E-paper Pakistanoday 28th April, 2012

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UN chief encourages Pakistan and India’s efforts for peace

PPP MPA’s victory in PML-N stronghold not surprising

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rs 15.00 Vol ii no 301 22 Pages

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karachi edition

Saturday, 28 april, 2012 Jamadi-ul-Sani 6, 1433

PM mocks Opp with fiery speech Gilani says only NA speaker can oust him from the House g Challenges PML-N to move no-confidence motion against him g Says he has been convicted for protecting the constitution

Nawaz vows not to let ‘convict PM’ stay in office PML-N chief says all decisions, acts of Gilani and federal cabinet illegal, unconstitutional g Warns of long march, protests in and outside parliament g

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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani addresses the National Assembly on Friday.

ISLAMABAD

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Zardari’s cases pending because of presidential immunity: Bukhari

STAFF RePoRT

RIMe Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani took to the floor of the House on Friday, orating a fiery speech in which he said that irrespective of the decisions (of the courts), “an elected prime minister cannot not be removed without the due process”.

“I also want to tell Madam Speaker that you are not merely a post office. You also have to apply your own mind on disqualification,” he added. “But, if the parliament de-notifies me, I will be honored. This is up to the custodian of the House,” Gilani said. Gilani earlier exposed the hollow claims of PML-N of not allowing him to enter the House when he made an entry as well as a lengthy speech.

In response to threats given by Leader of

the Opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan the other day, Prime Minister Gilani challenged the opposition to bring a no confidence motion against him. Speaking in the National Assembly, Prime Minister Gilani said nobody could remove him from his office except the speaker.

“Am I not an elected prime minister? Do I not represent 180 million people of Pakistan?

Nobody can remove me from the office of the prime minister except you, Madam speaker.

This is in the law and the constitution,” he said in his first address in the National Assembly after his conviction by the Supreme Court.

Prime Minister Gilani received warm welcome upon his arrival in the House and loud desk thumping and standing ovation by the treasury forced three to four PML-N parliamentarians present in the House to leave. continued on Page 04

LAHORE NAuMAN TASLeeM

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) President Nawaz Sharif on Friday reiterated his demand for Yousaf Raza Gilani’s resignation, asking him to step down as the prime minister of Pakistan at the earliest after having been convicted by the Supreme Court (SC) or else be ready to face dire consequences.

He was addressing a press conference after presiding over a consultative meeting to discuss the post-SC verdict scenario. Flanked by Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Punjab CM Shahbaz Shareef and Ishaq Dar, Nawaz said the office of the prime minister of Pakistan was vacant after the SC judgment convicted

Gilani of contempt of court. He said Gilani had lost his credibility after the verdict of the Supreme Court, so he should resign from the office at the earliest.

“Pakistan is running without a prime minister since Thursday morning,” he said, adding that all decisions and acts of Gilani and his cabinet were illegal and unconstitutional after the conviction. “When Gilani came to office, he took an oath to remain loyal to the constitution, but he violated his oath by remaining loyal to Zardari instead of the constitution,” the PML-N chief said.

“Gilani should have mercy on the country’s system and step down from his illegal post,” he added. continued on Page 04

Trilateral moot agrees on safe passage for Taliban g

Pakistan, US and Afghanistan also agree to accelerate Afghan reconciliation process ISLAMABAD ShAIq huSSAIN

In a significant development, Pakistan, the United States and Afghanistan on Friday agreed on arranging safe passage for the Afghan Taliban insurgents, who are willing to engage in peace talks.

In this regard, the three major states in the US led anti-terrorism global campaign decided to form a group of experts, which will consider the vital proposal. The sub-group would help arrange a safe pas-

sage for the Taliban who would travel for peace talks through Pakistan, overseas and also in Afghanistan. Addressing a joint press conference with US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman, and Afghan deputy foreign minister, Jawed Ludin, after the meeting of ‘trilateral core group’, Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani said the formation of the group exploring safe passage was a tangible accomplishment.

“An important aspect of this group will be an establishment of the subgroup

on the safe passage,” he said. Ludin said, “We really welcome this initiative of the safe passage, which will mean our experts can meet and take this process further.”

He said, “We need to be able to find them, those who are willing to talk wherever they are. We need to provide a safe passage and an environment where they feel safe and confident that they can engage in peace talks without any consequence.” continued on Page 04

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02 News Today’s

Saturday, 28 April, 2012

kArACHi

NEWS

Nabeel Gabol gets lucky, where 7 other couldn’t

hillary Clinton to visit India next month

Story on Page 07

Story on Page 06

CArtooN

Quick Look

Page 13

NAB interrogates Pervez Ashraf, others in RPPs scam ISLAMABAD

T

STAFF RePoRT

He National Accountability Bureau (NAB) summoned Minister for Information & Technology Raja Pervez Ashraf in the rental power projects (RPPs) case on Friday and its investigation team interrogated the minister for more than three hours.

Per an official handout, the minister appeared before NAB investigators and his statement was recorded. NAB said it was proceeding against the accused persons in RPPs case rapidly under the direction of Supreme Court of

Pakistan. “The NAB investigation team also summoned more than six accused persons in the said case who participated in the proceedings and recovered Rs 600 million in shape of pay orders and Rs 225 million in shape of post paid cheques on April 27, 2012,” NAB said.

“The CeOs of some RPPs appeared before the investigation team and handed over these pay orders and cheques. Senior officials of PePCO and WAPDA and MDs of PPIB and GeNCO were also examined in the case and their statements were recaorded. NAB would complete its reconciliation exercise in the next week where it would scrutinize the collected evidence and other relevant material. After this exercise, the

accused persons required for further examination would be summoned.” Meanwhile, NAB completed its inquiry in the railways case relating to the purchase of spare parts for 69 Chinese locomotives and the findings along with the recommendations would be placed before the next executive board meeting for decision, where this inquiry would be converted into investigation. NAB’s inquiry revealed that 85 percent of total purchased spare parts in the case were lying unutilized.

In another railway inquiry relating to Royal Palm Golf Club, NAB had secured around Rs 8 billion by facilitating the parties to revisit the lease agreement in phase-I.

Nabeel Gabol narrowly escapes hand grenade attack KARACHI INP

PPP stalwart Nabeel Gabol was attacked in Lyari area on Friday when unidentified men lobbed a hand grenade in his vehicle. According to details, Gabol was returning from the funeral of Malik Muhamamd Khan, a PPP leader, when he was attacked near Miran Naka. Gabol reporters that some unknown men had attacked him but he and his friends were safe. He said criminals and terrorists had been challenging the writ of the government but they would be rooted out from all areas.

Zardari’s cases pending because of presidential immunity: Bukhari KARACHI oNLINe

National Accountability Bureau Chairman Admiral (r) Fasih Bukhari has said that cases against President Asif Ali Zardari were pending in the accountability courts due to immunity to his office.

Addressing a press conference here Friday, Fasih Bokhari said the co-accused of the cases against the president has been acquitted, he added. It is not possible to readily eradicate corruption but it can be controlled, he said. He said country was sinking due to corruption and the NAB want to get hold of big fish. He said investigations against former Attorney General Malik Qayyum were in progress and if he did not appear before the NAB court by 30th April, Red Warrants would e issued against him. Fasih Bokhari claimed that he has devised a method to eradicate corruption from Pakistan.

However, he didn’t elaborate.

He said that small cases were being referred to police, FIA and other agencies while the major corruption cases would be probed by the NAB.

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Saturday, 28 April, 2012

forEiGN NEWS

ArtS & ENtErtAiNMENt

SPortS

KFC ordered to pay $8.3m to Australian girl

South Korea goes Gaga as the Lady kicks off tour

PCB looks for investors for PPL from across the border

News 03 CoMMENt Rumble in the house Just another day in the Pakistani parliament.

one step forward

On the MFN status.

Arif Nizami says: After the verdict: Not gone in 30 seconds…

White Lies: We hear that, on Thursday, there was much activity in Islamabad around the judges’ enclave right behind Punjab House. There were processions, a little disorganised and confused, mainly of PPP workers who tried to make their way into the judge’s compound but to no avail.

Story on Page 15

Story on Page 16

Story on Page 18

Articles on Page 12-13

PPP workers protest against PM’s conviction PESHAWAR/GUJRANWALA STAFF RePoRT

KARAChI: Police officials fire at gangsters during a search and clearance operation in Lyari on Friday. STAff PhoTo

Six people dead as grand operation begins in Lyari KARACHI

S

STAFF RePoRT

Ix people were shot dead, while five, including 2 policemen, were injured in Lyari as the government began a grand clearance operation in Karachi’s troubled area on Friday.

The operation began in early hours of Friday and heavy contin-

gents of police and Frontier Constabulary began looking for criminals hiding in the locality.

A man was shot dead in Gabol Park while five people, including police personnel, were injured in the operation, according to a private TV channel.

CID SSP Chaudhary Aslam Khan was also present during the operation and a squad of women police also took part in the operation for

the very first time.

Law enforcement personnel faced resistance upon their arrival and blockades were placed at all entry and exit points of the area.

A police armored personnel carrier (APC) came under a grenade attack in Nawa Lane area of Lyari. No loss of life was reported in the attack.

Loud explosions and firing were heard in Sango Lane, Cheel Chowk

and Aath Chowk, causing panic and fear among the residents.

In light of the ongoing unrest, board examinations of class nine, which were re-scheduled for today, were postponed again.

The operation follows incidents on Wednesday when a policeman was gunned down during an exchange of fire with a suspected gangster and the killing of a political activist.

The Supreme Court’s decision against the prime minister in the contempt case sent ripples in the political circles of the country as antagonistic views and reactions were observed from the ruling parties in Gujranwala and Peshawar.

PPP’s Students Federation and Youth Organisation held a protest rally in Peshawar.

Chanting slogans such as ‘we reject’, they said, “Prime Minister Gilani proved that ‘jiyaalaz’ are not afraid of the judiciary and dictators.” PSF Peshawar Division President Saad Waqas and People’s Youth Organisation (PYO) Peshawar district President Jehangir Khan, General Secretary Misbahuddin and city president Isa Khan led the demonstrators. They started their agitation from cantonment area towards the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and disturbed traffic on Sher Shah Soori Road. They torched tyres outside the PHC. “We don’t accept the decision of the unjust judiciary against the PPP prime minister,” the leaders said. The workers of the PPP said the verdict was a conspiracy to derail democracy. Meanwhile, in Gujranwala PPP workers organised rallies in various areas as an expression of their trust over their leadership while the PML-N workers as well as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers demanded the resignation of the prime minister due his conviction in crime. PPP workers organized a rally on GT road in which the political workers declared the courts decision biased. Former MPA Asadullah Papa said, “We fully trust our leadership who stood fast in front of the every obstacle and even faced the biased decision of the courts.” He said the game played by a dictator was now even pursued by the judges. He said the PPP will go into appeal against the courts decision. Another rally was organized outside PPP’s City Secretariat to express trust in their leadership. PPP City President Tariq Ali Mehar told Pakistan Today that the people were depressed over the conviction of the prime minister. He said the PPP had always faced the biased attitude but still PPP has respected the courts and had never attacked the courts like the PML-N did and how they maneuvered the institutions to get their way to the govern the country through back doors. Khurram Dastagir Khan of the PML-N told Pakistan Today that he did not accept the corrupt and convicted politicians as the heads of the state. He added that now the government allies should decide that they want to stand along with convicts.

Much more needed to oust Gilani from Prime Minister’s House ISLAMABAD TAhIR NIAz

Though PM Gilani has been convicted for ‘bringing judiciary of the country into ridicule’, both the PPP and main opposition party PML-N seem to have realized the fact that still a large ground was to be covered to oust Gilani from the Prime Minister’s House thus giving the ruling party courage to adopt an aggressive attitude and the main opposition party PML-N retracting from its challenge to the convicted prime minister that they would not let him enter the House.

The realization of the legal position was reflective from the attitude of the two parties in the House on Friday when the convicted chief executive of the country resorted to an aggressive tone against the main opposition party and Opposition Leader Nisar Ali Khan did not appear in the

House despite challenging the “no-moreprime minister” a day earlier. The opposition party seemed to be in full realization of the fact that the government had the right of appeal against the court order followed by the legal process of disqualification of the prime minister that involved NA speaker, who is a key member of the ruling party.

Thursday was Nisar’s day when he announced that the PML-N would not allow the PM to enter the House, but Friday belonged to the prime minister, as he not only entered the House but also challenged the main opposition party to bring a vote of noconfidence if it wanted to remove him.

Gilani apparently relied on Article 63 (2) of the constitution which says that question of disqualification of a member of the National Assembly will be decided by the speaker of the National Assembly.

The article reads: “If any question

arises whether a member of Majlis-eShoora (Parliament) has become disqualified from being a member, the Speaker or, as the case may be, the Chairman shall, unless he decides that no such question has arisen, refer the question to the election Commission within thirty days and should he fail to do so within the aforesaid period it shall be deemed to have been referred to the election Commission.” Speaking in the House, the prime minister said no one else but the speaker could decide his fate.

The prime minister attended the sitting for 38 minutes while the leader of the opposition remained absent. The PML-N staged a walkout while the PM addressed the House on a Point of Order.

Another interpretation of the post-conviction attitude of the two major parties can be made that both PML-N and the government have decided to play their part of politics on the issue without directly

confronting each other before it is finally settled on legal forums, as on Thursday, Gilani did not turn up in the House and provided Nisar an opportunity to speak against him and a day later, the PM appeared in the House but Nisar was not there to challenge him. The Supreme Court in its short order has left no ambiguity that the effect of the conviction itself is so serious in terms of Article 63 (1) (g) and that also led the apex court to show leniency in the matter of imprisonment of the Prime Minister.

“As regards the sentence to be passed against the convict, we note that the findings and the conviction for contempt of court recorded above are likely to entails some serious consequences in terms of Article 63 (1) (g) of the constitution which may be treated as mitigating factors towards the sentence to be passed against him,” said the short order of the SC. Article 63 (1) (g) deals with disqualification of member of parlia-

ment. According to the article, a person shall be disqualified from being a member of parliament if he has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction for defaming or bringing into ridicule the judiciary.

However, the Article 63(2) gives a bit of room to the government which says that such question of disqualification will be decided by the NA speaker.

On the other hand, Justice Shakirullah Jan has been working as the acting chief election commissioner as the government is yet to nominate the new CeC after Hamid Ali Mirza’s retirement on March 23.

It is unlikely that he will take 90 days to de-notify Gilani’s membership once the speaker refers the matter to the election Commission. Keeping in view the attitude of the PPP towards the judiciary of the country, it is likely that the NA speaker holds the reference and the matter resounds in the court rooms.

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04 News

Saturday, 28 April, 2012

Trilateral moot continued from Page 1 Grossman said, “Our shared goals are to open doors for Afghanistan to sit down with other Afghans to talk about the future of their country.”

“We have been very clear and we have been very consistent about what the necessary outcomes in such a peace process would include the Taliban and the other insurgents break their ties with al Qaeda and abide by the Afghan constitution very crucially for protection of women and minority rights,” he said.

To a question on reopen-

ing of NATO supply lines, the US official said the security of NATO supplies would be ensured whenever they got restored.

During the core group meeting Pakistan, US and Afghanistan also agreed to establish another sub group to accelerate the process of Afghan reconciliation.

This sub group will be set up at the United Nations to coordinate activities in New York and it will comprise permanent representatives of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States at the United Nations.

Pakistan asks US continued from Page 24

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has nominated Senator Jehangir Badar as Leader of the House in the Senate, president’s spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar said on Friday. Jehangir Badar is Secretary General of the PPP and a former Federal Minister.

The Bhoja Air Boeing 737 crash in Islamabad on April 20 could have been caused

by Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) sighting by the pilot, unconfirmed reports say.

A Russian news report on the crash shows footage of three mysterious lights moving in formation, leading to speculation in the UFO community that blame for the tragic accident might lie with an extraterrestrial craft, reported the Daily Mail.

The news report suggests that the pilot might have been distracted by the object and complained to the control tower at Islamabad

Airport as he made his approach. The official reason however is that the plane’s fuel tanks exploded midair during a heavy thunderstorm, killing all 127 people on board.

In a mayday call made moments before the disaster, the pilot reported that a fuel tank had caught fire and the plane was out of control.

He asked controllers at Benazir Bhutto International Airport for help as he prepared for an emergency landing, saying he could see the roofs of houses but not the runway.

The Civil Aviation Authority said the aircraft had been properly positioned as it began its approach, but suddenly descended to 200 feet while still flying at 300

miles an hour. It then descended 50 feet more before its tanks exploded.

Given the violent storm lashing Islamabad during the accident, some experts have speculated that ‘wind shear, the sudden changes in wind that can lift or smash an aircraft into the ground during landing, might have been a factor.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has ordered a judicial investigation into the accident. Farooq Bhoja, head of Bhoja Air, has been put on the exit Control List.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said, ‘’It is being said that the aircraft was quite old, so it has been ordered to investigate thoroughly the air worthiness of the Bhoja Air aircraft.’’

Discussing regional situation, the president reiterated Pakistan’s principled stance to support intra-Afghan and Afghan-led reconciliation process in Afghanistan. Other issues of important concern for Pakistan such as drug trafficking also came under discussion.

Ambassador Grossman thanked the president for the meeting and said the US respected the parliamentary process of overview of relationship. He said the US wanted to work with Pakistan and expressed the hope that bilateral relations would soon be back to normal.

Later in the day, Grossman called on Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at the PM’s House. Both sides discussed the entire gamut of bilateral relations including cooperation in the war on terror in accordance with the resolution of the parliament, which spelled out the new terms of engagement between Pakistan and the US. The prime minister said Pakistan attached high importance to its relations with the US. He said there was a need for building partnership between Pakistan and the United States to achieve shared objective of bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan which in turn, would strengthen peace and stability in the region.

Gilani said Pakistan had the commitment and resolve to confront the forces of terrorism and extremism with the support of the public. He sensitized the US delegation about enhancing national capacity to meet this challenge.

The prime minister referred to his meeting with the US president on the sidelines of Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul who had agreed with him on the criticality of streamlining the relations between the two countries to achieve the common goals.

“Pakistan wants a relationship with the US based on mutual respect and mutual interest,” he maintained.

Grossman agreed with the prime minister that it was of fundamental importance to build a partnership based on mutual respect and mutual interests including respect for territorial integrity of both the countries.

He agreed that partnership with Pakistan was critically important to establish peace and security in the region. He further said there was a dire need to improve perception about each other through public diplomacy.

nazir Bhutto or Nawaz Sharif.

“We had condemned it at a time when people of their own party were silent. I had contended that it was unconstitutional step and thus unacceptable to me,” said the prime minister. He said they launched a movement and also supported the one initiated by Kalsoom Nawaz, but as both brothers left for abroad, the opposition alliance was shocked.

However, the Charter of Democracy was signed later thinking that democracy should not be derailed, adding that the PPP could have changed loyalties of the people if had desired so. “I would prefer to sit in opposition than to change loyalties of the people,” Gilani com-

mented. “Musharraf had suggested the PML-Q to form an alliance with the PPP and establish its rule but we declined it … we supported them in Punjab. They formed coalition with us in federation. But later, the worst picture painted by their finance minister incurred huge loss to the country. They thought it would lead to fresh elections and they would stand victorious,” he recalled.

The prime minister said the government had been maintaining coalition with all political parties, minor or major. “But they (PML-N) cannot do so even for a single day. They are too egoistic. We have accommodated them too by allocating funds worth billions of rupees,” he stated.

The PM said the opposition members were given equal funds under the Benazir Income Support Program. “But contrarily in

Punjab, opposition members are not allocated development funds …my son is an MPA in Punjab. He too is not allocated development fund,” he said. He claimed that the PML-N would have toppled the government in a second had it got a chance.

Defending his act of not writing letter to Swiss authorities for reopening graft cases against President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani questioned: “What is my fault?

What wrong have I committed? I have protected the constitution of the country.”

He said the very parliament had passed the 18th, 19th and 20th amendments, but no one neither objected on presidential immunity nor even submitted any dissenting note. He said across the world, heads of states enjoyed immunity under Vienna Convention that also remained part of constitu-

tions of 1956, 1962 and 1973, then why this immunity was not for the incumbent president. “I have been convicted neither on financial or moral corruption. I have been convicted just because of protecting the constitution,” Gilani commented.

“When we talk of judiciary, you support the parliament. When we talk of parliament, you side with the

judiciary. First you should decide on which side you are?

I want to tell that I am with parliament, which is the will of the people,” he commented. The prime minister said it was for the first time that people were congratulating on a conviction, because the government had taken a principled stance to protect the constitution, not to hide corruption.

The core group meeting was part of efforts on part of three states to revive stalled peace talks with the Afghan Taliban and also to normalize relations between Washington and Islamabad, which they feel is vital for the success of Afghan reconciliation process.

At the talks, Grossman led the US delegation.

At the press conference, Jilani said, “We agreed that Afghanistan and the region as whole were passing through a defining moment as the country has entered the transition phase.”

“Together we reviewed developments with regard to the promotion of the Afghan-led and Afghanowned inclusive peace and reconciliation process. We also discussed the next possible steps in this process,” he said. He said, “On behalf of the government of Pakistan, I reiterated our full support to the efforts of the Afghan government to achieve peace and stability in the country. Stability and peace in Afghanistan is a core national objective for Pakistan.”

He said, “We also dis-

cussed issues such as return of refugees, improved border management and drugtrafficking.

We also exchanged views on several economic initiatives and development projects currently under consideration at the bilateral and regional levels.” Jilani said, “Pakistan has a very important role to play for the peace in Afghanistan and for this reason we are here today. We welcome the cooperation and engagement from Pakistan and Afghanistan in peace process.”

“Afghanistan’s neighbors

are essential partners in supporting Afghans creating a stable and prosperous Afghanistan and a stable and prosperous region that was the major theme of the Istanbul conference last November.” Ludin said the Afghanistan peace process was very urgent and most important priority for the US among the challenges and opportunities which were evident. “Our request is to utilize whatever opportunities are available and to focus on cooperation on the process of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan,” he said.

Nawaz vows UN chief encourages continued from Page 1

Nawaz pointed out that President Asif Ali Zardai was responsible for the chaotic condition, adding that the entire nation had been forced to suffer due to $60 million looted money deposited in Swiss accounts. He said the country was passing through a hard time but the rulers were busy in securing their rule for their personal interests.

Nawaz clarified that he had no personal grudge against Zardari and Gilani, instead he was following principles.

To a question, he said his party had several options to get its demands fulfilled, adding that the

PML-N would protest in and outside the parliament.

“All options are open, including long march and protests in and outside the parliament,” he noted.

Nawaz said Gilani should face the reality and must avoid putting the nation on another trial.

To another question, he said a new prime minister, from the PPP or any other party, should be appointed and he should write the letter to Swiss authorities.

Opposition Leader Nisar Ali Khan said Gilani managed to “sneak into parliament” on Friday to deliver a speech seeing that the PML-N leaders were not present.

India hands over dossier on Mumbai attacks to Pakistan NEW DELHI INP

India on Friday handed over a dossier on the Mumbai terror attacks to Pakistan containing Ajmal Kasab’s testimony.

The investigation report of Mumbai terror attacks was given to a 10-member Pakistani investigation team that visited India.

The report on the Mumbai attacks comprises 700 pages, in which autopsy report of those people who were killed in the attack is also included.

The report also claimed

that the aforementioned document includes the case diary of the attacks. The Judicial Commission of Pakistan had also examined the document during the tour of India.

FIA Prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar submitted the report in a special anti-terror court. Making the report a part of the proceeding, the court will hear the case today (Saturday).

The report said Kasab received six-month terrorism training in Pakistan and sneaked into India via sea routes along with his 10 colleagues.

Pak-India efforts for peace NEW DELHI oNLINe

W

eLCOMI N G the Indo-Pak efforts to improve their bilateral relations, UN Secretary General Ban KiMoon on Friday said the two countries should persist with their efforts to resolve outstanding issues and advocated peaceful resolution of

PPP nominates Jehangir Badar as Leader of House in Senate

ISLAMABAD APP

PM mocks continued from Page 1 Gilani lambasted the PML-N, its leadership and Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, saying nobody could impose his decision or wish on us. “We are elected people and strived to uphold the constitution and respect of institutions … they cannot act like God. We have majority in both the Houses of the parliament. They (Nawaz, Shahbaz and Nisar) should respect others. I challenge them if they have courage, they should move a no confidence motion against me,” Gilani asserted. He questioned how they (PML-N parliamentarians and leaders) could not allow a unanimously elected prime

minister in the House. “One brother (Shahbaz Sharif) does not accept the president, other (Nawaz Sharif) refuses to accept the prime minister.

The entire PML-N does not accept Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaaf,” Gilani said.

He said just a day earlier, Nisar had wished him goodluck for the court verdict, but after conviction, they announced not to allow him in the House.

He said anyone considering the PPP’s political reconciliation as its weakness lived in a fools’ paradise. Gilani said after Pervez Musharraf toppled Nawaz Sharif’s government in 1999, he had announced not to accept any such parliament lacking Be-

Kashmir issue while respecting the “wills” of people there.

Ban held comprehensive discussions on the issue of counter-terrorism in his meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and external Affairs Minister SM Krishna during which India raised its concerns over terrorism in the Af-Pak region.

Asserting that terrorism cannot be justified by any reason, the UN Secretary

General made a strong pitch for bringing the perpetrators of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack to book “as soon as possible” and noted that the government of India and Pakistan were making efforts to do so. “I am pleased with the continued efforts to improve the relations between India and Pakistan.

This has a broader significance for the region and for global peace. I realise there are many outstanding issues

but I encourage leaders of both the countries to persist with these efforts,” Ban said at a press conference.

Asked about the UN position on Kashmir, the UN Secretary General, said, “I hope this issue is addressed peacefully without violence and respecting wills of the people there.” He said it should be resolved “without resorting to any violence and fully respecting the human rights sentiments there.

Ufo caused Bhoja Air plane crash in Islamabad, claims report ISLAMABAD INP

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Saturday, 28 April, 2012

News 05

Haj has not been made dearer, NA told ISLAMABAD oNLINe

The National Assembly was told on Friday that Haj was not made costlier despite devaluation of rupee against riyal and other economic factors. “We have taken up problems of the pilgrims belonging to all the countries with Khademain-ul-Harmain-ul-Sharefeen and they have conveyed to us that the issues would be resolved,” said Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Khurshid Ahmad Shah while responding to queries put forwarded by members of the Lower House during the Question Hour. While describing salient features of the Haj agreement with the government of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), he said 90 percent of the clauses of the agreement were the same as in the accord signed last year. “However, we have been granted permission for taking 30 000 Pakistani pilgrims to Madina at first,” he said, adding that it would help Pakistani pilgrims in getting residences closer to Harram. “A new addition of facilities for pilgrims this year is the facility of train for Muzdalfa and Mina” he added observing that it would reduce their traveling duration from 12 hours to 12 minutes. “Moreover, facility of ATM cards for Pakistani pilgrims to protect their money from going in pickpockets’ hands has also been arranged this year,” Shah said, adding that pilgrims earlier were supposed to keep their money with them in pockets and losing it and government provided 500 Riyals to them which was too meager to meet their requirements. MQM MNA Abdul Rashid Godil raised point that last year, Air Blue offered taking Hujjaj to Saudi Arabia at fare of Rs 35, 000 to Rs 45, 000.

5 die in road accident in Muzaffargarh

PeShAWAR: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz female supporters shout slogans against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani during a demonstration on Friday. oNLINE

PPP MPA’s victory in PML-N stronghold not surprising g

PPP leaders term win after 10 years a public referendum in favour of Seraiki province, PM Gilani

MUZAFFARGARH

MULTAN

APP

Five people were killed and another 15 were injured when a wagon collided with a trailer on Jhang Road in Qasba Khudai area, some 40 kilometres from the city on Friday. A wagon, on way to Ahmadpur Siyal from Multan, collided head on with a trailer causing death of two passengers on the spot while 18 were injured. Three other passengers including the driver breathed their last at the hospital. Rescue 1122, DSP Traffic Asadullah and patrolling police reached the spot and shifted the injured to hospital. Those killed included wagon driver Muhammad Arif, Muhammad Iqbal, Sabir Hussain, and two unidentified passengers. Those getting treatment at the DHQ hospital included Mohammad Ramzan, Ghulam Mustafa, Mst. Khalida, Sarwar Khan, Shahnawaz, Abdul Naseer, Allah Ditta and Nabi Bakhsh. The seriously injured were taken to Nishtar Hospital. The trailer driver, however, fled with his companions. Rangpur police have registered an FIR against the driver of the trailer and took the vehicle in possession.

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STAFF RePoRT

PP’S Usman Bhatti’s victory in PP-194 by-election could be a surprise for many in the federal capital but it is not so for the locals who were already expecting a neck-to-neck fight between Bhatti and the PML-N candidate, Moeen Riaz Qureshi, also a former PPP leader who had defected to Patriots in 2002.

Background interviews and interactions with people on the streets and local leadership of the major political parties reveal that though the win by Bhatti was not a surprise, it was for President Asif Ali Zardari who was overjoyed on the party’s success in Southern Punjab.

“Two major factors have contributed to the win of Bhatti – who was a new face by all means. The public support for creation of Seraiki province and the Supreme Court’s judegment against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on the polling day which triggered sympathy wave among PPP workers for him,” said Raziuddin Razi, a senior local journalist, while talking to Pakistan Today on telephone.

“Bhatti’s win is due to two other factors – the public support for creation of Saraiki

province and the PPP’s policy to portray Gilani as a victim of judicial and media trial,” said Razi.

Traditionally a seat belonging to the PML-N, this is the first win by a PPP candidate since the year 2002 – almost 10 years ago when Qureshi had won the seat on a PPP ticket.

However, later Qureshi, whose political career is full of defections and betrayals, joined the PML-Q. In 2005, he was made town nazim by the PML-Q. He also contested the general polls on a PML-Q ticket in 2008 but was defeated

by PML-N’s candidate Shahid Mehmood Khan. Qureshi then joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) along with Shah Mahmood Qureshi in November last year.

However, when Shahid Mehmood also joined PTI along with Javed Hashmi last year and resigned from the PML-N and his provincial seat, Qureshi felt threatened and joined the PML-N. “In my analysis, the main factor behind the PML-N candidate’s defeat is Qureshi’s habit of changing loyalties frequently. I know that even PML-N local leaders, who had protested against allotment of the party ticket to Qureshi, opposed him and distributed sweets on his defeat,” said another local journalist,

Salman Raza.

But the PPP’s local leaders term the win by the PPP candidate as a result of sheer hard work by its workers, the decision to award the ticket to a new face and the public support for Gilani and his idea of Saraiki Province.

PPP’s South Punjab senior vice-president Haider Zaman Qureshi says that the Bhatti’s success was a result of the popular policy of the party leadership on creation of a separate province for the people of South Punjab.

“You may term this win as a public referendum on Saraiki Province. Moreover, the party’s workers also felt on the voting day that discrimination was being meted out to their elected prime minister as judiciary and media had put PM Gilani and his family on trial together,” he contended.

“This is the reason that after 12 p.m. on Thursday when the court verdict came, the PPP voters came out of their homes emotionally and voted for their party to express their anger against victimisation of their leadership,” he asserted.

He said the people of Multan had expressed solidarity with Prime Minister Gilani by getting elected a PPP candidate from a constituency which traditionally belonged to the PML-N.

“The PPP had won it in 1988 and then 2002. Now, we won it after ten long years and the credit goes to the party leadership and its workers who materialised a dream,” he added.

“Moreover, the PPP’s workers had developed a coordinated campaign for Bhatti, who comes from middle class and represents workers. President Asif Zardari awarded him ticket in the party’s central executive committee (CeC) meeting on April 4 last year,” he said.

He said that smelling a win, the party workers had went door-to-door to convince the voters to vote against the Punjab government who, he alleged, was misusing all its resources, authority and political pressures to get Moeen Qureshi elected.

“The Punjab government used SHOs, patwaris, cash amounts and other government machinery to rig the polls but the PPP voters foiled all such plans,” asserted Qureshi.

He said it was a rare one-on-one fight which had been won by the PPP candidate who belonged to an opposition party and the voters knew well that they were voting for a member of assembly who would sit in the opposition and would not be able to get development funds or other resources to work for the public cause.

Panetta memo on obama’s order to ‘get Bin Laden’ made public WASHINGTON AGeNCIeS

A hand-written memo in which US President Barack Obama authorised the Navy SeALs team to “go in and get (Osama) bin Laden” at his hideout in Pakistan one year ago has been made public.

Obama’s orders to the Navy SeALs team had been to “go in and get bin Laden” and to “get out” if the Al Qaeda leader was not in the Abbottabad compound, according to the secret memo handwritten and signed by the then CIA chief Leon Panetta made public by Time magazine. In the April 29 memo, Panetta, now Secretary of Defence, wrote that he received a phone call from National Secu-

rity Adviser Tom Donilon who told him the president had “made a decision with regard to AC1 [Abbottabad Compound 1].”

“The decision is to proceed with the assault. The direction is to go in and get Bin Laden and if he is not there, to get out,” the memo published by Time magazine ahead of the first anniversary of the May 2 killing of bin Laden, said. Panetta further wrote in the memo that the timing, operational decision making and control of the raid was in the hands of Admiral William McRaven, in charge of the hunt for Bin Laden as commander of the Joint Special Operations Command. “The approval is provided on the risk profile presented to the president. Any additional risks are to be brought back to the pres-

ident for his consideration. Those instructions were conveyed to Admiral McRaven at approximately 10.45 am,” he wrote in the memo.

In a separate report on the last days of bin Laden, Time magazine details months of secret and difficult discussions in the White House before Obama made his decision, one on which he was “betting his presidency” to send US special forces inside the Pakistani garrison town to get the world’s most wanted man. The Time magazine report said family life in Abbottabad was a “source of genuine solace” for bin Laden, who was staying in the compound with his three wives and children.

The report said bin Laden believed deeply that polygamy and procreation were religious obligations. To other friends, he joked, “I don’t

understand why people take only one wife. If you take four wives, you live like a groom.”

In October 2010, bin Laden had written a 48-page memo to one of his deputies that surveyed the state of al-Qaeda’s jihad. Bin Laden also expressed worry that al-Qaeda’s longtime sanctuary in Waziristan, in Pakistan’s tribal areas, was now too dangerous because of US drone strikes. “I am leaning toward getting most of our brothers out of the area,” he wrote. Bin Laden fretted about his 20-year-old son Hamza, who had moved to the tribal regions sometime in 2010, writing in the memo, “Make sure to tell Hamza that I am of the opinion he should get out of Waziristan. He should move only when the clouds are heavy.” While publicly calling for

young men to join his holy war, bin Laden was privately advising that his son decamp for the tiny, prosperous kingdom of Qatar.

The report said that in the end bin Laden became a “victim of his own security arrangements.” The room on the third floor of the house, made especially to hide a tall man like bin Laden, had windows on only one of its four sides, and they were opaque. As the Navy Seal team descended on the compound in the dead of the night on May 2, the few windows made it impossible for him to see what was going on outside. “Dressed in tan shalwar kameez, the leader of al-Qaeda waited in the dark in silence for about 15 minutes, seemingly paralyzed as the Americans stormed his last refuge.

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Saturday, 28 April, 2012

Hillary Clinton to visit India next month WASHINGTON

U

oNLINe

S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would make a trip to India early next month ahead of the US-India Strategic Dialogue in Washington cochaired by her and Indian Minister of external Affairs S.M. Krishna.

The surprise announcement Wednesday of Clinton’s decision to visit India May 7-8 after the fourth round of US-China Strategic and economic Dialogue in Beijing on May 34 was seen as an attempt to iron out differences over potentially contentious issues like Iran before the June 13 dialogue. The official announcement by State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland hinted as much saying she looked forward to the Washington dialogue and will meet with Indian government officials in New Delhi to review progress in the strategic partnership. The announcement, and timing, of the visit cane as a surprise, as Clinton was in any case sched-

uled to engage Krishna in Washington just five weeks later. A meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is also on the cards.

The Clinton visit is also considered significant as it comes just after her high-level talks in China and ahead of the crucial midMay NATO summit in Chicago focused on Afghanistan, where the constructive role played by India is well recognised in Washington. Clinton, who will visit Bangladesh before reaching New Delhi, will stop over in Kolkata May 7 and meet West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee “and other civil society organization representatives.” There were also reports that she might visit Pakistan after the Chiba trip to smoothen the embittered relationship with Islamabad, but India was not on the cards. However, Clinton is not visiting Pakistan this time. The announcement also led to speculation that Clinton, who has played a key role in nurturing India-US relations over the last two decades, was planning the Delhi trip as a farewell visit to India since she has indicated she would not take up the same job in the next Obama ad-

US, India to sign $8 billion defence deals

ministration. Besides Clinton, several other top US leaders are expected to visit India in the next few months. Media reports said that Defence Secretary Leon Panetta may visit India in early June for talks with his counterpart A. K. Antony.

NEW DEHLI: US companies are poised to sign defence deals totalling $8 billion with India, U.S. Ambassador Nancy Powell said on Friday at her first public speech since arriving in New Delhi this month. Powell did not specify which companies she was talking about or when the deals would be signed, but embassy officials said she was referring to negotiations that include about a dozen Apache helicopters along with engines for Indian jets. “We are poised to sign an additional $8 billion in direct commercial and foreign military sales,” Powell said. “As we share more common equipment, our bilateral defence ties will become stronger.” India is the world’s largest arms importer and plans to spend close to about $100 billion over the next 10 years to upgrade its largely Soviet-era equipment. U.S. companies including Boeing Co, Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Co are some of the contractors looking to grab a share of India’s planned military spending.

Industrial conglomerate Honeywell International Inc. is offering engines for the Indian Airforce’s Jaguar fighter aircraft. Powell said improving bilateral trade and investment was her main objective as ambassador, mentioning U.S. concerns about tariff and non-tariff barriers and a new retroactive tax law as obstacles in the relationship. INP

Arrest warrants issued for Shahzain, 27 bodyguards

QUETTA oNLINe

The Additional Sessions Judge-V Quetta on Friday issued arrest warrants for Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) provincial president Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti and his 27 security guards. The arrest warrants were issued after the Supreme Court cancelled the bail of Shahzain and his guards granted by the Balochistan High Court. They were arrested by the Frontier Corps (FC) on December 22, 2010 at the Buleli checkpost in Quetta for allegedly smuggling weapons. A huge cache of weapons and ammunition, including 50 Kalashnikov assault rifles, anti-aircraft guns and 46,000 rounds, was recovered from their vehicles.

4 militants killed in turbat clash TURBAT oNLINe

At least four militants were killed and seven others arrested in an encounter with Frontier Corps (FC) on Friday. The FC personnel also seized a huge cache of arms during search operation in different areas of Balochistan. According to details, the militants attacked FC men during search operation in Gaban area of Turbat.

In retaliatory fire four militants were killed. The security forces arrested seven accused after fire exchange. Meanwhile, Frontier Corps (FC) on a tip off conducted search operation against criminal elements in Nasirabad and Nushki districts. During the operation huge cache of arms including nine short guns, 11 SMG, 3 LMG, 15 rocket launchers, 14 rifles and 100 rounds of SMG were recovered. In a separate incident, unknown armed men gunned down night watchman of government administered tube well in Kaley Sarda area of Saryab in Quetta.

ISLAMABAD: President Asif zardari talks to uS Special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman during a meeting on Friday. oNLINE

taliban website hacked as Afghan cyber war heats up KABUL

ReuTeRS

Hackers have for the third time in less than a year crippled the main website of the Afghan Taliban, with a Taliban spokesman on Friday blaming Western intelligence agencies amid an intensifying cyber war with the insurgents.

The unidentified hackers broke into the Taliban’s el emara website twice on Thursday, replacing usual insurgent victory messages with images of executions and support for the Afghan government and security forces in english, Arabic and Pashto.

Some of the photographs showed women being shot in the head or hanged by former Taliban executioners, while another showed two women in head-to-toe burkas being beaten.

“Violence is wrong in all its forms, especially the encouragement by the Taliban of cowardly betrayal and the

senseless murder of innocent civilians,” a screenshot from Afghan Pajhwok News showed the message as saying in english.

“The Afghan Security Forces are accountable to Allah and the Afghan people, and seek to restore peace as the foreigners leave the land,” it said.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters that the website was hacked around 12:30 am on Thursday and fixed in three hours, before being breached again at midday and put out of commission again. It was still being repaired on Friday “It was hacked again by enemies and foreign intelligence services,” Zabihullah said. “The enemy tries to push its propaganda.

The enemy is worried by what gets published in our webpage. It’s confusing for them, so they try to react.”

A NATO spokesman declined comment on the claim.

The Taliban have in recent months

waged an intensifying information war with NATO forces in the country, distributing anti-government messages on mobile phone networks and using Twitter to claim largely improbable successes as most foreign combat troops look to leave the country by 2014. A day rarely passes without a Taliban spokesman using Twitter to claim the destruction of numerous NATO armored vehicles and the deaths of scores of Western or Afghan security forces, with NATO quickly countering in its own Twitter feeds. The Taliban also employ a sophisticated network of spokesmen to distribute messages and even have their own mobile radio broadcast service, which frequently moves location to avoid the threat of retaliatory airstrikes by NATO warplanes.

Unknown hackers brought down the main Taliban website earlier this month, when el emara’s english language page was replaced temporarily

with images of Taliban atrocities and photographs of roadside bombs, according to the Long War Journal website, which tracks progress in the war, now dragging into its eleventh year.

Another cyber attack took place on June 20 last year, when false messages were distributed about the death of the Taliban’s one-eyed leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, from both the website and the phones of Taliban spokesman.

Thursday’s hacking attack came as a man wearing an Afghan security forces uniform shot and killed a U.S. soldier in the country’s south, in the latest incident of so-called green-on-blue killings by local police and soldiers of Western mentors.

Three soldiers were killed by an improvised bomb in the east, where NATO recently launched one of the last large offensives of the war to try to clear insurgent strongholds near the Pakistan border and around Kabul.

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Saturday, 28 April, 2012

‘fishing contracts on inland waters must end’ 09 BATTLEGRoUND LYARI

Nabeel Gabol gets lucky, where 7 others couldn’t ■ Law enforcers launch all-out operation against criminal elements in Lyari ■ PPP leader escapes unhurt in attack on vehicle ■ Policeman among seven shot dead, 25 others wounded in gunfights between gangsters, law enforcers KARACHI

A

SIRAJ uDDIN

S law enforcers purged through the troubled Lyari town on Friday, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MNA Nabeel Gabol escaped unhurt in an armed attack while at least seven people, including a policeman, were reportedly shot dead and 25 others suffered bullet wounds in gunfights between gangsters and law enforcers.

The residents of Lyari witnessed another bloody day as law enforcement agencies (LeAs) launched an all-out operation against criminal elements in the embattled neighbourhood.

Gabol was attacked by unidentified armed men as he was returning from the funeral prayer of a party colleague, Malik Muhammad Khan, who was shot dead on Thursday The PPP lawmaker’s secretary, Zafar Brohi, told Pakistan Today that the PPP leader escaped unhurt in the attack but a man was killed and four other wounded in the attack. early in the morning, a heavy contingent of police supported by Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel launched a grand operation under the supervision of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Chaudhry Aslam against the notorious gangsters of Lyari.

The law enforcers cordoned off the town and blocked all entry and exit points.

As they tried to enter the area, criminals attacked them with bombs and hand grenades.

The law enforcers sealed the areas of Nawen Lane, Ghas Mandi, Kalakot, Agra Taj, Cheel Chowk, Afshani Gali and Football Ground among other neighbourhoods

and forced the criminals to move back.

The streets of Lyari presented the look of a battlefield. The markets and bazaars wore a deserted look as people were asked to remain indoors during the operation.

“We could not even offer the Friday prayers due to the operation,” a resident complained.

According to reports, a notorious gangster by the name of Naeem Lahoti was killed in an encounter with the police; however, police officials did not confirm the news.

Two people were killed in the firing of criminals near the Lyari General Hospital, police said.

The deceased were identified as Fida Hussain and Shoaib. They were taken to the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) for medico-legal formalities.

A man identified as Asif, 55, was shot dead at the Gabol Chowk by unidentified men. Welfare organisation workers shifted his body to the CHK. Another man was gunned down by unidentified criminals near the Lyari Degree College, Police said. The body of the deceased was shifted to the CHK. In Agra Taj Colony, unidentified attackers sprayed a police party with bullets, killing a police constable and injuring two others.

Superintendent of Police Nasir Aftab said the gangsters were using latest, sophisticated weapons to attack the law enforcers and stop them from entering Lyari.

“Three policemen, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police and Station House Officer, have been wounded during the operation up till now,” he said. “The operation is against criminals and anti-social elements in the town irrespective of their cast or political affiliation.”

Without disclosing any names, Aftab

Frontier Constabulary personnel move in the troubled Lyari town, as law enforcers launched a crackdown against gangsters on Friday. IMRAN ALI said the police arrested 10 to 12 notorious gangsters during the operation and seized a huge quantity of arms and ammunition.

CID SSP Chaudhry Aslam said that four criminals were killed during the police encounters. A man was killed also but by the firing of gangsters, he added.

“The operations will continue until the elimination of criminal elements in Lyari,” Aslam asserted.

Sindh Inspector General of Police Mushatq Shah also visited Lyari and inspected the ongoing operation against

miscreants.

Talking to the media, the provincial police chief said that the situation is “under control now”.

Meanwhile, due to the operations against criminals in Lyari, the mathematics paper of the annual matriculation examination scheduled for Friday under Board of Secondary education Karachi was postponed for the second time in six examination centres.

MQM CONDEMNS ATTACK ON GABOL: Muttahida Qaumi Movement

(MQM) chief Altaf Hussain telephoned MNA Nabeel Gabol and inquired about his well-being after his vehicle was attacked by armed terrorists in Lyari.

He condemned the attack on the PPP leader by the terrorists of Lyari gang war and expressed sympathies on the killing of Malik Mushtaq in the incident.

The MQM chief also offered his condolences on the death of Malik Muhammad Khan, the president of PPP Lyari, who was killed by the firing of unidentified gangsters on Thursday.

SHC dumps plea Rumpus in house: Marvi Rashdi’s at it again! to stop Gilani Law amended for benevolent from working payments to women SINDh ASSEMBLY SESSIoN

KARACHI

ISMAIL DILAWAR

KARACHI

STAFF RePoRT

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday dismissed a petition seeking to prohibit Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani from performing his official duties. Following Gilani’s conviction by the Supreme Court, Maulvi Iqbal Haider filed the petition on Thursday, requesting an urgent hearing. Haider’s another petition seeking Gilani’s disqualification is already proceeding in the SHC. The court, in that case, had issued notices to the federal government through the attorney general of Pakistan who never appeared in court. On Friday, an SHC division bench comprising Justices Maqbool Baqar and Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui heard the arguments of Haider and the counsel who had appeared in court on behalf of the government, following which the application was dismissed. The bench said in its order that the petition was of the same nature that was filed in 2011 and the Supreme Court had already decided the matter. In his application, Haider submitted that Gilani had been disqualified after the decision of the apex court and that by disobeying the court’s orders, he had already been rendered ineligible for any public office according to Article 63(1)g of the Constitution of Pakistan. Haider said that he had sent the reference to the National Assembly speaker, but she has not forwarded the same to the election Commission of Pakistan. He added that the Supreme Court had discussed Article 63(1)g in its conviction order of Gilani and that according to this article, the premier stands disqualified. He prayed to the court to issue directives to the National Assembly speaker and other authorities concerned to prevent Gilani from using his office until the decision of the petition.

The reconciliation-driven Sindh Assembly was a pandemonium on Friday when the arguing coalition partners from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) hurled fullthroated unpleasantries against each other.

The harsh, verbal showdown was sparked as usual by PML-F’s outspoken Marvi Rashdi who held Senior Sindh education & Literacy Minister Pir Mazharul Haq accountable for the out-of-turn promotion of Haq’s “teacher wife” to, what Rashdi claimed, cadre post of an additional secretary.

“The cadre has been changed to promote the minister’s wife. It is unjust and condemnable,” the lawmaker claimed.

Moreover, flanked by fellow party member Nusrat Seher Abbasi, Rashdi told a post-session briefing that Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro does not know “the ABCs of law” because, she said, no word on the legal aspects of the Supreme Court’s verdict against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had come from him.

“Coalition! Coalition! Coalition! enough is enough!” was Soomro’s in-session outburst against Rashdi that attracted the latter’s ire. Having previously faced off with Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri, the PML-F lawmaker engaged this time Sindh Finance Minister Murad Ali Shah whose response to Rashdi’s allegations against the education minister eventuated into a verbal clash.

“Please keep quite!” Shah shouted at her who was on her feet to return the same words in the similar ear-splitting tone.

“Don’t think I’m like the female members of your party,” she said.

“Thank God you are not in my party or I would have expelled you on the very first day,” replied the finance minister backed by Marri. “She should go and learn to behave herself,” Shah was heard amid the noisy argument.

He countered Rashdi’s accusations by saying that the post filled was not that of a cadre, and even if it was, being a relative of a minister or a member of the provincial assembly was not a disqualification in itself.

“Coalition does not mean that we would put a finger on our lips no matter what they do,” PML-F’s Abbasi and Rashdi later told the media while condemning the “insulting attitude of PPP ministers”.

They said that the quality of education in the province had dropped ever since the education minister promoted his “teacher wife” to the post of an additional secretary.

In response to a question about the law minister, Rashdi said, “He does not even know the ABCs of law, so he does not deserve my comments.”

Abbasi said that the PPP – not Pir Pagara – had come up with the offer of a coalition. “But this does not mean that we have signed some accord to remain silent,” she added.

The PML-F lawmakers also questioned the removal of “the competent Naheed Shah”, the daughter of Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, from the same post now filled by education Minister Haq’s spouse.

“She was removed because she was unmasking the black sheep within the education department,” they claimed.

Responding to the allegations, Information Minister Marri reiterated the finance minister’s contention, saying that the slot in question had no cadre, and that it was previously filled by officials of “the associate professor level”.

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Friday amended the relevant laws to facilitate the female beneficiaries of the benevolent fund. Also heard in the 168-member house were condemnations against the Supreme Court’s verdict in Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s contempt-of-court case, with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmakers blaming the establishment, the clergy and the courts for conspiring against their party one after the other. Saleem Khursheed Khokhar moved a privilege motion against the Clifton police who, the minority lawmaker claimed, had so far taken no action to unmask those who had sent him a threatening text message on April 18, when he was accompanying three Hindu girls to the apex court in the forced conversion case. The provincial legislature, which was chaired by Speaker Nisar Khuhro, unanimously passed the Sindh Government Servants Benevolent Fund (Amendment) Bill-2012 into law. The legislation would make it easier for, as the Statement of Objects and Reasons reads, widows and elderly women to access officials in their respective districts to receive the benevolent fund.

The amendment, Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro and Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Shoaib Bukhari said, would rid the fund’s beneficiaries of running to and from the respective divisional offices to receive their payments. The judiciary came under fire again in the house when PPP lawmaker Imdad Patafi, on a point of order, blasted the courts for their alleged failure in taking up cases against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders or deciding the ones filed by Asghar Khan. The house deferred the referral of a privilege and an adjournment motion of Khursheed Khokhar to the concerned standing committee until Monday when the law minister would be finding out the facts. “I feel that my family and I are not safe owing to my support to minorities,” Khokhar told the house where legislators like Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri disagreed with the impression that minorities in Pakistan were not safe. Marri, however, took the floor to condemn the threatening text messages received by her fellow party member of the Christian faith. The question hour dealt with the Sindh Prisons Department, during which Law Minister Soomro, who also has the jails portfolio, responded to supplementary questions of the members. Minutes before the speaker adjourned the house until 9:00 am on Monday, Nusrat Seher Abbasi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional called upon the prime minister to take notice of Kiran Soomro, a heart patient without any money to receive treatment. ISMAIL DILAWAR

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PakistaN today

08 karachi

Saturday, 28 April, 2012

Come next ICAO audit, CAA ratings ‘will take a blow’ ■ After Bhoja Air crash, country likely to face a slide in its aviation ratings over negligence in air transport matters KARACHI FTeR the tragic Bhoja Air crash, Pakistan is likely to face a slide in its aviation ratings over the serious negligence shown by the country’s aviation authority in its air transport matters.

The plane crash that killed all 127 passengers onboard will be a major issue for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the next audit of International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO).

Sources in the airline industry told Pakistan Today that any member country of ICAO can complain over the negligence of CAA in the air transport mechanism in Pakistan, which will result in low ratings for the country due to

tion from sanctions, the then CAA management immediately handed over the charge of Air Transport Department to Khawar Ghiyas,” sources added.

Since last December, the department, which deals with 80 percent of the aviation issues, is being run by Fauzia Saleem, a professional accountant on deputation at the CAA from the office of Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP).

“One of the most important departments of CAA, which issues licenses to airlines, renews or revokes licences and bilateral agreements with other countries, under the charge of a non-technical person is a matter of grave concern,” the sources said. “She also had a role in the renewal of the Bhoja Air’s licence some

Saleem, who was serving as the Controller Military Accounts (CMA) in Karachi prior to her deputation in CAA as Air Transport Director, for their office in Quetta.

“Former CAA Director General Khalid Chohdri did not allow Saleem to return to the AGP office,” the sources informed Pakistan Today.

According to the CAA website, matters that come in the domain of its Air Transport Department include drafting national aviation policy, bilateral air service agreements, routes of scheduled or non-scheduled flight operations, issuing licences of Regular Public Transport (RPT – all private and national airlines are operating under this licence), charter flights, aerial works, flying schools, ground schools, dangerous goods

the serious violations of international aviation rules and regulations.

“The blame of the recent airplane crash lies solely with the CAA’s Air Transport Department, which is being run by a non-technical and non-qualified professional for months, despite the fact that the position is assigned

by ICAO for better management of a country’s aviation,” the sources said.

Before the last ICAO audit held in June 2011, the CAA Air Transport and Licensing departments were being looked after by then Licensing General Manager Aftab Naqvi.

“To save the organisa-

time ago, so one can easily understand what went wrong.”

Once the ICAO comes for an audit, this will surely result in downgrade of Pakistan’s aviation ratings by ICAO, they added.

The ICAO’s air transport regulation programmes deal mainly with matters relating to the regulation of international air transport, striving to implement practical and achievable measures to improve safety and efficiency in all sectors of the air transportation system. earlier in December, Auditor General Akhtar Buland Rana had asked the CAA to return the services of

regulations, etc.

Similarly, as per regulations for the renewal of RPT licence: “The licence holder (licencee) shall apply to the CAA Air Transport director.

After receiving the application, the Air Transport Department is bound to seek comments and satisfaction over the worthiness of the airline from aviation experts.”

The sources said that no such requirements were fulfilled prior to licencing the Bhoja Air to resume its operations in the country.

They added that the Air Transport director must either be a former air traffic controller or one with satis-

STAFF RePoRT

A

SC seeks report on 5-year-old kidnap case KARACHI IMDAD SooMRo

The Supreme Court has directed the Sindh inspector general of police and the judge of the anti-terrorism court in Jacobabad to submit the progress report of the Fazila Sarki kidnapping case on May 4.

The court passed the order after hearing the statement of Fazila’s father Razzaq Sarki and the arguments of his lawyer Justice (retd) Rashid A Rizvi.

A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain proceeded the matter at the apex court’s Karachi registry.

In his statement, Sarki submitted that despite the passage of five years, his kidnapped daughter could not be recovered by the police and other law-enforcement agencies.

On behalf of Sarki, his counsel submitted that when the proceedings of the Supreme Court’s suo motu notice were in progress, police and other law-enforcement agencies seemed serious about recovering Fazila.

However, he added, as soon as the court ordered submitting the chargesheet of the case in the anti-terrorism court, all relevant law-enforcement agencies went silent and extraneous. Rizvi, the counsel, requested the bench to proceed the matter in the apex court.

According to police, on March 23, 2007, Fazila was kidnapped from Thul, a taluka of the Jacobabad district, by a bandit named Bhudho Sarki and his accomplices, but the girl has yet to be recovered.

The Supreme Court then took suo motu notice of the incident on the application of Shahri Ittehad (Citizens’ Alliance) of Jacobabad.

factory aviation background.

The rule is: “On receipt of the federal government approval, the licence shall be renewed by the Air Transport Directorate.”

The sources said that other CAA departments are also mismanaged. “The former South Region controller Bhatti was qualified in Russian flight standards,” they said.

Bhatti was replaced by Mushtaq Saein a week ago.

According to the sources, Bhatti was responsible for checking airworthiness of planes.

Similarly, an inspector at the CAA Flight Standards Department, the aviation officer concerned for Bhoja Air, has been a long-term employee of Bhoja Air Managing Director Arshad Jalil.

As per rules: “The Flight Standards Department performs the task of maintain-

ing regular surveillance of the operational aspects of all air transport operators to ensure safe and efficient commercial air transport services in the country.”

The sources opined that these issues are not new for the CAA as one of its inspectors, Captain Shafqat Mehmood, an Air Blue inspector for long – even at the time of Air Blue plane crash –is also a pilot at the Air Blue company.

“This is in violation of Rule 197(II)C, which restricts the CAA employees from flying private airlines as pilots in command,” the sources said.

Mehmood’s position was challenged in the Sindh High Court by his former colleague Captain Nawaz Asim, who even won the case, but the CAA has still not stopped the official from flying at Air Blue.

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karachi 09 PakistaN today

Saturday, 28 April, 2012

As Lyari ringed with gunshots on friday, this brave rickshaw driver obliged to take the children back home after school, albeit without any protection. IMRAN ALI

Uk to support private schools in Sindh KARACHI STAFF RePoRT

The United Kingdom (UK)’s Department for International Development has established the Sindh education Fund with 16 million pounds to enrol one million children by supporting private schools in the province.

This was informed by British High Commissioner Adam Thomson at a meeting with Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah held at the Chief Minister’s

House on Friday.

The meeting was also attended by UK Deputy High Commissioner at Karachi Francis Campbell, Sindh education Secretary Siddique Memon and Sindh Rehabilitation Secretary Sohail Akbar Shah among others.

Thomson said that his country wants to assist the Sindh government in promotion and development of education in the province. “It has been envisaged to spread education in the most-neglected areas of rural and urban

Karachi,” he added.

Khaipur and Mithi districts have been fixed as the target areas for the project.

The British high commissioner said that UK also intends to extend assistance for rehabilitation of rain-affected people and will do the needful in affected areas.

Appreciating the gesture of assistance and cooperation of the UK government particularly for promoting education in remote and backward areas

of the province, the Sindh chief minister said the government has made adequate arrangements and various schemes are being implemented with the assistance of UNICeF and other donor agencies.

Other matters of mutual interest were also discussed at the meeting, where the education secretary informed the participants about the details of educational activities and the Rehabilitation secretary highlighted the needs of rain-affected people in the province.

‘Fishing contracts on inland waters must end’ ■ fisherfolk demand removal of encroachments by influential landlords on freshwater bodies in Sindh KARACHI

A

STAFF RePoRT

large number of people staged a protest rally against the encroachment of inland water bodies in the province by powerful contractors, depriving the fishermen of their right to catch fish.

The demonstration organised by the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) was attended by hundreds of fisherfolk hailing from different inland water bodies located in Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Sanghar, Badin, Tando Allahyar and Jamshoro districts.

The protesters, led by PFF chairperson Mohammed Ali Shah, Mustafa Meerani, Makal Shah, Omar Mallah and Ramzan Mallah among others, chanted slogans against the contract fishing system.

The police tried to disrupt the mass gathering but the protestors stood united and thwarted all bids by the law enforcers.

The rally, a part of the campaign to get water bodies free from contract system through community mobilisation, marched through the major roads of the city and culminated with a sit-in outside the district police office.

During the sit-in protest, two women fainted under the effect of the scorching sun and were rushed to a nearby hospital.

When a police official inquired about their problem, the fisher community elders reminded the police that they were continuously demanding the government of re-

solving their problems and accused certain police officials for supporting the influential contractors.

Asking for a 10-day period to investigate the matter, the police official assured the community leaders of resolve the issue as per their demands by taking it up with the district management concerned.

The PFF chairperson informed the police official that the contract system of fishing in inland waters has been abolished by the Sindh Assembly and fishing it is the basic right of fisherfolk as they are the real custodians of these waters through their forefathers.

About 175 fisher families – depending on the streams of the old waterway (Puran Dhoro) for fishing – are facing severe problems.

Puran Dhoro, carrying rainwater from Punjab, used to run smoothly to the Rann of Kuchh from the Badin district.

The last year’s rains and floods had brought prosperity to the inland fisher families in the form of abundant fish, but some influential landlords have taken over the control of waters. They are allegedly depriving the fishermen of their right to catch fish in the area.

The fisherfolk have taken to the streets repeatedly to protest against their ill-treatment, demanding the waters to be freed, but the authorities concerned have paid no heed to their demands.

The issue of forced occupation of inland waters by influential landlords is a common issue for the fishers of Badin, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar and

Sanghar among other districts.

The fishing families living near Naukot are also experiencing similar hardships.

The influential have not only encroached upon the drain for developing infrastructure, thereby blocking the streams’ natural flow and depriving the fishermen of

their source of living. The landlords also award fishing contracts to contractors in violation of the law.

After visiting residences of elected representatives and filing applications with local authorities to resolve the issue without any success, the affected people have

launched a campaign to protect their source of earning.

The fisherfolk claim that the old drain was rich with fish stocks throughout the year about 30 years ago, but during the past 20 years, the natural waterway could not bring more water due to scarcity of rains.

Despite this difficulty, the fisher community used to catch fish from scattered ponds and streams for their livelihood but after the flood in 2011, the fishing families are living in a deplorable condition, as the contractors have deployed armed guards to harass the poor community people.

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PakistaN today

10 karachi

Pakistan’s untold economic story

WEAtHEr UPDAtES

39°C High

Saturday, 28 April, 2012

Clear skies

24°C Low

■ Growth can hit 4 percent this year as karachi Stock Exchange has doubled in four years

16% Humidity

SUNDAy

MoNDAy

tUESDAy

41°C i 27°C

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PrAyEr tiMiNGS fajr 4:37

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Asr 3:58

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isha 8:22

Starting time in karachi

City DirECtory EMErGENCy HELP PoLiCE 15 BoMB DiSPoSAL 15, 99212667 firE BriGADE 16, 99215007, 99215008 EDHi 115, 32310066-2310077 kHiDMAt-E-kHALq foUNDAtioN 36333811 rED CrESCENt 35833973 GovErNor’S HoUSE 136 CHiEf MiNiStEr’S HoUSE 99202051 MotorWAy PoLiCE 130

HoSPitALS ABBASi SHAHEED CiviL JiNNAH NiCvD AGA kHAN tABBA

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

BLooD BANk HUSSAiNi fAtiMiD PWA

32238405-8 32225284, 32258656 99215740, 32735214

CoMPLAiNt kESC PtCL kWSB CDGk SUi GAS

118 1218 1339 134 1199, 99231603

rAiLWAyS iNqUiry City StAtioN CANtt StAtioN

117, 99213565-6 99213538 99201118

AirPort fLiGHt iNqUiry PiA rESErvAtioN

114 111786786

CoLLEGES / UNivErSitiES kArACHi UNivErSity NED UNivErSity fUUASt DUHS SMiC fASt-NU SZABiSt ioBM iBA ivS

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

Workers at the Aisha Steel Mills plant in karachi. BLooMBERG THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ABDuL hAFeez ShAIKh

F

OR more than a decade, Pakistan has partnered with the United States to combat the extremism and militancy that threatens the stability of our region and the world.

This fight has taken an enormous human toll on our people, with over 37,000 civilians killed and more than 5,000 police and soldiers lost.

In addition to the enormous human tragedy, this struggle has directly and negatively impacted our economy and the development of our nation.

We have witnessed the loss of more than $100 billion (Rs 9.09 trillion) of foreign investment, a tightening of our financial markets, and a freeze on the progress of many social programmes.

But that trend has now dramatically reversed, and there is an emerging story of a new Pakistan strategically located at the crossroads of the world’s most dynamic economies, ready to take its place as a critical emerging market.

We have a consumer base of more than 170 million, a young and educated work force, and a culture of entrepreneurship.

The opportunity for our economy to grow is immense. People in

the West may not be aware, but the positive change that is sweeping Pakistan as we speak has profound economic and political consequences for the future.

Pakistan was not immune to the global financial crisis, which struck just as we began the transition from a military dictatorship to a thriving democracy.

The new, democratically elected government inherited staggering domestic challenges, rising commodity prices, financial turmoil, and a severe energy crisis resulting from years of mismanagement and poor planning associated with the priorities of dictatorship. Natural disasters further complicated our recovery.

Yet over the last four years, the Pakistani government has taken difficult but important steps to get our economy back on track.

This year real growth in gross domestic product is likely to reach 4 percent, nearly double last year’s rate.

During the first nine months of fiscal year 2012, tax collections have surged by 24 percent, remittances from Pakistanis abroad by 21 percent to $9.7 billion (Rs 881.58 billion), and our exports by 5.5 percent over last year’s base of $25 billion (Rs 2.27 trillion).

Inflation and consumer prices were down in March, easing pressure on small and medium-size com-

TRIGoNoMeTRY

panies.

The Karachi Stock exchange KSe100 Index now stands at 14,000, having been at 6,000 in 2008. Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves increased to $18 billion (Rs 1.64 trillion) in 2011, the largest in history, and our financial obligations are declining.

In 2015, Pakistan’s annual repayment to the International Monetary Fund will be a quarter of its 2012 obligation.

Six months ago, Pakistan granted the Most Favoured Nation trading status to India, a paradigmshifting policy change driven by the business sectors on both sides of the border.

With its complete implementation and the concomitant reduction of India’s nontariff barriers, this decision has the power to reconfigure the region’s economic landscape and dramatically increase its stability.

Today, bilateral trade between India and Pakistan stands at $2.7 billion (Rs 245.39 billion) per year.

Business chambers in both countries predict that figure could quadruple to $10 billion (Rs 908.84 billion) by 2015.

Pakistan is committed to promoting an investor-friendly environment. We offer the most liberal investment policy regime in the region, including incentives such as the full repatriation of capital, capital gains, dividends and profits.

AuGMeNTATIoN

We have signed business investment treaties with many nations and are currently in the final stages of negotiating such a treaty with the US. Investing in any emerging market has its challenges, but Pakistan is poised for growth. For the first time in our history, a democratically elected government will complete a full five-year term next year.

Our judiciary is independent and upholding the rule of law. Our military is working with our civilian government to protect our borders and keep militancy and extremism in check. Our civil society is expanding, and our media are robust and uncensored.

Business contracts have been consistently honoured and the return on investment for many investors has been enormous.

And though the last decade has taken a toll on our economy and our infrastructure, our resilience is evident and turning the tide.

We are building infrastructure and expanding our energy capacity, we are modernising our agriculture sector, we are a leader in telephone access, our textile sector is one of the largest in the region, and our information technology companies are some of the best in the world. This is the new Pakistan.

Abdul Hafeez Shaikh is the federal finance minister of Pakistan.

KAhAANI TIMe

MATH CLASS ON APRIL 28 AT 7:00 PM VENUE: T2F 2.0

ART EXHIBITION STARTS APRIL 28 AT 5:00 PM VENUE: ARTCHOWK

STORYTELLING ON APRIL 29 AT 12:00 PM VENUE: T2F 2.0

‘A Curious Approach to Trigonometry’ at 7:00 pm on April 28 at The 2nd Floor. Call 35389033 for more information.

Aliya Yousuf’s ‘Augmentation’ from April 28 to May 12 at ArtChowk-the Gallery. Call 35300481 for more information.

‘Kahaani Time featuring Sania Saeed’ at 12:00 pm on April 29 at The 2nd Floor. Call 35389033 for more information.

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Saturday, 28 April, 2012

Editor’s mail 11

voting system reform Voting, undoubtedly, is the bedrock on which the whole political system of a democratic country is based. Voting allows the citizens of a state to choose who will represent them in the highest chambers of power and those who will ensure that the people’s taxes is being used judiciously for the people’s welfare and the country’s betterment.

The representatives chosen would also be involved in legislation for the country, on the people’s behalf (giving them too, a voice in the governance of the country). It is therefore, necessary that the citizens choose people of integrity and ability, to rule them. It is also necessary though, that their choice is accurately reflected in the parliament.

In Pakistan, like many other former British colonies (Commonwealth countries), the system followed to determine winners is the “single member plurality”, or the “first-past-the-post” system (which is also practiced in Britain/United Kingdom), which is a form of the “plurality voting system”. Here, the “winner takes it all”, that is any one garnering the highest

Hike in medicine prices parliament, but the victorious party would not necessarily be having the support of the majority of the country.

A nice way of coming round this is to have two or more rounds of voting as required, where the candidates receiving the lowest votes are eliminated, until one is left, who wins, and can claim to have the broadest support in the constituency (as happens in the “exhaustive ballot” system).

Another way is to have a second round of voting, where the two candidates receiving the highest amount of votes in the first round, get into the second round, and whosoever wins there, wins the election (as happens in France - as evident from its recent presidential elections, still underway -- amongst other countries).

Another system of voting is the system of “proportional representation” (which is also practiced in Pakistan’s Senate). Here, basically, the parties receive seats in proportion to the votes they receive nationally, or as the case may be.

This system is (broadly) followed in

numbers of votes in his/her constituency wins.

This system, however, is rather flawed, in the sense, that a candidate receiving the highest number of votes wins, but that contender does not necessarily have to win more than 50% of the votes of his/her constituency, and thus can claim victory without having (the necessary) broad support to the detriment of the smaller/runners-up parties.

Here, a problem that arises can be explained with this hypothetical situation. For example, a person receiving 40% of votes against, let’s say, 30 percent, 20 percent and 10 percent votes (that other candidates have received in the constituency) will win the election.

However, around 60 percent of the electorate has voted against the winning candidate, in the sense that 60 percent of the electorate voted for the winner’s rivals!

Here, a government can thus be formed without necessarily having the requisite support required, as a party’s candidates can win as explained above and get the most numbers of seats in the

Turkey and Israel, amongst others. However, the system of proportional representation tends to create fragmentation; it is hard for a single party to gain a majority and thus there are problems in forming the government. Therefore, countries following this system create a qualification (such as a certain percentage of votes), before the parties get representation in the parliament, or as the case may be.

The system suited for Pakistan, in my opinion, is the plurality voting system (instead of the proportional representation system, given the polarity of views in Pakistan’s society, which may lead to a very fragmented parliament). There is, however, a dire need to reform the system, so that a candidate who can lay claim to the broadest support in the constituency wins. The political parties, therefore, should make pertinent and appropriate electoral reforms part of their manifestos and work together towards creating a just and viable alternative.

ARHAM AZIZ Lahore

PPP’s prime minister?

Through your esteemed paper, I want to congratulate our president and co-chairperson of PPP, Mr Asif Ali Zardari, that our Prime Minister Mr Yousuf Raza Gilani proved that he is the prime minister of the PPP and not of Pakistan.

I was shocked to listen to the statement passed by a parliamentarian (Firdous Ashiq Awan) to this effect. It’s my humble request to all the political workers to please change your this partisan mindset or else the harmful aspects of our political culture will not change.

M MOHSIN SHAHBAZ Lahore

Benefits of vaccination

product named Nicer Dicer after viewing such an advertisement; it was delivered on time but when we started using the product, it was simply a useless thing which was not working properly at all like the description given on television.

When we called the helpline for this problem, they conveniently said, ''Wrong number.'' These people have no rights to mislead ordinary people. It is

true that while some consumers may be gullible but these advertisements are also guilty of deliberate misrepresentation.

Somebody should alert the relevant authorities, like the consumer court or consumer protection authority, so that they can take note of such practices.

TASNEEM ZAHID Karachi

The World Immunisation Week is being celebrated globally from April 2128, 2012 to enhance awareness of the benefits of vaccination. Immunisation is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions.

The Pakistan Medical Association in 2011 estimated that 400,000 children in Pakistan die within the first year of life.

The overall figure for deaths due to vaccine preventable diseases in Pakistan may well be substantially higher as they estimated that one child dies every minute from vaccine preventable diseases. Pakistan has also suffered immensely by a historically inadequate health care budget. A report by the Pakistan Medical Association revealed that only 0.23 percent of the GDP was spent on health care during the FY 2011-12.

Thus, the economic burden on families who require hospital treatment for vaccine preventable diseases is very high.

In addition, Pakistan is one of the three countries in the world still struggling to eradicate Polio, a vaccine preventable disease. Furthermore, the vaccination coverage for routine vaccines given under the expanded Program on Immunisation is as low as 30 percent in some districts. Investment in health care is a significant factor in the overall national development of any country. While our governments have consistently failed to invest in health, we as responsible citizens must also play a more proactive role. Various global occasions receive widespread media coverage but the same cannot be said for Immunisation Week.

We urge all readers to take active steps to raise awareness at individual and community level for immunisation.

WAQAS AHMAD Karachi

with increase in petroleum prices has multiplied the problems of conman man.

Prices of drugs and daily use commodities have shot up to unprecedented heights. electricity outages have gone up to 20 hours in rural areas of country. every department is in helter skelter and running on interim schemes. We constantly live in the shadows of bomb attacks, target killings and serial killers. The law and order situation is deteriorating quickly.

Balochistan has become boiling pot.

There is not an iota of hope of improving situation anywhere.

The earning capacity of a labourer has fallen sharply due to incessant price hike of bread and butter. The financial spectrum is becoming grimmer every day. Gloom stares the poor in the face.

There are no health facilities for ordinary man. No job opportunities for a majority of the youth. The educated young generation, in sheer frustration, is resorting to criminal activities.

Are not these enough evidences to convict the Head of Government? especially when he himself is ready to go to gallows.

The verdict of the apex court to con-

fine the Prime Ministertill rising of the Court is historic. It’s time for the Prime Minister to reciprocate. He should quit honourably to save face.

Awaz-e-khalq ko Naqqara e Khuda samjho.

IFTIKHAR MIRZA Islamabad (II) Mirror Mirror on the Wall, who is the most naïve of us all? It is none other than the common man of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. every few months the common man wakes up and starts making noise like a baby and the constitutional elite offers them a few sweet promises, paints a fictitious picture and placates them.

For months on end, we have been besotted with a saga which has distracted the common man from the grim days and nights that he spends thanks to the “good and progressive” policies of the governments in place. This saga is none other than the contempt of court proceedings against the Prime Minister of Pakistan Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani.

The head of one of the most important institutions and pillars of the country, the one leader whose every slightest

of moves makes a difference towards the integrity and credibility of the country, has managed to set up such a disappointing example by being guilty of contempt of the court.

On the other hand, it is not only the PM who is to be blamed alone. The larger bench of the Supreme Court including the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry, for whom the people of Pakistan went to the extent of starting civil disobedience, are also a party to this act staged right in front of the whole nation.

The respect, dignity and honour of both the Office of the Premier and the Supreme Court of Justice have been maligned today. Can precedence in law of a 30 Seconds punishment for contempt of a court of justice be justified?

We are in dire straits as nation being afflicted with inflation, an energy crisis, an economic crunch, terrorist acts of violence, and unleashed and untamed institutions running the country. We need to take a minute, sit down and think to ourselves, where we want to take our country: towards progress and prosperity or towards destruction?

ASIF NAZIR KHAN Lahore

A Gordian knot?

The engineers and writers have now been writing since a quarter century about the dire need of building of Kalabagh dam to solve the ever increasing shortage of water and power bedevilling the agricultural and industrial progress of 180 million people of Pakistan. It is a shame that our prime minister declares Kalabagh dam as a victim of politics.

This denotes an abject failure of our venerable politicians to see the light of day to the misery of teeming millions that are portrayed as silent lambs to keep on suffering under prolonged load shedding and escalation of power bills due to lack of hydel generation at a low cost. All the efforts by learned engineers have fallen on deaf ears and the Gordian knot of Kalabagh dam has not been unravelled by both the ruling parties and those in opposition The politicians having failed miserably in their fissiparous tendencies to agree on such a vital project like Kalabagh dam that has pushed Pakistan to face an existential threat by creating a water crisis as India that is building scores of dam on the three western rivers of Indus, Jhelum and Chenab while we sit with our fingers crossed having not built a single mega dam since the last four decades.

DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI Lahore

fee increase The students of FAST University are really worried these days because of the more than expected increase in the tuition fees. The increase will be probably about twenty thousand, while the students are already paying seventy thousand rupees per semester excluding point fares which is about nine thousand rupees.

Most of the students are planning to switch or transfer credit hours to some other university because their parents cannot afford to pay such a huge amount.

The administration of FAST must resolve the issue in the best interest of the students FAIZAN KHAN Karachi Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan Fax: +92-42-36298302 E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

It would be appreciated if letters were addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively.

The prices of 350 medicines increased from 20 to 100 percent in the wholesale and retail markets across the country increasing inflationary pressures. Almost all local and multinational pharmaceutical companies notified the increase to their respective distributors, dealers and whole sellers. The increases – some as high as 100 per cent – coincided with some of the firms involved earning massive profits. The ministry of health has established a higher price base even before formation of Drug Regulatory Authority.

Taking advantage of the expected increase in prices of medicines, majority of pharmaceutical companies had already stopped supply of their products to the markets, which was likely to allow the hoarders to make windfall profits overnight at the cost of helpless consumers. Why has a drug that has been used for decades suddenly become so expensive? Neither the federal health ministry nor the drug companies can justify this increase in prices of their drugs. In fact, drug companies and corrupt government officials/politicians have joined hands to rob Pakistani people and there is no end in sight.

SARAH HAKEEM Karachi

Breathing fire The court verdict by the PM has many implications for the already turbulent political scene of Pakistan but it has given further impetus to the fire-spewing of the politicians against each other. While political rivalry is a given in any system, the lengths which Pakistani politicians goes only plays havoc with

Caveat emptor, indeed Nowadays, it’s very difficult to trust anybody because the return for any trust is definitely negative. What I would like to say here is that those telebrands advertisement which keep circulating on the airwaves are not worth trusting at all.

Last week, my mother ordered a

the norms of decorum and decency while disillusioning the people with not only politics and politicians but the democratic processes in general.

ALI ASIF Lahore

till the rising of the court According to Article 63, 1, g), Constitution of Pakistan 1973: A person shall be disqualified from being elected or chosen as, and from being, a member of the Parliament, if… g) “he is propagating any opinion, or acting in any manner, prejudicial to the ideology of Pakistan, or the sovereignty, integrity or security of Pakistan, or morality, or the maintenance of public order, or the integrity or independence of the judiciary of Pakistan, or which defames or brings into ridicule the judiciary or the Armed Forces of Pakistan.”

The prime minister had been charged with contempt by Supreme Court in February for refusing to write letter to Swiss government to reopen corruption cases against President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari. The Prime Minister remained defiant to Supreme Court’s direction and his cronies ridiculed the judiciary en bloc.

Without going into details of who looted and plundered the wealth of poor people and who refused to write letter for illegal siphoning off wealth to foreign shores, we should look at the current situation of the country. The day to day increase in the prices of utilities, coupled

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12 comment rumble in the house Shouting, screaming and other parliamentary activity

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h, how times change. Hacks of the Press Gallery variety would testify that the prime minister used to be treated with a level of deference by the members of the League at the worst of times. Case in point: the governor raj in the Punjab. Amidst the pandemonium unleashed in the house by the Leaguers in the session following the move, the prime minister steps in. Nothing if not placatory, he managed to calm them down, with some stating the only reason they didn’t walk out of the house was the prime minister’s plea.

Whether the premier was playing the good cop or the League was attempting to buttress his ego and trying to drive a wedge between the president and him, there was no great rift between them. Slowly and gradually, yes, the prime minister’s alleged corruption did become the focal point for some of the Leaguers but the gloves never were quite off. The way they were the other day with the Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Nisar saying, in typical sub-continental adversarial manner, that he would see how the PPP brings in their convicted PM in the house.

Well, the PPP did bring their guy into the house and if any Leaguer didn’t see it, if was perhaps because they had walked out of the house. The premier, also, wasn’t his peaceful self. No one but the speaker and the parliament can deseat me, he said. He accused the League’s leadership of having huge egos which rendered them unable to take any criticism or participate in a working parliament. If the parliament and its sanctity is one’s only bulwark, one owns it and uses it as a weapon. It is up to the prime minister, then, to wear his remarkable attendance record at the house like a badge and bring attention to the Punjab chief minister’s apparent aversion to visiting the provincial parliament. A jibe, also, at the elder Sharif’s dismal parliamentary record during his stints in the prime minister’s office.

These are, unfortunately, interesting times. At the hustle proceeds, both sides are digging in their heels in the parliament, the Q is in silent assent with the government, the ANP is vocal about its support to the government and the MQM, being what it is, is hedging its bets till the dust settles.

Nothing like a bit of fireworks.

one step forward…

Let’s not take two steps back

A

ny enlightened person would welcome the decision to accord India the normal status of the most favoured nation. Many would agree with Foreign Minister Khar that the decision was not easy to take and the elected government needs to be given credit for it. enhancing the number of items that can be imported from India from 1,946 to almost 5,600 in one stroke is by no means an ordinary move.

What must not be lost sight of are the problems that remain to be resolved to develop the confidence of the local business community. Among these is the issue of NTBs that stand in the way of the export of some of the major items from Pakistan. The bilateral trade is expected to make goods cheaper and create more jobs thus reducing some of the burdens on the common man. If all goes well at a meeting of the home/interior secretaries of the two countries next month, the neighbours would sign a liberalised visa agreement making people-to-people contact easier. All these developments would contribute to the creation of strong lobbies in both countries supportive of a peaceful and early resolution of their long-standing disputes.

The road to good relations however still remains littered with booby traps. The claim by Khar that the military’s grip on foreign policy had loosened would be tested in days to come. The ghost of anti-India extremism struts the centre stage in the form of the self-styled Difa-e-Pakistan Council. A couple of months back, the Council announced that it would defy the Parliament if it accorded MFN status to India.

Politicians cannot reclaim their lost turf through statements alone. For this, they need to put their house in order by controlling corruption, improving efficiency, setting the national economy on an even keel and thus winning over the confidence of the masses. This needs to be reflected in better voter turnout than a meagre 44.1 per cent as in 2008.

Winning a seat on the basis of 11 percent of the total votes may make one a federal minister but would not provide such a lot the clout needed to rein in a highly organised and wellentrenched social force.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor

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

Saturday, 28 April, 2012

After the verdict There is much free-flowing contempt

By Arif Nizami

N

ot unexpectedly, Yousaf Raza Gilani has been found guilty as charged for committing contempt of court by the Supreme Court. The special bench of the apex court has referred to Article 63(1) (g) of the constitution that may disqualify the prime minister from remaining in the parliament since he has bought “into ridicule the judiciary”.

Gilani has been accused of willful flouting, disregard and disobedience of the Supreme Court’s direction in the NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) case. Put in plain language, the prime minister has been convicted for adamantly and consciously refusing to write a letter to the Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against the president.

In the immediate aftermath of the initiation of contempt proceedings against him, Gilani put a rhetorical question to me: Would Shahbaz Sharif write a letter to convict his brother Nawaz Sharif if asked to do so by the worthy judges? He added that he would not write a letter to convict Zardari come what may!

The PPP has assumed the moral high ground in the face of the conviction of the prime minister. Its strategy simply put is to portray Gilani as a martyr and the party as a victim of the shenanigans of a biased higher judiciary.

The party’s political opponents and critics in the media have also invoked morality in calling for Gilani to immediately resign. The leader of the opposition Ch Nisar Ali has gone even further by threatening on the floor of the House that he would not let Gilani take his seat in the parliament after the verdict.

The Pakistan Peoples Party’s case is simple. Its founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was convicted in a murder case by the Lahore High Court and subsequently hanged by General Zia-ul-Haq in April 1979. Jurists,

and even his critics, now generally acknowledge that the Bhutto Trial was a gross miscarriage of justice and, hence, a “judicial murder”.

For the past four years, ever since the PPP has been in power, it has been at loggerheads with the higher judiciary. The judiciary, on the other hand, claims with some justification that its edicts have been deliberately flouted in order to get away with almost murder in matters of governance and transparency.

A powerful section of the media, the political opposition and traditional antiPPP forces, in pursuance of their own agenda, have made common cause with a proactive higher judiciary and the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Ifthikhar Chaudhry. Thereby, Zardari and Gilani have been successful in creating the perception that the PPP government is a victim of a deliberate witch-hunt as was the case in the past. Recent utterances of Master Bilawal and Ms Bakhtawar have further strengthened the victim syndrome.

Post the verdict, Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan have called for immediate resignation of Gilani as, according to them, he no longer has the moral or legal right to remain prime minister. Sharif’s party will take a considered stand after its meeting scheduled for Monday.

Imran, however, wants to wait till all legal recourses by Gilani – including the right to appeal – have been exhausted.

After that, he will embark on a “tsunami march” to Islamabad to oust him. essentially, despite the hullaballoo, none of the parties want immediate elections.

The PPP leadership has never claimed to be a paragon of virtue. elimination of corruption has never been its declared goal; rather far from it, the PPP leadership hasn’t even paid lip service to it while many of its ministers as well as the prime minister’s own family members are embroiled in corruption cases.

However, when the PPP’s political opponents invoke morality, they open themselves to the charge of having double standards; a selective morality perhaps tinged with amnesia. After all, what was so moral about accepting huge sums of money funneled by the ISI to launch an anti-PPP alliance in the nineties. Similarly, Sharif’s moves as prime minister to successfully intimidate and divide the apex court under Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah were bereft of any moral compunction.

Our political elite wallows in wealth and luxury. Would it be able to withstand independent scrutiny of its lofty living standards, which the hapless common man

can only dream of?

Transparency and accountability cannot be inculcated without across the board consensus on its broad principles. Charges of corruption being frequently leveled by politicians against each other are bereft of any serious effort to initiate a credible system of answerability.

Involving the higher judiciary in settling essentially political scores can become a dangerous precedent. Clash of institutions (read inflated egos) can derail the entire democratic process.

Unfortunately, in the past, the higher judiciary has without exception appended its seal of approval on coupsters of all hue and colour. It has to be more careful now lest by its actions it unwittingly throws the proverbial baby out with the bathwater.

After all, in the end analysis, an independent judiciary is essential to democracy.

As a mark of protest against the verdict, PPP activists took to the streets in some cities of Sindh. On the other hand, Zardari has been claiming without much conviction that Gilani is being victimised because of his support for a Seriaki province.

It is obvious that the PPP has launched an election campaign on the basis of a court verdict that it terms as biased. Its strategy is to exhaust the process of appeal and possible disqualification of the prime minister for a few months and taking it to the point of time of announcing general elections.

Gilani’s lawyer, one of the champions of the restoration of an independent judiciary in Pakistan, Aitzaz Ahsan, has complained that his client was charged under civil contempt but has been convicted for criminal contempt. The matter will have to be decided by a full bench or a larger bench of the Supreme Court whenever Gilani appeals the verdict.

In the meanwhile, the ruling coalition should pay attention to governance issues.

The economy needs urgent attention. elections for a party in power for the longest period in the country’s history cannot be merely fought on slogans but will be fought on the basis of performance as well. This is where lies the rub.

The PPP can justifiably derive solace from winning a by-election in the Punjab Assembly constituency of Multan. Its candidate Usman Bhatti, an ordinary mazdoor, was able to beat the traditional grandee of the PML(N). But this just might be a flash in the pan. The general elections might be an entirely different story.

The writer is Editor, Pakistan Today

whiteLIeS W

By Ess Aich

e hear that, on Thursday, there was much activity in Islamabad around the judges’ enclave right behind Punjab House.

There were thousands of visitors some just driving by after a peek at where the law lords lived. Then there were processions, a little disorganised and confused, mainly of PPP workers who tried to make their way into the judge’s compound but to no avail.

Apparently, these had been organised to take PM Gilani to the lock up like a hero but since that opportunity was lost they started walking in this direction.

However, this area had been declared a high alert zone and was so heavily guarded by Islamabad police that even the bird population had to reroute itself. The protesters left chanting slogans miles be-

M

ove over Facebook, Twitter and Google. The most popular site on Thursday was www.supremecourt.gov.pk. It had so many hits that every other site was left

fore the judges’ habitat and tourists just got a glimpse of the double-decker houses that are home to the law lords.

looking like an orphan in Pakistan. People were busy checking out the legal implications of a Prime Minister who had served a sentence even if it was for a few seconds, till the rising of the court, that

they actually forgot to have their regular meals. However, we hear that the betting crowd had also been busy and some money has been made in this very unconventional way.

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

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Saturday, 28 April, 2012

An impatient opposition Let the law takes its course

By Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

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he SC has finally sentenced Yousaf Raza Gilani after finding him guilty of contempt of court.

The judgment puts a heavy burden on Gilani as it renders him ineligible for seeking election for the next five years.

Anyone who wants rule of law in the country would readily agree that the courts’ judgments are to be implemented even if one considers them to be bad verdicts. While delivering the short judgment, however, the court has not denotified Gilani. He has, subsequently, presided over the cabinet meeting and attended a National Assembly sitting.

The leaders of the allied parties who accompanied him to the court as a sign of solidarity subsequently expressed confidence in the prime minister.

Gilani has in the meanwhile announced that he would appeal against the verdict. That is his legal right and everyone needs to wait for the outcome of the appeal.

Groups of PPP sympathisers in Sindh and the Seraiki region protested against the sentence. At some places, they turned violent. It is the responsibility of the PPP leadership to rein in its workers.

Incidents of the sort are bound to be interpreted as attempts to pressurise the courts which must not be encouraged. The law must be allowed to take its course without external interference.

The interference is however is by no means one-sided.

The PM’s impatient opponents also cannot wait for legal niceties to be completed.

The verdict debarring Gilani from contesting election for five years has in fact fallen short of the opposition’s ex-

pectations that were duly projected by the like-minded media. The wish list included a longer sentence than the six months stipulated under that law, with immediate handcuffing and dragging the PM straight to jail added to it.

Mian Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan are at the head of the pack baying for Gilani’s blood.

It is conveniently ignored that the PM has the right to appeal.

It is also forgotten that there is a provision in the constitution which has to be followed for disqualification. A man condemned to death is not supposed to bring a rope with him, tie it to a tree trunk and put it around his neck himself.

Similarly, the PM too has to be punished in the way detailed in Article 63(2) of the Constitution. The Article maintains, “If any question arises whether a member of Majlise-Shoora (Parliament) has become disqualified from being a member, the Speaker or, as the case may be, the Chairman shall, unless he decides that no such question has arisen, refer the question to the election Commission within thirty days and should he fail to do so within the aforesaid period it shall be deemed to have been referred to the election Commission.”

The opposition is, however, possessed by impotent rage. The PML(N) and PTI leadership have declared that Gilani is no more the PM. The opposition raised slogans during the National Assembly sitting on Thursday while Ch Nisar called on the ruling alliance to bring him to the NA if they dared. When Gilani turned up the next day and called on the opposition to bring a no-confidence motion if they wanted to send him home, Nisar and his comrades simply walked out. What was the need for heroics when Nisar knew that the cabinet and the allied parties were solidly behind Gilani? Was the drama meant to influence the court’s opinion?

Imran Khan has warned of a ‘tsunami’ march on Islamabad if the SC judgment was not respected. The PM has re-

peatedly said that he would willingly accept any verdict in his case delivered by the SC. Why does Imran think that the SC is incapable of getting its verdict implemented? The threat of agitation is yet another attempt to influence the SC through mob pressure.

While the supremacy of law has to be maintained, the courts too need to consider the best way to implement the laws. The laws are meant to create an orderly society. They are a means and not an endin-themselves. Punishments are to be awarded only for meaningful social results. If the idea was to get the federal government to write a letter to the Swiss authorities, the letter remains unwritten. even if Gilani no more holds the office, there is little hope of any of his possible successors ever dispatching the letter during the remaining few months of the government’s tenure. The confrontation between the judiciary and the executive, the two pillar of the state, could create a crisis and destabilise the system.

If Zardari is to be forced to bring back the illicit money he has hoarded abroad, the court needs to take recourse to some other measure rather than removing one PM after another. Maybe it can write to the Swiss authorities itself.

What many supporters of an independent judiciary had expected was that, once reinstated, it would improve the judicial system by making it less costly and less time consuming. This alone can rehabilitate the common man’s confidence in the dispensation of law and help in establishing the rule of law. When corruption remains rampant in lower echelons of judiciary and the higher judiciary is seen to be busy in deciding political cases, justice is likely to remain costly and delayed as before which would dent the common man’s respect for law and those who administer it.

The writer is a former academic and a political analyst.

comment 13

Guilty ...but not guilty!

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he most logical outcome of the guilty verdict against the sitting prime minister by the Supreme Court should have been some serious introspection and a pragmatic review of the circumstances that have brought the ruling PPP and the country to this sad pass. Instead, what we have seen is an outpouring of the same old confrontational and partisan harangues, now rendered even more venomous and divisive because of the SC adjudication.

If there is a contempt law in the country as, indeed, there is, few can dispute the fact that the prime minister has been grossly guilty of the crime over and over again. Its manifestations have been evident through efforts to distort facts before the apex court as well as demeaning public pronouncements involving the SC by the prime minister and his legal aides.

The punishment has, therefore, been deservedly given. Will that contribute to changing the negative mindset of the ruling mafia and make it more amenable to respecting the rule of law? That hardly appears to be a prospect. As a matter of fact, the judgement would further accentuate the existing level and scope of confrontation that sets apart the executive from the judiciary and, by extension, from other state institutions including the army.

That, of course, does not mean that the punishment should not have been awarded. While this may have opened up a Pandora’s Box of opinions and counter-opinions, contesting it on matters of law is a prerogative of the prime minister and moving the court for a review is also an option that his team of lawyers would understandably exercise. However, the most disturbing post-punishment aspect has been the attempt to obliterate the divide between an inBy Raoof Hasan nocent person and a person who has been found guilty of a crime and awarded an appropriate punishment. equally reprehensible is the contention that the conviction has not made any difference to the person who happens to hold the highest political office in the country and that he would continue to perform his functions notwithstanding. This is in spite of the immediate loss of all moral and legal authority of the incumbent and the clearly laid down steps that need to be followed in the post-conviction environment understandably leading to his constitutional ouster. Instead, the stress is on playing the cards that best suit the myopic interests of the ruling mafia. We are already hearing reverberations of the Sindh card, the Seraiki province and the Hazara province while the walls of Karachi, Hyderabad and some other cities in Sindh are blackened with calls for a Mohajir province.

Agreed that there may be comparatively little sensitivity to the observance of law in this country. This is because of the strenuous efforts made by a sequence of despotic and

Candid Corner

democratic leaderships alike who have been beholden only to their personal interests and those of the coterie of sycophants that they patronised. What is, however, new is the organised manner in which a confrontational approach has been conceived and orchestrated with the prime objective of hiding the blatant corruption of individuals and institutions, more so that of one person. After all, what forced the judiciary to finally hold the prime minister in contempt? It was his persistent refusal to write the letter to the Swiss authorities in the wake of the NRO judgement staking a claim to the US$ 600 million of ill-gotten funds benefiting the president of Pakistan.

Are we going to continue having a convicted Mr Gilani as the prime minister? Indications are that this may well be the case. In any civilised democratic society, it would never have come to this. In the event the head of the government is even accused on some count, there is no hope in hell that he would be able to continue. A conviction, contested or uncontested, would lead to immediate ouster. In Pakistan, it is not only that the government and its team of servile attendants are contesting the guilty judgement, they are also accusing the judiciary of bias.

Let’s not forget that it is the same judiciary that gave the government almost two-and-a-half years to implement the NRO adjudication.

Internal haggling aside, what is the level of authority that a convicted prime minister would command in leading the country in important parleys internationally? There is a US delegation visiting Pakistan to engage our leadership in critical negotiations regarding resumption of bilateral relations while the prime minister would be visiting the UK in early May. Can he be entrusted with the task of leading Pakistan at these talks causing embarrassment to the country?

That brings us to the most critical question: confronting a mindset that does not believe in the constitution or the rule of law and appears determined to continue notwithstanding, what are the instruments that could be used to undo this madness? If such a remedial effort is not initiated urgently, it is feared that there would be a speedy surge towards anarchy. The die is already cast as some political parties have taken the position that they no longer recognise Mr Gilani as the prime minister and he should quit forthwith. This ugliness is going to further perpetuate the divide and may result in a noholds-barred conflict involving deeply-dug-in mafias representing numerous interest groups in the country whose patrons are only egging them on in this dangerous manoeuvring that can have catastrophic results for the country.

There is no escaping the fact that the proponents of democracy have brought the system to a grinding halt. There is no going any further unless critical questions of the constitution, law and morality are effectively addressed and a path found that is just and acceptable to all stakeholders. Continuing by way of a constitution and law as interpreted by the ruling mafias is not an option any longer.

The writer is a political analyst and a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He can be reached at raoofhasan@hotmail.com

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Saturday, 28 April, 2012

IN LIMELIGHT LiMA: A model presents creations

by Peruvian designers during the 2012 Peru Moda fashion Week. AfP

LONDON AGeNCIeS

RISTeN Stewart has been crowned as the world’s best-dressed woman, beating the Duchess of Cambridge and Victoria Beckham. The 30-year-old royal, who is a newcomer on the coveted annual list, landed the fourth place in the list and ranked higher than her sister Pippa Middleton, who is 47th, the Mirror reported. emma Watson slipped from the top spot in 2011 to

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second place in Glamour magazine’s top 50. Cheryl Cole also dropped from second to eighth in the rankings, but the magazine said the pop star has the “fashion factor nailed”. Victoria Beckham shot-up 12 places to third, with the magazine praising the “adorable co-ordinating looks” she shares with “her new favourite accessory” - baby daughter Harper.

Flame-haired singer Florence Welch, Michelle Williams, ‘Gossip Girl’ star Blake Lively, US socialite and reality TV star Olivia Palermo and Rihanna rounded off the top five for 2012.

LAS vEGAS: Charlize theron accepts the Distinguished Decade of Achievement in film Award at the CinemaCon awards ceremony. AfP

rottErDAM: Michael Buble performs during a concert. AfP

SOCIETY

Markings present their fourth title, ‘The Cave’ NEWS DESK Markings Publishing proudly presented their fourth title, ‘The Cave-The Worlds, Volume I’ by poet emad S. Rahim at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in Karachi. Following the successful launches of a diverse portfolio of previous titles like ‘Mrs Azra Syed’s Pakistan Cooking’ and ‘Dou Rukh’ by Arif Mahmood and Tapu Javeri, ‘The Cave’ is Markings Publishing’s first poetry title. The launch was opened with an introduction to the evening by Tuba Arshad, Creative Manager at Markings where she invited poet emad Rahim to speak about this work. This was followed by a theatrical rendition of excerpts from the poetry book entitled ‘Within the Cave’, directed

by Saba Sayeed and featuring Rahat Kazmi, Khalid Ahmed, Aamir Qureshi,

Khalid Ahmed, Emad S. Rahim and Arshad Mahmud

Joshinder Chaggar, Faraz Lodhi and emad himself, with musical accompaniment by Alan Simon and Ahsan Shabbir. Also in attendance were Arshad Mahmud, Sahira Kazmi, Khalid Malik, fashion designers Adnan Pardesy, Maheen Karim, Sanam Chaudhry and Warda, model Rabia Chaudhry and poet Faraz Maqsood Hamidi. The genesis of ‘The Cave’ occurred in a coffeehouse after emad graduated from college in

2004, where he developed a handful of lines into a booklength narrative poem split into three volumes, entitled ‘The Worlds’. In the first volume, ‘The Cave’, the reader follows the narrator, a wealthy young merchant named Azle’ad al-‘ezariya, into a coffeehouse in Istanbul, where he seeks to escape his troubles by immersing himself in others’ tales. Public Relations for the event were handled

by Lotus.

MuMBAI: Director Anurag Basu has denied reports that his forthcoming film ‘Barfi!’ is being delayed because of Priyanka Chopra, who is playing the female lead in the movie that also stars Ranbir Kapoor.

“Nothing is getting delayed because of her (Priyanka), she has given a lot of dates," said Anurag Basu at the success party of onir’s ‘I Am’. “I have been denying it again and again but these reports keep cropping up. She has already finished her work, only two days work is left and it is merely a patchwork, it’s me who wants to shoot in those two days,” he added. ‘Barfi!’ stars Ranbir as a deaf-mute boy while Priyanka essays the role of an autistic girl.

Telugu actress Ileana D’Cruz plays narrator.

The shooting is almost over, said Basu and added: “These are speculations. The film is not getting delayed because of anyone. The film is almost complete, we are just waiting for the right release date to be decided.” AGeNCIeS

Tuba and Kiran Aman

Emad S. Rahim

Shahid recommending Bipasha

for film roles MuMBAI: the rumoured former lovers, Shahid kapoor and Bipasha Basu were recently spotted sipping coffee with filmmaker Siddharth Anand and his wife at a coffee shop in Mumbai. the foursome made for a happy picture and was apparently heard discussing scripts. News has it that Shahid is

keen on having Bipasha on board for the remake of Hollywood film ‘knight and Day’ which will be directed by Anand. A source said, “Although Shahid and Bipasha have worked together some years ago-in Mathew Matthan’s ‘Shikhar’-they not only became good friends early last year, but were also said to be dating. While they’re believed to have broken up after the release of ‘Mausam’, it seems they remained friends. Shahid strongly recommended her name to Siddharth.” the film, in fact, was announced last year, but due to prior commitments for both Siddharth and Shahid, the work was never started. Now, Shahid being free is keen on reviving the film and is very eager to cast ex flame Bips in the role that was originally essayed by Cameron Diaz. When Siddharth was contacted to confirm the news, the director refused to comment and simply said, “only after i finish writing can we figure out the casting.” So what was Bipasha doing with the two of them at the coffee shop? “We’re friends and would like to work together if there’s a suitable subject. otherwise, just hanging around doesn’t mean we are doing a film together.” AGeNCIeS

Rahat Kazmi and Sahira Kazmi

kArACHi: Markingsted Publishing presen on a theatrical renditi of ‘the Cave’, by poet Emad S rahim at the indus valley School of Art and Architecture. PR

JAIPuR: A court summoned Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan to appear before it on May 26 in connection with a complaint against him for publicly smoking at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match. The Bollywood star had allegedly smoked while watching the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders April 8. “Smoking publicly is banned in Rajasthan since 2000. however, Shah Rukh Khan was smoking publicly in front of thousands of spectators.

The actor was broadcast live while smoking on the TV channel which was showing the match,” said a lawyer who filed the complaint on behalf of Jaipur Cricket Academy. The lawyer said that spectators were being allowed into the stadium only after frisking. “Police was confiscating any objectionable items including cigarettes while frisking. however, it seems Shah Rukh was allowed to carry the cigarette packet into the stadium which is negligence on part of police also,” the complainant said. Shah Rukh is the co-owner of the Kolkata side. AGeNCIeS

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15 SEOUL AFP

eNS of thousands of South Koreans flocked to the opening show of Lady Gaga’s global tour Friday, amid colourful scenes as female and male fans donned outrageous outfits in honour of the US pop diva. Dozens of Lady Gaga look-alikes took souvenir pictures as hordes of fans waited in line outside Seoul’s Olympic stadium, the venue for the evening concert. Scores of fans put on face paint to honour the ‘Bad Romance’ singer known for her otherworldly outfits. For her latest tour, which will take in venues across Asia and europe, she will not disappoint on the fashion front, and her extravagant costumes include a leotard fashioned from guitars and a giant piano keyboard headpiece. Police and security guards were out-

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NEW york: Heidi klum attends the 6th annual DkMS Linked against Blood Cancer gala. AfP

Scorsese would have filmed ‘Raging Bull’ and ‘Taxi Driver’ in 3-D LAS VEGAS CBS

Kiran Aman

Imagine if ‘Raging Bull’ and ‘Taxi Driver’ were in 3-D. Director Martin Scorsese can. He told the CinemaCon crowd that he wishes both of his landmark films had been three-dimensional. In fact, Scorsese has become so enamoured with 3-D filmmaking that he expects to use the technology in all his future projects. Scorsese is so convinced of the power of 3-D, he said he saw ‘Hugo’, his first 3-D movie released to critical acclaim last year, only once in 2D. “There is something that 3-D gives to the picture that takes you into another land and you stay there and it’s a good place to be,” he said.

Scorsese spoke at a filmmaking panel alongside director Ang Lee, who won an Oscar in 2006 for ‘Brokeback Mountain’. Scorsese and Lee are among a growing crop of prominent directors who claim 3-D technology is the future of filmmaking. Scorsese said he never thought he would have the opportunity to make a 3-D film. He said conquering the technology was challenging at first, but

he decided to experiment and watched 3-D versions of Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Dial M for Murder’ and ‘The House of Wax’, the 1953 horror film, for inspiration. Scorsese compared 3-D to the rise of colour movies. He said as a film student at New York University in the early 1960s, he was shocked when he heard predictions that all future movies would be filmed in colour. Scorsese will next direct ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ starring Leonardo DiCaprio, marking their fifth film together. It’s expected to begin shooting this summer in New York.

heading back to studio LONDON AGeNCIeS

Houston, Sparks dazzle critics in ‘Sparkle’ film preview LAS VEGAS CBS

Critics and theatre owners got a sneak peek of Whitney Houston’s final film, ‘Sparkle’ at the CinemaCon. And they say they liked what they saw.

Houston served as executive producer of the movie, which had already finished filming in Detroit when she died in Beverly Hills on February 11 at age 48. A brief preview featured Houston’s trademark dazzling smile as she danced in a living room in celebration. The remake of the 1976 movie stars Houston as the mother of three girls who form a singing group and struggle with fame and drug addiction. The movie, scheduled for release in August, was seen as a comeback vehicle for the superstar, whose career suffered in recent years as she battled with drug and alcohol abuse. The preview footage largely focused on Jordin Sparks, who was seen playing a piano in a modest home, glasses dangling from her nose. In later scenes, she appeared glammed up in sparkling,

Akshay Kumar bowled over by Hrithik’s dancing skills MuMBAI: our ‘rowdy rathore’ shook a leg with dance maestroturned-director Prabhu Deva at the film's music launch, however its Hrithik's dancing he loves the most. Actors are generally tight lipped about applauding another colleague. But Akshay kumar perhaps became the first actor to step out in full praise for roshan Jr. the khiladi said, "Hrithik roshan is a one of a kind actor and dancer. He must know he makes all of us heroes envious of his moves. What that man brings to the dance floor is refreshing, extremely talented, and everything the youth needs to see in a hero. if he opened a dance school i know my son would be the first to attend. Hrithik has performed some of the most memorable and difficult dance steps in the last decade. i of course would never dance a duo with this guy, but i'd definitely love to make an action film with him.” AGeNCIeS

The Rolling Stones

side the stadium before the concert, which has prompted opposition from religious groups who accuse the US star of advocating vulgarity with her provocative performances. South Korea has banned those aged under 18 from the much-anticipated concert-her second in the nation-after it was rated unsuitable for younger audiences. The ‘Poker Face’ singer is expected to do 110 shows this year following the success of her album ‘Born This Way’, which has sold nearly six million copies worldwide since it was released in May 2011. The star, named one of the 100 most influential fashion icons by the US magazine Time, has wowed fans with shocking wardrobes that includes a frock fashioned out of plastic bubbles.

Other costumes on her latest tour will include a black bodysuit made of hundreds of glittering vinyl tubes sewn together with metal studs and glass pieces, and a long, skin-coloured latex tunic.

curve-hugging gowns. It’s the ‘American Idol’ winner’s first notable Hollywood role. Cee Lo Green also sings in the movie. Houston laboured for 12 years to get ‘Sparkle’ on the big screen. The film marked her first return to cinema since 1996’s ‘The Preacher’s Wife’. There’s already some Oscar buzz building, with Access Hollywood movie critic Scott Mantz suggesting, “I’m calling this now: Whitney Houston will get nominated for Best Supporting Actress for ‘Sparkle’.”

MuMBAI: She was almost written off when she arrived in Bollywood. Nearly a decade later, with three yash raj projects, three reigning khans as her co-stars and endorsements galore, actress katrina kaif says reality is far better than dreams. katrina, 27, has teamed up with ex-boyfriend Salman khan in ‘Ek tha tiger’, Aamir khan in ‘Dhoom 3’ and Shah rukh khan for an untitled film-all are being made under yash raj films. Not just that. veteran director yash Chopra is directing her film with Shah rukh. “yashji undoubtedly is the king of romance and i have always admired the way he presents his heroines. it was always a dream to work with him and the reality is even better,” said katrina. yrf's untitled film is her first project with Shah rukh. katrina is bowled over by the superstar's energy. “Shah rukh is a thorough gentleman and it is a delight to work with him. i admire the sheer energy, hard work and passion that he puts into his work. it is also nice that my first film with him is a yash Chopra film; they have done some great work together,” she said. if katrina is getting into romantic mode with Shah rukh, she will be doing a lot of action too with Aamir in ‘Dhoom 3’. When katrina entered Bollywood with the 2003 release ‘Boom’, trade pundits had predicted it was touch and go for her in tinsel town. But she has proved everyone wrong by giving hit after hit. in a span of almost a decade, katrina has given hits like ‘Maine Pyaar kyon kiya?’, ‘Welcome’, ‘Sarkar’, ‘race’, ‘Ajab Prem ki Gajab kahani’, ‘raajneeti’ and ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’. AGeNCIeS

english rock band The Rolling Stones’ lead vocalist Mick Jagger and founder member Keith Richards will head back to the studio next week to start new sessions. Guitarist Ronnie Wood has confirmed plans to start new sessions ahead of the legendary band’s 50th anniversary celebrations, reported Contactmusic.

Richards previously confirmed plans for new studio sessions with Wood and drummer Charlie Watts which could also include fifth member and original bass player Bill Wyman. “We’re back in touch, which is great, because I hadn’t really spoken to him for years,” said Richards.

Wyman, who had left the group in 1992 was present for group practices held in London last December. “On the third day, Mick turned up, which was a real joy. Because I set it up really as a magnet, you know,” Richards said. When asked if Wyman would rejoin the band he said, “I think he’s up for it.”

Halle Berry hits back

at paparazzi LOS ANGELES AGeNCIeS

Actress Halle Berry is upset with the paparazzi for hounding her and her daughter Nahla. “It’s not one photographer hiding in the bushes, it’s 20, 30 very close to us, causing commotion. I’m not complaining about me. I’m an adult, I can handle it. But children should not be subjected to that. It’s just wrong,” showzbizspy.com quoted Berry as saying. The 45-year-old, who was recently denied permission to move to France, where privacy laws are strict, said: “There are laws like that in France, which is the reason I want go there. Laws that protect children, protect right to privacy. All I want is for my family and myself to have a normal life. When I’m not at work, that’s very important to me.”

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16 Foreign News

Saturday, 28 April, 2012

Bombings rock Damascus as peace doubts grow DAMASCUS

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AFP

deadly suicide bombing rocked the Syrian capital on Friday, killing 11 people and fuelling growing scepticism about hopes for the success of a UN-backed peace plan.

Amid the unrest, demonstrations were taking place after weekly Muslim prayers in flashpoint cities such as Hama, where shelling by government troops has reportedly killed more than 100 people since Monday. At least 11 people died and dozens were wounded

by Friday’s blast, which hit as worship-

pers were leaving weekly prayers at the nearby Zein al-Abidin mosque in the central Midan district, state television said.

The report blamed “terrorists,” the term used by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad to refer to rebels, and said civilians and security force members were among the casualties. Television footage showed gruesome images, including a severed hand, pieces of flesh and pools of blood. A separate blast hit an industrial zone of Damascus, but there were no reports of casualties, and three security agents were wounded in a blast in the coastal city of Banias, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Assad’s regime has

repeatedly blamed “armed terrorist groups” for the violence, and for failing to abide by a putative ceasefire that went into force on April 12.

But UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the regime was in contravention of a sixpoint peace deal by keeping troops and heavy weapons in urban areas, and expressed alarm about reports of population centres being shelled. On Thursday, 22 people died in Syria, most of them civilians, the Britain-based Observatory said. And overnight clashes between troops and rebels in the central city of Homs killed at least one army deserter and wounded another 15, it added.

More than 9,000 people have died since a popular uprising erupted against Assad’s regime in March 2011, the UN says, while non-governmental groups put the figure at more than 11,100. The Local Coordination Committees, which organise protests, said a massive demonstration began at Sayid Ahmed Mosque in Damascus’ Qadam district on Friday, with security forces firing on it and making arrests. It also said several people were injured in the eastern oil city of Deir ezzor after security forces opened gunfire to disperse a demonstration. Western nations have expressed strong doubts that the UN observers will be able to work, and the

United States has already warned it may not renew the mission’s initial three-month mandate.

US Ambassador Susan Rice said the Security Council must be ready to order sanctions if Syria flouts commitments to halt violence. “We condemn what remains the government’s refusal to abide by its commitments, its continued intense use of heavy weaponry in Hama and elsewhere, which continues to result in large numbers of civilian deaths every day,” she said. The Syrian National Council, the main opposition group in exile, has called for an emergency Security Council meeting to discuss a resolution to protect civilians.

Romanian govt toppled in noconfidence vote BUCHAREST AFP

qADDuM: Palestinian protesters run for cover from the liquid sprayed with a water cannon by Israeli soldiers during a demonstration against the expropriation of Palestinian land by Israel in the village of Kfar qaddum near the northern city of Nablus on Friday. AfP

KFC ordered to pay $8.3m to Australian girl SYDNEY: Fast food giant Kentucky Fried Chicken was Friday ordered to pay Aus$8 million (US$8.3 million) to an Australian girl who suffered severe brain damage and was paralysed after eating a Twister wrap. Monika Samaan was seven when she suffered salmonella encephalopathy — a brain injury linked to food poisoning that also left her with a blood infection and septic shock — in October 2005. Several other family members also fell ill and they claimed Samaan’s injuries, which include severe cognitive, motor and speech impairment and spastic quadriplegia, were caused by a chicken Twister wrap from a Sydney KFC outlet. The New South Wales Supreme Court ruled in the family’s favour a week ago and on Friday ordered KFC to pay the girl Aus$8 million in damages plus legal costs. In a statement, the family’s lawyer George Vlahakis said they were relieved the battle was over.

“Monika’s severe brain damage and severe disability has already exhausted the very limited resources of the family,” he said.

“Monika is now a big girl and they are finding it increasingly difficult to lift her and to look after her basic needs as well as look after Monika’s younger siblings. “The compensation ordered is very much needed. KFC have to date been determined that Monika does not receive a cent.”

‘Green-on-blue’ attack came on night raid: Afghan police KANDAHAR AFP

A firefight which erupted when an Afghan special forces soldier turned his weapon on his US allies came while the men were on a night raid together and killed a total of four, Afghan police said Friday.

Afghan forces were put in charge of the controversial night raids earlier this month after government protests that international troops were violating the sanctity of Afghan homes as they targeted Taliban insurgents. An American

soldier, two Afghan troops and an interpreter died in the latest in a series of socalled green-on-blue attacks, the district police chief of Shah Wali Kot in Kandahar province, Pacha Khan, told AFP. US forces said in an initial statement only that one US-led coalition soldier was killed when a man in an Afghan army uniform opened fire late on Wednesday, and that the shooter was killed by return fire. “They were taking part in a night raid,” said Khan.

“Probably Afghan and US forces had an argument that triggered the incident. “As a result, an Afghan special

forces member opens fire and kills one US special forces member along with an interpreter,” he said, adding that return fire killed two Afghan soldiers. The transfer of control of night raids to Afghan forces helped pave the way for the signing of a treaty covering relations between Afghanistan and the US after NATO forces pull out by the end of 2014. The police version of the incident came as news emerged of yet another green-on-blue attack, in which two Afghan policemen opened fire on US troops at a military post in Kandahar.

Russia brings three spacemen safely back to Earth MOSCOW AFP

Two Russian spacemen and a NASA astronaut touched down safely Friday in the Kazakh steppe aboard a Soyuz capsule after a stay of almost six months aboard the International Space Station.

Seventeen Russian helicopters and jets patrolled the clear blue skies as the silver metal capsule parachuted gracefully through the air before bumping into a field of straw and early spring

grass and rolling over gently onto its side. Live NASA TV footage showed a team of medics swarm the capsule and pull out a smiling Anton Shkaplerov — a Russian awarded the honour of breathing the fresh air first because he occupied the capsule’s middle seat.

Shkaplerov appeared “in good shape and none the worse for wear,” a NASA commentator said as the spaceman gave a thumbs-up sign from inside his bulky white suit. The three men were soon whisked away for a quick

change of clothing and to pull on some special socks designed to improve their circulation and reduce the potential threat of blood clots and strokes. It was the last touchdown performed by the older analogue version of the Soyuz capsule before it is replaced by a digital version. Shkaplerov and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Ivanishin and American Dan Burbank will be replaced by a new crew that is due to take off from Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on May 15.

Romania’s centre-right government was toppled Friday by a no-confidence motion tabled by the left-leaning opposition, putting at risk crucial reforms expected by international lenders. A total of 235 lawmakers voted for the motion, four more than the 231 needed, Gregorian Pop, the parliament’s speaker, announced. It is now up to President Traian Basescu to designate a new prime minister, just six months ahead of general elections due in November. The opposition Social-Liberal Union (USL) “is ready to assume responsibility to form a new government”, one of its two presidents, Victor Ponta, told reporters after the vote. “If Basescu designates me as prime minister, I will accept,” he added. The fall of Ungureanu’s government, less than three months after it came to power, coincides with a mission by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the european Union to assess reforms enacted over the past months. Romania was forced to call on the IMF and the eU for a 20-billion-euro ($26-billion) lifeline in 2009 and took drastic measures in return to curb spending, cutting public sector wages by 25 percent and freezing pensions in 2010. It also agreed to privatise national assets, including Romania’s biggest copper mining company Cupru Min, as well as sell minority stakes in several energy firms.

Fresh Dutch polls set for Sep 12: PM THE HAGUE AFP

elections to choose a new Dutch government will be held on September 12, outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Friday following his coalition’s collapse after failed austerity talks. “We (the cabinet) have finalised the date of the elections. It has been pinned for September 12, 2012.

Then it’s up to voters,” Rutte announced in The Hague at his weekly press conference after a cabinet meeting. Rutte and his ministers quit Monday after his minority government and its far-right ally failed to agree on a plan to slice the budget to steer the eurozone’s fifth-largest economy back below the eU deficit ceiling of three percent from last year’s 4.7 percent. The agreement, according to the coalition government consisting of Rutte’s People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Christian Democrats, would have seen cuts amounting to 14.4 billion euros and brought the deficit down to 2.8 percent next year.

Rutte told the Lower House on Tuesday he expected the elections on the announced date but it had to be set in stone by the outgoing cabinet on Friday. Although not part of the ruling coalition, Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom (PVV) had effectively guaranteed the government’s majority for the last 18 months by agreeing to support it in parliament.

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Foreign News 17 27 injured in Ukraine blasts as Euro-2012 looms Saturday, 28 April, 2012

Trio arrested for suspected Danish terror plot COPENHAGEN AFP

Three people were arrested in Copenhagen on Friday suspected of planning a “terrorist act”, Danish intelligence agency PeT said.

A 22-year-old Jordanian citizen and a 23year-old Turkish citizen — both Danish residents — as well as a Dane living in egypt, are “suspected of being illegally in possession of automatic weapons and munitions and are also suspected of preparing a terrorist act,” the agency said in a statement. No details of the alleged planned attack were disclosed. The three were arrested at two addresses in greater Copenhagen. “Raids were also conducted in connection with the arrests at several addresses in the Copenhagen area,” PeT said. The trio was to appear before a Copenhagen court on Saturday for a custody hearing, police said. PeT said it was collaborating with police on the case.

Danish tabloid ekstra Bladet reported meanwhile in its online edition that police had seized three cars in the Copenhagen suburb of Herlev in an action it said was linked to the terrorism case.

KIEV

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AFP

T least 27 people were hurt in Ukraine’s eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk Friday in four blasts that President Viktor Yanukovych called a challenge to the nation ahead of the euro 2012 football championship.

A total of 27 people including nine children were injured in the succession of explosions and 25 of them were hospitalised, emergencies officials told AFP, as police kept combing the city on the Dnieper River for more bombs.

President Viktor Yanukovych vowed a firm response to the explosions, which came weeks before the european tournament that Ukraine is

co-hosting with Poland.

“We know that there are victims, we understand that this is another challenge, for the entire nation,” he told journalists while on a visit to a factory in the Crimea on the Black Sea. “We will think about how to respond adequately,” he said. “I think we will figure it out. It’s a pity that this has happened,” Interfax quoted him as saying.

Dnipropetrovsk is not a host city in the country’s first major international sports event, but is on the route of the trophy tour that is due there on May 21.

It is about 100 kilometres (65 miles) from the nearest host city Donetsk, where the first match is scheduled for June 11.

Dnipropetrovsk is also the home

town of Yanukovych’s fierce opponent, the 2004 Orange Revolution leader Yulia Tymoshenko, who is serving a jail sentence for abuse of power that has strained Ukraine’s relations with the european Union.

Tymoshenko, 51, has been on hunger strike since last Friday and has said she suffered a beating in the prison where she is serving her disputed seven-year sentence.

Footage on Russia’s NTV channel showed people crowding around a tram stop where one of the blasts occurred. Some bandaged the injured, making tourniquets out of trouser belts.

Other victims were lying on the pavement, blood oozing from their wounds.

“The explosion went off when the tram was starting to leave, there were

no people at the stop” but passengers inside were hit by window glass shards, regional police spokesman Oleksiy Shcherbatov said in televised remarks.

Officials earlier said that the first blast went off in a rubbish bin near a movie theatre in the centre of the city at 11:50 a.m. (0850 GMT).

A second blast followed about 40 minutes later and the third, in another busy central street, 15 minutes after that, emergencies officials said.

The fourth explosion went off at 1:00 p.m. (1000 GMT), the interior ministry said without providing further details. All four blasts were in the same part of the city located not far from the Dnieper.

Twenty-five people were hospitalised by mid-afternoon, the emergencies ministry said.

US to pull 9,000 Marines from southern Japan TOKYO AFP

The United States said Friday it would pull 9,000 Marines out of Japan as it seeks to ease a long-running standoff over the future of its huge military presence in one of its top Asian allies. The redeployment will see the troops sent to Guam, Hawaii and Australia.

Withdrawing troops was originally part of plans to move a busy US airbase on Okinawa to another area of the southern island chain but US officials decided to separate the two issues due to ongoing opposition to the base relocation. In a joint statement issued in Washington and Tokyo, the two sides said they remained committed to move the Futenma base from its present urban site to a coastal spot. The relocation is being heavily resisted among many locals, who want to see the base moved out of Okinawa altogether.

The two governments “reconfirmed their view that (this) remains the only viable solution that has been identified to date”, the statement said. No definite timeframe was put on the redeployment, with the statement saying only that the “relocations are to be completed as soon as possible while ensuring operational capability throughout the process”. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta hailed the deal, which he said would reduce the burden on residents of Okinawa. “I am very pleased that, after many years, we have reached this important agreement and plan of action,” Panetta said in a statement. Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said the agreement reflected evolving regional realities, at a time of growing fears among Asian countries and the United States about China’s increasing military might.

DuLLeS: People watch as the space shuttle enterprise, sitting atop a NASA 747 shuttle carrier aircraft, takes off from Washington Dulles International Airport on Friday. The enterprise is being ferried to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and will go on display at New York City’s Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. AfP

Blast hits courthouse in east Libya BENGHAZI AFP

A blast ripped through a courthouse in the eastern city of Benghazi on Friday causing serious damage to the building but no casualties, Libyan security sources said.

The explosion punched a hole three metres (10 feet) wide in the walls of the courthouse on Meidan alShajara, a public square flanked by several government offices and the National Oil Corp, an AFP journalist said.

It also damaged a court room.

Security sources told AFP

“unknown assailants boobytrapped the building” and set off the explosion at “exactly 5 am (0300 GMT).”

Witnesses and residents told AFP the blast was very intense.

“It left residents in the area and patients being treated in a nearby hospital completely shaken up,” one said.

Government spokesman Mohammed al-Harizi told AFP no one was wounded and that investigations were underway to determine the identity and motives of the assailants.

He said investigators had found graffiti at the scene expressing support for former

leader Moamer Kadhafi, who was captured and killed by rebels in October.

“They found some slogans related to Kadhafi’s regime,” Harizi said, without elaborating.

The blast came just hours after the arrival of the ruling National Transitional Council, which usually meets in Benghazi during the final week of every month.

Late Thursday, clashes sparked by a prison revolt in Benghazi, cradle of the revolt that toppled Kadhafi, left one person dead and at least four wounded.

Security sources blamed the

prison-break attempt on radical Islamists.

The Mediterranean city has been hit by sporadic acts of violence this year, including an attack on government buildings, the desecration of a World War II cemetery, clashes at political rallies and the failed bombing of a UN convoy.

Libya is also facing a leadership crisis with key members of the ruling National Transitional Council pushing for a no confidence vote against the government of interim Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib. Harizi said “no decisions” had been reached on that topic.

Blind Chinese lawyer escapes house arrest BEIJING AFP

Blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng, one of China’s best-known rights activists, has made a daring escape from house arrest and recorded a video detailing the abuses he and his family have suffered. Chen, 40, fled his closely guarded home in the eastern province of Shandong on Sunday, escaping from under the noses of dozens of plain-clothes security officers with the help of his supporters. In an audacious video address to China’s Premier Wen Jiabao posted online on Friday, he said he had suffered repeated beatings, and expressed serious concerns for his wife and young son, still being held at the family’s home. Visibly emotional, Chen, who has been blind since childhood, described how on one occasion dozens of men had barged into his house, pushed his wife to the ground and punched and kicked her for several hours.

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Saturday, 28 April, 2012

Azarenka sorry as Petkovic suffers serious injury Page 21

PCB looks for investors for PPL from across the border LAHORE STAFF RePoRT

T

He Pakistan Cricket Board was keen on attracting investment from the Indian market for its planned Twenty20 league but it would not be "an exact model" of the IPL, its chief Zaka Ashraf said. Asked if the PCB's proposed league would be a copy of the highly successful Indian Premier League, Ashraf said, "This is a wrong impression. We are working on delivering a innovative and exciting PPL but it would not be on the exact model of the IPL." Ashraf said that Indian broadcasting company Nimbus was one of the several companies who are interested in becoming a part of Pakistan's Twenty20 league.

"Nimbus made a presentation regarding the league earlier this month. There are a few other companies in the picture as well," he said. Meanwhile, two more companies - Ten Sports and one based in United Kingdom -- made presentations to the Board on

the league proposed to start this year. Reports said of the two presentations, the Board officials were not very impressed with the one by the UK based company.

"We have had several presentations and

many people are promising to deliver a lot but we have to ensure the model we follow is viable for us financially and secondly it allows us to tap the international market," one PCB official who declined to be named said. Ashraf made it clear that while the Board wanted the participation of foreign players in its Twenty20 league, the franchises would have to purchase them under a set financial model. He also said that the planned Twenty20 league may not be named the Pakistan Premier League. "We are not going to call it Pakistan Premier League as some people have been suggesting for quite some time now. We are still in the process of finalising a name that is good enough for what we hope will be an innovative and exciting league," he said.

BANGLADESH YET TO CONFIrM PAKISTAN TOur: The PCB is waiting for an official response from their Bangladeshi counterparts on its request to try and vacate the stay order of the Dhaka High Court which has prevented the Bangladesh team from touring Pak-

istan this month. Reports quoting sources in the PCB said the Board was still waiting for a response from the BCB on the last letter sent to them, urging them to file an appeal to the stay order.

"We really don't know what is happening because in our last letter we had made it clear that we feel that the stay order given by the Dhaka High Court against Bangladesh touring Pakistan can be vacated," one PCB source said.

He said the PCB had requested the BCB to keep it updated and share details of any appeal it filed against the writ petition in the Dhaka High Court. But the BCB has not made any contact with the PCB on the issue and it appeared as if the Bangladesh team's tour was now a thing of the past, the source said.

The Bangladesh team's scheduled tour of Pakistan later this month was postponed last week after some citizens and former players filed a writ petition in the Dhaka High Court insisting it was not safe for the Bangladesh team to tour Pakistan.

Misbah wants to lead in all three formats LAHORE

STAFF RePoRT

Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq has said that he has no intentions of stepping down as skipper and was keen to lead the national team in all three formats of the game, including in the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka in September. “I don’t want to confine myself to only playing Test matches. I know I am good enough for all three formats and I am looking forward to leading Pakistan in Twenty20 World Cup,” Misbah said amidst speculations that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and new coach Dav Whatmore wanted to have separate teams for the three formats and were looking at Shoaib Malik to lead the Twenty20 side.

He also rejected suggestions that he batted slowly in the limited overs cricket.

“These allegations that I am a slow player

are ridiculous because I bat according to the situation of the match and that is what every good batsman will do,” Misbah was quoted as saying. Misbah, despite leading Pakistan to many Test, ODI and Twenty20 victories in the last one year, has been criticised for being too slow and defensive and critics believe he is better off just playing Test cricket. Misbah, who turns 38 next month, said that he did not come under pressure because of what people said about his batting style. “I don’t take any pressure.

When I made a comeback to the Pakistan team people said I am too old for international cricket and I would not be able to per-

form. But I produced runs and proved them wrong.” Misbah pointed out that being the captain there was added responsibility on him to bat carefully. But he had won many matches for Pakistan and it was wrong to say he was not a good finisher. He said he and other players were extremely disappointed that Bangladesh had postponed its proposed tour to Pakistan. “We were all preparing for the Bangladesh visit because it would have meant the return of international cricket to Pakistan after three years and we would have got a chance to play on our own grounds

and in front of our people. But the postponement came as a real dampner for all of us,” he said. Misbah agreed that former players could play a big role in convincing foreign players to play in Pakistan. “On tours we do keep on talking to the players of other teams and trying to convince them we play regular events in Pakistan and there are no security issues. We are still trying to do our best and play our role hopefully something will come good soon.” On the absence of Pakistan players in the Indian Premier League, Misbah said it was sad that Pakistan players were missing from the event. “It is a big event and there is quality cricket being played in the IPL. every player wants to be part of the IPL. Unfortunately we are not part of it but that is not our fault and nor can we do anything about it. But definitely we would love the opportunity to play in the IPL and show our calibre to the world,” he said.

PCB needs to look into iPL issue: Azhar

LAHORE STAFF RePoRT

Pakistani cricketer Azhar Mahmood, who recently became the first from his country to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2008, has called on the cricket boards of India and Pakistan to reconcile their issues and allow other Pakistani players to play in both countries. "I cannot really answer as to why the Pakistan players are still not a part of IPL, but I think the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) needs to look into this," Mahmood said. Mahmood, who is not a contracted player of the PCB, is part of the IPL franchise Kings xI Punjab. "I don't think the doors were ever closed for professionals from Pakistan to be part of the IPL," the 37-year-old, who is now British citizen, said, citing the presence of Pakistani umpires Aleem Dar, commentator Rameez Raja and bowling coach of Kolkata Knight Riders Wasim Akram in this edition as examples.

West indies squad for tour of England ST JOHN'S AFP

West Indies on Friday named a 15-man squad for their three-Test series in england, starting next month.

WeST INDIeS: Darren Sammy (captain), kirk Edwards (vice-captain), Adrian Barath, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, fidel Edwards, Assad fudadin, Shannon Gabriel, kieran Powell, kemar roach, Denesh ramdin, ravi rampaul, Marlon Samuels, Shane Shillingford.

Chanderpaul sets example for young Windies ROSEAU

ToP 10 TeST RuN-SCoReRS oF ALL-TIMe

ReuTeRS

top 10 test run-scorers of all-time after West indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul became the 10th player to reach 10,000 runs in the third test against Australia in Dominica on thursday.

PLAYeRS CAReeR RuNS Sachin tendulkar (india) 198915,470 ricky Ponting (Australia) 199513,346 rahul Dravid (india) 1996-2012 13,288 Jacques kallis (SA) 199512,379 Brian Lara (West indies) 1990-2006 11,953 Allan Border (Australia) 1978-1994 11,174 Steve Waugh (Australia) 1985-2004 10,927 M Jayawardene (SL) 199710,440 Sunil Gavaskar (india) 1971-1987 10,122 S Chanderpaul (Wi) 199410,055

Shivnarine Chanderpaul followed Brian Lara in becoming the second West Indies batsman to pass 10,000 test runs on Thursday and team-mate Darren Bravo said he is the example to follow for the new generation of cricketers in the Caribbean. Bravo, who shared in a 110-run partnership with the 37year-old Chanderpaul, has long viewed his relative Lara as a role-model and that is visible at times in his batting style.

But while Lara retired in 2007, Chanderpaul has become the elder statesman in a West Indies dressing room that has become a youthful and inexperienced one under coach Ottis Gibson and skipper Darren Sammy. While the Guyanese left-hander appears a quiet, almost withdrawn, character off the field, Bravo, who made a smart 45 as West Indies attempted to approach a daunting target of 370, said he is never short of support. "The good thing about it is whenever you talk to Shiv and ask for advice he is willing 100 percent, each and every time," said Bravo after the close of the fourth day.

"We're very fortunate to have him in this team at this point in time and we enjoy his company. "He's going to be around for a very long time still, he's scored lots of runs and as young batsmen in the team we should try to take a page from Shiv's book as much as possible and as long as we do we're going to improve as a batting unit in the future."

BoWLING MAChINe If ever 'Shiv's book' were to be written it would surely include a chapter on his approach to practice. Chanderpaul, who uses an unorthodox stance, even has a bowling machine at his family home in the United States, so that he can keep his eye in during breaks away from the game.

He has also been known to get his sons, including Tagenarine a promising under-17 player himself, to spend time bowling at him.

"He puts his heart and soul into the way he practices, Shiv's a guy who will bat first at practice and then be the last to leave the nets, so it is something us as young batsmen can look at," said Bravo. "The way he goes about an innings is special, he plays the ball on its merits and his concentration level is very good. It is just a matter of learning from him as much as possible ... very important for us

roSEAU: Shivarine Chanderpaul (r) is dismissed lbw as Matthew Wade (C) and Michael Hussey look on during the fourth day of the third test match. AfP to pick his brain at every opportunity." Chanderpaul shows no signs of tiring from the task of shouldering so much responsibility despite years of playing in a team that has been reg-

ularly beaten. In this three test series, he made a century in Bridgetown, 94 in Port of Spain and scores of 68 and 69 in Dominica.

Although Chanderpaul was dismissed in the

final over of the day, his partnership with Bravo at least offered the home crowd the sight of a West Indies team doggedly in an attempted pursuit of the unlikely target.

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Saturday, 28 April, 2012

inzamam-taufeeq Xis match at LCCA today

sports 19

5-wicket Clarke leads Australia to 75-run win

Majola to face civil and criminal investigations JOHANNESBURG ReuTeRS

LAHORE STAFF RePoRT

The 42nd annual festival match of Muslim Gymkhana to be played between Inzmam ul Haq eleven and Taufeeq Umer eleven on Saturday 28th April 2012 at LCCA Cricket Ground. Intikhab Aalam Director Game Development PCB will be chief guest of the ceremony The Regional Presidents Kh Nadeem Ahmed (Lahore), Sheikh Shakeel (Islamabad) , Maj Naeem Akhtar Gilani (Rawalpindi) Malik Zulfiqar (Sialkot) and Aamir Nawab (Abbotabad) will also participate in this festival match.

Inzmam uL Haq ELEvEn Inzmam ul Haq (Captain), Mian Pervez Akhtar, Ahmed Shahzad, Farrukh Shah, Tehseen Mirza, Mujahid Jamshaid, Khalid Butt, Hafiz Abdul Ghaffar, Zahid Javed, Asad Butt, Azhar Jameel, Abid Hussain. M Tayyab, Mian Javed, and Hafiz Suleman.

TaufEEq umEr ELEvEn Taufeeq Umer (Cap), Usman Slaah uddin, Junaid Jan, Waqas Ahmed, Mian Waqas, Salman Ghafoor, M Shahzad, Anjum Dar, Tariq Rasheed, Aamir Manzoor, Mumtaz Haider, M Hussain, Umair, Farhan Sohail, and Zeeshan Malik.

ROSEAU AFP

M

ICHAeL Clarke took five wickets as Australia won the third and final Test against West Indies by 75 runs at Windsor Park on Friday.

West Indies fought to the end with captain Darren Sammy, with 61, and last man Shane Shillingford, on 31 not out, hitting their highest Test scores.

After resuming on 173 for five, West Indies were bowled out for 294 just before lunch to give Australia a 20 series win. They had won the won the first Test in Barbados by three wickets while the second match in Trinidad was a rain-hit draw. Clarke, who has yet to lose a Test as captain, took five wickets in an innings for only the second time in his career, the last being a sensational six for nine in Mumbai in 2004.

Australia started the final day with spin

Isinbayeva to compete three times before London Games

from both ends. Nathan Lyon found the edge twice in the first over but the ball eluded the close fielders each time.

It didn't take too long for the first breakthrough of the day and it was Australia's captain that struck again.

Clarke had taken three wickets during Thursday afternoon, including the important one of Shivnarine Chanderpaul with the last ball of the day.

A cloud of dust went up when Narsingh Deonarine played at a full length ball and it ended up back in Clarke's hands and the Australians appealed for a caught and bowled. It took several replays for television umpire Ian Gould to come to a decision after the on-field umpires referred it to him. In the end it looked as though the ball had hit the ground just before the bat and Deonarine was gone. Sammy decided to play using his natural technique and the fourth ball that he faced was smashed back over Lyon's head for a straight six.

City, ravi Gyms win group matches LAHORE STAFF RePoRT

LONDON ReuTeRS

Double Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva will compete three times before the London Olympics, starting with a meeting in Reims, France, on July 4, a source close to the Russian said on Friday.

The source said the world record holder would then compete in Sotteville, France, on July 10 and in Monaco 10 days later. Meetings in Stockholm and Brussels after the July 27-Aug. 12 Games have yet to be confirmed.

Isinbayeva, 29, the first woman to clear five metres, won the Olympic title in Athens in 2004 and again in Beijing four years later.

She failed to clear a height at the 2009 Berlin world championships and, after finishing fourth at the world indoor championships the following year, took an 11-month break.

This year, Isinbayeva showed she was back to her best by setting a world indoor record of 5.01 metres in Stockholm and subsequently needed only two jumps to win the world indoor title in Istanbul. She now plans to become the first woman to win three successive Olympic track and field gold medals and then possibly beat Ukrainian Sergei Bubka's 35 world records. Isinbayeva has broken the women's mark 30 times. "Sergei was a role model, he was a star at the time I was starting," Isinbayeva told the Laureus website

(www.laureus.com) this month.

"It was my goal from the beginning to set 36 world records. This is still in my mind and now I feel that I can achieve it."

HurDLES CHAMP PITTMAN SWITCHES TO rOWING: Two-time 400m hurdles world champion Jana Pittman is aiming to represent Australia at the 2016 Rio Olympics as a rower, a report said Friday.

Pittmann, who won the 400m hurdles at the 2003 Paris world championships and four years later in Osaka, Japan, recently hung up her spikes after a foot injury ruined her plans to compete at this year's London Olympics.

The Sydney Daily Telegraph said the 29year-old had taken up rowing instead and had been identified as a potential star of the sport

by Rowing Australia. "We have tested her and we know she has got a lot of the goods. I think the challenge for her, and for us, is to see if she can make the changes," Rowing Australia elite development manager Peter Shakespear told the newspaper. "She has never done any rowing, so it is a bit like somebody who doesn't know how to walk becoming a 400m hurdler. What she brings across is a great athlete, a great attitude, a lot of passion and a lot of ready-made stuff." The report said Pittman had taken advice from Kim Crow, a former hurdler who successfully switched to rowing and is now rated the best female rower in the country, and was aiming for Rio in 2016.

In a thrilling group match of Sprite Lahore Cricket League City Gym beat Gari Shahu Gym by 4 wickets at Ittefaq Ground LCCA. Gari Shau Gym won the toss and elected to bat first and bowled out for 296 in 50 overs. Ali Kamran scored 66, Yasir Ali 62, Wasim Khan 60 and Kamran Khalil contributed 51 M Kazim, Jhangir Mirza, Mawaz Teemia and Sh Adeel shared 2 wickets each for City Gym. In reply City Gym successfully chased the target in 47.5 overs for loss of 6 wickets Ijaz Ahmed remained unbeaten with 91 and Jhangir Mirza scored 90 runs. Jhangir Mirza named man of the match. At Nawaz Sharif Complex Ground Ravi Gym beat Mahboob Park by 9 runs. Ravi Gym scored 190/10 in 36.4 overs by batting first Azeem Sabir scored 72 runs and Nadeem Farooqi made 29 runs Shahbaz Niamat (RALS) grabbed 5/8 in 4.4 overs In reply Mahboob Park bowled out for 181 in 38.1 overs M Aamir scored 78 runs on just 40 balls , Nadeem Farooq picked 4/38 and Sohaib Ahmed 3/36 in 10 overs for Ravi Gym Nadeem Farooqi named man of the match.

SCoReBoARD AUStrALiA 1St iNNiNGS: 328 (M. Wade 106, D. Warner 50; S. Shillingford 6-119) West Indies 1st innings 218 (S. Chanderpaul 68) Australia 2nd innings 259 (R. Ponting 57, e. Cowan 55) West Indies 2nd innings (overnight 173 for five; target 370) 0 A. Barath c Cowan b hilfenhaus 14 K. Brathwaite lbw b Clarke K. Powell b Clarke 24 D. Bravo c Wade b Watson 45 69 S. Chanderpaul lbw b Clarke 13 N. Deonarine c&b Clarke C. Baugh c Ponting b Lyon 12 61 D. Sammy c hilfenhaus b Lyon 2 K. Roach c Clarke b Lyon R. Rampaul c Warner b Clarke 11 S. Shillingford not out 31 12 extras (b3, lb9) Total (all out; 96.3 overs) 294 Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Barath), 2-28 (Brathwaite), 3-45 (Powell), 4-155 (Bravo), 5-173 (Chanderpaul), 6-180 (Deonarine), 7-206 (Baugh), 8-234 (Roach), 9-245 (Rampaul), 10-294 (Sammy) Bowling: hilfenhaus 13-5-23-1, Starc 9-2-26-0, Lyon 29.36-87-3, harris 12-2-34-0, Clarke 23-1-86-5, Watson 9-2-20-1, Warner 1-0-6-0 Toss: Australia, Result: Australia won by 75 runs, claim three-match series 2-0, Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NzL), umpires: Marais erasmus (RSA), Tony hill (NzL), Third umpire: Ian Gould (eNG)

Suspended Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Gerald Majola faces a criminal probe and a civil claim for the repayment of illegal bonuses allegedly paid to him by the Indian Premier League.

"A civil process will be launched by CSA....The Hawks (South Africa's Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation) have also been to CSA and are in the process of their investigation," sports minister Fikile Mbalula told reporters.

"They're on top of it, but we don't know the outcome yet. We have to respect the process because it's not up to us to arrest people. It was a smooth operation, not done Hollywood style, because that way things get done properly."

Judge Chris Nicholson announced last month that Majola had "surreptitiously" received 1.8 million rand ($231,200) in unauthorised bonuses from the IPL, as well as irregular travel expenses, in contravention of the Companies Act. Nicholson recommended that Majola be suspended, the bonus money be recovered and that CSA undergo restructuring of their board and governance processes.

JoHANNESBUrG: Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEo Gerald Majola (L), Gary kirsten (C) and former warriors head coach russell Domingo arrive for a news conference. REUTERS

Bolt can take 100m WR below 9.5, says coach KINGSTON AFP

Usain Bolt has the speed to lower his 100meter world record below 9.5 seconds, the coach of the reigning Olympic 100 champion said on Thursday, but weather could foil his efforts at London.

Glen Mills, who has coached Bolt since 2004, said Thursday in a conference call with the IAAF after conducting a workout that Bolt could reach 9.49 or lower and shatter his current world record of 9.58. "I don't think it is impossible," Mills said. "But he would have to have the right conditions. I'm not sure if London (weather) is going to be kind."

Mills said that he expects Bolt will be 100 percent healthy when he runs his first 100 of the season on May 5 at the Jamaica Invitational, the same meet where world 100m champion Yohan Blake is set to run in the 200. "Usain is in good condition, doing well," Mills said. "He is ready to run next week. I expect him to do well. He's in good shape. I'm expecting him to run a good race."

Denying tales that Bolt hurt himself in a charity football match, Mills said his star pupil has learned from the false start in the final at last year's world championships in South Korea, one that cost him his world title. "The lesson he has learned from Daegu is you can never be too complacent or never take anything for granted," Mills said. "You have to focus and concentrate on the task at hand.

"He is quite aware of that going into the Olympics and of not being a victim of a false start." Bolt won 100 and 200 Olympic gold at Beijing in 2008 and helped Jamaica to a 4x100 relay title, all in world-record time. At the 2009 worlds in Berlin, Bolt lowered his world records to 9.58 and 19.19 at 200.

Mills, 62, said he sees no problem with Bolt having to potentially race at London against athletes who have served doping bans such as Britain's Dwain Chambers and American Justin Gatlin. "I don't believe somebody should be banned for life," Mills said. "You should be given a chance to redeem yourself.

"One would hope the persons who have found themselves in trouble with that would have

learned their lessons and operate under the fairness of competition and stay away from drugs. "The rules are that if you commit an offence you are punished and after you serve your time you are reinstated. We have to compete under the rules. I don't really have a problem... even people who commit murder are given pardons."

Bolt has spoken often about securing his status as a living legend, but Mills said that catchphrase is Bolt's way of focusing on his main goals, defending three Olympic titles. "He has set that 'Living Legend' theme as a motivation to maintain his high standard of training and level of performance," Mills said. "He has set his criteria of defending his gold medals in London as his objective. "That is his ultimate goal." Failing to crack a world record in London will not be a failure if Bolt brings home three gold medals, Mills said. "The world records are what you call a bonus," Mills said. "The objective is the title. If you break the world record in the process, great. But the goal is to get to the line and win the race, not to break the record."

That includes a strict race warm-up regimen to counter back issues that nag Bolt even on the best of race days. "The problem is not going to go away. It's a lifetime thing," Mills said. "He takes several warm-up preparations before he runs. We stick with several things that have worked over the years."

Mills said Bolt had looked at the 4x400 relay for the London Games but his desire to defend Olympic gold and the programme makes such a bid impossible. While Blake will compete mainly in North America during his run-up to the Olympics, Bolt will focus on europe with appearances at Diamond League races in Ostraca on May 25, Rome on May 31, Oslo on June 7 and Monaco on July 20 in his final pre-Olympic meet. "Usain is an experienced campaigner in europe. He has been doing it for the past six years. He can cope with different climates and etcetera," Mills said. "When he came back last year, Yohan had some problems in his competitions leading into the trials. He was not in top condition and had some injuries. We thought in this Olympic year we would not make him travel too far."

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20 sports PMC Athleco, Muslim Club win in U-22 Soccer LAHORE STAFF RePoRT

Saturday, 28 April, 2012

CARDIFF: British sprinter Jamie Baulch strikes a mid-air pose in front a set of Olympic rings unveiled by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) outside Cardiff City Hallon. AFP

PMC Athleco FC and Muslim Club won their matches of the National U-22 Football Championship-2012 being held at Bahawalpur.

ReSuLTS: PMC AtH fC beat Balochistan 3:0 at the Dring football Stadium, Bahawalpur. Scorer PMC AtH fC: Mujahid Ali (fW) 2 Goals @ 14 & 50 Minute and Nawaz Mumtaz (fW) 1 Goal @ 42 Minute. Muslim fC (Noushki) beat kPk 2:1. Scorer Muslim fC: Muhammad Hanif (fW) 2 Goals @ 64 & 84 Minute. kPk: rashid Ahmed (fW) 1 Goal @ 84 Minute.

National U-21 Women in progress LAHORE STAFF RePoRT

DG Sports Usman Anwar attended the National U-21 Women Championship as a chief guest on the second day here at Mini Hockey Stadium.On this occasion, the director tournament, Perveen Gill presented DG Sports a souvenir and introduced the teams of Pakistan Railway and Sindh to him.DG Sports Punjab told media that Sports Board Punjab and Government of the Punjab will encourage and support sports activities in the province while talking to the media,Mr.Usman Anwar informed to organize a special programme in the honor of these female players.The director tournament Perveen Gill thanked DG Sports on this occasion.

ReSuLTS: Punjab (C) beat Punjab (W) 1-0 (full time), 0-0 (Half time). Punjab (C): kalsoom Munir 39th minute (fG). railway beat Sindh 9-0 (full time), 5-0 (Half time). railway: Shukria rashid 2 Goals 20th & 31st minutes (fG), Mayira Sabir 3 Goals 21st, 27th & 53rd minutes (fG), Marina Anwar 25th minute (PC), Aqsa Mumtaz 45th minute (fG), Zakia Nawaz (Capt) 59th minute (fG) & iram Hassan 64th minute (fG). Wapda beat Pak-Board 4-0 (full time), 1-0 (Half time). Wapda: Muqadas Akbar 2 Goals 9th minute (fG) & 43rd minute (PC), Shahida raza 52nd minute (PC) & fakhara 53 minute (fG).

Army retain National Boxing title LAHORE STAFF RePoRT

LAHorE: the participating railway and Sindh teams of the National U-21 Women Championship with chief guest DG Sports Punjab Usman Anwer at the National Hockey Stadium Ground ii while Director tournament Perveen Gill is also seen in the picture.

Army on Friday retained the 34th Velo National Boxing Championship with 75 points here at the Punjab College Hall. Wapda with 70 points secured the second place while PAF got the third position with 65 points. A technical controversy erupted between the 60 kgs fight of Kadir Khan of Wapda and Nawaz Dad of Army that left the decision of the winner team of the championship pending for quite sometime and later Wapda's Kadir was declared the winner. But on points table Army was the clear winners with 75 points. That controversy also delayed the 69 kgs bout but when it was clear that even if Wapda boxers won both the fights, Army would remain the title winners, the Wapda team officials allowed 69kgs fight between Aamir Khan of Wapda and Arshad Hussain of PAF to happen with Aamir winning on points 12-7. Overall Army won two gold medals, four silvers and one bronze to secure 75 points, Wapda with four gold and two bronze was second and PAF with two gold three silver and a

bronze was third. It must be kept in mind that the losing semi-finalists are awarded bronze medals.

fInaL rEsuLTs

(GoLD, sILvEr anD TWo bronzE)

49KGS: Mohib Barha Police beat Mohammad Nauman Army on points 17-5.

Sheroz Navy, Naqeebullah Wapda 52KGS: Mohamamd Waseem Wapda beat Abdul Waheed PAf retired 2nd rd Attaullah Police, Hallar HEC 56KGS: Nematullah PAf beat Samiullah Navy 12-8 Syed israr Sindh, khawar Wapda 60KG: kadir khan Wapda declared winner against Nawaz Dad Army Mohammad Ali Police, Amar Navy 64KGS: Adnan PAf beat faisal khan Army 15-12 Sadullah Balochistan, Mohamamd Ali Navy 69KGS: Aamir khan Wapda beat Arshad Hussain PAf 12-7 Mohammad Afzal Police, tanveer Navy 75KGS: Dur Mohammad Navy beat Mirza Azam PAf 18-7 Zulqarnain HEC, Atif Mahmood Amry 81KGS: Ahmed Ali Army beat Nadir khan Navy 19-18 Asmatullah Balochistan, Mehmood PAf 91KGS: riaz Ali Army beat Moiz khan HEC walk over Amir Hamza rangers, qamar Amin PAf 91-PLuS KGS: Mir Waiz Wapda beat Waqar Ali Army 21-16 Mohammad qasim HEC, Nehmatullah Navy.

It’s D-Day on monday The two go head-to-head in what will surely be the title decider EPL CRYSTAL BALL KUNWAR KHULDUNE SHAHID Okay so the moment has finally arrived. Rarely do we get such a scenario, where the destiny of a league title rests on the outcome of a single match. And let’s make no mistake about that, that’s exactly how Monday night’s Manchester Derby has panned out. It’s winner takes all at the etihad Stadium the day after tomorrow; except that a draw is as good as a win for Manchester United.

A couple of weeks ago, when Arsenal got the better of Manchester City at the emirates, it seemed as if the old lady has sung for the 20th time in United’s favour. With eight points the difference and six games to go back then, it was ostensibly game, set and match. However, as time told so intriguingly, that wasn’t the case to be. United then went on to drop three points at Wigan, against a team fighting for their life and showcasing the apposite desperation and intent. While 19th beating top is an anomaly – especially considering the fact that the side at the top is the side that has built a two-decade dynasty on finishing off title races in April –, that result wasn’t exactly a bolt from the blue. That particular bolt was conjured up by the blue half of Liverpool, when United squandered – in every single possible sense of the term – a two goal cushion at Old Trafford. everton have nothing much except bragging rights over Liverpool to play

for in the league as things stand. And such a complacent performance against them was definitely not something one associates with Sir Alex Ferguson’s sides in clutch time.

United now have 83 points from 35 games, three more than City, and only need a draw to stay ahead of their archenemy and all but seal the title – considering their remaining pair of fixtures is considerably less taxing than that of their neighbours. City, meanwhile, have the momentum on their side. It looks as if City had bottled the ePL title after falling eight points behind in the title race, and now by dropping five points in the last three gameweeks, United look like following the same “bottling” pattern. City’s much superior goal

difference – +60 compared to United’s +54 – means that a win would be enough to supplant Sir Alex’s side from the top of the pile, and three wins from their last three games should win Roberto Mancini’s side the title.

Onto the game itself; Mancini will have Mario Balotelli back from his suspension, but he would in all probability stick with the Argentinean strike partnership of Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero, who’ve been firing on a multitude of cylinders of late. Another positive news on the injury front for Mancini is that Micah Richards is also back from his hamstring injury enforced absence, and that should shore up the defence ahead of Monday. Sir Alex on the other hand might think about replacing Rafael – who has been out of sorts recently – with one of Phil Jones or Chris Smalling. And there is a fair chance that Ryan Giggs would start United’s biggest game of the season.

City do have a couple of tricky fixtures after the derby – Newcastle (A), QPR (H) – one going hell bent for leather in the race for Champions League football, while the other clinging onto ePL survival by the skin of their teeth. United face Swansea at home and Sunderland away, neither of them with much to play for this season; and hence, it is all the more important for City to get the three points on Monday. United rarely do let go of leads this time of the year, but if their recent performances are anything to go by, they are very much there for the taking.

Ladies singles rokhri Badminton semis today LAHORE STAFF RePoRT

Palwasha Bashir, Sara Mohmand, Ghazala Siddique and Mehmoona Ameer reached in the semi-finals of the 14th All Pakistan Amer Hayat Khan Rokhri Badminton Tournament 2012.

Palwasha will meet Mehmoona Ameer (Punjab) and Sara Mohmand will face Ghazala Siddique of Punjab in the Women Singles Semi Finals.

Malik Saif-Ul-Maluk Khokhar (MPA) and Sahir Rasheed (Chief executive Sahir Associates) were Chief Guest of the Quarter Finals Matches rESuLT: Women singles quarter-finals: Mehmoona Ameer (Punjab) beat Nida Sarwar (Railway) by 10-21, 21-15, 2321, Sara Mohmand (NBP) beat Sofia Mughal (Sindh) by 21-10, 21-10, Palwasha Bashir (NBP) beat Arfa (KP) BY 21-9, 21-11, GHAZALA Siddique (Punjab) beat Bisma Idrees (Punjab) by 2118, 21-19 Women Doubles Quarter Finals: Palwasha & Sara Mohmand (NBP) beat Arooj & Semaab (Punjab) by 21-7, 21-9, Bisma Idrees & Sumaira (Punjab) beat Saba Mughal & Sofia Mughal (Sindh) by 21-18, 21-12, Nida Sarwar & Salma Sharif (Railway) beat Mehmoona & Javairia (Punjab) by 21-10,14-21,21-18, Ghazala Siddique & Fariha Imtiaz (Punjab) beat Sonia & Shumaila (Punjab) by 21-18,21-15. The semi-finals will played today Men Doubles Pre Quarter-final: P.A Nabeel & Muhammad Akhtar beat Subhan Jamil & Muhammad Shahzad by 21-17, 21-18, Zafar Tasneem & Hashir Bashir beat Habib Alam & Yasin21-13, 22-10, Muhammad Masood & Tahir Khan beat Hafiz Irfan & Adnan Aziz by 7-21, 21-19, 21-19, Zohaib Qamar & Shoaib beat Amir Saeed & Abdul Rehman by 21-18, 23-21, Haroon & Hayat Ullah beat Adil Haseeb & Umer Sarfaraz by 23-21, 21-13, Muhammad Attique & Muhammad Waqas beat Raja Hasnain & Anjum Bashir by 2422, 21-16.

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Azarenka advances in Stuttgart, Wozniacki out STUTTGART

WaTCH IT LIvE GEO SUPER IPL-5: Chennai Super Kings v Kings XI Punjab 03:30PM Kolkata Knight Riders v Royal Challengers Bangalore 06:00PM

ReuTeRS

W

Japan, Azerbaijan win in olympic qualifiers KAKAMIGAHARA AFP

Forward Kaori Fujio scored a hat-trick to lead Japan to an 8-0 thrashing of Malaysia on Friday in the women's hockey final qualifying tournament for the London Olympics.

The Japanese women, who whitewashed Austria 7-0 in the opener on Wednesday, started a six-goal onslaught in the second half for their second straight win in the sixteam round robin competition. Azerbaijan defeated Belarus 3-0 earlier in the day also for their second straight win, but remained in second place behind Japan with a goal differential of 7-0 against Japan's 15-0. In the last game of the day, Denise Infante scored twice in the second half to help Chile beat Austria 3-0 for their first win.

ORLD number one Victoria Azarenka moved into the Stuttgart indoor tournament quarter-finals on Thursday as sixth seed Caroline Wozniacki was upset by Angelique Kerber. Azarenka will face in-form Mona Barthel of Germany for a place in the last four after Germany's Andrea Petkovic retired with an ankle injury while trailing the Belarussian top seed 6-2 4-4.

Azarenka grabbed a break in the opening game but missed an easy volley to hand it back in the fourth game to Petkovic, who had only this week returned to the Tour after almost four months out with a back injury. She then proceeded to break the German again to take the first set 6-2. The second set initially followed a similar pattern with Azarenka breaking in the first game courtesy of a stunning double-handed backhand down the line before being broken straight back. World number 12 Petkovic looked set to give her opponent a tougher time but badly twisted her ankle as she tried to hit a forehand at 4-4 with the indoor crowd instantly falling deadly quiet.

"It's such a tough situation and the ankle right away blew up," said Azarenka in a courtside interview. "I hope she recovers soon because she is a great player.

Andrea is one if the players who is tough mentally, she is a great fighter," she said.

German Mona Barthel kept up her spectacular form this year with a 6-3 6-1 demolition of world number seven Marion Bartoli to book her spot in the last eight and notch her first career victory over a top-10 player. "It was one of the best matches of my life," said Barthel, who won her maiden WTA title in Hobart in January. "I was immediately able to put her serve under pressure. It's great to have won my first match against a Top 10 player. It's something special." World number five Sam Stosur avenged last year's semi-final defeat by Julia Goerges, beating the German defending champion 6-2 2-6 6-3 to set up a quarter-final against world number two Maria Sharapova.

German Kerber also caused a major upset, dismantling former world number one Wozniacki 61 6-2 to set up a mouthwatering clash with Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.

China’s Li Na crashes out of Stuttgart quarters STUTTGART AFP

Azarenka sorry as Petkovic suffers serious injury STuTTGArT: World number one Victoria Azarenka said she was sorry to reach the quarter-finals of Stuttgart's WTA tournament on Thursday as Germany's Andrea Petkovic exited with a serious injury. Azarenka took the first set 6-2, but with the scores tied at four-all in the second, Petkovic shouted in pain after twisting her right ankle and was in great distress as she was helped off in their second-round tie. "What a terrible thing to have happened, I feel so very sorry for her," said Azarenka, who helped Petkovic off court. "She is a great player and I hope she will recover soon." Petkovic only made her return to tennis in Germany's Fed Cup defeat to Australia last weekend after three months out with a back injury. She also tore her ACL knee ligament in 2008. "My ankle swelled up as soon as I twisted as it. We are checking the ligaments for damage. I am icing it tonight and then tomorrow I will a couple of scans," said Petkovic. "I was looking for my rhythm at the beginning of the match and just as I was beginning to find it I suffered the injury. It is definitely unlucky, but I will be back again." In Friday's last eight, Azarenka will now play wildcard Mona Barthel, ranked 35th in the world, who earlier claimed her second scalp of the claycourt tournament when she knocked out seventh seed Marion Bartoli. "That was one of my best matches," beamed Barthel. "There is a natural extra motivation when the stadium is full and the crowd is behind you, but I am keeping my feet on the ground." The 21-year-old German, who hit 11 aces to out-muscle ex-world number one Ana Ivanovic on Wednesday in straight sets, needed just 71 minutes to beat France's Bartoli 6-3, 6-1 as she hit a further seven aces. "My opponent had nothing to lose, that makes a first time head-to-head difficult," said Bartoli of Barthel, who is among a batch of promising German female tennis players and won the Hobart WTA tournament in January. "Mona played a lot tougher than I thought. I watched her playing Ana and had noticed that she has a hard serve and strong strokes. "But I was still surprised about how fast she could play, I virtually had no chance to defend, especially on this slippery surface, at times it left like I was playing on ice." US Open winner Samantha Stosur of Australia will face world number two Maria Sharapova in her quarter-final after beating defending champion Julia Goerges. AFP

French Open winner Li Na of China was the first quarter-final casualty of Stuttgart's WTA clay-court tournament on Friday following her three-sets defeat to Agnieszka Radwanska. Li, the 2011 winner at Roland Garros, was beaten 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 by Polish fourth-seed Radwanska, who will play either world number one Victoria Azarenka or wildcard Mona Barthel who meet later Friday. After dominating the first set, Li struggled to cope as Radwanska raised her game with a series of drop shots and strong returns in the second before carrying her improved form into the third. With Roland Garros to start on May 27, Radwanska said she is enjoying finding her feet on clay-court as she bids to win her first Grand Slam title having claimed nine wins on the WTA tour.

Women National Cycling from 1st LAHORE STAFF RePoRT

The 10th Women National Cycling Championship will paddle of from May 1 to 3 at Lahore. The Pakistan Cycling Federation is organizing the event to be participated by teams from Sindh, Baluchistan, KPK, Punjab Province, whereas the Services and Departmental teams from Army, Wapda, Railway, Sui Southern Gas Company and one foreign Women cycling team are taking part. The teams will reach Lahore on 29th May 2012.The road events will be held on Ist May at 8.00 A.M and at 4.00 P.M. in the evening at Kasur near the Ganda Singhwala Border where the road tract is very smooth and safe for the riders. According to the Schedule on 2nd May in the morning the Road event will be held at the same place.

The District Coordination Officer Kasur will be the Chief Guest of the Opening Ceremony and give start to the race. The track events will be held at Velodrome Lahore on 2nd May at 4.00 P.M. and the final track events will be held on 3rd May 2012. The Closing Ceremony will be held at velodrome on 3.5.2012 at 4.00 P.M.

murray falls to raonic in barcelona BARCELONA ReuTeRS

Fast-rising Canadian Milos Raonic showed off his clay court credentials again on Friday with a 6-4 7-6 defeat of world number four Andy Murray in the last eight of the Barcelona Open. Raonic, who beat Spain's Nicolas Almagro on Thursday, slammed down 14 aces on his way to victory and a semi-final against either Dave Ferrer or Feliciano Lopez. Chasing a third title of the year, the 21-year-old took the initiative in the first set, attacking at every opportunity, and held off a Murray fight back at the end of the second set to record one of the best wins of his career.

Murray managed just one break of the mighty Raonic serve, when the Canadian led 5-4 in the second set only to wobble badly when serving for victory. The tiebreak raced away from the Briton though as Raonic forged 6-1 ahead. Murray saved two match points but struck a lame shot into the net as Raonic closed it out. Later on Friday top seed Rafa Nadal plays his quarter-final against Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic.

BELOW-PAr NADAL MAKES BArCELONA QuArTErS: Rafa Nadal was less than his dominant best on the clay at the Barcelona Open on Thursday but was

still good enough to secure a 6-2 6-3 win over Colombian wildcard Robert Farah and set up a quarter-final clash against Janko Tipsarevic. "The truth is that there are few easy matches on the tour," world number two Nadal, chasing a seventh Conde de

Godo trophy in eight years, said in an interview with Spanish television. "even though at the beginning I pulled away very quickly the second set was significantly more difficult," added the 25-year-old Mallorca native. "He serves fast and very well and

StUttGrAt: Andy Murray waves to his fans after winning his tennis match against Santiago Giraldo at the Barcelona open. REUTERS

obviously that makes it tough but I am in the quarter-finals with positive feelings and let's see what happens tomorrow, which will be more difficult." Nadal, fresh from winning a record eighth successive Monte Carlo Masters crown, was joined in the last eight

by second seed Andy Murray after the Briton thumped Farah's unseeded compatriot Santiago Giraldo 6-1 6-2. Murray has a poor record at the event in the Catalan capital and has failed to get past the second round in his three previous appearances.

StUttGrAt: Spain's rafael Nadal hits a return to Colombia's robert farah during their Barcelona open. REUTERS

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Pakistan urges US to respect parliament’s decisions

Major reshuffle in army

ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani on Friday appointed Major General Asim Bajwa as the new Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) along with some other important appointments. Major General Athar Abbas, the former ISPR DG is due to retire in June, 2012 and would be replaced by Major General Asim Bajwa. Bajwa was commissioned on March 16 1984 in the Punjab Regiment. He has commanded 34 Punjab Regiment and has been the commander of 111 Brigade. He has been chief of staff of a corps, instructor at Command and Staff Course, brigade major of Infantry Brigade and platoon commander at Pakistan Military Academy (PMA). He is a graduate of Command and Staff College Quetta, NDU Islamabad and Staff College Camberly (UK).

Presently, he is commanding an infantry division a DI Khan. Moreover, Major General Mazhar Jameel of Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) has been appointed Vice Chief of General Staff while Armoured Division’s Major General Sadiq Ali has been appointed Commandant of Pakistan Military Academy. FC IG Major General Nadir Zeb has been appointed Human Resource Development (HRD) DG, while Major General Asif Khattak has been appointed at Log Area Gujranwala from ISI Quetta. Similarly, General Officer Command SSGC Major General Farukh Bashir has been appointed Defense Security Guards (DSG) DG, while Major General Hidayatullah has been appointed to GOC 14 Division. STAff REPoRT

hijack threat forces PIA plane to land KArACHI: An airliner was forced to land shortly after taking off from Karachi on Friday after a passenger made a hijack threat, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) officials said. The domestic flight carrying more than 50 passengers and five crew members had left Karachi for Bahawalpur, a spokesman for the national flagcarrier said. “Soon after the plane took off a passenger on board warned the staff that he could hijack the plane,” Sultan Hasan said.

“The captain was informed of the situation, who returned the plane back after getting the nod from the control tower.” The passenger was detained and handed over to security personnel for questioning, PIA said, and the plane was searched and found safe. A PIA statement said passenger Javed Ansari was offloaded and escorted by ASF. Further investigations in the matter are underway. All passengers as well as crew members and aircraft were safe, the spokesman added. STAff REPoRT

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AKISTAN on Friday asked the United States to fully appreciate and follow the democratic course that the Pakistani government had adopted on new terms of engagements with Washington as indicated by the Parliament and help it in reaching the closure on Salala episode.

In separate meetings held with Ambassador Marc Grossman, US Special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani asked the US delegates to work for bridging the trust-deficit between the two states as this held the key to Pakistan’s re-joining the counter-terrorism cooperation with the US/NATO forces.

In his meeting with Marc Grossman held at the Presidency, Zardari said after Pakistan had followed the democratic course for re-engagement

with the United States to be based on transparency, mutual interest and respect, it was now the US’ turn to fully appreciate the democratic course and to help Pakistan in reaching closure on Salala by helping the Pakistani government follow the path as indicated by the parliament.

Ambassador Grossman was accompanied by US Ambassador Cameron Munter, Assistant Secretary for Asia & Pacific Security Affairs Dr Peter Lavoy and other officials. The Pakistani side included Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, Finance Minister Dr Hafeez Sheikh, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Secretary General Salman Farooqui, Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani, Ambassador to US Sherry Rehman, Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani, ISI DG Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam and spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar.

Babar later told reporters that the president emphasized on the need for evolving a mechanism for counterter-

rorism cooperation between the two countries. He said bridging the trustdeficit held the key to Pakistan re-joining the counter-terrorism cooperation.

Pakistan and the US, the president said, shared many important areas where there was convergence of mutual interests. He said the most notable among those were the goals of stability and peace in Afghanistan and the complete defeat of al Qaeda. The president said Pakistan had always maintained that drone attacks were highly counter productive in the war against militants as they inflamed public sentiments due to innocent civilian casualties.

He said both sides should consider setting up a framework of mechanism to find a mutually acceptable alternative.

Zardari said Pakistan wanted to reengage with the US at all levels in the light of the parliamentary review and was committed to providing assistance to the international presence in Afghanistan. However, the international community should share the financial

Petroleum Ministry decides to suspend gas supply to IPPs ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources has decided to suspend gas supply to independent power producers (IPPs) in the country following non-disbursement of arrears of Rs 21 billion. Federal minister Dr Asim Hussain said following the severe energy crises in the country the ministry was providing gas to power companies to maintain a smooth supply of electricity adding that gas to the fertilisers has been stopped. He said IPPs had to pay Rs 21 billion and after several warnings to IPPs no development had been seen from their side. He said due to non disbursement of funds gas companies and the ministry faced difficulties therefore “we don’t have any other option left but to suspend the gas supply to these plants”. He said the government was committed to taking steps to meet the energy requirements of the country and in this regard negotiations with Iran over an IP project were in progress. He said negotiations on the ministerial level were underway and Iran had also assured Islamabad of providing crude oil with credit line $50 billion. Hussain said decision to suspend the gas supply to the IPPs has decided following the critical situation in the country. He said that companies needs funds to spend on their own infrastructure and other different projects as ministry has not additional money to support the gas companies in the country. In this regard, IPP’s Advisory Council Chairman Abdullah Yousaf told online that the decision of suspension of gas to the IPPs was unjust and unfair. He said the government had not cleared liabilities of billion of rupees to IPPs and “now we have given deadline to the government to clear the arrears”. Abdullah Yousaf said if the government stopped the gas supply to the four plants of IPPs then these plants would be shifted on diesel and government would have to pay 137 billion additional amount. If government afford it then it should continue, Abdullah added. Yousaf said that during the second energy conference Prime minister has assured smooth supply of 207 mmbtu gas to the IPPs in the county and now if such steps were taken then situation would be more critical. oNLINE

Published by Arif Nizami for Nawa Media Corporation (Pvt) Ltd at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore.

Editor: Arif Nizami, Executive Editor: Sarmad Bashir

and economic cost of services and goods involved in the process.

He said with the Defence Committee of the Cabinet’s proceedings underway, “we have already initiated inter-agency consultation process and broad parameters have been developed for an agreement on ISAF/NATO supplies through Pakistan”. The president also emphasized upon the early resolution of the issue of reimbursement of CSF arrears.

He said the CSF reimbursements were a sticking point in the relationship which needed to be addressed urgently.

Zardari said Pakistan needed more attention in areas of energy generation, infrastructure development, water management and social and human development. The president also invited the US delegation attention towards Pakistan’s need for more market access for its products in the US market through preferential trade tariff. continued on Page 04