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Rs 17.00 Vol IV No 35 19 Pages
Islamabad — Peshawar Edition
Wednesday, 7 August, 2013 Ramadan 28, 1434
story on page 03
story on page 19
story on page 04
story on page 02
Colonel, captain, spp killed in Chilas ambush
Mullah omar opposed to polls, not talks
Us and Britain withdraw personnel from yemen
Drone strikes unpopular across globe: Us survey
nasir, Irfan axed from pakistan test squad
A senior superintendent of police and two high-ranking military officers were killed and three policemen injured in a brazen militant attack in Chilas district of Gilgit-Baltistan province early on Tuesday. “The militants ambushed the SSP’s convoy at a very hard ascent on Silk Route,” police official Zakir Hussain said while talking to Pakistan Today over the telephone. page 02
The Taliban’s reclusive leader, Mullah Omar, on Tuesday said his group was willing to start peace negotiations, even as he urged more attacks — including insider shootings by government security forces — on foreign troops. In a wide-ranging emailed message, he blamed America and the Afghan government for the derailment of talks two months ago. page 04
After days of alarms and embassy lockdowns, the United States and Britain on Tuesday stepped up security precautions in Yemen, with Washington ordering “nonemergency” government personnel to leave and the Foreign Office in London saying it has withdrawn its diplomatic staff in the capital Sana “due to increased security concerns.” The United States also urged its citizens living in Yemen to depart immediately. page 07
The Obama administration’s use of drone strikes faces broad opposition around the world, says a report released on Monday. The Pew Research Centre in Washington that conducted a survey on the issue in 39 countries, reports that half or more in 31 of these countries disapprove of US drone attacks against extremist groups. “In most of the nations polled, there continues to be extensive opposition to the American drone campaign.” page 04
The PCB on Tuesday announced a 15member test squad for the tour of Zimbabwe sidelining batsman Nasir Jamshed and pacer Mohammad Irfan while opener Khurrum Manzoor was inducted in the touring party. The Pakistan team will play two test matches, three one-day internationals and two T20 matches on the Zimbabwean tour which commences from August 23 with a T20 match at Harare followed by a similar game on August 24. page 20
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counterterrorism strategy given final sHape
militants gun down 13 punjabis in mach ambush ONE FC TROOPER KILLED WHILE CHASING ASSAILANTS QUETTA
ISLAMABAD ONLINE
Terming terrorism a national issue, the government has given the final shape to the counterterrorism strategy. Sources said the strategy would be implemented as soon as the political leadership is taken on board. They said the government was ready if PTI Chairman Imran Khan wanted to meet separately. The final decision about the counterterrorism mechanism would be taken during the national consultative process. “Government has taken all the stakeholders into confidence with regard to this strategy,” the sources said, adding that the political leadership would be apprised of political and administrative measures in this connection. State-sponsored conference on this count will be announced after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returns home. The sources said all the political parties had shared the perception that terrorists were the enemies of the nation and country. Information Minister Pervez Rashid had said the government’s writ and the constitution would not be compromised. “We will set… the prevailing situation on track… to normalisation and betterment. We have the commitment, the team and the strategy as well,” he had added.
pm orders action against terrorists ISLAMABAD ONLINE
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday directed quarters concerned to hunt down terrorists responsible for Mach carnage and assassination of army and police officers in Chilas. While strongly condemning the assassination of army and police officers in Chilas and Mach, the PM directed Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to immediately coordinate through federal and provincial law enforcement and intelligence agencies to hunt down the terrorists responsible for Mach carnage and assassination of army and police officers in Chilas.
STAFF REPORT
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ALOCH militants on Tuesday killed 14 people, including security personnel, after stopping vehicles at a fake checkpoint in Balochistan. The attack happened in the Mach area of Bolan district, 70 kilometres southeast of provincial capital Quetta. It appears to have targeted mostly people from Punjab province ahead of Eidul Fitr. “Miscreants blocked the road in two places. First they took away five Frontier Corps (FC) men from a patrol vehicle, tied them up and snatched their walkie-talkies and weapons,” Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani said. The militants then stopped two Punjab-bound buses and took away 13 labourers. Security forces' personnel chased after them, but the rebels fired off a rocket that killed one security officer, Durrani said. “Then they lined them up in the mountains and killed 13,” added Durrani. According to Mach tehsildar, Zubair Ahmed Kurd, a Frontier Corps (FC) and Levies operation was ongoing in the area where the kidnapping took place to apprehend the culprits. Local official, Kashif Nabi, confirmed the incident and said the bodies had been
QUETTA: Bodies of the 13 Punjabi labourers shot dead by Baloch militants lie in the morgue on Tuesday. ONLINE
recovered. “We are making arrangements to bring them to Quetta,” he said. Sources, meanwhile, told Pakistan Today that the militants had abducted 22 passengers from five buses going to Punjab’s Rajanpur area from Quetta. They said that the assailants took with them 13 passengers after identifying them as Punjabis. Nine of the abducted people were released
STAFF REPORT
Amid threats of terrorist attacks, the Pakistan Army troops on Tuesday were deployed in Peshawar and Haripur jails. The military sources confirmed that the troops took over the jail security on the request of the civil administration. Source added that the deployment would not be for a long period and that the troops would be present at the prisons only to strengthen the security cor-
Balochistan are usually escorted by security personnel. However, a militant attack on an oil tanker in the same area led to crossfire between militants and the Balochistan Levies and Frontier Corps (FC), which kept the forces busy. Meanwhile, the Balochistan Liberation Army has accepted responsibility for the killings.
senior security officials killed in Chilas ambush PESHAWAR STAFF REPORT
A senior superintendent of police and two high-ranking military officers were killed and three policemen injured in a brazen militant attack in Chilas district of GilgitBaltistan province early on Tuesday. “The militants ambushed the SSP’s convoy at a very hard ascent on Silk Route,” police official Zakir Hussain said while talking to Pakistan Today over the telephone. He said as a result of indiscriminate firing, SSP Hilal Ahmad, Col Ghulam Mustafa and Captain Ashfaq sustained several bullets injuries. Their vehicle went out of control and fell into a ditch. Hussain said Col Ghulam Mustafa breathed his last
TTP MILITANTS ATTACK CONVOY OF COL GHULAM MUSTAFA, SSP HILAL AHMAD AND CAPTAIN ASHFAQ, DRIVER, GUARDS LEFT INJURED on the spot while SSP Hilal Ahmad and Captain Ashfaq succumbed to their injuries in the civil hospital. Three others, including the driver and bodyguards of SSP Hilal Ahmad, were injured in the attack. Conditions of all three injured is out of danger, Hussain added. According to Hussain, SSP Hilal Ahmad, Col Ghulam Mustafa and Captain Ashfaq Ahmad were returning after
Army deployed in Peshawar, Haripur jails PESHAWAR
after identification. Sources said that the militants stopped seven passenger buses in district Bolan but allowed two Sindh-bound buses to go. The victims, who have been identified, hailed from Sadiqabad, Rajanpur and other towns of Punjab. Machh Assistant Commissioner Dr Kashif said passenger buses moving out of
don. Official sources said that the army would also take over the security of the Central Jail Haripur for which the intelligence agencies have also issued a threat warning following the recent jailbreak in DI Khan. Other sources said that though security warning was issued for all Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) jails, but Central Jail Peshawar could be the prime target as Dr Shakil Afridi, who allegedly assisted the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in obtaining DNA samples of Osama Bin Laden through a
fake vaccination campaign was also held in the said prison. Moreover, Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-eMuhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Muhammad, former Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan, and several terrorists from Swat and Bajaur are also jailed in this prison. The KP government has already allocated Rs 198.200 million for jail security across the province and deployment of army troops is an added support to the security cordon.
Central Jail peshawar could be the prime target as Dr shakil afridi, tnsM chief sufi Muhammad and ttp leader Muslim Khan are detained there
attending a meeting at the residence of Chilas deputy commissioner. The meeting, attended by civil officers and high-ups from law enforcement agencies, was convened in connection with security arrangements for Eidul Fitr. Soon after the attack, civil, military and police officers held an emergency meeting and a search operation was ordered. Hussain said the operation was still in progress and several suspects had been apprehended. Hussain said the bodies of all three victims had been dispatched to their native cities and towns after funeral in Chilas. SSP Hilal Ahmad belonged to Barikot area of Swat and was considered among the efficient officers of the force. The attack was claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Banned outfit claims ali Haider’s aBduction ISLAMABAD: A proscribed militant group has claimed responsibility for the abduction of Ali Haider Gilani, son of former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani, reported a private TV channel on Tuesday. Ali Haider Gilani was kidnapped on May 2 during election campaign in Multan. Abu Yazeed, a spokesman for the outfit calling itself Al-Mansooreen Brigade, said Ali Haider was in their safe custody. The spokesman was calling from an Afghan phone number. He said the group would release a video of Gilani shortly after Eid to put up their demands. INP
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loc killings imperil indo-pak peace initiatives FIVE INDIAN TROOPS KILLED IN POONCH AMBUSH, NEW DELHI PINS BLAME ON PAKISTAN ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI STAFF REPORT/AGENCIES
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IvE Indian troops were reportedly killed in Indian-held Kashmir’s Poonch district on Tuesday, as conflicting claims from the Indian government and military pinned the blame yet again on Pakistan. According to a statement of the Indian Army, an army patrol “comprising a noncommissioned officer and five other ranks was ambushed by a Pakistan Border Action Team close to the Line of Control in Poonch sector early morning. In the ensuing firefight, five Indian soldiers were martyred." The Indian Army’s claim runs contrary to Indian Defence Minister AK Antony’s statement in which he described the intruders as “terrorists along with per-
PAKISTAN SAYS IT ADHERES TO CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT IN LETTER AND SPIRIT sons dressed in Pakistan Army uniform”. Reacting strongly to the unsubstantiated allegations, a Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman said Pakistan remained committed to the ceasefire agreement of 2003, which was an important confidence building measure and should be respected in letter and spirit. The spokesman said the Pakistan Army had also confirmed that no exchange of fire had taken place in Poonch district along the LoC. INDIAN PARLIAMENT UP IN ARMS: The soldiers’ killings rocked Indian parliament, with enraged lawmakers from the opposition demanding a response from the government. Both Houses of parliament were adjourned amid noisy scenes over the incident. Union Minister Farooq Abdullah said the incident would affect the process of normalisation between India and Pak-
Hold musHarraf accountaBle for Human rigHts aBuses: ai TRUSCOTT SAYS HUNDREDS ‘DISAPPEARED’ DURING MUSHARRAF’S ADMINISTRATION ISLAMABAD NNI
The Pakistani authorities should hold former president Pervez Musharraf accountable for all human rights violations committed during his rule, the Amnesty International said on Tuesday. Musharraf was expected to be formally charged at an anti-terrorism court with criminal conspiracy and murder related to the December 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. There are a number of other cases pending against Musharraf. “It is encouraging to see the courts take the unprecedented step of bringing a former army chief to account for his alleged involvement in past human rights violations and crimes under international law. But Musharraf must be held accountable for all violations committed under his rule, not just a select few,” said Polly Truscott, AI deputy Asia-Pacific director. “Hundreds, if not thousands, were ‘disappeared’ during Musharraf’s administration in particular human rights activists documenting violations committed by state security forces and members of armed opposition groups. In his final full year in office, 2007, Musharraf also led a clampdown on the judiciary and independent media,” said Truscott. As Amnesty International has documented in detail, Pakistan’s security forces continue to be implicated in human rights violations, such as the killing, enforced disappearance and torture of terrorism suspects, political activists and human rights defenders across the country and especially in the northwest tribal areas and Balochistan province. “No serving or retired member of Pakistan’s security forces is known to have been brought to justice for their alleged involvement in these violations,” said Truscott. “It is crucial that Pervez Musharraf – as any other accused in Pakistan – receives a fair, independent and impartial trial without recourse to the death penalty. His human rights must be protected, just like the thousands of other criminal suspects who faced enforced disappearance, torture and other violations during his rule.”
istan. "The hand of friendship cannot be extended from one side only. Pakistan has to stop the killings of Indian soldiers. The dialogue process cannot resume if such a situation continues," he said. The leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley
said the incident had serious defence, security and foreign policy implications. BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government should come out with a clearcut and firm response to the latest Pakistani attack which had become a ‘weekly affair’.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi accused the government of laxity in securing Indian borders. Antony told the parliamentarians that New Delhi had lodged a strong protest with Islamabad through diplomatic channels. According to India's official broadcaster All India Radio (AIR), Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner Mansoor Ahmed Khan was summoned by Indian authorities in New Delhi to deliver a strong diplomatic message. The killings have come at a time when New Delhi and Islamabad are trying to normalise ties and resume talks. The killings are likely to overshadow the resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue process. Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan is claimed by both in full. Since the independence from British, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir. In January this year, skirmishes between armies of the two neighbours claimed lives of five troopers (two from India and three from Pakistan). Both blamed each other of violating the ceasefire. In 2003, New Delhi and Islamabad agreed to observe a ceasefire along the international border and LoC in Kashmir. Though some violations have been reported on both sides, the ceasefire remains in effect. Indian Army said it had killed 14 militants near LoC in Kupwara district, northwest of Srinagar city, during a sequel of gunfights that continued last week. According to Indian officials, the militants were trying to infiltrate into Indian-controlled part. According to Indian Defence Ministry, at least 57 ceasefire violations have been recorded this year.
Threats to life prompt Musharraf to skip court in Benazir murder case ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Former president Pervez Musharraf failed to appear in court on Tuesday where he was due to be indicted in connection with the assassination of PPP leader Benazir Bhutto. Musharraf’s lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri said he did not come to court because intelligence services had warned him of credible threats against his life.
The former president could not be produced in an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi for security reasons, prompting the judge to put off his indictment. Reporters’ entry had also been banned in the court. Musharraf’s lawyer Ilyas Siddiqui told the court that it was not safe to bring the former military chief to the court due to security reasons. He requested Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman to grant ex-
emption to his client from personal appearance in the court. FIA prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar said since Musharraf was on pre-arrest bail, he was responsible for his appearance. The court granted exemption to Musharraf for Tuesday’s appearance, adjourning his indictment until August 20. Musharraf is not expected to be charged with murder, but over his alleged failure to provide adequate security for Benazir, Kasuri said last week.
BOY DROWNS IN NULLAH, 47 SIALKOT VILLAGES SUBMERGED IN FLOODWATER SIALKOT APP
A 12-year-old boy drowned in the flooded Nullah Bhed on Tuesday as floodwater inundated Sialkot city and 47 villages in the area. Arsalan was standing near the nullah when he fell into it and drowned, sources said. Torrential rains have flooded Nullah Bhed, which passes through congested residential and industrial areas of the city. Torrential rains and winds also affected the electricity and communication systems due to which the supply of electricity remained suspended for several hours in urban and rural areas of Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial and Pasrur tehsils. The recent heavy rains exposed the negligence of Sialkot Tehsil Municipal Administartion (TMA) as all main roads, including Kutchery Road, Paris Road, Abbot Road, Jail Road, Railway Road, Mujahid Road, Commissioner Road, Khadim Ali Road, Sialkot Airport Road, Hajipura Road, Allama Iqbal Chowk and all the surrounding congested residential, industrial and commercial areas were submerged in rainwater and sewage. Meanwhile, flooding in Nullah Dek inundated 47 villages of Pasrur, Zafarwal, Qila Ahmedabad and surrounding areas. Senior officials of the Irrigation Department said over five foot floodwa-
SAMBRIAL: As many as 47 villages in Sialkot district are submerged in floodwater after heavy monsoon rains in the recent days. INP
ter had accumulated in 47 villages of Pasrur, Zafarwal, Qila Ahmedabad and surrounding areas, including Jabbokey,
Nawaadhey, Chahoor, Machchaana, Eispur, Seehowal, Mehtabpur, Hunjali, Tharo Mandi, Shehzada, Bharat, Khewa
Bajwa and others. Agricultural land spread over hundreds of acres was also inundated, they said.
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mullaH omar opposed to polls, not talks KABUL
AGENCIES
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HE Taliban's reclusive leader, Mullah Omar, on Tuesday said his group was willing to start peace negotiations, even as he urged more attacks — including insider shootings by government security forces — on foreign troops. In a wide-ranging emailed message, he blamed America and the Afghan government for the derailment of talks two months ago. He also called Afghans to boycott next year's presiden-
tial elections, describing them as being manipulated by the United States. In a message issued ahead of the Eidul Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, the one-eyed chief of the Afghan insurgency urged the army and police turn their guns on foreign forces, government officials and the Afghan troops who are cooperating with the US-led coalition forces. The five-page message was emailed to news organisations. Striking a conciliatory tone elsewhere in the message, he denied that the insurgents were seeking to monopolise power in Afghanistan and said his group favoured what
Army seeks polling scheme from eCP ECP SAYS FLOODS MAY CHANGE BY-POLLS SCHEME, ALL PARTIES TO SUBMIT DETAILS BY AUG 29 ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The Pakistan Army on Tuesday sought the polling scheme from the Elections Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the deployment of military personnel at polling stations during the by-elections. According to sources, an ECP delegation led by Director General for Elections Syed Sher Afgan visited the General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawapindi and held a detailed
arrest warrants of ex-eoBi Head issued ISLAMABAD
meeting with the army officials to review matters pertaining to army deployment during the by-polls. During the meeting, GHQ approved the ECP’s request and extended full cooperation for conducting by-elections which are scheduled for August 22 in 16 National Assembly and 26 provincial assemblies’ seats. Sources said the army high-ups would decide where to deploy military personnel after the provision of polling scheme by the ECP. Meanwhile, the ECP Secretariat has sought a report from all provincial election commissioners regarding polling stations in the floodhit constituencies. “After reviewing the report, we will decide where by elections can be held and where not,” said
Four wine shops targeted in Karachi in an hour KARACHI
INP
STAFF REPORT
The Federal Anti-Corruption Court resumed the hearing of EOBI case on Tuesday. The court once again issued nonbailable warrants of former EOBI chairman Zafar Gondal and Qasim Javed. The court directed the FIA to produce both the accused on August 16. The Supreme Court had taken a suo motu notice of the EOBI scandal over reports that the institution had caused a loss of Rs 40 billion to the national exchequer by investing huge amounts in private sector projects without approval of its board of trustees.
Four consecutive explosions targeted four liquor stores in Karachi late on Tuesday. The first blast occurred in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) when a bike parked outside a wine store near the Cineplex Cinema on Sea view exploded as a result of a small improvised device blowing up. At least one person received minor injuries as a result of the blast. Soon after, another explosive device blew up near another liquor store, located on Khayaban-eRahat. Police arrested one suspect from the area. While law enforcement and emergency services
rs 44m gas tHeft case filed against ‘n’ mna SARGODHA INP
The Sui gas company authorities on Tuesday filed a case of gas theft worth Rs 44 million against PML-N’s Member National Assembly from NA-133 Sheikhupura, Javed Latif. According to officials, gas of millions of rupees was stolen by a CNG filling station owned by the PML-N parliamentarian by tempering its meter. It is pertinent to add that the gas company had also filed a case of gas theft of the same amount of Rs 44 million against Javed Latif in 2012.
ECP spokesman Khurshid Alam. The ECP has also directed all returning officers to make a list of polling stations where the election would have to be rescheduled due to the floods. Meanwhile, the ECP has reminded all political parties to submit their account statements. So far, only two out of the total 230 registered parties have submitted their account statement to the ECP. Under Article 13 of the Political Parties Order 2002, all registered political parties are bound to submit a consolidated statement of the party’s accounts, duly audited by a chartered accountant, within 60 days from the end of each financial year. The last date for filing the account statement is August 29.
were responding to the blasts in DHA, a third improvised explosive device exploded outside JB wine shop in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The store is located near the Moti Mahal bus stop, and is located almost 23 kilometers away from the blast sites in DHA. A fourth blast was also reported outside a wine store located on Saba Avenue in DHA. The damage was limited as the stores were closed on account of Ramadan. Sources said the wine shop owners had been receiving demands to pay extortion money and that the explosions could possibly linked to the threats. There was no immediate report of any casualty.
he described as an "Afghan-inclusive government based on Islamic principles". He called on Afghans, however, to stay away from the April 5 elections for a new president and councils that will run Afghanistan's 34 provinces, saying the polls were "a waste of time". In the message, Mullah Omar did repeat a key US demand opening the way for peace talks by pledging not to use Afghanistan as a base to threaten other countries, although he again did not openly denounce al Qaeda — one of the original conditions set by the United States that was temporarily dropped to get talks going.
ppp prepares draft lB system for sindH ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has prepared a draft of the local bodies (LB) system to be introduced in Sindh. According to the new draft, LB polls would be held on party basis and the province would have mayor system. The draft seeks the restoration of five districts in Karachi, each led by a district mayor. The entire city would be led by a lord mayor. The lord mayor would be replaced by a rotation system every year. Hyderabad would be led by a mayor and its districts would be led by the district council chairman. According to the draft, the same system would be adopted in Sukkur, Larkana and other municipal corporations. NNI
afgHan govt in secret talks witH taliBan: cBs WASHINGTON: The Taliban have held secret talks with representatives of Afghan President Hamid Karzai to try to jumpstart a peace process that stumbled and stalled at the starting gate, according to Afghan officials and a senior Taliban representative, CBS reported. The discussions with members of the Afghan High Peace Council have so far been unofficial and preliminary, seen as an attempt to agree on conditions for formal talks. But they do suggest an interest on both sides in proceeding, or at least toying, with a peace process that has been mired in controversy since the official opening of a Taliban political office in June in the Gulf nation of Qatar. Habibullah Fauzi, a former Taliban diplomat who is now a member of Karzai's High Peace Council, has told the media that "some individuals on the peace council have met Taliban on an individual basis", though he would not say who or when. INP
lal Masjid case adjourned after objections over new bench ISLAMABAD ONLINE
The Lal Masjid case hearing in Supreme Court suffered a setback on Tuesday following objections raised by legal counsel of Lal Masjid regarding formation of a new bench. The two-member bench chaired by Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali was objected to by the legal counsel of Lal Masjid, Tariq Asad. He said the bench was new to the (issue) hearing, as previous benches were
chaired by the CJP for a year, followed by another one chaired by Justice Awais Khawaja. Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, while responding that he was ready to face the legal council’s arguments if he (Tariq Asad) had come prepared, clarified that the bench chaired by Justice Awais Khawaja had not been formed this week, hence the hearing for Lal Masjid had been fixed for the newly formed bench. Justice Jamali directed that further hearing of Lal Masjid be
adjourned until the third week of August, to be fixed for hearing by two-member bench chaired by Justice Awais Khawaja. During the five-minute proceedings, son of deceased Lal Masjid cleric Allama Abdul Rashid Ghazi, Haroonur Rashid, also appeared in court. During the previous hearing of the case by the two-member bench chaired by Justice Awais Khawaja, it had been announced that the issue would be deliberated day and night, and the bench would not take up any other issue.
"The aim of our contacts and talks with the invaders which are conducted through the Political Office is to put an end to occupation of Afghanistan. No one should perceive that the Mujahedeen will relinquish of their lofty religious principles and national interests. I assure you that I will not reach any illegitimate compromise or unlawful deal," said the message, which was also written in English. He complained the talks faltered because "the invaders and their allies are creating obstacles in the way of resolving problems by making various pretexts".
Drone strikes unpopular across globe, says US survey NEWS DESK The Obama administration’s use of drone strikes faces broad opposition around the world, says a report released on Monday. The Pew Research Centre in Washington that conducted a survey on the issue in 39 countries, reports that half or more in 31of these countries disapprove of US drone attacks against extremist groups. “In most of the nations polled, there continues to be extensive opposition to the American drone campaign against extremist leaders and organisations,” the report notes. In 31 nations, at least half disapprove of the US conducting drone missile strikes targeting extremists in places such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. At least three-in-four hold this view in 15 countries from all corners of the world, including nations from the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and Asia. The only three countries where majorities support the drone campaign are Israel (64 percent), Kenya (56 percent) and the US itself (61 percent). In the US, Republicans (69 percent) are especially likely to endorse this policy, although most independents (60 percent) and Democrats (59 percent) also approve. Opinions on this issue are essentially divided in Australia, Canada and Germany. German support for US drone attacks has actually risen slightly over the past year – today, 45 percent approve, compared with 38 percent in 2012. Although most in France still oppose the drone strikes, support has also increased there, rising from 37 percent last year to 45 percent now. views about drones also differ sharply along gender lines in many countries. For in-
stance, in Japan, 41 percent of men approve of the drone attacks, compared with just 10 percent of women. Double-digit gender gaps are also found in six of the eight EU nations polled, as well as in Australia, Canada, the US, South Korea and Uganda. CHINA’S RISE: The survey’s main focus, however, is on the international public opinion on China’s rise as an economic power and on how it compares with the United States. The findings show that people around the world believe the global balance of power is shifting and China may eventually replace the United States as the world’s dominant power “China’s economic power is on the rise, and many think it will eventually supplant the United States as the world’s dominant superpower,” the surveyors note. In a chapter on attitudes towards the US, the report notes that the US receives largely positive ratings in most of the nations surveyed in the Asia/Pacific region. There are, however, two exceptions in Asia: China and Pakistan. Chinese attitudes have changed significantly over the past three years — in 2010, 58 percent had a favourable opinion of the US, compared with 40 percent now. Meanwhile, anti-Americanism has been widespread in Pakistan in recent years, and today just 11 percent have a favourable view. Elsewhere, China’s increasing power has not led to a more positive public rating than for the United States. Overall, the US enjoys a stronger global image than China. Across the nations surveyed, a median of 63 percent expresses a favourable opinion of the US, compared with 50 percent for China.
govt Barred from increasing power tariff ISLAMABAD ONLINE
The Senate’s Standing Committee on Water and Power on Tuesday asked government to explain the recent hike in the power tariff and prevented its implementation. The body called the officials of the Water and Power Ministry and the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on August 12. The chairman of the committee, Senator Zahid Khan said the body had asked the government to stop implementation of increase in power price until the committee would go through the details of enhancing the cost of electricity. If it would be convinced then it would give approval for increase or else it would reject it, he added. “We think that increase in the price of electricity is the public interest affair as it would put affect on the cost of all items,” Khan added.
indian troops killing reports unconfirmed, says us WASHINGTON SPECIAL CORRESPONdENT
The United States on Tuesday termed reports about the killing of Indian soldiers on the line of control in disputed Kashmir region as unconfirmed and voiced the hope that Pakistan and India would carry forward their peace efforts. “We are aware of these unconfirmed reports and are concerned about any violence along the line of control,” State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said in response to a question at the daily briefing. The US policy on Kashmir has not changed, she stated. “We still believe that the pace, scope and the character of India and Pakistan’s dialogue on Kashmir is for those two countries to determine,” the spokesperson added. “We hope that India and Pakistan will continue the steps they have recently taken to improve their bilateral relations,” he commented.
george W BUsh has stent for BloCKeD heart artery DALLAS AGENCIES
Former President George W. Bush, 67, a fitness enthusiast whose presidency was shaped by the attacks on September 11, 2001, underwent successful surgery at a Dallas hospital on Tuesday to place a stent in a blocked heart artery. Doctors discovered the blockage on Monday during Bush's annual physical at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, according to a statement from
spokesman Freddy Ford. Doctors recommended a stent to open the blockage, and he underwent surgery on Tuesday morning at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, the statement said. The former president was "in high spirits, eager to return home tomorrow and resume his normal schedule on Thursday," Ford said. Bush was known as a fitness enthusiast during his two terms in the White House, from 2001 to 2009, and liked
to run before knee pain led him to do more bicycling. Since leaving the White House, Bush has participated three times in the 100-kilometer (62-mile) Warrior 100K bike ride along with 20 wounded military veterans. As president, he introduced the Adult Fitness Challenge and the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award. The website AskTheTrainer.com named him the most physically fit president in US history.
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district administration issues education policy for teacHers RAWALPINDI: District Administration Rawalpindi has issued Education policy for the hiring of arts and science teachers in all over the district. According to the policy, the age limit will be from 20 to 30 years for male candidates while 38 years will for female candidates. For candidates of science teacher 5 numbers have been allocated for interview, 25 for Matric, 25 for Intermediate, 25 for Bachelors, 25 for Masters and 10 for entry test. The entry test has been made compulsory. Candidates obtaining more than 50 percent marks in entry test will be considered pass. Similarly, for arts teachers 10 numbers have been allocated for entry test, 5 for interview, 5 for professional eligibility, 10 for Matric, 20 for Intermediate, 15 for Bachelors, 20 for Masters and 5 numbers for M.phil or Phd. ONLINE
137 police officials to Be promoted RAWALPINDI: One hundred and thirty seven constables and head-constables belonging to Rawalpindi division are to be promoted to the post of Assistant SubInspectors (ASIs) after successfully passing the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) test. According to sources, a large number of constables and head constables of the region appeared in the test for ASI conducted by the PPSC under P Cadet Scheme, of which 90 candidates from Rawalpindi and 47 of other three districts of the region were declared successful. The Police department will issue orders of the successful candidates after verification of their educational credentials and after receiving reports about their conduct from the intelligence agencies. The orders will be effective from August 15. INP
HE capital’s security is on high-alert after a warning from intelligence agencies that terrorists might be planning of launching an attack in the capital during Eid days. Intelligence reports claim that Benazir Bhutto International Airport, western embassies and other sensitive installations are the likely targets. Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Sikandar Hayat on Tuesday also confirmed that the police received a warning from Intelligence agencies, however, he did not reveal any further information about the content of the warning letter. Talking to the journalists after an Iftar, the IGP said that security threats were received few days ago after which security had been put on high alert. He said that Eid shopping activities are also at its peak and high security would be maintained until Eid. Owing to these growing security threats in the federal capital, fool proof security arrangements have been made in railway stations, jails and public places. Railways administration and police have tightened security of Rawalpindi and Chaklala railway stations following the bomb blast in Shalimar Express. Police commandos have been deployed at the two railways stations along with one ASI permanently deployed in each train for security purpose. Speaking about the security arrangements, Superintendent (SP) Railways Waris Kamal said that entry to the station will now be through walk-through gates, while CCTv cameras have also been installed for vigilance. He informed that security officials in plain clothes will be present at the stations round the clock for effective monitoring including bomb disposal squad. VACATIONS OF OFFICIALS CANCELLED: Rawalpindi police
cancelled vacations of all traffic wardens and inspectors due to Eid-ul-Fitr. Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Ishtiaq Hussain has ordered the wardens to remain on active duty till the closure of markets on the eve of Eid to regulate traffic. The CTO said, “vacations have been cancelled to ensure smooth flow of traffic, especially on main city roads and busy commercial areas to facilitate the citizens.” He directed the inspectors and traffic wardens to perform their duties with dedication. JAIL SECURITY TIGHTENED: In the backdrop of terror threats to the Central Jail Adiala, 27 more Rangers have been deployed to guard the jail. According to sources, the Rangers will be positioned outside the Adiala Jail. Meanwhile, Additional Secretary Interior and IG Jails Punjab visited the jail and reviewed the security arrangements. It should be mentioned that after the attack on D.I. Khan Jail, security of all jails across the country has been tightened. BAN ON LOADER VEHICLES: Islamabad district administration on Tuesday banned the entry of loader vehicles due to threats of terrorist attacks on Eid ul Fitr. Talking to media, SSP Operations Dr Rizwan said that decision to prohibit loader vehicles was taken in accordance with the intelligence reports regarding terrorist plans to target Islamabad. The SSP said, “No vehicles loaded with any kind of material would be allowed to enter the federal capital till Eid holidays and violators will be dealt with strictly.” He also urged the citizens to cooperate with the authorities and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) personnel to ensure security of public lives and properties. JAIL WARDEN ARRESTED: A warden of Adiala Jail has been arrested for trying to smuggle three mobile phones and chargers into the jail. According to reports, warden Sikander Hayat tried to enter Adiala Jail outside of his duty hours. The on-duty security staff, during routine body-search and recovered three mobile phones and chargers tied to his
thighs and arrested him. Later, the jail administration handed over the warden to Saddar Police Station, where a case was registered against him. The jail administration informed that the warden was recently transferred to Adiala Jail from Mandi Bahauddin. Investigations are underway to find out for whom the phone was being smuggled. BOOTLEGGERS APPRHENDED: Police on Tuesday arrested 12 persons during various raids and recovered huge quantities of wine, weapons and stolen items from them. According to details, Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Muhammad Rizwan directed police officials to launch a crackdown on bootleggers and said that those involved in such activities will not be spared. ASIs Mian Imran and Khurram Shehzad from Aabpara Police Station arrested two bootleggers Haroon Masih, Naveed Masih and recovered 145 wine bottles from their possession, whereas ASI Muhammad Anwar from Margallah Police Station arrested Ali Sher for robbery. Sub-Inspector Abdul Sattar from Tarnol Police Station recovered one 9mm pistol and one Kalashnikov along with ammunition from Mohsin Khan and Muhammad Liaqat respectively. Sub-Inspector Muhammad Afzal from Ramna Police Station arrested Arif involved in selling petroleum products illegally. Crime Investigation Police (CIA) ASI Muhammad Tasneem arrested Javed Adnan and recovered a 30 bore pistol from him. ASI Imtiaz Hussain from
Industrial Area Police Station arrested Ghulam Murtaza and Bobby for carrying two 9mm pistols and 65 bullets. ASI Zafar Iqbal from Loi Bher Police Station arrested Ashraf and Nadeem for possession of stolen items. Sub-Inspector Abdul-Waheed from Sihala Police Station arrested Noor Hussain and recovered stolen property worth Rs.1,50,000 from him. Separate cases have been registered against those arrested and further investigation is underway. SSP Muhammad Rizwan appreciated the performance of the police officials and has instructed them to take strict action against drug pushers and bootleggers. VEHICLES IMPOUNDED: Police impounded 123 bikes and 21 vehicles and removed black tinted papers from 29 vehicles during general holdup. SSP Islamabad directed police officials to take strict action against unregistered vehicles, vehicles being driven without documents and professional beggars. Police also conducted search operations in various areas of the city police and arrested 102 suspects.
will nullah Leh remain calm this monsoon? LOW-LYING AREAS SUBMERGED UNDER WATER, RAIN SPELL TO CONTINUE FOR NEXT 48 HOURS SWM DIRECTOR SAYS NO DANGER OF FLOODING IN NULLAH LEH RAWALPINDI STAFF REPORT
Rain spell has been continuing intermittently since Monday night in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, while low-lying areas have been submerged in flood waters. According to details, water levels have started rising in several spots of Nullah Leh. Due to heavy rains on Tuesday, water inundated different avenues of the city, which led to traffic jams for several hours. The recent rains have exposed the inefficiency of the city administration. The Meteorology Department has said that the rain spell will continue till the next 48 hours. Rain (85 millimeters) was recorded in the area of Shamasabad and 60 millimeters in Chaklala, while 48 millimeters of rain was recorded at Zero Point and 42 millimeters in Saidpur.
However, District Solid and Waste Management Department Director Dr Mazhar Azeem said that Nullah Leh has been cleared of silt and solid waste and there is no danger of flooding in Nullah Leh. Dr Mazhar said, “Nullah Leh from near the low-lying areas have been cleared of silt and solid waste. Gowalmandi area was focused during the cleanliness drive as it is a densely populated locality.” He said that garbage and filth is thrown in the nullah hampering the flow of water. He informed that City Saddar Road, Dhoke Chiragh Deen, Pirwadhi, New Katrian and Dhoke Naju were also critical areas which have been cleared. He urged the people to not throw garbage in the nullah to protect the low
lying areas from floods. “Shopping bags should not be thrown in Nullah Leh as it leads to blockage of flood water harming the properties and lives of people,” he added. Meanwhile, the City District Government has made arrangements by setting up special control rooms to monitor floods and flood relief camps to provide relief to the people in case of flash flooding. Moreover, residents of low lying areas particularly Waris Khan, Glass Factory, Mhoke Mukha Singh State, Dhoke Khaba, Umer Road, Nadeem Colony, Dhoke Elahi Bukush, Arya Mohallah and Javed Colony demanded the higher authorities to take effective measures in minimising the threat of floods.
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Black-marketing of fresh notes on the rise ISLAMABAD: Despite billions of fresh currency notes issued by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), black-marketing of fresh notes is going on with a margin of up to 10 per cent in the city. SBP has decided to utilise the network of over 10,000 branches of commercial banks all over the country, and all field offices of SBP Banking Services Corporation (BSC) for distribution of fresh currency notes to the general public during the holy month of Ramadan. To facilitate the general public, certain commercial bank branches in various cities have been designated as express centers to issue fresh notes for free, whereas representatives of SBP BSC would also be present to ensure maximum, efficient and transparent disbursement. However, all such measures have proved futile due to black marketers busy flouting the SBP measures. They are charging an additional of Rs150 on each currency packet of Rs10 and Rs20. So far as the currency packets of Rs50 and Rs100 are concerned, the vendors are charging Rs250 to Rs300. The bank branches said that fresh notes are being issued to the masses and anyone can get it. The SBP has directed all commercial banks to issue fresh currency notes to the public and said that violators would be dealt with strictly. APP
transporting the dead – a profitable business PRIVATE AMBULANCES MINTING MONEY FROM RELATIVES OF THE DECEASED RAWALPINDI
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R I vAT E ambulances are charging huge fares from members of bereaved families to transport bodies from hospitals as the number of official vehicles available, especially at three allied hospitals are insufficient to meet the demand. A large number of private ambulances can be witnessed linedup in front of emergency wards of Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Rawalpindi. A private ambulance owner, requesting anonymity said they get a list of critical patients every morning
from nurses to assess scope of their day to day business. He said that ambulance drivers hover around the wards and as soon as a patient dies approach the relatives to offer their services. As a business trick, he said many drivers pretend to be shocked and grieved over the death and even join in wailing with the members of the bereaved family. Sardar Hussain, another driver of a private ambulance stationed at the Holy Family Hospital said, “Normally we charge Rs700 to Rs1,000 to carry bodies in non-airconditioned ambulances within the city. In most cases payment is requested in advance because after reaching the destination it quite often becomes impossible to ask for the fare.” The biggest sufferers are people from outside the city who have to pay around Rs 4,000 to 5,000 to transport the bodies. It was learnt that lower staff of the hospitals have also started running their own ambulance service.
Ambulance services of nongovernmental organisations and volunteer bodies are not available immediately or during odd hours. The Edhi Ambulance service, which charges reasonable prices is also short of vans and it takes time to seek their service. Every year, a lot of funds are allocated for the purchase of ambulances for the Health Department. However, official ambulances are seldom available or are
Minister assures govt support to Pak Navy ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The government would provide all possible support to Pakistan Navy to materialise its developmental plans said Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain during his visit to the Naval Headquarters. Hussain was received by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Mohammad Asif Sandila and was later introduced to principle staff officers at the Naval Headquarters. The minister for defence production during his stay at the Headquarters was given an extensive briefing on prevalent maritime security environment, Pakistan maritime compulsions, ongoing defence projects and Pakistan Navy’s operational
preparedness. He was apprised on Pakistan Navy’s efforts to maintain stability and peace in the region, despite its resources constraints. The minister appreciated collaborated efforts of Pakistan Navy and Karachi Shipyard for initiating the construction of indigenously built State-of-theArt Destroyer F-22P PNS ASLAT.
Later, the minister called on chief of the naval staff in his office and acknowledged the future indigenous developmental plans of Pakistan Navy to strengthen the defense of the country. He ensured that all necessary resources will be provided for timely completion of the projects to enhance the professional capabilities of Pakistan Navy.
Sale of sweets rises ahead of Eid ISLAMABAD APP
Sweets and cake makers in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi are enjoying the Eid season as their sales have gone up by 60 percent. They said that sales became stagnant during Ramadan but have gone up as Eid approaches. According to sweet shop owners, rates of sweets are high this year (average Rs 360-380 per kg at most city shops) as the shops have witnessed an increase in customers. Ali Ahmad, an owner of a wellknown sweets shop said that there was a sharp increase in the
sale of sweets from Ramadan 26. “Companies and hotels have already started placing Eid orders as early as the start of the last ashra of Ramadan. Our branches around the city have recorded a 60 percent increase in sales as we cater to a large number of clients including five-star hotels, communication companies and banks who have
booked their orders in advance,” he added. Ali said that chocolate, tuti fruity, desi including other flavoured sweets, especially patisa and gulab jamun topped the list. Malik Amir, a restaurant owner who supplies homemade sweets to small stores said, “Citizens celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr by preparing a variety of desserts but the tradition of making them at home is fast diminishing. People these days prefer to buy from reputed shops.”
only available to the influential. Dependants of the patients have appealed to the government to look into the situation to save them from the private ambulance mafia which allegedly enjoys patronage of the city hospital authorities.
cda sets up free medical camp for allergy patients ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) has set up medical camps throughout the federal capital to provide medical treatment to the pollen allergy affectees. The camps have been established by Health Services Department under the directives of CDA Chairman Nadeem Hassan Asif. Pollen allergy patients have been asked to file their particulars with the concerned camp office to receive free medical treatment. Camps have been set up in Health Services Directorate Sector F-11/4 Street no 58, Inquiry Office G-10 Markaz, Gulshan Market Sector G-7/3, Sector I-8, flat no B/5 Block no 1, CDA Colony Sector I-10/1, CDA Colony Sumli Dam, Thandi Roti Street near Government High School Bara Kahu, and House no D-181 near Total Petrol Pump Satellite Town. Citizens can also obtain information on Health Services Department phone number 051-9267580. ONLINE
unannounced power cuts irks residents ISLAMABAD: Unannounced power cuts in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi is once again making lives of the residents miserable, despite heavy rains in the country. The citizens complained that unannounced load shedding is creating problems especially during iftar and sehr times. Owing to the outages, some areas of Rawalpindi are facing severe shortage of water as well and forcing the residents to fetch water from far off areas. They said that Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) is not following the load shedding schedule. “IESCO ignores unnecessary use of electricity by commercial users and ends up doing unannounced load shedding,” said one of the residents. The residents demanded the IESCO higher authorities to end the unannounced power cuts in the twin cities. INP
illegal power connections snapped ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has disconnected the electricity of 161 residential flats in Sector G-6, illegally occupied by the officials of Capital Development Authority (CDA) and police. It has been learnt that the flats were neither allotted to the CDA nor police officials but have been illegally occupied by them for the last four years. Illegal electricity connections were also being used in these apartments. A team of FIA and Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) took joint action and disconnected the electricity connections of these flats. INP
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us and Britain withdraw personnel from yemen LONDON
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FTER days of alarms and embassy lockdowns, the United States and Britain on Tuesday stepped up security precautions in Yemen, with Washington ordering “nonemergency” government personnel to leave and the Foreign Office in London saying it has withdrawn its diplomatic staff in the capital Sana “due to increased security concerns.” The United States also urged its citizens living in Yemen to depart immediately. Neither the American nor British authorities said how many employees were affected by the decision to withdraw personnel. The measures came a day after officials in Washington said the United States had intercepted electronic communications in which the head of Al Qaeda ordered the leader of the group’s affiliate in Yemen to carry out an attack as early as this past Sunday. Consequently the Obama administration decided last week to close nearly two dozen diplomatic missions and issue a worldwide travel alert. The British and American warnings were issued several hours after Yemeni military officials said that at least four men, suspected of being Al Qaeda members, were killed in what was described as an American drone strike in the eastern Marib region of Yemen early on Tuesday. The officials, who spoke in return for anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters, said a Yemeni military helicopter was shot down later by
militants in the same area. There was no immediate word on casualties. The State Department warned American citizens of “the high security threat level in Yemen due to terrorist activities and civil unrest.” It urged Americans “to defer travel to Yemen and those US citizens currently living in Yemen to depart immediately.”In
London, a spokesman for the Foreign Office, who sought anonymity under departmental rules, said: “Due to increased security concerns, we have withdrawn all staff today in the British Embassy in Sana, and the embassy will remain closed until staff are able to return. We have closed the embassy because we assess there is an in-
syria seeks to tap frozen bank accounts for food supplies LONDON AGENCIES
Syria is trying to tap frozen funds in foreign bank accounts to step up purchases of food stocks including wheat, as civil war and a deepening humanitarian crisis push President Bashar al-Assad to seek new ways to feed his people. The country faces its worst wheat harvest in nearly three decades due to the conflict, dealing a blow to Assad’s plan for self-sufficiency in food that was aimed at sidestepping Western moves to isolate and weaken his government through sanctions. Syria’s economy has been hurt by depletion of foreign reserves that were estimated at around $16-18 billion before the conflict. “The sheer scale of the economic and infrastructural devastation in Syria has necessitated a sharp rise in the import of food staples such as grains and sugar,” said Torbjorn Soltvedt of risk consultancy Maplecroft. “With the situation likely to deteriorate over the coming months, the Syrian regime also knows that it needs to boost stocks in order to supply regime-held areas.” Foodstuffs are not covered by international sanctions, but banking sanctions and asset freezes imposed by Washington and Brussels as well as war created a climate that had made it difficult for some trading houses to do business with Damascus. In recent weeks Syrian state buyers have issued a series of tenders for wheat, sugar and rice amounting to over 500,000 tonnes
in total. The tenders say payment will be made from frozen accounts with waivers obtained from countries that have imposed financial sanctions, according to documents reviewed by Reuters and confirmed by trade sources active in potential deals which will close this month. “Syria has funds in banks in Europe and the Middle East and they are trying to use these accounts to pay for imports of commodities and foodstuffs by the government,” said a Middle East-based source active in the food trade with Syria. “The Syrian authorities do not have much choice and need to find ways to pay potential suppliers and tackle the humanitarian crisis in whatever way they can. They have to feed the people.” After difficulties securing grain supplies last year, Syria has been more successful at purchasing grain this year using middlemen to set up deals and arrange payment. Trade sources say efforts to use the locked funds are aimed at stepping up procurement efforts. “Although it is unclear to what extent the regime has been able to tap into frozen assets, the worsening humanitarian situation may compel Western governments to unofficially allow such funds to be used for purchasing food staples,” Maplecroft’s Soltvedt said. Trade sources said some of the frozen bank accounts that might now be tapped were located in European countries including France and Italy. A spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said: “Trade in humanitarian goods, such as medicine or food and food commodities with Syria is not prohibited, nor are there restrictions on payments for such transactions. Clearly, any transactions must respect all other sanctions provisions.” He said under an article in the bloc’s regulations on Syria, “the release of frozen funds or economic resources may be authorised when this is necessary for humanitarian purposes”. That would require permission from authorities in the country where the bank was located.
creased threat.” The spokesman declined to discuss the specific nature of the threat. In its statement, the State Department said that on Aug. 6 it had ordered all nonemergency American government personnel to leave Yemen because of the continued potential for terrorist attacks. “The security threat level in Yemen is ex-
tremely high,” the statement said. “In September 2012, a mob attacked the US Embassy compound. Demonstrations continue to take place in various parts of the country and may quickly escalate and turn violent. US citizens are urged to avoid areas of demonstrations, and to exercise extreme caution if within the vicinity of a demonstration.” “Terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, continue to be active throughout Yemen. The US government remains highly concerned about possible attacks on US citizens (whether visiting or residing in Yemen), and US facilities, businesses, and perceived US and Western interests,” it added. Separately, the Pentagon press secretary, George Little, said Tuesday that, in response to a request from the State Department, “early this morning the US Air Force transported personnel out of Sana, Yemen, as part of the reduction” in personnel. But, he said, the Defense Department “continues to have personnel on the ground in Yemen to support the US State Department and monitor the security situation.” The statements followed what American officials said were intercepted conversations last week between Ayman al-Zawahri, who succeeded Osama bin Laden as the head of Al Qaeda, and Nasser al-Wuhayshi, the head of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, based in Yemen. The intercepts revealed what American intelligence officials and lawmakers have described as one of the most serious plots against American and Western interests since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
amazon’s Bezos to buy the Washington post for $250m WASHINGTON AGENCIES
Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos will buy the Washington Post newspaper for $250 million in a surprise deal that ends the Graham family’s 80 years of ownership and hands one of the country’s most influential publications to the businessman whose Internet company has transformed retailing. Bezos, hailed by many as technology visionary, called his acquisition a personal endeavor and reassured employees and readers of the 135-year-old newspaper he will preserve its journalistic tradition, while driving innovation. The acquisition, the latest in a flurry of deals for print publications including the New York Times Co’s sale of the Boston Globe for $70 million, is a another sign of the unprecedented challenges newspapers face as advertising revenue and readership decline. Shares of the Washington Post Co climbed more
than 5 percent to $599.85 after hours their highest level in almost five years. Donald Graham, the chairman and CEO of the Washington Post Co, said in an interview that he and his niece Katharine Weymouth, the Post’s publisher, made the decision to put the newspaper up for sale earlier this year after looking at its financial forecasts. In addition to the newspaper, Bezos gets other publishing businesses, including the Express newspaper, The Gazette Newspapers, Southern Maryland Newspapers, Fairfax County Times, El Tiempo Latino and Greater Washington Publishing. TOUGH TIMES: The Washington Post is the seventh largest daily in the United States and was where journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein broke the “Watergate” story which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974. While its legend and status loomed large, the Washington Post represents only a fraction of the company which
has expanded into a stable of holdings, including education and health care services and most recently an industrial supplier. The collection of companies that make up the Washington Post is akin to that of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc, which owns disparate businesses from railroads to underwear as well as a stake in the Post. And yet, the Washington Post suffers from the same hurdles besieging big city newspapers across the United States. The company’s newspaper division reported an operating loss of $49.3 million for the six months ending June compared to a loss of $33.2 million during the same period last year. Weymouth, who will continue to serve as the paper’s CEO and publisher after the sale, told Reuters she did not think there was a “magic bullet” to resolving the problems. But the resources Bezos brought to the table were a plus. “He’s smart and innovative and has access to a lot of smart people,” she said.
russia’s kHodorkovsky Has jail term trimmed, attacks courts MOSCOW AGENCIES
Russia’s Supreme Court cut former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s jail sentence by two months on Tuesday, allowing one of President vladimir Putin’s biggest critics to walk free in August 2014 after more than a decade behind bars. The court upheld Khodorkovsky’s 2010 conviction for money laundering and stealing oil, but trimmed his sentence after an appeal by his defence lawyers. Khodorkovsky, who was also convicted of tax evasion and fraud in 2005, was Russia’s richest man before he was arrested in 2003 after falling out with Putin. He is seen by some Kremlin critics as a potential opposition leader. Some leading opposition figures doubt Putin will allow Khodorkovsky, 50, to go free until he is sure he is not a political threat, but his lawyers say his spirit has not been broken. “Russian penal colonies never were, and are not, conducive to feeling better, especially after 10 years. But considering all that, his spirit is unbreakable,” defence lawyer vadim Klyuvgant said after the ruling in Moscow. Khodorkovsky’s business partner, Platon Lebedev, also had his sentence cut by two months and will be able to walk free next May. Khodorkovsky addressed the Supreme Court in a video link from his prison colony near the Arctic Circle.
“In this case, the usual mantra that everything is legal and well-grounded just won’t do,” Khodorkovsky said, dressed in a black shirt and reading from notes clearly and calmly. BUSINESS EMPIRE BROKEN UP: Khodorkovsky’s $40billion business empire was broken up and sold off, mainly into state hands, after his arrest and subsequent sentencing in 2005. He had fallen out with Putin by funding political parties other than the main pro-Kremlin party and suggesting some oil deals involving the state were corrupt. Many foreign investors saw Khodorkovsky’s jailing as a turning point in Putin’s 2000-2008 presidency, giving hardliners the upper hand and ultimately increasing their control over the economy.
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kp govt approves revamping of health sector CHIEF MINISTER DIRECTS DRUG INSPECTORS TO EXPEDITE EFFORTS AGAINST SPURIOUS AND SUBSTANDARD MEDICINES
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HE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has approved the revamping and reconstitution of health sector to curb preventive and curative diseases. The package of these comprehensive reforms is based on the recommendations of the Working Group on Health Sector Reforms recently notified which constantly worked to take stake of the situation, particularly in view of the fact that the health profile of Pakistan in general and KP in particular was the lowest in the world. The package of these and many more such reforms was approved in a meeting held under the chairmanship of KP Chief Minister Per-
vez Khattak to which PTI Chairman Imran Khan was also invited. KP Health Minister Shaukat Ali Yousufzai, PTI leaders Jahangir Tareen, Mushtaq Ghani, KP Health Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam and other officials of the Health Department and members of the Working Group were also present. The reform package specifically addresses the issues of increasing maternal and infant mortality
ratio and malnutrition. While on one hand the reforms focused on autonomy of tertiary hospitals, introduction and constitution of management and health coordination boards at the district level and the decentralisation of authority, it has equally addressed the lack of coordination among different tiers of the Health Department so that optimum performance is achieved at each and every level. In specific terms the reforms included the reconstitution and revamping of the KP Health Foundation where non-official members will be increased, the KP Health Regulatory Authority, the Medical Health Institutions Law, the Social Health Protection Initiative, the establishment of Drug and Food Regulation Authority and the Health Sector Strategy. With regard to the establishment of district health
management boards, it will be started from the district health coordination boards by September 30 while terms of reference will be finalised on August 30. Chief Minister Khattak directed officials to fill in all 250 vacancies of nurses and 450 vacancies of doctors. He also directed drug inspectors to expedite their efforts against spurious and substandard medicines and if needed send him a summary for sanctioning of more posts of drug inspectors. In principle, the meeting also approved the establishment of an autonomous drugs testing laboratory. Imran Khan said that issues like health should be taken above politics. He directed the officials concerned to revamp and reconstitute health service bodies. The reforms also focus on proper training to different tiers of the personnel of health sector.
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ISLAMABAD
statements filed before war crime tribunal ISLAMABAD: A group of Pakistani people filed statements on oath before a Bangladeshi war crime tribunal to save the life of a former member of Bangladeshi parliament. Salahuddin Chaudhry is facing trial in the tribunal formed by the Awami League-led government to punish those who supported Pakistani government during the Fall of Dhaka. According to a report, the people who submitted their statements are former caretaker PM Muhammad Mian Soomro, former federal minister Ishaq Khan Khaqani, an owner of an English newspaper and three others. In their testimony, they said that during the 1971 civil war Chaudhry was studying at Punjab University Lahore and had no connection with war crimes whatsoever. Political and diplomatic observers say that this was a major initiative by some Pakistani nationals to save the life of their friend as the government of Pakistan was totally silent on the sentences announced by the so-called tribunals. Chaudhry is son of former united National Assembly speaker Fazlur Qadir Chaudhry and Bangladeshi opposition leader Khalida Zia. He is in prison for the last two years on charges of war crimes. It is feared that he would be awarded death sentence by the tribunal as had been done in the case of some Jamaat-e-Islami leaders. INP DERA GhAZI KhAn: Locals make efforts to move their motorcycle through floodwater in Darkhwast jamal Khan area on Tuesday. ONLINE
pml-Q becomes people’s voice
Local authorities’ saving face UN READY TO AID PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN AFTER RAINS, FLOODS
NEW YORK INP
The United Nations (UN) is ready to assist Pakistan and Afghanistan if required said UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky. The monsoon rains and floods have killed 120 people in
the two countries, he said, adding that the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and its humanitarian partners were reviewing the situation. “We are ready to provide food, basic household items, water, sanitation and emergency
health support to the flood-hit people,” he said. “According to OCHA reports, more than 80 people have been killed in the rains across Pakistan, hundreds displaced and crops on thousands of acres of land have been damaged,” the spokesperson said. The Pakistani
authorities have not yet requested international assistance, he said. Meanwhile, flashfloods have affected villages in Kabul, Afghanistan killing 40 people by August 4. Homes, schools and mosques have been destroyed, said Nesirky.
LAhORE/ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) on Tuesday submitted resolutions in the Senate and Punjab Assembly against the recent hike in electricity rates and demanded the government revoke its decision. Senator Kamil Ali Agha submitted the resolution against the increase in power prices in the Senate whereas PML-Q members of provincial assembly (MPAs) submitted the resolution in the Punjab Assembly. Agha said the increase in power prices would adversely affect the consumers who already had no purchasing power. “The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has completely ignored the masses after coming into power,” he said. ONLINE
UNHCR CALLS FOR INCREASED DONOR SUPPORT FOR PAKISTAN ISLAMABAD NNI
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has welcomed the government’s decision to extend the tripartite agreement on voluntary repatriation and the proof of registration (PoR) cards held by Afghan refugees until the end of 2015, and called for increased donor support to Pakistan. “The cabinet decisions demonstrate the government of Pakistan’s commitment to implementing the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR) and I urge the donor countries to respect the commitments that they
WRIGHT URGES DONORS TO RESPECT VOWS THEY MADE IN GENEVA IN MAY 2012 made in Geneva in May 2012 to support its implementation,” said Neill Wright, UNHCR’s representative in Pakistan, during a joint UNHCR-government briefing to the Islamabad donor community, said a press release on Tuesday. The briefing, hosted by UNHCR, was attended by State Minister for Frontier Regions Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qadir
Baloch, SAFRON Secretary Amjad Nazir, Afghan Refugees (CCAR) Chief Commissioner Dr Imran Zeb, members of the international community, UN officials and NGO representatives. The UNHCR representative continued, “These decisions show the commitment of Pakistan to its longstanding tradition of offering asylum and hospitality, and include new steps to facilitate the legal economic activity of refugees through respecting the right of refugees to open a bank account and register businesses.” Baloch explained that the cabinet had formed a committee to oversee the effective implementation of the new policy.
He said, “The new policy includes implementation of the regional solutions strategy, ensures the registration of all Afghans, effective border control and management, the adoption of National Refugee Law, and requires donors to support the Government of Afghanistan to undertake efforts for sustainable reintegration inside Afghanistan.” He lauded the efforts of the UN and the members of the international community and development agencies for supporting and assisting Pakistan in hosting Afghan refugees, saying, “We seek the continued support of our friends in the international community to continue to assist us in coping with this important
issue. We will also focus on skills training in Pakistan to enable returning refugees to contribute to Afghanistan’s future.” Both the representative and the minister drew attention to the importance of the Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) initiative, which aims at ensuring that the host communities in Pakistan are not adversely affected by the additional demands placed on services and infrastructure in Pakistan. Pakistan is set to host the next meeting of Quadripartite Steering Committee on SSAR in Islamabad on 18-19 September this year. It is expected that a Joint Resource Mobilisation Strategy will be finalised at the meeting.
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sc adjourns ogra implementation case for indefinite period ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing into the multi-billion Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) scam until the appointment of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman. A two-member SC bench comprising Justice Anwer Zaheer Jamali and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed resumed the hearing into the OGRA implementation case and the arrest of its former chief Tauqeer Sadiq. During the course of the proceedings, to a bench query, the NAB prosecutor said the office of NAB chairman was still vacant as the process of its appointment was underway. Justice Jamali said how could the matters of the bureau be run in the absence of a chairman. KK Agha appeared before the bench and informed it that he was going abroad and wanted the case to be adjourned. Accepting his request, the bench adjourned further hearing for an indefinite period. INP
naWaz, ManMohan lIKely to Meet In neW yorK next Month, says azIz a ISLAMABAD ONLINE
DvISER to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are likely to meet in New York in September. In an interview with an Indian newspaper, Aziz said India had demonstrated positive reaction and unconditional willingness in response to Pakistan’s offer for resumption of composite dialogue process. The Indian newspaper claimed all the controversial issues including Kashmir will come under discussion during the talks between Pakistan and India. Besides interior and foreign secretaries-level talks, a meeting between the premiers of
two countries is also likely to take place on the sidelines of UN General Assembly session in September. In his exclusive talks with Online, Aziz said the meeting
between the prime ministers of Pakistan and India will occur in the third week of September on the sidelines of UN General Assembly session. Headway is likely
to be made in terms of relations between Pakistan and India and outstanding issues among them during the meeting. He said India had not linked the talks commencing from next month to progress in the Mumbai attack case. The matter of importing electricity from India is under consideration, he said, adding that certain technical glitches are still there, which have to be removed essentially. About Indian drone intrusion into Pakistan borders, he said Pakistan had lodged strong protest with India on violation of Pakistan borders by its drone and warned such incidents could prove detrimental for the efforts being launched in the perspective of friendly relations between the two countries and it could vitiate the conducive atmosphere for the possible meeting between the two premiers.
ptcl revises prepaid evo & wingle packages ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Company (PTCL), the country’s largest wireless internet service provider has revised its tariffs for EVO prepaid packages with a commitment to continue providing exceptional Quality of Service and a superior customer experience. Offering customers truly thrilling and superior 3G internet experience on the move; EVO has become synonymous for Mobile Broadband in Pakistan. PTCL EVO wireless has brought a broadband revolution in Pakistan, becoming the premium choice for on-the-go broadband connectivity in more than 250 cities nationwide. PTCL is committed to provide better service quality to its customers through constant innovation and a drive to excel. Owing to the increased operational costs particularly energy costs in the past few years; price restructuring has become inevitable. PTCL has revised tariffs of 4 EVO & 3 EVO Wingle Prepaid packages. New tariffs shall be applicable starting August 8. With this revision price of EVO 256Kbps prepaid shall now be Rs1,300, whereas EVO Daypass & DayPass 3GB each have been increased by Rs 25. EVO Go package shall now be available at Rs1,000. Similar price increases have been made to EVO Wingle Prepaid packages; whereby now Wingle Daypass shall be available for Rs 250, Wingle week Rs1,000 and Wingle power for just Rs 2,100.The tariffs for all other prepaid & postpaid packages shall remain unchanged. PRESS RELEASE
ISLAMABAD: A woman shops for the upcoming Eidul fitr festival at a local market on Tuesday. INP
MooT urges ProACTIve LoCAL govT sysTeM LAHORE STAFF REPORT
fAISALABAD: Activists of a non-governmental organisation hold a demonstration on Tuesday demanding greater representation for women in the local government system. INP
A provincial conference to highlight the issues of the local government system was held in Lahore on Tuesday. This conference, Devolution of Power: Punjab Local Government Act 2013, was organised by the consortium partners of AAWAZ: voice and Accountability Programme. The partners are South Asia Partnership-Pakistan (SAP-PK), Aurat Foundation, Strengthening Participatory Organization, Sungi Development Foundation Islamabad and Sustainable Development Policy Institute Islamabad. It was well-represented and attended by various civil society organisations from all over Punjab. Women, religious minorities, peasants, workers and representatives of various political parties were present to share their points of view and concerns over the recent debate going on in the Punjab Assembly on the legislation on local government system. SAP-PK Executive Director Muhammad Tahseen presented the civil society’s perspective on the local government system. He said there were conditions for the setting up of a local government system that included the local governments being democratic and having the right to provide justice to the local peo-
ple. He said accountability of local governments was very important to empower them and make the system progressive. Sulman Abid, SPO regional director, talked about the critical analysis on the Punjab Local Government Act 2013. PML-Q parliamentary leader Sardar Waqas Akhtar said local governments should work more efficiently for the betterment of the local people. “The world is progressing and we are still at that same level where we were 12 years ago and the reason behind it is the misuse of rights by authority members.” PTI’s Mian Mahmood Rasheed said political parties and authorities should empower the local governments. He discussed the 18th Amendment, adding that the current leaders wanted to keep all resources in their control. “There is no concept of a local government system in our country and our leaders are not focusing to give local governments their rights.” PPP leader Faiza Malik said the PPP always supported women empowerment and gave opportunities to women to perform their role in local and provincial governments and assemblies. Jamaat-eIslami leader Amirul Azeem said all governments had destroyed the political system in the country and all resources had been limited to their kitchen cabinets.
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Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it. –Salvador Dalí
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pakistan’s aversion to crisis response
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nowhere in sight
The nation’s a disaster at managing disaster
Uncertainties about LG polls
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ESPITE orders by the Supreme Court to hold the Local government polls by midSeptember, nobody knows when these are likely to take place. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) finds itself helpless as the provinces have yet to pass the legal framework determining the nature, powers and functions of the local governments. A meeting of the ECP held on Monday agreed that it would require at least 90 days for holding the polls after the required bills have been passed by the assemblies. The Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah has said his province needs at least six months to hold the elections. Leader of the opposition in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah says, Sindh would be ready to hold the exercise by December. While military rulers have shown keenness to hold local government polls, the elected administrations have generally been reluctant to allow the grassroots bodies to function despite the fact that they matter a lot to the common man. There are many who think that the absence of these bodies is causing serious problems. Had the local government been in place, they would have helped in fighting terrorism and dealing with emergencies like rains and floods and their after-effects. The military rulers who replaced political governments needed alternate grassroots support base. They used the local government to raise nurseries of new politicians loyal to them. The political parties on the other hand treated local government leaders as their potential rivals. The legislators who mostly depended on influence pedaling considered the development funds and government jobs as their exclusive privilege. They resented devolution of power to the elected bodies at the grassroots. Thus the first preference of every political government was to delay the LG elections as long as it could. Whenever forced to hold the elections, its preference always were powerless LG bodies. The PPP and the PML-N had bound themselves in the Charter of Democracy to hold local government elections within three months of the general elections. What is more, the CoD required these elections to be party based. After 2008, both the PPP and PML-N failed to hold the exercise on one excuse or another. Even now the issue of the polls being party based remains controversial. One of the reasons behind double mindedness is a fear that party based polls might lead to divisions within the political parties or cause them embarrassment in case of the opposition getting scoring better. One had expected that the federal government would take up in the CCI the issue of the legal framework of the local bodies and the election dates to create a consensus. By failing to do this the federal government has itself surrendered what constituted its turf to the Supreme Court.
terrorists know what they’re doing But the government still doesn’t have a response
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ATTERS are getting more difficult in terms of the security situation in the country as the ramped up Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) after the Dera Ismail Khan jailbreak has pushed attacks in the country up a gear. Three attacks occurred on Monday in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakthunkhwa (KP) while the intelligence agencies have warned of attacks on high-profile targets in the country. After a message from key TTP leader Waleed bin Talib was intercepted, security in Islamabad was put on high alert with attacks expected on targets ranging on Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force installations, the Benazir International Airport and the parliament. As the TTP appears to be set in terms of what it wants to do, it is the government and the security apparatus that still does not know what they want to do. Amidst this situation, the ramifications of the DI Khan jail attack are also coming out. With no consensus on whether it is to go ahead with talks, or to take out a full assault on the Taliban and extremists, the TTP will take the upper hand in front of a clueless government. Attacks occurred in Chilas, Bolan and Toba Tek Singh which all have footprints of the Taliban. In Chilas, the SSP and two army officers were killed after firing on a government convoy. A blast occurred inside the Karachi-bound Shalimar Express in Toba Tek Singh which injured around 14 people while a security man was killed as militants attacked oil tankers in Bolan. The intercepted TTP message has Waleed bin Talib read, “We have achieved some of our objectives in the attack on DI Khan jail, but for achieving bigger objectives we need to take action where the ‘big bosses’ sit.” The postmortem of the DI Khan attack makes for difficult reading. A senior defense analyst has criticized the “protocol-oriented conventional peace-time security” failed against the TTP’s sophisticated guerilla tactics. The criticism of the security apparatus is also due which has consistently failed to learn from a decade-long war in which it has been on the losing side. The DI Khan attack itself was masterminded by a former jailbreak from the Bannu Jail, Adnan Rashid, who is also known for writing a letter to Malala Yousafzai and fast becoming a big shot in the extremists circle. In this situation what is to be said of the inaction of the federal government and the security agencies on the matter of the TTP. All political parties are yet to have agreed upon sitting together on a joint agenda of formulating a new security policy. Some parties are continuing to criticize the military and government of obfuscating the matter. The government needs a plan and needs it quickly – or else it shall continue to play the defensive role.
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
LuAvuT ZAhId
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N light of the recent flood fiasco it’s safe to say that Pakistan has no idea what crisis response or disaster management is. The floods are just a bullet point in a long list of failures when it comes to responding to crisis or disaster in the country. In the case of water crisis it seems like Pakistan either has very little water, or can’t handle the amount it’s blasted with by Mother Nature. And both situations are cause for concerns – if not rectified in the coming years it can lead to bigger problems than what the country is facing right now. If you look at the official state of things then Pakistan’s response to crisis mirrors an ostrich that has its head stuck in the sand. The head is safe but the rest is up for grabs for whatever it was that chased the ostrich in the first place. Whether it’s untrained and illequipped law enforcement personnel tackling the Taliban and failing miserably or the dissemination of polio vaccinations, our response to any form of crisis reeks of shock, neglect and malfunction. For every crisis the nation faces we have a much larger failure to report time and time again. When the 2005 earthquake devastated the region, not much could be said because there’s no way to predict earthquakes. The 2008 earthquake that left 120,000 homeless and another 30,000 dead was the same. However, floods can be predicted, and floods can be controlled. Inept, ignorant or unmoved Disaster management authorities have been circulating relief in the present situation. However, no one has yet stopped to ask why we’re looking at the aftermath and why there were no preventive measures. Floods in Pakistan are not a once-in-a-blue-moon phenomenon. We’ve failed to put a preventive policy in place even after the 2010 floods, called the worst calamity in the history of the country with over 20 million displaced people, it left Pakistan
Editor’s mail
rattled. Even with the Flood Forecasting Division, the Federal Flood Commission and the National Disaster Management Authority at play there was no way to curtail the impact of the floods. This is a country that survives on agriculture so being able to handle water from rains and dams is something it should know like the back of its hand. The current flood had totaled over 80,000 acres of land while major crops such as wheat, rice, cotton and maize have been laid to waste. Countries such as Canada, the United States and Bangladesh have dealt with floods successfully and the FFD, FFC and NDMA should be pushed to take a leaf from their books on preventive measures which range from watersheds to floodplain mapping. Long before the 2010 flood problem Pakistan had floods. It’s always had floods. Each year we lose a good number of people to the same gamut of problems including torrential rains, collapsed homes, electrocutions, infectious diseases borne from water and displacement. There are families that have been hurt by the same kind of disaster multiple times over the course of the last few years. It’s déjà vu of the most terrible form possible. Last year the NDMA announced over 100 deaths and countless others injured. The number of houses and shops that were destroyed ranked in thousands. This year the rain is drumming to the same beat with even a metropolis like Karachi mimicking the plight that Atlantis must’ve faced at some point. Who the Prime Minister’s Emergency Relief Fund helped last year is unknown because provincial authorities never asked for release of said funds and they weren’t sent back either. For a country that marks the arrival of floods as a regular thing, not being able to establish some preventive measures is absurd. The official websites for authorities have documents upon documents outlining lessons learned from past flood experiences; however, in a more practical perspective we seem to have learned nothing. Bleak prospects It isn’t just the government that’s failing to act. No community level preparedness exists when it comes to the national level. Civilians have no training or knowledge of what to do in case of a crisis situation, even though floods and other disaster elements are common. On the level of the masses any form of natural or manmade disaster in Pakistan is seen as an act of god. Asking people to prepare for disaster brought on by a divine entity is not going to be an easy task. And on an authoritative level there’s no real training
handed out to any official departments either. Like last year, this year the leadership is spending it’s time wooing leaders of other countries instead of looking into crisis response. Each time a crisis situation props up the first thing that happens is the military showing up, subsequent to which a variety of NGO’s pop-up (not all of them legitimate) and proceed to take control of the situation. Where the NDMA exists on this scale is unknown because their efforts either do not exist or aren’t highlighted properly. For a country to be able to state that people from their business hub i.e., Karachi, are displaced because nature turned it into a water park is abysmal at best. In terms of international response, if the 2010 floods were any indication of things to come then Pakistan needs to quickly sober up on its response to crisis. The 2010 disaster went largely ignored in the international media. Calls for aid were met with disinterest – and for good reason. In the time that it’s existed as an independent state Pakistan has proved to be a bottomless pit when it comes to receiving aid, with most of the funds being misappropriated and funneled elsewhere instead of being used for the objectives they were meant for. Foreign organisations working for the betterment of the locals have had to put up with conspiracy theorists, political adversities and even murderers. WHO had to suspend its activities because local workers were being murdered one by one (the drive is thought by some to be a ploy by western agents to curb the excessively swelling population of Pakistan). Last year the Red Cross decided to exit the country completely after a doctor working with the organisation was kidnapped for ransom and later decapitated. With such a response to aid workers it’s hard to expect any real help. Expecting the international community to help us when we repeatedly fail to help ourselves can only work for so long. And there’s only so much the international community can do to clean up the mess we didn’t manage to avoid. In the grand scheme of things our inability to control the flood problem is only going to cost us and our people dearly. We cannot be submerged because of floods at one point and then have crops dying out because of a water crisis at another. For this particular disaster and the other ones it brings to the fore: prevention truly is better than the cure. The writer is a journalist based in Lahore. She can be emailed at luavut@gmail.com. She tweets @luavut
Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. Fax: +92-42-32535230 E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively
the recurring floods Floods, normally taken as a natural calamity of great magnitude, have taken the status of an annual occurring. Thus, neither the state nor the media seems very interested in talking about the subject. But reality does not change by avoiding such a crucial matter. The armed forces personnel are involved in disaster management and relief operations. Every year brings an increase in the number of dislocated people that are left at the merciless hands of fate to lead a life of absolute deprivation. It has been observed that nations across the world, acknowledging the importance of conserving water as a precious resource, have been building dams and reservoirs using technology and modern gadgetry to bring about water security and to curtail the emanating threats of floods. The US has built around 100,000 dams to successfully manage its water while China alone has reduced the water threat by building 75,000 dams. India, Pakistan’s immediate neighbour holds a strong position in dams as it has built around 4,000 dams with 64 projects in the pipeline, many of which
were built solely for flood prevention and the rest for irrigation purposes. Despite being aware of the fact that Pakistan being the lower riparian is at a disadvantage and that heavy monsoon showers every year in the summer bring an unlimited supply of fresh waters that instead of being conserved is wasted after causing destruction to the catchment regions, only 18 dams and 23 barrages have been built so far for the purpose of generating electricity and irrigating agricultural land. This seems to be a rather slow response considering the destruction created by floods that is a regular feature in Pakistan. Millions of cusecs of fresh, drinkable water that should have been conserved, keeping in mind the emergency situation of water in the country coupled with India’s aggressive designs, is wasted every year. By building more dams and reservoirs we can stop the recurrence, diminish the extent of the devastation caused by floods and be able to save enough water to be used in the next ten years or more. LUBNA UMAR Islamabad
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Anybody can become angry — that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way — that is not within everybody's power and is not easy. –Aristotle
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a good omen PML-N in a cooperative mood
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israeli-palestinian negotiations The role of public opinion vital to successful outcome
Washington Watch dR JAmES J ZOGby
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HERE are plenty of reasons to be cynical about the US Secretary of State John Kerry’s relaunch of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. The personalities and the politics involved do not immediately inspire confidence. Nevertheless, I choose not to be negative, partly because it is always easy to sit on the sidelines and take potshots. The more important consideration is, because peace is so essential to the lives and futures of the peoples of the region and to American interests in the Middle East, that any good faith effort deserves support and a chance to succeed. Secretary Kerry has insisted that the talks be held in private with no leaks, hype or “spin”. While it makes sense to protect the negotiations from the relentless pressures of the media and other forms of external interference, a cautionary note is in order. There is an intimate relationship between Israeli and Palestinian public opinion and the successful outcome of any peace negotiations. In the end, no matter how clever or skillfully arranged the formula for compromise, it must pass the test of being accepted by both sides. When we have polled both Israeli and Palestinian publics in order to see where compromise can be found, our efforts come up short. Too often what we find is that the most Israelis indicate a willingness to give in any peace agreement falls far short of the Palestinian minimum requirements for a just settlement. The negotiators, if they are worth their salt, know this. They, therefore, address each issue not merely as an abstract problem to be solved, but as a matter which must, in the end, be accepted by their respective publics. Concretizing this imperative, both Israeli and Palestinian leaderships have pledged to submit the product of the negotiations
to a referendum. This makes it especially clear that both societies must be ready and willing to endorse any compromise arrangement for peace. Ignoring the vital role that will be played by public opinion in this process, therefore, can doom the entire effort from the start. Peace, like any political compromise, must be grounded in the possible. As I have noted, our polling establishes that, at this point, peace does not appear to be possible. Paralleling the negotiations, the real work that must be done is to expand the range of the possible by changing public attitudes on both sides. This imperative becomes all the more urgent when we see how at any sign of progress the opponents of peace immediately step up their efforts to poison the well of public discourse. Just recall how after the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993, even before the ink had dried, the LIKUD activated their networks in the US and pushed Congress to pass legislation to negatively encumber any Palestinian aid program that might have created Palestinian confidence in the process. Or how after the Wye Agreement was signed in Washington, Ariel Sharon, who opposed the agreement, urged his supporters to “take the hilltops” and establish settlement outposts in sensitive areas of the West Bank. Or how Hamas, in response to each step forward in the peace process, stepped up its campaign of violence in an effort to take the process a step backward by embarrassing the Palestinian leadership and creating fear and mistrust among Israelis. We can be sure that the opponents of peace will be active this time, as well. Even a casual reading of the recent press and political commentary on both sides makes this so very clear. Look, for example, at the hysteria being created in Israel over the government’s agreement to free 104 Palestinian long-term prisoners. If left uncontested, the harsh rhetoric created in response to this “confidence building” gesture, may sabotage its implementation or at the very least make it the last such gesture. The question is, will those who support an agreement not only be willing to meet these new challenges, but be able to make up for lost ground due to past failures and decades of hostility and mistrust? So we can agree that the negotiations led by
Secretary Kerry must be private, but alongside this effort the US, Israeli and Palestinian leadership must be bold in changing the public discourse and challenging the opponents of peace. Here is where President Obama can play an especially critical role. His speech in Cairo and his more recent visits and remarks in Jerusalem and Ramallah were important, but these speeches cannot be the end of his involvement. They should be repeated at critical moments during the next few months. The Israelis and Palestinians need to be presented a vision of an alternate future, one that is so attractive and compelling that they will be drawn to it. They need to have this future vision so that they can embrace it with hope and contrast it both with the present unacceptable reality and the future that lies before them if they do not change course. At the same time, the President cannot be the only actor in this effort. Those who embrace a different and better future for Israelis and Palestinians need to come together and be strengthened in their resolve to face down those who oppose peace. An initial step the President can take is to convene Jewish and Arab Americans who support peace urging them to work together in support of a just resolution to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. If the negotiations are to bear fruit and if the product of these efforts is to have any chance for success, it must have a support-base both in the U.S. and in Israel and Palestine. For peace to succeed, there must be a constituency that works for peace. The relaunched peace effort led by Secretary Kerry may or may not succeed. If it does, it will not be because the negotiators, alone, did their work. It will succeed only if both societies are prepared to accept the results of their efforts. If they fail to reach an agreement, or if they conclude one, but find that the ground under them has been eroded by mistrust and fear, we will not get another chance, for at least a generation, to find the way forward toward peace in the Holy Land. That is why it is so important that both societies, and Americans who support peace, must be engaged now - before the opponents of peace get the upper hand.
The Israelis and Palestinians need to be presented a vision of an alternate future, one that is so attractive and compelling that they will be drawn to it.
The writer is President, Arab American Institute.
CCORDING to media reports, PML-N government and the opposition party PPP have agreed on the name of Justice (retd) Rana Bhagwandas for appointment as NAB Chairman. The name was actually proposed by the PPP and the PML-N opted to withdraw the names presented by it for that coveted post. Not only that, it asked the PPP to prepare draft legislation to remove the legal impediments in the way of his appointment. viewed in the mALIk muhAmmAd AShRAF backdrop of declaring the appointments of two former Chairmen NAB as null and void for the reason that they were made without consultation with the opposition as required under NAB Ordinance, the consensus between the two major political entities on the issue is a marked departure from the past politics centred on narrow political interests. The cooperative spirit shown by both the parties in resolving an issue of national importance is indeed a good omen. Pakistan presently is beset with colossal challenges like removing the existentialist threat posed by terrorism and religious extremism, finding an amicable solution to the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan, tiding over the debilitating energy crisis, revival of an economy that is in a free fall situation and above all consolidating the gains of democracy to ensure that the process continues uninterrupted. All these problems necessitate a meaningful and selfless collaboration between all the political entities, civil society and other stakeholders in the future of Pakistan. It is hoped that all the political forces represented in the parliament would also exhibit the same attitude and commitment. The major onus of building national consensus on the policy initiatives designed to surmount these challenges would, however, depend on how the ruling party approaches to enlist support for the national causes. Going by the record of the PML-N government so far, it can be safely inferred that it seems to have learned from its past mistakes and it really means business this time around. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif seems a politician of an altogether different breed than the Nawaz Sharif of nineties. He has shown tremendous humility in triumph by respecting the mandate of other political parties in other provinces though his party could easily have manoevured the formation of governments in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He refused to be dragged into destabilising the Azad Kashmir government by asking his party not to support the no confidence move against the sitting government. The gesture to delay the announcement of energy policy till it enjoyed the support of all the provinces was yet another positive indication of the spirit of accommodation by the ruling party and its commitment to take along all the political parties in the decision making process on issues of vital national interests. It was perhaps the result of all these conciliatory vibes that we saw Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif flanked by Chief Minister Sindh who belongs to PPP and Governor Ishratul Ibad of MQM during the PM’s recent visit to Karachi. That for a moment looked so unreal compared to crass politics of the past. The political parties are certainly setting new democratic traditions and culture which if continued with a sense of balance would indeed nurture the roots of democracy in this country. The new found bonhomie with the MQM is also a very pragmatic and necessity driven move by the PML-N and no person in his right mind can take an issue with the assertion of Nawaz Sharif that he as prime minister was duty bound to promote national unity and integration. Politics is the art of possible which indeed gives it the flexibility to deal with any eventuality. Restoring peace in Karachi and the revival of the economic activity in this industrial hub of Pakistan is utmost necessary for the revival of the economy and strengthening the process of national integration and unity. MQM and PPP are major political forces in Sindh and combined together also have an effective presence in the National Assembly and the Senate. MQM has the biggest stake in peace in Karachi in the obtaining situation. With PPP on board in regards to finding an amicable solution to the situation in Karachi, along with ANP, it can help in dismantling the militant wings of these parties and the land mafia enjoying their support who have been engaged in a turf war in the cosmopolitan city and target killings for almost over two decades. It is indeed a very convoluted undertaking that will test the political acumen and negotiating skills of the prime minister. Karachi is also being ravaged by the terrorist activities and target killings by the TTP and other sectarian outlawed outfits which perhaps pose even bigger threat to peace and tranquility in Karachi than the militant wings of the political parties. Karachi is sitting on a powder keg and unfortunately besides the terrorists, militant wings of the political parties and some unscrupulous government functionaries are involved in shipment of lethal weapons into Karachi. A former chief of IB in Balochistan once told me that he had sent a report to the government regarding the involvement of DIG Special Branch Quetta and an official of an intelligence agency in smuggling arms to Karachi, allegedly in the official car of the DIG but no action had been taken against them. It is ironic that the same DIG Special Branch was later promoted and appointed IG Sindh. Coming back to dealing with the terrorists in Karachi, it is probably utmost necessary to cleanse the city of the guns and weapons through a house to house search carried out jointly by the Army and Rangers after obtaining consensus of all the political parties. There is also a dire need to keep an eye on the new arrivals in the city. Here the citizens can play a significant role by informing the government of any new person coming to their locality or even reporting about suspicious activities occurring in their areas. Ensuring safety of the source, in addition to strengthening the intelligence network and putting in place an arrangement of sharing intelligence among different agencies and coordination with the law enforcing agencies should be the government’s top priority. Nawaz Sharif has a slew of things on his platter and surely will have to proceed with well calculated initiatives, unflinching determination and political sagacity to change the game. The writer is an academic.
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akshay’s alcohol: actor gets special drink
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resort in Oman, where some sequences of ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobaara’ were shot, has decided to pay a tribute to the film’s male lead, Akshay Kumar. To celebrate the film’s imminent release, the resort has concocted a special cocktail, Shoaibtini, which has been named after Akshay’s character in the film, Shoaib. We wonder if Ekta Kapoor will serve this cocktail to her guests at her iftar party being on Wednesday. COuRTESy TOI
anushka and katrina not on talking terms
A day without laughter is a day wasted — Charlie Chaplin
rihanna rejoice! chris Brown jailed for hit-and-run incident
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HRIS Brown managed to turn himself in to jail on Monday in connection with his hit-and-run case and slip out in less than an hour with hardly anyone noticing. According to online records from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Brown arrived at the van Nuys jail at 2:40 p.m., was booked two minutes later and then released at 3:22 p.m. with no bail. MTv News was not able to reach Brown’s lawyer or an official at the jail at press time for further details. Due to chronic overcrowding issues, his rapid booking and release is not unusual in Los Angeles County, which has seen a number of high-profile celebrities including Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie processed and released within hours or days of turning themselves in on various driving and drug-related counts. Brown had adamantly denied the charges from the Los Angeles city attorney, which claimed that he got into an accident with a Mercedes Benz and refused to show his driver’s license and then reportedly gave false insurance information. The singer was charged with two counts in the case: including hit-and-run (leaving the scene of an accident without exchanging proper information) and driving without a valid license. He was facing up to six months in jail for each offense. On June 25, Brown tweeted, “It’s not a hit and run if u get out the car, exchange information (who has NO DAMAGE to either cars). This is really ridiculous.” He also alleged that the woman who he hit was “thinking of a payday from Chris Brown.”
While Brown, 24, didn’t appear to comment directly on his quick trip to the jail, early Tuesday morning (August 6) he wrote, “Home don’t feel like home. Too many vacant rooms.” Last month, a judge revoked Brown’s probation from his 2009 assault on former girlfriend Rihanna in connection with the hit-and-run case. He is free pending an August 19 hearing in the probation matter, but is facing up to four years in jail if he is found in violation. COuRTESy mTv
hrithik beats women by 50 Cent pleads not guilty spending almost five to domestic abuse charges hours applying makeup! A
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T is a known fact that Bollywood actresses hardly get along well. And now what we hear is that Anushka Sharma is not on talking terms with Katrina Kaif, and both allegedly try to avoid each other as much as possible. It is for this reason that Anushka, who had to reach Sri Lanka at the same time as Katrina, did her best to avoid her competitor. Reports suggest that Anushka had to join the cast and crew of her upcoming film, Bombay Velvet, in Sri Lanka. The shoot had begun just few weeks back. However, what is interesting to observe is that Anushka decided to join her team only when Katrina returned Mumbai. Apparently Katrina was in Sri Lanka to spend some time with her alleged lover Ranbir, and Anushka did her best to avoid interacting with her on the sets. COuRTESy TOI
Jake Gyllenhaal shows his class at LAX.
ROMOTING an action film can be gruelling, especially after you’ve gone through a complicated brain surgery. But just like his character in the film, it is safe to say that Hrithik Roshan is stuff superheroes are made of. Despite the odds, Hrithik, speaking to Mirror for the first time since his surgery, sounds wonderful. “I do get the occasional headache, but overall my health is much better,” he says smilingly. “I’m in a happy frame of my mind, and I cannot wait to unveil the first look of Krrish 3.” Portraying as many as three strikingly different looks, Hrithik says the journey has been a fairly challenging one. “The Rohit look was very difficult to attain. Koi Mil Gaya released in 2003, so we needed the character to look aged.” Like Amitabh Bachchan in Paa, Hrithik spent nearly four and half hours to get ready for those scenes with a prosthetic expert. “Mike Stringer (best known for Lord of the Rings trilogy) was flown in to do the makeup and prosthetics. He was present for two schedules,” he says. Before approaching the character, Stringer sat for multiple screenings of Koi Mil Gaya. Then both, Hrithik and Stringer, tried out several looks before they took a final call. “Rohit’s character will continue to have child like
qualities, but he will also look like a father (to Krishna). I had to balance that out. And importantly, that character wants to make everyone around him happy. So that element had to be retained,” Hrithik says. Since the prosthetics had to be done on-set, Hrithik would report for work five hours in advance. On the other hand, Krishna, who is seen as Rohit’s son, didn’t need any make-up whatsoever. And for Krrish, the superhero? “The mask which is based on Krishna’s chakra is a slightly enhanced version of the original,” explains the actor, who has recently finished the film’s dubbing. “I had to modulate my voice in three different styles, but the final product looks pretty good,” he concludes. COuRTESy TOI
S soon as the news broke that 50 Cent was facing domestic violence charges, the star rapper denied the allegations and as expected he plead not guilty when he appeared in Los Angeles court on Monday (August 5). Fif appeared in court, dressed in a darkcolored suit alongside his attorney Scott Leemon, who delivered the not guilty plea on the rapper’s behalf. In fact, 50 didn’t say a word in the almost four-minute video which was posted to TMZ earlier Monday. Judge Bernard Kamins told the rapper that he must adhere to a criminal protective order which prohibits him from coming within 100 yards from the defendant Daphne Joy, who has been reported as the mother of 50’s second child — a child that he hasn’t publicly acknowledged. Fif was also ordered to surrender any firearms that he may own. TMZ also posted video where 50 was served with more court documents. The issuer said the papers were related to “custody” along with the incident. The “Candy Shop” MC was hit with the domestic violence charge on July 3 after Joy alleged that 50 kicked her and destroyed property in her Toluca Lake, California, condo on June 23. First the rapper took to
Twitter dismissing the claims “look billy jean your not my lover,” he wrote. When police arrived on the scene, 50 was not present but they did find broken chandeliers and furniture and clothes strewn all over the floor, along with a broken Tv and lamp. The damage was estimated at $7,100. On July 5, his attorney issued a statement to MTv News declaring Fif’s innocence. “Curtis Jackson denies these allegations as made against him,” Leemon said. If 50 is found guilty of these charges, he will face up to five years in jail and $46,000 in fines, he is due back in court on September 4. COuRTESy mTv
television great Quraish pur passes away
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URAISH Pur, a renowned scholar, Urdu writer/novelist, columnist and media expert died of protracted illness in Karachi on Monday. Family sources confirmed that Quraish Pur died after his condition deteriorated today. He had been admitted in a private hospital. Quraish Pur hosted the Tv program Kasuti in the 1970s. He was famous for his knowledge and wisdom. NEWS dESk
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Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are — Muhammad Ali
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‘noor’: towing the line or presenting a positive image?
PROF AKBAR’S NEW PLAY TO BE STAGED IN DC NEXT WEEK KARACHI APP
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AKISTANI scholar Prof. Akbar Ahmed’s play Noor –mirroring struggles and tensions in contemporary Muslim societies – will be staged in Washington D.C. next month. The play revolves around abduction of a girl named Noor and the reaction of her three brothers to it. The brothers include Abdullah, a moderate, Ali a secular lawyer, and Daud, a doctor with hardline approach to issues. The three brothers advocate what they feel is the right course to rescue their sister. Munjula Kumar, a seasoned director associated with
Washington’s Smithsonian Institution, says she finds the play very profound. “It is an opportunity to bring out the best of the cast, and I want each character to convincingly reveal layers of meanings from their roles,” Ms. Kumar, who is directing the play, said at a rehearsal session. True to the universal theme of the drama, actors for the performances are of Afghani, Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani origins. The backto-back performances of the drama take place at Katzen Arts Center of the American University on September 14 and 15, 2013. On a broader level, clashing views of the upset brothers signify the ongoing conflict between pragmatism and militated mindsets, a reflection of the struggles going on not only in South Asia but the broader Middle East with the states retaliating sternly to and in many cases suppressing democratic aspirations of
people as witnessed in Syria and Egypt. The vividly drawn characters are provided a level-playing field with arguments and a portrayal of the many injustices and discriminations between the states and the societies and leave it to the audience to judge, where and what is wrong and who is right and who is wrong. The distinctive characters in the play also pose a tough challenge for the stage actors, who each must perform his/her role to the best of their ability to project their understanding of the situation as being the correct. In presenting the diversity of characters and their inclinations Akbar Ahmed, who is Ibn e Khaldun chair of Islamic Studies at the American University, is, in fact, forcefully attempting to convey to the Western world that the Muslim societies and families have plurality of views in dealing with hot issues of the day - domestic extremism, and international
Depp CrItICIses CrItICs for ‘lone ranger’ BUst!
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HY did Lone Ranger tank? Johnny Depp will tell you why. The actor spoke out for the first time since the flick’s downfall at the box office, and blamed the film’s underwhelming release on the critics, according to variety. “I think the reviews were written seven to eight months before we released the film,” Depp explained in a new interview. He continued to state that the movie never stood a chance because of all the negative press surrounding it. “I think the reviews were written when they heard Gore [verbinski] and Jerry [Bruckheimer] and me were going to do The Lone Ranger,” he said. “They had expectations that it must be a blockbuster. I didn’t have any expectations of that. I never do.” Bruckheimer
agreed with Depp’s reasoning, telling Yahoo U.K.-Ireland, “I think they were reviewing the budget, not reviewing the movie. The audience doesn’t care what the budget is—they pay the same amount if it costs a dollar or $20 million.” He continued, “It’s unfortunate because the movie is a terrific movie, it’s a great epic film. It
has lots of humor. Its one of those movies that whatever critics missed in it this time, they’ll review it in a few years and see that they made a mistake.” As of Aug. 3, The Lone Ranger, which cost $250 million to make, has reportedly grossed $86 million at the U.S. box office.! NEWS dESk
injustices and discriminations in the post 9/11 world. It also seeks to make the point that sweeping generalizations about Muslims, as done in parts of the Western media and governmental policies, is a wrong reading and propagation. One of the vital, albeit short, roles is that of a spiritual personality, an elderly Sufi, Sheikh Moinuddin, who constantly reminds worried Abdullah of Allah’s message of compassion and tolerance. At one point, the Sufi emphasizes that Allah is light, therefore Noor is also a reflection of His light and virtue, and those who seek guidance from His message, would prevail. The two-act play has already won acclaim since it came to limelight a few years ago with The Washington Post calling “Akbar Ahmed’s ‘Noor,’ a Paean to Religious Tolerance.” NEWS dESk
Conan O’Brain clowns around on his talk show.
afridi flick delayed as ‘Chennai express’ steams ahead!
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HE makers of ‘Main Hoon Shahid Afridi’ have decided to delay the release of the film fearing to clash with Shahrukh Khan starrer ‘Chennai Express’ which is all set to release in Pakistan on Eid after an import ban was overruled. However, MHSH’s writer, vasay Chaudhry told The Express Tribune that the most anticipated Pakistani film this year is taking its time to hit the box office because of some last minute problems. Chaudhry said that Azam Khan, a well-known film editor
passed away during the finetuning of MHSH and the team had to rush abroad to continue the post-production process, but they wouldn’t have received the final prints on time. However, this is not the only hurdle for MHSH as the previous understanding between distributors and film-makers that no Indian film will be imported on Eid has suddenly been overruled at the eleventh hour. Chaudhry also admitted that stiff competition from the Indian film is a reason for the delay. NEWS dESk
swift says it all about love!
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T just 23, she’s been romantically linked with a substantial mix of study stars of stage and screen. And Taylor Swift just revealed that her heated, passionate love affairs have served as the best possible inspiration for her songwriting. ‘I am getting to a point where the only love worth being in is the love worth singing about,’ the country-pop starlet told Rolling Stone backstage at her New Jersey concert. ‘And kind of mad love. I think that for me, when you experience something that’s worth writing a song
about, chances are it’s the same kind of intense feeling that someone else has felt.’ The seven-time Grammy winner continued: ‘And if someone’s singing a song about that feeling, then you feel bonded to that person, and I guess that’s the only way I can find an explanation why 55,000 people would want to come see me sing.’ And though Taylor never reveals precisely which of her shortlived beaus she sings about, it’s clear that many were thinly veiled into top 10 hits. The single songstress has previously romanced boy-bander Joe Jonas, Twilight’s Taylor Lautner, Glee’s Cory Monteith, musician John Mayer, hunky star Jake Gyllenhaal, and One Direction frontman Harry Styles. Gyllenhaal was rumoured to have inspired We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, State of
Grace, All Too Well, Girl at Home, and The Moment I Knew. Swift reportedly wrote Forever & Always and Last Kiss about Jonas, and Back to December about Lautner. And Mayer supposedly prompted Taylor to pen both Dear John and I Knew You Were Trouble In response, the womanising singer - who’s now dating Katy Perry reportedly wrote his new song Paper Doll about Taylor. The Sparks Fly hitmaker also revealed that she chipped a tooth punching herself with a mic during a recent Pittsburgh concert. ‘It had a tip on [the tooth] and it doesn’t anymore,’ said Taylor. ‘I really quickly pulled my mic up to sing and basically uppercut punched myself in the tooth. And then part of it fell onto the stage...I’m not doing anything about it. It’s just gonna be a little bit jagged, I guess.’ NEWS dESk
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One man with a gun can control 100 without one. –Vladimir Lenin
taste tHe ‘frankenBurger’!
InfotaInMent Questionable snack grown from dead cows stem cells Wednesday, 7 August, 2013
today (7Th AUGUST)
8 551 jews are shot in Kishnev ghetto in Romania. 8 US Congress approves Gulf of Tonkin resolution, accelerating Vietnam War. 8 Desert Shield begins as-US deploys troops to Saudi Arabia. 8 US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed, by terrorists. Some 224 were killed and more than 5,500 injured.
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everything sells on craigslist…. including babies! A 22-year-old man angry with a woman he dated posted photos of her 2-month-old daughter in a Craigslist ad and tried to sell the baby for $100, prosecutors said Monday. Paul Marquez posted an ad entitled “baby for sale,” prosecutors said. Marquez’s posting acted as if he were the parent, said the baby loved to play and have fun, but had asthma and was “really getting on my nerves.” “I don’t want her Please email me,” it read, authorities said. Marquez was charged Thursday by Staten Island prosecutors with endangering the welfare of a child, harassment and a social service violation of authority to place or board out children. He was being held in lieu of $1,000 bail. A call to his attorney wasn’t returned. According to the criminal complaint, Marquez, who works as a stockperson at a Victoria’s Secret, admitted he posted the listing just to get back at the woman. The two met online and had been out a few times, but he apparently was angry because she wouldn’t pay him enough attention, authorities said. Prosecutors say Marquez gave the mother’s phone number to a person who answered the ad, who then called the mother. She notified police. Staten Island investigators are looking into that person’s request – the call may have been out of concern and not an illegal attempt to purchase a child. There was no indication Marquez actually meant to sell the infant. The posting was located in the Staten Island section of Craigslist under baby and kid stuff, for sale by owner. It was flagged and taken down at least once, but Marquez reposted it, authorities said. Marquez faces up to a year behind bars if convicted. NEWS dESk
COURTESY DM
T may look like something you’d chuck on the barbecue without a second thought, but this round of meat costs a very beefy £250,000 — as the world’s first test-tube burger. After the patty was lightly fried in a little butter and sunflower oil yesterday, the two volunteers chosen to taste it in front of a live audience were hardly effusive, though. ‘I was expecting the texture to be softer,’ said Austrian food researcher Hanni Rutzler, taking 27 chews before being able to swallow a mouthful. ‘It’s close to meat — it’s not that juicy.’ The second volunteer, food writer Josh Schonwald added: ‘The absence is the fat. But the bite feels like a conventional hamburger. What was conspicuously different was flavour.’ The ‘cultured beef’ takes three months to grow in a laboratory, using cells from a living cow. Its creator, Dutch scientist Mark Post, claims it could revolutionise the food industry and help save the planet. He believes that artificial meat products could be sold in supermarkets within a decade. After tasting his invention yesterday, he said: ‘I think it’s a very good start — it proved that we can do this, that we can make it. We are basically catering towards letting beef-eaters eat beef in an environmentally ethical way.’
Asked if he would feed the burger to his children, he said he was saving a piece of the cooked patty to give to them later. His burgers are created in a four-step process. First, stem cells — which have the power to turn into any other cell — are stripped from cow muscle, which is taken during a harmless biopsy. Next, the cells are incubated in a nutrient ‘broth’ until they multiply many times over, creating a sticky tissue. This is then bulked up through the laboratory equivalent of exercise — it is anchored to velcro and stretched. Finally, 20,000 strips of the meat are minced and mixed with salt, breadcrumbs, egg powder and natural red colourants to form an edible patty. The secret celebrity backer who bankrolled the £650,000 project was yesterday unveiled as billionaire Google founder Sergey Brin. Professor Post said: ‘He is as interested in solving the food problems as I am.’ Mr Brin seems to believe quite confidently that man-made meat will do a great deal to help humanity. In a video message played to attendees at yesterday’s event, he said: ‘Sometimes when technology comes along, it has the capability to transform how we view our world. ‘I like to look at technology opportunities. When technology seems like it is on the cusp of viability and if it succeeds there, it can be really transformative for the world.’
‘There are basically three things that can happen going forward - one is that we can all become vegetarian. I don’t think that’s really likely. ‘The second is we ignore the issues and that leads to continued environmental harm and the third option is we do something new. ‘Some people think this is science fiction - it’s not real, it’s somewhere out there. I actually think that’s a good thing.’ Professor Post has spent seven years trying to turn stem cells into meat, and was first successful with mouse burgers. He then tried to grow pork — producing strips with the rubbery texture of squid or scallops — before settling on beef. His technique, he says, can be used to recreate the flesh of most animals, including rare species such as tigers or pandas, although demand may be questionable. Before the burger was cooked, he said: ‘what we are going to attempt is important because I hope it will show cultured beef has the answers to major problems that the world faces. ‘Our burger is made from muscle cells taken from a cow. ‘We haven’t altered them in any way. For it to succeed it has to look, feel and hopefully taste like the real thing.’ The raw ingredients are 0.02in (0.5mm) thick strips of pinkish yellow lab-grown tissue. Professor Post was confident he could produce a burger that was almost indistin-
NATURES LIGHT SHOW COMING TO TOWN
NEWS DESK Gear up to see some great balls of fire flashing through the sky this month. According to NASA research, the upcoming Perseid meteor shower produces more fireballs — bright meteors that streak across the sky — than any other annual shower, earning it the title of “fireball champion”. During the peak of the Perseids, stargazers under dark skies could see more than 100 meteors per hour, but some bright fireballs can also be spotted in urban, light polluted areas. “We have found that one meteor shower produces more fireballs than any other,” Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office said in a statement. “It’s the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks on August 12th and 13th.” Cooke and his team of scientists have used meteor cameras around the southern United States to track fireballs since 2008.
The Perseids produced 568 tracked fireballs while the Geminid meteor shower came in a close second, producing 426 from 2008 to 2013. The Geminid fireballs, however, are not quite as bright as the Perseid-produced streakers. Scientists use a magnitude scale to rate the brightness of objects in the night sky. Lower numbers mean brighter objects, with negative numbers denoting exceptionally bright events. “The average peak magnitude for a Perseid observed by our cameras is -2.7; for the Geminids, it is -2,” Cooke said. “So on average, Geminid fireballs are about a magnitude fainter than those in the Perseids.”The high rate of fireballs could have something to do with the meteor shower’s progenitor: Comet Swift-Tuttle. Every year, the Earth passes through a trail of dust left behind in the comet’s wake. The dust burns up in Earth’s atmosphere, creating the brilliant shower.
It’s possible that the size of Swift-Tuttle could cause the high number of fireballs produced during the meteor shower. “Comet SwiftTuttle has a huge nucleus — about 26 kilometres [16 miles] in diameter,” Cooke said in a statement. “Most other comets are much smaller, with nuclei only a few kilometres across. As a result, Comet Swift-Tuttle produces a large number of meteoroids, many of which are large enough to produce fireballs.” Interested observers should look to the skies from 10:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. local time on the nights of Aug. 12 and Aug. 13, Cooke recommends. The rate of meteor activity will begin low and increase throughout the night and wee hours of the morning. “Get away from city lights,” Cooke said. “While fireballs can be seen from urban areas, the much greater number of faint Perseids is visible only from the countryside.”
guishable from one made from a slaughtered animal. And perhaps he wasn’t far off. After taking a mouthful, taster Ms Ruetzler said: ‘I was expecting the texture to be softer... I know there is no fat in it so I didn’t know how juicy it would be. ‘It’s close to meat. It’s not that juicy. The consistency is perfect (but) I miss salt and pepper!’ Professor Post pointed out that livestock farming is becoming unsustainable, with demand for meat rocketing around the world. Unveiling the research last year at a science meeting in vancouver, Canada, he said: ‘Meat demand is going to double in the next 40 years. Right now we are using 70% of all our agricultural capacity to grow meat through livestock. ‘You can easily calculate that we need alternatives.’ The ‘artificial’ meat is produced using a complex process - in effect turning a mere dish of stem cells into a burger that can be grilled or fried. First the stem cells are cultivated in a nutrient broth, allowing them to proliferate 30-fold. Next they are combined with an elastic collagen and attached to velcro ‘anchor points’ in a culture dish. Between the anchor points, the cells ‘self-organise’ into chunks of muscle. Electrical stimulation is then used to make the muscle strips contract and ‘bulk up’ - the laboratory equivalent of working out in a gym.
to 3d and beyond! printed rifle can do some damage So far, the Grizzly’s growl is worse than its bite, but that may soon change. The second version of the 3D-printed rifle, the Grizzly 2.0, was fired for the first time in a video released Friday, and this time it lasted 14 rounds before a crack formed. Even though the rifle is made almost entirely of 3D-printed plastic, the updated Grizzly shoots regular Winchester bullets. The rifle was made by a Canadian man who goes by “Matthew,” The Verge reported. He’s the same person behind the last 3D-printed rifle, which broke after just one firing two weeks ago. “Matthew” used a string to fire the original Grizzly from afar as a safety precaution, but eventually fired the Grizzly 2.0 by hand like a normal rifle. Even though the Grizzly doesn’t look too threatening right now, it’s impressive and terrifying how quickly these improvements have been made. 3Dprinted guns can be built entirely in one’s home without a license, and the more advanced the guns get, the more dangerous 3D printing becomes. Many of the guns contain little to no metal, so they may be able to get through metal detectors without being discovered. The 3D-printing enthusiast behind this YouTube account has certainly gone in a different direction since one of his first projects: a 3D-printed ukulele. Maybe he should stick to musical instruments and relieve us of the stress these guns are causing. COuRTESy hP
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time to groom players to replace misBaH as captain: moHsin kHan LAhORE: At the time of the announcement of the Pakistan team for the Zimbabwean tour, former chief selector and head coach Mohsin Khan has stressed the inclusion of numerous new faces for the upcoming assignment. Pakistan is scheduled to play two Tests, three One-Day Internationals and one Twenty20 during the tour which is expected to kick off by the end of this month. Mohsin is not convinced with the notion of banking on full strength. “This is a tour to test our young players,” said the former chief selector. “We are not hosting international matches and nowadays our youngsters show much inconsistency in their performance at the domestic and international level. “It is comparatively an easy series and I feel apart from three to four important senior players, the rest of the faces must be new ones. “The selectors should not care about the results because discovering new talent, even if it just one or two new finds, will be more beneficial for us. “On the other hand, the seniors who will not be picked will get rest before the important home series [UAE] against South Africa and Sri Lanka after this tour.” The former coach also advised authorities to name a new vice captain under Misbah ul Haq. “It’s time to groom a youngster who can replace Misbah as captain in the coming years.” Mohsin, who served for the PCB in various capacities, advised them to take assistance from former greats employed by the board. “The PCB has a former great wicketkeeper Wasim Bari who served as a chief selector for a long time. Then PCB director Intikhab Alam has heavy credentials as coach and manager. Their experience must be utilised amidst this crisis of the selection committee.” STAFF REPORT
It’s good sportsmanship to not pick up lost golf balls while they are still rolling. –Mark Twain
nasir, irfan axed from pakistan test squad Zimbabwe confirms pakistan series schedule
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HE Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday announced a 15-member test squad for the tour of Zimbabwe sidelining batsman Nasir Jamshed and pacer Mohammad Irfan while opener Khurrum Manzoor was inducted in the touring party. The Pakistan team will play two test matches, three one-day internationals and two T20 matches on the Zimbabwean tour which commences from August 23 with a T20 match at Harare followed by a similar game on August 24 at the same venue. The one day series will kick off at Harare on August 27, with second ODI on August 29 at the same venue followed by third ODI on August 31 also at Harare. Barring one game, the venue of the entire series is to be played at Harare. The first test will be played from September 37 at Harare and the second from September 10-14 at Bulawayo. Haris Sohail, wicketkeeper Sarfraz
Ahmed, Taufeeq Umar and Umar Gul, who is out of action with injury, were part of the test squad which played South Africa February this year and have been replaced by Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Imran Farhat, Khurram Manzoor and wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal. Imran Farhat, however, was not part of the original squad that was announced for the tour of South Africa. “It is a balanced squad and we have named the three respective sides keeping in view the utility of the players,” said a spokesman of Pakistan Cricket Board. “We are confident that all the players who have been recalled will justify in their roles to enhance teams performance for its success,” he added. The ODI and T20 squads have some changes as well but reliance have been shown on the old guards, he added. Wahab Riaz following a poor run in recent tour of West Indies with only wickets has been axed and Anwar Ali was brought in Batsman Muhammad Rizwan who toured West Indies is not accompanying the team as he has been selected in the Pakistan
U23 team. In T20 format Riaz failed to secure his place and made way for Asad Ali while Sohaib Maqsood replaced Hammad Azam. Teams: Test side: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Asad Shafiq, Khurram Manzoor, Adnan Akmal(wk), Faisal Iqbal, Younis Khan, Azhar Ali, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Rahat Ali, Ehsan Adil ODI side: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shahzad, Asad Shafiq, Umar Amin, Umar Akmal (wk), Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Abdul Rehman, Asad Ali, Anwar Ali, Haris Sohail T20 side: Mohammad Hafeez (capt), Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shahzad, Umar Amin, Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Zulfiqar Babar, Asad Ali, Anwar Ali, Haris Sohail.
LAhORE:The Zimbabwe Cricket Board has on Tuesday issued the schedule for the series against Pakistan. The teams will play two T20s, three One Day Internationals (ODI) and two test matches. The Pakistan team will arrive in Zimbabwe on August 19 and the T20 matches will be played on August 23 and 24.The Pakistan Cricket Board with the announcement of the team for the Zimbabwe tour also shuned the impression that Zimbabwe rejected the PCB’s proposal of rescheduling the series. An official of the board said that a wrong impression is being created that Zimbabwe rejected PCB’s proposal to reschedule series. There is no truth in the news. It devoid facts and has completely misrepresented the situation, the official added. “It is to be noted that contrary to the claim of the story the schedules of Pakistan tour to Zimbabwe and Champions League Twenty20 do not overlap. “The facts are that the dates for the Pakistan Tour of Zimbabwe had been agreed in May 2013. The Tour is taking place within the same dates agreed by PCB and ZC in May 2013 and PCB made no request to ZC for moving the series dates forward by two weeks. The dates for the Champions League T20 tournament were officially released on July 23, 2013 by which time the Zimbabwe Tour dates were finalized. Subsequently ZC and PCB have found agreement on every matter related to the arrangements for the tour. The PCB and ZC are in total agreement over the itinerary of the tour and to suggest that ZC has rejected PCB’s proposal is a figment of the writer’s imagination. Commenting on the story Zimbabwe Cricket Operations Manager Christian Chiketa said, “We reject such a baseless story which is aimed at harming our valued relationship with PCB”. The ODI matches will be played on August 27, 29 and 31 while the team will play their test matches on September 3 and 10.
nATIonAL hoCKey CAMP FIrsT PhAse ConCLudes LAHORE STAFF REPORT
The first phase of national hockey camp for the build up of the team to participate in the Asia Cup will conclude here on Wednesday with all the 26 players rejoining their families for Eid holidays. “The second phase will commence from Aug 12 ending on August 19 when the team will leave for Malaysia for taking part in the Asia Cup being played in Ipoh,” said team’s coach Tahir Zaman on Tuesday. He said efforts are being made to overcome the gray areas identified in the back drop of Pakistan’s dismal 7th finish ,out of eight team Hockey League semi finals held in Malaysia last month. “What I observe is a significant rise in the overall fitness and performance of players as emphasis is being laid on improving fitness to higher level so that players could show their best form even in extra times of the play “,he said adding” We are working on beefing up defence to
minimize burden from the goalkeeper besides adding fire in our forward line to maintain a higher display of quality hockey against fancied opponents,” said the former Olympian. “Another important aspect is the penalty corner drills to better our goal scoring as penalty corners are a vital part of the game and some times their better conversion help in gaining favourable results,” he said. He further added: “It is the dire need of the time that we should pay maximum attention to this important aspect and have some reliance on winning a match by exhibiting accuracy in penalty corner drills”. To a question, the coach said the team management is developing a culture among the players to end the old tendency of missing in action in the striking circle. “ What we have seen that this trend has ruined our chances in important matches in the hockey league and despite being in possession of ball and having ideal scoring
sitters in the striking circle we fumbled all such chances which diminished our victory chances”. He pointed out that every team member
knows the importance of the Asia Cup as it is the last ditch effort to qualify for next year’s World Cup in Holland. “It is going to be do or die tournament
for us and we expect a par excellence performance from our players who will be under heavy load of responsibility to play their due role in helping the side to win a berth for the Cup “,he said. Tahir Zaman said to gain victory is the only decent way out for the team as well as the players as we cannot afford to lose the Asia Cup. “I do not want to make tall claims but as a coach I am confident that we have the potential to win the Asia Cup and we will be doing better against teams like South Korea and Malaysia which beat us in the Hockey League”,he said. Answering a question, the coach said the President, Pakistan Hockey Federation, Qasim Zia also visited the ongoing camp and imparted useful tips to the players. “His visit was a great source of inspiration and he urged the players to demonstrate skilful game to produce productive results and to give the nation a good news by securing a place in the World Cup “,he maintained.
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When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. –Hunter S. Thompson
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england want to win series: andy flower MANCHESTER AGENCIES
England are now focused on winning the series rather than celebrating retaining the Ashes, says team director Andy Flower. Flower insists the England players are already focusing on the fourth Test, which starts on Friday at Durham. “There are no extravagant celebrations... we want to win the series,” he said. “We are only three matches into a fivematch series and are two-nil up, so we want to win at Durham.” England needed the help of the Manchester rain to secure the urn they won in 2009 and defended down under in 2010-11.Conceding a first-innings deficit of 159, England were set a victory target of 332 when Australia declared their second innings on 172-7 before play began on day five. More realistically, it looked like the home side would need to bat out the day in order to earn an unassailable series lead. And, after England had slumped to 37-3, afternoon rain ensured only three balls were possible after lunch, with a draw being agreed at 16:40 BST. Captain Alastair Cook says England have not been at their best despite retaining the Ashes in only 14 days. “We showed a lot of fighting character to get through this game,” said 28-year-old Cook. “We might not have played our best cricket but we’re proving we’re quite a hard side to beat.” Cook agrees with Flower that the team are focused on winning the series at Chester-le-Street, but feels that his side must improve on their performance in Manchester.
aus looking dangerous again: Border MANCHESTER AGENCIES
Australia have “turned a corner” and would have won the third Ashes test if not for the weather, former test captain and selector Allan Border said. England retained the Ashes when the third test ended in a draw on Monday after bad weather halted play at Old Trafford, with Australia in a commanding position. The Australians narrowly lost the first test by 14 runs before a demoralising 347-run defeat in the second test. With two matches left to play in the current series, and the return series starting Down Under in November, Border said in a members-only section of the Cricket Australia’s website that England have reason to be worried. “The way this side is going over the next few months, look out. Australia have the momentum,” Border said.
dilsHan prevents sa from wHite wasHing sri lanka HAMBANTOTA
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ILLAKARATNE Dilshan’s 51-ball knock of 74 and Thisara Perera’s late order surge helped Sri Lanka register a sixwicket win in the final T20 match against South Africa at Hambantota. Chasing a challenging total of 163, the home side had a good start as openers Mahela Jayawardene and Dilshan started on a positive note. Dilshan, who returned for this game, went after Lonwabo Tsotsobe in the very first over, hitting him for one six and two fours. Jayawardene matched Dilshan in the next over by slamming three consecutive boundaries off Morne Morkel. With 28 from just two overs, the Sri Lankan openers set the tone for the chase. The runs kept flowing as the duo added 62 runs in the first five overs. Wayne Parnell, who
conceded 11 runs in his first over, got a much-needed breakthrough to get rid of Jayawardene in the sixth over. The former skipper fell for 33 from 16 balls. AB de villiers then brought on David Wiese who struck in the first over to get rid of Kushal Perera. In the 12th over, Dilshan brought up his
SCOREbOARd SOuTh AFRICA h davids lbw b kulasekara 0 16 Q de kock lbw b mendis 85 F du Plessis b Lakmal 51 JP duminy not out 1 Ab de villiers not out 10 EXTRAS (lb 1, w 9) 163 TOTAL did not bat dA miller, d Wiese, Wd Parnell, m morkel, Imran Tahir, LL Tsotsobe Fall of wickets 1-0 (davids, 0.1 ov), 2-45 (de kock, 7.2 ov), 3-157 (du Plessis, 19.3 ov) bOWLING: kmdN kulasekara 4-0-37-1, RAS Lakmal 40-29-1, SmSm Senanayake 4-0-20-0, NLTC Perera 1-0-10-0, bAW mendis 4-0-31-1, Ad mathews 1-0-14-0, Tm dilshan 2-0-21-0 SRI LANkA 74 Tm dilshan not out dPmd Jayawardene c de villiers b Parnell 33 1 mdkJ Perera c Parnell b Wiese
WATSON’S OPENING ROLE UNDER SCANNER MANCHESTER AGENCIES
Shane Watson’s rebirth as a Test opener could be short-lived with Australia’s brains trust considering reinstating David Warner at the top of the order for the fourth Test in Chester-leStreet. At the start of the series, the coach Darren Lehmann declared that Watson and Chris Rogers would be Australia’s Ashes openers but Watson’s failure to pass a score of fifty in five innings in the position, combined with Warner’s return from exile in South Africa, could encourage a rethink. Warner batted at No.6 in the first innings in Manchester but was promoted for the second innings as the Australians sought quick runs, while Watson moved down to No.4. Rogers outplayed Watson in the first innings with a perky 84 that showed he is not just an occupier, and his experience and composure makes him a potentially important man at the top for the rest of this tour and the return series in Australia later this year. Like Warner, Watson enjoys the ball
coming on to the bat but his lbw vulnerability has been an issue, and his diminishing returns while opening in this series - 46, 30, 20 and 19 - have been far from what Australia have needed. Lehmann said the second-innings change was not due to Watson’s form but to allow him to attack Graeme Swann in the middle order and give Warner free rein at the top, and it was a method they would consider using again in the fourth Test. “We may do, yeah, but at the end of the day, it’s the selectors getting together and making that decision,” Lehmann said. “We always consult the captain about what he considers is the best batting order as well, so for us we’ll make that decision once we see the wicket in Durham.” For his part, the captain Michael Clarke said the decision on where to use Watson was “a tough one” given the dual factors of his comfort at the top and his usefulness as a bowler. But the fact remains that Watson has now played 45 Test innings since the most recent of his two centuries, which came against India in Mohali in October 2010, and his
2013 batting average of 20.41 is the worst he has managed in the past five years. “Watto has made it clear to me and everyone that he loves opening the batting,” Clarke said. “The positive with Shane Watson is that he is such a good bowler. It’s a tough one, we have to work out first and foremost what is the best for the team and then give Watto the opportunity to play where he feels most comfortable and where he thinks he can have the most success - because if he is scoring runs and taking wickets, it goes a long way to helping us win Test matches. “We will continue to talk and assess what is best for the team. Shane understood my reasoning for opening with Warner in the second innings and was more than happy to move to No.4, and has made it clear that wherever I want him to bat, he will do that for the team.” The other major question of team make-up for the selectors ahead of Chester-le-Street is whether Ryan Harris can back up with only a three-day break between matches.
Fawad aims for test cap after gaining citizenship SYDNEY AGENCIES
FAWAD Ahmed no longer battles nightmares - now he’s just dreaming of his first Australian Test cap. The Pakistan-born leg-spinner yesterday revealed his mindset had changed dramatically since being granted Australian citizenship last month. The former asylum seeker has since played for Australia A in England, Zimbabwe and now South Africa - with a new-found freedom. The 31-year-old has claimed 15 wickets in his last three tour matches, firming up his bid for Ashes selection. He feels he can fully embrace playing for his country now he’s a citizen. “I don’t have nightmares. There is no stress and strain now I’m a citizen,” Ahmed told The Daily Telegraph. “There are no more issues with the
passport and citizenship, so I’m feeling really great and that’s why I can concentrate on my cricket. “If I get an opportunity then that’s well and good. “When I’m ready they will pick me up. I think it’s the best they give me a chance at this level first. “It’s a great experience coming to an international level so I can get good experience playing in Zimbabwe. I played in England, now I’m playing in South Africa. “It will really help me, this process, so that I can play on different wickets, in different conditions, to get used to it.” While spinners Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar have been decent during Australia’s failed campaign to return the urn, they haven’t been great and there’s an inevitability about Ahmed’s eventual call-up. But that just makes him even more determined to put in the hard work now. “I’m concentrating on these matches
and hopefully I will perform,” he said. “I want to improve, to play at Test level. If I’m performing well there will be a spot for me. If I’m playing good cricket.”
half-century and kept the tempo high as Sri Lanka were chasing their first victory in the T20 series. However, another wicket fell in the following over when Imran Tahir got the better of Dinesh Chandimal. At this stage the home side were on 100 for three in 12.3 overs, still needing 64 from 45 deliveries.
Wearing the baggy green would be about more than personal satisfaction for Ahmed - he wants his story to inspire others.
Ld Chandimal st †de kock b Imran Tahir 14 Ad mathews b Wiese 14 25 NLTC Perera not out 3 EXTRAS (lb 1, w 1, nb 1) 164 TOTAL dId NOT bAT hdRL Thirimanne, kmdN kulasekara, SmSm Senanayake, bAW mendis, RAS Lakmal FALL OF WICkETS 1-67 (Jayawardene, 5.5 ov), 2-71 (mdkJ Perera, 7.1 ov), 3-100 (Chandimal, 12.3 ov), 4123 (mathews, 15.3 ov) bOWLING: LL Tsotsobe 4-0-49-0, m morkel 3.1-0-330, Wd Parnell 3-0-37-1, Imran Tahir 4-0-20-1, d Wiese 4-0-24-2 mATCh dETAILS: Toss South Africa, who chose to bat Series South Africa won the 3-match series 2-1 Player of the match Tm dilshan (Sri Lanka) umpires REJ martinesz and RSA Palliyaguruge Tv umpire RR Wimalasiri match referee AJ Pycroft (Zimbabwe) Reserve umpire LE hannibal
leHmann takes positives from asHes series so far LONDON AGENCIES
Australia coach Darren Lehmann believes his side have learnt a lot from the first three Test matches against England - despite missing out on the chance to regain the Ashes. Monday’s draw in the rain-affected third Test at Old Trafford saw England - who lead 2-0 in the five match series retain the trophy. However, Lehmann is determined to go into the Ashes series in Australia at the end of the year with a win on English soil - starting with Friday’s fourth Test in Durham. “I think, all you have to do is learn. We’ve seen that over the last five days, and now again they’ve got to learn to repeat that in a back-to-back Test match,” Lehmann said. “That’s important for our group, we know that. We had a good chat, a few people came in and said a few words which is great. “They’re learning from some really great people. (David) Warner, who is in there, and Michael (Clarke) had some great words to say to the players. And just about learning the game and keep that level head. “We can’t get the Ashes now, but what we’ve got to do is make sure we’re best prepared for Durham to play the better cricket we did here, win the game and then move to the Oval and move back home. “You can’t look too far ahead. The home series is a long way away. What we can concentrate on is these next two Test matches. “We want to win them. We’re playing for our country and against England, the arch enemy and it’s going to be a great battle in Durham I’m sure. “They’ll want to prove a point that they had an off game, we want to prove a point that we’re here to play. I think we’ve done that all bar a couple of sessions at Lord’s.”
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You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get. –Michael Phelps
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1st modern cluB ranking tennis from august 13 KARAChI: The management of Modern Club Karachi will be organizing the 1st Modern Club Founder Members Ranking Tennis Championship at Modern Club Karachi from August 13th-18. The championship is being organized under the auspices of the Sindh Tennis Association and it is a grade-I ranking tournament of STA. The Modern Club has rendered significant services for the promotion of tennis in the country. It has the distinction of producing many Davis cuppers, including Pakistan number 1 Aqeel Khan, Yasir Khan, Jalil Khan and many juniors like, Zuhair Raza, Adil Kohari, Talha Zubair and many more, said the official press release. Modern Club is supporting many juniors with covering their playing and traveling cost The competitions will be held in men’s singles, ladies singles, under 17 singles, under 15 singles, under 13 singles, under-11 singles, under-9 singles, men’s doubles, seniors 45 doubles, seniors 55 plus doubles and the tournament is carrying a purse of Rs 50000 as Prize Money. The entries in the event can be sent to Muhammad Khalid Rehmani, Referee of championship, at sindhtennis@gmail.com or www.Sindh Tennis Association/facebook or Jalil Khan, tournament director at Modern Club. STAFF REPORT
punjaB cycling office-Bearers elected LAhORE: Chaudhary Karman Amin and Waqar Ali were elected as the President and Secretary of the Punjab Cycling Association here on Tuesday at the general council meeting. The representatives of all the affiliated units of PCA attended the meeting which elected the fresh office bearers for a next term of four years. Following were elected, Muhammad Saleem Butt, Patron, Ch.Kamran Amin, President, (Lahore), IdrisHaider Khawaja, Sr. Vice President, (Lahore), (Vice Presidents) Shaukat Ali Prizada, (Bahawalpur), Khadim Ali Khadim, (Gujrat) Ashiq Kanju, (Rahim Yar Khan), Ayman Mushtaq Ali, Lady Vice President, (Coaches Association), Akbar Murad, Vice President, (Kasur), Waqar Ali, Secretary (Coaches Assn). Mohammad, Yousaf Chishti, Associate Secretary (Gujranwala) Syed Abbas Ali Shah, Associate Secretary, (Sialkot) Fayyaz Ahmed, Associate Secretary, (Sargodha), Dawood Ahmed, Associate Secretary, (Gujrat), Qaisar Siddique Bhatti, Associate Secretary, (Technical Assn), Khalid Mahmood, Treasurer, (Lahore), Malik Muhammad Aslam, Legal Advisor, Ismail-ul-Rehman, Press Secretary. STAFF REPORT
del potro electrocutes isner at dc WASHINGTON
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vinci, stephens get through in toronto
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UAN Martin Del Potro showed he deserves to be among the favorites to win the US Open by rallying to beat John Isner in Sunday’s final of the Washington Open. The 24-year-old top seed from Argentina shook off a sluggish start to beat the US eighth seed 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 for his third title in six years at the $1.76 million ATP and WTA hardcourt event, a tuneup for the year’s final Grand Slam event beginning in New York in three weeks. World number one Novak Djokovic, defending champion Andy Murray, five-time US Open winner Roger Federer and 2010 US Open champion Rafael Nadal were del Potro’s picks as the players to beat at Flushing Meadows. In his first event since an epic fiveset loss to Djokovic in the longest semi-final in Wimbledon history, del Potro showed his left knee was fine after an injury at Wimbledon. Del Potro stretched his Washington
TOROnTO: Roberta Vinci fought back from a set down to beat Julia Goerges 2-6 6-4 6-3 and move into the second round of the Rogers Cup in Toronto on Monday. The 10th seeded Italian was joined by 14th seed Sloane Stephens of the United States, who overcame Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-2 7-6(5). Vinci got off to a slow and struggled against the German’s big forehand in the opening set. However, she mixed up her attack in the second and third sets to upset Goerges’s rhythm and came out on top. AGENCIES
win streak to 14 matches by adding to the titles he won in the US capital in 2008 and 2009. The last time he won in Washington he went on to win the US Open, the only Grand Slam title since the 2005 Australian Open not taken by Federer, Nadal, Djokovic or Murray. Seventh-ranked del Potro won his 15th career ATP title, his second of the year after Rotterdam in February, and improved to 4-0 all-time against Isner, the ATP season aces leader, despite not getting to sleep until 3 am after a rain-interrupted semi-final.
Isner, ranked 20th, missed out on his third crown of the year after title runs last week in Atlanta and in April at Houston. Del Potro broke Isner in the fourth and sixth games of the second set, in each taking an Isner overhead smash and firing back a lightning-like forehand winner. Isner netted a forehand to surrender a break in the seventh game of the third set and del Potro saved three break points in the final game before taking the title after 89 minutes on a backhand cross-court winner.
olympic BronZe medallist BetH tweddle retires LOnDOn: Olympic bronze medallist Beth Tweddle has announced her retirement from gymnastics. The 28year-old made the announcement on the anniversary of her bronze-medal winning performance on the uneven bars at London 2012. Britain’s greatest ever gymnast will now concentrate on an athlete-led legacy programme from the Games. Speaking at the Olympic Stadium, the tripple world champion who was awarded the MBE for her services to the sport, said: “It’s been a hard decision to make. Gymnastics has been and always will be a massive part of my life. “Following the Olympics I’ve had a lot of projects on and recently I’ve had a bit more time to get back into the gym and decide whether I could put 100% into it and I know now deep down I can’t commit to the hours and training to remain at the very top. “I’m going to miss being part of the team, my teammates, my personal coach Amanda Reddin, the buzz of the competition and achieving your dreams.” AGENCIES
BrAwn wAnTs MerCedes To sTAy grounded HUNGARY AGENCIES
Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn is refusing to get carried away with Lewis Hamilton’s recent victory in Hungary. Hamilton finally scored his first triumph with Mercedes in his 10th race for the team, seemingly against all the odds. Known to suffer high degradation on their tyres when the sun shines, Mercedes finally appeared to find a cure for their woes in the heat at the Hungaroring.
The suggestion is Mercedes and Hamilton could now be a real threat to Red Bull and Sebastian vettel for this year’s Formula One titles once the sport returns from its summer break later this month. Pirelli’s switch to a different tyre in Hungary, in the wake of the blowouts seen at the British Grand Prix, appears to have played into Mercedes’ hands. Yet a wary Brawn said: “It is a strong moving target. “We’ve had three specs of tyre this year - what we began the season with, what we took to the Nurburgring (for the German
Grand Prix) and what we had in Hungary. “So you have to keep track and there’s no doubt that it will suit people more than others. “Quite frankly, I still don’t have any idea whether this tyre is the one that suits us more or less than anyone else. “It’s certainly changed the order a little because some teams who were doing exceptionally well, like Force India, struggled with it. I’m sure they will come to terms with it, but it clearly behaves differently. “We’d just started to understand the original tyre at Silverstone when
we had to change it again. “There are slopes that people will be running along in terms of their understanding of the tyre. “We got it on the button in Hungary, but it doesn’t mean we’ll get it right at Spa (Belgian Grand Prix on August 25) because every situation is different. “You just build up your understanding of it to use it properly.” Another crucial ingredient of Hamilton’s success in Hungary was a new cooling system developed by Mercedes to cope with the extreme heat they knew in advance would dominate the weekend.
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Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records. –William Arthur Ward
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McIlroy heads to oak hill still searching for confidence KIAWAH
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WELvE months ago Rory McIlroy went into the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island on a high, having ended a run of poor form with an encouraging tie for fifth at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational the previous week. The mop-haired Northern Irishman took full advantage, clinching the season’s final major by a recordbreaking eight shots before going on to win twice more on the 2012 PGA Tour as he stormed back to the top of the world rankings. This year, however, is very different, and McIlroy will launch his PGA Championship title defence at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York on Thursday still searching for confidence and consistency in his driving. His bid last week to replicate that 2012 turnaround in his game at the Bridgestone Invitational was not as successful: he carded rounds of even-par 70, 71, 69 and 72 to finish joint 27th at Firestone Country Club in a field of 73. “I definitely had a better week last year, coming out of Firestone with a lot of confidence going into the PGA, feeling good about my game,” world number three McIlroy told reporters. “I keep saying my game doesn’t feel too far away. It’s obviously not where I want it to be, but it’s not a million miles away.” Though McIlroy signed off at Firestone with his worst score of the week, he was somewhat encouraged by the improvement in his ball striking. “It was okay,” the 24-year-old said. “I thought I struck the ball much better
Boonen ruled out of eneco tour as nigHtmare 2013 season continues AMSTERDAML: Tom Boonen has been ruled out of next week’s Eneco Tour as he continues to struggle with a cyst. The 32-year-old Belgian is unable to train properly and had already been forced sit out last week’s Tour of Denmark. The cyst is located where Boonen sits on the saddle and it is not yet known when he will be able to return to racing. It is the latest setback in a frustrating season for the Omega Pharma - Quick-Step rider, who required surgery on an elbow infection in January, saw his Classics campaign wiped out by crashes and only registered his first win of the year at the Tour de Wallonie last month. “I’m really disappointed,” he said. AGENCIES
scott aims to ‘Bookend’ golden season at tHe majors nEW YORK: Adam Scott heads into this week’s PGA Championship with bitter-sweet memories of his British Open finish last month and a clear-cut aim to “bookend” what has already been a golden season for him in the majors. The Australian made a long-awaited breakthrough in golf’s elite championships with a playoff win at the Masters in April, and was in good position to clinch the British Open at Muirfield before letting slip a one-shot lead with seven holes to play. Scott’s bid for the coveted Claret Jug unravelled as he recorded four consecutive bogeys from the 13th, a collapse he said was even harder to swallow than his late meltdown in the 2012 British Open at Royal Lytham. “I was probably more disappointed at the Open this year than last,” the world number five told reporters at Oak Hill Country Club on Tuesday while preparing for Thursday’s opening round at the season’s final major. “I worked really hard to get myself in a position with nine holes to go because I got off to a slow start on Sunday. I felt that I had a bit of momentum going my way. AGENCIES
(in the final round) than I did the previous three days, which was great, which was a good sign. “Obviously I didn’t score very well the first day, then I didn’t hit it particularly well in the middle two rounds, but actually my short game was good and was able to keep myself around par. “(On Sunday) I played nicely, just a couple of bad holes on the back nine. It’s definitely going in the right direction.” McIlroy, who claimed the order of merit on both sides of the Atlantic last year, certainly needs his game to be heading in the right direction after enduring a roller-coaster ride this season, both on and off the course. LUCRATIVE DEAL: He has mainly struggled for form since switching his club brand at the start of the season to
Nike in a lucrative deal reported to be worth as much as $250 million over 10 years, recording just four top-10s in 12 starts on the PGA Tour. McIlroy has also been criticised for the amount of time he spends with his girlfriend, former world number one tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, many suggesting that his private life has taken up too much of his potential practice time for golf. The Northern Irishman readily admits the past 12 months have been “up and down” for him, with a tendency of late to become “a little bit too emotionally involved” with his game. “I’ve let it either get me excited or get me down, where I should really just not get too high or too low about it at all,” McIlroy said.
Mills feels keeping Bale a tough task SPORTS DESK Tottenham non-executive director Sir Keith Mills accepts that the club will struggle to stop Gareth Bale from making a move to Real Madrid if that is his wish. Mills concedes the appeal of guaranteed Champions League football at the Bernabeu is a strong one, but he has not given up hope of keeping Bale to help fulfil Tottenham’s own European ambitions. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti revealed last week that the nine-time European champions were in talks with Spurs over a possible deal for Bale, for a reported fee of £86m. “We very much want Bale to stay,” Mills told the Evening Standard. “If a player is desperate to leave, it’s very difficult to force him to stay. “We’ve seen it in other clubs. Even
if he has a contract, you can’t force somebody to play for you. “This summer, we are investing in a great squad and we hope that provides us
with Champions League football next year and we start to win trophies, FA Cups. That’s what Tottenham need. We have made some good acquisitions.”
wAtCh It LIve TEN SPORTS ATP 1000 MASTERS: ROGERS CUP
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Barker confident aHead Bout against geale ATLAnTIC CITY: Darren Barker is in confident mood as he heads to America ahead of his world title fight against Daniel Geale. The Barnet middleweight will fight for the title for a second time when taking on the IBF champion from Australia in Atlantic City. Barker will set up camp in New Jersey this week to add the finishing touches to his plans, and he is confident he’ll return home with the belt. “I truly believe I’m better than him,” said Barker. “Whilst I would never underestimate him, I truly believe it’s my time and my destiny. “Our paths have mirrored the other; we both boxed in the 2002 Commonwealth Games, he won gold at welterweight, I won at light welterweight, and we boxed in the World Championships in 2003 in the same weight but on opposite sides of the draw. “I’ve kept an eye on his pro career and I’m very confident. I know what he’s all about, I know what I’m all about and I know how to beat him so I can’t wait for August 17. This is what it’s all about - reaching the pinnacle of your sport should be everyone’s goal and I’m close to it now.” AGENCIES
nastasic to miss start of tHe season BAnGKOK: Manchester City’s Matija Nastasic is to miss the first month of the season with an ankle injury picked up in July’s Asia Trophy final win over Sunderland. Nastasic, 20, was carried off in the pre-season tournament match played on a sodden pitch - criticised by some of the teams - in Hong Kong. The Serbia defender is expected to be out for another four to six weeks. But striker Sergio Aguero should return to training next week in a boost for the Premier League runners-up. The Argentina international - signed for a reported £38m from Atletico Madrid in 2011 - has not featured since injuring his knee during the post-season friendly against Chelsea in May. City’s medical staff have said Aguero is”making good progress” in his recovery. In the absence of Nastasic, who made 30 appearances in all competitions for City last season following his £12m summer move from Fiorentina, Joleon Lescott could be given the chance to partner Vincent Kompany at centre-back. AGENCIES
sTAge wIns, hIgh gC The TArgeT In PorTugAL SPORTS DESK The volta a Portugal kicks off with a five kilometre prologue on Wednesday before ten other stages will challenge the peloton during the 75th edition of the race. The event is a major focus for Team MTN-Qhubeka after its success last year with two stage wins. Jay Thomson, while riding for an American team, won the opening road stage and wore the yellow jersey for several stages last year. The South African champion forms part of the line up this year for Africa’s first Professional Continental team. Gerald Ciolek will target the sprint finishes while Sergio Pardilla is looking for a high finish in the
overall race. “The volta a Portugal is a great event with tough conditions,” said Sports Director Jens Zemke. “This race offers everything cycling is about. Hot weather, amazing mountain stages, fast sprints at beautiful scenery, a team time trial in the capital Lisbon and huge crowd of enthusiastic fans. The teams, who will be at the start are very strong but our goal is to achieve sportive important results and promote our project.” The first three stages after the prologue are flat until stage 4, which should be the first test for the general classification riders as the day finishes on a category one climb. For South African audiences, the
race will be broadcasted on DStv channel 435. Race information: http://www.volta-portugal.com volta a Portugal (Portugal) – (August 7-18 / UCI 2.1): Dennis van Niekerk (RSA), Ferekalsi Debesay (ERI), Ignatas Konovalovas (LTU), Gerald Ciolek (GER), Jaco venter (RSA), Jay Thomson (RSA) Johann van Zyl (RSA), Martin Reimer (GER), Sergio Pardilla (ESP) Staff: Jens Zemke (Directeur Sportif), Dr Jarrad Zuydam (Doctor), Dr Rob Child (Nutrition), Trevor Court (Performance Coach), Basti Büffel (Soigneur), Hagen Bernutz (Soigneur), Casper Bester (Mechanic), Daniele Nieri (Mechanic), Francesco Bonnini (Bus Driver).
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wednesday, 7 August, 2013
Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad.