otherwise, the campaign may likely be fruitless causing the infected persons many social as well as physical hurdles in the way of their treatment. HIV/AIDS is not a disease of the rich or well educated persons, rather it has created pockets where poverty, illiteracy, unhygienic environment, drugs addiction and unemployment has got roots. The poor is a prey to HIV/AIDS in Pakistan. So, if the government of Pakistan is sincere to its commitments regarding reversing the AIDS, it must give employment, education, healthy living conditions and drug free society to the poor of different areas, like JPJ. The writer is Deputy Director, DGPR, Punjab, and a research scholar on HIV/AIDS. He can be contacted at: tonaim08@gmail.com
Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan Fax: +92-42-32535230 E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively
the Pakistan that i see Today, each one of us is busy in pointing out what’s wrong with this country. We crib, whine and detest every single thing there is to it. We hate the political setup, yet we are the ones who brought the ruling party in power. We despise the feudal hierarchy, but it’s precisely because of us that it continues to function. We detest the patriarchal nature of our society; even then we succumb to its old, tired norms and are unable to break free from the stereotypical beliefs. We just sit and complain and complain. And, in the face of this perpetual state of adversity, we have stopped appreciating the little good things we have. It’s not an easy task, I know. In a country where our basic needs are far from being fulfilled, it’s really not that simple to be optimistic and look at the bright side. But we have to, in order to survive, in order to sustain and in order to progress. We cannot let go of our vibrant, vivacious, colourful side. We have to bask in the glory of having Oscar winning filmmakers the country is blessed with, the sportsmen who have awed the world with, and the actors who have stunned London and the world at large by performing an adaptation of a Shakespearean play. We have to take pride in the educationists of our country who are toiling so hard to impart quality education. The Arfa Karims and all those students in Ivy League institutions abroad and reshaping the image of Pakistan. We have to applaud the youth for the initiative they are taking today in pursuing what they like and the talent which is simmering out of this country. We have to love Pakistan for its seasons, for its grandeur, its food, its love for art and celebrations and heritage. We have to be that country again that needed just an excuse to put on blaring speakers and dance in the streets. It’s painful to see the disappointment and the resentment which we all have within ourselves for this country but no, we have to remember that we still have so many reasons to be proud of. We have seen disintegration at provincial level, we have seen war, we have seen terrorism and we have seen natural calamity and yet, we survived all of that. We will make it through this time as well. Let’s vow to cleanse our country of every element that is sucking the blood out of it – be it internal or external. Let’s vow to make wiser decisions, to choose our leaders intelligently. To not be blinded by everything that sparkles from a distance. To be able to think for ourselves and stand united, no matter what. And most importantly, to always look at the bright side. ZARMINAY HAQ Lahore
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12 My hands are pretty full for 2013:
SoNAkSHi nEwS DESK
Billie Joe announces Green Day tour post-rehab
After a successful 2012 with hits like “Rowdy Rathore”, “Son of Sardaar” and “Dabangg 2”, the new year also looks quite promising for actress Sonakshi Sinha. “In 2013 I have ‘Lootera’, ‘Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai 2’... I am going to start shooting for ‘Bullet Raja’, ‘Rambo Rajkumar’ with Prabhudheva and Shahid Kapoor and ‘Thuppakki’ remake. So yeah, hands are pretty full,” the 25-year-old said while celebrating the success of “Dabangg 2” at an NGO. Sonakshi is paired opposite Ranveer Singh in “Lootera”, with Akshay Kumar in “Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai 2” and she will share screen space with Saif Ali Khan in “Bullet Raja”. Sonakshi is happy that her hard work has paid off. “It Feels good. I have always worked hard and when your hard work pays off in terms of people liking your film, it is amazing,” she said.
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F T e R entering rehab in September, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong thanked his fans for their support and revealed some exciting news on Sunday, Dec. 30. The musician wrote on Instagram that he was grateful “for all the love [and] support you’ve showed for the past few months.” “Believe me, it hasn’t gone unnoticed and I’m eternally grateful to have such an amazing set of friends and family. I’m getting better every day.” Armstrong, 40, added, “So now, without further ado, the show must go on. We can’t wait to get on the road and live out loud! Our passion has only grown stronger. ... Green day tour in March.” The singer entered rehab two days after an on-stage rant at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in September. NEWS DESK
Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie already married? nEwS DESK
LA photographer killed while shooting Bieber’s car
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OLIce say a paparazzo was hit by a car and killed after taking photos of Justin Bieber’s Ferrari sports car in Los Angeles. Los Angeles police Officer James Stoughton says the man died at a hospital Tuesday evening. Stoughton says Bieber was not in the car at the time. Sgt. Rudy Lopez told the Los Angeles Times that the pop star’s friend was driving the car when it was pulled over for a traffic stop. It was parked on a busy street when the photographer arrived. Police say the man was struck by a car as he returned to his own car. Stoughton says no charges are expected against the motorist who hit the man. A call to a Bieber publicist was not immediately returned. NEWS DESK
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are rumoured to have tied the knot on Christmas day in the Caribbean, reports have claimed. The Hollywood super couple apparently married in an intimate ceremony on the Turks and Caicos Islands, according to The Telegraph. The pair have been spending the Christmas and New Year holiday at the private Parrot Cay estate of fashion designer Donna Karan with their six children, Pitt’s parents Jane and William, his brother Doug and sister Julie. News of their reported nuptials comes eight months after Pitt, 49, and Jolie, 37, announced their engagement in April 2012 after seven years together. Speculation they had finally wed comes after a magazine report in early December claimed the pair had picked up their wedding rings from celebrity jeweller Neil Lane. In November, Pitt told reporters on the red carpet of the New York premiere of his film Killing Me Softly the nuptials would be “soon”. Pitt and Jolie started dating after meeting on the sets of the 2005 romantic comedy action film Mr & Mrs Smith.
Jennifer Lawrence: ‘Nothing makes me feel better than junk food and reality TV’ nEwS DESK Jennifer Lawrence may be an Oscarnominated actress, but given the opportunity, she’d rather relax at home than walk a red carpet. Appearing on the January cover of Marie Claire South Africa, the 22year-old Here Comes Honey Boo Boo fan explains why she prefers to keep things low-key when she’s not on set. “I don’t like going out that much. I’m kind of an old lady. After it’s 11, I’m like, ‘Don’t these kids ever get tired?’ When I’m out, I think about my couch. Like, ‘It would be awesome to be on it right now. I bet there’s an episode of Dance Moms on. Am I missing a new episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians?’” the Silver Linings Playbook star tells the magazine. “I’m just stressed by the idea of missing them.” Lawrence, who lives in a two-bedroom apartment in L.A., prefers to entertain friends at home. “I like people to come over to my place,” she says. “It’s like a reality TV show cave. I just learned how to work TiVO. That changed my life. Reality TV is my silver lining. At the end of the day there’s probably nothing that makes me feel better than junk food and reality TV.”
Vergara’s fiancé tears her dress in weird brawl nEwS DESK
Britney Spears is ‘working hard’ on next album
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RITNey Spears might reportedly be leaving “The X Factor,” but 2013 could see new music from the pop superstar! During a Twitter chat with her fans on Sunday, the 31-year-old confirmed she’s “working hard” on a new album. The singer also noted that she is “collaborating with some new inspiring producers.” When a fan Tweeted that they were looking forward to a new album from her, she wrote, “I’m excited too.” When asked by a fan if she had plans to exit the FOX reality singing competition, where she is a judge, Britney replied, “Really focused on my music right now.” The singer’s last album, “Femme Fatale,” dropped in March 2011 and included a slew of hit singles. Most recently, she collaborated with will.i.am on his new single, “Scream & Shout.” NEWS DESK
thursday, 3 January, 2013
Sounds like Sofia Vergara didn’t have a great New Year’s Eve: In the wee hours today, she got in a fight with her fiance Nick Loeb at a Miami nightclub, and Loeb ended up getting kicked out. Sources tell the New York Post the Florida businessman got upset when Vergara took a picture with someone, and “started screaming at her.” There was “some pushing and shoving” and Loeb eventually “had to be pulled off Sofia by security,” a witness says. The Modern Family actress’ dress was torn, and four security guards threw Loeb out, with Vergara following him. Amitabh Bachchan wants to be remembered as just another name Despite being the most successful actor in Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan wants to be remembered as just another name. Apart from a successful acting career, Bachchan had also won the People’s Choice Award for the most popular TV host for Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. But Bachchan told Gulf News that he wouldn’t survive beyond the second or third question if put on the participant seat. When it comes to having himself being remembered, Bachchan feels he’s no better than the guy next door. He doesn’t think there’s anything special about him and wants people to remember him just like another name. He has given blockbusters such as Zanjeer, Sholay, Deewar, Abhimaan, Saudagar and Chupke Chupke to name just a few. But it was Yash Chopra ‘s Deewar that re-inforced “the angry young man” in him. When asked what he would advise newcomers, he said he’s nobody to give advice. But he added that they should be sincere to their work and must keep trying. When he’s not on screen Bachchan said he is just like any other father and grandfather, who likes spending time with grandchildren and with the family.
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Hugh Hefner marries Crystal Harris
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HE Playboy founder, 86, and his model girlfriend, 26, tied the knot in an intimate ceremony on New Year’s Eve at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, a mansion source tells Us Weekly. Originally announcing her engagement to Hefner in December 2010, Harris called off her first wedding in June 2011 just days before the
kAREENA kAPooR replaces Deepika in KaranEkta’s next NEWS DESK
Kareena Kapoor was the original choice for a film being coproduced by Karan Johar and Ekta Kapoor opposite Emraan Hashmi. TOI had even carried an announcement to this effect. She backed out perhaps to accommodate Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Ram Leela’. And Deepika Padukone stepped in. However, in the film industry an actor proposes and a filmmaker disposes and many times it is viceversa. Bhansali settled for Deepika as his Leela. Now we hear from reliable sources that KJo and Ekta have decided to get Kareena back into their project, leaving Deepika out.
ceremony. One year later, Harris confirmed via Twitter that she had reconciled with her ex. The couple cemented their plans to walk down the aisle once more in early December when they obtained a marriage license in Beverly Hills and Harris proudly debuted her new engagement ring. Taking special care to keep her second ceremony private, Harris — who recently opened her own lingerie store, Femme Fatale, in Studio City,
Calif. — says her renewed bond with Hefner is solid. “When the wedding didn’t work out the first time, it was because of me. I needed to explore out there and take the time away [from Hef and the Mansion]. The time away really helped make me realize that where I’m meant to be is here with Hef,” Harris tells Us Weekly. “Our relationship is better than it ever has been before. I’m very happy and Hef’s very happy and we’re excited.”
KIM KARDASHIAN & KANYE WEST: the baby-bumpin’ mom-to-be gets layered up as she and her proud beau step out in los angeles.
Len goodman marries longtime girlfriend in secret wedding nEwS DESK Len Goodman is going into 2013 a newlywed! The 68-year-old judge on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars married his longtime girlfriend, dance teacher Sue Barrett, Sunday in London, the U.K. Goodman and his girlfriend of 10 years, 47, invited just 30 friends and family members to the ceremony, which was disguised as an intimate lunch. Both dressed in blue, the couple were married by Westminster superintendent registrar Alison Cathcart, according to
The Daily Mail. After they swapped vows, the newlyweds and their guests enjoyed a fivecourse meal and champagne reception. “I’ve had a marvelous day, and now my gorgeous Sue is the new Mrs. Goodman,” the reality show judge told The Daily Mail. Though he kept his nuptial plans largely under wraps, Goodman said he did let one important person in on the secret: His mother. “I wanted it to be a low-key affair, so we didn’t tell anyone except my 96year-old mum as I didn’t want her having a heart attack with the surprise.” Barrett is Goodman’s third wife. He married his dancing partner Cherry Kingston in 1972, and has a son, James William, with his second wife Lesley.
Matthew McConaughey names his son Livingston nEwS DESK Hold off on sending Matthew McConaughey any pink gifts for his new baby! On Friday, it was widely reported that the actor and his wife, Camila, had welcomed a daughter. And while the third little McConaughey was in fact born Friday – in their hometown of Austin, Texas – their new addition is actually a baby boy. “Camila gave birth to our third child yesterday morning,” the 43year-old star posted on WhoSay.com Saturday. “Our son Livingston Alves McConaughey was born at 7:43 am on 12.28.12. He greeted the world at 9lbs. and 21 inches.” McConaughey went on to thank his fans for their well wishes, adding, “Happy New Year, and just keep livin’.” Livingston, an old English name which means “dear friend’s place,” joins big brother Levi, 4, and sister Vida, who turns 3 next month. All three McConaughey siblings have their mother’s maiden name, Alves, as their middle name. It’s been an eventful year for the McConaugheys. Together since 2006, the “Dallas Buyers Club” star and the Brazilian model made their relationship official when they tied the knot in a ceremony at their sprawling Austin property on June 10. Levi and Vida served as ring bearer and flower girl in the wedding. Less than a month later, the couple had another big announcement – baby No. 3 was on the way. “Happy birthday America, more good news,” McConaughey tweeted on July 4. “Camila and I are expecting our 3rd child.” The couple opted not to find out the gender of their baby with the actor noting it would be “a wonderful surprise” in the delivery room. And a surprise it was, especially because reports on Friday afternoon stated that the couple had welcomed a daughter. Oops! Well, now we know the truth — and offer our congratulations to the happy family, who will ring in the new year as a party of five.
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Infotainment 14 'Lady of the Cells' dead at 103
Scientists find louis XVi's blood in ancient gourd
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HEN King Louis XVI was beheaded after the French Revolution in 1793, many were said to have dipped handkerchiefs and other garments in his blood—and now scientists have determined that one such relic still exists. Maximilien Bourdaloue placed his bloodstained handkerchief inside a calabash, and though the cloth decomposed long ago, the gourd that held it still has bloodstains. It also included an inscription describing the souvenir of the decapitation, the Telegraph reports. In order to determine that the blood was really the king's, scientists compared a DNA sample taken from it to another DNA sample from the mummified head of King Henri IV, a direct ancestor of Louis XVI. Henri possessed a rare chromosome that was also contained in the DNA sample from the gourd; that and other matches led scientists to conclude that the blood from the gourd almost certainly belonged to Louis XVI. NEWS DESK
facebook yanks new year's notes over privacy fail
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ACEBOOK was hoping to allow users to write special messages to be sent at midnight tonight, but a student in Wales discovered a small problem: It's way easy to read—or delete—other people's private notes, the Daily Mail reports. Tweaking the URL of a message sent via the "Midnight Message Delivery" service, released last week, lets a user peep on any message. "Facebook have not been very security conscious when setting this up," the student wrote on his blog. The company has now taken down the service and is "working on a fix," says a rep. Until then, an old-fashioned text may have to do. NEWS DESK
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TALY has lost a truly fascinating centenarian. Nobel Prize winner Rita LeviMontalcini died at her home yesterday at age 103, leading Rome's mayor to declare the scientist's death a loss "for all of humanity." It may not be much of an exaggeration: The so-called "Lady of the Cells" faced many obstacles, reports the AP: a father who believed women should not study (she ultimately obtained a degree in medicine and surgery), a Fascist regime (Levi-Montalcini lost her neurobiology job in 1938 when Jews were banned from major professions), and the Nazis, whose 1943 invasion of Italy forced her family to flee to Florence and live underground. But the petite woman's determination was formidable: In the face of the Fascist regime she studied chicken embryos in a makeshift lab in her bedroom. She chose not to marry or have a family—without hesitation or regret, she once said—fearing doing so would weaken her independence. She claimed to sleep no more than three hours a night, and worked well into her final years. That effort produced contributions that were just as formidable. Levi-Montalcini shared the Nobel medicine prize in 1986 with American biochemist Stanley Cohen for their groundbreaking cellular research. Her research increased the understanding of many conditions, including tumors, developmental malformations, and senile dementia. NEWS DESK
Lithium batteries: hidden dangerous aboard planes?
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OMORROW will see the dawn of new shipping standards for lithium batteries—and though they're designed to ramp up safety, the new rules may not be enough to protect us. The Wall Street Journal explains that the batteries can "spontaneously ignite" if they're damaged or overheated, which is exactly what can happen when huge quantities are packed together for shipping, often via cargo plane. The batteries are suspected in a pair of such plane crashes that killed four pilots over two years—as well as 24 airplane-related "combustion incidents" in the US during the past three years, according to regulators. With a report due soon on the 2010 crash of a UPS 747 in Dubai, calls for a crackdown are getting louder. Pilots and safety experts say it's time to tighten rules on the quantity of batteries allowed in a shipment, and they want more protection against damaged batteries. With more than a billion lithium batteries produced annually, they're "going to be part of our lives and transportation, so we need to step up and find a way to appropriately oversee it," says a flight safety advocate. But gadget makers and battery suppliers say we just need to enforce current rules. Meanwhile, some airlines have taken steps of their own: Air France flight attendants are now trained to use water or juice, rather than a fire extinguisher, to put out a personal electronics fire; Emirates Airline now keeps fireproof bags aboard its passenger planes. NEWS DESK
Superstorm ruined scads of nyPd evidence
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UPERSTORM Sandy left the NYPD with a huge headache by swamping a pair of warehouses holding huge amounts of evidence. The storm surge breached the warehouses and sent some of the thousands of barrels containing DNA evidence into the muck, possibly contaminating some and creating a mess that has made evidence currently irretrievable for many cases due to come to court, the New York Times reports. In at least six recent trials, police have had to testify that their evidence is currently inaccessible. "The government may well be fashioning plea deals based upon the lack of underlying evidence," the chief lawyer for the Legal Aid Society says. "We can ask if it’s there, but they don’t have to tell." The storm may have been a lucky break for some criminals, but lawyers for the Innocence Project fear that DNA evidence that could exonerate the wrongfully imprisoned may have been lost forever. NEWS DESK
Recess as essential as class: doctors
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REAT news, though it comes too late for most of us: Doctors are taking a stand on the benefits of recess, and not just for the exercise. It's just as important to children's development as class time is, the American Academy of Pediatrics says. The organization is officially advocating a scheduled break during the school day, Time reports. "Children need to have downtime between complex cognitive challenges," says a pediatrician. "They tend to be less able to process information the longer they are held to a task." And "it’s not enough to just switch from math to English. You actually have to take a break," he adds. On top of that, recess lets kids work on conflict resolution. And there are the health implications: A decline in recess has coincided with a rise in child obesity. The news comes with recess on the outs: Just three states require 20 minutes per day. Recess structures vary widely between schools, with 73% of kids through sixth grade getting some type of recess since the 1990s. The report doesn't say how long recess should be—but it's not just for students: "Everyone, not just kids, benefits from regular breaks in the day," says a researcher. NEWS DESK
Paris Apple store hit with $1.6m NYE robbery
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OUR armed robbers stormed the Paris Apple store last night and made off with more than $1.6 million worth of products, the Daily Mail reports. The gunmen raided the store around 9pm, three hours after it closed, as police were busy preparing for the large crowds expected in the city for New Year's Eve celebrations. One employee was injured; the masked robbers are thought to have attacked a security guard. Police are still on the hunt. NEWS DESK
zynga kills 11 games after terrible year Social media gaming titan Zynga has whacked Mafia Wars 2, put down PetVille, and friedFishVille as part of a cost-cutting drive. The company is shutting down a total of 11 games, closing offices, and laying off more than 100 employees as it seeks to recover from a disastrous year that saw its stock price plummet to $2.33 from its $10 IPO price, TechCrunch reports. While Zynga still has more than 30 games to offer, including hits like CityVille and FarmVille, and analysts say it had no choice but to shed some dead wood, pulling the plug on the 11 titles has caused a major backlash. Some players had spent thousands of hours and lots of real money on the games. Zynga has offered those players virtual currency to use in its other games, but some— especially those lamenting the loss of their virtual pets—have vowed to steer clear of the company's games in future. NEWS DESK
The slightly fat live longer
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EING obese is likely to take years off your life, but those who are just a bit overweight actually appear to have a lower risk of premature death than those of normal weight, according to a startling new study. Researchers crunched the numbers on studies involving nearly 3 million people and found that people classed as overweight died at slightly lower rates than those with a normal body mass index, while those considered mildly obese didn't have a higher risk of premature death than the normal group, reports the Los Angeles Times. Among over-65s, even the highly obese had no extra mortality risk. Experts say the apparent survival edge of the overweight could come down to many factors—extra reserves of fat during illness, more padding to protect elderly bones from falls, or perhaps the fact that the overweight are likelier to suffer medical conditions that bring them in regular contact with doctors. It's those chronic conditions, including diabetes and high blood pressure, that make researchers hope the study won't start a stampede for the cookie aisle. NEWS DESK
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Pak out to win series against stuttering India KOLKATA
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exploited the conditions.” Promising batsman Ajinkya Rahane has been warming the bench and may get a chance to play tomorrow in case Kohli does not recover from his injury. Dhoni might have drawn severe criticism in the wake of defeat to England, but the skipper has maintained his ’ice-cool’ demeanour in leading from the front as he showed in his unbeaten century to take India to 227 from 29/5. But Dhoni stressed on the need to avoid such a situation in future. ”Actually, you don’t want a situation for your number six or seven (batsman) to score a 100… You want your top order to perform,” he said. In the bowling department, India would like young Bhuvneshwar Kumar swing the ball, while in spin department Ravichandran Ashwin will be the key as the home side would look to keep the same three-plus-one pace-spin combination, that means local lad Mohammad Shami Ahmed may have to wait for his first ODI cap. The Pakistani camp, on the other hand, have an all-win record against India from three matches at the Eden Gardens and they would look to wrap up the issue here. The pace battery of Umar Gul, Junaid Khan and Mohammad Irfan will once again look to bowl full throttle and exploit India’s weakness. Irfan had pulled a hamstring under muggy conditions of Chennai and it remains to be seen whether the 7-feet 1-inch frame speedster figures in the ranks. But all eyes would be on left-arm pacer Junaid as he would look to give early breakthroughs with the new ball. The only concern for skipper Misbah-ul-Haq would be to improve their death bowling performance
AgENCIES
RECKED by Pakistani seamers in their opening ODI match, India’s underfire cricketers will have to pull themselves up against the arch rivals when they clash in a must-win second cricket one-dayer with the form of their toporder batsmen a concern. Pakistan pacer Junaid Khan had sucked the life out of Indian batting when his fiery spell of 4/43 in Chennai mopped up the top order and eventually set up a six-wicket victory for his team. None of the top five batsmen could even reach a double digit figure and if it would not have been for skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s heroic unbeaten 113, things would have been more embarrassing for the hosts who are trailing the three-match series 0-1. Another defeat on Thursday would mean India’s second series loss in less than a fortnight after England recorded their first Test series win (2-1) on Indian soil in 28 years. With odds heavily stacked against them at Eden Gardens, a struggling India will be under tremendous pressure tomorrow to keep the three-match series alive. Another defeat on Thursday would mean India’s second series loss in less than a fortnight. AFP It remains to be seen how captain Dhoni makes the famed top-order click with both Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir struggling to give a good start to the team. In absence of retired ODI batsman Sachin Tendulkar, senior pro Sehwag is yet to take up the challenge and lead the batting from the front. Sehwag had a poor
2012, accumulating 217 from 10 matches. Barring a 96 against Sri Lanka last year, he’s yet to fire since his record-breaking 219 in December 2011. The Sehwag conundrum is hurting India’s cause and the Delhi opener will need to come up with a good innings to give India a decent start, something that more often than not translates into a big win. Considering that Sehwag, who did not play the T20Is, specially figured in India’s ODI scheme of things, his return to form will be the need of the hour. ”When the senior player like Sehwag comes into the side, when he is specially picked for the series, he needs a go ahead,” Dhoni said indicating that Sehwag will remain at his slot. Virat Kohli too is going through a mini-
slump and it has only added to India’s misery. Kohli had injured his foot in Chennai and there’s a cloud of uncertainty over him but India would want the promising righthander to be back in his usual number three. Barring Yuvraj Singh who had set up India’s series-levelling T20 International win in Ahmedabad with his 36-ball 72, India’s batting has been a picture of inconsistency. But the skipper has backed his famed batting line-up despite the prolonged lean patch. ”All of Indian top-order were bowled which means that the deliveries were good. You can’t really question the talent of our top order,” Dhoni said, giving credit to Pakistani pacers in Chennai. ”Honestly, there was plenty for the bowlers in the initial period. They bowled in the right areas and
that had conceded 81 runs in Chennai as India could recover to 227. Even in Ahmedabad T20I, where their bowlers had conceded 74 runs in last five overs, it had hurt Pakistan’s cause as India levelled the series with a 11-run victory. “We have to really improve our fielding and bowling in the death overs and Power Play. When two batsmen are set, it is difficult to bowl at them like it was Dhoni (in Chennai),” Misbah said. Bolstered by the return of experienced pro Younis Khan in the one-dayer, Pakistan doesn’t not have many concern in batting. Their top batsmen of Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed Shoaib Malik are also among runs and Pakistan would look to get going. Youngster Nasir has shown fine qualities of an opening batsmen as he guided Pakistan to a six-wicket win with his 101 not out. He would look to continue from where he’s left and give Pakistan a solid start. Even as it’s a noon start, dew would be a concern in this part where sun sets early. The pitch will have plenty in it for the batsmen, promised curator Prabir Mukherjee. ”It’s a typical one-day batting friendly wicket. Batting first upon winning the toss would be a wise decision,” he added. INDIA: mahendra Singh dhoni (c & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, yuvraj Singh, rohit Sharma, Suresh raina, ravichandran ashwin, bhuvneshwar Kumar, ishant Sharma, ashok dinda, ajinkya rahane, ravindra Jadeja, amit mishra and mohammad Shami ahmed. PAKISTAN: misbah-ul-haq (c), mohammad hafeez, nasir Jamshed, azhar ali, younis Khan, Shoaib malik, Kamran akmal (wk), Junaid Khan, umar Gul, Saeed ajmal, mohammad irfan, anwar ali, haris Sohail, imran farhat, umar akmal, wahab riaz, zulfiqar babar.
misbah’s men Junaid can be another Wasim: Younis Kohli fit for practice in earnest second odi KOLKATA
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CHEnnAI AgENCIES
Winning is a habit. But behind achieving the habit is hard work. On Tuesday, the visiting Pakistan team showed why this team means business. Having won the first one-day International at Chennai, the entire team was out at the Eden Gardens and worked out rigorously for three hours. The team’s attitude is clear: to win the series, possibly at its favourite hunting ground, the Eden Gardens. Having an enviable record at this venue and the form the team has shown certainly makes this side the one to watch on Thursday. The Indians, who had arrived here in batches, preferred to take rest. Captain M.S. Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Ashoke Dinda and Mohammad Shami, who all arrived with coach Duncan Fletcher and support staff, and the four — Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Ajienkya Rahane — who reached this afternoon failed to show up disappointing a large number of supporters who had gathered to watch the team practice. Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuvraj Singh arrived late owing to delayed arrival of the flight. The 22 who have confirmed are: Mushtaq Mohammed, Wasim Akram, Sadiq Mohammed, Imtiaz Ahmed, Intikhab Alam, Rameez Raja, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik (all Pakistan); Bishan Singh Bedi, Ajit Wadekar, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Gundappa Visvanath, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, K. Srikkanth, Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly, V.V.S. Laxman, M.S. Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.
thursday, 3 January, 2013
Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan Wednesday heaped praise on Junaid Khan, saying the young left-arm pacer has the traits of becoming someone like legendary seamer Wasim Akram. The 23-year-old pacer had left India in tatters reducing them to 29 for five to set up Pakistan`s six-wicket win in Ahmedabad and take a 1-0 lead in the three-ODI series. "Good to see him the way he`s performing consistently, it`s a good sign for him and the team. If he keeps on doing that then we will find another great left arm fast-bowler of Wasim Akram type," he said. "Junaid is keen and not living in the past. He`s living in the present and trying to improve. It`s a good sign for Pakistani team," the veteran of 79 Test and 246 ODIs said. The ODI series marked a surprise return for Younis and the 35-year-old said there was no
added pressure on him to perform at the Motera, even as he had a forgettable calendar in 2012 with 167 runs from 10 ODIs. "There`s no pressure even before
ODI. It was my comeback match but there was no pressure that if I don`t score I would not play the next game," Younis, who scored a 58 in his comeback match, added. "I always try and improve my game to a level so that I can tell youngsters how to play." Younis has two centuries from two Test matches at the Eden Gardens and he hopes to do an encore in the ODI as well. "Allah karay aur eik century karoon. But I hope I play an innings that will help Pakistan seal the series," he said. The senior pro said the team was backing the youngsters and it`s a good time to be in. "When youngsters come in team they try to perform. So we don`t have big names but when a youngster gets a chance for a IndiaPakistan match, they try and achieve something," he said. "I always try to guide the youngsters. We all believe in sharing. Good teams are those who share good and bad times."
at Kolkata KOLKATA AgENCIES
Indian batsman Virat Kohli who suffered a foot injury in the first match in Chennai is available for selection for the crucial second One -Day International against Pakistan at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. "Virat is available for selection for the match," Indian skipper MS Dhoni said Wednesday after the team's net practice here. Kohli suffered the injury while bowling the 41st over of Pakistan's run chase. His backfoot slipped in the delivery stride and he landed on his knees. He limped off the field and Suresh Raina finished off the last ball of the over.
BCB chief hopeful of Pakistan’s participation in BPL DHAKA AgENCIES
The fall-out of Bangladesh's reluctance to tour Pakistan could be costly for the forthcoming second season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), but the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is confident that cricketers from Pakistan will be made available. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf's use of the word "might" in the case of the Pakistan players' availability has eased fears of a complete pull-out. "I still believe that a large number of Pakistani players will play in the BPL," Nazmul Hassan, the BCB president, said on Tuesday. "He [Zaka Ashraf] didn't directly say that the players won't play in the BPL. He said that they will have their own league at that point of time, something which might not allow their players to come to Bangladesh. All I can do is hope for their availability." The BPL is scheduled to begin on January 18, clashing with the Quaid-e-
Azam Trophy, Pakistan's domestic firstclass tournament. The PCB is unlikely to let some of the top Pakistan players take part in the BPL, though more than 50 cricketers were bought by the franchises in the auction. The seven franchises will begin their training camps from the second week of January, with foreign players expected to start arriving from January 4. If the PCB is to give NOCs (No-Objection Certificate) for the BPL, the BCB would prefer them soon because a pull-out would require the governing council and Game On Sports, BPL's event management firm, to host a closed-door auction. In that case, it would throw the tournament into chaos, a scenario that is a major concern for the owners. "We did not receive any information of the Pakistan players not attending this year's BPL yet. Of course it's a concern as all the franchises had plans with the Pakistani cricketers that they bought from the auction. If they (Pakistani cricketers) are not available we (the franchisees) will have to look for other options," Shihab
Chowdhury, Dhaka Gladiators' managing director, said. Another owner, Sylhet Royals' Nafeesa Kamal, believed that in the event of a pull-out, the franchises will not have enough players to fill those vacant spots. "Not having Pakistan players is definitely a concern and I think we should be informed soon about their status. If the BPL plans to hold a closed-door auction in the event of their unavailability, we will be left with very few good options." The overall reaction to Bangladesh's deferment has been of relief in many quarters as the general perception in the country has been negative about the proposed tour. But the BCB is not ready to give up on their bilateral relations with their Pakistan counterparts, and the man having to
answer all the questions at this stage, Hassan, has had to resort to diplomacy. "I haven't spoken to them [the PCB] officially regarding this issue. We haven't received the reply to our letter which we sent to them four days back. "I am not blaming Pakistan, I understand their sentiment but this is not intentional. There is no politics in it. It's the situation that has compelled us not to tour Pakistan at this point of time," said Hassan. There still remains a sense of confidence among those who run the BPL directly, but if the PCB announces a pull-out of the top players, new players have to be recruited at short notice. The BCB would start the new year on a bad note, off the field, if their money-spinning T20 tournament runs into problems.
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The charm and disgrace of Pakistan-India cricket
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BISHAn SInGH BEDI
T is difficult to think of a series between the two neighbours that did not have the blessings of political leaders For starters, we could have never used this headline for an Ashes series. The reason, if I may add, is pretty simple — there are no political overtones to the Ashes whereas an India-Pakistan series is seldom without a political “tarkaa.” Perhaps, that is what raises the excitement quotient of India-Pakistan cricket. GOODWILL TOUR Pardon me for recalling here a very personal experience of the most horrendous kind — way back in 1978, when the government of India, under the leadership of late Morarji Desai, decided to mend/renew relations, it was us cricketers he chose to send to Pakistan on a goodwill tour. Yes, it was earnestly a goodwill tour on
Sachin confident of india’s backlash against Pakistan MuMBAI AgENCIES
Sachin Tendulkar might have called time on his limited-overs career but he says his heart is still with the team and exuded confidence that India would bounce back in the ODI series against arch-rivals Pakistan. "Even though I am not part of the team now, my heart is always with the team. I will support the team all the way. And I have no doubt that the team is going to bounce back in the series," Tendulkar said during his first interaction with the media after his retirement from ODIs. "The team needs good wishes and support from all of us. They need good feedback from everybody so that they can play good cricket," he said, while also offering the countrymen good wishes in the new year." "Now 2013 has set in and I would like to wish the people of this country happiness and good health," he added.
national cycling championship postponed LAHORE STAFF REPORT
The 60th edition of the National cycling championship which was scheduled to be held here from January 19 has been postponed and will now be held from February 12 . “Wapda Sports Board which is the host of the event requested us to postponed the event to give ample time to all the participation teams to prepare for the premier event “,said a spokesman of Pakistan Cycling Federation on Wednesday. He said the participating teams needed some time to gear up for the event after their participation in the recently concluded National Games. “The track events will be held at Gadaffi stadium velodrome while the road competitions will take place at Kasur-Gandasingwala road”,he said.
tray national hockey at Peshawar LAHORE STAFF REPORT
The 4TH National tray hockey championship will be played at Lala Ayub Hockey Stadium, Peshawar from January 18-28. The players up to 30 years of age (born on or after 1stJanuary 1983) are eligible to participate in the Championship except those attending the national training camp/ national player,said a spokesman of Pakistan Hockey Federation here on Wednesday. All team Managers and Players are personally responsible for the provision of original CNIC to the Tournament Director as and when demanded. Any player providing fake CNIC the Players/Managers will be banned for a period of one year and match will be awarded to the opponent team with score 5-0.
which Indian cricketers were expected to do what politicians would not dream of doing – create goodwill that is. I must confess, initially I was very excited too because it was a dream to play against my good old colleagues Mushtaq Mohammad and Sarfraz Nawaz, from Northants, both outstanding professionals. There were others too from the county fold, namely Asif Iqbal, Majid Khan, Imran Khan and Zaheer Abbas, all accomplished professionals and happily dominating the county scene then. We thought we had the added advantage of having the Maharaja of Baroda as our manager. He was exceptionally popular in Pakistan. He would often have the privilege of two adjacent suites, with “DND (Do Not Disturb”) signs outside both, and the man would not be inside at all. Such were the vagaries of our highly protected social interactions. We had never experienced anything
peaking gloriously against a listless Indian unit. I reckon we might have taken our PM Morarji Desai’s dictum of “goodwill” a shade too seriously. But I do remember after the Sahiwal fiasco, telling the Manager that he should invite Morarji bhai to lead the Indian squad in Pakistan. It was well nigh impossible to keep politics away from our cricket conversations and much to our chagrin, Pakistanis looked down upon us with utter disdain. We had never experienced such all round scorn on a cricket tour before. MEETING GENERAL ZIA My personal plus was getting to know Gen Zia-ul-Haq from close quarters. He was as grim a dictator as they come, but I was able to strike a humane understanding with him with sheer humour. I met Gen. Zia many years later in Jaipur. He had piled himself on the Indian government in the name of cricket diplo-
like that on tours elsewhere. There were social “do’s” just about every evening, but did we ever see a charming feminine face? Our lads quickly became disillusioned with their macho images. And on the cricket field we were destined to be even more disillusioned. There is no doubt that we were up against a better and more determined home team. What took us by a much greater surprise was extreme hostility from the public and the media — and the umpires, if I may say so. Lest I sound like a bad loser, let me assure all and sundry that we were comprehensively beaten by a much superior team. If the overall cricket environment did not suit us or our frame of mind, well, it was not supposed to. Much was expected from the spin quartet but sadly, we bowled below par collectively. Not for a moment would I like to take away the brilliance of Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad and Imran Khan, who were all
macy. I was sitting in the press box when I got a call to see Gen. Zia in his crowded security cordon. He hugged me warmly and then remarked, “Bedi Sahib, you have greyed so much.” To which my response was fairly spontaneous — “Gen., you must grey when you grow old unless you happen to be the President of India.” I’ve seen quite a few India-Pakistan series subsequently, both in India and in Pakistan, but I can’t think of one which did not have the blessings of the political bosses. That to my mind is the biggest drawback cricket must suffer now and for as long as the game is dependent on political clearances. There is no such constraint in an England-Australia cricket contest. Hence, my vote to the Ashes for being a far superior sporting encounter. (Bishan Singh Bedi was India’s captain on the 1978 tour to Pakistan.)
Pakistan have a perfect record clarke fit, australia go with four quicks against India at Eden gardens stats corner S PERCvEZ QAISER
P
AKISTAN have a perfect record against India at Eden Gardens, Kolkata where the second match of the three- match series will be played on Thursday (January 3). The visitors have won all three one day international matches against India at this ground. Overall, Pakistan have won four and lost one ibn five one day internationals played here. India, on the other hand, have won 10, lost six and abandoned one in 17 one day internationals played at Eden Gardens. Pakistan recorded a two-wicket win over India when two teams met first time at this ground on February 18, 1987. A splendid 72 off 36 balls by Salim Malik brought Pakistan a remarkable victory before a crowd of 90,000-plus. The match was seemingly in India’s grasp after Krishnamachari Srikkanth’s 123 (one six, fourteen fours) and partnership of 145 for the fourth wicket with Mohammed Azharuddin. Younis Ahmed (58), playing in his first one-day international in his 40th year, shared a century opening stand with Ramiz Raja (58), but in forcing the pace Pakistan slumped to 161 for five. Coming in when 78 runs were needed at more than 10 an over, Salim Malik produced some amazing shots and hit a six and eleven fours as he turned the tables. Maninder Singh, who played despite an injury, went for 70 runs in his 10 overs. In the second match played between at this venue on October 28, 1989, Pakistan defeated India by 77 runs. Pakistan, needing to win to qualify for the semi-finals of the Nehru Cup, handsomely overcame India, whose
ONE-DAy MATcHES AT EDEN GARDENS: TEAM India Pakistan Pak v Ind
p 17 5 3
W 10 4 3
L 6 1 -
N/R 1 -
SUccESS% 61.76 80.00 100.00
HIGHEST INNINGS TOTALS: INDIA: 317-3 in 48.1 vs Sri Lanka 24-12-2009 pAkISTAN: 293-4 in 49 vs India 13-11-2004
LOWEST INNINGS TOTALS: INDIA: 188 in 45.5 vs South Africa 25-11-2005 pAkISTAN: 224 in 43.1 vs Sri Lanka 27-05-1997
HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL ScORES:
SYDnEY
INDIA: 150* Gautam Gambhir vs Sri Lanka 24-120 2009 pAkISTAN: 108* Salman Butt vs India 13-11-2004
AgENCIES
BEST BOWLING pERFORMANcES: INDIA: 6-12 Anil Kumble vs West Indies 27-11-1993 pAkISTAN: 4-53 Saqlain Mushtaq vs Sri Lanka 27-05-1997 consolation was in scoring the 175 they needed to head the qualifying table. With that honour, however, came the double-edged privilege of meeting the improved West Indians in the Bombay semi-final. A sparkling 120 in 21 overs by Krishnamachari Srikkanth (65) and Raman Lamba (57) gave the Indians the start they needed, but once they were out Pakistan’s 279, the highest total of the tournament, was never threatened. Imran Khan set the seal on the Pakistan innings with an unbeaten 47 from 39 balls, taking 19 off Kapil Dev in the 50th over. Pakistan beat India by six wickets in BCCI Platinum Jubilee Match on November 13, 2004. Salman Butt, whose beautifully paced unbeaten 107 guided them to a convincing six-wicket win in
the Platinum Jubilee match. Set a daunting 293, Pakistan romped home with one over to spare, winning their fourth consecutive one-day international against India. Playing in front of 90,000 spectators, most of them rooting for the opposition, Salman Butt put in a completely nerveless display, totally overshadowing Yuvraj Singh’s performance earlier in the day, when he made 78 off just 62 balls to power India to an imposing total of 292-6 in 50 overs. India’s innings was powered by Yuvraj Singh, who proved once again why he is such a vital cog in the Indian one-day line-up. With the innings losing momentum after a superb start, Yuvraj came in and turned it around with an electrifying 78 off 62 balls. VVS Laxman (43) and Virender Sehwag (53) were the early pace-setters, but the protagonist was Yuvraj Singh. He hit back with a vengeance, as India scored 115 from the last 13 overs.
Australia skipper Michael Clarke declared himself fit to play before announcing a team featuring four fast bowlers on the eve of the third test against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Clarke has been struggling with a hamstring injury but took a full part in training at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) before springing a surprise with the team selection for the match, in which the hosts can wrap up a 3-0 series sweep. With the nation debating which of the fast bowlers would be dropped, Australian selectors decided to include Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle and Jackson Bird in a fourpronged attack. "I'm fit and playing and we're going with four fast bowlers," Clarke told a news conference at the SCG. "There's a fair bit of grass on the wicket and the boys bowled really well in the last test. "Bringing Mitchell Starc back in obviously helps our attack with the form he's in, and Mitchell Johnson's batting, he's batting as well as an all rounder now. "I'm confident we've got enough batting ... and we have some extra bowling which is a real positive for us." Starc returns after being rested for the innings and 201-run victory in the second test in Melbourne, which gave Australia an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series after their 137-run victory in the opening test in Hobart.
SA turn screw on NZ after Philander burs CAPE TOwn AgENCIES
Alviro Petersen cracked a century on the opening day of the first test to extend South African lead to 207 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the first innings after the hosts skittled New Zealand for 45 in an extraordinary first session on Wednesday. It was one of the most one-sided days of Test cricket in which it was entirely up to South Africa how quickly they want to move this match along. However, the number's that will dominate the day are New Zealand's 45, Philander's 5 for 7 and Steyn's 300th Test wicket. Earlier at tea, a quickfire 66 from Hashim Amla lifted South Africa to 119 for two. Fast bowler Vernon Philander took five wickets as the Proteas dismissed the Black Caps in just 19.2 overs, the eighthshortest completed innings in test cricket,
SCOREBOARD NEW ZEALAND 1ST INNINgS: M.guptill c de Villiers b Philander 1 B.McCullum b Philander 7 K.Williamson lbw b Philander 13 D.Brownlie c Smith b Philander 0 D.Flynn c&b Steyn 8 B.J. Watling c de Villiers b Philander 0 J.Franklin c Smith b Morkel 1 D.Bracewell b Steyn 2 J.Patel c Amla b Morkel 5 T.Boult c de Villiers b Morkel 1 C.Martin not out 0 Extras (lb-6, b-0, w-0, nb-1) Total (all out, 19.2 overs) 45 Fall: 1-7, 2-14, 3-14, 4-27, 5-27, 6-28, 7-31, 8-38, 9-45, 10-45 Bowling: Steyn 7.2-2-18-2, Philander 6-3-7-5, Morkel 6-2-14-3 (nb-1)
but they lost captain Graeme Smith in the last over before lunch. Resuming on three for one, Alviro Petersen and Amla set about steadying the innings and consecutive leg-side boundaries by Petersen from the first two balls of the session eased the
SOUTH AFRICA 1ST INNINgS gC Smith lbw b Bracewell 1 AN Petersen not out 103 HM Amla lbw b Franklin 66 JH Kallis c Watling b Boult 60 AB de Villiers not out 19 Extras (b 1, lb 1, nb 1) 3 Total (3 wickets; 64 overs) 252 To bat F du Plessis, D Elgar, RJ Peterson, VD Philander, DW Steyn, M Morkel Fall of wickets 1-1 (Smith, 1.1 ov), 2-108 (Amla, 25.2 ov), 3-212 (Kallis, 51.3 ov) Bowling: TA Boult 13-0-53-1, DAJ Bracewell 17-2-77-1, CS Martin 12-2-38-0, JEC Franklin 9-1-23-1, JS Patel 13-1-59-0 Toss New Zealand, who chose to bat, Player of the match tba, Umpires IJ gould (England) and RJ Tucker (Australia), TV umpire HDPK Dharmasena (Sri Lanka).
pressure. The prolific Amla then became the main aggressor as he struck three boundaries off wicket-taker Doug Bracewell before taking his team past New Zealand's score in the 12th over with a fine on-drive. Amla continued his dazzling
LOWEST TOTALS FOLLOWINg IS A LIST OF THE IN TESTS:
TEAM N Zealand S Africa S Africa S Africa S Africa Australia N Zealand Australia India S Africa Australia S Africa England N Zealand England
SCORE 26 30 30 35 36 36 42 42 42 43 44 45 45 45 46
OPP England England England England Australia England Australia England England England England Australia Australia S Africa W Indies
VENUE Auckland Port Elizabeth Birmingham Cape Town Melbourne Birmingham Wellington Sydney Lord's Cape Town The Oval Melbourne Sydney Cape Town Port of Spain
DATE Mar 25, 1955 Feb 13, 1896 Jun 14, 1924 Apr 1, 1899 Feb 12, 1932 May 29, 1902 Mar 29, 1946 Feb 10, 1888 Jun 20, 1974 Mar 25, 1889 Aug 10, 1896 Feb 12, 1932 Jan 28, 1887 Jan 2, 2013 Mar 25, 1994
strokeplay, racing to his half-century from just 55 deliveries with a drive through the covers off Chris Martin. Petersen was more sedate but had still contributed 37 by the time Amla brought up the 100-partnership with a single to the cover boundary.
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17 Sports PbSf recommends asif for pride of performance award LAHORE STAFF REPORT
Venus inspires USA to Hopman Cup win
The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation has recommended the name of World snooker champion, Mohammad Asif for the President’s award for Pride of Performance. “ We have sent the name of Asif for his outstanding performance of winning the world title for the Pride of Performance award and we are confident that the Sports Ministry will give a due consideration to our request “,said Alamgir A Shaikh, President, PBSF on Wednesday. He said Asif deserves praise and encouragement from Government and if considered for the award it would be the best way to acknowledge his achievement at world level in snooker.
munich: felix neureuther against all odds takes a turn to win in the men’s world cup parallel slalom event.
serena into Brisbane quarters
faldo Golf Series plans event in lahore LAHORE STAFF REPORT
PERTH
The Faldo Series Golf Championship returns to Pakistan for a second time and while the first event was held at Karachi,the second one will be contested at the par 72, Defence Raya Golf and Country Club in Lahore.This championship will tee off on 18th January and the competition will span over three rounds from 18th to 20th January.Four of the young participants who emerge as the top ones will join Sir Nick Faldo at the Asia Grand Final in China. “The inaugural Faldo Series Pakistan Championship that took place in Karachi last year was a great success and the four finalists benefited hugely from their time with Sir Nick in China,” said Taimur Hassan, Honorary Secretary of the Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF). “In keeping with our objective to rotate the Faldo Series around the country, this year the tournament is scheduled to take place in Lahore in collaboration with the Defence Raya Golf and Country Club ..” Defending champion Mubariz Ahmad of Islamabad will lead Pakistan’s top golfers aged 12 to 21 over three rounds at Defence Raya in Lahore. With the field divided into four age-groups, three boys and one girl will qualify for the seventh Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen on March 13-15. National coach Omar Ghias will attend the second Pakistan Championship to work with the players and other local children as part of a joint drive by the Faldo Series and Pakistan Golf Federation to combine tournament experience with expert advice,under supervision. Established in 1996, 40 Faldo Series tournaments now take place in 30 countries worldwide with more than 7,000 golfers participating each year. Past winners include Major Champions Rory McIlroy and Yani Tseng. The 2012/2013 Faldo Series Asia schedule features a record 18 tournaments in 15 countries, including four in mainland China and others in The Philippines, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Malaysia, Japan, Pakistan, Indonesia and Thailand.
AgENCIES
V
ENUS Williams pulled off an unlikely victory over Mathilde Johansson before teaming up with John Isner as the United States defeated France 21 in the Hopman Cup. The former world number one was a set and 4-1 down to Johansson before digging deep into the reserves she has amassed over her long career to triumph 3-6 7-5 6-4 in Perth. The Frenchwoman played fearlessly in the first set, taking Williams by surprise, although the American misfired with her forehand and she was clearly in some discomfort. However, the seven-time grand slam champion refused to give in and as she began to claw her way back into the game Johansson started to make mistakes. With the score at 4-1, and Johansson closing in on victory, Williams reeled off three consecutive games before getting the decisive break to go 65 up and then serving out the set. In quotes reported on the Hopman Cup website, Williams said: "Mathilde's a
BRISBANE: Serena Williams booked her place in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International with the minimum of fuss on Tuesday by seeing off Alize Cornet. The third seed dropped just four games en route to a 6-2 6-2 victory, giving her French opponent little chance. Elsewhere in the women's draw, Sara Errani was beaten by Daniel Hantuchova, the fifth seed losing 46 6-1 7-5, while sixth seed Petra Kvitova was also defeated by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 7-5. Ksenia Pervak went through against Urszula Radwanska 3-6 6-2 7-6 (8/6). In the men's competition, home favourite Lleyton Hewitt overcame a second-set wobble to beat Igor Kunitsyn 6-3 4-6 6-2 in his opener. Tommy Robredo was also put to the test by American Ryan Harrison in his first-round match before prevailing 6-4 7-6 (6/4). Denis Istomin looked much more at ease, dropping just three games against Martin Klizan, while John Millman got the better of Tatsuma Ito. Also in the first round, Alejandro Falla saw off Jesse Levine, Jurgen Melzer went three sets against Denis Kudla and David Goffin saw off Matthew Ebden. Grigor Dimitrov was a 6-3 7-6 (10/8) winner over Brian Baker of the United States. AgENCIES tough player. She hits the ball hard and low, and I'm tall so it's hard to get low. "I was just thinking, at least if I'm going to lose this match, I was going to try to work on my game. In the end, I got a win for the US." Victory levelled the tie at 1-1 after Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had swept past Isner 6-3 6-2 in 55 minutes. Tsonga was sharp from the outset, moving his opponent around the court and
timing the ball perfectly. Isner, the world number 14, struggled increasingly as the match wore on and two quick breaks in the second set saw Tsonga take a 5-1 lead. Isner held his serve to love but it was merely delaying the inevitable as Tsonga closed out the match. Williams and Isner then teamed up to win the mixed doubles 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 108 against Johansson and Tsonga.
Radwanska sees off Arn in Auckland AuCKLAnD AgENCIES
Agnieszka Radwanska eased through her opening match at the ASB Classic in Auckland with a straight-sets victory over Greta Arn. The Polish top seed came through 6-2 6-2 against the 2011 champion to set up a second-round clash with Simona Halep of Romania. Second seed Julia Goerges also enjoyed a straightforward win, beating Anastasija Sevastova 6-3 6-4. Briton Heather Watson joined them in the second round after her opponent Sorana Cirstea withdrew through illness. Watson took the first set 6-3 and that was enough as the Romanian fifth seed could not carry on. Other games today saw sixth-seeded Yaraslava Shvedova see off Lara Arrubarrena-Vecino in straight sets, while eighth seed Mona Barthel was a 6-1 6-3 winner over Grace Min of the United States. Romina Oprandi dropped only two games in beating Nudinga Luangnam and Marina Erakovic saw off Stephanie Dubois for the loss of three games.
QAtAr OPen tennIs
Brown gives Ferrer a fright DOHA ALI AKBAR
The first round of the Qatar Open was all about Germany's Dustin Brown. One could have been excused for assuming that Brown would be like the other excellent German players in the event, trained to the last ounce and technically perfect. But Brown is half Jamaican and wears dreadlocks that make him look more like a calypso singer. His game is all power combined with deft touch in the shape of drop shots. Having fought his way through the qualifying for the main draw, Brown was in great touch and gave top seed David Ferrer all that he could handle. Brown won the first set and then had Ferrer
thursday, 3 January, 2013
love-thirty in the first game of the second only for Ferrer to hold on. Then at 1-2 with Brown serving, a chunk of the court broke off from behind the baseline, forcing an extended halt while the surface was repaired. That was all the respite that Ferrer needed and Brown was soon dispatched in a flurry of service return winners. Regardless, a bit of history had been made. This was the first time one could recall, that a piece of tennis court had broken out in this manner. A few years ago, a court at the US Open had blistered and broken up because of heavy rain. But for a court to break up for no reason at all was unprecedented. In other matches, Spain's Feliciano Lopez was outplayed by Poland's Lukas Kubot. German
Daniel Brands defeated France’s Chardy. Qualifier Tobias Kamke upset Hidalgo of Spain while second seed Richard Gasquet had no trouble against Czech veteran Jan Hernyck. The French Football team Paris St. Germain was in attendance at the Center Court. QTF President Nasser Kholaifi is also President of the Paris professional soccer team. A German professional soccer team is in Doha as well, taking advantage of the weather and excellent facilities. Following the success of the Asian Champions’ Trophy, Qatar is also building a state of the art hockey facility with three pitches. Having already held the Asian Games and looking forward to the World Cup and possibly an Olympic bid, Doha looks to become the sporting standard bearer in East Asia.
ioka downs rodriguez in six TOKYO AgENCIES
Japanese boxer Kazuto Ioka won his 11th consecutive fight when he beat Jose Rodriguez to claim the vacant WBA light flyweight title on Monday. It took Ioka, who knocked his Mexican opponent out three times during the bout, just six rounds to secure what was ultimately a dominant win to earn him a second title in just 11 fights - a new record in Japanese boxing. Ioka won his first title - the WBC 105pound strawweight title - in 2011, just two years after he had turned pro. He beat Oleydong Sithsamerchai with a onepunch knockout to win that fight. While it took Ioka a little longer to secure victory in the fight against Rodriguez, he made his intentions quite clear from the outset. Midway through that session Ioka landed two solid blows on Rodriguez, sending him to the canvas early. cLEVERLy TO FAcE HOpkINS: Nathan Cleverly hopes to land a fight against Bernard Hopkins in the New Year if he defends his world title against Robin Krasniqi on March 16. Cleverly made two routine defences of his WBO light-heavyweight title in 2012, but he is targeting a big-name fight in the next 12 months, with ring legend Hopkins his top target.
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Sports 18 watch it Live PTV SPORTS 2nd ODI: Pakistan V India 11:30AM
STAR SPORTS Pavilion se: Post Show 07:30PM
STAR CRICKET 2nd Test: Australia V Sri Lanka 04:30AM
neureuther takes in munich MunICH AgENCIES
Felix Neureuther and Veronika Zuzulova upset the odds to triumph in the men's and women's World Cup parallel slalom event in Munich's Olympic Park on Tuesday. Home favourite Neureuther won both heats in the last race to oust Austrian World Cup holder Marcel Hirscher, with France's Alexis Pinturault finishing third. Zuzulova claimed her second win in four days and once again edged out overall World Cup leader Tina Maze. The Slovakian claimed her maiden World Cup win in Semmering, Austria on Saturday and clearly took a lot of confidence into Tuesday night with two marvellous runs. Austria's Michaela Kirchgasser finished third.
taylor wins 16th world darts title LOnDOn AgENCIES
cables beat hamdard in Veteran festival cricket LAHORE STAFF REPORT
Amar Cables beat Hamdard Gymkhana Karachi by 77 runs in a veteran festival cricket match here on Wednesday at Shah Faisal cricket ground. Brief scores, Amar Cables batted first reached 138/6 in 20 overs. Man of the match ,Ahmad Shohab 34, Amer Ilyas Butt 31, Shahid Mansoor 23, Muhammad Arif 18 & Rauf Wain 11 runs. Hamdard Gymkhana Karachi bowling Munawar Hussain 2/18, Riaz Kareem 1/21, Muhammad Hanif 1/16, Muhammad Sarwar 1/12 & Najam Faisal 1/31 wickets. In reply Hamdard Gymkhana Karachi cheaply at 61 all out in 18.5 overs. Muhammad Rehan 25 runs. Amar Cables bowling Ameer Akbar 3/13, Ahmad Shohab 2/12, Tariq Hussain Raju 1/9, Shahid Mansoor 1/3, Muhammad Arif 1/9 & Sohail Madni 1/1 wickets. Waleed Yaqoob and Irfan Dilshad were the umpires and Qasim Shafiq was the scorer.
Torres ready to be on bench: Benitez LIvERPOOL AgENCIES
Rafael Benitez is confident that Fernando Torres will accept occasionally sitting on the bench if Chelsea bring in another striker during the transfer window. With Liverpool-bound Daniel Sturridge having been out of favour for most of the season, Torres has been a constant fixture in the Blues team, starting every league game. Although he has performed better of late, there is no doubt that Torres is still short of the form he exhibited under Benitez at Liverpool. Chelsea have been linked with a number of strikers, with Radamel Falcao, Demba Ba and Andre Schurrle all reported to be on Benitez's radar as he attempts to bring in some competition for the former Atletico Madrid man. With the transfer window now open, it seems only a matter of time before Chelsea land one of their targets and when they do Benitez insists Torres will understand that he will be rotated. "We are trying to manage the team so when I can change Fer-
nando I will do it," Chelsea's interim manager said. "We will try to manage him and hopefully we can do things properly. "He wants the team winning games and he understands that is the way so he will accept this." Chelsea yesterday held what were described as "unproductive" talks with Ba's representatives after entering the race to sign the Newcastle striker. One thing Chelsea have on their side in negotiations is the fact that they will almost certainly be able to offer the 27-yearold Champions League football next season. Indeed should Chelsea sign Ba, he may well end up being involved in a title challenge for the second half of the season. After four successive Barclays Premier League wins, the Londoners sit 14 points adrift of leaders Manchester United with two games in hand ahead of Wednesday night's meeting with QPR, but Benitez insists his thoughts, and those of his players, are not drifting towards the prospect of a title assault. "I don't like to think about this," Benitez said. "I like to think about the next game and three points. It is impor-
Phil Taylor overcame a spirited Michael van Gerwen to claim his 16th world darts title at Alexandra Palace on Tuesday. Taylor had to fight back from 2-0 and 4-2 down in the final against the young Dutchman before eventually running out a 7-4 victory. The 52-year-old Taylor, who had said after his semi-final victory over Raymond van Barneveld that he was feeling fatigued, appeared to get stronger the longer the match against the 23-year-old van Gerwen went on. Taylor, who last won the title in 2010, said he was "chuffed" at the success but was unsure as to how many more years he would remain in the top level of the game. "I really don't know how much longer I can keep doing this," Taylor said in a televised interview. "I'll be 53 years old next year when coming back to defend this title."
‘real-barca hold must be broken’ MADRID AgENCIES
tant to give the players this mentality. "My job is to think about the next three or four or five games and if I have to adjust something I will do it. But the players just have to think 'This is my game, I have to give 100 per cent to win this game'."
Barcelona and Real Madrid have occupied the top two spots of La Liga seven out of the past eight sasons but the duopoly appears to be under severe threat this season with Atletico Madrid occupying second spot, nine points behind Barcelona and seven points ahead of city rivals Real Madrid, in the winter break.
Manchester duo cruise; Arsenal stutter LOnDOn AgENCIES
The gap between Barclays Premier League leaders Manchester United and second-placed Manchester City remains seven points after both sides recorded easy wins on Tuesday. Javier Hernandez and Robin van Persie both scored twice as United beat Wigan 4-0 to begin the year in fine style. Hernandez also had a strike disallowed, which came prior to him making the breakthrough after 35 minutes at the DW Stadium. Van Persie doubled United's lead in the 43rd minute and it was the Dutchman's free-kick that bal-
looned up to present Hernandez with his chance to net again in the 63rd minute. The Mexican striker's volley ended Wigan's hopes of any reward and Van Persie fired a late fourth as United passed the 50point mark, taking their haul to 52 from 21 games this season. Sir Alex Ferguson's side continue to head nearest rivals and defending champions City by seven points as they attempt to claw back the league title from their neighbours. Full-back Pablo Zabaleta inched City towards a 3-0 win against Stoke when he scored in the 43rd minute at the Etihad Stadium. Edin Dzeko doubled the lead after 56 minutes when Sergio Aguero saw a shot pushed out, and Aguero fired a 74thminute penalty to complete the scoring
after Steven Nzonzi fouled David Silva. There was less joy however for Arsenal, who were brought back down to earth after their 7-3 win over Newcastle as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton. Gaston Ramirez fired the hosts in front in the 34th minute when he pounced on some poor defending to drill an effort past Wojciech Szczesny, but the Gunners' blushes were spared four minutes before the break when Guly do Prado netted an own goal. Tottenham climbed to third place, a point ahead of Chelsea who have two games in hand, after a 3-1 home win over second-bottom side Reading. Andre Villas-Boas saw his side fall behind to a Pavel Pogrebnyak effort in the fourth minute, but Michael Dawson headed the hosts level in the ninth minute and Emmanuel Adebayor edged them ahead six minutes into the second half. Clint Dempsey made the points safe, with his shot benefiting
from a deflection as it beat Adam Federici for the third Tottenham goal in the 79th minute. Danny Graham cracked home a late equaliser for Swansea against Aston Villa to earn a 2-2 draw. Visitors Villa had fallen behind to Wayne Routledge's ninth-minute finish, after he surged clear of a static defence to round goalkeeper Brad Guzan. But the outlook improved for Paul Lambert's side just before the break when Andreas Weimann netted an equaliser in the 44th minute. Christian Benteke's penalty after Nathan Dyer's foul on Weimann put Villa ahead, as they looked to banish memories of dismal recent results. But Graham had the final say, his powerful finish with time running out sparking delight among home supporters at
the Liberty Stadium. A third-minute penalty from Mark Noble and Joey O'Brien's strike in the 26th minute gave West Ham a 2-0 cushion against Norwich at Upton Park. Russell Martin pulled one back for Norwich late in the second half but the Canaries could not find a leveller. Earlier, Fulham eased their relegation worries as Alexander Kacaniklic's second-half goal earned them a 2-1 win at West Brom. The Cottagers had slid towards the bottom three after winning only one of their previous 12 games but were well worth their second away success of the campaign. Dimitar Berbatov's seventh goal of the season gave the Cottagers a halftime lead and although Romelu Lukaku levelled after the break, Kacaniklic restored the visitors' advantage in the 58th minute.
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19 CEC wants army at all polling stations, defence secy unwilling g
ECP directs authorities to ban issuance of arms licences until elections ISLAMABAD
T
KASHIF ABBASI
O conduct free, fair and transparent elections, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to ban issuing of licences of prohibited and non-prohibited bore weapons with immediate effect and send back all Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel, mostly engaged with VIPs in Islamabad, to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) for controlling the law and order there. The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim and attended by the secretaries of defence, establishment, and foreign affairs, as well as all provincial home secretaries. In the meeting, the CEC suggested that
army personnel should be deployed at all polling stations until the announcement of election results. However, Defence Secretary Lt Gen (r) Asif Yasin Malik said the army was unable to perform security duty at every polling station as the troops were engaged at the borders but troops would be deployed at sensitive polling stations. In his media briefing, ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmed said with the consent of the other stakeholders, the ECP decided to form a district election security committee that would identify sensitive polling stations where army personnel would be deployed. He said it was also decided that the provincial governments would install close circuit cameras at all sensitive polling stations, adding that during the meeting KP Chief Secretary Ghulam Dastagir said 250 platoons of FC, which was created only for policing the border areas of KP and the
Tribal Areas, was unnecessarily deployed at other places. Ahmed said all attendees of eth meeting endorsed the KP home secretary’s suggestion and asked him to move a summary to the prime minister for withdrawal of FC personnel from other places. Talking about the ban on arms’ licences, the secretary said all secretaries and the Interior Ministry had been directed to ban the issuance of all prohibited and non-prohibited arms licences with immediate effect. He said the home secretaries agreed with the ECP’s directives, and added that a notification in this regard was likely to be issue on Thursday (today). To a query, Ahmed said display of arms was completely banned during elections campaign, however, he said after completing the due legal process, candidates were allowed to keep five armed guards with them for security purposes.
The ECP secretary said it was also proposed in the meeting that rallies and processions should be limited to covered areas. However, he said before deciding on the matter, the ECP would take up the issue with the Senate’s Special Committee. The secretary said it was also decided that the movement of Afghan refuges would be banned two weeks before the elections. About the internally displace persons (IDPS), the secretary said the ECP would facilitate them by setting up polling stations at IDPs camps. He said political agents in FATA had been given powers of district returning officers and they would be assisting the ECP in holding the elections. To a query, Ahmed said there was a proposal to deploy the army inside and outside all polling stations in Karachi. “The ECP would take a decision in this regard
after consulting the district election security committees,” he said. The secretary said the process of delimitation of constituencies in Karachi would be completed in the light of the Supreme Court’s decision. “I don’t want to comment on the CEC’s personal opinion… . however, I can tell you that work on delimiting the constituencies in Karachi is in progress,” the secretary said. He said a limited number of observers would be allowed to visit Pakistan for the monitoring of the forthcoming general elections, adding that they would be allowed to stay in Pakistan just for a week. The secretary said a committee, headed by the foreign affairs secretary, was working on the formation of a code of conduct for international observers, adding that 700,000 government officials would perform duties in the 2013 general elections.
Qadri says ready for dialogue with president, PM KARACHI ONLINE
LONDON: Interior Minister Rehman Malik makes an attempt to convince MQM chief Altaf Hussain to withdraw his support for the long march announced by Dr Tahirul Qadri, during a meeting at Hussain’s residence in London on Wednesday. INP
french weekly again prints blasphemous drawing MOnITORInG DESK A French satirical magazine that faced Muslim backlash in September after publishing drawings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), has again published a 64-page “special issue” with cartoons on the life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The editor of Charlie Hebdo weekly insisted that the publication was a properly researched and educational work prepared by a Franco-Tunisian sociologist. Stephane Charbonnier, the illustrator of the book, said he did not think higher Muslim minds could find anything inappropriate. He also told a foreign news agency last week that it was “a biography authorised by Islam since it was edited by Muslims”. Early this week, a senior political adviser to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced the work as a deliberate provocation. “To transform the life of the prophet of Islam (PBUH) into a cartoon is in itself a mistake,” Ibrahim Kalin wrote on his Twitter account. “Whatever the people at Charlie Hebdo say, this is a provocation.” A French government spokeswoman, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said there “is no necessity to pour oil on fire”. The magazine has on several occasions published cartoon versions of Islam’s prophet (PBUH) in what it claims to be an effort to defend free speech, to the fury of many Muslims who believe depicting the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is sacrilegious. In September, the weekly published blasphemous cartoons as violent protests were taking place in several countries over a low-budget film made in the US on the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
Mobile networks to remain blocked today LAHORE: Mobile phone networks will be blocked today (Thursday) from 8am to 10pm in 46 cities of the country to beef up security measures for Hazrat Imam Hussain’s (RA) chehlum. According to sources, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority on orders from the Interior Ministry will block services in Gilgit and nine districts of Balochistan including Quetta, Bolan, Sibi, Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Jhal Magsi, Khusdar, Loralai and Zhob. Similarly, there will be no mobile coverage in six cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Peshawar, Kohat, DI Khan, Hangu, Tank and Bannu, 18 cities in Punjab including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Multan, Sargodha, Faislabad and Chakwal, six cities in Sindh including Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Naushero Feroze and Khairpur and six districts in Azad Kashmir. Meanwhile, the government has also banned pillion riding in Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Quetta for today. STAFF REPORT
Pakistan Awami Tehreek Chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri on Wednesday said he was ready to meet the president and prime minister for the formation of authoritative interim government, but they would have to come to Lahore for the purpose. Talking to reporters on Wednesday, he said some politicians were advising the Election Commission of Pakistan to bring electoral reforms, but this would not produce desired results. Qadri said the Election
Commission had no power to amend the law. “If a case of rigging is sent to the ECP, its refers it to the courts and the final decision takes five years to arrive,” Qadri added. He said only negotiations could not prevent the long march, but the government must act upon the constitution completely to force him to rethink his decision. “If the announcement of an interim government is made before the long march, the people would reject it,” he added. Qadri called his visit to Karachi “successful”, in which his ties with the MQM had been strengthened. He hoped he would soon get to the destination with MQM’s support. Qadri again clarified that the deadline given to the government would expire on January 10, and the long march would start on January 14.
SC rejects Gilani’s review petition against his disqualification ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a review petition by former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani against his disqualification from being a member of parliament. The SC raised objections over the petition, saying the petition was incomplete as it had not been filed within specific time and the security challan was also not attached with the petition. Moreover, the SC stated that the petition had been filed personally and sent through the post, however, the review petition could only be filed through the counsel, in this case Aitzaz Ahsan. On June 19, 2012, the Supreme Court declared Yousaf Raza Gilani disqualified from holding a seat in parliament from the date of his conviction on April 26, 2012 by a sevenmember bench for contempt of court. The Election Commission of Pakistan had duly issued a notification of Gilani’s disqualification and declared him ineligible to be a member of parliament. ONLINE
Accused in rPP case made country’s PM: sc ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday reprimanded the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for not acting against the influential accused in the rental power project scandal, saying an accused in the case was made the prime minister of the country. The SC bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry resumed hearing in the RPP verdict’s implementation case on Wednesday. During the proceedings, the CJ remarked that no action had been taken against the accused despite all findings having come to the surface. Subsequently, the hearing was adjourned until January 21 due to the absence of NEPRA’s counsel. STAFF REPORT
Published by Arif Nizami at Plot No 79, Sector 24, Korangi Industrial Area Karachi.
Editor: Arif Nizami
thursday, 3 January, 2013