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experts question govt’s intent on making Gilani a scapegoat Page |03
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Justice Khosa binds PM to follow four-point roadmap regarding Swiss letter PM says Naik authorized to withdraw letter to Swiss govt by former AG Qayyum ISLAMABAD
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Tayyab Hussain
(i) Authorization to law minister by the prime minister for writing the letter to Swiss authorities on behalf of the chief executive. (ii) The draft letter to be produced to the bench on September 25 to examine whether the letter meets requirements of para 178 of the NRO judgment. (iii)Communication to be made through the attorney general (iv) Receipt of such communication whether the letter has been received to relevant authorities in Switzerland. During the proceedings on Tuesday, the PM once again used soft language and looked humble towards the court. His conduct has been contrary to his pred-
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Wednesday, 19 September, 2012 dhual-Qi’da 1, 1433
‘The leTTer’will be wriTTeN! thaw in the executive-judiciary row became evident on Tuesday when the Supreme Court gave the government seven more days to present a draft of the letter to be sent to Swiss authorities in line with the court’s judgment in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) case, as Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf told a five-member bench that he had authorized the law minister to withdraw the letter written by former attorney general Malik Qayyum vis-à-vis Swiss case and Naik would now take steps for implementing the apex court’s directive in relevant para of the NRO judgment. However, Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa made sure the government could no more toy with the court over the Swiss letter by announcing a four-point roadmap to be followed by the government.
Newsweek’s ‘Muslim rage’ cover sparks wave of scorn
ecessor, Yousaf Raza Gilani, who used to make bold statements. The positive development has answered several questions raised by commentators, reflecting that the Presidency had different policies for former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and the incumbent, Raja Pervez Ashraf. Pakistan Today was the first to report differences between President Asif Ali Zardari and PM Gilani on June 17. Only two days later, Gilani was disqualified by the top court of the country. Appearing before the bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, the prime minister said under SC’s previous observation, he had directed the law minister to fully cooperate with the court in implementation of its directive in the NRO case, and pleaded that in face of various national and international issues and pressing engagements, he might be given exemption from personal appearance in the court. Continued on page 04
SC reserves judgment in dual nationality case Page 03 ppp running from pillar to post to keep anp in coalition Page 04 twin bombs, grenade attack leave 9 dead in Karachi Page 24 Five killed in suicide attack on pilgrims’ bus in Mastung Page 24
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US suspends diplomatic missions in Pakistan as protests rage on ISLAMABAD Online
As protests against a blasphemous film continued on the third consecutive day, the United States on Tuesday halted public dealing at all its diplomatic missions in Pakistan. According to statement issued by the US Embassy in islamabad, all diplomatic missions in the country would be temporarily closed for public due to security concerns. Meanwhile, US diplomatic personnel were shifted to an undisclosed location from the consulate in Karachi, as angry protesters tried storming into the diplomatic building in the red zone of Pakistan’s financial hub. Clashes between police and mob continued as protesters tried to reach the consulate building. Police used tear gas, aerial firing and water cannon to stop people. Following the violent protests across Pakistan against the anti-islam film, the security has been tightened in Peshawar as well. Fearing security risk and traffic problems, the authorities have blocked the road that leads to the US Consulate, as protests continued in the city on Tuesday. Heavy contingents of police have been deployed on the entry and exit points of the consulate, while the police have been put on high alert in other parts of the city. The US consulate in Lahore was also vacated, and its staff shifted to safer places, local media reports said. The authorities have blocked all roads leading to the US diplomatic building in Lahore.
PIA chairman resigns KARACHI Online
After being away on sick leaves over the past few weeks, Pakistan international Airlines (PiA) Chairman Rao Qamar Suleman has resigned from his post, according to media reports on Tuesday. “After Suleman’s resignation, Captain Javed Younis has been appointed as the acting chairman of the PiA,” media reports quoted sources as saying. Suleman, a former chief of the Pakistan Air Force, was appointed as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the country’s national airline in May this year. PiA spokesman Sultan Hassan has confirmed Rao’s resignation; however, he did not reveal the reason behind his decision. Sources said that Rao had decided to step down from the hot seat because of illness, while other sources claimed that he was having differences with the Defense Ministry.
University degree a must to visit UAE DUBAI aFP
Tourists from South Asian countries that export labor to the UAE will require a university degree to get a visa as the rich Gulf state fights an illegal influx, a newspaper reported Tuesday. Electricians, pipe fitters, masons, farmers, drivers, tailors and cleaners from india, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Philippines are now banned from obtaining a tourist visa, Gulf News daily said citing a senior immigration official. The new measure sets a university degree as a prerequisite to obtain a visa, the official said. “The Federal Residency Department... has decided to adopt stricter regimes for tourist, visit and conference visas to curb the influx of blue-collar workers from many labor exporting countries,” said the official. “This would help significantly reduce the risk that individuals engaged in organized crime or the trafficking of persons could gain entry to the country,” he said. Tourist visas are usually arranged through hotels or airlines and travel agents. Tourism grew rapidly in the UAE, especially in the glitzy emirate of Dubai, where the number of tourists increased to 9.3 million in 2011, up 10 percent from the previous year. The UAE has millions of foreign workers, mostly from South Asian countries. The expatdominated population is estimated to have grown to around 8.2 million by the end of 2010, with UAE nationals making up only 11.47 percent.
Wednesday, 19 September, 2012
KARACHI: Protesters march during a rally against an anti-Islam movie on Tuesday. afp
Pakistan continues sheep cull despite Australian assurances KARACHI
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aFP
AKiSTAN is to press ahead with a cull of more than 21,000 Australian sheep over disease fears, officials said Tuesday, despite assurances from Australian diplomats that the animals are safe for human consumption. The cull was ordered on Sunday after the sheep, which had been turned away from Bahrain, tested positive for the salmonella and actinomyces bacteria, officials said. Australia’s High Commissioner or ambassador to Pakistan, Peter Heyward, said he was “surprised and concerned” about the cull, as the animals met the south Asian country’s health requirements for imported sheep and they posed “no human or animal health risks”. Salmonella and actinomyces, he said, “are part of normal gut flora and are pres-
ent in livestock throughout the world, and in this form pose no threat to human health”. But Karachi’s top administrator, Roshan Shaikh, said the cull of 21,268 sheep would continue, denying reports it had been halted. “There is no suspension in the process, as the bacterial presence in the animal is confirmed and we can’t put human life in danger in Pakistan,” he said. Five years ago, Pakistan culled thou-
sands of chickens after they were found to be infected with the H5N1 “birdflu” virus. Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, veterinary chief of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, who is supervising the cull, said orders to dispose of the sheep had come “from the top”. “We are busy in culling the infected sheep with no respite barring a few hours in nighttime when the area experiences power outages,” he said.
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News 03 ArtS & EntErtAInmEnt
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salman can play all three Khans together?
new Honda Civic launch tomorrow
Pakistan take on england in key warm-up tie
EdItorIAl The middle way: Finally, a semblance of rationality.
commEnt Dr Hasan askari Rizvi says; The cost of high politics: It’s the human development that suffers.
syed Hassan belal Zaidi says; The last rational thing: The enemy is within and is far more dangerous than the perceived threat because he looks exactly like you and me.
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SC reserves judgment in dual nationality case g
Ag says disqualification could have other consequences g cJ says not interested in de-seating legislators ISLAMABAD
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aPP
HE Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict in the dual nationality case which was expected to be announced within a couple of days. A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry concluded hearing of the dual nationality case and apprised the parties that it could announce its verdict in a couple of days. During the course of hearing, Attorney General irfan Qadir contended that it was the duty of the election officer to scrutinize the nomination papers of the candidates including the nationality status and all the provisions which were required before declaring him eligible for contesting election. irfan
Qadir said that the matter should eventually be decided by the National Assembly Speaker and referred to the Article 62 and 63 of the constitution. The attorney general asked the court to interpret the constitution in the said petitions. The court said that interpretation was necessary because such situation could also arise in the future as parliamentary elections were going to be held soon. He said that islam did not prohibit its followers from traveling to other countries contrary to Hinduism. He said that there was no question of misstatement and if the court reached on the conclusion that these members were disqualified, there would be other consequence of such a judgment because declarations submitted by these members were based on bonafide intentions. The chief justice also told the at-
torney general that the court was not interested in deseating the public representatives. He also said that on the court’s desire, the parliament introduced the 20th constitutional amendment to save several parliamentarians from disqualification. A counsel for a dual nationality holder Member Provincial Assembly Punjab Amna Buttar maintained that she would not contest the elections in future upon which the bench observed that the dual nationality holders could not be given the authority to legislate. MPA Amna Buttar’s lawyer said that she was now aware of the dual nationality law and his client would not attend the assembly anymore. MNA Sardar Shahjahan’s lawyer denied that his client was holding dual nationality and apprised the bench that actually his client’s wife was a British national.
Experts question govt’s intent on making Gilani scapegoat Woman injured in acid attack in multan MULTAN: A man threw acid at a woman over a domestic issue in Qasirabad area on Tuesday. According to police sources, Kalsoom Bibi’s husband Attaullah wanted to contract a second marriage with Shaista that resulted in a quarrel between both the women. The quarrel took a violent turn when Shaista’s brother, Abdul Rauf allegedly threw acid at Kalsoom’s face, critically injuring her. The accused managed to flee. The victim was shifted to Nishter Hospital for treatment where the doctor said her eyes and face had been burnt. inP
ISLAMABAD Online
Why was former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani made scapegoat when a letter was eventually to be written to the Swiss authorities, legal experts asked the government on Tuesday.
Ahmad Raza Kasuri asked why was the matter put on hold for two-and-a-half years if the government had to write the letter to the Swiss authorities through the Law Ministry? “The letter could be written during Gilani’s premiership. “Why was he made a political martyr and a scapegoat?” he questioned. Salman Akram Raja said the matter would stand disposed if the government wrote the letter with sincerity and seriousness in line with the Supreme Court’s verdict, adding “if it plays any trick then court would review the draft”. Justice (r) Nasira Javed iqbal said the sitting prime minister had adopted the course of reconciliation. “The prime minister will remain responsible until the court’s orders are not implemented and receipt is not presented to the court,” she said. Justice (r) Wajihuddin said it was a good move forward. “The court has now to see what type of letter is written and what words are used therein.”
The chief justice expressed displeasure over petitioner Tariq Asad’s claims and remarked that one should not disgrace the other person with such allegations. He reminded him that such things could have serious consequences. in the meanwhile, Mahmood Akhtar Naqvi, one of the petitioners in the case, surrendered to Sindh police officials who had arrived at islamabad to arrest him in connection with two criminal cases registered against him in Karachi. it is worth mentioning that during the course of this case, the Supreme Court had suspended the memberships of Senator Rehman Malik, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Muhammad Jamil Malik, PPP MPA Dr Amna Buttar, MNA Zahid iqbal, MNA Farah Naz ispahani, MPA Muhammad Akhlaq and MPA Dr Ahmad Ali Shah.
No ‘secret deal’ between national institutions ISLAMABAD: PML-Q President Shujaat Hussain has denied any ‘secret deal’ between the government and the Supreme Court but has said there should be reconciliation between the two institutions. According to details, Shujaat on Tuesday reached the Supreme Court building just after his arrival from the US in order to express solidarity with Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. Later talking to reporters, the PML-Q chief said the government was serious in resolving the ongoing crisis. He called the issue of writing the letter to the Swiss authorities an important matter and said it should be resolved in an agreeable way. Online
SC’s generosity will strengthen democracy
PM’s decision to write Swiss letter a welcome step
People expecting institutions’ clash disappointed
ISLAMABAD: interior Minister Rehman Malik has said the generosity displayed by the Supreme Court (SC) in the NRO-implementation case will strengthen democracy. Talking to reporters on Tuesday, Malik said a wrong impression on clash between institutions stood dispelled following the court’s proceedings. in reply to a question, he said the democratic government of Pakistan People’s Party respected the national institutions. About the petitions filed by Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi, the interior minister said two cases were registered against Naqvi and he was a proclaimed offender in one of these cases. “Any person having a suspicious character has no right to move the Supreme Court. This proclaimed offender kept on sleeping in the court the whole night.”“i hope the chief justice will take notice of it,” he said. On the issue of the release of the blasphemous US movie, Malik said the government had recorded a protest with the interpol secretary general in this regard. Online
LAHORE: The former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Asma Jehangir, has hailed Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s decision of authorizing the law minister to write a letter to the Swiss authorities, calling it a welcome step. Talking to reporters at the Lahore High Court on Tuesday, Asma said the prime minister’s direction to the law minister as well as the Supreme Court’s permission for more time on the issue was commendable. She said she had requested the judiciary to let the administrative officers do some work and do not make them stand in courts for the entire day after being summoned. She said the flaw in the constitution regarding caretaker setup had to be removed, if not today then tomorrow, as a caretaker setup provided in the constitution was not correct per the present system. To a question, she said, “First let’s reach the phase of general elections and then we’ll discuss the caretaker setup issue.” To another question, she said nobody had approached her for the position of caretaker prime minister. aPP
ISLAMABAD: Minister for information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira on Tuesday said those who had been talking of a confrontation among the institutions had finally faced disappointment following the government’s stance before the Supreme Court in the NRO case. Talking to reporters outside the Supreme Court after the hearing of the NRO implementation case, he said the court had also observed that some elements had wanted a clash between the court and the government but all their aspirations had gone to vain. The minister said the government had resolved to respecting the institutions and avoiding clash among all pillars of the states from the very first day. “We have worked out a way to proceed further in the court on this matter. The issue will be solved and ultimately uncertainty will end. We are heading forward to the satisfaction of the court.” Kaira said Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf appeared before the Supreme Court on its directives. aPP
Wednesday, 19 September, 2012
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04 News Film protesters set sights on US consulates
QueTTa: The remains of the pilgrims’ bus which was targeted by a suicide bomber near Mastung on Tuesday. inp
protesters demand expulsion of american ambassador, closure of US missions in pakistan
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PESHAWAR aFP
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OLiCE used tear gas to disperse a crowd of more than 2,000 protesters trying to reach the US consulate in Peshawar on Tuesday, as fresh demonstrations erupted against an antiislam film that has garnered worldwide condemnation. Protesters chanting antiUS slogans and burning the Stars and Stripes flag gathered outside the mission in Peshawar to vent their fury at the “innocence of Muslims” film, which was made in America and is deemed insulting to islam. Around 2,000 people marched through Karachi towards the US consulate to protest against the film, which has triggered a week of deadly protests across the Muslim world. Riot police with armored
vehicles were deployed to block access to the consulate in Peshawar. “We used tear gas shells and lobbed gas grenades because the protesters were trying to come closer to the sensitive area,” senior police officer imtiaz Khan told AFP. He said more than 1,000 police were on hand to block the road to the US consulate. Addressing the crowd, local leader of the Jamaat-eislami (Ji) Shabbir Ahmed lashed out at the United States, demanding the Pakistani government expel the American ambassador and close its missions in Pakistan. “We are ready to sacrifice our lives to uphold the dignity of our Prophet (PBUH),” he said. in Lahore, up to 900 people demonstrated near the US consulate, chanting “Obama is a dog” and “Death to the USA”. The protest came after a female suicide
Epidemics mount misery facing flood-hit people NASEERABAD/JAFFARABAD/RAJANPUR inP
As flashfloods and rains unfurl misery for the dwellers of low-lying areas in Balochistan, Sindh and southern Punjab, scarcity of relief aid and epidemics further multiply their plight. Rescue workers recovered six dead bodies on Tuesday from Rabi Canal in Naseerabad, where water started to recede and the situation in the area is likely to improve if there are no further rains and floods. The situation in Jaffarabad has been described as “desperate”, as flood water has inundated all agricultural land, streets and roads, and the local people have a very limited number of dry places to take refuge. Many districts of southern Punjab, including Rajanpur, were adversely affected as heavy rains flooded the local streams and nullahs,
besides inundating residential areas and destroying thousands of acres of cultivated land. The flood-affected areas are still disconnected from the rest of the country, and relief efforts could not be initiated due to lack of access. in some areas, the stranded population is struggling on self-help basis to move to safer places. in the Sandela area of Shah Jamal, a breach in Saim Canal caused a flood in the residential areas, where several houses collapsed due to water. The acute shortage of food and clean drinking water forced several people to consume rotten food and polluted flood water, which has triggered several epidemics such as diarrhea and gastroenteritis. According to reports, the federal and provincial governments have been unable to reach to all flood-affected people despite commitments.
bomber killed 12 people in Kabul on Tuesday in an attack claimed by an insurgent group as revenge for the film. The blast brought the total number killed in a weeklong violent backlash against over the film to 30. There have been furious protests outside US embassies and other American symbols in at least 20 countries, and the American ambassador to Libya and three other US diplomats in the North African country have been among those killed. in Pakistan, two protesters died after demonstrating against the film in the northwest, close to the Afghan border, and outside the US consulate in Karachi. Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan have all blocked access to YouTube, following the video-sharing website’s failure to take down the antiislam film.
Afghan suicide attack kills one, wounds three ASADABAD aFP
A suicide bomber targeted NATO troops in a remote district of Afghanistan near the Pakistan border on Tuesday, wounding three Western soldiers and killing an Afghan civilian, officials said. A spokesman for the US-led international Security Assistance Force (iSAF) confirmed the incident in Watapur district of Kunar province shortly before 5:00 pm (1230 GMT). “Some iSAF soldiers were fixing a bridge in Watapur and they were engaged by a suicide iED (improvised explosive device) attack, we believe, which resulted in three iSAF casualties — one fairly serious and two not so serious,” the spokesman said, adding that the wounded had been evacuated. He said no NATO soldiers were killed. Afghan officials said American troops were on the road searching vehicles when a suicide bomber blew himself up alongside them.
PPP running from pillar to post to keep ANP in coalition ISLAMABAD anweR abbas
The increasing silent contacts between the Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and ANP’s serious reservations over the promulgation of local government ordinance in Sindh have forced the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government to re-engage the top ANP leadership to maintain the ruling coalition. Sources confirmed that high-level meetings were under progress between the top brass of PPP and ANP.
in recent contacts between the two political parties, sources said the ANP had adopted a strict stance over the issue of the local bodies’ ordinance in Sindh that was imposed by President Asif Ali Zardari. A source confirmed that President Asif Ali Zardari had contacted ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan over the issue in order to convince the ANP not to quit the ruling coalition. During the contacts, ANP reportedly gave three choices to the PPP on the local government ordinance, including its unconditional withdrawal on priority.
The second option given by the ANP leadership was a little flexible, wherein it demanded the government first withdraw the local bodies ordinance for Sindh and then introduce the proposal in the National Assembly in shape of a legislative bill. The final option given to the PPP might be the most attractive, as the ANP demanded the government not to conduct the coming local bodies polls under the particular ordinance. ANP Senator Haji Adeel confirmed that the two parties were in talks, adding that the ANP had forwarded three options on the issue of local gov-
US says Khar, Clinton to take up entire spectrum of issues WASHINGTON sPeCial CORResPOnDenT
The United States on Tuesday said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will cover the entire spectrum of issues in US-Pakistan relations when they hold talks here on Friday. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said the two sides will look to build upon the recent high-level contacts between the two countries. “That is a long expected visit,” Nuland said of the foreign minister’s meeting.
Foreign Minister Khar arrived in Washington on Tuesday afternoon for her first official visit to Washington since assuming the office. Pakistan’s ambassador to the US Sherry Rehman received the foreign minister. “i am expecting that the full range of issues we have with Pakistan, bilateral and regional etc will be covered including our continuing effort to get our counterterrorism activities back up and running fully.” The meeting between the two diplomats on Friday will be their fourth as they
previously met in Pakistan, Tokyo and at the UN General Assembly session in New York last year. “They have a working relationship together. They have both rolled up their sleeves to try to stabilize and strengthen the relationship.” Asked if the issue of Afghan Haqqani militant group will be discussed, the spokesperson said she would not lay out the agenda that the two sides may take up, but reminded that Washington has been talking to islamabad about the need to squeeze the network from the Pakistani side of the border.
ThE ‘lETTEr’ will bE wriTTEN! Continued FRoM page 01
Accepting his request, the bench granted him exemption from personal appearance until further orders. Prime Minister Ashraf informed the bench that per his commitment during the previous hearing to make his best efforts to resolve the issue, he had directed the law minister to write the letter as the issue had created unrest and uncertainty among the people and government functionaries and was also affecting state apparatus. “After looking into the complexities of the issue, i have instructed the law minister that the letter written by Malik Qayyum, former attorney general, whom the court had termed unauthorized and illegal in
Wednesday, 19 September, 2012
its judgment, would be withdrawn,” he added. He also pleaded that the court might address “the concerns of the federation” involved in the issue. Ashraf pointed out that he had made sincere efforts to address the concerns of the federation and upholding dignity of the judiciary. He said the concerns were not about Asif Ali Zardari, but about the office of the president. Expressing optimism, the PM noted that the issue would now be resolved. Enumerating his pressing engagements, he said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was due in Pakistan on October 2, while President Asif Ali Zardari would leave for New York to address the United Nations session in the
coming days. Most recently, the country had faced floods while the general elections were also round the corner, Ashraf said. He said being a prime minister and general secretary of the PPP, he would have to take steps to protect the constitutional sanctity of the office of president and dignity of the court. The bench praised his efforts for resolving the long-standing issue. Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa told the PM that they would have to adopt the stated four steps for implementation of its directive. Firstly, the authorization should be produced in writing, secondly, the draft of the letter should meet the directive contained in para 178 and should be to the satisfaction of the
court; thirdly, the dispatch to and receipt by the concerned Swiss and other authorities and fourthly, confirmation of such communication. He assured the PM that the bench would address the federation’s concerns and would not go beyond what they had written in para 178. Drawing his attention to a verdict in former prime minister’s contempt case, Justice Khosa said they had already written four paras regarding international immunity for the head of state under customary laws. Upon the bench’s insistence to complete the first two processes within two days, Ashraf requested the court to defer proceedings until the end of this month. The bench told Law Minister
Farooq H Naik that the prime minister had directed him on the issue and he had to comply with his directives. Naik assured the bench that he was not seeking time for any other reason but would make efforts to draft a letter to the satisfaction of the bench. “We want to give a message to the nation that there is no clash of institutions,” he maintained. Upon his assurance, the bench adjourned proceedings until September 25, and noted down in its order that the prime minister and the law minister had undertaken before the court that the written approval of the letter and draft of the letter would be produced before the court to meet requirement of directions in para 178 of the NRO judgment.
ernment ordinance. A number of ANP leaders, including Shahi Syed and ilyas Bilour, are opposing continuing alliance with the PPP and are suggesting the party head to the coming polls without the PPP. Meanwhile, contacts between the ANP and PML-N are already into an advanced stage. The PML-N is in hunt for a reliable alliance in Sindh for the coming general election, due to which it has established contacts with Sindhi nationalist parties and the ANP, an alliance that could prove troublesome for the PPP if it materializes.
Saudi Arabia threatens to block Youtube over anti-Islam film RIYADH aFP
Saudi Arabia has threatened to block YouTube in the kingdom if Google does not respond to a request to deny access to an anti-islam film produced in the United States, the official SPA news agency reported Tuesday. “Saudi Arabia’s Communications and information Technology Commission has ordered host companies in the kingdom to block this movie from internet users and has also requested Google to block all YouTube links carrying the film,” SPA reported. “if this request is not met, the commission will block YouTube altogether,” SPA said, also quoting the Saudi telecoms as urging citizens to report any links through which the film can be viewed. The low-budget film “innocence of Muslims,” incited a wave of bloody antiAmerican violence in cities across the Muslim world which targeted symbols of US influence ranging from embassies and schools to fast food chains. At least 30 people have died so far in unrest connected to the film in over 20 countries. Among those killed were the US ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and three other Americans in an attack last week on the US consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi. Saudi Arabia, home to islam’s holiest religious sites, on Thursday condemned the American film but also denounced the deadly attacks in reaction to it.
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News 05 Kasab seeks president’s mercy
NEW DELHI aFP
QueTTa: Flood-affected people arrive in naseerabad after being airlifted by a Pakistan army helicopter on Tuesday. inp
Qaeda calls for US envoy killings DUBAI aFP
Al-Qaeda’s franchise in North Africa on Tuesday urged Muslims to storm US embassies and kill American envoys in Muslim countries in protest over a film insulting islam, a monitoring group said. “We call on islam’s youths to take after the lions of Benghazi (in Libya) by pulling down America’s flags that are flying over all of its embassies in our capitals,” said Al-Qaeda in the islamic Maghreb, according to intelCenter. AQiM urged people “to burn them (the flags), to stomp them underfoot, and to kill its (US) ambassadors and representatives or expel them and purge our land of their filth in revenge for the honour of the best of mankind,” referring to islam’s Prophet Mohammed. The jihadist group’s written statement was dated September 15, intelCenter said, a few days after protests began in Muslim countries over a USproduced film deemed insulting to islam and its prophet.
Missing persons case:
PHC issues notices to federal secretaries, heads of agencies PESHAWAR
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agenCies
HE Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday issued notices to the interior and defence secretaries and the heads of intelligence agencies in the missing persons’ case. Hearing around 200 cases of missing persons, the PHC bench also directed Commissioner Malakand Fakhre Alam for an explanation over the nonrecovery of the missing persons. Large number of relatives of missing persons, including women and children, were present at the high court. Last month, the PHC heard around
200 petitions pertaining to missing persons. Due to increasing number of such cases, a two-member bench, headed by the PHC chief justice, had fixed Sept 12, 18 and 25 for hearing. The high court chief justice has been asking representatives of security forces, and federal and provincial governments that missing persons in their custody should be shifted to internment centers so that they could be treated under the law. Moreover, during hearing, Mohibullah, the driver of the kidnapped former Vice-Chancellor islamia College University (iCU), Peshawar, Professor Ajmal Khan, also appeared before the court. The bench directed the driver, who
had recently been released by the militants, to record his statement before a subordinate court. Khan, a locally-renowned academic and a close ally of the ruling Awami National Party in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was kidnapped by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants on Sept 7, 2011. Khan is a close relative of ANP President Asfandyar Wali Khan. The TTP had threatened to kill Khan if the government failed to accept their demands and last year’s deadline had been extended by the militants after an appeal by the Khan’s family and requests by religious scholars hailing from Khan’s native Charsadda district.
The lone surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai attacks has applied for clemency from the indian president in a final bid to avoid the gallows, media reports said on Tuesday. Pakistanborn Mohammed Kasab, one of 10 gunmen who laid siege to Mumbai in attacks that lasted nearly three days, sent his petition through officials at the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai where he is being held, the Press Trust of india said. “We have sent a mercy petition to the president filed by Kasab,” the news agency quoted a senior official at the high-security prison as saying. Kasab was sentenced to death in May 2010 after he was found guilty of a string of charges, including waging war against india, murder and terrorist acts. He had appealed against the sentence in the Supreme Court, claiming he did not receive a fair trial, but his petition was struck down last month. Prisoners can often languish for years on death row in india, with only one execution having taken place in the last 15 years — that of a former security guard hanged in 2004 for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl. However public demands for the hanging of Kasab have been growing ever since the Supreme Court rejected his appeal against the death sentence. During the November 2008 attacks, heavily armed gunmen stormed targets in Mumbai, including luxury hotels, a Jewish centre, a hospital and a bustling train station, killing 166 people. President Pranab Mukherjee, who took office in July, is currently considering 11 other appeals for clemency from death row prisoners.
Meeting discusses faTa reforms agenda PESHAWAR sTaFF RePORT
in a bid to ensure the return of peace and stability in all seven tribal agencies and four frontier regions, the administration directed for an early implementation of the government’s reforms agenda, which besides others, focused on imparting due human and legal rights to tribesmen. This decision was taken at the 13th Political Agents (PA) Conference, held with the Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Barrister Masood Kausar in the chair, who reviewed the law and order situation and anti-polio campaign in FATA, the implementation of FATA reforms and causes of many other issues in FATA. The Governor had highly appreciated the support and cooperation of the local tribal community against militancy and urged the political administration to further strengthen liaison with the tribesmen. At the very outset of the conference, political agents from all tribal agencies and regions presented reports regarding the existing law and order situation in their respective Agencies, especially violent acts and insurgency on the part of militant groups and individuals. They also highlighted the steps taken to overcome problems and issues in this regard. The conference was informed that FATA reforms, particularly those relating to FCR were being fully implemented. The conference also reviewed the anti-polio campaign in FATA and implementation of FATA reforms. Political Agents were informed that the international community, particularly, UN affiliated World Health Organization and UNiCEF are very concerned over the detection of frequent
polio cases. in this connection, various proposals were discussed for ensuring vaccinating 100 per cent children below five years. Similarly, the participants also discussed in depth, various proposals for discouraging parents’ refusal to vaccinate children. The Additional Chief Secretary FATA, Dr. Tashfain, presented an overview of the implementation of decisions taken during the previous conference, whereas the Chief Executive TESCO briefed the conference on technical causes of continuous power break down in FATA and suggested certain measures to ensure availability of electricity. in his address to the participants, Masud said, “The political administration should move forward taking the tribal communities along”. He said that the environment for investment must be improved and potential investors should be provided every facility, including security. He also directed the political officers to take effective measure to control kidnapping incidents. “This must be given serious consideration so the people can feel some kind of improvement”, he added. He directed that the grievances and complaints of tribesmen of Bara should be addressed properly and added that the process of return of iDPs to their homes should be accelerated and facilitated. “Law and order in FATA is the core issue and political officers should play a proactive role to ensure more improvement”, the Governor said, directing all relevant authorities and agencies to coordinate their efforts to move forward collectively. Masood said that now when the law and order situation in tribal areas was improving, the political administration should focus development initiatives and FATA reforms.
Wednesday, 19 September, 2012
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Wednesday, 19 September, 2012
OVER DOZEN FALL VICTIM TO TARGETED KILLINGS JI announces shutter-down strike today against killing of Dr Pervez Mehmood KARACHI
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TaRiQ Habib
HE city continued witnessing law and order situation on Tuesday as over a dozen of people were killed in firing incidents while a shutterdown strike call, supported by all major parties except MQM, PPP and ANP, has also been announced by the Jamat-e-islami in Karachi on killing of their activists. The city witnessed blood with the alleged police shooting dead over thousands of participants of the funeral of Jamat e islami (Ji) leader Dr Pervez Mehmood who fell victim to targeted killing on Monday. The funeral prayer of Dr Pervez Mehmood, former town nazim of Liaquatabad and Jamaat-i-islami leader (Ji), was offered at Numaish Chowrangi on Tuesday. According to details, the funeral prayer was offered at Numaish Chowrangi after the Zuhr prayers. Thousands of activists of Ji attended the funeral while the prayer was led by former city nazim Naimatullah Khan Advocate. Strict security measures were adopted on the occasion. After offering funeral prayer, the activists of Jamat-e-islami moved towards Chief Minister’s House and staged a sitin protest and demanded for the arrest of the killer of Dr Pervaiz Mehmood. The representative of Ji met with the members of Chief Minister’s House and dispersed peacefully after the assurance by the CM house. Meanwhile, Ji called for a shutterdown strike in Karachi on Wednesday while country-wide mourning will be observed after the killing of their leader. All political parties including Pakistan Muslim League (N), Pakistan Tahreek insaf (PTi), Sunni Tahreek, Karachi City Allaince, Sindh United Federation, Awami Tahreek and other political, religious and nationalist parties announced their support for the strike call of Ji. After the protest, when the rally
moved towards Sakhi Hassan graveyard, Abdul Wahid was shot dead near the Governor’s House when Ji rally was fired upon by unknown persons. “Police personnel opened fire on our peaceful rally on the instructions of Sindh governor and killed one of our activist”, alleged spokesman of Ji. After the killing of second activist, the leadership of Ji Karachi addressed a press conference at Karachi Press Club and said “The governor is responsible for the ongoing killings in the city and an FiR would be lodged against him”.
Ji Karachi Ameer Mohammad Hussain Mahanti said the government ally were responsible for the killing of innocent persons but the government did not take any notice. He also condemned the twin blasts in the Haydery Market of the city and declared that such incidents were being conducted to fail the strikes. On the other hand, 12 persons were killed in incidents of target killings in the city on Tuesday. According to details, one person was shot dead in Baldia Town by unknown persons and was shifted to Civil
Hospital. Police also recovered a body of a girl from the bushes on main university road and shifted it to hospital. The body could not be ascertained till filing of this report. Target killers also hit Moin Khan, Deputy Director of education department, at Pak Colony near Bismillah Hotel in the remit of Pak Colony police station. Police found three bodies in gunny bags in different parts of the southern part of the city. The bodies could not be ascertained. Police also recovered two dead bodies
CM reviews projects of health department KARACHI aPP
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qiam Ali Shah has directed the officials of health department to expedite the efforts for timely completion of the uplift schemes of the health sector, adding that health and education are prioritized sectors for which huge amount has been allocated in the budget of current fiscal year 2012-13. He said this while presiding over a high-level meeting to review the progress and pace of work on prioritized development schemes of health department at CM House here on Tuesday. The meeting was attended among others by Provincial Minister for Finance Syed Murad Ali Shah, Minister for information Sharjeel Enam Memon, Minister f o r
Health Dr. Sagheer Ahmed, Chief Secretary Sindh Raja Muhammad Abbass, Secretary (W&S) Qazi Shahid Parvez, Secretary (Health) Aftab Ahmed Khatri, Additional Chief Secretary Finance Arif Ahmed Khan, Principal Secretary to C.M. Muhammad Siddique Memon and others. Chief Minister Sindh asked the Finance Department to immediately release remaining funds for the schemes which are on the verge of completion so that these schemes could be completed without further delay. `You will have to show results within shortest possible time’, the chief minister directed the concerned officials. He said that a huge amount of Rs 12 billion has been earmarked for 156 schemes of Health Department in the current financial year 201213. Out of total 156 u p l i f t s
schemes, 97 are ongoing while 59 are new schemes, he added. The chief minister said that uplift schemes of health department include trauma centre at Karachi, provision of CT Scan, MRi and X-Ray machines, establishment of drug testing laboratory providing facilities to district Headquarter hospitals, Taulka Headquarter hospitals, Rural health centers and dispensaries across the province. The chief minister directed the offices of health department to submit the priority list of uplift schemes within 02 days. He also asked them to ensure the quality of development work and proper utilization of funds so that ultimate benefits of huge development amount could reach to the downtrodden people. He further said progress, performance and pace of the work on development activities will be reviewed in monthly meetings. `it is therefore necessary that all concerned departments should make coordinated efforts to achieve the target as early as possible’, he directed. The additional chief secretary finance informed that Rs. 838 million have been released to the health department so far and more funds will soon be released after the health department will submit its prioritized list of development schemes.
of unknown persons from near super highway Ansani Poll near Ghancha Baghachi. Police shifted the bodies to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. Two persons were killed in Orangi Town when they were going on their job. Unknown persons opened fire on them near Orangi No.5 and killed them on the spot. The bodies were shifted to Jinnah Hospital. Four persons were killed in different areas including Garden, Boat Bason, Malir and Korangi by unknown persons. The bodies were shifted to the hospital.
nA body apprised about Haj arrangements KARACHI aPP
The officials of Pakistan international Airlines (PiA) on Tuesday assured the special committee of National Assembly that appropriate arrangements have been made for smooth Haj operation 2012. The assurance was given by the PiA officials at a meeting of the special committee on delay in PiA flights and grounding of its aircraft during Haj operation 2011, held here under the chairmanship of Minister of State for information and Broadcasting, Syed Sumsam Ali Bukhari. The meeting was attended among others by the Members of National Assembly (MNAs) Jadam Mangrio, Ms. Nosheen Saeed, Sheikh Salahud Din and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. The concerned officials of PiA informed the committee that delay arrival of pilgrims, excess baggage and slow clearance of pilgrims at Jeddah airport during post Haj operation-2011 were the main causes of delay in PiA flights. Now the PiA has made arrangements for fast clearance of intending pilgrims and their baggage with the assistance of Saudi officials for Haj operation-2012 at Jeddah airport.
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Karachi 07 no political administrators in lb system: durran KARACHI nni
Sindh Local Bodies Minister Agha Siraj Durrani on Tuesday said the current officers present in towns will function as the administrators in the local government system in the province. Talking exclusively to a private TV channel, the local bodies minister said he had issued directives to the secretary local governments for the appointment of officers under the Sindh People’s Local Governments Ordinance (SPLGO) 2012. Ruling out the appointment of political administrators in the local bodies set up, Durrani noted that the present town officers will work as the administrators. Responding a query over the devastations wrought by the recent flash floods, Durrani said the large-scale destruction was spawned by out-of-season downpours.
christians condemn blasphemous film HyDeRabaD: activists of PPP stage a protest against non-implementation of quota for employment by sindh government outside press club. OnLinE
HYDERABAD aPP
ASf foils bid to smuggle heroin KARACHI inP
The Airport Security Force (ASF) foiled a bid to smuggle 2kg heroin here on Tuesday. According to custom officials, the ASF during clearance of a plane at Quaid-e-Azam international Airport, Karachi found 2kg heroin in the plane. The custom officials said the drug was being smuggled to a foreign country and was worth millions of rupees in international market. A case has been registered against unknown culprits and investigation has been started.
Agencies arrest killer of 15 KARACHI inP
Security agencies on Tuesday arrested the alleged target killer of 15 persons including a policeman and recovered huge amount of arms from his possession. According to reports, security personnel raided the target killer’s house in the Sarjani Town and arrested him. The accused is identified as Kalim alias Munna. Sources said the accused was allegedly a target killer and he was wanted in the target killing of 15 persons including a police officer, adding that huge amount of ammunition was recovered also from his custody.
Admissions date extended KHAIRPUR: inspector of Colleges Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, Prof Abdul Latif Memon on Tuesday announced that the date for admission in LLB Part i, ii & iii for academic year 2012-13 at all affiliated Law colleges of Sukkur, Shikarpur, Ghotki, Kandhkot, Larkana, Khairpur and Naushehro Feroze districts has been extended up to September 30, 2012. aPP
Qazi assumes new office HYDERABAD: SS Farooq Qazi has taken over the charge of the office of Chief Engineer Building Department Hyderabad on September 12, 2012. The official sources informed here on Tuesday that SS Farooq Qazi has taken over the charge in pursuance of notification of government of Sindh, services, general administration and co-ordination department. aPP
‘Pak Navy fully capable of meeting any emergency’ KARACHI aPP
DEPUTY Chief of Naval Staff Operations Rear Admiral Hasham Bin Siddiq has said that the Pakistan Navy is capable and ready to discharge its professional responsibilities in case of any emergency. He stated this while briefing media about the 2012 edition of the annual Pakistan Navy Maritime Exercise Seaspark12 which has already been commenced on September 17, at PNS Haider here on Tuesday. Rear Admiral Hasham said the Seaspark-2012 is a biannual and permanent important feature of Pakistan Navy’s operational calendar. He said enhancing combat readiness exercise maritime security operations and evaluation of planing to improve and consolidate the joint operations with Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Army among the
principal objectives of the Seaspark-2012. He informed to newsmen that Pakistan Navy, Army, PAF, Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim authority, Gwadar Port
authority had participating in the Exercise. He said that all the operational ships of Pakistan Navy, submarines, aircraft, marine forces and establishments on shore would participate in Seaspark2012. Speaking about the role of the Pakistan Navy in the nation building, Real Admiral Hasham has said that the Navy also worked to promote education in coastal area while thousands of students had also being imparted education through Baharia schools, colleges and universities which are self sustaining. He said a mega project to establish a cadet college at Ormara at the cost of Rs 531.568 million has been approved. Rear Admiral Hasham expressed that a questioner we have adopted a comprehensive strategy to deal with the problem of piracy. He also claimed that the Seaspark-2012 would conclude by the mid of October 2012.
BQaTi annual general meeting held KARACHI nni
President of Bin Qasim Association of Trade & industry (BQATi) Usman Ahmed said that Bin Qasim is the only industrial zone of Pakistan which has planned and organised industrial zone and “if the government gave little attention, it could be made a model industrial zone of Pakistan.” Usman Ahmed was addressing the well-attended annual general meeting (AGM) of BQATi held at The Enterprise Facility, RAAZiQ international Auditorium at Port Qasim industrial Zone, Karachi. BQATi is the primary forum for these organizations to collaborate and address issues or challenges faced by them in carrying out their operations, he said. “BQATi enjoys a very cordial and supportive relationship with PQA, which is mutually beneficial to both
entities and contributes positively to the overall economic activity of the region. in fact, the role of the industries located at Port Qasim industrial Zones and that of PQA in the economic growth of the country cannot be overstated”, he said. On the occasion Mian Muhammed Patron in-chief briefed that the BQATi is actively pursuing to implement effective security measures for Bin Qasim industrial Zones, in collaboration with the PQA, Pakistan Rangers, Police, and CPLC. “These measures include setting up of security check posts at key locations, establishing Security Command & Control Centre in the three zones of Bin Qasim Area where Rangers, CPLC and Private Security personnel will be deployed, establishing of CCTV cameras including other communication networks and comprehensive patrolling of entire zone”, he said.
Abdul Rasheed Jan Muhammed Vice President, BQATi thanked and welcomed all BQATi members who attended the AGM meeting, hoped that the newly elected managing committee will work together to achieve the BQATi objectives and goals to create a business friendly industrial zone, Mr. Naveed Shakoor, Chairman Law & Order Advisory sub Committee also spoke at the meeting. LAST DATE fOR ADMISSIONS IN LUMHS: The Liaquat University of Medical and Health Science (LUMHS) Jamshoro has announced that the last date for the submission of application forms for Admission in MBBS and BDS courses (session 2012-2013) has been extended for three days. According to a press release issued here on Tuesday it further informed that the admission forms can be submitted in the concerned offices of TCS up to September 20.
The leaders and members of the Pakistani Christians community in Hyderabad have strongly condemned the recent release of a blasphemous movie maligning islam. in a joint statement, issued here on Tuesday, Rt Rev Max J Rodrigues, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Hyderabad, Rt Rev Arshad Kaleem John, Bishop of the Diocese of Hyderabad, Church of Pakistan, Rev Fr Samson Shukardin, OFM Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Hyderabad and Rev Daniel Fiaz, Senior Vicar, Diocese of Hyderabad, Church of Pakistan have expressed their deep sorrow at the release of this provocative film. The community expressed solidarity with Muslim brothers at this difficult and challenging time. On behalf of the Christian community, they appealed the international community in general and US President Barack Obama in particular to ensure that such shameful and unacceptable actions are prevented and that freedom of speech is not used as an excuse to hurt the dignity and the religious beliefs of others.
Al-tuwairqi starts large reverse osmosis plant KARACHI aPP
A large Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant having a capacity of 6500 m3 per day has been inaugurated. An announcement here on Tuesday said that Sharjeel Azhar, CEO of Al-ittefaq Steel Products Company (iSPC), a group company of Al-Tuwairqi of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, performed the inauguration. it said the inauguration of state-of-theart Ultra Filt ration and Reverse Osmosis Plant marked a major milestone in the completion of the TSML DRi Plantthe first private sector integrated steel manufacturing complex in Karachi. This Reverse Osmosis plant is a precondition for process water requirement of 1.28 million ton per annum capacity Tuwairqi Steel Mills DRi plant. Zaigham Adil Rizvi said on the occasion that the successful commissioning of the Ultra Filtration and Reverse Osmosis Plant is the reward for the dedication and hard work shown by TSML family, and demonstrates that we can achieve great things if we set our minds to it. He said that we are committed to completing this project which will revitalize the steel industry and greatly benefit the prosperity of Pakistan.
Wednesday, 19 September, 2012
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Wednesday, 19 September, 2012
KaRaCHi: Protesters beat an effigy of the us President barack Obama during a protest against the anti-islam movie. STaff phOTO
Education is key to progress and development, says Qaim KARACHI
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aPP
iNDH Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah presided over a highlevel meeting of the Sindh education department at the CM House here on Tuesday which reviewed overall working, progress and performance of the department. The meeting was attended by Minister for Education Pir Mazharul Haq, Minister Finance Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sindh information Minister Sharjeel Enam Memon, Chief Secretary Raja Muhammad Abbas, Additional Chief Secretary (P&D) Malik israr, ACS (Finance) Asif Khan, Principal Secretary to CM, Muhammad Siddiq Memon, Secretary Education Mukhtiar Soomro, Secretary Works and Services, Qazi Shahid Pervaiz, and others officers of Finance, P&D and Education departments. The chief minister in his views observed that promotion and furtherance of education is a must for progress, prosperity and development of a nation and as such it is the endeavour of the present government to spread quality education at all levels. He said that under 5-E policies/programme of the party manifesto, the provincial government has made remarkable changes at elementary education, teacher’s education, education foundation, secondary education, college education and higher education, and
maximum funds are being spent, aimed at providing facilities of education and literacy, while job opportunities are also being provided to unemployed, as appointment of teachers, non-teaching staff and lecturers are being appointed. Qaim Ali Shah directed the authorities of Sindh education department to highlight the economic and social side of schemes to general public in a prominent manner. He further stressed that basic infrastructure, reading material and other facilities are being provided to students so as to achieve maximum facilities. The chief minister stated that issue of regularization etc of certain teachers, who were inducted on contract basis without consideration of any recruitment rules, in the period of previous regime, he formed a committee to suggest ways and means for their regular induction in government service, as there are some employees working against project posts, while the others are appointed on contract basis without observing rules and regulations. Sindh Education Minister and
hiDDEN AGENDA
dAtE: AUg 11 - 31, 2012
Provincial Education Secretary in their detailed briefing informed that there are 170 schemes under Annual Development Programme with total cost of Rs. 13086.191 million which include 1157 schemes under ADP, 9 under special packages and 4 schemes under special projects. it was informed that there are total 116 on-going schemes for which an amount of Rs. 10331.063 million have been allocated. These schemes include 105 ongoing schemes, 9 special packages and 2 schemes under special projects. The secretary education informed that there will be 58 schemes remaining, out of which 46 will be completed within stipulated time - January 31, 2013. Minister for Education, Pir Mazharul Haq, informed the meeting that prime minister had directed to all provincial governments to upgrade all primary schools up to the Elementary level Schools, as such in future there will be no `Primary School Teachers’ but there will be now be elementary teachers.
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.
The meeting was informed that besides rehabilitation of schools, provision of free text books, stipend and other facilities, teachers are being recruited in various educational institutions. it was informed that in first round 5,800 teachers were inducted, in 2008 and in second round 8,000 teachers were appointed in the year 2009-10, while under third round, while 4,250 new lecturers and Assistant Professors have been recruited, 19,000 new teachers are being recruited while 2,100 new lecturers are being appointed soon. it was further informed that three buses have been provided for pick and drop of teachers at Hyderabad while an amount of Rs 300 million is available for urgent requirement of Education Department. Regarding foreign funding, it was informed that under USAiD, $ 150 million; under JiCA, 100 schools are being upgraded, under DFiD (UK Aid) SE Fund for education established through boys; under World Bank, US-300 million SERP-ii, under EU Euro 30 million (SER-ii) (final agreement signed), under GPE USD 662 million while under UNiCEF, there is continuous support for various projects. it was also informed that there are 44,000 Primary Schools in the province while 200 Schools in flood affected areas, which are being under 5-year development programme.
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.
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Foreign News 09
Syria fighting rages as Iran calls for halt to violence DAMASCUS
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aFP
YRiAN troops shelled several districts in Aleppo and clashed with rebels on Tuesday, as Damascus ally iran proposed a simultaneous halt to the violence and a peaceful solution to the conflict. Clashes erupted in Bustan al-Qasr in the southwest and in nearby izaa as both districts were shelled, residents in Syria’s second city said, also reporting fighting further south in Sukari. Overnight, shelling killed two civilians in the rebel-held Sakhur neighbour-
hood in the northeast, while nearby Hanano was also bombed, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Syrian forces said they had secured the flashpoint Midan district on Monday after a week of fighting, although an AFP correspondent said some parts were still unsafe for residents to return. Pro-regime newspaper Al-Watan said the army had “cleansed” Midan, which “opens the door” to nearby neighbourhoods, including Bustan al-Basha, Suleiman al-Halabi and Sakhur. But the two-month-old battle for Aleppo was very fluid, with both sides claiming gains in a guerrilla war, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
Outside Aleppo, two civilians were killed in shelling on the town of Al-Bab and the town of Safira was also reportedly bombed, according to the watchdog. in Damascus, at least four soldiers and one rebel were killed, as the army tried to push into the southern districts of Al-Hajar Al-Aswad, Qadam and Assali, and three civilians were killed by shelling, the Observatory said. Troops also bombed areas in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, where 10 civilians were killed, the northwestern province of idlib and the central province of Homs, where a rebel was killed in fighting, the monitor added. As the killing continues, the head of
a UN commission investigating rights abuses in Syria said they had soared dramatically in recent weeks and that the UN Security Council should take “appropriate action” against war criminals. “Gross violations of human rights have grown in number, in pace and in scale,” Paulo Sergio Pinheiro said on Monday, adding that Assad’s regime and rebels, to a lesser extent, had committed war crimes. Robert Serry, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, echoed similar views as he briefed the Security Council, saying: “indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas by government forces with heavy weapons, tanks and air assets has increased.”
Palestinian comments put romney in more hot water
CAIRO aFP
Egypt’s public prosecutor on Tuesday ordered that seven US-based Egyptian Copts be tried over their role in an anti-islam film that sparked violent clashes around the world, his office said. The seven — Adel Riad, Morris Sadek, Nabil Bissada, Esmat Zaklama, Elia Bassily, ihab Yaacoub and Jack Atallah — were accused of “insulting the islamic religion, insulting the Prophet (Mohammed) and inciting sectarian strife.” The prosecution said they were involved in either the production or the distribution of the film “innocence of Muslims”. No trial date has yet been set.
Chinese, US ships conduct joint anti-piracy drill BEIJING aFP
WASHINGTON aFP
Mitt Romney told donors the Palestinians “have no interest whatsoever” in peace with israel and if elected president he would just kick the issue down the road, a leaked video showed Tuesday. The Republican White House hopeful had already faced a barrage of criticism over initial excerpts from the May 17 fundraiser in which he writes off Democratic voters as “victims” that are beyond his help. The liberal news magazine Mother Jones revealed more excerpts from the $50,000-a-plate Florida event on Tuesday, this time on foreign policy, particularly related to the israeli-Palestinian question. Romney’s commander-in-chief credentials were already under the microscope after he was widely condemned for launching a bitter attack on President Barack Obama in the immediate aftermath of the Benghazi assault, which claimed the lives of four Americans, including the Libyan ambassador. Asked at the fundraiser if the “Palestinian problem” can be solved, Romney replied that the Palestinians have “no interest whatsoever in establishing peace, and that the pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish.” Displaying little nuance about different Palestinian factions, his remarks appear to dismiss the possibility that any Palestinian leaders are willing to work towards peace with israel. “i look at the Palestinians not wanting to see peace anyway, for political purposes, committed to the destruction and elimination of israel, and these thorny issues, and i say there’s just no way,” he said. “You move things along the best way you can. You hope for some degree of stability, but you recognize that this is going to remain an unsolved problem — and we kick the ball down the field and hope that ultimately, somehow, something will happen and resolve it.”
egypt to try US Copts over anti-islam film
wasHingTOn: us secretary of state Hillary Clinton meets with nobel Peace Prize winner and burmese pro-democracy opposition leader Daw aung san suu Kyi in Clinton’s office at the state Department on Tuesday. afp
Chinese and US naval vessels have conducted their first joint anti-piracy exercise in the Gulf of Aden, officials said Tuesday, citing the drill as a sign of improving security ties. The fivehour drill featured a Chinese missile frigate, the Yi Yang, and American guided missile destroyer the USS Winston S. Churchill, the US Navy and Chinese state media said. in the exercise the US destroyer played the part of a vessel taken over by pirates, while a joint American-Chinese team boarded the ship to “rescue” the crew, the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet said in a statement. “Executing the boarding side-by-side as a combined US-Chinese team, the team successfully searched the vessel and provided assistance to the role-playing mariners,” it said. US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, on a three-day visit to China, praised the joint exercise as evidence that military ties between the two powers were advancing.
newsweek’s ‘Muslim Rage’ cover sparks wave of scorn PARIS aFP
Newsweek’s front page about the deadly protests currently sweeping the Muslim world has sparked a storm of controversy and derision on Twitter as netizens mock the magazine’s headline “Muslim Rage.” “Lost nephew at the airport but can’t yell for him because his name is Jihad. #MuslimRage,” one Twitter user mocked online. “Man next to me on subway reading Koran on his Samsung Galaxy tablet just offered his seat to an older lady. #MUSLiMRAGE truly affects us all,” another netizen from New York posted on his account. The front page shows a photo of angry Muslim protesters shouting and putting their hands in the air, under the headline “Muslim Rage” and a sub-headline “How i survived it, how we can end it.” The cover story (http://bit.ly/Pies0D) is written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a well-known Somali-born rights activist and former Dutch lawmaker whose criticism of islam has earned her death threats. in it, she describes her own experience of renouncing islam as well as making a short film with Theo van Gogh about Muslim women that saw the Dutch filmmaker shot
and stabbed to death. The article comes as Muslims in at least 20 countries have staged angry demonstrations outside US embassies and other American symbols in protest against an anti-islam film called “innocence of Muslims.” Newsweek’s cover — and subsequent attempts on the magazine’s Twitter page to encourage netizens to comment using the hashtag #MuslimRage — have meanwhile unleashed a different kind of backlash. “Well done Newsweek, bring a well-known anti-islam activist and get them to write your cover story titled #MuslimRage on how to stop it,” one netizen responded. Entertainment and media blog Gawker on Tuesday published 13 widely retweeted photos poking fun at “Muslim Rage”, such as a picture of teenagers blowing bubbles in a square under the caption “violent, angry Egyptians.” Another Tweeter posted a mock-up version of the magazine cover called “Anti-Muslim Rage”, with photos of crying children under the captions “iraq War” and “Drones.” But Newsweek responded that its cover “accurately depicts the events of the past week.” “Our covers and hashtags bring attention and spark debate around topics of major global importance and the internet is an open forum for people to continue their own discussion,” spokesman Andrew Kirk told AFP.
Court bans spread of Kate pics as criminal probe opened PARIS aFP
French authorities on Tuesday banned Closer magazine from any further publication or resale of topless pictures of Prince William’s wife Catherine and launched a criminal investigation into how they were obtained. An emergency injunction granted by a civil court at Nanterre in the Paris suburbs ordered the magazine to hand over all forms of the pictures to representatives of the British royal couple within 24 hours or face a 10,000-euro ($13,000) fine for every day’s delay. The injunction also bans the glossy magazine, which published the pictures on Friday, from reusing them in print or on its website and from reselling them. Each infraction will be
subject to a 10,000-euro fine. Versions of the grainy pictures are already widely available on the internet and have been printed in ireland’s Daily Star newspaper and italy’s Chi magazine. The granting of the injunction came hours after a prosecutor launched a preliminary investigation into whether the magazine and the photographer or photographers who took the pictures had committed a criminal act. The move followed a complaint lodged by the royal couple on Monday. in light of the granting of the injunction, it is virtually certain to lead to a full investigation of allegations that taking and publishing the pictures breached the couple’s right to privacy under French law. The injunction ruling said the pictures were “by their nature, particularly intrusive” and had
been taken in a place where the couple could “legitimately assume they were not overlooked.” The prosecutor will have to decide who any criminal proceedings are directed against. The royals’ complaint cites persons unknown but aides say they want proceedings against both the editor of Closer and the photographer (or photographers) who took the shots of the couple at a chateau in the south of France earlier this month. in theory both could face fines of up to 45,000 euros and possibly even prison terms if convicted. in practice, noone has ever been imprisoned for breaching the privacy law and fines are usually well below the maximum allowed. The couple’s lawyer Aurelien Hamelle had told the injunction hearing that the images of William and his
wife were of “a highly intimate moment” in the life of a young married couple that had no place on the cover of a magazine. The lawyer also argued that the images were particularly distressing for the couple in light of William’s mother Princess Diana’s 1997 death in a car that crashed in a Paris tunnel while being pursued by paparazzi. The pictures were taken while the couple sunned themselves on the terrace of the chateau. The most intimate shots show the former Kate Middleton topless and having suncream rubbed into her behind by William. The identity of the photographer who took the snaps remains unknown and French law protecting journalistic sources mean Closer is unlikely to be forced to name him or her.
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10 Comment The cost of high politics Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami
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
the middle way Finally, a semblance of rationality
M
any must have heaved a sigh of relief at the conclusion of the SC proceedings in the NRO implantation case on Tuesday. Finally there is a prospect of resolution of the standoff between the judiciary and the executive. The government has agreed to withdraw the letter written by Malik Qayyum to the Swiss authorities which led to the termination of the legal proceedings against President Zardari in Switzerland. The prime minister also agreed to authorize the law minister to draft the withdrawal letter. Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has been exempted from court appearance. He will therefore be better able to focus on important national issues that need his urgent attention. Farooq H Naek has apparently played an important role in the development. He has however taken over a responsibility which will test his legal acumen as the letter has to satisfy the court while also ensure that Zardari does not face prosecution as a consequence of the correspondence. What Naek is required to perform is virtually a Houdini act. The implementation of the NRO verdict requires opening of the Swiss cases. To save Zardari, the PPP leadership had for more than two years remained adamant over not allowing the opening of his trial in Swiss courts. That seemed to be the safest way out in the eyes of the party leadership. Despite claims that it could sacrifice several PMs for maintaining the position, the party now finds the costs of the stand forbidding. The cases have removed the focus of the PPP leadership from highly vital matters like power shortages, floods in Sindh and Balochistan and planning for the forthcoming elections. A continuous negligence can have a negative fallout on its electoral fortunes. The government’s coalition partners are meanwhile becoming increasingly restive over the prolonged confrontation with the SC. They want an end to the state of uncertainty that they fear can harm them during the elections. Much will depend on whether the draft of the letter prepared by Naek is acceptable to the court on September 25. Over the last two years and more, the government and the SC have come to realize the extent of each other’s elasticity. The law can be bent up to a certain point only. The PPP too would yield ground on an issue concerning Zardari to a certain point. Naek is both an experienced lawyer and a confidante of Zardari and thus knows the limits of both sides. There is an urgent need to find a solution to the standoff that has sapped the energies of the government, created doubts about the future of the system and kept judges away from taking up important cases that continue to pile up in the SC.
Mighty Obvious By Syed Hassan Belal Zaidi
it’s the human development that suffers
T
he fire in the garment factory in Karachi on September 11, 2012, caused the death of over 290 people. Another fire incident in a shoe factory in Lahore on the same day killed 25 people. The Karachi incident was the most shocking because a large number of families have lost their bread-earners. Most of the victims could have been saved had the factory followed the safety and fire-fighting regulations and requirements. These two incidents were followed by the ritualistic visits of the politicians to the incident sites and they made tough statements for taking action against those responsible for these deaths. The MQM leaders and activists brought flowers to the garment factory and lighted candles to honor the dead in pursuance of an international tradition when human life is lost for one reason or another. The Sindh High Court took notice of the incident. Different departments of the Sindh government ordered inquiries. Financial compensations were announced by the Sindh and the Punjab governments, the federal government and Malik Riaz, the leading real estate businessperson. The TV channels gave an extensive coverage to the Karachi incident, highlighting By Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi the agony of the people and inadequacies of the response of different departments and agencies of the Sindh provincial government. Everybody was shocked in Pakistan but within a couple of days this incident and those killed there will be reduced to historical record. The life will return to routine activities and the media will be busy with other events. in a couple of years we will forget those who lost their lives as is done with other accidents, although we refer to them as historical data. However, their immediate families will continue to mourn them because in some cases the families relied solely on the salaries of the people killed in Karachi. The Karachi incident is symptomatic of the tragedy of Pakistan were the ordinary
human beings, laborers and the poor people are nothing more than statistics for government reports and NGOs. We all know that the factory regulations are violated by those who either have strong political connections or bribe the concerned officials or pay “protection money” to powerful political groups or local mafias. Pakistan’s state system is not essentially geared to helping the ‘have-nots’ because the political class, the government, the opposition spend most of their energies on high politics that involves their individual and group or party interests. The state institutions are no different because these are more interested in protecting their institutional interests and project their top officials. Make a content analysis of the speeches and statements of the political leaders and examine carefully their comments in the private sector TV channels. They engage in partisan politics, making personal remarks to put down the political adversary and defend their partisan approach at any cost. At times they may talk of the problems of the common people but that is done only to blame the opposite side, especially the provincial or federal government, for neglecting the people. The political leaders and political parties are not prepared to agree on plans for diverting state resources to specific human development plans. How would the opposition party afford a government to succeed in launching public welfare programs? The political leaders and parties often sell dreams of a better future to the people. Currently, the PTi is offering a glorified dream of solving all problems of people through a technocratic approach. There is hardly any realization on the part of the PTi that economic and social development plans are implemented in the political context which is so fragmented and divided that any plan is likely to run into trouble. it is not explained how would the PTi mobilize resources in a troubled society which is experiencing religious extremism and terrorism? The PTi’s pro-Taliban disposition is not expected to help much. The PML-N is desperate for knocking out the PPP-led coalition government at the federal level and offsetting the appeal of imran Khan to young people in the Punjab. The PPP cannot come out of its self-articulated persecution syndrome and the MQM and the ANP want to protect their exclusive political empires in urban Sindh and KP respectively. The other side of the high politics is Pakistan foreign policy where the federal
government faces enormous problems in pursuing peace in and around Pakistan because of their inability to overcome the traditional mindset of hostility towards india and its active role in Afghanistan found widely in the political circles and the official civilian and military circles. They are also under pressure from religious and militant circles to pursue a strident foreign policy. if Pakistan cannot improve its economic and diplomatic relations with the neighboring state and seeks peace on its border, it cannot spare resources for devoting serious attention to education, health care, civic facilities and eradication of under-development. The military builds pressure on the civilian government to promote its professional and corporate interests. Given Pakistan’s fragile democracy and divided political class no federal government can always assert itself on military and security affairs. Similarly, the high judiciary and especially the Supreme Court has become a political player because of the proliferation of politically loaded cases. it has removed an elected prime minister and it may do the same with another prime minister. Will that solve the problems of the common people? Will that improve the quality of service at the lower level judiciary? All what is happening in Pakistan is the high politics that serves the interests and ego of political parties, leaders and state institutions. The ordinary people figure in the discourse of the competing interests and institutions for blaming each other for their neglect. Pakistan should assign the highest priority to human and societal development. Population can become Pakistan’s major asset if sufficient resources are devoted to education, health care, availability of clean-drinkable water, civic amenities, law and order and promotion of religious-cultural tolerance and protection of civil and political rights. in November 2011, Pakistan was at 145th position in 187 countries in the Human Development index. in the same month the Punjab Civil Secretariat received 42,000 applications for 90 positions of Naib Qasid; the people with the Master’s degrees applied for these positions. These are the real problems of Pakistan. if Pakistan’s to function as a peaceful and coherent country these issues should be addressed as the first priority and high politics and strident foreign policy will have to be down-played. The writer is an independent political and defence analyst.
The last rational thing The enemy is within and is far more dangerous than the perceived threat because he looks exactly like you and me
i
t’s really hard to find things that make you laugh anymore. Death, misery, outrage and deceit lurk around every street corner, the company of friends is clouded by political and ideological divisions, the roads are full of speed bumps and potholes and this abominable weather has left half the population of our country with runny noses and scratched throats and the ephedrine scandal has effectively ensured that cough and cold medicine will not be available for the foreseeable future. Looking for comedy in the Muslim world, then, is an exercise in futility. Fortunately for us, we live in the land of the pure, which is a far cry from the rest of the Muslim world. Where some Muslims would choose to express their outrage against the release of an obscenely inciteful and trashy film by murdering US diplomats, we in Pakistan could only lob a few Molotov cocktails at the most secure installation in all of Karachi. Even the traditional dev-
Wednesday, 19 September, 2012
ils from Jamaatud Dawa, Difa-ePakistan and other assorted acronyms could not muster the numbers usually seen at rallies for far lesser causes. For most of Pakistan, it has been business as usual. Life has not ground to a halt; streets and thoroughfares are not clogged with uncouth, full-throated youths chanting “Death to America” and there has most certainly not been any considerably loss of life over this unfortunate business of the anti-islam film. This is heartening not because it proves that Pakistanis have more sense than bollocks, but because it proves just how tired we are. Tired, fatigued, pooped and poofed. The entire nation, i should think, needs a break. The media is a wonderful thing. One must give the devil its due and say that rather than indulging in more fire mongering, our fat cats in their glass houses did a fairly decent job of failing to incite the people. While Sunday’s events in Karachi and elsewhere were definitely not kosher, they
were a far cry from the violent and senseless outpouring of outrage that i witnessed one fine Valentine’s Day some years ago on The Mall in Lahore. Granted, that my experience of that day was marred more by the fact that i did not have a date, but burning down historic buildings and bashing people upside the head with sticks, stones and plumbing tools is not the way to register protest. However, in cyberspace, we are most active. Armchair activism is at its peak, mostly because this spell of pleasant weather has meant more electricity for some of us. With longer hours of uninterrupted power trips, the unemployed social media gurus of Pakistan have been busy. Their logic is faultless: why destroy our own property to vent anger against a foreign threat? And it’s not even a threat. Certainly, the Prophet (peace be upon him) of islam does not feel threatened when a sociopathic kleptomaniac from a most misunderstood and misguided part of
the world manufactures a bad B movie that does not have a clue? Of course, there will always be the likes of Ansar Abbasi, who do not shy away from incitement in their op-eds. But this is to be expected, since Urdu is the language “Jo qalb ko garma dey aur rooh ko tarpa dey”. in the view of the intellectual elite of our country, with less than a few million readers, the English press can harp on and on about complex, abstract concepts such as sanity, tolerance and non-violence, but no one really cares. By contrast, even single-column stories in the Urdu press can lead to outbreaks of violence in remote parts of the country. But that’s not entirely accurate. it’s all about loot and plunder now. Violence and its various manifestations are becoming necessarily retributive in their nature. The pent up frustration and anger in our peoples need an outlet and what better way to express themselves than rioting in the name of religion. Especially if it’s a cause everyone can get be-
hind. Even those who are usually called ‘kaafirs’ by the more extreme practitioners of our faith. Many are flummoxed by the role of the iSO in the anti-film demonstrations in Karachi and even islamabad. But an interesting question, which almost no one is asking, is where these hordes of die-hard faithful warriors were when their own brothers were getting slaughtered in different parts of the country. Why is that we can only get behind a cause if the perceived threat comes from the outside? This new war is not actually very new. The enemy is within and is far more dangerous than the perceived threat because he looks exactly like you and me. He is the one that screams loudest at anti-America rallies and stays put when the Taliban decapitate soldiers and innocent Shias. Think about it. it may be the last rational thing you do. Follow @mightyobvious on Twitter for more incoherence in 140 characters or less
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Editor’s mail Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. Fax: +92-42-36298302. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk. Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively.
facilities for blind students institutes of special education serve a nation in making the special persons as beneficial and contributing as normal individuals of a society could be. This miracle is possible, only through education that handicapped or disable persons could participate in the development of a nation rather than becoming a burden on the state. That is why the developed nations of the world spend lots of money on special education by facilitating special persons with special aids, necessary for education. in Pakistan, where even literacy rate for normal people and facilities are very low, there are very few education institutions or facilities for disabled or special persons. Visually impaired or blind students can be educated at par with normal students if the following important steps could be taken. • Publishing of books in brail • Audio library containing all the educational material • Trained teachers who can teach the blind students • Special facilities in normal institutions to accommodate blind students • Availability of computers with software especially designed for the blinds • Training of teachers of normal institutions to cope with the blinds • TV programs/websites that can promote the techniques and tips for the teachers and parents of the blinds • Along with normal printing, brail printing should also be adopted on the boxes or containers of all products like medicine, grocery, electronics, etc as it is practiced in developed countries like France, so the blinds can have the first-hand information. These steps not only can be helpful in educating the blinds, but at the same time, could create a balance in our society and can eradicate dependency of the blind. KIRAN ILYAS (a blind student) Lahore
Wrong in projection? it is not the malfunctioning of this government that it is being criticized by one and all but it is the wrong and faulty projection of works done and achievements for the welfare of masses. Take, for example, just one thing and that is load shedding, which has supposedly made the people awful. Power shortage is not a creation of just one year or even five. it is due to the cumulative effect of wrong planning on the part of previous governments. Railways have come to a virtual halt but it did not happen in just five years. Steel Mill, PiA, NiLC and so on did not just fail overnight. The projection of the functioning of the government has been wrong. Communication to the people is not
only weak but also faulty and erratic. Who briefed Raja sahib to give statements in press about the termination of load shedding in 2009 giving people hopes of something unbelievable? Who appointed incompetent people at fat salaries and commissions in PiA and Steel Mill? is it the fault of PM if the Chairman of OGDC was illiterate or had criminal record? Who jeopardized the institutions of this country through corruption and ill planning? Why is Thar coal project lying in the backyard? Who placed FC in Balochistan? Who started war against terror? Who is responsible for making Karachi as Beirut of 70s? Who approved or proposed those silly projects worth billions of rupee
the acts of a few One fails to understand how can acts of few irresponsible individuals who no way represent the government, could be attributed to a nation. Has the American ambassador to Libya contributed to making of this offensive film, for which he was subjected to cold blooded murder? internet is full of such material/ hate-clips for every religion, does it mean the whole world shall start acting lunatic. Just few years back, we have seen American government’ inability to question a box-office hit movie wherein the Christ was shown as leading a married life. But Libyan and other governments in the region can’t absolve themselves from not doing enough to protect the foreign missions and respective staff. We shall condemn production of any offensive material but shall not forget that technology has powered the individuals to present their view point without fear of governments haunting them. One such example is the hate material recently uploaded on the internet showing the atrocities meted out to the Burmese Muslims. Later, it turned out that several of the photographs were doctored from other incidents elsewhere in the world, to incite anger and hatred among Muslims viewing these images. One would wish we shall be able to talk and discuss religious issues and differences instead of resorting to violence means. We wonder whether the All Mighty grants His approval for the ongoing bloodshed in His name. MASOOD KHAN Jubail, Saudi Arabia
Animals in disaster-hit areas Numerous animal disease outbreaks are reported to have occurred in the monsoon rains-triggered flood-hit areas in Sindh province. The livestock including buffaloes, cows, goats, sheep, horses, camels, among others, have severely suffered. Several cases of foot and mouth disease, exotic Newcastle disease, and swine fever are reported among the animals but the relevant federal and provincial organizations are not doing anything to treat the animals. Since there is no land for these animals to
wastage? Did AirBlue crash because of Rehman Malik? The real fault lies with those incompetent people who selected these people to handle giant organizations. it is not the artisan who deshapes the clay pot, it is the person who made him to make the clay pot. Have we identified these people? Have we penalized them? They will fail any government whether it is of PPP or PML-N or PTi. We have to convey correct message to the public and tell people the truth. No government or the group ruling a country in the world do everything right. They make mistakes. in business management we say, “mistakes are made by those who do something, only idles don’t make
graze on, they are forced to drink contaminated water which then causes death of these animals. The international life and animal caring organizations are appealed to take pragmatic steps including the supply and management of feed and fodder and also requisite vaccines so as to save the livestock estimated to be in millions. HASHIM ABRO Islamabad
Saviours and suppressors The torrential rains and floods have created havoc in Balochistan. Eleven districts have been declared as calamity hit areas. The people of these areas are in extreme need of help and support. This is the time to stand by them. Where are the leaders who are all time propagating about the sufferings of their people and presenting themselves as the one struggling for their rights? Where are the slogans of raising the life standards of these innocent and poor people who are fighting for survival? As reported by media 7,361 people are affected. Pakistan Army and Frontier Corp has been called in for help. They are to launch joint rescue and relief operations. The roads are damaged, so they will have to repair roads to reach people. Helicopters and boats would be used to evacuate trapped people and shift them to safer places. Men in uniform would be risking their lives and helping the old, young and the innocent. These soldiers will forget everything to include their families and self. To help the needy stands above all. They will share their food, their time and all energies. So now people of Balochistan should also think about their real saviour and the suppressor. They should understand who is holding their hand and not leaving it until they are safe and who are avoiding and keeping themselves away until the difficult time is over. in good times everyone chirps, swings and talks of paradise but in bad times only the one who loves, cares, understands, feels and wants a good future for you holds you and stands by you. it is time to think and change perceptions. ANWAR PARWEEN Islamabad
mistakes”. We accuse PPP for all social, cultural moral and economic upheavals but the fact of the matter stays firm; all things appear as a result of hunger and deprivation. All great revolutions in the world started from empty stomachs. Empty stomach is again due to worldwide and overall depressions. i am sure critics don’t find links of floods in China with PPP or its esteemed rulers. PPP doesn’t have more than a few months to go. i strongly suggest the PPP architects to find out the names of few hundreds who are instrumental for this socalled chaos and punish them to the wall. AMJAD H MIRZA Lahore
Public, judiciary and army Pakistan is passing through a critical time. Hence, the responsibilities of above segments have been increased. Pakistan faces worst lawlessness, load shedding, price-hike, drone attacks, missing persons, unemployment, a weak foreign policy and many other issues nowadays. There is no government in three provinces except Punjab. Government and LEAs have completely failed to control these issues. The question is what do these segments do under these circumstances? Public is also responsible for these issues because they elect the people who do not have good track record. These people did nothing for the public and country after election. The public should elect fair and honest people in the upcoming elections. No doubt, our army is the best but we are wasting its energy to please foreign lords. Army should give attention to its own issues. Army can play the role of a supervisor over the government without any takeover. Judiciary is the best forum for checking govt malpractices for which judiciary is doing a lot. The apex court should also look after the performance of lower courts. i appeal to the said segments for playing their due role to save the country. TARIQ HUSAIN KHAN Karachi
left high and dry The government claims to be people-friendly but has done little for their welfare. Thousands of villagers are at risk of floods every year. Their lives are lost, their cattle die and their crops are destroyed. in urban areas, particularly Karachi and Lahore, the same treatment is being meted out to the poor. Although they find jobs with much difficulty, poor working conditions await them. No high official bothers to check what bad conditions these people are working in. The government hardly focuses on civic issues of the people. There is no social security for people either in villages or in cities. AREEBA REHMAN Karachi
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is ‘bengali’ the new lucky charm for b-Town?
if Kahaani brought alive the tiny streets and grand Durga pujo of Kolkata through 'Bidya's' story, Vicky Donor put across the Bengalis vs Punjabis debate. The colour and culture of Bengalis was also beautifully depicted in films like Parineeta and Devdas. Most recently, the famous Howrah Bridge, the trams, language, dress, mannerisms and the British influence on the Bengali culture played indispensable roles in Barfi!. With recent films, either based in Bengal or on Bengali culture, having met with praise at the BO and the critics' court, is the Bong-connect the new secret hit formula?Director Anurag Basu thinks so. "West Bengal can be a lucky charm at times. in the last one year, there have been directors who have really explored Kolkata and areas like Darjeeling. People are opening up to the culture like the way they did to the Punjabi culture a few years back," he says. But this is not the first time that films based on Kolkata or the Bengali culture have worked. As actor Prosenjit Chatterjee rightly points out, "There was a time when Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee and Shakti Samanta were masters of the game. Now, these boys are all set to carry their legacy forward." Bollywood is going through a very interesting phase, he feels. And so is the regional cinema, adds Parambrata Chatterjee of Kahaani fame. He explains, "Earlier, there were only two kinds of cinema in Bengal — art films and commercial films. But now there is something called mid-length cinema which has found a lot of national and international takers. i guess it is this genre which has paved the way for further discovery of the Bengali culture." Ask director Shoojit Sircar if Bengal is becoming the lucky charm for B-Town filmmakers and he says he would rather label it as a 'paradise for framing'. "You don't need to frame in Kolkata," he says, adding, "You can just put your camera on the shooting mode and become a cameraman without even deciding on the frames." This factor seems to work well in the films. Filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh maintains that a script will always hold the lucky charm post, but he also says, "There are so many other locations which we need to explore. But, at the same time, i have to agree that Kolkata and West Bengal come with an added advantage of having a set of world class film technicians." Actor Bipasha Basu feels that there is a lot of talent in Bengal. "Bengalis are deeply rooted when it comes to cinema. The culture, attire and food are equally fascinating. Sujoy aptly brought out the interesting visuals which Bengal boasts of in his film." Well, it's to be seen if other filmmakers too carry this trend forward. COURTESY TOi
Wednesday, 19 September, 2012
UPCOMINg HORROR fILMS: BHOOT RETURNS:
THe FeaR FaCTOR
Gone are the days when Indian horror was synonymous with Ramsay Brothers cinema. Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche (1972), Purana Mandir (1984), Saamri (1985), Veerana (1985) Tahkhana (1986), Dak Bangla (1987), Purani Haveli (1989), Shaitani Ilaaka and Bandh Darwaza (both 1990) were some of the film that were successful at the box office. The USP of these B-grade movies was their low budget. Raaz 3 starring Emraan Hashmi, Bipasha Basu and Esha Gupta probably is the costliest and one of the most successful horror movies of recent times. Made on a budget of Rs. 25 crore, the film has collected over Rs. 60 crore in two weeks. Is horror genre here to stay? Will it get bigger than this? Let's explore. Horror genre in Bollywood kicked off as early as 1940s. The cult horror movies like Mahal, Bees Saal Baad and Bhoot Bungla worked well commercially at the time. But somewhere down the line, the genre lost its sheen. Then entered Ram Gopal Varma. His romance with horror started with Raat. The film was written, produced and directed by him. It starred Revathi in the role of protagonist Manisha (Mini) Sharma.
LOw BUDgET, BIg MOOLAH: Vikram Bhatt stepped into the scene a decade later with Raaz, but managed to up the ante. The low budget movie starring Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea was the second most successful movie at the box office that year. it collected Rs. 37 crore and the market for scary movies got a major boost. Ramu who mastered the art of making spooky cinema got back to the genre with Bhoot (2003). The film starring Urmila Matondkar and Ajay Devgn was a reasonable success at the box office. The film was made on a shoestring budget. While the big budget films like Drona and Kidnap fell flat at the box office, a film made on the budget of Rs. 8 crore, 1920 (2008), did a brisk business. Directed by Vikram Bhatt, the horror flick starred debutant actors Rajniesh Duggall and Adah Sharma. The same year, Ramu came out with Phoonk. The film dealt with the subject of black magic. The film was made on a budget of Rs. 3 crore and made Rs. 31 cr at the box office. HOw 3D HORROR wORKS: Vikram Bhatt did the unbelievable. He made a 3D horror film on a budget of Rs. 8.5 crore and managed to garner Rs.35 crore. The secret behind his 'scary' success? Vikram Bhatt told iANS in an interview: "it is not easy to scare the audience because they can even make fun of your film very easily. You need to find new ways to scare them because if you repeat the same thing again and again, people will get used to it." RGV and Vikram Bhatt are now cashing in on their brands. While RGV would be back with Bhoot Returns soon, Vikram Bhatt is ready with the sequel of 1920 titled 1920 Evil Returns. The film is directed by Bhushan Patel starring Aftab Shivdasani, Tia Bajpai and Vidya Malvade and is being produced under the banner of BVG Films (A Division of ASA Productions & Enterprises Pvt Ltd). Written by Vikram Bhatt and Amin Hajee and featuring lyrics by Shakeel Azmi, 1920 - Evil Returns promises to be a hair-raising thriller. Ram Gopal Varma's Bhoot Returns is also a 3D movie. The director had told iANS: "Technically, it would work. While watching a horror film sitting in a theatre you are seeing it happen to someone else on the screen. But a 3D film is a medium which makes you feel you are there with them, on location may be. The illusion it creates is because of the third dimension. Because of that i think the technique has terrific application in a horror film, if rightly done," Varma said. Ramu was always fascinated with horror films. "i always had this obsession to scare people. When i was a kid, i used to stand behind the door and say ‘bhoooo’ to someone entering the room and now i am making (horror) films," Varma told iANS in an interview.
Aatma, directed by Suparn Varma of Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena and Acid Factory fame, revolves around Bipasha's character and her experience with a spirit. A set has been specially built on the 21st floor of a building in Andheri for the shooting of Aatma as the story takes place in an apartment in a building. The film has a major twist in the climax and to maintain the confidentiality, only Bipasha, director Suparn Varma and the producers, Kumar Mangat and Abhishek Pathak have the complete script. Release Date: Not available SCARY MOvIES wITH A DIffERENCE: wOH KAUN THI? (1964)
The film is a sequel to the 2003 film Bhoot directed by RGV. The first trailer of Bhoot returns premiered in theatres with the release of Raaz 3. it features a little girl playing with a partly visible spirit in the living room in the wee hours and the scene is being captured on a webcam. The trailer was certified an "A" rating from the Censor board of india. Release Date: October 12, 2012 1920 — EvIL RETURNS:
One stormy night, a doctor offers a ride to a ghostly woman he meets on the side of the road. Later, he discovers his intended bride is identical in appearance to the ghost. Who was she and why does she haunt him? The film starred Sadhana, Manoj Kumar, Parveen Choudhary and K.N. Singh. MAHAL (1949):
Aftab Shivdasani plays a poet, rich man, who is devastated by a love he had lost. He lives the life of an alcoholic, wondering what his mission in life might be. Then one day he finds a young girl, played by Tia, washed up on a lake shore. He brings her home to learn that she has no memory of the past and that she has brought a spirit along with her, a spirit that sought to destroy her. Aftab vows to protect her but the spirit has other plans. it possesses her. To save her from the possession, Aftab needs to know what Tia had done to incur the wrath of the spirit. ....but then she has no memory. To save her he needs to find her past that even she does not remember.....and then time is running out! Release Date: November 2, 2012
A young lawyer is involved with a ghostly woman in his new house, where the builder and his fianc?e died shortly after it was built. (165 mins.) it starred Ashok Kumar, Madhubala, M. Kumar, Vijayalaxmi. BEES SAAL BAAD (1962)
AATMA:
After a lusty Thakur rapes a young girl, she kills herself. Thereafter, the Thakur is killed by what the local people call the girl's vengeful spirit... The film starred Biswajeet, Waheeda Rehman, Manmohan Krishna, Madan Puri. 13B: Fear Has a New Address (2009) in today's world, the major source of relief, information and entertainment is the TV. But what happens when television becomes a scare to your life. The film stars Madhavan, Neetu Chandra, Poonam Dhillon, Sachin Khedekar.
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I won't say never to plastic surgery: Paltrow
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow says she has no plans to go under the knife anytime soon but has not ruled out the possibility for the future. "Everyone is asking me about my thoughts on plastic surgery. Do i look old or something?! i'm not opposed to it but i want to move my face because i'm supposed to convey emotion in my job," digitalspy.co.uk quoted Paltrow as saying. "But i have wrinkles so i don't know. i am not going to say that i'll never do anything, but i would always want to look like myself," she added. Paltrow, who was recently named 'World's Best Dressed Woman' by People magazine, went on to say that she will not be taking on any leading roles in the near future. "i just had the summer off with the children before they start back at school, which was great," said the 39-year-old. "i look for interesting, supporting-sized parts. i have not starred in a movie since i had my daughter because i would never see my children and they would hate it. But if i do a good supporting part, it means i go for a few weeks of work... but then i'm done," she said. COURTESY TOi
MiNUTeS of fAMe doeSN'T MAKe yoU A Celeb: MAlAiKA item number queen and glam diva Malaika Arora Khan wows masses with her special dance moves or her stint on reality television. Currently she's busy assisting her hubby Arbaaz Khan with production work on Dabangg 2. Excerpts from a chat: You seem to have made a career out of judging reality shows on television. i love judging talent hunt/reality TV shows. Being a judge on a dance or talent based reality show gives me creative satisfaction and helps establish a connect with the audience. Television has a huge reach and it's great to be part of such a medium. Do reality music dance shows on Tv throw up enough talent? The dance shows which i have judged in the past have mostly had celeb participants, who were not looking for a platform to stardom with the show. For india's Got Talent Season 4, my new show, i am going to judge ordinary people with some interesting talent, which sounds fun. Between Tv and films, which is a better platform for aspiring actors? TV is a great platform to be noticed, but one can't earn five minutes fame and think she/he has become a huge celebrity. You just can't come on a show and expect people to remember you forever. TV actors have made it big in films because of their talent and hard work. in Bollywood lead actresses are now doing item songs.
Do you feel they are encroaching your territory? There is enough work and space for everyone in Bollywood. Filmmakers know what they want and sign up stars accordingly. Even item songs are offered to people who fit the song. You are producing Dabangg 2. How hands-on are you as a producer? Currently, Dabangg 2 is keeping me on my toes. i am learning lot of new things as a producer. it is a whole new process for me which is amazing and i am loving every moment of it. You balance home and work really well. what's the magic formula? The entire credit goes to my family because without their support it wouldn't have been possible for me to work and enjoy my personal life too. it is not easy to maintain a proper balance, but my family has been my pillar of strength. COURTESY TOi
Lohan thinks Bynes should be punished Actress Lindsay Lohan, who has served jail for her irresponsible driving, feels it's unfair that fellow actress Amanda Bynes has not yet been arrested for her ongoing driving indiscretions. "Why did i get put in jail and a Nickelodeon star has had no punishment so far," Lohan tweeted, making an indirect reference to Bynes. "These are the moments that i appreciate my life experiences, living without regrets and Disney for supporting me as an actress," she further posted. Bynes, 26, was cited Sep 11, driving without a licence and puffing what looked
Saif plans to whisk Bebo off to London for her birthday
like a marijuana pipe. Lohan's angry comments came hours after Bynes was once again caught driving Sunday morning without a licence, this time resulting in her car being impounded, reports femalefirst.co.uk. The Department of Motor Vehicles suspended her licence Aug 25 after she is believed to have refused to take a sobriety test when she was stopped for driving under influence in April. Bynes has been charged with two misdemeanour counts of hit-andrun, relating to accidents she's had behind the wheels. COURTESY TOi
Kissing not necessary to show romance: Preity Actress Preity Zinta, who was once in a serious relation with businessman Ness Wadia and later linked to cricketer Yuvraj Singh and Brett Lee, says she has no time for love. "i am lucky...i have no time for love...i would like to get married some day. When that day comes... Will inform everyone," Preity told reporters. Preity was dating model Marc Robinson earlier and when they separated, she started seeing the Bombay Dyeing heir and businessman Ness Wadia reportedly from 2005 to 2009. But now she is all charged up for her upcoming film `ishkq in Paris` that also marks her debut as a producer. it was in 2011 when Preity launched her own production company, PZNZ Media. ishkq in Paris` also marks Preity`s comeback to films after a gap of two-three years. "it is a fresh young romantic film?it is not a mature love story. The film is of today`s times. nEWS DESK
Salman can play all three Khans together? Kareena Kapoor had plans to bring in her birthday in theatres on Sept 21. in fact, it is the first time in recent years that Bebo was planning a working holiday. However, Saif Ali Khan wants to whisk her to London on the night of September 20 and bring in her birthday in their favourite hotel in London. The actress is torn between her personal and professional commitments. Knowing her predicament, Saif has promised to let her be on the phone and even do interviews from overseas, should she choose to. "He's ok with me doing interviews and staring into my phone, so long as he has me with him on my special day," smiles Bebo. COURTESY TOi
Fresh from the success of his latest film ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, Salman Khan was at his cockiest at the launch of his reality show ‘Bigg Boss Season 6’. Amidst speculations about the show, Salman also answered questions about the other two Khans and whether they would ever do a film together. When a journalist pointed out that Karan Johar stated that making a film with the three Khans (Salman, Aamir and SRK) would land him in a hospital, Sallu said, “i am very happy that you met Karan before meeting me. First you have to tell me, which three Khans are you speaking about? Bolne mein kya jaata hai! Anyway, i can play all the three
Khans together.” Then he brazenly added, “i will don Shah Rukh`s RA.One look, my Dabangg look and Aamir`s Ghajini look.” The actor who is all set to host the popular yet controversial show ‘Bigg Boss’ for the third consecutive year assured that the content on the show has been toned down for the family audience. Salman, who is shooting for the sequel of his blockbuster film ‘Dabangg’, is rumoured to be playing a double role in the film. When the actor was asked to confirm the news, he said, “it may happen, it may not happen. You are confusing me!” Like we said, Salman wasn’t in a mood for straightforward answers that evening. nEWS DESK
Wednesday, 19 September, 2012
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Infotainment 14
a dog from the Chongqing Municipality Fire Fighting special Mission team inches along two 10m long tightropes during training for disaster relief missions. COURTESY ThE TELEGRaph
a freediver dances with dolphins off grand bahama island, bahamas. Thee pro swimmers held their breath for up to 4 minutes while plunging to depths of 30ft with the dolphins in a bid to learn new techniques. COURTESY ThE TELEGRaph
What is the smallest thing in the universe? HE answer to the enduring question of the smallest thing in the universe has evolved along with humanity. People once thought grains of sand were the building blocks of what we see around us. Then the atom was discovered, and it was thought indivisible, until it was split to reveal protons, neutrons and electrons inside. These too, seemed like fundamental particles, before scientists discovered that protons and neutrons are made of three quarks each. “This time we haven’t been able to see any evidence at all that there’s anything inside quarks,” said physicist Andy Parker. “Have we reached the most fundamental layer of matter?” And even if quarks and electrons are indivisible, Parker said, scientists don’t know if they are the smallest bits of matter in existence, or if the universe contains objects that are even more minute. Parker, a professor of high-energy physics at England’s Cambridge University, recently hosted a television special on the U.K.’s BBC Two channel called “Horizon: How Small is the Universe?”
quarks and electrons seem to act like single points of matter with no spatial distribution. But pointlike objects complicate the laws of physics. Because you can get infinitely close to a point, the forces acting on it can become infinitely large, and scientists hate infinities. An idea called superstring theory could solve this issue. The theory posits that all particles, instead of being point-like, are actually little loops of string. Nothing can get infinitely close to a loop of string, because it will always be slightly closer to one part than another. That “loophole” appears to solve some of these problems of infinities, making the idea appealing to physicists. Yet scientists still have no experimental evidence that string theory is correct. Another way of solving the point problem is to say that space itself isn’t continuous and smooth, but is actually made of discrete pixels, or grains, sometimes referred to as space-time foam. in that case, two particles wouldn’t be able to come infinitely close to each other because they would always have to be separated by the minimum size of a grain of space.
thing in the universe is the singularity at the center of a black hole. Black holes are formed when matter is condensed in a small enough space that gravity takes over, causing the matter to pull inward and inward, ultimately condensing into a single point of infinite density. At least, according to the current laws of physics. But most experts don’t think black holes are really infinitely dense. They think this infinity is the product of an inherent conflict between two reigning theories — general relativity and quantum mechanics — and that when a theory of quantum gravity can be formulated, the true nature of black holes will be revealed. “My guess is that [black hole singularities] are quite a lot smaller than a quark, but i don’t believe they’re of infinite density,” Parker told LiveScience. “Most likely they are maybe a million times or even more than that smaller than the distances we’ve seen so far.” That would make singularities roughly the size of superstrings, if they exist.
Strings or points?
A singularity
The Planck length
T
in experiments, teensy, tiny particles like
Another contender for the title of smallest
Superstrings, singularities, and even grains of the universe could all turn out to be about the size of the “Planck length.” A Planck length is 1.6 x 10^-35 meters (the number 16 preceded by 34 zeroes and a decimal point) — an incomprehensibly small scale that is implicated in various aspects of physics. The Planck length is far and away too small for any instrument to measure, but beyond that, it is thought to represent the theoretical limit of the shortest measurable length. According to the uncertainty principle, no instrument should ever be able to measure anything smaller, because at that range, the universe is probabilistic and indeterminate. This scale is also thought to be the demarcating line between general relativity and quantum mechanics. “it corresponds to the distance where the gravitational field is so strong that it can start to do things like make black holes out of the energy of the field,” Parker said. “At the Planck length we expect quantum gravity takes over.” Perhaps all of the universe’s smallest things are roughly the size of the Planck length. news DesK
washington’s National Zoo giant panda gives birth
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giant panda at Washington’s National Zoo has given birth to a cub, the zoo said on Monday, ending the zoo’s seven-year spell without panda offspring. The panda, Mei Xiang, gave birth late on Sunday at the zoo’s panda complex, the zoo said in a statement. She was artificially inseminated in April using thawed frozen sperm from the zoo’s other giant panda, Tian Tian, after he failed to impregnate her. “She is the poster child for a perfect panda mom,” Murray said in a statement. The two giant pandas are on loan from China, where as few as 1,600 of the black and white bears live in the wild, and are among Washington’s top attractions. Although they have delighted crowds of visitors to their complex, they have produced only two cubs in their 11 years in Washington. The pair’s last cub, Tai Shan, was born in 2005 and lives in China, where pandas are an endangered species. news DesK
Genital-cooking Japanese man handed to prosecutors
A
man who admits cooking and serving his own severed genitals to paying diners in Japan has been handed over to prosecutors on an allegation of indecent exposure, Tokyo police said. Criminal papers against the 23-year-old man and three other people who helped organize the event were sent to the Tokyo district public prosecutors’ office, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said, without naming them. But police did not question the dishing out of the genitals, possibly because there is no law against cannibalism in Japan. in an email to AFP in May, he confirmed the event had taken place and said it was organized to raise awareness about “sexual minorities, x-gender, asexual people”. An MPD spokeswoman said that the four people conspired to “openly display the (illustrator’s) severed male genitals to the assembled 71 guests” at a music club from 7 pm to 10 pm on May 13. “Every one of them has admitted that they did it,” she said. if convicted of indecent exposure, a crime known as the display of obscene objects in Japanese, they can be jailed up to two years and/or fined up to 2.5 million yen (32,000 dollars) each. aFP
5 ways to fast-track your strength training if you’ve stopped getting results from your strength-training routine, it’s time to shake things up. Pick any of these five simple strategies to wake up your muscles.
1. Move quickly from upper to lower body Alternate upper- and lowerbody exercises without rest in between to up your caloric burn exponentially, says celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, whose clients include Jennifer Lopez. Moving quickly from biceps curls to squats, for example, can raise your heart rate by forcing blood to shunt from your arms to your legs. Work this technique into your routine once a week.
2. Drop the weight Squeeze every ounce of effort out of your muscles with drop sets, says Mark Jenkins, owner of international Fitness in New York City. This technique recruits more mus-
cle fibers for faster results. Start with a weight heavy enough to fatigue muscles in 10 reps. Use a slightly lighter weight for a second set. Then go even lighter for a third set (for example: 10 pounds to 8 pounds to 5 pounds). Do this only once a month, as it can cause significant muscle soreness.
3. Work two muscle groups at once Save time and burn more calories with a series of total-body moves targeting several muscle groups together, suggests Alwyn Cosgrove, owner of Results Fitness in Santa
Clarita, California. Try adding triceps presses to squats or front shoulder raises to lunges. This technique isn’t highly fatiguing, so try it once a week, says Cosgrove.
4. Balance on one leg Using one foot instead of two during strength moves will recruit the muscles in your core, helping you sculpt flat, sexy abs, says Jenkins. Stand on one leg for everything from shoulder presses to squats. Because you have to work harder to maintain your balance, you may need to use slightly lighter weights with this technique, says Jenkins.
5. Team up on one muscle Zap your most persnickety parts into shape by doing back-to-back exercises for the same muscle group. For example, blast your legs with a squat followed by a lunge, suggests Jenkins. To attack your abs, do bicycles followed by reverse crunches. This pushes your muscles to total exhaustion, so don’t try it more than twice a month. news DesK
lost fisherman credits shark for saving his life
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Kiribati fisherman and father of six who spent about three and a half months adrift at sea in a wooden boat has credited a shark with saving his life, AFP reports. Toakai Teitoi drifted in the central Pacific for 15 weeks before he was rescued by a Marshall islands fishing vessel last week. The fisherman has since claimed that a 6-and-a-half foot shark is the hero that led him to safety. According to AFP, Teitoi said he had woken up on the afternoon of Sept. 11 to “see the shark circling the boat and bumping the hull.” “He was guiding me to a fishing boat. i looked up and there was the stern of a ship and i could see crew with binoculars looking at me,” Teitoi said. Having captured “[Teitoi’s] attention,” the shark reportedly then swam away, AFP adds. According to Australia’s Herald Sun, Teitoi’s troubles began in the Kiribati capital of Tarawa in late May, where the fisherman was attending a ceremony during which he was sworn in as a policeman. COuRTesy HuFFPOsT
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wednesday, 19 september, 2012
Indian star bhupathi lashes out after ban Page 17
Pakistan take on England in key warm-up tie Champions from 2009 and 2010 go head-to-head at P Sara Oval today COLOMBO
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agenCies
day after the proper competition starts in the iCC World Twenty20 2012, England and Pakistan go head-to-head in the last of the warm-up fixtures at the P Sara Oval in Colombo on Wednesday (September 19). Both teams have played only one warm-up game so far, interestingly, against old rivals – England playing Australia and Pakistan playing india. And both England and Pakistan won those games by small margins. England beat Australia by 9 runs, while Pakistan beat india by 5 wickets in a last over finish. England’s performance against Australia was certainly clinical. While batting, the runs were shared between Alex Hales (52), Luke Wright (35) and Eoin Morgan (30), while all five bowlers in operation – Steven Finn, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann
talks going on for cricket revival in Pakistan: zaka LAHORE sTaFF RePORT
Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Zaka Ashraf said that the PCB is striving hard to revive international cricket in the country and talks are in progress with two to three countries in this regard.Pakistan will be touring india later this year for a few Onedayers and T20 matches. india and Pakistan last played in a bilateral series in 2007 as cricketing ties between them froze following the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. "The coming series will only help in improving relations between the two countries," he said. Ashraf has admitted that the decision to not completely boycott the iCC annual awards ceremony was taken with a view to safeguard future relations with cricket's governing body. "We remain utterly disappointed that Saeed Ajmal was not shortlisted in any category for the awards. But we had to keep in mind our relations with the iCC as well," Ashraf told reporters here. "We know that the omission of Saeed was a mistake and clearly there is a need to review the process through which the nominees for the awards are selected. But we also had to keep in mind that the iCC is not against us and it has supported us a lot," he added.
and Danny Briggs – picked up wickets. Crucially, England showed good spirit in standing up to a brilliant effort from Mike Hussey, who scored a 51-ball 71, to wrap up the win. Pakistan, on the other hand, was profligate with the ball, with Sohail Tanvir (11.66), Mohammad Sami (15.50) and Shahid Afridi (10.25) all proving expensive as Virat Kohli (75 not out) and Rohit Sharma (56) took india to 185 for 3. The win was possible primarily because of the heroics from Kamran Akmal, who scored an unbeaten 92 from 50 balls. Both teams are among the favourites to win the tournament, and both have history working in their favour. Pakistan won the second edition of the iCC World T20 in 2009 and England won in 2010, and is coming into the latest edition as the defending champion. The clash between these two might provide a good idea of how each stands as they campaign to win the iCC World T20 for a second time.
Teams and fans under surveillance for T20 COLOMBO aFP
Sri Lanka launched an unprecedented security operation for cricket's World Twenty20 tournament starting Tuesday, with the players also under intense surveillance over match-fixing fears. Bodyguards from the Ministerial Security Division (MSD) and commandos of the elite Special Task Force have been deployed to guard players in a drill usually reserved for visiting heads of state, officials said. Camillus Abeygunawardena, the top security officer for the tournament said it was the biggest security operation ever in Sri Lanka for a sporting event in the country emerging from nearly four decades of ethnic bloodshed. "We had this level of security at last year's (cricket) World Cup, but this time we have more teams and the scale of the operation is a lot bigger," Abeygunawardena told AFP. The authorities have also unveiled an undercover operation to ensure there was no corruption by players
themselves after international cricket was rocked by match-fixing revelations last year. "Both local and international detectives have checked into hotels where the players are staying," a top security source who declined to be
named said. "We are keeping a close watch on the players and their visitors." Armed security was already deployed at team hotels where floors occupied by players have been declared out of bounds for other hotel
guests. Sri Lanka co-hosted the 1996 Cricket World Cup, but Australia and West indies kept away after Tamil rebels bombed the Central Bank in Colombo, killing 91 people and wounding 1,200 just two weeks before the tournament. Sri Lanka's Tamil separatist war ended in May 2009 with government forces declaring victory over the separatist Tamil rebels, but no international match or players in Sri Lanka had been targeted by the militants. Abeygunawardena said they were not taking chances and tight security would be maintained throughout the tournament and until every player had left the island safely. "Matches like the ones between india and Pakistan would attract more crowds and naturally we will have more security for those games," he said. He declined to give numbers of security personnel deployed for the games, but said up to 1,200 volunteers will be deployed at match venues which will also be protected by large numbers of uniformed police.
Today’s maTches Aus vs Ireland Afganistan vs India
banned Pakistan stars turn to tV for World t20
KARACHI aFP
Shamed Pakistan cricket stars Salman Butt and Mohammad Aamer, both serving long bans for spot-fixing, have turned television pundits for the World Twenty20 tournament which starts Tuesday. Both have been banned from cricket for at least five years by the sport's governing body for their role in arranging deliberate no-balls to order during the 2010 Lord's Test against England. Butt, captain in the infamous Lord's Test, appeared on the ARY news channel during Pakistan's five wicket win over arch-rivals india in a warm-up match in Colombo on Monday, while Aamer made an appearance on Express News the same day. Butt controversially did a stint as pundit for Pakistan's Channel Five during last year's 50-over World Cup, but this is the first time 20-year-old Aamer has appeared as an expert. The channels said both players will give expert comments throughout the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, and ARY ran promos with Butt with the tagline: "Stopped from playing, but not from speaking." in addition to their bans from the international Cricket Council (iCC) Butt, Aamer and Mohammad Asif were jailed by an English court for contriving to bowl noballs with their agent Mazhar Majeed during the Lord's Test. The iCC last year reacted sharply to Butt's television role. "The iCC Board, having a zero tolerance attitude towards corruption, expressed disappointment at the decision by a Pakistan television channel, which has no relationship with the iCC, to employ the suspended Mr Salman Butt as a studio pundit during the World Cup," then-iCC chief executive Haroon Lorgat had said. The iCC have not yet reacted to the new TV roles. Express News channel said they had received mixed reactions from the fans, with some criticising the banned players' appearance but some appreciating their new roles.
PIETERSEN LEFT OUT OF TOUR TO INDIA
LONDON aFP
Kevin Pietersen has been left out of England's Test squad for the tour of india as the controversial batsman pays the price for the text message scandal that has left his international career in tatters. Pietersen was dropped for the final Test against South Africa after sending texts to opposition players that contained criticism of then England captain Andrew Strauss. The South Africa-born star has since
met England coach Andy Flower for clearthe-air talks, but there are still issues to be resolved and that meant there was no place for Pietersen on the plane to india. While Pietersen remains in exile at present, England cricket managing director Hugh Morris left the door open for the 32-year-old to return to the fold in the future. "Both ECB and England team management have had meetings with Kevin Pietersen to address the issues which led to his omission from the final Test match against South Africa," Morris said on Tuesday. "These discussions remain private and confidential and as there are issues still to be resolved Kevin has not been considered for selection for the india tour." Strauss retired from all cricket in the immediate aftermath of the Pietersen row and the fall-out from a stormy few months for English cricket continues to be felt. Distracted by the controversy over Pietersen, England lost their place on top of the Test rankings to South Africa after being beaten by the Proteas in the recent
series. There were also reports that Pietersen's relationship with the rest of his England team-mates had deteriorated over recent months and it has proved impossible to resolve so much conflict in just a few weeks. Although the supremely-gifted Pietersen, who was also axed for the current World Twenty20 tournament in Sri Lanka, would be a loss to any side, England batsman ian Bell believes the team can cope without him. "i suppose it has rocked the boat a little bit but it doesn't involve us as players, we don't choose who is in the squad or the team," Bell said. "We've already seen the one-day team do well against South Africa and the Twenty20 team are on a real high too. So we're not too worried about things." Pietersen's omission and the selectors' decision to drop Essex batsman Ravi Bopara after a poor run of form this year paved the way for two uncapped batsmen to be included in Alastair Cook's 16-man squad for the four-match Test series, which begins in Ahmedabad on November 15.
England must resolve Pietersen row: hussain LONDON: Former England captain Nasser Hussain wants Kevin Pietersen and his international team-mates to resolve their differences after the controversial batsman was left out of the Test squad for the forthcoming tour of india. Pietersen has been in exile since sending text messages to South Africa players that contained criticism of then England captain Andrew Strauss during the recent Test series. With reports circulating that Pietersen had also fallen out with several of his teammates as a result of his behaviour, the South Africa-born star was axed for the final Test, the subsequent one-day series and the current World Twenty20 tournament. England managing director Hugh Morris claimed there are still issues to be resolved with Pietersen before he can return to the fold. But Hussain believes both Pietersen and the England team are suffering as a result of the stand-off and he wants a peace deal brokered as soon as possible.
"Any issues, get them out in the open, sort it out and move on," Hussain told Sky Sports News on Tuesday. "Whenever he comes back, maybe the sooner the better, the team have got to tell Kevin what their problems are with him and Kevin has to say what his problems are with the team. The sooner they kiss and make up the better. "Kevin Pietersen has got to adhere to what (captain) Alastair Cook and Flower want. We are talking about good men. What they are doing is what they think is right for English cricket and if they think it's best Kevin stays on the sideline i agree with them. "Kevin Pietersen needs England, no doubt about that. There are signs they made up, but maybe it is a little bit too soon." Hussain believes Pietersen's absence from the team makes india firm favourites to avenge last year's 4-0 Test series drubbing in England. "it's a shame because any time you tour india you want the best cricketers and best players of spin," Hussain added.
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Pakistan, India are clear favourites WASIM AKRAM Pakistan and india are the clear favourites to lift the trophy on the slow familiar tracks of the island nation where they have played a lot of cricket. it's too hazardous to pick favourites in a T20 competition. The complexion of matches can change like a chameleon. While india remain strong contenders because of their batting depth, Pakistan's bowling strength makes them equally strong. Zaheer Khan quickly needs to regroup his resources and improve his fitness level if india are to fancy their chances of winning the World Cup Twenty20 again. Zaheer's fitness looked suspect. He did not look sharp enough and probably his energy levels were not up to the mark. i know Sri Lankan conditions are extremely demanding, but if Zaheer has to lead india's attack, he has to be at the peak of his fitness. Dhoni's selection worries, i would imagine, will be around his senior players like Zaheer, Harbhajan and irfan Pathan. The loss against Pakistan in the warm-up game has left skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni with the dilemma of whether to go in with five specialist bowlers or opt for the additional batsman, considering that bowling in the death overs has been a worry. The match against Pakistan will force M S Dhoni to mull over his first Xi. While it's always a horses-for-courses policy, deciding the playing Xi will always be a tough call. For a 20-20 game, india have several 'all-rounders' and that will enable Dhoni pick four specialist bowlers and seven batsmen. The fact that Sehwag, Raina, Yuvraj and Kohli are decent bowlers is a great bonus for Team india. it was great to see Yuvraj back in the field. i saw his quickfire 34 off 26 balls against the Kiwis in Chennai. Typically, Yuvraj connected a few lusty blows but his timing has to get sweeter. The fact he is back to international cricket is only due to the Almighty's blessings and i am sure everyone's going to watch him closely in Sri Lanka. After india and Pakistan, in my reckoning, two from among England, the West indies and South Africa will complete the last four. Sri Lanka have little chance with a weak middle-order and over-dependence on Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. No team has ever won the T20 World Cup as hosts. i think the trend will continue. Pakistan's run-chase and their ability to handle the pressure against a talented indian side will give Mohammed Hafeez's team a great deal of confidence going into the championship. No matter what the status of the game is, no indian captain wants to lose a match against Pakistan. Every india versus Pakistan contest is emotionally supercharged and hence the high fives in the Pakistan dug-out on Monday were expected. it was good to see the players in great spirits and the younger ones exchanging pleasantries after the game. Pakistan have the best attack in the world and singled out Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi as the key men for the Men in Green. Saeed Ajmal will be the man to watch out and Shahid Afridi remains the quintessential partnership breaker with wickets at crucial junctures. if Afridi has to play in the Pakistan team, he can only do so as a bowler. His experience in tight situations can be effective and his flatter leg-spins are tough to hit.
Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe in World T20 opener HAMBANTOTA
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OSTS Sri Lanka thrashed Zimbabwe by 82 runs in the opening match of the World Twenty20 at Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota on Tuesday. Ajantha Mendis recorded the best ever international Twenty20 figures of 6-8 as Zimbabwe were shot out for 100 in 17.3 overs, after Kumara Sangakkara (44) and Jeevan Mendis (43 not out) had anchored Sri Lanka's 182-4 in 20 overs. Kumar Sangakkara and Jeevan Mendis clubbed big scores as Sri Lanka posted a challenging 182-4 in the World Twenty20 opener. Sangakkara, newly crowned iCC player of the year, hit a 26-ball 44, studded with a six and two boundaries, while Mendis smashed four boundaries and a six during his unbeaten 43 off 30 balls, after Zimbabwe put the hosts in to bat. Tillakaratne Dilshan hit five boundaries during his rapid 39 before he fell caught be-
Ptcl brings live commentary ISLAMABAD: Country’s leading information Communications Technology provider, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) brings live cricket commentary of T20 World Cup 2012 for its customers, which started in Sri Lanka on September 18. The service allows PTCL customers to listen to the exciting T20 cricket anywhere any time. Customers can access live commentary on their landline or Vfone by simply dialing 1216. Each call will be charged at Re 1 per minute exclusive of tax. Through this offer, PTCL aims to facilitate its customers by providing them readily available Live Cricket commentary on their telephone sets. sTaFF RePORT
hind by Brendan Taylor off leg-spinner Graeme Cremer. Skipper Mahela Jayawardene was run out for 13. Twelve teams competing in the event are divided in four groups, with the top two teams advancing to the Super Eight stage, which will decide the four semi-finalists. Mahela Jayawardene's men were put into bat in their Group C game against Zimbabwe in Hambantota, the home town of President Mahinda Rajapakse, with hopes high they can end their 16-year wait for their second global title. Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and the president's son, legislator Namal Rajapakse, shook hands with the players and the national anthems of both teams were played before the match, which starts a three-week cricket fiesta. Other games will be played in the steamy hill town of Pallekele and the capital Colombo, where the fourth World Twenty20 champions will be crowned on October 7. The 12-team tournament offers the teardrop-shaped tropical island the chance to showcase its lush landscapes, beaches and ancient temples, and turn the page on the 37year ethnic conflict that claimed up to 100,000 lives. in 2009, Rajapakse's regime declared victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels, a group notorious for suicide bombings. The brutal final offensive prompted a UN Human Rights Council resolution against Sri Lanka earlier this year. Elite commandos and bodyguards have been deployed to guard players as part of a security operation similar to those usually reserved for visiting heads of state. Sri Lanka also co-hosted the 1996 Cricket World Cup, but Australia and West indies kept away after Tamil rebels bombed the Central Bank in Colombo, killing 91 people and wounding 1,200 just two weeks before the tournament. The authorities have also launched an undercover operation to ensure there is no corruption by players themselves after international cricket was rocked by a fixing scandal in 2010. "Both local and international detectives have checked into hotels where the players
sCORebOaRD sri lanka: 17 D. Munaweera run out 39 T. Dilshan c Taylor b Cremer 13 M. Jayawardene run out 44 K. sangakkara run out 43 J. Mendis not out 6 T. Perera not out extras: (b4, lb6, nb3, w7) 20 Total: (for four wickets) 182 Fall of wickets: 1-54 (Munaweera), 2-75 (Dilshan), 3-82 (Jayawardene), 4-176 (sangakkara) bowling: Jarvis 4-0-31-0 (w1, nb1), Vitori 3-0-27-0 (w3, nb1), utseya 4-0-25-0 (w2), Mpofu 4-0-49-0, Cremer 4-0-27-1 (nb1), Chigumbura 1-0-13-0 (w1) 20 Overs: ZiMbabwe: H. Masakadza b a. Mendis 20 V. sibanda b a. Mendis 11 b. Taylor st sangakkara b a. Mendis 0 e. Chigumbura b a. Mendis 19 10 C. ervine st sangakkara b J. Mendis M. waller lbw b J. Mendis 0 17 g. Cremer b J. Mendis 1 P. utseya c Jayawardene b a. Mendis 0 K. Jarvis lbw b a. Mendis b. Vitori not out 7 C. Mpofu c sub (Chandimal) b Malinga 0 15 eXTRas: (lb9, w6) 100 TOTal: Fall of wickets: 1-37 (sibanda), 2-37 (Taylor), 3-43 (Masakadza), 458 (ervine), 5-58 (waller), 6-80 (Chigumbura), 7-87 (utseya), 8-87 (Jarvis), 9-93 (Cremer) bowling: Kulasekara 3-0-16-0 (w1), Malinga 2.3-0-20-1, a. Mendis 4-28-6, Mathews 2-0-7-0 (w1), Perera 2-0-16-0, J. Mendis 4-0-24-3 (w4) Overs: 17.3 Result: sri lanka win by 82 runs Toss: Zimbabwe umpires: Rod Tucker (aus) and ian gould (eng) TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (eng) Match referee: Jeff Crowe (nZl)
are staying," said a top security source, who declined to be named. "We are keeping a close watch on the players and their visitors." Sri Lanka start the tournament as one of the favourites, although predictions are notoriously difficult in cricket's shortest format, which has revolutionised the sport and divided opinion since its introduction in 2003. Home advantage will help the hosts, who have a well-balanced side including the newly crowned cricketer of the year, wicketkeeperbatsman Kumar Sangakkara. Sri Lanka won the 50-over World Cup in 1996 and have reached the tournament's two most recent finals, along with the 2009 World Twenty20 title match which they lost to Pakistan.
PUNjAb YoUTh FESTivAl 2012
Union Council level concludes with record participation
LAHORE
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HE Union Council level of the Punjab Youth Festival 2012 concluded on Tuesday registering record participation in the second round too after a successful first round that also gathered record turnover. On the 12th and final day of the second phase, nearly all the competitions in the Union Council level concluded on Tuesday with some of the remaining events set to be played today (Wednesday). The events that finished included apart from sports, competitions among ladies in cooking, dress designing and healthy baby also registered record participation. in just sports events in the province, there was more than 580,888 youngsters’ participation in a total of about 4500 events. On the other hand nearly 10,000 Union Councils took part in the events and 144,239 were triumphant in their respective categories of events. On the final day, 611 sports competitions were held among 58,888 youngsters, which were conducted at 1397 Union Councils and 15,901 were the winners. in the provincial capital’s nine towns, the youngsters of Lahore like other districts of the province
took active part in sports events registering 373 figures from 29 UCs and in 31 events 187 got the top honour. Apart from naat khani, qirat, the participants displayed great interest in competitions like arm wrestling, badminton, billiard, weightlifting, tug of war, bodybuilding and volleyball events. At Data Gank Baz town, UC 79’s Asif Xi defeated Faisal Xi in the volleyball contest 2-0 with a score of 25-17, 25-14. in 62 kgs weightlifting competitions, Ravi Town’s Yousuf Usman won from UC 10, Rashid Asif of Data Ganj Bax Town UC 67 got to the title while Mazhar Shakoor of Samanabad Town UC 128 won his weight category. in 77 kgs category, Gulberg Town’s Rehan Khalid of UV 121 was the winner, Qasim Ali of UC 121 claimed top position while Rana Naveed of Sha-
lamar Town was winner from UC 52 and Anwar Javed was second in the same weight class. in 94 kgs weight class, Mohamamd Junaid of Wagha Town won from UC 55 and Jabar Gulraiz was placed second. in bodybuilding events, Zubair of Shalimar Town was declared the winner in 65 weight class, Husnain Naved of Data Ganj Bax Town was winner in the same weight class while Azmat Ali of Gulberg Town was named winner, Ravi Town’s Jalil Abbas and iqbal Abbas of iqbal Town reached the top. in 70 kgs weight category, Zafar Ali of Shalimar Town , Muneer Amjad of Nashtar Town, Safdar Ali of Ravi Town were adjudged winner. in Lahore division 6137 people from 103 union councils had competitions in 101 events on the day. On the other hand, competitions like essay writing,
painting, millinaghme held under the auspices of the Education department recorded the participation of 1387 students. The second level of the festival also saw big participation of families in healthy baby competition with around 134,000 families taking part in the events. in other parts of the province also, tough competitions continued on the final day and great enthusiasm was seen among the participants. On the day 14,949 students took part in 112 events of painting from 327 UCs and the final selection of winners is expected tomorrow. Meanwhile,, 4352 youngsters of 38 UCs contested in 25 sports events and 522 of them moved to the next round of the competitions in Nankana Sahib. At Sargodha’s healthy baby contest 197 families took part in the event while in the other general events large number students took part. in Rawalpindi the figure was 5145, Sargodha registered 6498, Attock had 1503, Gujranwala got 14347, Sahiwal reached to 2555 mark of participation, Multan had,4378, Dera Ghazi Khan’s participation was 58888 and in Faisalabad there were 9053 took part in 69 events. Similarly in small cities like Gujjar Khan there were 464 participants, Murree 300, Bhakkar 1059.
Wednesday, 19 September, 2012
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17 Sports barker wins junior time-trial gold VALKENBURG aFP
Welsh rider Elinor Barker on Tuesday won the women's junior time-trial gold at the world road championships here. Barker, the silver medallist last year and European pursuit champion this summer, finished 35sec ahead of Denmark's Cecilie Ludwig with Dutch rider Demi Di Jong third at 1min 03sec after the 15.6km race. The 18-year-old becomes the first British rider to win gold in this event since former Olympic champion Nicole Cooke in 2001.
mirza open tennis concludes today LAHORE sTaFF RePORT
The finals and the Closing ceremony of A J Mirza Pharma Open National Tennis Championship 2012 will be held on Wednesday (September 19) at Karachi Gymkhana at 6 pm. Jamal Mirza, M.D AJM PHARMA will be the cheif guest of the closing ceremony and gie away the prizes among the winners and other participants. RESULTS: U-14 quaterfinal: Hassan Farooq beat Haris irfanullah (Sailkot) 6-2,6-2 U-14 semifinal: Muzammul Murtaz (Jahania) beat Marib Malik 6-4,3-6 6-4 55 pluy singles semifinal: Sabihw Ali beat Zafar Hassan 6-0,6-4; iltifat Ahmed W/O Akber Hayat Khan 45 doubles 1st round (quarter final): Shahid Aziz +KH masroor beat Sohail +imran Abubaker; Karim Gul Agha +Akhter ali W/O Tahir Gul +Shafiullah; Zafar Hassan+ Jawad iqbal beat Noorullah dhanani + Qamar Habib (HYD) 6-3,6-3 35 singles semi finals: irfanullah (kpK) W/O Rafiq Darbari (HYD), M Manzar beat Ejaz Sarhadi 6-46-2 18 double semi-final: Muddasir +imad (LH) beat Farzan+ Hassan 6-0,6-3; Mohd Ahmed + Main Bilal beat Zaid +Hasnain Manzoor 7-6,2-6,7-6 U-18 double final: Mohd Ahmed + Main Bilal beat muddasir (sailkot) 6-2, 6-2.
Super 15 rugby from 23rd LAHORE sTaFF RePORT
Pakistan Rugby Union will organize Super 15 Rugby here from September 23 at four centres. “The prime objective of this competition is to engage national teams in a competitive rugby activity besides motivating youth to take up rugby as a sport,” said Arif Saeed, Secretary, PRU on Tuesday. He said it is going to be a grand rugby competition which was attract fourteen leading teams from all over the country . “This event is a big step forward to promote 15-a-side rugby in the country and we hope to unearth new rugby talent,” he said. He further added: “We anticipate bigger number of participation in next year’s event,” he added. “The winning teams of the super league are the top teams of various events,” he said. Following is the teams playing in different phases of the league, Departmental league: Army, Police, Wapda. Super Club league, Punjab Warriors, Lahore Rams, DHA Wild bears Super league, UOL Rugby, LUMS rugby, UMT Rugby, Garrison Super division league , PU Rugby, GCU Rugby, LSE Rugby, Jallo Rugby The league will end in December and its matches will be played at, DHA rugby stadium, Punjab Football Stadium, UMT rugby ground , Lums rugby ground and Garrison rugby ground.
Wednesday, 19 September, 2012
VAlKEnbUrg: british Elinor barker rides during the women's Junior time trial of the UcI road World championships. afp
INDIAN STAR BHUPATHI LASHES OUT AFTER BAN MUMBAI
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ENNiS star Mahesh Bhupathi lashed out Tuesday at india's tennis association and said he was considering legal action after he was slapped with a two-year ban on playing for his country. Doubles specialist Bhupathi, 38, accused the "dictatorial" All india Tennis Association of having a "vendetta" against him, after he and Rohan Bopanna were barred from representing india in the Davis Cup until mid-2014. "At the twilight of my career to face a ban on playing for my country and termed a traitor is unacceptable to me," he told reporters in Mumbai. "As far as the ban goes, i don't know if we have an option to not accept it but i know we are definitely pursuing a legal option," he said. iATA banned Bopanna and Bhupathi after they announced ahead of the London Games they would not partner with veteran Leander Paes at the Olympics for personal and professional reasons. Paes was ultimately paired with the lower-ranked Vishnu Vardhan, and Bhupathi and Bopanna played together. Neither pair progressed from the early rounds. Bhupathi, a doubles specialist with numerous Grand Slam titles under his belt, said he wanted to know who would hold the AiTA to account, criticising in particular its chief Anil Khanna, who has "redefined the term divide and rule". "They continue to misuse the power they have to try and teach me a lesson only because they feel i'm able to do a lot more for the sport than they
do," Bhupathi said. "The question is, who is going to take them to trial, and for the nation's sake someone needs to," he said. 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. They broke up as a full-time pair in 2002.
china pulls players from Japan open in spat TOKYO aFP
China has withdrawn all its badminton players from this week's Japan Open, citing safety fears as ties between Beijing and Tokyo worsen over a territorial row, officials said on Tuesday. The withdrawal leaves the Tokyo-based tournament bereft of some of the sport's biggest names and is the latest piece of collateral damage in a dispute that has dominated regional headlines in recent weeks. "The BWF can confirm the Chinese contingent has withdrawn from the Japan Open," Thomas Lund, the Badminton World Federation's chief operating officer, told AFP. "it is unfortunate but the tournament will go on," he added. An official of the Table Tennis and Badminton Centre of China's central sporting administration told AFP: "We've quit the Japan Open." "The decision was to ensure players' safety... so considering the intense China-Japan relations these days, we quit." The decision was taken last Friday, he added. A Japanese spokesman for the tournament said China informed the BWF on September 14 that 22 players would not be competing. The Japan Open began on Tuesday and ends on Sunday with the BWF re-drawing the men's singles, women's singles and men's doubles ties after the announcement. The Chinese Badminton Association sent a letter to the BWF saying that its players would not be competing in the eighth leg of the Super Series event, S. Selvam, BWF's Superseries marketing manager, told AFP. China and Japan are involved in an escalating territorial dispute over a small island chain in the East China Sea administered by Tokyo under the name Senkaku, but vehemently claimed by China, which calls them Diaoyu.
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Sports 18 Matloob, Asif share top position in Sayid Paper Open Golf LAHORE sTaFF RePORT
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ATLOOB Ahmed considered as one of the top professional golfer of the country, now contesting in the three rounds 2nd Sayid Paper Open Golf Tournament at the Defence Raya Golf Course, made his mark in the first round of this three rounds championship by returning an under par round of 71 and finding a slot at the top of the leaderboard, an honor he shares with M. Asif of Defence Raya Golf Club who also gets noticed as the front runner because of his one under par, 71 round. in the first round Matloob may not have looked spectacular but his steady play yielded dividends
and earned him a postion ahead of 89 other competitors, his two birdies and 15 pars giving his card a decent look. Only Asif matched him score wise and though Asif was brilliant in patches as reflected by his birdies on five holes and pars on 10 holes, he was left distraught by a double bogie on the second hole and bogies on holes 13 and 15. Amongst the other contenders Shafiq Masih again surfaced in a respectable 2nd position, just one stroke behind the leaders. He manged to balance his first round score of 72 through three birdies, three bogies and twelve pars. The swing was smooth and soft and his hitting was a pleasure to watch. it was on the greens that he missed at least three birdie putts which would have elevated him on the leaderboard had the ball not stayed at the edge of
the hole. Some of the other contenders who deserve a mention are Ashir Hanif and Asgher Ali who finished the first round with a score of 74 and are bracketed together. At a score of 75 are Aurangzaib Khan and Naseer Khan and three competitors Latif Masih, Mehroze ilyas and Sunny John are at 76. And at 78 are Shahid Javed, Aadil Jehangir and Talat. Asif of Defence Raya is determined to be a little more purposeful in the second round and equally charged up are Shafiq Masih, Aadil and Shahid Javed. They are due to leave for the MENA tour in UAE in a couple of days and consider it important to go there based on a great show in their hometown. Earlier in the morning Faisal Sayid of Sayid Paper inaugrated the championship.
German team can win Champions League - Beckenbauer City in Madrid to win: Mancini MADRID aFP
three leading golfers signs deal with Ufone LAHORE: The game of golf is expected to receive a big boost as the country’s leading cellular company has signed Pakistan’s top three golfers, Muhammad Shabbir iqbal, Matloob Ahmad & Muhammad Munir along with five other prominent players. in the recently held Prime Minister Golf Open 2012 Muhammad Shabbir iqbal of Ufone effortlessly grabbed the top slot alongside another Ufone team member Muhammad Nazir grabbed third position, said the information made available here Shabbir iqbal paid tributes to Ufone for showing such commitment for the further uplift of golf and hoped this collaboration with Ufone will go a long way in promoting the game of golf in the country. This is the first time in the history of Pakistan that golf has been endorsed at such a massive country wide scale. The endorsement shall give Pakistan golf a chance to further enhance international exposure and acclaim. Sports’ bodies are unanimous and by doing so Ufone has reaffirmed its passion to support sports in the country. sTaFF RePORT
nbP gold cup postponed LAHORE: The National Bank of Pakistan Gold Cup hockey tournament which was to be played here from September 28 has been postponed and will now be played from October 5. “The competition has been postponed owing to unavoidable circumstances,” said Organising Secretary, former Olympian ,Rana Mujahid here on Tuesday. He said leading teams of the country belonging to various departments and services will feature in the competition which is a regular annual hockey event. “Various committees have been formed to organize to hold the event in a befitting manner,” he added. sTaFF RePORT
BERLIN: Bayern Munich honorary president Franz Beckenbauer expressed his confidence on Tuesday that a German team can win this season's Champions League title. Beckenbauer believes Bayern can erase the painful memories of May's Champions League final defeat on penalties at their own Allianz Arena against Chelsea when they take on Spanish outfit Valencia in Munich on Wednesday. But he also thinks that German champions Borussia Dortmund are in with a shot at the top European prize. "i consider them (Bayern) as strong enough to win the title," Beckenbauer told the regional daily Stuttgarter Zeitung. "They (Dortmund) have learned from experience. Now they are different. Of course they lost Shinji Kagawa (to Manchester United) but acquired Marco Reus (from Moenchengladbach) and with it, they are even stronger," said Beckenbauer. Bayern Munich were the last German team to win the European title in 2001. They finished runnersup in 2010 and 2012. Having won the German league and cup double last season, Dortmund are back in the Champions League for the second year running, but looking to improve on last season's poor performance which saw them finish last in the group stages. aFP
Manchester City coach Roberto Mancini on Monday said his side had come to the Santiago Bernabeu meaning business, with three points the aim when they face Real Madrid in their opening Champions League Group D match on Tuesday. "We have come here to win," he said at the eve-of-game press conference here. "Of course it will be difficult but we absolutely have that ambition because this group is extremely challenging and 10 points might not be enough to get through." Last season, Mancini's City were eliminated at the group stage despite hitting the 10-point mark that has often been seen as the minimum required to progress in the past. "Our first match, tomorrow (Tuesday) in Madrid, will be very important, not just in terms of the result, but also because of the mentality it will give us for the games that follow," added the italian. Meanwhile City's Spanish international winger David Silva said that the poor form shown by their opponents so far in La Liga -- they have taken just four points from four games and lost at Sevilla at the weekend -- could work against the English champions. "This is a dangerous match for us because we could well waken the beast that is sleeping somewhere inside them," said Silva, who agreed a new five-year contract to keep him at City earlier on Monday. "i am happy here (at City). We have won three titles in two years and i still want to progress here and win more trophies.
"i think i am in the right place to do that," added the former Valencia star, a target of Madrid in the past. Another one-time Madrid target now plying his trade with the sky blue half of Manchester is Sergio Aguero, and the former Atletico Madrid striker could feature on Tuesday night. Mancini admitted the Argentine, who has been working his way back to fitness following a knee injury, was "not yet 100 percent fit, but had a chance of starting the game." City and Real will also face Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund and Dutch title-holders Ajax in a group that has been dubbed by many as "the group of death."
watch it Live TEN SPORTS WORLD T20: AFGANISTAN VS INDIA 07:00PM
lahiri, bhullar to lead Indian challenge
BENGALURU agenCies
in-form golfers Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar will lead the indian challenge in the 49th edition of indian Open which ventures into Southern india for the first time in its nearly half a century history. Lahiri, a winner on the Asian Tour this season, also made the cut and registered a hole-in-one at the British Open, while Bhullar, a three-time winner on Asian Tour, was second at the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters in Malaysia two weeks` ago and won in Taipei this week. The duo along with Shiv Kapur will join a star-studded field, headlined by two of the hottest players on the European Tour over the last month -- Swede Peter Hanson and Richie Ramsay of Scotland -- when the USD 1.25 million event begins here from October 18. The oldest-running sports event in india, and one of the flagship events on the Asian Tour, the Hero india Open, will also feature England`s James Morrison, another European Tour winner. The Hero indian Open, which was held for the first time in 1964, has previously been held only in National Capital Region (Delhi Golf Club, Classic Golf resort and the DLF Golf and Country Club) and the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. Pawan Munjal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Hero MotoCorp Ltd said: "Hero MotoCorp has supported golf for more than 15 years now. We have seen the game grow from humble beginnings to being a major sport in india. "i have always believed that we have to take big-ticket golf to other cities for the game to attract more followers in the country. And i am indeed happy that this year`s edition is being played in Bengaluru. i am sure the Hero indian Open will go a long way in drawing more youngsters to the game. "This year`s field already looks very exciting with some of the top names confirming their participation, and i am sure more marquee players will be sending in their consent in the coming weeks. i do look forward to be in Bengaluru in October to savor some top-class golfing action."
Pacquiao tidies up training for 4th Marquez fight BEVERLY HILLS aFP
Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao won't have to worry about suffering from jet lag in the run up to his fourth fight against Mexican dynamo Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao says he is making major changes to his preparations this time for the December 8 non-title fight at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. instead of starting training camp in his native Philippines then shifting to trainer Freddie Roach's Wild Card gym in Hollywood for final weeks, Pacquiao plans to do all his sparring at the southern California
facility. "No days will be wasted travelling between training camps in the Philippines and California," Pacquiao said Monday. The two boxing warriors kicked off a three-city promotional tour on Monday by staging a news conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The tour continues with another news conference Wednesday in New York. The contest at the MGM's Grand Garden Arena will be the fourth fight in the intense rivalry between the two boxing champions. Pacquiao says this time he won't make the mistake of underestimating Marquez when they square off in the non-title fight.
"i underestimated him in our last fight," said Pacquiao. "i will make the most of every training day to prepare for Juan Manuel." Between them Pacquiao and Marquez have won world titles in 12 weight divisions. The Grand Garden was the scene of their first and third fights. Pacquiao (54-4-2m, 38 KOs) defeated Marquez in a majority decision in November -- a third gut-wrenching result for Marquez against his Filipino foe. in the build-up to that fight, Marquez had taunted Pacquiao with claims that he was the true winner of their first two clashes -- a 2004 draw and a 2008 rematch.
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Twin bombs, grenade attack leave 9 dead in Karachi g
22 injured as IEds target crowded Haidery market shopping area g mQm worker dies in hand grenade attack on party office in baldia 3 KARACHI
N
TaRiQ Habib
iNE people were killed and 22 sustained injuries as two blasts and a hand grenade attack rocked the country’s financial hub Karachi on Tuesday. The dead included a woman and three children. The two blasts took place in the parking lot of a shopping center in Haidery Market, a
crowded commercial area of the city. Four persons were killed on the spot, while 22 got injured in the twin bombings. The injured were moved to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where four more succumbed to their injuries. Only one of the deceased was identified so far, named Noorudin. One of the bombs was planted in a motorcycle that was abandoned in the parking lot of the shopping center. Police said the motorcycle had been snatched
from its owner by unidentified men on November 3 last year. The other bomb went off within minutes of the first. Police said the second low-intensity bomb was planted close to a tree. The Bomb Disposal Squad said the bombs were improvised explosive devices (iEDs) packed with ball bearings and about 8 kilograms of explosives were used in the first bomb while the second weighed around 2Kgs. A police official said the Bohri commu-
nity was the target of the terrorists, as several attempts had been made to attack the community. Shops in the area were closed down immediately after the blasts, which destroyed two vehicles and several shops. Police checked the CCTV footages for clues, but the effort yielded no result. Sindh Additional iG iqbal Mahmood said the terrorists had changed their strategies and were now carrying out attacks by planting bombs in various areas of the city. A three-member in-
vestigation committee has been formed by the Sindh Home Department to probe into the incident. The committee has been ordered to submit its report within 48 hours. Meanwhile, a hand-grenade attack on the unit office of MQM resulted in the killing of one person and injuries to three others. Police said unidentified men hurled a hand-grenade at the MQM office in Baldia Town No 3, killing a party activist on the spot.
5 killed in suicide attack on pilgrims’ bus in Mastung bomber rams explosives-laden vehicle into bus carrying 30-40 passengers g dead include women and children g
MASTUNG sTaFF RePORT
At least five Shia pilgrims were killed and several others injured when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into the bus they were traveling in near Mastung on Tuesday. The dead included women and children, while Levies personnel were among those injured. Police said a bus carrying pilgrims was moving towards Quetta along the Quetta-Taftan Road close to Mastung when the incident occurred. Mastung commissioner confirmed the attack, saying
KaRaCHi: a man mourns near the body of a blast victim at a hospital on Tuesday. afp
Female car babus asked to declare their bomber kills assets but no deadline given 12 in Kabul LAHORE
uMaiR aZiZ
KABUL aFP
A female suicide car bomber attacked a van in Kabul on Tuesday, killing 12 people, including eight South Africans, in an assault insurgents said was revenge for an anti-islam film made in America. The bombing on a highway leading to Kabul international airport was the second suicide attack in the heavily fortified city in 10 days, reviving questions about stability as NATO accelerates a troop withdrawal and hands over to Afghan forces by the end of 2014. it came as officers revealed that Western troops are scaling back joint operations with Afghans after 51 NATO soldiers were shot dead this year by their local colleagues, a setback for the war strategy that focuses on training Afghans to take over. An AFP photographer saw at least six bodies lying among the wreckage of a gutted minivan, and another vehicle destroyed by flames still burning in the middle of the highway, with debris flung all around. “At around 6:45 am (0215 GMT) a suicide bomber using a sedan blew himself up along the airport road in District 15. As a result, nine workers of a foreign company and three Afghan civilians are dead, and two police are wounded,” police said in a statement. The South African foreign ministry said eight of its citizens working for a private company at the airport were among the dead. The Afghan presidency later confirmed that three Afghans, believed to include the bus driver and an interpreter, and one citizen from Kyrgyzstan were also killed. Eleven other people were wounded, it said in a statement. Afghanistan’s second largest insurgent group, Hezb-i-islami, claimed responsibility, saying it was carried out by a woman to avenge the “innocence of Muslims” film.
The bureaucracy, following its years-old practice, has started the exercise of declaring their assets with perhaps the intentional lacuna of not setting a deadline for submission put in the notice issued recently to officers across the board. Unrest prevails in the rank and file of bureaucracy after the Punjab government on Monday asked them to submit details of their assets. The Regulations Wing of the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) has issued a notification along with an Asset Declaration Performa to all the officers from Grade 17 upwards in pursuance of the recent Supreme Court ruling directing civil servants to declare their assets as well. However, the government has not mentioned any deadline in the notification to submit the details, casting clear doubts on the intentions of high-ups in hushing up the matter. After the Supreme Court’s ruling it is probably going to be an exercise of its own kind as the bureaucrats, popularly known as ‘babus’, are going to make their assets public. The government has demanded a detailed account of any kind of property or possession that a civil servant owns. The Asset Declaration Performa, divided into different parts includes bio data, job experience, and the department. it is further divided into moveable (vehicles) and immovable (houses, plots, shops, other property) properties. They will have to give
details of their bank accounts, precious metals (gold bars and ornaments), foreign currency, investment in shares and the estimated market value of all of their declared assets. it also demands them to declare which schools are their children studying in, and whether they are getting foreign or local education. They are also bound to mention the date of purchase of all these assets besides their sources of income. The bank account details asking them to write in current, saving and PLS accounts are also included. A mid-career officer, seeking anonymity said, “it is not possible to submit such minute details. Besides, it is going to amount to distrust and unrest among civil servants. Many people are from well-off families and get support from home. Besides, many will be pointed out for no fault of their own. This will eventually go down the drain.” Services Secretary Syed Mubashar Raza however denied that the asset declaration is being done for the first time. “i joined the service in 1984 and have been submitting my asset declaration forms since then. it is nothing novel or newsworthy,” he added. To a question, he said the deadlines were never mentioned on such forms, it was understood that the forms were to be submitted within a period of one month. Regulations Secretary Shahnaz Nawaz said that another section would collect the confidential details of all officers. “i’ve been recently posted and the notification has been issued before i joined,” she said replying to a query.
Published by Arif Nizami at Plot No 79, Sector 24, Korangi Industrial Area Karachi.
Editor: Arif Nizami
30 to 40 passengers were onboard the bus when the bomber struck. The explosion left a number of people, including women and children and Levies men, injured, while a vehicle of the security forces was also destroyed in the attack. Security personnel and aid workers rushed to the site after receiving the news and shifted the injured to Mastung Hospital. The Shia Ulema Council announced three days of mourning over the killing. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. The oil and gas rich Balochistan borders iran
and Afghanistan and is plagued by sectarian violence, attacks by Taliban and a tribal insurgency. Baloch rebels rose up in 2004, demanding political autonomy and a greater share of profits from the region’s mineral resources. Bomb blasts and attacks on police and security forces are frequent in the province, and Shias have of late been the prime targets in recent acts of violence. Balochistan has been a flashpoint for violence between majority Sunnis and Shias, who make up around 20 percent of the population.