e-paper pakistantoday 24th March, 2013

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Rs 25.00 Vol III No 266 19 Pages

Karachi Edition

Sunday, 24 March, 2013 Jamadi ul Awwal 11, 1434

STORY ON PAGE 02

STORY ON PAGE 03

STORY ON PAGE 03

Eight soldiers killed in Miranshah attack

Musharraf to return despite Taliban threat

Israel and Turkey to restore diplomaties

Pakistan chase rare series win

As many as eight security officials were injured when a suicide bomber targeted the Esha check post in Miranshah, North Waziristan on Saturday. Sources said that a suspected suicide bomber had exploded his vehicle near the check post. On March 17, five officials of the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) were injured when a roadside remote-controlled bomb exploded in Ghulam Khan Tehsil. PAGE 03

Former president Pervez Musharraf said on Saturday he has been granted bail in advance to avoid being arrested upon his planned return home on Sunday following nearly four years of self-imposed exile, as the Taliban threatened to dispatch suicide bombers and snipers to kill the former president when he returns to Pakistan. PAGE 03

Israel and Turkey have agreed to restore full diplomatic relations after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologised for a deadly naval raid against a Gaza-bound international flotilla in a turnaround partly brokered by the US President.

Netanyahu said on Friday he “expressed apology� to Turkey for any error that led to the death of nine Turkish nationals in the 2010 incident. PAGE 07

Sunday could well be Benoni's biggest day since Charlize Theron won the Oscar. International cricket seldom reaches Johannesburg's East Rand and when it does, it is unlikely to be this meaningful. For both South Africa and Pakistan, its Benoni or bust in their last outing before the Champions Trophy and they will have a sell-out crowd to do that in front of. PAGE 20

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Good governance, law and order and holding fair elections would be the top most priorities of the caretaker government. — Balochistan interim CM Nawab Ghaus Bakhsh Barozai

A six from the captain!

news sunday, 24 March, 2013

25 killed, 35 injured in SheikhupurA Accident SHEIKHUPURA: At least 25 people were killed and 35 others injured when a coach turned turtle after hitting an electricity poll on Saturday. According to rescue sources, the Faisalabad-bound passenger bus collided with the poll on the Sheikhupura-Faisalabad Road in Khurrianwala near Sheikhupura. As a result, 23 people were killed on the spot and 37 others sustained injuries. Rescue teams reached the scene and shifted the bodies and the injured to District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Sheikhupura where two more people succumbed to their injuries raising the death toll to 25. Hospital sources said condition of some more injured was serious. Some of the deceased were identified as Waris and Shahzad from Sialkot, Shakeel and Haider from Samundari and Abdul Razzaq from Faisalabad. INP

LAHORE

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AImA KhosA

midst an exhilarated crowd of tens of thousands, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday kick-started his muchawaited ‘Tsunami Plus’ rally with six promises to his party loyalists.

Spirits were high at the PTI gathering where throngs of supporters, including men, women and children, assembled to witness the second coming of their leader at Pakistan’s historic Minar-e-Pakistan. Security had been tightened in anticipation of one of Lahore’s most anticipated political gathering, with at least 2,000 police personnel, including the bomb squad, deployed at various checkpoints.

Speaking to a jubilant crowd that had begun gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan from the wee hours of Saturday morning, Khan vowed to be honest with his countrymen if elected to power.

Talking to an impressive number of impassioned supporters who stretched beyond the line of vision at Pakistan’s most symbolic monument, Khan said that he would never mislead his supporters and promised that he would never indulge in corruption.

“When I was a child, my father would talk to me about rallies he used to attend,” Imran Khan reminisced.

“My fellow countrymen, I can promise you that today’s meeting will go down in history books and generations will speak of this rally in years to come.”

Promising to fight oppression, Khan reiterated his commitment to the country, adding that he would not leave Pakistan in times of crises and his wealth would remain at the disposal of the people.

Furthermore, Imran said that he would not waste the taxpayers’ money by spending it on lavish governors’ and chief ministers’ houses.

“We will break the walls of these houses,” he thundered to an approving crowd. “We will build schools

and libraries in these palaces instead.”

Imran Khan denounced “dynastic” politics and said that his party was and always would be based on principles of democracy.

Moreover, Khan promised to fight for the rights of overseas Pakistanis.

The PTI chief also ruled out the possibility of an alliance with current ruling political parties in the upcoming elections.

The weather in Lahore mirrored the sentiments of the PTI diehard loy-

MY FELLOW COUNTRYMEN, I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT TODAY’S MEETING WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY BOOKS AND GENERATIONS WILL SPEAK OF THIS RALLY IN YEARS TO COME alists who waved PTI flags and let out a loud roar of appreciation at the sight of Imran Khan and upon hearing each of his promises.

He reminded his fevered supporters that he would never forget their support and reminded them that it was the youth of the country that would take the tsunami forward “TImE To SAvE PAKISTAn”: Addressing the crowd before Imran Khan’s speech, PTI President Javed Hashmi said it was about time Pakistan was saved. Urging the people to pledge support for Imran Khan to salvage Pakistan, Hashmi said he would have given up on politics had it not been for the youth, who with their unwavering faith in Khan had inspired him to return to politics.

“I am here for change,” said Sana, while talking to Pakistan Today. “I believe that it is time for change and

Imran Khan will bring the change.”

“I am here because I believe in Imran Khan,” said Omer, a student. “I believe that he is the most honest politician in Pakistan today, and I believe every single promise he has made.”

He said there was only one word to describe Khan’s gathering: “Majestic.”

Other people present at the scene were not so impressed.

“These people are only here because of the nice weather,” said Rizwan, a rickshaw driver. “I refuse to believe there are thousands of people there.”

Another rickshaw driver, Imtiaz, however, said, “The minute Imran Khan mentioned his tsunami, God listened to him and sent a shower of rain to prove his point.”

SocIAl mEdIA REAcTS: Preceding the March 23 meeting, PTI’s tech-savvy supporters had begun circulating I m r a n Khan’s pictures and p o p u l a r m e m e s .

Hundreds of PTI loyalists tweeted live from the meeting, gushing about the immense presence of PTI supporters gathered at the scene. Imran Khan’s popularity on Twitter exploded when the hashtag #ImranKhan jumped to number two on Twitter’s worldwide trends.

“Amazing, amazing atmosphere at the PTI rally. Enjoyed rain. The future of my kids looking secure, thank you Imran Khan,” Huma Ali tweeted.

“Wow. This was an experience.

The energy was so dynamic and addictive. There is no way to describe the feeling in the crowd,” tweeted Saad Bin Javed. Journalist Omar Warraich tweeted that he had visited Obama’s inaugural ceremony and the crowd at PTI’s rally superseded Obama’s gathering by thousands.

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The Election Commission of Pakistan is completely authorised and independent in its decision therefore there must not be any ambiguity in the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections in Balochistan. — Nawab Zulfiqar Magsi

ppp proposes Sethi’s name for caretaker punjab cM LAHORE sTAFF REPoRT

The Pakistan People’s Party has proposed the name of senior journalist Najam Sethi for the office of caretaker Punjab chief minister. In a letter to Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif‚ PPP leader Raja Riaz said the names of Mian Aamir and Riaz Randhawa‚ which were earlier proposed for the slot‚ have been withdrawn.

Meanwhile‚ the PML-N has proposed names of Rana Sanaullah‚ Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman and Iqbal Channar for an assembly committee to decide on a caretaker Punjab CM. The PPP has already given the name of Justice (r) Zahid Hussain for the caretaker Punjab chief minister.

Najam Aziz Sethi is an award winning journalist, editor, and media personality. He is the editor-in-chief of The Friday Times, a Lahore based political weekly. He had previously worked as the editor of Daily Times. He also hosts a current-affairs programme on Geo TV. Sethi owns Vanguard Books, a publishing house and chain of bookstores. In 1999, during former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s tenure, he was arrested by intelligence agencies following an interview with the BBC on government corruption. He was detained for almost a month without charges. In 2008 and 2009, he was subject to death threats from the Taliban for his paper’s anti-fundamentalist stances.

Sethi won the 1999 International Press Freedom Award of the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists and the 2009 World Association of Newspapers’ Golden Pen of Freedom Award. Sethi graduated from Government College University, Lahore. He received a master’s degree in economics at Cambridge University, and spent two additional years there at Clare College as a PhD research student. Sethi is the only journalist in Asia to receive three international press freedom awards in a decade from Amnesty International, UK; Committee to Protect Journalists, New York; and World Association of Newspapers, Paris. He received the Hilal-e-Pakistan in 2011, the highest civil award of the country, for meritorious services to media and public policy.

He is married to journalist Juggnu Mohsin.

eight soldiers killed in Miranshah attack PESHAWAR sTAFF REPoRT

As many as eight security officials were injured when a suicide bomber targeted the Esha check post in Miranshah, North Waziristan on Saturday.

Sources said that a suspected suicide bomber had exploded his vehicle near the check post. On March 17, five officials of the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) were injured when a roadside remotecontrolled bomb exploded in Ghulam Khan Tehsil.

Miranshah is a hotbed of militancy. The unmanned drones also repeatedly attack terrorists in the area.

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power to the people: nawaz LAHORE

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sTAFF REPoRT

a k i s t a n Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said that holding rulers accountable for their actions was not the responsibility of military or any other institution but the people of the country.

Speaking to journalists at Jamia Naeemia, Nawaz said masses should hold every government accountable for its deeds. He said governments did not run smoothly in Pakistan because of the interference of either the president of the military. He stressed that whatever happened in the past must not be repeated again. Moreover, he said the time had come for all forces to join hands to save the country. He stressed the need for all political forces to unite under one platform to take the country forward.

Nawaz clarified that he was not greedy for power but if he was given an

opportunity he would serve the people humbly. He promised to provide a better future for his countrymen.

The PML-N president reiterated his pledge to the nation that he would put the country on the path of progress no matter how long it took for him to do so.

He added that a leader elected to

power was not enough; he must serve the people honesty and with integrity as well.

Raising concerns about the country’s future, Nawaz said the electricity load shedding seemed to have no end.

He reiterated that the people should hold President Asif Ali accountable for his

Musharraf says deal avoids homecoming arrest DUBAI AGENCIEs

Former president Pervez Musharraf said on Saturday he has been granted bail in advance to avoid being arrested upon his planned return home on Sunday following nearly four years of self-imposed exile.

Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, resigned in 2008 when his allies lost a vote and a new government threatened him with impeachment. He left the country a year later.

“This is a pre-arrest bail, or pre-arrival bail, and it has been granted on all cases, there is no question on me getting arrested when I land in Pakistan,” he told a foreign news agency in an interview in Dubai. The former army general faces charges of failing to provide adequate security to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto before her assassination in 2007. He also faces charges in connection with the death of a Baluch separatist leader.

Musharraf said he will spend the first few days upon his return in Karachi before going to Islamabad to deal with his legal problems. “My arrest warrants were merely because of non-appearance in the courts, not that there is any case proven against me,” he said. “When I appear in the courts...the reason for my arrest should disappear.”

“Certainly there is support all over Pakistan in all

provinces, but I call it dispersed support.

What needs to be done is to consolidate this support,” he said.

“Dispersed support is weak support when you consolidate all of that it turns into strong support. But this is not possible without my going there. I have to lead from the front, this can’t be done by remote control sitting outside.” Musharraf said he had not received any political or financial support from Saudi Arabia. “I’m not looking forward to coming on the shoulders of external support. I have to have the support of the people of Pakistan,” he said.

SEcURITY THREAT: On Saturday, Pakistan’s Taliban said in a video that they would despatch suicide bombers and snipers to kill the former president and send him to “hell”. Musharraf dismissed these threat and said they will not stop his return.

“They have been trying to ‘send me to hell’ after 9/11 which means that it’s 12 years now, which means they haven’t been able to do that,” he said. “I’m not the kind to get scared, I don’t care about them.”

He said he expects the government to provide him with security but so far there had been no response to his request and he was bringing private security with him. “I’m not scared, I’m emotionally looking forward to going back to Pakistan.”

eCP fails to evolve consensus on caretaker PM ISLAMABAD KAshIF ABBAsI

Owing to absence of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) member from Sindh, the commission in its first session failed to evolve consensus on the name of caretaker prime minister.

The five-member commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (r) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, will decide the matter on Sunday (today).

The ECP member from Sindh, Roshan Essani, had earlier strongly opposed publishing of reformed-nomination papers without obtaining approval from President Asif Zardari.

He had also written a dissenting note against the disqualification of Sindh PPP MPA Waheeda Shah. He could

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not attend the meeting due to official assignments in Karachi.

There were rumours in the ECP Secretariat that Justice (r) Essani has difference with other members and not enjoying good relations after the ECP decision of publishing nomination papers without the approval of President, however, ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmed told reporters that there was no difference among members. He said that Essani was in Karachi for delimitation of constituencies’ issue.

During the Saturday meeting, the commission remained in contact with him for selecting caretaker prime minister.

The ECP held two detailed sessions but could not reach a consensus.

Justice (r) Riaz Kayani told reporters that the commission reviewed all four

names in detail, but couldn’t reach on a consensus due to absence of the ECP member from Sindh as well as deteriorating health of CEC. Sources in ECP told Pakistan Today that the commission wanted the presence of Sindh member in the meeting at all cost so that no one could point finger at its final decision.

Otherwise, the commission has a mandate to decide the matter without Essani.

Justice (r) Essani strongly opposed the commission’s ruling for printing reformed-nomination paper.

After getting cold response from Presidency and law ministry, the ECP had to decide to get the nomination papers printed without the formal approval of the president. Though, according to the commission, it had a mandate to get the nomination paper

without the approval of the president, but said member strongly opposed the idea.

Under the constitution, the commission is bound to decide the matter within 48 hours after the parliamentary committee failed to reach a consensus in stipulated time.

According to Article 224-A of the constitution, the five-member ECP will have to announce on Sunday (today) its choice from among the names of Justice (r) Nasir Aslam Zahid, Rasul Bakhsh Palijo, Justice (r) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso and Dr Ishrat Hussain. Essani will also join Sunday (today) meeting.

Earlier, the eight member parliamentary committee tasked with naming the caretaker prime minister on Friday in its last meeting remained failed to reach consensus.

failure to address the energy needs of the country.

Furthermore, Nawaz said that there were no missile attacks, suicide bombings and load shedding when he was at the helm of affairs, but former president General Pervez Musharraf brought terrorism to the country.

taliban threaten to send Musharraf to ‘hell’ when he returns PESHAWAR sTAFF REPoRT

Taliban have threatened to dispatch suicide bombers and snipers to kill former president Pervez Musharraf when he returns home from exile on Sunday to contest elections. In a Taliban video, Adnan Rasheed, who took part in a previous attempt to assassinate Musharraf, warned: “The mujahideen of Islam have prepared a special squad to send Musharraf to hell. There are suicide bombers, snipers, a special assault unit and a close combat team.” Musharraf angered the Taliban and other groups by joining the US war on terror following the September 11 attacks and by later launching a major crackdown on militancy in Pakistan. He is due to return home on Sunday after nearly four years of self-imposed exile in Dubai and London, in time to take part in parliamentary elections on May 11. “When the jackal’s death is near he heads to the town,” said Rasheed, who was among 400 prisoners who were broken out of a jail by militants in 2012. “The Pakistani Taliban is fully prepared to deal with this pharoah. If God is willing, we will give this devil what he deserves and give satisfaction to the victims of the Red Mosque,” said Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan in the video. mIlITAnTS TRAInInG: In the footage, hooded militants in combat gear clutching AK-47 assault rifles conduct training exercises along hills. Some practice making a roadside bomb, which later explodes. “Pervez Musharraf you see the death squad around me,” said a bearded man who appears to be their trainer, in English. “We urge you to surrender yourself to us, otherwise we will hit you from where you will never reckon.”

Fakhar imam joins pMl-n LAHORE sTAFF REPoRT

Former National Assembly speaker Fakhar Imam has announced to join the PML-N. He announced thise decision at meeting with PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Lahore on Saturday. Political situation in Jhang District also came under discussion during the meeting. Imam was the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly from 1985 to 1986. He was also the National Assembly speaker from 1986 to 1988. His wife, Abida Hussain, joined the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in 2006, while their daughter Sughra Imam is a senator. The politician husband and wife had previously quit the PML-N for Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) and had later joined the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Meanwhile‚ his wife has said she was not joining the PML-N and would contest elections from Jhang on a PPP ticket.

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It is better to sell Naswar instead of doing politics in Pakistan. — Former Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani

news sunday, 24 March, 2013

taliban threats only to help jui-F PESHAWAR

sTAFF REPoRT

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ANNED outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s latest threats are likely to affect the former government allies and could only be beneficial to religious forces, especially to Jamiat Ulemae-Islam-Fazl in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its adjoining tribal regions. The TTP a couple of days back threatened to target public meetings and rallies of the Pakistan People’s

Party, the Awami National Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in election campaign. As a result of these threats people are least interested in participating in these parties’ gatherings.

Recently, a number of active and outgoing parliamentarians abandoned the ANP and majority of them had joined or will be joining the JUI-F soon. Former ANP MNA Istibal Khan is going to join the JUI-F on March 27. Soon after 2008 general elections, former ANP MPA Shaukat Habib joined the

Several aNP leaderS have joiNed Fazlur rehmaN’S Party JUI-F. Habib was later followed by PPP Bannu Division President Malik Riaz and several others. Whereas, the Pakistan Muslim League-N MPA from Lakki Marwat, Malik Munawar Khan, PPP (Sherpao) MPA from Hangu Attique Ur Rahman, ANP MPA

from Charsada Fazal Shakoor and several others recently joined the JUI-F. Sources informed that some of the political activists and former parliamentarians were joining the JUI-F JUI (F) due to Taliban threats. A close relative of a former lawmaker said his relative lawmaker had announced to join the JUI-F not only on grounds of declining ANP ticket but because of the Taliban fear.

He claimed that the Taliban were directing people to join JUI-F on telephone.

A JUI-F stalwart from Buner confirmed

that the ex-MNA was going to join them due to fear of the Taliban. However, the JUI-F provincial leaders were contradicting reports regarding support of the TTP in establishing cracks among the ranks of other political forces. Though the banned TTP threats have confused leaders of the PPP, ANP and MQM regarding election campaign, but it also caused fear among the ranks of the PML-N, the PTI and the Jamaat Islami. Leaders of these political forces believe that the Taliban were supporting the JUI-F in election campaign.

up to pakistanis to elect their representatives: uS WASHINGTON: The United States believes it is for the Pakistani people to elect their leaders, a State Department spokesperson said while renewing its support for timely and free election in the country.

Spokesperson Victoria Nuland offered no direct comments when asked about Pervez Musharraf’s planned return to Pakistan on Sunday and whether the former president Pervez Musharraf was going back to the country with Washington’s blessing. “The only thing I would say about this is that it is up to the people of Pakistan to decide who their representatives should be, according to their democratic process,’ Spokesperson Victoria Nuland said at the daily briefing. On the upcoming election in the wake of unprecedented completion of the five-year parliamentary term, the spokesperson said “we do understand that Pakistan has announced the date for the National Assembly elections of May 11th.” “We look forward to timely, free, and fair elections that are going to result in the first civilian, democratic transition of power in Pakistan’s history,” Nuland noted. Questioned if the US is sending any observers for the polls, the spokesperson replied: “We obviously will look to the Government of Pakistan with regard to any help or support they might need,” she added.

The spokesperson explained the United States has a number of ongoing programs that support clean, fair elections in Pakistan. sPECIAl CoRREsPoNdENT

Senator seeks end to pakistan aid till Afridi’s release WASHINGTON: A Republican senator with presidential ambition moved an amendment on the Senate floor to cut off all foreign aid to Pakistan until Shakeel Afridi, a key informant in the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden, is released from prison. “Pakistan’s actions are unacceptable and not suitable for any country wishing to receive a single dollar from US taxpayers - especially considering their country is one of the largest recipients,” said Senator Rand Paul, as he moved Amendment 379, to Senate Con Res 8, the Budget Resolution. “Foreign aid to Pakistan must be prohibited until Afridi is released from prison, and his safety is guaranteed,” said Paul.

Senator Paul from Kentucky had won the conservative straw poll for among potential Republican presidential candidate for 2016. This is not for the first time that Senator Paul has moved such a resolution, which have failed to see the light of the day several times in the past.

Last year he had also blocked the Confirmation of the US Ambassador to Pakistan on this issue. oNlINE

PESHAWAR: A beautiful view of a rainbow which appeared over the city after a heavy downpour on Saturday. INP

Hold Musharraf accountable for abuses: HRW NEW YORK INP

The Pakistani government should hold the country’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf accountable for human rights abuses when he returns to Pakistan, Human Rights Watch said today. Musharraf announced that he intends to return on March 24, 2013, after over four years in exile to be a candidate in parliamentary elections scheduled for May. Legal proceedings are pending against Musharraf in several human rights cases.

In November 2011, Musharraf was charged with involvement in the killing of Akbar Bugti, a Baloch nationalist leader who died under ambiguous circumstances while hiding in a cave in August 2006, after a long standoff with the Pakistani military.

In February 2011, Musharraf was declared an absconder after a court in Rawalpindi accepted the interim chargesheet from Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency, which named the former president as one of the accused in the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Musharraf has also been charged with the illegal removal from office and confinement of much of the country’s judiciary, including the serving chief justice of the Supreme Court, from November 2007 to March 2008.

“Musharraf should not be allowed to elude the serious legal proceedings against him on his return to Pakistan,” said Ali Dayan Hasan, Pakistan director at Human Rights Watch. “Only by ensuring that Musharraf faces the well-documented outstanding charges against him can Pakistan put an end to the military’s impunity for abuses.” Musharraf has the distinction of having suspended constitutional rule twice during his time in office, Human Rights

Watch said. After declaring a state of emergency in November 2007, he began a violent crackdown and ordered the detention of some 10,000 political opponents –including most of the country’s Supreme Court judges. The fired chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, five other judges, and several leading lawyers remained under house arrest and were released only when the opposition Pakistan Peoples’ Party formed a government and took over the prime minister’s office in March 2008.

“Given the personal suffering many judges endured at Musharraf’s hands, it will be a real test for Pakistan’s judiciary, especially the Supreme Court chief justice, to ensure that prosecutions are impartial,” Hasan said. “But this is a test they must face and pass if Pakistanis to send a clear message that it will not allow abusive military leaders to escape accountability.” Under Musharraf’s watch, the Pakistani military and its intelligence agencies committed widespread human rights violations, including the enforced disappearances of thousands of political opponents, particularly from Balochistan province, and tortured hundreds of Pakistani terrorism suspects. Political opponents including high-profile opposition politicians were exiled, jailed, tortured, and in some instances murdered. Hundreds of “disappeared,” especially from insurgency-hit Balochistan, remain unaccounted for and are feared dead.

“Throughout his years in office, Musharraf maintained that he was fully aware of the behavior of security forces in Balochistan and that they had done no wrong,” Hasan said. “His role in the widespread abuses in Balochistan, including ‘disappearances’ during his rule, needs to be investigated and appropriately prosecuted.”

Musharraf persistently undermined

the right to free expression and forcibly censored the media during his years in power, Human Rights Watch said. During the emergency, he shut down over 30 television channels and passed decrees muzzling the media. Security forces carried out brazen attacks on media offices. Throughout Musharraf’s rule, security forces repeatedly coerced, abducted, arbitrarily detained, beat, and tortured journalists working for both local and international media. Several journalists died in alleged custody of the security forces.

Pakistan’s elected parliament has rolled back most of Musharraf’s unlawful decrees and reversed virtually all his selfempowering constitutional measures.

However, there has been little progress in holding accountable Musharraf and others in his government responsible for egregious human rights abuses including killings, torture, and enforced disappearances, Human Rights Watch said.

Musharraf seized power in a 1999 military coup and ruled Pakistan until his ouster in 2008. His rule was marred by widespread and serious human rights violations. During his time in power Musharraf exiled opposition leaders, including Bhutto and former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif. When Sharif tried to return to Pakistan in September 2007, Musharraf forcibly exiled him back to Saudi Arabia in violation of international law and Pakistan’s constitution and in defiance of a direct ruling by Pakistan’s Supreme Court.

However, Bhutto successfully returned in October 2007 and Sharif in November in the run up to elections.

Musharraf was forced to resign in the wake of Bhutto’s assassination in December 2007 and subsequent elections that brought her Pakistan People’s Party to power.

Musharraf’s return a positive move, says Saifullah ISLAMABAD sTAFF REPoRT

Pakistan Muslim League-Likeminded (PML-LM) leader Salim Saifullah Khan said former president Pervez Musharraf’s return to the country is a positive move which should be supported. Addressing a news conference, after an event in connection with Pakistan Day, Saifullah said it was unfortunate that the parliamentary committee failed to reach a consensus on the caretaker prime minister (PM). He was of the view that the decision for the caretaker PM’s slot should have been made at least a month earlier. He said the Election Commission of Pakistan should not pose any further delay in nominating a caretaker premier. He welcomed the name of Justice (r) Nasir Aslam Zahid for the position of caretaker PM saying it would be a positive move for the country. He said that he had always made efforts to gather all factions of Muslim leagues under one banner, adding that Nawaz Sharif was not working towards that goal. Saifullah said he did not have any differences with Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid but had a few reservations over Shujaat Hussain, who has been the party’s president since 12 years. He said under the constitution of the party, no one could be elected as president for more than two terms. Earlier, Saifullah said women had played a vital role in Pakistan’s creation, citing Fatimah Jinnah’s example.

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weather updates

The interim government will attempt all possible efforts to improve the law and order in Karachi. – Sindh Caretaker CM Qurban Alvi

ecp ForMS Security BodieS For pollS Four-member bodieS to work oN diStrictS aNd tribal ageNcieS level, dPos to PrePare ‘coNtiNgeNcy PlaNS’ For SecuriNg PolliNg StatioNS

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N line with directives of the Supreme Court, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) notified on Saturday the constitution of election security committees (ESCs) which would maintain law and order in districts and tribal agencies across the country during elections, Pakistan Today has reliably learnt.

The ECP, the sources said, formed the security bodies in line with Article 218(3) of the constitution and judgment of the Supreme Court passed on June 8 last year in the Workers Party case.

Headed by the District Returning Officers (DROs) as a coordinator, the ESCs will comprise three members including deputy commissioner/district coordination officer (DCO)/political agents, DPO/Commandant in Fata and district election commissioner (DEC) all belonging to the district or agency concerned.

The ESCs will be mandated to

KARACHI AFTAB ChANNA

Communities living on the coastal areas of Sindh province foresee their doom in the development of two islands located near the metropolitan’s coast for lavish residences, as they feel that the fishermen community would completely vanish, while the project will also badly affect the environment and pose serious security risk in connection with maritime defence.

Interestingly, most mainstream political parties have also supported the stance that had been taken by the local fisherman. These fishermen communities have been fishing at the same locations for centuries and their fishing circle was spread between Karachi and district Thatta. Besides, the fishermen also threatened to block all port channels if the project, launched by real estate tycoon Malik Riaz, was not cancelled.

As the country celebrated 23rd March’s as Pakistan Day, hundreds of fishermen, nationalists, and workers of the political parties under the banner of Sindh Writer and Thinkers Forum gathered at Jamote Jetty at Ibrahim Hyderi from where they

look after matters concerning maintenance of law and order in the districts and tribal agencies during the elections, said the sources.

The ECP, the well-placed sources said, issued a notification to the chief secretaries and election commissioners of all four provinces and political agents, DPOs and commandants in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

It is believed that formation of the committees would enable the ECP apprise Pakistan Army, which the commission wants to lead the countrywide security arrangements at polling stations on May 11, about the strength of army personnel required to be deployed at the “highly sensitive” polling stations on the polling day.

The district police officers (DPOs), the sources said, would be required to prepare “contingency plan” leading to ensuring peace and security at polling stations in their respective districts and agencies.

“The home department will tell us about the highly sensitive

were all taken to Dingi and Bhandar islands where a massive protest demonstration was held afterwards.

The venue of the protest demonstration was adorned with different slogans against President Asif Zardari both in English as well as in Sindhi and Urdu languages. One slogan read “ Zardari! Sindh is not a commodity, stop selling islands”, while other carried the slogans such as “Too Bait Khapaya Zardari” (You sold islands Zardari) and “Too Sindh Lajaye Zardari” (You brought bad name to Sindh).

Among the participants were Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) central leader Marvi Memon, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional’s (PML-F) Marvi Rashidi, deputy conveyor of Sindh Bachayo Committee Shah Mohammad Shah, Haji Shafi Jamote, Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum’s Dr Mohammad Ali Shah, while the Sindh Writers and Thinkers Forum was represented by prominent writers namely Jami Chandio, Dastagir Bhatti, Manzoor Solangi, Muzafar Chandio and others.

Interestingly, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) that ruled the country for a five year term was the party that came under the fire as it was the party that staged several strong protests in times of former dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf when the same

polling stations,” replied an ECP official when asked how the commission would respond to the military which, in Friday’s meeting with ECP Secretary Ishtiaque Ahmed Khan, put the ball in ECP’s court to identify the points of electoral deployment for armed forces.

He said as no location for polling stations had so far been allocated, the ECP was waiting for the provincial home department to identify the sensitive polling stations.

islands were allotted to an international firm for development.

Addressing the participants of the demonstration at the islands, PML-N’s Marvi Memon said that the PPP by selling the islands, had betrayed the millions of fishermen who had been fishing in these areas since centuries. “The PML-N is in favour of development but it will not hand over the islands to foreigners by sidelining the fishermen,” she said.

The PML-N leader stated that the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) had allotted the islands to Bahria town illegally as the matter was supposed to be debated in the National Assembly standing committee for defence and environment. “The PMLN is also against the development of Zulfikarabad that will result in dislocation of millions of people,” she added.

“The PML-N is with the people of the coastal belt and Nawaz Sharif will work for the progress and prosperity of the fishermen if he comes into power,” Marvi said. PML-F’s Marvi Rashidi said that her party had opposed the dual local governance system and the massive protests in the province had compelled the rulers to roll back the controversial system. “The PML-F will again launch a massive protest against the sale of islands and will stand with the fishermen,” she added.

“The government should take back the decision of handing over these islands to Malik Riaz and others, because the people of Sindh will take to the streets and will not allow the project to be launched,” she warned.

On the occasion, prominent writer and leader of Sindh Writers and Thinkers Forum Jami Chandio said “We will not allow these island cities to be built by any foreign investing firm because these areas have provided the local communities with a source of livelihood.”

He further said that the government should consult fishermen communities prior to awarding any contracts or initiating deals with any international firms or taking any decision regarding the coastal villages. Instead the government should ensure basic facilities to the people living in small villages for generations, instead of launching such mega projects by destroying their livelihood sources, he added.

Dastagir Bhatti said the people of Sindh would never support such mega projects after the sale of the mentioned islands to blue-eyed individuals without taking the fishermen into confidence. The people

The DPOs’ contingency plans will certainly help the commission put the military at work in terms of guarding highly sensitive polling points on May 11.

The DPOs would have to hand their security plans to the ESCs for the latter’s deliberation and approval leading to the plans’ implementation, the sources said.

Copies of the approved plans would then be sent to the provincial election commissioners, DECs and returning officers (ROs) in all the districts and tribal agencies.

must not vote for “Ali Baba and the 40 thieves” as they have betrayed the people of Sindh, he added.

He also said that the PPP should stop playing with the people of Sindh by making hollow claims and the people too should not cast their votes for the wrong leaders.

Prominent social worker and leader of Karachi Welfare Viable Association, working for the rights of fishermen, Haji Shafi Mohammad Jamote said the fishermen would block the channels of major Karachi Port and Port Qasim if the government did not cancel the deal of handing over of twin islands to foreign firms, located near Ibrahim Hyderi.

“We ask the government to cancel the deal immediately and take the community people into confidence and in case of delay we will bring hundreds of thousands fishermen to block the ships' channels at major ports in protest. We have past experiences of how the government had deprived communities of their villages and routes to the sea were blocked in the name of development,” Shafi Mohammad said.

“Hundreds of fishermen families of Gizri are facing threats after development of Creek Club and other development projects initiated by the Defence Housing Authority and these powerful organisations do not allow poor fishermen to enter into the sea to catch fish for their livelihood,” Shafi added.

He said the coastal communities would show resistance against the deal and the protest rally was just the start of motivating large communities. He said mangroves forests were being cleaned along the city's coast in the name of extending urbanisation, by putting the 20 million citizens of the metropolitan in the immediate range of natural disasters.

According to Shafi, the recent move to hand over the twin islands was part of a game, which he said, they would thwart with the power of local communities, who mostly depended on the sea for their livelihoods. He accused the PPP-led government of initiating the deal, allowing real estate tycoons to develop the modern city and push the indigenous people out of their ancestoral lands.

There are thick mangroves off the beaches of Karachi, where hundreds of families have been living for many generations. The government had never considered them as citizens and never bothered to provide basic facilities like schools for their children, hospitals and potable water supply schemes there, he concluded.

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KARACHI sunday, 24 March, 2013

rAngerS ArreSt SeverAl SuSpectS FroM MAnghopir KARACHI NNI

R

ANGERS arrested several suspected persons after conducting search operation in Manghopir area of the city. Rangers personnel led by DG Rangers Major General Rizwan Akhtar also recovered a large number of weapons from the possession of the nabbed accused.

During the last three days, rangers’ conducted search operations in different areas of the city including Mehmoodabad, Musharraf Colony, Chanesar Goth and arrested more than 70 suspected people.

Al-khidmat to set up medical camps at six locations KARACHI APP

The Al-Khidmat Welfare Society would establish free medical camps at six places in the metropolis on 24th March. A statement of the organisation said on Friday that vaccination facility against measles would also be available there. It said that lady doctors would also be deployed at the medical camps. Furthermore, general physicians and eye specialists would examine patients.

The facility of sugar test would also be made available, it was further informed.

ppp's Sindh council meets today KARACHI APP

The meeting of the Sindh Council of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will be held today (Sunday) at Hyderabad, said PPP Karachi Division Secretary Information Lateef Mughal. PPP Sindh President Syed Qaim Ali Shah will chair the meeting of the party's Sindh Council which will be held at the residence of PPP leader Syed Ali Nawaz Shah Rizvi in Gulistan-e-Sajjad, Hyderabad. The meeting will discuss the arrangements in connection with death anniversary of PPP's founder Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto which will be observed on April 4.

partly cloudy weather likely KARACHI APP

Fair/partly cloudy weather has been forecasted for Sunday (today) in the metropolis, said Met office report on Saturday. According to the report, the minimum and maximum temperatures were expected to remain between 18 to 20 and 30 to 32 degree Celsius, respectively. It further said that rain/ thunderstorm was likely to occur at one or two places in Zhob, Quetta, Sibi and Kalat divisions of Balochistan. Meanwhile, dry weather was likely to prevail elsewhere in the region, the weather report said.

2 political activists killed in accident HYDERABAD APP

KARACHI: Launchs take part in a boat race from Manora to Kemari organised by coast guards on Pakistan Day. onLIne

Governor opens Quaid-e-Azam’s pictorial gallery KARACHI APP

Sindh Governor, Dr. Ishratul Ebad on Saturday unveiled the plaque of an audio visual room and the Quaid's pictorial gallery at the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam.

Federal Secretary for National Heritage and Integration Asaf Ghafoor highlighted the various features of the audio visual room.

A rare video of transfer of power from the British government to the Pakistani government was screened in the audio visual room for Dr Ishrat.

The Sindh Governor appreciated the video and stressed that the video should be digitalised and also offered that relics associated with Quaid-eAzam at the Governor House should also be utilised for this purpose.

In his speech, he also appreciated the effort of the Asaf Ghafoor and Quaid-e-Azam Mazar Management Board (QAMMB) Resident Engineer

Muhammad Arif for establishing the audio visual room facility.

Asaf Ghafoor also inaugurated "Soch Pakistan" programme organised

by Pakistan Lovers Organisation in

which the federal secretary transferred a symbolic Pakistani Flag to Muhammad Arif.

Muhammad Arif transferred it to Haris Kazmi of Pakistan Lovers Or-

ganisation which was later transferred to a young child as a symbolic transfer of positive thoughts and prosperity for Pakistan from one generation to another.

Earlier, the governor along with the caretaker CM laid wreaths and offered fateha at the Mazar-e-Quaid to pay tribute to the great leader on Pakistan Day. EbAd, JUSTIcE (R) KURbAn AlAvI vISIT mAzAR-E-QUAId: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad and Sindh Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (r) Zahid Kurban Alavi on Saturday visited the mausoleum of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah to pay tribute to him on Pakistan Day. They laid floral wreaths and offered fateha at the Mazar-e-Quaid.

In their impressions marked in the visitors' book, they paid rich tributes to the father of the nation for his struggle to achieve an independent Pakistan.

A road accident on the National Highway near Matiari on Saturday claimed the lives of two workers of a nationalist political party and left two others injured. According to the Motorway Police, the accident happened as their car overturned while overtaking a vehicle. Both the deceased men, identified as Rashid Jamali and Muhammad Moosa Jamali, died at the Matiari Taluka hospital. According to their party's sources, the workers were coming from Saeedabad taluka of Matiari district to Hyderabad to attend a party rally. Both the deceased belonged to Bakhar Jamali village in Saeedabad. The bodies of the deceased were sent to their village after undergoing post-mortem.

cM attends moot of rotary international KARACHI APP

Sindh caretaker Chief Minister (CM) Justice (r) Zahid Kurban Alvi on Saturday attended DISCON-2013 organised by Rotary International District 3271 at a local hotel. Speaking on the occasion, the caretaker CM lauded the efforts of Rotary International and said that there was poverty in the province and pointed out certain problems of health, education, and clean drinking water in interior Sindh.

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Without peace, all other dreams vanish and are reduced to ashes. – Jawaharlal Nehru

42 MYANMAR REFUGEES KILLED IN FIRE AT THAI CAMP NAYPYIDAW AGENCIEs

At least 42 Myanmar refugees have died in a raging fire at a camp in Thailand, officials have said.

Naramol Palawat, governor of Mae Hong Son, said hundreds of temporary thatch huts at the Ban Mae Surin refugee camp were reduced to ashes. She said the blaze was believed to have been started by a cooking accident. Dozens of

other people were injured in the fire with women, children and the elderly believed to make up the majority of the victims. “The latest death toll we can confirm through military walkie-talkies is 42,” Palawat said, adding the toll was likely to rise further as rescue workers search the area. A local district official said hot weather, combined with strong winds caused the fire to spread quickly among the thatched bamboo shelters. Police on Saturday

said around 400 temporary homes had been incinerated, while the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Bureau said a school, clinic and two food warehouses had also been destroyed.

The Thai government pledged an investigation into the fire at the camp, which houses roughly 3,700 refugees. Ten camps strung out along the Thai-Myanmar border house a total of about 130,000 people, who first began arriving in the 1980s.

news sunday, 24 March, 2013

ISRAEL

israeli prime minister apologises for naval raid against a gaza-bound flotilla

TO RESTORE DIPLOMATIC TIES

obama played ‘crucial’ role in normalising relations

ISTANBUL

I HYDERABAD: Royal bengal tigers play in the water at the Nehru zoological park.

India’s latest census counted at least 1,706 tigers in forests across the country. As many as 100,000 are thought to have roamed India 100 years ago. AGENCIES

THOUSANDS MOURN SLAIN CLERIC IN DAMASCUS DAMASCUS AGENCIEs

Thousands of people have gathered in the downtown of the Syrian capital amid tight security for the funeral of a senior pro-government cleric who was killed in a mosque earlier this week.

Security forces on Saturday sealed off all roads leading to the eighth century Omayyad Mosque in Damascus where the funeral for 84-year-old Sheik Mohammad Said Ramadan al-Bouti was held. Al-Bouti, his grandson and 48 others were killed on Thursday when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside a mosque where he was giving a religious lesson, state media said.

Mourners carried al-Bouti and his grandson’s

coffin on their shoulders on Saturday amid shouts of “God is Great”. Al-Bouti was Imam of the Omayyad Mosque, a landmark in Damascus. Syrian state TV said President Bashar al-Assad was being represented at the funeral by one of his cabinet ministers. On Friday, Assad vowed to “cleanse” his country of “extremists”, whom he accused of being behind the attack.

In a statement issued by the presidency, Assad condemned the attack and mourned Bouti’s death, vowing to eradicate “extremism and ignorance” in Syria. “I swear to the Syrian people that your blood, and that of your grandson and all the martyrs of the homeland, will not be spilled in vain because we will be faithful to your ideas by destroying their extremism and ignorance until we have cleansed the country,” Assad said in the statement on Friday. The attack was condemned by the opposition, who raised the possibility that the regime was behind the deadly blast at the Iman Mosque.

The government declared Saturday a day of mourning. Al-Bouti was the most senior religious figure to be killed in Syria’s conflict. Al Jazeera’s Rula Amin, reporting from Beirut in neighbouring Lebanon, said the death of Bouti was a “very big deal”. “Among the 500 most influencial Muslims in the world, he is ranked 23,” she said. The preacher had been a vocal supporter of the regime since the early days of Assad’s father and predecessor, the late President Hafez Assad, providing a Sunni cover and legitimacy to their rule.

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AGENCIEs

SRAEL and Turkey have agreed to restore full diplomatic relations after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologised for a deadly naval raid against a Gazabound international flotilla in a turnaround partly brokered by the US President.

Netanyahu said on Friday he “expressed apology” to Turkey for any error that led to the death of nine Turkish nationals in the 2010 incident. Israel also agreed to compensate the families of the victims, he said. It was a surprising turnaround for Netanyahu who had long rejected calls to apologise. He announced the breakthrough after a 20-minute phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. US President Barack Obama helped broker the fence-mending while visiting Israel, but the sides had been reaching out to each other before.“They agreed to restore normalisation between Israel and Turkey, including the dispatch of ambassadors and the cancellation of legal steps against Israeli soldiers,’’ a statement from Netanyahu’s office said. Netanyahu “regretted the recent deterioration of relations between Israel and Turkey and expressed his commitment to overcoming their differences in order to advance peace and stability in the region,” it said. “In light of Israel’s investigation into the incident which pointed to a number of operational mistakes, the Prime Minister expressed Israel’s apology to the Turkish people for any mistakes that might have led to the loss of life or injury and agreed to conclude an agreement on compensation/nonliability.” During the phone call, Erdogan underlined the importance of strong cooperation and friendship between Turkey and Israel. “Erdogan told [Israeli premier] Binyamin Netanyahu that he valued

centuries-long strong friendship and cooperation between the Turkish and Israeli nations,” Erdogan’s office said.

COMMENTS ‘MISUNDERSTOOD’:

It said Netanyahu appreciated Erdogan’s interview with a Danish paper in which he said he was misunderstood in remarks at a UN conference in Vienna.

Erdogan said Islamophobia should be considered a crime against humanity “just like Zionism, like anti-Semitism and like fascism.”

His comments drew wide condemnation. Erdogan later told Politiken that he was misunderstood and was criticizing

Netanyahu, erdogan announce breakthrough after a 20-minute phone call

group, has sent a message expressing disappointment that Turkey has accepted the apology.

Israel and Turkey were once close allies. Relations began to decline after Erdogan, whose party has roots in Turkey’s Islamist movement, became prime minister in 2003. Tensions raged after Erdogan attacked Israel for the high Palestinian death toll in an Israeli campaign aimed at stopping daily rocket fire from Gaza on Israel in the winter of 2008, at one point storming off a stage he shared with the Israeli president at the highprofile World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

COMMANDO RAID:

In light of Israel’s investigation into the incident which pointed to a number of operational mistakes, the Prime Minister expressed Israel’s apology to the Turkish people for any mistakes that might have led to the loss of life or injury and agreed to conclude an agreement on compensation/nonliability

Israeli policy. Erdogan’s office said: “Our prime minister accepted the apology in the name of the Turkish people.” Erdogan “expressed that it was saddening that relations, which are of vital strategic importance for peace and the stability of the region, have been soured in recent years,” the statement said. Al Jazeera’s Elif Ural, reporting from Istanbul, said that Hamas, armed Palestinian

Animosity peaked on May 31, 2010, when Israeli commandos boarded a flotilla of six humanitarian ships on their way to Gaza. Nine Turkish activists were killed on the lead ship Mavi Marmara, sparking international condemnation and contentious diplomatic dispute between Israel and Turkey. An inquiry into the incident said Israel broke international humanitarian and human rights law. The inquiry, which was later endorsed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, found “clear evidence to support prosecutions” for crimes including “wilful killing; torture or inhuman treatment; wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health.” Al Jazeera’s Anita McNaught, reporting from Cairo, said Turkey got “almost everything it wanted” from the apology, including acknowledgement of Israel’s “operational errors” and offer of compensation. “This is an extraordinary event and a completely unexpected one,” our correspondent said. “This has been enormously damaging schism between these two countries [Israel and Turkey]”. Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip since June 2007 after Hamas took control of the territory. Though the Israeli restrictions have been eased, Israel still enforces a naval blockade on the territory.

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news sunday, 24 March, 2013

ECP facing no pressure for choosing caretaker PM. — ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmed

Zardari confers civil awards on pakistan day ISLAMABAD oNlINE

President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday conferred civil awards on the eve of Pakistan Day celebrations in an investiture ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

The ceremony was attended among others by Prime Minister Raja Pervaiez Ashraf‚ Senate Chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari‚ National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza‚ former members of the federal cabinet‚ senators‚ services chiefs‚ foreign diplomats and senior civil and military officials.

Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz included Saadat Hassan Manto‚ late Mehdi Hassan‚ late Munir Ahmad Khan‚ Muhammad Irfan Burney‚ Sherry Rehman and Dr Asim Hussain.

Hilal-e-Imtiaz was given to late Fauzia Wahab‚ Ansar Burney‚ Abida

Parveen‚ late Josh Malih Abadi‚ Ansar Parvez‚ Ahmad Chinnoy‚ Anwar Maqsood‚ Fatima Surriya Bajiya‚ Masood Khan‚ Major-General Ahmad Bilal‚ Zia Mohiuddin‚ Khalid Abbas Dar‚ Hamid Mir‚ late Abdul Hafeez Kardar and late Fazal Mahmood.

Sitara-e-Shujaat was awarded to Maulana Hassan Jan Shaheed.

Recipients of Sitara-e-Imtiaz included Air Commodore Muhammad Khalid Banori‚ Dr Qamarul Haq‚ Dr Sarfraz Khan Niazi‚ Dr Muhammad Ali Jawwad‚ Prof Dr Muhammad AlTamash‚ Dr Wajid Ali Khan‚ Dr Aamer Ali Syed‚ Dr Shaista Masood Khan‚ Shaista Zaid‚ Sarmad Ali and Tariq Malik. President’s Pride of Performance was awarded to Shahida Minni‚ Shah Pari Naghma and Shahida Latif. Tamghae-Shujaat was awarded among others to Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz.

PResIdent GRAnts MIlItARy AwARds to ARMed foRCes PeRsonnel RAWALPINDI APP

The President of Pakistan has granted military awards to officers and men of Pakistan Army, Navy and Air Force.

SITARA-I-bASAlAT The ISPR said that the officers and men who have been conferred with Sitara-i-Basalat included: Major Malik Abrar Ahmad (Shaheed), FF, Captain Fasih Babar Amin (Shaheed), AC, Captain Mannan Ul Hassan (Shaheed), AC, Captain Tariq Jamal (Shaheed), SSG, Sepoy Ashiq Ali (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Khurram Shahzad (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Imam Hussain Shah (Shaheed), FF and Sepoy Zohaib Iqbal (Shaheed), FF, NAVY, Lieutenant Commander Mohsin Farooq Khan, PAF, Squardon Leader Bilal Hassan Babri (Late).

TAmGHA-I-bASAlAT The officers and men who were awarded with Tamgha-iBasalat are: Lieutenant Colonel Yasar Nawaz Janjua, Arty, Major Muhammad Imran Tariq, Arty, Captain Haider Nawaz, AC, Lieutenant Zahid Mehmood, SSG, Naib Subedar Gul Bahar Khan (Shaheed), Punjab, Naib Subedar Muzaffar Hussain (Shaheed), FF, Naib Subedar Mir Daraz Khan (Shaheed), CMI, Dfr Hafiz Tariq Ali (Shaheed), AC, Havildar Bismillah Jan (Shaheed), FC KPK, Havildar Muhammad Sharif (Shaheed), Punjab, Havildar Syed Ali Ahmed Shah (Shaheed), Baloch, Havildar Ghulam Yasin (Shaheed), Baloch, Havildar Muhammad Sadiq (Shaheed), FF, Havildar Sajawal Khan (Shaheed), FF, Havildar Sabir Khan (Shaheed), FF, Havildar Muhammad Naseer (Shaheed), FF, Havildar Muhammad Ali (Shaheed), Baloch, Havildar Shakil Mubarik (Shaheed), AK, Lance Havildar Liaqat Ali Khan (Shaheed), Punjab, Naik Tariq Khan (Shaheed), FC KPK, Naik Istehar Ud Din, Engrs, Naik Muhammad Shabbir (Shaheed), Engrs, Naik Muhammad Yaseen (Shaheed), Punjab, Naik Muhammad Kamal (Shaheed), FF, Naik Muhammad Amir Khan (Shaheed), FF, Naik Shakil Aslam (Shaheed), FF, Naik Mehboob Ali (Shaheed), Baloch, Lance Naik Kamran Ali (Shaheed), FC KPK, Lance Naik Muhammad Yousaf Khan (Shaheed), FC KPK, Lance Naik Inayat Ullah (Shaheed), FF, Lance Naik Muhammad Hassan (Shaheed), FF, Lance Naik Muhammad Saeed (Shaheed), Sindh, Lance Naik Zahid Ali (Shaheed), Baloch, Lance Naik Khalid Mehmood Tabbassam (Shaheed), HQ PR (Sindh), Sepoy Zakir Hussain (Shaheed), FC KPK, Sepoy Bahadar Shah (Shaheed), FC KPK, Sepoy Ali Bad Shah (Shaheed), FC KPK, Sepoy Khan Afzal (Shaheed), FC KPK, Sepoy Sheraz Ahmed (Shaheed), FC KPK, Swr Sana Ullah (Shaheed), AC, Sepoy Khalid Shabir Ali, SSG, Spr Raid Ullah Khan (Shaheed), Engrs, Spr Muhammad Hussain (Shaheed), Engrs, Spr Muhammad Naveed Yousaf, Engrs, Spr Muhammad Aqeel (Shaheed), Engrs, Sepoy Ali Akbar (Shaheed), Punjab, Sepoy Sikandar Zeb (Shaheed), SSG, Sepoy Muhammad Irfan (Shaheed), Punjab, Sepoy Sajjad Ahmed, Punjab, Sepoy Ahmad Nawaz Khan (Shaheed), Punjab, Sepoy Muhammad Awais Ur Rehman (Shaheed), Punjab, Sepoy Muhammad Adrees (Shaheed), Punjab, Sepoy Zaheer Ud Din Babar (Shaheed), Punjab, Sepoy Wasif Mehmood (Shaheed), Punjab, Sepoy Haji Muhammad (Shaheed), Punjab, Sepoy Muhammad Sajid (Shaheed), Punjab , Sepoy Tariq Aziz (Shaheed), Punjab, Sepoy Muhammad Younis (Shaheed), Punjab, Sepoy Aamir Yasin, SSG, Sepoy Inam Ullah (Shaheed), SSG, Gnr Mohsan Khan, Arty, Sepoy Abid Hussain, FF, Sepoy Tanveer Hussain (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Muhammad Usman (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Imran Hussain (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Shahzad Ahmed (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Sher Nawaz (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Sohail Khan (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Asfandyar (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Khurshaid Khan (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Waqar Ahmed Abbasi, FF, Sepoy Shahzad Ahmed (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Syed Abbas Ali Shah (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Zeeshan Khan Jadoon (Sha-

heed), FF, Sepoy Wakeel Ahmed (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Abid Ullah (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Shayan Javed (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Muhammad Akhtar Pervaiz (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Ziafat Khan (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Tahir Abbas (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Zia Ullah, FF, Sepoy Rambel Khan, FF, Sepoy Chand Aftab (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Rab Nawaz Ali (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Muhammad Waseem (Shaheed), FF, Sepoy Imtiaz Ali (Shaheed), FF, SW Majeed Masih (Shaheed), Sindh, Sepoy Ahmad Khan (Shaheed), SSG, Sepoy Zafar Nasir (Shaheed), Sindh, Sepoy Ahmed Khan (Shaheed), Sigs, Sepoy Mukhtiar Ali (Shaheed), Baloch, Sepoy Muhammad Sharif (Shaheed), Baloch, Sepoy Ghazi (Shaheed), Baloch, Sepoy Muhammad Nazeer (Shaheed), Baloch, Sepoy Arshad Iqbal (Shaheed), Baloch, Sepoy Muhammad Arif (Shaheed), Baloch, Sepoy Babar Ali Dogar (Shaheed), Baloch , Sepoy Saqib Mehmood (Shaheed), Baloch, Sepoy Younas Khan (Shaheed), Baloch, Sepoy Ejaz Ahmed (Shaheed), Baloch, Sepoy Muhammad Awais (Shaheed), Baloch, Sepoy Zeeshan Haider Khan (Shaheed), Baloch, Sepoy Zulfiqar Ahmed (Shaheed), Baloch, Sepoy Mukhtiar Ali (Shaheed), Baloch, Sepoy Muhammad Nawaz (Shaheed), Baloch, Sepoy Muhammad Atif Tariq (Shaheed), Baloch, Sepoy Muhammad Naveed Ul Haq (Shaheed), AK, Sepoy Sohrab Iqbal (Shaheed), AK, Sepoy Imran Wali (Shaheed), HQ PR (Sindh), Sepoy Abdul Razzaq (Shaheed), HQ PR (Sindh). NAVY, Lieutenant Zia ur Rehman, CDAI Muhammad Naseer, LMGT (M) CD-III Muhammad Hassan Khan, MAR-I Mukhtar Hassan, CDT-I Shahid Qayyum, UWT-I Syed Waseem Abbas Kazmi.

HIlAl-I-ImTIAz (mIlITARY) The officers who have been awarded with Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) included: Major General Shahzad Sikander, Engrs, Major General Mian Mohammad Hilal Hussain, Arty, Major General Tariq Javed, AK, Major General Ghayur Mahmood, T Bt, FF, Major General Asghar Nawaz, Engrs, Major General Nadir Zeb, AC, Major General Muhammad Iqbal Asi, Sindh, Major General Nazir Ahmed Butt, FF, Major General Jamil Rehmat Vance, ASC, Major General Muhammad Ejaz Shahid, Arty, Major General Amir Azeem Bajwa, Sigs, Major General Tariq Ghafoor, FF, Major General Akhtar Waheed, AMC, Major General Salman Ali, AMC, NAVY, Rear Admiral Khawaja Ghazanfar Hussain, Rear Admiral Khan Hasham Bin Saddique, Rear Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, PAF, Air Vice Marshal Arshad Quddus, Air Vice Marshal Sohail Aman.

SITARA-I-ImTIAz (mIlITARY) Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military) was granted to the officers including: Brigadier Salman Akbar, Arty, Brigadier Jamil Sarwar Malik, EME, Brigadier Mansur Mahmud, ASC, Brigadier Ashfaq Ahmad Solehria, Sigs, Brigadier Sohail Hamid, Sigs, Brigadier Shafqat Nawaz Khan, Punjab, Brigadier Mowadat Hussain Rana, AMC, Brigadier Tahir Aziz Ahmed, AMC, Brigadier Farhat Abbas Shah, EME, Brigadier Khalid Mukhtar Farani, Punjab, Brigadier Zar Mohammad, Arty, Brigadier Tahir Saddique, Engrs, Brigadier Saad Ullah Fatmi, Engrs, Brigadier Muhammad Asif Khattak, CMI, Brigadier Salawat Khan, Punjab, Brigadier Rizwan Ali Khan, AC, Brigadier Syed Haider Ali Naqvi, Baloch, Brigadier Muhammad Shafi Ghazi, Punjab, Brigadier Fahim Raza, Arty, Brigadier Abid Hussain Bhutta, AC, Brigadier Mubashir Wasim, FF, Brigadier Kamran Waheed, Sindh, Brigadier Naseer Ud Din, AD, Brigadier Hamid Mahmood, Punjab, Brigadier Naveed Sarwar, Ord, Brigadier Ghazanfar Ali Bhatti, Baloch, Brigadier Zulfiqar Ali, Arty, Brigadier Sami Akhtar, Arty, Brigadier Mazhar Mumtaz Qureshi, AD, Brigadier Abid Saleem, Engrs, Brigadier Munawwar Alam, Arty, Brigadier Aftab Afzal, T Bt, CMI, Brigadier Mohsin Farooq, Arty, Brigadier Tariq Zaman, Engrs, Brigadier Nazir Ahmad, S Bt, Arty, Brigadier Raheel Ashraf, AEC, Brigadier Fahim Ahmad Khan, ASC,

Brigadier Syed Hasnain Bokhari, EME, Colonel Haroon Rashid, AMC, Colonel Muhammad Tahir Saleem, Engrs, Colonel Saif Ullah Khan, Ord, Colonel Javed Iqbal, Arty, Colonel Junaid Shamim, Punjab, Colonel Mohammad Sarwar Alam, Sigs, Colonel Muhammad Aaqeb Akhtar, FF, Colonel Ehsan Ul Haq, EME, Colonel Saeed Ahmed Gill, EME, Colonel S Masood Raza, Baloch, Colonel Muhammad Asif, AD, Colonel Shams Ul Haq, CMI, Colonel Rizwan Shaikh, Sindh, Colonel Akhtar Hussain Bangash, AMC, Colonel Karamat Hussain Shah Bokhari, AMC, Colonel Shahid Sultan Khan, AMC, NAVY, Commodore Asif Hameed, Commodore Ahmed Saeed, Commodore Sajid Mahmood, Commodore Naseer Ahmad, Commodore Shahid Sohail Rao, Commodore Imran Akram, Commodore Syed Asad Karim, Commodore Zahid Iqbal, Commodore Saleem Iqbal, Commodore Imran Ahmad, Commodore Syed Arshad Ali, Commodore Syed Naseer Ud Din, Commodore Muhammad Saqib Fazal, PAF, Air Commodore Shahjahan Sattar Khan, Air Commodore Kahlid Mahmood, Air Commodore Khawar Hussain, Air Commodore Aasim Zaheer, Air Commodore Noor Abbas, Air Commodore Humayun Viqar Zephyr, Group Captain Muhammad Safdar, Group Captain Muhamamd Afzal, Group Captain Shahzad Zafar Dogar, Group captain Omer Sharif, Group Captain M Arif Burq, Group captain Tahir Mukhtar, Group Captain, Salman Mahboob, Group Captain Gohar Majeed Khan and Group Captain Shahid Nadeem.

TAmGHA-I-ImTIAz (mIlITARY) The officers who have been awarded with Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Military) included: Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Amir Rana, Avn, Lieutenant Colonel Abdul Qadir Nur, Ord, Lieutenant Colonel Ijaz Ahmad, Ord, Lieutenant Colonel Zarar Razzaque, Engrs, Lieutenant Colonel Taqdees Ur Rehman, Baloch, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Younus, Sigs, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Rehan Javed, Sindh, Lieutenant Colonel Sadaqat Hussain Shah, Sigs, Lieutenant Colonel Malik Tahir Majid, AD, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Irfan Naziri, AC, Lieutenant Colonel Shahid Iqbal, Sigs, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Ayaz, Sindh, Lieutenant Colonel Nadeem Afzal, Baloch, Lieutenant Colonel Asghar Hussain, Arty, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Siddique, AK, Lieutenant Colonel Bahadur Shah, NLI, Lieutenant Colonel Ashar Rizwan, AK, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abjad Hussain, ASC, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Asif, Arty, Lieutenant Colonel Masood Ali Jaffery, Arty, Lieutenant Colonel Amjad Javed, Arty, Lieutenant Colonel Syed Muhammad Ather Shakel, Baloch, Lieutenant Colonel Zaffar Khan, FF, Lieutenant Colonel Saqib Malik, NLI, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Tahir Nasir, FF, Lieutenant Colonel Humayun Obaid, Engrs, Lieutenant Colonel Arslan Zahoor, Engrs, Lieutenant Colonel Zahid Hussain, AC, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Nadeem Anwar, GL, Lieutenant Colonel Zahid Riaz, ASC, Lieutenant Colonel Sukhawat Hussain, CMI, Lieutenant Colonel Usman Aleem, Punjab, Lieutenant Colonel Zia Ahmad Khan, AK, Lieutenant Colonel Abrar Hussain Khan, Punjab, Lieutenant Colonel Atteeq Ahmed, EME, Lieutenant Colonel Nasir Ali, FF, Lieutenant Colonel Mubashir Aziz, ASC, Lieutenant Colonel M Athar Babar, Punjab, Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Rehan Zafar, AC, Lieutenant Colonel Imtiaz Bashir Warraich, CMI, Lieutenant Colonel Ejaz Hussain, TBt, Punjab, Lieutenant Colonel Wisal Mohammad, FF, Lieutenant Colonel Tariq Nisar, Arty, Lieutenant Colonel Abdul Sabur Solehria, AD, Lieutenant Colonel Basharat Ahmad Noor, S Bt, Avn, Lieutenant Colonel Ch Shafqat Mahmud, Arty, Lieutenant Colonel Nadeem Zafar, Arty, Lieutenant Colonel Irfan Haneef Chaudary, Baloch, Lieutenant Colonel Mazhar Shafique, EME, Lieutenant Colonel Rashid Ghani, EME, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Ahmad Khan, EME, Lieutenant Colonel Nayyar Shazad, Ord, Lieutenant Colonel Nadeem Fazal, AMC, Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Muqeem, AMC, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Irfan

Ilahi, AMC, Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Rashid, AMC, Lieutenant Colonel Mrs Nilofar Mustafa, AMC, Lieutenant Colonel Mrs Abeera Choudhry, AMC, Lieutenant Colonel Miss Tahira Tanveer Kausar, AFNS, Major Muhammad Dawood, AK, Major Muhammad Sikandar Azam, ASC, Major Imran Hussain, AD, Major Muhammad Ishtiaq Khattak, Engrs, Major Munir Anwar Khan, Punjab, Major Muzaffar Ahmed Majoroka, AC, Major Ikram Ullah Khan, FF, Major Zaheer Ghani, Avn, Major Farrakh Razi, Arty, Major Qazi Riaz Ullah Bangash, FF, Major Zulfiqar Ali, Sindh, Major Hazrat Jan, NLI, Major Tahir Salim, Arty, Major Asghar Ali Qureshi, AK, Major Farukh Saeed, Arty, Major Fayyaz Hussain, Arty, Major Muddassar Ahmad Shaikh, Baloch, Major Zahid Iqbal, Baloch, Major Sardar Khurram Khan Durrani, Baloch, Major Haroon Ur Rashid, CMI, Major Syed Kamran Hashmi, Punjab, Major Amir Shafiq Khan, Sigs, Major Muhammad Naseem Hassan Khan, EME, Major Umair Ahmed, EME, Major Syed Mansoor Ahmad, AMC, NAVY, Commander Mubashir Mahmood, Commander Syed Rizwan Khalid, Commander Azeem Sadiq, Commander Shifaat Ali Khan, Commander Muhammad Ashraf Bhatti, Commander Ahmed Hussain, Commander Khyber Zaman, Commander Syed Riaz Zakir Hasnain Abdi, Commander Saeed Ul Hassan, Commander Arshad Mohyudin, Commander Rao Ahmed Imran Anwar, Lieutenant Commander S Mohabbat Shah, Lieutenant Commander Muhammad Iqbal, Lieutenant Commander Zulfiquar, PAF, Wing Commander Syed Ali Zaidi, Wing Commander Muhammad Shafique Siddique, Wing Commander Muhammad Ehsan Ul Haq, Wing Commander Gohar Ul Hassan Syed, Wing Commander Aurangzeb Ahmed, Wing Commander Salman Masood, Wing Commander Muhammad Asif Aslam, Wing Commander Arif Mahmood, Wing Commander Imran Siddiqui, Wing Commander Adnan Qadeer, Wing Commander Tariq Iqbal, Wing Commander Muhammad Ikram Ul Haq Noor, Wing Commander Muhammad Usman Malik and Wing Commander Muhammad Nasir Javed. cHIEf of ARmY STAff commEndATIon cARd The officers who have been awarded with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Commendation Card for 200 Northern Areas Flying Hour are, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Zahid Kamal, Major Abbas Hussain Awan, Major Ahmad Arsalan, Major Muhammad Amin Katkazai, Major Javed Alam, Major Muhammad Noman Ahmed and Major Abdul Nasir Khan.

Chief of General Staff Green Endorsement for 1000 Safe Flying Hours was awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Shah Muhammad Faizan Ur Rehman, Major Syed Ali Adil Naqvi, Major Shahid Ahmed, Major Muhammad Asif Khan, Major Tahir Altaf Malik, Major Wajeeh Murtaza Khan, Major Jehangir Abdullah, Major Muhammad Zubair Rehan, Major Waqar Ali Shah and Major Javid Bashir.

The officers who have been awarded with Metallic Flight Safety Wing and COAS Commendation Card for 1500 Safe Flying Hours included, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Pervez Khan, Major Zaheer Ghani, Major Abdul Majid, Major Qazi Imran Khan, Major Sajjad Ahmad, Major Masood Sarwar, Major Taimur Nisar Khan, Major Talal Akbar, Major Asad Mansoor Khan, Major Mehmood Faisal Malik and Major Khayam Z Din. The officers who have been awarded with COAS Commendation Card for 2500 Safe Flying Hours included, Colonel Asim Mahmud Qureshi, Colonel Rehan Maqsood Alam, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Tariq, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Afzal Kamal, Lieutenant Colonel Syed Faisal Hassan Rauf, Lieutenant Colonel Qazi Sameer Samad, Lieutenant Colonel Farakh Mustafa Saleem, Major Shahzad Farooq Major Musa Raza. Lieutenant Colonel Ali Abid Raza has been awarded with COAS Commendation Card for 3500 Safe Flying Hours and Lieutenant Colonel Raja Khalid Majeed has been awarded with COAS Commendation Card for 4500 Safe Flying Hours.

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Terrorism and dialogues can’t move ahead together. — KP Governor Shaukatullah

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sunday, 24 March, 2013

ghaus Bakhsh takes oath as interim Balochistan cM QUETTA oNlINE

Nawab Ghaus Bakhsh on Saturday was sworn in as caretaker chief minister of Balochistan. In a ceremony here at Governor’s House, Balochistan Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi administered oath to Nawab Ghaus Bakhsh Barozai. Former Balochistan CM Aslam Raisani and other political leaders also participated in the ceremony. The event was attended among others by opposition leader Nawabzada Tariq Magsi, ex-ministers, former legislators and government officials. The formation of the interim cabinet is also expected after the caretaker chief minister takes oath. Barozai has vowed that the interim cabinet would be formed on merit and announced soon. He said he would strive to ensure transparent and timely elections in the provinces besides making efforts to maintain law and order during this interim setup. Earlier, former CM Aslam Raisani and opposition leader Tariq Magsi agreed to the name of Barozai for the slot of interim chief minister.

lifetime security for two former pMs to cost rs 5m per month ISLAMABAD INP

The outgoing first democratic government at the end of its five years term but before departure has finalised the decision to provide security to two former prime ministers for lifetime.

According to details, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led federal government has issued directives for providing security to former primer ministers Yousaf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf for lifetime. For the purpose, services of four SPs Captain (r) Ilyas, Sajid Kayani, Mustansir Hussain and Sardar Sadaqat besides two DSPs, 150 inspectors and constables have been acquired. In accordance with the plan two SPs, a DSP and 75 constables and inspectors would provide security to each former PM. The PM House has also asked IG Islamabad to provide 16 police vehicles in this regard.

The security to two former PMs would cost Rs 5 million per month.

lightning claims lives of 3 Fc men HANGU oNlINE

At least three security personnel were killed while five were seriously injured when lightning struck in the area of Orakzai Agency on Saturday. According to media reports, three security personnel deployed in the area of Godala were struck by lightning during heavy rain. They were killed on the spot while five others were moved to the hospital for treatment.

QUETTA: Balochistan Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi administers the oath to Interim Chief Minister Ghaus Bux Barozai on Saturday. oNlINE

Senate body to visit Afghanistan on 25th ISLAMABAD

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delegation of Senate Standing Committee on Defence and Defense Production is likely to visit Afghanistan on March 25 for the first parliamentary dialogue between the two countries.

The committee’s chairman, Senator Mushahid Hussain told a private TV channel that the three-day parliamentary dialogue would act as a force multiplier for Pak-Afghan relationship.

The two countries have traditionally had a complicated relationship characterized by mutual suspicion. Ethnic issues, border disputes and lately differences over counter-terrorism strategies have been the major sources of divergence between the neighbors described by President Karzai as

bodychairmaNSayS ParliameNtary dialoguewillactaS ForcemultiPlierFor Pak-aFghaNtieS ‘conjoined twins’, but lingering mistrust between their spy agencies widened the gulf.

Lawmakers visit to Afghanistan is followed after the acting head of the Afghan intelligence service, Hassamuddin Hassam, secretly visited Pakistan in December in a bid to narrow their strategic difference.

His visit took place after a suicide attack on the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) chief Assadullah Khalid.

Acting head of the Afghan spy agency’s visit to Pakistan was aimed at investigating a suicide attack on

Afghan spy chief Asadullah Khalid after the Afghan government had claimed that the attack had been planned in Quetta while President Hamid Karzai accused an unnamed foreign intelligence agency of having masterminded it.

Pakistani security forces reportedly arrested two Afghan nationals in connection to the incident. According to the sources, Afghan spy agency was satisfied by the investigation and cooperation of Pakistan.

In the meantime Pakistani and Afghan officials also agreed on a structured military and intelligence dialogue and their army chiefs, heads of intelligence and directors general of military operations have been meeting regularly.

A major step forward towards building trust between the nations was taken after the arrest of a highranking Pakistani Taliban leader Maulvi Faqir Muhammad by the NDS at the end of February.

China to supply nuclear reactor to Pakistan WASHINGTON oNlINE

China and Pakistan reached a formal agreement last month to construct a third nuclear reactor in Punjab that the Obama administration says will violate Beijing’s promises under an international anti-nuclear weapons accord.

The secret agreement for the Chashma 3 reactor was signed in Beijing during a visit by a delegation from the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission from February 15 to 18, according to US intelligence and diplomatic officials quoted by the Washington Times.

The agreement calls for the state-run China National Nuclear Corp to construct a 1,000 megawatt power plant at Chashma, where two earlier Chinese reactors were built.

China last month issued an internal notice to officials within its nuclear establishment and to regional political leaders urging care to avoid any leaks of information about the nuclear deal, which Beijing expects will be controversial, said officials who spoke on

condition of anonymity. The reactor deal had been in the works for several years and prompted high-level US government efforts to block the sale because of concerns that it will boost Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme. The China National Nuclear Corp, China’s main nuclear weapons producer, has been linked in the past to Pakistan’s nuclear arms programme by US intelligence agencies. During the 1990s, the corporation sold thousands of ring magnets to Pakistan that were used in centrifuges that produced highly enriched uranium for weapons.

Recent US intelligence reports indicate that China is in the process of modernising Islamabad’s nuclear arsenal. The arms cooperation is said to include development of a new warhead for Pakistan’s missiles, as well as assistance in reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. A Congressional Research Service report published February 13 stated that “Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal probably consists of approximately 90-110 nuclear warheads, although it could be larger.” “Islamabad is producing fissile material, adding to related

production facilities, and deploying additional delivery vehicles,” the report said.

“These steps could enable Pakistan to undertake both quantitative and qualitative improvements to its nuclear arsenal.” The report warned that spent fuel from Karachi and Chasma nuclear power plants are vulnerable to theft or attack. The Obama administration has not publicly contested the nuclear cooperation between the two countries in the past to avoid upsetting US covert efforts against Islamic terrorism in the region.

The new reactor sale also will undermine the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a voluntary association with no enforcement mechanisms that is viewed as a key tool in the Obama administration’s effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

China in 2004 joined the group and agreed not to sell additional reactors to Pakistan beyond the two reactors sold earlier.

Under Nuclear Suppliers Group guidelines, China is not permitted to sell nuclear goods to any country that is not part of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency.

Recent US intelligence reports indicate that China is in the process of modernising Islamabad’s nuclear arsenal.

The arms cooperation is said to include development of a new warhead for Pakistan’s missiles, as well as assistance in reprocessing spent nuclear fuel.

karzai seeks taliban’s help in reopening schools

KABUL INP

President Hamid Karzai on Saturday asked the Taliban not to prevent students from equipping themselves with education and cooperate with his administration in reopening closed schools.

While marking the new academic year by ringing a school bell in Kabul, the president highlighted the importance of education, calling it the only way of making Afghanistan self-sufficient.

“I urge the people who attack schools on both sides of the Durand Line (AfghanPakistan border) to avoid torching educational institutions, because it amounts to enmity with sons of the soil,” the president remarked.

Arson attacks on schools, poisoning girl students and spraying their faces with acids, were acts of enmity with humanity and a contemptible attempt at keeping the Afghans in a perpetual state of dependency, Karzai said.

The education ministry says 464 schools remain closed due to insecurity in different parts of Afghanistan.

“If you want Afghanistan not to be dependent on others, you should support education because it can make the country independent. I you prevent education, the country is pushed into slavery,” Karzai said in his message to the Taliban.

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The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid. –Jane Austen

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into the fire “the nation will be the land of the free only when it is the land of the brave.”

sunday, 24 March, 2013

A colossal failure Politicians haven’t mended their ways as such

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OLITICIANS are never tired of claiming that they have leant from their past mistakes. This is only partly true. Yes, the government did not use NAB to frame opponents and the opposition did not approach the army for intervention. There was however no shortage of malice and a hunch to discover new shortcuts to get rid of the opponents. The SC order to declare Shahbaz Sharif ineligible for public office was considered by the PPP a God sent opportunity. It used the short period of the Governor’s rule to fish in the troubled waters of Punjab. The PML-N on its part was never tired of issuing calls for early elections.

The demands climaxed early last year with Sen Ishaq Dar claiming the government had lost mandate and snap polls were needed to test its legitimacy. Nawaz Sharif sought the initiation of the memo case against Hussain Haqani requesting the SC to “unearth the dreadful conspiracy, which maligned Armed Forces of Pakistan to trade away the sovereignty of the country and to barter away the existence and future of Pakistan”. Shahaz Sharif frequently took recourse to inflammatory language, promising last year to drag Zardari in the streets of Lahore.

Mutual suspicions stood in the way to consensus on a caretaker prime minister.

Ch Nisar Ali put up names that he knew would be unacceptable to the PPP for their perceived partiality. His subsequent statements indicated that he wanted only the Election Commission to decide the issue. After Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Ch Nisar failed to agree, the later gleefully predicted that the parliamentary committee would not be able to resolve the issue. To put the spanner in the works, he chose to address a press conference while the final round of talks was about to start saying that here would be no agreement in the committee. Making no secret of his keenness to send the matter to the ECP, Ch Nisar has put the Commission in an embarrassing situation. If it decides on a PML-N nominee, it would be accused by the other side to be working in collusion with the opposition party.

That the political parties were unable to reach an understanding on the caretaker prime minister in six days is a colossal failure. This indicates that the political leadership still remains intolerant and is incapable of give and take and compromises that are part of the normal democratic culture. The failure would raise uneasy questions. How would this leadership resolve the controversies that divide ethnic groups, social classes, different tiers of society and important institutions inside the country? How would it resolve the controversies raging in the region? Would our leaders simply get up and leave the negotiating table when the national interests demand otherwise?

Shakedown in ppp good for the party, and the people

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OW that elections are only a few weeks afar, everything seems to be falling into place. All assemblies have been dissolved peacefully and caretaker setups in their place are in the process of being installed. However, there remained a few kinks in the democratic process that need to be ironed out. One such issue was holding of dual offices by President Asif Ali Zardari, one being his party PPP’s co-chairmanship and the other being the president. As the constitution is clear on the issue and courts showing no leniency, Lahore High Court in particular which is hearing a petition on the issue and has asked the president to relinquish one of the posts, why the issue was dragged so long served possibly no other purposes but political mileage resulting out of the confusion and tension.

The president currently holds no post in the party while Bilawal BhuttoZardari has been appointed party’s patron-in-chief, him being less than 25 years of age and thus not qualified for the post of chairman. The other prominent changes include former governor Sardar Latif Khosa and Barrister Masood Kausar who have been elected unopposed as PPP central secretary general and central secretary information, respectively.

Zardari’s decision to quit the post of co-chairman is a good one but the reason given for this does not make any sense. The party’s new secretary general, Sardar Latif Khosa, said that the post of co-chairman was abolished as it was not a constitutional post of the party. One might ask if it was not a post in the party’s constitution, why was it allowed to exist this long? The decision has been taken in an apparent effort to thwart LHC’s pressure in the dual office case. While leaving the party not under any name that ends with Bhutto, Zardari may have taken a risk though there seems to be no considerable threat to the Bhutto family’s domination over the party. Zardari could, however, take over the post of chairman if he is not re-elected president later this year, and thus come back to a position of strength.

Though Jehangir Badr, Naheed Khan and Ghinwa Bhutto all have filed papers with the ECP to allot the name Pakistan Peoples Party to them, and Jehangir Badr’s sidelining in the new scheme of things after his 14 years of service appears to be an outcome of his claiming the name of the party to himself, there actually appears to be no threat to Zardari and Co to lose control over the party’s name. What’s good about this whole shakedown is that the young patron-in-chief and the king-in-the-making, Mr Bilawal, will learn the art of politics by actually jumping in the pool and swimming with the proverbial sharks and crocodiles, instead of just using the name of his mother and grandfather to secure votes.

humAyuN GAuhAR

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HRICE did the army nearly intervene during the last government and thrice did it stop at the cusp, like thrice did Caesar refuse the crown knowing it was not laurels but made of poisonous thorns. It is in the nature of man to inter the good with the bones while the bad, embroidered with lies and exaggeration lives on. This is no time for intervention. None is.

Generals are not trained to run countries. They have no generic solutions to our myriad problems so they only tinker with the system and create a feel good factor for a time. Mistaking wish lists for ideology they confuse strategy for tactics.

They don’t realise that the political system is the problem. Without ideology they cannot properly address it. They don’t know how to legitimise any new system so they follow the standard operating procedure: accountability inevitably done badly and pointless referenda. When I told President Musharraf that a presidential system cast in our historical milieu in which parliament and executive were separate and independent of each other would be better for us, his answer was, “I agree with you 200 percent, but how to do it?”

That is the problem. You have to let the new system evolve naturally.

Army intervention not only signifies failure of politics but also of society for electing and tolerating inept and corrupt leaders. Worse, those heading governments wouldn’t get the chance to expose themselves and our decrepit, degenerate, alien political system, a bad clone of Westminster, would get yet another lease of life instead of hurtling towards its destiny through the natural evolutionary process. However, when a coup becomes inevitable that too is part of political evolution for it almost always is the conduct and performance of politicians that makes the ground fertile for it.

Best to let politics take whatever course it will so that we get this system out of our systems and learn that democracy is not equal to elections, improvement of the human condition bottom up is. Let there be elections and let the new government govern – or misgovern more likely. If it does well none would be happier than you and I. But if it falls flat on its face and Pakistan starts going further down the drain, then intervention could become inevitable and you, America or I can do nothing to stop it. Only Allah can.

The army doesn’t want to go down in history as an institution that upheld the constitution while the country perished. The clock is ticking, the “petty pace of time” continues apace.

Our politicians should realise this lest they pave the way yet again for army intervention after some fashion. There are

Editor’s mail Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Lahore – Ph: 042-36375963-5 Fax: 042-32535230 Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 Fax: 021-35381208 Islamabad – Ph: 051-2287273 Fax: 051-2850505 Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

some things that man wants and there are some things that nature demands. When it comes to survival nature takes over and charts its own course, man and his social and political constructs and wishful thinking be damned.

There was a cartoon in this newspaper last Friday showing six of our top political leaders pulling at Pakistan’s flag from different ends, tearing it apart to take their piece. It happened in 1971 when Bhutto, Mujib and Yahya tore Pakistan asunder while all West Pakistani leaders bar Asghar Khan stood by mutely or applauded. Our leaders should realise that their common and collective task is not to play multi-dimensional tug-of-war with the national flag and shred it but to hoist it to its zenith. The army is tasked to save the flag from being torn apart before the nadir. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen and these become our last elections, for it is neither good for the country’s natural evolution nor for the army.

While consensus is part of the essence of democracy, our predators that pass for politicians cannot even agree on a caretaker prime minister and Punjab chief minister because they are driven by self-interest, not national interest. The prime minister and leader of the opposition couldn’t agree on one, the parliamentary committee failed and now the matter is with the Election Commission whose decision will be final – so too in Punjab. How sad! Can you believe that the gentleman with Jeffersonian pretentions who crafted this convoluted process was in the run for this meaningless job, though it would have enhanced his profile no end – ‘former prime minister’ what? He is actually proud of gifting us the last three amendments to the constitution that have built gridlock into the system. Great going.

It doesn’t occur to anyone that in a real democracy there is no concept of caretakers. Outgoing governments hold elections under their watch and woe betides them if they fumble or rig. But where no one trusts anyone, and not without reason, they need ‘neutral’ caretakers.

Is it possible to find ‘neutrality’ given human nature? What is needed is intellectual honesty, a good upbringing and value system, a real education, a good track record and strong faith. Only a well-programmed robot can possibly be neutral.

Anyone who is someone has an opinion and track record. Opinions and performance attract controversy. A person without controversy is a person without opinion or achievement.

There is the view that President Zardari has given Nawaz Sharif yet another haircut because he will now ‘graciously’ agree to Sharifs’ nominee as caretaker prime minister (to ‘save democracy’ of course) provided that the Punjab chief minister is his nominee, for Punjab is, as Bhutto said, “the bastion of power”.

Win Punjab and you win Pakistan. But hang on: there’s a flaw here. The Sharifs were clever enough to dissolve the Punjab assembly after the National Assembly, so the date of selection of caretaker prime minister comes before the selection of Punjab chief minister. What if Sharif gets his prime minister and later, if he can, renege on agreeing to Zardari’s chief minister, pleading that such promises are not written in the Quran as Zardari did to Sharif when he gave him his first haircut?

It’s a filthy situation.

Into this fire has jumped General Per-

vez Musharraf of his own volition, putting life and liberty on the line. ‘Into the Fire’ could be the title of his next book.

Knowing my close friendship with Musharraf and that I helped write his autobiography ‘In the Line of Fire’, people inevitably ask me why would Musharraf willingly return to face trials, tribulation and possible assassination? I won’t say that Musharraf knows something I don’t for that’s cute fudging.

To understand why, read the chapter ‘The Potter’s Wheel’ in Musharraf’s book to understand the mindset of a soldier.

Every military academy is like a potter’s wheel, its bosses the potters or milliners.

A young cadet is their clay that they make moist and malleable, place on the wheel, spin it ferociously, mould him and then throw him in a red-hot furnace. When the potter’s work is done out of the furnace emerges a soldier with a different mindset and worldview. He believes he is born to die for his country for it is his duty to save it from enemies foreign and native.

His ultimate reason for existence is to lay down his life and become a martyr and victor – shaheed and ghazi – at the same time. On top of the mind of a soldier Musharraf has the mind of a commando.

The word defeat is not in his lexicon.

Musharraf had planned to remain President till 2013 and then leave a victor. I believe he would have. Instead, he was forced to resign earlier, a defeat for him.

He has to return and convert defeat into victory even at the cost of his life. He is not conditioned to sit abroad and watch his country slide into disaster. He is trained to try and save it. It is an imperative that a civilian cannot understand.

What seems impetuosity in a soldiercommando is instinct, ‘not listening’ means not agreeing with the civilian worldview in which self-survival is central. Musharraf believes in destiny; he is ready to embrace it willingly. So for Musharraf to jump back into the fire is but natural. Got it?

Musharraf has many sterling qualities that our politicians lack. He doesn’t speak with a forked tongue; in fact his outspoken truthfulness has often got him into trouble. I know, for I had to argue to remove a lot from his book. He is honest and very patriotic. His wife and children never threw their weight around and take advantage of his position. His architect daughter Ayla was known to take taxis when he was president while the heir apparent progeny of our politicians make a nuisance of themselves with motorcades as long as their father’s. I can go on, but why labour the point?

A man’s has to do what he has to do.

Musharraf is a man and is doing it. Patriotism is the driver: Benazir Bhutto was no soldier but she was one hell of a fighter.

She returned to Pakistan willingly and embraced martyrdom. I hope and pray that Musharraf does not, but there are many traitors after the blood of this patriot. What I fear most is another highprofile assassination as an excuse to postpone elections. Not just Musharraf but the Sharifs, Zardari, Imran Khan and the chief justice are in the line of fire.

Hopefully there’s no such tragedy again, but they should all watch it. “The nation will be the land of the free only when it is the land of the brave.”

The writer is a political analyst. He can be contacted at humayun.gauhar786@gmail.com

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan.

Fax: +92-42-32535230 E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively

nAdrA’s blunder I am a senior citizen of Pakistan and my CNIC number is 35201-7795098-1. As I am above 70 years, my card is without any expiry date. Last night, after watching an ad on a TV channel, I wanted to check my registration as a voter and passed on my CNIC number to 8300, the number that the NADRA has set up for this purpose.

Imagine my surprise when the reply that came to my cell phone told me that I was supposed to cast my vote at a booth

on Amir Khusro Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town, Karachi East.

This is beyond comprehension as I am a resident of Lahore since almost 22 years, residing at 77, Block X, Defence Housing Authority, Lahore. This is also exactly the same address written on my CNIC. If this is how the NADRA is working, I cannot imagine how many other blunders it may have made. Would anyone from NADRA tell me how can I cast my vote in Lahore, where I reside and rightly entered in my CNIC? ASGHAR BIN SHAHID JAFRI Lahore

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It is not the employer who pays the wages.

Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages. –Henry Ford

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sunday, 24 March, 2013

picking the caretakers Something that the politicians should have never left to an unelected institution

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lost in time what a true Pakistan day should be KhAN BABRAK yousAFzAI

O

N 23rd March, 1940, the famous “Lahore Resolution” was passed when the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent realised after waking up from a long slumber that their love for freedom was above all other imaginable human desires. So they waited for 24th March, 1940, to actually celebrate the famous first step taken towards the journey that would ensure their freedom in the near future. One entire day was consumed by inaction, until it dawned upon our leaders that the event that was to be celebrated had actually passed on the preceding day. Could it be possible that our forefathers were as forgetful of important dates as we Pakistanis presently are, or did we, by chance or by design, miss an important chapter of our valuable history while growing up in a complex society?

Nine years before the Lahore Resolution, another important event that took place on 23rd March was the hanging of an indigenous revolutionary Bhagat Singh in the now bustling Pakistani city of Lahore.

History books available outside the pure reach of Pakistan’s historians have suggested, or rather directly stated, that the actual resolution was approved on 24th March, 1940, and only moved on the preceding day. What is it with the spell of dates that mesmerise us as a nation? Is it necessary to blatantly support fabrications and forget the real events that actually happened on any particular day of our collective history? The walls of glass that we have erected around us to shield ourselves from the destructive truth disease, usually shatters when most Pakistanis find themselves in the unforgiving position of defending the validity of their national custom made historical dates abroad, especially in the United Kingdom where a great part of the Indian subcontinent’s history rests documented.

Maybe, the situation would have been different if we had erected mirrors around us instead.

Excavation of historical facts from history books proves beyond the slightest shred of doubt that 23rd March is actually celebrated passionately by Pakistanis as the day when the policymakers and leaders of the country realised for the first time after the emergence of Pakistan and India as sovereign countries, that they could achieve the target of becoming the “Asian tigers”.

The day was not commemorated officially or unofficially from 1941 to 1956, and only came to be known as Pakistan Day when the first constitution of the country was promulgated on 23rd March, 1956. When the constitution was abrogated by General Ayub Khan, the national government decided to preserve a dead and spiritless day for reasons that are now lost to history.

Further digging into history books and other related references reveal that the initial draft of the resolution was loosely worded and was not a definitive agreement of any sorts. The founder of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah was alive when the important day passed on 23rd March, 1948.

Interestingly enough, the day came and passed by silently without any mention of the Lahore Resolution by anyone in the government or other-

wise. Nevertheless, 23rd March is an important day in the history of the Indian subcontinent’s freedom struggle against the British rulers when three fiery revolutionaries namely Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar were executed in Lahore on the same day in 1931.

History tells us that Bhagat Singh was introduced to radical philosophies and concepts at a very young age as his family was already brimming with indigenous revolutionaries, both old and young, when he was born. Therefore, his introduction and subsequent involvement with the struggle for independence was only a natural path that he would have walked upon. Young Bhagat was greatly influenced by Jallianwala Bagh tragedy and ardently supported Mohandas Gandhi in his Non-Cooperation Movement.

Later, he lost interest in the Congress and other political parties, and instead became involved in revolutionary organisations until he followed his destiny into the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), which was later renamed on Bhagat Singh’s insistence as the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in 1928.

Bhagat Singh was elevated to the level of a legend in his own time after he killed a British police officer named John Saunders in an act of revenge committed as a protest against the murder of a local leader Lala Lajpat Rai who was assaulted by a low ranking police official on the orders of the then Superintendent of Police James A Scott. Shivaram Rajguru, Sukhdev Thapar and Chandrashekhar Azad were the other three revolutionaries who aided Bhagat Singh in his plans. Bhagat, Rajguru and Sukhdev later surrendered themselves to the police and were sent jailed.

Later, Bhagat and his comrades went on a 116-day hunger strike in jail while fighting for the equality and rights of his country in the face of ruthless imperialism. On receiving news of

the hunger strike, Mohammad Ali Jinnah acknowledged the services of Bhagat Singh for the cause of Indian independence while Jawaharlal Nehru visited the prisoners at Mianwala Jail and termed them as heroes of the independence movement. Bhagat Singh was executed on 23rd March, 1931, along with his two comrades in the now Pakistani city of Lahore. “I have been arrested while waging a war. For me there can be no gallows. Put me into the mouth of a canon and blow me off,” stated Bhagat Singh’s last letter. The place where he was hanged changes name between Bhagat Singh Chowk and Shadman Chowk while recently a few other proposals have also been put forth.

Sometimes Pakistani historians have sacrificed their own identity and the identity of the country by showing undue tilt towards Islamic history while preserving important events in words. Why do we have to take inspiration from Muslim revolutionaries only? What kind of obedience has been drilled into us that has made us short-sighted? Bhagat Singh was a son of the soil and he sacrificed his life to attain for his people complete freedom from the unforgiving grip of imperialism. He gave the Indian freedom struggle a different direction and outlook by merging secular ideas into his philosophy. Often he would talk about how British imperialism was a scourge for all Indians, irrespective of their class, creed and colour. He committed his efforts to the downfall of the same imperialism that Pakistan’s right wing so ardently opposes in the present times. Only this time, the player is different but the game remains the same.

Permanently naming Shadman Chowk of Lahore as Bhagat Singh Chowk would not threaten our national security. The pressure groups who feel that the same place should be named as “Khatim-un-Nabiyeen” should know that Bhagat Singh did not preach religion but dedicated his soul in all its entirety to the service of his country and his people. He might have been a Godless man, but he served His best creations with utmost passion, respect and dedication. We should not forget that among many other men of stature, the city of Lahore is indebted to Bhagat Singh and his comrades who electrified the city’s atmosphere with their unbound insanity and the bustling life and energy of Lahore today shows how the capital of Pakistan’s Punjab province has retained the strength to produce another hero and revolutionary when the need arises. So while our leaders and people remember a day that never was on the 23rd of March every year, the least they could do is to acknowledge the services of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh on the same day and maybe accept him as Pakistan’s national hero because he did not fight for the supremacy of any religion but for the dignity and independence of his people. Young Bhagat’s passion showed in his writings and following are his words: “Lovers, lunatics and poets are made of the same stuff.”

As long as we do not recognise Bhagat Singh and others like him, as says the ideology of Pakistan, 23rd of March would never be a true national day.

The writer is a staff member.

am writing this on Saturday, later morning, as members of the Election Commission of Pakistan sit in a closed-door meeting to pick the next caretaker prime minister from among the four names forward to them by the outgoing government and opposition. “Forwarded to them” is actually an incorrect depiction of the events.

More accurate would be to sAAd RAsool say that since a committee of the National Assembly, comprising of eight members – four each from the Treasury and Opposition benches – after due deliberations, could not agree on who the caretaker prime minister should be, the nominations have arrived with the Election Commission of Pakistan, per the process mandated in Article 244A of the Constitution.

For those unaware of the details, let’s start with the process first: Article 224 1(A) of the Constitution requires that upon the “dissolution of the Assembly on completion of its term, the President, or the Governor, as the case may be, shall appoint a caretaker Cabinet.”

Furthermore, the same constitutional article provides that “the caretaker Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President in consultation with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition” of the outgoing Assembly, and that the same process will be followed by the governor in the provinces. And in case, the leader of the house and opposition “do not agree on any person to be appointed as a caretaker Prime Minister or the care-taker Chief Minister”, the process laid down in Article 224A shall be followed.

Article 224A states that in case there is no agreement between the leader of the house and opposition on the caretaker leader (Prime Minister or the Chief Minister), “they shall forward two nominees each to a Committee, comprising eight members, having equal representation from the Treasury and the Opposition” (and a similar six-member committee for the provinces). This committee “shall finalise” the caretaker leader “within three days of the referral”, failing which “the names of the nominees shall be referred to the Election Commission of Pakistan for final decision within two days.”

In accordance with this process, four names were put forth for the position of the caretaker prime minister (Rasul Bakhsh Palijo and Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid as opposition nominees, and Justice (retd) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso and Dr Ishrat Hussain as government’s nominees). Since the prime minister and leader of the opposition could not agree on one final name, the candidatures were sent to a Parliamentary Committee, which too failed to agree on any single name, and thus the four names are now under discussion before the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The extent of the rift in our partisan divide is evident from the inability of our political forces to agree on a name for the caretaker prime minister. At its core, the issue is not so much about the qualifications and integrity of the proposed nominees (all the nominees are individuals of considerable stature). Instead, the problem seems to be an inherent distrust among the government and opposition forces, manifesting in the fact that no one is willing to accept that the other side can propose an impartial name.

Failure of the parliamentary committee to reach a consensus, in terms of the nominee, was announced by the members “with a heavy heart”. Some claimed it to be a failure of politics. Others have said that this is a failure of the constitutional system that does not allow too much room to members of the committee to negotiate – they have ‘just’ three days to negotiate, and have no ability to add names to the list of nominees. And it has been advocated that, in the near future, a constitutional amendment should ‘fix’ these deficiency in order to enable the elected representatives to arrive at a consensus.

But all these are mere excuses. The constitution allows significant room for political forces to arrive at a consensus. The system is not flawed. The failure can only be attributed to the individuals and the distrust that persists in our polity, and not to the design of the constitutional process. The politicians were unable to trust and agree with one another.

In the next few hours or days, the Election Commission will vote on and pick the caretaker prime minister. And this announcement will be the sounding gun for the campaigning fervour. All eyes will then be fixed on the caretakers and the Election Commission of Pakistan. And as the rumble begins, we would all be well-advised to vote for and elect a brand of polity which, though partisan in complexion, can find a way to put aside their bickering and agree on issues that are beneficial towards our collective national ambition.

Failure of the parliamentary committee to reach a consensus, in terms of the nominee, was announced by the members “with a heavy heart”.

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

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A ARTS sunday, 24 March, 2013

eMMA WAtSon StripS doWn For Mother nAture

“The chains of love are never so blinding as when their links are made of gold. ” — Royal Tyler

Faced no racism: desi ‘American idol’ contestant NEWS DESK

‘Turbanator’ Gurpreet Singh Sarin happens to be luckier than Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty. The young man of Indian origin, who made it to the top 40 on the “ American Idol” reality show, says he didn’t face any racial discrimination on his journey to achieving a fusion of Indian classical music and western music.

“I am very thankful I did not face anything like that (racism) from the judges or any other people,” the US-based Gurpreet told IANS over the phone from New York.

“I was conscious that there must be people who might be ignorant and racist and did not understand where I come from, but I was just focussed on my singing, and moving on to the next level of competition,” added the singer, earned the ‘Turbanator’ moniker thanks to the colourful turbans he sported on “American Idol”.

This is quite unlike what Shilpa Shetty faced in Britain when she was a part of “ Celebrity Big Brother” in 2007. She was bullied by the other contestants and the racist attacks attracted a furore from several quarters. Ultimately, Shilpa won the competition.

But even while Gurpreet is now out of the show, he is happy he has been “able to educate people about myself through my passion and dream, and that has been a

blessing”. He left the judges, global celebrities like Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban, with his talent and even made “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest do the bhangra on the show, which airs on channel BIG CBS LOVE. A trained classical singer, the 22-yearold belongs to a family with an inclination for instruments like the tabla, sitar and flute.

Through the music platform, G u r p r e e t wanted to show how the two worlds - Indian and western - can be brought together.

“One reason why I wanted to be on the show was to show

everyone how I can incorporate Indian classical music into American music. There have been artists like Norah Jones who have incorporated Indian classical influences and I got an opportunity to do the same,” he said. A student of Computers and Information Science at a university in New York, Gurpreet has Bollywood in mind too.

However, his influences include artists like tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, sarod expert Amjad Ali Khan and late sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, who expanded India’s presence on the world map with their talent.

Gurpreet admits that as a contestant on “American Idol”, he served as an inspiration and encouragement for other Indian-origin youngsters in the US. He says he received immense support through the online medium.

“I would get messages from my fans saying that being an Indian, I am encouraging them and I am their role model.

For me that was a wonderful opportunity. I wasn’t even conscious how large a role model I had become,” Gurpreet said. He, however, wants to finish his studies first before giving himself completely to the music world and is thankful about the exposure he got through “American Idol”.

LiLo to spend a week with Charlie Sheen before rehab

Emma Watson is all grown up and taking it off for Mother Nature! The 22year-old actress shed her Gryffindor robe to pose topless for photographer James Houston’s new book, Natural Beauty, which will raise funds for nonprofit Global Green USA. The brunette bombshell shared one of the sexy pics from the book on her Twitter page this week and the sultry snapshot is a far cry from the young child star who won our hearts as Hermione Granger in “Harry Potter.” It seems that the stunning actress wants to remind her fans that she’s definitely not a little girl anymore! And this isn’t her first attempt at departing from her good-girl image. Check out the vid to see more of Emma’s transition from sweet child star to gorgeous Hollywood hottie!

NEWs dEsK

NEWS DESK Lindsay Lohan will be spending a week with Charlie Sheen before undergoing 90 days of rehabilitation, as ordered by the court, according to reports. A source told the New York Post that the troubled star also wants to go to Brazil. Her plans with Sheen also include a guest appearance in his comedy series, Anger Management. The job next week will take two days to shoot, though it has been reported that the 26-yearold actress will stay in Los Angeles for at least an additional week.

Lohan’s lawyer Mark Heller has revealed that in the episode, Lohan will play a patient who falls in love with the therapist, played by Sheen.

I am shattered and in emotional distress: Sanjay Dutt Sanjay Dutt said on Thursday he is ‘shattered’ by the Supreme Court verdict sentencing him to five years in prison in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case. He said he will complete all his pending films, and that he ought to be strong in these trying times for his family and children. “I have already suffered for 20 years and been in jail for 18 months.

If they want me to suffer more I have to be strong. I am heart broken because today along with me, my three children and my wife and my family will undergo the punishment,” Sanjay said in a statement.

Sanjay, who has been asked to surrender within four weeks and has projects estimated at Rs.100 crore riding on him,

added, “I have always respected the judicial system and will continue to do so, even with tears in my eyes. I am going to complete all my films and won’t let anyone down. I am overwhelmed by the support of my fans the industry people, the media and all the well wishers.”

Sanjay is currently married to Manyata, with whom he entered wedlock in 2008. She is his third wife. The actor has two children with Manyata - twins Shahraan and Iqra - and elder daughter Trishala from his first wife Richa Sharma. The actor, who was convicted under the Arms Act for illegally possessing weapons, had been awarded six years imprisonment by the TADA (Terrorists and Disruptive

Activities (Prevention) Act) court. However, the apex court reduced the sentence from six years to five years. This effectively means that Dutt will be in jail for three years and six months as he has already undergone 18 months imprisonment. The apex court Thursday upheld Sanjay’s conviction under the Arms Act in the terror attack for illegal possession of a 9 mm pistol and an AK-56 rifle. The Supreme Court also upheld the death sentence of Yakub Abdul Razak Memon in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case and commuted the death sentence of 10 others in relation with the blasts, in which a series of 13 car bomb blasts ripped across Mumbai. Several

actors and filmmakers from the Hindi movie industry came out on social networking sites to share how “good-hearted” the 53-year-old, Bollywood’s muchloved “Munna Bhai” really is. “I know in my heart that I have always been a good human being, respected the system and always been loyal to my country. My family is very emotional right now and I have to be strong for them.

I am shattered and in emotional distress. I am sorry I can’t come down and meet you all. God is great and he will guide me through this,” Sanjay added.

Sanjay, the son of Bollywood legends Nargis and Sunil Dutt, has films like the Zanjeer remake, Policegiri, Munna Bhai 3 and P.K. in the works. NEWs dEsK

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I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the Heart’s affections and the truth of the imagination. What imagination seizes as Beauty must be truth. — John Keats

ARts sunday, 24 March, 2013

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Jon Bon Jovi selling NYC Penthouse for $42m NEWS DESK He may be a Jersey guy, but he’s been living a Manhattan lifestyle.

Rocker Jon Bon Jovi has put his Manhattan penthouse on the market, and a peek inside shows 7,452 square feet of pure luxury. And it better be luxurious and then some, considering he just put the place on the market for $42 million, a mind-blowing price even for New York real estate.

According to the listing, the duplex includes a lower-level foyer, giant great room, five bedrooms with their own separate bathrooms, a screening room, wood-burning fireplace, 11-foot ceilings, and multiple landscaped terraces. Some of those terraces, states the listing, have a “Zen quality,” while the largest one is meant for entertaining. All have views of the surrounding city. Oh, and the apartment, located in SoHo’s New

Museum Building, comes fully furnished.

The 51-year-old – who is married with four kids and also has a megamansion in Middletown, New Jersey – paid a mere $24 million for the pad in 2007, and reportedly put millions into renovating the place, but it’s probably fair to say that if he gets his asking price, he’ll still be making a killing. We reached out to the listing agent, The Corcoran Group’s Deborah Grubman, to find out a little more about the home, namely what warrants the $42 million price tag (especially when other seeminglyjust-as-amazing celebowned NYC apartments are currently listed in the $20-million range even after being redone). Is it the views?

The swanky building? The fancy finishes? But a spokesperson for the agency told us the listing is “a no comment situation.”

sAIf AlI KHAn gets into a tiff with CISF at airport NEWS DESK

NEW YORk: Drew Barrymore steps out in bright floral pants.

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan on Thursday had a tiff with security personnel at the Chowdhary Charan Singh airport here after he was asked to vacate the VIP lounge. An ugly row ensued when the actor sat in the VIP lounge and was asked to move out by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as he was not in the list of VIPs entitled to the facility. “When the actor refused to move out and tried to throw around his weight, he was forcibly evicted from the lounge,” said an airport source.

The furious actor then created a scene, only to sober down when senior officials intervened. Saif Ali Khan had arrived in Lucknow to take part in the shooting of Bullet Raja two days back and was headed to New Delhi. After the tiff, he waited in the open area like any other traveller and left on a Jet Airways flight. Confirming the incident, CISF commandant Gyanendra Kumar told IANS that the actor was asked to leave after airport officials brought it to their notice that he was an unauthorized occupant of the VIP lounge. The actor could not be reached for comments.

Didn’t always make right choices:

jeSSicA AlBA NEWS DESK

Hollywood actress Jessica Alba admits she didn’t always make the right choices in her acting career, but launching her ecofriendly lifestyle company has made her more creative. “my company has weirdly allowed me to be more creative in my roles. It helps me work with people I love and appreciate,” contactmusic.com quoter Alba as saying. “for me, acting was a lot about making the right choices and trusting my instincts. I didn’t always listen to my gut and make the right choice,” she added. The 31year-old actress, who has daughters Honor, four, and 20-

month-old Haven with husband cash Warren, launched her company after becoming a mother. It deals in organicallyproduced nappies, baby wipes and bath products. Alba feared big brand baby products could be harmful to her children. “It’s really hard to find baby products that use non-toxic chemicals that mums can trust. major corporate brands that label their products eco-friendly or non-toxic are usually referring to the way they make their packaging, not their product,” she said. The actress has also written her own book titled, “The Honest life”, dispensing tips on living well, parenting and healthy eating. “I

absolutely do these things. That’s why I wrote the book.

There’s lots of options, like delivery services for fresh produce that is organic, if people just want to do a couple of things in the book that are super-easy.

You can take what you want from the book,” she said.

Beyonce, Girls Aloud members were on kidnap list Kevin Liverpool, 35, and Junior Bradshaw, 32, accused of planning to rob and kill singer Joss Stone had also written names of singer Beyonce Knowles and members of Girls Aloud in their kidnap diary, reports dailystar. The diary entries included - chop off arm, leg crossbow and decapitate them. The diary was seized from the Longsight flat in Manchester Liverpool and Bradshaw shared. The jury at Exeter Crown Court heard how Liverpool had written detailed notes on Stone’s background, career and album sales.

The court also heard how detectives found reminders to buy a semiautomatic gun, a silencer, infra-red equipment and a Ninja sword for the alleged attack in Devon. NEWs dEsK

NOTABLE TWEETS MEHR TARAR Voh dil kaye teray liye beykarar ab bhi hai... Voh ankh jis ko tera intezaar ab bhi hai.... #FaizAhmedFaiz

RAZA RUMI

Mein muhabbat hun aur woh nafrat/So usey bhi mujhi sey khatra haye” #Urdu #poetry Akhtar Shumaar

MAHA KHAN PHILLIPS Thank you to the lovely kids at Beaconhouse schools. Your questions keep making me think, it’s great to have readers like you.

MEHREEN ZAHRA-MALIK Hur daagh hai is dil mein bajuz daagh-e-nadamat

ADEEL HASHMI

The only permanent thing in life is dementia.

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INFOTAINMENT Sunday, 24 March, 2013

Woman loses teeth due to very strong tea

Tea: It’s good for you, but only if you don’t drink too much of it. And by “too much of it,” we mean a pitcher made with 100 to 150 tea bags.

That’s how much a Detroit woman drank each day, and doctors eventually realized that her years of back, arm, leg, and hip pains were caused by the tea habit, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.

It seems the high level of fluoride— brewed tea has a bunch—was to blame, the Detroit Free Press explains. It caused a bone disease known as skeletal fluorosis, and also made her teeth brittle. They all had to be removed. After counseling, the woman is no longer drinking tea and is doing better. NEWs dEsK

now on Facebook: weather forecasts

So a friend invites you to a picnic via Facebook, but you just can’t be bothered to click over to another site to see what the weather will be like?

Well, the social network is now saving you that step (and trying to make sure you stay on Facebook even longer). As of today, event pages—as well as some pages for public places, like parks and cities— will include weather forecasts, TechCrunch reports. It notes that the feature is only on pages where the information makes sense (i.e., not on your News Feed). Weather Underground is providing the data, and there will be an option to click over to the site if you need further info. NEWs dEsK

Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand. –Neil Armstrong

nASA probe reveals dark side of the moon

S

OME parts of the moon haven’t seen the sun in millions, and even billions, of years but an unmanned NASA spacecraft is shedding light on these lunar lands of permanent darkness. A new video from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio explains just how the agency’s powerful Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is collecting data on the moon’s coldest, darkest craters. Earth’s axis is titled about 23.4 degrees from vertical, meaning sunlight reaches every surface, even the north and south poles, for at least part of the year. The moon, meanwhile, is tilted just 1.6 degrees, nearly perpendicular to the direction of the sun’s light.

This means that there are some deep craters near the moon’s poles that haven’t seen the sun for over two billion years. Scientists are interested in the moon’s permanently shadowed regions because they are thought to have the right conditions to trap volatiles like water, which would normally

vaporize and escape into space, according to NASA. In fact, LRO helped confirm the presence of water ice on the moon along with other lunar probes from Japan and India. In October 2009, LRO detected the presence of frozen water when its sister craft, Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, crashed into a permanently shadowed crater near the moon’s south pole. NASA launched the $504 million LRO mission in June 2009.

The spacecraft is equipped with a suite of instruments, including a laser ranging tool, to create the mostdetailed ever topographical maps of the lunar surface of its mysterious shadowed regions. The lunar probe also has tools designed to measure temperature and neutron absorption in the moon’s darkest corners. And while the sun can’t get into the moon’s permanently shadowed regions, LRO’s Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) instrument can detect how faint light from others stars reaches some of these craters. NEWs dEsK

pope Francis to wash, kiss inmates’ feet

At least he’s washing them first: The new pope plans to wash and kiss the feet of juvenile delinquents in a rare gesture next Thursday, the Guardian reports. Instead of holding Holy Thursday mass in either St Peter’s basilica or the basilica of St John in Lateran, Pope Francis will celebrate in the chapel of a penal institute for minors in Rome.

There, he will clean 12 inmates’ feet in a gesture to honor Jesus’ treatment of his disciples after the Last Supper. More recently, Benedict XVI washed the feet of lay people during his first two years, but did it only with priests after 2008. John Paul II washed the feet of homeless men in 1980 but also stuck with men of the cloth after that. The Vatican says Francis’ gesture will continue his tradition as archbishop of Buenos Aires, when he held the mass of the Lord’s Supper in simple settings like shelters, hospitals, and prisons. For the record: Holy Thursday is the day before Good Friday. NEWs dEsK

French guy poses as pilot, makes it to cockpit

deaf, blind sue to make online shopping accessible NEWS DESK A Target store needs to be accessible by people with disabilities, so why not the Target website? That’s the aim of advocates who are increasingly arguing in lawsuits that websites must also comply with the 1990 Americ a n s With Disabilities Act. That theory has been dismissed by a few courts in the past, but the National Federation of the Blind and the National Association of the Deaf have seen several recent legal victories, including settlements

with both Target and Netflix, the Wall Street Journal reports. There have also been many victories achieved without litigation, lawyers say. The aim of the lawsuits is to get things like spoken descrip-

tions of photos and text boxes (for customers who are blind), captions or transcriptions of multimedia (for customers who are deaf), and websites that are navigable without a mouse (for customers with motor disabili-

ties). A lawyer for the NFB points out that there’s more market share in it for companies who modify their w e b sites, but opponents of the i d e a f e a r frivol o u s l a w suits— and point out that it is quite costly to retrofit a website to be accessible.

Comet, not asteroid, wiped out dinosaurs NEWS DESK Scientists still think a space rock slammed into Earth 65 million years ago in a catastrophic collision that wiped out the dinosaurs and most other species. But a new theory presented this week suggests that the space rock was a speedy comet, not a hulking asteroid as previously believed, reports the BBC. Dartmouth researchers came up with the theory after determining that the amount of sediment— specifically extraterrestrial

iridium and osmium—that got thrown into the atmosphere at the time of the collision was less than is commonly believed. Then they factored in the size of the 120-mile-wide crater that the collision created in the Yucatan Peninsula. A massive, slowmoving asteroid didn’t compute. “So we said, ‘How do we get something that has enough energy to generate that size of crater, but has much less rocky material?” explains one of the Dartmouth researchers. It had to have been something relatively small and fast. “That brings us to comets.” Not all scientists are convinced just yet, however, notes the Science Recorder. It’s possible that an unusually fast asteroid could have done the trick.

Apparently Philippe Jernnard thought that donning an Air France shirt and a leather jacket with epaulets on its shoulders would be enough to let him pass as a pilot. Alas, it was not, but it did get him all the way to the cockpit of a US Airways flight before he was arrested last night. Seems the 61year-old French man had a ticket on the flight from Philadelphia to West Palm Beach, but got upset after spoke with the boarding attendant and was denied a seat in business class, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Fox 29 Philadelphia reports that Jernnard boarded, then strolled right up to the cockpit and ended up sitting in the jumpseat behind the captain, telling the flight crew he was an Air France pilot. He was also carrying an Air France bag and “some identification that looked like he was a crew member from Air France,” a Philadelphia police captain says. But when he couldn’t provide the proper credentials—and the original boarding attendant spotted him in the cockpit—he was made to take his seat in the cabin and then later arrested. NEWs dEsK

how much caffeine is too much?

Dr. Eric Prystowski, an electrophysiologist with the St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana, says we still don’t know why caffeine affects some people more than others. He says caffeine has rarely been shown to be the primary cause of heart rhythm problems, but too much caffeine could make them worse. However, he adds caffeine isn’t as bad as people make it out to be and people with heart rhythm problems can still have a couple of cups of coffee per day. Dr. Prystowski says the bigger question is with energy drinks. He says research hasn’t shown what the combination of caffeine and other ingredients in energy drinks such as sugar and various herbs could do. Dr. Prystowski says the herbs used in energy drinks aren’t regulated and haven’t been studied much to see what kind of affects they could have. NEWs dEsK

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sPoRts sunday, 24 March, 2013

Zimbabwe taught lesson as future sits at crossroads

DOMINICA AGENCIEs

Zimbabwe have described their losing return to the test arena after a 14-month hiatus as a "massive disappointment" and know their future potential is at a crossroads after two heavy defeats in the West Indies. Captain Brendan Taylor said his inexperienced side had much higher expectations before setting off on their Caribbean tour but return home having also lost all their international limited overs encounters. The defeat in Barbados was their first test action since New Zealand thrashed them by an innings and 301 runs in January 2012. Still, Zimbabwe hoped to do better than lose by nine wickets in twoand-half-days before West Indies wrapped up the second test in Dominica by an innings and 65 runs in around the same time. "It's been massively disappointing.

We have been taught a proper lesson," Taylor told reporters in Roseau after the tour came to an end on Friday. "It hurts to be in this position but the West Indies were a far better side than us." Zimbabwe ended a six-year break from test cricket two years ago but played four single tests over 19 months before taking on the West Indies. It was their first two-test series since India toured Zimbabwe in September 2005 after which a player dispute over political interference in team selection led to a rapid decline in their fortunes. They have returned a far cry from the doggedly competitive side of the 1990s and face a re-examination of their test status at home in a two-match series against Bangladesh next month. Only the performances of pace men Kyle Jarvis - who took five wickets in the first innings in Bridgetown - and debutant bowler Tendai Chatara could be classified as positive.

We knew it was going to be a tricky period of play for us. – Steven Finn

pakistan chase rare series win S BENONI

AGENCIEs

UNDAY could well be Benoni's biggest day since Charlize Theron won the Oscar.

International cricket seldom reaches Johannesburg's East Rand and when it does, it is unlikely to be this meaningful. For both South Africa and Pakistan, its Benoni or bust in their last outing before the Champions Trophy and they will have a sell-out crowd to do that in front of.

The series has got steadily more competitive as it has progressed, so the 8,500-odd people can expect a fiery affair especially because there is more than just a trophy on the line for both teams. Reputation tends to mean more than silverware in bilateral ODI series anyway.

For South Africa, it is a chance to give their home fans a format to cheer them in that is not Test cricket and to prove to them they have developed as a limited-overs unit. After winning all five longest form fixtures, South Africa's Twenty20 and ODI squads did not follow suit.

They are in transition but even a phase of change cannot go on without some reward.

Sporadically, South Africa have had it. They blew Pakistan away in Bloemfontein and defended stoically at the Wanderers. But consistently, they have not. When forced into situations from which they have to respond unconventionally, they struggle - an indication that the evolution into a complete unit is still, as Gary Kirsten would put it, in process.

For Pakistan, the picture may not be that big. They are more likely to be focused on the immediate goal of leaving this tour with enough to be able to call it a success. Misbah-ul-Haq indicated at the very beginning that he expected the Test phase to be difficult but the limited-overs contests to be the area in which Pakistan could push South Africa and even topple them over.

So far, they have. They've exposed the hosts' obvious weaknesses and demonstrated some of their own major strengths. They will want one more big effort to underline

those and there would be no better place to that than in the decider. Instead of one player, it will be South Africa's

collective mental strength under scrutiny as they find themselves in a must-win situation. Understandably, it is not a major tournament knockout game and it may have absolutely no bearing on one, but is still a test of character more than it is one of skill and if South Africa have lacked in either department, it is the first. The team will have to take responsibility as a whole and watching how they work together in trying to win the series will be more important than any individual brilliance.

Similarly, Pakistan's big match temperament will be challenged. Twice, they have needed to come back in the rubber and twice they have. Both times, they've got the bit between their teeth early. If that happens again, they are likely to run away with it. If it doesn't, they will have to be up to clambering their way out of trouble. Shahid Afridi showed how to do it at the Wanderers but it may take more than one firework to light up the contest.

However, the victory for Pakistan would give them their first win in a bilateral series over South Africa while Willowmoore Park is best known for two things: it was the first ground in the country to have floodlights and it was the venue of Dennis Compton's 300 in a first-class match in 1948-49 "It's two great teams and it was bound to happen that the results would go up and down like a rollercoaster," said David Miller who is not surprised that the series is deadlocked going into the final match.

"Whenever you come to different conditions, you struggle and not sure when you're starting a series, what you can do in these sorts of surfaces, but after winning two games and levelling the series 2-2 and after seeing different players perform, we are a bit sure and you grow your confidence," said Misbah-ul-Haq. SmITH oUT of fIfTH odI: Graeme Smith has been ruled out of the fifth Momentum ODI between South Africa and Pakistan at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Sunday because of a chronic left ankle injury.

Smith has been given a period of rest and rehabilitation.

The selectors have not yet named a player to assist as cover for Smith.

A test for de Villiers and an inconsistent sA ab de villierS' caPtaiNcy will be uNder ScrutiNy iN the decider, aS will South aFrica'S ability to imProve oN a hit-aNd-miSS PerFormaNce iN thiS odi SerieS So Far

BENONI AGENCIEs

The childhood game of being able to make believe is considered a useless skill later in life but maybe it isn't. People deploy it in many situations: mock job interviews or preparing to tell a loved one something important by acting it out in front of the dog first. In the case of the South African cricket team, they could use it by imagining the fifth ODI against Pakistan is a World Cup final.

In a few ways, it could be. It's a winnertakes all situation, the teams have been at it for the last few weeks so the competition has been sustained and public expectation is high. When South Africa have been faced with exactly the same set of conditions during a World Cup, they have never come out successfully. But in bilateral series they have had little trouble. Three times over the last three years, South Africa have entered the final match level with their opposition and twice they've won, against India and Pakistan in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

Both times it was spoken about as proof that

they are not chokers. Still, it did not translate into success at the World Cup. That's why the outcome in Benoni could have no bearing on the upcoming Champions Trophy or South Africa's state of mind going into it. If they lose, they will probably have less to live up to in England and if they win, it will be a case of more of the same unless they can go on to claim silverware in June.

Where it can make a difference is by testing AB de Villiers' captaincy and the collective capacity of the squad to pull together when it matters. Consistency is out of the window, as a unit and individually, as no-one except de Villiers himself has had a decent run. De Villiers' showings with the bat are not a reflection on his leadership as he still appears uncertain despite saying he is settling in. He has made too many questionable decisions, most recently getting Colin Ingram to bowl the over that handed Pakistan the advantage in Durban. He changes fields too often and even needlessly, and is sometimes at loggerheads with the bowlers about where they want their men.

Home town hero spins West Indies to test success DOMINICA AGENCIEs

Shane Shillingford grabbed another five wicket haul to bowl West Indies to a second successive test win over Zimbabwe but this time in front of a delirious home town crowd in Dominica on Friday.

The tall spinner again wreaked havoc with five wickets for 34 as West Indies won by an innings and 65 runs inside three days with Zimbabwe bowled out for 141 in their second innings, well short of forcing the home side to bat again.

Zimbabwe, beaten by nine wickets in last week's first test in Barbados, offered little resistance after being asked to bat at the start of the third day in Roseau still 206 runs behind the West Indies who declared on the overnight total of 381 for eight.

A regular procession of wickets emphasised the gulf in class between the two sides as Zimbabwe had no answer to the turns and bounce of Shillingford in the final match of the series. They otherwise gave away their wickets cheaply to part

sCoREBoARd WEsT INdIEs WoN ThE Toss ANd ElECTEd To FIEld zImBABWE FIRsT INNINGs 175 WEsT INdIEs FIRsT INNINGs 381-8 dEC zimbabwe second innings V. sibanda lbw b sammy 35 h. masakadza c Ramdin b Best 17 B. Taylor c Powell b shillingford 7 C. Ervine c Gayle b shillingford 8 s. Williams c Chanderpaul b shillingford 6 m. Waller c sammy b samuels 20 T. mawoyo c sammy b shillingford 0 G. Cremer c samuels b shillingford 20 P. utseya not out 10 K. Jarvis c sammy b samuels 1 T. Chatara c Gabriel b samuels 0 Extras (b-8, lb-9) 17 Total (all out, 42.2 overs) 141 Fall of wickets: 1-37 2-64 3-64 4-73 5-92 6-96 7-114 8-138 9-141 Bowling: Best 7-2-11-1, Roach 3-0-12-0, Gabriel 3-0-19-0, shillingford 15-4-34-5, sammy 5-1-13-1, samuels 9.2-0-35-3 West Indies won first test by nine wickets and the series 2-0.

time bowlers like Darren Sammy and Marlon Samuels. Zimbabwe were bowled out some 30 minutes before tea, just exceeding the post-lunch defeat they suffered on the third day of the first test in Bridgetown. The 30-year-old Shillingford, whose image was plastered all over posters

and t-shirts at Windsor Park on his home island, took 19 wickets to be named man of the series - easily beating the record West Indian wicket haul for a two-test series set

by Courtney Walsh in New Zealand in 1995. Shillingford also took five wickets in the first innings.

Zimbabwe's second innings collapse came soon after he entered the fray to deliver a consistent diet of balls that darted around the crease and left the inexperienced batsmen looking bewildered. Only opener Vusi Sibanda stuck it out but surrendered his wicket for 35.

"The wicket was a bit slower but the bounce a bit more consistent but we had a plan we kept to and it paid off," Shillingford said as he also accepted the man of the match award.

For Zimbabwe the series was an eyeopening return to the test arena after a 14-month hiatus. But they showed little improvement from the side thrashed by New Zealand last year when they lost a one-off test in Napier by an innings and 301 runs.t

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It seems impossible that after dominating the first and second half we have drawn the match. – Vicente Del Bosque

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sunday, 24 March, 2013

Wiggins slips further in catalunya

england battle back on day two in nZ AUCKLAND

sCoREBoARd

AGENCIEs

E

CATALUNYA: Dan Martin extended his lead of the Volta a Catalunya but Bradley Wiggins lost time after a hectic finale forced late splits in the peloton on stage five. A series of roundabouts on the runin Lleida and a searing pace of more than 60kmh saw the bunch break up just under 1km from the line. Irishman Martin defied convention by deciding to contest the sprint as he searched for bonus seconds and reaped the benefits with a ninth-placed finish. However, Wiggins had earlier chosen to sit up in order to stay out of trouble and fell victim of the splits, finishing in a large group nine seconds down. AGENCIEs

NGLAND'S batsmen began their struggle for a foothold in the final Test after Steven Finn led the tourists' fightback with the ball on day two at Eden Park. Finn (six for 125) was eventually rewarded for his persistence as New Zealand were bowled out for 443 shortly after tea.

Then as the Kiwi attack found conspicuously more swing than England managed for five sessions, Nick Compton dug in on the way to 50 for two at stumps after Alastair Cook had gone cheaply.

England responded on Saturday with nine wickets for 193, courtesy principally of Matt Prior's five catches behind the wicket and Finn, having taken one for 250 after Cook won the toss Friday. Peter Fulton's 136 and his second-wicket stand of 181 with Kane Williamson (91) nonetheless helped to give New Zealand a dominant total, in which the top nine all contributed in at least doublefigures. Finn was somewhat flattered by his joint career-best figures, thanks to a late burst of four for 13 in 14 balls to close the home innings soon after tea.

There were also two wickets for James Anderson, one with a very good ball and the other with a long hop, to take him level with Derek Underwood on the all-time list of England's most successful Test bowlers and

within three of 300. On Saturday morning, Anderson expertly found Williamson's outside edge in backward-defence as the number three went caught behind after a 199-ball stay, in which he had hit 15 fours and looked a class act throughout. Stoic opener Fulton stayed put, mustered just five runs out of 24 in the first hour's play on another sunny day. He almost ground to a halt, having passed his maiden hundred on Friday night, as England starved him of scoring opportunities through his favoured leg-side. Fulton took 100 balls to score 28 runs, after reaching three figures, including

23 spent stuck on 124. That sequence was broken when he clipped an Anderson inswinger aerially through midwicket for three to take his total leg-side runs to 101.

Ross Taylor tried to energise proceedings but followed a six and four over midwicket in one Monty Panesar over by chipping a return catch tamely back at the slow left-armer. When Fulton's seven-anda-half-hour innings then ended with a spectacular catch behind down the leg-side

by Prior off Finn, England sensed an opportunity. But they were to be disappointed before lunch when danger man

ENGlANd WoN ThE Toss ANd ChosE To BoWl NEW zEAlANd FIRsT INNINGs (oVERNIGhT 250-1) 136 P. Fulton c Prior b Finn 37 h. Rutherford c Cook b Finn K. Williamson c Prior b Anderson 91 R. Taylor c&b Panesar 19 d. Brownlie c Compton b Anderson 36 38 B. mcCullum c Prior b Trott 21 BJ Watling c Prior b Finn 44 T. southee c Prior b Finn 10 B. martin c Trott b Finn N. Wagner not out 2 T. Boult c Compton b Finn 0 Extras (b-4, lb-4, nb-1) 9 443 Total (all out, 152.3 overs) Fall of wickets: 1-79 2-260 3-289 4-297 5-365 6-373 7-424 8-436 9-443 Bowling: Anderson 30-8-79-2, Broad 30-6-94-0 (nb-1), Finn 37.3-8-125-6, Panesar 47-17-123-1, Trott 6-3-9-1, Root 2-1-5-0 England first innings A. Cook c Watling b Boult 4 12 N. Compton not out 27 J. Trott lbw b Boult 6 I. Bell not out 1 Extras (w-1) Total (for two wickets, 25 overs) 50 still to bat: Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, matt Prior, stuart Broad, steven Finn, James Anderson, monty Panesar Fall of wickets: 1-8 2-44 Bowling: Boult 10-4-26-2, southee 6-4-12-0, Wagner 2-0-60 (w-1), martin 7-4-6-0 Previous results: First test - match drawn, second test match drawn

Brendon McCullum successfully overturned Paul Reiffel's decision, to survive both caught behind and lbw when Finn thought he had him one way or the other for a second-ball duck.

India take small lead despite Lyon’s five NEW DELHI AGENCIEs

Nathan Lyon took 5-94, but India managed to eke out a four-run lead by stumps, ending the the second day of the fourth test against Australia in Delhi on Saturday on 266 for eight. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had 10 at the end, having lost partner Ravichandran Ashwin to Lyon the final ball before stumps, caught on the crease for 12. Lyon bowled unchanged for 21 overs, building pressure, with the quicks alternating from the other end, never letting up.

The hosts failed to build on the excellent start from their openers, and, given that they have to bat last on this track, they will need their last two wickets to build a

substantial lead. Resuming the day on 231 for eight, Australia were dismissed for 262 within the first hour of play, but not before Peter Siddle brought up his maiden test fifty three deliveries into the day.

Four overs later, however, Siddle defended to one that didn't 't turn as much as he expected, losing his off-stump for 51 and giving Ashwin the ninth five-wicket haul of his short career of 16 tests. Siddle withstood the Indian bowlers for 136 deliveries and found the boundary four times. Pragyan Ojha put an end to Australia's resistance with his first wicket of the innings, as James Pattinson edged the arm ball to Virat Kohli in the slips, becoming Ojha's 100th test victim in his 22nd test.

sCoREBoARd AusTRAlIA 1sT INNINGs 38 EJm Cowan b Ashwin 0 dA Warner c Kohli b sharma PJ hughes b sharma 45 sR Watson st dhoni b Jadeja 17 46 sPd smith c Rahane b Ashwin ms Wade c Vijay b Ashwin 2 GJ maxwell c sharma b Jadeja 10 3 mG Johnson b Ashwin Pm siddle b Ashwin 51 Jl Pattinson c Kohli b ojha 30 8 Nm lyon not out Extras (b 5, lb 7) 12 Total (10 wickets; 112.1 overs) 262 Bowling: Kumar-9-1-43-0, sharma-14-3-35-2, Ashwin-34-18-575, ojha-26.1-6-75-1, Jadeja-29-8-40-2 Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Warner, 1.4 ov); 2-71 (hughes, 20 ov); 3106 (Cowan, 32 ov); 4-115 (Watson, 38.5 ov); 5-117 (Wade, 40.4 ov); 6-129 (maxwell, 46.2 ov); 7-136 (Johnson, 53 ov); 8-189 (smith, 81.2 ov); 9-243 (siddle, 102.1 ov); 10-262 (Pattinson, 112.1 ov) INdIA 1sT INNINGs

m Vijay c Wade b siddle 57 52 CA Pujara b lyon 1 V Kohli lbw b lyon sR Tendulkar lbw b lyon 32 Am Rahane c smith b lyon 7 24 ms dhoni c Watson b Pattinson RA Jadeja lbw b maxwell 43 R Ashwin lbw b lyon 12 10 B Kumar not out yet to bat: PP ojha, I sharma Extras (b 12, lb 16) 28 266 Total (8 wickets; 68.1 overs) Fall of wickets: 1-108 (Pujara, 25.1 ov); 2-114 (Kohli, 27.5 ov); 3148 (Vijay, 40.4 ov); 4-165 (Rahane, 45.4 ov); 5-180 (Tendulkar, 47.5 ov); 6-210 (dhoni, 52.5 ov); 7-254 (Jadeja, 63.2 ov); 8-266 (Ashwin, 68.1 ov) Toss: Australia elected to bat umpires: RA Kettleborough, Aleem dar Third-umpire: s Ravi Referee: Rs madugalle Bowling: Johnson-17-3-44-0, Pattinson-14-1-54-1, siddle-12-338-1, lyon-22.1-3-94-5, maxwell-3-0-8-1

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My relationship with the manager is very good. We have got a lot in common - tactics and the way we see football is similar. – Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina

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sPoRts sunday, 24 March, 2013

Wapda lift national Women Weightlifting title LAHORE sTAFF REPoRT

Wapda securing 91 points won the inaugural National Women Weightlifting Championship 2013 on Saturday.

Army with 64 was at second position while Railway getting second position having got 40 points.

del potro out of Miami; djokovic through

RESULTS (BODY WEIGHT, WEIGHT LIFTED) 48 kg: Kirin Shahzadi , Army, 46.50, 36, Noorul-Huda, Punjab, 45.84, 28, Saima Manzoor, Wapda, 44.44, 27.

53 kg: Samina Ghafoor, Wapda, 52.74, 50, Naila Suleman, Railway, 51.58, 25, 58 kg: Neelam Riaz, Wapda, 57.52, 45, Amna Muneer, Army, 56.58, 40, Dania, K.P.K., 58.00, 32 63 kg: Sumaira Tayyaba, Wapda, 59.36, 52, Hina Nazir, Army, 61.52, 40, Riffat Naz, Balouchistan, 63.00, 32, 69 kg: Nadia Maqsood, Railway, 64.70, 42, Razia, Army, 65.08, 41, Rabbia Razaq, Punjab, 65.59, 36 75 kg: Saira Bano, Wapda, 72.74, 55, Razia Parveen, Wapda, 75.00, 47, Sabiha, Army, 69.50, 45 75-plus kg: Zeenat Parveen, Wapda, 104.12, 70, Saira, Army, 91.70, 47, Kanwal Shazia Butt, Punjab, 88.36, 46.

rijas defeat Maple leaf to win low goal polo LAHORE sTAFF REPoRT

Rijas defeated Maple Leaf by one goal margin to take the Bonanza Low Goal Polo Cup here on Sunday.

It was in fact Atif Yar Tiwana who scoring all the six goals lifted Rijas to 6-5 win.

In the subsidiary final, Sakuf having half a goal advantage overpowered its superior team Sabiha Foods 7-4. the matches were supervised by Malik Azam Hayat Noon & Kashif Jamal while Chief Guest of the day was Col Aslam Zaidi.

rose, haas soar in orlando; Mickelson cut

MIAMI

f

AGENCIEs

IFTH seed Juan Martin Del Potro suffered a surprise early exit at the ATP & WTA Sony Open on Friday night. He lost to Tobias Kamke in a rain-interrupted secondround encounter in Miami. The world number seven, playing in his first match at this year's tournament after being handed a first-round bye, crumbled after failing to convert two set points at 5-2 in the first set.

The German dominated the second set when play resumed following the weather delay and ran out a 7-6 (7/5) 6-1 winner to reach round three of a Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career. "I saved two set points at 5 2 and somehow I came back in that set and had the chance to win it," Kamke said on www.atpworldtour.com after eliminating last weekend's Indian Wells runner-up. "The second set, after the break, I felt even better. Then in the

beginning, he missed some easy forehands and he was a little bit frustrated, I think. "He didn't play obviously his best tennis, but still I think I did a good job and pretty satisfied with that." World number one Novak Djokovic enjoyed a straightforward route into round three - after taking to the court later than expected due to a three-hour rain delay and 27-minute power cut.

He took just 53 minutes to hammer Czech Lukas Rosol 6-1 6-0. "It is a great start," the Serbian top seed said. "After Indian Wells, I tried to rest. There are different conditions here, but Friday was perfect for tennis. I enjoyed every moment of it and I love this court." Third seed Ferrer advanced to the third round without having to set foot on court as his Russian opponent Dmitry Tursunov withdrew due to a stomach bug. Ferrer will next face Fabio Fognini after the 32nd seed from Italy toppled Frenchman Michael Llodra 6-4 6-1. Ferrer's fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos also advanced, upsetting 12th-

seeded Argentinian Juan Monaco 6-2 4-6 6-3. Seventh-seeded Serbian (7) Janko Tipsarevic (Ser) beat Dudi Sela (Isr) 6-2 6-4, while 11th seed Gilles Simon ended Lleyton Hewitt's run by defeating the Australian 6-3 6-3. James Blake had six breaks of serve en route to seeing off 24th seed Julien Benneteau in just over an hour.

He was not the only seeded casualty in the men's draw, with Jeremy Chardy (22), Florian Mayer (23) and Marcel Granollers (31) also crashing out - at the hands of Xavier Malisse, Grega Zemlja and Jurgen Melzer, respectively. Thirteenth seed Kei Nishikori did advance, though - as did Tommy Haas (15), Alexandr Dolgopolov (19), Kevin Anderson (26) and Somdev Devvarman. In the women's event, Lauren Davis made the most of her 'lucky loser' status by beating fellow American Madison Keys 6-1 5-7 7-6 (9/7). Davis was handed a place in the draw after second seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus withdrew citing an ankle injury.

recari on the run in carlsbad

Kiradech moves two clear at Malaysian Open KUALA LUMPUR AGENCIEs

ORLANDO AGENCIEs

Justin Rose and Bill Haas finished the day tied at the top of the leaderboard following the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando.

Rose had led at the end of the first round but dropped two shots today en route to a second-round 70 - in contrast to Haas, who produced an impressive 66. The pair were one ahead of John Huh.

CARLSBAD

Thai rising star Kiradech Aphibarnrat is in position of erasing his defeat at the Maybank Malaysian Open three years ago.

He has pulled two shots clear with a four-underpar 68 in the second round on Saturday.

The big-hitting Thai known for his grip-it and ripit style of golf which somewhat mirrors John Daly's game, returned this morning to finish the second round after play was abandoned on Friday.

The halfway cut was set an even-par 144 with 73 players making the cut. World number three Luke Donald of England will not feature in the last two rounds after shooting a three-over-par 147.

Kiradech made eight straight pars when play was resumed at 7.45am at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club but kept a cool head on a rather steamy morning. He was rewarded for his patience with a birdie on 18 after hitting an exquisite approach to three feet.

AGENCIEs

Spain's Beatriz Recari surged into the halfway lead at the LPGA Tour Kia Classic courtesy of a second-round 67 at Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad, California.

Recari picked up five birdies on Friday in her second straight bogey-free round to move to eight under heading into the weekend.

American Paula Creamer (68) and Australia's Karrie Webb (70) were joint second.

Creamer had an up and down round, with six birdies interspersed with bogeys on the fifth and 14th holes, while Webb started brightly with three birdies on the first seven holes but only deviated from par thereafter by bogeying the par-three 14th.

Vettel masters Sepang for second straight pole SEPANG AGENCIEs

Sebastian Vettel mastered the tricky conditions to make it back-to-back pole positions to start the new Formula One season. A short burst of rain struck the Sepang International Circuit five minutes from the end of the second period of qualifying ahead of Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix.

It made for an all-guns-blazing top shoot-out on the intermediate wet tyres, with reigning triple world champion Vettel again emerging top dog to claim the 38th pole of his F1

career. The surprise is who will start alongside him on the front row as Ferrari's Felipe Massa managed to edge team-mate Fernando Alonso at the death. It will be the first time in three years Massa has started from such a position on the grid, going back to the opening Bahrain Grand Prix of the 2010 season.

Behind the leading trio will be Lewis Hamilton, who admitted coming into the weekend his lack of confidence in his Mercedes in the wet, but who temporarily was on pole before falling down the order.

Red Bull's Mark Webber and Nico

Rosberg in his Mercedes occupy the third row of the grid, followed by Australian Grand Prix winner from last weekend in Kimi Raikkonen who lines up seventh on the grid.

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh had expressed his hope ahead of qualifying for some rain to spice things up and give his drivers a chance.

But Jenson Button could only manage eighth and Sergio Perez 10th, with Force India's Adrian Sutil separating the McLaren duo. The rain certainly played its part in Q2 also, preventing Lotus' Romain

Grosjean and Force India's Paul Di Resta from getting in a second timed run, and with it a crack at the top 10.

The Frenchman will start 11th ahead of Sauber duo Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez who line up 12th and 14th either side of a strong 13th place for Daniel Ricciardo in his Toro Rosso. As for Di Resta, he had two attempts at a second hot lap, but ran wide on his first run as rain was starting to fall over one area before spinning through 270 degrees at the same corner on his second effort. The Scot will now start 15th alongside Williams' Pastor Maldonado.

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I had a good birdie putt on the 18th hole and that made my back nine a bit easier. That was the turning point because after that, I birdied the second and third holes. – Prom Meesawat

wimbledon Court 1 roof under consideration LONDON: A move to install a roof above Court No 1 at Wimbledon remains under consideration - but no final deal has been taken, the All England Club have insisted. The success of the roof on Centre Court has prompted Wimbledon to look at proposals for the 11,500-seat neighbouring court and a report today said the go-ahead could be unveiled as early as next month. But a club spokesman said on Friday: "Our position has not changed. A roof on Court No 1 remains under consideration but there has been no final decision." AGENCIEs

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sunday, 24 March, 2013

wAtCh It LIve STAR CRICKET 4th Test: India v Australia

09:00 AM

PTV SPORTS 5th ODI: Pakistan v South Africa

01:00 PM

Saleem Fc to clash with usmania district Football semis LAHORE sTAFF REPoRT

The first semi-final of the District Football Championship -2013 will be played between Saleem Khan FC and Usmania F.C on Sunday here at the Faisal Town Football Ground Lahore.

Bata and Lums F.C are other two teams that have gone into the semi-final. Bata qualified for the semi-final defeating Universal Cargo F.C by huge margin 8-1 while Lums F.C win over Gulshan-e-Ravi FC 2-1 with Fahad Alam and Hussain one goal each in 14 minutes & 46 minutes.

From loser single goal was produced by Sulman.

Monday Fixture: Lums F.C Vs Bata F.C (4:30pm) at Model Town Football Club / Academy Model Town.

Messi, higuain keep Argentina on course

efficient Germany display pleases low

LAHORE sTAFF REPoRT

SAN JOSE AGENCIEs

Lionel Messi kept Argentina in charge of their South American qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup by inspiring a 3-0 win over Venezuela on Friday. Messi scored once and set up two goals for Gonzalo Higuain at the Monumental Stadium to leave Alejandro Sabella's side four points clear at the top with 23 points after 10 matches. Argentina controlled the tempo from the outset, looking to find gaps in the visitors' defence at every opportunity. It was the Argentina captain who tested Daniel Hernandez early on with two shots at goal before providing the ball for Higuain to open the scoring on 29 minutes.

KIEV AGENCIEs

Germany coach Joachim Low declared it was job done after his side claimed a comfortable 3-0 win in their World Cup qualifier in Kazakhstan. The win gave Germany a five-point lead at the top of Group C and Low was satisfied with what he saw from his team. "It was our duty to win here, of course, and I think it was all over at half-time," he said on ZDF television

"We led 2-0 and took the pace out of the game and that is why there was less rhythm in the game in the second half, but we only came here to win and we did that."

The game also saw Germany successfully play without an out-and-out striker, Mario Gotze sharing the attacking responsibilities with Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller in a similar system to the one used successfully by Spain. "It gives us another option and an alternative," said Low. "It's not like we want to do away with the

classic number nine, but we want to be a bit more unpredictable.

"We have Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez and we still need players like that."

Bastian Schweinsteiger and Gotze's quickfire goals in the 20th and 22nd minutes unlocked the game before Muller wrapped up victory for the Germans. Kazakhstan now travel to Germany for the reverse fixture on Tuesday, playing just a stone's throw away from the home ground of their midfielder Heinrich Schmidtgal in Nuremberg.

Webber bemoans ‘tyres, tyres, tyres’ SEPANG AGENCIEs

Red Bull have led the chorus of discontent surrounding the excessive rate of tyre-wear heading into Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix.

On a track more representative of what can be expected for the rest of the season, the degradation of the Pirelli rubber has become a cause for concern. Slow-motion replays throughout Friday's two 90-minute practice sessions showed considerable chunks of rubber falling away as the cars slid around a variety of corners at the Sepang International Circuit. The heat of around 35 degrees centigrade, and the high

police inter-range Weightlifting, powerlifting on 26th

humidity, do not aid matters, and there are concerns that, even without rain that often occurs late in the afternoon and so could affect the race, a driver may have to make as many as four pit stops. Mark Webber's frustration was evident after practice as he offered a cursory summation, stating: "The whole category is geared around tyres at the moment.

"Everything is around tyres. Tyres, tyres, tyres, tyres, tyres!" After topping the timesheet in the morning, Webber finished fifth quickest overall at the end of the day behind Kimi Raikkonen in his Lotus, with the Finn narrowly ahead of Sebastian Vettel. Like team-mate Webber, the

reigning triple world world champion was none too impressed either with how quickly the tyres fall away. Simply asked about his potential for the race, Vettel replied: "It looked pretty okay, but quite a mess if you look at how long the tyres last. "It doesn't look very nice, I would say. I hope we have enough tyres to survive the race.

"Tyre-wear was pretty severe for everyone, so obviously you go around way under the potential of the car. It is not a lot of fun, but that is how it is." It is understood Pirelli were asked towards the end of last season to design a range of tyres that degraded a little more quickly as boring one-stop races were starting to appear.

Punjab Police Inter-range Weightlifting and Powerlifting Championship 2013 will be held on March 26th and 27th at Police Headquarters Lines Rawalpindi.

Punjab Police Sports Board is organizing the championship since 1986 and the powerlifting since 2012 regularly.

According to organizing secretary Riasat Ali Sahi, national weightlifter and powerlifter who is also sports officer Rawalpidi Police Lines teams from Lahore Range, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Punjab Constabulary, PRTC Farooqabad, Jhelum, Sargodha training centre will participate in this two-day championship. Mohammad Masud Raza SP Headquarter and chairman organizing committee Mirza Tahir Sikander will perform the opening ceremony while chief guest Azhar Hameed Khokhar, CCPO Rawalpindi range will distribute medals, certificates, trophies to the winners, prominent weightlifters and powerlifters include Kashif Barkat, Aqeel Javed Butt, Haroon Bin Rasheed, Naeem Butt, Sanam Arif, Nadeem Butt, Risat Ali Sahee, Mohammad Asghar, Rashad Akeel Aslam, Majeed Doggar, Mohammad Rizwan.Ghulam Mustafa and others.

Officials include Khawaja Samiuddin, Syed Ali Raza Shah Sports Officer Punjab Police, Shahadat Ali, Salamat.

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sunday, 24 March, 2013

president grants 6 months extension to 13 judges ISLAMABAD oNlINE

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari during a meeting with a delegation of Shia clerics headed by Allama Sajid Hussain Naqvi on Saturday. INP

likeminded leaders to meet nawaz in ‘make or break’ moot ISLAMABAD

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TAyyAB hussAIN

THREE-MEMBER delegation of Pakistan Muslim League-Likeminded (PML-LM), led by party chairman Salim Saifullah Khan, is all set to have a critical meeting with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif on Sunday (today) to demand that 24 National Assembly (NA) constituencies be left vacant by PML-N for likeminded candidates under the seat adjustment formula, Pakistan Today has learnt.

Sources in the likeminded group said initially PML-N had agreed to allocate 31 NA seats for them but now they are offering only 13 seats. “This U-turn has sent shock waves within the likeminded group and the decision of Sharif brothers has angered candidates of PML-LM following which some candidates are mulling joining other political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) instead of shaking hands with PML-N,” said sources.

A senior party leader said a rift has also been created within the likeminded group as Salim Saifullah had contacted Javed Hashmi seeking an alliance with the PTI

On the advice of the prime minister, President Asif Zardari on Saturday confirmed grant of six months extension in tenure of six additional judges of the Lahore High Court and seven Peshawar High Court judges. The LHC judges are Justice Abdul Sami Khan, Justice Ibadur Rehman Lodhi, Justice Shujaat Ali Khan, Justice Ayesha A Malik, Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi. The summary states that the Judicial Commission of Pakistan had forwarded these nominations to the Parliamentary Committee on Judges Appointment in the Superior Courts recommending six months extension in their tenure as Additional Judges of Lahore High Court. The committee unanimously agreed with the nominations of Judicial Commission and requested the PM to advise the president for according his approval. Accordingly, acting upon the advice of the PM, the president has confirmed grant of six months extension in tenure to the Peshawar High Court. The PHC judges are Syed Afsar Shah‚ Lal Jan Khattak‚ Ikramullah Khan‚ Abid Latif Khan‚ Muhammad Daud Khan‚ Musarrat Hilali and Malik Manzoor Hussain.

Zardari quits post of ppp co-chairman NEWS DESK FILE PHOTO

while Hamid Nasir Chattha, Arbab Ghulam Rahim and their supporters have been inching towards Pir Pagara of the PML-F. Others, including Humayun Akhtar, Haroon Akhtar and Kashmala Tariq have decided to join the PML-N. “The PML-N leaders have told PMLLM that that their candidates have potential winning candidates on 13 seats, in all provinces,” said the source. However, he said, Arbab Rahim is a strong candidate in Sindh, while Saifullah brothers are also strong in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Israr Khan Tareen

9 killed in karachi on pakistan day KARACHI sTAFF REPoRT

At least nine persons, including a woman and a girl, were killed and several others injured in separate incidents of violence in different areas of the port city on Saturday while Rangers arrested more than 200 suspects during targeted search operations. According to police, unidentified armed men gunned down two people in the Usmanabad area of Lyari and fled the scene. Another person identified as Fazal Rehman was killed in a firing incident in Zaman Town. Tortured dead bodies of a boy and a girl were recovered from Ilyas Goth, Liaqatabad C-1 Area.

Both were shot in the head. The bodies were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for legal formalities. Another tortured dead body of a man was found near Nazimabad No 2. In a separate incident of firing, a man was killed near Rizwia Society police station. At Nazimabad Underpass, a goods-laden speeding truck rammed a motorcycle, leaving two people, including a woman injured.

The injured were rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital but both succumbed to their wounds on the way. The deceased were identified as Shajahuddin and Roubi. The truck driver responsible for the accident managed to escape from the scene leaving the vehicle on the spot which caught fire due to the accident. The fire was brought under control by three fire tenders. Meanwhile, firing incidents continued in different areas of the city during which more than 15 people were reportedly injured.

is also likely to secure his seat in the upcoming elections from Balochistan. Regarding the expected meeting with the PML-N, the source said PML-N had to “finalise terms of the alliance,” warning that the likeminded group was ready to explore other options.

Sources said according to the current agreement, following an alliance, likeminded leaders will contest elections on PML-N tickets.

The PML-N, in turn, has agreed to allot party tickets for the National Assembly to 13 likeminded politicians. Sources in the likeminded group, however, said they have put up the

condition of contesting elections under their own party’s banner and want that both parties establish separate parliamentary boards for issuance of tickets. They added that Chattha will try to convince Nawaz of the same, arguing that the likeminded group has potential winning candidates on 31 seats. Sources added that the top leadership of PML-LM was under a lot of pressure after several leaders started establishing contacts with PTI and PML-F, due to which they decided to meet Nawaz in a bid to finalise issues pertaining to seat-adjustment.

MQM protests against ECP’s delimitation orders in Karachi KARACHI sTAFF REPoRT

Dozens of MQM workers and supporters on Saturday protested against delimitation of 11 constituencies in Karachi, rejecting what they said was a discriminatory move by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

MQM chief Altaf Hussain, in a statement issued from London, expressed lack of confidence in the ECP. “Changing electoral constituencies in Karachi alone is a conspiracy to divide the vote bank of MQM,” he said, adding that workers and supporters of MQM would not allow such a conspiracy to succeed come what may.

Dozens of protesters, holding placards and chanting anti-ECP slogans, gathered outside the Sindh election commission’s office to demand immediate withdrawal of the ECP’s notification.

MQM’s Faisal Sabzwari said issuing such directives with polls just 48 days

away was questionable.

The protest was led by former lawmakers from MQM including Babar Ghuari, Faisal Sabzwari and Haleemur Rehman. They also met Sindh Election Commissioner Mehmoob Anwar and conveyed their concerns to him. “Why is Karachi and its dominant party being targeted,” Sabzwari said talking to media personnel. Demanding immediate withdrawal of the ECP notification, the former provincial minister said such

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

hasty decisions made MQM question the impartiality of the election watchdog. The MQM leader said his party had complete constitutional and legal rights at its disposal against the discriminatory decision.

Altaf, talking to MQM Co-ordination Committee, said the decision of the ECP to alter electoral constituencies in Karachi was illegal and unconstitutional. He said the commission was taking prejudicial actions against the people of Karachi. People were forced to question the neutrality and impartiality of the commission, he said. Altaf further said such decisions had the potential to break Pakistan apart. He said no lessons had been learnt from history and if the decision was not overturned, it would be highly detrimental to the country.

He said the mandate of MQM was being stolen, and it was their constitutional and democratic right to protest against such an act.

Editor: Arif Nizami

Faced with a challenge from the assertive judiciary, President Asif Ali Zardari has quit the political office of co-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party and made his son Bilawal its “patron-in-chief”. “President Zardari is no more the co-chairman of the PPP. The main body of the PPP has been dissolved and his son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has been elected the party’s patronin-chief,” said a close aide to 57-year-old Zardari. Earlier, Bilawal, 24, was the chairman of the PPP. The decision was made to off-set pressure from the Lahore High Court, which had asked Zardari to act on its suggestion that he should quit his post in the PPP as the president is expected to be impartial.The High Court has also asked the president not to indulge in political activities. During the hearing of the case, Wasim Sajjad, the government’s lawyer, had informed the court that the PPP was a”private organisation” and had nothing to do with politics.Sajjad had also informed the court that the party that had headed the government was the PPPParliamentarians, which was registered with the Election Commission. “We hope the president will get relief from the High Court after quitting his political office,” said the aide to Zardari, who did not want to be named. After appointing Bilawal the patron-in-chief, PPP leaders plan to get the party registered with the Election Commission on March 25. The PPPParliamentarians had recently applied for the arrow as its symbol for the general election to be held on May 11. In last month’s intra-party election, former federal minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim and former premier Raja Pervaiz Ashraf were elected president and secretary general respectively. Under the reorganisation of the party, Fahim, Ashraf and former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani will lose their party posts. Gilani was senior vice-chairman of the PPP. Apart from Bilawal, only three new officials have been elected by the PPP. Former Punjab governor Sardar Latif Khosa will be the secretary general, former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Masood Kausar the information secretary and Amjad Ikhlaq the finance secretary. Ahead of the general election, the Election Commission has allocated symbols to most parties but it has to decide in the case of the PPP.