E paper 20th march (khi)

CMYK

Thursday, 20 March, 2014 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 18, 1435 Rs 17.00 Vol IV No 261 16 Pages Karachi Edition

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02 NEWS

Thursday, 20 March, 2014

SC orderS empowered eCp to hold lg pollS by nov 15 COURT SAYS ECP, NOT PROVINCIAL GOVTS AUTHORIZED TO CONDUCT DELIMITATION OF CONSTITUENCIES ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

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He Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) has ordered the Centre and provinces to complete legislation pertaining to Local Bodies (LB) elections in five months and conduct the polls maximum

by November 15.

The order states that the power to hold LB polls and delimitation lies only with the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP), and not with provincial governments.

The three-member bench headed by chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani is-

sued verdict in the case pertaining to LB polls in Sindh and Punjab on Wednesday. earlier during the hearing, the Punjab government had sought four months from the SC for holding LB elections in the province.

Punjab Advocate General (AG) Mustafa Ramday submitted a report pertaining to timeframe for the LB polls in the apex court. As per the report, the elections will be completed in 10 stages.

“It would take four months to prepare the legal draft bill and delimitation of constituencies for the LB elections,” the AG Punjab prayed in the court.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan Tas-

Saudia arabia deportS 700 pakiStani priSonerS

ABBAS AFRIDI GETS TEXTILE MINISTRY ISLAMABAD: The federal government has given the portfolio of minister for textile industry to Senator Abbas Afridi of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUIF). According to a notification issued on Wednesday, JUI-F Senator Abbas Afridi, who belong to the FATA, was given the textile portfolio.

Besides Afridi, JUI-F’s Akram Durrani and Senator Ghafoor Haidri also took oath as federal minister and minister of state respectively, but the decision regarding their portfolios was not yet taken. INP

saduq Hussain Jillani, in his short order said that the power to hold elections of the local government stands vested in the eCP. He said since the delimitation of constituencies of the local government is part of the process of organising and holding elections honestly, justly and fairly, which is the Constitutional

mandate of the eCP, the power to carry out such delimitation should vest with the eCP as well.

The apex court ordered that the eCP ensure that the announcement of election schedule and the process of holding it is complete by or before of November15, 2014.

WOMEN'S PARLIAMENTARY CAUCUS EXPRESSES CONCERN ON CII RULINGS

Sami SayS govttaliban meeting modalitieS to be finaliSed Soon LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Chief of the negotiating committee nominated by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Maulana Samiul Haq on Wednesday said matters relating to a meeting between representatives of the government and the Pakistani Taliban would likely finalise in a day.

Sami said success could only be achieved if dialogue with the outlawed group was seriously pursued.

He said incidents of terrorism had come to an end after the TTP announced a ceasefire.

Sami added that talks were underway on a venue to continue the dialogue between the government and the TTP, adding that the Taliban were also experiencing some difficulties. He said the Taliban did not want to hold talks in governmentrun venues, adding that all matters relating to the next meeting would likely be finalised by Wednesday evening.

Sami said he hadn't had a meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday, adding that the premier was hopeful that the dialogue would result in a positive outcome.

The ongoing peace talks between the government and the TTP struck an impasse last month after Talibanlinked militants murdered 23 kidnapped Pakistani paramilitary soldiers.

The killings resulted in multiple targeted airstrikes by the military against suspected hideouts in the tribal northwest bordering with Afghanistan.

The Taliban then announced a onemonth ceasefire which was reciprocated by the government which halted its airstrikes on militant targets.

The dialogue process has entered its decisive stage now with the government having formed a new committee to mediate with the Taliban leadership.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday deported 700 Pakistani prisoners detained in the kingdom for illegal stay. Pakistani Counsel General (CG) Aftab Khokar told journalists that the 700 Pakistanis prisoners sent to Karachi in the first phase, had been arrested for illegal stay in Saudi Arabia. Plans are under way to repatriate a total of 4,400 Pakistani detainees from the Shumaisy deportation center, he added. Khokher held a meeting with Saudi authorities at the Shumaisy deportation center, where he met with Saudi General Jaman Ghamdi, Salman bin Abdulaziz and immigration officers from Riyadh. “The meeting was held in the presences of General Faiz, head of the Shumaisy deportation center, and other officers,” he said, adding that there were currently 4,400 Pakistanis at the deportation center. We handed out 2,100 passes on Monday and will distribute the remaining passes within a few days, the CG said. Most illegal expatriates who were in Madinah prison were also sent to Shumaisy and now only 195 Pakistanis remain present there at the moment, he said. INP

RAWALPINDI: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif exchanges views with Bahraini King Hamad Bin Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa at the Joint Staff Headquarters on Wednesday. General Rashad Mahmood, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Mohammad Asif Sandila and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt were also present in the meeting. INP

ISLAMABAD: Members of Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) Wednesday expressed grave concerns over the rulings of Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), where were announced last week, calling the recommendations “shockingly alarming”. The chairman of CII had demanded amendment in the National Marriage Law, so that men seeking to remarry did not require a written permission of their first wives. Secondly, the legislation, which prohibited underage marriages, was dubbed as un-Islamic by the council. Expressing their concerns, the members of the WPC said that the law is completely in line with the Muslim Family Law and the Constitution of Pakistan. They said that it can be witnessed that instances of domestic violence are on the rise in the present times, women are forced to self-immolate, rape cases and acid crimes have increased significantly and child abuse has reached alarming heights. They added that decrees of such controversial nature by CII do no good but aggravate the situation. The WPC said that marriage is a mutual contract; adolescents at an early age cannot discreetly decide about their marriage, therefore puberty should not be a condition for marriage. Abolishing laws which ensure minimum age for marriage would mean exploitation and abuse of young girls. INP

Kaira set to hold PPP reins in Punjab BILAWAL APPROVED QAMAR ZAMAN KAIRA’S APPOINTMENT IN RECENT MEETING IN DUBAI ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership has decided to replace Punjab PPP President Manzoor Wattoo with Qamar Zaman Kaira, Pakistan Today has learnt.

According to sources, Kaira’s appointment had been approved by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in a recent meeting held in Dubai.

“Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo was not invited to Dubai where major decisions were taken,” the source said.

KAIRA DECLINES TO CONFIRM APPROVAL OF HIS NAME

During Wattoo’s tenure, the party lost the seats which it had won in the 2008 elections. The PPP had won 35 National Assembly seats in Punjab in 2008, but it could win only one seat in the May 2013 polls. The party also won 80 Punjab Assembly seats in 2008, but managed to win only one seat in 2013 elections.

Former president Asif Zardari wanted to take advantage of the increasing unpopularity of the PML-N government among industrialists, small businessmen and traders due to prolonged load shedding, rising inflation and water shortage, the source maintained.

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ZAMURD KHAN LIKELY TO BE MADE PPP PUNJAB GENERAL SECY

“The PPP leadership wants to reclaim Punjab from the PML-N and the PTI. Hence, change of guards is being finalized. It is likely that Zamurd Khan would be appointed general secretary.

Rest would be younger faces who are Bilawal loyalists,” he said, adding that other changes were also being discussed and would soon be announced. The source said that Wattoo had resigned soon after the PPP’s defeat in the general elections.

“Later, Wattoo got a boost when his son, Khurram Jahangir Wattoo, won a Punjab Assembly seat in by-elections. This gave

him some respite and he was asked to continue until reorganisation of the party,” the source added.

When contacted, Kaira, former information minister, said that discussions were being made for the party’s reorganisation. However, he declined to confirm whether his name had been approved for replacing Wattoo.

“It is not necessary that Wattoo is changed. It is premature to read the party leadership’s mind for now,” he said, but admitted that the party would be soon reorganised.

Thursday, 20 March, 2014

NEWS

03

paSha knew oSama’S addreSS in pakiStan?

NYT REPORT CLAIMS ISI ACTUALLY RAN A SPECIAL DESK ASSIGNED TO HANDLE AL QAEDA CHIEF ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

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ORMeR Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha knew of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed was in regular contact with the slain al Qaeda chief, a report in The New York Times claimed on Wednesday, as senior Pakistani security officials rejected the allegation.

Soon after the US Navy SeAL raid on bin Laden's house, "a Pakistani official told me the US had direct evidence that the ISI chief, Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, knew of Bin Laden's presence in Abbottabad," the NYT reported in an article by journalist Carlotta Gall.

"The information came from a senior US official, and I guessed that the Americans had intercepted a phone call of Pasha's or one about him in the days after the raid",

mortar Shell blaSt killS Six in nwa MIRANSHAN/PESHAWAR INP

At least six members of a family were killed when a mortar shell exploded inside a house in North Waziristan Agency on Wednesday.

According to sources, the explosion took place in Shawwal Tehsil of NWA when a person, identified as Ghulam Mohiuddin, found a mortar shell and brought it home.

The shell exploded when he started cutting it, killing six people, including four women and a child on the spot.

Meanwhile, at least five people were injuries in a bombing in Peshawar’s Sarki Gate area.

Police and bomb disposal unit reached the scene and started relief and rescue operation. The injured were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital. Police said the bomb was planted near Sarki Gate area.

Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) personnel told that at least half a kilogram of explosive material was used in the bomb. A house was partially damaged in the incident.

ihC objeCtS to muSharraf’S petition ISLAMABAD ONLINE

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has returned with objection former president Pervez Musharraf’s petition to transfer his case to a military court (MC).

The former president had filed a petition in the IHC on Tuesday, saying that the high treason case against him should be transferred to a MC and February 21 decision of the special court (SC) should be declared unconstitutional.

He had also requested the IHC to issue stay order against the SC decision.

The IHC registrar returned the petition on Wednesday with objection. According to the registrar’s office, the objection read that Musharraf should approach proper forum.

ALLEGES HAFIZ SAEED WAS ALSO IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH OSAMA BIN LADEN

Gall wrote in the article titled 'What Pakistan Knew About Bin Laden', adapted from the book 'The Wrong enemy: America in Afghanistan, 2001-2014', to be published next month.

Gall covered Afghanistan and Pakistan for the paper from 2001 to 2013.

"He knew of Osama's whereabouts, yes," the Pakistani official was quoted as saying.

"Pasha was always their blue-eyed boy," the official said, adding he was surprised to learn this.

According to the official, Pasha had been an opponent of the Taliban and ‘an open and cooperative counterpart for the Americans at the ISI.’ But in the weeks and months after the raid, Pasha and the ISI press office strenuously denied that they had any knowledge of Bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad.

BASELESS REPORT: Reacting to the NYT report, Pakistani intelligence sources dismissed it as "baseless".

SECURITY OFFICIAL SAYS REPORT ‘A TOTALLY BASELESS STORY’

"There is no truth in the NYT report. It is a totally baseless story. Nobody in Pakistan knew about the presence of Osama bin Laden," a Pakistani intelligence source said.

The report added that the haul of handwritten notes, letters, computer files and other information collected from bin Laden's house during the raid revealed regular correspondence "between Bin Laden and a string of militant leaders who must have known he was living in Pakistan, including Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a pro-Kashmiri group that has also been active in Afghanistan, and Mullah Omar of the Taliban".

"Saeed and Omar are two of the ISI's most important and loyal militant leaders.

Both are protected by the agency. Both cooperate closely with it, restraining their followers from attacking the Pakistani state and coordinating with Pakistan's greater strategic plans.

"Any correspondence the two men had with Bin Laden would probably have been known to their ISI handlers," it said.

Saeed, who is wanted by Indian security agencies in connection with the 2008 Mumbai attacks, also denied the report. He came live on various TV channels in Pakistan besides using his twitter handle to deny the charges.

Bin Laden was shot dead by US commandos in May 2012 in a unilateral raid by them, catching the Pakistanis by surprise.

It was always suspected that some on the Pakistani establishment knew bin Laden's whereabouts as he was living a stone-throw away from the military academy in Abbottabad.

"According to one inside source, the ISI actually ran a special desk assigned to handle Bin Laden. It was operated independently, led by an officer who made his own decisions and did not report to a superior. He handled only one person: Bin Laden," the daily reported.

FIR against army men over 35 missing Malakand internees AG ASSURES SC GOVT WILL REGISTER CASE AGAINST ARMY PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN CASE OF 35 INMATES MISSING FROM MALAKAND INTERNMENT CENTRE ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The attorney general assured the Supreme Court on Wednesday that an FIR would be filed against military officers involved in the case of 35 internees missing from a Malakand internment centre.

The three-member apex court bench, headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, was hearing the case of missing man Yasin Shah on an application of his elder brother Muhabbat Shah. On Dec 10, the court held that the army authorities were responsible for removing 35 internees from the Malakand internment centre. But only 12 of them were produced before the court.

On Tuesday, the court had given the

federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments 24 hours to act on its previous orders, and had warned that it would issue notices to the chief executive of the federation (prime minister) and the governor and chief executive (chief minister) of KP if its orders are not complied with. During the hearing, Attorney General Salman Aslam Butt said Additional Secretary Defence Major Gen (r) Arif Nazir would inform the court about the steps taken for the production of the missing persons. Although Nazir was present at the hearing, the bench refused to entertain the point-of-view of the Defence Ministry.

Justice Khawaja declined to listen to additional secretary defence and said the court need not listen to the ministry as it had a constitution to act upon.

Justice Khawaja further said that

there was a value attached to the fundamental rights embedded within the constitution and the court had been emphasising since August 15 on the government to act in accordance with its orders but to no avail.

He added that Wednesday’s was the 35th hearing and the bench was not interested in reports and would subsequently issue a ruling in this regard.

Responding to which, the attorney general pleaded the court to grant the authorities seven to eight days’ time to act upon its orders. Justice Khawaja said the court’s orders were not being implemented, adding that if the prime minister could not handle the matter, he may declare himself free from blame vis-àvis the issue.

The attorney general assured the FIR against those military-men involved would be registered later on Wednesday. He accepted that the matter should have been acted upon earlier, and pleaded to the court to accept his apology. The case was subsequently adjourned to Thursday.

DR SHAKIL AFRIDI’S SENTENCE UNJUST: US WASHINGTON INP

The United States said on Wednesday the 10-year sentence reduction for Dr Shakil Afridi is a positive step but his jail term is still unjust and unwarranted.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday the US is continuing to tell Pakistan that the conviction sends the wrong message about "our shared interest in counterterrorism and in particular,

bringing Osama bin Laden to justice." Last week, the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) Commissioner Munir Azam reduced Dr Afridi’s 33year sentence by 10 years and also his Rs 320,000 fine by Rs 100,000.

Dr Afridi was convicted for his links with banned terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Islam and its chief Managal Bagh.

Afridi had allegedly helped the CIA in tracking down Osama bin Laden by running a fake vaccination campaign in Abbottabad in 2011.

GEN (R) RASHID QURESHI SAYS REPORT AIMED AT MALIGNING GEN MUSHARRAF

pakiStaniS leaSt oppoSed to internet CenSorShip: report WASHINGTON: While support is strong across emerging and developing countries for an Internet without government censorship, Pakistan recorded the lowest percentage of people expressing opposition to censorship, a US survey showed Wednesday.

The Pew Research Center found a majority opposed to government restrictions on online activity in 22 of 24 countries surveyed. According to Pew survey, in Pakistan only 22 per cent of people expressed opposition to censorship but 62 per cent of people polled gave no response or were undecided. Among younger people in the 18-29 age bracket, a strong majority supported an open Internet in every country except in Pakistan, Pew said. Support was especially high among younger people and in countries with a high percentage of people using the Internet. Eightynine per cent of those surveyed in Venezuela said they supported an unfettered Internet, as did at least 80 per cent in Lebanon, Chile, Egypt, Argentina and Brazil. The numbers were high in Mexico (79 per cent), South Africa (77 per cent), Bolivia (76 per cent), Malaysia and the Philippines (both at 73 per cent) and Nigeria (72 per cent). “Support for Internet freedom tends to be strong in nations with high rates of Internet penetration, such as Chile and Argentina, where roughly two-thirds of the population is online,” the Pew report said. “It is less common in nations with lower penetration rates, like Indonesia and Uganda,” where 55 and 49 per cent, respectively, said they oppose government censorship. The report comes days after the US government announced it was giving up its key role in charge of the Internet’s technical operations, handing over those functions to “the global multistakeholder community.” While US officials said they would work to maintain a free and open Internet, critics of the decision said the move opens the door to other countries to impose new controls on online activity. The results from Russia contrasted with those of the rest of the survey, with a relatively low percentage of 63 per cent saying they oppose censorship even though Russia has among the highest levels of Internet use. The well-educated were more likely to support an open Internet in many countries. In Tunisia, for example, 73 per cent of college graduates said it is important to have Internet access without government censorship, compared with 56 per cent of the overall population. Pew researchers polled 21,847 people in 24 emerging and developing economies from March 3, 2013 to May 1 in face-to-face interviews. The margin of error ranged from 3.5 per centage points in Venezuela to 7.7 points in Turkey, with most of the national surveys between four and five percentage points. AGENCIES

BALOCHISTAN SEEKS ISLAMABAD’S APPROVAL FOR IRAN FERRY SERVICE FOR SHIA PILGRIMS OFFICIAL SAYS REQUEST WAS SENT TWO WEEKS AGO BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO RESPONSE FROM CENTRE SO FAR QUETTA: The government of Balochistan has formally requested Islamabad to launch ferry service for Shia pilgrims from Karachi to Iranian port Chah Bahar.

A well-placed source in Balochistan Home and Tribal Affairs Department, who requested anonymity, said on Wednesday that a formal request was sent to the federal government two

weeks ago in this regard.

The officer stated that even after the elapse of 15 days, the federal government has not responded to the request of Balochistan government.

“We are yet to receive an answer from Islamabad,” he said.

The Balochistan government has made this request in the aftermath of Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch's

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QURESHI DENIES: Talking to Pakistan Today’s Mian Abrar in Islamabad, Major General (r) Rashid Qureshi said that the report was a deliberate leak to the media by the US establishment which “is nothing but a pack of lies”.

“It seems that the report aims at denting the ISI in general and damaging Gen Musharraf in particular. I think after failure in Afghanistan, the US establishment wants to make Musharraf a scapegoat taking advantage of a particular anti-Musharraf environment in Pakistan,” he said.

Qureshi said that Gen Pasha was not ISI chief under Gen Musharraf. “Pasha was made ISI chief by Gen Kayani under Zardari’s government,” he added.

“When Musharraf was in power, US was hunting Osama bin Laden alongside Iran, Afghan border and there was no information of his entering Pakistan. US couldn’t trace him despite spending billions of dollars. It was only the ISI which gave lead for Osama’s hunt,” he added.

announcement in this regard.

The CM had made this announcement soon after a deadly suicide attack in Mastung district of the province that killed at least 22 people and injured dozens when a powerful explosion ripped through a bus carrying Shia pilgrims to Iran on January 21.

“Securing 700km lengthy route is a difficult job,” the officer of the Home

Department said.

In view of increasing attacks on pilgrims' buses, the government has already launched flight service from Karachi, Quetta and Lahore to Iran for Shia pilgrims.

Pilgrims' buses have been repeatedly attacked in Mastung, Quetta and other towns located on Taftan Highway. The Balochistan government has tightened security on Taftan route and deployed levies and Frontier Corps (FC) personnel to protect pilgrims' buses.However, despite strict security, several suicide attacks were carried out on Quetta to Taftan national highway.

STAFF REPORT

04 NEWS

Thursday, 20 March, 2014

RUSSIAN FORCES STORM UKRAINE NAVAL HQ IN CRIMEA SEVATOPOL AGENCIES

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USSIAN troops and unarmed men stormed Ukraine's naval headquarters in the Crimean port of Sevastopol on Wednesday and raised the Russian flag in a tense but peaceful takeover that signals Moscow's intent to neutralize any armed opposition.

Russian soldiers, and so-called "self-defense" units of mainly unarmed volunteers who are supporting them across the Black Sea peninsula,

moved in early in the morning and quickly took control.

Shortly after the incident, Ukraine's acting Defence Minister Ihor Tenyukh said in Kiev that the country's forces would not withdraw from Crimea even though Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a treaty to make it part of Russia.

But an hour later, Ukrainian servicemen, unarmed and in civilian clothing, began walking out of the headquarters.

Interfax Ukraine news agency said the commander of the Ukrainian navy, Admiral Serhiy Haiduk, was among

iSrael bombS Syrian poStS over golan attaCk on itS troopS JERUSALEM: Israel attacked several Syrian military sites on Wednesday in retaliation for a roadside bombing that wounded four of its troops on the occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday, the Israeli military said. It said targets included a Syrian military headquarters, a training facility and artillery batteries. Aircraft carried out the overnight strike, said Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner, an Israeli military spokesman. He described targets as military facilities on the Syrian-held side of the Golan. Israel captured the Golan from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed it in a move not recognized abroad. Tuesday’s wounding of the soldiers as they patrolled the separation line on the strategic plateau marked Israel’s worst casualties there since an insurgency erupted in Syria more than three years ago. Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said in a statement that the Syrian army had aided and abetted Tuesday’s attack.

“We hold the Assad regime responsible for what happens in its territory and if it continues to collaborate with terrorists striving to hurt Israel then we will keep on exacting a heavy price from it and make it regret its actions,” Yaalon said. Parts of the Syrian-held side of the Golan are controlled by rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad, including al Qaeda-inspired militants hostile to the Jewish state. Israel says Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas helping Assad battle the insurgency also have a presence on the Golan.

Spillover violence on the Golan from the Syrian civil war has often drawn Israeli return fire against Syrian positions, ending what had previously been a stable, decades-old standoff between the foes. Israel is believed to have struck inside Syria several times since 2013, against advanced weapons it believed were intended for Hezbollah, attacks it has neither confirmed nor denied. Hezbollah accused Israel of carrying out an air strike on one of its bases on the Lebanon-Syria border last month and vowed to respond. Israel said it would hold the Beirut government responsible if Hezbollah attacked it from Lebanese territory. AGENCIES

those who left and was driven away by officers of Russia's FSB intelligence service. The report could not be independently confirmed.

The first group of servicemen was followed within a few minutes by a handful of troops in Ukrainian uniform, looking shell-shocked at the dramatic turn of events.

"This morning they stormed the compound. They cut the gates open, but I heard no shooting," said Oleksander Balanyuk, a captain in the navy.

"This thing should have been solved politically. Now all I can do is

stand here at the gate. There is nothing else I can do," he told a foreign news agency, appearing ashamed and downcast. Russia's Itar-Tass news agency reported that Alexander Vitko, commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet which is based in Sevastopol, had been involved in talks at the headquarters. Viktor Melnikov, in charge of the "self-defence" unit, said talks were going on to negotiate a surrender.

"We've had difficult negotiations with the command here," he told reporters. "Some Ukrainian servicemen are already leaving, without their uniforms, but there was no violence."

Why didn’t the missing Malaysian jet passengers use their cellphones?

BANGKOK AGENCIES

In the age of smartphones and social media, one question surrounding the disappearance of the Malaysian airliner is why none of the passengers tried to contact relatives, as they did during the 9/11 attacks. even the absence of phone calls or emails from those on board the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 could provide clues for investigators struggling to solve one of the greatest mysteries of modern aviation.

It may indicate that the plane was flying too high or was over water, or that the passengers were unconscious, possibly due to a change in cabin pressure. experts say the chances of the 239 people on board Flight 370 being able to use their mobile devices would have been better the closer they were to a mobile network on the ground.

Many are sceptical that the passengers or crew would have been able to establish and maintain a call using cellphones while travelling at speed, particularly at cruising alti-

tude.

For mobile phones to be used, there must be a contact between the handset and the network -- known as a "handshake". This requires a strong enough signal from both a transmission tower and the phone.

"Theoretically, 23,000 feet (7,000 metres) and 45,000 feet are a cell range that terrestrial mobile network could work with," said Singapore-based telecommunications consultant Koh Chee Koon, referring to unconfirmed reports of changes in the plane's altitude after it lost radar contact.

But given the limited transmission power of a commercial mobile phone, as well as the barrier presented by the plane body, "for the mobile phone to connect to the mobile network with acceptable strength and quality would require some luck", added Koh. experts note that in the case of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, the planes were flying at relatively low altitude over areas with cellphone coverage.

In any case most of the calls are believed to have been made from

seatback phones and not mobile devices.

Recently some airlines have introduced technology to enable passengers to use their phones in the air using a small cellular base station on board, but Malaysia Airlines said this service was not available on Flight 370.

Without this, a cellphone cannot be used at an altitude of more than roughly 0.5 kilometres in the case of a commercial airliner, and must not be too far from a cell tower, according to A.K. Dewdney, professor emeritus of computer science at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.

"No cellphone could possibly succeed from an airliner in midocean, even if flying low over the water," he said.

"At normal cruising altitude no cellphone could possibly succeed in making ground contact as it is completely out of reach of the network of towers, in any case," added Dewdney, who conducted experiments after the 9/11 attacks to test the capability of mobile telephones to make calls from the air.

Bangladesh indicts former PM Khaleda Zia DHAKA AGENCIES

A court in Bangladesh's capital on Wednesday indicted a former prime minister and leading opposition figure in two related cases involving charges of corruption for allegedly using an illegal fund to buy land for a charity named after her late husband.

Judge Basudeb Roy accepted the charges against Khaleda Zia, who was present in the court.

Defense lawyer Khandker Mahbub Uddin said the charges that Zia had illegally collected more than $1 million in donations for the charity named after late President Ziaur Rahman were not true.

Zia says she is innocent and the charges are politically motivated. Authorities deny the allegations.

Pressing the charges against Zia could further complicate the country's tense political situation.

Zia's party and her allies boycotted troubled Jan. 5 elections in which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned to power with an overwhelming majority.

Zia has vowed to restart protests against Hasina to oust her from power, but Hasina has said she would stand tough against any such moves in the South Asian nation, which is a parliamentary democracy.

Zia heads the charity, which she established during her latest premiership, in 2001-2006.

NSA can record 100 percent calls of foreign country REPORT SAYS BULK METHODS CAPTURE MASSIVE DATA FLOWS ‘WITHOUT USE OF DISCRIMINANTS’ WASHINGTON SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

The US National Security Agency (NSA) has built a surveillance system capable of recording “100 percent” of a foreign country’s telephone calls, enabling the agency to rewind and review conversations as long as a month after they take place, The Washington Post reported. The newspaper cited in its report US people with direct knowledge of the effort and documents supplied by former contractor edward Snowden.

A manager for the pro-

gramme compares it to a time machine – one that can replay the voices from any call without requiring that a person be identified in advance for surveillance, says a report posted Tuesday.

According to the paper, the voice interception programme, called MYSTIC, began in 2009.

Its ReTRO tool, short for “retrospective retrieval,” and related projects reached full capacity against the first target nation in 2011. Planning documents two years later anticipated similar operations elsewhere. In the initial deployment, collection systems

are recording “every single” conversation nationwide, storing billions of them in a 30-day rolling buffer that clears the oldest calls as new ones arrive, according to a classified summary. The paper report says the call buffer opens a door “into the past”, the summary says, enabling users to “retrieve audio of interest that was not tasked at the time of the original call”. “Analysts listen to only a fraction of 1 percent of the calls, but the absolute numbers are high. each month, they send millions of voice clippings, or “cuts,” for processing and long-term storage.”

At the request of US officials, The Washington Post said, it is withholding details that could be used to identify the country where the system is being em-

ployed or other countries where its use was envisioned. “No other NSA program disclosed to date has swallowed a nation’s telephone network whole. Outside experts have sometimes described that prospect as disquieting but remote, with notable implications for a growing debate over the NSA’s practice of “bulk collection” abroad.” The paper reports that bulk methods capture massive data flows “without the use of discriminants”, as President Obama put it in January. By design, they vacuum up all the data they touch — meaning that most of the conversations collected by ReTRO would be irrelevant to US national security interests. The newspaper cites Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the National

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Security Council as declining to comment on “specific alleged intelligence activities”. Speaking generally, she said, “new or emerging threats” are “often hidden within the large and complex system of modern global communications, and the United States must consequently collect signals intelligence in bulk in certain circumstances in order to identify these threats”. NSA spokeswoman Vanee Vines, in an emailed statement, said “continuous and selective reporting of specific techniques and tools used for legitimate U.S. foreign intelligence activities is highly detrimental to the national security of the United States and of our allies, and places at risk those we are sworn to protect”.

tharparkar death toll riSeS to 187 aS 3 more die MITHI/HYDERABAD: Two more children and one woman died in the hospitals in Hyderabad and Mithi on Wednesday, rising death toll in Tharparkar to 187. According to the Mithi Civil Hospital, a 30-year-old woman, a resident of Diplo District, died in the morning. The patient was reported to be severely anaemic. According to reports, 183 patients, including 68 children, were admitted during 24 hours to different hospitals of Tharparkar District. According to a report presented before the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday, at least 167,229 people had been hit by the droughttriggered famine. The report also made some shocking revelations about the criminal negligence of the Health Department, generally in Thar and, particularly in Umer Kot. INP

iran CloSeS border with pakiStan for 10 dayS QUETTA: The Iranian government closed its borders with Pakistan on Tuesday in the run-up to Nauroze festivities. Official sources said that Iranian border authorities had informed their counterparts about the decision of their government. The border would remain closed for 10 days and all kinds of trade between the two countries will remain suspended. Most of the people running their business at Zero Point on the Pakistan side left for their hometowns after closing their shops and business centres.

The Iranians celebrate Nauroze from March 19 every year. The celebrations will continue for 10 days throughout Iran. As a precautionary measure, the Iranians have also beefed up security by deploying more troops along the border with Pakistan.

Earlier, the Iranian government had sacked three border force officers for negligence in the aftermath of kidnapping of five Iranian border security guards allegedly by a Sistan Balochistan-based extremist outfit, Jaishul Adal, on Feb 6. STAFF REPORT

paleStinianS threaten to reSume un Campaign RAMALLAH: A senior Palestinian official says the Palestinians will resume their campaign for international recognition at the United Nations if Israel calls off a planned release of Palestinian prisoners.

Israel pledged to release 104 long-serving prisoners in four stages under a U.S.brokered deal to relaunch peace talks with the Palestinians last July. The fourth and final group is to be released by March 29.

Israel's chief negotiator said Tuesday that Israel is not obligated to free the prisoners, and said the decision to do so would depend on progress in peace talks. Israel is seeking a Palestinian pledge to extend talks beyond a current April deadline.

Palestinian official Nabil Shaath said the Palestinians said if the prisoner release is called off, the Palestinians will "immediately" turn to the UN. AGENCIES

turkiSh airlineS denieS flying armS to nigeria ANKARA: Turkey’s national carrier denied on Wednesday allegations of an arms shipments to unknown groups in Nigeria, which has been ravaged by violence between the army and militants.

“Turkish Airlines, in accordance with company policy, does not ship arms to countries, where there is a power vacuum or conflict,” the airline said in a statement.

“There have been no arms shipments from Turkey … to (Nigeria),” it added.

In a tape posted on YouTube on Tuesday, Mehmet Karatas, an airline executive, allegedly tells Mustafa Varank, an advisor to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that he feels guilty over the national flag carrier’s arms shipments to Nigeria.

“I do not know whether these (weapons) will kill Muslims or Christians. I feel sinful,” Karatas is allegedly heard saying. AGENCIES

NEWS 05

Thursday, 20 March, 2014

uk envoys hopeful of successful taliban talks BRITISH HIGH COMMISSIONER IN ISLAMABAD SATISFIED WITH GOVERNMENT’S POLICIES TO CURB TERRORISM

ENVOY TO KABUL FINDS NO REASON FOR ARMED RESISTANCE AFTER PRESIDENTIAL POLLS AND PULLOUT OF ALLIED TROOPS

PESHAWAR

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SHAMIM SHAHID

HE British diplomats in Pakistan and Afghanistan hope that peace will return to the region as a result of the government and Taliban talks, making the Afghan forces capable of handling the situation after pullout of US-led allied troops.

“Taliban militants in Pakistan are engaged in dialogues with government whereas across the border in Afghanistan, they are divided and seem left with no option except joining the political process,” said Sir Richard Stagg, British envoy in Kabul. Whereas Philip Barton, British high commissioner in Islamabad, not only showed satisfaction over the government’s policies to curb terrorism, but also towards Afghanistan. Both the envoys were addressing a video-link press

cjP takes suo moto notice of shikaRPuR honouR killing ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani has taken suo moto notice of killing of two women over “Karo Kari” in Shikarpur. The women of the Mahar clan were allegedly killed on the orders of a Jirga. The CJP has summoned Sindh Inspector General of Police on March 20 in this regard. INP

indian vaRsity exPels 6 moRe kashmiRi students ISLAMABAD: The authorities of Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Meerut India, have expelled six more Kashmiri students, who were not even present on the campus during the Pakistan-India Asia cricket match during Asia Cup. "I along with five other students was at our homes on the day of the incident.

On March 15 when we went to the university to join our classes, we were simply kicked off from the campus," said a physiotherapy student, Younis Gauhar, reported KMS. "The varsity authorities told us that we are also in the list of suspended students so we should immediately get out of the campus," he said. The students pleaded their innocence by explaining that they were on holiday and far from the university on that day, but they were not even allowed to stay for a single night. "We were treated as criminals," said Gauhar. "The atmosphere at the university was highly charged against the Kashmiris and we felt that we might be killed if we stayed a bit longer." With the expulsion of six more students, the total number of Kashmiri students expelled from the university has gone up to 74. The students are from both first year and second year of their respective academic courses. As many as 67 students were expelled from the university on March 3 after they were alleged to have cheered for Pakistan cricket team during Asia Cup match with India. APP

conference from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

At the very outset of over one-hour long chat with media from both the countries, Barton and Stagg said, “Both Pakistan and Afghanistan suffered a lot due to terrorism and extremism but its people facing identical economic, administrative, sociopolitico and religious extremism issues.” On such grounds, both the envoys insisted on maximum cooperation and understanding among leadership of both the countries.

Barton while expressing satisfaction over Nawaz government’s policies, said “Premier Sharif soon after assuming office had visited Kabul and held detail meetings with President Karzai. Similarly both the leaders have held frequent meetings.”

He said Nawaz had made assurances of extending maximum help in return of peace and stability in Afghanistan as according to him (Nawaz) “peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in interests of

Pakistan”.

To a question, Stagg averted the impression of “emerging 90-like situation in Afghanistan with pullout of US led allied troops.” He said there existed wide-range differences in present and previous Afghanistan. “In 90, former Soviet Union had disconnected financial, political and logistic support to Afghanistan. At that time, Afghans were divided and that country was lacking a centralized system. But now the global community has assured continuation of financial, logistic, diplomatic and political support to Afghanistan.

There exists a centralized system and authority in Afghanistan.”

He said that now almost Afghan youths are educated and they are fed up of war and hostilities in their motherland. These youths have witnessed a developed but a peaceful world, he said.

On such grounds now it could be hard for anyone to derail peace, political process and development. He also said that there existed unity and consensus among the Afghans about issues like terrorism, militancy and economic hardships.

To another question, British envoy to Kabul said, “The Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan of Engineer

Gulbadin Hekmatyar is not only divided, but its main faction is fielding Engineer Qutabuddin Hilal in presidential polls. Similar is position of Taliban who are also divided.”

He also reminded that resistance was against foreign troops and President Karzai, therefore after presidential polls and pullout of allied troops, there would be no more justification for armed resistance.

Regarding Bilateral Security Agreement, the envoy said, “Karzai has out rightly declared that he will not sign it but we are hopeful that anyone who wins presidential polls will sign the BSA.” He said that through BSA, the global community would be determined to continue financial help with Afghanistan in according to Chicago and Tokyo conferences. In both the conferences, the global community has pledged a huge amount of RS 4 billion for Afghanistan after pullout of US-led troops.

About foreign interference in ongoing election process, especially from neighbouring countries, the British diplomat expressed his ignorance.

However, he said, “President Karzai has assured that coming elections will be free and fair and no one will influence it.”

PM announces commission for safety and security of journalists ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced on Wednesday the setting up of a media commission for safety and security of journalists in Pakistan.

"This commission will propose measures to be adopted by the government to protect journalists in the field and to ensure their well being," an official statement quoting the PM as saying during his meeting with head of the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) which further added "this would be a commission comprising of media persons, public figures and government members."

"I want to make Pakistan a journalist friendly country where not only national but international media community should feel safe, secure and respected" Premier Sharif said. Sharif said that this commission will also suggest ways and

means to effectively monitor the prosecution of crimes against journalists. CPJ official Kati Marton, the widow of late US Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, ap-

preciated the government's resolve towards strengthening democratic institutions. She appreciated the prime minister's role in pursuing Wali Khan

Extremist ‘relief workers’ behind torching of Hindu temple LAHORE NADEEM SYED

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders on Wednesday said extremists ransacked the Hindu temple in Larkana after entering the area under the garb of relief work in Tharparkar.

Addressing PPP office-bearers, Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, PPP divisional coordinator, said that the right-wing groups under the garb of relief work were sent to Thar. He said that the Sindh government was responsible for its criminal negligence, but the right-wing groups had cashed

on it at the expense of the Sindh festival.

He also said that Sindh was comparatively less prone to religious extremism due to the composition of its population of the province and the widespread influence of Sufism. He, however, said the extremists had proved that the province was no more an exception.

He added that the PML-N, PTI and other religious parties had identified them with the Taliban and had embarked upon seeking peaceful settlement in a bid to impose their brand of Sharia. It would backfire in most

ferocious manners, dismantling the whole edifice of Pakistan and its ideology, he warned. The Sindh festival showcased a soft image of Pakistan and the response by the civil society and the media was heartwarming that gave a lot of discomforts to retrogressive forces, he observed. He admitted that the extremists had tried to nullify the impact of the festival by unleashing the reign of terror in Larkana.

Last week, an angry mob torched a Hindu temple and scores of shops in Larkana while protesting against alleged desecration of the Holy Quran by a Hindu man.

Babar's case which resulted in the conviction of his killers and a strong message for the international community about the state of rule of law in Pakistan.

5.4 RichteR scale eaRthquake jolts PeshawaR PESHAWAR STAFF REPORT An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale rocked Peshawar and its vicinity on Wednesday.

According to the meteorological department the quake measured 5.4 with its epicentre in the Hindu Kush mountain range and 170 kilometres deep.

The earthquake was also felt in Chitral and Malakand division. There were no immediate reports of damage to property or loss of life.

Asfanyar Bhandara victim of baseless propaganda, says aunt Bapsi Sidhwa ISLAMABAD PRESS RELEASE The aunt of the Chief Executive of Murree Brewery, Mr Asfanyar Bhandara and famous English novelist, Bapsi Sidhwa, has said in a press release, after her failure to reconcile the issues in the Bhandara family, that Asfanyar Bhandara is in the right, while his mother Goshi Bhandara, prey to the conspiracies of Rustam Sidhwa, his wife and the ex-servant, gardener Naseem Gul Khattak, is trying to disintegrate the Bhandara family. If they are true to their words, they should come before

the people, who wish to resolve these issues within the family.

It should be noted that the sister of late MP Bhandara and 75 years old Bapsi Sidhwa is a famous English novelist.

She has received many awards in recognition of her abilities and literary services, including: Bunting Fellowship at Radcliff/Harvard (1986), Visiting scholar at the Rockefeller Foundation Centre, Bellagio, Italy, (1991), Sitara-eImtiaz (1991, Pakistan’s highest Honour in the arts) Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Writer’s Award (1994), Premio Mondello for Foreign authors for water (2007), Inducted in the Zoroastrian Hall of

Fame (2000).

She said that many of elders of the family including her brother Feroz Bhandara have tried to convince them to resolve the issues by dialogue and understanding, however, Rustam Sidhwa, always using deception and trickery, has made such efforts futile.

She said that a campaign of fictitious and baseless propaganda is being run in the Parsi community with the support of Rustam Sidhwa to convince everyone that Asfanyar Bhandara is trying to use his influential position to open the cases against Rustam Sidhwa. While the fact is that the cases of fraud and deception

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against Rustam Sidhwa were already in the courts before the election of Asfanyar Bhandara as a member of National Assembly and we have proof of these cases, while he is also a runaway in some of these cases. These cases are NOT established by or from Asfanyar Bhandara, instead, are filed by the people who have suffered losses and harm from Rustam Sidhwa.

She said that if Goshi Bhandara and Rustam Sidhwa are victims, and Asfanyar Bhandara is mistreating them, they should come forward and present the facts before the elders of the family.

But she has always acted contrary to

these facts and does not even see the people, who come to see her or propose reconciliation/resolutions, instead whenever family members tried to resolve the matters and tried to see her, Rustam Sidhwa always sends her out of the city and does not allow it to happen.

She further added that such issues are defaming and bringing disrespect to the Bhandara family, which is intolerable.

Through an email she invited Goshi Bhandara to resolve the issues through dialogue and discussion and asserted that all people in the family wanted to play their role to reach a resolution.

06 KARACHI

WEATHER UPDATES WEDNESDAY

230C 100C

THURSDAY

240C 110C

FRIDAY

230C 110C

SATURSDAY

220C 120C

Thursday, 20 March, 2014

PRAyER TImINgS fajr

SunriSe Zuhr

aSr

maghrib iSha

5:02

6:22

3:35

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HYDERABAD: A police official measures the chest of a candidate during fitness tests for recruitment in police at Police Headquarters. INP

(

( TO GET THE THUGS, FIX THE BUGS!

sindh rangers dG demands ‘real power’ Sindh rangerS dg termS additional powerS granted by Sindh govt ‘nothing more than a piece of paper’ SayS Karachi Situation can not improvewith current SyStem in place which facilitated criminalS’ releaSe, demandS protection of witneSSeS

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

s

INDH Rangers Director General Major General Rizwan Akhtar on Wednesday said that the law and order situation in the city could not improve unless the entire system was changed.

He was speaking at a news conference where he elaborated on the strategy to end unrest in Karachi and enunciated various hurdles that security forces were facing.

Maj Gen Akhtar stressed upon the need to protect witnesses in cases, saying that loopholes in the system paved way for release of criminals. “Police department has a system but it needs more improvement. The witnesses feel insecure therefore they do not speak in courts when trials begin. It is the need of the hours to protect the eyewitnesses.”

Man killed, several injured in separate accidents KARACHI/NAWABSHAH STAFF REPORT

A man was killed and two others injured when a speeding vehicle crashed into a shop in Nawabshah on Wednesday.

According to the police, the vehicle got out of control and crashed into a shop located at Sehwan Road in Qazi Ahmed area of Nawabshah. As a result of accident one man was killed on the spot while two sustained injuries. The injured were shifted to a hospital where according to medics, condition of the wounded people was also serious.

Separately in Karachi, several persons were injured as a passenger coach on way to Hub overturned on Wednesday.

Sources said an overloaded coach with passengers was on way from Baldia Town in Karachi towards Hub overturned on Northern by-pass, leaving over 12 passengers injured. Edhi sources said that injured including children and women were shifted to Murshid Hospital, Saeedabad.

He said scanners that were to be installed at Karachi’s entry points have not so far been provided by the government.

He said that crimes could not be curbed unless illegal SIMs were completely blocked. About the ongoing anti-criminal crackdown in Karachi, the Rangers chief said the operation started in September 2013, but after November, it could not be continued with the same momentum. He was of the view that more powers were required to the forces for a satisfactory improvement in law and order situation.

“We are making all-out efforts but the thing is that a piece of paper can’t empower us,” the Rangers DG said. “Every culprit should be punished, but things would not improve until we speak the truth. Issues can be resolved if institutions will work with coordination,” he observed. He said that

the Rangers were only given search and operation powers, adding that only soldiers in uniform were allowed to show arms.

“Some politicians call for army takeover in Karachi but nothing could be done unless the entire system is changed, no matter whosoever comes or goes,” the Rangers chief said. He said there were 14 wings of Rangers operating in Karachi and each wing comprised 550 personnel. He said that the matters decided by Rangers at the outset of the operation could not be implemented due to various reasons.

Rangers DG said that additional power, granted to the paramilitary force

by Sindh government, was not more than a ‘piece of paper’. He said Lyari was not the only locality in Karachi with issues, adding that there were other areas where the situation was not different from Lyari.

Karachi develops 30 school complexes under WB project KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Karachi Education Department has developed 30 different educational complexes, each comprising three to four government schools functional on single premises, in mid and low income localities of the metropolis.

The School Complex Project, expected to encompass all government and nationalised schools across Karachi, has been initiated under World Bank (WB) sponsored School Education Reform Project (SERP).

Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui during his visit to some of these complexes including Government Girls Secondary School Complex, Gizri on Wednesday said facilities provided through up gradation of schools in different parts of the city would be necessarily complimented with availability of well-trained teaching staff.

Siddiqui appreciated the fact that Karachi has emerged to be first of the districts in Sindh that have not only managed to adequately utilize the funds but has also dispatched a detailed report of the

SERP’s first phase completed in Karachi.

The commissioner during his visit was accompanied by Additional Chief Secretary Ziaul Islam, Assistant Commissioner (General) Shahzaib Shaikh, Assistant Commissioner (Saddar) Sajjad Ahmad Abro and Director Mohammad Shabih Siddiqui.

He told the teachers and other officials present on the occasion that World Bank authorities have acknowledged the successful and efficient completion of the first phase of its project in the metropolis.

Under the arrangement each of the 30 complexes have been refurbished with conscious effort to create congenial environment required in any school with due care towards adequately equipped classes, library, clean and functional toilets, provision for potable and clean water through coolers and absolute care towards hygiene.

Principal of the school, Mehrunisa Junejo told the commissioner that funds made available to her under the project were mainly utilised for whitewash of the classrooms,

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procurement of cooler and that more funds were needed to further improve the condition of the school.

Siddiqui assured her that as per directives of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Education Minister Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, special measures are being adopted to ensure optimum implementation of SERP. He said the provincial government itself is also fully conscious of its responsibilities in improving the conditions of schools, particularly those in least developed areas along with other parts of the province, he said.

The commissioner directed the officials concerned to hold a meeting to review status of all 30 school complexes completed under first phase of SERP and measures being adopted to further expand the project. He also asked the assistant commissioner (Saddar) to see that the condition of sports ground on Qamar Islam School premises is improved on urgent basis and a sports day be arranged there in the first week of April. Siddiqui said that he would personally attend the sports day programme.

are your Genetically insured? inSurance companieS yet to taKe into account genetic diSorderS

KARACHI: Despite steady surge in varied genetic disorders in the country, the local health insurance companies are yet to take these into account and reimburse the high cost of treatment for such disorders. Doctors have regretted that government funds were also not specifically allocated to manage such diseases including thalassemia, hemophilia, lysosomal storage disorder, down syndrome etc. They were of the opinion that the law introduced in the province vis-à-vis prevention of thalassemia, with pre-marital screening as an essential condition needed to be replicated for all genetic disorders. “Since these genetic disorders persist in our environments, we need to develop a pragmatic approach to help the victims maintain a life quality,” said senior child specialist Dr Abdul Ghaffar Billo. With specific reference to Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSD), a serious and life threatening genetic disorder, he said there were about 45 disorders in the LSDs category. “In a nutshell, inherited genetic defect affects multiple organs and cause progressive physical and/or mental deterioration over time,” he said. “Therapies are available for only 6 LSDs - Gaucher, Pompe, Fabry, Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) I (Hurler syndrome), MPS II (Hunter Syndrome) and MPS VI (MaroteauxLamy),” said Prof Ayesha Mehnaz. “Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT) is the only specific treatment available for some LSDs,” she said in reply to a question. According to available literature consanguineous marriages or marriages between cousins or other close relatives is identified to be the major cause for the condition. Prof Ayesha Mehnaz said some patients survive into adulthood, but others with more severe symptoms may die in their teens or earlier. About the sudden rise in the number of LSD patients they said it was availability of improved diagnostic facilities at major hospitals of the country. According to the two doctors since LSDs usually affect young children, therefore there is a time lag before parents realize that something is wrong with their child. “In some cases, months and years could pass before the child’s disease is properly diagnosed,” they said mentioning that 30 percent of the children diagnosed with LSDs die at a young age.

KARACHI 07

Thursday, 20 March, 2014

KHUHRO FOR ACTION AGAINST SCHOOL GRABBERS KARACHI AgENCIES

Sindh Education Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has directed the officials of the Education Department to take action against the occupiers of government schools.

He was talking to media persons after attending the 22nd Convocation of the NED University of Engineering and Technology on Wednesday. He said that elected representatives have also been asked to identify such schools in their constituencies which were occupied, so that action could be taken. The minister further said that private schools will be encouraged to make Sindhi a compulsory subject in their syllabus.

Earlier, speaking at the awards distribution ceremony, he said that NED University’s graduates were playing an important role in the socio-economic development of the country. As many as 1,413 students were awarded bachelors and masters degrees, while gold medals were conferred on 19 students over their prominent performance. NED Vice Chancellor Prof Dr M Afzal Haq also spoke on the convocation which was attended

by Prof Dr Abdul Wahab from Muhammad Ali Jinnah University, elites of the city and parents of the students.

KARACHI: Sindh Education Minister Nisar Ahmad Khoro awarding degrees to the graduates during the 22nd Convocation of NED University. ONLINE

anF seizes 20 kG oF heroin KARACHI: Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on Wednesday seized more than 20 kilogrammes of heroin during raids conducted in the city.

According to the ANF spokesman, about 20 kgs of heroin worth billions of rupees in international market was seized from Ahmed Shaheed Chowk. Two kgs of heroin was also recovered from a courier company’s shop.

The heroin was being smuggled to England.

Two drug traffickers were also arrested during the raids. STAFF REPORT

proFiteerinG 101 city administration fines 101 profiteers, hoarders

KARACHI: The city administration has fined 101 profiteers and hoarders Rs 96,000 in the city during past 24 hours, said a spokesman of Karachi Commissioner’s office on Wednesday. Majority of those were challaned for violating the officially approved price list for different food items including vegetables, dairy products, chicken and grocery. The profiteers were said to be mainly from Garden, Gulshan-eIqbal, Jamshed Quarters, SITE area, Nazimabad, Gulberg, Airport area, Landhi and Korangi. Those fined included flour millers, 34 chicken sellers, six grocers, 11 green grocers, one fruit seller and 48 milk sellers. AgENCIES

talpur finds nothing substantially new with thar situation LARKANA INP

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AKISTAN People’s Party (PPP) central leader and MNA Faryal Talpur has said that Tharparkar faces similar drought-like situation every year.

Addressing a press conference, she said it was the administration’s responsibility to cope with any such calamity rather than blaming anyone. Talpur

Two gangsters killed in Napier, three held in Muslimabad KARACHI: Two gang war suspects were killed while three others were held in a Rangers operation in Muslimabad area on Wednesday. According to reports, on receiving a tip-off regarding the presence of criminals in the area, Rangers launched a targeted operation in Muslimabad. Around 300 Rangers troops, including female personnel, took part in the operation along with the anti-terrorism wing. Also on Wednesday, two gangsters were killed in police encounter in Napier area of the metropolis. The gangsters belonged to Shiraz Comrade Group. Weapons were also recovered from the suspects. In Lyari, three other gangsters were held after crossfire between them and Rangers in Daryabad. STAFF REPORT

Where did Bhai’s men go? mQm leader Sattar demandS recovery of hiS party’S miSSing men KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) senior leader Farooq Sattar said on Wednesday that the

condemned the incident of attack on dharamshala, a Hindu worship

place and said directives for investigation into the incident have been issued and assured that all culprits involved in the heinous crime will be brought to book. She announced that the Sindh government will bear all the expenses for repair of the damaged dharamshala and provide protection to the Hindu community.

Talpur also announced construction of a journalist colony for media persons in Larkana.

government must fulfil its responsibility of recovering missing workers of the party.

Addressing a press conference held at the party’s Nine-Zero Headquarters, Sattar said the writ of

the state and government was not visible in Karachi.

The senior MQM leader mentioned the recovery of MQM workers’ bodies in Nooriabad and Hyderabad and said that the law was ripped to shreds in cities and urged the government to fulfil responsibility of recovering missing MQM activists. He added that the family members of the missing workers were undergoing anguish and facing them to answer their concerns was becoming a tough task.

CMYK

08 COMMENT Holes in the security plan

Thursday, 20 March, 2014

Future of democracy in Pakistan Youth is holds the key

Is National Intelligence Directorate the solution to our perennial intelligence sharing problems?

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eCISIONS were taken at a high level security meeting on pooling of intelligence resources and the capacity building of the security forces.

Many will watch how the government copes with the several knotty issues involved. relations between agencies, like the military controlled ISI and civilian controlled IB, have been historically marked more by rivalry than cooperation.

At times both have worked at cross purposes. The agencies have hesitated to share with each other the intelligence gathered by them. An attempt made by the previous government to bring the ISI under the control of the interior ministry led to such a strong reaction that the notification had to be withdrawn forthwith.

This time a novel arrangement is going to be tried to ease ISI’s apprehensions of being subordinated to the civilian administration. A wing of the agency dealing with issues related to domestic terrorism alone would report to the newly created National Intelligence Directorate.

As the prime minister has agreed to personally supervise the functioning of the new setup for the time being, this might elicit a modicum of cooperation from the ISI. But with the chief executive required to deal with more pressing matters, the arrangement may not be feasible over time.

The novelty could be interpreted by ISI as a piecemeal absorption of the agency into the civilian setup thus making it less cooperative once the PM hands over the matter to someone else.

Provinces are required to undertake additional responsibilities under the new system. The arrangements being suggested were in fact long overdue. The police in various provinces has neither the training nor the weapons to fight the terrorists. A few months back Balochistan government detailed a small police contingent to receive basic training from the army. Punjab already has an elite Force but instead of performing the task for which it was created the Force is most of the time looking after the security of the VIPs and VVIPs. In case the newly trained and better armed policemen in other provinces were also required to perform protocol duties, they won’t be able to fight the terrorists.

Provinces are also required to set up high security prisons. Unless the federal government allocates adequate funds for new weapons and equipment required by police and for other activities to fight terrorism, the scheme cannot succeed.

The national anti-terrorism policy is by and large of a defensive nature. While the country needs to overcome the internal weaknesses of the police system a reactive policy alone cannot cope with the menace of terrorism. To deal the terrorists an effective blow, there is a need to take the battle to their home ground, destroy their command and control system, dismantle their training centres and take out their prominent leaders. Only a two-pronged approach can rid the country of the terrorist menace.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor Lahore – Ph: 042-36375963-5 Fax: 042-32535230 Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 Fax: 021-35381208 Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545 Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

mirZa aslam beg

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eMOCrACy has had a rough ride in Pakistan but the essentials, which fortify democracy, are clearly discernable on the national horizon, such as the civil and the military trust; our democratic ethos; the agents of change and the end of dynastic politics.

The trust was lost first in 1958, when the civilian government was dismissed by General Ayub. he was forced to abdicate in 1968, but handed over power to General yahya Khan instead of chairman senate, as the constitution demanded. General yahya after the 1970 elections promised to call the National Assembly session in early April 1971 at Dacca, but soon changed his mind, which resulted into the revolt and the military action, leading to fall of Dacca. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto lost trust when he summarily dismissed both the army and air chiefs in 1973.

The distrust shaped into open defiance by ACM Asghar Khan who urged General Zia

to dismiss Bhutto government and hang him to death. General Zia obliged.

In 1988, when General Zia died in the air crash, we the three services chiefs restored the constitution within three hours of General Zia’s death and handed over power to the chairman senate, with the promise that elections must be held in 90 days. elections were held on 16 November, 1988, and Pakistan Peoples Party emerged as the largest party. On 18 November, I invited Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to dinner and briefed her on all matters that she needed to know as the future prime minister. My purpose was to create the trust lost after the hanging of Bhutto by the military ruler. The trust lasted for about ten years, though shaken by 582(B), and was again lost when Nawaz Sharif summarily dismissed two army chiefs and General Musharraf struck. General Kayani restored the trust by opting out of 2008 elections manipulations. ever since then a balanced level of trust has been maintained, now affirmed by General raheel that, “The military will act under the policy of political leadership”. These are healthy signs. however, the way General Musharraf’s trial for high treason is being overstretched, may well cross the level of tolerance once again, upsetting the present balance of trust.

Pakistani nation has remained committed to its national purpose, that is: “Democracy will be the political order for Pakistan, based on the principles of Quran and Sunnah”. Thus Pakistanis have never voted for the secularists or the religious extremists, yet the disruptionists have continued to frighten the nation of the extremists gaining control over the government, but have been proved wrong. For example, in 1988, when the military leadership decided in favour of elections, the country at that time was swarming with the jihadis fighting the russians in Afghanistan. The region as a

whole was radicalised, but the Pakistani nation voted only for the moderates. Such are the democratic ethos of our nation – a valuable asset, we must learn to respect.

Pakistani nation does not accept change through violent means. It has rejected the extremists’ demand of replacing the present political order with sharia. The educated youth, in particular, responded to the call for change by Imran Khan and helped Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf form the government in the KP province, as well as win some respectable number of seats in Punjab and Sindh, thus putting PTI to test, demanding an exemplary government in KP and a clear thinking, to evolve realistic policies, by utilising the knowledge, talent and expertise of the Pakistanis, ignored by our political traditionalists who rely mainly on their old cronies having limited perception and outdated concepts. yet, PTI is vulnerable from within because the party revolves around Imran Khan. Therefore there is a need to develop a syndicate of leadership robust enough to evolve policies so that the ideological underpinnings outclass the founder.

The national parties, namely PPP and PML-N, have withdrawn to their political bases in Sindh and Punjab – a retreat forced on them by the voters who rejected corruption, dynastic politics, bad governance and neglect of the poor and the deprived. The retreat thus has created a vacuum for the more dynamic forces to move-in. In this regard Pakistan is well ahead of India where Aam Admi Party was able to form their government in Delhi, out of eight union territories and 28 provinces, whereas PTI emerged as the third largest party, winning in one province out of four. But what is common between them is their struggle to eradicate corruption and poverty.

Corruption and poverty are the bane of our people, of whom more than 50 percent

live below the poverty line. The curse of corruption permeating our entire system has become endemic. This is the malaise our governments have done little to remove. The traditional politics is helping the rich to be richer and the poor are getting poorer. The news of the day may be true, that more than two hundred fifty Pakistani billionairs are busy purchasing prestigious real estates in USA, europe and UAe with the money looted from Pakistan. The looted Pakistani rupee was converted into dollars during the last six months, pushing the dollar up against the rupee. And as the converted dollars were smuggled out of Pakistan, and the Saudi 1.5 Billion dollars were added, the dollar lost more than six percent of its value against the rupee — a phenomenon which defies all logic.

The emergence of PTI as the third political force spells the demise of dynastic politics in Pakistan. It meets the needs of the people to free them from the oppressive grip of institutionalised corruption, and as an alternative to the two national parties who have lost their élan.

Our people desire change in our traditional politics. An equitable and just social order is demanded, which the new political leadership can deliver, that would result into a grim struggle against the powerful elite who dominate politics and power and have proven right the great philosopher, Ibn-e-Khaldun: “When the rich and the powerful gain control of the government, the country declines and decays.” That is where the tipping point is: demanding balance of forces to guide the movement for change, led by the educated youth of the country. That is the hope for democracy.

Mirza Aslam Beg is former COAS, Pakistan Army. He can be reached at: friendsfoundation@live.co.uk.

Zionist moral ascendancy In shambles

Fatima Zubair

T

here is a silence which haunts, a quiet which forebodes and a calm that preludes only the coming of the tempest. It is an issue in the world politics which remains a gaping wound. A wound that festers.

Although not much has been said about it recently, there is a need to address it, talk about it, keep it in the loop because the violation of human rights continues unabated, and human life degraded. To this end, a recent programme shown on Aljazeera Television, on 7th March, 2014, “Head to Head”, came to my rescue. In it, a very important debate was unleashed.

The ideological foundations of Zionism were challenged and some of the transition from prior Jewish inflexibility to today’s ripening rational tradition on the issue was revealed. It is vital to revisit the issue which festers in world politics with some freshness of ideas, and a non conformist approach. This programme did just that!

The guest of the programme was former Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami. The panel consisted of a professor emeritus of International relations at Oxford University, Avi Shlaim; Diana Buttu, a Palestinian lawyer; and Paul Charney, the Chairman of Zionist Federation. The three pivots on which the debate hinged were how compatible, if at all, is Zionism and liberal democracy; second, the moral grounds for Israeli settlement policy in

Palestinian neighborhoods; and third, the turnout of peace negotiations.

The most striking questions raised were those that very often get smothered in the overriding Muslim emotionalism on the subject of Palestine and Israel. It was: if Israel claims to be a democracy, how can a democracy be called as such when it is dedicated to only the preservation of one particular ethnicity? Democracies are supposed to stand for egalitarianism and equality of all before law. If that is not met, then is not the word an anomaly, a misnomer for Israel to call itself a democracy? Paul Charney said that the status of Israel must not be mistaken since it was made for the protection of the oppressed Jewish population.

Nonetheless, what is happening now is that the same previously oppressed population is oppressing another population. To me, in this entire narrative, two wrongs seem not to be making a right!

Bringing some sanity to the discussion, Avi Shlaim responded to Paul Charney with the following: the liberal Zionism and liberal democracy are increasingly incompatible due to the reality on the ground where a huge gap exists between the lofty dictates of Zionism, and the treatment of Palestinians. Therefore, gaps existing in the core of the matter are increasingly filled by the hypocrisy of the Jewish state.

Second most crucial issue discussed was of the Israeli settlement policy in places like hebron, east Jerusalem and haifa. Before I mention the details, let us look at this: 700,000 Palestinians have had to abandon their homeland either due to financial constraints or simply forced to evacuate by the Jewish state since 1967. While Jewish settlements have increased to 7,000, Palestinian settlements amount to an embarrassing 7.

To this, Paul Charney responded by saying that even the BNP (British National Party) treats other ethnicities as such, so Jewish state should be expected to be no different. The question arises if Israel wants to draw parallels between itself and the extremo-fascist organisations, and take strength from there to discriminate along ethnic and religious lines. If so, Israel must shake off the pretense of being a western styled liberal democracy and must be ready

CMYK

to face the music of international criticism, rogue state status and come out in the open like Iraq before 2003, Afghanistan under the Taliban in the 1990s, and most recently Myanmar in 2013; and acknowledge that it is a failed state because it has failed to provide basic human rights to the minorities; in fact, it flouts them with impunity.

The Israeli settlement policy is an abject denial of international law. The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits an occupying power from transferring its civilian population into an occupied territory. The panel argued that the reason why Israel unflinchingly adheres to the settlement policy is - though not as some justification - that it is psychologically still stuck in the pre-Israel years. historically, Jews back in the day used to outsmart states like Britain, russia and even Ukraine among others in furthering its settlements to produce an artificial demographic majority to yield political influence, and garner protection. A similar legacy in the Jewish psychology is still continuing despite that Jewish population now has a state to protect it. This state behaviour stems from insecurity and breeds more insecurity. Logically, Israel must return to its borders of 1948, as there is little justification in making the inhabitants (Palestinians) of the place immigrants in their own land; dispossessing them, dehumanising them and giving rise to terrorist tendencies in the oppressed population.

Third, the potential and success of peaceful negotiations between Israel and Palestine was debated. Shlomo Ben Ami said that the future of direct Israel and Palestinian talks seemed bleak in the wake of failure and discontinuation of Taba Summit.

The Oslo Accords, Camp David Accords and the 2001 Taba Summit have all been too little for the Palestinian cause. Also, as Taba represented the final negotiations to solve the Arab-Israeli conundrum, the Israeli political schedule (the elections that year) and the massive moral and ideological divergences between the two sides harrowed the process, leading to an immense dissatisfaction and disbelief in a peace deal. Diana Buttu criticised Israel in being the one who negotiates the division of a pizza and eats it

simultaneously. Similarly, when Paul Charney argued the limitation of entry of immigrants in Israel, Buttu argued that the residents of a land were made immigrants out of rightful denizens. Israel takes the land, occupies it and then gives concessions on the land that originally does not belong to it.

Also, that the religious, ethnic and cultural discrimination within Israel, of Palestinians, amounts to an Apartheid. According to Amnesty International, “Israel invokes spurious ‘security’ justifications for a law which institutionalises racial discrimination and violates international law.”

Shlomo Ben Ami, a liberal Zionist, holds the view that Israel would have been in a much sound moral position if in the wake of the second Arab-Israeli War, it had returned the Arab territories occupied, including the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Quneitra, Sinai Peninsula and the Golan heights. This way, its security within Middle east could have been enhanced. To the mention of Apartheid, Shlomo Ben Ami responded by saying that the end to this must be a two-state solution which was not the end, but a means to an end for Israel.

The end for Israel, Ben Ami said, was by no means the alleviation of pain of those affected by its actions, but its own security in the Middle east.

A self interest that marks the core of international relations.

In the light of the above, one is forced to see the divergent approaches of those who uphold each side of the narrative. Not just the Jewish and Arab side, but within the Jewish culture there is liberalism which contradicts the core of liberal thinking. And then there is conservatism which is more than conservative and inches toward fascism. each side is strong, yet none wishes to heed the other. What will be the future of the conflict as well as the ideological chasm which is almost irreconcilable? The question that intrigues the mind of an objective observer is if the liberals of Israel think in such terms, what would the conservative, rightist Zionist be thinking?

Fatima Zubair is an author and a freelance columnist. She can be reached at fzubairb@gmail.com.

Thursday, 20 March, 2014

Time for CIA’s Brennan to go conSortium neWS

C

Melvin a GoodMan

IA Director John Brennan has become an embarrassment to President Barack Obama and should resign immediately. Brennan has clearly worn out his welcome with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), and recent history tells us that when a CIA director is found in the crosshairs of the committee it is time to go.

In the 1980s, CIA Director William Casey was found to be lying to the committee on IranContra, and even such Republican members of the committee as Sen. Barry Goldwater wanted his resignation. In the 1990s, CIA Director Jim Woolsey angered SSCI chairman Dennis DeConcini, D-Arizona, and other key members of the committee, and the Clinton administration persuaded Woolsey to resign.

Brennan’s resignation would allow the Obama administration to release a sanitized version of the SSCI’s report on CIA detention and rendition policy and thus avoid a prolonged battle with the Congress over this issue. The fact that Brennan has crossed swords with the chairman of the committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, DCalifornia, who was an advocate for Brennan and the CIA at his confirmation hearing last year is more than enough reason for Brennan to go.

Feinstein has been an advocate for the intelligence community during her stewardship, defending the massive surveillance of the National Security Agency, the use of the drone and targeted assassinations by the Central Intelligence Agency, and the implementation of the Patriot Act by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. There has never been a chairman of the SSCI more supportive of the intelligence community than Feinstein – until now.

Brennan never should have been appointed CIA director in the first place. During the presidential campaign in 2007-2008, Barack Obama spoke out against the militarization and politicization of the intelligence community, and indicated that an Obama administration would demand more transparency in the community and an end to intelligence abuses.

Even before his election, however, Obama appointed an intelligence advisory staff that was headed by former associates of George Tenet, whose failed stewardship of the CIA included phony intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq War and the cover-up of intelligence failures for 9/11. Tenet’s deputy, John McLaughlin, who supported CIA programs of renditions and detentions, was part of the advisory group.

Immediately after the election, Obama appointed one of Tenet’s proteges, John Brennan, to head the transition team at CIA. Brennan, as Tenet’s chief of staff, was part of the corruption and cover-up at CIA. He was slated to become Obama’s director at CIA, but Brennan removed his name from consideration when it became clear that he would have serious difficulty in the confirmation process because of his support for CIA detentions and renditions.

Brennan’s route to the CIA directorship was

like the path followed by Robert Gates, who had to withdraw his nomination in 1987 because of his dissembling over Iran-Contra, but then laundered his credentials to become confirmed four years later. Brennan too laundered his credentials for a successful bid to become CIA director in 2013.

It should not be forgotten that, during the Tenet era at CIA, Brennan was the chief of staff and deputy executive director under George Tenet, and provided no opposition to decisions to conduct torture and abuse of suspected terrorists and to render suspected individuals to foreign intelligence services that conducted their own torture and abuse.

Brennan had risen through the analytic ranks at the CIA, and should have been aware that analytic standards were being ignored at the Agency. Brennan was also an active defender of the program of warrantless eavesdropping, implemented at the National Security Agency under the leadership of one of Tenet’s successors, Gen. Michael Hayden, then director of NSA. President Obama will not be able to change

the culture of the intelligence community and restore the moral compass of the CIA unless there is a full understanding and repudiation of the operational crimes of the post-9/11 era. If the President wants to roll back the misdeeds of the Bush administration, restore the rule of law at the CIA, and create the change that Americans want, he should not be relying for advice on the senior officials who endorsed the shameful acts of the past.

The resignation of John Brennan and the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report would be a good place to start.

Melvin A. Goodman, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy. He is the author of the recently published National Insecurity: The Cost of American Militarism (City Lights Publishers) and the forthcoming The Path to Dissent: The Story of a CIA Whistleblower (City Lights Publisher). Goodman is a former CIA analyst and a professor of international relations at the National War College.

Wall Street Journal Mitt RoMney

Iran keeps its word on nuclear arms

Financial timeS Javad ZaRif

At last it seems realistic to hope for a resolution to the unnecessary crisis surrounding Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme. In large part that is because attitudes towards my country are changing. It is now recognised that Iranian scientists have mastered nuclear technology – and it is widely accepted that the knowledge we have attained cannot be wished away. There is also a growing appreciation that Iran does not have any interest in nuclear weapons. True, we live in a volatile neighbourhood. Yet we have always been clear that pursuing nuclear weapons – or even being wrongly suspected of doing so – would put our national security in jeopardy. In our view, nuclear weapons are obsolete tools of the past. Israel’s nuclear arsenal

WORLD VIEW 09 The price of failed leadership

was of little help in Lebanon in 2006. The tragic events of 9/11 proved beyond any doubt that even the strongest nuclear power cannot attain security for itself by inflicting insecurity on others. There is no alternative to inclusion and engagement.

Weapons of mass destruction are feeble instruments of security and deterrence. This is true for all states, but especially for Iran. My country is content with its size, geography, natural resources and human capital. It has not started a single war in the past three centuries. The option of a nuclear weapon would harm our security, putting at risk our relative advantage in conventional forces. Instead, we must win the confidence of actors who have worried unnecessarily about Iranian strength.

Iran cannot expect to possess a meaningful nuclear deterrent, either directly or through proxies.

Beyond this sober strategic calculus, we oppose nuclear weapons on principle. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s leader, has gone as far as issuing a fatwa – a religious edict – prohibiting the development, stockpiling and use of such arms. Our conscientious objection has been put to the test. When Saddam Hussein gassed our people on a scale not seen since the first world war, we did not use weapons of mass destruction even in retaliation.

While some in the west may have entertained illusions in the past, few now doubt that the only way to ensure that Iran’s nuclear energy programme will remain exclusively peaceful is to reach a mutually acceptable agreement. This shift did not occur overnight. It was prompted by the realisation that coercion, pressure and sanctions only result in more centrifuges, more resentment and deeper mistrust. The Joint Plan of Action agreed with my counterparts in Geneva last November is

a landmark document. It is founded on the conviction that non-proliferation can be assured only through a transparent Iranian energy programme, monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency, that includes uranium enrichment.

Reaching this interim deal, the first in a decade, required leadership and courage from all sides. Negotiating a permanent agreement poses a still greater challenge. All parties to the talks have displayed a proclivity to engage, but this will be tested in the coming months. Iranian engagement is not a means to an end but a national security priority. To be absolutely clear, we are not negotiating for the sake of negotiating, nor in order to gain time. We have shown once again that we keep our word. As the IAEA recently confirmed, we have kept all the promises we have made. It is now time for our counterparts to keep their side of the bargain.

As we enter talks on the comprehensive nuclear deal, our counterparts will have to make tough choices. They will have to back up rhetoric with action. Some of them will have to spend copious amounts of political capital to remain credible before the international community. Others, who have grown comfortable with the status quo, will have to scramble to reposition themselves.

One thing that everyone will have to do is show courage – far more than has been displayed so far.

As our spring equinox approaches, I invite the world to join my people in celebrating a new dawn. Most of all, I invite my counterparts in the nuclear negotiations to make full use of the opportunity before us. Let us end this unnecessary crisis and open new horizons.

The writer is foreign minister of Iran.

Why are there no good choices? From Crimea to North Korea, from Syria to Egypt, and from Iraq to Afghanistan, America apparently has no good options. If possession is nine-tenths of the law, Russia owns Crimea and all we can do is sanction and disinvite—and wring our hands.

Iran is following North Korea's nuclear path, but it seems that we can only entreat Iran to sign the same kind of agreement North Korea once signed, undoubtedly with the same result.

Our tough talk about a red line in Syria prompted Vladimir Putin's sleight of hand, leaving the chemicals and killings much as they were. We say Bashar Assad must go, but aligning with his al Qaeda-backed opposition is an unacceptable option.

And how can it be that Iraq and Afghanistan each refused to sign the status-of-forces agreement with us—with the very nation that shed the blood of thousands of our bravest for them?

Why, across the world, are America's hands so tied?

A large part of the answer is our leader's terrible timing. In virtually every foreign-affairs crisis we have faced these past five years, there was a point when America had good choices and good options. There was a juncture when America had the potential to influence events. But we failed to act at the propitious point; that moment having passed, we were left without acceptable options. In foreign affairs as in life, there is, as Shakespeare had it, "a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries."

When protests in Ukraine grew and violence ensued, it was surely evident to people in the intelligence community— and to the White House—that President Putin might try to take advantage of the situation to capture Crimea, or more. That was the time to talk with our global allies about punishments and sanctions, to secure their solidarity, and to communicate these to the Russian president. These steps, plus assurances that we would not exclude Russia from its base in Sevastopol or threaten its influence in Kiev, might have dissuaded him from invasion.

Months before the rebellion began in Syria in 2011, a foreign leader I met with predicted that Assad would soon fall from power. Surely the White House saw what this observer saw. As the rebellion erupted, the time was ripe for us to bring together moderate leaders who would have been easy enough for us to identify, to assure the Alawites that they would have a future post-Assad, and to see that the rebels were well armed.

The advent of the Arab Spring may or may not have been foreseen by our intelligence community, but after Tunisia, it was predictable that Egypt might also become engulfed.

At that point, pushing our friend Hosni Mubarak to take rapid and bold steps toward reform, as did Jordan's king, might well have saved lives and preserved the U.S.-Egypt alliance.

The time for securing the status-of-forces signatures from leaders in Iraq and Afghanistan was before we announced in 2011 our troop-withdrawal timeline, not after it. In negotiations, you get something when the person across the table wants something from you, not after you have already given it away.

Able leaders anticipate events, prepare for them, and act in time to shape them. My career in business and politics has exposed me to scores of people in leadership positions, only a few of whom actually have these qualities. Some simply cannot envision the future and are thus unpleasantly surprised when it arrives. Some simply hope for the best. Others succumb to analysis paralysis, weighing trends and forecasts and choices beyond the time of opportunity.

President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton traveled the world in pursuit of their promise to reset relations and to build friendships across the globe. Their failure has been painfully evident: It is hard to name even a single country that has more respect and admiration for America today than when President Obama took office, and now Russia is in Ukraine. Part of their failure, I submit, is due to their failure to act when action was possible, and needed.

A chastened president and Secretary of State Kerry, a year into his job, can yet succeed, and for the country's sake, must succeed. Timing is of the essence.

Mr. Romney is the former governor of Massachusetts and the 2012 Republican nominee for president.

10 BUSINESS

Thursday, 20 March, 2014

MINISTER FOR LINKING IP PIPELINE PROJECT WITH LIFTING OF SANCTIONS

P

COMPANY Rafhan Maize XD Nestle Pak. Pak Tobacco Philip Morris Pak. Fazal Textile

OPEN 7700.00 9040.00 980.00 543.00 491.00

HIGH 7800.00 9040.00 1008.00 543.90 491.00

LOW 7500.00 9040.00 980.00 542.00 491.00

CLOSE CHANGE 7775.00 105.00 9040.00 44.00 999.10 36.52 543.90 25.90 491.00 23.18

TURNOVER 380 20 9,000 1,200 100

4350.00 2870.00 454.00 1275.00 755.00

4300.00 2776.00 428.48 1240.00 725.00

4300.00 2781.47 428.48 1255.00 725.00

-152.14 -120.03 -22.55 -20.00 -14.50

40 920 12,900 840 8,600

13.95 31.90 17.20 10.74 11.28

13.10 31.00 16.71 10.43 11.05

13.78 31.42 17.14 10.64 11.12

0.58 0.19 0.35 0.07 -0.08

48,261,000 16,190,000 11,509,500 9,577,500 7,979,000

Major Losers

ISLAMABAD APP

eTroLeUM Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Wednesday underlined the need for linking Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project to lifting of sanctions on the latter, adding the same would be completed in three years as and when sanctions are removed.

Talking to reporters after addressing an opening session of the two-day oil and gas summit being organised by International research Networks (IrN), in collaboration with the Petroleum Ministry, he said the same line of thinking had also been coveyed to Iran.

He said there was no external pressure to prevent progress on the project, adding that in pres-

Major Gainers

Wyeth Pak Ltd XD Bata (Pak) Hinopak Motor Siemens Pakistan Murree Brewery

4350.00 2870.00 435.50 1240.00 750.00

Volume Leaders

ence of the sanctions, the work could not proceed on the pipeline to import gas from Iran. Answering another question regarding the LNG import project, he said all modalities had been worked out and negotiation on government-to-government basis were under way with Qatar.

He said no pricing had been fi-

nalized to import the LNG and that first supply of the gas would reach the country by November this year.

To a question, he said that after the 18th Amendment issues with regard to the oGrA were being sorted out and things would go, smoothly. He said the summit would go a long way in highlighting the country's hydrocarbon re-

$164m current account surplus in February LAHORE MuhAMMAd uSMAn KhAn

The C/A deficit for Jul-Feb (8 months) stands at $2.020 Billion (1.2% of GDP) compared to $-831 million in the same period last year. The c/a posted a surplus of $164 million for the month of February 2014. Materialization of Coalition Support Fund (CSF) payment of $352 million (in service income account) helped Pakistan curtail its current account deficit at same level as first 7 months (July-Jan 2014)of this fiscal year (Services head of current account usually post a deficit of $275300 million per month but CSF payment led to a surplus of $57 million in Feb 2014).

What’s interesting is the reduction of Balance of Payments deficit from $2.123 billion to $1.306 billion (a reduction of $817 million). The reduction was led due to a huge jump in capital account (Feb 2014 inflow of $759million which usually is around $50 million to $75million per month) on the back of Pakistan development fund (PDF) first tranche of $650 million between Feb 14-21 which can be seen in FX reserves report of that date. Balance of payments deficit is expected to further reduce next month when the next instalment of PDF fund which materialized in March 2014 will show up in the Balance of payment report.

The writer is a research analyst for the Treasury and FX group at MCB Bank Limited

sources and working out strategies to effectively explore natural wealth for mitigating the energy crisis in the country. earlier addressing the conference, the Minister said the government was working on several front to effectively meet the country's energy requirements and several measures were being taken in this regard.

Bahrain urged to avail business opportunities in Pakistan KARACHI: Pakistan has been experiencing a new dawn of economic revival and Bahrain should partner with it for mutual benefit. Bahrain should look into unmatched business opportunities in Pakistan with a special focus on project-based financing and Islamic banking, said FPCCI President Zakaria Usman while speaking at a meeting of Bahrain-Pakistan Business Council on the eve of three-day official visit of Bahrain’s King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al-Khalifa to Pakistan. Bahrain’s Minister of Industries and Commerce Dr Hassan A Fakhro, Bahrain’s Minister of Transport Kamal Muhammad Ahmed, Chairman Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry Khalid Almoayed, Federal Minister of Commerce Khurram Dastagir Khan, former President FPCCI Zubair Ahmed Malik VPs FPCCI Khurram Sayeed, Sheikh Imtiaz and Adnan Adeel and large number of businessmen of both the countries were also present on the occasion. Zakaria Usman said that Pakistan was the closest neighbour of Bahrain that has a vibrant economy, 413 financial institutions and facility of low cost of living, but bilateral trade remained modest to $400 million which was tilted in favour of Manama. STAFF REPORT

Faysal Bank Fatima Fert.

Fauji Cement XD B.O.Punjab Lafarge Pak.

13.26 31.20 16.71 10.60 11.28

Interbank Rates USD GBP JPY EURO

PKR 98.1972 PKR 163.2430 PKR 0.9661 PKR 136.6414

Forex UK Pound Sterling Euro US Dollar Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Saudi Riyal U.A.E Dirham China Yuan

BUY

SELL

165.25 139 100.25 90.4 89.5 0.97 26.5 27.15 16

165.5 139.25 100.5 90.65 89.75 1.1 26.75 27.4 16.25

PPAF DIRECTED TO PROVIDE MICROFINANCE TO DESERVING AREAS

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday directed the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) to focus on devising microfinance structures for the areas which have low or no access to microfinance. "Areas with low or no microfinance should be reached in the layout and the scheme should be devised on low operational cost," he said while chairing a meeting to review and launch the Prime Minister's Interest Free Loan Scheme. He said that the PM had, during his election campaign, announced that the PML (N) will reach to the economically poor population through his interest-free loan schemes enabling them to stand on their feet. APP

CORPORATE CORNER Shell Helix university Pebbles and WWF hold Earth Hour walk drive winners to attend Malaysian Grand Prix

LAHORE: Pebbles and WWF – Pakistan has launched a campaign regarding celebration of earth hour to reduce environmental pollution and increase energy conservation across the country. It is pertinent to mention here that the District Government Sheikhupura has also signed a pledge statement to observe this event in the true spirit and would appeal to people at large to switch off lights voluntarily during Earth Hour. Earth hour is a global campaign that invites government, business communities, men, women and children everywhere to turn off their lights for one hour between 8:30 pm – 09:30 pm on 29th March, 2014 to show they care about the planet. In this regard, the District Government Sheikhupura has arranged a “ Walk” on 20.03.2014 AT 09:30 am Which shall start from DCO Complex Sheikhupura and end at TMA office, Sheikhupura for the awareness of general public. PRESS RELEASE

Honda Atlas holds free medical camp

KARACHI: Shell Pakistan announced that team Xodus Racing from Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute has won the Shell Helix University Drive at an auto show organized at Liberty Market, Lahore posting the fastest lap time of 1 minute 37 seconds in an F1 simulation competition. Shell Helix University Drive began last year in November with nine top universities across Pakistan competing in an exclusive Formula One simulation competition for a once in a life time chance to attend the Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit on March 28-30, 2014. PRESS RELEASE

LAHORE: To provide medical treatment in the areas where people can’t even afford their routine check-up.

Honda Atlas Cars Pakistan Limited organized Free Medical Camp for community welfare at Village Bath near Lahore on March 2. In the camp qualified Doctor/ Lady Doctor, paramedics and HACPL members were available for the services of the patients in which the patients were checked up thoroughly and free medicines were distributed among 631 patients including males, females and children during the day long camp. PRESS RELEASE

KARACHI: Lucky Cement CEO Muhammad Ali Tabba receives Businessman of the Year Gold Medal for higest exports in the cement industry from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the KCCI Awards ceremony. PR

KARACHI: Sahibzada Salman Khan and Jawed Ahmed Malik welcome the new chairman of Trade Development Authority, SM Muneer. PR

LEISURE 11

Thursday, 20 March, 2014

HaGaR tHE HoRRIblE

aries

taurus

gemini

Your mood hits a low point, but you can't put your finger on why, exactly. It could be that you just need to walk away from today's big issues and let your heart slow down a bit before returning.

Today is about your relationships with your family and close friends. You don't necessarily need to do anything, but you should observe your reactions to them and ponder how you really feel.

Now is a great time to figure out what has been missing lately -- there's a gap in your life or your awareness that takes time and energy to tease out. You can get there if you push yourself a bit.

cancer

leo

virgo

Take care today -- your emotional world feels all-important, so you might miss a trick here and there when it comes to work or business.

If you can take a personal day, that's for the best.

You feel a bit more focused on your own needs today -- and there's nothing wrong with that! You should be able to get to the heart of something that has been troubling you for some time.

Communication is all-important today so make sure that you're paying attention to the right people. Things are sure to get weird, but you can get even weirder without breaking a sweat!

libra

scorpio

sagittarius

It's a great day for shopping -- though you may not discriminate much based on taste or value. That can be okay from time to time, as long as you don't make a serious habit out of retail therapy.

You are a beacon of good energy today, drawing others close and making them see that you are the real deal. You may want to ask for a bit of assistance with a pet project, and now is the time to go for it.

It's a great day for figuring out some new creative avenues to explore -but not so much for the exploration. Get out the (metaphorical) map and compass and plot your course.

dIlbERt

GaRFIEld

baldo

capricorn

aQuarius

pisces

Organize your life today -- you need to make sure that you're ready for the crazy times that are almost here.

Your ability to think clearly amidst chaos should be handy, too, of course.

You're feeling a bit exposed today -- so much so that you may instinctually edge toward the exit. That's not like you, but for now, it may be for the best. See if you can take a time out.

You're a little fuzzy-headed today -- but knowing that should help you get through the day with flair. You can count on people understanding you better as long as you keep an open heart.

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.

kennel kinds local motel rode scoot soar spore stare stove strum tone tower turn vapid water weight wrist

Today’s soluTions

lEt yoUR tRUmps RIpEN

cHEss white tO PLAY AND MAte iN seveN MOves 8

DOWN

7 6 5 4 3 2

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

chess solution

A

1.Nxd4 cxd4 2.Qxb7+ Rxb7 3.Rxe8! Kxe8 4.bxc6+ Rd7 5.Ke2 Ke7 6.bxd7 Kxd7 7.Kd3 and white wins the pawn ending. *

1

sudoku solution

1 detroit music? (6) 2 use water to remove soap (5) 3 lug stopper? (7) 5 potential oak (5) 6 israeli parliament (7) 7 belief in god (6) 8 ingenious (11) 14 opposite (7) 15 to the centre (7) 16 feat of winning three major trophies (6) 17 roll a joint (4,2) 19 turner's machine (5) 21 stay — suffer (5)

absorb alert animal base beard blood boast breakfast class color deport evacuation fearful flight forecast ground hatch hurricane

crossword solution

1 (tasty) bit (6) 4 sports equipment (6) 9 fit (7) 10 fat (5) 11 a unicycle has one (5) 12 book (the first?) (7) 13 result of immaculate conception? (6,5) 18 brook (7) 20 hit (5) 22 french-style hat (5) 23 something a little different — so riven (anag) (7) 24 cricket or football team (6) 25 in the land of nod (6)

woRd sEaRcH

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Thursday, 20 March, 2014

ARTS

Saturated fat 'is not bad for your heart':

Major study questions decades of dietary advice

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UIDElINES urging people to avoid ‘unhealthy’ fat to stave off heart disease are wrong, according to a major study. After decades of advice on the harm done by saturated fat such as butter, scientists have found no evidence of a link with heart problems.

A ‘mega’ study which analysed a huge amount of existing data also said so-called healthy polyunsaturated fats, such as sunflower oil, had no general effect on the risk of heart disease. In contrast, a dairy fat called margaric acid ‘significantly reduced’ risk, while two kinds of saturated fat found in palm oil and animal products had only a ‘weak link’ with heart disease.

Two types of omega-3 fatty

acid found in oily fish – EPA and DHA – and the omega-6 fat arachidonic acid were linked to a lower risk of heart disease. But omega-3 and omega-6 supplements appeared to have no benefit. This study comes in the wake of growing controversy over the relative importance of sugar and fat in the diet.

Fats have long been blamed for obesity and heart disease, but some scientists now say there is evidence that fat may have been unfairly demonised and sugar is really to blame. lead researcher Dr Rajiv Chowdhury, from Cambridge University, said: ‘These are interesting results that potentially stimulate new lines of scientific inquiry and encourage careful reappraisal of our current nutritional guidelines.

Google expands Android platform to wearables SAN FRANCISCO: Google has announced bringing Android to wearable devices, as LG and Motorola started the countdown to Internet-enabled watches based on the dominant platform for smartphones. The move allows developers to create apps for smartwatches, the first phase of the Android Wear platform. Two manufacturers -LG Electronics and Motorola -- quickly jumped on the bandwagon. "We've barely scratched the surface of what's possible with mobile technology," Google Android chief Sundar Pichai said in a blog post. "That's why we're so excited about wearables -- they understand the context of the world around you, and you can interact with them simply and efficiently, with just a glance or a spoken word." The news comes amid a surge of interest in wearable electronics which can connect with smartphones, and after the launch of several smart watches by large and small manufacturers. In Seoul, LG Electronics said recently it would launch by the end of June its first Internetenabled smartwatch powered by Google's new operating system, tapping into the nascent but growing market for wearable devices. Its engineers worked closely with Google, LG said. A rough image of the watch unveiled by the firm showed a black screen displaying time and what looks like an upcoming flight schedule. A typical smartwatch allows users to make calls, receive texts and emails, take photos and access apps. The new Android Wear system will make it easier to develop apps specifically for a watch or other wearable device. "Today we're announcing Android Wear, a project that extends Android to wearables," Pichai said. "And we're starting with the most familiar wearable -- watches." He said the platform would help facilitate apps that provide news and information, allow chats, monitor health and fitness or help in shopping. The system will enable voice-controlled apps and connect to a smartphone or other device. "Because Android for wearables works with Android's rich notification system, many apps will already work well," Pichai said.

"We're also already working with several consumer electronics manufacturers, including Asus, HTC, LG, Motorola and Samsung; chip makers Broadcom, Imagination, Intel, Mediatek and Qualcomm; and fashion brands like the Fossil Group to bring you watches powered

by Android Wear later this year." Samsung's new smartwatch, the Gear 2, which was launched in February is powered by the Tizen operating system developed by the South Korean giant along with other partners. Global smartwatch sales are expected to grow this year by more than 500 percent from 1.9 million units in 2013, and to expand further in coming years, according to the market researcher Strategic Analytics. Google said separately it was expanding its Google Play catalogue of films and other content for purchase or rental to 39 new countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. AGENCIES

‘Cardiovascular disease, in which the principal manifestation is coronary heart disease, remains the single leading cause of death and disability worldwide. In 2008, more than 17million people died from a cardiovascular cause globally.

‘With so many affected, it is critical to have appropriate prevention guidelines which are informed by the best available scientific evidence.’ The team, whose results appear in the journal Annals Of Internal Medicine, conducted a ‘meta-analysis’ of data from 72 studies involving 600,000 participants in 18 countries.

The technique can reveal trends that may be masked in individual small studies but become obvious when they are amalgamated.

sociate medical director at the British Heart Foundation which cofunded the study, said: ‘This analysis of existing data suggests there isn’t enough evidence to say that a diet rich in polyunsaturated fats but low in saturated fats reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

‘But large-scale clinical studies are needed, as these researchers recommend, before making a conclusive judgment.’

The industry-backed Health Supplements Information Service said that while the study showed only a modest protective effect of omega-3 fats, the trials involving omega-3 supplements nearly all involved non-healthy participants, which was likely to give misleading results. CourtESy DAILy MAIL

He said ,‘This huge and important study provides even more evidence that our focus purely on saturated fat as the number one dietary villain in causing heart disease has been misplaced when we should be focusing on food groups.

‘Our over-consumption of processed food is what is driving much of the increasing burden of chronic disease currently plaguing the Western world. ‘Poor diet is responsible for more disease than physical inactivity, alcohol and smoking combined. ‘Furthermore, nutritional supplements have no proven benefit for the vast majority of people. It’s better for the body to gain essential nutrients from just eating real food.’

Professor Jeremy Pearson, as-

A key finding was that total saturated fat, whether measured in the diet or the bloodstream, showed no association with heart disease.

The study fails to ‘yield clearly supportive evidence for ... guidelines that encourage high consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and low consumption of saturated fats’. Almost four decades ago advice began to emerge from scientific and medical bodies to cut back on saturated fats found in cream, butter and less lean meat. l ast year, however, london cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra told the British Medical Journal it was time to bust the myth of the role of saturated fat in heart disease, which was based on faulty interpretation of scientific studies.

FACEBOOK'S DEEPFACE SOFTWARE CAN MATCH FACES WITH 97.25% ACCURACY Have you noticed that Facebook is getting better at making suggestions for people to tag in the photos that you have uploaded? Facebook will only get better at identifying faces thanks to advances in artificial intelligence and “deep learning.”

Facebook researchers are currently developing algorithms called “DeepFace” to detect whether two faces in unfamiliar photos are of the same person with 97.25% accuracy, regardless of lighting conditions or angles. As a comparison, humans generally have an average of 97.53% accuracy. This means that Facebook’s facial-processing software has nearly the same accuracy as humans.

According to MIT’s TechnologyReview.com, DeepFace uses a 3D

model for rotating faces virtually so that the person in the photo appears to be looking at the camera. The angle of the face is corrected by using a 3D model of an “average” forward-looking face. DeepFace creates a simulated neural network to work out a numerical description of the reoriented face to determine if there are similar enough descriptions from the two images. This network

involves over 120 million parameters using locally connected layers.

The DeepFace team trained the network using a dataset of 4 million facial images belonging to around 4,000 people, which means that each identity had an average of over a thousand samples for testing.

The facial verification technique can be used to complement the connection of a name to a face,

Thrill-seeking traveller performs death-defying hand-stands around the world Scott Young is a thrill seeker unlike any other. Most adventurers are content with just travelling the world, but this young daredevil takes the phrase ‘living on the edge’ to a whole new level. He actually performs handstands on top of skyscrapers and other tall buildings in every city that he visits.

S c o t t climbs to the very edge of buildings up to 40 storeys high (that’s nearly 500 foot) and hangs upside-down.

And get this – he doesn’t use any safety ropes or nets. He only carries a small camera strapped to his foot, to record the vertigo-inducing view below. 25-year-old Scott is a native of

Basingstoke, a large town in northeast Hampshire in England. He has been a professional freerunner since the age of 15, which means that he performs stunts like climbing tall urban buildings and jumping between rooftops.

Scott has starred in films like The Amazing Spiderman and is now a part of the 3RUN team of acrobats.

But he’s currently working on his pet project called ‘Handstands in High Places’. So far, he has filmed himself performing handstands in three countries – England, China and India.

His latest adventure was from the edge of an old, derelict 20-storey building in New Delhi. CourtESy oDDIty CENtrAL

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known as facial recognition.

Eventually, this could improve Facebook’s ability to suggest users for tagging in an uploaded photo and for other potential purposes.

The DeepFace algorithms have also been successfully tested for facial verification within YouTube videos, but this was challenging because the imagery was not as sharp compared to photos. CourtESy ForBES

Screen time tied to poor wellbeing among kids Spending too much time in front of a television, computer or other devices with screens may signal problems in a child's family and personal wellbeing, according to a new study. Based on data for more than 3600 children in eight countries, researchers found that family functioning and emotional wellbeing were especially linked to changes in the amount of time kids spent in front of screens. The study's lead author said they can't say what factors may be behind the associations. "We really need to do a little bit more digging in this area before we can answer some of the basic questions," Trina Hinkley told a foreign news agency. Hinkley is a research fellow at the Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research at Deakin

University in Melbourne. Several recent studies have highlighted the possible negative effects of kids spending too much time watching televisions, playing video games and working on computers. Specifically, screen time has been linked to differences among children in weight and sleep. Late last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also urged parents to keep tabs on their children's media use and limit screen time to no more than one to two hours of high quality programming. AGENCIES

Thursday, 20 March, 2014

ARTS

Johnny Depp’s thinking about early retirement Actor Johnny Depp recently turned 50 and says that he doesn't see himself continuing acting in the future. Depp's next is "Transcendence" and he will be seen playing Dr. Will Caster, a scientist, in the field of Artificial Intelligence in the sci-fi movie. In a recent interview with Rolling Stones magazine, the actor who is looking to settle down with fiance Amber Heard, said: "I'm kicking 50 right up the ass. I can't say that I'd want to be doing this for another 10 years." When asked about what prompted his thoughts on an early retirement, the actor elaborated, "At a certain point, just take it down to the bare minimum and concentrate on, I guess, living life; really living life. And going somewhere where you don't have to be on the run, or sneak in through the kitchen or the underground labyrinth of the hotel." AGENCIES

MORE SCREEN TIME FOR AKSHAY: SALMAN WALKS OUT OF SHOOT Bollywood superstar Salman Khan walked out of the sets of forthcoming film ‘Fugly’ during the shoot of a dance number, which was supposed to feature him alongside Akshay Kumar. Khan left shooting abruptly after realizing he wasn’t getting as much screen time as Kumar in the Yo Yo Honey Singh number. Director Kabir Sadan reportedly insisted Khan to stay but his efforts proved futile. “Sallu did not know about the details of the song and was briefed when he arrived on the set. Since Akshay had more screen time in the song, he coolly walked off after shooting the first stanza of the song, much to everyone's shock," the Time of India quoted a source saying. AGENCIES

LOS ANGELES AGENCIES

T

he studio that produced "Twilight" and "The hunger Games" is at it again: "Divergent" is the latest teen adventure saga with a fearless female heroine battling the odds in a postapocalyptic future. All eyes in hollywood are on the box office fortunes of the movie, which hits theaters in the United States on Friday. Adolescent adventures have made a mint for the Santa Monicabased studio Summit-Lionsgate: the five "Twilight" films earned $3.3 billion globally, while the two "hunger Games" movies so far have taken in over $1.5 billion, and two more films are to follow.

Studios are keen to find successors to these megafranchises based on best-selling Young Adult novels. But some do better than others: Universal failed with "Beautiful Creatures," while The Weinstein Company had a flop with "Vampire Academy." "Divergent" features many of the main plot points that made "The hunger Games" a blockbuster success: a future post-apocalyptic world, and a courageous teenaged girl aiming to save the world from tyrants. Relative unknown

KANGANA CRIED OVER HANDWRITTEN LETTER FROM AMITABH

Ever since the release of Queen, Kangana Ranaut has been receiving rave reviews from one and all for her outstanding performance in the film.

From critics to Bollywood stars everyone can be heard singing paeans about the National Award-winning actress. However, the one compliment Ranaut treasures the most is the handwritten letter that she has received from megastar Amitabh Bachchan. AGENCIES

HRITHIK ROSHAN TO TEAM UP WITH DAD After he directed Hrithik Roshan in a superhero film, Krrish, in 2006, it took seven years for Rakesh Roshan to team up with his son again in Krrish 3 (2013). But if all goes well, the Roshans might not take that long to join forces again for a silver screen outing. In all likelihood, they will work on a new film before embarking on the next instalment of the superhero franchise. When contacted, Roshan Senior confirms the news, saying, "Yes, we are working on a script right now.

Let's see how it works out. It's too early (to go into details)."

AGENCIES

Shailene Woodley -whose credits have so far come in independent films like "The Descendants" and "The Spectacular Now" -- said she asked Oscar-winning "hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence for tips before her leap into the commercial big leagues.

"I sent her an email. I was just curious, she had gone from doing indie films to doing 'hunger Games,' which is a giant film obviously, and I wondered if it had changed her life in positive ways," Woodley told reporters. Lawrence's reply?

"She said, 'Don't do anything stupid. Don't do drugs. Don't make a sex tape. And don't go to (grocery chain)

Miley Cyrus’ tour bus CatChes fire

M

ILEY Cyrus' tour bus burst into flames. The 'Wrecking Ball' singer and her entourage were travelling to New Orleans on Monday night for the next instalment of her 'Bangerz' world tour when one of the vehicles in the convoy spontaneously combusted. The 21year-old star's younger sister Noah Cyrus and her mother were on board at the time, with the 14-year-old teen sharing the news via a series of videos posted on Instagram, captioned ''Tour bus down!'' She later confirmed on Twitter that no one had been hurt, writing, ''Yes, everyone got out safe no one is injured what so ever!! everything is okay!! (sic)'' TMZ has confirmed the blaze was caused by an exploding tyre and not by church protestors who disagree with Miley's radical image setting the bus on fire, as fans were quick to speculate. AGENCIES

Ranbir declines offer to replace Salman Khan in Bigg Boss 8

Speculations are rife that Salman Khan won't be hosting the eighth season of popular TV reality show Bigg Boss and ever since these reports have surfaced, names of Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor are being tossed around. However, we have now heard that Ranbir has turned

down the lucrative offer of playing the show's host.

Salman, who has been hosting the past four seasons of Bigg Boss, received a lot of flak for favoring Tanisha Mukherjee in the show's last season and reportedly, that's the reason why he doesn't want to be a part of the show anymore. AGENCIES

Whole Foods the day the movie opens'," said the 22-year-old actress. In "Divergent," set in Chicago, society is divided into five factions: Abnegation for the selfless, Amity for the peaceful, Candor for the honest, Dauntless for the brave and erudite for the knowledgeable. At the age of 16, every adolescent must choose their faction for life, helped by a personality test. But Woodley's character Tris turns out to be Divergent -a rare finding meaning she has the skills of several factions, not just one. - Finding 'inner voice of Tris' - This makes her a danger for the established order, and a target for Jeanine (played by Kate Winslet), an erudite leader seeking supreme power. "For me, the hardest thing was to get that inner voice of Tris, to get that sense of what she was feeling," director Neil Burger told a foreign news agency in Beverly hills ahead of the movie's release. In the bestselling book by Veronica Roth, Tris

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13

RUMOURS OF VIDYA’S PREGNANCY EMERGE, YET AGAIN!

Actor Vidya Balan, who bagged multiple awards for her role in Sujoy Ghosh’s (inset) 2012 hit, Kahaani, has walked out of his upcoming project at the last minute, citing health issues.

This has sparked off rumours about Balan’s pregnancy, yet again. AGENCIES

is 16 years old. But Burger deliberately chose to make his heroine older. "We did that for two reasons: Shailene is a little bit older, and also I felt like the story was a very grown-up story, actually," said the director. "even though it's based on a Young Adult novel, I don't think there is anything young about it. I thought all the concerns and themes and issues in it were things that adults of all ages deal with." Woodley said she drew on her own internal struggles from adolescence to play Tris. At that age, "my struggle was 'how do I balance the empathetic and being compassionate towards my peers, and also living my life for myself and not basing my decisions on those around me?'" she said. Apart from Winslet, the young actress found herself largely surrounded by a group of young upand-coming hollywood actors including Miles Teller, Theo James and Ansel elgort. elgort, who plays her character's brother, made indie film "The Fault in Our Stars" with her immediately after "Divergent."

"Shailene is one of the great actors of our generation, in our young age group," he told the news agency. "For them to put me with her twice in a row is a huge compliment. "It's saying that I might be of the same caliber, and that's just awesome."

14 SPORTS

Thursday, 20 March, 2014

Still a chance for one big Scalp: atkinSon Chittagong

t

chance for banglaDeSh to coMplete a hat trick of WinS: Chittagong S.PErvEz QAISEr After winning both matches, hosts Banglandesh have a good chance to complete a hat trick of wins when they take on Hong Kong in their last league match at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong on Thursday (March 20). This match will start at 18.30 hours (PST).

It will be the first match between the two teams in Twenty-20 World Cup as well as in Twenty-20 Internationals.

Bangladesh have won three and lost 10 in 13 matches played in Twenty-20 World Cup. Two of Bangladesh's three victories came in the current tournament. They beat Afghanistan by 9 wickets and recorded an eight-wicket victory over Nepal.

For Bangladesh, who are almost through to the Super 10 round, the match is an opportunity to score another crushing win and enter the main draw with confidence.

They could also use it for fine-tuning: Mushfiqur Rahim, Nasir Hossain and Mahmudullah need a bat so there might a shuffle in the line-up. The home side's bowlers also need to find a way to succeed despite the heavy dew.

The pitch in Chittagong has some live grass that could help the seamers but the dew is likely to negate that advantage. The weather has been hot and humid during the day, and dew is likely to be a factor in the evening.

The first match of the day will be played between Afghanistan and Nepal. This match will start at 14.30 (PST). The winner of this match will take the second position in Group A. Both team beat Hong Kong but lost to Bangladesh.

Afganistan who lost to Bangladesh by nine wickets in the opening match, defeated Hong Kong by 7 wickets to reach thier first victory in Twenty-20 World Cup in six matches.

Nepal defeated Hong Kong by 80 runs in their opening match but lost to Bangladesh by eight wickets in the second match.

Afghanistan defeated Nepal by seven wickets when two teams met in the semi final of Twenty-20 World Cup qualifier at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on November 29, 2013. Nawroz Mangal made a brisk 48 before falling with 11 needed but Gulbadin Naib came in to strike a couple of boundaries, winning the match with a six.

PErFOrMANCE IN TWENTY-20 CrICKET: Team P W L Success% Bangladesh 35 11 24 31.42 Hong Kong 2 - 2 00.00 Bang v H.K - - - Team P W L Success% Afghanistan 24 12 12 50.00 Nepal 2 1 1 50.00 Afgh v Nepal - - - -

AGENCIES

HE next mission for Jamie Atkinson and his Hong Kong team will be next month's ACC Premier League in Malaysia.

Before that, however, the Hong Kong captain would like to leave the World T20 with a big scalp.

"It is the opportunity for Hong Kong to try and take their biggest scalp," Atkinson said. "It would be the biggest win in Hong Kong's history, probably one of the biggest shocks in World Cups.

That's what will be driving the team forward in the hope that we can make history and potentially beat Bangladesh."

Despite losing two matches in Group A of the tournament's first round and being on their way out, Hong Kong are still hopeful of upsetting the home side.

Atkinson was realistic about his team's performance so far, having been beaten convincingly by Nepal and Afghanistan, but he still doesn't just want to make up the numbers at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on Thursday.

"It is pretty disappointing for us to start the tournament so poorly, with two losses," Atkinson said. "The good thing for us is we've got a massive opportunity

to play against a very good cricket side in Bangladesh, who are a Test nation and we've only played four games against Test nations in our history.

"So it is a massive opportunity for all our guys to play on the big stage in what will be a big game for Bangladesh as well as they look to qualify from the group. I'm sure all the players will step up on the day in front of a big crowd."

Hong Kong were among three teams - UAE and Papua New Guinea being the others - who joined Ireland, Afghanistan and Scotland as ODI Associate nations for the next four years. Atkinson hopes that the ODI status will give them more exposure against tougher opponents.

"After this tournament we've got the ACC tournament, which is for the top ten Associates in Asia, so that's another big tournament for us to get exposure against teams like Afghanistan, UAE and Nepal again," he said.

"We've got our ODI status as well now, so we're hoping to get some more exposure against high-level teams. The only way that we'll get better is if we keep having that exposure, it's our first world T20 and we feel a bit disappointed with how we performed so we want to start again."

Ahead of their last game, the only thing on Atkinson's mind is an improved

AfghAnistAn's 'one percent chAnce'

Chittagong AGENCIES

The long shot has a special place in the heart of most sports fans. Not to mention the underdog that bites. For Afghanistan to get through to the next round of the World T20 and continue menacing the established sides, they will need to grasp a "one percent chance", according to their

coach, Kabir Khan. It may even be smaller than that.

Afghanistan, who many fancied to cause an upset in the opening match of the tournament, will need several improbables to go their way if they are to deny Bangladesh top spot in the group. The hosts have won two from two with plenty to spare and now face Hong Kong, whose record so far is as bad as Bangladesh's is good. Even a landslide win for Afghanistan over a more-than-handy Nepal would require Hong Kong to mete out an extraordinarily unlikely thrashing of their own.

Kabir can only focus on the job at hand for his team.

"Every match is important and we want to win, obviously now we are in a position to plan to win with big margins," he said. "Cricket is a funny game and we are expecting a one percent chance of anybody beating Bangladesh here. But if someone beats Bangladesh, we have to keep our chances alive, at least the run rate should be higher and if that happens and our run rate is there, then we could qualify."

Afghanistan are currently third behind Nepal on NRR, after contrasting fortunes on the first day. The run rate situation means that Nepal are actually better placed to go through should Bangladesh slip up and consequently will be expected to push Afghanistan hard. Had Kabir's team beaten Hong Kong more heavily on Tuesday, the equation may have been more in their favour but he said the batsman had been following instructions only to unleash towards the end.

"In respect of Bangladesh getting beaten, we had to put ourselves in a position where we could win and then you go for the plan to get your run rate better," he said. "We wanted to keep wickets in hand and then, at a stage that we were in control, we wanted to finish the match early. So that's the sort of thing you do in T20, you get yourself in a position of control and then you dominate."

Shafiqullah's 24-ball half-century, to follow up a slightly more measured (by his own standards) 68 from Mohammad Shahzad, suggested they could have started the domination a little earlier.

Their best chance may be to bowl Nepal out cheaply no mean feat after their fellow Associate resisted all 20 overs for the loss of just five wickets against Bangladesh - and then race past the target. Afghanistan certainly have the firepower in their attack, which will be the quickest Nepal have faced on a lively Chittagong surface, although such riches may have inadvertently undermined their chances of progression. Kabir suggested, with a grin, that the beating Bangladesh took in the Asia Cup earlier this month had triggered a defensive posture by the hosts.

UAe to host 20 ipL games in ďŹ rst phase SPoRtS DESK The first phase of the IPL will have 20 matches in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai from April 16-30, the organisers have announced. The opening match of IPL 2014 will be played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on April 16 between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders.

It is understood the tournament launch will take place on April 15 in Abu Dhabi. According to the schedule released by the IPL, five of the 15 days of the first phase will be double-headers that will be played over the weekends. The first match will start at 2.30pm local time (1030 GMT, 1600 IST) and the evening game at 6.30pm (1430 GMT, 2000 IST).

performance in all three departments.

Their middle-order batting hasn't taken them to a big score and their fielders have dropped a few catches too.

"I think we will regroup and look at the possibility of some changes," Atkin-

The schedule was chalked out to allow each of the eight franchises to play at least once in all three cities, and also feature in at least one of the double-header weekends. Abu Dhabi and Dubai will host seven matches each while six games will be played in Sharjah.

The IPL was moved to an alternative venue after its schedule coincided with the Indian elections, slated to be held between April 17 and May 12, giving rise to security issues. While the primary objective of the IPL was to host the most number of matches in India, the Indian home ministry made it clear it would not be possible to provide the required security for the tournament during the elections.

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son said. "It is always hard when you're two down early on, which we have been in these last two games. It definitely makes the game more difficult for yourselves. I think it's something we've got to look at.

STEYN AND DU PLESSIS DOUBTS FOR SA

Fatullah AGENCIES

South Africa's T20 captain Faf du Plessis and pace spearhead Dale Steyn are in doubt for the team's opening World T20 match against Sri Lanka on Saturday. The pair both have hamstring injuries which kept them out of South Africa's final warm-up match against Pakistan on Wednesday. A final call on their availability will be taken on Saturday afternoon, shortly before the match. Steyn mildly aggravated the right hamstring strain he suffered during the third Test against Australia in South Africa's first practice match against Bangladesh A yesterday.

Steyn bowled 2.2 overs before leaving the field and has since been receiving treatment. This follows a 10-day recovery period after Steyn initially sustained the injury on the first day of the Test. Then, he bowled 10.1 overs before being unable to continue and took no further part in the first innings effort. Steyn bowled three overs in the second innings but was left out of the T20 series against Australia to complete his rehabilitation program. In a press release CSA said Steyn "will continue to receive treatment from the physiotherapist to give him the best chance of recovery for the opening match." When the South African squad left for Bangladesh last Saturday, their team manager Mohammed Moosajee was hopeful Steyn would be ready for the warm-up match and even more optimistic he would play the first match. They are less confident of du Plessis appearing in their first game. The captain did not play in the Bangladesh A game at all and is a "50-50 chance" for the Sri Lanka match.

"The medical team is cautious of rushing him too soon because of the explosive nature of T20 cricket and the back-to-back schedule of fixtures," CSA's release read.

"He will continue to receive extensive treatment and rehab to give him the best chance of regaining full fitness for the opening match." If du Plessis is ruled out, AB de Villiers will likely lead and bat at No.3, in his absence.

SPORTS 15

Thursday, 20 March, 2014

Serena SavourS hoMe-coUrt AdvAntAge in MiAMi MiaMi

S

AGENCIES

ERENA Williams is a daunting opponent no matter the surface or tournament, but at the Sony Open played near the comforts of her Miami home she has practically set up a second residence in the winner's circle.

Williams, who lives an hour's drive from the Tennis Center at Crandon Park, site of the Sony Open for the next fortnight, is a six-times winner in Miami. That is more wins than she has at any other tournament and one better than her five US Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open Grand Slam victories.

In the 12 years since Williams first claimed the crown in 2002 she has taken the trophy home with her 50 per cent of the time and is favoured to add a seventh to her collection when the final is decided on March 29. A relaxed Williams certainly looked right at home as she worked her way through a series of pre-tournament interviews at a posh Key Biscayne beachside re-

sort on Tuesday stealing the spotlight from some of the other assembled tennis glitterati, including Maria Sharapova and Australian Open champion Li Na. "I have been waiting on this for awhile, it feels good to be back here," the defending champion and world number one told a tableside gathering of media. "It is home, it feels like home, I drive just an hour, it feels great. "I train here so it is easier to anticipate the wind and the heat and all the extra elements." Another title Williams can lay claim to is the Queen of South Beach.

Already part owner of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins, Williams hinted that she could add to her sporting empire saying, "anything is possible" when asked if she was open to getting involved with David Beckham and his efforts to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Miami.

But it is on the court where Williams does most of her business and in Miami it is close to a tennis monopoly.

At 32, Williams is one of oldest players in the women's draw yet remains the sport's

dominant force with retirement nowhere in sight. Miami will be her fourth event of the season and the 17-times grand slam winner claimed her 58th career title after opening the 2014 campaign with a victory in Brisbane.

"There is a tremendous amount of pressure when you step onto the court," said Williams. "It's bigger news to lose than it is to win. "But I don't look at it as pressure, Billie Jean King always told me pressure is privilege. "The only time it becomes a little boring is the training part but I know there

is a bigger picture. "I must really love the competition because I keep going and I don't see any end yet."

That is not good news for the rest of the players on the WTA Tour as they try to loosen the Williams sisters' vice-like grip on the Miami trophy.

In the 16 tournaments since 1998 only five women other than Serena and her older sister Venus, a three-time champion, have celebrated victory on the Miami hardcourts.

In the seven years between 1998 and

2004 the Williams sisters took virtual ownership of the Miami property winning it six times, only Martina Hingis interrupting their reign in 2000. "I love my fans and love having the opportunity to play for them, it feels spectacular," said Williams.

"I feel really, really bad when I don't play well I think that is one of the reasons I tend to be a little hard on myself.

"I love to play tennis, I love to compete but ultimately the reason I compete is because of the fans."

shvedovA sets Up MiAMi cLAsh with serenA RAMSEY'S THE NEXT GERRARD: PARLOUR

Murray SplitS froM coach lenDl

SPoRtS DESK

SPoRtS DESK Andy Murray has split with coach Ivan Lendl after two years, the world number six said on Wednesday. I'm eternally grateful to Ivan for all his hard work over the past two years, the most successful of my career so far," said Murray, who became Britain's first Wimbledon men's singles champion for 77 years when he beat Novak Djokovic last year. "As a team, we've learned a lot and it will definitely be of benefit in the future. I'll take some time with the team to consider the next steps and how we progress from here."

Since winning Wimbledon last year Murray's form has dipped, not helped by having back surgery towards the end of 2013. He is yet to win a title this year and was knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open by Roger Federer. Lendl was not at Indian Wells last week where Murray again suffered an early exit, losing to Canada's Milos Raonic. Eight-times Grand slam champion Lendl, 54, said he wanted to concentrate on his own projects. "Working with Andy over the last two years has been a fantastic experience for me," Lendl said. "He is a first class guy. Having helped him achieve his goal of winning major titles, I feel like it is time for me to concentrate on some of my own projects moving forward including playing more events around the world which I am really enjoying. "I will always be in Andy's corner and wish him nothing but great success as he too goes into a new phase of his career." Until Murray teamed up with Lendl he had fallen tantalisingly short of winning a Grand slam title. He lost his first four Grand slam finals to share a professional era record with Lendl but finally got over the line at the US Open in 2012 when he prevailed in an epic tussle against Djokovic to become Britain's first male Grand slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936 years earlier.

MiaMi AGENCIES

Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova beat former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 6-4 6-2 at the Sony Open, earning a second-round meeting with world number one Serena Williams.

The world number 59 broke the Italian to take the first set and broke again to move ahead 3-1 in the second before recording one final break to close out the contest and collect her first win in four meetings with the 2010 French Open champion.

Schiavone, the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam, has been in miserable form losing seven consecutive first-round matches before ending the barren stretch last week at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Shvedova, whose only career WTA Tour win came seven years ago in Bangalore, has lost all three meetings with Williams but did push the six-times Miami champion to three sets during a round of 16 meeting at the 2012 Wimbledon.

The upset of the day went to 20-year-old Monica

Puig who dispatched 36th ranked Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia, a four-times winner on the WTA Tour, 6-1 7-6 (9-7).

It was the second match win of the season for the 58th ranked Puerto Rican.

The tournament began on a down note for the home contingent with American Bethanie MattekSands falling 6-3 3-6 6-3 to Ukraine's Elina Svitolina.

Sony open reSultS FIrST rOuNd Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (Slovakia) beat Indy de vroome (Netherlands) 7-5 5-7 6-2 Alisa Kleybanova (russia) beat Iveta Melzer (Czech republic) 7-6(3) 6-1 Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) beat Silvia Soler Espinosa (Spain) 6-3 6-0 varvara Lepchenko (u.S.) beat Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) 7-5 6-1 Monica Puig (Puerto rico) beat Magdalena rybarikova (Slovakia) 6-1 7-6(7) Casey dellacqua (Australia) beat Stefanie voegele (Switzerland) 6-3 6-2 romina Oprandi (Switzerland) beat Bojana Jovanovski (Serbia) 6-2 6-4 Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) beat Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 6-4 6-2 Kurumi Nara (Japan) beat Annika Beck (Germany) 7-6(2) 6-4 Caroline Garcia (France) beat Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) 6-3 7-5 Elina Svitolina (ukraine) beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands (u.S.) 6-3 3-6 6-3 Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) beat Galina voskoboeva (Kazakhstan) 6-2 7-5

rAdwAnskA hopes knee wiLL be reAdy for MiAMi MiaMi AGENCIES

Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska hopes a few days rest and a first round bye will give her injured knee enough time to heal and keep her from withdrawing from the Sony Open, the world number three said on Tuesday.

Radwanska's participation in Miami is in doubt after she limped to a 6-2 6-1 loss to Italy's Flavia Pennetta on Sunday in the final of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

"Now I am having just a few days off, lucky I am playing Friday so hopefully then I will be good," said Radwanska, who will play either Serbian Bojana Jovanovski or Switzerland's Romina Oprandi. "Lots of treatment, pills and other stuff that can help I will do. I will try, I still have a few days I am hopeful I can do it."

A winner in Miami in 2012, Radwanska had been in superb form this season, reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open and Doha followed by her finals appearance in Indian Wells.

Radwanska went into the match against Pennetta as a slight favourite but was unable to play near her best because of a knee injury that severely restricted her movement. She called for a medical timeout early in the second set and struggled to control her emotions at the ceremony.

"The final in a mandatory tournament is a good result," offered a reflective Radwanska about her loss. "I had never been to the finals there before. It is never good to lose a final but a final is a final. "The pain is always going to be in your head when you know there is something wrong but I still have a couple days before my first match so hopefully it will be much better."

CMYK

Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour has backed Aaron Ramsey to develop into the next Steven Gerrard. Ramsey has scored 13 goals for the Gunners this season but has not featured since a Boxing Day win over West Ham due to a thigh injury. The Wales international penned a new deal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday and Parlour reckons he can emulate the achievements of Liverpool and England skipper Gerrard.

"Without doubt, Aaron Ramsey can become as influential as Steven Gerrard. Ramsey needs to believe in his own abilities," he wrote on his Sportlobster blog. "He is a young and exciting talent and will definitely be a top, top player in the future. He wants to learn and is blessed with the ideal attributes for a midfield player." Parlour revealed Gerrard, whose Liverpool side are fighting for the Barclays Premier League title alongside the Gunners, leaders Chelsea and Manchester City, was the best opponent he came up against during his own playing days. "Gerrard was the best player I have ever faced," he added. "I think he is absolutely world class. He isn't as effective box-to-box as he was a few years ago, but he continues to make the difference.

"Ramsey was the perfect box-to-box midfielder in the first-half of the season and I always said if he could score a few more, he would be complete." Arsene Wenger will take charge of his 1000th game as Gunners manager on Saturday when they travel to Chelsea. With the two London rivals looking to make further progression towards the championship, Parlour believes a draw would be a good enough result for Arsenal. "The match against Chelsea is absolutely massive for Arsenal and hopefully they will snatch a win, but a draw is a decent result also," he said. "The spirit of the team is fantastic. You cannot win anything if the players aren't pulling in the same direction. "Wenger is brilliant with man management. If you were out of favour, but always part of the team, he would always keep you involved and say you could change the game or even the season. "He was very good at keeping you focused on the task. This is an important factor and his squad is very supportive of each other." A win for Arsenal, who have a game in hand over Chelsea, would take them to within a point of the current leaders as Wenger continues the search for the club's first trophy in nine years.

SPORTS Thursday, 20 March, 2014

A LITTLE TOO HOT FOR A WARM UP! South Africa bowl out Pakistan for paltry 71

P

SPORtS DeSk AKISTAN have been bowled out for a paltry 71 in 17.3 overs

by South Africa in an ICC World T20 2014 warm-up tie at Fatullah on March 19, 2014.

Only three Pakistan batsmen got into double figures as a rampant South African bowling line-up took wickets at regular intervals. Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Beuran Hendricks and Wayne Parnell took two wickets each in the T20 World Cup clash.

Scoreboard PaKiSTan 12 ahmed Shehzad lbw b duminy S Khan c de Kock b b Hendricks 2 U akmal c de Villiers b Parnell 17 S Malik c d Miller b b Hendricks 1 S Maqsood run out (F behardien) 15 K akmal run out (Parnell) 0 afridi b a Phangiso 6 M Hafeez c F behardien b Parnell 7 3 b bhatti c & b Tsotsobe U gul c de Kock b Tsotsobe 0 2 M Talha not out 6 eXTraS: (lb 3, w 1, nb 2, b 0) 71 ToTal: Fall oF WicKeTS: 1-15 (ahmed Shehzad , 2.5 overs), 2-23 (S Khan , 4.6 overs), 3-28 (S Malik , 6.3 overs), 4-50 (U akmal , 10.1 overs), 5-51 (K akmal , 10.3 overs), 6-58 (S Maqsood , 12.1 overs), 7-62 (afridi , 13.2 overs), 8-67 (b bhatti , 14.5 overs), 9-67 (U gul , 14.6 overs), 10-71 (M Hafeez , 17.3 overs) boWling: Jean-Paul duminy 2-0-12-1, lonwabo Tsotsobe 40-15-2, beuran Hendricks 2-1-3-2, Morne Morkel 1-0-4-0, imran

Tahir 3-0-13-0, aaron Phangiso 2-0-13-1, Wayne Parnell 1.3-02-2, albie Morkel 1-0-4-0, Farhaan behardien 1-0-2-0 SoUTH aFrica amla lbw b U gul 24 de Kock b afridi 15 d Miller not out 12 de Villiers not out 20 eXTraS: (lb 0, w 1, nb 0, b 0) 1 ToTal: 72 did noT baT: Faf du Plessis(c), Jean-Paul duminy, Farhaan behardien, albie Morkel, Wayne Parnell, beuran Hendricks, aaron Phangiso, Morne Morkel, lonwabo Tsotsobe, imran Tahir, dale Steyn Fall oF WicKeTS: 1-39 (amla , 5.5 overs), 2-39 (de Kock , 6.2 overs) boWling: Mohammad Hafeez 2-0-9-0, Mohammad Talha 20-18-0, Junaid Khan 2-0-13-0, Umar gul 2-0-8-1, Shahid afridi 3-1-8-1, bilawal bhatti 2-0-9-0, Zulfiqar babar 1-0-7-0 MaTcH deTailS ToSS: Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first UMPireS: enamul Haque (bangladesh) and Sharfuddoula (bangladesh)

JP Duminy and Aaron Phangiso took a wicket each. Umar Akmal was the highest scorer for Pakistan with 17 runs.

Sohaib Maqsood scored 15 and Ahmed Shehzad got 12 runs.

Earlier, Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez won the toss and elected to bat first. Shehzad and Sharjeel Khan opened the batting for Pakistan. Duminy and Tsotsobe began proceedings for South Africa. Shehzad hit the first four in the innings off Duminy in the third over. But two deliveries later, Duminy got Shehzad out LBW for 12 off 13 deliveries.

In the fourth over, the match was delayed as there was a floodlight failure at the stadium.

There was almost complete darkness. Once the lights came back on, Umar hit a four off Tsotsobe. Hendricks was brought into the attack and he dismissed Sharjeel for two runs off 11 deliveries. Sharjeel gave a catch to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.

The wickets just kept tumbling there.

Shoaib Malik was dismissed by Hendricks for one runs. Umar departed for 17 to Parnell and Kamran Akmal was run out for a duck on the first ball. Maqsood was also run out for 15 runs.

After his heroics for Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2014, Shahid Afridi could not replicate the fireworks as he was bowled

by Phangiso for six. Bilawal Bhatti was caught and bowled by Tsotsobe for three.

Umar Gul gave a catch to de Kock as Tsotsobe got his second wicket. Hafeez, who had come in at No 8, was the last batsman dismissed for seven runs. Parnell took his wicket.

Win takes ireland closer to main draW Sylhet agencieS

Two down, one more to go for Ireland. After taking down a Full Member, Zimbabwe, two days ago, they ensured they didn't take it easy against the weakest side in the group, United Arab Emirates. Asking UAE to bat, Ireland kept them to an extremely manageable 123 for 6.

Netherlands' 140 had proved inadequate earlier in the day against Zimbabwe, and the ball was only going to come on better under lights. Despite the early loss of Paul Stirling to injury, Ireland were well on their way to victory at 103 for 3 in the 15th over when the floodlights went off at the Sylhet Stadium around 10.10pm local time, the electricity cut due to an impending storm. The lights came back on and play resumed after ten minutes only for the ground to be plunged into darkness two balls later. This time, rain followed the loss of power. The ensuing delay was enough for the match to be called off, leaving Ireland

Scoreboard United arab emirates amjad ali c dockrell b Stirling 20 Faizan asif run out (Murtagh/†Wilson) 11 16 Khurram Khan* c Joyce b Murtagh SP Patil† c Porterfield b Stirling 0 Shaiman anwar c & b o'brien 30 19 amjad Javed c Joyce b o'brien rohan Mustafa not out 13 V Shetty not out 1 extras (b 2, lb 3, w 7, nb 1) 13 Total (6 wickets; 20 overs) 123 boWling: Pr Stirling 3-1-12-2, Mc Sorensen 3-0-24-0, TJ Murtagh 4-0-20-1, ar cusack 4-0-30-0, gH dockrell 1-0-10-0, KJ o'brien

4-0-17-2, Sr Thompson 1-0-5-0 ireland WTS Porterfield* not out 33 8 Pr Stirling retired hurt ec Joyce c Khurram b Sharif asadullah 43 KJ o'brien c Shetty b Sharif asadullah 0 4 ad Poynter b amjad Javed gc Wilson† not out 1 extras (lb 2, w 7, pen 5) 14 Total (3 wkts; 14.2 overs) 103 boWling: Sharif asadullah 3-0-21-2, Kamran Shazad 3-0-28-0, amjad Javed 30-18-1, rohan Mustafa 4-0-13-0, ahmed raza 1.2-0-16-0

winners by 21 runs by the Duckworth-Lewis method, although the lights started to regain life again another ten minutes later, only to witness a proper downpour this time.

eng Falls to sPin-doctors Dhaka

Scoreboard

agencieS

England found little improvement in their second World T20 warm-up against India and collected a second heavy defeat in as many days.

Faced with a chase of 179, they never looked likely to get home and ended up well short.

There also remained uncertainty over the fitness of their captain, Stuart Broad, who bowled two overs in his first outing since the opening T20 against West Indies. He did not lead England in this match - Eoin Morgan retaining the captaincy because Broad was only due to play a brief role - and there is precious little evidence for England to judge Broad's health on. England were choked by spin after the Powerplay, which yielded a profitable 51 for 1 against five overs of seam bowling. But by the end of the 12th over they had added only 25 more runs and lost Michael Lumb, stumped running down the wicket at Suresh Raina.

With the required run-rate approaching 13, Eoin Morgan slapped a full toss to longon and Moeen Ali slog-swept to deep square leg, rendering the 30 in 18 balls Jos Buttler managed worthless late entertainment.

That England got within 20 was due to the seven overs of seam bowling MS Dhoni allowed them to face - those overs collectively cost 69. India's target appeared too testing at the interval and was set largely thanks to an 81-run stand between Virat Kohli and Raina. They rebuilt the innings following three wickets in the Powerplay - Shikhar Dhawan to a very sharp catch from James Tredwell at cover point.

The final 10 overs brought 105 runs, including 17 off Stephen Parry's six deliveries and 19 off Ravi Bopara's only set. Kohli also flicked three leg-side fours in the final over from Tim Bresnan which cost 17. Tredwell, who contin-

india 5 rg Sharma c Hales b dernbach S dhawan c Tredwell b bresnan 14 74 V Kohli not out 1 Yuvraj Singh c †buttler b Jordan SK raina c Jordan b bopara 54 MS dhoni*† not out 21 9 eXTraS: (lb 3, w 5, nb 1) 178 ToTal: (4 wickets; 20 overs) did noT baT: STr binny, b Kumar, a Mishra, Mohammed Shami, aM rahane, ra Jadeja, MM Sharma, r ashwin, Vr aaron Fall oF WicKeTS: 1-15 (rg Sharma, 3.1 ov), 2-30 (dhawan, 4.3 ov), 3-39 (Yuvraj Singh, 5.6 ov), 4-120 (raina, 14.5 ov) boWling: MM ali 1-0-4-0, JW dernbach 3-0-27-1, TT bresnan 30-31-1, cJ Jordan 4-0-37-1, rS bopara 2-0-25-1, ScJ broad 2-0-14-0, Jc Tredwell 4-0-20-0, Sd Parry 1-0-17-0 england MJ lumb st †dhoni b raina 36 ad Hales b Kumar 16 46 MM ali c rahane b Jadeja 16 eJg Morgan* c Yuvraj Singh b ashwin Jc buttler† st †dhoni b Jadeja 30 6 rS bopara b Mohammed Shami 3 TT bresnan not out cJ Jordan not out 1 4 eXTraS: (lb 2, w 1, nb 1) ToTal: (6 wickets; 20 overs) 158 did noT baT: ir bell, ScJ broad, Sd Parry, Jc Tredwell, cr Woakes, lJ Wright, JW dernbach Fall oF WicKeTS: 1-43 (Hales, 4.6 ov), 2-58 (lumb, 8.1 ov), 3-87 (Morgan, 13.1 ov), 4-128 (ali, 16.6 ov), 5-145 (bopara, 18.2 ov), 6-157 (buttler, 19.4 ov) boWling: b Kumar 3-0-27-1, Mohammed Shami 3-0-29-1, r ashwin 4-0-20-1, SK raina 4-0-23-1, ra Jadeja 3-0-23-2, a Mishra 2-0-21-0, Vr aaron 1-0-13-0 MaTcH deTailS PlaYerS Per Side 15 (11 batting, 11 fielding) ToSS: england, who chose to field UMPireS: rK illingworth (england) and ra Kettleborough (england) TV UMPire: HdPK dharmasena (Sri lanka) MaTcH reFeree: rS Madugalle (Sri lanka) reSerVe UMPire: nJ llong (england)

ues to be one the steadiest performers with the ball, believes improvement has been made: "I think we'd like the result to have gone our way but there were a lot more positives from this game than the last gone," he said.

ZIMBABWE PREVAIL IN LAST-BALL FINISH Sylhet agencieS

Zimbabwe kept themselves in contention for the main draw of the World T20, despite making hard work of chasing 141 on a surface which, on Monday, Taylor had assessed as a 180-run pitch.

They needed much less and were solid at the start, but almost left themselves with too much to do at the end.

Having watched their own bowlers pluck the Netherlands top-order in the Powerplay, and concede 37 runs in the next six overs, Zimbabwe approached their chase conservatively at first.

Hamilton Masakadza and Sikandar Raza left as many deliveries as they hit upfront before Raza was hurried into skying one to deep midwicket.

The early setback did not rattle Zimbabwe. At the same stage in Netherlands' innings, after 4.3 overs, Zimbabwe had already taken four wickets. Prosper Utseya had two of those, removing Stephan Myburgh for a first-ball duck and having Peter Borren caught at mid-off.

The Cooper brothers held Netherlands' innings together, and Zimbabwe had Masakadza and Taylor. Tom and Ben Cooper put on 52 for the fifth wicket for Netherlands, with Tom, the senior partner, adding 29 of those runs.

Masakadza and Taylor put on 62 and took Zimbabwe closer to the target.

The Zimbabwe pair showed patience, focusing as much as on singles, and trying to turn them into twos, as they did on clearing the boundary. They each managed the latter only once, off Tom Cooper in the 10th over, which left Zimbabwe with 75 to get off the second half of their innings.

Three boundary-less overs followed and the required run rate crept up but Masakadza and Taylor were resolute in not rushing. Then Masakadza decided one of them had to. He charged Pieter Seelaar for the second time in the over and missed to find the ball hitting the middle stump.

When Netherlands lost their fifth wicket, with 6.1 overs left in the innings, Mudassar Bukhari went in to bat. He shared a stand of 53 with Cooper and assumed the role of the finisher. Zimbabwe lost Masakadza with 6.3 overs left in their chase and decided not to hold their big-hitter back. Elton Chigumbura was promoted to No. 4 but was out two balls after he arrived. He slapped Seelaar straight to cover to leave Netherlands with the advantage and Taylor out in the middle on his own.

The next two overs yielded only ones and twos as Peter Borren's slower ball and Timm van der Gugten's full delivery proved miserly. Zimbabwe needed 40 runs off the last 24 balls but they would have known it was not impossible as Netherlands had scored 37

in the same period.

Ball one of the 17th over. Logan van Beek overpitched and Taylor hit over mid-on for four. Ball two: Van Beek was too short and Taylor got four more. Off the last ball of the over, Van Beek went short again and Sean Williams found the gap between midwicket and square leg, making the equation a manageable 25 off 18.

The next six balls from Ahsan Malik offered no width at all. Taylor and Williams carved out 10 runs anyway to bring it down to 15 off the 12.

Van der Gugten was back to bowl the penultimate over. Taylor tried to lift him over the covers, but Borren stuck out his hand to pull off a tough chance. Zimbabwe would have to score 14 off 11 without Taylor. Van der Gugten aimed at the toes for the rest of that over but Williams and Vusi Sibanda kept him out and took the runs on offer to bring it down to seven off the last six.

Malik started the final over with a yorker. Then he conceded two.

Williams swung wildly at the next ball but the inside edge beat Wesley Baressi to go for four. One needed off three.

Zimbabwe appeared to have turned into the South African class of 1999 when Williams missed the next ball and followed that up with a mindless run that found him well short of his ground.

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

CMYK

Scoreboard neTHerlandS Mr Swart run out (chatara) 3 SJ Myburgh lbw b Utseya 0 W barresi† b Panyangara 12 PW borren* c chigumbura b Utseya 8 TlW cooper not out 72 bn cooper c Panyangara b Mushangwe 20 Mudassar bukhari not out 14 eXTraS (b 4, lb 3, w 4) 11 ToTal (5 wickets; 20 overs) 140 did noT baT lV van beek, T van der gugten, PM Seelaar, Maa Jamil Fall oF WicKeTS 1-1 (Myburgh, 0.3 ov), 2-14 (barresi, 1.5 ov), 3-19 (Swart, 3.1 ov), 4-35 (borren, 4.3 ov), 5-87 (bn cooper, 13.5 ov) boWling P Utseya 4-0-24-2, T Panyangara 4-0-38-1, Tl chatara 3-0-14-0, n Mushangwe 4-0-24-1, Sc Williams 4-0-22-0, H Masakadza 1-0-11-0 ZiMbabWe H Masakadza b Seelaar 43 Sikandar raza c Seelaar b Jamil 13 brM Taylor*† c borren b van der gugten 49 e chigumbura c borren b Seelaar 0 Sc Williams run out (Jamil) 26 V Sibanda not out 9 T Maruma not out 0 eXTraS (b 1, lb 1, w 4) 6 ToTal (5 wickets; 20 overs) 146 did noT baT P Utseya, T Panyangara, Tl chatara, n Mushangwe Fall oF WicKeTS 1-25 (Sikandar raza, 4.3 ov), 2-87 (Masakadza, 13.3 ov), 3-87 (chigumbura, 13.5 ov), 4-126 (Taylor, 18.1 ov), 5-140 (Williams, 19.5 ov) boWling Mudassar bukhari 4-0-26-0, T van der gugten 4-0-22-1, Maa Jamil 4-0-30-1, lV van beek 3-0-32-0, PW borren 2-0-12-0, PM Seelaar 2-0-9-2, TlW cooper 1-0-13-0 Match details Toss - netherlands, who chose to bat Points - Zimbabwe 2, netherlands 0 Player of the match - brM Taylor (Zimbabwe) Umpires - SJ davis (australia) and bnJ oxenford (australia) TV umpire - iJ gould (england) Match referee - dc boon (australia) reserve umpire - bF bowden (new Zealand)