e-paper pakistantoday 22nd april, 2012

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Rs 22.00 Vol ii no 295 22 pages islamabad-peshawar edition

sunday, 22 april, 2012 Jamadi-ul-awal 29, 1433

test of patience begins Families demand answers as govt orders yet another judicial probe g Farooq Bhoja tells officials he owns only ‘five percent shares’, arshad Jalil is the Md g

ISLAMABAD

T

Staff RepoRt/agencieS

he Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday arrested Umar Farooq Bhoja, owner of Bhoja Airlines, as Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani announced that a judicial commission would investigate Friday’s air crash that killed 127 people on board the plane.

A case for killing 127 people was also registered against Farooq Bhoja with Koral police station, Islamabad.

The FIR lodged into the incident accused the owner of Bhoja Airline of using an outdated aircraft.

Bhoja is currently in the protective custody of FIA for interrogation, while the Interior Ministry also put his name on the Exit Control List (ECL).

However, a private TV channel reported late on Saturday that Bhoja had told interrogators that there were six partners in the airlines. Arshad Jalil, his wife and son owned 80 percent of the shares and Arshad was the managing director, while Bhoja claimed that he owned only five percent of the shares.

Two directors of the airlines — Mutahir Hussain and Zeeshan Kareemi – are also shareholders in the business.

Continued on page 04

Related stoRies | pages 02 & 03

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02 News Today’s

Sunday, 22 april, 2012

ISlamabad

nEWS

110 bodies handed over to relatives

punjab govt will not be dislodged despite ppp-pMl-Q majority: gilani

Story on Page 07

Story on Page 06

CaRtoon

Quick Look

Court orders FIR against law minister for breaking the law LAHORE: An additional district and sessions judge (AD&SJ) on Saturday directed Civil Lines Police station house officer (SHO) to register an FIR against Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and other PML-N leaders for taking out a rally on The Mall in violation of Section 144 that banned protests on the main artery of the city.

AD&SJ Abdur Rahim passed the order on an application filed by Munir Ahmed through his counsel Muhammad Azhar Siddique advocate, challenging the sheer violation of the ban on holding rallies on The Mall.

The petitioner counsel pleaded that the Punjab government had imposed Section 144 on The Mall and holding a public rally was prohibited, but the PML-N leadership led by Rana Sanaullah took out a rally on The Mall on March 29. The counsel said the law minister and others violated Section 144 by organising a protest rally, therefore, an FIR should be registered against Rana Sanaullah, Ch Abdul Ghafoor Rana, Nouman Ijaz and other MPAs whose photographs were published in newspapers the next day.

The advocate said a few days ago, the Civil Lines SHO registered an FIR against activists of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek-e-Insaaf under Section 144 and 16 MPO when they took out a rally on The Mall, but only two days earlier, the PML-N had rallied on The Mall but no case was registered against them. The counsel drew the attention of the court to the discrimination, stating that “it is shameful that if private people take out a rally on The Mall they are subjected to torture by police, but the ruling party activists are spared”. He requested the court to pass directions to the CCPO and SHOs of Civil Lines and Qilla Gujjar Singh to register an FIR against PML-N leaders who violated the law. Staff RepoRt

Page 13

Crashed plane’s pilot lost control three minutes before accident

HUSSain aBaD: Soldiers stand guard at the site of the plane crash on Saturday. AFP

ISLAMABAD online

The pilot of the ill-fated airplane that crashed near Islamabad on Friday informed the control tower just three minutes before the crash that he had lost control over the aircraft, said a preliminary investigation report prepared by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). According to initial reports, the plane was flying at 2,000 feet height three minutes before it crashed near Chaklala. The fuel tank of the Islamabad-bound flight exploded in the air when it was flying at 500 feet, the report said, adding that the plane crashed at the speed of 500 kms per hour. According to the CAA report, the plane was properly positioned when it began its approach. Three minutes before the crash, the plane’s captain had informed the control tower that the plane was getting out of his control as a fuel tank had caught fire. The pilot asked for help to attempt an emergency landing, telling controllers he could see the roofs of homes but not the airport’s landing strip. But the airliner descended 50 feet more before its tanks exploded, the report added.

‘Iqbal taught tolerance’

Indian Railways wary as Pakistan makes fresh offer for engines NEWS DESK LAHORE: Veterans from different walks of lives explored different horizons of Iqbal’s philosophy in a seminar held at Aiwan-e-Iqbal in connection with death anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal. From Iqbal’s pluralism to his religiosity, all was discussed in a healthy debate between intellectuals of conservative and liberal school of thoughts.

Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, President Markazia Majlis Iqbal Afzal Hayat, Aiwan-e-Iqbal Chairman Arif Nizami, veteran journalist Mujeeb ur Rehman Shami, columnist Orya Maqbool Jan and Iqbaliat scholars paid tribute to the vision of Iqbal. Aitzaz Ahsan said the thought behind all works of Iqbal was of pluralism and tolerance and he should not be constrained into boundaries of religion or state. He said need of the time was to understand Iqbal’s philosophy rightly and follow it. He said the eagles of Iqbal should come up with innovations instead of following outdated ideals. He was of the opinion that mosques and seminaries should focus on modern education as well. Arif Nizami, speaking at the occasion, said a few people had hijacked Iqbal. Pointing to his cospeakers, he said they were the true followers of Iqbal. He said some leaders always talk of Iqbal’s thoughts but seldom follow his message.

Shami was of the opinion that Iqbal and Jinnah had never wanted to make Pakistan a secular state. Quoting from Iqbal’s oath-taking speech in Legislative Assemble of British India, he said Iqbal preferred national interest over personal gains but current rulers had been plundering without any fear. Staff RepoRt

Pakistan has pitched in with a renewed and upgraded proposal to buy or take on lease about 100 rail engines from India for restarting its defunct train services, according to a report in Hindustan Times.

October last year, Pakistan had initially proposed the purchase/lease of 50 train engines from India. The Indian Railways had shot down the proposal on grounds of the “corporate risk” involved, as also because of the high domestic demand for train engines in India.

Of its fleet of 520 locomotives of the Pakistan Railways (PR), only 76 were operational in the month of March 2012. Acute shortage of locomotives has forced the Pakistan Railways to suspend operations of as many as 128 passenger trains.

Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai met Chairman, Railway Board Vinay Mittal last week to pursue Pakistan’s proposal.

The fresh proposal is understood to have been made by Pakistan President Asif Ali

Zardari during his luncheon meeting with Indian premier Manmohan Singh at New Delhi on April 8.

Indian Railways officials are still disinclined to do business with Pakistan, unless the neighboring country provides advances commitments for simplifying Visa procedures and for providing diplomatic immunity for Indian engineers that will need to be deputed to that country as technical support staff.

The sale or lease of engines to Pakistan will imply a training aspect, as also the sourcing of a substantial supply of spares form India, including consumables like filters, oils and greases.

Pakistan needs to make advance commitments for permitting the easy flow of men, material and spares from India, sources said.

Mathai is understood to have assured Mittal that he would attempt to address concerns of the Indian Railways officials at the diplomatic level.

Options being considered includes the

possibility of the lease or sale of new engines (WMD3D type) for approximately Rs.7 crores apiece, or the rehabilitated (WDM2 type), which come at a lesser price of Rs.4.5 crores apiece. The option of offering old, retrofitted engines is also being considered.

Pakistan Railways have failed to handle maintenance of train engines, either on account of financial crisis or because of the non-availability of skilled manpower.

The Chinese engines fleet available in Pakistan has gone out of service because of the reported lack of support from Chinese suppliers.

The Indian Railways has 4,214 electric and 6,000 diesel engines in its inventory.

Approximately, 500 engines roll out from its two public sector manufacturing units each year, but the public transporter is still unable to meet its domestic demand of around 700 train engines annually. The Indian Railways have remained massively short of its Vision-2020 target of manufacturing 1,200 train engines annually.

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Sunday, 22 april, 2012

aRtS & EntERtaInmEnt

FoREIgn nEWS

SPoRtS

Blood, sweat and jungle: hunting Kony with Uganda’s squads Veena Malik willing to bare all for playboy for $1m

Yousuf suggests former players’ help to revive cricket

News 03 CommEnt after the crash Independent inquiry required.

encouraging signs

Imran Khan in Balochistan

Humayun gauhar says: Peace is the only option: Strong and wise rulers on both sides can bring detente.

M J akbar says: The Ghalib guide to politics: Let us examine the available evidence.

Saad Rasool says: Culture of accountability: This is an issue of culture and conscience.

Story on Page 14

Story on Page 17

Story on Page 18

articles on Page 12-13

Govt does the ‘needful’ by merely announcing a probe LAHORE

P

Plane victims’ jewellery, luggage looted ISLAMABAD

iMRan aDnan

AKISTAN is fit to come first on the list of land of morally dead people, as in the past 66 years none of the responsible, either public or civilian figure, bothered to resign over tragedies that cost life to hundreds of people, and Friday’s plane crash incident also appears to heading that way.

Bhoja Airline’s flight B4-213 has once again reminded us that the situation in the country may not improve soon, as the government has once again constituted a committee to probe into the unfortunate incident that cost 127 precious lives.

But, neither the defence minister nor the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) chief has resigned or been suspended.

Pakistan already has a long history of blunders in which hundreds of people had to lose their life due to administrative failures.

The Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) defective drug scandal, dengue outbreak in Punjab, Kalarkahar school bus accident and musical concert stampede at Gaddafi Stadium are few of the recent unfortunate incidents in which precious lives were wasted. But more unfortunate is the fact that the responsibility for these disasters could not be fixed on anyone. In all these incidents, the government constituted investigation committees that never produced a transparent investigation.

Like previous incidents, the government would discharge its obligation by paying a few million rupees to aggrieved families of plane crash victims, and afterwards, nobody will ask the orphans, widows or other relatives about their state.

On the other hand, people responsible for these unfortunate incidents will enjoy the same privilege and protocol.

They merely have to face transfer from

inp

A grim picture was seen at the scene of the Bhoja Airline plane crash as a few people from the locality remained busy in looting the luggage and expensive items of victims. The culprits were seen collecting jewellery, watches, imported bags and other items of the travellers who were flying from Karachi to Islamabad on the ill-fated flight. The heirs of victims reached the capital by a special Pakistan Airlines’ flight. “How is it possible for a human being to loot money and jewellery brewed in the blood and flesh of a human,” said a person at the spot. “It is disgusting to see such things around the dead bodies and wreckage of a plane,” he added. The culprits were later caught by security officials when the police reached the spot.

boeing offers to assist Pakistan in crash probe ISLAMABAD inp

iSlaMaBaD: Mourning relatives wait outside a hospital. afp

US aircraft company Boeing has offered technical assistance to Pakistan for the investigation into the plane crash near the Islamabad airport that killed 127 people on Friday.

In a condolence message, the company expressed sympathy with the bereaved families and said it was ready to help Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in probing the accident.

The assistance will be provided through the US National Transportation Safety Board.

The Bhoja Airlines flight with 118 passengers and nine crew members crashed on Friday, minutes before it was to land at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport at 7 pm, apparently due to bad weather.

The plane had taken off on its maiden flight from Karachi at 5 pm.

HUSSain aBaD: locals look at the wreckage of the Bhoja air plane. ONLINE one institute to another, but nothing more than that, because the justice system in the country is really blind, institutions are weak and powers are vested with individuals.

However, the advancement in social media and the recent Arab spring are the light at the end of the tunnel.

Social media websites, including microblogging portal Twitter, were flooded with condolence messages and criticism of state

machinery and role of the media even on the second day of the accident.

Social media junkies kept demanding resignations from the defence minister, defence secretary, CAA DG and airport authorities.

They said the CAA, airline management, defence minister and secretary were equally responsible for the accident and if they remained in their offices, they could influence the investigation.

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04 News

Sunday, 22 april, 2012

Test of patience Continued FRoM page 1 Meanwhile, rescue workers have recovered the Cockpit Voice Recorder of the illfated plane, however, CAA Director General Nadeem Yousafzai announced that there was no technical fault in the plane, as it had been thoroughly inspected at the Karachi airport before its flight.

Another CAA official said the Boeing 737-200 was 28 years old and had been bought on dry lease from a South African company.

A Bhoja Air official insisted that despite its age, the plane was safe to fly.

“The aircraft was old and second hand but it is not something unusual. The fleet of state-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) also runs old aircraft,” Bhoja Air official Masham Zafar told AFP. “Airlines rarely have brand new planes, and this aircraft was also refurbished. Pakistan Metrological Department Director General Arif Mahmood told Pakistan Today that bad weather warning was provided to CAA twice on Friday. “The first warning was issued at 3pm that cited major aviation hazards, while the second one was issued at around 6pm,” he added. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani visited Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Saturday and directed Interior Minister Rehman Malik to form a judicial commission to probe into incident. The commission would be headed by former chief justice of the Lahore High Court Zahid Hussain

Bukhari and would comprise Justice (r) Naseem Sikandar and Dr Wasim Kosar. PIMS spokesman Wasim Khawaja said that most of the relatives had identified their loved ones and the remaining bodies had been sent to a morgue in Sector I/10.

“We would hand over the bodies after DNA tests,” Khawaja said, adding that the process would take five to seven days.

RELATivEs: But the developments had no calming effect on the aggrieved families, whose loss only amplified on the receipt of as many as 118 bodies of relatives. It was a breakdown indeed. Dozens of coffins lined a hallway of PIMS on Saturday as weeping relatives of the victims slammed the authorities for the disaster.

Staff at PIMS, faces covered with masks, sprayed air freshener to mask the smell of burnt flesh in the room where the remains were being kept, some of them no more than a few body parts.

A dejected woman identifying herself as Mrs Hassan, 45, said she had come to collect the body of her 45year old cousin Mohammad Yunus, a scholar who had been running a madrassa in Karachi.

“We could not get the full body. We recognised his hand and hair along with his jacket,” she said.

“It’s sheer incompetence of the government. This is the second major accident here in less than two years but the president and the prime minister remain unmoved. If the weather was bad why did they not warn the pilot. Why did they allow

the plane to land?” she charged. Abdul Raoof, 55, said he had come for the body of his cousin Ghulam Farooq, 45, who worked for the State Life Insurance Corporation in Islamabad.

“We have been roaming here since early morning.

We go inside the mortuary

and returned in depression after seeing body parts and severed limbs lying there.”

“We wait, get impatient and then go inside again only to return disappointed.

We are traumatised. We want to get the body and leave this place as early as possible.” Raoof blamed the

airport control tower for negligence.

“If the weather was bad the plane should have been turned away,” he said. “It is also a mistake of the airline.

They sacrificed 127 lives just to save some fuel.”

A majority of affected family members, flown from

Karachi on a special Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight, were inconsolable, too overwhelmed with grief to speak.

One young man wept bitterly for the cousin and aunt he lost in the crash, who were returning from pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

“I don’t want to talk, please leave us alone,” he told journalists.

Hospital staff sprinkled rose petals on some of the coffins as a gesture of compassion, while police and soldiers consoled relatives.

“My brothers are gone!

My brothers are gone!” wailed Mohammad Shahzad, slumping to the ground by the hospital entrance. One brother had been identified, he said, the other remained missing.

Both had been on a daylong business trip linked to the transport company run by the three siblings.

“We don’t know what to tell the kids, we don’t know what to tell my mother,” Shahzad said. “They keep calling. I told them there was an accident and we don’t know anything yet.”

Ayesha Ishaque pressed her face against a light brown wooden coffin labelled “Body 140”. Her brother, Mohammad Saud Ishaque, had been returning home from studies in Karachi.

“Why has God done this to my brother,” she wailed.

A senior PIA engineer told AFP the age of the aircraft mattered less than its flying hours, and said he thought an air pocket — a patch of low air pressure — could be to blame.

“Since it was approaching the airport to land it was obviously flying low — between 3,000 and 4,000 feet above the ground,” he said.

“Visibility was also low because it was raining and there was thunder and lightening. The pilot lost control and apparently failed to lift it out of the air pocket.”

Indonesia detains Afghan Shoe-bomber Saajid asylum seekers after boat sinks Badat describes meeting Osama MALANG afp

Indonesia was questioning more than 70 mostly Afghan asylum seekers bound for Australia Saturday after their boat was hit by a powerful wave, forcing them to swim to shore, officials said.

Residents in Wonogoro beach on the eastern coast of Java island reported seeing scores of people wash up onto the shore late Friday night, some beginning to run away, Malang police chief Rinto Djatmono told AFP. “We found 43 last night including three children and one woman. They are being questioned by the Malang city im-

migration office and they are all in a healthy condition,” Djatmono said.

Police detained another 30 late Saturday morning and are still looking for more believed to be missing. There was no search operation at sea.

Jahmadi Ahkhalik, 55, was making the journey with his wife and four children. “I paid $5,000 for my family to get out of Afghanistan and get on this boat. I sold everything I had of any value to do it,” he told AFP. He said he had waited in Indonesia for eight months before getting on the boat bound for Australia’s Christmas Island, which is closer to Java than mainland Australia.

Ali Ahmad, 17, said he

travelled through Malaysia and the Indonesian capital Jakarta, which cost him around $5,000, including the boat journey. “I didn’t even tell my family. They don’t know I was trying to go to Australia,” he said. Some of the asylum seekers had already been processed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Djatmono said.

Officials were told by different asylum seekers that there were between 83 and 100 on the boat. “From what they’ve told us, we know their engine had broken down two days earlier, and a strong wave hit the boat and destroyed the vessel,” Djatmono said, adding it was unclear how far they had

swum. Last week, Indonesian authorities said they believed dozens of mostly Afghan asylum seekers had fled a leaky boat with malfunctioning engines found on Lombok island, near the resort island of Bali.

Those asylum seekers have not been found, and police have made no connection between the two cases.

Indonesia is a common transit point for asylum seekers trying to reach Australia, but many of the overloaded rickety boats do not make it.

In December, a boat carrying around 250 mostly Afghan and Iranian asylum seekers sank in Indonesian waters on its way to Christmas Island, with only 47 surviving.

Air Force Two carrying Biden struck by birds, lands safely WASHINGTON ReUteRS

The Air Force Two plane carrying Vice President Joe Biden was struck by birds in California on Thursday, a spokeswoman for his office said, but it landed without problem and the vice president, passengers and crew were safe at all times.

The incident occurred on Thursday night as Air Force Two was landing in Santa Bar-

bara, California. A person familiar with the situation said the landing felt normal to people on board.

“The vice president left Santa Barbara this afternoon as scheduled, aboard an alternate U.S. Air Force aircraft,” the spokeswoman said.

Lieutenant Gregg Johnson of the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, which is responsible for transporting the president, vice

president and other senior U.S. officials, said the crew and passengers of Air Force Two had been “safe at all times.”

“There was no emergency no emergency landing declared,” he said, adding it was not possible at this stage to characterize the level of damage, if any, that the modified Boeing 757 aircraft sustained in the bird strike.

Another bird strike on Thursday forced a Delta Air

Lines flight bound for Los Angeles to make an emergency return to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

In January 2009, a US Airways flight made a successful emergency landing in the Hudson River after it struck a flock of geese shortly after take-off from New York’s LaGuardia airport.

All 155 passengers and crew survived.

LONDON agencieS

A British man convicted in an aborted shoe-bombing mission has admitted meeting Osama bin Laden, in testimony recorded for a US terror trial.

Saajid Badat, 33, was interviewed by US prosecutors outside London last month in preparation for the trial of Adis Medunjanin, who is accused of the plot to attack New York’s subways in 2009.

British authorities said this week that Badat would be the first person convicted in the UK on terrorism charges to agree to give evidence at the trial of alleged terrorists.

Badat said he refused a request to testify in person because he remains under indictment in Boston on charges alleging he conspired with the shoebomber Richard Reid.

“If I go to the United States, I’ll be arrested,” Badat said on the tape played for a federal court jury in Brooklyn on Thursday.

Badat pleaded guilty in Britain to plotting with Reid to bring down separate American transatlantic

flights using bombs hidden in their shoes. Unlike Reid, he backed out at the last minute.

“I agreed to take an explosive on an aircraft and explode it,” he said in the video, looking clean-cut and wearing a suit.

He testified that he had “direct interaction” with Bin Laden more than once after traveling to Afghanistan in 1999. At the time, he knew the terror network as “The Sheik’s Group”, with “sheik” referring to Bin Laden.

Medunjanin is accused of travelling to Pakistan with two friends from his Queens secondary school in 2008 and receiving terrorism training from alQaida.

Prosecutors allege the men agreed to seek martyrdom by dying as suicide bombers in an attack on Manhattan subway lines at rush hour.

Medunjanin, 27, a Bosnian-born US citizen, has pleaded not guilty and denied he was ever part of an al-Qaida operation.

Badat, the British-born son of Malawi immigrants, was 21 when he traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

While in Afghanistan, he

was given an explosive device designed to evade airport security and destroy an aircraft in flight, authorities said.

Badat returned to Britain with the device on 10 December 2001. He stashed the bomb under a bed in his family home in Gloucester, England, and resumed his academic studies. He later told authorities he backed out because he was hoping “to introduce calm into his life”.

British intelligence tracked down Badat two years later and arrested him after investigators matched cords on Reid’s device to those on Badat’s bomb.

Badat was sentenced to 13 years in prison. But authorities announced this week that in 2009 a judge secretly reduced his sentence to 11 years to reward him for his co-operation in terror investigations.

Reid attempted to bring down a plane in December 2001 and is serving a life sentence in a high-security US prison.

The majority of Badat’s evidence will be heard when the trial resumes on Monday.

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Sunday, 22 april, 2012

News 05

Report dings lawyers and CJP: WSJ

I

NEWS DESK

N 2008, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry became the symbol of the lawyers’ movement which toppled an unelected president and brought democracy back to the country. Harvard Law School even presented Chaudhry with its Medal of Freedom.

However, according to Wall Street Journal, a new report by the International Commission of Jurists, a Geneva-based nongovernment organization of judges and lawyers, suggests his legacy might be more complicated.

The report, released this month and based on a field trip to Pakistan last fall, paints a picture of a judiciary under Justice Chaudhry that is exercising unusually wide-ranging powers.

Pakistan’s judiciary has, during Chaudhry’s tenure as chief justice, stepped into areas normally reserved for a nation’s government, raising concerns over the balance of power, the report said.

It noted that judges in Pakistan are increasingly initiating court proceedings on issues – as opposed to hearing cases brought by plaintiffs.

The courts often launch these socalled “suo moto” cases in instances where the government has failed to take action. The report said in some cases this helps to protect the rule of law.

It cited an example last year when paramilitary forces were caught on video shooting dead a teenager who was pleading for his life. The Supreme Court ordered senior paramilitary officers removed from their posts within three days and told a state prosecutor to launch an investigation.

But in other cases Chaudhry appears to arbitrarily initiate “suo moto” proceedings based on articles in Pakistani newspapers, the report said.

“This introduces a certain element of chance to the practice which is hardly compatible with the rule of law.”

A notable example of this, not contained in the ICJ report, involves Atiqa Odho, a Pakistani television actor who

was allegedly detained last year at Karachi airport with liquor in her luggage but later released without charges.

(Alcohol is illegal in Pakistan.)

Chaudhry, on reading media reports, ordered authorities to register a case against Ms. Odho, which they did.

A court is yet to rule in the case.

Attempts to reach Chaudhry were not successful.

In another well-known example, the Supreme Court tried to rule on the price of sugar – a matter usually left to government or market forces.

Chaudhry has fought in recent years to weaken the role of Parliament in appointing judges, the report noted.

Under Pakistan’s constitution, a judicial commission, including the chief justice, nominates judges. But a parliamentary committee has the right to reject or confirm the nominations.

Last year, the Supreme Court overturned the committee’s decision to reject the appointment of a number of high court judges whom the judicial commission had recommended.

The report found the “authority of the Parliamentary Committee was reduced drastically,” by that judgment.

The authors nodded to concerns about the failure of governance in Pakistan. But it also pointed out the pitfalls of a judiciary trying to fill the role of an administration.

“Parliament and Government are weak, which leads to the Supreme Court filling the gap by intervening in matters germane to the administration,” the report said. “This occurs to the extent that the Supreme Court even…intervenes to strengthen its own and particularly the power of the Chief Justice as far as the appointment of judges is concerned. A concern in respect of the balance of powers thereby arises.”

The report did not get into an ongoing struggle between the judiciary and the government of President Asif Ali Zardari. The Supreme Court in February charged Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani with contempt of court for failing to re-open a corruption case against Zardari.

Government officials claim the case is the ultimate example of judicial overreach, while the court says Gilani has failed to follow its orders.

The court has not yet made a ruling.

Gilani could be dismissed from office and face six months in jail if found guilty.

Shutter-down strike observed in interior Sindh at JSQM call HYDERABAD online

A shutter-down strike was observed in interior Sindh on Saturday following the call to strike given by Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) against the investigation team constituted by the Sindh government to look into the murder of its chairman Bashir Qureshi.

According to reports from interior Sindh, JSQM workers forcibly closed business centres by firing shots in the air and ransacking the business centres that were open.

SUKKUR: Businesses were closed in the city due to a strike called by JSQM against the alleged killing of Bashir Qureshi. ONLINE

Aitzaz hopes court would accept his view point in PM contempt case LAHORE agencieS

Aitzaz Ahsan, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s counsel in the contempt of court case, has said that the court had the authority to award prison sentence to the PM, but hoped that the matter would not go to the extent of a sentence.

Talking to reporters at Aiwan-eIqbal after a function in connection with death anniversary of Allama Iqbal, Aitzaz hoped that the court would accept his view point. He said he did not talk about allegations of corruption against President Zardari but only submitting before the apex court that as long as Zardari was president, letter can neither be written to the Swiss Authorities nor it should be done. He said he never opposed writing a letter to Swiss officials but wanted its suspension as long as Zardari was president. To another question, he said it was for the court, not for any media group, to decide whether Ali Musa Gilani had

committed a crime or not.

Aitzaz said he never said that since Yousaf Raza Gilani belonged to a religious family, there should be a separate law for him, but a media group had made him the

target of criticism. He said disliking of President Zardari by certain people was a different thing, but he was an elected head of state and he could not be thrown before a foreign magistrate. He pointed out that the world powers did not allow action against Raymond Davis and murderers of 18 people in Afghanistan and take them away. The senior lawyer said if the diplomatic immunity of the president was done away with, then we would not be in a position to talk about Dr Aafia Siddiqi.

To a question, the PM’s counsel said the court was yet to listen to the attorney general and the judges would also consult among themselves in the contempt case and after that a verdict would come. He said if the prime minister was disqualified, the matter would come to the speaker for 30 days and after that the Election Commission would give a decision within three months. Aitzaz said in case the prime minister was disqualified, the PPP Core Committee would decide about the next prime minister.

Reports said there was a partial strike in Hyderabad, while a complete shutter-down strike was observed in Jamshoro, Padeedan, Dadu, Johi and other cities.

Protestors also burnt tyres on the highways and major city roads to force vehicular traffic off the roads.

Reports said dozens of JSQM activists were injured and some were arrested during clashes with the police.

Sindh University, Jamshoro and Shah Abdul Latif University in Khairpur were forced to postpone several examination papers.

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06 News

Sunday, 22 april, 2012

gilani proposes bahawalpur as capital of Seraiki province RAHIM YAR KHAN online

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Saturday once again found shelter in the “Seraiki province” to counter corruption allegations against his family, including his son Ali Musa Gilani, who has been involved in the Rs 7 billion ephedrine quota scam, saying Bahwalpur could be made the capital of the new province. In a public rally in Rahim Yar Khan, Gilani said problems of the Seraiki people could not be resolved unless a separate Seraiki province was not created. Gilani met some nationalist Seraiki leaders of Bahawalpur, including Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood and the Nawab of Bahawalpur. During the meeting, Gilani suggested that Bahawalpur might be made the capital of the proposed Seraiki or south Punjab instead of Multan.

Five members of tableegi Jamaat killed in allai MANSEHRA inp

Five members of the Tableegi Jamaat were shot dead by one of their companion in a shooting spree at a mosque in Allai area of Battagram on Saturday. According to details, a member of the Tableegi Jamaat snatched Klashnikov from a local person and opened indiscriminate firing at his companions killing five of them and injuring four others. Locals who gathered on hearing the sound of firing, got hold of the accused and handed him over to police. The Tableegi Jamaat which had come to Allai from Bannu was preparing to go out of the mosque for preaching when one member of the team, Rizwanullah son of Zangi, suddenly snatched a Klashnikov from a local man and opened fire. Those killed were identified as Sabaz Ali, resident of Tank, Jehangir, resident of Lakki Marwat, Mir Ali, Lakki Marwat and Ahmadullah from Bannu Bannu. The injured were shifted to Battagram hospital for medical aid.

iSlaMaBaD: prime Minister Yousaf Raza gilani taking an aerial view of the plane crash site on Saturday. ONLINE

Punjab govt will not be dislodged despite PPP-PML-Q majority: Gilani g

Says he would prefer death over compromising on principles CHACHRAN SHARIF

P

agencieS

RIME Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Saturday categorically said that despite the PPP and PML-Q being in majority in Punjab, the provincial government would not be shown the door.

Addressing a big public gathering after inaugurating the construction of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Bridge, he said the PPP would rather extend support to the crumbling Punjab government.

The bridge, being built at a cost Rs 7 billion, will be completed in a record time of 10 weeks and will link N-5 National

Spring Olympiad 2012 at Beaconhouse

Highway with N-55 and reduce the distance between Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur by 150 kilometers.

The prime minister said he would continue the mission of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto despite all challenges and added that he would die but would never compromise on principles.

Gilani said both Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto laid down their lives for Pakistan and democracy.

He pointed out that a lot of conspiracies had been hatched to eliminate the PPP, but it always emerged as the most popular and strong political party with the passage of time. Gilani added that the

people who could not face us in elections were hatching conspiracies, but due to a vibrant media and civil society they could not dare to derail democracy.

He rebuffed allegations of not respecting the institutions, saying how could a party, which gave the 1973 Constitution to the country and then restored it not respect the institutions.

Referring to south Punjab, he said the sense of deprivation of the people only could only be removed by carving out a separate province for them.

He said the PPP considered people its main source of strength and those who did not respect them would face the consequences.

Gilani also announced Rs 50 million as the first installment for Chachran Model City and Rs 100 million for Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Cadet College.

He ordered the issuance of the second installment of Watan Cards, adding that Rahim Yar Khan would soon get an engineering university.

He also announced the restoration of 400 NCHD employees.

Gilani also asked the National Highway Authority to pay compensation to the people whose land had been acquired for the construction of the bridge.

He announced Rs 1 million for Khanpur Press Club and a water supply scheme for Feroza Town.

Pakistan can’t afford to be selective in improving ties with India: Khar NEWS DESK

D.H. Lawrence said, “This spring as it comes, bursts up in bonfires green, wild puffing of emerald trees, and flame-filled bushes. I am amazed at this spring”. The Annual sports day, ‘Spring Olympiad 2012’ was celebrated at BPR. Parents were also invited. First of all the torch was lit to declare the Spring Olympiad 2012 open. After that the athletes taking part in different events, staged a march past. Then an energetic Aerobic show and Maypole dance took the audience off their feet. There were many interesting competitions like rock climbing, archery and stilt walking but the best of all was rappelling from a 70 feet wall. The other races included potato race, flat race, sack race, wheel barrow race, getting ready for school race and the three legged race. Fathers participated in Tug of War whereas the mothers did the Chatti race. Prize distribution followed the sports.

Students cheered happily after receiving prizes. Parents appreciated the school for putting up such a wonderful show.

India and Pakistan are back on the dialogue table to sort out issues between the two nations, Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has declared, saying that Islamabad cannot afford to be selective in improving ties with its neighbours.

“We cannot afford to be selective in improving relations with immediate neighbours as the betterment of ties with India, China, Afghanistan and Iran is needed for stability in the region,” she said.

“Pakistan’s policy towards all its regional neighbours has been consistent, that we need to find peace and stability,” Khar said in an interview with CNN. Khar stated that the way to achieve stability is to ‘find a friendship’ and improve ties based on trust with each one of Pakistan’s neighbours and not by being selective. “We cannot afford to be selective about it, so be it India, be it China, be it Iran, be it Afghanistan, we do not have a choice,” Khar said.

She was responding to a question on how Pakistan’s ‘obsession’ with India is drawing all its security resources away from the fight against militants. Khar said India and Pakistan are back on the dialogue table, “trying to solve our problems on the negotiating table.” On the slain al-Qaeda chief, Khar said her government had ‘no complicity’ in hiding Osama bin Laden. She claimed that an extensive investigation has so far found that nobody in the government knew of bin Laden’s hideaway in Abbottabad. “We are on the same page. We want to root

2 fall victim to targeted killing in Karachi PESHAWAR Staff RepoRt

out terrorism, because Pakistan suffers more from terrorism than any other country in this world,” she said.

The minister said there were ‘tough lessons’ to be learnt from bin Laden’s ‘unexpected’ presence in Pakistan and how the country can strengthen its intelligence network to ‘ensure this type of thing does not happen in Pakistan anymore’. “This is not the legacy that this government wants to leave behind it at all,” she said.

Two young men, from two different villages of the Gadoon Amazai area of the Swabi district, became victims of target killing in Karachi.

The deceased were identified as Imtiaz, son of Mohammad Qadar from Deewal Garhi and Siraj Bahadar, son of Amir Bahadar from Pekrari. One of the deceased was buried in Karachi whereas the body of the second man was brought to his ancestral village for burial. Locals said both the men belonged to poor families and had gone to Karachi to work. The residents of the villages expressed severe resentment over the assassinations and demanded that the government take immediate steps for the restoration of peace in Karachi.

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Sunday, 22 april, 2012

‘BOEiNg 737 CRASH’

110 bodies handed over to relatives ISLAMABAD

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MaHtaB BaSHiR

HE arrival of each dead body at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has multiplied the agony of the already aggrieved relatives of the ill-fated Boeing 737 passengers, as the bodies blew into pieces after the crash thus making it difficult for the relatives to identify their loved ones.

The remains of the 127 victims were shifted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Friday night, where 118 were identified while 110 bodies were handed over to their relatives.

Those 118 identified mutilated bodies were either handed over to the relatives of diseased while few of them were sent to cold storage located in I-10 Sector through a number of ambulances. “The identified bodies will later be handed over to relatives as soon as they reach here,” said Dr Altaf Hussain, Joint Executive Director (JED), PIMS hospital.

As soon as the coffin came out of the PIMS emergency ward’s gate, the anguished relatives rushed towards the coffin with the hope that the dead body was complete and identifiable as the coffins were tagged with the names of passengers with their identification number.

“The administration of PIMS has handed over the dead bodies to the relatives who have reached here while the rest of the bodies will be handed over to them as soon as they will reach here,” JED said, adding those nine dead bodies whose identification could not be made yet will done through DNA test. Dr Altaf said many of bodies were in full shapes but majority of them were wounded badly.

“DNA test takes a week or 10 days time, as the PIMS has no facility of the DNA test, so those remaining bodies’ pieces will be identified through DNA test in KRL hospital,” Dr Altaf said while talking to Pakistan Today. On Saturday, the relief camps of many private, public and social sector and humanitarians organisations were set up inside the PIMS. The relatives, who turned up on Saturday at PIMS, said: “We cannot explain our agony; we don’t know how it actually occurred. We could not believe it. So far the reason for the crash is not known. It could be related to bad weather as it was raining heavily in Islamabad when the plane crashed. But we want our dear ones back,” they screamed.

They said weather was not as bad as people were talking about. “Even in worst weather conditions we have seen a lot of successful air travels but this is unbelievable- we are astonished,” they said.

Few other relatives waiting for bodies of their dear ones said apparently the cause of the crash was bad weather, but we leave that to the investigators as we could not do more than that. Shakila Bibi belonging to Mansehra and whose three loved ones including Shazia, Sadaf and Hameeda Balwan were in the plane told Pakistan Today that Shazia was to appear for interview in the US embassy.

PIMS spokesman Dr Wasim Khwaja said the hospital administration including its paramedical staff extend their all out efforts during the rescue operation. He said they vacated the wards to accommodate the dead bodies. Khwaja said NADRA had supported much in the identification of the bodies, adding the identification of

the bodies was a difficult task for them as most of the bodies were scattered.

He said the most of the relatives had identified their loved ones and the re-

maining bodies have been sent to the cold storage of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration in Sector I/10.

“After matching the DNA test of the

dead bodies with their relatives, we would hand over the remaining bodies to them,” said Khwaja, adding it would take five to seven days in the whole process.

Police participation in relief activities lauded isLAMABAD: After the plan crash, Islamabad police participated in the relief work with full devotion and dedication as various teams assumed certain tasks to be achieved which were lauded and appreciated by the SSP and the IGP Islamabad. The process of identification of the mutilated dead bodies of passengers who their lives in the plane crash is still continuing. The personnel of Islamabad police participated actively in the rescue operation soon after the crash. Teams of law enforcement agencies, staff from Capital Development authority, Rescue 1122, Civil Aviation Authority, Rangers and other Departments also reached there and participated in rescue operation along with local people with mutual coordination. Dead bodies were shifted at the places where ambulances were parked. Police fully participated in operation of shifting the dead bodies from the crash site to hospital. Police officials rushed to the scene after gathering information from sources. It is pertinent to mention that the police team pointed out the site within few minutes and reached there after passing through single-road in tough weather. With the gathering of people from nearby areas, the traffic was blocked. Over this situation, special deployment of personnel from Islamabad traffic police and Islamabad Police on the route heading towards this site was made which cleared the road for vehicles of rescue teams. IGP Islamabad Bani Amin Khan has also thanked the local people for their support in rescue operation and expressed condolences with the families of deceased. He prayed Almighty Allah to rest the departed souls in eternal peace. He said personnel of Islamabad police would remain present in the area for further assistance as officials from other relevant departments would decide as when to conclude this operation. Staff RepoRt

WORLD PHARMACY CONFERENCE CONCLUDES ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

A three-day 17 international pharmacy conference, on ‘Pharmacy Profession and 21st Century’ concluded here on Saturday. Renowned scholars from the US, UK, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland presented more than 50 research papers in the conference organised by Pakistan Pharmacists Association (PPA).

Quaid-e-Azam University VC Prof Dr Masoom Yazdani chaired the concluding session of the conference. Sharing his views on the occasion, he appreciated the organisers for arranging such a successful conference. He said the conference should be a positive step to initiate the thought-provoking debate on the important topic of medicine which is directly linked to the lives of people. He said the third world countries were facing a number of issues and health was one of the major concerns for them.

“The world is a global village now and technology is improving rapidly, so it is imperative for all of us to perform our duties efficiently and work dedicatedly for the welfare of the mankind,” he remarked. He lauded scholars working in

pharmacists demand role in policy making g

Foreign scholars present more than 50 research papers

the field around the world for experience and knowledge sharing at this conference and hoped that these collective efforts would prove fruitful for nurturing this field and new research studies would a milestone for professionals of this sector.

Pakistan Pharmacists Association President Prof Dr Saeed-ul-Haq, while concluding the conference, said the role of pharmacists should be recognised at all levels as custodians of medicines in public as well as private sector. He said pharmacists were an integral part of the health delivery system and without them the goal of health for all could not be achieved. He added profession of pharmacy was considered as a life-saving profession worldwide.

He underlined the need to enhance the role of pharmacists while formulating the National Drug Policy. “The targets set

by Millennium Develop Goals (MGs) and Health for All cannot be achieved without

utilising and establishing the pharmacy services in the country in its true sense,” he observed. Presenting recommendations of the moot in the concluding session, PPA President Prof Saeed appreciated participations of all the scholars and their valuable contributions. He said experts suggested that pharmacist should be given a major role in policy making and PPA must be taken on board as being the sole representative body of the community.

He also asked for establishment of a pharma co-vigilance centre headed by a pharmacist, adding that the chief executive officer (CEO) should be a graduate in pharmacy. He said d that ownership of all pharmacies should be allotted to pharmacists as were being practised in other countries like Turkey, adding drug sale licences should only be issued to pharmacists. He also recommended that training of pharmacists should be started regularly whereas a programme should be an-

nounced by the government for the capacity building of professionals of this sector. Scholarships should be announced for pharmacists, adding all public hospitals should induct pharma-D internees and give special attention to their training besides providing them extra benefits/facilities.

“Industrial pharmacists should be paid at least Rs 25,000 monthly as starting pay. In public hospitals, the job assignments of pharmacists should be revised. Qualification-cum-experience should be the basic criteria for promotion,” he demanded. “Pharmaceutical industry and academia should be bound to join hands in new research in the field of patient compliance and enhance role of pharmacists in the use of medicine,” he further demanded. He also asked for development of pharmaceutical industry with indigenous research and more World Health Organisation (WHO) ap-

proved plants, adding improved patient care through delivery of pharmaceutical care in the hospitals was also imperative.

He suggested initiation of nationwide pharma-co-vigilance programme at all levels in hospitals and at community pharmacies. Enhancement of the role of pharmacists at community pharmacies was also sought as it remained an ignored area in the past, he said, adding extensive facilities should be provided to conduct research for bringing a major change in this sector. Academia should be recognised as a major stakeholder in all policy decisions, he proposed. There should be balance between public health and business concerns and effective partnerships should be developed in the region, he said, adding that Pakistan Pharmacists Association should take initiative to hold a SAARC pharmacists conference in Pakistan. In the end, shields were also distributed among the organising committee members.

Major pharmaceutical firms have also displayed their products and literature in the conference. More than 2,000 people from the field of pharmacy, government officials, health practitioners and media persons attended the conference.

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08 Islamabad

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PRayER tImIngS Fajr Sunrise 03:59 05:29

Zuhr 12:07

asr 16:49

maghrib 18:46

Isha 20:13

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RawalpinDi: a worker is busy in his work. NNI PhOTO

More than 40 officers may be promoted as private secretaries ISLAMABAD

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online

ecision on the delayed promotion of more than three dozens officers of 18 grade in the National Assembly Secretariat is likely this week.

Sources told ‘ONLINE’ on Saturday that summary of the promotion of more than forty officers as Private Secretaries has been moved to Secretary National Assembly who had forwarded the file to the office of the Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza.

Officers waiting for promotion to next grade as Private Secretaries were perturbed and disturbed due to delayed decision by the competent authority as officers of the same grade in the Senate Secretariat were promoted some two months back and delayed promotion of officers in the Secretariat of the Lower House of the Parliament caused a wave of unrest among them.

Some officers termed extension in the contracts of services of officers after retirement as main hurdle in the way of promotion of officers as some blue eyed people had been getting extensions in the service contracts even after being retired from same posts.

Sources said that National Assembly Finance Committee had prerogative to grant extensions in service contracts on yearly basis.

Most often committee makes decisions on such matters in a meeting chaired by Speaker or Deputy Speaker.

Meeting of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) had been held along ago and final list of the officers to be promoted had also been finalized, but decision could not be taken due to foreign visit of Dr. Fehmida Mirza.

Now, sources say that as NA Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza had returned home from Saudi Arabia after performing Umra a final decision was likely to be made by the Speaker this week.

NBF cELEBRATEs NATiONAL BOOk FOuNDATiON DAy: For the first time in the history of Pakistan, the National Book Foundation (NBF) on Saturday officially announced to celebrate the National Book Day at the Pak-China Friendship Centre from Aril 22-26.

The announcement was made

by NBF Managing Director Mazharul-Islam who said the National Book Day was marked on the directions of Prime Minister Gillani.

Islam said the international community celebrates April 23 as

an International Book Day, with a few countries celebrating national book days. He said at least 80 different stalls will be established during the festival, adding that 25 stalls would be established by the publishers and book sellers invited from across the country.

He added that books related to all subjects will be available on these stalls on more than 30 percent discount rates.

He said children’s books will also be available on cheap rates and that poor children from Islamabad will also be invited to the celebrations where free books will be given to them. He said that a book reading festival for both adults and children would be held on April 23, where around 35 renowned literary personalities and showbiz stars will participate.

A book ambassadors’ conference will also be held to discuss the reasons for decline in reading habits and will suggest means to promote book reading culture and to make books available at affordable prices.

He said that biblio-file of the year award would be handed to one children and an adult person and that the child and adult who read most books will be awarded Rs 20,000 and Rs 100, 000 respectively. He added that Informa-

tion and Broadcasting Minister Qamar-uz-zaman Kaira would distribute cash prizes and wards among the winners.

He added that the PM has issued the notifications to all provincial chief secretaries to officially celebrate the national book day.

RELiEF cAMp EsTABLisHEs iN piMs TO FAciLiTATE HEiRs, sAys BuTT: A relief camp has been established at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to assist the heirs of the people killed in Friday’s plane crash.

The camp was set up on Saturday on the direction of Prime Ministers’ Task Force on Islamabad Chairman Faisal Sakhi Butt.

All necessary information as well as free meals for the heirs are being provided at the camp.

The chairman was also present at the burial of 21 people at the H11 graveyard, with Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Engineer Farkhand Iqbal and people from all walks of life.

Earlier, many government officials and a number of locals attended the funerals of six people in Sector F/8-1.

Faisal Sakhi Butt said the task force and CDA would contribute to help the bereaved families.

POSTER DESigNiNg COMPETiTiON

DRUMMiNg CiRCLE

datE: aPR 13 - 23, 2012 VEnuE: KhaaS aRt gallERy (FREE)

datE: aPR 22, 2012 (today) at 9:00am VEnuE: nuCES, ISlamabad (FREE)

datE and tImE: 05:00 Pm, WEEKly EVEnt VEnuE: thE CEntRE FoR aRtS & CultuRE

do join us at Khaas art gallery for our exhibition 'divine Intervention' With interesting works by Zunaira Sardar & Zeeshan Javed. drop by at 5pm onwards with your friends! the exhibition will continue until the 23th.

naScon 2012: Show your artistic mind using your technical skills. a Poster designing Competition brings out the skills at their best in you.

For Registration Visit http://www.nascon.org.pk/index.html

our drumming circle is a (free!) ongoing event and is held every Friday from 5pm to 6pm We are having a great time, and want to share the good time with you! our drumming circle has children ...

DiViNE iNTERVENTiON

CollEgES / unIVERSItIES IntERnatIonal ISlamIC unIVERSIty 9260765 bahRIa unIVERSIty 9260002 numl 9257677 quaId-E-aZam unIVERSIty 90642098 aRId agRICultuRE unIVERSIty 9290151 FJWu 9273235 RIPha IntERnatIonal unIVERSIty 111510510 nCa RaWalPIndI 5770423 PunJab laW CollEgE 4421347

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Sunday, 22 april, 2012

Islamabad 09 lawyers observe strike against attack on colleague ISLAMABAD app

The lawyers of the federal capital on Saturday observed strike to protest a murder attempt on former IDCBA Vice President Raja Faisal Younas Khan. A meeting of the Islamabad District Court Bar Association (IDCBA) was held here with its President Syed Javed Akbar Mashadi in the chair. Besides the IDCBA office bearers, the meeting was attended by Syed Nayab Hassan Gardezi, president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association.

Raja Faisal Younas Khan, speaking on the occasion, alleged that Faisal and his brother were attacked at the behest of a real estate tycoon. The police had been informed of the murder attempt, but no FIR had been registered against the accused, he added.

Mashadi urged the authorities concerned to apprehend the accused.

Police arrest 22 lawbreakers RAWALPINDI app

RawalpinDi: a large number of people visit Raja Bazaar to buy daily use items. NNI

Rafique supervises relief activities after plane crash RAWALPINDI

Allama Iqbal’s 74th death anniversary observed

app

Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique visited PIMS Islamabad from 1 am to 4 am on Friday night and supervised the relief and rescue activities started by Rawalpindi administration after the unfortunate Bhoja plane crash in Hussainabad near Koral. He also expressed his sympathies to the relatives of the deceased persons of the air crash incident. District Officer (DO) Health Rawalpindi Dr Khalid Randhawa accompanied him on this occasion. He said that on the direction of Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif he reached here from Lahore to supervise the relief activities being extended by the Punjab Government. He said that 127 coffins (body boxes) had been provided by the administration for the burial of the deceased persons. He said that Rescue 1122, Health department, ambulances along with technical machinery were sent to the spot immediately after the air crash to take part in relief activities.

Ambulances took the dead bodies of the deceased persons to the PIMS. He further said that the Chief Minister Punjab was feeling grief on this sad incident. Later, Khawaja Salman Rafique visited the spot of air crash at 6:30 AM.

Eid-e-Ridvan to be celebrated today ISLAMABAD app

Bahai community living in Pakistan will celebrate their religious festival Eid-eRidvan today (Sunday) officially arranged by ministry of National Harmony at Bahai’s Center with religious fervor.

Minister In-charge for National Harmony Dr Paul Bhatti will be chief guest on the occasion while a large number of the community, parliamentarians and religious leaders will participate in the event. The smallest religious minority in the country will commemorate the day which marked the declaration of Bahaullah as their prophet and elected its Local Spiritual Assembly.

ISLAMABAD

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online

HE 74th death anniversary of Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal was observed with due reverence and solemnity allover Pakistan to pay homage to of great poet and philosopher of the East.

Special prayers were offered for the eternal peace of his soul and numbers of programs were organized to highlight his teachings and his philosophy that gave an independent state to the Muslims of sub-continent.

Special programmes, seminars, speeches and debates were held to pay homage to services of Allama Muhammad Iqbal that he had rendered for the Muslim Ummah. The newspapers published special editions and government and private TV channels aired different programmes to mark Allama Iqbal’s

74th death anniversary.

Allama Iqbal was a man of great vision and developed new ideas and manifestations for youth and stressed the need for following the principles, teachings and sayings of the great philosopher with commitment and dedication for the socio-economic and political development of Pakistan and transforming the motherland into an Islamic welfare state as envisioned by the founders of the country.

Due to his progressive thinking and teachings, the Muslims of sub-continent under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah succeeded in materializing the dream of Allama Iqbal on August 14, 1947, in the form of Pakistan’s creation.

Allama Iqbal is the best known for his poetic works, including Asrar-eKhudi, Rumuz-e-Bekhudi and the Bang-e-Dara with its enduring patriotic song Tarana-e-Hind, Baal-e- Ji-

earth Day 2012 - mobilise the earth on 22nd ISLAMABAD app

The environmental conscious citizens of Pakistan and across the world are all set to celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the World Earth Day 2012 on Sunday under the theme of “Mobilize the Earth”.

Each year the day marks the anniversary of the birth of a modern environmental movement during 1970s which aimed at to put check on the detrimental impacts of industrialization and modernization on the human beings and environment. On April 22, more than one billion people around the globe will participate in Earth Day 2012 and help Mobilize the Earth. People of all nationalities and backgrounds will voice their appreciation for the planet and demand its protection.

Earth Day 2012 will act as a launch pad for growing the environmental move-

ment and will put forth a bold declaration demanding immediate action to secure Renewable Energy for All and a sustainable future for the planet.

The movement will be comprised of individuals of every age from all corners of the Earth, and will call upon local, national, and international leaders to put an end to fossil fuel subsidies, embrace renewable energy technology, improve energy efficiency, and make energy universally accessible.

Throughout the month of April 2012 and on Earth Day (April 22), Earth Day Network and its wide range of partners will organize and promote events to help Mobilize the Earth.

Individuals, organizations, businesses and governments can voice their support for the campaign by performing environmental actions and lending their names to this global referendum demanding change.

brael, Zarb-e-Kaleem and Payam-eMashriq are among his great books.

The great philosopher, visionary and one of the most prominent leaders of the All India Muslim League, Allama Iqbal is also famous for his 1930 address in Allahabad that encouraged creation of a “state in north-western India for Muslims.”

Allama Iqbal is thought to be a Sufi poet of modern age whose philosophy and ideology is a beacon of light for the Muslims not only in South Asia but in other parts of world as well.

Experts and scholars believe that in prevailing situation, following the philosophy and teachings of Allama Muhammad Iqbal in letter and spirit and rising above linguistic, ethnic, religious and sectarian differences would play a vital role in progress and prosperity of the country. Allama Muhammad Iqbal died on April 21, 1938 at the age of almost 61.

Rawalpindi Police on Saturday arrested 22 lawbreakers and two drunkard persons and seized 1.30kg of charas, 43 bottles of liquor, four pistols of 30-bore with 14 rounds, one kalashnikov with two rounds, one 8mm rifle with 10 rounds, two 44 bor rifles, fireworks items, one stolen vehicle and a stolen motorcycle. According to Police spokesman, Police apprehended 22 outlaws in crackdowns against antisocial elements while the airport police arrested two Asim and Amir who were allegedly under the influence of alcohol. New Town police held Zameer and recovered a stolen vehicle from him while Saddar Baroni police recovered a stolen motorcycle from the possession of Toqeer. The police after registration of separate cases against all the accused have started investigation.

Change of syllabus irks students ISLAMABAD online

Students of federal government schools (FGS) and their parents have protested against change in syllabus.

The change in the syllabus of class 5 has caused embarrassment among the students as they have already spent one month studying the old syllabus. “This is an antipeople act of the government as we all are from low-paid class of employees. We already purchased books for our children at high cost and after one month the decision to change the syllabus has been taken.

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10 Islamabad

Sunday, 22 april, 2012

JUDgES’ APPOiNTMENT

Aitzaz Ahsan likely to lead parliamentary panel ISLAMABAD

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online

HE government has decided in principle to appoint Aitzaz Ahsan, the counsel for Prime MinisterYusuf Raza Gilani in contempt case, as Chairman of Parliamentary Committee on Judges Appointment.

Earlier, the prime minister had nominated Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, a member of the prestigious parliamentary panel designated to appoint judges of superior courts.

Reliable sources close to the primer told Online that after inducting his coun-

bhoja aircraft crash: 17 buried in Islamabad, Rawalpindi ISLAMABAD

sel’s name in the parliamentary committee, the prime minister has decided to appoint him as the Chairman of the powerful committee.

“Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani is likely to formally announce the decision next week,” the sources claimed.

They elucidated that the prime minister took the decision following his consultations with President Asif Ali Zardari, Chairman Nayyer Hussain Bokhari and party’s others stalwarts.

“The president is quite pleased with Aitzaz and suggested to the prime minister to appoint his attorney as chairman of the committee,” the sources added.

The sources maintained that the

move to bring Aitzaz as the Chairman of the committee was a bid to put the apex court in stress when he was pleading the important case of the prime minister.

Meanwhile, a PPP stalwart told Online that the prime minister is also happy with his counsel and the way he is pleading his case before the seven-member larger bench of the apex court.

“Aitzaz has proved that he is actual ‘Jiala’ of Peoples Party,” the stalwart quoted the prime minister as saying.

The committee has mandate in the appointment, confirmation, or rejection of names forwarded by the judicial commission headed by the chief justice.

The slot of the Chairmanship in the

committee fell vacant after Senator Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, had resigned following his elevation to the post of Senate Chairman.

The eight-member prestigious parliamentary panel consists of Pakistan Peoples Party’s Aitzaz Ahsan , Aftab Shaaban Mirani and Asma Arbab Alamgir; the PML-N’s Ishaq Dar, Sardar Mehtab Abbasi and Khwaja Asif; PMLQuaid’s Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and JUI-F’s Mulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri.

The parliamentary committee would be reshaped for the second time after its initiation. It was first reformed at the time when the PML-Q joined the ruling party as an ally.

online

Thirteen people who died in Bhoja plane crash were buried in H-11 graveyard here on Saturday. According to the details, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) dug out 30 graves in a row for the burial of the people who died in the plane crash in the H-11 graveyard.

The people who have been buried include a resident of Karachi Adeel Chughtai, his wife along with three daughters and a son. Talat Mehmood, Baqir Mehndi of residential sectors I10/4 and I-10/2 have also been buried.

Sarwat Mumtaz of G-11/3 was also buried with her daughter and son. PM’s Taskforce chairman along with CDA chairman reviewed all the arrangements made for the burial of bodies. The CDA chairman said he was directed to make arrangements for thirty graves. He also told that 12 ambulances, 6 fire brigades and over 200 personnel of CDA are carrying out the rescue operation.

Meanwhile, four plane crash victims were buried in different graveyards of Rawalpindi on Saturday. According to the details, the four dead bodies were handed over to their families at the Pakistan Medical Institute (PIMS) after the identification. The four who died in plane crash belonged to Rawalpindi that includes Asif Aftab (37), who were doing business in Karachi, Asif Zubair and Mrs. Fehmida Zubair resident of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and Haris Hassan (22). The funeral prayer of Asif Zubair and Fehmida Zubair was offered in the Eidgah Graveyard and were buried there while Haris Hassan was buried in Dhok Elahi Bux graveyard.

mh Int’l delegates arriving to attend conference ISLAMABAD online

RawalpinDi: a large number of bikes have been parked outside a bazaar illegally causing massive nuisance for customers. NNI

ERRa chairman gives away donor’s money to staff ISLAMABAD online

The Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) chairman has distributed hefty foreign aid among his blue-eyed officers and staff. The people affected by the 2005 earthquake could not get the second installment of the aid. Online has documentary evidence which shows that ERRA Chairman Hamid Yar Haraj has distributed Rs 176 million as honorarium among the 173 officers and employees who are working in the department on deputation and also are in his good books. The amount was donated by friendly countries to help the earthquake-hit people.

According to the documents, the ERRA has distributed this amount for non developmental budget.

In addition to this amount, an honorarium of Rs 3.4 million was also given out to the employees from the developmental budget of ERRA. Sources said the chairman had ordered to issue the said amount without approval of board.

govt contemplates ‘own a school’ programme for capital ISLAMABAD inp

The government is contemplating on “own a school” programme to uplift the level of education in the Federal Capital.

The Prime Minister Task Force on Islamabad has initiated extensive work on the transformation of the education system of the Capital beginning with three primary schools of the rural areas of Islamabad in collaboration with the private sector.

This was revealed by the Chairman Prime Ministers Task Force on Islamabad, Faisal Sakhi Butt while addressing the annual convocation and high achievers ceremony of Root School System here Saturday. He said that these schools would be upgraded with revamped infrastructure, proper teacher training and facilities for the students.

Faisal Sakhi Butt said that the Federal Capital lacks basic facilities even after the laps of more than 5 decades. He said that Task Force is working on addressing the real issues of the city and provision of quality civic services to the

residents of which improvement of education is the priority area. He said that the basic issues of provision of clean drinking water, waste management, sanitation, and cleanliness and those of the development of stalled sectors have not been addressed as well as the modern capital of the world also lacks the proper transport system. He said that Task Force is executing a progressive agenda to address these issues in collaboration with CDA and other relevant organizations. He stressed the need of understanding the strange reality of Pakistan’s education system that is facing a serious form of digital divide.

“On one hand, teachers are working with ‘digital literate’ students with their lives anchored into the internet and multimedia devices. But on the other, a majority of students and teachers have no access to these tools and technologies neither at home nor schools,” he commented. Butt said majority of schools have failed to produce ‘digitally literate’ students, consequently, a large number of such students are unable to avail the opportunities available in today’s knowl-

edge based economies. The chairman Task Force said the most serious challenge for our education system is to produce such students capable to use available tools and technologies in an online collaborative, research-based environment for research, analysis, synthesis, evaluating and innovations. He said it is really a challenge to change our way of thinking to help improve our system, institutions as well as policies.

“We need a vision to honor the commitments and challenges of interconnected world,” Faisal Butt advised. The Chairman Prime Minister’s Task Force on Islamabad called upon the management of the private school systems to collaborate with the public sector for improving the quality of education in government run schools especially in the areas of human resource development through better teachers training mechanism. “We are seeking suggestions and deliberating on the ways and means through which the standards of education in these government schools could be enhanced inline with the needs of the challenges of 21st century”.

Muslim Hands International delegates from forty countries, including Europe, Africa and Asia are arriving in Islamabad to attend the International Conference of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) to be held at the Convention Centre on April 23. The country heads and managers of the organisations will attend the conference on the topic of ‘The Role of International NGO in Relief and Development in Pakistan’.

Representatives of local and international NGOs will also attend the conference.

musharraf grieved over plane tragedy ISLAMABAD online

All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) has expressed deep grief over the loss of lives in Hussainabad plane crash tragedy. APML Quaid Pervez Musharraf and Secretary General Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif expressed deep shock and grief over the loss of lives in Hussainabad plane crash tragedy that resulted death of 127 people onboard of the ill-fated plane. Expressing solidarity with the bereaved families of plane victims, APML Secretary General Barrister Saif prayed to Almighty Allah to bestow the victims’ families with patience and courage to cope this tragedy. Barrister Saif said that the entire nation amidst ongoing challenges and crisis confronting the nation should turn to Allah to seek fortitude. APML Secretary General Barrister Saif also urged the government to hold inquiry into the plane tragedy.

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Sunday, 22 april, 2012

Editor’s mail 11

the tragic incident It pains me to write this. I had just put down my pen from writing about an engine failure where the flight made it safely back to the airport, and heard the news of this. Bhoja Air Flight 213 down in Pakistan after losing contact with ATC. Another flight down in stormy weather. The loss is unique, but it happened too many times.

Again a plane, or pilot, or airline failed to bring its passengers safely home. That's all we want – for the families to be reunited, for the father who just lost his daughters to have them back, for this to be a nightmare that

Whither Pakistan? will just go away. But the Bhoja crash is one of the nightmares that don't go away. Soon the whole world will hear the names, see the faces, hear the stories behind the tragedy. Maybe it is the stories that make a disaster like this so hard to take for the rest of us.

The stories bring life to the loss, take our imaginations from black and white to living colour, carry us from the place where statistics rest on paper to where they mingle in our hearts with our own memories of love and loss.

Soon we will hear the mourning of the families, the fathers, mothers, sib-

lings, spouses, friends. The investigation will begin, and the experts will find whatever they find, but there's always the one truth that remains.

It is the families who will bear this, who will hereafter live their lives like shattered china pieced back together.

And what is the glue? The chemistry will be different for every parent, every child, every sibling, but its ingredients are memories woven with grief and resilience, bitterness, hope, faith – and the support of friends.

You will get through this. You already know that time will ease the pain,

but for now, true as it is, it is only words. To the families, we can only say we grieve with you. Your loss is our loss.

It is as true now as it was in 1624 when John Donne wrote it: "No man is an island… All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language..." Your loss is our loss. To the families, we can only say we grieve with you and wish you peace.

GEORGE HATCHER USA

Child labour Children are the most beautiful, innocent and sensitive creation of the world. They are just like little angels.

They are the future of the nation. They must be provided with quality education and grown up with great care. But unfortunately social problem such as unemployment, ignorance and illiteracy of parents force these sweet little kids to work. Child labour is one of the major issues in Pakistan these days. It destroys the future of the child as well as of the country. Many children in Pakistan are working.

Education is the basic right of every child which must be given. At very early age they are subjected to harsh circumstances. They are greatly influenced by the environment in which they grow.

Such kids should learn and play instead of doing jobs. Often they are physically forced to work, but mostly they work due to poverty. They financially support the family. They have no access to education.

All these factors lead to exploitation of children, but the government alone might not be able to tackle the problem of child labour. High level of commitment is required from employers and parents to end this problem. Awareness should be raised among people to overpower the problem.

ZAINAB HUSSAIN Karachi

Education for progress South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Pakistan, and China along with some other Southeast Asian countries had a per capita income of $ 350 some fifty years ago. Today all these countries have per capita income of $ 20000 except Pakistan in whose case this figure is $ 950 only. Why this difference? The answer lies in the change brought about in the basic thought pattern of the people of those countries. But the only way to bring about such a change is through two methods combined together. One, by liberalising the constitution and basing its clauses entirely upon the modern scientific principles. Two, changing people’s mindset to scientific way of thinking.

This can only be achieved by starting at early level in schools. Therefore, school attendance for every child between the ages of 6 to 16 should be made compulsory under penalty of law and the government should be responsible for providing full facilities for such attendance totally free of cost.

If we cannot adopt theses measures, then we can only expect to remain toys or slaves in the hands of other countries for the foreseeable future. This basically means availability of all the comforts of life to only a small section of the society comprising bureaucracy, big politicians, businessmen, landowners, and some vested interests while the overwhelming majority of the people shall continue to live at starvation levels.

SYEDA SARAH HAIDER Karachi

a phony ECl Within hours of the Bhoja air crash, Rehman Malik did not waste time in placing the owner of this ill-fated airline on ECL. Why didn't he place the defence minister and DG CAA on ECL too? Just because they are PPP's political buddies!

Rehman Malik failed to put Musa Ali (Chemical) Gilani on ECL and allowed him to escape...for obvious reasons. He should fear for the time when his own name will be on ECL. MAJ (retd) TALAAT KHURSHID Rawalpindi

Not long ago, just in 1965, India attacked Pakistan. We marched towards Wagah with clubs and hockeys in our hands to fight India. We were stopped at Shalimar Garden. We collected hundreds of thousands of quilts and beddings for the army stationed on our frontiers following September, 1965.

Noor Jehan and others sang songs day and night to boost the army. We used to collect thousands of freshly prepared ‘deghs’ and despatch to the jawans on borders. Women threw their bangles and rings off their hands in military trucks to exchange them for more bullets and arms. We used to have feasts in the city during blackouts. M M Alam complained that he had difficulty firing at Indian planes in a dog fight over Lahore, when he noticed thousands of people on roof tops down below.

People of all walks of life went house to house collecting whatever they could to buy more ammunition. There was no rich or poor. The army trucks passing through the streets of Lahore were showered with fresh flowers and roses. They were not men and women, young and old, Christians or Muslims, Sindhi or Punjabi or Pathans or Balochis. Professionals who are traditionally isolated in society came on streets in public with just one song ‘Jag utha hai ---’.

Recalling these golden days, I wonder sometimes that do Zardari, Gilanis, Rehman Malik, Dr Babar Awan, Dr Firdaus, Asfand Yar, Bilores, Sharmila, Shazia Marri, Nawaz Sharif, in fact all of them, know the history of Pakistan? Are they Pakistanis?

AMJAD H MIRZA Lahore

Corruption in education

The twin disasters, one after the other (ie, the avalanche in Siachen and the plane crash in Islamabad), has quite certainly shaken up the nation. These certainly are testing times, with the ongoing inflation issues and government and

Supreme Court standoff, one can only but feel helpless.

Then again we as a nation should be wondering where did we go wrong or why such calamities have hit us one after another.

This is the question that I really want the Pakistani nation to ponder over. We are a Muslim state and our constitution is based on the supreme sovereignty of Allah. Allah is in control of all the processes of the universe and He is All Seeing and All Hearing. We are supposed to be His favoured nation, a nation He should only be showering Blessings over.

The big question that every one of us should be answering as a nation and individuals is: Is our Creator, our Sustainer not pleased with us? And if yes, why?

NIDA RASHID Karachi

As the season of examinations starts in Karachi from April, the issue of corruption again takes its hot place in discussion between elite and middle class people of the society.

The subject of corruption in Karachi board exams is not a new page to discuss, but with the passage of time this problem is taking a permanent place in the system of education in Pakistan. Every year there are tens of thousands students enrolled in different examinations and every year this figures increased boldly, and with the increment of this figure there has been a drastic increase in corruption seen in different levels.

This subversion starts from very root level when a student sends his form to the board of education and could be easily seen till the announcement of result.

The major part of this depravity can be seen during examination when the paper is easily leaked by some with help from money and political source. The biggest devastation is faced by those students who believe in hard work and try their level best to get good grades, but their hard work is denied.

The concerned authorities are no doubt trying their level best to eliminate this corruption but it is a request from every hardworking student of Pakistan to eliminate it on permanent bases so that every student can enjoy the taste of the fruit of hard work.

FATIMA QURESHI Karachi

lion a day as compared to Indian expenditure that is more than ours but we are the aggrieved party so any unilateral action on our part will weaken our case and it could be disastrous for our Kashmir policy/stand (if we have any).Gen Kayani should have refrained from making a political statement and loose talk on issues that is the sole prerogative of the government. It was loose talk that prompted Indian's to welcome Gen Kayani's statement as it fits in their scheme of things. To resolve the Siachen issue India has to pull out her forces to the positions held before 13 April 1984 without any conditions and Pakistan should reciprocate this gesture.

Unfortunately, we are bound by Simla agreement to resolve our issues bilaterally and no third party can intervene or come forward to perform the role of mediator. 39 years is a long period; the unresolved issues and matters of conflict stay where they were from day one.

India is a big country with vast resources and strong democracy, it also enjoys

good relations with countries that matter, and exploits them to their fullest advantage. India's defence budget is increasing every year whereas our legislators want reduction in defence budget without giving due weightage to the challenges faced by the country.

What did President Zardari's visit to India bring us? What did he gain by having a 15 minutes interaction with PM Manmohan Singh? A commitment to increase trade between two countries; we cannot run with the hare and fight with the wolf as well. We can’t have India turn our fertile fields into barren lands by building hundreds of dams on our rivers yet continue trade with it. This does not sound logical.

India has become strong due to our concessions given to her over the years and has now openly started interfering in our internal affairs. Hafiz Saeed's example should be enough to open our eyes. "Aman Ki Asha" has given us nothing except turning soft on issues that warranted a hard and stern stand.

We shall continue wasting our time in fruitless meetings at all levels as India would never budge an inch from its principled stand. Why should we pin hopes that India would agree to redeployment of forces in Siachen as rightly said by the writer. We must forget everything and concentrate on resolution of water dispute with India before it is too late.

Looking at the political turmoil in the country and in-house fighting within the political parties and confrontation with the judiciary, it appears that PPP's comeback cannot be ruled out. Under the circumstances the writer has posed very relevant question: "Will the current Indo-Pak goodwill last?". No sir, India will never budge an inch as it has gained everything by politically outsmarting our various leaders and leading them to take the direction that it wants them to take.

We must be careful for now as well as in future about any traps that India might lay.

MUKHTAR AHMED Karachi

Malaria and loadshedding Mosquitoes and malaria have always remained a problem of our country. Nowadays, deadly malaria poses a serious health risk in the entire Sindh province. It sickens hundreds of thousands of people and also kills countless people, most of them children and elderly people.

In the wake of the last two years’ natural and man-made calamities, it has become one of the most important threats to the health of pregnant women, children, newborns and elderly

Summer vacations This year the government should announce summer vacations of schools and colleges from July to August. The reason behind this is if educational institutions will start their sessions in August, it would be quite difficult for students to take their studies seriously.

When students come back after two months, they take at least a week to settle down and return to the old routine, which was being followed two months before the vacations. The case would be different this year because students would have holidays in August with Independence Day, Shab-i-Qadar, Jumatul Wida and Eidul Fitr in the same month.

The unfavourable situation in Karachi has already made the future of students unpredictable. Therefore, in

people in the flood –hit areas which are still not rehabilitated.

Malaria cases are alarmingly high due to sizzling heat wave and no persistent supply of electricity. In this pathetic situation, the federal and provincial concerned authorities, the World Health Organisation and other organisations are appealed to step up efforts so that millions of lives may be saved.

HASHIM ABRO Islamabad

order to think of a good future and moving towards the positive side, studies should continue till the end of June.

However, an ideal decision should be taken by conducting surveys in different schools and colleges to know the choice of majority of learners.

Such a decision will be far better than just imposing a decision without knowing students’ will.

KHUSHNOODA TAHIRA Karachi

Where did we go wrong?

“terms of endearment” Mr Arif Nizami, in his recent article "Terms of endearment" (21 April), has briefly touched the issue of Siachen, lives lost without firing a bullet and latest tragedy where 129 soldiers lay buried under deep snow, visit of Mian Nawaz Sharif to Gayari, India-Pakistan relations and President Zardari's visit to India. It is true that Nawaz Sharif has not been accused of being traitor but his statement lacked logic and conviction as he did not reflect on the consequences of his much stated unilateral withdrawal plan.

Militarily a nonstarter the plan even does not hold good politically. Nawaz Sharif should know that Siachen is part of Kashmir forcibly occupied by India through aggression and Pakistan only moved to retake its frontiers forcibly occupied by Indians but failed to retrieve it due to the advantage gained by the Indians by occupying heights.

It is true that troops keep dying due to harsh weather and equally true that government is spending about 50 mil-

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. Fax: +92-42-36298302. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk. Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively.

ISB 22-04-2012_Layout 1 4/22/2012 1:55 AM Page 12

12 Comment after the crash independent inquiry required

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he crash of the Bhoja Air passenger jet on Friday was the second deadliest aviation accident on Pakistan’s soil after the Airblue disaster in 2010.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued a preliminary report based on the conversation of the captain with the Islamabad control tower suggesting that the captain lost control of the plane after the fuel tank exploded. It would, however, be premature to reach any conclusion before a comprehensive enquiry is conducted into the incident. The enquiry committee will have to look into the questions related to the quality of airworthiness and maintenance of the plane, the medical fitness of the pilot and the adherence to the overall safety precautions.

Since 1947, a total of 1,193 people have lost their lives in 32 accidents involving Pakistani airlines. This raises questions about the performance of the CAA, particularly vis-a-vis maintenance of aviation safety standards. There is a perception that the CAA has shown laxity over strict adherence to standards prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Drawing a lesson from the botched up Airblue crash enquiry by the CAA, the PM has done well to assign the investigation this time to a judicial commission. The earlier enquiry was rejected as being unsatisfactory by the Peshawar High Court for leaving a number of aspects unattended. The enquiry was also challenged by the relatives of the crash victims. Under the Civil Aviation Rules 1994, the federal government is empowered to order an inquiry. While the commission would now be headed by a judge, it would hopefully also have a member with qualification, experience and expertise as prescribed by the ICAO Guidelines for Aircraft Accident Investigator. It would be better if he does not belong to the CAA. All over the world independent statutory bodies conduct such investigations without interference and involvement of the aviation authorities and airline companies.

One can very well imagine the suffering the families of the 127 victims of the crash have undergone. The least that needs to be done is to speedily pay the compensation due to them.

Encouraging signs imran Khan in Balochistan

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ays after the recovery of seven missing persons on the orders of the Supreme Court, PTI Chief Imran Khan visited Quetta on Friday and pledged to change the fate of Balochistan by putting an end to the environment which bred fear and insecurity and resolving the crisis through dialogue with stakeholders, including the exiled Baloch leadership if voted into power.

It was good to see him show courage to subject the security agencies to scathing criticism for their alleged involvement in the enforced disappearances of civilians.

Addressing a mammoth gathering at the local hockey stadium, he rejected resolving the longstanding problems of the country’s largest province through military operations while reiterating his commitment to seek their solution through meaningful talks with the Baloch leadership. “The use of excessive force is no solution to political issues,” he said, declaring mysterious kidnappings and extra-judicial killings a major crime against humanity.

Responding to slogans from the cheering crowd, which had converged there from all over the province, Imran promised to bring prosperity to Balochistan by allocating more funds to the province and utilising its own resources on its development. As he braved the heavy downpour to reach the meeting venue and saw the streets flooded with the rainwater and sewage, he made a good use of the conditions to launch an offensive against the provincial government for having misappropriated Rs 110 billion from the NFC rather than spending these funds on building roads and improving sanitation facilities.

The people of Balochistan, who have suffered a lot during the decade-long military rule and have not yet been able to find any respite from these excesses, must have felt encouraged to hear from the leader of a mainstream party that under his rule military and paramilitary forces will not subject them to repression. They have, at least, seen someone pledging to bring those responsible for the murder of Akbar Bugti to justice when the rest of the political leadership keeps mum. The Baloch may now expect Imran to continue giving expression to their genuine concerns while addressing public rallies elsewhere in the country.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36298305-10 Fax: 042-36298302 Karachi – Ph: 021-34330811-3 Fax: 021-34330900 Islamabad – Ph: 051-2287414-6 Fax: 051-2287417 Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Sunday, 22 april, 2012

Peace is the only option a case for regional cooperation

By Humayun Gauhar

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nyone that thinks that war is an option has got to be a nut. Anyone that thinks that war between nuclear-armed countries is an option should be committed. Nuclear weapons are there to stop wars from happening, not to start them. By that measure Israel’s Netanyahu should be in the nut house.

Peace is the only option, peace that is acceptable to all sides. That is honourable.

Else it is not peace at all, only an illusion of it. India and Pakistan are champion illusionists, but illusionists would know better than anyone that illusions evaporate very fast.

Pakistanis are a very optimistic people, a most endearing, quality and a very big strength. Any India-Pakistan summit and we feel that peace is at hand. Most laudable, for it underlines not only that we are an optimistic but also fundamentally a peace loving people who want to get on with their lives. Which makes our lack of peace at home ironic, but that is another subject.

When our Zardari recently broke bread with their Manmohan Singh in Delhi, we went through naive excitement for the umpteenth time. If you really want peace certain realities have to be borne in mind.

India’s state terrorism particularly in Kashmir begets and reinforces freedom struggles what it calls non-state terrorism.

Blaming Pakistan deflects attention from its state terrorism. Sure Pakistan gives it succor as any adversary would, like India did the ‘Mukti Baheni’. But it was our own state terrorism and iniquity against the Bengalis that caused it. India took advantage, as any adversary would.

If Pakistan were to ignore Kashmir the struggle might lose some of its teeth, but only for a while, for soon it will grow new ones. The Kashmir revolt is a creation of Indian intransigence that Pakistan takes advantage of. I have always said: state terrorism begets non-state terrorism. Nonstate terrorism will remain no matter how many treaties you sign while brushing cores issues under a carpet dyed in human blood and woven with the weak threads of bilateral trade, film productions and cricket matches. As long as state terrorism persists, non-state terrorism will continue. Period. I cannot understand why the world cannot comprehend such a self-evident truth.

India is a large country with a small country mentality whereas Pakistan is a relatively small country with a big country mentality. Ours comes from the millen-

nium-long Muslim rule over India. Conversely, India’s comes from being ruled by Muslims for over a millennium. I don’t know how much currency this theory has, but both countries should have disabused themselves of such complexes by now.

India, I feel, is beginning to get out of this mindset with its economic upswing, but it will not be totally eradicated until the next generations in both countries take the helm for they are less burdened by stories of slavery and Partition. Land and population sizes don’t matter, the human condition does.

That the majority of our peoples live in abject poverty makes us puny. By that measure – and it is the only relevant measure – Singapore is a much bigger country than either India or Pakistan. Its real resource is the high quality of its leadership and its greater human capital development. By these measures, India and Pakistan are pathetic.

Strong and wise rulers on both sides can bring detente. Neither Zardari nor Manmohan can be accused of either strength or wisdom. Cleverness: yes. Strength: hardly.

Wisdom: a big fat no. Only strong and wise leaders can ‘sell’ an inevitably compromiseladen agreement to their peoples without their patriotism being questioned, their opponents making capital out of it and a ratings-hungry media taking jibes at them.

The great anomaly is where real power lies in both countries. It should be with the chief executive who is the head of state and prime minister. But both countries are dynasty ridden. So in Pakistan it lies with the constitutionally ceremonial president because he is also co-chairman of the ruling party by virtue of being Benazir Bhutto’s widower. That is where his power comes from. In India, an Italian catholic lady is leader of the ruling party only because she is Rajiv Gandhi’s widow. That is where her power comes from.

Manmohan Singh is a weak, proxy prime minister as is Pakistan’s Yusuf Reza Gilani. Singh belongs to the small Sikh minority and is keenly aware that he has to go the extra mile to ‘prove’ his patriotism in the backdrop of the Sikh rebellion for an independent state during the eighties, the storming of the Golden Temple and the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh body guards. Gilani is in office at Zardari’s pleasure while he and his son are running from the courts.

Both countries face difficult elections soon, as does their great ‘ally’ America.

America will have a determining say in any India-Pakistan deal. All decisions by these three countries now will be heavily informed by the need to get re-elected.

Without the military leaderships of both countries on board any expectation of a meaningful deal is a pipedream. While our army’s role in policymaking is well known, the Indian military’s role is camouflaged.

Nothing new: the US military often plays a decisive role in foreign and defence policy.

If it did not, Afghanistan would have been attacked by the Bush the Brat.

Should we forget the ‘core issue’ – Kashmir and the UN resolutions asking for a plebiscite there? Or should we sort it out first? Or, should we put it on the backburner and normalise relations in other areas – which India calls ‘Confidence Building

Measures’? Kashmir will not let us forget it as long as a freedom struggle rages there.

And it will continue raging with or without our support. In fact, the Kashmiri freedom fighters could even turn on us for abandoning them. As long as the Kashmiri freedom struggle continues unresolved, the sword of Damocles will keep hanging over our heads for it takes only one madman on either side to vapourise all of South Asia. Best to do all simultaneously – core issue, other delimitation issues and CBMs – what Musharraf and Vajpayee agreed to, a ‘Composite Dialogue’ and hope for the best. What is needed is simultaneous statesmanship and raw guts on both sides. Leave it to the functionaries and we will continue nitpicking for another six decades.

India and Pakistan should stop tussling over an America-free Afghanistan and arrive at a mutually acceptable understanding.

Afghanistan may not want either of us anyway. As if killing ourselves over Kashmir isn’t enough, we cannot go killing ourselves over Afghanistan too.

Illogical demands should stop. Asking for Hafiz Saeed without furnishing adequate proof is illogical. America has to ship up or shape out of the India-Pakistan equation instead of being a fly in the ointment by placing a bounty on Saeed’s head one day and then changing it to a bounty for evidence two days later. If you don’t even have evidence, what the hell are you doing placing a bounty on someone head for? The only sense it makes is that you are trying to derail the normalisation process.

America wants peace for its own reasons.

1.

It realises that war between India and Pakistan is no longer an option. Another war between them could well mean another World War. The US and its traditional allies will suffer unacceptable multisectoral damage, regardless of what happens to India and Pakistan.

2.

It wants an India free from ‘Pakistani sniping’ to focus on creating an economic and military bulwark against fast-growing Chinese economic and military might.

The conundrum is that while America says it wants India-Pakistan normalisation, it doesn’t want them ganging up to form a South Asian Economic Association or some such, which has the seeds of becoming another giant. Worse, Pakistan’s presence could be instrumental in bringing China into the fold as India could Russia. Can you then imagine what a ‘monster’ the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation with the South Asian Economic Association could become?

Soon energy-rich Iran and the Central Asian states would want to be part of the action.

They needn’t worry, though. America is so far ahead in the sciences – medicine, genetics, space, computer sciences and so much more – that it cannot lose its position of preeminence though it will certainly lose some of its monopoly. No bad thing for America either, for sharing over-lordship might bring its foreign and defence policies into the realm of civilisation and rationality.

The writer is a political analyst.

He can be contacted at humayun.gauhar786@gmail.com

Regional press

Catching voters’ interest Daily Khabroona

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here is still about a year before elections are slated to take place and it is now absolutely certain, barring extreme insinuating circumstances, that the incumbent government would complete its constitutional tenure. But as its tenure nears its end, the political temperature in the country is warming up. The country is witnessing the warming up of political campaigns by various political parties and big rallies and membership drives are taking place in various parts of the country.

The incumbent government during the last four years not only faced a deteriorating law and order situation but also had to face certain other critical issues including political tension between institutions and many constitutional impasses. Every political and religious party is now fishing for the peoples’ trust and want to ensure that the vote comes out in their favour.

However, the common people seem disillusioned with the

political process due to being disenchanted by the bad governance record of the incumbent government. They may bring a vote through change but it seems that they do not have much faith in the fact that their conditions will improve.

The low voter turnout in the previous elections may be indicative of the conditions wherein voters are losing confidence to take pain to go to polling stations for any possible change in the country through the democratic way. The reason for this disinterest in democratic processes could be the public losing faith in the ruling elites of the country.

The brawling among political parties and the constant levelling of allegations against each other instead of focusing on the problems of the masses has disappointed the poor strata of the society and they are pessimistic about seeing a solution to the problems of unemployment, price hike and the unstable law and order situation in the country.

-Translated from the original Pashto by Abdur Rauf Khattak

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Sunday, 22 april, 2012

Comment 13

The Ghalib guide to politics

Culture of accountability

congress has losing its grassroot

the one that we lack

third eye

By M J Akbar

W

ho would you consider a better guide to contemporary politics: Chaudhry Birender Singh, general secretary of the Indian National Congress with charge of Delhi, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, or Mirza Asadullah Ghalib, Urdu-Persian poetphilosopher during the dusk of the Mughal Empire? The choice may not seem quite as obvious, on second glance. If you prefer the Chaudhry, you are clearly reasonable. The Mirza, however, might be a more illuminating guide during periods of great existential strain.

Let us examine the available evidence. On 17 April, the day Congress confirmed its general decline by losing the Delhi municipal elections, Chaudhry Birender Singh breezily explained, on television, that it was actually the voter’s fault; the voter didn’t know what he was doing. There were no elections in Ghalib’s era, more than a century and a half ago, and he probably would not have voted if there had been, but he understood the craving for comfort in illusion.

Witness his verse: Hum ko maloom hai jannat ki haqiqat lekin/ Dil to bahalane ko Ghalib yeh khayal achcha hai. A rough translation: ‘I know the truth about heaven, but/ As amusement for the heart, the thought is pleasant, Ghalib’.

The Chaudhry knows the truth, but an alibi eases burdens in his soul. This is temporary relief. Politics is a practical art. It tends to punish illusion. It permits only a

very thin margin between self-consolation and self-immolation. Any politician who believes that he lost an election because the voter was wrong has also lost the plot.

No election is minor, for the voter’s will is never insignificant, whether it shapes the micro or macro level of authority. The first signal from north India after Mrs Indira Gandhi’s devastating defeat in 1977 that the mood had begun to change, came when her Congress won a local bodies election. Her Janata Party opponents loftily dismissed the result as a pimple. They forgot that a pimple is often the only manifestation of an internal cancer. The link between a corporation in Delhi and the sprawl of Uttar Pradesh is an epidemic of disaffection, caused by the double jeopardy of poor governance and political mismanagement. It is pushing Congress out of the only perch on which it is comfortable, power.

Alibis were impotent in UP, and they will not be productive in Delhi either. The much-promoted excuse for UP was absence of party infrastructure. But it was, at the very least, the same infrastructure in 2009, when the Congress won 21 MP seats in UP, the rough equivalent of a hundred Assembly constituencies. The network that brought out the vote in 2009 could not have collapsed by 2012, since Rahul Gandhi worked for three years on nourishing and spreading fertiliser on these grassroots.

In these three years, the Congress vote dropped by over six percentage points. The party imploded because it had lost credibility. Voters judge claims against performance if you are in office.

Rahul Gandhi monopolised the campaign in UP. Blame must therefore go where worship would have gone had the results been different. But the blame is not his alone. He was handicapped by the stench of corruption wafting around the

Congress-led coalition in Delhi, and the rattling skeletons of broken promises. He was slapped in UP only because he offered himself as the face of his party. Congress would have gotten the same results, with or without his campaign. The story is not that Rahul Gandhi did not make a difference, but that he could not make a difference. This is a dangerous admission for an organisation that places a premium on dynasty; hence the need for alibis.

There is a secondary need as well. Survival is not merely a physical fact. It requires a psychological bed.

While half the Union Cabinet has the fixed grin of someone who has won a lottery, because it has, the ministers of state in their 40s and 50s have acquired a frown that is deepening into anxiety and depression. Eight years of plenty have slipped by without promotion; and the prospect of wilderness is bad for the morale of those who thought, in 2009, that they had been given a license to rule for twenty years. If this group of energisers begins to look defeated even before the turmoil of the next general election, the body count will be high during battle. It is important to reassure them that the problem lies in circumstance, which can be altered over time, and not in the leadership, which cannot.

Victory is an intoxicant.

Victory leads to a hangover, which best describes the state of the UPA government.

Defeat is a teacher. But, to be an effective guide, it needs the prod of honesty. A Chaudhry may mollify the pain of defeat during a television stampede. But for the long run, trust Ghalib.

The columnist is editor of The Sunday Guardian, published from Delhi, India on Sunday, published from London and Editorial Director, India Today and Headlines Today.

By Saad Rasool

R

ubble of the Bhoja plane that crashed is still being sifted through. Rescue workers and security personnel, along with family and friends of the deceased are combing the wreckage for some clue or cause of the accident, or some memory of loved ones. Aviation experts, eyewitnesses from the locality, and governmental agencies are giving their (different) speculative versions of what might have happened to cause the crash.

Regardless of which version is accurate, it is clear that someone – either the pilot, or those who commissioned an obsolete plane into service, or the aviation authorities guiding the aircraft through bad weather – was at fault for the accident. But despite statements from government officials and private experts, no one has come forth to be accountable.

Change of scene: armed militants stormed the jail in Bannu, and freed several hundred convicts (including militants convicted for terrorism and murder), while the jail officials, intelligence securities and police personnel stood impotent. No fight or resistance was put up from any quarter.

This security lapse, resulting in the freeing of militants, has endangered people’s lives and amounts to a crime against the public. And the only response from the government has been to ‘transfer’ some mid-level police officials. No one, from the higher echelons of police and administrative authority, has stepped forth to be accountable for the security failure.

Accountability, it seems, is an idea missing from our cultural philosophy.

Let’s bifurcate this further.

From a schematic perspective, accountability in our administrative and public domain, exists at three

institutional levels. One, each governmental department has some process of internal accountability of its activities and personnel (for example, a complaint can be made against one employee to his or her superior). Two, independent agencies exist with the sole mandate of investigating and holding accountable those who may have abused or not fulfilled their responsibilities (for example the Federal Investigation Agency and the National Accountability Bureau). Three, judicial review of public authority or, for that matter, judicial determination of public disputes serves as a final layer of accountability.

These three tiers of accountability, while having their own deficiencies, add up to a reasonably well-functioning apparatus. And most of the developed nations, where the accountability process is effective and transparent, employ a similar tiered system. What then, it must be asked, is the reason for such abhorrent standard of accountability in Pakistan?

The answer, unfortunately, is not a legal or systematic one. The reason is that Pakistan simply lacks a culture of accountability, especially among those who are in positions of power.

Just a few days back, Bangladesh’s railways minister resigned from his post in the cabinet on allegation (not conviction) of corruption. In his statement, Mr Suranjit Sengupta was quoted as saying that his reason for resignation was “to allow an impartial investigation” into the matter. In Pakistan, on the other hand, Railways has come to a virtual standstill, PIA is barely functional, and national institutions such as the Steel Mill are facing bankruptcy, but no individual who is in-charge of these institutions has stepped forth to be held accountable. And while the superior courts and investigative agencies may continue to pursue these causes, the underlying problem remains: we are a not a culture of accountability.

This spirit seeps through our entire democratic machinery.

Until prosecuted and publicly embarrassed, no one seems interested in taking a higher responsibility for the work done under their supervision. The Bannu prison break did not result

in the top cadre of police and jail officials tendering their resignations. Some were ‘transferred’, in a face-saving exercise, only to be re-posted at some other place of responsibility. The plane-crash of 2010, despite discovery of its black-box, has had no person or institution held accountable. The death of patients from poisonous medicines at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology did not result in the concerned secretary and (chief) minister owning responsibility for lack of procedural checks in the pharmaceutical industry. DG Rangers Karachi, after the killing of an innocent boy by personnel under his command, did not step forth to be held accountable (and was later promoted to Lt General and given the command of V Corps). The intelligence chiefs, despite all hue and cry in local and international media (as well as the establishment of Abbottabad Commission under orders of the Supreme Court) were not shamed into resigning their posts after the ‘discovery’ and killing of Osama Bin Laden.

This is an issue of culture and conscience. And as such, it cannot be fully corrected through the accountability machinery that has been put in place. The point of having systematic accountability checks – at all levels – is only to discover who should be held accountable, when it is not already clear from the public facts. Ideally, such machinery should be used only sparingly and in extenuating circumstances. And for the most part, those in positions of responsibility should hold themselves accountable before the law does.

For our democratic society to fulfill its promise, accountability must be an inherent virtue of power, not an enforced responsibility. And no systematic check can make all exercise of power accountable. This can only be resolved once a culture of accountability, among those who are in positions of influence, is established without a gun to their head.

The writer is a lawyer based in Lahore. He has a Masters in Constitutional Law from Harvard Law School. He can be reached at: saad@post.harvard.edu

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14

Sunday, 22 april, 2012

Veena Malik willing to bare all for Playboy

for $1m

NEWS DESK EENA Malik, who made headlines for her controversial FHM india shoot, has revealed that she would pose nude for playboy for 1 million dollars. The pakistani actress has confessed that she would bare all for the magazine’s centrefold spread if she was asked. she tells Britain’s Daily Mirror, “i’d think about it. Why would i say no? it’s a great opportunity. i’d definitely go for that. That is my job. i am a model and i would consider every single opportunity that comes my way.” The actress would consider disrobing for the us publication despite the furore surrounding her provocative shoot for FHM. she has taken legal action against bosses of the men’s magazine, alleging the apparently nude photos were tampered with after the shoot. Malik received death threats and widespread criticism from pakistan after the images were published, with many demanding that Malik be barred from returning to the country. Her family too was critical of the shoot, with her father allegedly severing all ties with her. Despite the furore, Malik now admitted she would have no problem baring all for Hugh Hefner’s iconic publication.

V

IN LIMELIGHT nEW yoRK: actress Sarah Paulson attends the ‘Fairhaven’ premiere at the tribeca Film Festival. AFP

mumbaI: arbaaz Khan, dia mirza, Seema Khan, and Sameera Reddy, Zarine Khan, amrita arora and Sonakshi Sinha attend the launch of the Kallista Spa and Salon. AFP

Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez

together on world tour LOS ANGELES agencieS

Singer Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez will head for a major world tour together in June. The dates for the world tour are also being lined up in the US, Europe and Asia, although these have yet to be confirmed. The tour will be Lopez’s first full world tour, and she is gearing up for a spectacular stage show, reports contactmusic.com. “Jennifer and her team have blocked out more than a month of their schedules, beginning May 4, to start intense rehearsals, each day, at a sound stage in the Los Angeles area,” said a source. “This will be a huge tour, complete with a lavish set, full band and team of dancers,” the source added. Iglesias was announced as the support act for Britney Spears’ world tour 2011, but he withdrew just hours after the announcement was made. He apologised for the confusion, but it was rumoured he was not happy that he would be the support act, rather than having equal billing.

Katrina’s family album leaked online MUMBai: Some rare pictures of Katrina Kaif were recently spotted on a littleknown entertainment website. turns out they were leaked by an anonymous blogger. In the dozen or so pictures, the actress is seen letting her guard down and enjoying some special family time. obviously, she had no idea the images would someday go viral on the internet. not many people know Kat has six sisters: mellisa, natasha, Sonia, Christina, Sarah and Isabella Kaif. and though Kat is undoubtedly the most popular, Isabella, who is yet to enter the portals of filmdom, was caught in an mmS controversy not so long ago. also seen is an older picture of Kat and her siblings along with their father and mother Sussana turquotte.

In another picture, Katrina is seen chilling by the poolside with her sisters. and this was way before her two piece bikini boom days.

When contacted, Katrina, who is known to guard her private life fiercely, refused to comment on the leaked pictures. agencieS

nEW yoRK: alec baldwin speaks at the tisch School of the art's gala. AFP

Fire on Akshay's film sets

MUMBai: akshay Kumar and the cast and crew of his home production ‘omg oh my god’ were saved from a major disaster when a near-fire was averted. Informs a unit member, "there was a fire during the shoot yesterday when sparks fell from a construction welding work from the next building onto the shooting set below. What compounded matters was that the catering area of the unit was just next to where the sparks fell and almost caught fire too. It was got under control at the last minute. there was a gas cylinder around, that could have blown up had sparks fallen there but luckily, the cast and crew were safe. after things settled, the unit praised akshay and even commended his presence (as he plays lord Krishna in the film). It was also akshay's first day at the shoot." agencieS

the 52 year old bollywood/hollywood actor, anil Kapoor, who is starring in Priyadarshan’s ‘tezz’, has impressed all with his physical fitness. Recently at the shoot of this hardcore action movie, featuring an ensemble cast including ajay devgan, Sameera Reddy, Kangana Renaut, mohanlal, boman Irani and Zayed Khan, he surprised the entire production unit with his stamina. the actor reportedly refused to use a stunt man for his action sequence. all this happened when he was required to shoot a chase scene with Zayed Khan. the crew was astonished to see that anil Kapoor outran the much younger Khan every time. "anil Kapoor refused to use a duplicate and there was this chase scene where he had to run after Zayed Khan. but the unit was stunned to see anil was fitter and faster than Zayed Khan,” said a source. the movie has been in the news for it’s huge star cast and Pakistani fans will get to see this action flick on 27th april in cinemas to be released by ImgC global. Publicity of the film in Pakistan is being handled by Encyclomedia PR. newS DeSK

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15 Adele leads Billboard

‘Skyfall’ director

Music Awards finalists

was right for the part’

LOS ANGELES

A

cBS

DELE is the top finalist for this year's Billboard Music Awards, leading in 18 award categories. The Grammy-winning 23-yearold British singer is in the running for top artist, top female artist and top Billboard 200 chart artist while her hit song ‘Rolling in the Deep’ is a contender in seven categories. Electric pop-duo LMFAO is right behind the British songstress with 17 finalist categories. Rihanna racked up 13 nods, while Lady Gaga and Lil Wayne each landed a spot in 10 of Billboard's award categories. The Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Lady Antebellum, LMFAO and

agencieS

LOS ANGELES agencieS

Lindsay Lohan might want to stay in and hit up Netflix for a bit. According to TMZ.com, she was driven to the Standard hotel in West Hollywood by a friend who hit another car in a parking garage. She then called her father, Michael Lohan, who arrived and took her inside the hotel’s Smoke and Mirrors club. (That may not have been the wisest choice. Earlier this month, Lohan was accused of shoving a woman at the club.) TMZ said the drama continued inside when a female patron made a “snide” remark about Lohan “going clubbing with her dad,” prompting the actress to yell at the woman. The woman reportedly threw a drink at Lohan, at which point she and her dad threw in the towel and left the club. According to TMZ, neither Lohan nor her dad drank alcohol at the club (he, like her, has had substance abuse issues). Michael Lohan later told TMZ that his daughter didn't invite trouble and that she was the one who got the drink thrown in her face.

MUMBai: So far the big b and madhuri dixit have never really crossed paths. years ago they were supposed to be paired together in JP dutta's film that was shelved. years later filmmaker Somnath Sen almost brought the 'forbidden' pair together. and failed. now big b and dixit are coming together in an unexpected way. he is all set to take over from madhuri, as the host of a morality-based show. madhuri has been a success as the host, as she throws open discussions on dowry, widow remarriage, and other social issues and gets viewers interested in issues beyond entertainment. however, madhuri's one-year tenure may be about to end as the channel wants big b take over from madhuri. Interestingly the big b was the first choice when the channel was launched. however, he was busy with ‘Kaun banega Crorepati’ and couldn't come on board. but now madhuri returns to ‘Jhalak dikhla Jaa’ on another tV channel Sony. big b has also shown a keen interest in assuming this new role and the details are now being worked out. agencieS

LOS ANGELES agencieS

Maroon 5 are competing for the trophy of best duo/group, while Adele, Bieber, Michael Bublé, Gaga and Lil Wayne are in the running for Billboard 200 Artist. Adele is also the front-runner for the Hot 100 Artist, with LMFAO, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry and Rihanna also competing in the same category.

Justin Bieber, Carrie Underwood, LMFAO and The Wanted are among the acts set to perform at the awards ceremony. The winners are based on chart rankings, along with album sales and downloads, track downloads, radio airplay and touring as well as streaming and social interactions.

This year's kudosfest will take place at Las Vegas' MGM Grand on May 20.

LOS ANGELES

Lohan reportedly in another altercation

‘didn't think Daniel Craig

Rihanna’s new outrageously explicit video has UK Prime Minister David Cameron pushing a proposal that suggestive music videos receive age certificates. The freshfaced star’s transformation may have been drastic, but it’s quite expected considering that every quintessential female pop star starts out cute before taking a 180 degree turn towards raunchyville. Miley Cyrus marketed her innocence, calling herself morally “strong”. But leaked half-nude pictures and an album called ‘Can’t Be Tamed’ was a clarion call for the world to see that she was no longer the cutesy blonde. Britney Spear’s career took a drastic downward spiral after she reinvented the pop scene with her album, ‘Baby One More Time’. Since then we have witnessed her one-day marriage to a childhood friend in Vegas, a whirlwind affair with a back-up dancer ending in a wedding just six-months after her first marriage, two children that were later taken away by child protection services and finally, rehab. Christina Aguilera burst on to the scene with her teen love songs. Aguilera’s transition was not just to a raunchier but also a downright trashier singer. With the

Hollywood’s good girls

gone bad

Daniel Craig nearly wasn't James Bond. Director Sam Mendes understood the concerns of 007 fans when Daniel Craig was first announced to play James Bond he was also convinced the hunk was the wrong actor for the iconic role. Some fans were aghast when Craig was first cast as the suave superspy, arguing he didn't look right for the part. But Craig proved the sceptics wrong thanks to the commercial and critical success of his debut Bond outing in 2006's ‘Casino Royale’, and the director of the new 007 blockbuster ‘Skyfall’ admits he should not have doubted the actor. Mendes says: "I was one of the people who said I didn't think he was the right casting.

At the time I said, 'I'm not sure. I would advise him not to do it." ‘Skyfall’ will be Craig's third Bond movie, and is due for release later this year.

Woman dies from coca-cola overdose? Sort of WELLINGTON agencieS

album ‘Stripped’ in 2002, the singer had completely transformed her look, dirty blonde hair, photo shoots that left little to one’s imagination and lyrics that made one blush. Taylor Momsen adopted her now famoushair extension, heavy kohl and socks-look overnight.

She was regularly snapped by the paparazzi, smoking and looking like a cross between a goth and a dominatrix. Her transformation

cost her her ‘Gossip Girl’ role. Rihanna hit the jackpot with ‘Umbrella’ but became more risque with every hairstyle change. The singer’s transition was particularly loud and in-yourface.

Rihanna has established herself as a kind of rebel artiste. Her album ‘S&M’ was banned in 11 countries, while her latest ‘We Found Love’ even offended the most liberal of all countries - France.

Big B to take over from

Madhuri Dixit

MUMBai: he is often panned as the king of sequels, but actor Ritiesh deshmukh vows that his latest films, ‘Kyaa Super Kool hai hum’ and ‘masti 2’ will be his last. the actor, who seems to have stuck with the formula - comedy and sequels quips, "yes, two sequels have been successful at the box office, ‘double dhamaal’ and more recently ‘housefull 2’. I hope that my latest sequels will also be appreciated by the audience. after that there will be no more sequels for me. I have had my share of foursomes." So, what's the drawback of doing sequels? "the drawback is that you tend to repeat yourself in the film. only good and entertaining films can guarantee success," he says. Ritiesh, who has elicited laughs in ‘housefull 2’ and ‘F.a.l.t.u’, switched tracks in ‘tere naal love ho gaya’, (tnlhg) a romantic comedy alongside wife genelia. ask him about getting out of his comfort zone and he says, “‘tnlhg’ was a genre shift for me, a romcom that I did after years. I would love to experiment with other genres too."

Even though his latest film sent the cash registers ringing at the bo, critics drubbed it as a no-brainer. and while it is a well-known fact that Ritiesh and his ‘housefull 2’ co-star akshay Kumar are good friends, the former has been sweating it out with akki in the gym too. "during the shoot, we would work out together and believe me, his training sessions can literally kill you," he says. agencieS

A woman in New Zealand recently passed away and experts believe that her addiction to Coke may have been the cause of her demise. And that’s Coca-Cola, the soda, by the way, not cocaine. Natasha Harris, 30, reportedly drank at least 2-gallons of Coca-Cola a day. Harris’ partner, Chris Hodgkinson, said at an inquest into Harris’ death: “The first thing she would do in the morning was to have a drink of Coke beside her bed and the last thing she would do at night was have a drink of Coke. She was addicted to Coke.” Harris officially died of a heart attack in February 2010. Pathologist Dr Dan Mornin said that Harris suffered from low potassium and was smoking about 30cigarettes a day before her death and wasn’t eating well. Another pathologist, Dr Martin Sage, said: “Excessive long or short term cola ingestion can be symptomatic, and there are strong hypothetical grounds for this becoming fatal in individual cases.”

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16 Foreign News

Sunday, 22 april, 2012

Bahraini protester found dead as F1 security fears linger MANAMA

B

afp

ahrain’s opposition reported Saturday the first death in protests timed for this weekend’s controversial Grand Prix as rising fears prompted tighter security around the Formula One race circuit.

The body of Salah Abbas Habib, 36, was found in Shakhura village, where security forces overnight had “attacked peaceful protesters, brutally beating some of them with various tools and weapons,” Bahrain’s largest Shiite opposition bloc Al-Wefaq said.

The group charged that “security forces killed him one day before the final round of the F1 races hosted by

Bahrain,” without clarifying how the man had died.

In a statement on social networking website Twitter, the interior ministry confirmed that “the body of a deceased person was found in Shakhura today (Saturday). Police have begun an investigation.”

One of his relatives, contacted by AFP, said “Salah was taking part in the protest in Shakhura Friday and was arrested by security forces while other protesters managed to flee.”

“We knew nothing about him” after the protest “until we were told that his body was found on Saturday morning,” the family member said on condition of anonymity.

Witnesses told AFP that security forces fired tear gas and sound bombs to

disperse dozens of people who gathered at the area where Habib’s body was found.

Late on Friday, protesters clashed with riot police in Bahrain when dozens took to the streets in several Shiite villages, witnesses said.

Security forces fired tear gas and sound bombs to disperse the demonstrators, some of whom responded by hurling petrol bombs and stones, the sources said, adding that the clashes were “violent.”

Dozens of armoured vehicles were deployed Saturday on roads leading to the Sakhir circuit, where the FI race is going ahead despite calls by rights groups to cancel the event due to rising political tensions in the kingdom.

Security gates were set up and bags

thoroughly searched at the entrances to the circuit.

Officials insisted the event was safe, although Force India team withdrew from Friday afternoon practice on safety ground, two days after four of its mechanics were caught up in traffic close to an exploding petrol bomb.

Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa on Friday said: “I think cancelling just empowers extremists.”

“I think for those of us who are trying to navigate a way out of this political problem having the race allows us to build bridges across communities,” he told a media briefing at Sakhir.

Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley, who said Wednesday’s in-

cident had “destabilised the emotional element of our team,” insisted they however supported the Grand Prix and would make a full commitment to Saturday’s qualifying and the race itself on Sunday.

Two of his team members opted to leave Bahrain on Thursday.

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: “Clearly we race in an international sport all over the world and we’ve had security concerns and issues in a number of races. We take that very seriously. We’re cautious and we try and take the right precautions.”

The late Friday clashes had followed a massive afternoon demonstration in the Shiite suburb of Budaya, west of Manama.

gun salutes mark queen Elizabeth II’s 86th birthday LONDON afp

Britain marked Queen Elizabeth II’s 86th birthday on Saturday with 41-gun salutes at Hyde Park and the Tower of London, while the monarch herself celebrated with family.

“The queen is spending the day privately,” a Buckingham Palace spokesman told AFP, adding that the monarch was at Windsor Castle, the official residence west of London where she spends most weekends. At Hyde Park in central London, there was a brief interruption to the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery’s salute when a panicked horse broke free in front of a crowd of nearly a thousand spectators, an AFP photographer saw. An army spokeswoman said no one had been injured in the incident. “The horse was having the time of his life,” the spokeswoman told AFP. “He just wanted to join his mates. These are extremely well-trained horses, but you just never know when you’re working with animals.” Gun salutes also took place at several military bases across the country to mark the occasion. The queen’s official birthday is celebrated each June, in the hope of warmer weather for the annual Trooping the Colour military ceremony. This year’s Trooping the Colour on June 16 will be part of a packed summer schedule for the queen, who is marking her diamond jubilee with a tour of Britain and is set to open the London Olympic Games on July 27. Britain is celebrating the queen’s 60 years on the throne with a four-day weekend in June that will include a pageant of boats on the River Thames and a concert outside Buckingham Palace featuring Paul McCartney and Elton John. Other royals are criss-crossing the Commonwealth, from Canada to Tuvalu, to mark the anniversary.

The queen appeared in good spirits on Friday as she chatted with world golf number one Rory McIlroy and his girlfriend, the top Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, at the horse races in Newbury, west of London. The monarch is a famous lover of horse racing, like her daughter Princess Anne who rode the queen’s horse in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, and her grand-daughter Zara Phillips, a former world eventing champion.

lonDon: gun teams from the Kings troop of the Royal artillery fire a 41 gun salute in london’s Hyde park in honour of her Royal Highness Queen elizabeth ii’s 86th birthday on Saturday.. AFP

Japan to waive $3.7bn of Myanmar’s debt TOKYO afp

Tokyo will waive about 300 billion yen ($3.7 billion) of Myanmar’s debt and resume suspended assistance to the country, the Japanese government said Saturday.

“Myanmar’s reforms are progressing with certainty,” said Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda at a joint press conference in Tokyo after meeting Myanmar President Thein Sein for talks. “At a time when Myanmar’s democratisation is reaching a key stage, Japan is declaring to further support its efforts to reform and to continue bolstering assistance,” he said.

As a first step, Japan will waive 127.4 billion yen in debt that was first agreed in 2002 but was suspended while the country

was in the grip of the military regime, an official statement said.

The remaining 176.1 billion yen, including interest and delay penalties, will be forgiven on the condition that the process of democratisation continues apace. “The two leaders shared the view that addressing Myanmar’s debt issues in a comprehensive way is important for Myanmar’s reengagement with the international community,” said the statement. Thein Sein is the first Myanmar head of state in 28 years to visit Japan, as the former dictatorship is gradually welcomed back into the global community. The five-day visit ends Tuesday. During the talks with Noda, Thein Sein said Myanmar will continue pursuing further reforms, “focusing on further democratisation, protection of people’s rights and reconciliation”, a Japanese official who attended the meeting quoted him as saying.

Jailed Tymoshenko hospitalised in Ukraine KHARKIV afp

Ukraine’s jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko shunned doctors on Saturday after being moved to hospital for back pain that stopped her attending a new trial for tax fraud. Witnesses cited by local media said two ambulances and four police cars arrived at the women’s penal colony in the eastern city of Kharkiv where she is serving a seven-year sentence and took her away late Friday.

Her supporters immediately claimed that she had been moved under duress while Deputy Health Minister Raisa Moiseyenko confirmed that Tymoshenko was refusing to be touched by doctors until the

arrival of her lawyer. “She is refraining from a medical examination,” Moiseyenko told reporters. “She is refusing to have any detailed medical discussion... until she meets her attorney.”

The flamboyant but divisive 2004 Orange Revolution leader was convicted of abuse of office for negotiating a gas deal with Russia while prime minister in 2009 that the new administration says was disadvantageous for Ukraine. She was sentenced last October at the end of a high-profile trial that was watched closely by strongly critical diplomats from Europe and the United States.

The case cast a shadow over Ukraine’s nascent relations with the European Union and prevented the signing of a partnership agreement the ex-Soviet nation hopes to se-

cure before eventually winning membership in the bloc.

Western officials criticised the trial as selective justice while Tymoshenko has branded her prosecution as the result of a political vendetta being waged by her triumphant presidential rival Viktor Yanukovych.

But prosecutors have brushed aside the complaints and have since launched several new cases against Tymoshenko relating to her tenure in the 1990s as head of a private natural gas trading firm.

She went on trial again Thursday on tax evasion charges that may extend her sentence by five years. The 51-year-old sent a formal letter to the authorities saying she was in too much pain to attend.

The controversy surrounding her move to the clinic underscores the level of mistrust running between Tymoshenko’s supporters and the authorities.

Ukraine’s prison service has persistently denied the seriousness of her condition while members of the ruling party accuse of her of feigning pain to draw more Western sympathy and avoid the new trial.

Tymoshenko for her part had previously refused treatment in a Ukrainian hospital until it had been cleared by a team of visiting German doctors who examined her earlier this year.

A German doctor formally approved the clinic this week. But he also noted Tymoshenko’s “deep mistrust” of Ukrainian doctors as a complicating factor.

bombings kill 3 as Iraq governor targeted BAGHDAD afp

Bombs exploded in two minibuses in Baghdad on Saturday, killing three people and wounding at least 12, while a bomb attack on a governor’s convoy wounded two guards, security officials said.

An interior ministry official said the bombs in the minibuses exploded about 8:30 am (0530 GMT) near a Shiite place of worship in the Chikouk area in north Baghdad, killing three people and wounding 12. A medical official at Al-Nur Hospital near Chikouk said the facility had received three bodies and 14 other people who were wounded in the blasts. Meanwhile, a roadside bomb targeted the convoy of Hisham al-Hiyali, the governor of Diyala province, north of the provincial capital Baquba, police Captain Hazem al-Juburi said. The officer said that two guards were wounded in the attack, but that the governor was unharmed. Violence in Iraq has fallen sharply from its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks still continue across the country.

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Sunday, 22 april, 2012

Foreign News 17 Campaigns on hold as France prepares to vote PARIS afp

Yatta: an israeli soldier tries to restrain a young Jewish settler from attacking palestinian farmers and shepherds as they are removed by the military off their land to allow the settlers from the nearby Maaon Jewish settlement to farm the land on Saturday. AFP

UN team visits Syria’s battered Baba Amr DAMASCUS

U

afp

N monitors visited the restive province of Homs on Saturday ahead of an expected Security Council vote on deploying hundreds of observers across Syria to monitor a shaky ceasefire. “A team of international observers visited the province of Homs and met the governor,” the state-run news agency SANA reported.

The small advance team of monitors, who had previously been prevented from visiting Homs for “security reasons,” were able to tour different districts of the

city of the same name, including battered Baba Amr. Regime forces shelled Baba Amr for a month, leaving hundreds dead according to monitors, before retaking it from rebels on March 1. Two Western journalists were among those killed.

The visit came as the opposition Syrian National Council claimed that Homs neighbourhoods were being pounded, although an activist in the city said the situation was calm. But in the town of Qusayr, near the Lebanese border in Homs province, a sniper shot dead a woman on Saturday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The monitoring group reported a

huge blast at a military airport in the Damascus district of Mazzeh.

Also in the runup to the UN vote, state-media reported that authorities released 30 people detained for their alleged role in Syria’s anti-regime uprising, but who have “no blood on their hands.”

The move takes to nearly 4,000 the number of people the authorities have released since November, SANA reported.

In New York, diplomats said the Security Council had reached a tentative accord on a resolution to send in the 300-strong ceasefire observer force that could be voted later on Saturday.

Russia’s UN envoy was upbeat about the text, although his US counterpart in-

dicated a vote was not certain as Western nations decide if the conditions for the force are strong enough.

The council approved an advanced mission of 30 observers and seven are already in Syria where the UN says more than 9,000 people have been killed in a 13-month crackdown on dissent against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

The Syrian Observatory reported that “a loud explosion was heard at the Mazzeh military airport in Damascus,” but provided no further details.

Activists however told AFP that the army blocked the road leading to the military airbase while snipers took positions on the rooftops of buildings in the area.

French presidential candidates marked a one day truce Saturday on the eve of voting in a first-round poll to whittle the 10strong field down to two frontrunners.

French election rules outlaw both campaigning and opinion polling on the last day of the race, but Socialist challenger Francois Hollande went into the weekend favourite to oust right-wing incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy. The two 57-year-old political veterans are expected to win the two spots in the May 6 run-off, and polls suggest that the leftwinger will comfortably win the battle to become one of the most powerful leaders in the world.

Parisians went about their business without being accosted by pamphleteers, the campaigns’ websites, Facebook pages and Twitter feeds were left without updates and broadcasters had to find other subjects to interview. But some hints of the campaigns’ moods slipped past the censors. “Lovely day,” wrote Socialist Party spokesman Benoit Hamon on his personal Twitter account, linking to an upbeat song by Ella Fitzgerald, and tacitly suggesting that the left remains coolly confident.

The left-wing daily Liberation emblazoned its front page with the headline “A strong left” against the backdrop of a blue ocean under open skies, mocking the slogan and imagery of Sarkozy’s “A strong France” campaign.

The pro-Sarkozy Le Figaro stuck doggedly behind its champion, but doubts clouded its front page editorial, which warned all those thinking of voting far-right or centrist that second round would depend on the first. Privately, Sarkozy’s top supporters have begun to admit that if Sarkozy fails to regain the momentum and slip ahead of Hollande on Sunday, he will have too much ground left to make up before the May 6 showdown.

France is a nuclear-armed power, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the tenth biggest economy in the world in terms of GDP. Its executive president wields extraordinary personal power. Sarkozy has, in the teeth of much criticism of his hyperactive leadership style, made the office still more influential by downgrading the role of his prime minister and taking day-to-day charge of matters of state. The eventual winner of the May 6 vote will still have to win legislative elections in June to make sure of his or her authority, but any French leader with a parliamentary majority has wide room to manoeuvre.

First, however, 44.5 million French electors must make their choice.

Blood, sweat and jungle: hunting Kony with Uganda’s squads JUNGLE, NEAR RIVER VOVODO afp

Sweat dripping from his unkempt beard, second lieutenant Kasim Lukumo halted briefly to point at the thick tangle of the central African jungle.

“See how difficult it can be to find someone here if they want to hide from you,” Lukumo told AFP, as he adjusted the straps of his 30-kilo pack and the automatic rifle slung across his chest. “You can’t see more than just some few metres around and in front of you — sometimes you can’t see someone even when they are near.”

If there is a frontline in the hunt for Joseph Kony and his rebel Lord’s Resistance Army, then Lukumo and the 60 other soldiers in 77-Juliet squad are on it.

The unit is one of several dozen Ugandan army hunting squads — backed up since late last year by 100 American special forces troops — searching for any traces of the brutal rebel group in an inhospitable 400-kilometre stretch in the far eastern corner of the Central African Republic.

For the past two months, 77-Juliet

have trekked almost a thousand kilometres across an unpopulated wedge of land between two rivers — dense stretches of jungle alternating with open patches of sun-scorched rocks — where the Ugandan military believe Kony and his top commanders are hiding out. Waking before dawn each morning they pack up last night’s camp before receiving the coordinates for that day’s march from intelligence officers at the nearest base a 100 kilometres away. They usually face a march of some 20 kilometres (12 miles). The plan is to use the squads to constantly harry the rebels, who have splintered into small groups, denying them breathing space to regroup and resupply. And the Ugandan army says those tactics are paying off.

“The man is weak — he is feeling pressure and in a bad condition because he has no supplies, no food,” captain Daud Muhamad, the commander of 77-Juliet, told AFP. He leaned against a towering tique tree, swatting away at the swarm of tiny flies buzzing ceaselessly around his head. Infamous for mutilating their victims and abducting children to use as sex

Rio: a french citizen casts her vote at the french consulate in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. AFP slaves and porters, the LRA have terrorised the region for over two decades.

Last month a video calling for the arrest of Kony, a former altar boy who is

wanted by the International Criminal Court, became an unlikely Internet sensation. The Kony2012 film — made by US advocacy group Invisible Children — was

watched by over 100 million people and the group has urged supporters around the world to put up posters of Kony in their cities this Friday night.

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Sunday, 22 april, 2012

nadal, djokovic see red over blue clay Page 21

PCB meets to discuss B’desh tour setback today LAHORE Staff RepoRt

D

ISAPPOINTED with the postponement of a much-anticipated tour by Bangladesh, the Pakistan Cricket Board will meet on Sunday to discuss its fallout.

The meeting has been called as the PCB is also not happy with the role of a section of the media in highlighting the security issues in Pakistan. "The PCB has learnt that clippings of some Pakistani newspapers and articles which were against Bangladesh playing in Pakistan due to the security situation were submitted by the petitioners in the Dhaka High Court on Thursday," reports quoting a source said.

"Apparently the petitioners used these articles and clippings to highlight the fact that it was not safe for Bangladesh to tour Pakistan at this time. The PCB believes that the media at this time needed to support it 100 per cent instead of cre-

Windies coach gibson fined for dRS outburst PORT OF SPAIN afp

West Indies coach Ottis Gibson has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee after hitting out at the DRS review technology system during the drawn second Test against Australia.

The incident took place on Tuesday when, during the post-third day's play media briefing, Gibson challenged the DRS and its implementation by the match officials.

He was subsequently charged with breaching the ICC Code of Conduct.

"In the pre-series meetings it was agreed that players and coaches should not engage in negative media comments. Ottis accepts that he overstepped the mark during the game and has now accepted his sanction," said Jeff Crowe of the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.

Gibson had been frustrated by what he saw as inconsistencies in the system caused by the absence of Hot-Spot and Snicko technology.

"I can't say what I really want to say about the DRS because the ICC will sack me or ban me or whatever," Gibson had said.

"If the ICC is going to use DRS I think they should use all the technology and I think if we haven't got all the technology we shouldn't use it at all." Australia won the first Test in Barbados before the rain-affected second Test here ended in a predictable draw. The final match starts in Dominica on Monday.

Strauss out for second-ball duck LONDON afp

England captain Andrew Strauss suffered the worst possible start to his build-up to the series against West Indies when he was out for a second-ball duck in a county match on Friday.

Strauss was bowled by England colleague Graham Onions in the opening over of Middlesex's game against Durham at Lord's. Middlesex eventually reached stumps on 132 for five.

ating a negative trend," he said. Interestingly, most Pakistani TV channels reported that two senior players of the Bangladesh team were involved in moving the petition in the Dhaka High Court which gave a four weeks injunction against Bangladesh going to Pakistan. "Obviously we will be discussing future plans because we were preparing for the series against Bangladesh. But immediately we have no alternative plans," PCB Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmad said. "We are waiting to see what happens next week although the Bangladesh Cricket Board has informed us it can't send its team to Pakistan in the next four weeks and after that period we have to go to Sri Lanka," Ahmad said. He ruled out any chances of

the PCB inviting some other to replace Bangladesh. "It is too late now for us because we were sure Bangladesh would come." Ahmad said that what had come as a surprise to the PCB was that in December the entire BCB governing board was briefed on the tour on the insistence of its President Mustafa Kamal.

"The BCB governing board was in the loop about the tour and we only started moving things after they gave their agreement to the tour taking place," the PCB official said. He said it was too early to say if Pakistan would not support the nomination of Kamal for the

post of ICC vice president.

"We will meet and talk out things and also plan for the future. We will now start focusing on the coming series with Australia in Sri Lanka and also on possibly holding the PPL this year," he added. But Ahmad minced no words in highlighting the general mood in the PCB as far as relations with the BCB were concerned.

"We don't want to say anything more now but we are extremely disappointed and hurt. The four weeks injunction given by the High Court and the prompt postponement notice by the BCB to us and also the ICC came as a surprise to us." Asked if he believed the Indian board or a lobby was behind the postponement of the tour, Ahmad said the PCB had dealt directly with the BCB and believed they would come. "As far as our bilateral relations with India are concerned our Chairman had a fruitful meeting with the BCCI President in Dubai and we are looking at things positively.

‘Bangladesh visit would not have helped anyway’ LAHORE Staff RepoRt

The Pakistan Cricket Board might be disappointed by the postponement of the one-day series against Bangladesh but many experts feel even that visit would have not helped to revive international cricket in the country. "I am not surprised by the Bangladesh pull-out.

Neither am I disappointed because I always felt inviting them would serve no purpose," former Test player Mohsin Khan said. Mohsin, who was until recently was the chief selector and then the national team coach, said he had maintained that inviting a weak team like Bangladesh would not influence other bigger nations to come and play in Pakistan. Continue reading below. PCB may have forced Bangladesh to visit Pakistan, but no other country will bent under Pak pressure to risk lives of their crickets. Former PCB chairman and diplomat Shaharyar Khan also felt the PCB was following the wrong path in its efforts to revive international cricket in the country, but he advised the PCB to focus on the lower-ranked teams. "While it is unfortunate that the postponement came after the confirmation by the Bangladesh board, but I would advice the PCB to target the lowerranked teams and invite them to Pakistan instead of chasing Test-playing nations," he said. "We should start

from the lower-ranked teams. The PCB must focus on inviting Associate Members or other club-level teams to play with our second-string sides. It should host such teams on a regular basis and by doing that repeatedly, with success, a soft impression will definitely be created, which will start attracting top teams. At the same time, international players from other games like hockey, tennis and boxing should also be invited. I don't see the drought ending without this process taking place, especially after the postponement of Bangladesh's tour." Shaharyar, who played a pivotal role in bringing the Indian team to Pakistan in 2004 when he was the PCB chairman, said there also had to be complete government backing for the PCB efforts to bear results. "The PCB needs to have government backing and the support of the different ministries to get teams to come to Pakistan. I have no doubt [that] there must be some political influence behind the decision of Bangladesh to postpone the tour to Pakistan, but whatever it is, it is a huge setback for Pakistan." Lt. General (Retd) Tauqie Zia, another former PCB chairman, advised against taking impulsive decisions in context of relations with Bangladesh. "Bangladesh have not behaved fairly in all this issue, but we should still remain patient and not take a hasty decision which would have a negative effect on our relations with them. We must look at the future as well," he said.

nimbus to broadcast Pakistan Premier league?

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

A leading Indian broadcaster has come forward to assist the PCB in organising its ambitious Pakistan Premier League T20 competition later this year.

According to reports, a representative for Nimbus sports gave a presentation to the PCB Chairman and other senior officials last week on the PPL. "Basically Nimbus is interested in just organising the PPL for a fee but has not shown interest in procuring rights for the event," one source said.

"But the fact that an Indian company has shown interest in the PPL has come as a encouraging sign for the PCB," the source said.

He said another renowned international sports management company and broadcaster which also has big stakes in India had also shown interest in giving a presentation on the PPL. "The other presentations came from local companies but the fact is that this is just the initial stage and most of the presentations were based on ideas," another source said.

Independent sources confided that the PCB was keen to organise the PPL in a befitting manner with the franchises concept on the lines of the IPL and BPL. "But at the presentations most of those people who gave presentations made it clear that finances needed to generated from the Indian and other markets to sustain such a major league including the franchises," the source said.

"The PCB at present is looking at a sale out price of around 4 to 4.5 million dollars for a franchise."

After being snubbed by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, the PCB hierarchy is now keen to focus on launching the PPL this year.

"Basically they also see October as the ideal time to launch the PPL as the ICC has kept a window open for the Champions League tournament as well and foreign players could be available as well," the source said.

"The biggest issue for the PCB is not just finances for the event but also security issues as they are keen to ensure the league launches with the participation of foreign players," the source added.

Yousuf suggests former players’ help to revive cricket LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has urged the PCB to seek the help of leading ex-players in its bid to revive international cricket in the country.

Yousuf, who is training at the National Cricket Academy with the national coach Dav Whatmore, said he was extremely disappointed by the postponement of the Bangladesh team's tour to Pakistan. "It is very disappointing because it has been three years since any international team came to Pakistan," he noted.

"Our people have been starved of watching international players in action on their own grounds. But the PCB should not give up hope and continue its efforts

to invite teams to Pakistan," Yousuf said.

He said he was willing to offer his services to the PCB in any capacity to help them in convincing teams to play in Pakistan.

"I personally feel that the Board must enlist the services of some leading former players and use them as cricket ambassadors to promote a soft image of Pakistan abroad," he said. Yousuf, who last played for Pakistan in 2010, said former players tend to have their own personal connections and friendships and can utilise these to help the PCB in its endeavours.

"We all want to see international teams playing again in Pakistan. But after what happened in 2009 it is a reality that this will take some doing. We all need to work together to produce results," Yousuf said. Whatmore told the media that he was personally disappointed by Bangladesh's decision to postpone the tour. "I was looking forward to the series and wanted to see the teams play in Pakistan. But we just need to now focus and prepare for our coming assignments," Whatmore said.

He said he per-

sonally had never made security an issue with the PCB and was enjoying his stay in Pakistan. "I have decided against going on vacations and instead will remain in Lahore to prepare the players for the coming tour to Sri Lanka in late May," Whatmore said.

Pakistan's former Test captain Aamir Sohail also felt that PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf needed to form a new team to work towards convincing teams to play in Pakistan. "The Bangladesh pullout is really disappointing and sad for Pakistan cricket. But the board must now form a new team which can convince teams to play in the country," he said. Sohail also said if the board required him he would be willing to use his contacts in this direction for them.

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Sunday, 22 april, 2012

Sports 19

Newcastle up to 4th as Stoke outclassed NEWCASTLE afp

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EWCASTLE United moved into pole position in the race for a Champions League place by thrashing hapless Stoke 3-0 in a one-sided encounter at St James' Park. Alan Pardew's side were rank outsiders for a top four slot at the start of the spring but in-form and scoring freely, they now look like the team to beat in the scramble for a place among Europe's elite. The identity of their goalscorers in this three-goal battering of the Potters carried a familiar ring to it.

After Yohan Cabaye opened the scoring by nipping in front of a dawdling Stoke defence to nod home from close range it was Papiss Demba Cisse who doubled the advantage with his eleventh goal since a January switch from Freiburg.

Cabaye added a third in the second half with a crisp drive from the edge of the penalty area to put the result beyond doubt and accurately reflect Newcastle's total dominance of the game. In this sort of form, their capital rivals for the Champions League should be very worried of Newcastle's challenge for the top four.

Stoke are no pushovers but Newcastle never allowed them time to settle, and in Hatem Ben Arfa they possessed the game's most potent attacking threat. He punctured a cagey opening by waltzing past Marc Wilson with a delightful shimmy before chipping into the box for Cisse.

The Senegal striker uncharacteristically clipped the bar with his looping header but Cabaye was on hand to give the home side a 14th minute lead.

The advantage was doubled just four minutes later and Cabaye was again in the thick of things, dissecting the Potters defence with a wonderful pass to tee up Cisse - who struck with a first time shot past Asmir Begovic. Stoke looked shell-shocked, and their resistance was limited to a Peter Crouch pot shot that Tim Krul watched glide harmlessly over the bar. Newcastle, by contrast, were enjoying themselves and thanks to the excellent Ben Arfa they were

enjoying the best of the possession and chances. Left-back Davide Santon took on three red and white shirts before seeing Begovic stoop low to prevent him from a memorable first Premier League goal.

If an animated Tony Pulis had hoped for a reaction from his side in the second half, he was to be disappointed.

Newcastle began the second period on the front foot and Demba Ba was denied in the first minute of the half by a brave Begovic save. It was merely a case of delaying

the inevitable, though. Ba combined brilliantly with Cisse but when the ball bobbled out towards Cabaye, the France midfielder reacted superbly to sweep a majestic dipping shot over Begovic.

Stoke couldn't muster much of a response. Crouch attempted to angle a volley in from close range but substitute James Perch blocked his effort with an excellent flying block to frustrate the England striker.

United ended the game in the ascendancy.

Ba failed to grab the goal his fine work de-

Chennai leave it late but down Rajasthan CHENNAI cRicinfo

On another sweltering day, there was another demonstration of how quickly Twenty20 games can turn. With four overs to go, Chennai Super Kings had nine wickets remaining and needed 31 runs - a one-sided game then by Twenty20 standards. A double-strike from Kevon Cooper in the 17th over

made the Chennai dressing room a little anxious, but with MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo in the middle, things were still under control. Amit Singh leaked runs in the next over, and when he bowled a legstump freebie with the fine leg up, the game again seemed over.

There were no more boundaries in the game, however, and with Karnataka allrounder Stuart bowling yorker after yorker in the final over it came down to

ChEnnaI: Chennai Super Kings batsman Suresh Rains (R) congratulates his team mate Francois du Plessis (l) on reaching a half century (50 runs), during the IPl twenty20 match at the m.a Chidambaram Stadium. AFP

two off the final delivery. Yet again, though, Dhoni gave showed his finishing skills, whipping the final ball to deep backward square leg and haring through for the second, easily beating a poor throw from Cooper. Rajasthan Royals managed 146 on a slowish pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The cornerstone of the innings was Owais Shah's third halfcentury of the tournament, but it lacked the panache of his previous two efforts, leaving Chennai Super Kings with a target they will fancy chasing. The highlights of Super Kings' bowling were R Ashwin's momentum-stalling spell after the Royals openers have provided a cracking start, and Nuwan Kulasekara's full-and-wide bowling at the death. Royals have been the most explosive side of the season in the final five overs of the innings, but they couldn't get the final flourish today as Kulasekara conceded only eight off the 18th and 20th overs combined.

Rahane again showcased his ability to find the boundary with conventional strokes, and Rahul Dravid also kept the rate up early on, with a pulled four and a straight six. Royals raced to 32 off four overs before Ashwin intervened. He had Rahane chipping to mid-off and gave away only four in his first two overs.

The left-arm spinners, Shadab Jakati and Ravindra Jadeja, also played their parts, bringing the scoring-rate down to just above six. Shah couldn't find his usual fluency, and Ashok Menaria also couldn't get the big hits away, prompting speculation over whether Brad Hodge should have been sent in before the youngster. It was the 15th over, from Jadeja, that provided Royals a much-needed boost as a couple of wides ran away for four, with Shah's constant shuffle around the crease confusing the bowler. Twenty-two came off that over, and when Menaria launched Dwayne Bravo for a six and a four in the 17th, the big onslaught finally seemed on.

Kulasekara, though, scuttled Royals' hopes of crossing 150 with his stifling overs at the end.

served but Cheick Tiote nearly added number four with a fizzing 30-yard effort that Begovic tipped over brilliantly. The Israeli had to react smartly minutes later when Tiote again tried his luck from his distance - this time Begovic parried wide.

RELEgATiON sTiLL HAuNTs viLLA AFTER sTALEMATE: Aston Villa remain on the fringes of the relegation dog-fight after a dour 0-0 draw against 10man Sunderland on Saturday. Alex McLeish's side could have moved to within touching distance of Premier League survival with a win at Villa Park, but instead they face a nervous finale to a troubled season. The Midlands outfit are five points clear of the bottom three with four games remaining after failing to break down a stubborn Sunderland team, who had former Villa midfielder Craig Gardner sent off in second-half stoppage-time. It was a disappointing afternoon for Sunderland coach Martin O'Neill, who was greeted with boos from Villa fans after walking out on their club on the eve of last season. With survival on the agenda, it was Villa who set the early tempo and the hosts came close to taking the lead inside the first 60 seconds.

DORTMuND MusT WAiT As RiBERy REscuEs BAyERN: France star Franck Ribery hit a 90th-minute winner on Saturday as Bayern Munich poached a 2-1 win at Werder Bremen to delay Borussia Dortmund's title celebrations. Dortmund will be confirmed as German champions for the second season running if they win at Moenchengladbach later on Saturday evening, but they almost won the title without kicking a ball before Ribery's late winner in Bremen.

Bremen's Brazil defender Naldo was both hero and villain for his team as his 51st-minute strike from a Claudio Pizarro header put the hosts ahead before an own goal just 14 minutes later allowed Bayern back in the game. With Bayern pushing forward, Ribery came off the bench with 25 minutes left to hit the winner with time almost up to save Bayern's blushes and keep Dortmund's champagne on ice prior to the game against fourth-placed Gladbach.

3 Punjab teams to take part in Rokhri badminton LAHORE Staff RepoRt

The Punjab Badminton Association has on Saturday named three men and ladies teams for participation in the 14th All Aamer Hayat Khan Rokhri Invitation Tournament.

The 14th edition of the Rokhri Tournament will start from April 23 and will conclude on 29th. The teams were selected after trial held on April 16 and two teams Men and a Ladies team were named. The teams are as under. Punjab Green Men: Irfan Saeed, Azeem Sarwar, Subhan Jamil, shoaibHafeez, Ali Nawaz Dil, Amir Saeed, Hameed Yasin, Aoun Abbas. Punjab White Men: Talha Khalid, Usman Zahid, Aizaz Saif, Raja Hasnain, Mohtisim Bashir, Anjum Bashir, Abdul Muqeet. Punjab women team: Ghazala Siddique, Bisma Idrees, Fareeha Imtiaz, Mehmoona Ameer, Arooj Butt, Zainib Ejaz, Amal Munib, Ghazala Javed.

Judo Course begins LAHORE Staff RepoRt

In all 22 players including four female players from the different affiliated divisional units have joined the three-day Judo Referees Course organized by the Punjab Judo Association in Lahore. This Course which is being conducted by Mahmood Naveed, is a Level – I Course which includes the latest rules and regulations of sport Judo as per the International Judo Federation rule book. The participants are being introduced to the sporting rules by means of videos, lectures and practical demonstrations. An examination will be conducted tomorrow, 22nd April’12 and the successful candidates will be awarded Certificates at a colorful ceremony to be held in Hotel Ambassador at 4:00 P.M.

Olympic medal hope Le Clos betters another mark DURBAN afp

Olympics medal hopeful Chad le Clos continued to star at the South African national swimming championships Friday by bettering another 2012 London Games qualifying time. The 20year-old was the quickest qualifier from the 200 metres individual medley semi-finals with a time of one minute 58.87 seconds -- 1.30 seconds inside the mark. Durban-born Le Clos also dipped below the qualifying times for the 400m individual medley and 200m butterfly this week at the Kings Park pool in the Indian Ocean city.

The 1.95-metre swimmer is considered the second best London medal prospect among South African swimmers after breaststroke specialist Cameron van der Burgh. "I am really pleased to have got the time as it has taken a huge amount of pressure off my shoulders," he said ahead of the Saturday final, where 2004 Athens Games gold medalist Darian Townsend should pose the biggest threat. No one was more surprised than 200m women's breaststroke champion Suzaan van Biljon when she finished in 2:25.89 -- one second inside the Olympic qualifying mark. "I did not expect this at all," she admitted while gazing at the times on the electronic screens. "I had doubts the whole time even though my coach told me I had a chance."

It was the first time Van Biljon bettered the mark and she will get a chance at events in Ireland and Germany during May to do so again and secure a place in the South African squad. Gideon Louw (49.23) won the 100m freestyle final from Roland Schoeman (49.25) and Townsend (49.30), but all finished outside the qualifying time of 48.82 and Graeme Moore (49.59), who has achieved that feat once, came fourth. No South African won a swimming medal at the 2008 Beijing Games and London hopefuls must match or better qualifying marks twice to qualify with one of the times having to be achieved during the week-long national championships.

FORMER WORLD cHAMp sEMENyA sEALs OLyMpics pLAcE: Former world champion Caster Semenya won an 800 metres race in one minute 59.58 seconds Friday to secure a place in the South African team for the Olympic Games. Semenya is considered the best

South African prospect for gold at the London Games and relished running on a University of Pretoria track where she was boosted by a fast start from Namibian Herunga Tjipekapora.

"I am very happy with the time and now I know what my plans for the European season are. I do not have to rush now, I must just be patient and wait for the Olympics.

"My ambition is to get to the podium in London -- that is a very important thing to do - and to win gold. We will just have to wait and see," she told reporters on a cool, clear autumn evening in the South African Highveld city.

It was third time lucky for the 21-year-old, who conquered the world in Berlin three years ago but was then forced to take gender tests amid accusations from rivals.

She failed to better the 1:59.90 qualifying mark during two previous attempts in South Africa this year, most recently at the national championships in wind-swept Port Elizabeth last weekend.

All South African Olympic hopefuls must match or better the qualifying mark twice -once at home and once abroad -- before June 30 to be chosen for the London Games.

Semenya got her 'abroad' time in South Korean city Daegu last year when finishing second behind Russian Mariya Savinova in defence of the world title after a long spell being hampered by a lower back injury.

The former world champion changed coaches last year, replacing Michael Seme with ex-Olympic 800-metre gold medalist Maria Mutola from neighbouring Mozambique.

Other South African athletes who have booked places in London are 400-metre hurdlers LJ van Zyl and Cornel Fredericks, women's javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen and decathlete Willem Coertzen.

Long jumper Khotso Mokoena, whose silver was the only medal won by South Africa at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, ended months of misery by bettering the Games qualifying mark with a leap of 8.29 metres.

But his successful first attempt at the national meet was followed by two no-jumps and three abortive efforts, leaving him needing to better the Games distance again before June 30 to make the team.

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20 Sports PFF d Certificate Coaching Course for Women concludes LAHORE: Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) D Certificate Coaching Course for women concluded today morning at Football House, Lahore with Lt. Col. Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi TI (M), General Secretary PFF, gracing the closing ceremony as chief guest, Wing Com. Pervaiz Saeed Mir, Director Development & Competition and Lt. Col. Farasat Ali Shah, Director MA & Projects were also present on this occasion.

Lodhi said on this occasion that PFF is committed to provide football coaches the most advanced level theoretical, physical and practical knowledge. Mr. Lodhi further reiterated that PFF is considering to start women football team of different age groups which will help to raise their standard at par with developed Asian women football team.

"It's now easier than ever to become a qualified football coach. By getting on the coaching ladder, individuals have the opportunity to progress through the various PFF and AFC Coaching qualifications while constantly enhancing their skills and knowledge”, said Instructor Tariq Lutfi who was assisted by Kiran Ilyas and Arif Siddique. later on general Secretary PFF distributed certificates. the participants: Sheeka nazir, Suraiya abid, Rubina Sadaqat, Khalida Parveen, tehmina Zehra, anila Khan, Razmina Sultan, madiha gillani, yasmin akhter, Iqra tabassum, Sniha Khanum, hira aziz, qibtia Jamshaid, Zahida Parveen, neha Rehman, amber bashir, Shamim akhter, Saima Iram and hina munir. Staff RepoRt

Sunday, 22 april, 2012

OSTRAVA: Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic returns a ball to Sara Errani of Italy during their Fed Cup semi-final. AFP

CZECHS

ON TOP IN FED CUP OSTRAVA afp Czech Republic was on strong footing in their Fed Cup Semi-final tennis match against Italy.

They led the opening day 2-0 with Lucie Safarova and Petra Kvitova winning their respective matches in straight sets.

Results from the Fed Cup World Group semi-final tie between the Czech Republic and Italy here on Saturday: Czech Republic 2 Italy 0 Lucie Safarova (CZE) bt Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 Petra Kvitova (CZE) bt Sara Errani (ITA) 6-4, 6-3 Playing on Sunday Petra Kvitova (CZE) v Francesca Schiavone (ITA) Lucie Safarova (CZE) v Sara Errani (ITA) Lucie Hradecka/Andrea Hlavackova (CZE) v Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci (ITA)

lahoRE: lt. Col. ahmed yar, PFF Secretary gives a prize to Instructor tariq lutfi while Wing Com. Pervaiz Saeed mir looks on. STAFF PhOTO

TWO STEPS FROM gLORY Mulling over the return legs of the UEFA Champions League semifinals ROW Z DIARIES KUNWAR KHULDUNE SHAHID When the draw for the final eight in the UEFA Champions League came out, you could almost sense a sigh of relief – from the neutrals at least – that Real Madrid and Barcelona were drawn in separate halves. That almost ‘rubberstamped’ a Real-Barca final; and that was what everyone – read neutrals, again – wanted. And this is ostensibly because the two Spanish giants are by far and away the two best sides in Europe; and seeing them lock horns in the final for the Holy Grail of European football would’ve had been a fitting finale.

While the “top two in Europe” assertion d o e s carry its fair share of weight, both Real and Barca head into the return legs of their semifinals trailing by a goal and facing two sides that are seemingly hell bent on spoiling the “All Spanish” party for the final. Chelsea take a 1-0 win to the Nou Camp, which was achieved courtesy a stats-defying resilient showing. Petr Cech produced one of the performances of a lifetime in goal, as Barca conjured up all the tika-taka in the world, had several lions’ share of possession but failed to score at the Bridge. As much as we love to wax lyrical over the Catalonian giants’ all-conquering, allpowering feats – which of course is well deserved most of the times- Barcelona have struggled to beat the side from Stamford Bridge. In fact Wednesday’s defeat makes it six games in a row now that the Spanish champions have failed to beat the Blues. Chelsea now need a draw, or even a loss by a one goal margin– as long as they score – to go through to the final. All the same, pulling that off at the Nou Camp – where Barca have won 27 of their 30 games this season, scoring 104 goals and conceding merely 16 – is obviously no cakewalk. Barcelona would indubitably enjoy as much possession on Tuesday – if not more – that they did in London, and them not finding

the back of the net at the Camp Nou is one of the biggest anomalies in sports.

Hence, all out defence should never be the go-to play of the away side at Camp Nou, even though Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan pulled off a stunning defensive show at the same stage two years ago. What makes defensive tactics against Barcelona on their home turf unadvisable, is the dimensions of the pitch, which when coupled with

Barca’s possession play makes it impossible for the away side to hide or cover all the bases so to speak. Camp Nou is both much longer and wider than the average football pitch, which makes it tailor-made for passing football and keeping possession.

Chelsea can’t possibly look for their counter-attacking stratagem again – especially since Gerard Pique would be back – and hence, the Blues would need some level of attacking intent to prevail on Tuesday.

While a Real-Barca final was a “foregone conclusion” a long time back, there were few voices that whispered the fact that ignoring Bayern Munich wasn’t a particularly wise idea. The reasons flaunted by these connoisseurs were a) Munich would be hosting the final, hence the added incentive to try and be a part of it; and b) they are a pretty decent side.

Real Madrid would bear witness to the second point themselves, after ending up on the wrong end of a 2-1 defeat at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday – courtesy goals from

Franch Ribery and Mario Gomez. Bayern showcased all the determination in the world in the first leg, and clearly outplayed their much extolled rivals. The front four of Gomes, Toni Kroos, Ribery and Arjen Robben were pivotal in Munich’s triumph and they’d be extremely important again since, Munich can’t afford to sit on their single goal lead. A 1-0 win for Madrid would see the Spanish side through on away goal rules, and Mourinho – the quintessential micro-manager – has made a remarkable career pulling off wins of that particular kith and kin; doing exactly what needs to be done. It goes without saying that Munich would need to keep a check on Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday. If the Portuguese finds his groove then the one goal cushion might end up being a false dawn. The game could be won or lost on the attacking flanks, with Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria marauding on the wings for Madrid and Robben and Ribery providing the attacking impetus from out wide for the Germans.

Both games are hanging on the proverbial knife edge, and all four of them could just as easily go through. But considering the fact that the two Spanish sides would be at home, they might just end up overcoming the respective single-goal deficits.

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Sunday, 22 april, 2012

Nadal, Djokovic see red over blue clay

Sports 21 watCh it Live GEO SUPER IPL-5: Mumbai Indians v Kings XI Punjab 03:30PM

Japan take 2-0 lead over belgium TOKYO afp

MONTE-CARLO afp

R

AFAEL Nadal on Friday blasted the decision to play next month's Madrid Masters, a key tournament in the build-up to the French Open, on blue clay rather than the traditional red. "My opinion, it's a mistake," said the Spanish world number two. "You are in the middle of the clay court season, and the clay here in Europe is red. "Madrid is the only tournament you are playing at high altitude, and then now you are putting a different colour of clay. Madrid is big enough not to need this promotion. The history of the clay court season is on red, not blue."

World number one Novak Djokovic also added his concern, saying it was the wrong time to experiment with playing conditions. "Sometimes change is good. I like innovative and creative people," said Djokovic after reaching the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals. "But, on the other hand, it's going to be the only blue clay court tournament in the world. To be honest with you, as far as I know, most of the top players I talked to, nobody has agreed." Djokovic named Roger Federer

and Nadal as sharing his doubts about the wisdom of the publicity-generating experiment from master showman Ion Tiriac.

"I've never played on blue clay, Rafa hasn't, Roger hasn't. We're going on there and we're going to play for the first time ever. "We don't even know if it's a natural blue clay because natural clay is a red clay." Djokovic added: "I'm not really too happy about it. It's going to be interesting to step on the blue clay. All credit to the tournament. I'm not blaming them. They fight for their own." But the Serb said that changes need to be made to the rule which allowed former president of the ATP, Adam Helfant, to back the change in the surface. "There is a certain rule that the president is able to make decisions by himself without having players agree.

That rule has to be changed because it's not fair. That's what happened last year.

That is why Madrid has a blue clay."

NADAL sEEkiNg Lucky sEvEN ON BARcELONA cLAy: Home hero Rafael Nadal will try for lucky seven as the ATP Barcelona Open begins on Monday, with the Spanish king of clay already a champion in six of the last seven editions.

Nadal showed no sign of knee problems amid his storming return to tennis this

week at the Monte Carlo Masters and will be hoping to keep up his trademark momentum on his favourite surface as he performs for the Catalan crowds expected to pack the Real Club de Tenis. Nadal's domination of the event has been neartotal with his only slip-up coming in 2010, when he had to rest his fragile knees.

The Spaniard will take to the court after the bye awarded to the first eight seeds and after receiving the highest praise from legend Bjorn Borg, who called him the best-ever on the surface. "Let's wait when I finish my career," said the modest Nadal, "My uncle always told me that when Bjorn went on court, everybody felt he was unbeatable. So that probably means that he can be the best of the history. "I don't feel unbeatable, but I have much better results that I ever dreamed. I don't know if I'm (the equal) of Bjorn." Andy Murray, who learned his tennis as a Scottish teenager transplanted to the Catalan capital, will take the second seeding after being forced to withdraw last year to let a right elbow injury rest. World number four Murray has made only three previous appearances at the event, winning one round from four matches. His last showing was 2009, when he lost to Mario Ancic.

Ayumi Morita and Kimiko Date-Krumm gave Japan a 2-0 lead over Belgium with two singles wins on Saturday in a play-off tie for the Fed Cup tennis World Group. The 22year-old Morita, ranked 83rd in the world, secured a 6-4, 6-4 win over teenager Alison van Uytvanck to put Japan one up early in the day. Veteran Date-Krumm, former world number four, then defeated Tamaryn Hendler 6-1, 6-4 to move closer to the elite eight-nation World Group in next's year Fed Cup. The losers of the tie will be relegated to World Group II. Belgium missed former world number one Kim Clijsters, who has a torn hip muscle, and the country's highestranked player Yanina Wickmayer, who wanted to concentrate on the WTA Tour.

Jankovic puts Serbia in front MOSCOW afp

Jankovic beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 64, 6-3 here on Saturday to put Serbia 1-0 up against Russia in a Fed Cup semi-final tie.

It was the former world number one's first ever win over Pavlyuchenkova in what was their fourth head-to-head meeting. "I lost three of my previous meetings with Nastia (Pavlyuchenkova) at hardcourts," Jankovic said. "This time we played in red clay and though the court was not perfect it fits my tennis better than any other surface."

Little matter of subversion against Pakistan Cricket SpORtS thIS WEEk ALI AKBAR The Pakistan Cricket Board President, Zaka Ashraf has put the resumption of international cricket at the top of his list of priorities. It seemed for a while that he had succeeded in doing just that. The Bangladesh Cricket Board had approved a two-game tour and the ICC had given what amounted to a special exemption– allowing non-neutral officials for the games.

But there was a slip between the proverbial cup and the lip. The trip was abruptly postponed following a court order that set a four-week embargo on the national team's plans. The decision is threatening to compromise the two limited-overs games that had been scheduled to take place in Lahore at the end of April.

The PCB was stunned by this bolt from the blue: "It is astonishing to note that a matter lacking any legal issue has been dragged in the court by petitioners who appear to have vested interest and want to jeopardise Pakistan-Bangladesh cricketing relations. It is extremely disturbing to note for the PCB and Pakistan cricket fans and world cricketing nations that such an adverse order has been passed to block a bilateral cricket series." Apparently a Bangladeshi lawyer and a university teacher had gone to Dhaka High Court and attained an immediate four-week s t a y against their national team’s tour. Whether a High Court has nothing better to do than to decide whether a couple

of cricket games have to be played or not is a million dollar question. Regardless, something in this whole affair is decidedly fishy and reeks of international cricket politics. Pakistan has not exactly covered itself in glory in cricketing affairs of late. The attack on the Sri Lankan team was horrifying. The match fixing nightmare of Salman Butt and company is still fresh in our memories. But then equally vivid are the cases of Azharuddin, Jadeja, Hansie Cronje and several other Indians and other nations.

Match-fixing has been a global phenomenon with its epicenter being Mumb a i .

Pakistan is making a fresh effort to bring international cricket back to the country. Foolproof se-

curity is being guaranteed. Considerable progress has been made in curbing matchfixing. So why these apparent attempts at subversion? And by whom? We may not have to look very far for the answers. The Pakistan Cricket Board should try its best to pull off this tour. In case it does not take place, then Afghanistan, a team every bit as exciting as Bangladesh, should be invited to play in Pakistan. pROFEssiONAL TENNis MOvEs TO EuROpE: The professional tennis tour has moved to Europe after its American swing. The first Masters series is being played at Monte Carlo, a very popular venue and tournament. The red clay circuit will culminate in the French Open in end May followed by the grass court circuit and Wimbledon in end of June. This year the grass court circuit has a double bill, with the Olympics tennis event scheduled at Wimbledon only a couple of weeks after the Championships. It remains to be seen whether the pristine Wimbledon courts, battered and bruised by two weeks of pulverizing tennis, will be able to recover their grass before the Olympics. The organizers are confident and knowing their skill at grass technology, there should be no doubt that everything will be spic and span at SW19 in end July.

Meanwhile at Monte Carlo, Nadal

and Djokovic are on course for their first meeting on clay this year. Nadal has lost seven straight to the Djoker and will be looking to make amends on a court where he has lost but one match in seven years.

Andy Murray lost early to the big hitting Thomas Berdych and the question mark over his temperament for the big occasion is still there.

Murray has, of late, started playing doubles with his brother Jamie in an attempt to improve his net game. This is a good move but it will take some time before any results are visible. Murray has realized that simple counterpunching might work against

most players but the very best will expose his limitations and take his game apart.

Missing are Roger Federer and this year’s surprise package John Isner, the big serving giant from the USA. Both have taken time off to rest and prepare for the French Open. Isner has beaten all the top three this year and is proving to be surprisingly capable on the high bouncing clay. The ball sits up and rises into his hitting zone on clay, more so than on other courts and his kick serve takes the opponent completely out of position.

Look for Isner to make serious inroads both at The French and at Wimbledon.

He would also be a serious threat at the Olympics where he is hoping to play mixed doubles with Serena Williams.

For Roger Federer, this summer could be the last chance for an Olympic gold. He has a gold in doubles but the singles has eluded him, just one flaw in an otherwise unparalleled career. The surface is to his liking and he is playing as well as ever. The prospects a r e mouth watering.

It was yet another quick exit for Aisam Qureshi and Julien Rojer at the Monte Carlo Championships.

They were bundled out in straight sets by two Spaniards, Granollers and Marc Lopez. This is yet another in a series of early losses for Aisam and does not bode well for the summ e r season.

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Sunday, 22 april, 2012

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India got a nuclear submarine from Russia, Pakistan to get its from China Chinese experts arrive in Pakistan to discuss modalities g two sides meet at Karachi Shipyard to build 2-6 ‘fast attack crafts’ g

KARACHI iSMail DilawaR

A

PPARENTLY having embarked upon a trade-centric economic détente, Pakistan and India are far from saying goodbye to an undeclared race on the military front to maintain a balance of power in the poverty-stricken South Asian region.

The recent chartering of a Russian nuclear submarine by New Delhi has rung alarm bells in Islamabad where, according to learned sources, the defence authorities were on their toes to offset a potential impact of the strategic imbalance recently created by that side of the Line of Control (LoC). The sources privy to the matter confided to Pakistan Today that Pakistan was in talks with its perceived all-weather friends in China for the construction of nuclear-capable submarines either in China or Pakistan.

“The concerned officials from Pakistan had rushed to China as soon as India had chartered the nuclear submarine from Russia,” the sources added.

Consequently, they said, a delegation of Chinese experts and engineers had arrived in Pakistan, on Monday (April 16), to negotiate with their Pakistani counterparts the building of submarines.

“The Chiense delegates are staying at China Building inside Karachi Shipyard (and Engineering Works),” the sources said adding, “There is a great activity nowadays at the shipyard where the officials have called off all other engagements for at least a fortnight.” On the Pakistani side, a five-member committee is leading the negotiations which are focusing the development of as the sources described it “fast attack crafts”, the number of which was quoted by various sources as ranging from two to six.

Accoridng to a source, the meeting was considering to build at least six submarines, three each in China and Pakistan. Another source, however, put the number

of proposed crafts at two, one each to be constructed in the two friendly countries. “The Chinese would provide technical assistance,” said the sources.

They, however, said the negotiators were far from a consensus.

Defence officials privy to the meetings also confirmed the arrival of Chinese delegation, saying communication with the vesting experts was on, but “nothing concrete” had come to the fore yet.

“The meeting is negotiating the modalities but no concrete plan has so far been devised at Pakistan’s end,” said an official, requesting anonymity.

Asked if the move was in response to India’s hiring of the Russian submarine, the official tended to reply in affirmative.

“Their (India’s) designs are clear. They are working on what they call Advance Technology Vehicle (ATV). But on Pakistan’s side there is nothing in a project shape so far,” he added.

Also the official referred to naval chief Admiral Noman Bashir’s on-record statement about Pakistan’s possible embarkation on an underwater venture to make its defence more impregnable.

The sources recalled that Islamabad was first eyeing Germany for the submarines in question, but the talks were marred by Berlin’s preoccupation with the European debt crisis. The crafts to be built with the assistance of Germans were to be of higher quality than ones to be constructed by China, the sources said.

India recently added to its war fleet a nuclear-capable submarine that was chartered from Russia for at least next 15 to 20 years period at a cost of $1 billion.

Pakistan whereas always tends to remain on guard against any significant military buildup from the Indian side, New Delhi claims that its military preparedness was aimed at the bordering China that in turn spares no opportunity to counter-balance India by tilting the region’s balance of power in favour of Islamabad.

paRiS: a picture taken on Saturday shows graffiti on a campaign poster of france’s incumbent president and right-wing ruling party Union for a popular Movement (UMp) candidate for the french 2012 presidential election nicolas Sarkozy referring to the Karachi case. this affair of sales of submarines by france to pakistan in 2002 generated a political and financial scandal. AFP

Afghans seize explosives, over 4,000 bombs seized make Pakistan link in Karachi

g Three Pakistanis, two

Afghans caught transporting 10 tonnes of explosives under bags of potatoes in a truck KABUL ReUteRS

Afghanistan security forces have detained five insurgents with massive quantities of explosive material intended for use in attacks on crowded areas of Kabul and linked them to Pakistan-based militants, an intelligence spokesman said on Saturday.

The alleged connection to militants in Pakistan will likely step up the pressure on Islamabad, after a recent coordinated assault by insurgents on diplomatic and government areas in Kabul and elsewhere put the spotlight on the South Asian nation.

“It could have caused large-scale bloodshed,” National Directorate of Security (NDS) spokesman Shafiqullah Tahiri told a news conference. “Three Pakistani terrorists and two of their Afghan collaborators who placed the explosives under bags of potatoes in a truck were caught.”

The 10 tons (22,046 lbs) of potassium material, used to make bombs, were stuffed into 400 bags and hidden under piles of potatoes in the back of a Pakistan-registered truck on Kabul’s outskirts, said Tahiri.

The US ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Crocker, said there was “no question” that the Haqqani network, which Washing-

ton believes is based in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region, mounted last weekend’s 18-hour rocket and gunfire operation in Kabul. Crocker called on Pakistan to crack down on the Haqqanis and said the response to that demand would influence future ties between the strategic allies.

Relations have been heavily strained by a series of events, including the unilateral U.S. special forces raid that killed Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil in May of last year.

Pakistan has denied accusations that its military spy agency sees the Haqqanis as a counterweight to the growing influence of rival India in Afghanistan.

Tahiri said the five men confessed to receiving training from Noor Afzal and Mohammad Omar, who he identified as key commanders of the Pakistani Taliban and Pakistan intelligence. Video footage released

by NDS to media showed the detained men, including the alleged Pakistanis, talking about where they came from while sitting against a blank white wall.

“My name is Majid Rahman, permanent resident of Khyber Agency from Zakha Khil tribe,” said one. The other two alleged Pakistanis identified themselves as Asghar Khan from Karkhano, in Peshawar, and Qimat Khan, also from Khyber.

At the end of the video, the five men were shown hand-cuffed and standing in front of the potato bags and explosive material at the back of the truck.

A Pakistani intelligence official declined comment on the allegations, while Afghan officials did not immediately say when the men were arrested.

another 2 Hazara shias shot dead in Quetta QUETTA Staff RepoRt

QUetta: Relatives of a Hazara Shia man killed in a drive-by shooting weep as they come out from the Bolan Medical Hospital on Saturday. ONLINE

Two members of the Hazara Shia community were killed when an unidentified gunman opened fire on them on Saturday morning.

According to police, an unidentified assailant opened fire on two motorcyclists of the Hazara community while they were passing through the Brewery Road area of provincial metropolis.

One person was killed on the spot while the other passed away at Bolan Medical Complex (BMC).

Published by Arif Nizami for Nawa Media Corporation (Pvt) Ltd at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad.

Members of the Hazara community later held a protest against the murder. They demanded the authorities play their role to stop the targeted killings of Hazara Shias. The police registered a case into the incident and started search for the murderer.

Later, the Frontier Corps Balochistan apprehended two suspects for their alleged involvement in targeted killing of the two Hazaras.

FC sources said the suspects had been identified as Gohram Khan Bugti and Mian Khan Mengal.

The FC also recovered a gun from their possession.

KARACHI online

Police on Saturday claimed to have recovered over 4,000 bombs during a raid at a factory in Karachi. According to police, Crime Investigation Department (CID) raided a private factory in Korangi area and found more than 4,000 bombs. Meanwhile, at least six people were killed and several others injured in various parts of Karachi in firing incidents. According to reports, the latest killings took place in Landhi, Malir, Manghopir and Mominabad areas of Karachi, the commercial hub of the nation and home to at least 20 million people. An activist of Jiye Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) was killed in Malir. Firing incidents also took place in Korangi and Jail Chowrangi, leaving two people injured. Police said two people were killed when armed riders opened fire on a tea shop in New Karachi area. The bodies of deceased were shifted to Abbasi Shahid Hospital. At least 16 people were killed in the city, mostly in Orangi town, when armed sprayed roadside vendors, fruit sellers, truck and rickshaw drivers and pedestrians with bullets.

Load shedding intensifies across the country LAHORE online

The electricity shortfall in the country on Saturday exceeded 6,500MW leading to an increase in the duration of power outages.

At least 10 to 13 hours of load shedding is being observed in major cities, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, while the rural areas are experiencing over 20 hours of outages. At present, the demand for electricity is 15,500MW, while the generation stands at 8,500MW, PEPCO said on Saturday. A big protest demonstration was held in Gujranwala against the excessive load shedding. People burnt tyres on roads and blocked traffic on various city roads. Officials from PEPCO complained that power companies were not being paid their dues nor were they being supplied adequate amount of oil, therefore, the crisis had intensified. In Karachi, power outages are between six to eight hours long. Cities in Balochistan are facing outages of 10 to 12 hours, while the rural areas are without power for around 16 to 20 hours.

Editor: Arif Nizami, Executive Editor: Sarmad Bashir, Resident Editor: Rana Qaisar