E-paper Pakistantoday 18th May, 2013 by Pakistan Today

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Rs 17.00 Vol III No 321 19 Pages Karachi — Peshawar Edition

Saturday, 18 May, 2013 Rajab 7, 1434

story on page 20

story on page 03

story on page 02

Caretakers nursing economy to help nawaz manage budget

eCp turns down imran’s plea for vote recount in na-122

With the newly-elected government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif set to take over the reins in around a fortnight’s time, the caretaker regime is hectically involved in nursing the bleeding economy to facilitate the process of budget making - the biggest challenge awaiting the prime minister-in waiting. pag e 04

no enmity with taliban: Kp Cm-designate story on page 02

Karzai wouldn’t mind indian troop presence on afghan soil

do not be friends with india, hizb warns pml-n

Ahead of its President Hamid Karzai’s visit next week, the Afghan has asked India to supply lethal defence hardware as part of an intensified bilateral cooperation and even seemed to indicate that it would welcome troop deployment on its soil. Afghan President Hamid Karzai will be arriving in New Delhi on Monday for a three-day visit, his second in six months. pag e 08

The head of Hizbul Mujahideen has said that no government would be able to survive in Islamabad if it abandoned the Kashmir cause and warned the new regime not to make the mistake of pursuing a friendship with New Delhi at the cost of Kashmir. "No government in Pakistan, whether it under Nawaz Sharif or anybody else, will remain in power if it abandons the Kashmir cause. pag e 08

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N News saturday, 18 May, 2013

Nawaz urges NatioN, political parties to joiN haNds for couNtry’s progress

LahOre: PML-N President Nawaz Sharif has urged the nation and all political parties to join hands for the development and progress of the country. Talking to reporters on Friday‚ Nawaz said steering the country out of crises and ensuring sustainable socioeconomic development would be the PML-N government’s top priority. He said his party had finalised priorities and expressed confidence that it would produce positive results within 100 days of coming to power. Earlier, the PML-N leaders, Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif offered prayers to thank the Almighty for the party’s victory in the May 13 general elections. ONLINE

zehri NomiNated as pml-N parliameNtary leader iN BalochistaN QUetta: Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) on Friday nominated Nawab Sanaullah Zehri as the parliamentary leader in the Balochistan Assembly. According to details, former Balochistan chief minister Jan Muhammad Jamali presented the name of Nawab Zehri as parliamentary leader during a meeting of senior PML-N leadership. Zehri was nominated as parliamentary leader by a majority of PML-N members. A total of 10 members participated in the meeting. However, an influential MPA from Balochistan’s troubled district of Kohlu, Nawabzada Jangaiz Marri, abstained from the meeting. Former chief minister and newly elected MPA Sardar Saleh Bhootani and other members of the PML-N participated in the meeting. The PML-N now enjoys the support of 18 members in the house of 65. The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and three independents have already backed the future ruling party in the province for the formation of a coalition provincial government. Staff REPORt

malakand mosques bombed, 20 worshippers killed Peshawar

MaLaKaND: residents look at the damage following a bombing at a mosque on Friday. INP

ShamIm ShahId

T least 20 people were killed and more than 100 others injured in two explosions targeting two mosques in Malakand on Friday. Malakand Deputy Commissioner Amjad Ali confirmed that 20 people were killed and dozens others injured in the two blasts. "The explosives were fixed to a timed device planted apparently among the pillows and sheets of worshipers inside the mosque," said Amjad, adding that both mosques remained open throughout the night, which is when the culprits may have planted the bomb. An eye witness, Salim, said that two blasts rocked the Bar Kalley and the main Jamia Masjid of the Bazdara region immediately after Friday prayers. Another eyewitness Israrullah said the first explosion rocked the Upper Bazdara mosque. “People from the mosque in the Lower Bazdara area immediately rushed to the site of the first blast. This is when the second blast rocked the Lower Bazdara mosque,” he said, adding that the second explosion caused the mosque’s roof to collapse, killing one person. “The huge blast occurred as soon as the prayer leader had finished the Friday sermon,” said another witness. Dr Nasir, medical superintendent of Civil Hospital Palai, told Pakistan Today they received 120 injured people. He said six injured expired at the hospital, while doctors in Dargai Tehsil Hospital confirmed receiving 33 injured people. Three injured expired in Dargai hos-

pital. Officials have so far confirmed 20 dead in both explosions. A few hours earlier, an explosion occurred outside the house of a retired Subedar of security

forces. However, no loss to life or property was reported. Following the incidents, contingents of security forces were deployed all over Baazdara and its

No enmity with Taliban, says KP CM-designate Peshawar INP

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader and the party’s chief ministernominee for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Pervez Khattak on Friday said the incoming provincial government was ready to hold talks with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and had no enmity with them. Addressing a joint press conference along with PTI provincial president Asad Qaiser, he said, “We have no enmity with the Taliban.” He said the Taliban were also Pakistanis and that they request the militant group to hold peace talks and work for peace in the region. Khattak termed corruption a curse and said it will not be tolerated in their government, adding that reforms within the existing system will be carried out in a period of three months. He said the PTI-led government will take all possible measures for establishment of sustainable peace, and will practically deliver in education, health and the social sector. For managing better law and order and cre-

surrounding areas. A curfew was imposed and door-to-door search is in progress. No group has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attacks so far.

alleged gaNg leader iNvolved iN ali gilaNi’s kidNappiNg arrested Peshawar agENcy

Pervez KhattaK

ation of a workable environment between the police and masses, Khattak also hinted at introducing a community policing system in the province. He claimed that PTI will lead an exemplary government in KP with provision of indiscriminate justice to all segments of society. He went on to say that the bureaucracy will be controlled for complete eradication of corruption from government departments, adding that significant increases will be made in salaries of government employees in

the province. He dispelled the impression that JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman will form a coalition government in KP, adding that PTI’s coalition partners will foil any attempt of horse-trading since the masses had given a verdict in the favour of PTI. Talking on the power sharing formula among coalition partners, the chief minister-designate said PTI was not concerned with grabbing high profile portfolios but focused instead on serving the masses.

The security forces operation for the recovery of former prime-minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's son, Ali Haider Gilani, is continuing as on Thursday the police arrested the head of the suspected group, which might have kidnapped Ali Haider Gilani from Multan. According to sources, the arrested accused has been identified as Wazir Gul who is the brother of Mullah arrested by police earlier from Marhati area of Akora Khattak in Nowshera. Police say that Wazir Gul is running an interprovincial gang of kidnappers and police is investigating him to find a clue to Gilani's son. On Thursday, a rescue operation was conducted to recover a person believed to be Gilani in a compound in Nowshera, but the person recovered was an individual named Abdul Wahab, who said that Gilani was kept with him in the compound along with five other kidnapped persons. The police have extended the hunt for Gilani to the subarban areas of Nowshera and the adjoining Charsadda distric after the arrest of Wazir Gul from Charsadda road in Nowshera.

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News

saturday, 18 May, 2013

mQm boycotts Na-250 re-polling, pti rejoices KaraChI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader raza haroon announces the party’s decision to boycott re-polling in 43 polling stations of Na-250 constituency during a press conference on Friday. Staff PhOtO

ECP DENIES MQM’S PLEA FOR RE-POLLING IN ENTIRE NA-250 CONSTITUENCY KaraChI/IsLaMaBaD Staff REPORt

NGERED by the Election Commission of Pakistan’s refusal on Friday to hold re-elections in the entire NA-250 constituency of Karachi, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) announced that it will boycott the re-polling on 43 polling stations scheduled for May 19 (tomorrow). Addressing a press conference, MQM leader Raza Haroon said that after the ECP rejected the MQM’s request to hold re-elections in the entire NA-250 constituency instead of 43 selected polling stations, the party was within its rights to boycott the elections. “MQM reject’s the ECP’s decision to conduct re-polls in only 43 polling stations,” Haroon said, adding that the party will be raising the matter in every competent forum. Raza Haroon added that the matter was about the public’s right to vote and re-enforcing the faith in voting. “The ECP should have

looked at the larger interest of the people.” “This was a golden opportunity for the ECP to demonstrate to the people that while they could not conduct flawless elections everywhere, they could have conducted exemplary elections in NA-250,” the MQM leader said. Earlier on Friday, the ECP had rejected the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) request to conduct re-

polling in the entire constituency of NA-250 Karachi. After the hearing in Islamabad, the ECP issued directives to the Sindh chief secretary and IGP to ensure proper security on the day of election for 43 selected polling stations of the constituency. The commission also directed the deployment of army personnel inside polling booths. Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

(PTI), MQM and other parties appeared before the commission and presented their points of view on the issue. The case was heard by Chief Election Commissioner Justice (r) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim. Commission members, including Sindh Justice (r) Muhammad Roshan, Punjab Justice (r) Riaz Kiyani and member Balochistan Justice (r) Fazalur Rehman were

Jatoi merges NPP with PML-N, Legharis also join Nawaz LahOre

also present. Talking to reporters later, MQM leader Farooq Sattar said the decision to hold re-polling at 43 polling stations would be unjust. “We demand re-election in the entire NA-250 constituency, not just selected polling stations.” He said the turnout in rest of the polling stations in NA-250 was around 30 percent, which was very low. According to Sattar, the remaining 142 polling stations of NA-250 experienced the same disorganisation and chaos the 43 selected stations faced. “Ballot boxes did not reach on time and in some cases, they never reached at all,” he said, adding that “It’s not about us, it’s about the disenfranchisement of voters.” PTI DEMANDS: Meanwhile the PTI’s Arif Alvi asked for re-polling across Karachi. According to Alvi, polling conducted in the city of Karachi was not free and fair and referred to video evidence of rigging aired on various television channels. “Our stance is that free and fair elections are key to the success of Pakistan,” he said. PTI ENDS SIT-IN: Meanwhile, soon after the MQM’s announcement of boycotting repolling in NA-250 constituency, PTI supporters who had been staging a sit-in demonstration at Karachi’s Teen Talwaar Chowk against alleged rigging in the constituency ended their protest.

ecp turNs dowN imraN’s plea for vote recouNt iN Na-122

Staff REPORt

The National People’s Party on Friday announced its merger with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) while recently elected independent candidates from Dera Ghazi Khan, Awais Leghari and Jamal Leghari announced joining the PML-N in a meeting with prime minister-in waiting Nawaz Sharif. Addressing a news conference along with PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif‚ National People’s Party President Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi announced that his party was merging with the PML-N. Expressing complete confidence in the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, Jatoi hoped that the PML-N would focus on the revival of national institutions destroyed by the previous government. Shahbaz vowed to focus on accelerating development projects‚ overcoming energy crisis and creating job opportunities. Separately, the sons of former president Farooq Leghari, Awais Leghari and Jamal Leghari along with three in-

IsLaMaBaD Staff REPORt LahOre: Shahbaz Sharif briefs reporters about the merger of Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi’s National People’s Party with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Friday. NNI

dependent candidates from Dera Ghazi Khan met the PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif at Raiwind. At the occasion, the

Legharis expressed confidence in the PML-N leadership and announced to join the biggest party of the country. It

merits mentioning here that the Legharis are old-time rivals of the Khosas of DG Khan.

FAFEN demands ECP verify thumb impressions on votes IsLaMaBaD aNwER abbaS

The civil society on Friday called upon state authorities and political parties to halt harassment, intimidation, persecution, and prosecution of the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) and its officials for making significant contributions to the transparency of the 2013 general elections. Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club, a FAFEN official, Malik Sarwar Bari, flanked by civil society activist Marvi Sarmad, informed reporters that the network had not filed any written apology to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and urged the ECP verify the votes cast through thumb impressions, as well as demanded it upload forms 14, 15 and 16 on the its website to maintain its creditability. To a question, Bari said the ECP had not directly threatened FAFEN, adding that it only rejected FAFEN’s report not its demands. The FAFEN official demanded a forensic investigation of the rigging and asked that votes cast in controversial constituencies be verified though the National

Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) by seeking counter files. “Not only FAFEN, but all major political parties have expressed their concerns on the recent polls,” Bari said. Quoting a few examples, the FAFEN official said PML-N’s Nisar Ali Khan lost a seat after recount, “so what does it mean?... either the first counting was correct or the second one? And what was punishment for the person responsible for the wrong facts?” With regards to Ishaq Khakwani’s application for recounting, he said the returning officer was not permitting it. Bari also said the FAFEN head, Mudasir Rizvi, was directly threatened by PML-N MNA Ayaz Sadiq, because Rizvi had demanded the Cyber Crimes Department probe the case and bring those responsible to the court. He said Rizvi had been reportedly implicated in 16 cases under Section 505 (b) of the PPC with as many FIRs registered against him. He said Rizvi was also being threatened by some MNAs. Bari also urged the ECP to release official documents from all 69,801 polling stations and all constituencies’ returning officers nationwide.

Cases filed against fafen for misreporting poll results Punjab police are reported to have registered at least 16 cases against the Fair and Free Election Network (FAFEN), a polling observer organisation, for allegedly misreporting results of some polling stations in the province and releasing them to the media. Deputy IG (operations) Jawad Ahmad Dogar told reporters that up to 10 FIRs had been lodged in as many city police stations on the instructions of district returning officers who stated that the results of some polling stations had been misreported by FAFEN which claimed that the number of votes cast had exceeded the total number of votes. However, FAFEN’s Chief Executive Officer Mudassir Rizvi said the organisation had already withdrawn its list of ‘controversial’ results of 40 polling stations across the country, including 22 in Punjab. Over 40,000 FAFEN observers were engaged in the exercise. He said the cases were registered against the organisation after it had pressed the ECP for placing statements of count by presiding officers on its website for the purpose of correction before announcing the results. Mr Rizvi said that according to his information police had so far nominated him in 16 cases registered in Lahore and Rahim Yar Khan, adding that he did not know if cases had also been registered in other cities. He said section 505 (B) (statements conducing to public mischief) of the PPC had been invoked in the FIR. mONItORINg dESk

An appeal made by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for vote re-count in NA-122 constituency of Lahore has been rejected by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The returning officer on Friday rejected Imran’s plea on the basis that there was not enough evidence to support his claim. The PTI chief secured 84,417 votes but lost NA-122 Lahore-5 seat to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Sardar Ayaz Sadiq who had a total of 93,362 votes. PTI supporters have been staging a sit-in in Lahore against “rigging” in the May 11 general elections. The sit-in is organised at Lalik Chowk, Defence where dozens of party workers and supporters have camped out calling for re-election in NA-122 to NA-125 constituencies.

imraN urges uk to act agaiNst altaf LahOre NNI

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan on Friday urged the British government to take notice of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Chairman’s Altaf Hussain inflammatory speeches. Talking to British High Commissioner Adam Thomson, who telephoned the PTI chief to enquire about his health, Imran said Altaf, being a British citizen, had violated British laws by issuing controversial statements. He said the British government should take action against him per the British law, adding that the UK government should also issue a warning to the MQM chief. The London Metropolitan Police have already started an investigation against Hussain after receiving complaints by hundreds of British and Pakistani citizens.

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News saturday, 18 May, 2013

pm orders release of 51 indian fishermen as goodwill gesture ISLaMaBaD: Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso has decided to release 51 Indian fishermen on humanitarian grounds as a gesture of goodwill. These prisoners have already served their sentences. The prime minister directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to initiate dialogue with India for the release of Pakistani prisoners and return of other Indian prisoners. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting attended by Minister for Law Ahmer Bilal Sufi, Sindh Chief Minister Zahid Qurban Alvi and senior officials of the ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Law and Justice and the PM’s Secretariat, a press release issued by PM’s house said on Friday. It said the prime minister expressed hope that the Indian government will reciprocate the gesture and release Pakistani prisoners incarcerated in Indian jails. Khoso was informed that currently 482 Indian prisoners were held in Pakistani jails whereas 496 Pakistanis were in Indian jails. He was informed that the government of Pakistan was awaiting the confirmation of national status of other Indian prisoners. Staff REPORt

lhc issues notice to pml-N officials over display of tiger LahOre: The Green Bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday issued notices to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and officials of Wildlife and Environment department for public display of endangered white tigers. The PML-N had emerged victorious in the historic May 11 polls and is set to form governments in centre, Punjab and Balochistan. Public display of tigers was a regular feature in the election rallies of the PML-N which had contested polls with ‘tiger’ as its symbol. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah heard the petition filed by animal rights’ activist Faryal Ali Gohar supported by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) asking the court to take notice of the issue. The bench after preliminary hearing, issued notices to Secretary Environment, Secretary Wildlife, Secretary General of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Ministry of Climate Change. The court sought a detailed response on the number of licenses that have been issued in the past five years for the import of endangered wildlife animals. Moreover, the respondents were also asked to provide information on the capacity in which the endangered animals were publicly displayed. The case was subsequently adjourned till June 21st. mONItORINg dESk

pti’s ishaq khakwani loses after re-count veharI: Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ishaq Khan Khakwani lost to a PML-N candidate after re-count on National Assembly seat. Khankwani contested elections on PTI ticket from Vehari, NA-168. Speaking to media persons, Khaqwani expressed lack of trust over performance of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). He said that he had got 55, 000 votes, but returning officers did not cooperate and refused to show votes. ONLINE

Naveed chaudhry’s mother-in-law passes away LahOre: The mother-in-law of Naveed Chaudhry, Coordinator to President Asif Zardari passed away on Friday after a brief illness. She was 80. She left behind two sons and four daughters. Her funeral prayers will be offered today (Saturday) at Eidgah Bahawalpur Road near Mozang Chungi at 10:30 am. aPP

caretakers nursing bleeding economy to help Nawaz manage budget IsLaMaBaD

tayyab huSSaIN

ITH the newlyelected government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif set to take over the reins in around a fortnight’s time, the caretaker regime is hectically involved in nursing the bleeding economy to facilitate the process of budget making - the biggest challenge awaiting the prime minister-in waiting. A well-placed source in the Ministry of Finance told Pakistan Today that Adviser to PM on Finance Dr Shahid Amjad Chaudhry was spearheading a drive to streamline the economic matters so as the next government could be facilitated in the budget-making process. “Though the caretaker prime minister and his team are set to leave in about two weeks, but like true patriots, they are in-

volved in hectic efforts to prepare ground for the newlyelected government in managing the budget-making process. In this regard, some drastic steps have already been taken while some proposals have also been laid down,” the source added. LoAN rEPAyMENT To IMF & NEw LoANS: “The adviser on finance has also been involved in ensuring front-loading of the loan payment so as the new government could also negotiate for new loan on low mark-up and on easy instalments,” the source said. The source said that the adviser had already paid a visit to the US recently where he had gone to attend the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund. Besides, the adviser also held talks with the IMF on the sidelines of the moot, seeking some concessions for Pakistan in loan repayment. He also held meetings with heads of international financial institutions and delegations.

“The initiative aims at facilitating the new government in loan repayment and holding negotiations for new loans on low markup as was done by the Pakistan People’s Party government in year 2008. This would greatly help build the economic strength”. STrEAMLININg SubSIDIES IN ENErgy SEcTor: The source said that the finance adviser was also involved in streamlining the finances related to energy sector, adding that subsidies for energy sector were being streamlined and rather than blanket subsidies, targeted subsidies were being proposed. “One of the proposals being made is that the provincial governments should generate their own electricity. Moreover, measures are also being adopted to plug the line losses and other leakages in the power sector to save energy,” the source added. TAxES: The adviser has also directed the revenue department

to take drastic steps that guarantee an increase in revenue collection. “The ministry has taken some new measures to expand the tax net. We hope that this would greatly help the new government,” the source added. LowErINg FIScAL DEFIcIT: The source said that the focus of the adviser on finance was making hectic efforts to bring down the fiscal deficit to five or 5.5 percent that would greatly help the new government. Moreover, Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso had already launched an austerity campaign to save energy by banning the use of air conditioners in offices and official residences of the bureaucracy. NEgoTIATIoNS wITH IMF Former finance minister Dr Salman Shah opined that negotiations with the IMF were of paramount significance keeping in view the economic mess and transparent measures may not help to a great extent. “Foreign

Karzai seeks lethal weapons from india, wouldn’t mind troop presence on afghan soil New DeLhI INP

Ambassador to India Shaida Mohammad Abdali said, “Investment in the security of Afghanistan is in India’s interest.” He noted that while India had been training Afghan security personnel, it was not adequate to address the issues of a difficult security situation. “Given the time, we are required to sit down and discuss the contours of our defence cooperation to ensure predictability,” he said, adding that current level of cooperation was hardly enough to “take preventive and pre-emptive action” against common threats. India has so far been training Afghan security personnel only in Indian institutions. It has also supplied limited number of non-lethal

equipment like jeeps and trucks and plans to hand over transport helicopters. “So, we would like to have both lethal and non-lethal assistance to our forces in Afghanistan,” he said. Better engagement in defence cooperation is likely to be a major topic of discussion during Karzai’s visit, which will also see him travelling to Jalandhar to receive a doctorate from a university. Abdali said Pakistan had to realise that India was building institutions in Afghanistan, which would ensure that terrorism wouldn’t come back and affect the war-torn country even more. He said India’s cooperation in Afghanistan would ultimately serve Pakistan’s national interests too.

us won’t interfere in indo-pak relations washINGTON INP

As Nawaz Sharif prepares to form his government, the US has said that it is up to the leaders of India and Pakistan to work on their relationship. “In terms of the scope and how a developing relationship with Pakistan and India would take place, it would be up to those two parties to work out amongst themselves,”

State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey praised the role of the Pakistan’s military and Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani in the recently concluded general elections in the country. “I give a lot of credit to General Kayani and the Pakistani military for their behavior during the election,” Dempsey said.

zardari will be in lahore on sunday MONITOrING DesK President Asif Zardari is arriving in Lahore on Sunday (tomorrow) on a one-day visit, a private TV channel reported. The channel said that Zardari will hold meetings with leaders of his Pakistan People’s Party to assess the reasons behind the party’s dismal performance in Punjab in the recent general election.

funding is a must for the new government so they would have to go to the IMF,” Shah said. He said the paralysed economy needed immediate attention by the new prime minister and the new government would have to plug loopholes in tax collection system and exemptions would have to be removed forthwith. “I think the government would have to improve the tax collection system and taxation should be made mandatory across-the-board,” he said, adding that transparency in financial matters was mandatory. “I think IMF should be the immediate stopover for the new government and the new PM would also have to initiate dialogue seeking some review in balance of payments. If new loans are not received and instalments are not paid on a regular basis, the new government may face a financial crisis as the foreign exchange reserves are not for more than four months,” he added.

weapons’ license renewal a headache! IsLaMaBaD kaShIf abbaSI

Owing to mismanagement and an ambiguous policy of the Interior Ministry, weapon licence seekers and those wanting to renew their licences are facing multiple problems, Pakistan Today has learnt. There is no clear policy of the ministry and NADRA regarding renewal of licences while on the other hand some officials are also involved in fake license revalidation. On Wednesday night, Federal Investigations Agency (FIA) arrested two senior officers of NADRA from its headquarters for their alleged involvement in a fake licence scam. “I visited a NADRA office in Lahore for renewal of my pistol’s license, but I was told that licences’ renewal is banned. Then, I moved to Islamabad but here too I am being asked to visit after June 30,” said Ali Arshad, while talking to Pakistan Today at an outlet of NADRA in Jinnah Super Market. When Pakistan Today inquired about the policy of Interior Ministry from the NADRA officer dealing with revalidation of licences at the said outlet, he said that the director general concerned verbally informed him that there is a ban on renewal of licences till

June 30. “I’m doing what I was told to do. I was asked only to revalidate old licences. Whenever I am asked to renew licenses I will happily oblige,” he said. Responding to a query, he said, under the policy, all expired licences till June 30 would be treated as valid. On the other hand, a number of people, who wanted to get their licenses renewed, expressed dissatisfaction over the ambiguous policy. “I have no idea what type of policies they are adopting. Despite having a genuine license, we are facing problems,” said Liaqat Naz, who visited the said outlet for renewal of a 12-bore gun license. Another applicant seeking a licence renewal said, “When NADRA officials are unaware about the notification of the ministry, how could we convince police officials deputed at spot checking that we are allowed to carry weapons.” Meanwhile, NADRA Chairman Tariq Malik said there is no ban on renewal of licenses. He said the G-10 NADRA office is supposed to renew licenses. “Due to some reasons, we have slowed down the renewal process. But, it doesn’t mean we are not renewing licenses. Our G-10 office is dealing with the matter. If anyone wants to get his licence renewed, he may visit that office,” Malik said.

electricity shortfall rises as heat wave engulfs the country IsLaMaBaD agENcIES

As temperatures increase announcing the arrival of summer, electricity shortfall in the country increased to 5,000 MW on Friday when the total power generation was recorded at 9,750 MW against a demand of 14,008 MW during the last 24 hours. The country was hit by a severe energy crisis on Friday, as electricity shortage swelled to a higher rate. The nationwide electricity shortfall swelled beyond 60 percent, causing between 10 to 12 hours of load shedding in

urban areas and between 14 to 20 hours of power outage in rural areas. The current gas crisis coupled with severe fuel shortage had already robbed the sector of more than 4,000 MW. Meanwhile, a heat wave will engulf most parts of the country from next week including plain regions of Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh hinting towards a worsening load shedding situation with energy demands rising. An official of Meteorological department said on Friday that the current temperature fell under normal category as the mercury raised three degrees above the average temperature for summer.

“When the temperature increases five or more degrees from the normal range it is considered to be hit by a heat wave and from next week it is expected that the mercury would cross the normal limit,” he added. The wave, the official said, would affect plain areas of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan and people would have to face severe hot weather in these areas. During the next 24 hours, hot and dry weather is expected over most parts of the country. Seasonal low has encompassed Balochistan and adjoining areas as a continental air prevails over most parts of the country. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sindh and Balochistan, hot and dry

weather is expected mainly over most parts during the next 24 hours. While in Kashmir and Gilgit, dry weather is expected in most parts during the next 24 hours. The highest temperatures recorded during the last 24 hours were Larkana at 48° Celsius, Shaheed Benazirabad, Turbat and Jaccobabad at 47° Celsius and Rohri, Padidan, Dadu, Sukkar, Moenjodaro and RY Khan at 46° Celsius. In Islamabad the recorded mercury level was 36° Celcius, Lahore 41° Celsius, Karachi 36° Celsius, Peshawar 40° Celsius, Quetta 34° Celsius, Murree 26° Celsius, Muzaffarabad 38° Celsius, Gilgit 35° Celsius, Faisalabad 40° Celsius and Multan 42° Celsius.

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There is urgent need to initiate a comprehensive training programme for the police officers deployed at the Sindh forensic division — IGP Shahid Nadeem Baloch

KARACHI saturday, 18 May, 2013

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PRayER tImINgS Fajr Sunrise Zuhr Asr Maghrib Isha 4:29 5:51 12:29 3:56 7:06 8:29

aNother 7 riddled with Bullets KaraChI ONLINE

At least seven persons were gunned down including two political workers on Friday in fresh wave of violence in the city. Some unidentified armed assailant opened indiscriminate fire in the area of Nazimabad 2 killing a man instantly. The deceased was identified as Abid Ilyas. While talking to the local media, Jamaate-Islami Ameer Muhammad Hussain Mehanti told the deceased was the leader and the former UC Nazim of Liaquatabad. Muhammad Hussain Mehanti condemned the targeted attack and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits involved in this heinous crime. In another incident, another injured person of Jamaat-e-Islami Abdul Jabbar succumbed to injuries in Orangi town. A woman, Bakhat Bibi, and a man, Shafi, were shot dead at Mango Peer Road while Hassan, 14, sustained severe injuries when unidentified armed persons opened unprovoked fire. Meanwhile, a dead body of a man packed in a gunny bag was found near Kala Bridge. In yet another incident, some unidentified armed assailants stormed into the house in Mango Peer Mianwali Colony and opened indiscriminate fire killing Karam Bibi, 50, Muhammad Shafi alias Deweena and their son Muhammad Zain, 10, instantly. Upon receiving information, police reached the spot and shifted the injured and dead persons to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. However, the police claimed that the incident happened due to old enmity between the parties. Separate cases have been registered and police have started investigations.

114 CASES OF THE DENGUE FEVER HAVE BEEN REPORTED FROM SINDH IN THE CURRENT YEAR AND 133 OF THEM BELONG TO KARACHI ALONE KaraChI aamIR maJEEd

IRAL Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF), which is commonly known as dengue fever, is likely to hit Karachi after Lahore as the number of dengue patients in increasing with each passing day and the Sindh health department lacks enough funds to provide every dengue patient with treatment facilities at government expenses. So far, 114 cases of dengue fever have been reported from Sindh in the current year and 133 of them belonged to Karachi alone. On May 16, 11 cases of dengue fever were reported from the city. Karachi is likely to be in the grip of deadly fever but the government has not made satisfactory arrangements to cope up with any untoward situation as happened in Punjab last year. There is acute shortage of platelets bags and diagnosis kits in the public healthcare units and people are forced to move to private hospitals for treatment. The provincial government has set up isolation wards in five Sindh government and one Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC)-run hospitals for the dengue patients but no dengue patient prefers to go to the public healthcare centers which lack treatment facilities for them. To overview the treatment facilities, Pakistan Today conducted a survey of two government-run hospitals - Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) and Sindh Government Hospital Liaquatabad (SGHL) - and KMC-run Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH). Although the hospital administration arranged isolation wards in these hospitals, no doctor or paramedic staff was deputed to make these wards

functional. Starting from the CHK, which is assumed as the province’s largest healthcare facility center, no body knew where the dengue ward was but the official staff. Interestingly, the

I was deputed in the ward few months ago but no patient has come here since I have assumed the charge. I have requested the CHK high-ups to transfer me to some other ward as the dengue patients are reluctant to visit government hospitals due to lack of facilities dr farooque government has established its dengue surveillance cell in the hospital where CHK Medical Superintendent (DMS) Dr Shan-e-Alam has been entrusted to monitor the situation. The DMS said the hospital had managed a ward for dengue patients in Government Services Hospital (SGSH). When this scribe reached the CHK dengue isolation ward in SGSH, only one doctor and a nurse were present there. The doctor, who introduced, himself as Dr Farooque, told Pakistan Today that he was deputed in the ward few months ago but no patient had come here since he had assumed the charge. He said he had requested the CHK high-ups to transfer him to any other ward as the dengue patients were reluctant to visit government hospitals due to lack of facilities. The situation at SGHL was also not

much different from that of CHK’s. There was no isolation ward in the hospital and the patients were being treated in medical wards. However, the SGHL MS said the hospital had eight-bed separate unit for the dengue patients. They had made separate arrangements for patients suffering from VHF, Sheikh said, adding the isolation ward was equipped with all necessary arrangement to cope up with any untoward situation. Later on, this scribe also visited KMCcontrolled ASH. The hospital management had allotted separate ward for the dengue patient at first floor of the healthcare facility but it was also found empty. An official of ASH, who wished not to be named, told that an employee of the hospital was diagnosed with VHF few months before but he was forced to visit other hospital for treatment due to lack of facilities for dengue patients in ASH. When approached, Nuresh, who served in ASH IT department and suffered from VHF few months back, confirmed that he was diagnosed with dengue fever few days back. “I got treatment from Dow University of Health Sciences, Ojha Campus,” he said. However, when asked why he preferred other hospital to ASH, he said, “He will not comment against management of the hospital.” Dengue Surveillance Cell Sindh (DSCS) Focal Person and CHK Additional Medical Superintendent Dr M Shakil Mullick said dengue situation in Sindh was under control. “There are five government-run hospitals and one KMC controlled hospital where Sindh government have facilitated isolation wards for the patients suffering from dengue. These hospitals include CHK, SGHL, Lyari General Hospital (LGH), Sindh Government Hospital Saudabad (SGHS) and Sindh Government Hospital Korangi (SGHK). While KMC-controlled Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) has also an isolation ward where state-of-the-art facilities have bee provided to thwart any emergent situation,” he Mullick defended. When asked about function of isolation wards in public hospitals and number of patients admitted and facilitated till date, he was answerless. “Most of the VHF

patients visit out-patient departments (OPDs) and prefer to complete the VHF medication at homes,” he justified. Dr Mullick, who also enjoys the charge of CHK AMS, said the hospital had managed to spare a ward in Sindh Government Services Hospital. It is a 10-bed isolation ward but there was no patient, he said, adding there were few patients admitted to medical wards of CHK and they do not need to be transferred to the isolation ward. “If a patient is stable, he or she is not required to be shifted in isolation ward as it does not cause harm to others,” he added. Rejecting the reports of low funds, Sindh Secretary Health Dr Suresh Kumar said the provincial government had enough facilities to cater the need of dengue patients in this season. He said the provincial government was importing diagnose kits and platelets bag to cope up with any emergent situation. Dengue situation in Sindh was under control and they the people were well-informed about the signs and symptoms of this deadly disease, the secretary said.

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The PPP will not allow any other party’s chief minister in Sindh — Qaim Ali Shah

KARACHI saturday, 18 May, 2013

proper blood test only mode to diagnose diabetes: experts KaraChI aPP

e hYDeraBaD: People stand near a damaged bus after a road accident near Hattri Bypass. ONLINE

sindh govt denies writing to eCp about na-250 KaraChI Staff REPORt

HE Sindh government has denied any part in writing a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan ‘excusing’ itself from holding re-elections at some polling stations of NA-250, scheduled for May 19. In the letter written to the ECP late night on Wednesday, the given the worsening state of law and order and tense situation in the constituency. However, Sharfuddin Memon, the special assistant to the Sindh chief minister on home affairs, said the home department had not written the letter to the ECP, adding that it was instead “managed” by some people. When asked to elaborate, Memon said that the letter “was managed by those who claim to have a

heavy mandate in Karachi”. He went on to accuse the same party of rigging and said that those who were arrested from polling stations by the Rangers were workers of that party. Following allegations of widespread rigging and delays during elections in NA-250 on May 11, the. “We want to hold reelections on all 43 polling stations on the scheduled date,” Memon said. The special assistant to the CM said the government would provide security and assure that rigging does not take place in the repolling at NA-250 given that “there is no interference from the governor house”. Meanwhile, press secretary to the Sindh chief minister, Tariq Imam, told reporter that he was unaware of any letter written to the ECP. “I have neither seen the letter nor given any briefing on it.” The letter has elicited strong condemnation from various political parties.

abducted us citizen recovered from posh locality KaraChI INP

The Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) and police undertook a joint operation in the Defence area of the metropolis in the wee hours of Friday and recovered a Pakistani-origin US citizen, after killing at least three abductors in the ensuing action. The CPLC Chief Ahmed Chinoy told reporters that Amir Hamza was abducted from the city area of Boat Basin during evening hours between April 13 and 14. The miscreants later called his family and demanded a ransom of Rs20 million for his release. According to the CPLC chief, police received a tip-off that the kidnappers were keeping Hamza in Defence Phase-II area. In response, the personnel from the CPLC and police conducted a raid in the said area and were faced by with resistance as the miscreants started firing. As a result, at least three abductors were killed in the exchange of fire and two miscreants, including a woman, were detained by the police.

xPERTS on Friday urged the masses to realise the fact that diabetes, a fast emerging hormonal disorder in the country, could only be diagnosed through undergoing proper blood test. Addressing a public awareness session to mark National Pathology Week 2013 at Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), the experts said ascertainment of diabetes through undergoing relevant blood test could pave way for early treatment and prevent its complications. The programme, jointly organised by National Institute of Diabetes and Endocrinology (NIDE) and DUHS Pathology Department, was addressed by

Prof Zaman Shaikh, Prof Mohammad Masroor, Dr Sahar Iqbal, Dr Rafiq Khanani and Dr Farah Naz Farooq. The experts comprising diabetologists, endocrinologists and pathologists said that governments the world over must implement and strengthen policies for the prevention and control of diabetes in order to curb further complications. It was also necessary to disseminate tools to support national and local initiatives for the prevention and management of diabetes, they said. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sahar emphasised the need of undergoing necessary and regular laboratory tests in patients with symptoms of the disease as well as those adequately diagnosed to be inflicted with the debilitating disease. Meanwhile, Prof M

Commissioner visits hsC exams centres KaraChI aPP

Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui on Friday visited various centres selected for the HSC Annual Examinations 2013 of the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) which commenced on Thursday. He was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner South Mustafa Jamal Qazi. The commissioner said on the occasion that the district administration had undertaken concrete measures for curbing the usage of unfair means in examinations. He said that some 250,000 candidates were appearing in the metropolis in the HSC examinations of the BIEK. He further stated that ade-

quate steps have been taken to ensure security at the exam centres so that candidates would not face any difficulties during these crucial days. He said that the deputy commissioners along with the officials of the BIEK were also visiting the examination centres to curb usage of unfair means and also to oversee the arrangements and facilities put in place by the administration. Meanwhile, a senior faculty member of the DJ Government Science College, namely Prof Shahzad Muslim, informed the commissioner that owing to government’s intervention the electricity of the college had been restored and that the candidates were appearing in their examinations without facing any difficulty.

Zaman said that the mean health expenditure on diabetes of the country was only USD 24/person/year, in contrast to USD 55/person in India. “Even in a country like Afghanistan, the mark is USD 33, Nigeria USD 47, Sudan USD 52 and in Turkey the expenditure is as high as USD 571/person,” he added. Speaking in connection to obesity, Professor Shaikh said that central obesity was very common in diabetics and was responsible for most of the complications associated with this disease. These he said also included heart attacks, stroke and high blood pressure. Moreover, Dr Zaman emphasised on life style modifications like reeducation of body weight, daily brisk walking for 30 minutes minimum and taking a healthy diet.

police arrest 39 accused iN 24 hours KaraChI aPP

Police claimed to have arrested 39 accused in the latest drives launched against criminals during the past 24 hours in the metropolis. A police statement released here on Friday said that those arrested included four absconders and two alleged dacoits. It said that nine weapons of different calibres were also recovered from those arrested. The statement further added that the police, in an encounter that took place in the jurisdiction of Clifton Police Station, killed an alleged dacoit. Meanwhile, action was initiated against 18 motorcyclists for violating the ban on pillion riding.

assign law and order responsibility to one institution: Cj mushir KaraChI ONLINE

Sindh High Court (SHC) Chief Justice (CJ) Mushir Alam remarked that the responsibility of checking the law and order situation should be assigned to only one institution in the metropolis. “Responsibility of maintaining law and order situation in the city should be given to only one institution. If responsibility of law and order is assigned to more than one institution, it means no one would be responsible,” he said while talking to reporters here on Friday. The CJ hoped that the new government would assign the responsibility of maintaining law and order situation to only one institution. Further, he said that action was also being taken against corruption taking place in the sub-ordinate courts and many judicial officers have

three permanent shC judges sworn in

been removed in this connection. Meanwhile, others were issued show cause notices on corruption charges. Moreover, CJ Mushir said that addressing complaints regarding the election process was the job of Election Commission of Pakistan.

KaraChI: Three additional judges have taken oath as permanent judges of the Sindh High Court (SHC) here on Friday. The SHC’s Chief Justice Mushir Alam administered the oath to the three judges, namely Abdul Rasool Memon‚ Naimatullah Phulpoto and Sadiq Hussain Bhatti, at a ceremony held at the SHC building. Senior judges and lawyers attended the oath-taking ceremony in a large number. INP

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When you are happy you can forgive a great deal. – Princess Diana

News

07 N

saturday, 18 May, 2013

48 killed iN iraQ BomBiNg BaGhDaD agENcIES

israel to approve

four west BaNk settlemeNts TeL aVIV agENcIES

HE Israeli government says it is taking steps to approve four new settler outposts in the Occupied West Bank, in a decision condemned by Palestinian officials. The announcement was made on Thursday, just days before the US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to meet the Israeli and Palestinian leaders in attempt to revive peace talks. Israel has been sending mixed signals on its policy as Kerry pursues efforts to revive negotiations that the Palestinians quit in 2010 in anger over Israeli settlement building on occupied land they seek for a state. The announcement that the settlements would be authorised was made in response to a Supreme Court petition by the Israeli antisettlement group Peace Now. “The intention to legalise outposts as new settlements is no less than a slap in the face of Secretary Kerry’s new process and is blatant reassurance to settler interests,” Peace Now said in a statement. Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the move. “Israel continues to put obstacles and to sabotage US efforts to resume negotiation,” he said. “Our position is clear and that is all settlement is illegal and must be stopped.” A spokesman for Prime Minister Binyamin

Netanyahu declined to comment on the government’s response to the Supreme Court. ‘COUNterPrODUCtIve’: In Washington, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said a decision to give validity to the four outposts would be counterproductive. “We don’t accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity,” she said. Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war, are considered illegal under international law. Israel disputes this and distinguishes between about 120 government-authorised settlements and dozens of outposts built by settlers without permission. Last week, Peace Now and Israeli media reports said Netanyahu has been curbing some settlement activity by freezing tenders for new housing projects, in an apparent effort to help efforts to renew peace talks. Peace Now said at the time construction already under way was continuing, and Israel announced last week that it had given preliminary approval for 300 new homes in Beit El settlement as part of a plan Netanyahu announced a year ago. Kerry, due to meet Netanyahu and Abbas separately next week, has said he believed “the parties were serious” about finding a way back into talks. The main issues that have to be resolved include the borders between Israel and a Palestinian state, the future of Israeli settlements, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the status of Jerusalem.

WO bombs near a Sunni mosque north of Baghdad have killed 48 people and wounded 89, police and a doctor say, after two days of attacks targeting Iraqi Shia Muslims in which dozens died. One bomb exploded on Friday as worshippers were departing the Saria mosque in the city of Baquba while a second went off after people gathered at the scene of the first blast, the sources said. The violence raises the specter of tit-for-tat killings

common during the height of sectarian violence in Iraq that killed tens of thousands of people, and comes at a time of festering sectarian tensions between Iraq’s Sunni minority and Shia majority. The bombings are the latest in a series of attacks that have targeted both Sunni and Shia places of worship in past weeks, and follow two days of attacks targeting Iraqi Shia. On Thursday, a suicide bomber killed 12 people at the entrance of Al-Zahraa Husseiniyah, a Shia place of worship in the city of Kirkuk, where relatives of victims from violence the

pm iran rejects women turkish and obama presidential hopefuls discuss syria washINGTON

TehraN agENcIES

A member of Iran’s constitutional watchdog group has said women cannot be presidential candidates, effectively killing the largely symbolic bids by about 30 women seeking to run in the June 14 election. The semiofficial Mehr news agency quoted Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi as saying on Thursday that the “law does not approve’’ of a woman in the presidency and a woman on the ballot is “not allowed”. The Guardian Council, where Yazdi is a member, vets all candidates for the presidency and parliament. A total of 686 people have registered to replace President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who cannot run for a third mandate because of term limits. The final list will be announced on May 21, with only a handful of names expected on the ballot. Even before the comments by Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, chances for a woman candidate in Iran’s presidential election were considered nearly impossible. Women also have registered as potential candidates in past presidential elections, but the Guardian Council appears to follow interpretations of the constitution that suggest

only a man may hold Iran’s highest elected office. coNSTITuTIoN’S worDINg: Women are cleared to run for Iran’s parliament and have served as legislators. While women have greater freedom in Iran than many other countries in the region, particularly Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Afghanistan, it is widely believed that the wording of the constitution closes the door on the presidency. It says the president will be elected from religious-political men, or “rijal,’’ a plural for man in Arabic that is common in Farsi, too. Presumed candidates include former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is backed by pro-reform groups, and rivals supported by the ruling ayatollahs such as Saeed Jalili, the top nuclear negotiator; Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Tehran mayor’s; and Ali Akbar Velayati, the former foreign minister. A major question is whether the Guardian Council will clear Ahmadinejad’s choice, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, who is also his close aide. Mashaei’s chances are severely hampered by his association with Ahmadinejad, who has fallen out of favour with the ruling theocracy over his challenges to the authority of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader.

un chief in russia as syria crisis deepens UNITeD NaTIONs agENcIES

An international peace conference for Syria, where government and opposition forces will be represented, should happen as soon as possible, the UN chief Ban Ki-moon said during a visit to Russia. On Friday, Ban met with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi. Ban’s trip and a recent visit to Sochi by British Prime Minister David Cameron follow Putin’s early

May talks in Moscow with US Secretary of State John Kerry, during which the two sides agreed to set up a new round of Syria negotiations within a matter of weeks. At a press conference with Lavrov, Ban said: “We should not lose the momentum,” generated by the US-Russian proposal to bring the Syrian government and opposition representatives to a peace conference. Ban said that the conference should be held as soon as possible, but added that no date had yet been agreed.

Lavrov said: “The sooner this conference is held, the better ... the key thing now is who is ready to take part on the Syrian side.” Ban is also due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin as global pressure grows on Moscow to end arms supplies to the Syrian regime and drop its support for President Bashar al-Assad. PEAcE coNFErENcE: Elsewhere, Ban used the visit to renew a call on Damascus to allow UN experts in to assess claims over alleged chemical weapons use.

day before were receiving condolences. Car bombs also hit three Shia-majority areas of Baghdad on Thursday, killing 10 people, while 21 people died in a series of bombings that mainly hit Shia areas of the capital the day before. Armed men also shot dead the brother of a Sunni MP in Baghdad on Thursday. Violence in Iraq has fallen from its peak, but attacks are still common, killing more than 200 people in each of the first four months of this year, including more than 460 in April, according to figures from the AFP news agency.

Lavrov called alleged chemical weapons use “a serious problem” and supported the call for an investigation. The international meeting now expected to take place in Geneva in early June - hopes to build on a failed June 2012 peace initiative that called for the quick creation of a transitional government but defined no clear role for Assad. wEAPoNS SuPPLy: Russia continues to deliver arms to Syria - the regime’s most powerful remaining ally - but claims that it has no real interest

in seeing Assad remain in power. But many continue to express alarm at Russia’s decision to supply Syria with various powerful missiles and question how this fits in with Russia’s commitment to a negotiated end to the crisis. “I do not understand why the media is trying to create a sensation out of this,” said Lavrov, during Friday’s press conference. “We have not hidden that we supply weapons to Syria under signed contracts, without violating any international agreements, or our own legislation.”

agENcIES

US President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan have pledged to increase pressure on Syria’s President Bashar alAssad to step down. Obama said in a news conference with Erdogan at the White House on Thursday that the only way to resolve Syria’s two-year crisis was for Assad to hand over power to a transitional government. He said Turkey would play a critical role in that process. “We’re going to keep increasing the pressure on the Assad regime and working with the Syrian opposition,’’ Obama said. “We both agree that Assad needs to go.’’ The leaders said that they had made Syria top of their agenda, as they agreed that the issue of chemical weapons was an important one and Obama said that the use of chemical arms should always be out of bounds. Obama has warned that use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime would be a “red line” that would require action by the international community. Erdogan said that there was evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria but that it is important to get “more specific information” to confirm this before deciding how to respond. Reviewing options Obama said he was constantly reviewing options over Syria, as the US placed four Syrian ministers andJabhat al-Nusra, leader of the al-Qaeda linked rebel group Muhammad alJawlani, to a terrorism blacklist. Syrian Arab Airlines and the privately held Al-Dunya Television were also added to the sanctions list for helping the regime. “I preserve the option of taking additional steps, both diplomatic and military,” the president said. Erdogan’s visit came as the UNHCR said that the number of people who have fled Syria since the start of the uprising in March, 2011, has reached 1,5 million. About 400,000 refugees are registered in Turkey. Obama said the US would continue helping nations in the region deal with refugees.

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News saturday 18 May, 2013

poorly-executed cyber attacks from india target pakistan washINGTON SPEcIaL cORRESPONdENt

Cyber-security researchers have discovered a family of information-stealing malware targeting Pakistan that originates out of India, a leading portal reported on Friday. Dark Reading, a comprehensive news and information portal focusing on IT security, said unlike other known cyber-espionage campaigns, this one appeared oddly rudimentary in that it used publicly available tools and basic obfuscation methods, and didn't encrypt its command-and-control communications. "String obfuscation using simple rotation (a shift cipher), no cryptography used in network communication, persistence achieved through the startup menu and use of existing, publicly-available tools to gather information on infected systems shows that the attackers did not go to great lengths to cover their tracks. “On the other hand, maybe they see no need to implement stealthier techniques because the simple ways still work," wrote JeanIan Boutin, a malware researcher with Eset. The malware campaign is at least two years old and is spread via phishing emails with rigged Word and PDF files, according to Eset. It steals sensitive information via keyloggers, screenshots, and uploading stolen documents, unencrypted. "The decision not to use encryption is puzzling considering that adding basic encryption would be easy and provide additional stealth to the operation," Boutin says. According to the report, the attack uses a code-signing certificate issued in 2011 to New Delhi-based Technical and Commercial Consulting Pvt Ltd, and is designed to ensure the malware binaries could spread within the victim organisation. The certificate had been revoked in late March 2012, but was still in use. Eset contacted VeriSign, which revoked the certificate. Eset found more than 70 binary files signed with the malicious certificate. According to the report, among the attachments was one that appeared to be about Indian military secrets. "We do not have precise information as to which individuals or organisations were really, specifically targeted by these files but based on our investigations, it is our assumption that people and institutions in Pakistan were targeted," Boutin says. Nearly 80 percent of the infections are in Pakistan, according to Eset. One version of the attack exploits a known and patched Microsoft Office flaw, CVE-2012-0158. The malware executes once the victim opens a malicious Word attachment; the other method used in the attack uses PE files that appear to be Word or PDF attachments. The report said that the attackers used NirSoft's WebPassView and Mail PassView tools for recovering passwords in email clients and browser stores; the tools were signed by the malicious certificates.

do Not Be frieNds with iNdia, hizB warNs pml-N IsLaMaBaD INP

HE head of Hizbul Mujahideen has said that no government would be able to survive in Islamabad if it abandoned the Kashmir cause and warned the new regime not to make the mistake of pursuing a friendship with New Delhi at the cost of Kashmir. "No government in Pakistan, whether it under Nawaz Sharif or anybody else, will remain in power if it abandons the Kashmir cause," Syed Salahuddin, head of the United Jihad Council and leader of the Hizbul Mujahideen, told Indian media. Salahuddin advised the incoming government not to repeat the mistake of putting Kashmir on the back burner and try to foster friendship with New Delhi through trade, cultural exchanges and tourism. “Because the PML-N has won a strong mandate, we will expect them to follow Pakistan's traditional policy on Kashmir, which is to resolve the issue in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the people of Kashmir through UN resolutions," he said. "Nawaz Sharif and his party's leadership must understand that till the time Kashmir is under India's occupation, national security of Pakistan, the safety and security of its borders, and its economic stability is at stake," Salahuddin said. “Pakistan's agriculture and energy needs depend on the waters that flow down from Kashmir,” Salahuddin

said. "So our expectations from Nawaz Sharif's government are that he will make this the first priority and give it central place in the Indo-Pak relationship. Otherwise, it will be lethal to the interests of Pakistan and Kashmir.” "In the name of confidence-building measures, in the name of friendship, in the name of trade and culture, moving ahead to establish a relationship with India and going for a one-sided surrender on Kashmir would hurt the feelings of the Kashmiri people and do irreparable damage to their confidence," Salahuddin said. "If Pakistan is not able to help us militarily, it must continue to help us in diplomatic and political forums,” he added. Salahuddin challenged Pakistan to stop advocating Kashmir's cause if it felt that doing so would harm it. "In 2001 there was a ceasefire between India and Pakistan and a fence was erected across the border,

but the Mujahideen continued their activity. We can sustain our armed struggle without any foreign support for a hundred years, the topography of Kashmir is very favourable," he said. Salahuddin said he disagreed with the broad political consensus in Pakistan that Kashmir was not the immediate priority. "We disagree with that," he said. "We were trying to explain to President Musharraf too that if you want to take any measures on the diplomatic or political front, please do that, but the militant infrastructure on the ground is your basic leverage and provides you with your bargaining power. If you get anything, it is only because of that. And when your bargaining power is gone, what will you go to the table with? What have the weak ever achieved through negotiations?"

in the name of confidence-building measures, in the name of friendship, in the name of trade and culture, moving ahead to establish a relationship with india and going for a one-sided surrender on Kashmir would hurt the feelings of the Kashmiri people and do irreparable damage to their confidence.

india preparing for a two-front war: report

zhOB: a shutter-down strike was observed in the city on the call of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Nazaryati (JUI-N) on Friday against alleged vote rigging in the general election. INP

BeIJING: India is adjusting its military strategy to include the possibility of a limited twofront war with both Pakistan and China, the first Blue Book on India published by a Chinese think tank said. Indian military deployment is mainly fixated against Pakistan but in recent times, it is also being adjusted for both China and Pakistan, the summary of the Blue Book released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, (CASS) said. The book in Chinese language, the first ever on India, said, New Delhi is focusing to deal with limited war with China and Pakistan at the same time. It spoke of large increase in troops at the borders and upgrading of border forces with new weapons and equipment. The report spoke about India’s maritime military deployment in recent years, the prime cause of China’s worry as it regards India’s fast expanding blue water navy as a major threat. NNI

Afghans vary of Nawaz sharif MONITOrING DesK Afghan President Hamid Karzai, calling to congratulate Pakistan’s prime minister-elect this week on his victory in parliamentary elections, said he hoped the new government in Islamabad would create a brotherly and peaceful atmosphere with Afghanistan and cooperate in efforts to destroy terrorist hideouts so both “brother nations” can be saved. However, across Afghan society, many people scoffed at the notions that Nawaz Sharif, a former two-time prime minister, might feel any goodwill toward Pakistan’s fellow Muslim neighbour or seek to improve a relationship long dogged by mutual charges of bad faith, political interference and militant skulduggery. In interviews in the Afghan capital, political figures, experts and residents expressed strong negative opinions to the Washington Post about Pakistan’s trustworthiness and Sharif’s political record and religious views, especially his support for the Afghan Taliban while he was prime minister in the late 1990s and his continued tolerance of armed religious groups in Pakistan. “It is a mistake to test someone who has already been tested and failed you,” said Atiqullah Amarkhel, a retired Afghan army general. “Nawaz Sharif did his utmost to fan the civil war in Afghanistan. He was the main figure behind the disintegration of our army and then he helped the Taliban.” Sharif’s goals, Amarkhel said, would be the same as

previous Pakistani regimes — to “keep Afghanistan unstable, weak and dependent.” Sharif has said little about his intended approach to Afghanistan, in contrast with his numerous assertions that he wants to mend fences with Pakistan’s other problematic neighbour, India. Some analysts here said he will probably wait to see how events in Afghanistan play out in 2014, when national elections and the final pullout of NATO troops are scheduled to take place. Afghan analysts also noted that other actors in Pakistan may have as much of a say in Afghanistan policy as Sharif, especially the powerful military and intelligence establishment that dominates foreign policy and appears inclined to support Islamist militant groups as long as they focus their crusade across the border. Asked to comment on Sharif’s election, several Afghan residents and political leaders accused Pakistan’s major spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, of working to interfere in and harm their country, and they suggested that Sharif would be either unwilling or unable to challenge it. “The ISI is the biggest enemy of Afghanistan, and they have had a key role in our deteriorating situation in recent decades,” said Mozhda Walizad, a journalism student at Kabul University. “Unfortunately, the ISI has influence on people, politicians and even the press. This is why civilian governments, including Nawaz’s party, cannot do anything against them.” Pakistani analyst Ahmed

Rashid, however, pointed out that Sharif’s sweeping electoral victory, combined with Pakistan’s need for international economic support, would give him the means and the motive to help Afghanistan by putting pressure on the Taliban to move forward on longstalled peace talks with the Karzai government. “With the heavy mandate Sharif has obtained and his own desire to be more involved with foreign policy, there will be more interlocutors to influence policy toward the Taliban,” Rashid said in a panel discussion organized by the Afghanistan Analysts Network. “After many years, there will be civilian input

into the military’s policy toward Afghanistan and the Taliban, which is a good thing.” One complicating factor, several Afghan experts said, is the strong electoral showing of Sharif’s main rival, former cricket star Imran Khan, as well as the poor performance of several secular parties. Khan, a onetime liberal, reached out to Pakistani militant groups in his campaign, fulminated against US drone strikes and defended the fighting in Afghanistan as a jihad. His party garnered enough votes to give it political dominance in the volatile northwest border province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “President Karzai has asked Pakistan repeatedly to cooperate in going after militant strongholds, but both Imran and Nawaz say they want to solve the problem through negotiations,” said Waheed Mojdah, an Afghan political analyst. “That means letting Pakistani militants come into Afghanistan to support the Taliban. It means more tensions and problems for us.” Pakistan has long denied backing antiKabul militants and has accused Afghanistan of exporting its problems across the border. In recent weeks, several clashes have erupted between Afghan security forces and Pakistanis manning border outposts, resulting in the death of an Afghan police officer. The violence triggered protests in Afghan cities and reignited a perennial dispute over a Britishdrawn boundary known as the Durand Line. Despite its cordial language, Karzai’s message to Sharif this week focused pointedly

on the issue of Pakistan sheltering anti-Afghan militants in the tribal border region. He has complained about this covert policy to Sharif’s predecessors for a decade and has met with repeated denials. After the recent violence, he angrily suggested that the Taliban “turn and take aim” at the “real enemy” across the border. Sharif, despite his experience on the world stage, is also widely viewed here as a religious fundamentalist who has coddled Islamic groups. He was repeatedly quoted during his campaign as vowing to withdraw Pakistan from the U.S.-led war on international terrorism. “Sharif has been extremely ambiguous on the issue of extremism,” said Imtiaz Gul, an author and director of the Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad. “His people will have to come clean on what they think are the real threats to Pakistan.” A few Afghans said this week that they wished Sharif well and hoped his election would provide a fresh start for bilateral relations. Pakistani leaders often point out that both countries have suffered from terrorism and that establishing peace and security in Afghanistan would also benefit Pakistan. Perhaps at age 63, one man said hopefully, an older and wiser Sharif will take those slogans seriously. “If he continues his past policies, not only will we suffer, but they will, too,” said Obaidullah Ramin, a lawmaker and former aide to Karzai. “He needs to learn from his past times in power and chart an honest, sincere strategy with Afghanistan.”

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News

09 N

saturday 18 May, 2013

delhi allows pro-india kashmiri leaders to visit pakistan IsLaMaBaD

Nizami urges political parties to respect each other’s mandate I LahOre

aPP

NNI

India has approved a proposal to send a delegation comprising pro-India members of the Kashmir Legislature to Pakistan as a goodwill gesture. Media reports say that a few months ago, the presiding officers of both the houses, Legislative Council Chairman Amrit Malhotra, and Legislative Assembly Speaker Muhammad Akbar Lone had forwarded a written proposal to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah seeking approval of a "good will delegation" of legislators to visit Pakistan, KMS reported. The chief minister forwarded the proposal to the government of India for approval. New Delhi recently gave a nod to the proposal thus clearing the way for the delegation's visit to Pakistan, the reports added. After the clearance, the Law Department of Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) has asked the presiding officers to furnish the names of at least three members, each from both houses, who would be part of this delegation to visit Pakistan. Apart from these six members, Malhotra, Speaker Mubarak Gul, Law Minister Saifullah Mir, Law Secretary Farhat Tasneem, Assembly Secretary Mohammad Ramzan and LC Secretary Mohammad Ashraf Mir would also be part of this delegation, the reports added. Political observers, however, believe that selective permission to only the pro-India Kashmiri leaders will not help make a progress on resolution of the Kashmir dispute unless India allows all the Kashmiri leaders irrespective of their political ideologies to pay a visit to Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. They say that New Delhi until now has been reluctant to grant permission to freedom leaders like Syed Ali Gilani to visit Pakistan to even offer condolences over the death of former Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad with his family members in Peshawar.

NTERIM Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Arif Nizami on Friday urged all political parties to respect each other's mandate and avoid making general elections controversial. Responding to a question at a news conference in Lahore ‚ the minister said elections were held‚ by and large‚ in a fair and transparent manner. He said there have been complaints about irregularities in elections and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is taking care of them as re-polling or recounting has been ordered in several cases. The information minister said the caretaker government had fulfilled its responsibility of holding elections in a transparent manner. He said despite a host of challenges including the most significant threat of terrorism‚ elections were held and no major untoward incident took place on May 11. He said the caretaker government was able to maintain law and order on polling day without blocking mobile phone service as was repeatedly done in the past, harming commercial inter-

KaraChI Staff REPORt

President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned a special session of the Senate on Thursday that would be addressed by the visiting Chinese prime minister, Li Keqiang. The sitting would be held at 10am in the Parliament House and would stand prorogued the same day, a statement issued by President spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar said on Friday. It said the joint session of parliament was not possible by the given date so the visiting Chinese leader would only address the Upper House.

jority in the Punjab Assembly while Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) would form the government in Sindh. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in cooperation with Jamaat-e-Islami would form the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) while there are indications that PML-N would form the government in Balochistan with the help of other parties,” said Nizami. The federal minister said as result of elections‚ democratic institutions

Keep calm and move on: Gilani MULTaN ShEIkh haQ NawaZ

chinese pm to address special senate session on thursday

ests of companies and creating problems for users. Nizami said the next stage of transfer of power would be completed as soon as the ECP completes formalities, especially official notification of victorious candidates. He said the future political scenario was now almost clear since the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had attained simple majority in the National Assembly to form the government at the Centre. “The party has also achieved ma-

Former prime minister and central leader of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that there was no time for regret as his party was gearing up to analyse the reasons behind PPP’s defeat in the May 11 elections. He further said that once it was clear why the PPP had failed to secure desired votes, the party would work to regain the trust of the masses and return to power democratically. Talking to Pakistan Today, the former premier said that his party’s election strategy had proved ineffective, but added that irrespective of election gains and losses, history would remember PPP’s democratic, constitutional, economic and state-institutional structural developmental. He said these services would have longterm effects for the country and its

people. Commenting on his resignation from a key party post, the former premier said that he had not left the party and it had been his moral obligation to step down from a central post as he had failed to achieve the electoral victory goal he had been tasked with. He said he had been under no direct or indirect pressure from the party when he had made the decision to offer his resignation. Interestingly, Gilani also mentioned that he was aware of the reason he had failed to accomplish his goals but did not elaborate further. However, the former premier lamented that his government had continuously been targeted by forces that were working with other institutions of the state. Expressing his disappointment, he said that his disqualification from the election was also a “deeprooted” action taken against him,

his party and his political action. Moreover, Gilani complained that his government had been victimised constantly on the bases of fabricated and “incredible” reasons. Gilani was not without regret, however. He admitted that his party had committed some blunders which had caused PPP’s electoral defeat. He admitted that PPP had neglected real and basic problems of the people and had, instead, remained occupied with democratic and constitutional deadlocks. He also blamed the media for not celebrating the successes of the former government and said that it had, instead, maliciously focused on the failures. On the future of the PPP, Gilani stressed that there was an immediate need to reorganise the party once more to steer it in the right direction.

would be strengthened. He said for the first time a smooth democratic transition was taking place in Pakistan. Referring to the forthcoming visit of the Chinese premier to Pakistan‚ he said it was economically and strategically a very important visit. Nizami said the interim government instituted an endowment fund to help families of journalist who laid down their lives during performance of their professional responsibilities in conflict zones.

zardari has no plans of resigning: Babar IsLaMaBaD ONLINE

Dispelling rumours, Presidential Spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar announced that President Asif Ali Zardari will not be resigning any time soon. Babar’s remarks came following rumors that President Zardari was planning to resign in light of his party’s crushing defeat in the general election. There is no question of Zardari leaving the presidency, according to Babar. Despite suffering a historic defeat at the centre and in three provinces, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has surprised many by retaining a solid position in Sindh by once again winning a simple majority in the provincial legislature. The party bagged 67 seats in the province, according to unofficial results of the 2013 elections. It had received 68 seats in the 2008 elections. Some analysts and politicians expected that the party will lose its mandate in Sindh owing to unpopular policies pursued during its reign.

US Defense Department defiant over drone strike policy washINGTON ONLINE

A senior official of the US Defense Department on Thursday said that the Pentagon saw no need to change broad congressional authorisation under which the military conducted lethal drone strikes against terrorist targets and estimated that the war with al Qaeda could continue for up to two decades. According to a report published in the Washington Post, Assistant Defense Secretary Michael Sheehan said, “At this point we’re comfortable with the AUMF as it is currently structured.” Furthermore, he said that Authorisation for the Use of Military Force passed by Congress in 2001 “served its purpose.” President Obama has pledged to be more transparent about the secret targeted killing program that has included nearly 400 CIA and military drone strikes during his administration. In a series of speeches over the past year, senior administration offi-

cials have laid out their legal justification for the program, including the AUMF. Lawmakers have questioned whether the AUMF, enacted days after the September 11, 2001 should be scrapped or rewritten to apply to what has become a starkly different anti-terrorist campaign nearly 12 years later. The law authorised the president to use whatever military force he deemed necessary against those who “planned, authorised, committed or aided” the 2001 attacks or “harbored such organisations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organisations or persons.” Originally interpreted to apply to al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan, in recent years, the AUMF has been expanded to authorise drone strikes against what the administration calls al Qaeda “associates” as far afield as Yemen and Somalia. Sheehan and the Defense Department’s

acting counsel Robert S Taylor said there were no geographic boundaries on future use against groups deemed affiliates of the main al Qaeda organisation. Sheehan said that while the president must approve each military strike, the Pentagon defined which groups were designated as “associates” that posed a threat to US se-

curity. Several lawmakers expressed outrage at what they saw as the lack of specificity in the interpretation of the law. “Here we are, 12 years later, and you come before us and tell us that you don’t think it needs to be up-

dated. Well, clearly it does,” Senator John McCain said, who described his testimony as “disturbing.” The committee appeared divided on whether a new version should be written to curtail the law or whether its current expansive interpretation should be authorised. Be-

cause the administration has described al Qaeda’s leadership core in Pakistan as gravely wounded by the strikes and Afghanistan is seeking peace negotiations with the Taliban, several questioned how any of the group’s “associates” could still be targeted under the law. “In other words, could we be in a situation in which Afghanistan is no longer at war against Mullah Omar’s Taliban, but we still are?” Senator Mark Udall asked.

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“Every election is determined by the people who show up.” –Larry J. Sabato

incitement to violence

CoMMeNT saturday, 18 May, 2013

transgressing the mandate Is there a method behind this madness?

HILE politicians take years to be exposed, accusing fingers are being pointed at a number of caretakers in less than two months. The motives behind crucial transfers and appointment are being discussed widely in the media. The caretaker setup is tasked only to make arrangements for holding timely elections. The interim administration is supposed to comprise neutral individuals known for their integrity. They can retain the image only if they are fully focused on their one item agenda. No doubt there are several weaknesses in the system which need to be rectified and numerous injustices that have to be undone. There is however no need for urgency as the elected government is likely be in office in less than two weeks. The caretakers must use their powers sparingly and only in the limited sphere allotted to them. The caretakers are of course required to undertake administrative measures to help the ECP hold fair and free elections. Early last month the ECP ordered the federal and provincial administrations to change certain federal and provincial secretaries who were supposedly loyal to the outgoing administration. This was needed to provide all candidates a level playing field. Suspicions about civil servants lurk because the bureaucracy in general and in Sindh and Punjab in particular, has been stuffed with lateral entrants and political appointees often at the cost of merit, thanks to the patronage-driven political system prevalent in the country. These transfers were therefore understandable. But the matter did not remain confined to carrying out the orders of the ECP. There were stories in the media of government officers being transferred because they reportedly refused to carry out illegal orders. One minister, avowedly an NHA contractor, desired the termination of the services of two NHA officials working on contract. An additional secretary of ministry of communications who refused to implement the order was transferred without mentioning any reason. Acts of the sort have given birth to suspicions about the ulterior motives of some of the caretakers. What is more it is in violation of the Supreme Court verdict in Anita Turab case. It is not a matter of transferring one or two officers only. At least 20 high ranking officers have been dislodged without being assigned any reason. This is highly unjust because this impairs the working of the concerned departments, delays crucial decisions and causes unnecessary hassle to the officials who have to hire lawyers and make appearances at the court. The glaring high-handedness has finally led the Supreme Court to issue a contempt notice to the caretaker prime minister. What is highly disturbing is that the cycle of transfers has continued even after the elections. On Tuesday managing directors of three petroleum and natural resources companies were removed arbitrarily. One simply fails to understand the reason behind the highhanded activity. Is it just a brainwave or is there a method behind this madness?

the new drone plan Kerry promise to limit war and 20 year drone war plans contradict

ITH the US Secretary of State John Kerry due to arrive next month to present a new proposal to Pakistan to impose “limits” on the drone program, it has emerged that the Pentagon is adamant to continue the drone program for the next two decades, at least. With the State Department and the Pentagon in apparent conflict and the US Senate undertaking its first public hearing over the mechanical death squads operated by the CIA, there are questions over whether Kerry will bring anything new to the table. Nonetheless, it also presents the new Nawaz league government an opportunity to lay out its terms to the US government, and take a stance on what the previous government continued to maintain are “illegal and unapproved” drone strikes. What would be the Sharif governments response to the new Kerry doctrine? Will the proposal to “limit the attacks to high-value targets of al Qaeda and the Taliban only” be accepted by Pakistan? Will another clandestine deal be brokered to continue the unpopular programme? Whatever be the case, there is much to discuss, with the US keen to discuss its exit strategy from Afghanistan, with the US keen to bring the Afghan Taliban on the negotiating table. But what is Pakistan to make of the statement of the Assistant Defense Secretary before the Senate Armed Services Committee that “this is going to go on for quite a while. I think it’s another 10 to 20 years.” This is as lawmakers in the US grapple with whether to scrap or change the laws that authorised the campaign in the first place. The official also revealed that while “the president must approve each military strike, the Pentagon defines which groups are designated as “associates” that pose a threat to US security.” With the Pentagon insisting that the drones need to keep buzzing, there is perhaps little that Kerry will bring to the table. With PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif already having gone on record to state that he wants to “strengthen ties with US,” it is thought that the new government may not take such a hard line on the drones, if the US agrees to reduce the number of strikes. The words of one of the US congressmen are worth repeating, ““In other words, could we be in a situation in which Afghanistan is no longer at war against Mullah Omar’s Taliban, but we still are (fighting them in Pakistan)?” Such is the contradiction of the US drone war that two different policy lines are emerging. One led by the State Department, one led by the Pentagon. If the US wishes for Pakistan’s assistance, the State Department will have to assert itself. Hopefully a compromise will be found between the two countries to move forward.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Editor Lahore – Ph: 042-36375963-5 Fax: 042-32535230 Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 Fax: 021-35381208 Islamabad – Ph: 051-2287273 Fax: 051-2850505 Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

A hate-speech that elicits unprecedented protest

LTAF Hussain’s hatespeech of May 12 was a spate of threats hurled at just about everyone in the country – be it institutions, political parties, or individuals. No one quite escaped the venom of his excruciatingly painful outburst. Accusing the establishment for its partisan role, he cautioned: “If you don’t stop playing with fire, it would burn the entire Pakistan down”. He threatened the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) “to reach a decision with honesty or else they would not be able to find a shelter”. Warning the workers of another political party who have been protesting the alleged rigging in the May 11 elections at the Teen Talwar Chowk in Karachi, the British national thundered that they should behave or else he could unleash his party workers on them who “would dismember them into pieces with their swords”. He demanded that if the (allegedly rigged) mandate in the city was not respected, “Karachi should be separated from the rest of the country”. He threatened that if opposition was not stopped, he would let his followers “act freely on their own. How can I control them and for how long? Altaf Hussain should not be blamed if a war breaks out among the people. Whoever attempted to conduct propaganda will face war”. When his RaOOf haSaN hate-speech elicited the obvious negative reaction from the public and the media, and the phone lines of the London Metropolitan Police were literally jammed with calls to the British government to initiate proceedings against the Queen’s subject, he came up with another fiery outburst on May 15, this time against the media, more notably its anchorpersons: “If you don’t mend your ways, somebody from the organisation of millions of people might lose his mind. If that person does something bad to one of you, don’t blame the MQM

candid corner

or Altaf Hussain”. He continued puking venom: “If the MQM ran out of patience, then neither the anchors nor the owners of the media houses would find a place to hide”. A spokesperson of the London Metropolitan Police confirmed the receipt of ‘floods’ of calls from Pakistan, the UK and elsewhere against Altaf Hussain’s hatespeech. He also said that an investigation (against the MQM chief) was underway”. The British High Commissioner to Pakistan Adam Thomson also commented on the episode. He confirmed the receipt of complaints, but tried to absolve the government of the UK from any responsibility in the matter saying that “unlike some countries of the world, the British police are fiercely independent of the British government and it is for the British police to investigate allegations of incitement to violence or hatred”. The High Commissioner, however, conceded that the London Metropolitan Police have been flooded with complaints about (Altaf Hussain’s) remarks. “What we say is that wherever somebody has a concern that hatred or violence is being incited, that one community or another is being turned against others, this should be reported to the police. And I know that they take such allegations very, very seriously indeed”. He further said that “if proved guilty, the MQM chief could face a jail sentence”. He did not rule out the prospect of handing over Altaf Hussain to Pakistan, but said that, in the absence of a UK-Pakistan Extradition Treaty, it would have to go through the whole process which is complicated: “It does not make it impossible, but it does make it quite difficult”. Karachi has been a hostage to violent and hateful machinations for over thirty years now, which the MQM and its leadership have unleashed on its hapless people with murderous abandon. The MQM are decidedly the original architects of the phenomena of extortion and murder in Karachi which has been used to perpetuate an environment of fear in the city. Thousands have been tortured and brutally exterminated with blood-soaked pieces of their bodies thrown all over the city in gunny bags. It has let lose a spree of murder ever so often to caution the residents against the prospect of freeing themselves from perpetual enslavement. The threatening demeanour and the foul language used by the MQM leadership leave little to the imagination. These endless threats have been unduly rewarded by various governments with invitations to the MQM to become partners in ‘democracy’ and dictatorship alike. Quite literally, the MQM has been a part of all provincial governments of Sindh and the federal governments over the last thirty years or so. No principles. No qualms. The extortion must continue. The killing spree should not end. The governments have been aware of this. The security agencies know of this.

The intelligence agencies cannot feign ignorance either. What has the combined might of the state done to undo this harrowing spectre that threatens to dismember the country and advancing self-promoting gory objectives? Encourage them further by inducting them as partners in the governments and awarding them lucrative ministries to add to their illicit earnings? Seek their support to save their failing governments by issuing endless statements acknowledging their contribution to ‘democracy’? Quite simply, it has been a case of unremitting shame. What was the cause for this latest venomous outburst of the supremo? Quite simply, for the first time since the inception of the MQM, the supporters of another political party were able to break the shackles of fear and go to the polling stations to cast their ballots. So, true to tradition, the MQM literally hijacked the entire election process in connivance with the Returning Officers and other ECP officials who were just too scared to stand up to their murderous tactics. The MQM expects this mandate of fear to be accepted without questioning. For once, the people are angry. They appear unwilling to surrender their right to choose the leadership of their liking. They are protesting. They want justice. They are demanding re-polling under the army supervision in all constituencies of the city. They want an end of the politics of murder and extortion that has been practised through the last thirty years. They have a right to that and it is the state’s responsibility to ensure it. There are no two ways about it. The politics of fraud must cease. The people of Karachi want their freedom from fear and violence that they suffered from endlessly – and they must have it. They must also have their freedom to choose the leaders of their liking. The ECP must ensure that. The state must ensure that. It should not be left to the goons of terrorist outfits garbed as political parties to decide the fate of the people of Karachi, and that of Pakistan. A word for the British High Commissioner: instead of hedging your responsibility in the case of investigating the conduct of one of your citizens, you should advise your government to expedite the enquiry against him. For your added information, the two laws under which he can be tried and punished are the Anti-Terrorism Act 2008 and the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006. Meanwhile, and pending the results of the enquiry, appropriate restrictions should be clamped on his speech so that he would not be able to incite the people of Karachi to violence and hatred. They have had enough of that. It is time for them to move on – towards turning Karachi into the glorious city of lights that it used to be, not too long ago! The writer is a political analyst. He can be reached at raoofhasan@hotmail.com

whiteLIES ApoLLo

HE PTI’s fan following - or Insafians, as some have taken to calling them, in order to avoid the delightful but crass portmanteau “Youthias” - are up in arms. Anyone with even a slight grasp of politics would classify the PTI’s performance in the elections as stellar. They’ve destroyed some pretty heavy hitters and have even managed to form the government in one province. But the Insafians aren’t having any of it. We had been winning in the Punjab as well, they claim. Now their claim about that one Karachi seat is sort of understandable; who doesn’t view any seat the MQM wins with suspicion? But the claim about the Punjab is a hard sell. Now the high-maintenance, dolled-up DHA babes have as much of a right to protest as subsistence level farmers in

Rahimyar Khan – let no one say otherwise. But, also, let no one say they don’t look “fabulous, jaani, simply fabulous” while doing it. First there was talk of “election tans”, then there were the sartorial discussions on “protest chic.”

After the PML-N’s Saad Rafiq ate the PTI’s Hamid Khan for supper on a TV talk show, with the latter, surprising for a seasoned lawyer, bumbling and sweating, the Lahore protest’s plug was pulled out. In fact, “I never asked them to do this,” he said. But the protesters still aren’t willing to take any such call, even if it is their candidate’s, till, perhaps, His Lordship himself recovers and makes a drive from SKMH to Lalak Jaan Chowk. I don’t blame them. It is a spot of outdoors fun. Hotspot Ice-cream, Subway and OPTP are a stone’s throw away from the protest site. As is DHA cinema; a bit of Aashiqui 2 to while away the lulls in the protest.

For feedback, comments, suggestions and, most importantly, tips, contact us at whitelies@pakistantoday.com.pk

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“Democracy is not just the right to vote, it is the right to live in dignity.” –Naomi Klein

CoMMeNT

saturday, 18 May, 2013

youth and change Change is a slow process, sometimes painfully slow

go home pti supporters Change takes time

ZEEShaN SaLahuddIN

HERE is an argument to be made that Pakistanis favour the status quo over the revolution. The other side of this coin insists that the status quo has been challenged, and perhaps even changed. Both sides are right. Nawaz Sharif maintained the status quo, Imran Khan changed it. The lion of Punjab now rules this familiar jungle. Promising motorways, airports and bus services, Nawaz Sharif rode on the tidal wave of rhetoric generated by his urban development projects and his six nuclear detonations establishing Pakistan as a nuclear power, and swept through the country. With the tally hovering between 125 and 130 seats for the PML-N in the centre, the great lions of Punjab need literally no other party to form the federal government. They might extend an olive branch to old compatriots like Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s JUI-F, perhaps in an attempt to weaken an opposition that will inevitably be forged out with some permutation of rival parties, but the lion reigns supreme. Despite allegations, it stands to reason that national rigging of this scale and calibre is implausible and improbable. The Sharifs’ love-hate relationship with the general population, demonstrated most visibly by the on-again, off-again relationship they have had with the central seat of power, continues unabated by the political pendulum that seems to swing only between the PML-N and the PPP. On the other side of this coin are you, the PTI supporters, who rose to the occasion for Imran Khan. You stood in line for 10 hours in certain cases, rode around urban centers in vehicles adorned with party flags, and made a stand beyond the relatively safe comfort zones of your homes. You ought to be lauded for your resilience, your affinity for what you perceive to be positive change, and your dedication in the street protests post-elections. The protests are war-

ranted, and as citizens you are well within your rights to demonstrate and share your dissatisfaction with the results. But all of it is for naught, as beyond the scope of what you “burgers” wish to see, the “illiterates” have already chosen our collective fate. There are three reasons you should rethink your role, go home and prepare for the coming fight. First, you are leading to class warfare that will inevitably hurt your long-term goals. Voting your mind is not backwards or wrong. Outside the security blankets of the urbanites, there lives a Pakistan that is so disenfranchised, so far out on the fringes, that it cannot imagine voting for leaders with no political track record and no sense of real identification with their problems. Just because the galvanized upper class and upper middle class can afford to look past putting food on their tables and into what the future may hold, does not mean these concerns are shared by the rest of the population. Their idea of democracy and the strength of their vote matters no less and no more than yours does. Former Law Minister Punjab Rana Sanaullah already referred to the protestors as “mummy daddy” in order to alienate them further from those that simply do not place much faith in Imran Khan’s ideology. And the ruse is working, as the other side is already labeling this as class warfare, saying the rich are trying to impose their version of democracy, truth and liberty on the uneducated ‘paindoos’. Imran Khan’s battle has only just begun, and the fact that his message was not able to permeate the mindset of the middle and lower classes will need to be categorically and systematically addressed by the PTI in the coming years. Because one thing is for certain: without these votes, there can be no decisive victory in the centre, and these very votes are being ridiculed and estranged further. Go home PTI supporters, you’re disillusioned! Second, you are on a fine line between supporting your favourite leader, and being seen as worshippers of a one-man cult. Imran Khan, in less than two years, has become a force to be reckoned with, a new political awakening that has caused the Pakistani Twitteratti and the drawing room warriors to turn out in droves, cast their votes, and flood Facebook with photos of purple thumbs. It was not enough for a clean sweep, but it was enough to forever change the status quo. The PTI secured 30-plus seats in the national assembly, and it will likely form the government in the highly volatile KP. The PTI supporters should celebrate this, it is a remarkable accomplishment. But at this point, with protests that have been largely registered, and the ECP re-polling/recounting in certain constituencies, as well as FAFEN’s preliminary report stating that these elections do

“reflect the free will of the electorate through a relatively fair process”, this is becoming a tad pointless. You wear the Kardar shirts, wail for a lost future where you could swing the Bat of Justice against the forces of Corruption, and imagine Imran Khan as the long-awaited messiah who has been thwarted by widespread rigging and widespread ‘jaahils’. He has his work cut out for him. He has a tough fight in the centre, trying to keep the government in check, and he has to bring transformation to the KP in order to forever cement his reputation as an agent of change. Help him move forward, don’t entrench him in what is done and mostly over with. Go home PTI supporters, you’re disillusioned! Third and finally, you fail to see what this country has gained in the process. We are a long way from the ever-elusive idea of democratic maturity, but we have crawled a few inches towards it, and we have fought and bled and suffered to gain every last inch. We are the first people in the 66-year history of the country to not only witness a civilian handover of power, but also to figure out how this process works, and how we can continue to improve on it. Despite 180 killings in 30-plus incidents of election violence, the public defiantly turned out to vote, with initial ECP estimates at 60 per cent, up from the 44.4 per cent in 2008. The marginalized transvestites were not only allowed to vote in the elections, several transvestite candidates ran for elections. Badam Zarri rose for her people in what the foreign media describes as “the lawless tribal frontier”. Despite vast differences in political ideologies, all parties united to push the government and the ECP for timely elections, and as promised we all voted on May 11, 2013. A lion roared, an arrow missed the mark, and a bat scored a few crucial runs. And right after elections, Nawaz Sharif paid a friendly visit to Imran Khan in the hospital. This is unprecedented. This is history in the making. We cannot be held back by our collective need to impose our individualistic version of how it should be on everyone else. We must come together, support the system. Go home PTI supporters, you’re disillusioned! Instead of decrying the results, you can appreciate and recognize how far we have come, and maybe, just maybe, these small victories will lead to something bigger, better and beautiful. Change takes time. This is not the end. This is just the beginning. The writer is the Executive Producer for the Planning and Research Department at Capital TV,

DDRESSING the Punjabi Muslim Students Federation at Lahore on October 31, 1947, Jinnah said: “Pakistan is proud of her youth, particularly the students who have always been in the forefront in the hour of trial and need. You are the nation’s leaders of tomorrow and you must fully equip yourself by discipline, education and training for the arduous task lying ahead of you. You should realise the magnitude of your ZOya aShRaf responsibility and be ready to bear it.” It is clear from Jinnah’s statement that youth is an integral part of the state as they are the leaders of tomorrow. However, in today’s world, leadership is not the only trait one should look for in the youth, another closely related quality is also of great import: the aptitude to bring change in society. Youth today has whatever it wants at its disposal and our laws provide them the rights to freedom of speech, assembly and association, but using law for personal petty interests is not good. Instead, they should be used to create pathways for the sake of national interests. By doing this, they sure will create a window of opportunity not only for themselves but also for other people. Youth also needs to come forward to voice their opinion and not be afraid of learning from experiences of others. One of the ways where they can put their collective efforts is on how to improve the education system because it is they who are going through it and they know well what they need. If it doesn’t bring any change, it will at least lay down ground work for this debate to become mainstream and national. Youth is often attributed to change and change is good. Without change there would only be stagnation and then decay will take over. Change is not an event that can happen overnight, it’s a process, a slow and steady process. If people expected the youth to change the future of Pakistan in the elections, they were in for a surprise. Youth brings change through their fresh intellectual fervor and the results can differ from region to region and context to context. However, in Pakistan’s case, what they have done is that they have opened up for discussion the very possibility of change in the country. People should not fall prey to the utopian ideals of change; they should know that it is a slow, sometimes painfully slow, process. Answering that all too important question as to how youth can utilise their abilities to bring change is simple and complex at the same time. They need an ideology to initiate the process of change and awareness level about any initiative they might take needs to be increased. Educating the masses of Pakistan will be equivalent to achieving a milestone in itself. It is here the youth can play an important role, by educating people. For example, informing people about the importance of vote, why to vote and who to vote for was a challenging task, still they did it and with such huge success. More important than all, a process of dialogue should be initiated as dialogue has the power to change things upside down. The youth of Pakistan has the potential to work as one of the agents for change; they can prove to be an important part of this dialogue. Apart from bringing a change in the system, the issue of conflict resolution also needs to be addressed. Pakistan is in a state of constant conflicts with its neighbours and a number of internal ones. In this age of globalisation, one should address the conflicts and indentify the problems. Our problem is that we start the process of conflict resolution without even identifying the problem. Bangladesh, once our part, seceded from us in 1971 but no effort was made to stop this secession nor was the conflict addressed in a proper manner. For closure, Bangladesh wants our apology which is not too outlandish to ask for from their perspective. If the government is not up for an apology, at least a dialogue process can be started. Here the youth can also work better than most of the others. If someone has to take initiative for a dialogue, why not youth? Let’s keep politics out of this matter and see the results. Our youth can get in touch with the youth of Bangladesh and get to know their perception and then after having a dialogue, the issue should be taken on the state level. Things might actually turn up positively after this attempt. Youth has an opportunity to prove their worth, and not just the one they had in elections. If they work hard, their agenda is positive and they have a vision, a positive change should not be out of reach. Not all is black and white, so to speak. Much is grey still, and that’s where the youth has a chance to prove their worth.

People should not fall prey to the utopian ideals of change; they should know that it is a slow, sometimes painfully slow, process.

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Failure is only postponed success as long as courage coaches ambition. The habit of persistence is the habit of victory. –Herbert Kaufman

salmaN khaN

traiNs

arts saturday, 18 May, 2013

saNtosh shukla

ANTOSH is back in town in a lean avatar - all thanks to Salman Khan Actor Santosh Shukla, who was last seen in Bigg Boss, is on cloud nine these days. "Aur hoon bhi kyun na, I am getting training for my next film directly under the Khan of all Khans - Salman Khan for Sohail Khan's Mental," he gushes. Adding further, he says, "I trained for the action sequences with a special trainer but Salman bhai was not happy with my training and looks. So, he decided to train me with the help of his personal trainer Rakesh. All three of us go to bhai's farmhouse in Mumbai and then he runs with me for 10 kms. Once we are done with that, he makes me do 400 push-ups of 25 sets each and 300 crunches. He has made me lose 15 kgs! And finally, after so much training, he is happy with my new lean avatar." And Santosh seems to be reaping the benefits of his newfound friendship with Salman Khan. "After Mental, I have signed another movie with Bhai, Kick, to be directed by Sajid Nadiadwala. Salman bhai's company has proved really lucky for me," he smiles. Talking of TV, we ask if Santosh has bid goodbye to the medium. "I was offered Jhalak Dikhlaja and Maharana Pratap on TV, which I refused. As of now, I am not interested in doing anything on TV. My focus is to make a place for myself in Bollywood," he says. Back to his hometown, Lucknow, Santosh is happy to be with his friends and family. "Sohail bhai (Khan) gave us a 10-day break from shooting and I immediately came down to Lucknow to be with my family and friends. I am the kind of a person who gets homesick very soon," he says. And he sure is having fun back home. "I am spending time partying with friends every night. They keep asking me to tell them stories about Bollywood and my movie. More than me, they are excited about the release of Mental. On Wednesday, I rode around in Hazratganj on my bike and it was an awesome experience. It was fun with everyone staring at me and trying to place who I am." NEwS dESk

i coNsider myself to Be a romaNtic, says Bradley cooper Bradley Cooper, who has been linked to a number of hot Hollywood beauties, has admitted that he considers himself to be a romantic. The 'Silver Linings Playbook' star said that he loves the company of a great woman, and thinks a relationship works best when both partners have a certain ease in the way they relate to each other, the Mirror reported. He said that there's a level of harmony that goes beyond just physical attraction. "There's nothing better when you're able to share that kind of closeness," he said. NEwS dESk

doN't have a persoNality like srk or salmaN: raNBir Ranbir Kapoor, who is riding high on success of Barfi! has spent five years in Bollywood and has been blessed with success. However, the actor claims that there is no strategy for it and he is just a passionate actor. While talking about his career, Ranbir claimed, "I got the opportunities and my stardom is part of my characters. I don't have a personality like Salman Khan or Shah Rukh Khan that I can be myself and be successful. I have to play a character, I have to support the film by playing the role. Today cinema has changed, we can play different characters. I have been at the right time at the right place." On being asked about what really works for Ranbir, the star said, "It's about time and there is no planning behind my career. There is no formula for success and I guess I work hard and I am very passionate about work. I got good opportunities and got family, who is very supportive. In fact, all these things work for me and my luck is also strong." "You can be star when you can understand Indian culture. You have to constantly reinvent yourself and come up with new ideas," concluded Ranbir. NEwS dESk

‘the oﬃce’ stays true to its heart, even after 9 seasons News DesK

Bea arthur's topless portrait fetches Nearly $2m A 1991 painting depicting actress Bea Arthur - best known for her roles in 70s and 80s shows 'Maude' and 'Golden Girls'- nude from the waist up was sold for nearly 2 million dollars at an auction in Manhattan on Wednesday. According to Christie's, the John Currin portrait aptly named 'Bea Arthur Naked' was imagined from an image of the sitcom star with her clothes on, the New York Daily News reported. The painting was described by Christie's website as both "nostalgic and repelling." The 22-yearold controversial piece of art created a new storm after The Daily Beast's social media editors were locked out of their Facebook accounts for posting an image of the portrait - an action the social network initially considered a violation of its terms. NEwS dESk

"The Office" closed its doors on Thursday night after eight years and nine seasons. That is not to say that Dunder Mifflin, the paper company in whose Scranton, PA, branch the series has largely been set, is itself going out of business. It's not uncommon that when a workplace sitcom concludes it takes the workplace with it, but there have been no signs of that this season. Still, anything can happen in 75 minutes. (The extra-long, "supersized" finale that will end the series makes a total of 201 episodes –13.4 times as many episodes as the Ricky Gervais UK series upon which it was based.) The ninth season has been at times a strange and ungainly one, due to the mechanics of winding things up; to the somewhat forced (though not implausible) friction between Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer), the show's main love interest; to the wildly shifting character, and long midseason absence, of office manager Andy (Ed Helms); and to the decision to make the conceit of the series -that it is a public-television documentary, nine improbable years in the making – concrete, to the point of bringing a crew member into the story. The last episode left off just as the staff was sitting down to watch it. It is not quite the same show as the one that debuted in March 2005, but it has continued to be a show I watch, grumbling occasionally, with great and in many respects increasing pleasure. It has become more fanciful -- closer in tone to "Parks & Recreation," which was co-created by Greg Daniels, who adapted "The Office" for American television -- while remaining true to its

emotional core. (And it does have one.) For some, the series might as well have ended with the departure of Steve Carell, whose inept and confident Michael Scott occupied the chair Gervais originally built for himself. I like Carell, and I appreciate Michael more in retrospect. (I have been grazing in the fields of seasons past.) Still, Michael's loud neediness consumed a lot of oxygen, and his departure -- to a happy ending with his one true love, Holly (Amy Ryan) -gave his employees room to breathe. It became more equitably an ensemble piece, which brought familiar characters into deeper or different focus, and which found room for some valuable new ones, most particularly Catherine Tate's brash-yet-lost Nellie and James Spader's gnomic season 8 overseer, Robert California. But even final-year new kids Clark Green and

Pete Miller, as service reps Clark and Pete, made a stronger impression than they would have in earlier seasons. Along with Michael, the show has most heavily depended on Rainn Wilson's Dwight Schrute, living permanently at a state of Defcon One, and Jim and Pam, whose relationship, in its measured naturalism, has been the series' heart; "The Office" would have felt their loss more fatally than it did Michael's. Krasinski and Fischer and the writers who created Jim and Pam knew the characters well from the start, and even though they were put through their share of hoops -- though one was always in love with the other, they were kept apart until season four -they have remained consistent, and constant, through the years. Although they were pushed apart in the current season in the name of narrative tension, their reunion last week

redeemed all that felt artificial in their separation. Situation comedy is almost always about family, whether or not the characters are related: "A lot of these people, this is the only family they have," Michael says in an early episode, showing the camera a mug that reads "World's Best Boss." "So, as far as I'm concerned, this says 'World's Best Dad.'" You can think of it as a sort of popularart "Waiting for Godot," in which the characters irritate and entertain one another to pass their blurring days. They pull pranks, play games, plan parties and throw parties. ("When do people work?" Phyllis is asked. ""We find little times during the day," she responds.) But in this kind of comedy, there is also the possibility for change, for advancement, for meaning, for love. Love. It's one of the things we come to TV for: Not only for the love one character might bear another within an ongoing fiction, but for the perceptible love between the real people who play them. Even children know that there is a difference between an actor and the person he plays; and even adults feel that they are somehow one and the same. It is true, of course, that actors have to pretend to love people they don't actually like, or to hate people they care about it. So it is gratifying to learn that the note Jim gave Pam in last week's episode, which put the seal on their reconciliation -- its contents were unrevealed to the audience -- was in fact a note that John Krasinski wrote Jenna Fischer, and that she was reading it for the first time as the cameras rolled, and that what crossed her face came straight from the heart.

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Just because I look sexy on the cover of Rolling Stone doesn’t mean I’m naughty. –Britney Spears

ali zafar’s ost ‘ziNdagi gulzar hai’ a faN favorite LahOre Staff REPORt

Ali Zafar’s Original sound track “Zindagi Gulzar Hai” for a HUM TV play has become a big hit with the public. Sung by Ali Zafar and Hadiqa Kiani and composed by Shani Haider, the song has recently been nominated in Lux Style Awards 2013 in Best Original Sound Track (Ost) category. The drama series itself is pretty popular; revolving around two protagonists from different backgrounds trying to make a marriage work. Ali Zafar’s voice in the Ost has given the audience a sense of association with the play’s essence. “This was the first time I was composing a sound track for a television play. I am glad that people liked it and the play did so well. I got to realise how popular it had become during my United States tour when people from the audience would start screaming requesting this song. My gratitude and respect to Sultana Aapa and the entire cast and crew of the play,” remarked Ali Zafar.

ARTs saturday, 18 May, 2013

13 A

$1m in jewellery stolen at Cannes film festival This weekend, stars may sport a little less bling and the parties could be a little less sparkly. According to France 24 of ITV news, thieves broke in the hotel room of a Chopard employee, where the jewels were being kept in a safe in a hotel room. The robbers ripped the safe off the wall and left with everything in it, about $1 million in jewels. Those jewels were meant to be lent to the stars. Chopard is one of the official sponsors of the film festival. This isn't the first time that there's been a robbery at Cannes. In 2009, a lone gunman walked into a Chopard jewelry store and made off with $8 million worth of bling. Also in 2009, a group of armed men wearing Hawaiian shirts and masks riding motorbikes nabbed $21 million in jewelry from a Cartier store in Paris. NEwS dESk

george michael

iNjured iN m1 crash

Singer George Michael has been airlifted to hospital with a head injury following a crash on the M1. The former Wham! star, 49, remains in hospital after the crash at junction 6A, near St Albans, Hertfordshire, A spokesman for Michael confirmed he had been involved in an accident on Thursday but said the singer only had "superficial cuts" and was "fine". Michael was a passenger in a Range Rover and no other vehicles were involved, the spokesman added. Connie Filippello, spokesman for Michael, said: "George Michael was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a traffic accident yesterday evening. No third party was involved. "We have no further comment at this time." 'CIrCUMStaNCeS UNCLear': Ambulance spokesman Gary Sanderson said: "The man who we believe to be in his 40s sustained a head injury and following treatment, stabilisation and immobilisation by land and air ambulance crews, he was flown to hospital for further care." Hertfordshire Police said the northbound carriageway of the road was closed for an hour while emergency services dealt with the incident. Two people were in the car at the time of the crash at about 17:50 BST. No arrests have been made. A police spokesman said: "The exact circumstances of what happened are unclear at this time and until further investigations have been carried out it would be inappropriate for us to comment further." In September 2010, Michael was given an eight-week sentence for crashing his car while under the influence of cannabis. NEwS dESk

Kim to tAKE bAby oN toUr with KANyE wESt, 3 moNthS AFtEr birth: rEPort Kim Kardashian is packing her bags and heading on the road with her boyfriend Kanye West come October and she's taking their expectant bundle of joy with her, according to a TMZ report. Sources close to the tour told the gossip site that even though West will be touring for his new album just three months after Kardashian is due, "Kim and the baby are coming along for the ride." According to the report, the new mama-to-be is not messing around, the touring company has allegedly said the reality starlet has given orders "to arrange for cribs and soundproof hotel rooms at every stop." Kardashian is currently very heavily pregnant but has not given up on her fashion sense quite yet, the 32-year-old was just spotted Thursday in Los Angeles donning a white dress and squeezing her swollen feet into a pair of heels, Meanwhile her beau, who just went on a fiery rant Wednesday on stage at a New York show telling the audience he "ain't no motherf--king celebrity," has not announced which cities his tour will definitively be going to just yet. NEwS dESk

‘american idol’ crowns Candice Glover twelfth-season champion over Kree Harrison News DesK Candice defeated Kree Harrison, a 22year-old from Nashville, TN, after she received the majority of home viewer votes cast immediately following Wednesday night's performance broadcast which featured the Top 2 finalists each singing three songs. Candice joins original Idol champion Kelly Clarkson, second-season winner Ruben Studdard, third-season champ Fantasia Barrino, fourth-season winner Carrie Underwood, fifth-season champ Taylor Hicks, sixth-season winner Jordin Sparks, seventh-season champ David Cook, eighth-season winner Kris Allen, ninth-season champ Lee Dewyze, tenth-season winner Scotty McCreery, and eleventh-season champion Phillip Phillips as the recipient of a million-dollar recording contract. On Wednesday night, Kree and Candice battled it out for America's vote. Round 1 -- which was themed "Idol creator Simon Fuller's choice" -- featured Candice performing "Chasing Pavements" by Adele, and Idol judge Randy Jackson made it clear he preferred Candice's performance over Kree's choice. "Listen, I must say I got to give the edge in Round 1 to Candice. At least she took the song and tried to make more of it. It had some interesting choices and [I liked] seeing more of her lower register because it's so rangey," Randy noted. Round 2 featured each finalist singing the single that would

be released if they were to win American Idol. Candice's song is entitled "I Am Beautiful," and Idol judge Nicki Minaj raved about the performance. "I loved Candice's song because it makes so much sense for her to sing it... It's so meaningful. I love that song," Nicki said. "It fits her like a glover," fellow judge Keith Urban joked. Round 3 featured the ladies each singing their favorite song of the season. Candice sang a rendition of "I Who Have Nothing" and blew the judges

away. "You're such a powerhouse singer Candice. And that song, God, it's just like a planet exploding to life. It's amazing," Keith noted. "I loved that performance... I think what comes across from you is superstar, commands the stage. And this is a big stage. This is a big place for you to perform in. And the fact you always walk on there and own it immediately, salute," Nicki said. "This is how you do it! That's like the winning performance. You just shot this night to a whole other level, and

that's what I've been waiting on because it's about singing, and baby, you got it all!" Randy exclaimed. "It doesn't matter if we heard you sing this particular song every single night of this competition. What you have is the ability, the innate ability, to take any song and turn it into a vehicle for that amazing voice, that nobody can deny. You have an undeniable talent. It just surpasses what I could have ever even imagined I'd see here [on Idol]," Mariah explained. All of Idol's Top 10 twelfth-season finalists participated in Thursday night's finale, as they all opened the show as a group. Afterward, the Top 5 male finalists performed a medley with singer Frankie Valli, while the Top 5 female finalists performed a variety of classics with Aretha Franklin. The filler-packed finale broadcast also included the twelfth season's fourth-place finisher Amber Holcomb performing "Next To Me" featuring Emeli Sande, Candice singing "Inseparable" in a duet with Jennifer Hudson, third-place finisher Angela "Angie" Miller performing "Titanium" with Adam Lambert and then "Domino" with Jessie J, Kree performing "Where the Black Top Ends" alongside Keith and Randy on guitar, and Kree and Candice singing one last duet together. Several more famous artists were highlighted. Mariah sang a medley of some of her most memorable hits, leading into her new single "#Beautiful." PSY performed

"Gentleman." Keith sang his new song "Little Bit Of Everything," and former Idol judge Jennifer Lopez returned and performed "Live it Up" with Pitbull. During Thursday night's broadcast, a video montage was also shown re-living some of Randy's best moments on American Idol throughout its 12 seasons on the air. Randy, the only original judge remaining, shared some final words since he's leaving the show after this season. "Randy, I think I speak on behalf of a lot of people in America and our producers when I say the door is always open my brother," Idol host Ryan Seacrest told Randy. "Yo, appreciate you, Ryan. Love all my fans. Love everybody that's worked on this show. Love, love you. And hopefully all these amazing contestants over 12 seasons -- I'm so blessed and so honored and so lucky -- hopefully I touched their lives a little bit. They certainly touched mine!" Randy replied. Viewers also saw a video montage in which Kree and Candice asked their own personal music mentors from home to attend the finale. During the live broadcast, the two finalists each handed their mentors the keys to a brand new Fiesta vehicle, after which Kree and Candice were each given their own Ford vehicle selected by America. American Idol's final twelfth-season episode concluded with Candice taking the stage and singing "I Am Beautiful," her new single.

KHI 18-05-2013_Layout 1 5/18/2013 5:32 AM Page 14

infotainment Saturday, 18 may, 2013

poop fouNd iN most swimmiNg pools

The CDC sampled 161 public swimming pools and discovered a very good reason to keep your mouth closed in the water: 58% of them had fecal contamination, reports USA Today. The pools were in Atlanta, but a CDC official says the findings would almost certainly apply to any city. Researchers chalked it up to swimmers’ hygiene, either because they were unclean when they got in the water or they had an accident. The CDC found another type of bacteria, one that causes rashes and ear infections, in 59% of the pools, reports LiveScience. NEwS dESk

wiNNiNg Bid for coffee with tim cook: $610k Someone just paid $610,000 to have coffee with Tim Cook sometime in the next year. A charity auction for up to one hour with the Apple CEO closed yesterday, and the winning bid was quite a bit higher than Charitybuzz’s suggested value of $50,000, NPR reports. The winner is still anonymous at this point, but NPR earlier looked at the list of bidders and figures many of them wanted to talk with Cook about their businesses or projects. The site required any bids higher than $500,000 to be authenticated using bank records. NEwS dESk

paiNtiNg fetches highest price ever for liviNg artist

A huge oil painting by German artist Gerhard Richter sold for $37 million at Sotheby’s yesterday, making it the highest price ever paid for a work by a living artist, reports the Guardian. Richter painted the 9-footby-9-footDomplatz, Mailand, in 1968, and it last sold 15 years ago for “only” $3.5 million to Hyatt Hotels. The work depicts Milan’s Cathedral Square in the 81-year-old Richter’s distinctive style—it looks like a blurred photograph. The new owner is Don Bryant, founder of a Napa Valley vineyard, reports Reuters. “This just knocks me over,” he says. NEwS dESk

When a man tells you that he got rich through hard work, ask him: ‘Whose?’ –Don Marquis

why humaNs get lost I

News DesK

N 1996, a ranger flying a helicopter over Death Valley, Calif., spotted a minivan in a wash near Anvil Canyon. That was ominous for several reasons: There was no road leading up to the spot, and the area wasn’t passable without a fourwheel vehicle. After investigating the vehicle, park rangers determined that four German tourists — a man, a woman, and their two sons, ages 4 and 11 — had last rented the minivan. But there was no trace of the family itself. Their remains were not found for about 15 years, until Tom Mahood, a physicist-turned-adventurer, retraced their steps. As he recounts on his website, a series of reasonable mistakes, such as misreading the steepness of a canyon descent and being led astray by culturally confusing map landmarks, likely led to the decisions that ended in them separating, then dying in the scorching desert heat. The story reveals how easy it is for people to become hopelessly lost in the wilderness. Humans get lost in part because we don’t pay attention and have lost ancient ways of reading the environment to navigate. But humans’ way-finding abilities are also less precise than the abilities of other animals. While innate navigational ability differs, “just about everyone can get better,” said Daniel Montello, a geographer and psychologist at the University of California Santa Barbara. ANcIENT TooLS Historically, not getting lost was a matter of life or death. One wrong turn could lead to a hyena’s den or a nasty death from thirst. As a result, all indigenous cultures navigate in part by tracking the sun or the stars’ positions in the sky relative to the fixed star Polaris, said Tristan Gooley, author of “The Natural Navigator” (The Experiment, 2012) and owner of naturalnavigator.com. Those cues “are as good if not better than a compass in many situations,” Gooley told LiveScience. For instance, Polynesian seafarers track direction using ocean swells, the nat-

ural rise and fall of the water caused when a huge storm generates waves deep at sea. Because swells can linger for days, they can reliably be used to fine-tune direction, Gooley said. The Polynesians can track up to eight swells at a time, he said. Both land and sea bear traces of longand short-term directional cues. For instance, grass may wave in the direction of the winds on a given day, but a tree may lean toward the direction the winds blow over long periods of time, Gooley said. uSE IT or LoSE IT Human mental-mapping stems in part from a brain region called the hippocampus, and studies suggest it can be strengthened with practice. For instance, one study found cab drivers in London have bigger and thicker hippocampi than the average person, said Colin Ellard, a psychologist at

the University of Waterloo in Canada and author of the book “You Are Here” (Doubleday, 2009). But the sense of direction may also wither with disuse. Small studies have found that using a GPS for just a few hours seems to impair people’s navigational skills in the short term, Montello said. Many people get lost because they simply aren’t paying attention, he added. It’s also true that the human sense of direction is simply less precise than that of many animals. For instance, migratory birds can use internal magnetic compasses or sonar maps to create incredibly detailed mental maps. And many animals’ sense of direction is instinctual and is genetically hard-wired. In addition, humans have faulty internal senses of direction. For instance, several studies have found that people walk in circles when blindfolded or

Smart dust: Computers as small as a grain of sand COUrTesy hUMaNs INVeNT LEO kENt

Smartphones have shown that complex computing can be done on a very small scale but the next generation of computing will see devices shrinking even more dramatically. What is known as smart dust in computing parlance, these nano computers will be used to monitor and control infrastructure such as bridges and buildings and could even be implanted into the human body to monitor biological functions (not too dissimilar from the concept of nanorobots as discussed by Sharp Laboratories’ of Europe scientists). At Michigan University they have recently created prototypes of these miniature computers which they are calling Michigan Micro Motes. Professor Prabal Dutta tells Humans Invent, “We take things that are on traditional computers like the processor, the ability to store data, the ability to communicate and the ability to sense the environment and you really just miniaturise them.” oNE cubIc MILLIMETrE Interestingly, when it comes to creating such minuscule computers, which are only one cubic millimetre in size, the main barrier is not making the functioning parts tiny but creating a power source that is the real issue. Dutta says, “If you look at a laptop or mobile phone, the battery dominates the volume of the device so we’ve had to spend a lot of effort on figuring out how to reduce the power needed for all the parts. You can’t plug these things in or recharge them because they are so small.” The way they’ve got round this problem is to make these microcom-

puters harvest the energy from the environment around them, for example, solar energy if the mote is near a light source. The micro motes will be able to communicate through inbuilt radios as well as optical receivers. Dutta says, “By modulating LED lighting we can communicate with these devices optically.” HArvESTINg THE ENvIroNMENT As well as using these computers in buildings to collect temperature and humidity data or for occupancy sensing for example there are also plans afoot to insert them into human beings. Dutta says they could be used for, ‘monitoring human pressure, such as intraocular pressure which is the pressure of your eye, or intracranial pressure sensing for detecting when a concussion might become dangerous.” He adds, however, “These are very preliminary, I don’t think we’ve actually implanted anything in any human to date but there have been a couple of laboratory experiments with implanting in rats and understanding what happens when you do that.” But these kinds of computers

could be used for anything and everything. Dutta says, “We are making the basic pieces of these systems available so other people can go and build applications on their own, things that we can’t even begin to imagine.” THE FuTurE Dutta believes these nano computers could become mainstream in as little as five years time. He says, “If you look at the history of computing, roughly every decade we end up with a new computing class. We went from mainframe to the minis to workstations to PCs to laptops to mobile phones and the next generation or two is really going to be a computer that is far more pervasive than cell phones even. What we are building today are the fundamental pieces to this next evolution in computing and we think they are going to far out number our cell phones. These computers are going to be the things that monitor the world for us and give us information.” The question is: where do we go after this? Will computers keep shrinking and if so, when will they stop? Will the day come when we have created sub-atomic computers?

disoriented (for instance, in an unfamiliar, heavily forested area), Ellard said. African desert ants, by contrast, can march in a straight line for miles. “They have this prodigious ability to keep track of where they are with respect to their initial starting point,” Ellard told LiveScience. “They have a very accurate internal odometer.” But while animals’ sense of direction is more precise, we have a much more flexible way-finding ability, Montello said. For instance, migrating animals travel thousands of miles but usually go to specific, pre-determined locations. But humans use landmarks, directional cues, a sense of how far they’ve travelled, as well as myriad other cues to go vastly more places, often with no prior knowledge. “We travel much wider and farther than a lot of other animals,” Montello said.

us congress demands google explain glass privacy policies The United States Congress has sent a letter to Google outlining privacy concerns about its augmented reality eyewear Google Glass. Signed by eight members of Congress, the letter requests answers from the Silicon Valley based company, such as how it will prevent Glass from collecting sensitive private data without user consent. Congress gave Google until 14 June to respond. “As members of the Congressional Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus, we are curious whether this new technology could infringe on the privacy of the average American,” said the letter addressed Google CEO Larry Page. Composed by Bipartisan Congressional Privacy Caucus led by Representative Joe Barton (R-Texas), the letter continued, “Because Google Glass has not yet been released and we are uncertain of Google’s plans to incorporate privacy protections into the device, there are still a number of unanswered questions that we share.” The document goes on to ask eight questions, some stranger than others, including whether the spaceage spectacles will be able to use Facial Recognition Technology to discover personal information about not only people, but even “inanimate objects” that the user is viewing. “Would a user be able to request such information? Can a non-user or human subject opt out of this collection of personal data? If so, how? If not, why not?,” the letter probed. Other congressmen signing the letter included Representatives John Barrow (D-GA), Steve Chabot (R-OH), Henry C. Johnson Jr. (D-GA), Walter Jones (R-NC), Richard Nugent (R-FL), Bobby Rush (D-IL) and Loretta Sanchez (D-CA). Google refused to comment on the letter, with a representative saying that it wasn’t yet clear if it had even been opened or read by Page yet. NEwS dESk

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It is shameful what has happened. It is a sad day that again we have a situation where players might be sent to jail for corruption –Former captain Wasim Bari

( ipl spot-fixing

sPoRTs saturday, 18 May, 2013

Bookie arrested is former royals player New DeLhI agENcIES One of the bookies arrested, and named as Amit Kumar, is actually Amit Singh, a former Rajasthan Royals player who was released by the franchise last year. ESPNcricinfo reported that that Singh, a fast bowler who played in several matches in the 2012 season, was picked up for questioning five days ago but was formally arrested on Thursday in connection with the spot-fixing case that also allegedly involves three current Royals players. Singh, 31, has been identified in the first information report (FIR) as “Amit Kumar r/o Ahmedabad, Gujarat”. Singh has now been suspended by the BCCI pending inquiry. Singh, who resides in the Bopal suburb of Ahmedabad, played 23 IPL games for the Royals between 2009-2012. He was also part of the Gujarat Ranji Trophy team in the 2012-13 season, last playing against Saurashtra. He’d been in the news for having been reported twice for a suspect action during the 2009 IPL.

guilty as charged: teary-eyed sreesaNth coNfessed to fixiNg New DeLhI

agENcIES

NDIAN cricketer and Rajasthan Royals player S Sreesanth on Friday confessed to spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), police said. “Sreesanth has confessed to spotfixing. He was teary eyed during interrogation,” a Delhi Police official said. Rajasthan Royals cricketer Ankeet Chavan was the first to accept his role in spot-fixing during questioned by Delhi Police while the third player, Ajit Chandila, has not yet accepted the charges. The three were sent to five-day police custody on Thursday after being brought to Delhi from Mumbai, where they were arrested. The trio was questioned on Friday by officials of Delhi Police special cell. Besides the three cricketers, Delhi Police have also arrested 11 bookies for alleged spot-fixing. ‘INNocENT’ Earlier, Ankeet Chavan too reportedly confessed to spot-fixing in IPL matches. Even as the families and lawyers of the three arrested Rajasthan Royals players on Friday maintained they were innocent. According to police, the three accused, have been kept at the Lodhi Colony special cell of Delhi Police. The first to break down was Chavan, a senior police official said. “He broke down when we questioned him. He accepted that he made a mistake. He also accepted his role in the spot-fixing,” he added. The three IPL players were on Thursday remanded to five days’ police custody after their arrest in Mumbai late the previous day. But, the official said Chavan’s other two teammates - Sreesanth and Ajit Chandila -

scandal again tainted game’s image: Zaheer LahOre Staff REPORt Former Pakistan players feel that the recent spot-fixing scandal has further tarnished the image of the game of cricket and has rocked the ongoing Indian Premier League. Former test captain zaheer abbas reported to have said that he was shocked by the scandal involving Indian test player, S Sreesanth and two others — ajit Chandila and ankeet Chavan. “What worries me is that this apparently is just the tip of the iceberg as fas as corruption in cricket is concerned. there have always been fears that the IPL was a soft target for bookmakers but no one took this seriously,” he said. he pointed out that the involvement of players in spot fixing or any sort of corruption had badly tainted the image of the sport. “It doesn’t matter which country you belong to but if you are corrupt you are causing irreparable damage to cricket.” abbas said that the spot fixing scandal had only confirmed the fact that asia had

(

become a hotbed for cricket bookmakers and gamblers who were always out to lure and corrupt players. “this menace is only increasing in asia and everyone now needs to come out with strong legislation and measures to ensure this menace doesn’t spread further,” he added. Former captain Wasim Bari blamed the influx of money into cricket as the primary reason for the growing greed among some players. “It is shameful what has happened. It is a sad day that again we have a situation where players might be sent to jail for corruption.” Bari, who heads the anticorruption and education wing of the Pakistan Cricket Board, said he was appalled that despite several measures taken by the ICC to educate players, there are some who still risk everything for a few bucks. “this incident is not only a blot on the IPL but also on cricket as a whole,” he said. Former wicketkeeperbatsman Moin Khan said cricket had suffered more damage with the latest spot fixing scandal.

have, however, not yet accepted the charges. Chavan’s family and lawyers claimed the cricketer was innocent. “It is said that small fish are easier to catch, that is what has happened here too,” Chavan’s brother said. “He is innocent, we know that. He has struggled a lot,” he told reporters. Deepak Prakash, Sreesanth’s lawyer, said, “Sreesanth has been falsely or mistakenly arrested. They (Delhi Police) have got some wrong information or mistakenly arrested him.” Asked about Chavan’s confession, he said, “They (players) have to confess before the court. Police can say anything, it has no value at all. “Anyway, Sreesanth has not confessed. Though his name has been involved, there is no issue with Sreesanth. He will fight it out,” Prakash told reporters outside the special cell office. The third cricketer’s lawyer Rakesh Kumar, however, accused the Delhi Police of framing the cricketer. “He is innocent, there is no evidence against him. It is a cooked-up story by police. It is a scandal,” Kumar said. “Delhi Police is deliberately raking the controversy to divert media attention from other issues. Unlawful and illegal procedures were adopted to tape his conversations,” he said. Delhi Police said more teams have been sent to other states to conduct raids. Besides the three cricketers, Delhi Police also arrested 11 bookies for alleged spot-fixing. Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, meanwhile, congratulated Delhi Police for the investigation. “I congratulate the Delhi Police. Whenever they do good work, I appreciate them,” he said on the sidelines of a function here. Asked about the underworld link in the betting racket, he said: “Police is investigating, it is a preliminary comment.”

police to quiz dravid, shilpa

BCCI to discuss spot-fixing issue on sunday New DeLhI agENcIES

New DeLhI agENcIES The Delhi Police is likely to quiz Rajasthan Royals captain Rahul Dravid and co-owners Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra in the IPL spot-fixing case. All three have to appear before Delhi Police on May 21. Three players of Rajasthan Royals — Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan were arrested by Delhi police on Thursday on the charges of spot-fixing. S Sreesanth and Chavan confessed to spotfixing on Friday morning, police said. “Sreesanth has confessed to spot-fixing. He was teary eyed during interrogation,” a Delhi Police official said. Ajit Chandila, has not yet accepted the charges. The three were sent to five-day police custody on Thursday after being brought to Delhi from Mumbai, where they were arrested. Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar has hinted at possibility of several IPL matches being fixed. According to Times Now, the May 3 match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens has come under police scanner for match-fixing. KKR won the match by eight wickets. Rajasthan had fielded only two spinners Ankeet Chavan and Brad Hogg — on the spin friendly Eden track.

A day after suspending three Rajasthan Royals cricketers who were arrested for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing during the IPL, the BCCI has convened an emergency meeting of its working committee, the panel responsible for its functioning, in Chennai on Sunday. “The Working Committee will discuss, among other things, the fallout of the spot-fixing controversy in the ongoing IPL, in which three players have been arrested by the Delhi Police,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a statement issued on F r i d a y. Jagdale also confirmed the arrest and suspension of Amit Singh, the Gujarat and former Rajasthan Royals cricketer who was caught in the spotfixing scandal as a bookie. Despite the Delhi Police interrogating all the four cricketers that have been arrested so far, there is a growing feeling among the BCCI members that all the players should be “banned for life” even before the investigations are over. “These players have tarnished the image of the game so much that it would take a long time for us to restore it,” a member told ESPNcricinfo, preferring anonymity. “It would be prudent to act swiftly and not lose the BCCI’s and Indian cricket’s credibility any further.” However, the BCCI president N Srinivasan is likely to play it safe and constitute an internal inquiry panel

that will work with BCCI’s disciplinary committee. IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla, addressing the media for the first time since the controversy erupted, stated that the board would take action against players found guilty of spot-fixing. “We will be taking some important decisions [at the working committee meeting]. The strongest possible action will be taken against the guilty. Whoever is found to be involved in spot-fixing will not be spared,” Shukla said. Shukla also revealed that BCCI’s anticorruption and security unit (ACSU), headed by Ravi Sawani, has been asked to investigate the matter and submit its report. “If we have Sawani’s preliminary report by Sunday, we will go through it and discuss it,” Shukla said. It has also been learned that Srinivasan has also asked the ACSU to be represented at the meeting. While Srinivasan had started consultations with his colleagues for the Chennai meeting, the city also had a lot of action on the spot-fixing front since Thursday night. The Tamil Nadu police took a cue from their Delhi counterparts and conducted several raids on bookies, arresting six of them, besides seizing numerous gadgets and Rs 40 lakh (US$73,000) in cash. However, the Chennai Police clarified in a media briefing that their raids had revealed only “betting” syndicates and hadn’t established links between the bookies and IPL players.

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I am very pleased that Galliani has praised me. –Cristian Zapata

sPoRTs

saturday, 18 May, 2013

Misbah and bowlers Anderson turns knock out scotland the heat on NZ eDINBUrGh

ScOREbOaRd

agENcIES

AEED Ajmal, held back until the 27th over, toyed with the Scottish middle order picking up three wickets and running out another. Junaid Khan had struck in his first over and returned to take two-in-two to hasten the end of Scots. Chasing 232 to win, Scotland lost Carter early to Junaid and runs dried up briefly. However, Davey and Coetzer steadily found their range and Pakistan helped their cause by some atrocious outfielding as fielders slid over the ball to concede boundaries twice. For a while it raised hopes of an upset. It wasn't entire convincing but Davey fell to Ehsan Adil just as he was beginning to assert himself. Hafeez then struck with an arm-ball to have Coetzer edge behind, before Machan played on against Irfan as hopes of a Scottish upset began to recede. Moneeb Iqbal and Mommsen prevented immediate damage but got bogged down as the asking rate went over soared to nearly 7. Ajmal was held back until the 27th over, and he got Iqbal immediately as the Scots sunk deeper. Their last hope Richie Berrington , a fine attacking batsman, looked to take the attack with some crisp strokes. But Ajmal tossed one up and Berrington's swipe was taken by Shafiq at the boundary to dash Scottish hopes. Mommsen went into a shell, while Murphy was playing the 'deer-in-headlights' game against Ajmal's varieties as Scotland were overpowered by Ajmal's guile. Soon

PakIStaN 49 Imran farhat b haq Nasir Jamshed c mommsen b taylor 20 18 mohammad hafeez c davey b haq asad Shafiq b machan 7 misbah-ul-haq* not out 78 umar amin c taylor b haq 3 12 kamran akmal† lbw b carter 28 Saeed ajmal b wardlaw 10 Ehsan adil not out 6 EXtRaS (lb 3, w 3) tOtaL 231 dId NOt bat mohammad Irfan, Junaid khan faLL Of wIckEtS 1-50 (Nasir Jamshed, 11.5 ov), 2-80 (mohammad hafeez, 19.6 ov), 3-96 (asad Shafiq, 24.3 ov), 4-100 (Imran farhat, 25.3 ov), 5-115 (umar amin, 29.3 ov), 6-144 (kamran akmal, 36.3 ov), 7-195 (Saeed ajmal, 45.3 ov) bowling: Nm carter 10-0-56-1, I wardlaw 10-0-47-1, RmL taylor 10-2-35-1, mw machan 10-0-53-1, Rm haq 10-1-39-3, ScOtLaNd kJ coetzer c kamran akmal b m hafeez 32 Nm carter b Junaid khan 0 Jh davey c †kamran akmal b Ehsan adil 20 mw machan b mohammad Irfan 11 10 mm Iqbal run out (Saeed ajmal) PL mommsen st †kamran akmal b Saeed ajmal 15 10 Rd berrington c asad Shafiq b Saeed ajmal d murphy† lbw b Junaid khan 7 RmL taylor lbw b Saeed ajmal 13 0 Rm haq lbw b Junaid khan I wardlaw not out 4 13 EXtRaS (lb 8, w 4, nb 1) 135 tOtaL faLL Of wIckEtS 1-0 (carter, 1.6 ov), 2-52 (davey, 12.2 ov), 3-67 (coetzer, 17.2 ov), 4-71 (machan, 20.1 ov), 5-88 (Iqbal, 27.5 ov), 6-103 (berrington, 31.3 ov), 7-112 (mommsen, 35.6 ov), 8-112 (murphy, 36.1 ov), 9112 (haq, 36.2 ov), 10-135 (taylor, 39.4 ov) bOwLINg: mohammad Irfan 7-1-28-1, Junaid khan 7-219-3, Ehsan adil 7-0-32-1, mohammad hafeez 8-0-12-1, Saeed ajmal 6.4-0-25-3, umar amin 4-0-11-0 match details: toss Pakistan, who chose to bat OdI debuts Ehsan adil (Pakistan); Nm carter (Scotland) umpires Ra kettleborough (England) and IN Ramage match referee JJ crowe (New Zealand) Reserve umpire aJt dowdalls

Mommsen was stumped, beaten in flight; Junaid then returned to pick two-in-two as Murphy and Haq were

icc offer to help iN ipl spot-fixiNg case

dispensed off quickly. Rob Taylor delayed the inevitable with some 'hit and giggle' moments before Ajmal ended the fun trapping him LBW. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat on a bright morning as they sought first use of a sunny day. Imran Farhat duly began putting some nicely timed boundaries away. Nasir Jamshed remained largely subdued before mistiming a slower one from Rob Taylor to hand the first breakthrough to the Scots. His excellent first spell of five overs cost only 12 runs (of which 7 came in the last over). Iain Wardlaw mixed some jaffas with boundary balls at the other end. Majid Haq, of Pakistani descent and Scotland's most successful bowler of all time came on next and immediately got Hafeez, who gifted away his wicket to slip with a silly late-cut attempt. He got the patient Farhat soon after and when Matt Machan got Asad Shafiq cheaply too, Pakistan were looking wobbly at the halfway mark. Umar Amin showed his inexperience, trying to slog Haq and ending up with a high shot which was caught well by Taylor at the ropes. At the 30 overs mark - the visitors were struggling with 116/5. Kamran Akmal yet again flattered to decieve. For a while it looked like he is going to knuckle down and support Misbah, who was timing everything beautifully. But Akmal got into a shell, and then missed a straighter one from Carter to ruin Pakistan's powerplay chances. Saeed Ajmal finally injected some urgency with a quick 28 off 29 balls, though it ended with a terrible, premeditated paddle sweep which he completely missed to get bowled.

LONDON agENcIES

New Zealand reached 153-4 in reply to England's 232 at the close on the second day of the first test at Lord's on Friday. Taylor 66, Williamson 44 not out and Anderson 3-42 were the prominent players of the day for both the sides. England 232 all out (Bairstow 41, Root 40, Southee 4-58, Wagner 3-70) Earlier, England's James Anderson took his 300th test wicket as New Zealand limped to 54 for two in reply to the hosts' 232 at tea on the second day of the first test at Lord's on Friday. The touring side lost opener Hamish Rutherford in the first over, caught by Alastair Cook at first slip off Anderson, and the right-arm fast bowler reached his milestone when Peter Fulton was well held by Graeme Swann at second slip. New Zealand were reeling at seven for two but Kane Williamson (11 not out) and Ross Taylor (32 not out) survived a testing examination from the England pace attack to reach the interval without further loss. Taylor looked to attack when possible, hitting six fours, and Williamson adopted a more defensive approach as the New Zealanders edged past 50. England had lost four wickets in 17 balls to crumble to 209 for eight at lunch and Steven Finn and Jonny Bairstow, who top-scored with 41, did not last long in the afternoon session. Finn was trapped lbw by Tim Southee and the paceman took a sharp catch off his own bowling to end Bairstow's patient innings and complete figures of four for 58. After resuming at 160 for four, Joe Root and Bairstow survived the first hour and the second new ball, but Root, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad and Swann fell in quick succession to put New Zealand in control of the match. It was a dramatic collapse by England who had continued to bat with grim determination after their painstaking progress on the opening day when they scored at a rate of two runs an over. Root became the first England batsman to reach 40 but his watchful vigil ended when he edged

Kings XI pip Daredevils

sPOrTs DesK The ICC has offered to assist the investigation of a spotfixing case that has led to the arrest of Rajasthan Royals trio Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan. In addition to the three players involved, Delhi Police have confirmed that 11 other people have been arrested for suspected involvement in spot-fixing in Indian Premier League matches this month. The Board of Control for Cricket in India have duly moved to suspend the players, of whom former Test bowler Sreesanth is the most prominent. A statement released by Delhi Police read: “During investigation it was found that a group of bookies was in touch with various groups of matchfixers who were involved in spot-fixing in connivance with some team members of Rajasthan Royals, namely Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan. “The modus operandi adopted to spot-fix during the progress of matches included asking bowlers to give pre-decided signals with the help of their accessories like wrist watches, wrist bands, neck chains, towels etc. at the time of starting the over. “The bowlers were asked to concede at least a given number of runs in a pre-determined and mutually decided over. “After receipt of the signal from the bowler, the bookies would bet heavily and make huge profits.” Police also confirmed that a total of 51 mobile phones, five laptops and one recording device have been seized as part of their investigations.

DharaMsaLa agENcIES

A late onslaught by Ben Rohrer was not enough for the Delhi Daredevils as they slumped to a seven-run defeat against the Kings xI Punjab in the Pepsi Indian Premier League clash at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Thursday. After being sent in to bat, Punjab posted 171 for four in their 20 overs thanks to an undefeated 44 from South African David Miller. Delhi were down and out, but a late surge from the Australian, Rohrer (49), brought Delhi close, as they ended on

164 for seven, with Sandeep Sharma claiming 3-23 in four overs, which put the visitors on the back foot. Adam Gilchrist (42) and fellow Australian Shaun Marsh (45) made the perfect start for the home side as they added 60 for the first wicket off just 46 deliveries. Gilchrist hit five fours and two sixes in his 26-ball innings, after being dropped on eight by Umesh Yadav off Morne Morkel in the third over. Azhar Mahmood (nine) struggled before being brilliantly caught by Siddarth Kaul on the boundary. Once Mahmood departed, Miller and Marsh added 34 for the third wicket before Marsh’s pedestrian innings

came to an end, being caught by Irfan Pathan off Morkel (1-22). The departure of Marsh signalled the beginning of the Miller onslaught, as the big-hitting Proteas batsman and Rajagopal Sathish (22) smashed 47 off only 21 balls for the fourth wicket. Morkel and Pathan (1-28) were the only bowlers to escape the wrath of Miller and Sathish as Kaul (0-39), Yadav (0-38) and Ashish Nehra (2-38) all conceded more than nine runs to the over. The Delhi reply began slowly, with Mahela Jayawardene (39) and Unmukt Chand (seven) scoring 11 off 16 balls before Chand was cleaned bowled by Praveen Kumar (1-19) in the third over. Sharma then struck twice in his first over, claiming the wickets of Pathan (one) and David Warner, with successive deliveries. The Daredevils had slumped to 12 for three at the end of the fourth over. The visitors struggled to regroup, with Jayawardene consistently leaving the ball outside off-stump. A 49-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Jayawardene and his regular opening partner, Virender Sehwag (30), brought some respectability to the score. Parvinder Awana (1-28) then got Sehwag to edge one to Gilchrist behind the stumps, giving the former Australian wicketkeeper his second catch of the night. Rohrer then joined his captain and added a quick-fire 50 off 34 balls for the fifth wicket. Jayawardene, who had been dropped three times already in the innings, was eventually caught by Manan Vohra on the deep square-leg boundary off Sharma, giving the 19-year old right-arm medium bowler his third wicket on the night. Muralidharen Gautam (12 not out) then joined Rohrer for a swash-buckling 39 off only 18 deliveries. With 41 runs needed off the final two overs, Delhi seemed well short, but then Rohrer clobbered Mahmood (0-40) for two consecutive sixes, as the former Pakistan all-rounder conceded 19 runs off his final over.

ScOREbOaRd ENgLaNd 1st innings JE Root c †watling b Southee 40 Jm bairstow c & b Southee 41 mJ Prior† lbw b Southee 0 ScJ broad lbw b wagner 0 gP Swann c †watling b wagner 5 St finn lbw b Southee 4 7 Jm anderson not out 17 EXtRaS (b 1, lb 9, w 2, nb 5) 232 tOtaL faLL Of wIckEtS 1-43 (compton, 22.1 ov), 2-67 (cook, 34.6 ov), 3-112 (trott, 53.5 ov), 4-157 (bell, 78.2 ov), 5-192 (Root, 95.3 ov), 6-192 (Prior, 95.4 ov), 7-195 (broad, 96.2 ov), 8-201 (Swann, 98.1 ov), 9-221 (finn, 110.1 ov), 10-232 (bairstow, 112.2 ov) bOwLINg ta boult 27-10-48-2, tg Southee 28.2-8-58-4, N wagner 28-8-70-3, bP martin 26-12-38-1, kS williamson 3-1-8-0 NEw ZEaLaNd 1st innings 2 Pg fulton c Swann b anderson hd Rutherford c cook b anderson 4 44 kS williamson not out LRPL taylor lbw b anderson 66 dg brownlie lbw b finn 23 bb mccullum* not out 1 EXtRaS (b 4, lb 7, nb 2) 13 153 tOtaL tO bat bJ watling†, tg Southee, bP martin, N wagner, ta boult fall of wickets 1-5 (Rutherford, 0.6 ov), 2-7 (fulton, 6.4 ov), 3-100 (taylor, 31.2 ov), 4-147 (brownlie, 44.6 ov) bOwLINg Jm anderson 15-7-32-3, ScJ broad 15-3-48-0, St finn 11-2-42-1, gP Swann 8-0-19-0, IJL trott 0.4-0-1-0 match details toss England, who chose to bat Player of the match tba umpires aleem dar (Pakistan) and SJ davis (australia) tV umpire m Erasmus (South africa) match referee dc boon (australia), Reserve umpire PJ hartley

a ball from Southee going down leg-side through to BJ Watling. Prior, whose battling century secured a series draw for England on the final day of the recent third test against New Zealand in Auckland, was deceived by Southee's line.Although Broad survived the hat-trick ball, he was trapped lbw by a full-length delivery in Neil Wagner's next over. Swann drove loosely at Wagner to give Watling an easy catch, leaving England, the world's secondranked team, in deep trouble against a side six places below them in the rankings.

cricket australia back tait in ipl scandal

sPOrTs DesK Cricket Australia has backed up claims Shaun Tait was not in any way involved in the spot-fixing scandal that has engulfed the Indian Premier League. Three of the South Australian’s Rajasthan Royals team-mates were questioned by police on Thursday following allegations of spot-fixing in the Twenty20 tournament. Rumours then emerged via social media regarding Tait, prompting Australian cricket’s governing body to come out in strong defence of the paceman. “Shaun reiterated to CA that he had absolutely no involvement in any of the issues that are currently being investigated,” the statement read. “CA is comfortable that Shaun is being appropriately supported in India and reminds those who have been speculating on the ongoing investigations to base their comments on known facts, not unsubstantiated rumour.” The head of CA’s anti-corruption unit Sean Carroll confirmed he had spoken to Tait, and he is not involved in Delhi Police’s investigations into the Royals trio.

KHI 18-05-2013_Layout 1 5/18/2013 5:33 AM Page 18

He's won another championship at PSG, that's four in four countries now, and he just wants to come home. –Gary Neville

17 S

sPoRTs saturday, 18 May, 2013

LoCAL News

hyderabad, pindi regions congratulate zaka LahOre: Maj ® Syed Naeem Akhtar Ghani, president of Rawalpindi Regional cricket Association felicitated Ch Zaka Ashraf on becoming the first elected chairman of the Pakistan cricket Board. Zaka has given the PCB, a democratic constitution and I whole-heartedly endorse his constitutional election. The new constitution has been well taken and appreciated by International Cricket Council as it was made accordingly to rules in vogue,” he added. “I earnestly feel that his election to this coveted post will go a longway in promoting cricket and strengthening the system in Pakistan,” he added. Similar views were expressed by Mir Suleman Khan Talpur President RCA Hyderabad and Wahid Hussain Pahilwani, Secretary Hyderabad. “We feel that the democratic process in the PCB was meant to be completed at the hands of Zaka because he was the creation of democracy and understands the importance of the democratic norms. “We feel that the game of cricket will no flourish all ends with the completion of the process constitutionally and we not only congratulate him but also extend full support to Zaka in the strengthening of cricket in the country,” they added. WaPDa, PUNJaB earN SeCOND DaY hONOUr: On the second day of the 10th Women’s National Cycling Championship two road events were held at DHA Phase-VIII here. The event was started at 7.00 a.m and in the first competition 50 KM road race of Elite and 6 KM road race of junior cyclists Provincial and Departmental were held. Chief Guest Major Tariq gave a start to the race. In the 50 km Road Race [Elite], 35 cyclists took part and miss Rehalla banno of waPda got first position by completing the race in 01.47.20. miss. Sabeha Zahid of Pak army got the Second position by completing the race in 01.47.30 and miss.Rashida munir of waPda got the third position by completing the race in 01.47.50 In the second 06 km Road Race wJProvincial, miss Ishrat of Punjab got first position by completing the race in 00.10.04.28 followed by miss. ayesha Punjab as 2nd by completing the race in 00.10.04.38. third position got by miss. haleema of khyber Pakhtunkhwa by completing the race in 00.10.04.48. the 06 km.Road Race Junioir department saw miss anam mehmood of SSgc got the first position by completing the race in 00.10.04.28. Second position got by miss. fiza Riaz of waPda by completing the race in 00.10.12.15. thirst position got by miss. ayesha Javed of SSgc by completing the race in 00.11.20.40. the qualifying round track event of 1000 meter Sprint heats was held at 5.00 p.m at cycling Velodrome. miss Sabeha Zahid of Pak army and Raheela bano waPda qualify for final round, they got 1st and 2nd position respectively. miss. Rashida munir of waPda and Rajia Shahid of Pak army will compete for 3rd and 4th position tomorrow on 18.5.2013

DFra reFereeS COUrSe eNDS: The Lahore District Football Association organized a seven days referee course at Model Town Football Club ground from May 6-15. A total number of 30 referee candidate participated FIFA referee instructor Arif Sadiqui, Anees Javed and National referee Nasim Ud Din Conducted the course. On the final day Mian Rizwan Ali President LDFA was the Chief Guest and awarded the certificates to the participants. NatION athLetICS tO BeGIN FrOM MaY 24: The 45th National Athletics Championships 2013 is being organized by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan from May 24 – 26 at Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad. Over 500 athletes from all the affiliated Units (i.e. all Provinces, AJ&K, FATA, Gilgit Baltistan and Departments) will be competing for top honors in this three days extravaganza. Acording to an official of the AFP, it is mandatory perennial event in which champion athletes display their prowess in the sports arena. The National Championships is being dedicated to the memory of Syed Zakir Hussain, ExDirector General Pakistan Sports Board due to his outstanding contributions in the field of sports. Late Syed Zakir Hussain was a well known Sports Administrator and Journalist. May Allah rest his soul in peace. Staff REPORt

sereNa

wiNs to reach Quarters iN rome rOMe: Serena Williams made it 21 wins on the bounce with an easy victory over Dominika Cibulkova to reach the quarter-finals of the WTA Italian Open. The world number one beat the Slovakian 14th seed 6-0 61 to set up a last-eight clash with Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro. But the American ace is taking nothing for granted ahead of the game with the unseeded Navarro, who beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-2 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals. "Nothing is ever perfect - I learned that last year when I felt perfect," said Williams, referring to her stunning first-round loss at the French Open in 2012. "I am still in the danger zone." Williams added: "I can't remember the other winning streaks, but I hope I can get to 22 and the rest of the matches that I have here. "Plus seven, and Wimbledon too, so it would be dangerous to lose now." Second seed Maria Sharapova, winner of the last two editions, out-hit Sloane Stephens 6-2 6-1 in just over an hour to progress. She will play Sara Errani, the last remaining Italian in the tournament who advanced when 12th-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia retired with a left knee injury while trailing 6-3 2-0. Unseeded two-time champion Jelena Jankovic upset 2011 Roland Garros winner Li Na, the Chinese fifth seed, 7-6 (7/2) 7-5. "I felt like I wasn't playing so badly today, it was just a really long, tough match between me and JJ," Li said. "I was trying a lot of things out there on the court today. Sometimes it was working, sometimes it didn't." Jankovic will next face Romanian qualifier Simona Halep, who beat 13th-seeded Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-4 6-2. Thirdseeded Victoria Azarenka also went through when Ayumi Morita retired through injury in the second set. She will face ninth seed Samantha Stosur, who beat eighth seed Petra Kvitova 7-5 2-6 6-1. agENcIES

Federer makes short work of Simon in rome rOMe

agENcIES

OGER Federer eased into the quarter-finals of the Internazionali d’Italia in Rome after a straightsets victory over Gilles Simon. The Swiss ran out a 6-1 6-2 winner to set up a match with world number 24 Jerzy Janowicz who beat ninth seed Richard Gasquet 3-6 7-6 (7/2) 6-4. Federer needed just 23 minutes to win the first set against Simon, making use of all three of his break points and was never troubled on serve as he clinched the emphatic win in an hour and two minutes. Rafael Nadal recovered from a nightmare first set to edge past Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis 1-6 7-5 6-4 in two hours and 37 minutes. “I thought I was the better player in the match and also in the second and third sets but he is the champion,” said Gulbis who raced into a 5-0 lead in the first set.. “I lost against him in Indian Wells when I also thought I played better than him. He is solid and he didn’t do anything special and I made mistakes and so he won.” Nadal will play compatriot David Ferrer in the last eight after the Spaniard was given a walkover against

top 100 men set for wimbledon The world’s top 100 men have all entered this year’s Wimbledon. No injury withdrawals mean the field includes the top 103 players in the ATP rankings. They are led by world number one Novak Djokovic and followed by British star Andy Murray, who is currently nursing a back injury. The man who beat Murray in last year’s final, Roger Federer, will bid for a record eighth title this summer. Estonia’s Jurgen Zopp, out since October due to a back problem, is on the entry list on a protected ranking. However, he is yet to confirm he will play in SW19. If anyone pulls out, France’s Guillaume Rufin is next in line for a main-draw spot. Of those to narrowly miss out on main-draw places, former top-10 star Gael Monfils is probably the biggest name. The Frenchman, who has slipped down the rankings after being troubled by a knee injury, will either have to qualify or hope for a wild card from the organisers. The tournament takes place in London from June 24 to July 7. SPORtS dESk

injured opponent Philipp Kohlschreiber. Earlier top seed and world number one Novak Djokovic found the going easier against Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov, holding serve throughout and breaking three times for a straightforward 6-1 6-4 success. Sixth seed Tomas B e r d y c h toppled Kevin Anderson of South Africa 7-5 6-2 in their thirdround clash, but seventh seed Juan Martin del Potro was on the end of an upset as he fell 6-4 7-6 (7/3) to French world number 36 Benoit Paire.

SIck SHArAPovA SPArkS FrENcH oPEN FEArS: Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the Italian Open in Rome due to illness, sparking fears over the defence of her French Open title at Roland Garros. Sharapova, a former two-time winner in Rome, announced her decision to pull out prior to her scheduled semi-final meeting with Italian seventh seed Sara Errani on Friday. Sharapova wrote on her Twitter feed: “I’m sorry for having to withdraw from the tournament this morning. Didn’t recover after being sick last week and it got me again last night [Thursday].” Sharapova had come into the tournament in good form after reaching the final in Madrid last week, and showed no ill effects in beating American Sloane Stephens 6-2 6-1 in the third round on Thursday. Sharapova is set to begin the defence of her French Open title in 10 days’ time. She ended a fouryear wait for her fourth career grand slam title in Paris last year, coincidentally by beating Errani in the final.

National gym advance to semis LahOre: National Gym has advanced into the semifinal of 10th M Siddiq Memorial cricket event when they outplay strong Aligarh club by 32 runs played at Model Town Aligarh ground on Thursday afternoon. ScORES: National gym 218/6 in 20 overs. khuram 75, waqas 62, mohsin 42, ahsan 15(no). bilawal 1/37, Zahoor Ilahi 1/36. Shakeel 1/39, Rehan Rauf 2/40. aligarh club 186/9 in 20 overs. mubeen 11,bilawal 20, adnan 37, mateen 30(no), Shekkel 14, Rehan Rauf 13(no). mudasar 2/23, asim 2/24, kamran 1/31, waheed 1/36, waqas 3/29, fahad 1/22. Staff REPORt

wahdat eaglets beaten LahOre: Model Town club has moved into the next round of 10th M Siddiq Memorial cricket event when they beat Wahdat Eaglets club by 6 wickets played at Model Town Nawab ground on Thursday afternoon. Scores: wahdat Eaglets 131/7 in 20 overs. m Zahid 43, madad ali 17, haris Nazar 23, ali tipu Sultan 13(no). Sohail ahmed 3/20, m asif 1/24, hassan Rizwan 2/26. model town club 132/4 in 15.4 overs. Sohail ahmed 39, Rashid Riaz 28, Shahid Iqbal 15, farukh Rabani 22. madad ali 1/34, ali tipu Sultan 1/39, m ali Shah 2/18. Staff REPORt

model towN greeNs,ghulam Qadir Quarters oN may 21 LahOre: The quarterfinal of 28th M Yaseen Akhter Memorial cricket Event between Model Town Greens and Ghulam Qadir memorial will be played on May 21 at Model Town Grens ground. The prequarterfinal between Shining club and Aligarh club will be played on May 24 at Aligarh ground. National Gym has marched into semifinal while Jallo Gym , Rising Stars and cantonment gym have qualified for quarters. Staff REPORt

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Myself and the team believe that we can beat Bayern. –Sebastien Kehl

sPoRTs saturday, 18 May, 2013

poa tells concerned quarters of extreme consequences LahOre

Staff REPORt

HE National Olympics Committee has taken serious not of reports that would have extreme consequences. In a statement, the POA (Pakistan Olympics Association) took cognisance of reports that quotes directly from the letter purportedly written by the federal joint secretary of the Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Mohammad Javed to the International Olympic Committee, the POA is constrained to remind the Government of Pakistan and the concerned ministry that consequences of such brinkmanship could really be grave. The POA holds that the letter is yet another misguided attempt to undermine the authority of the National Olympic Committee, and is seriously detrimental to Pakistan sports, jeopardises the nation’s international standing and its participation in global and continental events – starting from the 4th Asian Indoor Games in June and Asian Youth Games in China in August 2013. It is indeed preposterous. How can the federal ministry and its subsidiary Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) vouch to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on behalf of the so-called Interim Committee of the POA, an illegitimate body of its own creation– which was formed and ‘recognized’ with mala fide intent, through largely unrepresented participation – “would develop, promote and protect the Olympic Movement in the country in accordance with the Olympic charter” when the IOC already holds the said body in violation of its Olympic Charter?

This letter is another lame attempt that is only likely to displease the supreme International sporting authority, the IOC, as well as the highest continental body, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), both of whom have repeatedly reposed confidence in the legitimacy of the POA under Lt. Gen. (Retd) Syed Arif Hasan and have highlighted the illegitimacy of the socalled interim committee. Reportedly they had also written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take up the issue through its Embassy in Switzerland, something the Foreign Office rightly avoided for the reason of the embarrassment it may have caused. It is regrettable that the federal joint secretary has chosen to write the letter at a moment when it has become crystal clear where the IOC stands on such issues, the case of India being a prime example. The IOC makes it quite clear that an IOC suspended India has reengaged with the global sporting authority on the IOC's terms to end its sporting isolation. It is pertinent to point out here that even Kuwait remained under suspension for the same very reason. It was only re admitted into the Olympic fold after its parliament had passed a law upholding the Olympic Charter. It would be to the benefit of the Government of Pakistan and the IPC ministry to carefully read the above mentioned press release, which states that the Indian government through its Sports Minister Jitendra Singh has reassured the IOC that it shall bring all its national legislation in line with IOC’s Charter. The IOC for its part has already been on record and the Government of Pakistan is aware of its clear and

unambiguous verdict communicated through IOC’s letter dated February 5. The letter states: “As per the Olympic Charter, the IOC is the sole body that is entitled to recognise a National Olympic Committee (in this case the Pakistan Olympic Association currently headed by its President, Lt Gen. (Retired) Syed Arif Hasan) and to authorise such organisation to designate, identify or refer to itself as a “National Olympic Committee”. In essence the existence of an NOC, as such, is therefore derived from its recognition by the IOC. “Consequently, no organisation other than the POA, currently headed by its President, Lt. Gen. (Retired) Syed Arif Hasan, can claim to represent the POA or act on its behalf or play the role of an “NOC” in Pakistan. In particular, the IOC and OCA will not recognise any decision, resolution or action of any body or so-called “interim committee” claiming to act on behalf of the POA. Any such decision, resolution or action would indeed violate the Olympic Charter and would therefore be automatically null and void. “It is regrettable to note that the repeated attempts of a number of individuals/bodies to act against the Olympic Charter and to destabilise the legitimate POA currently headed by its President, Lt Gen. (Retired) Syed Arif Hasan, do not serve at all the interests of the Olympic Movement and the athletes in Pakistan. On the contrary, this affects negatively the development of the Olympic Movement in Pakistan and has no effect but to expose unnecessarily the POA to protective measures from the IOC Executive Board, for which these individuals/bodies should be held responsible.”

Interim setup on LCCA unjustified, unwanted: Yousuf greens high performance cricket camp concludes LAHorE: The Greens High Performance Cricket Camp 2013 that began last month here with the cooperation of National Cricket Academy, on which 40 talented players under the age group of 19 are selected concluded on Friday. This camp is organized by Muhammad Shoaib Dar (Chairman: Model Town Greens cricket Club/ Academy) this camp continued till from April 27 to May 14. In this camp players trained in the field of batting, bowling & physically fitness. The closing ceremony of camp was held at Model Town Greens Sports Complex and Ali Zia (Senior General Manager: National Cricket Academy) was the chief guest. In the ceremony participant certificate are awarded to the players. Staff REPORt

LahOre Staff REPORt

Veteran test cricketer Muhammad Yousuf has described putting Lahore City Cricket Association under an interim setup “unjustified and unwanted” and a negative move to harm the interest of the game at grassroots level. “It is a very wrong step taken by the present regime of the Pakistan Cricket Board and it will serve no purpose but will greatly harm the interest of cricket at early level,” he said in a statement here. Yousuf said regional cricket bodies

are working for the development of the game at grassroots level and they are the basic institutions to develop the game by engaging clubs in cricket activities and among them the LCCA is a role model for its valuable contribution for the betterment

of cricket. “For me it is an illegal decision taken by an unconstitutionally elected chairman against an elected president and I strongly condemn it,” he asserted. Yousuf said LCCA under the dynamic leadership of its President, Khawaja Nadim Ahmed was putting in devoted efforts to revive cricket in Lahore which is the hub of cricket activities in recent years as a lot of emphasis is being laid by generating cricket activities. He said it was unfortunate that the PCB set aside the contribution of LCCA and its President and put it under interim setup which has shocked the entire cricket family in Lahore.

wAtCh It LIve GEO SUPER Kings XI v Mum Indians

03:30 PM

STAR SPORTS Motor Cycle Racing - Qualifying

04:00 PM

STAR CRICKET 1st Test, Day 3: England vs. Netherlands

3:28 PM

icc was made aware about fixing in five not three ipl matches

MUMBaI: There are at least five corrupted matches in the current IPL, and not just the three, as claimed by the Delhi police, it is learnt here. According to highly placed sources, the information about spot-fixing taking place in the on-going IPL season was communicated to the ICC by the British betting expert, Edward Hawkins. It may be recalled here that Ed Hawkins was first to allege that the India-Pakistan World Cup semi final match in 2011 was fixed. The three players-Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan-had agreed to concede a specified minimum number of runs in a predecided over. “The bowler cannot guarantee it but a professional bowler can pretty much (say) where he wants”, the betting expert Ed Hawkins, speaking exclusively, said, when asked how can the bowler ensure that the batsman scores exactly the number of runs he (bowler) wants. Cricket is believed to be a batsmen’s game. Yes, “but he (bowler) might bowl on the leg side, or ensure there are extras. It is simple enough”, the expert added. Atul Kumar, who revealed the fixing-saga in his book (Inside the Boundary Line) sought meeting with the ICC’s AntiCorruption head, Y.P.Singh, a few weeks back. bIPIN daNI

when corruption brought cricket into disrepute

sPOrTsDesK

ORMER Pakistan captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif, who lost their appeal at the Court of Abritration for Sport against spot-fixing bans, were the first players with teammate Mohammad Amir to be punished by the International Cricket Council (ICC). PLAyErS IMPLIcATED IN corruPTIoN cASES: LIFE bANS A timeline of the corruption cases that have put a serious question mark on the credibility of the gentleman\’s game. May 2000: Former Pakistan captain Salim Malik banned for life by a judicial inquiry conducted by judge Malik Mohammad Qayyum. Malik was alleged to have fixed matches on Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand in 1993, South Africa and Zimbabwe (1994-95). Australian players Shane Warne, Mark Waugh and Tim May also alleged Malik offered them bribes to underperform during Australia’s tour to Pakistan in 1994. Team-mate Rashid Latif also accused Malik of wrongdoing. Pakistan paceman Ata-ur-Rehman banned for life for perjury during the Qayyum inquiry. His ban was overturned

by the Pakistan Cricket Board in 2003 — a decision accepted by the ICC in 2006. october 2000: Former South African captain Hansie Cronje banned for life by the United Cricket Board of South Africa after he admitted to match-fixing and having contacts with book-makers. Cronje died in a place crash in June 2002. December 2000: Former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin banned for life after an investigation conducted by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He was found to have contacts with bookmakers and manipulated match results. December 2000: Former Indian offspinner Ajay Sharma banned for life in the same CBI inquiry. June 2012: Indian paceman TP Sudhindra given a life-ban after he was found guilty of “receiving a consideration to spot-fix” in a domestic match. Pakistani spinner Danish Kaneria was banned for life by the the England and Wales Cricket Board after he was found guilty of corruption. The PCB subsequently extended the ban to include his native country. bANS December 2000: The same CBI inquiry found Ajay Jadeja to have links with bookmakers. He was banned for five years but on appeal allowed to play in

domestic cricket in India three years later. october 2000: South African opener Herschelle Gibbs banned for six months after admitting being offered money to under-perform. october 2000: South African paceman Henry Williams banned for six months after admitting taking money from Cronje to under-perform. August 2004: Kenyan cricketer Maurice Odume banned for five years by the Kenyan Cricket Association after it was found that he received money from bookmakers. May 2008: West Indian all-rounder Marlon Samuels banned for two years after it was proved he took money from a bookie to give match-related information. February 2011: Salman Butt banned for 10 for spot-fixing. Mohammad Asif banned for seven years and Mohammad Amir for five years. January 2012: Former Essex quick bowler Mervyn Westfield received a fiveyear ban after he pleaded guilty to spot-fixing in a Pro40 tie against Durham in 2009. June 2012: Indian trio Mohnish Mishra, Amit Yadav, Abhinav Bali were banned by for a year by the BCCI’s disciplinary committee for bringing the game into

disrepute following an Indian TV sting. Shalabh Srivastava, also caught up in the sting, was barred from cricket for five years after he was deemed guilty of agreeing and negotiating terms to fix a match, though no fixing ultimately took place. September 2012: Ex-Bangladesh cricketer Sheriful Haque was handed an indefinite suspension after allegations of spot-fixing made by compatriot Mashrafe Mortaza were substantiated. FINES December 1998: Warne fined (10,000 Australian dollars) and Mark Waugh (Aus $8,000) for taking money from a bookmaker for providing match-related information during a tour to Sri Lanka in 1994. The matter was only brought to light after four years. May 2000: Pakistan’s Wasim Akram was fined 300,000 rupees ($4,000)on his role in match-fixing and offering bribes to other players to under-perform. He was also censured and banned from leading Pakistan again. Five other players, leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed (300,000 rupees), Inzamam-ul-Haq, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar and Akram Raza (100,000 rupees) all fined for their roles in match-fixing after Qayyum inquiry.

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saturday, 18 May, 2013

who would be new sindh cm - makhdoom, Bijarani, tappi or will it be Qaim again? IsLaMaBaD tayyab huSSaIN

HOUGH names of wouldbe chief ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Balochistan have almost been finalised, the name of wouldbe chief minister of Sindh is still being kept under the wraps with some Pakistan People’s Party leaders stating that there was a stand-off between President Asif Zardari and PPPP President Makhdoom Amin Fahim who both wanted their nominees to get the prized slot, Pakistan Today has learnt. The PPP has emerged as the largest party in Sindh Assembly by winning 68 seats, followed by 37 of MQM. A source in the PPP said Fahim was pressing to get his brother, Makhdoom Rafiquz Zaman, named chief minister of Sindh and he had been lobbying in

this regard within the PPP to win maximum political support. “Fahim has held two successive meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari in the past two days. He says that his family has since long served the party but they have never been given the top slot either in Sindh or the Centre. He is claiming that this time around, his brother should be accommodated as per commitment made by Zardari, who had visited Hala in year 2010-11 to woo Rafiquz Zaman who had parted ways with the PPP,” the source said. The source added that former chief minister Qaim Ali Shah, Syed Khurshid Shah and some other senior party MPs were also supporting Fahim. Fahim has also proposed Qaim Ali Shah’s name for chief minister’s office if the party has issues in appointing his brother Rafiquz Zaman, a source said. However, a source close to Zardari said Mir Hazar Khan Bi-

Mir hazar Khan Bijarani

Owais Muzaffar tappi

Qaim ali Shah

jarani could prove to be a dark horse as he had been given a word by the president to handle Sindh’s affairs. “In past, Bijarani has never contested from Sindh Assembly seat and he has always been elected as member of National Assembly. However, this time around, he submitted papers for only Sindh Assembly constituency

on Zardari’s orders,” the source said, adding that the president wanted a man of his choice as the Sindh CM as he would be the de-facto Sindh CM after completion of his tenure in September this year. Another PPP leader from Sindh said Owais Muzaffar Tappi, half-brother of President Asif Ali Zardari, was also lobbying

for his nomination for the top slot in Sindh. “The press conference by Manzoor Wassan held on Wednesday was a part of the same plan, trying to put pressure on Makhdoom Amin Fahim to withdraw his assertion for his brother, as it was Benazir Bhutto’s wish to name a young and dynamic person as the Sindh chief minister,”

religious parties not well-received this election

Nepra increases power tariff by rs 5.80 per unit IsLaMaBaD ONLINE

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Friday approved an increase in the power tariff by Rs 5.80 per unit for commercial and industrial sectors. Per details, after vacation of a stay order‚ NEPRA issued a notification for the recovery of fuel adjustment charges on electricity bills from August, 2012 to March this year. NEPRA however clarified that there was no increase in the tariff for domestic consumers.

IsLaMaBaD Staff REPORt

Religious parties once again failed to get public recognition in general elections by securing just five percent of the total votes. However, secular and mainstream political parties got the major share of votes. According to accumulated statistics, the overall popularity of religious political parties slumped to less than five percent. The self-proclaimed liberal Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP), which could not get as many seats as expected, was able to secure 15.7 percent votes. Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which bagged fewer seats than PPP, emerged as the second largest party at national level by getting 17.8 percent votes. The Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) gained maximum number of seats at the Center and in Punjab. However, its overall vote ratio remained at 35 percent. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), largely an urban party representing Karachi and Hyderabad, secured 6.6 percent votes. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) got 2.09 percent votes while Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) ended up by having 1.1 percent votes in this election. This absence of support base for conservative forces has not gone unnoticed. INT’L AgENDA AgAINST rELIgIouS PArTIES: JI Secretary General Liaqat Baloch alleged that the elections results revealed an international agenda to push the religious parties to the wall under the cover of impartial and transparent elections. Talking to reporters at the residence of former chief justice Irshad Ahmed Khan where he had gone to condole the death his wife, the JI leader said public pressure for fresh polling in Karachi and Hyderabad was increasing day by day and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should announce repolling in the two cities to regain its image as an impartial and transparent watchdog. He said that religious parties would make every effort for religious harmony and for the protection of the country’s Islamic identity. He added that the US and NATO bases would not be accepted in the country.

the source added. Wassan had told reporters in Karachi that he had a dream in which late Benazir Bhutto had told him that a young and nice-looking leader would be the [next] chief minister of Sindh. Moreover, Sharjeel Memon is another aspirant for the top slot and he is pushing for the crown as well. “Memon has the backing of some heavyweights like Dr Fehmida Mirza and Dr Zulfiqar Mirza. Besides, there are around half a dozen MPs who are backing him,” the source added. When contacted, Taj Haider, a PPP veteran, expressed ignorance about the new chief minister of Sindh, but said the new CM should be young, dynamic and seasoned who could introduce good governance in Sindh. “Only the president and Makhdoom Amin Fahim can give you the name,” he said. “One thing I know. If we could not deliver this time around in Sindh, we could also be wiped out from Sindh,” he said.

pervez ashraf submits written statement to NaB

ISLaMaBaD: Supporters of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat protest outside the Election Commission office on Friday against alleged rigging in general election. INP

‘brain eating amoeba’ claims life of 14-year-old in Karachi KaraChI Staff REPORt

The critically-ill 14-year-old patient of brain eating amoeba died in Liaquat National Hospital (LNH), doctors said on Friday. In this year’s first case of Naegleria Fowleri, Adeel Hussain a resident of Karachi’s Korangi area was brought to LNH in a semi-conscious condition with high fever on May 10. Though he was instantly put on ventilators of LNH’s intensive care unit, the child succumbed to the disease late Thursday evening. The survival rate in this disease is quite low. According to head of National Institute of Child Health, Dr Jamal Raza, the Naegleria Fowleri is a special organism found in warm water or puddles. Swimming in public pools, with im-

proper arrangements for chlorination, is considered to be a major reason for contracting the disease. Dr Raza said that if Naegleria infested water passes through the digestive track after ingestion, it does not inflict as much damage as a nasal transfer would. The germs travel through the nasal cavity and damage the brain. The age of Naegleria victims has ranged between 4-49 years. “So far, we can only confirm the disease through medical tests. The symptoms can be high fever, stiffening of neck, and vomiting. It appears three to seven days after the person has been exposed to contaminated water. But apart from that we need to treat the chlorine level in water reservoirs, which is being done, to avoid more incidents,” Dr Raza added. But most doctors are still clueless about the disease that killed over 10 peo-

ple in Karachi last year. According to a report in Dawn, health expert suggested that physicians and clinicians go beyond international research and deduce an indigenous opinion on the issue. Also, apart from one case, other patients had no history of swimming. At present, the health department and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation is launching a campaign to generate awareness for people’s protection in the city. A renowned pediatrician Dr Ghaffar Billo said that science had progressed considerably adding that a cure for the disease would soon be developed along the same line as other diseases previously perceived incurable. “New challenges will keep on coming in, we only need to have the sensibility to tackle them with better techniques and technology,” he added.

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad.

IsLaMaBaD Staff REPORt

Former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Friday appeared before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and submitted a written statement in the Rs 22 billion Rental Power Projects (RPP) case. According to details, Ashraf appeared before the accountability watchdog and submitted his written reply. He was interrogated for 30 minutes over the NAB’s investigations into 12 power projects initiated during his term as water and power minister in the previous government. The Supreme Court had declared in March last year that the Rental Power Project contracts were not transparent and had asked NAB to recover the money from the contractors with interest for the period they had kept it.