e-paper pakistantoday 09th september, 2012

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rs 22.00 Vol iii no 73 19 Pages Karachi edition

Sunday, 9 September, 2012 Shawwal 21, 1433

Moving beyond past, Pakistan and India pledge better ties g

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Sign liberalized visa regime, agree on new LoC CBMs related to trade and travel Khar says Pakistan does not want to miss any chance of promoting ties with India Krishna says ‘path not easy but we are committed to move ahead’ Says Indian PM ‘waiting for the right time’ to visit Pakistan

ISLAMABAD

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anwer abbas

N a historic breakthrough, Pakistan and India on Saturday vowed to improve bilateral relations as foreign ministers of both countries agreed to move forward in normalizing ties between the two nuclear armed nations on Saturday.

Islamabad and New Delhi also signed a liberalized visa regime and a memorandum of understanding on cultural exchanges, in addition to agreeing on new cross-Line of Control (LoC) confidence building measures related to trade and travel.

The new liberalized visa regime was finalized in the presence of Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and Interior Minister Rehman Malik at the Ministry of Interior in pursuance of the provisions in Simla Agreement of July 1972 regarding travel facilities to the nationals of two countries.

Under the new regime, ordinary tourists from either side would be given visas for five cities. The citizens above 65 years of age would be issued on-arrival visas for 45 days. On-arrival visas would also be issued on border posts at Wagha continued on Page 04

Rimsha masih gets dRamatic helicopteR Release fRom pRison ISLAMABAD Kashif abbasi

After spending more than three weeks in jail on blasphemy allegations, 14-year-old Christian girl Rimsha Masih was released from Adiala Jail on Saturday.

After getting released from the jail, Rimsha was flown to Islamabad in a government helicopter. Her release comes a day after her bail was approved against two surety bonds worth Rs 0.5 million each.

While the juvenile girl was being brought to the helicopter, her face was covered with a sheet of cloth to protect her identity. “We have shifted her to a safe place where she was reunited with her family,” Rimsha’s counsel Tahir Naveed Chaudhry told Pakistan Today.

Rimsha was arrested on August 16 from the Mahra Jafar area in Islamabad after her neighbor accused her of burning pages of a Noorani Qaeda.

Amid tight security, she was brought from jail in an armored vehicle to the nearest helipad, before flying to the Shakarparian Helipad in Islamabad. From Shakarparian, she was shifted to an armored van and driven to an undisclosed location due to security reasons.

Police sources told Pakistan Today that before shifting Rimsha to a safe place, she was allowed a brief meeting with her relatives residing in Mehra Jafar. Sources further said that Rimsha’s father Misrak Masih met her after her release, and went to their house in Mehra Jafar and picked their necessary belongings before leaving for the undisclosed location in police custody.

At the time of her release from jail, a large number of security personnel, members of Christian community and repre-

sentatives of media were present. While rumors are circulating that Rimsha might be shifted to some other country, her lawyer Tahir Naveed categorically opposed the idea.

“Let me make it clear, Rimsha will not be shifted to any other country. She will live in Pakistan. Although some NGOs are working on these lines, but we will not allow them to do this,” the lawyer said. The All Pakistan Minorities’ Alliance (APMA) paid the sureties bond worth Rs 1 million for Rimsha’s release.

On Friday, Sessions Judge Mohammad Azam Khan granted bail to Rimsha after conducting lengthy proceedings that saw heated arguments over the girl’s release. Declaring Rimsha a “juvenile”, the court referred to a medical report, pointing out that her mental age appears to be less than her physical age.

The panel of Rimsha’s lawyers had pleaded before the court that their client was a minor girl, and according to Pakistani laws, minors were entitled to bails in all cases except terrorism, killing and kidnapping. Upon this, the court gave decision in Rimsha’s favor.

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02 News newS

Today’s

won’t allow Pakistani cricketers to play in Mumbai: bal Thackeray

cartoon

infotainment woman credits traffic ticket for 200lb weight loss

Quick Look

Page 11

Story on Page 05

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4 die in Qila Saifullah as 100 villages flooded in Layyah LAYYAH: Four members of a family drowned in Qila Saifullah while at least a dozen villages were flooded in Layyah district after heavy rainfall on Saturday. Two men and two women drowned as water level in Mach stream in Qila Saifullah overflowed due to recent rains and inundated hundred of acres of land. Zohb Commissioner Ikhtiyar Khan Bangalzai said the situation in the affected areas was under control and outflow of water from Amakzai Dam has been increased so that no streams and rivers overflow upstream of the dam. He added that rescue teams have been dispatched to affected areas. Meanwhile, flashfloods in river Indus inundated 10 villages in district Layyah, damaging crops and displacing cattle. According to reports, at least 100 houses and thousands of acres have been destroyed by floodwater. The residents of the villages have been shifted to safer areas by rescue teams, and the provincial government has ordered the districts chiefs of revenue and health departments to ensure timely and adequate provision of healthcare, food and shelter for the displaced people. aGenCies

Pre-medical topper refuses to accept medal due to police torture GUJRANWALA: The student who topped the Intermediate premedical examination from Gujranwala Board of Education on Saturday refused to accept gold medal from Punjab Education Minister Shujaaur Rehman because “he and his family had been tortured and kept in police custody on flimsy grounds”. According to details, the provincial education minister was the chief guest at the award ceremony for toppers on Saturday. When Asad Mahmood was invited to receive his medal, he politely refused to accept it, saying the medal was of no benefit to him if he cannot get justice. On query, Asad told the minister and the media that his father, a professor, was implicated in a fake case registered against him on the instruction of Motorways Inspector General Zafar Abbas. Weeping, Asad gave the details of the ordeal, saying that he and his family members had been kept in police lock up for ten days during which they were tortured and humiliated. He said he needed justice, and not a medal. The minister assured the student that a transparent inquiry into the entire episode would be conducted and action taken against those found responsible. He said that not all issues come to the notice of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. After getting assurance by the minister that justice would be done, Asad received the medal. sTaff rePorT

Hotel dishwasher secures 2nd position in Inter exams ISLAMABAD: Muhammad Shafiq, a hotel dishwasher in Multan, secured the second position in Intermediate 2012 examinations on Saturday. The hardworking student obtained 894 marks to secure second position in the exams, a private news channel reported. Though, Muhammad Shafiq comes from a financially poor background, he hopes to continue with his studies and pursue a better future. aPP

3 soldiers killed in Mohmand blast MOHMAND AGENCY: Three Frontier Corps soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing while unidentified militants blew up a school on Saturday. According to reports, three FC soldiers were killed in the Shobar area in a roadside bombing during routine patrol. Meanwhile in Hadina area of Saffi district, unidentified militants planted explosives at a girls’ school, damaging the building partially. onLine

Sunday, 9 September, 2012

isLaMabaD: women activists of awami Tahreek participate in the ‘Muhabbat-e-sindh’ rally in front of Parliament house on saturday. INP

Will try to get Sarabjit released soon: Rehman NEWS DESK Interior minister Rehman Malik told an Indian news channel on Saturday that the government will try and release death row convict Sarabjit Singh as soon as possible.

“There are legal complications, but the government is working on his release. If it was in my hands, I would send Sarabjit Singh home very soon,” Malik told NDTV. “I have discussed Sarabjit Singh with the president and will try and give good news soon,” Malik added.

President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday assured India that he will consider the case of the Indian prisoner who has been on death row in the country for over 2 0

years. Zardari asked officials to take note of the details of Sarabjit’s case, official sources said. Sarabjit, now 49, was convicted and sentenced to death for alleged involvement in a string of bombings in Punjab in 1990 that killed 14 people. He has maintained that his case was one of mistaken identity.

Earlier in the day, Malik said that Pakistan had given India special consular access to Sarabjit, who is lodged in a Lahore jail, following his complaints of ill treatment.

The special consular access was given on Wednesday, he said, adding that Sarabjit would be treated properly.

In May this year, Sarabjit sent a fresh clemency appeal to President Zardari, a fifth one seeking a pardon.

On the issue of pardon for the Indian national, Malik said the matter would be decided according to the law.

Sarabjit is currently being held at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore and has been on death row for over 20 years.

Following his complaints, the High Commission of India had approached Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry seeking special consular access to Sarabjit.

During the meeting between Zardari and Krishna, the two leaders also discussed other bilateral issues and the progress made so far, the sources said.

Sherry named women of the year NEW YORK: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Sherry Rehman on Friday made a stirring call for unity in the ranks of the Pakistani community members to help meet the challenges that their homeland faces. The top Pakistani diplomat made the call at a largely-attended dinner event organized by the Pakistan League of USA, a non-political body of professionals, at which she was honored with the League’s “Woman of the Year” award. Over 400 Pakistani-Americans from various walks of life attended the event marking the Independence Day of Pakistan and Eid-ul-Fitr. “I thank you ...

I’m deeply honored,” Rehman said while holding up the plaque presented to her amid a loud applause which rang out in the banquet hall of a local hotel. A citation described Rehman as a “great parliamentarian, writer and a diplomat”. Rehman, who had been in the forefront of the struggle for women’s rights, dedicated her award to the women of Pakistan, especially her mother and the late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. aPP

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News 03 artS & entertainment

buSineSS

SPortS

sunny Leone’s husband to enter bollywood?

Clinton hopes us to end russia trade curbs

imran stunned by ajmal’s omission from iCC awards

editoriaL They’ve sinned: PPP and MQM in Sindh.

comment humayun Gauhar says; Music of the hegemon: Who is dancing to its tunes?

saad rasool says; For cricket and country: For once, let’s just enjoy simpler things in life.

Story on Page 18

Story on Page 13

Story on Page 15

articles on Page 14

In times of need, Sheikh Rashid looks to ‘guru’ g

amL chief phones Pervez musharraf; seeks electoral alliance, funding for political activities g aPmL coordinator confirms rashid requested for alliance ISLAMABAD

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Tayyab hussain

WAMI Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has recently contacted his former boss General (r) Pervez Musharraf, assuring him full support and promising to forge a political alliance for the next election, while requesting funding for his own political activities, Pakistan Today has learnt.

A source in the Musharraf-led All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) told Pakistan Today on the condition of anonymity that Sheikh Rashid, during his recent visit to Saudi Arabia, had phoned Musharraf in London.

“Sheikh Rashid called on the cell phone of APML Secretary-General Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif and requested him to pass on the phone to Musharraf. As Musharraf attended the phone, Sheikh Rashid told him that he still considered him his ‘political guru’, and would like to enter into alliance for the upcoming elections once the general returned to Pakistan. He also told Musharraf that he was going to hold a big public gathering to announce alliance with Imran

Khan who was carrying forward the same agenda of moderation which was introduced

by Musharraf,” the source said.

Stressing the sincerity of his claims and

his loyalty to Musharraf, Sheikh Rashid further told the former president that he was speaking from Masjid-e-Nabvi, and was standing near the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH)

grave, the source said. “He also said that he needed funds for holding a public meeting at Liaquat Bagh and asked Musharraf to provide financial assistance.” However, according to the source, Musharraf replied that he had no money to fund Sheikh Rashid’s political activities, as his only source of income was the lecture circuit, and that he was using lecturing around the globe to earn his livelihood. “Nonetheless, Musharraf added that he had always supported Sheikh Rashid and that he would again support him in future, as he was going to enter into a significant phase of political career,” the source said.

“Finally, Musharraf asked Sheikh Rashid how much money he needed, and that how he would be able to transfer the money to him. Rashid responded that Musharraf could transfer the money to any APML leader, and that he would contact the receiver and collect it,” the source said. Musharraf reportedly asked Rashid to wait for Barrister Saif, who would contact him upon visiting Pakistan, and finalize the amount needed and the mode of transfer in a meeting.

“However, Sheikh Rashid kept waiting and waiting, but Saif never contacted him

Making Rs 6,122m from land lease, PR still couldn’t keep 34 trains running LAHORE onLine

Pakistan Railways closed down operations of 34 trains in last four years and leased 10157.52 acres of land.

Sources in PR told that 129 trains were plying daily in the country in 2008 and the number has been reduced to 96 in 2012. 54 cargo and 78 passenger trains were operational in 2008. A total of 66 intercity passengers, six international, six shuttle and 48 passenger/cargo trains were operational in 2008. This number has been reduced to 34 passenger /cargo, 36 Intercity, eight Passengers, 10 Mixed, six International and two Shuttle trains in

2012.The sources added that 26 cases of financial and administrative mismanagement are pending s i n c e March, 2008 and no inquiries have been ordered.

Pakistan Railways is generating revenue of Rs 6122.023 million from leasing out of 10157.52 acres of land.

Land has been leased out on both a short and long term basis of 10 years and 99 years respectively. PR claims that the minimum reserve lease values were set keeping in view the price ascertained by Pakistan Banking Association

and assessment of the concerned Railways Division. Authorities claim that the reserve

price was based on minimum values notified by the District Revenue Authorities and the bidding process was transparent as it was held under a three member committee of Railway officers belonging to Accounts, Property & Land and Marketing departments in the presence of all interested parties.

despite the fact that he visited Pakistan last month,” the source added.

When contacted, APML Coordinator Dr Mohammad Amjad confirmed the telephonic talk between Rashid and Musharraf. “Yes, General Musharraf had told me that Sheikh Sahib had contacted him and assured him that on his return, APML and AML would enter into political alliance. He also said that since Imran Khan, Pervez Musharraf and he (Rashid) himself were carrying forward the same political ideology of introducing a third force, as the people had fed up with the PPP and the PML-N, all the three parties should work together to get rid of corrupt politicians,” said Dr Amjad. He also confirmed that Rashid had called Musharraf during his recent visit to Saudi Arabia.

However, when asked about Rashid’s request for funds, Dr Amjad denied having knowledge of any such request. Asked whether he had provided any funding to Sheikh Rashid on behalf of Musharraf, Dr Amjad said that he did not provide any financial assistance to Sheikh Rashid.

Repeated attempts were made to contact Sheikh Rashid for his comments but his phone went unanswered.

Punjab aces MDG implementation amongst all provinces

LAHORE sTaff rePorT

Shahbaz suffering from Zardari phobia: Khosa Khosa shouldn’t day dream: Rana LAHORE: Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa said that Chief Minister Shabaz Sharif is obsessed with accusing the President of every problem under the sun. While talking to reporters at Expo centre, Governor said that the CM is not versed in the constitution and the President is not responsible for arranging general body elections; rather it is duty of the provincial governments. He added that the legal sanction of 365 days to hold elections had expired in case of Punjab and the provincial government is using tactics to pass a bill in the assembly to delay the election for another 180 days. He said that local bodies system operational in Punjab is unconstitutional and PML-N is opposing local elections as it fears defeat. sTaff rePorT

LAHORE: Provincial Minister for Law, Rana Sanaullah, has said that Governor Latif Khosa should grow out of the habbit of day dreaming. Rana Sanaullah commenting on a statement of Khosa said that the end of those who have brought the country at the verge of disaster imminent and the masses will take to task those who have inflicted loadshedding, unemployment and price hike on the people. He said that general elections are need of the hour. He said that federal government has lost its mandate due to its inept polices and the corrupt gang will face a crushing defeat in the elections and Governor’s statements are not helpful in easing the problems of the masses. sTaff rePorT

The Resident Coordinator of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Timopakala has said that, with regard to Millennium Development Goals the province of Punjab has the best score on the positive indicators list. In his report, prepared on behalf of UNDP, regarding implementation of Millennium Development Goals in Punjab, he said that, despite floods, law and order situation and international recession, which negatively impacted the economy of the province, performance indicators in Punjab have been much better than the national average. He reiterated that UNDP and United Nations would continue to assist Punjab to further enhance its efforts to achieve Millennium Development Goals till 2015. He thanked the Punjab Government for helping UNDP and other institutions of United Nations in preparing the report.

Punjab Planning and Development Department, in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme, has initiated implementation of Punjab Millennium Development Goals-2011 programme.

Sunday, 9 September, 2012

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04 News Moving beyond past continued from Page 01

and Attari. Both the countries also agreed to issue multiple-entry visas with one-year validity to each other’s traders. The visas would be valid for 10 cities.

The two countries would also issue triple-entry visa to artists from both the countries under the new visa regime. Group tourist visas, for groups of 10-50 people, have also been introduced for the first time.

This will also be available for students provided they do not seek admission in the other country.

Both the countries have also agreed to enhance air and sea travel routes besides restoring MumbaiKarachi sea link.

Khar, Krishna meeting: Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and her visiting Indian counterpart held one-on-one talks on wide-ranging issues, in-

cluding the new liberalized visa regime. The two ministers were later joined by their aides from both sides.

During their negotiations, the two ministers reviewed the status of bilateral relations, and expressed satisfaction over the meetings held review progress on counter-terrorism and narcotics control. They also reviewed progress on Mumbai trial, humanitarian issues, commercial and economic cooperation, Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project, Sir Creek and Siachen.

A memorandum of understanding between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Pakistan National Council for Arts was signed by Indian External Affairs Secretary Ranjan Mathai and Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani.

Latter, the two foreign

ministers addressed a joint news conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Addressing the conference, Khar welcomed the Indian delegates formally, stressing that both sides should not remain imprisoned in the past but should move forward with clear minds to promote peace and prosperity for their people.

She said that there was “immense potential” to normalize Pakistan-India ties by building confidence, adding that the time had arrived for the two countries to improve their ties.

She was of the view that Pakistan does not want to miss any chance for promoting bilateral ties with India and vowed to continue dialogue process between the two neighboring countries. “What happened was history, and we should not remain hostage to the history,” she said.

Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna lauded the Pakistani hospitality, and said that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was waiting for “the right time” to visit Pakistan, when things would be appropriate and there would be chance of some major outcome.

Krishna said that India also wanted to have cordial relations with Pakistan, adding “the path is not easy but we are committed to move ahead”.

He said that terrorism was a big challenge faced by both the countries, as well as a big threat for peace and security. He said that Pakistan had reiterated its commitment to bring all Mumbai attack perpetrators to justice. He thanked President Asif Ali Zardari for ordering the release of all Indian fishermen.

The Indian minister said the two countries had

decided to convene separate meetings of expert groups on nuclear and conventional confidence building measures in New Delhi in the second half of December this year. He said the two sides also discussed measures for promoting cooperation in various fields, including facilitating visits to religious shrines, media exchanges and cessation of hostile propaganda against each other.

Krishna said the two countries were looking forward to the next round of secretaries-level dialogue on all eight segments.

Schedule for these meetings would be worked out through diplomatic channels but these would be held before next meeting of the foreign ministers in New Delhi next year. He said he had seen a lot of positive things during his visit to Pakistan.

nro case: aitzaz sees no middle way for Pm ISLAMABAD onLine

VLaDiVosToK: russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes us secretary of state hillary Clinton during the asia-Pacific economic Cooperation (aPeC) summit in russia's far eastern port city on saturday. afP

US not branding Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism: official WASHINGTON onLine

There is no move by the US to begin the process of designating Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism, officials said, after the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton informed the Congress that the Haqqani Network was being designated as a global terrorist organization.

The statement from senior US officials, who spoke to journalists on the condition of anonymity, came as a top Pentagon official had last year termed the Haqqani Network as a veritable arm of the InterServices Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan.

“Why isn’t this a step towards looking at Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism at this point?” a journalist asked senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the action initiated against the Haqqani Network.

“I want to just unequivo-

Sunday, 9 September, 2012

cally state that this in no way is the consensus, unanimous view of this Administration; that we are making absolutely no effort to begin a process to designate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism,” the senior administration official said.

“If anything they (Pakistan) have been an extremely valuable ally in countering extremism and terrorism, and we are committed to continuing and maintaining and increasing that coordination and cooperation,” the official said when a journalist asked about the statement made by Admiral Mike Mullen, the then Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, to the Congress that Haqqani Network was a veritable arm of the ISI. “With regard to Chairman Mullen’s comments, I hope you also remember that he took great strides at the time to say there was too much focus on the first part of his statement and not on the second

part, which was that we had to continue that engagement, we had to continue our efforts. We are doing just that,” the official said.

“So we have always said that we are troubled by safe havens that the Network has in Pakistan and that we will continue to work together with the Pakistanis to squeeze this, and there’s more that we can do. This is part of that ongoing effort,” the official said.

Another senior administration official said that there has been a misperception that there’s some kind of relationship between an FTO designation and a state sponsorship one. “There is none,” he asserted. “I think it’s important for people to understand that there’s no legal relationship between these things.

“In plenty of countries, we have had groups designated and it’s never made any difference in terms of our deliberations regarding the bilateral

relationship with that country, except of course to strengthen our resolve to work with them to deal with their extremism problem. “So I think it’s very important that that be fully understood,” the official said.

Later, a State Department official said that the two are different issues. “The issue of state sponsorship of terrorism is wholly separate and completely different from designating individual terrorist networks,” the State Department spokesman, Patrick Ventrell said.

“So there are plenty of places when individual countries that may have a terrorist network inside are not state sponsors of terrorism. “We’ve been concerned about safe havens. We continue to raise with the Pakistanis our desire for more pressure on the Haqqanis. It’s something that we raise with them frequently, and we will continue to do so,” Ventrell said.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senator Aitzaz Ahsan said on Saturday that Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has no other option than to write to the Swiss authorities or else face disqualification. Talking to a private TV channel, Aitzaz said that he never advised his party not to follow the court orders, adding that Gilani’s acceptance of the sentence was a clear sign of complying with court orders, though the sentencing was wrong. He said that the current PM would also be disqualified if he doesn’t write to the Swiss authorities for the re-opening of cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. However, he maintained that the PPP would not write to the Swiss authorities, adding that no case could be opened in the Swiss courts till Zardari held to the presidency.

While referring to the political engagements of Zardari in the presidency, Aitzaz asked whether such meetings were not held in the White House.

He said that it would be odd if the United States President Barrack Obama was not holding meetings with political parties in the White House.

Bomber kills six teens in Kabul KABUL

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s u i c i d e bomber struck outside NATO headquarters in Kabul on Saturday, killing six street children a day after the United States moved to blacklist the Haqqani faction as a terrorist organisation.

The Taliban, leading a decade-long insurgency against NATO troops and the Afghan government, swiftly claimed responsibility, saying the CIA had been the target to avenge US moves to designate as terrorists their most feared faction.

It was the deadliest attack in the fortified capital since Taliban fighters raided a nearby lakeside hotel on June 22, killing at least 18 people.

And the assault defied stepped-up Afghan security measures put in place across Kabul as national leaders commemorated 11 years since the death of Ahmad Shah

Massoud, an iconic anti-Taliban commander two days before 9/11.

The bombing was also likely to renew questions about stability in Afghanistan as NATO combat troops withdraw from the country before an end-2014 deadline when they are due to transfer responsibility to their Afghan counterparts.

Separate attacks in the south killed nine other people on Saturday, including five policemen in Helmand province, where Britain’s Prince Harry has deployed as a helicopter pilot, officials said. The blast reverberated through Kabul’s diplomatic quarter, which is home to many Western embassies, shortly after First Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim finished an address to scores of dignitaries at an event mourning Massoud.

“It was a suicide attack that killed six people and wounded five others,” interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told AFP.

Govt to reserve seats in NA for overseas Pakistanis: Kaira BARcELONA onLine

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said while addressing a “Meet the Press” program in Barcelona, Spain that the government will reserve seats for the overseas Pakistanis in the National Assembly (NA).

Kaira said “We have given the right to vote to overseas Pakistan. Now we will allocate seats for them in the NA”. He urged the overseas Pakistanis to play their due role for the economic development of their country.

Kaira observed that Pakistan was a symbol of a strong federation and the present government had given the respective rights to the provinces which also included provision of economic rights, to keep the federation intact.

He added that despite taking such steps they had been

termed as anti state elements by various quarters.

“When we came to power we tendered an apology to the people of Balochistan as they had been previously exploited by all the federal governments and we gave them provincial autonomy”, he stated.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had given the due rights to Haris by pursuing the mission launched by late Benazir Bhutto, he added.

While responding to a question he said the situation in Punjab was worse than Karachi and it was the responsibility of the provincial government to maintain the law and order situation therein.

“We sacrificed our prime minister and complied with the orders of court. But no letter can be written against the president till he remains in power”, he announced.

sc asks security agencies continued from Page 24

The court order said that unfortunately the agencies like ISI, MI etc were issuing rahdaris (transit permits to pass through an area) to the persons who possessed prohibited arms and ammunitions in non-custom paid vehicles.

Whenever any law enforcing agency apprehended them, they put up resistance on the basis of those rahdaris and went scot free. These were the facts which were the root causes for non-implementation of the constitution and the law.

The chief justice inquired about the Dera Bugti Commandant on which FC lawyer told that his leave had been cancelled. On this, the chief justice asked the lawyer to present the cancellation order

in the court.

He also expressed his outrage at the absence of FC Commandant Dera Bugti from court and demanded that the missing person hailing from Balochistan, Kaho Bugti, must be presented in the court as soon as possible.

The chief justice also said that as there were 22 agencies working in Balochistan, a list of all the names of these agencies must be submitted to court. He also issued instructions that these agencies must finish all the work that they had begun in the province.

Justice Khilji Arif Hussain inquired from the deputy attorney general about the prohibition of illegal weapons and passage of vehicles and said that as the system was

now computerized, obtaining a list of these passages could be compiled easily for use in legal proceedings.

The court directed the chief secretary of the government of Balochistan to bring all these facts into the notice of the prime minister, governor as well as the chief minister and the heads of the agencies and asked to report on its outcome to the court in Islamabad on 19 September, 2012.

The Supreme Court has directed secretaries of interior and defense, chief secretary Balochistan, inspector general of police Balochistan, secretary home, Balochistan and IG, FC, Quetta to appear on 19 September in Islamabad in connection with the hearing of law and order situation in Balochistan.

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News 05 Militants destroy girls’ school in Mohmand Agency PESHAWAR sTaff rePorT

In yet another attack on schools, unidentified militants have blown up a primary school for girls in Saafi tehsil of Mohmand Agency in the early hours of Saturday.

An official from Mohmand Agency said the militants had planted explosives in four canisters and placed them along the school wall. The explosives went off in the early hours of Monday, and destroyed the school. No casualties were reported as the building was completely empty at the time of the blast.

According to official data, at least 102 schools have been destroyed in Mohmand Agency over last three years. Almost all of these schools have been blown up by militants, depriving thousands of children, mostly girls, of education.

In addition, more than 100 schools have been destroyed in Khyber Agency and the narrow tribal strip of Dara Adam Khel. Compared to other tribal regions, the number of schools damaged or destroyed by militants is very less in Waziristan region. However, there are virtually no educational activities in Waziristan, and the deserted schools are occupied by militants.

Peshawar: an electricity transformer fell on a car after heavy rain and storm. INP

Haqqanis threat to US national security: Pentagon WASHINGTON

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onLine

H E Haqqani network represents a significant threat to the US national security, the Pentagon said, as it welcomed the decision of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to designate the outfit as a global terrorist organization.

“We welcome Secretary Clinton’s announcement that the Haqqani Network meets the statutory criteria for designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

Noting that the Haqqani Network represents a “significant threat to US national security”, Little said the US will continue its aggressive military action against this threat.

“These new group designations will build on our efforts to degrade the Network’s capacity to carry out attacks, including affecting fundraising abilities, targeting them with our military and intelligence resources, and pressing Pakistan to take action,” he said.

“We will continue these efforts, reinforced by today’s new Designations.

Taliban say US Haqqani blacklist ‘ineffective’ KABUL: The Taliban denounced Saturday US moves to blacklist the Al-Qaedalinked Haqqani network as a terrorist organisation, saying it would have no impact on operations and was indicative of US defeat in Afghanistan. In a statement released through micro-blogging site Twitter, it said there was “no separate entity... in Afghanistan by the name of Haqqani”, adding that the network’s founder and its fighters were totally loyal to Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar. The militia, which is leading a decade-long insurgency against NATO troops and the Afghan government, claimed previous terrorist designations against its members had no impact on operations and said “this latest announcement will also be ineffective”.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday she would press ahead with the Haqqani blacklisting, which will make it a crime in the United States to provide the network with any material support, and freeze any of their property or interests in the US. The United States blamed the Haqqanis for a June hotel attack just outside Kabul, the 2011 siege on the US embassy and, in 2009, the deadliest attack on the CIA in 25 years. “The Islamic Emirate does not have any trade agreements with any American companies or individuals and neither does it have monetary funds there which could be frozen,” the Taliban said. “This cowardly act of yours in which you enter mujahideen of Islamic Emirate into your so-called black list is indicative of your complete defeat and dismay.” afP “By strengthening our whole-ofgovernment approach against the Haqqanis, we are supporting our campaign efforts in Afghanistan and further limiting the organization’s capacity to destabilize the region,”

Zardari discusses post-LG Ordinance situation with Altaf KARACHI: President Asif Zardari on Saturday telephoned Muttahida Qaumi Movement Chairman Altaf Hussain and discussed the situation emerging from the promulgation of the new local government ordinance in Sindh. Zardari told Altaf that the LG system was introduced in the entire province to facilitate the masses and resolve their issues on priority. He said that the Pakistan People’s Party would work along with the MQM and all other parties in the coalition for solving the basic problems of the people of Sindh, and for stability of democracy. Altaf said that the introduction of the local government system was a positive step, and regretted that certain elements were uselessly opposing the people-friendly system. sTaff rePorT

Little said.

The Pentagon statement came after Clinton formally designated the militant network as terrorist organization in a report to the Congress yesterday.

Won’t allow Pakistani cricketers to play in Mumbai: Bal Thackeray MUMBAI inP

Days after his nephew Raj briefly opposed a TV show featuring Pakistani artistes, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Saturday said he would not allow Pakistani cricketers to play in Mumbai.

“I won’t allow them to play here. I have not reneged on my words and won’t do so,” Thackeray said in the second part of a marathon interview published in the party mouthpiece Saamana. The Sena patriarch also claimed that if he was given charge of the military, he would perform a miracle and set things right in the country within a month.

The Azad Maidan violence on Au-

gust 11, protest opposing the alleged attacks on Muslims in Myanmar and the riots in Assam, was “pre-planned,” Thackeray said.

Thackeray also warned that he would not “spare” Muslim fundamentalists who fomented trouble in the country.

“I will not allow a single fanatic Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslim to live in Maharashtra and right up to Jammu and Kashmir where we have branches,” the 86-year-old leader said.

Asked about the political situation in Delhi, Thackeray said, “I have been saying for a long time that anarchy is imminent. We are on the brink of anarchy. I feel (general) elections will happen before 2014.

This is my prediction.”

Sunday, 9 September, 2012

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Sunday, 9 September, 2012

four killed in violence, 10 arrested KARAcHI sTaff rePorT

KaraChi: sale of water from illegal hydrants in Golimar area continues despite clear orders of the water board. ONLINE

Strategy to enroll maximum students HYDERABAD aPP

In order to improve literacy rate by taking advantage of Literacy Awareness Year 2012, announced by the prime minister, the literacy department has prepared a comprehensive strategy to enroll maximum numbers of male and female students with modern facilities to schools and madaris in Sindh. This was informed by the Additional Director Schools Education, Hyderabad Region, Iqbal Memon while addressing a rally comprising the people of different segments of society here in front of the press club. The rally was taken out from Government Boys High School Society N-1 Circular Building in order to mark the World Literacy Day. He said Prime Minister Raja Parvaiz Ashraf has declared the Year-2012 as Literacy Awareness Year and in this connection, the education department has prepared a comprehensive strategy to ensure maximum enrollment in schools and madaris of the province. He informed that all out efforts are being made to motivate the parents to enroll their children in schools where maximum facilities are being provided so that the students could acquire knowledge and prepare themselves for future responsibilities.

Sindh’s new LG system challenged in SC KARAcHI sTaff rePorT

S

UPREME Court (SC) has been moved against the new local bodies system promulgated in Sindh through an ordinance by the Sindh governor.

The petitioner pleaded that the enforcement of the new local governments system will usher the province into an era of dual system, saying, “With promulgation of the new system, there will be two parallel systems prevalent in Sindh.”

The petition was filed at the apex court’s Karachi Registry branch. It should be mentioned here that Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan on Friday’s wee hours promulgated Sindh Peoples Local Government Ordinance (SPLGO) 2012 after the two allies reached consensus on the new local body system. But the other smaller parties including ANP, PML (F) and Sindhi nationalists vehemently opposed the local government law. Under the new system, Karachi, Hyderabad,

CM assures to pacify party MPAs over new ordinance KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly members of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have demanded that towns should function under the Sindh government instead of metropolitan corporations as envisaged in the new local government law.

Talking to media, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said he had assured the party MPAs that their proposal will be considered, adding the departments of fisheries, finance and revenue will work under the provincial government but the water board's fate was still uncertain. Replying a question regarding the nationalists’ protest, Qaim Ali Shah said they did not even read the ordinance and were making scene; instead, they should read the document. The Sindh People’s Local Government Ordinance (SPLGO) 2012 has increased troubles for the PPPled government, as the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) is all geared up to sever ties with the federal government. It should be mentioned here that the PML-F had already parted ways with the provincial government in protest over the promulgation of the local bodies ordinance in Sindh. The party’s MNA Khuda Bux Rajar submitted his resignation with his party chief Pir Pagara, who prevented him from functioning the government duties. onLine Sukkur, Mirpur Khas and Larkana are given status of divisions. Mayors would head the metropolitan corporations of all five divisions. Moreover, Karachi’s 18

towns have been restored. The system has also removed the urban-rural divide. The two parties have also incorporated roles of both commissioners and administrators.

Police support illegal hydrants in city Governor directs Water Board MD to continue work KARAcHI aPP

W

ater and Sewerage Board Managing Director (MD) Misbahuddin Fareed has said that police supports the illegal hydrants. Addressing a press conference at Karachi Water and Sewerage Board office on Saturday, Misbahuddin blamed that illegal activities were underway and SHOs of concerned areas support the culprits.

He said if the Sindh IG police would desire, illegal hydrants could be closed any time.

The MD water and sewerage board was of the view that he has pointed out all the illegal hydrants but no action had been taken against them as police receive monthly from them. He further said that water board

owned land was being grabbed by land mafia but the authorities concerned were playing the role of silent spectator. Misbahuddin blamed that commissioner and assistant commissioners of various areas of Karachi were also not assisting to overcome the illegal hydrants.

Meanwhile, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan has directed Water Board Managing Director Misbahuddin Farid to continue work as such and take more effective measures against illegal hydrants.

In a Governor House's press release issued here on Saturday, he said water supply to every corner of the city should be the first priority of the water board. The governor also directed the officials concerned to extend all possible help and cooperation to the managing director of the board in taking action against the elements involved in illegal water supply business.

At least four persons were killed and several others were injured in separate incidents of targeted killing in different localities of the city on Saturday. The police and Rangers during separate raids and search operation arrested 10 criminals and recovered arms and other valuables from their possession. According to rescue sources, unknown armed men opened fire at a passer-by near DA Chorangi area of North Nazimabad killing him on the spot and fled the scene. The body was shifted to hospital where identity of deceased was yet to be ascertained. In yet another incident of firing in Sector 11-D of North Nazimabad one person was killed. An unknown person was killed by armed miscreants in Shoe Market area. Limbed tied dead body of an unknown person was recovered from Mangopir area. At least six persons were reported injured in separate violent incidents in different areas of Karachi. SSP Central said the police arrested three criminals accused of involvement in various incidents of robberies, street crimes and picket looting and recovered arms and stolen valuables from their possession. Meanwhile, heavy contingent of Rangers raided Khadda Market, Naya Abad and other surrounding areas. During search operation, seven criminals were nabbed and arms were recovered from their possession. The security personnel also raided a gambling den and seized cash and gambling material but the accused managed to escape.

three more dengue cases surface in Sindh KARAcHI sTaff rePorT

Three more dengue cases were reported in different areas of the city on Saturday and raised the death toll to 180. One dengue case was also detected in Hyderabad as well. According to Dengue Surveillance Cell (DSC) Sindh, three patients admitted to various hospitals of Karachi were found affected of dengue virus after which total number of dengue cases in Sindh has mounted to 180. One dengue patient was also detected in Hyderabad district. It should be mentioned that a couple of days earlier a dengue affected 78-year-old lady died of dengue fever in Karachi. The health authorities have expressed fear in surge of dengue virus due to recent monsoon rains and advised the citizens to strictly follow the precautionary measures to save the spread of the virus.

rain spell continues throughout country KARAcHI sTaff rePorT

The rain spell continued in various areas of the country on Saturday, as Met Office again forecast more showers with thunder and lightning in southern Punjab, lower Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Upper Sindh and northeastern Balochistan. Light rains intermittently continued throughout the night in Karachi followed by morning’s heavy showers that turned weather pleasant in the city areas of Airport, Malir, Shah Faisal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Nazimabad, Liaquatabad, II Chundrigar. Meantime, streams are overly flooded owing to the overnight driving rains over Suleman mountain range Dera Ghazi Khan.

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Karachi 07

hyDerabaD: shops were closed in Cantonment area after a strike called by the traders against increase in taxes by Cantonment board hyderabad. ONLINE

Suicides on the rise in Pakistan KARAcHI inP

The trend of suicides among the people has seen a sharp rise in the first six month of this year. Suicide is considered as a criminal offence, a major mental health problem, and it is a desperate attempt to escape agony that has become awful.

Madadgaar national helpline shared the report about suicide to mark the world suicide prevention day, as this day is observed on September 10 every year across the world including Pakistan to promote the worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicide.

Madadgaar national helpline’s database documented total 751 cases of suicide during January to June, 2012, across Pakistan. In these six month as many as 136 children, 303 women and 312 male committed suicide.

As many as 32,762 people committed suicide including 4,031 cases of children, 11,752 of women and 16,975 of male were documented across Pakistan during the last 12 years (200112). The report shared by the organization has been compiled from the monitoring of different national, local newspapers. However, a number of cases also went unreported, as families are reluctant to register the cases of suicides or attempted suicides because they consider suicide and attempt suicides as social stigma.

Men are more likely to commit suicide as data showed.

It seems strong association between poor socio-economic conditions and suicide in Pakistan. Domestic violence, poverty and loss of control over their lives, insecurity, hopelessness about their future and depression are the most common reason for suicide.

Whereas, poisoning, firearm, hanging, excess use of medicines or sleeping pills, use of insecticides and jumping from height are most common methods of committing and attempting suicide.

Zia Ahmed Awan, President Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA) regretted over the rising incidents of suicide and attempt suicide. He said it shows that due to the lack of basic facilities, lack of resources, poorly established health services and political instability make suicide prevention an alarming challenge in Pakistan.

‘When the cat is away, the mice will play’ KARAcHI afTab Channa

W

ITH the devolution of the major ministries and divisions to the provinces under the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the federal government still exercises forcible control over the youth hostels in the Sindh province.

Interestingly, the centre was reluctant to smoothly handover the assets of the federal ministries and division devolved under the 18th Amendment following which the provincial authorities were facing several serious problems in dealing with their routine affairs. Besides, the Pakistan Youth Hostels Association had now been claiming that these hostels were their own property.

Sources told Pakistan Today that the Ministry of Youth Affairs was abolished as a result of the devolution process under the 18thAmendment and its assets which were located in the province of Sindh were supposed to be transferred to the Youth Affairs Department

of the Government of Sindh. There are at least three youth hostels in the province each at district Larkana, Jamshoro and Karachi according to the details of a letter exclusively available with the Pakistan Today.

As the devolution process was arbitrarily delayed, the Pakistan Youth Hostels Association (PYHA) was claiming that these assets belonged to their association, however, the Ministry of Youth Affairs had turned down the claim saying that the assets belonged to the federal government and were now the property of the Sindh government, sources added.

Moreover, in this regard, the Youth Affairs Department had forwarded a letter No SO (G)/YAD/2012/1561 to the Services, General Administration and Coordination Department stating the factual position of the youth hostels.

“The department has written letters to the Inter-Provincial Coordination Division (IPCD) for transferring ownership and control of these hostels. The PYHA has been claiming ownership of these hostels and is managing its affairs. They

have however, failed to produce any title documents as three projects were reportedly constructed by the Federal Government. The PHYA’s claim on these assets is not substantiated”, it added.

“The defunct Ministry of Youth Affairs stated in the implementation committee meetings held during the devolution process that they did not have any clear record as to how these were given to/taken over by the PYHA. The department’s contention is very clear and it strongly feels that these hostels have become the property of the provincial government”, the letter pointed out. The letter further said “On our recent communication in this regard, the Ministry of IPCD has forwarded it to the secretary of the professional and technical training division of the Government of Pakistan, Islamabad vide letter No F. No 4-1/2011-PDMA-1/YA 25.7..2012 for further notification”. The sources said that the law officials had been approached to get the matter settled down with the consultation of the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination.

mPa inspects nullahs, causeways in Shah faisal town KARAcHI aPP

Member Sindh Assembly Nishat Mohammed Zia Qadri has directed local bodies and water and sewerage board to remove all encroachments along rain water nullahs and sewerage lines to ensure water discharge during rains.

According to a press release issued here on Saturday, he also instructed these civic bodies to ensue cleanliness of roads and streets and clearance of rain water accumulated on them.

He took round of all union councils of Shah Faisal town along with other town officials to review the situation.

He also visited the causeways under the railway track and issued instructions to clear the rain water accumulated on them on emergency basis. He also directed the town officials to provide passage for rain water to avoid its accumulation on causeways making them un-usable for some time causing inconvenience to the local residents.

Seven criminals held KARAcHI nni

164 poles erected in city for surveillance cameras KARACHI: Some 164 poles have been erected at different points in the city while the work to install four fixed cameras and one pan tilt zoom camera on each of them is in progress. This information was given at a meeting held at police headquarters under the chair of Inspector General of Police Sindh Fayyaz Ahmed Leghari, says a press

release issued here on Saturday. The meeting was held to review progress on video surveillance system installation project. It was further informed that so far 400 fixed and 30 pan tilt zoom cameras have been mounted on different poles and task to install remaining cameras would soon be accomplished. aPP

In a targeted operation in several areas of Lyari, Rangers have arrested seven criminals and recovered arms from their possession. According to details, a heavy contingent of Rangers raided Khadda Market, Naya Abad and nearby areas and arrested seven criminals. The security personnel also raided a gambling den and seized money.

Mozambique to open embassy in Pakistan soon: Khalid Tawab KARAcHI nni

Mozambique is expected to open its embassy in Pakistan soon, said Consul General of Mozambique, Khalid Tawab. He said the opening of Mozambique Embassy in Islamabad would ease obtaining Mozambique visa for business travel as well as visiting the country. He further said a high powered Pakistan delegation will visit Mozambique to see existing opportunities to increasing two-way trade and investment. The delegation will have

representatives of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and other trade bodies.

He said there were large numbers of areas where Pakistan can work very closely for mutual benefit.

He also said that Mozambique imports almost every thing to meet its requirement and Pakistan can create its goods demand with little efforts. Khalid Tawab pointed out that Mozambique industrial sector is underdeveloped and to meet the local requirement it imports almost all kings of goods from world over. Pakistan has goods changes

to export a large number of items to meet their requirements. Giving example, he said Mozambique was importing rice in huge quantity and Pakistan has sufficient rice to export. Same is the condition in other sectors, he added.

He said Mozambique is a big market and Pakistan business community must tape existing opportunities otherwise some other country may avail and it may become difficult for Pakistan to penetrate in the market. He said that Honourary consulate of Mozambique is working in Pakistan since 1988 and added that he made his best efforts to

encourage Pakistani business community to explore Mozambique for trade.

He pointed out that a trade delegation comprises of SM Munir, Mian Mohammad Rafi, Anwar Ahmed Tata and other leading businessmen have already visited Mozambique.

Khalid Tawab said that Mozambique offers lucrative investment opportunist and trade. Investors can get free of cost land and tax incentives. He said that Mozambique importing rice and textile products from Pakistan. The country has huge market of plastic products which can be exported from Pakistan.

Sunday, 9 September, 2012

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08 karachi weather uPdateS

33 °c high 0c 26 Low

Sunny

monday

tueSday wedneSday

32°c i 26°c

32°c i 26°c

33°c i 26°c

Prayer timinGS fajr Sunrise 04:30 05:54

zuhr 12:39

asr 16:04

maghrib 19:22

isha 20:47

city directory 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

hoSPitaLS abbaSi Shaheed ciViL Jinnah nicVd aGha Khan tabba

99260400-09 99215749, 99215960 99201300-39 99201271-6 34930051 36811841-50

bLood banK huSSaini fatimid Pwa

32238405-8 32225284, 32258656 99215740, 32735214

comPLaint KeSc Sui GaS PtcL KwSb cdGK

118 1199, 99231603 1218 1339 134

raiLwayS enquiry city Station cantt Station

117, 99213565-6 99213538 99201118

airPort fLiGht enquiry Pia reSerVation

114 111-786-786

coLLeGeS / uniVerSitieS Karachi uniVerSity ned uniVerSity fuuaSt duhS Smic faSt-nu SzabiSt iobm iba iVS

Sunday, 9 September, 2012

99261300-06 99261261-8 99244141-9 99215754-7 99217501-3 111128128, 34100541-7 111922478 35090961-7 111422422 35861039-40

hyDerabaD: students and teachers hold placards and banners during an awareness walk on international Literacy Day organized by education department. ONLINE

HORRIBLE PERFORMANCE! KARAcHI aaMir MaJeeD

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HE Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) Annual Examination 2012 results have exposed bad performance of public and private medical colleges. There are some government and private colleges and higher secondary school which have produced zero percent results in annual exams. Besides, there were some colleges and higher secondary schools where only one candidate could pass the annual test. There were some 11 colleges which have produced zero percent results in pre-medical group and in 23 others colleges, only one candidate could pass the annual exam.

Likewise, some nine colleges have produced zero percent results in pre-engineering group and there were six colleges and higher secondary schools where only one student could pass the exam.

Those colleges and higher secondary schools which have produced zero percent results in premedical groups are: Pakistan Steel Shah Latif Inter College, Govt Boys Comprehensive Higher Secondary School Azizabad, FB Area, Govt. Boys Higher Secondary School No 02, K Area Korangi, Shahzaib College North Karachi, Amina Public Higher Secondary School, New Fazaia Intermediate College, Korangi Creek, SOS Hermann Gmeiner Higher Secondary School, TCF Higher Secondary School Cowasjee Campus, PMA Model Higher Secondary School, Hawksbay, Saeeda Academy Higher Secondary School and Al-Sehar Higher Secondary School.

Those colleges and higher secondary schools where only one student could pass the annual exam in pre-medical group are: Govt Degree Science and Commerce College Lyari, Tariq Bin Ziad College Shah Faisal Colony, Rehan Intermediate College Korangi No 4, Govt Degree College for Boys 7-D/2 North Karachi, Medico Higher Secondary School Majeed Colony Landhi, Allama Iqbal Govt Boys Higher Secondary School Sohrab Goth, Mumtaz Govt Boys Higher Secondary School, NJV Govt Boys Higher Sec-

Nine colleges produce zero percent results in pre-engineering group while in six colleges and higher secondary schools only one student could pass the exam ondary School (Sindhi Medium), Defence Cambridge College, Dewa College Gulshan-e-Iqbal, MTI Higher Secondary School, Govt. Boys College Shams Peer Baba Bith, Govt. Degree Boys College Razzakabad, MW Inter College, Azeemi Public Higher Secondary School, The American College Clifton, Al-Khair College of Higher Education, Recknor’s College of Management and Computer Science, Govt. Girls Higher Secondary School Green Belt Mehmoodabad, Govt Degree Girls College Ibrahim Hyderi, Allama Iqbal Inter Girls College Steel Town, Sarfaraz Pilot Higher Secondary School and The Paradise College.

Those colleges and higher secondary schools which have produced zero percent results in pre-engineering group are: Recknor’s College of Management and Computer Science, NILT College of Science and Commerce, Iqra Intermediate College, Govt Inter Girls Science, Arts and Commerce College Lyari, Madar-e-Millat Girls College Campus-II Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Govt Girls Higher Secondary School No 01 Landhi, A-One English Higher Secondary School, Imperial College and Govt Degree Girls College Konkar Gadap. Those colleges and higher secondary schools where only one could pass the annual exam in pre-engineering group are: Shahzaib College North Karachi, Govt. Boys Baba Willayat Ali Shah

HIDDEN AGENDA

date: auG 11 - 31, 2012

Higher Secondary School, Pak Steel Allama Iqbal Girls College, PMA Model Higher Secondary School Hawksbay, TCF Higher Secondary School Cowasjee Campus and Excellence Intermediate College, Jumani Arcade, Moosa Lane. Talking to Pakistan Today, Director General (DG) Colleges Sindh Prof Nasir Ansar claimed that the performance of government colleges and higher secondary school had improved as compared to the last year.

He said this year only those government colleges and higher secondary schools could not produce more than 10 percent results in which supplementary students of the secondary school were enrolled. Briefing about reasons of bad performance of some of the government-run educational institutes, he said the admissions in the public colleges in the city were granted through Centralized Admission Policy (CAP). As per CAP policy those students, who were declared failed in one or two subjects in matriculation were also granted admission on provisional basis and there admissions were confirmed once they clear supply,” he added.

He said CAP had selected some of colleges for such students who were failed in one of two subjects in matric exam to avoid gap in their academic career. He said the number of students could not clear their supplementary exams and their admissions were cancelled. “These were those colleges, which have produced zero percent results, where Matric supplementary exams’ students were granted admission after successfully passing secondary school certificate exam,” he added. BIEK Chairman Anwar Ahmed Zai said the board had decided to prepare a summary against those public and private colleges and higher secondary schools which were failed to produce below than 20 percent results in annual exams 2012 to Chief Minister Sindh for necessary action. He said the board was working to sort out colleges and higher secondary schools which have produced below 20 percent results and expressed a hope that the process would be completed before September 15 and then summary would be sent to CM Sindh for action.

CALLIGrAPHY

date: JuLy 31 - auG 31, 2012

Venue: KoeL GaLLery Karachi

Venue: Serena hoteL

"hidden agenda" an exhibition of Paintings by Lahore based artist ayesha Siddiqui opens on 11th august 2012 at 5 pm at Koel Gallery ,Karachi. the exhibition will continue till august 31st,20.

Satrang gallery is celebrating this spiritual month by exhibiting a wonderful calligraphy show. do join us as we present the work of ten exceptional artists. opening on tuesday , July 31, at 8:00 pm.

GHALIB MADE EASY

date: thurSday, 7:00 Pm, weeKLy eVent

Venue: the Second fLoor (t2f) Join us at t2f every wednesday for interactive sessions on mirza Ghalib’s poetry, conducted by author and translator, musharraf ali farooqi. Ghalib made easy by @micromafthe poetry of mirza Ghalib (27 december 1797 – 15 february 1869) has been considered complex, abstract and difficult to comprehend. even for Ghalib’s contemporaries, his language and imagery presented a challenge.

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Foreign News 09 Battle rages in aleppo as Russia urges syria unity ALEPPO

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afP

IGHTING for control of a key army base in Aleppo raged on Saturday, as Russia tried to revive a divisive accord on ending the bloodshed that calls for a government of unity in Syria.

As peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi prepared to visit Damascus in a new bid to end the bloodshed, the EU foreign ministers meeting in Cyprus upped the pressure saying they agreed on the need to beef up sanctions on the Syrian regime.

On the ground, the army claimed a victory against rebels in the northern city of

Aleppo, pushing them back from the Hanano army base backed by tanks and helicopters, after a 20-hour battle, military sources and witnesses said.

"There are a lot of victims on both sides," a witness told AFP. A military official said soldiers destroyed six armoured vehicles the rebels were using to transport arms seized from the barracks -- a compound that serves mainly as a weapons depot and as a recruitment centre.

The fighters on Friday claimed to have captured parts of the barracks. "The rebels had thrown themselves whole-heartedly into this offensive because they desperately need weapons," an army official told AFP. Badly outgunned members of the Free

Syrian Army had taken part in the offensive, a rebel commander who identified himself as Abu Omar told AFP on Friday.

The goal was to liberate Hanano, cut off strategic supply lines and put a stop to shelling that has caused high civilian casualties in Aleppo. FSA media coordinator Abdullah Yasser said the assault aimed to take down one of three main positions the army uses to shell rebels concentrated in the city's east. "Hanano is one of the main places from which they are shooting, so taking it over could be a turning point for us," he told AFP. On Friday alone at least 18 soldiers and four rebels were killed in the battle for control of Hanano base, the Syrian Observa-

tory for Human Rights said.

In all at least 136 people were killed across Syrian on Friday -- 73 civilians, 38 soldiers and 25 rebel fighters -- the Britainbased watchdog said.

It also reported shelling on areas of Damascus, in the southern province of Daraa, and clashes around a military airport in Albu Kamal in the east. The fighting also spilled over the border into Iraq early on Saturday, when mortars crashed into the border town of Al-Qaim which lies across from Albu Kamal.

Iraqi army Captain Ali Juwayir said two of the rounds hit two homes in the town killing a four-year-old girl and wounding four people.

On the political front Russia said Saturday it would ask the UN Security Council to endorse a plan to end the raging violence in Syria, but the United States insisted any resolution had to carry teeth.

Russia has been the main diplomatic and military supporter of Syria's embattled President Bashar al-Assad and has angered Western nations by vetoing along with China three attempts at the Security Council to exert more pressure.

"There is a plan to hold a special meeting of the UN Security Council with the participation of ministers on the Syrian issue," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Vladivostok.

Egypt army says killed 32 ‘criminals’ in Sinai

Indian PM warns of dangers of social media

cAIRO

NEW DELHI

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Egypt's armed forces have killed 32 "criminal elements" in an ongoing operation against Islamists in the lawless Sinai peninsula, a military spokesman said on Saturday. Colonel Ahmed Mohammed Ali said 38 people including "non-Egyptians" had been arrested during "Operation Sinai," which was launched on August 7, days after gunmen killed 16 soldiers at a border post.

Some of the non-Egyptians had been arrested on drugs charges, he told reporters. "The operation will continue until its goals have been achieved...

These are not just military goals but also developmental goals for the Sinai," Ali said. The statement is likely to unnerve Israel, which had expressed "reservations" over Egypt's deployment of reinforcements in the peninsula, with which it shares a border. But Ali insisted that "the deployment of the armed forces, on all the territory of Sinai, is not a violation of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel." "Our presence (in Sinai) is in the frame of coordination," with the Israelis, Ali said.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said last week he expected the Egyptian army to withdraw its reinforcements from the peninsula at the end of the operation. "They must act against terror and if they have to bring in troops, let them do so. And when it ends, they must take them out," Barak said in an interview with Israel's army radio.

But "there are 225 main tunnels and each has two to three openings," he said.

The tunnels trade, which analysts estimate is worth half a billion dollars a year, has played a significant part in Gaza's economy since Israel first imposed a blockade in 2006 following the capture of one of its soldiers, who has since been released.

BEIJING: A man reacts as he sits outside his house on Saturday after a series of earthquakes hit Yiliang County, Yunnan Province in China. At least 89 people were killed in earthquakes that hit the remote and mountainous area of southwest China on Friday. afP

afP

ManaMa: bahraini anti-government demonstrators make victory signs during a protest on saturday demand the release of jailed opposition figures. afP

EU 'consensus' to beef up Syria sanctions PAPHOS afP

EU foreign ministers agreed on the need to beef up sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime at talks in Cyprus on Saturday, said Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis.

"There is consensus also on the increase of sanctions in Syria," she said, after announcing that the bloc's 27 ministers were agreed on the need to massively strengthen humanitarian aid.

Meeting on an island as close as 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Syria for their first talks since the summer break, the ministers also urged the fractured Syrian opposition to unite and agreed to try to

work with Russia in efforts to find a peaceful solution to the 18-month conflict.

The Cypriot minister said European nations believed it was important to work with Moscow, Assad's main diplomatic and military supporter, despite anger over Russia and China vetoing three UN Security Council attempts to exert more pressure on Syria. "We have to continue to work with Russia because we want to have them on board," she said.

Belgium's foreign policy chief, Didier Reynders, suggested one way of working with Russia would be to set up an international observer mission to ensure Syrian hospitals were kept open to the injured from both sides of the conflict.

In remarks to journalists at the close

of two days of informal talks, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius too insisted on the need to respect humanitarian rights by maintaining hospital care open to all Syrians. Regarding punitive action against the regime, Fabius said "if we want things to move, we must reinforce sanctions against the clan of (President) Bashar alAssad." Details on new measures would be worked out by the office of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, he said.

"There is a general feeling that more pressure must be placed on the regime in order to end the violence and enable the distribution of humanitarian aid throughout the country," added Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo.

Rescuers hunt for survivors

as china quake toll hits 89 YILIANG: Rescuers searching for survivors from twin earthquakes that struck southwestern China battled blocked roads and downed communications Saturday as the death toll rose to 89.

Scores of people were leaving their homes in the mountainous border area of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, carrying their belongings amid fears of further aftershocks as volunteers with supplies streamed in the opposite direction. Some 820 people were injured and 201,000 displaced after two 5.6-magnitude quakes struck the resource rich but impoverished region. Premier Wen Jiabao, who visited the worst-hit Yiliang county in Yunnan overnight, urged rescue workers to redouble their efforts in the crucial first 72 hours. "Rescuing people is the top priority," he said in comments broadcast on CCTV news. The premier wore running shoes as he visited hospital patients and survivors camping out in tents before flying back to Beijing. Families staying in tents said they feared their homes were no longer safe. The death toll may yet rise as crippled infrastructure has made it difficult to collect information, a provincial official told state news agency Xinhua. afP

Indian Premier Manmohan Singh warned Saturday over the use of social media to inflame ethnic tensions after online threats and text messages sparked a mass exodus of migrants from southern cities. The use of "social media to aggravate the communal situation is a new challenge", Singh told a conference of senior police officials in New Delhi.

"We need to fully understand how these new media are used by miscreants... and devise strategies to counter the propaganda that is carried out by these new means," he said. Tens of thousands of migrant workers and students from India's northeast fled last month from the high-tech centre of Bangalore and other southern cities. The unprecedented exodus was triggered by inflammatory text messages and videos posted online which warned that Muslims would target them in reprisal for deadly clashes between the tribals and Muslims in remote Assam state.

The government imposed a two-week ban on bulk messages that ended in late August and blocked some Internet pages to halt the spread of incendiary material that could fuel tensions.

Ethnic clashes in India's northeastern state of Assam between the Bodo tribals and Muslims have claimed around 90 lives and prompted some 400,000 people to take refuge in camps.

Qaeda claims 131 attacks in Iraq BAGHDAD afP

Al Qaeda's front group, the Islamic State of Iraq, said it carried out 131 attacks in the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, a statement on the Honein jihadist forum said.

The ISI said the attacks in Diyala province and south of Baghdad were mainly against security forces and antiQaeda militiamen, according to the statement posted on Friday.

Ramadan, which lasted from July 21 through August 18 for Sunnis, was an especially deadly time for Iraq, with more than 400 people killed in attacks country-wide, according to an AFP tally based on security and medical sources.

Violence often rises during Ramadan in Iraq because "radicalised terrorists are often more intent on conducting these (suicide attacks) ... because it is a period associated with martyrdom and self-sacrifice," said John Drake, a security analyst with AKE Group.

The ISI declared a campaign in July to retake territory it had abandoned in the years since the peak of Iraq's sectarian bloodshed between 2006 and 2008.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq is regarded by Iraqi officials as significantly weaker than at the peak of its strength in 2006 and 2007, but it is still capable of spectacular mass-casualty attacks across the country.

Sunday, 9 September, 2012

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10 Comment Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Music of the hegemon who is dancing to its tunes?

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

they’ve sinned PPP and MQM in sindh

W

hat was being widely feared has finally happened. In pursuit of narrow gains the PPP and MQM have damaged their own long time interests while at the same time consigning Sindh to unrest. The PPP has agreed to introduce two different systems of Local Government for Sindh under pressure from the MQM. The MQM has made it known that it wants to rule the mega city of Karachi alone, snubbing and suppressing every other contender. The new system allows it to control Hyderabad and, over time, three other cities also. This is seen by many as the first step towards the division of Sindh on ethnic basis.

The city of Karachi was built with the joint effort of people from all over the country. As the first capital of the newborn country, immense resources were diverted to its development by the federal government. Private sector investment came from all over the country.

Punjabis, Bohras and Memons invested to create the industry that has made the city the industrial hub of the country. Labor for building the metropolis came from KP, Punjab, Seraiki area and Sindh. No single ethnic group can therefore claim the sole proprietorship of Karachi or try to put curbs on others.

It was a wise decision in 1996 to divide Karachi into five districts, each one with its own municipal corporation, on account of the size and the ethnic variety of the mega city’s population. Musharraf introduced the new Local Bodies system to control the major cities of Sindh through a pliant MQM, and the interior of the province through handpicked members of the rural elite.

In Karachi MQM monopolized power at the expense of Sindhis and Pushtuns. Sindhis were not allowed to compete for jobs if their ID cards indicated a rural address. Centuries old goths were declared illegal habitations and the Sindhi population forcibly evacuated. Pustuns were not given due representation in elected bodies in line with their population. This exacerbated polarization among communities resulting in unending violence that now characterizes Karachi.

The introduction of two different LB systems has revived the specter of the division of Sindh. It is a spark that can put the prairie on fire. A number of PPP allies have resigned from Sindh cabinet in protest. The Sindhi nationalists have given a call for a province-wide strike on September 13. The unrest in Sindh bodes ill for the PPP which is bound to lose support in the interior. The MQM which wanted to emerge as a mainstream party would also be the loser as it would be seen as an ethnic outfit following a divisive policy. The turmoil in the second largest province Pakistan would have a negative economic and social impact on the country.

By Humayun Gauhar

S

hould one treat the symptoms so that the disease becomes tolerable or cure the disease so that the symptoms go away: that is the question. India and Pakistan are taking the former route.

Thus the disease will not be cured. That danger will remain that it will flare up again one day.

India’s response to this formulation is disheartening. One feels that one is barking up a sapling rather than a tree. It seems that one is ahead of time, maturity and understanding on both sides.

Indians need to get over themselves and their poverty-hiding overblown ‘economic miracle’ and their recent alliance with America’s China-centric geo strategic obsession that will only damage it in the long run as it has Pakistan and much of the rest of the world. It took Abbottabad and Salala for us to get over our geostrategic ‘importance’ that is actually a curse. It finished our six-decade long crush on America a crush that is actually mental colonization.

India will get over itself when the hollowness of its ‘economic miracle’ is exposed and they see abject poverty and human degradation around them, caused not least by their bad blood with their entire neighborhood. A legless economy based on services, assembly and reverse engineering of foreign goods is inevitably shown up one day.

Peace is the only option, but only a peace that is acceptable to all protagonists lasts. That is honorable. Else it is not peace at all, only an illusion of it – a diplomatic ceasefire. India and Pakistan are champion self-illusionists. Illusions evaporate fast. Disputes are the music that makes us dance to the tune of the hegemon.

Pakistanis are a very optimistic people. Any India-Pakistan meeting and they feel that peace is at hand, which shows that we are basically a peace-loving people. Which makes our lack of peace at home ironic, but that is another subject. So when the Indian foreign minister came for talks this week we went through naive excitement for the umpteenth time. The only outcome was an easier visa regime and agreement to talk more. Good, for people should realize that crafting peace from intricate and emotional disputes is a long process in which progress is made inch-by-centimeter.

But we should realize that treating symptoms does not cure the disease. We think that if

we tackle the symptoms first the disease will either go away or be submerged in the plethora of growing mutual economic self-interest. Were that such was the case! See how Quebec has raised its head again violently and how Scotland is inching towards independence peacefully.

Peace in the subcontinent will not come until the people of Kashmir are happy with their lot.

It bears repetition: India’s state terrorism begets and reinforces freedom struggles that it calls non-state terrorism. Blaming Pakistan deflects attention from its state terrorism. Sure Pakistan gives the Kashmiri freedom struggle succor as any adversary would, like India did East Pakistan’s ‘Mukti Baheni’. But it was our own state terrorism against the Bengalis that was the root cause. India took advantage, as any adversary would. If Pakistan were to ignore Kashmir the struggle might lose some of its teeth, but only for a while. It will soon grow new ones.

The revolt in Kashmir is a creation of Indian intransigence that Pakistan takes advantage of.

State terrorism begets non-state terrorism. Nonstate terrorism will remain no matter how many treaties you sign while brushing core issues under a carpet dyed with blood and woven with the weak threads of bilateral trade, tourism, film production and cricket matches. As long as state terrorism persists non-state terrorism will continue. Period. I cannot understand why the world cannot comprehend such a self-evident truth.

India is a large country with a small country mentality. Pakistan is a relatively small country with a big country mentality. Our complexes come from the millennium-long Muslim rule over India – we cannot forget that Muslims once ruled over the Hindus and Hindus cannot forget that Muslims once ruled over them. We should realize that eventually all became Indians, regardless of religious persuasion. Our enmity was caused by Britain’s divide and rule policies. Both should have disabused themselves of such complexes by now. India, I feel, is beginning to get out of this mindset but it will not be totally eradicated until future generations of both countries, less burdened by stories of slavery and Partition, are at the helm. Land and population sizes don’t matter, the human condition does. That the majority of our peoples live in abject poverty makes us puny. By that measure – and the human condition is the only relevant measure – Singapore is a much bigger country than either India or Pakistan. Its real resource is the high quality of its leadership and its better human capital. By these measures, India and Pakistan are pathetic.

Strong and wise rulers on both sides can bring detente. Neither Zardari nor Manmohan Singh can be accused of either strength or wisdom. Cleverness, yes; strength, hardly; wisdom, not a jot.

Only strong and wise leaders can ‘sell’ an inevitably compromise-laden agreement to their peoples without their patriotism being questioned.

It is anomalous where real power lies in both countries. In Pakistan internal security, defense and foreign policies are in the purview of the military and intelligence agencies – as it is in America too. The rest is with Pakistan’s ceremonial president because he is also co-chairman of

the ruling party by virtue of being Benazir Bhutto’s widower – a constitutional anomaly for he is a partisan president. Regardless, that is where his power comes from. In India, an Italian catholic lady is leader of the ruling party only because she is Rajiv Gandhi’s widow. That is where her power comes from. The military leaderships of both countries have to be on board in any deal. That’s realistic. While our army’s role in policy-making is well known, the Indian military’s role is camouflaged.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh belongs to the small Sikh minority and is keenly aware that he has to go the extra mile to ‘prove’ his patriotism in the backdrop of the Sikh rebellion for an independent state, the storming of the Golden Temple and the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Pakistan’s prime minister is in office at Zardari’s pleasure – and now a hyperactive Supreme Court’s pleasure too.

Should we forget Kashmir the core issue and the UN resolutions requiring a plebiscite there? Or should we sort it out first? Or, should we put it on the backburner and normalize relations in other areas – what India calls ‘Confidence Building Measures’? Kashmir will not let us forget it as long as a freedom struggle rages there. It will continue raging whether we support it or not. As long as it does, the sword of Damocles will keep hanging for it takes only one madman on either side to start a nuclear conflagration. Best to do all three simultaneously, what Musharraf and Vajpayee called a ‘Composite Dialogue’, and hope for the best. What is needed is statesmanship on both sides and lots of guts. Leave it to functionaries and you will continue nitpicking for another six decades.

India and Pakistan should stop tussling over an America-free Afghanistan and arrive at a mutually acceptable understanding. Afghanistan may not want either of us anyway. As if killing ourselves over Kashmir isn’t enough, we cannot go killing ourselves over Afghanistan too.

America wants peace for its own reasons. It realizes that war between India and Pakistan could be another World War in which the US and its traditional allies will suffer unacceptable multi-sectoral damage, regardless of what happens to India and Pakistan. What it actually wants is to free India from ‘Pakistani sniping’ and make it its South Asian watchdog, free to focus on creating an economic and military bulwark against growing Chinese economic and military might.

The conundrum is that while America wants India-Pakistan normalization, it doesn’t want them ganging up either to form a South Asian Economic Association that has the seeds of becoming another giant. China and even Russia could come into the fold. Can you then imagine what a ‘monster’ the Shanghai Cooperation Organization with the South Asian Economic Association could become? Soon energy-rich Iran and the Central Asian states would want part of the action – and Afghanistan too. America won’t like that, but then what America wants and what it gets are two different things.

The writer is a political analyst. He can be contacted at humayun.gauhar786@gmail.com

for cricket and country for once, let’s just enjoy simpler things in life

By Saad Rasool

F

rom the moment the willow connected the leather, Umar Akmal started running. It was the last ball of the super over, and Pakistan needed just one run to win. A yellow-shirt took a shy at the stumps and missed. Umar Akmal punched his fist through the air and kept running. The camera zooms to the dressing-room, where half the members of our squad were on their feet, celebrating in a burst of joy. The other half had already made their way onto the ground, to receive young Akmal and the

Sunday, 9 September, 2012

experienced Abdul Razzaq. The crowd – all mothers, sisters, brothers and children of Pakistan – danced in rapture.

More than a few, with teary eyes, looked up towards the heavens in a moment of gratitude. And just then, the famous beat of “Hum hain Pakistani hum to jeetein ge haan jeetain ge…” pierced the summer sky.

And for one September night, Dr Arsalan case, the judiciary, the 60 million dollars parked in some Swiss account, the tsunami, the ISI and proponents of right-wing militancy faded away from our national conscience.

This symbolism, though trivial in its material form, is a profound lesson for us all. We, with the able help of our media, have gotten so engrossed in what is ‘wrong’ with our nation that we have systemically distanced ourselves from the joys of being a Pakistani.

Changing the channel, soon after the prize-distribution ceremony, I saw jolted back from my euphoria. There, sitting in the cookie-cutter talk-show setting, was an anchor and three panelists, each from a different side of our partisan divide.

One of them promised a ‘dharna’ against electricity shortage, the other hurled allegations of ISI connections at the others, and the third made a ‘public appeal’ to the Chief Justice to take up a crusade against the ruling party. And the anchor, perhaps with the aim of agitating her panelists enough to create a stir and increase the ‘rankings’ of her show, was belligerent and abrasive in every ‘question’ she posed and each ‘issue’ she raised.

Watching this all unfold, still intoxicated from Pakistan’s cricket win, I couldn’t help but feel that our national discourse has shifted the paradigm of ‘drama’ and ‘news’: it felt as though drama on the cricket ground was the news, and the news on the talk-show was the drama.

Pakistan is marred with a plethora of problems – legal, political, social and judicial problems. And these should be highlighted, talked about and debated at length with the aim of finding constructive solutions to national conundrums.

(And I have written, at length, about several such issues that I feel strongly

about). But in the process of bringing our elitist drawing-room politics to national television, it is important to pause every once in a while to celebrate the issues that lift our national spirit. It is important to break out of a fallacy, which we have collectively convinced ourselves of, that the common man (or child) cares about whether some obscure politician has joined the ranks of PTI, or whether the Attorney General was, once upon a time, the lawyer for Malik Riaz or not.

Without undermining the effect that such facts may have on some particular issue of our political drama, let us be honest with ourselves that the last over bowled by Abdul Razzaq that dismissed the Australian captain has a much deeper (and heart-lifting) effect for the mango people (aam aadmi), than whether or not a bail has been granted in the Ephedrine case. Long after this government or this particular Supreme Court or these particular set of circumstances have passed, people will talk last night’s cricket match – whether or not they ever remember who was Moosa Gillani or Arsalan Iftikhar.

Nations are not just made of borders and a land-mass. They are not simply a sum of all the laws and judicial pronouncements rendered by the courts. Nations are not limited to the four-corners of a jalsa in Gujranwala or one in Garhi Khuda Buksh. And they cannot be confined to the slandering during the course of some boorish talk-show that hosts participants of less than par integrity. A nation is a sum of the aspirations of her people, and a collective joy in what paints us green and white. The X-factor, that propels the national engine, is faith in our ability to overcome our sclerotic and entrenched problems. And for this, it is important, every once a while (if not more frequently) to detach ourselves from the depressing discourse of sordid politics, and take joy in the simpler things of life – winning a cricket series.

Bring on the T20 World Cup! The writer is a lawyer based in Lahore. He has a Masters in Constitutional Law from Harvard Law School. He can be reached at: saad@post.harvard.edu

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Comment 11

Editor’s mail Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan.

Fax: +92-42-36298302.

E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk.

Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively.

a dam won the war It is said that the Second World War was in fact won by the Grand Cooli dam in USA which made it possible to manufacture aluminum due to cheap power.

This enabled the USA to make several hundreds of airplanes that tilted the balance against Germany by playing havoc in its cities caused by massive carpet bombing. This shows the power of cheap energy to decide the fate of war. We in Pakistan scarcely realize that cheap energy produced by a hydroelectric dam is the key to economic progress of a nation in peace as well as war. The wizards of our successive governments are deaf and dumb in this regard so as to push Pakistan in dark ages. The progress of a nation is measured in the modern would by the quantum of energy used by it. When we see that about half of the time there is load shedding the result is closure of industries and large scale unemployment. Therefore, when it is said in the developed world “stupid it is economy” we can say in our case “stupid it is hydro power” to keep afloat economically.

DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI Lahore

Pakistan-india talks Indian Minister for External Affairs S M Krishna has resumed dialogue with his counterpart Hina Rabbbani Khar.

According to consensus evolved during the talks at the Foreign Office, eight categories of visas would be issued. The types include diplomatic, non diplomatic, 36-hour transit visa, tourist visa, civil society, media and business visas.

Although this is a good initiative for both the countries, they totally ignored the Kashmir dispute which is pending since 1948. Kashmir issue is the biggest hurdle between the two countries. This is not a good message for the Kashmiris. The need of hour is that both the countries find out a solution of the dispute according to UN resolutions. India should give Kashmiris the right to deciding their own destiny. The settlement of this issue is necessary for an enduring peace.

TARIQ HUSAIN KHAN Karachi

militants in military uniforms Of late it has been noticed that terrorists have been using military uniform for gaining access and attacking their targets. There are many examples in which militants have dressed in uniforms used by security personnel to either ease their way to the outer cordons of secure installations or to wield an air of authority that initially masks their intent. Shia passengers in four buses were shot dead in Mansehra by terrorists in commando uniforms. In Kohistan in February, on a similar attack on Shia bus passengers, the gunmen were also in military uniform, as were the militants who in October 2009 attacked GHQ in Rawalpindi.

Similarly, militants who intruded in PNS Mehran air base in May 2011 and in PAF air base Minhas Kamara in August this year also took advantage of military uniform for gaining access in to their targets.

However, after the attack on GHQ in October 2009 by the militants who were dressed in army uniform it was decided by the GHQ that all shops selling different items of military uniforms in the local market will be closed to deny unauthorized persons to purchase these items freely. But this decision was never implemented. There are thousands of shops in the country supplying all the items of army, navy, rangers, coast guards and police which

Save the capital Capital Development Authority (CDA), one of the most prestigious public sector organizations in the country, is again in news for mismanagement and bungling in the allotment of expensive plots. CDA was established in 1960 to build the national capital befitting the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. A capital city is always more than physical infrastructure, that is, roads and building. It should have recreational facilities, parks and play grounds and civic amenities, schools and hospitals for the residents of the most important city in the country. Cultural dimension is also crucial for a national capital. Unfortunately, this development agency has miserably failed to build and maintain properly the national capital. The capital is divided into elite zones, where the rich and the powerful people live, and areas where underprivileged live and suffer. Most of the budget and resources of the authority are reserved for elite sectors.

From a simple city, Islamabad has become a complex city where residing, working and travelling is becoming difficult with passage of time. The basic necessity, clean drinking water is beyond the reach of residents in certain areas. Zone V is the most neglected part of the capital. Majority of the population is having hard time in Islamabad.

There could be many reasons for this state of affairs. One of them is that the authority never got a committed and professional management. It has always been treated like any other government organization: bureaucrats running it whimsically.

The policies and practices of these Babus have turned most of the capital into ghettos.

There was a chairman in 1980s that was very generous in doling out plots to his friends. He is known for calling even junior officials in the secretariat to apply for a plot. Such CDA bosses have played havoc with CDA assets and the Master Plan.

Since there is no accountability mechanism in place, the CDA bosses have mutilated the face of the capital. It used to be a beautiful town, now it has become an ugly spot. If media was also sleeping, they would have turned Islamabad into a great slum. There should be a competent forum to select the chairman CDA. In the meanwhile, Member Planning Commission, Lt General Shahid Niaz, who is a former

include rank badges, unit shoulder signs, caps, cap badges, arm bands, belts, boots, stitched uniforms and availability of cloth for any type of uniform. There are also tailors in the local market where one can get uniform stitched/altered. In a barber shop one can also get military style haircut.

Similarly, all types of military cloth and stitched uniforms, boots, belts and caps etc, are also available in huge quantity for open sale in the local ‘Lunda Bazar’ in every city of the country.

It is pertinent to note that no item of PAF uniform is allowed for selling in the local market. All uniform items of the PAF are controlled stores and new items are issued to PAF personnel

Engineer-in-Chief of the Pak Army and Head of FWO, may be given the charge of the authority. I am sure he can save the capital from complete destruction.

ASGHAR MAHMOOD Islamabad

doing nothing for masses While wandering into the cities, towns and villages of my home province, Sindh, one can see thousands of children, homeless, without clothes, running in packs in the streets, in particular, the children whose relatives were affected by the manmade and natural disasters of the last two consecutive years. On can witness that the so-called representatives, the money crazy bureaucrats and technocrats, make every effort to degrade and debase these ill-fated children as they beg for food.

One can hear the heart-wrenching stories and at some places can see that the disaster-affected people keep on selling their newborns because they can’t feed them.

The present rulers have done nothing for the common people but they have done a lot for a chosen few families, or better to say a chosen few individuals, in the province and one ethnic group.

People know that a chosen few penniless persons have become billionaires at least in my home district Larkano. In the prevalent situation one of the senior advocates from Larkano rightly says, “ we need a government that stands up for the hopes, values and interests of the downtrodden and gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential as it was done during the days of Shaheed ZAB but sorry to say nothing is being done nowadays.”

Where are the national and local NGOs which usually market the miseries of these poor and the disaster affected people in the luxury hotels of the big cities such like Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore and suck maximum funds from the gracious and generous international donor bodies and NGOs? Unfortunately, they too have done nothing to alleviate the miseries of masses in Sindh However, both, the incumbent rulers and the national NGO activists, are there to serve their own interests.

HASHIM ABRO Islamabad

only after their uniform items are rendered unserviceable through fair wear and tear. PAF personnel have to return these unserviceable items are put before a ‘Board of Officers’ for converting them in to cleaning rags after tearing them in to small pieces.

Hence, there are no chances of misusing any item of PAF uniform.

I would request the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Pak Army General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani to take notice of this security lapse on the part of the concerned in the Pakistan Army to take action on the same pattern as taken by the PAF. SQN LDR (RETD) S AUSAF HUSAIN Karachi

irregularities in numL hostel When Brigadier Azam Jamal did not join National University of Modern languages (NUML), Islamabad as Director General, the situation of mess system completely changed. Before the present administration, the hostel messing system was run by students. They selected the menu and all followed it. Students paid 3,000 rupees in advance and after every month the bill was displayed by the administration and the remaining amount, if any, was given back to the student. Hostel warden did monthly auditing. But, after the new administration appointed retired armed forces personnel as clerical staff, mess dues increased by up to 1,000 rupees while the food quality decreased.

The new administration has not displayed bills in the last two years. If someone has some problem with mess food or he is unable to eat food because of sickness, he still has to pay mess dues; otherwise, he had to leave the hostel.

It is believed that the head of mess administration, Subedar (retd) Riaz had bought a new car and a Suzuki Bolan. Some are saying that he could only do so by doing corruption and embezzlement in the mess funds. It is obvious that no one can buy two luxury vehicles by merely earning 30,000 rupees per month.

The issue has been raised many times by the student of NUML. The concerned authorities also promise to resolve this issue but nothing has yet been done. Now they are asking the students to pay 20,000 rupees for hostel fee but most of students cannot pay this amount along with university fee in one time.

It is a request to the Vice Chancellor of the University and other concerned authorities to please resolve this matter as the students are not satisfied with the new administration.

NUML HOSTILITES Islamabad

wrong side of the 9/11 Washington: US strongly supports the work of “Save the Children in Pakistan”, said spokesman Patrick Ventrell (SEPT 8). It stands to a great tragic irony that their drones kill the same children in their sleep, while taking food or enjoying their games outside in the field.

Z A KAZMI Karachi

Sunday, 9 September, 2012

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12 Critics report:

swingeRs

Rain man

Raaz 3

gets mixed reviews

T

HE first half of Raaz 3 is not bad.

Talking about the horror part in the film, we definitely aren't scared to death. Bipasha Basu steals the show left, right and center as Shanaya; Emraan and Esha are average, say critics.

"Vikram Bhatt has mastered the art of sending a shudder down your vertebrae. The horror quotient in Raaz 3 is sure to make you break into a cold sweat at times, but what really catches your attention is the human element.

In fact, Raaz 3 takes the negativity factor in women to an altogether different altitude.

Writer Shagufta Rafique amalgamates vendetta, jealousy, conflict, drama and sexuality to create a chilling saga," writes Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama."The world is made of up of good and evil forces. Aatmas and Parmatmas. Those with chalk-smeared faces and those who merely appear as blinding lights and speak with an echo. But none of them can be immortal enough to live through a show of 'Raaz 3'. The prospect of getting horrified in three-dimension could be promising. But Indian horror films, as pioneered by the Ramsays, have rarely gone beyond junior artists in Halloween costumes grunting like death-metal vocalists. Here you have just that, and perhaps a few mouth-to-mouth adventures and some

Kentucky fried frights. Yes, it is no raaz that you're up for some good ol' Bhatt kicking," writes Kunal Guha, Yahoo. "The first half of Raaz 3 is not bad. Shagufta Rafique has the scares in the right places and you are really glued to your seat. But you’re never really shown how big a star Shanaya is to feel that she’s lost something that meant the world to her. Sanjana may be an orphan but doesn’t she have even a single friend who can help her instead of running off into Aditya’s arms? The script’s spiral towards stupidity begins in the second half. Spoiler Alert: the evil spirit brutally kills Sanjana’s maid in the first half. But when Shanaya asks him to kill Sanjana later, he gives her some lecture about God being the only one who can take lives. The movie falls flat when you realize that it’s a story of convenience. And how come the evil water doesn’t affect Shanaya at all? The part of Shanaya and Sanjana just sounds like a lame excuse to add some soggy spice to the story," writes Roshni Devi, Koimoi.com."Talking about the horror part in the film, we definitely aren't scared to death, but, yes, there are scenes that might make you break into a cold sweat. Especially, certain horrific screams and cries in the movie might give you goosebumps. The Bhatt camp excels, when it comes to titiliating skin shows and sex scenes.

But, the intimate scenes between Bipasha and Emraan looks half-hearted and half-baked. The film's 3D effect adds the horrifying factor, especially, the scene, where Esha's servant commits suicide by hanging herself to death is scary. I cannot miss the coackroach scene, where Esha goes nude in order to save herself.

It is surely the best one," reports OneIndia.com."Mahesh Bhatt has convincingly spun a spooky yarn and Vikram Bhatt has further lent it a sinister edge with his directorial finesse. Rather than straightaway hopping onto the horror-filled chills and sequences, Vikram gradually builds up the suspense and uses special effects deftly to give the viewer the creeps," writes N K Deoshi, Apun Ka Choice."Bhatt employs all the clichés of a horror film — dead bodies, graveyards in the middle of the night, black magic, maggot-infested ghosts and much more. Unfortunately, not much of it is scary and apart from making you jump out of your seat a couple of times, “Raaz 3” won’t provide any more thrills or chills," says Shilpa Jamkhandikar. CourTesy hT

the hangoveR

casino

the godfatheR 2

ocean's eleven

Not ready for pregnancy: Knightley

Anurag Kashyap converted short film into 'Aiyyaa'

Actress Keira Knightley is amused at rumours that she is pregnant.

She says although she would love to have children, it was not yet time. The "Anna Karenina" actress, who is engaged to Klaxons musician James Righton, admits regular questions about pregnancy have made her worry about her figure.

"People keep trying to make me pregnant! I'm not ready for it.

Yes I'd love to at some point but not this quick, stop trying to make me pregnant," femalefirst.co.uk quoted Knightley as saying. "I have been asked whether I am pregnant yet about four or five times. And I started thinking, 'Do I look like I'm pregnant ... I'm a very thin girl, I am sure I don't look pregnant!'

It's the ring on my finger," she added. a fP

Anurag Kashyap liked director Sachin Kundalkar's short movie so much that he decided to turn it into a feature film "Aiyaa". "I used to do a play 'S-S-Sarla' with Sonali Kulkarni and she called me once to show a short film by Sachin Kundalkar and I met him there for the first time. I liked it so much that I said this should be made into a whole feature film," the 39-year-old said at the launch of the first look of "Aiyaa". It was on Kundalkar's insistence, he said, that he decided to cast Rani Mukerji in the lead. "This story began from there and Sachin developed the whole story. I asked him which actress do you want and he said someone like Rani Mukerji. This film has taken a long time to be made with a lot of nurturing, Sachin and Rani have spent twoand-a-half years on the film and the rest of the team," Kashyap said. "Aiyaa" tells the story of a Maharashtrian girl Meenakshi Deshpande who lives in a Bollywood-style fantasy world and tries to woo a Malayali man Surya played by southern actor Prithviraj Sukumaran. The film is slated for an Oct 12 release. CourTesy Toi

Sunday, 9 September, 2012

Daniel Craig signs up for more Bond flicks Daniel Craig is set to become the third longest-serving James Bond after signing on to play the iconic spy in two more blockbusters.

The actor has already agreed to make one more Bond movie after upcoming film Skyfall, which will tie him with Pierce Brosnan - who also starred in four 007 adventures. And now fan site MI6 has confirmed that Craig has locked in a deal to play the super spy in two more films, the Daily Express reported. That will take his tally to six one behind both Roger Moore and Sean Connery. Craig first played Bond four years ago in Quantum of Solace. news DesK

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13 feaR and loathing in las vegas

Kristen Stewart can't sleep without teddies

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the cooleR

leaving las vegas

viva las vegas

RISTEN Stewart is cuddling up to her stuffed toys for security and comfort, hoping that they'll help her get over any nerves she has about appearing in public, after her cheating scandal surfaced. The actress has apparently taken her favorite toys gifted by former beau Robert Pattinson to the Toronto Film Festival. "Kristen is latching on to all the things that she associates with Robert and now she can't be without her stuffed animals," a source told Radar Online. "Over the years, Robert, who was a hopeless romantic, bought Kristen plushies whenever he saw one he thought she would love. "She is obsessed with them and has them scattered all over her bed; they're a sweet reminder of how he cared for her," the source said. She is said to be obsessed with the cuddly toys, and she can't go to sleep without them. "But now, as they're no longer together, they've become more of a security blanket for Kristen, so she took a collection of her favorite teddy bears with her to Toronto.

"She's missing Robert a lot, and she's clinging on to her stuffed animals for comfort; Kristen is petrified about facing the public," the source added.

Sunny Leone’s husband to enter

BollyWooD? I NDIAN Canadian porn star Sunny Leone, who made her Bollywood debut with ‘Jism 2’, says her husband Daniel Weber is also getting Hindi film offers. "My husband has been getting good proposals from this industry. There are few people who have approached him and want both of us together in a film," Sunny said. "He would love to be in a Bollywood movie and it’s just an idea, which he is considering and might take it forward. He is open to it. It will be fun to see both of us together," she added. Weber, who used to be adult film star earlier, is currently managing Sunny`s company, Sun-Lust Productions in the US, which makes adult films. "I read my scripts and meet the directors and producers. It would look weird if he reads the script and takes a call and I am not involved in it. Both of us take the decision whether to work in a film or not," the 31-year-old said. news DesK

CourTesy Toi

I reacted like a pressure cooker to Priyanka Chopra: Karan Johar

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FTER a public fall out with Priyanka Chopra, Karan Johar called a truce by inviting her to his 40th birthday bash. Now, the chat show host has admitted that he overreacted in the whole episode. "I picked up the phone and reacted like a pressure cooker. Then I realized it wasn't worth it. I called her and said I was turning 40. I have a great EQ (emotional quotient) with her. I've shared several warm moments with PC. Since I am the older one, I decided to be mature," the filmmaker told Mumbai Mirror."Well, I can say that there is absolutely no problem between Priyanka and me. We have had an extremely good professional and personal experience over the years. I hope it continues that way," said Karan Johar .With Karan's ever expanding plate of films in months to come and some important announcements waiting to happen, can Priyanka expect to feature in the scheme of things? "Why not? Priyanka has worked in two of our important films (Dostana, Agneepath). I am sure we would work together again," he told the tabloid.

WHAt HAD HAppENED Mumbai Mirror carried a story on April 3 quoting Priyanka Chopra's unnamed friends strongly defending her in the allegations of a rumoured affair with Shah Rukh Khan and hinting that Karan Johar had been bitching about her. In no time, a fuming Karan Johar had tweeted: "Using their hired PR machinery and hiding behind so called "friends" to get news into tabloids is nothing but spineless and lame!!" He added: "Some people need to wake up and smell the KOFFEE!!! Get a reality check before it's too late!!! Grow up!!! And don't mess with goodness." CourTesy hT

Feels great when young girls cheer for me: Boman

No plans on marriage yet: Brad Pitt

Not many actors manage to achieve the kind of popularity that Boman Irani has, especially after making a big screen debut at 41! And in his inimitable style, the actor, who was in Vadodara along with Farah Khan to promote their latest film, says, "For someone who earned his first big break in films as a bald man on screen at the age of 44 (Munnabhai MBBS), I have come a long way and even got a lead role now! My sons were really excited about the lead role and told me-'Go daddy, go!' I feel a lot younger when charming young ladies cheer for me during promotional trips."

With his hectic film schedule, does he miss doing theatre? "See, I won't be where I am today if not for the play I'm Not Bajirao (it ran for 10 long years!) and it's a fact that my theatre career has slowed down because of film commitments. But then, there was a phase when I turned down several films just to concentrate on theatre. Today, it's the opposite and I'm absolutely in love with this phase of my career! I can go back to doing full-fledged theatre whenever I want," he signs off. CourTesy Toi

Brad Pitt was mum about his forthcoming nuptials with Angelina Jolie when he attended a special screening of his new film Killing Them Softly in London. Despite fevered speculation that the couple have been busy readying their estate at their home, Chateau Miraval in the South of France, the 48-year-old actor insisted that there weren't any plans, the Daily Mail reported.

Arriving at the screening of the film at the May Fair Hotel, he said, No plans yet. Other than, we're gonna do it. The father-of-six was going for a smart-casual look in a beige and cream combination of slacks, T-shirt, blazer and shirt, with his hair pulled back in a small ponytail. The celebrity couple are parents to six children Maddox, 11; Pax, nine; and Knox, four, Zahara, seven; Shiloh, six; and Vivienne, four. CourTesy Toi

Sunday, 9 September, 2012

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Infotainment 14

DiePPe: Kites take flight during the 17th edition of the international Kite festival on saturday in Dieppe, northern france. The event held until september 16 gathers thousand of people from 40 different countries. afP

a couple discovered a huge python hitching a ride in their car. They were on the look-out for lions when the five-metre python shot out of the grass and disappeared under their car. when the snake failed to reappear the couple were forced to endure a three-mile journey knowing the python was somewhere inside their vehicle before arriving at the nearest lookout point.

10 things every woman should know about her husband very man - like every woman - is different, but this may explain what’s going on next time you find him analyzing his fantasy team like his life depends on it.

Not included: why he’s taking so long in the bathroom. After all, some things should remain mysteries.

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Husbands need to feel needed “For husbands, not being able to impress your wife from time to time is like Kryptonite for Superman,” says Lois Barth, a relationship and career coach based in New York City. “Just think of the movies most men love to watch: lone hero in the town against the bad guys saving the day.

That hero chip is hardwired into most men - as long as we let them be.” Don’t rush to do the jobs you dread just to tick another item off on your todo list - asking for help can bring you closer.

Husbands show their love through actions rather than words Men aren’t as direct in expressing their love as women, and they aren’t mind readers. They want to know what women like and then give it to them. The more directly you tell him what you crave (“It makes me happy when you surprise me with dinner”) the more likely you are to get it.

And when he does show you a bit of what you’re looking for, such as bringing you flowers, making a big deal out of it will help pave the way for repeat behavior in the future. Sure, woman appreciate romantic gestures, but being there when you need him - whether that’s when your car breaks down or your aunt passes away - sometimes says more than blatant declarations of love. After all, a sweet-talking romantic is great, but a husband who doesn’t bail in an emergency is even better.

Husbands care about fashion - a little Most guys aren’t as concerned with their appearance as women are, yet would secretly appreciate some guidance in the fashion department.

But if you try to change his entire wardrobe, he’ll get the message that you don’t like his look, and may become resentful. To work with him on his style, frame new stuff as additions to his wardrobe rather than replacements. Take the lead, but include him by asking what types of styles and stores he likes best. Even offer to arrange a day of shopping that’s all about him, and set a goal - finding two shirts and two pairs of pants, for example - so he’s not worried that he’ll never escape the sales floor.

The FBI is hunting for a serial bank robber suspected in heists in eight states and whom the agency dubbed the “Bucket List Bandit” after he passed a note to a teller claiming he had only months to live. The agency suspects the same paunchy man with thinning gray hair and a beard in nine robberies since June – the most recent two late last month in Columbia, Mo. and the St. Louis suburb of O’Fallon. The man, aged 55 to 60, is also suspected in robberies in Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, North Carolina, Tennessee and Illinois. The suspect is suspected of robbing a bank in Pocatello, Idaho, July 6, then later that same day in Roy, Utah, about two hours’ drive away. It was during the Utah heist that he earned his nickname, passing a note to the teller announcing the robbery and offering an explanation for the crime. “He told the teller, `I have

Husbands do best with clear, concise messages “Many men may act like they are not listening (yes, sometimes they really aren’t), but if you make a simple request or share a feeling, just let it sit rather than going into too much detail,” says Barth. “Chances are that your husband will process what you’re saying better if you don’t bombard him with information. Believe it or not, a man’s cave time isn’t just about loafing in front of the TV, but processing your message so it can really sink in.”

Husbands can learn to fulfill your desires Nobody’s perfect (wives included!), but you can teach your husband to give you more of what you crave. Think about the thing you’d most like to tweak, such as getting him to show more affection. Wait until he gives you a glimmer of the behavior you desire. It may be by accident, such as grabbing your arm to keep you from walking into the street. Take that inch a mile by letting him know you like it. Say: “One of the things I love about you is how affectionate you are.” You’re not only making him aware of how you want him to behave, but pointing out that he already has this ability. The beauty of this tactic is that you’re not nagging him to change, but training yourself to notice the good. Keep reinforcing his good behavior, but stop doing it every single time. Otherwise, you risk sounding repetitive and the praise will lose its effectiveness.

Husbands get insecure too Whether it’s a potbelly, bald spot, or back hair, husbands also have body hang-ups. And husbands of today may be spending more time grooming than previous generations. Case in point: “I’ve seen a surge in men coming in for waxing by at least 25 percent in just the last year,” says Lidia Tivichi, a clinical esthetician specializing in men’s grooming and founder of Maris Dusan Spa in New York City. “Popular areas for guys include feet and toes, butt, back, and chest.”

While doing a little manscaping may be good for your husband’s confidence — and your libido — remember to let him know you think he’s sexy just the way he is.

Husbands need some alone time Unlike girl-time, guy-time doesn’t involve a

lot of gabbing. Instead, it’s about doing activities together. If his hoop-shooting or guitar-playing marathon sessions really bug you, try the “best friend test”: If your friend was behaving the same way, would you get mad? You’d probably accept his or her habit as part of her personality and even admire the fact that she gets excited about something. Look at your husband’s pastime as an opportunity to do something you enjoy (catching up on your stack of magazines and laughing about your husbands’ quirks with friends over cocktails) rather than taking it personally.

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ANETTE Colantonio of Summerville, South Carolina says that a traffic ticket she received kick started her journey to lose over 200 pounds. A year and a half ago trooper Mark Amos cited her for failing to wear her seatbelt. At 408 pounds, Colantonio couldn’t get the belt across her frame and admitted that she had not buckled up for years. Trooper Amos said, “It happens a lot with South Carolina’s obesity rate.” The ticket was the inspiration Colantonio needed saying, “I’m sure there’s a lot of things that led up to that point, but that ticket was like reality in my face, and I don’t know if I would have done it as quickly if I didn’t get the ticket.” Colantonio continues to lose weight to reach her ultimate goal of 145 pounds. news DesK

Husbands do more housework than you think Studies show wives underestimate the amount of time their hubbies spend on housework and overestimate their own contribution.

Still, women shoulder 61 percent of the load, according to the Journal of Marriage and Family.

To get closer to 50-50, sit down with your honey and create a master plan. Decide which chores must get done, and divide them according to who likes doing what and how much time and effort each requires. If you despise taking out the trash and he’s indifferent, put that on his list.

Husbands like competition You may not understand why your husband has to be in four different fantasy football leagues, bowls every Tuesday night, and is constantly plugged in to his favorite team on ESPN. “Little did I know before we got married that baseball happens nine months out of the year,” says Sara Preville, 32, married for almost four years. “It used to bother me that sports would take precedence over planning everything from the baby’s birthday party etc. But then I realized that sports are a competitive outlet for my husband, and that not nagging him about his hobby makes him more relaxed in other important areas — like our relationship.”

cussing cockatoo violates noise law

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Rhode Island woman has been accused by her neighbors of violating an animal-noise ordinance by training her cockatoo to cuss.

The Providence Journal reports that Lynne Taylor is accused in Warwick municipal court of training the bird, Willy, to say expletives.

The bird allegedly aimed the invectives at the neighbors, who happen to be Taylor’s ex-husband and his girlfriend. A municipal judge on Thursday denied Taylor’s request to dismiss the case.

The neighbors, Kathleen Melker and Craig Fontaine, say they have been subjected to repeated curses from the bird, at one point for 15 minutes at a time. The animal noise ordinance imposes a small fine on any pet owner whose animal creates habitual noise. A judge has issued restraining orders telling both women to have no contact. news DesK

Husbands have selective hearing Studies show men and women tend to have very different interests when it comes to conversations. Women love to talk about people and relationships, while men are more apt to talk about things. So if you’re chatting with your honey after a party, try not to get upset if he’s oblivious that the hostess was bickering with her husband. It’s simply not where his focus was. Save the gossip for those who will appreciate it (a.k.a. your girlfriends). news DesK

‘Bucket list Bandit’ sought by FBI

four months to live,’” said Rebecca Wu of the FBI’s St. Louis office. Roy Police Sgt. Danny Hammon said the specific wording of the note wasn’t

woman credits traffic ticket for 200lb weight loss

known because the bandit took it back. It wasn’t clear if the bandit wanted the money for medical care or for spending money during the

course of his final few months of life.

He was seen with a black compact sport utility vehicle, with a silver rack on top, after robberies in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Bloomington, Ill. Authorities are also searching for that vehicle. The FBI will use digital billboards in the eight states where the bandit has struck to display images of the man in hopes of tracking him down, Wu said. Serial bank robbers are not uncommon, but Wu said they generally strike within a regional area. There are exceptions.

Last year, a man dubbed the “Granddad Bandit” was sentenced to 25 years in prison for robbing 26 banks in 14 states. Michael Francis Mara, graying and balding, earned the nickname for his grandfatherly appearance. And, in fact, he is a grandfather. Wu said Mara was caught after someone recognized him from a digital billboard.

CourTesy huffPosT

Boy loses beloved toy monkey; 3 years later mom finds it on eBay

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N 2009, a one-year-old named Liam received a stuffed blue monkey as a toy from his grandparents. Ah-ah, as the monkey was named, became the Nebraska boy’s prized possession. But Liam misplaced his beloved toy monkey on a trip that summer to the Rocky Mountains National Park.But three years later, Liam’s mom made a seemingly miraculous discovery when she stumbled across what looked like the very same toy on eBay. “I’m just happy that they found it,” said Tammy Staveley—who posted the toy on the shopping site and who runs the online auction site Lost Loves Toy Chest—in an interview with the New York Daily News. “I’m so glad that I could help. I’ve been in that position and I know that that item is basically priceless, you can’t sleep, the kid’s crying.” In fact, Liam’s mom wasn’t even sure it was the same toy he had misplaced; maybe it just looked remarkably like his. After quizzing Liam to see if he remembers losing Ah-ah, his mom then declares, “Ah-ah came in the mail today,” and delivers the toy to her shocked son, who instantly bursts into tears, clutching the toy monkey tightly and asking, “Where did you find him?” news DesK

Sunday, 9 September, 2012

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sunday, 9 september, 2012

Sharapova heads for ice cream after azarenka loss Page 18

Imran stunned by ajmal’s omission from ICC awards DUBAI afP

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RICKETING legend Imran Khan led a protest of former Pakistan captains over offspinner Saeed Ajmal's omission from a list of annual awards, terming it a great injustice.

The wily spinner was not included in a shortlist of four players for the best Test player of the year category in the International Cricket Council (ICC) annual awards to be held in Colombo on September 15.

A 32-man independent jury comprising former players, officials and journalists provoked anger in Pakistan after omitting Ajmal from the shortlist, Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, Australian Michael Clarke and South

Africans Vernon Philander and Hashim Amla. Ajmal, 34, took 72 wickets in 12 Tests from August 2011 to July this year, including 24 wickets in a 3-0 rout of then world ranked number one England in January-February.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier this week lodged a protest with the ICC demanding a review of the shortlist but the game's governing body rejected it.

The PCB said it was considering boycotting the ceremony. Khan said Ajmal's omission was unjust.

"It is a great injustice to a player who is a match winner in all formats of the game and his omission was surprising," Khan told reporters during the second Twenty20 match between Pakistan and Australia here on Friday.

Another former captain Ramiz Raja

said Ajmal was hard done by the jury.

"I feel that Ajmal was hard done by the jury and it is a serious case for review because if performers are not picked then the credibility (of awards) is missing," Raja told AFP. Raja said an award is an honour for the player.

"It's a great honour for the player to win an award and it hurts not only Pakistan but the whole community," said Raja, now a renowned commentator.

Former captain and coach Waqar Younis said he didn't understand the system.

"I don't know how this system is working," said Waqar of the process.

"Maybe the system needs to be reviewed because 32 people are too much.

"On the basis of performance you can't overlook Ajmal and it comes as a great surprise to me."

aussie captain bailey bemused by t20 ranking DUBAI afP

Australia captain George Bailey was left scratching his head as to how his side was now ranked below Ireland in the Twenty20 rankings after their super over defeat in the second Twenty20 international against Pakistan on Friday. Australia and Pakistan were locked at 151 after 40 overs before the Pakistanis took the match in a super over finish at Dubai Stadium, to clinch the three-match series 2-0. The third match will be played here on Monday. Bailey, however, questioned the rankings system in which minnows Ireland are a place above them. "That does not look good but I am still not sure how the rankings work," said Bailey of the Twenty20 rankings introduced last year and currently topped by South Africa.

"So Ireland goes past us when we haven't played Ireland in a T20. If Ireland is a better side than us then I guess it will show in a couple of weeks in Sri Lanka," said Bailey of the World Twenty20 championship starting on September 18. Australia are in Group B of the 12-team competition and open their campaign against Ireland in Colombo on Sept 19.

dubai: Pakistani captain mohammad hafeez (L) celebrates with teammate abdul razzaq (r) after the dismissal of australian captain George bailey (c) during the second twenty20 international cricket match against australia at the dubai international cricket stadium. afP

Pietersen left off england contract list

LONDON afP

There was no place for Kevin Pietersen among the 10 England players awarded central contracts on Friday by the England and Wales Cricket Board for the 2013 season. Pietersen has been in England exile since being dropped following the second Test against his native South Africa in Leeds last month. But the ECB did not completely close the door on Pietersen being added to the list for what will be an Ashes year, saying in a statement Friday: "In respect to Kevin Pietersen discussions are on-going and they remain private."

Officials, already frustrated by availability rows, were furious when it emerged Pietersen had sent "provocative" texts to South African players -- some allegedly critical of then England captain Andrew Strauss. That meant the 32-year-old batsman missed the final Test against the Proteas at Lord's and the subsequent one-day series, which ended in a 2-2 draw with one no-result after the tourists' sevenwicket win at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

Pietersen, who last month reversed his retirement from limited overs internationals, will also miss England's defence of their World Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka later this month, despite being man of the tournament when they won the 2010 edition in the Caribbean. Strauss announced his retirement last week, although he insisted it had nothing to do with the latest row involving Pietersen, his predecessor as England skipper. Alastair Cook, already leading the one-day side, was named as the new Test captain. He now has a role in deciding Pietersen's future, although there appears to be little time for the ECB and the player to reach agreement if, as anticipated, the squad for the tour of India starting in November is announced next week.

Of Berdych, Aisam, Serena and Ajmal SportS thiS Week ALI AKBAR As the last Grand Slam event of the year draws to a crescendo, the semifinals are populated by the usual players, with the striking exception of world number one Roger Federer. Federer was knocked out in the quarters

by Thomas Berdych, a player he has had trouble with throughout his career.

It was the big serving Czech who eliminated Federer in the Athens Olympics and has continued to torment the Swiss champion to the extent that he now leads Roger 43 in the last seven matches, although he trails in overall results. Berdych has a huge game, everything is hard hit and on the occasions when he has his brittle temperament under control, he can beat anyone. He now faces Andy Murray for a place in the final.

Murray has shown a greatly improved temperament and is playing more aggressively ever since his Olympic win. He should fancy his chances against Berdych. In the other semifinal, Novak Djokovic plays David

Ferrer, the diminutive Spaniard who punches much above his weight. Djokovic was in sublime form against Juan Martin Del Potro, and some of their rallies beggared belief.

It looks like another Murray-Djokovic final, a repeat of their Australian Open and the Olympics. The two have been friends from childhood but all that would fall by the wayside should they both reach the finals.

The US Open is the one major event in which the semifinals and the finals are played on consecutive days. A lot will therefore depend on which finalist has an easier semi win.

Djokovic has had an easy run till now and Ferrer is not expected to trouble him. But, should Murray and Berdych get embroiled in a long draw encounter, then it would put the odds greatly in Djokovic's favor as he would be playing with fresh legs and it is the legs that, as they say, feed the wolf.

It was yet another good performance by Aisam Qureshi and Jean-Julian Rojer as they made their way into the semifinals. But the Bryan brothers were yet again a bridge too far as they succumbed in two quick sets. The Bryans then decayed Leander Paes and

Radek Stepanek for their twelfth major title.

They are now tied for the top position and also hold the Olympic title, so should be on the short list for the greatest ever teams of all time. This time the draw had opened up for Aisam and they took advantage by cruising to the semis, but the Bryans were too strong.

Aisam's quest for a major title continues to be elusive, but there is no reason – should the draw be kind and they get some luck on their side – for Aisam and Rojer to not succeed in winning at least one major.

In the women's singles, the top three Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and Sara Errani were the semi finalists. Serena was much too good for the Italian Errani while Azarenka got by Sharapova in three sets. Errani was in awe of Serena’s power, comparing her to the 400-500 ranked men players. Indeed, Serena Williams is playing at a level never before seen in women’s tennis. At Wimbledon she averaged two aces per game and her ground strokes were powerful and unerring.

But the men’s game is an entirely different matter. A few years ago, at the Australian

Open, a match was arranged between the Williams sisters and the 1000 ranked man on the tour. Karsten Braasch was the player. He had retired and was commentating at the event. A cigarette smoking, beer drinking ex player, Braasch took off his headphones, borrowed a racquet and proceeded to demolish both girls in next to no time. Such is the gulf between the men and the women tennis players. But if ever there was a woman player who should fancy her chances on the Futures or Challenger tour, it would have to be Serena.

No one else even comes close.

Pakistan and Australia are involved in a wham bang series of ODI and T20 matches.

Australia shaded Pakistan in the ODIs but Pakistan, inspired by Nasir Jamshed and Saeed Ajmal, as well as the return of Umar Gul and the evergreen Abdul Razzaq, first outclassed the Aussies and then edged them in a dramatic encounter to take the series 20. Nasir Jamshed was very impressive in both the ODIs and the T20s. He took the attack to the bowlers without taking undue risks. He looks a complete player for all formats of the game. Saeed Ajmal is the magician of today’s

game. His bowling seems to be delivered in an undecipherable code that no batsman has been able to unravel. It is not just his doosra, which in itself is a deadly delivery. It is the entire range of deliveries, including top-spinners, off breaks and their variations, that causes severe mental trauma to all opposing batters. Truly a genius, he is today as commanding a presence as Warne and Muralitharan in their heyday.

What can one say of Abdul Razzaq, the evergreen all-rounder to whom Pakistan turns to in the crunch, and more often than not he delivers. It was startling to see that he is still only 32 years old in the books. He seems to have been playing for ever. Perhaps he has found the elixir of youth and will continue to play on for another two decades!

But, as Razzaq will undoubtedly say, age is but a number. It is performance that counts and there Razzaq has few peers.

Pakistan will enter the World T20 in Sri Lanka, full of confidence, while Australia will find themselves in the unprecedented position of being ranked below Ireland. Such are the vagaries of sport.

KHI 09-09-2012_Layout 1 9/9/2012 3:21 AM Page 17

Sports 16 Kallis sees South Africa to T20 win over England cHESTER-LE-STREET afP

J

ACQUES Kallis guided South Africa to a seven-wicket win over World Twenty20 champions England in the first Twenty20 international at Chester-le-Street on Saturday. The Proteas were in trouble at 29 for three, chasing a seemingly modest 119 for victory. But opener Kallis, returning to international duty after being rested from the drawn oneday series between the two countries, made 48 not out of 44 balls with seven fours.

Together with left-hander JP Duminy (47 not out) he shared an unbroken stand of 90 in 91 deliveries as the Proteas, who won with an over to spare, went 1-0 up in a threematch series ahead of this month's World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. South Africa saw hard-hitting opener Richard Levi caught in the slips off Jade Dernbach and Twenty20 international debutant Faf du Plessis lbw to fast bowler Steven Finn.

De Villiers, who helped Hashim Amla add 172 in South Africa's seven-wicket win in the fifth one-day international at Trent Bridge on Wednesday which squared that series at 2-2, was then caught behind by Craig Kieswetter, a former Proteas junior international, off South Africa-born seamer

durham: South africa's Jacques Kallis (r) bats as he is watched by england's craig Kieswetter during the first 20-20 international cricket match against england at the emirates durham cricket ground. afP Dernbach for 10. South Africa were now 29 for three and England, all but out of the contest at the mid-innings break, were now very in the game. But if South Africa could produce one decent partnership bat they would win and in world class all-rounder Kallis and left-hander Duminy they had the men for the job in the absence of the rested Amla.

England Twenty20 captain Stuart Broad,

like Kallis rested from the one-dayers, brought back Finn in a bid to break the stand but to no avail. Ultimately England's 118 for seven -- their third lowest total in this format -- did not give their bowlers enough of a score to defend. Spin bowling, long regarded as the the Proteas' Achilles heel, accounted for four England wickets with off-break bowler Johan Botha (two for 19)

and left-armer Robin Peterson (two for 27), strking after de Villiers won the toss.

Meanwhile ever reliable fast bowler Dale Steyn took one for 13 in his maximum four overs. At 85 for seven, England were in danger of posting their worst Twenty20 total before an unbroken stand of 33 in 27 balls between Broad and Graeme Swann, who both finished on 18 not out, gave them a foothold in the match.

No England batsman made more than opener Kieswetter's 25. England's collapse started with a needless run out.

Alex Hales, who made an England Twenty20 best 99 against the West Indies in June after replacing the still exiled Kevin Pietersen, charged down the pitch for a nonexistent single and, turning back, was run out by Kallis's direct hit on the stumps.

Kieswetter then fell when he was plumb lbw to Botha's first ball. And Ravi Bopara, who averaged just 5.50 with the bat during the one-dayers fell cheaply in familiar fashion when he edged a good length Steyn delivery to Botha at slip. Botha then struck again when he bowled dangerman Eoin Morgan for 10, after the former Ireland lefthander bottom edged a pull-sweep.

Peterson bowled Jos Buttler before fellow young gun Jonathan Bairstow holed out off paceman Albie Morkel.

sCoreboarD enGLanD C. Kieswetter lbw b botha 25 a. hales run out (Kallis) 11 r. bopara c botha b steyn 6 10 e. Morgan b botha J. bairstow c botha b Morkel 15 6 J. buttler b Peterson 4 s. Patel c Kallis b Peterson 18 s. broad not out 18 G. swann not out 5 eXTras (b2, lb3) 118 ToTaL (7 wkts, 20 overs) faLL of wiCKeTs: 1-27 (hales), 2-40 (Kieswetter), 3-50 (bopara), 4-66 (Morgan), 5-76 (buttler), 6-80 (bairstow), 7-85 (Patel) Did not bat: s finn, J Dernbach bowLinG: Peterson 4-0-27-2; steyn 4-0-13-1; Tsotobe 2-0-220; Morkel 3-0-12-1; botha 4-0-19-2; Kallis 3-0-20-0 souTh afriCa 8 r. Levi c swann b Dernbach 48 J. Kallis not out 4 f. du Plessis lbw b finn 10 ab de Villiers c Kieswetter b Dernbach JP Duminy not out 47 2 eXTras (lb1, w1) ToTaL (3 wkts, 19 overs) 119 faLL of wiCKeTs: 1-9 (Levi), 2-14 (Du Plessis), 3-29 (De Villiers) Did not bat: J ontong, a Morkel, J botha, r Peterson, D steyn, L Tsotsobe bowLinG: finn 4-0-22-1; Dernbach 4-0-31-2; broad 4-0-18-0; bopara 2-0-20-0 (1w); swann 4-0-16-0; Patel 1-0-11-0 resuLT: south africa won by seven wickets series: south africa lead three-match series 1-0 Toss: souTh afriCa uMPires: richard illingworth (enG) and rob bailey (enG) TV uMPire: Michael Gough (enG) MaTCh referee: andy Pycroft (ZiM) reMaininG fiXTures, sept 10: 2nd T20, Manchester, sept 12: 3rd T20, birmingham

CM to lead SBP Walk on dengue awareness Punjab Youth Festival breaks world record of mass participation: Mashhood

Lahore: rana mashhood, deputy speaker and usman anwar, dG sports and youth affairs Punjab addressing a press briefing.

LAHORE sTaff rePorT

The first level of the Punjab Sports and Youth Festival conducted at the Neighbourhood and Village level has broken all the world records of participation in any global festival.

This was stated by Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, who is also the chief organizer of the Punjab Youth Festival at a news conference here on Saturday. Also present was Director General Sporty Board and Youth Affairs Punjab Usman Anwar.

“It was the first phase of the festival and its many phases have yet to be conducted and we believe by the end of our festival in November we will be able to set new world records of participation besides setting new bench marks in worlds sports,” he added.

He said that a team of Guinness World Record is due to reach Pakistan in a week to sign a proper protocol for the coverage of the Festival. “I am proud to announce that the first level of the Festival broke the previous record of 980,000 and the entire festivity is likely to lure around 30 million participants.”

He further stated that in the first level nine events were contested and the second Union Council level would have 30 events

of different categories which apart from sports would also involve general public, family events, elementary schools male and female events.

He further stated that keeping in view the interest of the youth in the festival and to control the spread dengue in the province a walk for awareness is being held under the Punjab Youth Festival banner and the supervision of the Sports Board Punjab.

“Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Shairf will lead the walk from Liberty Chowk to Mian Market to involve people of all segments for eradicate the larva of dengue so that it could not create disaster,” he added.

Usman Anwar said that the walk will start at 10 am while all the people will assemble at 9 am and then walk together towards Mian Market.

He further stated that his government is not taking any political scoring from the dengue awareness walk. “Its main purpose is to save lives and prevent the spread from dengue. In fact it’s a walk for a cause in which are moblising the youth for a noble purpose.

To a number of questions, Rana Mashhood said that the remaining events of the festival will have about 235 events that will be contested in the remaining levels of the festival.

Sunday, 9 September, 2012

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17 Sports Pcb ‘undecided’ about boycotting icc award function

LONDON: Tatyana McFadden of the US wins the women’s 1500m T54 final during the athletics competition at the London 2012 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium. AFP

DUBAI biPin Dani

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not yet given up hope for Saeed Ajmal's inclusion for the ICC award. This was revealed by the PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf. However it is still “undecided" about the boycott of the ICC Award function scheduled to be held in Colombo on Sept. 15.

Speaking exclusively from Lahore on Saturday evening, The PCB Chairman said, "we are discussing the issue with the ICC and no final decision has been taken to boycott the award ceremony”.

In the past, protests from member boards have led to the ICC reconsider the final list of nominees and change them. In 2010, England's spinner Graeme Swann was omitted from the final nominees but was later included after the England and Wales Cricket Board pleaded his case".

When pointed out that Swann's case was different as the ICC termed it an oversight, Zaka Ashraf said, "it is also an "oversight" in Ajmal's case. The system of appointing the jury is flawed. We would not have objected had he not won the award after being short listed but in this case, he has been "overlooked" for his performance ".

Former Test players, commentators and experts including former England captain Tony Greig, New Zealand's Danny Morrison and a number of ex-Pakistani cricketers have already expressed their shock over Ajmal's omission from the Test cricketer of the year award nomination.

The 34-year-old finished with 72 wickets in Tests and was placed No.2 in the list of top wicket-takers for One-dayers in the period reviewed by the ICC panel of experts.

trials for selection of netball teams

Sprite Cricket Next 2012 kicks off its 2nd phase

LAHORE sTaff rePorT

Trials for the selection of Sindh men and women netball teams will be held on September 10 at Karachi’s Mini Sports Complex, Nazimabad.

“The trials are being conducted to pick teams for participation in Lahore’s National Games being held in November “,said a spokesman of Sindh Netball Association here on Saturday.

The Chairman, SNB A. Usama Qadri has announced the selection committee comprising Ajaz ul Haq (Chairman), Anwar Ahmed, Qudsia Raja ,Muhamad Riaz, Ms Aisha and Mr Shazia Yousaf as its members to observe the trials.

All Secretaries of District Netball Associations of Sindh are requested to please send your outstanding players for said trails and report to Mr. Ajaz ul Haq (Chairman, Selection Committee).

Top qualifiers from Karachi compete to win a spot in Shoaib or Moin’s squad LAHORE sTaff rePorT

Sprite Cricket Next (SCN) 2012, the one of its kind sporting experience for fostering the talent of Pakistani youth, entered into its second phase as the battle for supremacy between ‘Josh’ and ‘Hosh’ grew bigger than ever. The second phase kicked off with the top 180 qualifiers (30 teams) from Karachi competing to win a spot in the ‘Josh’ or ‘Hosh’ squad and be directly coached by legendary cricket icons Shoaib Akhtar and Moin Khan. During the first round of elimination, 30 teams competed amongst each other until only 15 remained. These 15 teams (90 players) went on ahead to be

‘Pakistan’s Pele’ dies, aged 71

judged based on their individual performances. The players were asked to move on to the designated game zones where they faced bowling machines and speed guns.

48 out of the 90 players were further shortlisted for the next round in which each of them would be assessed individually by Shoaib Akhtar and Moin Khan.

Out of these 48 players, Shoaib and Moin each drafted a team of 11 of the best players to represent ‘Josh’ and ‘Hosh’. Both teams faced each other in an action packed game of street cricket and based on individual performances during the match, Shoaib and Moin scouted players for their final squads. In addition to these players, there were four wild card entries, talented indi-

S.PERvEz QAISER

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Pakistan on Saturday mourned the death of the country's former football captain Abdul Ghafoor who was likened to Brazilian legend Pele because of their similar looks and style of play. Ghafoor died after a prolonged illness on Friday. He was 71. A midfielder of great talent, Ghafoor led Pakistan's football team for four consecutive years in the 1960s when the country was among the best in Asia and claimed scalps including the United Arab Emirates and China. He played for the Dhaka Mohammedan Club in the former East Pakistan but also turned down offers to play for teams in countries including India, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh.

His family said Ghafoor always wanted to meet Pele, regarded by many as the best player of all time, but he did not have the money to travel. Pakistan Football Federation president Faisal Saleh Hayat offered his condolences. "I was deeply saddened by the death of Pakistani Pele. This must be very difficult for all football lovers and players," he said in a message to the family.

Sunday, 9 September, 2012

that cricket is a game which requires a sound presence of mind as it involves being able to make informed decisions and taking calculated risks. This platform provided by Sprite will prove once and for all that it takes HOSH and not JOSH to win, especially in street cricket. My players are patient, they have a reasoned and calculated approach and I know they will overcome the JOSH squad any day of the week, month or year.” The players’ thrilling performances, the high tech environment of SCN and the presence of ‘Josheela’ Shoaib Akhtar and ‘Hoshyaar’ Moin Khand have provided cricket enthusiasts with a unique cricketing spectacle which is taking the sport to a whole new level.

Sixth ‘tie’ match in T20 Cricket StatS corner

KARAcHI

viduals who were granted an opportunity to play against Shoaib and Moin and impressed thoroughly with their exceptional skills. Speaking on the occasion, Shoaib Akhtar shared, “I am very excited about the JOSH players that are coming up; it’s exciting to see youth in its raw, talented form, as it reminds me of myself and how I started my career. It is evident that JOSH players clearly have an edge because they display all the attributes of a winning team. Through this platform provided by Sprite, which I have supported from the start, it is clearly evident to all that cricketers with JOSH have a clear street cricket advantage”.

Moin Khan, while sharing his views on the occasion stated, “I personally believe

Pakistan held their nerve to win a thrilling Twenty-20 international against Australia off the final ball of a super over after the match finished in a tie at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday night (September 7).

Australia, through David Warner, Shane Watson and captain George Bailey, scored 11 for one from an Umar Gul over before Umar Akmal and Abdul Razzaq took 12 from the bowling of Patrick Cummins to win the match in Super Over.

Electing to bat, Pakistan posted a challenging total of 151-4 in 20 overs.

In reply Australia done with as plenty of runs after losing eight wickets. Pakistan held nerves in the dying moments to clinch the match through the one-over eliminator.

This tied match was Pakistan's second and sixth overall in Twenty20 cricket. It was also for the first time when Pakistan have won the

match in the one-over eliminator.

Pakistan lost to India in bowl out when they tied with India at Durban on September 14,2007.

Saeed Ajmal equalled Shahid Afridi's record of most wickets in Twenty-20 international cricket by

dismissing Australian Shane Watson, leg before. It was his 58th wicket in 41 Twenty-20 matches. Shahid Afridi also claimed the same number of wickets in 50 Twenty-20 matches.

Brad Hogg, who played his fifth Twenty-20 match at 41 years and 214

days, became the second oldest player after Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya to appear in Twenty-20 internationals.

Sanath Jayasuriya was 40 years and 360 days old when he played his 31 and last Twenty-20 match against England at Bristol on June 25,2011.

TieD MaTChes in TwenTy-20 CriCKeT: TeaMs west indies (126-7)-new zealand (126-8) india (141-9)- Pakistan (141-7) canada (135-7)-zimbabwe (135-9) new zealand (155-7)-west indies (155-8) new zealand (214-6)- australia (214-4) Pakistan (151-4)- australia (151-8)

Venue auckland durban King city auckland christchurch dubai

DaTe 16-02-2006 14-09-2007 11-10-2008 26-12-2008 28-02-2010 07-09- 2012

winner nz won the bowl-out ind won the bowl-out zim won the bowl-out wi won in Super over nz won in Super over Pak won in Super over

MosT wiCKeTs in TwenTy-20 MaTChes: bowLer Saeed ajmal (Pakistan) Shahid afridi (Pakistan) umar Gul (Pakistan) Graeme Swann (england) Stuard broad (england)

M 41 50 42 31 35

oVers 150 186.5 144.4 107 124.3

runs 910 1141 955 691 909

wKTs 58 58 57 41 41

aVG 15.68 19.67 16.75 16.85 22.17

r/0 6.06 6.10 6.60 6.45 7.30

4wi 3 3 4 -

besT 4-19 4-11 5-6 3-13 3-17

oLDesT PLayers in TwenTy-20 CriCKeT: aGe 41 years & 360 days 41 years & 214 days 41 years & 116 days 39 years & 277 days 38 years & 329 days

PLayer Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) brad hogg (australia) Sunil dhaniram (canada) John davison (canada) Sanjayan thuraisingam (can)

oPPonenT england Pakistan Kenya Kenya bermuda

Venue bristol dubai dubai dubai belfast

DaTe 25-06-2011 07-09-2012 10-02-2010 10-02-2010 05-08-2008

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Sports 18 overwhelming serena faces azarenka for open title NEW YORK afP

S

ERENA Williams has overpowered every rival at the US Open, showing no mercy to a worldclass field that has been unable to slow an American juggernaut that appears bound for her 15th Grand Slam title.

The three-time US Open champion has dropped only 19 games in six rounds, never suffering a break of serve while blasting a tournament-best 50 aces in only six hours and 37 minutes on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts.

And US fourth seed Williams, the reigning Wimbledon and Olympic champion, owns a 9-1 career record against World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, her admittedly outmatched opponent in Saturday's championship match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. "If you look at our record it says it all," Azarenka said. "I haven't won in any last meetings so I definitely need to find something to surprise her because she's in a great form, feeling really confident right now. "She has everything on her side." Williams, who was upset in last year's US Open final by Australian Samantha Stosur, is trying to match her older sister Venus and Steffi Graf as the only women to claim the Wimbledon-Olympic-US Open treble in the same year.

"It will probably be the best summer I've ever had," Williams said. "If you win the Olympics and Wimbledon and this, it

watch it Live ESPN SPORTSCENTER 07:30PM

Sharapova heads for ice cream after azarenka loss

NEW YORK afP

would be kind of cool. So, yeah, it will be awesome." Williams won her first Grand Slam title at the 1999 US Open at age 17 and hoisted the trophy in 2002 and 2008 as well. She recalled those on-court celebrations as motivation this time after falling one match short last year.

"It was an amazing feeling. I definitely want to reach that again," Williams said. "I definitely want to hold that trophy and to lift it up." Azarenka never went deeper than the US Open fourth round until now. "I try to enjoy my moment. I don't want it to end," Azarenka said. "I'm living this great run,

great opportunities coming to me I just want to continue and enjoy that ride.

When I'm on the court I feel like I'm in paradise." It could be Paradise Lost when Hurricane Serena strikes.

Since Azarenka collected her only triumph over Williams in a 2009 Miami final, the 23-year-old from Belarus has lost seven times in a row, including a Madrid final and Wimbledon and Olympic semi-finals earlier this year. "You definitely know that it's going to be a big adversity," Azarenka said. "You have to be prepared to make sure you want to dig deep, and accept the challenge.

Maria Sharapova refused to lick her wounds after her US Open semi-final loss to Victoria Azarenka, opting instead for the consoling taste of a New York-style vanilla ice cream. The Russian insists her casual response to failing yet again to make the final of a tournament she last conquered in 2006 is an indication of a new, mature Maria, one learning to take defeat, as well as victory, in her stride. "I'm looking forward to checking out the ice cream truck that's around the corner from my hotel.

Vanilla with rainbow sprinkles. It has been haunting me," said Sharapova.

Pistorius eases through to 400m final

chicago marathon says armstrong can’t run

LOS ANGELES afP

Chicago Marathon director Carey Pinkowski confirmed Friday that the ban meted out to Lance Armstrong by the US Anti-Doping Agency means the cyclist can't run in the race. Pinkowski issued a statement after Armstrong spokesman Mark Fabiani told Runnersworld.com that the cyclist and cancer activist, who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life for multiple doping infractions by USADA, had been told he couldn't enter the October 7 event.

"USADA's lifetime ban prohibits Lance Armstrong from entering races sanctioned

by USA Track and Field, which applies to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, as well as all competitions governed by USA Track and Field," Pinkowski said in a statement, although Pinkowski said Armstrong had not actually submitted an entry. "The Bank of America Chicago Marathon has had no direct contact with Lance Armstrong, nor had he submitted a formal registration to participate in the race." Pinkowski told the Chicago Tribune that there had been "some indication from his charity" that Armstrong might have been interested in participating. Armstrong ran the New York Marathon in 2006 and 2007 and the Boston Marathon in 2008. USADA announced last month that Armstrong -- now retired from elite level cycling -- would be banned for life and stripped of his record seven Tour titles after the American opted not to fight the doping charges brought by the agency in June through arbitration.

LONDON: Oscar Pistorius on Friday eased through to the final of the T44 400m, setting him up to defend the last of three Paralympic crowns after after two straight defeats. The 25-yearold, the only man in the field of single and double below-the-knee amputees to run under 50sec in the one-lap sprint, was out in front after 200m and came round the final bend well ahead before crossing the line in 48.31sec. The "Blade Runner" looked comfortable as he slowed to the tape, saving his energy for Saturday's final for which he will be favourite, after a tough Games that has seen him lose his 100m and 200m titles.

From Pistorius' heat, Germany's David Behre and David Prince of the United States both qualifed automatically, as did Prince's compatriot Blake Leeper, Alan Oliveira of Brazil and Liu Zheming of China in the previous heat. Jarryd Wallace of the United States and Ivan Prokopyev of Russia qualified as fastest losers. South African Pistorius is the most high-profile athlete at the Games after he became the first double-amputee to compete at the Olympics last month. afP

Karachi: Players in action during the rowing boat competition at Karachi boat club. IMRaN GILaNI

Straight in and straight out comment MUHAMMAD BUTT “It’s up in the air, with a fielder getting underneath it. Boycott’s mum shouldn’t have a problem holding onto this one but oh my word, he’s dropped it, what an absolute dolly” as the 180 million population goes into a collective facepalm. Anyone who has been associated with Pakistan cricket for any length of time will be quite familiar with the above lines or words to such effect and with yet another series in which the Pakistani fielders showcased a ‘how not to field 101’, its slowly coming (if it has not already for some) to the point where it has stopped being rage inducing, funny or pitiful for that matter but something we have come to accept as part and parcel of the game just as we’ve come to accept that we will lose to India in a World Cup tie no matter how hard we try to do otherwise.

The sight of a gravity defying Jonty Rhodes clattering the stumps en route to running Inzimam-Ul-Haq out at the 1992 World Cup not only become an iconic image at the time but helped usher in the revolution that fielding was about to undergo. That South African team set the bar and altered how teams viewed fielding;

not something that was to be done just for the sake of it but an art form that could help save 20-40 runs and subsequently help you win the match. Soon enough, other teams followed suit with Australia leading the pack. Sri Lanka and India were slightly slow to jump on the bandwagon but they eventually did and now boast a more than respectable fielding unit but Pakistan refused to alter the status quo.

Various theories have since been floating around as to why we fare so badly in the field but really, we all know that it’s part of a sinister Hindu-Zionist conspiracy to keep Kamran Akmal in the team.

Speaking of Akmal, he truly is a remarkable keeper (if you could call him that), for he redefines ‘setting the bar low’ every time he stumbles onto the ground and it is unlikely that his Herculean effort with the gloves will be matched anytime soon. The worrying aspect though is that he is not the only one, the truly mortifying aspect is that the new players coming through are hardly any better. This is an indication of a long standing problem with our selection policy, prevalent not just at the international level but right down to the grass roots. Fielding is not a priority and you need not worry about it if you are talented enough with bat or ball. Inzimam-ul-Haq,

arguably the best batsman this country has produced over the last decade or so would not have made the Australian side because their selectors pick players who excel in at least two out of a three of batting, bowling and fielding. Part of the reason why Monty Panesar is not considered for the England team, especially in the shorter formats, is his ability to field at the same level as us and possibly worse. It is no surprise then that these teams do well in the fielding department while we continue to suffer.

Since time immemorial, the solution to our fielding woes according to our cricket board revolves around hiring foreign or local (why even bother?) fielding coaches on exorbitant fees in the hope that they will transform our butter-fingered cricketers into Jonty Rhodes replicas just like Fair’n’ Lovely transforms skin complexion in 14 days. These coaches seem to be non-existent at junior levels where they can actually make a difference rather than at the national level where an individual is set in his ways and is unlikely to respond to new ideas.

While the planning is bad, the attitude of players is worse. Forget relay throws or single handed pickups, is it really too much to expect them to hold a simple catch and hit the stumps every now and again? Per-

haps we need to tap into the psyche of our society to find the answer to this conundrum. We are by default selfish individuals who only think about ourselves and never of the larger picture. A spirit of collectiveness is all but absent. Translate this onto a cricket field and you have cricketers worrying about their own batting/bowling but not paying any heed to fielding since fielding is in a way done for the team nor does it have a ‘tangible’ form of record like the other two which the players can boast about. Add to this the fact that it is the least glamorous part of cricket and you have Pakistani fielding in a nutshell. We may as well forget about seeing a change in our fortunes as long as such a culture is prevalent Before the beginning of every series, our captain/coach tells us that fielding is a concern. Acceptance is the first step to solving a problem, sure, but I have been hearing the same spiel for as long as I can remember. How about actually doing something about it because on the evidence of what we see, I refuse to accept that the team works as hard on their fielding as they claim. These cricketers earn millions of rupees doing something that most of us would give an arm and leg to do yet they continue to mess up the first thing a child is taught i.e. catching a ball.

Sunday, 9 September, 2012

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Sunday, 9 September, 2012

row over SPLGO 2012

another split discloses fragility of ruling coalition g

PmL-f, nPP and PmL-q part ways with Sindh government g ministers, advisors, special assistants resign at cm house KARAcHI

t

isMaiL DiLawar

HE PPP-led coalition government braved a fresh blow on Saturday when three more of its political allies parted ways with the rulers in protest against the Sindh People’s Local Government Ordinance 2012 (SPLGO 2012).

The members of provincial cabinet from Pakistan Muslim League-F, Pakistan Muslim League-Q and National People’s Party (NPP) submitted their resignations to the principle secretary of Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah in the afternoon.

After the Awami National Party (ANP), the PPP’s coalition partners in the center and Sindh, this was a more serious political setback for the ruling coalition which is preparing for the general elections, due early next year, amid the government’s preoccupation with the judicial challenges it is currently facing. The disgruntled allies of the PPP allege that the ruling party had prom-

ters, two advisors and two special assistants to the provincial chief executive from the three parties tendered their resignations.

The ministers who left their seats vacant include Jam Madad Ali Khan and Dr Rafique Bhambhan of the PML-F’s, Shehryar Mehar of PML-Q and Mir Abid Hussain Jatoi of the NPP. The PML-F’s Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh and Abdul Razzaq Naseer Nizamani resigned as advisors to the CM while Khadim Hussain Araen and Noor Hussain Khaskheli as special assistants.

The resignations were tabled by Ghulam Nabi Mehar, Munir Jatoi and Dr Yasin Talani, respectively the private secretaries of PML-F Sindh General Secretary Imtiaz Sheikh, Abid Jatoi of NPP and Shehryar Mehar of PML-Q here at the Chief Minster House. Jatoi, who presently is in Shikarpur, dispatched his resignation through a fax machine to be submitted along with others.

After the resignations were tendered the leaders of three parties gathered at the residence of PML-F leader Imtiaz Sheikh to deliberate upon the disputed SPLGO 2012 as

ulgated the Ordinance without having taken them onboard just to appease another ally: the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

The MQM dominates the vote bank in urban centers of Sindh like Karachi and Hyderabad. They also argue as to why the PPP, the self-proclaimed champion of democracy, was in a hurry to enforce the local government system through introducing an Ordinance instead of getting it passed from the PPP-dominated Sindh Assembly.

Ameer Nawab Khan, the sole member of the Sindh cabinet from the ANP, has already resigned with his party putting up the same claims. The PPP, backed by the MQM, however, does not buy these claims.

While its coalition partners are disenchanted for having not been consulted on the drafting of the SPLGO 2012, the PPP claims to have taken the provincial leadership of the coalition partners in confidence over the new law that, the latter fear, would lead to the division of Sindh province in terms of administration. Acting upon this perception, on Saturday some four minis-

well as set the future course of action.

Among others the meeting was attended by Jam Madad, Dr Rafique, Shehryar Mehar, Abdul Razzq Nasir Nizamani, Chakar Khan Shahni, Noor Hussain Khaskheli, Khadim Hussain Araen, Mir Asghar Phanwar and Akbar Rashdi.

The new ordinance has also been opposed by the PML-N whose Sindh chapter president Ghaus Ali Shah Saturday told reporters that his party wanted the local government system which was enforced by other provinces. Terming the SPLGO 2012 a conspiracy to fan infighting in Sindh, Shah said the province was being divided along rural and urban lines, something, the PML-N leader said, was detrimental to integrity of the country.

He vowed to oppose the controversial law tooth and nail in cooperation with other politically likeminded parties.

Other stakeholders like the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) of former President Pervez Musharraf proposed that the troubled government could only avert

the deepening political crisis by re-introducing the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001 (SLGO 2011). In a statement issued on Saturday, APML’s Central Secretary Information Aasia Ishaque said the SLGO, which was promulgated by then military chief Musharraf, was the only “problem-solving” option that was acceptable to all the federating units.

Ishaque claimed that since the present government was lacking the efficiency to resolve the masses problems it should adopt the laws, policies and rules that were in place during the “golden period” of Musharraf regime. These developments have put the politico-judicially-embattled PPP under immense pressure with more than a dozen Sindhi nationalist parties having already announced to observe a wheel-jam plus shutter-down strike on September 13. The PPP seems to have decided to stand firm on its stance with Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon on Saturday saying it was unfair to criticize a piece of law without going through it.

Petrol, cnG prices may come down today

cross-Loc infiltration attempts increasing: manmohan Singh

ISLAMABAD

NEW DELHI

aGenCies

In line with reassessment of petrol stocks and deliberation of the pricing formula, the government is expected to decrease the prices of petrol and, by parity, Compressed Natural Gas. The new prices will be implemented from September 10 onwards where the price of petrol would be reduced

by Rs 4.65 and CNG by Rs 4. On the other hand, prices of High-Speed Diesel and Light Diesel Oil are to be increased by Rs3.39 and Rs1.40 respectively. High Octane is to be higher by Rs3.27 while Kerosene will be hiked by Rs1.85. Prices of petroleum products were raised significantly on September 1, where petrol and CNG prices were increased by Rs8.18 and Rs7.11 respectively. By implementing the prices, the previous increases in both the fuels would be reduced by over 56 percent each. At the time of the previous price hike, Ogra had requested the government to provide relief to consumers by sharing half the burden, stating high energy taxes.

aGenCies

isLaMabaD: security personnel shift rimsha Masih, a Christian girl accused of blasphemy, to a helicopter after her release from adiala Jail on saturday. afP

sc asks security agencies to set their matters straight before Un group visits Balochistan g

orders crackdown against transit permits; sets Sept 19 next date of hearing QUETTA inP

Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on Saturday warned the officials to improve their affairs before the arrival of UN delegation and ordered police and FC to launch crackdown within three days against illegal arms and vehicles.

The three-member bench of the apex court, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Jawwad S Khawaja issued the order on the petition filed by the Balochistan Bar Association on the law and order situation in Balochistan.

The chief justice remarked that authorities must improve their state of affairs before the arrival of UN group in Balochistan that would review the situation of missing persons in the province.

He questioned the Advocate General what would happen if the UN team visited the province and recorded statements.

UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances will visit Pakistan on September 10.

The chief justice remarked that the entire proceedings were in the national interest and it did not make any difference if any one did not approve of them.

The court would conclude this case as soon as possible. It would be troublesome if matters fell into others’ hands, CJ said.

Deputy Attorney General told during the SC hearing that orders in respect of cancellation of all permits (rahdaris) issued for illegal weapons and smuggled vehicles had been implemented.

The court questioned the defense secretary if the agencies could lawfully issue permits. The secretary told that IG Police had been contacted and told to arrest the permit holders. He further told that a high level meeting would be called to address the issue.

At this point, the chief justice ordered police and FC to initiate a crackdown against the transit permit holders in three days. The defense secretary told the court to give them chance and said that they would not disappoint the court as they had already started action.

CCPO Quetta Mir Zubair told the court that special branch and police could

not issue the transit permits and only intelligence agencies including ISI and MI issued them. The respondents in this case had, in a signed statement made on their behalf on 31 July, 2012, stated that the federation and the provincial government were highly conscious about their constitutional obligations with regard to the security of life and property of citizens as envisaged in Article 9 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

They stated that the federation and provincial government through their LEAs and intelligence agencies would make all out efforts to ensure early and safe recovery of missing persons, take steps and measures to identify and arrest the culprits involved in the target/sectarian killings, kidnapping for ransom and put them to justice and will further strengthen/enhance the level of coordination at the highest level amongst different stakeholders to efficiently discharge with their constitutional obligations and restore peace and harmony amongst all the segment of society in the province and create conducive environment for the economic development, well being and

prosperity of the province.

The court noted that no missing person had been recovered, target killing of innocent citizens, particularly for sectarian consideration including killing of the members of the Shia community, and other denominations continued and day by day their numbers were increasing. An Additional District and Sessions Judge and two senior police officers were killed along with many other personnel of law enforcement agencies including the police, FC, Levies and Costal Guards without any preventive measures by put in practice by both the governments.

The Apex Court also observed that abduction for ransom in the province of Balochistan had become a trade and committed everywhere, so much the so that professionals like doctors and teachers were not safe. The people did come back on their own after paying ransom from their pockets. The children, both male and female, were reportedly being kidnapped for which no preventive measures had been put into effect.

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

continued on Page 04 Editor: Arif Nizami

As Pakistan and India signed a new visa regime in Islamabad, Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Saturday said there were increasing infiltration attempts allegedly from Pakistan-based militant groups in Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir. He also said pitched for a comprehensive maritime domain awareness scheme “as there were indications that terrorist groups are maintaining their ability to use the sea route”. On the concluding day of a threeday long meeting of directors and inspectors general of police, Singh said, “In Jammu and Kashmir, we are beginning to see increasing infiltration attempts, across the Line of Control and even the International Border. There are also indications about terrorist groups maintaining their ability to use the sea route. “Vigilance, therefore, needs to be exercised not only on our land borders but along the coast line as well. The comprehensive scheme of Maritime Domain Awareness to be led by the Navy would help strengthen coastal vigilance, whereas deployment of more permanent border obstacles and better sensors could improve the situation along the land borders,” he said at the conference organized by Intelligence Bureau.

“Although 19 interdictions have taken place, terrorists were able to strike in Mumbai and Delhi last year and in Pune this year. Investigations in these cases are yet to conclude,” Singh said. The Indian prime minister said his government was working on a robust cyber security structure that addresses threat management and mitigation, assurance and certification, specially building capacity and enhancing research.

musa Gilani, Shahab declared absconders ISLAMABAD sTaff rePorT

The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on Saturday presented a charge sheet in a trial court against ex-premier’s son Ali Musa Gilani and former minister Shahabuddin in the Rs 7 billion Ephedrine case. The ANF also declared Makhdooom Shahabuddin, Ali Musa Gilani and Khushnud Lashari as absconders in its challan that was presented before the court. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi and an accused in the case appeared before the ANF. The ANF officers told him that he had been directed to appear before the court, and not before ANF.