E paper pdf (23 10 2015) (lhr)

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US president and pakistani pm urge afghan taliban leaders to initiate talks with kabul Voice concern over loc violence, urge dialogue for kashmir resolution Sharif assures action against Haqqani network, lashkar-e-tayyaba, seeks US cooperation against pakistani taliban Friday, 23 October, 2015 | Muharram Ul Haram 9, 1437 Rs 17.00 | Vol VI No 114 | 16 Pages | Lahore Edition

US wants pakistan’s support on afghan reconciliation, ensure nuclear safety pakistan to maintain nuclear deterrence STORIES ON PAGES 02 & 03

SHARIF GETS OBAMA TO SAY KASHMIR, PROMISES JIHADIS IN RETURN US to provide 8 new F-16 jets to bolster pakistan ties

US pledges $70 million for girls education in Pakistan

6 SHIA CHILDREN AMONG 10 KILLED

BY SUICIDE BOMBER IN BALOCHISTAN Hike in PAKISTAN’S UNFINISHED WAR global iS AGAINST EXTREMISM attackS in STORIES ON PAGES 02 & 05 paSt 3 montHS: analyStS

US MOST RELEVANT COUNTRY TO INTERVENE IN KASHMIR ISSUE, SAYS PRIME MINISTER PM tells US senators Pakistan committed to enhancing coordination with Afghanistan to counter terrorism and promoting peace and reconciliation in war-torn country STORY ON PAGE 03

Pakistan to become fifth largest n-Power by 2025: rePort STORY ON PAGE 02

02 NEWS

Friday, 23 October, 2015

US to provide 8 new F-16 jetS to bolSter pakiStan tieS NYT REPORT SAYS NEW AIRCRAFT, WHOSE SALE COULD BE BLOCKED BY CONGRESS, WOULD ADD TO PAKISTAN’S ALREADY SIZABLE FORCE OF FIGHTER JETS COMPRISING MORE THAN 70 F-16S AND DOZENS OF FRENCH AND CHINESE ATTACK AIRCRAFT WASHINGTON SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

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N the eve of a White House meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, American officials revealed that Washington plans to sell eight new F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

The situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s development of small tactical nuclear weapons – which Islamabad says are to counter the Indian Cold Start Threat – are among top American concerns, according to The New York Times, which broke the news about the fighter jets.

American officials have been cautious in their public statements in demanding more from Pakistan vis-à-vis Afghan security, and according to the Times US officials are also concerned about Pakistan’s alleged links with elements of the Taliban.

Washington considers Pakistan a key to regional security efforts, particularly in Afghanistan.

The White House and State Department officials have referred to additional steps against all terrorists on Pakistani soil. Meanwhile, Afghan forces have faltered in containing a fierce Taliban insurgency.

“Secretary (of State John) Kerry recognised Pakistan’s efforts and sacrifices in targeting extremists in Zarb-eAzb and other operations in the Federally

Administered Tribal Areas, and the two leaders discussed the need for additional efforts to target all terrorists in its territory,” State Department spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday.

After a series of meetings between Nawaz Sharif and top Obama Administration officials, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry told journalists that Pakistan has done a lot to counter terrorism in the last couple of years, and will continue to fight terrorism on its soil.

“Now the world needs to do more.”

President Obama has halted a planned drawdown of American forces from Afghanistan during the next year– in the wake of Taliban’s daring takeover of Kunduz in the north.

Islamabad welcomes a responsible drawdown from Afghanistan in a way that stabilises the fragile country on its western border, Aizaz Chauhdry said of Obama’s move.

The foreign secretary reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to help Kabul with the reconciliation process and having peaceful relations with neighbors, but also said that PM Sharif had presented three dossiers to Secretary Kerry detailing India’s involvement in fomenting instability in Pakistan. However, he would not speak about the specific evidences contained in the dossiers.

The foreign secretary said Pakistan also has concerns regarding the TTP terrorists using the Afghan soil for terrorism inside Pakistan.

Aizaz Chaudhry also rubbished

PAKISTANI FOREIGN SECY SAYS PAKISTAN IS NOT IN TALKS WITH US ON LIMITING ITS NUCLEAR DETERRENCE AGAINST INDIA

claims in the media that Secretary Kerry during a meeting with PM Sharif in New York last month had adopted an undiplomatic attitude toward the Pakistani leader. He said Pakistan is not in talks with the US on limiting its nuclear deterrence against India.

Meanwhile, commenting on the U.S.-Pakistan ties, The New York Times noted that Obama, like his predecessor George W. Bush before him, “is trying to balance pressure on Pakistan with signs that Washington still considers it a vital ally.”

The US Congress, a report in the paper said, was notified just days ago about the proposed sale of the additional fighters, although it is not clear if the White House plans to announce the sale of the aircraft during the visit.

The paper cites the Federation of American Scientists, a leading American group that monitors the spread of nuclear weapons, claims that Pakistan has expanded its arsenal to 110 to 130 warheads, up from a range of 90 to 110 four years ago.

While those figures show a steady but expected increase, the group estimated that by 2025 the figure would rise to 220 to 250 warheads. That would make Pakistan the world’s fifth-largest nuclear power, behind the United States, Russia, China and France, but ahead of Britain, which is shrinking its arsenal, said the report.

“It is the nature, not the size, of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal that tops Mr.

Obama’s agenda. Over the past two weeks, officials in Washington have said they are exploring whether a deal might be possible to halt the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons that American experts fear are vulnerable to being launched without authorisation, or stolen, on the battlefield,” the report said.

Until earlier this week Pakistani officials had said nothing about the program, although the foreign secretary, Aizaz Chadhary, told reporters on Tuesday that the country had built “low-yield nuclear weapons” to counter India.

The Times said it is unlikely that either side will talk publicly about nuclear weapons on Thursday, but Obama plans to raise the issue at length, according to administration officials.

Selling Pakistan more arms, however, is an issue that is often discussed more publicly to signal that Pakistan is acting in its role as a “major non-NATO ally,” the paper said referring to the designation Mr. Bush bestowed after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The new aircraft, whose sale could be blocked by Congress, would add to Pakistan’s already sizable force of fighter jets — it has more than 70 F16s and dozens of French and Chinese attack aircraft, it said. “But perhaps of equal importance to supporters and critics alike is the symbolic value of the sale to an ally whose relationship with the United States has been marked by long stretches of acrimony in recent years.”

Six Shia children among 10 killed by suicide bomber in Balochistan CHILDREN WERE PLAYING IN THE YARD WHEN SUICIDE BOMBER DETONATED EXPLOSIVES AFTER BEING STOPPED BY SECURITY FROM ENTERING PRAYER HALL QUETTA STAFF REPORT

A suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque killing at least 10 Shia Muslims, including six children, and wounded 12 others in Bagh tehsil of Kachhi district, 300kms from Quetta.

The attack took place as Shias gathered at the mosque to observe Muharram. “At least 10 people were killed and 12 others were wounded after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shia mosque,” provincial home minister Sarfraz Bugti told AFP. Local administration official Mo-

hammad Waseem confirmed the attack and death toll. Rescue workers and law enforcers reached the site, and shifted the deceased and injured to nearby hospitals.

Bugti said there were six children between 10 and 12 years old among the dead and that some women had also been killed. He added that the death toll may rise. Witness Bashir Khan told AFP the bomber was trying to get inside the mosque hall but was intercepted by security after which he blew himself up in the courtyard of the mosque where children were playing.

“There is blood spattered all over, pieces of human flesh and shoes are lit-

tered everywhere,” Khan said.

“The people put the wounded in private cars and took them to other towns as there is no hospital here,” he added. Chalghri is a remote area lacking

proper infrastructure.

“There are no ambulances to transport the victims to hospitals,” eyewitnesses said, adding the dead and injured were shifted via private vehicles.

21 TERRORISTS KILLED IN TIRAH AIR STRIKES PESHAWAR: At least 21 suspected terrorists were killed in air strikes in the Rajgal and Kukikhel areas of Khyber Agency’s Tirah Valley close to the PakAfghan border late Wednesday night, an Inter-Services Public Relations statement said. Khyber Agency and North Waziristan are among Pakistan’s seven semiautonomous tribal districts near the Afghan border, rife with homegrown insurgents and foreign militants. These areas have also been considered home to religious extremist organizations, including al Qaeda and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Another ISPR statement said that multiple suspected militants were killed by a drone strike carried out by the indigenously produced ‘Burraq’ drone in South Waziristan Agencu on Thursday. “A drone strike by a ‘Burraq’ drone was carried out in South Waziristan and targeted terrorists’ hideouts,” stated ISPR. It is pertinent to mention that this is the second confirmed drone strike by a Pakistani manufactured ‘Burraq’ drone. The armed drone was used for the first time since its development in November 2013. STAFF REPORT

PAKISTAN TO BECOME FIFTH LARGEST NUCLEAR POWER BY 2025: REPORT WASHINGTON: A US-based think tank has estimated that Pakistan will become the fifth largest nuclear power by 2025 based on its nuclear warheads development performance over the past 20 years, and its current weapons deployments. In a new report released by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, two authoritative nuclear analysts, Hans M Kristensen and Robert S. Norris, estimated that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons stockpile has increased to between 110 and 130 warheads from an estimated 90 to 110 in 2011. The analysts foresee it possibly expanding further to 220 to 250 warheads in another 10 years.

That would make Pakistan the world s fifth largest nuclear weapons state behind the United States, Russia, China, and France.

Kristensen and Norris said Pakistan appears to have six nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in its arsenal, three more than it had in 2011. At least two other nuclear-capable ballistic missiles and two new cruise missiles, the ground-launched Babur (Hatf-7) and the air-launched Raad (Hatf-8), are in development, they said, adding that they see signs that Pakistan is also developing a nuclear weapon, possibly a cruise missile, for deployment on submarines. The report comes at a time when US President Barack Obama is welcoming Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the White House on Thursday for talks expected to touch on US financial assistance to Islamabad and the prospects for Pakistani acceptance of limits on the scope of its nuclear weapons arsenal. The US-Pakistan relationship has been rocky over the years, not least because of US concerns about the growth of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. The US is interested in moving Pakistan toward an arrangement limiting the scope of its nuclear stockpile, but there are few signs that any breakthrough is in sight. INP

PAKISTAN’S UNFINISHED WAR AGAINST EXTREMISM ISLAMABAD AGENCIES

A palpable sense of security is returning to Pakistan as a crackdown on militancy bears fruit, but critics warn the government has not taken long-term steps to tackle the underlying scourge of extremist Islam.

At home, an army offensive against extremists and a grand “National Action Plan” (NAP) to rein in militancy have seen a drop in attacks this year, while recent Supreme Court rulings on blasphemy have encouraged moderates that the establishment is willing to take a stand against religious intolerance.

Emboldened Pakistanis are once again attending public gatherings, culminating in this year’s Independence Day in August, which saw thousands attending celebrations in Karachi — where Taliban “no-go” areas have recently been liberated by police. “It is extremely peaceful

now,” Mohammad Ameen, a 30-year-old mechanic from Karachi told AFP. “Before, everyone was worried, fearful… but now things have changed.”

Things began in earnest in June of last year when the army launched a longawaited offensive against militants in the tribal areas of North Waziristan.

And in December Islamabad unleashed the NAP amid a wave of outrage after Taliban militants massacred 154 people at a Peshawar school, most of them children. A six-year moratorium on the death penalty was lifted and the constitution was amended to allow military courts to try those accused of carrying out attacks.

The combined results, so far, are persuasive: in 2013 there were 170 reported attacks killing 1,202 people, while in 2014 the figures stood at 110 reported attacks killing 644, according to an AFP tally. The total number of blasts so far this year, however, has dropped to 36 with 211 dead.

Gratitude towards the army has even spawned a viral hashtag lauding the powerful military chief, #ThankYouRaheelSharif. The crackdown has seemingly prompted several institutions to confront extremist elements openly — judicially and otherwise.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence for Mumtaz Qadri, feted by militants after he murdered a politician who sought blasphemy law reform, in a judgement moderates hailed as a blow against religious extremism.

Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan, and courts previously judged such cases “in fear”, said Zohra Yusuf, chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

“Now they will decide these matters without any fear,” she commented.

Perhaps the most high-profile change under the NAP has been the resumption of executions, which has seen the state go on

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a hangings spree. Though official figures are not available, rights groups and an AFP tally estimate that more than 250 people have been executed since December.

However, critics question the efficacy of the hangings, with Amir Rana, a leading security analyst and columnist, estimating just 25 of those executed had actually been convicted of terror charges.

At any rate, recent research by the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) suggests that death is no deterrent for militants. “Many of the extremist terrorists that the executions have seemingly been revived for are individuals who… are committed to dying for their cause,” wrote the paper’s author Najam U Din. Analysts have cited one area listed under the NAP’s 20-point agenda where government action could have more impact: Pakistan’s Islamic seminaries, or madrassas. With little oversight of what was being taught to the children enrolled

in them and accusations of foreign funding, fears grew after Peshawar that some were breeding grounds for intolerance — or even extremism.

But, said security analyst Rana, little has been done. “The government lacks the courage to formulate a permanent strategy to bring religious seminaries under complete control,” he said.

“They fear that the religious groups will come out in streets and resist.”

In Peshawar, where the school massacre was Pakistan’s worst ever terror attack, citizens are enjoying the effects of the crackdown, but remain cautious.

“I had stopped going to the mosque for prayers… as so many bombings were taking place. Now I feel safe and take family and kids to the park and picnic places on weekends,” said marble stone dealer Javed Ali. “Since around 2014 the security situation has improved — but I cannot say it is ideal.”

Friday, 23 October, 2015

NEWS

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ShariF getS obama to Say kaShmir, promiSeS jihadiS in retUrn US PRESIDENT AND PAKISTANI PM URGE AFGHAN TALIBAN LEADERS TO INITIATE TALKS WITH KABUL WASHINGTON

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xPRESSING shared commitment to advance an Afghanowned and Afghan-led reconciliation process, US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday called on Taliban leaders to enter into direct talks with Kabul for a sustainable peace settlement.

The two leaders also voiced concern over violence along the Line of Control, which divides the disputed Kashmir region between Pakistan and India, and stressed that improvement in the two countries’ bilateral relations would greatly enhance prospects for lasting peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.

Quite significantly, the two leaders emphasized the importance of a sustained and resilient dialogue process between the two neighbors aimed at resolving all outstanding territorial and other disputes, including Kashmir, through peaceful means and working together to address mutual concerns of India and Pakistan regarding terrorism.

It may be recalled that the Joint Declaration issued after Obama and Sharif’s first meeting in 2013 made no mention of Kashmir. Thursday’s statement not only expressed concern over LoC violence, but both leaders also urged dialogue to resolve the longstanding Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

Days after reversing his plan on the US troops’ withdrawal, President Obama received Prime Minister Sharif at the White House to review the situation in the war-torn country, besides discussing a whole-range of bilateral and regional issues, including the ongoing tension be-

VOICE CONCERN OVER LOC VIOLENCE, URGE DIALOGUE FOR KASHMIR RESOLUTION tween the nuclear-armed neighbors Pakistan and India.

President Obama and Prime Minister Sharif renewed their common resolve to promote peace and stability throughout the region and reaffirmed commitment to promote the dialogue process between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban, according to the Joint Statement.

President Obama commended Pakistan for hosting and facilitating the first public talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in July 2015 that was disrupted after a disclosure about the death of Supreme Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. The US leader acknowledged the opportunity presented by Pakistan’s willingness to facilitate a reconciliation process that would help end insurgent violence in Afghanistan.

President Obama is increasingly looking towards Pakistan to help use whatever influence it has on Taliban leaders to resume the reconciliation process, after being forced to alter his much touted pledge to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan before he leaves the White House next year.

About 10,000 troops would now stay throughout the 2016, fighting the longest war in the US history, with their number coming down to 5,500 in the following years. As Prime Minister Sharif reaffirmed that Pakistan’s territory will not be used against any other country and noted that this is an obligation of all countries in the region, both leaders agreed that regional peace and stability required the prevention of attacks across the PakistanAfghanistan border.

Sharif outlined the actions that Pakistan is taking under the National Action Plan to ensure that the Taliban – including the Haqqani Network – are unable to op-

SHARIF ASSURES ACTION AGAINST HAQQANI NETWORK, LASHKAR-ETAYYABA, SEEKS US COOPERATION AGAINST PAKISTANI TALIBAN

erate from the soil of Pakistan, the joint statement said.

The leaders reaffirmed that coordinated management of the PakistanAfghanistan border and orderly return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan are fundamental to enhancing security.

Stressing the need of improvement in Pakistan-India bilateral relations, the two leaders expressed concern over violence along the LoC, and noted their support for confidence-building measures and effective mechanisms that are acceptable to both parties.

The leaders emphasized the importance of a sustained and resilient dialogue process between the two neighbors aimed at resolving all outstanding territorial and other disputes, including Kashmir, through peaceful means and working together to address mutual concerns of India and Pakistan regarding terrorism.

In this context, Sharif apprised Pakistan’s resolve to take effective action against United Nations-designated terrorist individuals and entities, including

US WANTS PAKISTAN’S SUPPORT ON AFGHAN RECONCILIATION, ENSURE NUCLEAR SAFETY

Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and its affiliates, as per its international commitments and obligations under UN Security Council resolutions and the Financial Action Task Force.

Hours ahead of the meeting, The New York Times said that Washington planned to bolster its vital relationship with Pakistan through a sale of new F-16 fighter jets, indicating that the Obama Administration relies greatly on Pakistan to achieve stability in Afghanistan.

The US Administration’s gesture and a series of meetings between Sharif and US cabinet members on advancing economic, trade and energy cooperation clearly reflect an improvement in the relationship, which suffered setbacks over many controversies during the height of the Afghan war, particularly the frequent use of drone strikes, Taliban’s ability to operate across the border, discovery of Osama bin Laden in an Abbottabad compound in 2011 and the US Navy SEAL raid that took out the Al-Qaeda chief.

But since then, the two countries have worked hard to improve the relationship

PAKISTAN TO MAINTAIN NUCLEAR DETERRENCE

and recent developments indicate a positive trajectory, according to Pakistan’s ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani.

From the US perspective Afghanistan is a top concern at the moment as President Obama wants to show progress before leaving office in January 2017. Just weeks ago, Obama altered the troops withdrawal plan from Afghanistan in the wake of Taliban’s surprising takeover of Kunduz city – first such setback since the US invaded the landlocked country in the aftermath of 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Obama, giving up on the promise to end the wars he inherited, announced that 10,000 troops would stay in Afghanistan.

But welcoming Sharif, Obama stressed that the relationship between the two countries was not confined to security cooperation.

“The United States and Pakistan have a long-standing relationship. We work and cooperate on a whole host of issues. Not just on security matters, but also on economic and scientific and educational affairs,” Obama said at the top of the meeting.

“We’re looking forward to using this meeting as an opportunity to further deepen the relationship between the United States and Pakistan,” Obama stated in the Oval Office.

For his part, Sharif voiced agreement with the US leader, hoping “to further strengthen and solidify this relationship.”

Nuclear security is also likely to feature in the talks, as per American media reports that claim the United States is concerned about Pakistan’s development of low-yield tactical weapons. Pakistani officials have rejected the notion that Islamabad is in talks with the US on limiting its nuclear deterrence capability, and says it is meant only to ward off the threat of Indian aggression.

US PLEDGES $70M FOR GIRLS US MOST RELEVANT EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN THIRD PARTY FOR RESOLVING WASHINGTON SPECIAL COREESPONDENT

The Obama administration will announce a new partnership with Pakistan to promote education for girls thereby doubling spending on schools and boosting female enrollment, according to a senior US official, the Los Angeles Times reported.

A report in the paper says that Pakistan plans to increase the number of female teachers, build boundary walls, and make other accommodations to allow women and girls to teach and learn alongside men and boys.

The US will pledge $70 million to the cause and will cooperate with Pakistan to increase the ranks of girls in school by more than 200,000.

According to the paper, an announcement is expected after a meeting between

President Obama and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday at the White House.

“The agreement came partly at the urging of First Lady Michelle Obama, whose signature Let Girls Learn initiative is designed to help adolescent girls around the world attend school and complete their education,” the paper reported.

South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Japan have already joined in the effort. Officials consider the new promises from Pakistan to be a significant step toward helping disenfranchised girls get an education.

“Empowering girls and ensuring them access to quality education has long-term, transformational benefits for their future, for their families and communities, and for Pakistan’s economic prosperity overall,” a senior administration official told Times.

biden laUdS pakiStan’S role in war againSt terroriSm WASHINGTON: US Vice President Joe Biden lauded on Thursday Pakistan’s role in war against terrorism. During his meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Washington, where he is on a four-day official visit, Biden appreciated the government’s role in war against terrorism, vowing US cooperation until objectives were achieved. The premier informed Biden about the government’s priorities and economic reforms carried out since the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) came into power. “Pakistan has made remarkable economic progress in last two years,” Sharif was quoted as saying. The two leaders also discussed Pakistan-US relations, expressing the resolve for working on peace and prosperity in the region. APP

KASHMIR ISSUE: SHARIF PM TELLS US SENATORS PAKISTAN COMMITTED TO ENHANCING COORDINATION WITH AFGHANISTAN TO COUNTER TERRORISM AND PROMOTING PEACE AND RECONCILIATION IN WAR-TORN COUNTRY WASHINGTON SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

The United States would be the most relevant third party that could intervene to help resolve outstanding issues, including Kashmir, between India and Pakistan, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has told US senators.

Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Bob Corker along with Ranking Member Senator Ben Cardin received the prime minister and his delegation at the Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon — the second day of his visit to Washington, said a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The premier briefed the meeting — which was attended by several senior members of the committee — about his recent peace initiative towards India announced in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) session.

Members of Senate noted the prime minister’s proposal that given India’s resistance to bilaterally resolve out-

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standing issues including Kashmir, it would be imperative to have third party intervention for which the US would be most relevant, said the handout.

On the same day, Pakistan handed over three dossiers to US Secretary of State John Kerry on India’s involvement in subversive activities in the country. Outlining his vision of a peaceful neighbourhood, Sharif reiterated his government’s commitment to remain engaged with the Afghan leadership to enhance mutual coordination in dealing with the common challenges of terrorism and promoting peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.

Thanking the Senate committee for their consistent support to democracy, security cooperation and economic development in Pakistan, Sharif briefed the members about his economic reforms agenda that led to reviving the economy and upgrading Pakistan’s economic outlook in recent months, the statement said.

The prime minister also briefed members on the ongoing efforts to re-

habilitate the Temporarily Dislocated Persons (TDPs) back in their homes in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) following the clearing of areas by successful military operations.

Appreciating the provision of counter-terrorism assistance by the US Congress, Prime Minister Sharif said that due to the successful operations of Pakistani security forces, militants’ command and control infrastructure in Pakistan had been destroyed and the ability of militants to plan or conduct any major attack had been significantly diminished.

Responding to questions by members of the US Congress, the premier remarked that Zarb-e-Azb had achieved its initial targets and entered a decisive phase. Members of the US Congress emphasised that Pakistan was an important country in the region and the US looked forward to engaging with Pakistan to advance the goals of regional peace and stability.

The senators also assured Sharif of continued support by the US Congress in complimenting Pakistan’s efforts to stimulate people-centred growth and eliminating militancy and extremism from the region.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is among the important standing committees of the US Congress with the mandate to oversee US foreign policy.

04 NEWS

Friday, 23 October, 2015

EX-INDIAN ARMY CHIEF COMPARES DALIT KILLINGS TO ‘THROWING STONE AT A DOG’

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NEWS DESK

ORMER Indian army chief and Union Minister General VK Singh has prompted severe backlash from fellow countrymen over his ‘racist’ remarks regarding recent Dalit killings in Faridabad, the largest city in the north Indian state of Haryana. In a recent speech in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Singh compared the killing of two Dalit toddlers to “throwing stones at a dog”, sparking countrywide outrage, with opposition parties demanding his immediate sacking from the Ministry of External Affairs, which he heads.

“See, the thing is, never associate local incidents with the sarkar [central government]. There is an inquiry going on. There was a dispute between families.

The dispute… how did it turn out… where did the administration fail, after these it come to the Centre,” the ex-army chief said, adding “For everything… like if somebody throws a stone at a dog, then the government is responsible.. it is not like that.” The remarks come in the wake of recent upsurge in extremist violence in

India which has been on upward trajectory since the ruling Bharatia Janata Party (BJP) seized power in May last year.

On October 20, two Dalit children were burnt alive while their mother sustained burns and is in a critical condition, when their house was set on fire in Haryana’s Faridabad district.

“It is condemnable, it is shocking, it is inhumane to say the least. General V K Singh has insulted not only the entire Dalit community of this country but all Indians.

It reflects the mind-set of the Modi government which insults Dalits, which insults the minorities and looks down upon the people who are poor and downtrodden,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in Delhi. The spokesperson further demanded that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sack Singh and tender an apology on his behalf. “A criminal case should be registered against the minister under Prevention of Atrocities on Schedule Castes Act,” The Indian Express quoted the Congress leader as saying.

“To recall the prime minister of India [Modi] made a similar analogy about two years back in an interview to Reuters

Indian extremists assault Austrian tourist couple in Assam ASSAM: In a second incident of tourist torture, an Austrian couple was allegedly harassed by an unruly mob in the Indian State of Assam on Thursday. The couple reached Assam after completing their China, Iran, Mongolia, Russia and Nepal tour. They were sleeping in their car when some extremist Indians spotted them and assaulted them, breaking the front pane of the vehicle. Police have yet not arrested any of the culprits. Earlier, a group of people assaulted an Australian couple at a restaurant in Bangalore.

They threatened to skin the young man’s leg, for sporting a tattoo of Hindu goddess on his skin. The couple was detained by the city police and forced to apologise for ‘hurting religious sentiments’ of the people. There is growing outcry in India over the rising intolerance in the society. INP

when he said that if a pup gets crushed under the wheels of a car that needs to be emphasised too. That remark was in the context of the Gujarat pogrom,” he said, referring to 2002 Gujrat riots, which claimed the lives of over 2,000 people – mostly Muslims.

Meanwhile, Singh had to clarify his statement, saying it was “not intended to draw an analogy between the Faridabad

incident and stoning of a dog.”

“My statement wasn’t intended to draw an analogy. My men and I put our lives on the line for the nation irrespective of caste, creed and religion,” he said in a Twitter message to his followers.

“As citizens of this great nation we are sensitive but also responsible. Agenda of India is bigger than any single neighbourhood or individual,” he added.

Seven Pakistanis arrested for ‘stealing credit card information’ in UAE Seven Pakistanis have been arrested in Sharjah and Dubai for allegedly stealing credit card data and offering 50% discount to customers on bill payments. Explaining the modus operandi of the gang, Director of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Sharjah Mussbah Al Ajill told the Khaleej Times that they would hunt for potential clients and offer them 50% discount on their bills. The criminals would then allegedly use the stolen credit card data to make full payment and charge 50% from their customers. “For instance, if someone had a mobile phone bill of Dh1,000, the suspects would charge just Dh500 to make the payment in full,” said Al Ajill, adding that the alleged criminals also used the stolen details to make online purchases. The arrests were made after one of the victims became aware of the unsolicited payments made using his credit card after receiving a SMS notification from his bank and lodged a police complaint against unknown persons. Later, one of the suspects was identified by a team of CID officers during the course of investigation. He was arrested, and led the police to the arrest of the other suspects. Reportedly, the gang members confessed before the police that they had made a deal with someone based outside the UAE, who would provide them stolen bank data to make online purchases. Five of the suspects were arrested by CID Sharjah, while the other two were arrested in Dubai in coordination with the Dubai Police. NEWS DESK

ABSAR ALAM APPOINTED AS PEMRA CHAIRMAN ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday appointed senior journalist Absar Alam as chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA). The appointment was made on advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and an official notification in this regard will be issued in a day or two. Alam, a senior career journalist, has worked with a number of media groups in Pakistan.

PEMRA is a government body established in 2002 to facilitate and regulate electronic media in the country. STAFF REPORT

AFGHAN TALIBAN REJECT REPORTS OF JOINING HANDS WITH TTP ISLAMABAD: Afghan Taliban on Thursday denied all the reports suggesting they had joined hands with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to carry out joint operations. According to BBC, the clarification came after the TTP sent a supposed email to media, suggesting both the groups had decided to “launch joint operations for the supremacy of Islam and the interest of the Muslims.” “The leadership of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan have agreed to carry out joint activities under one flag,” the statement added, further claiming the joint military drills of the two groups were underway. Meanwhile, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid termed the email as fake. “We have not struck a deal with any group,” Mujahid said. “We have no plans to join any group, and all such reports are just rumours.” INP

TEACHER KILLED, PUPILS HURT IN SWORD ATTACK ON SWEDEN SCHOOL

WASHINGTON: Maryum Nawaz Sharif speaking at “Let Girls Learn” event hosted by US First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House on Thursday.

TI seeks action against illegitimate appointment of TDAP chief ISLAMABAD: The Transparency International (TI) on Thursday asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take notice of the illegitimate appointment of chief executive officer (CEO) of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP). In a letter sent to the premier, TI chief Sohail Muzaffar said that TDAP Chief S M Muneer had been appointed on the basis of cronyism, violating all rules and

regulations. “His age, education and nationality are against the criteria of appointment of a person as CEO under the TDAP Act 2013, as a trade politician and businessman cannot be CEO of TDAP.” The letter pointed out that Muneer was the TDAP CEO and member of the board of export processing zone, hence holding two government jobs. The letter said that the TDAP chief had not

only been using his clout for politics but had also been using state resources to get political mileage while issuing statements against the government and organising strikes against the government’s policies. Copies of the letter have also been sent to the National Accountability Bureau chairman, establishment secretary, law secretary and the Supreme Court. ONlINE

STOCKHOLM: A masked man brandishing a sword broke into a school in Sweden on Thursday, killing a teacher and seriously wounding three other people, two of them children, before being shot by police. The attack took place in the southwestern town of Trollhattan at a school for children aged between six and 15.

“One teacher has died at the scene,” local health officials said.

Two boys, aged 11 and 15, were in critical condition with stab wounds, while another teacher who was seriously wounded in the attack was also being operated on, hospital staff said. The assailant, a man in his 20s who was shot by police at the scene, was also in critical condition they said.

Police were alerted about the incident at 10:10am (0810 GMT) and have already identified the attacker. They have not disclosed any information about him and the motive for the attack remains unclear.

Media reports said the assailant was wearing a Star Wars mask, and school children initially thought it was a prank or a Halloween costume. AGENCIES

Gilani a target of political victimization, says counsel KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Advocate Farooq H. Naek on Thursday, acting counsel to former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, claimed the PPP leader was a target of political victimisation. Naek said that there are now 21 cases against Gilani, of which he has received bail in 12. “The same allegations have been repeated in 9 cases ─ that Zubair took Rs 5 million to give to Gi-

lani.” “False cases have been cooked up. This is political victimisation,” he said, adding, “They say this money was deposited somewhere, but Yousuf’s signature is not on any bank account deposit slip.”

“As Gilani said, they are going to make more cases along the same accusations.

This is harassment. It is victimisation when you harass someone who has remained a prime minister, speaker and minister. As far as cases go, Gilani has

been present for every hearing out of respect for the court, and will continue to attend court hearings.”

He said that, Institutions are being taken advantage of, whether they were the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) or the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), they should be strengthened rather than abused.

When asked why no party apart from the PPP was being held accountable, Yousuf Raza Gilani replied, “As far as

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NAB is concerned, the institution was not created by the PPP when I became PM. Every prime minister tries to keep power and institutions like NAB with himself in order to victimise others ... I said we will create an institution for accountability such that no one would be able to point fingers at it … So that if anyone is punished, no one should say they are being treated unfairly,” he said.

Gilani and Naek spoke to the press outside court following the hearing of a

corruption case against the former prime minister. The court on Thursday listened to arguments on Gilani’s interim pre-arrest bail. Naek said Gilani was being framed in the cases. The prosecution lawyer said the government had evidence of corruption and opposed his interim pre-arrest bail.

An anti-corruption court reserved its order on the interim pre-arrest bail of the former prime minister in a number of new cases pertaining to the TDAP scam. After a reviewing arguments from both sides, Judge Muhammad Azeem reserved the order on Gilani till the next date, Nov 19, for confirmation or otherwise.

Friday, 23 October, 2015

NEWS

Hike in global iS attackS in paSt 3 montHS: analyStS LONDON

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AGENCIES

major increase in violence by the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group saw over 1,000 attacks and nearly 3,000 deaths worldwide in the past three months, analysis firm IHS Jane’s said Thursday.

The figures show a 42 per cent jump in daily attacks by the militant group, averaging 11.8 per day from July to September, up from 8.3 per day between April and June. The figures suggest that air strikes by the United States-led coalition have had only a limited impact on the group. The London-based analysis

ISRAELI SOLDIERS KILL JEWISH MAN AFTER MISTAKING HIM FOR PALESTINIAN

firm recorded 1,086 IS attacks, causing a total of 2,978 civilian and government fatalities ─ a huge 65.3pc increase in the average daily killings by the group compared to the previous three months, and an 81pc jump on one year earlier. IHS Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre uses open sources to compile their database, and said IS likely carried out far more attacks that could not be verified.

“While the air strikes and wider coalition efforts have put the group under significant pressure, it is seemingly still some way from being sufficiently weakened to allow the recapture of territory, let alone be defeated,” Matthew Henman, head of the Terrorism and Insurgency Centre, told AFP.

Boko HARAm’S coNtRIButIoN: The figures reflect the inclusion of Nigeria’s brutal Boko Haram militant group, which declared allegiance to IS in March. Renamed Wilayat Gharb Afriqiyah, the group’s attacks were the deadliest of any IS affiliate. “This underlines the nature of the group’s insurgency in Nigeria and several bordering countries, with its operations characterised by mass-casualty operations targeting the civilian population in the group’s northeast operational heartland,” Henman said.The new figures also reflect changes in the type of combat over the summer in Iraq and Syria, which still account for the vast majority of IS activity.

After capturing some key areas ─

UNESCO APPROVES ARAB RESOLUTION CRITICISING ISRAEL JERUSALEM AGENCIES

JERUSALEM AGENCIES

A Jewish man was shot and killed in a scuffle with Israeli soldiers who suspected he was a Palestinian attacker, police said Thursday, in a reflection of the jittery mood that has gripped Israelis amid a spate of near-daily stabbings. The shooting came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Germany for talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry on how to restore calm.

Kerry is set to meet with the Palestinians this weekend. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said soldiers deployed in Jerusalem demanded late Wednesday that the man show them his ID. The man refused, scuffled with the soldiers and then attempted to seize one of their weapons. A private security guard nearby shot the man, and one soldier also opened fire. The man later died of his wounds. Police said the soldiers claimed the man had asked to see their IDs and proclaimed, “I am ISIS,” referring to the Islamic State militant group. “The soldiers had high suspicions that he was a terrorist,” Rosenfeld said.

Police later said the man was a 28-year-old Jewish resident of Jerusalem, without providing further details. The Palestinian attacks have Israelis on edge. Several politicians have urged licensed gun owners to carry their weapons with them, and there have been several bloody accidents. In one case, an Israeli man stabbed a fellow Jew, thinking his victim was an Arab because of his dark skin. And earlier this week, a private security guard shot an Eritrean migrant he thought was an attacker during a bus station shooting. As the Eritrean lay on the ground, a mob of people cursed him, kicked him and hit him with objects. He later died of his wounds. Police said the autopsy showed the man died from gunshot wounds and that four suspects arrested for their role in the beating were released on bail following a court appearance.

Opposition legislator Tzipi Livni accused hard-line politicians of fomenting a climate of fear and danger with their calls for people to arm themselves. “This is not the Wild West,” she told Israeli Army Radio.

“The suspicion there is now, the fear and the hate lead to brutal and very difficult results.” Israelis have scrambled to purchase pepper spray for self-defense, and stores and restaurants are empty. Israel has beefed up security, deploying hundreds of soldiers to back up thousands of police officers. Police have erected concrete barriers and checkpoints at the entrances to Arab areas of east Jerusalem, where many of the attackers are from. Many Palestinian residents of Jerusalem have been afraid to leave their homes for fear of getting mixed up with vigilante mobs or being mistaken for an attacker. In new violence Thursday, police said two Palestinians stabbed an Israeli at a bus stop after they tried to board a bus ferrying children to school.

including the Iraqi city of Ramadi and Syria’s Palmyra earlier this year ─ the group focused on defending them from government forces and rival insurgent groups. This meant an increase in “frequent, low-level, close-quarters engagements”, rather than the previous focus on mass-casualty attacks used to seize territory. Overall, IS did not make any major territorial advances during the three-month period, though it did announce a new branch ─ known as a “wilaya” ─ in Saudi Arabia in August.

It has previously announced wilayas in Afghanistan-Pakistan, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Russia’s North Caucasus and Nigeria, in addition to the group’s operational heartland in Iraq and Syria.

The UN’s cultural body approved a resolution from a group of Arab states on Wednesday criticising Israel for failing to protect heritage sites and rebuild regions destroyed by war.

The final version of the draft resolution was changed at the last minute to remove a controversial clause saying the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the holiest site at which Jews can pray, is an “integral part” of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound. Israel had denounced the clause as “a clear endeavour to distort history” and on Wednesday criticised the new resolution. The flashpoint compound, which is considered sacred to both Islam and Judaism, is located in the southeastern corner of the Old City in Israeli-occupied east Jerusalem. Muslims call it Al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) while Jews rever it as the Temple Mount which housed the First and

Second Temples. Clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters at the compound in September are widely thought to have led to the current wave of deadly violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories. The resolution approved on Wednesday — which was drafted by Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates — condemns Israeli actions at the compound, including restricting access to Muslim worshippers during Eid celebrations last month on security grounds. It was supported by 26 of the 58 member countries on Unesco’s executive board, while 25 members abstained.

It was opposed by six countries: the United States, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Estonia, and one member was absent. The resolution “deeply deplores the recent repression in East Jerusalem, and the failure of Israel, the Occupying Power, to cease the persistent excavations and works in

CHINA MEDIA LAUD XI’S BRITISH VISIT BEIJING AGENCIES

Chinese media Thursday trumpeted President Xi Jinping’s visit to Britain, running triumphant coverage of the trip at odds with Western accusations that London has sold out to the Asian giant.

Editorial pages in the United States and Britain have lambasted Downing Street for abandoning human rights concerns in favour of improved trade relations with the world’s second largest economy, but Chinese state media praised British “pragmatism”.

Front pages across the country featured glamorous pictures of President Xi Jinping and first lady Peng Liyuan with British politicians and royalty, opulently illustrating what the governments have described as a “new golden era” between the nations.

The “ultra-state visit” put on for Xi featured the best of everything, according to a breathless commentary in the overseas edition of the People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official mouthpiece, which portrayed the trip as the start of a beautiful friendship. Britain is seeking increased trade, investment and international influence from its

relationship with China, it said, and “the two countries should eliminate all disturbances, and seize the moment to deepen the development of their bilateral relations”. It suggested that London may in the future even support Beijing on the UN Security Council. British business deals with China, including in such sensitive sectors as nuclear power, should set an example for other countries, according to an editorial in the Global Times, which is close to the ruling party.

The tone is dramatically different to Chinese media declarations when relations between the two countries soured after Prime Minister David Cameron met the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama during a 2012 visit to London. That tete-a-tete “hurt the feelings of the Chinese people”, Beijing said, and the chairman of China’s legislature, Wu Bangguo, abruptly cancelled a trip to Britain. The high-level freeze lasted for over a year. When Prime Minister David Cameron travelled to China in 2013 hoping to patch up relations, an editorial in the Global Times mocked Britain for being “an old European country”, useful only for “travel and study”.

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East Jerusalem particularly in and around the Old City.” It also calls for the “prompt reconstruction of schools, universities, cultural heritage sites, cultural institutions, media centres and places of worship that have been destroyed or damaged by the consecutive Israeli wars on Gaza.” The new resolution was criticised by Israeli Interior Minister Silvan Shalom, who was on a visit to Paris at the time.

“Unesco is a very, very hostile organisation towards Israel. Unfortunately most of the votes are against Israel,” Shalom told a press conference, referring to the fact that Arab states frequently team up for resolutions against the country. He said Israel would remain firmly opposed to the idea of introducing new inspectors at the Temple Mount, as demanded by previous resolutions.

“We are the ones who keep the status quo there,” said Shalom. “We give full access to everyone to go to their own holy sites.

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TRUMP SAYS HE WILL CONSIDER CLOSING SOME MOSQUES IN US US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would consider closing some mosques within the United States in order to fight the Islamic State (IS). Responding to a question whether he would follow new British proposals for countering extremism that include revoking passports of people who travel to fight with IS and shuttering mosques that support extremism, Trump responded, “I would do that, absolutely, I think it’s great.” “If you go out, you go fight for IS, you can’t come back. Why can’t you do it? You can do it here,” Trump’s said during an interview on Fox Business, according to the Washington Post. When asked, “Can you close a mosque? I mean, we do have religious freedom.” Trump said, “Well I don’t know, I mean, I haven’t heard about the closing of the mosque. It depends, if the mosque is, you know, loaded for bear, I don’t know.

You’re going to have to certainly look at it.” “But I can tell you one thing,” Trump said. “If somebody goes over and they want to fight for IS, they wouldn’t be coming back.” NEWS DESK

SYED ALI GEELANI ARRESTED IN IHK SRINAGAR: Police in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) on Thursday arrested senior Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, when he tried to visit the bereaved family of Zahid Rasool Butt in Islamabad in IHK, who was recently killed by Hindu extremists in Udhampur.

Geelani was arrested as he left his home in IHK by security forces, and is being held in Hamhama police station in Srinagar. The senior Hurriyat leader was greeted by a large number of people, some of whom were also arrested by Indian security forces from outside his residence. The leader had called for a march towards Botengoo, an area near Islamabad, to express solidarity with the family of Zahid Rasool Butt. Indian authorities have imposed a curfew and other restrictions in Srinagar, to stop the planned march and to contain protests.

Indian troops and security forces have been deployed in strength and barricades have been erected on all entry and exit points of Srinagar, with movements restricted for all. APP

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Friday, 23 October, 2015

WEATHER UPDATES

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PTI, PAT to launch joint movement against govt after LG polls SARWAR SAYS SOLID PROOF OF GOVT’S RIGGING TO BE BROUGHT BEFORE MEDIA THIS MONDAY LAHORE

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its rigging in the elections and massive corruption of the Punjab government in uplift projects.

At the conclusion, the two parties agreed to form a six-member coordination committee for which names for three representatives would be announced by each party in the next week.

After the talks, Sarwar and Gandapur told the media that the real face of the rulers had been exposed after the Model Town incident and the implication of the heirs of the martyred PAT workers by the court was a shameful act.

They complained that the names of the real culprits had not even been mentioned in the whole proceedings. They said the whole world saw the live coverage of the police brutality on PAT workers but the court did not even consider it while announcing its verdict. They said the Election Commission of Pakistan had depressed the nation when in the darkness of night thou-

Education in Punjab getting the makeover it needs: Shehbaz

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reviewed in detail the pace of progress of the Parho Punjab, Barho Punjab Programme under the Punjab Schools Reforms Roadmap, and decided to continue efforts for this purpose in a coordinated manner.

Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said that the target of enrolling every child of the province until 2018 has been fixed and hard work, determination and commitment is required for the achievement of this goal. He said that the target of providing quality education to all boy and girl of the

province also has to be achieved.

Similarly, he said that it has also been decided to enrol 2,500,000 male and female children by 2018, under the voucher scheme of the Punjab Education Foundation. He directed that special attention be paid to the training of teachers for the promotion of quality education in the province. He said that besides the training of teachers on modern lines at tehsil and district level, refresher courses should also be arranged. He said that there is also a need to pay attention to performance management.

Shehbaz Sharif directed that the provincial minister for education and secretary schools education take personal interest in the quality

training of teachers. He said that funds would continue to be provided by the provincial government for the promotion of quality education in the province. In a separate meeting, Shehbaz Sharif said that useless sit-ins staged last year caused a huge loss to the country and precious time of the nation was wasted through protest politics. However, he said that 180 million people of Pakistan would not allow anyone to undermine national interests through the politics of anarchy, as they know who is serving them and who is creating hurdles in public welfare projects. He said that the victory of Pakistan Muslim League-N in NA-122 has buried the allegation of so-called rigging.

OVER 1,500 OFFICERS REFUSE TO PERFORM DUTIES IN LB POLLS FAISALABAD INP

As many as 1,500 government officers on Thursday refused to perform duties assigned by concerned departments in the upcoming local bodies election in Faisalabad. The district government has sought a complete report along with a list of employees from the department and has directed the authorities to launch an investigation into the matter.

The staffers belonging to Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO), agriculture, Sui gas, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and regional tax department

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15 KILLED, 40 HURT AS PASSENGER COACH TURNS TURTLE NEAR KHANEWAL KHANEWAL: Fifteen passengers were killed and 40 others wounded when a speeding passenger coach turned turtle near Chorasi Bridge in Khanewal on Thursday. Rescuers rushed to the scene after the accident and started rescue efforts. The dead and the injured were shifted to nearby hospitals where an emergency was declared. Doctors at the hospitals said many of the wounded were in serious condition. They feared that the death toll might rise. STAFF REPORT

BANNED OUTFIT’S DEATH SQUAD HEAD BROUGHT BACK TO LAHORE

STAFF REPORT

HE Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) on Thursday announced to launch a movement after the October 31 local governments (LG) elections against what it called the government’s rigging, corruption and criminal attitude. This announcement came during Thursday’s meeting between PAT Secretary General Khurram Nawaz Gandapur and PTI Punjab Organiser Chaudhry Sarwar at the PAT Secretariat in Model Town where the two sides held an-hour-long talks on the current political situation in the country.

Sarwar was accompanied by PTI leader Aleem Khan while Basharat Jaspal, Saeed Rajpoot, Ch Ishtiaq and Raja Zahid represented the PAT. During the meeting, the two sides agreed to launch a movement against the government for its “criminal act” in the Model Town tragedy,

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showed discontentment over their given task.

According to sources, a case under Punjab Employees Efficiency Discipline and Accountability Act (PEEDA) would be filed against the officers for their refusal. The PEEDA Act helps to launch proceedings against the employees in government and corporate service in relation to their efficiency, discipline and accountability. It also assists in improving the work efficiency and competency of the workers.

Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) personnel, while reviewing its earlier proposed schedule, decided to hold the first phase of local bodies (LB) polls in Punjab

on October 31. The electoral exercise will be held in 12 districts of the Punjab. Polling for the second phase will be arranged on November 19 this year in Khanewal, Sahiwal, Toba Tek Singh, Chiniot, Sargodha, Mianwali, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, M.B.Din, Attock and Jhelum districts.

Moreover, the third phase will commence on December 5 in Lyyah, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bhawalpur, Rajan Pur, Rahim yar Khan, Multan, Rawalpindi, Muzaffar Garh, Narowal, Jhang and Khoshab.

Various religious parties had requested change in the date since Imam Hussain’s (RA) ‘Chehlum’ is going to be held on December 3.

sands of votes were transferred without bringing it to the knowledge of the contesting candidates.

They also argued that the action against corruption was not even-handed but selective. On the occasion, Sarwar thanked PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri and other leaders for their support and for withdrawing their candidates in favor of PAT candidates in NA-122 and PP-147. He said that his party would present solid proof against the government’s rigging in the elections before the media on October 26 (Monday).

He alleged that the NADRA and ECP had joined hands with the government, adding that a different set of voters list was provided to the PTI from the one given to the ruling PML-N’s candidates. He said if the ECP had not been planning to commit rigging than it should have issued duly-signed and attested voters lists to all the candidates.

LAHORE: Notorious terrorist and the head of the death squad of a banned outfit, Haroon Bhatti, who was detained in Dubai along with four accomplices, has been brought back to Lahore. Bhatti, a member of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’s founding bench and the head of a target killing group, was involved in the murders of prominent personalities and several terrorist attacks. His arrest has potentially thwarted major terrorist attacks, including the one he had planned on Muharram 10 in Lahore. CIA SSP Umar Virk said that the terrorist was still being interrogated. On the other hand, in the wake of outfit’s head claim, the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) has received directives to form teams for ensuring door-to-door search. It may be mentioned that Bhatti was involved in heinous crimes, including the attack on Allama Nasir Abbas on December 16, 2013. He was also found guilty in assassinations of eye specialist Ali Haider and his young son who were gunned down on February 18, 2013. Earlier, Punjab Police chief Mushtaq Sukhera declared as many as 12 districts of Punjab sensitive during the month of Muharram and said at least 2 lakh 658 personnel would perform their duties across the province on the occasion of Ashura. The districts declared sensitive included Lahore, Rawalpindi, Jhang, Rahim Yar Khan, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Bhakkar, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalnagar, Chakwal and Pakpattan. STAFF REPORT

LAHORE 07

Friday, 23 October, 2015

Katri Bawa Noha Khawans continue to mesmerise mourners on Ashura LAHORE

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HASSAAN AHMED

ATRI Bawa is a small area within the walled city of Lahore. Sitting near the Masti gate, the Mohalla is known for producing world-renowned Noha Khawans or elegy singers. A Noha Khawan typically sings about the events of Karbala during Muharram. Their skill and talent helps showcase some of the most important lessons learned from events that took places close to 1,400 years ago. Agha Hassan Raza Karbalayi recites elegies through the month of Muharram.

He has to take time off from his busy schedule as a banker, as he participates in events that take place all over the world.

Hassan feels proud of being a resident of the Katri Bawa Mohalla. This area has produced big names such as Hamid Ali Bela, Ustaad Ghulam Hassan Shaggan,

Rasheed Atray, Sain Akhtar Hussain and many more. Katri Bawa consists of about 100 families and most of them have been reciting elegies for many generations. The residents of this Mohalla are called “Rubabis” because their forefather Bhai Mardana - a close associate of Baba Gurru Nanak who used to play the “Rubab”. The people living there migrated from Amritsar after the partition, and the first elegy to be recited in the area took place in 1948. The Noha Khawans from this Mohalla often go on tours in order to recite during Muharram.

Hassan has been reciting for the past 35 years and writes lyrics for the Al-Abbas Noha Party. He told Pakistan Today that he has visited Iran, Iraq and Syria to perform during Majalis. He added that every year his party prepares new pieces for Muharram and this year they have brought three new pieces in the market. “The recitation was the tradition set by Imam Zain-ul-Abideen who was the son of

Hazrat Imam Hussain (R.A) and was the only male member of his family that was not martyred in the battle of Karbala,” Hassan said. Parvez Hassan Karbalyi who lives in the same Mohalla and has his own Noha party called Paigham-e-Hussain Pilla Party. He told Pakistan Today that his family has been reciting Nohas since the last four generations and everyone in this area has the skill in their blood.

He composes his tunes after getting lyrics from the poet and then rehearses it in a chorus with his other companions. Their chorus consists of five to ten people who recite during live mourning sessions.

Mohsin Abbas, a former president of Government College University’s music society told Pakistan today that he originally lives in Samanabad but every year comes to Katri Bawa during Muharram because his ancestors used to live here. He was of the view that the mesmerising atmosphere of this Mohalla compels him to come here

because every person of the Mohalla is a born artist. Musheer Abbas, who came from Saudi Arabia to partake in the processions, told Pakistan Today that he comes to Katri Bawa to mourn because of his family’s association with the area. He further added that 80 per cent of the population of Mohalla is Shia but the remaining Sunnis also have great esteem for Taaziyas and Majalis. Shahid Haider, nephew of legendary singer Hamid Ali Bela, told Pakistan Today that Mohalla Katri Bawa is famous even in England, Europe and America because the Shia community from those countries also ask for Noha Khawans from the area. “Even this Muharram, five of our people are performing in England during Majalis,” he said and added: “It is not my profession as I regard this practice as a part of my religion.” A huge meal is prepared in the Mohalla on Muharram 10 for the mourners of the main procession that come from Nisar Haveli.

HIT-AND-RUN CASE: DSP’S SON RELEASED ON COURT ORDERS LAHORE STAFF REPORT

A local court on Thursday ordered police to release of the underage son a police officer on bail in a case pertaining to killing of a media personnel, Rana Bilal, in a car accident on Monday.

Accused Talha, son of Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) Naveed Irshad, was presented in the court of Judicial Magistrate Model Town, Adnan Anjum who ordered the boy’s release as he was already on

bail till November 5. Earlier, Talha’s counsels argued before the court that police had detained their client ‘illegally’ as Talha was already granted pre-arrest bail in the case on Wednesday by an Additional District Session Judge and could not be arrested before November 5. The accused lawyers maintained that Talha went to Sattu Katla police station to assert his availability for investigation into the case but the police detained him and presented him in court.

The judicial magistrate then ordered the lawyers to produce the actual bail document before the court,

which they produced, thus the release orders were issued. Talha appeared in court with his father in a private car instead of police vehicle, which is the norm in such cases. He was booked in a First Information Report (FIR) regarding the murder of 28-year-old Rana Bilal, a non-linear editor of Channel 24. Bilal was on his way home by a motorbike when a speeding car hit him near Shadiwal Chowk. Bilal suffered critical injuries and died on the spot. Capital City Police Officer Amin Wains had later announced that Talha had been arrested and his vehicle seized.

Three of same HRCP slams THReaT To HeRiTage family killed in LAHORE: Describing the reported move rights must have been appalled at learning of new plans to destroy heritage property in destroy a part of the GPO building in road accident toLahore Lahore. It has been reported that a part of for the Orange Train project as KHANEWAL INP

Three members of a family were killed in a collision between a car and trailer Thursday morning.

According to police sources, the ill-fated car was going to Khanewal from Multan.

While over-taking a truck, it collided with a trailer coming from the opposite side in Kabirwala. The collision resulted in the death of three members of the same family, including a woman. Two others were injured. The rescue teams reached the spot and shifted the injured and deceased to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Kabirwala. The injured were later referred to Nishtar Hospital Multan due to their critical condition.

12 more food outlets sealed LAHORE APP

The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) during its ongoing crackdown against substandard foods sealed another 12 restaurants, shops, juice corners and naan shops, imposing heavy fines to 17 outlets.

According to PFA officials, these food outlets/shops, located in different areas of the city, were selling substandard, unhygienic food items, juices etc. A heavy fine was also imposed on 17 outlets. The raids were conducted by officials of the PFA with special teams for different towns under the supervision of Director Operations Ayesha Mumtaz.

The teams wasted substandard food items while some samples were sent to laboratory for tests.

vandalism compounded by arrogance, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called upon the Punjab government to review the project and desist from attacking the people’s basic right to preservation of their heritage. In a statement issued today, the commission said all human rights activists and defenders of the people’s

the Lahore’s GPO building has been marked for demolition to provide space for the Orange Train project. Earlier the Punjab University teachers had raised their voice against the threat to their property posed by the same project. It seems the provincial government has decided to persist in its programme to destroy the character of

Lahore city after it won a questionable carte blanche from the judiciary. It said every student of history and culture knows that the GPO (Lahore) building and some of the property targeted in Patiala Ground form part of peoples heritage and the GPO is also a building protected under the law.

The government must not forget that preservation of culture and heritage is one of the people’s fundamental human rights and no government can be allowed to trifle with it. What is being done to Lahore amounts to vandalism compounded by arrogance. STAFF REPORT

METRO TO REMAIN SUSPENDED ON MUHARRAM 9, 10 LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The Metro Bus Service will remain suspend on Muharram 9 and 10 (Friday, Saturday) due to security reasons. According to an official of the MBS, the bus service will be restored on Sunday morning. There are 64 buses in MBS fleet and estimated 180,000 passengers use the service daily.

PRAYERS LEADER GUNNED DOWN IN KASUR KASUR STAFF REPORT

Unknown armed men shot dead a prayers leader on Thursday and fled after committing the crime.

Police said that unidentified armed men barged into the house of a prayers leader located in village Khara of district Kasur, gunned him down and escaped the scene.

The body was shifted to a hospital for postmortem. Police said that the incident seems to be the outcome of a personal enmity.

DENGUE CLAIMS TWO LIVES IN LAHORE, MULTAN LAHORE STAFF REPORT

A 23-year-old man died of dengue virus at the Lahore General Hospital early Thursday morning. This is the second death from the deadly virus in Lahore this year. Hospital sources said Sajjad, a resident of Haloke village, was brought to the hospital on Wednesday, adding that the patient had tested positive for the virus. Meanwhile, a female patient suffering from the dengue virus died in Nishtar hospital, raising the death toll to two in Multan. Nishat, 25, a resident of Muzaffargarh, was admitted to Nishtar hospital a few days ago, after she was tested positive. She died during her treatment in the hospital on Thursday morning. According to doctors, around 200 people have been suffering from dengue virus in Multan, while seven patients have been admitted on suspicion of dengue virus.

08 COMMENT

Friday, 23 October, 2015

Look to the future

Eight F-16s What Pakistan needs and what US is willing to give

PTI needs to change its style of politics disobedience of sorts levelling charges of mass scale organised manipulation, coining the now popular term of dhandli. the herculean effort engulfed the entire nation in turmoil and incapacitated smooth governance. it, however, consistently failed to meet targets or to achieve its stated objectives. Firstly, it fell short of sufficient numbers that could pose a real threat to force the government to resign. the umpire did not raise its finger and the judicial commission stopped short of endorsing its claim of systematic rigging. the October 11 by-election was perhaps the last chance or the grand finale for the Pti’s two-year slog that could still vindicate its allegation and prove the PML-n had stuffed the ballot boxes in favour of its candidates. to its chagrin, the much hyped and much desired seat was lost albeit with a slim margin of 2,440 votes and after a well fought contest during which money was of no consideration. the provincial seat it took away from PML-n was of little consolation. as the Duke of Wellington said after winning the 1918 battle of Waterloo, ‘it was the nearest run thing you saw in your life.’ the defeat at Waterloo ended napoleon’s rule as emperor of France and he abdicated four days later. Closer to modern times in 2014, the leader of scottish nationalist Party said after narrowly losing the historic referendum for independence of scotland from the United kingdom: ‘Referendum is over. We must now move on.’ the snP chief and first minister alex salmond resigned hours later as an acknowledgment of his failure to achieve the YEs vote. such grace is yet to be discovered in our politics. some leaders reminisce and never tire of quoting examples from Britain, its principles and ethics. Do they ever lead by following those examples? Certainly not, God forbid. Chaudhry sarwar, a successful millionaire British businessman and politician and a fresh

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t was widely understood that to maintain the muchneeded good relations with Pakistan the Us would agree to some of islamabad’s demands related to military and civilian support. the promise of the delivery of eight F-16s prior to the Washington talk is supposed to create a conducive atmosphere during the summit and to bolster the “tenuous partnership” between the two countries. there is a perception that the announcement is in fact meant to be a carrot to get some of Washington’s demands accepted. in case the Us fails to achieve the aim, it would provide Congress an excuse to rule out the sale of the F-16s. Congress and the state Department are already in a standoff over an effort to sell used navy cutter vessels to Pakistan since earlier this year. the war against terrorism is Pakistan’s own war and has to be pursued relentlessly irrespective of the outcome of the Washington moot. it is in Pakistan’s own interest not to allow any terrorist network to operate from its territory against any other country. it is also in Pakistan’s interest to help afghanistan overcome the terrorist threat as a continuing insurgency in the neighbouring country can destabilise Pakistan also. Pakistan must take action against terrorist networks banned by the Un even if they work under changed names and do not attack Pakistan. islamabad, meanwhile, needs to diversify its sources of arms and military equipment. the military cooperation pact with Russia should have been signed much earlier.

Pakistan and Russia are currently in talks about the delivery of sukhoi su-35 fighter jets and previously agreed upon Mi-35M helicopters. the deals should be speeded up Currently Pakistan is relying on Chinese JF17 thunder fighters, submarines and patrol boats for maritime security. it also hopes to replace the aging american Cobras with Chinese thunderbolt helicopters. the deals would hopefully have no strings attached.

While diversifying its imports of military equipment Pakistan should try to maintain the best of relations with the Us without compromising its sovereignty or dignity.

Power sector disputes Another unflattering assessment

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HE institute of Policy Reforms (iPR) – headed by former Planning Minister Dr Hafiz Pasha, with former Commerce Minister Humayun akhtar as chairman – is not too pleased with the present government’s performance in the power sector. the thinktank has challenged official claims about improving the sector, arguing instead that that performance of the previous PPP government was better. While few Pakistanis will treat the claim as anything short of fantastic, it does present a moment of reflection for the government. Dr Pasha, known for intrinsic and quantitative analysis, uses stats and data points to back his case. and power was one of n-league’s core campaign promises. if its performance turns out worse than the PPP – which, for many, set the standard for misgovernance – then the next general election will become that much more difficult.

Yet Dr Pasha has raised some valid points. Power generation, it says, has declined in the first nine months of 2014-15, which is in stark contrast to official claims of ‘initiatives and achievements’ in increasing generation capacity. the tariff rationalisation surcharge is also important – which the government has incorporated in face of iMF pressure to reduce power subsidy by half – because it has increased consumer price of electricity by as much as 20 to 33 percent. How that must affect industry competitiveness is not rocket science. it is also worrying that Pakistan’s industrial tariff is reportedly 23 percent higher than india and much higher than Bangladesh. as regards privatisation of discos, preferring efficient units – Lahore, Faisalabad, islamabad – over loss making ones is, perhaps, not the ideal way forward. the government must take these trends seriously, even if some analyses tend to over complicate the problem. the n-league does not seem to realise, though, that it faces such bad reports every now and then primarily because of its own inability to honour its election promises. Even its strongest supporters have difficulty in defending the government’s power policies. the sooner an element of rationality is introduced, the sooner people can be rid of load shedding and ridiculously high bills.

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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khurshid akhtar khan

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a-122 transformed from a routine mid-term by-election contest into a grand duel between the inflated egos of Pti and PML-n.

One seat here or there was immaterial for either party in the number game at this stage. However, for imran khan it had become a matter of retrieving his personal honour.

His stand-in had to capture this seat on his behalf in order to prove conclusively that his defeat in the 2013 election was engineered by bogus votes. Conversely, PML-n had to regain this seat to assert that its candidate had won fair and square and the rigging allegations are fabricated.

Pti has, to this day, not been able to reconcile that despite a tsunami of its voters the party could not secure the requisite majority to form a government at the centre. its followers are also convinced the PML-n had conspired and colluded with state institutions in a grand sinister plan to steal the 2013 General Election from the Pti that was rightfully theirs.

Pti took its case to the streets. it sought to mobilise public agitation, allegedly under a well considered plan and some patronage. it embarked on a relentless, no holds barred campaign, dharnas and civil

entrant in Pti, had led his maiden election campaign for the Pti in na122 in a professional state of the art manner on a British pattern. He was originally introduced to Pakistani politics by nawaz sharif, as Governor of Punjab and had later defected to Pti. ironically, when it came to accepting the election results, he too set aside the traditional grace of British parliamentarians for accepting defeat. the Pti lost no time in levelling allegations of vote transfers that as yet remain unsubstantiated.

Once again, the hysteria of pre-poll rigging has prevailed that the Pti considers synonym with the PMLn, the election commission and the government machinery. When will we stop living in the past and hammering our fragile institutions, without any care for the future?

By-elections should provide moments of reflection for political parties. imran khan has been basking in the glory of the tremendous success it had achieved since the game changing October 2012 rally at Minar-e-Pakistan. He had awakened the Pakistani youth and the indifferent drawing room chattering educated middle class males and females by his personal magnetism and track record. He had infused an enthusiasm and motivation in the general public, not witnessed since Zulfikar ali Bhutto’s social revolution of the seventies. a plausible alternative had come into being.

PML-n must also reflect on its shortcomings that led to losing a provincial seat in its stronghold and narrowly managing to win the national seat by a hair’s breadth. the voters have lodged a loud and clear protest and dissatisfaction at the government’s indifference toward their basic local needs such as clean drinking water, sewerage, primary education and health and the lack of job creation for the unemployed. it must reassess the priority it places on mega projects and their cost benefit ratio on public popularity. the voters have vocally expressed their displeasure at the absence of their representatives from the constituency and seek attention for matters that matter to them most.

Pti’s rivals claim he has introduced the politics of agitation, inappropriate language, personalised

Rigmarole of vote transfer No rigging

Malik MuhaMMad ashraf

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akistan institute of Legislative Development and transparency (PiLDat) in its latest survey report has revealed that Prime Minister nawaz sharif was the most trusted political leader in Pakistan as 75 percent of the people believed in his leadership as compared to 49 percent for imran khan. the survey also indicates that in June 2014, 37 percent people believed that 2013 General Elections were rigged but now that percentage has come down to 30 percent. the decline in the percentage of people subscribing to the rigging mantra is manifestly a result of the loss of credibility of imran khan and his obsession with the rigging rhetoric in the wake of the Judicial Commission findings and most probably because of losing all na by-elections. the most sordid and sad aspect of the brand of politics done by imran khan, so far, has been to denigrate individuals and state institutions with unsubstantiated allegations. the streak of impulsiveness in him has been so dominant that he never ever has bothered to check the veracity of the claims that he has been making. He has taken myriad of somersaults on taken positions and surprisingly remains adamant and stubborn

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despite embarrassing set-backs and reversals that he had to face in regards to his rigging claims.

His latest allegation of transfer of votes from na-122 just before elections that led to defeat of the Pti candidate is probably the wildest of all the allegations that he has hurled in this regard during the last two and half years and perhaps warrants the untangling of the rigmarole in the light of hard and verifiable facts. the reality in regards to transfer of any vote from one constituency to another is that it is done only on the request of the voter. it is mandatory for the voter to personally appear before the registration officer who after necessary verification shifts the vote to the other area at the desired address and the vote is deleted from the former place. a proper record is kept with the registration officers. therefore it is not possible for any functionary to shift votes to another constituency in bulk on his own. according to ECP, under section 18 of Electoral Roll act 1974, no vote could be transferred from one electoral area to the other without the consent and request of the voter. the number of voters in a constituency keeps changing due to a number of reasons, including more people crossing the age threshold for voting while living in the same constituency, people shifting their residences from one place to another place, death of the voters and redrawing of the limits of the constituencies if and when desirable and necessary. in the na-122 case, no redrawing of the boundaries of the constituency was undertaken and no bulk transfer of the voters was made before the elections. according to the record of the ECP, the number of registered voters in na-122 in 2013 General Elections was 326,028 and during the current by-election it stood at 347,762 showing an increase of 21,734 votes. the lists of voters used in both elections were provided to the Pti representatives. as per ECP record during the period between 11 May, 2013, and august 2015, 6,635 votes were transferred to na-122 from other constituencies and 7,000 votes were shifted from this constituency to the other areas. the number of votes shifted from na-122 to other constituencies during 2015 stood at 525. During the same period 780

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attacks on opponents and desecrating state institutions. they accuse imran khan of using street power to bring down the government instead of following the democratic process and the impatience he has exhibited to seek a short cut to the prime minister house.

Pti counters by claiming to be the only real democratic opposition in the country. it accuses the PML-n of governing with a muk muka with the PPP. the Pti wants to be a player within the existing system. Yet, its members submitted their mass resignations from the national assembly, expressing no confidence in the ‘fake’ house. at the same time, the party kept its government intact in the province of khyber Pakhtunkhwa. the rationales are bewildering. this policy of negative showmanship has weakened the existing political system and the governance, a relic of the nineties. Only the Pti has substituted for the PPP, the archrival of PML-n at the time. the confrontation mode has failed to reinforce the party position as proved by the results of all recent bye elections. the Charter of Democracy carved between the PPP and PMLn had earlier resulted in a smooth five years run of democratic governments and a peaceful transfer of power. Many people believe the Pti is within its rights to follow any type of politics it chooses, as long as the process of national reconstruction is not put at stake.

Perhaps the Pti should carve a ‘charter of economy’ with the ruling party to allow economic progress and nation building to materialise unhampered, keeping politics aside.

Chinese investment on the economic corridor and other prospects of foreign investment are becoming distinct possibilities with improved law and order situation. Politicians must not squander this opportunity to their personal acrimony in their quest for power. to rule over ruins of a shattered economy and a beleaguered nation will be nothing but a nightmare for any sane party.

Khurshid Akhtar Khan is an engineer and an entrepreneur. He can be contacted at: k.a.k786@hotmail.com

votes were shifted from other constituencies to na-122. so the number of votes coming to the constituency was more than the votes shifted from it to other constituencies. no votes were transferred during september 2015. as is evident from the foregoing facts the number of voters actually increased substantially in the by-election in na-122 as compared to 2013 General Elections. the number of shifted votes from the constituency and received in the constituency from other constituencies actually became inconsequential in terms of the elections results in view of the increase of registered voters in the constituency by 21,734. therefore, the contention of the Pti seems quite bizarre, stemming from its obsession with rigging mantra which now almost has turned into cynicism.

Pti has already started clamouring about the possibility of rigging in the local body elections. the Pti organiser for Punjab Chaudhry sarwar, addressing a gathering of party workers in Lahore on sunday, said that ECP had become B team of PML-n for upcoming local government elections. He also threatened that Pti would go to any extent if PML-n workers tried to steal mandate of the people. that decidedly is a preemptive move to find an excuse for the embarrassment that the results of the local government elections are likely to heap on the party.

For that to happen, imran khan needs to come out of his delusional hubris and accept the ground realities. the ground realities are that PML-n was still the biggest political force in the country enjoying support of the masses as reflected in the mandate given to the party; the Pti had not gained anything from politics of agitation and confrontation except embarrassment and loss of face among the public and that the future of the party depended on revisiting its political creed and focusing on real issues rather than descending into power politics. the country has seen enough of it and needs a break from it. the Pti must join hands with other political forces in the parliament to bring required electoral reforms and changing the system of governance. it should abandon the philosophy of remaining stuck in the 2013 results and look forward to 2018 elections.

Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic.

He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com.

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WORLD VIEW 09

Friday, 23 October, 2015

What to expect during US POLICIES AGGRAVATE naWaz Sharif'S uS viSit PAKISTAN'S DYSFUNCTION BBC

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BRajesHupadHyay

S Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Meets US President Barack Obama at the White House, the top issue on the table is the US extension of its military presence in neighbouring Afghanistan. The two countries' complicated relationship doesn't seem to be getting any clearer.

Prime Minister Sharif comes to Washington less than a week after President Obama had to abandon his plans to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan before he leaves office.

Mr Obama said 5,500 troops would stay on until 2017, amid a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.

The US president emphasised the need to end the sanctuaries for "the Taliban and other terrorists" and said he will urge the Pakistani Prime Minister to press the Taliban to return to peace talks.

When the two leaders meet at the White House, experts say there is no doubt that Pakistan's role in the war in Afghanistan will be the top issue.

Pakistan is considered a major player in the war in Afghanistan. Washington has always accused its army of being deeply involved in supporting the Afghan Taliban, particularly the Haqqani Network.

Bruce Riedel, who authored the Obama administration's Af-Pak policy, says if the Pakistani Army wasn't supporting the Afghan Taliban, it would have been a wholly different kind of war.

"During these talks, President Obama will see Nawaz Sharif not as the problem but perhaps not also the solution," says Mr Riedel, a former CIA analyst and adviser to four US presidents.

He says "not the problem" in the sense that it's not Nawaz Sharif who supports the Taliban but it's the Pakistani Army. By "not the solution" he means it's not clear if he can make the Army do what he wants it to do.

Mr Riedel suggests the Obama administration's message should be clear-cut. Either the Pakistan stops supporting the Taliban, or the US military assistance will end completely.

Currently, the US pays close to $500m every year to Pakistan as reimbursements for operations against militancy.

In the past 14 years they have paid Pakistan more than $20bn in military support.

"I think it's the leverage we have and it's long past time for us to use that leverage," says Mr Riedel.

US National Security Advisor Susan Rice delivered a similar message when she was in Islamabad a few months ago, to little change.

With the Saudis and Chinese supporting Pakistan with finance and investments, many are questioning if the US leverage is large enough.

But Shamila Chaudhary, former Pakistan director at the Obama White House, says the reimbursements are a big deal for the Pakistani Army.

"We are the only government that has given such a large chunk of budget support to one particular institution," Ms Chaudhary, who now works at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

"The Pakistanis keep that as a line item in their budget every year."

Huffington Post Husain Haqqani

She says Mr Sharif will be pushing for this money, also known as the Coalition Support Fund (CSF), to continue along with a whole suite of assistance for Pakistan.

There are many who fear this financial assistance is a must for the US to stay engaged with Pakistan, a nuclear power that's steadily increasing its arsenal.

The safety of Pakistani nuclear weapons has been a major concern for Washington, and Mr Obama is likely to bring that up in his discussion with the Pakistani prime minister.

Media reports in the past few days have suggested that the White House will discuss a potential deal to limit Pakistan's nuclear programme in return for easier entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a body that controls the export and trade of fissile material.

White House spokesperson Josh Earnest did not rule out nuclear talks but tampered down any further expectations, saying such a deal "is not something that's likely to come to fruition next week".

The overall mood of this visit is in sharp contrast to Mr Sharif's last visit in 2013. He had just been elected to office and was trying to chart out a path independent of the Pakistani Army.

Today, he is considered too weak domestically to make any dramatic gestures, and there's a general perception that he will not deviate from the Army's talking points.

In public, Pakistani officials have said the visit would be about boosting bilateral relations and the prime minister will have a wish list ranging from access to the US market, economic and defence ties, and support against its neighbour India.

But in private, they have been less upbeat.

A Pakistani official, not wanting to be named as he is not authorised to speak on the matter, sums up the general mood.

"It's become typical of the relationship.

Whenever there's a high-profile visit, the Americans put so much pressure on the dignitary that there's never a time for him to read out his wish-list."

A former US official was more blunt, saying, "We don't really know what this relationship is any more."

Al JAzeerA RamzyBaRoud

As a Palestinian uprising gathered momentum last week, I sat for hours listening to and recording the story of Ahmad al-Haaj, an 83-year-old Palestinian refugee from the village of al-Sawafir. He has been living in Gaza since 1948. Listening to Al-Haaj's memories, my thoughts swayed between the past and the bloody reality of the present.

Ever since I took on the task of recording a people's history of Palestine over ten years ago, a tragic theme has permeated all of my books and most of my articles. I have been confronted with stories of loss and displacement time and again. Ordinary Palestinians have been retelling the same story for generations. Few outsiders have ever connected narratives from Gaza, Jenin, Deir Yassin, Dheisheh, Sabra and Shatila, Yarmouk, Jabaliya and a thousand other locations. Stories from Palestine are rarely a cohesive intellectual and historical unit that can be separated or selectively analysed.

Following every major event in Palestinian history, Palestinians are expected to learn to coexist with whatever new reality is shaped or determined

by Israel. Not only were Palestinians expected to let go of Haq Al-Awda - their right of return - altogether, but their own self-proclaimed president, Mahmoud Abbas, publicly conceded his own right to do so, too.

'Selling out' PaleStinian rightS: Abbas was hardly the first Palestinian leader to freely

By inviting Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to the White House, President Obama may only have wanted to signal America's continued interest in the nucleararmed country. But in Pakistan it reignited the belief that Uncle Sam simply cannot manage the world without Pakistan's help.

For years, Pakistan's policies have coincided with those of the U.S. only nominally. Pakistan's support for the Taliban in Afghanistan is the main reason Mr. Obama had to reverse his decision of pulling out troops from that country. Pakistan's development of battlefield nuclear weapons also runs contrary to U.S. plans for reducing nuclear proliferation.

Diplomatic statements notwithstanding, the two sides have very different priorities.

Even after feting Pakistan's democratically-elected leader, it is unlikely that Mr. Obama's problems in Afghanistan or with Pakistan will end anytime soon.

Although he continues to retain popularity at home, according to recent polls, Mr. Sharif has little control over foreign policy. Pakistan's powerful military, currently headed by General Raheel Sharif (no relation to the Prime Minister) persists with its obsessive competition with neighboring India, which in turn shapes Pakistan's worldview.

Mr. Obama lost the initiative in Afghanistan by relying on Pakistan's ability to set up negotiations with the Taliban. He has spent the last seven years alternating between coaxing Pakistan's leaders with economic and military assistance and delivering tough messages. The pretense of toughness has lacked credibility. Diplomacy and inducements have failed because they only reinforce the Pakistani view that the country's geostrategic importance for the United States outweighs its resentment of negative Pakistani policies.

Pakistan has received $40 billion in US military and economic aid since 1950, of which $23 billion were given after 9/11 to strengthen the country's resolve in fighting terrorism. But Pakistan's focus has always been its rivalry with India.

Americans have several reasons to mistrust Pakistan, which also accuses the U.S. of being a fair weather friend. Pakistan acquired nuclear weapons while promising the US it won't go nuclear if it gets US assistance. Pakistan's ongoing support of Jihadi terrorists is part of Pakistan's effort to expand regional influence in competition with India, especially in Afghanistan and the disputed Kashmir region.

Over the last 13 years, many US soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan by the Taliban and the Haqqani network trained, armed and supported by Pakistan.

The recent surge in Taliban activity, manifested most blatantly during the Taliban occupation of the Afghan city of Kunduz, is attributed by US and Afghan officials to Pakistani support.

It seems that while officially Pakistan was helping US and Afghan officials in peace talks with the Taliban, its covert support was preparing the Taliban for reoccupying Afghanistan after the completion of the US withdrawal.

In 2009, Congress made aid to Pakistan conditional to specific criteria. The administration was required to certify to Congress that Pakistan was meeting American terms in fighting terrorism and diminishing the military's role in politics. But for several years, instead of certifying that Pakistan was doing what it was expected, the Secretary of State has invoked the right to waive the conditions on grounds that continuing aid to Pakistan was necessary for US national security.

The Obama administration spent its first few years trying to convince Pakistan's civil and military leaders of the virtues of changing their strategic calculus. In doing so, they praised Pakistan publicly and expressed optimism every time Pakistan took a positive step, however small.

Over the last two years, much optimism was expressed over Pakistan's decision to militarily eliminate terrorist safe havens used by terrorists responsible for attacks inside Pakistan and against China.

But now the administration appears to have woken up, once again, to the realization that Pakistan's decision to act against terrorists does

Husain Haqqani, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC, served as Pakistan's ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2011.

He is the author of the book 'Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding.'

Palestine. Indeed, in Beit Daras, they fought until the last bullet. What followed was a massacre that remained largely untold:"The Zionist militias' convoys eventually returned - this time with a vengeance.

They struck at dawn and charged against the village until the early afternoon. The village was surrounded from all directions, and all roads leading into it were cut off to ensure that the fellahin fighters didn't come to the rescue. Although by then the fighters in Beit Daras had acquired up to ninety rifles, the invading militias amassed an arsenal of modern weapons, including mortars, machine guns mounted on top of fortified vehicles, and hundreds of fully armed troops."

The current Intifada in Palestine cannot be separated from the past or reduced to a simple term linked to a failed peace process. It is a rebellion which is rooted in a much deeper and larger context, and that has to be appreciated in its entirety. "The militias moved in, executed whoever survived the initial onslaught - civilians and all. The rest escaped running through burning fields, tripping on one another while being chased by sniper bullets. The massacre instilled fear and horror, especially as the death toll had reached 300 in a village population that once barely totalled two thousand."

camp. There are many similarities between the stories I have recorded in my book "Searching Jenin", which details the military onslaught and massacre in the Jenin refugee camp in 2002, and the horrific events that took place in Gaza in 2008, 2012, and 2014.

Only the technical details have changed since 1948; the reasons behind the slaughter remain the same - the racist discourse that compels the current violence employed by Israelis and their leaders today, and that of their ancestors for much of the last century. The compromising, self-serving nature of the sanctioned Palestinian leadership and the elitist class it serves also remains the same.

Many of those mostly poor and illiterate fellahin peasants, possessed a degree of political consciousness that allowed them to sustain an uprising against vicious British colonialism and Zionist violence. It is those same fellahin who fought in Beit Daras and all the Palestinian villages in 1948 who have been fighting ever since. The current Intifada in Palestine cannot be separated from the past or reduced to a simple term linked to a failed peace process. It is a rebellion which is rooted in a much deeper and larger context, and that has to be appreciated in its entirety.

True, little has changed in Israel's colonial endeavours and its propensity for violence remains bound by racist discourse. At the same time, little has changed in the Palestinian will to fight back, because they must, and always have.

long-Standing oPPreSSion: Al-Haaj could have been talking about any other village or refugee

RamzyBaroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant, an author.

THE 100-YEAR INTIFADA compromise Palestinian rights. The series of concessions predates the Oslo peace process. Palestinian political elite have historically maintained their position at the helm of Palestinian society.

They have never possessed any moral qualms with the notion of "selling out", a term used by many Palestinians themselves. Successive leaderships cleverly navigated their politics under the Ottomans and coexisted with British colonialism, Jordanian hegemony, the Egyptian military administration, and, more recently, with Israel, which was established on top of Palestinian ruins.

Al-Haaj's story pertained to his exile from his beloved village, the existence of which was first documented in the early 16th century. Al-Sawafir was subsequently burned to the ground by Zionist militias in 1948. His narrative is largely confined to the neighbouring villages that, at the time, were also the limits of his world's geography.

The defining event that led to his exile was the defeat of Beit Daras, a nearby but larger village inhabited by Palestinian fellahin, or farming peasants.

The peasants were the majority of Palestinians, teetering between poverty and extreme poverty; some of them owned land, others worked as cheap labourers on the land of wealthy Palestinians. But they were always and would remain the heart of the resistance in

not extend to all jihadi groups.

During a recent visit to Islamabad, National Security Adviser Susan Rice reminded Pakistan of its unfulfilled commitments about helping with the Afghan peace process. She also asked Pakistan to act against the Haqqani network, which has been involved in several attacks on American targets including one on the U.S. embassy in Kabul in 2011.

Washington's complaints against Pakistani support for the Haqqani network are not new.

If things have not changed since 2011, one cannot help but question the administration's intermittent hopefulness about a turnaround in Pakistani policies.

Pakistan is the sixth largest nation in the world by population but only 26th by size of GDP on PPP basis and 42nd in nominal GDP. It has the world's sixth largest nuclear arsenal and eighth largest army but performs poorly in most non-military indices. It ranks 146 out of 187 countries in the world on the Human Development Index, which measures health, standard of living, and education.

The World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report ranks Pakistan's primary education at 136 out of 144 countries. The country has one of the world's lowest tax to GDP ratio, with international aid making up for low tax collection.

American readiness to offer aid has bred dependence and hubris.

The US has ended up as an enabler of Pakistan's dysfunction by reinforcing the belief of its elite that it is too important to fail or be neglected.

The intermittent cycles of optimism and pessimism about Pakistan have led to confusion in Mr. Obama's Afghan policy. It is time to finally accept Pakistan's lack of cooperation in Afghanistan as a given while making plans for that country. The US would help Afghanistan, and even Pakistan's people, more by insisting consistently that Islamabad correct its course. Instead of telling Pakistan's elite how important they are, it might be more useful to stop footing the bill for Pakistan's failings.

10 BUSINESS

Friday, 23 October, 2015

(POWER GRID UPGRADE)

CORPORATE CORNER Mobilink Torchbearers spend day with Greenland Society of Special Education students

K-ElEcTric, US OPic cOMMiT TO 10-yEar $250M PrOjEcT ISLAMABAD

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LAHORE: Mobilink Foundation continued its initiative to support local educational institutes by visiting the Greenland Society of Special Education (GSSE), a non-commercial institute, in Lahore.

A team of Mobilink Torchbearers aligned a host of activities including a poem recitation competition, storytelling and interactive sessions to make the day memorable for the students.

Goody bags comprising of coloring books, coloring pencils, Ludo, toys, and edibles were distributed amongst the students at the conclusion of the activity. Omar Manzur, Head of Corporate Communications - Mobilink, speaking about the activity and the Foundation’s association with GSSE said, “Education remains a high priority for us as we believe it directly impacts social change.

For this purpose we look to improve education facilities in remote areas, through such events with participation of our Torchbearers.

We have worked closely with Greenland Society of Special Education to improve the facilities on offer to the students, and we will continue to support them in the future.” PRESS RELEASE

STAFF REPORT

HE K-Electric Limited and Pakistan and United States (US) Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) on Wednesday executed a commitment letter for a $250 million 10-year financing project.

The OPIC loan ─ to be facilitated by CitiBank ─ will be used by the K-Electric to undertake a comprehensive and transformative upgrade of the K-Electric’s power grid.

It is expected that the K-Electric grid strengthening project will significantly improve the reliability, stability and efficiency of the K-Electric power network and increase the K-Electric’s transmission system capacity by 33 percent or up to 1000MVA, thereby allowing it to deliver more electricity to customers.

The signing ceremony held at the US chamber of commerce was witnessed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar who is accompanying Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his four-day official visit to Washington. Dar ex-

ADB to provide $178m for Motorway M-4 Gojra-Shorkot Section ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Nandipur power plant restarted on test basis ISLAMABAD: The ministry of water and power on Thursday said that the Nandipur power plant had been started on test basis. The ministry said that the plant would be made completely functional within a month. The ministry lauded Chinese and Wapda engineers for their invaluable efforts to make the plant functional again. Sources said at least two turbines have been started for the initial testing phase. At least, 230 MW electricity is being produced by the two turbines. Federal Secretary Water and Power Muhammad Younas Dagha, in an interview to Radio Pakistan, said the government was conducting the audit of the project with help of three reputed firms and stern action would be taken against the persons responsible for the controversy. He endorsed the government’s vision of “end to load shedding by 2017.” Dagha said a significant decline in power outages was visible as compared to 2013. He credited the incumbent government for the act. Earlier in the ongoing week, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry said the investigations into the Nandipur probe had completed. He said the phase completed covered its stages from approval to inauguration. The second phase of the probe, he said, would include reasons for increase in cost and payments. INP

pressed hope that the K-Electric would utilise the loan to effectively improve its transmission system and decrease load shedding in Karachi.

The finance minister said that energy was among the PML-N government’s top priorities, adding that the government was incen-

Pakistan and Asian Development Bank on Thursday signed a loan agreement of US $ 178 million for National Motorway M-4 Gojra-Shorkot Section Project (62 KM) which also includes grant of £58,850,000 (US $ 90.77 million) to be provided by the Department of International Development (DFID), UK. Upon the completion, the M-4 motorway will provide a four lane access controlled alternative to the existing narrow and congested routes notably in the heavily trafficked Faisalabad and Khanewal-Multan-Muzffargrah areas. Moreover, the M-4 motorway will extend the already completed M-1, M-2 and M-3 motorways southward and shorten the distance between Multan and twin cities of Islamabad – Rawalpindi in the North. The loan agreement was signed by Secretary Economic Affairs Division (EAD) Muhammad Saleem Sethi and Country Director Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Dr Werner E Liepach. Group Head, DFID in Pakistan, Louise Walker and Member Engineering Coordination, Arshad Mahmood Chaudhry were also present.

Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar hailed signing of the agreement and said it would further strengthen Pak-ADB cooperation for socio-economic development in Pakistan. He also appreciated continued support from DFID in this regard.

In his remarks on the occasion, the secretary economic affairs division thanked ADB and DIFD for providing vital support to Pakistan particularly for efficiency gain from road traffic operation along the national transport corridor. He assured Pakistan’s commitment to mobilise all out efforts and scale up practices for improving and developing inter-provincial linkages to improve local connectivity. The ADB country director assured the government of Pakistan of its support and appreciated the efforts for taking measures to revamp the existing transport and trade infrastructure for improved connectivity to steer the process of development in Pakistan.

NEPRA cuts power tariff by Rs 2.88 per unit for September ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Thursday approved a cut of Rs 2.88 per unit price of electricity. The power purchasing company told the authorities during hearing in the NAPRA that due to decrease in prices of furnace oil, the electricity was produced at cheaper prices, however, the customers were charged at the same rate this September. The price of power generation has been reduced to Rs 24 billion and the consumers should be given relief. The NEPRA announced price reduction of Rs 2.88 per unit. The price reduction will be applicable on customers who used 300 or more units of electricity in September this year. STAFF REPORT

(AUDIT DELAY OF RS 480 BILLION CIRCULAR DEBT)

WE CONDUCT AUDIT OBJECTIVELY WITHOUT BEING PARTY: AGP ISLAMABAD INP

The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) says that neither there has been any inordinate delay in finalising the special audit report on circular debt of Rs 480 billion nor audit will compromise on the facts under any pressure.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the AGP rejected the impression being given by some quarters of media that the audit report was being delayed deliberately and audit paras were being settled to give a clean chit to the government.

The department of the auditor general made it clear that being an independent constitutional institution, they conduct audit objectively in the light of international auditing standards without

being a party. “We are just interested in bringing out the facts as available in the record, after due diligence. It is an international standard that every audit report should be finalised only after giving a chance to the audited organisations as well as the principal accounting officer concerned to give their viewpoint. Before inclusion of the response from the audited organisation, an audit report remains a draft and cannot be issued to any quarter and this is the case with the special audit report on Rs 480 billion circular debt.

In case of circular debt, the then auditor general had first ordered special audit in July 2013. The WAPDA director general audit had submitted the first draft report in December 2013. The auditor general was not satisfied with the

findings of the report and directed the WAPDA Audit DG to resubmit a new report about the transparency regularity and mode of payment of Rs 480 billion.

The WAPDA Audit DG submitted a revised report, but again it was not found satisfactory despite various reviews at the headquarters level. Subsequently, the Audit WAPDA DG was directed by the auditor general in December 2014 to carry hundred percent audit of the transaction of Rs 480 billion.

Even this hundred percent audit could not be completed during the tenure of the then auditor general and the draft report was submitted in July, 2015. After detailed review at the head office, the WAPDA DG Audit was directed to hold DAC meeting with the secretary water and power who is the

principal accounting officer.

The DAC meeting was held in the committee room of ministry of water and power on 7th October 2015 in which 42 audit paras were discussed in total and only two paras involving Rs 11.732 million were settled on the basis of record produced by the management.

Moreover, another two paras were deleted from the report as these had already been printed in earlier years’ audit reports. Minutes of the DAC meeting, duly signed by the principal accounting officer and DG Audit WAPDA, will be submitted to the head office shortly. The auditor general will review minutes of the DAC meeting and approve the report after the quality assurance exercise by senior officers of the department.

tivising private sector investment in energy projects and also initiating public sector energy projects. Earlier in October, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed to get rid of energy issues during his five-year term. He said his ‘hard working’ team was making all efforts to overcome the energy shortage by 2018.

SBP allows Islamic banks to purchase, sell GIS-like T-Bills auctions KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Thursday issued modalities for the GoP Ijara Sukuk (GIS) for the Islamic Banking industry like Treasury Bill (T-Bills auction) to control the liquidity management.

These transactions will be executed as per the approval of SBP Shariah Board. The central bank in a circular said: “In order to facilitate Islamic Banking industry in their liquidity management, it has been decided that GoP may outright purchase GIS on deferred payment basis (Bai-Muajjal) and sell these GIS on ready payment basis through uniform price based competitive bidding auction process.” In this auction only Islamic banks and Islamic banking branches will be eligible to participate in the auctions and all eligible participants will place their sealed bids as per required format. Price should include accrued profit and can be quoted up to two decimal places. Minimum bid size will be Rs 25 million and its multiple thereof. STAFF REPORT

Meat exports increase 44pc in 1st quarter, 33pc in September ISLAMABAD: The exports of meat and meat preparations from the country increased by 44.10 percent during the first quarter of the current fiscal (2015-16). The exports of meat and meat preparations during July-September (2015-16) were recorded at $71.235 million compared to the exports of $49.435 million in July-August (2014-15), according to the latest trade data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Thursday. Meanwhile, on year-onyear basis, the meat exports increased by 33.05 percent in September 2015 compared to the same month of last year. The meat exports during September 2015 were recorded at $19.999 million compared to the exports of $15.031 million, the data revealed. On month-on-month basis, the exports of meat and meat preparations, however, decreased by 14.16 percent in September 2015 when compared to the exports of $33.986 million in August 2015.

It is pertinent to mention here that the overall food exports from the country decreased by 9.42 percent during the first quarter of the current fiscal year compared to he same period of last year. The food exports in July-September (2015-16) stood at $794.309 million compared to the exports of $876.951 million in July-September 2014-15. During the first quarter of the current fiscal year, the overall trade deficit narrowed by 15.03 percent as revealed by the PBS data, owing to decline in imports as well as exports. APP

LEISURE 11

Friday, 23 October, 2015

HaGaR tHE HoRRIblE

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

In the morning, workmates might reproach you with your not being consistent. You are advised to remain cautious, for you are prone to acting on impulse. In the afternoon you might receive a major sum of money.

In the morning you could learn that a relative of yours has fallen seriously ill. You will get involved and will probably need to run several errands. In the afternoon, a relative's advice will help you sort out your mixed feelings.

You might have guests from out of town. All plans for today will completely change. If your guests need help you are advised to do your best and lend a helping hand. A family friend may bring some unpleasant

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

You are determined to solve a financial issue that has been bothering you for some time. If the opportunity arises for you to join in a business partnership, you are advised to go for it without hesitation. Thus you might be able to improve your family budget.

You intend to start a new business today, but you may be lacking practical sense. You are advised to postpone for a while. You might be facing minor health problems. The situation will prove to be passing.

In the morning you seem to be oversensitive and nothing can satisfy you. Try to get over it, or relationships with friends and family could suffer!

In the evening you might receive a piece of good news from a relative who may even visit you.

dIlbERt

GaRFIEld

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

You might be less than inspired in society today. You are advised to avoid making investments, even if you have tempting opportunities.

This is a favourable time for your love lfe.

You might be in a rather bad shape and unable to complete everything you set out to. This is not the right time for taking on new responsibilities. In the afternoon you are likely to be invited to a party where you will have a go.

You might not be able to keep your schedule today. A close friend will ask you for help in a business issue. You may want to lend a helping hand, for it will prove to be beneficial to you too. You are advised to avoid any speculation.

baldo

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Your practical sense might not be very high today. It would be wise to avoid getting into controversies. You'd better not turn down any help. The advice offered by an experienced friend will prove to be very useful in making a major decision

This morning you might be facing minor difficulties in your love life, which you can solve if you will manage to remain calm. You can defuse a potential conflict with just a kind word.

Although you seem to be rather unhappy with your financial.

Intuition might not be very helpful today. You are advised to consider the suggestions of an older person in the family.

You may want to pay more attention to your need for rest and relaxation.

cRosswoRd

sUdoKU

woRd sEaRcH

ACROSS

bRIdGE

How to play Fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, column and each of the squares contains all the digits.

The object is to insert the numbers in the boxes to satisfy only one condition: each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once.

LIGhThOUSE MANdATORy MOAN MORALE MORE MUSEUM NIGhT PARTy PASTEL PRINT PUNITIVE RAdIATE RUST ShORT SPRING TABLE VENOMOUS wORLd

Today’s soluTions

to tHE bIttER End

cHEss white tO PLAY AND MAte iN white MOVes 8

crossword solution

7 6 5 4 3 2

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

chess solution

A

1.Qxd7+ Kxd7 2.Rd1+ Kc8 3.Rf8+ bd8 4.Rfxd8* 1-0

1

sudoku solution

1 It measures atmospheric pressure (9) 8 Property contract (5) 9 Songbird — gala wit (anag) (7) 10 California city of the Rose Bowl stadium (8) 11 So that's the way the cookie crumbles! (1,3) 13 Strong (6) 14 Lots (6) 16 Mountain goat (4) 17 Casserole of aubergine and ground lamb (8) 19 Pop star follower (7) 20 Tree — shade of green (5) 21 Monastic dining hall (9) DOwn 1 Reproduction — refinement (8) 2 Steven Redgrave's sport (6) 3 Fools — faces (4) 4 Region of Romania — Latvian yarns (anag) (12) 5 Slider on small wheels (6-6) 6 South African antelope — grips per link (anag) (12) 7 Complain loudly and angrily (5,3,4) 12 General factotum (8) 15 Ravel orchestral piece (6) 18 Long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds (4)

ALIGN ARSENAL BLISS BLOOM BLUNdER BOOM CARd COLOR COULd CRASh CREASE dARkNESS dOES GOOdByE hASTEN hEART hOLLy LEEk

12

Friday, 23 October, 2015

ARTS

the first born Child is the most intelligent a AGENCIES

CCORDiNG to a new study by The Leipzig University if you have a younger brother or sister, they should be a bit more derpy then you, This is because the study suggests first-born children get an iQ boost, which is thought to come from having to teach their younger brothers and sisters.

The scientists behind the study also suggest that having undivided attention benefits the iQ, which in turn will also benefit the first child.

For example, Prince Harry is unlikely to have a higher iQ than his brother, but Harry can go party with

girls while William has to pretend to be excited about being king one day. This however, also means that an only child should be super smart, but i have neither a brother or sister, and i barely got my maths GCSE. Probably because i was too busy talking to girls to be honest.

JK, i was a virgin until i was 19.

Don’t worry though, if you are the youngest sibling, the difference in iQ is estimated at around 1.5 points. if you’re part of a two child family, the elder child will have a six in 10 chance of having a higher iQ. The study’s data came from iQ and personality tests from three national studies, one from the UK, involving more than 20,000 people all together.

Japanese monk goes nine days without food, water or sleep TOKYO

82-year-old Chinese lady gets eight diplomas for 28 years College study BEIJING AGENCIES Tang Ling, 82-year Chinese lady has kept going to senior college for 28 years, Huaxi Metropolis, a local newspaper in Chengdu reported. She spends 50 minutes by taking two buses to the senior college in Chengdu each Monday. The courses she has taken include literature, history, music, gardening and others. She said she signed up for the first course in 1987 after she had just retired and was not in a mood to rest. And she never stopped. She said she usually re-signs for a course after she completes or signs for a new course to learn. She received eight diplomas when the college stopped issuing certificates after 2008. “At first couple of years, I even had a full schedule of six-day course and only had one day off,” said Tang. Several years later, Tang gradually downsized her study time from six days a week to three days to have time taking care of her family.

Meanwhile, Tang has volunteered as a consultant for primary school students since 1990s to deliver her knowledge to next generations.

NEW YORK AGENCIES YouTube on Wednesday announced a new paid subscription service that would eliminate advertisements as the video service behemoth looks to better tap its vast commercial potential. YouTube, which is owned by search engine giant Google and claims more than one billion users worldwide, also announced an expanded music platform and original movies in a bid to encourage subscribers. The new service, called YouTube Red, will offer commercial-free access for $9.99 a month starting on October 28. It will be available initially in the United States, with plans to roll it out worldwide in 2016. YouTube Red will also let subscribers save videos to watch later on their computers or smartphones, even when they lack Internet connections.

The traditional YouTube site backed by commercials will remain available and free. “YouTube Red marks an evolution in our desire to give fans more choice and features that they love and a much greater experience they ve been asking for,” Robert Kyncl, YouTube s chief business officer, told a launch event in Los Angeles broadcast to New York and San Francisco offices.

traumatiC final farewell for reunited Korean families

AGENCIES

A Japanese Buddhist monk on Wednesday finished a gruelling nine-day ritual without eating, drinking, or sleeping as he chanted sutras 100,000 times, reports said.

The 41-year-old Kogen Kamahori’s endurance test made him a living form of the Buddha according to his temple’s beliefs, the Asahi newspaper reported.

He was the first person to complete the test in eight years, Japanese media said.

The monk emerged from a training facility at Mount Hieizan, a holy mountain in western Japan dotted with temples, to be greeted by some 600 onlookers and members of the media. Dressed in a white robe, he appeared shortly before 2:00 am, assisted by fellow monks. The programme is considered the toughest part of a seven-year training that includes a total of 1,000 non-consecutive days walking around the mountain in a bid to

youtube announCes musiC app, ad-free subsCription serviCe

achieve enlightenment. He started in 2011 and had completed 700 days of walking before

beginning his fast. He is expected to finish the mountain walk in the fall of 2017.

Australian technology allows cows´ weights to be monitored from space SYDNEY AGENCIES

Australian farmers managing cattle stations as large as some European nations will soon be able to monitor their cows and pastures from space as part of “groundbreaking” technology, scientists say. The technology, developed with government and private funding, taps into a satellite passing overhead to record the weights of herds daily while monitoring pasture conditions — a task traditionally impossible due to the stations´ vast sizes and harsh, remote locations.

Some stations, such as Newcastle Waters in the Northern Territory, span 10,000 square kilometres (3,861 square miles) — an area larger than Cyprus — and home to 55,000 cattle. Aus-

tralia is one of the world´s largest beef exporters. “There´s just a huge labour component and time that goes into collecting that data (of weight and pastoral conditions), which is essentially why producers don´t do it on a more regular basis,” Sally Leigo from the Northern Territory´s primary industry department, the project´s research leader, told AFP Thursday.

On average, cattle are only weighed 1.5 times a year and only two percent of pasture is regularly viewed, the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation, the private-public funded organisation that developed the tool, estimates. The technology exploits the stations´ semi-arid conditions, which means there is little access to surface water with cat-

tle having to walk to man-made watering points each day.

A weighing platform that the cows — which each have an electronic tag — must step on is placed at the watering points and powered by solar panels, with the data fed to a satellite and then to a station manager´s computer. The satellite also monitors pastures every 250 metres (820 feet), allowing farmers to determine when cattle must be moved to the next paddock. “The global demand for beef is booming at the moment,” said Murray Grey, whose family has for three decades run the remote West Australian 1,970-square-kilometre Glenflorrie station, one of the five taking part in the trial before a public showing next week.

“We´ve haven´t got the room... to breed more cows, but we have got the room to make the cows that we have got produce more efficiently. “Ultimately, it´s getting that animal to market quicker,” Grey added, saying the technology would boost efficiencies in the lucrative business, such as cutting costs and lifting revenue, by 25 to 40 percent. While farmers traditionally look for a visual change in a herd to determine when they are losing weight and their feed needs to be refreshed, the technology will allow them to monitor this almost instantaneously.

CMYK

AGENCIES North and South Korean families were forced to say a final, traumatic farewell Thursday after meeting for the first time in more than 60 years, as the joy of temporary reunion gave way to the grief of permanent separation. On the third and last day of their all-too brief, emotionally charged reunion in a North Korean mountain resort, the families were given two hours in the morning to say their last goodbyes. It was perhaps the most fraught part of the entire event, with relatives on both sides — especially the elderly in their 70s, 80s or even 90s — all too aware that this was likely the last time they would ever see each other.

Some spent their last minutes together simply clinging to each other, while others sought to put on a brave face, holding hands and wiping away tears as they sat at numbered tables in the resort’s main banquet area. TV footage from the resort showed one elderly North Korean woman trying to keep the mood on her table upbeat, challenging everyone to an arm wrestle to show off her physical health. But then the North Koreans boarded buses to take them home, prompting desperate final scenes as they pressed their hands and faces to the windows, trying to maintain eye contact with their weeping South Korean relatives outside as the vehicles moved away.

China Communist party’s deadly sins: gluttony, sex and golf AGENCIES China’s Communist Party has banned its members from “extravagant eating and drinking”, engaging in “improper sexual relationships with others” and playing golf, state media reported Thursday. The ruling party’s Political Bureau adopted new rules on clean governance and discipline earlier this month, the official Xinhua news agency said, describing the measures as “a moral ethical code that members must abide by”. Party members were already barred from “keeping paramours and conducting adultery” but the new rule on sexual activity was stricter, Xinhua said. Playing golf and excessive eating and drinking were explicitly listed as violations of discipline for the first time, it added. The regulations — which apply to everyone in the 88-million-strong Communist Party — also forbid forming cliques within the party and nepotism.

Friday, 23 October, 2015

ARTS

DiD you know? JaveD Bashir's concert in Delhi went off without a hitch EntErtainmEnt DEsk

w

HIlE Hindu extremist party Shiv Sena's recent clampdown on Pakistani artistes in India gives the impression that all of our stars must have gone into hiding, singer Javed Bashir's concert in New Delhi last weekend went off without a hitch.

Indian NGO Routes2Roots invited Javed to perform last weekend as part of

their continual series of musical events that aims to bridge the gap between India and the rest of the world.

Javed echoed the same idea in his later interview with The Hindu: "We as singers can bridge the gap between the two countries by producing music which crosses boundaries and creates love between the people from both sides. If musicians from both sides collaborate, then they can make music which can be presented to the world as a masterpiece. The need is to understand the

MAHESH BHATT RESPONDS TO SHIV SENA THREATS TO MAHIRA AND FAWAD

in [my concert in Delhi] all the accompanists are from India which clearly shows that citizens want to enjoy music and music is a synonym of peace."

Javed has contributed to Bollywood

IS IT TIME FOR A NEW LOVE STORY IN HRITHIK ROSHAN'S LIFE? EntErtainmEnt DEsk

EntErtainmEnt DEsk Shiv Sena most recently issued threats to popular Pakistani film stars, Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan. Mahira is playing Shah Rukh Khan's love interest in the upcoming filmRaees, while Fawad has been roped in two films Kapoor & Sons and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Shiv Sena says that they will not allow the actors to promote their films on Maharashtra soil. While Mahira and Fawad's producers have not openly commented on Shiv Sena's threats, Mahesh Bhatt, who is a vocal supporter of using cultural means to promote Pak-India peace, called on the government to act: "When I made a film called Saathi with Pakistani cricketer turned actor Mohsin Khan, he was asked to go away. The government should act now and not allow people [to instill] fear in the minds of cultural ambassadors," he said to Emirates 24/7.

fact that music creates bond not hatred."

While Javed Bashir's performance was uninterrupted, other Pakistani musicians like Ghulam Ali, Mekaal Hasan Band or Atif Aslam have not been as fortunate in the recent past.

But Bashir is adamant that "music travels without a visa": "I think music has no religion and boundaries. Music cannot be stopped by cancelling the shows as it travels without visa. Wherever I have performed most of my audience come from India and even

We've always had a hunch from the start that Hrithik Roshan could be a die-hard romantic at heart! Take for instance his first film Kaho Na Pyar Hai; it was an out and out romantic film and went on to become a superhit. Not just that we also feel that the actor sizzled when he romanced Katrina Kaif in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Irrespective of what the critics say, the actor can wow fans if he would let romance be his forte.

However, Hrithik has tried a variety of genres from action to period drama in his career so far. In fact his next film is Mohenjo Daro, a period drama.

But a recent report in bollywoodlife.com said, that the actor has now given a nod to an untitled

film to be directed by Sanjay Gupta (who the actor will work

with for the first time) and produced by Hrithik’s father Rakesh Roshan. It will be a three-month, start-to-finish schedule, beginning in July next year.

A source said,“The film is an intense love story. Hrithik loved the subject. It’s written by a new writer who brought the concept to Sanjay.

Directing a love story is also virgin territory for Gupta, who largely makes action-dramas. Hrithik was so pleased with this beautiful love story that he got papa Roshan on board to produce it.”

The source also said that Sanjay Gupt first showed the script of Jazbaa to Rakesh Roshan, “It’s an unusual and exciting collaboration with each player (Rakesh, Hrithik and Sanjay) bringing in their own individual experience to it, in their own way.”

JUSTIN TRUDEAU UNLEASHES HIS INNER DESI AND PAKISTAN LOVES IT

OMAR R QURAISHI Can't imagine a girl born & bred in Rahimyar Khan making it to Parliament - without being a feudal - Iqra Khalid did that in Canada

LAVISH MALL I don't think Pakistanis have any moral right to trend #ripindianminorities What about the persecutions of minorities in their own country?

ZAINAB ABBAS ..attack the spinners.

Superb innings esp if put in context of Pak's position in the match. #misbah

AYESHA Can there be one single #Muhurrum that doesn't bathe in #Shia blood? Those praying before Allah killed in his name...yet again. #Bolan

GAUTAM Virat Kohli becomes only the 5th batsman to score a century against all ICC nations.. #Virat

There's just something about men in shalwar kameez and Justin Trudeau knows it.

The chiseled charmer, who just became the Prime Minister of Canada, has women all over the globe singing 'Oh Canada'.

His movie star looks have people so flustered, they don't even know how to process it.

The implausibly good looking PM has been unleashing his inner desi man since 2012.

Pictures of Trudeau donning a shalwar kameez at a mosque surfaced on the internet yesterday, sending all the desi ladies in frenzy.

He may have dethroned IK as the most

charismatic politician in the eyes of all Pakistani ladies. The enigmatic liberal even shares a birthday with the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam: 25 December! he down-to-earth politician shocked and pleased voters when he took the Metro, casually snapping selfies with fellow travelers in Montreal the day after his victory was announced.

Justin is not just a pretty face though; he's a big believer in diversity and announced in one of his speeches that the citizens of Canada will see that reflected in the new government. He recalled an incident when a woman in a hijab came up to him, handed him her infant daughter and told him she was voting for him so that her child could have a future where she could make her own choices.

Trudeau responded: "We know in our bones that Canada was built by people from all corners of the world, who worship every faith, who belong to every culture, who speak every language."

Hailing from a family of politicians, he's proven his mettle when it comes to campaigning.

Here's hoping he can also govern and that Canada prospers under his watch. AGENCIES

NEW 'THOR' AND 'ALIEN' MOVIES TO BE SHOT IN AUSTRALIA SYDNEY: Two big budget blockbusters, including the next Marvel superhero "Thor" installment and Ridley Scott’s new "Alien" film, will be shot in Australia from next year, the government said Thursday. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the deal to film Marvel Studios "Ragnarok", starring Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, and Scott’s production for Twentieth Century Fox would generate 3,000 jobs and Aus$300 million ($216 million) for the economy. "Australia’s creative industries are well placed to take advantage of a growing global economy and I have been actively promoting Australia for the production of major international films," Bishop said. The announcement comes after recent trips to the United States during which Bishop lauded Australia for its highly qualified workforce, innovative technology, stable economy and low dollar. The original "Thor" in 2011, based on the Marvel Comics character, was a box office smash and was followed by a sequel "Thor: The Dark World" in 2013, also starring Hemsworth. Sci-fi horror movie "Alien", directed by Scott, was a cult hit in 1979 and led to three sequels. He is directing four prequels, beginning with the 2012 release of "Prometheus". AGENCIES

CMYK

13

several times in films such asKahaani, Cocktail and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, and will soon be heard again on the soundtracks of Rajeev Kumar's Saavi and Sudhir Mishra’s upcoming project.

FAWAD IS FANTASTIC, SAYS ALIA BHATT

EntErtainmEnt DEsk Fawad Khan has been making waves across the border ever since he made his debut with Khoobsurat last year. Alia Bhatt is the latest to join the growing list of his admirers. The Highway actress praised her Kapoor and Sons co-star when asked about her on screen chemistry with him. She said their scenes together have turned out really well. “Fawad is fantastic. He is a very talented actor. I was very surprised and happy with the spontaneity he and I managed to bring on screen in the scenes we have together,” she said to DNA. “I know he is a big star and there have been several women who have come to me and said, ‘Oh, you are working with Fawad! It is so exciting!’ He is very down-to-earth and a very sweet guy,” she added. Khoobsorat won Fawad Khan a Filmfare award. The 33-year old actor is all set to set the screen on fire yet again with his upcoming films Kapoor and Sons and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

ALI KAZMI TO LEND VOICE TO BRAD PITT STARRER

LAHORE: Pakistani model and actor Ali Kazmi is expected to show his acting abilities in a different light. He will lend his voice in a movie and has been casted as a voice over actor in an animated Hollywood film, a local media reported. According to a local media, the movie is said to be based on the war in Afghanistan and stars the voices of Hollywood celebrities Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in lead roles of the move. Kazmi recently finished his shooting in the US for Director Mehreen Jabbar’s movie “Dubara Phir Say”. Talking to a local media correspondent, Kazmi stated that his work had been greatly appreciated in the Toronto Film Festival in Canada. He also stated that he had made his mark working alongside Indian actors. Ali is the son of renowned veteran Pakistani star celebrity Rahat Kazmi and actor, director and producer Sahira Kazmi, Ali is a multi-faceted entertainment star who holds up to the Kazmi family name in the creative field. Ali has been casted in a number of Bollywood movies starring high profile names of the entertainment Industry inclusing acclaimed Director Deepta Mehta’s movie “Beeba Boys”, Rohit Jugraj Chauhan’s “Sardaar Ji” and Ajay Devgan directed “Shivaay”. WEB DESK

14 SPORTS

Friday, 23 October, 2015

‘Breaking Miandad’s record doesn’t Make Me feel arrogant’ P

AgencieS

AKISTAN veteran Younus Khan believes that all the records that he tumbled in Test cricket for Pakistan are primarily for his country. “We should all feel proud that these records are for Pakistan. I had never dreamt of beating [Javed] Miandad’s record but I will never feel arrogant, it is a record over which we all must feel proud,” said Younus, quoted Gulf News. Younus said that the Pakistan Test team was not solely dependent on him and the captain Misbahul Haq instead the whole team was responsible for the recent victories.

“The responsibility of being senior players in the team does not put extra pressure on me because and I only want to performance in the manner that is expected of me.” The 38-year-old further said that winning the Dubai Test against England was very imporatant for the team after the fifth day collapse in the Abu Dhabi Test. “We will fight back. We did well in the first innings (in Abu Dhabi) and they (England) also did well against our expectations. “I had said before that they will be a different team and they kept us under pressure. But that is gone now – this is a new Test and we are geared up. This venue is resultoriented so I am hopeful that we will do well here.”

Younus also praised Yasir Shah’s performance saying that it was good to see a leggie making an impact in the longest format. “He has been bowl-

MCCULLUM GOES FROM COURT TO CRICKET SportS DeSk

ing brilliantly recently, so we are sure that he will do well,” said Younus. “It is welcoming that another leg-spinner is playing international cricket and creating an impact. It is good for Test cricket, like before we had Mushtaq Ahmad, then Shane Warne and Anil Kumble.” Pakistan’s highest runscorer in Tests said that left-hand opener Shan Ma-

sood deserves another chance.

“I will back Shan Masood. He was unlucky that he got out in the same manner to the same bowler (James Anderson). It wasn’t a technical problem but maybe it was not his day. Shan has done well in Sri Lanka so I will back him,” Younus said while defending Shan.

DUNDALK DOMINATE PFAI TEAM OF THE YEAR SportS DeSk After clinching back-to-back Premier Division titles, Dundalk have once again dominated the Professional Footballers’ Association of Ireland (PFAI) Team of the Year.

Seven players from Stephen Kenny’s title-winning team have been named, with players from Cork City, St Patrick’s Athletic, Shamrock Rovers and Drogheda United also represented.

Drogheda goalkeeper Micheal Schlingermann has been chosen as the goalkeeper with Dundalk’s Dane Massey, Brian Gartland, Andy Boyle and Sean Gannon making up the defence.

Lilywhites midfielder Richie Towell, who leads the Premier Division goalscoring charts with 22 goals,

is joined in midfield by team-mates Daryl Horgan and Stephen O’Donnell, while Brandon Miele and Mark O’Sullivan complete the XI. Meanwhile, Dundalk trio Towell, Horgan and O’Donnell have been nominated for the PFAI Player of the Year award. Cork City’s Mark O’Sullivan has also been nominated.

Sean Gannon is the only Dundalk player nominated for the Young Player of the Year award, with Bohemians striker Ismahil Akinade and Shamrock Rovers’ Brandon Miele also nominated.

Everton defender Seamus Coleman has been nominated for Irish Overseas Player of the Year along with Norwich City duo Wes Hoolahan and Robbie Brady. Tom Connolly, Paul McLaughlin and Paul Tuite have been nominated for the Referee of the Year.

New Zealand’s captain Brendon McCullum is unsure how much the ongoing perjury trial of Chris Cairns will distract him as he sets about leading his country in what shapes as their best chance to unseat Australia at home in 30 years.

McCullum missed the New Zealand players’ only chance for a first-class fixture at home before reaching Australia as he was called as a prosecution witness at Southwark Crown Court in London and gave evidence of Cairns’ alleged spotfixing approaches to him in 2008 - conversations that he did not report to the ICC for some years. As part of a modified preparation as a result of his travel schedule, McCullum will not take part in the tour opening fixture against the Prime Minister’s XI on Friday, but will instead wait until the two-day practice match starting on Saturday to play his first cricket since the court appearance. He is hopeful that the case and its wide ramifications for the game will not cloud his thinking against Australia. “I hope so,” McCullum said when asked whether the case could be put to the back of his mind. “I had a job to do over there, but now I’m back here and very much focused on this series, three Tests is going to be a huge opportunity for us and a massive challenge as well. “It’s just nice to be around the boys again. I missed that first-class game back home so it’s good to get back into the nets. To a degree it has [been a distraction], but it had to be done and now I’m very much just focused on this tour, it’s a huge challenge for us as a team and a new stage in Australian cricket as well. It should be a cracking series.” In a departure from recent norms, the PM’sXI match will be less a festival match than a legitimate proving ground, both for the New Zealand side freshly landed in Australia and a host of locals eager to press their cases for Test selection next month.

McCullum said New Zealand would benefit from an early sight of the likes of Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Joe Burns, Adam Voges and Peter Siddle before the Tests as they formulated plans to try to win a Test series down under for the first time since 1985. “It’s going to be good, and for those guys as well they probably haven’t had the volume of cricket they would have wanted,” McCullum said.

“So it’s probably a smart move from the Australian selectors as well to include them in this game and it’s going to be good for us as well to have another competitive hitout leading into the series. “It’s going to give us a good preparation. Obviously I’m not playing tomorrow and Timmy [Southee] will have the stripes and I’m sure he’ll do an excellent job. So we’ll probably be able to get a little bit more information as well about some of these guys that we haven’t seen as much of as some of the other guys in the team.” Unlike most meetings between the two teams over the past decade of which there have been precious few since 2010 it will be New Zealand that have the more settled team going into the Tests. While acknowledging that as a strength, McCullum said he also knew that change could have positive effect on a team, as highly motivated individuals entered the dressing room.

T20 competitions destroying West Indies cricket: Sobers SportS DeSk Garry Sobers has delivered an emotional lament on the state of West Indies cricket, attributing the decline of West Indies side to the rise of Twenty20 leagues. He made his comments in Colombo, ahead of the second Test of the Sobers-Tissera series, which he is attending.

Sobers was particularly sorrowful as he reflected on what he felt was a dearth of motivation and pride in playing for West Indies, among modern players. West Indies are currently eighth on the Test ranking list, and seventh in ODIs. “My whole obligation was to West Indies cricket,” Sobers said. “As I’ve always said, I have never made a run for me. I have always played for the West Indies team and it was such a pleasure and joy to be able to do what I did. You know, records meant nothing. The team was important. “I don’t think we have that kind of person today.

We might have them in different countries - we might have them in Sri Lanka, in England, in Australia - but I don’t think we have that kind of person in West Indies cricket anymore, who is quite prepared to play and give it everything for their country. And that hurts. Until we can get people who are willing to play for West Indies in the right way, I think we’re going to be struggling for a long time. Other countries are going to surpass us. “ Sobers suggested that some West Indies players even focus on Test cricket only as a means to landing an IPL contract. There have been several instances of Caribbean players prioritising domestic leagues over playing for West Indies in the past few years.

In January, Chris Gayle and Sunil Narine declined the retainer offered by the West Indies Cricket Board, ostensibly to remain free to play in domestic T20 tournaments.

“I think T20 competitions are certainly destroying West Indies cricket, I’ll tell you

that,” Sobers said. “When you look at the point of view of the players from the West Indies in particular, they come from very humble backgrounds. So if the opportunity is there for them to make money so they can help their families, then you can’t really

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blame them. But I think they should be able to use discretion and understand the difference. I don’t think Twenty20 will run away.

I’ve always believed that Test cricket was the utmost, and if you were a cricketer, that was the sort of cricket that you’d want to

play.” Sobers said that other cricket nations had maintained the primacy of international cricket much better than West Indies had. He believed, however, that the Caribbean could still produce talented cricketers who were capable of regaining some of West Indies’ former glory.

“In the 1980s and 90s, West Indies were champions for about 15 years. I don’t think you’ll see that again in the history of cricket.

At present we have lost a lot of that because I suppose we got too lazy. T20 cricket seems to be affecting West Indies more than any other nation. We’re all rebuilding. But some seem to be doing it faster than others. All the other countries seem to be doing it faster than the West Indies.

“But I think we’ve got a lot of good players in the making, and I think they just need a bit more time. If they are handled in the right way and are given the right ingredients, I am quite sure that West Indies cricket will blossom again.”

SPORTS 15

Friday, 23 October, 2015

new Zealand will take attack to australia

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N taking on Australia at home over the next month, New Zealand’s cricketers wish to overturn one element of history while also paying homage to another. The Kiwis’ two most successful recent tilts at beating the men in baggy green took place in 2001 and 1995. In the more recent encounter, the batsmen dropped anchor and insisted on leaving the ball as much as possible.

That approach worked so successfully that Glenn McGrath endured one of his poorest series of all, and the visitors came within a couple of wickets of snatching the series in Perth.

Sixteen years before, a youthful Australian side gutted by retirements and South African rebel tour contracts had no answer to Sir Richard Hadlee at his peak.

Moving the ball both ways while sticking to an immaculate line, a pair of thrashings in Brisbane and Perth fell either side of a narrower win for Allan Border’s bedraggled team in Sydney.

This time around, New Zealand’s captain Brendon McCullum has no intention of instructing his batsmen to shelve their free-spirited batting tendencies in contrast to 2001. But there is wellfounded confidence within the visitors’ ranks that a moving ball in the hands of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and company can confound another transitional Australian team after the fashion of Hadlee.

For McCullum, the chance to play a three-Test series in Australia will sit high

on any list of his career highlights, especially given how shabbily New Zealand have been treated by their wealthier neighbour in terms of fixtures since 2010.

He is determined to maintain a positive, aggressive attitude to the task, something that cost him during the World Cup final earlier this year but has brought him great rewards elsewhere.

“We’ve got to keep the positive mindset, that’s what works for us,” McCullum said. “It’s not always going to work but it gives us our greatest chance and we’ve said that time and time again over the last couple of years. That sits comfortably

with us, it’s more authentic that style of play to the personnel in the unit and probably with us as people, as Kiwis. We’ll go and play some positive cricket and hopefully the gods will shine on us.

“The World Cup was a great event and amazing to be part of, but we ran second in the event and we were proud of what we were able to achieve and how we gave ourselves a shot at the title. Unfortunately we weren’t good enough on the day and Australia deserved to win, but it’s not a motivation for us. Our motivation is to be as good as we possibly can, and to come over here and try and get the result

which is to win the three-Test series.”

The fact that both sides played England during the northern summer offers an intriguing insight into their strengths and weaknesses. New Zealand’s aggression got them into trouble at Lord’s but they rebounded strongly to win at Headingley, whereas Australia also finished the stronger but only after the Ashes had been whisked away by a combination of Steven Finn, Stuart Broad and heedless batting on a pair of seaming pitches.

“To a degree, but I think Australia’s different at home,” McCullum said when queried on how much the Ashes result gave New Zealand an idea of how to make the hosts uncomfortable. “England in England are tough to beat and with a different ball as well. The series oscillated so much - England got the spoils at the end but it certainly wasn’t one sided. “For us we’ve got to play positive cricket, we know we’ve got a good line up, a team which we know well within ourselves, we’ve got good balance, and we’re going to have to work out some areas along the way where we think we might be able to attack Australia, and areas we have to shore up as well, because we know we’ve got some really explosive batters and they’ve got some dangerous bowlers as well. “That’s the art of trying to work out how you’re going to compete on a tour, but they’re going to be tough, and we’ve got to make sure we play well.”

It should not escape the attention of those who have hesitated to schedule matches been Australia and New Zealand

for reasons of competitiveness or financial value that the last time they played one another it was actually the Kiwis who were victorious, on a green Hobart pitch not dissimilar to those prepared in Birmingham and Nottingham.

Tim Southee, who will lead in McCullum’s stead against the Prime Minister’s XI, said the swinging ball against aggressive Australian batsmen would be a prime weapon for the New Zealand attack. “I think the strength of myself and Trent particularly is the way we can swing a ball and it does help if it is swinging,” he said, “but I think we’ve also had results where it hasn’t swung.

“We’ve performed in all sorts of conditions in all parts of the world now, and although we like it when it swings, we know if it is not swinging it is not the end of the world. We do have other plans and things up our sleeve as well. But if does make a bit of a difference if there is a bit of swing in the air and I think last time we played in Brisbane there was a little bit of swing around - James Pattinson swung it too nicely that day - so yeah hopefully we can get it swinging.” Talk of sledging and confrontations had to arise after the events of the World Cup final, but it is fair to surmise that this will be a series played in friendlier spirit based on recent evidence. Under McCullum, New Zealand have become a byword for fairness, while the Australians were notably short of verbal venom during the Ashes, even before the retirements of two chief provocateurs in Brad Haddin and Shane Watson.

FIFA INVESTIGATING GERMAN SOCCER LEGEND FRANZ BECKENBAUER

SportS DeSk FIFA has confirmed a case against Franz Beckenbauer is being examined by the adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee. Beckenbauer, a former World Cup winner as player and coach with West Germany, was on the committee that chose the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, which were controversially awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively. In the same announcement, FIFA said Angel Maria Villar, who has

been a vice president on FIFA’s committee since 1998, also is being investigated. He is the most senior UEFA official not currently suspended, with president Michel Platini provisionally banned after receiving a payment of two million Swiss Francs from FIFA president Sepp Blatter in 2011.

Villar headed up meetings at the UEFA ExCo last week in Platini’s absence. A statement from the investigatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee read: “Proceedings relating to the two officials Angel

Maria Villar Llona and Franz Beckenbauer have already been passed on to the adjudicatory chamber. For procedural reasons, no further names of other parties affected by the proceedings are currently being disclosed.

“Under the FIFA Code of Ethics, pursuant to the presumption of innocence, the investigatory chamber shall examine all circumstances of the cases equally. In this sense, all parties are presumed innocent until a decision has been passed by the adjudicatory chamber.” The investigatory chamber also confirmed it would do “everything in its power” to ensure decisions on Platini and Blatter, who is also forbidden from carrying out any football-related activities, would be taken within the 90-day suspension period. Platini is a declared candidate for the FIFA presidential elections to be staged on February 26 as he seeks to replace Blatter at the head of world football.

The statement added: “The investigatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has confirmed that proceedings are ongoing against FIFA president Joseph Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini, both of whom are currently provisionally suspended. The investigation is focusing on a payment of Swiss Francs 2 million from FIFA to Michel Platini in February 2011. “The investigatory chamber will do everything in its power to ensure that a decision can be

taken by the adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee, chaired by Hans-Joachim Eckert, within the 90day suspension period (which began on 8 October 2015) of the two football officials. “The investigatory chamber also confirms the ongoing proceedings against suspended FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke related to the suspicion of misuse of expenses and other infringements of FIFA’s rules and regulations.

“Formal investigation proceedings relating to the suspicion of infringements of the FIFA Code of Ethics are amongst others ongoing against Worawi Makudi, Jeffrey Webb, Ricardo Teixeira, Amos Adamu, Eugenio Figueredo and Nicolas Leoz.” Wednesday’s announcements come following the decision to amend article 36 of FIFA’s Code of Ethics. “The chairman of the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee, Dr Cornel Borbely, welcomes the approval by FIFA’s Executive Committee of the new wording of article 36 of the FIFA Code of Ethics. In future, it will be possible for the Ethics Committee to confirm on request the opening of proceedings against representatives of world football,” the statement read. “The investigatory chamber will always weigh the interests of transparency against the need to conduct proper adjudicatory proceedings, the personality rights of the parties involved and the presumption of innocence.

kevin sinfield to Miss out on one final leeds rhinos aPPearance Leeds will field nine members of their Grand Final-winning team against the New Zealand tourists at Headingley on Friday but Kevin Sinfield will not be among them. The Rhinos’ recordbreaking captain has been ruled out with a hand injury sustained in the win over Wigan at Old Trafford 12 days ago which means that his rugby league career is officially at an end as he prepares to switch codes with Yorkshire Carnegie. Jamie Peacock is also missing from the Leeds team but fellow front rower Kylie Leuluai, who is also retiring, will play one final game before hanging up his boots. Auckland-born Leuluia, who defied a heart condition to help the Rhinos complete the treble, will line up alongside former Leeds legends Ali Lauitiiti and Adrian Morley who are returning to make one final appearance in blue and amber. SportS DeSk

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SCHWEINSTEIGER TAKING LEGAL ACTION OVER NAZI DOLL BerLin AgencieS

Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger is taking legal action against a Chinese company that manufactured a doll bearing the midfielder’s resemblance and dressed in Nazi military uniforms, a spokesman for the player said on Thursday. The figure named ‘Bastian’ and seen wearing various German World War Two military uniforms, including the swastika and eagle, symbol of Nazi Germany is on sale through the Hong-Kong based DID company. The resemblance to the Manchester United playmaker Schweinsteiger is striking. A spokesman for 31-year-old, who won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, told reporters he was taking legal action while German media were enraged by what they perceived as Nazi depiction of the player. “Filth,” said Munich’s tz newspaper while Stern magazine said “Scandal doll Bastian. That is what it looks like,” next to a picture of the controversial product. The DID company, which is also selling figures of former Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin and British war leader Winston Churchill, was still advertising the figure on the front page on its website on Thursday. Schweinsteiger is among the most successful German footballers of his generation, having won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2013 as well as numerous domestic league and German Cup titles. He joined United this season.

TAYLOR LEADS WEST INDIES TO 109-RUN WIN SportS DeSk West Indies women’s captain Stafanie Taylor overwhelmed Pakistan women with a powerful all-round performance, making an unbeaten 98 and then taking 3 for 26 in ten overs to secure a 109-run victory for her team in St. Lucia. Pakistan had made a promising start after choosing to bowl and had West Indies at 57 for 3 in 10.1 overs. Taylor then put on 130 runs with Merrisa Aguilleira, who was run out for 68.

Kyshona Knight’s 45 off 40 balls added the finishing touches as West Indies powered to 281 for 5. Taylor, on 90, had faced the last four balls of the innings but could manage to score only two off each delivery, finishing two runs short of a century. Pakistan’s chase of a challenging target barely got off the ground. Javeria Khan played a sole hand, making an unbeaten 73 at No. 3, but no one else got past 20. Taylor cut through the middle order, taking three successive wickets to reduce Pakistan from 93 for 3 to 125 for 6. They were eventually restricted to 172 for 9 in 50 overs.

SPORTS Friday, 23 October, 2015

MISBAH TON RESTORES PAKISTAN POISE Abu DhAbi

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AKISTAN had left Abu Dhabi with their batting momentarily in disarray, but as the Test series moved on to Dubai, Misbah-ul-Haq looked matters up and down and took the chance to restore a sense of gravitas. England bowled with heart and consistency on a surface that was a test of their stoicism, just as Abu Dhabi had been before, but Misbah ensured their rewards were limited on the opening day with a century of great nous and deliberation. He could not have reached that hundred in a more maverick manner. For the last half an hour or so, he had blocked mechanically for the close, his only aim to prevent calamity against the second new ball, and was still 13 runs short of his personal target by the time Moeen Ali bowled the final over.

When he swung the first ball for six into the empty terraces at deep square, it felt like a show of defiance. When the third was planted over long-on, a warmdown routine had begun in earnest. A frisky reverse sweep provided the final single and a hundred only he can have envisaged. He has now equalled Inzamam-ul-Haq’s record of seven hundreds as Pakistan captain two energy-preserving batsmen who could teach VW a thing or two about low emissions.

Misbah proceeded with stiff stolidity, a headmasterly batsman able to bring discipline to proceedings with a single expression. One imagines he would teach Latin - and be demanding when it came to declensions. At the back of the class, where knots of supporters were battered by the heat, concentration was sometimes lacking. Conditions were in his favour but at least this was a cricket pitch, unlike the monstrosity in Abu Dhabi. That one was surely marked as poor, not that Andy Pycroft, the match referee and an ICC apparatchik, has had any intention of saying.

Misbah does not hook these days, and ducking was not always an option. As a result, he took the occasional blow on the body, as well as being struck on the helmet

by Mark Wood, who disturbed him more than anybody. An imposing figure, he weathered the assault patiently, aware that the surface was loaded in his favour. England

PaKIstan 1st InnIngs R mohammad haFeez c baIRstow b alI 19 shan masood c buttleR b andeRson 54 shoaIb malIK c baIRstow b stoKes 2 younIs Khan c buttleR b wood 56 mIsbah-ul-haQ not out 102 asad shaFIQ not out 46 extRas 3 total 282 bowlIng jm andeRson 16 5 33 1 2.06 79 3 0 scj bRoad 13

took the second new ball, but a late success did not materialise. Twice Misbah mistimed attacking shots against Adil Rashid and was fortunate to evade a fielder, and even he broke his bat handle when running it into the crease amid vague concerns of a run out. At times of crisis, he allows himself a smile of defiance, but such crises occurred irregularly and for the most part he was impervious to anything that life might throw at him. As Misbah walked solemnly to the wicket at 85 for 3, with the afternoon session only one ball old, England would have hoped for something better.

To have three wickets already banked was a merciful release for an attack whose suspicions that they would again be living on scraps were well founded.

It was a hot and airless day, flags hanging limply, and an eerily empty stadium echoing to England’s shouts of encouragement as they tried to push Pakistan’s first-innings score in Abu

India spin out South Africa after Kohli’s 138

2 36 0 2.76 62 6 0 mm alI 20 3 82 1 4.10 84 8 3 ma wood 14 6 26 1 1.85 72 3 0 ba stoKes 14 3 43 1 3.07 65 5 0 (1w) au RashId 13 1 60 0 4.61 51 4 3 match detaIls toss PaKIstan, who chose to bat PlayeR oF the match tba umPIRes bnj oxenFoRd (austRalIa) and PR ReIFFel (austRalIa) tV umPIRe cb gaFFaney (new zealand) match ReFeRee aj PycRoFt (zImbabwe) ReseRVe umPIRe ahsan Raza (PaKIstan)

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IRAT Kohli scored his first ODI century against South Africa and first in 14 innings since the World Cup to anchor an authoritative Indian batting performance. Although they did not reach 300, this was their highest score of the series so far, and their spinners made sure it was enough.

On a slow surface which took turn, the slow men burrowed their way into South Africa’s middle order, taking 32 for 3 between the 10th and 20th over, to blunt the challenge even with AB de Villiers still at the crease. The captain did his bit with a heroic hundred and a share in the highest stand of South African innings, 56 for the fifth-wicket alongside Farhaan Behardien, but by then it was too late. What South Africa lacked was big partnerships, which India had a double dose of. Kohli put on 104 with Ajinkya Rahane and 127 with Suresh Raina, who scored a much-needed half-century after back-to-back ducks, to set India up for a substantial score despite a squeeze at the end of their innings. South Africa’s seamers bookended the Kohli assault with incision, restricting India to 35 for 2 in the first eight overs and claiming 4 for 29 in the final five but it was what happened inbetween that separated the sides.

Kohli was in sublime touch, timed the ball well and paced his innings sensibly.

Dhabi - 523 for 8 declared - to the back of their mind. There was a little more pace and bounce on offer than in the opening Test, although it was all relative, and there was also a hint of first-session turn, especially when Moeen’s offspin took the wicket of Mohammad Hafeez. That breakthrough came in the first over after drinks, Hafeez, who had kept short leg interested on several previous occasions, deflecting gently to Jonny Bairstow via an inside edge as he pushed forward, the first of two short-leg catches. Ben Stokes had looked peaky after a pre-match net session, the sun already beating down on his wan complexion and even his tattoos looking a little more washed out than normal, but England had enough faith in his resolve to be confident his stomach bug would not overly affect him. Stokes soon had something to hearten him - a wicket with his fourth ball. If Bairstow’s first catch was a gimme, the one that accounted for Shoaib Malik was something special, demonstrating an unyielding mind as the ball rapped him flush in the chest and then a spring to his left to hold a rebound with such alacrity that he made it look part of the plan. Although Shan Masood passed 50 for the third time in Tests, when he nicked the first ball of the afternoon session to the wicketkeeper it meant that James Anderson had dismissed him three times in the series in only 13 deliveries. For a fast bowler to have a bunny is never more gratefully received than in the arid conditions of the UAE. Masood was a more secure figure than the unsettled batsman seen in the opening Test in Abu Dhabi, without entirely dispelling England’s notion that he is vulnerable against the short ball. A controlled pull against Wood was his best retort, and he showed a striking enthusiasm for using his feet against Moeen, dancing down the pitch to loft him straight for six and then stroke him to the cover boundary.

He took advantage of a sixman attack that was found strategically wanting, overusing the short ball and obviously missed Morne Morkel, who was out with an quad injury and could have generated awkward bounce.

Morkel’s replacement, Chris Morris, ended up being the most expensive of the South African seamers but did not concede as much as Imran Tahir, who led an ineffective slower-bowling section that could not find the same control India’s did. It did not always look as though South Africa would toil that hard. They asked questions of both Rohit Sharma (caught at midwicket) and Shikhar Dhawan’s (caught behind off an attempted pull) shot selection and seemed to be extracting some early lift but that quickly disappeared. Aaron Phangiso and Tahir struggled to maintain the tone Kagiso Rabada set, especially against an enterprising Kohli. Together with Rahane, Kohli showed energy at the crease and urgency running between the wicket, found gaps and the boundary, and had raced to a 51-ball fifty. In searching for a wicket, de Villiers brought his seamers back but Kohli was in control and it was only when Steyn returned for a third spell, in the 27th over, that South Africa broke through. Rahane flashed at a wide one without moving his feet. The ball kept low and took the bottom edge on its way through to de Kock, who took it

Scoreboard IndIa InnIngs R Rg shaRma c du PlessIs b moRRIs 21 s dhawan c de KocK b Rabada 7 V KohlI c de KocK b Rabada 138 am Rahane c de KocK b steyn 45 sK RaIna c de VIllIeRs b steyn 53 ms dhonI c de VIllIeRs b steyn 15 haRbhajan sIngh b Rabada 0 aR Patel not out 4 b KumaR Run out (steyn) 0 extRas 16 total 299 bowlIng dw steyn 10 0 61 3 6.10 19 5 0 (1w) K Rabada 10 0 54 3 5.40 28 3 1 (5w) ch moRRIs 9 0 55 1 6.11 24 6 0 (4w) am PhangIso 9 0 51 0 5.66 22 2 2 (1w) ImRan tahIR 9 0 58 0 6.44 22 2 3 (1nb) F behaRdIen 3 0 17 0 5.66 4 0 0 (1w) south aFRIca InnIngs R

Q de KocK c Rahane b haRbhajan sIngh 43 hm amla c dhawan b mm shaRma 7 F du PlessIs c dhonI b Patel 17 ab de VIllIeRs c dhonI b KumaR 112 da mIlleR lbw b haRbhajan sIngh 6 F behaRdIen lbw b mIshRa 22 ch moRRIs Run out (Rahane) 9 am PhangIso c Patel b KumaR 20 dw steyn c Rahane b KumaR 6 K Rabada not out 8 ImRan tahIR not out 4 extRas 10 total 264 bowlIng b KumaR 10 0 68 3 6.80 34 8 1 (1nb, 4w) mm shaRma 10 0 48 1 4.80 33 5 0 (1nb, 1w) haRbhajan sIngh 10 0 50 2 5.00 28 3 1 aR Patel 10 0 40 1 4.00 34 3 0 a mIshRa 10 1 55 1 5.50 29 4 1

low down with both hands. MS Dhoni did not promote himself above the under-fire Raina, who had the situation and the space to play himself back into form. He took his time sussing out conditions and the scoring rate slowed.

There was only one boundary in the next seven overs but for South Africa’s attack the respite was only temporary.

With the last ten overs approaching, Kohli’s slow-burn was ready to burst into flames. He brought up his century with a six off Phangiso, smacking the ball over Steyn’s head at long-on and putting a total in excess of 300 in India’s sights. Raina saw that as his cue to accelerate as well. After taking 12 runs off 16 balls, he scored his next 38 runs off 34 balls and reached his half-century off 48. He was particularly severe on the full ball, while Kohli punished the spin. India were headed for a score in excess of 300 but South Africa dragged them back in the final five overs. Kohli was struggling with cramp, and battled to get Rabada away at the end and was caught behind. Both Rabada and Steyn took two in two but the damage was already done. Quinton de Kock threatened to undo that damage, providing a speedy start. He survived the early loss of Hashim Amla (who has scored the same number of runs in this series as Dhawan) and owned the area outside off stump, but then spin struck. Harbhajan ended de Kock’s dictatorship when he tossed one up - de Kock drove and the edge carried to second slip. De Kock’s wicket came three overs into the spin squeeze as India began to run rings around the South Africans.

Faf du Plessis was caught behind off a sharply turning delivery from Axar Patel and showed his displeasure at the dismissal, and David Miller was trapped lbw by a Harbhajan delivery that pitched on off and hit him in front of middle. At 88 or 4, with only one recognised batting pair left, South Africa were finished, but de Villiers showed remarkable fight. He seemed to be batting on a different surface and did not struggle against the spinners. agencieS

YAWAR SAEED DIES IN LAHORE ICC WRONG ON DAR REMOVAL SAFAROVA IN SINGAPORE FINAL NEYMAR RECALLED FOR 2018 WC LAhORE: The longserving Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed, whose last stint with the team was in 2010, has died at the age of 80 in Lahore. Saeed was the son of Pakistan’s first captain Mian Mohammad Saeed, who led the country in unofficial Tests before they gained full status, and the brother-in-law of former captain and paceman Fazal Mahmood. Of his 59 first-class games, 50 were for Somerset on England’s county circuit. He stepped down from the team manager role after the spot-fixing debacle in England that saw three Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir jailed and banned from playing cricketing for five years.

Born in Lahore before the partition of India, Saeed’s cricketing career lasted between 1953 and 1959. Staff report

Pakistan’s cricketerconvert-commentator Ramiz Raja believes the International Cricket Council (ICC) has sent a wrong message to the world by withdrawing Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar from the IndiaSouth Africa series after Shiv Sena’s violent protests. The ICC withdrew Aleem from officiating in the fourth and fifth ODI after Hindu right-wing party barged into Board of Control for Cricket in India president Shashank Manohar’s office on Monday demanding the cancellation of talks with visiting Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan. “I don’t know what sort of message the ICC wanted to convey to everyone by doing this. I would have thought that they should have simply asked the Indian cricket authorities to ensure the safety and security of Aleem in India,” said Ramiz, quoted by Indian media. Sport deSk

Lucie Safarova became the eighth and final player to qualify for the WTA Finals when Carla Suarez Navarro was knocked out of the Kremlin Cup on Thursday. Safarova faced an anxious wait to discover if she would feature in the seasonending tournament in Singapore after losing in the first round to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Moscow on Wednesday. Suarez Navarro knew she would play in the Far East at the expense of Safarova if she reached the final in Russia, but an emphatic 6-1 6-2 defeat to qualifier Daria Kasatkina in the quarterfinals ended the fifth-seeded Spaniard’s quest to prolong her season. Safarova has lost both her matches since recovering from a bacterial infection that had kept her out since the US Open and will need to get back to something like her best if she is to make an impact in the WTA Finals. Sport deSk

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CMYK

RIO DE JANEIRO: Neymar has been recalled for Brazil’s 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Argentina and Peru next month after sitting out the last four competitive games through suspension, Brazil manager Dunga said on Thursday.

Corinthians goalkeeper Cassio has been called up for the first time, but attacking midfield players Lucas, of Paris St. Germain, and Philippe Coutinho, of Liverpool, were left out.

Brazil lost their opening qualifier 2-0 in Chile on Oct 8 but bounced back to overcome Venezuela 3-1 at home five days later. The five-times world champions take on Argentina at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires on Nov. 12 and then return home to face Peru in Salvador on Nov. 17. agencieS