E paper pdf (03 09 2015) (isb)

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mohSIn AlI AdmITS KIllIng mQm’S dr ImrAn FArooQ Identifies himself as activist of MQM student arm APMSO, says he also used to work in Com-net, company of Moazzam Ali, who arranged travel documents for him and coaccused Kashif for London trip STORY ON PAGE 02

A TRIBUTE TO THE HEROES OF

1965 wAr!

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Unprovoked Indian firing along loC a threat to regional peace, says Sharif Thursday, 3 September, 2015 | Zulqad 18, 1436 Rs 17.00 | Vol VI No 66 | 16 Pages | Islamabad Edition

STORY ON PAGE 03

PM says Pakistan will continue to raise voice for Kashmiris’ right to self determination internationally

SEE PAGE 05

PAK TELLS CHINA IT HAS GOTTEN RID OF UYGHUR MILITANTS Pakistan, China vow to further bilateral and international cooperation, complete CPEC in time Mamnoon says special measures taken for Chinese nationals’ security, assures help ‘with great zeal’ Xi assures China’s unswerving support to Pakistan’s efforts in safeguarding its national security

CoAS confirms gallows for five hardcore terrorists 31 militants killed in NWA, Khyber airstrikes Three policemen killed in botched Peshawar raid

BEIJING: President Mamnoon Hussain and Chinese President Xi Jinping shaking hands before commencement of bilateral talks at the Great Hall of People on Wednesday. INP

STORIES ON PAGE 03

Obama secures the votes to implement Iran nuclear deal White House now has backing of bare minimum number of senators to stop Congress scuppering Iran nuclear agreement STORY ON PAGE 05

CEC TEllS ImrAn KhAn ECP mEmbErS won’T rESIgn STORY ON PAGE 04

Sardar Raza says ECP members have constitutional cover and cannot be forced into resigning from posts PTI chief demands deployment of army personnel during by-polls in NA-154 and NA-122 Khan says ECP has started taking measures to ensure transparent polls in future

DEAD BABY BECOMES MOST TRAGIC SYMBOL YET OF MEDITERRANEAN REFUGEE CRISIS A Turkish police officer stands next to the body of the young Syrian boy.

STORY ON PAGE 04

02 NEWS identifieS himSelf aS activiSt of mQm Student arm apmSo, SayS he alSo uSed to work in com-net, company of moazzam ali, who arranged travel documentS for him and co-accuSed kaShif for london trip SourceS Say Scotland yard officialS will complete inveStigation and meet memberS of Jit and interior miniStry officialS thiS week ISLAMABAD

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MIAN ABRAR

OHSIN ALI, the prime suspect in the murder case of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Imran Farooq, on Wednesday confessed to Scotland Yard investigators of being involved in the brutal murder of MQM’s founding

Thursday, 3 September, 2015

Mohsin Ali AdMits killing MQM’s dr iMrAn FArooQ leader in London, Pakistan Today has learnt reliably.

The Scotland Yard team arrived Pakistan this week after the federal government gave access to UK authorities to key accused in MQM leader’s murder case following a meeting between Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and British Home Secretary Theresa May in London.

The Scotland Yard has already investigated the two other accused, Moazzam Ali Khan and Khalid Shamim, in the same case. A three-member investigation team, comprising Scotland Yard’s senior officers, met Mohsin Ali and conducted his interview. The investigators are expected to complete their investigation by week end.

Well placed sources in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) involved with the interrogation process told this scribe that the accused answered queries put forth by the British investigators and fully cooperated with them.

“The suspect answered questions put by the Scotland Yard team which consists of very senior police officers.

The suspect confessed to his direct involvement in the killing of the MQM leader,” a source involved with the investigation process said.

Previously, the joint investigation team (JIT) formed by the federal government to probe the murder of Dr Farooq interrogated the accused.

“During the investigation, Mohsin Ali admitted that he had attacked Dr Imran Farooq with a knife,” the source said, adding that the accused also revealed that he was an activist of All Pakistan Muttahida Students Organization (APMSO) – the student arm of the MQM. Ali also told the British team that Moazzam Ali was the person who had arranged the travel documents for him and his co-accused, Kashif, for their trip to London. The accused also told the investigators that he used to work in Moazzam Ali’s company, Com-net.

Moreover, the source said that the Scotland Yard officials will also meet the members of the JIT and Ministry of Interior this week. Asked whether the Scotland Yard team had also put questions about the third suspect, Muhammad Kashif Khan Kamran, who is yet to be arrested by authorities, the source said that the British investigators knew well their probe’s scope.

“No further questions have been placed. The questions were only relevant to Mohsin Ali,” the official added.

Chaudhry Nisar, during his meeting

KABUL National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz is expected to visit Afghanistan Thursday (today) amid strained relations between Kabul and Islamabad.

Besides attending the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA) summit which will start on Thursday, the Pakistani top diplomat is said to be working to help improve relations between the two neighboring countries.

Relations went sour following a spate of attacks in Kabul, which the Afghan intelligence sources blamed on Pakistan.

Meanwhile, officials at the Afghan Presidential Palace said that Afghanistan has delivered solid evidence to the Pakistani government that clearly proves that insurgent networks are func-

if you’ve taken the abettor, why leave the abetted? n

n

Mohsin Ali

with his British counterpart, took up the issue of provocative speeches by MQM chief Altaf Hussain and presence of Baloch separatists for their involvement in unrest in Karachi and Balochistan.

“The British authorities have agreed to provide Pakistan with information about the money-laundering case being processed in London against Altaf Hussain. So it’s a win-win situation for both Pakistan and United Kingdom,” the source added.

SARTAJ AZIZ’S KABUL VISIT TO EASE TENSIONS AGENCIES

SHAH’S LOGIC FOR JUSTICE:

tioning in the country.

According to Afghan officials, the fundamental cause of tension with Islamabad is the existence of insurgent groups, especially the Haqqani Network, in Pakistan.

“The remarks of Mr. Aziz are the same as the past remarks of Pakistani officials, which they have said over the past decade,” President Ashraf Ghani’s Deputy Spokesman Sayed Zafar Hashemi said, after Aziz stated the Haqqani bases have been eliminated in Pakistan. Recently, the US National Security Advisor, Susan Elizabeth Rice, in her visit to Islamabad called on Pakistan to stop terrorist networks from carrying out attacks on Afghanistan from within their borders.

Meanwhile, the analysts stress the need for trilateral efforts by United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan to eradicate terrorism in the region.

PPP’s Shah asks govt to ban MQM as terror outfit if Dr Asim arrested for abetting it Sindh Rangers raid Zaiuddin Hospital in Nazimabad, examine record of billing and IT departments

ATTOCK/KARACHI: Speaking to journalists during his visit to village Shadi Khan, where he condoled the death of Late Shuja Khanzada, National Assembly opposition leader Syed Khrsheed Shah on Wednesday said that if former petroleum minister and Sindh Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Asim Hussain was arrested for allegedly abetting Muttahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) then Hussain-led party should be banned after proving that it is a terrorist organisation. Shah said Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has provided all-out support for the war against terrorism and would continue till the last terrorist was eliminated. Commenting about Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, Shah claimed Imran Khan wanted to “break so many things”. “On the other hand, we want Parliament and democracy to prevail and not broken,” he added. The PPP leader said that gap created after the martyrdom of Shuja Khanzada was difficult to be filled and his party will not contest election for PP-16 seat. He categorically stated that nobody will be awarded the PPP ticket to contest PP-16 by-poll. Meanwhile, the Sindh Rangers conducted a raid on Zaiuddin Hospital in Nazimabad again on Wednesday and examined important record of the facility. Sources said the data of the billing and IT departments was collected during the raid. Sources said that the paramilitary force sealed off entry and exit points of the facility during the raid. They added that the operation was carried out in a particular department on the information provided by Ziauddin Hospital Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Yousuf Sattar, who was rounded up during a raid at the hospital on August 29. The action against the Ziauddin Hospital has been underway for the last few days following the arrest of Dr Asim Hussain, the chairman of Dr Ziauddin Group of Hospitals and a former petroleum adviser to the prime minister. INP

GILANI CLAIMS 5-6 MORE CASES AGAINST HIM IN THE PIPELINE ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was granted protective bail by Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi on Wednesday in a ninth case registered against him by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) with regards to a multi-billion rupee scam involving the Trade and Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP).

The petition for bail in the ninth case was filed by Gilani’s counsel on Tuesday, but was registered too late in the day for any conclusion to be reached on the matter.

Speaking to reporters after obtaining the bail order, Gilani said he suspected there were five or six more cases against him in the pipeline. He alleged that the FIA had visited his Multan residence and harassed his employees. He called the incident “discrimination” and “character assassination of a political party”.

PPP Secretary General Sardar Latif Khosa said the former prime minister’s lawyer Farooq H. Naek tried to get protective bail for Gilani so he wasn’t arrested before he could be presented in court. He added that there shouldn’t be any discrimination against the PPP stalwart, saying that the first names on a list presented by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in court were those of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. Khosa alleged that Nawaz Sharif had allotted 2,600 two-kanal plots in one day in Lahore’s Johar Town area.

Farooq Naek said the cases against the former prime minister alleged that Gilani’s

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deputy secretary had taken a Rs 5 million bribe and a confession was forcibly extracted from him under torture. “You cannot run the government and FIA this way,” he said, adding, “Don’t register false cases... and take unfair advantage of your position”. He also appealed to the heads of the FIA to “stop registering false cases”.

The FIA had registered 21 First Information Reports (FIRs) in the case. Gilani, according to one of his lawyers Raja Aleem Abbasi, has obtained bail in 12 of the cases.

On Tuesday, a single-member bench, comprising Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi, of the IHC granted protective bail to Gilani in eight other cases. However, during the hearing of his petition, Farooq Naek, senior counsel for the former prime minister, informed the court that there was another FIR pending against his client. He requested the court to grant protective bail to Gilani in that FIR as well. Justice Qureshi, however, said the accused needed to file a separate petition seeking protective bail in the remaining FIR. Subsequently, Gilani through his counsel filed another petition which was taken up by the court on Wednesday.

A federal anti-corruption court last week issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of Gilani, Makhdoom Amin Fahim and others. During the course of hearing, advocate Naek told the court that Gilani was innocent as his name was not mentioned in the initial FIRs but was included in the final challan. He said the former prime minister wanted to appear before the federal court in Karachi but he apprehended that the FIA may pressure him to make a statement against his own party colleagues.

Thursday, 3 September, 2015

NEWS

pakiStan, china vow to further bilateral and international cooperation, complete cpec in time preSident mamnoon SayS Special meaSureS taken for chineSe nationalS’ Security, aSSureS help ‘with great zeal’ Xi aSSureS china’S unSwerving Support to pakiStan’S effortS in Safeguarding itS national Security BEIJING

A

AGENCIES

LMOST all members of the Uyghur militant group the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) have been eliminated from Pakistan, President Mam-

03

PAk tells ChinA it hAs gotten rid oF UyghUr MilitAnts noon Hussain told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing.

The Pakistani head of the state, who is in Beijing for commemorations marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, said Operation Zarb-i-Azb “has been successful in eradicating the terrorism from our country”.

“It has also been very helpful in eliminating the ETIM element from our country and I think almost all the ETIM people in our country have been eliminated.

Maybe, if they are there, there should be very few,” Hussain said.

China blames violent unrest in its far western region of Xinjiang on separatist groups like ETIM, who it says want to set up an independent state called East Turkestan and have bases in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan. Many foreign experts, however, have questioned whether ETIM exists as the coherent group China claims it is.

Moreover, Hussain said special measures have been taken for the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan, Radio Pak-

three policemen killed in botched peShawar raid PESHAWAR: Militants killed three police officers and wounded several more on Wednesday in a botched police operation on a Taliban hideout in Peshawar. Senior police official Mian Saeed said the gunmen opened fire after police launched a routine house-to-house search in Urmar Payan village, triggering a gunfight which lasted more than half an hour. “Three policemen were killed and eight wounded in the exchange of fire. One attacker was also killed while others fled the area,” Saeed told reporters.

Peshawar has suffered numerous Taliban attacks but he said it was not yet clear if the gunmen were militants or criminals. The attackers used a grenade and fired a mortar, Saeed said, adding that the police had fought bravely despite the casualties and forced them to flee. Police later recovered “mortar shells and other explosive material” from the house. The city suffered the worst terror attack in history in December when Taliban gunmen massacred more than 150 people at an army-run school, most of them children. But since then there has been something of a lull in violence. The last deadly attack in the city came in February when three heavily armed Taliban militants stormed a Shia mosque, killing 21 people. STAFF REPORT

31 militantS killed aS paf JetS pound hideoutS in nwa, khyber PESHAWAR: At least 31 suspected terrorists were killed and scores others injured when Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter jets Wednesday pounded militant hideouts in North Waziristan and Khyber tribal agencies. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), 17 terrorists were killed in Mana area of NWA and 14 in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency, while several militants were also reported injured in the aerial strikes.

Five compounds of militants were also destroyed in fresh precise aerial strikes in Tirah. The airstrikes come a day after a suicide blast kills at least five people including a security personnel and injured 54 others in Khyber Agency.

The explosion occurred near Khasadar force’s vehicle in Jamrud town. Earlier this week, an attempted suicide attack on the Political Agent office in Khyber Agency’s Jamrud area left four people including two Khasadar Levies men dead and 56 others injured. STAFF REPORT

istan reported. China and Pakistan are “iron brothers” and always help each other “with great zeal”, he added.

The president noted the great contribution that the Chinese people made to the war 70 years ago, and said that Pakistan cherished its ties with China. Pakistan is committed to building the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and will continue to strengthen cooperation and coordination with China on international issues, he added.

In their meeting in Beijing, the presidents of both the countries vowed to increase cooperation on international issues. Issues pertaining to Pak-China relations, bilateral cooperation, regional and global security situation were discussed while both the presidents agreed to complete the CPEC on schedule.

Talking to Pakistan’s head of the state, the Chinese president said that that China views its relations with Pakistan as “very important”.

“China will continue to enrich the China-Pakistan community of shared destiny in a bid to play an exemplary role for

other neighboring countries,” he said.

During Xi’s visit to Pakistan in April, the two sides agreed to cooperate in areas including port construction, transport infrastructure, energy and industry. China will keep in close contact with Pakistan on cooperation in industrial zones, Xi said.

“China will unswervingly support Pakistan’s efforts in safeguarding its national security, and is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Pakistan in international and regional issues,” the Chinese president was quoted by a Chinese news agency.

Later, addressing a function at Pakistan-China Friendship Centre in Beijing, President Mamnoon Hussain invited Chinese companies to invest in Pakistan in different fields. He said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor project will bring prosperity in two countries and the region. He said Pakistan and China are bind in everlasting relations of friendship.

He said Pakistan China Friendship Centre is further strengthening these relations and they want to During President Xi’s visit to Pak-

istan in April, Pakistani and Chinese officials signed a series of more than 50 accords to inaugurate the CPEC, which will create a network of roads, railways and pipelines linking China’s restive west to the Arabian Sea through Pakistan.

The project is part of Beijing’s “Belt and Road” plan to expand its trade and transport footprint across Central and South Asia. It will give China easier access to Middle Eastern oil via the deepwater port of Gwadar.

Then there have been security concerns over much of the plan, which relies on developing Gwadar — control of which was passed to a Chinese company in 2013. But linking Gwadar to the rest of Pakistan and on to the western Chinese city of Kashgar, 3,000 kilometres away, would involve major infrastructure work in Balochistan.

Earlier in April, the army formally announced the creation of a 10,000-man strong special force for protecting the development projects to be carried out under CPEC and the Chinese workers associated with them.

indian firing along loc is open aggression against kashmiris: Sharif

naheed khan aSked benazir to come out of car, driver tellS court

pm SayS pakiStan will continue to raiSe voice for kaShmiriS’ right to Self determination internationally

RAWALPINDI: An antiterrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday recorded the statement of driver, Javedur Rehman in the Benazir Bhutto murder case. Rehman told the court that Naheed Khan had asked the assassinated leader to come out of her car and wave to the crowd. The ATC summoned a report from the Foreign Ministry regarding the statement of United States (US) journalist Mark Siegel, whose statement was recorded through a video link.

Judge Rai Muhammad Ayub Marth held the hearing of the case in Adiala Jail. Rehman appeared before the court and recorded his statement. Cross questioning from the driver has been completed.

The ATC summoned prosecution’s witness Professor Azam Yousaf in next hearing. The driver said that security in-charge of Benazir Bhutto also did not stop her while there were standing instructions that she should not get out of the vehicle. He said that he continued to drive the vehicle till its rims broke down. He said after that Sherry Rehman’s vehicle came and Benazir Bhutto was transferred to that vehicle and moved to Benazir Bhutto Hospital. He also was of the view that the security was inadequate.

He said after the blast the backup vehicle disappeared from the scene. The hearing was adjourned until September 14. STAFF REPORT

ISLAMABAD APP

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said unprovoked Indian firing along the Line of Control (LoC) is not only aggression against Kashmiris but also amounts to targeting the conscience of the global community.

Inaugurating a newly constructed sports stadium in Bagh, Azad Kashmir, as part of the developmental projects for the districts affected by earthquakes, the premier said: “Pakistan is continuously keeping the international community abreast of these provocations, ceasefire violations and trampling of human rights of Kashmiris by Indian troops.”

Sharif said “Pakistan would continue to raise a voice for our Kashmiri brethren till they realise their right of self-determination.”

“Firing across the LoC and the Working Boundary has increased in recent days, posing threats not only to innocent people but also to regional peace and security.”

The premier said “Pakistan is drawing attention of the United Nations and the international community towards these violations and threats to regional peace.”

He said Pakistan is playing a very important role in the global

war against terrorism, adding that Pakistan was conducting a successful operation against terrorism with its achievements being acknowledged by the entire world.

In a message to the global community, Sharif said the people of Pakistan and their armed forces are fully resolved to eliminating terrorism. “We will not forgive those supporting terrorists and their organisations.” “Elimination of terrorism will be Pakistan’s gift to the international community,” said the premier.

Earlier, the prime minister inaugurated different development proj-

ects at a ceremony in Bagh.

Forty three development projects have been completed at a cost of Rs 2.7 billion for the earthquake affected districts of Azad Kashmir including Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Poonch.

The PM said that the government wants to see Azad Kashmir prosper. The nation can never forget the innocent lives lost to Indian shelling, he added. The premier reassured Kashmiris of Pakistan’s support. While talking about the operation in Karachi, he said that the crime rate in Sindh’s metropolitan has decreased significantly.

CHINA ASKS PAKISTAN, INDIA TO PRACTICE RESTRAINT ON BORDER BEIJING: China on Wednesday advised Pakistan and India to resolve ongoing tensions through mutual dialogue and cooperation and try to curb violations on the border, to ensure their commitment to peace in the region. “As a neighbour and friend of India and Pakistan, China calls on the two countries to exercise restraint, manage the situation through dialogue and consultation, properly deal with relevant differences and stay committed to the peace and stability of South Asia,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. “China follows closely the development of the situation,” she added. The advice comes ahead of the military parade to be held in Beijing on September 3 to commemorate World War II, which will be attended by representatives from both countries; President Mamnoon Hussain from Pakistan and India’s Minister of State for Defence VK Singh. AGENCIES

COAS CONFIRMS GALLOWS FOR FIVE HARDCORE TERRORISTS RAWALPINDI STAFF REPORT

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif has confirmed the death sentences of another five hardcore terrorists, involved in killing of an advocate at Lahore, sectarian killings in Quetta, killings of police officials at Gudab Karachi, breaking of Bannu Jail, attack on a girls school in Khyber Agency and attack on polio team in Khyber Agency.

Military courts had awarded five death sentences and a life imprisonment.

Civilian Muhammad Sabir Shah alias Ikram Ullah, son of Sher Hazrat, was an active member of proscribed organisation. He was found involved in abetting

murder of Advocate Syed Arshad Ali in Lahore. He admitted his offence before the magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on solitary charge and awarded death sentence.

Civilian Hafiz Muhammad Usman alias Abbas alias Asad, son of Ali Dost, was an active member of proscribed organisation. He was found involved in sectarian killings in Quetta and attack on police. He was convicted for killing and abetment for killing of Hassan Ali Yousafi, Advocate Waliat Hussain and others civilians. He also abetted killing of two industrialists namely Syed Talib Agha and Syed Jawad Agha belonging to a particular sect. He was also convicted for attacking and killing four police per-

sons, including DSP Hassan Ali, constables Nasrullah, Sifatullah and Muhammad Taqi. He admitted his offence before the magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on 11 charges and awarded death sentence.

Civilian Asad Ali alias Bhai Jan was an active member of Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He was found involved in possessing of fire arms/ explosives and attacking officials of the Sindh Police, in Quaidabad Area, Karachi which resulted in death of three individuals including DSP Kamal Mangon and ASI Akbar Hussain and injuries to nine individuals including three head constables. He admitted his offences before the magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on

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five charges and awarded death sentence.

Civilian Tahir, son of Mir Shah Jahan, was an active member of TTP. He was involved in attacking /breaking of Bannu Jail, owing to which number of terrorists managed to escape. He was also found involved in attacks on law enforcement agencies, which resulted in death of one soldier and injuries to another. He admitted his offence before the magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on three charges and awarded death sentence.

Civilian Fateh Khan, son of Mukaram Khan, was an active member of proscribed organisation. He was found involved in slaughtering of a civilian, attacking polio workers team, individuals of LEA and armed force personnel, which

resulted in death of a child, 11 Khasadars, two army officers, 22 soldiers and injuries to one civilian, nine Khasadars and 25 soldiers. He admitted his offences before the magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on eight charges and awarded death sentence.

Civilian Qari Ameen Shah alias Ameen, son of Minar Shah, was an active member of TTP. He was found involved in attacking on a Girls Primary School in Khyber Agency, providing funds for terrorists activities, exploding an improvised explosive device and possessing explosives. He admitted his offences before the magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on four charges and awarded the sentence of imprisonment for life.

04 NEWS

Thursday, 3 September, 2015

CEC TELLS IMRAN KHAN ECP MEMBERS WON’T RESIGN SARDAR RAZA SAYS ECP MEMBERS HAVE PTI CHIEF DEMANDS DEPLOYMENT CONSTITUTIONAL COVER AND CANNOT BE OF ARMY PERSONNEL DURING FORCED INTO RESIGNING FROM POSTS BY-POLLS IN NA-154 AND NA-122 ISLAMABAD

P

STAFF REPORT

AKISTAN Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday sought army deployment for by-polls to be held in NA-122 and NA-154 constituencies, as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sardar Raza told him that the commission’s four members have constitutional cover and could not be forced to resign on political parties’ demand.

Khan made the demand during a meeting with Election Commission of

Pakistan (ECP) Chairman Justice (r) Sardar Raza Khan at the ECP Headquarters.

Talking to reporters after meeting the CEC, the PTI chief expressed satisfaction over measures being taken by the ECP to conduct transparent polls in the future, adding that he has been assured that the mass irregularities which took place in the May 2013 general elections will not be repeated. “They have already started working on removing loopholes from the system which I had mentioned in my letter to the ECP chief. Those irregularities resulted in the largely unfair and rigged polls of 2013,” Khan told the media. Talking

POLITICAL LEADERS MOURN HAFEEZ PIRZADA’S DEMISE LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Political leaders from various parties, including President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan People’s Party Co-Chairman Asif Zardari, on Wednesday expressed grief over the demise of prominent advocate and author of the 1973 Constitution, Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, who passed away in London on Tuesday night. Hafeez Pirzada had been hospitalised in London for over a month for an intestine surgery. That surgery resulted in medical complications leading to organ failure and ultimately his demise. Hafeez, 80, is survived by two sons, two daughters and a wife. Pirzada was a barrister and a senior advocate of the Supreme Court. He was a third generation barrister from Lincoln’s Inn. He began practicing in the then West Pakistan High Court in 1957, joining the Chambers of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. In 1959, Pirzada established law chambers in Karachi and was enrolled in the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1962. Thereafter, in 1979 he signed the roll of senior Advocates of the Supreme Court. From 1971 to 1977 Pirzada was a member of parliament and remained a senior cabinet minister in Bhutto’s government, holding several important portfolios including those of finance, law and parliamentary affairs, federal provincial coordination and education. In 1972 he was elected as chairman of the constitution committee of parliament to frame a new constitution for the country. Subsequently, he was the author of the 1973 Constitution which was piloted by him as Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and passed by the Parliament unanimously. He was considered a leading expert in the field of constitutional and administrative law and was also a member of the Pakistan Law Commission, a statutory body formed for the purposes of reviewing and overhauling the laws of Pakistan.

His company, Hafeez Pirzada Law Associates, is listed in the Asia Pacific Legal 500 and Chambers Global.

KHAN SAYS ECP HAS STARTED SAYS PTI TO STAGE TAKING MEASURES TO ENSURE SIT-IN PROTEST TRANSPARENT POLLS IN FUTURE OUTSIDE ECP ON OCT 4

about the upcoming by-polls in NA-154 and NA-122, Imran Khan said that he has demanded the deployment of the army during the by-polls and accused the Punjab Police of acting like ‘PML-N police’ when not supervised by a tough authority. “We want an army man inside and another outside the polling stations to ensure fair and free polls and we have set such a precedent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.

The PTI chief also said that he has requested Sardar Raza to grant an extension to election tribunal judges until the pending cases are decided. He also claimed to have urged the ECP chief to take notices

of threats issued to ET Judge Kazim Malik after he deseated PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq and declared his election ‘null and void” in Lahore’s NA-122 constituency.

He said that it has been established that all parties do not trust Punjab Election Commission as it appears to be a partner of the ruling PML-N. They have no moral standing, especially after the JC report in addition to complaints from 21 parties, he said. Imran Khan said he has also demanded resignation of all four members but Sardar Raza Khan has said that commission members have constitutional appointments and he cannot do anything in this regard.

Senate body expresses displeasure over media code ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Expressing strong displeasure over the recently-announced electronic media code of ethics, the Senate committee on information and broadcasting questioned the information ministry over why the draft it prepared was not taken into consideration.

The committee, headed by Senator Kamil Ali Agha, met Wednesday at the Parliament House and directed the information ministry to inform the Supreme Court about facts related to the media code announced by the government.

The Senate body was told that the code of conduct was issued and approved by the federal government and was prepared by a committee set up by the prime minister.

The committee insisted that its draft, which was prepared after consultation with all stakeholders, should have been consid-

ered and adopted.

The Senate committee also raised questions over the matter concerning the age requirement for Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) chairman announced in a recent advertisement, and observed that it appeared the government wanted to induct “some crony to this lucrative position through such an advertisement.”

The Information Ministry told the committee that the ‘Access to Information’ draft bill was with the cabinet division and had not as yet been put up before the federal cabinet for approval.

The committee decided to write a letter to the cabinet division on the matter.

The committee also expressed displeasure over Indian models appearing on Pakistan’s TV channels, observing that “on one hand Indian forces were shelling mortars into Pakistan while on the other hand Pakistani

TV channels were promoting Indian culture and models,” asking for the practice to be stopped forthwith.

The committee castigated PEMRA for not exercising its authority to regulate TV channels and their content and for not ensuring implementation of rules and regulations.

Last month, the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage formally issued Code of Conduct 2015 for amendments in the PEMRA Rules, 2009, under which the electronic media has been directed to ensure that no hate speech is aired in any of its program A notification to this effect was issued per the directions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan during the hearing of a PEMRA case during which the apex court directed the authority to issue the code of conduct for media which would come into force immediately.

Dead baby becomes most tragic symbol yet of Mediterranean refugee crisis KOS AGENCIES

The full horror of the human tragedy unfolding on the shores of Europe was brought home on Wednesday as images of the lifeless body of a young boy – one of at least 12 Syrians who drowned attempting to reach the Greek island of Kos – encapsulated the extraordinary risks refugees are taking to reach the west. The picture, taken on Wednesday morning, depicted the dark-haired toddler, wearing a bright-red T-shirt and shorts, washed up on a beach, lying face down in the surf not far from Turkey’s fashionable resort town of Bodrum.

A second image portrays a grim-

faced policeman carrying the tiny body away. Within hours it had gone viral becoming the top trending picture on Twitter under the hashtag #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik (humanity washed ashore).

Justin Forsyth, CEO of Save the Children, said: “This tragic image of a little boy who’s lost his life fleeing Syria is shocking and is a reminder of the dangers children and families are taking in search of a better life. This child’s plight should concentrate minds and force the EU to come together and agree to a plan to tackle the refugee crisis.” Greek authorities, coping with what has become the biggest migration crisis in living memory, said the boy was among a group of refugees escaping Islamic State in Syria. Turkish officials, corroborating

the reports, said 12 people died after two boats carrying a total of 23 people, capsized after setting off separately from the Akyarlar area of the Bodrum peninsula.

Among the dead were five children and a woman. Seven others were rescued and two reached the shore in lifejackets but hopes were fading of saving the two people still missing.

The casualties were among thousands of people, mostly Syrians, fleeing war and the brutal occupation by Islamic fundamentalists in their homeland. Kos, facing Turkey’s Aegean coast, has become a magnet for people determined to reach Europe. An estimated 2,500 refugees, also believed to be from Syria, landed on Lesbos on Wednesday in what local officials de-

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scribed as more than 60 dinghies and other “unseaworthy” vessels. Some 15,000 refugees are in Lesbos awaiting passage by cruise ship to Athens’ port of Piraeus before continuing their journey northwards to Macedonia and up through Serbia to Hungary and Germany. “The situation on the islands is dramatic in terms of the sheer numbers flowing in, lack of shelter and ever worsening hygiene conditions,” Ketty Kehayioy, the UNHCR’s spokeswoman in Athens told the Guardian.

“The absence of staff to conduct registrations is creating enormous bottlenecks on Lesvos and Kos which is further exacerbating substandard conditions, conditions themselves worsened by very limited facilities.”

The PTI leader once again announced that his party will hold a historic rally on October 4 outside the ECP headquarters in Islamabad if the provincial EC members did not resign from their posts. Khan said that he had also informed the CEC that the Punjab government is allegedly using state resources to influence elections in the province. He reiterated that the PML-N and PPP had collusion which resulted in 18th amendment and “they formed their own ECP and NAB.” At the end, the PTI chief said that those who have violated party discipline will be expelled from the party.

Bomb factory seized in Chaman QUETTA: The Frontier Corps (FC) and security agencies on Wednesday raided and seized a bomb factory manufacturing suicide jackets and other explosive devices in Chaman, close to the Pak-Afghan border according to a statement released by the FC. “Security forces also defused a large number of explosive devices and other material used in the manufacturing of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs),” said Khan Wasey, a spokesperson for the FC. Arms and explosives seized during the raid include prepared suicide jackets, RPG-7 rockets, mortar shells, landmines, IEDs, detonators, detonator cord, ball bearings, wireless communication sets, laptops and other equipment used in the manufacturing of explosives. The spokesperson also added that security forces successfully defused 120 landmines, 21 mortar shells of different calibres and five bombs during the raid. The raid was conducted in Rehman Kahol area of Chaman after intelligence was received about the presence of suspected militants at the location. However, the militants managed to escape prior to the arrival of security forces and no arrests were made, according to Wasey. STAFF REPORT

PTI to serve notices on Swati, Khalil for ‘working against’ party policy in LG polls PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chapter has announced that they will issue notices to its members, including Senator Azam Swati and MPA Yasin Khalil for cancelling their membership because they were ‘working against’ party policy. But Swati and Khalil are not the only ones to whom notices will be served. A number of other members will also be sent notices for allegedly deviating from party policies during the local government elections in K-P districts conducted on August 30. PTI’s provincial organiser Fazal Khan made the announcement in a press conference on Wednesday. Khan said they had information about Senator Swati and KP Assembly Member Khalil for working against party policy and decisions during the elections, because of which the party could not elect all of its targeted candidates. In Mansehra, Shehryar Khan Swati, the nephew of Senator Azam Swati, did not get a PTI ticket for the nazim seat, hence he competed against the party’s nominated candidate. As a result, the PTI candidate lost. Khan claimed that the only reason that PTI lost that seat was that Swati had backed his nephew over the party’s candidate. “We are sending him a notice to tell us the reasons (for backing his nephew), and if he fails to satisfy us, his party membership will be cancelled,” he said. “A similar role was played by our MPA Yasin Khalil in Town-III.” Besides, the party would issue membership and disqualification notices to 10 newlyelected members from Peshawar Town-III who did not show up in elections on August 30, or had voted against party candidates, added Khan.

Similarly, in Karak’s Tehsil Takht-e-Nasrati, four newlyelected members of PTI did not take part in casting their ballots; hence the Tehsil council contest ended in a tie.

“In Buner district, 11 members, both elected and nominated on reserved seats voted against party candidate. They will be served notices. Party lost the district nazim seats because of them.” AZIZ BUNERI

Thursday, 3 September, 2015

NEWS AT LEAST 50 DEAD IN AL-SHABAB ATTACK ON AU BASE NAIROBI: At least 50 African Union (AU) soldiers are believed to have been killed and another 50 are missing after AlShabab militants overran a military camp in southern Somalia on Tuesday, according to Western military officials. “It is assessed that at least 50 African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) troops died,” said a briefing note sent to diplomats by Western military officials and seen by AFP. It said that in total around 100 soldiers were “unaccounted for” after the attack.

Affiliated with the self-styled Islamic State (IS), Shabab said the attack in Janale district, 80 kilometres southwest of Mogadishu in the lower Shabelle region, was revenge for the killing of seven civilians by Ugandan troops at a wedding in the town of Merka in July. AMISOM has said the camp was manned by soldiers from Uganda. The number feared dead matches that claimed by a Shabab spokesman. AMISOM has not yet counted the dead. “Given the complex nature of the attack, AMISOM is currently verifying the number of casualties and extent of the damage,” said a statement issued late Tuesday, more than 12 hours after the assault. Western military sources said the attack began with the destruction of two bridges, cutting the camp off. A suicide car bomber rammed the base followed by an estimated 200 Shabab fighters who overran the camp. AMSIOM said its troops “undertook a tactical withdrawal” as the attack began. Witnesses said the Shabab fighters took over the camp, looting weapons stores and loading corpses onto trucks. AGeNCieS

MILLIONS STRIKE IN INDIA TO PROTEST AGAINST MODI’S LABOR REFORMS KOLKATA: Protesters wielding Communist flags clashed with police in Kolkata on Wednesday as millions of workers across India went on strike, the latest display of opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s economic reform package. Modi’s plan for reviving India’s slowing economy has met with fierce protest and Wednesday’s strike came days after the premier abandoned a pro-industry land reform which the opposition had said would hurt India’s farmers. Unions called the one-day action against Modi’s plans to loosen rigid labor laws, which they say will put jobs at risk.

Nearly 150 million workers in banking, manufacturing and construction, backed by 10 major unions, stayed away from work. Taxi and rickshaw drivers stayed off the streets in Delhi, and shops and banks closed in left-wing stronghold Kerala in the south. AGeNCieS

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Obama secures the vOtes tO implement iran nuclear deal WHITE HOUSE NOW HAS BACKING OF BARE MINIMUM NUMBER OF SENATORS TO STOP CONGRESS SCUPPERING IRAN NUCLEAR AGREEMENT WaShiNGtON

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ARACK Obama has prevailed in his battle against opponents of the Iran nuclear agreement and secured the votes needed to prevent Congress from scuppering the deal.

Republicans leaders, backed by the Israeli government, have spent weeks trying to build a coalition in Congress to

derail the agreement struck between Iran and six world powers. But their efforts have fallen short and the White House has now won over the bare minimum number of senators needed to keep the deal alive. The milestone brings an end to a period of uncertainty for all the players involved in the deal, where it seemed possible that an agreement painstakingly negotiated in Vienna could be unraveled by a vote in Washington. The White House avoided public celebration but the news will come as a relief to both Mr Obama and to the British, French and German ambassadors in Washington, who have all pushed for the agreement. A majority of the US Congress opposes the deal and all Republicans as well as a handful of Democrats are expected to vote against

it later this month.

If the bill rejecting the deal passes Congress it will be immediately vetoed

by Mr Obama. His opponents will then try to override his veto by gathering twothirds majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. However, Mr Obama has now won the support of 34 of the 100 members of the US Senate and therefore knows his opponents will not be able to reach the twothirds majority they need. All 34 of his backers are Democrats and many of them reached their decision to support the deal only after weeks of anguished consideration. “This was one of the most difficult decisions of my public career,” said Bob Casey, a Democrat senator from Pennsylvania whose support helped get the White House over the line.

Al QAedA fighters could tAckle is: PetrAeus WaShiNGtON AGeNCieS

Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief and retired general David Petraeus wants the United States (US) to consider working with some members of an Al Qaeda-affiliated organisation to tackle Daesh or the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, he said Tuesday.

In a statement to CNN, Petraeus said some members of the Al Qaedaaffiliated Al-Nusra Front might be persuaded to join the coalition battling the IS group. “We should under no circumstances try to use or co-opt Nusra, an Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria, as an organisation against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),” Petraeus told CNN, using another acronym for the IS group. “But some individual fighters, and perhaps some elements, within Nusra today have undoubtedly joined for opportunistic rather than ideological reasons: they saw Nusra as a strong horse, and they haven’t seen a credible alternative, as the moderate opposition has yet to be adequately resourced.” So, Petraeus argued, it may eventually be possible to peel off so-called “reconcilables” who would be willing to renounce Nusra and align with the moderate opposition to fight against Nusra, ISIL,

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and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Petraeus became a household name in the US when he oversaw the troop surge in Iraq in 2007, and US leaders credited him for salvaging the troubled war effort. Part of that operation saw the decorated general convince Sunni fighters to stop fighting with Al Qaeda and to work with the US military. His statement Tuesday followed the publication of a story in the Daily Beast that pointed out the irony of the US working with anyone connected to Al Qaeda, which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks and triggered America’s so-called war on terror. The Daily Beast said several

officials it had spoken to found Petraeus’s idea to be politically toxic, almost impossible to carry out and strategically risky.

In his statement to CNN, Petraeus said using any Nusra fighters would require “both the rise of much stronger, moderate opposition group” ─ backed, again, by the US and the coalition seeking to defeat ISIL ─ and at the same time, intensified military pressure on all extremist groups. Petraeus, 62, had a spectacular fall from grace this year when he pleaded guilty to providing classified secrets to his mistress. He was given two years probation and a $100,000 fine.

SA TOP CLERIC SLAMS IRAN’S MOVIE ON PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s top cleric hit out at Iranian film “Muhammad” on Wednesday describing its portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) childhood as a “hostile act” and a “distortion” of Islam.

Iran’s most expensive movie, which opened nationwide in the Shia Islamic republic last week, depicts the prophet (PBUH) on screen, an act that is prohibited in Sunni Islam. “This is an obscene work… It is a distortion of Islam,” Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh told Al-Hayat newspaper. “It is a hostile act against Islam.

“This is a mockery of the prophet and a degradation of his status,” he said. Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and home to its two holiest sites, are regional rivals and frequently accuse each other of seeking to destabilise the Middle East. The Mecca-based Muslim World League also condemned the movie, insisting that portraying the prophet (PBUH) is prohibited. The league’s secretary general Abdullah al-Turki urged Tehran to “suspend and prevent the screening of the movie” and called on Muslims to boycott it. While Iran has denounced cartoons of the prophet (PBUH) like those published by French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, Shias are generally more relaxed than Sunnis about depiction of religious figures.

Directed by Majid Majidi, the visually stunning 171-minute film cost around $40 million (36 million euros), partly funded by the state, and took more than seven years to complete. AGeNCieS

MODERN WARFARE AND SPIRIT OF DEFENCE MuhaMMad Latif With credible nuclear deterrence in place and evolution of New Concept of War Fighting by Pakistan in response to Indian Proactive Strategy, the space for limited war between the two nuclear powers in South Asia has further shrunk. The events of 9/11 totally altered the nature and character of war. The US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq greatly impacted the Muslim societies and radicalized a section of its population. NATO operations in Afghanistan forced various Taliban factions to seek take refuge across the porous Durand Line and established safe havens in Pakistan’s semi autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Compelled by the prevailing environment Pakistan was left with no choice but to once again become the frontline state against the Global War on Terror. This necessitated Pakistan Army to shift its orientation from conventional warfare to Low Intensity Conflict and redeployment of its forces from Eastern Borders to the Western Borders creating two front war scenario.

Having failed to create space for conventional war, India took to 4th and 5th Generation Warfare. RAW, in collaboration with other hostile intelligence agencies, created, funded and trained the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Terrorist activities by the Taliban against NATO forces inside Afghanistan afforded a golden opportunity to India to malign Pakistan of harbouring and abetting terrorism in the region and beyond creating doubts among the international community about the safety and security of its Strategic Assets. Pro-India Northern Alliance of Afghan government facilitated in establishing Indian Consulates along Pakistan-Afghan border to control their proxies in FATA and Balochistan. Pakistan has provided proofs of Indian involvement in sectarian violence, supporting terrorism and anti state elements to Pakistan to Indian government at various occasions.

With the planning and active support of RAW, TTP gradually took control of FATA and SWAT area projecting threat to Islamabad. Pakistan Army quickly adapted to the new form of warfare and

responded with Sub Conventional Warfare Doctrine. Operation Rah-e-Rast was launched to clear the Swat Valley of the miscreants. To minimize the chances of collateral damage civilian population was temporarily displaced to safe locations in settled areas. Professional approach adopted by Pakistan Army to systematically clear the Valley is now taught as case study in the leading armies of the world including US. Officers led their soldiers from the front leaving behind fairy tale stories of valour and sacrifice for the defence of the sacred Motherland from the internal threat. Pakistan Army is proud of highest officers to soldiers casualty ratio in the world during War on Terror including Lieutenant General, to number of Major Generals to the Second Lieutenants. The sacrifices of Shuahda will be written in golden words in the history of Pakistan. Defence Day celebrations are organized to pay tributes to the Heroes of Pakistan.

Operation Al-Mizaan was launched to evict the terrorists from South Waziristan, Khyber, Bajaur and other agencies. Compared to conventional

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war, 4th/ 5th generation warfare is a complex phenomenon and a long drawn war spread over decades. Over the years Pakistan Army cleared these areas less North Waziristan Agency number of times but due to lack of capacity of other LAEs and the civil government it could not retain control of these areas. In the meanwhile our enemy continued to play havoc through bomb blasts, suicide bombing and target killings. Members of LEAs and civilian who became victim to these terrorist activities exceed the staggering figure of 50000. Defence Day celebrations are in the memory of such like Shuahda.

Our strategic installations like GHQ, NHQ, ISI, IB, Kamra Air Base, Naval Base in Karachi, Quetta Air Base, Masajid, Imambargahs and minorities were targeted by the terrorists to weaken our resolve to fight both conventional and war on terror but they never knew that they were pitched against the best Armed Forces of the world which were ever ready to pay highest level of sacrifices to safeguard the territorial and ideological

boundaries of the country. All those contributed to ensure safety and security of our strategic installations will be remembered during Defence Day Celebrations.

India has long been involved in destabilizing Baluchistan by supporting anti state elements. With the formal launching of CPEC, India has intensified its efforts to pronounce law and order situation in Baluchistan; burning of Ziarat Residency and mass sectarian and ethnic killings in the past notwithstanding, Mastung incident and recent target killings of Hazara minority are cases in point. Pakistan is determined to execute CPEP at all cost. Political and military leadership of Pakistan are at one page to creat environment suitable for development of strategic Gwadar Port and requisite communication infrastructure to move the project as per conceived timelines. Special and dedicated force is being raised to ensure security of CPEC projects being executed in Baluchistan. Sacrifices of LEAs and people of Baluchistan rendered for national integration and prosperity of Pakistan will be remembered as part of Defence Day Celebrations.

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Metro bus service – a boon for working woMen ISLAMABAD

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ASMA KUNDI

EMALE commuters travelling between the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi find Metro bus service a welcome relief from the continuous eve teasing they otherwise have to face on public transport.

For most of them, travelling by public transportation used to be nothing less than a nightmare. While problems like overcrowding on the buses remain, women generally feel safer travelling on the metro. Female commuters on other routes find it an injustice to not have the same facility and want the service to be extended to them as well.

Eve teasing or sexual harassment in public transport is an old dilemma for working women and female students.

When you get on the road travelling on local transport, you’re more than likely to come across a foul mouthed driver or a fellow passenger making vulgar remarks

and brazen stares while everyone else, including men try their best to ignore them and show as slight a discomfort as possible. During a field survey, a large number of women showed satisfaction with the service. They said that while problems due to over-crowdedness remained, they, by far, preferred to travel through the metro service. Nabila Bukhari, a 30 year old resident of Shams Abad who travels to Islamabad daily where she works as a sales girl in a shopping mall, said, “I faced harassment in vans many times but couldn’t accumulate enough courage to raise my voice as I had to travel on same route on a regular basis and I didn’t want to get myself noticed.”

She said that she now travels through the metro bus and feels safer as it has a separate travelling area for women. “Due to limited space women still face problems,” she added, “government should take some steps in this regard such as having some buses that are exclusively for female commuters.” The service, however, is being offered to working women trav-

elling only on this route while many others still have to travel through the vans and face the same problems. When we talked to some of them during our field survey, they criticized the federal government for not providing the same facility to the people living in other areas. Shabana Arif is a young girl working in a call center in Islamabad. She travels between Bhara Kahu which is a suburban area of the city, and her office in Islamabad. She said that most of the drivers harass female passengers. “Unwanted touching while shifting the gears happens too often and is very uncomfortable,” she said. “I have no other option since I have to sit on the front seat, next to the driver, because these are the only seats reserved for women in the van,” she explained. Shabana continued, “Instead of spending huge funds on the construction of metro track, government should have used the money to provide the same buses on all routes between Rawalpindi and Islamabad.” She called it unfair that she, along with many other women, was still facing the same prob-

lems while government “turned a blind eye to their situation.” We have until recently done very little to prevent workplace harassment of women. This is one of the reasons why Pakistani women’s participation in the workplace is among

the lowest in the world. But while laws are now being put in place to prevent harassment in educational institutions and in the workplace, we also need to focus on making them feel safe while travelling to their workplaces, schools and colleges.

AC SUMMONS FORMER NAB DEPUTY CHIEF IN ZARDARI ACQUITTAL CASE ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Wednesday summoned National Accountability Bureau (NAB)’s former deputy chairman Hassan Waseem Afzal in the next hearing in Asif Ali Zardari acquittal case on Sept 9. Accountability Judge Muhammad Bashir issued the order while hearing the acquittal plea of the former president Asif Zardari in which his lawyer Farooq H Naik argued that the original record of both references did not exist. The court remarked that the attested photocopies of the records were present. But Farooq H Naik contended that his client had not been issued formal notices and there was no concrete evidence against him, therefore the court should acquit his client. INP

NO CELL PHONE SERVICE IN FEDERAL CAPITAL ON DEFENCE DAY ISLAMABAD: Banners hanging on a pole in connection with the 50th Defence Day celebrations. ONlINE

Knowledge based economy the way forward: Dr Rehman ISLAMABAD RAMZAN QADIR

Renowned scientist and former HEC chairman Dr Attaur Rehman on Wednesday said that ýpeace and development were interlinked with the empowerment of youth and unless the nation tapped the creative talent of its youth, the dream for socio economic development of the country would not be materialised.

Addressing the audience at the HEC headquarters during a seminar entitled ‘Building a Knowledge-based Economy in Pakistan for Socio –economic Development of the Society”, Dr Atta said that ýin today’s world, nations are not built just by investing in brick and mortar, in roads and bridges, in dams and powerhouses, but in education. ýDr Attaur Rehman said that in order to develop a knowledge economy, a clear road map had to be developed through what is a well understood and documented procedure — a Delphi-type “foresight exercise”. Thorough and careful analysis of each sector must be carried out on a regular basis to highlight and identify the key programmes for fu-

ture national development, Dr Attaur Rehman said. He said that more than half of the country’s population directly or indirectly relies on agriculture but through knowledge and innovation the country can transform itself into a knowledge economy. The former HEC head said that for the promotion of knowledge based economy the three major players that needed to come together were universities, industry and government. He said that it was the universities in developed world which adequately prepared human talent needed in each sector. In the developed world universities also set up technology parks and business incubators to provide opportunities to young entrepreneurs to establish new start-up companies.

He said that for the better future of the country and to promote a knowledge based economy the government needed to make investments to improve universities’ standards of teaching and research, set up centers of excellence in selected fields, provide financial assistance for the establishment of technology parks, provide venture capital towards new high technology industries, offer tax incentives to new

ISLAMABAD: The Interior Ministry on Wednesday decided to shut the cellular services in Islamabad on September 6, the Defence Day, from 11AM to 2PM due to security reasons. Mobile phone operators said that mobile service will also remain suspended in sensitive areas of the twin cities as part of security measures on the Pakistan Defense Day. Cellular services will be restored after the fly past. STAFF REPORT

CDA’S FILTRATION PLANTS PROVIDING UNSAFE WATER: REPORT ISLAMABAD: A laboratory testing report has revealed that Capital Development Authority (CDA)’s 26 filtration plants are providing unsafe and harmful water. The water testing laboratory has issued a list of the 26 filtration plants located in different sectors of the federal capital. Theses filtration plants are located in I-8/2, I-9 Tuesday Bazaar, I-10/1, G-6 Bazaar, G-8/1,G-10 Markaz, Abpara Market, G-6/2, G-7/4, G7/2 Sitara Market, G-7/3, G-7/2 Ali Masjid,I-8/3, G-11/2,3, F-9 Park,G-9/2,F6/1,Parliament Lodges, Margalla Town, Bari Imam Complex and G-10/2. ONlINE

MAN AXED TO DEATH technology-based industries and make self reliance the cornerstone of national policies and development plans. Dr Attaur Rehman said that Higher Education Commission made spectacular progress in promoting knowledge, innovation and technology in the country in the short period of six years, 2002 to 2008. However, that progress was at a standstill during the PPP government when they repeatedly at-

tacked the HEC, and shredded its powers and budget ruthlessly. A notification was issued to hand over the pieces of the HEC to the provinces in order to “teach it a lesson” for not endorsing the forged degrees of hundreds of parliamentarians, he said.

The conference was attended by a large number of the academia, educationists and faculty members from various universities of the country.

RAWALPINDI: A man, identified as Tariq Mehmood, was axed to death in the Jahanabd area of Hassanabdal. Mehmood, 40, was going home from work when unidentified criminals attacked him with axe near a local bridge known as Choro Wali Pul. The police shifted the body to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Hassanabdal for medico-legal formalities. The Jari Khas police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the incident. STAFF REPORT

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PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION ON OPERATION ZARB-E-AZB SHOWCASED AT RAC RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC) on Wednesday arranged a photographic exhibition on Operation Zarb-e-Azb to show solidarity with the armed forces of Pakistan and to highlight their sacrifices for the country. Former federal interior minister Malik Habib Khan inaugurated the exhibition. Jinnah Iqbal Fikri Forum Chairman Rana Abdul Baqi, RAC Resident Director Waqar Ahmed and President Sukhanwar Aftab Zia were also present. The photographs of Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif’s visits to targeted areas and IDPs’ camps, troops targeting terrorists’ hideouts, and conducting rescue operation have been exhibited.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Malik Habib praised the armed forces for rendering sacrifices for the sake of the country and giving a new Pakistan to the new generation. He also congratulated Pakistani nation for backing the armed forces. Jinnah Iqbal Fikri Forum Chairman Rana Abdul Baqi said that the entire nation was proud of those rendering sacrifices for the country’s future. He said that Gen Raheel Sharif was fighting the war of young generation. RAC Resident Director Waqar Ahmed said that the entire nation felt proud of the sacrifices of Pakistan’s Army. The exhibition will continue for three days. In connection with Defense Day celebrations, Drama Shaheed-e-Watan will be staged on 6th September at 7 pm while musical night on 7th September at 7pm. STAFF REPORT

ISLAMABAD: Women activists of Jamaat-eIslami hold a demonstration in support of their demands outside National Press Club. ONlINE

olive to be cultivated on 50,000 acres over 5 years ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

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S many as 50,000 acres of land would be brought under olive cultivation all across the country during the next five years as the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) is set to take extraordinary measures to promote olive culture in Pakistan.

The target for this year has been set for planting olive saplings over 8,000 acres of land across the country, the participants of the planning meeting were informed at the PARC headquarters.

The meeting was chaired by PARC Chairman Dr Iftikhar Ahmad while PARC Member Natural Resources Division Dr Nadeem Amjad and project in-charges of all the provincial components were also present on the occasion.

Addressing the meeting, the PARC chairman said that free olive plants and olive processing facilities would be provided to the farmers to promote an olive culture in the country and reduce dependence on imports for which the national exchequer had been spending billions of rupees.

The chairman emphasised the developing and strengthening of the specialized nurseries to produce in-

iHc reserves verdict in PeMra cHairMan’s reinstateMent case ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday reserved its verdict on an intra-court appeal of federation against the reinstatement of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA)’s former chairman, Chaudhry Rasheed Ahmed.

Two-member bench of Justice Shaukat Siddiqui and Justice Athar Minallah heard the case.

Counsel for Chaudhry Rasheed, advocate Wasim Sajjad and Additional Attorney General Afnan Karim Kundi, on behalf of federation, appeared before the court.

Afnan Karim Kundi told the court that the appointment of the former PEMRA chairman was non-transparent and illegal. He said that under the orders of Supreme Court of Pakistan, advertisements had been placed for the appointment of chairman PEMRA. Waseem Sajjad, council for Chaudhry Rasheed, told the court that heads of organizations were being removed on the basis of politics. He said that such moves would weaken the organizations.

Later, court reserved the verdict and adjourned the hearing.

digenous olive plants at scale to meet the farmers’ demand and plantation targets.

Dr Nadeem Amjad praised the pace of work as well as the planning strategy developed by the Federal Project Management Unit, PARC in promoting olive cultivation all across the country.

Earlier, National Project Director, Olive, Dr Nasir Mahmood Cheema briefed the participants about the working plan to achieve the targets of the project. He said that eight olive oil mills of large and medium capacity would be installed this year for processing olive fruit. He said a mother olive orchards would be established at

NARC with sixty different olive cultivars, plant varieties produced in cultivation through selective breeding , for provision of true to type propagation material to develop indigenous plants.

Specialized manpower would also be developed for various aspects of olive cultivation, he said, adding that the private sector was being encouraged to promote value added olive products. He said that two companies were already working in this sector with the efforts of Federal Project Unit, PARC. Through such initiatives the country could achieve the national goals of increasing the production of domestic produced edible oil, he said.

Youth urged to engage in combating drug abuse ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Over 400 college and university students from Islamabad and Rawalpindi gathered in the National Library of Pakistan on Wednesday for a seminar entitled, “Engaging Pakistani Youth in Anti-Narcotics Efforts: Building Generations and Societies”.

The programme educated students on their role in combating drug abuse in Pakistan. The Pakistan-US Alumni Network (PUAN) and the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control jointly organised the US Embassyfunded event. US Embassy’s Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Jeffrey Sexton urged the students to look for opportunities to volunteer and to serve their communities. “As we have learned so well today, to affect change you need strong communities. Communities unite people behind common causes. Communities call people to action. You are proof that youth with a vision can make a difference in Pakistan,” he said.

Director of the US Embassy’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Section (INL) Ramon “Chico” Negron

discussed INL’s support for drug rehabilitation programs across Pakistan and comprehensive drug awareness campaigns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces. “We all share responsibility for raising awareness about the dangers of illegal drug use,” Negron said. Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Interior and Narcotics Control Muhammad Baligh-ur-Rehman said, “The close coordination between the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control, PUAN, and the US Embassy demonstrates

the shared commitment of the United States and Pakistan to combat the corrosive effects of the illegal drug trade.” Pakistan has one of the largest US alumni communities in the world, with more than 15,000 students and professionals who have participated in US government-sponsored exchange programs. PUAN organizes events across Pakistan through 12 regional chapters, including community service projects, leadership training, roundtable discussions, and community engagement activities.

Petition seeking ban on MQM disMissed ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday rejected a petition seeking a ban on the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). When IHC judge Athar Minullah took up the petition for hearing on Wednesday, Barrister Masood Shah appeared on behalf of the petitioner Mazhar Iqbal and contended that MQM was running its affairs through foreign funding and the party was working against the security of the country. He said that the court should order the government to file a reference against the MQM in the Supreme Court within 15 days for its anti-state activities and stance. The judge ordered the petitioner to approach the government first on the issue before moving up to the court.

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Thursday, 3 September, 2015

The rising temperature The need to resolve mutual disputes

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CCUSING Pakistan of using ‘new methods’ for creating unrest in Jammu and Kashmir and extending the arc of violence to other areas, the Indian Army Chief said India was prepared for ‘swift and short’ wars in the future. The generals are often misled by their own war plans. This has often led to military blunders that have cost heavily in terms of human casualties, from Napoleon’s attempt to conquer Russia to America’s decision to invade Iraq. The best way is therefore to resolve all disputes including Kashmir through talks. The resort to force is always a statement of failure and the worst of all solutions. All plans look good till one meets the enemy, as George W Bush summarised the experience of his misadventure in Iraq.

It is time India and Pakistan stopped the blame game and sat down to settle their disputes earnestly. The insurgencies the two countries face are in the main an outcome of their own misgovernance, be these in the Indian controlled Kashmir, Manipur, and Chhattisgarh or the one in Pakistan’s Balochistan. Outsiders can play a role only when the inmates of a house are divided.

The two countries cannot realise their economic potential unless they stop using the language of threats and agree to sort out their difference peacefully. Any war between the two started in the hope of a quick resolution might prolong beyond expectations and turn out to be highly devastating. Both Modi and Sharif are keen for foreign investments and fast economic growth in their respective countries. Any military adventure will scare away potential investors and destroy vital infrastructure. The gains made through years of hard work and self-sacrifice would thus be nullified within weeks.

Ceasefire violations have taken toll of the lives of several innocent civilians on both sides. The rising tensions are a source of worry to the international community. Instead of muscle flexing the two sides should undertake a serious and genuine exercise in brainstorming.

Rounding up politicians Not a good idea

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OLITICIANS have a certain way of making things work for their benefit. And that is not even their greatest achievement; that happens to be making everybody believe that what they are doing is actually for the greater good. But spin it however they might, they can’t control the eventual outcome of their actions. Something of the sort is actually unraveling these days among our very own political class.

ANP President Asfandyar Wali Khan has stated that his party, along with the PPP and MQM, despite being at the forefront of war against terror, is being marginlaised in the national political scene. His statement seems to be an indication of frustration on being unable to practically counter the negative image the actions of Rangers and courts have taken against the members of PPP and MQM. While Rangers’ actions may be an overstepping of the mandate it had been entrusted with, there is no reason to worry if these politicians’ hands are not dirty. These three parties have had more than ample time to prove how good they were at governance, but in a glaring show of ineptness they failed to deliver, with their terms being rife with corruption allegations, terrorism and a much worse law and order situation.

On the one hand, though these parties have been a target of terrorism yet it is no excuse for their failure to deliver on the promises made during election campaigns. On the other hand, their complaint is genuine: Rangers’ actions against these parties in the ongoing operation in Karachi do not entirely speak of objectivity and impartiality because a) Rangers is not mandated to take action on corruption allegations, and b) there are civilian organisations that are set up to handle corruption cases. Moreover, the role of PML-N so far does not appear to be impartial — there are as many politicians with corruption cases in PML-N as in any other party and yet no action has been taken against any one of them.

Corruption cannot be condoned in any way.

However, rounding up corrupt politicians under the garb of war on terrorism is also not justified. Their corruption charges should be dealt with separately, and in accordance with the law of the land.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor Lahore – Ph: 042-36375963, 042-36375965

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The curious case of Ayaz Sadiq The real victory would be correcting the flawed electoral system However, we have also seen a livid Mr Saad Rafique approaching the Apex Court within days after the tribunal’s decision whereupon the verdict of tribunal on the contested NA-125 was suspended. In light of this (and notable others) recent precedent, it is rather safe to assume that the tribunal’s decision against Mr Ayaz Sadiq will also be overturned in the Supreme Court.

Therefore, the seemingly triumphant PTI must be mindful of the fact that decision can still be overturned by the ‘third umpire’.

Despite all the hue and cry over rigging and stealing the people’s mandate following the 2013 General Elections, especially by the PTI chief and his battalion of supporters, the term “rigging” has not been used, mentioned or defined in either of the recent judgments by the tribunal or even in the detailed report of the Judicial Commission. The latest 80-page long pronouncement by Mr Justice (retd) Kazim Ali Malik failed to embark upon the same subject and held that the votes have been ‘materially affected’ thereby declaring the election in NA-122 void in its entirety, and it was further observed by the learned judge that the “Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) shall hold bye-election from the said constituency in accordance with law”.

Mr Justice (retd) Kazim Ali Malik, while scrutinising the election record, held that, inter alia, CNIC numbers mentioned on 6,123 counterfoils were never issued by NADRA; that the polling staff, in violation of the law, wrote incorrect or unreadable CNIC numbers on another 6,302 used counterfoils; that 1,380 ballot papers that were counted as validly polled votes were never issued by the members of the polling staff; and lastly that 1,270 votes cast were neither found

aitzaz a Chaudhary

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R Justice (retd) Kazim Ali Malik, of the one-man Lahore Election Tribunal, announced the long-awaited verdict concerning the fate of National Assembly Speaker albeit after a delay of nine hours this past Saturday. The tribunal declared result of the 2013 General Elections in NA-122 ‘null and void’ after finding ‘irregularities’ in the election process, committed by the Election Commission and ordered a re-poll in the Lahore constituency where Mr Ayaz Sadiq (Speaker National Assembly) had defeated PTI’s Chairman Imran Khan. Pertinently, the tribunal previously had also ordered a re-polling in NA125, much to Mr Saad Rafique’s dismay due to ‘some irregularities’ and lapses in election process.

Prior to the celebrations, we have all seen an angry and at times significantly impatient PTI chief demanding verification of the votes casted in four constituencies i.e., NA-110 (Sialkot), NA-122 (Lahore), NA-125 (Lahore) and NA154 (Lodharan), out of which the tribunal has announced its decision to hold re-election in the contested constituencies of Lahore and more recently Lodharan (detailed judgment of which is not yet available).

from the ballot boxes nor were included in the vote count.

Despite acknowledging blatant discrepancies, the learned tribunal, like the Judicial Commission, has failed to clarify whether a combination of all these ‘irregularities’ can be considered to be rigging or not. As such, we are left without any precise definition of ‘rigging’ at the moment.

Earlier, the Judicial Commission headed by the then honourable Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk in its detailed report rejected the contentions that were raised by PTI which included, inter alia, the allegation pertaining to ‘organised rigging’ in the 2013 General Elections, non-transparent polling, and ‘theft’ of the public mandate. Interestingly, however, the Judicial Commission in its report had also stated that there were ‘irregularities’ only to the extent of ECP, but the same did not reflect a deviation from the public mandate.

Even though, Mr Justice (retd) Kazim Ali Malik has dethroned Mr Ayaz Sadiq from the National Assembly and ordered bye-election in the contested constituency of NA122, the learned judge has failed to point out Mr Ayaz Sadiq’s personal or his party’s collusion with the election staff which was PTI’s primary assertion. Thus, everyone, excluding the jubilant PTI supporters, is uncertain as to what convinced the tribunal to hold the election void when only NADRA and the ECP – not Mr Ayaz Sadiq or his agents – are blamed for the irregularities in the elections.

One of the possible rationale behind the tribunal’s decision could be that Section 70 of the Representation of Peoples Act 1976 empowers the election tribunal to declare the election void if the same is convinced that the results of the election are ‘materially affected’ due to any individual’s failure to comply

with the provisions of the Act. But then let us be honest: there is a high probability of the fact that results of every constituency in the country suffer from material ‘irregularities’, given the existing electoral process and the level of expertise of our election staff. The question which then is: Should not the results of all constituencies across Pakistan be examined thoroughly to improve and ensure transparency in the system?

Nevertheless, lesson to be learnt from this decision, notwithstanding our political affiliations, is that ousting a member of the National Assembly from the Parliament is not in fact a victory.

Correcting the flawed electoral system will be the real victory. These cases should serve as a stepping stone to reform the election mechanism. PTI, as well as other political parties, should invest their time and energy in taking concrete steps which most definitely does not involve staging another dharna in the capital to improve the electoral system before the next General Elections rather than digging into defected results of each and every constituency or maligning the candidates involved.

In light of the existing political situation, the pessimist in me finds it hard to comment on whether a bye-election in NA-122 or next General Elections will be any different from the 2013 General Elections, especially now that the Parliament is not doing much, apart from merely ‘discussing’ the possibility of actually reforming the electoral system. Having said that and given the rapidly developing culture of rights and accountability, the optimist in me yearns and prays to see a reformed electoral system, in neither ‘naya’ nor ‘purana’, but ‘Jinnah ka Pakistan’.

The writer is a practising lawyer based in Lahore. He can be contacted at @ch_aitzazaslam

The General in his Labyrinth Gen Hamid Gul and his legacy Nasir Chaudhry

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he General in His Labyrinth was the title of another masterly piece of fiction by the great Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The route that Marquez, that great storyteller, took was both unorthodox and risky. For this particular work of his is centred on the fictionalised last days of the great liberator Simon Bolivar of Latin America.

General Hamid Gul, may the Almighty bless his soul, was to me a general in his labyrinth. I pray for his departed soul and I sincerely do so, without a faint hint of any irony or cynicism. He may have been a patriot and a staunch believer, I am no one to hold him accountable on both the counts for I truly believe those two are very high, lofty virtues left at best to be decided by, in the case of the former, collective conscience and wisdom and the later a higher, supreme authority, God. What I can hold him accountable for as enshrined in my rights as enunciated by the constitution of the land are his acts of omission and commission in the service of the state of Pakistan.

I am neither committing an act of treason and am within my legal and moral limits in doing so.

General Hamid Gul violated his oath on which he had sworn to serve his nation even if it meant laying his life for the country by actively indulging in politics. Not only did he do politics but did so aggressively by pandering to the right in his obsessive quest to undo forces of the left which he ‘thought’ had the active support and backing of his nemesis, the West and a Soviet Union on the brink of dismemberment. He did so without sufficient evidence and in doing so ensured that the mandate of his countrymen was trampled upon in favour of an engineered victory for the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad, a rightist force he had nurtured.

This only further alienated the people from their belief in bringing and changing their rep-

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resentatives through the ballot box, a tendency that continues till date. This firmly put Pakistan on a rightist pedestal after the disastrous Zia dictatorship that unabashedly manipulated religion for its survival. The fashion of cobbling coalitions by buying, exchanging loyalties and an assortment of the political and militant right is but General Gul’s legacy. He should have either apologised or stood trial for these acts. It would not have been entirely incorrect to remind General Gul that the very countries at the centre of his tirades, the US, Israel and India, are strong democracies and such adventures in these countries would have meant certain chastisement and accountability. But for the General was in his labyrinth.

In his detailed graphic and grotesque account of the Mazar-e-Sharif battle for his seminal work on the Taliban, Ahmed Rashid writes of how hundreds of corpses lay upon each other, some even alive while others charred beyond recognition, and as to how stray dogs and animals fed on these remains for days. General Gul’s legacy of fostering the Taliban and looking the other way during the development of a nexus between the Taliban and local militant groups is another misdeed for which he should have either apologised or held accountable. The blend of this variety has come back to haunt Pakistan and shaken our very foundations, killing our innocent young and old, unsparing of even our school children.

In the face of his abject failure of the Jalalabad operation, General Gul was at the forefront in his incessant patronage of the mujahideen who had just been routed by the Afghan National Army. By undertaking such a path, General Gul, sadly, sowed the seeds of hatred and detestation in the eyes of ordinary Afghans against Pakistan and everything Pakistani. Those seeds have become a tree today and continue to gradually stretch out its firm branches and cast its shade over the future of our relations with Afghanistan.

But for the General was in his labyrinth.

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

Another of General Gul’s damning legacies is his fanatical calls to the believers for jihad and destruction of the West. General Hamid Gul practically ensured that the fervent calls for jihad are answered by millions of the most poor and destitute of his countrymen. The anatomy of jihad that has come to be one of the most prominent features of our national psyche and foreign, strategic outlook for the past few decades, has brought a promising country to near international isolation and enormous social, economic and political decline. I had wished that both of General Hamid’s own sons had answered the call of the faithful rather than living and earning their livelihood in the United States. But for the General was in his labyrinth.

General Hamid Gul and his conduct in office weakened the cause of a democratic and vibrant Pakistan and its political culture. His fanatical desires diluted civil authority and tipped the balance of power towards the military in the civil-military equation. His defiance of civil authority did not make him a better Pakistani, a law abiding citizen or a better soldier too. At a time when the country needed a strong democratic polity after the end of the disastrous Zia years, General Gul could have made his place in history by strengthening democratic culture and practices, rule of law and democratic institutions. However, his assertions, bizarre comments and conspiracy theories have only made the common man more delusional and distrustful of politics and politicians. In doing his bidding, he might have accomplished this short term objective but aborted with his own doing the longer term objective of a strong, prosperous and democratic Pakistan as envisaged by its founding fathers.

But for the General was in his labyrinth and that has come to cost his motherland much, too much. A motherland, General Gul swore allegiance of his unflinching love and loyalty too.

The writer is a freelance columnist working in the oil and gas industry. He can be reached at: m_nasir08@hotmail.com I

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

WORLD VIEW 09

Thursday, 3 September, 2015

is narenDra moDi failing the inDian right? times of iNdia

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Sadananddhume

FTER all, no other BJP leader can claim credit for dramatically catapulting his party from the margins to the heart of national power. No other right wing politician — neither Atal Bihari Vajpayee as prime minister, nor Lal Krishna Advani in his heyday — ever enjoyed such nationwide popularity. On social media cultural and economic conservatives don’t always see eye to eye, but both tend to agree that the prime minister is India’s tallest leader by a distance.

And yet, for all their importance, electoral success and public adulation aren’t the only measures of a politician. In a land long dominated by the left, a rightof-center leader ought to be judged by a worthier yardstick: How much has he done to advance alternative ideas? By this measure, the first 15 months of the Modi era have proved to be a bit of a damp squib.

Understanding why this is so requires a slight detour into history. For at the heart of the Indian conservative worldview lies a common understanding of where the country went wrong and why it continues to lag much of Asia.

In economic policy, Jawaharlal Nehru’s original sin of reliance on heavy-handed state planning rather than the invisible hand of the market was com-

pounded by his daughter’s virtual war against private enterprise. In foreign policy, India fetishised the idea of non-alignment over the hard-nosed pursuit of national interest. At the same time, a parade of votegrubbing politicians poisoned the well of Indian pluralism by championing special rights for religious minorities over equal rights for all Indians.

On foreign policy — recent flip-flops on Pakistan notwithstanding — Modi has given the right little cause for complaint. His successes include boosting ties with the US and Japan, publicly embracing the special relationship with Israel, and building a bridge to the vast Indian diaspora. On social issues the prime minister has done little, either for good or for ill, belying exaggerated fears of the threat he posed to secularism. The disappointment stems, ironically, from what was supposed to be Modi’s great strength – his stewardship of the economy.

Thus far, Modi’s approach to the economy has been timid and lacking in any obvious conviction. His over-reliance on the bureaucracy suggests a prime minister who has yet to outgrow a chief ministerial style of administration. His failure to privatise even perennially loss-making public sector companies such as Air India betrays a strange comfort with the status quo. And the government’s approach to taxation — in particular an ugly black money law that will chill business sentiment and only enrich corrupt officials —

DC anD Delhi: DysfunCtional DemoCraCies?

NatioNal iNterest Ray VickeRy

When I was in India recently, the political landscape seemed oddly familiar.

Whether inside Washington’s Beltway or New Delhi’s Ring Road, the political countrysides bore remarkable similarities. In India and the United States, charismatic, forceful national leaders were trying to move forward with programs for economic change. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Modi, not unlike President Obama, had run squarely into a large dose of legislative politics as usual. What is it about these two important democracies that seems to produce dysfunction in law making?

In an Indian version of “those living in glass houses throwing stones,” the opposition in the Indian legislature had taken up the hue and cry of alleged corruption. In the Rajya Sabha (upper house), where the Opposition holds a significant majority, the Opposition simply used its numbers to block consideration of legislation. This was particularly ironic in regard to key legislation for creating a single market in India, the Goods and Services Tax bill. The G&ST measure had been drafted and supported by the Opposition when it was in power only a little over a year ago. In the Lok Sabha (lower house), where the Opposition is in a distinct minority, it simply stormed the well of the house and, with a continuous show of placards and shouting, refused to allow business to proceed.

The results: No legislation and a complete washout of the aptly named Monsoon Session. The justification: The other guys are crooks, and they did it to us when they were in opposition (besides, this may be working politically).

So what did the prime minister do in response to the washout? As his American counterpart often does, he gave a speech—a very long (one and a half hours) Independence Day speech filled with facts and figures to show that the Opposition was wrong. And the reaction? Those who support the government thought it was terrific, while supporters of the Opposition thought it was terrible—lacking in substance and/or inspiration.

Much of the press reacted to the parliamentary washout in a very American way, too. Pundits criticized the government for not getting its key legislative goals enacted. Opposition predictions of the inability to provide meaningful change became a self-fulfilling prophecy that the media echoed in erudite critiques about the shine being off Modi’s leadership.

Also familiar was the political reaction outside New Delhi. Leaders in the population centers and state capitals I visited—Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Mumbai—had their own bread to bake. Attention was mostly centered on state efforts to promote prosperity and attend to their own political worries. In many ways, the legislative paralysis in New Delhi seemed to be happening in a foreign land. The deadlock was regrettable, but not a reason for action. In terms of everyday life, the states and the Center were worlds apart.

However, in all humility, I had to admit that India at least had a budget.

Transportation and other infrastructure measures were going forward. This was more than I could say for my own country. Almost no key funding legislation proposed by the president was moving and the American legislature was completely engrossed in trying to torpedo his single most important foreign-policy initiative—the Iran nuclear deal. And legislative paralysis seemed to be trickling down to the American states. In my home state of Virginia, a legislative session called to fix the unconstitutionality of redistricting laws had descended into a fight about a judge and nothing had gotten done.

Perhaps, it was always this way. After all, it was India’s old nemesis Winston Churchill who said, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” But what worries me most about my three weeks of close observation of Indian democracy is that it is so like our own at the moment. Have we reached a new normal where blockage is more important than addressing pending needs? Are we so divided that we cannot act even on items we agree need to be done?

India and the United States are the two largest (and some would say potentially the greatest) democracies in the world. Our values are aligned and so are many of our interests. However, if we have executive/legislative systems that produce little or nothing, will that not ultimately impact our abilities to cooperate on the great strategic issues of our time? To keep growing, a modern economy needs a continuously updated set of laws, including a national budget. Ultimately, robust economies are foundations of national greatness and our ability to cooperate strategically. In democracies, updated laws are not achieved by prime ministers or presidents alone, but require the participation of functioning legislatures. In the meantime, don’t blame the heads of governments if legislatures can’t get their acts together.

Raymond E. Vickery Jr. is a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center; Of Counsel at Hogan Lovells; Senior Advisor at Albright Stonebridge; and a former Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Trade Development, in the Clinton Administration.

echoes the worst instincts of the licence-permit Raj. Contrast this with India’s only other identifiably right-of-center prime minister: Vajpayee.

Despite being constrained by coalition politics, Vajpayee set out to curb the overbearing role of the state in India’s economy. He opened up telecommunications and quickly transformed a perpetual shortage into one of the developing world’s great success stories. Vajpayee understood the absurdity of the government wasting taxpayer money on running bakeries and hotels when it could instead be focussing on improving roads, schools and hospitals.

Under the indefatigable ArunShourie, India began rolling back the frontiers of the public sector through a series of genuine privatisations.

Both of Vajpayee’s finance ministers — Yashwant Sinha and Jaswant Singh — will be remembered for pushing the envelope on reforms. Until its boundaries were busted by a profligate United Progressive Alliance, the 2003 Fiscal Responsibility Act promised to move India from the list of Third World economies incapable of balancing a budget to the ranks of the fiscally sound. Singh famously took a personal interest in simplifying the daunting income tax forms cooked up by a bureaucracy wedded to needless complexity.

Vajpayee may have lost the 2004 elections, but he created the conditions that allowed Modi to rise.

NeW YorKer STeVe cOLL

Hillary Clinton, in her memoir “Living History,” recounts her struggle to defend her privacy while residing in the White House. Some of her stories have a gothic tone. After Bill Clinton’s first inauguration, Harry and Linda Thomason, friends from Hollywood, found a jocular note under a pillow in the Lincoln Bedroom. It was from Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host. How did the note get there? “I don’t believe in ghosts, but we did sometimes feel that the White House was haunted by more temporal entities,” Clinton writes.

A few months later, as she grieved over the death of her father, she noticed that furniture in the living quarters had been disturbed. She discovered that security officers had searched for bugging devices, without consulting her. “I suddenly remembered the Rush Limbaugh note,” she writes. “I was undone by the invasion of privacy. Yes, we were living in a house that belongs to our nation. But there’s an understanding that individuals who occupy it are allowed some rooms of their own.”

That sensibility partly explains this summer’s Clinton non-scandal or mini-scandal or proto-scandal, as it may be.

The matter arose from a decision by Clinton when she was the Secretary of State to eschew the government’s e-mail system for a private one. In this hot summer of Donald Trump’s smash reality show and excited crowds for Clinton’s Democratic challenger Bernie Sanders, the e-mail imbroglio is giving her supporters indigestion. The headlines recall the bewildering, partisan-inflamed, and largely inconsequential controversies that surfaced during her husband’s Presidency—Whitewater, Travelgate, the Paula Jones case, the Monica Lewinsky matter, and, finally, President Clinton’s impeachment hearings. It was an era in Washington about which only white-collar defense lawyers may feel nostalgic.

Now the Clintons again confront a scrum of Republican congressmen and conservative activists who are clearly out to get them. Yet the tenacity of Republican opposition researchers does not by itself explain why Clinton and her husband are so often beset by accusation. Both of them too often co-author their dramas by obfuscating and tolerating conflicts of interest, such as when, between 2009 and 2013, with Hillary Clinton guiding American foreign policy, the Clinton Foundation accepted large donations from foreign governments, including several that abuse human rights.

The e-mail case is, so far, a more ambiguous tangle. In late 2008 or early 2009, the incoming Secretary installed a private server at her New York home. She has said that she wanted to avoid carrying multiple e-mail devices, something that using the State Department system might have required.

“What was supposed to be convenient has turned out to be anything but convenient,” Clinton remarked last week. Late last year, Clinton turned over to the State Department about thirty thousand e-mails from her home system. But, before doing so, she and her attorneys singled out more than thirty thousand other e-mails, which they deemed to be “private,” and, as far as is known, deleted them permanently. Clinton has said that the deleted notes concerned only “yoga routines, family vacations,” and the like.

Her unilateral culling raised eyebrows, but her lawyers approved her action, and her assertion of privacy rights seems to have resonated with Democratic voters.

Now, however, the F.B.I. is involved.

This is because an inspector general for

Despite its lackluster performance in opposition, BJP could legitimately claim to have championed policies that led to the eight-year-long boom of 2003-10, when economic growth averaged a ruddy 8.3. This, combined with Modi’s own investor-friendly record in Gujarat, made the party the natural choice for those fed up with stagnation under UPA. Perhaps most importantly, the Vajpayee years ended BJP’s old reputation as a party of Luddites reflexively opposed to all change. This brought the party in line with a middle class that had little time for economic theory but could nonetheless see how liberalization had improved their lives.

What economic legacy will Modi leave his successors? Even his most vocal supporters don’t claim that he has lived up to expectations by blazing a bold reformist trail. Borrowing from cricket, they liken Modi to an opening batsman playing a cautious knock — more Geoffrey Boycott than VirenderSehwag.

Alternatively, Modi the architect is credited with carefully laying a foundation from which the shimmering skyscraper of reform will inevitably rise.

Well, by any reasonable yardstick 15 months is long enough to wait for a sign. Unless he changes course, Modi will be remembered as neither a solid opening batsman nor a great architect. Rather, he will be footnoted as the general who famously won the battle of 2014 but somehow managed to lose the war.

KEEPING SECRETS U.S. intelligence agencies, and another for the State Department, reviewed a sample of Clinton’s e-mails and identified classified information in some of them. By near-automatic protocol, that finding was referred to the Justice Department.

One of the F.B.I.’s tasks in the weeks ahead will be to look into whether, amid all the e-mailing to and from Secretary Clinton, any crime may have been committed, by anyone.

There is no indication that Clinton is the target of a criminal inquiry.

Unfortunately for the candidate, though, the law around handling classified information can resemble a house of mirrors. The federal government routinely classifies many more documents than it needs to, including ones containing publicly known or harmless information. Consequently, government employees must treat subjects widely covered in the media, such as the fact that the U.S. carries out lethal drone strikes, as if they were super-secret. And even the most innocuous discussions with foreign government officials may be judged classified. This is often silly, yet the F.B.I. goes by the book. If Clinton and her aides swapped classified information over an unsecured e-mail system, they could be questioned about mishandling state secrets.

That misdemeanor has ensnared several high office-holders in the recent past. In 2001, John Deutch, President Clinton’s second C.I.A. director, admitted to a single count of mishandling classified material, because he kept top-secret files at home on a Macintosh connected to the open Internet.

(Bill Clinton pardoned him.) In 2005, Samuel Berger, a former Clinton Administration national-security adviser, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, because, after leaving office—for reasons that remain unclear—he removed classified documents from the National Archives and destroyed them. Earlier this year, General David Petraeus pleaded to a misdemeanor after allowing his mistress and biographer to read sensitive notebooks that he kept when he ran the C.I.A. In each of those cases, the evidence of serious or willful neglect was much clearer than anything that has emerged about Hillary Clinton’s e-mailing. It has not yet been independently determined whether any of the classified information in her correspondence was marked as such, for example, or how sensitive the secrets discussed might have been. Still, it is conceivable that more striking evidence of deception or serious neglect may eventually surface, and, in any event, the investigations will go on—and on and on, if past inquiries of this type are any guide.

Hillary Clinton’s vulnerabilities as a Presidential candidate are visible and often remarked upon—conspicuous wealth, a self-protecting style, and the baggage accumulated during three decades in public life. Her strengths are less often acknowledged. For one thing, she is a formidable campaigner—always on message, gaffe-free in debates and town halls, encyclopedic on policy, and comfortable with confrontation and competition. News cycles about faltering frontrunners are as much a ritual of early primary seasons as eating pork on a stick at the Iowa State Fair. Hillary Clinton’s campaign is only starting. It will likely be another August before anyone can rate her chances to return to the temporally haunted living quarters she knew as a spouse, to take up rooms of her own.

Steve Coll, a staff writer, is the dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, and reports on issues of intelligence and national security in the United States and abroad.

10 BUSINESS KARACHI/LAHORE

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STAFF REpORT

AKISTAN is poised to fetch higher export orders for onion this year after India, its competitor, and Bangladesh returned to the international markets to overcome local shortage in supplies, traders have said.

“Pakistan has registered an increase in demand from the overseas markets in the last couple of weeks. India has recently started importing onion from Pakistan via the Wagah border,” said Haji Shahjahan, an exporter.

“Total export of the country would remain steady at 450,000 to 500,000 ton this year, which is similar to the previous year,” he estimated.

The country’s annual

Thursday, 3 September, 2015

OniOn Prices sHOOt uP After inDiA, BAngLADesH PLAce iMPOrt OrDers

export size of the commodity stood at 250,000 to 300,000 tons in recent years, he added.

Shahjahan said that on an average, some five trucks of onions had been crossing the Wagah border daily to enter into India from Pakistan.

Each truck carries some 15 tons of onions.

Under these circumstances, prices at Karachi’s wholesale

market at Super Highway have shot to Rs1,600/40kg of onions from Rs 1,0001,100/40kg a few days ago. Accordingly, the commodity in retail has increased to around Rs 40-50/kg from Rs 30-40/kg a few days ago.

He linked the hike in the prices with the drop in supplies to the market. “Supplies are sometimes slowed down when the crop finishes in one area and harvesting begins in other areas. These days, onions from Balochistan are available in the markets nationwide.” Sindh would begin harvesting the new crop from October, and will continue in full swing until November-December. The crop would last till April 2016.

He, however, said Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and UAE remain the biggest im-

porters of Pakistani onion. Attributing the price fluctuation to the demand supply gap, Shahjahan said Malaysia had been importing 50-60 containers (of 25 tons each) every week, UAE 40-50 containers, whereas Sri Lanka buys 30-40 containers of onion from Pakistan every week. “On a weekly average, Pakistan exports 8,000 to 10,000 tons of onion,” he said.

Ahmed Ali Baloch, another exporter, said: “I have just received an export order from Bangladesh, and I am evaluating the export price.” Reportedly, Bangladesh usually imports onion from India. The export country (India), however, is itself experiencing shortage in local supplies and price-hike these days. The situation has also convinced Bangladesh to divert its import orders to

other countries.

Pakistan, a common neighbour to both the countries, with a local production estimated at 2.5 million tons this year, may help them overcome a part of their local shortages.

Egypt, Iran, and Afghanistan may also help them overcome the crises, it was learnt. Baloch added that Pakistan could fetch higher exports than the estimated amount if the government did not set a maximum limit per exporter. “According to the rules, one exporter cannot load more than one container of onion in each vessel, may be each vessel carries 100 containers.”

Shahjahan added that two to three vessels of onions leave the Karachi Port every week.

ADB to consider funding for 2nd unit of Jamshoro power plant ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will consider funding of second unit of Jamshoro coal-fired power project besides funding for smart metering in the country. It was informed by a delegation of Asian Development Bank (ADB) led by Sean O’ Sullivan, Director General, Central West Asia Department (CWRD), Asian Development Bank, which called on Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Federal Minister for Water and Power on Wednesday. It may be added that the ADB is already funding the coal-fired Jamshoro power plant. Mohammad Younas Dagha, secretary ministry for water and power, and other senior officials of the ministry also attended the meeting. The minister lauded the role of Asian Development Bank in the infrastructure development, particularly in the power sector of the country. He apprised the delegation about the initiatives taken by the present government for resolving the energy issues being faced by the country. “Since 2013, things are improving day by day and the prime minister is very keen to redress the issue on top priority,” said the minister. The secretary water and power briefed the delegation about the Unit II of the Jamshoroo Power coal-fired project and urged for ADB’s allocation of additional fund for the project. He further apprised the delegation that funding of $100 million were required for up gradation of railways track from Kotri to Jamshooro for transportation of coal to the power plant. The minister said that he would personally pursue approval of PCs for smart metering project which had already been submitted with the ministry of planning, development and reforms. The delegation assured that they would explore all the possibilities for the additional funding of the power project and for the installation of smart metering in Rawalpindi and Lahore to help check power theft. STAFF REpORT

PPL announces discovery in Hala KARACHI: Pakistan Petroleum Limited, operator of the Hala Block with 65 percent working interest (WI) along with its joint venture partner Mari Petroleum Company Limited with 35 percent WI, announced another gas and condensate discovery at its exploration well Fazl X-1 located in district Matiari, Sindh. This is the third discovery in the block. Fazl X-1 was spud on May 29, 2015 and reached the final depth of 4,067 meters on August 12, 2015. Based on wireline logs and drilling results, potential hydrocarbon bearing zones were identified in massive sand of lower goru formation. During testing, the flow was 20.3 MMscfd gas along with 50 bbl/d condensate at 48/ 64 inches choke size, thus confirming the presence of commercial quantities of natural gas and condensate at Fazl X-1. The well is being flowed at different choke sizes to measure gas flow rates, following completion of which actual flow potential of the well will be determined. STAFF REpORT

RAWALPINDI: Traders protest against 0.6% withholding tax on all types of bank transactions. INp

IRAN ACCEPTS PAKISTAN’S OFFERS TO JOIN CPEC

ISLAMABAD App

CORPORATE CORNER ISLAMABAD ONlINE

ISLAMABAD: Asim Bashir, Country Head - Consumer Banking Division, Askari Bank, presenting a 42” LED to Tauseef Abbas at a ceremony held in Islamabad for the winners of Askari Master Card Spend & Win Campaign for the month of July 2015. pR

PM seeks proposals to bring down cost of inputs

Pakistan and Iran have agreed to consider linking the latter with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in an effort to strengthen border markets and upgrade road and railway networks, local media quoting officials reported on Wednesday.

“Pakistan has invited Iran to become part of the CPEC and help strengthen border markets, upgrade railways, build warehouses and open/upgrade border crossing points,” said a senior officer in the ministry of commerce. During a meeting of the Pak-Iran joint working group and technical committee on trade, in the last week of August, the two sides discussed trade and investment-related issues and how to frame a five-year strategic plan to enhance bilateral trade. They met in the backdrop of possible lifting of sanctions from Iran by the international community.

They agreed on the need of implementing the bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), including promotion of transparency and establishment of a

mechanism that issues prior notification.

Expected freight train operations also came up for review and the Iranian side was reminded that in the Zaheden meeting in May this year, Pakistan had stressed the need for beginning the services on a regular basis. In the subsequent meeting on August 19 and 20, both the sides agreed to offer freight train services on the 1st and 15th of each month, subject to availability of cargo. Pakistan proposed concessionary fares between Zahedan and Quetta by the time freight traffic picks up pace. It was suggested that representatives from the respective ministries, responsible for agricultural matters, should participate in meetings of the joint working group on trade to facilitate decision-making regarding trade in agro-products.

“The Iranian delegation will convey all proposals and suggestions to the authorities concerned in their country and inform about the decisions later,” said the official in the ministry of commerce. He added that Iran was also interested in linking itself with the CPEC to expand its border markets with regional countries.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Wednesday directed the concerned authorities to devise proposals to bring down the cost of inputs to improve per acre agriculture yield and profitability. The prime minister also directed the ministry of national food security to initiate measures to attract investment in high-tech seed industry and inquired about any legislation in this regard. He was chairing a high-level meeting with representatives of agriculture sector at the prime minister house.

The prime minister directed to develop standards for use of agricultural machinery to improve their efficiency. The provincial governments were directed to initiate process for implementation of the recommendations of the agriculture forum, said a press release of the PM House.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Commerce Engineer Khurram Dastagir, Minister for Finance Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Minister for National Food Security Sikandar Hayat Bosan, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal and Advisor to PM on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, federal secretary national food security and secretaries of agriculture from Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The meeting deliberated on issues and problems faced by the peasants and agriculture sector in the wake of downward trends in the international commodity markets which had impacts on the domestic agricultural commodity market. Surplus stocks of agricultural products in international and domestic markets have put pressure on the support price mechanism and profitability of the agricultural production.

LEISURE 11

Thursday, 3 September, 2015

HaGaR tHE HoRRIblE

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

It's way too easy for you to get caught up in emotional games that you don't see coming today -- it may feel like you've been ambushed. Just roll with it and see how you like the outcome.

Your belief system is shaken -- but for good reasons! The intensity of the experience may leave you feeling exhausted, so block out some time later in the day for reflection or at least rest.

Show off how helpful you can be today -- someone close is in need, and your energy is just right for getting them where they need to go. It's easier than ever to make a good impression!.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

You can't quite come to a conclusion with your decisions today -- so let your mind wander wherever it needs to go. You may find that your energy is better spent on artistic notions anyway.

Your intuition is strikingly clear and prescient today -- and while it may not lead you to win the lottery, it can get you an in with a new job or even guide you to your next romance.

Your intellect is pushing you in a new direction today -- and you are likely to run into someone or something from your past along the way. It's not that life is a circle so much as a series of loops.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

A business decision early in the day has long-term effects you may not be able to predict -- but they should contain both positive and negative aspects, so don't worry about what you're in for yet.

Your intensity is drawing others near -- so it may get a little crowded! Your energy is perfect for socializing, though, so it should work out well. You may meet someone important.

A vivid dream feels entirely real, but may fade almost beyond memory once you wake up.

It's not a prophecy so much as a bit of advice from your subconscious, so let it lie fallow.

dIlbERt

GaRFIEld

baldo

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Your closest friend needs you today - so make sure that you've got communication lines open! It's a great time for you to step up and ask for assistance from others, too.

Don't be shy!.

If you're even the slightest bit dissatisfied with your job, you may need to make a change soon. There's good news -you are in the right place at the right time to make the jump seamlessly.

You feel somewhat like a doormat after a brief interaction this morning -- but that ends up being good for you! It stiffens your spine right up, and the rest of the week is yours for the taking.

cRosswoRd

sUdoKU

woRd sEaRcH

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.

LIGhT LISTEN LOTS MEANT MOROSE MOTE NINE OfTEN PATIO PIECE ROUGE SEGMENTS SPIRES SPRINT STORk TORE TRENCh VENd VIdEO

Today’s soluTions

HIGHway RobbERy

cHEss black TO PlaY aND MaTE IN ThrEE MOVEs 8

crossword solution

7 6 5 4 3 2

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

chess solution 1...Qe7 2.Qh5 Qe3+! [2...Qxe2? 3.Rxf8+ Kxf8 4.Rf1+ Kg8 5.Qf7+ Kh8 6.Qf8+ would be a mistake.] 3.Kh1 Qxe2 *

1

sudoku solution

1 Concern solely for one's own welfare (11) 9 doctor specialising in the waterworks? (9) 10 Annoyance (3) 11 Stipulated requirements (5) 13 Lord Ted (anag) (7) 14 Early enough (2,4) 15 Running costs (6) 18 Mediocre (7) 20 darkness (5) 21 Movable cover (3) 22 Incognito (9) 24 Transitory (11) DOwn 2 One's image of oneself (3) 3 floating wreckage (7) 4 Ill-tempered (informal) (6) 5 Eminent (5) 6 director of Jaws (9) 7 Maintaining a balance by not depleting natural resources (11) 8 feebleness of old age (11) 12 Major world seaport at the mouth of the Meuse (9) 16 flightless bird (7) 17 Goods jettisoned from a ship and washed up on shore (6) 19 Go bad (5) 23 wickedness (3)

ALLEy AVERAGE AVOId BUxOM CENTER CONE dANdELIONS dENSE dESTRUCTION dOILy fORGE fREEzE GENERATION hATCh hAzE hOLLy hUMId ITChy LAwN

12

Thursday, 3 September, 2015

ARTS

Carbonated drinks intake Can lead to fatal heart disease

Y

NEWS DESK

OU need to reconsider your intake of carbonated drink as it can cause you serious health issues. According to a study that analyzed the impact of various beverages per person between 2005 and 2011, drinking too much carbonated beverages can increase the risk of fatal cardiovascular disease, or outof-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) of cardiac origin.

“Carbonated beverage consumption was significantly and positively associated with OHCAs of cardiac origin in Japan, indicating that beverage habits may have an impact on fatal CVD (cardiovascular disease),” said principal investigator Keijiro Saku, professor of cardiology at Fukuoka University in Japan.

“The acid in carbonated beverages

might play an important role in this association,” Saku noted.

The study involved nearly 800,000

patients who had out-of-hospital cardiac arrests of cardiac and non-cardiac origin.

The ministry of health, labour and welfare of Japan gave the data on the consumption of the various beverages per person. Expenditure on beverages as a proxy measure were used.

The researchers found that expenditures on carbonated beverages were significantly associated with OHCAs of cardiac origin.

Expenditures on other beverages, including green tea, black tea, coffee, cocoa, fruit or vegetable juice, fermented milk beverage, milk and mineral water were not significantly associated with OHCAs of cardiac origin.

Never the less, the findings also indicated that limited consumption of carbonated beverages could be beneficial for health.

The findings were presented at European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2015 in London.

Scientists warn most of us have hearts older than our actual age COURTESY DAILY MAIL

WOMAN WITH RARE SKIN DISEASE IS FIRST WITH CONDITION TO BECOME MUM COURTESY UNILAND 23 year old Stephanie Turner has battled against the odds to become the first person with a rare skin disorder to give birth to healthy children. Harlequin Ichthyosis is a terrible skin disorder that causes skin to grow 10 times thicker and much faster than the normal rate. This leads to skin being armourlike and susceptible to cracking and infections.

Stephanie became the first person with Harlequin ichthyosis to give birth when her son, Willy, was born and has now also given birth to a daughter, Olivia. Pregnancy is particularly dangerous to sufferers of Harlequin ichthyosis, as the expansion of the womb and stomach causes severe cracking of the skin. Both Stephanie’s children are healthy and do not suffer from the disease, as both parents must have it for it to be passed on.

Talking about her pregnancy, Stephanie says, “I can’t tell you how good a feeling it is to have your baby healthy and happy.” Her husband Curtis describes her as a “supermum” who can “do 50 things at once.” It’s inspirational to see that Stephanie doesn’t let her condition hold her back from being an amazing mum. We wish nothing but the best to her and her family.

‘BRITAIN’S WORST BOXER’ HAS FINALLY WON A FIGHT AFTER 51 DEFEATS COURTESY UNILAND Robin Deakin is probably the worst boxer in existence. After being labeled ‘Britain’s Worst Boxer’, the half man / half punching bag has broken his mammoth losing streak. You’d think after the first 10 defeats or so, Robin would have hung up his gloves to pursue another career when clearly he wasn’t a great boxer. He was even stripped off his boxing license for his own safety after it became clear that his face was like catnip for fists. Despite his staggering losing record, Deakin is widely praised for his determination, with many touting him as Essex’s answer to Rocky. After winning his début fight back in 2006, Deakin suffered a nine year drought that finally ended on Saturday after he beat Latvian boxer Deniss Kornilovs in four rounds. With his record now showing 2-51, Deakin reckons he’s on the right path and even wants to start challenging for titles. Boxing obviously means a lot to the guy and his spirit is undisputed, so fair play Robin, we wish you the best.

While millions of us may feel young at heart, the reality is likely to be quite different. A new study has found almost three in four people have a heart that is older than their chronological age. The average American man’s heart age is nearly eight years higher than his actual age, while the average U.S. woman’s heart is five-and-a-half years old, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart disease is the world’s leading cause of death, killing 17.5 million people in 2012.

It is responsible for one in every four deaths across the UK and US. CDC researchers used the Framingham Heart Study test to produce the nation’s first picture of heart health. The test takes into account a person’s health, including their blood pressure and whether they suffer diabetes, as well as lifestyle factors, such as whether they smoke and if they are obese. Experts warn their findings mean vast swathes of the population are at heightened risk of heart attack or stroke. One in four deaths in the U.S. and UK each year is due to heart disease, while many result from heart attacks and strokes.

Health officials have been pushing to get more people to control their weight, quit smoking and take other steps to help their heart and blood vessels. The CDC is leading a ‘Mil-

lion Hearts’ campaign, launched in 2012 to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. CDC scientists were intrigued by a heart age calculation developed by other researchers conducting a large study in Framingham, Massachusetts. Some research has indicated that Framingham heart age calculations have resonated more with patients than more conventional medical advice and warnings, so CDC researchers used the Framingham model - and CDC national survey data - to produce the first report on heart age across the nation. CDC officials released the report on Tuesday.

‘It gives a stark, simple picture of your future risk of having - or dying from - heart attack or stroke,’ said CDC Director Dr Tom Frieden.

The estimates were specific to adults aged 30 to 74 who have not had a

heart attack or stroke. Mississippi has the highest proportion of adults with advanced heart age, followed

by West Virginia, Kentucky, Louisiana and Alabama, the report says. Those states also have higher rates of smoking, obesity, and other heart disease risk factors. Meanwhile, Utah and Colorado have the lowest proportions of people with a heart age five years or greater than their actual age, followed by California, Hawaii and Massachusetts.

The study also reveals that for African-American men and women nationally, heart age is 11 years greater than their actual age. The gap, however, is much smaller for whites and Hispanics. On Tuesday, CDC officials also shared the Framingham study’s online heart age prediction calculator for individuals to assess themselves.

MUMMIFIED HEAD AND LUNGS OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ‘CHIEF OF STABLES’ IS OLDEST VICTIM OF HEART FAILURE COURTESY DAILY MAIL It is often described as a modern affliction due to our increasingly sedentary lifestyles and high fat diets, but scans of a 3,500year old Egyptian mummy have revealed that it was a victim of heart disease. The mummified head and lungs of Nebiri, an Egyptian chief of stables found in a tomb in Luxor in 1904, have been found to show classic signs of cardiovascular disease seen in more modern patients. It would make it the oldest ever case of chronic heart failure to be yet discovered. The findings build on work in other Egyptian mummies which suggest heart disease and the associated symptoms were rife in the ancient society.

In 2008 cardiologists reported a build of fatty plaque on the inside of the arteries of a mummy belonging to King Merneptah, a pharaoh who ruled around 3,200 years ago. Subsequent scans of other mummies held at the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities have also shown they too displayed clear signs of this fatty build up, known as atherosclerosis. However, as only the wealthiest and most powerful ancient Egyptians were mummified, it suggests their lifestyles were leading to the problem. But the findings are also challenging many beliefs about heart disease and shows that rather than being a recent problem it is something that has affected humans for millennia. Scientists at the University of Turin used 3D reconstructions of Nebiri’s skull from his mummy and found he suffered from severe gum disease and had atherosclerosis in the right carotid artery.

Further scans on lung tissue found in the canopic jar in his tomb, which was partially broken due to looting, also showed it was filled with air sacs. Dr Raffaella Bianucci, a medical anthropologist at the University of Turin who presented the findings at the International Congress of Egyptologists in Florence, said, “Nebiri was middle aged 45 to 60 years old - when he died and he was affected by a severe periodontal disease with several abscesses. There is evidence of calcification in the right internal carotid artery. It can be confidently concluded that Nebiri died from an acute cardiac failure after having experienced a chronic cardiac insufficiency.” Nebiri is thought to have been a member of the Egyptian elite who served as the Chief of the Stables during the reign of Thutmoses III, a pharaoh from the 18th Dynasty of ancient Egypt.

FACTS ABOUT SELFIES COURTESY FACTS MANIA Oxford Dictionary defines selfie as a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a

social media website. What used to be our dirty little secret has gone viral.

2013 was undoubtedly the year of the ‘selfie’ and we can only expect more from this much loved, much loathed social trend. Here at idig, we wanted to know why everyone is so obsessed with these things. It’s a weird concept if you think about it – taking a photo of yourself (often sporting the classic “duck face”) and then posting it online. We decided to do a little research and found some pretty interesting facts that you probably didn’t know about selfies: A 21-year-old Australian man is credited for inventing the term selfie after a drunken accident in 2002. He posted the photo and message below in an online forum.

“Um, drunk at a mates 21st, I tripped ofer [sic] and landed lip first (with front teeth coming a very close second) on a set of steps. I had a hole about 1cm long right through my bottom lip. And sorry about the focus, it was a selfie.” posted 21-year old. The first recorded use of the hashtag ‘#selfie’ on Instagram was in 2011 by

CMYK

American life and business coach, Jennifer Lee – on the same day Instagram first introduced hashtags. The hashtag ‘#selfie’ has been used over 57 million times on Instagram. Usage of the word in the English language has increased 17,000% since the previous year.

Selfies are most popular in Aus-

tralia, followed by the U.S. and Canada.

The word selfie was named among Time Magazine’s Top 10 Buzzwords in 2012 and then named Word of The Year

by Oxford Dictionary in 2013.

Kendal Jenner tops the list of celebrities who post the most selfies – with a whopping 451 photos.

Thursday, 3 September, 2015

ARTS

13

Unhappy aboUt becoming the face of ‘anti-pak feeling’: Saif ali khan p NEWS DESK

HANTOM is likely to be Saif’s most-talked-about film in Pakistan. The subject matter alone caused enough commotion to get the film banned, and then Saif added fuel to the fire with his views about Pakistan’s reaction.** After taking some time to reflect, he has the following to add on the subject: “...I was upset with the action in Pakistan and how upset they’re getting and I seem to have become the face of “antiPakistan feeling,” he said. “This, I’m a little concerned about. Because my politics is the last thing that should become the question and for sure not against the people of Pakistan, I have absolutely nothing, except goodwill and hope that we manage to fix our problems.”

Phantom director Kabir Khan explained that the film doesn’t aim to pro-

mote its plot as a plan of action, but only wishes to reflect the underlying thought process: “I very strongly need to say that when we do something in the film, it does not mean that we want that carried out. It’s just the way. (Like in Bajrangi Bhaijaan) if you find a six-year-old girl, I am not propagating you to go digging under the tunnels and cross the border. I am not. What are we trying to do is, it does in some sense reflect what we all think about.”

Saif, on the other hand, feels that viewers can vicariously experience an alternative reality of events through Phantom: He said: “Isn’t it like the function of films and plays, also to create scenarios, which actually didn’t happen.

That’s what we studied catharsis is where you watch it and imagine, what might have happened.”

The film, which released on August 28, has had lukewarm reviews in India.

US BOX OFFICE RECEIPTS ON COURSE TO SET RECORD LOS ANGELES AGENCIES

Dinosaurs, superheroes and rappers have boosted summer box office receipts in the United States, setting 2015 on course to be the biggest grossing year in movie history.

“It’s not a record summer but we’re still on track for what could be the biggest box office year in theaters,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Rentrak, which tracks viewership for the movie industry. “It could be the first 40-billion-dollar year ever worldwide... and that’s pretty impressive considering the competition by the small screen including Netflix, Hulu and HBO.” Smash hits like Jurassic World, Avengers: Age of Ultron or Straight Outta Compton, largely contributed to the estimated $4.4 billion. Hollywood is expected to rake in this summer in North America and the cash registers are expected to keep ringing through

the end of the year.

“In 2013, we had $4.75 billion in receipts for the summer. It should come to $4.5 billion this year,” said Patrick Corcoran, spokesman for the US National Association of Theatre Owners.

Dergarabedian attributed the box office uptick to

the diverse slate of movies on offer and the need for audiences to seek entertainment outside the home.

“Jurassic World,” the long-awaited fourth installment in the blockbuster dinosaur franchise launched

by Steven Spielberg in 1993, has already taken in $643 million in North America and $1.6 billion globally, putting it right behind “Avatar” and “Titanic.”

Avengers: Age of Ultron has grossed $457.7 million in North America and $1.4 billion worldwide.

Animated films Inside Out and Minions, musical comedy sequel Pitch Perfect 2 and music biopic Straight Outta Compton, which charts the rise and fall of the iconic hip-hop group NWA, also contributed to this summer’s box office success.

Beyond the quality of the movies on offer this summer, Corcoran said movie theaters are also going all out to draw in audiences. “In the last decade and a half, there has been some enormous changes in the cinema experience — in auditoriums, recliner seats, very large screens, food and alcohol serving,” he said.

ali Zafar’S next coke StUdio Song iS a claSSic!

CRITICS VOTE ‘MAD MAX’ BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR MADRID AGENCIES

abbaS ali khan’S lateSt ‘mehfil’ iS aboUt the many faceS we Show the world NEWS DESK Abbas Ali Khan impresses his fans once again by releasing his music video for ‘Mehfil’. It is surely a good addition to Pakistan’s music industry. The video starts off with actor Jamal Shah telling students to paint the content and not the form of the singer, implying the importance of soul over body. Abbas’s voice is well fused with heartfelt lyrics written by the great Sufi poet of the sub-continent, Zaheen Shah Taj: Teri mehfil me hum khoye hue se paaye jatay hain Yahan pe hum hosh atay nahi laye jatay hain Muhabbat hamain kis manzil pe le aayi Khuda janay Tasalli aap dearahay hain, hum ghabraye jatay hain The lyrics narrate a tale of unrequited love simultaneously showing young artists painting Abbas in various forms: a tied-up man, an angel, a devil and a clown. The video was shot at National College of Arts (NCA). It also brings together great musicians like Gumby and Faraz Anwer. Abbas Ali Khan appeared on Coke Studio Season 7. After that he has produced back-to-back scores for films like Jalaibee and Dekh Magar Pyaar Se. He has also been releasing new videos for songs off his latest album Tamam Alam Mast.

International critics have voted “Mad Max: Fury Road” as their best film of the year, their main federation said Tuesday.

The action movie shot by Australian director George Miller will be awarded the Grand Prix of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) at the San Sebastian film festival in Spain on September 18. “You could have knocked me over with a feather! It s lovely to have this great cohort of critics acknowledge our collective labours in this way,” Miller said in the statement.

The vote saw 493 of the world’s top critics, who typically reward less mainstream, art house films; choose from among movies premiered after July 1, 2014. “Mad Max: Fury Road”, starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron - the fourth film in the apocalyptic adventure franchise shot in the Australian outback - will receive a special screen-

NEWS DESK

ing at the festival, the highest-profile movie event in the Spanish-speaking world, which runs until September 26. Last year’s winner of the award was Richard Linklater for “Boyhood”.

The festival, held each year in San Sebastian, a picturesque seaside resort on Spain’s northern Atlantic coast, was originally intended to honor Spanish language films but has established itself as one of the most important movie festivals in the world.

Umair JaSwal fUrioUS after amaal malik claimS credit for hiS Song Rock singing sensation Umair Jaswal was infuriated when Anu Malik’s nephew Ammal Malik – 24 years old Bollywood “music composer” – claimed in a live show that he composed the tune of the famous Tere Bin Lage Nahi song. The song adopted in an Indian film is also sung by Uzair Jaswal and is duly credited. Even then, Malik took the credit in a singing competition show called Indian Idol Junior. Umair Jaswal took out his fury on his Facebook post. “I don’t like promoting hate. But this just pissed me off. So here we go. Yes Sonakshi Sinha it’s a beautiful song and a beautiful composition but sadly it does not belong to Amaal Malik. You should be ashamed for taking credit for something that is not yours Amaal and Indian Idol Junior 2015, a little responsibility would be appreciated by such a huge franchise. This song belongs to Uzair Jaswal and all credit for its composition goes to Uzair Yasir Jaswal and our very own Sarmad Ghafoor . So please get your FACTS STRAIGHT. This song was huge in Pakistan before it went to ‪#ýIndia‪. It was featured on Coke Studio Pakistan three years ago. Just because something went on # 1 on the Indian charts does not mean you CAN CLAIM IT AS YOUR OWN. Peace. A responsible musician and entertainer.” posted umair Jaswal on twitter. NEWS DESK

CMYK

After the immense hit of Coke Studio song Rockstar, the Rockstar singer Ali Zafar will be seen in Coke Studio’s Episode 4 with his version of Saleem Raza’s hit classic Aye Dil Kisi Ki Yaad Mein along with the talented Sarah Haider.

Rockstar had won the hearts of fans and impressed Bollywood celebs like Hrithik Roshan. It made waves everywhere — from TV to social media.

Aye Dil Kisi Ki Yaad Mein promises to offer an unforgettable experience. A short promo released earlier shows Ali clad in a chic Ismail Farid tux, lending his powerful vocals to the song.

The singer updated his fans and shared the promo on his Facebook page.

“If Rockstar blew you away, then stay poised to fly with a Jazzy rendition of ‘Ae dil kisi ki yaad main’ coming weekend” writes Ali Zafar on Facebook.

The song is a fusion of eastern melody with western jazz. The singer was reportedly in low spirits a day before his recording and he hoped to reflect that in his song.

Hoping to do justice to the original, Ali has promised fans his latest rendition of the song will be a big hit — if not bigger than Rockstar.

Originally sung by star Saleem Raza, Aye Dil was featured in the 1963 Pakistani film Ek Tera Sahara starring Shamim Ara, Darpan (Syed Ishrat Abbas) and Rani. It was composed by the magnanimous Masta Inayat Hussain and the lyrics were penned by legendary Urdu poet Qateel Shifai.

The song will be released on Saturday.

14 SPORTS

Thursday, 3 September, 2015

sANiA MirzA didN’t deserve Khel rAtNA: pANKAj AdvANi A New Delhi AGENCIES

ce cueist Pankaj Advani and former sports minister Ajay Maken have criticised government’s decision to confer Khel Ratna award on tennis player Sania Mirza. Sania was given the award on August 29 despite a Karnataka High court issuing a notice on the petition filed by Paralympian HN Girisha, who challenged the decision of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna awards selection committee.

Advani, 13-time world billiards and snooker champion, said the government shouldn’t be ‘swayed’ by the ‘hype’ created around a sport. “When we talk about sports in India, we get carried away by the hype generated around a sport. You cannot be swayed by the popularity of a particular sport or a sportsperson,” Advani, who himself is a Khel Ratna awardee, said. “I think when it comes to government awards, let’s treat every sporting achievement in a pure way. There are a lot of sportspersons who are not that popular

and, because of that reason, it’s like a more popular sportsperson getting the bigger award,” Advani, 13-time world billiards and snooker champion, said here.

In his petition, Girisha argued that he accounted for 90 marks (70 for London Paralympics silver medal and 20 for Incheon Asian Games bronze) during the award computation period from January

1, 2011 to December 31, 2014, while Sania’s WTA titles and Wimbledon doubles victory do not count as per the government’s performance-based points system. Also, it was not Sania but the sports ministry that had forwarded her application for the Khel Ratna to the selection committee only after her Wimbledon doubles crown with Martina Hingis.

Maken concurred that the government has reduced sports awards into ‘popular awards’. “In order to see that such controversies do not happen, the chairperson and the members of these awards committees should be non-partisan people. That’s why I made Olympian Rajyavardhan Rathore chairperson of the awards selection committee. I never cared about the political dealings during my tenure. And, he did a commendable job that time. There was not even a single sifarish (recommendation) from my side at least as a sports minister unlike these days,” observed Maken.

The 12-member committee was headed by retired chief justice of the Kerala High court, Justice VK Bali and included three senior journalists. “I believe there’s less weightage for team events, and then you have Sania getting the Khel Ratna for being the doubles world No. 1 which is a team effort. If I talk about the cue sports, our multiple-time national champion and 2013 World championship gold medallist Vidya Pillai had applied for the Arjuna, but her achievements were not even considered.

Albie Morkel set for domestic leadership role COURTeSY CRiCiNFO

Kei NishiKori stuNNed iN lAte opeNer New YORK AGENCIES Tennis’ man of substance Kei Nishikori was upended by Frenchman Benoit Paire’s sizzle in the first round of the US Open late on Monday. The Japanese pro’s stubborn resolve wasn’t enough on the day against the big-serving 26-year-old, whose fiery temper and love for fast food and soft drinks, which he sips during changeovers, is as well-known as the world No. 4’s grit.

The 25-year-old, last year’s finalist here, the first Asian man to make a Grand Slam final, failed to convert two match points in the fourth set, going down 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 in his opening round clash.

Nishikori came into the match with a staggering 12-3 record in fifth sets, as against the 41st ranked Paire’s 4-4 run.

He, however, paid for failing to convert against a player, who showcased some of his best tennis on the day.

A stunned Nishikori applauded his opponent. “It’s sad to lose in the first round. He was playing good tennis, I don’t think I played bad. I didn’t play great, but still, it’s never an easy first match. He’s a good player. I hope I can come back strong next year,” Nishikori said. Nishikori conceded that he was outplayed. “I started a little bit slow, but second and third sets I was playing good tennis. Also in the fourth set, but with a little less focus on my service games. He was playing aggressive, so it wasn’t really easy for me.”

The Japanese pro said he didn’t feel the weight of expectation. “Maybe I was tight for the first couple of games, but after that I was playing good.He’s a very aggressive player, there weren’t many rallies and it was tough to get rhythm. I think it’s more because of him, you know that I wasn’t playing 100 per cent.”

Albie Morkel has played for his country, played for his franchise, played for three IPL teams, three counties, and a cPL team. He has played a Test, played more than 100 limited-overs internationals and over 500 representative matches. Until 22 games ago, he had played more T20s than any other player, a title which now belongs to Kieron Pollard, but that does not take away from Morkel’s myriad achievements. “He has done everything in the game, except lead,” Mark charlton, the coach of provincial side Northerns, told eSPNcricinfo. But this Saturday, that will change.

Morkel will captain Northerns in the Africa cup, the new T20 tournament being played by South Africa’s provincial team as well as invited teams from Zimbabwe, Namibia and Kenya, as a precursor to taking over the leadership of the Titans franchise in limited-overs formats. Morkel’s accepting of the armband is an admission of what most already knew: his international career is probably over and he is looking at other ways to play a part.

Mentorship has emerged as one of them. “He is a very calm, assured, respected player and he is a guy everybody can take something from,” charlton said. “He has already been

spending a lot of time with the young bowlers and guys are seeing that they can lean on his experience. We’re hoping he’ll have the same kind of effect Jacques Rudolph had at the Titans.”

In the last two seasons, Rudolph had provided stability to a Titans’ team in transition. He provided experience both in batting terms and behind the scenes as the squad went through retirements of some of their senior-most men like Martin van Jaarsveld and Paul Harris besides change in coaches. Rudolph has decided to finish his career in england and it is hoped that Morkel will take over from where he left off. Titans, the franchise team which both Northerns and easterns feed into, are still experimenting with a mix of players as they filter through a talented younger pool. Twenty-two year-old-opening batsman Theunis de Bruyn is one of them, while last year’s Under-19 World cup winners corbin Bosch and Aiden Markram are two others. All three of those players will turn out for Northerns in the Africa cup and charlton hopes they will blossom under Morkel, with Markram in particular identified as someone who can feed off Morkel.

“Aiden is someone we have earmarked as a potential future leader, although we haven’t quite decided in what capacity,” charlton said. Markram, who captained the national Under-19 side to

AIR CHIEF AWARDS CASH PRIZE TO ISRAR AHMAD iSlAMABAD PRESS RELEASE

Pakistan Air Force chief of the Air Staff Air chief Marshal Sohail Aman, who is also the president of Pakistan Squash Federation, awarded cash prize to Pakistan Squash player Israr Ahmad at the Asian Junior Individual Squash championship played at Iran.

Israr beat Malaysia’s Ng eain Yow by 7/11,11/7,13/11,8/11,11/6 in

61 minutes in a thrilling final.

The air chief appreciated the performance of Israr Ahmad and other young players for bringing laurels to the country. He also lauded the efforts of Pakistan Squash Federation’s coaching staff for giving proper training and guidance to the Pakistani squad. The PSF president reiterated that the PSF would continue sponsoring top squash players for improving their world rankings.

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World cup glory last year, could end up as part of the leadership group of provincial team, for example. Markram was awarded a semi-professional, provincial contact for the 2015-16 season after solid performances for Northerns last season. He played 10 first-class matches, scoring 424 runs at 30.28, including three fifties. He has not yet pushed on to franchise cricket but charlton thinks that could change soon. “He has been steadily going about his work and learning his game,” charlton said.

“Quietly, he has been building his career and I think big things could come for him. He has a good base and a competition like this, the Africa cup, is a chance for a player like Aiden to show he can compete with franchise players and to learn from them with guys like Albie also involved.”

AUSTRALIA ENTER THE STEVEN SMITH ERA SPORTS DeSK Last week in Belfast, the Steven Smith era quietly began. Of course, it felt like it had started late last year, when Smith led Australia to victory in their Test series against India. But he was only a stand-in skipper then, steering the team while Michael clarke recovered from surgery and prepared for one last push at World cup and Ashes glory. Now the team belongs to Smith, in both formats. On Thursday, he begins his first full series in charge of Australia, a five-match one-day battle with england. Smith’s men are the World cup holders, and the No.1 ODI side in the world. But now begins a whole new World cup cycle. In four years, Australia will defend their title in england. By then, Smith will be 30. Will he still be captain?

Probably, but who knows. It is a long way off. So for now - indeed, for the next couple of years - Australia’s one-day cricket is about living in the moment, winning each series as and when it comes. New players will be introduced gradually. Shane Watson might be gone by the next World cup. So might George Bailey. But for now, they remain part of the ODI squad, men who can help Smith in his goal to keep Australia at No.1. There are some new faces in the group for this series against england. Aaron Finch’s foot injury has provided an opportunity for Joe Burns at the top of the order. His 69 on debut against Ireland last week was a reminder of his class. Burns was unlucky to have missed out on a place in the Ashes squad after his promising Test start against India, and deserves a decent run in the national set-up. Ashton Agar is in line for his first international matches since his debut Test series against england two years ago. For Agar, this could be a golden opportunity. Australia won the World cup with Glenn Maxwell the lead spinner, with almost no input from Xavier Doherty. That worked in Australian conditions, but the role of frontline ODI spinner is one that is very much up for grabs. Batting allrounder Marcus Stoinis also has a chance to debut in the 50-over format, though quite how Australia will use him remains to be seen, with Watson and Mitchell Marsh seemingly the front-runners in that role. Matthew Wade returns to replace World cup winner Brad Haddin, though it is anyone’s guess who will be Australia’s gloveman by the time of the next World cup. Not surprisingly given their Ashes workloads, Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood have been sent home to prepare for their next Test encounters, which will provide chances for Nathan coulter-Nile and James Pattinson. Mitchell Starc has been kept on for the ODIs, again not surprisingly, given that he is the world’s No.1-ranked ODI bowler and was the Player of the Tournament in the World cup.

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Thursday, 3 September, 2015

DRAVID URGES BATSMEN TO ROTATE STRIKE BETTER

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SPORTS DeSK

HeN India collapsed against spin in Galle, they were suffocated by the inand-out fields set by Sri Lanka. The fours were not available because of the boundary riders, and the batsmen played themselves into a shell by blocking for too long. This four-ornothing tendency is not just India’s problem; many international batsmen struggle against in-and-out fields these days.

It also finds resonance in lower levels of cricket, as Rahul Dravid, who coached India A in series against Australia A and South Africa A, found out. India A lost one four-day match to Australia A on a dry chennai pitch and against the spin of Steve O’Keefe before coming back with a victory over South Africa A in Waynad.

While impressed with the young batsmen’s ball-striking against spin, Dravid said they needed the ability and patience to build innings around singles when that is all that is available.

“In terms of shot making ability against spin, this generation is incredible,” Dravid told eSPNcricinfo. “The shots they play against spin like stepping out and hitting sixes, and some of the creativity is terrific. They have got that. One of the areas that could be a concern for Indian cricket is that there is a lack of balance; people are either defending or hitting big shots and it easy to set field to that as you can set in-out fields.

“The ability to rotate the strike and construct a partnership when people have put men on the boundary line, and not hitting cover or point all the time, being able to hit to long-on or long-off and playing risk-free cricket and building an innings against spin on tracks that are slow and turn a bit.

“I think that’s a skill that needs to be worked on and developed because a lot of the young batsmen are either defending or trying to hit big shots, and there is no in-between. That puts pressure on you because in a high-pressure situation, it be-

comes hard to play a really big shot and if you keep blocking balls, the pressure builds up on you.”

Something very similar happened to India in the Galle Test, but they were not alone. Dravid saw the same with his team too.

“That happened a few times to us (A team) in the last series where we got ourselves stuck by not rotating the strike and the pressure came on and we lost twothree wickets quickly. That is a skill that definitely needs developing.

“We are not bad players of spin sud-

denly, but maybe the fact that these boys play a lot of T20 cricket where the value of the single is not so much and you can play big shots means that the ability to create the single like VVS Laxman or Mohammad Azharuddin is a skill that needs to be worked on.”

The problem didn’t restrict itself to batting against spin, Dravid said. Some bowlers find it difficult to create an impact when the batsmen are not going after them. “The same goes for spin bowlers as well, the ability to block people from taking singles and bowling consistently in one area when people are not going after you is a challenge for some of the cricketers in this generation.”

With the amount of T20 cricket, this remains a challenge. “I don’t think they are struggling to play long-form cricket,” Dravid said of the younger players.

“There are a lot of long-form players as well. AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli and Steven Smith are tremendous T20 players, and they are playing long-form cricket as well as anyone in any generation or any era. It would be unfair to say that none of them can play long form cricket. The challenge has changed.

“You are a product of your environment, and now the environment has changed with there being a lot of one-day and T20 cricket. It is high-pressure T20 cricket. You are practising two months of T20 cricket day in and day out, and suddenly three weeks later you have come to play an A series on a super dry wicket in

chennai where you have to learn how to rotate the strike and can’t play the same shots. It takes time to adjust. To be fair, as the series went on, the players worked on it and they adjusted and got better at it.” Dravid did not see a lack of love for long-form cricket in the youngsters, but he realised that unlike in his day, succeeding in long-form cricket is not a must today.

“Definitely, just as keen [as I was when I was their age],” Dravid said of the youngsters. “When I look at them, they are very keen to play Test cricket and succeed in four-day cricket at the Ranji level.

They all want to do well. I think what has changed is that they don’t necessarily need to do it. Today, a living can be made off the sport even if you don’t succeed in long-form cricket.

“I think that opportunity never existed to cricketers of my generation.

When I was growing up, if you wanted to make a career off the sport and wanted to make the sport you love a profession for a long period of time, you just had to succeed in long-form cricket. Today with T20 cricket, the opportunities have changed.

“You can have a pretty decent life without succeeding in Test-match cricket.

That has changed, but the desire is still there. They definitely want to do it till they possibly can. They also realise that there is another form we can focus on and do well and make a life for themselves.

Why should anyone deny them that?”

‘WE THOUGHT WE’D BROKEN THEIR BACK’

SPORTS DeSK Rod Marsh has shed new light on Australia’s failed Ashes campaign by admitting they felt they had the series won after a vast victory over england in the second Test at Lord’s.

Following a heavy opening defeat in cardiff, the Australians regathered to more than double the margin in the second match with a 405-run thrashing, and celebrated their first victory at Lord’s since 2005 with plenty of gusto. But the series ledger was merely 1-1, and after

their batting was obliterated on seaming pitches at edgbaston and Trent Bridge, the heavily favoured visitors finished empty handed. Speaking as part of a panel discussion following his delivery of the 2015 Mcc Spirit of cricket cowdrey Lecture, Marsh was asked by Mark Nicholas whether complacency had crept into Australia’s defence of the Ashes urn won so convincingly at home two years before.

“When we left Lord’s I thought ‘we will win the Ashes’ because we’d played that badly at cardiff, we played that

well here, then we were just going to win,” Marsh said. “If that’s complacency, then yes we were complacent.

But I think we all thought we’d broken their back at Lord’s with such an emphatic victory. Geez we were wrong. We were that wrong!” Marsh’s admission is sure to leave plenty wondering how the series was allowed to unravel, when Australia had gone 14 years without winning the Ashes in england. Fellow selector Darren Lehmann has publicly conceded that the selectors made several errors over the series, including the dropping of Mitchell Marsh for his brother Shaun on the opening morning of the pivotal Trent Bridge Test.

There has also been heated debate over the delayed selection of Peter Siddle, who looked comfortably Australia’s most dangerous bowler on seaming pitches when belatedly chosen for the dead Oval Test, while critiques of the tourists’ batsmanship in the prevailing conditions have largely concluded that greater grit had to be shown.

In contrast to Marsh, england’s captain Alastair cook said his side knew from the moment they defeated Australia in the first Test that they were capable of winning the Ashes. It was a belief that did not waver even after the Lord’s drubbing, for they had seen how

Michael clarke’s team could struggle in even moderately helpful conditions for James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

“Australia came as firm favourites, but as a player and as a team you need to have a bit of substance in your belief,” cook said as part of the same panel. “You turn up to cardiff and you look at the Australians and like we always do we probably build up the opposition in our own minds a bit. “Australia beat West Indies more convincingly than we did, they had an outstanding run of games. In my mind I thought we could win if we played to our absolute potential. “When we left cardiff we knew these guys were beatable, and that was the big difference. We’d done it once, it was just whether we could do it consistently. But I know we could win the Ashes because we’d just beaten them, and we could put Australia under pressure in our conditions. “everyone looked at each other at the end of that game, we had a few drinks in the dressing room at cardiff, and that was the most important message I could get across to the guys. We’ve proven we can do it once, if you can do it once you can do it three times. They clearly ignored everything I said and we got hammered at Lord’s three days later, but at the end of the summer we proved it.”

ment so hopefully it all turns out okay and I come back and play next year,” clarke said, “but even if they decide

they don’t want me to play, hopefully I can help the club have success in another way.”

CLARKE WITHDRAWS FROM BIG BASH LEAGUE SPORTS DeSK Former Australia captain Michael clarke has confirmed he will not play in the Big Bash League this year, having pulled out of his commitment to play for the Melbourne Stars. clarke was to captain the side in the BBL this summer after signing a two-year contract in April, but following his retirement from Test cricket he has decided he needs some time away from the game.

“Right now for I just think my body and my mind need some time away from the game of cricket,” clarke told Triple M radio on Wednesday morning.

“It’s been a big part of my life and I just think that with my retirement from in-

ternational cricket now I just need to take myself away from the game of cricket for a little while and just see what that’s like to actually be without it.

“You push yourself to the max when you’re playing sport at the highest level and now I’ve pressed stop on that part, in regards to international cricket, I just think my body and my mind just needs that break.” clarke said he hoped to return to the field at some point in the future and would always remain involved in cricket in some way, having launched his own cricket academy last year. There is a chance he could yet play for the Stars in 2016-17.

“I’ve got a two-year deal at the mo-

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DHONI, SEHWAG, AFRIDI TO PLAY IN SAME TEAM FOR CHARITY MATCH SPORTS DeSK India ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will join compatriot Virender Sehwag and a host of other international cricketers for a charity match at the Kia Oval in London on September 17.

Dhoni and Sehwag will be sharing the dressing room with Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and South African ace Herschelle Gibbs of the team named Help for Heroes XI captained by england Director of cricket Andrew Strauss and managed by the great Ian Botham.

They will take on a Rest of the World XI containing Brendon Mccullum, Matthew Hayden, Mahela Jayawardene and Graeme Smith as well as players such as Kiwis Scott Styris and Daniel Vettori and charismatic Afghan Shapoor Zadran. The team will be coached by Gary Kirsten and managed by the legendary Indian Sunil Gavaskar.

The game will be preceded by a Twenty20 match between the incredible Help for Heroes cricket club and the england Physical Disability Team.

Looking ahead to the fundraiser called cricket for Heroes, Dhoni said: “I am delighted to be joining so many cricketing superstars at the Kia Oval and supporting such a worthy cause.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing cricket in england and I would urge all sports fans to support Help for Heroes on September 17 and watch some truly world class performers in action.”

SPORTS Thursday, 3 September, 2015

Rebuilding AustRAliA meet confident englAnd

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SPORTS DESK

NGLAND overcame the World Cup runner’s up earlier this season, now they are aiming to go one better as they take on the winners in a five-match series which concludes their international season. While the Ashes will be remembered as the major success of the summer, the way England came back from 2-1 down to beat New Zealand in a rip-roaring contest was especially notable given the state of their one-day game after the World Cup. However, as New Zealand found when their memorable, unbeaten run to the final at the MCG in March was brought to a juddering halt, Australia pose a mighty demanding challenge in the 50over game. Their pace attack, which although missing Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood, is a stand-out feature and will again be spearheaded by Mitchell Starc alongside Pat Cummins, who was barely below 90mph during his four overs in the T20. But England are

not lacking in confidence, as demonstrated by the way they recovered from a difficult start in the T20 through the blistering stand between Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali. Previously it might have been suggested that transferring that style into the longer format would not come naturally, but evidence from the New Zealand series is that England will not add much caution to their game.

As in Test cricket, Australia are building a new era under Steven Smith but their batting at the top of the order does not lack for punch from David Warner, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell and the captain himself. The form of some others, though, may be in question. Still, if the pitches play ball and the weather stays fair there is no reason not to expect another mountain of runs.

England are very keen that one-day and Test cricket are seen as separate and equally important, but that does not mean there are not subplots across the formats.

There is a chance that Alex Hales and Moeen Ali are competing to partner Alastair Cook in the Test series against Pak-

istan next month. With Moeen assured of his Test place, whether that includes a batting promotion or not, it is Hales who arguably has the most to gain from a successful series. He was beaten for pace by Cummins in the T20 so will be looking for an early riposte. Moeen, meanwhile, was in flowing form in Cardiff and can

also expect to play a key role with the ball. While Glenn Maxwell was batting alongside Smith in the T20 Australia were well on track to overhaul the target before Maxwell was cut off by Ben Stokes’ outstanding catch. The notable feature of Maxwell’s innings was its relative restraint and maturity in a format that has

Pakistan press India for cricket series

LAHORE AGENCIES

Pakistan’s cricket chief Wednesday wrote a letter to the Indian cricket board secretary pressing him for an update on a proposed series between the arch rivals in December this year. A two Tests, five one-day and one Twenty20 series in United Arab Emirates is shrouded in uncertainty with volatile relations between Pakistan and India.

The two countries have not played a full series against each other since 2007, though Pakistan toured India for a short series in December 2012. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan said he had written to Anurag Thakur, secretary of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). “I have written a letter to Mr Thakur, in the main saying that cricket and politics should be kept apart,” Khan said.

“I am positive that the BCCI shall be able to convince the Indian government that it ought to honour its MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the PCB,” he added. Last year PCB and BCCI had

signed a MoU under which they were scheduled to play six series in the 20152023 Future Tours Programme, but all were subject to clearance from New Delhi.

Khan, a former foreign secretary and a career diplomat, said that strained relations should not affect cricket. “While relations between Pakistan and India have seen its share of ups and downs, cricket should be kept out of it,” he said. Thakur has previously said that the countries´ cricket teams should not meet while relations between the South Asian neighbours remain fraught, saying cricket cannot be played with bullets.

“On one hand there is a rise in terrorist activity, on the other you can´t expect to play a cricket series with Pakistan,” Thakur said in July. But last week Thakur softened his stance, telling a private television channel in Pakistan that a series was possible. “If situation improves I cannot rule out cricket series in December,” Thakur said. “I toured Pakistan in 2004 and was overwhelmed, and when Pakistan toured India the following year I distributed sweets on their captain´s (Inzamam-ul-Haq) birthday.”

LiLLee quits as WaCa president SPORTS DESK Former fast-bowling great Dennis Lillee has reportedly quit as president of the WACA. The West Australian has reported that Lillee stood down on Tuesday evening, two days before a report was due to be released on how much cricket should remain at the WACA Ground and how much should be moved to Perth’s new stadium at Burswood.

“I cannot stand by and watch what is happening at the WACA,” Lillee told the paper. “I do not wish to be part of it

any longer.” According to the West Australian, the upcoming report is likely to recommend that Test cricket remains at the WACA Ground but most forms of limited-overs cricket, including BBL games, be moved to Burswood. The new stadium is due to open in 2018. Lillee’s departure comes after former Test fast bowler Sam Gannon last month announced that he would not seek re-election as chairman of the WACA. Both men joined the board in 2004 as part of a significant shake-up of the organisation.

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

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often brought out his most outlandish side. He had a magnificent World Cup and emerged from a tricky season for Yorkshire with a vital hundred in the County Championship against Durham.

With his useful bowling and electric fielding he makes a compelling cricketer.

England need to decide whether to stick with Jason Roy as Hales’ opening partner - if they do it means Moeen at No. 3 and no place for James Taylor. In the bowling attack it is probably one from Mark Wood, Liam Plunkett and Chris Woakes who will play although they are all likely to get a chance throughout the series. England (possible) 1 Alex Hales, 2 Jason Roy, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Sam Billings, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 David Willey, 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Steven Finn The indications are that George Bailey will retain his place in the middle order despite being left out of the T20.

A decision that needs to be made is whether to keep the spin bowling in the hands of Maxwell or find a space for Ashton Agar as well.