The spokesman by The Spokesman

cMyk

AN AGREEABLE DOUBT PG I 03 Jamadi-us-Saani 17, 1434

SuNDay april 28, 2013

IPI: AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

PESSIMISM, POLITICS AND ENGAGEMENT

– MANISH VAID AND TRIDIVESH SINGH MAINI

– ABBAS RASHID

PG I 06

PG I 07

Rawalpindi/Islamabad

Vol, VI, No. 09

www.thespokesman.pk

TODAY’S WEATHER HIGH: 34 LOW: 19 Warmer with high clouds

Pages 12 I Price 10/-

MQM, PPP targeted in Karachi again

Five killed, over 50 injured in bombings on MQM office, PPP meeting Meeting held at Rangers Headquarters to tackle worsening situation

KARACHI: Terro rism visited Karachi once again as a powerful bomb st ruck near MQM Un it 132 election office in Qasba Colo ny area of Orang i Town. –ONLINE

Death threats in Balochistan

SNEAK PEEK Seasonal ﬂowers to enhance beauty of Islamabad The new varieties of seasonal flowers would be introduced to enhance the beauty of the city as the flowers are the best gift of nature, which make life of individuals charming and depict the esthetic of the residents. The green character, beautiful landscape, and colourful flowers are the hallmark of Islamabad, which make it unique in the modern capitals of the world. Page 02

Rs 25 billion recovered in 2012: Bokhari National Accountability Bureau has recovered Rs 25 billion of the public money drained into corruption during the execution of various projects in 2012, said Fasih Bokhari, chairman of the bureau. Page 04

Gabol wants army in Layari on election day MQM leader Nabil Gabol has filed petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC) seeking deployment of army in Layari area on the polling day, May 11. In his petition, Nabil Gabol said Rangers claimed to have eradicated ‘no-go areas’ in Layari, while on the other hand, police admitted that no-go areas did exist in that part of the city. Page 05

Five-wicket Robiul sets up Bangladesh dominance An 84-run partnership between Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim tightened Bangladesh's grip on the second Test against Zimbabwe, but it was fast bowler Robiul Islam who deserved the plaudits on day three at Harare Sports Club. Robiul became the first seamer to take five wickets in consecutive innings for Bangladesh. Page 11

Teachers say no to poll duties

ECP warns would-be absentees on May 11

QUETTA: Teachers have refused to discharge election duties in 11 most sensitive districts of Balochistan after having received threats from the proscribed outfits. Media reports said Balochistan Government Teachers Association (BGTA) in a letter addressed to Balochistan governor and Election Commission have expressed reservations on this count saying that the teachers had been receiving threats persistently from the banned outfits that they should not perform election duties otherwise they would be responsible for consequences. It was said in the letter that teachers were facing serious death threats and they could not perform election duties by putting their lives at stake. Over 70,000 teachers have

refused to do their duties causing concern that this step on their part would affect electoral process. The most sensitive districts include Qallat, Noshki, Chaghi, Makran, Gwadar, Khazdar, Panjgor, Mastong, Saryab and Kharan. Anot h er rep or t fr o m Is lam aba d add s: TheElection Commission of Pakistan ECP has warned of stern action against government servants refusing to perform election duties on one pretext or another. According to media reports, ECP has authorized Returning Officers across the country to issue arrest warrants for government servants not willing to perform election duties. Besides this, the Chief Secretary has also been asked to take action against such officers. –ONLINE

Polling from 8am to 5pm on May 11 ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan has issued the polling day schedule for general election 2013. According to this schedule‚ polling will begin at 8:00 in the morning on 11th May and will remain till 5 in the evening without any break. The Commission has forwarded polling day schedule to all returning officers. Election Commission has directed Provincial Election Commissioners to take into consideration all complaints about wrong locations of polling stations in their respective areas. They have also been directed to send their reports on each complaint with their assessment. On receipt of such reports‚ the Commission may pass appropriate orders in its next meeting. –ONLINE

KARACHI: It seems that the terrorists are bell-bent to sabotage the electoral process, as Karachi experienced two more bombings, resulting in killing of at least five people were killed and injuring another over 50. The targets were again the MQM and the PPP. In the first blast, at least two persons were killed while 25 others sustained injuries when two successive blasts struck near MQM Unit 132 office in Orangi Town's Qasba Colony area. Reportedly, the first blast was reported to be a cracker attack on a Shia sect mosque, Masjid-e-Ali, while the second one, the sources said was an improvised explosive device evident from the pellet injuries. DIG of Police (West), Zafar Bukhari, confirmed it was most probably a vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) blast, which he said was likely planted in a pick-up truck. It is important to note that the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed responsibility of the attacks carried out earlier in the city. In the second terror hit, a corner meeting addressed by PPP provincial assembly candidate Adnan Baloch was targeted by a bomb; resultantly, 3 people were

Altaf says MQM won’t accept imposed Sharia NAWAB SHAH: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain has said that MQM cannot be frightened by violence and attacks. Addressing a public gathering in Nawabshah via telephone on Saturday‚ he said his party would form government in Sindh after the elections. The MQM leader strongly condemned the terrorists' attacks in the country. He said innocent people were being targeted in the attacks which was condemnable. “It is conspiracy of destructive forces that have nothing to do with the challenges and problems faced by the people; rather their mission is to derail the caravan of democracy for interests of foreign forces.” He said, “We know that what real motives behind these terror attacks are. The MQM would not accept the Sharia Law imposed by force against the will of the people.” He said that the MQM would upgrade academic system if comes to power, adding that schools would be upgraded to colleges without discrimination of male and female students. While highlighting women rights, Altaf said that women enjoy equal rights as compared to men. They should be treated equally in every walk of life without any discrimination. It is regrettable to say that innocent women are badly and unscrupulously misbehaved under the pretexts of socalled traditions and rituals which have nothing to do with reality. The object of such tactics is just to make women deprive of their fundamental rights enunciated by Islam and the great Prophet (peace be upon him). –ONLINE

killed and many including Adnan received injuries. The nature of the blast could not be confirmed till filing of this report. Given the worsening situation in the port city, a meeting was held at the Rangers headquarters to tackle the terror threat amidst the general elections to be held on May11. And in North Waziristan, the election office of an independent candidate was targeted but no loss of life was reported in the incident. Media reports said some unidentified persons attacked the election office of Aqal Zaman near Miran Shah in NA-40. The security forces cordoned off the area after the incident and started search operation. At least four people were injured when suspected militants lobbed a hand grenade at an election office of Jamaati-Islami (JI) in Sibi area of Balochistan, police said. A police official, who requested not to be named since he was not authorised to speak to the media, said that two militants riding on a motorcycle lobbed a hand grenade in Jinnah road area of Sibi. He said four persons were injured in the attack, adding that the blast also damaged the election office of JI candidate for PB-21, Mumtaz Nazar Abro. The militants

escaped from the spot unhurt. And in interior Sindh, unidentified miscreants set afire residence of an independent candidate in Matiari. Nargis, an independent candidate contesting from PS-44 Matiari told a private TV that her opponents were scared of her popularity and set her home on fire. It is pertinent to mention that Nargis is contesting against Makhdoom Rafiq Zaman of PPP, Muhammad Jamote of PML-F and another independent candidate Ali Raza Channa. She has appealed to the Election Commission of Pakistan to take notice of the matter, adding that she would not quite the electoral race. On the other hand, the Election Commission of Pakistan has expressed serious concerns over terrorist attacks on candidates during election campaign. In a statement, the Commission has again directed the four provincial governments to ensure foolproof security of contesting candidates and political leaders. Election Commission has also warned that stern action will be taken against officials refusing to perform election duties. It said according to Article-220 of constitution‚ all departments are bound to cooperate with the Election Commission. –AGENCIES

ANP filing case against ECP, caretaker CM Sindh MONITORING DESK

KARACHI: Awami National Party (ANP) Sindh’s President Shahi Syed Saturday said that ANP had filed a formal request for lodging a case against Election Commission of Pakistan and caretaker Chief Minister (CM) Sindh in the wake of Friday’s bombings at ANP Mominabad office, Geo News reported. Flanked by Bashir Jan, the party leader, who survived a deadly attack Friday, Shahi Syed, told mediamen the telephone numbers the terrorists were threatening them from had already been given to concerned authorities but to no avail. “As to what is stopping the law enforcement agencies from taking action on the base of the leads we have handed over to them leaves us only guessing. They are literally sitting on the evidence”, said he. Shahi Syed unequivocally said that his party would take part in the

forthcoming elections in the face of all odds. He further said that electioneering in Punjab was in full swing, however, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had been pushed against the wall, adding elections held in such a hostile as well as segregative atmosphere could never be free and fair. He criticized the ECP and the caretaker government for not ensuring the adequate security for the candidates. He said according to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh the ECP directed him to withdraw the security, whereas, when contacted, ECP was not aware of any such directive sent to Sindh police. He claimed that the attacks on ANP, MQM and PPP were a conspiracy to rig the elections ahead of elections, but electors, he added would come to vote for ANP even if they had to tread the points of daggers.

KARACHI: ANP leader Shahi Sayed addressing a press conference. –WIRE SERVICE

Jamshoro power project may not remain sustainable ZEESHAN JAVAID ISLAMABAD: Addressing the laxity of former government and power managers, Washington warned the federal government that 560MW Jamshoro Thermal Power Station (JTPS) might not be financially sustainable if the government fails not only to introduce but also implement the concrete energy policy reforms. The United States agency for International Development’s (USIAD) subsidiary body, Office of Inspector General (OIG), in its audit report revealed that factors including lack of Government of Pakistan policy reforms relating to energy subsidies

and the purchase of furnace oil instead of a less expensive energy supply, would affect the financial sustainability of the power station after the project is completed. “If the Government of Pakistan does not reform its energy policies, the audit reached the following conclusion that the project will not be financially sustainable”, OIG maintained. The country experienced frequent power shortages that affect the country’s political and economic stability, while the government investment in the energy sector is not enough to maintain equipment of power station. On May 20, 2010, USAID/Pakistan entered into an agreement with the

Washington calls for energy policy reforms

Government of Pakistan to provide $18.4 million to repair and rehabilitate the Jamshoro Thermal Power Station by purchasing new equipment. In April 2012, USAID/Pakistan amended the agreement to increase funding to $19.3 million. The main objective of the project is to increase capacity by 150 megawatts by June 30, 2013, by purchasing and installing more than 20 pieces of new equipment. As of September 2012, USAID/Pakistan had spent $9.7 million of the approximately $19.3 million obligated. As of November 2012, the

power station had procured 19 pieces of USAID-funded equipment, including the drain valves, and $2 million worth of equipment with its own resources. A senior official of OIG on condition not to be named informed daily “The Spokesman” that OIG conducted site visits to the power station from October 10 through October 12, 2012, and observed newly installed equipment, however the project missed an interim target for increasing capacity. It did not achieve a 50-megawatt increase in fiscal year (FY) 2012. He further said that

despite committed efforts to complete the project and increase capacity by 150 megawatts by June 2013, the power station would need additional funding from other donors to cover the increased operating costs. It was also learnt that the higher management of power station decided to request a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for $76 million. According to a power station official, when station managers need to repair equipment, they focus on inexpensive repairs and depend on external donors to fund more expensive, critical repairs. A power station official explained that the federal government established the

tariff rates for the Jamshoro power station in 2007. However, customer demand has increased significantly since then, as has the cost of producing energy. During last five years, the power station’s total revenue was recorded $1.4 million; while it spent approximately $1.5 million to operate the plant. The OIG officials were also of the view that another policy that undermined sustainability was the government’s use of alternative fuels, adding “because of the shortage of natural gas in the country, authorities of federal government limited the amount provided to the power station” OIG maintained.

CMYK SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013

IESCO reveals report of overbilling CDA ISLAMABAD: The inquiry report for overbilling the CDA in one month, done by the internal audit department, the Islamabad Electric Supply Company has revealed that the IESCO had refunded CDA’s account after the civic body had complained of inflated bills for street lighting. The IESCO had over billed the CDA upto Rs 371 million in just one month. The overbilling was done under the head of street lights which don’t have individual metering. The adjustment in units was never made in the company’s own records which still continued to show the over billed units as sales, thus showing lower line losses. This was done presumably to hide losses from other areas. Earlier, the Audit Committee had highlighted the issue to the management but no action was taken against the authorities concerned. The IESCO has the lowest line losses in the distribution companies but there have been numerous complaints by consumers as well that they are receiving inflated bills. ONLINE

Seasonal flowers to enhance beauty of federal capital

CDA to plant environment-friendly new indigenous varieties

OUR STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD: The new varieties of seasonal flowers would be introduced to enhance the beauty of the city as the flowers are the best gift of nature, which make life of individuals charming and depict the esthetic of the residents. The green character, beautiful landscape, and colourful flowers are the hallmark of Islamabad, which make it unique in the modern capitals of the world. Capital Development Authority Chairman Tahir Shahbaz said this while addressing the prize distribution ceremony of the Spring Flowers Show – 2013 organised by CDA in collaboration with the Islamabad Horticultural Society. On this occasion, officers of the Environment Wing, office bearers of the

Islamabad Horticulture Society, gardeners and a large number of participants of the flowers show were present. Shahbaz said that the civic body was making cumbersome efforts for beautification and upgradation of the capital city. All kinds of encroachments would be eradicated to restore the beauty of the city, he said. “We have chalked out a comprehensive programme under the Clean and Green Islamabad campaign, which is being implemented in letter and spirit,” he said. The chairman said that CDA has also involved school children, trade unions, civil society in the campaign and citizens to resolve common issues faced by the public. He directed the Environment Wing of the authority to increase the number of sapling to be planted during spring and monsoon

tree plantation campaigns this year. He further directed to focus on indigenous species of trees, as it will further beautify the city in harmony with the climate condition of the capital. He said that CDA was endeavoring to plant environment-friendly new indigenous varieties of flowers and trees on the highways, roads, bridges and green areas. The CDA chairman gave away prizes and trophies to the winners of the three-day flowers show. In large category, CDA got first prize and Combined Military Hospital stood second where as in small category Allama Iqbal Open University stood first and 2nd prize was given to Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission. The CDA also got first prize amongst the large organisation whereas AIOU got first prize in small organisations.

HEC feels need to provide opportunities to youth ISLAMABAD: Higher Education Commission Executive Director Dr Mukhtar Ahmed has said that youth has a great potential and there is a need to polish their talent and provided them opportunities. He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the National Solutions Convention 2013, which was held here on Saturday. He said that it was requirement of the day to produce good human beings besides good scientists, engineers and doctors. He emphasised the importance of building a responsible future. He expressed great confidence on the youth and called for more events which test the youth’s diligence in standing up to the challenges faced by Pakistan. ONLINE

Residents demand bridge over Taramri Road ISLAMABAD: The residents of Rawal Dam Colony, Rawal Town Margalla Colony and people of rural areas of the federal capital are facing serious difficulty over the lack of a bridge in Rawal Dam Chowk on Taramri Road. The residents expressed grave concern over the lack of bridge and said that it causes inconvenience to them especially during school and duty timings due to heavy traffic on Taramri Road. They claimed that the Former Federal Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao had announced to construct crossing bridge over the road but the project had not materialized so far. The residents demanded the Capital Development Authority to construct a bridge over the road to facilitate them. ONLINE

Citizens demand clean bus stations ISLAMABAD: Citizens and passengers have demanded the federal and provincial governments to take serious notice of the lack of waiting rooms and cleanliness system of the hotels in bus stations of the twin cities. They claimed that besides the lack of clean water system and waiting rooms, the mess in the bus stations of Faizabad and Pirwadhai cause inconvenience for the passengers. Talking to media, they said that most of the hotels in bus stations and particularly on motorway and GT road are selling adulterated food articles and at double prices as compare to market. ONLINE

ISLAMABAD: Police Saturday arrested 12 outlaws from various parts of city and recovered 5kg opium, heroine, snatched mobile phone, cash, weapons and valuable from their possession. Margalla police during patrolling arrested accused Farooq Massaih and recovered 130 gram heroine from him. CIA police arrested 3 accused Sayar Ahmed, Muhammad Ayub and Hayat Gul involved in dacoity and recovered snatched mobile phone and cash amounting 15,000 from their possession. ONLINE

A view of Parliament with flfloowers . THE SPOKESMAN

ECP directs provinces to ensure security of candidates ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan has once again directed the provincial governments to ensure the security of all contesting candidates and political leaders. The commission has called upon the provincial government of Sindh specially to take all possible measures to ensure the security of all the contesting candidates and leaders of all political parties in the province particularly in Karachi by making foolproof arrangements. The commission has strongly condemned the recent killing and kidnapping of leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement as well as attack

on party’s polling office on April, 25. It condemned the incident and termed it as failure of the government contrary to the assurances given regarding maintenance of law and order in their respective provinces. The Election Commission also announced to establish 40,678 polling stations for seats of the Punjab Assembly and for two seats of National Assembly in the federal capital. The commission would establish 40,078 polling stations for the Punjab Assembly and National Assembly while 550 polling stations would be set up for two seats of the National Assembly in

the capital. As many as 110,234 polling booths would be established while 40,628 presiding officers, 218,591, assistant presiding officers and 110,235 polling officers for both the assembles and Islamabad have been assigned to conduct elections duties. The Election Commission also said that the Provincial Election Commissioners have been asked to address the issue of establishment of polling stations at wrong locations. “ECP directed complainants across the country to register complaints regarding establishment of

polling stations at wrong locations to the respective commissioners,” the ECP spokesman said. He said the commissioners would examine cases in light of instructions issued by the ECP for the preparation of lists of polling stations by the returning officers. The commission directed the commissioners to consider all the complaints of similar nature and send their reports on each complaint with their own views thereon. On receipt of such reports from the commissioners, the commission will pass appropriate orders later. ONLINE

Artworks articulate totality and wholeness SHANEL KHALIQ

ISLAMABAD: Bright colours and abstract art adorned the walls of Gallery 6 at an exhibition titled Utopian Hues yesterday. The exhibition was the first solo painting exhibition by Ibraheem Haneef Ramay. Being the son of renowned calligraphic painter Haneef Ramay, he has been fortunate enough to be born and raised in artistic surroundings which helped him develop a strong interest in the field. Since 2007

especially Ibraheem has been actively involved in something that he was not trained in but was passionate about. Paintings in the exhibition featured abstract designs and bright distinct colours used in contrast with each other. The same pattern of colours was also used in the calligraphic pieces. When talking about his work to The Spokesman, Ramay said that his works reflect some of the underlying concepts of society. “Our society needs to respect the otherness of the other and

this is precisely what my works reflect”, he said. The use of distinct colours used together in a painting to produce a larger “whole” is what needs to be translated into practice. He said that his works were to a great extent based on the psychological theory “Gestalt” which implies that small parts must not be seen in isolation but rather as a whole. Ibraheem Ramay said that the use of the colours individually and the independently was something that was characteristic of his work.

Long queues at CNG stations ruin traﬃc system ISLAMABAD: The traffic system in the twin cities has been ruined due to long queues of vehicles at the CNG stations while on the other hand; most domestic users remained deprived of gas and use firewood to cook meals. The CNG owners had been seen overcharging the consumers while they have to wait for hours to get the fuel. Transporters urged the chief justice of Pakistan to fix separate petrol pumps and CNG stations for the public transports. They also demanded strict action against the owners of CNG stations for not providing gas to motorist and transporters. ONLINE

ISLAMABAD: Intellectual Property Organisation and the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and industry agreed to initiate joint ventures for awareness and capacity building activities with the objectives to make business community conversant with protection of Intellectual Property Rights. This was stated by IPO-Pakistan Director General Tariq Feroz and ICCI President Zafar Bakhtawari while addressing a daylong awareness seminar held at the ICCI with the assistance of SAARC Chamber of Commerce. The secretary general of the SAARC Chamber, heads of various business associations, former ICCI presidents, academia, IP Attorney Majid Bashir, chief of the WTO Punjab and experts attended the seminar. The IPO-Pakistan director general reiterated his firm to make IPO a vibrant organisation by giving due consideration to recommendations of stakeholders and “we had adopted a policy to approach partner organizations for seeking their expert opinion.” He said that the IPO has also made it possible to keep liaison with right holders at grass root level to get their suggestion which would help in policy formulation and developing future strategies. “We can face all the challenges by developing joint work relationship with stakeholders and in order to achieve better results,” he said. Zafar Bakhtawari said that this was age of IP and they should have to concentrate on promotion of brands. He asked the media to play its positive role in building IP respect and confidence among the masses which would lead for economic betterment and local & foreign investment in the country. ONLINE

12 outlaws arrested, weapons seized

D-12 residents demand electricity connections ISLAMABAD: The residents of Sector D-12 have protested against the nonprovision of electricity connections. A group of residents said that we have spent millions of rupees and constructed our houses, but how unlucky we are that we cannot live there due to non-supply of electricity. The residents alleged that they have to bribe the corrupt employees of IESCO to get electricity connections. The residents appealed to the CDA chairman to ensure early provision of electricity connections to them. ONLINE

IPO, ICCI to join hands for property rights

Models posing a group photo during the launching ceremony of “KUNDAN Boutique” at F-7. ONLINE

CMYK

Pir Ghulam Jalal-ud-Din Gilani and Pir Syed Ghulam Nizam-ud-Din Gilani Jami speak during a press conference at the shrine of Golra Sharif, regarding their support for Makhdoom Javed Hashmi in NA-48 and Ghulam Sarwar Khan in NA-53. ONLINE

Custodian of Golra Sharif supports PTI ISLAMABAD: Pir Syed Ghulam Jalaluddin Gillani, the custodian of the Golra Sharif shrine, has announced his full support for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidates Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, contesting from NA-48, and Ghulam Sarwar Khan, contesting from NA-53, in the forthcoming elections. He made this announcement at a press conference held along with Hashmi and Khan on Saturday. The spiritual leader, his family and their followers vowed to fully support the PTI candidates. Both the PTI leaders said they would defeat opportunist politicians in the elections with support of the spiritual custodians of the Golra Sharif. Pir Syed Ghulam Nizam-ud-Din Gillani Jami was also present on the occasion. ONLINE

Seminar on Right to Adequate Food ISLAMABAD: A two-day workshop on the theme “Right to Adequate Food” has been started at the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council on Saturday. The workshop has been organised by the Roots Pakistan, a member of the Food First Information and Action Network International. The inaugural session was attended by delegates from all walks of life. Roots Pakistan Chief Dr Syed Wajid Pirzada in his inaugural address spoke about the socio-economic failure to address global hunger, which has reached to 850 million people, despite all claims of development. He said hunger is a big stigma on human face, and it is a major obstacle impacting development such as attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). He underlined the need for food security, realising human rights approach where both individuals and community have access to productive resources to sustain household, national and global food security. FIAN Coordinator Sabine Pabst said that almost billions of people were suffering from hunger in the world out of which 304 million lived in South Asia. However, the major causes of hunger are wars, natural disasters and unequal distribution of food and lack of access to resources. She said that the workshop is an opportunity for the participants to enhance their skills and capacity to analyze and monitor food security using right-based approach, the workshop was conducted with technical support from the PARC. Meanwhile, the workshop recommended that the dichotomy and conflicts in global and national policies with regard to respect and protection of human rights need to be removed. ONLINE

CMYK

POWER ALLEYS |

SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013

enom Inc. This should not be held against me in a court of law as I solemnly declare that these are absolute lies, dirty whispers and wild speculation that I have heard while crawling in the dark power corridors of the creepy Capital. You will believe them at your own risk Shh...If you have venom to spill please don’t hesitate to share with us on our blog at www.thespokesman.pk

Harvesting crucial for poll turnout he most important electoral feature at this time of the year was factored in neither by our pundits nor political parties—harvesting. Punjab is in the middle of harvesting its crops while Sindh is 15 days in advance in it. This may be the single largest factor in rural Punjab and may also be relevant on the polling day. This might affect the rural turnout, damaging Nawaz League more than the others as it depends on them. The city folk and the youth voter might still be mobilized by the PTI but it will be difficult for the Nawaz League to get its voters to leave their harvesting in the middle for them. PPP bothers people the least as it is hardly holding any public meetings in Punjab. The PPP might have a better strategy of holding its resources and money for the right time towards the end. Nothing is more important for the rural multitudes than harvesting, the time when they ensure the livelihood and food security for the rest of the seasons. Already, the rural voters are sick and tired of politicians dragging them to public meetings. Many voters get angry when forcibly dragged out. Nawaz League had to cancel its rally in Khairpur the other day largely because people, busy in harvesting, failed to turn up. It’s hot and hellish because of loadshedding. In most cases, farmers rent machinery for harvesting and cannot leave work for electioneering. The harvesting season in Punjab usually lasts till the last week of May and may be in full swing on the polling day. The feudals in Saraiki areas may have the resources to arrange alternates but the small farmer in the PML (N)’s stronghold of the rural central Punjab will be handicapped in turning out at the polls. Furthermore, the sowing of cotton starts immediately after harvesting wheat and the water for irrigation is largely used in turns. Those whose turn falls on the election day might not let the crucial chance for irrigation slip, even on election day.

An Agreeable Doubt For Pakistanʼs first normal transition govt, the best bet̶a coalition AMIR MATEEN lections 2013 will remain the most unpredictable polls in decades for Pakistan. This is largely because of several ‘imponderables’ that have cropped up. It’s a totally new situation. Around 40 million new voters—over 45 per cent of the total registered vote—have been added to the electoral rolls. Another 35 million voters have been wiped off as they were found ‘bogus’ during the digitisation of the rolls. We have no idea who used the bogus votes in early elections and how the new voters will act. However, it is safe to assume the youn¬ger voters are likelier to favour the ‘youthful’ Imran Khan, who is all of 60 but smartly focuses his campaign on the youth bulge (perhaps the biggest in the world, with 65 per cent of Pakistan’s population aged between 18 and 35). Another factor is that the ruling party former president Gen Pervez Musharraf tailored before the 2008 elections, PML (Q), has been reduced to a few electable individuals, disowning its mentor. The vacuum has been largely filled by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), which has emerged as a mainstream player after 17 years of gestation. It boycotted the last elections in 2008 and was a non-entity in 2002. Imran has generated immense hype around his party by bringing forth 90 per cent new, mos¬tly young candidates but we have no statistical means to predict how his party will fare in the coming elections. The biggest jolt is the obvious downslide of the ruling PPP, which had the country’s politics divided into a for-or-against Bhutto vote for decades. The PPP now runs a virtually faceless campaign. President Asif Zardari was restricted by the courts from participating in partisan politics, as per the req¬uirement of his office. The PPP’s first Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, sta¬nds disqualified from contesting as a result of contempt of court for failing to write a letter to the Swiss courts to recover money allegedly laundered by the earlier PPP government. The PPP’s second Prime Minister, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, was allowed to contest elections only this week and may still be disqualified as he faces many cases of corruption. A second tier of PPP luminaries, like Aitizaz Ahsan and Raza Rabbani, are handicap¬ped in leading the campaign, cut to size as they were by an insecure Asif Zardari in the last five years. In desperation, Benazir’s son, Master Bilawal

Bhutto Zardari, was brought in right after his graduation from Oxford to lead the campaign. But the 24-year-old is seriously constrained by his political inexperience, age, language barrier and threats to his life. Till now, the most he has been able to do is release a video message in accented Oxford Urdu, invoking the dead horse of socialist ideology and the tragedy of his mother’s assassination. This has not clicked too well and the general reaction, at least in the talk shows, was that it was “too little, too late”. Faced with charges of corruption and misgovernance, pun¬dits predict that the PPP might be looking at a rep¬l¬ica of the 1997 polls, when its frustrated workers failed to come out. The PPP could manage only 18 national assembly seats—and not a single one from Punjab—out of the then general category total of 207. This time, the PPP might also lose its Sindh citadel as it confronts a tough 10-party, first-of-its-kind alliance of nationalists, religious parties, feudals and pirs. Most surveys see twice-prime minister Nawaz Sharif ’s PML (N) leading the race at this stage. Nawaz is definitely better placed if one goes by the old-style analysis of counting the worth of political heavyweights in a clan, tribe and biradari-based elections. This is especially true in the bustling, demographically

thick GT Road belt of central Punjab that’s home to 107 seats—after the 2002 revision, the natio¬nal assembly now has a total of 272 general seats, plus 70 reserved ones (60 for women, 10 for the minorities). Nawaz, to his credit, has gathered the bulk of heavyweight turncoats from all sides of the political aisle. This has invited huge criticism but it looks like his best bet against what Imran Khan calls his “tsunami”, the popular politics with which the former skipper hopes to sway the public mood. The Imran phenomenon may have started off more bec¬ause of a vacuum (call it nonperformance) left by the others—larg¬ely the big two, PPP and PML (N)—but now it has gained a momentum on its own. Imran is relying on women (many of whom perhaps still see him as a handsome divorcee heart-throb), urban youth, Shias and disenchan¬ted PPP voters, who he hopes will prefer him than their traditional rival, Nawaz. The crucial battleground remains Pun¬jab with 148 electoral seats as Khyber Pakhtun¬khwa (former NWFP), Sindh and Balochistan remain divisive in a four- or fiveway fight among the PPP, PML(N), PTI, religious parties (Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s JuI and Jamaat-e-Islami) and nationalist parties—the Awami National Party (ANP), PMAP, NP, BNP(M), MQM, STP. In sum,

Swing In Reverse

What The Polls Are Saying At least three polls are predicting a win for Nawaz Sharif

Antipathy for the PPP is the biggest factor How Pakistan Votes

The electoral system: Like India, Pakistan has a parliamentary system of democracy where members are elected through the first-past-thepost system. A Pakistani national who has attianed 18 years of age is eligible to vote. Total number of voters: 90 million, of which 40 million will be voting for the first time. Voter break-up: Punjab with 49,229,334 has the highest number of registered voters, followed by Sindh: 18,963,375, KhyberPakhtunkhwa: 12,266, 157, Balochistan: 3,336,659, and FATA: 1,738,313 voters. Clean-up: A fresh, computerised database by the EC has eliminated 35 million bogus voters. Voters have been issued biometric ID cards. The political system: Pakistan has been through various political systems in the past— parliamentary, presidential, semi-presidential and also under direct military rule. Currently, it has a parliamentary system where the President is the head of state but largely has a ceremonial role. The prime minister is the head of the government and exercises executive power, while legislative power is largely with parliament. The Prime Minister is elected by members of the largest party or coalition in the House. If anything has caught the very nub of the election in Pakistan so far, it was the sight of a former military dictator running out of court when he had returned to run for office. The judiciary had spoken, a democratically elected government had just completed a full term in office for the first time ever, and perhaps there is a flicker of hope in Pakistani hearts that democracy is here to stay. Democracy cuts a dashing figure too, in the political persona of former cricketer Imran Khan, whose Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) has emerged as a serious contender, threatening to upset the status quo, especially in Punjab, which with its 182 seats in the 342-member national assembly can make or break governments. Imran is in the middle of a gruelling campaign trail, add¬res¬sing massive rallies across the country, attracting crowds even in areas which have traditionally been ‘no-go’ areas for most. “God, I am getting 120 texts an hour. Going mad!” he says in an SMS to me. “You must cover Zari Gul in DG Khan.” There are 36 women contesting on a general ticket, and Imran’s party has given the largest number of tickets to women. Cricket may have been his past, but Imran intends to carry the game’s metaphor well into the future. What better can symbolise his party than the cricket bat and what analogies can work better than those from the field? “You do not know how to play cricket,” he taunts Nawaz Sharif in Okara, “so come and see how professionals play. You should come on TV to have a debate with me because I know you cannot beat me in cricket. I know why Nawaz Sharif is in a state of fear to face me on a live TV debate. He knows I will strike his stumps on the very first ball.” The roar from the crowds, on cue, is deafening.

MARIANA BAABAR unjab has traditionally been split between the PML (N) and the PPP, the northern and central areas being the former’s stronghold, and the southern ones throwing their lot with the PPP. With Imran gaining a huge cachet among the disaffected youth here, promising them a break from the past and giving them a ‘Naya Pakistan’, and PPP battling anti-incumbency, Nawaz Sharif could well find himself in a face-to-face contest with the cricketer-turned-politician. He is battling for every seat where Imran has put up a candidate when he should have had an easy run for Takhte-Lahore, emerging as the natural

choice in the face of the PPP’s dismal performance. But is the groundswell of support for Imran enough to get him the top job? Will the man once identified with his cricketing gear now step into a black sherwani and occupy the most important building on Constitution Avenue? Or will he be clean-bowled by those who have traditionally won by bending every rule in the book and have had two terms years in office? As a famous psephologist told Outlook when Imran held his first rally in Lahore in 2011, “Third party forces have never made it to the prime minister’s house in Pakistan. Since 1970, there has been no third force. Unless there is a wave, and Imran Khan starts

Elections 2013 is all about whet-her Imran can sway the public mood away from the ‘electables’ in central Punjab. Let’s just say, it’s not over until it’s over. The polls are being held in, literally, explosive conditions. Not a single day passes when a bomb or two do not go off, targeting the liberal, democratic parties and in provinces other than Punjab. The local Taliban has named the PPP, MQM and the ANP—of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s grandson Asf¬a¬ndyar Wali Khan—as its prime targets. The brunt of the bomb explosions have been borne by ANP, which has seen many of its top leaders dying in dozens of attacks in recent weeks. For a change, politicians across the board have shown a near-unanimity in carrying on with the electoral process. Perhaps they have learnt their lessons from successive martial regimes. The ANP may, in fact, have received some sympathy for showing such bravery in the face of brutal attacks. Yet the political parties remain ambivalent about the issue of terrorism. Earlier, it was only Imran who supported a dialogue with the Taliban. Now, he is joined by most parties. The safest prediction that can be made about the elections is that it will be a coalition government at the centre and in at least three of the four provinces. This has been the case since 1988, except for 1997, when Sharif swept with a two-thi¬rds majority. No party seems to win a simple majority and whichever party crosses the 70-80 seats mark is likely to make it to the government in the centre and in the provinces in weak coalitions. This means no government is generally in a position to undertake the harsh reforms required to deal with the crises in energy, inflation, fiscal and administrative sectors. Not to speak of the most urgent crisis of all, terrorism. Interestingly, foreign policy has been discussed much more in media debates than earlier. Most mainstream political parties were found to be on the same page on the issues of giving Gwadar to China, initiating a gas pipeline to Iran, peace in Afghanistan and assertion of sovereignty against the US and its drone attacks were concerned. Most interestingly, traditional rival India has hardly been mentioned in the election campaign. One can safely say that any major breakthrough on Pakistan-India relations can take some time. It will take a while before a new Pakistani government stabilizes enough to take decisions on India and by the time it does, the polls in India might delay things further. The only silver lining: it’s the first time in Pakist¬an’s his¬tory that a civilian government has completed its five-year tenure with elections being held as part of a “normal” transition. And Musharraf stands jailed in his own house. —COURTESY-OUTLOOK

Badam Zari the first woman ever to fight elections in FATA. sweeping provinces, it’ll be difficult for him to become prime minister.” As it happens, the Imran ‘tsunami’ is yet to register in opinion polls too. The latest opinion poll conducted in March showed that the first choice of 39 per cent of the respondents in the May 11 election would be the PML (N), followed by 18 per cent for the PPP, another 7 per cent for PTI, and 5 per cent for the PML (Q). Sampling error? Maybe not. Gallup Pakistan chief Dr Ijaz Shafi Gilani told The News that these results were not too different from the poll his own organisation had released earlier. “The frontrunner rem¬ains the same, as are the runners-up,” he says. “Thus, there’ll be no major impact on the number of seats political parties would bag Political guru Nusrat Javeed agrees. “The PML (N) appears set to emerge as the single-largest party with a clear majority. But it will no doubt be a hung parliament as in the past. Nawaz Sharif should sail home with 115 to 120 seats in the national assembly. PPP might at the most get between 40-45 seats.” PTI, he says, could swing anything bet¬ween 20 and 120 seats. “It’s like Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in the past, expecting people to come on their own to cast votes. It’s unlikely this will work.” Not only does Pakistan’s eighth general election since 1985 promise to be the most unpredictable but also its bloodiest. Even now, two weeks short of polling day, people are still asking if elections will take place at all. Friday Times calls it a “blood-soaked election”. To sample just one of the daily recordings of the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN): “Thirteen incidents of electoral violence claimed 23 lives— mostly of workers of the Awami National Party (ANP)—while 54 others were injured between April 13 and 19. Ten incidents of political violence left

24 people dead and 28 injured during the week, compared with the preceding week’s 170 killed and 42 injured in 20 incidents.” The ‘secular’ MQM, PPP and ANP have been the hardest hit; PML (N) and PTI seem to have been spared for the time being. “All secular parties were on the Tehreek hit list,” says Tehreek-eTaliban Pakistan spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan. “The killing is part of our war against secular parties, including the MQM, PPP and ANP, which committed genocide of our tribal people and Muslims while remaining in power for five years.” However, even a cursory reading of the manifestos of all political parties shows that none of them is taking up the issue as a matter of serious concern, barely mentioning what is the single largest threat to Pakistan’s stability. “This widening division across Pakistan’s major political forces on how to deal with the country’s most crucial threat does not augur well for the fu-

Heinrich Boll Foundation (Mar): Majority for PPP Gallup Pakistan (Feb): PML(N) to secure more votes than others Herald-SDPI (Feb): PPP 29%, PML(N) 25%, PTI 20%, MQM 4.2% Public Judgement Online Poll (Jan): PTI 225 seats IRI (Nov 2012): PML(N) 32%, PTI 18%, PPP 14%

larger.” Meanwhile, Amir Mir, a senior journalist from Lahore, says that 55 charged terrorists from 10 sectarian groups have been allowed to contest polls. With their cases still in court, the Election Commission has been unable to disqualify them. Even Nawaz Sharif has issued a ticket to Sardar Ebad Dogar, a supporter of the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan. He will be contesting elections from Khangarh, a tehsil in Muzaffargarh, Punjab. Khangarh is considered the second-most violent area when it comes to sectarian violence or Shia-Sunni conflict. Ask him how he plans to tackle the Taliban factions once he comes to power, and Imran Khan tells Outlook, “There is no one Taliban group, it’s an assortment whose motivations stem from different reasons. To win this war, we have to deal with them in a way where we isolate the barbarous ones and the criminals and fanatics from those who are fighting simply because we are perceived as a hired American gun. The way we are going, this could go on and on, and not only can we collapse under the financial burden of the war, but we will also have an army of fanatics to deal with.” And what of the Pakistan military establishment? Bogged down by problems of its own making, it’s keeping its hands off, allowing Pakistan a second free and fair election, with results acceptable to all. “You can’t switch off the army’s propensity to become involved in the civilian domain overnight,” executive editor M. Ziauddin writes in Express Tribune. “It will take time for the institution calling the shots all these years to learn to live within its constitutional limits.” However, army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has created a stir when

THE POLL WALTZ

What Happened Five years ago

How Pakistanʼs lower house looks

Five parties were part of ruling coalition, garnering 304 seats

National assembly has 342 Seats the half-way mark is 172

94 Pakistan Peopleʼs Party (PPP) (+27 reserved seats) 71 Pakistan Muslim league (N) (+20) 42 Pakistan Muslim league (Q) (+12) 19 Mutahida Qaumi Movement (+6) 10 Awami National Party (+3)

148 61 35 14 12 272

Punjab Sindh Khyber-Pakhtonkhwa Balochistan FATA Total 70 Reserved Seats 60 Women 10 Religious minorities

ture,” says author Zahid Hussain. “Instead of offering solutions in their manifestos for a problem so critical for the stability of the country and for the future of democracy, they appear to be in a state of denial. The cracks appear to be growing visibly and frighteningly

Imran khanʼs Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did not participate in last elections Ahmadiyyas, numbering about 2,00,000 and considered non-Muslim in Pakistan, have been boycotting the elections since 1985.

he said this week that “Pakistan was created in the name of Islam and Islam could never be taken out of Pakistan” and that “Islam should always remain a unifying force”. Towards whom was this remark directed at a crucial stage in this election?

Responding with an editorial, financial daily Business Recorder noted: “One would like to remind General Kayani that the Pakistan army is fighting with Taliban because the nation does not accept the latter’s highly flawed and controversial way of life. His speech aimed at exhorting his officers and soldiers to remain steadfast and also encourage the young to join the army in the name of Islam may not be the best sales pitch. There is a profound disagreement on...whether Pakistan was created in the name of Islam or for the Muslims of the subcontinent to have the freedom to practice their religion.” Washington, another former player in Pakistan’s elections, is also keeping away. The American ambassador has reiterated at least four times in public that the US has no favourite ‘candidate’ or political party. In another first, Badam Zari, who has studied only up to eighth grade, became the first woman ever to contest elections in FATA (she has filed her nomination papers from Bajaur Agency) where women do not even go out and vote. Not just that, Article 247 of the Pakistan Constitution prevents MNAS from creating laws for tribal areas. Following Zari’s example, Nusrat Begum, a 28-year-old mother of seven, too filed her nomination papers from Lower Dir. A huge chunk of minority votes is also up for grabs. The last five years have been the worst for non-Muslims as also for the Shia community. There’s no saying who they’ll go with. Lost too will be the thousands of votes of those internally displaced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa because of military operations. Missing in all this action is the PPP, whose co-chairperson Zardari has been prohibited by the courts from electioneering. Hopes had been high that Bilawal Bhutto, too young to contest, could lead the party’s campaign. Security risks, however, confined him to add¬ressing voters via video links. The more interesting battle will be in Benazir Bhutto’s constituency NA-207 or Larkana, where Zardari’s powerful sister Faryal Talpur will be engaged in a battle royale with Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s daughter-in-law, Ghinwa Bhutto. The prospects don’t look too bright for PPP, which garnered the sympathy vote last elec¬tion in the wake of Benazir’s assassination. Today, PPP is a dirty word, never mind the distinction of its government being the first ever to complete a full term in office. — COURTESY-OUTLOOK

SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013

Info minister sees genuine Baloch leadership after elections

PML-N will achieve monumental success in elections, says Maryam

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim LeagueN leader Maryam Nawaz has said that the PML-N will achieve monumental success in the general elections, to be held on May 11, 2013. She was addressing party workers while inaugurating several election offices of the party in the constituency of her father and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif. Maryam said that the May 11 would prove nature and nation were kind upon whom. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Allah never bestows success upon those who are indulged in absurd talk and are arrogant,â&#x20AC;? she said. She also said that the PML-N and Nawaz Sharif have always pursued path of humbleness. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are still pursuing this path,â&#x20AC;? she said. Speaking at a public gathering in his constituency, PML-N Lahore President and ticket holder for NA 123 Pervez Malik said that the May 11 would be a day of defeat for those paid no attention to the issues of poor masses during their five year tenure. All those who were pointing finger at Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif should first review their performance, he said. He said that they were afraid of Shahbaz Sharif as he would end loadshedding and solve major issues soon after assuming the power. He

Says rapid action force to be deployed at sensitive polling stations

QUETTA: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Arif Nizami has said that the rapid action force will be deployed at sensitive polling stations as the caretaker governments and centre and in the provinces committed to arrange free, fair and peaceful general election. Talking to reporters here on Saturday, he said that the general election, to be held on May 11, would bring positive changes in Balochistan province and also a real Baloch leadership would emerge with the participation of all political parties including the nationalists in the election process. In an interview with the Radio Pakistan, the Information and Broadcasting minister appealed to the people of Balochistan to take active part in general election. The assembly to be elected in the coming election would play active role in solution of the public problems, he said. Despite social media and TV channelsâ&#x20AC;&#x161; the Radio Pakistan was playing a pivotal role in providing news and current affairs to the people, he said, adding that messages floated through radio were more effective and reach at mass level. He said that the

Residents of Dera Bugti led by Jamhoori Watan Party President Nawabzada Shah Zain Bugti leave for their ancestral town from Dera Allahyar. ONLINE Radio Pakistan was playing its due role in the election process. The minister also visited various sections of the Radio Pakistan. He also visited offices of the Press Information Department, Associated Press of Pakistan, and the Pakistan Television Centre. The minister was given briefing about the functions and problems about their respective departments. During his visit to the APP Bureau Office â&#x20AC;&#x161; the minister said that the staterun news agency has been given task to cover all activities pertaining to general

elections. He said that he was aware of the problems of the journalist community of Balochistan, adding the federal government would establish Journalists Welfare Fund in this regard. A surgeon abducted: Dr Mubashir Ahsan, a surgeon of the Civil Hospital, has been abducted in Chaman, levies sources said on Saturday. Dr Ahsan had left for the morning walk when he was kidnapped. The surgeon was abducted outside his residence, the sources confirmed. AGENCIES

Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Maryam Nawaz among party workers after inaugurating election offi fficce in the constituency of PML-N President Nawaz Sharif. ONLINE said that the former chief minister served the masses and gifted them the projects of the Metro Bus and lap top scheme while the PPP-led regime did nothing practically rather they tarnished the image of the country through corruption and cronyism. He said that the whole nation was well aware that PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif always gave priority to the national interests. Strongly criticizing the PTI, Pervez Malik said that the party actually was playing the role of

Zardariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s front man. He demanded of the PTI leadership to inform the nation thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why they had performed as silent spectator during the last regime, why they did not uttered a single word on killings in Karachi and Balochistan. The PML-N leader said that historic win of the Pakistan Muslim LeagueN was written on the wall and all those elements would be lost forever who were doing the politics and trying to make public fool with liebased slogans. ONLINE

PTI slams attack on politicians

Rs 25b recovered in 2012: Bokhari

NAB adopts global methods of preventing corruption

ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau has recovered Rs 25 billion of the public money drained into corruption during the execution of various projects in 2012, said Fasih Bokhari, chairman of the bureau. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since its inception, this is the biggest recovery by the NAB team except the one backed by military in year 1999 during Pervez Musharraf â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s era,â&#x20AC;? he said while talking to newsmen here on Saturday. He said that the pace of the recovery was swifter this year against that of the previous year and hoped that the NAB would recover the embezzled amount in a bigger volume. Since its establishment, the NAB recovered Rs 236 billion out of which Rs 180 billion were recovered during one week of the campaign launched against bank loan and tax defaulters during the tenure of the then chairman with the backing of armed forces. However, the recoveries during the preceding years remained negligible and got a momentum during the incumbent regime. The NAB has now adopted international methods of preventing corruption under which the bureau intervened into the projects and procurements worth Rs 1.5 trillion and saved Rs 200 billion of public money from corruption during 2012, he said. The NAB has taken the responsibility of revoking the corruption before its happening that had been manifested by bureauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intervention in high profile cases involving huge money, he said. The NAB chief was of the view that smallscale cases should be handled by FIA and the anti-corruption establishment, police and the departments having their own courts like customs and taxation. Moreover, the NAB has made concentrated efforts to improve structural inadequacies to prevent corruption in all government departments. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Regular briefings and discussion with the regulators have resulted in proactive actions and activities to help improve their efficiencies and minimize the chances of corruption and corrupt practices,â&#x20AC;? he said. He also said the NAB would empower the

regulators to promote meritocracy, fair-play, transparency, awareness, and combat the corruption that eats up at the very core of the structure. Bokhari has also been focusing on character building of the future generation involving different educational institutions for raising awareness against corruption in the society. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A number of universities have undertaken to include the eradication of corruption and character building against corrupt practices in their curriculum,â&#x20AC;? he said. Despite facing sever manpower deficit, the NAB has revitalized its functioning when it was on the verge of collapse. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Currently, we are running our affairs with 28 percent strength of manpower. Though we have recruited 260 new investigators, deficit yet exists,â&#x20AC;? the chairman said. The training of new officers will take another six months and would further strengthen the enforcement. 40 among these investigators will be sent for further training abroad on the basis of their performance as NAB has sought cooperation of FBI and the investigation and anti-corruption agencies of the European Union. To a question as why the NAB investigation was slow, the chairman said the financial crimes investigation was highly complex and complicated. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Finding prosecutable evidence to secure conviction under our current outdated Evidence Act is time consuming,â&#x20AC;? he said, adding that current investigators also need modern training. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To deal with white collar crime is not as easy as it seems to be,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are not having innovative and advance expertise to prove and investigate the forensic evidences,â&#x20AC;? he remarked. Though the investigation was time-consuming process, we are striving hard to complete the probe of different cases as early as possible. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have already directed NAB Operations and Prosecution Wings to actively pursue all high profile cases including RPPs and OGRA cases so as the references could be filed if sufficient court-worthy evidences are available,â&#x20AC;? Bokhari said. AGENCIES

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;People only expect justice from judiciaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; LAHORE: Justice Sardar Tariq Masood of the Lahore High Court has asked the judicial officers to dispense justice as people expect justice only from the judiciary. He was addressing the concluding ceremony of a capacity building course designed for judicial magistrates at the Punjab Judicial Academy. He said that no doubt provision of justice was a challenging assignment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are aware of the problems facing the district judiciary but people have pinned high hopes with the judiciary of

present era,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Feel the difficulties of people standing in the court, avoid intellectual corruption and extend equal treatment to both the parties,â&#x20AC;? he advised the participants. Justice Masood asked the judicial magistrates to follow judges of superior courts who burn midnight oil in order to provide relief to the citizens. He wished all the people associated with the system of justice to develop a mindset focusing on resolving the disputes of aggrieved persons. ONLINE

KARACHI: Famous musician Salmaan Ahmed taking part in a door-to-door election campaign for Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf. ONLINE

Grand job fair at PC OUR STAFF REPORTER

RAWALPINDI: The Hashoo Foundation in collaboration with the Aga Khan Economic Planning Board for Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Mardan area organised a grand job fair at the Pearl Continental Hotel to provide jobs to the unemployed youth, here on Saturday. In the job fair, around 400 youth were visited by more than 40 employers from education, hospitality, banking, insurance and service industries. They did one-o-one interviews and selected best candidates for their industry. They highly appreciated and thanked the efforts of the Hashoo Foundation and Economic Planning Board for organising to interact with huge masses and get potential employees for their growing industries. At the event, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Senior Vice President Mehmood Ahmed Warraich applauded the contribution of private sector in alleviating the poverty and bringing opportunities for employment. He suggested arranging similar events at Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and other cities to accelerate the economy by hiring skilled and talented youth and

PPP gifted 10 varsities, 23 hospitals to Sindh KARACHI: Pakistan Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Party Sindh General Secretary Taj Haider Saturday said that the PPP government has stood up Food Department on its feet and constructed 10 universities in the province while hospitals in 23 districts are under construction. He said that the Pakistan Steel, PIA, the Railways suffered due to shortage of resources, adding that history would prove about reconciliation policy whether it was a good decision or bad as it was designed to close all doors of dictatorship with the development of democracy. He was replying the

queries of journalists in meet the press session of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) here. Amir Mehmood of CPNE and Senator Saeed Ghani were present on the occasion. Taj regretted that electronic media could not follow code of conduct as like print media. Taj urged to bring basic changes in judicial system, leaders of labour will be given representatives in national and provincial assemblies after voted to power. The government has allocated an amount of 122 million rupees for education in its last budget that is 19 percent of total provincial budget. ONLINE

Elahi pledges to end taxes

LAHORE: An electrician checking the CCTV cameras at Lahore High Court. ONLINE

GUJRAT: Former deputy prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Q senior leader Ch Pervaiz Elahi Saturday said that the last provincial government had imposed tax on poor farmers and owners of small houses, but after coming to power they will abolish it. Addressing a public

meeting here, he said that imposing tax on small shops and poor people was unfair as they even feed their families with great difficulty. The Cardiology Hospital and the Gujrat University were living example of vengeance of Sharif brothers towards people of Gujrat, he said. ONLINE

binning innovative ideas for learning and growth. A fresh graduate appearing at the job fair Jamal Ali told The Spokesman, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The job fair is providing lots of opportunities to the youth who have potential but are unemployed. I also appeared in interview which was a great experience.â&#x20AC;? Senior Manager Programs Javaid Akhter mentioned that the Hashoo Foundation started its journey in 1988 by establishing a network of educational institutes.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has again strongly condemned the continuing bomb blasts on political parties, their leaders, workers and their electoral offices. He extended his condolences to the workers and their families who have become victims of this unacceptable terror that has spread its tentacles across Pakistan, including in the blast in Karachi where 11 innocent people died and 40 others were injured. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am truly saddened at the continuing loss of innocent lives and the growing fear that haunts our ordinary citizens, especially our children who have been deprived of their right to a safe secure childhood,â&#x20AC;? Imran said and expressed regrets that all political parties were unable to conduct a free electoral campaign because of targeted attacks. He reiterated that elections were not only the need of the hour right now in Pakistan but that there must be a level playing field so that the elections retain credibility. Imran called on the state security apparatus and the governments at the centre and in provinces to ensure the safety and security of all citizens and their leaders so that at this crucial time democracy was not derailed in the country. ONLINE

President grieved over Bangladesh tragedy KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari Saturday expressed profound grief and sorrow over the loss of hundreds of precious lives in the deadly collapse of a garment factory building in Dhaka. In a message, he said the entire nation shares

the sorrow and grief of their Bangladeshi brethren at this hour of distress. The president expressed heartfelt condolences on behalf of the people, the government and on his own behalf, said Senator Farhatullah Babar. AGENCIES

Jashane-Baharan at RAC

ISLAMABAD: A three-day long JashaneBaharan at the Rawalpindi Arts Council witnessed artisans and performers on the second day as well. Local as well as artisans from remote cities attracted the visitors by showcasing their work. The festival also featured a number of cultural programs. Renowned social activist Amjad Hussain Alvi applauded the efforts of Resident Director Waqar Ahmed for providing entertainment to the people of twin cities and giving a platform to the

artisans. He said that it was not an easy task to gather people in present critical situation but the council had done this successfully. The event was organised by the Rawalpindi Arts Council in collaboration with Artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Welfare Organisation. The festival also showcased folk music, dance, magic, puppet show and traditional food etc. Local singers performing in the festival included Ishaq Saqi, Muhammad Arshad, Sadia Batool, Rukhsana Khan and Sami.

SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013

Nawaz Sharif promises economic development

Says he was put behind bar without any justification Musharraf’s coup left people at the mercy of fate Those chanting change have no vision

JARRANWALA: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif has said that his party made Pakistan nuclear power and if given chance in May 11 elections, it will turn the country into economic giant. He said that the dictator who toppled his government was actually enemy of the nation. “I was put behind the bars without any justification. In this way, the direction of the country was changed in a wrong way, leaving the people at the mercy of the fate.” Addressing a public meeting on Saturday‚ he said the country could march on to the road of prosperity only if those who care for people are returned to power. Nawaz Sharif announced to establish a network of employment banks throughout the country after coming into power to advance credit to youth for establishing their own

businesses. The PML-N chief said as against corruption and loot and plunder by others‚ the PML-N) government in Punjab set a model of good governance and merit. He said the PML-N would upgrade Jarranwala as district and also connect it with motorway. Giving reference to former Punjab chief minister, he said that Shahbaz completed great projects for the masses without any discrimination. He said, “It is regrettable to say that factories have closed due to energy crisis; millions of workers are bound to wander in the streets without any job. There is an unending chain of protests, demonstrations in the country. The question is that who is responsible for this chaotic situation.” “History records that India used to beg for electricity from Pakistan. This

credit goes to the then PML-N government.” He said, “We always spoke truth with the nation. When the people of south Punjab were drowning, we supported them without any discrimination. It was Shahbaz Sharif who installed a base camp there in the flood-hit areas and focused his full attention for regeneration and restoration of the people.” He said that the nation may make assessment by observing ads on TV screens that which party contributed for the nation and which political group neglected and rejected the masses. He added that he had not come to Jarranwala for votes; rather, his mission is to make the people understand about their well wishers and bad-wishers. He said that “some politicians are shouting slogans of change. Actually

they have no vision and programme. They are trapping the youth just for their personal aims.” “PML-N is being targeted for taking turns; the reality is that we served the nation without any personal interest. We introduced new technology in the country. We installed industry and constructed network of road across Pakistan” said PML-N chief. He concluded that the PML-N has a team of experts who have ability to cope with challenging crises and can resolve issues faced by the nation on priority basis. “If the PML-N is given an opportunity to come to power, it would lay foundation of agricultural and industrial units, multiply the ratio of exports, create millions of jobs for workers and labourers who are real force of the nation”, said Nawaz. He said that educated people would

be given micro loans so that unemployed youth may be able to earn their livings with respectable means. He said that Pakistan has been overwhelmed by stumbling blocks and tremendous problems but by the grace of Allah we would overcome these issues with the cooperation of sincere voters and supporters.

He said that rural areas would be uplift with welfare projects. Farmers would be provided with cheap fertilizer and seeds. In the last, he appealed to the people to support PML-N candidate from Jarranwala, with the hope that new leaders would serve the people without any discrimination. –ONLINE

PML-N to facilitate farmers: Shahbaz NANKANA SAH IB: Former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif said if returned to power‚ the PML-N will provide jobs to the unemployed and relief to the farmers as per its manifesto. Addressing a public meeting on Saturday‚ he said we have carried out a huge development work in the Punjab during the last 5 years. Shahbaz Sharif said due to shortage of electricity agriculture sector have been affected and industries are being closed. He said we will steer the country out of darkness. He asked the masses to vote for PML-N to bring real change in the country. Shahbaz said by the Grace of Allah, the sun of May 11, 2013 would herald the day of PML-N’s rise to power. “The PML-N will emerge as the leader at the end of election day”, he said. –ONLINE

Poll and violence in Karachi

Gabol wants army in Layari on election day

Less gas supply to Punjab after pipeline blown up MULTAN: Gas supplies to various areas of Punjab was suspended after unidentified miscreants blown pipe line up in Sindh, officials said on Saturday. The pipeline installed in the Umer Kot area was blown up with the help of explosive material by unknown people, here on Saturday. Meanwhile, according to Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Ltd (SNGPL), supply to the industrial and CNG sector has been curtailed to facilitate domestic consumers. The situation calls for efforts on war footing to revive the supply and lessen the woes of the citizens. –ONLINE

PTI protests after oﬃce sealed in Faisalabad FAISALABAD: Dozens of PTI activists staged a protest against the sealing of their newly-opened election office in Faisalabad on Saturday. The office, which was opened just a couple of days ago, was sealed by the Excise and Taxation Department over nonpayment of property tax. On this, angry PTI supporters held a protest and forcefully reopened the office. PTI office bearers alleged that they were being subjected to political victimization despite payment of taxes. –ONLINE

Over 130 shops, cabins gutted in Gujranwala GUJRANWALA: At least 60 shops and 70 cabins were gutted as a fire erupted in Qaisra Bazaar on Saturday late night. Rescue sources said that the fire broke out due to short circuit at a UPS shop, which spread due to speedy winds, engulfing nearby shops and cabins. Fire tenders faced difficulties in dousing the fire due to congested area and narrow streets. They were able to extinguish the blaze only after two and half hours. Locals said that rescue teams arrived at the scene hours after the fire erupted and turned the shops into ashes. They said that they kept calling the Fire Brigade for hours but to no avail. –ONLINE

Furniture factories irk residents RAWALPI NDI: Furniture factories illegally operating in the streets of Kurri, Band Khanna and Chaklala road have given rise to respiratory and other fatal diseases like TB in the areas. These factories have been set up inside the streets in connivance with the corrupt elements of Town Municipal administration. Lack of cleanliness and proper spray arrangements have turned these factories into hub of environmental pollution.The residents of these areas demanded shifting of these factories to the industrial area forthwith to avert any untoward incident of fire outbreak. –ONLINE

ELECTIONEERING IN FULL SWING: PML-N chief addressing a huge public gathering on Satruday in Jaranwala. –ONLINE

Sale of adulterated milk posing health risk

Training for polling staff starts in Mohmand OUR STAFF REPORTER “The training will be imparted to presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and other supporting staff in three phases to ensure free, fair and transparent polls in the Mohmand Agency. The training will complete on May 2,” CHIP) Trainer on Technical Side Ghulam Hussain Mohib said. He said the master trainers, who would educate and equip the polling staff with election related skills, had already completed their training, adding that the staff would be provided

all possible facilities to hold the elections in a smooth manner. Mohib said five per cent, out of a total 765 trained staff including presiding officers, assistant presiding officers, polling officers and supporting staff, would be kept reserved at the Election Commission office to perform emergency duties. The local office of ECP has established 107 polling stations including 73 for males and 34 for females. Similarly, there will be 312 polling booths for males and for females. The number of registered voters in the tribal district is around 179,304.

29 sites allocated for poll meetings in Rawalpindi RAWALPINDI: The district government Rawalpindi has allocated 29 sites for holding public meetings and larger corner meetings throughout district Rawalpindi in persuasion of Election Commission (EC). Liaqat Bagh, Railway ground Dhok Mangtal and Harley street plot have also been included in the places specified for holding public meetings connection with election campaign. On the other side assistant commissioners, TMOs and SHOs will be imparted training with regard to use of special mobiles Android. Focal Person district government, ADCG Saif Anwar said 2 sites each have been specified in Chak Beli, Kallar Syedan, 4 in Murree, 2 each in Dhobi Ghatt, Kashmir point, Patriata parking, 2 in Taxila, 5 in Kotli Sattian, 3 in Kahuta and 3 in Gujjar Khan including Degree College for boys and Daultala high school. Sources said mobile coverage data will be transmitted directly to home department Punjab. –ONLINE

RAWAL PIN DI: Sale of adulterated and unhygienic milk has posed health hazards to the citizens. An influential mafia in collusion with the corrupt elements of district administration is behind this heinous crime which has not only unleashed loot and plunder spree but it is playing with the life of people blatantly. This mafia has hired large godowns in the city where they are preparing the toxic milk by mixing time barred power milk with the water in drums and supply it to the citizens in the name of pure milk. Citizens demanded crackdown on these traders of death who are playing with their lives for pocketing hefty money by selling adulterated milk. It is important to note that despite being an agricultural country, the per capita use of milk and protein in Pakistan is alarmingly low. –AGENCIES

Rangers raid Uzair Jan Baloch’s house Two terrorists arrested from Sohrab Goth

KAR ACH I : MQM leader Nabil Gabol has filed petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC) seeking deployment of army in Layari area on the polling day, May 11. In his petition, Nabil Gabol said Rangers claimed to have eradicated ‘nogo areas’ in Layari, while on the other hand, police admitted that no-go areas did exist in that part of the city. Nabil Gabol requested the SHC to order deployment of army in Layari so as to ensure free and transparent polls in that particular constituency. The SHC has issued notices to Election Commission of Pakistan, DG Rangers, and IG Sindh. In a related development, six suspects were held as security forces raided the house of prominent figure Sardar Uzair Jan Baloch in Layari, officials said on Saturday. The alleged criminals were taken into custody from different spots of the area, while huge cache of arms including rocket

launchers, kalashnikovs and hand grenades were recovered from their possession. Rangers confirmed the incident, saying the arrested were moved to an undisclosed location. It may be noted here that this is the third operation within 48 hours to nab criminal element ahead of general elections in the country. Meanwhile, the police conducted an operation in Quetta Town in the area of Sohrab Goth and arrested two terrorists. Both the accused are stated to be belonged to Waliur Rehman group of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). According to police, they raided a house at Sohrab Goth and nabbed two TTP men and seized their arms. Police say that suspects, identified as Imranullah and Ahmedullah, were involved in a number of terrorist and extortion activities. Police also recovered a SMG and bombs from the possession of arrested persons and shifted the accused to unspecified destination for investigation. –ONLINE

KARACHI: - The terror suspects arrested by Rangers in a targeted operation in Lyari. –ONLINE

Public park in shambles RAWALPINDI: The only public park located in Harley Street has turned into ruins due to negligence of Chaklala Cantonment Board. Harley Street Park was built when Cantonment Board Rawalpindi was not bifurcated and later the park came under the control of cantonment board Chaklala. Million of rupees were spent on its rehabilitation and beautification. Boundary wall was

cemented and iron rods were installed over it. Seesaws were erected for the children and a special jogging track was built for women. The park is now wearing a deserted look as it seems to be a vandalized spot left with all seesaws broken, boundary wall worn out and even the iron rods of the wall and structure of seesaws have been fleeced. Anything like greenery and flowers

is but a non entity in the park as all the plants have been trampled under their feet by the children who are seen playing cricket and football with impunity. The residents of the area have demanded immediate renovation and revival of the solitary park of Harley street to provide them opportunity to take breath in fresh air in healthy milieu. –ONLINE

Imran vows to restore Bahawalpur province

SWAT: A bridge between Mingora City and General Bus Stand, which was destroyed in the 2010 flfloood, has yet not been reconstructed. –ONLINE

BAHAWALPUR: Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday pledged to create new provinces after coming into power. Addressing a public meeting, Khan said that his party would restore Bahawalpur state and would establish more provinces only after addressing the issues of water distribution and other key matters. He again challenged Nawaz Sharif to have a televised debate with him on national issues. The PTI chief was critical of Sharif brothers, asking them to why they failed to generate electricity in their previous term. He said that PML-N government

failed to make reforms in police, health and education sectors. He said that PML-N spend the whole budge of Punjab on just one road in Lahore. Khan pledged that he would unite people of all ethnic backgrounds in new Pakistan. He said the PML-N was eyeing next five years in power to do more corruption. He said people should support the PTI in the general election for dynamic changes in the country. He criticised the Metro Bus System, which cost the national exchequer billions of rupees, and described it as a waste of public money. He said the money spent on the bus service should

have been spent on power projects to eliminate loadshedding. He promised better health and education system and again invited PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif to a TV debate with him. Khan said he would solve farmers’ problems on priority. He reiterated that no MPA or MNA would be given funds for development projects and only local authorities would have access to funds allocated for people’s welfare. Khan said people should not cast their vote to any independent candidate because they would be up for sale after their election. He said the PML-N was PTI’s only rival after

President Asif Ali Zardari carried out suicide attacks on the foundations of the Pakistan People’s Party. He said he set-up a stadium in every union council and urged the youth to convince their parents to vote for PTI candidates. –ONLINE

SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013

THE SPOKESMAN

Chief Editor: Huma Ali Executive Editor: Atif Mateen Resident Editor: Saeed Minhas Consulting Editors: Jalees Hazir Samina Choonara Block 11, G-6/1, Aabpara, Islamabad Telephone: 051 260 7153-4 Fax: 051 260 7498 www.thespokesman.pk ce@thespokesman.pk

A lackadaisical ECP The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has asked the political parties and contesting candidates to avoid personal attacks against their rivals during their election campaign and strictly observe the code of conduct. Rather than issuing such inane instructions, the commission should focus on its core functions. Unfortunately, the ECP has failed to discharge most of its fundamental responsibilities, including an effective scrutiny of the candidates for national and provincial assemblies. Besides, some of its actions smack of partiality. On one hand, with the elections only two weeks away, the ECP issued instructions to the caretaker governments to transfer and shuffle all the federal and provincial secretaries, yet on the other hand, it has said that there will be a complete ban on the transfer of officials of the federal, provincial and local governments posted in Sindh. People of Pakistan had pinned high hopes on the ECP, but they have been disappointed because of its lackadaisicalness and lack of direction. The nation expected that the “independent” ECP formed with bipartisan consensus would perform its constitutional role without fear or favor, and filter out all those who presented fake degrees in the last elections, held dual nationality, evaded tax, defaulted on loans or indulged in criminal activities. It had the backing of the judiciary, the caretaker governments, the military and, over and above all, the people of Pakistan. But the ECP has arguably failed on every count, and it seems as if it is on the side of status quo forces rather than the real stakeholders - the people of Pakistan. Since the members of the ECP have been nominated by the outgoing government and the opposition that represent the status quo, it appears that the nominated commission members are looking after the interest of those who nominated them. In the previous assemblies, members who did not qualify to be present in the august houses had the gumption to parade themselves as paragons of virtue and role models. Their deceptive masks have now started coming apart due to the proactive role played by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Behind the facade of democracy, dynastic political parties and corrupt politicians have dominated our assemblies. It was hoped that the ECP would act against them, but it has miserably failed to weed them out. For instance, out of 54 certified fake degree holders it gave a clean chit to 27. In another display of its incompetence, the ECP is dragging its feet on apex court’s orders to give expatriate Pakistanis the right to vote. The Foreign office has been successful in making suitable arrangements to conduct the polls in at least 7 countries, yet the ECP insists that allowing expatriate Pakistanis to vote is not possible in the coming elections. The inability of the ECP to discharge its responsibilities efficiently and effectively has raised questions about the commission and the credibility and competence of the Chief Election Commissioner Fakharuddin G. Ibrahim.

IPI: An Indian perspective MANISH VAID AND TRIDIVESH SINGH MAINI The recent past has been witness to some welcome developments in the context of Indo-Pak trade. Both exports to and imports from Pakistan showed a tremendous rise with an increase of 15 percent and 30 percent respectively. During the period from April 2012 to February 2013, exports to Pakistan went up to $1.6 billion from $1.4 billion while imports from Pakistan in the corresponding period rose to $488 million from $375 million - the highest ever between the two countries. This clearly shows the willingness and determination of both these countries to move towards a more purposeful relationship. Energy trade is one of the important tools in this context, since both countries are facing major challenges in this realm. For India, it is largely due to the fall in natural gas output in Krishna Godavari basis (KG-D6), which has registered with an all time low production of 15.5 million standard cubic meters per day (mmscmd), with 11.70 mmscmd and 4.09 mmscmd from the fields in D1 & D3 and MA fields respectively in the week ending 7 April 2013. This trajectory has been consistent since the gas output peak 69.43 mmscmd in March 2010. Reliance Industries have already stopped gas supplies to power plants. Further, power ministry has asked National Thermal Power Corporation to slow down its gas-based capacity additions plans. Pakistan’s power shortage is largely due to the mounting circular debt, which increased from Rs. 161.21 billion in 2008 to Rs. 235.65 billion in 2009. This again swelled from Rs 365.66 billion in 2010 to Rs. 537.53 billion in 2011 and Rs 872.41 billion in 2012. Pakistan has for long not been able to unravel this inter-connected cycle of debt trap involving a network of power generators, distributors, public and private sector energy suppliers (oil and natural gas companies) and the worst impacted end consumers, which are always being offered subsidised power. This debt trap is in addition to the long existing

The US will be walking a tight rope, if the recent enthusiasm shown by India to join the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline becomes a reality. It has already started to express its opposition to the IPI revival. The project makes a lot of sense for India and Pakistan power shortages in Pakistan due to power theft, leakage and poor collection of electricity charges. All these conditions are a major challenge to Pakistan’s already fledgling economy. Given the existing power crisis situation faced by both these nations, the possibility of an IranPakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline is worth reconsidering, in spite of the project being written off by India. Iran and Pakistan are moving ahead

of attack on gas pipelines killing 16 people during the period 2005-13, mostly in Sui/Dera Bugti district. But given the energy crisis prevailing in both the countries, it seems unlikely that both these nations are willing to bow down to external pressures. Pakistan Muslim League (N) manifesto in the upcoming Pakistan’s election, for instance, clearly talks of making Pakistan as a bridge to energy-rich Central Asia and Iran and energy-

For India, this pipeline can correct its falling natural gas production and the increased volume of costlier liqueﬁed natural gas that the country imports. For Pakistan, it will work as a boon to resolve its deepening energy crisis. According to Dr Gawdat Bahgat, an expert in national security from the US, trust deﬁcit between India and Pakistan is the biggest road block in the context of the IPI pipeline with the project without the Indian leg of the originally proposed pipeline. For India, this pipeline can correct its falling natural gas production and the increased volume of the costlier liquefied natural gas that the country imports. For Pakistan, it will work as a boon to resolve its deepening energy crisis. During the time the Turkmenistan-AfghanistanPakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline deal was signed, there were voices from India to abandon IPI to TAPI. Concerns were felt on two grounds, namely, assurance of supply as well as its security while the pipeline passes from edgy Balochistan, which has already witnessed 198 incidents

deficit countries like China and India. This is in addition to the linking of India with Afghanistan, and through the land route from Iran to India making both TAPI and IPI relevant for both these countries. With the signing of the $7.5 billion Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline deal and changing geopolitical scenario post-2014, the US’s strategic interest and its policy in South Asia will surely be tested. The US will be walking a tight rope, if the recent enthusiasm shown by India to join the IP gas pipeline becomes a reality. It has already started to express its opposition to the same and raised questions with

regard to the feasibility of the IPI gas pipeline. According to Dr Gawdat Bahgat, an expert in national security from the US, trust deficit between India and Pakistan is the biggest road block in the context of the I;PI pipeline. But this contradicts the US on two grounds - first its support for improvement of relations between India and Pakistan and second its push for TAPI project which too will go via Pakistan before coming to India. Not too long after the skirmishes on the LOC, the US State Department Spokeswomen, Victoria Nuland, said. ‘We would hate to see all that jeopardised’ and appreciated that it was direct talks by these countries which have helped in improving their economic relations’. ;India on the other hand, after initial ambivalence, has now come up open in the favour of importing crude from Iran. India’s Foreign Secretary, Ranjan Mathai stated that, ‘We will continue to buy oil from Iran’, thereby, refusing to accept US pressure behind recent fall in Iranian crude import. Moreover, according to the recommendation of the Finance Ministry, a Rs. 2000 crore corpus to be called as “Indian Energy Insurance Pool” will be created to protect and insure Indian refineries that import oil from Iran. India has also shown interest in the development of Iran’s Chabbar seaport, with an investment of around $100 million providing it access to Afghanistan. The IPI is thus important in the context of Pakistan and India’s energy needs. Washington would do well to exhibit pragmatism and understand the constraints of both countries. MANISH VAID IS A RESEARCH ASSISTANT WITH OBSERVER RESEARCH FOUNDATION TRIDIVESH SINGH MAINI IS A NEW DELHI BASED INDEPENDENT FOREIGN POLICY ANALYST

The clowns of the Italian parliament CHRISTOPHER BRAUCHLI It doesn’t seem fair. The Italians have a lot more fun doing nothing than we do. And, in addition, they have the Pope and former Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi. We have no one like the Pope to take pride in and it’s hard to match Berlusconi. This all came to mind while watching the Italian Parliament try to elect a president and undertake other legislative tasks. Comparisons to the US Congress invited themselves to the viewing. Like the US Congress, the Italian parliament has proved itself incapable of governing. The most recent election in the United States was in November 2012 whereas the Italian parliament was elected in February 2013. In both countries all legislative parties are divided into three parts. In the United States the three parts are the Republicans who control the House of Representatives, the Democrats who control the Senate and the Tea Party who more or less control themselves as well as those Republicans with whom they disagree. In Italy, the three parts are the center left Democratic Party, the center right People of Liberty party and the Five Star Movement that is led by a comedian, Beppe Grillo. Some of the leaders of the Italian parties

BAT for Pakistan It’s very seldom that true leaders are born in a region and it totally depends on God's will. But how high or low you set your standards, is totally something in your control. My beloved country, Pakistan, has been suffering since 65 plus years now. It’s like we have come out of royal Mughal and British rule, and have been under the ruling elite now. People of Pakistan have been working hard, putting their blood and sweat into

Like the US Congress, the Italian parliament has proved itself incapable of governing. This all came to mind while watching the Italian parliament try to elect a president and undertake other legislative tasks. The two legislative bodies ignore the will of the people for economic reasoning remind one of some of the leaders in Congress. The leader of the center-left party (until a few days ago) was Pier Luigi Bersani whose party has the majority in the lower house but not in the Senate and, is, therefore, unable to do anything without the help of one of the other two parties. He is described in the New York Times as being a “somewhat gloomy” individual, a description that could apply equally well to Senator Mitch McConnell, the dour minority leader in the US Senate. Mr Grillo, leader of the Five Star Party, is an acknowledged comedian, not unlike any number of the members of the US Congress. The Five Star party received 25 per cent of the February vote entitling its members to 163 of the 945 seats in the parliament. Mr Grillo showed his sense of humour by causing his party to express its disapproval of the parliament’s failure to appoint committees by conducting a sit in. The only problem was they sat in the very chairs in parliament that they were elected to sit in. At the end of the day’s session

it over all these years only for a few ruling families. It’s like a masterslave relationship on a very large scale with huge sets, favored cast but a very weak script. Because it’s a home production; the lead actors don't change yet extras do all the work and have been able to drag this film. But every movie has a climax and sometimes a good climax saves a very bad film and lays a foundation for a sequel which covers the loss in time to come. Dear Pakistanis, 11 May is giving you an opportunity to fix this climax and if you will do this you can have a good solid sequel with a changed script which will make all you talented extras feel special in a production house which is actually funded by you. With 17 years of determined struggle and persistence under his belt, this nation has a leader now after Jinnah. This leader, Imran Khan, has already proven his credibility by working in health and education (basic needs) sectors

they declined to go home and stayed in their seats until midnight reading assorted legal texts. No one much cared. The US Congress has its share of clowns. One of the biggest is Georgia’s Paul Broun, a physician who sits on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. His words belie his education and make a mockery of the committee on which he sits. In a speech at Liberty Baptist Church in Hartwell, Ga. he reported that: ‘All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and Big Bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of hell. And it’s lies to try to keep me and all the folks who are taught that from understanding that they need a savior’. He may not be funny but he’s definitely a clown. Last, but not least, among elected characters, is Sylvio Berlusconi whose closest Congressional counterpart might be former New York Congressman, Anthony Weiner. Mr Weiner sent pictures of his crotch to assorted women he found on the internet. It cost him his seat but

on his own. He worked for flood victims all over Pakistan and went door-to-door while others enjoyed seven-course meals in their palaces and European estates. He has been thoroughly conducting his election campaign visiting your town like a tireless worker. The only leader to visit all the towns himself and hats off to him the way he is managing his schedule. This hasn't been done before and all the previously elected “leaders” will never consider you worthy enough to visit your small town. The only reason you will vote for any previously elected ruling elites is if you are happy with what has happened to Pakistan in all these years. People in all these years have been stung so badly that whatever Imran Khan says seems too good to be true. I've witnessed a lot of educated people becoming pessimists. I would request all of you to have faith in Allah and be confident about your true potential and capacity. You are not a slave

not his ambition. He hopes to be New York City’s next mayor. By Italian standards, Mr Weiner’s conduct is fairly tame. By contrast, while Mr Berlusconi was premier the world’s newspapers were filled with pictures of comely young women who graced the parties hosted by Mr Berlusconi and expressed their gratitude by giving him party favours of the sexual kind. He, too, ultimately lost his job as a result. Both the US Congress and the Italian Parliament are incapable of governing. Congress takes advantage of procedural tricks to block legislation, the appointment of judges, cabinet officers, heads of regulatory commissions and virtually all legislation. Defining majority to mean 60% enables Congress to avoid its constitutionally imposed duties. The Italians model themselves after the US Congress. In February 2012 they held an election for Parliament in which no party got a clear majority. Thereafter the three parties refused to form alliances with the result

and you have to change this mind set. If any nation in this world can do it, you can do it as well. This time if you won't bat for Pakistan, you will be bowled out completely. We have nothing to lose as this is surely the 11th wicket. For coming years, do not whine but VOTE! MOHSIN KHAWAR LAHORE

The horror of capitalism I experienced in the capital I visited “The Centaurus” today to see the new face of Islamabad. The Centaurus is the new expression of acquired wealth by the elite and the rich were shopping there, as if there was no tomorrow. While the Muslim Leaguis were buying lions from stuffed toys shop, I wanted to make photos of them and the designer shops etc. The guard stopped me from photography of

that no parliamentary committees were set up and it took more than two months and six ballots for the parliamentarians to agree on a new president. (On 20 April 2012, the deadlock was broken and the 87year old Girogio Napolitano was elected to a second term, the first Italian president to ever be elected to two terms.) Commenting on Mr Napolitano’s reelection, Antonio Polito, a political commentator said: ‘Our system is no longer able to produce a stable government. The parliamentary system is broken, and it has not been able to fix itself ’. An Italian woman commented: ‘I am sick and tired of Parliament ignoring the will of the people because of economic reasoning’. Neither of those commentators was speaking of the US Congress. They could have been. As I said at the outset, the Italians are lucky. They have the Pope and Berlusconi. We have no consolation prizes.

the building and said that ‘I have to stop you against my will’… He said that otherwise I know that: ‘theft creates wealth and we, the havenots, are forced to guard the wealth being stolen from us by the haves through labour exploitation and looting of public money’. I shall never go to the Centaurus again - Maar Diya, Guard Ne..!!!! ISMAT SHAHEJAN ISLAMABAD

Healing the wounds of FATA The article by Anwar Mehsud gave me a clear picture of FATA and the crisis of governance in the tribal areas that lies at the root of most of its trouble. Otherwise, I was completely at a loss to understand what is going on in these areas. What we see on television and read in other newspapers confuses us further. The experts and analysts

(COUNTERPUNCH)

keep repeating their learned lines while going around the same bush over and over again. There is a lot of talk of extremism and terrorist activities but one hardly comes across anything about the folks who live there and their travails. Everyone insists on viewing the lives and homes of these people ravaged by violence not of their making, through the prism of “war on terror” and other larger formulations. Nobody tells us anything about what they are going through. I would like to thank your paper for bringing the perspective of the people of FATA and the hardship they have faced due to the great game of big players. We should do all we can to heal the wounds of our brothers and sisters living in FATA. AHMED JAMAL RAWALPINDI Please email your letters to letters@thespokesman.pk or post them to our address in Islamabad.

SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013

THIrSTy CITIeS-IV

Should we care for ethics in development policy? Is turning drinking water into a commodity okay? Questions raised in the fourth excerpt from the book by Dr Imdad Hussain, Thirsty Cities Water, the indispensible part of the universe, has been philosophers’ fascination since centuries. For instance, some 2,500 years ago, the Chinese mystic Lao Tzu wrote Tao Te Ching, in which he considered water so important that he stressed to be like water, as living life like water was a way to peace and harmony. He said: ‘The highest good is to be like water; Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive; it flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao’. He also said, ‘Under heaven nothing is more soft and yielding than water; yet for attacking the solid and strong, nothing is better; it has no equal’. In large part, the words of Lao Tzu narrate ethics of living. All cultures have ethical codes and their study and practice does not solely lie in the purview of ethicists, moral philosophers and religious preachers of all persuasions. Max Weber in his authoritative work Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism showed how protestant ethics of work, personal discipline, responsibility and rationality helped capitalism to grow. In the context of water, we can also study water related ethics: ethics which make people preserve water, use it responsibly, and prevent it from contamination. Can we live life following the utilitarian or rational calculations of gains and losses? Can we bypass ethics in everyday lives? Both questions can be answered affirmatively. The gains and losses and their calculations are important indeed, very important as they guide human actions in important ways. However, both the rational and the utilitarian models of human ethics are insufficient mainly because they place more emphasis on maximising gains. The competition-based social organisation has stimulated development, innovation and progress in human societies, particularly in western societies. However, competition has reached its limits. Competition increases individual consumption and the struggles to consume more than others jeopardise the collective survival. In the documentary Fog of War, Robert S. McNamara said: ‘rationality will not save us’. In Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, Harvard Psychologist, Daniel Gilbert declares that world’s problems among human beings stem from struggles to gain more than others. In the same documentary, Jared Diamond, announces that hundreds and millions of farmers need to practice water conservation strategies to save the world. The message of the documentary was to promote cooperation among people more than competition, which, to me, is a powerful ethical strand. In a way, the documentary called for ethical action. But what constitutes ethical action? Of course, the definition of ethical action varies from time to time. Our actions are ethical, if we perform

them more for social sake and less for personal benefit. We should explore whether water ethics are possible? To me, the answer is, yes. In the last few decades, there is resurgence in literature on environmental ethics, including water ethics. If we agree that water is not merely a resource but a living being, as respectful as other living beings, the likelihood of reviving and developing water-centered ethics increases manifold. How did water ethics decline? In Indus Valley and Harappan civilisations, polluting water was considered a sinful thing and this ethics remained intact to various degrees until the mid-twentieth century. In the history of Punjab, a number of values and folk wisdom attached a great significance to the drinking water. As time passed, hand pumps replaced wells, and motors replaced hand pumps and in recent times, one hardly comes across the well. Hand pumps are in place only where people can’t afford electric motors. In the past few decades, everything has changed: polluting and wasting water are no more sinful activities. Recently, water is no more a collective good and a collective responsibility which indicates that water ethics has regressed. Are the ethics relevant to the public policy? Indeed, they are highly relevant. Ethical considerations underpin important questions related to water and water policy. The water and water policy are beset with a range of ethical dilemmas. Is turning drinking water into a commodity okay? Should wealthy people be allowed to use as much sweet water as they can pay for? Should we wash our bodies, cars, homes with sweet water? Should all restaurants in the city be allowed to serve their customers with priced bottled water? Should we not worry about water deprived communities if we can buy bottled water ourselves? The concerns of Equity and Inclusion concepts are largely ethical. By centralising ethicality, I do not deny the significance of removing structural inequality. An ethical foundation is needed for removing structural problems too. Without ethics, large scale changes such as revolutions, act against the very dreams which are set out to be achieved. I am also aware of the fact that the ethical principles relate to the power relations in society. We lament the death of a celebrity and not of beggars exposing the reality that power shapes our compassions. I am also aware of the dangers inherent in moralising the social issues. Inequality in access to water is largely structural but it has an ethical dimension too. I stress that ethical and structural issues of justice should go hand in hand without moralising. THE WRITER IS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT FORMAN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, LAHORE

Pessimism, politics and engagement ABBAS RASHID

Two recent surveys reveal that young people consider the three most important events in their lifetime to be the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the earthquake of 2005 and the floods of 2010-11 which affected nearly 5 million people

If the recent British Council Next Generation survey is anything to go by, the setting for the national elections scheduled for next month is one where hope is having a hard time standing up to despair: 94 percent of the respondents were of the view that Pakistan is headed in the wrong direction. The finding is particularly alarming given that it comes from a representative sample of young men and women from across the country aged between 18 and 29 years. This is a generation strategically poised to take Pakistan in one direction or the other. And how it perceives the state in which Pakistan finds itself and what it chooses to do about it has huge implications for its future and that of the country. Interestingly, the turning point, according to another recent survey, the IRI survey of public opinion, seems to have come in 2007 when General Musharraf chose to deal in the most ham handed of ways with the twin crises that he faced in the spring of that year: the confrontation with Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and the militants’ take-over of the Lal Masjid. Actually, Musharraf appeared to have lost it the year before when he ordered action against Akbar Bugti at a time when two of his trusted political aides had already completed negotiations with the Baloch sardar. And what was agreed on had been put in the public domain through the media. It is a measure of the severity of the economic crunch faced by the majority that despite the rising

incidence of violence and terrorism in different parts of the country only 11 percent of the respondents of the Next Generation survey said that terrorism was Pakistan’s biggest problem. And while jobs are difficult to come by, it is the high inflation that that nearly half the respondents, at 44 percent, pointed to as the biggest problem. Understandably so, given that the rise in basics such as food prices often outstrips the average rise in prices. As the report points out, in 2008 the inflation rate went up to 25 percent. As if to underline our grossly inequitable economic policies, food prices rose by 34 percent! In other words, those with the least to spare have to spend a very high percentage of their income on basic necessities such as food and end up being the hardest hit by the inflation spikes. A finding that echoes earlier surveys finds that non-political institutions such as the army and judiciary are viewed more favourably than political institutions including national and provincial governments, assemblies and political parties. While over threefourths of the respondents held a favourable view of the army, over two-thirds held an unfavourable view of political parties. At one level this should certainly be interpreted as a wake-up call for political parties which perhaps could do with more internal democracy as well as much greater engagement with issues of popular concern. It should also serve as a sharp reminder for improving governance and seriously addressing the issues of incompetence and corruption.

That having been said, it may be indicative also of the value that young people still accord the political realm that when asked about the most important events that have taken place in their lifetimes, the one most often cited was the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. The other two were cataclysmic nature events: the earthquake of 2005 which killed over 87,000 people and the floods of 2010-11 which affected nearly 5 million people. The significance attached to Benazir’s assassination by a very large number of young people is interesting in another context as well: nearly two-thirds of the urban and almost three-fourths of the rural young see themselves as religious-conservative. So what does being religious and conservative mean in this context? Obviously, and somewhat unexpectedly, many of those who define themselves as belonging to this category still see the demise of a woman leader representing a party such as the PPP as a major consequential event. None of this is to minimise the rise of a particular kind of religiousity and conservatism that our society has witnessed with the Zia ul Haq era standing out for its major contribution to the enterprise. However, a large number of citizens of formally secular countries may also see themselves as religious and conservative. According to a poll in the US, a majority of Americans report that religion plays a "very important" role in their lives and certainly many define themselves as conservative. The real issue is whether citizens allow themselves to

be swayed or manipulated by the instrumentalist use of ideology or religion into supporting aggression/dictatorship, denying the rights of minorities or oppressing the poor. There or here, it is this kind of usage that has to be contested. That people view themselves as religious and conservative rather than “enlightened” and “secular” may also be a matter of how the meaning constructed for the latter terms by a politico-religious establishment has come to dominate the popular discourse. Consider also the fact that over onethird of the respondents were in favour of the imposition of Sharia law in Pakistan. But, strangely, when asked what was Pakistan’s biggest problem hardly anyone pointed to its absence as being one of them. There is no question about the popular emotive engagement with religion. But, if the response on the issue of law is to be interpreted literally, then we should see the politico-religious parties emerging as major winners in the coming elections. Somehow, even with parties such as the ANP, PPP and MQM being brutally targeted on a daily basis that would appear to be a highly unlikely outcome. And, in these circumstances, even a halfdecent turnout on election-day would suggest that the youth of this country are not quite as pessimistic as they say they are and have not quite given up on democracy with all its faults… at least, not yet. THE WRITER IS AN EDUCATIONIST BASED IN LAHORE

Anna Hazare’s fall from grace and Indian democracy HARISH KHARE The weekly, India Today, has just published its annual compilation of the most powerful people in India. Such lists inevitably contain some degree of arbitrariness as well as an element of subjectivity. But in the capital city which gets its kicks on gossip and patronage, such listings are sacred rites of reaffirmation. These yearly snapshots give a reasonable idea of how power is deemed to be shared among the prominenti. What is most astonishing about this year’s Power List is that social activist Anna Hazare, judged the most powerful person in India in 2012, does not find a place in the list at all. The man who a year ago was declared the mightiest public presence has been reduced to a big nothing. Even Arvind Kejriwal, that energetic major domo in the Anna clique, who figured prominently at no. 47 last year, does not make the cut this time. The exclusion of Anna Hazare should be a fascinating phenomenon to every student of Indian political sociology. Was his canonisation last year totally misplaced or is his exclusion this year a reflection of a distorted notion of “power” and “powerful”? After all, only 12 months ago, the man was serenaded as our saviour for his anti-corruption campaign - a man who inspired millions of fellow Indians to raise their voice against a flawed system. It cannot be anybody’s case that India has become significantly free of “corruption” within a space of 12 months, or at least has become so much better that we no longer need the Anna Hazare ministrations. Or, have those who responded to Anna Hazare’s call to come out to the streets seen through the game, have become wiser, even a bit cynical? Or, have those who promoted him in the first

Has the “political” class beaten back an honest crusader or has the democratic legitimacy of the political system finally prevailed? What has changed in India that the man who was hailed as leading us to our “second war of Independence” is almost forgotten as a fallen hero? place and crafted a halo around him, given up on him, having achieved whatever elbow room they were looking for themselves? Has the “political” class beaten back an honest crusader or has the democratic legitimacy of the political system finally prevailed? What has changed in India that the man who was hailed as leading us to our “second war of Independence” is almost forgotten as a fallen hero? All these are troubling questions and there are no easy answers. And the absence of easy answers points, once again, to the complicatedness of our collective woes, as also to the inescapable unpleasantness inherent in maintaining and sustaining a state order, in this exacting age of borderless capital and borderless terror. Admittedly, the story is yet to be told of who decided that Anna Hazare be pitch-forked on to the national stage. All these years, the Gandhian activist was content to play the role of a minor nuisance to Maharashtra’s highly contaminated politicians and bureaucracy, that too with only patchy results. He never did set Mumbai on fire, yet he was now pencilled in for the role of a prime time insurgent. The powerful people with motives and resources who bankrolled the “movement” too were cognisant of his limited mind space. His only asset was that he was perhaps the only one around who still donned a Gandhi cap. But for a while the Anna show was a great hit because the moment was ripe. It would be totally unimaginative to negate the national mood that provided the backdrop to the Anna

Hazare movement. It was a moment of national frustration. A strange sense of helplessness and paralysis was visible to the vocal middle classes, who needed to have someone to blame for their globally induced economic miseries. So much so that a leading intellectual even allowed himself to suggest that Anna Hazare’s rambling speech at Ram Lila Maidan was more inspiring than Jawaharlal Nehru’s “Tryst with Destiny” oration. As far as the middle classes were concerned a “Jan Lok Pal” was the abracadabra to make all the corruption go away and with it their miseries. The Anna campaign was never a “movement” and it petered out because the very process that made it a “movement” lacked the integrity and moral stamina for a long-distance journey. To begin with, the TRP-jihadists saw a potential in Anna Hazare and adopted him as a long lost cousin. As it were, a number of media personalities came to invest heavily in the Hazare phenomenon. Some of them wrote fawning books, some cheerfully strategised with the “India Against Corruption” crowd. They joyfully crossed the thin line between journalism and political partisanship. For a while, corporate advertising support was available for this jugal bandi. The same telecom giants who figured dishonourably in the “2G” scam were in the forefront of providing the requisite advertising help to this “revolt of the masses”. But then all good things do come to an end. And the media barons are not without greed. The eager-beavers who were leading the

anti-corruption crusade were themselves caught on camera cutting deals with the “corrupt” corporate personalities. The spell was broken. A year later, the citizen is today much more sceptical of tall claims made by crusading matadors on the nightly shows. Quest for good governance is a noble aspiration among citizens, not just in India but all over the democratic world. In response to this aspiration, the Manmohan Singh government has taken a few baby-steps towards instituting a new accountability structure. The Prime Minister had the wisdom and the humility to acknowledge and salute Anna Hazare, only to be greeted with arrogance and hubris of petty politicians. But thinking citizens do understand the soundness of the constitutional scheme of things. The Anna Hazare-backed solutions were located outside this constitutional arrangement. And if he is a forgotten man it is because the great institutional equilibrium is in the process of recovering its centeredness. It was only in the fitness of things that the judiciary as an institution should have become alarmed at the excessive extra-judicial vigilantism among its ranks. And, when the government gathered the courage to seek a Presidential Reference in the 2G matter, the judiciary grabbed the opportunity to undertake a course correction. An errant Comptroller and Auditor-General, who whetted our appetite for conspiracies and corruption, lost his bite as he increasingly

painted himself in a partisan corner. No institutional functionary can be effective if he chooses to give an impression that he believes that all the bad men and all the badness are located on one side of the political divide. Partisanship begets partisanship, and the institution loses its respect and prestige. The energy and anger that sustained Anna Hazare have not dissipated. But the Indian citizen is much more sober today than he was a year ago. Indeed, the Hazare sales-pitch was predicated on our weakness for the myth of a single man as a solution to all our collective ills. This is essentially a Bollywood-isation of national imagination. Too often a determined clique is able to manufacture a halo around a man, promising to set things right, and then all the self-styled defenders of democratic values and democratic space effortlessly rush in to enlist in manufacturing a personality cult. At the height of the India Against Corruption crescendo, Kiran Bedi used to argue, as if in a trance, that ‘Anna has never failed’. The same infallibility and inevitability is now being chanted about another entrant to the Power List, a certain Chief Minister from Gujarat. The same players and strategy that were in play during the Anna “movement” are furiously at work again. But India is wiser today and has moved beyond the Anna Hazare temptation precisely because it can see through false prophets, and the sales-pitch made by them and on their behalf. (THE HINDU)

SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013

N Korea charges US man of plot to overthrow regime PYONGYANG: North Korea announced Saturday that an American detained for nearly six months is being tried in the Supreme Court on charges of plotting to overthrow the government, a crime that could draw the death penalty if he is convicted. The case involving Kenneth Bae, who has been in North Korean custody since early November, further complicates already fraught relations between Pyongyang and Washington following weeks of heightened rhetoric and tensions. The trial mirrors a similar situation in 2009, when the US and North Korea were locked in a standoff over Pyongyang's decision to launch a long-range rocket and conduct an underground nuclear test. At the time, North Korea had custody of two American journalists, whose eventual release after being sentenced to 12 years of hard labor paved the way for diplomacy following months of tensions. Bae was arrested in early November in Rason, a special economic zone in North Korea's far northeastern region bordering China and Russia, according to official state media. In North Korean dispatches, Bae, a Korean American, is called Pae Jun Ho, the North Korean spelling of his Korean name. –AGENCIES

Taliban announce start of spring offensive KABUL: The Taliban on Saturday announced the start of their spring offensive, signaling plans to step up attacks as the weather warms across Afghanistan, making both travel and fighting easier. The statement comes toward the end of a month that already has been the deadliest of the year. The militant group's leadership vowed that "every possible tactic will be utilized in order to detain or inflict heavy casualties on the foreign transgressors," including suicide attacks on military bases and

diplomatic areas. The leadership also threated more so-called insider attacks by members of theAfghan security forces against their colleagues or foreign troops. Such attacks threaten the strength of the Afghan forces as they work to take over responsibility from international troops. The latest one occurred in March, when a member of Afghanistan's government-backed militia program shot and killed five of his colleagues in Badghis province in northwest Afghanistan.

Army is ready to neutralize the offensive," the ministry said, adding that the soldiers now have the support and trust of many Afghans. In another development, a NATO aircraft crashed in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, and coalition forces were securing the site, the International Security Assistance Force said. Its brief statement provided no information about where the crash occurred or if there were casualties, but did say there was no indication it was downed by insurgents. Mohammad Jan

In a sign of Taliban's determination to replace Afghanistan's government with one promoting a stricter interpretation of Islamic law, they named their new offensive after a legendary Muslim military commander, Khalid ibn al-Walid. Also known as "the Drawn Sword of God," he was a companion of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. Afghanistan's defense ministry responded by saying its security forces are prepared for Taliban's new campaign. "The Afghan National

Resuming peace talks with Palestine

Israel proposes 4-way summit

Sudan rebels attack city, push closer to capital KHARTOUM: Rebels from Sudan's Darfur region attacked a city in a neighboring state on Saturday, taking their fight closer to the capital Khartoum, witnesses said. The attack marks the biggest push of a rebel alliance that seeks to topple President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. Fighting had hitherto been limited mainly to the remote regions of Darfur and South Kordofanand Blue Nile states, which border South Sudan. The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) - which launched an unprecedented assault on Khartoum in 2008 - said insurgents stormed the city of Um Rawaba in North Kordofan state, around 500 km (300 miles) south of the capital. JEM did not say whether it would try to advance further. Sudan's army told state media it was still fighting rebels inside Um Rawaba, the state's second largest city. It accused the insurgents of destroying a power plant, petrol stations and a telecommunications tower. "Battles are still ongoing," army spokesman alSawarmi Khalid told state news agency SUNA. –AGENCIES

C’wealth meet in Sri Lanka ’accommodates evil’: Baird LONDON: Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird has condemned the decision to allow Sri Lanka to host the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in November as "accommodating evil". Baird spoke out after his Commonwealth counterparts in London on Friday agreed to press ahead with the meeting despite strong criticism over Colombo's human rights record. "We're appalled that Sri Lanka seems poised to host CHOGM and to be chair-in-residence of the Commonwealth for two years," the Canadian minister told The Guardian newspaper late Friday. "Canada didn't get involved in the Commonwealth to accommodate evil; we came to combat it. We are deeply disappointed that Sri Lanka appears poised to take on this leadership role." –AGENCIES

Rasoulyar, deputy governor of the southern Zabul province, said a helicopter belonging to foreign forces crashed on Saturday afternoon in the district of Shah Joy. He confirmed that the site was surrounded by foreign forces but had no information on the cause of the crash or whether anyone was hurt or killed. The new Taliban offensive comes as US-backed efforts to try to reconcile the Islamic militant movement with the Afghan government have so far failed. –AGENCIES

WEST BANK: Palestinian protesters run to take cover after gas fifirred by Israeli soldiers during a protest against the expanding of Jewish settlements in Kufr Qadoom village. –WIRE SERVICE

‘Political solution only way out of Syrian crisis’

Rebels may get chemical weapons from Turkey: Syria

BEIRUT: Visiting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Friday that he agreed with the Lebanese officials on the necessity to find a political solution to end the Syrian crisis based on a comprehensive national dialogue. Bogdanov said in separate statements following his meeting with Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour and Speaker Nabih Berri that "We have no choice as for the solution to Syrian crisis but to agree on the political solution based on the national dialogue and the Geneva Communique. " The Russian diplomat expressed hope that the Lebanese would be able to resolve all their disputes, form a new cabinet and reach agreement on the electoral law. According to statement issued by Miqati's office, the meeting between Bogdanov and the prime minister focused on the situation in the region, the conflict in neighboring Syria and the conditions of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Miqati announced his resignation last month after his government failed to reach an agreement in a cabinet session over the formation of a supervisory electoral body. Meanwhile, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said that the chemical weapons used by rebels in a

northern Syrian town were probably from Turkey, the state-run SANA news agency reported Saturday. The remarks were made during alZoubi's visit to Moscow. He said the missile which targeted the northern town of Khan al-Assal in Aleppo province was launched from a rebel-held place, which was not far from the Turkish borders. He added the Syrian government took the initiative to request a probe into the incident, reiterating Syria's support for letting Russian experts investigate the use of chemical weapons in the battered town. Commenting on the fresh western allegations about the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian army in other areas, the minister said "the US-British and western allegations in general on that issue do not have any credibility." He held the western sides direct responsibility for what happened in Khan al-Assal. The White House said Thursday that the "US intelligence community assesses with some degree of varying confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin." Syria brushed aside the accusations and slammed Washington as trying to use the chemical issue to threat a repetition of the Iraqi scenario in 2003. –AGENCIES

Bangladesh rescuers find 19 alive SAVAR: Police in Bangladesh took five people into custody in connection with the collapse of a shoddily-constructed building this week, as rescue workers pulled 19 survivors out of the rubble on Saturday and vowed to continue as long as necessary to find others despite fading hopes. At least 340 people are known to have died, crushed by massive blocks of concrete and mortar falling on them when the 8-story structure came down on Wednesday morning -- a time many of thegarment factories in the building were packed with workers. It was the worst tragedy to hit Bangladesh's massive garment industry, and focused attention on the poor working conditions of the employees who toil for $38 a month to produce clothing for top international brands. Among those taken into custody is the wife of the building owner, who is on the run, in an attempt to force him to surrender. –AGENCIES

Abbas begins talks to form national govt

RAMALLAH: A senior Palestinian official said Saturday that Israel has proposed holding a four-way summit to sponsor the resumption of the stalled Mideast peace talks with the Palestinians. US Secretary of State John Kerry had briefed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during their meeting in Turkey last week on details of the proposal, in which US President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Jordan King Abdullah II along with Abbas will participate, the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Abbas informed Kerry that he welcomes the idea but before joining any summit, Israel has to implement its commitments, he added. The Palestinians demanded Israel to halt settlement building in the Palestinian territories and east Jerusalem, recognize the principle of the two-state solution and release prisoners in Israeli jails, who were detained before 1993. The Israeli proposal was made almost one month after Kerry's visit to the region to try to resume the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians which had stopped in Oct. 2010. Meanwhile, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat declined to make any comment on the proposal, saying "The Palestinian stance is clear that the international efforts to resume the peace talks are

welcomed but need an Israeli commitment to halt settlement and recognize the borders of the Palestinian state." Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas began discussions Saturday to form a national government, the official Wafa news agency reported. The government would be formed in accordance with deals brokered between Abbas' Fatah party and Hamas in Doha and Cairo in the past couple of years, Abbas said in a statement. The government is supposed to rule the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and to prepare for holding general elections, including polls within the bodies of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), he said, calling on all Palestinian factions to cooperate with the formation of the government. Abbas also said the government would be a technocratic interim body comprising independent figures. Salah Al-Bardawil, a spokesperson for Hamas, however, said the Islamic movement is unaware of Abbas' efforts to form the government. Al-Bardawil said Hamas would welcome the move only if the national reconciliation was achieved as "one package" that settles all outstanding issues. The Gaza Strip has been controlled by Hamas since it routed pro- Abbas forces in 2007. –AGENCIES

China border dispute can be solved peacefully: Indian PM NEW DELH I: India’s prime minister said Saturday a dispute over an alleged incursion by Chinese troops deep inside Indianclaimed territory can be settled peacefully and warned against exacerbating tensions. The reported Chinese infiltration across the disputed Himalayan border has strained ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours whose relations have long been chequered by mutual suspicion – a legacy of a 1962 border war. “We do believe it is possible to resolve this problem. Talks are going on,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in his first comments on the incident in the Ladakh region normally controlled by India. “It is a localised problem,” he told reporters in New Delhi. Indian analysts say a Chinese intrusion could be a response to New Delhi’s drive to step up road-building near their de facto border to ferry Indian troops and counter China’s buildup of military infrastructure. –AGENCIES

The terror of capitalism in Bangladesh In the Atlantic world, self-absorption over the wars on terror and on the downturn in the economy prevent any genuine introspection over the mode of life that relies upon debt-fueled consumerism at the expense of workers in Dhaka VIJAY PRASHAD N Wednesday, 24 April, a day after Bangladeshi authorities asked the owners to evacuate their garment factory that employed almost three thousand workers, the building collapsed. The building, Rana Plaza, located in the Dhaka suburb of Savar, produced garments for the commodity chain that stretches from the cotton fields of South Asia through Bangladesh’s machines and workers to the retail houses in the Atlantic world. Famous name brands were stitched here, as are clothes that hang on the satanic shelves of Wal-Mart. Rescue workers were able to save two thousand people as of this writing, with confirmation that over three hundred are dead. The numbers for the latter are fated to rise. It is well worth mentioning that the death toll in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City of 1911 was one hundred and forty six. The death toll here is already twice that. This “accident” comes five months (24 November 2012) after the Tazreen garment factory fire that killed at least one hundred and twelve workers. The list of “accidents” is long and painful. In April 2005, a garment factory in Savar collapsed, killing

seventy-five workers. In February 2006, another factory collapsed in Dhaka, killing eighteen. In June 2010, a building collapsed in Dhaka, killing twenty-five. These are the “factories” of twenty-first century globalisation poorly built shelters for a production process geared toward long working days, third rate machines, and workers whose own lives are submitted to the imperatives of just-in-time production. Writing about the factory regime in England during the nineteenth century, Karl Marx noted, ‘But in its blind unrestrainable passion, its wearwolf hunger for surplus labour, capital oversteps not only the moral, but even the merely physical maximum bounds of the working-day. It usurps the time for growth, development and healthy maintenance of the body. It steals the time required for the consumption of fresh air and sunlight… All that concerns it is simply and solely the maximum of labour-power that can be rendered fluent in a working-day. It attains this end by shortening the extent of the labourer’s life, as a greedy farmer snatches increased produce from the soil by reducing it of its fertility’ (Capital, Chapter 10). These Bangladesh factories are a part of the landscape of globalisation that is mimicked in the factories along the US-Mexico border, in Haiti, in Sri Lanka, and in other places that opened

their doors to the garment industry’s savvy use of the new manufacturing and trade order of the 1990s. Subdued countries that had neither the patriotic will to fight for their citizens nor any concern for the long-term debilitation of their social order rushed to welcome garment production. The big garment producers no longer wanted to invest in factories – they turned to subcontractors, offering them very narrow margins for profit and thereby forcing them to run their factories like prisonhouses of labour. The sub-contracting regime allowed these firms to deny any culpability for what was done by the actual owners of these small factories, allowing them to enjoy the benefits of the cheap products without having their consciences stained with the sweat and blood of the workers. It also allowed the consumers in the Atlantic world to buy vast amount of commodities, often with debt-financed consumption, without concern for the methods of production. An occasional outburst of liberal sentiment turned against this or that company, but there was no overall appreciation of the way the Wal-Mart type of commodity chain made normal the sorts of business practices that occasioned this or that campaign. Bangladeshi workers have not been as prone as the consumers in the Atlantic world. As recently as June

2012, thousands of workers in the Ashulia Industrial Zone, outside Dhaka, protested for higher wages and better working conditions. For days on end, these workers closed down three hundred factories, blocking the DhakaTangali highway at Narasinghapur. The workers earn between 3000 taka ($35) and 5,500 taka ($70) a month; they wanted a raise of between 1500 taka ($19) and 2000 taka ($25) per month. The government sent in three thousand policemen to secure the scene, and the Prime Minister offered anodyne entreaties that she would look into the matter. A three-member committee was set up, but nothing substantial came of it. Aware of the futility of negotiations with a government subordinated to the logic of the commodity chain, Dhaka exploded in violence as more and more news from the Rana Building emerged. Workers have shut down the factory area around Dhaka, blocking roads and smashing cars. The callousness of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers Association (BGMEA) adds fire to the workers’ anger. After the protests in June, BGMEA head Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin accused the workers of being involved in ‘some conspiracy’. He argued that there is ‘no logic for increasing the wages of the workers’. This time, BGMEA’s new president Atiqul Islam suggested that

the problem was not the death of the workers or the poor conditions in which workers toil but ‘the disruption in production owing to unrest and hartals [strikes]’. These strikes, he said, are ‘just another heavy blow to the garment sector’. No wonder those who took to the streets have so little faith in the sub-contractors and the government. Attempts to shift the needle of exploitation have been thwarted by concerted government pressure and the advantages of assassination. Whatever decency lurks in Bangladesh’s Labour Act is eclipsed by weak enforcement by the Ministry of Labour’s Inspections Department. There are only eighteen inspectors and assistant inspectors to monitor 100,000 factories in the Dhaka area, where most of the garment factories are located. If an infraction is detected, the fines are too low to generate any reforms. When workers try to form unions, the harsh response from the management is sufficient to curtail their efforts. Management prefers the anarchic outbreaks of violence to the steady consolidation of worker power. In fact, the violence led the Bangladeshi government to create a Crisis Management Cell and an Industrial Police not to monitor violations of labour laws, but to spy on worker organisers. In April 2012,

agents of capital kidnapped Aminul Islam, one of the key organisers of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity. He was found dead a few days later, his body littered with the marks of torture. Bangladesh has been convulsed this past months with protests over its history - the terrible violence visited among the freedom fighters in 1971 by the Jamaat-e-Islami brought thousands of people into Shanbagh in Dhaka; this protest morphed into the political civil war between the two mainstream parties, setting aside the calls for justice for victims of that violence. This protest has inflamed the country, which has been otherwise quite sanguine about the everyday terror against its garment sector workers. The Rana building “accident” might provide a progressive hinge for a protest movement that is otherwise adrift. In the Atlantic world, meanwhile, self-absorption over the wars on terror and on the downturn in the economy prevent any genuine introspection over the mode of life that relies upon debtfueled consumerism at the expense of workers in Dhaka. Those who died in the Rana building are victims not only of the malfeasance of the subcontractors, but also of twenty-first century globalisation. (Counterpunch)

SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013

nepal ambassador lauds Pakistani mangoes MULTAN: Declaring Pakistan mangoes the best in the world, Nepal ambassador in Pakistan Bharat Raj Paudyal said there was a lot of scope for enhancing trade ties between Pakistan and Nepal. “Undoubtedly, Pakistan is the best producer of mangoes in the world, but very small quantity of them goes to Nepal. There is a lot of scope of increasing trade ties between both countries,” Bharat Raj Paudyal said while addressing representative of the business community of south Punjab at Shamim Hall of MCCI late Thursday night. He added that women entrepreneurs could avail good chances of business in Nepal. The Nepal ambassador said that India was their largest trading partner with a volume of around Rs 800 million while with Pakistan, it was Rs 120 million. He, however, said that they could enhance trade with Pakistan in many fields andadded that Pakistani young entrepreneurs had been holding annual “Single Country Fair” in Nepal since 2010. Bharat said the Pakistani business community received great response in the fair.. He said that both counties enjoyed close relationships adding that he was much impressed by the hospitality of the Pakistani people. Earlier,in his welcome address, President Multan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (MCCI),Muhammad Khan Sadozai said Multan, being one of the oldest living cities of the world, had been an important trade centre and a gateway to central Asian states for centuries. He said that 72 per cent of mango of the county was produced in South Punjab. ONLINE

‘SNGPL will enhance gas supply duration for industry’ ISL AM ABAD: Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry, General Manager, Sui Northern Gas Company Limited Islamabad Region visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Saturday. While addressing the business community, he said that SNGPL is working to enhance gas supply duration for industry from 3 days to 4 days in a week. He said industry should be given priority in supplying gas to promote economic activities and create jobs. However, policy of encouraging CNG sector in the

country has made it difficult for us to supply consistent gas to industry. He said stay orders by CNG stations from courts against gas load shedding were creating problems for SNGPL. He said industrial and commercial consumers were the most profitable subscribers of SNGPL. However, it was the responsibility of government to reset its priorities for supply of gas to different categories of consumers keeping in view the supreme national interest. GM, SNGPL said a mafia was working in the field and minting

money from innocent people with promise of providing gas connections, but warned that people should not pay them money as such illegal gas connections could create problems for them. He assured that with the materialization of Iran Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project, the gas shortage problem will significantly improve in the country. In his welcome address, Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that shortage of

gas and electricity has almost crippled the business and industrial activities. He said industry should be given top priority for supplying gas and stressed that SNGPL should supply gas to industry for 12 hours from 6: 00 am to 6:00 pm. He termed it unfortunate that in spite of being an atomic power and having one of the best army in the world, Pakistan was badly suffering from energy crisis. He said CNG Sector was promoted without proper planning and the result is that all sectors of

AnAlysis

What Apple can learn from Warren Buﬀett BY JONATHAN WEIL

‘Bangladesh still works for retailers’ DHAKA: The factory collapse in Bangladesh that killed over 300 people this week is a stark reminder of the risks in the global retail industry's search for cheap production. But there have been few signs that safety issues and other questionable labor conditions are sending shockwaves through the major Western retailers, their shareholders or the people who buy the clothes in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. Despite a series of accidents that have killed hundreds of people in recent months, dozens of major retailers and apparel makers continue to operate in Bangladesh. The country ships about $15.6 billion of ready-made garments each year - about 80 percent of its total exports. Sixty percent of Bangladesh's garment exports go to Europe; the United States takes 23 percent, and Canada takes 5 percent, according to data from Bangladesh's commerce ministry and industry sources. About 18 months before the previous big tragedy in Bangladesh - a fire in November in a textile factory that killed 112 people - shareholders at Wal-Mart Stores Inc had the opportunity to weigh in on the safety question. By a nearly 50-to-1 margin, they rejected a proposal to require suppliers to report annually on safety issues at their factories. In arguing against the proposal, Wal-Mart's management made its reasoning clear: Having suppliers compile such reports "could ultimately lead to higher costs for Walmart and higher prices for our customers. AGENCIES

Vodafone investors want bigger bid LONDON: Six major Vodafone investors said $100 billion was not enough for the British company's stake in its U.S. joint venture with Verizon Communications, and urged the latter to come up with an offer of at least $120 billion. Their comments followed a Reuters report on Wednesday that Verizon had hired advisers to prepare a possible $100 billion bid to buy Vodafone's 45 percent stake in their Verizon Wireless joint venture, likely to be structured as a roughly 50:50 cash and stock bid. Should the $100 billion figure stand, the six shareholders, with around 1.3 billion of Vodafone's shares between them, said they would prefer the British group to push for a full merger with Verizon instead. The main concern among investors contacted by Reuters was the fact that a sale of Verizon Wireless - the best performing asset by far in the Vodafone portfolio - would highlight the operator's exposure to its troubled European markets. AGENCIES

currency

US Dollar Euro British Pound UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal Kuwaiti Dinar Canadian Dollar

BuyinG

99.70 128.86 152.94 26.95 26.45 345.92 96.61

sellinG

99.95 129.10 153.21 27.20 26.70 352.48 98.31

economy are now suffering while economic growth has slowed down creating problems of unemployment and difficulties for common man. President ICCI said SNGPL was providing gas to industry and CNG stations on the same days in Islamabad and this arrangement was causing low gas pressure due to which industry was facing problems in operating its machinery on gas. Meanwhile, he called for supply of gas to industry and CNG stations on separate days to improve gas pressure. ONLINE

LONDON: A shopper passes demonstrators outside clothing retailer Primark. AGENCIES

Food imports down by 11.9pc in 9 months ISLAMABAD: Food imports into the country shrunk by 11.91 percent during the first nine months of the current fiscal year (2012-13) as compared to the corresponding period of last year. Food imports stood at $3.35 billion during JulyMarch (2012-13) against the imports of $3.8 billion during July-March (2011-12), according to the latest data of Pakistan bureau of Statistics (PBS). The major food items that contributed in negative growth of imports included milk, cream and milk food for infants, imports of which declined from $121.776 million last year to $100.383 million in current year, showing negative growth of 17.57 percent. Similarly, imports of dry fruits and nuts decreased 8.35 percent by falling from $63.291 million to $58.008 million while the imports of spices decreased by 33.14 percent by going down from $77.525 million to $51.834 million. During the period under review, palm oil

imports decreased by 10.17 percent by going down from $1.72 billion last year to $1.543 billion during current year while the imports of sugar decreased from $13.34 million to $3.66 million, showing sharp decline of 72.57 percent. The imports of pulses (leguminous vegetables) decreased by 4.68 percent from $282.366 million to $269.155 million while the imports of other food items declined by 19.38 percent. The food products that witnessed positive growth included tea, imports of which increased by 9.13 percent by going up from $271.674 million to $296.466 million while the imports of soyabean oil increased from $41.954 million to $49.133 million, showing growth of 17.11 percent. On month basis, the food imports in March 2013 also decreased by 16.29 percent and 24.45 percent when compared to the imports during March 2012 and February 2013 respectively. The food imports decreased from $382.23

million in March 2012 and $423.585 million in February 2013 to $320.017 million in March 2013. It is pertinent to mention here that the country’s trade deficit decreased by 4.86 per cent during the first nine months of the current fiscal year as exports expanded by 5.36 per cent and imports witnessed positive growth of 0.39 per cent. The overall exports from the country increased from $17.1 billion in July-March 2011-12 to US$ 18.02 billion during JulyMarch (2012-13), according to the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). On the other hand, the imports increased from $ 33.285 billion last year to $ 33.414 billion during the current fiscal year, showing growth of 0.39 percent, the data revealed. According to the data, the trade deficit during the fist nine months of current fiscal year stood at $15.34 billion against the deficit of $16.2 billion, showing negative growth of 4.86 percent. AGENCIES

Dollar falls against the yen; bond yields decline NEW YORK: The U.S. dollar tumbled against the yen on Friday after the Bank of Japan left its monetary policy unchanged, while benchmark U.S. bond yields fell to near 4-1/2-month lows after the U.S. economy grew less than expected in the first quarter. The disappointing growth rate spurred concerns about a tepid outlook for the United States which, along with recent concerns that China's growth is slowing, also hit the price of oil. Brent crude fell to just above $103 a barrel after rising $3 in the past two sessions. China and the United States are the world's two largest oil consumers. The BoJ held off from announcing new monetary

policy on Friday, which was not unexpected, but board members suggested inflation may still fall short of the central bank's target for some time. The outlook on inflation in the bank's semi-annual economic report highlighted concerns that the BoJ has an unrealistic goal in its battle to end 15 years of deflation. The BoJ's announcement in early April of plans for $1.4 trillion in new monetary stimulus triggered a sharp selloff in the yen. However, traders said market expectations for ongoing weakness in the yen had come too far, too quickly. Recent lackluster U.S. data has added to dollar selling, which accelerated on Friday. "The selling started to feed on itself, and everyone started to jump

on the selling bandwagon," said Charles StArnaud, foreign exchange strategist at Nomura Securities in New York. The dollar fell as low 97.54 yen and was down 1.2 percent at 98.02 in late New York trade. U.S. gross domestic product expanded at a 2.5 percent annual rate in the first quarter. While that was a jump from the tepid growth seen in the final quarter of last year, it disappointed expectations for a 3 percent pace. The data and weakness on Wall Street lifted bond prices, with 30-year Treasuries up 28/32 at 105-07/32 to yield 2.862 percent. The benchmark 10-year note's yield fell to 1.665 percent, just a shade higher than the low of 1.643 percent reached earlier in the week. AGENCIES

ive credit to Apple Inc. (AAPL) and its chief executive officer, Tim Cook, for getting serious about returning unneeded capital to shareholders. As for the details, some of them don’t seem well thought out. The maker of iPhones and iPads this week said its board approved a sixfold increase in its stock-repurchase plan to $60 billion. Not long ago, even discussing the idea of large share buybacks was a nonstarter for Apple. Now that its stock has tanked, the company is acting like they are a must-do, no matter what else the future might bring. At about $408 a share, down 42 percent since its record high in September, Apple has a stock- market value of $383 billion. “This is the largest single share repurchase authorization in history and is expected to be executed by the end of calendar 2015,” Apple said in an April 23 news release, the same day the company reported its first quarterly profit decline in a decade. How could Apple be so confident it will spend the whole $60 billion by then? That’s hard to say. The company is under no obligation to complete the repurchase program, although it obviously wants the markets to believe it will. Apple’s statements this week suggested it would carry out the plan without regard to price, which should be the most important consideration of all. Nobody knows what Apple’s stock will do next month or next year. Would Apple keep doing buybacks if its priceearnings ratio tripled? That would be a high-class problem to have if the P/E soared because of a rising share price, but not if the main reason was a plunge in profits. Either way, you have to think Apple would reconsider its plans, except Apple didn’t say what might cause its expectations to change. The stock now trades for a mere 9.8 times earnings for the past four quarters. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK/A), the conglomerate run by Warren Buffett, also used to shun buybacks. Like Apple, it, too, changed tacks recently. In 2011, Berkshire said it would begin repurchasing shares for as much as a 10 percent premium to its book value, or common shareholder equity. The company’s board raised the limit in December to 20 percent. (Berkshire had paid about $1.4 billion to buy back stock as of the end of last year.) Unlike Apple, Berkshire provided welldefined parameters from the outset. The stock currently trades for a 41 percent premium to book, so investors have a clear understanding that Berkshire isn’t a buyer at today’s prices. The company has said it wouldn’t do buybacks if they would reduce Berkshire’s cash to less than $20 billion. It also has said it expects the program to continue indefinitely. There is no timetable. Apple’s buybacks are part of a program to return $100 billion to shareholders by the end of 2015, including $11 billion of annual dividend payments. The company had $12 billion in cash and $133 billion of marketable securities as of March 30. About 70 percent of that was held offshore, which means the company would face a large tax bill if it repatriated the assets under current laws. Because of that, Apple this week said it plans to borrow money to help pay for returning capital to shareholders. The company has no debt now. Criticisms of Apple’s disclosures may seem minor, compared to the important step the company is taking to bring some rationality to its capital structure. Apple doesn’t need $145 billion of cash and securities on its balance sheet earning next to nothing. No company does. Most of it belongs in the hands of shareholders who can put the money to better use. That said, there’s little to be gained from creating long- range expectations that later might prove unwise to fulfill. Sure, Apple used wiggle words to describe its intentions. It also created a needless risk to its credibility in the event that circumstances warrant a change.

APCNGA demands 5-day Wall Street dips after GDP gas supply to CNG sector but finishes week higher ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) on Saturday asked the government to review gas loadshedding schedule and ensure uninterrupted supply of natural gas to CNG sector for five days a week. In a statement, Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha, Chairman Supreme Council APCNGA said that CNG is the only business in the world which remains closed for 18 days a month while it work partially in the rest of the days due to unprecedented load-shedding pushing us to the brink. He said that APCNGA has repeatedly given practical recommendation to the caretaker government to resolve the energy issue but unfortunately not a single proposal was accepted. The proposals, he said, would have added

1500 mw power to the system and made gas available for additional 24 hours a week to the CNG and fertilizer sectors and the general industry, he said. Ghiyas Paracha said that following the suit of former government, the incumbent government has been taking unilateral decisions which will result in destruction of the CNG sector for which the top functionaries will be responsible. He said that CNG, fertilizer, general industry and country is being destroyed to promote influential owners of captive power plants which will not be tolerated. The leaders of the CNG sector said that other sectors have alternatives fuels available and they can store their produce while CNG sector enjoys no such facility. ONLINE

NEW YORK: Stocks dipped in thin volume on Friday, though the market had a strong week overall despite a mixed bag of earnings and weak economic figures. Shares of online retailer Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) posted the largest daily drop in 15 months after the company reported results late on Thursday. It was Friday's biggest drag on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes. Gains in shares of Chevron Corp (CVX.N) buoyed the blue-chip Dow industrials. The market fell early after a negative surprise from the gross domestic product report, but the decline attracted bargain-hunting investors late in the session. Major indexes posted solid gains for the week. J.C. Penney Co (JCP.N) was the S&P 500's biggest percentage gainer, up 11.5 percent to $17 after CNBC reported Goldman Sachs lined up a $1.75 billion loan for the retailer. The news added

to previous gains a day after investor George Soros reported a 7.9 percent passive stake in the company. "We traded off a decent amount after the GDP number but we didn't break any technical levels or really didn't get much momentum in the selloff past late morning," said Paul Zemsky, head of asset allocation at ING Investment Management in New York. "I guess there was some bottom fishing. There was so much fear of poor earnings going into earnings season that this is still somewhat of a positive surprise." The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 11.75 points or 0.08 percent, to 14,712.55, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 2.92 points or 0.18 percent, to 1,582.24 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 10.72 points or 0.33 percent, to 3,279.26.For the week, the Dow gained 1.1 percent, the S&P added 1.7 percent and the Nasdaq rose 2.3 percent. AGENCIES

cmyk SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013

james franco in talks for Gertrude Bell biopic

i would like to see mahesh on screen: lara dutta

NEW YORK: Actor James Franco is in talks toreplace Jude Law in Gertrude Bell biopic, Queen of the Desert. Franco may replace Law in Werner Herzog’s biopic on the life of Gertrude Bell after the, Anna Karenina, star dropped out of his role, reported Deadline. Franco would star alongside, The Impossible, actress Naomi Watts › who is set to play the historic writer and archaeologist and Twilight actor Robert Pattinson, who have long been attached to the project. The film would follow the life of Gertrude Bell, a writer, explorer, and political attache for the British Empire, who was considered a trailblazer at the turn of the 20th century. Franco would play the historical figure’s lover Henry Cadogan, who she was with until his untimely death. The actor will next be seen in raunchy comedy, this is the End, and recently signed on to star alongside Kate Hudson in crime thriller, ›SHOWBIZ GoodDESK People.

MUMBAI: Bollywood star Lara Dutta would like to see her tennis star hus Mahesh Bhupathi on the silver screen. "I would like to see Mahesh on t but I don’t think he will ever come in front of the camera," said the universe. Bhupathi married Lara in February, 2011. The couple was bles daughter in January, 2012. Talking about her 15›month old daughter, Sa actress said, "Motherhood is quite challenging. Everyday is a whole ne with your child. I absolutely love it and my daughter is a happy and i kid. We are extremely happy to have her in our lives." Lara, who launc Samsung’s new phone Galaxy S4 here, considers herself a very tech savv "I have to be honest; I can’t live without my phone. It’s my first chi trying to capture every moment of her life and want to make as many vi possible." Lara started her Bollywood journey with Priyanka › Chopra in

dAy 2 At Pfdc

NicKie & NiNA, RAjAh’s ANd somAl RocK the shoW IQRA IMRAN

philosophy of Shehla Chatoor. Nickie & s inspiration was Byzantine and LAHORE: Pakistan fashion designer council s Nnina 2nd day Medieval heraldry with the Mod movement of was a blast of fashionology. It s a place where theevery 60s. Models like Nida Ali, Nadia Hussain sophistication and contemporary ensembles for andtheir Mehreen Syed done a tremendous job by day women and men. Various designers showcase their own style to carry confidence. Textile outfits including Shehla Chatoor, Somal Halepoto, Ayesha Hashwani, Nickie & Nina Feeha Jamshedmills and like Lala, Moon, Ettehad and Rajah s, for the first time Fahad Husssayn. Focusing creates on the news trends by presenting different prints and eye catching colour schemes. revival and use of age old art forms and embroidery Rajah sontakes us to the era of 60s as they bring techniques to create ensembles that can be passes concepts of kings and queens. from generation to generation, that was the the brand

Pfdc 2Nd dAy’s tReNds

Long, medium and short length shirts Metallic accents Short a›line hems Laser cuttings Safari suits Black and white strips Signature prints and many more.

RAJAH S

LALA TEXTILE

SOMAL HALEPOTO SHAEHLA CHATOOR SHAEHLA CHATOOR

After 'Barﬁ' now Ranbir to be called ‘Pepsi’

SOMAL

William-Kate duel with magic wands

NICKIE NINA

Amy Winehouse will have a road named after her

LONDON: A new road in north London adventures, were on display for the is royal reportedly being named after tragic guests. After visiting other attraction singer like Amy Winehouse as a tribute to royal Amy died of alcohol poisoning in LONDON: The Duke and Duchess of Batman s batmobile and batpod, theher. visitors July, 2011 at the age of 27, reported Cambridge were seen jokingly fighting withincluding Prince Harry were to Harry Potter author SunJKonline. Her father Mitch magic wands, as they visited the introduced Harry ahead of viewing set›pieces from Winehouse, who runs the Amy Potter studios in Hertfordshire. Rowling The royals movie series and a speech by William Winehouse Foundation, is reportedly officially opened the Warner Brosthe studios to made, mark the opening of the film facility working in on a statue of the late where the Harry Potter movies were Leavesden. The 100 million pound studios singer to be put up in Camden. The Sky News reported. The large sprawling production home of all eight authorities in north London are site that is close to Watford is were home the to the Harrywhich Potter films, the James Bondconsidering movie to name a new road as popular Making Of Harry Potter tour, MUMBAI: Ranbir’s character in the starring Pierce Brosnan,Winehouse the firststreet or Winehouse people. under production film Besharam has is proved a huge attraction for Goldeneye of the Star Wars prequel films andway director in her memory. "To think that Props, costumes and models from the named Pepsi. Ranbir has had quite Tim Burton s gothic horror Sleepy our Hollow. surname would be indelibly movies chronicling the teenage wizard s unique names in his past few films. linked with London through the He is all set to play Bunny with his naming of a street after Amy is ex Deepika Padukone in Ayan SOMAL remarkable. ›SHOWBIZ DESK Mukerji’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and he was called Barfi too. Interestingly, while Ranbir’s onscreen name in the Abhinav Kashyap’s film is Pepsi, in real life also he endorses the cola brand of the same name. Ranbir Kapoor garnered quite a lot of critical acclaim and awards for his lovely portrayal of the lead character Barfi!. In fact, most of his recent onscreen characters seem to have Britain’s Prince (R), Catherine, and brother Prince Harry raise their wands on the set

SHOWBIZ DESK

movie RevieW

Iron Man 3

The action sequences are spectacular

particularly the signals he is sending out and spectacular, rush to is goal is destroying America, of Stark’s sea›cliff home his rescue. However, far from destruction settled and he bears grudge against it and the skydiving scene where Iron in, Stark is both battling anxiety for everything from the killing Man rescues attacks and an inability to sleep since people who have been of the Native Indians to its mis› thrown off the US President’s plane. his big run›in with aliens. These two adventures in the Middle East. He worlds meet in an encounter Stark also gets a chance to be back shoots videos wearing dark glasses, where between Pepper Potts (Paltrow), who he started and to see if he can against images of explosions, it all over again, with the help of a has moved in with him, and an do Iron spewing venom and promising death child. What lets the film down is Man suit in an unexpected bedroom upon America, whose nature he sees Pearce as the choice of the villain scene. What do the multiple suits best explained through fortune mean for a man who has been opposite Downey Jr’s undiminished cookies. He promises terror is his charm offensive. He is pale, puny and forever haunted by one question middle name. Otherwise, he is called unimpressive, plus armed with a does the man make the suit, or the ’The Mandarin’. By picking this technology that is a lot of mumbo suit make the man? Particularly for a famous super villain from Marvel jumbo at best it grows limbs but also man who has never allowed an easy Comic books and reinventing him fires people up from within, literally answer to that question? Director thus, highlighting the sheer idiocy of and saddled with a plan that hardly Shane Black, better known as the terror as well as the huge impact of appears screenwriter of action films such as long›distance. Kingsley, on it, Iron Man 3 sets just the right tone the other hand one of the film’s Lethan Weapon and Kiss Kiss Bang for this third film in the series. If the hilarious highlights is when he is Bang, taking over from Jon Favreau, first part was about both Downey Jr discovered handles this conflict well especially in for who he is could have uncertain agenda somehow comes to (Downey Jr) has apparently made and Iron Man finding themselves filled having to Stark in in those boots. He the suit literally fly easily peace as centred entirely around him. and what a piece of serendipity it with his demons as well be Man 3 also suffers for having pieces, Jr is has perfected his gadgetry, has got so that at times DowneyIron comerole face to face with gods and was, to choose the actor for the too many encounters between half›Stark and half›Iron Man, just hurting an ideal computer that talks to him aliens the second was about pitting him (The Avengers). Where does and Aldrich Killian (Pearce), as much in (the aptly named "Jarvis", voiced by as the latter doesn’t Stark hehim go from here? That’s what this against one as megalomaniac as only consistently showing up the multiple encounters. Paul is Bettany) and now even has to show him the other side of film it. seeks to explore, when Stark latter’s weaknesses, rather than one action sequences are metal suits that pick The up the faced with a global terrorist multiple whose In the third film, Tony Stark

CMYK SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013

Five›wicket Robiul sets up Bangladesh dominance shortly before the close, Mushfiqur’s HARARE : An 84›run partnership between Shakib Al Hasan and unbeaten 50 took Bangladesh to stumps on 163 for five, giving them Mushfiqur Rahim tightened an overall lead of 272. Zimbabwe Bangladesh’s grip on the second Test against Zimbabwe, but it was were fast aided by some controversial umpiring bowler Robiul Islam who deserved the as they bounced back from their disappointing first innings to plaudits on day three at Harare Sports Club. Robiul became the firstreduce seamerBangladesh to 18 for three, with Tamim Iqbal dubiously given out to take five wickets in consecutive caught behind and Mohammad innings for Bangladesh as Zimbabwe Ashraful adjudged lbw. were bowled out for 282 › a first› Rafael Nadal celebrates his victory However with the Decision Review innings deficit of 109 › but the tourists against Milos Raonic on Saturday. System not in place due to the required a calm stand from Shakib costs, the decisions from and Mushfiqur to rescue theirprohibitive second umpires Tony Hill and Ian Gould were innings after a calamitous start. final. Mominul Haque helped rebuild Although Shakib was out to part› timer Hamilton Masakadza for the 59 innings with a steady 29 in a

Nadal routs Raonic to close on 8th Barcelona Open title

scoreboard

BANGLADESH FIRST 3›45, 4›97, 5›163, 6›248, 7›257, BARCELONA : Rafa Nadal moved to within INNINGS 391 (Shakib Al Hasan8›274, 9›281, 10›282. one victory of an eighth Barcelona Open title 81, Nasir Hossain 77, Mushfiqur BOWLING: Rahim 60, E Chigumbura 3›75,Robiul K Islam 33›11›85›5 in nine years when he thrashed Canadian 2›41,to AG Cremer 2›109) Sajidul Islam 16›5›48›0 fifth seed Milos Raonic 6›4 6›0 on Meth Saturday ZIMBABWE FIRST INNINGS Ziaur Rahman 7›3›8›0 set up a final against fourth›seeded Spanish (overnight 158›4) Shakib Al Hasan 19›4›66›1 compatriot Nicolas Almagro. Chasing fourth c Rahim b Robiul V a Sibanda 10 Sohag Gazi 19›1›59›4 R Chakabva c M Rahim b R Islam Mohammad Ashraful 2›2›0›0 title of the year after returning from a seven› 12 BANGLADESH 2ND INNINGS Robiul Islam celebrates the wicket of Elton Chigumbura (R) on the third day of the second month injury layoff in February, Nadal H Masakadza b Shakib Al Hasan Tamim c Mutumbami b AGENCIES between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh at Harare Sports Club on Saturday. recovered from a slow start on the 14 clay at the Masakadza 7 B Taylor c S Al Hasan b36S Gazi Jahurul c Mutumbami b Chigumbura’s career›best 86 assistant "It patient stand with Shakib, before he coach Corey Richards. Real Club de Tennis when he lost his serve in M Waller c S Al Hasan b32S Gazi Masakadza 2 threatened to turn the tide in a today became Shingirai Masakadza’s hasn’t third all been smooth sailing the second game to fall 2›0 behind. E Chigumbura b Robiul Islam 86 Mohammad Ashraful lbw b Jarvis 4 85›run partnership with Richmond, but fortunately a bit of experience wicket when the bowler s older The French Open champion broke straight R Mutumbami lbw b Robiul Islam Mominul c H Masakadza b who made 42, Robiul promptly showed in Shakib and Mushy putting brother, Hamilton, caught him. At that 42 closing Masakadza 29 back and again for a 4›3 lead before A screw Cremerin not out 11 Shakib Al Hasan c Mutumbami bstage Bangladesh’s ability toonset dismissed a pretty important partnership for both batsmen. "His effo out the first set and he turned the K Meth c M Rahim b Sohag Gazi Masakadza 59 have been unbelievable › he’s tak us." Zimbabwe a difficult target was under the second to secure a comfortable 16 third win Mushfiqur Rahim not out50 14 wickets in the series so far," Nevertheless Robiul was question, but Shakib and Mushfiqur in three matches against the big›serving S Masakadza c M Rahim b R Nasir Hossain not out 6 Islam 5 To bat:Sohag Gazi, Ziaur Richards. "He’s got the best firs the star of the day, ensured their dominance, and undoubtedly also world number 13. "I am very happy to be in Jarvis b Sohag Gazi 0 Rahman, Sajidul Islam, Robiulenjoyed some fortune as Shakib following up his 6 for 71 in record the 2ndof any of our bowlers and was the final again," Nadal said in an K interview EXTRAS: (B 5, LB 11, W 1, NBIslam. 1) far on this innings by charging in for 33 overs to tour he’s put the bal dropped twice. "We’re in a pretty with Spanish television broadcaster TVE. 18 EXTRAS: (LB 2, W 1, NB 3) 6 areas more often than not › the first TOTAL: 282 TOTAL: (5 wickets; 49 overs) 163 good position going into the claim last figures of 5 for 85 in right "Whatever happens tomorrow it has been a (all out; 96 overs) FALL OF WICKETS: 1›23, 2›26, FALL OF WICKETS: 1›7, 2›12, couple of days," said Bangladesh that’s what you’ve got to do in t innings of the second. When Elton great tournament for me and to reach six finals out of six since I returned from injury could hardly be better," he added. Almagro, who reached the semi›finals in 2006 and 2011, improved his head›to›head record against eighth›seeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber to five wins and three defeats with a similarly clinical performance. The 27› year›old, bidding for a 13th career title, did not face a single break point and converted four of his seven opportunities to seal a 6›2 6›1 victory in just over 50 minutes. "I know Tennis Lucie Safarova, then Ana Ivanovic in Friday s that Nico is playing at a very high level and semi, and showed some grit to seeLONDON off : Sergio Aguero and has had a fantastic week," Nadal said. "I will Kerber, who was cheered on by theYaya crowd. Toure scored a pair of fine STUTTGART : Defending champion Maria try to play aggressively and dominate the on Saturday booked her French Open champion Sharapova has goals as Manchester City began Sharapova place in points although it will be very hard played seven›and›a›half hours in life her three as former Premier League the against final ofa the Stuttgart WTA tournament player like him." It was a relief after for organisers matches here on clay, but comfortably took by winning 2›1 at champions seeing off Germany s Angelique Kerber to get both semi›finals out of thewith way aafter the another first set with two breaks, before Kerber home to West Ham United on 6›3, 2›6, 7›5 victory in yet the rain that has fallen throughout the weektussle. The 26›year›oldreturned Saturday. City relinquished their three›set Russian the compliment in the second. in the Catalan capital delayed thehas start Theboth third›set was a battle royalleague as thecrown to Manchester alsoofbeen taken to three sets in play. pair United earlier in the week but her previous matches, when she saw offshared five breaks and third›seed Nadal is looking to bounce back from his Kerber refused to yield until thesuccess over mid›table their defeat by Serbian world number one Novak final phase of the 2hrs, 16mins West Ham tightens their grip on Djokovic in Sunday’s Monte Carlo Masters match. The German played some second place and takes them final. The 26›year›old Majorcan, who like great line shots to frustrate the to Champions League closer Raonic had to play twice on Friday because of Russian and level at 5›5 before qualification. the rain delays, extended his winning streak Sharapova held her serve, then Aguero opened the scoring in Barcelona to 38 matches, his only defeat used her third and final break with to a well›worked effort after coming against compatriot Alex Corretja, take the match. All credit28tominutes on a bright, sunny now Spain’s Davis Cup captain, in the second Angelique, she played a great day at the Etihad Stadium. It match, said Sharapova, whowas a goal to nourish further won last year s tournament regrets here about City’s inability to India Open Badminton on her Stuttgart debut before challenge United, with Samir C ship going on to win the fourth Nasri Grand and David Silva Slam title of her career atexchanging Roland passes on the left Garros. I won this tournament before the Frenchman centred last year on the way to thefor Aguero to clip the ball French Open so I am really beneath Jussi Jaaskelainen. pleased to get back into the final Toure settled the game seven again. minutes from time with another In Sunday s final, Sharapova will strike that saw him memorable face either second›seed Li arrow Na of a rising left›foot shot West into Ham’s striker Ricardo Vaz Te (L) is challenged by NEW DELHI : World number one Lee Chong Manchester City’s midfielder Gareth Barry during their China or qualifier Bethaniethe Mattek› top›left corner from the Wei of Malaysia moved into the men’s singles match at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Sands of the USA, ranked 104th edge in of the area. final of the India Open badminton Stadium, where third›bottom scored more goals, but this has the world, who has made it The only blemish on City’s tournament with a hard›fought win over Wigan Athletic are bidding to been our problem this season." through to the semi›finals day on her came in injury time, when Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana in New Delhi on haul themselves out of the United having secured first appearance in the main draw. goalkeeper Joe Hart allowedWith a Saturday. The Malaysian needed 53 minutes zone and fifth›plac Villa Sharapova has never lost topowerful Andy Carroll shotthe to title by beating Astonrelegation to complete a 21›11, 18›21, 21›8 victory over Tottenham Hotspur hope to on Monday, the attention this Mattek›Sands in their five squirm previous between his legs and his seventh›seeded rival and make his third break into the top four. With focuses on the twin meetings, but Li won their over last the line. "I’m happy weekend for successive appearance in the final of this third›place Arsenal and fourth battles to avoid relegation and match in January’s Australian this performance," said City tournament. Lee will now clash with sixth› place Chelsea both in action o secure a place in the Open semi when the Chinese manager won Roberto Mancini. "I’m seeded Japanese Kenichi Tago, who 6›2, 6›2; her fifth win over the for the goals we Champions League. The two Sunday, a win for Spurs will unhappy registered a 21›16, 21›11 win over India’s Maria Sharapova celebrates after winning her who has beaten her missed, as we could have sagas converge at the DW send them up to third in the Anand Pawar in the other semi›final. The semifinal match against Angelique KerberRussian, on

English Premier League

Sharapova holds on Aguero and Toure sooth to reach Stuttgart Manchester City s titl

Lee to clash with Tago for men s singles title

Give viewers the no›commentary option

costly look up and tell us what they when pictures arrived for a challenged, for it is out would of this India, viewers in England hadbe the machines fitted into briefcases, ultra› matches thought polite theyand people could now that he will come closer toof us. At their most of their panel motion arrived, graphics wereoption of listening either tochallenge watch a game on television and lis said, "Abbe, andha hai kya, nai dikhra? the viewer. the revolutionised, Hawk›Eye got based in a studio in London or to it (Are you blind?)". I felt I was in on an radio. The moment that Two incidents in my formative years world feed coming from the ground. It conversations going. High›definition happened, the radio commentator exam, me bewith the audience marking empowered themme to believe this can only television is just sensational, and nowviewers and allowedlead was challenged and had to get bett every ball, and to be honest, I beneficial to everyone. In myafter second, watch a telecast as they preferred this Spidercam, which, like ato giant These were wonderful lessons for m maybe third, Ranji Trophy enjoyed match, the experience. And even rather than as was forced on or them aerial snake, gives you close›ups and earlyby in life: that you must be though the sample size was small, when I was a young engineering over the years. a sweep that, was unimaginable challenged in order to get better. the end of the game the programme student opting to do commentary On the assumption that the viewer, before. And that is why, with a technolog executive knew who was acceptable Note, though, that all these changes revolution in television, and inde to the audience and who wasn’t. are technology›driven and have B Y H ARSHA B HOGLE Note, though, that all these changes are technology-driven and all us media, I believe the viewer mu It did something else. It kept on affected visuals more than they have have aﬀected visuals more than they have words and voices. The continue to be empowered. A guard and forced us to be accurate. S I watched a large crowdwords fill and voices. The pictures are commentator must be heard not Now you might imagine that accuracy better than they have ever been, and are better than they have ever been, and they will be Eden Gardens again and saw pictures because the viewer has no choice b is mandatory for a radio broadcaster passing the Spidercam move gentlythey overwill be better with everybetter with every passing year, but the voices that add to them he chooses to listen. I fo anyway, but it wasn’t always because like that to themchanged much. You could, of course, argue that we have them to emphasise the size ofyear, the but the voices that add haven't other innovations coming. Maybe on in the pre›televised era of sports. haven’t changed much. You could, of gathering, I sat back and wondered come a long way from richie benaud's legendary minimalist style When I went for my audition day as anot all commentators need to b course, argue that we have come a how much our telecasts have changed commentary box, you never 19›year›old, I discovered to in my the shock long way from Richie Benaud’s to danny Morrison, who is almost Formula 1 in comparison. and over the years. I remember the time know. But like the visuals, and th that some of the senior commentators legendary minimalist style to while Dannyit is interesting that both have their share of supporters, when we had tapes, editors logged the visuals, need to keep there didn’t really worry toomanning much Morrison, who is almost Formula 1 in key moments in a log book, edit commentary is not really too diﬀerent from how it used to be paceoff with the times, so too must t about whether a ball was outside And while it is interesting machines were huge and took acomparison. long and those create them. As I or leg, whether it was a cut sounds or a drive, that both have their share of time to deliver output, and cameras discovered all those years ago, it andwe whether the fielder at cover was during pre›exam study holidays, effectively funds the telecast, commentary is notwho really could not get all that close supporters, to the only hurt those who don’t want to were inIa makeshift position Murthy in the or Ahmed. They were your must too different from how it used to get be. what he feels he deserves, action. Why, Doordarshan Hyderabad and will ultimately ben only access to the action andchallenged you of the crowd at the Railway believe we can go further andmiddle actually Two we recent events got me thinking used to cover matches on film and viewer. Who knows, we might ge never know if they werethe right 20 a no›commentary option.Ground There in Secunderabad. Aboutwould about whether things couldn’toffer be used to have a spot›the›player wrong (unless, of course, startling they were results like we have wit feet below us, transistors inor hand, are two different on that front as well. DTH reasons for my suggestion. contest! cameras and the inwhat the commentary position I ultra›motion talked spectators seeing exactly First, the viewer must have awere choice now mid› allows you a choice of camera The spin›vision cameras in the Spidercam. about It was a great power to I think it is an experi were describing. Every time one earlier). of that makes economic sense to we offer, angles. Earlier this year, when Sky nineties were a revolution. Then worth trying. possess but it was a habit that proved us wasn’t accurate enough, they didn’t have a commentary teamand in second, the commentator must everything went digital edit

CMYK

cmyk THE SPOKESMAN - RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD

cleric escapes attack, guard killed in karachi KARACHI: Amid violence and bomb attacks on election offices of political parties in Karachi, a Shia cleric escaped deadly attack in Liaqatabad area of troubled city on Saturday. Maulana Baqir Hussain Zaidi, a leader of Jafferia Alliance, was going past the area when some unknown assailants attacked on him. Two guards were also injured in the attack. All of the injured people were taken to nearby hospital, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for the medical treatment; however one guard succumbed to his injuries. According to medical authorities, the cleric’s condition was stable. –ONLINE

SUNDAY APRIL 28, 2013

Iran, India to discuss extension of IP gasline next week TEHRAN: Iranian and Indian oil ministers are due to discuss extension of a gas pipeline project, which is due to take Iran's rich gas reserves to Pakistan and then to India, in a meeting in New Delhi next week. Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qassemi is slated to visit New Delhi next week to hold a meeting with Indian Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Veerappa Moily on the peace pipeline. Pricing formula and security of the pipeline will stand

atop the topics to be discussed by the two ministers. Earlier this month, Iranian Oil Ministry Spokesman Alireza Nikzad Rahbar announced that New Delhi had renewed interest in the extension of Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline to India. “Since India has been motivated by Pakistan's seriousness in construction of the (Iran-Pakistan) peace pipeline, New Delhi is negotiating to join the project,” Nikzad Rahbar said. The Iranian official noted that

“there has been considerable progress in the IP gas pipeline, with Iranian contractors starting work on the Pakistani section of the pipeline, after finishing nearly 900 kilometers of the pipeline on Iran's soil.” Last month, Moily emphasized that his country would not halt imports of Iranian crude oil, rejecting recent Western news reports to the contrary. While noting that unilateral antiIran sanctions by the US and the European Union have caused some

Ministry refuses to reduce tariff

MULTAN: A 9mm pistol was recovered from the vehicle of Abdul Qadir Gilani, son of former premier Yusuf Raza Gilani. According to media reports, a 9mm pistol was recovered allegedly from a Land Cruiser during checking. The driver and secretary were present at the time of search, however, Abdul Qadir Gilani’s presence could not be confirmed. Police has held the driver and secretary. The Land Cruiser having a number plate of 7989 is said to be owned by Abdul Qadir Gilani. Former prime minister’s son is the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) candidate from NA-151. –ONLINE

LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarian (PPPP) has filed a complaint with the Chief Election Commissioner to probe the incidents of PML-N candidates openly carrying arms in Lahore and to stop them from violating the code of conduct. The complaint filed by Sardar Latif Khosa on Saturday cited the incidents of rioting and firing on 20th and 23rd of this month at the Dry Port‚ Lahore as well as the attack on the convoy of an independent candidate Ayesha Ahad Malik. The petition asked the Commission to take measures to prevent PML-N candidates‚ supported by the local administration loyal to Sharifs from resorting to acts of violence and intimidation. –ONLINE

PTI cancels karachi rally citing security concerns ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf announced on Saturday that the party had cancelled its public rally in Karachi scheduled for May 1 citing security concerns. PTI Chairman Imran Khan was scheduled to address the rally. A PTI spokesman said that rally had been cancelled due to worsening law and order situation. The public rally, however, has been shifted to Sukkar on May 1, the spokesman added. Karachi has seen three major terrorist attacks targeting MQM and ANP this week in which over a dozen people died. –ONLINE

man arrested for sending poisonous letter to Obama WASH IN GTON: The FBI on Saturday arrested a man on charges of allegedly sending poisonous ricin-laced letter to US President Barack Obama and other leaders. The individual identified as Everett Dutschke, 41, was arrested from his Mississippi home, the FBI said. This is the second arrest in the case after investigating authorities withdrew their case against Paul Kevin Curtis earlier this week. Curtis had been arrested on April 19 on suspicion of being the sender of these letters. Besides Obama, the alleged ricinlaced letters were also sent to Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi and a Mississippi judge Sadie Holland. –AGENCIES

‘PPP shying away from poll campaign in Punjab’ M ULTAN: Senior Pakistan Tehrike-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that top Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership appears to be hiding in bunkers ahead of the general elections. Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Qureshi said that PTI and Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) were holding public meetings in Punjab, but the PPP was nowhere to be seen. He said former premier Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani was running election campaign only for his son in Multan. –AGENCIES

Published by Ahmad Waleed from Yasmeen

consumption. Last month, Iran and Pakistan officially inaugurated the construction phase of a gas pipeline project which is due to take Iran's rich gas reserves to the energy-hungry South Asian nation. The project kicked off in a ceremony attended by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari at the two countries' shared border region in Iran's Southeastern city of Chabahar. –ONLINE

Tube-wells used for agri purposes

Pistol recovered from Abdul Qadir Gilani’s vehicle

PPPP ﬁles complaint in Ec against PmL-N

difficulties for India in terms of insuring Iranian oil shipments, Moily told reporters in New Delhi that his country intended to establish a special fund for insuring oil imports originating from the Islamic Republic. India, the world's fourth-largest petroleum consumer, is Iran's second largest oil customer after China and purchases around $12b worth of Iranian crude every year, about 12 percent of its

Resistance persists despite the approval given by federal cabinet on March 7

SAHTAK BALOCH ISLAMABAD: An aerial view of Sector/G 6-1 near Abpara Market where citizens have encroached the area by illegal construction at their government quarters. –STAFF PHOTO

Attack on Sarabjit is very sad: Manmohan

ECP hasn’t taken notice of Imran’s aspersions

Consular access provided to Sarajit Singh; his sister, wife, daughters arriving today

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday termed as a “very sad incident” the attack on Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in a jail in Pakistan. “It is very sad. I think in the jail, I think some inmates attacked him. I think that is very sad,” he said when asked about the attack. Government of Pakistan on Saturday issued visa to four family members of Sarabjit Singh. They include his sister Dalbir Kaur, wife Sikh Biar Preet Kaur and two daughters Sopan Kaur, Ponam Kaur. All the four family members of Sarabjit will reach in Pakistan through Wagha border at early in the Sunday morning. Talking to ONLINE Sarabjit’s sister said, “We are thankful to Pakistan Government on issuance of visa while fifteen days visa has been provided to us”. She further added that at present we are in Amritsar and as soon border would open on Sunday morning we will enter in Pakistan through Wagha border. Meanwhile, the Dr. of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Jinnah Hospital, Lahore claimed that Sarabjit Singh was provided all kind of medical

treatment, and all senior doctors and medical staff at the hospital are working round the clock for early recovery of the convict Sarabjit. The Dr. said that next 24-hour is very important regarding his health. Pakistani local police authorities have registered an FIR against prisoners Amer Aftab and Mudassar following a complaint from Assistant Superintendent Ishtiaq Ahmed Gill of Kot Lakhpath Jail. The Assistant Superintendent and Jail Warden were suspended after the incident. Two officials of the Indian High Commission got consular access to Sarabjit Singh at the ICU of Jinnah Hospital. The Indian mission had contacted Pakistan’s Foreign Office last night to seek consular access. Sarabjit was convicted for alleged involvement in a string of bomb attacks in Punjab province that killed 14 people in 1990. His mercy petitions were rejected by the courts and former President Pervez Musharraf. The outgoing Pakistan People's Party-led government put off Sarabjit's execution for an indefinite period in 2008. –ONLINE

End to the impasse – Italy names a government ROME: Italian centre-left politician Enrico Letta has managed to get agreement for a new government, ending two months of deadlock following inconclusive elections. Crucially, the compromise cabinet includes a top job for Angelino Alfano, one of former premier Silvio Berlusconi’s closest allies. Letta, who at 46 is Italy’s second youngest leader since World War Two, told reporters: “It’s a team of ministers that has the following characteristics: it is a very competent and a young group. It also includes a record number of women, and as far as I’m concerned that is one of the most satisfying aspects.” The squabbling among politicians was brought to an end by Italy’s 87-year-old President Giorgio Napolitano chosing Letta as a bridge builder. He was able to co-opt Berlusconi, who has no official government role; but Alfano as deputy PM and interior minister, will give the centre-right a powerful voice at the heart of the new government. –AGENCIES

TAHIR NIAZ ISLAMABAD: With the election campaign gaining momentum throughout the country, the ‘disinformation mills’ are also being seen busy in giving their wishes a newsy touch as media on Saturday kept reporting that the ECP had taken notice of Imran Khan’s aspersions against Sharifs though there was no reality in it. The source of the news was not clear but when checked with the ECP, a high official said “neither the ECP received any complaint in this regard nor it has taken any action”. He believed that someone having personal agenda against Imran Khan used media to spread the news and all the mainstream national media followed the news without checking it from the ECP. The national media on Saturday reported that the ECP had taken notice of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf Chairman, Imran Khan’s statement regarding Nawaz Sharif which asked people to differentiate between “Leader and Gidarr (Jackal).” The ECP had on Friday asked political leadership and all contesting candidates to avoid casting aspersions against opponents; otherwise they will have to face action. According to the ECP official, the Commission will review the matter if someone complains in this regard. Though, he added, it could take suo motu on the subject. Imran Khan has been outspoken for the last many days against his political rivals particularly Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif.

I SLAMABAD: Despite the approval of federal cabinet to reduce the tariff for the tube-wells used for agricultural purposes, the finance ministry has so far declined to reduce the price by Rs2 per unit owing to financial woes of the country. Earlier, the federal cabinet on March 7 had given approval to reduce the price of per unit of power for the consumers of agriculturerelated tube wells, after which, a committee comprising officials of finance and power ministries was formed to define the methodology of implementation and a limit of subsidy for the sector. Even, after the recommendations of this committee executive order was issued on April 5 asking power-distributing companies (DISCOs) to reduce Rs2/unit in the tariff of agricultural consumers. And, a copy of executive order was also dispatched to the finance ministry while finance ministry was expected to issue notification to DISCOs pertaining provision of subsidy. However, federal cabinet on December 9, 2011 had withdrawn subsidy to the agriculture-related tube-wells resultantly farmers could not benefit with fruits of subsidy. Sources in water and power ministry on Saturday disclosed a bad news for the farmers of this beloved homeland that the finance ministry owing to its financial woes has refused to provide annual subsidy of 16billion and 50crore to the tube wells and set aside the earlier decision of the federal cabinet. The finance ministry has also asked the water and power ministry to approach the cabinet to get the decision revoked. However, power ministry in its response has said that since the ministry is satisfied and has no worry about

the decision of federal cabinet so even if finance ministry is not ready to provide the subsidy under which farmers from all over the country were set to get a sigh of relief then it (finance ministry) should approach to the cabinet for the withdrawal of the decision. Finance ministry in a letter to the power ministry has refused to implement the decision of federal cabinet pertaining provision of worthy subsidy to the tube-wells used in agriculture which in result would affect the over burdened farmers of the country already bearing heavy brunt of high prices of electricity tariff, fertilizers, seeds etc. “Under the rules of business a strict action against concerned officials of both ministries is possible if it is set aside and not implemented,” said a senior official of cabinet division, adding, “If finance ministry is not willing to provide subsidy to agricultural tubewells then it should contact to the federal cabinet for cancellation of the decision. The federal cabinet in its decision pertaining subsidy to these tubewells had set Rs8/unit while giving Rs2/unit reduction in the tariff of tube wells. And, it was also decided in the cabinet meeting that finance ministry after giving worthy Rs16.50billion subsidy to the tube wells would not provide more subsidy even the per unit tariff of electricity goes up.

Election in PS-64 postponed due to death of a candidate ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced to terminate proceedings relating to election for constituency PS-64- Mirpurkhas-I, due to the death of Waqar Buland Khan, a contesting candidate from the constituency. Fresh proceedings will commence after the general elections and the schedule for the said constituency would be announced by the ECP in due course of time and in due course of law. However, it will not be necessary for the remaining candidates to file fresh nomination papers or make further deposits for security, said the ECP on Saturday. –STAFF REPORT

Lady commandos guarding Musharraf HOMER BALOCH

ISL AM ABAD: With the Taliban and other banned outfits adopting novel techniques to carry out terror activities, the Islamabad police have also come up with an innovative but feminine method to protect former President Pervez Musharraf by using female commandos deployed at his security, as a human shield. Taliban are against targeting women and the ‘female circle’ around the former commando, the police high-ups believe, would make the Taliban and other ‘enemies’ of Musharraf think before carrying out an attack

against him. According to the sources in the Islamabad police, a group of under-training recruits of Islamabad lady police has been deployed to protect the former President. The Capital Police has deployed about 40 of its lady police constables at the farmhouse of former president Pervez Musharraf, which has already been declared as a sub-jail. Normally the lady police officials are deployed for the security of female prisoners or to protect the family members of female prisoners but currently not a single female family member of Pervez Musharraf is residing at the farmhouse (sub-jail).

While talking to “The Spokesman”, a lady police constable who is also part of Musharraf ’s security team said, “around 10 women police officers are staying at the Bani Gala Police station where we are given a single room, while the others are at Shahzad Town Police Station. During our duty timings, three to four lady police officials are deployed at the farmhouse just to check the female lawyers and visitors while the rest stay at the police stations as reserve force. The rooms we are given at the police stations are insufficient according to our strength and several times we brought this issue to the notice

of our high officials but in reply we are told that we have to go through the situation for only few days and it is a part of our training”, the lady constable said. Another lady police constable requesting anonymity said that, “Currently there are about 40 lady constables deployed for duty at the farmhouse, while during our off or break timings, we are advised to stay at the Shahzad Town or Bani Gala Police station which are nearby the farmhouse. But what makes the situation worst for us is that the capital police have not provided us even separate bathrooms and we have to share the bathrooms with our male colleagues, while the

bathrooms available are also in worst condition.” When contacted, Sardar Sadaqat Ali Khan, Superintendent of Police (Rural) told “The Spokesman”, “These female constables are actually trainees at the police headquarters, and are deployed at the farmhouse (sub-jail) to protect the former president in case of any female terrorist attack. Pervez Musharraf is already having threats from Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan as well as the female students of Jamia Hifza”. However when he was asked about the miserable condition of the female constables, he said “The Capital police have provided each and every facility to its officials”.