E paper 16th march (lhr)

CMYK

Taliban negotiator says terrorists looking for permanent ceasefire STORY ON PAGE 03

18 tribesmen abducted from Peshawar outskirts STORY ON PAGE 03

Sunday, 16 March, 2014 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 14, 1435 Rs 25.00 Vol IV No 257 104 Pages Lahore Edition

Shakil Afridi gets 10 years relief in sentence STORY ON PAGE 03

In last address, KarzaI fumes at PaKIstan, us Afghan president says no need for US troops to stay back in Afghanistan STORY ON PAGE 03

Peace needs time and toil: Aziz STORY ON PAGE 03

NO STRINGS ATTACHED TO $1.5B AID, CLAIMS DAR STATE BANK KEEPS KEY DISCOUNT RATE UNCHANGED AT 10PC STORIES ON PAGE 09

HISTORY WILL REPEAT ITSELF IN THARPARKAR, EXPERTS WARN STORY ON PAGE 05

Disappearance of Malaysian jet STORY ON PAGE 04 appears ‘deliberate’: PM

02 NEWS

Sunday, 16 March, 2014

‘Toothless’ committee raises eyebrows LAHORE

T

NADEEM SYED

He government has further reduced the profile of committee mandated to conduct talks with Taliban leadership in coming days, raising eyebrows as to its utility and effectiveness in achieving objectives.

A former federal secretary said that the configuration of the committee suggested that talks would be confined to FATA alone where the government is ready to undertake reforms and give more concessions. Besides, it seems to be an attempt to seek an administrative solution to the ever-elusive problem at the hands of the government by picking an all-bureaucratic committee instead of going for political negotiations. All of the body members hail from FATA and have served in the tribal areas in the past. “All the members are well-versed with local traditions and system and so they can show us the way forward,” another bureaucrat said.

“When Taliban leader Naik Muhammad was killed and truce between the government and Taliban reversed, a local political agent came out with a statement that the government should keep in mind the local traditions and society if it needs a permanent solution. I think the government is now heeding that advice,” he observed.

Another official said since the bureaucrats are more “expendable stuff” so the government opts for them while keeping the political figures out of the mess. You never know what transpires in the meeting taking place in NWA with the Taliban. However, the political figures are not sure if the government could achieve its objectives with a committee of such a low profile lacking all the right people.

“It could have been better had the government picked the defence or interior secretary in lieu of likes

of Fawad Ahnad Fawad, a grade 19 officer only with rank of additional secretary.” “Such low-profile figures raise the questions of credibility. In jirgas, the members give a lot of weightage to the high profile figures whom they need to think twice before offending them,” said PPP leader Manzoor Wattoo.

He also said the PPP was opposed to the inclusion of bureaucrats in the negotiations because it is the government’s responsibility to reach an agreement with the bureaucrats implementing its decisions.

Afghan council says it hasn’t met Taliban released in Pakistan KABUL AGENCIES Afghanistan’s High Peace Council, set up to oversee peace talks with the Taliban, has had no formal meetings with any of the 46 Taliban prisoners released in neighbouring Pakistan, an official said, despite pleas to be present when they are freed.

Pakistan began releasing small batches of Afghan Taliban prisoners in 2012 at the request of Kabul which wants to use the men as interlocutors to pursue peace talks with the insurgents, who are ramping up attacks as Nato troops withdraw and the country prepares for April 5 elections.

The Afghans wanted a delegation present at each release. But they complained that Pakistan does not tell them before prisoners are freed, raising question about Pakistan’s sincerity in wanting to help bring an end to the war. “We want all prisoners to be given into Afghan custody,” said a high-ranking member of the council.

“Members of the High Peace Council should have a chance to see them and talk

to them and say look, we have been asking for your release, now you have been released, it would be better for us to cooperate to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan.” Instead, Pakistan only informs the Afghans after the men are released, he said, speaking anonymously to avoid jeopardizing ongoing talks.

The council had managed to establish informal contact through intermediaries with around 15 of the 46 freed prisoners, he said, but had had no direct meetings. Almost all were in Pakistan. The council had no idea where the other prisoners were, he said, but thought they were also in Pakistan.

The Pakistani Foreign Office spokeswoman said Islamabad had set up at least one meeting but that other freed prisoners might be unwilling to meet the Afghans.

“Some people are not ready for that,” said spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam. “Our position remains that we have released these people at the request of Afghanistan and the High Peace Council. We have facilitated their meeting. We will continue to do that... doubting Pakistan’s sincerity is not helpful.”

US Congressman wants Pakistan aid halted WASHINGTON ONLINE

US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher has called on the US government to stop Pakistan’s aid as “Islamabad is not a US ally” anymore.

In his address at the US House of Representatives, the congressman said that Pakistan’s aid should immediately be stopped as the US

funds were being used against Washington or its friends in Afghanistan. Reacting to Secretary of State John Kerry’s appeal for financial aid for Islamabad, Rohrabacher dubbed Pakistan’s war against militants as bogus and a ploy to receive US dollars. He was quoted by the US media as saying that “the behaviour of Pakistan’s military establishment was not friendly with regard to the US interests”.

Before the committee was being headed by an advisor with the status of federal minister, but it has now no person of his status, he added. The four-member committee includes: Ports and Shipping Secretary Habibullah Khattak, former envoy Rustam Shah Mohmand, FATA Additional Secretary Arbab Arif and PM’s Additional Secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad. However despite adverse reaction from the PPP and other political parties, PTI Chairman Imran Khan gave a clean chit to the government’s efforts in this regard.

CII member says giving women right to divorce a step in right direction CII MEMBER SAYS COUNCIL HAS YET TO FORMULATE RECOMMENDATIONS ON CHILD MARRIAGE LAHORE NADEEM SYED

The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has recommended the government to give right of divorce to women. experts say if adopted by the government, it will be a big step towards women’s empowerment.

Allama Yousuf Awan, a member of the council, told Pakistan Today that the council had recommended the right of divorce to women and the couple can agree to the terms at the time of the marriage or after the marriage.

“Once right is agreed upon mutually and granted by the husband it cannot be revoked or withdrawn by the husband,” he clarified.

The legislation as recommended by the council will address the discriminatory overtones of the existing law and if passed would promote the soft image of the country as a Muslim state.

“It is different than khula because in khula wife has to knock the door of the court to seek it on the basis of grounds specified. In case of right to divorce wife would be free to end marriage without as-

CMYK

signing any reason,” Awan said.

To a question on controversy generated over child marriage, he said that the deliberations on the question of child marriage were still undergoing and the council had not formulated its recommendations so far.

“The council will further discuss the issue in its coming meeting and then see if it is in position to formulate something definite on this account. As such the picture painted in the TV and debate triggered by it is misleading.”

The council is an advisory body that provides the governments opinion when-ever sought in connection with sensitive issues especially with religious overtones.”

The council holds deliberation and gives advice in the light of Quran and Sunnah as to what is permissible or could be done.

“It is wrong to presume that the council has any decision-making capacity. All we do is interpret whatever is being sent to us by the government for judgement in the light of Quran and Sunnah. It is the government that has to take final decision,” Awan concluded.

Pakistan urges intensified push to end Syrian conflict UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called for exit of all foreign forces from Syria, cessation of all hostilities, and ending supply of weapons to all sides as it urged intensified diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in the Arab country.

“The Syrian crisis should not be despatched to a back-burner; it should not be treated as a fixture of peace and security politics or a chronic conflict, Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Masood Khan said, according to diplomatic sources. He made the statement as the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi briefed on Syria. “We agree with the shared determination of the secretary general and Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi that Syria constitutes the biggest peace and security and humanitarian crisis facing the world,” Ambassador Khan said.

The permanent representative noted that talks could not succeed if fierce military operations continued in parallel. “Drivers of conflict have to be removed to create conditions for lasting peace in Syria. The evil pernicious trajectory of terrorism should not be underestimated. All foreign forces and elements must withdraw from Syria.

“Finally, we call for cessation of all hostilities, ending supply of weapons to all sides, and expansion of humanitarian access”. He remarked that the assessment of the situation by the secretary general and the joint envoy is sobering. APP

No one can intimidate judges: CJP LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani said on Saturday that the judiciary of the country was not under any fear and all the decisions were being taken on merit.

Speaking at a meeting regarding security of courts here at the Supreme Court Lahore Registry, the CJP said the government should take steps to ensure security of the courts. He said the lawyers and the litigants should also be provided security along with the judges.

The chief justice said no one can intimidate the judges, adding that provision of justice was the responsibility of the courts. He said the judiciary will continue to provide inexpensive justice to the people without any fear or favour.

Meanwhile, addressing the newly recruited civil judges at the Punjab Judicial Academy, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed of the SC said a vibrant and effective judiciary is must for a modern democratic dispensation.

He said the judiciary acted like a balancing wheel in the system of the country and every member associated with judicial hierarchy of the country had to play its role in strengthening the system.

He advised the new entrants in the profession of justice to try their best to improve the system with their honest and fair judgements purely delivered as per law of the land. “People are vigilant and any minor lapse on your part cannot remain hidden from the eyes of litigant public. An error by a judicial officer keeps haunting him throughout his career and he cannot absolve himself of that very charge.

Therefore, you are required to dispense justice with utmost care and caution”, the judge advised the pre-service training course participants,” he said. INP

Sunday, 16 March, 2014

NEWS

Taliban negotiator says terrorists looking for permanent ceasefire PROF IBRAHIM SAYS ‘IT’S COMBINED WISH OF TALIBAN SHURA AND TALKS COMMITTEE TO MAKE CEASEFIRE PERMANENT’ ISLAMABAD ONLINE

Terrorist outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) wants a permanent ceasefire that would end their decade-long conflict with the government, a TTP negotiating team member said on Saturday, as Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan appreciated the efforts of the Taliban negotiators in facilitating the talks with the militants.

Professor Ibrahim Khan met the TTP leadership in North Waziristan on Thursday and Friday to discuss the issue of direct talks between the TTP shura and the government. “This is the combined wish of the Taliban shura (consultative body), and the negotiating committee to convert the one-month ceasefire into a permanent ceasefire,” Ibrahim said.

A one-month existing ceasefire was announced on March 1,

UNCONFIRMED MEDIA REPORTS SAY AL QAEDA AND JUNDULLAH HAVE ALSO DECIDED TO STOP ACTIVITIES IN PAKISTAN FOR SOME TIME following a 15-day deadlock in peace talks after two attacks on security forces in February, to which the army responded with airstrikes on terrorist hideouts.

“There is a lack of trust between the two sides,” said Ibrahim.

“We [the negotiating team] are trying to convert the temporary ceasefire into a permanent ceasefire, as Taliban too want that.”

He said the TTP negotiating committee would meet the newly-formed government

committee in coming days to discuss direct talks. Ibrahim said the talks are likely to take place in South Waziristan because a rival militant commander, Hafiz Gul Bahadur had objected to the negotiations being held in North Waziristan.

“They do not want the negotiations to be held in North Waziristan as they fear if the talks fail, they too will have to bear the brunt [of military action],” said Ibrahim.

AL QAEDA, JUNDULLAH ANNOUNCE CEASEFIRE: Meanwhile, according to unconfirmed media reports, terrorists of Al Qaeda and Jundullah have also agreed on a ceasefire for a limited time period. A Jundullah commander, who had claimed responsibility for an attack on a Peshawar cinema last month, has announced that al Qaeda and Jundullah have suspended terrorist attacks in Pakistan for some time.

According to media reports, Marwat said that the decision was made in a joint meeting of the two groups in Afghanistan, which was also attended by al Qaeda leader Ahmed Yahya Ghaden.

In last address, Karzai fumes at Pakistan, US AFGHAN PRESIDENT SAYS NO NEED FOR US TROOPS TO STAY BACK IN AFGHANISTAN KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday criticised Pakistan and US for not doing enough towards the Afghan peace process, alleging that Pakistan was keen to creating a submissive political system in his country. Karzai signalled his defiance of the United States in his final address before the country’s parliament, claiming US troops are not needed in Afghanistan as his military is ready to take over entirely.

Karzai said that both Islamabad and Washington can effectively help the Afghan peace process; however the Taliban group leaders are having safe lives in Pakistan. He also criticised the assassinations of the Taliban leaders who were willing to discuss peace with the Afghan government.

Karzai said the people of Pakistan are suffering from the same terrorism which has been created and supported by certain elements inside the government of Pakistan. He suggested that either the terrorism safe havens should be eliminated or those who are supporting terrorism should no more receive funds in a bid to effectively fight the terrorism.

Karzai accused that Pakistan is keen to create a stooge political system in Afghanistan since the invasion of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, however he said this ambition of Pakistan will never turn into reality as Afghanistan has never surrendered to world powers. He said the Afghan military is ready to handle security missions without the help of the United States and reiterated his opposition to a deal that would allow a residual American force to remain in the country. Karzai also reiterated that he would not sign a security agreement with the United States that would allow American soldiers to stay in Afghanistan to help train and mentor Afghan troops and hunt down al-Qaeda. “I want to say to all those foreign countries who maybe out of habit or because they want to interfere, that they should not interfere,” said Karzai. Karzai has been president of his embattled country since December 2001, and last won a presidential election in 2009. He has increasingly been at odds with the United States, opposing US military operations against the Taliban even as it ramped up attacks and civilian killings in recent months. His refusal to sign a security agreement with the United States may be futile, however, as all 10 candidates seeking the presidency in April 5 elections have said they will sign the agreement. AGENCIES

03

18 tribesmen abducted from Peshawar outskirts PESHAWAR: At least 18 tribesmen were kidnapped by armed gunmen from Badhber area on the outskirts of Peshawar, the capital of restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The incident took place on Saturday at 2am. Official sources said that about 60 to 70 armed gunmen raided Faqeer Kalley in Mashokhel area of Badbher, one kilometre away from the main city, and kidnapped 18 people from the village. The local people and the police said the kidnapped people belonged to the Shinwari tribe of Afridis. Badhber police have registered a case against three commanders of the banned religious outfit Lashkar-e-Islam for kidnapping of eleven tribesmen. Commanders Khalid, Sherkhel and Izzat have been nominated in the FIR. One of the kidnapped persons has managed to escape from the kidnappers and has reached back home who phoned the police that the Khyber Agency-based Lashkar-e-Islam kidnapped the tribesmen.

Peshawar lies on the edge of Pakistan’s tribal areas which have been labelled by Washington as the main sanctuary for al Qaeda and Taliban militants in the country.

The city has seen frequent attacks by militants in the past few years, with targets ranging from civilians to policemen and other law enforcement personnel.

Separately, the political administration of Khyber Agency has also suspended the polio vaccination drive scheduled to begin on March 17 due to the law and order situation. STAFF REPORT

Shakil Afridi gets 10 years relief in sentence

GUJRANWALA: Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif reviews guard of honour by a contingent of the Armoured Division at Gujranwala Garrison. INP

General Sharif asks his men to be prepared for potential challenges GUJRANWALA STAFF REPORT

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on Saturday told the army’s armoured division that they should remain prepared to face any potential challenge.

According to a press release issued by the Inter Service Public Relations, Gen Sharif met with the officers of the Armoured Division known as ‘men of steel’ on

Saturday at Gujranwala Garrison on Saturday.

“While we pay rich tributes to all our shaheeds and Ghazi brothers, we have to remain prepared to face potential challenges,” the release read.

During his visit, the COAS commended the army’s “high standard of training and professionalism” and stressed upon the fact that they need to be prepared at all times to face potential challenges.

Highlighting the pivotal role of the armoured division in defence of the country that has earned the corps a number of gallantry awards and accolades in past wars, Gen Sharif said they were the spearhead of military’s punch.

Upon his arrival, the general was received by Commander Mangla Corps Lieutenant General Tariq Khan and Commander Gujranwala Corps Lieutenant General Salim Nawaz.

PESHAWAR: Commissioner of Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) Captain (r) Munir Azam on Saturday reduced Dr Shakil Afridi’s conviction by 10 years and also reduced the fine by Rs 1 million. Earlier, Afridi’s lawyers had appealed to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) tribunal for removal of the sentence which was then submitted to the Commissioner FCR for review. The Commissioner FCR, who is the Commissioner of Peshawar Division, upheld the old judgment but removed one Clause 123 A and reviewed the jail term and the fine. On the occasion, the defendant’s counsel Samiullah Afridi said the decision was unexpected and that they would appeal against it in the Fata tribunal. Dr Shakil’s lawyer added that they had not demanded a review of the verdict but that they wanted a fresh trial in the case. Afridi had allegedly helped the CIA by running a fake vaccination campaign in Abbottabad a month before the US forces raid on a compound that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison and fined Rs 320,000 on charges of colluding with Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and its chief Mangal Bagh in 2012. However, the tribal court had not entertained evidence relating to Dr Shakil Afridi’s involvement with the CIA, citing lack of jurisdiction. His sentence was overturned last year in August and a retrial was ordered. STAFF REPORT

Peace needs time and toil: Aziz ADVISER TO PM SAYS PAKISTAN IS CHARTING NEW FUTURE OF NON-INTERFERENCE WITH NEIGHBOURS LONDON ONLINE

Admitting that peace in the short run is unlikely, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Saturday said that going on a full-scale military offensive against terrorists needs will to accept the consequences of blowback “no just in the tribal areas,” but across the country.

In an interview with CNN, Aziz said, “The normal policy of talk, talk, fight, fight, is something which has been tried in the past, and has worked well.”

“There are elements in Taliban who know that there is no longer the situation of the nineties when they could all run Afghanistan,” he said. “So these pressures could persuade them to come to the negotiating table.”

The critical step will be for the Afghan government, which will be led by a new president in a matter of months, to offer some kind of power sharing to the Taliban, something “more than they can get in the battle field.”

“If you ask my objective assessment, I don’t see major reconciliation and I don’t see a very large

scale civil war, but the middle alternative of the status quo continuing” – a simmering insurgency.

Going on a full-scale offensive in Pakistan, he said, requires being willing to accept the consequences of blowback “no just in the Tribal Areas,” but in the rest of the country.

“So you need a large political consensus that you have tried all options and now this is the way to do it. I think we have achieved now that large consensus, in the past few months.”

That does not necessarily mean that Pakistan is on the verge of a full-scale offensive, but it does mean that the government “will be able to distinguish those who want to talk versus those who don’t want to engage in dialogue.”

There may not be peace in the

short run, he admitted.

“They have a lot of capacity to create mayhem in many cities, but that is…a price that we’ll have to pay to restore peace.”

Pakistan is charting a new future of non-interference with its neighbours, Aziz said.

“Our policy – Pakistan’s policy – is non-interference and no favourite,” Aziz told Amanpour in London.

“Afghan has been a theatre of great power rivalries, great power games for a long time,” he said.

“One of the apprehensions of the Afghan government and President Karzai was the Taliban have a better chance because Pakistan is supporting them, and we have convinced him that is not in our security interest.”

Pakistan’s relations with the

CMYK

United States, a country that provides large financial support, have been strained over the past couple of years – over the incursion into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden, over an allegation that an American CIA agent shot and killed two armed men in Lahore, and over America’s use of drone strikes in Pakistan.

“The damage, the negative fallout of drone attacks far exceeds any advantage you may get in getting a high-value target,” Aziz said. “Our basic point to President Obama when Prime Minister [Nawaz Sharif] met him was that it is becoming counter-productive.”

The attacks have dramatically tapered off, he said, but admitted that the US “will not formally say that we are ending drone strikes”.

America has, he told Aman-

pour, bought Pakistan’s, and the international community’s argument that the drone strikes are the wrong policy.

Pakistan of course has much longer-term tension with India, its eastern neighbour and rival. In this area of foreign policy, too, Aziz said that Pakistan is putting high importance on peace with India.

“If your economy is weak you can’t achieve anything else – not unemployment can be solved, [politics] can’t be solved, your sovereignty can’t be protected and your position gets much weaker. And that requires, apart from energy crisis and so on and so forth, peaceful neighborhood.”

“That is why the policy of having peace with Afghanistan and peace with India are a critical priority.”

04 NEWS

Sunday, 16 March, 2014

WEST PREPARES SANCTIONS AS RUSSIA DISAPPEARANCE OF MALAYSIAN JET APPEARS PRESSES ON WITH CRIMEA TAKEOVER 'DELIBERATE': PM SEVASTOPOL AGENCIES

KUALA LAMPUR AGENCIES

A l AY S I A N Prime Minister on Saturday said communications systems of the missing jet were switched off and its course was deliberately changed by someone on board but stopped short of saying it had been hijacked.

Final satellite communication with the Boeing 777 flying from Kuala lumpur to Beijing came more than six-and-a-half hours after it vanished from civilian radar at 1:30am on March 8, Prime Minister Najib Razak told a nationally televised press conference.

The movement of the plane in the interim period, during which it changed direction and passed back over the Malaysian peninsula towards the Indian Ocean, was "consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane," Najib said.

"Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked, I wish to be very clear: we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original flight path," he added.

Najib said his announcement was based on new information from satellite contact with the plane and military

M

PAKISTAN DISMISSES REPORTS OF MALAYSIAN JET IN ITS TERRITORY ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's top aviation official on Saturday dismissed Western media reports that missing Malaysian airliner might be hidden somewhere in the country. “It’s wrong, the plane never came towards Pakistan,” Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Aviation Shujaat Azeem told a media outfit. His attention was drawn on the reports which said the disappeared plane was spotted near Pakistan in Indian Ocean. “Pakistan's civil aviation radars never spotted this jet,” he said. Azeem said the plane disappeared far away from Pakistan air space and was not visible on its radars, “so how it could be hidden somewhere in Pakistan.” AGENCIES

radar data. The combined data suggested "with a high degree of certainty" that the plane’s two automated communications systems -- Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) and its transponder -- were "switched off" one after the other before it reached the point over the South China Sea where it dropped out of civilian radar contact.

It then turned back and flew in a westerly direction back over peninsular Malaysia before turning northwest. The last confirmed communication between the plane and satellite was at 8:11 am, Najib said, adding that investigators were calculating how far the aircraft may have flown afterwards.

So far, experts had located the last point of communication as being inside one of two large geographical corridors: a northern corridor stretching from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, and a southern corridor stretching from Indonesia to the southern Indian ocean.

"This new satellite information has a significant impact on the nature and scope of the search operation," the prime minister said. "We are ending our operations in the South China Sea and reassessing the redeployment of our assets. We are working with the relevant countries to request all information relevant to the search, including radar data," he added.

Dozens of Russians linked to Russia's gradual takeover of Crimea could face U.S. and EU travel bans and asset freezes on Monday, after six hours of crisis talks between Washington and Moscow ended with both sides still far apart.

Moscow shipped more troops and armour into Crimea on Friday and repeated its threat to invade other parts of Ukraine in response to violence in Donetsk on Thursday night despite Western demands to pull back.

EU diplomats will choose

Iran 'thwarts sabotage at nuclear reactor' TEHRAN: A senior Iranian official says authorities detected a sabotage attempt at the country's only heavy water reactor but neutralised it before any damage was done. Asghar Zarean, a senior official in charge of nuclear security at the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, said that Iran's intelligence agencies were instrumental in uncovering the plot, according to a report from the Far semi-official news agency quoted by the Associated Press. The report did not provide further details about the kind of sabotage detected. The facility referred to is Arak, Iran's only heavy water reactor, which is still not fully operational. AGENCIES

CMYK

from a long list of 120-130 possible Russian targets for sanctions on Sunday, as proMoscow authorities who have taken power in Crimea hold a vote to join Russia in the worst East-West confrontation since the Cold War. Several diplomats dismissed a German newspaper report that said the list would include the heads of Russia's two biggest companies, energy giants Gazprom and Rosneft.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Russia would be guilty of a backdoor annexation of Crimea if its parliament ratified the Crimea referendum, which is taking

place after an armed takeover of Crimea and gives voters no chance to say "no".

He has warned Moscow that U.S. and EU sanctions could be imposed as soon as Monday, although U.S. officials said after Kerry's marathon meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei lavrov in london on Friday the door was still open for more talks. lavrov played down his own ministry's threats, saying Moscow had no plans to invade Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine, where pro-Moscow groups have occupied some government buildings.

But he said Russia would

respect the referendum result.

Preliminary partial results are expected late on Sunday, with final results on Tuesday. Russian troops seized the Black Sea peninsula two weeks ago as a pro-Moscow regional government took power there.

The new regional authorities intend to secede from Ukraine and join Russia in a vote described in the West as illegal.

Putin declared on March 1 that Russia had the right to invade its neighbour, a week after its ally Yanukovich fled the Ukrainian capital following three months of demonstrations that ended with about 100 people killed in the final days.

US re-indicts Indian diplomat on visa fraud NEW YORK AGENCIES

A New York grand jury re-indicted an Indian diplomat accused of mistreating her housekeeper on two counts of visa fraud and making false statements, threatening to reignite a bitter row with New Delhi.

The announcement from the Manhattan federal prosecutor came two days after a US judge threw out a previous case on the grounds that the former consular official was granted full diplomatic immunity after her arrest. But the new, 21-page indictment paints a devastating picture of the lengths to which Devyani Khobragade allegedly went to infringe US laws in hiring a nanny-cum-housekeeper when she moved to New York in 2012.

Khobragade was arrested on December 12 outside her children's school and later strip-searched, enraging the Indian government and some of the Indian public. The diplomatic row between the two countries, which had embraced each other as strategic partners, strained ties and fanned resentment on both sides.

US prosecutors, disputing her immunity, accuse Khobragade of forcing her Indian maid to work 100 hours or more a week, even when sick and without a full day off, for $1.42 or less an hour. The indictment accuses Khobragade of presenting false information to obtain a visa for her housekeeper and coaching her to lie to US Embassy officials.

It says the Indian diplomat drew up a fake contract that conformed with US labor

law but made her employee sign another contract the night they boarded a flight to New York in November 2012.

The second contract stipulated a salary of $573 a month or $6,876 a year without overtime and the legal protections she was owed in the United States. The housekeeper worked from 6:30 am to as late as 9:30 pm or even midnight Monday to Saturday, the indictment says, and four hours on Sunday.

It also accuses the diplomat of trying to silence and intimidate the housekeeper, who fled in June 2013 after she protested her conditions. The diplomat's lawyer Daniel Arshack refused to comment on the re-opening of the case. "The government of India will respond in due course," he said in a statement to a foreign news agency.

Sunday, 16 March, 2014

NEWS

History will repeat itself in tHarparkar, experts warn TRDP OFFICIAL SAYS REGION HAS LONG BEEN IGNORED BY KARACHI BECAUSE IT IS NOT CONSIDERED AN IMPORTANT CONSTITUENCY POLITICALLY MITHI AGENCIES

S the death toll from the latest outbreak of poverty-driven diseases in Thar desert nears 100 children, experts are warning that corruption and a dysfunctional political system make a repeat of the disaster almost inevitable.

The desert region in Tharparkar, one of Pakistan's poorest districts, spreads over nearly 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 square miles) in the country's southeast and is home to some 1.3 million people, including a large population of minority Hindus.

Between March 2013 and February this year, rainfall was 30 percent below usual, according to government data, with the worst-hit towns of Diplo, Chacro and Islamkot barely touched by a drop of water for months.

Asif Ikram, the second most senior administration official in the district, said on

A

Thursday that the death toll from diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis since December 1 had risen to 161 people, including 97 children. Life in the desert is closely tied to rain-dependent crops and animals, with farmers relying on beans, wheat, and sesame seeds for survival, bartering surplus in exchange for livestock.

The drought is not the only reason for the recent deaths -- observers say they have come about as a result of endemic poverty, exacerbated by the drought and an outbreak of disease killing livestock.

Authorities have been busy dispensing food aid and sending medics to attend to the sick following visits by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who leads the Pakistan People's Party which rules the province.

But observers say the relief work fails to address the root causes of such disasters and warn they are likely to be repeated.

A drought in the desert in 2000 killed 90 percent of the livestock.

POLITICALLY INVISIBLE: Zafar Junejo, chief executive of Thardeep Rural Development Programme (TRDP), says the region has long been ignored by Karachi, the provincial capital, because it is not considered an important constituency politically.

According to the last census, Hindus make up 40 percent of the district's population, unlike most of Pakistan which is overwhelmingly Muslim, and Junejo said

THARPARKAR: Drought-affected Thari people wait for food ration at a relief camp on Saturday. INP

the authorities have little concern for the suffering of minority communities.

"We are fortunately or unfortunately a mixed Hindu and Muslim population," he said. "Fortunate because we are living in peace and harmony unlike the rest of the country where radicalisation is in vogue.

"But also unfortunate because being Hindu and being secular we do not fit in the official ideological definition of the country," he added. Javed Jabbar, founder of Banh Beli non-government organisation which works in the area, added: "When you have Karachi with 18 million people, Tharparkar is relatively less important from a political radar point of view."

Jabbar, a former federal information minister, added that the district has fallen victim to "a failure to enforce accountability due to considerations of partisanship" that has afflicted the province for

years. He cited the case of five doctors in the province who were able to keep their jobs despite being absent from their posts for years, because of connections to political patrons.

DROUGHT MANAGABLE: Residents and activists say the effects of drought can be mitigated by global lessons in dry regions, such as the conservation of rainwater. "Rainwater harvesting should be made mandatory all over the country and especially in this part," said Abid Channa, a local social activist, complaining of the district's lack of reservoirs despite decades of disasters. Jairam Das, a 49-year livestock farmer who lost 10 sheep and two goats to the recent outbreak of animal disease, said he and other villagers were envious of Indian villages just a few kilometres (miles) away across the border.

"In the bordering town of India there is

AJK RESIDENTS TURN TO WATER TO SOLVE POWER CRISIS NEELUM VALLEY AGENCIES

As Pakistan grapples with a crippling energy crisis, people in one corner of Azad Jammu and Kashmir have taken matters into their own hands, using small-scale turbines to generate electricity from streams and rivers.

Pakistan is plagued by power cuts, lasting up to 22 hours a day in the blistering summer in parts of the country, blighting ordinary people's lives and hampering the economy.

Government moves to tackle the problem have so far yielded little success and have largely focused on moving from expensive imported oil to cheaper coal.

But in Kashmir's upper Neelum Valley -- part of the disputed Himalayan territory known to locals as “Heaven on Earth” for its unspoilt beauty -- hundreds of families have chosen a more environmentally friendly option, setting up small-scale hydro projects to produce electricity for a

few hours a day.

“The turbine was paid for with contributions from 50 families and cost us Rs 300,000 in total,” said Rahimullah, 35, who operates a turbine machine. Some were moved by necessity -- less than half of the Neelum Valley's 200,000 inhabitants have access to electricity from the grid.

Small turbines are driven by the flow of water to work generators to produce power, and the 200-kilometre Neelum river that forms the picturesque valley, as well as its tributaries, give the area great potential for hydroelectric generation.

Shafiq Usmani, the deputy director of the Hydro Electric Board of Neelum Valley, says up to 3,000 MW could be generated, while the area's demand is only 15 to 20 MW. The growth in hydropower has an important knock-on effect -- with an electricity supply, there is less reason for residents to cut down trees for cooking and heating.

05

greenery all around as their government has spread a network of irrigation and piped drinking water," Das said. "We have a similar climate but the lack of water is a major hurdle," Das said. On the Indian side of the border, the 400-kilometre Indira Gandhi canal through the Thar desert in the state of Rajasthan is a lifeline for isolated communities and farmers who use the water for irrigation for crops and drinking water when needed.

Jabbar, the ex-minister, added more planning was needed ahead of droughts.

"When you see signs in a particular year, you move supplies of fodder and nutritional supplements in advance of the drought not after it," he said.

One positive he noted was the extensive television coverage the disaster had received, thanks to the growth of Pakistan's media, and the pressure it had applied on government to no longer ignore the area.

GHAZI MURDER CASE: MUSHARRAF TOLD TO APPEAR IN COURT ON APRIL 5

SMALL TURBINES ARE DRIVEN BY THE FLOW OF WATER TO WORK GENERATORS TO PRODUCE POWER, AND THE 200KILOMETRE NEELUM RIVER THAT FORMS THE PICTURESQUE VALLEY, AS WELL AS ITS TRIBUTARIES, GIVE THE AREA GREAT POTENTIAL FOR HYDROELECTRIC GENERATION “All the beauty of the Neelum Valley is dependent on those forests and streams, and this can only be sustained if we give them clean energy,” Usmani said.

One local, Mushtaq Ahmad, said the move to electricity had made a huge difference to his family's health.

“When we had no electricity for lighting there was always smoke in our house, as we used wood for heating and cooking

which causes different kind of diseases,” he said. “Since we installed this small hydro project for the past three years, thanks be to God, we have got rid of these diseases and also got some other benefits.”

He also called on the government to expand hydro projects in the region so that more people could enjoy their benefits.

SHORTFALL SOLUTION: Pakistan faces an electricity shortfall of around 4,000 megawatts in the summer, leading to lengthy blackouts, that have strangled economic growth.

To combat the crisis, Pakistan has sought Chinese help in building power generation projects across the country, including coal, nuclear and hydro.

Chinese engineers are also busy in the construction of a Neelum Jhelum hydropower project in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, estimated to be complete in November 2016, which will generate 969 MW of electricity. Chaudhry Latif Akbar, the territory's finance and hydroelectric power minister, said the long-term plan was to export power to the rest of Pakistan on a large scale. “The total identified hydro energy potential in Kashmir is approximately 8200 MW and we are currently producing 1130 MW,” he said.

“The total need is approximately 400 MW. We will try to use our resources to produce electricity to help out Pakistan to overcome its ongoing energy crisis.”

Hydropower has also been a source of friction between the India and Pakistan, with India objecting in the past to major dam projects on the Pakistan side.

ISLAMABAD: The Additional and Sessions Court on Saturday granted one day exemption to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf from appearance before the court in Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi and his mother’s murder case and ordered to produce him before the court on April 5. Additional and Sessions Judge Wajid Ali Khan was hearing the case. Haroon Rashid Ghazi’s lawyers Tariq Malik and Malik Abdul Haq appeared in the court, while Akhtar Shah appeared on behalf of Pervez Musharraf.

During the hearing, Musharraf’s lawyer requested the court to give one-day exemption to his client for appearance in the court due to ongoing strike of lawyers’ against the recent terrorist attack on Islamabad district courts. On this, the court adjourned the hearing until April 5 and ordered to produce Musharraf before the court. INP

06

Sunday, 16 March, 2014

NEWS

(REAL ESTATE ANALYSIS 2013)

PROPERTY MARKET REMAINED BULLISH IN 2013 LAHORE

erage rental yield of 4.26%.Residential plots (of 1 kanal) in LDA Avenue also registered 8.87% hike in prices during the same year.

STAFF REPORT

AKISTAN property sector celebrated quite a happening 2013 in terms of sale, purchase activity as well as prices. Not only did the house prices register huge jumps during the year but plot prices also showed a bullish trend across three of Pakistan’s major cities i.e. Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad.

Although the market remained considerably warm throughout the year but nothing could quite beat the activity that was noticed after Eid-ul-Fitr.

Overseas Pakistanis, who visited home for Eid, further boosted the activity in the market. Several posh areas in Lahore, including DHA, were especially targeted by the overseas investors. The peaceful transfer of power to the newly elected government rejuvenated various industries of the country. Real estate was one beneficiary of the newly found political stability of Pakistan which ultimately boosted investors’ confidence. As a direct result of this, a lot of genuine demand was created in the market, which pushed the property prices up.

Karachi, which was the recipient of a number of high profile projects, performed exceptionally well where, as per Zameen.com’s stats for 2013, 1 kanal (500 sq yard) houses registered an increase of 71.85% in their sale prices.

PROPERTY PRICES IN LAHORE STEADILY CLIMBED WITH DHA IN THE FOREFRONT 2013 brought along noticeable growth for the Lahore real estate sector.

DHA, which is one of the most popular and promising communities in the city, continued to command investors’ attention due to high return on investment and the security offered by DHA’s management. According to MunirAhmed of Nazir Estate, "With a simple and transparent buying process, it's easy to see why investors prefer DHA over all other communities in Lahore.”

Because of reasons like these, DHA remained the recipient of a major chunk of foreign investments that flew into the country in 2013, generating a frenzy amongst buyers. Driven by high demand, 1 kanal plots in the locality saw an average price hike of 33.62% in 2013. During the first 9 months, average prices of 1 kanal homes rose by 20.29% whereas the average rental yield for the houses of the same size remained 4.30%.

P

2013 BROUGHT GROWTH FOR ISLAMABAD PROPERTY MARKET Islamabad had a slow start to the year. Ali Akbar of Arsalan Ali Associates believes the market only picked up during the later months. Saqib Chaudhry from Prime Estate seems to agree with this viewpoint.

CDA, amongst many other local developers, announced a couple of new sectors in 2013, which initially had trouble attracting investors. F11, E11 and G11 remained a few of the authority's more popular sectors during the year where plot prices also registered impressive hikes. Zameen.com’s data shows a hike of 46.06%, 32.55 and 45.56% in sale price of 1 kanal plot in F11, E11 and G11 respectively in 2013.

These rises may appear impressive on their own but they seem puny when compared to the hikes Bahria Town Islamabad registered in 2013.

The average spike for 1 kanal plots in the locality during the said year was a whopping 117.20% where prices jumped from Rs 6,516,269 in January to a mindblowing Rs 14,153,252 at the end of the year. For the houses of the same size in the locality, the rise was only 20.66%.

While people generally showed a clear preference for DHA Lahore, Bahria Town Lahore still managed to register increases throughout the year with a few negligible falls here and there. Although the average sale price of 1 kanal plot increased reasonably in Bahria Town Lahore during 2013 yet their prices, as per Zameen.com's stats of Dec 2013,remained 28.93% cheaper than1 kanal plots in DHA, which means that DHA Lahore enjoys an upper hand in terms of investments.

For 1kanal houses in Bahria Town, prices jumped from Rs 19,950,000 from the start of the year to Rs 24,416,667 at the end of 2013 with an av-

BULLISH TREND IN KARACHI Karachi property sector, despite the on-going law & order situation, performed rather well in 2013. The last quarter in Karachi was particularly happening and that’s when prices truly picked up.

For 500 sq yard (or 1 kanal) plots in DHA Karachi, prices rose by 23.09% within twelve months. DHA Karachi is widely considered to be a trouble free area which is why it consistently performed well with a 20.34% rise in its (500 sq yard) house prices during the said year.

What's interesting to note in Karachi was Gulshan-e-Iqbal which put up good numbers on the board in terms of price hikes. The low supply of 500 sq yard plots in the area pushed their prices up by 39.49% which is particularly impressive since Gulshan-e-Iqbal is generally not considered as 'hot' as DHA in terms of investment. This uppish trend was mirrored in the performance of Gulistan-e-Jauhar as well where plot prices of the same size gained 17.33% rise.

Bahria Town, which announced an array of projects towards the end of the year in Karachi, was received well. While some investors had reservations about their entire membership forms and registration process, there were many who plunged into the market and made good profits in such a short period of time. Bahria Town’s success in Karachi remained the highlight of the year for the local property market.

2014 LIKELY TO BE A GOOD YEAR FOR THE MARKET Many estate agents and experts are of the opinion that 2014 would likely be another positive year for the property market. According to Abdul Majeed of Defence 4 U, this upward trend is expected to continue into 2014 where he expects the market to truly pick up after March 2014.

What is for certain is that DHA Lahore will continue to be the apple of the eye of Lahoris and the new developments of DHA Lahore will see increasing convergence of investors as the city expands in future.

Rebels, religious hardliners form dangerous alliance in Balochistan QUETTA AGENCIES

One is a band of separatists fighting for independence from Pakistan. The other is a feared group of Islamists bent on killing Shia Muslims whom they see as infidels.

The two could not be more different in their goals and tactics. But in Pakistan's volatile, resource-rich province of Balochistan, separatists have teamed up with radical Sunni Muslims in their fight against the Pakistani government.

The unlikely but dangerous alliance poses a new, unexpected challenge for Pakistan, already plagued by a growing Taliban insurgency on its western Afghan border.

"There is definitely coordination," said Baloch Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti. "Both militant groups share the common goal of fighting against the state."

The separatist rebels are considered less hardline compared with other groups, focusing on their political goal of independence. They do not use religion as a rallying cry but accuse the government of stealing the province's gas and mineral wealth to the benefit of richer, more powerful provinces. They also accuse security forces of widespread rights abuses and cracking down on any forms of dissent.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), on the other hand, is a hardline group that specialises in attacks against minority Shias. It believes Shias deserve to die and should be exterminated. "The two militant groups have been sharing tactical coordination in carrying out major attacks," a senior security official in Balochistan said, requesting anonymity.

He said the LeJ had been spotted re-

SECURITY OFFICIAL SAYS LEJ SPOTTED RECRUITING FIGHTERS AMONG ETHNIC BALOCH cruiting fighters among ethnic Baloch. It operates bases in the same area as the separatist rebels, an arrangement which has helped turn them into natural allies.

Baloch separatists have also adopted LeJ tactic of deploying small children to infiltrate difficult targets and place bombs.

In a recent example of a coordinated attack, a bomb struck a security car on January 10, creating a diversion for a subsequent blast in a Shi'ite enclave which killed more than 100 people.

"It's not a formal pact or alliance, but tactical cooperation," the security official said. "They help each other to coordinate attacks and extend logistical support, for instance by providing cars to carry out explosions." Baloch pro-independence activists have dismissed any link to the LeJ as state propaganda designed to tarnish

their image. "No such evidence has ever been provided," said Malik Siraj Akbar, an activist and journalist who now lives in Washington.

LITTLE KNOWN CONFLICT: In Islamabad, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wants to strike a peace deal with the Pakistani Taliban to end years of fighting in the ethnic Pashtun belt on its northwest frontier with Afghanistan.

But peace negotiations broke down last month, raising speculation that Sharif might opt for all-out military action against Taliban hideouts in the lawless North Waziristan region.

In Balochistan, to the south of the Pakistani Taliban hot spots, sectarian and separatist violence remains largely unknown to the outside world.

A thinly populated land of deserts and

mountains, Balochistan borders Afghanistan and Iran and is virtually sealed off to foreigners. Getting reliable information is difficult and few officials speak on the record to reporters.

Rebels believe the rest of Pakistan treats them like a colony. They have fought for their own independent secular homeland for decades. In response, security forces have waged a lengthy counterinsurgency to try to quash them.

The last few months have seen a particularly sharp rise in coordinated attacks, causing hundreds of casualties among civilians and security forces, officials said.

"Both are feeding on poverty and extremism rampant in Balochistan," another security official said. "They may be divergent ideology-wise … but both are pitched against security forces."

THOUSANDS DEFY CURFEW IN INDIANHELD KASHMIR SRINAGAR: Thousands of mourners in Indian occupied Kashmir defied a curfew Saturday and buried a Kashmiri teenage boy who was shot dead by government forces, police and witnesses said. Indian armed police and paramilitary soldiers patrolled the area after imposing an indefinite curfew to prevent violence, but did not stop the funeral procession for Farhat Ahmed Dar, 18.

The mourners chanted slogans "Down with India!" and "We want freedom" in Naidkhai, a village nearly 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Srinagar, the main city of the Indian portion of Kashmir. Police officer Abdul Ghani Mir said Dar was killed and two others wounded when government forces fired at anti-India protesters who threatened to attack their armoured vehicle in Naidkhai on Friday. A strike hit most parts of the Indian portion of Kashmir on Saturday with shops and businesses closed to protest the latest killing.

Shailendra Kumar, a top state official, said an inquiry has been ordered.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, a disputed Himalayan region claimed by both India and Pakistan.

The two neighbouring countries have fought two wars over the control of Kashmir since they won independence from Britain in 1947.

Since 1989, rebel groups have been fighting against Indian rule. About 68,000 people have been killed in the conflict. The rebels have largely been suppressed by Indian troops in recent years, and resistance against Indian rule is now principally expressed through street protests. AGENCIES

WEATHER UPDATES

SUNDAY

Sunday, 16 March, 2014

PRAyER TImINgS FAJR

SUNRISE ZUHR

ASR

MAGHRIB ISHA

4:51

6:11

3:37

6:11

12:12

7:33

AN ABLUTION FOR SEMINARIES 48 foreign students arrested from seminaries in Punjab LAHORE: The police rounded up 48 foreign students from registered and unregistered seminaries during a search operation Saturday in various cities and towns of Punjab province. The operation was planned after “suspicious activity” was noted in a few madrassas, said official sources. More than 10 madrassas were raided and several foreigners were taken into custody, a police source said, revealing that a majority of the seminaries were unregistered. Raids were carried out various cities and towns of Punjab including it capital Lahore, Faisalabad, Chakwala and Dera Ghazi Khan. As many as 25 foreigners were arrested from Lahore alone, source said.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah has confirmed raids and arrest of foreigner students allegedly involved in “unwanted” and terror activities in the country. Visas of most of suspected students were expired while some of them did not possess any passport as they had entered in the country illegally.

These students belong to Arab countries, Afghanistan, Middle East and Central Asia, sources said. The arrested students were shifted to undisclosed location for investigations, sources said adding that embassies of concerned countries would be consulted regarding their citizens.

The operation comes at a time when there have been two terrorist attacks being carried out across the country.

There are around 24,000 registered madrassas in Pakistan. There are countless more unregistered seminaries.

It was also recently reported that 90 percent of foreigners studying in religious seminaries across the Punjab had expired visas. STAFF REPORT

280C 160C

MONDAY

290C 140C

TUESDAY

250C 120C

WEDNESDAY

250C 120C

LAHORE 07

ThaT is noT permanenT enough for nurses

As government announces three-year extension in contracts of ad-hoc nurses, nurses continue sit-in, say it’s not enough Nurses’ representative says they do not trust government, demand nothing less than regularisation LAHORE

n

LAHORE: Nurses continue their protest in favour of their demands and against brutal use of force by the Punjab Police against them on Friday. INP

STAFF REPORT

URSeS’ prayers were partially answered Saturday when the government offered them a three-year extension in their service contracts, however, till the filing of this report, they denied ending the protest at Charring Cross in the city, demanding an “absolutely permanent” place in the Health Department.

The announcement came as their violence-marred protest entered its sixth day. Nurses have been protesting against the Health Department for firing those who had been working on ad-hoc basis and for the regularisation of their services.

As per the government’s announcement made by Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister on Health Khwaja Salman Rafique, the nurses will be required to pass the Public Service Commission (PSC) exams at the end of the three-year contract to become eligible for a permanent post. Rafique had proposed that in the event that the nurses under this contract fail to pass PCS exam, their contract will stand dissolved at the end of the three years.

However, after observing that the nurses were not buying the deal, the government representative assured the nurses that they will be given a permanent place upon the termination of their threeyear contract.

‘FALSE HOPES’: To government’s disappointment, nurses denied relying on the hope of a permanent place after three years and termed the proposition a “false hope”.

Unfettered despite Friday’s police baton-charge and unmoved by the government’s ‘positive’ gesture, nurses refused to give up until the ‘complete’ acceptance of their demands and

continued their peaceful sit-in throughout the day.

Responding to the government’s move, a representative of nurses, while talking to the journalists, said that they did not trust the government for regularising them after the termination of three-year contract.

“We are not asking for land cruisers or plots; all we want is our rights and the government is powerful enough to grant them. They had earlier promised regularisation to Ganga Ram nurses as well but did not grant them. We will not buy their proposal and continue our protest till the government regularises us,” she said.

STANDING UNITED: On the other hand, nurses of the government hospitals in different cities of Punjab on Saturday morning also stopped working in support of the ad-hoc nurses’ sit-in.

Sources said that the Rawalpindi Allied Hospital and Holy Family Hospital emergency nurses observing protest strike stayed away from their duties causing immense problem for the patients.

Nurses in Multan have also been protesting for the last five days, while the attendants of the patients in Children Complex are being irked by strike.

Moreover, Faisalabad’s civil and allied hospitals and Institute of Cardiology’s OPDs are also closed on account of a strike.

Vehari and Bhakkar nurses also staged protest, while the nurses of Bhawalnagar District Headquarter Hospital and Bhawalpur Victoria Hospital staged sit-in outside the hospitals. Besides, Rahimyar Khan Sheikh Zaid Hospital nurses are also observing a strike.

In the city on Friday, a group of nurses staged a sit-in in front of the office of the nursing director general. They later rallied to The Mall to sit-in in front of the Punjab Assembly, where a session was in progress. On seeing them advance towards The Mall, where protests are banned under Section 144, women police were called to stop them. Some nurses scuffled with the policewomen when they were stopped near Charring Cross.

Police baton charged the nurses to disperse them. The baton charge continued for over 10 minutes.

Resultantly, two nurses were injured.

One of them was later identified as Amina, reported to be seven-month pregnant. They were taken to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, where Amina was said to be in critical condition.

SHARIFS WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR DAMSELS IN DISTRESS Nawaz, Shahbaz take notice of torture on nurses, Muzaffargarh gang-rape case CM announces Rs 0.5m for family of Muzaffargarh rape victim, suspends DPO, reprimands RPO, orders arrests of DSP Asghar, investigating officer, SHO LAHORE/MUZAFFARGARH STAFF REPORT

MUZAFFARGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif expresses concerns with the family of gang rape victim in the city. INP

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday discussed the issues of torture on nurses and Muzaffargarh gang-rape case.

The prime minister in a meeting with the CM at Raiwind said that the government was doing its best to provide basic facilities to masses.

He directed the CM to take steps for provision of relief to the people.

Talking about torture on nurses and Muzaffargarh gang-rape case, the PM directed for provision of justice to the victims and asked to take strict action against the persons involved in these condemnable incidents.

Separately, the chief minister announced Rs 0.5 million for the family of the rape victim who set herself on fire in Muzaffargarh. He visited the family of the victim in Muzaffargarh and assured them that those responsible for the tragedy will be held accountable.

He also said that he will do everything he can to give her justice.

Shahbaz had taken notice of the incident earlier and had directed the authorities concerned to submit a report. While speaking to the media, Shahbaz said that the investigating officer Rana Zulfiqar had done great injustice and that the incident was “a slap on the face of humanity”.

Shahbaz suspended

Muzaffargarh District Police Officer (DPO) Usman Akram Gondal and reprimanded Regional Police Officer (RPO) Abdul Qadir Qayyum. He also ordered Punjab IG Khan Baig to arrest the culprits as soon as possible.

The chief minister also ordered that the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Chaudhry Asghar, the investigating officer and the SHO be arrested.

The girl had set herself on fire on March 13 in front of the Mir Hazar Khan Police Station after hearing that the suspects who had allegedly raped her were granted bail. With 70 percent of her body burnt, the girl succumbed to her injuries on March 14 in the hospital.

The father of the deceased, while speaking to the chief minister, claimed that the investigating officer took Rs 70,000 as bribe and had declared the suspected rapists innocent and released them on bail. The mother of the victim also threatened to set herself on fire if justice was not delivered.

According to intelligence sources, the officials were reprimanded on the fact that the culprits were not adequately taken to task inspire of a strong FIR against the accused. Sources further revealed that the police knew beforehand about the intentions of the girl that she was about to commit suicide but did not take any action.

08 LAHORE

Sunday, 16 March, 2014

pmL-n cannoT saTisfy eLahi LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League (PMLQ) senior leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has said that billions of rupees were spoiled on youth festival in poverty-hit country which is a matter of grave concern. Addressing at Minority Workers Convention at Muslim League House, Elahi said that minorities are enjoying complete rights in Pakistan and his party did revolutionary work for Christians, Hindus and Sikhs communities. The PMLQ government during its five year tenure met all demands of the minorities and gave them full protection during five years tenure, he added. He said, “We had protected the rights of the minorities according to Islamic principles and sayings of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and took ideal steps including dual vote right, educational stipends and special quotas for minorities children, return and upgrading of 45 educational institutions including FC College, allocation of special funds for construction and repairs of gurdwaras, churches and temples, establishment of Nankana Sahib model city, quota in jobs, distribution of agricultural land and residential plots in Clark Abad and other areas with proprietary rights, and also setting of Christian model villages for their betterment for the first time in 60 years.” STAFF REPORT LAHORE: Girls take interest in colourful flowers displayed in connection with Jashn-e-Baharan Festival at Bagh-e-Jinnah. ONLINE

Servicing consumers for wealthy producers LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Protection of rights of consumers is a must to boost business and trade activities in the country and the government is fully aware of its responsibilities in this regard, Punjab Minister for Industries, Commerce and Investment Muhammad Shafiq said while addressing a seminar on the occasion of International Consumer's Rights Day. Shafiq said the government had chalked out a new price control policy to protect rights of the consumers.

The government would leave no stone unturned in implementation of the policy, he added. The effective implementation of the policy could only be possible if consumers played their due role, he said. "We will take every possible measures to protect consumer rights but it is also the duty of every citizen to keep himself aware of his rights and obligations,” the minister said.

PM directs authorities to save what is left

DO YOU SEE DEVELOPMENT? WE DID IT! Ahsan Iqbal says government’s vibrant policies have increased foreign investment LAHORE STAFF REPORT

eDeRAL Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal said on Saturday said the viable and vibrant policies of government had not only increased foreign investment in the country, but also stabilised rupee against dollar.

Talking to the media after addressing the First International Conference on Rehabilitation Sciences, he said the friends of Pakistan had promised to invest $5 billion in five years, which, however, could not materialise because of the ill policies of past government.

"The PML-N government has established an investment fund and now a number of projects are being executed through foreign investment, while Friends of Pakistan are also investing here," he added.

To a question, Iqbal said the rupee

F

value was on an upward trend, but some people could not tolerate this and resorted to criticism.

The minister said Pakistan had been facing extremism for the last 14 years and Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif wanted a durable and amicable solution through dialogue. He said economic revival could prove to be instrumental in resolving all problems.

The government's business and investment-friendly policies were now showing tangible results, as foreign direct investment had increased in Pakistan. earlier, addressing the conference, the minister said there was a huge difference of health facilities being provided in developed and developing countries. The developing countries, he added, had yet to provide a lot to their citizens in the health sector, and no nation could advance without focusing on the people's health and education. He stressed the need for generalizing and expanding the fruit of researches carried

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday the Punjab government and the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) should work together for the development of provincial metropolis. Presiding over a meeting about restoration of Ravi and heritage sites at his Raiwind residence, he said the government's land should be utilised to earn revenue. The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to complete a feasibility of the Ravi Zone Development at the earliest. He said the heritage sites should be restored so that recreational facilities could be provided to the masses. LDA Chairman Ahad Cheema gave a briefing to the prime minister. Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Secretary Naveed Akram Cheema and other officials were also present.

LAHORE: Member of National Assembly Hamza Shahbaz visiting the stalls during a seminar on Muhammad Hussain Naeemi at Jamia Naeemia. ONLINE

CMYK

out in the field of rehabilitation sciences and remove bottlenecks in this vital area of science.

He observed that physiotherapy, sometimes, proved very helpful in curing complex diseases and stressed the need for promotion of physiotherapy science to bring the five million people, who were suffering from physical disabilities or mentally retarded, back to a normal life.

Iqbal also mentioned that young generation was being focused in the Vision 2025 to bridge the social and economic gap in the country. He said the government was committed to providing the nation all, what the previous government failed to ensure.

The minister, however, called for forging unity among all segments of the society to achieve the Vision-2025 goals, so as to bring Pakistan at a par with developed countries in Asia. He viewed the countries with a constant political stability had developed their economies speedily.

eLahi cannoT saTisfy pmL-n LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Law Rana Sanaullah Khan on Saturday said politics of Pervaiz Elahi was limited to mere statements. He expressed these views while commenting upon the statement of Elahi. He said Pervaiz Elahi set records of corruption and nepotism in the projects like "Parha Likha Punjab" during his tenure. Sanaullah said people had rejected those in the elections who looted the national wealth through so-called projects. He said quality and transparency of development projects started by the PML-N were appreciated at every level adding that Elahi was making futile efforts for remaining in politics through unjustified criticism and ignoring the welfare steps of the present government.

The minister said the international community was acknowledging the government efforts for polishing the talent of youth and improving the image of the country. STAFF REPORT

noT a phoenix, no desire To be eiTher GUJRAWALA: A man on Saturday committed suicide through self-immolation over a domestic dispute with his two wives in Iftikhar Colony area. According to police sources, the man often quarrelled with his two wives which made him furious due to which he took the extreme step of setting himself on fire. The police have started investigations. STAFF REPORT

BUSINESS 09

Sunday, 16 March, 2014

FPCCI demands steps to maintain strength of rupee Usman says govt should push exports up to earn foreign exchange ISLAMABAD: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Saturday demanded of the government to maintain strength of rupee which is a prerequisite for the economic revival.

The support by the friendly countries must be appreciated who lent $1.5 billion to help government shore up its foreign exchange reserves to meet obligations and undertake large energy and infrastructure projects, it said.

The assistance has contributed to a sharp and unexpected recovery of the rupee which is a great service on the part of our friends, said Zakria Usman, President FPCCI. Talking to the business community, he said that the appreciation of rupee has a great psychological and political significance but it economic importance will take some time as leading businessmen will try to predict the situation before taking critical decisions.

He said that continued stability in the exchange rate is crucial for the major investment decisions which will be based on investors’ confidence stemming out of experience.

Zakria Usman said that Pakistan is highly dependent on foreign inflows majority of which are based on political considerations that remain a threat to our forex reserves and exchange rate.

He said that strength of rupee depends on meaningful reforms, leading to strong fundamentals of the economy, tamed inflation, controlled fiscal and current account deficits, increased remittances, and enhanced foreign investment.

The FPCCI president said the government should push exports up which is the best source of foreign exchange, provision of jobs and industrial expansion. A humbled dollar has proved the ability of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar but sustaining it will be a tough test, he observed.

He called for reforming regressive tax structure, reduce borrowings and wasteful expanses, spend more on development so that economy can move with a rapid pace to make Pakistan a good place to live. INP

SBP keeps key discount rate unchanged at 10pc CENTRAL BANK SAYS LARGER THAN ANTICIPATED DECLINE IN CPI INFLATION HAS POSITIVELY INFLUENCED MARKET SENTIMENTS KARACHI

T

STAFF REPORT

He State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) kept its key discount rate unchanged at 10 percent on Saturday, a spokesman said, following a drop in consumer prices and a rally by the rupee currency.

The rupee has appreciated by more than 7 percent since the beginning of the month due to an increase in foreign investment and remittances from overseas Pakistanis as well as several foreign loans aimed at propping up the economy.

“The interest rate will stay unchanged at 10 percent for the next two months,” the spokesman said.

The Finance Ministry has also attributed the currency’s recovery to punitive

action against exporters withholding export receipts abroad and warnings to foreign exchange speculators. Almost all major economic indicators have moved in the desired direction over the past few months, said a press release by the SBP. According to the statement, inflation has come down and growth in Large Scale Manufacturing (LSM) has been strong. Similarly, the fiscal deficit has been contained during the first half of the fiscal year while the private sector credit has increased. Reflecting positive sentiments prevailing in the market, the fiscal authority has been able to borrow long term and the rupee has appreciated against the US dollar, it said. Above all, the foreign exchange reserves of SBP, a key source of concern for some time, have increased noticeably.

The SBP added that, despite positive developments in headline variables, the economy still faces many challenges and that proactive policy effort is required to continue to maintain the momentum.

“A substantial and consistent accumulation of reserves is required to reach and maintain an adequate level. Similarly, the net capital and financial flows, $428 million during July - January, FY14, are still considerably lower than the external current account deficit of $2055 million during the same period. A timely materialisation of anticipated foreign inflows during Q4-FY14 is likely to improve the overall external position in the coming months,” said the statement.

The central bank added that an appropriate monetary policy stance and concerted structural reforms were required to address the deeper weaknesses in the balance of payments position.

“Reliance on one-off inflows and foreign loans may provide short-term stability, but share of private financial flows need to increase consistently to achieve long term stability,” it warned.

No strings attached to $1.5b aid, claims Dar FINANCE MINISTER SAYS ‘FRIENDLY COUNTRIES’ GIFTED THE MONEY TO PAKISTAN FOR PUBLIC WELFARE PROJECTS ISLAMABAD INP

Dispelling rumours about conditions attached with receipt of $1.5 billion, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday said that the assistance has been extended by friendly countries unconditionally as a gift and their share in public welfare projects.

Talking to a group of reporters, the minister said that all the speculations about this huge

amount of foreign exchange should now come to an end. He said the whole world today recognises the economic policies of the prime minister and economic stability of the country. He said $1.5 billion received from the friendly countries have been deposited in development fund and foreign investors are showing their confidence in Pakistan. Dar said the gift by the friendly countries have expressed their desire that their

names should not be made public. He said Pakistan has repaid $2.70 billion to the IMF and pointed out that Pakistan entered into an agreement with the IMF to repay the old loan.

Dar once again expressed his optimism that the foreign exchange reserves would reach $10 billion by the end of March, 2014. He said revenue collection has witnessed an increase of 17.7 percent and the provinces would get Rs200 billion more as their share compared to last financial year. He said the economic indicators are positive, the GDP has witnessed increase and the exchange rate is strengthening.

“Similarly, there is a need to reduce trade deficit by improving efficiency and competitiveness of exports and to lower share of imported oil in meeting domestic energy needs.”

The central bank noted that there had been a larger than anticipated decline in CPI inflation, which had positively influenced market sentiments. It said that these trends, combined with exchange rate appreciation, had improved the inflation outlook with a higher likelihood of average inflation remaining within single digits for the fiscal year. The central bank noted that the declining inflation and rising confidence in the market had helped it in meeting the incremental borrowing needs. However, it stressed that timely materialisation of anticipated foreign inflows was a crucial factor.

“Not only will it help in the accumulation of foreign exchange reserves but also in keeping key monetary aggregates on a desired path. “Based on these considerations, the SBP’s Board of Directors has decided to keep the policy rate unchanged at 10.0 percent.”

PIA finds no bidder for obtaining aircraft on dry lease KARACHI: Bidders showed little interest in tenders floated

by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to obtain aircraft on dry lease as none of the five could meet the conditions prescribed by the national flag carrier when bids were opened the other day. The bids were opened in the presence of media personnel and PIA Chairman Mohammad Ali Gardezi and Managing Director Junaid Yunus at the PIA head office. PIA had floated the tenders for obtaining eight aircraft — four wide-bodied with 390-plus seating capacity and four smaller ones having 50-plus seating capacity — on a six-year dry lease. The delivery of the aircraft had to start from July, 2014. Five companies — Dubai Aerospace, Standard Chartered Bank, Bank of China, Aircraft Leasing Corporation and D.V. Bank — had submitted the bids. Some companies offered Boeing 777s while others ATRs. None of the bidders met the conditions as some were offering old aircraft — as old models as 1999 — while others were not able to deliver the aircraft within the prescribed time and offering to make the delivery in 2015 and 2016 or even later. AGENCIES

CORPORATE CORNER

Bank of Punjab earns Rs 3,001m profit after tax LAHORE: A meeting of the Board of Directors of The Bank of Punjab was held on March 14, 2014.

During the meeting, audited Financial Statements of the Bank for the year ended December 31, 2013 were approved by the Board.

During the year 2013, the Bank earned before tax profit of Rs. 3,001 million as against Rs.1,404 million for the year 2012 registering a phenomenal rise of 114%. The Net Interest Margin of the Bank stood at Rs. 4,019 million as against Rs. 2,143 million during last year thereby reflecting a growth of 88%. The Earning per share (EPS) for the year 2013 remained at Rs. 2.36. The Deposits of the Bank stood at the level of Rs. 307 billion as against Rs. 266 billion last year, thereby showing a rise of 15%. The advances and investments stood at Rs. 157 billion and Rs. 124 billion respectively. Bank’s Total Assets as on December 31, 2013 stood at Rs. 353 billion as against Rs. 332 billion as on December 31, 2012. During the year 2013, the Bank opened 28 new branches and now has a network of 334 online branches across the country.

Further, the Bank has also introduced Islamic Banking Operations during the year 2013. PRESS RELEASE

Dawlance celebrates International Women’s Day KARACHI PRESS RELEASE

Dawlance celebrated International Women’s Day by honoring its female employees for their contribution and zeal towards making Pakistan proud.

The celebration was graced by the honorable Managing Director- Dawlance, Mr. Bashir Dawood, who distributed certificates to all the Dawlance female employees as a sign of recognition and appreciation for their hard work.

Several activities were organized on this occa-

sion, including the distribution of certificates to all female employees working at Dawlance. Additionally, they were also given the opportunity to share their experiences about how Dawlance has facilitated them to pursue a successful career whilst maintaining their education and household responsibilities. The International Women’s Day is celebrated each year on the 8th of March to appreciate and respect all the women who are essence to the progress of the society as well as the economy. This is a special day when the amazing contributions made to ordinary lives by extraordinary women are recognized and celebrated.

LAHORE: Models pose for a photograph at the launch of Elan Lawn Summer Collection. STAFF PHOTO

OMD selected as Global Media Agency of the Year KARACHI: Adweek has named OMD as the Global Media Agency of the Year following a revenue growth of $225 million in 2013. “New business is fundamental to every marketing service organization,” says Mainardo de Nardis, Global CEO of the Omnicom Media Group. “But for us, it’s even more important to retain the clients we have, and to constantly expand the remit we have, the scope of work, and perhaps the number of markets in which we work together.” OMD last year launched Vision, which it describes as an “operating system” whose core is a global strategic approach supported by an online tool kit. PRESS RELEASE

10 LEISURE

Sunday, 16 March, 2014

HaGaR tHE HoRRIblE

aries

taurus

gemini

Someone needs you today. It could be a friend or family member, a colleague or even a hungry kid at the other end of town. Make the most of what you've got!

Your emotions are running away with you -- but make sure that they're not the only force acting on your life. It's a good time for you to see about new outlets for this kind of energy.

It's hard to cut through the chatter and get to the heart of what's most important. You may just want to give in and let the day take you where it wants to go, but there's more to life than that.

cancer

leo

virgo

Even if you're not quite finished with things, it's still a good time to clean up after yourself. Your energy is better spent on smaller tasks, though a big rush is on the way.

A money matter comes to the forefront, and it might cause more stress than it's worth.

You can find an easy answer if you just push things a little. Someone close has the secret.

Your energy is meant for other people -- so help out anyone you come across. It's a good time for you to rack up some karma and build up your cred among the people who matter the most to you.

libra

scorPio

sagittarius

You're feeling pretty strange today -- thanks in part to an odd voice pulling you in a new direction. You're not going crazy, though! It's just a new side of your conscience making itself known.

A good friend needs a favor -- and you've got the energy to do it right! It's a great day for racking up karma and getting yourself back on track. You know what needs to happen next!

This is not a good time to make haste -- your energy is better parceled out in small doses.

In fact, if you try to rush ahead, you'll almost certainly need to backtrack to correct mistakes.

dIlbERt

GaRFIEld

baldo

caPricorn

aQuarius

Pisces

The details are allimportant right now, and your great energy means that you've got them all sewn up. Someone in power is quite impressed by your presentation, which could mean a change for the better.

You need to reach out and connect with someone new today -though that may feel awkward at first. Things are actually going well for you, so it isn't that hard to push even harder.

This is not a good day for research or trying to figure out what's really going on -- if anything, you may find it harder than usual to understand basic information.

That passes quickly!

cRosswoRd

sUdokU

ACROSS

bRIdGE

How to play fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, column and each of the squares contains all the digits. the object is to insert the numbers in the boxes to satisfy only one condition: each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once.

allowance along argue baffle boast boggle cable catch coast crazy creed drag eagle effective fancy found garage ginger

grandiose growth heel humor learns legality lucre lurid muzzle schedule tail tract trail trial weary weird whale wits

Today’s soluTions

loUIE Has a casE

cHEss white tO PLAY AND MAte iN twO MOVeS 8

crossword solution

5 type of biscuit (9) 8 one of the brontë sisters (4) 9 no rating (anag) — clueless (8) 10 credit (anag) — steer (6) 11 high altitude cloud (6) 13 symbol (6) 15 week day (6) 16 made ready (8) 18 grasp securely (4) 19 gradual increase in loudness (9)

woRd sEaRcH

Down 7 6 5 4 3 2

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

chess solution

A

1.bg6! fxg6 [1...Qd5 2.bxf7] 2.Nxe6+ *

1

sudoku solution

1 nuclear power site in suffolk (8) 2 Portray (6) 3 of the distinct ways of living of a particular group of people (6) 4 finished (4) 6 hospital (9) 7 driven by compressed air (9) 12 turncoat (8) 14 lugubrious (6) 15 infuriate (6) 17 soldier who's dropped in? (abbr) (4)

Sunday, 16 March, 2014

ARTS

11

Kamal Lawn by Zara Shahjahan launched in Lahore LAHORE

C

stAFF rePort

OVETEd lifestyle and textile brand So Kamal launched their much anticipated collection for Spring/Summer 2014 in collaboration with fashion designer Zara Shahjahan: Kamal Lawn by Zara Shahjahan 2014through an exclusive exhibition and fashion presentation featuring coveted award winning model, Neha Ahmed, the face of Kamal Lawn by Zara Shahjahan this season. The collection is now available at over 5 So Kamal Flagship Stores in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Faisalabad and Multan.

The exhibition was attended by a diversity of personalities including Erum Ahmed, CEO So Kamal, CEO Kamal Limited Ahmed Kamal, the face of Kamal Lawn by Zara Shahjahan Neha Ahmed along with models Nadia Ali, Zara Peerzada, Nooray Bhatti and Garnier’s Celebrity Spokesperson JuggunKazim as the

official host of the evening, who were all sporting Kamal Lawn by Zara Shahjahan ensembles and fashion designers Maheen Kardar Ali of Karma and Zarmina.

Revealing exclusive collection information, this season Kamal Limited in collaboration with Zara Shahjahanintroduce a collection inspired by Sub Continental, specifically Indian, patterns and motifs. Available in 15 distinct designs, each in two-colour variations with a bright colour palette mixed with black and white, the collection offers a diversity of design options with fabric uniquely printed to allow for multiple stitching options through the print, complete with digitally printed borders. A customised design kit also accompanies each print with requisite borders, brooches, laces and embroideries for a complete look. Further, the collection also includes stitched lawn kurtas as tailored by So Kamal available in multiple sizes. The brand also introduces coveted award winning

model, Neha Ahmed as the face of Kamal Lawn by Zara Shahjahan this season.

On the launch of Kamal Lawn

by Zara Shahjahan, Erum Kamal, Chief Executive Officer, So Kamal, has said; “At So Kamal, our aim and vision is to provide accessible fashion that reflects style, comfort and individuality, which is what we aim to further this lawn season again. In this respect we are pleased to continue our partnership with designer Zara Shahjahan to present a collection for the upcoming Spring/Summer season, where high fashion meets top quality and mass retail.”

“We are very excited to launch Kamal Lawn by Zara Shahjahan 2014. We have worked hard to bring to 2014 a lawn collection that is a significant extension of what we showcased with much success in 2013 and we are confident that our consumers will appreciate our influences this year” said fashion designer Zara Shahjahan on her continued association with So Kamal.

Lahore: erum ahmed and Zara shahjahan with nadia, Juggun, neha, Zara and nooray.

Catching a yawn is linked to age, study shows

sex machines: Two robots perform a cheeky pole dance on the eve of the CeBIT Technology Trade Fair in Hanover, Germany. AFP

Websites of Putin critics blocked in Russia

Moscow has blocked access to four websites run by opponents and critics of President Vladimir Putin. The blog of opponent Alexei Navalny, two news sites and one run

by Garry Kasparov were blocked on the orders of Russia's prosecutor general's office.

In a statement, it said the blocks were imposed because of the sites' role in helping stage recent illegal protests. Critics said the blocks were just the latest in a series of moves by Russia's government to stifle dissent. The blocks come as Russia's central bank reported that hackers had targeted its main website. The site, and that of the Kremlin, were briefly unavailable with authorities saying "technical reasons" were making them hard to reach.

Control order Opposition leader Alexei Navalny is currently under house arrest for two months - a punishment imposed for violating the terms of a five-year suspended sentence given after he was tried on charges of embezzlement. The terms of his house arrest

demand that he does not receive visitors or use the net. Anna Veduta, a spokeswoman for Alexei Navalny, said in a tweet that the block was a "political decision taken as part of the cleansing of the media space".

The block also extends to the Russian news sites Ej.ru and grani.ru as well as the kasparov.ru website. Alexander Ryklin, editor of the Ej.ru website, said the imposition of the block was "monstrous" and a "direct violation of all the principles of freedom of speech". "These sites contain incitement to illegal activity and participation in public events held in violation of the established order," said a statement from Russia's state communications monitoring agency Roskomnadzor. The imposition of the blocks became possible on 1 February after a law drawn up in late 2013 to police sites involved in illegal protests took effect. It is not clear how successful the blocks will be as followers of Mr Navalny have widely published details of how to reach the sites and avoid official censorship. Courtesy BBC News

Tim Berners-Lee: The Web needs its freedom Today is a landmark anniversary for Tim Berners-Lee. In March 1989 he wrote a proposal to his employers at CERN for a somewhat abstract "global hypertext" system he called Mesh. A year later he re-named that system the World Wide Web. It caught on.

A quarter of a century later, Berners-Lee is like a proud father, seeing his baby all grown up and making its way in the world without him. "I feel a certain amount of inventor's pride," he tells CNN. "My greatest pride has been the spirit of collaboration we've had for the last 25 years." He's watched the Web grow through a carefree childhood and turbulent adolescence, reaching the kind of age when things suddenly get more serious, and it's time to make some important decisions about the future.

"At 25 it's more like a young adult," he explains. "Suddenly it needs its independence; young adults are at the stage when they're looking for freedom, and in terms of what they do they're asserting their rights. "Now, 25 years on, Web users are realizing they need human rights on the Web ... We need independence of the Web for democracy, we need independence of the Web to be able to support the press, we need independence of the Web in general. It's becoming very important to sort out all that."

Recent years have been marked by growing pains. Revelations of mass surveillance by the NSA and other agencies have caused international outrage. Arguments over net neutrality persist and copyright wars pitching open-net activists against mainstream creative industries have grown bitter, with Berners-Lee himself criticized at times. The stock and use of illicit material has grown with the dark net. Courtesy CNN

CMYK

People are less likely to yawn when others do as they get older, a study has found. Contagious yawning is linked more closely to a person's age than their ability to empathise, as previously thought, US-based scientists said. It also showed a stronger link to age than tiredness or energy levels. Researchers are now looking at whether the ability to catch yawns from other people is inherited, with the hope of helping treat mental health disorders. Autism and schizophrenia sufferers are reportedly less able to catch yawns, researchers said, so understanding the genes that might code for contagious yawning could illuminate new pathways for treatment. In the study, published in the journal Plos One, 328 participants were shown a threeminute video showing other people yawning. Each subject had to click a button every time they yawned.

LeveLs of tiredness Overall, 68% of the participants yawned. Of those, 82% of people aged under 25 yawned, compared with 60% of people aged between 25 and 49, and 41% of people aged over 50. Dr Elizabeth Cirulli, assistant professor of medicine at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, led the study. She said: "This is the first study to look at a whole bunch of factors. It is the largest study, in terms of the number of people

involved, to date." Dr Cirulli said she did not know why contagious yawning decreased with age. She added that although age was the most important predictor of contagious yawning, only 8% of the variation in whether or not a participant yawned was explained by their age. "The vast majority of variation in the contagious yawning response was just not explained," said Dr Cirulli. The study used questionnaires to test the participants' empathy, levels of tiredness and sleep patterns. Meanwhile, intelligence was assessed using cognitive tests. neuroLogicaL 'nitty-gritty' Robert R Provine, professor of psychology at the University of Maryland in Baltimore County, said the study was "unique" as it marked the first time a link between ageing and contagious yawning had been shown. He said the study would "help to get down to the neurological nitty-gritty of contagious behaviours" and mental health disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Prof Provine said the findings could also help to understand why laughing and coughing were so contagious.

He added: "Contagious acts such as yawning and laughing remind us that we are often mindless beasts of the herd, not rational beings in full conscious control of our behaviour." Courtesy BBC News

Limited sLip: In conjunction with a musical instrument trade show in Frankfurt, Germany, Gibson Guitars sponsored a spectacle inside one of the world’s oldest travelling motordromes. Constructed in 1928, the cylindrical structure features 39ft-high walls and a diameter of 53ft. Here, German performance artist Donald Ganslmeier drives a specially designed cigar-fuselage stunt car in the motordrome. He and other stunt drivers also piloted motorcycles around the ring. These structures, also known as silodromes, were fixtures at carnivals around the world in the early 20th century, but most have since been demolished.

12

Sunday, 16 March, 2014

ARTS

Actresses hAve little to do with success of films, sAys priyAnkA

Om Puri tO Play GENERAL KAYANI in malala BiOPic

Om Puri has revealed that he will be starring as General Kayani in an upcoming Malala Yousafzai biopic. Kayani, the chief of army staff, had played an important role in saving the Pakistani education activist's life. Om Puri said that it was very noble what Kayani did for Malala and he's excited to portray him in the film. Puri added that it is important to capture the essence of the person being portrayed and not imitate him or her. NEWS DESK

VEENA’S anti-india tweet gets sOcial media crazy FOr nO reasOn The newly-married Pakistani celebrity Veena Malik refuted the media reports of tweeting anti-India sentiments on Saturday. Earlier on Saturday, the social media reacted strongly to reports of Veena tweeting antiIndia sentiments on her twitter account @iVeenaMalik. The account first retweeted about a German student who was allegedly molested by rickshaw drivers in Lajpat Nagar, a suburb of South Delhi in India.

The retweet was followed by another tweet, ‘India sucks…..!!!’

The social media reacted strongly to the event while some termed it a publicity stunt. However, Veena denied that the tweets were made by her. Tweeting on her new account, @iVeenaKhan, the actress made it clear that the account from where the comment was tweeted was hacked, as reported by the media earlier on January 5.

Veena’s former Digital Manager Prashant Singh was alleged to have hacked the actress’s account and posted her personal pictures. The account may have been hacked but it sure got the lady under media’s attention once again. STAFF REPORT

s

UCCESSFUl actor Priyanka Chopra, who has been part of hits like Fashion, Barfi and Dostana, said an actress's fee may not be on par with her male counterpart, but she is hopeful that soon their remuneration will get better. Priyanka Chopra wooed everyone with her 2008 Desi Girl act in Dostana (2008). When asked why there is disparity when it comes to sharing profits with actresses despite their having a sizeable contribution in a film's success, Priyanka said on the sidelines of FICCI Frames 2014, "I don't think the contribution is as much. I think you have to give credit to the boys also. "The films make about Rs. 200 or Rs. 300 crore and it has a lot to do with the boys. We (actresses) haven't made that dent into the box office as females as the boys have, and I am very hopeful because we have the kind of audience which is ready to watch women-oriented films that it will happen. "Yes, there is a huge disparity in terms of remuneration, but there is also a big disparity in the kind of money that has been brought back by female actors so far. I am hoping we will soon be able to break that and may be remunerations will get better," says Priyanka Chopra. No One Killed Jessica, Kahaani, The Dirty Picture and Queen are some of the recent women-centric films that have done brisk business at the box office. The actor, who attended the 15th edition of FICCI Frames 2014, was in conversation with Nidhi Razdan on women-centric films being made in showbiz. AGENCIES

Bollywood is a difficult place:

Kangana Ranaut

This is not something that a leading female star in Bollywood will admit to easily, but Kangana Ranaut confesses that the film industry does make actors insecure. "It's natural to be insecure in an industry where hundreds of beautiful, young girls walk in every day. It's a difficult place," says Kangana.

The 26-year-old adds that it is, therefore, important to reinvent yourself. "I want to grow and learn as much as I can. I don't want to limit myself," says Kangana, who recently was enrolled in a

WILL BASHAR MOMIN LIVE UP TO THE HYPE? Pakistan’s highest budgeted drama serial ‘Bashar Momin’ aired on Geo TV on Friday night, but its ‘look-reveling’ ceremony was held at a Press Conference/ Bloggers meet-up at a local hotel in Karachi to promote it.

The drama serial directed by Syed Ali Raza Usama and written by Zanjabeel Asim Shah is gathering attention not because of its story but its extensive set locations, wide-ranging wardrobe budget and leading TV stars.

The cast of ‘Bashar Momin’ includes TV star Faisal Qureshi as the lead character ‘BM’ and lead actress, Canadian-Pakistani Ushna Shah as Rudaba who won Best Newcomer at the 4th Pakistan Media Awards, Sami Khan, Sundus Tariq, Yasir Mazhar.and Maheen Khalid Rizvi.

The successful launch was well-attended by an eclectic audience of media, bloggers, socialites and TV and fashion celebrities including Shaista Wahidi, Humayun Saeed, Memood Aslam , jew-

eller and vintage shawl designer Cheena Chhapra and renowned fashion designers. The highlight of the event was a realistic re-enactment of a scene from the TV serial in which leading actors performed dramatised altercation, which ended in huge appreciative applause from the audience of onlookers and hugs and laughs amongst the actors.

On Friday it’s first episode was aired, started with Rudaba dazzling the viewers a cream engagement day outfit. Meanwhile in the well-lit garden sleek-looking Yasir Mazher, playing the role of Rudaba’s brother, was found complaining about his father’s behavior towards him. In the second half of the drama we meet our title character Bashar played by Faisal Quraishi. Bashar’s sudden tonal changes made the drama intense.

The direction, cinematography and camera work was spot-on for the launch episode. The ability to connect with the audience as it highlights a number of real-life issues. NEWS DESK

CMYK

screenplay writing course in New York, USA, but gave it up midway to promote her new release.

"I don’t want to be known for just being a pretty little thing. I want to be remembered and loved even when I have grey hair," she says, explaining why she took up the course. And while achievements make her happy, failures don't affect her for long.

"Failure does affect you at that time. It's a weekend thing that you deal with. But in your mind you know where you are headed," she says. NEWS DESK

AkshAy kumAr's bodyguArd slAps A doctor Actor Akshay Kumar's bodyguard slapped a dentist after he tried to come close to the actor during a film shoot outside a residential building in Malad (west) around 11.50am. The doctor then called the police control room, who took both of them to the police station. The Bangur Nagar police have registered a non-cognizable offence against the bodyguard. The bodyguard who is at the police station, will be allowed to go, for now, after a warning from the police. The doctor, 33-year-old Shailesh Sharma, came from Delhi and was staying with his relative at Evershine Grandeur building in Mumbai. He was going to a temple when he saw a film shooting going on and Akshay waiting near his vehicle.

Sharma tried to see Akshay from close and walked close to the vehicle, when suddenly the bodyguard pushed and abused him.

Sharma questioned the bodyguard for his rude behaviour. This infuriated the bodyguard who then slapped the doctor.

Sharma called his relative for help and they informed the police control room. Sharma's relative alleged that there was no permission for shooting. NEWS DESK

Sunday, 16 March, 2014

Ten-man City tame Tigers M SPORTS DESK

anchester city shrugged off the 10th minute sending-off of captain Vincent Kompany as they dredged up a 2-0 win at hull to keep the pressure on leaders chelsea at the top of the Barclays Premier League.

David silva struck a superb long-range opener just four minutes after Kompany was shown a straight red card by referee Lee Mason for hauling down nikica Jelavic who was through on goal. and after the visitors were forced to withstand fierce second-half pressure including a pair of penalty shouts involving substitute George Boyd, they sealed their return to second place when silva sent through edin Dzeko to make it two in the final minute. It had been a far from straight-forward afternoon for city boss Manuel Pellegrini, who made two changes to the side beaten in Barcelona in midweek, including the expected absence of hamstring-injury victim sergio aguero. heading into the game on the back of two successive defeats, city certainly looked skittish in the early stages, a firstminute tom huddlestone free-kick skimming the head of ahmed elmohamady in the box, then Jelavic cutting in the box past Martin Demichelis before Gael clichy

booted clear. It might have got worse for the visitors in the seventh minute, when shane Long burst clear onto a Jelavic through-ball only to be pegged back for a marginal offside. and it did get worse three minutes later, when Kompany was dismissed for hauling down Jelavic as the croatian looked to go clean through on goal.

But the visitors did not take long to respond in style, Yaya toure feeding silva who curled his left-foot opener past allan McGregor with 14 minutes on the clock. hull shrugged off the setback and responded well, Long’s cross towards Jelavic

made safe by a strong intervention from Demichelis, then a ball from the opposite flank by elmohamady plucked from the air

by Joe hart. Mindful of their numerical disadvantage city seemed happy to contain their opponents and take their chances on the counter-attack, and it almost led to Pellegrini’s men increasing their lead just past the half-hour mark. Pablo Zabaleta let fly with a rising volley from the right side of the box which hit the underside of McGregor’s bar and bounced down not far from the goal-line before being headed away by tigers captain curtis Davies. the home

Djokovic eases past Benneteau to make semis Novak Djokovic breezed into the semifinals at Indian Wells with a comfortable 6-1 6-3 victory over Frenchman Julien Benneteau. Djokovic hardly raised a sweat in the Californian desert as he eased to a 6-1 6-3 victory over Frenchman Julien Benneteau, before the towering Isner rode his booming serve to a 7-6(4) 7-6(3) win over Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis. Djokovic was not at his absolute best but was never in any real danger against the 32-year-old Benneteau, who beat him at Indian Wells eight years ago when the Serb was still a teenager.

Djokovic, 26, raced through the opening set in less than half an hour with two service breaks and four aces despite the windy conditions and an approaching sand storm. The first six games of the second set all went with serve before Djokovic reeled off the last three in a row to seal a comfortable victory in less than 70 minutes. He broke Benneteau for a 4-3 lead when the Frenchman double faulted, then again to wrap up the win when his opponent hit a forehand long and wide.

“I felt like I was very focused on the court from the start, and it’s what I was looking for. It’s never too easy,” said Djokovic, who won the Indian Wells title in 2008 and 2011. SPORTS DESK

SPORTS DESK controversy over neymar’s transfer to Barcelona could be the reason behind the Brazilian striker’s below-par displays for the spanish champions, coach Gerardo Martino said. neymar has hit the back of the net once for Barca this year and while the team as a whole has struggled for consistency, he has been singled out by fans. they take on Osasuna on sunday buoyed by their champions League victory over Manchester city on Wednesday but seeking an upturn in their league form, having lost two of the last three La Liga matches to drop to third, four points off leaders real Madrid. neymar was sidelined for a month with an ankle injury picked up midway through January but even before his enforced break his performances did not

match the expectations of fans of their marquee signing.

In January, president sandro rosell was forced to resign in the aftermath of revelations that neymar’s signing from santos, initially stated at 57.1 million euros ($79.51 million), was considerably greater and now appears to be closer to 90 million euros. the accusations that the board has tried to withhold the truth from fans has created a dark cloud over the club which also seems to be affecting the 22-yearold, who has not shown the same level of talent that he has produced for Brazil. there were some whistles from the camp nou crowd when he played in the win over almeria a fortnight ago and more from a section of the crowd when he was substituted against city.

“In his best moments he has played on the left or as a centre-forward and the

side’s frustration was evident in elmohamady’s clumsy high challenge on silva shortly afterwards, for which the egyptian deservedly earned a booking from referee Mason, and it could have been more.

David Meyler had the ball in the net in the 36th minute but was ruled offside, then Jake Livermore came close two minutes from the break with a low drive which flashed inches wide of a stretching hart’s right-hand post. hull continued to push in the early stages of the second half, a shot on the turn from Long stinging hart’s hands and a free-kick from half-time substitute sone aluko wriggling under toure and giving Jelavic a shooting chance. Meyler also tested with a header from a huddlestone free-kick after Zabaleta was booked for a scything challenge on Meyler. Boyd, a replacement for Meyler, posed the city backline a few problems and Javier Garcia had to be alert to pluck the substitute’s deep cross away from danger in the 67th minute. two minutes later Boyd had a big penalty shout waved away by Mason after going through on goal and to appearing to trip over the out-stretched leg of hart. as the frustration levels increased, hart was given a stern telling-off by Mason for his angry reaction and moments later Boyd had another penalty appeal waved away after falling under Fernandinho’s challenge in the box.

other day (against city) he was on the right where I also thought he did well.

When a player has been out injured a month it is not easy to get back to their best form straight away. It is not like a day, or three days but a month,” Martino told a press conference. “there has also been the situation and the problems over his signing. If I had to give an explanation for (his form) then I was say it is to do with that.”

Osasuna held Barca to a scoreless draw in October, and Martino said they needed to ensure they remained tight defensively in the absence of injured centre-halves Gerard Pique and carles Puyol. Barcelona have conceded seven goals from corners this season and in Oriol riera Osasuna have a player who can threaten with his height. “the injury to Pique isn’t too serious but we thought it would be better to leave him out against Osasuna. If there is the need then aside from (Javier) Mascherano and (Marc) Bartra we also have adriano, (sergio) Busquets and (alex) song,” said Martino.

“Osasuna are a side which causes problems for all teams especially at home. they work hard and are difficult to face but we mustn’t think about the city game and having qualified for the next round, and concentrate on the league.

“It is not difficult to motivate the players as they are used to competing.

We can look back on two matches, the one against city and the other a week ago and we need to improve the performance of that against Valladolid.”

Gallagher marks Rangers debut with goal in win SPORTS DESK callum Gallagher marked his debut with a goal as newly-crowned scottish League One champions rangers warmed up for their crunch William hill scottish cup replay against albion rovers with a 2-0 victory over nearest league rivals Dunfermline. steven smith claimed only his second ever career goal - the other also coming against the Pars in 2006 - before the youngster came off the bench to seal the points with a last-minute strike. the majority of fans inside Ibrox also used this match to show their support for reinvestment by former director Dave King, via a card display, after blue cards were distributed beforehand by the Union Of Fans. the south africa-based businessman - who lost £20million when rangers went into liquidation in 2012 - found himself on a collision course with the current board recently when he voiced concerns over the club’s finances. as the off-field drama continued to rumble on in the background, the Light Blues were keen to maintain the feel-good factor on the pitch with another

win after wrapping up the title against airdrie in midweek. skipper Lee Mcculloch started up front, with attackers David templeton and andy Little both sidelined after picking up injuries against the Diamonds. and, with Monday’s clash with albion rovers in mind, Jon Daly and Lee Wallace dropped to the bench, while nicky Law was absent from the squad.

Pars players formed a guard of honour ahead of kick-off to acknowledge their hosts’ title success - before immediately finding themselves under pressure once the game was under way. Ian Black whipped a dangerous cross from the right into the box where nicky clark connected with the header but he was unable to keep the effort down and on target. the visitors

CMYK

then suffered a setback when goalkeeper ryan scully was injured while defending another attack, and he was forced out of the action and replaced by ryan Goodfellow with just five minutes on the clock.

Unfazed by the key personnel change, the Pars quickly pushed forward in search of a goal and callum Morris was not too far away when he nodded just over at the back post from a deep free-kick. stephen husband then had a go with a low drive that was comfortably smothered

by Gers goalkeeper cammy Bell. On the 18th minute came that backing for King as fans held up their blue cards as a show of support, while chants of ‘sack the board’ rang out from the stands. Back on the park, ross Forbes was booked for diving, before rangers opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time when smith dispatched a superb curling free-kick into the top corner from the edge of the 18-yard box. rangers swapped Bilel Mohsni for emilson cribari for the second half, before Mcculloch was withdrawn after an hour, allowing Kyle hutton to make his first appearance since breaking his leg in november.

SPORTS 13 Young Nepal out to impress big boys

Less than 18 years after playing their first competitive match, Nepal have reached the world stage by qualifying for the World T20. It is a massive occasion for the country and they have a serious cricket team to boot too.

They were third in the qualification tournament, after defeating UAE in the playoff game. Nepal climbed quickly through the World Cricket League ranks, moving up from Division Five to Division Two from 2010 to last year when they became Division Three champions. They made it to the World T20 qualifiers after finishing second in the 2013 ACC Twenty20 Cup. In the November qualifiers, they lost to Afghanistan in the semi-finals, but had already qualified for the World T20s after beating Hong Kong in the quarters. Nepal’s progress so far tells of how popular the game is in the country where there is now stiff competition between football and cricket. Over the last five years, the IPL too has captured the people’s imagination in the country. If a particular sport is popular, it rubs off on the youth the most and in the Nepal team, there isn’t a player who has reached the age of 30. This young team from Himalaya country could be the one of the most eye-catching in the early stages of the tournament.

They are in Afghanistan and Bangladesh’s group, and will take away some of the attention. In front of a world audience, how cricket is played in Nepal will be there for all to see. SPORTS DESK KEy PlayER: The man at the helm of this fully charged team, Paras Khadka, is also the team’s highest-scorer and among the top three wicket-takers in T20s. He will be keen to turn in the same sort of performance at a slightly higher level. He averaged 23.40 with the bat in the World Cup qualifiers in New Zealand, so he will also have to turn around his form.

SuRPRiSE PaCKagE: Pace bowler Sompal Kami took eight wickets in New Zealand, and can be a surprise weapon. He isn’t 19 yet, and definitely can grow more physically and mentally. Though he will be playing on batting-friendly wickets in Chittagong, he could be expected to extract wickets, like he did against Namibia back in January.

WEaKNESS: like most young teams, the inexperience of playing against top nations could stand against Nepal. The dew in Chittagong could affect their slow bowlers, while their batting has to look to change gears quickly when the need arises.

WORlD T20 HiSTORy: This is their maiden appearance, having turned out as the third best among the qualifiers from uaE in November last year.

RECENT fORm: Nepal were ninth in the World Cup qualifiers in New Zealand this January, but they would like to replicate their form from the World T20 qualifiers from November. in all T20s, they have won 11 out of 19 games.

Brentford leapfrog Orient with derby win Marcello Trotta’s first-half goal gave Brentford a 1-0 victory at Brisbane Road to leapfrog hosts Leyton Orient in the race for automatic promotion.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men for the last 40 minutes after James Tarkowski was sent-off for a second bookable offence but the Bees produced a resilient rearguard action to emerge deserved winners. Orient had enjoyed the better of the first period with David Mooney , Dean Cox and Romain Vincelot all going close before the Bees took the lead with their only shot in target in the firsthalf and that came in added time with Trotta’s sublime finish. Collecting a pass from Adam Forshaw 20 yards from goal, he directed his shot wide of the diving Eldin Jakupovic and into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal.

Despite their numerical advantage, Orient failed to cause too many concerns for their opponents although Moses Odubajo was denied by a reactionary save by David Button who saved the winger’s shot with his knees. SPORTS DESK

14 SPORTS

Sunday, 16 March, 2014

Big stage for two debutants ChiTTagOng

T

AGENCIES

HEY may be second on the bill but, for these two World T20 debutants, it has never been any bigger than this. T20 has been cricket’s major vehicle for growth and the ICC’s decision to include six Associates at this tournament for the first time should be applauded but once the coin is tossed at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, there will be no time for fraternity between Hong Kong and Nepal.

This time last year, the two teams were battling the likes of Singapore, Bahrain and Malaysia at the ACC T20 Cup for spots at the World T20 Qualifier. In the UAE, Nepal stormed to third place, behind the more established Ireland and Afghanistan, sealing their place in Bangladesh with a last-ball win against Hong Kong, having taken 13 off the final over.

The scenes of celebration, at the ground and back home in Nepal, were quite something.

Despite losing that quarterfinal, Hong Kong saw off Papua New Guinea to secure their own qualification. That seems to have ignited something in a country

known more for its banking arm than its sporting prowess. A young side sprinkled with players from a variety of backgrounds has been on fire in recent weeks, beating Ireland and Netherlands during a training camp in Sharjah and then scalping Zimbabwe in their opening warmup match in Chittagong.

That win was followed by a stunning comeback against Netherlands, defending 127, with Haseeb Amjad’s display of reverse swing helping him to six wickets. Some of their inspiration in that game came from an inspired, one-handed catch

by Nizakat Khan and the fielding of both sides will provide an indication of how hard they have worked.

Nepal have not enjoyed such a fast start, beaten by Ireland and UAE, but they are eager to give a good account of themselves and, in the words of captain Paras Khadka, “present Nepal cricket in front of the world”. His side has become, like Afghanistan, poster boys for the Associate game, from their success at the 2006 U-19 World Cup and their rise through the ICC’s World Cricket League structure. In many ways, the journey to Bangladesh has been the story for Nepal and Hong Kong and it would be a major shock if either

was to reach the second round. All games at the WT20 will have T20 international status, so both countries will also contest their first match in the format. The prospect of playing in front of 15,000 people, or more, will be both reward and challenge. As they try not to blink, they should enjoy the experience too.

Form guide (including warm-up matches) Hong Kong WWWWL Nepal LLWLW Players to watch Irfan Ahmed can open the batting and contribute regularly with the ball, while captain Jamie Atkinson has experience of playing first-class cricket in England. Mark Chapman, however, could be their lynchpin, having made two classy half-centuries in the warm-up games. The left-hander, who was raised in New Zealand, plays in orthodox fashion but is capable of upping the rate.

Khadka is Nepal’s totem but, on the pitches of Bangladesh, the left-arm spinner Basant Regmi will have a vital role to play. He is Nepal’s leading international wicket-taker and played a central role in securing qualification in the UAE last year. If they are in need of some bash with the bat, Sharad

Top order can afford to settle in: Mushfiqur MiRPuR AGENCIES

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim is willing to allow the top order batsmen to take their time in the middle in T20s, as long as they push harder after getting set. Mushfiqur had factored in the slow pitches in Bangladesh which do not always allow batsmen to go for their shots early.

“The top three batsmen usually set up the game in T20s,” Mushfiqur said ahead of Bangladesh’s opening qualifier against Afghanistan in Mirpur. “The No.4 also has

to join in. I think these batsmen have a lot of responsibilities. The wicket wasn’t easy in the practice game against Ireland, making us to start slowly. We targeted 140-150, though Shakib [Al Hasan] and I took it further. If the openers give us a good start, the pressure lessens on the middle order. We would hope for such a start tomorrow, and then from the middle, we will finish it well.

“It was difficult to play shots from the word go in Fatullah, as the wicket was slow.

We are willing to give batsmen time in the middle as long as they recover the scoring rate after getting set. The middle and lower order can do that recovery work but the top order can also do it after making a slow start.”

Either of Anamul Haque and Shamsur Rahman will be vying to open with Tamim Iqbal, with the former ahead due to a recent ODI century against Pakistan and a half-century against India. However, Shamsur has opened for Bangladesh in their last six T20s.

Shakib and Mushfiqur usually bat at three and four, but there has been talk of slotting in either Mominul Haque or Sabbir Rahman in the top order too. “If either of Sabbir and Mominul plays, we will try to accommodate them in the top order,” Mushfiqur said.

“We have enough batsmen and allrounders so we will take a decision on the team after taking a final look at the wicket.

The decision will also depend on what balances our team, and in addition, we have a flexible batting line-up so we will be sending batsmen according to the situation.”

Bangladesh’s line-up will become slightly more streamlined as Mushfiqur returns as wicketkeeper, having recovered from a finger injury. He kept against Ireland, and says that he missed captaining from behind the stumps.

BANGLADESH TAKES AFGHANISTAN IN THE OPENER S PERvEz QaiSER Hosts Bangladesh take on Afghanistan in the opening match of the fifth Twenty-20 World Cup at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka on Sunday (March 16). This match will start at 14.30 hours (PST).

It will be the first match in Twenty-20 World Cup as well as first in the Twenty-20 cricket. Afghanistan’s rise to international cricketing prominence has been one of the most remarkable stories of recent times. This is Afghanistan’s third Twenty-20 World Cup following their debut at the 2010 Twenty-20 World Cup in the Caribbean, where they were defeated by India and South Africa in the Group Stage. In the 2012 tournament, they lost by only 23 runs to India before losing more comprehensively, by 116 runs, to England.

Bangladesh have won just one and lost 10 in 11 matches played in the Twenty-20 World Cup while Afghanistan have lost all four matches played in previous two editions.

The second match of the day will be played between Hong Kong and Nepal at

Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong. This match will start at 18.30 hours (PST). Hong Kong and Nepal are participating in the Twenty-20 World Cup for the first time. After losing a last-ball thriller to Nepal in the quarter-final of the Twenty-20 World Cup Qualifier in United Arab Emirates llast November, Hong Kong went on to beat Papua New Guinea by 29 runs to qualify in sixth place for their maiden ICC global event. Hong Kong first became an ICC member in 1969 and played four One-Day Internationals in the Asia Cup tournaments of 2004 and 2008.

Nepal, on the other hand, reached their maiden ICC global event with a nail-biting five-wicket victory off the last ball over Hong Kong in the quarter-final of the Twenty-20 World Cup Qualifier Nepal went on to finish third in the event with a five-wicket play-off victory over United Arab Emirates.

They became an ICC member in 1988.

PERFORMANCE IN TWENTY-20 CRICKET: Type P W L Success% Bangladesh 33 9 24 27.27 Afghanistan 22 11 11 50.00 Bang v Afgh - - - -

Vesawkar has previously displayed a cool head and strong forearms.

Team news Hong Kong rested three of their first-choice XI for Netherlands but should be back to full strength. Munir Dar, their leading wicket-taker in the UAE, has been banned from bowling due to his action but remains in the squad as a batting option.

Hong Kong (probable) 1 Irfan Ahmed, 2 Waqas Barkat, 3 Jamie Atkinson (capt & wk), 4 Babar Hyat, 5 Nizakat Khan, 6 Mark Chapman, 7 Munir Dar, 8 Tanwir Afzal, 9 Haseeb Amjad, 10 Najeed Amar, 11 Nadeem Ahmed Khadka said that Nepal had been tinkering with their line-up in the warm-up games and would decide their XI after looking at the pitch. The top order is pretty settled. Avinash Karn provides a leftarm seam option and they could utilise Rahul Vishwakarma as a second spinner.

Nepal (probable) 1 Sagar Pun, 2 Subash Khakurel (wk), 3 Gyanendra Malla, 4 Paras Khadka (capt), 5 Binod Bhandari, 6 Sharad Vesawkar, 7 Naresh Budayair, 8 Basant Regmi, 9 Shakti Gauchan, 10 Sompal Kami, 11 Jitendra Mukhiya

PiTch and condiTions Chittagong has a reputation for high scores and slow turn but the recent T20s at the ground between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka saw something on offer for the quicks too. The evening start time, plus its location close to the sea, should

mean conditions are a little cooler. sTaTs and Trivia Nepal have beaten Hong Kong in their previous two T20s. Paras Khadka is 14 runs shy of 500 in T20s.

Hong Kong pace bowlers Haseeb Amjad and Tanwir Afzal both represented Pakistan at U-19 level.

Pennetta to face Radwanska in Indian Wells final SPORTS DESK Italian veteran Flavia Pennetta upset China’s Australian Open champion Li Na on Friday to join Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska in the women’s final of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

The 32-year-old Pennetta qualified for the biggest singles final of her career after a 7-6(5) 6-3 drubbing of an out-ofsorts Li. Pennetta will face Radwanska in Sunday’s final after the Pole avenged her loss to Romania’s Simona Halep in Qatar last month with a 6-3 6-4 win on the Cal-

Hong Kong seek international exposure A delighted Hong Kong skipper Najeeb Amar after learning that Hong Kong had secured a top four placing at the ICC Word Cricket League Division 2 in Dubai on 14th April 2011. Hong Kong’s jubilation at their first major international tournament was seen when they stunned Zimbabwe in their first warm-up game in Chittagong.

Their last-ball win amped up their confidence. This particular Hong Kong squad is much younger than the usual sides of the past. The change came through coach Charlie Burke who has brought in a group of youngsters to blend in with the experienced lot. Mark Chapman, Irfan Ahmed and Tanwir Afzal have already shown what they have to offer, but much can be expected from the 23-year-old captain Jamie Atkinson. It will be interesting to see how the older lot performs. SPORTS DESK

CMYK

ifornian desert hardcourts. Radwanska, ranked third in the world, sealed the first set with an ace after she broke Halep’s opening service game but found herself trailing the second when the Romanian broke. But the 25-year-old Pole regained control, getting back on level terms then getting a second break and serving out her victory to reach her first final at Indian Wells. “What I was trying to do was play aggressively from the beginning of the match and just try to go for my shots,” said Radwanska. “I was lucky. I think I was serving better than other days,

so that helped today as well. I think it was a pretty good match.” Halep took some consolation from her defeat as she will rise to fifth place in the world when the new rankings are released on Monday.

“It was a tough match,” said Halep.

“She played really well. “She deserved to win today. Every ball was in for her, and I had to run a lot. I think I started the match a bit too soft. I was not ready to play. “But she is a great player. It’s always difficult to play against her. I wanted to find my way to play. I did, but (it) was too late in first set. She was better than me today.” Li was promoted to the women’s seed in the absence of world number one Serena Williams but had struggled with her serve all week. She had similar problems against Pennetta, coughing up eight double faults in the first set alone, as the players traded eight service breaks before Pennetta won the tiebreaker. Li’s serve improved in the second set but her forehand let her down as she started to spray shots all over the court and Pennetta seized her chance, sealing her victory with a backhand winner. For Pennetta, reaching the final capped an incredible year for a woman who was primarily regarded as a doubles player.

Naeemuddin, Yasir Shah propel Sui Gas to title SUI NORTHERN GAS PIPELINES LIMITED 386 (NAEEMUDDIN 192, MISBAH-UL-HAQ 67, ATIF MAQBOOL 4-84) AND 262 FOR 8 DEC (NAEEMUDDIN 77, ADNAN AKMAL 99) BEAT UNITED BANK LIMITED 144 (ABID ALI 51, YASIR SHAH 5-41) AND 226 (WAJIHUDDIN 57, TARIQ HAROON 57, YASIR SHAH 4-48) BY 278 RUNS SPORTS DESK Naeemuddin starred with the bat in both innings and Yasir Shah did the same with the ball as Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited lifted the President’s Trophy with a resounding 278-run win, completed inside four days, over United Bank Limited in Multan. Sent in to bat, Sui Gas posted 386, with the left-handed opener Naeemuddin anchoring the innings with a 429-ball 192. Naeemuddin struck 25 fours and a six, and shared a 128-run fourth-wicket stand with Misbah-ul-Haq, who made 67. In reply, United Bank were bowled out for 144, with opener Abid Ali’s 51 the only substantial contribution, as legspinner Yasir finished with figures of 5 for 41. Despite the 242run first-innings deficit, United Bank nearly

found their way back into the match as Tariq Haroon sent back Sui Gas’ top three batsmen for ducks. Khurram Shehzad and Misbah halted the slide with a 47-run fourth-wicket partnership before Naeemuddin, batting at No. 6 in the second innings, and wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal swelled the lead well beyond United Bank’s reach with a 140-run sixthwicket stand. Naeemuddin made 77, while Adnan fell one short of a century, his dismissal provoking Sui Gas’ declaration at 262 for 8. Set 505 to win, United Bank were in deep trouble at 83 for 5 before Wajihuddin and Haroon made 57 apiece to push their score past 200. Samiullah Khan took three top-order wickets while Yasir mopped up the lower order to finish with figures of 4 for 48 for the innings and 9 for 89 for the match.

Sunday, 16 March, 2014

THREE MILLION DOLLARS UP FOR GRABS IN TWENRY-20 WORLD CUP The winner of the 2014 Twenty-20 World Cup in Bangladesh will pick up $ 1,100,000 (1.1 million dollars about Rs 108,350,000) while the runners-up will be comforted by receiving a cheque for $ 550,000 (about Rs 54,175,000).

West Indies who won the last edition in 2011, picked $ 1,000,000 (one million dollars- about Rs 98,500,000) while the runners-up, Sri Lanka received a cheque for $ 500,000 (about Rs 49,250,000). Indian team received $ 3,250,000 (3.25 million dollars- about Rs 320, 125,000) while the runners-up Sri Lanka got a cheque for $ 1,500,000 (about Rs 147,750,000) in the 5050 World Cup in India in 2011.

The total prize money up for grabs in the 2014 Twenty-20 World Cup has been almost $ 3 million dollars (about Rs 295,500,000). In the last Twenty-20 World Cup played in Sri Lanka in 2012, the total prize money was $ 2.75 million dollars (about Rs 27,087,500). The losing semi finallists in this World Cup will get $ 275,000 each (about Rs 27,087,500 each). The winner of each match in Super Ten will receive $ 40,000 (about Rs 3,940,000) while the winner of the first round league match will not get any prize money.

The winner of the women’s Twenty-20 World Cup will pick up $70,000 (about Rs 6,895,000) while runner-up will be comforted by receiving a cheque for $ 30,000 (about Rs 2,955,000).

So how does the winners’ prize money of the Twenty-20 World Cup Cricket compare with those of other major sporting events.

Unfortunately, not very favourably. The FIFA World Cup Soccer 2010, Champions Spain, took away $30 million dollars. The club winning the Europe’s regional Champions League is awarded a whopping $170. In golf’s richest event - the FedEx Cup - champions walks away with a $10 million payout. Horse-racing’s Dubai World Cup Night pays the winner $22 million. One of the few major sports which compares to World Cup Cricket in terms of prize-money budget is Grand Slam Tennis, which awards $1.5-2 million to its individual winner. S PERvEz QAISER

Afghanistan prey on nervous hosts DhaKa

A

AGENCIES

FGHANISTAN are focusing on taking advantage of any slip-up made by Bangladesh in their World T20 opening-day encounter. Coach Kabir Khan has said that all the pressure is now on the home side, and the thought has been echoed by the captain Mohammad Nabi.

“We will play a relaxed game,” Nabi said. “Our coach Kabir Khan has said total pressure on the Bangladesh team. They are playing at home and have already lost against us. They have beaten us in T20s but both were close games. They didn’t win easily, and this time we give them more tough time.”

Earlier on Friday, Kabir had said that Bangladesh will be feeling the heat because of various reasons.

“There will be a bit of pressure on us as well but I think the Bangladeshis will be facing more pressure. They lost to us in the Asia Cup, their whole crowd is going to put a lot of pressure on them, as well as us.

“If the game is going well in their favour, they’ll be supporting them, otherwise they’ll be against them. That is the sort of pressure when you’re hosting a world tournament and you want to be in the tournament and you’re afraid of getting out of it ... I personally think they are facing more pressure than us.”

Bangladesh’s wins have come in T20 games, first in the 2010 Asian Games gold medal game and then in a

quadrangular tournament in Trinidad two years ago. While a predominantly Under-23 side had won in Guangzhou, on the second occasion it was a fullstrength side that played under the name of a BCB XI. But Afghanistan won the first encounter of note between two sides, in the Asia Cup. The 32-run win in Fatullah has tilted the momentum towards them. “We are not playing names. We are playing the game. We don’t know who is on the other side - Shakib, Tamim or Mortaza. We just play the game and situation,” Nabi said.

“Afghanistan is a better T20 team.

We have four to six allrounders in the squad. [Another] plus point is our fielding and attacking bowling. We will try our best to perform very well and qualify for the next round.”

THE PRIzE MONEY AT THE TWENTY-20 WORLD CUP 2014: Winning Team $ 1,100,000 Rs 108,350,000 Runner up $ 550,000 Rs 54,175,000 Semi-final Losers $ 275,000 Rs 27,087,500 Semi-final Losers $ 275,000 Rs 27,087,500 Winners of super 10 matches $ 800,000 Rs 78,800,000 Total $ 3,000,000 Rs 295,500,000 ** The winner of each super 10 match will get $ 40,000 (Rs 3,940,000).

SLC threatens to send a 2nd-string side to WT20 The contracts standoff between SLC and the Sri Lanka cricketers has escalated to a crisis, after the board issued threats of sending a secondstring team to the World Twenty20, because the players maintained their refusal to sign contracts, less than 16 hours before they are due to depart for Bangladesh. Players had rejected the incentive-driven payment scheme offered by the board on Thursday, because that proposal does not satisfy their demand for a percentage cut of the gross sum paid to SLC for global tournaments.

The players had initially demanded 20%, but they have now indicated they would be happy with 12%. The board, however, has been unwilling to budge from their proposal. SPORTS DESK

SPORTS 15

Impressive Afghanistan face bigger expectations Dhaka: Until the 2012 World T20, little was at stake for Afghanistan, but now, when they line up to play their third edition of the tournament, expectations have risen. Afghanistan have qualified for the 50-overs World Cup and completed an impressive Asia Cup in which they beat a Test-playing team for the first time. That team, Bangladesh, are their first opponents in their qualifying group. With this in mind, Afghanistan should consider themselves in with a real chance of getting into the business end of the tournament. Afghanistan’s captain Mohammad Nabi has hinted that the team is at its strongest playing Twenty20. This was quite clear even at the Asia Cup, where their batsmen often fell playing one big shot too many. That approach will better suit the T20 format, and Mohammad Shahzad, their exciting wicketkeeperbatsman, will enjoy this license at the top of the order. Either Nawroz Mangal or the newcomer Najeeb Tarakai will partner Shehzad, while the middle order might include the likes of Karim Sadiq and Shafiqullah, who didn’t feature during the Asia Cup. Their bowling is full of variety, and over recent months has gained a lot of discipline. Shapoor Zadran, the tall left-arm seamer, now bowls an impeccable line, while medium-pacer Mirwais Ashraf has shown himself to be very difficult to get away. In Hamza Hotak, Samiullah Shenwari and Nabi, Afghanistan possess some genuine spin options, with the leftarmer Hotak capable of taking the new ball. In the warm-up games, their performances were inconsistent.

They shot out Netherlands for 86, but allowed Zimbabwe to chase down 168 with three balls to spare. It was a bit of a downer, but their batsmen had shown the ability to post daunting totals. AGENCIES

Chandimal upbeat about TWENTY-20 WORLD CUP IN FIGURES Sri Lanka’s prospects S PERvEz QaiSER

SPORTS DESK Top-ranked in the format for 17 months, exultant and exalted after the Asia Cup win, all after six loss-less weeks in Bangladesh - if World Twenty20 has a favourite,

it must be the Sri Lanka team. There is the small matter of final-phobia, seemingly induced by pressure, but captain Dinesh Chandimal is not a man to back away from a challenge, even when he is outmatched. As the team prepares to leave for Bangladesh, he embraced the hopes that have been heaped high upon them, instead of downplaying Sri Lanka’s prospects. “There’s a lot of expectation among the fans that we will win the tournament as well, and even within the team, there is a belief that we can win this,” Chandimal said. “We played in Bangladesh for two and a half months, so we have some experience on how the wicket is behaving there and also when the dew factor comes into play. Most of the players in the World Twenty20 squad played in the Bangladesh tour, so that’s a big advantage. “It’s a great opportunity, but we can’t take it for granted. We will have to put in a lot of effort, and take it from game to game - first working towards the semi-final. We have some things up our sleeve. We have a game plan for each team. Everyone is set for the short format, and we’re looking forward to that.”

1,100,000 dollars (about Rs 108,350,000) , the winner of the fifth edition of Twenty-20 World Cup in Bangladesh will get. West Indies picked $ 1,000,000 (one million dollars- about Rs 98,500,000) while the runners-up, Sri Lanka received a cheque for $ 500,000 (about Rs 49,250,000) in last edition in Sri Lanka in 2012.

30367 runs were scored for the loss of 1346 wickets at 22.56 in 3944.4 overs at an economical rate of 7.69 runs per over in 107 Twenty-20 World Cup matches sofar. The match between India and Scotland at Durban in 2007 was abandoned after the toss.

7881 runs were scored for the loss of 348 wickets at 22.64 in 986.1 overs at an economical rate of 7.99 in 26 matches in the Inaugural Twenty-20 World Cup in 2007 which is the most in a single edition.

280-6 in 20 overs by Sri Lanka against Kenya at Johannesburg in September 14,2007 is the highest ever total in Twenty20 World Cup. 68 in 16.4 overs by Ireland against West Indies at Providence on April 30,2010 is the lowest ever total in Twenty-20 World Cup. 418-10 in 40 overs is the highest match aggregate in Twenty-20 World Cup. India made 218-4 in 20 overs while England

CMYK

scored 200-6 in 20 overs at Durban on September 19,2007.

120-11 in 23.2 overs is the lowest match aggregate in Twenty-20 World Cup. After bowling out Zimbabwe 84 in 15.1 overs, New Zealand made 36-1 in 8.1 overs to win the match by 7 runs (D/L method).

172 runs is the biggest victory in terms of runs in Twenty-20 World Cup which was achieved by Sri Lanka against Kenya at Johannesburg on September 14,2007.

10 wickets is the biggest victory in terms of wickets in Twenty-20 World Cup. Australia defeated Sri Lanka by 10 wickets at Cape Town on September 20,2007 while South Africa beat Zimbabwe by the same margin at Hambantota on same day five years later.

One run is the narrowest win in terms of runs in Twenty-20 World Cup. South Africa beat New Zealand at Lord’s on June 9,2009 while New Zealand recorded one run win over Pakistan at Bridgetown on May 8,2010.

India beat South Africa by one run at Colombo on October 2,2012.

2 wickets is the narrowest margin of victory in terms of wickets in Twenty-20 World Cup. New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by 2 wickets at Providence on April 30,2010 while Pakistan beat South Africa by same margin at Colombo on September 28, 2012.

123 by Brendon McCullum for New Zealand

against Bangladesh at Pallekele on September 21,2012 is the highest individual score in Twenty-20 World Cup. The right hand batsman faced 58 balls and hit 11 fours and seven sixes in this knock.

858 runs by Mahela Jayawardene at 40.85and a strike rate of 136.62 in 25 innings of as many matches with one century and five fifties for Sri Lanka is the most by a batsman in T-20 World Cup. 6-8 by Ajantha Mendis for Sri Lanka against Zimbabwe at Hambantota on September 18,2012 is the best bowling performance in Twenty-20 World Cup. 33 wickets by Lasith Malinga at 19.78 with an economy rate of 7.71 in 25 innings of as many matches for Sri Lanka is the most by a bowler in Twenty-20 World Cup. 166 runs stand for the second wicket between Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara for Sri Lanka against West Indies at Bridgetown on May 7,2010 is the highest ever in Twenty-20 World Cup. 64 runs conceded by Sanath Jayasuriya in four overs for Sri Lanka against Pakistan at Johannesburg on Sept 17,2007 is the most by a bowler in an innings in T-20 World Cup. 932 sixes were smashed by 163 players in 107 matches in four editions of T-20 World Cup. 26 matches each played by Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal is the most in T-20 World Cup.

SPORTS Sunday, 16 March, 2014

Embrace the expectation: Hafeez Afridi close to full fitness as World T20 looms

I

SPORTS DESK

ndia’s victory over Pakistan in the inaugural World T20 seven years ago changed the face of cricket, igniting the interest that led to the success of the iPL and creation of sundry other T20 leagues. in the most volatile of formats, the most volatile of rivals will kick off the super 10 stage of this tournament on Friday, a fixture that is eagerly anticipated the world over, not least in Bangladesh. Unsurprisingly, the subject dominated Pak-

istan’s arrival in dhaka.

Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s captain in the shortest format, politely refrained from amping up the pressure, saying it was a game his players should enjoy. sohail Tanvir went even further with the entente cordial, describing india as having “the strongest batting lineup”. Pakistan, who swept india aside in dramatic fashion two weeks ago on the way to the final of the asia Cup, are obviously at ease with themselves. “i always say that an indiaPakistan match is full of pressure

but you enjoy playing it,” Hafeez said. “as a captain i am happy that it’s the first match and if you do well in such an opening match you obviously feel much easier in upcoming matches as far as pressure is concerned. Obviously you can’t take any team with lighter hands but in an india match, we would want to start off doing well.” although Pakistan have only beaten india once in five T20s, the memory of their asia Cup win is still fresh - even if their hero on the night, shahid afridi, has not travelled with the team to Bangladesh.

KARACHI AGENCIES

Flamboyant Pakistan allrounder shahid afridi saturday started training after recovering from a groin injury, hoping to play his part in the World Twenty20 starting in Bangladesh. The fifth edition of the World Twenty20 with 16 teams in competition will be held from March 16 to april 6. The 34-yearold afridi, who suffered fitness problems, in the asia Cup last week, said he was feeling much better. “i trained for the first time

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore.

CMYK

since the injury and (i am) feeling very good. i am almost 90 percent fit and hope to play at my full fitness once i join the squad,” afridi told reporters. Bangladesh, ranked 10th in the world, have been drawn with afghanistan, nepal and Hong Kong in group a of the first round.

The other group comprises Zimbabwe, ireland, the United arab Emirates and the netherlands. The top team from each group advances to the main tournament. They will join the eight seeded teams in the second, which opens with the indiaPakistan match on March 21. afridi

hit two last over sixes to help Pakistan beat arch rival india in a thrilling one-wicket finish in the asia Cup held in Bangladesh earlier this month. He then starred in Pakistan’s tough 327-run chase with a 25-ball 59 against Bangladesh.

Bahria Town, a private real estate developer, awarded him a plot of land to build a house in their new residential project in Karachi on saturday. afridi said he will do his best to help Pakistan win the title. “i will do my best to help Pakistan win the title again,” said afridi, who will join the squad in dhaka on Monday.