Canadian Pakistani Times
Thursday
May2, 2013
Volume 1, 56
Musharraf banned from politics for life
Former President Pervez Musharraf.— File Photo
RAWALPINDI/PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday banned former military ruler Pervez Musharraf from politics for life. The ruling came in response to an appeal filed by the former army strongman over the rejection of his nomination papers for the National Assembly seat in Chitral. A four-member larger bench, headed by PHC Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and comprising of Justice Malik Manzoor, Justice Syed Afsar Shah and Justice Ikramullah ruled that since Musharraf had abrogated the Constitution twice, he could not be allowed
to contest elections for either the National Assembly or the Senate. Announcing the decision, Justice Khan said Musharraf had imposed an illegal emergency and targeted the judiciary, therefore the court was imposing a life-time ban on the retired general, barring him from contesting polls for the national and provincial assemblies as well as the Senate. The bench also rejected the former president's appeal over the rejection of his nomination papers from NA-32 (Chitral). Also today, an anti-terrorist court in Rawalpindi ordered a two-week-long judicial remand for the retired general in the Benazir Bhutto murder case and also granted permission to Balochistan police to question him in
the Akbar Bugti killing case. Musharraf was not presented in court during Tuesday's hearing over security reasons. Speaking to media personnel after the hearing, FIA’s special prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali alleged that Musharraf was not cooperating with the investigation team in the Benazir murder case. Earlier last week, the court had sent him on a physical remand. Since then, FIA investigators have been questioning the former military ruler in the high profile murder probe. Moreover, an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi rejected Musharraf’s plea for
reconstitution of the joint investigation team (JIT). Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a gunand-bomb attack outside Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on December 27, 2007 while Musharraf was president. She was killed after addressing an election campaign rally in the city. The ATC had indicted Musharraf in the case in February 2011, and in August the same year he was declared a proclaimed offender and his property was attached because of his absence. Also today, the ATC allowed Balochistan police to question Musharraf in the case pertaining to the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Khan Bugti. Bugti was killed in a military action in the mountains of Dera Bugti on August 26, 2006 while Musharraf was president as well as army chief. Musharraf returned to Pakistan last month after nearly four years of self-imposed exile to contest the May 11 general election. Election officials had barred Musharraf from running for the National Assembly earlier, effectively derailing his attempts to regain a place in politics by standing at the polls. Although Musharraf’s legal battles have provided an electrifying sideshow in the election race, he commands scant popular support and the outcome of the drama is unlikely to have much impact on the final results.
Five year “Rape Victim” dies in INDIA
Ontario Government Introduces New Rules for Wireless Contracts and Services Ontario is taking steps to strengthen consumer protection by introducing legislation today that would, if passed, make it easier for consumers to understand the costs and terms of their cell phone and wireless services contracts. The proposed legislation, if passed, would benefit wireless consumers by:
Limiting the costs associated with cancelling a contract
Requiring contracts to be written in plain, easy -to-understand language
Ensuring contracts clearly spell out which services come with the basic fee, and which would result in a higher bill
Showing the total price in wireless services pricing advertisements
MUMBAI: A five-year-old Indian girl has died in hospital nearly two weeks after she was raped and found unconscious at a farm, hospital staff and reports said on Tuesday. The girl had been taken by air ambulance
The girl had been found uncon-
string of high-profile sex attacks that have
from central Madhya Pradesh state to the Care Hospital in Nagpur city on April 20, where she died on Monday night, a spokesman said. “She died from a cardiac arrest at 7:45 pm on Monday. We were taking all measures… but yesterday her condition got bad and her blood pressure went down. She was not reacting to medications,” P.A. Sriram at the hospital told AFP.
scious by her parents on April 18, a day after a 35-year-old man allegedly raped her in the town of Ghansour and dumped her at a farm, the Press Trust of India reported. She was initially taken to a local hospital, before being transported to Nagpur in Maharashtra state two days later. The police have arrested one accused in the case in northern Bihar state, PTI said. The case is the latest in a
sparked outrage in India over the treatment of women and girls, with protests first erupting in December over the savage gangrape of a 23year-old student. The April 15 kidnap and brutal rape of a five-year-old in the capital New Delhi, spurred another round of demonstrations in the capital over the high levels of sexual violence and police handling of the case.
These proposed reforms would protect consumers while furthering the new Ontario government's commitment to building a strong economy and a fair, safe
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MAY 2, 2013
6th Annual Gala of Hansra Group in Brampton - Ontario - Canada.
Harper Government announces reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program - Ensuring Canadians have first chance at available jobs Ottawa, Ontario, April 29, 2013—The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, and the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, today announced reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). “Canada is experiencing significant skills shortages in many sectors and regions, and Canadians must always have first crack at job opportunities when they become available,” said Minister Finley. “The purpose of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is to help fill genuine and acute labour needs and we have been reviewing the program to ensure that goal is met and Canadian workers are never displaced.” “These reforms will require that greater efforts be made to recruit and train Canadians to fill available jobs,” said Minister Kenney. “They will also help ensure the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is only used as intended—to fill acute skills shortages on a temporary basis.” Stemming from the ongoing review of the TFWP, and as announced inCanada’s Economic Action Plan 2013, the Government is introducing legislative, regu-
latory and administrative changes that will: ffective immediately, require employers to pay temporary foreign workers at the prevailing wage by removing the existing wage flexibility; effective immediately, temporarily suspend the Accelerated Labour Market Opinion process; increase the Government’s authority to suspend and revoke work permits and Labour Market Opinions (LMOs) if the program is being misused; add questions to employer LMO applications to ensure that the TFWP is not used to facilitate the outsourcing of Canadian jobs; ensure employers who rely on temporary foreign workers have a firm plan in place to transition to a Canadian workforce over time through the LMO process; introduce fees for employers for the processing of LMOs and increase the fees for work permits so that the taxpayers are no longer subsidizing the costs; and identify English and French as the only languages that can be used as a job requirement. The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and other primary agricultural occupations will be subject to the reform that will increase the Government’s authority to suspend and revoke work permits and LMOs if they are being misused. However, they will be unaffected by the remaining reforms, as there are proven
acute labour shortages in this industry and the unfilled jobs are truly temporary. The results of these changes will strengthen and improve the TFWP to support our economic recovery and growth, and ensure that employers make greater efforts to hire Canadians before hiring temporary foreign workers. These reforms will ensure that the TFWP, which is an important program to deal with acute skills shortages on a temporary basis, is used only as a last resort. As part of the ongoing review of the TFWP, the Harper government will seek input from Canadians on further changes, to ensure that the Program is working in the best interests of Canadian workers and businesses. CrossCanada consultations will be held over the coming months with businesses, industry and trade organizations, unions and others on additional changes to the TFWP.
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MAY 2, 2013
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MAY 2, 2013
Ontario PC MPP Jane McKenna made the following statement in the Legislature Yesterday Congratulating Constable Hardy Singh “Progress through participation”-that's the motto of the Halton Regional Police Service. The words have been taken to heart by Burlington residents and Halton police constable Hardy Singh. Constable Singh's outreach work in race relations across the Hamilton- Halton area has earned him community appreciation and special recognition from Toronto's Human Rights and Race Relations Centre. Constable Singh was recently given a gold medal and commemorative certificate for "outstanding contribution to the promotion of race relations." Constable Singh routinely fields questions from members of the Sikh community, spending countless volunteer hours educating the Sikh community about issues such as domestic violence, community safety and crime prevention, acting as an interpreter at police presentations, and fostering awareness about policing among Sikh children and youth. Amazingly, all of this has happened in the two years that Constable Singh has been with the Halton police, Speaker. His devotion to the force is rivaled only by his vital service to the community. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Constable Singh both on the awarding of this honour and his outstanding commitment to doing the work that makes our region such a fantastic place to live. Jane McKenna MPP, Burlington
Brampton unveils new Hockey Logo.
Over the weekend at Brampton City Hall in the Council Chambers (4th floor), a Press Conference/Town Hall meeting was held for the unveiling of the Brampton Beast Logo. Following the owner, President and New coach took questions from a packed hall. No extra ordinary attempt was made to encourage local media to ask questions. Promise by the new management is that they will involve all communities – let’s see how far this goes. But a good honest attempt at least for now for all hockey fans.
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MAY 2, 2013
SPORTS
Struggling Afridi blames Misbah for CT axe
“I am much better than lot of other (Pakistan) players and I know I could play for Pakistan for few more years.” -Photo by AFP
“It’s the captain’s decision to drop me,” Afridi told the an Urdu language newspaper on Wednesday.
In announcing the squad earlier this week, selectors said Afridi, who has scored 7,201 and taken 348 wickets in ODIs, was left out due to recent poor form in one-day internationals. He has scored only 161 runs at an average of 17.88 and taken just four wickets at an astonishing cost of 113.75 runs each in the last 12 ODIs. But Afridi refused to go into his recent statistics.
“It’s no big deal for me if a captain doesn’t want a certain player in the team.”
“I am much better than lot of other (Pakistan) players and I know I could play for Pakistan for few more years.”
SLAMABAD: Shahid Afridi has blamed Pakistan’s one-day cricket captain Misbah-ul-Haq for his exclusion from the Champions Trophy squad, and has vowed to return to the national team.
Afridi now plans to prepare for a Twenty20 tournament in England in July where he will represent English county Hampshire. “I have received lots of text messages from my fans and I am thankful to all of them,” he said. The flamboyant allrounder refused to accept that his exclusion from the Champions Trophy squad spelt the end of his career.
“I know I have to work very hard to return to Pakistan team,” he said. “I want to make it clear I don’t want to be burden on the team. I want to represent Pakistan on performance and fitness. “The day I believed I am burden on the team I will quit myself.”
Bailey gets vice-captain nod for Champions Trophy Mitchell Starc and James Faulkner. Paceman Mitchell Johnson was also selected and will have a point to prove after being left out of the Ashes reckoning. West Australian fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile also made the grade and will be in contention for his ODI debut in the tournament. “Nathan Coulter-Nile is an emerging cricketer as a fastmedium bowler and explosive lower-order batsman,” said Inverarity. “He is also one of the finest fieldsmen in Australian cricket and the energy he brings to his game is impressive. “While Nathan has played a T20 international for Australia, we are looking forward to seeing him take his very good domestic limited overs form onto the world stage.”
SYDNEY: George Bailey was Wednesday handed the vice -captaincy of Australia’s squad for their defence of the Champions Trophy, while promising fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile won a call-up. The eight-nation tournament starts in England next month with Bailey getting the nod as Michael Clarke’s number two in place of Shane Watson. Watson is in the 15-man squad but opted to stand aside as vice skipper to focus on his batting and bowling, in the same way he did with the Test side for the upcoming Ashes tour of England. “Selectors have been impressed with George’s leadership when he stepped in to guide the ODI team in Michael’s ab-
sence last summer and leadership of the T20 team over the past two seasons,” national selector John Inverarity said. “Given George’s experience and credentials, he was viewed as the ideal person for the role.” There were few surprises in the squad with Inverarity previously announcing that players chosen to represent Australia A in their England tour that will run at the same time as the Champions Trophy would not be considered. This ruled out Brad Haddin, Steve Smith, Moises Henriques, Usman Khawaja, James Pattinson and Jackson Bird. But several of the Ashes squad are on the team, including Clarke, Watson, David Warner, Phil Hughes, Matt Wade,
Australia won the Champions Trophy in India in 2006 and South Africa in 2009 and start this year’s campaign against England on June 8, with group fixtures against New Zealand and Sri Lanka to follow before the semifinals. “As the two-time defending champion, the squad has been selected with the aim of winning the tournament, while also keeping the 2015 ICC World Cup firmly in mind,” said Inverarity. Squad: Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey (vice-capt), David Warner, Shane Watson, Phil Hughes, Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Clint McKay, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Xavier Doherty.
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MAY 2, 2013
Opening of 2nd Annual Punjabi Film Festival (PIFF) in Mississauga – Ontario – Canada
Former Punjabi film actress & Miss Punjab who also is on the advisory board of 2nd Punjabi International Film Festival (Piff) who started her career by performing in legendary late Dara Singh’s film Rab diya Rakha & did many movies as main lead actress aafter that. Currently involved in her charity work as she recently been crowned as Mrs. India United Nations & Mrs. United Nations worldwide (1st runner up) a renowned name not only in the Punjabis but overall, enjoying with friends open night of the film festival.
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MAY 2, 2013
Opening of 2nd Annual Punjabi Film Festival (PIFF) in Mississauga –
Born in Karachi, Bushra Ansari is the daughter of eminent journalist and writer Ahmad Bashir. Following studies with Lahore's Lady Griffin School, she completed intermediate education at Lahore College for Women University and received a B.A. from Rawalpindi's Viqar un Nisa College for Women in 1977. On 11 June 1978 Bushra married TV producer Iqbal Ansari and they became the parents of two daughters, Nariman Ansari, a photographer who focuses on portraiture and photojournalism, and Meera Ansari, a model and painter. Encouraged by her husband to resume the performing career she has pursued since childhood, Bushra who has continued to maintain her position as a top personality in Pakistan’s television entertainment industry till date. On a recent visit to Ontario – Canada, she still spell bonded the audiences just by her presence. When asked about the current troubled political situation in Pakistan She says all is not lost and is very optimistic that things will change for the better and only see PTI/Imran Khan as a bright ray of hope. We hope she is correc t and Pakistan does change for the better. Amen.
It sure was a comedy moment for us all when we heard Pakistani Movie Star Meera entrain us all with her English speaking skills on a recent visit to Mississauga - Ontario - Canada to promote her new movie "Ishq Khuda" on the platform of 2nd Punjabi International Film Festival - PIFF.
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MAY 2, 2013
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MAY 2, 2013
MPP Dipika Damerla Mississauga East-Cooksville HOSTS Find Out Your Rights as a Tenant or Landlord
Monday, May 6th at 7 PM Mississauga Valley Community Centre Program Room 1 1275 Mississauga Valley Blvd, Mississauga
Register at: www.dipikadamerla.ca under events or call 905-238-1751 *Presentations by Mississauga Community Legal Services & The Landlord Self Help Centre
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MAY 2, 2013
MAY 2, 2013
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Pakistani stocks close higher, rupee steady performed well after its excellent payout. Fauji Cement Company Limited remained the volume leader after its march result attracted some interest. The Karachi Stock Exchange’s (KSE) benchmark 100-share index ended 0.85 percent, or 159.57 points, higher at 18,982.42 points. Fauji Cement Company Ltd rose 2.08 percent to 8.85 rupees and Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd fell 2.19 percent to 17.90 rupees. In the currency market, the rupee ended steady at 98.39/98.44 against the dollar.
KARACHI: Pakistani stocks closed higher on Tuesday amid expectations that the landmark May 11 general elections will be held on time and the economic
situation will improve after the change of government. Heavyweights Oil and Gas Development Corporation and Mus-
lim Commercial Bank Limited rallied due to institutional buying. Fauji Fertiliser Company also
Overnight rates in the money market fell to 9 percent from Monday’s close of 9.40 percent.
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MAY 2, 2013
Now that the mighty USA is pulling out of Iraq & Afghanistan where would they deploy their military & the war hardware next in the name of a safer “world� of course? As creating an imaginary monster has been their favorite pass time all along.