E paper pdf (07 12 2016) lhr

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wednesday, 7 december, 2016 I 7 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1438 I Rs 20.00 I vol vII no 159 I 20 Pages I lahore edition

BuRden of PRoof on sHARIf fAMIlY: sC

Three questions g

How did the children establish these companies?

g

Who is dependent on whom?

g

are the facts presented in prime minister’s speeches true or not?

STORY ON PAGE 02

PM nAMes MAYoRs of PunjAB’s BIg Towns, dIsTRICT CounCIls STORY ON PAGE 03

PaNamagaTe

Fresh opportunity to burnish Pak credentials, says Fatemi

PTI changes stance on formation of commission g

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No need for commission anymore: Naeemul Haq

Looking forward to working with Trump admin

STORY ON PAGE 02

STORY ON PAGE 03

PaK-TUrK scHooLs saga

geo vs ary iN iHc

New management of schools on cards

Hearing adjourned as ARY counsel doesn’t show up g

MeAnwHIle, BHC susPends govT oRdeRs

UK court had already ruled against ary in landmark judgment

STORIES ON PAGE 04

coNFLicT oF iNTeresT: isLamabad’s coNTracTor-mayor

STORY ON PAGE 04

STORY ON PAGE 05

02 NEWS

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

PAnAmAgAte heArIng: SC ASkS three CrUCIAl qUeStIonS BENCH STATES BURDEN OF PROOF ON SHARIF FAMILY AFTER IT ACCEPTED OWNERSHIP OF FLATS ISLAMABAD

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Agencies

S it resumed hearing of the Panama Leaks case, the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday put three important questions before the Sharif family lawyer. The five-member bench, headed

by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, heard the case in a packed court room.

“How did the children establish these companies? Explain, who is dependent on whom? Whether the facts presented in

prime minister’s speeches are true or not?” asked Justice Saeed Khosa. Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali reprimanded the Federal Board of Revenue and the Federal Investigation Agency. “If they are unable to perform their duties, why not close them?” he asked.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawyer Naeem Bukhari continued his arguments against the Sharif family claim that they had bought the flats in 2006.

He said that the PM’s daughter had been gifted Rs 50 million and Rs 31.7 million on two separate occasions by

‘PTI has proved Nawaz lied in NA speeches’ ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman on Tuesday said that his party had successfully proved that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had lied while addressing the National Assembly. He was talking to the media after chairing a party meeting on the Panama Leaks case. “Now Sharif family’s legal team will have to answer the SC’s questions through evidence in the court. PTI has done its part in the fight against corruption and now the defendants must speak up,” he said. He also congratulated PTI’s legal team, including Naeem Bukhari, for putting up a strong case against the Sharifs. “The SC bench can now decide the case as it has enough proof. The court has also been informed that Hassan Nawaz, who was just a student in 1999, had become a billionaire by 2001,” he said. He said that PTI lawyers had also successfully argued over Maryam Safdar’s dependency on her father. “She has never paid any electric bills or taxes, but her air travel expenses alone this year were Rs 3.5 million,” he said. PTI Spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry said that it was the responsibility of the Sharif family to explain how a huge sum of money was transferred abroad from the country. Agencies

‘PTI lawyers have no evidence, only repeating same old stories’ ISLAMABAD: Speaking to media persons here, the Minister for Information Broadcasting and National Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb on Tuesday said that Imran Khan’s lawyers were repeating the same old pleas, and narrating the same old stories in the Panama Papers case before the Supreme Court. The minister said that Imran Khan should change his lawyers again, as this new team has also failed to produce any evidence in court today. She advised Imran to reconsider the Panama Papers case which was based on baseless allegations and lies and to withdraw the petition from the Supreme Court. The minister said that the PML-N has provided concrete proofs and documents in the court which reflect the complete truth. “The honourable judges have time and again asked PTI’s lawyers to present evidence on the basis of which they are demanding the resignation of the prime minister, but they have failed to produce any evidence,” Aurangzeb said. “Imran holds press conferences in Bani Gala daily and acts as if he himself is the prosecutor and judge, levelling baseless allegations without evidence.” The minister was of the view that soon a new lawyer will come to represent Imran Khan and relaunch the same of lies and allegations, as that is all their case is based on. Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the PTI was trying to mislead the nation with their baseless case. She urged the PTI chairman to pay attention to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) where people have been waiting for him to deliver on his campaign promises. “Imran Khan keeps saying that he will deliver on those promises when he comes into power, but he should remember that he is in power in KP,” she remarked. APP

her father. He also said that Maryam had not paid any utility bills.

“Nawaz Sharif’s tax returns from 2011 showed that Maryam Nawaz was his dependent,” he said.

The CJP questioned the addition of Rs196m in Maryam Nawaz’s wealth, which she had attributed to a car gifted by her father. “How could a secondhand car raise that kind of money?” the CJP asked.

Justice Asif Saeed remarked that the PTI’s arguments pointed towards the possibility that Maryam Nawaz was a dependent, but did not shed any light on who she may be dependent on.

In his arguments, PM’s lawyer Salman Aslam Butt said that the petitioners had failed to provide evidence

that the companies were formed illegally. “After accepting the ownership of companies, the burden of proof lies upon you,” Justice Khosa remarked.During the hearing, a petition was also submitted by the Sharif family, requesting daily hearings of the case.

“The issue is very critical and institutions are getting affected,” stated the petition, which was submitted through senior counsel Akram Sheikh who represents Maryam Nawaz, Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz.

The hearing was then adjourned till tomorrow.

Speaking to the media before the hearing, Sheikh Rasheed said that the ruling party was nervous and submitted new documents at every hearing.

Panamagate: PTI changes stance on formation of commission NAEEMUL HAQ SAYS COURT IS HEARING PTI’S PETITION SO NO ROOM FOR PROBE COMMISSION ISLAMABAD MiAn ABRAR

During the Panamagate hearing on Tuesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) changed its strategy and urged the five-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) to decide its petition over the subject matter.

Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali also responded positively, hinting that the court also looked poised to decide the matter itself. However, when urged by Jamaat-e-Islami lawyer for forming a commission, the court warned that it may constitute an inquiry commission if requirements of justice were not met.

PTI secretary-information Naeemul Haq said that there was no room for a commission to probe Panamagate as the PTI and other parties had filed their own petitions.

“Yes, we were demanding the formation of a commission earlier.

But when our demand was not met, we filed a petition. It is now being heard by the court. So, there is no question of a commission anymore,” said the PTI leader while talking to Pakistan Today. Naeemul Haq said

that the court had already heard PTI lawyer’s arguments and Shaikh Rasheed Ahmad had also been heard.

“Now the case is in a forward stage. There is no need for a commission anymore,” he said.

A source in the PTI told Pakistan Today that by filing a writ petition in the apex court, the PTI had exposed what he called “the dual face of Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP)” over Panamagate.

“The PPP wanted to take the matter to the parliament where the federal government has a majority. It was a trap which we avoided. We not only exposed the ruling family, but also pushed the PPP into a tight corner,” the source said.

PTI, since the emergence of the Panamagate issue, has been demanding the formation of a commission to probe the matter. PTI had also framed its own terms of reference (ToRs) for formation of a powerful commission and even it had also framed joint ToRs along with other opposition parties, led by Senator Aitzaz Ahsan. The PTI on Tuesday categorically said that the formation of a commission on Panamagate

scandal would be a futile attempt.

Talking to reporters outside the apex court, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the court was expected to dispense with the case expeditiously.

Jahangir Khan Tareen said the arguments would hopefully be completed. “It is expected that the SC, not a commission, will deliver a verdict in the landmark case,” he said.

On April 1, PTI Chairman Imran Khan had demanded the formation of a commission to probe the Panama Leaks issue. Imran Khan had said that Shoaib Suddle should lead the inquiry team as he was an expert in investigating white-collar crime.

On April 7, the PTI chairman threatened to organise street protests if a judicial commission, headed by the chief justice of Pakistan, was not formed to investigate the issue.

“We should make a commission under the chief justice of Pakistan, and involve forensic investigators who can look into white-collar corruption,” Imran had said in his address to the National Assembly.

Only a day before the PTI’s Islamabad lockdown, the Supreme Court on November 1 had decided to form a commission to probe the Panama Leaks issue. The court had asked the petitioners to file their ToRs for formation of the commission.

US plans to make fighter jets in India NEWS DESK President Barack Obama’s administration is working on a deal to build fighter jets in India, just as President-elect Donald Trump is vowing to keep jobs in America, The Washington Post reports.

If the deal goes through, the Indian government would manufacture F-16 Fighting Falcons and F/A-18 Super Hornets to replace its aging fleet of Russian-made fighters. Both Lockheed Martin and Boeing have made proposals to the Indian government.

Lockheed Martin would move its entire production from Texas to India in the deal, which would make India the only producer of the F-16 in the world. The U.S. military is cutting its own use of the plane for more modern F-35s, but is continuing to make it for sale to other countries.

Last Thursday, the president-elect attended a ceremony at a company where his team has brokered a deal to save 1000 jobs. Later, he warned US companies of consequences if they outsource employment.

The proposals have the strong backing of the Obama administration, and Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter is set to visit India this week.

Although, Lockheed Martin and Boeing claimed that any partnership to manufacture jets in India would not result in a net loss of American jobs but would create Indian employment — about 1,000 positions in the case of Lockheed Martin. About 300 mechanics on the Fort Worth assembly line would be moved to the F-35 assembly line at the same plant.

Others would be given an opportunity to apply for other jobs on the newer F-35, Lockheed officials said, although they concede that some positions would be lost in the move because of attrition or retirements.

Nevertheless, workers in Fort Worth say they are worried about the future. The US Air Force is phasing out the iconic F-16, but airplane remains one of the most widely used aircraft in the world, including Pakistan. There are about 3,200 F16s in operation around the world.

The manufacturer has promised that India would not only produce and export its jets, but it also would play a “critical role” in supporting the fleet. A potential stumbling block to the deal is the willingness of the US government to part with enough of its mission system technology to make the package palatable to the Indians.

Another strike against it, for some, is that it is the fighter aircraft used by arch-rival Pakistan.

Injured Kashmiris in IHK blocked from medical help during clashes with Indian forces: report AGENCIES Indian security forces in Kashmir blocked medical care for injured protesters by firing on ambulances, holding up emergency vehicles and preying on hospital patients during clashes in the restive region this year, a health rights group alleged on Tuesday.At least 80 civilians were killed and more than 10,000 wounded in almost five months of clashes between protesters and security forces, sparked by the killing of a Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in a joint army and police operation on July 8.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) claimed that not only did police and paramilitary forces use excessive force during the unrest, they also delayed wounded people seeking medical attention, increasing the likelihood of permanent injuries and deaths.

“Such delays in care are violations of the longstanding protections afforded to medical workers and facilities in times of conflict and civil unrest,” said Widney Brown, director of programs for PHR, a New York-headquartered advocacy group.

“What’s more, the doctors we interviewed said police were present in their hospitals, intimidating patients and monitoring those being admitted,” Brown alleged. The report also claimed that Indian security

forces harassed medical workers attempting to treat protesters and prevented doctors from reaching the hospitals where they work. Police in India-held Kashmir said they would respond to the allegations once they had studied the PHR report. The unrest, sparked by the killing of

CMYK

Wani, is the worst in the region for six years, and critics accuse Indian security forces of heavy-handedness in quelling the protests.

Many of those killed in the clashes died from shotgun pellets or rifle bullets fired by police and paramilitary troops. Hundreds of bystanders were blinded by the pellet rounds, the report said.

While Indian authorities claim the use of such weapons was meant to reduce the potential for injuries or fatalities, PHR found that their use actually caused serious injury and death. Police in held Kashmir say pellet guns are non-lethal weapons but they have been fired from short distances in “unavoidable circumstances” when protesters target security forces.

PHR’s report ─ based on hospital records and interviews with doctors, witnesses and victims ─ alleged that police used 12-gauge shotguns loaded with metal pellets that directly caused an estimated 5,200 injuries and at least a dozen deaths. “Injuries inflicted by ‘less than lethal’ weapons like pellets, rubber bullets, and shot guns require early medical intervention to avoid permanent or debilitating injury, including loss of life,” the report claimed. “In Kashmir, delays in accessing medical care for hundreds of injured protesters increased the risk of permanent damage, including for those with eye injuries.”

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

NEWS

FAtemI SeeS FreSh oPPortUnIty to bUrnISh PAk CredentIAlS Under trUmP rUle SAYS HIS COUNTRY CAN PLAY AN INSTRUMENTAL ROLE IN PROMOTING PEACE NOT ONLY IN AFGHANISTAN BUT ALSO IN WHOLE REGION WASHINGTON sPeciAL cORResPOnDenT

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PECIAL Assistant to the Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi has said that Pakistan is looking forward to work closely with the new US administration and it is a ‘fresh opportunity to burnish Pakistan’s credentials.”

The visit follows an unusually account of candid conversation between Trump and Sharif, which has generated a great deal of interest in the American media and enthusiasm in Islamabad as to how the two countries - whose relationship has seen many ups and downs - will take forward their relations under the new president.

He was talking to the representatives of print and electronic media at Pakistani Embassy here on Monday.

Under the Obama administration, Pakistan has been facing intense pressure for allegedly allowing cross-border

Supreme Court to probe hiring of 50 govt employees from one family AGENCIES Pakistani authorities promised an inquiry on Tuesday after the Sindh government was found to have employed almost 50 members of the same family in various health ministry jobs, many in the same hospital. The sheer number of appointments ─ from vaccinators to security guards to lab technicians ─ has attracted the attention of the Supreme Court which will begin a hearing from Wednesday. The matter surfaced when a man filed a petition complaining provincial health department had recruited some 48 cousins in Sindh’s Ghotki district. “Since 2008 till recently more than four dozen members of Chadhar family have been appointed by the authorities,” complainant Farman Ali Pitafi, a health department employee, told AFP, adding they were all cousins. He said many of the family members were appointed in subordinate grades but quickly promoted. The provincial health minister Sikandar Ali Mandhro said he was unaware of the matter but would look into it.

Pakistan ranks 117th out of 168 on Transparency International’s list of global corruption, where a higher number denotes greater graft.

Pakistan’s nuclear security regime at par with international standards: FO

DEPUTY SECRETARY BLINKIN APPRECIATES PAKISTAN’S EFFORTS TO PROMOTE PEACE AND STABILITY IN THE REGION

movement of militants who, in turn, fuel the Taliban insurgency and create problems for the United States. Obama also did not visit Pakistan during his two terms as president, while making two trips to New Delhi, which Pakistan views as a major threat.

But Fatemi cited a number of common and bilateral interests including the fight against terror, Afghanistan stability and South Asian peace via improvement in Pakistan-India relations, where Islamabad and Washington can align their efforts.

He also argued that Pakistan has been a strong Muslim democracy and US ally in the region, and both countries have reasons to work and achieve “bilateral, regional and global” national security and foreign policy goals.

He was currently holding informal meetings with officials of the outgoing Obama administration in Washington and plans to have interaction with “friends and well-wishers” in the Trump transition team in New York.

“Once President-elect Donald Trump assumes his office, Pakistan is looking forward to meaningful engagement with USA in further improving bilateral relations and playing its role in the context of regional and international issues,” he said.

He said that Pakistan could play an instrumental role in promoting peace not only in Afghanistan but in the entire region.

Highlighting Pakistan’s unflinching commitment to putting an end to terrorism and militancy, Fatemi stressed that Pakistan has lost more than 5,000 army men in a ruthless war against terrorism and has deputed more than 200,000 troops in its Northern Areas and along Pak-Afghan border and these troops are being used with full force along with the F-16s by Pakistan Air Force in bursting terrorists networks and demolishing their hideouts.

Fatemi also underlined the need for a dialogue between Pakistan and India to resolve the long-standing issue of

Kashmir between both the countries. He mentioned that there is an indigenous, widespread and home-grown uprising in Indian Occupied Kashmir which Indian Govt is trying to suppress through horrendous human rights violations.

Meanwhile, Tariq Fatemi met with the Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department on Monday.

According to the Pakistani embassy, Deputy Secretary Blinkin expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s efforts to promote peace and stability in the region. Pakistan’s participation in the Heart of Asia Conference held in Amritsar as well as Islamabad’s earlier pledge at the Brussels Conference to provide $500 million for development projects in Afghanistan.

He also praised Pakistan’s generosity in hosting millions of Afghan refugees for over four decades and expressed appreciation on the recent decision to extend the deadline for the repatriation of these refugees.

‘Pakistan pursuing policy of peaceful neighbourhood’ ISLAMABAD Agencies

Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said mutual cooperation at provincial and national level is underway to achieve the goals of sustainable development.

Addressing a seminar in Islamabad on Tuesday, he said with commitment and maturity, economic progress is being assured. He said Pakistan is pursuing a policy of preferential trade over financial aid. Sartaj Aziz said that by investing in common man, many issues within a state can be averted before they arise or get worse. He said non discriminatory approach and optimum utilization of resources is imperative for ending poverty.

He said the delay of SAARC conference halted the progress in economic and social sectors. Sartaj Aziz said CPEC vivifies the deeply rooted and exemplary relations between China and Pakistan. He

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said progress and stability in the region is possible through regional connectivity and mutual sharing of experiences in different fields. Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid said that the bill on climate change is historical and will help in making of new frameworks and laws. He said government is formulating new laws for adaptations and mitigation of policies regarding climate change issue. The minister said the Green Pakistan Program reflects the government‘s commitment and seriousness for achieving green growth and sustainable development goals. He said Pakistanis the first country which adopted SDGs as national agenda of development.

He said monitoring cells have been set up to monitor the implementation of green Projects. Zahid Hamid said that SDGs complement the vision 2025. He said Climate change is increasing food and water insecurity which is continuous threat for Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday said it had established a comprehensive and effective national nuclear security regime which is at par with the latest international standards and guidelines. The Foreign Office in a statement on eve of the second Ministerial Nuclear Security Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), being held in Vienna on 5-6 December 2016, said the regime is based on an extensive legislative and regulatory framework governing the security of nuclear material, radioactive substances, associated facilities and activities. This is backed by strong institutions and organizations with the requisite authorities, resources and trained manpower for effective implementation. On the occasion of the second Ministerial Nuclear Security Conference of IAEA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a brochure outlining Pakistan’s nuclear security regime. It’s a part of Pakistan’s policy to provide awareness and transparency about measures taken by it to strengthen nuclear security nationally. The brochure, copies of which have been distributed among the participants of the Nuclear Security Conference, can be accessed online on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Pakistan keeps its nuclear security systems and measures under constant review and continues to invest in relevant technologies and human resources, the statement said and added Pakistan has established an independent nuclear regulatory authority with wide-ranging regulatory and inspection mandate. It said Pakistan’s nuclear security arrangements have been recognized at the international level by several high ranking officials and experts. During his inaugural address at the IAEA Nuclear Security Conference in Vienna on 5th December 2016, the IAEA Director General, Yukiya Amano, expressed his appreciation for Pakistan Center of Excellence on Nuclear Security (PCENS).

PCENS has developed into an important hub for training in various aspects of nuclear security and has hosted several international and regional training events including those sponsored by the IAEA. APP

Bilawal threatens protest march if demands are not met LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Tuesday that the Sharifs should realise that this was their last stint at ruling the country.

Addressing a PPP convention, Bilawal said that a long march would be held on December 27 if his party’s demands were not met by the government. Bilawal added he had come to Punjab to take democratic control of the province. “The ‘Go Nawaz Go’ slogan has not originated from any city in Sindh, Mian Sahib. It started from your own home town,” Bilawal said. The PPP chairman announced the PPP’s schedule for the next six months. “The party will run a ‘Go Nawaz Go’ campaign for three months and then an election campaign. Mian Sahib you will either be in jail or Saudi Arabia by 2018,” Bilawal said. Agencies

PM picks names for mayors of big towns, district councils of Punjab PM SAYS DEMOCRACY CANNOT FLOURISH WITHOUT LOCAL BODIES SOURCE SAYS HAMZA SHEHBAZ DOMINATED THE NOMINATION PROCESS ISLAMABAD MiAn ABRAR

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday approved names for the ruling party’s candidates for mayoral slots of various cities of Punjab.

The decisions, overdue for the last one year after the local bodies’ elections, were taken at a high level meeting held here at the Prime Minister’s House and attended by various political heavyweights of the PML-N Punjab chapter.

Top political bigwigs of the PML-N Punjab briefed the prime minister about the elections of mayors and deputy mayors after the local bodies’

elections in the province. A well-placed source told Pakistan Today that most of the nominations were made on the recommendations of the Punjab government. “During the meeting, the prime minister approved names of the party’s candidates for Rawalpindi, Multan, Faisalabad, Lahore and other major cities,” the source added. The source said that most of the decisions were taken on the recommendations by Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, son of Punjab chief minister.

“For Rawalpindi, the PM has approved the name of veteran party leader Sardar Naseem out of five hopefuls. However, the final decision would be announced by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan,” the source added.

The source said that the decision had been made on the recommendation of Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan while the mayor of Islamabad has already been elected. Sardar Naseem was facing a tough challenge from fellow party colleagues Shaikh Arsalan, Malik Sajjad and two others. However, Sardar Naseem won the nomination, the source added.

The source added that the decision for the slot of Rawalpindi District Council Chairman would be taken in today’s (Wednesday) meeting to be held at the Punjab House which would be chaired by

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. The source said that former Lahore mayor Khwaja Ahmed Hassan, failed to win the party’s nomination for Lahore’s lord mayor slot and now two candidates had been left in the field.

“Colonel (retd) Mubashar and Rabia Farooqi have been left in the field. Final decision would be announced by Hamza Shehbaz Sharif after interviewing both the candidates today in Lahore,” the source added. The source said that Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah had been empowered to decide the new mayor for Faisalabad while the name for Faisalabad District Council would be decided later. The meeting also decided that Deewan Ghulam Abbas would be the chairman of District Council Multan while the decision for mayoral slot would be taken later. The PM said that the democracy could not flourish without well-functional local bodies. ‘Local bodies also serve as nurseries for providing trained and wellversed leadership at the provincial level and later at the national level, he stated.

The meeting was attended Khwaja Muhammad Asif, Minister for Defence, Ch Nisar Ali Khan, Minister for Interior, Mr Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Minister for Petro-

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leum, Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Planning, Khwaja Saad Rafique, Minister for Railway, Pervez Rashid, Senator, Dr Asif Kirmani, SAPM, Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, MNA, Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, Minister for Labour, Punjab, Rana Sanaullah Khan, Minister for Law Punjab, Malik Nadeem Kamran, Minister for P&D, Punjab, Manshaullah Butt, Minister for Local Govt, Punjab, Saud Majeed, Senator, Mehar Ishtiaq Ahmed, MNA, Muhammad Pervez Malik, MNA, Samiullah Khan.

04 NEWS

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

CpeC WeBsite LaUnCHeD

pRoJeCts neaRing CompLetion: enVoY ISLAMABAD

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INP

HInESE Ambassador Sun Weidong and Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed on Tuesday expressed the confidence that early harvest projects under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would be completed by next year.

Speaking at the official launching of CPEC’s website, they said that the leadership of both countries was committed to turn the CPEC’s dream into reality.

Both the governments are satisfied with implementation process of this gamechanger project, they said.

The website: www.cpecinfo.com is hosted by Pakistan-China Institute.

China Radio International (CRI) is a coordinating partner of the website that will be responsible for release of its Urdu version.

The inauguration ceremony was also addressed Minister of Ports and Shipping Mir Hasal Khan Bazanjo. Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Honardoost was also present. Ambassador Sun Weidong underlined the importance of the project,

stating it was in line with spirit of Silk Road that meant to promote peace, security and prosperity world over.

“CPEC is a major project of the One Road one Belt’s initiative, proposed by President Xi Jinping during his visit to Pakistan in 2013,” he said.

“The CPEC is an unprecedented framework that boasts dozens of major projects and billions of dollars in investments, and will create tens of thousands of jobs here. Pakistani people are already benefiting from the “early harvests” yielded by the initiative,” he said.

Senator Mushahid Hussain paid rich

tribute to Ambassador Weidong for his active role in socio-economic development of the country, through CPEC. PM’s Message: In his message, Prime Minister nawaz Sharif said that CPEC was the future of Pakistan and its timely completion was the top priority of the government.

“The CPEC will lead to generation of employment opportunities across the country and would lead to enhancement in trade and poverty reduction. Although it took almost two years to sort it out but now CPEC is fast progressing,” he said.

BHC suspends govt's order to deport Turkish staff of Pak-Turk schools

New management likely to take charge of Pak-Turk schools

QUeTTa: The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Tuesday suspended the federal government's order to deport Turkish staffers of the Pak-Turk schools to Turkey. A twojudge bench, comprising Chief Justice Muhammad noor Maskanzai and Justice naeem Akhtar Afghan, also issued notices to the Interior Ministry directing them to appear before the court on the next hearing. The counsel for Turkish teachers, nadir Chalgari, pleaded before the court that deporting teachers was a clear violation of the fundamental human rights. The court adjourned the hearing till the last week of December. Earlier, the Peshawar High Court and Sindh High Court had suspended the order of the federal government to deport Turkish staffers and their family members. STAFF REPORT

It is unfortunate to see one of the best private schools in Pakistan suffer due to political agendas, as a new management for Pak-Turk schools and colleges has arrived from Turkey and likely to take over the charge soon, Pakistan Today has learnt reliably.

Sources in Turk embassy told Pakistan Today that the Maaref Foundation is all set to take over the Pak-Turk Schools, as its members have arrived in Pakistan. They said that since the all the Turk staffers have been relieved of their duties, affiliated with the Schools system for around two-decade, the new management was summoned from Turkey to ensure the smooth running of the schools which at present are facing quite uncertain situation.

However, they said that there are some issues which are needed to be settled prior to assume the charge.

Turkey, in August, asked the federal government to close down all the institutes which are allegedly run by Fethullah Gulen, the US-based religious leader who was accused of masterminding the recent coup attempt in Turkey.

They said that Pakistani and Turkish governments reached a deal to transfer the control of these schools from the Pak-Turk Education Foundation to the Turkish government’s subsidiary, Maaref Foundation. Soon after the government’s decision to deport Turkish staffers, the management of Pak-Turk Schools replaced the Turkish nationals serving on administrative posts in its schools and colleges with locals.

However, sources said that the handing over from Turkish to Pakistani

ISLAMABAD HAMID KHAN WAZIR

Sindh governor advised lung transplant KaraCHI: Sindh Governer Justice (r) Saeed-uz-zaman Siddiqui has been admitted at a private hospital in Karachi for last 23 days. A ten-member medical board comprising neurological physicians, surgeons, orthopedics, chest specialists have been monitoring the ailing governor’s health round the clock. According to reports, the governor’s lungs have collapsed and his body is not getting the required oxygen without a BiPAP machine to maintain oxygen levels in the body adding that the governor’s vital organs are not working properly.

Sources claimed that the medical board has recommended a lung transplant, advising that the procedure could be performed in the United Kingdom, United States or India. INP

management is mere an eyewash, as mostly people hired were loyal to Gulen Foundation and have been given key management positions. They said people who are given lead role in the new management were regularly visiting Turkey where they were imparted training by Gulen Foundation.

Currently more than 11,000 students and 1,500 teachers are linked to the Turkish charity schools in Pakistan, with a total of 28 schools and colleges in major cities of Pakistan. A senior official in Pak-Turk International told this scribe on condition of anonymity that the government’s decision was challenged by the management to ensure return of the old management hence efforts afoot to take visa extension for the teaching staff.

The official said there are reports that the government is mulling over to bring its own management, which would be very unfortunate development, as it was not a government entity. The teaching staff and their children studying in the schools are not coming to the schools across the country for the last over one week; however, they could rejoin the schools if the matter is resolved, official maintained.

The official further said that the management replaced its Turk teaching staff with locals and the replacement has been made smoothly and on merit, as a number of teachers, who have already been in waiting list were re-interviewed to fill the deficiency.

The board of directors also issued a public announcement on the official website: “We feel it imperative to clarify that the PakTurk International Schools and Colleges in Pakistan are a

philanthropic and non-political endeavour in the country organized and established for human development, inter alia, in the field of education for the benefit of all Pakistanis.”

“PakTurk International Schools and Colleges are deeply concerned over the abrupt decision of the government requiring the Turkish teachers, management and their family members numbering to approximately 450 individuals including the school-going children, infants and ladies to leave the country within three days – an extraordinary time constraint – in consequence of non-approval of their requests for extension of visa.”

The statement read: “We are in touch with the related authorities and are constantly assessing the situation relying on the commitment of the Government of Pakistan’s concerned authorities through their written comments filed before the Islamabad High Court that they do not intend to take any adverse action against PakTurk International Schools and Colleges across Pakistan.”

Talking to Pakistan Today, Alamgir Khan, chairman PakTurk Education, said that the management of the schools has not been changed because it was already consisted of locals.

To a question, the Chairman said he had neither any information about the arrival of new management nor the government’s intention to take control of the school system.

When he was asked about salaries of the Turk staffers, who was suddenly discharged of their duties sans any prior notice, he responded that they are neither paid any extra salary nor they made any complaint in this regard.

Army to fully assist Balochistan govt in restoring peace: COAS RAWALPINDI APP

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday said that the army would render all necessary assistance to the provincial government for restoration of peace in the province. Gen Bajwa was speaking at the Headquarters of Southern Command of Pakistan Army in Quetta. After his arrival at the headquarters, the COAS had laid a wreath at Yadgar-e-Shuhada to acknowledge the sacrifices of all martyrs, who laid their lives for the motherland. Later, the COAS visited Southern Command Headquarters, where he was briefed in detail about the operational preparedness of the command, overall security situation in Balochistan and ongoing stabilisation operations.

The COAS commended the army, the Frontier Corps, and law enforcement and intelligence agencies for the noticeable improvement in law and order in the province. The COAS vowed zero tolerance against terrorism and directed to undertake focused and indiscriminate operations against terrorists of all kind in coordination with intelligence and other law enforcement agencies.

Sattar says MQM has cut ties with party founder MoNItoRINg DeSk Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)-Pakistan chief Farooq Sattar on Tuesday told the Sindh High Court (SHC) that the party had severed ties with its founder. Sattar said this in a reply submitted in the SHC during hearing of a petition calling for a ban on the party. In his reply, Sattar said that after the August 22 speech, MQM-Pakistan had ended its ties with the party’s founder. Sattar said that even the veto power of the party’s founder had been revoked. The MQM-Pakistan leader said that the party’s parliamentarians in the national and provincial assemblies had condemned the August 22 speech. He said that the impression that MQMPakistan had any association with London was wrong. “There is no justification in demanding MQM parliamentarians’ resignation,” Sattar said in the reply. Sattar said that the demand for a ban on the party was an attempt to blackmail it. He requested the court to dismiss the petition.

Jang’s petition against aRY

Hearing adjourned as ARY counsel doesn’t show up MoNItoRINg RePoRt The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday adjourned hearing of a case filed against ARY TV for trying to defame the Independent Media Corporation (Jang Group).

When the hearing started, the court was informed that the lawyer of ARY TV had failed to come to the court to defend its Chief Executive Officer Salman Iqbal, whose arrest warrant has been issued for leveling false and fabricated allegations against Jang Group. Because of the absence of the lawyer, Justice Athar Minallah adjourned the proceedings without hearing the case.

On the last hearing, the court had re-

jected the request for cancellations of the arrest warrants for Iqbal and adjourned the hearing till December 5. On Monday, Jang Group lawyer Amir Abdullah Abbasi appeared in court, but the court was told that Salman Iqbal’s lawyer had failed to attend the hearing. Jang Group had filed a case against ARY TV for leveling baseless allegations to defame the organisation. The trial court had issued Iqbal’s bailable arrest warrants for continuously remaining absent from the court.

Iqbal had obtained a stay order from the IHC, but later the high court had told him to move the relevant forum and disposed of the case. On May 27, he had obtained a stay order from the IHC after his

review petition was rejected by the sessions court.

DaMages awarDeD: Last week, a London court had awarded Geo Group £185,000 in libel damages against ARY. Jang Group had maintained that ARY had been airing news and programmes since October 2013 to defame Mir Shakeelur Rehman and his businesses.

The case had been filed in London as both groups operate and broadcast in UK under licenses granted by OFCOM. Mir contented that his name was defamed in jurisdiction and hence should be granted relief for UK. The court after hearing both sides decided the suit in favor of Rehman.

Awarding one of the highest general

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compensatory awards in recent years, the judge observed that the broadcasts were “unrelenting and calculated to arouse hatred towards the Jang Group among members of the Pakistani community in this jurisdiction”. The judge also found that ARY’s conduct “plainly oppressive, unreasonable and unacceptable”.

Last year, businessman Mian Muhammad Mansha and MCB Bank Limited had published a public notice in media, accusing ARY news Television of running a malicious campaign against them. The notice by M/s Cornelius Lane & Mufti, Advocates and Solicitors stated that it was being published on the specific instructions of their clients to inform the

public about the real reasons for “this baseless and unfounded media campaign”. “ARY Communications (Pvt) Ltd was led by the late Haji Abdul Razzaq Yaqoob and is now managed/controlled by his family members. Late Mr Razzaq is a defaulter of MCB Bank Limited for an amount of US$51 million,” read the notice.

“In this regard multiple cases are pending adjudication before Honorable Sindh High Court at Karachi between MCB Bank Limited and persons/entities part of ARY Group. These include a suit for recovery of approximately US$51 million filed by MCB Bank Limited against Haji Abdul Razzaq Yaqoob (Late),” it stated.

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

Poor electrical wiring caused fire in regent Plaza: rePort third Party audit declares regent Plaza and MovenPick electrical installation as dangerous

Pervez Musharraf had Banned insPection of electric installation in 2003

KARACHI AAMIR MAJEED

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N investigation into the fire in Karachi’s Regent Plaza, a four star hotel, has revealed that 3rd party electrical safety auditor last year, after inspection, declared electrical system of Regent Plaza and Moenpick as ‘dangerous,’ Pakistan Today has learnt reliably.

It was revealed that 3rd party electrical safety auditor performed two tests: infrared thermography and visual inspection. Infrared thermography of Regent Plaza and Movenpick has exposed excess heat in the electrical system of both hotels while visual inspection reported issues of bad cables health, meggering, leakage, overloading, loose connections and hanging wires.

The administration of both hotels was directed to act in accordance with the Electricity Act, PSQCA Act and NFPA, IEEE, and BS standards to address the highlighted electrical complexities. It may be pertinent to mention here that at least 12 people were killed and 75 others injured when a huge fire broke out in the

kitchen of Regent Plaza hotel located at its ground floor on early Monday. Talking to Pakistan Today Karachi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Power Advisor, Electrical Inspector and Electrical Auditor Engr Wali Muhammad Rahimoon claimed he had informed Regent Plaza and Movenpick administration that major non-compliances are in violation of Electricity Act and rules of Pakistan after he had identified problems in electrical system in 3rd party audit.

“I had informed Regent Plaza owner Muzafar Bajwa and Chief Engineer Aijaz that the electrical installations

of the hotels are very dangerous, Engr Rahimoon claimed, maintaining, “I also told Movenpick’s CEO Sikandar that the electrical installation of his hotel was found dangerous in test.”

Why more fires in Punjab and Sindh only?

It has been disclosed that a ban has been imposed on inspection of electrical installation of Punjab and Sindh since August 2003. The then president General (R) Pervez Musharraf via a letter, available with Pakistan Today, had banned inspection of electrical installation of industries and buildings in Punjab and Sindh. Ban on electrical inspection is criminal offence and inspection of electrical installations is held necessary under Rule-5 of the Electricity Rules, 1937 framed under Electricity Act 1910, NEPRA Act 1997, NFPA and PSQCA. When approached for confirmation, Movenpick Hotels and Resorts Marketing and PR Manager Amara Ashraf claimed that she had no information about any electrical inspection conducted during 2015, as according to her, she had joined the company in 2016. I have no idea what happened before my joining, and because of this fact, I can’t comment on any happening in the company prior to my joining.

The ‘untouchable’ mayor of Islamabad ISLAMABAD FARID SABRI

Islamabad Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz faces possible conflict of interest as he owns a construction company. Aziz, who is also the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman, is the chief executive of ‘Anser Brothers (Pvt) Limited’ company.

According to the documents available with Pakistan Today, Aziz had registered his construction company with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) in 2010. The company has a corporate universal identification number 0071542 and has a 100 million authorised share capital. Aziz owns 0.9 million shares, his father owns 50,000 shares, and his wife owns 50,000 shares in the company.

Anser registered himself with SECP as chief executive of the company. Aziz also obtained a Rs 260 million loan from a private bank for his company on May 12th, 2016 after being elected as mayor. Curiously, the company was awarded a contract in 2008, two years before its incorporation.

The company got the Rs 20 million contract to construct two animal enclosures and a service road at Marghzar Zoo. It was paid in 2011. SECP is the only platform to get the certificate of incorporation, and to register all private limited companies. Hence, at the time of being awarded the contract, the company was neither private limited, nor registered.

“The real issue is that the current mayor and the CDA chairman owns a Islamabadbased construction company which is enlisted in the CDA, Engineering Wing. He also has a history of working for CDA,”

said a CDA official, who wished not to be named.

The company is presently being run from residential area: House 2-B, Kaghan Road, F-8/4, Islamabad. This is also against the directions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The Building Control Section (BCS) has not issued a notice to the company over the violation of CDA by-laws. “Aziz’s journey from a CDA contractor to its mayor is an example of conflict of interest. As a contractor, he cannot be the head of any development authority,” said Advocate Muhammad Ali, a senior Islamabad High Court (IHC) lawyer.

“The conflict of interest is a globally recognised legal maxim. Is our mayor above the law?” he asked.

Recently, US president-elect Donald Trump, a real estate tycoon, announced that he would step aside from running his businesses after taking oath of office. He had been facing criticism that his financial interests would interfere with his duties to the public as president.

Talking to Pakistan Today, a CDA Engineering wing member said: “Construction by non-registered companies is a routine matter and not a heinous crime.” However, when questioned why the authority had announced to register an FIR against another contractor in a similar case, he could not provide an answer.

CDA spokesperson Mazhar Hussain said that the mayor had done nothing illegal. “He has a vision to develop the entire capital and he is working on it,” he said.

When contacted, Aziz, however, declined to comment on the story.

KP to grant voting rights to transgender community PESHAWAR STAFF REPORT

The Khyber Pakthunkhwa Assembly with Speaker Assad Qaisar in the chair, on Tuesday, has unanimously passed a resolution seeking voting rights for the transgender community in the province. The resolution moved by Amna Sardar of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stated that federal government should be pursued to contact Election Commission for giving voting rights to the transgender.

She said that recommendations should be forwarded to give transgender

rights of franchise and granting them a respectable status in the society. The assembly also passed three more resolution moved by provincial finance minister, Inayat Ullah Khan and Sahibzada Sana Ullah.

The resolution moved by Inayat Ullah demanded that NADRA authorities should be approached on issue of ‘Blocked Cards’. He said that all the blocked cards should be cleared within two months as lack of proper identification documentation has restricted the movement tens of thousands of people who are confined to their homes.

Provincial minster also moved

another resolution regarding giving No Objection Certificate (NOC) to foreigners travelling to Khyber Pakhtukhwa.

He said that federal authorities should facilitate foreign investors by giving them relieve from getting NOC. The fourth resolution was moved by Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Sahibzada Sana Ullah. The resolution demanded that ship owners and Baluchistan government should be contacted to compensate the victims of Gadani incident. He said that victims of Gadani are still awaiting help from ship owners and provincial government of Balochistan.

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NEWS

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Baldia factory fire suspect Bhola extradited to Pakistan KARACHI AGENCIES

Abdul Rahman alias Bhola, one of the main accused in the Baldia factory fire case, has been repatriated to Pakistan after being arrested in Thailand by Interpol, sources said. Rehman was the Muttahida Qaumi Movement(MQM)‘s sector in charge of Baldia town. After fleeing from Pakistan, he went to Dubai, then Malaysia, and finally wound up in Thailand. As many as 40 commandos raided a room at the Royal Garden Home Hotel in Soi Nana, Bangkok, to arrest him. On November 28 during the hearing of the Baldia factory fire case the anti-terrorism court grilled the authorities for not being able to arrest Bhola and Hammad Siddiqui, two of the three main suspects in the case. The court then ordered the interior ministry seek Interpol’s help in arresting the fugitives. A Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the matter stated that Hammad Siddiqui had ordered Bhola and others to set the factory on fire. Bhola is one of the three main accused. Zubair alias Lala is in police custody, while Hammad Siddiqui is still at large. Paksarzameen Party and MQM Pakistan in separate statements refuted allegations that Bhola was once associated with their parties.

06 LAHORE Raheel Sharif lays floral wreath on grave of Major Shabbir Sharif LAHORE INP

Former Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif along with family members visited the grave of his brother Major Shabbir Sharif, laid floral wreath and offered fateha. The 46th death anniversary of Major Shabbir Sharif, Nishan-e Haider, was observed on Tuesday. He is the only army officer who received both the Nishan-e-Haider and Sitara-e-Jurat for his bravery. He embraced martyrdom during the 1971 Pakistan-India war.

CM undergoes medical check-up in London LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday underwent a medical check-up in London and various medical tests were conducted. The routine medical checkup of Shehbaz Sharif was to be conducted three months ago but due to performance of official affairs, he could not undergo his medical check-up in time. A few days ago, the chief minister fell ill and doctors had advised him complete rest but he started routine government activities after rest of only 24 hours. He also performed his official responsibilities from morning to afternoon prior to his departure on a foreign tour. The chief minister will soon return to the country after medical check-up.

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

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OLMT prOjecT: SecreTArY envirOnMenT iSSued nOTice Over FeLLinG OF TreeS LAHORE

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to Thokar Niaz Baig.

“Lahore has been deprived of its scenic beauty after more than thousand trees have been chopped down and truncated from their roots due to the orange train project and other mega projects like signal free corridor as well as widening of canal road project”, he stated, adding that cutting trees will in result of environmental degradation and increase in pollution level by these projects.

The content of the petition reads, “Trees are known as lungs of nature and cheapest natural source of consumption of the carbon dioxide (Green House Gas) at local, national and global level and are considered as ‘Carbon Sinks’ while forest cover on an area of

STAFF REPORT

HE Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday issued notices to Punjab environment secretary and the principal secretary to chief minister in a petition challenging the cutting and chopping of trees for construction purposes.

Advocate Sheraz Zaka filed this petition on behalf of Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) leader Andleeb Abbas.

Sheraz Zaka argued that Punjab government had cut and chopped hundreds of trees for construction of the Orange Line Metro Train, signal free corridor and widening if canal road projects from Doctor’s Hospital

25 per cent of the country area is considered as excellent forest condition” It also reads that in Punjab only 5 per cent of the area is under forest.

“The deforestation rate has been estimated as 0.2 - 0.5 per cent per annum – the world’s second highest rate of deforestation” it reads adding that woody biomass is declining at a rate of 4 – 6 per cent per year.

The petition further reads that it is need of time to conserve and develop the renewable natural resources, such as forests and biodiversity. It demands to initiate a process for eliminating the fundamental causes of the depletion of forest through participation of all the concerned agencies and stakeholders, to promote the sustainable forest

harvesting to meet the local, national and global demand.

The court was told that the trees, grown on 27.1km long route from Dera Gujran to Ali Town, detached from their roots are of various kinds, including Arjun, Dhak, Mahwa, Bahara, Alstonia, Ashoke, Sheesham, Alata, Kenair, Weeping Willow, Peepal, Simbal, Berri, Sukh Chain and Poplar. It was also informed that in 2015 Punjab government assured court that for 10 trees would be planted against each tree cut.

After hearing arguments of the petitioner Justice Ayesha Malik observed that the development of the Lahore city should not hamper the scenic beauty of Lahore. She adjourned hear till Jan 13, 2017.

LAHORE: Country‘s first double-decker tourist bus introduced by Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP) passes through Jail Road. INP

Property dispute claims life in Sargodha SARGODHA INP

A man died and two others were injured in firing in Sargodha over property dispute on Tuesday. Police said that armed men opened fire at rivals with whom they were in old enmity over property dispute in Sillanwali area of Sargodha. As a result of firing, a man died on the spot while two others sustained critical wounds. Culprits involved in firing fled from the scene of the crime. The body and injured were shifted to hospital for medico-legal formalities. The police after registering a case against the murderers at large have started raids for their arrest.

Event held to educate public on eating habits of children LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The United for Healthier Kids movement organised an activity, ‘Road to Health’, at the Servis Shoes store on MM Alam Road, Lahore. The purpose of the event was to educate the public on the eating habits of children and to guide parents on how they can change their children’s nutritional choices. The children ran along a small track with two ‘refreshment stops’, with each of them given an option to choose any refreshment. The first refreshment stop offered a choice between unhealthy food and fruit, while the second stop offered a choice between carbonated and sugary drinks or water. At the end of the round, the children were given points for the choices they made.

Nutritionist stalls was also set up to guide parents and help them understand their children's nutritional needs. Speaking at the event, Head of Communication and Marketing Services Nestlé Pakistan Samra Maqbool, said, “We are really happy to see the U4HK campaign playing such a positive role in people's lives. Children are our future and as parents it is important to be concerned about their health and eating habits.

U4HK aims to create awareness within the public so that our children may remain healthy and contribute to the future well being of the country." Servis Shoes CEO Shahid Hussain said, “We believe that today’s children face a lot of health-related challenges. Most of these are due to unhealthy eating habits. Unfortunately most parents are unaware of what constitutes healthy eating. Our partnership with U4HK demonstrates our commitment to the welfare of our beloved country."

Punjab govt likely to revive Basant LAHORE SAMIULLAH RANDHAWA

The Lahorites saw a ray of hope after the news that the Punjab government is likely to lift ban on Basant.

This hope was brought after a media talk of Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood Khan, in which he said that the people of Lahore would celebrate Basant in coming spring season. However, this has not been confirmed by any authority either the government has not decided to lift a decade’s old ban on Basant.

Basant, a hallmark traditional festivity of Lahore, provided an opportunity of entertainment to millions. It was also considered as an opportunity for the thousands of people to earn their livelihood after being employed for making kites in the province.

Moreover, Basant also used to bring in huge profits in tourism and entertainment. This festival became controversial with the passage of time as it caused many deaths and injuries.

The one of the main reason of deaths was many kite lovers started using sharp string which became a life risk for people, especially for bikers.

After the reports of deaths in various

parts of Punjab, particularly in Lahore, the Supreme Court (SC) in 2005 decided to ban the spring celebrations in a suo-moto action. Despite the SC orders, Lahorites kept celebrating the festival, which resulted in more deaths.

The kite flying was banned in the province after Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying Amendment Bill was passed in 2009.

Last year, All Pakistan Kite Association (APKFA) and Paper Association appealed to the Punjab chief minister to revive Basant as it was providing livelihood to more than 300,000 people in the province.

This year, on August 17, the CM constituted a ten-member committee regarding revival of “Safe Basnat” which comprised Syed Zaeem Hussain Qadri as convener and other nine members including Lahore commissioner, APKFA president Nadeem Wayeen, Mian Yousuf Salahuddin and others.

Pakistan Today tried to contact convener of the committee Zaeem Qadri, but he was not available for comment. However, he had given a hint in his earlier talk by saying, “The people are anxiously waiting

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for revival of Basant that is an event that marks the coming of spring, brings together people from all walks of life, covers the sky with colours and spreads happiness among the people”. When contacted Mian Yousuf Salahuddin, member of the committee, he said that the committee has prepared the suggestions that how this festival could be celebrated in a safe way.

When asked about the secure venue for the kite flying, he said that in the past all the deaths were reported from the areas adjacent to main roads and not a single death was happened in Walled City Area of Lahore.“Walled City area would be the better for the celebration of this festival as it has narrow streets and there is no fear of strings could fall on the streets,” he said adding that though it would be limited but we cannot take any risk by demanding its celebrations in other parts of the city. He further said that its government’s responsibility to control aerial firing.

APKFA President Khawaja Nadeem Saeed Wayeen told Pakistan Today that APKFA appreciates the Punjab government efforts aimed at revival of economic activities. “

Man commits suicide after killing five children CHINIOT STAFF REPORT A man killed his five children and committed suicide later over domestic issues on Tuesday. The incident took place in Muhammadwala police station of Chiniot. The accused was reportedly disappointed over the attitude of his wife who had left him a month ago over domestic quarrels and was living with her parents.

According to reports, he was facing problems to look after and feed his five children which led him to commit the heinous crime. The accused strangled his five children including four sons aged between 1 and 6 years and an 8-year-old daughter and later committed suicide. The bodies of the murderer and five children were shifted to hospital for medico-legal formalities where they were handed over to heirs after postmortem. The police after registering a case into the incident at respective police station have started the investigation.

LAHORE 07

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

Health adviser for publicprivate partnership to fight diabetes

Model biogas plant inaugurated in Okara

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Pakistan’s first commercial-size bio gas plant was inaugurated on Tuesday by United States Consul General Yuriy Fedkiw and Punjab Minister for Livestock and Dairy Development Asif Saeed.

Singers and dancers also performed in the inaugural ceremony, bringing a bit of glamour to biogas technology. United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Nestle Pakistan, working together through the Dairy and Rural Development Foundation (DRDF), collaborated with the Punjab Livestock and Dairy Development in the construction of this biogas unit. The plant will yield significant benefits including electricity generation for agricultural production, cooking gas and manure production.

“Promoting energy efficiency and scaling up renewable energy requires an effective and supportive enabling environment.

Today’s ceremony highlights the importance of alternative energy resources, not just in Pakistan, but globally as well”, said Consul General Fedkiw. “Establishing biogas units in rural communities is an efficient and effective way of meeting local energy needs by utilising renewable resources,” he added. “The Punjab government is committed to resolving the energy crisis which has adversely impacted the agriculture and industrial sectors. The vast potential of biogas should be explored further to provide an alternative to 122 million people in Punjab without a reliable source of energy,” the minister said. With the help of USAID and DRDF, this biogas unit will serve as a model for investors and rural communities to replicate, and reduce reliance on firewood or dung cakes for cooking and heating, he further added.

Speaking on the occasion, CEO DRDF Ahmed Sajjad said that DRDF, through the dairy project, has been transforming the dairy sector by promoting breed improvement and dairy farming skill development. In addition, we are addressing the energy needs of rural communities through our biogas plant initiative, he said, adding that this plant is a continuation of the dairy project’s successful pilot intervention of 50 cubic metre biogas unit constructed for a dairy cooperative in district Vehari. USAID’s five-year, $21 million Dairy Project has improved the lives of more than 50,000 small dairy farmers in Punjab by improving livestock productivity and increasing dairy farmer incomes by at least 10 per cent, he claimed.

FIA unearths illegal currency exchange, arrests owner SIALAKOT INP

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) unearthed an illegal currency exchange and arrested owner with foreign and local currency worth millions. A team of FIA Gujranwala raided illegal currency exchange in main Sialkot city on Tuesday. The FIA team arrested the owner of illegal currency exchange besides recovering local and foreign currency worth million of rupees. The recovered currency was confiscated by the FIA and the nabbed owner of the currency exchange was being interrogated.

LAHORE: A vendor selling chickens near Liberty Chowk. INP

CM ORdeRS tO ACCeLeRAte CAMPAIgn AgAInSt SPuRIOuS, SubStAndARd MedICIneS LAHORE

p

STAFF REPORT

UNJAB Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has issued special instructions to provincial administration and authorities of Health Department from London and said that the ongoing campaign against spurious medicines should further be accelerated in the province.

He said that he will continue the efforts until this menace is eliminated. He said that those playing with human lives deserve no leniency and the elements involved in this bogus business will be dealt with an iron fist.

The chief minister said that life of every citizen was dear to the government and we cannot leave the people at the mercy of the mafia involved in manufacturing fake drugs. He said that this heinous trade will have to be curbed at all costs. Issuing directions to the insti-

tutions and officers taking part in the ongoing campaign against spurious drugs, Shehbaz Sharif said that government is engaged in providing quality and better medical facilities to the people and provision of quality medicines to them is also of paramount importance.

He said that government is setting process of procurement, distribution and supply system of medicines on modern lines which will result in elimination of misappropriation of medicines and substandard medicines. He said it lamentable that elements involved in trade of spurious and substandard medicines are playing with the lives of the people. He said that action was taken by his government against those involved in heinous trade in the past and now campaign has been launched against them with full force.

He said that government is introducing such a system to ensure equal medical facilities to all sections of the society and standard medicines to everyone without

any discrimination.

The chief minister said that the fake business of medicines has to be eliminated at every cost and all segments of the society have to play an active role in this regard. He said that government has evolved a comprehensive system for the eradication of business of bogus medicines and cash prizes will be given to those providing identity and correct information about the persons involved in such heinous trade.

He said that names of the dutiful citizens who inform about those involved in this heinous business will be kept hidden. He appreciated the efforts of concerned institutions for eradicating trade of spurious medicines and stressed upon the need for expediting this campaign and making the business of fake medicines a past story forever.

He said that those displaying outstanding performance in the campaign against the persons involved in spurious drugs will be encouraged.

Punjab to introduce human rights as subject in colleges, universities’syllabus LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Provincial Minister for Human Rights and Minority Affairs Khalil Tahir Sandhu said that Punjab government was all set to include the subject of human rights as syllabus in colleges and universities of the province after implementing it in schools so as to create awareness regarding the issue in our youth.

Islam, along with other religions of the world, preaches humanity to respect the rights of each other which is the symbol of civilized nation, he said.

He expressed these views while addressing a seminar organised by Human Rights and Punjab Minority Affairs Department at Lahore Garrison University in connection with the celebrations of International Human Rights Day on December 10. Lahore Garrison University Vice Chancellor Major General Ubaid Bin Zikrya, Dean Social Sciences Muhammad Tahir, Registrar University Bashir Mahmood Bajwa, renown educationalist Younis Khushi, lecturers and students attendant the seminar.

Khalil Tahir Sandhu said that Punjab government has taken concrete steps

for the legislation on human rights particularly for elimination of child labour and harassment against women, empowering them with participation of 25000 women in decision making along with their 15 per cent job quota.

Khalil Tahir Sandhu said that Punjab government has ensured 5 per cent quota of minorities in jobs, and added that Lahore Garrison University is playing an important role to impart higher education for the children of army men and martyrs. He said that Punjab government appreciates the efforts of private sector for providing

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quality education to the children along with their better characterisation.

He said that human rights and minorities affairs department has established complaint cells where any citizen can lodge complaints of human rights violation. He stressed upon the need for every citizen to play its important rule for building positive image of the country in respect of human rights.

The minister further said that Punjab government was observing 27 conventions of European Union regarding labour, human rights and industry sector.

Department of Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education on Tuesday hosted a Diabetes Forum in Lahore. The forum was inaugurated by Punjab Minister for Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education (SHC&ME) Khawaja Salman Rafique and Denmark’s Ambassador to Pakistan Ole Thonke. Addressing the event, Khawaja Salman Rafique said “as per the chief minister’s vision for improving health and wellbeing of people in province, the Punjab Diabetes Forum 2016 will be a great example of public-private partnership and will act as a milestone in fight against diabetes in the province.” This forum will help identify the strategies and way-forward for the better advocacy and awareness campaigns in Punjab against diabetes. It will also help train and educate not only the students and health professionals, including doctors and nurses, but will also create awareness among general public for importance of living a healthy lifestyle, he said, The Punjab and Denmark governments have joined hands to make efforts in fight against diabetes and to provide easy and free access to the public for treatment and medication. A number of speakers including KEMU VC Professor Faisal Masood and Professor Khadija Irfan Khawaja also addressed the forum and highlighted the seriousness of the issue and its prevention.

Diabetes is a growing disease in Pakistan and it is estimated that about 7 million people in Pakistan live with diabetes. It is predicted that by 2035, the number of people with diabetes will nearly double to 12.8 million. 10 people die every hour in Pakistan from diabetes-related causes often by heart attacks and strokes.

On this occasion, the Danish envoy said that Denmark has close to 100 years of experience fighting diabetes and that it wants to share it with Pakistan. The public and private sector needs to join forces with all stakeholders in the health sector for the overall public good.

In Pakistan, the Embassy of Denmark is actively working with the federal and provincial governments as well as the private sector to address the increasing burden of diabetes, he said. SHC&ME Secretary Najam Shah said that improving the health care system has been a priority of the government of Punjab.

We are aware of growing diabetes issue in Punjab and are taking conducive initiatives with the support of Embassy of Denmark in Pakistan for the advocacy of prevention and control of this disease.

Food minister seals two restaurants over poor cleanliness LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Provincial Minister for Food Bilal Yasin on Tuesday paid surprise visits to various restaurants of Lahore. The provincial Minister sealed Chinese Restaurant Hsin Kuang and Qabail Restaurant situated at MM Alam Road for using unhygienic food, poor cleanliness situation in production area, improper tagging of food items and child labour. The minister also imposed fine of Rs 3,00,000 fine to Sichuan Restaurant situated near Mini Market. He also visited Pizza Hut and Monal Restaurant and directed their administration to improve cleanliness situation. He said that usage of expired items, presence of flies and poor cleanliness situation is intolerable.While sealing the restaurant, the minister has issued warning to the restaurants’ management, reprimanded their administration and directed to ensure better cleanliness situation in future. The minister said that restaurants should follow SOPs of Food Authority, adding that those performing well will be appreciated with cash reward and certificates. While talking to media, Bilal Yasin said that the restaurants playing with lives and health of people will be dealt with an iron fist. He said that child labour, use of unhygienic food, improper cleanliness situation and staff working in production areas with injured hands will not be tolerated. He also inspected the medical certificates of staff working in the restaurants. Bilal Yasin said that Punjab Food Department is working under the vision of Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to ensure the provision and sale of healthy food according to SOPs of Food Department.

08 FOREIGN NEWS

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

BrITIsh PM JOIns Gulf suMMIT fOr POsTBrexIT Trade Talks DUBAI

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government faces mounting domestic criticism that it has not done enough to avoid post-Brexit disruption to British trade, which is currently carried out under EU agreements. “I will have the opportunity to talk to all six leaders about how we can develop our trade relationship, as well as cooperation on security and defence,” May said ahead of her arrival in the Bahraini capital Manama late on Monday.

May will discuss the possibilities for post-Brexit free-trade arrangements with the six GCC states — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, her office said.

“As the UK leaves the EU, we should seize the opportunity to forge a new trade arrangement between the UK and the

AGENCIES

RITISH Prime Minister Theresa May is to join Gulf Arab leaders at a summit in Bahrain on Tuesday for talks on trade after Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Defence ties are also expected to loom high on the agenda as Britain builds a new naval base in Bahrain. Advocacy groups urged May to use the opportunity to raise human rights concerns too. She is the first British premier and the first woman to attend the annual summit of the six oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council states.

Her two days of talks come as her

Gulf,” May said. “This could transform the way we do business and lock in a new level of prosperity for our people for generations to come.” Ahead of the summit, May held talks with Bahraini officials that also focused on defence ties, the official Bahrain News Agency reported.

In October last year, Britain began building a naval base at Mina Salman, outside Manama, its first new permanent base in the Middle East in four decades.

Bahrain’s King Hamad “looks forward to expanding joint cooperation in the fields of trade, investment and security,” BNA said. Western ties with Bahrain have come under criticism from international human rights groups.

The kingdom’s Sunni minority rulers

Japan PM Abe won't apologise at Pearl Harbour TOKYO AGENCIES

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will honour war dead but won’t apologise when he becomes the first Japanese leader to visit Pearl Harbour this month, a top government spokesman said Tuesday.

The move follows Barack Obama’s historic May trip to Hiroshima, the first by a sitting US president, where he spoke of victims’ suffering but offered no apology for dropping the world’s first nuclear bomb.

Abe will pay his respects to those who died in Japan’s surprise 1941 attack at the US naval base in Hawaii, which triggered World War II in the Pacific, and highlight a decades-old security alliance between the former enemies. “The purpose of this visit is to commemorate war dead, not to apologise,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a regular press briefing in Tokyo.

“The visit will serve as an opportunity to demonstrate to future generations our resolve not to repeat the horror and suffering of war as well as an opportunity to showcase the reconciliation

between Japan and the United States,” he added. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, who is in Japan as part of his last Asian tour, echoed those sentiments Tuesday. “The US-Japan alliance has never been stronger than it is today,” Carter told reporters during a visit to a Japanese destroyer.

“It’s a two-way stream, equal ben-

Invading Iraq was ‘strategic mistake’: Gen James Mattis Nominated for secretary of state by US President-elect Donald Trump General James Mattis had called the 2003 invasion of Iraq a ‘strategic mistake’, US media reported. The intercept quoting an earlier interview of Gen Mattis in which he said, “Ladies and gentlemen … we will probably look back on the invasion of Iraq as a mistake — as a strategic mistake.” As for the Pentagon’s view on the Iraq invasion at the time, Mattis said: “I think people were pretty much aware that the U.S. military didn’t think it was a very wise idea. But we give a cheery ‘Aye aye, sir.’ Because when you elect someone commander in chief — we give our advice.

We generally give it in private.” The 66-yearold "Mad Dog" Mattis, who commanded US forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan, is the second retired general to be named to Trump's governing team after Michael Flynn, tapped for the post of national security advisor. The president-elect opted to reveal his nomination of Mattis in typically unorthodox style -- to thousands of supporters who had gathered at a downtown Cincinnati arena for Trump's first postelection rally. Mattis was one of the Iraq campaign’s most important ground commanders. AGENCIES

efits for both countries. That’s necessary because we face many common responsibilities and threats,” he added, without elaborating.

Carter, who is meeting with Abe later in the day, welcomed the Japanese leader’s visit to Hawaii.

“One thing I will be sure to say to (Abe on Tuesday) is how pleased Pres-

have cracked down heavily on dissent since they crushed protests led by the Shiite majority for a constitutional monarchy with an elected prime minister in 2011.

The main Shiite opposition group, AlWefaq, once the largest in parliament, has been dissolved and scores of Shiites have been stripped of their citizenship.

Amnesty International said on Monday that the summit gave May a “unique opportunity to raise concerns over a pattern of recurring human rights violations

ident Obama is and we all are that he will be visiting President Obama in Hawaii in a few weeks’ time,” he said.

Abe — a nationalist who has been criticised for playing down his country’s wartime record — will be in Hawaii on December 26 and 27 for talks with Obama, who will join him at Pearl Harbor. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the deadly December 7, 1941 assault on the US naval base that left about 2,400 Americans dead.

The war ended in August 1945 after the US dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan and, although the countries have forged strong ties in the seven decades since, how the war began and concluded has cast a long shadow.

In Hiroshima, Obama and Abe went to an atomic bomb memorial that honours some 140,000 people who died in the bombing or later from radiation exposure — a visit that sparked speculation that Abe might go to Pearl Harbor in return. The US leader lay a floral wreath and reiterated his call for the abolition of nuclear weapons but did not apologise for the attack and a subsequent bombing of Nagasaki that ended the war. Abe’s visit to Pearl Harbor also comes as Japan prepares to build a new relationship with Donald Trump, who will take over from Obama next month.

Trump sent shockwaves through Japan earlier this year when he appeared to call into question the two countries’ security alliance, prompting Abe to become the first world leader to meet him after the election to confirm the relationship.

Court upholds deportation order for Thai teenager born and raised in Japan A Thai teenager born and raised in Japan lost an appeal on Tuesday against a lower court ruling that upheld his deportation order, highlighting the country's deep reluctance to accept foreigners even as its population ages and shrinks.

The Tokyo High Court ruled that Utinan Won, a 16-year-old high school student living without a visa, should leave Japan. Won's mother had already left Japan after lower court judges said her son could win residency if she returned to Thailand. "Of course I want to stay in Japan," Won told reporters after the ruling. "I'd waited so long for this decision. I'm so sad and pained that it was made so quickly."

The High Court judges made their ruling in little more than 10 seconds, with cries of "Why?" and "Terrible" coming from a packed public gallery.

Won's case has drawn sharp

focus on the plight of hundreds of children who, like him, live on "provisional release" - a status that allows those without visas to stay in Japan while banning them from working and travelling freely.

Last month, Reuters exposed the agonising pathway to residency offered by the Japanese immigration authorities and courts to some families living on provisional release: Children can stay in Japan legally if their parents return to their country of origin. Tokyo District Court judges said in June Won could win a special residence permit if his mother - who at the time was also on provisional release - left Japan, and if he found another guardian.

Won's mother, Lonsan Phaphakdee, returned to Bangkok in September to give her son a chance to continue life in the only country he has known. Won now lives with a Japanese man who has been sup-

porting the family.

The High Court judges said in a written ruling: "We must say that the (lower court's) decision and the deportation order are legally legitimate." Although Won does not read or write Thai, he is able to speak the language and is young enough to adapt to life back in Thailand, the judges said.

Won's lawyer, Koichi Kodama, said the judges did not take into consideration the fact that the mother had left Japan and only reevaluated evidence submitted to the lower court. Wearing his school uniform and sneakers, Won remained impassive throughout the ruling, his head bowed slightly. Representatives from the government, the defendant in the case, were not present at the hearing.

His lawyer said Won had not yet decided whether to appeal against the latest ruling. AGENCIES

throughout the region”.

“In recent years across the Gulf we have seen human rights activists, peaceful political opponents and government critics systematically targeted in the name of security,” the London-based watchdog’s Middle East and North Africa director, Randa Habib, said. “It is high time for allies of the GCC to stop putting business and security cooperation before human rights, and Theresa May must not squander this opportunity to raise key rights issues,” she added.

Obama targets Trump in final speech on terror fight WASHINGTON AGENCIES

President Barack Obama delivers his final address on the fight against terrorism Tuesday, in a speech aimed at his successor who has not yet publicly outlined his own anti-terror strategy.

Speaking from MacDill Air Force Base – the Florida headquarters of the Special Forces Command and CENTCOM, command for the US military in the Middle East – Obama will give a rundown of operations in places like Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria during his two terms in office.

Obama will touch upon his failed bid to close the Guantanamo military prison in Cuba and his continued strong opposition to the use of torture – positions greeted with scorn by President-elect Donald Trump during the campaign.

Obama, who ordered the successful raid against al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011, also intends to underscore the “complexity” of the fight against terror, according to top advisor Ben Rhodes.

“That’s something you can only experience as president,” Rhodes said, adding it will be crucial for the future US administration to precisely understand the threat, maintain strong relations with allies and pair military action with clear diplomacy.

In particular, Rhodes stressed, it is necessary to keep in mind “who we are as a country”.

Trump, who has pledged to upend his predecessor’s entire agenda including foreign and security policy, takes over in the White House in just over six weeks.

On the campaign trail he pledged to restore waterboarding – a form of simulated drowning widely regarded as torture – and permit “far, far worse”.

Obama, in contrast, banned extreme CIA interrogation techniques used on terror detainees as soon as he took office.

He has long argued that such practices are ineffective, violate American values and hand militants a potent recruiting tool for groups like the Islamic State (IS).

The US president also plans to defend his warfare tactics against ISIS militants: no ground troops but military support for local security forces, and an intense air campaign with support from an international coalition. Since his election, Trump seems to be to modifying his views on waterboarding – a change that may reflect the influence of his nominee to head the Pentagon, retired marine general James Mattis. Mattis appears to have convinced Trump to rethink his stance on torture, after reportedly telling the real estate mogul that he is unconvinced about its effectiveness during interrogations.

“He said, ‘I’ve never found it to be useful’,” Trump told the New York Times in a wide-ranging interview with reporters and senior editors last month.

Mattis told Trump that winning a prisoner’s trust is a far more effective way of prying information from him.

FOREIGN NEWS 09

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

Trump says new air force One too costly: 'Cancel order!'

WASHINGTON AGENCIES

United States President-elect Donald Trump called Tuesday for the cancellation of a multi-billion dollar Boeing contract to build the next Air Force One, calling the ballooning costs “ridiculous.” “Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!” Trump tweeted. Converting a pair of 747-8 jumbo jets to state-of-the-art luxury command centres by 2024 had been estimated to cost $3 billion when Boeing was picked for the job in January 2015. The legendary light blue and white liveried jets — “The United States of America” emblazoned on the fuselage and an American flag on the tail — are a powerful symbol of US might.

But the current double-decker 747-200s, first ordered by Ronald Reagan and put into service in 1990, are getting old. Earlier this year, the Air Force issued the first of a series of contracts for the project to build new ones. Ironically, it was a $25.7 million effort to look at ways to cut the costs of fielding the next presidential aircraft. Instead, cost projections have apparently ballooned, prompting Trump’s outburst. “I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money,” the president-elect told reporters at Trump Tower, his Manhattan headquarters. He said the estimated $4 billion cost was “totally out of control” and “ridiculous.”

Boeing had no immediate comment. Prestige items like Air Force One have been targeted before because of spiralling costs. In 2009, President Barack Obama halted a project to replace the Marine One helicopters that ferry the president.

Costs had soared to nearly $11.5 billion after the 28 helicopters were ordered in 2005.

rouhani says Iran will not let Trump rip up nuclear deal Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday he would not let US President-elect Donald Trump rip up a global nuclear deal, warning of unspecified repercussions if Washington reneges on the agreement. Trump had said during campaigns for the White House that he would scrap Iran's pact with world powers - under which Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear programme in return for lifted sanctions describing it as “the worst deal ever negotiated”.

Trump wants to do many things, but none of his actions would affect us, Rouhani said in a speech at University of Tehran broadcast live on state television. “Do you think the he can rip up the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal)? Do you think we and our nation will let him do that?” Analysts have said Trump's comments could signal a harder US line on Iran, a development that could in turn empower hardliners on Iran's political scene, including rivals of Rouhani.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned against any changes to the nuclear deal after Trump's comments in June, and said last month that an extension of a US sanction regime would be viewed as a violation of the accord. Rouhani echoed Khamenei's comments on the US Congress decision last month to pass legislation to extend the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) for 10 years to make it easier for Washington to reimpose sanctions if Tehran contravenes the nuclear deal. AGENCIES

IraqI arMy launChes fresh assaulT TOwards MOsul CenTre BAGHDAD/ERBIL

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AGENCIES

RAQI army units surged towards the center of Mosul on Tuesday in an attack from the city's southeastern edges that could give fresh impetus to the seven-week-old battle for Daesh's Iraqi stronghold.

Campaign commander Lieutenant General Abdul Ameer Rasheed Yarallah was quoted by Iraqi television as saying troops had entered Salam Hospital, less than a mile (1.5 km) from the Tigris river running through the city centre.

If confirmed, that would mark a significant advance by the Ninth Armoured Division, which had been tied up for more than a month in close-quarter combat with Daesh (Islamic State) on the southeastern fringes of the city.

Residents of Daesh-controlled districts of east Mosul said by telephone the army had punched deep into the east bank of the city, getting close to the Tigris. "The fighting right now is very heavy - Iraqi forces have gone past our neighborhood without entering it. Our area is now practically surrounded by the river and the Iraqi forces," said a resident of the Palestine neighborhood.

Daesh’s news agency appeared to confirm the advance, saying three

car bombers struck the troops near Salam hospital.

A Reuters team saw thick black smoke rising from the area around the hospital. "We made good advances today," said a soldier who identified himself as Abu Ahmed.

Mosul is by far the largest city under Daesh control and defeat there would roll back the self-styled caliphate it declared in 2014 after seizing large parts of Iraq and Syria.

Some 100,000 Iraqi soldiers, security forces, Kurdish peshmerga fighters and mainly paramilitary forces are participating in the Mosul campaign that began on Oct. 17, with air and ground support from a US-led coalition. A colonel in the armored division said Tuesday's assault,

launched at 6 a.m., aimed to ultimately reach Mosul's Fourth Bridge, the southernmost of five bridges spanning the river.

The bridge, like three others, has been hit by US-led air strikes to prevent Daesh sending reinforcements and suicide car bombs across the city to the eastern front.

The last and oldest bridge, built in the 1930s, was targeted on Monday night, two residents said. The structure was not destroyed, but the air strikes made two large craters in the approach roads on both sides. "I saw Daesh (Islamic State) using bulldozers to fill the craters with sand and by midday vehicles managed to cross the bridge normally. I drove my car to the other side of the bridge and saw also

Merkel rallies for burqa ban in Germany in run-up to 2017 election Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday in a speech looking ahead to Germany's 2017 general election rallied for a ban on the burqa in public places.

Merkel, playing to the wing of her conservative party that has been deeply unsettled by last year's record influx of asylum seekers ─ most of them Muslims fleeing war zones ─ underlined her support for a proposal in August by her interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, to outlaw the burqa. "The full veil must be banned wherever it is legally possible," she said.

Merkel, however, also attacked the rise of right-wing populists in Germany, hitting out at opponents of her liberal refugee policy staking a claim to define German national identity.

She told the annual congress of her Christian Democratic Union that it was legitimate to expect integration from newcomers whilst underlining her party's bid to ban the full face veil.

"We all get to determine who 'the people' are ─ not just a few, no matter how loud they are," Merkel said.

Without mentioning the upstart Alternative for Germany (AfD) party by name, Merkel said

Germany must remain "sceptical about easy answers". "The world is not black and white," she said. "Rarely is it the easy answers that bring progress to our country."

On German Unity Day in early October, Merkel faced noisy protests when she arrived at celebrations in Dresden birthplace of the anti-immigration Pegida movement. The group has sought to co-opt the "We are the people" rallying cry used by East Germans in the peaceful revolution that brought down the Berlin Wall in 1989.

The German leader, in power since 2005, has been under pressure at home over her refugee policy that saw an influx of nearly 900,000 migrants last year. Polls show nevertheless that her CDU is the clear frontrunner in the general election, expected in September 2017.

The AfD harnessed a wave of anger over the refugee arrivals to make strong gains in a string of regional elections this year. It is currently polling at around 12 percent nationally.

Its success has mirrored the march of antimigrant parties in France, Austria and the Netherlands as well as Republican maverick Donald Trump in the United States. AGENCIES

MASS GRIEF AS INDIA POLITICAL STAR JAYALALITHAA BURIED CHENNAI AGENCIES

Hundreds of thousands of mourners paid an emotional final farewell Tuesday to Indian politician Jayalalithaa Jayaram as the former movie star who enjoyed god-like status was buried alongside her screen lover.

A day after the 68-year-old died following a massive weekend cardiac arrest, huge crowds lined the street of Chennai as Jayalalithaa’s coffin was taken to its final resting place in India’s main southern city.

Mourners clambered onto statues, trees and soft drinks stalls that lined the city’s Marinna beach, eager to view the cortege. Television put the number of mourners at around one million.

Despite being twice jailed over allegations of corruption, the woman known simply as Amma, or mother, was a revered figure in her fiefdom of Tamil Nadu state and one of India’s most popular and successful politi-

Daesh vehicles crossing," a taxi driver told Reuters.

NEW TACTICS: The army says it is facing the toughest urban warfare imaginable - hundreds of suicide car bomb attacks, mortar barrages, sniper fire and ambushes launched from a network of tunnels. More than a million civilians are still in the city.

The colonel said Tuesday's offensive aimed to overwhelm the militants, who have put up stiff resistance but are hugely outnumbered by the attacking forces.

"We are using a new tactic - increasing the numbers of advancing forces and also attacking from multiple fronts to take the initiative and prevent Daesh fighters from organising any counter-attacks," the colonel said by telephone.

He said the four armored division regiments, whose tanks and heavy armor have struggled to adapt to street-by-street fighting, had been reinforced by an infantry regiment.

They were aiming for the Wahda neighborhood, a sprawling southeastern district. Wahda could serve as a launchpad for an advance to the Fourth Bridge, he said. The militants, who seized Mosul in mid-2014, are believed to be dug in across the city, but a US general in the coalition supporting Iraqi forces told Reuters they appeared to have committed additional defences to the fight in the east.

cians as a populist champion of the poor. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew to Chennai to pay his own respects, streams of her supporters lined up outside a hall in the city centre where her casket was on display.

While the coffin was wrapped in an Indian flag, many of the mourners

were wearing scarves with the red, white and black colours of Jayalalithaa’s party. Many of the women mourners screamed hysterically and wept, although there were no reports of serious unrest amid a large security presence.

"It is a very sad day. She was an

essential part of the state. She was meant for greatness," said Christina Paun, a 34-year-old university professor who was among those queueing to pay their respects.

"She had a very difficult life in a male-dominated society but she was always different. She was always great. She had perfect control over her emotions. "She has left a big void and we will have to see if someone can fill her shoes." Famed for a vast sari collection that won her comparisons with Imelda Marcos, Jayalalithaa was also one of India’s most polarising politicians, seen by some as an autocratic and secretive leader.

But nothing could dent her popularity in Tamil Nadu, where she was elected chief minister on four occasions in a period when it became one of India’s most prosperous states.

Jayalalitha first made her name starring in movies alongside M. G. Ramachandran, who later became her political mentor before his death nearly 30 years ago.

CMYK

saudi court sentences 15 people to death for spying for Iran A Saudi court on Tuesday sentenced 15 people to death for spying for Iran, Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television reported. The 15 were among 32 people — comprising 30 Saudi Shia Muslims, one Iranian and an Afghan — who were detained in 2013 on charges of spying for Iran and went on trial in February. There were no immediate details on the outcome of the trial for the remaining 17 suspects.

Saudi state media reported in February that those charged were accused of establishing a spy ring in collaboration with Iranian intelligence and providing Iran with highly sensitive information on the Saudi military. The reports said they also were charged with seeking to commit acts of sabotage against Saudi economic interests, inciting sectarian strife, recruiting others for espionage and participating in anti-government protests.

Diplomatic tensions have been high between Shia power Iran and the Sunni-ruled kingdom of Saudi Arabia all year long. AGENCIES

Bernard Cazeneuve named french PM after Valls quits PARIS AGENCIES

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve was appointed as the new prime minister on Tuesday after Manuel Valls resigned to seek the Socialist nomination in the presidential election, the presidency said. Cazeneuve, who has overseen the security forces’ reaction to a string of extremist attacks that have killed more than 230 people in France over the past two years, will take control of the Socialist government until legislative elections in June.

10 COMMENT

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

After Trump, Mike Pence Pakistan, India and the US

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NDIA had reacted with outpouring of disdain, disbelief and hurt when the news of the TrumpNawaz telephonic conversation appeared in the media on Wednesday. Three things surprised Indian leaders and media, the effusive praise for Pakistan and its leadership, the delight at the invitation to visit Pakistan and the promise to help play any role that Pakistan wants to find solutions to the ‘outstanding problems’, a euphemism for Pak-India dispute on Kashmir. While the readout issued by the Trump team hours later missed the reported superlatives along with the promise to visit Pakistan and resolve the Kashmir issue, it confirmed Trump had a productive conversation about how the United States and Pakistan will have a strong working relationship in the future and that he is looking forward to a lasting and strong personal relationship with Prime Minister Sharif. even this had enough to worry many among the BJP leadership What US Vice-president elect Mike Pence has told NBC now indicates that Trump might in fact have agreed to help resolve the Kashmir dispute during the Wednesday talk.

It is time both India and Pakistan interpret the development correctly. Trump’s tendency to reverse course has presently given a shock to India, hopefully making it realise that Trump cannot be taken for granted.

Pakistan has to understand that Trump can go back on his promise to help resolve the Kashmir dispute after further briefings from important US departments and agencies. It was sensible to send Advisor Tariq Fatemi to hold talks with the Trump team and to find if it would be fruitful for Nawaz Sharif to attend Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

It would better suit Pakistan and India to sort out their differences bilaterally instead of allowing Trump to bring what Pence calls his ‘extraordinary deal-making skills’ to mediate the Kashmir issue. Irrespective of the position Trump takes the disputes between the two countries can only be resolved through the resumption of the composite dialogue between them.

A belated recognition At last, appreciation of Pakistan’s Nobel Laureate in his native land

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T has come 37 years after the event and it is still a tiny, almost a timid, step forward, but is not totally without significance. hopefully it can turn out to be a good omen for more positive changes in our present petrified mindsets concerning a national hero in the future. After all, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step. It was way back in 1979 when Pakistan’s only scientist became a Nobel Laureate receiving the ultimate global scientific accolade for his groundbreaking work in theoretical physics. The entire scientific world applauded his unique achievement.

Now, in renaming, (or drawing up a summary thereof) the National Centre for Physics at Islamabad’s prestigious Quaid-i-Azam University after Dr. Abdus Salam and creating five Fellowships for PhD studies in reputed foreign institutions in his name, the Prime Minister has, to a small degree, set right the rejection and the disrespect heaped upon him in his lifetime and even after his death for his religious beliefs. Throughout his life this marvelously gifted and industrious man of humble origins decided not to Live but to Know and to advance human knowledge and enlightenment. There is a need to stop the practice of profiling scientists, professionals and civil and military personalities on the basis of their beliefs.

Although Dr. Abdus Salam was prevented from pursuing his grandiose plans for education, especially for scientific learning, in his beloved homeland, he still taught and trained countless Pakistani scientists at the International Centre for Theoretical Studies, at Trieste, Italy, which he had founded in 1964.

As a community, Muslims are generally found lagging far behind the developed countries because of their disregard for the importance of universal modern education, a criminal negligence which is also holding up the civilised progress of Muslim societies the world over, apart from inviting accusations of bigotry, gender and human rights violations.

The Muslim world today needs thousands of talented men like Dr. Abdus Salam.

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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Heart of Asia Conference And the three wrongs view, will that help bringing the destination any closer? If not, then what’s the way forward?

At the moment all the three countries have adopted belligerent attitudes towards each other. They seem to believe that only a hard stance can bring desired changes in the policies of the other. But that may not work. even if they do, such stances normally deliver slowly and at a very high cost that can be avoided otherwise.

What is needed right now is to appreciate each other’s problems and show patience for the desired results. If Afghanistan expects that wrongs done over a long period of time can be fixed and terrorism will be vanished overnight, it is bound to be disappointed. Likewise, if Pakistan wishes Afghanistan to keep silent and turn a smiling face despite the continuing violence on its soil, that will be too much. The story of Pak-India relationship doesn’t need recalling to make the two countries understand that historical disputes can’t be just wished away.

It is clear that the old policies haven’t worked. So, along with ‘appreciation’ and ‘patience’, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India need to show flexibility in their attitudes and change in their decades old policies. These are changed times which require a re-evaluation of the failed policies. Kashmir dispute can’t be solved through war. So, what’s the fun in living in a warlike situation forever? Afghanistan can’t bypass Pakistan if peace and stability are the ultimate objectives.

So, why add India as a destabilising factor to the already unstable Afghan situation?

Same goes for Pakistan.

Afghanistan can’t be its undeclared 5th province to provide it strategic depth. That thinking belongs to the bygone century. Much water has passed under the bridges. So, what’s the fun in sticking to policies that seem stuck in time?

It’s for the governments of

SaLeeM a SeThi

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UNDAy’S heart of Asia Conference was a disaster for the initiative that Pakistan government had taken at the risk of great political costs domestically. Indian Prime Minister and Afghan President seemed to have come determined to the conference not let go the opportunity to take a dig at Pakistan. But they did let go the opportunity which could have helped in trust-building among the three most important states as far as peace and stability in the three countries, and in the region at large, are concerned.

The treatment meted out to Pakistan representative and Pakistan bashing by the two leaders didn’t serve the purposes and goals for the future as stated at No 6 and 7 of the 33-point Joint Statement issued at the end of Amritsar Conference; ‘a commitment to the resolution of differences peacefully’, and ‘the need for advancing regional cooperation as an effective means to address common challenges and promote security, stability and socio-economic development in the hoA region’.

At best, both the leaders gave vent to the frustration and anger of the past. But, even if justified from their respective points of

India and Afghanistan to assess what changes are required in their respective policies towards Pakistan. But this fact should be clear to them that change for the better can only be reciprocal. Second, they should keenly observe the gradual change of heart inside Pakistan and the march of this country from big to bigger targets in its war against terrorism. It has done things which were unthinkable yesterday.

Third, the previous initiatives on Afghanistan that were taken by Pakistan soon after the inauguration of Ashraf Ghani as President were led by military establishment (it’s another matter that Ashraf Ghani attached such unrealistic hopes to it which couldn’t be attained; hence, the disappointment).

That was a hint to the change that was taking place within the army regarding Afghanistan. But when the result didn’t match the Afghan leadership’s expectations - and didn’t come as quickly - the country adopted a hostile posturing that was opposed by many keeping in view the negative implications for peace in Afghanistan and the region as well as the unfriendly change that it would evoke on the Pakistani side that it could bring.

And here we stand now.

Afghanistan is making the same mistake regarding yet another historical change that is coming its way from Pakistan. Leadership in both India and Afghanistan must realise that the government led by Nawaz Sharif is trying to take charge of foreign and security matters back from the military establishment. The decision to send Sartaj Aziz was a great political risk domestically. yet it wasn’t reciprocated; nor its significance realised.

It’s not difficult to understand that civilian-led foreign policy can be friendly and beneficial for Afghanistan. As pointed out, there were already friendly overtures from the army when Gen Raheel Sharif acted like foreign minster and visited Afghanistan so unchar-

acteristically frequently when Ashraf Ghani became President. A successful outcome of the civilianled initiative on Afghanistan (and may be, India) - which may not be to the ‘complete’ liking of the army internally - can strengthen the hands of civilian government and lead to more positive changes in the country’s internal and external policies. having said that, it is imperative for the policy-makers here to realise that; a) the world cannot wait forever to see the right moment arrive in Pakistan and see it going the whole hog in its war against terrorism, b) terrorism is an offshoot of extremism which can’t be separated, c) doing so and as soon as possible is in its own interests, d) there is a dire need to revisit and review its security and foreign policies, e) if it doesn’t do it quickly, the non-state actors may do something which can threaten its own survival; the specter of internal threat turning existential in reality.

Pakistan must come out of its zero-sum approach in the conduct of it foreign policy, especially towards India, Afghanistan and USA. It must also not abandon its current efforts of pursuing peace and stability through diplomacy despite the treatment meted out to its representative in Amritsar.

Pakistan’s participation in the conference in India, despite tense relations between the two and a volatile situation on LoC, has already achieved its purpose; it has sent out clear signals of a changed external policy of a country desirous of resolving issues peacefully. If continued in all earnest, it will go a long way in achieving internal stability and prosperity as well as contributing to regional security.

Saleem A Sethi is a freelance columnist and political analyst associated with a Pashto TV news channel. He can be reached at: sethisaleem1@gmail.com

Uncle, Why am I like this?

When it comes to AIDS, the disease is only half the battle

Syed ZeeShan haider

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he entire hall fell silent as soon as he stepped onto the stage. The event organised under the banner of an international NGO in this 5 star restaurant’s humungous hall was a spectacle. The hall was so silent that one could hear people breathing. he stepped onto the stage, began talking and continued doing so with his every word making its way straight to people’s heart. he had recently earned a scholarship in class 8 and now he was a student of class 9. he had an exceptional command over english, Urdu, Punjabi and Siraiki his voice was dominating but his health seemed feeble with his pale color and lean figure. his parents had passed away but he always remembered them. he had no friends for they considered him an outcast. he was always alone, in the streets and even at school. he said he has AIDS. “Am I capable of doing an immoral act at such a young age? Do you really think I can maintain sexual relations with a woman at this age?” he asked. “It’s my parents’ gift to me. My mother was hIV positive so my father contacted the disease later too. I was hIV positive when I was born. I want to study and be a great man one day; a doctor who could cure AIDS so that no one ever has to face the same fate as mine. I want to educate the masses so that never again another kid has to suffer at the hands to his parents’ ignorance.” he ran away after this, I ran after him

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 Fax: 021-35381208

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and wanted to stop him but he turned around and said only one thing, “Uncle, why am I like this?”

The entire hall was silent while I stood there stunned and speechless.

Majority of the hIV people in the world have contracted this disease through sexual acts.

Almost 35 million people have lost their lives owing to AIDS while 36.7 million people are living their lives with it (WhO.) The number of men and women sufferers is almost the same.

I still think as to what is this kid’s fault? In our society, it is such a taboo subject that nobody talks about its existence and preventive measures. A few NGOs have tried disseminating information about it but that’s certainly not enough. hIV is a virus that reduces a person’s immunity thereby weakening his or her immune system. The system keeps deteriorating by making the body incapable of fighting against the simplest of diseases. As a result, a benign illness, such as common flu etc., becomes chronic, at times fatal and the set of these symptoms is called AIDS. In our society, however, AIDS is associated with illegitimate sexual relations only which aren’t true at all. It is also assumed that men contract these diseases from prostitutes which isn’t “entirely” correct either because according to a survey, a major number of hIV positive men are truck drivers. They tend to stay away from their homes and families for prolonged periods and often end up engaging in regular sex with both female and male sex workers, including 'hijras' or transvestites.The limited studies carried out indicate hIV infection stand at around 1 or 2 percent among long-distance truck drivers.

According to another meticulous survey, almost 77000to 160000 people in Pakistan are suffering from AIDS (UNAIDS). This, however, is not an authentic number for a number of hIV positive people are ashamed of going to the doctors. While a number of them contract the dis-

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

ease through injections and unsafe blood transfusions. Unfortunately, 1900 to 3900 t kids under the age of 15 in Pakistan are hIV positive; approximately 18000 have become orphans due to Aids (UNAIDS). In the absence of proper treatment, the risk of vertical transmission (transmission of disease from mother to child as an embryo, fetus, or baby during pregnancy or childbirth) of hIV is as high as 15-40%. Fortunately, antiretroviral drugs given to the mother during pregnancy or labor, and/or to the baby immediately after birth, reduce the risk of MTCT (mother to child transmission) of hIV. however, Government needs to wake up to this reality. The biggest victims of government inaction, in both treating the AIDS patients and spreading awareness about, are the innocent children who inherit the disease from their mother. They suffer at different levels. They bear the pain of the disease itself, are ostracised, lose parents to the disease, and eventually die due to lack of proper medical facilities. It is so unfortunate that people shy away from talking about these issues. Whenever the topic comes up, even the so called religious scholars stay quiet and God forbid, if somebody tries to address it, they are labeled as perverts and what not. Our society is Islamic agreed, but brushing our harsh realities under the carpet has become a norm. It is about time that we equip our masses with hIV and hepatitis awareness. Moreover, hIV tests before marriage need to be made mandatory through legislation so that, in future, an innocent child does not render us speechless and heart broken by asking , “ Uncle, Why am I like this?” ever again.

Syed Zeeshan Haider is CEO and Chairman of Haider Group of Companies and hosts a current affairs talk show on PTV News.

Follow him on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/syedzishanhyder/ I

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

COMMENT 11

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

Editor’s mail

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Dire need to boost exports

The needs of the republic Start with the regulating the elections

MaLik MuhaMMad aShraf

F

OR democracy to work, everyone must agree to the results of the elections. To achieve that objective in a democratic dispensation it is absolutely essential that the elections are held in a free, fair and transparent manner on regular basis. Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of human Rights says: everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. everyone has the right of equal access to public service in the country. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will be expressed in periodic genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held through secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures”. As is evident the participation of the citizens of a state in the free and fair elections is one of the fundamental human rights. Its exercise ensures stability and progress as the government thus installed derives its authority from the will of the people.

The constitutions of all the democratic countries invariably recognise this right and stipulate constitutional mechanisms to hold free fair and transparent elections after regular intervals. In Pakistan also article 209 and 140-A of the constitution prescribe the setting up of a permanent election authority known as election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) charged with the responsibility to hold free fair and transparent elections to the National, Provincial assemblies, Senate and the local bodies. Unfortunately elections in Pakistan have not been held regularly due to disruption in the civilian rule and whenever they have been held, they were marred by controversies and rigging. elections held in 1977 were rejected by the opposition parties and the resultant agitation culminated in the imposition of a decade long military rule. The results of elections held in 2013 also were challenged though in the end their authenticity and legitimacy was established by the Judicial Commission. In the history of Pakistan only the elections held on 7 December 1970 were acknowledged as free and fair by almost all the stakeholders.

The reconstituted eCP as per 22nd constitutional amendment, under the stewardship of Justice (retired) Sardar Muhammad Raza is striving hard to make sure that the coming elec-

tions are held in a free fair and transparent eCP has demanded lists of officers from the fedmanner so that the results are accepted un- eral and provincial government for appointment grudgingly by all the political parties. In this of honest, efficient and trustworthy officers durregard, taking guidance from the observations ing the forthcoming general elections. Work on of the judicial commission, election monitoring the development of manuals and handbooks for agencies and the electoral reforms committee training of district retuning officers, returning of the parliament, it is working on a compre- officers and polling staff is also in progress.

The eCP currently is working on evolving hensive plan to change the election culture in conformity with the constitution and the Uni- a code of conduct for election in consultation with all the political parties and recently held a versal Declaration of human Rights.

To express its resolve to ensure the holding meeting with their representatives who have of free, fair and transparent elections, the eCP been asked to give their proposals and recomhas decided to observe 7th December as Voters mendations on the code prepared by the comDay in view of the fairness of the polls held on mission in the light of the experience gained that day in 1970. As most of the irregularities during the last elections.

On the recommendation the of Parliamenand shortcoming occur due to lack of awareness among the voters about their rights, mode and tary Committee on electoral Reforms, the procedures of the elections as well as lack of re- processes of Procurement of 400 electronic quired training of election staff in regards to bal- Voting Machines and 300 Biometrics Verificaloting and compilation of results, the eCP is tion Machines are in pipeline and these macontemplating to initiate a plan to provide infor- chines will be used in Pilot Projects in mation and contribute towards educating citi- upcoming bye-elections after December 2016. zens about their obligations in regards to The electronic Voting Machine (eVM) and elections and democracy with the aim to make Biometrics Verification Machines are two septhe electoral process more credible and account- arate projects that deal with the automation of able through their participation, which is a way voter’s identification & authentication at the forward to achieve the objective of maximising polling station and casting a vote using mavoter turnout in the coming elections and min- chines rather than traditional paper ballot and imising the male and female gap in voting stamp. If these pilot projects are successful then the scale of testing will process and encouraging be enhanced gradually, women and other underas per International Best privileged classes where Practice and Standards. they are prohibited to use Some of the other their right to vote in a free The results of elections measures that have been and secure environment. taken and are being conOn Voters Day the held in 2013 also were templated to be introeCP is going to organise challenged though in the duce to make the ceremonies in Islamabad elections free, fair and and the provincial capitals end their authenticity and transparent include: inwhich would be graced by the President and Govlegitimacy was established troduction of 8300 SMS service for the voters to ernors respectively. Pubby the Judicial check their names in the lic and private media voter list, polling sta(both print and electronic) Commission. In the history tions and serial numbers would be engaged as a of Pakistan only the on the electoral roll and partner to spotlight the the electoral block; plan work that the eCP has unelections held on 7 to review electoral list dertaken besides educatannually; introduction of ing the masses and December 1970 were polling station wise elecpublicising eCP mesacknowledged as free and tronic Result Managesages. To make the public ment System which will awareness programme fair by almost all the help the ROs to improve more effective, the eCP stakeholders. accuracy, efficiency and has established 102 Distransparency of the retrict Voters education sult tabulation besides Committee at district ensuring storage of all level. These committees the scanned pages of operating under District election Commissioners would include staff of forms XIV, XVI and XVII along with data district governments, lawyers, media and nota- stored into the database permanently for audit bles of the area and the local CSOs. These com- trail accountability purposes.

The foregoing measures by the eCP repremittees besides educating the voters would also help the eCP to enhance its outreach to the voters sent a great improvement on the way and how directly. The arrangement will surely provide a the previous elections have been held and platform for multiple stakeholders at the district hopefully would lead to the holding of free, fair level to share their views, plan and implement and transparent elections, making the results activities jointly, review progress and take cor- acceptable to all the stakeholders ungrudgingly, rective and preventive measures for promoting strengthening democracy in the country. the cause of voter education. malik muhammad Ashraf is an academic.

To remove the possibility of procedural and administrative lapses by the election staff, the He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com

IT is generally said and believed that when balance in trade with one or the country is in favour of Pakistan this means the country is exporting more to that particular country and importing less. On the other hand, if the trade balance is in favour of the other country, this obviously means that Pakistan is importing more goods and products than what it is exporting to that country. Quite obviously the balance in trade being against Pakistan underlines the dire need for boosting exports and reducing exports to the maximum extent possible not only by exploring new markets around the world for Pakistani products and also increasing exports to the countries with which the country has trade relations.

I am saying this on the basis of what I heard when I visited local Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Islamabad the other day and heard South Korean Ambassador Suh Dong Gu addressing the business community. he was saying that for the past few years, Pakistan’s exports to his country are on the decline and stressed that Islamabad should focus on exporting value-added products to improve the trade volume between the two countries. he also indicated that Pakistan and South Korea are in the process of negotiating free trade agreement between the two countries which will certainly increase opportunities of increasing exports to his country.

If the trade balance is heavily in favour of South Korea, as stated on the occasion, then this should provide easy market access to Pakistani products for improving the trade balance.

According to the information available, annual imports of South Korea are around 500 billion dollars and goods imported include plants and machinery, customer goods like fruits, automobiles, textile and clothing. Pakistan can accordingly export raw material, fruits, textiles and garments by making determined efforts to turn the trade balance in its favour appreciably and thus boost much desired exports.

Needless to say there is dire need to boosting export of more and more Pakistani products to the countries with whom it has trade relations and at the same time efforts should also be made to explore new markets for Pakistani products around the world. Ambassadors of foreign countries posted in Islamabad every now and them keep meeting business community members in different parts of the country telling them as to what more goods from Pakistan can be exported to their countries and what goods are needed most for consumption by the people there. All this and should essentially be followed up in a positive manner by the public and private sectors as Pakistan badly and direly needs to boost exports. If we cannot reduce imports by consuming less then it is obligatory on us to make all possible efforts to boost our exports at least.

OmAr bin nASir HAniF islamabad

The Asian leaders’ moot IN all fairness, Pakistan did well to participate in the heart of Asia Conference held at Indian city of Amritsar couple of days back by sending Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs there despite persistent Indian hostilities at Line of Control (LoC) and continued human rights violations in the occupied Kashmir and this was duly appreciated by the participants.

Pakistan availed the opportunity to tell the leaders from regional countries that bilateral tensions should not overshadow multilateral forums, reiterated its belief its belief in peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and complete solidarity and commitment in the neighbouring country.

Leader of Pakistan delegation to the moot, according to the reports, quite appreciably during his inter-action with the participants emphatically staed his country is against all forms and manifestations of terrorism and called for a regional and collective approach to overcome this menace.

On the occasion, steps already taken and being taken under the National Action Plan (NAP) against all terrorist outfits and experiences so far gained in counter-terrorism with the rest of the world and telling everyone with due emphasise that whatever is being done to eliminate terrorism and militancy is being done in the larger national interests to safeguard and protect our security.

Besides, on the border lines of the moot meetings which Mr Sartaj Aziz held with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Turkmenistan Foreign Minister and the Assistant Foreign Minister were also very useful and productive, to say the least.

While Pakistan’s approach throughout the moot was quite positive and appreciated by most of the participants, Indian attempts to exploit the forum by not allowing Mr Sartaj Aziz to address a press conference and meet the Indian media and lashing out of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Pakistan for not doing all that is needed to counter terrorism were not welcomed.

Russian delegate to the moot without mincing words outright rejected Indian PM and Afghan President’s criticism of Pakistan and pointedly stated, as per the reports, the heart of Asia Conference should not be used for point scoring and if his country do not complain about India-US ties then no one should also not complain about Pakistan-Russia cooperation.

All in all, not only countries of the region but also around the globe now have better understanding of what Pakistan’s stance is regarding stable peace in Afghanistan and what it has done and doing to eliminate terrorists and militants from its sacred soil.

ASim mUnir rawalpindi

12 WORLD VIEW

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

The lasT diplomaT – parT 3 Wall Street Journal ADAM ENTOUS AND DEVLIN BARRETT

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n January 2014, the bureau obtained a court-issued “sneak and peek” warrant, allowing agents to secretly search Raphel’s northwest Washington home while she was away. Once inside, agents searched the living room and the three bedrooms.

From the kitchen, they descended the stairs into the basement where they found the mahogany file cabinet.

When the FBI agents looked inside, they discovered the 20-year-old classified documents from Raphel’s Diplomatic Security investigation—a group of papers officials would later refer to as “the nuclear file.”

The agents put everything back as they found it. At the least, they believed they had enough evidence to pursue charges against Raphel for the crime of mishandling classified information. The agents thought they could be dealing with a decades-old asset of the Pakistani government, and suspected Maleeha Lodhi, who had been a figure in her life since the 1990s, was her point of contact.

While the FBI agents conducted their own surveillance, the bureau approached the nSA for assistance in gathering foreign intercepts involving Raphel and emanating from Islamabad, law-enforcement officials say. They were looking for what they call “flags on the target.”

The FBI’s suspicions were piqued, the officials said, when in some intercepts, Pakistanis referred to Raphel as a “source,” rather than by name. To the investigators, it sounded like spycraft.

The agents listening to the back-andforth between Raphel and Lodhi and her other contacts were struck by what lawenforcement officials described as the “one-way” nature of the conversations. It seemed to the FBI as though Raphel did most of the talking and provided most of the information. One law-enforcement official said Raphel appeared in those discussions to be what cops sometimes call a “hip pocket source’’—not a formal intelligence asset or informant, but a “friendly’’ who was willing to share the information she came across informally.

As the agents listened to the backand-forth, they would check with US intelligence officials to see if the topics which Raphel discussed with Lodhi— drones, coups and reconciliation talks with the Taliban—were classified. They were repeatedly told that yes, they were.

FBI officials could have raised concerns about Raphel’s communications with her State Department superiors to get her to back off, but they didn’t. They wanted to catch her in the act, officials said.

For the FBI, the tipping point was Raphel’s trip to Islamabad where she looked into the coup rumours. During her visit, Raphel was in regular phone contact with Lodhi, who invited her to come to her home library to talk privately over tea.

Officials briefed on the investigation said the information they exchanged during the trip about the prospects of a coup was similar to what US spy agencies were picking up—the same kind of information that intelligence officials were putting in the President’s Daily Brief.

The agents at the FBI’s Washington Field Office decided it was time to confront her. As Raphel stood on the small porch of her house in Washington on Oct 21, 2014, the FBI agents leading the raid asked her for the names of the Pakistanis she spoke to most. Raphel mentioned the Pakistani ambassador to the US, Jalil Abbas Jilani.

She told the agents she had known him for a long time and that he was her primary contact. She didn’t mention Lodhi.

The agents, who had been monitoring her conversations for more than a year, thought she was being evasive, according to law-enforcement officials. They asked Raphel if she had any classified documents in her house. She said she didn’t. The agents were holding some documents during the conversation. The male agent flashed one of the pages. She could see that it bore classification markings. Raphel’s mind was spinning. She told the agents that she had taken the classified documents home in 2005 and forgotten about them.

The agents didn’t think she offered a clear reason as to why she would have the authority to possess them. As the conversation went on, the agents’ questions became more aggressive. Raphel started to think about lawyers she knew. Beth Jones

heard from a mutual acquaintance that something bad was happening to Raphel.

Jones called her office phone, but got no answer. She tried her mobile, and Raphel picked up right away. “What in the world is going on?” asked Jones.

Raphel told her FBI agents were going through all of her personal things, and that Alexandra was terrified. “I don’t know what this is all about,” Raphel said.

“It must be some horrific mistake,” Jones said. The agents saw Raphel talking on her cellphone on the porch. They asked her to hand it over. Back at the State Department, as Raphel’s co-workers watched, plainclothes investigators snapped pictures in her office and put adhesive seals on the doors. A few days later, they replaced the seals with a lock.

The only person in the State Department who really knew what was going on was Gregory Starr, who had been briefed by the FBI in early 2013. Starr informed Raphel’s bosses about a “serious situation,” and recommended that Raphel’s Top Secret clearance be suspended. Starr told David Wade, the chief of staff to Secretary of State John Kerry. According to Wade, Starr’s description of the case made him think the evidence against Raphel was “unimpeachable” and that the State Department could do nothing to push back. Wade informed his boss.

The next morning, agents from Diplomatic Security knocked on Raphel’s door. They took her State Department badge and BlackBerry. She was summoned to the State Department’s humanresources department and told that her employment contract, which was about to expire, wouldn’t be renewed.

Prosecutors with the US Attorney’s office wouldn’t tell her lawyers anything about the allegations. Everything, including the means by which the FBI obtained the evidence, was a national-security secret.

To keep the story out of the media, Raphel’s bosses hadn’t told her co-workers why she wouldn’t be coming back to work. Yet on nov 21, a story about the espionage investigation appeared on the front page of the New York Times.

Beth Jones worked to keep Raphel’s friends and colleagues informed. In Islamabad, the allegations were the talk of the town. Pakistani businessman Rashid Khan pulled aside Richard Olson, the US ambassador, to ask him about the case against Raphel.

“Rashid, I can’t talk about it,” Olson said.

On nov 7, Lodhi tapped out an email to Raphel—knowing full well the FBI would likely read it. “I just wanted you to know my thoughts and prayers are with you,” she wrote. “I can think of no one more loyal to her country than you. I am sure this is a huge mistake.”

“Thanks Maleeha,” Raphel replied cautiously five hours later. “I am in total shock of course. I know you appreciate my patriotism as I have appreciated and respected yours over the years. I am confident this will be resolved.”

After this exchange, Raphel decided to cut off communications with most of her Pakistani contacts. To keep her mind occupied, she attended seminars.

THE AFTERMATH: In the fall of 2014, the FBI began interviewing Raphel’s State Department superiors and co-workers to try to fill in the missing pieces of their investigation. They asked Grossman why he employed her, why she travelled to Pakistan, who she met with while she was there, whether he would give her instructions on what to tell her Pakistani interlocutors during her visits and whether she reported back on her conversations.

“Yes, yes, yes, because that was her job,” Grossman told them, according to an official briefed on the investigation. Grossman told the FBI he “trusted her to do and say the right things,” the official said.

In other interviews, the agents asked her colleagues about a series of “incidents”

that seemed suspicious to the FBI. Officials briefed on the investigation said the “incidents” referred to specific communication intercepts in which Raphel discussed sensitive topics, such as coup rumours, with Lodhi and others. The FBI agents wanted to know if she was authorised to discuss these things. State Department officials told them she may not have been specifically “instructed” to do so in every instance, but she was “authorised” to discuss anything related to US-Pakistan relations if her contacts wanted to—and so long as she didn’t divulge classified information.

“Any dinner party in E-7 is going to include a discussion about what are the odds of a coup,” one of Raphel’s superiors told the agents. “It may look secret from Washington’s perspective but it’s actually pretty widely known in Pakistan.” State Department officials said that when they spoke to the FBI agents, they had the feeling they were explaining the basics of how diplomats worked.

At times, Raphel’s colleagues pushed back—warning the FBI that their investigation risked “criminalising diplomacy,” according to a former official who was briefed on the interviews.

In one interview, the agents asked James Dobbins, who served as SRAP from 2013 to 2014, whether it was OK for Raphel to talk to a Pakistani source about information that wasn’t restricted at the time, but would later be deemed classified.

“If somebody tells you something in one conversation, you might write that up and it becomes classified,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean the next time you see them that you can’t talk about what you’d already talked about.”

Agents asked if she was authorised to discuss topics in the President’s Daily Brief—the daily gathering of the US intelligence agencies’ most valuable information. State Department officials were baffled by the question, because she had no access to such a sensitive document. If she discussed similar information, they told the FBI, it came from her Pakistani contacts, not from reading US intelligence reports.

Added together, the interviews undercut the notion that Raphel was working on behalf of Pakistan.

Two senior law enforcement officials who were involved in the case said the bureau had misconstrued her conversations with Lodhi and others, and incorrectly identified her as a spy. The bureau had not fully understood Raphel’s role within the State Department and her bosses’ expectations of her. The critical distinction, many officials said, was in how differently the FBI and the State Department operate.

In the spring of 2015, a prosecutor in the US Attorney’s Office handling the Raphel case notified Amy Jeffress, one of Raphel’s attorneys, that the Justice Department was no longer investigating her client for espionage.

That was the good news. Yet the FBI still wanted her to be prosecuted for mishandling classified information—a charge that could result in jail time.

Raphel’s daughter Alexandra got married on May 23, 2015, in a ceremony

“Any dinner party in E-7 is going to include a discussion about what are the odds of a coup,” one of Raphel’s superiors told the agents. “It may look secret from Washington’s perspective but it’s actually pretty widely known in Pakistan”

in Washington that was attended by more than 250 guests, including Jilani, the Pakistani ambassador, who sat at a table with several other Pakistani friends.

Alexandra had invited Lodhi, who had taken a post as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United nations in new York. Lodhi sent word at the last minute that she had to attend a conference in Europe.

Raphel heard nothing for months from the FBI. She had already spent about $100,000 on legal fees, which she paid by tapping into her savings, but the bills were piling up. Jones set up a legaldefence fund and 103 of Raphel’s friends and colleagues, mostly from the State Department, donated nearly $122,000.

Inside the Justice Department, prosecutors went back and forth on the merits of the case against Raphel, officials say.

The most sensitive document the FBI recovered was 20 years old, and if she were charged, it could well have been routinely declassified while she awaited trial.

More importantly, the officials said, federal prosecutors tend to charge people with mishandling national secrets when they have reason to believe the suspect has in fact done worse—in part to avoid bringing spy charges that might result in having secrets aired in court.

On March 21, 2016, 17 months after the raid on her house, a US prosecutor informed Jeffress the Justice Department had decided to decline prosecution.

Raphel called Jones to give her the news.

“Can you believe it?” she said.

“We’re having a celebratory dinner tomorrow night,” Jones said. “Tell me who to invite.” As Raphel and her close friends sipped Champagne, officials at the FBI and Diplomatic Security tried to come to terms with the outcome.

A senior law-enforcement official said given another chance the bureau would follow the same path again.

“Clearly she was not a spy,” the official said. “But there was smoke. The FBI had to get to the bottom of it.”

Another official said that even though no charges were ever filed against Raphel, investigators were partially satisfied by the outcome. To law enforcement and intelligence officials, the loss of her government job was justified by the discovery of the documents in her house and by the signals intelligence that showed her allegedly discussing topics that the FBI considered off limits, this official said.

Raphel’s lawyer, Amy Jeffress, called it “deeply disturbing’’ that law enforcement officials “continue to make anonymous and self-serving allegations about her conduct,’’ adding that “there was no evidence she ever provided classified information to anyone without authority.’’

State Department officials now say they feel guilty about what happened.

They think the FBI went off half-cocked and boxed them in by overstating the facts of the case.

Gregory Starr and other State Department officials briefed on the investigation now suspect the FBI agents wrongly assumed the information Raphel was exchanging with Lodhi and others came from classified intelligence reports, rather than from her own conversations with her contacts, according to officials. It was a mistake, they said, to assume US spy agencies had a monopoly on information in a place like Pakistan, where “secret” US efforts were openly discussed in parliament, at dinner parties and in the press.

Though the FBI probe of Raphel was dropped, Diplomatic Security has been reviewing the documents found in her basement to decide whether to cite her with a security violation. The outcome could clear the way for her to have her security clearance restored. They have yet

to reach a verdict.

Over the past two years, diplomats in Pakistan and the US have scaled back contacts, according to officials in both countries. US diplomats say they are afraid of what the nSA and the FBI might hear about them.

“What happened to Raphel could happen to any of us,” said Ryan Crocker, one of the State Department’s most highly decorated career ambassadors.

Given the empowerment of law enforcement after 9/11 and the US’s growing reliance on signals intelligence in place of diplomatic reporting, he said, “we will know less and we will be less secure.”

“Look what happened to the one person who was out talking to people,” said Dan Feldman, Raphel’s former boss at State.

“Does that not become a cautionary tale?”

Raphel returned to Islamabad this August. It was a personal trip. Ambassador Jilani had invited her to his son’s wedding. To welcome her, and also to show Pakistani officials she was no longer an outcast, US Ambassador David Hale hosted a dinner for Raphel in his residence. Several former ambassadors accepted the invitation, including Lodhi.

Raphel was honoured by the gesture but wary of how the dinner might be perceived. She told the embassy she didn’t want any cameras present. Dinner was called at around 8pm, early by Pakistan standards. The guests moved into the adjoining dining room and took their seats around the table, where Raphel, wearing a Pakistani kurta over narrow trousers, was placed directly across from Hale.

Still relatively new to Pakistan, Hale had yet to establish deep connections with many of the guests in the room. Colleagues describe him as reserved, in many ways the opposite of Raphel. After Hale delivered a gracious toast, calling Raphel one of his mentors, Raphel thanked him, and thanked her old friends for their support. She didn’t mention the FBI. Before the guests dispersed, Lodhi pulled Raphel aside to talk. The FBI investigation had a chilling effect on their relationship, mutual friends say. Raphel knew that her voluminous conversations with Lodhi had helped to fuel the bureau’s suspicions. As they stood there together, apart from the other guests, Lodhi leaned in close to Raphel. “I’m glad this is over,” she said.

In March 2016, Raphel wrote a personal letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, urging the department to do more to protect diplomats who are trying to do their jobs. She has yet to receive a response. Officials said Kerry was awaiting the outcome of the internal review of the classified documents found in Raphel’s house. On nov 28, she attended a ceremony in the State Department’s seventhfloor Treaty Room to mark Ambassador Olson’s retirement.

More than 100 of Olson’s colleagues, contacts and friends attended, including Beth Jones, Patterson and Ambassador Jilani, who had supported Raphel during the investigation. After the speeches were given and the photographs taken, Kerry and Raphel pulled away from the crowd for a private chat. It was their first faceto-face since the FBI torpedoed her diplomatic career. Diplomatic Security had yet to restore her security clearance. Some of her friends at the State Department said they believed the FBI opposed the idea.

Kerry and Raphel stood close together for only a couple of minutes. On the sidelines of the noisy gathering, Kerry leaned over and whispered into Raphel’s ear: “I am sorry about what has happened to you.”

Saeed Shah contributed to this article.

(Concluded)

LEISURE 13

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

aries

taurus

gemini

You try to please others today, but even your best intentions are not good enough if your behavior seems abrasive. Your emotions may run so deep now that it's healthier to err on the side of caution than.

Managing relationship dynamics is more complicated than you expect today. Although you might be able to tell there's a lot going on beneath the surface, finding your way through potentially explosive emotional.

Your underlying motives might not be as altruistic as they seem, even if you go out of your way to put others at ease now.

However, there's nothing wrong with your desire to be admired by someone you like.

cancer

leo

virgo

Even if you believe everything is unfolding naturally today, someone close to you may still think you're too controlling. But any manipulative behavior is probably motivated by your fear of someone taking.

You may obsess about what you're going to do today, but overplanning is likely a waste of time. You could misread the dynamics of a situation and make a faulty assumption by relying on wrong data.

There is no need to overreact if someone makes unreasonable demands of you today. Your best strategy is to push back with a firm but gentle touch.

Mischievous Mercury is still backpedaling in your 6th.

libra

scorpio

sagittarius

It might seem as if your friends are not being very supportive of your goals at first, but your worries could be unfounded. You may have too much on your mind and too many leftover chores weighing on your.

Your energy reserve may be on empty today, making you feel rather frazzled if you can't establish a steady work pace.

Something slipped just slightly out of alignment and it could take a conscious attitude.

Saving your pennies isn't your idea of fun, but you wouldn't have to pay attention to your finances today if you took care of your personal business yesterday.

You wish you could kick back and fantasize.

capricorn

aQuarius

pisces

You can't decide whether to push ahead more forcefully now or if it's smarter to temporarily retreat. Frustration sets in if you wish you took a different course of action. But what you do next might not.

Your dreams contain messages, whether you remember them as soon as you wake up or if they return as fragmented images throughout the day. However, it's wiser to proceed with caution because your fantasies.

Your intuition is operating on warp drive now, making you even more attuned to other dimensions. In fact, you might even feel as if you're living your life within a dream. However, something weird happens.

crossword

ACROSS 1 small cafe (6,4) 7 european country — wombles' great uncle (8) 8 shout loudly (4) 9 capital of ukraine (4) 10 scurry — sink — coal container (7) 12 cool under pressure (11) 14 word or phrase to aid online searches — hag's hat (anag) (7) 16 short haircut (4) 19 extinct Japanese volcano — cherry tree (4) 20 together (2,6) 21 drawing pad (10) DOwn

word search

1 hurl (5) 2 eve's modesty garment?

(3,4) 3 multi-national currency (4) 4 painting — pea cases (anag) (8) 5 path of one celestial body around another (5) 6 one under a baker's dozen (6) 11 devil devotee (8) 12 planet discovered by william herschell in 1781 (6) 13 mexican dish — rub trio (anag) (7) 15 pull suddenly (5) 17 put down noisily (5) 18 succulent — soak (4)

hagar the horrible

dilbert

garfield

baldo

chess about after alley arcade better brother carry cheek clown comma daddy dead doctor dress garden gypsy herd horse lane loose

lonely mare mystery never people pretty reel roam rues shade shoulder soldier steal stones tear think thrill understood unknown worthless

white tO PLAY AND MAte iN twO MOVes 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

Today’s soluTions

bridge loUie on defense

sUdokU crossword solution sudoku solution

1.Qe7+ rxe7 2.nf6# * chess solution

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.

14

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

ARTS

Paradise lost: How toxic water destroyed Pakistan's Manchar Lake MAnCHAR LAke, PAkIsTAn news desk

For generations the Mohanna tribe have lived, loved, worked, and played on Pakistan’s Manchar Lake; their floating settlement serving their needs from birth to death.

But an unrelenting flow of toxic wastewater is pouring into the lake -- a byproduct of industrialisation and aggressive agricultural practices upstream -- and has slowly rendered it inhospitable, poisoning the water and almost everything in it.

For fishermen such as Mohammed Yusuf, life on the lake is becoming intolerable.

"When we were young, our lives were very good.

Every kind of fish was available. Our earnings were good," he told a foreign news agency.

"When my father would go fishing he would bring back over a hundred kilos of fish. Now the situation has changed. The fish is extinct because of the bad water," he added.

The wooden, flat-bottomed barge he lives in with his mother, wife, and their nine children, has ornate carvings but it has seen better days.

Now Yusuf barely catches enough fish to feed his family, let alone be able to save the money he needs to maintain his boat. He estimates they have just five years before it is beyond repair, fearing he will soon have to leave the place where he was born.

And yet their whole life is packed into this floating home: Clothes and linen are stacked in the stern, kitchenware and food under the prow. Cooking is done down in the hold, on a little earthen hearth fed by the stems of aquatic plants. "If it is hot we sleep on the roof, in the winter we sleep inside the boat on the floor," said Yusuf.

Two cradles swing as the breeze softens the heat: the larger for his child born on board some 40 days ago, the smaller one for the Koran, a dignified place for the Holy Book to avoid desecration.

Neighbouring boathouses are anchored a few dozen metres away. Children wade or swim in the shallows while adults navigate the water in narrow wooden canoes, which they skillfully push with a pole.

"We have been living this way for generations," explained the fisherman.

Undrinkable: The size of Manchar Lake, one of the largest freshwater reserves in Pakistan, varies depending on rainfall. It can measure more than 250 square kilometres (100 square miles) after the annual monsoon.

In the 1970s a series of drains and canals were built to carry sewage to the lake from several major cities in Sindh province, as well as industrial wastewater, and overflow from rice paddies full of pesticides and fertilisers.

The system, known as the Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD), also dumps into the lake vast quantities of brackish water drained from the right bank of the Indus to make the surrounding land arable.

Meanwhile, mountain torrents supplying fresh water have declined. So too has the flow of the Indus itself into the lake, due to the building of dams and greater irrigation, explains Mustafa Mirani of the Pakistani Fishermen Forum, which campaigns for the protection and conservation of the lake.

Justin trudeau in tears after reunion with syrian refugee C

news Desk

ANADIAN PM, Justin Trudeau was moved to tears during a roundtable with Syrian refugees and sponsors, as one newcomer recalled being greeted by the prime minister when he arrived in Canada one year ago.

Addressing the prime minister among a small group of people – who gathered at a Toronto restaurant last week to reflect on the first year of the Syrian refugee program – Vanig Garabedian recalled the moment last December when he stepped onto a Toronto-bound plane in Beirut, Lebanon, and shook the hand of a Canadian who was greeting passengers as they boarded.

“He shook hands with me and said, ‘Go and make Canada a better place.’ So that was the very last person I shook hands with in the Middle East.

Then we landed at Pearson airport, and the very first person we shook hands was the prime minister,” Garabedian said, prompting Trudeau to tear up.

For Garabedian, landing in Toronto not only meant that he and his family were safe, but it also meant they had taken on “the responsibility of joining the Canadian family and trying to build

this Canada, this country, this great nation.

“When I met Mr. Prime Minister at that moment, he said two words: ‘Welcome home.’ So imagine you are living in a warzone, you are leaving your home and you are welcomed by two words: welcome home,” said Garabedian, a gynaecologist.

“So my memories of that moment went back to Syria before war, our life, our happiness there, and the horrible moments we went through during war. So I felt myself that I’m proud to be here.”

Vanig Garabedian was among the Syrian refugees that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greeted at Toronto’s Pearson airport in December last year.

Addressing Garabedian Trudeau said: “Watching you and your girls walk through this airport toward me was a moment in which I understood just the kinds of things that we can do as a country and that I get to help this country do,” he said.

“You wouldn’t have been walking on Canadian soil that night if I hadn’t said, ‘We can do this together’ and made it done. And that for me was as strong and clear a reinforcement that I was going to be okay in this job. It was, on a personal level, it was very, very touching for me.”

Answering a question for CBC, Trudeau said it was very important for him to be at the airport to greet that planeload of refugees on December10, 2015. He said the Syrian refugee program “was something I knew that all of Canada was involved in, that making the commitment to bring over 25,000 and more Syrian refugees was something that the government couldn’t do on its own.”

“I felt that being there in the name of all Canadians to welcome people was really important,” he said.

Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, YouTube team up to curb 'terrorist content' wAsHInGTOn Agencies

Major US tech firms announced Monday they would work together to curb the spread of online “terrorist content,” responding to pressure from governments around the world.

The announcement by Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and Google-owned YouTube aims to use “digital fingerprints” to block or remove violent content or efforts to recruit social media users for attack cells.

“There is no place for content that promotes terrorism on our hosted consumer services. When alerted, we take swift action against this kind of content in accordance with our respective policies,” said a statement issued by the firms.

The statement said they would share data that allows them “to help identify potential terrorist content on our respective hosted consumer platforms.”

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have struggled for years with this issue, seeking to be open to free speech without being used to promote violence or hate.

Critics of the companies have called for these efforts, saying they could be based on a similar program to curb child pornography.

The joint statement did not indicate what type of technology would be used in the new initiative, except to say it would be based on a shared industry database of “hashes” or digital fingerprints that

Muslim restaurant owner offers free meals over Christmas in London news Desk identify violent content.

“Each company will independently determine what image and video hashes to contribute to the shared database,” the statement said.

“No personally identifiable information will be shared, and matching content will not be automatically removed. Each company will continue to apply its own policies and definitions of terrorist content when deciding whether to remove content when a match to a shared hash is found.”

Governments in the United States, France and elsewhere have been pressing online firms to do more to curb extremist content, especially videos that depict beheadings and other gruesome acts often used in recruitment efforts.

At least one lawsuit filed in France on behalf of a victim in the 2015 Paris attacks seeks to hold Facebook, Google and Twitter liable for the violence.

Disney is prepping young girls for work life, one film at a time AGenCIes The representation of female characters in Disney’s new-age animated movies like Moana is doing more than entertaining young audiences: It is shaping the expectations of young girls about careers and preparing them for adult experiences of working life, claims a new study.

From a bunny rabbit police officer in Zootopia to a princess fighting for her people in Moana, Disney’s animated films have portrayed many memorable female characters in the workplace during the past 80 years.

Researchers from the University of Leeds and University of Bradford in the UK watched and analysed 54 classic animations made by Disney since 1937.

They noted the trends in the nature of the work undertaken by these female characters and how they perceive the workplace.

While early animations such as Cinderella typically portray girls as weak and seeking to avoid work, later ones such as Zootopia and Frozen present strong, positive females in or preparing for work.

As a result, young women often receive mixed messages about work from watching a combination of older and more recent films, researchers said.

These mixed messages, alongside other similar social and cultural influences, could partly help to explain why many women have different expectations

about work compared to men, and have tended not to progress as quickly in the workplace.

Martyn Griffin from Leeds University suggested that over time, the portrayal of more empowered female characters in more contemporary Disney films could even help influence a generation of young women who will not be willing to be passive and weak in the workplace.

“Our study highlights the importance of the themes of “work” and “organisation” within these films and suggests that through repeated viewing within cinemas, and through DVD, Blu-ray and streaming services they are very likely to contribute towards the development of expectations about working life,” he said.

“In this study we have used Disney as a lens to develop the idea of ‘organisational readiness’ — that is, children’s expectations about work which are shaped by social and cultural forces that indirectly prepare them for experiences of their future organisational life,” said Mark Learmonth, from Durham University in the UK.

A Turkish restaurant in London is being lauded by many for offering free meals over Christmas.

Muslim-owned Shish Restaurant is offering free three-course meals to the homeless and elderly throughout the day, from noon until 6pm. The homeless and elderly will be able to enjoy a free threecourse meal, with a main entrée choice of chicken casserole, vegetarian casserole or chicken shish (grilled chicken served on skewers), along with soup or cacik (Turkish yoghurt) and a dessert of rice pudding. “No one eats alone on Christmas Day…we are here to sit with you” Read a flyer advertising the restaurant’s offer. The restaurant is asking local residents to spread the word of its offer, urging people to share its plan through social media. Tweeting their offer the restaurant said, “Help us to make sure no one is alone this Christmas.”

Oxford graduate sues university for £1m over boring lessons news Desk Oxford graduate Faiz Siddiqui is suing the university for £1m claiming that “appallingly bad” and “boring” teaching cost him a first-class degree and prevented him from having a successful career.

Siddiqui, 38, who studied modern history at Brasenose College, believes he would have had a career as an international commercial lawyer if he had been awarded a first rather than the 2:1 he achieved 16 years ago. He told the high court that he underperformed in a course on Indian imperial history during his degree because of “negligent” teaching which pulled down his overall grade.

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

ARTS

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel to host the 2017 osCars I suffer from a mental illness: Lady Gaga reveals she has PTSD ENTERTAINMENT DESK US pop star Lady Gaga has revealed she suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since being raped at the age of 19. Visiting the Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBT youth in New York in November, she spoke out about her mental illness for the first time. Her comments were aired in an interview on Monday night. The multiple-GrammyAward-winner revealed two years ago that she had been raped at the age of 19 by a man who was 20 years older. “I told the kids today that I suffer from a mental illness,” she said in a Today show interview about the visit, which aired on NBC on Monday. “I suffer from PTSD. I’ve never told anyone that before, so here we are. But the kindness that’s shown to me by doctors as well as my family, and my friends, it’s really saved my life.” Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, was filmed speaking at the centre, after a surprise visit that included an intimate acoustic performance as part of the network’s Share Kindness campaign. “I have a mental illness, and I struggle with that mental illness every day,” she said. She shared the meditation and mantra she uses as therapy: “You are brave, you are courageous.” She told Today, “These children are not just homeless or in need; many of them are trauma survivors, they’ve been rejected in some type of way. My own trauma in my life has helped me to understand the trauma of others.”

L

AGENCIES

ate night television presenter Jimmy Kimmel ended months of speculation Monday over who would host the Oscars in February -- announcing that he has been tapped to front the glitzy ceremony.

It will be the first time for the comedian, who has hosted "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on ABC since it launched in 2003 and garnered praise for his work as host of this year's Emmys television awards.

"Yes, I am hosting the Oscars. This is not a prank. And if it is, my revenge on @TheAcademy will be terrible & sweet," the 49-year-old New Yorker joked on Twitter.

His selection was later confirmed by Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd, the multiple Oscarand Emmy-nominated duo producing the 89th Oscars ceremony, which airs live on ABC television on February 26.

"Jimmy's ability to connect with people is what makes him a singular choice for this job," they said in a joint statement.

"His frank observations, relatable persona, wry humour and love of all kinds of the film

make him a natural fit for the Oscars stage."

Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said she was thrilled to have a host who "knows who he is, he knows the audience" while CEO Dawn Hudson described Kimmel as "razor sharp, funny and unpredictable."

ABC, which pays the Academy a reported $75 million a year to broadcast the Oscars, struck a new deal in August giving executives more creative input.

"Jimmy is the perfect choice for us. He is

deeply rooted in the Hollywood community and gifted at connecting with an audience as the consummate emcee," said ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey.

Kimmel's appointment comes unusually late this time around, as the host is usually booked months in advance of the Oscars.

It will end speculation over several other possibilities for a presenter, including fellow comedians Ellen DeGeneres and Tina Fey. Chris Rock hosted the 2016 ceremony, which suffered an eight-year low in ratings, averaging 34.5 million viewers. The African American comic actor's second stint presenting was overshadowed by a social media backlash against the lack of racial diversity among the nominees, under the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite.

Ironically, a group of 25 Academy members of Asian descent, including Oscar-winning film director Ang Lee and "Star Trek" actor George Takei, subsequently complained about racist jokes at the ceremony.

It featured a section in which Rock introduced children of Asian descent as Academy accountants and an ad-libbed insinuation by actor Sacha Baron Cohen that Asian men were not well-endowed.

The Mummy trailer: Franchise reboot with Tom Cruise decidedly darker than predecessors COURTESY: FIRST POST The teaser of The Mummy, which released last week, scared everyone out of their wits. The full theatrical trailer has been released now and it has only added to the goosebumps.

The trailer builds up on the teaser and traces the journey of the mummy from the fissure to resurrection and consequent destruction of the city.

As Tom Cruise's character Nick Morton and his team are transporting the mummy via air, presumably for archaeological research, a perturbed expression is seen on the face of Morton as if he has foreseen the tragedy that lurks around them.

Suddenly, the birds, which had been hovering around the mummy's casket while it was being lifted from the fissure, attack the plane carrying the casket. They just launch themselves through the cockpit causing the plane to crash. Morton manages to save his love interest Jenny Halsey (played

by Annabelle Wallis) by opening her parachute and pushing her off the aircraft. The plane goes on to crash and Morton is presumed dead.

However, just like The Mummy, Morton also rises from the dead inside the mortuary. In the next shot, he is seen telling Halsey that he saw the mummy, known as Ahmanet (played by Sofia Boutella), getting resurrected. "I saw her...she is real," Morton says, his fear palpable.

The trailer proceeds to Ahmanet gaining power and causing havoc in the city as Morton and Hasley run away from her. No brownie points for guessing that the two will have to confront the evil force at some point of time. How thrilling would that be!

MEHR TARAR Persecution of people on the basis of their faith is a barbaric witch hunt that destroys a society's soul. Stop persecuting Ahmedis,Pakistan

GEORGE M JOHNSON Beyonce got 9 Grammy nominations including Best Rock performance for Don't Hurt Yourself. Get into that!

Today was a good day! Lol

BOO RADLEY Maybe critical thinking just isn't taught or it's lack of access to quality education.

Either way an uneducated country is a dangerous one.

TERRELL J. STARR Last week, I acknowledged Fidel's freedom fighting efforts. That cannot be denied.

But he also allowed antiblackness to fester in Cuba.

XILL-E-ILAHI The only president with a worse tailor than Donald Trump is Mamnoon Hussain.

15

Sahir Lodhi to enter big screen with debut film ‘Raasta’ ENTERTAINMENT DESK The trailer of Sahir Lodhi’s debut film Raasta is out and it has left the viewers in the splits. A well-known name in the Pakistani media, Lodhi has often expressed his long-existing desire to enter the film industry.

Raasta features Sahir and Abeer Rizvi in titular roles.

The movie has been produced by Sahir, Moidul Hasan and Faisal Zia. The film appears to be an actionthriller with a tinge of romance.

However, its trailer is guaranteed to leave one in peals of laughter.

With Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s Dil Fakeer playing in the background, Abeer and Sahir romance each other in what comes across as a rather dismal re-enactment of SRK-Kajol’s Sooraj Hua Madham song. Many claim that with Lodhi’s involvement in the film as the lead actor, scriptwriter, co-producer, and co-director, it will be just to label it a oneman show.

France bets on Bollywood to lure Indian tourists NEW DELHI AGENCIES

As France contends with a drop in tourist numbers following a series of deadly attacks, the government is hoping that a new Bollywood romantic comedy can help it lure Indian visitors.

From the golden beaches of the Cote D’Azur to the roof of the Paris opera house and the historic bridges of the Seine, the blockbuster movie “Befikre” — “Carefree” in English — is filled with picture postcard scenes of France. The makers of the blockbuster movie, which hits Indian screens on Friday, say it is the first Bollywood production to be shot entirely on the French mainland. For French ambassador to India Alexandre Ziegler the new movie, which features Bollywood star Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor, is worth “all the marketing campaigns in the world”. “In a country like India, the impact of movies on the dreams people have of visiting an unknown place and on the desire to discover is absolutely huge,” Ziegler told media. “It is, without doubt, the biggest influence over travel today for the Indian middle classes.” Top tourist hotspots around the world have recently focused on Chinese visitors, but are increasingly setting their sights on neighbouring India. The country’s burgeoning middle class is travelling abroad in growing numbers, with 50 million forecast to do so by 2020, up from just 20 million in 2014. Last year 524,000 Indians travelled to France, a figure dwarfed by the number of Chinese and Japanese visitors but which is growing rapidly. Sophie Lacressonniere, marketing director of the promotional agency Atout France, says the Indian client base is also “resilient to security fears”, a key factor in the wake of recent attacks in France.

CMYK

Pakistani blog started rumour that Aishwarya Rai committed suicide ENTERTAINMENT DESK A Pakistani website seems to be responsible for falsely reporting that Bollywood actor Aishwarya had just 'survived a suicide attempt' and was in the hospital.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had committed suicide by overdosing on tranquilisers, it added.

Messages on WhatsApp and websites with dubious credibility soon followed up on the news on how Aishwarya had 'tried to commit suicide' after her in-laws, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, were apparently miffed with her over her steamy scenes with Ranbir Kapoor in ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’.

Images of ‘bruised and pale looking’ Aishwarya also circulated on social media, suggesting the suicide attempt resulted in her death. However, the incident turned out to be a hoax reportedly started by a Pakistani blog.

Buzzfeed India has attempted to contact the managers of the website for comment.

The rumours were finally put to rest after the 43-year-old star was spotted at a party thrown by designer Manish Malhotra on Sunday, according to the Hindustan Times.

The fake news was also picked by a local broadcaster Neo News which earlier came up with the bizarre claim that US president-elect Donald Trump was born in Pakistan.

16 BUSINESS

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

ABBAsi iNAuguRATes MAkoRi gAs PRoCessiNg PlANT iN kARAk KARAK

F

APP

EDERAL Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi here on Tuesday inaugurated the gigantic Makori Gas Processing Plant that would help play vital role in development of oil and gas industry in Pakistan.

Politicians, lawmakers, LG representatives and senior officials of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources and MOL Pakistan Oil and Gas Company besides local elders attended the inauguration of Makori Gas Processing Plant.

The plant would produce 305 MMSCFD of natural gas, 520 metric tons per day LPG and 25000 barrels per day of condensate/crude that would play a vital role in development of oil and gas industry in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the government was well aware of requirements of industrial and domestic sectors and taking every possible measure to meet the gas needs of these sectors for stable and progressive economy.

The minister said no proper planning was done during the previous

regimes to cope with rising demand of gas for domestic and industrial sectors, saying the present elected government soon after coming into power had accorded highest priority to energy and gas sectors to cater the high domestic and industries demands by utilizing all options.

Shahid said the government was working on several gas search projects to fulfill the country's gas requirements.

The federal government had initiated gas-related projects worth Rs 800 billion including setting up of LNG terminals and gas pipelines to meet energy needs of the country.

The minister said that Pakistan would have surplus energy due to effec-

NA body expresses reservations over closure of Pak Textile City project

tive policies of PML-N government under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif by 2018. The minister said that the special focus has been given to energy sector in CPEC and these projects after completion would exterminate menace of load shedding forever.

Abbasi while commenting on three and half years performance of the PML-N government said the country has achieved tremendous progress almost in every sector including energy, infrastructure, communication, economy, social and oil and gas sector and today Pakistan was far better, economically stable and prosperous that it was in 2013.

He said that the uninterrupted gas supply was being provided to industrial and domestic sectors of Khyber Pakthunkhwa despite shortage of gas in the country and urged the people to save gas especially during peak hours. The minister said that 50 per cent electricity used by domestic and industrial sectors was being produced from different power units, which were being run on gas.

The minister said the shortage of gas problem would be addressed with completion of gas and energy projects in the country. He said that the gas and energy was engine of growth and no economy could develop without promotion of business and industry. He said the government was seriously working to confront with all the challenges presently the country was facing.

He said that the shortage and lower pressure of gas would be overcome with the addition of more gas in the system.

He said Karak was very rich in gas and Makori gas facility like projects would help generate job opportunities besides eradicating poverty in the area. The minister congratulated MOL Pakistan at inauguration of Makori Gas Processing Plant and expressed the hope that they would continue to invest and build the gas exploration and production sector of the country.

CCP imposes Rs 150m fine on PSO for deceptive marketing

ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD

INP

STAFF REPORT

National Assembly Standing Committee on Textile Industry on Tuesday expressed its reservations over the closure of Pakistan Textile City Project, Karachi and observed that due to mismanagement and corruption the debt of textile city is exceeding to Rs 2.4 billions. The committee directed the ministry to sell out 250 acres of its land for payment of its outstanding debt and efforts should be made to make it operational by involving Chinese/foreign companies for its betterment.

The Ministry of Textile Industry secretary presented the report on the performance of Plastic Technology Center (PTC). He was of the view that unfortunately the PTC was in terrible condition and needed to be focused.

The committee was unanimously of the view that new campus of National Textile University should be established at PTC in order to make it profitable organization. The meeting was presided over by Khawaja Ghulam Rasool and was attended by Sardar Muhammad Shafqat Hayat, Rana Umer Nazir, Haji Muhammad Akram, Malik Muhammad Uzair, Ms Ghulam Bibi, Mian Shahid Hussain, Malik Shakir Bashir, Abdul Rashid, Ms Asiya Nasir, Jamshaid Ahmad Dasti, Ms Romina Khurshid Alam, besides officials of the ministry.

The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) on Tuesday imposed a penalty of Rs 150 million on Pakistan State Oil (PSO) for running deceptive marketing campaign for its products, “Premier XL” petrol and “Green Plus” diesel in violation of Section 10 of the Competition Act, 2010.

The CCP bench that passed the order comprised Chairperson Vadiyya Khalil and Members Dr Shahzad Ansar and Ikram ul Haque Qureshi.

Earlier, the CCP conducted an inquiry after receiving a complaint wherein it was alleged that since 2003/2004 the PSO has been deceptively claiming that the use of its products “Premier XL” and “Green Plus” resulted in more mileage and improved performance of vehicle’s engine due to use of various additives and were environment-friendly.

The inquiry further revealed that in 2012/2013, the PSO discontinued the use of such additives, however, the names of products and the marketing campaign including the associated branding/insignias launched alongside the products in 2003/2004

CDWP approves 7 projects of Rs 6.9b ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Tuesday approved seven project worth Rs 6.9 billon, including one project costing Rs 3.5 billion, which was referred to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC). In addition, it approved three position papers and gave concept clearance of two projects.

The meeting chaired by Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal approved provision of equipment for five Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) cancer hospitals of worth Rs 1.2 billion with foreign exchange component (FEC) of Rs 1.1 billion. The minister directed the PAEC officials to fast track work on this project and complete it by March 2018 keeping in view the importance of the project. The project aims to procure cancer-related medical equipment for five of the PAEC centres including two at Lahore (CENUM & INMOL) and one each at Karachi (KIRAN), Bahwalpur (BINO) and Islamabad (NORI). In higher education sector, the CDWP approved up gradation of National Institute of Science and Technical Education (NISTE) Islamabad into skill University costing Rs 1 billion with FEC 276 million. While giving his observation Ahsan Iqbal directed the HEC officials to develop a five year roadmap of the project and ensured to promote vocational and technical education through this university.

The meeting also approved two position papers including overseas scholarship for Ms/M Phil leading to PhD in selected fields of Rs 14.5 billion and science talent scheme for 1800 young students phase-1 of Rs 1.5 billion. It also approved construction of official residence for speaker of National assembly in Sector F-5/7 Islamabad of worth Rs 112 million with direction to rationalize the cost. It also approved revised project of extension of Intelligence Bureau Academy at H-11/1 Islamabad of Rs 401 million. In water resource sector, the CDWP approved payment compensation to affectees of Mirani Dam by the flood of 2007 of Rs 3.5 billion. It also approved provision of infrastructure in Quetta industrial phase-IV of Rs 194 million.

ADB offers soft loans to Pakistan Railways LAHORE APP

remained in place to-date.

The order stated that during the hearings, PSO could neither provide any scientific basis for making the claims in the first place nor did it stop making the claims when it stopped mixing the additives in 2012/2013. These claims led consumers to believe that the fuel they were purchasing was superior to others and, therefore, harmed competition in the market.

In addition to imposing the penalty, the CCP has also directed PSO to immediately cease the use of ‘Green’ and ‘Premium’ in all its brand-

ing and marketing materials, and to make appropriate changes within thirty (30) days to remove the impression that its fuel products are premium and environmentally-friendly.

The CCP has further directed PSO to inform the general public regarding the discontinuation of the use of additives in the products through appropriate clarifications in all English and Urdu dailies for a period of one (1) week and file a compliance report with the registrar of the commission within a period of forty-five (45) days from the date of issuance of this order.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has shown keen interest to invest in Pakistan Railways by keeping in view its performance, development and progress.

The ADB offered to provide loans to PR on flexible conditions for bringing advancement in railways infrastructure. A joint workshop of ADB and PR would be held today (Wednesday) in Islamabad to discuss the details of this offer, whereas Federal Minister for Railways Khwaja Saad Rafique and other senior officials of PR including Chairperman Perveen Agha, CEO Javed Anwar, and others would also participate in the workshop. Saad Rafique said that the offers of investment by the international institutions were due to the performance and ongoing development in the department. He said that they would carry out comprehensive review of this offer.

TexTile SeCTOR’S nOn-PeRfORming lOanS ReaCh RS 197 billiOn ISLAMABAD AMER SIAL

The non-performing loans (NPLs) of the domestic textile sector have reached Rs 197 billion nearly 26.3 per cent of the total advances of Rs 748.8 billion to the sector, an official source said quoting latest data of the State Bank of Pakistan.

The National Bank of Pakistan has advanced Rs 56 billion to the textile sector out of which 51.4 per cent around Rs 28.7 billion are categorized under NPLs, the source said quoting from Quarterly Performance Review of the banking sector, June 2016.

This is the highest percentage of NPL to any sector for the National Bank.

The government, the source said, was under pressure from the textile sector to provide them relief from the banking sector. They wanted rescheduling of their

loans and wavier or some kind of relief in the incurring interest on the loans. However, the SBP was stressing that the equity holders in textile firms should make efforts to revive their businesses by investing from personal resources rather than depending on the government or banks for rehabilitation. The official incentive scheme should be linked to the sponsor’s contribution for rehabilitation of their businesses.

If non-operating textile units are revived through personal resources of the sponsors, then such companies should be provided tax holiday for five to seven years to revitalize the installed capacity, says one of the central banks proposal.

Most textile companies are over leveraged due to which they have high financial charges and low net profit. These companies have short term credit terms for longer period assets. In recessionary cycle, the

companies are unable to meet their liabilities leading to financial distress.

The central bank has proposed to improve the capital structure of the textile companies, the government should encourage debt equity swap by the banks at prices higher than book value or the market value.

The SBP should compensate banks for mark-to-market or book loss from the swap, another recommendation said.

The government team is of the opinion that the low value chain in the textile industry is the major reason of current crisis in the sector. There is lack of balancing modernization and rehabilitation (BMR) in the sector due to which operating efficiencies are not available during recessionary environment. The fluctuation in raw material, especially cotton and yarn could be curtailed by introducing commodity hedge futures.

CMYK

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

PM DiReCTs WAPDA ChAiRMAN To iDeNTiFy CAuses oF DelAy iN TARBelA exTeNsioN PRojeCT ISLAMABAD

P

AHMAD AHMADANI

RIME Minister has directed the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) chairman to identify and fix responsibility for the delays in the 1,410 MW Tarbela (4th extension) Hydropower Project, it has been learnt.

The official documents available with this scribe disclosed that PM has directed the WAPDA chairman to determine and fix responsibility for the delays in the Tarbela Extension Project. Similarly, the PM has directed the chairman to take measures for recovery of payment made to the contractor for acceleration of works on the Tarbela Extension project completion by June 2017 ($51million).

Earlier, the PM had desired to accomplish the 1,410 MW Tarbela (4th Extension) Hydropower Project in eight months before the actual deadline of March, 2018. Upon this, the completion schedule of the project was squeezed to July, 2017. And, the contractor demanded an additional amount of $51m for completing the project in time.

Also, $25.5m were totally paid to the contractor till February 2016. However, the project could not meet the deadline.

us under secretary lauds Pakistan’s macro-economic stability ISLAMABAD APP

Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar received a telephone call from US State Department Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment Ms Catherine A Novelli on Tuesday. According to a statement issued by the Finance Ministry, Ms Novelli appreciated the deep reforms and bold initiatives taken by the government to bring about macroeconomic stability and improve governance during the last three years. The minister thanked Ms Novelli for the cooperation and assistance provided by the US which has led to an increase in USPakistan bilateral engagement at both public and private sector level. Ms Novelli expressed the hope that in case, the minister visits Washington DC, they could meet to discuss the bilateral economic portfolio. Under Secretary Novelli expressed hope that the bilateral economic cooperation to stimulate growth in Pakistan would continue with the same zeal and the commitment under the new administration of President-elect Donald J Trump.

The minister expressed satisfaction over the ongoing bilateral economic relations with the US and hoped for enhanced relations with the incoming administration of new president.

“The already delayed Tarbela Extension Project might take another year in generating 1,410 MW of electricity,” well-placed sources told Pakistan Today.

The sources said that the first generation unit (470 MW) was expected to be completed in August 2017 while the completion of the remaining two units (each 470 MW) in the same month or year was not possible.

They said the remaining two units would come online in February and March 2018.

However, the release of funds would accel-

erate in 2017 when major shipments for electro-mechanical contracts are expected to arrive on site, they added.

The delay in harvesting the already delayed Tarbela Extension Hydropower Project was to some extend majorly attributed on account of the change in results framework, change in legal covenants, change in loan closing date, change to components and cost, change in institutional arrangements, change in financial management and change in implementation schedule, besides unnecessary time in awarding contracts, the sources said.

Tarbela Hydropower Project was being developed to enhance the generation capacity of Tarbela Hydel Power Station to 4,888 MW after installation of another three units of 1,410 MW on Tunnel No 4. Main dam, intake and tunnel already existed. Only the construction of powerhouse, penstock, and extension of the switchyard and installation of electrical and mechanical equipment were to be undertaken for the project.

It is worth mentioning here that the World Bank has extended the completion date of the project till 2019. And, the delay in completion of the crucial Tarbela Dam 4th Extension Hydropower Project might discredit the ruling Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz of its efforts on the energy front when the country goes to polls in 2018.

Ministerial body okays Shanghai Electric’s Rs 9b investment plan for K-Electric ISLAMABAD: A ministerial meeting on Tuesday approved the sale of K-Electric to Shanghai Electric Power and also approved Chinese investors’ business plan worth $9 billion for improvement in the power infrastructure including transmission, distribution and generation.

An official statement said that the meeting of the committee constituted by the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCE) for discussion on K-Electric transaction was held under the chairmanship of minister for Water and Power. The Petroleum and Natural Resources minister, Privatization Commission chairman and Board of Investment chairman also attended the

meeting. Senior officials of ministries of Water and Power, Petroleum, Finance and Law also attended the meeting.

Shanghai Electric Power, new proposed shareholder of K-Electric, along with the management of KE presented their business plan worth $9 billion for improving and value adding in the KE power infrastructure including transmission, distribution and generation. Shanghai Electric Power, one of the largest companies in power sector in China, also shared their profile and international expertise and similar experience. The government appreciated and welcomed the investment and change of shareholder in KElectric. STAFF REPORT

FBR clarifies report about court case ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has clarified that the reports published in some English and Urdu daily newspapers about proceedings on December 5 2016 in the Supreme Court in a hearing in the case titled CIT Sukkur versus M/s Prudential Investment Bank Limited with reference to proposed disciplinary action against a senior officer are somewhat exaggerated and conveyed an erroneous impression. The aspersions cast on the Prime Minister’s office through the aforementioned reports for keeping the case file pending for five months are factually incorrect and misleading. The actual position is that a summary for approval of the prime minister has been sent to the Establishment Division and the summary is still to be submitted to the prime minister for taking final decision in the matter. It is further clarified that contrary to the press reports the Additional Attorney General did not submit before the Supreme Court that the officer has been charge sheeted and the summary sent by FBR is pending in the Prime Minister’s office for appointing an inquiry officer. Neither the FBR nor the Additional Attorney General submitted that any summary in the matter is pending in the Prime Minister's office. STAFF REPORT

imran samad joins Bank of Azad jammu & kashmir as Ceo, MD

Pakistan, italy vow to boost cooperation in diverse sectors

MUZZAFFARABAD: Imran Samad joined the Bank of Azad Jammu & Kashmir on November 29, 2016 as the CEO &managing director. He has been associated with the banking profession for over three decades. After his MBA, he started his career with PICIC as a financial analyst and worked in various capacities dealing with industry and finance. He has rich experience of dealing with local banks and multilateral agencies. He is an expert in Corporate Finance, Retail Banking, Consumer Finance, Islamic Banking, Agriculture Finance, SME, Micro Credit, etc, and has earned him repute in areas of business development and organisational turnaround over the years in various banks. PRESS RELEASE

ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has appreciated Italy’s cooperation in diverse sectors of Pakistan. He expressed these views while addressing the Pakistan-Italy Investment Forum, jointly organised by the Board of Investment and Italian Embassy on Tuesday at Serena Hotel, during the 2 days official visit of Italian Deputy Minister for Economic Development accompanied by fifty prominent businessmen. The Defense minister said that the Middle East countries and Iran have shown keen interest in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He said Pakistan was a peace-loving country and it has achieved unprecedented success in the operation Zarb-e-Azb. On the occasion, Italy’s Deputy Minister for Economic Development Ivan Scalfarotto said we wanted to boost up cooperation in energy and other sectors with Pakistan. BOI Chairman Dr Miftah Ismail and BOI Secretary Azhar Ali Choudhry welcomed the Italian delegation and highlighted that Pakistan is offering a very liberal investment regime in the region with diverse and business friendly incentives. PRESS RELEASE

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BUSINESS 17 CORPORATE CORNER Allied Bank enters into strategic partnership with Mastercard

KARACHI: Allied Bank Limited, one of Pakistan’s leading private sector commercial banks has recently entered into a strategic partnership with Mastercard, a leading technology company in the global payments industry. Under this partnership, both Allied Bank and Mastercardwill collaborate and launch Mastercard Premium Cards, Digital Payment and Remittance products for Allied Bank customers. The MoU, in this regard, was signed by Mr. Faisal Nadeem Siddiqui, Group Head, Digital Banking Group – Allied Bank and Mr. Khalid Elgibali, Division President, Middle East and North Africa – Mastercard. Mr. Asif Bashir, Chief Commercial & Retail Banking Group (South) – Allied Bank, and Mr. Aurangzaib Khan, Area Head, Pakistan & Afghanistan – Mastercard also attended the signing ceremony. PRESS RELEASE

British Council, The City school sign agreement

LAHORE: The British Council in Pakistan and the City School signed an agreement for assessing and benchmarking English Language skills of teachers on December 5, 2016. The signing ceremony was attended by Aurangzeb Firoz, CEOthe City School, and Hasan Khattak, Director Examinations Services British Council. Speaking at the occasion, Hasan Khattak said, “The British Council is delighted to sign this agreement to incorporate a new and innovative global English assessment tool in The City School, one of the largest private school networks in Pakistan.

This arrangement will not only allow us to enhance our work with one of our key stakeholders but also set a new standard in hiring across education industry of Pakistan. We are committed to high levels of investment in Pakistan’s education sector.” PRESS RELEASE

Arif habib group joins hands with jinnah Foundation KARACHI: Arif Habib Group being desirous of discharging its corporate and social responsibilities has collaborated with Jinnah Foundation to help it fulfil its vision of improving and providing better health and education services to the marginalised masses for which the Foundation was created. Jinnah Foundation is the first institution dedicated to the memory of the Founder of Pakistan and the first institution to recognise the need of rendering services in the field of human development as a Nation Building Exercise. As a starting point the Jinnah Foundation School was established in 1989 and has empowered over 1400 students to date. The Arif Habib Group shall work in collaboration and conjunction with the Jinnah Foundation to modernise the school’s management and administration. PRESS RELEASE

1link appoints Ceo KARACHI: 1LINK Guarantee Limited has announced the appointment of Najeeb Agrawalla as their CEO. Agrawalla has spent more than 25 years in consumer marketing, financial services and banking and his last two assignments were with Bank AL Habib and UBL. He also served on the 1LINK Board for a number of years. In addition, he is part of the Visiting Faculty of IBA. He holds an MSc from University of Manchester and an MBA from the IBA Karachi. His key areas of focus at 1LINK will be facilitating member banks’ ADC / ecommerce businesses, ensuring seamless e-banking transactions, making 1LINK a dominant national payment gateway, enlarging the domestic payment scheme PayPak and supporting the GOP’s and SBP’s National Financial Inclusion Program (NIFS). PRESS RELEASE

KARACHI: McDonald’s Pakistan joined hands with Mastercard Pakistan Private Limited. McDonald’s Pakistan Director Marketing Jamil Mughal and Mastercard Pakistan head Aurangzaib Khan on the occasion. PR

18 SPORTS

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

Jose Mourinho's first 14 league gaMes coMpared to louis Van gaal's final 14 CoUrteSY teLeGrApH

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ANCHESTER United have made their worst league start for 26 years in Jose Mourinho's first season at the club, but there is a broad consensus that results haven't reflected performances. Louis Van Gaal's results at United were just about par - a fourth and fifth place finish in the Premier League plus last season's FA Cup win. However, it was the robotic and joyless style of play under the Dutchman that eventually turned fan opinion against him.

Mourinho has vowed to honour United's attacking traditions, and bring a more expressive brand of football to Old Trafford. The former Chelsea manager has a reputation for pragmatism though, and his success has typically been based on strong defensive foundations.United's board are 'encouraged' by what they've seen so far, but another season without Champions League football looks a distinct possibility as they are currently nine points away from the top four. Which begs the question - have Manchester United got any better?

Results: Van Gaal's final 14 league games yielded eight wins, two draws and four defeats, while Mourinho's first 14 league games have produced five wins, six draws and two defeats. Of course, it should be noted that Van Gaal was well into his second season at the club, whereas Mourinho has only worked with his new charges for six months.

United frequently slipped up against some of the league's lesser likes under Van Gaal, with defeats against Sunderland, West Brom and West Ham punctuating his last 14 games.

With the exception of Watford away in September, Mourinho has cut out these 'surprise' defeats but not managed to pull off a landmark win against a direct rival.

To Van Gaal's credit, he did lead United to wins over Arsenal and Manchester City even as a dead man walking in his final months in the dugout.

DefenDing: United under Van Gaal did not have much going for them, but they were defensively sound and in his final 14 league games they kept six clean sheets and conceded 14 goals. With Mourinho, the 13-time Premier League champions have kept four clean sheets and conceded 16. This indicates United have more or less maintained their defensive record, though the succession of late equalisers they have conceded should be considered. Mourinho's side ought to have kept clean sheets against Stoke, Arsenal and Everton but switched off in the closing stages.

By his own admission, Mourinho is in the process of changing United's defensive strategy, something that is bound to take time to bed-in. The former Chelsea manager said last week: "Our goalkeeper doesn't touch the ball for 90 minutes. Our central defenders don't follow the man, they defend zonal. I am not better than the others (managers), we just think in a different way."

Eric Bailly looks an astute defensive acquisition, and Mourinho could well further strengthen in this position in January.

The old adage that 'defences win titles' is not quite axiomatic in the modern game only one of the last four Premier League champions had the league's best defensive record, and that was Mourinho's Chelsea in 2014-15. Given his history, keeping clean sheets shouldn't be a longterm worry at Old Trafford.

AttAcking: Van Gaal instructed his players to control matches through ball retention, and they had averaged 58.4 per cent possession in his last 14 games as a result. For United fans and neutrals alike though, too much of this possession was sterile as they worked the ball across

their back four. Van Gaal's philosophy was also based on a strict positional game, which required his attacking players to stay in very fixed positions - almost as if they were playing on tramlines.

Mourinho has acknowledged the need to change, saying: "The circulation of the ball was an external circulation, left-back, central defender, central defender, right-back.

Everything was made behind. We play now between the lines, in between the opponent's lines. We look forward, our defensive line is very high."

However, United still see plenty of the ball and average 56.1 per cent possession. With a midfield comprised of players such as Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera, you would expect this from them. Nevertheless, Mourinho might be slightly alarmed that they have made

more passes inside their own half than Van Gaal's United - 2,791 to 2,683, so they aren't playing through the lines as swiftly as he might like.

Mourinho is right to point to wasted opportunities- his United have only scored 19 goals from 230 shots. Moving forward, scoring more goals should be the natural consequence of having more shots. Van Gaal's United only managed 157 shots, in part as a result of his stern discouragement of long-range attempts.

Summer signing Paul Pogba is fond of strikes from distance, so that might partly account for this increase. Van Gaal though, would point to his side's better shot conversion rate of 11.4 per cent as proof that patient build up play has its benefits. enteRtAinment VAlue: Mourinho's United have not been swash-

Hideki Matsuyama ends his year on a big roll NASSAU AGENCIES

It started with a victory at home in the Japan Open. It ended with another trophy in the Bahamas against a short but strong field.

Five tournaments. Four victories.

The way Hideki Matsuyama is playing, he might wish the Masters started next week.

Or maybe not.

"I'm kind of glad it's not," he said with a broad smile, "because I don't think I could win next week."

Winning must be exhausting for the 24-year-old Japanese star, and no one has been more proficient at it over the last two months. Even more alarming is that Matsuyama is making it look easy, although getting through the final nine holes at the Hero World Challenge felt as heavy as walking through the beach sand of the Bahamas.

Coming off seven-shot victories in the HSBC Champions and the Taiheiyo Masters, he had a seven-shot lead over Henrik Stenson going into the final round at Albany Golf Club. Matsuyama didn't make another birdie after the ninth hole, and his lead was reduced to two shots with two holes to play when he closed with two pars for a 1-over 73 and a two-shot victory.

"I can't say that I played well today," he said. "But I did win Tiger's tournament, and what a great honor it is."

Matsuyama said Tiger Woods has been his golfing idol as long as he can remember, and as much as he enjoyed winning, he was just as happy to see

Woods back in competition. Woods led the field with 24 birdies, but six double bogeys contributed to a 15th-place finish in the 17-man field.

The first time he heard of Woods was when Matsuyama was 5 and watched video — "over and over and over again," he said — of Woods winning the 1997 Masters. Three years later, Woods won 10 times around the world, including the final three majors in what is considered his best season.

"Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see all those wins because they didn't have the broadcast in Japan," Matsuyama said. "But I knew Tiger was winning, and I knew he was very good. And I almost expected him to win every tournament."

Perhaps he is starting to appreciate what it's like to get on a roll.

"I'm not even close to being mentioned in the same sentence as Tiger," he said. "But I am working hard, and hope-

fully, little by little, I'll get better and better."

Matsuyama isn't the first player to get on a hot streak. Last year, Jason Day won four out of six tournaments against the strongest competition in the world, including the PGA Championship and a pair of FedEx Cup playoff events.

Matsuyama now has 12 victories worldwide, and while he became the first Asian to win a World Golf Championships title, a major is where players are measured.

"You've got to do it in the big events in the summer, too," Woods said. "So it's going to give him a boat load of confidence going into next year and he's going to be one of the top guys to beat for a very long time. Look at his swing, look at his game and look at the body that he has. It's built to handle the test of time."

Matsuyama hasn't finished out of the top five since the Tour Championship, and while he can't explain why he keeps

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winning, this recent run likely dates to the Deutsche Bank Championship. It was there that Hiroshi Iwata suggested a drill for his putting, which has held Matsuyama back.

Iwata introduced him to the "Pelz Putting Tutor," a small metal plate with two tiny steel balls at the end that are set apart just over the width of a golf ball. It is designed to help players line up putts and with their stroke.

Iwata's drill is to make 10 short putts in a row with a conventional grip, using only the left hand and only the right hand.

Perhaps it helped this week that Matsuyama's caddie, Daisuke Shindo, wanted the week off. So he borrowed Iwata's caddie, Mei Inui. Not only does she know the drill, she managed to keep Matsuyama calm when his lead was slipping away.

"When things get tough, I sometimes put my head down and become quiet," he said. "But Mei was always positive throughout, even the back nine, and was giving me good vibes, which really helped coming in."

Matsuyama, who now lives primarily in Orlando, Florida, is headed home for Japan to spend time with his family.

He's worked hard. He's won plenty. He could probably use a break, but it won't be for long. He wants to keep this going into the new year, which starts Jan. 5 in Hawaii. And he's already thinking about the Masters.

"I think he'll be a major champion within the next couple of years, personally," Jordan Spieth said. "It's awesome to see him tearing it up here."

buckling by any means, but there are sings of a more fluent team emerging. In a way, November injuries to Marouane Fellaini and Wayne Rooney, added to Zlatan Ibrahimovic's suspension, did Mourinho a favour. United shifted their attacking emphasis towards the mobility of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial and found a more balanced midfield formula based on the technical security of Carrick and Herrera.

Moreover, there are signs that Henrikh Mkhitaryan is forcing his way into the starting XI and he is exactly the type of creative player United fans have been crying out for. Pogba cuts a slightly enigmatic figure, but is capable of moments of brilliance. Mourinho has the raw materials at his disposal to keep Old Trafford regulars interested, or at the very least awake.

National netball team to leave for Malaysia today SportS deSk A 16-member delegation will depart for Malaysia today (Wednesday) to participate in Asian Men’s Netball Championship scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur from December 9 to 11.

According to sources, 13 players and three officials would represent Pakistan in the game.

President Pakistan Netball Federation (PNF) Mudassar Razak Arain revealed that Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC), Government of Pakistan and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) have issued the NOC for participation in the said event.

The contingent includes Muhammad Akhtar (Captain), Muhammad Zohair, Samad Masood, Umair Hassan, Ejaz ul Haque, Amir Rasheed, Fasial ur Rehman, Zahid Iqbal, Abdul Haq, Usman Bashir, 1. Khurshid Ahmed, Ali Raza and Zahid Sultan (Standby),” he said.

The officials comprise Anwar Ahmed Ansari (Coach), Yasir Javed (Assistant Coach & Physical Trainer) and Muhammad Riaz (Manager).

Pakistan will play two matches on December 9 against Singapore (11:30 am) and Hong Kong (6:00 pm).

Pakistan will face Brunei (11:30 am), India (6:00 pm) and Malaysia (8:00 pm) on December 10. The final and third position match will be held on December 11.

Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

england bid to keep india series aliVe MUMBAI

e

AGENCIES

NGLAND are bidding to keep the India series alive with victory in this week’s fourth Test in Mumbai, where defeat will certainly raise further questions about Alastair Cook’s future as captain.

The visitors must win at the Wankhede Stadium to stop top-ranked India from sealing the five-Test series with a match to spare following two consecutive defeats.

Virat Kohli’s side won by eight wickets in Mohali last week to take an unbeatable 2-0 series lead after victory in Viskhapatnam followed a draw in the first Test at Rajkot.

Anything less than a victory for England would see India exact revenge for their 2012 home series loss to Cook’s men and add to uncertainty surrounding the English skipper.

His future as captain has been in doubt since he admitted just before the tour that he could quit at the end of the Test series because he was finding it hard to be apart from his family for long periods.

After becoming a father for a second time last month, the 31-year-old lefthanded opener said he found the long

England tours difficult, while insisting he remained deeply proud of captaining his country.

Despite England’s travails in India, coach Trevor Bayliss said he expected Cook to be in charge for the Ashes tour at the end of 2017.

“He’s talking about the next Ashes series and being out in Australia,” Bayliss told BBC Sport. “Sometimes there are little comments made along the way and they get blown out of all proportion. He’s certainly up for the fight. I haven’t had any discussion with him any other way and that’s what we’ve been working towards.”

Cook also received the backing of star batsman Joe Root, who hailed his skipper as a “brilliant leader”. “Hopefully, we get these results we want in the last two games and we can put right what has been quite a frustrating last couple of weeks,” Root, 25, told reporters last week.

However, England’s chances of salvaging the series were dealt a blow after teenage batting sensation Haseeb Hameed was ruled out of the remaining two matches following injury to his right hand during the Mohali match.

The 19-year-old’s absence could mean a Test debut for opener Keaton Jennings. The 24-year-old South Africa-born

left-handed batsman has been called up as Hameed’s replacement.

All-rounder Liam Dawson is also in contention for a place after being drafted in to replace left-arm spinner Zafar Ansari, who is struggling with a back injury he sustained in the second Test in Visakhapatnam.

England will be boosted by the likely

return of fast bowler Stuart Broad, who has recovered from a strained tendon in his foot.

India are expected to be able to call upon the services of opener Lokesh Rahul who has recovered from the injury that kept him out of the Mohali Test, according to India media reports.

His return threatens the involvement

Ton-up Warner helps Australia reclaim Chappell-Hadlee Trophy CANBerrA AGENCIES

Opener David Warner slammed his sixth ODI century of the year to lead Australia to a crushing 116-run victory to reclaim the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series off New Zealand in Canberra on Tuesday.

Warner smashed 119 off 115 balls to propel the Australians to an imposing 378 for five after being sent into bat and then bowled out the Black Caps for 262 off 47.2 overs at the bat-friendly Manuka Oval.

New Zealand had to win in Canberra to keep alive their hopes of retaining the trophy after losing by 68 runs in the opening game in Sydney on Sunday.

Warner led the way in Australia’s thirdhighest ODI total and was supported by skipper Steve Smith’s 72 off 76 balls and Travis Head’s 57 from 32 balls, while Mitchell Marsh bludgeoned seven sixes in a unbeaten 76 off just 40 balls.

The Black Caps had a go at Australia’s hefty total and were 177 for three when Jimmy Neesham fell in the 31st over for 74 and ended a 125-run stand with skipper

Kane Williamson.

Williamson was dismissed nine overs later for 81 off 80 balls with five fours and two sixes and with him went New Zealand’s remote chance of reeling in the

Australian target.

Williamson’s gamble to send the Australians into bat back-fired spectacularly when the home side feasted on a perfect batting wicket.

The pugnacious Warner set the tone with his 10th ODI century off 101 balls to continue his outstanding form with the white ball. It was his third century in his last five ODI innings and his first against New Zealand. Only three other Australian batsmen have scored more hundreds in ODIs — Ricky Ponting (30), Mark Waugh (18) and Adam Gilchrist (16).

Warner was out to a low catch from Williamson at cover off medium-pacer Colin de Grandhomme in the 37th over, ending a 145-run partnership with Smith.

Smith followed up his career highest ODI score of 164 in Sydney with 72.

The Australian skipper, who was struck a painful blow in the groin by a de Grandhomme delivery on 56, sliced to Mitchell Santner at deep point when he was on top of the New Zealand bowlers.

Head hit his second half-century of the series before he was caught off Tim Southee.

Marsh provided some late fireworks with some prodigious hitting including three consecutive sixes off Matt Henry in his lusty cameo.

Warner, Marsh help Australia reclaim Chappell-Hadlee Trophy CoUrteSt eSpN Fourteen years and one month after Nasser Hussain infamously offered Australia first use of a Gabba pitch that proved brimful of Ashes runs, Kane Williamson gambled similarly and was left with an equally bitter taste of defeat, surrendering the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy in the process.

Now, as then, there were mitigating circumstances: the pitch looked to have something in it after rain, and humid, overcast weather suggested apt conditions for swing. But after a couple of useful early deliveries things cleared for Australia's batsmen; so much so that they accelerated to the team's second highest total on home soil.

David Warner and Steven Smith set a platform that a supercharged Travis Head andMitchell Marsh took full advantage of, leaving Williamson's visitors to chase in hope rather than expectation.

Granted so many runs to defend, Pat

Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc all put in strong stints, while Head's part-time off spin was frugal.

After the toss was delayed by more than half an hour due to light drizzle in Canberra, the hosts were given an ideal start by Warner and a noticeably tighter Aaron Finch, getting through an early period of new ball movement to ease the pathway for the rest.

Warner's hundred combined judicious shot selection with plenty of hustle between the wickets and power off the bat, his sixth in ODIs this year. Most notable were his muscular, punched drives down the ground that gave New Zealand's seamers very little margin for error.

Smith, following up from his ground record 164 at the SCG on Sunday, produced another innings of substance and style in Warner's wake, as the pair combined for a stand worth 145 at better than a run a ball.

Head was promoted above Marsh

when Warner exited, and vindicated the decision by clattering 57 from 32 balls, before Marsh himself followed up with a bullying 76 from 39 - the swap appeared to suit both players.

Needing to win to keep the series alive, New Zealand dropped Lockie Ferguson after his Sydney debut for the more experienced swing bowler Tim Southee. Australia dropped Adam Zampa from the side that won handsomely at the SCG, replacing him with the allround skills of James Faulkner.

Having gambled on overcast skies and the potential for a slightly tacky pitch, Williamson needed early wickets but did himself no favours when placing only two slips for Warner. In his first over, Trent Boult found enough swing and bounce to draw an edge from Warner, but it flew past Jimmy Neesham's outstretched left hand at slip rather than straight into the lap of where third slip might have been.

Finch, meanwhile, showed he had

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worked on his first ball dismissal at the SCG, getting forward and across to cover the moving ball, and ensured that Williamson resorted to the spin of Mitchell Santner in only the 11th over of the innings. By the time Finch was bowled behind his pads trying to sweep Santner, there were 68 runs on the board and a platform had been laid.

Smith wasted little time picking up the thread left by his Sydney innings, while Warner played shots all round the ground without ever losing control of his tempo. Through strong running and the occasional boundary, he pushed on to three figures, doing so with near enough to 20 overs of the innings still remaining.

It took a fine low catch from Williamson at cover to account for Warner, before Smith skied an attempt to loft over cover and so missed out on consecutive hundreds. Head was rapidly into stride, pinging boundaries with relish, in contrast with a more halting effort from Marsh.

SPORTS 19

of Karun Nair, who endured a disappointing Test debut in Mohali.

Wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, who impressed with both bat and gloves in Mohali after eight years in the Test wilderness, is expected to keep his place as Wriddhiman Saha is yet to recover from a thigh strain.

Former Indian batsman Virender Sehwag expects India to be too strong for England, but believes the visitors will not give up the series without a fight.

“I think we will win 3-0 as I expect England to show some resistance and that’s why I won’t predict 4-0,” he told the Press Trust of India news agency.

The final Test begins in Chennai on December 16. inDiA squAD: Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Parthiv Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Amit Mishra, Bhuvenshwar Kumar englAnD squAD: Alastair Cook (captain), Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes, Steven Finn, James Anderson, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Gareth Batty, Stuart Broad, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Keaton Jennings.

Zulqarnain Haider dreams for selection in national team SportS deSk Wicketkeeper-batsman Zulqarnain Haider has started finding ways to make place in national cricket team. In an interview, Zulqarnain Haider lauded the performance of Sarfraz Ahmed and said that he can also be selected as second wicketkeeper-batsman. Responding to a question, the player said he has not decided about retirement yet while he is playing tennis ball cricket in America.

No imminent threat to Chennai Test: Shirke CoUrteSY eSpN The BCCI is yet to decide on moving the fifth and final Test between India and England from December 16 out of Chennai following the death of Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday.

Ajay Shirke, the secretary, said the board was seeking inputs from the host association - the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) - and monitoring the situation closely. He also said no deadline had been set for naming an alternate venue since it was an evolving situation.

"We haven't taken any decision with regard to the Chennai Test match," Shirke told reporters after the meeting of the senior tournament committee in Mumbai. "It's a very sensitive decision.

We are keeping a close watch on the situation and we are taking the inputs from the local host association as to what is the mood and the sentiment of the people, and based on what evolves, the final decision for the match will be taken."

TNCA secretary Kasi Viswanathan, however, wrote to the board that Chennai was ready to host the Test. "We have communicated to the BCCI this morning that we won't be able to host the ongoing Ranji Trophy game [between Odisha and Jharkhand in Natham near Dindigul] and Under-19 match because of state mourning for seven days and closure of schools and colleges for three days," he told ESPNcricinfo. "But, we will host the Test match because after December 12 the [week-long] mourning period is over."

SPORTS Wednesday, 7 December, 2016

IndIan embassy wIthholds passports of pakIstan JunIor hockey team

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SPORTS DESK

AKISTAN junior hockey team’s participation in Oman League gets in danger as Indian embassy holds back the passports of national players.

According to Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), passports of the players were not sent back even after a second request.

Neither did Indian embassy respond to any email.

Green shirts could also not participate in the junior world cup that was held in Lucknow due to Indian obstinacy.

PHF has decided not to participate in any event that will be held in India from now on.

The pre-dawn fire that gutted Regent Plaza hotel left 12 dead and 70 others wounded including four first-class cricketers, who play for UBL.

A fire broke out at around 2:30am at the upscale hotel where the UBL team was staying for their match against HBL in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

As a result, Yasim Murtaza, Karamat Ali, Sohaib Maqsood and Gulraiz Sadaf all suffered injuries of varying degrees.

Sohaib Maqsood, who was on the fourth floor, helped save a family of four during his escape.

“We woke up at 3:30am and tried to run outside but there was a lot of smoke out in the corridor and almost no oxygen, so we came back into the room, broke the glass and went down from there with the help of bed sheets. We also found a family with two kids and took them along with us,” he said.

Murtaza, who broke his ankle after jumping from his secondfloor room, said he was woken up by the smell of something burn-

ing. “I woke up and switched on the light, and the room was full of smoke,” he said. We ran towards the door but the smoke was so thick we couldn’t see anything, so we came back into the room and

broke the glass window with a chair and jumped down.”

Sadaf, in the same room as Murtaza, suffered several burns and deep cuts on his hands. “Murtaza jumped from the second floor

Ex-world kickboxing champion Dridi shot dead MONTPELLIER AGENCIES

Former world kickboxing champion Mohamed Dridi, who once described how the sport had saved him from a life of crime, has been shot dead, prosecutors in Montpellier said on Monday. The 48-year-old, nicknamed Momo the turbulent during his career which ended in 2011, was discovered by his son in an apartment in Palavas-lesFlots, six km south of Montpellier, the Midi Libre newspaper reported. Prosecutors in the southern French city confirmed that a murder enquiry had been opened into the death of former Franco-Tunisian boxer. In his 2004 autobiography, entitled Momo the turbulent - from thuggery to the jet-set , Dridi described how he had "figured in the

Top 10 of organised crime" but had been "saved" by boxing. During his career he was a four-time world champion -- winning all his 77 bouts including 76 by KO. Dridi also pursued an acting career and had several roles in television series.

Yasir Shah out of practice match against CA XI SPORTS DESK Pakistan’s star leg-spinner Yasir Shah has suffered a back injury during practice and has been advised two days rest by doctors.

The injury rules him out of the daynight practice match against Cricket

Australia XI which will start from December 8. Pakistan team was practicing in Cazaly’s Stadium at Cairns when Yasir incurred the injury while bowling in the nets. Currently, he is getting treatment from medical experts. The 30-yearold has bagged 116 wickets in 20 Test matches for Pakistan.

Bangladesh recall Rubel for New Zealand tour DHAKA AGENCIES

Bangladesh have recalled paceman Rubel Hossain for injured fast bowler Mohammad Shahid in their squad for the forthcoming tour of New Zealand, a team official said on Tuesday.

Rubel last played for the national team during the home series against Afghanistan in September, but he was left out of the ensuing series against England after struggling for form.

He was also overlooked for the New Zealand tour when an initial 22-member squad was announced last month, but his strong showing in a domestic T20 tournament has prompted a change of mind by selectors. “After a long injury break, he was struggling with his form and fitness so we wanted him to get back his rhythm by playing in domestic competitions,” said selector Minhajul Abedin.

Rubel was one of the stand-out players in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League,

taking 15 wickets in 12 matches, before his Rangpur Riders team were eliminated in the league phase.

Shahid was among the leading wickettakers in the BPL until a knee injury ruled him out of the tournament and the New Zealand tour.

Bangladesh will play three ODIs, three T20Is and two Tests in New Zealand from December 26 through January 24 in their first bilateral overseas series in more than two years. Prior to the series they will hold a two-week training camp in Australia as part of their preparations.

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

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to the first and then to the lobby area, while I used a rope to climb down, which ended up cutting and burning my skin,” he said.

There were other players on the fourth floor. “I ran towards the

stairs but couldn’t see anything, so Adil Raza called me back and all of us jumped out the window.

I cut my arms and feet as there were pieces of glass on the floor,” said Karamat Ali, who was sharing a room with Raza.

Meanwhile, the match between UBL and HBL was abandoned on the request of UBL team manager Nadeem Khan. The teams shared the points, which led to HBL qualifying for the final with 16 to their name.

The other finalist will be decided today, with the winner of the match between WAPDA and SSGC going through. SSGC were on 298-7 in their first innings in reply to WAPDA’s 353 at stumps on day three.

With the match almost certainly heading towards a draw, the side that ends up with a first-innings lead will qualify for the final against HBL.