e-paper pakistantoday 17th september, 2012

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:56 AM Page 1

PM announces Rs 2bn relief package for flood victims

Farmers in president’s hometown being forced to sell land at throwaway rates

PAGE |05

Saudi grand mufti urges criminalizing abusing prophets PAGE |03

PAGE |19

Rs 15.00 Vol iii no 81 19 pages Karachi edition

Monday, 17 september, 2012 shawwal 28, 1433

15 dead in Lower Dir IED blast g

11 injured as militants target passenger van PESHAWAR stAff RepoRt

At least 15 people were killed and 11 others injured when unidentified militants targeted a passenger van with a high-intensity improvised explosives devise (IED) in Lower Dir on Sunday morning.

The dead included three women and two children. The injured persons were rushed to District Headquarters Hospital at Timergara and Civil Hospital Munda, where the condition of several of the injured was said to be in danger and officials feared the toll could rise.

District Police Officer Ijaz Abid told Pakistan Today that the incident occurred in an area close to Bajaur Agency.

Giving details of the explosion, Abid said a passenger vehicle on way to Munda

One killed, 57 injured as protesters march on US consulate in Karachi Violence erupts across city, four police vans, petrol station brunt to ground Protest rallies staged in Quetta, Lahore as well n

was targeted with an IED in Enzaro Banda area of Jandol tehsil.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, but officials believed the involvement of Taliban.

Official said there was no political figure, member of pro-government tribal family or volunteers of peace lashkar in the targeted vehicle.

District Coordination Officer Mahmood Aslam confirmed the killing of 15 people and injuries to 11 others. He said police was investigating the incident and making efforts for apprehending the criminals. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti strongly condemned the bomb blast, calling it an act of cowardice.

Continued on page 04

n

n

KARACHI/QUETTA/LAHORE tARiq HAbib/sHAHzAdA zulfikAR/Agencies

man was killed and 57 others, including 47 cops, were injured when a massive protest in Karachi against the blasphemous anti-Islam movie turned violent on Sunday, as demonstrations raged across almost all major cities of the country against the film that has triggered a wave of angst across the Muslim world.

The Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), a Shia Muslim group, had organized the rally in Karachi, one of the largest protests in the country to date

A

against the hate-mongering film produced in the US. The Karachi demo turned violent when police deployed water cannons, fired tear gas shells and warning shots to disperse the angry crowd of protesters that hurled rocks at and tried to march on to the US consulate. All Americans who worked at the consulate were safe, said Rian Harris, a spokeswoman for the US embassy in Islamabad.

The protesters, chanting “Down with America!” demanded the expulsion of the US ambassador and boycott of all American goods, as they set fire to a nearby police station. Per details, the situation got

out of hand when protesters broke through a security barricade placed to halt their march towards the consulate building, forcing police to fire tear gas shells and water from cannons at the crowd. Police and private security guards also fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd.

Police tried to stop the protesters, including women and children, at the bridge near the US consulate, but protesters offered a stiff resistance and managed to reach the boundary walls of the consulate.

Continued on page 04

Related stoRies on | pages 2,3, 4 & 6

POL, CNG prices up again ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Finance has approved the proposal forwarded by Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) seeking an upward revision in the prices of all petroleum products except diesel. An approval has also been given for raising CNG price by Rs 6.20 a kilogram. According to the summary, the price of petrol has been raised by Rs 6.82 per liter while diesel price was cut down by Rs 1.75 a liter with effect from September 17 (Monday) under the weekly mechanism to review POL prices.

The price of High Octane Blending Content (HOBC) has been raised by Rs 1.50 a liter and kerosene oil by Rs 0.62 per liter. A jump in international oil market, which rose by $2 per barrel from $113 to $115 lately, has been stated as the reason for the latest hike. Agencies

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:56 AM Page 2

02 News CartOON

fOreiGN NewS

Today’s

pope calls for Mideast leaders to work for peace

iNfOtaiNMeNt camera falls 12,500 ft, still undamaged

Quick Look

Page 11

Story on Page 09

PPP leaders concerned over unilateral award of tickets by Pervaiz Elahi ISLAMABAD: Senior leaders and prospective candidates of Pakistan Peoples Party, for the forthcoming general elections, have expressed strong reservations and resentment over announcements

by Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, for the award of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid tickets to party leaders from different areas. Sources said that these leaders have asked President Asif Ali Zardari to take notice of this new development, as PML-Q was promising tickets to its candidates despite their decision to contest the elections jointly with PPP on the basis of seat adjustment. PPP leaders said that Chaudhry Pervez Elahi was violating an understanding reached with their party, and has already distributed ten tickets for National & Punjab Assembly constituencies. He had done so despite the fact that in several of these constituencies, PPP had members elected to the National & Provincial Assemblies. The leaders informed the President that this decision by PML-Q would negatively affect PPP and asked him to talk to Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who is currently in United States for treatment. Sources said the President had made it clear that a coordination committee would be formed for seat adjustment to avoid any differences between the two allied parties. inp

Nawaz will always regret 18th, 19th, 20th amendments: Rashid KHANEWAL: Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief Sheikh Rashid has said that Nawaz Sharif would regret the 18th, 19th and 20th amendments his entire life. Talking to newsmen at the Civil Lines on Sunday, he claimed that all political leaders were products of dictatorship. He said all such people were chanting slogans of democracy, while democracy itself was a sanctuary for all corrupt and negative elements. Rashid predicted that if the general elections were not held on time, there would be a selection, not election, adding that except for imposing a financial emergency, the assembly would not carry on even for a day. He announced that his party would hold a procession in Gawala Mandi on September 28 and at the Railway ground in Khanewal on October 5. Agencies

New political alliance in the offing in Sindh KARACHI: Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, Awami National Party and Pakistan Muslim LeagueLikeminded have agreed to form an alliance in Sindh. A meeting in this regard was held in Karachi which was chaired by Pir Pagara. Leaders of the PML-F, PML-Q, PML-Likeminded (Arbab Rahim Group) and National People’s Party attended the meeting. The final announcement in this regard would be made on September 29. Meanwhile, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and PML-Q have reached an agreement for political adjustment in Punjab. A coordination committee for the distribution of tickets would be set up after PML-Q chief Shujaat Hussain returns from abroad. nni

Two killed in Balochistan QuEttA: Two people were killed in separate incidents of landmine blasts and firing in Harnai and Awaran districts on Sunday. Sher Mohammad was traveling by foot in the Garsni area of Dukki in Harnai when he stepped on a landmine that caused a huge explosion. As a result, he was killed after receiving fatal injuries. The local administration moved the body to a hospital and handed over his body after completing legal formalities. In another incident, unidentified armed men opened indiscriminate fire on Mohammad Akram and in Awaran and fled from the scene. The deceased was known to be from Karachi, however, the motive behind the killing could not be ascertained. sHAHzAdA zulfiqAR

Monday, 17 September, 2012

Story on Page 14

Christians warn of march towards US embassy against anti-Islam film ISLAMABAD

M

AnweR AbbAs

INORITY citizens have joined ranks with their Muslim brethren in protesting against the American endorsement of the blasphemous anti-Islam film, warning of a march towards the US embassy in Islamabad if those responsible for the blasphemy were not put behind bars.

To condemn the silence and inaction of American polity against perpetrators of the film ‘Innocence of Muslims’, several dozen Christians staged a protest rally outside the National Press Club on Sunday.

The rally was organized by the Ahl-e-Kitaab (Minorities wing) of Jamaat-e-Islami.

JI Islamabad President Mian Aslam addressed the rally and demanded the government expel the US envoy to Pakistan.

The JI leader thanked the Christian community for joining ranks with their Muslim brothers in protesting against the “controversial film based on hate material against Islam and the Holy Prophet (PBUH)”.

The JI demanded the United States government facilitate a trial of the perpetrators in the International Court of Justice as inter-

national terrorists on charges of destroying international peace.

JI Ahl-e-Kitaab Wing President Yunous Gil said, “We Christians strongly condemn the heinous acts of intentionally attacking the beliefs of any religion(s), and Christian sentiments have also been hurt by this con-

Ali Musa to move NA against ‘harassment’ by ANF ISLAMABAD nA sAHi

Ali Musa Gilani, the scion of ousted prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and an accused in the Rs 7 billion ephedrine quota scam, is all set to exercise privileges available to him for being a member of the National Assembly and will submit a privilege motion in National Assembly on September 20 against his manhandling and arrest by ANF officials outside the Supreme Court, Pakistan Today has learnt.

Ali will request the NA standing committee on rules of procedure and privileges to take action against ANF officials involved in breach of his privileges, Faisal Chaudhry, Ali’s lawyer, said.

Faisal said being an MNA, Ali had decided to submit a motion in NA because it was his parliamentary right to raise a voice against manhandling by ANF officials.

He said Musa was ready for a fair investigation into the scam, but the

ANF took illegal step and arrested an honorable parliamentarian when he was going to surrender himself to the apex court.

“Ali Musa belongs to a respectable political family and the ANF is damaging his family repute per a plan,” the lawyer added.

Faisal also said he would write to the apex court today (Monday) and would request the court to take ANF to task, as despite clear orders by the chief justice of Pakistan that Ali Musa Gilani should not be harassed, the ANF officials arrested him in a humiliating manner.

“The ANF has the right to arrest Musa Gilani at any other site of the city, but how come they arrested an accused on apex court premises.”

Faisal added the ANF was unnecessarily harassing his client to save its skin from the international bodies, because if the International Narcotics Control Board that was also looking into the ephedrine case gave a negative report, Pakistan might face sanctions by the UN.

troversial movie.”

Father Rehman Micheal Hakim urged the protesting Muslim-Christian factions to maintain unity and brotherhood amongst themselves and said the “atheistic club” neither respected any religion nor their sacred personalities.

Nawaz warns against delay in elections LAHORE Agencies

PML-N President Nawaz Sharif has warned against any delay in the holding of elections, saying that would take the country closer to more devastation and destruction.

Talking to a group of party leaders at his Raiwind residence on Sunday, Nawaz said failure and corruption by the ruling elite had brought a band name for democracy. He said the government was not ready to follow the constitution and law and was bent upon taking decisions on its own freewill which was weakening the institutions.

Nawaz said load shedding in the country had taken the economy to the brink of total collapse. He said the problem would only be resolved when corruption was rooted out.

Nawaz strongly criticized the increase in POL prices, saying it was an injustice to the people who were already perturbed over price hike and unemployment.

He said the country was passing through an era of unprecedented corruption but rulers were not ready to correct themselves. He again made it clear that the PML-N would not allow any delay in the elections.

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:56 AM Page 3

News 03 artS & eNtertaiNMeNt

buSiNeSS

SPOrtS

playing the guitar helps me relax: Ayushmann khurrana

fed stimulus plan spurs risk rally; dollar slips

pakistan warmup for t20 today against india

editOriaL talking again: Making up for lost time.

COMMeNt basharat Hussain qizilbash says; Challenge to the secularists: Did Quaid really want a secular state?

Arif Ansar says; Neither an ally nor an enemy: Changing scenario in the Arab world and the new US posture.

M J Akbar says; The murder of laughter: And our present leaders don’t even know it.

Story on Page 13

Story on Page 18

Story on Page 15

quettA: A man jumps over a burning rug representing us interests during a protest against the anti-islam movie on sunday. pakistan blocked access to the video on the internet and beefed up security around us diplomatic missions. AFP

India labels anti-Islam film ‘offensive material’ NEW DELHI: India on Sunday said Google had blocked access in the country to an anti-Islam film which has triggered protests across the Muslim world as it condemned the “offensive” movie. “Google India has, in compliance with Indian law, blocked access to the offensive material,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said. “India has always strongly condemned all acts that disparage religious beliefs and hurt religious sentiments,” he said in a statement, adding that authorities were also “in touch with US officials who share our concerns on the matter”. A Google executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, on Friday said it had blocked access to Internet users trying to watch the movie via YouTube which it owns. More than 80 people were arrested in the southern city of Chennai on Friday after an attack by Islamists on the US consulate during a protest against the film. India has reinforced security at the US embassy in New Delhi and consulates and diplomatic interests in other Indian cities as a precaution against possible protests. Afp

Bangladesh condemns ‘offensive’ film DHAKA: The Bangladesh government has condemned a film mocking Islam as “reprehensible” in the wake of criticism at mass protests over its silent response.

In a statement issued late on Saturday, the Bangladesh foreign ministry said the “Innocence of Muslims”, which was produced in the United States, “denigrates Islam and Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)” and “is not only offensive, but also reprehensible”.

“Bangladesh is concerned that some have tried to defend such offensive material on the pretext of freedom of expression.

Inciting hatred cannot be justified as freedom of expression,” it added. The statement comes after the country’s secular government came under fire from Islamist groups for not banning the film on the Internet and not being quick enough to condemn it. About 10,000 protesters belonging to half a dozen Islamist outfits demonstrated against the film in Dhaka on Friday and tried to march to the US embassy before they were blocked by police.Afp

articles on Page 14-15

london: demonstrators hold placards during a protest against a highly offensive anti-islam film produced in the united states, outside the us embassy in central london on sunday. AFP

US pulls embassy staff as Qaeda calls for more attacks DUBAI

W

Afp

ASHINGTON ordered all non-essential staff to leave Tunisia and Sudan after its embassies were stormed

by Muslims protesting an anti-Islam movie and as Al-Qaeda called for more attacks on US targets.

US officials have already deployed counter-terrorism Marine units to Libya and Yemen and stationed two destroyers off the North African coast.

But Sudanese Foreign Minister, Ali Karti, on Saturday flatly rejected a US request to send special forces to protect the Khartoum embassy, the official SUNA news agency said, quoting his office.

Hours later, US officials announced Washington would evacuate all non-essential staff and family members from Sudan and Tunisia and warned US citizens against travel to the two countries.

Despite Tehran’s hostility to Washing-

ton and its own condemnation of the movie, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander General Mohammad Ali Jafari said the killing of the US ambassador to Libya last Tuesday was unjustified. “Definitely this did not warrant killing,” Jafari told a news conference in Tehran. He said that “due to their anger (of protesters), this incident (the killings) happened.”

In the worst violence sparked by the film, the US ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and three other Americans died when suspected Islamic militants fired rocket-propelled grenades at the US consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi.

In cities across the Muslim world protesters have since vented their fury at the “Innocence of Muslims” — an amateur film produced in the United States — by targeting symbols of US influence ranging from embassies and schools to fast food chains.

Although the US government itself has condemned the film, protests erupted again on Sunday, with hundreds of students pouring into the streets of Kabul

shouting anti-American slogans, as the Bangladesh government condemned the film as “reprehensible.” With Muslim anger boiling, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Saturday issued a call for more violence against US diplomatic missions in the Middle East and Africa, and urged attacks on US interests in the West, the SITE Intelligence Group said.

AQAP, Al-Qaeda’s Yemeni offshoot, did not claim direct responsibility for the deadly attack in Benghazi. But it said the killing of Al-Qaeda deputy leader Sheikh Abu Yahya al-Libi in a June drone strike in Pakistan “increased the enthusiasm and determination of the sons of (Libyan independence hero) Omar al-Mukhtar to take revenge upon those who attack our Prophet,” according to SITE. In Afghanistan, heavily armed Taliban fighters on Friday stormed a strongly fortified air base in Helmand province where Britain’s Prince Harry is deployed, killing two US Marines in an assault the militia said was to avenge the anti-Islam film.

Hundreds of Afghans protest anti-Islam film KABUL Afp

Hundreds of students poured on to the streets of Kabul on Sunday shouting antiUS slogans to protest against a film mocking Islam that has sparked deadly riots in the Middle East and North Africa, police said. The protesters, mostly students from Kabul University, shouted “death to America” as they blocked a road near their compound. “The demonstration is peaceful. There are about 1,500 students who have gathered here and are protesting the film,” local district police chief, Faizullah, told AFP. Faizullah, who like many Afghans uses only one name, added that security was tight near the scene in the Afghan capital. In the western city of Herat, hundreds of other protesters set fire to pictures of US President Barack Obama and an American flag to denounce the amateur film produced in the United States, but dispersed peacefully, an AFP

HeRAt: Afghan protestors prepare to torch a us flag during an anti-us rally on sunday. AFP reporter said. Afghanistan has a history of street protests turning violent, particularly over perceived insults to Islam, but so far isolated protests over the film, the “Innocence of Muslims”, have been calm.

Saudi grand mufti urges criminalizing abusing prophets RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh denounced attacks on diplomats and embassies as un-Islamic after deadly protests against a US-made anti-Islam film swept the Middle East, and called on the international community to criminalize acts of abusing great prophets and messengers such as Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (PBUH). AlAsheikh also appealed to the Ummah to react to any attempts to denigrate Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by strictly adhering to values advocated by the Prophet (PBUH), instead of unleashing violence against innocent people, the Saudi Press Agency reported. “Condemnation of attempts to abuse the Prophet (PBUH) should be within the laws of Allah and Sunnah of the Prophet. The mufti also warned that enemies of the Prophet (PBUH) and Muslims achieve their goals when Muslims resort to violence. “Muslim rage is playing into the hands of their enemies when Muslims attack innocent people and set fire to public or private institutions. Such acts, in fact, damage the image of Islam, a situation the enemies of Islam seek to create. Such acts go against the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH) and are deplorable,” the mufti said. “The goal of those who abuse Islam and Muslims is to divert the energy of Muslims from building their nations and efforts for unity and development,” the mufti warned.

“Muslims should not shed the blood of innocent people, or vandalize private properties or public institutions,” the grand mufti said. He said that the attempts of the filmmaker, filled with hatred for Islam, would not harm the great personality of the Prophet (PBUH) or anything in Islam in any manner, but would only reflect on the people who spread venomous ideas. nni

On Friday, protesters in eastern province Nangarhar set fire to an effigy of Obama, where tribal chiefs and Islamic clerics announced a $100,000 bounty on the head of the producer of the film.

Monday, 17 September, 2012

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:56 AM Page 4

04 News 15 dead in Lower dir ied blast Continued fRoM page 01

The chief minister said perpetrators behind the heinous crime against humanity would not be spared and would be brought to justice soon.

He said anti-state elements would face a crushing defeat on every front and such acts could not shake the resolve and determination of the government. He said terrorists were enemies of Islam, Pakistan and humanity.

Hoti expressed profound grief and sorrow over the loss of life and prayed for the departed and early recovery of the injured.

anti-islam filmmaker could be back in jail NEWS DESK

loweRdiR: security personnel inspect the site of a remote-controlled bomb blast, which killed 15 people and injured 12 others in Munda area on sunday. ONLINE

6 US jets destroyed NatO ‘killed’ afghan women in Prince Harry in air strike base attack KABUL Afp

KABUL Afp

Six US fighter jets were destroyed and two significantly damaged when insurgents stormed a heavily fortified Afghan base where Britain's Prince Harry is deployed on Friday, a NATO spokesman said. Lieutenant Colonel Hagen Messer conceded that the scale of damage, carried out by more than a dozen attackers dressed in US Army uniforms and armed with guns, rockets and suicide vests who managed to storm the airfield, was unprecedented. Three coalition refueling stations were also destroyed and six aircraft hangars dam-

aged in the assault at Camp Bastion in southern Helmand province, one of the toughest battlegrounds of the war, the US-led NATO force said.

In a statement, it said the attack was "well-coordinated" and carried out by around 15 insurgents, who were organized into three teams and who penetrated the perimeter fence. "The insurgents appeared to be well equipped, trained and rehearsed", targeting fighter jets and helicopters parked next to the runway, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in the statement released nearly 36 hours after the assault began.

Truth will out: MQM Haider Abbas Rizvi, deputy parliamentary leader of the Muttahida Quami Movement, on Sunday issued his party's reaction to an editorial published in Pakistan Today on September 16. According to the MQM statement, "Editorials and news reports must always be carried with professional responsibility and neutrality. Instead of commenting on a piece of news released by the Scotland Yard regarding the progress made in the murder case of Dr Imran Farooq, the newspaper has jumped to the conclusion and blamed it on the MQM outright without any shred of evidence with indecent haste.”

The statement said “the Scotland Yard may be known for its high standards of professionalism but sadly Pakistan Today caste off probity and journalistic ethics in its haste to blame the MQM. The editorial mentions the comments of Mr Wasay Jalil but no one from Pakistan Today bothered to contact him for getting his input”. It said the MQM might have been accused of many things in the past but mere accusations were neither here nor

Monday, 17 September, 2012

there. “An accusation has to be proved in a court of law in order to obtain a guilty judgment.

Nothing has been proven against the MQM in any court of law in Pakistan. Cases after cases have been thrown out by courts and nothing has ever stood the test of evidence.”

The statement stated, “The MQM has never acted on the behest of anyone throughout its political history. The 12th May is a tragic day in the history of Pakistan but still the truth remains hidden under the debris of speculations and lies. The 12th May is not the only tragedy that has struck this unfortunate nation. The country broke apart but perhaps it does not weigh heavy on the conscience of any one.”

“The murder of Dr Imran Farooq is a great loss for the MQM. He was an asset for the party and the vacuum created by his loss would never be filled. Even though some are trying to blame this on the MQM but the mist of falsehood would be cleared one day and truth will out," it said. pRess ReleAse

NATO was accused of killing eight women Sunday in an air strike, capping a black weekend in which six soldiers were shot dead by presumed Afghan colleagues and a Taliban assault caused unprecedented losses on one of the biggest military bases in the country.

The US-led International Security Assistance Force initially said an air strike targeted around 45 insurgents, but later expressed its sincerest condolences over "possible ISAF-caused civilian casualties" numbering five to eight.

Civilian casualties have strained relations between the United States and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. In June, ISAF ordered an end to air strikes on homes, except as a last resort.

Sunday's attack came shortly before dawn, in Alingar district of Laghman province, east of Kabul, as women set off to collect fire wood, said Afghans.

Terrorists could be behind Karachi factory fire: Malik KARACHI Agencies

I

NTERIOR Minister Rahman Malik said on Sunday that the possibility of terrorists’ involvement in Baldia Town factory fire incident could not be ruled out.

Talking to reporters while visiting the gutted factory, Malik said the government would not spare whosoever was guilty of the factory inferno, which killed at least 289 workers. He said investigations were being conducted on three points to unearth the real causes of fire. He said that according to intelligence reports, the threat of terrorism existed in the financial capital of Pakistan.

The interior minister said that the owners of the burnt factory would not be

harassed, adding that those found responsible for the tragic incident would be brought to justice. According to the initial police report, the factory’s generator had tripped and caused fire, which extended to the nearby boiler before engulfing the entire building.

However, Malik rubbished the report, saying the generator was wrong fine. He said the ill-fated factory did not catch fire due to boiler and generator. He further said that the late arrival of firefighters was also being investigated.

He said that Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf had issued orders for providing jobs to the heirs of the deceased. Terming the incident “a national tragedy”, he asked all politicians to join the government in

paying compensation to the families of the fire victims. Meanwhile, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has taken possession of the files of the burnt factory after authorities declared the building “dangerous”, and sealed factory premises and the adjoining area with containers. FIA Director Azad Khan revisited the doomed factory along with his investigation team and collected evidences. The FIA team also took possession of several important files found at the factory with it. A 15-member delegation of the civil society also visited the factory, and started preparing its own report. The members of the delegation also visited the homes of the victims’ heirs and expressed their sympathies.

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the man purpotedly behind the anti-Islam film that has triggered international outrage, may find himslef back in jail, according to a report in the The Atlantic Wire. The paper said he met federal authorities late last night to review whether his participation in the movie violated his probation. US officials told CNN on Sayurday that they ahd begun reviewing Nakoula's probation. Nakoula is serving a five-year probation that started in 2011 after his released from jail for using false Social Security numbers to open bank and credit card accounts.

Sources said Nakoula voluntarily met federal authorities and could be headed back behind bars.

Terms of Nakoula's prison release contain behavior stipulations that bar him from accessing the Internet or assuming aliases without the approval of his probation officer. A senior law enforcement official in Washington indicated that the probation investigation would relate to whether he broke one or both of the conditions. However, the feds have to prove it was Nakoula who went by the name Sam Bacile while producing “Innocence of Muslims”. Most of the cast and crew that worked on the movie believe they are one and the same person.

Pakistan burns in blasphemy rage Continued fRoM page 01

Several protesters reached the main gate of the US consulate and tore down the consulate's American flag, replacing it with national and other religious flags. During the scuffle with security officials, a protester sustained serious injuries and succumbed to death on way to hospital, while several dozen were left wounded.

As the news broke out of the protester’s death, the demonstrations got even more violent and angry citizens burnt eight vehicles, including four police mobile vans, and a petrol filling station in various parts of the city.

Shia students from the MWM staged a sit-in outside

the US consulate after the killing of the protester, while the MWM announced a threeday mourning and gave a call for countrywide protests against police torture on protesters.

Ali Ahmar, a spokesman for the MWM, said a protester was killed while eight injured in clashes with police and the Rangers, adding that private guards of the US consulate had opened fire on the protesters.

At least 14 people were arrested in connection with violence after the killing.

After the incident, MWM leaders asked the protesters to immediately end the protest outside the consulate and instead stage a sit-in near Nu-

maish Chowrangi.

However, the sit-in was ended late at night once the administration released the arrested protesters.

Additional IG Iqbal Mahmood said 47 police personnel got injured in the clashes with protesters.

QuEttA: In Quetta, Pakistan Workers Federation (PWF) Balochistan also staged a protested against the blasphemous film as well as against the targeted killing of 10 laborers in Dasht area of Mastung the other day.

Hundreds of laborers gathered outside the Quetta Press Club holding banners and placards in their hands inscribed with anti-US slogans.

PWF President Ramazan Achakzai demanded the government cut diplomatic relations with the United States by expelling the ambassador of US from the country in protest against the blasphemous movie.

He said the United Nations should legislate over such sensitive issues and recommend severe punishments for the perpetrators of such acts.

The labor leader also condemned the killing of 10 laborers in Mastung.

LAHoRE: A massive protest against the anti-Islam film was staged in Lahore as well on a call by the Jamatud Dawa (JD).

More than 6,000 people

had gathered in Lahore to condemn the movie, police estimated.

JD leader Hafiz Saeed demanded the US diplomats be expelled from Pakistan and accused the US of conspiring against Muslims.

Demonstarations were held against the blasphemous movie in Islamabd and Rawalpindi also. The protesters burnt the US flag and shouted slogans against India, US and Israel. They asked the government to ask the US consular to leave the country and punish all those who were involved in the making of the film.

A protest was held in Muzaffarabad, capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir also.

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:57 AM Page 5

PM announces Rs 2bn relief package for flood victims g

News 05 Counsel General in Birmingham calls for strong Pak-UK ties BIRMINGHAM

NdMa says situation in flood hit areas of Punjab, Sindh under control

MAJid kHAttAk

ISLAMABAD

P

App

RIME Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, who took an aerial view of the flood-affected areas of Sindh and Punjab on Sunday, announced a special relief package for the flood victims.

The prime minister ordered for the immediate release of Rs 710 million for the flood-hit areas.

The amount included Rs 200 million for Kmashmore, Rs 200 million for Jacobabad, Rs 70 million for Ghotkai, Rs 100 million for Sukkar and Rs 100 million for Mirpur. The prime minister also announced a Rs 2 billion relief package for the flood-affected areas of Sindh, saying more funds would be allocated as required. He also directed that the same relief package be finalized for the flood-hit areas of South Punjab and Balochistan.

He said that all children, old people and women should get relief.

He also ordered for the provision of 25,000 tents for the flood-affected areas on immediate basis. He praised the role of Armed Forces and provincial governments in the relief and rescue operation.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said that the situation in flood affected areas of Punjab and Sindh was under control.

NDMA spokesman Arshad Bhatti said the main focus of NDMA and PDMA was to save human lives and livestock of people, adding that PDMAs were taking preventive measures to avoid epidemics in the flood affected areas.

He said teams of doctors were carrying out surveys, while medicines were in surplus to meet any emergency.

Bhatti said food was also being provided to people in some areas, while others

NASEERABAD: Army soldiers shifting flood affected people to safer place as flood hit different areas of province due to heavy rains. INP

Govt oblivious to plight of flood victims: Marvi KHERPuR: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Marvi Memon has said that the government had done nothing for flood affected people in Sindh. Pointing towards the negligence of the government, Marvi observed that flood-affected people had nothing to eat and they were falling prey to various diseases. Marvi was on a visit to flood-affected areas in Khairpur. Talking to a private television, Marvi said millions of Sindhis had been rendered homeless and their properties had been destroyed by the floods.

She noted that the PML-N would soon start a relief operation in Sindh. Agencies had been shifted to relief camps from the flood-hit areas of Kamaliya, Rajinpur, Tando Muhammad Khan and Badin of Sindh. He said PDMAs had set up a complaint hotline for affected people, adding that 5,500 tents, 1,000 blankets, medicines and other things had been provided in Punjab. To a question, he said monitoring cells had been set up in DCOs’ offices to monitor

the flood situation and relief activities, while administrators were also working at the tehsil level. “The NDMA is monitoring everything and is in contact with PDMAs and other government departments to help them cope with the flood situation,” he added. Meanwhile, the ISPR said the Pakistan Army troops distributed 22 tons of ration and 500 packs of dry edibles in Dera

Murad Jamali and Loralai during relief and rescue operations in flood-affected areas of Sindh and Balochistan. It said 1,200 troops had been deployed to rescue flood affected people in Kandkot, Naseerabad, Jacobabad and Dera Murad Jamali. Over 4,305 flood affected people were rescued and taken to safer places in flood affected areas of Sindh and Balochistan.

Pakistan’s Counsel General in Birmingham, Shair Bahadar Khan, has said strong friendly relations existed between Pakistan and Britain and both countries would continue to cooperate with each other in all spheres of life. “Pakistan-UK relationships are strengthening day by day and strong people to people contacts demonstrate truly the intensity of our relationship,” he said. Shair Bahadar, the newly appointed CG in Birmingham, told Pakistan Today that the recently concluded Enchased Strategic Dialogue between Pakistan and UK was another example of Pakistan’s resolve to further strengthen ties with Britain. He said the UK was the biggest aid provider to Pakistan, with an average £350 million a year until 2015. Similarly, the UK was the first priority destination for Pakistani students, for their education due to the high standards and quality of British Education. He said Pakistan took pride in its diaspora and the achievements they had made in various fields. Around 1.3 million British Pakistanis are playing an important role in the progress and development of British society. He said the government of Pakistan was dedicated to facilitate overseas Pakistanis and ensure that their concerns were heard and addressed. In this regard, on the instructions of Pakistan’s High Commissioner in London Wajid Shamsul Hasan, overseas Pakistan at the Birmingham Consulate General were being extended the best possible consulate services.

Bahader urged community leaders to portray the true image of Pakistan at the international level. He asked young British Pakistanis to come forward and play a constructive role in order to dispel growing misperceptions and misrepresentation of Pakistan and Islam. Pakistan’s consulate in Birmingham would continue the process of dialogue and consultation with overseas Pakistanis, as it values their guidance and suggestions, he concluded.

Shahid Khan: The new face of the NFL and the American dream NEWS DESK With sweat and smarts, Pakistan-born Shahid Khan built a $3.4 billion manufacturing juggernaut from the ruins of an Illinois auto parts maker. To celebrate, he just bought one of the worst teams in the NFL, with the pledge of a similar turnaround.

Driving down a dusty back road in Danville, Ill., Shahid Khan narrates the fall of American manufacturing. “The Allith-Prouty plant closed there. That was 1,400 jobs,” he says, pointing out boarded-up buildings on our left. Some 300 people used to work at the welding plant next door. “Gone,” he shrugs. Another 7,000 or so were lost when Hyster trucks closed shop.

As we pass more dilapidated warehouses and bulldozed dreams—800 jobs lost at the mill around the corner, 1,200 across the way—we seem like tourists in an industrial wasteland, the ruins of a manufacturing golden age, with crumbling Danville playing the role of Pompeii or Luxor, although those ruins might be better preserved, Khan notes with a rueful smile.

“Around you, right now, I can count 30,000 jobs that just disappeared,” he says, shaking his head.

With flowing black hair and the thick handlebar mustache of a man used to leaving a lasting impression, the 62-year-old Khan, driving a shiny white Grand Cherokee, is a swashbuckling contrast to the desolation around him. While Danville and the rest of the Rust Belt were deteriorating over the last 40 years, Khan was moving in exactly the opposite direction.

The sole owner and CEO of Flex-N-Gate, he built one of the biggest automotive parts suppliers in North America almost from scratch from his headquarters just 35 miles away and now employs more than 13,000 people at 52 factories around the globe. Sales reached $3.4 billion in 2011. FORBES estimates his net worth at $2.5 billion, placing him in the top half of the soonto-be-released 2012 Forbes 400.

An enormous accomplishment for anyone, it’s more like a Mars landing for a middle-class kid from Pakistan who flew into Illinois for an engineering degree at 16 and never left. Khan’s is the kind of only-inAmerica success story that has filled boats and planes with dreamers for the past 150 years, one that gives a face to an ironclad fact: Skilled, motivated immigrants are proven job creators, not job takers.

Khan’s American Dream continued this January, when he purchased the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars for $770 million. In so doing, he became the first ethnicminority owner in a league synonymous with cheerleaders and tailgate parties, Thanksgiving grudge matches and that most secular of U.S. holidays, Super Bowl Sunday. Buying into the NFL, he says, was a statement about the opportunity America offers.

Khan arrived in America—specifically, Champaign, to study engineering at the University of Illinois—in the middle of a blizzard, with no place to stay and with just $500 to his name, which his father had scrimped from his small construction company in Lahore, Pakistan. The dorms hadn’t opened yet, so the 16-year-old spent his first, fitful night at the local YMCA, where a room and a meal put him back $3—an astronomical sum back home. All the money he had in the world seemed to be disappearing before his eyes .

But wandering down to the kitchen the next morning, he discovered his first American miracle: He could

recoup his loss in just a few hours washing dishes. “It’s like, wow,” Khan says. “If you put the $1.20 per hour in terms of Pakistan, you’re making more than 99% of the people over there. I’m breathing oxygen for the first time.”

Khan threw himself into his studies, joined the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and met his future wife, Ann Carlson Khan, with whom he would have two children, Shanna and Tony. A month before his 21st birthday he graduated with a B.S. in industrial engineering and wound up staying local, as an engineering manager at Flex-N-Gate, a local aftermarket parts company. At the time the company manufactured auto bumpers through an inefficient process of welding together as many as 15 individual pieces. “You look back at it now,” Khan says, “and you ask, what the hell were they doing?” For the next seven years he oversaw production at Flex-N-Gate, using his engineering training to whittle down the complexity. But Khan was ultimately stymied by the cheap aftermarket business. No one cared about innovation in weight or strength when they were selling spare parts. To truly make an impact, he would have to design for the automakers themselves.

He set to work and what resulted was revolutionary: Stamped from a single piece of steel, Khan’s new bumper slimmed down a truck’s rear end, a diet that pickups increasingly needed to improve fuel economy.

With nothing more than a P.O. box and a small-business loan, in 1978 Khan stepped out on his own, and his newly christened Bumper Works gained customers right away. General Motors was importing an Isuzu pickup truck made in Japan that it called the Chevy LUV, but the vehicle missed its initial weight requirement. Chrysler had similar problems with its Mitsubishi-made Dodge D50. Both trucks benefited from Khan’s bumper diet .

The honeymoon didn’t last long. Just a week after Khan left Flex-N-Gate, the company sued him for stealing trade secrets and breaching fiduciary duty. An injunction would have crippled Bumper Works before it took its first test drive. Low on cash, Khan paid the cheapest lawyer he could find to stand up for Bumper Works in court but effectively ran the defense himself, holed up in the law library at his alma mater at night after overseeing production in Danville during the day.

For two years, despite winning round after round,

Khan felt a threat over his head. But he fought on, rather than settle. And shortly after the Illinois Supreme Court refused to hear Flex-N-Gate’s second appeal in 1980, Khan bought his former employer— which was losing $50,000 a month, just as Khan’s business was taking off—for nothing more than the book value of its assets.

Khan has a saying about the auto parts business that seems appropriate for most fields: You don’t have to outrun the bear, just the other guy. He used to carry around a list of 19 competitors until all of them went out of business. That said, shortly after Khan combined operations under the new Flex-N-Gate, the bear—in this case personified by GM—made a run at him. The car giant—the biggest of the Big Three, when those companies controlled 73% of the U.S. market— called him unexpectedly.

GooD NEWS: GM loved his revolutionary bumper design and wanted to use it across their entire line of vehicles. Bad news: Flex-N-Gate was too small to ramp up to that kind of production, so GM was going to hand off the design to their large-scale suppliers instead. In a way, Khan’s product was so good that it was going to put him out of business. GM had his core design, the result of a standard contract in which Khan relinquished his intellectual property rights; they didn’t need to deal with his tiny company anymore. GM wasn’t the only American automaker that “used to treat their suppliers like crap,” says Jim Gillette, director of automotive analysis at IHS Automotive. “The history of the industry is strewn with situations where people had a great idea and they just couldn’t get it across.”

As far as lifelines go, this one was thread-thin. He recruited Japanese computer-science Ph.D. students to travel with him as interpreters and slowly gained the trust of the executives at Isuzu. But it proved an opening in the right market at exactly the right time.

Japanese carmakers were making their move into the U.S., and they needed suppliers. Khan would grow with them. Mazda soon hired Flex-N-Gate, and from there, Khan got the holy grail, Toyota, and maneuvered to be its sole bumper supplier by 1989, a relationship that has blossomed ever since. By 2001 Flex-N-Gate’s sales topped $1 billion, with Khan’s wealth (he is the sole shareholder) soaring in lockstep.

Monday, 17 September, 2012

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:57 AM Page 6

Monday, 17 September, 2012

kARAcHi: Activist of Ahl-e-sunnat waljamaat group stage a protest outside the press club against blasphemous film produced in the usA. ONLINE

Motorists suffer due to closure of CNG stations KARACHI: Commuters and motorists in various cities of Sindh including the provincial capital suffered as all Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations across the province remained closed on Sunday.

Thousands of commuters including women and children waiting at bus stops looked perturbed due to absence of local transport.

The CNG stations across the province were closed on Saturday and will be reopened on today at 9am.

This time the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) closed the gas supply for 48 hours as it faced shortage of gas due to the breakdown in three gas fields.

Usually, CNG stations remain closed for 24 hours from 9am Saturday till 9am on Sunday every week across the province under the Sui Southern Gas Company’s weekly gas load management schedule. nni

5 more gunned down KARACHI: At least five more people have been gunned down in different areas of the city on Sunday.

According to the police sources, a tortured body, packed in a gunny sack, was found from Musa Lane, Lyari.

A man was shot dead while another was injured in a firing incident that occurred in Gulistan-e-Jauhar area of the city.

The deceased was identified as Ahmed and the injured as Shams Fakhri. The dead body was shifted to a hospital for post mortem. Shams was also shifted to a hospital for treatment.

In a separate incident, a bullet-riddled dead body of an unidentified man was found from Orangi Town. nni

SINDH TO DISPOSE OF 21,000 infected sheep K

NEWS DESK

ARACHI Commissioner Roshan Ali Shaikh has ordered the culling and disposing of about 21,000 diseased Australian sheep imported from Bahrain, reported a private TV channel.

Talking to the channel, Roshan Ali Shaikh said that the livestock department of Sindh had been directed to start the disposal operation, which might take more than one day.

He said in the first phase the veterinarians would administer lethal injections to all the sheep so that they could be killed humanely and in the second the carcasses would be dumped in a mass grave.

“Heavy earthmoving machinery, to dig up a big dump, is on its way to the farm where the sheep have been corralled”, he said.

Earlier on Saturday, the Sindh livestock authorities confirmed the consumption of the sheep imported from Australia was injurious to health.

According to officials, random testing validated Australian Merino sheep were suffering from scabby mouth disease.

“The veterinary diagnostic laboratories in Islamabad and Tando Jam

tested the blood samples of at least 80 sheep and the saliva of nine of them”, an official added.

“The samples from the sheep tested positive for 100 percent presence of salmonella and actinomyces, a couple of pathogens”, officials added further.

They also tested positive for 44 percent E Coli, a species of bacterium, which could be highly pathogenic.

Last week, the livestock department had sealed the farm where Australian

sheep believed to be infected with a contagious disease are being kept.

A total of near 22,000 infected Australian sheep were unloaded at Port Qasim on September 13.

Approximately 75,000 sheep departed from Australia on board the Fremantle-based Wellard Rural Exports ship Ocean Drover.

Their destination was countries in the Middle East. 53,000 sheep were offloaded in Qatar and Oman, while the

remaining 22,000 were to be transported to Bahrain.

However, when the Ocean Drover arrived in Bahrain on August 29 it was asked to leave its berth until matters were resolved.

It was here that concerns were raised in regards to the sheep being infected with scabby mouth disease. The ship remained in the waters of Bahrain for 14 days and the sheep were not allowed to be unloaded.

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:57 AM Page 7

Karachi 07 Marble City top priority of Sbi: Motiwala KARACHI nni

kARAcHi: A crane machine is being used to bring down heavy equipment of air system from the building of kpt Head office. ONLINE

altaf pays glowing tribute to imran farooq

FLOOD FEAR LOOMS LARGE JACCOBABAD

F

KARACHI nni

Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Chief, Altaf Hussain paying tribute to MQM, Ex-Convener, Dr Imran Farooq on his second death anniversary said that the blood of Dr Imran Farooq would not go to waste. In a statement Altaf Hussain said that ‘Haq-parast’ movement would definitely be successful in achieving all its objectives. “Dr Imran Farooq was an asset for the MQM who remained steadfast even in the most difficult times and till his death he was a beacon of light for the people struggling on the path of truth and justice.” Altaf said Hussain prayed Almighty Allah to shower his blessings on the soul of Dr Farooq and bring his killers to justice.

He extended sympathies to the widow, children, parents and all other family members of Dr Farooq.

nni

LOODS that were feared to submerge Jacobabad are still due primarily to 50 foot and 100 foot breaches in Noorwah canal at Tel and Sem Branch canal respectively.

Flood waters were fast approaching the city and the land link with Balochistan was being severed. Evacuation of people began from Shahbaz Air Base and aircrafts were ready to fly away.

Meanwhile floods had wreak havoc and caused immense destruction in Kashmore, Shukarpur, Tangoni and other cities and areas forcing effected to take refuge on and along Indus Highway.

There was dearth of food and potable water and people forced to live under open skies have become easy prey to diseases. Effectees staged protest rallies in Kandhkot and blocked the National Highway by putting tyres on fire.

DCO Shikarpur said that floods everywhere were hindering aid works.

Chairman Sindh Board of Investment (SBI) Muhammad Zubair Motiwala said on Sunday that Marble City was one of the priority projects of the Sindh government and SBI, and that Sindh Stone Development Company (SSDC) was committed towards the successful materialization of this project at the earliest.

He said this at the 3rd board meeting of SSDC held under his chairmanship at SBI office, Karachi. Board of SSDC reviewed the progress of the proposed Marble City.

Motiwala said that this project was also planned to have a dedicated training center which would be a key to providing technical and vocational training for skill development. He also proposed to allocate land for a Trauma Center to cope up any disaster. He said further that the earning would also be increased from improved skill imparted through training by experts in marble and granite sector. Muhammad Zubair Motiwala also proposed to induct Sindh government’s secretary finance as member of SSDC Board, a move unanimously approved by the board.

The provincial government’s Secretary Finance Arif Ahmed Khan said the project was envisaged to be executed as a top priority. Khan further stated that it was important to find out the existing market scenario for determining the future course of action through a detailed technical study for this project.

DG SBI Mohammad Riazuddin extended his full support in expediting the project.

Mr Haroon Rashid, Director SSDC, emphasized on the opportunity of brining in the foreign direct investment at Marble City. He further said that there were possibilities of Joint Venture alliances with foreign companies for production and processing.

businessmen to compensate affected families: ebad

The situation was the same in Balochistan: Effectees were forced to drink dirty water. Eleven more bodies including that of a child who were carried away by floods had been recovered from Dera Murad Jamali during 24 hours. In Jafferabad, three more breaches were made to help lessen the ferocity of the flow of 70,000 cusec of water after which land link with Sindh was severed. In Pun-

jab, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rojhan still remain submerged in flash floods. A village in the vicinity of Choti Zereen was drowned by the flash floods gushing from Suleman Mountain. Lives and well being of people was endangered by epidemic diseases. Khawaja Gahreeb Nawaz Trust was busy in aid activities in effected areas particularly D G Khan where it distributing food to hundreds of families.

KARACHI: Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad said on Sunday the business community had decided to give compensation to the affected families of fire incident in a garment factory.

Talking to media‚ he said that heirs of the deceased people would also be given jobs. The governor made it explicitly clear that all possible safety measures would be taken in all the industries verified by the government. To a query he replied that DNA tests had been taken of unidentified bodies to ensure their proper identification so that they would be handed over to the legal heirs. nni

four of a family crushed to death KARACHI nni

Four people including children and woman were killed when a passenger bus struck a motorcycle in Karachi, police and witnesses said Sunday.

Rescue sources said that the incident took place at Super Highway when a speedy bus hit a motorcycle, killing three people including two children and man and injuring his wife.

Edhi’s rescue team rushed to spot but a woman succumbed to her injuries while shifting to hospital. The bodies were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

“The driver of the bus fled the scene soon after the incident,” they added.

kARAcHi: An official gets details from indian fishermen who were arrested on violating sea territorial limits. ONLINE

Monday, 17 September, 2012

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:57 AM Page 8

08 karachi

Pakistani madrassas: What’s inside?

weather uPdateS

37 °C high 0C 25 Low

SuNNy

tueSday wedNeSday thurSday 37°C i 25°C

34°C i 25°C

33°C i 25°C

Prayer tiMiNGS fajr Sunrise 04:30 05:54

zuhr 12:39

asr 16:04

Maghrib 19:22

isha 20:47

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

hOSPitaLS abbaSi Shaheed CiViL JiNNah NiCVd aGha KhaN tabba

99260400-09 99215749, 99215960 99201300-39 99201271-6 34930051 36811841-50

bLOOd baNK huSSaiNi fatiMid Pwa

32238405-8 32225284, 32258656 99215740, 32735214

COMPLaiNt KeSC Sui GaS PtCL KwSb CdGK

118 1199, 99231603 1218 1339 134

raiLwayS eNquiry City StatiON CaNtt StatiON

117, 99213565-6 99213538 99201118

airPOrt fLiGht eNquiry Pia reSerVatiON

114 111-786-786

COLLeGeS / uNiVerSitieS KaraChi uNiVerSity Ned uNiVerSity fuuaSt duhS SMiC faSt-Nu SzabiSt iObM iba iVS

Monday, 17 September, 2012

99261300-06 99261261-8 99244141-9 99215754-7 99217501-3 111128128, 34100541-7 111922478 35090961-7 111422422 35861039-40

n

All it takes to remove the biases cultivated by media’s negative portrayal of madrassas is a visit to one

M

NEWS DESK

ADRASSA is a religious school or seminary, where Islamic education is given to students. Madrassas in Pakistan have witnessed a mushroom growth in early 1980s. During the Afghan-Soviet war, thousands of new madrassas were established in the country.

Unfortunately after the 9/11, these madrassas were perceived by western people as places that support and spread terrorism.

In spite of the less job opportunities for a madrassa graduate, people in great numbers are interested to admit their children in madrassas for religious education.

IS It tRuE tHAt MADRASSAS ARE PRoDuCING tERRoRIStS: To find an answer, a number of madrassas were visited.

Two kinds of students are admitted in madrassas: regular and irregular. A regular student has to stay at madrassa while an irregular student has certain study timing and there is no need for him to live in the madrassa.

Age limit of a fresh student is four or five years minimum while there is no restriction on the maximum age- that a person of any age can learn religion from a Madrassa.

HoW Do StuDENtS SPEND tHEIR DAYS: A madrassa student has to get out of bed at around 4 am in summer and Wudu (washing of several parts of body before prayer) is the first thing to do.

He has to join the Fajr prayer (morning prayer) in a group. Breakfast comes soon after the morning prayer and then Nazara or reciting of Holy Qur’an session begins for primary level students while senior students have classes of other subjects.

The morning session continues till 12pm then, preparations for lunch begin. All the

tasks are done by the student himself and there is no concept of a servant or cook or cleaner in almost all madrassas. It is a good practice of doing one’s own work like washing, cooking and cleaning with his hands. It is a kind of discipline in itself. 12 to 1pm is lunch time and soon after it, is time for Zuhr or early afternoon prayer.

Second study session starts at around 2pm, and a number of courses are taught.

6pm the second and the last session concludes, and in some madrassas the evening tea is taken at that time. With the third prayer of Asr or the afternoon, students go to their rooms or hall, where they sleep for relaxation.

Although very few, but some of the madrassas have playgrounds where students are allowed to play different sports during the time between afternoon and evening.

Some other madrassas have no grounds, but students are allowed to go to nearby sports grounds for playing or watching events of various games.

Friday is holiday in all madrassas and on that day students from nearby areas can visit their families, while others who are from remote areas stay there, and they often wash their cloths, relax, study or play.

FACILItIES AND CuRRICuLuM: Some of madrassas have libraries too.

Students can go there during their free time and study books on different topics, mostly on religion.

At the time of evening or Maghrib prayer, everyone has to return to madrassa and perform the prayer. After that its dinner time and then sleeping time.

People from anywhere can consult the religious scholars of any madrassa on any religious issue. In some madrassas, for that purpose a specific section has been created where matters of religious are discussed with people.

Some of the main subjects in madrassas are religion, Islamic law (Shariah), mathe-

HIDDEN AGENDA

date: auG 11 - 31, 2012

matics, English, computer, history, general science, Takhasus-fil-Fiqa (fiqh specialization), Takhasus-fil-Hadeeth( Hadith specialization) and Asul-e-Hadees.

Language courses are also available there. Most of the books are in Arabic, Urdu, English and others.

Major courses are Qura-e- Sabgha, Darse-Nizami and Hifz or learning of the Holy Qur’an by heart.

Duration of several courses is different.

For example the hifz depends upon the ability of student.

Dars-e-Nizami, which is an eight years long course, consists of various subjects like Siha-e-Sita, Tafseer, Philosophy and Arabic Grammar and it is a complete course necessary for an Islamic Scholar.

All those universities have large libraries and there are books on every subject available for the students. Other thousands of madrassas all over Pakistan have more or less the same courses.

There are no fees in any madrassa in the country for any course while the hostel facilities are also free. If any student wants to give donation, he is allowed to do so.

Dastar Bandi or graduation ceremony is held every year in most of the Madrassas.

The main aim of the ceremony is to stress the responsibility of students in spreading their knowledge and delivering their message A recent graduate of Dars-e-Nizami course from Haqqania Madrassa, Maulana Alamgir Khalil said that he is very happy on completion of his course.

Replying to a question, he added that it is his love to Islam that made him come to the madrassa; and yes there are a number of job opportunities too.

“I can go to any educational institute as a religious teacher and can play my important role,” he said.

CALLIGrApHY

date: JuLy 31 - auG 31, 2012

VeNue: KOeL GaLLery KaraChi

VeNue: SereNa hOteL

"hidden agenda" an exhibition of Paintings by Lahore based artist ayesha Siddiqui opens on 11th august 2012 at 5 pm at Koel Gallery ,Karachi. the exhibition will continue till august 31st,20.

Satrang gallery is celebrating this spiritual month by exhibiting a wonderful calligraphy show. do join us as we present the work of ten exceptional artists. Opening on tuesday , July 31, at 8:00 pm.

Courtesy: Onislam

GHALIB MADE EASY

date: thurSday, 7:00 PM, weeKLy eVeNt

VeNue: the SeCONd fLOOr (t2f) 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.

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:57 AM Page 9

Foreign News 09 Iran says Guards in Syria, fighting rages in Damascus DAMASCUS

S

Afp

YRIAN troops on Sunday fought rebel fighters in the country’s two main cities Damascus and Aleppo, as Iran acknowledged for the first time it has elite forces present in Syria and Lebanon as “counsellors.”

The relentless violence affected the start on Sunday of the educational year, with activists saying few schools opened in flashpoint areas, including Aleppo, and the UN reporting more than 2,000 schools damaged or destroyed countrywide since the uprising began 18 months ago.

Pope Benedict XVI added his voice to calls for an end to the bloodletting, urging Arab countries to propose workable solutions to the conflict, while celebrating mass in neighbouring Lebanon.

Violence that raged from early

Sunday killed another 20 people, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that 115 had died the previous day.

Troops pounded districts in Damascus, Aleppo in the north, Daraa in the south, Hama and Homs in the centre and Deir Ezzor in the east with aerial bombardments and heavy artillery, the Britain-based Observatory said.

Among those who died were four men killed in shelling of the rebel southern Damascus suburb of Al-Hajar Al-Aswad and seven others when a bus was bombed in Daraa province, cradle of 18 months of insurgency against the central government.

A child and a media activist meanwhile were killed in Aleppo, where the army and rebels have fought fierce battles since July to control Syria’s second city and commercial hub.

In a rare news conference, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in Tehran on Sunday that

members of his elite special operations unit, the Quds Force, are present in Syria and Lebanon.

He insisted however that they were only there to provide “counsel.”

“A number of Quds Force members are present in Syria and Lebanon... we provide (these countries) with counsel and advice, and transfer experience to them,” Guards commander Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Jafari said.

“But it does not mean that we have a military presence there,” he added.

Several Western and Arab countries accuse Iran of giving military aid to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime as the Syria conflict becomes increasingly bloody.

The latest violence comes as UNArab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi prepared Sunday to meet with leaders of the opposition tolerated by the government, anti-regime forces said.

The talks come after he met Assad on Saturday and warned that the con-

flict threatens both the region and the world at large, on his first visit to Damascus since taking over as envoy from ex-UN chief Kofi Annan earlier this month.

“The crisis is dangerous and getting worse, and it is a threat to the Syrian people, the region and the world,” said Brahimi, a veteran troubleshooter and 78-year-old Algerian diplomat.

He stressed, however, that he currently has “no plan” to tackle the thorny mission which Annan quit after a hard-sought peace deal he had brokered became a dead letter.

Assad, meanwhile, insisted that dialogue between Syrians was the key to a solution and urged foreign countries to stop supplying arms to his foes.

“The success of political action is dependent on putting pressure on the countries that finance and train the terrorists, and which bring weapons into Syria, until they stop doing so,” Assad said.

Libya arrests 50 after US envoy’s killing: parliament chief WASHINGTON Afp

Libyan authorities have arrested about 50 people after last week’s killing of US ambassador Chris Stevens in a mob attack in the city of Benghazi, Libya’s parliament chief said Sunday, saying it was planned by foreigners.

“The number reached about 50,” Mohammed al-Megaryef, president of the Libyan National Congress, told CBS News in an interview. Stevens and and three other Americans were killed on Tuesday when suspected Islamic militants fired on the US consulate in the eastern Libyan city with rocket-propelled grenades and set it ablaze.

Megaryef said “a few” of those who joined in the attack were foreigners, who had entered Libya “from different directions, some of them definitely from Mali and Algeria.” “The others are affiliates and maybe sympathizers,” he added.

Megaryef said the government has learned the attack was not the result of a spontaneous outburst of anger over a USmade anti-Islam movie which has triggered sometimes deadly protests in the Arab and Muslim world.

Anti-Japan protests again erupt across China

Pope calls for Mideast leaders to work for peace

BEIJING Afp

BEIRUT Afp

Pope Benedict XVI prayed on Sunday that Middle East leaders work toward peace and reconciliation, stressing again the central theme of his visit to Lebanon, whose neighbour Syria is engulfed in a civil war.

“May God grant to your country, to Syria and to the Middle East the gift of peaceful hearts, the silencing of weapons and the cessation of all violence,” the pope said at the end of mass on the final day of his trip to Lebanon.

He also appealed to the international community and to Arab countries, in particular, that “as brothers, they might propose workable solutions respecting the dignity, the rights and the religion of every human person.”

In his weekly Angelus, a prayer to the Virgin Mary, he said “You know all too well the tragedy of the conflicts and the violence which generates so much suffering. Sadly, the din of weapons continues to make itself heard, along with the cry of the widow and the orphan. Violence and hatred invade people’s lives, and the first victims are women and children. Why so much horror? Why so many dead?”

Earlier, the pope said that, “in a world where violence constantly leaves behind its grim trail of death and destruction, to serve justice and peace is urgently necessary.

“I pray in particular that the Lord will grant to this region of the Middle East servants of peace and reconciliation, so that all people can live in peace and with dignity,” he added.

An estimated 350,000 people had gathered under a bright warm sun to join the pontiff as he celebrated a solemn mass on his third and final day in Lebanon.

nARAYAngAnJ: bangladeshi garment workers set fire to signs on a street during a clash with police on sunday. police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at tens of thousands of garment workers as they rioted in a key industrial area outside the capital demanding better benefits and shorter work hour. AFP

South African police block protest by platinum miners RUSTENBURG Afp

South African police on Sunday blocked a march by protesting miners after a security crackdown in the restive platinum belt, where officers shot dead 34 strikers exactly a month ago. Workers dispersed calmly after armoured trucks and armed police in riot gear stopped them from marching on a police station in northwestern Rustenburg, a day after officers fired rubber bullets to disperse workers in nearby strike-hit Marikana.

“The police have blocked us.

They are dispersing us. Now we are telling our people to go back to where we came from,” said Gaddhafi Mdoda, a workers’ committee member at Anglo American Platinum.

Workers at mines in the area had planned the march to protest against the use of force by police. Several people were injured by rubber bullets Saturday at platinum giant Lonmin’s Marikana operation after government orders to stamp out flaring unrest in the key mining sector.

Absent from the march was the usual protest gear of machetes, spears and sticks, after piles of weapons were seized Saturday in early morning raids on worker hos-

tels by hundreds of officers. Police raided the residences with the support of the army, confiscating piles of weapons and firing tear gas and rubber bullets after Friday’s announcement by the government that it will no longer tolerate the growing mines troubles.

The clampdown is targeting illegal gatherings, weapons, incitement and threats of violence that have characterised the unrest, with police telling the leaders of Sunday’s protest that they needed permission for the march. Chrome mine worker

Lunsstone Bonase hit out at the government for blocking the protest.

“The government is against people of South Africa and allows people to be killed. But we are suffering as workers of mines,” he said.

“They are forcing us to go to work as they did under apartheid,” he added. Rising tensions have spilled over from Lonmin since a wage strike started on August 10, and have forced shut-downs at several mines, including those of the world’s top platinum producer Amplats and number four producer Aquarius Platinum.

RustenbuRg: police block a march by protesting miners on sunday, a month after deadly security crackdown that killed 34 strikers. AFP

Thousands of anti-Japanese demonstrators mounted protests in cities across China on Sunday over disputed islands in the East China Sea, a day after an attempt to storm Tokyo’s embassy in the capital.

Beijing was infuriated last week when Japan said it had bought the rocky outcrops and while the authorities often suppress demonstrations, many of Sunday’s events took place with police escorting marchers, while state-run media called the protests “reasonable”.

Still, there were reports of violence.

Demonstrators in the southern city of Shenzhen clashed with riot police, who fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, Hong Kong broadcaster Cable TV showed.

It also showed footage of more than 1,000 protesters burning Japanese flags in the nearby southern city of Guangzhou and storming a hotel next to the Japanese consulate. Chinese state media reported a turnout of more than 10,000.

Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda called on China to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens and businesses after widespread protests on Saturday saw attacks on individuals, establishments and Japanese-built cars.

Top Hamas delegation to visit Cairo on Monday GAZA CITY Afp

A delegation of top-level Hamas officials is to visit the Egyptian capital on Monday for talks with President Mohammed Morsi, Palestinian officials said.

Hamas’s exiled supreme chief Khaled Meshaal is to head the joint delegation from the Gaza Strip and abroad, an official from the Islamist movement told AFP, on condition of anonymity.

He was expected to hold talks with Morsi on Tuesday morning, the source said.

Gaza’s Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya had also been expected to set out for Cairo on Sunday where he was to hold security talks with his Egyptian counterpart Hisham Qandil the next day.

But several security incidents in northern Sinai prompted Egyptian officials to call off the trip, a senior official in Gaza said.

“The Egyptians postponed the visit for security reasons,” he said.

Monday, 17 September, 2012

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:57 AM Page 10

10 Comment Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

did quaid really want a secular state?

Arif Nizami Editor Lahore – Ph: 042-36298305-10 Fax: 042-36298302 Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 Fax: 021-35381208 Islamabad – Ph: 051-2287414-6 Fax: 051-2287417 Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

talking again Making up for lost time

W

Challenge to the secularists

ell, it’s a start. Relations between the US and Pakistan haven’t been too peachy for a stretch now and the US’s special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan talking to our diplomatic apparatus in a structured setting will serve to crack the ice a bit.

The envoy reiterated his demand for incarcerated physician Dr Shakeel Afridi, who is in the slammer for his role in intelligence gathering prior to the Osama Bin Laden raid. Though the current problems in relations could be said to have started from the aforementioned raid, it is a recent interview (dubious in authenticity, though) of the doctor, where he claims the Pakistani intelligence and security apparatus considers the US an enemy worse than traditional bette noir India that has gotten the Americans riled. Words like those didn’t, presumably, serve to endear him to his captors and didn’t serve to mow down the differences between Pakistan and the US either.

The rest of his statements do sound conciliatory.

There was, for instance, the eloquent denunciation of the controversial film that has many Muslims up in arms across the world. Calling the film “disgusting”, though not putting him in the company of the young Muslim youth burning flags and attacking property, is still using stark words by diplo-speak standards.

He then moved on to words that make sense to everyone but are terribly difficult to implement, by his government or ours. Obviously, everyone wants a relationship with an ally that is “enduring, strategic and clearly-defined” but the devil really is in the details. But perhaps both sides have their own pet areas where clear definitions are not in their best interests.

The Haqqani Network and an operation in North Waziristan was not as strongly pursued as it often is.

Perhaps the Americans want to ease into the debate later, perhaps they want to let Pakistan decide the right time, who knows? But, with a presidential election in the US on the way, the Pakistani deep state also needs to realise some things. The two parties in the US differ in their views on Pakistan in that one wants to be tough with Pakistan and the other wants to be tougher. This means thin ice for us.

“T

he creation of Pakistan”

by Inamullah Khawaja revisits an old debate: Was Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah a secular leader or not? And whether Pakistan was to be a secular state or not? In the ‘Preface’, the author does indicate that sometime in the 1990s when he realized that some western authors and Pakistani columnists (though he does not specify names) began to assert that Jinnah wished to create a secular state, he decided to write a book to prove that the father of the nation actually wanted to set up an Islamic country. He firmly believes that Pakistan was meant to be an Islamic state because his childhood and adulthood memories of the leading League leaders whose speeches and discussions he personally witnessed in the public domain as well as in the house of his grandfather, Shams-ul-Ulema Syed Ahmad, who was the Imam of the Jamia Masjid, Delhi, at the time of partition convinced him that they intended an Islamic Pakistan. Although most of his sources are secondary in nature; nonetheless, he did consult some important primary documents in the India Office Library in London, All Soul’s College Oxford and the Hartley Library at the University of Southampton that houses the Mountbatten papers, for about

By Basharat Hussain Qizilbash four months to build up his case. His research laid bare a conflicting discourse of the Indian Muslim identity—something which the liberals across the Pak-India border have failed to smoothen and harmonize till today. It is this very conflicting discourse that allows the conservatives to build a historical narrative of “mutually antagonistic Hindu-Muslim identities”. Just see how Inamullah has built his.

The Indian writers claim that the Hindus were forcibly converted to Islam whereas he confutes that it were “the high moral standards and honesty of the Muslims” that impressed the natives to convert to Islam. The Indians postulate that Islam spread through the sword while Inamullah counters that it spread through the mis-

eye on History

sionary work of the sufi saints. Moreover, to the Hindu imagination, the Muslims remain “the Other” as ‘invaders’ and ‘outsiders’ whereas the author suggests that the Muslim rulers and their armies made India their permanent home.

Moreover, there is a common perception among Indian intellectuals to look upon the Muslims as the ‘collaborators’ and ‘beneficiaries’ of the British Raj, however, many Muslims including Inamullah hold an opposite view stating that the Muslims were viciously persecuted by the colonists. To prove his point, he recalls that the British used the Jamia Masjid of Delhi as a stable for two years after the 1857 war. To highlight the British animosity, he refers to the work of a Hindu historian, S N Sen, who in turn has quoted the directive of the British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston, who directed the first Viceroy Canning that “Every civil building connected with Mohammadan tradition, should be leveled to the ground without regard to the antiquarian veneration or artistic predilection.” To further disprove the Hindu stance that the Muslims prospered under the Raj, he has quoted from William Hunter’s classical work, “The Indian Musalmans” which highlighted the fact that “the Muhammadans are now shut out equally from government employ and from the higher occupations of non-official life.”

To further counter this charge, he states that the greatest Hindu leader - Mohandas K Gandhi - was himself a collaborator, because he acted as a “recruiting sergeant” for the British imperialists during World War I for which he was honored with the grand title of “Kaiser-i-Hind.”

Such a narrative then takes a serious turn. Without appreciating the fact that a secular person can be religious in his personal life, the author tries to prove that both the “Quaid” and the “Mahatma” being religious in their personal lives desired to set up “religious states”: an Islamic Pakistan and a Hindu India. After profusely quoting Gandhi’s sayings such as “For me there are no politics but religion. [Politics] subserve religion…” etc, he narrates details of Quaid’s religious life. Starting that as Jinnah’s family belonged to the Asna Ashri shia sect that regularly attended ‘majalis’; prior to leaving for London for studies, he had about eight years of religious instruction in forty to fifty ‘majalis’ per year. Moreover, he also studied the Holy Quran for over four years at ‘Madrasa-tul-Islam’. In addition, instead of having a civil marriage like the Muslim Congress leader S Asif Ali with Aruna Ganguli, the Quaid ensured that his Parsi wife, Ms Ruttie Petit first embraced Islam in the mosque whose Imam was Maulana Azad’s father and the ‘nikkah’ was performed by Maulana Hassan Najafi, all this being reported in the daily Statesman of 19 April,

1918. Furthermore, during his stay in Delhi, he always attended the Eid prayers and was also often present at the Friday prayers at the Jamia Masjid, whose Imam was the grandfather of the author. Jinnah himself stated at a meeting of the League in London in 1946, “Very often when I go to the mosque, my chauffeur stands side by side with me.”

This narrative then goes on to show that not only the Quaid, his close associates also wished to set up an Islamic republic. For instance, a confidant Raja Sahib of Mahmudabad while addressing the Bombay League in May 1940 stated, “The creation of an Islamic state, mark my words gentlemen, I say Islamic and not Muslim is our ideal…. The state will conform to the laws as laid down in Islam…. There will be prohibitions absolute and rigorous, with no chance for it ever being withdrawn. Usury will be banished. Zakat will be levied…” Nawab Bahadur Yar Jang, the President of the All-India States Muslim League is quoted to have told a League’s session in Karachi in 1943, “There is no denying the fact that we want Pakistan for the establishment of the Quranic system of government.” Premier Liaquat, the right-hand man of Jinnah reaffirmed to the League’s Council in 1949 that “we wished Pakistan to be a laboratory where we could practice the Islamic principles…” and clarified during a debate on the Objectives Resolution in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan that “the State is not to play the part of a neutral observer… because such an attitude on the part of the state would be the very negation of the ideals which prompted the demand of Pakistan…”.

The author has also quoted several speeches of the Quaid in which he promised to make Pakistan “a bulwark of Islam”. To the contention of the secularists that Jinnah’s 11th August 1947 speech in the Constituent Assembly clearly indicated that he wanted to set a secular state, Inamullah emphasizes that there was just one speech of this type whereas there are over two hundred speeches in which Jinnah referred to Islam to be the polity of the Muslim state.

To those secularists who aver that the Quaid employed religious symbolism as a political strategy, the author dismisses it out of hand by insisting that Jinnah was a truthful, honest and upright person and it was uncharacteristic of him to have lied to the Muslims of India for so many years. Such assertions throw the ball back in the court of the secularists to dig into the historical sources and come up with substantial evidence to prove that the Quaid indeed wanted the establishment of a secular state.

The author is an academic and journalist. He can be reached at qizilbash2000@yahoo.com

Neither an ally nor an enemy changing scenario in the Arab world and the new us posture

politact

By Arif Ansar

T

he assassination of US Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, has created a foreign policy crisis of sorts for the country. The American think tank community has jumped on examining and understanding the reasons behind the Arab rage, especially when the US had just helped nations like Libya and Egypt creep out from the long shadows of despots.

Some scholars have gone as far as claiming that the future of Arab-American relations will be defined by the re-

Monday, 17 September, 2012

sponse to the attack. There is already a talk to assist the security forces of Libya, to deal with the challenge posed by the rise of Salafists that appear resurgent in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Some of this discussion has the smell of what is called nation building, a premise that failed to work in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On the other hand, Republican US Senator Paul Rand questioned the motive behind sending billions in aid to the so-called allies that don’t act like one. He had proposed cutting funds to Egypt and Libya until the arrest and handover of the perpetrators of US consulate attack to FBI. Although blocked by Democratic Senator Harry Reid, Rand Paul had also suggested stopping US funding to Pakistan for detaining Dr Shakil Afridi.

War on terror, Arab Spring, antiIslam events with origins in the West, all played a role in what transpired first in Egypt and Libya and subsequent protest in many Islamic countries.

Without going in to details, there is now a pattern to incidences that originate in the West and are disrespectful towards the Muslims. These events create widespread mayhem in the Islamic world and have proven to be devastating for the US and NATO mis-

sions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Nonetheless, they continue to occur regularly under the freedom of expression clause.

Most dangerously, such events increase the chances of reactionary attacks in the Western world with connections to Muslims living there, with tragic consequences. There is evidence to suggest that Al-Qaeda is working on such a scenario.

Referring to the drone strikes, in his message for the 9/11 anniversary, Ayman Al Zwahiri stated: “Today, American Muslims are being killed in Yemen, tomorrow they’re going to be killed (by the US government) in New York and Los Angeles. Get ready for the holocaust.”

On a statement posted online on Saturday, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) stated it was the responsibility of Muslims in the West to go after American interests.

Recognizing the gravity of this threat, Bruce Riedel commented in his recent article that appeared in the Daily Beast: “When movies are distributed to demonize Islam, they are actually helping it (Al-Qaeda) win its war. When it becomes fashionable to suggest that American Muslims are not really Americans or

“us,” then we are the loser. When it is implied a Muslim cannot be President of the United States, then Al-Qaeda gains.”

The inconsistency of American foreign policy is also to blame for this predicament. While it is concerned about the rise of Salafist in Egypt and Libya, they are being supported via Qatar and Saudi Arabia in Syria. This elevates mistrust about US intentions in the region.

Meanwhile, the Israeli media has interpreted the events of the Arab world as an attempt by “Extreme Salfists” to take over the “Moderate Islamists” that came to power as a result of the Arab Spring. It blames President Obama for allowing this to happen, and this is likely to become a hot issue in the American elections.

While during the Arab uprisings the rage of the street was directed towards the despotic leaders that could not have remained in power without Western backing, the recent attacks are directed directly at American diplomatic presence, an ominous development. This could symbolize the next phase of the war against terror and US is already preparing for this eventuality. The challenge being the options are very limited, it’s not like the military option has not been tried before.

While the situations of Afghanistan and Middle East are different, some positive signs have also emerged in NATO’s approach towards Afghanistan. The British Defense Secretary Phillip Hammond commented recently: “There needs to be, in my judgment, greater weight given to the high level political initiative for reconciliation. We recognize that Afghan society is such that it is pretty difficult to imagine a situation where there won’t be any level of insurgency … but it is also difficult to imagine in the long run a stable prosperous and sustainable Afghanistan that has not managed to reintegrate and reconcile at least a significant part of the insurgency.”

On the other hand, President Obama’s comment regarding Egypt, that it is neither an ally nor an enemy, seems like the new American posture during this time of transition in the Arab world. The message seems to convey if the new governments of the Arab world take the side of the Islamists, they will be considered as an enemy.

The writer is the chief analyst for PoliTact (www.PoliTact.com and http:twitter.com/politact) and can be reached at aansar@politact.com

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:57 AM Page 11

Comment 11

The murder of laughter

Editor’s mail

And our present leaders don’t even know it

third eye

By M J Akbar

T

he Raj froze laughter between the ruler and ruled between the old world of Raja Birbal and the new age of Mahatma Gandhi fell the shadow of the British Raj; and its stiff upper lip silenced, for a century and more, a creative bridge between ruler and citizen, humour. The bridge was unequal, but it existed.

The witty Brahmin, Birbal, was dining with his emperor when Akbar the Great sniffed at a plate of brinjal.

Brinjal, thundered Birbal, was a vegetable from hell, unworthy of a monarch who was the shadow of divinity on earth—how dare the royal kitchen serve such junk! Flay the chef! A few weeks later, at another meal, Akbar found a dish of brinjal delicious. Birbal went into raptures that excelled one another in metaphor and rhapsody. Akbar reminded Birbal of his previous views.

“Sire,” replied Birbal, “this brinjal is not my emperor. You are.”

Anyone who thinks sycophancy is the point of the story misses the point. The punchline punctures, if lightly, the ego of kings with a verbal stiletto. Birbal is the eponymous people’s hero because his anecdotes are comfort food on the table of power.

Birbal is the most famous of an eastern tradition of courtiers and citizens, across kingdoms and centuries, who challenged the claimed omnipotence of rulers with the salutary barb of wit.

They used jest, but were not jesters; Birbal was one of Akbar’s finest military commanders who is believed to have died during the wars in Afghanistan. The stories around these popular icons, many apocryphal, were often moral fables or pungent reminders of a power beyond the realm of kings. Sultan Haroun-ul-Rashid, the mightiest of Baghdad’s Abbasid dynasty, had a celebrated alter ego, Luqman, who

was once seen rushing away with a log in flames. Luqman explained that he was going to hell. Why carry fire to hell, asked Haroun; there was enough fire there already. Wrong, replied Luqman: Each one of us carries his own fire to hell. The Turkish lands of Asia had Hodja, who laughed at wealth and authority. He was once invited to dinner by a rich man in the city of Aksehir, and found no one paid attention to him because he was in his normal clothes. He went home, changed into finery, returned and found he was offered the best food.

He dipped the bottom of his fur coat into gravy and cried, ‘My dear coat, eat! This food is for you, not me.’

The more powerful the monarch the greater seemed the need for a figure who could keep him close to earth. Muslim rulers were reminded of an Arab saying, attributed to the Prophet, “Humour is to speech what salt is to food.” Wit was classless, but it had to be delivered with grace. As that great raconteur and journalist Abdul Halim Sharar notes in his immortal tribute to Awadh, Lucknow: The Last Phase of an Oriental Culture, “The greater a person’s wit, the more he will be appreciated in literary and social circles.” It is axiomatic that wit needs a target, but it must always wear the antidote of discretion. Raja Bhoja of 11th century Malwa had a lower caste ‘Teli’ as his foil, but if the latter lives on in memory it is because he used a pinprick, not a sword. Wit is a reminder, not a rebellion.

The meaning of servant changed with the arrival of the British, as did the meaning of master. Pride of service was replaced by dry obedience.

Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah of Awadh hired a cook who only made lentils at the astonishing salary of Rs 500 a month. The Nawab always had to comply with a service condition, that he ate the daal as soon as it was prepared. Some weeks later, the cook produced his first plateful, placed it on the dastarkhwan, and told the Nawab, who was chatting. When after two reminders the Nawab did not appear, the cook emptied the daal on a withered tree and walked out, never to be seen again. Money was no substitute for honour.

Hilton Brown, whose anthology The Sahibs: The Life and Ways of the British in India as Recorded by Themselves was published in 1948, when the many odours of the Raj were still wafting through live mem-

ory, notes that “Before he had servants—this is a thing one is apt to forget—the Sahib had slaves...” and that a great deal of “solemn discussion” from Waterloo (1815) to the Mutiny (1857) between Europeans in India dwelt on “how far it was permissible, and indeed advisable, to beat one’s domestic staff for next to nothing”.

The diarist Russell, writing in 1857, described this as “a savage, beastly, and degrading custom” and noted that the perpetrator “had no fear of any pains or penalties of the law”. To be fair, slavery existed before the British arrived, and perhaps while a Nawab’s whipping was as painful, a Sahib’s was remembered.

The startling difference between the British Raj and Indian Raj is the utter absence of humour between the ruler and the ruled under the British.

There is no chapter on wit in The Sahibs. There are jokes aplenty in British Life in India: An Anthology of Humorous and Other Writings Perpetrated by the British in India, 17501950, with some Latitude for Works Completed after Independence, edited by R V Vernede, but Indians only appear when the Sahibs laughed at them, not with them, although quite often fondly. Hence: Suleiman Khan was a zabardast man, but fond of the ladies too. He’d an iron fist and a very long list of all the villains he knew.

They came to no harm if they greased his palm, as sensible rascals did; but no ‘pro quo’ if a fellow said ‘no’ and failed to produce his ‘quid’.

There are fun and games, of course, in British India, particularly between the sexes. There was much dancing, correctly described as the vertical expression of a horizontal desire, when the fishing fleets brought in another catch of eager women from ‘home’; and there was sufficient horizontal expression in the summer capital of Simla for a Vicereine to sniff that no one could be found sleeping with his or her legitimate partner. Rudyard Kipling’s Mrs Hauksbee noted tartly, in Plain Tales from the Hills (1898) that “take my word for it, the silliest woman can manage a clever man; but it needs a very clever woman to manage a fool”.

And the Honourable Sir J A Thorne, ICS, recalled, “It turned to a kill, I intended a quarrel./Flirtatious young miss! (Yet it turned to a kiss.)/She pouted—and this robs my verse of a moral./It turned to a kiss; I intended a quarrel!”

The British were hardly humourless, but they reserved their wit for Britain, where class distinctions remained rigid, but where life was lived without fear. The first casualty of fear is humour. As George Orwell, a Raj officer in Burma, remarked, “You cannot be memorably funny without at some point raising topics which the rich, the powerful and the complacent would prefer to see left alone.” The guardians of the British Raj understood that it would be more easily destroyed by ridicule than guns. It was not until Indians began to rise again, in the early 20th century, that wit entered the political dialectic. Indian poets, of course, continued to lance their lines with sentiment against foreign rule; and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s satire against the Tommy is lacerating. But this literature was subversive, and always wary of censorship, which was a formidable weapon in the Raj arsenal. How do you censor the Oxbridge-returned leader of the Khilafat Movement, Maulana Muhammad Ali, when he cheekily asks the British why they educated Indians if they wanted them to remain subservient. No force, as Mark Twain pointed out, can withstand the assault of laughter.

The savage cartoon is 18th century Britain’s contribution to political debate; and if vulgarity is an issue, then you have to take a look at British caricature of its royalty. Those pamphleteers were merciless. Why does the Indian ruling class, across party lines, react with such outrage over cartoon and caricature? It cannot merely be imploding self-confidence as defeat looms on the electoral horizon. That would be human, and might even be easily explicable. It seems more likely that while we fashioned our system from the Westminster model, our rulers inherited their attitudes from the British Raj of Calcutta and Delhi rather than the Indian pedigree of Mughal or Maratha or Rajput.

Our founding fathers could take a joke, because they joined public life to serve. Their successors entered politics as a means to power. They lost their sense of humour at the gate.

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

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.

the dying music industry ‘Music never dies.’ If someone had brought that little sentence up in my awareness, maybe 20 years ago, I would’ve believed them. I would’ve thought, ‘music like this can never get old’, but now I would think differently. I might as well scoff at that statement too. Because, putting all manners aside, the so called ‘music’ we have today, sucks.

Our music is dying. I say dying because I still know some artists who make music with raw talent and passion. Our music industry has not truly gone into the dump, yet. What artists of today believe in is editing and various instruments that distort what little talent there is and crush it into auto-tuned crap. Back when people didn’t have that, they made music out of talent and creativity. And that sheer talent and passion for music reflected on their music and that is why the music of then is loved today. Music made then was immortal, literally.

Artists of today, like Nicki Minaj and Lady GaGa, who have made themselves famous by their money, and who have been encouraged by our speedily going downhill generation are making music, not out of love for music, but for the love of money. I doubt the artists of 80’s and 90’s cared more for money than music. The trouble is, there are still artists present today who have passion and talent, but what they don’t have is money to promote themselves. And without fans and supporters, they probably won’t last long.

People today still reminisce about the old music era and respect it or our 2000’s music era to be remembered and loved in the time to come, we need to stop supporting artists who run after money. We need to give a chance to those people who actually give a damn about music. By our support, they can make it on top hence, making good music on top. Because those mainstream artists don’t make music; they make money.

FATIMA MOTALA Karachi

Life threat A clay oven is being run in Chenab Block, adjacent to Masjid Quba in Allama Iqbal Town, Lahore, which is an open violation of rules. Even though their gas connection was canceled by the Sui Northern, it is still open and is being run on woods as fuel now.

Because of those damp woods, carbon monoxide is creating a life threat for us, the residents of the area.

We submitted an application to the health department and they assured us of an action but there has been no action since many days. There are elderly people, asthma patients and eye patients here for whom this smoke is not good at all.

Whose fault is this? Will the authorities listen to us and respond to our plight?

ROOP TALIB Lahore

Monday, 17 September, 2012

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:58 AM Page 12

12 are original hunks of B’wood: John formula was wrong. I don’t take all this very seriously, because perceptions keep changing with time.”

ON HIS UPCOMING PROJECTS John said, “I am working hard with Shoojit Sircar on a film titled Jaffna. It is in its initial stages right now, so I can’t talk much about it. Next, I’ll be playing the lead in Aditya Bhattacharya’sKaala Ghoda. Films like Race 2 and Shootout At Wadala are going on as well.”

RELIVING MY DHOOM DAYS

A

C T O R John Abraham is followed by thousands of fitness enthusiasts across the nation who aspire to get a perfect body like him, but this suave hunk believes that despite his fans bestowing the handsome hunk title on him, actors Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt are, and always will be, the ultimate icons of fitness and body building in Bollywood. The actor said, “Actors Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt are the only trendsetters of body building in Bollywood.

They are the original hunks. They brought thousands of youngsters to gyms and made them conscious of fitness.” While the actor inspires thousands, who inspired him to take up body-building? “I was inspired to work on my body after I saw Sylvester Stallone in Rocky 4. I saw that movie when I was in college and I was like, ‘Oh my God what a built’.

I believe that got me into body building,” said the actor.

their amazing talent, especially Ayushmann.

He is an immensely talented guy.

People keep saying that we got the formula right for Vicky Donor, but I would like to say that everything is right if the movie becomes a hit. If things don’t work out well, then people say the

ALWAYS WANTED TO PRODUCE FILMS The actor who is quite busy these days juggling the twin roles of an actor and a producer said, “I am enjoying my stints as an actor as well as a producer. I always wanted to produce films. Some actors like to make films and then act in them whereas I prefer getting in young actors to perform. Like Ayushmann and Yami in the movie Vicky Donor. Those two youngsters just overwhelmed everyone with

Brad Pitt’s a laugh being a dad Brad Pitt doesn’t want to direct movies any more – as spending time with the kids is too much fun. The actor – who has six children with Angelina Jolie – has previously revealed his desire to be a director when he turns 50 next year. Now he says he has changed his mind.

Brad said: “It’s too much effort. It’s too big a job. I’d rather be a dad. It’s more fun. “Being a father has changed everything for me as far as perspective and interests go. “I just want to take care of myself and be around them.” Just as Brad talks of turning his back on movie-making, daughter Vivienne is taking to the spotlight.

Last month it was revealed that the fouryear-old was making her film debut in Disney’s Maleficent. Brad bought son Maddox a dirt bike for his 11th birthday last month and installed a rally track at their French home in Provence.

No wonder he wants to stay at home. news desk

Monday, 17 September, 2012

The shoot of Race 2 and Shootout At Wadala has got John all excited as through these two movies, he got to relive his Dhoom days. “I am very excited about Shootout At Wadala as it might be a game changer for me. My hopes are pretty high with this one. As far as Race 2 is concerned, the character that I play is a lot similar to the one I played in Dhoom, as he is as stylish as Kabir from Dhoom. I feel like I’m reliving my Dhoom days.

DON’T CHEAT WITH YOUR MEALS After all the talks about his movies, the actor shared some gyaan on how to keep healthy. Emphasizing on the need for being loyal towards food, the actor said, “Never cheat with your meal. Go and eat whatever you want to, but avoid too much oil and fat. I am a pescetarian (a vegetarian who eats fish) these days. I was a vegetarian for the last 14 years.

I also include a lot of whey protein in my diet. People keep peeping into my platter when I have my meal to follow what I eat. But it’s simple; there is no rocket science involved. Good food, good sleep and good exercise will surely lead you towards a healthy life and you will look good even in your old clothes. Follow this and you will see the change.” couRtesY toi

Voluptous is beautiful, ask men: Vidya Balan We’re talking about trends in the industry, the size zero fad refuses to go. Even then, Vidya’s stood by her curvier Indian figure. So, what does she have to say about a recent comment

by Kareena Kapoor on fat not being sexy?

“Voluptuous is beautiful.

Ask the men, and you will get the answer. Indian women have the kind of face and a certain body structure that makes them voluptuous. I flaunt my features and structure. And why not,” she asks. But those extra kilos gained during the making of The Dirty Pictures are no longer visible, though Vidya says she did not do much to shed the weight. “Since I could not hold so much in the first place, it went away during the promotion of the film! A couple of kilos which remain will go away after I do a few more films. I do not think about weight any more as it is not worthy of being given a thought,” she says with a laugh. couRtesY toi

MuMBAi: indian Bollywood personalities (L-R) Esha Gupta, Emraan Hashmi and Bipasha Basu pose during a success party event for the Hindi film ‘Raaz 3’. AFP

Kate Middleton has best celebrity hair Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, known for her sense of style, has been voted for sporting the best celebrity hair in a new poll. Middleton topped a survey, conducted by salon products retailer Fabriah.com, which polled 500 women on who they thought had the best celebrity hair, reports a website. Experts at Fabriah.com compiled the shortlist of the top ten celebrities, before opening it up to the public`s vote.

The Duchess, famed for luscious locks, polled over a quarter of the vote. “Kate Duchess of Cambridge has become somewhat of a fashion goddess.

Anything she wears seems to fly immediately off the shelves, likewise hairdressers across the country are seeing an increasing demand for the Middleton-style locks,” said a spokesperson of Fabriah.com. news desk

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:58 AM Page 13

13 Playing the guitar helps me relax: AyUShMAnn KhURRAnA Playing the guitar helps me relax, says Ayushmann Khurrana, who also loves listening to music

MY DE-STRESS MANTRA IS...

Exercising and playing the guitar helps me relax. So, after pack-up, I go for a long run... about 8 km. No matter how tired I am, even after 12 hours of work, running makes me feel good and motivates me. I love listening to music, especially Sufi music, and my favorite band is Coldplay.

IN MY LEISURE TIME...

I used to play a lot of squash, until recently. I like to read. I’m fond of nonfiction like The Last Mughal by William Dalrymple and books by Richard Bach. I also read works of Ghalib and Zauq. I read the Bhagwad Gita, too, but not for religious reasons. The last book I read was the biography of Muhammad Ali.

A COOK OR A FOODIE...

MY HOBBIES...

I like dancing and was quite a dancer during my school days. However, during college, I turned my focus towards theatre. I love playing the guitar, as music has always been a part of my life. I like playing cricket too, and would do so with the children in my building.

HOMEBODY OR PARTY-ANIMAL...

Neither do I drink, nor smoke. So, I don’t like clubbing so much. I like going out to watch plays, movies and for long drives with friends. I prefer house parties, which is relaxing, unlike clubbing.

TIPS TO DE-STRESS...

It varies from person to person. Some people like to workout or watch television, while others indulge in sports, dance etc. What I would advise is - do what you love and what makes you feel good. couRtesY toi

I’m a big foodie and eat every two hours. When I came to Mumbai from Chandigarh, I brought a cook along. I have a sweet tooth and prefer Indian sweets like falooda, matka kulfi, jalebis.

RONAN KEATING finds new love Singer Ronan Keating has reportedly fallen for a former ‘X Factor’ producer. Five months after announcing the end of his 14-year marriage, the 35-year-old has grown close to TV executive Storm Uechtritz over the past week, reports a website. Their friendship began two months after Storm, 30, split from her businessman husband. According to an insider, “things are going great” between the duo, who first met two years ago on the set of the Australian version of music reality show ‘X Factor’. The source close to Boyzone star Keating added: “Storm is beautiful and vivacious and is a really good tonic for Ronan after the tough 18 months he’s had. Storm, who is based in Sydney, has revealed to friends she is considering moving to Britain to be nearer to Keating when he has completed his ‘X Factor’ commitments. He flew from Ireland to Australia this week and the pair have been out on dates. news desk

Anurag Basu makes Karan Johar feel talentless Filmmaker Karan Johar feels talentless after watching Anurag Basu’s Barfi! and says it would be an honour to work with actor Ranbir Kapoor who has excelled as a deaf and mute boy in the movie. “I just saw Barfi!...I have never felt more limited, inferior and talentless. Anurag Basu is the god of all filmmakers... his genius is Barfi!,” Johar tweeted. “Ranbir Kapoor has given the most outstandingperformance... he deserves a running ovation! It will be an honor to work with him,” he further tweeted. Johar also heaped praises on Priyanka Chopra for her portrayal of an autistic girl. “Priyanka Chopra is just brilliant as Jhilmil. Superbly nuanced and pitch perfect.

Her portrayal lingers long after the film. Well done Ileana (D’Cruz)!!! Superb debut... and Kudos to all at UTV for this masterpiece that defines the barometer of modern cinema,” he added. couRtesY toi

Pattinson forgives love cheat Stewart’s `stupid mistake`

R

O B E R T Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have become an item again, just months after he walked out on her for cheating on him with married director Rupert Sanders, it has been revealed. The 26-year-old actor is said to have had a heart-to-heart conversation with the tearful Hollywood beauty and forgiven her “stupid mistake”. According to a source, the ‘Twilight’ hunk had set up home with the brunette once more. “They pretty much decided they couldn’t live without each other,” the Sun quoted the source as saying. “Kristen poured her heart out to Robert and told him it was a one-off and a mistake,” the source said.

The betrayed actor quit their Hollywood home in June after snaps of his girlfriend cheating on him with her ‘Snowhite and the Huntsman’ director surfaced. “Rob sees it as Kristen made a really stupid mistake. After a lot of long tearful talks, they’ve worked it out,” the source said. “Rob can see how truly sorry Kristen is and has totally forgiven her. They really do love each other,” the source added. The Hollywood A-list couple have now moved into a secluded pad in the same Los Angeles compound where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have a place and are due to appear on the red carpet together in November for the final ‘Twilight’ film ‘Breaking Dawn - Part 2’. news desk

Monday, 17 September, 2012

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:58 AM Page 14

Infotainment 14

Camera falls 12,500 ft, still undamaged

L

competitor stephen brown took hair-raising to another level for the british beard and Moustache championship.

An idol of the sea goddess Matsu (l) on board a wooden boat while surrounded by swimmers as it is launched from the island's central sun Moon lake in taiwan's nantou county. the idol, which has millions of followers, kicked off a yearly event that drew a record of nearly 28,400 swimmers, including more than 1,300 from china, to finish a 3.3 kilometre swimming route. AFP

7 side effects of drinking diet soda OP QUIZ! What's the single biggest source of calories for Americans? White bread? Big Macs? Actually, try soda. The average American drinks about two cans of the stuff every day. "But I drink diet soda," you say. "With no calories or sugar, it's the perfect alternative for weight watchers...Right?"

Not so fast. Before you pop the top off the caramel-colored bubbly, know this: guzzling diet soda comes with its own set of side effects that may harm your health--from kickstarting kidney problems to adding inches to your waistline. Unfortunately, diet soda is more in vogue than ever. Kids consume the stuff at more than double the rate of last decade, according to research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Among adults, consumption has grown almost 25%. But knowing these 6 side effects of drinking diet soda may help you kick the can for good.

P

ing: Since kidney decline was not associated with sugar-sweetened sodas, researchers suspect that the diet sweeteners are responsible.

According to a 2008 University of Minnesota study of almost 10,000 adults, even just one diet soda a day is linked to a 34% higher risk of metabolic syndrome, the group of symptoms including belly fat and high cholesterol that puts you at risk for heart disease. Whether that link is attributed to an ingredient in diet soda or the drinkers' eating habits is unclear.

But is that one can really worth it?

Obesity You read that right: Diet soda doesn't help you lose weight after all. A University of Texas Health Science Center study found that the more diet sodas a person drank, the greater their risk of be-

Rotting teeth With a pH of 3.2, diet soda is very acidic. (As a point of reference, the pH of battery acid is 1. Water is 7.) The acid is what readily dissolves enamel, and just because a soda is diet doesn't make it acid-light. Adults who drink three or more sodas a day have worse dental health, says a University of Michigan analysis of dental checkup data. Soda drinkers had far greater decay, more missing teeth, and more fillings.

Messed-up metabolism

Kidney problems Here's something you didn't know about your diet soda: It might be bad for your kidneys. In an 11-year-long Harvard Medical School study of more than 3,000 women, researchers found that diet cola is associated with a two-fold increased risk for kidney decline. Kidney function started declining when women drank more than two sodas a day. Even more interest-

coming overweight. Downing just two or more cans a day increased waistlines by 500%. Why? Artificial sweeteners can disrupt the body's natural ability to regulate calorie intake based on the sweetness of foods, suggested an animal study from Purdue University.

That means people who consume diet foods might be more likely to overeat, because your body is being tricked into thinking it's eating sugar, and you crave more.

Cell damage Diet sodas contain something many regular sodas don't: mold inhibitors. They go by the names sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate, and they're in nearly all diet sodas. But many regular sodas, such as Coke and Pepsi, don't contain this preservative.

That's bad news for diet drinkers. "These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it - they knock it out altogether," Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology at the University of Sheffield in the U.K., told a British newspaper in 1999.

The preservative has also been linked to hives, asthma, and other allergic conditions, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Reproductive issues

more planets that can thrive in diverse and extreme environments like these nearby clusters,” Mario R. Perez, a NASA astrophysicist said in a press release. “Our galaxy contains more than

Dress costing £3.5million unveiled in Ukraine

T

HE work of British designer Debbie Wingham, the dress is adorned with 50 two-carat black diamonds, but opinions are divided amongst the fashionistas of Kiev.

One of the world's most expensive dresses has sparkled on the catwalk at a fashion show in Ukraine. The dress, created by British designer Debbie Wingham, is adorned with 50 two carat black diamonds, and weighs 29lb (13kg). Presented at a show featuring several other diamond-encrusted dresses from Ms Wingham's collection, the black diamond dress received a mixed response from the audience in Kiev. One visitor complimented the dress on how good it looked both on camera and in real life. "It really emphasizes the star quality of the person who wears it," she said. The dress is valued at £3.5million pounds. news desk

Sometimes, the vessel for your beverage is just as harmful. Diet or not, soft drink cans are coated with the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA), which has been linked to everything from heart disease to obesity to reproductive problems.

That's a lot of risk taking for one can of pop. news desk

Astronomers find planets within a cluster of stars Astronomers have found two massive gas-giants located within a dense cluster of stars. This is the first time that planets have been found in this type of environment. Each of the two planets orbits a different star in the Beehive Cluster, which consists of about 1,000 stars located between 520 and 610 light years away. The stars in the Cluster are believed to orbit a common center.

While there are a number of different types of stars in the Cluster, each of the two planets were found orbiting Sun-like stars. The Beehive Cluster is estimated to be about 600 million years old, and you can actually observe it at night – it looks a little like a nebula with the naked eye, and its in the constellation Cancer. The Cluster was known in ancient times, and Galileo was able to observe 40 stars within the cluster with one of his first telescopes. “We are detecting more and

UCAS Damm had a reason to yell out his last name when the camera on his sky-diving helmet fell out just as he jumped from a plane. When he landed in British Columbia, he got to do the same thing, but with a more positive inflection, because the camera survived a 12,500foot fall without a scratch. The skydiver recently did a jump near Pitt Meadows, hoping to capture it on his GoPro, a type of camera designed to fit on the helmet. But on the way out of the plane, his helmet hit the door and the camera popped out and started heading towards the ground even faster than Damm. He had no idea what happened until he landed. “I go to turn it off and I didn't hear it beeping, and I know the [spot where the camera is held] is open and I just start freaking out," he told Right This Minute. A fellow skydiver found the camera on a grass field near the targeted landing site without any damage, to his amazement. "It's just one of those random things," he said. "It's like winning the lottery of lotteries. For everything to come together the way that it happened is mindboggling." Damm posted the complete 8-minute video on YouTube. couRtesY Huffpost

1,000 of these open clusters, which potentially can present the physical conditions for harboring many more of these giant planets.” The astronomers discovered these planets by observing stars in the Cluster with the Tillinghast telescope in Arizona. One exciting aspect of this discovery is that it helps further refine astronomers’ understanding of how planets form in the first place.

In this case, it wasn’t clear whether these types of planets could form around stars like our sun when they’re located near so many other stars.

Now astronomers know they can.Sometimes it’s hard to believe that the first planet found outside of our solar system wasn’t discovered until 1992.

But in the 20 years since that first discovery, we’ve dramatically expanded our understanding of how planets and star systems form. This is an amazing time for astronomy. news desk

help for man twice, 8 years apart

A

N Ohio man is thankful for the intervention of a Good Samaritan — the same one who helped him once before, eight years ago.

Gerald Gronowski had a flat tire east of Cleveland recently when a man named Christopher Manaccistopped to help. During the encounter, Gronowski began talking about another stranger eight years before who had helped him pull out a hook that got stuck in his hand while he was fishing.

They then figured out that Manacci was that same man. He had been kayaking nearby. Gronowski tells The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer that he feels it's now his job to help someone else. He also offered to take Manacci fishing, but Manacci says that considering the bad luck Gronowski has had fishing, they should go bowling instead. news desk

Monday, 17 September, 2012

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:58 AM Page 16

Monday, 17 september, 2012

Spain reach davis Cup final as ferrer beats isner Page 18

Pakistan warmup for T20 today against India LAHORE stAff RepoRt

A

RCH rivals Pakistan and India will face each other in a warm up game today to put finishing touches to their world cup preparation in an exciting day night encounter. Both teams will try their best to come out as with a win as it will help boost their confidence level for the upcoming official matches. This will be the only match tomorrow to be played under lights Other matches slotted for Monday are Australia vs England at the Nondescripts Cricket Club ground, Bangladesh vs Ireland at the Moors Sports Club ground, New Zealand vs South Africa at the Colts Cricket Club ground and Afghanistan vs West Indies at the P Sara Oval Away from the action tomorrow will be Sri Lanka, the hosts, and Zimbabwe, who play the tournament opener on Tuesday (September 18) in Hambantota.

One more warm-up tie, featuring England and Pakistan, will take place on Wednesday (September 19).

England reached Sri Lanka only on Friday (September 14) after playing the last of its Twenty20 Internationals against South Africa on Wednesday (September 12). Though England will need to get used to the conditions in Sri Lanka, the result in the last match – a victory by 28 runs in an 11-overs-a-side contest –

S. africa unfazed by 'choker' tag, says de Villiers COLOMBO

would make the players confident. Australia, on the other hand, has played one warm-up game in Sri Lanka already, beating New Zealand by a big 56-run margin. David Warner, Shane Watson, Matthew Wade and Glenn Maxwell all got runs, though none of them went on to get a biggie, while Watson, Clint McKay, Pat Cummins and Brad Hogg were among the wickets, bowling New Zealand out for a paltry 83.

When Bangladesh takes on Ireland, it will pit two teams that are expected to make a splash in the tournament. Both Bangladesh and Ireland have, in the past, upset the plans of bigger teams, and can be counted on to do the same again. Interestingly, both the teams, in their only warm-up fixtures so far, played Zimbabwe. Ireland won the match by 54 runs while Bangladesh won its game by five wickets. Not much to choose between the two teams then, except that Bangladesh, with its big mix of spinners and better knowledge of the conditions in Sri Lanka, could start the game as favourites.

New Zealand has had a poor international season, but beat India by one run in a T20I just before arriving in Sri Lanka. The warm-up tie against Australia, of course, went badly for New Zealand. And against South Africa, one of the most complete teams in the game, New Zealand will have to lift its game by quite a few notches if it wants to make a mark. South Africa, like England, also reached Sri Lanka on Friday, and the game against New Zealand is its first, and

only warm-up game. That could help New Zealand, and from South Africa’s point of view, all combinations and plans need to be tested in this one T20 game.

Afghanistan gave out very positive signals when it played its first warm-up

game against Sri Lanka A. The Sri Lankan team had a number of players with international experience, and beating them by 51 runs, as Afghanistan did, was a laudable performance. However, against West Indies, one of the favourites for the tour-

Millionaires v part-timers shows T20 divide

Afp

Power-packed South Africa go into the World Twenty20 starting in Sri Lanka on Tuesday determined not to be ridiculed any more as the perennial chokers of international cricket.

The Proteas, a formidable side in all forms of the game, have not won a major world title since their return from an apartheid-induced ban in 1990, after inexplicably crashing at crucial moments in previous tournaments.

But limited-overs captain AB de Villiers warned rivals in the 12-nation tournament that they will see a new, determined South Africa in action who are capable of going all the way.

"I am going to be very honest with you, and I am going to put it up straight up front -- we have choked in the past and we know about it," de Villiers told reporters in Colombo.

"We have had some really bad experiences in the past. But I emphasis the word 'past'. We have come with a new look in this team and we have worked hard with our new management team that has given us a lot of energy and new ideas. "So we will approach this tournament differently and we like to win in pressure situations and we are going to do exactly that. We are prepared and excited to take the field." South Africa failed to make the final of the 1999 World Cup in England when they tied with Australia despite needing just one run to win off the last four deliveries.

During the Champions Trophy semi-final against India in Colombo in 2002, South Africa collapsed from a comfortable 1921 to lose by 10 runs after needing just 70 more from the last 14 overs.

Last year, Graeme Smith's men came through easily in the group stages of the World Cup before losing to New Zealand in the quarter-finals in Dhaka following a dramatic collapse.

South Africa's new team management includes coach Gary Kirsten, who made a name for himself by coaching India to World Cup success last year.

nament, Afghanistan will have its task cut out. West Indies left out Chris Gayle and lost its opening warm-up fixture to Sri Lanka, but with a plethora of gamechangers in its line-up, West Indies can be counted upon to put up a good show.

world twenty20 winner is anyone's guess COLOMBO Afp

COLOMBO Afp

At the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, Indian Premier League millionaires will rub shoulders with struggling part-timers, illustrating the wealth gap opened up by cricket's most contentious format.

On one hand will be wealthy Twenty20 stars such as India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir, and West Indian Chris Gayle, who have amassed considerable personal fortunes in the glitzy IPL. At the other end of the scale are part-time players from Ireland and the Netherlands, Zimbabwe and especially Afghanistan, whose captain Nawroz Mangal learned the game in a refugee camp.

India's first match, against Afghanistan in Colombo on Wednesday, raises the prospect of an idolised, multimillionaire team sharing facilities with players who grew up using home-made bats and balls.

It's only nine years since 20-over cricket was first introduced in England, in a bid to attract more fans. The innovation was initially frowned upon by most countries, including the game's economic powerhouse, India. But India's unexpected victory in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007 ushered in a sea-change that saw the launch of the flashy IPL a year later.

The IPL, where the world's top players turn out for franchises owned by rich businessmen and Bollywood actors, transformed Twenty20 cricket into a widely watched, and lucrative, spectacle.

Leading players have cashed in -- but the runaway success of the IPL and copycat Twenty20 leagues has also raised fears over the primacy of international cricket, especially the five-day Test matches. Unlike football, where FIFA designates international breaks to allow players to take leave of their clubs and represent their countries, cricketers are faced with a dilemma.

Indian stars such as Sachin Tendulkar and Dhoni are spared the choice since the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not schedule internationals during the IPL. But players from other countries, such as out-of-favour England batsman Kevin Pietersen, man of the tournament at the last World Twenty20, do not have the same luxury.

Pietersen had problems with the England cricket board when he tried to bargain to be allowed to play a full IPL season instead of returning home early for international duties.

"I think it's fair to say that his issues over being available for the entire IPL

have changed his attitude," said coach Andy Flower of Pietersen, who is out of the England squad after repeated run-ins with management.

Explosive opener Chris Gayle missed an entire year for the West Indies due to a conflict with his home board, but continued to rake in millions from the IPL and similar leagues.

Some boards such as New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies, unable to pay their players top dollar, have tried to restrict international commitments during the IPL. The International Cricket Council argues that if it provided a window for the IPL, it would have to accommodate other domestic leagues as well.

The World Twenty20 explodes into action this week in tropical Sri Lanka with no runaway favourite and upsets likely in cricket's shortest and least predictable form. At least half of the 12 participating nations will consider themselves strong contenders to lift the trophy in Colombo on October 7, with the others hopeful of living up to the event's reputation for shocks.

From defending champions England, the powerful West Indies and formidable South Africa to Asia's top three -- former winners India and Pakistan, and Sri Lanka -- the field is strong and deep.

The others won't be taken lightly either, if a string of sensational results in the tournament's three previous editions are any indication.

While many purists are unconvinced by Twenty20, and fear the impact on Test cricket, there's no doubting its entertainment value.

India, initially reluctant to embrace the newest format, won the inaugural event in South Africa in 2007 under rookie skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni after senior pros Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly opted out.

It was in the same tournament that Zimbabwe stunned Australia, Bangladesh upset the West Indies, and India brushed aside England, South Africa, Australia and Pakistan in successive games to grab the title.

Pakistan won the second edition in England in 2009, a tournament that made a stunning start when the Netherlands, a non Test-playing nation, upset the hosts by four wickets in front of a packed house at Lord's.

England claimed the 2010 title in the Caribbean, but it was Australia's amazing win over Pakistan in the semi-final that remained the talking point. With 34 needed from the final two overs, Michael Hussey smashed 38 off 10 balls to take Australia home with one delivery to spare.

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:58 AM Page 17

Sports 16 puNjAB YoutH FEStIvAL 2012

Hectic activity witnessed at Union Council level

LAHORE stAff RepoRt

H

ECTIC activity continued in the Union Council level of the Punjab Youth Festival 2012 on Sunday with the participants getting the taste of competitive sports and understanding the spirit of fighting till the end. With the second level of the festival concluding on September 18, the competitions had also entered into the final stage and on the day around 102419 competitors showed their skills throughout the province, raising the number of participants in this level to above 450,000. And on the day alone the number of participants swelled from the previous day’s figures of 75000. These 102419 participants took part in around 90 events and saw the involvement of 1491 Union Councils in the whole of Punjab.

In Lahore approximately 5000 youngsters of different union councils took part in 84 events and out of the

amateur table tennis tourney begins LAHORE stAff RepoRt

Lahore District Amateur Table Tennis Championship is under progress in the supervision of Punjab Table Tennis Association at newly built Ittefaq Table Tennis Hall.

This event is being managed for the preparation of Different tehsils table tennis teams of Lahore for participation in the upcoming Punjab Youth Festival.

32 amateur players of different tehsils from Lahore are participating in the tournament.

First round is on knock out basis, second stage will be played on league basis 1st Round Saadi Saeed beat Waheed Ahmed 3-2(118, 8- 11, 11-7, 7-11 and 11-8), Ahsan Mubashir beat Usman Baig by 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-7), Salman Baig beat Umer Iftikhar by 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-7), Usman Aziz beat Ali Asghar by 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-5), Shahwer Pasha beat Tayyab by 3-2 (11-7,11-9, 9-11, 6-11 and 11-7), Abdul Rafee beat Tahir Rafique by 3-0 (11-4, 118, 11-9), Aamer Sohail beat Muhammad Salman by 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-7), Shawaiz beat Ansar Sharif by 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 118), Aleem beat Hassan Saleem by 3-1 (114, 11-3, 8-11 and 11-7), Shoaib beat Usman Mehmood by 3-1(11-8, 11-7, 7-11 and 11-8), Atif beat Ahsan Zaib by 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-7), Abu bakar beat Nadeem by 3-0 (11-5, 11-7, 11-7), Adeel beat Zain Hammad by 3-0 (11-6, 11-3, 11-5), Sohaib beat Talha by 3-1 (11-7, 11-9, 9-11 and 116), Umer Shakoor beat Umer Hayat bt 30 (11-3, 11-5 and 11-7), Ali Usman beat Muhammad Imran by 3-0 (11-7, 11-6 and 11-8) The matches started on 14th September, 2012 in the late hour at Ittefaq Table Tennis Hall at Kotlakhpat, Lahore.

2nd Round (League Matches) Results are following: Saadi Saeed beat Ahsan Mubashir 11-8, 11-9, 11-7, Salman Baig beat Usman Aziz 11-9, 11-6,, 11-5, Shahwer Pasha beat Abdul Rafee 11-4, 11-8, 11-9, Aamer Sohail beat Shawaiz 11-9, 11-8, 11-7, Aleem beat Shoaib 11-8, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8.

nine towns of the city, Wagha, Aziz Bhatti, Gulberg, Ravi and Nashtar towns took active part in the events of arm wrestling, badminton both doubles and singles, tug of war, bodybuilding, and athletics while there was also competitions of naat khani, qirat, essay writing and painting among the elementary school students, which were held under the supervision of the Education department while Social Welfare department conducted dress designing, cooking and healthy baby competitions. Population Welfare Department recorded the participation of 37,586 ladies in healthy baby competition in the whole of Punjab with 5613 winning the competition. In Lahore 300 took part in this event and 90 were the winners.

In the education sector, 119,861 took part in 246 events of painting, milli naghme, debate, essay writing etc while the competitions are still continuing and in the next two days decide the winners. In Lahore alone 2289 students took part in the competitions from 51 markaz in 40 events.

Khawaja Salman Rafique, advisor to

CM on health and MPA Rana Iqbal were the chief guests of the day during the competitions at Iqbal Park Sports Complex where Ravi Town Union Councils took part in different events.

In Aziz Bhatti Town, Union council 5’s Naeem Ashfaq, Kamran Afzal and Imran Ahmed defeated Mian Ishtiaq, Iftikhar Ahmed and M.Naeem in badminton doubles 21-15, 21-10. In singles, Usman beat Ibrar 2-0 whereas in the doubles, Mohammad Aqib defeated Ibrar and Hussain 2-0 in arm wrestling.

In Billiard, Union council 132’s Mustafa beat Adeel.

In Ravi Town, Weight Lifting competitions were held in which Fawad Mirza of Union council 26 won the 62 KG’s category. In 70 KG’s Waqas Butt of Union council 26 was the winner while in 94 KG, Union Council 23’s Asad Talal Mir won his event.

In Shalimar Town, Arm Wrestling 62 KG competitions, Union council 19’s Rashid Butt, Union council 134’s Ehsan Ahsan from Nishtar Town, Union council 48’s Umair Aziz of Aziz Bhatti town and Union council 37’s Asif Rasheed of

Wahga town were declared winners in 62 KG’s category. In 77 KG, Union council 134’s Aqeel Butt of Nishtar Town whereas Union council 90’s Aqeel Ahmed of Shalimar town won the competitions. In 94 KG category, Union council 21’s Mohammad Abdullah Butt bagged first position.

In the other 35 districts of the province, a total of about 1500 Union Councils took part in various events and competitions and there were around20159 winners. These winners have also been registered to be shortlisted to compete in the next round of the festival which is the Tehsil level that is starting from September 20.

Looking division-wise participation, Rawalpindi had 7193 competitors in 89 events with 158 UCs getting their youngsters involved in the events while 1873 were the winners. In Rawalpindi city 386 won their competitions after 2321 took part in 36 events. Sargodha had 4764 participants in 72 events with Bhakkar being the most active having around 1741 youngsters involved in 13 events from 23 Ucs.

Ashraful relishing opening role

Gujranwala was above all the divisions where 386 UCs got 20047 involved in 106 events and 2787 turned out to be the winners. In this division, Sialkot district registered more activeness among a total of 12226 participants. They hailed from 92 UCs and took part in 31 events with 695 winning their competitions. In Gujranwala city alone 4687 took part in 31 events with 1115 winning their events.

Similarly, 262 UCs of Faisalabad took part in 81 events and out of the 17495 participants 4515 won their competitions while in Faisalabad city alone out of the 10155 participants 3346 turned out to be triumphant and at Toba Tek Singh around 6000 took part in five events with 916 winning their games .

Likewise, Sahiwal had 3718 participants and 1098 winners, Multan had 9314 participants and 2908 winners, Bahawalpur got 8470 involved in 59 events with 1622 tasting win while in Dera Ghazi Khan 27456 took part in 38 events with Muzaffargarh recording 26662 participants and 1860 winners in 20 events.

Morgan eyes positive start

Bangladesh batsman wants to keep contributing in collaboration with Tamim Iqbal

COLOMBO Agencies

COLOMBO Agencies

Bangladesh batsman Mohammad Ashraful is enjoying his position at the top of the order. The right-hander has found himself in and out of the national team since bursting onto the scene as a teenager in 2011.

Although he remains on the sidelines in Test and ODI cricket, Ashraful has thrived as an opener in T20 cricket since earning a recall in July.

Ashraful top-scored for his team in Saturday’s victory over Zimbabwe with 38 in a warm-up match ahead of the ICC World Twenty20.

With one more warm-up fixture

before the ICC WT20 – against Ireland on Monday – Ashraful is hoping to continue his form when the tournament gets underway this week.

“I guess the opener’s role has suited me well,” he told tigercricket.com. “I have been opening the innings for a while now and have made some important contributions while batting with Tamim. Of course I would love to play bigger innings but we have not batted on the best of Twenty20 wickets in recent times.

Hopefully the tracks for the main tournament games will be more battingfriendly and I will try to take this form into those games.”

Bangladesh got themselves into

trouble during their run-chase against Zimbabwe when they lost three wickets for five runs midway through the innings with 50 runs still required.

Ashraful praised sixth-wicket pair Ziaur Rahman (26 not out) and Mahmudullah (23 not out) for then seeing their side home. “In a Twenty20 game this can happen,” said Ashraful.

“A couple of tight overs and wickets may fall. However, we were never unduly concerned. There is a very nice balance to our team. The way Ziaur Rahman and Mahmudullah batted despite the loss of three or four wickets after Shakib and I had brought the run rate down, it was an example of the confidence in this side.”

Batsman Eoin Morgan is hoping England can get off to a good start in their ICC World T20 warm-up programme when they face Australia on Monday in Colombo.

England arrived in Sri Lanka on Friday after completing their domestic season with a T20I victory over South Africa two days’ earlier. Morgan is expecting a tough baptism on the sub-continent. "It will be a case of getting what we need out of what will be a good, testing game,” said Morgan.

“We'd obviously like to be on the winning side. But to come up against a strong team like Australia is going to be a big challenge.” Australia’s preparations took them the Emirates for ODI and T20I series against Pakistan in conditions similar to those expected in Sri Lanka. Morgan concedes tomorrow’s opponent will have benefited from their time in Dubai but it should not give them a head-start. "There is a chance of that, especially with them coming off Dubai with similar conditions to out here,” said Morgan. "But we've just come off the back of a long season, so the position we are in having had plenty of practice we will have as much of an advantage as they will and feel as prepared.” Morgan believes England will benefit from having a number of younger players in the squad who can bounce off the more experienced campaigners that formed part of the successful ICC World Twenty20 2010 squad.

Monday, 17 September, 2012

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:59 AM Page 18

17 Sports hundreds greet del Piero in australia

SYDNEY Afp

Hundreds of fans greeted former Juventus great Alessandro Del Piero when he touched down in Australia on Sunday to begin a two-year stint with Sydney FC, in a major coup for the A-League.

The Italian legend, 37, received an enthusiastic reception as he landed in Sydney from a 500-strong crowd who waited for hours hoping to catch a glimpse of their idol.

"I am here not for the end of my career.

I am here for the start of a new career," Del Piero, who spent 19 years at Juventus, told reporters before being whisked away to a waiting car.

"I play to win," he added.

Del Piero opted for Sydney FC ahead of clubs including Premier League giants Liverpool, on a two-year contract reportedly worth US$2 million a season.

His signing has been hailed as a significant moment for Australia's A-League, which is entering its eighth season but has struggled over the years with patchy crowds and financial troubles.

The international forward scored 208 goals in 513 appearances for Juventus and was their skipper.

Football Federation Australia hopes he will boost attendances and corporate support for the A-League, as well as improve the standard.

allegri under pressure as Milan flop again

GiJĂ“N: Spanish supporters cheer during the fourth match of the davis Cup semi-final Spain vs uSa between Spain's david ferrer and uS John isner at the hermanos Castro park court. AFP

Australian officials probe Olympic prank claims SYDNEY

A

MILAN Afp

Question marks over Massimiliano Allegri's future as AC Milan coach began appearing in the media on Sunday a day after the Rossoneri's second home defeat of the season.

Milan, who begin their Champions League group campaign against Belgian side Anderlecht on Tuesday, suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat to Atalanta.

It came three weeks after defeat to Sampdoria at the San Siro and a fortnight after Allegri's side appeared to be on the mend with a 3-1 away win at Bologna courtesy of a Giampaolo Pazzini hattrick.

Allegri's relationship with club vicepresident Adriano Galliani is said to be deteriorating and reports last week claimed club owner Silvio Berlusconi was beginning to take "more interest" in the club's situation.

Corriere dello Sport said Sunday it was Milan's worst start at home in 82 years, and that the defeat would create an even more "delicate" situation between Allegri and Galliani.

Milan lost the spine of their team earlier this summer after selling Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva to Paris Saint Germain, as well as seeing several established veterans such as Filippo Inzaghi retire.

Team captain Massimo Ambrosini, who was substituted in the second half and was later seen talking with an increasingly frustrated Allegri, said their departure should be no excuse.

Monday, 17 September, 2012

Afp

USTRALIAN swimming boss Kevin Neil vowed an investigation Sunday into reports of pranks, ill-discipline, and an initiation ritual involving sedatives among the London Games squad.

The sport is undergoing an independent review after Australia won just one gold medal, six silver and three bronze at the Olympics -- its lowest tally in the pool since Barcelona 1992.

Recent reports have suggested some members of the much-vaunted but ultimately unsuccessful six-man freestyle relay team had an initiation ritual days before the Games that involved taking the banned sedative Stilnox.

There have also been claims of swimmers upsetting teammates and coaches by prank calling and knocking on their doors late at night at their camp in Manchester, two days before the team went to London.

Neil said the claims would be fully investigated as part of the review and he could "guarantee we'll get to the bottom of it", warning that swimmers faced expulsion from the squad if the Stilnox allegations were true.

Australian team officials banned London Games athletes from using Stilnox, a powerful sleeping tablet with sometimes dangerous side-effects, which can include walking and driving cars while asleep.

"If proven, a judiciary process needs to be adhered to," Neil told News Limited newspapers of the Stilnox claims. "(The judiciary) have the power to do all sorts of things -- cease membership, disqualify (athletes)."

Neil accepted responsibility for Australia's poor showing, its first Olympics without an individual swimming gold since 1976.

But he said there had been a "real downturn over some time" in Australia's

swimming ranks. "In 2006, no individual male won a medal at the Commonwealth Games, no individual male won gold at the Beijing Olympics," he said.

"In 2010 at the World Championships not one of our swimmers was ranked number one in the world."

Prior to 2008 Neil said funding was focused on the high-performance programme rather than discovering and fostering new talent and there had "obviously been a lag from that".

"We've rectified that situation with more funding now going to junior development. We've now got a very good talent identification programme," he said.

Germans specialized win women's team time-trial VALKENBuRG: German team Specialized won the inaugural women's team time-trial on the opening day of the world road championships here on Sunday.

The victorious team, led by 2008 world time-trial champion Amber Neben of the United States, completed the 34.2km course between Sittard/Geelen and Valkenburg in a time of 46min 31sec. Specialized finished 24 seconds ahead of Australian team Orica, who boasted the top two finishers in the 2011 individual time-trial in the form of Germany's Judith Arndt and Linda Villumsen of New Zealand. Apart from Neben, 37, Specialized's line-up also featured another American, Evelyn Stevens, Dutchwoman Ellen Van Dijk, and German trio Charlotte Becker, Trixi Worrack and Ina-Yoko Teutenberg. Afp

VaLKeNburG: Germany's Specialized - Lululemon cycling team jubilates on the podium after winning the women's team time trial at the uCi road world Championships AFP

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:59 AM Page 19

Sports 18 Spain reach Davis Cup final as Ferrer beats Isner GIJON

S

Afp

PAIN reached their sixth Davis Cup final in 10 years after David Ferrer gave them an unassailable 3-1 semi-final lead over the United States by beating John Isner 67 (3/7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday.

Spain will travel to either Argentina or the Czech Republic for the final, depending on which of those countries prevails in the other semifinal due to be decided later on Sunday in Buenos Aires.

The United States had kept the tie alive with the five-times champions with a doubles victory by the twins Bob and Mike Bryan on Saturday, but US Open semi-finalist Ferrer on his favourite red clay prevailed over Isner, the world number 10. The six-foot, nine-inch American beat Ferrer in a tiebreak in the first set but the Spaniard dominated the following three.

Ferrer, currently number one in his country in the absence of the injured Rafael Nadal, tamed Isner's formidable serve and aggressive style with precision returns and passing shots and capitalised on a series of unforced errors. It was the 16th Davis Cup victory in a row for Ferrer on clay.

Nadal could make a return for the final in November if he recovers from the knee injury that kept him out of the Olympics and the US Open this summer.

The United States -- the most successful team overall in Davis Cup history with 32 victories -- admitted they were not favourites when they came to Spain for the tie.

But under the captaincy of former Grand Slam-winner Jim Courier, they

Shin holds onto lead at women's british Open

watch it Live STAR CRICKET T20 WARM UP: PAKISTAN VS INDIA 01:30PM

aussie davis Cup hopes rest on hewitt after Mayer win HAMBURG Afp

have chalked up back-to-back away wins in Switzerland (5-0), where Isner shocked Roger Federer, and France (32), where he defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Spain have dominated the Davis Cup over the past decade, winning it five times, and are surfing a wave of 23 consecutive home victories.

Argentina's hopes of making the final suffered a double blow on Satur-

day when they slipped 2-1 down to the Czech Republic in the semi-finals and lost top player Juan Martin Del Potro through injury.

Spain beat Argentina in the final in in 2008 and 2011.

The fifth match of the Spain-USA tie in Gijon, due to be played between Nicolas Almagro and Sam Querrey, was called off after Ferrer's victory determined the tie.

Kazakhstan secure Davis Cup World Group spot

Teenager Bernard Tomic lost in straight sets to Florian Mayer on Sunday as Germany levelled at 2-2 with Australia in the Davis Cup World Group play-off.

The tie will now be decided by the fifth and final rubber between ex-world number one Lleyton Hewitt of Australia and Germany's 21-year-old Cedrik-Marcel Stebe.

Mayer had few problems claiming a 6-4, 62, 6-3 over Tomic.

"Of course, I was feeling under pressure, but a three sets win, what can I say?," beamed Mayer.

"The spectators here gave me some brilliant support, this is a great feeling."

Germany's Philipp Petzschner, ranked 101st in the world, had been tipped to step in to play the final rubber, but a left knee injury forced him out, leaving Stebe, ranked 127th to face Hewitt, now 100th in the world. Having beaten Hewitt in straight sets in Friday's singles match, Mayer, ranked 25th in the world, handed out the same treatment to Tomic taking the first two sets with ease.

The third set was more tightly fought initially as both players exchanged breaks before Mayer got the upper hand to take a 5-3 lead with Tomic to serve.

The German raced into a 40-15 lead, then converted his first match point to wrap up victory in just one hour, 31 minutes.

"I think I played OK in the first few games, but he showed when he gets a head start he is like one of the best players in the top 30," said 19-year-old Tomic. "I tried to dig in at the end of the first set, but as the match went on he played better and better.

india bar bhupathi, bopanna from davis Cup NEW DELHI Afp

ALMATY Afp

HOYLAKE

Kazakhstan secured their place in the Davis Cup World Group after Mikhail Kukushkin beat Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in the fourth rubber of the two countries' play-off showdown here on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Kukushkin won 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 62 in his first ever meeting with Istomin, who is ranked 34th in the ATP ranking, to give Kazakhstan an unassailable 3-1 lead in the tie. "It was a really tough match," Kukushkin said. "It was much tougher than you'd think from looking at the scoreboard.

"It was especially difficult in the beginning of the fourth set but luckily I managed to battle through and win.

I'm very happy to win the deciding

point for my side." Kukushkin, the world number 70, started the match with an immediate break and preserved his narrow lead to take the first set in 38 minutes before comfortably opening up a two-set advantage.

Moscow resident Istomin, 26, reduced the arrears by winning the third set in a tie-break but in the fourth Kukushkin broke his opponent's serve twice again to win the set, the match, and a place in the World Group for his squad.

Indian tennis chiefs have barred veterans Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna from playing in the Davis Cup until June 2014 after they refused to partner doubles specialist Leander Paes at the Olympics.

Bhupathi, who at 38 may have played his last Davis Cup match, tweeted in response: "The cranky old grand fathers on the executive committee, who have never played tennis waiting for a reaction? There is one coming. stay tuned!"

He and Bopanna, 32, cited personal and professional reasons for not wanting to link up with Paes at the London games.

Paes and Bhupathi formed a long-standing and highly successful team for years, winning Grand Slam doubles titles at the French Open in 1999 and 2001, and Wimbledon in 1999.

Afp

South Korea's Shin Jiyai, five shots ahead at halfway, held a three-shot lead after a third-round 71 at the weather-delayed Women's British Open at Royal Liverpool on Sunday.

With 36 holes having to be squeezed into the final day after Friday's play was postponed due to wind, Australia's Karrie Webb made the biggest charge in round three with five birdies in a 68.

Shin stood on ten-under-par 206, with Webb, a three-time former winner, on seven under par and South Korea's Park Inbee alone in third place on four under after a 72 that included a double-bogey six at the 17th.

Lydia Ko (76), the 15-year-old New Zealander who won the Canadian Open last month, and England's Holly Clyburn (74) were the joint-top amateurs on three over par.

Yani Tseng, the two-time defending champion, slipped back to four over par after a round of 76.

Martinez survives knockdown to dethrone Chavez LAS VEGAS Afp

Sergio Martinez survived a late knockdown to reclaim the World Boxing Council's middleweight belt on Saturday when he defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. by a unanimous points decision. Martinez, 37, dominated and was leading comfortably on the judges' scorecards when he got into trouble in the 12th and final round, and the Argentine had to survive a late onslaught by Chavez as they went toe-to-toe.

Chavez knocked Martinez down in the final round but the veteran was able to hang on in front of a sold-out crowd at the Thomas and Mack Center arena in Las Vegas.

"He caught me with a good left hook and I lost my balance," Martinez said.

Judges Stanley Christodoulou (117110), Adalaide Byrd (118-109) and Dave Moretti (118-109) all scored it in favour of Martinez.

Martinez, who came into the fight as a 2-1 favourite, improved to 50-2-2 with 28 knockouts.

The 26-year-old Chavez, son of one of the greatest boxer's in Mexican history by the same name, was making his fourth defence of the WBC middleweight crown, which at one time belonged to Martinez.

"I had him hurt, but I couldn't finish him off," Chavez said. "I think a rematch is justified.

"I hurt him like no one else before."

Ringside officials said Chavez landed 37 power punches in the final round while Martinez connected with just eight.

But overall, Martinez landed 390 of 908 punches compared to 178 of 322 for

Chavez.

Asked if he would give Chavez a rematch, Martinez said: "Of course, I'm ready to start training again."

Martinez was stripped of his WBC title belt two years ago.

Monday, 17 September, 2012

KHI 17-09-2012_Layout 1 9/17/2012 2:59 AM Page 20

Monday, 17 September, 2012

Political, religious groups narrate violent ordeal to Un mission g

BnP-M, hazara Qaumi Jirga, JWP, PkMAP, Shia Conference apprise Un officials of human rights excesses in Balochistan QUETTA

S

sHAHzAdA zulfiqAR

EVERAL political and religious organizations on Sunday separately called on the UN working group analysing the missing persons issue and apprised its members about missing persons and sectarian killings across the country, especially in Balochistan.

Those who met the UN officials included Balochistan National Party-Mengal, Hazara Qaumi Jirga, Jamhoori Watan Party, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and the Shia Conference.

BNP-M’s acting president Dr Jahanzaib Jamaldini, Information Secretary Agha Hassan Baloch and Khurshid Jamaldini met the UN Working Group on Enforced and Invol-

untary Disappearances headed by Olivier de Frouville, which was on a two-day visit to provincial capital Quetta.

Talking to reporters later, Agha said they had presented a list of 62 leaders, including party general secretary Habib Jalib Baloch, who had been killed in targeted acts, and told the UN delegates that these leaders were killed per a conspiracy.

He said the number of missing persons in Balochistan was over 14,000, however, the party had prepared a list of 1,000 missing persons and had already dispatched it to the UN and other international humanitarian organizations.

The data included a list of 480 bullet riddled and decomposed bodies recovered from the streets and desolate places in parts of Balochistan. Agha said a severe violation

of human rights was being committed in Balochistan, which had started in the dictatorial regime of Pervez Musharraf and still continued without a respite, adding that his party had urged upon the UN and other international human rights organizations for their intervention in ending the violation of human rights.

To a question, the BNP leader said the UN working group had met a large number of people and the body believed there was something wrong due to which the people were worried and making serious complaints. Jahmoori Watan Party chief Talal Akbar Bugti said after meeting the UN group that he had apprised the UN officials about extra judicial arrests, enforced disappearances, violation of human rights and recovery of mutilated dead bodies across

Balochistan, adding that more than 13,000 people had gone missing in Balochistan.

He said he had also mentioned the ban on the entry of family members of slain Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti in their own native town of Dera Bugti.

He said they had not pinned high expectations on the UN because it had always served the interests of world powers. Bugti said the UN had always deployed its peace keeping forces in areas of its own interests.

However, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party leaders did not talk to the press.

Party sources said that the delegation had apprised the UN working group about the targeted killings of Pashtoon and Punjabi speaking people at the hands of Baloch militant groups. It said Pashtoons had been subjected to excesses in all walks of

life in Balochistan and they now wanted a separate province.

Sardar Saadat Hazara, who was heading his group’s delegation, told reporters that a three-member delegation representing the Hazara community had apprised the UN officials about the killing of their community members on the basis of sect and creed for the last many years in the province. He said the government was not playing its role in curbing such incidents.

They urged the UN to exert pressure on the government to ensure the security of people belonging to the Hazara community.

Saadat said they had told the UN working group that had Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti not been killed in a military operation, the situation in Balochistan would not have deteriorated.

Pak-uS accord on future ties a possibility during Khar’s uS tour g

‘Written agreement’ to cover various aspects of ties for the future, including anti-terror cooperation, intelligence sharing ISLAMABAD sHAiq HussAin

Pakistan and United States are working on the finalization of ‘formal agreement’ on future ties and both key states in the anti-terrorism global campaign are likely to conclude the pact during the four-day visit to Washington by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar that begins on September 18.

The ‘written agreement’ between Islamabad and Washington will cover various aspects of counter-terrorism cooperation, including intelligence sharing, coordinated actions by the American and Pakistani security forces on both sides of Afghan border and extension of logistic support to the US by Pakistan.

The two sides are also trying to iron out differences on the contentious issue of drone strikes in the Tribal Areas and if they are able to do that, any resultant understanding could also be made part of the formal written agreement on future cooperation between Islamabad and Washington.

According to sources privy to Pakistan-US consultations on formal agreement on future cooperation, Washington was trying to impress upon Islamabad for the re-deployment of some of American defense contractors and CIA operatives on its soil, but Pakistani authorities were unwilling to oblige the Obama administration on this count.

“Regardless of their differences on certain key issues, both the sides have been working on the formal agreement on cooperation in areas which are workable for quite long now, as they were discussing the matter even before the blockade of NATO supplies to Afghanistan by Islamabad in November last year and now that the supplies have been restored, the work on written accord has been also been resumed,” said a diplomatic source, seeking anonymity.

He said during the visit of Special US Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman to Islamabad, both sides also exchanged some ‘non-papers’ on the formal accord.

Foreign Minister Khar, who is scheduled to pay a four-day visit to the US from 18th, would meet her American counterpart on September 21, during which it is likely that the written agreement on future cooperation is finalized.

A Washington-based Pakistani diplomat said the formal agreement between Islamabad and Washington, if signed, would help define the relationship between the two states in which shared interests and all other related matters were clearly defined.

“The problem with the past agreements between Islamabad and Washington during the era of former president Pervez Musharraf was that they were not in ‘black and white’ and hence lacked the required clarity,” he said.

He said both sides were trying hard to finalize the accord, but even if it were not finalized during the visit of Foreign Minister Khar, mutual work on the important agreement would continue until it was made acceptable to the two states.

bAnnu: tribesmen of north waziristan emigrate with their belongings and animals on pick up trucks due to increased us drone attacks in their area. INP

Farmers in president’s hometown being forced to sell land at throwaway rates Farmers being offered Rs 0.2m per acre for land while market price is Rs 5m per acre g Revenue Dept says land being acquired for 'projects in the pipeline' g Dissenting farmers being threatened g

KARACHI AftAb cHAnnA

The local administration of Benazirabad district – hometown of President Asif Ali Zardari – is reportedly forcing poor farmers to sell at least 1,005 fertile and costly pieces of agricultural land at throwaway prices, Pakistan Today learnt.

The agricultural lands are situated in Deh Chann Biar, Sakrand taluka, the most prime location of the town, however, local administration, particularly revenue authorities, are urging poor growers to sell their centuries-old fertile agricultural land, harassing and threatening them with dire consequences upon their failure to do so.

The purpose for which the land is being apparently acquired is said to be "projects in the pipeline", sources in the Board of Revenue told Pakistan Today.

The Sakrand assistant commissioner (land acquisition officer), Saleem Memon, issued notices to 150 growers on April 4, 2012 informing them about the one-sided decision of the revenue authorities.

"Notice is hereby given under Section 9 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 that land specified in the Sub-joined schedule in Deh Chann Biar, taluka Sakrand, district Shaheed Benazirabad, which has been acquired for a public purpose viz different projects in pipeline, district Shaheed Benazirabad.

In accordance with notification under Section-4 issued by defunct district of-

ficer (Revenue), Shaheed Benazirabad vide notification No 450 dated Nil duly published in Sindh Government Gazette dated 8-11-2010 (Pages 428429) read with corrigendum No RB/Asstt/115 dated 22-3-2011 published in Sindh Government Gazette dated 28-3-2011 (Page No 66-67) and also declared under Section 6 vide notification No RB/Asstt/473 dated 27-112010 issued by the defunct Executive District Officer (Revenue) Shaheed Benazirabad published in Sindh government Gazette dated 29-11-2010 (Pages 447-448) read with corrigendum No RB/Asstt/128 dated 31-3-2011 published in Sindh government Gazette dated 2-4-2011 (Page No 73-73),” according to a letter. "All persons interested in the land mentioned below are hereby required to appear personally or by their authorized agents on the date mention, in the schedule in the office of undersigned and to submit: I) A statement in writing signed by them or by their authorized agents showing the nature of the respective interest in the land herein below mentioned the amount and particulars of their claim's compensation for such interest and their objections, if any, to the measurement and area of the land which has been acquired, II) A statement under section 10 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 containing so far as may be practicable, the name of every person possessing any interest in or light over the land or any part there-of as co-proprietor, sub-pro-

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

prietor, mortgagee, tenant or otherwise receivable on of the nature of such interest and of the rents, profits (if any), received or account there of for three years next proceeding the date of the statement,” it added.

After the notice, sources said a majority of growers, including Ghulam Mustafa Unar, Ghulam Murtaza Unar, Taj Unar, Atta Muhammad, Muhammad Hashim, Abdul Hameed, Jan Mohammad, Ghulam Hyder, Abdul Qayoom, Sojhro, Muhammad Khan, Naimatullah, Noorullah, Nawaz Ali, Muhammad Acher and Muhammad Malook expressed their reservations and refused to give their centuries-old land to the district government at throw-away prices.

Another letter forwarded by the assistant commissioner (land acquisition officer) to the Senior Member Board of Revenue Shahzar Shamoon suggested that the land acquisition be de-notified and the rate for the acquisition may be enhanced. "Substance of the objections/claims is that the land acquired is situated at aa prime location and is fit for residential and commercial purpose. Average value of fully fertile agriculture land in the locality is not less than Rs 5,000,000/ per acre, therefore, existing value of the land, which they deserve to get compensation @ the rate of Rs 500/ per square foot with other benefits as provided in section 23, 28 A and 34 of the Land Acquisition Act", the letter said. "That the land is being acquired for development proj-

Editor: Arif Nizami

ects in pipeline from which it is clear that no project is approved or sanctioned and, therefore, they have serious objection to the acquisition of the land, which may be de-notified from acquisition and that if it is decided to acquire the land, the compensation at the rate of Rs 500 per sq foot may be paid with value of buildings, structure and trees standing on the land,” the letter added.

Sources claimed that the district revenue officials were issuing threats to poor growers for forcible acquisition of their land. The rate for the land was quoted at Rs 5 million per acre by the assistant commissioner in his letter; however, the authorities were now offering only Rs 200,000 per acre.

Ghulam Irtaza Unnar alias Shahrukh Unnar, who leads the affected 150 khatedars and more than 15,000 poor villagers, told Pakistan Today that the revenue authorities were trying to deprive them of their fertile lands. "As per the official procedure, each department has to prepare a PC-I of the proposed project, then funds are allocated and finally the district government compensates the land owners as per the market value. The assistant commissioner Sakrand has clearly stated that he has been told to give the land owners Rs 50,000 per acre however he (assistant commissioner) is giving us a favor by pricing our land at Rs 250,000 per acre," Irtaza claimed.

"We will not give even an inch of land to revenue officials on their proposed rate. We demand justice," he said.