E-paper PakistanToday 13th July, 2012

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rs 15.00 vol iii no 18 19 Pages Karachi edition

Friday, 13 july, 2012 shaban 22, 1433

Nothing but the letter!

SC orders PM to write to Swiss authorities by July 25 g Failure to comply could end in court initiating ‘any appropriate action’ under constitution, law against the chief executive

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ISLAMABAD sTaff reporT

He Supreme Court appears in no mood for rhetoric. It is no mood to allow the government machinery fiddle over its directions and allow the rulers make a mockery of its stature any longer.

Delays will not be tolerated. Going in for the kill, the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a reply submitted by the attorney general of Pakistan on behalf of Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and ordered the PM to write the elusive letter to Swiss authorities for reopening the graft cases against Presi-

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dent Asif Ali Zardari and submit a response by July 25.

The five-Judge bench of Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, Justice ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Muhammad Athar Saeed spared no pain while declaring that in case of the prime minister’s failure to implement its directive, the court could “initiate any appropriate action” under the constitution and law against the chief executive. The order said laws applicable to former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani were also applicable to the new PM, Pervaiz Ashraf.

The bench said Prime Minister Ashraf was “bound to implement the rel-

evant directions of this court”, just like his predecessor, whom the SC dismissed on contempt charges for refusing to obey its order. The seven-page order, authored by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, said the judges were constrained to find it difficult to appreciate or accept the response of the PM. Citing previous orders, Justice Khosa referred to Article 248 of the constitution regarding immunity issue and said the issue was irrelevant to the contempt of court proceedings against then PM. continued on Page 04

zardari signs contemPt law | Page 04 justice chaudhry warns govt | Page 24

PPP, PML-N in covert ‘broad-based’ talks ISLAMABAD Tayyab Hussain

After six months of strong confrontation between the major treasury and opposition parties - the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz - both “estranged” friends have once again entered into a “broad-based dialogue” for evolving consensus on the future roadmap, with talks underway for holding of general elections ahead of schedule, bringing a consensus dual nationality bill and appointment of a mutually agreed caretaker setup friendly to both the parties but hostile to their rival - the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Pakistan Today has learnt reliably.

The timing of the talks is cru-

cial as it would provide a sigh of relief to the PPP leadership which has clipped the wings of judiciary by amending the contempt of court law. However, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has been successful in neutralizing the PML-N that has been a staunch supporter of the superior judiciary. continued on Page 04

Bloodbath in Lahore n

story on Page 24

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02 News

Friday, 13 July, 2012

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Lawyers continue nationwide protest against contempt bill

Story on Page 11

summer festival kicks off in swat KALAM sHamim sHaHid

LAHORE/KARACHI/PESHAWAR: Lawyers across the country continued protest demonstrations for the second consecutive day on Thursday against the contempt of court bill passed in the Senate and the National Assembly. According to details, protest demonstrations were held by the legal fraternity in Karachi, Hyderabad, Quetta, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Peshawar to express solidarity with the judiciary against the contempt of court bill. Lawyers completely boycotted court proceedings in eth lower courts on the call of their respective bar association. They lamented that the bill was another conspiracy against the judiciary, adding that the government was trying to undermine the freedom of the judiciary. Condemning the government’s move, the lawyers rejected the contempt of court bill. agencies

‘No army officer has dual nationality’ RAWALPINDI: No military officer has a dual nationality in the Pakistan army, an official of the Pakistan army said on Thursday. The official said that according to the rules prescribed for induction in the Pakistan army, a person with dual nationality could not join. He added that if a person wanted to join the army, they would have to give up their second nationality as there is zero chance for a person with dual nationality to become a part of the armed forces. agencies

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa Ameer Haider Khan Hoti on Thursday inaugurated a five-day summer festival, the first of its kind, at the mountain tourist destination, Kalam in Swat district. The festival aims to attract domestic and international tourists to the region previously ravaged by terrorism and then floods in 2010. It highlights the picturesque mountains in Kalam, Lake Maho Dand and its environs that have been secured by armed forces in collaboration with the tourism department and the district administration of Swat.

Thousands of people from various parts of the country, including Karachi, Lahore and other main cities have come to visit this area. Apart from the chief minister, the inaugural ceremony was also attended by senior minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour, minister for tourism Syed Aqil Shah, Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Information Technology Minister Mohammad Ayub Khan Ashari and several others They recalled the period during 2005 and 2009, when the tourism sector, the chief source of livelihood for locals, was destroyed because of terrorism and militancy in the region. In 2010, floods wreaked havoc, washing away all the roads, electricity transmission lines and basic infrastructure. With the efforts of the government and armed forces, unmetalled roads have been built from Madayan to Mahoo Dand and construction of metalled roads in the area is underway.

KALAM: Youths dance during the inauguration ceremony of the first-ever summer festival in Swat on Thursday. ONLINE

Memo commission didn’t declare Haqqani a traitor: SC ISLAMABAD online

The Supreme Court on Thursday said that the memo commission had not declared former ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani, a traitor and had asked his counsel to file plea in three days seeking exemption from attending hearings.

The hearing was held at the Supreme Court, heard by a nine-member bench, comprising Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, Justice Jawad S Khwaja, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, Justice Tariq Parvez, Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, Justice Amir Hani Muslim, Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry and Justice Azmat Saeed.

The memo commission’s report submitted in the Supreme Court stated that Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, was not loyal to the coun-

try and that the memo seeking US support was indeed real and authored by Haqqani.

During the hearing, petitioner Barrister Zafarullah said Haqqani was still in the United States and had not returned to Pakistan to appear before the bench despite being summoned.

Haqqani’s counsel Asma Jahangir said that her client did not refuse to come back to the country, but he did have some security concerns and that they had contacted the unterior secretary as well as other people but no one was ready to ensure his security. Ms Jahangir said that if the Attorney General could assure them of the safety of Mr Haqqani, only then could he consider returning to the country. She further said that several pleas had been made to record the statement of her client trough video links but they had been turned down.

Justice Tariq Pervez instructed Mr

Haqqani’s counsel to request the government, and not the court, to provide security to the former ambassador. To this, Ms Jahangir replied, “Haqqani was being provided security when he was ‘useful’…we contacted the government regarding his security but have not been given a reply.”

Haqqani’s counsel also read out a letter she had received from him in court. The letter said that sections of the media had portrayed Haqqani as a turncoat and that PTI chairman Imran Khan and Sheikh Rasheed had labelled him a traitor to the country.

After hearing the letter, Justice Pervez inquired as to why the counsel was making the correspondence between herself and her client public. Ms Jehangir then told the bench that it was her client’s wish that the contents of this letter be made public.

Commenting on the letter and addressing Haqqani’s counsel, Justice Mian Saqib

Nisar brushed aside Haqqani’s apprehensions mentioned in the letter, terming them ‘his own personal fear’.

Ms Jehnagir stressed repeatedly that her client had not been allowed to record his statements through video despite frequent requests. Justice Tasadduq Hussain Jilani then said, “The Memo Commission’s report is an opinion, not a judgment; the court will deliver the verdict only after hearing you.”

Justice Asif Saeed Khosa added that Haqqani will have to formally request the court for change in the judicial order and Mr Haqqani’s counsel then said that she needed at least 24 hours for the purpose. She also requested the court to review its directive of summoning Haqqani in the given circumstances.

Allowing Haqqani three days to file an application for exemption from appearing before the court, the bench then adjourned the hearing to an unspecified date.

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Friday, 13 July, 2012

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News 03 eDitorial false sense of security: Terrorists are still very much here, there and everywhere.

CoMMent aziz-ud-din ahmad says; A supreme mess: When institutions lose breadth of vision.

Kunwar Khuldune shahid says; Russian roulette: Putin’s Islamabad visit would trigger a South Asian revamp.

mayank austen soofi says;

If Ghalib were a woman…: But sharif girls don’t write poetry.

Story on Page 13

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Story on Page 15

articles on Page 14-15

‘not coming’

Shahbaz Sharif snubs CCI moot on crucial energy crisis LAHORE umair aziz

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Bodies of 17 abducted officials handed over to jirga in Afghanistan ISLAMABAD: The bodies of 17 Pakistani paramilitary soldiers, who had been abducted during clashes with militants, were handed over to a tribal jirga in Kunnar province of Afghanistan, sources said on Thursday.

According to the sources, the jirga comprising Pakistani tribal elders held talks with militants for the custody of the bodies. The government blamed the Maulvi Fazlullah group of Pakistani Taliban for the attacks on its forces in the Tribal Areas. It said Falullah was based in Afghan province of Khunnar. Some media reports say the cleric, whose militants were thrown out from Swat in a large military offensive, wanted to avenge his defeat. nni

6.1 magnitude earthquake tremors felt in Islamabad, KP and Punjab ISLAMABAD: A powerful earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale jolted parts of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Northwestern tribal region of the country on Thursday. According to reports, the tremors shook the areas for 30 seconds, spreading panic among the people. Residents came out of their houses, reciting verses from the holy Quran. However, no loss of life and property was reported. Chief Meteorologist Muhammad Riaz said the quake was centered in the Hindu Kush region, about 357 kilometres from Islamabad. TV reports said the tremors were felt in Islamabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Dera Ismail Khan, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Mardan, North Waziristan, Swat, Hangu, Battagram, Nowshera and Hazara division. The weather department has also confirmed the incidence of the earthquake. nni

He Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has spurned the federal government’s invite for the Council of Common Interests’s (CCI) conference despite the meet on critical energy crisis constitutionally overdue by two months.

Several officials privy to the development further divulged that the federal government has notified the Punjab government for a meeting. And it is the Punjab government that has been found shy of responding to that request.

This not only has raised the prospect of Punjab’s voice going unheard on this important national forum but also puts in jeopardy important issues related to the province’s electricity generation, Pakistan Today has learnt on good authority.

The CCI is a constitutional body established under Article 154 of the constitution of Pakistan and deals with the subjects reflected in Part II of the Federal Legislative List which, among others, also includes electricity.

This moreover is the forum where grievances between the centre and provinces or province-toprovince can be put to the table and resolved. For the uninitiated, all chief ministers are Council members while an equal number representing the federal government is nominated by the prime minister, who chairs it.

As for the rules of procedure, the constitution says: “the Council [of Common Interests] shall have a permanent Secretariat and shall meet at least once in ninety days”. An urgent meeting can also be convened by the PM to deal with an extraordinary situation or to on the request of a province.

The CCI last met in February this year, some five months ago – that makes it an overdue of around two months from the mandatory period mentioned in the constitution.

Seeking anonymity, opines a senior legal eagle in the Punjab government’s pay: “The constitution clearly says that

the CCI should meet every three months but it is silent on what to do when it doesn’t”. To a question on Punjab’s refraining to attend, in defence he says: the cabinet is a constitutional body but remain absent from the cabinet meetings without invoking any legal consequences.

Pakistan Today has learnt that most issues initiated by the Punjab government in the CCI involve electricity generation. And these have been pending ever since the last CCI meeting. The critical issue involves power generation through sugar industry and maintenance of public sector power stations – both could help in ameliorating plight of the people from load-shedding.

Several officials individually confirmed that in the last CCI meeting there were some heated exchanges between the Punjab CM and other members. This has prompted the disgruntled CM to stay away from the next gathering in a fit of pique over, what he considers, the federal government’s ‘rigid’ attitude in yielding to the province’s demands.

A senior official in the energy Department further said, last year former PM Yousuf Raza Gilani insisted that after the 18th amendment the provinces can generate electricity and the cap of 50MW on provincial generation also stood removed.

“There is an element of dist r u s t b e -

tween the stakeholders over apprehensions that provinces may create an issue over pricing once the electricity generation commences. That is one reason why no one is taking the lead”, said another official. Yet another political reason, one insider claimed, Shahbaz Sharif does not want to attend the meeting chaired by PM Raja Pervaiz Ashraf for it might have a bearing on his public image – supping at the PM’s high table while setting up office in a camp in protest over power outages don’t mix together.

That sounds rational, especially when the PML is said to have plans to use the same camp as an election ploy by moving it from town to town to show up the PPP. While grandstanding remains a priority with the Punjab CM and most political entities, common folk continue to suffer.

Implementation and Coordination (I&C) Secretary Syed Mubashar Raza expressed his ignorance over the issue.

"The CCI meets as per schedule and everyone will know when it meets next," he said, adding that he was not aware of the reason for the delay.

Police has failed to maintain order in Balochistan: CJ g g

Says crime ratio higher in areas under police control Directs igP to recover a missing person in two days QUETTA online

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Thursday said Balochistan Police had failed to maintain law and order in the province.

A three-member bench of the CJ, Justice Jawad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain resumed hearing of petitions on law and order and human rights violations in the province at the Supreme Court’s Quetta Registry. The bench gave two days to the Balochistan police IG to produce Mahmoodul Hassan, a missing person, in court. The CJ ordered the IG police to ensure recovery of the abducted person, who was kidnapped from Dilbadin area, after hearing the statement of Mahmoodul Hassan’s wife.

She informed the court that the kidnappers were moving freely and

no one, including police, dared to visit Faisal Town in Dilbadin area.

During the proceeding, the CJ observed that crime ratio was comparatively high in police-controlled areas than Levies-controlled area.

He said police-controlled areas had become hub of all criminal activates. Confessing their defeats, Interior Secretary Naseebullah Jan said the police had solved some cases successfully. To this, the CJ directed the IG police to maintain the government’s writ in the area, as people did not fear law enforcement agencies, including police, Levies and others.

The chief justice said criminal activities were going on under the nose of the police. The DIG Investigation replied that police were working hard to recover Jamia Salifia director, who was kidnapped two days ago.

The court said police had used

BLA’s name to protect its own skin.

Meanwhile, parents of a kidnapped person, Muhammad Hussain, appeared in court and accused Provincial Interior Minister Mir Zafarullah Zoheri of kidnapping their son. Zoheri’s lawyer informed the court that his client was innocent and all allegations leveled against him were baseless.

The DIG Investigation supported Zoheri’s lawyer and called the case a conspiracy to get money from the minister. The chief justice said if the minister was not involved in the case, why had he registered a challan. The DIG said the challan was registered by the crime branch of the police, not by the minister.

The chief justice also questioned why had the FIR not been cancelled if the case was fake,. “No one can be exempted, either big or small and every one is bound to obey the law of the state.” the CJ said.

Akhtar Gorchani appointed new IB director general

ISLAMABAD: Akhtar Gorchani was appointed the new director general of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) on Thursday, and a notification has been issued in this regard. He was previously serving as Additional Inspector General Sindh Police.

Sources said that this move is a clear indication that the new prime minister has started inducting like-minded bureaucrats, removing Gilani’s blue-eyed man. The IB is a civilian intelligence agency and its chiefs are appointed according to personal preference. nni

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Friday, 13 July, 2012

Top military, civil leaders to head to Washington for renewed talks ISLAMABAD sHaiq Hussain

Inter-Services Intelligence Director General Zaheerul Islam will likely visit the United States on July 24 to discuss various aspects of counterterrorism cooperation with senior American officials, following the easing of tensions after the reopening of NATO supply lines through Pakistan.

The settlement of Pakistan-US row over drone attacks would be on top of the spy master’s agenda along with talks on renewed pressure from Washington for a new military operation in North Waziristan. Apart from General Zaheer, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Khalid Shamim Wyne and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will also undertake their visits to the US capital later this month to formalize the ‘new

terms of engagement’ with US vis-à-vis counterterrorism cooperation.

Inter-Services Intelligence Director General Zaheerul Islam will likely visit the United States on July 24 to discuss various aspects of counterterrorism Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Khan also disclosed at his weekly press briefing on Thursday that an MoU on the formalization of NATO supplies would be signed with US soon. He said both sides had completed their technical level discussions for the purpose.

The visit of General Zaheer to Washington is, however, said to be the most important one as he has been tasked with reviving the full counterterrorism cooperation with the CIA in light of the guidelines given by parliament on the nature of future ties with the US. The NATO supplies were blocked by Islamabad in November last year when

American aircraft attacked a Pakistani border post and killed 24 soldiers.

The airstrikes by US also impacted the anti-terrorism cooperation between the United States and Pakistan, with Islamabad asking Washington to call back all CIA operatives as well as military trainers from Pakistan. “Another important item on agenda of the ISI chief’s visit to the US and his talks there with his counterpart in CIA General David Petraeus will be to sort out differences on the drone strikes and reach some mutually acceptable solution to this contentious issue,” a senior official said, seeking anonymity.

Pakistan wants the drone strikes to be very limited in number, when absolutely essential, and that too in accordance with its own intelligence information about the presence of any al Qaeda or Taliban-linked “high value target” in a specific area.

Contrarily, the US is not in a mood to confine itself to any specific area or number of attacks when it comes to drone strikes and the CIA also fears that any sharing of intelligence with Pakistan could alert the intended targets. General Zaheer and General Wynne would also discuss the important issue of North Waziristan with top US officials in Washington, as the US is once again mounting pressure on Islamabad for launching a military operation in the region against the most powerful militant organization, Haqqani network, which is linked to the Mullah Omar-led Taliban in Afghanistan.

The visit of the ISI chief and other aspects of relations with the United States were discussed in detail during the Corps Commanders meeting in Rawalpindi on Thursday, with Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani in the chair.

President signs contempt SC seeks procedure under new contempt law of court bill into law ISLAMABAD online

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed both respondents in the Malik Riaz contempt of court case to tell the court how would proceedings be carried out after the new contempt of court law.

A three-member bench, headed by Justice Shakir Ullah Jan, heard the proceedings of the case. Dr Abdul Basit, counsel for Malik Riaz, argued that the new law of contempt of court had not been crafted to support Malik Riaz.

“The media has just wrongly interpreted the law but in reality it will not support anyone, except those who crafted it,” he said.

“Malik Riaz does not want to benefit from the new law because he opines that this law does not have any advantage,” Basit said.

He said the Act of 1976 was a permanent law that allowed the right of appeal against show cause notice and interim judgement. He added that a dictator tried to merge the Act

ISLAMABAD online

of 1976 with the ordinances of 2003 and 2004, while ordinance of 2003 was accumulated and merged after the detail verdict of 17-member bench of the Supreme Court over the plea of the Sindh High Court Bar Association. Basit stated that it was written in para 120 of the detailed verdict of the Supreme Court that no dictator had any right to suspend the constitution.

Justice ejaz Afzal wanted to give the reference of PCO 1999, upon which, Basit said it was a wrong reference because PCO did not exist. Basit told the Supreme Court that the opponent respondents had not responded correctly to his arguments.

Justice Jan stated that every law of contempt of court had eightmonth sentence but the procedure was not uniform and asked Basit to inform court about the properties of the new law.

Basit said he did not have the draft of the new law. Upon which Justice Jan said, “If the new law is procedural then court will follow it,”

adding that, “we have to decide whether we have to continue with the old law or to follow the new law”. Basit said if the court wanted procedures for that, then the Supreme Court rules of 1980 could be consulted.

Justice Jan said note of the contempt of court was sent to the chief justice by the registrar and the chief justice ordered to register it and sent the note to Bench no II under the supervision of a Supreme Court senior judge. Upon which, Basit said it was the right of the court and the registrar violated the rules of business.

Justice Jan said the matter was related to the personality of the chief justice, “that’s why the CJP sent that note to Bench no II and the judges issued the show cause notices”. Justice Jan said notice to the attorney general was issued after initial proceedings and addressing Basit, he said, “The court sought an answer from you in show cause notice and you are presenting your arguments”.

Nothing but the letter! continued From Page 1 The bench said the judgment of the court in the Gilani contempt case had already “attained finality” as it was “never challenged through any appeal or review”.

During the proceedings on Thursday, Attorney General Irfan Qadir apprised the bench in response to its order of June 27, that he had held a meeting with the prime minister, who said the matter had been taken up in the cabinet meeting held on Wednesday. Qadir said the cabinet had desired that the Law Ministry should furnish its views on the matter of implementation of the relevant paragraph of the SC judgment and once the ministry rendered its opinion, the cabinet

would take a decision in accordance with provisions of the constitution. Legal wizards said the court order had left the clock ticking for the new prime minister, who might face a fate similar to Gilani’s. They opined that the court would not have to start contempt proceedings, as the previous proceedings of the court were not challenged by the government. Hamid Khan said the prime minister would be able to buy “some time” due to the proceedings. “I don’t see a decision coming on July 25 and the court may give some more time to the prime minister,” he said. Barrister Shahida Jamil said that the response submitted by the attorney general suggested that the government wanted to buy some more time, which might not be possible.

PPP, PML-N in covert ‘broad-based’ talks Under the understanding between both parties, the PML-N did not put up strong resistance during the passage of contempt bill and rather offered a ‘soft’ resistance to facilitate the talks’ process.

Background interactions with leaders of the PPP and the PML-N have revealed that the appointment of a noncontroversial chief election commissioner nominated by the PML-N by the PPP leadership was a part of the confidence building measure, while the PML-N had responded to the PPP-led coalition government by holding no protests against NATO supplies reopening and the passage of contempt of court bill, despite the fact that tensions between judiciary and the executive had reached at an all time high.

The source added that the mysterious absence of PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and Nisar Ali Khan from political scene of the country was also part of the game to provide the government a tangible relief. A source in the PML-N confirmed the development, saying another sur-

continued From Page 24 The local tribesmen maintain that a number of people, including security forces personnel, were killed and injured in the clashes. “The dead bodies are still scattered around while the area remains in militants’ occupation,” when a tribal elder from the area remarked. The militants now were sheltering in mosques, hujras and houses abandoned by local people.

About the retaliatory action of security forces, the tribesmen said that it is continuing with gunship helicopters. A number of gunship helicopters are hovering in the air and have been seen flying towards the border region of Bajaur Agency.

Mullah Omar can run for president: Karzai KABUL afp

Afghan President Hamid Karzai called Thursday on Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar to give up fighting his US-backed government in return for the chance to run for president of the war-torn nation. Mullah Omar, the one-eyed Taliban leader who has been on run since the United States toppled his regime in late 2001, is one of the world’s most wanted men and is leading a Taliban insurgency aimed at ousting Karzai. Karzai has repeatedly called on Omar and other insurgents fighting against his administration to renounce violence and accept peaceful reintegration. “I repeat my call on all Afghans, those who aren’t the puppets of others and have (only) issues with us at home — they’re welcome for any talks,” he told a news conference. “Mullah Mohammad Omar can come inside Afghanistan anywhere he wants to. He can open political office for himself but he should leave the gun. “He along with his friends can come and create his political party, do politics, become a candidate himself for the elections. If people voted for him, good for him, he can take the leadership in his hand,” Karzai said.

Pakistani soldier wanders off into Indian territory POONCH agencies

The Contempt Court Bill, 2012, became a law on Thursday after President Asif Ali Zardari signed it. Per the new law, the prime minister, ministers and chief ministers will have cover against any aggression from the top court of the country.

After the go-ahead by President Zardari, the bill became the part of the constitution in an apparent move vis-à-vis Supreme Court (SC) to save the new prime minister from disqualification in the footsteps of former PM Yousaf Raza Gilani. On Wednesday, the Upper House of parliament had adopted the Contempt of Court Bill, 2012, amid a strong protest by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The bill had already been passed by the National Assembly on Monday. The bill exempts prime minister, governors, chief ministers, federal ministers and state ministers from contempt proceedings over appropriate criticism. The bill has been challenged in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, while PPP stalwarts like Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan and Senator Raza Rabbani have said that the apex court could strike down the law.

continued From Page 1

Taliban assault under Mullah Faqir’s command

prise for political pundits would soon occur as PML-N leader Ishaq Dar would be presenting some amendments to the dual nationality bill to help the government get through with the controversial piece of legislation.

“Two major reasons have made the PML-N leadership review their previous stance of opposing the dual nationality bill – a request by the PPP to support the bill and the pressure by the party’s overseas wing to allow dual nationals become members of the parliament. During his recent visit to the United Kingdom, Ishaq Dar was confronted by many overseas Pakistanis at a party meeting held at Bradford. Nisar also had to face such circumstances in London which compelled the PML-N leadership to support the dual nationality bill,” the source added.

The source said the PML-N would introduce amendments to the dual nationality bill under provision that any dual national would have to revoke his/her foreign nationality if given any public office after being elected.

The PML-Q and Awami National Party (ANP) have already proposed such amendments to the bill.

“Now talks are underway between both parties on the dual nationality bill. Ishaq Dar and Law Minister Farooq Naik have also held a meeting to discuss some amendments suggested by the PML-N,” the PML-N source said.

A PPP leader said President Asif Ali Zardari had also hinted at PPP-PML-N talks during the party’s core committee meeting held last week and the PML-N had contacted to hold talks for dual nationality bill, next caretaker set up and etc.,” he said. The PPP leader said his party believed in continuity of the democratic process and it was in talks with the PML-N for peaceful election and smooth transition of power to the next elected government.

“President Asif Ali Zardari has conveyed to PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif that after bringing in PML-N nominee as CeC, the PPP had the right to install a caretaker prime minister friendly to the government but not hostile to the PML-N. Now the PPP leadership is hunting for a man who may not give in to the apex court’s pressure on Swiss letter and follows his directions about holding general elections and remains loyal,” the source added.

A Pakistani soldier unintentionally crossed the border and was arrested by the Indian Army in the Kerni sector of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. According to NDTV, Arif Ali, from the Frontier Force of the Pakistani Army, was arrested around 6am. No weapons were found on him. Sources in the Indian Army said he would soon be sent back to Pakistan.

Meanwhile according to Pakistan’s military authorities, Arif lost his way while walking in the Poonch sector and entered the Indian side of border.

Authorities said that they are in touch with their Indian counterparts for the recovery of their soldier. The Frontier Force Regiment of the Pakistan Army guards the LoC opposite the Poonch sector.

“We in the PPP have always faced a situation when elections were stolen and power never was transferred to us smoothly. So we want installation of a neutral caretaker setup which is not hostile to us or the PML-N. We also want to take along the PML-N who has also suffered and has struggled for revival of democratic order in the country”. The PML-N leader said Saudi Ambassador Abdul Aziz Ibrahim al-Ghadeer had also held an important meeting with Nawaz recently when the latter visited the Saudi embassy. “Nawaz was accompanied by several party leaders to offer condolence on demise of Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz. But later, all the party leaders were told to leave including Ishaq Dar and Nawaz and Al-Ghadeer had a two-hour exclusive meeting,” the source said.

He added that following the meeting with the ambassador, Nawaz left for an unscheduled Umrah and was still in Saudi Arabia despite the fact that the Umrah season would start in the last fortnight of the holy month of Ramadan. “This (Umrah) thing was a mutually strategic move to absolve the government from several challenges, including NATO supplies’ reopening and the confrontation between the judiciary and executive. The mysterious absence of another hawk – Nisar Ali Khan – is also part of the deal,” the PML-N leader added.

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Two gunned down in Quetta

TORKHAM: A paramilitary soldier stands guard near NATO supply trucks on their way to the Pak-Afghan border on Thursday. AFP

QUETTA online

Two persons, including a Hindu trader, were gunned down in separate incidents on Thursday. According to details, unidentified gunmen opened fire on Hindu trader Poon in near Qambrani Road. The victim died on the spot. In a the other incident, unidentified gunmen opened fire on Rehmat in the Kulli Geo area and killing him instantly. The deceased belonged to the Hazara community.

Separate cases have been registered and investigations are underway.

Pakistan willing to resolve bilateral disputes with India, says Khar PHNOM PENH online

Accountability and transparency key to democracy, says Imran Khan

KARACHI online

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday said that the first thing democracy needs is accountability and transparency.

Addressing the Bar Council, Khan said that while Pakistan’s leaders were democratically elected, they do know the meaning of it. He said that despite their minuscule declared assets, Pakistan’s leaders were making extravagant trips abroad. Quoting the example of elections in the west, Khan said that from union council elections to parliamentary elections, the first thing a leader does is declare their assets, the amount of taxes paid and the source of income, and face jail if there is discrepancy in any assets declared. He said that having played professional cricket in england for nearly 18 years, he knew how expensive it is to live there.

He said that the leaders of Pakistan spent their holidays too lavishly to have such little assets. He questioned the sources of their assets and alleged that they don’t even pay taxes. “This is that class, I tell the people of Pakistan, which if not defeated then this country will have no future,” said Khan.

Thin NATO traffic on Afghan-Pakistan border CHAMAN

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afp

RUCKS carrying supplies for NATO troops in Afghanistan crossed the Pakistani border on Thursday for only the second time since Islamabad agreed to lift a seven-month blockade, officials said.

Pakistan closed overland routes for NATO convoys going to its war-torn neighbour after botched US air strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November, plunging ties between the “war on terror” allies to a new low.

Islamabad agreed to reopen the routes after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said sorry for the deaths on July 3.

But traffic has been sluggish.

Until Thursday, only a few trucks had been cleared to enter Afghanistan, with thousands of truck owners awaiting compensation before going back to work, and saying the trips into Afghanistan are too dangerous and too poorly paid.

The Pakistani Taliban have threatened to attack NATO supply trucks and kill drivers if they resume trips to Afghanistan.

On Thursday, the umbrella militant organisation threatened a further wave of attacks, and claimed responsibility for shooting nine police prison officers being trained in Lahore.

“Four NATO trucks carrying food supplies crossed the border,” Pakistan customs official Hassan Agha told AFP.

Customs official Mohammad Tariq confirmed that four NATO containers were allowed to cross the Chaman border post in Pakistan’s remote southwest after clearing customs.

In the northwestern tribal district of Khyber, officials said seven to 10 trucks loaded with NATO supplies were due to cross the Torkham post for the first time since Pakistan agreed to resume supplies.

“All of them will cross the border today,” customs official Ubaid Ullah told AFP. But in Karachi, where NATO containers begin their long journey to Pakistan’s two Afghan border crossings from the Arabian Sea port, many are waiting for compensation from subcontractors for being out of work for seven months.

“We are too wary, too anxious and too cautious about the situation. It was dangerous to go overland before the government ban, but now the dangers have increased,” Akram Khan Durrani, president of the All Pakistan Oil Tankers Owners Association, told AFP. “No one from the authorities have contacted us properly and assured us of foolproof security,” he said.

Rana Mohammad Aslam, vice president of the All Pakistan Goods Carrier Association, said NATO subcontractors were supposed to pay $6,000 compensation per vehicle to truck owners. “except for some trucks which were stuck elsewhere and have settled their pay-

ment issues with the contractors, none have started moving,” he told AFP from Karachi.

“Subcontractors have started installing satellite trackers on trucks as a means of security, but still there is no nod from the government, which has to arrange foolproof security for the operation.”

Officials in customs and at the ports and shipping ministry, who wished not to be named, said it would still “take a few days” to finalise compensation and was unable to give a specific date for trucks to leave Karachi.

The interior ministry in southern Sindh province, of which Karachi is capital, said it was finalising a security plan, but declined to go into details.

Tensions have been high among rightwing and extremist organisations since Pakistan last week decided to reopen its Afghan border to NATO supply convoys, ending a seven-month blockade following negotiations with US officials.

The Defence Council of Pakistan, a coalition of right-wing and hardline Islamist groups opposed to the country’s alliance with Washington, has led protests against the resumption of supplies for NATO troops fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

“You see how many people are opposing it? earlier, we only feared the Taliban, but now we’re afraid of many people and groups,” said truck owner Mohammad Asghar.

Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Thursday said that Pakistan was willing to abide by past agreements with India and resolve the Sir Creek and Siachen disputes. Talking to an Indian state-run news agency, Khar said that the two countries should move toward a more stable relationship and this could only be done so by both sides showing some flexibility. When asked on whether she was disappointed that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has not yet visited Pakistan despite invitation, Khar said, “I do not believe in the business of being disappointed.

I believe in optimism and I believe that we still would like to host him.” Khar is currently attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASeAN) ministerial meeting in Cambodia.

PM praises water, petroleum ministries for reducing power shortfall ‘considerably’ g

ashraf directs Ministry of Petroleum to ensure uninterrupted supply of fuel to power sector ISLAMABAD agencies

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Thursday praised the efforts of the ministries of Water and Power and Petroleum for their successful efforts to reduce power shortfall from 8,000MW to around 4,000MW. Chairing a meeting of the energy Committee at the Prime Minister’s House, Ashraf said people throughout the country were feeling the difference and directed the ministries to continue to work to increase power generation. “The challenges posed by the seasonal changes must also be addressed well in advance and power supply should be

ensured on a sustainable basis,” the prime minister said.

Ashraf said electricity was his number one priority and its solution was the only option and expressed full confidence that the new team would undertake this responsibility with commitment and would surely succeed in this regard.

The prime minister directed the Ministry of Petroleum to ensure uninterrupted supply of fuel to the power sector. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain briefed the prime minister on the arrangements made in this regard, including covering the risk of any unforeseen eventuality to the possible extent.

Hussain said additional gas would be

available to state-owned power plants from tomorrow (Friday). He was directed by the prime minister to ensure the supply of additional 125MMCFD of gas from the Kunnar Bisakhi field by tapping its full capacity, which would collectively add 800MW of electricity to the national grid.

Hussain said the new gas policy for 2012 had placed electricity at number two on the priority list after its supply to domestic consumers which amply manifested the commitment of the government to address the electricity issue on urgent basis.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Water and Power Ahmad Mukhtar, Minister for Law Farooq H Naik and secretaries of the relevant ministries.

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PaeC didn’t provide info to anyone: Malik KARACHI inp

Adviser on Interior to Prime Minister Rehman Malik on Thursday said Pakistan Atomic energy Commission (PAeC) has not provided secret information to anyone and the Pakistanis were proud of their scientists. Talking to media persons, he said the Punjab government should not support defunct organisations.

Replying a question regarding Haqqani Network, a string faction of Afghan Taliban believed to be based in Pakistan, he said Islamabad had nothing to do with the group and it was operating from Afghanistan

newly posted igP calls on CM KARACHI app

KaracHi: rangers put on high alert after the killings of two anp workers in nazimabad on Thursday. ONLINE

Two ANP activists among four riddled KARACHI inp

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T least four persons including two Awami National Party (ANP) activists were gunned down in separate violent incidents in the city on Thursday. According to police sources, unknown armed men first injured a man by hitting a car and then opened fire on him at MA Jinnah Road. As a result of firing, the man who was identified as Taj Mohammad died on the spot while the attackers fled from the scene.

Sources informed that Taj Mohammad belonged to a banned outfit. His body was shifted to Civil Hospital.

Some unidentified assailants opened fire in a hotel located in Nazimabad-2, injuring two office-bearers of ANP who were rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where they succumbed to injuries. The deceased were identified as Fazal Kareem and Malang Khan. Angry mobs torched a

motorcycle and tyres on the roads in Nazimabad following the incident and markets, shops and business centers in the area were closed.

A body was also found from Gulshan-eTauheed of Manghopir area. The deceased was identified as Imdad Hussain who belonged to

Turbat. At least 12 people have been killed in different violent acts in the city from Wednesday. Tension prevailed in the affected areas while Nazimabad observed mourning over the MQM activist’s murder. He was shot dead on Wednesday.

39 suspects arrested in Suparco bus attack KARACHI: Police have arrested at least 39 suspected people during overnight raids in various areas of the metropolis in the wake of devastating bombing of SUPARCO bus. Talking to media persons here on Thursday, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) West Amir Farouqi said the police conducted raids in different areas of the city including Muwachh Goth, Orangi Town, Mouchko, Saeedabad, Baldia Town, Hub River Road, Ittehad Town and Site Area in which 39 suspected had been arrested so far.

He said the interrogation was in progress. It should be mentioned here that an explosion ripped through a bus carrying employees of country’s space agency – Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) – killing two and injuring more than 20 of them. The bus carrying 40 Suparco employees was hit in Mawach Goth at around 4.45 pm on Wednesday. inp

Newly posted Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh Fayaz Leghari on Thursday called on Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah at the CM House.

CM Sindh while talking to IGP said that the maintenance of law and order was top priority of the government and all resources must be utilised in this regard. He said that it was prime responsibility of the law enforcing agencies, particularly the Police and Rangers, to work devotedly to bring peace back in the economic hub of the country. Qaim Ali Shah added that during the holy month of Ramzan all security measures, including patrolling of police force, manning in police security pickets and curbing the menace of extortion and robbers, must be ensured at every cost. He directed that the Police department should daily brief the media about any latest progress and achievements against criminals. CM also asked the IGP to maintain prompt security arrangements at various trade centres, commercial bazaars, markets and mandis, particularly the wholesale trade area in the old city’s commercial area. The IG Police assured CM that round the clock security measures would be ensured and special measures would be adopted during the holy month of Ramzan.

SSC result HYDERABAD: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary education (BISe) Hyderabad would announce the result of Secondary School Certificate Part II (Class X) Annual examination 2012 Science and General Group on Friday (today), the Controller of examinations BISe Hyderabad said on Thursday. app

lab at FUUaSt KARACHI: A Cardiovascular and Toxicology lab would be inaugurated at the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) on July 14 (Saturday), a spokesman of the institution said on Thursday. “The lab has been established at the Gulshan-i-Iqbal Campus of the FUUAST. ViceChancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Qaiser will inaugurate it,” he added. app

APPointmEnt oF nADiR LAgHARi AS SinDH PRESiDEnt

Be answerable to your workers now!

KARACHI aamir maJeed

emergence of descendants in the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaaf (PTI) Sindh-Circle has put PTI Chairman Imran Khan in deep trouble, it is reliably learnt.

Imran Khan, who arrived in Karachi on Wednesday on a two-day visit, has faced immense criticism from party workers over appointment of Nadir Akmal Laghari as President PTI Sindh and Hafeez-ud Din Advocate as a General Secretary Sindh without consultation with the members of PTI Sindh Council.

The workers have shown reservations over delay in dissolution of PTI Sindh for party elections ahead. PTI Chairman Imran Khan was taken aback when workers came down heavily on him during PTI Sindh workers meeting on Wednesday.

Telling inside story of PTI Sindh workers meeting with the party chairman, some workers who claimed

themselves Khans’ day-first supporters and founders of PTI, told Pakistan Today that the chairman stumbled at the start of the meeting when the participants raised accusing fingers on him over appointment of Nadir Akmal Laghari as PTI Sindh President and Hafeez-ud Din Advocate as General Secretary.

They said the workers had raised objection over Nadir Akmal Laghari President PTI Sindh and claimed that a Saraiki-speaker had been appointed to represent Sindhis. They claimed that Nadir Akmal Laghari, who was appointed as PTI Sindh President on March 31, 2012, had no idea about problems of the province and expressed fear of uprising in ranks of PTI Sindh Council. They also made hue and cry over non-dissolution of PTI Sindh for free and fair party elections in the provinces despite dissolution of PTI leadership in all provinces for party elections.

They also criticized appointment of Syed Hafeez-ud Din Advocate as a General Secretary of PTI Sindh. The

workers asked Imran Khan about reasons of delay in dissolution of PTI Sindh for party elections. A member of PTI Sindh Council asked a question that why Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Makhdoom Shah Mehmood, Jahangir Tarin and Khawaja Hoti were feeling hesitation to invite the like-minded constituency winner for participation in PTI. He alleged that those who joined PTI recently were just ‘opportunists’ and they were waiting for the right time to rejoin their ancestral political parties on their terms and condition. The workers requested PTI Chairman to ensure justice in the party before providing justice to 180 million population of the country after winning the coming general elections,” they added.

Responding to questions raised by the workers, the PTI chief requested workers to show patience. “If you think that Nadir Akmal Laghari and Syed Hafeez-ud Din Advocate appointment was unjustified then you

should contest against them in the party elections,” Khan said.

Describing reasons behind delay in dissolution of PTI Sindh circle, Khan said that Nadir Akmal Laghari had joined party three months before and he should be given some time to show his performance. Party elections would prove that who is suitable for which post,” Khan told workers.

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Karachi 07 Za Bukhari’s death anniversary observed KARACHI: Renowned broadcaster, illustrious writer, poet and a musician, Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari, was remembered on his death anniversary on Thursday. Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari was born in 1904 in Peshawar. After completing his studies, he became a Munshi (or a teacher) and was ultimately promoted as the head of the bureau of translation. ZA Bukhari also took part in theatrical activities. After the launch of All India Radio (AIR) Delhi, Bukhari was appointed at the station as programme director. In 1939, Bukhari, as a station director of AIR Delhi, got transferred to Bombay. After independence of Pakistan, he was made Radio Pakistan’s first director general. Later on, he served as Pakistan Television’s general manager. Bukhari was a workaholic. With his indefatigable energies and love for broadcasting, he worked at the radio station till late into the night. Bukhari especially emphasized the correct Urdu pronunciation. During Bukhari’s tenure, the radio station was a place frequented by intellectuals, writers, musicians, poets and scholars. He turned Radio Pakistan into an institution where raw hands got their early training and went ahead in search of greener pastures. Mirza Zafar-ulHasan compiled Yad-i-Yar-i-Mehrban, a book on Bukhari.

Both the publications contain Bukhari’s satire columns and some transcriptions of his broadcasts, including the rare ones broadcast by him in Urdu from the BBC during his stay in London. Bukhari’s other books include Sarguzasht, an autobiography, Jo Kuchh Main Ne Kaha, a collection of his verses and Raag Darya, a book on music. ZA Bukhari died in Karachi on July 12, 1975. inp

investor education programme to be launched today KaracHi: imran Khan addresses the lawyers at Karachi bar council. sTAFF PhOTO

Saifuddin Saif remembered KARACHI: Saifuddin Saif, a poet and a filmmaker of Pakistan, was remembered on his death anniversary on Thursday. Saifuddin Saif was born in Amritsar in 1922.

His poetry evolved and he wrote some very powerful poems during his college days.

He was already inclined towards writing for films, but the films for which he had written lyrics before partition were not released due to the traumatic conditions in the subcontinent. Teri Yaad, the first film to be released in Pakistan in 1948, started its shooting before partition. Saif wrote songs for it and got a lot of praise for the freshness of his poetry. The first film he did after Partition was Hichkoley in 1949.

Amanat (1950) and Naveli (1952) were his earliest films, but his career truly flourished in 1953 when his songs in Ghulam, Mehbooba became hits. Saifuddin Saif inaugurated his own film making company called Rehnuma Films in 1954. He scripted and presented a film Raat Kee Baat under this banner, which flopped miserably, but his next movie, in 1957, titled Saat Lakh, literally minted money, as its name and script suggested. In 1959, Saif Sahab came up with another pearl, which was Kartar Singh. He wrote its sterling script and dialogues and also directed it with a perfect vision. Saif Sahab, compiled his poetry collection, Kham-e-Kakul, which is full of brilliant ghazals and poems. Saifuddin Saif died at the age 72 in 1993. inp

‘SC responsible’ for contempt law KARACHI baKHaT ali

As the NRO-haunted executive tries to take a legislative shield against a “hostile” judiciary by enacting the Contempt of Court (Amended) Bill 2102, lawyers tend to blame the Supreme Court of Pakistan for the unprecedented legislation.

A brief survey conducted by Pakistan Today in the Sindh High Court (SHC) revealed that lawyers, a major power behind the movement for the reinstatement of Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, are critical of the apex court for what they called providing an opportunity to the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to provide for a permanent shield to corrupt politicians.

A senior lawyer said the government, both in centre and provinces, was now in a better position to legally protect or defend corrupt public office-bearers, making them unaccountable before the law.

A senior retired public prosecutor said the contempt bill was against the constitution and was tabled for providing protection to the elite class, especially the corrupt rulers.

Only poor people, he said, would suffer at the hands of government officials who after the

bill may not be answerable to anyone.

Sardar Abdul Wahab Baloch said contempt of court law was being changed just to protect the prime minister from possible adverse orders.

He said parliament should take interest in introducing legislation for the public interest instead of protecting some individuals.

Such amendments were being introduced when courts were taking action against the executive for not obeying the constitutional directions of the court, Baloch said.

He added that such amendments were contradictory to the basic structure of the constitution and parliament could not pass such legislation that aimed to protect some individuals.

Meanwhile, lawyers observed a complete strike on Thursday in the Sindh High Court and other courts in Hyderabad, Larkana and Sukkur on a call by the Sindh Bar Council (SBC) and Karachi Bar Association against the new contempt of court law.

Addressing lawyers at the Karachi Bar, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chief Imran Khan criticized the parliamentarians and said those who passed the contempt bill were shameless and did not know the definition of democracy.

Arrangements finalised for polio eradication campaign HYDERABAD app

District Health Officer (DHO) Hyderabad Dr Muhammad Aslam Pechuho said on Thursday that the district administration had finalized all arrangement to carry out a massive three-day polio eradication campaign in all four talukas of Hyderabad district from July 16 to 18. DHO said this in a news conference at Hyderabad Press Club. Accompanied by District Focal Persons for Health Dr Muhammad Ashraf Memon, DHO informed that anti-polio drops would be administered to a total of 288565 children of under five years age in all 52 Union Councils of Hyderabad City, Latifabad, Qasimabad and Hyderabad Rural Talukas of Hyderabad district. “The health department has formed 704 mobile vaccination teams which will visit door to door in all 52 Union Councils of the district and immunize anti-polio drops to under age children,” he informed. He added further that anti-polio drops would also be administered to children at 87 fixed vaccination centres and 35 other centres which were

being set up at the transit points of the district. “The entire polio eradication campaign will be carried out under the supervision of seven talukas supervisors, 168 area incharges and Union Councils' Medical Officers,” Aslam Pechuho said. This was also informed that the representatives of WHO, UNICeF, Deputy

Commissioner and high officers of Health Department would also monitor the campaign. DHO called upon the people to extend their full cooperation to the vaccination teams and get their children of less than five years age vaccinated against polio. “The people can contact at Toll Free No: 0800-12012 in case the vaccination teams do not arrive at their places,” he said. “There is a need of sincere efforts for preparation of a comprehensive strategy for permanent eradication of polio disease from Hyderabad,” Deputy Commissioner Hyderabad Agha Shahnawaz Babar said. The DC said that eradication of polio was a national duty and the government was also fully committed to root out the disease from the country at any cost. “Under the plan, special cards will be issued to vaccinators on mobile duty in order to ensure their presence on duty and strict action will be taken against him in case any employee is found absent,” he said. He asked the Administrator Auqaf Hyderabad to write letters to Imams (Prayers leaders) of the mosques requesting them to motivate the people to get their children of under five years age vaccinated against polio and save their future.

KARACHI: Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) and Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) were all set to launch an investor education and awareness programme on July 13 (today) to increase Pakistani investors’ base in the capital market and instill the saving culture, the KSE sources said on Thursdsay. The programme was being initiated under the guidance and active participation of SECP, CDC, NCCPL, MUFAP and Institute of Capital Markets (ICM). Other exchanges in the country would also launch this programme. “Pakistan's overall investor base in capital markets is significantly lower than the regional countries,” an official said. He added further that a small investor base not only meant that the market volatility was elevated but also that a very large number of savers in Pakistan were not participating in an asset class that had provided real positive returns (after accounting for inflation) over the last two decades. It is pertinent to mention here that the traditional financial asset classes such as National Savings Schemes and 10-years Government Bonds have barely kept up with inflation while bank deposits have actually provided negative real return thus causing loss of savers' purchasing power. The key characteristic of this program was to focus on personal financial planning (for individual investors) and show how a systematic and dedicated financial planning process could help investors achieve their long term goals whether it was financial independence upon retirement, specific objectives such as children's higher education, marriage, etc., or saving enough equity for house purchase. app

newly appointed ombudsman calls on asad ashraf Malik KARACHI: The newly appointed Ombudsman for protection of women against harassment at work place, Syed Pir Ali Shah called-on Provincial Ombudsman Sindh, Asad Ashraf Malik, in his offIce here on Thursday. Asad Ashraf Malik while welcoming the recently appointed Ombudsman to the fraternity of Ombudsmen said that his appointment has taken place at very opportune time when the cases of harassment of women at work place were continuously on the rise. He informed him in detail the responsibilities and functions of the Ombudsman Sindh. On the occasion, Asad Ashraf Malik expressed his confidence that his appointment to the position will act as check against growing complaints of working women in this regard. Asad Ashraf Malik assured of his full cooperation in setting up of the Women Complaint Secretariat and also offered to provide informal training to his officers and staff by the experienced functionaries of his Secretariat. Syed Pir Ali Shah appreciated the gesture shown by Asad Ashraf Malik and said that the two institutions have similar objectives that is the resolution of complainants grievances; therefore, it will be mutually helpful and in public interest to draw on each others experiences. It may be recalled that Ms Musarrat Hilali, Federal Women's Ombudsman for protection of women against harassment at work place, had earlier met Asad Ashraf Malik and exchanged views relating to general complaints of harassment of women at work place. The Provincial Ombudsman Sindh had also assured her of full cooperation of his Secretariat during her visit to the Province in connection with hearings and disposal of cases.

OMbudSMAN CALLS ON CM SINdH: Newly appointed Provincial Ombudsman for protection and harassment against women at their work places, Justice (Retd) Syed Pir Ali Shah on Thursday called on Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah at CM House here. He discussed matters of mutual interest with Chief Minister Sindh and apprised him about details of activities assigned to him. TheChief Minister hoped that the problems faced by working women will be solved and they will be protected against harassments. Other related issues were also discussed. app

Book-launching KARACHI: The launching of a book titled "Benazir Bhutto Kyun Shaheed Hoin" will be held today (July 13, 2012), at Arts Council of Pakistan. The book launching ceremony would be held in Akber Manzar Hall of Arts Council at 5 pm, said a statement issued yesterday. app

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City DireCtory eMergenCy helP reSCUe 1122 eDhi Control 115, 32310066, 2310077 Motorway PoliCe 130 PoliCe 15 goVernor’S hoUSe 136 ChieF MiniSter’S hoUSe 99202051 Fire BrigaDe 16, 99215007-8 BoMB DiSPoSal 15, 99212667 reD CreSCent 35833973 khiDMat-e-khalq FoUnDation 36333811

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KaracHi: beggars belonging to interior sindh swarm the city ahead of ramadan. ONLINE

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BOUT two hundred police stations and check posts in Sindh, including about fifty in Karachi, are standing on illegally occupied land, Pakistan Today reliably learnt. According to the details, 176 police stations in Sindh (out of which 49 police stations and checkposts are situated in Karachi while 73 in Sukkur region and 54 in the Hyderabad region) are situated on illegal land.

Sources told Pakistan Today that the declared illegal police stations are: PS Bilawal Colony, PS Samanabad, PS Joharabad, PS Wazirabad, PS FB Area, PS Gabol Town, PS Yousuf Plaza, PS Super Market, PS Rizvia, PS Taimooria, PS Shahrah-eNoor Jahan, Tori Bangash check post Pakistan Bazar, PS Pak Colony, PS Baldia, PS Chakiwara, PS Shairshah, PS Maripur, PS KPT, PS Kharadar, PS City Court, PS Boat Basin, PS Mahmoodabad, PS Baloch Colony, Women police station, PS KeSC, PS Bin Qasim, PS Steel Town, PS Shah Lateef Town, PS Sukkhun, PS Ibrahim Haydry, PS Khokharapar, PS Model Colony, PS Mobeena Town, PS Gulshan Iqbal, PS Sachal, Police check post Al Asif Square,

PS PIB Colony, PS Bahadurabad, PS Sohrab Goth, PS Manghoper, PS Surjani Town, PS Gadap Town, PS Memon Goth, PS Gulshan Maymar, PS Alfalah and PS Malir. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, home department official told Pakistan Today that PS Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan was illegally built on the link road of Orangi Town and North Nazimabad while PS Super Market Liaquatabad had encroached upon the land of Gujjar Nala, as had PS PIB Colony also. PS Mobeena Town, PS Khokharapar, PS Azizabad, PS Taimoria and PS Buffer Zone had encroached upon Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC) land.

“There were two amenity plots in the Journalist Colony in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. One was meant for establishing a club while the other for a health centre.

The total area of the two plots was 3,000 sq. yards.

However, the police blatantly occupied the plot meant for the health centre and established Mobeena Police Station there,” sources said.

It was also revealed by sources that two police stations - PS Sharafi Goth and PS Sachal – are sit-

KAmLA

Date: JUly 12 to 15th, 2012

uated on the plots of union councils while PS Tipu Sultan has been made on the land reserved for a public park. It was also learnt that after occupying land of Karachi Development Authority (KDA), seven police stations were built including PS Korangi Industrial Area, PS Zaman Town, PS Shah Lateef Town, PS Peerabad and PS Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan. PS Korangi Industrial Area is located on 2500 yards of KDA land reserved for industrial purposes. The police have occupied 35 residential and 6 commercial plots, each of 60 yards, in Korangi No. 11/2, Sector 48 D and built PS Zaman Town on 4000 square yards. PS Nabi Bakhsh was built on land belonging to the federal government while seven other police stations, including PS Alfalah, PS PS Model Colony, PS Surjani Town, were built in commercial buildings and on private land. PS Pak Colony is situated on the land of UC6 since 1972 and its annual rent is Rs 21696 while another PS is located on 2911.62 square feet of the land of UC-8. The KMC has demanded the rent several times but the police department has not paid heed to these requests.

According to reports, 8,000 acres of amenity plots have been occupied in the metropolis between 1986-87 and 2006-07, including a large number of parks. At many places, these parks have been occupied by the police. even pavements have not been spared by the police. For instance, one finds well constructed police posts on pavements in front of the PeCHS graveyard and at main Tariq Road.

It has been further reported that the defunct City District Government Karachi (CDGK) has listed 7,956 alloted/un-alloted plots (residential, amenity, commercial, industrial and flat-site) that have been encroached upon in former KDA schemes in connivance with the police. The people whose property has been encroached upon by the police department have sent many applications to the chief minister and other concerned authorities but no action has been taken yet.

EXHiBition BY HAmRA ABBAS

Date: JUne 19 to JUly 19, 2012

gHALiB mADE EASY

Date: thUrSDay, 7:00 PM, weekly eVent

VenUe: artS CoUnCil oF PakiStan

VenUe: CanVaS gallery

VenUe: the SeConD Floor (t2F)

the nrt presents kamla directed by Meesam nazar and written by Vijay tendulkar. an intriguing look at the morals in Journalism and the sale and purchase of women. Based on a true story. Date: 12-15 July 2012, 8pm ticket price: rs. 600/-ticket Price for students: rs.300/(please show your school/college/university iD card)

internationally acclaimed artist hamra abbas, recipient of the abraaj capital art prize and the Sharjah biennale jury prize, exhibits her culturally loaded, iconographic works at Canvas gallery on tuesday June 19th 2012, from 5 pm - 8 pm. hamra received her BFa and Ma from the national College of arts, lahore and a Meisterschueler from Universitaet der kuenste, Berlin. She lives and works between lahore, Pakistan and Boston, USa. the show remains open daily until July 19th 2012, from 11 am - 8 pm (excluding sundays)

Join us at t2F every wednesday for interactive sessions on Mirza ghalib’s poetry, conducted by author and translator, Musharraf ali Farooqi. ghalib Made easy by @MicroMaFthe poetry of Mirza ghalib (27 December 1797 – 15 February 1869) has been considered complex, abstract and difficult to comprehend. even for ghalib’s contemporaries, his language and imagery presented a challenge.

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Friday, 13 July, 2012

N Korea tells Asia moot it needs nukes to deter US PHNOM PENH

N

afp

ORTH Korea insisted Thursday it needs atomic weaponry to deter a US nuclear threat, and vowed never to give up its right to launch rockets as part of what it called a peaceful space programme.

Washington’s aim is to “eliminate the political ideology and system our people have opted for”, Foreign Minister Pak Ui-Chun told a regional Asian gathering in Cambodia, according to a summary given to reporters by his delegation.

North Korea’s launch of a longrange rocket on April 13 heightened regional tensions and sank a deal

with the United States reached on February 29.

Under that agreement, the North had agreed to freeze its uranium enrichment plant and suspend nuclear and missile tests, while the US promised 240,000 tonnes of food aid.

The US and its allies described the rocket launch as a disguised missile test, while the North said its aim was only to put a satellite into orbit.

The rocket failed soon after takeoff.

Pak, according to the summary, told fellow foreign ministers at the ASeAN Regional Forum that it was the US which scuppered the February 29 deal and was to blame for tensions on the Korean peninsula.

The United States, Japan and South Korea held a joint meeting on Thursday which warned that “any

Foreign News 09

provocation by North Korea... will be met with a resolute and coordinated response from the international community”.

It also expressed “deep concern about the well-being of the North Korean people and the grave human rights situation in North Korea”.

Pak, in his comments to the gathering in Phnom Penh, cited the use of a North Korean flag as a target during a major US-South Korean livefire exercise in the South as a “clear proof of the hostile intent of the US”.

It said the North would never give up its sovereign right “to explore and utilise the outer space and to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purpose” by building light water reactors to generate electricity.

Pyongyang says its uranium enrichment plant is intended to fuel light water reactors to generate power. Scientists say the plant could easily be reconfigured to produce bomb-making material, supplementing its current plutonium programme.

Pyongyang’s atomic deterrent had helped maintain the regional nuclear balance and reduced the risk of atomic war, it said. “We need to safeguard our sovereignty from constant nuclear threats of the US.” The paper reiterated calls for a peace treaty with the United States to replace the armistice which ended the 1950-1953 Korean War. Six-party talks, which envisage a peace treaty and other benefits if the North scraps its atomic weaponry, have been stalled since December 2008.

Israel poisoned Arafat with polonium: nephew

Suu kyi calls for transparency after US eases sanctions

RAMALLAH

Aung San Suu Kyi’s party welcomed a US decision to ease Myanmar sanctions Thursday, but the opposition leader demanded more “transparency” as foreign firms hungrily eye the country’s energy sector.

Washington on Wednesday gave the green light for firms to invest in Myanmar, including in oil and gas, in its greatest loosening of sanctions to reward reforms in the former pariah state after 50 years of military rule. The US decision was swiftly followed by the announcement of top-level talks with Myanmar this week. Under the new rules US companies will have the right to enter into business with state-owned Myanma Oil and Gas enterprise (MOGe), but must notify the State Department within 60 days. Suu Kyi described the US move as “nothing significant” and repeated calls for the international community to press MOGe — which was closely linked to the former junta government — for increased transparency. She told AFP that that she believed the body should sign up to International Monetary Fund codes of conduct. Her National League for Democracy said the US decision was not at odds with the party’s view that lifting tough Western sanctions should be considered if it would help regenerate the country’s moribund economy.

afp

Israel poisoned the late Yasser Arafat with the lethal radioactive substance polonium, a nephew of the veteran Palestinian leader alleged on Thursday.

But Israel denied the accusation, saying it was “not involved” in Arafat’s death at a French hospital in November 2004. “We accuse Israel of killing Yasser Arafat by poisoning him with that lethal substance,” Nasser al-Qidwa told AFP, referring to polonium, traces of which were recently found on clothing worn by the ailing leader. “Those responsible for that assassination should be held accountable and judged,” said Qidwa, who is also president of the Yasser Arafat Foundation. Allegations that the longtime Palestinian leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate was poisoned were resurrected earlier this month after Al-Jazeera news channel broadcast an investigation in which experts said they had found high levels of polonium on his personal effects.

Polonium is a highly-toxic substance which is rarely found outside military and scientific circles. The radioactive substance was used to kill former Russian spy turned Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko, who died in London in 2006 shortly after drinking a cup of tea laced with the poison. But a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu completely rejected Qidwa’s charge, denying any involvement in the ailing 75-year-old’s death.

NAYPYIDAW afp

LAGOS: At least 95 people who went to scoop up oil from an overturned oil tanker were killed after the vehicle caught fire, a road safety official in southern Nigeria’s Rivers state told AFP. “Ninety-three were burned to death on the spot. Two died later in the hospital (and) 18 people were seriously injured,” said Kayode Olagunju, sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission in the state. afp

shia cleric jailed for blasphemy in Indonesia SAMPANG afp

An Indonesian court sentenced a Shia cleric Thursday to two years in prison for blasphemy, saying his teachings deviated from mainstream Islam and had caused “public anxiety”.

Tajul Muluk was arrested in April by police on the island of Madura off eastern Java amid anti-Shia attacks that rights groups say were led by Sunni Muslims. “Based on witness accounts and evidence presented,

the defendant has been proven legally and convincingly guilty of blasphemy causing public anxiety,” chief judge Purnomo Amin Tjahjo told the Sampang district court.

The judge said that Muluk had propagated Shia teachings in his village of Nangkernang, where a nearby branch of the country’s top Islamic clerical council dubbed the denomination “deviant” from mainstream Islam. Muluk said that he would file an appeal against the ruling.

“I feel that my dignity has

been crushed. They accused me of being an infidel. I will file an appeal for the sake of my pride,” he told the court. Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticised the court ruling and urged the Indonesian government to immediately release Muluk and repeal the country’s blasphemy laws.

The international rights watchdog said that Sunni militants had attacked Muluk’s village, burning houses, including Muluk’s home, as well as an Islamic school, and forcing 500 Shia followers to flee their homes.

Pressure on Assad as envoy defects, West eyes sanctions DAMASCUS

At least 95 dead in Nigeria oil tanker fire

JaKarTa: Thousands of indonesian workers march to demand higher wages and scrap the labor outsourcing policy on Thursday. AFP

afp

Pressure mounted on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday after a senior diplomat defected and Western powers drew up a 10-day sanctions ultimatum.

Syria’s ambassador to Iraq, Nawaf Fares, announced he was joining a small but growing list of officials who have defected to the opposition, as the regime battles a near 16-month-old uprising. “I announce my defection from my post as representative of the Arab Syrian Republic in Iraq and my withdrawal from the ranks of the (ruling) Baath party,” Fares said in a message aired on Al-Jazeera satellite channel late on Wednesday.

“I call on all free and worthy people in Syria, particularly in the military, to immediately rejoin the ranks of the revolution,”

he said, adding: “Turn your cannons and your tanks towards the criminals in the regime who are killing the people.” The defector has since taken refuge in Qatar, which has been among the most outspoken critics of Assad’s regime, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said on Thursday, quoted on Iraqi television. Fares, who served as provincial governor around Syria and held senior security and Baath party posts, hails from a prominent Sunni tribe from eastern Syria, with members also in Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The foreign ministry in Damascus said Fares had been “discharged” after having made statements to the media “in contradiction with his duty, which consists of defending his country’s position.” He would be “legally prosecuted and subjected to disciplinary action.” In the latest clashes on the ground, regime forces on Thursday

shelled the village of Treimsa in the central province of Hama, monitors and activists said, while at least eight people were killed across the country.

Lebanese security sources, meanwhile, said Syrian troops fired off dozens of shells in areas bordering northern and eastern Lebanon after firefights, adding that at least four people were injured inside Lebanese territory. On Wednesday, 85 people were killed — 37 civilians, 34 soldiers and 14 armed rebels — the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, updating an earlier tally. At the United Nations, Britain, France, Germany and the United States submitted a draft text that would give Assad 10 days to implement UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s ceasefire plan or face tough new sanctions.

If Security Council members, including a reluctant Russia, approve it, the

resolution would allow for non-military sanctions under Chapter VII of the UN charter if Syrian government forces keep up their offensive on cities. Negotiations on the Western draft and a rival Russian resolution, which does not mention sanctions, are to start later Thursday in New York. A vote must be held before July 20, when the mandate of the UN observer mission in Syria ends. The draft calls for an “immediate” end to violence by government and opposition forces and demands that President Assad’s troops return to barracks in line with the Annan plan and UN resolutions passed in April.

The resolution would renew the mandate of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria for 45 days, and calls on the mission to take on more political duties, moving away from monitoring a non-existent ceasefire.

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10 Comment Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Friday, 13 July, 2012

A supreme mess When institutions lose breadth of vision

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

False sense of security Terrorists are still very much here, there and everywhere

S

ecurity agencies were found napping as terrorists first struck near Gujrat and then right inside Lahore. A more than a year long lull in terrorist activity in the capital city of Punjab had induced a false sense of security in the administration and law enforcing bodies of the province.

This enabled the TTP to quietly refurbish its sleeping cells with fresh manpower and weapons. It is now in a position to strike at the targets of its choice. The establishment’s policy of allowing the banned outfits to work under new names has allowed them to revive old contacts and prepare new strategies to continue to play with the lives of innocent people. The tendency to look the other way as they raise funds in public has helped them collect enough money to keep them in the deadly business. As the militant networks with new brand names are allowed to hold public meetings, they are able to enlist fresh recruits.

Both incidents indicate that while the orders must have been sent by the higher TTP leadership, those executing them were local operatives. It is difficult for the outsiders to mix up and disappear among the population. In Lahore, it is inconceivable for anyone from outside the city to operate inside the heavily populated Ichhra with its narrow streets and meandering lanes.

The terrorists must have had at their disposal safe houses in the city to get together and proceed for action. They must be having places where to store their weapons. The incidents once again confirm that over the decades an efficient police system with its assets of local informants has ceased to exist in Punjab where it once worked fairly efficiently. The appointment of blue-eyed boys in key positions under the present administration has taken a toll on the efficiency and morale of the police.

In both the incidents, terrorists have targeted members of the law enforcement agencies. In FATA, the Taliban first concentrated on killing the traditional tribal leadership before they were able to take on the army. In the settled districts they are zeroing in on the army and police. Once the law enforcement agencies are demoralised and reluctant to act, terrorists will be free to attack the unprotected population with impunity. The establishment has to abandon the policy of placating the terrorists if the country is to be saved. Unless all sections of the establishment are on the same page the terrorists will continue to wreak havoc. With the militant networks on the rampage, the country will not need a foreign army to destroy it.

By Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

T

he locking of the horns between the PPP government and the Supreme Court should induce all stakeholders in the system to do some soul searching. As things .stand, the PPP is adamant not to write the required letter to the Swiss authorities. The SC is bent upon getting the NRO verdict implemented in this one case.

The PPP maintains that there is no ambiguity about the exemption providing immunity to the president from court proceedings as long as he retains the office. According to it, since the exemption clause in the constitution is clear and self explanatory, there is no need for any interpretation by the Supreme Court. The judges maintain that the exemption is not automatic but has to be claimed in the court. For the common man, this is an abstruse polemic.

One elected prime minister has been removed by the court in a novel way unknown in a parliamentary democracy.

Another one is on the way out. The clash of the institutions continues to generate uncertainty and forebodings about a possible derailing of the system.

Possible scenarios about an imminent external intervention are already being widely discussed. According to one of these, a constitutional crisis would be imminent in case prime ministers continued to be removed one after the other. This would be followed by applications in the court to appoint a caretaker setup for holding the elections. The caretakers might decide to prolong their tenure on the excuse that they are required to remove a lot of muck created by the former government. The prolongation of the tussle will help none of the three pillars of the state: the executive, parliament or the SC. It was for the first time that an elected government had succeeded in presenting five budgets before the Na-

tional Assembly. It is another matter that none of the exercises had brought any cheer to the common man. The government claims that it had brought back the 1973 constitution which had been beaten out of shape by successive military rulers to its original parliamentary form. The parliament however failed to remove some of the anti democratic provisions introduced in the constitution by Zia-ulHaq. The government takes pride in allocating more resources to the provinces and expanding the scope of provincial autonomy. Despite the claims, Balochistan continues to be run by the agencies rather than the provincial government.

The reforms have meanwhile left the masses cold, and rightly so. The government has miserably failed to improve the lot of the common man which has continued to deteriorate year after year under the present administration.

The poverty line is expanding, there is a steady rise in the number of the unemployed and despite government claims inflation runs in double digits.

The reforms are of course important and could over time strengthen the system provided it survives the ongoing confrontation. Whether it does so, depends on the apex court, the government and the opposition.

The stakeholders have to realise that there would be few mourners if the system collapses on account of their confrontation. Once it transpires it will lie in the grave for, maybe, another decade or so.

No PPP prime minister is likely to allow what the party calls “ the trial of BB’s grave” which translated into simple language means no letter to the Swiss authorities to probe if Benazir and Zardari kept any ill gotten millions in Swiss banks.

The party is unwilling to hold an early election. It intends to complete its tenure to the very last day.

The new contempt

law passed post haste extends the exemption to the prime minister also while simultaneously prolonging the procedure for punishing a contemner. The PPP leadership knows that unlike other institutions the apex court moves according to the legal procedure and this would provide more time to the PM to retain his office.

The PPP plans to nominate one prime minister after another defying the court orders. It has to realise that it cannot afford to sacrifice some of its best bets in the forthcoming elections who would stand debarred for five years once sentenced by the court.

How long will the SC continue to sack one chief executive after another without creating a perception that it is after the PPP’s scalp? Would the repeated action not give birth to instability?

The opposition too needs to ponder over the consequences of the ongoing standoff. It has been a practice with the opposition to take cases that should better be resolved politically to the apex court. Instead of effectively using the platform of the NA to expose the administration, it was considered easier to approach the court for action against the government. The opposition approached the SC the way it did the agencies or the army in 1990s with the aim of getting rid of the government.

It is time for all to reconsider the respective courses they have taken. The best way would be for the government and opposition to reach an agreement on the caretaker setup and announce a firm date for the elections, preferably in winter. After this has been done, the court should let the PPP be ousted in election than turned into a hero through a coup de main.

The writer is a former academic and a political analyst.

Russian roulette putin’s islamabad visit would trigger a south asian revamp

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid

M

ost of us are well-acquainted with the game of Russian roulette, even if some of us might not know it by its name. And those who have had the chance to play it, either came out victorious, or end up digging themselves a grave.

It’s that lethal game of chance that Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken play in The Deer Hunter, another variation of which led to Kaalia’s demise after Gabbar Singh altered the rules a bit in Sholay. The participants take turns in placing a revolver’s muzzle on their head – after spinning the cylinder, which has three or less bullets – and then pull the trigger. The

person who doesn’t die after a round of Russian roulette is, of course, the winner.

Fittingly, the name traces its origin to Russia, which ostensibly gave birth to the game back in the days of the Russian Revolution. Fitting because, Russia is a country that has had its fair share of ‘Russian roulette’ moments on the global – and domestic – political scene throughout the course of its history. From Ivan III taking on the Republic of Novgorod in the late 15th century to Alexander I presiding over the Congress of Vienna in 1815; from the internal metamorphosis during the Russian Revolution, to the 44-year joust with the US during the Cold War, several Russian leaders have spun the cylinder, and numerous epochs have witnessed triggers being pulled in all the proverbial corners of the world. And now another revolver muzzle is on the verge of being pointed at Islamabad in a couple of months’ time, as Russia vies to trigger a revamp in the South Asian status quo.

Vladimir Putin looks set to visit Pakistan and in turn become the first Russian president to set foot in our country since, well since Homo habilis first set foot on earth. The September summit would be the culmination of a RussoPakistan bond that has been strengthen-

ing behind the scenes for the past couple of years after the two nations spent over half a century weaving together a callous relationship. Moscow openly backed Pakistan’s full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation last year, while Islamabad has recently agreed to give IP (Iran-Pakistan) and TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline contracts to Russia – so the Russo-Pak love-in has been quite conspicuous of late. even so, behind every amorous fit lies an ulterior motive – at least in international politics – which in this little world of fatal analogies would be the revolver that would be pointed towards Islamabad’s head.

With NATO troops ready to abscond from Afghanistan, Russia is all set to join China in the queue to fill that particular vacuum of influence. even though Beijing heads the said queue courtesy the Aynak copper mine deal in 2008 followed by China Natural Petroleum Corporation’s ‘$7 billion’ oil deal with Afghanistan at the tail end of last year. Another agenda on the Russian menu is ensuring stability in the Central Asian countries – the “near abroad” – which are said to have extremist groups that have their roots in terrorist groups existing in the ‘safe havens’ of

Afghanistan and some parts of Pakistan.

This is precisely why Russia is vying to exercise its influence in Afghanistan.

The rule of the thumb in International Relations is that if you’re eying Afghanistan, you need Pakistan’s shoulder. It’s no coincidence that the US-Pakistan ties have disintegrated to such a ‘sorry’ state after the former realised that their ‘War on Terror’ in Afghanistan was about as fruitful as smashing your head against a wall, and in turn decided to walk away. So with the Sino-Pak bond historically solid and durable, the onus is on Moscow to woo Islamabad. On the other hand, hobnobbing with Russia could be Pakistan’s proverbial hand gesture to Uncle Sam, one that showcases Pakistan’s demand in the international social networking platform, to its detractors. And this brings us to another very crucial player in this South Asian Russian roulette: India.

India wouldn’t want stability in Afghanistan, for it would mean that Pakistan’s focus wouldn’t be divided on both fronts. If it’s all quiet on the western front, Pakistan’s militaristic wherewithal would hog the eastern front – not something New Delhi would be particularly over the moon about. Now with Russia

bonding with Pakistan, Islamabad could point at Beijing and Moscow and flaunt its augmenting friends list, while Moscow can inform New Delhi – historically Russia’s strategic chum – that it has other options in South Asia with India upping the ante on its partnership with the US. Arguably, and ironically, it was the US-India Washington Summit of 2005 – which was held in Putin’s previous presidential era – which has resulted in Russian foreign policy taking a nosedive into new waters; something that is vindicated by the fact that one of the first things that Putin did after taking over from Dmitry Medvedev is befriend Pakistan on a multitude of fronts.

With Beijing, Moscow and Islamabad converging upon a potential strategic union with regards to Afghanistan, the most decisive blows would strike Washington and New Delhi. And so when Russia and Pakistan get together in the bilateral summit this September to play out the latest round of Russian roulette, there’s a fair chance that the players being shot down won’t be sitting around the table at the time.

The writer is a staff member and can be reached at khulduneshahid@gmail.com

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Friday, 13 July, 2012

If Ghalib were a woman… but sharif girls don’t write poetry

I

t is raining outside my window in Hauz Khas Village. I’m having chai, onion pakodis and I’m thinking of my most beloved Urdu poet.

Not only was Mirza Ghalib to be reckoned with in Delhi’s literary and aristocratic salons but, according to the late historian Percival Spear, he also “burrowed below the dignified upper classes to the raffish and spendthrift Delhi underworld”.

What if Ghalib were a woman? How different his experiences would have been?

What would have been our understanding of Shahjahanabad, aka Old Delhi?

More than a century and a half after his death, Ghalib’s verses and letters present us with a broad portrait of Mughal-era Delhi, just as its artistic ascendancy started paralleling its political decline.

“If Ghalib were a well-born woman living in the mid-19th century Shahjahanabad, his worldview would have been limited,” author Rakhshanda Jalil, who staged a re-enactment of ‘Dilli Ki Akhiri Shama’, a fictional account of the last gathering of poets in the Mughal capital, told me on phone. “Women in sharif (noble) households lived sequestered lives in the zenana (women’s quarter). Only a handful of sharifzadis could read and write. Poetry was a man’s business.”

Yesterday I visited Iffat Zarrin, a contemporary female poet reBy Mayank Austen Soofi siding in Old Delhi. She told me in chaste Urdu, “Ghalib would have seen nothing except servants, children and fellow women behind the purdah. Her poetry would have come out of her intellectual isolation.”

Zarrin, whose work focuses on urban alienation, is the author of a poetry collection titled, Besahil Dariya, meaning ‘a river without a bank’. A resident of Gali Imli street, she said, while sitting in her lovely study that looks to a lovely courtyard, “The final fate of the last Mughal, his sons and other princes following their fall in 1857 is widely known but most of us are in dark about their mothers, wives, daughters and mistresses. They occupy a blank space in the story

delhi calling

of our city. We don’t even know their names.

As a woman, Ghalib would have certainly enquired about them. We might have also inherited a poetic record of the ordinary women in Shahjahabanad; their concerns, their desires, their response to the extraordinary events that were destroying and re-shaping their world.”

A few good women of royal blood have made their existence felt in the Walled City.

Shahjahan’s daughter Janahara designed the layout of Chandni Chowk. Aurangzeb’s daughter Zeeenat un Nissa commissioned a mosque similar in appearance as Jama Masjid (I saw it for the first time this week! It looks like a miniature Jama Masjid). Her sister Zeb un Nissa was credited as the author of Diwan-I-Makhfi, a collection of 400 ghazals.

However, Mubarak Begum, the woman said to have hosted one of the last great poetry soirees before Delhi fell to the British, had a less exalted past. entering society as a nautch girl, a mosque built by her in Chawri Bazaar is crudely known as Randi ki Masjid. The former word, as most Lahoris know, being a slur for prostitute. “ecriture feminine or ‘writing the feminine’ always existed in Urdu. In earlier times, there was the poetic genre of rekhti where male poets spoke in a feminine, but fake, voice,” Jalil told me. “This was followed by courtesan-poets, or dancing women who were accomplished as poets but beyond the pale of society. It was only late into the 20th century that women from Delhi’s sharif families began to compose poetry; their output, slender and scattered as it was, was read privately and not meant for publication. Women were allowed to read but not write, resulting in a huge disparity between women’s readership and authorship.”

“You can be a shaayar (Urdu poet) only if you are fearless and outspoken, dreamy and passionate, traits that make it tough for women to survive to this day,” Zarrin said.

“With such qualities, Ghalib wouldn’t have got a husband and neither, I suspect, would she have lived with one. Consequently, she would have been four times poorer than the male Ghalib was. Then, as now, a penniless poet could have survived in the chai khanas (tea shops) but not a penniless poetess. In order to live so as to write, Ghalib would have served as a prince’s kept woman or as a courtesan in a public house. Her Shahjahanabd, then, would have showed us a world as comprehended in the bedrooms of the Red Fort or as seen in the kothas of Chawri Bazar.”

Just as I was leaving her house, Zarri called me. I turned. Looking very passionate as if overwhelmed by a sudden emotion, she exclaimed, “And if Ghalib were a woman, he would have had to cook. Imagine that!”

Comment 11

Editor’s mail 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.

our forgotten hero Some Indian readers have raised a valid concern about the ignorance and negligence on the part of Indian government and media when it comes to honouring national heroes such as Indian physicist, Satyendranathe Bose for his work with Albert einstien in 1920s. However, their brethren across the border are no different — how many people in today’s Pakistan are aware that it was a Pakistani physicist, Dr Abdus Salam, who was at the forefront of theorising the particle in 60s-70s which (Higgs Boson) is known as the final piece of the Standard Model of Particle Physics; a theoretical model explaining the fundamental particles and forces that control our universe. From 1959 onwards, Salam, Glashow, and Weinberg worked to mathematically prove this theorem. Salam was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1979, along with his colleagues Glashow and Weinberg, for contributions to the theory of the unified weak and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles, including inter alia, the prediction of weak neutral currents. July 04, 2012 was a historical day when the scientists announced the discovery of a particle called Higgs Boson (HB).

Abdus Salam, the only Pakistani to ever get a Nobel Prize, pioneered a number of projects in his homeland, Pakistan, which have now grown and proving their immense worth. Pakistan Atomic energy Commission (PAeC), Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Sciences and Technology (PINSTech), and Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) are his living legacies. He founded the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste Italy; in 1979 ICTP was renamed after him. A lot of work on Higgs Boson was carried out in this Trieste centre.

A road named after Dr Salam in CeRN Geneva (where this Higgs Boson particle was discovered in the Large Harden Collider) shows the respect that the global scientists’ community has for him. It’s sad that we have forgotten our real heroes. We should perhaps pay heed to what a US president, Calvin Coolidge, once said: “A nation that forgets its heroes will itself soon be forgotten.”

MASOOD KHAN Saudi Arabia

the second sex It pains me to say that our criminal justice system has failed to protect the rights of women, who are often victims of violence and discrimination. Hardly a day passes when women- a wife, daughter, a sister and somewhere even mothers – doesn’t become the worst victim of violent crimes. Recent surveys conducted by a few reliable research organisations suggest that

violence against women is even pervasive in the “socalled” educated and elite echelons of society.

Doubtlessly, our police, prosecutors, courts, in fact, the entire criminal administration justice system has failed to give relief to women even though our constitution zealously protects women and though several enactments seek to achieve gender justice. Is there anyone to rescue women of this country, with proper and effective legislation and strict execution in the country?

HASHIM ABRO Islamabad

More bloodletting According to the unofficial reports, more than 20,000 Muslims have been killed, tortured and displaced by extremist Buddhists in Burma’s Rakhine province, the worst sectarian killing in this part of the world for many years.

The violence had killed 29 people in a day and displaced more than 30,000, said Htein Lin, secretary of the Ministry for Border Affairs.

Around 2,500 houses have been burnt down, Reuters reported on 14th June. Meanwhile, The Telegraph reported on 21st June that more than 80 have been killed in Burma this month.

International organisations, NGOs and human rights organisations remain silent as Myanmar’s government has not yet proposed a solution for the 800,000 Rohingya, who live in desperate conditions that resemble refugee camps and make up one of the largest groups of stateless people in Asia.

The biggest distress comes with the attitude of Pakistan government that has not even condemned the killings of Muslim brothers, helping them being a far cry. The lack of serious concern over the killings of Muslims by the Pakistani government has resulted in much disappointment.

We urge the electronic and print media of our country to sincerely report the most horrible situation going around in the eastern part of the world and Muslims around the world must pay heed to the call of the suffering Rohingya Muslims and rescue them from oppression.

SYED HASSAM AHMED Lahore

increase in bus fares The Karachi University administration recently increased its bus fares without issuing any notice to the students. Despite the decrease in petroleum prices, the university transport in-charge raised the fare by 5 rupees (a 100 percent increase). But while the fares increase, the conditions of the bus points and bus stops deteriorate. The proper maintenance of these points has not been carried out for a long time. Students have to sit on broken seats and that too if they are lucky to get one. Otherwise, they have to stand in the heat in these points that cannot accommodate the number of students.

It’s my request to the university administration to take back their decision of increase in fare as it is unfair. This facility is not a luxury but a necessity for many students who cannot afford alternate transportation.

S M SHUJA HAIDER Karachi

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Friday, 13 July, 2012

Delights and

Christian Bale proud of friendship with Heath Ledger

DISaPPOINTMeNTS a LOOK INTO COKe STuDIO SeaSON 5

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CTOR Christian Bale is happy that he got to become friends with Australian actor Heath Ledger before he died in 2008 from an accidental overdose. The pair worked together on The Dark Knight in which Bale played Batman and Ledger his arch nemesis The Joker and the 38-yearold is proud to have gotten to know him, reported Contactmusic. “I have absolutely wonderful memories of Heath. I’m very proud that I got to know him as a friend, and work with him, and he’s as much a part of this movie, The Dark Knight Rises, as he was The Dark Knight. He created such a wonderful portrayal, that will always be remembered, and I’m very proud to have been a part of that,” he said. The actor ruled out a return to the superhero franchise now that he has completed the third and final film in the Christopher Nolan-directed movie series. “I believe Christopher Nolan when he says it (a reboot) won’t be from him, and therefore it will not be me. But I absolutely do believe there will be a reboot, and I’m very fascinated to see what incarnation that will take,” he said. neWs desK

Family is priority for Victoria Beckham

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INGER-TURNED-FASHION designer Victoria Beckham says her family is her priority and she schedules her work around her children.

Victoria is married to soccer ace David Beckham and raises four children - Brooklyn, 13, Romeo, nine, Cruz, seven, and 12-month-old Harper. “Spending time with husband David and four children is the most important thing,” contactmusic.com quoted the 38-year-old as saying. “I work hard but my husband and my kids are my priority. I’m not doing anything different from any other working mother. I have four kids but I get on with my life,” she added. Victoria admits parenting is difficult but she tries to do her best. “Being a mum is difficult. There’s no rulebook, I’m just doing the best I can for David and them,” she said. neWs desK

AIMA KHOSA OKe Studio is perhaps one of the best things to have happened to Pakistan’s music industry in the last few years. every year, Coke Studio showcases some of the best vocal talents the country has to offer, coupled with some wonderful fusion of music – ethnic and modern, old and new, classic and contemporary.

This year’s Coke Studio was expected to be no different than the last. This year, though, the music took on a different turn while the vocal talent remained the same. Coke Studio season 5 had a distinctly modern touch to it, shedding a lot of the old, eastern feel that it used to have the same eastern feel that made Coke Studio special in the previous seasons. This is not to say that Coke Studio did not give us some brilliant songs. But these songs were those where Coke Studio retained the use of eastern instruments and maintained the fusion between contemporary and classical.

Kamlee, performed by Hadiqqa Kiani is one such song. As the song starts, her voice haunts the listener into paying attention, and the music adds to that spiritual effect. As the beats picks up, one feels goose-bumps erupt, and every note in Haddiqa’s voice takes one higher and higher into that spiritual journey that the song was meant for. Haddiqa Kiani, with this song, has proved once again why she is so special to Pakistani music. Simply put, Haddiqa Kiani did the song

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absolute justice.

Larsha Pekhawar Ta by Hamayoon Khan from the first episode was one song the listener would thoroughly enjoy, even if they may not understand that lyrics. This is because the music is rich with instruments, inducing a cheerful effect in the listener. Charkha Nolakha by Atif Aslam and Qayaas is also one of the secret delights of the entire season.

Atif Aslam’s voice is complemented

by Umair Jaswal’s deep vocals and both of the singers give the song the feel of rock music fused with spiritual tunes and the entire effect is really quite entertaining.

Bilal Khan’s Larho Mujhey and Taaray keep the singer within the genre of sappy songs, and they might delight a 16 year old freshly in love, but they fail to stand out as something that would awe the listener – the effect Meesha Shafi and the Chakwal Group created in Ishq Aap Bhe Awalla. But that could simply be because Coke Studio once again created a wonderful fusion between classical and contemporary. The vocals in this song are astounding and it should go down in Coke Studio’s history as one of the greats.

Pere Pavandi Saan by Mithu Saan should have been a brilliant song. It wasn’t. Here one cannot blame the singer because he displays his vocal abilities in the beginning of the song. But once the musical notes strike, the listener just sits and goes through waves of disappointment. It sounds like a disco themed spiritual song, and it is a terrible combination,

and an injustice to the vocalist.

One is also left wondering the place of songs like School Di Kitaab and Paisay Da Nasha in Coke Studio, not because there is no place for songs like these, but because fusing rap with eastern instruments? Really? How were they expecting the audience to react to it? Definitely not with applause and a call for encore.

Overload with Rachel Viaccaji, too, came up with an average performance of Naray Aah, which was a disappointment because Overload has never failed the listener musically until now.

Perhaps one of the biggest disappointments of the entire season was Dashte Tanhai by Meesha Shafi. This is not because she did a bad job, but because she was taking on a legend and this time, unlike Chori Chori, she failed to capture the audience as she did in the last season. Her voice sounded way more nasal than the song dictated, and the music in the song, once again, felt way too modern, killing the impact of the lyrics.

Iqbal Bano’s version remains unbeaten today. Meesha Shafi is a brilliant singer, but this song was not for her, mostly because the music clashed with her voice, not complimenting it. Her voice sounded digitally engineered and was distinct from the music.

All is not lost, though. Wah Wah Jhullara by the Chakwal Group goes down in Coke Studio history as one of the secret delights of the song. Not only is this song vocally rich, the lyrics are beautiful and the music complements the vocals perfectly.

While Hadiqa Kiana’s version of Rung was wonderful to listen to, she was no match for Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad, who captured the listener from the first few seconds of the song. The vocals, the music, the notes – everything in this song was perfected to the very last detail, making the audience fall in love with Coke Studio all over again.

Coke Studio legend? Yes! Overall, this season was not as wonderful as one would have hoped.

There were highs and there were lows, sometimes the lows overshadowing the highs of the season, taking away some of the enchanting edge Coke Studio Sessions used to have.

Dara Singh passes away

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I see dead people: Charlie Sheen

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HARLIE Sheen has revealed that he has started seeing the ghosts of dearly departed friends during visits to their grieving families. The Wall Street star revealed that he has had two eerie encounters in recent months. “When my friend (writer) Zalman King died, I went to comfort his widow, Pat. We were making a toast and I saw Zalman, who’d been dead for four hours, dance through the background. It was a trip,” the Daily Express quoted him as telling Playboy magazine. “Another dear friend of mine, Stephanie, her father died. I was at her house, and he walked past me on the stairwell one day... I know it was him. I just accept stuff like that and don’t try to figure it out.

I saw these people,” he added. neWs desK

ReSTLeR-TURNeDACTOR Dara Singh, who was battling for life since the last five days, passed away early this morning.

84-year-old Singh was taken home from hospital by family members last night so that he could be with them in the last moments of his life. “He passed away at 7.30 AM peacefully,” Dr Ram Narain, COO, Kokilaben Hospital, told PTI. Singh was brought to the hospital on July 7 after he had suffered a cardiac arrest and since then he was in the ICU. A wrestling hero to some and a much loved cine artist to others, it was a long and eventful life that triumphed many odds. In his over fivedecade long acting journey, he featured in over 140 films, including classics such as “Anand” and “Mera Naam Joker”.

It was a many splendoured life.

There was Dara Singh the wrestler, Dara Singh, the hero of ‘B’ category action films such as “Tarzan Comes to Delhi” and “Samson” in the 1950s and 1960s, Dara Singh, the friendly ‘pehelwan’ in “Anand”, and then Dara Singh who played Hanuman with great effect in the TV blockbusters “Ramayan” and

“Mahabharat”. He was last seen in the Kareena Kapoor-Shahid Kapoor starrer “Jab We Met” as the stern, lovable ‘Daarji’ who ruled over a noisy, closeknit Sikh family. Quite like the real life man, who intimidated people with his 6’ 2” frame but soon won them over with outgoing nature and warmth.

Born to Balwant Kaur and Surat Singh Randhawa Nov 19, 1928 in a village in Amritsar, Punjab, Dara Singh was encouraged to take up wrestling due to his imposing physique and trained in ‘pehelwani’, an Indian style of wrestling. He became a star wrestler and not just on Indian turf.

Dara Singh took on international wrestlers like Lou Thesz and Stanislaus Zbyszko, and had over 500 professional fights to his credit - all undefeated. He won the Professional Indian Wrestling Championship in 1953, and took away the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship trophy in 1959 by defeating Canadian champion George Godianko.

A recipient of titles like Rustam-ePunjab (1966) and Rustam-e-Hind (1978), Dara Singh retired from active wrestling in 1983. In 1989, he published his autobiography “Meri Atmakatha” in Punjabi, and seven years later was inducted into the Wrestling Observer

Newsletter Hall of Fame.

And while he was wrestling, he was making a name in cinema - both Hindi and Punjabi. His first release was the 1952 “Sangdil” and then came a succession of films like “King Kong”, “Faulad”, “Sher-e-Watan” that earned him the name of Bollywood’s action king. During his hey day as a hero, he teamed up with Mumtaz in 16 Hindi films, including “Jawan Mard”, “Raaka”, “Aandhi Aur Toofan”, “Daku Mangal Singh”, “Boxer” and “Veer Bhimsen”.

Another successful phase in Dara Singh’s acting career came when he bagged the role of Hanuman in Ramanand Sagar’s epochal TV series “Ramayan” in 1986. People liked him so much that B.R. Chopra roped him in to play the same role in “Mahabharat”.

Dara Singh gave viewers a glimpse of his humorous side through shows like “Hadd Kar Di” and “Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka”. He became a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from August 2003 to August 2009. Dara Singh also took on the role of a writer, director and producer. In 1978, he launched Dara Studio, a self-contained mini-city with all facilities within the compound, in Punjab’s Mohali district. Dara Singh, who was widowed and got married for the second time, leaves behind his wife, six children - three sons and three daughters. And legions of fans of a man who defined machismo. courTesy Toi

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13 Lady Gaga at an awards ceremony

I will never find the right guy: Kirsten Dunst

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lady gaga on stage in New York

CTOR Kirsten Dunst fears she will never find the right man with whom she can settle down and have children. The 30-year-old is scared of the immature behaviour shown by men, reports femalefirst.co.uk. “Until you have a kid, you’re just looking for your partner. And guys have a Peter Pan vibe.

They’re 35 and they behave like they’re 25. That’s what scares me about being in my 30s and not finding someone to have kids with,” Dunst said. Dunst is currently dating actor Garrett Hedlund, and says for a long term relationship, she would prefer to be good friends with someone before dating them. “My experience is that as you get older you try to pick a partner who you’re friends with. It’s hard to find balance and that’s not going to come with the instant chemistry kind of people,” she said. neWs desK

Fashion

SPOTLIgHT

a fashion icon or just plain crazy?

ga at Lady Ga ury b n Glaso l a v ti s Fe

Jessica says had no input in her engagement ring

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Lady Gaga at MTV VMAs

Lady Gaga at 2009 MTV awards

at Gaga Lady n party w her o

ESSICA Biel insists that she had “no say” in what her engagement ring looked like. The actor, who got engaged to fiance Justin Timberlake last December after he popped the question, has revealed that the ring was a complete surprise as Justin picked it out all by himself. “I had no say whatsoever [in the ring]. I don’t micromanage.

He is fearless in his choices and has a real eye for design. And I’ll be honest: He has better taste than I do,” she is reported to have said. Although the star is impressed with Timberlake’s fashion sense, the 30year-old beauty confessed that the main reason she loves him is because he’s a “good person”. “It is important to me to have a partner who is loving and fun - someone who inspires me. And he must be a good person,” she added. neWs desK

Nicole supports Katie Holmes through divorce K

ATIe Holmes reached out to Tom Cruise’s second wife, Nicole Kidman when she planned her divorce from the actor, it has been revealed. The two have reportedly been friends since 2006, when Holmes, 33, married Cruise.

Kidman, 45, divorced the Top Gun star in 2001 after 11 years, but has two adopted children with him – Isabella, 19 and Connor 17. “They’ve spoken over the last few weeks,” a source is reported to have said. “Nicole has been supportive, saying she’s been

through it too and to hang in there,” the source said. When Holmes and Cruise’s marriage went beyond repair and there were increasing concerns over the future and well-being of their six-year-old daughter Suri, she turned to Kidman for advice. “Nicole offered her support and help,” the source added. The couple reached a private settlement just 11 days after Holmes filed for divorce, avoiding a full-blown court battle as well as detailed exposure of the actor’s links to Scientology. neWs desK

Katie Holmes signs confidentiality agreement

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CTRESS Katie Holmes has reportedly signed a confidentiality agreement as part of her divorce settlement with Tom Cruise.

The couple, who split last month after five years of marriage, agreed to conditions to end their union, with the terms that the actress will not speak about her estranged spouse’s personal life or his religion, Scientology. “Confidentiality was the key.

If Katie hadn’t signed up to remain silent it could have become a very messy legal battle,” mirror.co.uk quoted a source as saying.

Representatives of both stars have insisted the details of their settlement will be kept under wraps, though it is believed Holmes will get primary custody of their six-year-old daughter Suri, with Cruise allowed visit rights. neWs desK

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Infotainment 14

Friday, 13 July, 2012

Ten signs of emotional infidelity IN this day and age, most of us have friends of the opposite sex, whether they are co-workers, casual acquaintances or close confidantes.

The question is: how close is too close when you’re in a romantic relationship with someone else? Here are some signs that your so-called friendship may be entering the not-so-gray area of emotional infidelity:

card that perfectly captures how you feel about your friendship, or the little knickknack from your last trip which you imagine him placing on his desk. It seems innocent enough, but they are little reminders of you and invitations to reciprocate. What are your true intentions about this relationship and this person? —

You dress up for him. When you buy new clothes or change your hairstyle and wonder what he’ll think (instead of how your partner will react) that’s a danger sign. We all consider our audience when we’re getting ready to go out, but doing so with a particular other in mind — not your significant other — suggests there’s something more here than meets the eye. — JudITH TuTIN

You’re spending more and more time away from home and/or your significant other. Late nights at the office are starting to add up. Long lunches are becoming routine. When you really think about it, you can see you’re trying to increase your opportunity to spend time with him at the expense of the time you spend with your significant other. What is all this time with him really about? — JudITH

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You lie to your significant other about seeing him.

Perhaps you fail to mention an innocent coffee you had with him. You consider it just a small omission, not to be confused with a real lie, when you don’t share it with your significant other. Maybe you even tell yourself you just forgot. If this is the case, you must ask yourself what you’re hiding from your partner and why. — JudITH TuTIN

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You do special things for him that you don’t do for others. You give him that cute

JudITH TuTIN

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TuTIN

Your electronic communications are increasingly devoted to your non-significant other. You can’t wait to surreptitiously check your phone to see the latest text from him.

You’re up in the middle of the night on Facebook. When the balance of who you communicate with tips away from your significant other toward someone else, it’s a sure sign of trouble in both relationships. — JudITH

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TuTIN

You laugh more with him.

You “always” have more fun with him than with your partner.

You like being with him. In fact, you prefer it. — CHARLOTTe MICHIe

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You think about him all the time. Your daydreams include this person almost to the exclusion of your partner. You muse about what would it be like to be with him all the time. — CHARLOTTe MICHIe You compare him to your partner. Comparing is a judgment, and judgments leave us feeling either really good or really bad. You think of him and you really feel good, and then you think of your partner and you feel bad in some way.

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— CHARLOTTe MICHIe

You anticipate your next encounter. You are checking your email, phone or Facebook hoping he has contacted you. You feel excited and you are hoping he has contacted you. — CHARLOTTe MICHIe

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You feel understood by him, unlike by your partner. A really big red flag is when your thoughts wander towards “he really gets me. He knows exactly how I feel.” Then you think of your partner and how he doesn’t get you and he’s a loser when it comes to your feelings. — CHARLOTTe MICHIe.

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Documentary made on Iraq’s all women basketball team

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AYLAN is a 20-year-old Iraqi native who’s also the star player of an all-female basketball team she started. That fact alone may not seem like much to a lot of us in America, but to the people of the country who are still suffering through gender inequality, it’s a huge deal.“For women? It’s not allowed. For men only,” said an Iraqi man when asked about the subject of a women’s basketball team. “Female sports should not be played in front of strangers,” said another.

However, this opposition is more like a source of inspiration for Laylan than it is a deterrent.The Jordan Brand decided to feature Laylan and her story for its first installment of the ‘Rise Above’ documentary series, which profiles amateur athletes from around the world who are choosing to “rise above” despite “personal, societal and environmental struggles”. “I couldn’t even catch the ball,” said Laylan of her first attempt at playing with the team. But once she got in the swing of three practices a week, she was quickly able to make a basket. “We can be heroes too, you know” she said. “That’s why we’re playing basketball.” neWs desK

COuRTeSY HuffINGTON POST

Man writes bomb threat on job application

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central Nebraska man landed in jail for writing a bomb threat on the back of a restaurant job application. Police arrested Dornhoff, of Heartwell, Neb., at gunpoint and searched his truck, but didn’t find any bomb. Court documents say Dornhoff told police he uses methamphetamines and went to the restaurant hoping to find a way to fulfill his sexual fantasies. A public defender who was appointed to represent Dornhoff didn’t immediately respond to a message Wednesday. Dornhoff has posted $10,000 bond and is due back in court on Aug 13. neWs desK

Three worst reasons to go to grad school Reason Number One: To Impress People Forget this lame rationale for another sheepskin. If employers need someone with a master’s degree, they’ll have plenty of contenders for the role, and which candidates do you think they’ll pick? They’ll choose someone who knows him or herself, and who’s on a path — not someone who invests time and money in a grad-

school education in order to impress employers who care about those things.

When I hear from employers who proudly proclaim “We only hire people from Ivy League schools!”, I immediately check my mutual funds to make sure I’m not invested in those places.

Talk about fear-based leadership!

People who believe that impressive schools make people impressive aren’t to be trusted with any investor’s money or any customer’s business, much less with the emotional and mental investment that organizations ask of their teams.

Reason Number Two: To Buy a Professional Network Grad school (along with undergrad programs, book groups, running clubs, and tons of other work-related and just-for-fun crowds and associations) does provide a scholar with sharp minds to brainstorm with, and that’s a wonderful thing. If that sort of thing nourishes you, go for it! If you’re thinking that a grad school program will fast-track you into the

club called People Who Know the People One Needs to Know To Be Successful, please refer back to our Reason Number One. Reason Number Three: Because Employers Want It employers have talent needs all over the map, and it’s tempting to go after advanced degrees that our research suggests employers are looking for. Here’s the problem: Once you get the degree, you still have to get the job, and employers don’t want people who simply possess the sorts of sheepskins most badly required for the 2012 business environment.

They need people who are charged up about what they’re doing and who are already in their power. If you were an employer getting ready to spend a chunk of change on a well-educated new hire, wouldn’t you look for a standup guy or woman, someone who knows who he or she is, and makes his or her own path?

Here’s the other problem: People who follow a career path because the employment forecast for the field looks good, call me ten years later to say “I hate my life.” That may be the biggest problem of all. courTesy: HuffingTon posT

Woman throws Bible at pastor

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NE angry church member took out her feelings by allegedly hitting the church pastor on the head with a Bible. “He’s got the demon in him,” Ina Garrett, 63, said about Pastor Leon Taylor, after saying she struck the church leader. Now, the Tennessee woman is facing an assault charge following the May incident, which left the Mount Zion Baptist Church pastor with welts on his head. According to a formal complaint, the incident occurred after Taylor told Garrett she was no longer welcome in the church. Garrett then threw the Bible at Taylor’s face. The pastor took a swing at the woman but did not make contact, the report states. Authorities witnessed the alleged assault. Taylor said there was no excuse for Garrett’s actions. “Evil is evil, you understand what I’m saying? And bullying is just bullying,” he said.

The church brawl might raise a few eyebrows, but it’s not the first time an argument has broken out in a sacred place. Last year, monks fought at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem by shouting and throwing brooms. Police eventually broke up the argument. neWs desK

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friday, 13 July, 2012

Serena sees off US teen at Stanford Page 17

SL end series drought with a draw scoreboard

Pallekele: Junaid khan (l) celebrates after he dismissed tharanga Paranavitana (c) kumar Sangakkara shakes hands with Pakistani cricketers at end of the third match while asad Shafiq celebrates after scoring a century (100 runs). AFP Lanka made 195-4 before the game was win. But the tourists were thwarted by a out due to health worries in his family, anPALLEKELE

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RI Lanka won their first Test series in three years after the final Test against Pakistan ended in a thrilling draw in Pallekele on Thursday. The hosts made a brave bid to chase down a target of 270, reaching 132-2 by tea on the fifth day, before they were pegged back by a three-wicket burst from off-spinner Saeed Ajmal. Dinesh Chandimal scored 65 and the prolific Kumar Sangakkara returned unbeaten on 74 as Sri

called off with nine overs remaining at the Pallekele International Stadium.

The 1-0 scoreline -- following a 209-run victory in the first Test in Galle -- was Sri Lanka's first Test series win since beating New Zealand 2-0 at home in 2009. The rainhit second Test in Colombo was drawn, while the entire second day's play in Pallekele had been washed out. earlier, Asad Shafiq remained unbeaten on 100 as Pakistan declared their second innings at 380-8 half-an-hour before lunch to attempt a series-levelling

pitch that eased out under the hot sun and a determined effort by the home team's batsmen in front of some 1,000 spectators. Openers Tharanga Paranavitana and Chandimal gave Sri Lanka a bright start with a 44-run partnership by the 10th over. Left-handed Paranavitana made 22 when he was caught at second slip by Younis Khan off Junaid Khan, one ball after being dropped by Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq at first slip.

Chandimal, a last-minute inclusion for the match after Tillakaratne Dilshan opted

chored the innings at the start. The 22-yearold's third half-century in four Tests contained fluent strokes on both sides of the wickets, including eight boundaries.

But Chandimal was dismissed in the last over before tea, snapped up low at midoff by Shafiq off Ajmal, ending an 88-run stand for the second wicket with Sangakkara. Skipper Mahela Jayawardene plodded for 44 balls to make 11 when he attempted to scoop Ajmal to the leg-side and only managed to give a catch to Mohammad Hafeez running back from short-leg.

Pakistan athlete Liaquat dreams high for London Olympics KARACHI afp

Pakistan's wild card sprinter Liaquat Ali dreams of racing against Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay, hoping to give the world's fastest men a run for their money at the London Olympics.

"I wish I get a chance in the same heat as Bolt or Gay, it's one of my main dreams," said the 27-year-old who stands little chance of clearing the first heat in a galaxy of world class sprinters.

Ali achieved Pakistan's record of 10.10 seconds last year -- a far cry from the world record of 9.58 seconds set by Jamaica's Bolt at the World Athletics championship in Germany in August 2009, and the 9.69 achieved by the United States' Gay a month later.

"I like Gay's style of running and that's why he is my favourite," said Ali, who remembers meeting the US star at the 2009 World meet, where he finished 61st in the heats, clocking a disappointing 10.64 seconds.

Ali, who comes from the small town of Renala Khurd in central Punjab province and who is a soldier in the army's sports department, says champions live in a different world.

"They are world class simply because their training and facilities are high class and we cannot match

them," said Ali. "I get the basic facilities but it's tough for others," he added.

Beating the odds, Ali won silver in the 100m relay at the South Asian Athletics Championship in India in 2008 and bronze in the 100 and 200 metres at the South Asian Federation Games in Dhaka two years ago.

In the Asian championship in Japan last year he was disqualified after a false start.

Coach Maqsood Ahmed said Ali can better his national record at the Olympics.

"Ali has done real hard work to get ready for the Olympics but realistically speaking the competition in the Olympics will be very tough, so the main aim for him is to better the national record," said Ahmed.

Ali's other aim is to improve the image of Pakistan, where Osama bin Laden was killed in May 2011 and where US officials say Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked extremists plot attacks in Afghanistan and against the West.

"When I go abroad people ask about Pakistan and our difficulties, but I always tell them our country is one of the best in the world and that they should come and see our lovely places and not fear," said Ali. Pakistan is sending 39 athletes to the Games but field hockey is their only chance of a medal.

Kiwis strike back in ODI series with Windies BASSETERRE afp

An under-strength New Zealand side pulled off a superb 88 run win in the third of their five match one day international series with the West Indies here on Wednesday. The Kiwis - who trail 2-1 made 249 in their innings with man of the match opener Rob Nicol top scoring with 59 while the hosts never got any momentum going and were bowled out for 161.

Crucial to keeping the West Indies batting quiet was Tim Southee inducing the hosts star batsman Chris Gayle into edging to Martin Guptill in the slips for just 11. It was the first time in the five games they have played - there were two

Twenty20 matches prior to this series that Gayle had failed to pass 50.

The New Zealand top order had all failed apart from Nicol and it was left to Nathan McCullum to boost their total to something approaching competitive as he smashed an attractive 50 while he enjoyed a 66 run partnership with BJ Watling for the sixth wicket. Watling's effort of 40 was particularly praiseworthy as he tore a muscle in a leg to add to his side's injury woes.

Gayle's early dismissal wasn't compensated for by any of his fellow West Indian batsmen, who failed to contribute any significant runs and they were left without hope by the time they had been reduced to 103-8 it was game over.

scoreboard neW zealand r nicol c&b samuels 59 m guptill lbw b russell 11 d flynn c ramdin b bravo 28 K Williamson b narine 9 T latham c gayle b sammy 12 b Watling c narine b russell 40 n mccullum c bravo b russell 50 J oram st ramdin b narine 7 K mills c gayle b russell 2 T southee not out 17 T boult not out 1 extras: (lb6 w5 nb2) 13 Total: (9 wkts) 249 fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-71, 3-97, 4-124, 5-125, 6-191, 7-216, 8-219, 9-239 bowling figures: rampaul 10-0-61-0, russell 9-0-57-4, bravo 7-0-47-1, narine 10-0-28-2, sammy 8-1-22-1, samuels 6-0-28-1 WesT indies J charles lbw b boult 15

c gayle c guptill b southee 11 d smith c mccullum b oram 19 m samuels run out 11 d bravo run out 2 K pollard c sub b mccullum 16 d ramdin lbw b oram 14 d sammy c & b mccullum 7 a russell not out 42 s narine run out 10 r rampaul c southee b boult 9 extras: (lb3 w1 nb1 5) 5 Total: (34.3 overs) 161 fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-33, 3-50, 4-52, 5-62, 6-85, 7-95, 8-103, 9-133 bowling figures: mills 7-2-37-0, boult 8.3-0-45-2, southee 61-14-1, oram 7-1-22-2, mccullum 6-0-40-2 new zealand beat West indies by 88 runs - West indies lead series 2-1 Toss: West indies man of the match: r nicol (nzl) umpires: r Kettleborough (eng) and J Wilson (Wis) TV umpire: r illingworth (eng) match referee: a pycroft (zim)

paKisTan 1sT innings: 226 (asad sHafiq 75, T. perera 4-63, r. HeraTH 3-40) sri lanKa 1sT innings: 337 (T. paranaViTana 75, T. samaraWeera 73, T. perera 75, Junaid KHan 5-70, saeed aJmal 3-66). paKisTan 2nd innings (oVernigHT 299-8): 52 mohammad Hafeez c paranavitana b fernando Taufeeq umar lbw b Kulasekara 4 136 azhar ali c p. Jayawardene b fernando younis Khan c paranavitana b Herath 19 5 misbah-ul Haq c m. Jayawardene b Herath asad shafiq not out 100 3 mohammad sami lbw b fernando umar gul lbw b Herath 0 5 saeed ajmal lbw b Herath 35 adnan akmal not out 21 extras: (b6, lb8, w7) 380 Total (for eight wkts declared, 128.4 overs) fall of wickets: 1-16 (Taufeeq), 2-110 (Hafeez), 3-158 (younis), 4-176 (misbah), 5-276 (azhar), 6-280 (sami), 7-281 (gul), 8299 (ajmal). bowling: Kulasekara 28-9-65-1 (w1), perera 25-2-88-0 (w5), Herath 39.4-4-99-4, fernando 23-1-74-3 (w1), mathews 12-038-0, samaraweera 1-0-2-0 sri lanka 2nd innings: 22 T. paranavitana c younis b Junaid 65 d. chandimal c shafiq b ajmal 74 K. sangakkara not out 11 m. Jayawardene c Hafeez b ajmal 10 T. samaraweera b ajmal 1 a. mathews not out 12 extras: (b2, lb10) 195 Total (for four wickets, 62 overs) fall of wickets: 1-44 (paranavitana), 2-132 (chandimal), 3-150 (m. Jayawardene), 4-178 (samaraweera). bowling: gul 9-2-43-0, Junaid 10-0-45-1, Hafeez 9-1-22-0, ajmal 26-8-50-3, sami 8-0-23-0. match drawn; sri lanka win series 1-0 Toss: sri lanka umpires: steve davis (aus) and simon Taufel (aus) TV umpire: ranmore martinesz (sri) match referee: david boon (aus)

kaneria appeals against ban

KARACHI afp

Pakistani former leg-spinner Danish Kaneria has filed an appeal against his life ban imposed by the english cricket board for spot-fixing, his lawyer said Thursday. The 31-year-old was banned from all cricket by a disciplinary committee of the eCB last month after being found guilty of luring essex teammate Mervyn Westfield to underperform in a 2009 county match. Westfield was jailed in February after admitting he had accepted 6,000 pounds ($9,350) to play poorly during a Pro40 match between essex and Durham in 2009. He had named Kaneria as the link between bookmakers and players. Kaneria had pleaded his innocence and vowed to appeal. Farogh Naseem, part of Kaneria's legal team, told reporters the leg-spinner had filed his appeal late Wednesday and that there was "no evidence" against his client. The Pakistan Cricket Board has endorsed the ban, saying the player will remain suspended pending his appeal. Under International Cricket Council rules, sanctions from any ICC country against a player apply in all the rest of its members. The game's governing body says the rules are in place "to stamp out corruption". Kaneria took 261 wickets in 61 Tests -- the most by a Pakistani spinner in all Tests -- but has not played in international cricket since the tour of england in 2010, which was riven by newspaper revelations of on-field graft.

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16 Sports

Friday, 13 July, 2012

PALLeKeLe: Sri Lankan cricketers pose for photographers after winning the first Test series. AFP

gemili wins 100m world junior title MADRID afp

British sprint hope Adam Gemili clocked a personal best of 10.05 seconds to win the world junior 100 metres title in Barcelona late Wednesday. The 18-year-old former footballer's time was a personal best and the second fastest run by a european athlete this year after the 10.04secs clocked

by France's Christophe Lemaitre in Rome in May. Gemili came home 0.12secs ahead of Aaron ernest from the United States while Jamaica's Odean Skeen came third in a time of 10.28secs. The Londoner, who has emerged onto the international scene in the last few months, has already made the British Olympic team for the 100 metres and the 4x100 metres relay.

hk to watch sharapova, Tim Teblow, olympics on Jessica Biel mingle at EsPYs phones or online LOS ANGELES agencies

The tennis star was stunning, wearing more clothes than we usually see her in, at last night's eSPY awards show in Los Angeles. Her J. Mendel gown is earning raves this morning from the event that bring the worlds of entertainment and sports together to hand out awards.

Sharapova was up for best female athlete but lost to Baylor basketball star Brittney Griner. Jessica Biel and Tim Tebow took the stage to present the best breakthrough athlete award to NBA player Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks. LeBron James was the big winner of the night, getting three awards, but he wasn't there to pick them up. He's busy training for the Olympics in Las Vegas.

One especially poignant moment was when when legendary Tennessee women's coach Pat Summitt, who is suffering from early-onset dementia, accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.

Host Rob Riggle tried to make the crowd laugh in his role as host. According to e!, he had some awkward moments.

Other showbiz types on hand for the fun included Hayden Panettiere, Kenny Chesney, rapper Nas (who performed), Zooey Deschanel, Chris Harrison and Karina Smirnoff.

HONG KONG afp

loS angeleS: tennis player Maria Sharapova arrives at the 2012 eSPy awards at nokia theatre l.a. live. AFP

More than a quarter of young people in crowded and technology-obsessed Hong Kong say they will watch the London Olympics on their smartphones, a survey showed Thursday. The Ipsos Hong Kong poll found 26 percent of young adults aged between 15 and 24 would follow the Olympics on their smartphones, a "sharp rise" from 2008 when smartphones were new and only six percent preferred them to television. Given almost half of Hong Kong's 15 to 24-year-olds own smartphones, the result is high, the pollsters said. In the broader population, almost 30 percent of respondents said they would watch the Games online rather than on television. "This number rises to almost half of 15 to 24-year-olds (46 percent) and a third (36 percent) of people aged 25 to 34," Ipsos said. "In comparison, only a quarter of the population watched the Beijing Olympics online in 2008, at similar levels across all aged groups."

British spy agencies under pressure LONDON afp

Mark Boucher returns home after eye surgery.

Britain's spy agencies have been placed under "unprecedented pressure" by preparations for the London Olympics, leaving the country at risk from other threats, a parliamentary committee said Thursday.

In a report, the Intelligence and Security Committee praised the agencies for reprioritising their work to counter potential threats to the games from Al-Qaeda, Irish republican dissidents and "hostile states". The committee oversees the work of MI5, Britain's domestic intelligence agency, the foreign spy

agency MI6, and the electronic eavesdropping agency GCHQ. The report said the Olympics had placed the spy services under "unprecedented pressure over the past year and we wish to highlight the exceptional effort made by the staff of all three agencies during this time."

But the committee members said in their report that they remain "concerned at the risk that is being taken in some areas and the vulnerability of the UK at this critical period." The extra work for the Olympics had meant all three agencies, particularly MI5, having to freeze holidays, non-essential staff moves and increase hours for staff. "All these

increase capacity to deal with the greater flows of intelligence, but they have been described to us as 'having quite a significant impact' and being 'very difficult for some people'," the report said. Arranging childcare over the British summer period was a particular difficulty for the spies, the committee said. The report also highlighted a slow response to the events of the Arab Spring in 2011, saying it posed a "real challenge" to the intelligence community. "There does remain a question as to whether, once events began to unfold, the agencies should have anticipated the possibility that the unrest would spread quickly across the region," it said.

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Friday, 13 July, 2012

Sports 17

Olympic women break sporting barriers LONDON

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afp

HOTOS of heptathlete Jessica ennis, one of Britain's best hopes for an Olympics gold medal, are everywhere -- but they can't hide the gap that remains between men and women in British sport. In a country where the three most popular sports -- football, rugby and cricket -- are dominated by men, women are relegated to the background, especially when it comes to the press. "We measure the media coverage given to women's sports in this country and it's less than five percent, so it's a big problem," says Sue Tibbals, chief executive of the Women's Sports and Fitness Foundation (WSFF).

In Britain, not one woman was among the ten names shortlisted in 2011 for the BBC's "Sports Personality of the Year", a popular annual competition based on a public vote. This dearth of exposure is coupled with a lack of sporting culture in the female population and an absence of investment in sporting disciplines practised by women. According to a recent study by the Commission on the Future of Women's Sport, a British body, only 0.5 percent of the sponsorship market in Britain goes to women's sports, compared with 61.1 percent to men.

The rest goes to competitions which feature both genders, such as the Wimbledon tennis tournament. Many people hope, however, that the 2012 Olympics will change all this, by putting

the spotlight on female British athletes who can become role models for others.

Out of the 48 medals which Team GB are aiming for in these Games, "almost half" could be won by women, the government's Olympics minister, Hugh Robertson said recently. The decision in 2005 to host the Games in London has resulted in an effort by British companies and the media to push women's sports, notes Tibbals.

But she adds: "I think what has more impact, arguably, is seeing so many athletes also being used in advertising." even before the first medals have been issued, Jessica ennis, cycling champion Victoria Pendleton, swimmers Rebecca Adlington and Keri-Anne Payne, and synchronised swimmer Jenna Randall, among others, are the faces of major publicity campaigns and the cover girls for a host of magazines.

"The most important thing is being

able to create more profile for sportswomen, so that first of all we can shift the sports culture that is still broadly so much about mens' sports, so it becomes more culturally normal for girls and women to do sports," says Tibbals.

Fewer than one in five women in Britain do enough sporting activity to stay healthy, according to Tibbals -- a much lower proportion than among men. The gap widens between boys and girls from the age of eight and grows in adolescence, according to a study pulished in June by the universities of Newcastle and Strathclyde.

"One of the important things is that most girls don't see sport as cool," says professor Mark Pearce of Newcastle University. "We need to be tackling these issues earlier by encouraging girls to exercise, by providing a wider range of opportunities than are currently on offer and by ensuring they see positive female role models, particularly in the media." The absence of sports participation, sometimes reinforced by aesthetic prejudices (muscles can be seen as less than becoming for a woman), have grave consequences in terms of public health. At the age of 39, the Olympic medal-winning heptathlete Denise Lewis who will cover the London Games for the BBC, hopes that women will do more sport to stay in shape, preoccupied as they are about their appearance.

"When you get to my age, it is about being fit for life, it is not about breaking records," she said. "I just want to maintain a decent shape and be healthy."

serena sees off Us teen at stanford STANFORD afp

StanForD: Jelena Jankovic of Serbia returns a shot to Coco Vandeweghe during the Bank of the west Classic at Stanford University taube Family tennis Stadium. AFP

WAtch It LIve ESPN Sportscentre 07:30PM

From Athens to London stats corner S. PERVEz QAISER

ninTH olympic games in 1932: Venue: los angeles, United States daTes: July 30 to august 14, 1932 numbers of sporTs: 14 (117 events) number of naTions: 37 number of parTicipanTs: 1332 (1206 men and 126 women) youngesT gold medalisT: kusuo kitamura (Japan) aged 14 years 309 days in Swimming oldesT gold medalisT: Xavier lesage (France) aged 46 years 290 days in Dressage

final medals Tally: counTry United States italy France Sweden Japan hungary Finland great Britain germany australia argentina Canada holland Poland South africa ireland Czechoslovakia austria india Denmark Mexico latvia new Zealand Switzerland Philippines Spain Uruguay ToTal

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3, 6-4. American Coco Vandeweghe, ranked 120th in the world, produced the first big upset of the week with a 6-4, 62 victory over former world number one Jelena Jankovic -- who double-faulted to set up a match point.

The defeat was the third straight in an opening round for the Serb, who just began working with her third coach this season in an effort to rescue a ranking which has fallen to 20th since she topped the WTA list in 2008.

Belgian fifth seed Yanina Wickmayer ended the British challenge for the week with her 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 defeat of Heather Watson. Williams returned to California on Monday, arriving 48

hours after winning her fifth Wimbledon title. She will return to europe late next week to train in Paris before traveling to the London Olympics, which begin on July 27. The 30-year-old American, saying she is in the best shape of her career, was pleased to get her job done against Gibbs. "She played really well. She moves well and doesn't quit," Williams said of Gibbs.

"That's the best quality you can have as a tennis player. "It's good to see such Americans coming up. She played a good game and was focused all the time. I was surprised that she didn't have many nerves. "It was not a beatdown for me. She really held her own."

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Wimbledon winner Serena Williams swept past tenacious teenager Nicole Gibbs 6-2, 6-1 Wednesday in her opening match at the WTA Stanford Classic. World number four Williams was fighting off jet lag as well as reigning US college champion Gibbs, an American ranked 403rd in the world and a junior at Stanford University, host of the $740,000 hardcourt event.

It took defending champion Williams, who enjoyed a first-round bye, only 62 minutes to advance, even though Gibbs -- playing in her first WTA main draw -- saved three match points over two games before going down to defeat. "I couldn't quite believe I was playing today, but I'm healthy, I have a heartbeat, so there was no reason not to," Williams said. "I'm sure I'll feel better after a day off. I've been waking up at 2 a.m. I was sluggish today, but it was fine to get that win over with."

Williams said she had no trouble adjusting to the hot weather in northern California. "The weather is definitely different than London with all that gloom and clouds," she said. "My body is used to the conditions here."

Williams, winner of 14 career Grand Slam singles titles, will next play a Friday quarter-final against South African sixth seed Chanelle Scheepers, who beat Portugal's Michelle Larcher de Brito 6-

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the level of competition was extremely high and 18 world records were either broken or equalled. the crowds set records too, starting with the 100,000 people who attended the opening Ceremony. these olympics were the first to last 16 days. the duration of the olympics has remained between 15 and 18 days ever since. Between 1900 and 1928, no Summer olympics was shorter than 79 days.

For the first time, male athletes were housed in a olympic Village while women stayed in a hotel. at the victory ceremonies, medal winners stood on a victory stand and the flag of the winner was raised. official automatic timing was introduced for the track events, as was the photo-finish camera. the high jump final came down to a duel between two friends, Van osdel (United States) and Mcnaughton (Canada). with the bar at 1.97m, Van osdel gave his opponent some technical advice. "get your kick working and you will be over." Mcnaughton cleared the bar and won, while Van osdel had to settle for the silver medal. helene Madison (United States) won the 100m freestyle comfortably. Four days later she anchored the US team to victory in the 4x100m freestyle relay, helping to smash the world record by 9.5 seconds. the next day, she engaged in a dramatic duel with team-mate lenore kight in the 400m and won a third gold medal by just touching the wall first. the 14-year-old Japanese kusuo kitamura won the 1,500m freestyle to become the youngest male in any sport ever to earn a gold medal in an individual event. the 21-year-old Babe Didrikson qualified for all five women’s track and field events, but was only allowed to compete in three. She won the javelin throw and set world records in the high jump and the 80m hurdles. ivar Johansson, a Swedish policeman, won gold medals in both freestyle and greco-roman wrestling. another Swedish wrestler, Carl westergren, won his third greco-roman title, each in a different division.

S Arabia name first women competitors GENEVA afp

Two female athletes from Saudi Arabia will compete at the London Games this summer in a historic first for the country, the International Olympic Committee said on Thursday. The sportswomen -- Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani (judo) and Sarah Attar (800m) -- were entered by the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee ahead of the July 9 deadline.

"A big inspiration for participating in the Olympic Games is being one of the first women for Saudi Arabia to be going," said Attar, 17, from her training

base in San Diego (US). "It's such a huge honour and I hope that it can really make some big strides for women over there to get more involved in sport." IOC President Jacques Rogge praised the Saudi decision which followed negotiations between the Lausanne-based organisation and the kingdom's sports chiefs.

"This is very positive news and we will be delighted to welcome these two athletes in London in a few weeks' time," he said. "The IOC has been working very closely with the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee and I am pleased to see that our continued dialogue has come to

fruition." The development comes after Saudi sports executives declared at the beginning of July that Saudi sportswomen must respect the ultra-conservative kingdom's rules.

All women competitors must dress modestly, be accompanied by a male guardian and not mix with men during the Games, Prince Nawaf bin Faisal told the Al-Jazirah newspaper.

Saudi sportswomen may only take part if they do so "wearing suitable clothing that complies with sharia" (Islamic law) and "the athlete's guardian agrees and attends with her", he said.

"There must also be no mixing with men during the Games," he added.

PeShawar: Syed ali nawaz gilani, Member Board of trustees Malik Saad Shaheed Sports trust (MSSSt), presenting shield on behalf of the MSSSt to governor khyer Pakhuntkhwa Syed Masood kausar on the final of SP kalam khan Shaheed Memorial Football tournament organised by MSSSt held at qayum Sports Complex.

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Friday, 13 July, 2012

hockey team embarks for london LAHORE sTaff reporT

Pakistan hockey team left for London Olympics on Thursday. The players will be joining a training camp in Birmingham, prior to the Olympic contests. The 18-member national team, until July, 22 will be training itself at the Cannock hockey club and will play practice matches against the host club and Scotland teams. “We have made good preparation for the Olympics. We are hopeful for better contest in the event,” Akhtar Rasool, the head coach of the team told reporter at Lahore airport. Skipper Sohaib Abbas said that the event would be tough task, adding that their first target would be to qualify for the semi-final. paKisTan squad: Sohail abbas (skipper), imran Shah, imran Butt (goal keeper), Mohammad irfan, Syed kashif Shah, Mohammad imran, Mohammad rizwan Junior, Fareed ahmed, rashid Mahmood, Mohammad tauseeq, waseem ahmed, Shafqat rasool, rehan Butt, Mohammad rizwan Senior, Mohammad Umer Bhatta.

Mt greens inter-academy Cricket begins LAHORE sTaff reporT

The Model Town Greens Inter Academy Championship 2012 began here at the club’s ground with Lios winning the match by 64 runs on Thursday. scores: greens lion scored 171 all out. Sultan 67, M. asif 32, owais 14. Zaman Zafar 1/12, Mudasar 2/21, abubakar 2/24. greens tigers 108 all out. israr hussain 24, hafiz amir 23. Majid ali 2/22, Sharjeel raza 3/15.

Ummah defeat Boston Club

Teams announced for U19 WC LAHORE

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A

LL 16 squads have now been named ahead of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2012, which takes place in Queensland, Australia, from August 1126. Australia will defend the title it won in Lincoln, New Zealand, in 2010, and will not only aim to win the trophy for the fourth time in nine events, it will also try to match Pakistan’s effort of winning back-to-back titles.

Pakistan won the tournaments in 2004 and 2006 in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, respectively.

India has also won the tournament twice – in 2002 in Sri Lanka under Mohamamd Kaif and in 2008 under the leadership of Virat Kohli – while england’s Owais Shah put his hands on the trophy in Johannesburg when South Africa staged the event in 1998.

The Australia side, which will take on Pakistan in three 50-over matches to be played in the lead up to the tournament from July 29-August 3 on the Gold Coast, includes South Australia’s top order batsman Travis Head, who played all his four first-class matches this season and scored 219 runs, and New South Wales’ middle-order batsman Kurtis Patterson, who scored a smashing 157 against South Australia on his debut at the SCG in November last year.

Pakistan, which also reached the finals of the inaugural event in Australia in 1988 and then again in 2010 in New Zealand only to lose on both the occasions to Australia, has retained the same side that was declared joint winner with India after their Asia Cup final in Kuala Lumpur on July 1 ended in a tie.

LAHORE

MANCHESTER afp

Celtic legend Joe McBride dead at 74 GLASGOW afp

Former Celtic, Motherwell and Hibernian striker Joe McBride has died, aged 74. McBride, who played for Celtic between June 1965 and November 1968, died in a Glasgow hospital late Wednesday having been taken there after suffering a suspected stroke at the weekend, Celtic confirmed Thursday.

The Scotland international had a tremendous strike rate during his career, especially when he played for Celtic, where he became one of the best marksmen in the club's history.

The side will be led by top order batsman Babar Azam who has played four first-class matches in which he has scored 106 runs. Babar is the only firstclass player in the side that includes wrist spinner Usman Qadir, son of Pakistan’s legendary leg-spinner Abdul Qadir, who took 236 wickets in 67 Tests and 132 wickets in 10 ODIs. Usman’s elder brother Sulaman Qadir was also a member of the Pakistan U19 side that won the event in Sri Lanka in 2004.

India will be skippered by Delhi’s opener Unmukt Chand who has scored 738 runs in 11 first-class matches. Other members of the side who have played first-class cricket include Tamil Nadu’s top order batsman Baba Aparajith, leftarm spinner Harmeet Singh and opener Akhil Herwadkar (both Mumbai), rightarm fast bowler Sandeep Sharma and opener Manan Vohra (both Punjab) and Dehli’s left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra.

The england side boasts 10 cricketers who have played first-class cricket.

The 1998 winner will be led by Kent’s all-rounder Adam Ball, who has played nine first-class matches in which he has scored 184 runs and claimed 15 wickets.

Other england players to have played first-class cricket in the english County Championships in the UK include wicketkeeper Ben Foakes of essex, fast bowler Daniel Bell-Drummond of Kent, Brett Hutton of Nottinghamshire, right-arm fast bowler Anesh Kapil of Worcestershire, Derbyshire’s left-arm spinner Tom Knight, Somerset’s fast bowler Craig Overton, Craig’s twin brother Jamie, essex’s left-arm fast bowler Reece Topley and Sam Wood of Nottinghamshire.

The West Indies has named Test opener Kraigg Brathwaite in its side.

The talented opener will be hoping to

produce some strong performances with the bat in Queensland which will definitely help him regain his lost place in the national side. Brathwaite has played in nine Tests since making his debut against Pakistan last year.

Also in the West Indies’ side is Trinidad’s left-arm fast bowler Derone Davis who is a cousin of West Indies stars Darren and Dwayne Bravo.

final squads: afgHanisTan – Mohammad Javed (captain), afsar khan, aftab alam, Fareed Malik, hashmatullah, Mohammad yamin, Mohibullah, najibullah, nasir Jamal, noorulhaq, rahim Mangal, rashid khan, Sayed Shiraz, Shabir ahmed and younas khan. ausTralia – ashton agar, Cameron Bancroft, william Bosisto, Meyrick Buchanan, harry Conway, Sam hain, travis head, Joel Paris, kurtis Patterson, Jimmy Peirson, gurinder Sandhu, Mark Steketee, nick Stevens, ashton turner and Jack wildermuth. bangladesH – anamul haque (captain), abu haider, abu Javed, asif ahmed, Dewan Sabbir, liton Das, al-amin, naeem islam Jnr, noor hossain, Salman hossain, Mosaddek hossain, nasum ahmed, nurul hasan, Soumya Sarkar and taskin ahmed. england – adam Ball (captain), Shozair ali, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Ben Collins, alex Davies, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Brett hutton, aneesh kapil, tom knight, Jamie overton, Craig overton, reece topley, kishen Velani and Sam wood. india – Unmukt Chand (captain), Baba aparajith, Prashant Chopra, Sandipan Das, akhil herwadkar, rush kalaria, Vikas Mishra, akshdeep nath, kamal Passi, Smit Patel (wicketkeeper), Mohsin Sayyed, Sandeep Sharma, harmeet Singh, Manan Vohra and Vijay Zol ireland – george Dockrell (captain), Scott Campbell, Peter Chase, adam Coughlan, Shane getkate, ryan hunter, tyrone kane, robin kelly, andrew McBrine, graeme McCarter, Barry McCarthy, alistair Shields, Patrick tice, Jason Van der Merwe and Ben wylie namibia – Steven Baard (captain), Justin Baard, luke Bolton, Jano Coetzee, Christopher Coombe, Jason Davidson, MP Delport, andre engelbrecht, gerhard erasmus, Zhivago groenewald, Malan kruger, Pelham Myburgh, Xander Pitchers, wian

Fletcher still to start training, says Ferguson

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Ummah Club defeated Boston Club by 62 runs in second match of the series played at Township Ground here. scores: Ummah club 223 runs 8 wickets in 35 overs. waseem saleem 52, hafiz ahmed 45. tariq 3 for 45.

Boston club 160 all out in 27.4 over. Shahzad 22. Mahmmad ahmed 4 for 20, Malik Usman 3 for 38.

Sports 18

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed midfielder Darren Fletcher has still to start training following diagnosis of a chronic bowel complaint. But Ferguson said his fellow Scot would "have a position at the club anyway" if he was unable to return to competitive football. Fletcher has been sidelined since December after United confirmed the precise mystery "virus" that had affected him since the previous season. And whilst Ferguson insisted United would provide Fletcher with "all the time he needs", there must now be doubt over whether the Scotland international will ever play first team football again. "He has not started training with us," Ferguson said Thursday. "He has obviously got great challenges ahead.

"We are happy to be patient but he won't be starting the season. "It is unfortunate because he is such a magnificent professional and such a nice lad. If it

doesn't work for him, he knows he has a position at the club anyway." Ferguson was speaking at a news conference where he was introducing his two most recent signings, Japan star Shinji Kagawa, who has joined from German champions Borussia Dortmund, and england Under-18 international Nick Powell.

The veteran United manager said it was possible he could add at least one other player to his squad before the new season starts, with Ferguson's side looking to regain the english Premier League title they lost to local rivals Manchester City on the final day of last term. "There will possibly be one more (player)," said Ferguson. "We have always done well in terms of getting players in at the end of the season. "That is the right time. "But always in a european Championship or World Cup year, there is a delay in the transfer industry.

"That is over now and we are still trying to get one more in." Meanwhile Ferguson re-iterated his criticism of Paul Pogba, who left United for Juventus, saying the 19-year-old French midfielder had treated the club with a "lack of respect".

"We were disappointed in Paul Pogba, there is no question about that," Ferguson insisted. "He showed a lack of respect to the club. But he has made his decision now. "Although we always felt he was going, he never indicated it until he left. That was disappointing."

Bahawalpur, Pindi eager to hold Punjab Youth Festival LAHORE sTaff reporT

The officials of Bahawalpur and Rawalpindi districts have shown great enthusiasm in the holding of the Punjab Youth Festival 2012.

Their eagerness towards the organization of the festival and encouraging remarks for Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif for taking such a positive step of assembling the youth at one platform came during the third meeting of the chief organizing committee with the district officials at 90 Shahra-i-

Quaid-i-Azam here on Thursday.

Deputy Speaker and Chairman Organising Committee Sports Punjab Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan with the help of slide show briefed the officials about the Punjab Youth Festival, which is going to start right after eid. Also present on the occasion were Secretary Sports Punjab Haroon Ahmed Khan and Director General Sports Board Punjab and Youth Affairs Usman Anwar.

The districts of Bahawalpur and Rawalpindi were represented by the MNAs Ch Saad, Parveen Masood,

Nuzhat Saddiq, Sher Ali Khan, MPAs Zulfiqar Ali, Fida Hussain, Maiza Mahmood, Rana Atif, Shakeel Awan, Javed Chaudhary, president PML Jehlum Raja Shaukat Aziz, DCOs and other city and sports officials.

Speaking on the occasion, DCO Bahawalpur, Asim Iqbal showed great excitement in the conduct of the festival.

“We are waiting for the time with eagerness. The youth of the district are full of enthusiasm for participating in the festival,” he said.

He further added that his district have already started to generate funds

for the smooth conduct of the festival and by the time the event is organized there would be enough deposits to properly hold all the activities.

One of the Bahalwalpur MPAs Ms Maiza suggested that the parliamentarians of the district should hold a meeting with the corporate sector for funds.

“The business community is earning money from our district and it is their duty to give something in return to the district. I believe it’s not a big deal and it the MPAs and MNAs ask them they would surely come forward to held,” she stressed.

Van Vuuren and Bredell wessels. nepal – Pradeep airee, Prithu Baskota, naresh Budhaayer, ramnaresh giri, Mahamad hasim ansari, Bhuban karki, krishna karki, avinash karn, Saurabh khanal, gopal Singh, rahul kumar Vishwakarma, rajesh Pulani, Subash khakurel, Sagar Pun and Fajlur rahman. neW zealand – will young (captain), Joe Carter, Sean Davey, Michael Davidson, Jacob Duffy, Cameron Fletcher, Ben horne, Connor neynens, edward nuttall, robert o'Donnell, Matthew quinn, ish Sodhi, theo van woerkom, henry walsh, and arnie yugaraja. paKisTan – Babar azam (captain), azizullah, ehsan adil, Faraz ali, imam-ul-haq, Mohammad nawaz, Mir hamza, Saad ali, Salman afridi, Sami aslam, Shahid ilyas, Umar waheed, Usman qadir, Zafar gohar and Zia-ul-haq. papua neW guinea – Chris kent (captain), Charles amini, Dogodo Bau, Sese Bau, nigel Boge, albert geita, raymond haoda, ratu Maha, kabua Vagi Morea, alei nao, lista oala, Vagi oala, lega Slake, toua tom and norman Vanua. scoTland – Paddy Sadler (captain), aman Bailwal, Freddie Coleman, Matt Cross, henry edwards, nick Farrar, gavin Main, tom McBride, Scott Mcelnea, ross Mclean, Sam Page, Peter ross, kyle Smith, ruaidhri Smith and andrew Umeed. souTH africa – Chad Bowes (captain), gihahn Cloete, Murray Coetzee, theunis de Bruyn, quinton de kock, Corné Dry, rabian engelbrecht, Jan Frylinck, Solo nqweni, Shaylin Pillay, David rhoda, Diego rosier, Calvin Savage, Prenelan Subrayen and lizaad williams. sri lanKa – Sanitha De Mel (captain), amila aponso, nirosha Dickwella, anuk Fernando, Shehan Fernando, angelo Jayasinghe, tharindu kaushal, ranitha liyanaarachchi, lahiru Madushanka, Chamodh Pathirana, Jason Perera, Pulina taranga, kasun Vidura, Pabasara waduge and Sandun weerakkody.

WesT indies – kraigg Brathwaite (captain), anthony alleyne, Sunil ambris, ronsford Beaton, John Campbell, Derone Davis, Justin greaves, kavem hodge, akeal hosein, Jerome Jones, keiron Joseph, Steven katwaroo, amir khan, kyle Mayers and Marquino Mindley. zimbabWe – Matthew Bentley (captain), kyle Bowie, ryan Burl, atishsinh Chouhan, kieran geyle, kevin kasuza, Malcolm lake, Campbell light, luke Jongwe, wellington Masakadza, luke Masasire, nyasha Mayavo, Curthbert Musoko, andre odendaal, and Peacemore Zimwa.

BCB keen on Saqlain

LAHORE sTaff reporT

Former Pakistan off-spinner, Saqlain Mushtaq has been offered the position of spin bowling consultant by the Bangladesh Cricket Board but he is yet to sign the contract. "I am more interested in doing something for Pakistan cricket, unfortunately no one is interested in utilising my experience," Saqlain said on Wednesday. The Bangladesh board on Wednesday at its meeting said it had offered a three month contract to Saqlain considered one of the top off-break bowlers in international cricket.

The BCB apparently wants Saqlain to join their national team for a tour to europe that begins from July 16 but are awaiting his signature on the contract. The BCB remains hopeful that the off-spinner will join them in Ireland by July 15. Saqlain, who has worked as a spin bowling consultant with the Australian and New Zealand teams in the past, said though the BCB had sent him the contract but his agent was negotiating with them. "There are some points in the contract that need clarification and my agent is working on it after which I will decide on signing," Saqlain said from Leicester where he resides in the United Kingdom. Saqlain said he was presently coaching the bowlers at Somerset county but was willing to serve Pakistan cricket in a proper capacity. "If anyone from the PCB ever comes up with an offer I will look to it because I want Pakistani players to take advantage of my experience, unfortunately no one from the PCB has ever contacted me in this regard," he lamented. Pakistan's leading spinner in the 90s until 2004, Saqlain said he is a level three qualified coach and so Australia and New Zealand asked him to work with their spinners. "I have plenty of coaching experience but what is sad is that no one in Pakistan looks towards me," he added.

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Friday, 13 July, 2012

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Taliban kill 9 police cadets in Lahore raid g

Building raided was a hostel where around 30 trainee prison officers from khyber Pakhtunkhwa were being lodged LAHORE agencies

He Taliban on Thursday launched a dawn attack in the centre of the provincial capital, gunning down nine trainee policemen as they slept.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the raid in Ichhra locality of Lahore, calling it a consequence of severe torturing of their imprisoned mates in KP prisons.

The building raided was a hostel, where around 30 trainee prison officers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were being lodged.

The killing follows an attack on an army checkpost in Wazirabad on Monday and raises fears of renewed violence in Punjab, the country’s political heartland.

Punjab Inspector General of Police Habibur Rehman said the attackers came on three motorcycles and a car, armed with Kalashnikov rifles and hand grenades. They stormed the building in the densely populated area.

A survivor told AFP from his hospital bed that staff jumped frantically onto the roof tops of neighboring houses to escape the

T

hail of bullets.

“About 15 of us were sleeping on the roof and some were offering prayers when gunfire started

downstairs. Some of my colleagues who went down to see what was happening were killed or wounded,” Mohammad Rizwan

Shah, 23, said.

He said he worked in the prison in Peshawar, which houses Taliban and other militants, and came to

Lahore six weeks ago for the training course due to end on July 28. “I jumped over to the house next door to save my life and

fractured my arm. Others too jumped walls and into neighbouring houses,” he said.

A spokesman for the rescue service said eight other people were wounded and there had been no security outside the building, which was not an official police residential property.

Local resident Mohammad Siddiq said he saw gunmen fleeing on motorcycles and a blooddrenched body lying in the street at around 5:30am.

BEYOND REACH: Taliban spokesman ehsanullah ehsan told AFP in a telephone call that the attack proved “no place is beyond our reach”.

He said five attackers targeted the policemen because Taliban inmates were tortured in prisons in the northwest and said the raid was “part of chain of attacks” that started in Gujrat district on Monday and would continue.

Police also blamed the “same gang” who killed seven security personnel at the army camp in Wazirabad.

Tensions have been high among right-wing and extremist organisations since Pakistan decided to reopen its border to NATO supply convoys last week.

6 kidnapped miners, doctor found dead in Quetta Judiciary won’t accept any QUETTA sTaff reporT

Quetta police on Thursday found bodies of six miners and a doctor who were kidnapped on July 6 from the Dagar and Marwar areas close to the provincial metropolis, officials said. Police said unidentified men had kidnapped six laborers who worked at a local copper mine and a doctor. The police received information early on Thursday about the presence of seven bodies in an abandoned area.

A police team rushed to the spot and moved the bodies to a hospital.

“The victims were identified as Ahmed Ullah, Kashmir Khan, Khan Mohammad, Mohammad Nawaz, Abdul Ahmed, Mohammad Akbar and Dr Ishaq,” police said, adding that all mine workers belonged to Swat.

Balochistan has been embroiled in a low-level insurgency by nationalists who demand more provincial autonomy, while others demand absolute freedom.

Baloch militants frequently kill Punjabi and Pashtun settlers in Baloch populated areas of the province. Meanwhile, TV channels reported that eight more miners had been abducted from the Marwar area by unidentified men.

unconstitutional action: CJP MONITORING DESK In a clear warning to the government, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry late on Thursday night said that only law and constitution will prevail in the country and the judiciary will not accept any unconstitutional step being taken by the executive, Dawn News reported.

Addressing a gathering at a dinner reception hosted in his honour by the Balochistan High Court in Quetta, Justice Chaudhry said that the issues, which should have been dealt by the executive, were being resolved by the judiciary.

He said that the judiciary was fully aware of its responsibilities and all institutions of the country were bound to act under their constitutional ambit.

He regretted the noncompliance of the constitution in the country and vowed to resist any unconstitutional action taken against the judiciary, the parliament or the masses. “We have taken oath under the constitution and will defend it at any

Taliban assault under Mullah Faqir’s command g

amid conflicting reports, military claims repulsing the foray in Bajaur PESHAWAR sTaff reporT

The reports are conflicting, with both sides making claims to have eliminated about 10 of the opposite number. What stands confirmed is: a ferocious early cross-border incursion and assault from Afghanistan by the Taliban under Mullah Faqir Mohammad’s command. The locals confirm that the Taliban insurgents are still in occupation of Kilkoot, in Bajaur Agency’s tehsil Mamoond.

Till the time of filing of this report, the fighting was raging on with Pakistani helicopter gunships seen in ac-

tion in support of the ground forces.

The official claim: 10 militants killed, several injured, attack repulsed.

The Taliban militants – said to be holding sway in the battle zone – on the other hand contradict such reports, claiming to have inflicted several casualties on the security forces.

People living there confirm militants’ control of the area. Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, the militant commander camping across the border in Afghanistan, in conversation on satellite telephone, accepted responsibility for the early morning attack. “Kilkoot and its surrounding areas are in our occupation,” said he.

According to reports, more than 150 militants from across the border in Afghanistan intruded into Kilkoot area of tehsil Mamoond in Bajaur Agency in the wee hours Thursday. The militants disarmed the security forces personnel on a number of check posts as well as volunteers of the traditional peace lashkars.

The security officials acknowledge the militants attack, but claim that the forces retaliation and repulsed the foray – with 10 militants killed and six other grievously injured. The official also confirmed injuries to two security personnel and two passersby. continued on Page 04

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot No 79, Sector 24, Korangi Industrial Area Karachi.

Editor: Arif Nizami

cost. It is the judiciary’s responsibility to make justice available for everyone. Tradition of respecting law is vanishing fast in the country,” he said. expressing concern over the law and order situation in the country, Justice Chaudhry said Pakistan was presently facing the worst kind of lawlessness, bloodshed, kidnapping for ransom and disregard for the supremacy of the constitution. “Is there any place of the country where rights of the people are being protected?” he asked, adding that nothing but the rule of law was the solution for Pakistan’s problems.

He also emphasised on implementation of the constitution in Balochistan as elsewhere in the country. earlier on Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf must write to Swiss authorities, when a three-judge bench of the apex court comprising Justice Nasirul Mulk, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh heard the NRO implementation case in the federal capital.