Isb 05 07 2013 layout 1

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:49 AM Page 1

Rs 17.00 Vol IV No 02 19 Pages

Friday, 5 July, 2013

Islamabad — Peshawar Edition

SHABAN 25 1434

story on page 03

story on page 16

story on page 02

story on page 16

story on page 02

government to inject 3,511mw into national grid

sharifs not ready to make Mumtaz Bhutto sindh governor

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on approved five development projects in energy sector amounting to Rs 1303.0 billion. The ECNEC met at the Prime Minister's Office with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the chair. In his opening remarks, Senator Ishaq Dar said that ECNEC is a premier constitutional body where all projects amounting to more than one billion are approved. page 02

The Sharif brothers are reluctant to make Sindhi nationalist Mumtaz Bhutto the new governor of Sindh keeping in view the negative signal it will convey to the Pakistan People’s Party and other political forces. Sources in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said Mumtaz was the most interested candidate in becoming the governor Sindh. page 02

pCB chief selector steps down story on page 20

Five soldiers killed in nWa suicide bombing

World urges return to democracy in egypt

At least five security personnel were killed and three were injured in a suicide attack at Bowia checkpost in North Waziristan on Thursday.

According to security officials, the suicide bomber ran an explosivesladen vehicle into the security checkpost, leaving five security personnel dead. At least three others were seriously injured, they added. page 02

World powers called on Thursday for a return to democracy in Egypt after the military ousted president Mohamed Morsi, but many took a pragmatic stance and stopped short of condemning the overthrow of the Islamist leader. The West walked a tightrope between concern at the situation and the need to acknowledge the popular anger that led to huge protests against Morsi, while Syria and some other Arab nations rejoiced at his ouster. page 07

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:49 AM Page 2

02

N NEWS Friday, 5 July, 2013

five soldiers killed iN Nwa sUicide bombiNg

Nawaz on Sino-Pak friendship:

Nothing’s gonna stop us now!

MIRANSHAH ONLINE

At least five security personnel were killed and three were injured in a suicide attack at Bowia checkpost in North Waziristan on Thursday. According to security officials, the suicide bomber ran an explosives-laden vehicle into the security checkpost, leaving five security personnel dead. At least three others were seriously injured, they added. Only a few days back, terrorists targeted a security forces convoy in the same agency, killing four security personnel. It was not known exactly who was involved in Thursday’s attack, but in the past Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has been behind such incidents and claimed responsibility. Waziristan lies in the northwestern semi-autonomous tribal belt area, which the US considers the main hub for Taliban and al Qaeda.

2 key TTP commanders killed in Peshawar oPeraTion: Two key Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commanders were killed in a successful operation by security forces in Peshawar on Thursday, security officials said. The security officials told a private TV channel that the security forces were conducting a search operation in the Frontier Region of Peshawar near Mattani when they clashed with the militants, leaving one security official and two militants dead. The officials identified the two key militant commanders as Roohul Amin and Adnan alias Hurera, both TTP commanders. The operation followed a late night attack by dozens of suspected Taliban militants on a security checkpost in Shamshato area near Peshawar Frontier Region (FR), killing six Frontier Constabulary (FC) soldiers and leaving 12 others injured.

BEIJING: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before their meeting on Thursday. ONLINE

PreMier Meets chinese President Xi, says he has faith in china’s continued suPPort to Pakistan BEIJING APP

P

RIME Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday met Chinese President Xi Jinping and the two pledged to carry forward their nation’s all-weather friendship to new heights.

During the meeting, both leaders had discussion on bilateral and other issues of concern. Nawaz said in fact

Premier Li Keqiang, during his visit to Pakistan, had expressed the desire that he should first visit China as Pakistan’s prime minister. Nawaz said he had fulfilled the desire of Premier Li as it was an honour for him to visit the friendly country that was a source of strength for Pakistan. The PM told President Xi that Pakistan was faced with numerous challenges and it had an uphill task to pull the economy out of the current difficulties. He said that this was a difficult time, yet he was committed and determined to surmount all challenges.

Nawaz said he was fully cognizant of the internal security situation in parts of the country and the government was working out a strategy to improve it.

He pointed out that his country had to address the economic challenges in tandem with internal and regional security issues. Nawaz said the failure to adders these issues was not an option for him and Pakistan be-

lieved that China would stand by its friend and neighbour in the hour of need. Chinese President Xi Jinping recalled his earlier meeting with Nawaz in 2010. President Xi said that he had great and happy memories of that meeting and the issues discussed at that time. "I have great liking for you and your brother," said Xi in a lighter tone. The Chinese president said, "We are proud that you have chosen China for your first overseas visit.” "Pakistan is a great country and we have enormous love and affection for it", he added.

He hoped the visit would prove fruitful as a lot of homework had been done by both the countries. He expressed the hope that tangible outcome would emerge in the coming days.

Both sides are expected to commit themselves for the implementation of various projects and further bolstering their multifaceted cooperation.

Nisar warNs of ‘direct staNdoff’ with Us over droNes ISLAMABAD APP

Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan on Thursday said continuation of drone attacks in Pakistan could lead to a “direct standoff” between Pakistan and the United States. "We have categorically conveyed to the US authorities through the ambassador that this standoff could have serious implications on withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan as well as post-withdrawal scenario," he told reporters at the ministry. Nisar said drone attacks were not only violation of the country's sovereignty but were also resulting in collateral damage that was not acceptable at any cost. "The US must consider whether such attacks would be affordable for them. They will have to mend their ways they have been pursuing since the last seven years," Nisar said. Regarding the initiation a trial against former president Pervez Musharraf under Article 6, Nisar said the special committee had started its work and the report would be produced before the Supreme Court. Lauding the sacrifices rendered by the Pakistan Army in its fight against terrorism, he said there was no conflict between the political government and the armed forces. To a question, Nisar said the government had decided to convene a meeting of the heads of all political parties in parliament on July 12 to formulate a comprehensive national security policy to bring peace and overcome terrorism. The interior minister said he would telephone all leaders and announce a final schedule of the meeting, adding that all chief ministers, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani and heads of all law enforcement agencies would also be invited to the meeting. However, he said the formulation of national security policy was a complicated task and it might take sometime to finalise. Nisar said three task forces had been formed to look into the issues of national security, missing persons and return of Dr Afia Siddiqui which would submit their reports within two weeks. He said a wide ranging revamping would be done in all attached departments of the Interior Ministry and officers with good repute will be posted in the field to improve the situation.

The interior minister expressed his concern over the coup in Egypt and said democracy should flourish at any cost and that there must be rule of law. To another question regarding law and order in Karachi and Balochistan, Nisar said the government had a clear policy on the issue and Frontier Crops and Rangers were working under the control of respective provincial governments which were responsible to maintain law and order.

Govt to inject 3,511mw into national grid dar says finances for all aPProved Projects should be tiMely arranged ISLAMABAD: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on approved five development projects in energy sector amounting to Rs 1303.0 billion.

The ECNEC met at the Prime Minister's Office with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the chair. The meeting approved K-I and K-II Nuclear Projects situated in Karachi (Province Sindh, generation capacity 2200 MW, cost Rs 958729 million) Nandipur (Province Punjab, generation capacity 425 MW, cost Rs 57380 million), Neelum-Jhelum hydro electric project (AJK, generation capacity 969 MW, cost Rs 274.0 billion). In his opening remarks, Senator Ishaq Dar said that ECNEC is a premier constitutional body where all projects amounting to more than

Water and PoWer Ministry told to coMPlete transMission lines in tandeM With Project one billion are approved. The minister said that the previous practice had been that anticipatory approvals were given by the finance minister for approval of projects, discretion that he would like to dispense with and would like every project to be discussed in this forum before it is approved. The minister said that this would mean that more frequent meetings of ECNEC would be held. The minister said that finances for all the approved projects should be timely arranged and their monitoring would be carried out regularly so that they do not suffer or delayed from want of resources.

The projects should be completed on schedule so that its benefits and value for the money are achieved. He said that the gov-

ernment had taken a bold decision to settle the circular debt which stood at Rs.503 billion and has already paid Rs 322 billion to private power producers while the remaining would be settled within announced time.

This measure would add 1700MW of electricity to the national grid. The IPPs have been mandated to use coal instead of oil and bring about the change in the next 18 months which will bring down the average cost of power production. Dar said, “Today's meeting is important because we are taking up energy projects with the total generation capacity of 3511MW which when completed would not only be a substantial addition to the national grid but also produce electricity at low cost.” The minister said that 15 years back the energy mix was 75 percent based on cheap fuel and 25 percent on costly oil whereas it has now totally changed to 25 percent based on cheap fuel and 75 percent on furnace oil. Dar informed the participants that the prime minister had decided that future energy projects should be undertaken with the view that they can

be completed within the shortest possible time and produce power at low cost. While discussing the Neelum-Jhelum Hydro Electric Project which has been approved at revised cost of Rs 274.0 billion against the previous cost of Rs 84.0 billion, the meeting decided that a probe into the huge cost overrun and delay in the project should be made and submitted so that responsibility can be fixed. Similarly, the Ministry of Water and Power was also directed that the transmission lines should be completed in tandem with the project. The project would generate 969MW power by constructing a concrete gravity dam on Neelum River at Nauseri District Muzaffarabad. NeelumJhelum Hydro Power Project will help generation of cheap electricity for people as envisioned by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. A Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) of nearly 425-525MW capacity comprising of 3(03) NOS gas turbines and 1(01 NO) original cost of Rs 22,335 million are revised and approved steam turbine unit at the existing site of Nandipur small hy-

dropower station where sufficient land and infrastructure is available was also approved by the ECNEC. The project is proposed to be funded from PSDP/GENCO's own resources. The ECNEC approved Karachi Costal Power Project (Unit-I&II), with the generation capacity of 2117 MW each. The total cost of Karachi Costal Power Project (Unit-I&II) is estimated Rs 958,729 million. This project located in Karachi, Sindh would go a long way in meeting the uninterrupted energy requirement of the south of the country. The ECNEC approved the project of Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite (PRSS) located in Sindh and Punjab with cost of Rs 19695.0 million. The Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite project is part of National Satellite Development Programme for space technology and its application will be in Pakistan, institutional capacity building of SUPARCO and relevant organizations. PRSS will carry optical pay load that will produce high resolution earth images with stereo capabilities. APP

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:49 AM Page 3

03

NEWS

N

Friday, 5 July, 2013

robbiNg peter to pay paUl ISLAMABAD TAyyAb HussAIN

T

ISLAMABAD: Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar briefs reporters on the IMF loan agreement on Thursday. ONLINE

dar says global Money lender has been reQuested to Provide another $2b

Pakistan talks iMf into loaning $5.3b for three years under ‘hoMegroWn’ PrograMMe

HE International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday agreed to provide Pakistan with a three-year loan worth $5.3 billion to help boost the declining economy, with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar claiming that the international lender had been requested to provide another $2 billion under the bailout package of the due share of Pakistan.

Addressing a joint press conference, Dar and IMF Adviser Jeffrey Franks told reporters that both sides had agreed on a loan accord of $5.3 billion.

On the occasion, Dar was full of praises for the international lender, stating that the IMF officials had played a positive role in negotiating the deal with Pakistan.

Franks, however, said the loan was subject to further approval within the IMF and it would then go to the executive board for approval in early September.

“We are entering into a fresh programme with the IMF to not only retire our past liabilities but also to bring about structural reforms in the country. We have successfully agreed over a programme that is home-grown and consistent with the new government’s policies,” he said, asserting that Pakistan had made another request to the IMF of provision of another $2 billion that had been refused due to in-

discipline of the former government.

Though Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his first speech to his party’s parliamentary group had vowed to break the “beggar’s bowl”, Dar on the occasion expressed his helplessness on seeking a bailout package from the IMF, stating that there was no option but to request for the loan to save Pakistan from imminent default.

"We have not carried the begging bowl in our hands nor are we getting a grant. It’s a home-grown programme and has been agreed on our own conditions.

Pakistan can ask for help from the IMF as it is a member of the IMF," he added.

Dar said the crisis Pakistan was facing was because of the fiscal indiscipline practiced over the past few years.

Elaborating the loan’s details, IMF adviser Jeffrey Franks said this was a programme which was being supported as part of IMF Extended Fund Arrangement.

“Under the program, $5.3 billion will carry a floating interest rate of three percent and it would be payable over a longer period than conventional arrangements to facilitate Pakistan in repaying the loan,” Franks explained.

The IMF adviser also confirmed Dar’s claim that the loan agreement was “homegrown” for Pakistan, stating that it was a Pakistan-designed and built programme.

Franks added that Pakistan government had developed plans to improve tax collections through improved administra-

shah to propose Names for Nab chairmaN oN Nawaz’s retUrN

tion and through a mechanism to eliminate loopholes in the coming years. “The difficult decisions have already been made,” he asserted, adding that the agreement had been reached with Pakistan’s business climate in mind and “will serve to bring about the much needed restructuring in Pakistan’s economy”.

Franks hoped that the announcement of support from the IMF would encourage

other development partners to extend a helping hand to Pakistan.

Dar said the objective of the loan was to bring down the fiscal deficit, touching nine percent last year, to a more sustainable level and reform the energy sector to help resolve severe power cuts that have sapped growth potential.

He added that an agreement with the State Bank of Pakistan was also designed

to help rebuild forex reserves and keep inflation at acceptable levels.

He said Pakistan also had a programme to restructure and even privatise public sector enterprises, which would generate significant revenues.

Dar added that the overall focus on the IMF programme was to boost economic growth, “so we can have a better future for all Pakistanis".

Nawaz regime ends suspension on capital punishment

MONITORING DESK

ISLAMABAD ONLINE

Opposition leader in the National Assembly (NA) Syed Khursheed Shah on Thursday said that the names for the post of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman would be recommended to the prime minister after he returns from his visit to China, a private TV channel has reported. Shah said that the Pakistan People’s Party contacted opposition parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), for developing consensus on the appointment of NAB chairman, however only the ANP supported PPP on this matter while others had not contacted them as yet.

The new government has ended a moratorium on the death penalty, an official said Thursday, despite Amnesty International’s call for the immediate suspension of the capital punishment. A 2008 presidential order that imposed a moratorium on the death penalty expired on June 30. In Pakistan, all executions must be approved by the president. Interior Ministry spokesman Umer Hameed commented that “The new government has decided to deal with all cases of execution on

merit.” “The government has given clear instructions to see all such cases on a case-by-case basis, and there will be no general amnesty for the convicts waiting for execution,” he told a foreign news agency London-based human rights group Amnesty International had called for an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

“Any government green light to resume executions in Pakistan would be a shocking and retrograde step, putting thousands of people’s lives at risk,” said Amnesty’s Asia-Pacific Deputy Director, Polly Tr-

uscott. Amnesty estimates that Pakistan has more than 8,000 prisoners on death row, most of whom have exhausted the appeals process and could now be facing execution.

“The sheer number of people at risk makes the new government policy of turning back to the death penalty even more horrendous,” said Truscott. Hameed said up to 450 convicts are awaiting execution and their cases will be examined. “The government will show sympathy towards convicts who fall into a ‘special category’ such as women and the elderly,” he said.

altaf interrogated for 7 hours in money Agencies pick families laundering, imran farooq murder probe of culprits, says Asma interior Minister says MQM chief being interrogated Per uk laW LONDON/ISLAMABAD INP

Elite investigation agencies of the United Kingdom on Thursday interrogated Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain for seven hours in connection with a money laundering case, reported a Britonbased website. The MQM leader has been summoned for the second phase of interrogation on July 17. The agency, which investigates money

laundering and anti-terrorism affairs, called Altaf at a police station in Central London and asked questions about the money recovered during a raid at his place, the property in his name and about his source of income.

Altaf said the property was purchased with the money donated by party workers and it was owned by the MQM. “Hard cash is also the donations from the party workers,” he added.

According to sources, if the property and money is proved to be legal, the case against the MQM leader would be withdrawn.

Meanwhile, talking to reporters, Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan said the MQM chief’s interrogation with reference to the Imran Farooq murder case was being carried out in accor-

dance with British laws.

Nisar said the interrogation was being carried out in London and not in Pakistan but “the Pakistani government is constantly informed”, adding however, that the British government had not approached Pakistan for assistance regarding the issue.

On June 20, as part of their investigations into the Imran Farooq murder case, Scotland Yard raided Altaf’s London residence and seized some things in relation to the case.

Following this, Altaf announced stepping down as party head on June 30, voluntarily handing over party’s authority and responsibilities to the Rabita Committee, only to take back the decision a few hours later on request of his party workers.

ISLAMABAD APP

Asma Jehangir on Thursday said secret agencies have accepted they pick families of culprits after failing to recover the accused.

The Adiala Jail missing persons case was heard by a three-judge bench, comprising of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry and Justice Gulzar Ahmed.

Asma said there was gross violation of human rights but the government was not taking steps.

The CJ said that when a new act could be formulated for FATA then why not for other parts of the country.

He maintained that Article 10 of the constitution was being violated which was not acceptable at any cost. Upon this, the attorney gen-

eral sought time from the court for holding meetings with the relevant authorities which was accepted by the bench and adjourned further hearing of the case till July 29.

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:49 AM Page 4

04 N

NEWS Friday, 5 July, 2013

sharifs not ready to make mumtaz bhutto sindh governor LAHORE NADEEm syED

t

HE Sharif brothers are reluctant to make Sindhi nationalist Mumtaz Bhutto the new governor of Sindh keeping in view the negative signal it will convey to the Pakistan People’s Party and other political forces.

Sources in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said Mumtaz was the most interested candidate in becoming the governor Sindh.

Mumtaz, a cousin of Benazir Bhutto, also considered as an arch rival of

President Asif Zardari, was in the city a few days ago. He met Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not available due to his busy schedule. Prior to this meeting, he had held a meeting with Nawaz soon after he took oath as prime minister.

In these meetings, Mumtaz advocated a very hawkish line against the Bhutto family. The sources said he advised the Sharifs to reinvestigate the murder of Benazir and make efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice. According to Mumtaz, these steps would pro-

fata grand citizen assembly presents recommendations for reforms islamaBad: Representatives of the FATA Citizens Grand Assembly on Thursday presented 19 recommendations for constitutional and regulatory changes aimed at bringing political and social reforms in FATA. Representatives of the FATA Citizens Grand Assembly, convened by the Shaheed Bhutto Foundation (SBF), which consists of some 300 tribal citizens, unanimously adopted a citizens’ declaration for FATA reforms to reassert that FATA’s political mainstreaming must remain a national priority. Briefing the reporters, representatives of the assembly said the FATA declaration contained 19 recommendations, encompassing social development as well as essential constitutional and regulatory changes needed to ensure mainstreaming of FATA and political participation of tribal citizens. “The FATA declaration asserts that all tribesmen must be guaranteed the same fundamental rights enjoyed by other citizens of the country and guaranteed by the constitution” they added. Other proposed changes include a constitutional amendment to provide legislative power on the Tribal Areas to the National Assembly and Senate, as well as extension of the jurisdiction of the High Court and Supreme Court of Pakistan and reserved seats for FATA women in parliament. The tribal citizens also proposed that the powers of the political administration in FATA be reduced, that executive and judicial powers be separated and that political agents be made accountable to an elected local government.

Regulatory reforms recommendations made by the tribesmen also include substantially amending the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR), creation of an elected FATA council and promotion of education throughout the Tribal Areas. The FATA declaration was unanimously adopted on June 22 by more than 300 members of the FATA Reforms Councils representing tribal people from all agencies and frontier regions of FATA at a FATA Grand Assembly held in Peshawar. APP

shutter-down strike in parts of balochistan QUETTA ONLINE

A shutter-down strike was observed in Quetta and different parts of Balochistan on Thursday, on the direction of the Balochistan National PartyMengal (BNP-M) against the forced disappearances and overall worsening law and order situation in the province. Shops and business centers were closed in various parts of Quetta, Khuzdar, Wadh, Kharan, Panjgoor and other Baloch-dominated areas of Balochistan.

The strike caused routine life to come to a standstill. BNP-M’s Information Secretary Agha Hassan Baloch told media that law enforcement agencies were picking up Baloch political workers. He added that the situation of the party’s chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s hometown, Wadh, had worsened due to a pre-planned conspiracy.

Baloch said that people reaffirmed their confidence in BNP during the May 11 polls, but the establishment has turned their success into a defeat. Meanwhile, baton-wielding police officers were deployed to all the sensitive parts of Quetta to maintain peace during the strike. Paramilitary troops and police personnel had been patrolling Quetta’s Sariab Road and other sensitive areas since the morning. No untoward incident was reported from any part of the province.

mote the PML-N’s image in Sindh while dealing a body blow to the PPP’s image in their heartland. The party sources said Nawaz was not in the mood to accommodate Mumtaz given the move’s political implications. The prime minister believes that any such move would mean that the PML-N was opening a front against the PPP. “It will give a very bad signal to the PPP and other political forces.

Our leader is not interested in picking fights and creating instability in the country right now,” a senior PML-N member said. On the other

hand, patience is wearing thin with Mumtaz after finding the Sharifs unresponsive to his line of action on Sindh. Recently, he issued a statement to the effect that he was going to revive his party which had merged with the PML-N. He later retracted his statement as being misquoted by the TV reporter. Nawaz is due to appoint new governors in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but he does not seem to be in any hurry.

A senior PML-N leader confided in Pakistan Today that Nawaz will make major changes after September when President Zardari completes

taliban’s sign scuttles negotiation plans WASHINGTON INP

A dispute over a sign has scuttled US plans to launch immediate peace talks with the Taliban. James Dobbins, the US special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, on Wednesday said the Taliban’s insistence that they be allowed to identify their new office in Qatar as the “Political Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”, the name the group used when it ruled the South Asian nation, has thwarted plans to launch direct negotiations.

“The stumbling block seems to be not so much the meetings, or sequence of meetings, but whether or not they can put back up” the sign, Dobbins told a small group of reporters.

The sign became an obstacle two weeks ago, when the Taliban officially opened its office in Doha, Qatar, part of a significant diplomatic breakthrough that had been years in the making. American and Afghan officials expected the ceremonial opening to quickly pave the way for direct talks with the Taliban, a process designed to bring the long war in Afghanistan to an end.

Instead, officials from the two nations were surprised when the Taliban raised signs, flags and banners that effectively identified the office as representing a government-inexile. Afghan President Hamid Karzai angrily vowed to boycott talks with the Taliban, which US officials hoped to launch last week. And he suspended separate negotiations with the US over a long-term security agreement.

Under pressure, the Taliban removed the

signs, took down the flag and even removed the flagpole from the Doha compound. But they are refusing to take part in peace talks until they are allowed to restore the symbols to their office, said Dobbins, a career diplomat who took over the new job in early May. He said he did not think the Taliban move was an intentional effort to circumvent the agreement. But it is not clear that the misunderstanding can be resolved at the moment. “I don’t think that the fact that they place importance on how they are called and how they call themselves is a sign that they’re not serious,” he said. “It is an obstacle, and it was an obstacle we thought had been resolved some time ago, but it wasn’t.”

Taliban officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Dobbins said the Taliban thought it would be appropriate for them to use their traditional signs and flags at the office, even though US negotiators made it clear that they should only identify the Doha operation as the political office of the Taliban. Such diplomatic disputes aren’t new to Dobbins. In 1968, he was a junior officer with the US diplomatic team working on peace talks to end the Vietnam War. After getting the warring parties to agree to take part in talks, negotiators spent another year wrangling over whether the table for the peace talks should be round or rectangular, he said. It took several more years to secure the Paris Peace Accords in 1973 that allowed the US military to withdraw from Vietnam.

“These kinds of symbols can often be important to those engaged and can become significant obstacles,” he said.

his term and there would be a PMLN man in the Presidency. “It will be the time when Nawaz is likely to make the appointments,” he said.

However, President Asif Zardari has no intention to confront the government and is mostly seen signing on the dotted line since the new government took over.

“Even if President Zardari is there in the Presidency, Nawaz should not have any problem in making changes or have his way.

Zardari is least interested in meddling in the government’s affairs,” a political analyst commented.

sC seeks record of salman Farooqi’s appointment as federal ombudsman ISLAMABAD ONLINE

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday sought all relevant record and notifications with regard to the appointment of Salman Farooqi as the federal ombudsman.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry heard a suo motu case on the appointment of Farooqi.

During the course of hearing, the CJP observed that it was clear that Salman Farooqi visited US in connection with treatment of his wife in the capacity of secretary general.

He further remarked, “Apparently, he has been working on the post of secretary general. Payment of salaries was also made which he had returned after receiving them.

As per the managing director (MD) of Printing Corporation, the oath taken by Salman Farooqi as the federal ombudsman was not part of gazette.”

Shah Khawar appeared in court and told that a “reply has been prepared which will be filed today”.

The CJP inquired of the MD, “Is there any summary or orders available with you with reference

to the appointment of the acting federal ombudsman in 2012.”

The MD said the court had sought a reply which was being filed.

The CJP asked, “The record be presented before us that up to what period Salman Farooqui received salary as the federal ombudsman.

When you appointed him as the federal ombudsman you might have opened a new account. Provide the information. “ The court was told that salary for the month of February was also paid to Salman Farooqi as the secretary general, but was deposited back by him through a challan on April 22, 2013.

The accountant general told the court that Farooqi had received salary for the month of March with reference to federal ombudsman.

The CJP said the court should be informed about the record on payment of salaries for the month of March and April, 2013.

The court was informed by the AGPR that all record was ready and would be filed today.

The CJP said the president appointed the federal ombudsman “but his notification was issued by law ministry”.

The court later adjourned the hearing until July 22.

Us says no plan to reduce ties with pakistan WASHINGTON sPECIAL CORREsPONDENT

The United States remains conscious of the significance of close ties with Pakistan and has no plans to lower the key South Asian relationship, the State Department said.

The US commitment to sustain wide-ranging relations with Pakistan – whose role is considered critical to regional stability and a smooth U.S. drawdown from Afghanistan – came in the wake of a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report this week which said Washington’s aid for Islamabad represents a steep decline from $1.9 billion last year to $1.2 billion new fiscal year starting October 1.

Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters at the daily briefing that Washington is alive to the importance of its relationship with Pakistan and Secretary of State John Kerry is eager to visit the country.

When questioned pointedly if the US was considering to downgrade its relationship with

Pakistan – as claimed by some Indian media reports interpreting decline in US assistance for Pakistan – the spokesperson responded that there was “absolutely not” such move.

John Kerry, the spokesperson said, has been a “big advocate” of aid for Pakistan, which has been extensive over the last several years.

“The secretary (Kerry) is looking forward to visiting Pakistan. He would like to be able to spend some time on the ground. He recognizes the important relationship we have with Pakistan. As you know, he also spoke with – has spoken with the prime minister (Nawaz Sharif) when – several times, actually, since he was elected. And I think that further confirms the importance of the relationship.”

Regarding specifics of the next fiscal year’s aid levels for Pakistan, the spokesperson said she would need to have a closer look at the Congressional Research Service (CRS) report.

But, she explained, as the

budget is rolled out by the White House in Congress and worked through, she expected the details on funding would be the most accurate.

The US assistance for Pakistan is covered under $7.5 billion Kerry-Lugar-Berman programme, which spans over five years.

In its report, the CRS did not explain the “steep decline” but the US officials, while detailing the foreign budget request earlier this year, officials in Washington had said a Pakistan-specific programme called Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund was being abolished, in view of the implementation issues.

However, the officials said US security assistance for Pakistan would be covered under foreign military funding.

Moreover, the US assistance for Pakistan under KerryLugar-Berman programme also varies each year.

Meanwhile, the latest CRS report noted that the United States’ strategic interests are

inextricably linked with a stable Pakistan.

It noted that spurring the South Asian country’s energy sector remains Washington’s highest priority in its assistance for Islamabad in the new fiscal year 2014 for which the Obama administration has requested $265 million to aid the country’s energy sector development in the new fiscal year.

“According to the State Department’s FY2014 Congressional Budget Justification, assistance to Pakistan’s energy sector is the “highest priority” and the administration’s request for $265 million in FY2014 funding for this effort accounts for more than one-third of all civilian aid requested for the coming fiscal year,” the report said.

“The goal is to support the Pakistani government in “developing a policy environment that will attract private sector investment and increase cost recovery, decrease technical and commercial losses, and add megawatts to the grid through

visible generation projects.”

By the end of 2013, aid expects to have added fully 900 MW to Pakistan’s power grid, enough to power some two million homes and businesses. An added 300 MW is planned by the end of 2014. The great majority of this added capacity will come from improvements of the Muzaffargarh and Jamshoro power stations (serving the cities of Multan and Hyderabad, respectively), as well as modernization of the Tarbela Dam. There is a particular focus on boosting Pakistan’s hydropower potential by funding projects to improve capacity at five dams (Mangla, Kurram Tangi, Gomal Zam, Satpara, and Tarbela). The Tarbela Dam is one of the world’s largest and supplies 16 percent of the country’s electricity. In March, a project to restore three of the dam’s generators was completed, adding 128 megawatts to the national power grid.

The United States had provided the $16.5 million needed for the repairs. In mid-2012, Congress released $280 million in new assistance for Pakistan’s energy sector; these funds will support projects at Mangla and Kurram Tangi.

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:49 AM Page 5

05

I

The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. –Winston Churchill

ISLAMABAD Friday, 5 July, 2013

WeAther UpdAteS

350C high 260low C

SAtUrdAy 32C I 25°C

pArtly CloUdy

SUndAy

MondAy

30°C I 25°C 29°C I 24°C

PRAyER TImINgs Fajr 3:21

Sunrise Zuhr Asr Maghrib Isha 5:02 12:12 3:57 7:22 9:04

‘palestiNe to foster close bilateral cooperatioN with pakistaN’ ISLAMABAD APP

National Research Conference (NRC) was held at Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) where post-graduate students presented their research papers to professors and scholars from within and outside the institute. Speaking at the occasion, Palestinian Ambassador Waleed Abu Ali said that he will make efforts to promote close cooperation between the two countries in the field of trade, economy, science and technology to build strategic relations. He added, “Pakistan and Palestine should join hands to promote different research activities.” Congratulating Pakistan on the successful transfer of power from one civilian government to the other, Ali said once the new regime fully settles down, a special delegation from his country will visit Pakistan to explore bilateral cooperation between the two Islamic nations. Ali was of the view that the solution to major problems confronting Pakistan and Palestine lies in education and technological advancement. Ali acknowledged the support extended by Islamabad at various international forums to his country. Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Manzar Khurshid Shaikh said, “Research is not only limited to curriculum books rather it is about practically exploring and discovering new avenues of excellence.”

minister examines arrangements at haji camp ISLAMABAD APP

Minister for Federal Religious Affairs Muhammad Yousaf on Thursday made a surprise visit at Haji Camp and examined pre-Haj arrangements of accommodation and health facilities for intending pilgrims.

The minister took round of the premises and directed the administration to improve maintenance and cleanliness conditions.

“Best accommodation and medical facilities will be provided to the pilgrims by the government,” he added. Yousaf also visited the dispensary and inspected the quality of medical facilities, inquired about the welfare of the staff including their working hours. He directed the doctor in charge doctor to ensure provision of health facilities to the students of the madarassa working under the Madrassa Board established at the camp.

WATER CAUGHT RED-HANDED: Women wash clothes while children bathe at a leaking water pipeline in Sector G-7. sAjjAD ALI

enough with the delay!

Minister concerned over delay in cda’s Projects ISLAMABD APP

m

INISTER of State for Housing and Works Barrister Usman Ibrahim on Thursday directed Capital Development Authority (CDA) to expedite the approval of the revised lay out plan of Sector G-14. This would save financial losses to Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF).

cda to start four neW Projects and carry out eXPansion and rePair Work The minister issued the directions during a meeting held with Secretary for Housing & Works Nasar Hayat, CDA Chairman Nadeem Hassan Asif, FGEHF acting director general (DG) and CDA Engineering director.

He emphasised speeding up the handing over of 96 apartments of Sector G-11/3 reserved for CDA employees and also stressed the issuance of No Objection Certificate (NoC) to start work on Kurri Road Project.

CDA’S NEW PROJECTS: CDA plans to start four new projects this year including construction of residential and non-residential

accommodation for police at Aiwan-eSadr costing Rs 1.899 million and 104 additional family suites costing Rs 780 million. It has allocated Rs 416.908 million for Charah Dam and Rs 100 million for the construction of additional block for Senate and National Assembly Secretariat.

Plans for two new flyovers, one at the junction of 9th Avenue and Kashmir Highway and the second at the junction of Khayaban-e-Suhrawardy and 7th Avenue and expansion and repair of I J Principal Road and Kashmir Highway are underway.

CDA Chairman said, “To generate funds commercial plots will be put up for auction and whereas opening of two new residential sectors, C-15 and C-16 is expected to generate over Rs11 billion.” The minister directed the chairman to complete all developmental projects within the stipulated time period and accelerate action on FGEHF’S demands.

anusha for incorporating ministries’ proposals in cyber crimes bill ISLAMABAD APP

Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Anusha Rehman said that suggestions of all the ministries should be incorporated in the Cyber Crimes Bill. Chairing a meeting Rehman said that the ministry should issue policy directives for the enforcement of approval of mobile handsets and directed Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) as well as the Ministry of Finance to take part in its enforcement.

She directed that Draft Bill should be placed on the ministry’s website for comments. The issue of Securing Cyber Space was discussed and the minister urged the participants to come up with valuable suggestions on Cyber Space Security. Importance of establishment of Telecom Tribunals was highlighted keeping in view the extensive litigation in the industry. The meeting was attended by representatives of various stakeholders and law enforcement agencies.

ihc NUllifies postiNg of cda official ISLAMABAD APP

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday declared the posting of Capital Development Authority (CDA) Planning Deputy Director General (DDG) Ghulam Sarwar Sandhu as null and void.

The court also renounced the additional charge of Housing Societies director from Sandhu ordering CDA to appoint new deputy DG and director by following set regulations.

A single member bench of the IHC comprising Justice Noor-ul-Haq Qureshi resumed hearing of a plea filed by Muhammad Qasim challenging the

posting of Sandhu to the post of DDG who is also the current charge of DG Planning, a BPS-20 post.

During the course of hearing, counsel for the petitioner Hafiz Arafat Ahmad apprised the bench of the entire process of appointment of Sandhu against which was completed in haste under extraneous circumstances.

Therefore, the appointment of the respondent against the post of Director Housing Societies is illegal and without lawful authority. He said appointment is also in negation to provisions of General Clauses Act 1897 which made it obligatory upon all public functionaries to act fairly, justly and strictly in accordance with the law.

Sandhu’s appointment as Director Housing Societies and his subsequent elevation to DDG (Planning) has been made in patent violation of Article 4, 9 and 25 of the Constitution, he argued. No advertisement was ever published by CDA conveying to all eligible aspirants about vacancy of Director Housing Societies thereby depriving them to compete for the said post, he added.

He contended that due to Sandhu’s illegal appointment credible officers who topped the seniority list were forced to serve as subordinate.

The counsel argued that as per CDA Service Regulations all appointments in BPS-18 and above need to be filled in

through promotion. Thus there is no provision of law for making direct recruitment to the post of Director in BPS19 as CDA has done in the case of Sandhu. Therefore, this act was liable to be reversed by this court in exercise of its constitutional jurisdiction.

He added that as the very first order of his appointment as Director Housing Societies is illegal, all subsequent orders passed in his favour, assigning him current charge of DG (Planning), would have no legal effect.

Because the petitioner contended that if the basic order is illegal then the entire superstructure built thereon is liable to fall to the ground.

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:49 AM Page 6

06

I

ISLAMABAD Friday, 5 July, 2013

monsoon arrival causing surge in eye diseases ISLAMABAD APP

With the advent of the monsoon season, eye diseases like glaucoma, cataracts and cancer of the retina have been rising among children due to a lack of healthcare facilities and a low level of awareness, a leading eye-care hospital announced on Wednesday.

Al-Shifa Eye Trust Chief Consultant Dr Wajid Ali Khan said parents and teachers should get information which can help them keep an eye on signs of vision problems in kids for timely treatment, as healthy eyes and vision are a critical part of children’s development.

“By the time people visit doctors for symptoms of some diseases, it might already be too late,” he said while briefing the students at the Institute of Ophthalmology. He added that vision screenings can be part of a child’s routine checkups whether or not problems are noted, and comprehensive eye exams by a professional should not be avoided.“Most of the time, vision problems aren’t obvious, and the best way to catch issues early is through vision screening. I strongly recommend screening at school level that could help

prevent blindness,” he said.

Dr. Khan added that there are many eye conditions and diseases that can affect a child’s vision, so every newborn should be checked thoroughly at the age of 14 days and then treated immediately in the case of a problem.

He warned that any delay can result in permanent blindness.

He said that the main problem in treating children was the non-availability of trained doctors. “Therefore, we have embarked upon a program to train doctors and paramedics at home while providing facilities for doctors from Afghanistan, Egypt and Bangladesh,” he added.

On average, Al-Shifa Trust has been treating 100 children per day free of cost, and has set a target of increasing the number to 200 children per day by next year. Within three years time, we will have the capacity to check and treat 500 children daily,” Dr. Khan informed.

A World Health Organisation report found that the number of people around the world with visual impairment is 285 million, and of these; 246 million have low vision while 39 million are blind.

11 robbers busted ISLAMABAD sTAff REPORT

The Islamabad Police on Thursday busted a dacoits’ gang and arrested 11 suspected criminals involved in various crimes, informed a police spokesman.

According to the details, Islamabad Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Yaseen Farooq directed Saddar Superintendent of Police (SP) Jameel Ahmed Hashmi to launch an effective crackdown against outlaws. Following his directions, special teams including Saddar DSP Habibullah Khan Niazi and Tarnol Inspector Jamshid Khan and Sub-Inspector Habitullah and were constituted. Under the supervision of the Saddar DSP, the team arrested five dacoits including two women. The police arrested suspects Munwar Ali, Shahzad Hussain, Muhammad Farooq, Shahzad Hussain’s wife Sumara and Munwar Ali’s wife Kohsar, recovering 2 30-bore pistols with 9 bullets and one dagger from their possession.

Police sources informed that one of the accused persons confessed involvement in

water doesn’t come cheap these days rawalPindi: Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) has raised the rate of water tankers without the approval of the concerned authority. The rate has been increase from Rs 375 to Rs 600 per tanker for those supplying water outside their limits. WASA also increased rates for its employees from Rs 100 to Rs 300 per linker in connection with supply of water but was forced to withdraw the decision on employee union’s protest.

This would allow the employees to sell water outside their limits despite the fact that it has no adequate water supply to meet the needs of the city. WASA Managing Director (MD) Muhammad Akram Soban said that the rate had to be increased in order to meet distribution expenses of supplying water outside the city. The citizens have demanded the authority for withdrawal of rates; otherwise they will be forced to hold protest rallies. ONLINE

robberies in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and other districts. Further investigations are underway.

Meanwhile, a sub-inspector arrested suspects Amjad Khan and Muhamamd Jamil, recovering 115 grammes of heroine from them, while Industrial Area Police Sub-Inspector Falk Sher arrested Muhammad Taseen and recovered one 30-bore pistol along with three bullets from him. Further, Assistant SubInspector (ASI) Fatha Sher from Koral Police Station arrested Muhammad Razaaq for being allegedly involved in theft.

In other news, ASI Muhammad Ishfaq from Sihala Police Station arrested Shoukat and recovered one 30-bore pistol along three bullets from his possession, and Sub-Inspector Muhammad Arshad and Abdul Razaaq from Kohsar Police Station arrested Amir Shahzad and Irfan Raiz Massaih for six wine bottles and 55 grammes of heroine found with them.

SSP Yaseen Farooq appreciated the police’s performance and directed all heads of police stations to ensure that crime is curtailed effectively. He directed them to report to him daily in this regard.

resUlt oUt: atteNtioN 9th graders! islamaBad: The Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) on Thursday announced the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Part I (Class 9) Annual Examination 2013 result, with overall 61.09 percent passing students.

According to the results, 65,928 students appeared as regular candidates in the exams held in March and April this year, of whom 68.38 percent, that is 45,082 students, were declared successful. Moreover, 12,637 students appeared as private candidates, of whom 2,912 (23.04 percent) cleared the exam.

The result has been displayed on the FBISE website (www.fbise.edu.pk), and students can also check their results through an SMS unified code. According to the FBISE press release, students would be required to send an SMS in the following format: to obtain their result FB<space> [roll number]. APP

19 ramadan sasta bazaars on the cards RAWALPINDI ONLINE

District management has announced launch of 19 Ramadan Sasta Bazaars and 140 Dastar Khawans from July 8. With Ramadan around the corner and people stocking up on food items, ADC Muhammad Ali Randhawa said that Liaqat Bagh Model Sasta Bazaar will be set up during the holy month. He indicated that all the banners and hangers on Murree Road including various other roads have been removed which tarnished the beauty of the city.

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:50 AM Page 7

We tried war, we tried aggression, we tried intervention. None of it works. Why don't we try peace, as a science of human relations, not as some vague notion - as everyday work. –Dennis Kucinich

french agency spies on phone calls, email, web use, paper says

NEWS

07 N

Friday, 5 July, 2013

CAIRO: Fireworks light up the sky as opponents of Mohammed Morsi celebrate in Tahrir Square. AgENCIEs

PARIS AgENCIEs France’s external intelligence agency spies on the French public’s phone calls, emails and social media activity in France and abroad, the daily Le Monde said on Thursday.

It said the DGSE intercepted signals from computers and telephones in France, and between France and other countries, although not the content of phone calls, to create a map of “who is talking to whom”. It said the activity was illegal.

“All of our communications are spied on,” wrote Le Monde, which based its report on unnamed intelligence sources as well as remarks made publicly by intelligence officials. “Emails, text messages, telephone records, access to Facebook and Twitter are then stored for years,” it said. The activities described are similar to those carried out by the U.S. National Security Agency, as described in documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

The documents revealed that the NSA has access to vast amounts of Internet data such as emails, chat rooms and video from large companies such as Facebook and Google, under a program known as Prism. They also showed that the U.S. government had gathered so-called metadata - such as the time, duration and numbers called - on all telephone calls carried by service providers such as Verizon. France’s DGSE was not immediately available for comment.

obama, merkel agree to talks on Us spying WASHINGTON AgENCIEs The US, Germany, and probably other nations will soon hold talks on American surveillance tactics that include alleged spying on European allies. Amid reports that the US has bugged various embassies and missions, President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had what sounds like an uncomfortable discussion by phone on Wednesday, the White House reported. “The President assured the Chancellor that the United States takes seriously the concerns of our European allies and partners,” said a White House statement on the call. The White House said Obama and Merkel agreed to “a high-level meeting of US and German security officials in the coming days” to discuss surveillance issues disclosed in news leaks by former government contractor Edward Snowden.

russia worried by lack of progress towards iran nuclear talks MOSCOW

world urges return to democracy in egypt toP judge adly Mansour sWorn in as teMPorary President LONDON

w

AgENCIEs

ORLD powers called on Thursday for a return to democracy in Egypt after the military ousted president Mohamed Morsi, but many took a pragmatic stance and stopped short of condemning the overthrow of the Islamist leader.

The West walked a tightrope between concern at the situation and the need to acknowledge the popular anger that led to huge protests against Morsi, while Syria and some other Arab nations rejoiced at his ouster. US President Barack Obama and many leaders shied away from calling the events a coup while urging a quick return to elected civilian government in Egypt, a pivotal US ally which receives $1.3 billion

had promised that there would be early presidential elections. But Germany took a far stronger line with Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle describing Morsi’s ouster as a “major setback for democracy in Egypt” and calling for dialogue and compromise. The European Union gave a more tepid response. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she was “fully aware of the deep divisions in society” in Egypt, adding that “I urge all sides to rapidly return to the democratic process”, but making no condemnation of the army.

Russia called on all Egyptian political forces to “exercise restraint” but again offered no condemnation. Russia has long had friendly ties with Egypt and was guarded after the 2011 ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak. China, traditionally wary of intervention in the internal affairs of other nations, said it supported the “choice of the Egyptian people” and called for dialogue but did not elaborate.

The Egyptian army toppled Morsi on Wednesday after a week of bloodshed that killed nearly 50 people as millions took to the streets, demanding he step down after a turbulent year of rule.

nelson Mandela family feud deepens as Mandla hits back QUNU AgENCIEs

AgENCIEs Russia voiced concern on Thursday that no progress has been made towards organizing new talks between Iran and six world powers on Tehran’s nuclear program, despite the election of a relative moderate as Iran’s president.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said a diplomatic push had been launched to arrange a new round of talks after Hassan Rouhani was elected president on June 14 but made clear there had been no breakthrough. “There is no agreement now on when and where the next round will be. That worries us,” Ryabkov told Interfax news agency. “After the election of the Iranian president, we stepped up work in preparation for a new round of talks but so far the work is not being done transparently.”

The last high-level talks between Iran and the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany were held in the Kazakh city of Almaty in April.

in annual American military aid.

“We believe that ultimately the future of Egypt can only be determined by the Egyptian people,” Obama said in a statement after emergency talks with top aides.

“Nevertheless, we are deeply concerned by the decision of the Egyptian armed forces to remove president Morsi and suspend the Egyptian constitution.”

UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged a return to civilian rule in Egypt, saying it “should be resumed as soon as possible”.

Europe was divided on how to react to the departure of a second Egyptian president in the space of two years and yet another crisis on the other side of the Mediterranean. Britain, the former colonial power in Egypt, said that it was ready to work with the country’s interim rulers despite disapproving of any military role in the democratic process.

“We will always be clear that we don’t support military intervention but we will work with people in authority in Egypt.

That is the practical reality of foreign policy,” foreign minister William Hague said.

Hague said he had spoken to his Egyptian counterpart on Thursday, who

Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla has accused his relatives of being vengeful and seeking to control the former South African president’s legacy.

His comments came as the bodies of three of Mandela’s children were being reburied at the anti-apartheid icon’s home village of Qunu. On Wednesday police exhumed the bodies from Mandla’s homestead, after court a c -

tion by his relatives. Mandela, 94, remains “critical but stable” in hospital, a new update says. President Jacob Zuma issued a statement after visiting the hero of the fight against white minority rule in a Pretoria hospital. “Madiba [Mandela’s clan name] is receiving the best medical care from a multi-disciplinary team of health professionals who are at his bedside around the clock,” he said, again urging South Africans to celebrate his birthday later this month. Correspondents say there has been a longrunning battle over Mandela’s legacy, but it has intensified as his health has deteriorated. Court papers filed last week revealed that he has been on life support. He was admitted on 8 June with a recurring lung infection.

His wife Graca

Machel on Thursday said Mandela was sometimes “uncomfortable, but he has never been in pain”. The dispute between Mandla and his relatives is linked to where Mandela will be buried. ‘mandela’s asseTs’ A group of the Mandela family, including his daughter Makaziwe and Mrs Machel, last week went to court, accusing Mandla of unlawfully relocating the graves of the three children to his village of Mvezo. Mandla had relocated the graves to ensure that his grandfather would be buried in Mvezo, Makaziwe said in an affidavit, South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newspaper reports. This was in defiance of the wishes of Mandela, who wants to be buried in the nearby village of Qunu, where he grew up, she is quoted as saying. The court ruled that the bodies should be re-interned in the family graveyard in Qunu.

A hearse and a large contingent of police arrived with the bodies for the reburial after forensic tests confirmed that they were Mandela’s children.

TemPorary PresidenT Top judge Adly Mansour was sworn in on Thursday as temporary president and Egypt’s army has confirmed it is holding Morsi and several of his top aides.

Turkey, where Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted party faced down mass protests last month, said the events in Egypt were undemocratic. “The power change in Egypt was not a result of the will of the people. The change was not in compliance with democracy and law,” Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said. But Syria’s embattled government revelled in the downfall of Morsi, hailing it as a “great achievement.”

President Bashar Al-Assad has been fighting a three-year battle against rebels that Damascus is keen to portray as dominated by radical Islamists.

Saudi King Abdullah also praised the army’s intervention, as did the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, whose own Muslim Brotherhood movement is the target of a crackdown in the oil-rich Gulf state.

Israel maintained silence on the events in Egypt, with which it signed a peace treaty in 1979.

landslides and floods in Nepal kill 50 KATHMANDU AgENCIEs Landslides and floods triggered by several weeks of monsoon rains have killed at least 50 people in mainly remote parts of Nepal, a government official said Thursday. “So far, 50 people from across the country have been killed by landslides and floods,” said Lakshmi Prasad Dhakal, chief of National Emergency Operation Centre, which monitors natural disasters in Nepal. The death toll is likely to rise, with some 19 people still missing after floods hit mostly farming communities in the country’s southern plains and remote western hills, Dhakal said. “We are forming a committee headed by the minister for physical planning, which will present a report on how to rebuild the infrastructure damaged by the landslides and floods,” said Dhakal.

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:50 AM Page 8

08 N

NEWS Friday 5 July, 2013

spooks don’t consider themselves accountable: phc

zardari felicitates Jahangir bader on obtaining phd

PESHAWAR ONLINE

Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan, while hearing the missing persons’ case on Thursday, remarked that agencies consider themselves above the judiciary.

While hearing the case, Khan ordered the deputy attorney general to present the heads of the intelligence agencies in court.

He said that the agencies consider themselves superior to judicial authority, and that is why they don’t consider themselves accountable. He also said that it is time to issue a verdict on the sensitive cases.

QUETTA: Members of Balochistan Professors and Lecturers Association hold placards during a protest against police personnel outside IG Office on Thursday. INP

president terms July 5 black day Zardari urges PeoPle to strengthen deMocracy

says legacy of dictatorshiP has struck this land rePeatedly

ISLAMABAD APP

T

ERMING July 5 a black day, President Asif Zardari urged the nation to strive for preservation and promotion of democracy and the rule of law. In a message, the president denounced the abrogation of the constitution by a dictator 36 years ago and asked the people to strengthen democracy so that the country continues to progress and prosper.

He said July 5, 1977 was the day when a dictator usurped political power through brute force, exploited religion, destroyed the constitution and state institutions and pushed the country to the abyss of social and political destruction. He said the aftermath of the day starkly

reminds us how one dictator spawned extremists for his political survival and how another exploited the same extremists for promoting his political agenda.

"Indeed the nation is still reeling under the impact of the dictatorial takeover on this dark day," he said.

President Zardari said sectarianism, religious extremism and private jihad were deliberately promoted by the usurper to create an artificial constituency for perpetuating his rule as a reign of terror was let loose.

He said the legacy of the dictatorship has unfortunately struck this land repeatedly. "We need to clearly understand this mechanics of dictatorship in the country to be better able to contain forces of militancy and terrorism."

He said the democratic ethos of the people cannot be suppressed through brute force and said it was owing to the ethos of the people that the constitution has largely been restored and a historic democratic transition taken place in Pakistan.

The president termed it a manifestation of the democratic yearning of the people that strident calls were made for holding accountable those who abrogated or suspended the constitution, and their collaborators.

"In the fullness of time the wheels of justice grind

exceeding small. Indeed with the naming and shaming in public of those who abrogated the Constitution and their collaborators, the grinding has already begun," the president said.

The president said history bears witness that while "tin-pot dictators may strut along the stage pretending to be the saviors they are eventually punished by the people and history with a vengeance".

The president also paid homage to the martyrs of democracy and lauded those who suffered and sacrificed during that black period of national history and said, "They suffered so that the future generations may live in peace and honour."

“The democracy loving people salute Quaid-eAwam Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Nusrat Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto and all those who gave their lives during the period of tyranny and kept alive the flame of democracy despite use of state force for repression.”

"On the anniversary of this dark day let us determine to strive for the preservation and promotion of democracy and the rule of law so that our people continue to march onto the road of progress and prosperity with hope and opportunity for everyone," the president said.

ISLAMABAD PREss RELEAsE

President Asif Ali Zardari has felicitated PPP central leader Senator Jahangir Bader on the award of PhD in Pakistan Studies by the Punjab University for his research thesis on Benazir Bhutto as an iconic political leader. In his message of felicitation, the president also paid tribute to Jahangir Bader for his decades’ long struggle for democracy under the leadership of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.

A notification issued by the Punjab University Wednesday declared Jahangir Bader to have passed the examination of the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in Pakistan Studies after approval of his thesis titled “Political Leaders: A Case study of Benazir Bhutto”. Spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar quoting the president said that the hallmark of an extra-ordinarily towering leader was that everyone who came in touch with them also became extraordinary. Jahangir Bader has become extraordinary because of his association with and following in the footsteps of extraordinary leaders of our time – the Shaheed Bhuttos, he quoted the president as saying.

TurNiNG oN The liGhTS iN Karachi MONITORING DESK INCE the country’s biggest electricity company was privatised, its headquarters has been looted, its employees kidnapped and its boss nearly arrested by the government.

Despite all of that, it is regarded as a roaring success.

Power cuts lasting 12 hours a day or more have devastated the Pakistani economy. The loss of millions of jobs has fuelled unrest in a nuclear-armed nation already beset by a Taliban insurgency.

The only city bucking the trend is the violent metropolis of Karachi, Pakistan’s financial heart — and that is thanks to Tabish Gauhar and his team at the Karachi Electricity Supply Co, according to a report in the New York Times.

“It has consumed every ounce of my energy,” Mr. Gauhar, 42, said in an interview.

“But we have helped millions of people.”

The new government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif won an election in May partly because it had promised to fix the power cuts. Now many are wondering whether the Karachi utility’s successful privatization will be repeated elsewhere.

Pakistan’s power companies share similar problems. Workers are often corrupt, and influential families rarely pay bills. The government sells power below the cost of production but pays subsidies late or not at all. Plants cannot afford fuel.

At the state-run Peshawar Electricity Supply Co., the majority of workers are illiterate, most new hires are relatives of existing staff members, and 37 percent of the power generated was stolen, according to a 2011 audit funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

S

Karachi Electricity Supply had all the same problems when the Dubai-based private equity firm Abraaj Capital bought a controlling stake in 2008. Gauhar and his Abraaj team decided to slash the work force by a third, cut off non-payers and destroy illegal connections.

The moves started a small war.

Employees who had been laid off offered to work for free because they had made such fat kickbacks. When management refused, thousands of protesters ransacked the company’s headquarters. They camped outside for months.

Gunmen attacked Gauhar’s house.

Workers crossed picket lines every day, hunkered down on the floors of police cars.

More than 200 employees of the utility were

injured.

“We felt very lonely then,” said Gauhar, who moved from chief executive to chairman of Karachi Electricity Supply earlier this year. “When I used to visit one of our injured employees in the hospital, it was hard for me to look them in the eye.”

Many in the populist pro-labour government vilified the power company. Later, legislators tried to arrest Gauhar on charges that he had not attended subcommittee meetings in the capital.

After the protests dissipated, Karachi Electricity Supply’s next problem was making customers pay. More than a third of the company’s electricity was stolen in 2009.

Those who got bills often ignored them.

One wealthy patriarch said he could not

possibly start paying because his colleagues would think he had no influence left.

Karachi Electricity Supply started cutting off those who did not pay their bills.

When a transformer burned out in an area with high theft, the company asked for two months’ worth of payment from the area’s residents before replacing it.

The company divided up the city of 18 million. Areas where 80 percent of people pay bills now have no regular power cuts.

Areas with high loss — often crime-ridden, sweltering slums — have long power cuts.

Karachi Electricity Supply is widely hated in such places.

Muhammad Fayyaz, who works as a driver, says his neighborhood often has as much as 10 hours of cuts per day. Summer temperatures top 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), and protests are frequent.

“People block the main road and throw stones at passing vehicles,” he said.

Fayyaz lives in a high-theft area. Stealing power is easy. Makeshift wires with metal hooks festoon Karachi Electricity Supply’s lines in the sun-baked streets.

Some lead to roadside businesses. Others head into the distance atop lines of makeshift bamboo poles.

“We clean them up, but in five minutes they are back again,” said Muhammad Siddiq, a manager at the utility.

Local gangs control the illegal lines.

Power company workers who remove them are often attacked. Ten were taken hostage in a single occurrence last month. A mob attacked Siddiq’s office.

Some slums are held by the Taliban or gangs, and Karachi Electricity Supply workers cannot even enter. They are experimenting with licensing powerful local businessmen to collect bills and cut off

nonpayers.

But the painful changes have begun paying dividends. Last year, the company made its first profit in 17 years. Theft has fallen 9 percent in four years. Half of the city, including two industrial zones, does not have daily power cuts.

“It has made a big difference to my business,” said SM Muneer, whose leather and textile factories employ thousands. “I cannot run a textile factory on a battery from my car.”

Not everyone is happy. Shortages of natural gas and maintenance problems still cause long power cuts. Customers who do pay bills suffer if their neighbors do not.

Many cannot afford the bills.

To improve customer relations, the Karachi utility gives free power to hundreds of charity schools and provides uninterrupted or subsidized power to 18 big public hospitals. It has also built new call centers, connections and power plants.

The gleaming Chinese-built natural gas plant at the Bin Qasim Port in Karachi can generate 560 megawatts. But Pakistan rarely has enough natural gas for the plant to work at full capacity.

Karachi Electricity Supply blames that on nationwide gas shortages, but Sui Southern Gas Co., of which the government owns 70 percent, says that the Karachi power company owes it $500 million.

Karachi Electricity Supply disputes the assertion that the figure is that high and says it is offsetting the payment against outstanding bills from government entities that total $720 million.

“We’ve still got problems,” said Syed Nayyer Hussain, the Karachi company’s new chief executive. “But at least we’ve started.”

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:50 AM Page 9

NEWS

09 N

Friday 5 July, 2013

sub-committee formed to look into blasphemy law, establishment of an hr division ISLAMABAD APP

FAISALABAD: A youth finds solace at a canal to study and avoid the hot and humid weather on Thursday. INP

Nab closes in on tauqir sadiq ISLAMABAD

KAsHIf AbbAsI

a

FTER hectic efforts of several months, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) now seems in a position to get hold of fugitive former OGRA chairman Tauqir Sadiq, as the NAB team has started procedural process with the Interpol for taking custody of the accused.

Following the development, the former OGRA chief, who is currently in the custody of Interpol, could be handed over to NAB officials in Dubai after completion of official process anytime soon.

“Sadiq has been placed in Interpol’s custody in Dubai. The NAB team is present there and has started procedural

process for taking the accused into custody,” said Ramzan Sajid, a spokesman for NAB. He said NAB was doing all to take custody of accused as soon as possible. Sadiq has been declared a proclaimed offender and is the principal accused in a Rs 82 billion corruption case. NAB sources in Islamabad said in the next few hours, the accused could be handed over to NAB team in Dubai.

After declaring his appointment as OGRA chief illegal on November 25, 2012, the Supreme Court ordered NAB to arrest Sadiq. However, Sadiq, who is a close relative of PPP senior leader Jahangir Badr, managed to leave Pakistan although his name was placed on the exit control list. The Supreme Court has been directing the NAB to arrest the accused,

Newcastle disease kills four more peacocks, toll reaches 81 ISLAMABAD APP

A contagious disease in Tharparker has killed at least four more peacocks, bringing the season’s total death toll to 81. According to a private news channel, the peacocks died of Newcastle disease, locally known as Ranikhet.

Several others are also reportedly infected.

The concerned birds had stopped drinking water a few days ago. The Wildlife Department has confirmed the deaths of the peacocks.

gas leak kills four laborers in pasroor PASROOR

however, NAB did not properly purse the case during the PPP tenure, providing an opportunity to the accused to prolong his stay. Sadiq’s illegal appointment was made by none other than former prime ministers of PPP - Yousaf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf.

As both Gilani and Ashraf were part of the interview panel that selected Sadiq to look after the ‘affairs’ of OGRA. Gilani gave the final call to make the illegal appointment. Besides pointing out corruption of Sadiq, the NAB investigation team also accused him of converting the operating income of two public utilities — the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines and Sui Southern Gas Company — into non-operating income, resulting in a Rs 38 billion additional burden on consumers.

83 PerceNT SchoolS wiThouT PeoNS: FaFeN netWork says 99 Percent schools being oPerating out of buildings ISLAMABAD INP

ONLINE

At least four laborers died of suffocation while cleaning a well in Thathi Bajawa on Thursday.

Rescue sources said the bodies of the laborers, who died due to a poisonous gas leak, were taken out. The victims were identified as Arshad, Mukhtiar, and his two sons Mazhar and Azhar.

A sanitary worker was not available in 96 percent schools, 83 percent had no peon and 56 percent did not have a security guard, says a Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) report released on Thursday.

Only 37 percent of the moni-

tored 163 boys’ schools received visits by the government authorities during December 2012 and February 2013 quarter.

FAFEN governance monitors who visited government boys’ primary schools in 90 districts reported 65 visits by government official/elected representatives to 61 schools- ignoring 102 schools altogether. Negligence by the concerned authorities can be considered one of the factors leading to the lack of basic facilities and services observed in the monitored schools.

Though 99 percent schools were operating out of buildings, 77 percent did not have staffrooms

for teachers and 54 percent were without playgrounds. Desks and benches for students were missing in classrooms of 36 percent schools where as 8 percent did not have this facility for teachers.

One-fourth of the monitored schools did not have electricity connection while fans were not available in classrooms of 31 percent schools. However, 93 percent had windows and lights and 96 percent had black/white boards.

As for occupancy rate of sanctioned staff, 800 teachers were appointed against 876 posts- 91 percent occupancy rate, while it was 93 percent for non-teaching positions- 109 seats were filled against the total 117.

The average number of students per teacher was 37 in the monitored schools. Among regions, the highest number of students per teacher was observed in schools monitored in KP (46), ICT (44) and FATA (43) - beyond the government set limit of 40 for primary schools. In Punjab (38), Sindh (30) and Balochistan (32) the number was accordingly.

On the day of FAFEN observers visit, more than threefourths of the appointed teachers were present in 86 percent schools while this high percentage of student attendance was observed in 79 percent of the monitored schools.

The Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights on Thursday formed a sub-committee to look into the blasphemy law and into establishing a separate human rights division to bring human rights violations into the limelight. Chairing the committee meeting, Senator Afrasiab Khattak announced that the sub-committee would be headed by Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed while former Human Rights secretary Shaigan Malik and a representative of the Ministry of Defence would be its members.

The committee praised the efforts of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) for highlighting human rights violations in the country. Commenting on the HRCPs annual report ‘State of Human Rights in the Country 2012’, the former human rights Secretary said the source of civil society reports and government reports was the same as all of them were based on secondary data of newspaper clippings but more weightage was being given to non-government organisations' reports as compared to government documents. He said the government had issued a report on Committee on Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women but the international community had given more importance to shadow reports issued by the civil society. The law secretary apprised the meeting that ministry was already dealing with a number of matters and if a separate division of human rights was established, it would be helpful in focusing on both human rights and law and justice affairs. Discussing the second agenda of enforced disappearance of citizens, the committee members opined that there should be rule of law in the country and that there was an urgent need of legislation on the issue. The defence secretary informed the committee that a detailed report on legislation regarding the security agencies working under parliament had been prepared which had been sent to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat for endorsing the approval and would be presented when the PM was back from China. Senator Farhatullah Babar said the interior minister had made a policy statement on floor of the House of June 17 and now the matter was with parliament. “The scrutiny of intelligence agencies is in the interest of all organisations.” Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed in his remarks said security agencies should investigate people but there should be some mechanism. Senator Mushahid said he was personally aware of a number of cases in which people were arrested by security agencies and a majority of them were involved in illicit activities but their disappearance gave an impression that they were all innocent.

militant attack on Nato tanker kills driver in khuzdar QUETTA sTAff REPORT

Militants attacked a NATO tanker in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district on Thursday, killing its driver and injuring two others.

According to police sources, four militants on two motorcycles opened indiscriminate fire on the tanker in the Wadh tehsil of Khuzdar district.

The militants set the tanker on fire before fleeing the scene.

The driver of the tanker was killed on the spot, and the injured were rushed to Civil Hospital Khuzdar for medical treatment.

Meanwhile, police and levies officials who reached the spot started an investigation into the incident.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility. Militants have targeted NATO supplies in the area in the past.

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:50 AM Page 10

10

The challenge is to lend conviction even to the voices which advocate views I find personally abhorrent, whether they are political Islamists or officers justifying a coup. –Orhan Pamuk

C

COMMENT Friday, 5 July, 2013

coup or second revolution?

Military coup in egypt has potential for derailing the move towards democracy

dancing with the wolves the monster needs to be eradicated

A

FTER the Egyptian military had given President Morsi a 48-hour deadline to stand down, it was only a question of when another coup d’état was coming. Egypt’s powerful military was playing the game of wait and watch as the crowds gathered at Tahrir Square, the site of the revolution which ousted former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, had lost popularity in a troubled and contested 12-month term. Over one million people were reported to have been celebrating the military coup as a “savior of the revolution” at Tahrir Square, the largest crowds there since February 2011. However, elsewhere in Egypt, clashes were reported in which up to 10 people died.

The military chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi’s announcement on Thursday that he had ended Morsi’s presidency meant a number of protests were expected throughout Egypt on Thursday.

Morsi appeared to have made an offer before the coup took place. On his Facebook page, Morsi said he was working on how to share power and hold parliamentary elections in the next few months. He appeared in a defiant late night address and met the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces chief al-Sisi earlier. While some have appeared to term the coup as a “second revolution,” one of the Morsi’s key adviser insisted that, “For the sake of Egypt and for historical accuracy, let’s call what is happening by its real name: military coup.”

The words are haunting. The fact is that this is no people’s revolution against President Morsi, who for all his problems was Egypt’s first elected president. The Egyptian constitution is now in abeyance and orders have been issued for the arrest of 300 Muslim Brotherhood members. The chief justice has been appointed the acting president, a technocratic government has been appointed with a committee set up to review the constitution. The welcome part is that the army chief has called for early elections, but the omens are not good.

US President Barack Obama and British Foreign Secretary William Hague have come out to condemn the coup. Obama has also said that the $1.5 billion of aid to Egypt would be put to review. The fear is that the gains of the Egyptian revolution shall now be lost. The coup also points to the dangers posed by unresolved tensions between the government and opposition in countries where democracy has not sufficiently established. Ruling political parties cannot afford to steamroll the opposition even if it has a big mandate and must improve the economy and livelihood, nonetheless the opposition has played a bad role. Immediately, there is a need for announcing the election timeline. If not, Egypt could spiral into a civil war situation.

the imf loan package comes with conditions, as usual

D

ESPERATE times call for desperate measures but that is the only way forward. As has been known widely, IMF loan programmes aren’t an easy pill to swallow but our economic situation does not allow us to be a bit, let’s just say, demanding. With barely enough foreign exchange reserves to support imports for less than two months, Pakistan would certainly welcome any bailout package it can get, as many restriction laden as it may be. The basic question as to why the country’s economy is in doldrums should be dealt on its own; however, what is interesting is to see how the newly-installed PML-N government will tackle the issue.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and IMF’s Regional Adviser on Pakistan Jeffery Franks agreed on a new loan programme of $5.3bn the other day. Though the deal has yet to make it through the Fund’s Washington office and its board of directors, officials consider that it won’t be a problem. This new loan deal will provide Pakistan with enough impetus to service its external debts and stabilise its dwindling economy but as no IMF loan comes without conditions, this one has some too despite Mr Dar projecting, and Mr Franks accepting, it to be a ‘home-grown’ solution. Spanning over a period of 10 years, with a grace period of four years, the loan will have to be repaid at a roughly three percent interest rate. The Fund has agreed to the loan only after the Nawaz government agreed to overhaul its financial and fiscal policies, particularly the ones related to fiscal deficit, low tax-to-GDP ratio, subsidies and inflation rate. In case Islamabad doesn’t make these changes, it won’t just risk losing this loan but also risk committing default on its already underway foreign loans. Pakistan has to avoid this dire situation and Mr Dar’s statement that “that’s the only reason we are going to IMF with a home-grown reform programme” gives one hope that this government is serious in bringing changes to the policies that haven’t worked so far.

Pakistan cannot take any more risks with its economy. War on terror on and beyond its western borders and incidents of sectarian terrorism inside the country, along with power shortages, have already brought economic and financial activities to an almost standstill.

Restructuring the whole financial and economic system will certainly present its share of problems, for it is going to be an uphill task, yet this one step might save Pakistan from a financial collapse. Now that the IMF has agreed to furnish this loan, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has to prove his skills on implementing the pre-requisites and conditions that come attached with the deal. Whether he succeeds or not remains yet to be seen though it would be better for the country if those changes are implemented.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor Lahore – Ph: 042-36375963-5 Fax: 042-32535230 Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 Fax: 021-35381208 Islamabad – Ph: 051-2287273 Fax: 051-2850505 Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

AzIz-uD-DIN AHmAD

F

INALLY a government led by parties nominated by the Tehrik- e-Taliban Pakistan as ‘guarantors of peace talks’ is in power. But there is still no end to terrorist attacks. This poses serious questions about the feasibility of talks with the militants. What is more, the latest statement by Ehsanullah Ehsan does away with the possibility of any talks in the foreseeable future. Unless Nawaz Sharif proves that he controls the army, there can be no talks according to the spokesman of the militant network.

In fact the TTP was never serious about talks. The network considers its aims to be nonnegotiable. The TTP makes no secret of its ideological affinity with al Qaeda. The goal of the militant network is the dismantling of all nation states in the Muslim world, including Pakistan, and replacing them with a world Islamic Khilafah.

It is ironical that the TTP defenders still argue that the network is not against the existence of Pakistan.

The world Islamic Khilafah is supposed to practice a Salafist version of Islam. It is understood that this would require eliminating all other Muslim sects which the TTP consider mushrik, or idolatrous. Not only Shias but also the majority of Muslims with leanings towards Sufi teachings would either be forcibly converted into Salfists or subjected to terrorist attacks.

This is in line with the thinking of other militant groups under al Qaeda’s influence. These include Al Qaida in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), Boko Haram in Nigeria, Ansar Dine in Mali and Al Shebab Militia in Somalia. Like the TTP, all these groups reject democracy and firmly believe that the Islamic system can only be established through the barrel of the gun.

The TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud maintains without mincing words that his group rejects democracy with all its institutions that include constitution, elections, parliament and the prevailing judicial system. Democracy according to him is a system opposed to Islam. The TTP is not willing to argue its position. Matters of faith, it believes, are not a subject for argument. Those who talk about negotiating with the TTP within the parameter of the constitution are thus befooling themselves and the public.

The TTP offers talks only for tactical reasons. The move is a part of the psychological war to create dissensions in civil society and reduce military pressure on the terrorists. The TTP pretends to be willing for talks when it is under pressure in tribal areas where people want an end to its violence as it invites military action.

Sometime the TTP needs peace to regroup and refurbish itself. Once out of

pressure it again follows its chosen policy of attacking innocent people, destroying schools, bombing shrines or mosques of non Salfi sects and targeting the security personnel. It has now added the judges also to its list of targets.

The offer of dialogue is a political move. Early this year the TTP used it to create dissensions between political parties. The ANP, PPP and MQM were declared secular parties fit for terror attacks while others were spared for the time being. The APC called by the ANP was rejected while the JUI-F was encouraged to call another gathering of political parties. By falling into the TTP’s snare, the parties looked the other way as the terrorists killed the leaders and candidates of the secular parties Now the TTP wants to drive a wedge between the PML-N and the army to create an anarchic situation in the country suitable for the pursuance of the network’s aims. In his latest statement Ehsanulla Ehsan maintains that the PML-N government has to be seen to be acting independently of the army to qualify for talks: “The political government has yet to demonstrate its power and to take bold and independent decisions… How can we talk to the government if it does not exercise powers and the security establishment is still powerful and takes decision?” he asked.

Soon after Nawaz Sharif assumed the office of the PM, the TTP let loose another wave of terrorist attacks. There were two major attacks in Quetta targeting Hazaras, several in and around Peshawar aimed at the security personnel and two PTI legislators were killed while an MQM MPA was assassinated in Karachi. In its attempt to kill a judge of the SHC the TTP operators eliminated nine innocent people. The dastardly attack at the Nanga Parbat base killed ten foreign mountaineers.

In the past the attacks were ‘justified’ on the grounds that the PPP government had turned the country and its armed forces into instruments in the hands of the US. As it was difficult to paint the TTP’s chosen ‘guarantors’ with the same brush within days and weeks of their coming to power, other lame excuses had to be cooked up.

The Quetta attacks were conducted “because security forces killed our fighters and their wives in Kharotabad.” Under what law, secular or Islamic, the killing of innocent girls attending college or Hazaras going about their work can be justified as retaliation for security forces’ action?

The attack on Nanga Partbat base killing 10 foreigners was meant to “avenge the killing of TTP’s second in command Waliur Rehman and to express anger at the international community for its continued support to drone strikes in the region.” And why launch attacks on army personnel? Revenge is to be taken from the army because according to the TTP it had provided ground intelligence to the US which led to the TTP leader’s killing. The SHC judge Maqbool

Baqir was attaked, according to the same TTP official for “anti-Taliban and anti-mujahideen decisions.” This implies that any judge punishing a TTP criminal is liable to be eliminated. As far as the FC is concerned, “We will keep on targeting the security forces during the revenge attacks,” Ehsanullah Ehsan said To sum up, irrespective of whether the PPP or the PML-N is in power rocket attacks, killings and bombings would continue with an aim to internally weaken the state. Meanwhile the citizens belonging to friendly countries too would be attacked to isolate Pakistan internationally. It is hoped by the TTP that the country would thus fall into the hands of the terrorists like a ripe fruit.

The unending attacks have put the TTP apologists on the defensive.

There is a growing consensus in the country that the terrorist threat needs to be effectively tackled if the country is to be saved. This is the sort of consensus that had emerged after the Swat militants had called to question the legitimacy of the state and its institutions. It is easier to dislodge the terrorists from their mountain strongholds but what to do afterwards, ask the TTP apologists?

It is maintained by them that the whereabouts of the TTP leadership are not exactly known and Pakistan doesn’t have drones that killed Nek Muhammad and Baitullah Mehsud.

An all out ground and air attack would be highly costly and its results unpredictable.

Didn’t the big fish like Mullah Fazlullah and Hakimullah Mehsud escape during the Swat and South Waziristan operations?

The PML-N government needs to take the heads of the p ar liamen tar y parties invited to discuss the matter on July 12 into confidence.

They have to be told that there is no way other than a major operation to eradicate the terrorists. While the operation is planned the government has to put its act together.

The government needs to finalize a counterterrorism strategy that ensures full coordination in security agencies, currently competing and declining to share information with one another. The legal framework to ensure this should be pressed through the parliament at fast speed. The security agencies should be provided all the equipment they need to access the terrorist electronic communication to take them on. All major cities should be provided electronic gadgets needed to protect the people from attacks. Long term measures should be put in place to eradicate extremism and radicalization. These include more investment in education, tackling poverty and addressing the issues that promote extremism and radicalization. A comprehensive strategy would ensure the making of the terrorist networks dysfunctional within a few years.

The PML-N government needs to take the heads of the parliamentary parties invited to discuss the matter on July 12 into confidence.

The writer is a political analyst and a former academic.

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:50 AM Page 11

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. –Groucho Marx

11

COMMENT

C

Friday, 5 July, 2013

the sino-pakistani partnership defense and economic ties with china more significant than with the us

C

women in islam a feminist critique

NADIA KHAwAjA

T

HE extent to which women are granted rights and the ability to exercise their freedom in the Islamic tradition is a much disputed issue.

As Islam purports to be a ‘way of life’, stretching beyond the spiritual aspect of faith, the Quran and the Hadith set specific legal parameters that women must adhere to. A prominent discrepancy between the status of men and women surfaces in the reading of the Quran as many verses regarding women are addressed to men, creating a hierarchical structure of transmittance. Taken at face value, the laws of inheritance, marriage, divorce and legal status indicate that there is a gender gap in Islam.

However, if the Quran is placed in the context of the society in which it was revealed, it is evident that the women belonging to the ancient Arabic peninsula were granted many legal freedoms that they did not possess prior to the emergence of Islam.

The Islamic legal system, unveils many gender equalities. In debit or credit transactions, the Quran lays out that “If you cannot find two men, then take one man and two women of your number whose witness will be accepted, so that should one of them make a mistake, the other will be able to remind her” (Q2:282), suggesting that Islam considers women as inherently flawed in matters of reason and memory; an outlook which has no scientific ground in the modern world. A hadith of the Prophet Muhammed fortifies this point of view - “Is not the witness of a woman like half the witness of a man?” “And that is on the account of the deficiency of her reason”. Since there are no metaphorical connotations in either the Quranic verse or the hadith, one cannot argue that they blatantly undermine the status of women as equal legal citizens. In criminal cases, evidence solely obtained from women is not accepted “because the testimony

of women involves a degree of doubt.” Hence if a criminal activity is exclusively witnessed by women, the transgressors will go unpunished, creating a degree of injustice in the legal system as a whole. The only cases in which the evidence of women alone suffices are those directly related to the female body such as pregnancy and virginity. According to Mawardi, important public leadership roles cannot be undertaken by women based on the hadith of the Prophet that states— “A people who entrust their affairs to a woman will not prosper.” As women cannot shape the policies or politics of a society in which they must operate, men are able to monopolize power in states where the Shariah law is imposed.

Marriage plays a crucial role in Islam as both a community building institution and a means of preventing individuals from indulging in ‘unlawful’ sexual activity. Men are allowed up to four wives, stressing on the assumption that male libido is stronger than that of women. The woman, on the other hand, can only be married to a single man at a time and must share her status as wife with other women. There is a restriction on the allowance of multiple marriages in the Quran, which states that “should you fear that you should not be able to treat all of them fairly or equally then you should marry one such woman”. However, there is no explanation of what is considered ‘fair’ or ‘equal’. The obligation of paying bride-wealth in a marriage is also a disputable issue as it may be viewed from two opposing perspectives. In communities where women play strictly domestic roles, bride-wealth might seem to grant financial independence while progressive cultures will possibly view it as a commoditization of women. However, Islam explicitly maintains women have to give consent for their own marriage. A woman is also allowed to remarry after she has been divorced but she has to undergo a “designated waiting period” before she does so. This is similar to the predicament she faces after the death of her husband, ordering her to mourn in the confines of her home for a period of four months and ten days. Additionally, a woman cannot simply pronounce a divorce on her husband but she must seek ’khula’ from the court and give back her bridewealth. In terms of offers of marriage, Islam grants agency as a woman is allowed to make an offer of marriage to man, contrary to what was thought proper in traditional societies.

In matters of inheritance, the man gets “portions equal to that of what two females receive,” as per Quranic scripture. However, this

division presupposes that men are to provide for women; therefore they have rights to a greater share since a fraction of it will ultimately be spent on the woman. Furthermore, the man is required to spend on his family whereas a woman has complete freedom to do as she likes with her wealth/property. This explanation is valid for societies where women do not support themselves; the financially independent woman might find that this law puts her at a disadvantage. This system of division ultimately stresses upon the fact that Islam advocates a social system characterized by female dependency and male control.

The woman is seen as an instrument of temptation in Islam and this is clearly laid out in a verse of the Quran: “Attractive to men is the love of pleasurable things of life: women, children, heaped up treasures of gold and silver, horses of pedigree” (Q3:14), treating the woman as a commodity by juxtaposing her with other status symbols. Furthermore, the burden of instilling modesty is laid on the women who “should not display any of their charms publicly save what is decently observed and they must draw their veils over their bosoms” presenting the female as a primarily sexualized being.

Certain verses from the Quran or traditions of the Prophet serve to protect women.

In the case of false accusation, the Quran states “Sentence to eighty lashes those who bring accusation of adultery against chaste women” and such men are cast away from the grace of God. This punishment is validated by the fact that the punishment for adultery (for both men and women) is stoning to death. The status of the mother is also upheld greatly in Islam and according to a famous tradition of the Prophet “paradise lies under the feet of your mother.” The stress laid on the status of the woman as a mother and a wife, reiterates the notion that women are mainly domestic actors who operate in the private sphere whereas the public sphere is predominantly masculine.

The argument that significant rights are granted to women in Islam can only be made if the scripture is contextualized and Islamic laws are deemed changeable. Women in Islam are given specific roles which they must fulfill and very little is said about their status outside the domestic realm. In order for true progress to take place, there is a need to adapt religious readings to current ideals of female agency.

The writer is a staff member of Pakistan Today and holds a degree from Mount Holyoke College.

HINA is Pakistan’s most trusted ally. The relations were continued to grow in spite of the Cold and postCold War perceptions. Pakistan made enormous efforts to end the international isolation of the Peoples Republic of China throughout in the 1950s and 1960s. Over the years, the relationship has become a mutually beneficial relationship to cater each other’s needs in different geo-strategic situations. Within a short span of time, China has emerged as the second DR AHmAD RAsHID mALIK largest global economy. Pakistan could overcome its myriad economic woos with the help of China.

Since the 1990s China has been emerging as an important pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy especially when leaders undertake their first foreign visits. Beijing is always the first priority. Now defense and economic ties with it are more significant than its ties with the United States. Beijing even replaced Riyadh sometime ago in Pakistan’s foreign policy priorities.

New leadership has assumed power both in Pakistan and China. The Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has already undertaken the visit to Pakistan on May 22-23 and exchanged views with the new Pakistani leadership. Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif will also meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang on his present tour.

The official five-day visit of Prime Minister Sharif to China commenced on July 4 is important from the point of view that this is his first foreign visit after assuming office in the first week of June. He has come into power after 14 years. Besides Beijing, the Pakistani prime minister will also visit Shanghai and Guangzhou. High level exchanges are regular feature of the Sino-Pakistan friendship since the 1950s.

The Sino-Pakistan relationship is a vast strategic and expanded economic partnership, which has been developed over years with much scarifies from both sides. The Gwadar Port was handed over to the Chinese Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) in February. The present government will continue to honor the agreement. During the prime minister’s visit many agreements are supposed to be inked in the Gwadar context alone particularly developing a trade corridor by linking it to Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. ‘The corridor would change the fate of the region’, to quote Prime Minister Sharif before the visit.

The corridor would provide alternative route to Chinese business by shortening the distance to 2500 km. The Arabian Sea-South China Sea distance is over 16,000 km. India has been showing concerns as the corridor would pass on the Kashmir side of Pakistan. The Prime Minister’s delegation includes Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch that represents people’s mandate for greater Chinese cooperation with the province of Balochistan. The minister for planning and development Ahsan Iqbal and advisor to the prime minister on foreign affairs Tariq Fatimi were also included in the 11-member delegation.

Apart from the Gwadar context, a large room exists to invite Chinese expertise in energy sector especially generating coal-based and alternative energy. Hope many pending matters concerning the generation of coal-based energy will be resolved during the visits.

Pakistan has been facing a chronic electricity shortage reaching 5,000 mw in summer. Growth and industry has been badly suffering. It is expected that agreements related to energy cooperation will lead all other agreements for cooperation during this vital visit. Prime Minister Sharif has already encouraged the state-owned China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) to install solar power plants, look into mining, explore iron ore, and undertake train subway networks in Pakistan’s metropolitan cities.

The Chinese cooperation in building motorways and railway network would be a resounding collaboration. Morinco is another Chinese joint venture to build solar-based energy system in Pakistan. The Punjab government has already invited the Chinese company to work on the Nandipur and Chichun ki Malian hydro projects that were delayed by the previous government. The cost of these projects has risen to Rs57 billion from Rs22 billion.

Bilateral trade between Pakistan and China has some serious issues that must be mutually resolved including tariff on imports by China from Pakistan. Trade between Pakistan and China is hovering around US$ 12 billion, which makes Pakistan China’s second most important trading partner in South Asia after India. Trade is expected to touch down the level of US$ 15 billion in the next couple of years. However, in terms of Asia-Pacific trade, Pakistan-China trade is quite meager, which needs to be improved further.

A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has already been in practice and a Currency Swap Agreement (CSA) has just been signed to bolster mutual trade ahead of Premier Keqiang’s visit. There is also a need to lower down Pakistan’s growing trade deficit with China, which has been mounting quite high. It is reaching over US$ 10 billion. Some sectors of Pakistan’s economy have badly suffered due to FTA. These are paper, paperboard, and ceramics.

China is competitive in these sectors. These issues should also be addressed.

China has to buy more from Pakistan to correct this imbalance. A trading State of Pakistan needs to emerge in which China could play the lead role.

The Chinese cooperation in building motorways and railway network would be a resounding collaboration.

Morinco is another Chinese joint venture to build solar-based energy system in Pakistan.

The writer is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad.

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:50 AM Page 12

12

A arts Friday, 5 July, 2013

50 cent gets the slammer charged for assaulting girlfriend

I like to be real private; you don’t always want everyone around you - even when they like you — Axl Rose

minions lead, cowboys follow 2 the lone ranger — $58m

tHis Weeks FiLM roUndUp

T

HANKS to Man of Steel, Fast & Furious 6, Monsters University, and the surprising success of Now You See Me, the box office climbed to record levels in June, earning $1.25 billion — a 19 percent increase over June 2012. This week, Despicable Me 2 and The Lone Ranger, which both begin showing tonight to take advantage of the July 4th holiday weekend, will try to keep the box office firing on all cylinders. The former is poised to dominate the field, but the latter seems unlikely to lasso a big enough audience to justify its gargantuan budget. Here’s how I think the box office might shake out over the Wednesday-toSunday period:

1despicable Me 2 — $125m 50

Cent has been charged with domestic violence by the Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday (July 3), reports say. The rapper allegedly kicked the mother of his child and destroyed property in her Toluca Lake, California, condo last month. Fif took to Twitter after the allegations hit the Web, denying an arrest. The L.A. City attorney said in a news release obtained by CNN that 50, born Curtis Jackson, faces one count of domestic violence and four counts of vandalism. “During an argument, Jackson allegedly began destroying the female’s property,” the prosecutor said.

“Allegedly when the female locked herself in her bedroom, Jackson kicked-open the bedroom door and kicked her, causing an injury.”Reports say that police were called to the scene on June 23, where they found broken chandeliers and furniture and clothes strewn all over the floor, along with a broken TV and lamp. But 50 Cent, 37, was not in sight. The damage is estimated at $7,100. If Fif is found guilty of these charges, he will face up to five years in jail and $46,000 in fines. Meanwhile, 50 took to Twitter, first, writing “l ook billy jean your not my lover” then, “I’m in the car I haven’t been arrested. I’m listing to MJ#SThen, 50 picked up on a running joke with his Twitter followers, responding to messages like “ hey, dad, how’s your week been? My child support check is due this week.” To which he responded, “Look kid your mom took one lump sum ok.” “Daddy why are you ignoring me );” @RiverCrowson tweeted.

“Be I told your mom not to have you OK,” 50 said. The news comes just three days before his 38th birthday. 50 Cent is due in court on July 22. COuRTEsy mTV

saif loves watches!

S

AIF Ali Khan always had a fetish for watches and the actor believes his Bollywood career has fanned his obsession to own rare timepieces. Saif, whose first watch was given to him by his cricketer father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, says he did not have a watch worth talking about before he joined films. Now, such is Saif’s fixation with watches that for every project he does, he invests in a timepiece that complements the film and suits the character. “The collection has grown with the films I have done, especially over the past six to ten years.

For Parineeta, which was a period film, I bought a Vacheron Constantin Patrimony and a 1962 vintage Omega,” Saif told a magazine in an interview. The actor, who features on the magazine’s anniversary issue cover, has a massive collection of luxury watches. “They all have their places... Sometimes just sitting at home, I change my watch three times a day. I like to open the box, clean my watches and admire them. I have few, chunky gold ones that go well with long hair, a dark sun tan and white pair of shorts. But usually, I like very simple watches with leather straps,” he says. Such is his obsession to own an exclusive timepiece that Saif once bought the Breitling Emergency from a dealer, who was wearing it. COuRTEsy TOI

T

HE original Despicable Me was a surprise success in 2010, opening with $56 million en route to a $251 million finish. Adults enjoyed the sly edge of the animated feature, and their kids fell in love with the yellow “minions,” which became breakout characters in the same vein as Madagascar’s penguins or Ice Age’s acorn-chasing squirrel, Scrat. For Despicable Me 2, Universal is plastering the minions on any free ad space they can. The studio has inked licensing deals with WalMart, Toys-R-Us, Progressive, Chiquita, Cheetos, McDonalds, and other national brands. Plus, they’ve got a “Despicablimp” flying around the country.

But those promotional efforts wouldn’t matter all that much if audiences didn’t genuinely love the original — and boy did they. In fact, Universal could have a Shrek 2 situation on their hands here — while the original movie became a word-of-mouth smash (Shrek earned $267 million), the sequel could be a slam dunk right out of the gate (Shrek 2 wound up earning $441.3 million.). Despicable Me 2 does face animated competition from Monsters University, which has topped the chart for two weekends, but Despicable Me 2 is fresher in kids’ minds, since its predecessor came out just three (not 12) years ago, and it’s safe to say there’s more built-in excitement for the young franchise. Opening in over 3,900 theaters, Despicable Me 2, which cost Universal and Illumination Entertainment only $76 million to produce, may earn about $130 million over the five-day period.

D

ISNEY spent at least $225 million on this Gore Verbinski-directed western, which stars Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer (though many commercials seem to ignore Hammer’s presence altogether), but with terrible reviews and a major lack of social media activity, The Lone Ranger looks likely to become an expensive misfire for the studio. Just to earn back its budget domestically, The Lone Ranger will have to earn $40 million more than the highestgrossing western of all time, Dances with Wolves, which took in $184 million in 1990. That seems very, very unlikely. Audiences have just never flocked to desert-set movies the way they have superhero flicks or lush adventures like Depp and Verbinski’s Pirates franchise. Recently, western blockbuster Cowboys and Aliens underperformed with a $36.5 million opening and a $100.2 million total against a $163 million budget. That seems like a fair comparison for The Lone Ranger — though Depp’s appeal does boost prospects considerably (especially on the international front, where westerns often toil). Tracking suggests that The Lone Ranger could gallop away with about $70 million over five days, but in a marketplace stuffed with wellliked releases, that sounds quite high. Debuting in about 3,700 theaters, The Lone Ranger could wrangle about $58 million in its first five days. For a standard Hollywood release, that result would be just fine. For a $225 million tentpole with bad reviews and limited international appeal — that could spell trouble.

3 Monsters university — $34m

T

HE film may fall by about 50 percent due to direct competition from Despicable Me 2, but that still puts it on track for a $23 million

HoW tiMe FLies! CrUise tUrns 51

N

EARLY one year after finalizing his divorce from Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise is “in a really good place” as he celebrates another birthday away from the public eye. The actor, who turns 51 today, has thus far not made any public comments about his birthday plans or whether he will be celebrating with his friends and family members.

One day before her dad’s birthday, Suri Cruise was spotted arriving at JFK airport in New York City with her mom. As usual, the seven-yearold looked adorable in her pink fashionable outfit. She also was spotted wheeling around a piece of luggage. If not celebrating with Suri, there’s also a chance that the actor is enjoying the day with his other children, Isabella and Connor Cruise. Both children come from Tom’s previous marriage to Nicole Kidman.

However Cruise decides to celebrate his special day, we’re confident he is enjoying life to the fullest. “He’s doing really well. He’s really happy,” a source recently told E! News. After dealing with a difficult split from Holmes days before

his 50th birthday, Cruise has had “an incredible amount of time to reflect” and determine what he wants for his future.

One thing Cruise wouldn’t mind doing sooner rather than later is heading back into the dating pool. “He’s ready to date,” the source added. “”He wants to find love again. He’s a really great guy and it’s difficult for him to play the dating game, because even if he likes someone who isn’t famous it’s hard for them to understand his world. If ladies needed another reason to be interested in the handsome star, Cher recently told Bravo’s Andy Cohen that Cruise was in “the top five” for best lovers. What a compliment! In the meantime, Cruise and his fans can look forward to more action-packed flicks. In addition to starring and producing in Mission: Impossible 5, Cruise will appear in next summer’s blockbuster, All You Need is Kill, starring Emily Blunt.In honor of Cruise’s special day, we’re looking back at some of the actor’s biggest movie rolls to date. Take a look back at Cruise in action on the big screen! COuRTEsy EO

three-day weekend — and about $34 million adding in Wednesday and Thursday grosses as well. All told, Monsters University should have nearly $220 million domestically by the time Sunday night rolls around.

4 the heat — $32 million

W

ITHOUT any new comedies arriving on the scene, The Heat should continue to play well with adult women in its sophomore frame. The R-rated laugher scored $39.1 million in its debut frame, and it could take in another $32 million over the Wednesday-to-Sunday period, which would give the $43 million Fox film about $82 million after two weekends on the chart.

5 World War Z — $24 million

B

RAD Pitt’s zombie thriller has been holding up very well on weekdays, but the simple fact that the box office is about to get even more crowded may keep it from notching an exemplary hold. Still, it could score another $24 million in five days, yielding a $156 million gross.

Also keep an eye on Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, which is opening in about 800 theaters on Wednesday. The comedy film, shot during one of Hart’s stand-up shows at Madison Square Garden, follows in the footsteps of comedy film Kevin Hart: Laugh At My Pain, which broke out with a $7.7 million total in 2011. Since then, Hart has hosted the MTV Movie Awards, starred in BET’s Real Husbands of Hollywood, helped lead Think Like A Man to a $90 million finish, and grown his fanbase substantially. Thus, over the five-day frame, Let Me Explain may take in a very impressive $11 million — not bad considering the film cost only $2.5 million to produce. COuRTEsy Ew

yoghurt ahoy! yogalicious to enthrall Lahori tastebuds LAHORE sTAff REPORT

Yoglicious, first frozen yogurt brand from UK opened in Lahore on June 29 on MM Alam Road.

Yoglicious is collectively owned by the dynamic siblings Rabia Zia and Sobia Zia in partnership with David Williams, the director of Plas Farm, UK. The Zia sisters are bankers and investors by profession with Rabia Zia being a prominent British-Pakistani politician. It is the passion for pure dairy frozen yogurt that led them to invest and bring Yoglicious to Pakistan.

While speaking at the occasion, Rabia Zia said, “Yoglicious is a creation of Plas Farm from the Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Yoglicious Café offers pure dairy frozen yogurt with a wide array of waffles, pancakes, yogurt cones, yogbar, brownies, fresh juices and smoothies. Yoglicious is 100% Pre and Probiotic and includes the registered/accredited BC30 Probiotic live culture from Ganeden Labs, which is the licensing and development division of Ganeden Biotech.”

David Williams further added, “Yoglicious is the only frozen yogurt in Pakistan

that is both Pre and Probiotic. Unlike froyos mostly available in the market, Yoglicious is purely made of fresh milk and zero powdered ingredients, which makes it Pre and Probiotic. The fats are killed at source which makes it fat free and healthy. Plas Farm has a history of producing the highest quality products, and this has been recognised in the form of many awards over the years such as True Taste Wales, Great Taste Award Winner and National Ice Cream Competition Gold Medal. Plas Farm is credited for introducing frozen yogurt in UK and produces for leading frozen yogurt brands across UK and Europe.

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:50 AM Page 13

If you’re gonna sing, sing loud — Travis Tritt

ARTS Friday, 5 July, 2013

13 A

WHat Happened to tHe Bynes ? a

young actor’s fall from stardom to a pity inducing 20-something is often traced through clichés about substance abuse and theories on celebrity. We can’t assume insight into a person we don’t know, whose circumstances we can’t imagine. But examining Amanda Bynes’ present condition through her career reveals a strange role reversal. One in which Bynes becomes a distorted approximation of the characters she played against. Despite the success of two hit sketch comedy shows on Nickelodeon, her transition to film was a struggle to support an upward trajectory. While undeniably pretty, Bynes was consistently billed as “the girl next door,” the anti hot girl. You know, burgers instead of salads, sneakers instead of heels, sports instead of shopping. Most of her movies include scenes that made a point of such preferences, and they all feature characters who are villains for choosing the opposite. In What a Girl Wants she tells her blonde nemesis Clarissa (played by Christina Cole), “If you take your nose out of the air for one second you’ll see you’re designer, I’m vintage. You’ve got a mansion; I’ve got a five-floor walk-up. You’re a snotty little miss cranky pants and I go with the flow.” In She’s the Man: “Sorry, Mom. I have a strict no-ruffles policy.”

And in Sydney White she “throws a football like Matt Leinart.” These roles seemed to suit Bynes. In a 2005 cover story, she told CosmoGirl, “I enjoy doing things that are scary or things that some girls might not like because it won’t let them look gorgeous … that’s when you start relying more on your sense of humor.” But it wasn’t always enough. In 2003, after What A Girl Wants, Bynes told Time, “I want longevity, I’m waiting to find something a little bit above this movie.” The waiting wasn’t fruitful; among the few roles for a female actor even fewer could showcase the pratfalls, wide-eyed charm, and glib timing of Bynes. That her extensive physical comedy range didn’t earn her more varied roles makes you wonder what would’ve happened if she’d come along just a few years later. After Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy ushered in Hollywood’s belated recognition of women’s comedic talent and earning potential. Would Bynes be a bigger star if she could’ve been the next Kristen Wiig instead of the first Amanda Bynes?

It’s hard to say. A study from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism found that only 28 percent of all speaking roles in 2012 belonged to women. And the majority of female actors’ screen time centers on dressing in

RIPPING Twilight angst aside, it sure is nice to see Kristen Stewart smile.The actress flashed a megawatt grin while on the way into her hotel today in Paris, begging the question..Did she know she was being photographed?

We kid. Obviously Stewart couldn’t

g

revealing clothing. A wholesome archetype meant to endear Bynes to us limited her and, in 2008, she left her talent agency hoping to expand her opportunities as an actor. There weren’t many available to her. The sequel to Hairspray was canceled and Alexis Bledel replaced her as the lead in 2009’s Post Grad. A January 2009 interview in Cosmopolitan revealed an actor very much aware of her type: “I’ve never been that girl [who] was auditioning to be the hot cheerleader. I was always the quirky girl. I’m much more comfortable being goofy than being the sex kitten.” She added she’d recently been cheated on: “I’m a confident person, but it killed me.” Later that year her next boyfriend, Doug Reinhardt, broke up with her and began dating Paris Hilton. Hollywood’s preferences seemed to be shared by the men around her. In February of 2010 a Maxim photoshoot introduced a blonder, bigger-breasted Bynes in lingerie and heels. By March, a month into filming the Farrelly brothers’ Hall Pass, she was dropped from the cast, allegedly for “paranoid and fearful” behavior. In June, four months before her next movie’s release, she announced her retirement from acting, saying, “I don’t love acting anymore so I’ve stopped doing it…. Being an actress isn’t as fun as it may seem.”

By July, she declared herself unretired. That fall saw the release of Easy A, in which Bynes plays the type of shallow blonde she was typically cast against, and newcomer Emma Stone plays the “girl next door.” It’s Bynes’ last credited film. OVER THE PAST TWO years her tweets have become increasingly bizarre and her hazardous driving a tabloid regular feature. Far from the well-adjusted teen of her old interviews, her looks have become her fixation and constant project. Amanda Bynes was once a promising comedy talent who deservedly earned comparisons to Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, and Gilda Radner. Now her DUIs and hit and runs in 2012—coupled with ongoing, unexpectedly confessional tweets—place her somewhere between a parody of her costars’ characters and a real Hollywood tragedy, staring out glumly from under a cheap wig in court like a sketch from The Amanda Show. She traffics in L.A. stereotypes with her frosted lipstick pout and blonde extensions. Her insult of choice is “ugly,” volleyed at other celebrities or strangers who tweet at her, and revoked on whim. She was kicked out of an exercise class for reapplying her makeup in the middle of it. Her Twitter admission to an eating disorder uncomfortably calls to mind the flatness of her midriff poking out from tank tops in What I Like About You. She muses about her nose jobs, tweeting, “There’s a surgery for everything that’s wrong with you!” She sounds, and sometimes looks, uncannily like Monique—the character Bynes’ Viola Hastings clashed with in She’s the Man. The one who said things like “girls with asses like mine don’t talk to boys with faces like yours.”

Last week, Bynes tweeted, “I don’t care what you say about me if I don’t find you physically attractive” and “If you’re not hot I don’t value your opinion.” COuRTEsy Ps

black short-shorts and fingerless black leather gloves that revealed her new tattoos. It was the first public appearance for the recently single star since breaking up with Robert Pattinson. Stewart was back in her usual uniform of glasses, jeans, t-shirt and casual outerwear today, but she showed no signs of jet lag or any other

“It takes two very particular people to have that relationship be functional— one that services the other—because Juliette Binoche is playing the actress that I assist, and she is one of the most powerful women I think I’ve ever seen in film. Stewart was back in her usual uniform of glasses, jeans,

Katy Perry rides around New York

run it like Beckham: Family competes at son’s sports day i

F it’s Sports Day at your school and your dad is David Beckham, it’s not really fair to have your father compete against the other kids’ dads in a foot race, is it? Oh well! Sure enough, while on an outing with wife Victoria Beckham and daughter Harper at son Cruz’s school, the recently retired soccer stud outpaced all others and took gold in the annual racing of the dads But better yet, Victoria legged it out against the other mums! The Spice Girl turned fashion icon didn’t fare quite as well as her hubby, but she was all smiles crossing the finish line in her jeans and leather jacket (she did take off her heels, however) while David captured the moment on video.

The Beckhams weren’t the only celebrity parents out there, either—they were spot-

play a personal assistant to an actress,” Stewart explained to Women’s Wear Daily at the Chanel show.

“It takes two very

ting cheering on their kids from the sidelines with Stella McCartney and her husband, Alasdhair Willis. COuRTEsy EN

desperately to not be squashed by a woman like that, and it’s not going to be an easy thing.” Her costars in Sils Maria, which takes its name from a Swiss municipality, also include Chloe Grace Moretz and Pattinson’s

sHe sMiLes too? ksteW spotted in paris miss the madness, but this time she didn’t let the shutterbug infestation dampen her spirits. The On the Road star landed in France on Monday to take in the sights of Paris Fashion Week.

She got started Tuesday in the front row at Chanel, where she looked as chic as any runway model in a fitted white jacket with retro-short sleeves,

annoyance as a bodyguard escorted her past the waiting crowd and into her hotel. The 23-year-old actress has lined up two movies this summer, the Guantanamo Bay-set prison drama Camp X-Ray and Sils Maria, which is going to be shooting in Europe. “I play a personal assistant to an actress,” Stewart explained to Women’s Wear Daily at the Chanel show.

t-shirt and casual outerwear today, but she showed no signs of jet lag or any other annoyance as a bodyguard escorted her past the waiting crowd and into her hotel.

The 23-year-old actress has lined up two movies this summer, the Guantanamo Bay-set prison drama Camp X-Ray and Sils Maria, which is going to be shooting in Europe. “I

particular people to have that relationship be functional— one that services the other— because Juliette Binoche is playing the actress that I assist, and she is one of the most powerful women I think I’ve ever seen in film. “I’m going to try

good pal Tom Sturridge.

Speaking of Stewart’s ex back in the States, a rep for Elvis Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough has debunked rumors that the model-actress is dating Pattinson. We’re told that Rob is “in a good place” and “just enjoying hanging and chilling with friends at this point in his life.” COuRTEsy EONLINE

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:51 AM Page 14

14

I

inFotainMent Friday, 5 July, 2013

today (5th July)

8 Pakistan's army, led by Gen Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, seizes power, 1977.

8 US declares independence 8 Spanish army repels British attempt to retake Buenos Aires.

8 British naval forces bombard Dingai on Zhoushan Island in China.

8 German troops reach the Dnieper River in the Soviet Union in WWII. 8 The largest tank battle in history begins, the battle of Kursk as German forces attack Soviet column.

8 US forces engage the North Koreans for the first time at Osan, South Korea.

sorry popeye!

research

shows spiNach

doesNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make yoU stroNger Popeye's love of spinach is born out of one of history's easiest mathematical errors. A mathematician and scientist has revealed that spinach's iron content was miscalculated by a German chemist when he misplaced a decimal point. His mistake gave birth to Popeye's obsession with the vegetable, which the cartoon character eats in vast quantities to boost his strength. Popeye's testimony that he is 'strong to the finish, 'cause I eats my spinach' is apparently born from a mistake 50 years before he became popular. Samuel Arbesman talks about how scientific errors can lead to popular myths in his book, 'The Half-life of Facts: Why Everything We Know Has an Expiration Date'. In 1870, German chemist Erich von Wolf was researching the amount of iron in spinach and other green vegetables.

When writing up his findings in a new notebook, he misplaced a decimal point, making the iron content in spinach ten times more generous than in reality. While Mr von Wolf actually found out that there are just 3.5 milligrams of iron in a 100g serving of spinach, the accepted number became 35 milligrams thanks to his mistake.

COuRTEsy bbC

Remember, the storm is a good opportunity for the pine and the cypress to show their strength and their stability. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Ho Chi Minh

zzzz evadiNg yoU? what preveNts a good Nights sleep COURTESY BBC an uncomforTaBle or noisy environmenT As we start to fall asleep, our muscle tone reduces and our limbs begin to relax.

We may feel drowsy but our brain is still active, and any noise or discomfort can make it hard to fall asleep. As we drift into light sleep, an area of the brain called the thalamus starts to block the flow of information from our senses to the rest of the brain. But it will still let through noises, which can wake us up. After about half an hour of light sleep, most of us enter a type of deep sleep called slow-wave sleep. The changes in the brain neurochemistry typical of deep sleep, make it harder to be woken up. But some things will always get through - such as our names being called out loudly. Missing out on any part of our usual cycle of sleep results in reduced quality and quantity of sleep. an irregular rouTine We all have a built-in body clock which tells us when we are tired, and helps synchronise thousands of cells in our body to the circadian rhythm.

The main synchroniser for our body clock is light. Our eyes react to the light and dark, even when our eyelids are closed.

Daylight prompts our brains to reduce the production of the sleep hormone melatonin.

We become more alert, and wake up. If we sleep less, because of going to bed late or waking up early, we're unlikely to get as much deep sleep as we need, or enough of the stage that comes after it - REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, when we do most of our dreaming. sTimulanTs - coffee, alcohol, food Caffeine is a stimulant which can stay in our system for many hours. Drinks high in caffeine make it harder to fall asleep and can result in more time in the lighter stages of sleep, with less deep sleep. Drinking al-

cohol often makes us snore more, making it harder to breathe, and so making us more restless. Although alcohol initially helps some of us fall asleep, too much of it may disrupt sleep. A lot of alcohol close to bedtime means we can go straight into deep sleep, missing out on the usual first stage of sleep. As the alcohol starts to wear off, our bodies come out of deep sleep and back into REM sleep, which is much easier to wake from. In the course of a night we usually have six to seven cycles of REM sleep, which leaves us feeling refreshed. However, a night of drinking means we'll typically have only one to two, and wake up feeling exhausted. Eating a large, heavy meal too close to bedtime may also interfere with sleep. Spicy or fatty foods can

cause heartburn, which leads to difficulty in falling asleep and discomfort throughout the night. Foods containing a chemical called tyramine (examples include bacon, cheese, nuts and red wine) can keep us awake at night. Tyramine causes the release of noradrenaline, a brain stimulant. Carbohydrates, such as bread or pasta, have the opposite effect. They trigger the release of hormone serotonin, which makes us sleepy.

The wrong Body TemPeraTure Our core body temperature goes down when we sleep. It's controlled by our body clock, which starts to open up the blood vessels of the hands, face and feet, to lose heat, as we approach the time we should be sleeping. But if our bedrooms or duvets are

too warm, our bodies can't lose heat. That can lead to restlessness and discomfort. Our core temperature should only be half a degree less than during the day. If we get too cold, we get restless. a Busy mind Stress is the enemy of sleep. In bed, our mind is left free to wander, and feeling anxious about getting enough sleep will only make it worse. In these states people lose track of time. You may nod off and wake up again but it may still feel as if you are getting no sleep at all. This can result in fragmented sleep with less time spent in the deep stages of sleep. Sleep experts recommend getting up and doing an activity which distracts our mind from worry - such as a puzzle - before trying to sleep again.

whatever happened to Pluto?

COURTESY SA It seems that reality TV shows are not the only places you can vote things out - Pluto was kicked out of the planet club in 2006 because of a vote. It ended up being a case of "last in, first out". Pluto was the last planet discovered, because it was too small and too far away to be seen without the aid of a telescope. Pluto is six billion km from the Sun - that's 40 times the Earth's distance from the Sun. It took until 1930 for Pluto to be found and even then its discovery was almost an accident. dirTy iceBergs For several decades it had been believed by some people that a 'Planet X' was orbiting beyond Uranus and Neptune and was causing slight changes to the motions of these planets. In fact, Pluto isn't large enough or in the right orbit to do this, but a search of the skies for Planet X by Clyde Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory in Arizona led to the discovery of a tiny spot of light that moved against the background stars. He realised that this tiny spot was an object which was orbiting the Sun and it was announced that a new planet had been discovered. Planets are not the only things in our Solar System, various groups of objects orbit the Sun. But the main group is the planets, bodies of rock or gas that orbit the Sun. Then there are the moons orbiting these planets. Earth has just one moon whereas the king of the planets, Jupiter, has over 60. It turns out that even Pluto has three. In addition to the planets and their moons we have a group of objects called asteroids. These are smallish lumps of rock and metal, most of which orbit the Sun at a distance between that of Mars and Jupiter. Finally there are the comets, dirty icebergs that orbit at vast distances, perhaps

50,000 times further from the Sun than the Earth is. Asteroids are thought to be remnants of a planet that was unable to fully form and comets are thought to be leftovers of the formation of the Solar System itself. But the search for objects at the edge of the Solar System continued after the discovery of Pluto. The search has been fruitful - many hundreds of small objects have been found beyond the orbit of Neptune and in 2003 an object was found that is more massive than Pluto and has a moon of its own. A new planet. The possibility of discovering more objects of this size quickly became apparent and if Pluto was classified as a planet, then so should all these new objects.

Things were going to get out of hand. It was time to take a step back and think about what we actually mean by a planet and whether Pluto and the other similar objects should have planetary standing. This task fell to the International Astronomical Union

(IAU) - the organization that represents astronomers and astronomical research, and has the responsibility for overseeing how objects are named. A Planet Definition Committee was formed and members of the IAU debated and discussed until an agreement was reached about what a planet should be defined as. demoTed It was decided that it was not good enough for an object to simply orbit the Sun, have enough mass for its own gravity to shape it into a rigid, nearly round object, and have its own moons. To be a planet an object also has to have sucked up all the other material around it. All other eight planets have swept their orbit around the Sun clean from other objects. Pluto however, lives in a belt of other similar-sized objects.

A vote was taken at the closing ceremony of the IAU's General Assembly on 24 August 2006 and the fate of Pluto was sealed.

Pluto, surrounded by hundreds of other ob-

jects orbiting beyond Neptune, was to be demoted from a planet to a new category of objects in the Solar System - a dwarf planet.

One of my colleagues was amongst the voters and I remember him commenting that it made him feel like a controller of the Universe. I attended the IAU General Assembly in 2012 where once again, at the closing ceremony, a vote was taken, but this time on the definition of the Astronomical Unit - the distance between the Sun and the Earth which is a standard measurement in astronomy. It was voted that the Astronomical Unit be defined by the exact distance of 149,597,870,700m rather than a value which varied dependant on the mass of the Sun which is very slowly changing over time. So, the IAU has clear definitions of how objects in our Solar System should be classified. Even though this is necessary, it is slightly artificial to think of discrete types, giving an arbitrary cut-off due to distance from the Sun or nature of the orbit.

Better perhaps to have a spectrum of objects where when one type ends and other begins. For example, in recent years astronomers have found objects that seem to look like both asteroids and comets. whaT nexT? Because it hasn't yet been visited by a spacecraft, we still have no detailed view of what Pluto is like. A Nasa mission is on its way though - New Horizons was launched in 2006 and will arrive in 2015. It is interesting to reflect that upon launch New Horizons' target was a planet, but upon arrival it won't be. The classification of Pluto isn't important though. What is important is that it is part of our culture and symbolises our desire to understand the Universe on our doorstep - it's a Solar System object that we need to learn more about.

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:51 AM Page 16

15

S

SPORTS Friday, 5 July, 2013

pcb chief selector steps dowN KARACHI: Pakistan’s chief cricket selector Iqbal Qasim stepped down at the end of his tenure on Thursday, denying any rift with the national team’s captain and coach.

“I have told the top officials of the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) that I have completed my tenure so they should appoint a new panel for future selection,” Qasim said.

Qasim led the selection committee which on Wednesday named one-day and Twenty20 squads for this month’s tour of the West Indies, dropping flopped players Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal and Imran Farhat, and recalling all-rounder Shahid Afridi.

PCB interim chairman Najam Sethi approved Qasim’s decision to go.

“Qasim has done a great service to the country. He has given a fitting farewell to the team by presiding over its selection committee prior to the West Indies tour,” he said in a statement.

Sethi confirmed that Qasim had asked to be relieved of his duties after extending his tenure from April to July.

“I wish him well and shall continue to seek his advice and guidance on cricketing matters in the future”, said Sethi, now set to announce a new selection panel soon.

Local media have speculated about differences between Qasim, captain Misbah-ul Haq and coach Dav Whatmore, and Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez over selection, but Qasim denied any rift.

“I had no differences with anyone,” said Qasim, a former left arm spinner who played 50 Tests and 15 one-day matches for Pakistan. Qasim’s committee came under criticism after the team crashed out of the Champions Trophy in England last month.

He has served repeated tenures as chief selector. In 2010, he resigned after the team’s 3-0 rout in Australia.

“The team wins and the team loses, which is part of the game so there should be no differences,” said Qasim. AgE NCI E s

What happened is profoundly disappointing. If there was a danger that this matter would be withdrawn we find perplexing and have alerted to this long before. –Burry’s family lawyer

coUrt orders New pcb electioN interiM chairMan given 90 days tiMe to bring in neW chairMan LAHORE

T

sTAff REPORT

HE Islamabad High Court has ordered the acting PCB chairman Najam Sethi to hold an election for his office within 90 days. The High Court was responding to a petition filed by a former Rawalpindi Cricket Association official against the board elections held in May, when Zaka Ashraf was elected chairman for a four-year term under the new PCB constitution, said the reports received here.

The decision from the Islamabad high court came after petitioners challenged a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ballot, which in May elected the incumbent chief Ashraf as chairman for four years.

The court last month termed Ashraf ’s election in the new process as “dubious” and “polluted” and the government appointed Najam Sethi as interim chairman until Ashraf ’s case was decided.

“Sethi should continue as interim

PCB chairman but must hold elections within 90 days to elect a PCB chairman,” the court ordered.

Ashraf was appointed chairman by PCB patron and the president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, in October 2011 under a previous PCB constitution.

But the PCB was forced to introduce a new constitution earlier this year after the International Cricket Council (ICC) ordered an end to all undue government interference.

Sethi said the court would be obeyed.

“I took over on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s instruction on an interim basis and now as per the court orders we will hold elections,” Sethi said after attending the hearing.

“We have to clear the mess in our cricket system,” said Sethi who on Wednesday admitted Pakistan cricket was at its lowest ebb due to a string of controversies.

The presidential appointment of PCB

Buenos aires host city for 2018 YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES LAHORE sTAff REPORT

The 3rd Summer Youth Olympic Games will be hosted by the city of Buenos Aires in 2018, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge announced today following a vote by the IOC members at an Extraordinary IOC Session in Lausanne. According to a press release of International Olympics Council, Buenos Aires (Argentina) was elected ahead of Glasgow (Great Britain) and Medellín (Colombia).

Prior to the vote, the Candidate Cities each had 15 minutes to give a presentation to the Session, followed by questions.

Evaluation Commission Chair Claudia Bokel addressed the Session on behalf of the Commission.

“We had three excellent candidates from which to choose a host city today, each with the capability of staging memorable Youth Olympic Games in 2018,” said IOC President Rogge. “I would like to congratulate Buenos Aires and their bid team for their dedication to and enthusiasm for the Youth Olympic Games project. The 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games will be held in Nanjing, China, from 16 to 28 August 2014.

Results of the vote Voting Round 1: Buenos aires – 40 Glasgow – 13 Medellín – 32 Voting round 2: Buenos aires – 49 Medellín – 39

heads was widely criticised by former players and officials as politically motivated, with the chairman coming from the same party as the president, a process also followed in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Top cricket nations like Australia, England, India and South Africa hold elections to chose their cricket heads.

The petitioner had also called for the suspension of the PCB’s new constitution but the High Court ordered the new elections to be held under the same constitution. The petition has now been disposed.

Ashraf was the first-ever elected PCB chairman under the new constitution, which in February removed the system of the Patron of the board, the President of Pakistan, choosing the chairman. Nine governing board members endorsed Ashraf and the process was conducted without any prior announcement, the board revealing Ashraf’s appointment through a press release.

After his election, however, Ashraf faced opposition from the regional associations of Punjab, Pakistan’s largest province with 60% of country’s population, for preventing them from being part of the board. Instead, two new regions without any first-class teams Larkana and Dera Murad Jamali - were represented on the board.

ecb allows westfield to play club cricket from april LAHORE: Mervyn Westfield, former Essex seamer, who was banned for five years by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), has been allowed to play club cricket from next April but will remain suspended from the professional game until 2017.

ECB took the decision while turning down Westfield’s former Essex team-mate Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan leg-spinner, who appealed against his lifetime ban for spot fixing, reports The Daily Telegraph.

It was Kaneria, who had cajoled and pressurised Westfield to concede an agreed number of runs duing a Pro40 match at Durham in 2009. Westfield had already spent eight weeks in jail after being found guilty in a criminal court.

While relaxing Westfield’s suspension, ECB also made the bowler agree to a number of on condition he adheres to an anticorruption education programme.

“I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I just want to put it right now and help identify the clear dangers that exist. sTAff REPORT

POA SAFEGUARDING THE REPUTATION OF COUNTRY: GEN ARIF

LAHORE sTAff REPORT

Pakistan Olympic Association President Lt Gen retd Syed Arif Hasan said on Thursday that the POA was safeguarding the

reputation of the country at the forum of International Olympic Committee but the undue interference on part of some quarters was aimed at drawing sanctions from the IOC to protect the Olympic movement and charter. He was addressing a news

conference here to apprise the mediamen on the latest developments on Olympic Movement and charter in Pakistan.

“We are showing extreme patience from the past one year but the way the Olympic movement and its charter are

being violated by Pakistan Sports Board and a so-called illegal interim committee of the POA to further complicate the situation which has now reached its climax and can provoke the IOC to take disciplinary action against Pakistan,” he said.

Gen Arif said despite the existence of the legal and IOC approved setup of the POA, the announcement of holding elections of POA by the interim committee is the last grasp effort to force the IOC to come up with a disciplinary action to ensure that the IOC movement and its charter are well respected in Pakistan.

He said the IOC has taken serious view of the bogus national games and the backing of PSB in this regard and formation of parallel bodies in various disciplines. “These are the factors which IOC is minutely analyzing and if measures are not taken by the Government to defuse the situation then IOC will decide its course of action,” he asserted.

POA Chief briefly highlighted some directions of the IOC on the ongoing tussle between POA and its so-called interim committee. He also pointed out that apex courts in the country have given clear directions regarding the status of POA and they have also directed to the organizers of the illegal national games not to use the

words ‘32nd national games’.

“Our intentions are very clear and we want to elevate the image of our country besides safeguarding its reputation and that is the reason we are requesting the IOC not to come up with a disciplinary action against Pakistan as such a decision will put the future of games in danger and Pakistan will not be able to participate in any international event,” he added.

POA President appealed to the Prime Minister, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to look into the matter to resolve the issue amicably. “ He (The Prime Minister) is a keen lover of sports and we firmly believe that under his able leadership this issue can be resolved by taking all the stake holders into the confidence ,” he said adding “ We have prepared a detailed presenting in this regard in which IOC point of view has also been included and if given a chance we can apprise the Prime Minister on this important issue which relates to the future of sports in Pakistan.”

Gen Arif said as per the direction of the supreme court of Pakistan the general council meeting of the POA will be held on August 3. The meeting will approve rules and regulations of elections of POA and will also decide to which extent the reelections of the POA can be held.

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:51 AM Page 17

Everyone is in the same boat, but I’m glad action has been taken. It’s still a concern. We’ll see how the weekend goes. –Lewis Hamilton

16

SPORTS

S

Friday, 5 July, 2013

korea stUN pakistaN KOHLI FACES BiGGeST TeST iN MuST-wiN claSh PORT Of SPAIN AgENCIEs

SPORTS DESK

o

LYMPIC champions Germany joined England as qualifiers for next year’s Rabobank hockey World Cup thanks to a dazzling display against host nation Malaysia in the Hockey World League Semi-Final tournament in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

The result completed the lineup for the Semi-Finals with Germany setting up a meeting with Korea, who defeated Pakistan earlier in the day.

Korea have upset the form book to secure a stunning 4-3 victory over Pool B winners Pakistan in the quarterfinals. The Koreans produced a sensational fight-back back from 2-0 to eventually win the match, with Pakistan’s Shakeel Abbasi missing a 53rd minute penalty stroke.

Pakistan were outstanding for much of the first half, showing great confidence to surge into a 20 lead inside 16 minutes. The opening goal came from Muhammad Waqas, who produced a piece of brilliance to beat his man on the edge of the circle before cracking a shot past Korean keeper Lee Myung Ho. Muhammad Tousiq added the second, although there was an

element of fortune about the goal. correctly, stepping across to his left His attempted cross within the to deny the icon of Pakistan circle took a big deflection off a hockey.

There was a frantic finish to the Korean stick, helping the ball to game, but Korea held on to secure evade the goalkeeper.

Korea gave themselves a life- a famous win and reached the line early late in the half thanks to Semifinal stage. They will play Kang Moon Kweon, who sent a Germany in their next match.

A noisy and intensely low penalty corner deflection into the Pakistan goal before pulling passionate capacity crowd of 3500 level just after the break. Kang was people witnessed a master-class in again the scorer, this time netting a attacking hockey from the world number 1 ranked team, close range field goal to really powering to a 6-0 win of set the match alight.

Germany against The Greenshirts Olympic Malaysia with all of moved back in front the goals coming in in the 43rd minute champions the first half. when Shakeel Germany thrash By reaching Abbasi made no the Semi Finals, mistake with a Malaysia, Germany ensured penalty stroke, England qualify that they could not but Korea turned finish any lower the game on its for World than fourth place at head with two goals Cup the event in Johor. At in the space of 60 least one of the two fourth seconds. Nam Hyun Woo drag-flicked his team leaven in the placed teams in the Hockey World 48th minute before Kim Young Jin League Semi Final stage now grabbed a goal from close range guaranteed a place at World Cup. moments later to leave the Pakistan With Germany’s World Ranking (1) being higher than that of New team stunned.

Arguably the game’s most Zealand (6) - who finished fourth decisive moment arrived in the at the HWL Semi Final in 53rd minute when Pakistan were Rotterdam – their safe place at the awarded their second penalty World Cup is assured. It is worth stroke of the match. Shakeel noting that there is still a very real Abbasi again assumed possibility that a fifth place finish responsibility, but this time Korean here in Johor could result in a berth custodian Lee Myung Ho guessed at the World Cup, ensuring the host

nation still has everything to play for.

Germany were simply sensational in the first half, ripping through the Malaysian defence at will to net six goals in just 18 minutes. Christopher Zeller scored the first with a lucky penalty corner routine before Linus Butt and Moritz Polk scored goals in the eighth minute to take the score to 3-0. Zeller added fourth goal with a blistering penalty corner flick, before the game was effectively wrapped up by strikes from 2012 FIH Player of the Year Moritz Fuerste and Thilo Stralkowski.

Malaysia were a much improved outfit in the second half and put on a fine performance for their hugely passionate home fans.

However, Germany were simply too good on the day and showed exactly why they are the top ranked men’s team in international hockey.

Earlier, England guaranteed their place at next year’s Rabobank Hockey World Cup by defeating Japan 5-0. The result sets up a meeting with Argentina, who defeated South Africa 2-0 in the first Quarter Final of the day.

NEXT MATCHES July 6 classification 2:45 pm rSa-JPN classification 5:00 pm MaS-PaK 1st Semi-Final 7:15 pm arG-eNG 2nd Semi-Final 9:30 pm Ger-Kor

After suffering consecutive losses in the ongoing Tri-Nation ODI series, Team India will be desperate to register their first win in the tournament as they lock horns with West Indies in the 4th ODI at Queen’s Park Oval stadium in Port of Spain on Friday. With the absence of MS Dhoni in the middle, it will be a tough challenge for India’s stand-in skipper Virat Kohli to lead his side to redemption in their must-win clash against the hosts - who are yet to lose a match in the tournament. Windies came out all guns blazing against Sri Lanka in the first ODI and then managed to hold their nerve to beat India in a thrilling encounter. But, they would be eyeing the finals berth with a much more clinical finish against listless India tomorrow.

The hosts have triumphed on the services of their swashbuckling openers in the series so far. After a dismal performance in the Champions Trophy, Chris Gayle and Johnson Charles, have finally found their form at home. Darren Bravo also managed to get some runs in the last match against India while Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard and Darren Sammy form a strong middle-order for the hosts.

Dwayne Bravo is likely to miss the clash against India, and if he misses out then Kieron Pollard would continue to lead the Caribbean giants. The Windies will also miss their frontline seamer Ravi Rampaul as they are likely to play with the same attack tomorrow. On the other hand, Team India’s Champions Trophy party has suffered a major setback in the tournament and Virat Kohli needs to find solutions quickly if they intend to make the finals.India is likely to play with the same batting lineup alongside the services of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma up in the order. It will be interesting to see if Dhoni’s replacement - Ambati Rayudu - gets a game over Murali Vijay today. In the bowling department, India gambled with Shami Ahmed in place of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the last match - a move that did not work. Can India afford to drop Bhuvneshwar Kumar again? Or would they gamble with Vinay Kumar in place of Umesh Yadav or Ishant Sharma tommorrow?

Teams(from): india: MS Dhoni, ravichandran ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik(wk), Virat Kohli(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, amit Mishra, Mohammad Shami ahmed, Suresh raina, ishant Sharma, rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Vinay Kumar, umesh Yadav west indies: Dwayne Bravo(c), chris Gayle, Johnson charles, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Devon Smith, Darren Sammy, Denesh ramdin(wk), Sunil Narine, Tino Best, ravi rampaul, Kemar roach

DOMINGO TO BRING CLARITY TO ODI SET-UP CAPE TOWN AgENCIEs

Russell Domingo may not be as brash as his Australian counterpart Darren Lehmann, but he is certainly cut from the same cloth in terms of having a clear idea on how he wants his team to play.

Domingo names his first official Proteas squads on Thursday, and although it won’t be a radical shift from the players that reached the semi-final of last month’s Champions Trophy in England, the national team will certainly head to Sri Lanka for the upcoming limited-

overs battles with their roles well defined within the two squads.

South Africa face their hosts in five one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals.

Although injuries and withdrawals before and during the tournament played havoc with South Africa’s gameplans at times during the Champions Trophy, there still seemed to be a great amount of indecision in terms of selection in the United Kingdom.

The opening slot, after Graeme Smith was ruled out, was a particular cause of uncertainty, with Colin Ingram moved up the order to

partner Hashim Amla, despite Test opener Alviro Petersen being drafted into the squad.

Domingo will not have Smith back for the Sri Lankan tour as the Proteas Test captain continues his recovery process after having surgery on his left ankle.

It is believed, though, that the new Proteas mentor is keen to utilise Petersen’s experience against the two new white balls.

At 33 years old, Petersen is by no means a long-term solution, but the former Highveld Lions captain would welcome such clarity after warming the

bench in England and Wales when he could have been getting valuable gametime with his English county Somerset.

Jacques Kallis’s ODI future also remains in the balance, with the veteran all-rounder set to miss another bilateral series – Kallis’s last Proteas one-day appearance was 18 months ago in New Zealand – while pace spearhead Dale Steyn will not be part of the Sri Lankan touring party. Steyn has yet to recover from the hip muscle strain that kept him out of the Champions Trophy semifinal defeat to England at The Oval last month.

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:51 AM Page 18

I’m certainly happy to have Andy on my side and in my ear and helping me bring the cup back from Europe this time. – Tom Watson

17 S

SPORTS Friday, 5 July, 2013

mercedes are a coNteNder: horNer

LONDON: Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes that two wins in three races have proven Mercedes as title rivals in the current Formula One season. The Milton Keynes outfit had a poor outing at the British Grand Prix as championship leader Sebastian Vettel was forced to retire 11 laps before the end of the race. Mark Webber, who had earlier announced his decision to retire at the end of the season, could only finish in second place as Nico Rosberg won his second race of the season for the Silver Arrows. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton notched an impressive fourthplaced finish which was achieved under trying circumstances as the Briton had suffered an early tyre puncture that saw him lose the lead. Horner, who has been one of Mercedes’ most vocal critics in recent weeks over their ‘secret testing’ at Barcelona, could not help but be impressed by the improvement demonstrated by the team from Brackley. The duo of Rosberg and Hamilton have five pole position in five races and have scored a combined total of 176 points, becoming the secondbest pairing in the F1 circuit.

“They’re a good team, they’ve got a quick car, they’ve got good drivers,” Horner told Sky Sports. “They’re for sure going to be a contender between now and the end of the year, as are Ferrari, as are Lotus. “There’s no reason at all [to be pessimistic], but there’s still a long, long way to go in this championship. Nevertheless, the 39year-old is not fazed by the fact that rival marques managed to close the gap on Red Bull - Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso lies a mere 21 points behind Vettel in the drivers’ standings. AgENCIEs

mclareN Necessarily shift focUs to 2014

bartoli aNd lisicki set Up fiNal f LONDON

AgENCIEs

NURBURGRING: McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has revealed resources are now primarily being channelled towards next year’s car as hopes of a race win this season rapidly fade. The current campaign is only eight races old, with 11 still to run - starting on Sunday with the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring - but the realisation is setting in that this year could well be a write-off. With McLaren languishing in sixth in the constructors’ championship, prospects of winning this year’s titles disappeared long ago. In failing to score a point in the last two grands prix in Canada and at Silverstone, you have to go back four years for the last time the Woking-based marque chalked up such an ignominious feat. In terms of victories, only once in the previous 16 seasons have the team gone through an entire campaign without taking the chequered flag, and that was in 2006.

There is now every possibility of that happening this season as they prioritise next year and the introduction of the new engine rules. “As we’ve said many times before we took some wrong paths during the winter, and we’re behind in the development cycle,” Whitmarsh said. AgENCIEs

RENCH jack-in-the-box Marion Bartoli barely had enough time to go through her full repertoire of peculiar mannerisms as she thrashed Kirsten Flipkens 6-1 6-2 on Thursday to reach her second Wimbledon final.

The 15th seed sealed victory in 63 minutes, overwhelming Flipkens with some brutal hitting and will now open her box of tricks against Germany’s Sabine Lisicki on Saturday as both seek a first major title.

Bartoli, one of the most unorthodox players in the women’s game, crunched double-fisted forehands and backhands for winners and fired down one second serve ace at nearly 100mph.

“I just cannot believe it, I played so well,” Bartoli, beaten by Venus Williams in the 2007 final, said. “I saw the ball like a football. I hit it cleanly from the start. To play so well in the semifinal at Wimbledon is an amazing feeling.”

Flipkens knocked out former champion Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals but looked pensive throughout against Bartoli and needed treatment on her heavily-strapped right knee in the middle of the second set.

“I think she was a bit injured and she deserves a lot of credit. It must be hard to be injured in the semifinal at Wimbledon,” Bartoli, who has reached the final without dropping a set, said.

The Centre Court tried desperately to lift Flipkens, although even their enthusiasm for the

underdog waned as the match reached an inevitable conclusion.

Value for money it was not, although the match did at least last longer than the 19 minutes it American Alice Marble to beat German Hilde Sperling 6-0 6-0 in 1939. Bartoli was her usual bundle of energy from the first point.

Twice she wrapped up games with aces and sprinted to her chair and when waiting to return she played practice swings with her back turned, as if standing in front of an imaginary mirror.

In between points, she was perpetual motion, jogging on the spot and bouncing around like a prize fighter. At times she stood well inside the baseline to face Flipkens’ serve. The 28-year-old denied, however, that her routines are

designed to intimidate.

“When I’m on the court, I’m in my zone, in my bubble. I’m doing what I feel I need to do to be ready the best that I can,” she said. “There is nothing into my attitude to make my opponent scared or annoying her or disturbing her or whatever.”

“C’mon Flipper” was the cry from the members of the crowd as the first set sped away from 27-year-old Flipkens who became the fourth Belgian woman to reach a grand slam semifinal after close friend Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin and Yanina Wickmayer.

Bartoli’s play was brutal and she allowed her opponent only two points in the first three games of the second set, at which point Flipkens called for the trainer for a knee injury.

lisicki oUtlasts radwaNska German Sabine Lisicki held her nerve to beat Polish fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 2-6 9-7 in a gripping semifinal on Thursday and reach her first Wimbledon final.

The 23rd seed, who knocked out defending champion Serena Williams in the fourth round, proved too strong for her Polish opponent who was runner-up at the All England Club last year.

Lisicki wrapped up the first set in 33 minutes and, brimming with confidence, broke again in the opening game of the second.

Radwanska, however, immediately broke back and she moved 3-1 ahead as Lisicki’s concentration faltered.

The German kept going for her shots and was rewarded with another break in the next game but Radwanska had the momentum and took the set. Radwanska led 3-0 in the decider but Lisicki suddenly rediscovered her form, fighting back to level at 3-3 and breaking again to lead 5-4. She served for the match but got broken but kept her wits about her, ending a dramatic contest with a forehand winner after two hours and 18 minutes.

LONDON: Wimbledon 2013 will be remembered as a tournament of shocks but unless giants Juan Martin del Potro and Jerzy Janowicz can chop Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray down to size, Sunday’s men’s final will be a showdown between the world’s top two players.

In a sport that plays on the psychologically vulnerable and demands supreme levels of physical endurance, the consistency of Djokovic and Murray in reaching the business end of grand slams is nothing short of remarkable.

When Djokovic takes to Centre Court to play Argentine Del Potro, it will be his 13th successive semifinal at a major, while Murray’s match-up against Janowicz will be his fifth consecutive appearance in the last four at Wimbledon.

Should they both win, it will be the third time in the last four grand slams that they have met in the final.

Their rivalry has usurped that of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as the biggest draw in the sport and with the Swiss maestro and the Spanish matador having been dumped out early, two different faces will contest Friday’s semis.

Del Potro, a grand slam winner at the US Open in 2009, is hardly an unknown, but Janowicz has emerged from obscurity and will enter the world’s top 20 next week.

PUMMELLING FOREHANDS The emphatic way he came out hitting, however, pummelling forehands past one of the sport’s best defensive players, showed that although his movement might be restricted, he remains a major threat as long as the ball is within range.

“I’m not going to put my body at risk,” he said.

“The doctors tell me with this tape and taking some anti-inflammatories you can play.

“If they say something different, I will think.”

He will need to be 100 per cent to have a chance against Djokovic.

The only former champion in the last four has a 83 winning record against Del Potro, is one of the game’s very best returners and will keep him working his wounded limb from start to finish.

Some comfort for Del Potro is that he won their last meeting at the Indian Wells Masters in March as well as the bronze medal match on the Wimbledon lawns at last year’s Olympics.

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:51 AM Page 19

I couldn’t believe it but was delighted to see the way things were panning out and became more confident that I could get one of the spots available in the play-off. –David Higgins

federer to play hambUrg, gstaad LONDON: Roger Federer has given the post-Wimbledon European claycourt swing a boost by signing on to play in Hamburg and on home soil in Gstaad later this month. The 17time Grand Slam champion last played Hamburg in 2008, when it was an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. Federer boasts a 29-4 record at the best-at-home Open – German Tennis Championships, which this year begins July 15. The 31 year old, who suffered a shock second-round loss at Wimbledon last week to Sergiy Stakhovsky, returns for the first time since he won the title in 2004. It will be his eighth career appearance at the Siwss ATP World Tour 250 event, which begins July 22. “I’m really looking forward to playing in front of my home fans in Gstaad this summer,” Federer said on his official website. “I have got a lot of great memories of the tournament in the mountains of Switzerland.”

Federer has a 27-8 record on the season, with his lone title coming on grass last month at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle. AgENCIEs

doNald hopes to bloom like rose MERION

l

‘millioN trUmps tiger’s toUrNameNt’ JOHANNESBURG: Despite Tiger Woods’s tournament “The World Challenge” being back on, Nedbank Golf Challenge tournament director Alastair Roper says “Africa’s Major” still may have some trump cards.

When the new 30-man field for the South African event was announced, it seemed Woods’s event would not be played at all due to a lack of sponsorship. It has since been reinstated, mainly due to a cash injection from Woods. Both events start on December 5 and will compete to attract the world’s best golfers. “We may have some trump cards on them with Road to Dubai points and Ryder Cup standings points, official money on the Sunshine Tour and European Tour,” said Roper on Wednesday. “All of that, we’re in a stronger position than what we were last year. AgENCIEs

MAN UNITED APPOINT GIGGS aS PlaYer-coach vaN deN broeck withdraws from tdf AIX-EN-PROvENCE: Belgian rider Jurgen Van den Broeck (Lotto), tipped as a candidate to finish on the Tour de France podium, was forced to withdraw from the race before Thursday’s sixth stage. His team confirmed that Van den Broeck would not take part in the sixth stage from Aix-en-Provence to Montpellier after suffering a knee injury when falling in a crash in the final kilometre of Wednesday’s ride into Marseille.

Van den Broeck, 30, has twice finished fourth on the Tour, in 2010 and 2012.

However, the Belgian was also forced to pull out of the 2011 Tour following a fall.

Van den Broeck’s withdrawal follows that of Frenchman Maxime Bouet (AG2R), who fractured a forearm in the same crash on Wednesday. AgENCIEs

SPORTS

S

Friday, 5 July, 2013

wAtCh It LIve ESPN The Wimbledon Championships 2013

5:00 PM

TEN SPORTS Hockey World League 2013 Argentina-South Africa: 11:45 AM England-Japan: 2:00 PM Pakistan-Korea: 4:15 PM Germany-Malaysia: 6:30 PM

icc not to reveal biographical information of ethics officer

AgENCIEs

UKE Donald hopes it will be soon be his turn to win a major championship after watching from close quarters as Justin Rose did so in the US Open last month. Rose and Donald played the final round at Merion together after starting the day two shots off the lead held by Phil Mickelson, with Rose claiming the title thanks to a closing 70.

Donald’s challenge began to unravel when his tee shot on the par-three third hit a female volunteer, a bogey there contributing to a front nine of 42 that could not be repaired by a homeward nine of 33.

But the 35-year-old has taken heart from Rose’s win and that of Adam Scott at the Masters in April as he continues his preparation for the Open Championship at Muirfield in the Alstom Open de France.

“You always walk away disappointed when you have a chance, but at the same time I left with a lot of encouragement,” Donald told a pre-tournament press conference at Le Golf National, which will host the Ryder Cup in 2018.

“It’s the first time I put myself in a position at the US Open to contend. There were certainly a lot of benefits in just seeing Adam win at Augusta, seeing Justin win at the US Open; guys that have a similar career path to me in terms of winning a World Golf Championship or two and winning a bunch of tournaments on their resume.

18

OLD TRAffORD AgENCIEs

Manchester United have confirmed that Ryan Giggs is to take up a player-coaching role next season.

It was already established Phil Neville is to become a member of Moyes’ backroom team but now Giggs will work alongside his former team-mate, having already agreed a one-year contract extension last term. “It’s a great privilege to be appointed a player coach. I hope I will be able to bring my experience to bear, having been both a player and part of the Manchester United family for so long,” said Giggs.

Often linked with the United manager’s job at some point in the future, Giggs has been taking his coaching badges and is due to attain the UEFA Pro Licence next summer.

“It’s no secret that I have been taking my qualifications and I see this as the first step in my future career,” said Giggs. “I’m really looking forward to working alongside David and the team.” Having confirmed Steve Round, Chris Woods and

Jimmy Lumsden were following him from Everton, concern had been expressed about the lack of United experience in David Moyes’ backroom team following his appointment as Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor.

Neville’s arrival at the Aon Training Complex on Thursday morning went some way to allaying those concerns. However, the decision to appoint Giggs is a masterstroke. The Welshman won a record 13th Premier League title last term and was part in all but the first two of Ferguson’s major triumphs.

He will be an invaluable aid to Moyes as he learns the ropes, with the Scot due to face the media alongside skipper Nemanja Vidic on Friday afternoon.

“I am delighted that Ryan has accepted the chance to become player coach,” said Moyes.

“His success and ability to adapt his game over a number of years gives him an unrivalled perspective on the modern game.

BIPIN DANI: The time may not have reached yet, but if the situation arises, the FICA (Federation of International Cricketers’ Association) would go to public and show the evidence where the international captains’ were forced to favour India’s Laxman Sivramkrishnan in place of most favoured Tim May as their representative at the ICC. This was revealed by Paul Marsh, the FICA’s new media official.

Speaking from Australia, he said: “We want to protect the witnesses and give the ICC an opportunity to get its own house in order away from the glare of publicity. So far they have refused to do this so we may have to provide the evidence to the public for them to make up their own minds, but we have not yet reached that point”. “We still believe that this is an internal matter of cricket governance that ICC should be dealing with under its own agreed procedures”.

The FICA has referred the matter to the ICC’s Ethics Officer. Interestingly, the ICC has not provided any more information about the Ethics Officer.

“His name is Sean Cleary – there is very little information available about him.

He is South African, but that is all we’ve gleaned despite asking ICC twice for biographical information”, Marsh added.

“He was found and appointed by Haroon Lorgat (the former ICC CEO). He is independent of ICC and the Boards – as we understand it, he is engaged by ICC on an ad hoc basis when something is referred under the Code. He may be on a retainer, but, again, ICC have not provided any concrete information except informally and verbally telling us that he is a good, thorough and trusted guy”. Regarding dragging the issue to court, Paul Marsh says, “this is a matter we’ll talk about if and when the time comes”. mumbAI

higUaiN to start arseNal NegotiatioNs

MANCINI STILL BAFFLED BY MAN CITY DISMISSAL MILAN AgENCIEs

Former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini remains baffled by his sacking, claiming he deserved more respect for what he achieved at the club.

The former Inter Milan boss was dismissed on May 13 - the anniversary of the previous season’s dramatic Barclays Premier League title success - after three days of mounting speculation over his future.

The club declared Mancini, who has since been replaced by Manuel Pellegrini, had “failed to achieve any of its stated targets this year, with the exception of qualification for next season’s

UEFA Champions League”.

Quoted in Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport today, he said: “Even now, (almost two months) later, I still do not understand why.

It is still painful, I admit. I think I deserved more respect for what I had done for Manchester City.

“In three and a half seasons with my staff, I believe I did an extraordinary job.

“The club had not won a (league) title for more than 40 years. I won a championship title, FA Cup, a Community Shield and, in the worst season - the last one - I lost a final and I came second (in the league).

“The numbers are clear. This sacking still does not have a reason.

“The Arabs called me and said

to me ‘in three years we want the title’, and I won it in the second year.

And then I rebuilt a club that was not at the top level of football.

Evidently, chairman Khaldoon (Al Mubarak) must have had in his head some situations that were not true.”

Mancini pointed a particular finger of blame towards chief executive Ferran Soriano, saying: “For him, I was a person too big (within the club). He and I did not speak the same language and I do not mean Italian, Spanish or English.”

Mancini’s final season at the Etihad Stadium was also notable for the sale of Italy striker Mario Balotelli to AC Milan, seemingly marking the end of a tempestuous relationship between the pair.

BUENOS AIRES: Reports in Argentina claim Gonzalo Higuain’s father - and agent - Jorge has been given permission by Real Madrid to open talks with Arsenal.

Arsenal are thought to have been locked in talks with Real for weeks about a deal for the Argentina international striker and sources claim that the two clubs have now agreed a deal. Real Madrid reportedly wanted €25million (£21m) for the 25-year-old, with Arsenal’s opening offer believed to be €20million, but it appears a compromise has now been reached.

Higuain senior was quoted as telling Fox Sports Argentina: “We have been given permission by Real Madrid to negotiate with Arsenal. AgENCIEs

ISB 05-07-2013_Layout 1 7/5/2013 1:51 AM Page 20

Friday, 5 July, 2013

pti, JUi-F, anp support pM’s sC asks gilani to prove immunity claim in Haj scam initiative for evolving national counterterrorism strategy ISLAMABAD APP

ISLAMABAD APP

t

HREE major political parties have welcomed the announcement of a meeting of heads of political parties by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on July 12 to devise a national strategy on curbing militancy and improving law and order in the country.

Asad Umar, a senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader, welcomed the official statement of convening the meeting to devise a national strategy on counterterrorism.

However, the PTI leader said rather than inviting all heads of political parties represented in parliament, the government should have convened a meeting chaired by the prime minister and attended by chief ministers of the provinces facing terrorism while the top brass of army should also have been invited. “We should have invited the real stakeholders to the meeting as the political leadership has already expressed its views and parliament has passed two resolutions authorising the government to hold talks with the militants,” he said.

Umar said his party wanted prompt action by the government in this regard and not a single day should be wasted.

“We will welcome any meaningful meeting to be held even tomorrow as the people

and security forces are feeling the brunt of terrorism. So the matter should be immediately resolved,” he added.

He said his party would fully back the federal government’s initiative to devise a national counterterrorism strategy and it would also support the talk process with the Tehreek-eTaliban Pakistan (TTP) or any other group. JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman also welcomed Nawaz’s initiative for taking the political leadership on board.

In a statement, Fazl said a clear vision was needed with practical steps, adding that a national committee should be formed bringing the heads of the armed forces and other law enforcers at one table. He urged talks and institutional efforts as part of a grand anti-terrorism strategy. “We need to seriously make meaningful talks. But where we need institutional response… we cannot afford to delay our response anymore,” he said, adding that the Taliban and the Baloch insurgents needed to be engaged in talks as well.

The JUI-F chief, however, warned that “no effort by the government, no body, no measure and no talks can succeed without the support of the state’s other establishments including the army, agencies and the bureaucracy”. Fazl said since Pakistan was under a terror threat, it would be a good idea if the prime minister was

made the head of the committee and he chaired all meetings of the proposed national body at least for a specific time. “Then the interior minister may share responsibility of heading such a body. The second challenge is improving the criminal justice system. No national body can eliminate terrorism if we cannot prosecute the criminals and terrorists,” he added. He also said the Supreme Court had asked the former government to launch a witness protection programme. “This is a challenge we need to simultaneously tackle as we contemplate other measures,” Fazl added.

Awami National Party (ANP) senior vice president Haji Adeel said it was a good step taken by the prime minister. He said a national policy on terrorism was the need of the hour and the ANP would attend it as the PML-N had attended an all parties conference (APC) convened by his party. He said the ANP would present its viewpoint on issue of terrorism and it would also forward its recommendations to counter the menace of terror. “All political parties should sit together to chalk out a joint strategy. It is responsibility of the government to take all stakeholders on board.

The government should restore confidence of people to win their support that it is mandatory,” he urged.

gunmen kill high-profile afghan policewoman LASHKAR GAH AgENCIEs

Unknown gunmen killed one of Afghanistan’s most high-profile female police officers on Thursday, the latest in a series of attacks targeting top women officials amid a drawdown of foreign combat forces in the country.

Lieutenant Islam Bibi, the most senior policewoman in volatile southern Helmand province, was shot dead on her way to work in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, officials said.

“Islam Bibi was going to work this

morning with her son-in-law on the back of a motorbike when two gunmen opened fire,” said Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor. “She died in the hospital, but her son-in-law survived.” Zwak said the 37-year-old mother of three had probably been killed by Taliban insurgents, though they had not claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Taliban has often targeted senior female officials working for the U.S.-backed Afghan government, although many attacks have also been linked to conservative male relatives.

The Supreme Court on Thursday observed that immunity in a case could not be granted to a person at his home, but the same should be sought from the courts. The bench also observed that a former PM was claiming exemption from appearing before the court but he must come up with solid arguments and grounds in favour of his claim.

These observations were made by a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry and Justice Gulzar Ahmed during the hearing of multi-billion Haj corruption scam during the regime of Yousaf Raza Gilani. Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry asked

the attorney general to explain the grounds on which former Prime Minister Gilani was seeking exemption to appear before the bench in the Haj corruption scandal.

However, Additional Attorney General Shah Khawar replied that he himself was amazed to hear the claim, as under no constitutional provision did he enjoy immunity from appearing before the court. Upon this, the chief justice remarked that immunity could not be awarded by courts, for this a person had to appear and claim it from the court.

During the course of proceeding, the chief justice expressed concern over the lingering Haj corruption case and stated, “How many years will it take to conclude this case.” He remarked that after orders were passed by the apex

govt, haj organisers reach accord on pilgrims’ quota ISLAMABAD APP

The government and the Haj Organisers Association of Pakistan (HOAP) on Thursday agreed to a quota of 60,000 pilgrims for the year, with 12,000 in addition to their original quota of 72,000 next year.

A four-member high level committee formed on the directive of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held talks with the Haj Organisers Association over the pilgrim quota. The committee was headed by Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar and comprised Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid, Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Yousaf and Minister of State for Religious Affairs Pir Ameen ul Hasnaat.

Talking to reporters, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said the government had already requested Saudi Arabia to increase the pilgrims’ quota. “But the Saudi government has cut the Haj quota 2013 because of the expansion of Baitul Harram, which is applicable to all countries,” he added.

He said the committee held four meetings with the Haj tour operators to resolve the quota issue. The operators would be compensated next year, he added.

Dar said the Ministry of Religious Affairs would sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the HOAP regarding increase in their Hajj quota for the next year.

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

court, the previous government had paid Rs 260 million among the affected, however, more had to be done to provide justice to Haj affectees.

The chief justice inquired from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) about the arrest of Ahmed Faiz, the main culprit involved in the scam.

FIA Director Azam Khan apprised the bench that the agency had made several attempts for his arrest and in this regard the interior and foreign ministries had also written letters to the Saudi officials, but no reply had been received until now.

Khan said the red notice for his arrest had been issued, however, he admitted that FIA was not sure whether Faiz was in Saudi Arabia.

Justice Gulzar Ahmed remarked that the Saudi offi-

cials had full record of each and every person in their country, adding that thousands of illegal Pakistanis were being deported from Saudi Arabia, because they were residing there illegally.

Hussain Asghar, the investigation officer informed the bench that he had apprised the Saudi government about the hide-outs of Faiz, but they refrained from taking any action against him.

The FIA director said the property of another culprit, Rao Shakeel, had been seized.

He argued that the Saudis were not cooperating in carrying out smooth investigation.

Later, the bench sought a written reply from the government over the main points of Haj corruption case by the next date of hearing and adjourned the case until July 23.

LHC refuses to lift ban on youtube LAHORE sTAff REPORT

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday refused to temporarily restore access to YouTube, a video sharing website, in the country.

However, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah of the LHC ordered the Ministry of Information Technology to form suggestions to block access to the blasphemous material on the internet in Pakistan and inform the court about it on July 25.

Justice Shah issued this order on the petition filed by an NGO, Bytes for All, seeking a lift on the ban on YouTube in the country.

The judge sought suggestions from the ministry as it expressed its inability to just block the material when counsel for the petitioner said the particular objectionable material could be blocked instead of the entire website.

Counsel for the petitioner Advocate Yasir Latif Hamdani requested the judge to issue orders for temporarily reopening of the website but the court denied it.

A representative of the ministry

said it was a sensitive issue and the reopening of the website could cause unrest in the entire country.

The judge said he was not an expert on the matter and asked the IT Ministry to form a committee on the issue.

He said the ministry could invite suggestions from the people as well to permanently block the blasphemous material on the internet.

YouTube had been blocked across Pakistan on September 17, 2012 following orders by then prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.

In the petition on behalf of the NGO, Hamdani argued that all internet curbs were counterproductive and had deprived Pakistanis of the right to access information as well as their right to counter any propaganda against the country or against their beliefs.

He said taking away the access of YouTube was the modern equivalent of taking away a scholar’s pen.

Hamdani said the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority made an incorrect statement when they declared that they could not ban individual website addresses.