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assange tells Obama to end Wikileaks ‘witchhunt’ PAGE |24
an artist’s bid to bridge the india-Pakistan gap
Plagiarism charges: Fareed Zakaria off the hook
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Rs 15.00 Vol iii no 55 19 pages Lahore edition
Monday, 20 august, 2012 Shawwal 1, 1433
Lahore, Multan, Karachi under terror threat g
Mobile phone services blocked in several cities to foil potential terror attacks ISLAMABAD AgEncIES
Cellular services in several parts of the country were suspended on Sunday evening as Interior Minister Rehman Malik said there was credible information that anti-state elements would attempt to carry out terrorism in some cities, especially Lahore, Multan and Karachi, during Eidul Fitr festivities. During a high-level meeting, Interior Minister Malik and officials
from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority decided that cellular phone services would be suspended for a few hours in certain areas to tackle the potential threats. Malik said mobile services may be suspended in risk-prone areas during Eid prayers and for up to 2.5 hours in the evening due to terror threats. He, however, clarified that mobile services would not be shut across the country. In this connection, cellular service
providers were informed by the Interior Ministry that they might be asked to shut down services in certain areas of the country between August 19 and August 20. According to a letter issued by the ministry’s National Crisis Management Cell to the CEOs of the companies, the authority aims to cut off communication capabilities of miscreants and terrorists to foil their plans.The companies have been alerted beforehand so that action can be taken promptly, the
letter stated. TV channels reported that cellular services in Lahore, Karachi, Multan and Quetta were suspended on Sunday evening and citizens experienced connection problems throughout the night. The government had earlier blocked cellular services in Quetta on Independence Day to thwart terrorist attacks. Meanwhile, strict security measures have been put in place to ensure that citizens enjoy the Eid festivities in a safe and secure environment.
Us drOnes kill six mOre in nWa FO slams attacks as breach of country’s sovereignty MIRANSHAH AgEncIES
JALOZAI: Internally displaced tribesmen hug after offering Eidul Fitr prayers at Pakistan’s largest refugee camp on Sunday. afp | Story on page 24
‘Controversial commission’ may jeopardize new provinces’ demand ISLAMABAD TAyyAb HuSSAIn
With the announcement of an “incomplete and controversial commission” for creation of Southern Punjab and revival of provincial status of Bahawalpur, political sloganeering over the creation of new provinces is all set be jeopardized, despite the fact that the mainstream political parties have been playing to the popular demand of carving out smaller provincial units for over two years. Almost all major political parties of the country, including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, PML-Quaid, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and others have been using the media to raise a voice for creating smaller provincial units. On the contrary, all these parties’
governments, either in the Center or provinces, have violated the constitution by not holding local government elections since coming into power in 2008. Though President Asif Ali Zardari had sent a letter to National Assembly speaker for forming a commission on new provinces on May 30, it took Dr Fehmida Mirza to lay it before the House a month and eleven days while the commission which had been mandated in its terms of reference to submit its recommendations over the subject in one month, was formed incomplete after the delay of two-and-a-half months. The PML-N has already raised its concern over the commission, with Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Nisar Ali Khan claiming his party had not been contacted for its nominations and the nominations were made in isolation by the speaker and there was no rejoinder from the
speaker’s chamber who was in the US for a minor surgery. The NA speaker constituted the commission in pursuance of the message received from the president and authorization by the National Assembly on July 11, 2012. Despite the long delay, the speaker could gather the names of only 12 members of the commission while two members of the Punjab Assembly are yet to be nominated, said a notification issued to this effect by the National Assembly Secretariat. “Two members of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab would be included as and when their nominations are received from the Speaker Provincial Assembly, Punjab,” added the notification. Talking to Pakistan Today, Saud Majeed, the commission member from the PML-N, said the commission had been formed to jeopardize the demand of new provinces. He said the commission
was so much controversial that his name was added without his information while the party had also distanced itself from the nomination. “Even from PPP, no member voicing for provincial status fro Bahawalpur has been added and rather those opposing the demand have been added,” he claimed. The idea of creation of new provinces was actually conceived and raised by former information minister Senator Mohammad Ali Durrani who had submitted such a bill on June 25, 2009, with the Senate Secretariat seeking amendment in the constitution for facilitating the process of creating new provinces with a simple majority of parliament. Durrani had asked parliamentary committee on constitutional amendments headed by Raza Rabbani to include his bill Continued on page 04
Despite Pakistan’s protests against such attacks, two US drone strikes on Sunday killed at least six militants in North Waziristan Agency, close to the Afghan border, security officials said. That made it three missile attacks in two days in Shawal district of North Waziristan, after six militants were also killed there on Saturday. Pakistan Foreign Office termed the attacks inside Pakistani territory a sheer violation of international laws. The Foreign Office condemned the attacks, saying they were against the sovereignty of Pakistan. “Pakistan always upheld this stand that these missile attacks are against wellbeing of country and they must be halted,” the Foreign Office said. North Waziristan is considered a bastion of Taliban and al Qaeda-linked insurgents. “At least two militants were killed and two others wounded when a US drone fired two missiles at the site of this morning’s attack, where militants were removing the wreckage of their two destroyed vehicles,” a security official told AFP. Another security official confirmed the latest attack and casualties. A drone strike earlier on Sunday killed four militants, officials said. The latest strikes came amid reports of a thaw in Pakistan’s generally deteriorating ties with the US following a visit to Washington by Pakistan’s spymaster, Lieutenant General Zaheerul Islam, earlier this month. Islam’s talks with his CIA counterpart were said to have focused on drone strikes. Attacks by unmanned American aircraft are deeply unpopular in Pakistan, which says they violate its sovereignty and fan anti-US sentiment, but US officials are said to believe the attacks are too important to give up. The latest attacks were in the same region where a drone strike on June 4 killed 15 militants including senior al Qaeda figure Abu Yahya al-Libi. In protest at the drone attacks, a Taliban and Pakistani warlord, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, has banned vaccinations in North and South Waziristan, putting 240,000 children in the region at risk. Continued on page 04
The offices of Pakistan Today will remain closed on august 20 and 21st on account of eidul Fitr therefore there will be no publication on august 21 and 22nd.