E-Paper October 27, 2012

Mobile services partially shutdown Balochistan, KP take strict security measures STAFF REPORTER

ence here on Friday, Interior be suspended due to security In a statement issued here by Minister said that in view of in- reasons but said that 3 cities of the Balochistan Home Ministry ISLAMABAD—Federal Interior telligence reports which indi- Punjab, 2 cities of Sindh, KP, 20 the cellular networks would be Minister Rehman Malik said that cell service on Eidul Azha would be suspended in sensitive parts of the country for four hours.

Addressing a press confer-

MAIMANA: Afghan policemen carry the body of a civilian after a bomb blast in Faryab province on Friday.

41 killed in Afghan mosque suicide blast 50 wounded in capital of Faryab province MAZAR -E-S HARIF —A suicide bomber killed at least 41 people in a mosque in Afghanistan’s relatively peaceful north on Friday as worshippers gathered to offer Eidul Azha prayers, police officials said.

The attack in Maimana, capital of Faryab province, also wounded 50, regional police chief General Abdul Khaliq Aqsai said, pinning the blame on the Taliban. A Taliban spokessaid they were investigatMILAN—An Italian court on man ing to find out who was responFriday sentenced former prime sible. minister Silvio Berlusconi to four years in jail for tax fraud in connection with the purchase of broadcasting rights by his Mediaset television company.

Berlusconi has the right to appeal the ruling two more times before the sentence R IYADH —Saudi Arabia on becomes definitive and will Thursday said it had expelled not be jailed unless the final appeal is upheld. Prosecutors three employees of Syria’s conhad asked for a jail sentence of sulate in Jeddah.

A spokesman for the Saudi three years and eight months. foreign ministry said the three The court also ordered had been told to leave for acdamages provisionally set at Continued on Page 7 tivities “incompatible” with their position, but did not elaborate.

Relations between Riyadh and Damascus have been tense since President Bashar alAssad’s bloody crackdown on dissent began in March last year.

In August, Riyadh withdrew SITTWE—At least 112 people its ambassador to Damascus and have been killed and thousands expelled the Syrian ambassador of homes torched in Buddhistfrom Saudi Arabia in protest at Muslim violence in western the bloodshed.—AFP Myanmar, casting a shadow over the reformist government’s attempts to remake the country’s international image.

People have fled their homes in droves following the latest clashes in Rakhine state, which was rocked by communal violence in June that split communities and left tens of JAVED MAHMOOD thousands of mainly Muslim ISLAMABAD—A very strong Continued on Page 7 rivalry between the two famous religious organizations, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Jamiat-e-Ulema-i-Islam (F) is The offices of Pakistan set to undermine the role of the Observer will remain closed Muttehida Majlis-e-Amal today and tomorrow (October (MMA) that has recently been 27 and 28) on account of Eidul revived to bring at one forum Azha. Therefore, there will be all the religious organizations no issue of the newspaper on in the coming elections in PaOctober 28 and 29. kistan, sources told Pakistan Observer on Friday.

Both the religious parties, Jamaat-e-Islami and JUI-F want to get commanding role in the MMA that is the bone

Italy’s Berlusconi sentenced for tax fraud

Saudi Arabia expels 3 Syrian consulate staff

Over 100 dead in Myanmar violence

We would not betray Nawaz trust: Malik STAFF REPORTER ISLAMABAD—Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Friday that Nawaz Sharif reposed trust in FIA regarding Asghar Khan case and we would not betray his trust.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, he said that whatever name

“The suicide bomber deto- trymen were congratulating nated explosives when our coun- each other on the Eid holiday,” said Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, spokesman for the police in the Afghan north, adding that almost half of the dead were po- Continued on Page 7 lice.

He said Aqsai appeared to I S L A M A B A D —Pakistan be the target. “As soon as the strongly condemns the sui- police chief got in his vehicle, cide attack outside a mosque the bomber detonated his exploin Maymana city, Northern sives,” Ahmadzai said Afghanistan this morning.

About 20 bodies, some in The Government of Paki- police uniform, lay in front of stan conveys its deepest con- the mosque’s gates as smoke billowed above.

Continued on Page 7 LONDON—The response of PaContinued on Page 7 kistan to the shooting of the schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai was a “turning point” for the country, her father said Friday at the British hospital.

“When she fell, Pakistan stood... This is a turning point,” Ziauddin Yousafzai said, adding

Pakistan condemns

‘When Malala fell, Pakistan stood’

CNG stations closed in different cities Licences of violators to be cancelled: Asim

I SLAMABAD —Adviser to CNG mafia to take roots.

Prime Minister on Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain warned on Friday that the government would initiate action against owners of CNG stations if they failed to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling to slash gas prices.

Taking notice of the closure of CNG stations in different cities, Dr. Asim said that teams had been formed to inspect the overpricing and closure of CNG across the country.

He maintained that the government would not allow the

He threatened to revoke the licenses of CNG filling stations if the SC ruling was not implemented.

Earlier, All Pakistan CNG Association chief Ghayas Paracha confirmed that CNG supply would resume across the country in line with the Supreme Court’s ruling.

He said that CNG Association would sit with the Oil and Gas Regulatory Association to finalize a new formula for gas pricing.

Continued on Page 7

However, Jamaat-e-Islami did not participate in the meeting that revived the defunct MMA because of its differences with the JUI-F, sources said.

The JUI (Sami-ul-Haq) faction also did not attend the meeting as this group too have strong differences with the JUI-F over the role of Samiul Haq group in the revived Muttehida Majlis-eAmal.

Sources said that Jamaat-eIslami does not trust the JUI-F for its compromising role in the democratic set up and national politics.

They said that during the election of new Prime Minister

cities of Balochistan and in some the sectors of the federal capital the service would be suspended.

He said that mobile service is being suspended on the recommendations of the provinces.

In Quetta, Citing security reasons the Balochistan government decided to suspend mobile phone service in the province on October 27, the first day of Eidul Azha.

turned off for four hours from 07:00 AM to 11:00 am on Eid day.

Home Secretary Akbar Durrani said that security had been beefed up across the province in general and Quetta in particular.

“Policing at all the entryways and exits will be strengthened in Quetta”, he added.

Eidul Azha today Afghans, tribesmen in KP, FATA celebrate Eid STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Eidul Azha is being celebrated today (Saturday) in commemoration of the supreme sacrifice offered by Hazrat Ibrahim Khalilullah and his son Hazrat Ismail Zabiullah in the fulfillment of the divine order.

See also Page 3 Eid prayers will be offered at eidgahs‚ principal mosques that 15-year-old Malala was re- and open places across the councovering “at an encouraging try while special prayers will be speed” in the hospital in Bir- offered for the prosperity of the mingham. country and unity among the Speaking to the reporters with Dr Dave Rosser, Ziauddin said Malala’s survival is a miracle for them.

“There was a time when I told my brother-in-law to prepare for her funeral,” he said.

“It’s a miracle for us ... She was in a very bad condition,” he said. “She is improving with encouraging speed.

LIAQAT TOOR “She is not just my daughter, she is everybody’s daughter,” said her father, who was ISLAMABAD—As the reports on clearly emotional.—Agencies Friday from New Delhi suggested that Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna has tendered resignation, the diplomatic sources in Islamabad said it will have no bearing on the recent developing relations between Pakistan and India.

Muslim Ummah.

It will be followed by offering sacrifices of animals by the faithful in accordance with the Sunnah Ibrahimi.

However, people in most parts of FATA including Mohmand, North Waziristan and Bajaur Agencies and some areas of Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw celebrated Eid-ul-Azha with Saudi Arabia on Friday, though the official Ruet-e-Hilal Committee had announced Eid on Saturday across the country.

Afghan refugees across

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas celebrated Eidul Azha on Friday and offered Eid prayers while tribesmen in parts of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) also observed the holy festival.

A huge Eid congregation was held at the Kacha Ghari Camp in the provincial capital Peshawar where thousands of Afghans offered Eid prayers and exchanged greetings.

Afghans living in

Continued on Page 7

Krishna’s resignation to have no bearing on relations with India Big reshuffle expected in Manmohan’s cabinet soon

JI, JUI-F rivalry set to undermine MMA role of contention between the two parties over the full-fledged rival of the alliance, said sources.

A few days back, JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced the revival of the MMA in a meeting of leaders of different religious parties. Important leaders of religious parties like Owais Noorani, Qari Zawar Bahadur, Mufti Abrar, Sahibzada Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair, Professor Sajid Mir, Allama Sajid Naqvi and some other prominent religious leaders belonging to different religious groups participated in the meeting that announced the revival of MMA.

cated terrorist threats in sensitive parts of the country, mobile services would be suspended from 6:00 am to 10:00 am.

Previously, the government had blocked the service on Youme Ishq-e-Rasool Day and Eidul Fitr in a bid to thwart probable acts of terrorism.

The Interior Minister refused to disclose the cities in which the mobile service would

(after the disqualification of Yusuf Raza Gillani), the JUI(F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was one of the candidates for the slot of Prime Minister. But on the day of voting, he surprised everybody in the Parliament and in the country by saying that he was withdrawing himself from the race for the election of new prime minister in the national interest.

According to sources, JI takes a clear anti-government line of action to protect the national issues, but the JUI-F keeps on changing the tracks just to gain benefits from the

Continued on Page 7

British, US soldiers die in ‘friendly fire’ KABUL—British troops killed two of their own soldiers in a “friendly fire” incident in Afghanistan while two American soldiers were shot dead by an Afghan ally, Afghan and international military sources said Thursday.

Britain’s defence ministry did not confirm the deaths of the two British soldiers in Helmand province — one of them a female medic — were a result of

Continued on Page 7

Though there is no official word on this development, but reports were on the prowl in the Indian capital for quite some time that Krishna will be first casualty whenever there was reshuffle in the Cabinet.

Big reshuffle is expected in the cabinet of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh soon as Rahul Gandhi is working on young

members to take over coveted positions including the slot in South Block before Lok Sabha elections.

According to Indian media quoting government and Congress party sources, Rahul Gandhi might take up the Ministry of External Affairs but names of Information Minister

Continued on Page 7

Iftikhar Gilani quits PTI, joins PML-N SALIM AHMED LAHORE—Former Law Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gilani has announced to join Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz reposing full confidence in the leadership of PML-N. Gilani called on PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and formally announced to join the PML-N. PML-N leaders Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Amir Muqam, Pir Sabir Shah and others were

also present.

Gilani said that PML-N is hope of the nation and its leadership would steer the country out of prevailing crises.

Moreover, former ministers Makhdoom Ahmed Alam, Raees Munir and PML-Q leader Rana Shamshad Khan met Nawaz Sharif and reposed confidence in the leadership of PML-N. Various matters pertaining to country’s political situation came under discussion.

President’s message on Eid-ul-Azha

Zardari asks nation to work unitedly for country’s progress ness and prosperity.”

The President said, “Eidal-Azha reminds us of the great sacrifice, completely following the orders of Almighty Allah, and unprecedented acceptance of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) and Hazrat Ismail (AS) that has established such an everlasting example of submission to the will of God.” He said Eid ul Azha is being observed to remember the sacrifices of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) and Hazrat Ismail (AS), who established a rare example of following the will of God and sacrifice and it has been made compulsory for the Muslims till the Day of judgement.

The President said the sacrifice inculcates spirit of giving everything in the name of Allah to seek His blessing.

He said sacrificing animals to follow the Sunnah of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) is infact a pledge to give any sort of sacrifice and it has become a base to follow the fear of God that is real aim of living. He said, “On this auspicious

day we pledge that we will prefer obeying the commands of God over the dearest and nearest worldly belongings and will not hesitate to render any sacrifice in order to please Him”.

President Zardari further said, “I pray to Almighty Allah that He protect us and give Pakistan peace, tranquility, progress and prosperity.” The President said, “We should also remember in our Eid celebration all those brothers and sisters, who are suffering due to natural calamities and living a life without basic needs of life.” He said, “May Allah give us the strength to include the real spirit of sacrifice in our daily lives.”

Earlier, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has urged the nation to take special care of the poor widows and destitute orphans while celebrating Eid-ul-Azha and help them so that they can enjoy Eid. “We should take special care of the poor widows and destitute orphans, and should generously help all deprived people so that they

may also celebrate the Eid and able to thank God for His bounties,” said the Prime Minister in his message on Eid-ul-Azha. He said that on the blessed occasion of Eidal-Azha, he congratulated his countrymen, expatriate Pakistanis and all the Muslims of the world.

The Prime Minister, who is in Saudi Arabia to perform Haj, said, “I also congratulate those sisters and brothers, who with the blessing of Allah performed Hajj this year.”

He said, “Eid-al-Azha reminds us of the great sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) by which he established such an everlasting example of sub- HYDERABAD: Ladies are busy in Eid shopping. mission to the will of God that the Muslims will be observing it as a sacred Sunnah till the day of judgment.” The Prime Minister said that Eidul-Azha, known as Eid-iI SLAMABAD —Pakistan MeQurban is the manifestation teorological Department of submission to the will of (PMD) on Friday forecast God in the footprints of mainly dry weather for most Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) and STAFF REPORTER parts of the country during the bowing before Him as the 24 hours. However, light P ESHAWAR—Chief Minister next Greatest of all.—APP rain may occur at few places Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Amir of Makran, Kallat, Larkana, Haider Khan Hoti has ap- Malakand divisions and durproved upgradation of Gov- ing next 24 hours. Dry weather ernment Girls High School will prevail in most parts of Nishterabad to higher sec- Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ondary level on non-devel- Sindh and Balochistan. opmental basis and sancDry weather has been tioned 19 required posts in forecast for the rest of the this connection. The school region. On Friday, the highis located in densely popu- est temperature of 37 Celsius lated area of the city and there was recorded at Turbat and is no space available for the the lowest of 3 Celsius at establishment of a new Kalat Hill Station. The higher secondary school. Karachi Met Office has foreThat is why, it has been de- cast fair/partly cloudy with cided to provide higher sec- hazy morning in the city durondary education facilities to ing the next 24 hour, said a girls of the area in the already weather report issued on existing school.

Thursday. According to the The up-gradation of weather report, minimum school will help the girls of temperature in the port city the area to continue their would remain in the range of education after matricula- 22 to 24 degree centigrade tion. The approved posts in- during the next 24 hours. cluded one post of principal According to the synopBPS-18, 12 posts of Subject tic situation, a shallow westSpecialist BPS-17, one post erly wave is prevailing over of DPE BPS-17, one post of northern part of the country Senior Clerk BPS-9, one post and likely to persist during of laboratory Assistant BPS- next two days. The rainfall re7 and one post each of Labo- corded during last 24 hours ratory attendant, Chowkidar was Parachinar 10 mm, Turbat MULTAN: A large number of people boarding a train as they are going to their home towns to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha and Naib Qasid BPS-1.

04 and Mirkhani 01. The with their relatives and families.

Quetta Met Office has forecast a dry weather and cold night for the city on Friday with the maximum temperature

ISLAMABAD —President Asif Ali Zardari has asked the nation to work unitedly for the progress and prosperity of the country with adopting the true spirit of sacrifice, brotherhood, religious tolerance and renouncing the hatred and prejudice. “We should remember on this auspicious occasion of Eid ul Azha, the sacrifices of the people rendered in the war against terrorism to defend the country,” said the President in his message on the occasion of Eid ul Azha being celebrated in the country on Saturday.

The President said the country today is facing the challenges of terrorism, extremism, sectarianism and target killing and there is a need to inculcate unity, brotherhood, will for sacrifice, religious tolerance, and high qualities to face these challenges. He said on the blessed occasion of Eid-alAzha, “I want to congratulate my countrymen, and pray for their security and safety and for their happi-

Social circles hail Supreme Court verdict SHER GONDAL

UWT to distribute sacrificial meat in disaster-hit 16 countries STAFF REPORTER

MANDI BAHAUDDIN—Social P ESHAWA R —Ummah Welcircles have hailed verdict of Supreme Court under which rates of natural gas have been reduced by twenty to thirty Rupees per kilogram. Tariq Gondal said this reduction of gas prices for was not less than Edie on the eve of Eid ul Azha for the people.

Arshad Tarar Advocate of Ghania said that the continuous increase in gas prices without any valid reason speaks volumes of malafides on the part of all those who did not realize its negative impact on the consumers. He further said that government departments did not do their work honestly that result into taking such issues in the SC.

Hoti approves up-gradation of school

fare Trust (UWT) a charitable organisation announced to distribute sacrificial meat among calamityhit people of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir and other parts of the world. According to Ummah Welfare Trust said that this year, the trust would distribute sacrificial meat in more than 0.5million people of affected by natural disaster in 16 countries around the world. The release further said a total of cost of sacrificial meat was exceeded at eight million solely in the Pakistan.

While this year, the trust will distribute sacrificial meat among more than

150,000 calamity hit people from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the meat of around 25,665 sacrificial animals would be distributed among calamity and militancy hit people including women, children and widows residing at their makeshift camp.

Similarly, about 400 animals will be sacrificed in Rajanpur, Punjab province to distribute meat in flood affected people, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur along with Balochistan. The meat will also send to Afghanistan.

In Sindh, more than 300 animals will be sacrificed in Badin to distribute among flood affected people of the province, while in Gilgit

Baltistan 50 animals’ meat will be distributed among deserving and poor people.

In Rawalpindi, the trust will sacrifice more than 165 animals along with a food package to distribute among deserving and poor people.

The sacrificial meat will be distributed during three days of the Eid-ul-Azha in different parts of the country, in which the trust volunteers would take part in distribution process. Maulana Mohammad Idress, Chairman of the trust while in his Eid message said that his organization would continue to extend every possible help and assistance to flood and calamity hit people in Pakistan, Afghanistan and rest of the World.

Dry weather expected

HFBSH allowed to collect sacrificial animals skins

expected to range between 27 degrees Centigrade and 29 degrees Centigrade.

It added that mainly hot and dry weather is likely to prevail elsewhere in the region.

However, chances of rain at one or two places in Makran, Kalat divisions of Balochistan.

The Multan local Met office has forecast partly cloudy weather for the city and its suburbs during the next 24 hours. On Friday, the maximum

and minimum temperatures were recorded as 31.2 and 19.7 Celsius, respectively. Humidity was recorded as 82 per cent at 8am and 47 per cent at 5pm.

According to met office, Continental air would prevail over most parts of the Country. A shallow low lies over Balochistan and its adjoining areas. Dry weather is also predicted in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh Balochistan and Kashmir during next 24 hours. The Met Office has forecast a dry weather for the city on Friday with the maximum temperature expected to range between 27 degrees Centigrade and 29 degrees Centigrade.—APP

T

HE Millennium Devel opment Goals declare education as one of the basic human rights, but if we look at the rising cost of education it is becoming more and more a luxury. The cuts in the budget allocation for education have deprived more and more of the underprivileged from getting higher education.

In this situation EQUIPPakistan (Empowerment through Quality education Innovation & Productivity), foresees the change in the educational scenario of the country through a change in the mind-set of all the stakeholders with a special emphasis on students the prospective future leaders of Pakistan.

The main aim of EQUIPPakistan is to initiate Students Quality Circles at school and college level in

OUR CORRESPONDENT M ARDAN —The Lundkhwar police foiled a bid to smuggle hashish and weapon to Sakhatok agency and arrested one accused, police sources said on Friday. The sources said that acting on a tip-off the police put up a barricade at Mardan-Malakand road near Shago Naka and signaled a car (6181/IDD) to stop.

During the search, the sources said, 11 kilograms of hashish and 28 pistol of 30 bore were recovered from the car and a person identified as Taza Gul son of Fazl-e-Raheem resident of Sakhkot was arrested.

Sources said that police registered the first information report (FIR) and started investigation from the accused.

Meanwhile, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a car, which was coming from Peshawar to Takhatbhai on Ring-Road in the limits of Saddar police station, police sources said. Islam ud Din, son of Nasiruddin, resident of Takhatbhai reported to police that he was coming from Peshawar to his village in his car (7981 Peshawar) on RingRoad near Tala Koroona in the limits of Saddar police station unidentified accused from vehicle No ALT-4200 started firing on his car.

STAFF REPORTER PESHAWAR—The district administration has permitted the Hamza Foundation Blood Services Hospital (HFBSH) to collect skins of sacrificial animals during Eid-ul-Azha. According to an official statement issued here on Friday, the permission has been given on the condition that load speakers would not be used for announcing requests to collect skins and nobody will coerce or harass anybody.

It was earlier reported that proscribed outfits have openly installed banners across the city seeking sacrificial animal hides despite government’s claim to stop them. Even some of the political parties and groups have launched campaigns to collect the hides without getting the mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC). MULTAN: TMA workers busy in operation against illegal construction.

Students quality circles – A co-curricular activity to empower youth AATIKA SALAM

Bid to smuggle hashish, weapons foiled

whole of Pakistan and then been initiated. The objective lead the nation in times of war School and College, to develop a system of net- is to create a student body or of peace.

Founder and Director General of EQUIP - PAKISTAN, a visionary with a mission for the cause of quality education, clearly saw the far reaching implications of the phenomenon of Students Quality Circles for the desired change, we are hoping for, in our society. He not only introduced SQCs in Modernage Public School and College but also worked diligently to carry it across the country. From the initiation of one circle in one institution i.e., Modernage Public School and College, Abbottabad in 2005, EQUIP-Pakistan has successfully carried its message to all the major cities and many rural areas of Pakistan.

Two Regional Chapters i.e., Khyber Pukhtunkhawa and Punjab are also actively implementing the program in working among all the insti- with well-developed creative Abdul Wahid Mir, Prin- their respective regions. For tutions where SQCs have and critical skills equipped to cipal Modernage Public this purpose 1st National

Convention on Students Quality Circles was held on 2nd November 2008. Since then, there has been no looking back, with each added year more and more schools and colleges and with them even a larger number of students becoming a part of Students Quality Circles.

The 2nd and 3rd National Convention on Students Quality Circles, Pakistan held in November 2010 and 2011 at Modernage, Abbottabad has been a resounding success.

The NCSQC scheduled for 12th and 13th November 2012 is going to be held in collaboration with World Council for Total Quality and Excellence in Education, Pakistan Institute of Quality Control and Modernage Public School and College Abbottabad, Pakistan. More than 700 students from all over the country are expected to participate in this event along

with the teachers, educationists, academicians and scholars. In addition foreign delegates from Sri Lanka and Nepal will also grace the occasion. The phenomenon of Students Quality Circles must be popularized and practised in our educational institutions if we want our educated youth to be the nation builders in a fast changing and challenging world of today.

4th National Convention on Students Quality Circles, Pakistan Theme: Think Imaginatively, Decide Confidently, Act Creatively12th & 13th Nov, 2012, Abbottabad, Pakistan EQUIP – Pakistan invites all educationists, academicians, professionals, teachers and students to join us at Modernage Public School & College, Abbottabad.

—Writer is Executive Director EQUIP

LWMC launches special cleanliness drive STAFF REPORTER L A H O R E —Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) has launched special arrangements for cleanliness at Eid ul Azha. Making efforts the whole year to keep the surroundings clean, LWMC has taken special measures at the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha. At Eid, vacations of field staff and officers have been cancelled and preparations are in full swing to make Lahore even more clean during Eid festivities.

LWMC has set up camps in all the Bakkar mandis, in which staff remains vigilant for cleanliness and awareness purpose. Containers have been placed near these Bakkar mandis so that the left over animal feed, animal refuse and other waste can be disposed of conveniently and cleanliness can be maintained in these bakar mandis.

Afrasiab advises LHC to abstain from remarks on controversial dam

Govt for increase in power plants Staff Reporter

I SLAMABAD —Secretary Water and Power Nargis Sethi has said that the government is working to increase the capacity of existing power plants. Talking to Pakistan Television (PTV), she said that the Ministry of Water and Power was trying to overcome the power shortfall and added that efforts were being made to enhance the power generation capacity. Replying to a question, she said that the WAPDA had disconnected the electricity connections for those institutions, which were not paying the bills. She said that the government had controlled the problem of loadshedding.

She said that all resources were being utilized to create awareness among the people to save the energy. Replying to another question, the secretary said that a strict monitoring system was adopted to balance demand and supply in the energy sector. Nargis Sethi said that the ministry had given a slogan to people “to save the electricity, water, gas and made the life easy”. To a question, she said that the Thar-Coal project would take some time to give results. She said “We will make all-out efforts to implement the decision of the Prime Minister regarding the Thar-Coal project.” She urged the people to save the energy and always approach the right department of the government QUETTA: Relatives of missing persons observing a token hunger strike camp. for getting connection of the electricity. Nargis Sethi said that during the Eid holidays the loadshedding would be minimized for the convenience of the public. She said that ministry had established a helpline for registering the complaints of the people.

“Judiciary would also become controversial by getP E H S AWA R — P r o v i n c i a l ting itself involved in the President of ANP Senator Afrasiab Khattak on Friday advised the Lahore High Court (LHC) to abstain from controversial decisions. Addressing a press conference here, Afrasiyab opined that remarks made by the LHC regarding construction of Kalabagh Dam would fuel tension among small provinces.

On Thursday, Lahore High Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said that objections raised by Sindh issues,” and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa controversial over the construction of the Khattak said, adding that the KBD were political, adding dam was an attempt to octhat such objections can be cupy Indus River by one addressed through dialogue. province.

STAFF REPORTER

Brother shoots dead married sister over domestic dispute

Police chief greets officers Staff Reporter

PESHAWAR—Inspector General of Police (IGP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Akbar Khan Hoti has greeted the police officers and Jawans on the auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Azha. The IGP, in his message, said that Eid-ul-Azha imbibed in “us the spirit of sacrifice and helping each others”. “The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police is ensuring protection of life, honour and property of the general public by offering supreme sacrifices of their precious lives, which is an ample proof of services and dedication,” he added.. He said that he was fully aware of the fact that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police was performing duty in unfavourable circumstances; however it was a matter of great pride and satisfaction that the Jawans never considered these difficulties as a stumbling block in performing their duty. He said due to sheer hard work, sincerity to duty and unprecedented sacrifices, police force established unparallel examples. The IGP expressed satisfaction over the fact that in the ongoing critical situation the role of Police remained admirable and paid tribute and respect to the spirit and professional commitment of the Jawans. He directed the police officers to take special care of the heirs of police Shuhadda and visit their houses with Eid gifts and enquire after the health of injured police officers and jawans.

The IGP hoped that the force Jawans would give every sacrifice for the protection of life, honour and property of the general public and keep close liaison with the general public. He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police as a front line force successfully fought this war and in the process offered sacrifices due to which law and order situation had improved to a large extent. The police chief went on to say that no force on the earth could win against crimes without public support and cooperation.

Merit in admissions key to success Our Correspondent

F AISALABAD —Merit in admissions at educational institutions is a key to success which plays a pivotal role in uplifting a society, said Govt College University Faisalabad (GCUF) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zakir Husain. He was chairing a meeting of Admission Committee at his chamber here. He was informed that the university had received 35,000 applications, speaking the volume of people’s trust on the university quality education. He expressed his pleasure over the smooth functioning of the admission process made purely on merit. He directed the Incharges of BS and MS programmes to hand over complete official record of admitted students to heads of department concerned. He also stressed the need for ensuring quality education and promote the culture of research at the campus, enabling us to meet the demands of modern world. He said the knowledge helps individuals to make informed decisions, improves their choices and develops their potentials to play productive roles in society.

So the teacher community put full endeavours to provide state of the art knowledge to the students and polish their abilities, he added. Ch Mushtaq Director Admin, Mazhar Hayat Director Students Affairs, Dr Hazoor Muhammad Sabir, Dr Sofia Anwar, Dr Umair Arshad Bajwa, Muhammad Rafiq Wahla Director Sports, Dr Shahzad Ahmad Chatta, Dr Shahzad Ahmad and others were also present in the meeting. Earlier, during his visit of Faculty of Pharmacy, he directed to upgrade the Lab and Library according to the requirements of the medical sector. He said that as per requirement of students, New Campus of GCUF is being constructed at Jhang Road on 200 acres.

Sumsam greets APP employees union Staff Reporter

Gunmen kill 2 Swat peace committee members

OUR CORRESPONDENTS Thursday, in front of a Lundkhwar police station, dentified gunmen on Thurs- told that the dead body is of S WAT \M ARDAN —Gunmen shot dead two members of an anti-Taliban peace committee in Swat on Friday.

The shooting will heighten fears of a campaign of targeted killings in Swat, as in the last four months, two businessmen and outspoken anti-militant campaigners have been shot dead and two others wounded.

The latest incident took place in the Charbagh area, a former militant stronghold some 10 kilometres north of Mingora, the main town of Swat valley.

Police said gunmen opened fire on Tajim Gul late

mosque while Sardar Mohammad was gunned down at his home. “In both incidents the attackers managed to flee. We have registered a case against the unknown attackers,” Liaqat Ali, an official in Charbagh police station told. Daidar Ghani, another police official, confirmed the incident.

Mohammad’s five-year-old son was injured in the shooting. Residents said both victims were members of local peace committee and they blamed Taliban for the killing.

Mardan: A youth shot dead his sister over a domestic dispute in the limits of

police sources said. A woman Amina Bibi, daughter of Anwar Baig, was married to Abass Khan of Moti Banda who was doing labouring in Saudi Arab for the last 2 years. Sources said that the mentioned woman came from her husband house six months ago. On Wednesday suddenly she came to her parent’s house.

Sources said that her brother Asfandyar allegedly started firing on her and killed her on the spot.

A case has been registered on the report of the deceased mother Adil Bibi. The accused escaped from the spot. In another incident uni-

day late night opened fire and killed a man and seriously injured his brother in the limits of Lundkhwar police station, police sources said. Sub-Inspector Muzamil Khan of Lundkhwar police station reported that he was on patrolling duty on Thursday late night that he heard the sound of firing.

He further said that when he came to the spot Salu Road near Hajiabad, he saw that two persons were laying on the road in which one person identified as Ghapoor Khan, son of Fazl-e-Raheem resident of Shah Sahib Dahri Sakhakot was in injured. He said that the injured person

his brother named Arshid Khan. He further stated that 303 bore rifle was lying with the injured person while they also recovered weapons from the dead body. The injury was shifted to hospital.

He further stated that both the person were involved in a murder case occurred on 5 October 2012 and wanted to Lundkhwar police.

He stated that both the brothers were present on the road for dacoit and was injured and killed by unknown passer-by. However, police yet to register the First Information Report (FIR) of the injured person or mentioned his statement in the FIR.

Pakistani imprisoned in Dubai for 5yrs OUR CORRESPONDENT JALALPUR BHATTIAN,—A Pakistani national Jawed Iqbal has been imprisoned for five years in Dubai after being convicted of setting on fire a hotel.

According to mother of the incarcerated Jawed, few months back two people died after taking poisonous meal in a Dubai hotel. Other people present on the occasion turned angry and they torched the hotel to vent their anguish. Later on, Dubai police arrested 20 persons under allegation of torching the hotel and Jawed Iqbal was also arrested among them. A Dubai court awarded five years’ confinement to Jawed Iqbal but my son is innocent.

Kausar appeals for unity to counter challenges STAFF REPORTER P E S H AWA R — K h y b e r Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kausar has appealed to the countrymen to maintain unity and harmony in their ranks and files and refresh their spirit to be ready to offer any sacrifice for security and prosperity of the country. This he said in a message on the eve of Eidul-Azha. Complete text of the message is given below.

“Eidul Azha is observed in the memory of the supreme sacrifice; which the Holy Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) and his son Hazrat Ismail

(A.S) have offered at the will of the Almighty Allah. “This symbolic sacrifice reflects the spirit of both the Holy Prophets to submit to the will of the Almighty Allah. This also carries the message that Almighty Allah is very kind to mankind and appreciates those, who surrender themselves to His will. Enabling the deserving and destitute to share the festivities of Eid-e-Qurban; the festival of sacrifices is indeed the core spirit of the Holy occasion which is up-held as the sacrosanct responsibility.

“On this solemn occasion, I congratulate the countrymen in general and the

people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA in particular. Since sharing festivities; upholding spirit of brotherhood and taking the fellow beings along in the Eid happiness are the core aspects of this Islamic festival, therefore, there is a need to take fullest advantage of the solemn occasion to refresh and strengthen the bonds of fraternity; cohesion and social integrity at every level.

“I would also like to remind the countrymen in general and the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA in particular about the difficult PESHAWAR: Workers busy in packing sweets at their shop on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha at circumstances.

Namak Mandi Chowk.

Traffic police asked not to challan vehicles on Eid days OUR CORRESPONDENT F AISALABAD —City traffic police have been directed not to issue challan tickets to violators of traffic rules during the Eidul Azha days.

CTO Sardar Asif Khan while reviewing traffic arrangement here said that necessary directions have been issued to the traffic wardens in this regard. He said that special traffic officers have been deputed at worship places, mosques, parking stands and other public places to ensure smooth flow of traffic

during Eid days.

Lady traffic wardens along with male wardens have also been deputed at shopping centers and markets. On the other side it is also reported that secial squads formed to check overcharging by transporters on Eidul Azha days issued 137 challan tickets and imposed a fine of Rs 56,000 on vehicles’ owners during last three days.

Secretary District Regional Transport Authority Tariq Mahmood Ch said here Thursday that a control room has been set up at the office

of district regional transport authority to receive public complaints about overcharging.

On a complaint received by a passenger of Rawalpindi bound bus, MMPI Umar Bilal stopped the vehicle motorway interchange and arrested the driver and helper for overcharging from passenger besides impounding the vehicle at Millat Town police station. Secretary RTA warned the transporters, if any one found involved in overcharging, a strict action will be taken against him.

Motorcyclists fire on pedestrians, two injured M ZAFAR ANSARI

Seminar on use of iodized salt held STAFF REPORTER

PESHAWAR—The Health DeT O B A T E K S I N G H —Two partment FATA in collaborapersons were injured when two motorcycle riders opened firing on pedestrians on Thursday night. Reports say that motorcycle riders opened fire on pedestrians injuring Tanvir Omar (35) and Adnan (13) of them near the telephone exchange after Meghreb prayers. They were returning home after closing their shop. The police immediately after the incident shifted the injured to a local hospital.

ISLAMABAD—Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Syed Sumsam Ali Bukhari on Friday congratulated the newly elected office-bearers of the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) Employees Union. Susam Bukhari, in his message, congratulated Aftab Zahoor and Arshad Majeed Chaudhry for being elected as President and General Secretary of the union respectively. He also congratulated vice presidents Usman Khan Kakar and Malik Rashid Ahmed, joint secretaries Raziq Ali Shah and Sohail Iqbal Cheema, Finance Secretary Yawar Abbas, Press Secretary Naseeb Elahi and Executive Council members. He expressed the hope that the new officebearers would work for the welfare of employees. Their election is an evidence of trust and confidence of the APP employees reposed in them, he added. Earlier, addressing a signing ceremony of charter of understanding between PTV management and worker’s union (CBA) here, the Information Minister Qamar ur Zaman Kaira said that all remaining of PTV employees will be regularized according to the defined mechanism. He said that PTV being a profitable organization is a model for other organizations. The Minister said that employees are the strength of any institution and it is the responsibility of the state to provide jobs to the people. He urged PTV employees to work sincerely and with devotion for PTV’s credibility. Earlier Kaira congratulated PTV management and union for holding successful dialogue and reaching a understating for the charter of demands presented by the Union. The PTV management has accepted demand of 22.5 percent increase in basic salaries and other allowances. The Minister also directed the management to give Eid advance amount of Rs. 10,000 to every MULTAN: Activists of Muttahida Shehri Mahaz burning American flag during a protest demonstration. employee which will be adjusted from their arrears.

tion with the UNICEF arranged a seminar in order to create awareness regarding use of iodized salt in connection with Iodine Deficiency Day (IDD).

The seminar among others was participated by all Programme Managers working under the umbrella of Department of Health, experts from UNICEF, WFP and WHO and representatives of NGOs working in FATA. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Rauf Wazir, Director Health Promotion and Nutrition FATA, said that in order to increase the household use of

iodized salt, awareness session at the agency level is needed. He said that disseminating necessary information regarding the benefits of iodized salt in our daily life would also be helpful to decrease the chances of diseases resulting from iodine deficient food.

Participants of the seminar highlighted the main reasons leading to iodine deficiency.

They informed that thesoil has been depleted of iodine because of flooding, heavy rainfall or glaciations. They said that about 38 million newborns in developing countries every year remain unprotected from the lifelong consequence of brain damage associated with iodine deficiency disorders.

Malala visited by family STAFF REPORTER ISLAMABAD—The family of Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head, have visited her in hospital after arriving in Britain, says a message received here from London on Friday. The 15-year-old’s mother, father and two brothers arrived in the city of Birmingham in central England on Thursday and went straight to see her at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. “Her mum, dad and her two brothers are here in the UK,” a spokeswoman for the hospital told AFP. “They visited last night.”

After flying into Britain’s second city, they were given a police escort through Birmingham to the hospital. In an attack which outraged the

world, Malala was shot on a school bus in Swat valley on October 9 as a punishment for campaigning for the right of girls to an education. On October 15 she was flown from Pakistan to Birmingham in a medically-induced coma, and taken to the highly specialised hospital where staff have extensive experience of treating British soldiers seriously wounded in Afghanistan.

The hospital said Malala was still comfortable and continued to respond well to treatment. She has received thousands of goodwill messages from around the world since she was attacked. The bullet, which grazed her brain and came within centimetres of killing her, travelled through her head and neck before lodging in her left shoulder.

Don’t scuttle verdict on CNG

MEDIA WATCH

Disposable people

H

ATS off to the Supreme Court of Pakistan that delivered landmark verdict on the issue of unjustified CNG prices as a consequence of which OGRA was compelled to issue a fresh notification slashing prices of CNG by heft Rs 30.90 per kilogram. The judgement is widely being hailed by consumers who are also demanding that it should have trickle down effect on fares and transportation charges as well.

The joy of the people, however, is likely to be short-lived as vested interests are ganging up to scuttle this historic verdict in coming days on different pretexts. In the first instance, it is highly intriguing that the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources allowed unimaginable profit margin of Rs 32 a kilogram to CNG owners including Rs 20.80 as so-called operating cost and Rs 11.20 per kilogram as profit and that is CNG station owners have become millionaires overnight despite paying Rs 9 million as bribe to the authorities concerned for getting license for establishment of station. Perhaps, no business in the world offers as much profit margin as running of CNG stations in Pakistan. The most unfortunate aspect is OGRA’s connivance to the questionable and fishy deal between the Government and CNG owners on this account as the Authority is supposed to be there to watch consumers’ interests, which it has miserably failed to safeguard. Secondly, the CNG prices increased substantially because of the decision of the Government to enhance CNG-Petrol parity from 40 to 60% and creating a permanent linkage between the two but Friday’s notification only withdrew operating cost and a fraction of taxes imposed by the Government and the parity has not been reversed to 40%. CNG owners have already started hurling threats of closure if status of their stations was not restored as money minting machine and this would amount to effective denial of benefit to the consumers.

There are also reports that OGRA is going to conduct a hearing to decide about the new price of CNG and the possibility is there of its revising the price again upward to benefit the vested interests.

We hope that the Supreme Court will not allow either the Governor or OGRA to scuttle the good verdict as it did in the case of court judgement on the issue of hike in sugar prices.

Clarion call from Arafat mosque E

VERY year, Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia avails of the opportu nity of huge gathering at Arafat on the occasion of Hajj to not only disseminate true message of Islam but also make calls to Muslims around the world to face the challenges of different kinds together. This year too, in his inspiring address, Imam Abdul Aziz AlSheikh touched upon some of the vital issues facing the Muslim Ummah.

As name of the great religion of Islam is being maligned by some unscrupulous elements within our own ranks and also because of venomous propaganda of the West that is trying to depict it as a religion that promotes violence and extremism, the Imam rightly pointed out that Islam lays stress on peace and brotherhood. Islam taught patience and tolerance and abhorred all types of violence in society. At the same time, he also sent a loud and clear message to the West that attempts to defame Islam in the name of freedom of expression are deplorable. This was obviously in the backdrop of production of blasphemous Internet movie in the United States and publication of blasphemous caricatures in some of the Western newspapers that created a lot of resentment in the Muslim world. The Islamic world is full of natural resources and it also has human capital but despite all that majority of the Muslim countries are in deplorable economic and social conditions. It was in this background that the Imam made a call for concentration on science and technology that is key to development and also bringing back of wealth from Western banks. We believe that the Muslim world can make a leap forward if it implements these two proposals coming from a personality who cannot but think about only welfare of the Ummah.

Let KBD rest in peace T

HE chief justice of Lahore High Court on Thursday observed that objections of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh to the construction of the Kalabagh Dam were mere political. Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial remarked while hearing petitions praying for directions to the Government to take the issue of KBD to the Council of Common Interest (CCI) that it was an issue of national interest and reservations of the two governments could be easily addressed through negotiation at the forum of CCI. No one can dispute what the honourable Chief Justice of Lahore High Court observed but there is nothing you can do to convince those who have closed their ears to voices of logic and reasoning. It is quite pertinent to point out that as soon as Justice Bandial made the remarks, the ANP was quick to retort that they would oppose the ‘controversial dam to the last breath’. Neither the petitioners nor Chief Justice of Lahore High Court was asking for the moon; he was just saying that the issue can be discussed and reservations addressed at the forum that has been formed for the very purpose of deliberating upon such issues. What is harm in debating the issue at CCI where KPK and Sindh would have ample opportunity to present their point of view? But it is opposition for the sake of opposition and an attempt to remain politically alive by striking a deathblow to a project that is so vital for the economy of the country as has been repeatedly pleaded by no other than a technocrat and expert from KPK itself Engineer Shamsul Mulk who also served as Chairman WAPDA.

Hurmat Group Zahid Malik President & Editor-in-Chief Faisal Zahid Malik Editor Ph: 021-32211777, 32631102

Gauhar Zahid Malik Executive Editor Ph: 051-2852027-8

Islamabad Ph Exchange: 051-2852027, 2852028 Reporting Desk: 051-2262254, News Desk: 051-2252480 Marketing: 051-2262254, Fax: 051-2262258 Email: observer@pakobserver.net Website: www.pakobserver.net

Karachi

Lahore

Faisal Zahid Malik

Nadeem Syed

Editor Ph: 021-32211777, 32631102 Fax: 021-32626902 Email: obskhi@pakobserver.net

Quetta Ghulam Tahir Resident Editor Ph: 081-2829238-40 Fax: 081-2829072 Mobile: 0333-7944760

Resident Editor Ph: 042-37593341, 37566702 Fax: 042-36300043 Email: obslhr@pakobserver.net

Peshawar Resident Editor Ph: 091-5252157 Fax: 2591705

Muzaffarabad Abdul Hameed Shaheen Resident Editor Mobile: 0315-5010791

T

Kashmir Black Day between India and Pakistan that have proved infructuous, Kashmiri youth had taken up arms in 1989.

More than 93000 Mohammad Jamil Kashmiris have Email: mjamil1938@hotmail.com been martyred during the last thirteen years.

However, after 9/ 11 the US and its allies dubbed all very year, October 27 is ob those waging freedom struggle as served by Kashmiris as Black terrorists, and it had adverse impact Day, and Muslims all over the on the Kashmiris’ struggle for their world express solidarity with the right for self-determination. Before people of Kashmir. The British had 9/11, almost all Muslim countries played an ignominious role in supported the struggle and the right bringing Kashmiris to the present of self-determination of Kashmiris pass for having sold Kashmir to in accordance with the relevant UN Gulab Singh, former governor of resolutions. Nevertheless, the resoMaharaja Ranjeet Singh, for 7.5 lution of Kashmir dispute lies in trimillion rupees. Once again at the partite negotiations between India, time of partition when people of Pakistan and the accredited leaderKashmir had dreamt of freedom ship of the people of Jammu & from oppression, India accepted Kashmir from both sides of the Lord Mountbaten as the first Gov- Cease-fire Line.

It is too well known the cardiernor General of India with a view to implementing its insidious plan nal principal for the partition of Inof annexing Kashmir, which was dia was that majority Muslim recontrived and implemented by gions would become part of PakiLord Mountbaten and Nehru. And stan and majority Hindu regions to on 26th July 1947, Raja Hari become part of India. But a differSingh was coerced into signing ent formula was contrived for the the controversial document, and princely states to benefit India. The it was on the basis of this docu- Kashmiris had rejected the formula ment that Indian forces entered the for the states and insisted that there Valley on 27th October 1947. should be one standard for entire Kashmiris have perhaps passed India and the princely states. In fact, through the longest suffering and then representative body of Musordeal in the history and faced re- lims of Kashmir the Muslim Conference had held a convention on pression, death and destruction.

The suffering of the Kashmiri 19th July 1947 and passed a resopeople continues, as international lution to merge Kashmir with Pacommunity is not at all moved by kistan, which stated: “This conventhe sad plight of the Kashmiris. tion of Muslim Conference has Disappointed and disillusioned by reached the conclusion that geoprotracted bilateral negotiations graphical conditions, 80 per cent

News & Views

E

Muslim population, important rivers of Punjab passing through the state, language, cultural, ethnic and economic relations and contiguity of the state with Pakistan make it imperative to merge with Pakistan”.

India’s illegal occupation of Kashmir is indeed a dark chapter in the history of human rights. However, India continues to deny the right of self-determination to the Kashmiri people, which is morally unacceptable, economically unsustainable and politically inadmissible with regard to any scheme aimed at ensuring global and regional peace, stability and security. The repression, oppression and atrocities by Indian forces have turned Kashmir into a hell that would stretch Dante’s imagination reflected in his famous poem Divine Comedy.

However, these acts could not break the will of Kashmiris. It will not be an exaggeration to say that the heroic struggle waged by the people of Kashmir is unparalleled in the history who are committed to continue their struggle till their objective is achieved. It has to be said that no solution can be found without the participation and consensus of the people of Kashmir. But the Indian government in connivance with the puppet administration is working on a plan to change the demography of Jammu and Kashmir by settling Indian citizens in the occupied territory.

In June 2008, Kashmiri Muslims had protested against allotment of land to Delhi-based Amarnath Shrine Trust, which was violation of the law.

Later, there was strike in Muslims’ areas of Indian Held Kashmir against anti-Muslim riots, vandalism, looting of Muslim properties, economic blockade of the Valley and inter-regional ex-communication by the Hindu fanatics and extremists of occupied Jammu region. In fact, Congress-led government had earlier allotted a piece of land near the shrine

apparently to facilitate Hindu pilgrims that throng the shrine in hundreds of thousands, but Kashmiris were suspicious of the government’s intentions, as efforts were being made to encourage migration of Hindus to the state with a view to diluting Kashmiri Muslims’ 98 per cent majority in IHK. Anyhow, all assessments of India were proven wrong by last year’s struggle of the people of Kashmir.

This is the first time that there are voices in India as well in Europe demanding that Kashmir issue should be resolved.

In case, India continues to balk at resolving the Kashmir dispute, and does not reciprocate with Pakistan to reach a solution acceptable to India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir, the only way out for Pakistan would be to invoke the UN Security Council resolutions. The international community has to understand that Tashkant and Simla agreements were signed by Pakistan under duress. Article 103 of Chapter XVI of the UN Charter clearly states: “In the event of a conflict between the obligations of the members of the United Nations under the present Charter and any other international agreement, their obligation under the present charter shall prevail”.

The composite dialogue that started in 2004 was stalled after Mumbai terrorists attack in 2008, which has been resumed after a long hiatus of four years. Anyhow, neither the festering issues like Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek have been resolved nor any progress has been made in this regard. Nevertheless, the threat of war between two nuclear states also works as an incentive for peace between the belligerent countries.

—The writer is Lahore-based senior journalist.

Military operations & societies strategic-decision making, especially in terms of implications of major military opon Pakistani Rana Athar Javed eration society.

Email: ma_javed@hotmail.com The tremendous loss of life and lifestyle of ordinary Pakistani citizen does raise the queshe traditional path to military tion as to why the society has to face operations is often defined such an uphill battle to preserve the against potentially devastating unique social fabric of a democratic consequences of asymmetrical war- Islamic society. Up until now this fare on a society. The media and se- question is dealt in a very traditional curity assessments roughly construct manner, that is, either the violent miliprimary importance of military so- tants should be dealt with an iron fist, lutions to the complex issues of or there must be a negotiation if these sociopolitical and religious power- non-state actors surrender their arms play. As soon as the causes and in- and will to fight. An apparent soluterests of military solutions are tion is that both Afghanistan and Paserved, it would be absurd to con- kistan devise a bilateral operational sider that the “new strategic inter- strategy to terminate those who are ests” or demands from the major aiming to dent the people-to-people powers would never surface again. and brotherly relations between two The media and sponsor of such ideas countries. The expected Strategic can display state of the art commu- Partnership Agreement (SPA) benication techniques and themes to tween Afghanistan and Pakistan will stimulate debate about the short-term be a landmark development. The Britbenefits of military solutions to so- ish High Commissioner, Adam Thomson endorsed this strategy and cial, ethnic and sectarian conflict.

Thus, fostering greater support stated that, “the SPA would provide and influence, in order to create fur- the framework for enhanced militaryther fragmentation and divide be- to-military and intelligence-to-inteltween unity codes of military and ligence interaction, besides allowing society. In the case of Pakistan, the space for political and military iniconsistent and formidable military tiatives to resolve the contentious iscampaign has tremendously de- sues between Islamabad and Kabul”.

Today, the strategic advantage of graded the overall ability of militants.

Still, more than 6000 TTP militants friendly countries, especially of the under the command of Mullah US is submerged with risks to Fazlullah is taking refuge in Afghani- Pakistan’s national security imperastan. This part of asymmetrical war- tives. To accomplish the purpose of fare clearly reflects the complexities social stability and cohesion, a unit as to why any new military opera- of key elements of motivation and tion cannot be an “incident-based af- resilience is required to both military fair, hence raises the importance of and political leadership, because

T

battlefields set up by the foreign and homegrown enemies are generally is a program of active and long-term participation of armed forces in asymmetrical warfare, and hence calls for rethinking the strategy of “only” military operations on Pakistani soil. This assessment is based on observations of emigrational and social instability factors, because the combat units that participate and some unfortunately also lose their precious lives in the line of duty can be placed in stark contrast to the usual depiction of social impact if the political dispensation and other resolutely concessions are not being granted.

Often, the hardline/impulsive forces characterize such military strategy as cowardice act of surrendering to risks, instead of considering the fact that no military in the modern asymmetrical warfare could continuously appease the foreign domination and take the risk of losing socially cohesive structures in a society, which inherently are based upon mutual, continuous, and common understanding of each other’s sensitivities. Temporary frameworks of applying psychological and political pressures do create an interestbased and, ad hoc, components of mistrust, which in turn produce power struggle between internal sociopolitical forces and thus diminishes or damages the perception and popular image of a military in the view of their own people. Pakistan is recovering from the similar situation, and this can be further strengthened if the order of “wish list” is based on the internal dynamics and national requirement of peace.

Contrastingly, the illegal drone attack campaign and the US pressure to carry-out an operation in North Waziristan depict several possible ex-

planations as to why the international forces have not given a consideration to both instant and long-term social changes that a larger military operation would bring on Pakistani society. Importantly, the focus is merely on the engagement of Pak-military and ISI in a complex and unending mission of serving the ever expanding regional planning requirement of the US and NATO. Hence, the standard model of current “cooperation” is being utilized as a tool to implicitly sensitize Pakistan’s enemies that its society is a “ready-made” field to create further social and religious fragmentations.

This consequence inherently touches upon the serious issue of migration as well as the worsening law and order situation in Karachi and other parts of Pakistan. Therefore, the importance and relevance of future military operations must consider that committing combating forces for a longer period will have cost and, it may well negatively affect the urbanization process, which in turn can cause deadly conflict over resources, jobs, food and most importantly space to live. Recognizing at least the potential consequences of further military operations, Pakistan’s state should synchronize the elements of national power (i.e. diplomatic, economic, military and information), and thus, establishing the rationale behind negotiation and achievement of tactical objectives against foreign and domestic enemies. These varied forms of socio-military considerations will be resourceful in tackling the complex topology of military operation and society.

—The author is a Denmark-based National Security Expert and Defence Analyst.

he world has applauded the process of political liberalisation in Myanmar, after the legendary pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was elected as the opposition leader of the national parliament. But while this might seem like a heartening development in a country which has been under a tyrannical military dictatorship since decades, things don’t look too upbeat for the country.

There’s a serious, yet underreported, conflict currently plaguing the country. Deadly sectarian clashes between the Muslim Rohingya and the Buddhists continues to rage in Burma’s coastal Rakhine state, which has killed nearly 90 since June (although exact figures are disputed) and displaced many thousands.

The brunt of most of the violence is borne by the Rohingya Muslims — mostly viewed as illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh — who continue be victims of arson, rape and murder. Tens of thousands of them are languishing in refugee camps. And now fresh Muslim-Buddhist clashes have sparked another exodus to Muslims to emergency camps. Hundreds of Rohingyas have fled to Rakhine’s state capital Sittwe by boat this week to seek sanctuary in the camps. The UN refugee agency estimated that more than 1,000 displaced people had reached Sittwe in recent days.

However, there’s been a conspicuous silence about the bloodshed among the higher echelons of power in Burma. The military government has tried its best to keep the conflict secluded from the international community’s scrutiny, by limited access, especially of journalists, to the troubled areas. But what is even more disappointing is that Suu Kyi, the winner of a Nobel Peace Prize and the most respected pro-democracy fighter in the world, has been reticent about the issue.

Even during her visit to the UK, when she addressed both houses of parliament, she did not even make a passing reference to the violence in the country. However, the rhetoric of democracy and peace, that Suu Kyi is so famous for, is meaningless if she refuses to shed light on the plight of the Rohingya — one of the world’s most persecuted minority.—Khaleej Times

*****

US politicians need to rethink priorities

T

o state the obvious: Cliffs are dangerous and those with a bit of common sense tread carefully when they are near the edge.

The US is on a fiscal cliff. In terms of a deal between the Republicans and the Democrats aimed at cutting the country’s deficit, a series of effective tax increases and cuts in government spending will automatically kick-in at the start of the new year, unless another debt reduction agreement is reached. There is a danger that the spending cuts and tax increases will crimp trade and commerce and send the US economy over the edge and into recession — taking the global economy with it.

To complicate matters, the US is expected to reach its debt ceiling early in the new year. When this happens, US lawmakers will either have to agree to increase it so the government can raise more loans to service its debt and pay its bills. The last time the debt ceiling needed to be raised, political disagreement and the prospect that the US would default on its loans led to turmoil on global financial markets and the country losing one of its AAA investment ratings. The danger is real enough for US corporations, including General Electric, to begin making arrangements to ride out a bout of financial turmoil. But, despite the danger, US politicians are blundering towards the fiscal cliff, with their eyes on nothing but the present election.

Even President Barack Obama, thought to be cool and calculating, has only given rote assurances about the danger to the global economy.

US politicians need to agree on a formula — now — that will see sustainable investment in economic and human infrastructure protected, while unnecessary spending is cut and the savings directed to debt reduction. —Gulf News The world is disgracefully managed, one hardly knows to whom to complain.

Ronald Firbank —British novelist

Election charade or corporatcracy Voice of the People

against pro-Ghadafi supporters in Bani Walid under siege for last 20 days. Where is Ali Ashraf Khan their humanity?

We have also Email:balti@super.net.pk seen that elections in the US are not any more ‘the voice of the people’ but the voice of the establishment he US presidential election is who decide which candidate they drawing close and the debates would prefer and then get the voting of the two main candidates are right. Former President George W. reaching the boiling point. Much of Bush, one can remember was the world including Pakistan is hold- ‘elected’ by such a procedure, while ing their breath and gazing west as if his rival had polled more votes. That this election was of vital importance doesn’t mean the people in America for our country. Though for each and do not have problems and wishes everyone who is listening to what is which they would like to be tackled said by Romney and Obama can such as joblessness, surging poverty, clearly see that it doesn’t make a dif- deteriorating education outside the ference for us in Pakistan as to who elite universities and a poor health will win. They are both obsessed with care system for the majority. But that the imperialist agenda of their cau- doesn’t matter for the powers that be; cus consisting of the oil-gas and they want to rule the world and subweapon producing mafia that has jugate it and they are pushing full been ruling the US for the last de- force towards this goal. cades. In today’s debate they were The heyday of democracy – if it competing in Israel-loving and Iran- ever existed- is clearly gone and the bashing and if at all the difference in rest can be bought by money and mapolicy between the two is in grade nipulated by the media. The awakenonly not in substance. In this debate ing is there 9 States have already while both pledged to fight against passed resolutions against use of corTerrorism and Jihadis, one wonders rupt influences of allowing billions how they justify killing by Drone at- of dollars expenditure on election tack, which has now reached Middle campaign to steal elections called East, Nothing was heard against use corporatcracy, which can be seen at: of Chemical and Gas weapons used www.movetoamend.org Famous

T

Anchor Larry King was moderating a TV debate among third party US presidential candidate the other day in Chicago very impressive of them were Ms. Jill Stein (Green Party) Mr. Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party) and Ricky Anderson (Justice Party) It is confusing to note that perhaps their name will appear on ballot papers but votes the receive will not be counted?

Pakistani governments – if not the people- love America and always keep looking towards the US for aid and help to uphold and prolong their corrupt regimes. They have understood the rules of the game and they have learned to use those rules in their own favour. They know US want ‘democracy’ at the surface and they get it. And this was seen in the 3rd debate when both candidates wanted Pakistan to be an American camp follower not for democracy or social welfare of Pakistani nation but to claim rescuing Pakistan from becoming a failed state by going under control of extremist elements only because of our strategic geographical location to ensure smooth oil and gas supply from Central Asian Republics for the survival of America in case Tran Canada project does not works.

And we are awaiting another election hardly six months later and the outcome is already clear. Since the last election that brought the PPP into government on an emotional pity vote for the late Benazir Bhutto and

even then so many votes were fake and the electoral roles incomplete.

Since then nothing has changed except we have now a new CEC who is critical about timing of Judgment in Asghar Khan Case, which according to him will add to create more chaos in the country.

The electoral roles are as fake and include all kinds of people who have long ago died and they don’t include so many young people and women who have reached the voting age and who have never been included. The sitting government is already busy in pre-poll fraud by distributing money to the people for votes through the infamous Benazir Income Support scheme and other means. In Sindh they gave MQM the SPLOA for the pledge of allegiance in the province and at the center. The much tooted PTI is slowly falling apart because instead of making a new beginning they allowed all the worn-out ‘eligibles’ to join and now Musharraf’s former foreign minister is developing the foreign policy concept of the party.

Those who wanted a new beginning are therefore leaving as Shireen Mazari and others have done. So where is the hope now to get things right in Pakistan? How to get the money back which has been stolen and hidden in foreign bank accounts of the Zardari and Nawaz likes?

How to tame corruption with corrupt leadership?

Need to document economy face of multiple crises.

Shaikh noted, “Countries that invested in their people, exported products and Rashid A Mughal their found the right balance Email:mughal_rashid@hotmail.com between the public and private sector get ahead.”

Nancy Birdsall, president of the Center for Global akistan’s economy is resilient Development, said a “culture of phiand growing with some phe lanthropy” has helped Pakistanis nomenal growth in remittances embrace displaced people and reand informal economy, but the spond to these challenges. She said people are reluctant to invest due to the country is similar in this regard many reasons including energy cri- to the United States, as well as in its sis. This was the crux of a panel tradition of religious moderation.

The growth of the middle class, discussion held under Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh at World now 70 million out of Pakistan’s Bank headquarter a few days ago. population of about 175 million – the International experts on Pakistan’s informal economy, remittances from financial and social issues were Pakistanis overseas and the rural present at the event. According to the economy are encouraging factors. panellists Pakistan being the second The most interesting factors are $75 largest country of the South Asian billion consumer spending – almost region a great potential to explore. 40 percent of the country’s GDP, a The World Bank Vice President for booming informal economy; and a 70 South Asia Isabel Guerero posed two million strong middle class populaquestions to the panel. What inspires tion out of 175 million total populayou about Pakistan and what is the tion are amazing numbers when we one shift needed to change the coun- think about Pakistan as a poor country. Mohsin said around 1.5 million try for the better.

The grace of the people of Paki- motorcycles and half a million cars stan amidst adversity inspires me, are registered each year in Pakistan.

Shaikh responded to the first ques- Toyota Camry has a price tag of tion and many of the other answers around 35,000 dollars in the US, also cited Pakistan’s resilience in the while in Pakistan it costs 100,000

P

dollars, and you will see too many these sort of cars running on the roads, exposing the resilience of the (Pakistani) Economy.

Opinion about Pakistan going down the drain was wrong in a scenario when country was getting $12 billion annual remittances, $4 billion private transfers and $25 billion exports despite the fact that the industrial sector was producing at 50 percent of its capacity due to energy crisis. Another unanticipated development is non-materialisation of the proceeds of 3G and reimbursements of the Coalition Support Fund (CSF).

The fiscal deficit has reached 4.3 percent of GDP during July/March 2011/ 12 after excluding one-off debt consolidation worth Rs.391 billion.

Overall fiscal deficit is expected to surpass the target. The vulnerabilities of the external current account position are further compounded by lower capital and financing account inflows, as well as the IMF repayments. The overall external account balance has deteriorated by $2.6 billion in July/ March 2011/12, resulting in considerable depletion of gross official reserves. No privatisation proceeds and falling net foreign direct investment is contributing to lower financial inflows except putting pressure on the nominal exchange rate.

As long as the monetary expansion is driven by the government sector, there is strong probability that

containing inflation to a single-digit would be difficult. National savings is estimated to fall from 13.2 percent of GDP to 10.7 percent in 2011/ 12 against the target of 13.2 percent.

Real private investment fell by 13 percent and the public investment fell by 8.4 percent. The investment is already at its lowest ebb and further reduction in investment level will impede growth prospects of the economy. Foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 48.2 percent during July/March 2011/12 and stood at $599 million against $1157 million in the comparable period of the last year.

The portfolio investment decreased by 148.5 percent as it turned to outflows of $83 million against inflows of $305 million in the corresponding period last year. Economists have urged the government to muster political will and fully document the economy instead of taking half-hearted measures that provide the tax evaders avenues to escape the tax net. It seems that the planners do not want to annoy the traders, doctors, clinical laboratories or other professionals and are content with the nominal taxes deposited by them. The tax potential of the country is known to the economic planners and the tax collecting machinery, but the planners are afraid of political fallout if these important sectors were targeted.

Views From Abroad

The new Obama Jonathan Schell

A

fter the second debate be tween US President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, Obama’s supporters chorused in near-unison, “He’s back!” The languid, disengaged, and lackluster performer of the first debate had disappeared, and the impressive, beloved figure of the victorious 2008 campaign had reappeared. As the commentator Andrew Sullivan put it, “I saw the person I first saw...I saw the president I thought I knew.” To my eye, however, the old Obama was not back. A new Obama had appeared.

The old Obama was youthful, charming, graceful, and full of hope.

His demeanour was crisp yet easy-

going. His rhetoric soared. His smile could light up a stadium. The Obama on display in the second debate — and the third — was harder, chillier, sadder, and more somber. There was tension in the lines of his mouth. His speech was clipped, as if under continuous rigorous control. His rhetoric did not soar, could not soar. The smile was rare and constrained. But his command of detail and argument was rock solid. His sentences parsed.

He spoke with a cold, disciplined energy. In repose (as witnessed on the split screen in the reaction shots) he was often perfectly immobile, almost stony, as if posing for a portrait. One word for all of this would be “presidential,” in the sense of competent, seasoned, and sobered by reality. But that word also connotes the fearsome qualities of ruthlessness and brutality that any honest portrayal of the

office of President of the United States must include in our day.

Obama has inhabited the White House for four years; now the White House inhabits him. Twice this autumn, Obama had already performed before tens of millions of people — in his acceptance speech at the Democratic convention and in the first debate. Each time, his performance was flat. At the convention, he seemingly hoped to summon the old Obama, to charm and soar, but that man was simply no longer available.

The truth appears to be that his muse deserted him sometime in the first year of his presidency. The result was a simulacrum of the old Obama, as if he were acting the part of himself. Then, in the first debate, no such futile effort was even made, and there was no Obama at all, neither old nor new. As so many com-

mentators noted, in some sense he simply failed to show up. Perhaps he also thought that, well ahead in the polls, he did not have to bother to engage the pesky fellow who imagined replacing him in the White House. At the second debate, the loss of the old Obama was apparently accepted and a new one — existing, real, available, and now working in the Oval Office — made its first appearance. Has the presidency hardened Obama?

Has it brutalized him? There are reasons for thinking that it has. First, Obama has taken, perhaps, a heavier beating from his political opposition than most presidents. The theme of Obama’s life, clearly expressed in his eloquent memoir Dreams from My Father, and shown in the recent Frontline documentary The Choice, is reconciliation. —KT

Animal slaughter..!

R

ecently there was a candle light vigil in Mumbai against animal slaughter. I wonder whether this vigil was held because of love for animals, feeling of anguish for these poor four legged creatures, or just because of religious compulsions?

Because, if it is about religious compulsions then I don’t think we should infringe on the thinking of those who live otherwise, but if it is out of a sense of caring for these

innocent creatures, then I think that the same caring should extend beyond just vigils; not just in saving them from the butchers knife but also in seeing their existence is looked after.

Sadly this is never the case: I see pathetically thin, malnourished cows, goats and even horses and buffaloes going from one dustbin to another. I see dogs treated so shabbily by people in housing societies. In fact more often then not AGMs in societies are about what they call as the ‘stray dog menace’ which is nothing more than a member feeding poor, street dogs.

And the ridiculous irony is that the same person who stood at the candle light vigil, the same person who opposed animal slaughter, now argues vehemently for their killing!

“Chairman sahib,” says the member as he rises from his seat, red and perspiring, “I propose that we vote to remove this person from our housing complex!” “Why? That is very drastic!” “Because chairman sahib, everyday I see her feeding dogs just outside the compound walls. This is a shame for all of us!”

“Shame?” asks the person who feeds dogs, “Pray tell me how it is a shame?” “It is a shame to see dirty, shabby dogs, growling and snarling and eating bits of food, just outside our posh colony!” “But you would save these dogs if they were far away from the colony?” asks the member with a smile. “What do you mean?”

“Weren’t you part of that ‘save the animal from slaughter’ vigil?”

“Yes, I was. I am against animal slaughter!” “So you believe in giving a chance for animals to live?”

“Yes!” “Then Mr Member, you and I are doing the same thing! But instead of just standing in vigils, start coming down with me everyday, and help me feed these poor creatures, that have come to us for mercy!”

As the members of the housing colony clap, the chairman reminds the members, “We need to learn that just as we feel compassion for the poor and hungry, we need to feel the same for these street animals.

Till then let us stop being hypocrites..!”

—Email: bobsbanter@gmail.com

Federal Inspection Commission ASGHAR MAHMOOD PSP (R)

P

rime Minister’s Inspection Commission (PMIC) has existed for many years as a dormant organiza tion. It was established during the time of General Zia Ul Haq to conduct enquiries into malpractices and mismanagement in Federal government departments/ organizations. Initially, it was headed by officers from Army, Police and Civil service. For the last four and half years, Chairmanship has gone to members of the National Assembly. The PMIC consists of a Chairman and Members appointed by the Prime Minister in his discretion. The number of Members is not fixed; the Prime minister can appoint any retired bureaucrat as a Member of the Commission. A serving officer, who does not like to be posted as OSD, also manages posting in the PMIC. The executive order which created PMIC, gives immense powers to the Commission for conducting inquiries and criminal proceedings against defaulting government officials. However, the Commission has not prosecuted any government official since its establishment. Rules have not been formulated to give teeth to the Commission. Now when NAB and FIA have lost credibility in the eyes of the judiciary and the general public, it is high time to give investigation role to PMIC by depoliticizing it. It should be renamed as Federal Inspection Commission (FIC) and a retired Judge of the Supreme Court may be appointed as Chairman PMIC, assisted by retired police officers of integrity and competence. It may be linked with the Law Ministry for budget only. All the cases which are being (mis)handled by NAB and FIA may be transferred to FIC for impartial investigation/ inquiry.

—Islamabad

Wattoo’s new assignment DR ALFRED CHARLES In a very strange and surprising move PPP top leadership has named Main Manzoor Wattoo as the Punjab PPP President. If we look at names of former presidents of the PPP Punjab at once one may guess that now there is acute shortage of ‘Jialas’. Only reason to choose this old Muslim League leader is his abilities of ‘Make and Break’ type of activities. But he is also very famous for change of political loyalties. He may play a role of mastermind of turncoats.

This will spoil PPP’s ideology and reputation. This is very bad decision for a political party which believes in democratic struggle. It must be painful and shocking decision for ideological and hardcore ‘Jialas’ This should also be kept in mind that in the past Mr Wattoo was unable to win his ancestral seat. Let see what he does for PPP and how party will achieve its set goals with his help.

—Karachi

One rank one pension COL RIAZ JAFRI (R) The woeful tale of an ex-serviceman of the PAF getting Rs. 6,000/- only per month pension that appeared in the papers a few days ago is not a solitary case of misery only. There are thousands of such Old Pensioners like him suffering in silence and resigning to the inevitable feeling of helplessness in this matter. Their pension is less than half that of the new pensioners. The skyrocketing prices of consumer goods and alarming rise in the rates of electricity, petrol and gas are causing deep depression among the pensioners, especially the old pensioners, who would once again like to reiterate their demand for equalizing the pensions of old and new pensioners.

It is, therefore, appealed to the Govt to accept the concept of One Rank One Pension (OROP) with full Parity and make it the policy for grant of pensions to the Defence Personnel. OROP should be implemented irrespective of the date of retirement for all Defence Personnel who have rendered same years of service and were holding same rank at the time of retirement. Any other thoughts / proposal of Ad hoc increase or One Time increase etc. will not be in line with the “Just and Fair” solution to the emotive issue of OROP. It is sincerely hoped that the Govt will give due consideration to this important aspect of Defence Forces. Only the grant of Full Parity with the new pensioners will meet the ends of justice. PESA and PESS are also requested to come to the aid of the depressed.

—Rawalpindi

Pak-Cuba coop in dengue control M TAZEEN AKHTAR Mosquito-borne disease dengue has become a big threat for common man’s life mainly in Lahore and to some extent in other parts of Pakistan. We did not know or even heard about dengue before 2010. But until November 2010, more than 21,204 people were reportedly infected. The severity of the disease was felt in Lahore, the provincial metropolis of Punjab that is still most exposed area to the epidemic.

More than 170 people died during that year and 2011 over 300 people fell prey to the disease.

Ambassador of Cuba Mr. Jesús Zenén Buergo Concepción arranged an interaction between the experts of both countries and in this regard a Cuban medical company Labiofam conducted exchange of technical experience from recent research results in the field of science and technology. Dr Aramìs Martinez Arias and Dr Jorge Luis

Martínez López visited Pakistan during 20th to 28th September with specific objectives of disseminating and exchanging information and to establish trade relations.

Dr Aramìs Martinez Arias is dengue control consultant in Cuba and has a vast experience in his field. He said heat, humidity and abundant rain create the ideal breeding ground for the proliferation of the mosquito, which transmits dangerous diseases such as dengue and yellow fever.

“Cuba controlled the dengue fever through vector control, larvae control, community involvement and case management,” he held.

Dr Martinez suggested entomologists and other experts should collectively work to fight the disease.

“The government is responsible only for providing resources, while the private sector is primarily responsible for moving forward and collaborating in controlling the disease,” he added. Dr Jorge Luis Martinez Lopez told about alternative cancer treatment from a toxin derived from scorpion. He said that so far the toxin has given much better results. We examined clinical tests of 65 patients and found that they are recovering rapidly. The toxin is being used world over including USA, China, Greece, Italy and Mexico. Ambassador Mr Jesus Zenen Buergo Concepcion said that any agreement or MoU regarding dengue is possible. We are working together.

—Via email

Hashtnagar class struggle SHANEL KHALIQ Almost a century from today an event took place in Russia which did not simply revolutionize the country itself but turned the steer of global politics to a new direction altogether, for many decades to come. The Socialist October Revolution which led the Bolsheviks to power in Russia brought into existence the first communist state. It was in fact a workers movement led by revolutionaries who aimed to liberate the labour class and bring them to power. Russia at the time was experiencing several peasant uprisings but few had imagined that this movement would bring a revolution on such a massive scale, the echoes of which would be heard across the globe.

The 1970s saw the effects of the spell of socialism in Pakistan as well.

Many progressive thinkers of the left came to the forefront in the atmosphere of liberation of the working class and egalitarianism that had developed. But few today know of the Hashtnagar class struggle that occurred in the Charsadda District of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The movement had bases in pre partition times but in 1948 it became a force in the region to be reckoned with. This was a rebellion in reaction to the mass peasant evictions that began in the region by the feudal land owners. However the rebellion was crushed by the government of the time. Later in the 1960s the movement sparked again this time to achieve substantial results.

Afzal Bangash took the lead under the Mazdoor Kisan party to help the peasants out of forced labor and economic deprivation. Some landmark successes were achieved as peasants were provided with housing, increased wages and access to people’s courts.

Although in today’s political environment with new threats and challenges, such Socialist inspired movements and the ideology of Socialism itself is of little relevance. However the concept behind this class struggle which was to attain equality for all and to end poverty and exploitation is still quite relevant. Moreover it can be argued that the movement and the ideology of socialism have left certain positive remnants for the area, which include the acceptance towards female education, something that is not common in the province even today. It is not surprising therefore that the majority of the people of the area who educate the females of their family were at one point associated with this movement in some way.

—Via email

Renaming FF regiment SQN LDR (R) S AUSAF HUSAIN During the British Raj in India there were a number of Infantry groups in the British-Indian Army like Punjab Regiment, Baluch (now Baloch) Regiment, Rajput Regiment, Rajputana Rifles, Jat Regiment, Marhata Regiment, Gurkha Regiment, Frontier Force Regiment (FFR) and Frontier Force Rifles (FF RIF). However, after partition of India in August 1947 out of these four infantry groups namely Baloch Regiment, Punjab Regiment, Frontier Force Regiment (FFR) and Frontier Rifles (FF RIF) were transferred to Pakistan Army. Thereafter, in 1949 or 1950 GHQ decided to raise another infantry group by the name of ‘Pathan Regiment’ and established it’s Pathan Regimental Centre at Kohat. I know about this new Regimental Centre as after joining the then Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF) in March 1952 my first posting was at RPAF Depot Kohat and had the opportunity of attending certain functions in Pathan Regimental Center.

But in 1956 after Pakistan became a Republic and word ‘Royal’ was removed from its armed forces established and all the infantry groups were regrouped and during the regrouping Pathan Regiment and Frontier Force Rifles (FF RIF) were amalgamated with Frontier Force Regiment (FFR). Later on three more infantry groups were added in the Pakistan army i.e., Bengal Regiment, Azad Kashmir Regular Force (AKRF) and after sometime Sindh Regiment was also raised. Most probably all this was done for the purpose of pleasing the people of the respective areas on whose names these regiments were raised. But after loosing East Pakistan Bengal Regiment was abolished. While AKRF was renamed as Azad Kashmir Regiment (AK).

It is pertinent to note the British had raised Frontier Force Regiment just to please the people of North West Frontier Province (NWFP). But now with the renaming of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) the Frontier Force Regiment may also be renamed as ‘Pathan Regiment’ which seems quite logical and will also be liked by the people of KP. —Karachi

Bomb defusing equipments M RAFIQUE ZAKARIA Through the courtesy of your newspaper, I would like to thank and salute the personnel of bomb disposal squad who put their lives at risk and defused a remote control bomb in North Nazimabad in Karachi on Thursday 25th October which was also a day of Eid Ul Azha for Bohra community.

What was painful to watch on television was that the person who was dismantling the bomb circuit was not equipped with necessary gears. The poor bomb squad officer was without a helmet and had a small khife type cutter to cut the tapes in which the bomb was wrapped. I wonder whether the government has any funds allocation for this department whose courageous officers perform without any safety gears to save the lives of hundreds of people every time an unexploded bomb is found. The government needs to understand importance and necessities of this department.

—Karachi

READERS are requested to type their letters legibly with double spacing and only on one side of the paper.

—Editor Email:editorial@pakobserver.net

A CIA veteran transforms U.S. counterterrorism policy KAREN DEYOUNG

I

n his windowless White House office, presidential counterterrorism adviser John O. Brennan is compiling the rules for a war the Obama administration believes will far outlast its own time in office, whether that is just a few more months or four more years. The “playbook,” as Brennan calls it, will lay out the administration’s evolving procedures for the targeted killings that have come to define its fight against al-Qaeda and its affiliates. It will cover the selection and approval of targets from the “disposition matrix,” the designation of who should pull the trigger when a killing is warranted, and the legal authorities the administration thinks sanction its actions in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and beyond.

“What we’re trying to do right now is to have a set of standards, a set of criteria, and have a decision-making process that will govern our counterterrorism actions — we’re talking about direct action, lethal action — so that irrespective of the venue where they’re taking place, we have a high confidence that they’re being done for the right reasons in the right way,” Brennan said in a lengthy interview at the end of August.

A burly 25-year CIA veteran with a stern public demeanor, Brennan is the principal architect of a policy that has transformed counterterrorism from a conventional fight centered in Afghanistan to a high-tech global effort to track down and eliminate perceived enemies one by one.

What was once a disparate collection of tactics — drone strikes by the CIA and the military, overhead surveillance, deployment of small Special Forces ground units at farflung bases, and distribution of military and economic aid to threatened governments — has become a White House-centered strategy with Brennan at its core.

Four years ago, Brennan felt compelled to withdraw from consideration as President Obama’s first CIA director because of what he regarded as unfair criticism of his role in counterterrorism practices as an intelligence official during the George W. Bush administration. Instead, he stepped into a job in the Obama administration with greater responsibility and influence.

Brennan is leading efforts to curtail the CIA’s primary responsibility for targeted killings. Over opposition from the agency, he has argued that it should focus on intelligence activities and leave lethal action to its more traditional home in the military, where the law requires greater transparency. Still, during Brennan’s tenure, the CIA has carried out hundreds of drone strikes in Pakistan and

opened a new base for armed drones in the Arabian Peninsula.

Although he insists that all agencies have the opportunity to weigh in on decisions, making differing perspectives available to the Oval Office, Brennan wields enormous power in shaping decisions on “kill” lists and the allocation of armed drones, the war’s signature weapon.

When operations are proposed in Yemen, Somalia or elsewhere, it is Brennan alone who takes the recommendations to Obama for a final sign-off.

As the war against al-Qaeda and related groups moves to new locations and new threats, Brennan and other senior officials describe the playbook as an effort to constrain the deployment of drones by future administrations as much as it provides a framework for their expanded use in what has become the United States’ permanent war.

“This needs to be sustainable,” one senior administration official said, “and we need to think of it in ways that contemplate other people sitting in all the chairs around the table.”

A critical player : There is widespread agreement that Obama and Brennan, one of the president’s most trusted aides, are likeminded on counterterrorism policy.

“Ever since the first couple of months, I felt there was a real similarity of views that gave me a sense of comfort,” Brennan said.

“I don’t think we’ve had a disagreement.”

But the concentration of power in one person, who is unelected and unconfirmed by Congress, does not sit well with critics.

To many in the international legal community and among human rights and civil liberties activists, Brennan runs a policy so secret that it is impossible for outsiders to judge whether it complies with the laws of war or U.S. values — or even determine the total number of people killed.

“Brennan says the administration is committed to ‘greater transparency,’ ” Human Rights Watch said in response to a speech he gave in May about drones. But despite “administration assertions that ‘innocent civilians’ have not been injured or killed, except in the ‘rarest of circumstances,’ there has been no clear accounting of civilian loss or

opportunity to meaningfully examine the administration’s assertions.”

Although outsiders have criticized the policy itself, some inside the administration take issue with how Brennan has run it. One former senior counterterrorism official described Brennan as the “single point of failure” in the strategy, saying he controls too much and delegates too little.

A former top Defense Department official sounded a similar note. “He holds his cards incredibly close,” he said. “If I ask for the right one to be seen, he’ll show it to me. But he’s not going to show me everything he’s got in his hand.”

Michael E. Leiter, who headed the National Counterterrorism Center until mid-2011, described Brennan as a forceful leader and “a critical player in getting this president comfortable with the tools of the trade.”

Leiter said that he and Brennan “disagreed not infrequently” on fleeting issues, including interpretations of a piece of intelligence or how to respond to a specific threat. But there was a more significant issue: Leiter said Brennan was less focused on root causes of radicalization, in part because of how Brennan and the White House defined his job.

Leiter was one of the few people who allowed his name to be used among the nearly dozen current and former senior national security officials interviewed for this article.

Most spoke on the condition of anonymity under restrictions imposed by the administration or because they were not authorized to discuss certain issues.

For each of Brennan’s critics, there are many associates who use the words “moral compass” to describe his role in the White House. It is Brennan, they say, who questions the justification for each drone attack, who often dials back what he considers excessive zeal by the CIA and the military, and who stands up for diplomatic and economic assistance components in the overall strategy.

Brennan’s bedrock belief in a “just war,” they said, is tempered by his deep knowledge of the Middle East, Islam and the CIA, and the critical thinking forged during a classic Jesuit education.

Some White House aides describe him as a nearly priest-like presence in their midst, with a moral depth leavened by a dry Irish wit.

One CIA colleague, former general counsel John Rizzo, recalled his rectitude surfacing in unexpected ways. Brennan once questioned Rizzo’s use of the “BCC” function in the agency’s e-mail system to send a blind copy of a message to a third party without the primary recipient’s knowledge.

Iran’s nuclear resistance GENEIVE ABDO

this week marked “Ten Years of Nuclear Re sistance,” a celebra tion at the University of Tehran to commemorate Iran’s nuclear program, despite international efforts to limit it. The central message that emerged from this event was articulated by Iran’s Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council, who said that the “dual strategy based on pressure and diplomacy the West insists on is failed and illogical.”

I

RAN

It is time for the United States and its Western allies to realize, as the official, Ali Bagheri, stated, that the policy of more sanctions, intimidation, and pressure is counter-productive to the stated goal of changing the regime’s behavior on the nuclear issue. Not only is the Iranian government becoming more belligerent, but according to polling data collected in recent weeks, the Iranian public overwhelming supports many of the government’s positions on the nuclear program and related issues.

According to recent data collected

by Ebrahim Mohseni, who is conducting research inside Iran as part of his dissertation at the University of Maryland, 85 percent of Iranians said it was very important for Iran to have a civilian nuclear program. This high statistic suggests that, despite the pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, there is no hesitation with the public that it should continue. Mohseni’s finding is consistent with a poll conducted by the Rand Corporation in 2009,

which found that 87 percent of those surveyed said it was important to have a nuclear program.

On issues regarding the economy and sanctions, 65 percent blamed the worsening economy on sanctions, and only 11 percent said the state of

the economy was due to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s incompetence. Nineteen percent said it was due to the obstructionist techniques of Ahmadinejad’s opponents. When asked if Iran continues to enrich uranium, how likely is it that the current sanctions will be increased, 42 percent said sanctions would definitely increase. This finding is consistent with the same question asked in 2009 by the World Public Opinion poll, which found that 35 percent of Iranians definitely believed sanctions would increase — and they have.

In a very telling question, respondents were asked: “Would you favor or oppose an agreement whereby all current sanctions against Iran would be removed and Iran would continue its nuclear energy program, except that it would agree not to enrich uranium?” Fifty-nine percent were opposed to stopping enrichment and only 29 percent were in favor.

When asked the question: “How

important do you think it is for Iran to develop an atomic bomb?” Thirtyeight percent said it was important and 33 percent said not very important. Mohensi, an independent researcher, revealed the findings on October 17 at a conference at the

Stimson Center, a non-partisan Washington think tank. His poll was conducted between September 29 and October 11 calling the respondents by phone in rural and urban areas of Iran. The sample size was 1,110 respondents and the margin of error was three percent. W h e n asked, “Which courses of action do you prefer?” Forty-one percent said to have both an atomic bomb and nuclear power and 56 percent said only nuclear power.

In another question, respondents were asked which statement is closer to their opinion: 1) “Iran should continue its nuclear enrichment activity even if it results in war;” or 2) “Iran should prevent a war from occurring even if it means suspending nuclear enrichment.”

Fifty-five percent chose to continue enrichment, while 33 percent said Iran should prevent a war, even if it means suspending enrichment.

Courtesy - Foreing Policy

“He wasn’t joking,” Rizzo said. “He regarded that as underhanded.”

Brennan, 57, was born in the gritty New Jersey town of North Bergen, across the Hudson River from Midtown Manhattan. His Irish-immigrant parents, now in their early 90s,

headquarters as chief of staff for thenDirector George J. Tenet. In 2001, he became deputy executive director, just months before a team of al-Qaeda operatives — most of them from Saudi Arabia — used four hijacked U.S. airliners to kill

were strict and devout Catholics, traits his brother Tom said Brennan embodied from an early age. “It was almost like I had two fathers,” Tom Brennan said.

John Brennan’s formative experiences at Fordham University, where he earned a degree in political science, included a summer in Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim population, and a junior year at the American University in Cairo, where he studied Arabic and the region that would dominate his intelligence career and greatly influence his White House tenure.

In 1980, soon after receiving a master’s degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin, Brennan answered a CIA recruitment ad in a newspaper. By the middle of the decade, he had spent two years in Saudi Arabia and was among the agency’s leading Middle Eastern analysts.

“He was probably the hardest-working human being I ever encountered,” said a former senior CIA official who worked for Brennan on the Middle East desk.

Brennan, he said, was regarded as insightful, even imaginative, but had a seriousness that set him apart.

In 1999, after a second tour in Saudi Arabia as CIA station chief, he returned to

nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11.

‘I .?.?. do what I think is right’: Brennan’s belief in his competence and probity has sometimes led to political blind spots. Tenet tapped him in 2003 to build the new CIA-based Terrorist Threat Integration Center to bridge pre-Sept. 11 intelligence gaps. But Brennan was bypassed by the Bush administration a year later for two key jobs — head of the National Counterterrorism Center and deputy to the new director of national intelligence — largely because of his criticism of the Iraq war.

As a private citizen after leaving government, Brennan spoke publicly about counterterrorism controversies of the day.

He defended the CIA’s rendition of suspected terrorists as “an absolutely vital tool” but described waterboarding as within “the classic definition of torture.”

Brennan also criticized the military as moving too far into traditional intelligence sphere s.

His career in government appeared to be over until he was invited in late 2007 to join the nascent presidential campaign of Barack Obama.Courtesy - Washington Post.

Winnable rendered unwinnable S HAH H USAIN I MAM

W

here bad ideas have no where else to go, they emi grate to America and become university courses.” This punchy remark, if a little paunchy if you know what I mean, is from Federic Raphael, himself an American, a writer — as you can see — brimming with a devastating sense of humour.

Such sweeping self-effacing value judgment comes by virtue of the US Constitution’s First Amendment. The ultimate in free expression was exemplified in condoning even the trampling of the American flag by a maverick.

Such lofty ideals contrast with a common thread of mental fabric weaving through carpet-bombing, drone attack and sting operation.

These are ammos for US War on Terror. They don’t risk American lives but takes a heavy toll of others”. Like America fighting to the last European, it is now fighting a War on Terror to the last terror suspect.

The philosophy is to cast the net as wide as possible and take out suspects or offenders, never mind the pillorying of the innocents for a catch of tiny fishes. A needle in haystack approach if you think of the growing ranks of people rife with reactive sentiments against America.

The huge collateral damage is incalculable.

The case in point is Rezwanual Ahsan Nafis. Nine months in USA and with damp smell of Bangladeshi soil still rubbing on his body, how could he have sloughed off into a transformed y oungster, ready to blow up a huge building in the heartland of New York? Unbelievable, leaves you wondering without a clue!

Of course, as a new arrival bewildered but intent on making his way through a bout of homesickness, he was a vulnerable catch to seasoned FBI operatives out to prove a point, win a trophy. After all, they have had a network spangled. Patriotism perhaps playing a “scoundrel” there.

The elaborate trap they had set up oiled by money as one of the defecting informants admitted: “It is all about money” — worked with clockwork precision. With no established traces of terror links in the country of his origin, Nafis ran into a dark, lengthening tunnel to nowhere. Apparently mesmerised by a cluster of wily white and nonwhite operatives, it never for once occurred to him he was playing into their hands.

It was something of a replay of a mafia or cult culture racket sort of thing — once, you wear the talisman of evil you have no way getting out of the rut. For you were being constantly on watch as though of a CCTV camera. He certainly could not have consented to his own unmaking; yet, like the green insect Shyama he got pulled into the fire from the frying pan, as it were.

Sting operations have come under heavy criticism within America itself on the self-evident grounds of these being wholly unethical, immoral, illegal and, therefore, without any locus in law. What is the difference between the ordinary run of police frame-ups and managed

witnesses lined up to parrot from a given script to implicate a terror suspect “caught red-handed”?

The US sermonises other countries on human rights and liberalism; but isn’t laying a trap based on at best pre-arranged, and at worst insidious, human intelligence any acceptable specimen of respect for human rights? The impression is gaining ground that “if non-Muslim does something bad — it is “crime”; but if a Muslim commits the same — he is “terrorist”.”

The double standards need to be removed first by the US if it is to carry conviction with its War on Terror and truly and squarely succeed in its mission.

It is high time the costs of such arbitrary anti-terror tactics dawned on the US before it sustains any further loss of goodwill around the world. Just measure the fallouts of what they are doing. Casualties are distrust within the Muslim community as suspicion about moles grows internally; alienation between the Muslims and non-Muslims being fostered; and, above all, relations between the USA and a friendly-Muslim country like Bangladesh taking a hit.

Somerset Maugham to the hilt when he says: way to make ends meet a candle at both ends.”

- Daily Star

is proven “The only is to burn Courtesy

Who is Best for Asia: Romney or Obama? You Decide RICHARD WEITZABOUT

T

HE foreign policy debate be tween Governor Mitt Rom ney and President Barack Obama excluded certain important issues that were not among those questions selected by moderator Bob Shieffer. The three Asian issues given the most attention were Iran, China, and Afghan-Pakistan.

And even on these issues the debate deepened uncertainty regarding the presidential candidates’ policies. This is only natural given the format, which requires the candidates to describe complex policies and issues in a few seconds and in an effort to sound forceful, reasoned, moderate, and decisive, with clever sound bites and with little opportunity to correct mistaken

utterances. So as a service to readers let me try to clarify the differences between the public stances of the two candidates, as well as highlight other Asian issues that will likely preoccupy the next administration.With respect to Iran, Obama insisted that, “as long as I’m president of the United States, Iran will not get a nuclear weapon,” noting how Iran could then threaten Israel, “provide nuclear technology” to terrorists, or catalyze “a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region of the world.” Tehran must choose, Obama insisted, between a diplomatic settlement that would “end their nuclear program or they will have to face a united world and a United States president, me, who said we’re not going to take any options off the table.”Still, Iranian leaders have an “opportunity to re-enter the community of nations” but only if they” abide by the rules that have already been established; they convince the international community they are not pursuing a nuclear program” through “inspections that are very intrusive,” and “over time, what they can

do is regain credibility.”

The mentioning of the inspections issue is interesting since it implies that Iran could be allowed to continue enriching uranium as long as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) could confirm that Iran was not diverting the enriched uranium to make nuclear weapons. But to work any such deal would have to see Iran also adopt at least the IAEA Additional Protocol so that the agency could inspect any sites where it suspected nuclear activities may be occurring, instead of only the sites that the Iranian government declares to the IAEA as part of its standard safeguards program.

Romney sought to repudiate Obama’s assertion that “during the course of this campaign he’s often talked as if we should take premature military action.” The governor said that “our mission is.. to dissuade Iran from having a nuclear weapon through peaceful and diplomatic means.” He concurred that “a nuclearcapable Iran, is unacceptable to America” but emphasized that Tehran was “four years closer

to a nuclear weapon,” which is chronologically true, as Obama acknowledged when he insisted

that the “clock is ticking.” Romney insisted that “military action is the last resort. It is something

one would only, only consider if all of the other avenues had been — had been tried to their full extent.”

Both men also placed a lot of faith in sanctions.

Obama argued that his administration had “organized the strongest coalition and the strongest sanctions against Iran in history, and it is crippling their economy.”

Romney agreed that, “It’s absolutely the right thing to do to have crippling sanctions. I’d have put them in place earlier, but it’s good that we have them.” He added that Washington should “tighten those sanctions” by targeting ships, companies, and people conveying Iranian oil. We should also pursue “diplomatic isolation efforts” by shunning Iranian diplomats and indicting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for trying to incite genocide. Courtesy - The Diplomat.

Eidul Azha today

JI, JUI-F rivalry set From Page 1 government.

Sources claimed that some religious parties having very cordial relationship with Iran and Saudi Arabia are eager to make MMA a strong political forum to defend the national interests and Islamic values in the country.

Recent country-wide bloody violence against the blasphemous movie have given a new vigour and new lease of life to the religious parties who have now become active to form electoral alliance to get seats in the Parliament.

If the Jamaat-e-Islami and JUI-F did not develop understanding on strengthening the MMA, some religious parties, including JI, could form a separate electoral alliance in parallel to MMA to show their strength in the coming elections, said sources.

Krishna’s resignation From Page 1 Ambika Soni, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal cannot be ruled out.

Krishna, 80, who was appointed as External Affairs Minister in 2009 had landed in trouble for several times due to slip of tongue. On one occasion, he read out some parts of the Portuguese Foreign Minister’s speech at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

Krishna, who served Karnataka state as Chief Minister from 1999 to 2004 will be given a position to handle Congress party affairs before the lower house elections, party sources hinted.

During his visit to Pakistan in early September, agreements on easing visa regime and promotion of culture were signed.

Italy’s Berlusconi sentenced for tax fraud From Page 1 10 million euros ($12.96 million) to be paid by Berlusconi and his co-defendants to tax authorities.

The ruling comes two days after Berlusconi, 76, confirmed he would not run in next year’s elections as the leader of his center-right People of Freedom (PDL) party.

A separate trial over accusations that Berlusconi paid for sex with an underaged prostitute is currently being heard in Milan. He denies all charges against him.

The four-time prime minister and other Mediaset executives stood accused of inflating the price paid for TV rights via offshore companies controlled

by Berlusconi, and skimming off part of the money to create illegal slush funds.

The investigation focused on television and cinema rights that Berlusconi’s holding company Fininvest bought via offshore companies from U.S. groups for 470 million euros between 1994 and 1999.

Angelino Alfano, secretary of the PDL, said the ruling proved once again “judicial persecution” of the media-magnate, while political rival Antonio Di Pietro, a former magistrate, hailed the decision, saying “the truth has been exposed.”

The court acquitted Mediaset chairman and longterm Berlusconi friend Fedele Confalonieri, for whom prosecutors had sought a sentence of three years and four months.

Shares in Mediaset, Italy’s biggest private broadcaster, fell as much as 3 percent after the ruling.—Reuters

LAHORE: Visitors looking at the paintings displayed during an exhibition at Al-Hamra Art Gallery.

Afghan Army’s turnover threatens US strategy rates that it has to replace a third of its entire force every year, officials say.

The attrition strikes at the core of America’s exit strategy in Afghanistan: to build an Afghan National Army that can take over the war and allow the United States and NATO forces to withdraw by the end of 2014.

The urgency of that deadline has only grown as the pace of the troop pullout has become an issue in the American presidential campaign.

The Afghan deserters complain of corruption among their officers, poor food and equipment, indifferent medical care, Taliban intimidation of their families and, probably most troublingly, a lack of belief in the army’s ability to fight the insurgents after the American military withdraws.

On top of that, recruits now undergo tougher vetting because of concerns that enemy infiltration of the Afghan military is contributing to a wave of attacks on international forces.

Colonel Stanikzai, a senior official at the army’s National Recruiting Center, is on the front line of that effort; in the six months through September, he and his team of 17 interviewers have rejected 962 applicants, he said.

“There are drug traffickers who want to use our units for their business, enemy infiltrators who want to raise problems, jailbirds who can’t find any other job,” he said. During the same period, however, 30,000 applicants were approved.

“Recruitment, it’s like a machine,” he said. “If you stopped, it would collapse.”

Despite the challenges, so far the Afghan recruiting process is not only on track, but actually ahead of schedule.

Afghanistan’s army reached its full authorized strength in June, three months early, though there are still no units that American trainers consider able to operate entirely without NATO assistance.

According to Brig. Gen. Dawlat Waziri, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, the Army’s desertion rate is now 7 to 10 percent. Despite substantial pay increases for soldiers who agree to re-enlist, only about 75 percent do, he said.

Put another way, a third of the Afghan Army perpetually consists of first-year recruits fresh off a 10- to 12-week training course. And in the meantime, tens of thousands of men with military training are put at loose ends each year, albeit

40 killed in Afghan mosque From Page 1 The attack, at around 9 a.m. local time on the first day of Eid, came just before President Hamid Karzai repeated his call for the Taliban to join the government.

“If you (Taliban) want to come to the government, you are welcome. You have rights as an Afghan and as a Muslim,” he said in a speech marking Eid in the capital, Kabul.

Kabul and Washington have been seeking separate peace negotiations with the Taliban as the 2014 deadline looms for most foreign troops to leave.

Karzai condemned the mosque attack in a statement.

Violence is intensifying across the country 11 years into the NATO-led war, sparking

concerns over how the 350,000strong Afghan security forces, often the target of the Taliban, will manage once most foreign troops leave.

The Taliban, in a statement released to media on Friday, said two Afghan soldiers were behind the attack in western Farah province on Thursday that killed one Italian soldier.

One of them later joined the Taliban, the statement said, along with the policeman who killed two U.S. soldiers in southern Uruzgan province on Thursday.

That attack was the latest insider attack, when Afghan security forces turn their weapons on their foreign mentors and partners.—Agencies

From Back Page without their army weapons, in a country rife with militants who are always looking for help.

“Fortunately there are a lot of people who want a job with the army, and we’ve always managed to meet the goal set by the Ministry of Defense for us,” said Gen. Abrahim Ahmadzai, the deputy commander of the National Recruiting Center. The country’s 34 provincial recruitment centers have a combined quota of 5,000 new recruits a month.

“We’re not concerned about getting enough young men,” General Ahmadzai said, “just as long as we get that $4.1 billion a year from NATO.” That is the amount pledged by the United States and its allies to continue paying to cover the expenses of the Afghan military.

In terms of soldiers’ pay, that underwrites $260 a month for the lowest ranks, which in Afghanistan is above-average pay for unskilled labor. A soldier who re-enlists would get a 23 percent raise, to at least $320 a month, more if he had been promoted.

But even as pay rates have risen, so has attrition, which two years ago was 26 percent.

The trend is troubling — especially the desertions — as Afghan forces have shouldered an increasing share of the fighting.

American officials have tried to persuade the Afghans to criminalize desertion in an effort to reduce it; instead, Afghan officials have proposed a four-year effort to order the recall of 22,000 deserters, according to General Ahmadzai.

Meanwhile, Afghan deserters live so openly that they list their status as a job reference.

Ghubar, 27, who is from Parwan Province but lives in Kabul, deserted from his battalion with the First Brigade in Kabul just six months into his three-year commitment. Citing his military training, he promptly got a job as a security guard.

Ghubar declined to give more than his first name, but was not worried about being photographed. “There is no accountability,” he said. “If they had any accountability, it wouldn’t be such a bad army.”

Most of his complaints were echoed by the 10 other deserters interviewed on the record for this article.

“I wanted to serve my country, my homeland,” Ghubar said. “But after I joined, I saw the situation was all about corruption. The officers are too busy stealing the money to defeat the insurgents.”

A typical swindle described by the deserters was the diversion of the money allocated to commanders to pay for food, which is usually procured locally rather than distributed from a central depot. “Half the time we would get rice with a bone in it, with a little fat, no meat,” he said.

Ghubar added, “People who join the army, they just lose their hope.”

Ajmal, 24, from Kabul, who also gave only his first name and deserted from the same battalion, said he knew of commanders who had signed up their sons as “ghosts,” enabling them to collect army pay while attending university full time.

Muhammad Fazal Kochai, 28, who deserted from the First Brigade of the 201st Corps a year ago but still proudly shows the army ID card he carries in

his wallet, had a particularly rough time. During his year in the army, 25 of his comrades were wounded and 15 killed out of his company of 100 to 150 men, stationed in the dangerous Tangi Wardak area of Wardak Province.

Still, he said, he would have stayed had it not been for the corruption of his officers: “Everybody is trying to make money to line their pockets and build their houses before the Americans leave.”

The final straw came when local villagers pointed him out after his unit had killed a local Taliban commander. “I started to get phone calls from the Taliban saying, ‘We know who you are, and we’re going to kill you.’ ” He deserted and called to tell the Taliban they did not have to worry about him any longer.

Now Mr. Kochai is convinced the Afghan Army will lose once the Americans leave.

“The army can do nothing on their own without the equipment and supplies of the Americans, without the air support, nothing,” he said.

Sher Agha, 25, from the Sarkano District of eastern Kunar Province, had a similar experience. “Unknown gunmen kept bothering my family and telling them to force me to quit my job and come back home,” he said. Finally, he did.

Most of the deserters either had been wounded or knew someone who had, and they had high marks for the American military’s medical evacuation ability, but complained of poor care and neglect once they were transferred to the Afghan system.

“When I was wounded, the Americans were there in 10 minutes and choppered me out of Khost,” Ajmal said. “Then I went to an Afghan military hospital and no one asked about me. My unit even had me listed as dead.” Someone from his unit did, however, come to retrieve valuable pieces of equipment like his body armor and ammunition belt. He deserted after the hospital discharged him.

At the National Recruiting Center, Colonel Stanikzai keeps working, but he admits to a bleak outlook. “The news of the American withdrawal has weakened our morale and boosted the morale of the enemy,” he said. “I am sorry to speak so frankly. If the international community abandons us again, we won’t be able to last.”

The colonel’s hunt for infiltrators is rooted in realism.

Often the Taliban cellphone telltales are adopted by people in rural areas as a protection in case the insurgents stop them, he said, so alone they are hardly grounds for dismissal. One day last month, his caseload included a convicted murderer from Kunduz: Abdullah, a 30year-old who has only one name.—Newswire

Pakistan condemns From Page 1 dolences to the government and people of Afghanistan on this tragic incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims.

Our two countries face the common threat of terrorism, and Pakistan is committed to work closely with Afghanistan to eliminate this scourge.—Online

High prices dampen celebration of Eid festival in Kabul K ABUL—The war-weary residents of this Afghan capital have been preparing for the Muslims’ biggest festival, Eidul Azha, to be celebrated on Friday but Zamari is frustrated with the skyrocketing prices.

“I come to bazaar for shopping, but everything costs higher in comparison to last year’s Eidul-Adah festival. I cannot afford to buy new clothes and shoes for my children,” Zamari, 35, who, like many Afghans, goes only by one name, said.

Eid-ul-Adha, also known as festival of sacrifice, is celebrated worldwide on the 10th day of Duhl-Hijja, the last month of the Islamic year.

During the festival, residents of Kabul would visit their relatives and prepare several kinds of cookies and sweets beside dried and fresh fruits at home to show their charity and clemency of being Muslim.

They would also butcher cattle or sheep and distribute the meat to the poor. Like other Islamic countries, Afghanistan will celebrate Eid-ul- Adha on Friday (today), Oct. 26, with four days of holiday.—NNI

Over 100 dead From Page 1 Rohingya living in camps.

“Up until this morning, 51 men and 61 women have died,” a spokesman for Rakhine state Win Myaing said, doubling an earlier toll. The dead were from both sides, he added, while scores more were wounded as violence engulfed four townships.

More than 200 people have now been killed in the state since June, according to the authorities, who have imposed emergency rule in the face of continued explosive tension in the region. The United Nations responded to the bloodshed Friday with a stark warning that Myanmar’s reforms are under threat from the continued unrest between ethnic Rakhine and the Rohingya.

“The vigilante attacks, targeted threats and extremist rhetoric must be stopped,” a spokesman for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement released in Yangon.

“If this is not done... the reform and opening up process being currently pursued by the government is likely to be jeopardised.”

Washington joined the United Nations to swiftly condemn the violence, with US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland urging both sides “to exercise restraint and immediately halt all attacks”.—AP

Shamshato Camp in Nowshera, Khurasan and Zandi camps as well as those living in Charsadda, Swabi, Haripur and the tribal areas also offered Eid prayers and slaughtered sacrificial animals.

The tribesmen in Mohmand, North Waziristan, Bajaur, Khyber and Orakzai also celebrated Eidul Azha with Saudi Arabia ahead of the rest of Pakistan despite ulema’s decision of celebrating Eid on Saturday.

The local ulema committee in Mohmand and North Waziristan tribal regions had decided to observe Eid with Saudi Arabia, following which announcements were made on loudspeakers regarding Eid prayers.

Afghans living in KP and Fata for the last three decades are following the tradition of celebrating Eid with Saudi Arabia while in parts of Fata, some tribesmen go with Saudi Arabia while others prefer to celebrate Eid in accordance with the ulema’s announce-

From Page 1 ment.

Eid-ul-Azha was celebrated

by Muslims in many parts of the world including Saudi Arabia, United States, Canada, Britain, Europe, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Middle East and Gulf countries on Friday.

The religious annual event celebrated with religious devotion and enthusiasm. Mass prayers were held across Saudi Arabia, following which animals were sacrificed to fulfill the Sunnat-e-Ibrahimi (Abrahamic Sacrifice).

Indonesian Muslims also offered Eid prayers and prayed for peace in the Middle East.

Millions including children turned to mosques to pray on Eid where they prayed improvement in the law and order situation in the Philippines.

Syrian President Bashar alAssad made a rare television appearance on Friday, attending morning prayers as a ceasefire took effect for the four-day Muslim holiday.

State television showed Assad, smiling and seeming relaxed, at an unidentified mosque in Damascus as the ceasefire, which both his regime and the main rebel group have conditionally accepted, took effect.

In a sermon at the prayers, Imam Walid Abdel Haq called on Syrians to “stop quarrelling because you are all brothers.”

“Do you not see what has been happening for two years in the country, the destruction and death? Stop this,” he said.

“Syrians must return to God to defeat this sectarian discord that they are trying to create in Syria. We must ourselves create a new Middle East and not the one trying to be imposed… by the enemies of Islam and of Syria.”

After the prayer, Assad was shown spending time with other worshippers, greeting and chatting with some of them. On the other hand, Eid in the United States, Canada, Europe and the Gulf states celebrated with traditional enthusiasm.

British, US soldiers die “friendly fire”, saying the incident was still under investigation.

But US forces in Afghanistan confirmed that two American soldiers were killed by a man in an Afghan police uniform — the latest in a series of insider attacks that have seriously undermined trust between the allies.

Helmand police spokesman Farid Ahmad Farhang said the British deaths were due to a mistaken belief by a British patrol that they were under fire from insurgents — while the shooting actually came from a second British patrol. “There were two groups of British soldiers footpatrolling an area called Malgir in Greshk district yesterday at around 5:00pm (1230 GMT),” Farhang said.

“As one group proceeded to a village they saw a policeman in civilian clothes performing ablutions (before prayers). The British soldiers thought he was a Talib and opened fire on him, killing him on the spot.

“The second group of Brit-

From Page 1 ish soldiers who were coming from a distance thought they were attacked by the Taliban and opened fire in the direction they had heard the gunfire, killing two of their colleagues,” Farhang said.

This version of events was confirmed by Mohammad Ismail Hotak, the head of the coordination centre of Afghan forces in Helmand province.

Farhang said local officials with NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) had also “confirmed it was a mistake and friendly fire which killed the two British”.

In Kabul, however, an ISAF spokesman told AFP: “We are tracking that reporting and at this point I’ll call it a rumour that’s out there. “Unfortunately there is an ongoing assessment being done to look into the cause of that event and we do not have definitive operational reporting at this time to confirm that.

“Hopefully we will get some kind of resolution sometime today or tomorrow.”

Britain’s ministry of defence said: “There was an exchange of gunfire that resulted in the deaths of a Royal Marine... a female soldier from 3 Medical Regiment and an Afghan man who is believed to be a member of the Afghan Uniformed Police but who was not wearing uniform at the time. “The UK patrol were not working with any Afghan partners at the time.”

The spokesman added: “At this stage we do not know what initiated the exchange of gunfire and an investigation is ongoing.

Further details will be provided as information becomes available but at this time the situation remains unclear.”

The MoD later named the dead soldiers as Corporal David O’Connor of 40 Commando and Channing Day of 3 Medical Regiment.

It is believed to be the first such attack since September 30, when a firefight between NATO troops and their Afghan allies killed five people, including one US soldier and a civilian contractor.—AFP

CNG stations closed Paracha said that the CNG owners would have to pay Rs6 to Rs7 from their own pockets under the current price.

Piracha, Chairman All Pakistan CNG Association has said in the statement that they will file a review petition in the Supreme Court on October 30, 2012.

Earlier on Thursday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan directed OGRA to slash CNG prices after it ruled that linkage of CNG with petroleum products was unlawful. Following Supreme Court ruling, OGRA issued a notification of reduction in CNG prices by up to Rs30.90 a kg with immediate. However, despite the notification CNG is being sold at old rates in different parts of the country while many of the CNG stations were closed after the issuance of the notification.

The government has decided to implement the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) prices in the light of the Supreme Court decision.

According to officials, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has also sent the interim order of the Supreme Court to all chief secretaries and asked them to ensure the sell of CNG on new prices.

After Eid holidays a contempt of court petition will be filed against the CNG stations violating the court decision.

The new price of CNG

From Page 1 would be Rs 61.64 in Region 1 which include Punjab and Khyber Pakhtwankhwa provinces while the new price of CNG in Sindh and Balochistan provinces has been fixed at Rs 54.16 per kilogram.

Following the Supreme Court’s order to reduce price of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), many gas stations in Karachi closed down on Friday. Most gas stations turned away customers on the pretext of having developed technical faults.

Despite being a public holiday, public transport remained sparse on the roads and people were forced to commute on rooftops of buses.

CNG Dealers Association chairman Abdul Sami Khan said some members had asked him how could they run their business in loss, but the association instructed them to reduce the price and keep their stations open.

Contrary to actual events, CNG Station Owners Association chairman Malik Khuda Bux claimed that all its members had reduced the price and their pumps were open across the country. Some pumps might have been closed because of low gas pressure, but all other pumps were operating normally, he added.

In Lahore, most of the CNG stations of Lahore have been

shut down following the reduction in CNG prices on the orders of Supreme Court. This has caused much hardship to vehicle owners as well as public.

A few CNG stations which are opened are not complying with new price. Scuffle between consumers and station admin was also reported at few stations after the latter insisted to pay the old price of CNG. However, chairman CNG association (Punjab) Shujah Anwar said that Supreme Court had ordered to bring back the CNG prices to July 1 level, adding that secretary petroleum and OGRA were creating confusion on the matter.—Agencies

17 militants killed in govt building attack in S Afghanistan KANDAHAR—At least 17 militants have been killed in an overnight attack on government office buildings in Registan district of southern Afghan province of Kandahar, authorities said.

“A group of militants, numbered dozens of armed men, launched an attack against district compound in Registan, sparking a three-hour gunbattle that left 17 militants dead,” administrative chief of the district, Abdul Khaliq Ayoubi said..—NNI

We would not betray Nawaz From Page 1 Nawaz Sharif suggested for probe that person would be appointed. He said there is no consensus amongst the PML-N leaders regarding probe post Asghar Khan case. There are some elements within the PMLN who wish Nawaz Sharif should pack up his bag.

Regarding Shahbaz Sharif statement, he said that it is regrettable that Shahbaz expressed no confidence in FIA. It is the same FIA, which Shahbaz used to trust during the tenure of PML-N government.

He said that PML-N must show morality and maturity in all affairs. The Interior Minister said that PML-N had the tradition of taking U turns.

LAHORE: People are busy in buying clothes from a roadside stall ahead of Eidul Azha.

‘Ministry misinterpreting Supreme Court verdict’ STAFF REPORTER

Nawaz for forging unity Staff Reporter LAHORE—President Pakistan Muslim League-N, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has said that Hajj and sacrifice is not the name of merely a few religious rituals but the real need is to understand the soul and philosophy of sacrifice and to make it a part of our lives. Greeting the nation on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said, in his message, that the sacred day of Eid give us the lesson of forging unity, by rising above all prejudices of caste, colour and creed as was envisaged by Allama Iqbal. He said the spirit of sacrifice demands from us that we should not prefer our association with one area, colour, language and race and should always prefer collective national objectives over personal interests. He said that Eid-ulAzha is the day of bowing before Allah Almighty and acknowledging his greatness.

Three cops arrested KARACHI—Three police officers were arrested after they allegedly killed an innocent citizen, presuming him a robber here on Friday.

According to details, three policemen of Sohrab Goth police station, who were patrolling the area near sacrificial animal market, opened fire on a car when it did not stop despite a signal given by the policemen. A man was killed in the car as a result of the firing, which the policemen claimed was a dacoit. However, later after investigation it was revealed that the man was an ordinary citizen upon which a case was registered against the three police officers and they were subsequently arrested.—INP

Shahbaz inspects routes of Metro Bus Project SALIM AHMED LAHORE—Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif Friday inspected various routes of Metro Bus Project, early in the morning, and later, presided over a high-level meeting to review pace of construction work of the project at Minar-e-Pakistan camp office.

During the meeting, which continued for over three and a half hours, the Chief Minister, directed the concerned authorities to complete the Metro Bus Project within the stipulated time, at all cost. He said the travelling style of the people would be transformed, due to Metro Bus Service, and a new beautiful face of Lahore would emerge.

Meeting with Dr Afridi banned PESHAWAR—The provincial government has imposed ban on meeting with various dangerous prisoned militants including Dr. Shakeel Afridi during Eid ul Azha till further orders. Sources said that due to the uncertain law and order situation in the province the provincial government has rejected pleas by the family members and relatives of the militant prisoners including Dr Shakeel Afridi and has imposed ban on meeting with them till further orders. The vacations of police personnel of all the Jails across the province including Peshawar Jail have also been cancelled.—Online

PESHAWAR: A large number of Afghans offering Eid-ul-Azha prayers at Kacha Garhi Camp on Friday.

has to Obama votes early in Chicago playIndia vital role in

P ESHAWAR —CNG Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accused the Ministry of Oil and Gas of misinterpretation of the verdict of Supreme Court on the prices of gas and CNG, adding running of industry without collecting manufacturing cost is impossible.

Addressing a press conference here at Press Club on Friday, chairman All Pakistan CNG Association (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Zone), Fazal Muqeem Khan said that in this connection first hearing would be held at Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Tuesday (October 30) and while Supreme Court would also be moved on November 1, 2012.

Flanked by a large number of the members of association, he thanked Chief Justice, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on decision on cut in the price of CNG and termed a gift of ju-

diciary for the people on the occasion of Eidul Azha. He said that this decision should have been taken three to four months back.He said that they had accepted the decision of the apex court and CNG is being sold at the new price of Rs.61.64 per kilogram. He said that CNG price in Pakistan was higher than other countries of the world. He said that some elements were out for last three years on how to snatch morsel from the mouth of the poor.

Fazal Muqeem Khan said that the court had ordered the ministry for cutting the cost of production, but it excluded it from CNG. He demanded of OGRA for investigation in this regard, saying the exclusion of manufacturing cost is inflicting losses on them. He said that they would continue the selling of CNG at the new rate and them they would approach OGRA. He said that for last three years a drama was played against

them and certain lobbies were also active against them.

He said that Supreme Court had directed the government for giving relief, saying they are accepting it as it has been taken in the larger interest of the people and will go to the apex court.

Regarding the issue of operation cost, he said that they are selling CNG not natural gas. “If the charging of manufacturing cost is illegal then its collection by gas companies is also unjustified,” questions Fazal Muqeem. He said that Supreme Court had directed the government for fixing CNG price in consultation with stakeholders, but they misused it and neither cut gas price nor GST. He said that they were providing cheap fuel to people and had helped arrest environmental pollution in the country. He was determined that they will prove their rightful profit and justification of operational cost.

Saudi cleric calls for ‘urgent’ Gyari operation Barack Obama cast his ballot paign appearances to call on sup- Chicago,” wrote an email by the region: Panetta action to stop Syria bloodshed Three more Obama campaign sent to supportearly in Chicago at his home state porters to do so.

“The President will be early ers earlier Thursday, “I’m told I’ll W —US Secretary M —The Imam of Makkah’s should call on each other to supof Illinois. It was the first time bodies of that a sitting U.S. presidential voting today in Chicago. This is be the first sitting president to of Defence Leon Panetta has Grand Mosque called on Arabs port the oppressed against the nominee voted early in the first time a sitting President take advantage of early voting.” said India has vital role to play and Muslims on Friday to take oppressor,” said Sheik Saleh soldiers The email also noted that ef- in Pakistan, Afghanistan and the “practical and urgent” steps to Mohammed al-Taleb in his serperson.With only 12 days left in is early voting in person,” said mon during Eid prayers.

Jen Psaki, spokeswoman for the fectively getting people out to region. stop bloodshed in Syria that has the presidential race, Obama recovered “The solution should be According to BBC, he said killed some 30,000 people, and stepped into a polling station at Obama campaign, during vote, of which early voting is a practical and urgent because the Thursday’s press gaggle aboard huge part, would be even more WASHINGTON—US President The president has used his cam- my ballot in my hometown of

ASHINGTON

around 4:20 p.m. local time, signed forms, showed his driver’s license and made his choice at a touch- screen machine, according to White House Press Office.

“I can’t tell you who I voted for, but I very much appreciate everybody here,” said Obama after he cast early ballot, an effort to encourage the early voting drive of the president’s reelection campaign.

“But all across the country we’re seeing a lot of early voting.. .If something happens on Election Day, you will have already taken care of it,” said Obama.The Obama campaign has embarked on an early voting drive, as dozens of states have started early voting procedures.

Air Force One en route Rich- critical in this year’s “extremely mond Virginia. tight race” than four years ago.

The Obama campaign said Psaki also told reporters that early voting has been crucial to the Obama campaign has so far out-performed in key states comEarlier story on Page 15 pared to their own in 2008 and ahead of Republican challenger its get-out-the-vote efforts, trying Mitt Romney right now. to outperform the Republican Last week, U.S. first lady presidential ticket on the ground Michelle has already cast her particularly in key swing absentee ballot, another form of states.“This is a major part of our casting ballots ahead of Nov. 6 on-the-ground program and focus, other than early voting in and we hope that having the Presi- person.In her twitter account, dent do this today will send a Michelle Obama published a message to people across the photo of her holding an absentee country, in states where early vote ballot, with the words “I just is an option, that this is something dropped my absentee ballot in the they should do, too,” said Psaki. mail - I couldn’t wait for Elec“This afternoon, I’m casting tion Day!”—NNI

while talking to media men here that India was very important country in the region and that was why it would play a role for the establishment of peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He

See also Page 15 said it will turn out to be helpful for abiding peace and stability in the region.

Leon Panetta went on to say that US main target was to save Afghanistan from becoming safe haven and sanctuaries of terrorists and Al-Qaeeda militants. “We are eager to work with the other countries of the region on this count”, he held.

He said his country wanted to fortify network of its defence allies in the world and “our new defence policy hinges upon this strategy. —Online

Afghan Army’s Musharraf gave undue turnover threatens US favour to US oil company Nine militants killed in strategy ISLAMABAD —Former presi- contract was extended for two years in violation of law. dent Pervez Musharraf awarded

In September 2008, the conKABUL—The first thing Col. unlawful contract to oil com- tract of the same company was pany owned by former US PresiAkbar Stanikzai does when he interviews recruits for the Afghan National Army is take their cellphones.

He checks to see if the ringtones are Taliban campaign tunes, if the screen savers show the white Taliban flag on a black background, or if the phone memory includes any insurgent beheading videos.

Often enough they flunk that first test, but that hardly means they will not qualify to join their country’s manpower-hungry military. Now at its biggest size yet, 195,000 soldiers, the Afghan Army is so plagued with desertions and low re-enlistment

dent George Bush, reported a private Tv news channel.

According to documents Petroleum and Natural Resources Ministry signed a contract with a US oil company, Halliburton, owned by former US President George W Bush and ex-Vice President Dick Cheney on November 8, 2001 during Pervez Musharraf tenure to explore oil and collect data of production.

However, Halliburton transferred the responsibility for the work to its partner company LMKR. Under the law the contract could only be extended twice for a period of one year Continued on Page 7 but on September 26, 2006 the

extended for one year. In 2009, once again the same company was given Rs 260 contract.

It is pertinent to mention here that the profit from this project was not handed over to Pakistan due to which national exchequer suffered a loss of millions.It is further revealed that in 2010-11 a sum of Rs 50 million were allocated for project, however in January 2012, LMKR director general was informed through a letter that Rs 65 million have been spent on the project.However, according to documents the DGPC has not taken any action regarding poor performance of the company.—INP

Khyber Agency

LANDIKOTAL—At least nine militants were killed and eight others wounded in a raid by security forces in Khyber Agency on Friday, officials said.

According to political administrators, security forces backed by helicopter gunships pounded suspected militant hideouts in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency, killing nine extremists and injuring several others.

Five militant positions were also destroying in the shelling.

Khyber Agency, northwest part of country borders Afghanistan was once stronghold of Pakistani Taliban, now army control most of the region.—Online

China eyes new rockets for space station, moon missions BEIJING—China is making progress in creating a new line of launchers for advancing its space station plans, as well as bolstering its capability to land robots — and possibly humans — on the moon.Earlier this year, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation announced it had successfully conducted a 200-second test firing with the Long March 5 rocket’s 120-ton-thrust liquid oxygen (LOX) and kerosene engine. The engine is far more powerful than the 75-ton-thrust engines of the rockets used to launch China’s piloted Shenzhou spacecraft.

The China Manned Space Engineering (CMSE) Office has noted that the high-performance engine is the first kind of high-pressure staged combustion cycle engine for which

China has proprietary intellectual property rights. It is non-toxic, pollution-free and highly reliable, the CMSE stated, adding that the engine makes China the second country in the world, after Russia, to grasp the core technologies for a LOX/kerosene highpressure staged combustion cycle rocket engine.CMSE officials say the Long March 5 should make its maiden voyage in 2014.

Ahead of that, several limit-determining tests will be conducted to ensure the engine’s stability and reliability. [Gallery: The World’s Tallest Rockets] To support launches of the Long March 5 and other nextgeneration boosters — a Long March 6 and Long March 7 are also under development — China is also building a spaceport, complete with a theme park, in

Hainan, an island province off the south coast.

According to Liang Xiaohong, deputy head of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, production of the 197-foot-long (60 meters) rocket’s key components will be completed within this year.

Liang told China’s state-run Xinhua news agency that the Long March 5 will more than triple Chinese rockets’ carrying capacity by lofting a maximum of 25 tons to low Earth-orbit and 14 tons to geosynchronous orbit.

The successful test of the first stage of the Long March 5 earlier this year was highlighted by Gregory Kulacki, senior analyst and China project manager in the global security program of the Union of Concerned Scientists based in Cambridge, Mass.

“The date most often associated with the Long March 5 is 2014, when the new launch facility in Hainan should be completed,” Kulacki said.

He added that the increased lift is critical to China’s plans to build a space station by 2020, and to the third phase of the nation’s Chang’e lunar program, which aims to return lunar rock samples — collected by a robotic rover — back to China for analysis.

“Although the Long March5 has had some technical difficulties and is behind schedule, the successful testing of the LOX engines last July makes the 2014 target date for beginning its operational use feasible,” said Joan Johnson-Freese, a national security affairs professor at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport,R.I—Agencies

INA

urged world states to assume their moral responsibility towards the conflict.

Muslims from around the world on Friday celebrated Eidul-Azha, which marks the end of the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage that attracted some three million people from nearly 190 countries.

This year’s Hajj took place against a backdrop of divisions among Muslims, with Shi’ite Iran and U.S.-allied Sunni countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar backing opposing sides in Syria’s civil war.

Saudi Arabia has led Arab efforts to isolate President Bashar al-Assad’s government, and has supported the rebels with money and logistics.

“The world should bear responsibility for this prolonged and painful disaster (in Syria) and the responsibility is greater for the Arabs and Muslims who

oppressor becomes even more fierce as the days pass,” he added.

Assad’s forces announced a conditional Eid ceasefire on Thursday evening, responding to an appeal by international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi, though by Friday it had begun to unravel with fighting breaking out in various places.

“The world should take moral and legal responsibility against the massacres and the oppression that the Syrian people are subjected to as well as the continuing violations in Palestine,” Taleb, one of the most senior clerics in the kingdom, said.

“The war and destruction should be stopped and the higher interests should be ahead of personal interests in order to stop the spill of the Muslims’ blood,” he added.—Agencies

SKARDU—Dead bodies of three more soldiers who were buried live under an avalanche in the Gyari Sector Siachen were recovered here on Friday after hectic efforts of six months.

According to military sources, rescuers recovered dead bodies of three more soldiers buried under the big snow mass.

It may be mentioned here that 139 soldiers including some civilians of 6 Northern Light Infantry Battalion came under a huge snow slide on April 07, 2012 in Gayari sector of Siachen.

Dead bodies of 97 martyrs have been recovered so far while search for 42 others was in progress. Despite cold weather and difficulties rescue teams were working day and night to dig out the bodies under the avalanche.—INP

‘Fruity vegetables’, fish reduce asthma, allergies

G

IVING children a diet rich in fish and “fruity vegetables” can reduce asthma and allergies, according to a seven-year study of 460 Spanish children.

The findings also reinforce the researchers’ earlier findings that a fish-rich diet in pregnancy can help to protect children from asthma and allergies.

“We believe that this is the first study that has assessed the impact of a child’s diet on asthma and allergies and also taken into account the food their mother ate during pregnancy” says lead author Dr Leda Chatzi from the Department of Social Medicine at the University of Crete, Greece. “Because we studied the children from pregnancy to childhood, we were able to include a wide range of elements in our analysis, including maternal diet during pregnancy, breastfeeding, smoking, the mother’s health history, parental education and social class.”

Researchers followed the progress of the children, on the Spanish island of Menorca, at regular intervals from before they were born until they were six-and-ahalf. They discovered that children who consumed more than 40 grams of “fruity vegetables” a day — namely tomatoes, eggplants (aubergines), cucumber, green beans and zucchini (courgettes) - were much less likely to suffer from childhood asthma.

And children who consumed more

than 60 grams of fish a day also suffered less childhood allergies, echoing the protective effects they experienced when their mothers ate fish during pregnancy.

However the researchers noted that the dietary effects were quite specific and that other fruits and vegetables examined did not provide the same protective effect. Nor did other food groups included in the study, such as dairy products, meat, poultry and bread.

The mothers of 232 boys and 228 girls, who had been recruited during antenatal classes, completed detailed questionnaires on their children’s health, weight, diet and any breathing problems every year until their child was six-anda-half. 90 per cent of the children also underwent allergy testing — skin prick tests were used to check their response to the six most common allergens, including grass pollen and cats.

The researchers found that just under nine per cent of the children suffered from some degree of wheezing, including six per cent with an allergy-related wheeze. And 17 per cent reacted to at least one of the allergens in the skin prick test.

“After adjusting the results for a wide range of variables, we concluded that the link between symptom-free children and a diet rich in fruity vegetables and fish was statistically significant” says Dr Chatzi.

RAWALPINDI: Ladies selecting artificial jewellery in preparation of Eid celebrations.

CDA issues notice to un-authorized agro-farms ISLAMABAD—Chairman, Capital Development Authority (CDA), Syed Tahir Shahbaz has decided to issue a 15 days notice to agro farms owners to remove all un-authorize construction in the farms.

“In case of non compliance with in 15 days all such violations would be proceeded under the prevailing Rules and Regulation which will lead to demolition of the excess area” said a statement issued here.—APP

ISLAMABAD: Visitors taking keen interest in dresses during an exhibition at Studio5.

Video on Louvre’s Islamic Arts Dept STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Ambassador of France to Pakistan Philippe Thiebaud who hosted a projection of short videos on the Louvre Museum’s latest Islamic Arts department here at Alliance Française has stated that it was an endeavour to

build bridges between the East & the West: “Where we can speak of our differences but also, above all, our shared history & reciprocal influences over the centuries”.

Louvre’s new department showcases one of the most exceptional collections of Islamic arts in the world & is

the single largest architecture expansion project since the now-famous Louvre Pyramid created twenty years ago.

The innovative glass & metal structure of the department covers more than 30,000 square feet & is surrounded by the neo-classical facades of a 17th century courtyard.

Govt committed to preserve religious, cultural sites STAFF REPORTER I SLAMABAD—Minister In Charge for the Ministry of National Harmony and Advisor to Prime Minister Dr. Paul Bhatti, said Katas Raj Mandir (Temple) complex is not only a religious heritage for Hindu community in Pakistan but also a cultural heritage of Pakistan as well.

He made these remarks during a visit of historic temple complex along with Pakistan Muslim League (Q) leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to monitor the ongoing restoration work on the temple, said a news release issued here.

The maintenance of the temple, situated in Katas village near Choa Saidan Shah in the Chakwal district of Punjab in Pakistan, is being carried out under the guidance of the above mentioned committee.

The government has recently taken serious steps towards preservation and maintenance of this valuable cultural heritage and for this purpose President Asif Ali Zardari has constituted a committee comprising of Dr Paul Bhatti

Pak-Turkmenistan relations to grow day-by-day LIAQAT TOOR ISLAMABAD—Atadjan Movlamov, ambassador of Turkmenistan to Pakistan has said relations between Pakistan and Turkmenistan will grow day by day.

“Turkmenistan and Pakistan are two friendly and brotherly countries. We live in one region and people of our countries share unique historical, cultural and religious commonalities and both nations are linked with the historical and cultural relationship since ancient times,” said the ambassador in his message on the 21st Anniversary of the Independence of Turkmenistan.

He said October 27, 2012 is a momentous and historical day, when Turkmen nation celebrates 21st anniversary of independence. On this highly auspicious occasion series of programs, events and festivities are planned to mark the 21st anniversary of independence of our dear Motherland. On this occasion on behalf of the Government and people of Turkmenistan I want to share these feelings of happiness with Government and brotherly people of the

Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

On October 27, 1991 Turkmenistan proclaimed itself as an independent state and became the sovereign and independent subject of International law and International relations. Since that time Turkmenistan has passed glorious way of development. During this period of time Turkmen people have been recognised by the world community as a peace loving people, having respect for neighbours, always seeking fortune from honesty and labour, with wise and faithful approach to the challenges faces by world community.

After four years of Independence of Turkmenistan on December 12, 1995 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the resolution “Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan”, which was first ever in the history UN of such kind. By gaining a new status, Neutral Turkmenistan undertook certain obligations to the international community.

Among the main of them are the principles of non-alliance with political, military alliances and blocs; presence of National Army only for pro-

tection of peace and freedoms; renunciation of weapons of mass destruction; commitment to universal values; guarantee of civil peace in the country; conducting own policies in close cooperation with the UN and humanitarian international organizations.

The adoption on December 12, 1995 of the resolution “Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan” by the General Assembly of the UN and opening on December 10, 2007 in Ashgabat of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia became the acknowledgement of the peaceful foreign policy of

Turkmenistan and its constructive role in the International affairs.

Atadjan Movlamov said relations between Turkmenistan and Pakistan have got new impetus when Turkmenistan became an Independent and Sovereign state on October 27, 1991.

Pakistan was one of the first countries to take initiatives of recognition and establishment of diplomatic relations with Turkmenistan, he said.

It is highly important to mention here that for the first time historic decision of the doctrine of permanent neutrality of our country was announced by Turkmen leadership during the 3rd ECO Summit held in Islamabad in March 1995. Pakistan also was one of the co-sponsoring countries which supported Turkmenistan in achieving this high value status, which was awarded to Turkmenistan on the historic Day of December 12, 1995, when at the 50th Anniversary Session of the United Nations General Assembly a special resolution was unanimously adopted by all members states of UN confirming the status of the Permanent Neutrality of

Turkmenistan so the beginning of Neutrality status was initiated in Pakistan and achieved in UN, he said.

This year Turkmenistan and Pakistan celebrate 20th year of the diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Leadership of our both brotherly countries has close understanding and multi-dimensional and deeprooted relationship, focused on mutually beneficial cooperation.

In order to further improve and enhance the relationship, a bilateral trade and investment forum is scheduled in Ashgabat in November this year so that businessmen of our countries could have an opportunity to exchange experience and make contracts in the fields of mutual interest, he said.

“Finally, I would like to avail this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Government and the people of brotherly and friendly Pakistan for the support and cooperation. I am confident that these relationships will flourish day by day and will help our nations to achieve our common objectives,” he said.

and PML (Q) leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to oversee the preservation work on the temple complex. During their visit the members of committee expressed satisfaction on the pace of work.

“Such historical entities show a diversified and rich cultural history of Pakistan,” the minister said. Dr. Paul also added that the government was committed to maintain and preserve all the religious and cultural sites belonging to various communities in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, President of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Thursday said

the government was protecting historical places as sufficient funding are being released for its maintenance.

Ch. Shujaat, who was briefed about the continuing maintenance work by local administration expressed satisfaction and said it should be completed within stipulated time. He said general elections would be held in time as coalition parties would participate with their own signs.

He said they had no differences with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) over seat adjustment, adding that PML-Q would bring potential candidates to contest the forthcoming elections.

Eid-ul-Azha to be celebrated in twin cities with fervour ISLAMABAD—Eid-ul-Azha is being celebrated today (Saturday) in commemoration of the supreme sacrifice offered

by Hazrat Ibrahim Khalilullah and his son Hazrat Ismail Zabiullah in the fulfillment of the Divine order.

In twin cities eid prayers will be offered at Eidgahs‚ Mosques and open places, while special prayers will be offered for the prosperity of the country and unity among the Muslim Ummah.

It will be followed by offering sacrifices of animals by the faithful in accordance with the Sunnah Ibrahimi.

In the Federal Capital‚ the main Eid congregation will be held at the Faisal Mosque.—NNI

Kaira facilitates newly elected APP employee union Zuhar

05:40 01:30 04:15 07:15

October 27 EID ul Azha Prayer will be offered at Faisal Mosque, Islamabad at 08:00 AM Sharp. Prof. Dr. Ikram ul Haq Yaseen shall deliver Khutaba-e-Eid-ul-Azha.

November 1 PUBLIC talk on ‘A Security Architect for South Asia’, speaker: Dr Farooq Sobhan, organised by the institute of Strategic Studies, at the institute of Strategic Studies, Sector F-5/2, Islamabad, 11:30 am to 1 p.m.

November 2 THE Iqbal International Institute for Research & Dialogue (IRD) of the International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) is organizing a lecture on “Tablighi Jammat as a “Global Religious Service provider” in different Cultures and Continents” on Friday, November 02, at 11:00 AM, in the Seminar Room of Islamic Research Institute (IRI), Faisal Masjid Campus, Islamabad.

November 8 ALUMNI Association National Institute of Psychology (AA-NIP) invites you to come and join on Annual Alumni Dinner at 4:30 to 10:00 pm.

Venue: Geo Physics Auditorium, QAU, Islamabad Programme.

I SLAMABAD —Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira on Friday congratulated the newly elected members of Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) employees union.

The Information Minister, in his message, congratulated Aftab Zahoor and Arshad Majeed Chaudhry for winning the slots of President and General Secretary respectively.

He also congratulated vice presidents Usman Khan Kakar and Malik Rashid Ahmed, joint secretaries Raziq Ali Shah and Sohail Iqbal Cheema, Finance Secretary Yawar Abbas, Press Secretary Naseeb Elahi and Executive Council members.

He expressed the hope that the new officer-bearers would work for the welfare of the Associated Press of Pakistan employees.—APP

Zero hunger programme for food security STAFF REPORTER I SLAMABAD —Federal Minister For National Food Security & Research (Mir Israr Ullah Zehri) has reiterated that ministry is trying ever best to provide food security to people of Pakistan. Earnest efforts are being made and his ministry has presented a ‘National Zero Hunger Programme’.

He told that entire world is facing a problem regarding food security due to changing patterns of climate. Adding to it he talked about his close co ordination with Climate Change Ministry to keep him abreast about the changing climate so that ministry could formulate further plans.

Federal Minister added that the government has taken measures to improve food security by revitalizing agriculture production and by providing incentives to the farming community.

The above-mentioned step of government has been proved fruitful and for the year 2011-12, the wheat crop is estimated at 23.52 million tons.

He further added that the country is left with 1.80 million tons surplus. Thus the country is quite comfortable in wheat supply during the current year and providing RAWALPINDI: Shopkeepers preparing garlands and displaying flowers to attract the customers in connection with food security.

Eid-ul-Azha on Friday.

Federal Minister has assured that Government is trying its best to provide Food security. Ministry is working day in and day out to make food available to people.

Nawaz Sharif only paid Rs 51,318 in Income Tax : Imran Khan I SLAMABAD —Reacting to a statement by Nawaz Sharif that his family had paid Rs 92 crore as taxes in the year 1990, Chairman PTI said that this is a deliberate attempt at misleading the people.

Talking to Shafqat Mahmood, Secretary Information PTI, from New York, where he is on a visit, Khan said that as per FBR records the declared income of Nawaz Sharif for the year 1990-91 was only two lacs forty nine thousand five hundred and thirty seven (Rs 249,537). On this income he paid Rs fifty one thousand three hundred and eighteen (51,318) as income tax.

Shahbaz Sharif in the same year 1990-91 said Imran Khan had an income of Rs 271,638 on which he paid Rs 53,482 as income tax. Thus, both brothers in total paid Rs One lac four thousand and eight rupees as income tax in the

year they took money from Younas Habib.

Where has the figure of ninety two crores that Nawaz Sharif family have supposed to paid as tax come from, asked Imran Khan? There are two notable features of the misleading statement by Nawaz Sharif, according to Chairman PTI. First he is mixing together Sales Tax, Central excise duty or other corporate taxes that companies pay. They are not paid by individuals but by corporations. There is no way of verifying whether Sharif family companies paid this amount of corporate tax or not. What is equally mystifying said Imran Khan is that if indeed the Sharif companies had paid Rs 92 crores as corporate taxes, why are the incomes of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif so meagre.

They have both declared approximately Rs five lacs as

their combined income for the financial year 1990-91. If their family owned companies were paying such heavy amounts in corporate taxes, where has the income gone? Chairman PTI Imran Khan said that after flip-flopping on the issue of investigation by FIA with Ch Nisar criticising the Supreme Court, Sharif is now ready for investigation by it.

This is a good development but it is important that FIA’s terms of reference be wide enough to allow a thorough probe into irregularities in the Mehrangate Scandal. While Nawaz Sharif is calling Younas Habib a criminal, was it not the first Sharif government that gave him a licence to launch Mehran Bank, asked Mr. Khan? It also needs be investigated that did Mehran Bank soon after its inception give Rs 20 crore to the house of Sharif that is still unpaid?.—Online

November 10 GENERAL Body Meeting of the Human Resource Development Network at the HRDN Secretariat, House No. 41, Street 56, F-6/4, Islamabad.

President condoles death of Yousuf Siddiqui ISLAMABAD —President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed sorrow and grief over the demise of Yousuf Siddique, brother of Nawab Kaifee, Managing Director ETN (Eastern TV News) In his condolence mes- RAWALPINDI: A great rush of people was witnessed at bus stops on Friday, a day before sage the President prayed to Eid-ul-Azha.—PO photo by Sultan Bashir Allah Almighty for eternal peace of the departed soul and to grant courage to Nawab Kaifee and other members of the bereaved family to bear the loss with fortitude.—APP For the first day slaughISLAMABAD—New Suzuki RAWALPINDI—The butchers cultas cars provided to have sharpened their dag- tering rate for goat has been SHOs of all police stations gers to slaughter not only fixed at Rs 2500,with its hide in the federal capital have sacrificial animals but also Rs 2000 and for cow Rs 4500 been withdrawn from them robbing the pockets of the has been fixed.

As per rates for the secfollowing the cut of 600 liter faithful by enhancing their diesel in monthly consump- slaughtering rate exorbi- ond day, Rs 2000 has been fixed for goat slaughtering tion announced by govern- tantly.

They fix the rate for and Rs 3500 for cows. ment, The cars were proI SLAMABAD —The rescue For the third day of Eid ul slaughtering the sacrificial 1122 personals Eid holidays vided to all SHOs in the af- animals after checking the Azha rates have been fixed has postponed. The rescue termath of the huge casual- size of goat or cow. However relatively lower than the first 1122 personals Eid holidays ties of policemen occurred they have fixed separate rates and second day. Rs 1500 has has postponed and they during Melody blast.

The orders for withdrawal for first, second and third day been fixed for slaughtering of would perform their duties of cars have caused embar- of the Eid ul Azha. Besides goat and Rs 3000 for cow. during Eid days.

The booking of the professional butchers, a batServices of rescue work- rassment among SHOs as it talion of non-professional butchers has also been has happened first time in ers have been sought during butchers has also thronged started and the faithful are Eid holidays and they would the history of police that fa- the field with only skill of facing professional butchers perform their duties in cility of cars has been taken minting money. crunch in the city. —Online mosques, Eidgah and other back.—Online important places to avoid any untoward incident. —Online

Suzuki cars withdrawn from all SHOs in Capital

Robust slaughtering rates embarrass faithful

Eid holidays of Rescue 1122 staff postponed

No Eid holidays for bomb disposal squads R AWALPINDI —The DCOs has postponed the Eid holidays of bomb disposal squads. On the direction of Chief Commissioner Rawalpindi, the DCOs of four district of division have postponed the Eid holidays of bomb disposal squad respectively. In view of this, DCOs of four districts Rawalpindi, Jehlum, Chakwal and Attock postponed the squad’s holidays during three days of Eid.—Online

Separate fares list for CNG specific public transport charas from him.

R —Rawalpindi demanded —Chief Justice police arrested 16 outlaws Shahid was arrested by

IHC CJ constitutes five benches for next week

I SLAMABAD

of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Iqbal Hameedur-Rehman has constituted on division and four single benches to hear over 250 cases during next week starting from Tuesday (Oct 30).

Four single benches will comprise the Chief Justice, Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi, Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi and Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui.

The division bench (DB) will consist of Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi and Justice Muhammad Azim Khan Afridi.—APP

IIUI lecture on Nov 2 I SLAMABAD —The Iqbal International Institute for Research and Dialogue (IRD) of the International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) will organize a lecture on “Tablighi Jammat as a global religious service provider” in different cultures and continents” on Friday ( Nov 2).

The lecture will be held at the seminar room of Islamic Research Institute (IRI), Faisal Masjid Campus, Islamabad.

Professor Dr. Dietrich Reetz, Director Project “Crossroads Asia”, Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin, Germany willl deliver the lecture on the subject.—APP

Rawalpindi police arrest 16 outlaws

AWALPINDI

and recovered drugs, weapons, bottle of liquor and firecrackers from their possession.

On Thursday, Rawat police arrested a lady smuggler identified as Shehnaz bibi and recovered 1050 gram charas from her possession while Pirwadhi police held Dilwar and recovered 180 gram charas from his custody.

Bani police nabbed Allah Dita and recovered 110 gram charas from his possession.Sadiqabad police arrested Aneeb and recovered 138 gram charas from him.

Westridge police held Khalid and recovered 240 gram charas from him. Civil Line police arrested Asif and recovered 300 gram

Airport police on the charges of having 315 gram charas from him.Mandra police held Arif and recovered 5 bottle of liquor from him.

Gujar Khan police arrested Tariq and recovered a pistol 30 bore along four round from him.

Kahuta police searched Ghulam Murtaza and recovered a pistol 30 bore along three round from him. Rata Amral police held Waseem and recovered a pistol 30 bore along two round from him.

New Town police recovered firecrackers material from his possession.

Police have registered separate cases against all of them and started investigation.—APP

Black Day

Radio to broadcast special programmes S TAFF REPORTER I SLAMABAD —Radio Paki-

and local dailies regarding ceremonies in connection with Black Day will be presented on national hookup.

A discussion programme titled ‘Liberation Movement of Kashmir and World View’ will be aired on national hookup at 01:20 p.m. while a special programme ‘The Day that was Black’ will be broadcast at 04.05 p.m.

Radio reports about various ceremonies of Black Day held throughout the country, will be aired locally.

All the three stations of Azad Kashmir will air special Black Day programmes throughout the day.

stan will broadcast special programmes to mark the Black Day, being observed

by Kashmiris on Saturday, against the landing of Indian troops on their soil on this day in 1947. Messages of presidents and prime ministers of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir will be broadcast in the morning transmission.

Kashmiri songs, slogans and interviews of All Parties Hurriyat Conference will be the hall mark STAFF REPORTER of special programmes, said ISLAMABAD—The 6th death a press release.

Excerpts from national anniversary of former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan will be observed today (Saturday).

Ghulam Ishaq Khan spent a long period from1955 to 1963 in the corridors of power. He started his career as civil servant and reached the highest slot of the country, president of Pakistan.

He served at various positions including information secretary, chairman Wapda, finance secretary, governor state bank, secretary defence, finance minister and chairman senate.

He was conferred upon Sitara Jurrat and Hilal-e-Pakistan for the commendable services rendered by him.

He assumed the office of president following death of Gen Zia ul Haq in air crash and he wielded powers to dismiss the government un- ISLAMABAD: A young boy carrying a sacrificial animal near Saidpur Model College. der 58-2-B.

6th death anniversary of Ghulam Ishaq Khan today

RAWALPINDI—Citizens have welcomed the curtailment in CNG prices ordered by Supreme Court (SC) and have demanded fixation of separate fares for public transport running on CNG. On one hand government has unleashed loot and plunder spree through massive corrupt practices but the independent judiciary has come to our aid with giving us relief through the current orders for reduction in CNG prices, said a group of citizens. Government should implement the verdict forthwith besides announcing downward revision in the fares of CNG specific public transport, they demanded.

How ironical it is that a uniform fares list is in vogue for public transport running on diesel and CNG. This is sheer dacoity on our pockets , said a group of commuters. As CNG prices have been ordered to be slashed significantly by the apex court therefore, fares list for public transport running on CNG be issued separately, they stressed.—Online

No challan during Eid days RAWALPINDI —Chief Traffic Officer has announced that no challan ticket would be issued during Eid days. Chief traffic Officer Syed Ishtiaq Hussain said that no traffic wardens would issue license to any citizens during Eid days respectively.

He claimed that the traffic police would give special support to citizens during Eid and any vehicle can take sacrificial animals freely in twin cities.—Online

as he waits for the customers,

Young graduates set to conquer fashion world SANA JAMAL

I SLAMABAD —Foreign envoys, while admiring the artworks of fashion design students, persevered that the creative works of Pakistani students should be introduced at the international fashion and textile markets. The exhibit, arranged by Pakistani Institute of Fashion Design (PIFD) in collaboration with Pakistan National Council of Arts here on Thursday, presented selected work of the students of 2012 batch from the Department of Fashion, Textile Design,

Furniture and Jewelry Design.

Recognizing the show as a display of world-class products appropriate for the global consumer of today, Mourad Bourehla, Ambassador of Republic of Tunisia, admired the fusion of traditional designs with modern look. “Pakistan and Tunisia could work in collaboration to promote the innovative fashion design in western world” the Ambassador suggested.

Dr. Hasrul Sani Mujtabar, the High Commissioner of Malaysia, proposed that “Pakistani young designers

should promote their work to the whole Asian region” as their designs are apt for the Asian consumers. The vibrant colours and striking designs simply charmed the ladies, especially the wife of the Cuban Ambassador, Jesus Zenen Buergo. “The lively colours and delicate work exemplify the talent of Pakistani students” she remarked.

The dynamic artworks on display reflected the historical evolution of styles, artistic movements as well as the social, cultural and economic changes that influence society. “The show demonstrates

the students’ creativity and their own style, from the idea to the production of the final product as the students have designed and tailored the garments themselves” told Faiza Khalid, Assistant Professor at PIFD. Colourful silhouettes and patterns were coalesced with pure white colour in Ateka Butt’s designs, whose thesis was inspired by a lively folk dance Krakowaik from Poland. Hamza Asghar Bukhari has incorporated pasty white fur that reminds one of the snowy owls, with multi-coloured handiwork to achieve a contemporary

look with hints of exaggeration. A gleaming black coloured outfit incorporated with 3-D surfaces, pockets and spinal cords placed in the middle of the gallery intrigued many a visitors. The riveting design by Waqar uddin was fruition of a personal imagination about an Apocalyptic Army inspired from the myth of the Greek monster Typhoon.

Textile design graduates developed products in weaving, knitting, printing and embroidery while students of the Jewelry and Gem design department.

“Each piece is a labour of

love with hours of hard work and conscientious detailing put into finishing the product” Maida Hasan, Professor.

On one side lay the charming outdoor chairs made of bright colour fabrics, while on opposite side were lovely, bright little chairs and table, perfect furniture for the classroom. “I have explored the idea how the design of classroom furniture can have a positive impact on child’s learning”, said the designer, Amna Amir. To revive the vibrant colours of Pakistan’s folk art, Fatima Maroof has incorporated them into

carved furniture.

Schehrezade Sohail’s work was an amalgamation of the organic and natural lifestyle of nomads with a futuristic urban feel.

Faiza Rafique’s bright red design with striking Sindhi embroidery highlighted the ethnicity of the region as well as the beauty of Marvi, a village girl famous for her struggle and loyalty for her people and homeland. Mariam Hamid’s collection, of peach and gray colours, presented a vision of the Queen of Fashion, Marie Antoinette, emerging in the 21st century.

October 27: Black Day for Kashmiris The day when Indian forces invaded Kashmir in 1947

T

HE month of October is remembered with so many gloomy incidents which have made this part of the world suffer and humanity cry that we often forget 27th October the Black Day for Kashmir. The tragedies of earth quake, floods and now attack on Malala of Swat has further increased the miseries of October. But how can we forget the 27th of October 1947 the Day when India landed its army in Jammu and Kashmir, in total disregard to the Indian Independence Act and Partition Plan in 1947. In order to change the demographic composition of the territory, Indian troops, the forces of Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh, and Hindu extremists massacred hundreds of thousand Kashmiri Muslims within a period of two months and the same path of terror continues today even after lapse of decades.

Back in 1947 India violated the guidelines set for deciding the future of Hyderabad, Junagarh and Kashmir, three of the independent Princely States at that time, which were given the choice to either accede to Pakistan or India, considering the geographical situa-

Affected stage protests in Srinagar S RINAGAR —As the anger against attacks on Muslims in Zanskar spilled over to Drass area of Kargil district, the residents of Zanskar urged the government to provide security to the affected population before further slide in the situation.

Dozens of students from Zanskar area staged protests in Press Colony here amid slogans against the government. “Provide us security, restore connectivity,” the protestors were shouting.

The protestors were accompanied by an independent legislator, Engineer Abdur Rasheed. Giving details of the incident Muneer Ahmed, a resident of Padam, Zanskar, who is pursuing Masters at Islamic University, said that on September 23 at least 22 Buddhists from Padam, Zanaskar converted to Islam.

“They converted of their own will as they got inspired by Islam. We gave them shelter in the form of rented rooms and security after they started living with the Muslim families,” he said.

He said on October 24, when people were coming out of the Jamia Masjid, Padam, they were attacked by some miscreants in which more than 14 people got injured. “Then there were series of attacks on Muslims in the area,” he said.

The protestors said situation in Zanskar was tense as the protests have erupted in Drass area as well. “In Drass, Joint Action Committee had called for Zanskar Chalo today (Thursday) to express solidarity with the Muslims of Zanskar,” said Ahmed.

He said the government should provide entire Muslim population, which is not even 600, with security. “We remain cut off for at least six months due to snow fall that closes the main road link.

Meanwhile, talking to reporters on the sidelines of the protest, MLA Langate Er Rashid said he will not allow Kashmir to become another Gujarat. “If the government fails to provide justice to the Muslims in Zanskar, entire valley will stand with them and the clashes would spill over across Kashmir,” Rasheed warned. —NNI

tion and communal demography. It forcibly occupied the Hyderabad and Junagarh, which had Hindus in majority but their rulers were Muslims. Kashmir was a Muslimmajority state and had a natural tendency to accede to Pakistan, but its Hindu ruler destroyed the future of Kashmiri people by announcing its accession to India under a controversial accession document. The UN Security Council through its successive resolutions nullified Indian invasion and occupation of Kashmir. It also approved a ceasefire, demarcation of the ceasefire line, demilitarization of the state and a free and impartial plebiscite to be conducted under the supervision of the World Body. Although the ceasefire and demarcation of the ceasefire line was implemented while demilitarization of the occupied territory and a free and impartial plebiscite under UN supervision remain unimplemented till date. As a result of the demarcation, about 139,000 square kilometers area of Jammu and Kashmir remained with India while 83,807 square kilometers constituted the territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Indian rulers prom-

ised before the UN to resolve the dispute and provide the people of Kashmir with their basic right of self-determination, but later backed away from their commitments.

The time may have changed but the Indian style

prising 500 pages published in May 2012 “The Meadow: Kashmir 1995 — Where the Terror Began” claim the Westners were murdered by a group of Kashmiri militants who worked for the Indian Army. The writers say that

ity – but became entangled in a hostage drama that lasted for six months before they vanished from the face of the earth leaving their loved ones and family in agony for rest of their life. The conclusions in the book are drawn

ers and set them on a coldhearted path to terrorize the West. Indian government, Indian Intelligence agencies and Indian Military prolonged their capture and sabotaged negotiations with the kidnappers which re-

through investigations based on the interviews with police officials then investigating the case and the wives and girlfriends of the missing men.

It reveals how the Kashmir hostage crisis was an opening shot in the war on terror; what these terrorists did to a group of western adventur-

sulted in the killing of the hostages. This was later discovered that it was an Indian conspiracy to put the blame on Pakistan and its intelligence agencies afterwards for the killing and kidnapping of the tourists.

The annual report of UNHRC’s “Report of the

Indian forces invading Kashmir.—File photo has not, their atrocities keep coming to lime light by researchers who find a chance to get across to Indian side of Kashmir despite their strict media blackout. The journalists Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott-Clark an award-winning investigative journalist in their book com-

adventurers and nature lovers across the globe, envy to see Kashmir a paradise on earth. But for this group , a trip to the Meadow became a nightmare . These men – two Americans, two Britons, a German and a Norwegian – journeyed to Kashmir in search of nature and human-

Roundtable on Kashmir foundation day at Parliament

Sale, purchase of handicraft go hi-tech

that the world should acknowledge the international agreements which are still unimplemented.

Our struggle for self-determination needs to be understood in the proper context and the Democratic right to self-determination is non-negotiable. Kashmiris appeal to the international community to write a page of Just Peace for the people of Jammu & Kashmir.

Lord Ahmed pleaded for a grass root awakening in the Diaspora so that an effective direction is provided to all the efforts for resolving the Kashmir dispute as per the aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir. He supported a signature campaign already launched in the length and breadth of the UK. Mr Steve Baker MP pleaded for a change of policy and reorientation of political debate on Kashmir in the Houses of Parliament.

He said that we need to approach the Foreign Office and the fellow MP’s as well to reset the Kashmir debate in the light of the Scottish referendum through democratic self-determination. He exhorted we need progress on the issue. Lord Qurban disclosed that he has interacted with many senior mem-

a trend, kashmirbox.com — an online web portal, is fast gaining popularity in and outside J&K for facilitating sale/purchase of genuine handicraft items via internet.

The portal has been launched by two enthusiastic Kashmiri boys, Kashif Ahmad and Muheet Mehraj with an aim to promote handicraft sector of the Valley and to bring global customers to Kashmir by their unique idea of selling various items through internet.

“After witnessing the plight of artisan who are given peanuts in return of their hard work, we decided to remove middle-men between artisans and the buyers,” said Kashif Ahmad, adding that they started portal kashmirbox.com “on which we display many handicraft and other Kashmiri items for selling purpose throughout the world.”

“Our aim is to promote Kashmiri handicraft and in order to achieve it we will sell only genuine handicraft items,” says Muheet, who heads the technical aspects of the web portal.

The duo claims that kashmirbox.com is like Flipkart which is a famous online portal. They said: “Our USP is indigenous products for which Kashmir is wellknown.”“We only display and sell genuine Kashmiri products on our website,” claims Kashif which include Paper machie products, carpets, wazwan and woodcarving products.

“We have decided that 10 percent of our profit we gain from running the web portal will be spent on the welfare of poor artisans,” said Muheet.

According to Muheet, kashmirbox.com has received an overwhelming response from the locals as well as non locals. “We are receiving heavy rush of online consumers who purchase items from our website.

We have also tied up with 80 online transaction agencies which facilitate sale and purchase of Kashmir handicraft items on the website,” Muheet said.—NNI

number of bodies brought by security personnel exceeded the initial count given by security personnel, more than one body was buried in each grave. The bodies examined were routinely delivered at night, and some of them were bearing marks of torture and burns. Photographs of the dead were reportedly documented by local police stations, while identification occurred through clothing and distinguishing features or numbering.

According to the source, between April 2008 and November 2009, a total of 2,700 graves were examined by civil society organisations in three provinces, encompassing a total of 55 villages. It was documented that in the Baramulla province 1,321 bodies were found; in the Kupwara province 1,487 bodies were found; and in the Bandipora province 135 bodies were found. In 177 cases, a grave contained more then one body, resulting in the discovery of more than 420 bodies. It was alleged that approximately 99 percent of those buried were men. There are allegations that some people were killed in the state of Gujarat in India, outside of Kashmir. —KMS

SRINAGAR—At a time when L ONDON —A round table pied Kashmir. He pleaded bers of Parliament and he has online shopping has become discussion was organised at Portcullis House Westminster by Former Mayor of Luton Mr Riaz Butt who is also Secretary General of Muslim Conference UK on the occasion of Kashmir Foundation Day. According to Kashmir Media Service, those present were Lord Nazir Ahmed Chairman All Parties Parliamentary Group on Kashmir, Lord Qurban Hussain, Rt. Hon Gerald Kaufman MP, Steve Baker MP, Simon Danczuk MP, Debbie Ibrahim MP, Prof. Nazir Ahmed Shawl Chairman Kashmir Centre London, Raja Mohammed Ayub President Advisory Council Kashmir Centre London, and Mehrun Nisa Secretary General Muslim Conference AJK was the invited guest on this occasion.

The opening remarks were delivered by Prof. Nazir Ahmed Shawl who described 24th October as a historic day as on this day a government of Azad, Jammu & Kashmir took control of 35,000 sq. kilometres liberated by the Kashmiris from the Dogra Rule. Shawl said that we need to introspect and find out our successes and failures. We have also to reiterate our support to the freedom struggle in Occu-

learnt that the biggest impediment in resolving Kashmir is the Indian attitude towards the dispute. And he also disclosed that he took up the Kashmir issue with the Secretary of the State Mr William Hague and Sayeeda Warsi a minister at the Foreign Office.

Debbie Ibrahim MP, said Human Rights abuses in Jammu & Kashmir should come to an end as Kashmir is the longest running dispute and it requires facilitation for a peaceful resolution.

Simon Dunczak MP said that it was a moral obligation of Britain to help in bringing peace in South Asia by resolving the dispute.

Mehrun Nisa said that the international community especially the United Kingdom and other P5 countries should use their diplomatic channels to impress upon India and Pakistan to continue on0going dialogue for a peaceful conflict resolution and make it inclusive by accommodating the authentic Kashmiri voice.Mohammed Ayub asked the Parliamentarians from both houses of Parliament to support the signature campaign started by the Kashmir Centre and that it was nearing completion in 27 constituencies.—NNI

ISLAMABAD: Political Officer of US Embassy meeting with former AJK Prime Minister Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry at his residence.

TARRAR KHAL: AJK Acting President Sardar Ghulam Sadiq offering dua after inaugurating Boys Degree College. Education Minister Ch Matloob Inqilabi also present.

Geelani calls for ‘symbolic protests’ on Eid SRINAGAR—Hurriyat Confer- Geelani would offer Eid ence (G) chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani has appealed to the people of Kashmir to stage symbolic protests on the day of Eid-ul-Azha to protest against the arrival of Indian armed forces in the state 65 years ago.

“While congratulating people on the eve of upcoming Eid, Hurriyat chairman in his message to the people of Kashmir has said even though the Eid literally means happiness, but this year it comes on October 27, which is a black day for Kashmir,” a statement issued by Hurriyat Conference (G) quoted Geelani as saying.

“The day reminds us that 65 years ago, on the same day, our freedom was pillaged and Indian troops enslaved us in chains of occupation,” the statement said.

“Geelani sahib has appealed freedom loving people of Kashmir to stage symbolic protests on the occasion of Eid prayers and renew their pledge to carry forward the struggle for the freedom of Kashmir by passing a resolution demanding complete troop withdrawal and plebiscite to determine the future of Kashmir,” Geelani said.

The statement said that

Families plead for justice, seek CM’s intervention SRINAGAR—Ahead of Eidul-Azha, families of two Kashmiri youth murdered in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Andhra Pradesh (AP), have appealed the Jammu and Kashmir Government to take up the matter with the concerned state governments so that justice is delivered in the case.

Syed Danish, 24, of north Kashmir’s Kamalkot village and Muhammad Ashraf Bhat, 28, of Narbal were found dead in mysterious circumstances in UP and AP on February 1 and July 5 respectively this year.

Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances“ by HRC was published 0n 6 Feb 2012. The Working Group was the first United Nations human rights thematic mechanism to be established with a universal mandate. The reported says that between 1989 and 2009 the actions of military and paramilitary forces in Kashmir have resulted in more than 8,000 enforced and involuntary disappearances.

HRC report talks of 65 certain instances where non-combatant persons were extra-judicially executed following detention, and labeled afterwards by the government of India, and the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir as militants who emigrated to Azad Kashmir in Pakistan to seek arms training. It was alleged that security forces personnel selected local male residents or professional grave diggers, usually those respected within the local community, and asked that graves be prepared to bury the dead. The graveyards were constructed on local religious or community owned or used land and dug by local residents at the coercion of security personnel. In instances where the

While the former had gone to UP for higher studies, the latter was in AP for a job.

Earlier, the families had told Greater Kashmir that they would approach the Prime Minister’s Office for justice, asserting that the J&K Government had let them down.

“The claims of J&K Government to bring our sons’ murderers to justice have fizzled out. Even though we approached the state government many times, there seems no headway in the case. We want to know who killed our sons. We want jus-

tice,” they had said.

Danish’s father Syed Rehmatullah said the state government was not responding over taking up the matter and probing the killings. “There is no hope left in the case. The state government has forgotten that two of its subjects were killed outside. There is no reason why they should not probe the murders and deliver justice,” he said.

Syed Rehmatullah appealed the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to personally intervene in the matter and ensure justice.

“Even

though we have planned to approach the Prime Minister’s Office, we hope the Chief Minister looks into the case personally.”

Danish’s father said an FIR was lodged in Thakurgunj Police Station Lucknow under section 302201 of IPC Crime No. 75 of 2012. “But unfortunately the accused were let off. Now that if we don’t expect justice from our own state government who else we would go to?” he said.

Talking to this newspaper the family of Muhammad Ashraf said it was waiting for

culprits to be booked for the grave crime they have committed. “Ashraf was the sole bread-earner of the family. In fact he left for AP in search of a good job. The State Government has to take up the issue and ensure justice in the case. There is no other way. Andhra Pradesh Government will not care about it until the J&K Government intervenes,” Ashraf ’s sister Dilshada said.

Last month, J&K’s Principal Secretary Home B R Sharma had said the state government was looking into the matter and police au-

thorities were in touch with their counterparts in the concerned states.

Even the Additional Director General of Police K Rajendra (who was then acting as DGP) had told Greater Kashmir that the police department has informed their counterparts in other states over the harassment meted out to Kashmiris. “We have asked the police authorities in other states to take swift action against those who have been involved in the harassment of Kashmiris,” he had said.—NNI

prayers at Dargah, Hazratbal in Srinagar. “On this occasion, he will also address people and seek their endorsement to the said resolution,” the statement added.

“People of Kashmir protest against the arrival of Indian army in Kashmir every year by observing hartal on the day,” Geelani said. “But this year, since the day coincides with Islamic festival of Eid-ul-Azha, instead of strike people should hold symbolic protests and pass resolutions.” The statement said that Geelani has asked Indian rulers to “adopt a realistic approach toward Kashmir whose military occupation has no legal or moral justification.”

“India tried every option to tame Kashmir but even after 65 years, the realty remains that Kashmiris’ sentiment for freedom can’t be suppressed,” Geelani said.

“It is the day when the Kashmiri nation freed itself from the Dogra rule but on the same day the Indian military illegally occupied the valley.

Kashmir will fight against it till the dawn of freedom shines in the valley,” a statement issued by DFP quoted Shah as saying.—NNI

Demo for release of detainees S RINAGAR —Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement (JKSM), Zafar Akbar Bhat with his supporters on Thursday staged a demonstration to press for release of detainees and lifting of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and other draconian laws from the state.

“Prisoners should be released at earliest from jails.

These have been languishing in jail for years. We urge government to release them on the eve of Eid so that their families will not be deprived of happiness on the occasion of Eid,” Bhat told reporters here.

JKSM will organize protest after Eid prayers to express solidarity with the thousands of detainees languishing in jails, he said.

He urged the people to observe Eid with simplicity to express solidarity with people languishing in various jails across Kashmir and their families.Bhat also called on people to hoist black flags on October 27. “It was on this day that army had landed in Kashmir. It is black day for all of us. From that day pain and ordeal started for Kashmiris. —NNI

‘Fraud’ in NRHM selections SRINAGAR—A probe into the selections made under the National Rural Health Mission in occupied Kashmir’s Budgam district has revealed that those selected are “dubious degree holders from unrecognized institutions.”

Soon after the selection list of NRHM (ISM) doctors and pharmacists for district Budgam appeared in local dailies last month, the unsuccessful candidates raised certain objections about the genuineness of the appointments after which the Commissioner/Secretary Health and Medical Education MK

Dwivedi ordered an inquiry into the selection process.

The inquiry report prepared by the Director Indian System of Medicine Dr Abdul Kabir Dar revealed that most of the selected candidates including ISM doctors have acquired their degrees from “unrecognized” or “temporarily registered” institutions while those having degrees from recognized institutions have been dropped.

“Even the nomenclature on the certificates does not conform to that of the Department,” the documents read.—Newswire

Forex reserves climb Staff Reporter K ARACHI —Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves increased by $70 million to $14.389 billion during the week ended October 19 from 14.319 billion a week ago, according to the central bank. The official reserves of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) rose by $15 million to $9.829 billion as compared to $9.814 billion last week, it said.

The net foreign reserves held by commercial banks soared by a modest $55 million to $4.560 billion from $4.505 billion a week ago.

Analysts said that the surge in foreign exchange reserves is an outcome of increased remittances’ inflows, which the expatriate Pakistanis have send to their families ahead of Eidul-Azha.

Second tranche Staff Reporter KARACHI—The ministry of finance has released the second tranche of the bailout package worth Rs5.40 billion to Pakistan Steel Mills of Rs14.6 billion approved in July, said officials of PSM. The National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) has received a letter from the ministry, asking the bank to open letters of credit worth Rs5.40 billion for the import of raw material. Sources said that the PSM could avail only Rs1.20 billion of total Rs5.40 billion for the import of raw materials, as the bank would deduct its pending payments from the PSM. Moreover, the PSM would also clear its utility bills pending from the tranche. Officials said that a ship carrying 55,000 tons coal was scheduled to arrive at the PSM.

Solar energy Staff Reporter LAHORE—Solar energy generation is the real time solution to Pakistan’s growing energy scarcity problem whereby environment-friendly renewable energy can be produced in the shortest possible time, said Asim Buksh. Buksh,an expert, quoted a World Bank report, which said that Pakistan had massive solar energy generation potential and an available production capacity of 2.8 million MW. He said that the Buksh Group has successfully shifted a majority of its electricity load on renewable solar energy from a conventional Wapda transmission system by installing an off grid power generation system at its head office. “If renewable energy generation options are not adopted, the power shortage will become more acute – to 19000 MW by 2020,” said Buksh. His company has been offering off grid energy solutions to businesses, offices and domestic consumers with two to three years’ payback period by reducing their electricity bills.

Pak wants to strengthen trade ties with Canada STAFF REPORTER ISLAMABAD—The Chairman Senate Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari has said that Pakistan wanted to further promote and strengthen the relationship particularly through developing trade ties with Canada.

He said this during a meeting with the Speaker of the Canadian Senate Noel A. Kinsella on the sidelines of 127th Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Quebec City, according to a press release.

Both Leaders were of the view that Pakistan and Canada enjoyed close and historical relations.

The Canadian speaker said that the people from Pakistan were the pioneers in

building and developing modern Canada.

He said that professors from Pakistan, who were working in 90 Canadian universities, had played a critical role in the scientific achievements in Canada.

Chairman Senate, while acknowledging the positive role of over 300,000 Pakistanis in the Canadian society, said that Pakistan has been receiving remittances from them which was an important contribution in the economy.

He said that Pakistan offered conducive environment for foreign direct investment particularly in the energy sector.

He also highlighted the challenges which Pakistan was facing, as a front state,

in the war against terrorism.

He said that Pakistan had suffered the most in the war as it lost more than 40,000 people. He said that international community must assist Pakistan in overcoming this challenge and it was possible only if all players worked in cohesion.

The Canadian Speaker expressed his sympathies with Pakistan on the loss of lives. He appreciated the role and resolve of Pakistan in fighting terrorism. He said that economic development was a tool to enable youth to divert and spend its energies.

He added that lack of economic growth frustrates the young people and they were tempted to do wrong things.

PASSCO for ending middleman’s role in wheat sale STAFF REPORTER ISLAMABAD—The Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Supply Corporation (PASSCO) is working on a plan to end the role of middle-man to purchase wheat in bulk rather than bardana.

According to sources the move will go a long way to help reduce the rising trend of corruption in wheat procurement process and will help to discourage the role of middle-man in wheat purchase operation.

It has also plan to register farmers and issue

PASSCO cards during wheat sale operation and under the proposed plan wheat can only be procured in bulk without bardana in order to curtail the role of middle-man.

It proposed by PASSCO to minimize the subsidy burden on the government of Pakistan and also to minimize the carrying cost wheat procurement targets allocated to PASSCO should be need driven and wheat procurement target to be given keeping in view the average requirement of dependent provinces .Armed forces plus strategic and any unforeseen factors.

“A payment mechanism be developed wherein the cost of wheat dispatched to Gilgit-Baltistan and Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) are directly paid at source in advance to PASSCO by the Federal government which, will save the national exchequer heavy mark-up which keeps accumulating due to present payment mechanism,” sources said.

“PASSCO requires minimum storage capacity of 1.5 million tons because its godowns has the capacity of only 0.431 million (28 per

Continued on Page 14

Efforts on to reduce fertilizer prices: Pervaiz Elahi ISLAMABAD—Deputy Prime apprised regarding gas situ- are not producing fertilizers Minister Ch ParvaizElahi said that fertilizers factories give proposals for reducing prices so that farmers get fertilizers for Rabi crop 2012-13 on reasonable prices.

This was stated during a high level meeting under the chairmanship of Ch Parvez Elahi here. The meeting reviewed situation regarding adequate supply of fertilizers for Rabi crop 2012-13, its transparent transportation to the consumers, reduction in prices of fertilizers bags and supply of gas to fertilizers factories in winter.

During the meeting Advisor to the Prime Minister on Petroleum, and Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussain

ation in winter season.

Addressing the meeting, Ch Parvez Elahi said that sowing of wheat season is about to commence in the country and during this season ensuring supply of fertilizers is our first priority, agriculture is the backbone of the national economy, prior to Rabi sowing Urea supply will be ensured, farmers interests will be protected, Urea supply in the country will be reviewed from time to time and according to the situations all obstacles in supply of fertilizers will be removed.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that due to shortage of gas in the country presently the fertilizers factories

according to their full capacity, we are making efforts by using all our resources to ensure supply of fertilizers in the country and for this, even if we have to import fertilizers from abroad the needful will be without any delay.

He said supply of fertilizers all over the country, sale at reasonable prices and curbing of hoarding are the big challenges confronting Rabi 2012-13, we are fully aware of these challenges and would meet these challenges successfully. He maintained that if big stocks of fertilizers are available in the country then hoarding and undue profiteering of the commodity can be curbed.—NNI

A worker installing the new price tag at a CNG filling station in Karachi.

Lucky Cement earns profit STAFF REPORTER K ARACHI —Lucky Cement Limited declared a profit-after-tax of Rs2.01 billion for the quarter ended September 30, which was 34 percent higher than Rs1.50 billion earned in the same quarter last year, according to the profit and loss accounts.

The earnings per share (EPS) of the company increased to Rs6.23 against Rs4.66 achieved in 2011, it said.

“Higher sales volume in the domestic market in line with the company’s strategy was attributed to increased profits,” it said.

The net sales revenue improved by 18 percent to Rs8.85 billion from Rs7.49 billion last year. The growth in net sales helped swell the gross profits by 33 percent to Rs3.87 billion from Rs2.91 billion last year, according to the statement.

The financing cost declined by 76 percent to Rs19.33 million during the period under review from Rs81 million last year.

The company said that the local sales volume during the quarter under review registered a growth of five percent to 0.86 million tons from 0.82 million tons last year.

Need to complete financial sector reforms: IMF STAFF REPORTER I SLAMABAD —Policymakers and bankers need to make a clear commitment to act now and lift the debilitating uncertainty plaguing the global financial system, International Monetary Fund(IMF) Managing Director(MD) Christine Lagarde has said.

In a speech to the Canadian International Council in Toronto, Lagarde said the world’s financial system remains weak and policies in the major advanced economies have not been sufficient to rebuild confidence.

Change in the global financial structure is not vis-

ible yet, in part because policymakers and bankers have delayed implementation of reforms in some places-intentionally or unintentionally-and because some reforms are meeting resistance.

In setting out the challenges facing policymakers and bankers, Lagarde said banks are still weak in many countries. As a result, many borrowers still face very tight borrowing conditions. This creates a feedback loop of tight credit that stifles investment and growth.

At its recent Annual Meetings in Tokyo, the IMF released its latest Global Financial Stability Report which

PSO posts Rs 9.1b profit in 2012 STAFF REPORTER K ARACHI —Pakistan State

Oil (PSO) has earned Rs 9.1 billion net profit during 2012; with Rs 4.2 billion profit after tax for last three months.

The state run oil company has witnessed the highest turn over of Rs 1.2 trillion in 2012. It has occupied 65.4 percent share in the local oil market and 49.7 percent mogas market share.

This was informed to media by Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director B UDHI B AWA L , India— of PSO Naeem Yahya Mir, at Uddal Singh, a retired army sergeant, is part of an experiment trying out radical changes to the Indian welfare system that the government STAFF REPORTER plans to adopt nation-wide.

And he’s furious.

He along with the 250,000 K ARACHI —Customs auresidents of Kotkasim, a bloc thorities have decided to reof Alwar district in western cover around Rs2.4 billion Rajasthan state, were cho- during the second quarter of sen to be part of a pilot the current fiscal year scheme to end the sale of through administrative measubsidised kerosene, a fuel sures, said official sources on used by the poor for lighting Thursday.

“In order to meet the Fedand cooking. eral Board of Revenue (FBR) Instead of buying it at a heavily discounted rate at target, the customs has enthe local government shop, hanced the efforts to recover those with ration cards were outstanding amount from Whenever you find each in theory paid cash by taxpayers,” said a senior ofyourself on the side of on the condition of the majority, it is time Deputy Prime Minister Ch Pervaiz Elahi presiding over a meeting regarding availabil- the government and required ficial anonymity. The official said to pause and reflect. ity, import and prices of fertilizers. Dr Asim Hussain, Advisor to PM on Petroleum and to purchase the liquid at the that the strategy was devised Natural Resources, senior government officials and representatives of fertilizer com- market price. at the collectors conference — Mark Twain panies were also present.

Continued on Page 14 held on October 15, headed

India’s welfare system totally fails

PSO House.

He said that aim of the new PSO management is to change this state owned company from marketing and distribution company to global energy company by developing an integrated supply chain including exploration, refining, transportation and shipping.

He mentioned that the leading state oil companies are integrated oil companies with control of whole supply chain spred over crude/ gas production, separation

said risks to financial stability have increased and financial markets remain volatile as the crisis in Europe continues.

Lagarde urged action on the financial reform agenda given the high price the crisis has taken on economic growth.

“The financial sector?the source of this crisis is holding down the recovery in key parts of the global economy,” said Lagarde. “Considering the staggering economic and human costs over the past six years, we must do whatever it takes to make sure this does not happen again.”

Continued on Page 14

Rupee touches record low STAFF REPORTER KARACHI—The rupee fell to

a record low against the dollar due to a sharp rise in the demand for the greenback by importers, said the dealers. In the interbank market, the rupee ended weaker at 95.77 to the dollar, down by 27 paisas, as compared to Tuesday’s closing of 95.50.

The rupee remained range-bound for the last few sessions, but despite high workers’ inflows, it came under pressure on Wednesday on account of heavy buying for import payments, espeContinued on Page 14 cially for oil, said dealers.

Rs 2.4b recovered by Customs

by Ali Arshad Hakeem, chairman of the FBR, and decided that the customs collectorates across the country should recover duty and taxes in cases of misdeclaration, evasion and undervaluation.

Model Customs Collectorate (MCC), Appraisement, Karachi would recover Rs500 million during October-December, said official, adding that the target of recovery by other collectorates included MCC PaCCS Karachi, Rs230 million; MCC Appraisement Lahore, Rs125 million; MCC Islamabad, Rs250 million; MCC Sambrial, Rs66 million;

MCC Port Qasim, Rs200 million; MCC Preventive Karachi, Rs100 million; MCC Quetta, Rs50 million; MCC Multan, Rs500 million; MCC Preventive Lahore, Rs200 million; MCC Peshawar, Rs100 million; MCC Faisalabad, Rs50 million; and MCC Hyderabad Rs50 million.

Sources in Customs said that the FBR has geared up efforts to realise the revenue collection target of Rs2.381 trillion during the current fiscal year and directed all the taxation departments of customs and Inland Revenue to recover outstanding amount in those cases where court has decided in favour of the revenue body.

payer will submit it to NBP Branch where his Account is being maintained.

The Branch after due verification will make further processing of request for issuance of User ID and PIN code for secured electronic tax payments, which is sent to the taxpayer through his email account, he remarked.

He said that the notification of User ID and PIN code is also assured through a

sealed envelope delivered by the courier on the address given by the taxpayer.

The NBP Spokesman said that before conducting any direct debit transaction, the tax payer is required to get his Direct Debit Authority activated by login to FBR portal, using the given User ID and PIN.Tax payers using this facility can deposit their FBR dues instantly, hassle free and with comfort.

NBP facilitating EOBI pensioners STAFF REPORTER ISLAMABAD—The National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) has been facilitating payment of Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) pension to thousand of EOBI beneficiaries through its authorized branches and Customer Facilitation Centre.

“The NBP is also collecting contribution from EOBI registered employers

and beneficiaries” the Spokesman of the bank Syed Ibne Hassan said in a statement issued.

He added that under the vision of NBP’s strategic objectives for maximum facilitation to its customers, account holders and old pensioners, a centralized web portal has been created which has made EOBI pension payment process fully automated.

Pension, he said is now disbursed quickly as the

Branch Dealing Officer will have a ready access to the centralized database of EOBI pensioners to enter the claim number (given by EOBI) for tracing, verifying and making recording of pension payment into the system.

In case rates/ pension are revised, the system has the ability to calculate accurately the payable arrears and make payment accordingly.

The system will also facilitate transfer of pension

from one Branch to another Branch.

Taking a step further, he said that another milestone has been achieved by NBP by developing “Direct Account Credit Module” for facilitating pensioners who opt for taking pension directly to their account opened with NBP branches and they can withdraw their pension through cheque or ATM card transaction.

Syed Ibne Hassan further

said that the National Bank of Pakistan entire domestic branch network is offering online facilities to its account holders including Inter Branch Fund Transfer, Withdrawals and ATM/Debit Card.

In addition to regular online services, NBP account holders who are also a registered tax payer of Federal Bureau of Revenues (FBR) can avail the facility of payment of the government taxes (FBR dues) through

online direct debit to their account, eliminating their physical presence at the Branch. Tax payers who are Account holder of NBP desiring to pay their dues to FBR would require to get themselves registered for direct debit facility with NBP through FBR portal http:// fbr.gov.pk.

The FBR system will automatically generate a “debit authority request” and after signing of the same, the tax

Political stability must for country’s development STAFF REPORTER LAHORE —Political stability is a pre-requisite for economic growth and development of the country in the prevailing global scenario to offset the hovering threat and future fiscal challenges.

This was stated by Vice President SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry and veteran trade leader Iftikhar Ali Malik while chairing a round table conference on “ Durable Political Stability Must for Sound Economy” on Friday.

He said that the country was passing through a critical phase of its history in the wake of war against terror which, he added, warranted

Millat Tractors profit increases STAFF REPORTER

stable democracy and continuous healthy economic growth.

He urged the leaders of all the political parties to help strengthen democratic system in the national interest by burying their political differences and said that political stability was a key factor worldwide for economic development and restoring confidence of foreign and local investors.

He said that in the international scenario, only such countries would survive in days to come which had a strong economic base.

He said political stability was mandatory for sound economy. He said foreign investment from multinational

ARL, Hyundai to ink deal STAFF REPORTER K A R A C H I —Attock Refinery Limited (ARL) and Hyundai Engineering Company have agreed to enter into a contract on Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning (EPCC) basis for the execution of ARL up-gradation project.

The ARL project comprises Preflash Unit to enhance refining capacity by 10,400bpd; Naphtha Isomerization Unit to enhance production of Premium Motor Gasoline (PMG) by 20,000 tons per month; Diesel Hydrodesulphurization (DHDS) Unit to reduce sulphur contents in High Speed Diesel and expansion of existing Captive Power Plant by 18MW, said an information sent to Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) by ARL. The execution of DHDS Unit along with related expansion of Captive Power Plant is optional depending on ARL’s sole decision subject to resolution of issues pertaining to incentives with the government of Pakistan, it added.

India’s welfare From Page-13 “Since one year, no money has come into my account, not one paisa (cent),” the mustachioed 58-year-old said bitterly in the village of Budhi Bawal, a dusty onestreet settlement of a few thousand people, mostly farmers.

Instead of lighting his kerosene lamps, he says he now makes do with candles at night.

Officials “come here to the shop, see the record of our ration card numbers and say the money will come,” he explained outside the grubby Fair Price Shop run by the local government dealer.

The Kotkasim trial has been disruptive, tricky to implement, and — depending on who you listen to — either a roaring success in cutting wasteful state spending, or a disaster that has caused hardship.

The conclusions are important.—Agencies

bly in Pakistan.

He said Pakistan was blessed with plenty of indigenous natural resources and mineral deposits. He said that national economy was now in dire need of full support from stable democratic institutions.

Other speakers LCCI executive members Mian Zahid Jawaid, Mian Shakat Ali and Waqar Ahmad Mian strongly urged the all political parties to end their political differences through series of re- PESHAWAR: KP Minister for Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Sitara Ayaz speaks at KP CCI. sult oriented meaningful negotiations in the larger national interest instead of coming on road and save the country from bankruptcy, political anarchy and economic instability.

Consumer protection act supported

Inflation coming down STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—In recent months K ARACHI —The profit after the inflationary pressure in tax of Millat Tractors has increased to Rs 354.471 million in the quarter ended September 30, 2012 as compared to Rs 244.407 million earned in the corresponding quarter in 2011.

The board of directors of the company in its meeting declared that the company’s earning per share has increased to Rs 9.68 in the period under review against Rs 6.68 in the same quarter last year.

According to the financial results sent to Karachi Stock Exchange, the company’s net sales increased to Rs 3.481 billion in this quarter against Rs 2.341 billion in the same quarter last year. The cost of sales increased to Rs 2.946 billion against Rs 1.962 billion.

The company’s profit before taxation increased to Rs 480.556 million in this quarter against Rs 318.375 million in the same quarter last year.

companies and private sectors would only pour in the country if democratic institutions were strengthened and a peaceful atmosphere prevailed.

Iftikhar Ali Malik said it was high time that mainstream political parties in the corridor of the power and opposition must demonstrate their responsibility, tolerance and uphold the decent democratic values and norms in their ranks.

Former SVP LCCI Kashif Younis Meher, speaking on the occasion, said that if international level disputes could be settled down through negotiations and parleys why not political issues could be solved amica-

Pakistan seems to be losing steam as gauged by the CPI (Consumer Price Index) and it is expected that the trend will continue in the short run, analysts said.

The CPI for the month of October is likely to dip close to it’s lowest in the new rebased and reclassified regime, they added.

To recall, the CPI in line with international standards was rebased and reclassified last year in August 2011 with July 2008 as the new base.

The increased probability that the FY13 average CPI

will fall below the government target of 9.5 percent provides the central bank some room to continue the process of monetary easing, Nauman Khan, an analyst at Topline Securities said.

With real interest likely to remain in the positive territory, we anticipate that central bank could reduce the policy rate by another 50100bps in the December monetary policy, he said.

He said that the price pressure, as endorse by the SPI (Sensitive Price Index) in the month of October is reflecting a subdued trend, particularly in the food head.

Furthermore, average oil prices that mainly include

diesel and petrol have also declined by approximately one percent from last month.

On these premises, we believe that the October MoM CPI to clock in the range of 0.1-0.3 percent as against 0.79 percent last month and 1.44 percent registered in the same month last year.

Subsequently, we expect the CPI for the month of October to stand in the range of 7.1-7.6 percent, the lowest on the rebased and revised CPI, Nauman said.

The last time that 7.5 percent was witnessed was in October 2009 as per the new base and it was seen in May 2007 as per the old base, he added.

Pak-German training programme launched STAFF REPORTER KARACHI —Consul General of Germany Dr. Tilo Klinner has officially announced the launch of Germany-Pakistan Training Initiative (GPATI) here at Korangi.

Besides the diplomatic post, GPATI is supported by German Economic Development Ministry through Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), eight German companies (Siemens, BASF, Linde, Mercedes- Benz, Merck, Lufthansa Cargo/ Schenker, DHL) & two vocational training institutes (AMANTECH & iACT).

Speakers at the launching ceremony told that on the job training was an essential element of this concept & the objective of this one-of-itskind training initiative in Pakistan was to produce workforce that after going through this vocational program would immediately be productive & ready to take on industry’s challenges.

The program has been founded on the renowned concept of Dual Training System that has not only ef-

KARACHI: Consul General of Germany Dr Tilo Klinner observing a section of GPATI facility here at Korangi. fectively been implemented throughout Germany but also successfully been applied internationally. The participants of this program are expected to have a good balance of knowledge, skills & positive attitude.

German multinationals have partnered with GPATI in order to address the challenge of generating a regular stream of dedicated manpower.

On successful completion, the program will be replicated & extended to other multinational compa-

Need to complete From Page-13 The IMF recently as- cial sectors in the world. sessed reform progress as part While it faces its own chalof the Financial Stability Re- lenges, there are important port, and found that reforms lessons the country can are heading in the right direc- teach the rest of the world tion, but they have not yet de- about how to build a stronlivered a safer financial system. ger, safer financial system.

Also, IMF staff recently “You can speak with credconducted a study on the ibility based on your own ficosts of regulatory reform nancial sector success, but and found that the likely you are also regarded as a long-term increase in bor- leading multilateralist,” said rowing costs would be about Lagarde. “Abroad, Canada is one quarter of one percent- identified by its values of coage point in the United ordination and consensus States, and lower elsewhere. building, which have given Lagarde said Canada has your country influence beone of the strongest finan- yond its years.”

PSO posts From Page-13 of liquid gas and export if we start connectivity upthrough tankers or pipelines. stream and bring innovative They did earn 60 profit from ideas to beat competition their production activity, 8% downstream. from shipment, 12 % from Naeem Yahya Mir inrefining and 20% from dis- formed that PSO would contribution. struct a refinery to be comHe said PSO is only pro- pleted in next two years. duction company with no MoU in this regard will be access to other operations signed soon. linked to oil industry. “I want The CEO said that PSO to eliminate middle men from would be made the best corthe drilling to marketing by porate in next two years and introducing new machinery,” a significant regional player he remarked. in four years and a global forHe said that PSO’s dream tune 500 company in internavision can only be achieved tional market in next 6 years.

nies & will also be used by TEVTA for local companies.

Besides piloting a Cooperative (dual) Training Model, GPATI aims to build the capacities of the VTIs & employers in Pakistan to form partnerships for the implementation of German Dual Model of training. This will prove to be a milestone in creating skilled manpower & employment opportunities for the young Pakistanis.

(Metro Pakistan is also scheduled to join GPATI soon).

Nestle’s sales growth slows as Asia decelerates Z URICH —Sales growth at foods giant Nestle (NESN.VX) eased to 6.1 percent in the first nine months of the year, just missing forecasts as consumers in Europe and North America continued to watch their spending and demand in emerging markets also slowed.

Underlying sales growth at the maker of KitKat chocolate bars and Maggi soup was down from 6.6 percent in the first half, with sales growth in Asia, Oceania and Africa slowing to 9.4 percent from 11.6 percent.

“Interestingly, growth in the developed markets was stable at roughly 2 percent, but growth deceleration came from the emerging markets, from nearly 13 percent in the second quarter to less than 10 percent in the third quarter,” Vontobel analyst Jean-Philippe Bertschy said.

However, according to slides for a investor presentation, Nestle said the third quarter was impacted by unspecified one-off effects, which meant it was not a good pointer to its likely performance in the fourth quarter.—Newswire

STAFF REPORTER

Community policing system to be devised with CPLC help STAFF REPORTER

I SLAMABAD —In order to K ARACHI —A meeting of give another push to activate the dormant Islamabad consumer protection act 1995, The Network for Consumer Protection gathered Islamabad’s legal fraternity including the member of District Judiciary in a workshop on consumer protection and energy sector laws. Funded

by USAID, the workshop aimed to provide an orientation on the city’s 17-year-old consumer protection law and making it more proactive in providing relief to consumers in Islamabad.

The workshop had a specific focus on energy sector laws and regulations as the twin cities have experienced violent electricity protests in recent months. Thousands of people suffered during these protests.

In his presentation, Honourable Additional & Session Judge of Islamabad District Court Kamran Basharat Mufti said that the consumer protection law of Islamabad needs to be seen as a whole. It also requires an active consumer protection council, consisting mainly of bureaucrats and eminent people from Islamabad and the associations of consumers. The litigation in the Consumer Court is only done after exhausting all these forums. However, in Islamabad there is no consumer council as per law, he said.

“Until and unless the Islamabad consumer protection council is formed, the Consumer Courts cannot provide redress effectively to the consumers,” he said.

Mufti also stressed upon the need for the formation of a consumer watchdog association in Islamabad to safeguard consumer rights.

Nadeem Iqbal, executive coordinator of The Network for Consumer Protection, briefed the participants about the nature of three types of regulations – self, co and third party – to make the consumer redress framework more effective in the consumer sector.

Auctioned vehicles registration made mandatory STAFF REPORTER KARACHI—The Federal Board

traders and industrialists presided over by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan decided to devise a system of community policing with the help of Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) by November 15 to curb crimes.

The Governor directed the police to expedite action against criminals and ensure coordinated and result-oriented measures in the affected areas, said a handout issued from the Governor House late on Thursday.

Besides senior government officials, the represen-

tatives of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Karachi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), and traders’ associations attended the meeting.

The businessmen presented recommendations for re-validating mobile phone SIMs, security at highways, elimination of extortion mafia and other crimes.

Dr Ishratul Ebad assured traders that he was ready to meet them on daily basis for the eradication of crimes till the results are achieved.

He, however, said instead of being emotional, the issue would have to be resolved by

practical steps for long lasting results.

The Governor sought support from all segments of the society, including traders, in actions against criminals. He urged the business community to back measures against criminals, which will prove catalyst in efforts against crimes, and it will have positive and long lasting results. The public cooperation will also help eliminate extortion mafia, he added.

He said the police personnel who put their lives in harm’s way for eradicating crimes, should also have backing and moral support.

ICI profit after tax falls PQ remains active

K ARACHI —Three ships ar-

STAFF REPORTER KARACHI —The profit after tax of ICI Pakistan Limited has fallen to Rs 764.022 million in the nine month period ended September 30, 2012 as compared to Rs 1,413.365 million earned in the corresponding period in 2011.

The board of directors of the company in its meeting held on October 23, 2012 declared that the company’s earning per share has decreased to Rs 8.27 in the period under review against Rs 10.35 in the same period last year.

According to the financial results sent to the Karachi Stock Exchange, the

company’s turnover decreased to Rs 27.730 billion against Rs 29.106 billion while the cost of sales stood at Rs 22.416 billion against Rs 23.648 billion.

The company profit before taxation decreased to Rs 1.171 billion in this period against Rs 1.837 billion in the same period last year.

On a quarterly basis, the company’s profit after taxation decreased to Rs 301.794 million translating into earning per share of Rs 3.27 in the quarter ended September 30, 2012, as compared to after tax profit of Rs 440.808 million with per share earning of Rs 3.81 in the same quarter last year.

rived at Port Qasim carrying containers on Friday. Berth occupancy was maintained at 50% on Thursday where a total of seven ships namely M.V Infinity Wisdom, M.V CMA CGM Verdi, M.V Michales-S, M.V APL Atlanta, M.V Lantau Arrow, M.T Genuine Galaxy, M.T Igloo Hav were currently occupying berths to load/ offload rice, containers, palm oil, MEG was handled at Port Qasim last 24 hours.

Cargo handling operation were carried out smoothly at the Port were a cargo volume 45408 tonnes comprising 17942 tonnes import, 27466 tonnes export, 3421 (Tues) was handled at the Port Qasim during last hours.—APP

Telecom sector irked over govt Eid plan STAFF REPORTER KARACHI —Top officials of telecom companies, panicking over the government’s announcement to suspend all cellular networks on Eidul Azha, termed the action irrational and said that their firms would suffer a loss of billions of rupees.

Industry sources pointed out that people in major cities across the country suffered closures of cell phone services on Eidul Fitr and September 15. Representatives of cell phone companies resented that this had been done on a vague alert issued by Interior Minister Rehman Malik, citing terrorism concerns.

Sources said that although telecom firms would follow the government’s directives, implemented by Pa-

of Revenue (FBR) has made mandatory for a successful bidder in an auction of a vehicle to get registered with the authorities within 60 days, according to a notification.

The FBR has amended the Customs Rules, 2001 and inserted a clause that said: “In case of auction of vehicle, the successful bidder shall get STAFF REPORTER such vehicle registered with the concerned Motor Vehicle Registration Authority I SLAMABAD —The Annual within sixty days of the date Technical Conference (ATC) 2012 is being jointly orgaof delivery of the vehicle. nized by the Society of Petroleum Engineer (SPE) and Pakistan Association of PaFrom Page-13 kistan Geoscientists (PAPG) cent) tons and the remaining on the theme of “E&P Tech72 per cent wheat stocks were nologies, Innovations & stored in open under tarpau- New Frontiers” on December lins,” official date reveals.” 3-5, 2012 at Islamabad.

The conference is likely the situation is precarious at 2.039 million tons wheat to be attended over thoustocks are lying in the open sand professionals of Exploin far-flung areas (as on ration & Production Compa24.09.2012) which has more nies, service providers, prosusceptible to climatic haz- fessors and students from all over the country. The key ards and pest attack,”.

It said there was a dire note address will be delivered need to create additional stor- by CEO of OMV Austria.

The pre-conference age facilities for PASSC and in this regard proposal and meeting was chaired by Mr. offer of Islamic Development Moin Raza Khan of PPL who Bank for construction of si- briefed the participants the conference los with capacity of .65 mil- about lion tons need to be persuade programme arrangements proceedings, at war footing on government technical academia participation and level.

kistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). If such a decision is taken at the official level, telephone companies will have to switch off their operations, they said.

They feared that the suspension would create doubts over the industry’s reliability.

Analysts said that subscribers viewed cell phones an easy way to communicate with their families and close business associates.

They pointed out that if such suspensions occurred on all festivals, subscribers would switch to alternative means of communications, instead of relying on cellular phones.

People also questioned the logic of the government’s move, saying that if it was so determined to defeat terrorism, why had it consumed thousands of

lives so far. They said that despite terror threats, there had been various gathering of political parties be they part of the government coalition or those in the opposition without any incident of violence.

According to analysts, the suspension also affected the country’s revenue. They said that the government income declined 31 percent each time the government blocked cellular networks.

The government loses nearly Rs300 million in taxes if it resorted to shutting down cellular operations, they said Industry sources said the telecom firms expected the government to order closure of cell phone networks in all major cities of the country.

However, no official notice had so far been issued in this regard.

E&P technologies, innovations and new frontiers

PASSCO

other related matters. He expressed his gratitude to all the representatives of the E&P companies and service providers for their financial and technical support in organizing this conference.

The meeting was attended by some Chief Executive Officers of E&P companies, service providers and their representatives.

Moin Raza explained that it is only premier event of Pakistan Petroleum Industry in which professionals from E&P companies academia

and service provider present their technical papers applications of innovative technologies and share experience. This forum provides excellent opportunity for academia to directly interact with industry and can discuss prevailing technical issues and problems.

The other objectives of the conferences is to provide a forum for presentation of research work, case histories form industry & academia.

Introduction of innovative technologies.

Chairman Annual Technical Conference Moin Raza Khan, CEO and representatives of E&P sector companies after pre-arrangements conference at Islamabad.

Hurricane lashes Bahamas after 21 deaths elsewhere

Romney Hits 50 pc mark W ASHINGTON — Mitt Romney has seized further advantage on economic issues at the core of the 2012 campaign, taking him to 50 percent support among likely voters vs. 47 percent for Barack Obama - Romney’s highest vote-preference result of the contest to date.

The difference between the two candidates is within the margin of sampling error in the latest ABC News/ Washington Post daily tracking poll, and their individual support levels have not significantly changed. But the momentum on underlying issues and attributes is Romney’s. See PDF with full results and charts here. Romney’s gains are clear especially in results on the economy. This poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates, finds that likely voters now pick Romney over Obama in trust to handle the economy by 52-43 percent the first time either candidate has held a clear lead over the other on this central issue. Equally important, Romney has erased Obama’s customary advantage on which candidate better understands the economic problems of average Americans. Today, 48 percent pick Obama, 46 percent Romney - essentially a dead heat. Yesterday and today mark the first time in the campaign that Obama hasn’t had at least a marginally significant lead on economic empathy.Within-group trends on both these economic measures were covered in yesterday’s analysis; they reflect movement in Romney’s direction almost exclusively among white men, and particularly among less-educated white men.SIGNALS - There are other signals of Romney’s gains. Expectations are one: Fifty-two percent of likely voters now expect Obama to win the election, down from a peak of 61 percent in late September. Forty percent expect Romney to win - still well fewer than half, but up by 8 percentage points.Notably, political independents divide by 42-46 percent on whether they expect Obama or Romney to win; that’s shifted dramatically from 61-31 percent in Obama’s favor. Whites, likewise, have moved from a 5538 percent expectation in Obama’s favor Sept. 29 to 44-48 percent now.—AP

Obama to cast his ballot in homestate W ASHINGTON —President Barack Obama became the first sitting president to participate in early voting Thursday, casting his ballot Thursday afternoon at a community center in Chicago, Illinois. The president has traveled to swing states across the country this week encouraging supporters to vote early. “It means you don’t have to figure out whether you need to take time off work, figure out how to pick up the kids and still cast your ballot,” Obama said. “If something happens on Election Day, you will already have taken care of it. If it’s bad weather you won’t get wet, or in Chicago, snowy.” When Obama arrived at the polling station, he was asked to show identification and he provided it. “Notice there’s no grey in that picture,” he told the poll worker when he showed his drivers license.

After he finished casting his ballot, Obama said: “For all of you who have not yet early voted, I just wanted you to see how efficient a process this was.” During speeches on the campaign trail before voting, Obama often joked that he wouldn’t reveal whom he planned to support. He wouldn’t dish after he voted, either. “I can’t tell you who I voted for,” he said. From Chicago, the president plans to travel to Cleveland, Ohio for an evening rally at the airport to conclude a two-day whirlwind tour of six swing-states. —AP

Cultural historian Jacques dies COLUMBIA — Barzun,

the pioneering cultural historian who became a bestselling author in his 90s with “From Dawn to Decadence,” has died. He was 104. Barzun’s son-in-law says Barzun passed away Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012, in San Antonio, where he’d lived in recent years. Barzun wrote dozens of books and essays on everything from philosophy and music to detective novels. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)Enlarge Photo In this Sept. 17, 2002 file photo, … In this Sept. 17, 2002 file photo, Jacques Barzun sits for a portrait at his home in San Antonio. Barzun, the pioneering cultural historian who became a best-selling author in his 90s with “From Dawn to Decadence,” has died. He was 104. Barzun’s son-in-law says Barzun passed away Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012, in San Antonio, where he’d lived in recent years. Barzun wrote dozens of books and essays on everything from philosophy and music to detective novels. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)Enlarge Photo In this Sept. 17, 2002 file photo, …

Jacques Barzun, a pioneering cultural historian, reigning public intellectual and longtime Ivy League professor who became a best-selling author in his 90s with the acclaimed “From Dawn to Decadence,” has died. He was 104. Barzun, who taught for nearly 50 years at Columbia University, passed away Thursday evening in San Antonio, where he had lived in recent years, his son-in-law Gavin Parfit said.

Praised by Cynthia Ozick as among “the last of the thoroughgoing generalists,” the tall, courtly Barzun wrote dozens of books and essays on everything from philosophy and music to baseball and detective novels. In 2000, he capped his career with “From Dawn to Decadence,” a survey of Western civilization from the Renaissance to the end of the 20th century.—Return

McGovern mourned NEW YORK —Former U.S. Democratic Senator George McGovern was a friend, a mentor, a role model and a soft-spoken family man, mourners said on Thursday as they celebrated the passionate opponent of the Vietnam war who was defeated in the 1972 presidential race. McGovern, who was born and raised in South Dakota, died in Sioux Falls on Sunday at a hospice centre at age 90. “George McGovern was a good and decent man,” Vice President Joe Biden said at a prayer service in Sioux Falls for McGovern, whom he credited for giving him the courage to run for the U.S. Senate. Biden said McGovern’s call to end the war in Vietnam helped shape his political sensibilities more than anyone before or since. “I honest to God believed that I could maybe go help him end this war,” Biden said. “I honest to God believed that.” McGovern suffered one of the most lopsided defeats in U.S. history in the 1972 election, winning only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia, against a well-oiled Republican political machine headed by Richard Nixon. Later, as Nixon’s presidency unravelled in the Watergate scandal, bumper stickers saying, “Don’t blame me, I’m from Massachusetts,” and buttons saying “Don’t blame me, I voted for McGovern,” appeared. “What people don’t realize, had your father not been there, had your father never been in the Senate, so much more blood and so much more treasure would have been wasted,” Biden told McGovern’s children. Robert Duffett, president of Dakota Wesleyan University, said the university, the city of Mitchell and the state of South Dakota “lost a dear friend” who had an impact worldwide. —Return

N ASSAU —Hurricane Sandy the next 48 hours, but it was lashed the central Bahamas on Thursday night with violent winds and torrential rains, after raging through the Caribbean where it caused at least 21 deaths and forced postponement of a hearing at the Guantanamo naval base on Cuba. State media in Cuba said Sandy toppled houses, ripped off roofs and killed 11 people in the eastern provinces of Santiago and Guantanamo as it roared over the island as a Category 2 storm early Thursday. Nine deaths were reported in Haiti and one in Jamaica.

Meanwhile, forecasters warned that Sandy will likely blend with a winter storm to cause a super storm in the eastern U.S. next week whose effects will be felt along the entire Atlantic Coast from Florida to Maine and inland CUBA: A driver manoeuvres his classic American car along a wet road as a wave crashes against the Malecon in to Ohio. Some weakening in Sandy was forecast during Havana.

expected to remain a hurricane for a couple of days.

By Thursday evening, the hurricane’s center was about 105 miles (170 kilometers) east of the Bahamas capital of Nassau as it spun between Cat Island and Eleuthera in the central Bahamas. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (160 kph), down slightly from earlier in the day, and was moving north-northwest at 17 mph (27 kph). Caroline Turnquest, head of the Red Cross in the Bahamas archipelago off Florida’s east coast, said 20 shelters were opened on the main island of New Providence. “Generally people are realizing it is serious,” she said.

Power was out on Acklins Island and most roads there were flooded, government administrator Berkeley Williams said.—AP

Panetta: US lacked early info on Benghazi attack W ASHINGTON —The U.S. without having some real- said that the national debate tack, rather than spontane- fighter jets based in Aviano, vide partial answers. I can tell time information about what’s taking place,” Panetta told Pentagon reporters.

“And as a result of not having that kind of information, the commander who was on the ground in that area, Gen. Ham, Gen. Dempsey and I felt very strongly that we could not put forces at risk in that situation.”

Panetta was referring to Gen. Carter Ham, the head of U.S. Africa Command, and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In a letter to President Barack Obama on Thursday, House Speaker John Boehner questioned whether the White House considered military options during or immediately after the attack, and he questioned what the president knew about the security threats in the country. He

over the incident shows that Americans are concerned and frustrated about the administration’s response to the attack. “Can you explain what options were presented to you or your staff, and why it appears assets were not allowed to be pre-positioned, let alone utilized? If these reports are accurate, the artificial constraint on the range of options at your disposal would be deeply troubling,” Boehner, R-Ohio, wrote.U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the attack, which has become a heated campaign issue less than two weeks before the election. Republicans have criticized the Obama administration’s failure to more quickly acknowledge that intelligence suggested very early on that it was a planned terrorist at-

ous violence erupting out of protests over an anti-Muslim film.House and Senate Republicans as well as GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney have criticized President Barack Obama and administration officials over the response to the attack and whether officials failed to provide enough security at the consulate.

And there have been ongoing questions about whether there should have been additional military forces sent to the consulate immediately after it became clear that the Americans were under attack.

As the events were unfolding, the Pentagon began to move special operations forces from Europe to Sigonella Naval Air Station in Sicily. U.S. aircraft routinely fly in and out of Sigonella and there are also

Italy. But while the U.S. military was at a heightened state of alert because of 9/11, there were no American forces poised and ready to move immediately into Benghazi when the attack began.

Also, the Pentagon would not send forces or aircraft into Libya — a sovereign country — without a request from the State Department and the knowledge or consent of the host nation.During his news conference, Panetta lamented the “Monday morning quarterbacking” that has been going on about how the U.S. handled the attack. And Dempsey, sitting alongside Panetta, bristled at questions about what the military did or did not do in the aftermath.

Noting that there are reviews already going on, Dempsey added, “It’s not helpful, in my view, to pro-

Government replaces body scanners at some airports

Drone of silence: National security policy

Bill Clinton rallies for Texas Dems in tight races

vacy safeguards on all of its imaging equipment.

In the two years since they first appeared at the nation’s busiest airports, the “backscatter” model of scanner has been the focus of protests and lawsuits because it uses X-rays to peer beneath travelers’ clothing.

The machines are being pulled out of New York’s LaGuardia and Kennedy airports, Chicago’s O’Hare, Los Angeles International and Boston Logan, as well as airports in Charlotte, N.C., and Orlando, Fla. The TSA would not comment on whether it planned to remove machines from any other locations.

Some of the backscatter scanners have gone to airports in Mesa, Ariz., Key West, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The TSA is still deciding where to send others.The switch is being made as the TSA is under political pressure. Legislation approved in February gave the agency until June to get rid of the X-ray scanners or

Gibbs was holding court in the press room at last week’s second presidential debate at Hofstra University.

The former White House press secretary turned senior adviser to the Obama campaign had a single-minded mission of boosting the president to quote-obsessed reporters.

So it is easy to imagine Gibbs’ exasperation when he began being hectored by video journalists from the activist group We Are Change.

Their recently released three-minute video of the encounter is mostly familiar footage of a campaign mouthpiece trying to deflect off-message questions from unknown reporters.

Asked about drone attacks, Gibbs retreated to the kind of non-responsive answer that he used to deliver from the lectern in the White House press room: “When there are people who are trying to harm us — and have pledged to bring terror to these shores — we’ve taken that fight to them.”

What came next is what makes this press room faceoff sadly emblematic of larger truths.

The question involved the drone killing a year ago in Yemen of a United States citizen, the 16-year-old son of American-born cleric and al-Qaida leader Anwar alAwlaki.

This was Gibbs’ coldblooded answer about the lesson from this murder from the skies: “I would suggest that you should have a far more responsible father if they are truly concerned about the well-being of their children. I don’t think becoming an al-Qaida jihadist terrorist is the best way to go about doing your business.”

All the perfumes of Arabia will not wash that one away.

Yes, Gibbs was provoked. And he has not held a governmental role since he left the White House in early 2011.

(At the time, Barack Obama praised Gibbs, who was earning $172,200 a year, for “going 24/7 with relatively modest pay”). —AP

military did not quickly intervene during the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya last month because military leaders did not have adequate intelligence information and felt they should not put American forces at risk, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday.

In his most extensive comments to date on the unfolding controversy surrounding the attack in Benghazi, Panetta said U.S. forces were on heightened alert because of the anniversary of 9/11 and prepared to respond. But, he said, the attack happened over a few hours and was over before the U.S. had the chance to know what was really occurring. “(The) basic principle is that you don’t deploy forces into harm’s way without knowing what’s going on;

you, however, sitting here today, that I feel confident that our forces were alert and responsive to what was a very fluid situation.”

Military officials have noted that there had been no specific intelligence pointing to a possible attack in Libya, and that there were protests and other unrest in various locations around the Middle East and Africa. Asked whether the military was on alert in that area because of 9/11, Dempsey added, “Yeah, and let me point out, it was — it was 9/11 everywhere in the world.”

The Senate Intelligence Committee has announced it will hold a closed hearing Nov. 15 into the circumstances surrounding the terrorist attack, including the intelligence and security situation there, and additional hearings will follow.

TEXAS—Former President Bill C HICAGO — The federal TSA to adopt stronger pri- upgrade them with software W A S H I N G T O N — R o b e r t Clinton strode into Texas on Clinton flew to Beaumont to government is quietly removing full-body X-ray scanners from seven major airports and replacing them with a different type of machine that produces a cartoon-like outline instead of the naked images that have been compared to a virtual strip search. The Transportation Security Administration says it is making the switch in technology to speed up lines at crowded airports, not to ease passenger privacy concerns.

But civil liberties groups hope the change signals that the equipment will eventually go to the scrap heap.

“Hopefully this represents the beginning of a phase-out of the X-ray-type scanners, which are more privacy intrusive and continue to be surrounded by health questions,” said Jay Stanley, a privacy expert at the American Civil Liberties Union. The machines will not be retired. They are being moved to smaller airports while Congress presses the

that produces only a generic outline of the human form, not a blurry naked image. The agency, however, has the authority to grant itself extensions, and the current deadline is now May 31.

So far, the upgrades have been made only to the TSA’s other type of scanner. Called millimeter-wave scanners, they resemble a large glass phone booth and use radio frequencies instead of X-rays to detect objects concealed beneath clothing.

The scan is processed by software instead of an airport security worker. If the software identifies a potential threat, a mannequin-like image is presented to the operator showing yellow boxes over areas requiring further inspection, by a pat-down for example. Besides eliminating privacy concerns, the machine requires fewer people to operate, takes up less space in crowded security zones and completes a scan in less than two seconds, allowing screening lines to move faster.—AP

Meat Loaf backs Romney, citing candidate’s ‘backbone’ DEFIANCE—Mitt Romney’s perhaps best known for his be. Gov. Mitt Romney!” campaign rally here at a high school football stadium took an unusual turn Thursday night when the Republican nominee received a surprise endorsement from what could only be described as a rather unexpected guest.

Several thousand supporters were listening to a pre-rally performance by country star John Rich, when Rich interrupted his set to invite a “special guest” to the stage.

The surprise visitor: the rock star turned occasional actor Meat Loaf.

Dressed in a baggy black suit accented with multicolor sequins, the singer, who rose to fame from his star turn in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” dramatically stormed the stage to the shock of many of those in the audience, who turned to each other with questioning faces. The aging rocker,

1994 hit “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” performed a series of power ballads familiar only to the most devoted Meat Loaf fans. In between, he offered a meandering and sometimes slurred endorsement of the GOP nominee, explaining that he’d never before publicly backed a political candidate.

‘This is the most important election in the history of the United States,” Meat Loaf explained. “Because there has storm clouds come over the United States.

There is thunderstorms over Europe. There are hail storms—and I mean major hail storms—in the Middle East. There are storms brewing through China, through Asia, through everywhere…

I want you to know there is one man who will stand tall in this country and fight the storm and bring the United States back to what it should

Romney, the singer continued after another song, has “backbone.”

He urged the audience to contact Democrats and ask them to back Romney’s bid for the presidency—adding that he’d been doing the same “for a year.”

Meat Loaf invited audience members on stage to wave Romney signs behind him as he performed a last dramatic number—the words of which were hard to make out. In the far backfield of the football field, Stuart Stevens, Romney’s senior strategist, turned to reporters, shrugged and smiled.

But it wasn’t just people in the crowd who were surprised to see Meat Loaf. Taking the stage a few moments later, Romney seemed as surprised as anyone to have received the singer’s backing. “Meat Loaf was here,” the GOP candidate said. —AP

Thursday to campaign for two Democrats looking to eke out congressional victories in the otherwise fiercely conservative state.

He spoke to a raucous crowd that included cheerleaders, a mariachi band, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and thousands of screaming supporters at a school gym in San Antonio.

Here, Democratic congressional hopeful Pete Gallego is locked in one of the nation’s closest U.S. House races with freshman Republican U.S. Rep. Francisco “Quico” Canseco, a 63-year-old Laredo businessman.

“If you look at the campaign that’s being run against Pete Gallego, it’s your basic, standard tea party deal: `The government would mess up a twocar parade, and God is on my side,’ “ Clinton said. “I don’t want to get into a religious dispute. But the Bible that I read said the only time Jesus got really angry is when he had to run the moneychangers out of the temple.”Later Thursday,

appear before more than 1,000 people at a baseball park on behalf of former Democratic U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson.

Lampson faces Republican state Rep. Randy Weber in a district that runs along the Gulf Coast and is currently held by Ron Paul, who is retiring from Congress.

Gallego, 50, is a longtime state lawmaker from tiny Alpine trying to unseat Canseco, who won the seat in 2010 over then-congressman Ciro Rodriguez with less than 50 percent of the vote. The sprawling 23rd Congressional District _ which has switched from Republican to Democrat to Republican since 2004 _ stretches 600 miles west to El Paso and is nearly two-thirds Hispanic.The race hinges on the boundary cutting through San Antonio, America’s seventh largest city, and surrounding Bexar County _ the most urban areas of a district otherwise mostly made up of rural counties. Both sides have spent at least $5 million combined on television ads.—AP

In 2 murder cases, mothers turn in their own sons G OLDEN ,

COLO —Mindy Sigg sat sobbing on Thursday, listening to prosecutors tell a court that her 17-yearold son had confessed to the abduction and killing of 10year-old Jessica Ridgeway.

While any mother would be devastated, there was an even more heartbreaking wrinkle for Sigg: She was the one who called police.

It was not the only highprofile case this week in which a mother made that painful choice. In New Jersey, Anita Saunders saw something on a Facebook page that led her to call police.Her two sons, ages 15 and 17, are now charged with murdering 12year-old Autumn Pasquale, a bike-lover who authorities said was lured to their home with the promise of new parts.

What does it feel like to turn in your child, knowing they could be sentenced to many years in prison? Surely, no one knows but those who’ve done it.

But a main motivation,

according to one criminologist, is simply a desire to do the right thing.

“These are law-abiding people, pro-social people,” said Kathleen Heide, professor of criminology at the University of South Florida.

“And besides doing the right thing, the parents often want to get their children help.”

What they often aren’t aware of, though, are the full ramifications in terms of likely punishment..

“If these are cases of first- or seconddegree murder, in most cases the kids will be charged as adults,” Heide said. “This means they can be sentenced to life in prison.”In both cases, authorities are deciding whether to prosecute the suspects as adults.In 2 murder cases, mothers turn in their own sons Certainly not all parents are ready to turn in their kids. One highprofile case from the 1990s, in fact, resulted in strains between the United States and Israel.—AP

Champions League Twenty20

Lions reach final with rousing win against Daredevils DURBAN—Gulam Bodi said at conditions amid plenty of geted Dirk Nannes, who was of his partners in one over afthe half-way stage that his team, Lions, may have fallen around 15 short of their desired total but a spirited performance with the ball in favourable conditions was too much, even for a powerpacked Delhi Daredevils batting line-up. Following up on Bodi’s half-century and Neil McKenzie’s death-over surge, Lions’ Chris Morris bowled an outstanding spell and, backed ably by his spinners, helped knock out the only remaining IPL team from the Champions League. In doing so, Lions also kept alive the possibility of an all-South African finale in this diverse franchise tournament.

Lions managed a fighting 139 but Daredevils would have felt justified in their decision to bowl first in overcast

breeze. Their bowlers found swing, movement and good bounce, and the assistance lasted through the game.

But Daredevils had the batsmen to counter that and they’d infused their line-up with more power up the order, with regular captain Mahela Jayawardene, surprisingly, sitting out again to make way for David Warner in the opening slot. Warner did attack, but briefly, and the early departure of Daredevils’ openers was key in Lions being able to keep the pressure on.

They were helped by Virender Sehwag, who fell first ball trying to loft Sohail Tanvir over mid-on only to be caught, though Warner and Kevin Pietersen staged a counterattack. Both tar-

Lions innings: GH Bodi c Ojha b Yadav50 Petersen c Ojha b Yadav24 Kock c Chand b Agarkar 11 Pretorius c Taylor b Negi . 3 ND McKenzie not out .. 46 J Symes c Ojha b Morkel 0 CH Morris not out .......... 3 Extras: (lb 1, w 1) ............. 2 Total: (5 wickets) ......... 139 Fall of wickets 1-34, 2-58, 363, 4-122, 5-123 Bowling: ........... O-M-R-W IK Pathan ............. 4-0-27-0 M Morkel ............. 4-0-32-1 UT Yadav ............. 4-1-20-2 AB Agarkar .......... 4-0-28-1 KP Pietersen ........ 1-0-10-0 P Negi ................... 3-0-21-1 Delhi Daredevils innings: DA Warner c & b Morris 21 V Sehwag c Petersen b Sohail Tanvir ................ 0 KP Pietersen c Tsolekile

b Morris .......................... 50 U Chand c Symes b Pretorius ........................ 9 IK Pathan c de Kock b Phangiso ....................... 1 Taylor c & b Nannes ...... 1 NV Ojha c & b Symes ..... 7 P Negi lbw b Phangiso ... 0 AB Agarkar c Petersen b Nannes .......................... 2 M Morkel not out ......... 18 UT Yadav not out ........... 1 Extras: (lb 4, w 3) ............. 7 Total: (9 wickets) ......... 117 Fall of wickets 1-, 2-36, 3-62, 4-72, 5-76, 6-85, 7-91, 8-92, 9-104 Bowling: ........... O-M-R-W Sohail Tanvir ........ 4-0-22-1 DP Nannes ........... 4-0-34-2 CH Morris .............. 4-0-7-2 AM Phangiso ...... 4-0-18-2 ]J Symes ............... 3-0-22-1 D Pretorius ........... 1-0-10-1

Female training camp from Oct 31 ISLAMABAD —The training camp of female probables for participation in the Third Women’s AHF Cup will be held at Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium Islamabad on October 31.

The AHF Cup will be played in Singapore from December 6 to 16, said a press release issued here on Thursday.

The PHF Women’s Wing has invited 31 probables namely: Rizwana Yasmeen, Maria Saeed, Fakhra Tabassum, Irum Bukhari, Sehrish Ghumman, Nadia Kazim, Iqra Javaid, Aqsa Mumtaz, Marina Anwar.—APP

squeezed through extra cover for two boundaries from Warner and thrashed down the ground by Pietersen. But Morris, brought on first change, with his high-arm action, accuracy, minimal but unsettling movement and encouraging bounce tightened one end up. The bounce accounted for Warner, who top-edged a catch back to the bowler while attempting to jab one on the leg side, and that began a phase of stagnation.

It coincided with the introduction of spin, and Unmukt Chand found it difficult to get a move-on. While Morris was probing away at one end, Aaron Phangiso and Jean Symes, both leftarm spinners, gave little away, slowing it up often as the batsman found it hard to connect desirably when often swinging across the line.

Overs six to ten yielded just 17 runs, Chand tied down at one end before he went down holing out to long-on, desperately seeking a lift. Instead of Ross Taylor, out came Irfan Pathan and his promotion failed. Nannes returned in the 14th over, attacking Taylor at No. 6 with a slip and the captain followed that over, as Nannes reacted swiftly to his right to pluck a one-handed catch.

Miscalculation was the feature of Daredevils’ game, as Pathan’s promotion followed the decision to send in Pawan Negi ahead of Ajit Agarkar.

This, despite Agarkar’s spunky batting that helped his team beat Perth Scorchers in their previous completed game. Pietersen, stranded at one end, lost five

Injured Mendis left out of Sri Lankan squads C OLOMBO —Injured

Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis has been left out of the Twenty20 and one-day squads to play New Zealand.

Mendis has not fully recovered from a side strain picked up during Sri Lanka’s opening world T20 match against Zimbabwe on Sept.

18, although he missed only one game and played in the rest of the tournament to finish as the top wicket-taker with 15 wickets at an average of 9.80.

“Ajantha played these matches taking painkillers, he has still not recovered 100 percent from the injury. He is still under treatment,” Sri Lanka team manager Charith Senanayake said on Friday.

Also rested from the T20 side were batsman Mahela Jayawardene, who gave up the captaincy after the world final against West Indies, and fast bowler Lasith Malinga.

On Wednesday, the national selectors appointed Angelo Mathews on a one-

Saleem Malik applies for Pakistan batting coach role L AHORE —Saleem Malik, the former Pakistan captain, has applied for the position of batting coach of the senior team after the PCB advertised to fill the post earlier this month. Malik had his life ban - imposed by the PCB after Justice Qayyum’s inquiry into match-fixing, in 2000 - lifted by a local court in 2008 after several years of legal battle. The previous time he came close to getting a PCB position, as director of National Cricket Academy, the ICC sought details of his reported appointment, though the PCB subsequently denied he’d been offered the job.

“I am cleared and my life ban was lifted four years ago,” Malik told reporters after submitting his application to Intikhab Alam, PCB director of international cricket operations. “I am cleared by the PCB and the ICC so I can now be involved in any cricket-related activity.”

Malik, who maintained his innocence after the match-fixing inquiry, appealed against the life ban in 2001 but it was rejected.

He then went to the the Su-

ter another before there was too much for him alone to achieve. With 48 needed off 24, he perished in the sixth over after the collapse began, dismissed fittingly by Morris who had begun the choke with his miserly spell. With Pietersen’s fall, Daredevils’ fate was sealed.

Bodi and McKenzie played influential roles after their team was put in. Bodi, the in-form batsman, was scratchy to begin with. His initial movement across gave him a hard time against the bounce from Morne Morkel and swing from Pathan.

The innings was set back by a wicket-maiden from birthday boy Umesh Yadav and Daredevils had edged ahead with Lions 63 for 3 at the end of the 11th over. In the interim, Bodi had started to get going, playing to his strengths against Pietersen’s slow ones by lofting them past extra cover. He swung against Negi with the turn to launch him over deep square leg and built a solid association with the experienced McKenzie, who stayed on till the end. The pair ran well, McKenzie scored boundaries on both sides of the wicket, even pulled Morkel for six, in a stand worth 59 in 44 balls.

Though the attempted surge in the final overs was curtailed by Yadav’s discipline, some indiscipline in the field earned Lions crucial runs. Yadav himself dropped a straightforward catch, so did Pietersen, and McKenzie squeezed as much as he could out of those two reprieves, eking out 46 off the last five. It proved more than sufficient.—AFP

preme Court which decided to direct the appeal to a lower court, where he argued for nine years to be released from the charges.

Malik last played international cricket in June 1999. He played 103 Tests, captaining in

12 Tests in 1994-95, winning seven. He is also one of four Pakistan players to have played more than a hundred Tests, and also featured in 283 ODIs. The PCB are seeking a Level-3 coach with at least five years’ experience with elite cricketers, but Malik be-

lieves that his lack of qualification or experience as a coach would not override his experience as a player and captain.

“A Test cricketer like me doesn’t need any coaching course or any certificate. I have the ability to help the batsmen overcome their problems, which have been the main hurdle in team’s performance.

“I feel I have a role to play and want to serve my country. I was a successful captain in my time and despite the various disputes in the team I had kept the team united. I managed to lead the team very efficiently and produced the results and this shows my competence,” he said. Malik has been maintaining a cricket academy at the Lahore Gymkhana Ground and has also engaged in coaching school kids during summer vacations at the ground.

The PCB, in August, recruited Mohammad Akram as bowling coach, though the former fast bowler also didn’t have much experience in coaching before taking up the position.—APP

year term to lead Sri Lanka’s T20 side and Malinga as his deputy.

With Malinga being rested for the one-off T20 against New Zealand at Pallekele on Oct. 30, fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara has been named Mathews’s deputy.

The selectors picked uncapped spinners Tharindu Kaushal and Akila Dananjaya for the first three one-day matches.

“We were highly impressed by Kaushal’s bowling in the under-19 World Cup in Australia,” said chief selector Ashantha de Mel. The first ODI will be at Pallekele on Nov. 1.

Sri Lanka T20 squad: Angelo Mathews (captain), Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilshan Munaweera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Jeevan Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera, Shaminda Eranga, Akila Dananjaya, Sachithra Senanayake, Upul Tharanga.

Squad for first three ODIs: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Angelo Mathews, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera, Jeevan Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Shaminda Eranga, Upul Tharanga, Rangana Herath, Akila Dananjaya, Tharindu Kaushal.—AFP

DURBAN: Neil McKenzie got Lions quick runs during Delhi Daredevils vs Lions 1st semi-final, Champions League T20.

Australia’s chief selector urges doosra caution

Golf: Pettersen, Park lead by 2 over Tseng in Taiwan

S YDNEY—Australia’s chair- Y ANG man of selectors John Inverarity on Friday urged caution over producing a generation of chuckers by teaching the doosra to the country’s aspiring spin bowlers.

The doosra, the difficultto-bowl leg-spinner delivered with an off-spinning action, has been a key weapon for leading sub-continent slow bowlers in Test cricket, including Sri Lanka’s retired world-record holder Muttiah Muralitharan.

Muralitharan claimed last month that Australia’s failure to produce a top-line spinner since Shane Warne’s retirement from Tests in 2007, can be attributed to the regimented attitude of the nation’s coaches.

But former Test batsman Inverarity, 68, has cautioned against the clamour among Australia’s spin fraternity to embrace the doosra.

“That’s a question of integrity for Cricket Australia (CA),” Inverarity told a cricket luncheon in Melbourne on Friday.

“If you’re going to bowl a doosra, that’s how you do it,” Inverarity said in fielding a question from a luncheon guest about whether the doosra constituted chucking. “It’s a serious issue.

We’ve got to keep our integrity,” he said.

“We’ve got to teach our bowlers to bowl properly.

“I’m all for them learning it but it has got to be within the rules, for the integrity of the game and Australia’s cricket heritage. “We should always run a measure over them to make sure they’re bowling legitimately (according to the 15-degree threshold rule for elbow flexion).”

Inverarity’s comments are likely to be met with scepticism in Asia, where most bowlers of the ‘doosra’ originate.

Pakistani offspinner Saeed Ajmal, the highest-profile bowler of the delivery today, was cleared by the International Cricket Council in 2009 after his action was thoroughly tested by an Australian University.

Australia World Twenty20 captain George Bailey returned from the World T20 in Sri Lanka this month calling for CA to look closely at coaching young spinners to bowl the doosra.

“You look at the guys who did well, the guys who have doosras and leg spinners who have real weapons in their armoury,” Bailey said.

“You look at the subcontinent spinners, they use the 14 degrees in their elbow. I know it ruffles a few feathers with their actions but you need that to bowl those doosras.—AFP

M EI (Taiwan)— Suzann Pettersen shot a 7-under 65 to share a two-stroke lead with Inbee Park of South Korea halfway through the Taiwan Championship on Friday. They were at 10-under 134 at the Sunrise Golf and Country Club. Defending champion Yani Tseng (69), the local favorite, slipped into a tie for third with Catriona Matthew of Scotland (66).

Pettersen, who won in South Korea last weekend beating Matthew in a playoff, recorded seven birdies, four on her last six holes, to catch first-round leader Park.

Park, shot a 69, sank four successive birdies to reach 10 under after nine holes, bogeyed the 17th but reclaimed the lead with a birdie on the last. Matthew started better than she finished, while Tseng struggled to get going after a bogey on the seventh, managing birdies only on Nos. 13 and 18 to stay in contention.

Meanwile, Jamie Donaldson of Wales set a course record 10-under 62 Thursday en route to a fourstroke lead after the opening round of the BMW Masters.

Donaldson produced two bogey-free rounds of 31 at

Lake Malaren and needed only 24 putts to break the record of 63 set by Noh Seung-yul of South Korea last year. ‘’I just played great from the word go and it was one of those days where everything went for me,’’ Donaldson said. ‘’The longest birdie putt I had all day was 20 feet at the 11th.

Sweden’s Peter Hanson and Italy’s Francesco Molinari shot 66s. Topranked Rory McIlroy, the defending champion, had a 67 and blamed a headache on the air pollution over China’s financial capital.—AP

TAOYUAN, TAIWAN: Paula Creamer of USA plays a bunker shot on the 15th hole during the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship at the Sunrise Golf Course on Friday.

Mohinder Amarnath admires Cricket Australia’s transparent AGM BIPIN DANI OBSERVER CORRESPONDENT M UMBAI —Australia may have been the first cricketing nation, whose Annual General Meeting (AGM) was shown live on TV yesterday.

Had the Indian cricket board been so transparent, the people in India would have known why and how Mohinder Amarnath was replaced as a selector in the last AGM. Amarnath, when approached for his comments sent an sms, saying : I admire CA. Great”.

“All proceedings today were conducted in an open forum, including the vote to amend CA’s constitution

and by-laws and elect our first fully independent Directors. All media were invited to attend and report on all aspects of the meeting”, Matthew Slade, the Cricket Australia’s Corporate Communications Manager, said.

“This is the first time that Cricket Australia allowed media into the AGM. We also streamed the entire event, including the voting, live over the Internet”, he further added.

On asked whether CA, in future, have any plan to have live telecasts of the National Selection Panel meetings, Slade said, “One step at a time…”.

Former India selector, Kishan Rungta, who first floated the idea of having live telecasts of the selection

committee meetings, once again said, “we should have all meetings related to the game e.g. selection meetings, technical committee meetings etc. be shown live on TVs”.

“However, I am not in favour of AGM be shown live on TV. There are certain issues like funding, sponsorship, security etc. are discussed in the AGM and the people can’t be the part of it. How the relation between India and Pakistan (on cricketing field) can be discussed in open”, he asks.

“The political situation in India and Australia are different. I am not in favour of live telecasts of the AGM”, he signed off.

‘Fruity vegetables’ and fish reduce asthma and allergies

G

IVING children a diet rich in fish and “fruity vegetables” can reduce asthma and allergies, according to a seven-year study of 460 Spanish children. The findings also reinforce the researchers’ earlier findings that a fishrich diet in pregnancy can help to protect children from asthma and allergies.

“We believe that this is the first study that has assessed the impact of a child’s diet on asthma and allergies and also taken into account the food their mother ate during pregnancy” says lead author Dr Leda Chatzi from the Department of Social Medicine at the University of Crete, Greece. “Because we studied the children from pregnancy to childhood, we were able to include a wide range of elements in our analysis, including maternal diet during pregnancy, breastfeeding, smoking, the mother’s health history, parental education and social class.” Researchers followed the progress of the children, on the Spanish island of Menorca, at regular intervals from before they were born until they were six-and-a-half. They discovered that children who consumed more than 40 grams of “fruity vegetables” a day — namely tomatoes, eggplants (aubergines), cucumber, green beans and zucchini (courgettes) - were much less likely to suffer from childhood asthma.

And children who consumed more than 60 grams of fish a day also suffered less childhood allergies, echoing the protective effects they experienced when their mothers ate fish during pregnancy. However the researchers noted that the dietary effects were quite specific and that other fruits and vegetables examined did not pro-

vide the same protective effect. Nor did other food groups included in the study, such as dairy products, meat, poultry and bread.

The mothers of 232 boys and 228 girls, who had been recruited during antenatal classes, completed detailed questionnaires on their children’s health, weight, diet and any breathing problems every year until their child was six-and-ahalf. 90 per cent of the children also underwent allergy testing — skin prick tests were used to check their response to the six most common allergens, including grass pollen and cats.

The researchers found that just under nine per cent of the children suffered from some degree of wheezing, including six per cent with an allergy-related wheeze. And 17 per cent reacted to at least one of the allergens in the skin prick test.

“After adjusting the results for a wide range of variables, we concluded that the link between symptom-free children and a diet rich in fruity vegetables and fish was statistically significant” says Dr Chatzi. “The biological mechanisms that underlie the protective affect of these foods is not fully understood, but we btelieve that the fruity vegetables and fish reduce the inflammation associated with asthma and allergies.

“The interesting thing about this study is that it followed a large number of children from the womb to the age of six-and-a-half and incorporated a wide range of dietary, social and health factors” says the Journal’s Editor, Professor John Warner, Head of the Department of Paediatrics at Imperial College London.

KARACHI: People returning home after buying sacrificial animals from cattle market.

Rohde & Schwarz to participate in IDEAS 2012 STAFF REPORTER K ARACHI —For nearly 80 years, Rohde & Schwarz has stood for quality, precision and innovation in all fields of wireless communications.

The company will participate in the International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2012, which will take place at the Karachi Expo Center from Wednesday, Nov 7, to Sunday, 11 November.

EMBRAER Defense & Security, which has been commissioned by the Brazilian government to build a new military transport aircraft called the KC-

390, will also participate in IDEAS 2012 in Karachi. The KC390, the latest generation of transport aircraft, will be equipped with R&S M3AR airborne transceivers from Rohde & Schwarz.

These transceivers are already being used in various other aircraft types such as the A400M, Eurofighter, NH90, TIGER and F16. Customers around the world depend on the R&S M3AR to provide secure and reliable radio communications in the most challenging environments.

Launched in 2008, IDEAS is the only specialized defense exhibition in the Southeast Asia region that brings together compa-

nies delivering cutting-edge technologies designed to meet armed forces’ security challenges of the 21st century.

It is a unique event that addresses the growing need for sophisticated arms equipment and gives companies in this sector the chance to showcase their latest products. IDEAS 2012 will provide an opportunity for companies producing high-end arms technology to promote their products and services to an international and regional audience of high-level government procurement personnel from army, navy and air force security forces.

KARACHI: Chinese delegation, headed by Chairman Foreign Affairs Committee Zhao Qlzhong stand in respect after laying floral wreath at Mazar-e-Quaid.

Clifton kidney and dialysis centre expands services KARACHI—The Clifton Kidney and Dialysis Centre has expanded its services by adding nine more dialysis machines.

This was stated by an official of the facility here on Friday. He said that the centre was established five years ago and that it offered free hemodialysis and medical care for under-privileged patients, who were unable to afford this expensive treatment.

This centre was started with just two machines and now was equipped with nine more dialysis machines.

The official added that the centre provided services, 24 hours a day and seven days a week, free of charge.

The minister also visited its various sections and appreciated the facility of hemodialysis, emergency care, out-patient consultancy, nutritional therapy, physiotherapy, and music therapy provided to the kidney patients.—APP

Business community committed to protest on Nov 10 AMANULLAH KHAN KARACHI—Despite pressures from influential quarters to postpone sit in demonstrations and shutter down strike, the business community determined to go on strike on November 10.

Business leaders today clarified that despite marathon meetings on the issues like worsening law and order situation and energy crises faced by the trade and industry with Dr. Ishratul Ibad, Governor of Sindh, the business community has a firm resolve to go on protest on the said date.

They appreciated the Governor’s indulgence to try and help out the business and industrial community to resolve the issues of law and order and after listening to each and every one present, the Governor Sindh gave instruc-

7 killed in fresh violence STAFF REPORTER KARACHI—Seven persons were killed in different firing and violence incidents in the meg-metropolis city here on Friday, ahead of Eid ul Azha.

According to Police sources one person was gunned down at Chisti Nagar, while one tortured corpse of a young man, who was killed after kidnapping, was recovered from Khairabad in Orangi Town area. Some unidentified armed

persons opened indiscriminate firing on persons sitting outside a hotel in Federal B Area on late Thursday night in which at least five persons sustained serious injuries. The assailants managed to flee from the scene after firing The injured were shifted to different nearby hospitals where all of them succumbed to their wounds.

The deceased included a prayer leader of New Karachi Mosque, two real brothers Jibrail and Khudae Noor while two others were identified as Sajid and Amir.

Chinese delegation calls on Khuhro STAFF REPORTER KARACHI—A Chinese delegation discussed the PakistanChina trade, law and order and obtaining political situation in the country including Sindh with Speaker Sindh Assembly, Nisar Ahmed Khuro here.

The six-member Chinese delegation led by Chairman Foriegn Affairs Committee of Chinese people political consultative conference Zhao Qlzheng called on Speaker

Sindh Assembly, Nisar Ahmed Khuro in his Chamber at the SA here.

The delegation also discussed the matters of mutual interests as well as legislation carried out in the Sindh Assembly.

Speaking on the occasion, Nisar Khuro said the democratic government is going to complete its constitutional tenure which is a result of the political acumen and policy of reconciliation of President Asif Ali Zardari.

Several CNG stations turn customers away STAFF REPORTER KARACHI—Following the Supreme Court’s order to reduce price of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), many gas stations in KARACHI: Workers are busy in finalising the preparations for Eid prayers at Polo Ground. Karachi closed down on Friday.

Most gas stations turned away customers on the pretext of having developed technical faults. Despite being a public holiday, public transport remained sparse on the roads and people were forced to commute on rooftops of buses.

tions to IG Police and Additional IG Police to take necessary security measures particularly in the old city areas and seven industrial zones.

They reiterated that the meeting with Governor Sindh was not a negotiating meeting and Karachi Chamber ’s announcement with regards to protests have not changed.

Siraj Kassam Teli, Chairman Businessmen Group & former President KCCI, Tahir Khaliq, Zubair Motiwala, Haroon Farooki, Anjum Nisar, Vice Chairmen Businessmen Group & former Presidents KCCI and Haroon Agar President Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry have clarified that meeting of Leadership and President/ Office Bearers of Karachi Chamber along with representatives of business community of

Karachi with Governor Sindh Dr. Ishrat ul Ebad Khan held at Governor House.

The marathon meeting which continued for four hours was a meeting which the Governor Sindh usually calls to discuss the matters and problems confronting to the business and industrial community of Karachi such as gas, electric water etc. and this time it was to find the root cause of law and order situation in Karachi and try to resolve it.

They informed the Governor Sindh about the worseness of prevailing law and order situation in Karachi whereby extortion (bhatta), kidnapping for ransom, target killing was at peak and the Government/ State including the law enforcing agencies have not been able to control unbridled waves of violence and crimes.

Remission to prisoners KARACHI—Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has announced two months remission in the sentence to convicts of different categories in Sindh province on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha.

According to a handout issued here, 65 prisoners will be released by getting the benefit of remission, while 835 prisoners in 27 jails will also get benefit of remission in their sentence.—APP

Caffeine alters estrogen levels

R

ESEARCHERS at the National Insti tute of Health, along with other in stitutions, have released a study online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, stating that Asian women have higher estrogen levels when drinking 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day. This is about 2 cups of coffee. On the other hand, white women who drank the same amount tended to have lower estrogen levels than those who did not drink this amount of caffeine. The study goes on to say that African American women who drank equally as much as both the Asian women and the white women also had higher levels of estrogen, but the statistics could not confirm whether this was enough to go by.

Their research came from analyzing women who were drinking either caffeinated soda, coffee, green tea or black tea. Coffee seemed to make the most difference in the estrogen levels of all of the women. Asian women had higher levels of estrogen, white women had lower, and African American women’s levels could not be determined. Soda and green tea, however, were shown to produce high estrogen women in Asians, whites, and African Americans.

None of the estrogen levels of the women who were observed changed any of their menstruation patterns, as the researches may have thought. Enrique Schisterman, Ph.D, of the Division of Epidemiology, Statistics and Prevention Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institue of Child Health and Human

Development (NICHD), NIH Institute said: The results indicate that caffeine consumption among women of childbearing age influences estrogen levels.

Short term, these variations in estrogen levels among different groups do not appear to have any pronounced effects.

We know that variations in estrogen levels are associated with such disorders as endometriosis, osteoporosis, and endometrial, breast, and ovarian cancers. Because long term caffeine consumption has the potential to influence estrogen levels over a long period of time, it makes sense to take caffeine consumption into account when designing studies to understand these disorders.

The authors revealed that 89% of adult females between 18 and 34 years of age drink, on average, 1.5 cups of coffee each day. The researchers gathered data on over 250 women aged 18 to 44 years from 2005 through 2007. They drank an average of 90 milligrams of caffeine per day - a little more than the equivalent of a cup of coffee’s worth.

The participants came into the clinic from once to three times a week during two of their menstrual cycles. The researchers gathered data on what they had eaten during the previous 24 hours, as well as details on their sleeping hours, smoking, exercise and other lifestyle patterns. Their estrogen levels were also measured. In an Abstract in the journal, the authors concluded: “Moderate consumption of caffeine was associated with reduced estradiol concentrations among white women.

LAHORE: President PML-N Muhammad Nawaz Sharif with Senior Vice President PTI Syed Iftikhar Gillani and senior leader PTI Iftikhar-ud-Din Khattak who announced to join PML-N. Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Sardar Mahtab, Pir Sabir Shah, Ameer Muqam and others are also present.

8,000 police officials to perform duty on Eid

Prisoners to be served special meal on Eid holidays

L A H O R E —As many as holidays on the occasion of Malik Mubashar Khan to L AHORE —More than 8,000 52,348 under trial prisoners Eid-ul-Azha, the IGP also conduct surprise visits at police officials, and officers will perform duty to provide foolproof security at mosques and open places where Eid-ul-Azha prayers would be held. Capital City Police Officer Muhammad Aslam Tareen on Thursday said that police officials, equipped with metal detectors, would be deputed at mosques, Imam Barghas and other religious places and complete security would also be provided to people in Lahore on the second and third day of Eid. He said the Lahore police would remain on high alert on Eid-ul-Azha to ensure maintenance law and order to avoid any possible subversive activity in the city. The LAHORE: People are busy in buying clothes from a roadside stall ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. CCPO directed to make foolproof arrangements at entry and exit points of the city, important buildings, bus & wagon stands and business centers.—APP

PU VC to host lunch for Baloch, Pakhtun students

Turkish delegation meets Shahbaz

Comprehensive L —Punjab Univer- L —Chief Minister Turkish companies must make traffic plan sity Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz their investment in the energy AHORE

Mujahid Karman will host a special lunch on Eid day in the honour of newly admitted Baloch and Pakhtun students at the New Campus here on Saturday.

It is first time in the 130year history of PU that all bonafide students from the province of Balochistan and special students have been offered complete free education upto PhD including hostel, besides monthly scholarships to express solidarity with the people of the province and enable the disabled students for pursuing higher studies.

It may be mentioned here that the PU VC, as a goodwill gesture, has reserved one seat in all 74 teaching departments for Baloch students and special students.—APP

AHORE

Sharif has said that due to conducive atmosphere, Punjab has become attractive for foreign investors, while, companies of Turkey and other countries are investing in the province.

He expressed these views while talking to representative delegation of Turkish companies in Model Town here.

Abdul Kadir Turan, Sadi Yildirir, Abdur Rehman Yesilyurt, Nazim Colakoglu, Tuncay Simsek, Ramzan Kaplan, Ahmet Akif Kocyigit, Adem Nurkan, Tanner Kocyigit and Chairman Lahore Transport Company Kh. Ahmed Hassan were also present in the meeting.

Welcoming the members of the delegation of Turkish companies to Lahore, Shahbaz Sharif said Punjab was facing an acute energy crisis, and the

sector in Punjab. He said brotherly relations between Turkey and Punjab have now been transformed into useful economic ties. He said his recent visit to Turkey proved to be highly successful, as he conducted purposeful negotiations with the leadership of Turkey for further promoting mutual ties between the two countries.

He said mutual relations of trust and brotherhood between Turkey and Pakistan are getting stronger and stronger with every passing day. He said the conducting of Energy Road Show in Istunbol to end energy crisis in Punjab by the Energy Minister of Turkey is an open reflection of friendly ties between Pakistan and Turkey for which he is thankful to the Turkish brethren.—APP

LAHORE—City Traffic Police chalked out a comprehensive traffic plan to provide facilities to people during Eid. Chief Traffic Officer Sohail Chaudhry said 3,057 traffic wardens, 148 inspectors and 13 DSPs would perform duty under the supervision of divisional officers.

He said arrangements were made for maintaining flow of traffic outside Race Course Park, Zoo, Bagh-iJinnah, Minar-i-Pakistan, Jallo Park, Safari Park , Model Town Park and other places.

The CTO advised people to park their vehicles in parking areas.—APP

and convicts confined in various jails across the Punjab province will be served special meal during Eid-ul-Azha holidays.

This was disclosed by Inspector General of Prisons Punjab, Mian Farooq Nazeer while talking to APP here Friday.

He said that on the directive of Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, the ration of all inmates had also been doubled throughout the province.

The prisoners will be served special meal, which includes chicken quorma, beef biryani, sweet dish and tea from Oct 27 to Oct 29, he added.

The IGP, in view of security risk on the occasion of Eid, cancelled the leaves of jail staff and directed to report back to their station of posting.

In view of four gazetted

granted permission to relatives of the prisoners for interview.

All Regional DIGs and Superintendents will offer Eid prayers at their respective headquarters in jails.

The relatives of prisoners have also been given special permission to serve home cooked meal to the inmates during Eid holidays, he added.

Prisons Chief Punjab Mian Farooq Nazeer has suspended three assistant superintendents of prisons, two head warders and four warders of Central Jail Kot Lakhpat and Camp Jail on the charge of accepting illegal gratification from inmates.

Official sources told APP on Friday that Inspector General Prisons, on a tip-off, directed DIG Headquarters Mian Salik Jalal and DIG Lahore Range

has chalked out special programmes, including puppet shows, variety shows and other entertainments, to attract visitors especially children during Eidul Azha holidays.

Director of Lahore Zoological Gardens Shafaqat Ali told APP here Thursday that wildlife guides would be deployed at various important points, especially near tigers

necessary information to visitors about beasts and birds, their natural habitats, habits, average life span, food etc.

The cages of tigers, lions and monkeys are likely to be a centre of attraction for visitors, especially children, who enjoy each and every action of these animals.

He disclosed that a small

Rana’s rejoinder to Raja Riaz SALIM AHMED L AHORE —Provincial Law Minister, Rana Sanaullah has said that the statements of Raja Riaz are like thief crying thief.

He said that the logical end of Raja Riaz and his corrupt leadership is near and they should be ready for it. He expressed his astonishment that when Raja Riaz was minister, he did not see corruption anywhere in Punjab.

Rana Sanaullah said that people are fully aware of the

tales of loot and corruption of PPP leaders.

Commenting upon the statement of Raja Riaz, Rana Sanaullah said that the accusations against PML(N) leadership are leveled on the behest of Zardari. He warned that President Zardari and other corrupt leaders should be ready for public accountability as the elections are near. He said that Peoples Party gave nothing to the people except price hike, unemployment and loadshedding and the

thieves and looters will be accounted for plundering of national exchequer.

Commenting upon the statement of Sharjeel Memon, Rana Sanaullah said that Sharjeel Memon does not know even the basics of the politics, therefore, he should pay attention to his property business. Rana Sanaullah said that Sharjeel Memon himself knows that Peoples Party leadership has done PhDs in corruption, therefore, it is setting new LAHORE: Visitors looking at the paintings displayed during an exhibition at Al-Hamra records of corruption.

Art Gallery.

LAHORE—A large number of beggars arrived here from other places to get alms from faithfuls on Eid. The shoping malls, markets, roads and other places in the city were the main points for these professional beggars.

Anarkali, Liberty Market, The Mall Azam Market,Firdous Market, Bagwanpura Bazaar, Main Bazaar Ichra, Moon Market, Kareem Market, Barkat Market, Main Market, Ghalib Market and other shopping places have been observed with these beggars of all ages.

People appealed to the Punjab government to take serious action against these elements as they are security threat as well.—APP

jails and take to task the jailers found involved in gratification from the prisoners on the pretext of “Eidi” .

Both the DIGs during the visits noticed that three ASP, two head warders and two warders were engaged in this malpractice and reported the matter to the IG Prisons, who suspended all of them immediately and also expressed displeasure by calling explanation of Mohsin Rafiq, Superintendent of Central Jail and Ejaz Asghar of Camp Jail on the poor administrative control.

Those suspended include: ASPs Camp JailMuhammad Asif, Atta Ur Rehman and Wajahit Ali ASP Kot Lakhpat and Head Warder Faryad Ali , Warders- Abdul Salam, Allah Dita, Shafiqu Ur Rehman L AHORE —Thousands of people left here on Thursday and Abid Hussain. for their home-towns to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha.

A large number of people was observed at local bus stations and railway station from where people would go to their native towns.

Khalid Ameen,a passenger at the Lahore Railway Station told APP that he and his area had also been ear- family were going to Narowal marked for ‘jumping jacks’ to celebrate Eid with his parfor kids. “Leaflets and stick- ents. Waqas, another passeners relating to the Lahore ger said only two trains were Zoo, describing its history available for his homeand origin of its wildlife town,so he was worried how wealth, will be given free to he would be able to travel with visitors for their informa- his wife and two children. tion”.

Whereas, transporters Special ticket booths, were charging double fare four each for men and which irked passengers but women, would also be estab- they had no choice as no lished at both entry points authority was available to of the Zoo to facilitate visi- protect rights of passengers. tors, he added.

Shaheen,a commuter The director said fool- works here in an office, said proof arrangements had been he was going to Faisalabad made to plug any possibility but buses were so overof pilferage of revenue while loaded that he was unable to staff had been directed to travel.—APP take care of visitors and make their visit to the Zoo pleasant and enjoyable.

Responding to a query, Shafqat said a Red Crescent ambulance equipped with modern medical facilities would be available in the Zoo premises in case of any emergency to provide quick medical aid to visitors.

He said a contingent of reserve police and bomb disposal unit would carry out patrolling in and around the premises to avert any act of sabotage, pick-pocketing or eve-teasing. “Services of a batch of armed security guards have also been acquired from the private sector,” he added.—APP

Special Eid programmes for children in Zoo L AHORE —The Lahore Zoo and bear cages, to provide

Beggars invade public points

Thousands leave Lahore for home-towns