e-paper pakistantoday 29th December, 2012

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Yuvraj sets up Five killed YouTube to be Indian win in 2nd in North Waziristan unblocked within 24 hours, says Malik Pak-India T20 drone strike PAGE |16

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Rs 15.00 Vol iii no 182 19 pages Lahore edition

Saturday, 29 december, 2012 Safar 15, 1434

Pakistan turns down Indian request for supporting FMCT g

Seventh round of Indo-Pak expert-level talks on nuclear CBMs conclude ISLAMABAD

P

SHAIQ HUSSAIN

AkISTAN on Friday turned down an Indian request for signing the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) during talks with its arch rival on nuclear confidence-building measures.

The proposed global pact, FMCT, seeks to stop production of nuclear bomb-making material and the demand from India that Pakistan support this treaty came during the “Seventh Round of Expert-Level Talks on Nuclear CBMs” between Islamabad and New Delhi held in the Indian capital on Friday.

The US and other western nations have been blaming Pakistan for blocking the start of negotiations on a global halt to the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons.

However, Pakistani authorities believe that the FMCT could not begin because it did not cover the existing stockpiles of bomb-making material. Moreover, Pakistani officials are of the view that the civil nuclear deal between India and the US will allow New Delhi to have many new sources of fissile material to make bombs. Indian officials at the expert-level talks were of the view that Pakistan’s willingness to join negotiations on FMCT would help efforts aimed at global nuclear disarmament, diplomatic sources said. “However, Pakistani officials told their Indian counterparts that Pakistan would continue to adhere to its stance on the FMCT that this pact shall cover

the existing stockpiles of bomb-making material as well,” a source said, seeking anonymity.

He said the two sides also discussed the possibility of expanding the scope of nuclear CBMs to include a pre-notification of cruise missile tests, but there was no progress in that sphere too and it was decided to continue with talks on the vital issue. A joint statement, meanwhile, issued by the Foreign Office said the expert-level talks were held in Pursuance to the Agreement between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan during their meeting on September 8, 2012 in Islamabad. The Pakistani delegation at the talks was led by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Additional Secretary (UN & EC) Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, while the Indian delegation was led by Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs) DB Venkatesh Varma.

“The talks, which were held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere, focused on review of implementation and strengthening of existing CBMs in the framework of the Lahore MoU, as well as possibilities for mutually-acceptable additional CBMs,” it said. “Both sides reviewed working of existing agreements on pre-notification of flight tests of ballistic missiles and reducing the risk from accidents relating to nuclear weapons and expressed satisfaction that the latter was extended for another fiveyear period from February 2012,” the statement said. According to the statement, the two sides will report progress made in the talks to their respective foreign secretaries.

PAKISTAN TALIBAN READY TO NEGOTIATE,

not disarm DERA ISMAIL KHAN AGENCIES

Hakeemullah Mehsud, chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has said he was willing to sit down with the government for negotiations, but would never disarm.

The TTP chief released a 40minute video to a British news agency on Friday, wherein he said calls for disarmament were a joke. “We believe in dialogue but it should not be frivolous,” Mehsud said. “Asking us to lay down arms is a joke.” Mehsud said by serious talks, he meant talks without any condition.

The release of the video follows three high-profile Taliban attacks in the northern city of Peshawar this month: an attack by multiple suicide bombers on the airport, the killing of a

senior politician and eight others in a bombing and the abduction of 22 paramilitary forces on Thursday. The attacks iterated Taliban’s ability to strike high-profile, wellprotected targets, even as the amount of territory it controls has shrunk and its leaders are picked off by US drones. In the video, Mehsud sits cradling a rifle next to his deputy, Waliur Rehman. Military officials say there has been a split between the two men but Mehsud said that was propaganda.

“Waliur Rehman is sitting with me here and we will be together until death,” said Mehsud, pointing at his companion.

Pakistani officials did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment. The Taliban said in a letter released on Thursday that they wanted

TTP chief releases video message, says demands of laying down weapons ‘a joke’ Denies rifts with deputy Waliur Rehman TTP spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan introduced to the world

Pakistan to rewrite its laws and constitution to conform with Islamic law, break its alliance with the US and stop interfering in the war in Afghanistan and focus on India instead.

Mehsud referred to the killing of the senior politician in his speech and said the political party, Awami National Party, would continue to be a target along with other politicians.

“We are against the democratic system because it is un-Islamic,” Mehsud said.

“Our war isn’t against any party. It is against the nonIslamic system and anyone who supports it.” Mehsud said though he was open to dialogue, the Pakistani government was to blame for the violence because it broke previous deals.

Continued on page 04

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02 News NewS

Today’s

Bilawal earning love and respect of the people: Bakhtawar

cArTooN

INFoTAINMeNT 3,000-year-old temple and sacred vessels unearthed near Jerusalem

Quick Look

Page 11

Story on Page 09

Bilawal to contest general election from NA-207

Story on Page 14

KARACHI: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf meeting Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan at the Governor’s House. INP

LARKANA: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will contest general election for the National Assembly (NA) from constituency NA-207. Bhutto family has always kept a stronghold on the said constituency as earlier Sardar Wahid Baksh Bhutto, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and Faryal Talpur contested polls from the constituency and grabbed successes. NA-207, Larkana 04 comprises Naudero and Ratodero which have always remained under the influence of the Bhutto family.

The voters of the said constituency have expressed pleasure and satisfaction over the leadership of Bilawal Bhutto and vowed to make him successful with majority. Bilawal Bhutto is not qualified to contest in general elections from any constituency till he attains the age of 25 on September 21, next year. INP

Abdul Qadir Gilani cheated his BA exams: FIA ISLAMABAD: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday claimed that it had found forgery in the graduation exam of Abdul Qadir Gillani, son of former prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani. According to FIA sources, investigations disclosed that the candidate, Abdul Qadir Gillani, did not appear in his graduation exams because three types of handwritings were found on his answer sheets. The investigations further revealed that the examination centre of the candidate was also changed in order to make it easier for him to cheat. Abdul Qadir Gilani was elected a member of national assembly (MNA) from NA-151 (Multan-IV), vacated by his father, Yousaf Raza Gilani, after the latter was disqualified by the Supreme Court. According to sources, the FIA investigation officer, Hussain Asghar, has sent the report to the registrar of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Dr Faqir Hussain. Earlier, the Supreme Court took suo moto notice of corruption in the hajj arrangements, in which Abdul Qadir Gilani was allegedly involved. AGENCIES

PML-N welcomes Bilawal into political arena ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) Secretary Information Ahsan Iqbal on Friday welcomed the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Zardari into politics and expressed good wishes for him. Responding to a question during a press conference, he said it was the democratic right of the PPP to appoint anybody as its chairman. However, Bilawal should become a member of the Parliament as soon as he reaches the minimum required age to gain more experience in the field of politics. APP

13 killed, 19 injured as bus plunges into river in Nepal KATMANDU: At least 13 people were killed and 19 others severely injured when a bus veered off a mountain road and plunged into a river in western Nepal on early Friday morning. A police official, Binod Ghimire, said the bus veered off a road near Dhasrathpur village and rolled 50 meters (160 feet) before plunging into the Gam River. The area is about 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of the capital, katmandu. The police and the army pulled out the injured and the dead and took them to a nearby hospital. Traffic accidents are common in Nepal, and are generally blamed on poorly maintained roads and vehicles. INP

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

Bilawal showed commitment towards masses: Kaira ISLAMABAD

F

NNI

EDERAL Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman kaira has said that Bilawal Zardari, in his speech showed commitment for further strengthening relations with the masses.

Talking to a private television channel, he said that Bilawal had formally begun the journey of politics and showed devotion towards intensifying relations with the nation.

He said that Bilawal clarified many things in his speech at Ghari khuda Bakhsh on the 5th death anniversary of late Benazir Bhutto.

He added that Bilawal would present a number of proposals in his manifesto.

Replying to a question, he said that Bilawal was already a member of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), adding that Bilawal was made the PPP chairman after the martyrdom of Benazir.

Furthermore, the minister said that Bilawal was the supporter of strong and independent judicial system in the country.

“Bilawal in his speech stated that no society can go forward without an independent judiciary,” kaira added.

Replying to another question, he said that the PPP had given a lot of sacrifices for the ju-

Five flood-affected children burnt to death QUETTA: At least five children were killed when fire broke out in a village of Nasirabad late on Thursday night injuring several others. Police sources said fire erupted at about 2 am in one of the tents of flood affected people in tent city set up in village Muhammad Omar Umrani near Dera Murad Jamali, the district headquarters of Nasirabad that engulfed dozens of other tents. “The fire was caused by sparks from a stove in a tent during strong winds. Young people escaped from the burning tents, however, five sleeping children could not be rescued and they were burnt to death,” a local police officer said. The district administration contended that flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains had displaced and made tens of thousands of people homeless in Nasirabad, Jaffarabad and Jhal Magsi forcing them to live in tents in freezing temperatures. APP

Temperature in Quetta drops to minus 10 diciary.

Moreover, he said that Bilawal, while standing in front of the graveyards of his forefathers, was asking for early justice from the authorities concerned. He added that the victims had the right to ask for early justice. kaira also said that the PPP was used to fighting their cases in the courts, and the party never quarreled with the judiciary.

QUETTA: An extreme cold wave has gripped Quetta and northern areas of Balochistan as the temperature in the city dropped to -10 on Friday.

With the drop in the temperature, water in pipes and on the roads froze causing difficulties for residents and commuters. Gas pressure had also decreased in several areas. According to the MET Office, the cold wave is expected to last for the next 24 hours. AGENCIES

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News 03 ArTS & eNTerTAINMeNT

BUSINeSS

SPorTS

Shah Rukh makes me feel special: Deepika Padukone

OGDCl vies to excavate hope from Nashpa

Pakistan lift trophy after high-scoring battle

eDITorIAL Getting off to a decent start: But challenges remain for the heir-apparent.

coMMeNT Arif Nizami says;

Enter the prodigal: And the spoiler too.

Raoof Hasan says; Shrinking political space: The emergence of a potential game-changer.

Sharmila Farooqi says; A symbol of federation: “My father told me in our last meeting at Rawalpindi Jail that I must sacrifice everything for my country”— Benazir Bhutto.

Story on Page 18

Story on Page 14

Story on Page 15

Articles on Page 10-11

‘US, UK against Pakistan’s nuclear programme’ ISLAMABAD

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Sanaullah demands inclusion of President Asif Ali Zardari in BB murder investigation

LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that President Asif Ali Zardari should be included in the investigation related to late Benazir Bhutto’s assasination for disallowing a post mortem of the late former prime minister’s body as it would have helped the ruling coalition to find those involved in her murder. Talking to media persons outside the Punjab Assembly here on Friday, Sanaullah said those responsible for Benazir’s security and for washing off the evidence from the crime scene later on should also be included in the investigation. The outspoken critic of President Asif said that if the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) came into power, Benazir’s killers would be arrested and punished severely.

Sanaullah also alleged that President Asif was using his son, Bilawal Zardari to hide his own corruption. When asked about Tehreek Minhajul-Quran leader Tahirul Qadri, Sanaullah replied that the establishment which was backing him had already been exposed, adding that he believed that Qadri would not hold a long march announced for January 14 next year.

Moreover, Sanaullah said that Deputy Prime Minister Pervez Elahi was no longer a part of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PMLQ), but was now a member of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), therefore, the PML-Q should not be spoken of in regard to Pervez. INP

ANwER ABBAS

HE Ministry of Defense Secretary Asif Yasin Malik on Friday disclosed that there is no agreement present between the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) for conducting operations inside Pakistan. However, the United States (US) often utilizes intelligence agencies of other countries for conducting operations inside Pakistan, and the US have provided the details of the number of CIA officials in Pakistan to the government.

Holding informal discussions with reporters here at the Ministry of Defense, Asif disclosed that Pakistan had established a new phase of relations with the US on the basis of mutual interests, adding that US and the Uk were against the nuclear programme of the country. He said that now there was a visible change in the tone of US towards Pakistan.

Responding a question, the defence secretary maintained that there was no agreement of any sort between the CIA and the ISI for conducting operations inside Pakistan.

Elaborating further, Asif said that the US had officially informed Pakistan about the number of CIA officials station in Pakistan. But the American intelligence agency had also been utilising the services of intelligence agencies from other countries to complete its operations in Pakistan.

Replying to a query in relation with the Asghar khan case, the defence secretary said that no directive from the Ministry for Law, Justice and the Parliamentary Affairs had been received by the defence ministry regarding former Chief of Army Staff Aslam Baig and ex-ISI chief Asad Durrani.

However, Yasin further added that if they received any directions from the ministry concerned, the necessary measures would be adopted in line with the particular directives.

The secretary stated that there were no objections if any action was introduced against the mentioned former army generals under the civilian legislations and rules. ISI had never owned any political cell, he said while responding another query.

Asif said that Pakistan Army was capable of conducting any sort of military operation in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) irrespective of the time

and geography of the area, but it would not prove fruitful unless the borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan were not completely sealed.

Moreover, the defence secretary was of the view that in case of any such military expedition, the militants would escape to Afghanistan via the PakAfghan border and returned back at a later time.

Asif informed the journalists that the defense budget was not presented before the Parliament anywhere in the world as it was presented in the incamera sessions of the standing committee, however, in Pakistan it was presented before the Parliament for approval.

To another query, he said that the issue of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) planes that were damaged during terrorists’ strikes in kamra and Mehran Base was being discussed regarding repair and replacement issues. “No foreign influence is greeted while preparing the defense policy of the country, as 95 percent of defense policy is prepared in consultation with all three services chiefs and joint staff offices,” Asif added.

Meanwhile, while talking about the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), he said that the government had released a heavy amount to improve the situation of PIA which was in a deficit of more than Rs 192 billion. The official airline had raked in profits since September this year, he added. However during Hajj operations, the national carrier had faced losses worth Rs 410 million.

Discussing the liabilities being faced by PIA, the defence secretary said that the total financial liabilities of the PIA in 2008 were Rs 42 billion which had increased to Rs 152 billion.

US reimburses $688 million to Pakistan WASHINGTON: The United States (US) has released $688 million for Pakistan under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF). The US had reimbursed $688 million to Pakistan for the cost of supporting some 140‚000 coalition troops on Pak-Afghan border from June through November 2011. State Minister for Finance Saleem Mandiwala confirming the release of funds said that the released money would help improve the foreign exchange, which had fallen from $16 billion to $13 billion. Meanwhile, the State Bank of Pakistan had also confirmed the said amount. Earlier, the Pentagon notified the Congress about its decision to reimburse $688 million to Pakistan under the CSF. US Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter had notified the Congress that the US would make the payment to Islamabad for expenses incurred from June through November 2011. “In making this determination, I find that the reimbursement is consistent with the national security interest of the United States and will not adversely affect the balance of power in the region,” Carter wrote in the December 6 letter. The reimbursement was previously held up for months. Senator Rand Paul had been one of the fiercest foes of Pakistan regarding the issue of aid provision. ONlINE

Lal Masjid commission to start recording evidence from Monday ISLAMABAD: Judicial Commission on Lal Masjid will start recording evidence from persons who got voluntarily registered with the commission from Monday, December 31. The commission had given an advertisement through public notices in various national dailies on December 17 and the process of registration of persons interested to appear before the commission to depose facts with regards to the issue or produce any evidence relevant to the terms of reference has been completed, according to a press release on Friday. A total of 294 persons including 146 males and 148 females registered as witnesses to appear before the commission and the process of their summoning has begun. Arrangements to regularise and ensure safe arrival and departure of witnesses, smooth conduct of proceedings, custody of the record in the secretariat and security of premises of the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan round the clock, have been finalised. Private and state television news channels have also been issued notices to provide access to their archives through provision of Login IDs or through making available complete unedited telecasts of the news and other programmes relating to the incident concerning Lal Masjid, Islamabad within seven days. APP

PML-N demands early polls to counter conspiracies ISLAMABAD APP

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Secretary Information Ahsan Iqbal on Friday urged the government to announce a date for the next general elections at the earliest, as according to him, it is imperative to counter various conspiracies being hatched in the country.

Addressing a press conference, Ahsan criticized the Tehrik Minhaj-ulQuran Chief Dr Tahirul Qadri for trying to sabotage the election process by demanding reforms in the constitutional system of the country.

Flanked by former Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Rabia Zia and former ambassador BA Malik, he said Dr Qadri had spent over a billion rupees on the advertisement campaign for the Lahore rally on December 23.

Apparently referring to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain, Iqbal said, “Two

leaders of foreign nationality have joined hands for so called reforms… .but both cannot even become members of the Parliament.”

The PML-N leader said Dr Qadri should participate in elections. “People of the country clearly understand the purpose of reform demands at a

time when the elections are just around the corner.”

He further said the country needed a clear mandate and a “hung parliament” would not serve anybody’s purpose.

Iqbal also said the PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif would unveil the party’s

manifesto in a convention due to held on January 5, in which a clear roadmap for ending load-shedding and revival of economy would be presented before the masses.

He welcomed the statement of Chief Election Commissioner for ensuring free, fair and transparent elections in the country.

Meanwhile, former ambassador BA Malik, on the occasion, announced to join the PML-N by ending his 40 years association with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

He criticised the speeches of President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Zardari delivered on December 27 in Larkana. The nation should have been informed about the government’s performance during the last five years, he said.

Both the leaders should have presented a roadmap for ending the gigantic problem of load-shedding and improving law and order situation in the country, Malik added.

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

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04 Bilawal Zardari’s speech historic ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Postal Services Sardar Mohammad Umar Gorgaij on Friday appreciated the speech of Bilawal Zardari at Garhi khuda Buksh, saying it was a historic day for the young politician. Talking to APP, he said that Bilawal was speaking at Garhi khuda Buksh like his mother late Benazir Bhutto who was always confidant during her speeches. He said that people were listening to the speech of the the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman with full attention, showing the level of people’s confidence in his personality. He hoped that being a young leader, Bilawal would change the politics of Pakistan, steering the country towards heights of development and prosperity. He said the speech highlighted his leadership qualities and vision for achieving political stability. He further said that the party leadership and workers saw a new ray of hope for Pakistan after the speech of Bilawal. He said the PPP chairman laid down his vision in front of the people for strengthening the economy of Pakistan. He also said that Bilawal had restored the dignity of the common man after making a public appearance. AgeNcIeS

Bilawal challenged extremist forces like mother ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Communication Dr Arbab Alamgir said on Friday that Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari courageously challenged extremist forces during his historic speech, like his mother Benazir. On the occasion of the fifth death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto, Bilwal expressed his polictical vision during his address said the minister. He said Pakistan needed young leadership with a political vision and Bilawal would change politics of Pakistan and steer the country out of the present challenges it faced. He said the party leadership and workers saw a new hope after the speech of Bilawal. He Bilawal’s speech highlighted his leadership qualities and vision for political stability and for a prosperous Pakistan.

The carvan, he added, was historic and the attendance was overwhelming as the workers came to pay tributes to the party’s martyrs and listen to the historic speech of their youth icon. APP

not disarm Continued fRom page 01 He did not clarify which. “In the past, it was the Pakistani government that broke peace agreements,” he said. “A slave of the US can’t make independent agreements, it breaks agreements according to US dictat.” The TTP chief said the Pakistani Taliban would follow the lead of the Afghan Taliban when it came to forming policy after most NATO troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 2014. “We are Afghan Taliban and Afghan Taliban are us,” he said. “We are with them and al Qaeda. We are even willing to get our heads cut off for al Qaeda.”

Mehsud’s deputy Waliur Rehman dismissed any rift with the TTP chief, saying if politicians in Pakistan could unite on a one-point agenda of looting the country, the Taliban could also unite for the cause of jihad. The video was also a public debut for Ihsanullah Ihsan, the Taliban spokesman making the all-important phone calls to media houses after terror attacks to claim responsibility.

Many doubted any such person actually existed.

PESHAwAR: People throng a Chapal kebab shop as rain in the provincial metropolis dropped the temperature on Friday, hiking demand for traditional food items. INP

Torkham border sealed after Afghan army tortures two Pakistani labourers PESHAWAR INP

Security officials on Friday sealed Torkham border after the Afghan National Army (ANA) tortured two Pakistani labourers for the second time in a week.

According to details, truck drivers blocked the road and took out a protest against the alleged torture of two Pak-

istani truck drivers at the hands of the Afghan officials.Earlier, two truck drivers were heading into Afghanistan seeking work when they were intercepted by Afghan security personnel at a check post, who allegedly subjected the job-seekers to torture while also tearing up their passports and other travelling documents.

The tortured Pakista-

nis returned back to the Pak-Afghan border where they were joined by other truck drivers who held protests against the treatment meted out by the Afghan security personnel. Drivers had complained that Afghan security personnel routinely harassed and tortured the job-seekers at various check posts situated inside Afghanistan.

“It seems that the Afghan

security forces are using these tactics to force Pakistani labourers out of their country,” they added.

It was not the first time that the Afghan forces had tortured Pakistani labourers. A similar incident had occurred earlier this week on December 22, and the border was closed after 29 Pakistani laborers were tortured by members of the ANA.

YouTube to be unblocked within 24 hours, tweets Malik Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that a decision had been made to unblock YouTube within 24 hours following ‘a great demand’ from the public. In a message tweeted on Friday, Rehman Malik said he took the decision after chairing a high-level meeting with all stakeholders on the Youtube issue. “Those who had been

pressing me to unblock the site should be happy now,” he said. The minister hailed Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for blocking anti-Islamic material. “PTA is finalizing negotiations in order to acquire a powerful software to totally block pornographic and blasphemous material,” he said. MoniToring Desk

NAB KP initiates inquiry against postal officials in BISP scam PESHAWAR: khyber Pakhtunkhawa (kP) National Accountability Bureau (NAB) initiated on Friday an inquiry to probe the alleged embezzlement by Postal Services Department (PSD) officials in the disbursement of money under Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). A kP NAB spokesman said several complaints were received against the PSD officials who were allegedly charging every person Rs 100 to Rs 200, who came to their office to get their BISP card.

“Moreover, it was alleged that the PSD officials were giving cards to

whomever they wanted to and not to the needy and the poor,” he added.

“NAB initiated an inquiry into the matter to ascertain the factual position and to punish all those involved in the scam,” he said. Under the programme, money is released to the Postal Services Department, which is then distributed among the people through the local post office. It is the duty of the post office staff to give the money to the deserving people. The programme is meant to be a helping hand for all deserving people who are in dire need of financial support, so that their suffering may be alleviated on a priority basis.

Measles claims 8 more lives in Sindh, toll reaches 58 KANDHKOT/LAKKI MARWAT: Eight children died on Friday due to measles in interior Sindh, bringing the death toll to 58 in just 27 days. Four children died in kandkot, three in Lakki Marwat and one in Daharki. The Health Ministry, which is providing vaccine to the affected children, has claimed that the outbreak has still not been brought under control. Emergency, however, has been declared in all public hospitals in interior Sindh. Blaming the health department for negligence, affected families said no team from the health department came to vaccinate their children. Although the government claims that over five million children under the age of nine, in 29 districts of Sindh and Balochistan, will be vaccinated during the on-going campaign, measles virus is still spreading across Lakki Marwat. “No health team came to Lakki Marwat to vaccinate our suffering children,” a local said. INP

renowned trauma surgeon joins Bahria Hospital Specialist Orthopedic and Trauma Surgeon Dr Amer khan, MBBS (Pakistan), FRCS (England), has joined Bahria Town Hospital Lahore from December 24. He has 22 years of experience in Orthopedic Surgery mainly in the Uk and New Zealand. Dr Amer has previously worked for a short time in Ireland and Pakistan as well as three years in the UAE. He possesses vast experience in a wide range of orthopedics in both trauma and elective surgery including joint replacements, shoulder and hand surgery, foot and ankle, knee ligament reconstructions, spinal surgery, arthroscopic surgery of the knee, shoulder and ankle and is also well experienced in managing all fractures and treating multiple trauma patients. The hospital already prides itself on one of the best Cardiac Centers in the country which is headed by Prof. Dr. Jawad Sajid khan. Dr. Amer is a great and worthy addition to the already world class faculty of the Hospital and is most definitely going to raise the standards being set by Bahria Town Hospital for the past many years. PreSS reLeASe

Unsettled Kashmir dispute main hurdle to Indo-Pak ties: Mirwaiz ISLAMABAD APP

The kashmir dispute is the main impediment in the cordial relations between Pakistan and India and the two countries cannot progress in economic fields without settling it, All Parties Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

Farooq said on Friday.

Addressing a gathering in Srinagar, Mirwaiz said the recent APHC leaders’ visit to Pakistan was of great significance in the prevailing circumstances and would pave the way for settlement of the kashmir dispute.

He said the Pakistani leadership and people

were aware of the sufferings of the kashmiris and had always extended moral, political and diplomatic support to the struggle of the kashmiri people. The APHC leader urged New Delhi to accept the ground realities and realise the fact that a nation could not be subjugated for too long.

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President takes notice of power outages in Punjab ISLAMABAD ONlINE

President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday took note of the load shedding situation in Lahore and issued instructions to the minister for power and water to reach the city and resolve the matter at the earliest.

According to details, Lahore, Faisalabad and other areas in Punjab had been facing serious power and gas crises, forcing industries to shut down.

The president took notice of the situation and ordered Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar to reach Lahore immediately and resolve the problem.

Inequitable load shedding unacceptable: CM LAHORE

P

STAFF REPORT

UNJAB Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday said that there should be uniform load shedding of electricity and gas across the country and that discriminatory distribution of resources was not acceptable at any cost.

Talking to a delegation of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), the chief minister said that the issue of load shedding of electricity was raised at the Council of Com-

mon Interests, but no consensus-driven decision had been made on the matter so far.

He said that thousands of workers had been rendered jobless due to complete suspension of the electricity supply in the province. He stressed that the economy was suffering an irreparable loss because the country’s exports had been affected by the load shedding as well.

Moreover, Shahbaz said that the energy crisis was getting worse every day because of the indifferent and inefficient attitude of the federal gov-

ernment. He said that the country had a lot of resources but there was no gas or electricity to make full use of these resources.

He said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) believed in national solidarity and harmony. He said that the PML-N leadership had been clear from the start about the distribution of resources, adding that Punjab had sacrificed its share of resources several and given billions of rupees in aid to Balochistan.

Shahbaz further said that he had worked for several months at tent of-

ANP welcomes Bilawal’s entry into politics

PEF announces Active Citizenship Programme for schools

LAHORE APP

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) on Friday announced that it would introduce an Active Citizenship Programme for low-cost partner schools for educating students about issues of social importance including enhancing awareness about dieses like dengue.

In a statement, PEF said that the Programme is aimed to make the students socially responsible and more aware about things happening around them.

PEF further said that subject specialists had been attached with the partner schools under Subject Based Support Programme (SBSP) to improve the academic standards of low-cost private schools who cannot afford to hire expensive teachers for their students.

“This programme has greatly helped the schools in improving their standards as the subject specialists teach in the subjects of English, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and also help in implementing schools improvement plans,” the statement said.

The subject specialists were also assigned to help in improving the capacity building of other teachers, the statement added.

Furthermore, Punjab Education Foundation had initiated a rigorous programme to improve the capacity of its subject specialists and for this purpose, training workshops are regularly held for them, the statement said.

fices set up at Minar-e-Pakistan and other districts of the province in extremely hot weather without caring for his health to express solidarity with the people. He said that the issue of unjust load shedding of electricity and gas should be resolved amicably. He said that Punjab had a vital role in the economy of the country but industries are being closed down due to suspension of electricity and gas.

The chief minister assured the APTMA delegation that he would take every possible step to resolve their problems.

LAHORE: Welders are busy in the construction work of Rapid Transit Bus Service Terminal on Ravi Road. ONLINe

Lawlessness goes unchecked in provincial metropolis LAHORE STAFF REPORT

A 20-year-old girl was shot dead by unknown assailants near Badami Bagh on Friday.

According to sources, people living in the area heard gun shots and rushed to the scene, where the found the young girl had already succumbed to her wounds. Witnesses said that the victim was wearing a veil and had books in her bag. Her assailants managed to escape.

Police was summoned to the scene. They sent her body for postmortem analysis. An FIR was

lodged against unknown persons.

In another report, an unidentified was found unconscious near Lower Mall. Police was summoned to the scene and the man was rushed to the hospital. However, the doctors failed to revive the unconscious man and he passed away. His body was sent for postmortem analysis. The doctors claimed that they could not identify the chemical the deceased had consumed. Police sources said the man was still unidentified and no one had claimed his body so far.

They further said that they were searching for his family members.

LAHORE: A large number of vehicles seen in a queue at a CNG station on Circular Road. INP

Awami National Party (ANP) Secretary General Ehsan Wyne on Friday welcomed Bilawal Bhutto Zadari to Pakistan’s politics and said that he was confident that the young leader would be just like his mother. Talking to reporters, he said that Bilawal had given a message that a new generation would continue its struggle against terrorism and violence. “Bilawal and his party’s commitment to hold transparent general elections on time is also laudable,” he added. He hoped that Bilawal would be a great leader like his mother Benazir Bhutto and grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He said the ANP always wanted the youth of all liberal parties to enter politics to put the country on the road to progress.

PA condemns attack on polio workers LAHORE NNI

Punjab Assembly on Friday unanimously approved a resolution condemning the attacks on polio teams in khyber Pakhtunkhwa (kPk) and Sindh.

The resolution tabled by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) legislator Ijaz Ahmed khan condemned the brutal killings of the anti-polio campaigners across the two provinces.

At least nine anti-polio campaigners were shot dead and six others severely injured after unidentified miscreants attacked the teams in khyber Pakhtunkhua and Sindh, in what appeared to be coordinated attacks on the activists.

No one has yet claimed the responsibility of the attacks but people living in tribal areas were opposed to the antipolio drive in their areas.

The campaign was suspended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) after the incident.

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

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06 Lahore Fire guts garments factory LAHORE INP

A fire in a garments factory on Friday gutted merchandize worth millions of rupees. However, no loss of life was reported in the incident.

According to details, a fire caused by an electric short-circuiting erupted in a garments factory located at Firozpur Road in Nishtar Colony.

Due to inflammable material in the factory, the fire spread rapidly.

Fire brigade and rescue personnel

LAHORE: Former PML-N President Nawaz Sharif talks to PML-N Central Senior Vice President Ameer Muqam, who called on him on Friday. INP

reached the scene and started efforts to extinguish the fire.

The fire was brought under control after over two hours of hectic efforts.

Garments, raw material and other goods were burnt to ashes. However, no causality or injury was reported in the fire incident.

The affected factory owner held WAPDA responsible for the incident and demanded the provincial government for compensation of his loss so that he could restart his business to earn livelihood for his family.

Punjab nAB to take action against corrupt politicians: nAB Dg LAHORE INP

Punjab National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Director General khurshid Anwar Bhinder on Friday said that action would be taken against politicians found involved in corruption.

Taking to reports after distributing cheques of Rs13 million among 254 victim people in Forex scandal, he said that NAB was taking appropriate steps for eliminating corruption from the province.

He said that NAB would take action against corrupt politicians in Punjab if proof against them was found, adding that Punjab NAB did not still receive evidence of corrup-

tion against any politician.

He further said that the Punjab government had called records of under-construction Rapid Transit Bus System, adding that the government did not submit the record in NAB office yet but deadline of submission of the record was not expired as two days were remaining in this regard. He hoped that the government would cooperate with the NAB investigation officers. He said that NAB had started investigation against corruption made in Punjab government departments as some applications were received by NAB in this regard, adding that investigation report would be made public within few days.

‘Smokey’ vehicles fined LAHORE APP

The Environment Protection Department (EPD) of the City District Government in its anti-pollution drive on Friday checked 67 vehicles and imposed a fine of Rs 9,500 on the owners of smoky vehicles. According to EPD sources, monitoring teams of the department checked vehicles including buses, rickshaws, cars and motorcycles and found 36 vehicles below the standard as per environment quality standards.

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

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CM takes notice of Gujranwala cough syrup deaths LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday took notice of death of several people due to consumption of a cough syrup in Gujranwala and ordered Special Advisor on Health khawaja Salman Rafique to go to the city immediately to review the situation and submit a report. STAFF REPORT

DEAR DEPARTED Muhammad Ijaz, the father of Pakistan Today Page Designer Muneeb Ijaz passed away yesterday (December 28) after suffering for some time from a chronic illness.

The staff of Pakistan Today is deeply grieved by the demise of Mr Muhammad Ijaz. The Rasm-e-Qul will be held on December 29 (today) at 2pm at 2 Main Bazaar, Razzaq Colony, Tajpura scheme, Lahore.

LHR 29-12-2012_Layout 1 12/29/2012 2:11 AM Page 7

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Saturday, 29 December, 2012

LHR 29-12-2012_Layout 1 12/29/2012 2:11 AM Page 8

08 News

Anti-Maliki protests continue in Iraq BAgHDAD

T

AGENCIES

ENS of thousands of Iraqis have taken part in protests along a major western highway and in other parts of the country in fresh rallies against the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Massive demonstrations took place along a major highway near the city of Fallujah on Friday, declaring the day a “Friday of honor.”

The rallies appear to be the largest yet in a week of demonstrations, intensifying pressure on the Shia-led government.

In the northern city of Mosul, around 3,000 demonstrators took to the streets to denounce what they called the sidelining of Sunnis in Iraq and to demand the release of Sunni prisoners.

As in protests earlier in the week, demonstrators there chanted the Arab Spring slogan: “The people want the downfall of the regime.”

Thousands likewise took to the streets in the northern Sunni towns of Tikrit and Samarra, where they were joined by legislators and provincial officials, said Salahuddin provincial spokesman Mohammed al-Asi. Protests erupted last week after Iraqi authorities detained 10 bodyguards of the finance minister, who is

from Anbar and is one of the government’s most senior Sunni officials.

Many Sunnis accuse al-Maliki of marginalising the country’s religious minority group by refusing to share power and depriving them of equal rights.

The main highway at Ramadi, 100km west of Baghdad, was barricaded for a fifth day, disrupting transit of government supplies along a key trade route to and from Jordan and Syria.

Protesters were, however, letting most trucks, carrying private goods, pass along another road through Ramadi.

Anti-terrorism laws At a conference in Baghdad, al-Ma-

liki warned against a return to sectarian conflict and cautioned that the country is close to returning to the “dark days when people were killed because of their names or identities.”

He also used the occasion to take a jab at the protesters in Anbar.

“Nations that look for peace, love and reconstruction must choose civilized ways to express themselves. It is not acceptable to express opinions by blocking the roads, encouraging sectarianism, threating to launch wars and dividing Iraq,” he said.

“Instead we need to talk, to listen to each other and to agree ... to end our differences.”

Activists want changes to laws on

terrorism that they say penalise Sunnis.

While demands so far focus on the anti-terrorism laws which Sunnis say are being used against them, one lecturer in law at Baghdad University said Sunnis might be emboldened to call for regional autonomy in Anbar and other provinces in the northwest where they are in a majority - a status similar to that of the kurds, who won Westernbacked autonomy from Saddam in 1991.

“I’m seeing greater determination to defy Maliki and if their demands are not met, the call to have their own region will be an inevitable consequence,” said Ahmed Younis.

“The kurdish region could become a model for Sunnis in Anbar.”

cAr seeks foreign help against rebels PARIS AGENCIES

The president of Central African Republic (CAR) has urgently called on France and other foreign powers to help his government fend off rebels who are quickly seizing territory and approaching the capital. Speaking to crowds in Bangui, a city of some 600,000, Francois Bozize on Thursday pleaded with foreign powers to do what they could. He pointed in particular to France, Central African Republic’s former colonial ruler. “France has the means to stop (the rebels) but unfortunately they have done nothing for us until now,’’ Bozize said. But Paris declined to offer any military assistance.

Francois Hollande, the French president, said on Thursday his country wants to protect its interests in Central African Republic and not Bozize’s government. The comments came a day after dozens of protesters, angry about a lack of help against rebel forces, threw rocks at the French Embassy in Bangui and stole a French flag. About 200 French soldiers are already in the country, providing technical support and helping to train the local army, according to the French defence ministry. France is encouraging peace talks between the government and the rebels, with the French foreign ministry noting in a statement that negotiations are due to “begin shortly in Libreville (Gabon)”.

ex-president George Bush Sr in intensive care WASHINgtON AGENCIES

After more than a month in hospital battling bronchitis, former US president George HW Bush has taken a turn for the worse and is in intensive care with a “stubborn fever”, a spokesman has said. “He’s had a series of setbacks now that have landed him in guarded condition in the intensive care unit,” spokesman Jim McGrath told the AFP news agency. “Early last week it was really looking good, but then it seemed a couple of dominoes started falling and it was taking us in the wrong direction.” The 88-year-old was first admitted to Methodist Hospital in Houston on November 7 for bronchitis treatment and released on November 19. But he was readmitted on November 23 after his cough flared up once more. Doctors had initially hoped to have the elder statesman home for Christmas, but he was instead forced to spend the holiday in the hospital, where he was joined by his wife Barbara, son Neil and grandson Pierce. “I wouldn’t say he was able to celebrate it in the traditional sense,” McGrath said. “His family was with him, and he’s conscious and he’s able to engage in humorous banter with his doctor.” Bush, a Republican, served just a single term in the White House from 1989 to 1993, despite sending US forces to victory in Iraq in the first Gulf War, expelling Saddam Hussein’s forces from kuwait.

lA CONNER: A father throws his daughter in the air as snow geese take flight in Skagit valley. AgeNcIeS

russia invites syrian opposition for talks MOScOW AGENCIES

Russia, one of the few powers to maintain links with the Syrian regime of President Bashar alAssad, has proposed talks with the main Syrian opposition coalition.

Sergey Lavrov, Russian foreign minister, told a news conference on Friday that Russia has contacted the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces through the Russian Embassy in Egypt and “we expressed readiness to conduct a meeting” with coalition leader Ahmad Mouaz al-khatib.

Lavrov, speaking after a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed kamel Amr, said Russia was also urging Assad’s regime to make efforts toward a political settlement.

Russia’s talks with National

Coalition head could take place in Moscow or a foreign location like Geneva or Cairo, Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian deputy foreign minister, told the RIA Novosti news agency. Russia has so far strongly criticised moves by Western and anti-Assad Arab states to recognise the National Coalition as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people since the group was formed last month. Yet Russia is also involved in a frantic round of year-end diplomacy seeking to end the crisis.

Syria has been a longtime ally of Russia, hosting Russia’s only naval base outside the former Soviet Union and remaining a significant customer for Russia’s arms industry. But Russia appears to be slowly distancing itself from Assad. Putin last week said that Russia is “not preoccupied that much with the fate

of the Assad regime” and “undoubtedly there is a call for changes”.

Bogdanov said he expected there to be a new three-way meeting between UN-Arab League Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi and US and Russian representatives on the Syrian crisis in January. Brahimi on Thursday called for a “real change” in Syria and the installation of a transitional government with full powers until elections can be held.

“We need to form a government with all powers ... which assumes power during a period of transition.

That transition period will end with elections,” Brahimi told reporters.

He did not specify a date for the envisaged elections, either presidential or parliamentary depending on what could be agreed. He also made no mention on the fate of Assad, whose current term expires in 2014.

china unveils new internet laws BEIjING: China has unveiled tighter Internet controls, including legalising the deletion of posts or pages which are deemed to contain “illegal” information and requiring service providers to hand over such information to the authorities for punishment. The rules suggest that the new leadership, headed by Communist Party chief Xi Jinping, will continue muzzling the often scathing, raucous online chatter in a country where the Internet offers a rare opportunity for debate. The new regulations, announced by the official Xinhua news agency on Friday, also require Internet users to register with their real names when signing up with network providers, though, in reality, this already happens. Chinese authorities and Internet companies such as Sina Corp have long since closely monitored and censored what people say online, but the government has now put measures such as deleting posts into law. “Service providers are required to instantly stop the transmission of illegal information once it is spotted and take relevant measures, including removing the information and saving records.” the rules state. AGENCIES

Egypt probEs allEgEd incitEmEnt to oust morsi cAIRO AGENCIES

Egypt’s chief prosecutor has ordered an investigation into allegations that opposition leaders committed treason by inciting supporters to overthrow President Mohammed Morsi.

The probe, launched on Thursday, targets opposition leaders Mohammed El-Baradei, a Nobel Peace laureate and former head of the UN nuclear agency, former Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, and Hamdeen Sabahi. Both Moussa and Sabahi were presidential candidates who competed against Morsi in the last election.

The Muslim Brotherhood’s website alleged that the opposition leaders were “dup-

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

ing simple Egyptians to rise against legitimacy and were inciting against the president,” which constitutes treason.

The allegation came a day after the president called for a dialogue with the opposition to help solve disputes over a Muslim Brotherhood-backed constitution that was just approved in a referendum.

The accusations were filed by two lawyers during a political crisis earlier this month over a series of presidential decrees that granted Morsi and the committee drafting the disputed constitution immunity from judicial oversight.

The opposition decried the investigation as a throwback to Hosni Mubarak’s regime, when the law was used to smear and silence opponents.

Emad Abu Ghazi, secretary-general of the opposition party that El-Baradei heads, said the investigation was “an indication of a tendency toward a police state and the attempt to eliminate political opponents”.

He said that Morsi is dealing with the opposition similarly to Mubarak, the ousted leader who had allegedly jailed his opponents without allowing fair trials.

Heba Yassin, a spokesperson for the Popular Current coalition led by Sabahi, said that Sabahi faced similar charges under Mubarak and his predecessor.

“Morsi is confirming that he is following the same policies of Mubarak in repressing his opponents and trying to smear their reputation through false accusations,” Yassin said.

“Also this is evidence of what we had warned about - the judiciary and the prosecutor-general must be independent and not appointed by the president,” she said.

Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, asked the opposition on Wednesday to join a national dialogue to heal rifts after a month of huge street protests against him and the controversial constitution.

Some of the protests erupted into deadly violence. On December 5, anti-Morsi demonstrators staging a sit-in outside the presidential palace in Cairo were attacked by Morsi supporters. Fierce clashes ensued that left 10 people dead.

Even though the constitution passed in a referendum, the opposition has vowed to

keep fighting it. They say it prioritises Islamic law in the country, undermines rights of minorities and women, and restricts freedoms. Although he reached out to the opposition for reconciliation, Morsi did not offer any concessions in his speech on Wednesday calling for a dialogue.

On Wednesday Morsi asked his prime minister to carry out a limited reshuffle of his government, without offering any seats to the opposition. In an apparent protest against the decision to keep the same prime minister, the country’s minister of parliamentary affairs resigned.

It is the second resignation of a cabinet minister this week and follows a spate of resignations of senior aides and advisers during the constitutional crisis.

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News 09 Bilawal earning love and respect of the people: Bakhtawar

HYDERABAD: Traditional performers present ‘Dhamal’ at the shrine of Hazrat Shah Abdul latif Bhittai on the eve of his 269th Urs celebrations. ONLINe

British girl missing for 3 years in Pakistan on way home LONDON: A six-year-old girl is on her way home to Britain more than three years after she was abducted by her father and taken to Pakistan, police said on Friday.

Atiya Anjum-Wilkinson disappeared in November 2009 after going to stay with her father, Razwan Ali Anjum.

The former insurance salesman told the girl’s mother, Gemma Wilkinson, that he was taking Atiya to Southport in northwest England but instead took her to Lahore.

He told his former partner that she was “never going to see Atiya again”.

Anjum is currently serving a prison sentence in Britain for refusing to reveal his daughter’s whereabouts despite a court order. Just last month her 32-year-old mother launched a fresh appeal for information about her daughter.

But sources told Britain’s Press Association agency that Atiya had been found in Pakistan after new information had come to light. Police said Atiya was due to arrive at Manchester Airport later Friday.

Anjum, who is in his late 20s, was given a fourth consecutive jail term by a high court judge in April after he refused to reveal where his daughter was.

He indicated that Atiya was in Pakistan or Iran but said he did not know her exact whereabouts, a claim which the judge in the case said was “absurd”. AGENCIES

Balochistan’s education sector on the decline QUEttA

E

APP

DUCATION sector has become weak in Balochistan due to nepotism, favouritism, violation of merits and a typical business-orientated approach.

These views were expressed by speakers at a consultative session of a seminar jointly organised by Action-Aid and Youth Educational Society (YES) at a local hotel on Friday.

Balochistan Minister for Interprovincial Coordination Syed Ruqayya Saeed Hashmi, Additional Chief Secretary Aslam Shakir Baloch, Senior MBR Sarwar Javed, Action-Aid Director Shahjahan, YES Director Ashraf Hasni, Government Teachers Association President Nawaz Jattak and Private Teachers Association President Nazar Baraich were prominent among those who spoke on the occasion.

The speakers said that the responsibility rested with all stockholders in-

cluding the government, teachers, students and parents to play their constructive role in bringing reforms and betterment in society.

They were of the view that the prevailing multiple systems of education was not serving its purpose effectively and stressed the need for making one curriculum for the students in schools across the entire country.

They said efforts of the lawmakers and the community would help create amicable environment for knowledge seekers in the province.

Furthermore, they underlined the need for evolving concerted strategy to enhance the enrollment of children in primary level. “We have to go a long way to achieve the Millennium Development Goal set for the education sector till 2015 as due to the scattered population in Balochistan, a large chunk of the province’s area is still deprived of basic education facilities”, the speakers said.

The speakers also hailed the public-private partnership schemes for the uplift of the sector.

Commending some of the reforms put in place by the government for the promotion of education and enabling maximum enrollment at primary level, the speakers urged for the continuity and persistency of such policies.

“Drastic steps should be taken on war-footing to improve the rate of girls’ enrollment in schools as a large number of girls are still cut off from schools, thus aggravating the already grim situation in the province,” they added.

ISLAMABAD: Twitter, a social networking website, is abuzz with various comments regarding the entry of the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari into politics. Bakhtawar Bhutto, Bilawal’s sister, tweeted that the PPP was not launching Bilawal, instead the party chairman just wanted to earn respect and love of his countrymen. “Not a question of launching Bilawal. He is shifting from learning to earning the respect, love + support of every Pakistani,” she said in her tweet. “Aap hamaray lab see do gay, magar ‘Jee’ay Bhutto’ kay naaray kabhi khatam nahi hon gay. Aap hamaray haath kaat do gay, magar hamara parcham buland rahay gay,” she quoted Bilawal in another tweet. Former Pakistan ambassador to US, Husain Haqqani, said Bilawal is just continuing the family tradition. “No assertion of dynasty, just continuation of family tradition.

Inspiring speech for party faithful and the people. Vitriol from Bhutto haters to be expected (and ignored). With his speech on his mother’s anniversary, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari earned peoples respect after 5 years of learning politics,” he said. INP

Iftikhar reiterates resolve to continue fighting terrorism PESHAWAR: khyber Pakhtunkhwa (kP) Minister for Information and Public Relations Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Friday said his party wand the provincial government would contine their fight against terrorism.

“The followers of Bacha khan will fight the menace of terrorism till the end even at the cost of their lives but will never retreat,” he said. Addressing a gathering on the occasion of khatm-e-Quran for Bashir Ahmad Bilour, jointly arranged by Awami National Party District Peshawar and Pakhtun Student Federation at Bacha khan Markaz, the minister said it was need of the hour that all political parties, state organs and the nation should stand united to develop a consensus and take final decision to curb terrorism The ceremony was attended by senior leaders of ANP including Senator Muhammad Adeel, Afrasiyab khattak, Haroon Bilour, Arbab Tahir, othe provincial ministers, MPAs and party workers. He said the war against terrorism was an issue not just related to ANP and kP but the whole nation. Regarding talks with Taliban for durable peace in the whole region, Hussain said ANP always welcomed talks and tried to resolve issues through peaceful means but the talks must be meaningful and positive. APP

DArK PrOSPecTS hAUNT PAKISTAN MONItORINg DESK So common and unpredictable are power cuts in Pakistan that few Pakistanis pause for even a fraction of a second in mid-interview when the lights go off. Whether they are tycoons, politicians or religious leaders, they continue talking and gesticulating in the semi-darkness as if nothing had happened.

“We have around 10 or 12 hours daily of no electricity,” says Azam Saigol, managing director of Saigols in Lahore, an industrial conglomerate that itself produces electrical power for which the government often fails to pay. “It’s a really, really appalling state of affairs, but we are calm about it because it’s a way of life.”

Yet the worsening shortages of natural gas and electricity that have crippled Pakistan’s manufacturing and provoked riots in big cities are only the most visible of a plethora of financial, social and political crises that threaten the viability of

the country’s already feeble economy.

“It’s very frustrating,” says Sakib Sherani, an economist who heads Macro Economic Insights in Islamabad. “You know you’re heading for a wall at 120mph and no one’s doing anything.”

The problems facing the country include bomb attacks and assassinations by Islamic extremists, high inflation, sluggish growth, extreme corruption, lack of jobs for young Pakistanis and an unsustainable budget deficit, which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says reached 8.5 per cent of gross domestic product in the previous fiscal year, more than double the official target.

It does not help that a quarter of all government spending goes on defense, or that only 0.9 percent of Pakistanis pay tax , compared with 4.7 percent in neighbouring India and 80 per cent in Canada, according to data compiled by Ehtisham Ahmad and Michael Best of the London School of Economics.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif who is an opponent of the central administration of President Asif Ali Zardari, accuses the government of “looting and plunder” and tells of $700m spent in vain on two hydroelectric power projects that were supposed to have been built by Chinese and other contractors and a capacity to produce 950 megawatts.

“Not a kilowatt of power was generated. They should have been functional two years ago. The plant has been lying in karachi for two years and there’s no electricity. The Chinese have gone back to Chinam,” said Sharif. For a country of 180m people – the world’s sixth biggest – the most worrying financial portent is the decline of the domestic and foreign investment that should ensure growth and jobs in the future. According to the central bank, total investment as a share of GDP fell to 12.5 percent in 2011-12, just more than half the level of five years earlier.

“Investment has just fallen off a cliff,”

says Sherani. “Private domestic investment is at the lowest level on record.”

Pakistan’s economy is kept alive in part by about $1billion a month of remittances from citizens and former citizens working in the Gulf, the Uk and North America. A thriving black economy, untaxed and unmeasured, and good prices for cotton and other farm crops have also bolstered the otherwise fragile domestic economy.

“We have food security. We are a wheat exporting country,” Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said. He boasted in an interview that foreign exchange reserves of $16-17billion are higher than when the government was elected four years ago, but his aides quickly correct him with an updated figure of $14billion. The IMF says reserves actually fell to an estimated $10.8billion in the previous fiscal year and are projected to drop to $7.4billion in the current year ending in June.

“Right now reserves are relatively

comfortable, but the burn rate is increasing,” says Sherani. “In Pakistan, the definition of a crisis is a balance of payments crisis. It’s on the cards.”

Among both Pakistani and foreign observers, there is broad agreement on what has gone wrong – the Zardari government has failed to restore fiscal discipline, curb corruption or take essential decisions on infrastructure investment – but scant hope that remedial action will be taken before a general election due in the first half of next year.

“What the government is hoping for is that the IMF will bail them out,” says Sherani, predicting that the IMF will wait to act until a new government is installed amid a deepening crisis. In between power cuts in Lahore, Saigol also thinks that a dysfunctional Pakistan will again be granted a reprieve by international financial institutions. “Really we’ve reached a position where we’re unable to meet our commitments,” he says.

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

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10 Comment enter the prodigal Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

And the spoiler too

Arif Nizami Editor Lahore – Ph: 042-36375963-5 Fax: 042-32535230 Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 Fax: 021-35381208 Islamabad – Ph: 051-2287414-6 Fax: 051-2287417 Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Getting off to a decent start But challenges remain for the heir-apparent

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ilawar Bhutto Zardari’s first major public speech enthused his audience while PPP opponents also had good words for his choice of words and delivery. As Zardari put it, Bilawal’s training period has now begun. One hopes that as he moves out of the close and secure circle of unquestioning PPP loyalists who simply admire him, he will develop a more comprehensive understanding of the political reality of the country. The PPP Central Executive Committee has assigned him the task of leading the party’s election campaign, thus providing Zardari with an opportunity to resign from the party post as required by the LHC. The activity will provide Bilawal an opportunity to meet a cross section of the society, not only in Sindh but in other provinces also where a whole generation taking part in the elections may not be similarly under the spell of the PPP icons like ZAB and Benazir Bhutto.

Bilawal has had a good beginning but has yet to pass through the baptism of fire in order to be confirmed as the chief of what is still the largest party in the country. Like Benazir who did not simply inherit the mantle, Bilawal too will have to earn it. He is determined to carry out the mission of ZAB and BB marked by sacrifices without being deterred. And Bilawal would need much more than sheer fortitude to succeed. He will be required to display an understanding of the complex political, economic and social issues facing the country. It is fine to rattle off statistics like exports increasing to $25 billion, inflation decreasing from 25 to nine percent, remittances reaching $13 billion and the karachi Stock Exchange 100-Index crossing 16,000. But he has to realise that millions living below poverty line and suffering food deprivation cannot eat figures nor use them for clothing. Again he might be surprised to find that few in Balochistan are willing to be satisfied by “apologies tendered to Baloch people” or “many decisions for their welfare and autonomy”. Populist slogans of a bygone era, particularly when they remind people of unfulfilled promises like ‘roti, kapra aur makan’ may actually strengthen cynicism instead of producing the desired effect. Bilawal must not forget that the PPP would be judged by the masses for its performance for an unprecedented period: a full term spanning five long years. He would be challenged to cope with the disadvantage of the negative fallout of the incumbency.

Bilawal displayed the right attitude when he said that he wanted to take along all political parties. As the PPP Central Committee has indicated there is a need to develop a consensus among the parties for a caretaker setup. Bilawal would hopefully take part in the negotiations as these would help him explore and develop the possibilities of further understanding. As a young Bhutto just entering politics he enjoys enough goodwill which he should use to win new friends and allies.

Candid Corner

By Raoof Hasan

By Arif Nizami

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wo mammoth rallies were held in the last few days. One at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore where Tehrik-e-Minhaj-ulQuran chief Allama Dr Tahirul-Qadri stirred a hornet’s nest by demanding that the military and the judiciary be made stakeholders in the formation of a caretaker setup, a la Bangladesh.

The other massive rally in Naudero – held to observe Benazir Bhutto’s fifth death anniversary – too was a special occasion. It was the launching of 24-year-old scion of the Bhutto family, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Bilawal’s maiden speech in chaste Urdu punctuated by couplets from Faiz was reminiscent of his late mother and grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Both used to mix up their genders. So did he. Bilawal’s debut brought tears in the eyes of his proud father as well as his aunt Sanam present on the stage.

Obviously the speech was well rehearsed and well choreographed. But credit goes to the young Bilawal to pass his first test in flying colours. In substance, it was an attempt to resurrect the sagging spirit of the normally indomitable jiyalas.

His late mother felled by the Taliban and his grandfather and maternal uncles a victim of state terrorism, it was no surprise Bilawal came down hard against terrorism and terrorists. He made the right noises to stir the crowd while narrating the recent assassination of the ANP stalwart Bashir Bilour and the cowardly attack on Malala Yousafzai.

The standout factor: His lament against terrorism was far more forthright and strident than most of his uncles in the Peoples Party dare. And that is why he sounded credible.

Like his father last year at the same venue, Bilawal singled out the higher judiciary for having double standards and on being partial against the PPP. Albeit without naming them, he came down hard on the Sharifs as well.

The criticism of the Sharifs sounded a trifle ill-timed in the sense that both

parties are locked in serious back channel negotiations for formation of a caretaker setup composed of political persons.

Unsurprisingly, the PPP’s Central Executive Committee has decided that Bilawal as party chairman would lead the party’s election campaign. Defending the unsavoury governance record of the coalition government led by his party will be a tall order for the still inexperienced Bilawal.

Despite his father’s tutelage and innate Bhutto political and combative instincts, Bilawal’s task is still cut out for him for he will have to raise the sagging morale of the party in the main battleground: the Punjab.

The PPP in the largest province of the country is leaderless and in disarray.

Manzoor Wattoo inducted recently as the provincial president has failed to inspire the party cadre. He is simply not acceptable to the party’s rank and file. The manner in which Benazir Bhutto sacked him in 1995 is still etched in their memory.

Hoping that the PML-N and the PTI would cancel each other out at the polls in Central and Northern Punjab, helping it to pick up some seats, the PPP has retreated to the South where it is being assumed that the slogan of the Seraiki province will resurrect its flagging fortunes in the province.

Till recently demoralised and sidelined, former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has been rehabilitated. On his insistence, his cousin Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmud has been plucked from the PML-Functional and inducted as the governor of the province.

By his own admission the Makhdoom claims to be a quintessential Muslim Leaguer. Having neither the propensity nor the inclination, he can do pretty little to provide the PPP the kind of boost it requires to make a fist of it at this late stage.

Wattoo and the Chaudharys of Gujrat are no longer the sole handlers and fixers in Punjab. Hence the mantle will fall on Bilawal and his father to repair things in the province.

With less than three months to go before the general elections, it will be a tough ask.

Ironically at this crucial juncture, Qadri has emerged as the spoiler. He has denied that the establishment has launched him.

However, his timing stinks. After four years in Canada to escape the wrath of the Taliban, and by his own admission having a Canadian passport, he emerges from the deadwood to lecture the nation on how to do its politics!

With the exception of the PTI and the MQM, virtually all political parties and rump of the media have opposed his agenda to make the military and the judiciary stakeholders in the formation of a caretaker government.

The MQM participated in his rally but has not entirely endorsed his agenda. The PTI chief Imran khan is an exception. He has welcomed the Sufi cleric’s proposals claiming that Qadri has endorsed PTI’s stance on various issues. Reportedly, the khan gave a dressing down to his Information Secretary Shafquat Mehmood for criticising Qadri in the media.

Nonetheless even Imran cannot afford to endorse Qadri’s plan to postpone elections in the name of cleaning the Augean stables.

It will be tantamount to endorsing the repeat of Gen Zia-ul-Haq’s stratagem for self-perpetuation, “accountability before elections”.

In reality it was a successful attempt by Zia and his cohorts to bolster the rightist forces by first getting rid of the ousted Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and subsequently holding elections. Despite being discredited by Zia’s propaganda machine, Bhutto was poised to win the elections to be held in 1977. Those elections were not held for eleven years.

Ironically, in the present context, the ostensible purpose of Qadri’s lament is to get certain politicians from the PML-N and the PPP disqualified before elections are held.

Reportedly, Nawaz Sharif – a major beneficiary of Zia’s benevolence but now a red rag for the establishment – is on top of the list.

Some elements considered close to the establishment have likened Qadri’s planned long march on 14 January to the Arab Spring. This would mean that Qadri by his dharna, a la Egypt’s al Tahrir Square, would force his favourite stakeholders – the judiciary and the military – to intervene and oust the government, setting up a caretaker setup to replace it.

Obviously it is a blatant attempt to blackball certain players both from the PPP and the PML-N, and have a ‘cooling off’ period for a few years under a military backed “caretaker government”. It will be clear from the kind of backing Qadri gets for his planned long march whether he has any takers.

Imran khan may see it as a window of opportunity to enter the arena from the backdoor despite the promise of his ‘”tsunami”. But judging by the groundswell of support he claims in his rallies, he need not back mavericks like Qadri. Political forces in the country, including the MQM and the PTI, should be closing ranks to strengthen the system so that the elections are held at the appointed time.

This is the immediate challenge for master Bilawal, his father and the Sharifs. There is plenty of time for both parties to run down each other once basic issues have been settled.

The writer is Editor, Pakistan Today

Shrinking political space The emergence of a potential game-changer

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ast week was full of political fireworks which saw the emergence of a potential gamechanger in Lahore. The mammoth public meeting held at the grounds of Minar-e-Pakistan was symptomatic of the frustration that runs deep among people and their eagerness to throng around anyone who promises ‘change’ in their depleted lives.

At the same time, Allama Tahirul-Qadri’s speech was structured around considerable logic. His demand for electoral reforms preceding the next general elections was the centre-piece of an articulate presentation. He mixed his rhetoric with a definitive game plan: do it by January 10 or face a million-march on Islamabad. The prospect has created a wave of visible unrest among the traditional political mafias who are eager to use the artificial and fragmented electoral structure and mechanism to further perpetuate their hold on the country’s destiny. Interestingly, while he was delivering a message of ‘change’ from the pulpit, a large contingent representing one of the most corrupt political outfits of the country shared space with him on the stage.

PML-N appears to be excessively un-nerved in the wake of the impressive gathering as their bastion of power has come under direct assault.

It is on the basis of their mostly ‘per-

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

ceived’ performance in Punjab that the Sharif Brothers would have liked to launch their election campaign.

PTI’s 30 October gathering in Lahore had jolted their confidence the first time forcing them into doubleshift to erase its impact. This is the second time in about a year that their citadel has come under attack and for good measure. But there is also a big difference: while PTI reiterated its faith in the electoral process subject to addressing some critically contentious issues, Qadri’s approach is based around the prospect of forcing the change by using the street power of numbers.

The basic question that is being debated in the aftermath of the allegedly ‘sponsored’ Tahir-ul-Qadri show is whether the interim government has the requisite constitutional authority to undertake a cleansing operation prior to holding the elections, or whether their only job is to hold the elections, hand over power and quit? Quoting of article 254 of the constitution has initiated a lively debate with odds even: there are people who believe that for any meaningful change to accrue, it is absolutely vital to implement electoral and societal reforms prior to holding the next elections, but there are also people led by the traditional political mafias including the PML-N and

PPP who believe that any such change, if at all, should be left to the elected government to implement.

The likelihood is that the debate is going to intensify in the days and weeks leading up to the elections with all prospects remaining open to the last day. No one can question the legitimacy of the demands contained in Tahir-ul-Qadri’s address. These have been voiced by some other political parties also. It is only in the ascertainment of the mechanism to implement the changes and its timing that there is bound to be division along the middle putting the traditionalists apart from the non-traditionalists: the former will go with the elections first and leave it to the next government to implement changes if deemed necessary while the latter would opt for incorporating the changes first to make the election process more meaningful and representative.

There is another interesting development that should not go unnoticed. After a ‘chance’ meeting with the COAS on 26 December at the NADRA headquarters in Islamabad, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (retd) Fakhuruddin G Ebrahim went back on his earlier pronouncement regarding fresh delimitation in karachi which had followed the SC directive in the matter.

Instead, he has now stated that it

was not possible to carry out delimitation of constituencies in karachi and these will remain unchanged.

He also added that he was awaiting suggestions from political parties in this regard. It is in the same meeting that the COAS assured the CEC of his full cooperation in holding the elections. Was the about-turn a result of the CEC’s parleys with the COAS, or are there other pressures that have come into force since the CEC’s last declaration that he would abide by all SC judgements?

Both the issues, the one raised

by Tahir-ul-Qadri and the one regarding the delimitation in karachi, are critical to the holding of the next elections along with so many others when looked upon in the backdrop of the political governments having failed miserably in delivering the fruits of ‘democracy’ to the people.

Any perception that these issues will evaporate with the passage of time is rather erroneous, even pretentious.

The first issue relates to ensuring that only a clean and competent leadership is elected transparently through the process of elections and the second issue relates to the right of others having been usurped through forced delimitations that suit only one political party.

Any election held on the basis of the electoral laws as these stand today

is not likely to provide a solution to the problems that the people are afflicted with. For ensuring any relief to them, the process will have to be radically altered so that the marauding bands of dual-nationality and fake-degree-suspect tax-evading legislators are blocked effectively and replaced by a service-oriented educated and credible leadership that focuses principally on an economic-salvation agenda over the next few years and also works towards rehabilitating the confidence and resolve of the people so that they could become powerful instruments in the vanguard of the movement for ‘change’. This ‘change’ has not come and will not come by replacing a smaller thief with a bigger bandit by following the incumbent election process and allowing space for drycleaned political mafias to come back adorning deceptive garbs. The system should block the path for all such bandits from being elected and should provide avenues for a new generation of people to come forth laden with the tools of education, expertise, competence, dynamism and selflessness. But it is the fast shrinking political space that may prove to be the ultimate arbiter in the game plan.

The writer is a political analyst. He can be reached at: raoofhasan@hotmail.com

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Comment 11

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Fax: +92-42-36298302.

E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk.

Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively.

A symbol of federation

whitelIES

“My father told me in our last meeting at Rawalpindi Jail that I must sacrifice everything for my country”— Benazir Bhutto.

Bilawal’s chaste Urdu

A befitting gift The Pakistani nation salutes its cricket team, for giving a very befitting victory gift to the nation, on the eve of the 136th birthday anniversary of the father and the founder of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

This is not an ordinary T20 win, rather it’s the first T20 victory ever against India.

And the icing on the cake is that it was achieved on the Indian soil.

The gist of the victory can be found in the excellent leadership of captain Muhammad Hafeez, who led the team by example.

Bowling was up to the mark with bare minimum extras. However, the fielding was exceptionally improved, with three direct run outs.

However, the batting failures of Nasir Jamshed, Ahmad Shahzad, Umar Akmal and kamran Akmal need immediate attention of the team management and the PCB. Victory has many fathers (which hides all the weaknesses) and defeat is an orphan (which turns even positives into negatives).

As such, our team must not sit on its laurels of this win. It should concentrate to overcome the shortcomings of this match and focus on a clean sweep during the Indian tour.

Last but not the least, the team management and the PCB must ensure to immediately work on improving the low fitness levels of Nasir Jamshed, Shoaib Malik, Suhail Tanvir and kamran Akmal.

Best of luck to the Pakistani cricket team, its management and the PCB. SYED NAYYAR UDDIN AHMAD Lahore

Suggestion for FBr In the past year, the FBR has unearthed a number of scams related to the refund of taxes for importers. Although this shows excellent progress by FBR to detect these scams, these incidents also show the weaknesses in this system of refunds.

Therefore, I think the FBR should stop this process of giving refunds and start a completely new process from this year on.

This will stop these scams for the future while the FBR investigates the scams already completed.

SHAHRYAR KHAN BASEER Peshawar

By Sharmila Farooqi

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n 27 December, we pay tribute to the inimitable combination of courage, charisma and defiance. It is a tragic day not only for Pakistan and its people but for all those across the world who truly believe in the ideals of democracy. Five years after her brutal assassination, we are still unable to reconcile with the fact that Benazir Bhutto is no more but the reality, however nightmarish, cannot be blotted out of one’s mind. For long we will remain mired in her memories and her struggle for the revival of democracy in Pakistan. She lived for the poor and died for the poor.

Benazir Bhutto epitomised courage and courted death because she challenged dictators and tyrants and stood up against terrorists and jihadists. She was a woman swimming against the tide of obscurantism. She died because she represented the aspirations of millions of her countrymen. In her death, Pakistan was robbed of the jewel in its crown.

Daughter of the indominatable Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and a child of privilege her personal and political struggle remains legendry.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had championed the cause of the poor and downtrodden and had given a sense of dignity to the common man in Pakistan. Shaheed Benazir Bhutto who rose to become her father’s political successor did the same. The most inspirational woman I have ever met, her belief in democracy and freedom as a way of life inspired devotion among her people.

Pakistan Peoples Party is a party of the diehards. It has always stood against the dictators who robbed the people of their basic right to rule themselves. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was

martyred because he championed the cause of the common man. Shaheed Benazir Bhutto followed in his footsteps. She challenged the demons of darkness in Pakistan and was the most potent rallying point to combine the forces of Islam and modernism. On her return, she was mobilising a new politically credible resistance to primitivism.

Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan in October 2007 after nine years of exile, hopeful that she could be a catalyst for change.

Upon a tumultuous reception, she survived a suicide bomb attack that killed nearly two hundred PPP’s stalwarts. But she continued to forge ahead, with more courage and conviction than ever, since she knew that time was running out for the future of her nation. While briefing the media after the attack, she said that it was not an attack on her, but an attack on democracy, unity and integrity of Pakistan.

Benazir Bhutto challenged the forces of dictatorship and extremism. The restoration of democracy and ridding the country from the clutches of dictatorship were her articles of faith. She was the hope of masses, the downtrodden and the marginalised. Benazir was martyred on December 27, 2007, while she was leading a political rally in Rawalpindi. All hopes of the extremists to bury her ideals with her physical obliteration have been smashed by her followers, who have vowed to continue the struggle spearheaded by her for democracy and rule of law in Pakistan. Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir’s husband and now the president of Pakistan, has followed in her footsteps to accomplish her ideals.

When audiences around the globe hear Benazir Bhutto’s dramatic story of democracy and deposal, they are awed by the tireless strength with which she struggled to bring freedom to the people of her country. Benazir Bhutto is a living icon of the battle for democracy, and stands with only a handful of female executive leaders who have shaped the global events of the last century. During her terms of office, she was faced with an enormous challenge: how to effectively govern a poor, politically factitious and ethnically diverse nation. Benazir Bhutto moved swiftly to restore civil liberties and political freedom, suspended under military rule.

Benazir Bhutto did great things for her country. She had very strong determination as it can be seen in her life and her decisions. Benazir Bhutto was demonised by the civilmilitary oligarchy that has virtually run Pakistan since 1958. But she retained a hardcore of popular support, and her social-democratic Pakistan Peoples party is widely regarded as Pakistan’s largest political party. Benazir Bhutto had the combination of political brilliance, charisma, popular support and international recognition. In the democratisation process of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto has played a huge role. She saved her people from the military and brought much advancement in their lives. She was a courageous lady. In 2007, despite the threat of Islamic extremists and the hostile government, Benazir decided to return to her homeland.

While commenting on her return, Benazir Bhutto said, “Some people may not understand why I left a comfortable life and faced these threats. So many people have sacrificed much for so many things, so many died and so many see me as the hope of liberty. Now I cannot run away from the battle. Dr Martin Luther king’s phrase comes to my mind: ‘Our lives end when we keep our silence on important issues.’ And I confide myself to my own people by my belief in God.” President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari has followed in her footsteps to accomplish her ideals. Although Benazir Bhutto did not live to see these developments, the party she led and the causes she championed are in the ascendant, and her spirit pervades the political life of contemporary Pakistan. Zardari remains the most potent Pakistani voice for liberalism, tolerance and change.

Benazir Bhutto is no more but her ideals are the guiding principles of the people’s government. Hundreds of thousands of PPP workers are ready to sacrifice their lives for the accomplishment of Benazir’s ideals. Pakistan can avenge Benazir’s killing by sticking to the democratic path that has always been the hallmark of the PPP’s political culture.

The writer is Special Assistant to Chief Minister Sindh, Minister for Media Affairs and Auqaf, Sindh, and Secretary Information, PPP, Women Wing.

By Apollo

Under the aegis of our high commissioner, Zardari said his accent was like that of BB’s.

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he boy who would be king, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, caught his share of attention at the fifth death anniversary of his mother. He should have, of course, since this was his political presentation ball.

But it was his chaste Urdu that got people talking.

Almost entirely foreign educated, the political heir’s grasp of Urdu had been notoriously inadequate. But under the aegis of our man in Britain, Wajid Shams-ul-Hassan, he managed to do alright.

An emotional Zardari was heard saying to close ones how he thought his son’s accent resembled that of his late wife’s.

As far as being anglicised was concerned, hey, the Father of the Nation wasn’t exactly a master of Lucknavi talaffuz either.

N

**************

ow that the US is to have a new Secretary of State, we shall see whether the large number of women working in the American diplomatic corps in Pakistan was related to her equal opportunity planning. A number of key offices at the Lahore consulate since some time now have been occupied by women.

For feedback, comments, suggestions and, most importantly, tips, contact us at whitelies@pakistantoday.com.pk

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

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12 JENNIFER IS CELEB MOTHER OF THE YEAR Jennifer Garner has been named celebrity Mother of the Year 2012 by a magazine.

According to Today's Parent Magazine, the 40-year-old actress, who is a hands-on mother to three kids with Ben Affleck, won by "a landslide". The magazine had a list of reasons to choose Garner as a winner for this title, one of them being her appearance, which is relatable yet still "gorgeous and puttogether," and her honesty about being overwhelmed and tired as a mother of three was also noticed, CBS News reported. Apart from this, her candid confession in August that she's done having kids, was also seen as a strong reason to get this title. NewS DeSK

NETS IN 5 CRORE IN PAKISTAN Unleashing a full packed action sequel, Dabangg-2 had cinema goers in a frenzy from the very day it was released, which had the cash register ringing.

No wonder the movie entered the 100 crore club within the first week of its release, with collections amounting to Rs.100.78 crore globally and 5 crore in Pakistan alone. Dabangg 2 is a sequel to the 2010 blockbuster Dabangg, which was set in a village and had a rustic, rural flavour of small town Uttar Pradesh in it. The story of the sequel has shifted to the posh metropolitan city of Kanpur, while it sees an upgrade of the film’s hero Chulbul Pandey, into a happily married family man. Made under the banner of Arbaaz Khan Productions, Dabangg 2 is Arbaaz’s directorial debut and has been written by Dilip Shukla. NewS DeSK

shah rukh makes me feel special: Deepika Padukone Deepika Padukone, who made a dream debut opposite Shah Rukh khan in the 2007 movie "Om Shanti Om", reunites with the superstar on screen for " Chennai Express" and says the two are closer now. "I feel Shah Rukh is still the same. He is as talented as he was (then).

Now I have got even closer to him than before. You never get bored with him!

He always makes me feel special," Deepika told IANS. The actress is busy juggling commitments for her two films, "Chennai Express" and " Ram Leela".

"For 'Chennai Express', we are shooting in the outskirts of Mumbai, and 'Ram Leela' will be shot in Mumbai, Gujarat and Rajasthan," she said. "Ram Leela" is a project by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and Deepika features opposite Ranveer Singh in it. NewS DeSK

orlando and Miranda quash breakup rumours Orlando Bloom and Miranda kerr put rumours of their split to rest, as they were seen heading out to a friend's house with their son Flynn the day after Christmas. The trio made their way to a friend's house in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles to 0continue their festive celebrations, and when they left, the trio looked happier than ever, the Daily Mail reported. In fact, the couple formed a tag team as they spilled out into the chilly LA night with kerr holding Flynn, as Bloom tenderly touched his head. Earlier this month, the rumour mill went into overdrive with some sources claiming that the golden couple had split.

US celebrity magazine In Touch had claimed that the couple had separated and were figuring out what they wanted to do next. But Bloom's mother Sonia insisted that everything was fine between the couple and they were very happy. NewS DeSK

DIDN'T GET ACTING BREAK BECAUSE OF PRIYANKA, SAYS PARINEETI

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CTRESS Parineeti Chopra, who made her Bollywood debut last year with Ladies VS Ricky Bahl, says she did not get her first break because of sister actress Priyanka Chopra. Parineeti cleared the air during an episode of a television show. Parineeti said there is this popular belief that she got her first movie because of her sister, Priyanka, but the fact is that she knew Maneesh Sharma, who directed Ladies VS Ricky Bahl, since a long time and that's how she was approached. Tuhin, a fashion designer from kolkata, met Parineeti on the show. Parineeti told Tuhin how she is called a tomboy by her father and he always tells her to act feminine and classy. She says he wants her to behave a little more reserved instead of being the frank person that she is. Tuhin, a fashion designer from kolkata, met Parineeti on the show. Parineeti told Tuhin how she is called a tomboy by her father and he always tells her to act feminine and classy. Tuhin gifted Parineeti a gown, that he created in one night, after being informed that he was selected for the show. NewS DeSK

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

JOHN ABRAHAM SAYS NO TO BIPASHA BASU?

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HILE news is that John Abraham and Bipasha Basu would be coming together for a marathon in Mumbai, the real picture seems far from it. John has been associated with the event for a couple of years now and Bipasha will also be present this year as she is participating for a special cause. As a result the two will be sharing the podium at this event.

While there has been talk of the two of them burying the hatchet and moving on, John seems to be in no mood to let bygones be bygones. He does not seem to be in any mood to be ready to team up with her professionally after their break-up. At a recent event, when he was asked if he would be open to working with Bipasha, he curtly replied, "I haven't thought about working with her and it's not even on my mind." While Bips seems to be more welcome to the idea of them teaming up, John wants to stay as away as possible from working together. After their bitter break-up, the two make sure that they don't land up at the same parties at the same time to avoid awkward situations. But since they have a lot of common friends, they have more often than not, landed up at the same parties on a couple of occasions. NewS DeSK

Kate Winslet to be blasted into space by Sir Richard Branson kate Winslet was said to be “over the moon” after Sir Richard Branson bought her a trip to space as a wedding present. The Titanic star, 37 – who wed Sir Richard’s nephew Ned RocknRoll in a secret ceremony in New York – has been given a £124,000 ticket to leave the atmosphere on a Virgin Galactic flight. She got the free offer after she rescued Sir Richard’s mother Eve from a fire on his £60 million Necker Island retreat last year, the Sun reported. In September Sir Richard said: "I'm not sure she wants to go on a one-way trip to Mars, but she wants to go into space." RocknRoll, 34, works part time for Virgin Galactic which hopes to start flights next year. More than 530 people have already bought a £124,000 ticket including comedian Russell Brand, actor Ashton kutcher and science genius Stephen Hawking who also received a free ride courtesy of Branson. The trip is a twohour flight to 60 miles above earth.

Passengers will experience weightlessness and see the Earth's curve. The couple married third hubby Ned in a secret ceremony in New York with Leonardo Di Caprio allegedly at the ceremony. They confirmed their marriage to excited friends and family using internet video calls on Skype. A source close to Ned's stepbrothers Otto and Ludo in the South of France said the groom got in contact on Boxing Day. He said: "Ned rang them on Skype late that night and said, 'Would you like to speak to my wife?' and pulled a beaming, giggling kate into the shot. It was very sweet and they're happy."

NewS DeSK

PATTINSON'S FAMILY FIGHT OVER KRISTEN STEWART DURING CHRISTMAS?

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OBERT Pattinson’s Christmas family gettogether was filled with tension as the star’s relationship with kristen Stewart became a sore point talking point, according to reports. The 'Twilight' hunk was said to have resolved his families’ issues with the 'Snow White And Huntsman' star - who were deeply hurt by her fling with married director Rupert Sanders - with his parents and siblings even welcoming kristen into their home to spend Thanksgiving in November. However, it seems the season of goodwill wasn’t enough to stop Rob clashing with his sister Lizzy, who apparently still hasn't forgiven kristen for cheating on the star.

"The rows kicked off on Christmas Eve when protective Lizzy had some words with Robert about getting back with a cheat," a source told The Sun newspaper. "They were out drinking in Barnes, where Rob grew up. Lizzy was giving him grief about taking kristen back and said she's always hated the way he's been treated by her," the source added. The apparent family confrontation comes amid news Rob will make a final decision on his relationship with his 'Twilight' squeeze. According to Now magazine sources, the 26-year-old will spend January mulling over their future. NewS DeSK

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13 WHITNEY HOUSTON WAS MURDERED, CLAIMS INVESTIGATOR

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DeLHI GANGrAPe cASe

ethics be damned for media: Amitabh As the Delhi gangrape victim was moved out of India for better treatment on Wednesday night, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan slammed media for neglecting human interest in the race of BREAkING NEWS. Commenting on the media covergae of the Delhi gangrape victim, Amitabh Bachchan wrote on Facebook, "Lot of debate and discussion and comment on the media coverage of patient DelhiGangRape, being shifted in ambulance to another location ... patient privacy is an important element in the Constitutional Journals of Medical Ethics ..Couple of years ago when I was in an emergency and taken to Hospital, media had blocked the ambulance door to such an extent that it took my family and the doctors 20 minutes to open the door to get me out, while I suffered in pain inside, impatient to get immediate medical attention ..On another occasion, after a surgery, a journalist dressed herself in doctor's gear and walked into the ICU where I was and then immediately went out and started live reporting on my condition, saying she had just met me ... Ethics be damned !!" A 23 year old student was brutally gangraped by six men on the night of December 16, in the national capital in a bus.

The incident evoked wide-spread outrage and protests. All the accused have been arrested in the case. The victim is currently undergoing treatment for her injuries in Singapore.

Meanwhile, protests against the incident turned violent on India Gate and a Delhi Polcie constable succumbed to the inuries received while trying to pacify the protesters. NewS DeSK

N investigator has claimed that he has the video evidence to prove that Whitney Houston did not die of a drug overdose but was killed by drug dealers. Paul Huebl says he has turned over the video evidence to the FBI that shows the 48-year-old singer was killed over a drug debt in February. According to The National Enquirer, Huebl believes that the troubled singer was targeted by several high powered drug dealers who sent goons to collect a huge debt that she owed for the drugs.

Houston owed 1.5 million dollars to dealers, according to some reports.

However, Huebl said that he doesn't know for certain that Houston was killed - only that evidence he collected could point in that direction. He said that Houston received a delivery of cocaine to her room the day before her death and could be heard saying that she was tired of it. He said that Houston had earlier been subjected to harassment by dealers trying to collect on her debt. Huebl said that he obtained surveillance video that shows two unknown men, who repeatedly went to the Beverly Hilton and integrated themselves into the singer's entourage, the Daily Mail reported. He has claimed that they are the men, who slipped into Houston's hotel room and killed her and also disagreed with the Los Angeles County Coroner's ruling that Houstppon's death was "accidental." Huebl said that Houston's body showed defense wounds that would have occurred while she was fighting for her life.

However, Huebl also said that the marks could have been obtained in some other ways and that they were only "suspected" defensive wounds. He also said that he had evidence of her hotel room being ransacked, showing further hints of a violent struggle.

Huebl said that he gave his evidence to the Chicago field office of the FBI in the hopes that the agency will open a criminal investigation. He conducted the enquiry after being hired by a client, who did not believe the official reports on Houston's death. Huebl believes that Beverley Hills police did not fully investigate Houston's death, as they did not want to bring the negative attention to Beverly Hills or to the Beverly Hilton. NewS DeSK

I AM OPEN TO DO AN ADULT FILM AS LONG AS IT HAS STRONG CONTENT

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CTRESS Chitrangda Singh says she is thankful to filmmaker Sudhir Mishra for giving her life as an actor. She was first cast in Mishra's 2003 film Hazaaron khwaishein Aisi, and is often called as his muse. "Sudhir gave me a life as an actor. I owe him so much. Sudhir is a qualified man. He is a psychologist and he has a degree in that. So he understands different persons, and the way he directs his actors is outstanding," Chitrangada told IANS. She will be seen in Mishra's next film Inkaar too, and says she has experimented with three different looks in the movie. "I am quite open to experimenting with different looks. In this film, I have explored three different looks.

This film is a story spanning over seven years, so I have to look like a college kid initially who works as an intern, then a corporate look and then wear a much more mature look," she said. Inkaar is based on the theme of sexual harassment at the workplace and falls under the category of an A certificate movie. However, Chitrangda says she is open to such movies as long as there is strong content.Chitrangda Singh: "I think the censor board is doing a great job. NewS DeSK

Katie Holmes on her way to the Music Box Theatre on Friday.

YOKO ONO REVEALS BEATLES' DIVORCE SECRET

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EWLY released recordings of interviews with some of music's biggest names have revealed yet another wrinkle in the decades-long mystery of precisely why the Beatles called it quits. In a recorded interview, John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono got to the nitty gritty of what she described as a divorce, the Huffington Post reported. While Ono maintained that Lennon was feeling very good about the breakup, she admitted that some tensions were forming within the band.

The 79-year-old peace activist said in the 1987 interview that the band was getting very independent, each one of the band members was getting independent. In fact Lennon was not the first who wanted to leave the Beatles. Ringo Starr came to John and Yoko one night and said that he wanted to leave. George Harrison was next, and then John. She revealed that Paul McCartney was the only one trying to hold the Beatles together, but the other three thought that Paul would hold the Beatles together as his band. Ono also said that the breakup put some strains on her relationship with Lennon, noting that she felt the late icon missed his bandmates and expected all that to be replaced by her. NewS DeSK

AMERICAN SOUL SINGER FONTELLA BASS DIES AT 72

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MERICAN soul singer, Fontella Bass, best remembered for the hit single Rescue Me, has died of complications following a heart attack. She was 72. She had been in poor health for much of the past seven years.

Rescue Me reached the top of the US R&B chart in 1965 and is one of the best known soul songs. It has been covered by many artists. Fontella Bass had a powerful voice and a background steeped in music. Her mother was gospel singer Martha Bass, one of the Clara Ward Singers and Fontella Bass began performing at a young age, singing in her church's choir at the age of six. Like many of her generation, she graduated to soul and R&B in the 60s, signing to Chess Records. She first found success in a duet with Bobby McClure on Don't Mess Up a Good Thing and You'll Miss Me (When I'm Gone). She cowrote Rescue Me, a song her daughter Neuka Mitchell said "held a special place in her heart". But it took years of legal battles for her to receive full royalty rights to the song. A final settlement was reached more than 20 years after the song was first released. NewS DeSK

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

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Infotainment 14 3,000-year-old temple and sacred vessels unearthed near Jerusalem F

Second man pushed to death in NYC subway

OR the second time this month, a man has been killed after being shoved onto New York City subway tracks. Last night's victim hasn't been identified, but several witnesses saw the incident, the New York Daily News reports: A young woman was mumbling as she wandered along a subway platform in Queens. After sitting on a bench, she "waited until the train came into the station and approached this individual from behind and pushed him in front of the train," a police spokesman says.

"We haven’t determined whether it was random or if there was some connection" between the woman and man, the spokesman adds, but witnesses saw no evidence that they knew each other. The man seemed not to have noticed the woman, witnesses say. Police have released surveillance footage of the woman fleeing the scene, the AP reports. They describe her as a heavyset, 5-foot-5 Hispanic woman in her 20s. The New York Times adds that police were able to obtain images of her from a local restaurant's cameras, which were directed toward the subway stairs. "She jumps from the stairs and she just runs," the owner says. NEwS DESK

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temple and sacred vessels from the First Temple period were discovered near Jerusalem. The nearly 3,000year-old temple was unearthed by the Israel Antiquities Authority during excavations at the Tel Motza archaeological site west of Jerusalem, prior to work being carried out on a planned expansion of Highway 1. "The ritual building at Tel Motza is an unusual and striking find,

in light of the fact that there are hardly any remains of ritual buildings of the period in Judea at the time of the First Temple. The uniqueness of the structure is even more remarkable because of the vicinity of the site's proximity to the capital city of Jerusalem, which acted as the kingdom's main sacred center at the time," Anna Eirikh, Dr. Hamoudi khalaily and Shua kisilevitz, directors of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities

Authority, said in a statement. Many finds have previously been uncovered at the Tel Motza site, from a variety of periods. Among the vessels unearthed in this recent find are ritual pottery vessels, with fragments of chalices (bowls on a high base that were used in sacred rituals), decorated ritual pedestals, and a number of pottery figurines of humans with a flat headdress and curling hair; and figurines of harnessed animals. NEwS DESK

Americans now banned from adopting Russian kids

Stranded whale succumbs to death

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HE finback whale that beached itself in Queens was found dead on Thursday morning, according to the team of marine biologists who rushed to help the stranded animal about 24 hours earlier.

The 60-foot whale had floated away from the Breezy Point neighborhood during high tide overnight to nearby National Park Service land, and biologists were only able to check its condition around 11 a.m. Thursday. The natural death means chemical euthanasia won't be necessary; officials had been preparing for such a measure because of the whale's poor health.

Members of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, which led the rescue effort, had been preparing to procure enough drugs to kill the approximately 40-ton animal.

Finding a landfill that would accept the whale had also been an issue, since chemical euthanasia creates environmental concerns that would prevent a normal burial.

The whale will be buried on the beach after heavy equipment that can move it to the dune line is secured, said Allison McHale of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. A necropsy will be performed after the whale is moved on Friday or Saturday, she said.

Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also helped in the response to the ailing whale.

The whale was reported beached on Wednesday morning, and the NYPD's emergency-service and harbor units cordoned off the area and sprayed the animal with water to keep it hydrated until the tide came in. But biologists who arrived at the scene quickly assessed that the whale, in its teens, was emaciated and appeared to have been sick for some time. Finback whales are found in all the world's oceans and are known to frequent waters off the U.S. Atlantic coast, according to the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation. NEwS DESK

As expected, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a controversial new bill banning US citizens from adopting Russian children, reports Reuters. In addition to the adoption ban, the Russian law, set to take effect Jan. 1, could close some Russian NGOs that receive US funding and bans Americans accused of violating Russians' rights abroad from obtaining visas. The measure is widely considered retaliation for the Magnitsky Act, an American bill signed into law earlier this month that puts restrictions on Russians deemed to be human-rights violators. But with 740,000 children in Russia lacking parental care and only 7,416 kids adopted

by Russians themselves last year, critics say the children will be the ones to suffer.

Americans have adopted some 60,000 Russian children over the last 20 years, leading one Russian journalist to call Moscow's response "cannibalistic," reports the Washington Post. Right now there are 46 pending adoptions that will be immediately blocked by the legislation. "It's really un-

bearable," said one parent who was on the verge of adopting a four-year-old boy with special needs, according to the USA Today. The Ohio couple visited him several times and left photo albums.

Now, "we feel like we're failing the child. ... It's hard to imagine how crushed he's going to be." NEwS DESK

Roboy, a robot 'boy' to help humans with everyday tasks Scientists are designing a new ambitious robotic humanoid helper with artificial muscles to help people with everyday tasks. Engineers at the University of Zurich's Artificial Intelligence Lab hope that 1.2 metre tall Roboy, designed to look like a child, will help the sick and elderly by acting as a mechanical helper. The research team is developing radical artificial 'tendons' to help the robot move, the 'Daily Mail' reported. They have already signed up 15 project partners and over 40 engineers, and hope to fund the project using a

combination of commercial partners and crowd-funding. Researchers hope Roboy will become a blueprint for 'service robots' that work alongside humans. "Service robots are machines that are, to a certain extent, able to execute services independently for the convenience of human beings. Since they share their 'living space' with people, user-friendliness and safety are of great importance," researchers said. NEwS DESK

Sabre tooth cats didn’t starve into extinction

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HE fearsome felines of the Ice Age in California don’t show signs of starving immediately before their extinction. Teeth of sabre-toothed cats and the American lions didn’t have wear marks that would have suggested the cats were gnawing on bones in hunger near the time of the cats’ extinctions. "Tooth wear patterns suggest that these cats were not desperately consuming entire carcasses, as was expected, and instead seemed to be living the 'good life' during the late Pleistocene, at least up until the very end," said lead author Larisa DeSantis of Vanderbilt University in a press release. Tooth wear patterns did reveal previously unknown differences in the two cat species behavior. Sabre-toothed cats, also known as Smilodon, appeared to have regularly crunched bones, and showed no increase in this dietary distinction toward the end of their reign, which spanned from 30,000 to 10,000 years ago.

American lions however, were more finicky and seem to have avoided bones, much as modern cheetahs do. The extinction of the predators remains a mystery. Some have suggested that the changing climate at the end of the last Ice Age along with an influx of animals from Asia, including the ferocious Homo sapiens, may have left Smilodon with nothing to grin about. NEwS DESK

'Dinosaur smuggler' pleads guilty

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man from Florida has admitted to smuggling some prehistoric cargo. Eric Prokopi yesterday told a Manhattan federal court that he'd "forwarded a few shipments of fossils of Mongolian origin from Great Britain to the US that were mislabeled." Among the shipments in question: a Tyrannosaurus bataar that sold for more than $1 million at auction. Prokopi will be sentenced in April, the New York Times reports; he faces 17 years in prison and $750,000 in fines, CNN notes. He'll also have to give up his fossils, which include two other Tyrannosaurs and a pair of Oviraptors. "It’s one of the longer dinosaur shopping lists," said a prosecutor. It's illegal to take dinosaur fossils out of Mongolia. A website that prosecutors say belongs to Prokopi announces, "That's right, we sell dinosaurs!" the Times notes. "To whom, you might ask, and we say to anyone that wants one!" NEwS DESK

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AsiAn chAMPions hockeY 2012

Pakistan lift trophy after high-scoring battle DOHA

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AGENCIES

AkISTAN upstaged defending champions India to win the Asian Champions trophy in Doha. While India had the better of a tense encounter in the semi finals, Pakistan proved the marginally better team in the finals, enough to give them the first Asian Champions Trophy. Both teams had also contested the final last year when India finished on top in Ordos, China. Not unlike any encounter on field it was a battle of nerves, frayed tempers and controversies but had moments of heart-stopping skill and excellent rapport between the squads as the hooter went off for the final time.

The match itself was a fantastic, highscoring contest where stick-wielders from both sides went flat out. Unlike the semifinal where both teams were content to preserve the lead, here both teams went at it with the mantra "you score, I score more" which made of fine, attacking hockey not unlike the recent Netherlands vs Australia encounter in Champions Trophy final, only with more goal count. Pakistan drew first

blood via Muhammad Waqas penalty corner goal at 7th minute after Mohammad Rizwan was blocked in circle. But India hit back as S V Sunil scored at the ninth minute. Sunil had not recovered fully from his ankle injury and it was brave of him to keep playing, let alone score what was his fourth goal of the tournament. At 21st vice captain V R Raghunath drag-flicked a penalty corner to give India a slender lead and India held on to it at the lemon break.

The change of ends however saw Pakistan

double the ferocity of their attack.

Shafqat Rasool scurried through the left flank at the 42nd minute to restore parity before Mohammad Irfan sounded the board with a high drag-flick five minutes later to put Pakistan ahead. For once the Indian defenders looked flustered, but surprisingly, their forwards and midfield didn't hang back and focused on creating more opportunities upfront. Gurwinder Chandi used a superb set piece through pass to make it three-all at the 55th

minute. In a period of intense attacks and counterattacks from both teams saw them exchange another set of goals within two minutes of each other as Waqas scored his second goal two minutes later with a smart, opportunistic move. Rupinder pal Singh made if even at four another two minutes later.

It was riveting stuff from both teams as they missed a few chances but someone inevitably rose to occasion and you could almost sense that with every attacking move there was a goal to be had. By now both the defenses were edgy, as were the referees. In 64th minute Irfan scored his second goal, converting a short corner.

India pushed hard again - there was a line call from one of their penalty corner efforts which the korean umpire ruled out.

A heated argument followed, almost threatening a walk out by the Indians but good sense prevailed.

Pakistan defense held firm until the final whistle to seal the winning moment.

Thankfully, like all good contests it ended on a good note -despite the frayed tempers both teams left the field shaking hands, smiling and completely drained like worthy warriors after a great contest.

Jayawardene demands more from team MELBOURNE AGENCIES

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene will take an injury-ravaged and demoralised outfit into the dead rubber test in Sydney but has demanded his team show more character after their trouncing by Australia in the second test in Melbourne on Friday.

Sri Lanka were bundled out for 103 in the second innings after managing only 156 in the first, to lose the test by an innings and 201 runs in two-and-half days, and concede the three-match series 2-0.

The insipid batting display was compounded by a woeful fielding effort littered with dropped catches and injuries to master batsman kumar Sangakkara, seamer Chanaka Welegedara and wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene.

Sangakkara, the only batsman to show defiance in both Sri Lanka's in-

nings, has been ruled out of Sydney with a broken finger courtesy of a Mitchell Johnson delivery, and Welegedara will also miss due to a strained hamstring. Wicketkeeper Jayawardene is also a doubt after breaking a thumb after being whacked by another ball from seamer Johnson. "Today I thought we needed to buckle down and bat well," said Jayawardene, who will step down as skipper of the test side after Sydney with all-rounder Angelo Mathews likely to take the reins.

"We lost two wickets in no time in the first over which gave them a lot of momentum and then we just kept losing wickets. "You can't pinpoint one thing and say that's where we went wrong... There were loose shots and a loss of concentration.

"At the same time, the Australians played some really good cricket as well. You can't take that away from them. "We need to step up to the plate, we need to show

character and really dig deep."

Jayawardene would do well to take his own advice, after failing twice at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to continue a poor series.

The 35-year-old captain has not surpassed 19 runs in his past six innings and the way he threw away his wickets in Melbourne signalled a player struggling for form.

After being caught behind for three wafting at a delivery he should have left alone in the first innings, Jayawardene was out for a duck in the second innings after playing onto his stumps when shaping to leave the ball.

"It's something that I need to sit down and see where I can go right. I haven't spent enough time in this series at all," Jayawardene said.

"But three-four overs is not enough for me to assess where I need to be in this series. It's not just individuals as a team, we all need to take responsibility for this."

Australia rout Sri Lanka to clinch series MELBOURNE AGENCIES

Australia's bowlers battered Sri Lanka's batsmen to win the second test by a humiliating innings and 201 runs before tea on day three and claim an unassailable 2-0 lead in their three-match series. Needing 305 runs to make Australia bat again, Sri Lanka surrendered at the Melbourne Cricket Ground after adding only 103 in their second innings, with a top order collapse and a raft of injuries leaving the tourists smarting ahead of Sydney's dead rubber test next week. Sealing the series a match early was some consolation for Michael Clarke's team after they conceded a hard-fought series 1-0 against the top-ranked test nation South Africa with a stinging defeat in the third and final test in Perth.

"I said that at the start of the series that our goal was to win these three test matches and really show that we learnt from the South African series," Clarke, who scored a sparkling 106 at the MCG

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

SCOREBOARD SRI lANKA FIRST INNINGS 156 Australia first innings (overnight 440-8) D. warner c Prasad b Mathews 62 E. Cowan c M. Jayawardene b Prasad 36 P. Hughes run out 10 S. watson c Samaraweera b Prasad 83 M. Clarke c M. Jayawardene b Eranga 106 M. Hussey c Herath b Dilshan 34 M. wade c Eranga b Prasad 1 M. Johnson not out 92 P. Siddle c M. Jayawardene b Eranga 13 N. lyon c sub b Mathews 1 J. Bird b Eranga 0 Extras (b-9, lb-5 w-6 nb-2) 22 Total (all out, 134.4 overs) 460 Fall of wickets: 1-95 2-117 3-117 4-311 5-313 6-315 7-376 8434 9-451 10-460 Bowling: C. welegedara 14.4-6-38-0, S. Eranga 27-2-1093 (nb-2, w-5), D. Prasad 26-2-106-3 (w-1), A. Mathews 16-3-60-2, R. Herath 39-7-95-0, T. Dilshan 12-1-38-1

SRI lANKA SECOND INNINGS T. Dilshan c Cowan b Johnson 0 D. Karunaratne run out 1 K. Sangakkara retired hurt 27 M. Jayawardene b Bird 0 T. Samaraweera lbw b Bird 1 A. Mathews b Johnson 35 D. Prasad c Hughes b lyon 17 R. Herath not out 11 S. Eranga c Cowan b Siddle 0 P. Jayawardene absent hurt 0 C. welegedara absent hurt 0 Extras (lb-10, nb-1) 11 Total (for nine wickets; 24.2 overs) 103 Fall of wickets 1-1 2-1 3-3 4-13 5-74 6-102 7-103 Bowling: M. Johnson 8-0-16-2, J. Bird 9-1-29-2 (nb-1), P. Siddle 5.2-0-32-1, lyon 2-0-16-1 Series: Australia won the first test in Hobart Third test Jan. 3-7 Sydney Cricket Ground

to cap a brilliant year with the bat, told reporters. "So far we've done that... My goal doesn't change." Seamer Mitchell Johnson was justly named man-of-thematch after taking six wickets and making an unbeaten 92 with the bat in an outstanding return to the team after being dumped from the first test victory

in Hobart. Johnson took 4-63 in the first innings to lead the bowling as Sri Lanka were skittled for 156, but his bone-crunching menace may have Australia's selectors pondering a more permanent role for the mercurial paceman.

Johnson broke Prasanna Jayawardene's thumb in the first innings to

force the wicketkeeper to surrender the gloves to kumar Sangakkara, then broke the replacement's left forefinger in the second innings in a fiery bout of short-pitched bowling. Sangakkara came off the ground immediately after being struck on the glove by Johnson and the Sri Lanka team later confirmed their master batsman would be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks.

"I think that intimidation factor definitely worked out there today," the 31-year-old Johnson said. Johnson missed out on his second test century as Australia were bowled out for 460 in the morning session, but was immediately consoled by playing a direct hand in the first two wickets of the second innings, as Sri Lanka's top order disintegrated. The tourists lost three wickets in the first 12 balls to be flailing at 3-3, and another within the next four overs. A horrible misunderstanding between openers Dimuth karunaratne and Tillakaratne Dilshan led to the former run out for one on the third ball of the innings.

watson to miss third test against SL in Sydney

MELBOURNE AGENCIES

Australia vice captain Shane Watson will miss the third test in Sydney after sustaining a calf strain during his team's series-winning rout of Sri Lanka in the second test in Melbourne. Watson pulled up sore after bowling on day one at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and although he went on to score 83 with the bat, the all-rounder was spared from bowling duties during Sri Lanka's brief second innings on Friday. Australia wrapped up an innings and 201-run victory against the injury-ravaged Sri Lankans to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the threematch series. Glenn Maxwell comes into a 13-man squad named by Australia captain Michael Clarke following the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with the skipper himself still under a cloud with a hamstring strain. "Shane's out of the Sydney test match and Glenn Maxwell comes in the squad as a replacement for Watto as the all-rounder," Clarke told reporters. "The other player is Usman khawaja on standby for me again.

Obviously, I have a bit more extra time now winning this game in three days to give myself every chance of being right for Sydney and I'm really confident I'll be fit for Sydney, but Usman's on standby just in case." Clarke sustained his injury in Australia's victory in the first test in Hobart, but was cleared to play on the morning of the Boxing Day test and scored a sparkling 106 to cap his brilliant year. Clarke said seamer Mitchell Johnson, who was named man-of-the-match after taking six wickets and making an unbeaten 92 with the bat, would also be considered as an all-rounder for the dead rubber test, depending on the Sydney wicket. "I think the other all-rounder sits besides me right here as he showed with the bat in this game," Clarke said, gesturing at 31-year-old left-armer Johnson sitting next to him at the media conference. "So we've got options if we think the wicket's going to spin we have the option of Maxwell, if you think there will be enough in there to play four fast bowlers and a spinner, you have Johnson." Clarke also said seamer Mitchell Starc, who was controversially dropped for the Melbourne test despite being fit and taking a five-wicket haul to help Australia win in Hobart, would be a certain starter for the New Year's test.

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Sports 16

Pakistan fall to Indian-laid script AHMEDABAD AGENCIES

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NDIA overcame a Mohammad Hafeez masterclass to win by 11 runs and level the two-match series. His wristwork and effortless clearing of the ropes would have inspired admiration from those he tormented today. But Ashok Dinda bowled an excellent second spell at a time when Pakistan, led by Hafeez, were on track to chase down 193, a target set up by a dominating innings by Yuvraj Singh, who treated a packed house in Ahmedabad to an airshow that included seven sixes.

Dinda was at the receiving end of a lastball six that sealed victory for England in their T20 against India less than a week ago, but he came back well despite being put under pressure early in each of his two spells. He conceded 13 in his first over, during a promising opening stand of 74 between Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad, and was struck for two consecutive fours by Mohammad Hafeez in the 15th over that began with Pakistan needing 68 to win off 36 balls.

The conditions in Ahmedabad were pitted against the seamers, with no movement on offer and thereby forcing them to rely on variations to contain the batsmen.

Dinda not only did that, he was largely accurate and picked up three wickets, including Hafeez, in a three over spell that yielded 23 when Pakistan still had wickets in hand and the target appeared within reach. A slower ball that bowled Umar Akmal ended a 62-run stand with Hafeez that had given Pakistan the edge in the chase, and Dinda got Hafeez and kamran Akmal to hole out in the penultimate over at the start of which Pakistan required 26.

Destroyer Johnson has heart of gold, says clarke

India's spinners, R Ashwin, part-timer Suresh Raina and Yuvraj, slowed down Pakistan's openers between overs six to 11, resulting in their wickets at the cost of just two boundaries. The required rate had climbed to more than 12 in the 12th over, when Hafeez began his charge with a scoop for four that highlighted the feature of his innings, swift but skilful and interspersed with some wonderful touchplay, but little brute force.

India's score of 192 is their thirdhighest total in T20 internationals, and their highest against Pakistan. Pakistan's 181 is also their highest against India.

Yuvraj Singh's 72 is his fifth half-century, and his highest score, in T20 internationals. It's also his first against Pakistan. Among Indians, only Gautam Gambhir has more fifty-plus scores.

Yuvraj's seven sixes is the joint sixthhighest in a T20I innings, and the highest by an Indian. It's the second time he has struck seven sixes in an innings. His tally of 54 sixes is the fourth-highest in T20Is. Mohammad Hafeez's 26-ball 55 (strike rate 211.53) is the fastest 50-plus score by a Pakistan batsman. He reached his half-century in 23 balls, the secondfastest for Pakistan. Umar Gul picked up

his fifth haul of four or more wickets in T20Is, which equals Ajantha Mendis' record. Saeed Ajmal has four.

Hafeez deftly guided Yuvraj past point, then proceeded to dispatch Ashwin for two straight sixes over midwicket before driving and paddling Dinda for two consecutive boundaries, all in successive overs. A flat six over extra cover off Ishant Sharma showed the confidence he was playing with, but Dinda's comeback was vital in preventing Pakistan from pushing on. Two wickets in the penultimate over brought the equation to 20 required off the last, too much for Umar Gul and Shoaib Malik against Ishant.

India's middle order played a prominent role in the win, after having squandered an excellent foundation laid by openers Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane in the opening encounter in Bangalore. The openers did their job again, and Yuvraj and MS Dhoni, in a stand of 97 off 44 balls, ensured their work wasn't laid to waste. Yuvraj , who was struck a painful blow to the toe off a Mohammad Irfan yorker early in his innings, recovered well and seemed to be in his element, striking the ball cleanly, with a lovely flourish. Afridi and Saeed Ajmal were deposited towards cow corner, and two successive short balls were pulled over the square-leg boundary. Ajmal was targeted in the penultimate over, as Yuvraj took him for three consecutive sixes, the last of them smacked over long-on.

The last five overs yielded 74 and though Dhoni played the supporting role, he wasn't left far behind. He ran well between wickets, and pulled and drove Umar Gul for two straight fours. Though Gul picked up four wickets, accounting for India's openers and the pair that took them towards 192, he was short of sup-

hafeez’s innings of a life time in vain

MELBOURNE AGENCIES

Ringside View

Sri Lanka's bruised batsmen might care to disagree, but Mitchell Johnson cares about the well-being of his victims off the pitch, according to Australia captain Michael Clarke. The mercurial paceman was justly named man-of-the-match on Friday for his wrecking ball performance in Australia's innings and 201-run victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground that gave the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Johnson scored an unbeaten 92 and took six wickets, but his venomous short-pitched bowling left its mark on Sri Lanka, breaking the thumb of wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene and the forefinger of kumar Sangakkara, who will play no further part in the series. "I think the other side that a lot of people don't get to see of Mitch is that on the field, he is as aggressive as anybody, but he's the first guy today to walk into the change-room and make sure everything's okay with Sangakkara," Clarke told reporters. "I think a lot of people don't get to see that side. "He will fight hard, there's no doubt about it, and wants to have success for Australia and help us win, but off the field he's the first guy to go and make sure in this instance kumar's Ok." Johnson's outstanding return, having been dumped for the first test victory in Hobart, leaves Clarke and his fellow selectors with a dilemma ahead of the dead rubber test in Sydney starting on Jan. 3. Clarke said paceman Mitchell Starc, who was controversially rested for the MCG test despite being fit and in-form, would bowl in Sydney, meaning a battle for the remaining pace bowling places on a wicket traditionally conducive to spin.

"If Mitchell Johnson performed the way he did in this test match, it's going to be very hard to leave him out," Clarke said.

Johnson missed a year of cricket through injury and watched as Australia's pace attack of Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle and James Pattinson routed India during their tour the previous summer.

The tattooed left-armer said he had never lost faith while out in the international wilderness and put his hand up to become an all-rounder, with Shane Watson set to miss the Sydney test with a calf strain.

"I think I can become an all-rounder, I've always enjoyed my batting, it's just being consistent with it," the 31-year-old said.

AgHA AKBAR

A

GAIN it went down the wire, this time round though the Pakistanis batsmen somehow lost their way after threatening a mammoth Indian total of 192 – posted courtesy the combo of a slow wicket, fast outfield, a Yuvraj Singh breathing fire with the Pakistani bowlers feeding him meat and drink time and again and the fielding not at its sharpest.

With no help from a placid track the entire Pakistan bowling attack with the exception of towering Mohammad Irfan went for plenty, none finding neither the right channel nor the right length as Yuvraj and the much-maligned captain Dhoni socked it to them in a stand of 97 off 44 deliveries.

Though Umar Gul picked up two wickets apiece in his two spells, he too was expensive. The fielding though generally better than what is considered par for Pakistan – read: pretty low compared to standard-setting outfits – but was not the same class act as the previous game. What is worse, the misfields came at critical points, providing momentum to the Indian assault.

In the end the difference was not that big, just 11 runs separating the winner from the loser. The Pakistani batsmen did make a fist of it. They may have gone over the line, but for a critical, nervy mistake by Umar Akmal early in over No 17 – denying his surprise of an inventive, big-hitting-on-the-day skipper Mohammad Hafeez the batting

crease by not going for a single first ball when there clearly was one for the taking and then getting scalped middle stump essaying an airy fairy heave next ball.

That gave India the hint of an opportunity, and they seized upon it as the target became stiffer amid falling wickets – main among them of Hafeez. The Pakistan skipper’s batting was a revelation in the two T20 games, and earned him the Man of the Series Award that none would grudge him.

Written off by the commentariat back home prior to the series, Hafeez played out of his skin, his three sixes and six fours nearly turning the game Pakistan’s way. It was as if he wanted to prove a point. And he did, only the effect would have been far more telling if he had carried the day and the rubber with it.

The sheer weight and value of his runs aside, the manner in which Hafeez hammered them caught the eye.

It was a phenomenal knock peppered with sheer intelligence and raw daring that deserved the winner’s tag along with it. He was the mortal threat, providing the innings with the verve and thrust once Pakistan had lost the impetus between overs six and 10.

On a flat, slow track the Indian middle order was not snared as easily by the potent and varied Pakistani attack. Not just that they lost the plot completely by bowling either short or length deliveries. And Yuvraj took full advantage of it.

In the one-dayers that follow, India would want to repeat the winning recipe of going for slow tracks to take the sting out of the Pakistani bowling machine. The potent and varied Pakistani attack needs to be on guard against dishing it out to their opponent’s strengths – like they did at Ahmedabad. After having been bullied on a flat, slow track with a fast outfield, one hopes that our main bowlers would be wiser in the forthcoming games.

SCOREBOARD INDIA G Gambhir lbw b Gul 21 28 AM Rahane c & b Gul 27 V Kohli run out (Ajmal) 72 Yuvraj Singh c Malik b Gul 33 MS Dhoni b Gul 1 SK Raina not out RG Sharma not out 4 Extras (lb 5, nb 1) 6 Total (5 wickets; 20 overs; 96 mins) 192 Did not bat B Kumar, R Ashwin, I Sharma, AB Dinda Fall of wickets 1-44 (Gambhir, 4.5 ov), 2-53 (Rahane, 6.6 ov), 3-88 (Kohli, 11.6 ov), 4-185 (Yuvraj Singh, 19.2 ov), 5-187 (Dhoni, 19.5 ov) Bowling: Mohammad Irfan 4-0-20-0, Sohail Tanvir 4-0-44-0, Umar Gul 4-0-37-4, Saeed Ajmal 4-0-42-0, Shahid Afridi 3-033-0, Mohammad Hafeez 1-0-11-0 PAKISTAN Nasir Jamshed c Kohli b Ashwin 41 Ahmed Shehzad st Dhoni b Yuvraj 31 24 Umar Akmal b Dinda Mohammad Hafeez c Raina b Dinda 55 11 Shahid Afridi c Sharma b Kumar 5 Kamran Akmal c Kohli b Dinda 3 Shoaib Malik not out Umar Gul c Rahane b I Sharma 5 6 Extras (lb 2, w 4) Total (7 wickets; 20 overs; 96 mins) 181 Did not bat Sohail Tanvir, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan Fall of wickets 1-74 (Nasir Jamshed, 9.5 ov), 2-84 (Ahmed Shehzad, 10.5 ov), 3-146 (Umar Akmal, 16.2 ov), 4-163 (Shahid Afridi, 17.5 ov), 5-168 (Mohammad Hafeez, 18.2 ov), 6-172 (Kamran Akmal, 18.4 ov), 7-181 (Umar Gul, 19.6 ov) Bowling: B Kumar 4-0-46-1, I Sharma 4-0-34-1, AB Dinda 4-036-3, R Ashwin 4-0-28-1, SK Raina 2-0-12, Yuvraj Singh 2-0-23-1 Toss Pakistan, who chose to field Series 2-match series drawn 1-1 Player of the match Yuvraj Singh (India) Player of the series Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan) Umpires S Asnani and VA Kulkarni TV umpire C Shamsuddin Match referee RS Mahanama (Sri lanka) Reserve umpire PG Pathak

port from the rest of his attack and bowled a no-ball in the final over that yielded a boundary off the free-hit. Tanvir, Ajmal and Afridi each went for over 10 an over, leaving their batsmen too much to compensate for.

New Zealand rest Bracewell for South Africa oDIs JOHANNESBERg AGENCIES

New Zealand have left Doug Bracewell out of their 15-man squad for a one-day international series in South Africa to manage the seamer's workload, the country's cricket board said on Friday.

The selectors had retained 11 members from the Twenty20 squad that lost the three-match series against South Africa 2-1, New Zealand Cricket said in a statement.

The Brendon McCullum-led side will play a three-match ODI series after the completion of the two tests against South Africa in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

"The decision to leave Doug Bracewell out of the ODI squad is in line with our policy to sensibly manage player workloads," Black Caps coach Mike Hesson said.

"He has a big role to play in the test series against South Africa and will benefit from the opportunity to freshen up ahead of the home series against England."

Squad: Brendon McCullum (captain), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Roneel Hira, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Rob Nicol, BJ Watling, kane Williamson.

West Indies enjoy its first world title since 1970s MELBOURNE AGENCIES

South Africa celebrated their long-heralded arrival at the summit of test cricket in 2012 while West Indies enjoyed their first world title since the team's 1970s heyday with a maiden Twenty20 trophy. The giddy heights proved too much for England whose year-long reign as the number one test nation ended at Lord's with a 2-0 series thumping by Graeme Smith's South Africa in August. The Proteas appear determined to build a dynasty as they backed up their coronation with a 1-0 series win in Australia to finish an exhausting year unbeaten in 10 tests, with nine of them coming on

tour. Smith, who became the most-capped captain of all time during 2012, could rely on world-class performers throughout his side. The fearsome fast bowling trio of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander were supplemented by the evergreen all-round talents of Jacques kallis while Hashim Amla can lay claim to being the most consistent batsman in world cricket.

West Indies have had little to celebrate since their all-conquering days ended in the early 1990s, but victory over hosts Sri Lanka in the World Twenty20 final gave the Caribbean side their biggest prize since the one-day championship in 1979. Marlon Samuels blasted a 56-ball 78 after flamboyant Chris Gayle failed with the bat in the

36-run win. But Gayle made amends with his rendition of the horse-riding dance made famous by South korean pop sensation Psy in his hit "Gangnam Style". Sri Lanka's master batsman kumar Sangakkara was named ICC cricketer of the year in September after scoring 1,444 runs in 14 tests and Australia captain Michael Clarke became the first to score four double-centuries in a calendar year.

Clarke started the year with an unbeaten 329 against India in Sydney, added 210 against the same team in Adelaide and torched South Africa with double tons in consecutive home tests. The captain's heroics were not enough to defeat the Proteas whose 309-run win in the third and final

test in Perth spoiled Ricky Ponting's last international match. The hard-bitten 38-yearold signed off his career with only eight runs in his final innings to finish with 13,378 runs in tests, the second-highest tally after Sachin Tendulkar. While Ponting strode off into the sunset after naming his final test, the 39year-old Tendulkar hung on, his declining output of runs flattered briefly by his 100th international century in a one-day match against Bangladesh in March. With the retirements of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, the untouchable Tendulkar remained the last of a golden generation of Indian batsmen and, for growing numbers of frustrated fans, an impediment to the team's regeneration despite quitting one-dayers.

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

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17 Sports Froch ready for Kessler LAS VEgAS AGENCIES

Carl Froch feels confident of facing and beating Mikkel kessler in the spring of 2013. Britain's IBF supermiddleweight world champion lost a points decision to the Dane in 2010 just one of two defeats on his record. kessler won the WBA title from Brian Magee earlier this month and a rematch unification fight between the pair would be a major draw.

Froch said: "My promoter Eddie Hearn is working very hard, he is talking to Team Sauerland who are Mikkel kessler's promoters and it sounded very, very promising. "They are very close to doing a deal. It looks like the fight may be done by late spring this year. That is a big, big fight that everybody wants to see so I am looking forward to getting it on." The 35-year-old from Nottingham expects to reverse the points decision that went against him in kessler's home town of Henning in Denmark two years ago. "It was a close fight that I believe could have gone either way," he said. "Anyone you asked would probably agree that the fight could have been scored one round within kessler winning and myself winning. "But that is by the by, Mikkel kessler won fair and square. He was at home, it was in Denmark. So the fight was close and he got the nod and that's what happens in boxing. If it is close... sometimes the judges give the fight to the home fighter." Froch believes that it will be a very different story if the fight takes place in Britain. "We are going to get him over to Uk soil. I don't think we'll get him to Nottingham but we'll get him certainly over here at home, so that rematch I very, very strongly believe I can win. "I wasn't at my best when I fought kessler and I am firing on all cylinders now, you have seen that when I ripped the world title from Lucien Bute and I defended it against Yusaf Mack with a body shot, folded him in half like a deckchair. "And I am looking forward to getting kessler and being at my best. It is going to be a tough fight, a hard fight between two warriors, because the first one was a proper brawl. "People are looking forward to the rematch and they want to see much of the same. I don't know if I'm looking forward to the rematch but I can get up for it, get excited and I know I can go to the well if I need to. If me and kessler go at it for 12 rounds there will only be one winner. "I strongly believe I will defend my title. He has just won the WBA title by beating Brian Magee so I will add another belt to the collection which will be fantastic." As for a rematch against Bute, whom he beat in May to claim the IBF title, Froch added: "It's a fight that may happen but it's not going to happen immediately. The next one is the kessler fight, that's for sure."

LAHore: The officials of the wapda Sports Board receive the National Games Trophy while the wapda athletes celebrate their win and Humaira Arshad performed during the closing ceremony. MUrTAzA ALI

Djokovic reaches Abu Dhabi final in return ABU DHABI AGENCIES

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ORLD number one Novak Djokovic made an impressive return to action by brushing David Ferrer aside 6-0 6-3 to reach the World Tennis Championship final in Abu Dhabi.

The Serbian made his first appearance on court since winning the ATP World Tour Finals in November and needed little over an hour to dismiss world number five Ferrer, who was completely outclassed.

Ferrer was at sixes and sevens to deal with Djokovic's trademark range of returns and powerful aces in a devastating first set but gradually improved to break his opponent in the ninth game, forcing a more competitive finale.

The exhibition tournament at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex, where Djokovic triumphed last year, was the ideal way for the Serbian to warm up for the upcoming defence of his Australian Open title.

Djokovic made light work of the Spaniard in the early exchanges, quickly taking advantage of a clutch of uncharacteristic errors to find himself 5-0 up within 20 minutes.

Ferrer, though, discovered some of the dynamism that took him beyond Tomas Berdych in yesterday's opener to race up to 40-0 in the final game.

The advantage exchanged hands three times but Djokovic was celebrating when his opponent lost concentration to power a forehand return well beyond the baseline.

Ferrer held out for deuce on the

Serbian's serve when play resumed but Djokovic powered through, only for the Spaniard to tighten up his strokes and hold his serve for the first time.

Ferrer soon broke to love but his opponent survived an intense 10th game to break back.

The Serbian held comfortably before forcing the score to 5-2 despite Ferrer's renewed determination to force a third set.

The world number five delayed the inevitable with a comfortable hold but Djokovic promptly served out the match to book a final meeting with Nicolas Almagro or Janko Tipsarevic.

After the match, Djokovic told ESPN: "I love this court and the conditions here. I wish all the tournaments in the world were played here.

"It's definitely a great surface. It's not too warm here, not too cold, it's ideal to prepare on.

"I am surprised with my game considering it's the first match of the official season. Hopefully I can play another good one tomorrow."

An out-of-sorts Ferrer added: "He's the best. I tried but I couldn't do it.

Next time I will try again.

"I won three games but to beat 'Nole' I need to play my best tennis and today wasn't a good day."

Murray makes early exit in Abu Dhabi ABU DHABI AGENCIES

Andy Murray was defeated on Thursday in straight sets by Janko Tipsarevic in this week's exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. Murray, the world number three, looked off his game as he fell to a 6-3 6-4 loss against Tipsarevic on the opening day of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. The Serbian progressed to the semifinals with the victory, where he will face Spain's world number 11 Nicolas Almagro, who came in as a late replacement following the withdrawal of Rafael Nadal due to a stomach virus. The match started off fairly evenly and continued on serve until Murray was broken in the fourth game by Tipsarevic, who went on to take the first set.

Murray opened the second with an ace, but Tipsarevic, who is ranked ninth in the current ATP standings, hit back to pile on the pressure by claiming an immediate break of serve. The set progressed with the

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

reigning US Open champion trailing the 28-year-old at 5-3 after some loose play.

Serving to stay in the match, the Scot handed the advantage to his opponent with a double-fault, before a cross-court winner and shot down the line helped him on the way to making it 5-4 in the second set. Tipsarevic was therefore given the chance to serve for victory and earned himself two match points as Murray was unable to clear a smash to the baseline.

The Serbian duly served out the game and booked his place in the semi-finals and a match against Almagro. After the match, Tipsarevic told ESPN: "I am happy with my game. I know it's an exhibition match but it's not every day you get to play a grand slam champion and an Olympic gold medal winner. "I'm just happy I managed to play good tennis tonight [Thursday]. "Everyone is pumped up and it's the beginning of the season, so If I can get a few more victories heading to the Australian Open that would be brilliant."

Sharapova withdraws with neck injury SEOUL AGENCIES

Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from what had been due to be her opening match of the new season.

The French Open champion has hurt her neck and subsquently has withdrawn from a scheduled exhibition match against Caroline Wozniacki in Seoul, South korea.

The pair had been due to meet on Friday (December 28) as part of their warm-up plans for next month's Australian Open.

The event has been cancelled with both players now heading for Australia.

Sharapova wrote on her Facebook page: "For everyone in korea, I'm sorry I had to withdraw from my exhibition match.

"I woke up the other day with a neck pain and after doing a few tests, the doctor wants me to take the next few days without any playing.

"So that leaves me to say I'm sorry not to be there in Seoul and play in front of my fans. I will make it up to you soon!"

Sharapova is now scheduled to start her season at the Brisbane International, a WTA tournament which begins on Sunday.

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Sports 18 watch it Live ESPN Sports Center 07:30PM

Golf braced for Asian onslaught BANgKOK AGENCIES

32nD nATionAL gAMes

Champion WAPDA rule minnows Curtains come down on games LAHORE STAFF REPORT

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APDA became the new champion of the 32nd National Games and clinched the Quaid-eAzam Trophy after snatching 190 gold medals in the Games. Without the participation of the armed forces – army, navy and PAF, the games were open for WAPDA to cherish on the weak formation of the provincial and other departmental teams.

The simple but impressive concluding ceremony of the National Games was held here at the Railway Stadium on Friday in which a great number of athletes participated despite continuous rain in the city. The chief guest of the concluding ceremony was Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) president Lt Gen (retd) Syed Arif Hassan who gave away winning trophy to Wapda Director General Water M Zafar and Member Water Husnain Afzal.

After Wapda, it was HEC which grabbed the second spot with 29 gold medals and Punjab maintained the third position with 22 gold medals. Sindh bagged fourth, Police fifth while kPk sixth position in the National Games.

The fair play trophy was won by kPk.

According to final medal tally, Wapda stood first with 190 gold, 83 silver, 46 bronze and total 319 medals and 6230 points, HEC was second with 29 gold, 62 silver 74 bronze with total 165 medals and 2935 points, Punjab was on third with 22 gold, 33 silver 56 bronze with total 111 medals and 2732 points, Sindh won fourth position with 24 gold, 29 silver, 32 bronze with total 85 medals and 1638 points, Police earned fifth position with 4 gold, 13 silver, 26 bronze with total 43 medals and 13335 points while kPk scored sixth position with 2 gold, 15 silver, 26 bronze with total 43 medals and 1211 points. The mega national event continued for the consecutive seven days in the various venues of the city and Wapda players took full advantage of Wapda’s absence and remained on top throughout the event. It was another record that Wapda remained top on medal table consecutive seven days. HEC and Punjab’s players also

played comparatively much better and helped their departments to gain positions in the mega national event.

Member international Olympic Committee (IOC) in Pakistan Syed Shahid Ali, Syed Aqil Shah, khalid Mehmood, Wapda’s Member Water Husnain Afzal, Wapda Sports Board president Mian Riffat Ali Mehmood, M Zafar, Ahmad Ali Rajput, Zulfiqar Butt, Afzal Awan, Waqar Ali, khurram Haroon and other sports concerned persons and organisers were also present at the concluding ceremony. Organising Secretary Games Idrees Haider khawaja has handed over the National Games flag to POA president Arif Hassan and secretary khalid Mehmood.

Speaking on the occasion, Member IOC Syed Shahid said: “The 32nd National Games were held well in time in the country and allotted province which was widely participated by the athletes from across the country. I congratulate all the participating athletes for holding the National

Games in befitting manner and extend special felicitations to Games champion Wapda who did superb in the Games and won it by outclassing all the participating teams.”

The POA chief also congratulated Wapda, HEC and Punjab on winning first, second and third positions and also lauded all performances of all the participating teams who came from across the country to take part in the National Games.

“I am very thankful to Punjab Olympic Association who organised the 32nd National Games successfully and in a well-organised manner. Their dedication and all-out efforts for holding the Games are really commendable.”

Organising secretary Idress kh said: “I am really thankful to Allah Almighty for helping us in holding the 32ndNational Games successfully in the time when it seemed that the Games could not be held but by the grace of Allah, we have done it. It was also due to hectic efforts and full cooperation of Punjab Olympic president Syed Shahid Ali due to which he held the Games successfully and proved that we can hold every kind of national and international sports. We have also saved the honour of Punjab by holding the event in well-organised manner.”

When the Masters tees off in April 2013, China's Guan Tianlang will become the youngest competitor in the history of this prestigious tournament. The Chinese prodigy earned his Masters invitation by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in November 2012 at Amata Spring Country Club, Thailand. Showing calmness well beyond his years, the teen holed a five-foot par putt on 18 to win the regional competition by one stroke with a score of 15-under. In addition to the prize of playing at the Masters, Guan was also rewarded with a place in the International Final Qualifying for The Open Championship. It's a heart-warming story. But it is more than just that. It's a sign of where the game of golf is going. The average age of winners is going to get younger and younger - but here's the bigger thing, they'll be a whole lot more Asian faces holding the trophies than ever before. At the moment, the world's focus - not just golf's - is shifting towards the world's biggest continent. This trend has come about for many reasons which ultimately boil down to two closely linked areas: Money and Consumer Power. We have seen the region become the centre of the universe for the women's tour where multiple major champions have hailed from Asia. I certainly don't expect Asian players to dominate the men's game quite in the same fashion as players like Taiwan's Yani Tseng has on the women's tour - not to mention the hugely successful korean contingent in the LPGA. What is clear, though, is men's golf will see a huge upswing of top golfers from Asia in the next decade with China and India the two main production lines. In Asia, golf has always been seen as a game for the rich. No major stumbling block here. China's economy may have slowed to its slowest pace this year since 1999, but the World Bank said in its latest regional forecast, that the country is still expected to help drive nearly 40 per cent of the world's growth next year. There is a huge middle class in Asia and these consumers are looking for ways to spend their money and luckily for the sport, there is a real enthusiasm for golf here. A recent report revealed that the number of golf courses in China have tripled in less than a decade. The report "Golf's 2020 Vision" - was commissioned

by HSBC and aimed to provide a detailed look at the future of golf over the next eight years. It wholly supports the argument that the continued love for golf in Asia coupled by the region's expanding middle class (Asia is expected to double its share of global middle class consumption to 42%) will shift the balance of power in the sport. About 98 million Chinese households are expected to be middle-class by 2015 compared with 52 million in 2010; India's middle class is estimated to grow to 50 million households by 2015 from 32 million in 2010.

Fergie should have been punished: Wenger LONDON AGENCIES

Arsene Wenger on Friday hit out at Sir Alex Ferguson for his on-field haranguing of referee Mike Dean. United boss Ferguson was furious after Dean overruled assistant Jake Collin and awarded Newcastle's second goal in the Red Devils' 4-3 win on Boxing Day. Ferguson approached Dean as he made his way out for the second half and also rounded on the fourth official Neil Swarbrick and Collin, but the Football Association announced on Thursday that it will not take any action against the 70-year-old. Gunners boss Wenger, who has had his fair share of run-ins with Ferguson during his 16 years in England, thinks the Manchester United manager behaved improperly and should have been punished. "Should you behave like that? No," said Wenger, who was sent to the stands by Dean for kicking a water bottle in 2009. "I did not always behave like I should and you can call that a bad example, yes. "The message it sends out when you look at the pictures is just not to behave like that. "We go sometimes overboard on the touchline and when we do it we have to be punished, it is as simple as that. "(If) it is me or Ferguson or anybody else in the world, the rules are the rules. It is not rules for one person and the rules for another person, it is the same for everybody."

Man city hope to have nasri, clichy back for norwich NORWICH: Midfielder Samir Nasri and defender Gael Clichy should be available after injury for Manchester City's Premier League trip to Norwich City on Saturday (1500). The duo missed the champions' 1-0 defeat at Sunderland in midweek that meant second-placed City dropped seven points behind leaders Manchester United.

"Samir and Gael are back on the training pitch so they'll be available for selection I think," Manchester City's assistant manager David Platt told a news conference on Friday. City's top scorer Carlos Tevez, with seven league goals this season, is expected to play after being given Thursday off because of illness but fellow striker Mario Balotelli remains a doubt for the match. "Mario is still feeling the effects of the virus that he had," Platt said. Norwich, 11th in the table, have lost their last two league outings against West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea. They are likely to be without defender Steven Whittaker (hip injury) and midfielder Andrew Surman (knee). AGENCIES

Saturday, 29 December, 2012

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19 MUMBAI: Indian members of NGO ‘Aastha’ hold placards during a protest on Friday for better safety for women following the rape of a student in the Indian capital. ONLINe

ECP GETS TOUGH

No election symbols for parties sans internal polls, submission of accounts Analyst terms announcement landmark but doubts ecP’s ability to end family hold on parties

g

ISLAMABAD TAYYAB HUSSAIN

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nAB approves plea bargain of billions of rupees ISLAMABAD TAYYAB HUSSAIN The executive board meeting of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday approved voluntary return (VR) of Rs 1.6 billion from Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, CEO of BNP Limited.

NAB Chairman Admiral (r) Fasih Bokhari presided over the board meeting. Sheikh was accused of having obtained loan and financial facilities from the Bank of Punjab against fraudulent documents for construction of a fivestar hotel. Some CDA officials were also allegedly involved in irregularities in the hotel project, planned on 13.5 acres of land. The alleged involvement of CDA officials in the irregularity is under investigation by NAB. In a case of wilful loan default, plea bargain (PB) of Rs 45.690 million was approved from Mian Muhammad Ejaz, CEO of Rehman Woolen Industries (Pvt) Ltd and five directors and a former manager of ABL Gadoon Amazai Branch, including Mian Muhammad Nawaz, Mian Muhammad Mushtaq,

FIVE KILLED IN NWA DRONE STRIKE

nAB chief seeks report on violation of secret ballot in BA

Haji Abdul Razzaq, Haji Muhammad Inshaque, Fayyaz Muhammad and Muhammad Ilyas. Another Plea Bargain of Rs 8.404 Billion from Sheikh Afzal in the Haris Steel Mills Case of Bank of Punjab was also approved. Afzal was accused of embezzling Rs 8.404 billion through credit facilities in the name of

PESHAWAR

INP

At least five people were killed in a US drone strike in North Waziristan on Friday, intelligence officials said.

According to the sources, the US predator targeted a militant compound in Gurbaz village of the agency’s Shawal district, close to the border of South Waziristan agency, firing two missiles and killing five suspected militants inside.

implement. “The democratic order in Pakistan needs to be reformed through enforcement of relevant laws because people don’t follow the democratic norms. Effective accountability, transparency and enforcement of laws are a must to attain the desired level of democratic order in the country,” he added.

Raees said if the ECP was able to implement the rule of its laws, it would go a long way to transform the democratic order into true democracy. “But I am doubtful that the ECP would be able to enforce the laws in Pakistan because the leadership of political parties is so much powerful, they follow no rules or norms. There is a strong hold of families on democratic parties and they don’t allow anyone to even think of contesting polls against them.

If anyone appears to challenge their autocracy, they sideline such a politician,” he added.

fake persons against fake collaterals/fictitious guarantees and mortgage deeds.

The board also decided to close a case due to lack of incrementing evidences against the accused, Younus khan Marwat, ex-CEO of the Development Bank of Afghanistan (DBA). The accused allegedly misappropriated DBA funds.

efforts accelerated to recover abducted troops SHAMIM SHAHID

PESHAWAR

been successfully passed and Bhootani was duly de-notified.

However, Bhootani on Friday moved the Balochistan High Court against his alleged illegal removal.“This indicates misuse of authority and makes a farce of the process of the secret ballot. The NAB chairman has, therefore, instructed the NAB Balochistan DG to submit a report within seven days on the entire episode,” a statement issued by NAB said on Friday. STAFF rePOrT

ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Admiral (r) Fasih Bukhari has taken notice of blatant violations of parliamentary norms during voting on the no-trust motion against Balochistan Assembly former speaker Aslam Bhootani. While the voting took place in the BA a few days ago, several MPAs were seen on camera showing their votes to government officials in grave violation of secret ballot. The no-confidence move was

EELING the heat of the intra-party polls by the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI), the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday made a landmark decision towards achievement of true democratic order in the country by announcing to refuse allotment of election symbols to political parties who failed to submit their annual statement of accounts or did not hold intra-party polls.

“The political parties that fail to submit their annual statement of accounts in terms of Article 13 of the said order or fail to submit the certificate with regard to intraparty election in terms of Article 12 of the said order shall not be entitled to obtaining election symbols,” said a statement issued by the ECP. The ECP decision is likely to trouble major gov-

ernment and opposition political parties who carry no tradition of intra-party elections and submit false certificates with the ECP each year of intra-party elections having been held and the party’s office-bearers having been elected “unopposed”. Interestingly, the ECP never counterchecked any claim by the party chiefs and the certificates of intra-party polls were always accepted without any probe. The intra-party elections have never been a priority for major political parties, as no such polls are conducted and only a statement is submitted with the ECP by most of the parties.

However, experts and analysts doubt the ECP’s commitment to enforce the laws properly. Eminent social scientist Dr Rasool Bakhsh Raees told Pakistan Today that though it was a welcome step by the ECP to attain the desired level of democracy in Pakistan, it was difficult to

Amidst Taliban’s willingness for dialogue with the government, the administration has accelerated efforts for early recovery of 22 personnel of security forces who were abducted from Peshawar on midnight between Wednesday and Thursday.

At least two personnel were killed in the attack at Hassan khel and 22 were abducted. khyber Pakhtunkhwa (kP) Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain talking to Pakistan Today welcomed the Taliban decision and said per the Awami National Party (ANP) stance, “we are ready to play a role in such dialogues”. He said the TTP existed in Tribal Areas, therefore, responsibility rested with the federal government to make preparations in this respect. He also said the government needed to take on board leaders from all political forces before entering into the dialogue.

Referring to efforts for recovery of the abducted personnel, Hussain confirmed holding of a meeting between local elders and the administration. He said traditional jirga of elders met with assistant political agent at Peshawar on Friday during which the elders had been directed for recovery of the abducted

personnel within three days. The administration urged the tribal elders to fulfill their territorial responsibilities otherwise action might be pursued by authorities. Government administrator Naveed Akbar khan said Friday that authorities had planned meetings with the local tribal elders.

Tribal law stipulates that the elders could be punished for attacks that occurred in their areas. Security forces have also launched an operation to try to recover the kidnapped personnel. According to officials, dozens of armed militants had attacked two check posts of security forces at Peshawar. The militants had attacked with grenades and rockets. The Pakistani Taliban had claimed responsibility for the attack, however, they had yet to disclose their demands. Hussain responding to a question said, “Assembling or sheltering of militants in Peshawar has become a serious threat to security. He said the provincial government through Peshawar commissioner was in contact with the tribal administration.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakeemullah Mehsud on Friday said he was ready to enter into conditional dialogue with the government. He said, “Without laying arms, we are ready for dialogue with government. Taliban militants are demanding replacement of existing laws by Islamic norms.”

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore.

Editor: Arif Nizami

Saturday, 29 December, 2012