Wednesday, 8 May, 2013 Jamadul Sani 27, 1434Rs 17.00 Vol III No 311 19 Pages Islamabad — Peshawar Edition

Chief Justice of Pakistan(CJP) Iftikhar MuhammadChaudhry on Tuesdayquestioned how could formerprime minister Pervez Ashrafutilise funds allocated forBhasha dam, Lowari Tunneland HEC in his ownconstituency. He gave theremarks while presiding overan SC bench while hearingthe case of misuse of fundsby the former PM in his ownconstituency and acquisitionof supplementary grants

illegally. pa g e 1 8

Qadri is backfor another sit-in!

Kayani orders10,000 troops forKarachi security

story on page 02story on page 04

sC takes exceptionto ashraf’s misuseof Bhasha andLowari funds

Police have banned all ralliesin the Bangladeshi capital,Dhaka, a day after clashesbetween the police andprotesters left at least 27people dead. The country'smain opposition parties havecalled a two-day nationwideshutdown from Wednesdayto protest against what theydescribe as the "mass killing"of protesters in a crackdownby security forces. TheBangladesh Nationalist Partyand its Islamist allies calledthe strike after claiming thathundreds of people werekilled on Sunday and early

Monday. pa g e 0 7

police ban ralliesin Dhaka after violence

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Electionspostponed in NA-83;candidate from NA 162 disqualified

LAHoRE/FAISALABADMONItOrING DESk

The Election Commission of Pak-istan (ECP) on Tuesday postponedelections in National Assemblyconstituency NA-83, Faisalabadafter an independent candidate,Amjad Rabbani, died of cardiac ar-rest.Polling date in this constituencywould be decided after the May 11elections. CANDIDATE DISqUALIFIED

A full bench of the Lahore HighCourt on Tuesday disqualified for-mer MNA Chaudhry Zahid Iqbalfrom contesting the upcoming elec-tions over possession of dual na-tionality, local media reported.Iqbal was arrested earlier in April,for wrongly stating his dual nation-ality status while filing his nomina-tion paper from NA-162Sahiwal-III. He was charged underthe Articles 62 and 63 of the Con-stitution and was sentenced to 15months imprisonment along with afine of Rs 5,000.He was previously disqualified bythe Supreme Court in October 2012for allegedly holding a British na-tionality under the dual nationalitycase.Chaudhry Iqbal had won the 2008elections from NA-162 con-stituency on a Pakistan People’sParty (PPP) ticket but joined thePakistan Muslim League – Nawaz(PML-N) a night before the allot-ment of election symbols this year.

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news

Do you think it was silly, the way the oc-cult was consulted (Geo, Aapas Ki Baat,5th May) to predict the outcome of the up-coming elections? you might, but it prob-ably wasn’t as silly as what you’reotherwise used to.

Don’t get me wrong. I find the occultsilly. For grown men and women to con-sult palmists and numerologists over anymatter is atrocious. That is a view I havelong maintained as the secular, scientific

rationalist I aspire to be. It is also a view Ihave on the basis of whatever little reli-gion I have. Regardless of how you sliceit, I will find it repugnant.

But if you, dear reader, are of the viewthat political analysts will do a better job,then I differ there as well. Political analysts,or what passes off as them in the media,talk out of their arses.

Their “predictions” are as much shotsin the dark as the guy looking into your tealeaves to tell you about your future wife.

The biggest secret that the Pakistaninews media has to hide is not how finan-cially corrupt it is. Or how beholden it is tocorporate or institutional interests. Thebiggest secret is how very, laughably, in-competent they are. Ironically, those ana-lysts who do have a context-basedencyclopaedic constituency-to-con-stituency grasp, coupled with both a studiedand intuitive understanding of electoral dy-namics, like Geo’s Sohail Warraich and,perhaps, Iftikhar Ahmed, are very shy of

“calling it” and concede of how little theirunderstanding is.

If the reader would like to replace thetarot card reader with a smug-lookingMuhammad Mallick, with his I-know-something-you-don’t look, he isfree to do so.

Ever since the PPP gov-ernment took over in ‘08,the pundits have been pre-dicting a demise. Sixmonths, said one; a year,tops, said another. Theykept at it till the end ofthe tenure. Did the ana-lysts lose their jobs? No.With such a track record,your average Shah AalmiBazaar fortune-teller, the sort thathas a parrot that pulls out a card, wouldbe out of business within a year. On theother hand, there is no, absolutely no, ac-countability in the media business.

For all we know, the tarot lady predic-

tion (PML-N biggest winner; PPP secondbiggest, but going on to form a coalitiongovernment) just might be true. Even ifshe did, I hasten to add again, pull it outof thin air.

LITERALLY SINGING FOR HIS

SUPPER: Levi Strauss. Doesthe name ring a bell? Not to

be confused with theFrench anthropologistClaude Levi-Strauss,Levi Strauss was a Ger-man Jew who made akilling in the Californiagold rush. One detail: he

wasn’t a gold miner. Heused to make jeans for the

miners; they were really com-fortable to work in despite being

tough enough to withstand those con-ditions Since it was a gold rush, there wasa lot more hope than there was gold. Ourman Strauss cashed in on that. He wasbanking not on the gold, but the hope for

it. you might even be wearing one of hisright now. Levi’s jeans.

This model is referred to during a lot ofbubbles. A lot of people who didn’t believein the 90s DotCom bubble did, neverthe-less, set up incubators for startups and mademoney off them. Property traders, even theones aware of the transient nature of a prop-erty bubble, do this. Smart money, as thegreat economist Keynes pointed out, fol-lows dumb money.

Elections should be seen in that con-text. Those blaming Rahat Fateh Ali Khanfor singing songs for both PTI and PML-Nare being unfair. It is like blaming a TVchannel or newspaper for running ads forboth these parties. Levi Strauss, man.

As the comedian Dave Chappelle said:“I’ve done commercials for Coke and Pepsi.I don’t give a [expletive] what comes out ofmy mouth. I say what it takes. Whatever ittakes. If you wanna know the truth, can’teven taste the difference. All I know is, Pepsipaid me most recently so... it tastes better.”

Palmists and Pundits

By the tuBe

PESHAWAR/QUETTASHAMIM SHAHID/AGENCIES

SySTEMATIC andconsistent targeting ofelection hopefuls con-tinued on Tuesday ascandidates from vari-ous political parties,

including the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakistan MuslimLeague-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pak-istan People’s Party (PPP) - were at-tacked across the country. JUI-F RALLY BOMBED IN

HANGU: At least eight people werekilled and 22 others injured in a high-intensity suicide bombing targeting aJUI-F public rally in Dawaba area ofHangu. JUI-F candidate Mufti SyedJanan was target of the suicide attackand was among those injured. How-ever, his condition is stated to be outof danger.

Per details, the JUI-F candidate forPK 43 Hangu was on a door-to-doorcampaign in Dawaba Bazaar alongwith his supporters when a suicidebomber blew himself up. The explo-sion caused destruction to a number ofshops and vehicles in the vicinity.

Soon after the explosion, peopleand shopkeepers shifted the injuredand bodies to Dawaba hospital. Offi-cials said eight people were killed and21 injured in the suicide attack. MuftiJanan sustained minor injuries. Thoseinjured included 10 schoolchildrenwho were on way home.

The officials said Janan was dis-charged after being administered firstaid. No one has claimed responsibilityfor the attack so far.

It was the second major terroristattack targeting the JUI-F during a pe-riod of less than 24 hours.

A day ago, an election rally of theJUI-F candidate for a National As-sembly seat from Kurram Agencywas attacked with an improvised ex-plosive device (IED), killing 25 peo-ple and injuring more than 90 others.

PML-N CANDIDATE AT-

TACKED: Militants hurled a hand-held bomb at the residence of PML-Ncandidate Zubaida Jalal in Turbattown of Balochistan. Levies officialssaid that militants lobbed a bomb in-side the house of the former federalminister, adding that the blast dam-aged her residence, but no human losswas reported.PPP TARGETED AGAIN: A blasttargeting a rally of the PPP in LowerDir’s Baba Gam village killed six per-sons and injured several others.

The blast was caused by an im-provised explosive device (IED) nearthe vehicle of Zahir Khan, the brotherof Muhammad Zamin Khan, who is aPPP candidate from PK-96 con-stituency of Lower Dir – III. ZahirKhan succumbed to his injuries sus-tained in the attack. In Upper Dir, aJamaat-e-Islami election gatheringwas targeted. Several casualties werereported from the area.SCHOOLS BLOWN UP: A schoolwhich was to be used as a polling sta-

tion was blown up with explosives byunknown miscreants in Kohlu districtof Balochistan.

According to Levies sources, themiddle school, declared as the pollingstation for the upcoming elections, wascompletely destroyed in the explosion.In yet another incident, militants blewup a school in Gwadar. According tothe police, the militants had planted abomb near the school. The school wasdesignated as a polling station for thecoming May 11 election.KURRAM BOMBING DEATH

TOLL RISES: At least six more peo-ple died of injuries bringing the deathtoll from the bombing at JUI rally atKurram to 25 with over 80 peoplewounded.

Political administration said thebomb was placed near the main stageof the venue of the rally. It explodedwhen Munir Orakzai, a former law-maker and JUI-F candidate for NA-38, left the dais after addressing themeeting. He remained unhurt in theblast claimed by the Taliban.

Kayani orders 10,000 troops forKarachi security

KARACHIONLINE

Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani onTuesday chaired a meeting to review securityarrangements, especially in Sindh, for the upcom-ing election. According to reports, Kayani orderedfull implementation of the security plan, while healso said helicopters would also be ready in caseof any untoward incident. Following the meeting,ISPR Director General Maj General Asif SalimBajwa said around 124,000 security personnelwould be deployed in Sindh for maintaining lawand order on Election Day.He said 10,000 army personnel would be de-ployed in Karachi for election security duties,while around 39,000 personnel of PakistanRangers and police would also be on duty. He made it clear that army troops won’t be de-ployed at polling stations and would only comeinto action as quick response force.The high-level meeting was held at Corps Head-quarter Karachi, which was attended by Li-etenant Gen Aijaz Chaudhry, the Karachi corpscommander, Rangers director general and Sindhchief secretary.

Voter turnout likely tobe reasonably good: PM

ISLAMABADAPP

Caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khosoon Tuesday said there had been some terrorist in-cidents, which would not affect the voter turnouton May 11. “The turnout is expected to be reason-ably good,” said the prime minister while talkingto German Ambassador to Pakistan Dr CyrillNunn, who called on him here. He said all was set to hold elections under the su-pervision of the Election Commission of Pakistan(ECP) in a free, fair and transparent manner.Khoso said Pakistan and Germany enjoyed excel-lent relations and thanked the German governmentfor its assistance during times of natural calami-ties. The German ambassador congratulated theprime minister for excellent arrangements, madefor holding of the elections.Nunn said the European Union Observers Mis-sion, which is visiting Pakistan to monitor theelections, headed by German Member of Parlia-ment Michael Gahler, was of the view that thearrangements for holding elections were muchbetter than those of previous elections.

20 killed in attackstargeting JUI, JI, PPP

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LAHoREAZAM butt/uMAIr AZIZ

“Igave 17 years of my life tothe country; I did what Icould, now it is up to thepeople to take responsibil-

ity of their future. you have to fightyour war, your children’s war on May11,” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chair-man Imran Khan told an awaiting na-tion from his hospital bed at ShaukatKhanum Memorial Hospital, wherehe was admitted after a tragic fall at arally venue in Lahore on Tuesday.

“you have to decide for a newPakistan that has equality, rule of lawand justice,” Khan said, sending mil-lions across the country and its socialmedia into a high-spirited frenzy.

“God says in Holy Quran thatHe does not change the state of anation who does not change its ownstate of affairs. Come May 11, keepa party’s ideology in mind whilevoting. Make all efforts to changeyour destiny,” he said.

Earlier, PTI Chairman Imran

Khan made millions of fans skip aheartbeat when a horrifying accidentmade him fall several feet to theground at a public rally in Lahore’sGhalib Market area. Imran Khan wasstable and in high spirits despite theaccident, doctors at Shaukat KhanumMemorial Hospital told reportersafter conducting several critical med-ical tests on the PTI chairman thatlasted a couple of hours.

Doctors said Khan was recog-nising everyone with ease and hadreceived a minor fracture on hishead, and though two of his verte-brae had been affected in the fall,they were exerting no serious pres-sure on his spinal cord. The PTIchairman would, however, have towear a brace as he has been advisedcomplete bed-rest for three weeks.

He was kept in the hospitalovernight for want of evaluationand monitoring. According to thevideo footage, Khan was being es-corted up the stage through amakeshift elevator using a forklifter when the accident occurred.

Khan was surrounded by hisguards, one of who lost balance andtriggered the collapse. The fall wasmade worse as the guards hadtightly gripped Khan’s right arm,leaving him with only one free armto react to the situation.

Alarm bells went ringing acrossthe venue, while the news spreadlike jungle fire across the countryand globe, leaving PTI followers aswell as the rest of countrymengripped in tension.

Khan was first rushed to Fazl

Cardiac Hospital in Gulberg andthen eventually taken to ShaukatKhanum Hospital, which Khanhimself built with tireless efforts al-most two decades ago.

Almost all political leaders sentin messages of sympathy andwished Khan well. The PTI chief’smain political rival, Pakistan Mus-lim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chiefNawaz Sharif announced in a polit-ical gathering in Rawalpindi that hewas calling off all political activi-ties scheduled for Wednesday(today) over the incident.

“The entire gathering shouldpray for Imran’s early recovery,”Nawaz appealed. Caretaker PunjabChief Minister Najam Sethi rushedto the hospital and had a meetingwith the ailing leader. Talking to

reporters later, Sethi said Khanwas in good health, although hemight not be able to continue withhis campaign. “We had a good chatand Khan was smiling. There isjust a hairline fracture while therest is fine,” Sethi said.

Former Punjab chief ministerand PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharifalso visited Khan at the hospital andenquired after his health. OtherPML-N leaders including MaryamNawaz Sharif also conveyed theirconcern to PTI leadership over thetelephone. Khan’s PTI and Sharif’sPML-N have been criticising eachother bitterly in their respectivepublic rallies but this show of em-pathy from both sides shows thatPakistan’s politicians have ma-tured over the years.

President Asif Zardari, ChiefElection Commissioner FakhruddinG Ebrahim, Muttahida QaumiMovement chief Altaf Hussain andInterior Minister Malik Habib wereamong several other political lead-ers and officials who expressedconcern over Khan’s accident. Theywished Khan an early recovery,calling him an “asset of the coun-try”. President Zardari also sentflowers to the PTI chairman as agoodwill gesture.

Hundreds of PTI supportershad gathered outside ShaukatKhanum Hospital praying forKhan’s early recovery.

ISLAMABADtAyyAb HuSSAIN

The news of injury to PakistanTehreek-e-Insaf ChairmanImran Khan on Tuesday nightspread like a fire in the jungleand people from across theglobe, including celebritiesand politicians, posted tweetsexpressing concerns aboutKhan’s health and prayed forhis swift recovery.

Khan had tumbled downfrom a makeshift lifter that wastaking him onto a stage at anelection rally in Lahore’s GhalibMarket, resulting into head in-juries and backbone fracture.

Immediately following thenews of the accident, peoplestarted tweeting. The most ac-tive among the participants wasImran Khan’s former wife,Jemima Khan, who tweetedimmediately, “He’s in hospitaland conscious now RT.” Shetweeted again, “This from IK’snephew: “@HniaziISF: Chair-man reciting kalma in ambu-lance - he is fine - plz just pray.”Later, she tweeted, “A rallyingcry from the ICU. GoImran!#NayaPakistan#May11th.” Renowned West Indiancricketer Brian Lara @Brian-Lara tweeted, “Imran Khan in-jured @ rally fell off stage...Out of danger Thank God!! Getwell soon great man. Continuestriving in what u believe in.”

Meanwhile, people fromacross the country heaved a sighof relief when senior PTI leaderAsad Umar tweeted, “CT scanresults show only a minor frac-ture. IK will be fine inshaAllahthough he is in a lot of pain.”DR ARIF ALvI: @ArifAlvisaid in his tweet message,“People love him. Received

so many calls in the first hourwith people crying includingour dear concerned friend.”

Faisal Javed Khan, thepermanent host for Khan’srallied, tweeted in utter opti-mism, “Imran Khan in highspirits. ll be on bed rest fortonight. InshALLAH he ll re-sume his activities for thecause Pakistan from tomr”.DR Aq KHAN: Tahafuz ePakistan @DrAQ_Khantweeted, “6 inch wound and 28stitches on head, Imran Khansaying I’ll still go and make myspeech, that’s spirit of a patriot.”SHEIKH RASHID: AMLleader Sheikh Rashid Ahmad@ShkhRasheed tweeted, “thanksto Allah, Imran Khan is out ofdanger. We are praying for besthealth, longer life & early recov-ery of Imran Khan.” He also saidthat he had “canceled all politicalactivities, corner meetings”.SHERRY REHMAN: Am-bassador in Washington DCSherry Rehman @sher-ryrehman tweeted, “WishingPTI leader #Imran Khan aspeedy recovery. Just heard heis in hospital after a bad fall.My sincerest sympathies!”TALAT HUSSAIN: Eminentanchor Talat Hussain @Ta-latHussain tweeted, “Mediashud refrain from speculation.Stay put till doctors speak”.ASFANDYAR WALI

KHAN: Awami NationalParty chief Asfandyar WaliKhan and other leaders of ANPalso expressed their concernover Khan’s injury and prayedfor his speedy recovery.ALTAF HUSSAIN: MQM of-ficial website said chief AltafHussain had asked his support-ers in Rawalpindi, Sialkot,Faisalabad and Bhakkar that he

could not address due to theunfortunate incident of the fallof Imran Khan from the stage.NABIL GABOL: @Nabil-gabol tweeted, “Very sorry andsad abt Imran khan accidentpray for his early recovery”.RAzA HAROON: “#MQM-Pakistan Imran Khan is ournational hero. Pray for hisearly and full recovery. Bestwishes to him.”MUNAWWAR HASSAN:

Syed Munawar Hasan @SMu-nawarHasan tweeted, “I requestthe Pakistani nation in generaland JI workers specially to prayfor Imran Khan’s speedy andcomplete recovery”.MARYAM NAWAz:

Maryam Nawaz tweeted, “Gotthe sad news while campaign-ing. Our prayers and wishesfor Imran Khan Sahib’s early& complete recovery”.AHSAN IqBAL: Ahsan Iqbal@betterpakistan1h tweeted,“Praying for full and speedy re-covery of Imran Khan”.HASSAN NISAR: HassanNisar tweeted, “I would hap-pily forsake my own life for#ImranKhan’s life - that ishow IMPORTANT that manis to #Pakistan.”NASIM zEHRA:

@NasimZehra tweeted, “Pak-istan deserves leaders likeZulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Benazirand Imran Khan...God save usfrom tragedies. Reports say heis out of danger.”DR SHAHID MASOOD: DrShahid Masood tweeted: “Allprayers and best wishes for a verydear friend Imran Khan!”Jalditheekh ho ja yaar! Please!”SAROOR IJAz: Saroor Ijaztweeted, “Imran Khan got in-jured before World Cup 92victory. History repeats itself”.

ISLAMABADStAFF rEPOrt

With tensions rising betweenPakistan and India followinga couple of recent incidents ofprisoner violence on bothsides of the border, Islamabadon Tuesday released a warn-ing for its citizens against vis-iting neighbouring India.

“The government of Pak-istan wishes to advise its citi-zens who are planning totravel to India to exercise duecaution and care while travel-ling to various parts of India,”an advisory issued by the For-eign Office said. “We haveseen some disturbing reportsin the Indian media which in-dicate that the safety and se-curity of Pakistani visitors toIndia, including that of over600 Zaireen scheduled to visitAjmer Sharif for the annual

Urs this month, may be injeopardy,” said the statement.

“The government of Pak-istan would also call upon thegovernment of India to ensurethat necessary arrangements arein place to provide full protectionto all Pakistani visitors to India,”the Foreign Office said. Thestatement was issued amid re-ports that some protestors had at-tacked “Dosti Bus Service” inAmritsar and the driver of the ve-hicle, Mohammad Khalil, had torun away with the bus and seeksecurity cover inside a police sta-tion. Later, a police squad es-corted the bus to Wagha border.

Indian forces also openedindiscriminate fire into Pak-istan Monday night whichwas retaliated from Pakistanside. The latest tensions weretriggered following the deathof Sarabjit Singh, an Indiannational who was attacked by

his inmates at Kot LakhpatJail last week in Lahore, Pak-istan, allegedly over a disputefor drug-related money.

Sarabjit was a RAW spywho was involved in terroristattacks inside Pakistan and wasresponsible for killing over adozen citizens. He was sen-tenced to death in a court ver-dict. However, his hanging hadbeen delayed as his mercy ap-peal had been pending with thepresidency without any action.The incident triggered a “tit-for-tat” attack on SanaullahRanjay, a Pakistani inmateserving a term in a jail inJammu, Indian-held Kashmir.

Sanaullah is severely in-jured and is hospitalised atChandigarh. The family ofSanaullah have been issuedvisas and they also left forIndia to see him due to hiscritical health condition.

Pakistanprotestsagainst Afghanfiring at FC postISLAMABAD: Pakistan onTuesday protested against theunprovoked firing by Afghanforces on a Frontier Constabu-lary (FC) border post on Mon-day, injuring five soldiers. TheAfghan charge d’ affaires wassummoned to the Foreign Of-fice and conveyed the proteston repetition of unprovoked fir-ing from the Afghan posts onPakistan’s Gursal post on May6. A Foreign Office spokesman,in a statement, said that as in thepast, Pakistan’s security forcesexercised maximum restraintand communicated first to theAfghan side about repetitionof the serious violationthrough military channels. Hesaid that the Afghan diplomatwas conveyed Pakistan’s seri-ous concern and asked to ad-vise the relevant authorities inhis country to avoid repetitionof unprovoked firing, whichundermined the existing coor-dination mechanisms betweenthe security forces of the twocountries. The Afghan charged’ affaires was also conveyedthat in case of any further es-calation as a result of this sit-uation, the responsibilitywould be on the Afghan gov-ernment. StAFF rEPOrt

LAHoREStAFF rEPOrt

The Quls for veteran journalistand columnist Syed AbbasAthar were offered on Tuesday.

Mr Athar passed away afterprotracted illness in Lahore inthe wee hours of Monday. Hehad been suffering from cancerfor a long time and hospitalisedat the CMH for treatment. Hewas currently the Group Editorof Urdu daily Express and hasbeen columnist for several otherleading Urdu dailies. He earnedfame in the 1970s as News Ed-itor of an independent Urdudaily Azad edited by renownedhuman rights activist IARehman. Its unique feature wasbold, crisp and catchy headlinessplashed across the page. Oftenthese had little connection withthe content of the report.

One of these “Idhar humudhar tum” (Here we, there

you) attributed to Zulfikar AliBhutto at the time of turmoil inEast Pakistan became the life-long stigma for the PPP leaderthough it had not been men-tioned in the actual story. Itpainted Bhutto as advocatingdisintegration of Pakistan after1970 elections which led to thecreation of Bangladesh. Atharlater became an ardent sup-porter of Bhutto and also servedPPP’s mouthpiece ‘Musawat’as its editor. Also a poet, he au-thored some of the poetic videoads for the PPP during currentelections. Athar’s death wasmourned by a large number ofpeople including President AsifAli Zardari, Prime Minister MirHazar Khan Khoso, Informa-tion and Broadcasting MinisterArif Nizami and Punjab Care-taker Chief Minister NajamSethi. They said that Athar’sdeath was an irreparable lossfor Pakistani journalism.

Qadri is backfor anothersit-in!

LAHoREONLINE

Announcing a countrywide sit-in on polling day, Tehreek Min-hajul Quran chief Tahirul Qadrion Tuesday rejected the upcom-ing elections and said that therewould be no change on May 11.

Speaking to journalists, hesaid the May 11 elections wouldusher the same old faces into theparliament, adding the currentsystem would never be thefoundation of real change in thecountry. Tahirul Qadri said that“real change” in the countrywas impossible, especially be-cause there was a common rootbetween the government andthe opposition: corruption. “Wedo not want to become a part ofthis corrupt system. We will or-ganise sit-ins across the countryin every city to protest this elec-tion,” he said, adding he wouldput forward a new system tobring about change in the coun-try after the elections were held.

“I will present a new sys-tem after the terrible collapseof this system,” he said. TheElection Commission of Pak-istan (ECP), he alleged, hadsaved every corrupt person andall those immersed in corrup-tion had been given a go-aheadto take part in the elections.“Our war against the corrup-tion will continue,” he said.

80 Elite Force

personnel to

guard Imran after

security threats

LAHoREONLINE

As security threats mount withthe election day nearing, PTIChairman Imran Khan willnow move with 10 mobile ve-hicles of Elite Force and 80personnel. The security of thePTI chairman’s sisters havealso been beefed up after theinstructions of high-ups of thelaw enforcement agencies.

Senior Superintendent ofPolice Salman Ali Khan hasbeen assigned the task of pro-tecting the PTI leader, secu-rity officials said.

Khan, who has been mov-ing across the country espe-cially in Punjab, will have thesame level of security until theelections conclude.

Down, but not out!

growing tensions: pakistan cautionsits citizens against Indian visit

Quls offered for seniorjournalist abbas athar

Imran’s injury garners immediatenational, international response, prayers

STOP PRESSA PTI spokesman announcedlate on Tuesday night thatImran Khan would addressthe public rally in Islamabadscheduled for Thursday(tomorrow).

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Somehow politicians have become

convinced that negative campaigning pays

off in elections. –George McGovern

ISLAMABADAPP

WITH just three daysto the elections,wrong voteregistration troublesvoters as the

Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)has stopped transferring votes.

The flawed vote registrationsystem denies people votes in theirhometowns. “These problemsoccurred because the ECPprepared voter lists based on CNICdata,” said ECP spokesmanKhursheed Alam.

The ECP had limited resourcesand all individuals could not bereached. Thus, their votes wereregistered against their permanentaddresses,” he added.

Haji Omar Khan of Quetta city

said, “I have no family or property inMalir, and despiteseveral requests,the ECP has notregisteredmy

family’s votes to Quetta.”He claimed that massive polls

rigging will ensue as voters will not bethere to prevent bogus votes casting.

“The ECP officials asked me tosubmit a new application form forregistering our votes. I followed theprocedure but our votes have still notbeen transferred,” he added.

Rawalpindi resident Sadia Khanhad a similar complaint:”my family’svotes have been registered in Multanwhile we have been living here since tenyears.

My husband registered a complaintwith the ECP and we were assured ofvote transfer, but later we were told thatthe deadline had expired and nothingcan be done.”

ECP spokesman Khursheed Alamadmitted receiving thousands ofcomplaints regarding this matter.

He said that people submittedincorrect information to the ECP andthey could approach the courts ifdissatisfied with the ECP.

He added that the ECP launched anawareness campaign in September 2011for verifying voters’ data.

RAWALPINDIAPP

The police have established two central control roomsin the City Police Officer (CPO)’s office and the PoliceLine and all election security arrangements have beenfinalized.

The control rooms will continuously monitor thesituation.6000 policemen, over 7000 police nationalvolunteers, additional police force, Punjab constabulary,Muhafiz Squad, Elite Force, Special Branch officials andladies’ police will be deployed on May 11.

The district has been divided into 209 sub-sectors.223 polling stations are security category A, 242are category B and 1685 are category C category.

City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Abdul RaziqCheema will supervise all security arrangements.

The police will patrol the city’s streets with extrafocus on its entry and exit points. Voters will be searched

at polling stations, and personnel will keep an eye outfor suspicious activity

Parking near polling stations will be disallowed anddisplaying arms and aerial firing have been banned forMay 11.

All police officials and volunteers have been trainedand briefed for their duties.

Rawalpindi police are conducting search operationsin different areas to arrest suspicious individuals. SeniorSuperintendent Police (SSP) Operations Mujahid Akbaris supervising the operation, which also includes theStation House Officers (SHOs).

Suspects were arrested on Monday, while 75motorcycles and four vehicles were impounded.34hotels and Musafarkhanas were also checked.

A police spokesperson said that contingents ofPakistan Army and Rangers would also be on standby,but overall the security arrangements were the police’sresponsibility.

RAWALPINDIONLINE

The designation of May 12 as the final registrationdate for 9th grade students by the RawalpindiEducation Board (REB) has jeopardized theacademic future of millions of students.The REB notified all government and registeredschools regarding the deadline, creating a crisis ofas most teachers, school heads and clerical staff areengaged in election duties. Schools will remain closed on May 11 and thestudents have left for their home towns. Students, parents and teachers have demanded anew date after May 15 of the board, saying theywill be compelled to hold protest rallies otherwise.

CAUtIoN!thrEAt AhEAD:INtEllIgENCEAgENCIEsISLAMABAD: Sensing the sensitivesecurity situation, the intelligenceagencies have advised the lawenforcement agencies (LEAs) toimprove security arrangements preand post May 11.Intelligence agencies’ reportsexpress fears that election rallies,public gatherings, and expectedjubilation ceremonies by successfulcandidates might be susceptible toterrorism. Election candidates have also beenadvised to take care of themselvesand ensure security arrangements atrally venues. INP

PIMs stAFF torEMAIN oN-DUty DUrINgElECtIoNsISLAMABAD: Pakistan Institute of

Medical Sciences (PIMS)

administrator Professor Dr. Iqbal

Memon on Tuesday directed all

clinical and non-clinical department

heads and supervisory

staff to be in full

attendance till May

12 to tackle any

emergencies.

PIMS has

planned for

any

emergencies

during the

elections. Nearly

400 beds have been

prepared and up to

500 patients can be

treated.

1500 PIMS staff will

be on round the clock

duty. StAFF rEPOrt

thrEE ArrEstED

For MUrDEr

ISLAMABAD: Nilore police on Tuesdayclaimed to have arrested three menallegedly involved in murdering two peoplein Tumair.According to a police spokesman,Muhammad Rafique and MuhammadYounus were murdered while Israr andSafeer suffered injuries, followingwhich a case (27/13) was filed onMarch 1 under Sections 302, 324,148/149 of the Pakistan Penal Code(PPC). The police successfully arrested threesuspects, including Muhammad Irfans/o Muhammad Khan from Sargodha,who confessed his crime during theinitial investigation and revealed thewhereabouts of his two abscondingaccomplices.Following this lead, the policeconducted a raid in Peshawar andarrested Aziz-ur-Rehman s/oMuhammad Khan and Faisal Yaqoob s/o Muhammad Yaqoob as well. StAFF rEPOrt

WhErE’s My VotE?Voter registratioNmishap upsetsthousaNds of Voters

‘Not our fault. VotersproVided wroNg data,’says eCp spokesmaN

may 12 deadline forstudents’ registrationa serious problem

Police control roomsestablished for safe elections

IN STYLE: Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf

carry out a rally at Jinnah Avenue. ONLINE

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islamabadI

wednesday, 8 may, 2013

06Elections are won by men and women chiefly

because most people vote against somebody

rather than for somebody. –Franklin P. Adams

ISLAMABADNNI

NATIONAL Health ServicesRegulation and Coordination(NHSRC) Federal MinisterShahzada Jamal Nazir said onTuesday that all possible steps

will be taken to overcome measles and poliowhile talking to representatives of the newdepartments of EPI, AIDS, and the TBControl Programme.

These departments have been added to theministry under the Cabinet Division’s directiveto re-name the Ministry of National Regulationand Services as the NHSRC. Public health andpopulation related programmes have beenallocated to this ministry.

These organizations’ heads briefed theminister about the present status of thesedepartments and discussed their issues. Theminister assured that maximum efforts will beexerted to resolve the issues immediately.

Earlier, the Algerian ambassador Dr. Ahmed

Benflis and Deputy Head of Mission KhiariAbderrahim visited Nazir and discussedreligious affairs and endowments.

The minister advocated increasedbusiness contacts between the twocountries to promote trade.

Dr. Ahmed Benflis requested Nazir to senda Qari from Pakistan annually to participationin a Qirat (Quran recital) competition inAlgeria. The minister assented, and expressedhis hope for growing brotherly relationsbetween the two countries.

MINIstEr AssUrEs ProMPt ACtIoNAgAINst PolIo, MEAslEs

UsAID for better healthsystem in country

ISLAMABADNNI

The International Islamic University Islamabad(IIUI) organized the Prize DistributionCeremony of Annual Sports 2013 at its girlscampus. President IIUI Prof. Dr. Ahmad yousifAl-Draiweesh was the chief guest while DirectorIIUI Girls Campus Dr. Zaitoon Baghim, StudentAdvisor Dr. Munza yaqoob, faculty membersand students also attended.

In his keynote address, Dr. Ahmad said thatIIU had always facilitated female students in allcurricular, co curricular and sports activities. Hesaid that books alone are insufficient for bodilyand mental health. He appreciated the students’participation in the annual sports gala andassured them sporting facilities at the universitywill be improved. Dr. Ahmad also lauded theorganisers’ for their successful efforts.

Dr. Zaitoon thanked the President for his time and

said, “in addition to formal education, sports areintegral for enhancing students’ hidden capabilities.”

Earlier, Dr. Munazza yaqoob briefed theparticipants about the sports competition’sactivities in detail.

In the end, Dr. Ahmed distributed prizesamong the position holders. Team prizes andindividual medals were awarded.

BS student Faeza Rehman secured theAthlete of the year Award.

loK VIrsA toPArtICIPAtE INgIlgIt-BAltIstANUNIty gAlA

ISLAMABADStAFF rEPOrt

The National Institute of Folk &Traditional Heritage Lok Virsa willparticipate in the Gilgit BaltistanUnity Gala being organized on 10-12 May under Headquarters ForceCommand, Northern Areas(Pakistan Army).Lok Virsa’s Executive DirectorKhalid Javaid said that they aresending a 150-member delegation ofvarious artisans, folk artists,musicians and dancers to the festival.Gilgit has a thriving history oftourism and festivities. The PakistanArmy has decided to organize theGilgit Baltistan Unity Gala tocelebrate spring and culturaldiversity.The event’s major attractions includesports (football, basketball, cricketand polo), culture (handicrafts,artisans-at-work, gems, jewelry,woodwork, etc.), food (localcuisines) and folk music.

ISLAMABADStAFF rEPOrt

The United States Agency forInternational Development(USAID)’s technical andfinancial support hassignificantly improvedPakistan’s health goods supply.

USAID’s Deliver Project isexpanding its web-basedLogistics ManagementInformation System (LMIS)across Pakistan for bettermanagement, record keeping,procurement and distribution ofcontraceptives, establishinglogistics and procurement cellsat the provincial and regionalhealth and populationdepartments; and providingInformation Technology (IT)support to provinces and districtsfor all LMIS activities. Theproject is also assisting therelevant governmentdepartments in developingessential drugs lists withprocurement packages forprimary and secondary healthcare facilities.

USAID has alreadyprovided district level operator’straining to ensure that the web-based Logistics ManagementInformation System is efficientlytracking the demand and supply

of health commodities. Byproviding IT equipment, USAIDhas ensured that this supplytracking system operates in 143districts. The Planning andDevelopment Division, PlanningCommission, Central Warehouse(CWH) Karachi, and therecently established Logisticsand Procurement Cells (LPC) inthe Health & Population Welfaredepartments will also beprovided this equipment. The USGovernment is endowing $3.5mworth of hardware. This includesservers, desktop computers,laptops, printers, multimediaprojectors, photocopiers,barcode scanners, printers andUPS. This will make it possiblefor the government departmentsto electronically track and reportthe monthly consumption ofmaternal health products andthus ensure adequate supply.

In 2001-2009, Pakistan’sgovernment spent $5 to 6 millionannually on average oncontraceptive procurement. Tomeet the elevated demand, theUS government donated $72million till 2013.

The US Government’s long-term commitment towardsstrengthening the Pakistanihealth care system is evidencedby this donation.

Prize distribution ceremony at iiui

4 sheesha cafessealed, 18 hookahsconfiscated

ISLAMABADONLINE

The district administration haslaunched an operation againstsheesha smoking cafes. Theyhave sealed four cafes andconfiscated 18 hookahs.

Islamabad AssistantCommissioner SecretariatNauman yousaf, AssistantCommissioner Industrial AreaImran Ali Sultan and theassistant commissioner

Shalimar police station crackeddown on sheesha smoking in I-8, I-9, F-10, and in otherhotels, restaurants andrecreational places.

The district administrationissued special directions to allrestaurants owners that strictaction would be taken againstillegal sheesha smoking.

Smoking is strictly bannedin public places such hotels, busterminals, railway stations, carparks and hospitals.

SUMMER FOOTWEAR: A

woman having a look at shoes

displayed on the roadside in

the federal capital. INP

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07

newswednesday, 8 may, 2013

Those who do not love me

do not deserve to live. —

Muammar al-Gaddafi N

MOGADIShU: Fifty countries andorganisations are gathered in London for aninternational conference aimed at preventingSomalia from slipping back into abjectlawlessness. British Prime Minister DavidCameron and Somali President HassanSheikh Mohamud are co-hosting Tuesday'smeeting, which hopes to bolster politicalstability in the conflict-battered Horn of Africacountry. "The Somalia conference in London aims to capitalise on the significantprogress made over the past year and to agree coordinated international support forthe government of Somalia's plans to build political stability by improving security,police, justice and public financial management systems," Britain's Foreign Officesaid. Organisations such as the United Nations, the African Union, the InternationalMonetary Fund and Somalia's neighbours are among those invited.BIG ChALLENGES: President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said security was at thetop of the list of the country's priorities. "We have a six pillar policy frameworks tobuild the foundations of a new beginning for Somalia," he said. "Today, among theother priorities, security is the top one." Somalia has been battered by conflictsince 1991, but a new United Nations-backed government took power inSeptember, ending more than a decade of transitional rule. AGENCIES

somalia asks for international support

DHAKAAGENCIES

POLICE have banned all rallies inthe Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, aday after clashes between the po-lice and protesters left at least 27people dead.

The country's main opposition partieshave called a two-day nationwide shut-down from Wednesday to protest againstwhat they describe as the "mass killing" ofprotesters in a crackdown by securityforces. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP) and its Islamist allies called thestrike after claiming that hundreds of peo-ple were killed on Sunday and early Mon-day, when police broke up a mass rally incentral Dhaka. "We have called two days ofnationwide strike to protest the mass killingof Hifajat-e-Islam workers and supporterson Sunday and Monday," BNP spokesman

Khandaker Mosharraf told the AFP newsagency on Tuesday.

The strike is set to begin at 6am localtime (01:00 GMT) on Wednesday and endat 6pm on Thursday, Mosharraf added.

On Monday, supporters of the Hifazat-e-Islam organisation who are demanding ananti-blasphemy law, blocked roads withburning tires in clashes that lasted for morethan five hours and left more than 100 peo-ple injured. Police said they used soundgrenades, water cannon, tear gas and rubberbullets to disperse at least 70,000 protesterswho were camped at the commercial dis-trict of Motijheel in the capital.

"We were forced to act after they un-lawfully continued their gathering at Moti-jheel. They attacked us with bricks, stones,rods and bamboo sticks," Dhaka policespokesman Masudur Rahman AFP. Vio-lence also flared up at Hathazari, a town justoutside the southern city of Chittagong, as

well as in the southern coastal district ofBagerhat. Dozens of demonstrators were ar-rested, while the leader of the protests, 93-

year-old Allama Shah Ahmad Shafi, was puton a plane bound for Chittagong and thedeputy chief was detained in the capital.

Police said that Shafi had not been ar-rested. According to Al Jazeera correspon-dent, whom we are not naming due toreporting restrictions, said Hefazat-e-Islamhas called for nationwide shutdown on May12. The turmoil comes as the governmentstruggles to deal with outrage over the col-lapse of a factory building northwest ofDhaka, where the death toll has crossed 700since the late April accident.Tv STATIONS OFF AIR: Two local tel-evision stations - Diganta Television and Is-lamic TV - which broadcast footage of theraid on Motijheel were forced off the air,journalists at the channels said.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-gen-eral, called for an end to the violence, ex-pressing his sadness at the loss of life, aspokesman said. Ban "urges political andreligious leaders to engage in constructivedialogue and help defuse the tensions,"Martin Nesirky, the UN spokesman, said.

Police ban rallies in Dhaka after violence

GAzA: Children play with foam as members

of the Palestinian Civil Defence train to use

fire extinguishers on Tuesday. AGENCIES

CAIRoAGENCIES

Egypt has announced a cabinet reshufflethat removes two ministers closely involvedin talks with the International MonetaryFund (IMF) and increases the representationof President Mohamed Morsi's MuslimBrotherhood in the government.

The opposition had been demandingthe installation of a politically neutral cab-inet to oversee parliamentary elections laterthis year. Egypt's Prime Minister, HishamQandil, announced the nine changes to hiscabinet on Tuesday.

These included the appointment of AmrDarrag, a senior official in the Brother-hood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), asplanning minister. Al Jazeera's RawyaRageh, reporting from Cairo, said: "This[appointment] is interesting because it isone of the key ministerial posts in negotia-tion with the IMF over the long-awaited$4.8bn loan; it could be seen as an attemptby the Muslim Brotherhood to play a largerrole in key economic processes." The out-going minister, Ashraf al-Arabi, had playeda central role in talks with the IMF about a$4.8bn loan seen as crucial to easing a deepeconomic crisis. Egypt has yet to seal a dealwith the IMF.

Fayyad Abdel Moneim, a specialist inIslamic economics, was appointed as fi-nance minister, re-p l a c i n gAl-Mursi AlS a y e dHegazy, an-other experton Islamic fi-nance whowas appointedin January, thelast timeQandil reshuf-

fled the cabinet. Abdel Moneim received adoctorate from Al-Azhar University in Is-lamic economics in 1999. yehya Hamed,another Brotherhood member, was ap-pointed investment minister. The new cab-inet includes at least 10 politicians affiliatedto the Muslim Brotherhood or the FJP,compared to eight in the old one.

Ahmed Suleiman was named as justiceminister, replacing Ahmed Mekky, who re-signed last month in protest at efforts byMorsi's allies to make changes to the judi-ciary. The ministers of interior, defence andforeign affairs were left unchanged.

The government has been widely criti-cised for failing to revive an economy thatis in deep crisis because of more than twoyears of political turmoil. "We don't expectthe opposition to be happy with this reshuf-fle," said our correspondent. The NationalSalvation Front (NSF), a loose alliance ofopposition parties, "had one specific de-mand that the prime minister should bechanged. That didn't happen. They viewhim as too weak and too close to the presi-dent and the Muslim Brotherhood group."Hussein Abdel Ghani, an NSF membersaid: "The changes will only deepen the po-litical crisis and state ofpolarisation andblock the way toany possible realnational dia-logue."

egypt announcescabinet reshuffle

DAMASCUS AGENCIES

A UN team of investigators has said it hasnot reached "conclusive findings" thatchemical weapons have been used by anyparties in the Syrian conflict, distancing it-self from an earlier statement from one ofits members that suggested the likely useof sarin gas by rebels.

The UN Commission of Inquiry onSyria said in a statement on Monday thatit "wishes to clarify that it has not reachedconclusive findings as to the use of chem-ical weapons in Syria by any parties to theconflict". The opposition Syrian NationalCoalition(SNC), which will hold a sym-posium on chemical weapons in Istanbulon Tuesday, has said only the regime hadsuch capabilities. On Monday, Carla DelPonte, a member of the UN commission,said that "according to the testimonies wehave gathered, the rebels have used chem-ical weapons, making use of sarin gas".

She acknowledged that there was"still not irrefutable proof, [but] verystrong suspicions, concrete suspicions thatsarin gas has been used... by opponents,by rebels, not by government authorities".US STANCE: Later on Monday, theWhite House and the State Departmentsaid that it was likely that President Basharal-Assad's regime, not the rebel opposition,was behind any chemical weapons use inSyria. "We are highly sceptical of sugges-tions that the opposition could have or diduse chemical weapons," said White Housespokesman Jay Carney. "We find it highlylikely that any chemical weapon use thathas taken place in Syria was done by theAssad regime."

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State

John Kerry arrived in Russia to meet Pres-ident Vladimir Putin and discuss, amongother issues, the situation in Syria.OPPOSITION REFUTES: The FreeSyrian Army (FSA) swiftly denied DelPonte's statement that rebel forces hadlikely used chemical arms.

Salim Idris, FSA chief of staff, said theremarks were a "huge injustice" and"provocation" to the Syrian people. TheSyrian regime and rebels have both ac-cused each other of using chemicalweapons, which are banned under interna-tional law. In a statement on Monday, theSNC said: "The Coalition condemns all useof chemical weapons, whoever uses themand it will pursue its investigation and col-lect evidence on this issue to present to theinternational commission of inquiry.

"If the inquiry proves that any partyother than the Syrian regime has usedchemical weapons, the coalition will takeall legal and appropriate measures who-ever the party is and whatever the reason

or motive for the usage might be."The Geneva-based inquiry into war

crimes and other human rights violationsis separate from an investigation of the al-leged use of chemical weapons instigatedby UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Ban's office is still trying to negotiateentry into Syria to investigate and collectsamples. Set up two years ago at the behestof the UN Human Rights Council, the com-mission has also been unable to gain accessto Syria as Damascus ignores repeated re-quests for entry. Instead, it has interviewedmore than 1,500 refugees and exiles as abasis for its reports and its charges that boththe government forces and their allies andopposition forces have carried out warcrimes. Sarin is a powerful neurotoxin de-veloped by Nazi scientists in the 1930s.Originally developed as a pesticide, sarinwas used to deadly effect in air raids in1988 by Saddam Hussein's forces on theKurdish village of Halabja in northern Iraqthat left an estimated 5,000 people dead.

syrian chemical weapons debate intensifies

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newsNwednesday 8 may, 2013

08

LAHoREAGENCIES

After 14 years out of power, NawazSharif is a man in a hurry.

As his motorcade speeds to an-other campaign rally ahead of ageneral election next week, thepolitician tipped to be Pakistan’snext prime minister is frank aboutwhat he will inherit - “a mess”.

“The challenges are huge,” theportly Sharif told Reuters in his bul-let-proof car. “We have to bail outthe economy.”

With the nuclear-armed nationin crisis after decades of either mil-itary or socialist rule, it’s a job fewmight be able to handle. Sharif,who vows to bring in free marketenterprise and ease economic con-trols, says speedy growth is theonly answer.

According to opinion polls, hisPakistan Muslim League-Nawaz(PML-N) is expected to win theMay 11 general election after capi-talizing on the failures of the outgo-ing Pakistan People’s Party (PPP),a left-leaning party.

The powerful military still callsthe shots in Pakistan but it is the firsttime that an election is being held todecide on a transition between civil-

ian governments. Nevertheless, thenew prime minister will have towork with the generals, who controlforeign policy and security.

The new civilian governmentwill also have to play its part in Pak-istan’s difficult relationship with theUnited States. Washington has adeep alliance with Pakistan, but istroubled by elements in the countrysupporting Islamic militants fight-ing US troops in neighboringAfghanistan. Osama bin Laden wasfound and killed in a Pakistani townin 2011. In addition, the economy isstuttering. Chronic power cuts haveinfuriated Pakistanis and crippledkey industries. Corruption andpoverty are rampant, and infrastruc-ture is crumbling.

Sharif seems to have maturedas a politician since he was toppledby former army chief and presidentPervez Musharraf in a bloodlesscoup in 1999. As the main opposi-tion leader, he has avoided antago-nizing Pakistan’s powerfulgenerals, or bringing down the un-popular PPP-led coalition govern-ment when it was in trouble.

Instead, he waited patiently foran opportunity to rule and now thathis moment has come, he is in ahurry to fix Pakistan. Sharif how-

ever acknowledges that if he wins,the honeymoon will be short.NEED FOR REFORM: Pakistanneeds billions of dollars fromdonors to avert a balance of pay-ments crisis but the cash may notflow to the South Asian nation un-less politically sensitiveeconomic reforms areimplemented.

So far, onepolitician afteranother hasfailed tomuster thecourage tobring change.S h a r i f ’ sbackgroundsuggests hemay have thestomach for it,based on his attemptsin the past to reverse so-cialist policies and open up theeconomy. “I think Nawaz Sharifwill be very capable of makingtough decisions,” said ZaffarAbbas, editor of Dawn newspaper.“He has proven this before.”

Sharif, who was born into afamily of wealthy industrialists in1949, served as prime ministertwice in the 1990s, when he tried to

promote free market policies. Hisfamily is from Lahore, the capitalof Punjab, Pakistan’s most prosper-ous and populous province.

Now he says he is willing toagain risk a backlash, and cut gov-ernment expenditure by 30 percent

in order to secure interna-tional backing for the

economy.“you see

privatization,free markete c o n o m y ,deregulation- have beenhallmarks ofour party in

government,”Sharif told

Reuters. “Weare going to pick

up the threads fromwhere we left off.”

Despite his reform credentials,Sharif may raise concerns in theWest because of his conservativeIslamic values: in 1991 he tried tomake sharia the country’s supremelaw.

More recently he has been ac-cused of failing to act against mili-tant groups which have a breedingground in Punjab. He is one of the

few major politicians not on the hit-list of Taliban insurgents who havevowed to disrupt the elections.

His two terms as prime ministerin the 1990s were marred by alle-gations of graft and he ordered Pak-istan’s first nuclear tests in 1998.THE MILITARY CONNEC-

TION: Nawaz was a protégé ofmilitary dictator General Zia ul-Haq in the 1980s.

But he became a victim of thepowerful military when he wasoverthrown by Musharraf. He wasthen convicted of corruption andgiven a life sentence for hijacking,because he refused to allow an air-liner carrying Musharraf to land inPakistan.

Sharif went into exile in SaudiArabia, but never lost hope of re-turning to politics one day.

“In private conversations,Nawaz still gets very emotionalwhen he remembers that period,”said a senior journalist who has re-ported on Sharif for decades. “Hehas not forgotten being handcuffedand walking through the airport.His face still gets red in anger whenhe recalls those days.”

No surprise, then, that he nowtalks tough against the army med-dling in civilian affairs - a risky

stance in a country ruled by gener-als for more than half of its 66-yearhistory, either through coups orfrom behind the scenes.

Sharif’s attempt to fire Mushar-raf as army chief ultimately costhim his job in 1999. If elected hewill have to avoid any other errorsin judgment, especially when itcomes to Pakistan’s top army offi-cers.

Musharraf attempted a politicalcomeback of his own in Marchwhen he returned after nearly fouryears of self-imposed exile hopingto contest the election.

Instead, he has been barredfrom public office for life and isunder house arrest at his luxuryfarmhouse as cases against himgrind through the courts.

With his nemesis humiliatedand out of the picture, politics hascome full circle for Sharif. He haspatiently plotted his own return tothe top from his lavish, 700-acre es-tate near Lahore where peacocksstrut on the lawns.

“I think we have a track record.We have contributed to the countryin the past,” said Sharif. “WhereverI have been during this campaign,the response of the people has beenvery emotional and charged.”

ISLAMABADONLINE

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP)Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry onTuesday questioned how could for-mer prime minister Pervez Ashrafutilise funds allocated for Bhashadam, Lowari Tunnel and HEC in hisown constituency.

He gave the remarks while pre-siding over an SC bench while hear-ing the case of misuse of funds bythe former PM in his own con-stituency and acquisition of supple-mentary grants illegally.

The concerned officers andlawyers appeared in court. The fi-nance secretary told the court thatPM had the power to release discre-tionary funds and no bar could beimposed on him on this count.

The CJP remarked, “Can the PMcan utilise the entire country’s fundsin his constituency? If the prevail-ing state of affairs continues, whatwill happen in the country?”

He regretted the way the formerPM issued such a huge amount forthe uplift projects and thengot supplementarygrant amounting toRs 30 billion.

J u s t i c eAzmat Saeedremarked howwere supple-m e n t a r ygrants of Rs30 billionobtained.

“Is thePM a monarchto get such ahuge grant?”

Tariq Mehmoodadvocate appeared andprayed the court that cer-tain contractors who had no rele-vance with the former PM’sschemes had been barred fromdoing work.

The CJP observed, “We have notbarred anyone from carrying out

work. We want work be done perlaw and constitution. Development

fund can neither be trans-ferred to the PM’s con-

stituency nor couldit be utilised

therein. FormerPM transferredfunds allo-cated to proj-ects ofnational im-portance likeBhasha dam,Lowari Tun-

nel and HECto his own con-

stituency. No onewill be allowed to

plunder nationalwealth.” The court issued

notices to the housing secretary anddirected him to present record of allongoing development projects underPWD within 10 days.

The hearing of the case was ad-journed for 10 days.

sharif poised to take over mess in Pakistan

Most new-born deathsin India; Pakistan,Bangladesh farebetter: report

NEW DELHIONLINE

Of every 100 newborns that die in the world,29 die in India. A report on 186 countries onTuesday revealed that in Indian as many as300,000 babies die on the day they are bornevery year while infants fare better even inPakistan and Bangladesh.The report showed that 40 percent of theworld’s first-day deaths occur in South Asia,which accounts for 24 percent of the world’spopulation. It said Bangladesh and Pakistan also havelarge numbers of yearly first-day deaths at28,000 and 60,000 respectively with chronicmalnourishment of mothers one of the majorfactors for the fatalities in the region.“Progress has been made, but more than1,000 babies die every day on their first dayof life from preventable causes throughoutIndia, Pakistan and Bangladesh,” said MikeNovell, the regional director of the charity.Non-governmental organisation, Save theChildren, compared first-day deaths in 186countries for its “State of World’s Mother Re-port”. Luxembourg has the least new-borndeaths, India the most, the reports says.While infant deaths in India have come downby almost half as compared to 1990, the ratehas been slower than that in, say, Nepal.The statistics only get worse. More than halfthe child deaths in India happen in the firstmonth. And India has the biggest disparitybetween the rich and poor in child deaths.

NFC inks agreementwith NlC for fertilizertransportation

LAHoREPrESS rELEASE

National Fertilizer Corporation(NFC) hassigned an agreement with National LogisticsCell (NLC) for efficient, swift and safe trans-portation of fertilizer inside the country.As per agreement, NLC would ensure safeand speedy transportation of urea from portsto various NFML stores spread across thecountry. During transportation of fertilizer,NLC would ensure safety of the fertilizer.In this regard, Commander NLC Brig HamidRaza and GM NLC Col Asif Mehdi called onChairman NFC Rizwan Mumtaz Ali. Also pres-ent in the meeting were Managing DirectorNFML Tariq Shafique Khan, GM NFMLFakhar Ali Cheema and GM NFC Shahid Amin.

RAWALPINDI: PML-N President Nawaz Sharif addresses a public meeting on Tuesday. INP

tauqir sadiqsentenced to threeyears in prison

RAWALPINDIStAFF rEPOrt

Former OGRAchairman Tauqir

Sadiq wassentenced tothree yearsin prison onTuesday byan accounta-

bility court forfailing to ap-

pear for the hear-ing for a corruption

reference against him. Furthermore, the courtissued a non-bailable arrest warrant againstSadiq and ordered the freezing of his assetsand properties. Sadiq, the main accused in aRs 82 billion scam, fled from the countryafter the Supreme Court declared his appoint-ment as OGRA chief illegal on November 25,2011, and ordered the National AccountabilityBureau (NAB) to start an investigationagainst him. Sadiq, who was sentenced in ab-sentia, is currently in the UAE and sourcessaid that some influential figures in the for-mer government had been using their cloutwithin the country and abroad to protect theformer OGRA chief.

tribal clash leaves fivedead in Jhal Magsi

MoNIToRING DESK

At least five persons were killed during ex-change of fire between two groups in JhalMagsi district of Balochistan on TuesdaymorningA Levies official Abdul Jabbar said that fivetribesmen had died and that both groups usedheavy weapons against each other in theclash that was the result of a tribal feud.He said the bodies were shifted to Gandawahhospital for postmortem.Levies and police reached the area and inves-tigations into the incident went underway.Earlier in April this year, an independentelection candidate, Abdul Fateh Magsi, andthree other persons from Balochistan’s JhalMagsi area were killed by unknown as-sailants, prompting the Election Commissionof Pakistan (ECP) to postpone the electionsin the areas PB -32 constituency.According to the police and relatives of thedeceased, was kidnapped on Monday nightand his bullet-riddled body was found onTuesday morning.

sc takes exception to ashraf’s misuse of bhasha, lowari funds

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news N

09

wednesday 8 may, 2013

LAHORE: Relatives of injured Pakistani prisoner Rana Sanaullah Haq cross over into India through Wagah border checkpost on Tuesday. ONLINE

ChrIstIANs VotE For ProtECtIoNISLAMABAD

AGENCIES

TRAUMATISED Chris-tians in a Lahore slumwhere angry Muslimstorched more than 100homes say Pakistan’stwo largest parties offer

the only hope of protection at this week’sgeneral election.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawazof Nawaz Sharif, a man accused of beingsoft on the Taliban but tipped to win Satur-day’s polls, and the main outgoing PakistanPeople’s Party both gave affected families$5 000 each in compensation.

PML-N is the party in power in Punjabprovince, the home of the largest Christiancommunity in Pakistan. PPP led the outgo-ing federal government.

While in the northwest, Christians feelreligious parties offer them more protec-tion, voters in Joseph Colony say they will

opt for PML-N for the regional assemblyand PPP for the National Assembly, in grat-itude for their support.

“They helped us cover our losses andgave $5 000 to each family. So all of ushave decided to vote for them,” said factoryworker Sohail Masih.

Pakistan’s 86 million registered votersgo to the polls on Saturday to elect fourprovincial assemblies and 272 lawmakersdirectly into the national assembly.BLASPHEMY LEGISLATION: In thelower house of parliament, another 60 seatsare allotted to women and 10 to religiousminorities on a party ticket based on pro-portional representation.

Christians cannot directly elect Chris-tian lawmakers. They vote like everyoneelse for different parties, which in turnchoose their Christian candidates, in aprocess criticised as “selection” not elec-tion.

Only 2% of Pakistan’s overwhelminglyMuslim population of 180 million are

Christian. The community is poor and com-plains of increasing discrimination.

Last week, the US Commission on In-ternational Religious Freedom warned thatthe risk to Pakistan’s minorities has reachedcrisis level. It said blasphemy and otherlaws are used to “violate religious freedomsand foster a climate of impunity”.

Campaigners argue that blasphemy leg-islation, for which the maximum penalty isdeath, is often abused to settle personalscores and should be reformed.

Punjab has seen some of the worstcases. A Christian mother was sentenced todeath for blasphemy in 2010. In the townof Gojra in 2009, a mob burned 77 housesand killed seven people after rumours thata Koran had been desecrated.CHRISTIAN MINORITY: Last year, ayoung Christian girl spent three weeks injail after being accused of blasphemy be-fore the case was thrown out, although sheand her family have been in hiding eversince, fearing for their lives.

Salman Taseer a leading PPP politician,a Muslim and the governor of Punjab, whocalled for the blasphemy law to be re-formed, was shot dead by his bodyguard inprotest in January 2011.

At the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral,established in downtown Lahore in 1907,Father Andrew Nasari said his congregationfeared conservative political parties andfavoured the PML-N and PPP.

“Christians are afraid of these parties,therefore Christians go to liberal parties,progressive parties,” he told a foreign wireagency.

But in Peshawar, which runs intostrongholds of the Taliban and other alQaeda-linked groups, Christian candidateshave aligned themselves with and soughtprotection from right-wing Islamic reli-gious parties.

Pervaiz Masih was first elected to par-liament on the Jamaat-e-Islami list in 2002and is again their Christian candidate onSaturday.

LEAvE PAKISTAN: He lives in Pe-shawar, which has been on the frontline ofa six-year domestic Taliban insurgency, andbelieves the religious parties offer his com-munity the best protection.

He gives an example by recalling oneincident in August 2009.

“Some Christians were drinking closeto a mosque in Peshawar and it was the callfor prayer. When people arrived they be-came furious... I rushed to the site andtalked to the people of Jamaat-e-Islami andconvinced them to go back,” he said.

“God ordered me to work here in a re-ligious party, I am a bridge between Chris-tian and Muslim.”

Back in Joseph Colony, few people be-lieve that Islamists can protect them.

Samuel, a medical student says hewould consider voting for a religious partyif it would help Christians and minorities.But ultimately he has a more radical solu-tion: leave Pakistan because “minoritiesdon’t have security here”.

ISLAMABADONLINE

The Free and Fair Election Network(FAFEN) observers witnessed a total of 70government officials taking part in politicalactivities in 25 constituencies across thecountry. Thirty-six officials were seenseeking votes for different candidates in 12constituencies, while another 17 officialswere found participating in political rallies,in 12 different constituencies, says Pre-Election Update 37.

The Constituency Long-Term Ob-servers (CLTOs) saw 14 officials havingprivate meetings with political candidatesin seven constituencies, while one officialwas seen allowing a candidate to use offi-cial resources. In addition, FAFEN ob-servers saw a party flag hoisted at a publicofficial’s residence, and another flag on avehicle belonging to a government servant.

FAFEN Pre-Election Update 37 high-lights the use of state resources by politicalparties for election campaigns. It has beenprepared from information gathered byCLTOs from April 1 to April 23. FAFEN

observers also reported seeing 74 cam-paign materials (banners, posters, stickers,wall chalking, panaflexes and flags) on thepremises of government buildings.

The PML-N had the highest inci-dences (24) of campaign material dis-played on state buildings, followed byindependent candidates (19), the PakistanPeople’s Party Parliamentarians (10), theAwami National Party (seven), the JamiatUlema-e-Islam-Fazl (6), the PakistanTehreek-e-Insaf (four), the Jamaat-e-Islami(three) and the Muttahida Qaumi Move-ment (one). The CLTOs reported the initi-ation of 38 development schemes bypolitical leaders. FAFEN recommends thatthe ECP should take action against partiesand candidates violating the Code of Con-duct and ensure no political campaign ma-terial is there at any government office orpublic place.

The ECP should ensure that govern-ment officials do not take part in campaignof any party or candidate and action mustbe taken against violators.

Political parties and citizens should ob-serve public offices across the country and

report any campaigning at public offices.CLTOs also observed the participation

of government officials in political activi-ties, the announcement of developmentschemes, and use of government vehiclesin political campaigns. The CLTOs ob-served the government officials’ participa-tion in political campaigns in 25constituencies, government buildings in 30constituencies, and development schemesin 18 constituencies.

Most of the government officials (15)were seen seeking votes for PML-N candi-dates, followed by 11 officials doing so forindependent candidates, five officials for PTIcandidates, two for PPP and one for JUI-Fcandidate. FAFEN observers could not iden-tify the party affiliation of officials seekingvotes for candidates in two instances.

The majority (22) of the 36 officialsseeking votes for candidates belonged tothe Education Department. They includedschoolteachers and principals, who play aninfluential role in securing a vote bank inrural areas. The observer in Multan sawEDO Education seeking votes for a PML-N candidate, while a Deputy District Edu-

cation Officer was seen seeking votes foran independent candidate in Faisalabad.

In addition to education officials, theEDO Health in Kurram Agency was seenseeking votes for a JUI-F candidate whilea police inspector was observed doing sofor a PML-N candidate in Narowal.

Similarly, an AJK minister was alsoseen seeking votes for a PML-N candidatein Narowal, while two revenue officers wereseen doing so for an independent candidatein Bhakkar. FAFEN observers witnessed aPPPP candidate meeting a police official,two health officials and five education offi-cials in Jamshoro, and also observed a meet-ing between a JUI-F candidate and EDOHealth in Kurram Agency.

In addition, the observers saw theDCO in Shaheed Benazirabad having aprivate meeting with a PPPP candidate,while an assistant commissioner was seenhaving a meeting with a leader of Balochis-tan National Party-Mengal in Kech-cum-Gwadar. Moreover, an official belongingto the Irrigation Department was also seenhaving a private meeting with a PML-Fcandidate in Matiari-cum-Hyderabad.

sanaullah’s relatives visit him inChandigarh hospital

CHANDIGARHONLINE

Two relatives of the Pakistani prisoner onTuesday visited Sanaullah Ranjahy, who wasfighting for his life in hospital in Chandigarh,Indian media reported. The relatives of thecritically wounded Sanaullah arrived in Indiavia the Attari land border from Sialkot onTuesday morning.Sanaullah is currently admitted in PGI hos-pital, Chandigarh, for medical treatmentwhere his condition is reported to be criti-cal.While talking to Times of India, one of hisrelatives Mohammad Shehzad said theyhad come to meet Sanaullah and look afterhim. However they were stopped fromspeaking to the media by the accompany-ing first press secretary of the PakistanHigh Commission, Syed Sultan HassanNaqvvi.“We have instructions to not hold any mediainteraction,” Naqvvi said.After persistent questioning, the nephew ofSanaullah Mohammad Asif said, “We appealto the Indian government to let Sanaullahaccompany us to Pakistan.”

sC says no polls for looters of public wealth

ISLAMABADONLINE

The Supreme Court (SC) has disqualified Ni-wani brothers from contesting election for de-faulting on payment of water bills.The court however granted Athar Minallah,counsel for the Niwani brothers, plea againstlifelong disqualification of petitioners.The SC said the other points raised in the peti-tion would be decided after the elections. No-tices have been issued to the respectiveparties. The hearing in this regard will be con-ducted after three weeks. The SC while barring Rashid Akbar Khan Ni-wani and his brother Saeed Akbar Khan Ni-wani from contesting election from Bhakkar’sNA-74 and PP-49 respectively declared themdisqualified ruling that this decision stood im-plemented until May 11. Justice Jawwad S Khawaja remarked allshould be allowed to contest polls but thosewho looted public’s wealth. The justice said, “The SC has to do its ownjob. Asking questions is our right. The billthese brothers owe amounts to Rs 669,000…” Minallah said the case would affect the futureof the petitioners. Justice Khawaja said, “Think about the futureof the country.” Minallah said the rival candidate of the peti-tioner was also defaulter. Justice Ejaz Afzal said, “We have to see thelaw. The matter would have been different hadthey deposited the amount in time. These out-standing dues were required to be paid in theperspective of the polls.”

70 govt officials campaign forcandidates in 25 constituencies

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PARTy manifesto and partyleaders talk of high policymatters. High soundingand wild promises aremade without paying any

attention to financial and administrativeimperatives for delivering on thesepromises. All political parties are prom-ising to turn Pakistan into a genuinewelfare state, overcome electricityshortages altogether and create jobs forthe youth. Nawaz Sharif is talking ofrunning a bullet train from Karachi toPeshawar. Imran Khan would ensurethat the people get jobs in Pakistan sothat they do not have to go abroad forthat purpose. These statements get loudapplause in public meetings and thusachieve the objective of drawing popu-lar attention. However, no leader iswilling to say how he would fulfillthese and other promises when Pak-istan’s economy is faltering and theyhave no definite plan to salvage it.

Most political leaders are unableor unwilling to understand the threat ofreligious extremism and militancy andterrorism to Pakistan internal politicalcoherence and economic stability. Theviews of Nawaz Sharif and ImranKhan on religious extremism and ter-

rorism arenaïve, if notdeceitful, be-cause of theirdesire not tolose the voterswith Islamistand hardlineIslamist vot-ers that seemto increaseover time inthe Punjab.

There is alot of negativep ropagandaagainst eachother in thespeeches ofthe party lead-ers in publicmeetings. Themajor focus ofImran Khan’sspeeches is onwild promisesand a sharpcriticism ofthe PML-Nand the PPPl e a d e r s h i p .The PML-Nleadership istargeting AsifAli Zardariand ImranKhan for bit-ter criticism.The major tar-get is ImranKhan who isviewed by the

PMLN as cutting heavily in its tradi-tional vote bank in the Punjab.

The PML-N also projects its lastrule (February 1997-October 1999) asthe golden era of governance in Pak-istan and highlights the performance ofthe N’s Punjab government (April2008-Marrch 2013). The PPP leader-ship is not on election campaign trailbecause of security reasons. It seems tohave gone underground. This is for thefirst time in the PPP history that noneof its leaders of national standing is en-gaged in public meetings and rallies.However, it has launched a massivemedia campaign which is partly nega-tive, focusing on what it describes asthe misdeeds of the PML-N leadershipand their rule in the past. They are try-ing to play up the PML-N relations withthe Taliban and the Punjab-based reli-gious-sectarian groups. It has also re-vived the issue how the PML-Ngovernment (1997-1999) conspiredthrough Saifur Rehman and the thenJustice Abdul Qayyum of the LahoreHigh Court to convict Benazir Bhuttoin a case in the court of that judge.

When examining election cam-paigning by individual candidates inelectoral constituencies, the politicaldiscourse is completely different fromwhat the party leaders talk about in theirpublic rallies. The constituency cam-paign is more down-to-earth and dealswith the day-to-day problems and af-fairs of the residents of the constituen-cies. The issues that get highlighted atthis level include, among other things,supply of drinking water and gas tohouseholds, sewerage, waste disposaland cleanliness of streets, improve-ments of roads and streets, hospital inthe locality or availability of medicalfacilities in the already existing hospi-tals, schools in the constituency, trafficproblems, law and order, and illegalconstructions on roadside etc.

The candidates make promises toaddress these problems. LiaquatBaloch, a Jamaat-i-Islami candidatefrom Lahore promised to end gas andelectricity load-sheding and reduceprices of the commodities commonlyneeded by people. One candidate inHafizabad who worked as “marriage-registrar” for the area, promised not tocharge fee for the registration of mar-riage of poor people. In Kamalia, Pun-jab, a candidate arranged quizcompetition in local schools and gavegifts to the children giving correct an-swers. He also distributed candies andchocolates among junior school chil-dren. His argument was that if he wonthe goodwill of children they wouldask their parents to vote for him andthat a good number of parents re-spected the wish of their children.

The candidates of Islamic politi-cal parties made promises on theconstituency related issues andtalked of introducing a “truly” Is-

lamic order, enforce Sharia and in-troduce the welfare system of theearliest period of Islam.

The political parties paid attentionto winning over religious hierarchy likesajjadanasheen, pirs and religious lead-ers of standing. Imran Khan is using astrong religious discourse. Some can-didates started their election with a visitto some sufi shrine. The sisters ofImran Khan prayed at the shrine ofBibi Pak-daman (Lahore) for Imran’selectoral victory. A Christian candi-date started his election campaign inthe Lahore area with a church service.

The Ahmadiya community hasboycotted the current election. Theyboycotted the earlier two electionsalso. They see no justification for mak-ing a separate voters’ list for their com-munity in a joint electorate system.

The keepers of two major shrinesare contesting the elections. They areShah Mahmuud Qureshi andMakhdoom Amin Fahim. The Pir ofPagaro is heading a faction of theMuslim League but he is not contest-ing the elections.

There are 60 reserved seats forwomen in the National Assembly and128 women reserved seats in fourprovincial assemblies. Women cancontest on general seats as well. Overthirty women are contesting for Na-tional Assembly elections. The num-ber of women contestants in fourprovincial assemblies is higher. Onlya small number of women candidatesare expected to win. One women can-didate for a National Assembly seatused a motorcycle for travelling forcampaign. A Hindu women contestingon a general National Assembly seatin Sindh came from a very humblebackground and has worked as alabourer. Similarly, there are reservedseats for non-Muslims in the Nationaland Provincial Assemblies but a cou-ple of non-Muslim are candidates ona general seat.

The allocation of party ticket to thecandidates caused much problem forall political parties. A good number ofthose who did not get the party-ticket decided to contest the election asan independent or joined another po-litical party. This weakened the origi-nal party, accentuating internal conflictin it. All the major political partiesfaced this problem.

The high flying rhetoric of the partyleaders is in sharp contrast to what isimportant at the constituency level. Theleaders get away with their wild prom-ises because the ordinary people wantto live in dreams. Nobody asks the po-litical leaders as to what happened totheir earlier promises. However, thevoting behaviour is not determined ex-clusively by these promises.

The writer is an independentpolitical and defence analyst.

parties and their high-sounding propaganda

comment

Aziz-ud-Din AhmadEditor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36375963-5 Fax: 042-32535230Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 Fax: 021-35381208

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2287273 Fax: 051-2850505Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

C

outside his cult, Qadri will find few takersreturn of the prophet of doom

Karzai outbursts and Afghan politics

AFGHAN President Hamid Karzai has started saying strange things, not forthe first time, but this time these appear very calculated – albeit untimelyfor cross border relations. With a caretaker government in place in Pakistan

and all political parties campaigning, Karzai has chosen to call on the “Taliban toattack external enemies” (read: Pakistan) and spoken of rekindling the Durand Lineborder dispute with Pakistan. Experts and political opponents have pointed to theseas attempts by Karzai to extend his tenure – by hook or by crook – as his secondand last constitutionally mandated term is set to come to an end in 2014.

The withdrawal of US troops appears to be all the more reason to makeAfghanistan appear a goldmine to the current Afghan president – against whoseoffice the New york Times only recently published allegations that the CIA “dumpsbags of money” there. The question of who all shall contest the next presidentialelections is being asked and the name of former foreign minister – and now Karzaiopponent – Abdullah Abdullah has been propped up. But Abdullah does not believeKarzai will step down without a fight — despite the constitutional bar on him. IfAbdullah’s suggestion that, “the president’s best option is to create an emergencysecurity situation so everyone says ‘under these circumstances how can we haveelections?” is true, then Karzai’s recent rants against Pakistan appear to fit. Whathas been heartening is to see the coalition parties in Afghanistan come out with astrong criticism of Karzai’s remarks on the Durand Line. “If Karzai was quiet aboutthe Durand Line for the last decade, why has he chosen to speak at the end of theterm?” is the question they have asked – and rightly so.

Karzai appears to want to cast himself as a ‘hero’ to the Afghan people, at atime when a statesman is required. There is nothing to be gained from sloganmongering – claims that Pakistan moved 11 outposts to the Goshta district near theDurand Line, “distributed Pakistani identity cards” and that Afghanistan has “neverrecognised the Durand Line” could spark unnecessary conflict between twocountries facing the same threat: the Taliban. The next Afghan election will be asimportant for the future of the region as the current general election in Pakistan. Anew political landscape could be carved out between the two neighbours in 2014,and the task of the current Afghan government should be to ensure that the nextgovernments have a smooth playing field. President Karzai needs to be told torestrain himself – or he risks further antagonizing the tense relationship betweenPakistan and Afghanistan. Border clashes like the recent one are a part and parcel ofthe reconciliation process, they need not become more than that.

QADRI is back, again for a while, from his cool and luxurious pastures inCanada to hector ignorant Pakistanis on what awaits them for turning theirback on him. While a number of politicians have forsaken their foreignnationality to contest the elections, Qadri preferred to maintain loyalty

sworn to the British Queen to receive the benefits that ensue. On his return he hastold the ignorant natives that they are a lost tribe. According to him, May 11 pollswould neither change the system nor the faces. Qadri had particularly grimpremonitions reserved for the PTI and the MQM who decided to go for theelections – leaving him high and dry. ‘Champions of change’ would be hangingtheir heads in regret over the treachery practiced on them as the polls-to-comewould be neither free nor transparent, he thundered. Even worse lies in store forthem, predicted the prophet of doom, as full scale horse-trading will take place inthe name of alliances when it comes to the formation of the next government. Thecleric then posed the rhetorical question, “What a government that is amanifestation of corruption will be like”?

The people of Pakistan believe in change through the power of ballot. Thecountry is therefore fully engaged in the election campaign caring little for what aforeign visitor might think about the activity. The three parties which are facingdeadly attacks launched by the TTP and the Baloch nationalists and Hazaras whoare being targeted daily by terrorists are courageously standing up to the gruesomechallenge. A new generation of voters which had been mostly apolitical is outcanvassing for the party of its choice. The election results would pass a judgmenton the performance of the governments that ruled at the center and the provincesduring the last five years. This would be a lesson for the newcomers.

The electoral system has undergone major reforms. The exercise is beingsupervised by an independent and powerful ECP and overseen by a consensuscaretaker setup. yes, there still are shortcomings in the system but these willhopefully be removed by the next Parliament. This is how democracy slowlybroadens its scope, opening up new possibilities precedent by precedent. TahrulQadri is striking a discordant note which few would care to pay heed to. Outside hiscult he will find few supporters. People facing problems listen to the leaders whoshare the weal and woe with them rather than to those who jump the ship indifficult situations. On the day of the election, Qadri’s proposed protests are likelyto go unnoticed.

Current afghan govt should reconcile, not inflame

wednesday, 8 may, 2013

10God created war so that

Americans would learn

geography. –Mark Twain

rhetoric and reality in election campaign

Votes in PakistanPeople are debating over the voting issue as electionsare getting nearer. There are a lot of people who votefor the same party year after year irrespective of itsactual policies. There are some parties which actuallythreat people to vote for them and may even pay peoplefor their votes.

Another common thing in Pakistan is that votes arebased on casts. Caste should not be an issue. Quaid-e-Azam once said: Every one of us should think, feel andact as a Pakistani and we should be proud of beingPakistani alone.

Lastly there are those people who don’t vote at all.Voting is the only way to change the fate of a country.Not voting means that we are happy with the conditionsof our country and we don’t want the change. The future

of Pakistan is in our hands, it’s time to vote for change.MEHR QURESHI

Karachi

Providing securityThe security situation is in a bad state and humanviolations are going on unabated in Pakistan. Securityconditions, under the shadow of bomb blasts, terror,target killings and harassment, it is impossible for thecandidates of the political parties to carry on with theircampaigns. All human rights organizations, politicalparties and citizens are in fear of their lives. It is theresponsibility of the caretaker government to takeprecautionary measures for the safety of the citizens.

SAIRA M QURESHIKarachi

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. Fax: +92-42-32535230 E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusivelyEditor’s mail

election Diary

6Dr HASAN ASkArI rIZvI

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comment Cwednesday, 8 may, 2013

11

LAST week an Arab League committeeproposed a change in their 2002 peaceinitiative in which they promised tonormalise relations with Israel follow-

ing a complete Israeli withdrawal from territoriesoccupied in 1967 and an agreed upon resolutionof the issue of the Palestinian refugees. Modify-ing this somewhat, what the Arab League com-mittee did last week was reaffirm that the 1967borders should be the basis for a final peace be-tween Israel and Palestine, while acknowledgingthe notion that “land swaps” would be an accept-able part of such a deal. This gave Israel a majorconcession, allowing it to keep massive settle-ment blocs that have been established since1967—some along the ‘67 border, others sur-rounding Jerusalem, and still others jutting outinto the heart of the West Bank, dividing manyareas of thePalestinian territories.

While some Palestinians decried the ArabLeague committee’s decision as an unwarrantedconcession, some in the Israeli peace camp her-alded the move as an important breakthrough.For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahupoured cold water on the offer dismissing it asinconsequential, stating that the most importantissues that have separated Israel from the Arabshave never been territorial.

This rejection should have been expected,and it is surprising that it was not. It is an un-fortunate fact that discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and actions of some playersare often misdirected since they all too often ig-nore important realities we know to be true.

In the aftermath of this Arab League meeting,I listened to a senior Arab official present an as-sessment of the current state of the Israeli-Pales-tinian conflict. He began by noting “facts” whichhe said define the state of play: Israel has movedto the right, with a government beholden to thehard-line settler movement that is unwilling tosurrender what they believe is their “divinely in-herited” land; Palestinians are divided, with nei-ther side demonstrating a willingness to committo reconciliation—Hamas, because they don’twant to become marginalised, and the PalestinianAuthority, because they don’t want to lose the in-ternational funding and support they are con-vinced would follow from any unity arrangement

with Hamas; the US cannot be an “honest broker”,given the politics of Washington; and the ArabWorld is in chaos, with the Muslim Brotherhoodin assent in some areas and Iran the preoccupationof other states in the region.

After laying out this rather stark and de-pressing portrait, the conversation moved, al-most seamlessly, to a discussion of current stateof the “peace process” and the steps being takento restart negotiations. What was most interest-ing to me was the near total disconnect betweenthis phase of the discussion and the presentationof the “facts” that had preceded it.

If Israel’s governing coalition has a deter-mined hard-line pro-settler bent that is not ableto make territorial concessions; if the Palestin-ian movement is hopelessly fractured; and if theUS is deemed incapable of pressing the Israelisto change course, then, one can reasonably ask“what is the point of offering Israel more con-cessions for a peace they won’t accept; espe-cially when these concessions will result incutting Jerusalem off from its Palestinian envi-rons, and creating even deeper fissures in thePalestinian polity?”

Ignoring reality in the Israeli-Palestinian con-text has consequences. In the lead up to the post-Gulf War Madrid Peace Conference, for example,the Arab states agreed to end their secondary eco-nomic boycott of Israel in exchange for Israel’sparticipation in the conference and their agree-ment to freeze settlements in the occupied territo-ries. Twenty years later, peace talks have endedand the number of settlers in the territories hastripled. After surrendering their pressure, theArabs found they had no leverage left to use withIsrael, and without the US using its muscle to en-force the promised “freeze”, the peace processdragged on and settlements continued to grow.

None of this speaks for inaction, but it doesurge caution and a change in direction. One wayforward is to look again at what President Obamasaid in his recent speech in Jerusalem where he

committed to support Israel while challenging Is-raelis to recognise and deal with Palestinian needfor justice. The president’s remarks were, I be-lieve, born of his belief in the need to acknowl-edge the importance of reality in shaping policy.

Given this, the right course of action for theObama Administration is for the president to putmuscle behind his words to the Israeli public. HisJerusalem speech had two parts. He committed hisadministration to fully supporting Israel’s security,and he pressed Israelis to deal forthrightly withthe matter of Palestinian rights. Having deliveredon the former (with unprecedented amounts of se-curity assistance), he needs, as an Israeli peace ac-tivist recently suggested, “to take the bull by thehorns” and make it clear to the Israeli publicwhere their government’s policies are leadingthem. If the way forward, as the president sug-gested in his Jerusalem speech,is for the Israelipeople to demand a change in direction, then hemust make a commitment to help change the pol-itics inside Israel. If the US only makes more po-litical concessions to the Netanyahu governmentand then presses the Arabs to make still more con-cessions, how will this ever change Israel’s calcu-lations? The president has given Israelis love, nowhe must deliver tough love and hard truths.

And recognising that peace isn’t possible withonly one half of Palestinians in agreement, the USshould provide an opening to the Palestinians topush for reconciliation—making it clear that ifHamas accepts the well-established conditions fora Palestinian unity government, it will supportsuch an agreement and urge the other members ofthe Quartet and Congress to support it as well.

In short, given current realities, peace may notbe possible. But if current conditions in both in-ternal Israeli and Palestinian politics can bechanged, and if the United States can demonstratethat it can be an effective agent of this change,then doors, now closed, may be opened.

The writer is President, Arab American Institute.

recognising israeli/palestinian realities requires that the us, not the arab league, change direction

Washington WatchDr JAMES J ZOGby

War is peace. Freedom is

slavery. Ignorance is

strength. –George Orwell

A lopsided equation

time to atone for past mistakes

Masters oftheir owndestiny

ALL politicaltheories areunanimouson the point

that the people of acountry are ultimatelythe masters of their owndestiny, more so in a po-litical dispensation. Ma-jority of the countries ofthe world presently aredemocracies, of coursewith different features,where the peoplethrough their collectivewisdom choreograph thepath to their cherished destinies through the power of their vote.Abraham Lincoln defines democracy as, “Government of thepeople, by the people, for the people” Making right choices andparticipating in the electoral process are the mechanisms throughwhich the will of the people is exercised and expressed.

There are no two opinions about the fact that Pakistan isfaced with probably the most formidable challenges in its historyand the coming elections therefore are of vital importance withregard to ascertaining whether the nation was determined andwilling to confront those challenges and rediscover the contoursof the real Pakistan as envisioned by the founding father or allowthe forces inimical to democracy, peace and progress to havetheir way, unchallenged. I have no doubt that the entire nationwants the continuation of the democratic process, a change inthe political system of the country and an end to the hydra-headed menace of terrorism. But only wishing something awaydoes not automatically resolve the issue. The divine help instaving off calamities and crisis is also contingent upon the peo-ple themselves taking the initiative to change their milieu.

So if we are looking to the new horizons and a break from ourpast follies, we will have to make the right choices and then seekAllah’s blessings for securing our country from the evil eyes.

Viewed in the backdrop of the foregoing, the appeal madeby the caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso to thepeople to fully participate in the elections without any fear isof great significance. He assured of taking all possible meas-ures to improve the law and order situation and strengthen thesecurity environment for the people to freely exercise theirright of vote. Another point that he unequivocally made wasthat under no circumstances an extension in the tenure of thecaretaker setup will be accepted, which is indeed very reassur-ing and indicates the dedication and sincerity of the caretakersetup to accomplish their task strictly according to the consti-tution and their mandate.

The ECP and other agencies including the Army have alsoexhibited unfaltering resolve to ensure the holding of free, fairand transparent elections in the country. More than 75,000 armypersonnel are being mobilized to provide security during theelections and deployment in the most sensitive province,Balochistan, have already commenced.

The Army chief has personally thrown his unqualified sup-port to the continuation of the democratic process. All these de-velopments are very encouraging portents. The people mustexercise their right of franchise without any fear and by their en-hanced and unprecedented turn out, must not only strengthentheir credentials as a democracy loving nation but also send astrong signal to the anti-state and anti-democracy elements thatthey would resist their nefarious designs at any cost. The enemiesof the country are already doing what they can and will not hes-itate to unfurl more terrorist acts to sabotage the elections byscaring away the people at the polling stations. It is indeed a wor-rying situation but there is no other way to get out of it exceptby standing up to the machinations of these elements.

Pakistan itself was achieved through unparalleled sacri-fices. But as they say getting independence is not as difficultas consolidating the gains of independence is. We have had ourindependence but unfortunately we have failed to tread the paththat the founder of Pakistan had envisioned for us and we havepaid a very heavy price for our follies. Both the politicians andmilitary dictators are responsible for pushing the country to-wards the edge of a precipice. The people have also contributedto the slide by remaining complacent and indifferent while thedictators and politicians took turns to take the country and thepeople for a ride.

It was time to atone for the past mistakes and rediscover Pak-istan. The good thing is that there has been a discernible changein the mindset of the military and the politicians are also con-scious of the fact that they will lose their relevance if they failedto deliver and change the system that has encouraged the politicsof graft and entitlement and replace with an arrangement that notonly is capable of reviving the sagging economy and rectify themaladies afflicting the political landscape of the country but alsoact as a catalyst to sustained progress in all the fields of nationallife, for the posterity to reap the rewards of the good work

The writer is an academic.

MALIk MuHAMMAD ASHrAF

ISB 08-05-2013_Layout 1 5/8/2013 2:39 AM Page 11

arts

Awednesday, 8 may, 2013

12

Wearing StellaMcCartney, Cameron

cinches her blue gownwith a gold spiked

belt.

The Gossip Girl starstunned in a strapless

design by Guccifeaturing a pale green

top and anelaborate tiered

skirt

Does Gisele everlook bad? Apparentlynot! The supermodel

hits another glamslam in a Anthony

Vacarellodesign

The stylish singerlooked incredible in a

black-and-whiteensemble by Maison

Martin Margiela

The actress turned

heads in a gorgeous

strapless design by Alberta

Ferretti featuring

elaborate draping and

an asymmetrical

hemline

The actress tookour breath away in this

gorgeous customdesign by Monique

Lhuillier

Rocking darkerstrands, the Victoria

Secret model poses ina printed LouisVuitton dress

thebest ofmetGala2013redcarPet

Actor Aditya Roy Kapur is inspired bysister-in-law Vidya Balan’s groundednature despite achieving so much suc-cess.“She is a very a good actress and a goodhuman being. She has achieved successbut her attitude is same... she is sogrounded. She is not affected by it (suc-cess) at all I like that very much abouther. It is good to imbibe that from her,”Aditya told .Aditya’s first solo hero film - ‘Aashiqui2’ is a success and he is happy with theresponse it has garnered.“I feel confident that I would be able topull off a film on my shoulder. I amhappy that the audience has acceptedme,” he said.Before this film, Aditya was seen insupporting roles in films like ‘London

Dreams’, ‘Action Replayy’, ‘,Guzaar-ish’. And he insists he will continue toplay such roles provided his role is ex-citing and different. He is open to“good” roles the length does not mattermuch.Aditya says the film ‘Aashiqui 2’, haschanged things for him.The film directed by Mohit Suri hadShraddha Kapoor as the female lead.“I had very good experience whiledoing ‘Aashiqui 2’. I am really verymuch happy with the success of thefilm. The feeling has not sunk in yet. It(film) has changed my life as an actorand as a person,” he said.Aditya will be seen next in KaranJohar’s home production film ‘yehJawaani Hai Deewani’ alongside RanbirKapoor and Deepika Padukone.

Feel confident that I wouldpull off a film on myshoulder: Aditya Roy Kapur

sANJAy DUttfeels betrayed by BollywoodSanjay Dutt, who was recently convicted of illegalpossession of arms — he has to surrender on May 18 —feels Bollywood has let him down. The actor says hisown co-stars have betrayed him. “I did not charge thema penny for 30 days’ work. And what did I get in return?Betrayal. My co-stars told the media that I have beensitting at home, cooling my heels. But I was out therein the studios, shooting for them, just to save themfrom a financial crisis,” he says. Director Mahesh Bhatt,who has been a pillar of support for Dutt, agrees.“Gratitude does not exist in planet Bollywood.Contrary to what the world believes, Sanju isa fiercely lonely man today.” With just afew days left for his surrender, Dutt isbusy completing pending work. He hasalready finished shooting for KaranJohar’s Unglee, confirmed directorRensil D’Silva. He now has to shoot asong for TP Agarwal’s Policegiri,apart from shooting and dubbingfor Apoorva Lakhia’s Zanjeer andRaju Hirani’s PK. Dutt is alsodoing a cameo in his homeproduction, Hasmukh FisalGaya. NEWS DESk

ArNIE’s soNthroWN oUt oFlA NIghtClUB

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 19-year-old sonPatrick was kicked out of a nightclub onSaturday after feuding with a Dj. The 19-year-old student and model was partying atThe Sayers Club when he bumped into DjAnthony Valdez’s mixing gear and he wasasked to move away. Patrick allegedlybegan throwing ice cubes at Valdez,prompting security to reportedly escort himout of the venue. The star child went on tobad mouth about the DJ to a group offriends while outside the club, TMZ.comreported. The teen appeared to comment onthe incident via his Twitter.com page onMonday, writing, “Excuse my language. Iapologize.” He added, “Live and learn...hope everyone has a blessed day. NEWS DESk

sCArlEtt JohANssoNENJoys ExPlorINgCItIEs IN FrEE tIMEScarlett Johansson has revealed that shelikes to take a break from her intenseworking schedule and enjoys exploringdifferent cities when she is shooting. The‘Iron Man 2’ star said that sometimesworking for as much as 16 hours a daybecomes quite intense and so, in her freetime she likes to work out, go to galleriesand enjoy in whatever city she is in,Contactmusic reported. The 28-year-oldactress isn’t above spending all day in bed,although she claimed that she just lovesrelaxing around the house or walking in thepark. NEWS DESk

It’s easy to fool the eye butit’s hard to fool the heart— Al Pacino

Cameron Diaz Blake Lively Gisele Gwen Stefani

Karlie KlossNina DobrevKate Beckinsale

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13artswednesday, 8 may, 2013

A

Shah Rukh Khan opens up to TOI on beingprofessional and accepting failure, feeling ‘a littlealien’ in his country and why his next could also havebeen Kolkata ExpressInterview? Sure! Karte hain na abhi, 10 minutemein,” was how Shah Rukh Khan reacted. Just likethat. No starry airs, no caginess, no holding back.Team Kolkata had just won Friday’s match and theBadshah was in a great mood. So a few hours ofsound sleep, and SRK was ready for a relaxing chatwith us. And with him, it’s always direct, dil se...Excerpts:

YOU TEAM IS ThE DEFENDING ChAMPION. BUT

ThIS SEASON, KOLKATA IS NOT DOING TOO

WELL IN ThE IPL...

More than anything else, I feel bad for the cricketers.If you are a professional team, you have to take it inyour stride — the good and the bad. A professionalneeds to leave behind the good times and the badtimes. Like there are good films, there are bad films.You have to take both; that’s what being professionalis all about. You are as good as your last Friday.Having said that, yes, it feels bad when your filmdoesn’t do well. When we start anything, we assumewe are making something very nice. Sometimeseverything put together with the best of intent doesnot come through. It is professional to accept that, toaccept failure and success.

YOU’VE SEEN SO MANY UPS AND DOWNS. hOW

DO YOU hANDLE ThEM?

I am a sportsman by nature. When I finish a film Irinse myself. I take a shower for one hour. I washmyself of the last film I have done on the last day.This is it. You can’t do anything about it. It’s gone.Games are like that. So we won (the Eden match onFriday against the Team Rajasthan), it was fantastic.But that day is over. We can’t carry it with us, likepeople resting on their laurels. It’s over.

SO DOES ThE SAME PhILOSOPhY APPLY TO

FILMS?

I have done 75 films. I can’t keep going back toDilwale..., to Maratha Mandir (the Mumbai theatrewhere the film is still running) and say this is thelongest running film in the history of India. It is donewith. I am really happy that it did so well. I amgrateful to Allah. I am grateful to people, but it isover. It got over on that Friday in ‘95.

COMING BACK TO CRICKET, WhY DO YOU

ThINK ThE TEAM NOT DOING WELL ThIS

SEASON?

That’s because, one, the team itself has gonethrough lows in the six years — controversies,nonsense, silliness, stupidity, and also a lot ofpressure because it happens to be, fortunately orunfortunately, owned by me, a person who is part ofthe movie-making Bollywood sector of business. Soobviously it gets a lot more attention.

BECAUSE OF ThE GLITz AND ThE GLAMOUR...

As far as I am concerned, IPL is about the sport andnot any Bollywood connection, whatever peoplemay like to take away from it. The audiencecan always take away whichever scenethey want to. But IPL is about the sport,it’s about the youngsters. When peopleask me about the season not beinggood, yeah it is there for everyoneto see it’s not good. But it doesn’tkill you. You get up and you tryagain. Similarly, when someonesays last season was fantastic,I don’t live by that. And Idon’t

liveby thiseither.Youmoveon. Youcreatenew

things. So, inshallah, it will turn out well. But Man Uloses, Chelsea loses. The Indian team loses. TheAustralian team also loses... But you have to say thatwe are going to try our best. That’s the culture.People must understand that sport is like Chak De.

hOW INVOLVED ARE YOU INVOLVED IN

SOMEThING LIKE, SAY, TEAM SELECTION?

No, our roles are very clear. Jai and Venky sir, theyhandle the administration, movement, hospitality.Gautam (Gambhir) and Trevor Bayllis, they do thecricket part of it. I am very, very clear, to put it as ajoke, that I am the glamour quotient or the fun guyof the team. At the same time, I am the face of theteam. I am not taking anything away from the Jai-Juhi-Shah Rukh team. I keep everyone happy. I thinkI am more of the outside happiness-bringing side ofthe team. I do all the joking, talking, cartwheeling.My kids come. Jai does all the administration. Juhidoes all the prayers and Kolkata does all thecheering. (Laughs)

MANY FEEL ChAK DE! INDIA — A SPORTS FILM

— WAS YOUR BEST PERFORMANCE EVER...

Around 2.6 billion people watch my films. I can neverever counter anybody’s views. I am glad some likedthat film. My son too feels that’s my best film. Ipersonally like some others. But my liking is notimportant at all. Once I have done a film I have put itinto the public domain — it is your (public) opinion. Alot of people did not like me, my looks, in that filmand even said so. A top director who is also veryclose to me told me that Chak De was a very goodfilm and if I was not part of it, it would have donemuch better — I had done such a bad job! Soeverybody has their own opinion.

AND ThE MOST DIFFICULT ROLE SO FAR?

(Promptly) The next one! It’s always the next one. Itis never the one that has happened. If I have doneit, it is over and it wasn’t difficult.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW FILM, ChENNAI

ExPRESS...

That’s also over now. It was great fun, completelydifferent. It is really off-the-cuff. It’s with a lot ofabandon, a lot of madness. It’s an in-your-face,over-the-top happy comedy and action film. I had alot of fun doing it.

WhEN DO WE SEE YOU IN A FILM CENTRED ON

KOLKATA?

(Laughs) I have done Chak De, so I have done thewhole of India! Chennai Express is not aboutChennai. It’s about the journey of a guy down south.It is about so many languages, so many cultures andsometimes I find myself feeling a little alien in myown country. The beauty of the film is, there are1,600 languages in our country and dialects changeevery 500 km. And still we are all Hindustanis. Itcould have been Kolkata Express, it could have beenGujarat Express, Punjab Express...

AND WhAT FILMS DO

YOU LIKE TO WATCh?

I’ve liked It’s A MadMad Mad World. Iused to watch it

with my mother.It’s an oldfilm, acomedy. Ithinksomebody

even remadeit in India.

Recently, I likedFlight (Oscar-

nominated DenzelWashington film) and

Silver Lining Playbook.

ShARE WITh US SOME OF

ThE MEMORIES OF YOUR

MOThER...

(Visibly holding back emotions) I don’tthink or remember anything of my parents. I

have a couple of pictures of them. The other day Iwas sitting and telling my daughter what mymother’s name was, because they have never mether. Her name was Lateef Fatima. I sense her at twotimes, when I am extremely sad and extremelyhappy. I miss her, but that’s very personal. I find itsomehow reducing the importance of what mymother is to me if I speak about a selective memory.

WITh ThE CONSTANT MEDIA FOCUS, hOW

DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOUR FAMILY?

We as a family are completely untouched by theexterior of my stardom. I tell them if you feel bad,you have the right to show it. If you feel happy it isall right. It is absolutely okay to show your emotionsas long as you are giving in to each emotion. Yes,being a star, I sometimes get constricted. I getdisturbed by stupid controversies or when somebodysays something, I am like, ‘Stay away from me. Youdon’t even know me and you are saying this’. Howoften can you convince yourself that you are a publicfigure and people have the right to say things aboutyou publicly? No, there is a private part of you whichwill always be separate from the public figure. It is adifficult life at times, but a most beautiful one.

YOU SEEM TO WEAR YOUR hEART ON YOUR

SLEEVES...

I have led my life the way I wanted to and it hasbeen a good life. And if it ain’t broke I won’t fix it. Ifyou spend time with me and look deep into my eyesyou will understand that it is nice to be the way I am,to wear my heart on my sleeves. But if you don’tknow me and if you were to just see me from theoutside, a lot of the things I do are questioned. Afterlosing my parents, I reached a stage about 25 yearsago, when I didn’t need to prove anything to anyone.I am a giver. I don’t hold back. Sometimes I find thatwhen you become a star you hold back. You becomeenigmatic. It is the demeanour of a star. Many times,I’m told that I shouldn’t be so free, but I say it’s ok.That’s the way I am.

WhAT INSPIRES AND MOTIVATES YOU?

To give and to believe. And when you give, you nevergo wrong. I teach my kids this. That it is okay to benervous, it’s all right to be scared of failure becauseit will help you succeed. At the end of it all if youbelieve that something will be a certain way, justbelieve it and a lot of other people will believe in ittoo. And give. You can’t be a taker.

AS ThE BRAND AMBASSADOR, hOW DO YOU

INTEND TO PROMOTE WEST BENGAL?

It’s a mistake to believe that an actor can promote astate. Every state or city has something beautiful tooffer. I am not stretching it, but Kolkata is genuinelythe cultural centre of our country from timeimmemorial. That’s what I have been taught by myparents. It is the City of Joy. Everything started offhere, whether it was the revolution or literature orpoetry or songs or whether an international companycame and set up shop here. Everyone knows it allstared here. Times change, things change. Just thefact that there is so much beauty here, it gotthwarted a little bit. The people here are so cultured,so educated. The city has given me so much. I aman outsider in a certain sense, but when I got thechoice I felt culturally and sports-wise Kolkata wassomehow the hub. I had three-four choices for theIPL bidding, but I chose Kolkata.

YOU’VE BEEN TO KOLKATA BEFORE YOU

BECAME A STAR.

When I was young I came here and performed withAnamika, the theatre group, when I was with BarryJohn. We stayed here for some days at ShakespeareSarani. We lived in a big room with mattresses onthe floor. We performed the play Rough Crossing.When I was doing my masters, my audiovisual finalwas on the City of Joy. I had come here, takenpictures, done a 10-minute audiovisual on the city.Why, I don’t know. I was just very attracted. I usedto hang around the Maidan area, taking pictures ofkids playing soccer. I spent four days shooting here. Iremember coming here again and going to anightclub called Pink Elephant. I have been on atram. I had come and spent two days with Gauri’sfamily (cousins) who stay here. I have come hereand performed at the Mittal wedding. I have spent alot of time here. So I have been coming to Kolkatafor long.

WhAT IS YOUR FIRST MEMORY OF KOLKATA

AFTER YOU BECAME A MOVIE STAR?

The premiere of Darr. I put my hand out and I gotpulled up by my fans to the top and Yash Chopra,Pam aunty and Juhi were in front of me. And theywent away and I was screaming.

hOW hAS ThE CITY TREATED YOU?

When I came here with the IPL, everybody took tous. Truth is, I genuinely want to thank Kolkata. Oncein a year this is the time, this is like an awesometime. COurtESy tOI

When I finish a film I rinse myself of it:

shAh rUKh KhANPhoNE hAsN’t stoPPEDrINgINg PostshootoUt: soNU sooD

Call it an actor’s gut-feeling and optimism or hisunderstanding of cinema, but Sonu Sood’s box officeprediction about Shootout At Wadala has hit the bulls-eye.In an earlier interview with TOI, Sonu had claimed thatShootout At Wadala will take his career a step ahead. Themovie which released last week has opened to greatresponse. Now, since the curtains from the result havebeen raised, the actor said, “It feels really nice that ourhard work has paid well. We were not just rewarded by boxoffice but we also got critical acclaim, and I am glad that Iam part of such a film.” The actor also added that his hasbeen having a really busy time since the release. “Myphone hasn’t stopped ringing post Shootout At Wadala.People are complementing our work and praising theperformances.” On being asked about his future plans,Sonu expressed his desire to do different shades of greycharacters. “I would like to do different kind of negativeroles. Like in Shootout, I played a don and in Dabangg Iplayed Chhedi Singh with lot of humor. In future, I want todo different roles, which I have never done; and want toentertain my fans,” concluded Sonu. NEWS DESk

lIlo BEINg AlloWED to tAKEPoWErFUl DrUg ADDErAll

Lindsay Lohan is not drug free at the Betty Ford Center, ithas been revealed. Sources connected with the troubled startold TMZ.com that the rehab centre is allowing her to takethe powerful drug, Adderall. The reason - she has an Rx andsays she’s been diagnosed with Attention DeficitHyperactivity Disorder. Lindsay has made it clear over thelast month that she would only go to rehab if she’s allowed totake the med. But sources said that doctors at Betty Ford arecurrently evaluating the actress’ diagnosis and the efficacy ofthe drug. If doctors disbelieve her diagnosis or the usefulnessof Adderall, they will cut her off. Adderall is commonlymisused by lots of people, especially actresses, who take thedrug to suppress their appetite. NEWS DESk

toM CrUIsE sEt For‘MIssIoN: IMPossIBlE 5’

Superstar Tom Cruise has officially signed on to reprise hisrole as Ethan Hunt in ‘MISSION: Impossible 5’ and ChristopherMcQuarrie may direct the film. The 50-year-old is officially setfor fifth instalment of the action franchise after inking a dealwith Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions, reportedDeadline. Cruise could re-team with Christopher McQuarrie -who directed him in last year’s ‘Jack Reacher’ - on the project.The new film would follow 2011’s hit blockbuster ‘Mission:Impossible - Ghost Protocol’ which was well received by criticsand earned nearly USD 700 million worldwide. That film wasdirected by Brad Bird and saw ‘Avengers’ star Jeremy Rennerjoin the franchise while Simon Pegg reprised his role astechnician Benji Dunn. Meanwhile, Paramount and Skydanceare also reportedly mulling a sequel to action flick ‘JackReacher’, which grossed over USD 200 million. NEWS DESk

It’s important not to indicate. People

don’t try to show their feelings, they try

to hide them — Robert De Niro

ISB 08-05-2013_Layout 1 5/8/2013 2:40 AM Page 13

BBC FUTURE

BEING online does changeyour brain, but so doesmaking a cup of tea. Abetter question to ask iswhat parts of the brain

are regular internet users using.This modern age has brought with it

a new set of worries. As well as watchingour weight and worrying about our souls,we now have to worry about our brainfitness too – if you believe the headlines.Is instant messaging eroding the attentioncentres of our brains? Are Facebook,Twitter and other social media tools pre-venting you from forming normal humanbonds? And don’t forget email – appar-ently it releases the same addictive neu-rochemicals as crack cocaine!

Plenty of folk have been quick to cap-italise on this neuro-anxiety. Amazon’s vir-tual shelves groan with brain-trainingbooks and games. (I confess I am not en-tirely ). you can fight the cognitive flab,these games promise, if you work that greymatter like a muscle. But is this true? Aresudoku puzzles the only thing stopping thespecies turning into a horde of attention-deficient, socially-dysfunctional, email ad-dicts – part human, part smartphone?

Fear not, there is some good newsfrom neuroscience. But first, it is my dutyto tell you the bad news. you may want toput down your phone and take note, thisis the important bit. The truth is thateverything you do changes your brain.Everything. Every little thought or expe-rience plays a role in the constant wiringand rewiring of your neural networks. Sothere is no escape. yes, the internet isrewiring your brain. But so is watching

television. And having a cup of tea. Or nothaving a cup of tea. Or thinking about thewashing on Tuesdays. your life, howeveryou live it, leaves traces in the brain.

BRAIN WORKOUT

Worrying about the internet is just thelatest in a long line of fears society hashad about the changes technologies mightbring. People worried about books whenthey first became popularly available. InAncient Greece, Socrates worried aboutthe effect of writing, saying it would erodeyoung people’s ability to remember. Thesame thing happened with television andtelephones. These technologies didchange us, and the way we live our lives,but nothing like the doom-mongers pre-dicted would stem from them.

But is the internet affecting our brainsin a different, more extraordinary way?There is little evidence to suggest harm.Here we are, millions of us, including meand you, right now, using the internet, and

we seem okay. Some people worry that,even though we cannot see any ill-effectsof the internet on our minds, there mightbe something hidden going on. I am not soworried about this, and I’ll tell you why

We regularly do things that have a pro-found effect on our brains – such as read-ing or competitive sports – with littlethought for our brain fitness. When scien-tists look at people who have spent thou-sands of hours on an activity they often seechanges in the brain. Taxi drivers, fa-mously, , a part of the brain recruited fornavigation. Musicians’ brains devote moreneural territory to brain regions needed forplaying their instruments. So much so, infact, that if you look at the motor cortex ofstring players you see bulges on one side(because the fine motor control for playinga violin, for example, is only on one hand),whereas the (because piano playing re-quires fine control of both hands).

So practice definitely can change our

brains. By accepting this notion, though,we replace a vague worry about the inter-net with a specific worry: if we use the in-ternet regularly, what are we practicing?

GET A LIFE

In the absence of any substantial ev-idence, I would hazard a guess that themajority of internet use is either informa-tion search or communication, usingemail and social media. If this is so,using the internet should affect our brainsso that we are better at these things.Probably this is already happening, partof a general cultural change which in-volves us getting better and better at .

Internet use would only be a worry ifit was getting in the way of us practicingsome other life skill. If Facebook stoppedpeople seeing their friends face to face thatcould have a harmful effect. But the evi-dence suggests this is not the case. If any-thing, people with more active internetlives have . Most of us are using the inter-net as a compliment to other ways of com-municating, not as a substitute.

So there is no magic extra risk fromthe internet. Like TV before it, and read-ing before that, it gives us a way of prac-ticing certain things. Practice will changeour brains, just like any habit. The impor-tant thing is that we are part of thisprocess, it is not just something that hap-pens to us. you can decide how much timeyou want to put into finding , bantering onFacebook or fitting your thoughts . Therewill be no sudden damage done to yourbrain, or great surprises for your brain fit-ness. you would be a fool to think that theinternet will provide all the exercise yourbrain needs, but you would also be a foolto pass up the opportunities it offers. Andthose pictures of funny cats.

InFotaInMent

IWednesday, 8 May, 2013

14

ChrIs hADFIElDlEADs hUgEsINgAloNgFroM sPACE

International Space StationCommander Chris Hadfield led a high-tech concert Monday, joiningthousands of young voices fromaround the world — with his ownvoice from space.Students, musicians and otherparticipants across Canada and as faraway as Singapore and Australia sangalong with Hadfield, belting outISS —Is Somebody Singing?, the songHadfield co-wrote with Ed Robertsonof the Barenaked Ladies, to celebratethe ninth edition Music Monday, anannual celebration put on by theCoalition for Music Education.This year, the event was a partnershipwith CBC Music and the CanadianSpace Agency.The concert is Hadfield’s final live linkfrom the space station before hereturns to Earth on May 13.ISS — Is Somebody Singing? wascommissioned by CBCMusic.ca andthe Coalition for Music Education.The Coalition for Music Education is anon-profit organization that promotesthe benefits of music education foryoung people. The group says itcreated Music Monday to “celebratethe galvanizing power of music anddemonstrate how that power is rootedin school music programs.” NEWS DESk

BIllIoNs oF rED-

EyED CICADAs to

sWArM EAst CoAst

Cat café to open in london

Does the internet rewire your brain?

NEWS DESK

The Arctic seas are being made rapidly more acidic bycarbon-dioxide emissions, according to a new report.

Scientists from the Arctic Monitoring and Assess-ment Programme (AMAP) monitored widespreadchanges in ocean chemistry in the region. They say evenif CO2 emissions stopped now, it would take tens ofthousands of years for Arctic Ocean chemistry to revertto pre-industrial levels. Many creatures, including com-mercially valuable fish, could be affected. They forecastmajor changes in the marine ecosystem, but say there ishuge uncertainty over what those changes will be.

It is well known that CO2 warms the planet, but lesswell-known that it also makes the alkaline seas moreacidic when it is absorbed from the air. Absorption isparticularly fast in cold water so the Arctic is especiallysusceptible, and the recent decreases in summer sea icehave exposed more sea surface to atmospheric CO2.

The Arctic’s vulnerability is exacerbated by increas-ing flows of freshwater from rivers and melting land ice,as freshwater is less effective at chemically neutralisingthe acidifying effects of CO2. The researchers say theNordic Seas are acidifying over a wide range of depths- most quickly in surface waters and more slowly in deepwaters. The report’s chairman, Richard Bellerby fromthe Norwegian Institute for Water Research, told BBCNews that they had mapped a mosaic of different levelsof pH across the region, with the scale of change largelydetermined by the local intake of freshwater.

“Large rivers flow into the Arctic, which has anenormous catchment for its size,” he said.

“There’s slow mixing so in effect we get a sort offreshwater lens on the top of the sea in some places, and

freshwater lowers the concentration of ions that bufferspH change. The sea ice has been a lid on the Arctic, sothe loss of ice is allowing fast uptake of CO2.” This isbeing made worse, he said, by organic carbon runningoff the land – a secondary effect of regional warming.

“Continued rapid change is a certainty,” he said.“We have already passed critical thresholds. Even if

we stop emissions now, acidification will last tens of thou-sands of years. It is a very big experiment.” The researchteam monitored decreases in seawater pH of about 0.02per decade since the late 1960s in the Iceland and Barentsseas. Chemical effects related to acidification have alsobeen encountered in surface waters of the Bering Straitand the Canada Basin of the central Arctic Ocean.

Scientists estimate that the average acidity of surfaceocean waters worldwide is now about 30% higher thanbefore the Industrial Revolution. The researchers saythere is likely to be major change to the Arctic marineecosystem as a result. Some key prey species like sea but-terflies may be harmed. Other species may thrive. Adultfish look likely to be fairly resilient but the developmentof fish eggs might be harmed. It is too soon to tell.

Radical simply means

'grasping things at the

root. –Angela Davis

arctic ocean ‘acidifying rapidly’

A café filled with cats looks set to open in Londonin the coming months, with thousands of felinefans set to battle it out to be the first through thedoor. Australian entrepreneur Lauren Pearsrevealed on Friday she is on the verge of signinga lease on a property in the capital as she looksto open the cat café before the start of thesummer. Speaking to Metro, Ms Pears, 30, saidshe has been overwhelmed at the support herbusiness idea had received after on crowd-funding website Indiegogo.‘It’s a bit surreal to be honest,’ she said. ‘I justremember putting the video up and thinking: “OK,see if people want it”, and it’s just gone bonkers.’The idea has sparked interest in cat lovers acrossthe country and despite not even advertising, MsPears revealed she has received over 700 jobapplications for less than 10 expected positions.Pre-sales of tickets to enter the café (it will cost £5for every visit), have also gone through the roof,with around 3,000 passes being sent out to those‘crowdfunders’ who helped raise capital for thebusiness. While Ms Pears admits there is now aconsiderable degree of expectation on her todeliver the finest destination in feline and caffeinebonding, the level of support she has receivedmakes the task much less daunting.She explained: ‘At the same time as I feel a lot ofpressure to make sure it’s the ultimate cat caféexperience, I also have a lot of confidence becausethere I think there are so many people who arewilling to help me get there as well, there’s such avolume of volunteers offering to pitch in and help.‘The cat enthusiasts of London are really gettingbehind me and I think they will be what makes itan amazing experience in the end.’At present, Ms Pears plans to have around 10 catsin the café, with 40-50 people maximum in theproperty with the animals at any one time.She hopes to find rescue cats from a shelter,potentially from the same litter to make sure theyget along. NEWS DESk

Any day now, billions of cicadas withbulging red eyes will crawl out of theearth after 17 years underground andoverrun the East Coast. The insectswill arrive in such numbers thatpeople in the southern state of NorthCarolina to Connecticut in thenortheast will be outnumberedroughly 600 to 1. Maybe more.Scientists even have a horror-moviename for the infestation: Brood II.But as ominous as that sounds, theinsects are harmless. They won’t hurtyou or other animals.“It’s not like these hordes of cicadassuck blood or zombify people,” says aUniversity of Illinois entomologist.They’re looking for just one thing:sex. And they’ve been waiting quite along time. Since 1996, this group of1-inch magicicada cicadas has been afew feet underground, sucking ontree roots and biding their time. Theywill emerge only when the groundtemperature reaches precisely 64degrees. After a few weeks up in thetrees, they will die and their offspringwill go underground, not to returnuntil 2030. And they will make a bigracket, too. The noise all the malecicadas make when they sing for sexcan rival a rock concert. NEWS DESk

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15If it is in the V, it goes in the tree; if it is in the arc,it goes out of the park — David Miller followed hisfather’s advice in his 38-ball 101 against RCB

LAHoREStAFF rEPOrt

PA K I S TA N off spinner Saeed Ajmal vowsto target ‘swashbuckling’ Chris Gayle inChampionsTrophy.

According to Ajmal, theyare practising and finding outmethods to rein in Gayle by watchingvideos of him batting, adding Gayle hasbeen playing in a laudable manner.

Pakistani off spinner Saeed Ajmal has saidthat he will be targeting West Indies star ChrisGayle when the two sides meet in the ChampionsTrophy next month.

Pakistan is currently featuring in a tune-up camp inAbbottabad hoping to match conditions in Englandwhere the eight-nation Trophy will be played from June6-23, Sport24 reports.

Stating that the match will be an encounter betweenthe ‘swashbuckler’ Gayle and Pakistani bowlers, Ajmal,who will secure Pakistan’s spin department in thetournament, said that he hopes to restrain the Jamaican,who is in a great form in the ongoing Indian PremierLeague, having smashed a world record 175 not out.

Ajmal said, they are practising and finding outmethods to rein in Gayle by watching videos of himbatting, adding Gayle has been playing in a laudablemanner.

Stating that he hopes to perform in the unfamiliarEnglish conditions, Ajmal, who has the second bestrecord of wickets in Twenty20 cricket behindcountryman Umar Gul, said that he has to work hardand bowl well to combat the hard hits of the opposingbatsmen.

Ajmal further said that Pakistan will miss injuredpaceman Umar Gul and leg-spinner Shahid Afridi, whohas been left out of the squad, although he added thatthe team is balanced and have good bowlers in JunaidKhan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan and AbdulRehman.

Pakistan will also face South Africa on June 10 andarch-rivals India on June 15 — both at Birmingham.

Defending champions Australia, England, SriLanka and New Zealand feature in group A. Toptwo teams from each group will qualify for thesemi-finals, the report added.

Ajmal targets gayle inChampions trophy

SPoRTS DESK

A miffed Federation of InternationalCricketers Association on Tuesdaydemanded an ICC ethics committee enquiryinto BCCI-backed L.Sivaramakrishnan’sappointment as a players’ representative inthe governing body, saying captains couldhave been forced to vote against incumbentTim May.

Sivaramakrishnan replaced May, who isalso the FICA CEO, on the ICC CricketCommittee after a reported re-vote pushedfor by the BCCI.

It is alleged that in the initial vote, Mayhad won 9-1 but the BCCI used its financialmight to coerce the Cricket Boards ofPakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka andZimbabwe into asking their respectivecaptains to vote for Sivaramakrishnan.

Jimmy Adams, former West Indiescaptain and FICA president, said theelection has created serious doubts about thecredibility of the ICC.

“How can the players of the world lookto ICC for leadership in these circumstancesand how does the spirit of cricket apply tothe organisation itself?” Adams asked.

“Board members didn’t like how theircaptains intended to vote, so they apparentlyordered them to change that vote. This typeof behaviour from the game’s ruling bodymakes a mockery of their motives behindthe procurement of the Woolf report,” hesaid.

Adams said the manner ofSivaramakrishnan’s appointment signifieseverything that is wrong in the governancemodel of the ICC.

“...the reported actions of some of theMember Boards and ICC directors, at thevery least warrant investigation under this

Code. We call on ICC to hold itself up to thehigh standards of moral conduct itconstantly tells the players and officials itexpects from them.”

“Ultimately, these actions aresymptoms of poor governance at the toplevel and a blatant disregard for what mostwould regard as the necessary ethicalstandards required to run a prominentinternational sport - cricket deserves a lotbetter.”

Former India international LaxmanSivaramakrishnan as a new playerrepresentative on Monday, sweeping asideconcerns over its voting process andunderlining India’s powerful influence overthe upper levels of the sport.

The ICC said that Sivaramakrishnan,the Indian cricket board’s preferredcandidate, was elected to the ICC CricketCommittee in a vote of the game’s 10 testcaptains and would serve as one of twocurrent player representatives alongside SriLanka’s Kumar Sangakkara, who was re-elected. Sivaramakrishnan replacedAustralian Tim May. yet one captain, SouthAfrica’s Graeme Smith, expressed surprisewhen he was asked to vote three times,South Africa’s top player representativesaid, indicating initial ballots favouringincumbent May over Sivaramakrishnanmay not have been accepted.

Cricket’s governing body wouldn’trespond in detail to the concerns that May,the former Australia player and currentinternational players’ association chiefexecutive, was initially re-elected, only forthe commercially dominant Board ofControl for Cricket in India to apparentlyforce one or more re-votes to install itscandidate.

Tony Irish, a board member of the

Federation of International Cricketers’Associations and South Africa’s playerrepresentative, told The Associated Pressthat South Africa’s Smith was asked to votethree times. Smith chose May each time butother captains may have been asked tochange their votes, Irish said.

Before Sivaramakrishnan wasannounced as the winning candidate, Irishhad last week raised concerns from theinternational players’ body - both to the APand in the Indian media - that an initial votere-electing May was disregarded andcaptains of some of cricket’s smaller nationsmay have been “pressured” to change theirvotes to allow India’s choice to take hisplace on the ICC’s Cricket Committee, abody that makes recommendations that canaffect the game to the ICC.

“Sangakkara and Sivaramakrishnanwere elected by a vote of the 10 testcaptains. The ICC has nothing more to addto this statement,” ICC spokesman Sami UlHasan wrote in an email to the AP inresponse to questions regarding the natureof the vote.

The ICC’s initial statement earlierMonday announcing Sivaramakrishnan asthe new member made no reference to thevoting process, only noting that the formerIndia legspinner would attend his first ICCCricket Committee meeting in London atthe end of this month during the ICC’sannual conference.

May declined to comment on theprocess, saying in an email that he wasdisappointed, “but such is life.”

However, Irish indicated thatinternational players’ federation FICAwould formally approach the ICC with itsconcerns over the vote.

“It’s a sad day for the governance of the

game, especially when it comes to playersbeing able to freely elect their ownrepresentatives and have a voice in therunning of the game,” Irish said.

Irish, the chief executive of the SouthAfrican Cricketers’ Association, saidlongtime Proteas skipper Smith hadexpressed surprise when he was asked tocast his vote three times.

“I was involved in that as Graeme askedme why he was being asked to vote againwhen he had already cast his vote,” Irishsaid.

The BCCI didn’t respond to multiplemessages from the AP requesting comment,but India’s board is accepted as the mostpowerful and influential in cricket. India’shuge, cricket-mad population and theresulting big-money commercial dealsmake it the game’s richest nationalassociation.

Although the ICC Cricket Committeehas no direct decision-making powers, itstill has influence by makingrecommendations on “cricket-playingmatters” to the ICC’s Chief Executive’sCommittee and the ICC Board, the ICCsays. The committee will also be chaired forthe first time this month by another formerIndian player, Anil Kumble, and hasrepresentatives of various nationalities fromthe ICC leadership, former players,women’s cricket and coaches, amongothers.

Some of the issues the committee coulddiscuss are the DRS umpiring video reviewsystem, which India remains opposed todespite its general acceptance by othercountries. The ICC Cricket Committeecould also make recommendations on thescheduling of tours and tournaments thataffect all countries.

fica demands enquiry into sivaramakrishnan’s entry into icc

BPl paymentsdelayed again

SPoRTS DESK

Zimbabwe’s Elton Chigumbura andHamilton Masakadza have claimed they areyet to be paid the second installment ofpayments for their participation in theBangladesh Premier League. The twoappeared for Sylhet Royals, which is amongfive franchises that haven’t paid theBangladesh Cricket Board the secondinstallment According to the players’contract this season, the first installment wasto be paid before the start of the tournamentwhile the second was due at the end of it.The third installment is to be paid within sixmonths of the tournament’s end. The BCBhad taken over the responsibility of playerpayments this year after there wereirregularities by the franchises in theinaugural edition of 2012. But as per thecurrent process, the board needs to receivethe amount from the franchises beforepaying the players. According to BPLsecretary Ismail Haider Mallick, the BCBhave only received money for the secondinstallment from Dhaka Gladiators andDuronto Rajshahi. “It is true that five out ofseven franchises haven’t made paymentsafter the first 25%,” Mallick toldESPNcricinfo. “Our lawyers have told usthat we have to wait till May 15 beforesending out legal notices. We will take actionif we are not paid by that time.” “The BCBhas taken up the responsibility of paying theplayers mainly because of what happenedafter the first edition of the BPL. We willcontinue to do so, but the franchises have topay us the players’ fees. Once they fail tomake the payments, we will take out thebank guarantees to pay the players.”Masakadza was bought in the players’auction for $30,000, but has only receivedthe first 25% of the payment.

Zimbabwe look forrare series win

BULAWAyoAGENCIES

Zimbabwe and Bangladesh go intoWednesday’s third and final one-dayinternational in Bulawayo locked at onematch apiece, yet it is the hosts who knowthey will need to improve their game if theyare to claim a rare series victory. Afterbeing humiliated by 121 runs in the firstmatch last week, Zimbabwe drew level witha six-wicket victory on Sunday, preventingBangladesh from extending their unbeatenrun in bilateral one-day series to three.However Zimbabwe have enjoyed thebenefit of bowling first in both matches sofar, with early morning starts giving theirseam bowlers an advantage againstBangladesh’s strong top order - none ofwhom have registered telling scores as aresult. Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraful,Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasanremain some of the most dangerous batsmenon either side, yet none have passed 34 in theseries thus far. “They are always a side that isvery threatening,” Zimbabwe captainBrendan Taylor said.

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16I’m very happy to be joining Sussex again, I

can’t wait to get back to my second home and

the lovely crowd at Hove — Dwayne Smith

LAHoREStAFF rEPOrt

CHIEF selector IqbalQasim has dispelled theimpression by experts andpundits of the game thatPakistan squad named for

Champions Trophy was lacking inbatting.

National selection committee namedeight batsmen including a wicket-keeperand seven bowlers for the event to beplayed in England next month.

“I think it is a well balancedcombination with experienced batsmenwith youth and same in bowling,” he saidahead of the Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) Governing Board meeting.

“Squad named for the ChampionsTrophy is a blend of youth andexperience in both batting and bowling,”he remarked.

He said there is presence of Misbah-ul-Haq, Muhammad Hafeez, ImranFarhat, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmalwith youngsters like Asad Shafiq, NasirJamshed and Umer Amin.

Pakistan’s pace attack looked

inexperienced but talented with JunaidKhan, Muhammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz,Ehsan Adil and Asad Ali. Team gotquality spinners in Saeed Ajmal andAbdur Rehman.

Former Pakistan captain Mushtaq

Muhammad has said that keeping team’sbatting problem; selectors should haveinducted one more batsman instead ofpacking with five pace bowlers.

Pakistan bowling did really well onthe tours of India and South Africa. But

batting remained in trouble.“An additional batsman may be

needed considering the past,” MushtaqMuhammad said.

Melbourne hero Sarfraz Nawazcomplimented the selection committeefor picking a good team. But he too saidPakistan team is one batsman short in thecircumstances.

The Selectors have for once gambledon picking former Pakistan captainShoaib, who had scored 4121 round in 28One-Day International at an average of18.72 with 39 his highest score atDambulla against Sri Lanka in 2010.

On the other hand wicketkeeper/batsman Kamran Akmal had alsostruggled with the bat having scored over300 runs in his last 19 ODIs.

“We have selected Malik and Kamranon the basis of their experience and pasttrack record with consent of skipper andchief coach,” he said.

Pakistan is drawn in tough group “B”with India, South Africa and West Indies.Pakistan will clash with West Indies onJune 7.

Australia, England, New Zealand andSri Lanka are placed in group “A”.

Pakistan is a well-balancedside: Chief selector Qasim

JAIPURAGENCIES

A stuttering top order and a lame effort with theball consigned Delhi Daredevils to their ninthloss in 12 matches, while Rajasthan Royalssounded a warning with a nine-wicketthumping that embellished their unbeaten homerecord, and propelled them to second place onthe table.

Royals’ seventh straight victory in Jaipurwas founded first on robust bowling, asSiddharth Trivedi, Shane Watson, Stuart Binnyand 41-year-old debutant Pravin Tambe struckupon a collective consistency that erased thedamage done in Shaun Tait’s early, waywardovers. Their openers then flew to an unbeatencentury stand in staggeringly orthodox fashion,and ensured Daredevils’ modest total would notchallenge them. Ajinkya Rahane, who openedalongside Rahul Dravid, was dropped on 4, butdid hardly a misdeed thereafter, as he finishednot out on 63 from 45 balls, after he hit the

winning run in the 18th over. Dravid had moreof the strike in the early overs, and though hewas the slower scorer, reached his fifty first,before departing for 53, with the match almostsecure, at 108 for 1.

It was Royals’ bowling, however, that hadthe bigger impact on the match, as theymuzzled a seasoned Delhi Daredevils top order,despite their strike bowler’s indiscretions. Taitbegan the match with an 11-run over, threewides among those runs, and his second cost17, later in the Powerplay. But James Faulknerand Watson had struck once each in betweenthose Tait overs, and that was enough to scareMahela Jayawardene and David Warner intorelative reticence.

On a pitch so full of runs, Daredevils didnot hesitate to bat first, but the visitors werebarely scoring at six an over inside thePowerplay, and when Warner departed in theeighth over to leave his side at 47 for 3, the runrate dipped further still. Jayawardene attempteda measured rescue, but fell too, before he could

make any meaningful impact, and were it notfor a well-paced 64 not out from Ben Rohrer,whose recent nuptials had evidently done himgood, Daredevils may not have reached 154 for4 on a pitch on which they should have made180.

Royals’ openers exploited Daredevilsbowling, and the pair went about playingorthodox cricket, with just the level ofaggression required for such a chase.Daredevils’ seam bowlers strayed towards thepads too often, and Dravid laced the first fourof the innings through the leg side, andcontinued to prosper there, throughout hisinnings. Rahane began with more nerves - aninside edge past the stumps in the eighth overin addition to the early life - but he found thegoing simple enough in the end, thanks largelyto the largesse of the bowlers. Watson arrivedafter Dravid’s fall in the 14th over and strucktwo powerful fours off Umesh yadav almostimmediately, as Rahane coasted beyond 50 atthe other end.

SPoRTS DESK

Imran Farhat, the Pakistan batsman, hasbeen around international cricket since2001 but has never been a regular in theside for too long. In the last 12 years, hehas only managed to play 53 ODIs at32.45 and given the number of hismatches he has opened with as many asnine partners.

Farhat’s career has often beenovershadowed by the fact that his father-in-law is Mohammad Ilyas, a key figurein the PCB over the past decade. “This isthe notion I want to clear,” Farhat said onsidelines of the training camp atAbbottabad Cricket Stadium. “He [Ilyas]has his own status but I never tookadvantage of it. I would have been playingcricket for Pakistan even if we weren’tassociated. It is in front of everyone thatwhenever I make a comeback it is due tomy domestic performances.

“I have been playing my own cricketand nobody is there to help at the pitchwhere you are on your own. I have myown goals and have always been verycommitted to my game and I neverdiscuss it with him. If I perform it’s goodand if I don’t, I never worry. Cricket ismy bread and butter, and I want to playcricket and kept myself busy with it.

Playing international cricket is like areward against performances in thedomestic cricket. The only reason I am inthe team at the moment is myperformance as I have scored enoughruns to win a place.”

Farhat is in fluent form at themoment. He marked himself with a triple-century in domestic cricket earlier thisyear and was recalled to the Test squad forthe South Africa tour and retained for theODIs as well. Since than Farhat has beenlooking to cement a spot in the top three.“I am much more experienced now andcan manage any position and ready toplay at any order [between 1 and 3] theteam management wants. “I am moreconfident than ever and workingextremely hard,” Farhat said. “I just wantto make as much contribution as possiblefor my team whenever I get selected.However, the snub from national team hasnever been a frustration for me.”

Pakistan had a targeted practicematch during their training camp inAbbottabad with Shoaib Malik andKamran Akmal hitting 92 and 66respectively. Again, like in last five days,the camp was mainly focused on thebatsmen, giving them ample practicebefore leaving for Scotland ahead of theChampions Trophy.

CaribbeanPremier leaguecan spur cricketgrowth: Michaelholding

BRIDGEToWN, BARBADoSAGENCIES

Former West Indies fast bowler MichaelHolding believes the Caribbean PremierLeague (CPL) represents an excellentopportunity for the development ofprofessional cricket in the region. The59-year-old, known for his stridentcriticism of the shortest form of thegame, said the CPL was special as it hadthe potential to give birth to a newgeneration of professional cricketers inthe Caribbean. He has signed on as theambassador for the developmentprogramme, reports CMC. “I thinkcricket has lost a lot of young people inthe Caribbean who are thinking ‘whybother with cricket because unless youare playing for the West Indies then thereis nothing there for you’,” said theformer pacer who took 249 wickets in 60Tests. “The advent of the CPL meansWest Indian youngsters can now think tothemselves ‘hey, I can make a reasonablygood living from playing cricket.’ Nowthere is something here in the Caribbeanthey can play in, they can make areasonable living and they can go on andplay cricket again.” The cash-rich CPL isset to bowl off in July, with franchisesbased in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados,Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Trinidadand Tobago. Each outfit is stipulated tohave 11 of their 15 players qualified toplay for the West Indies, with fourrequired to be under the age of 23.Holding said it was clear the CPL’sobjectives would result in newinternational players being identified andproperly developed, even for the longerforms of the game. “The CPL is lookingat a development programme which theywill start rolling out in January 2014, Iunderstand,” said Holding, now aninternationally renowned broadcaster.“They will have about 60 youngcricketers, 10 from each of the sixfranchise regions, who they will put oncontract and create programmes toimprove their cricket. That is what I aminterested in.”

rajasthan maintain perfect home record

Farhat looking to cement place

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17It’s a sensational

feeling to be quite

honest — Tommy Haas

SPoRTS DESK

LEWIS Hamilton believesFormula One has lostsomething because of whattechnology and officialsallow star drivers like

Sebastian Vettel to get away with.Mercedes star Hamilton is full of

admiration for Ayrton Senna, who droveat a time in the late 1980s when the sportwas less technical and more dangerous.

Hamilton told the Daily Mail: “If youwatch Sebastian Vettel now he alwaysruns over the Astroturf and over the kerba little more than he should, goingbeyond the white line, which you’re notactually allowed to do but they let you getaway with it.

“In Senna’s day, if he went one footover that kerb, it would be grass and hewould spin, and be penalised. He wouldbe right on the limit, rather than over thelimit - and I respect that style of drivingmore.

“Now you can go beyond and getback because modern tracks have run-offareas. They used to be gravel. Hit that,and your car was damaged or stuck. Nowyou can push beyond, go wide and comeback on.

“When you do and get away with it,you think, ‘Great’, but the reason I love

street circuits like Monaco is there is noroom for error and if you make a mistake,you pay. I don’t want people to pay bybeing hurt, but losing time, or having thecar stop; that’s what racing is about.

“That’s why you’ve got to have somuch admiration for the guys who did itback then.”

Hamilton believes driving alongsidethe likes of Senna would have broughtout the best in him.

“I like that it’s safer now but the carsthen were raw - they had a gear stick,” hesaid. “you watch Senna at Monaco andhe’s one-handed most of the time, over-steering. That’s really cool. So cool.

“I think that would have brought a lotmore out of me, the time before the driveraids came in. Now it’s so technical,sitting around talking about hydraulicdip. I have tons of buttons - 26 on aMercedes steering wheel - and tounderstand and utilise them all is ascience in itself.”

hamilton wants to bepushed to the limit

SPoRTS DESK

Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymorebelieves Luis Suarez’s consistency shouldhave seen him win the PFA Player of the yearaward instead of Gareth Bale.

Bale was crowned the PFA Player of theyear two weeks ago ahead of Suarez, RobinVan Persie, Michael Carrick, Juan Mata andEden Hazard. The Welsh international’sfearsome form has seen him score 20 goals in30 games so far this season, a healthy returnwhich has helped propel Tottenham Hotspurinto contention for a spot in the top four; Spursare currently fifth in the table on 65 points, twopoints behind fourth placed Arsenal but witha game in hand over their arch-rivals.

Suarez has three more goals than Bale tohis name, albeit having played three games

more than the Spurs star.And Collymore, who made 61

appearances for Liverpool, believes theUruguayan international has been moreconsistent than Bale throughout the course ofthe season and hence should have won thePlayer of the year award.

“It is time to define exactly what makessomeone footballer of the year,” Collymorewrote in The People.

“Because while I congratulate GarethBale for the spectacular moments that havehelped him land a hat-trick of prizes fromfellow players and football writers, he has notbeen the best, most consistent player this term.Luis Suarez has.

“The Liverpool forward has been superbweek in, week out. He carried the teamthrough stages of the season and provided

goals at a time when Fabio Borini was theonly other front-man at the club.

“His performances and strike rate havebeen fantastic. But he won nothing.

“He was voted into the PFA Team of theyear so his peers clearly acknowledged hisperformances. But it seems most of themthought Bale had been better.”

Collymore also suggested that Bale onlywon the award ahead of Suarez because voterswere turned off by the Liverpool striker’scontroversial personality.

“When I was voting in my playing days Iwould simply judge people on how they hadperformed on the pitch,” Collymore added.

“These days I’m not sure that’s the case.“I do not want to take anything away from

Bale. He has produced some stunningmoments this season.

suarez deserved Pfa award: collymore

Iniesta puzzled byCasillas situation

SPoRTS DESK

Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniestaadmitted that he is puzzled by Iker Casillas’situation at Real Madrid. Casillas lost hisplace in the starting XI of Real Madrid inJanuary after an injury and has since foundhimself playing second fiddle to newsigning Diego Lopez, with coach JoseMourinho stating that he would have signedLopez earlier if he could. Iniesta wassurprised by his international team mate’splight, considering his that he has shone forthe club from a youth level and was theircaptain at the start of the season. “From theoutside, it’s quite difficult to understand -for what Iker has always represented andcontinues to represent. Not just the fact thathe is not getting a chance to play but for allthe things that other people have beensaying about it. It must be a very difficultmoment for him”, Iniesta told Onda Cero’s‘Al Primer Toque’ program. “Diego Lópezis a great keeper and has been playing wellbut I am not talking about sporting issueshere, just what I have heard other peoplesaying”, the Barça player continued. Iniestaconceded that the Champions League semi-final defeat to Bayern Munich still hauntsthe players but hopes that clinching the LaLiga title can make up for it. “The way wewere knocked out of the tournament wasterrible and of course, we are all feeling hurtby it. The pain goes right down into oursouls - for the players and the fans.” headded. “We are close to claiming the leaguetitle after a tough season. We have hadmany problems to deal with through thecampaign and for that reason, we have tocherish it even more.

ABBOTTABAD: Pakistan pacer Junaid Khan bowls during a practice match as Asad Shafique tryng to take a run.

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GEO SUPERSunrisers v Super Kings 07:30 PM

GEO SUPERSerie A: Pescara vs. AC Milan09:30 PM

sPorts Swednesday, 8 may, 2013

18I didn’t think I’d be in, so I just sat around and waited all

day, then 10 minutes before the match I got a text message

telling me I was going on and to get ready — Madison Keys

wAtCh It LIve

local news

DFrA rEFErEEsCoUrsE IN FUllsWINgLAHORE: The District FootballReferee Course has been commencedyesterday under the auspicious bythe president of DFA Lahore. Lectureson the Law of the Game delivered bythe Ex FIFA referee Mr. MohammadArif Siddiqi and Mr. Anees Javaid andNaseem Ud Din Assist them in thecourse. “DFRA Referees Course isequipping Referees with theknowledge and skills to take chargeof the coming matches in DFA Leagueand other events. “During the course,participant will learn both practicaland theoretical aspects of refereeing.StAFF rEPOrt

lAhorE WhItEs INrEgIoNAl sEMIs oFsENIor CrICKEtLAHORE: Lahore Whites beatSialkot Seniors by 45 runs in the15th National Senior Cricket Cup andqualified for the regional semifinal.Playing at the Jinnah StadiumSialkot, Lahore Whites batting first221 all out after 27.3 overs. ShahidAnwar batted well 65, Saleem Malik37 & Asif Karmani 29 runs. SialkotSeniors bowling Qalb Shah 4/32,Khalid Naseem 2/35 & Asif Ali 2/34wickets. Sialkot Seniors batting 176all out after 26.5 overs. Sohail Butt46, Basit Saeed 25, Shahid Rafiq 28& Qalb Shah 22 runs. Lahore Whitesbowling Tariq Siddiqui bowling well4/10 wickets. Asim Sheikh 3/42,Javaid Hayat 1/6 & Saeed Khan 1/37wickets. Javeed Ashraf, MuhammadAsif Umpire, Aziz ur rehman matchreferee & Farrukh Ilyas Raja was thescorer.MODEL TOWN GREENS OUTPLAY

LUDIhANA GYM: Mode TownGreens moved into the next round of28th M Yaseen Akhter Event whenthey outplayed strong Ludihana Gymby 41 runs played at Model TownGreens ground on Tuesday. Scores:Model Town Greens 169/7 in 20overs. Hamza Pracha 52, Luqmanbutt 51, Ali Naqvi 13, Wahab Dar 1.Waseem Zahoor 5/25, HAider 1/15,Imran Ali 1/16. Ludihana Gym 128all out in 17.2 overs. Umer Siddiq55, Waseem Zahoor 38. Akbar Ali4/16, Aamir Hayat 2/23, Ali naqvi2/40. TAUSEEF CLUB, NATIONAL GYM

qUARTERS TODAY: The firstquarterfinal of the 28th M YaseenAkhter Memorial Cricket Event willbe played between Tauseef Club andNational Gym on May 8 (Wednesday)at Mehran Block ground. The 20-20overs match will start at 1:00 pm,Rising Stars,Ghulam Qadir MemorialClub and Jallo Gym have alreadymarched to the quarterfinal. YUSLIM CLUB qUALIFY TO

SEMIS: Yuslim Club has qualified forsemifinal of 10th M Siddiq Memorialcricket event when they beat strongAkhter Abdul Rehman club by 9wickets in the 1st quarterfinal playedat Model Town greens ground onTuesday morning. Scores: AkhterAbdul Rehman club 137 all out in 20overs. Asfand Mehran 20, Noman 24,Hafiz Amir 23, M Ishfaq 17, TajamalCh 14. Babar Azam 2/14, Haider2/27, Mohsin Nadeem 3/13, Subhanul haq 1/14. Yuslim Club 138/1 in13.4 overs. Babar Azam 88 (no), MAzeem 48. M Ishfaq 1/18. StAFF rEPOrt

MADRIDAGENCIES

LAURA Robsonproduced the shockof the day bysweeping into thethird round of the

Mutua Madrid Open with astraight-sets victory over fourthseed Agnieszka Radwanska.

The 19-year-old Britishnumber one matched the worldnumber four in the opening stagesof the match before she changedgears and demolished her Polishopponent’s serve to winconvincingly, 6-3 6-1.

It was one of the biggest winsof Robson’s career and she willnow face either Ana Ivanovic orqualifier Chanelle Scheepers, whoplay their second-round match onTuesday.

Ninth seed Samantha Stosurwas another high-profile casualtywhen she was defeated 7-6 (7/5) 6-2 by Carla Suarez Navarro.

Second seed Maria Sharapovaand third seed Victoria Azarenkacame through their first-roundmatches, though. RussianSharapova toppled RomanianAlexandra Dulgheru 7-5 6-2, whileBelarus’ Azarenka saw off Russian

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6(8/6) 7-6 (7/3) in two hours 14minutes.

Elsewhere, KristinaMladenovic defeated Silvia Soler-Espinosa and Christina McHalebeat Shuai Peng while, in thesecond round, seventh seed SaraErrani overcame Sorana Cirstea 7-5 2-6 6-4 and sixth seed AngeliqueKerber ousted Alize Cornet 6-4 6-2.

In the men’s competition,American John Isner came through

his first-round match againstGuillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-5 7-6(8/6) while Denis Istomin brushedaside Belgium’s Xavier Malisse 6-3 6-2 and Jerzy Janowicz beat SamQuerrey 6-3 6-4.

Twelfth seed Milos Raonic, KeiNishikori, Daniel Gimeno-Traver,Florian Mayer, Kevin Andersonand Robin Haase also made it intoround two, while Nicolas Almagroprogressed after qualifier TobiasKamke pulled out of their first-round match through injury.

roBsoNstuns radwanska in madrid

oEIRAS AGENCIES

Stanislas Wawrinka won his first ATP title ofthe year after a straight-sets victory overDavid Ferrer at the Portugal Open in Oeiras.Wawrinka dominated against the worldnumber four, completing a 6-1 6-4 triumph ashis out-of-sorts opponent made 31 unforcederrors. Ferrer failed to break the world number16, while Wawrinka unlocked the Spaniard’sservice game on three occasions on his was tovictory in a little over an hour. The win wasdoubly sweet for Wawrinka as it provided ameasure of revenge for the loss he suffered atthe hands of Ferrer in his only other finalappearance so far in 2013, in Buenos Aires.“I am definitely playing better than last yearand I am improving,” said Wawrinka on theATP Tour’s official website. “Today [Sunday]I got the confidence that I can beat a top-four player in a final, on a clay court.”Ferrer had no complaints about the result,saying: “Stan played a great match. “I wasnever close to winning, but I felt better thelonger it went on with my shots. “Stanplayed pretty well from the baseline and hehad a good percentage of first services. Hesurpassed me in everything.”

wawrinka beats ferrer to oeiras crown

lahore win NationalU16 hockeyLAHORE: Lahore won the title of the national 2nd MotorwayPolice U16 hockey title beating Sialkot 5-3 in a penalty shoot inthe final here on Tuesday at National Hockey stadium. Lahoreovercome spirited Sialkot with much labour as the first half endedin a 1-0 in favour of Sialkot. Lahore leveled at 1-1 before the closeof the second session and the match ended in a 2-2 draw at fulltime. Both the team exhibited a higher brand of quality hockeyand lively moves were seen and the fortune of the match changedhand in hand. Lahore demonstrated better conversion skills andaccuracy in the penalty shoot out to win a thrilling battle. Scorers,Lahore: Shan 2 Goals 40th minute (PC) & (PSO), Rana Sohail58th minute (PC), Adeel (PSO) & Afsar yaqoob (Capt) (PSO).Sialkot: Faizan 6th minute (FG), Ali Raza 57th minute (PC) &Nohaiz Zahid Malik (Capt) (PSO). Faisalabad routed Multan8-2 in a classification match for the third place. The winnersled the first half 4-1 and the second 7-2, scoring goals atregular intervals with agility and anticipation. Scorers,Faisalabad: Sohail 4 Goals 6th & 15th minutes (FG) & 17th& 37th minutes (PC), Dawood 3 Goals 14th minute (PC) &31st & 38th minutes (FG) & Abu Bakar 57th minute (FG).Multan: Mohammad Adnan 19th minute (FG) and QaiserZaman 34th minute (PC). President, Pakistan HockeyFederation, Qasim Zia was the Chief Guest on the occasionand witnessed the match with keen interest. Also present wereSecretary, PHF, Mohammad Asif Bajwa Tournament DirectorOlympian Tahir Zaman and number of former hockeyOlympians.Later Qasim Zia gave away the trophies andprizes to the players and the officials. StAFF rEPOrt

SPoRTS DESK

Andre Villas-Boas says he has had tomake big changes to his managementstyle because of the mistakes hemade at Chelsea.

Villas-Boas returns to StamfordBridge on Wednesday night for thefirst time since he was sacked byBlues owner Roman Abramovichless than nine months in to hisambitious three-year “project”.

Villas-Boas’ plans to startphasing out the likes of DidierDrogba, Frank Lampard and JohnTerry while replacing them withyounger, more dynamic players,played a part in his downfall.

Rumours about persistent unrestamong the Chelsea squad dogged thePortuguese throughout his tenure atStamford Bridge, but Villas-Boas isgenerally well-liked by his new

players at Spurs.“The experiences (of managing

Chelsea and Spurs) are different andI learned a great lesson from lastyear,” Villas-Boas said in aninterview with yahoo!

“There are things I dodramatically different and things thatI do exactly the same because youstill have to stay true to yourprinciples.

“The Chelsea experienceallowed me to see things in adifferent way and helped me addressthe mistakes I made; that alwaysallows you to develop on a personaland a professional level.”

The closeness between Villas-Boas and Gareth Bale was summedup when the PFA and FWA player ofthe year shared a warm embrace withhis manager after he hit a dramaticwinner in the 3-2 victory at West

Ham in February.Villas-Boas has also maintained

a good relationship with his squadplayers thanks to his occasionalrotation - something that HarryRedknapp was accused of failing todo last season.

Although Spurs remain outsidersfor a top-four finish, Villas-Boasadmits he has enjoyed working witha squad of players who are all pullingin the same direction.

“On a personal note the seasonhas been good for me. I’ve found itextremely good here,” the formerPorto boss said.

“It was good to be back inEngland after last year. I’ve beenvery well received by everybody,particularly this group of playerswhose drive and ambition towardsachieving results has beentremendous.

i learnt from my mistakes at chelsea: avb

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Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad.

wednesday, 08 may, 2013

ISLAMABADONLINE

sUPREME Court Justice JawwadS Khawaja on Tuesday remarkedthe court had decided to ensuresupremacy of law and constitu-

tion and “a price will have to be paid forit”. He gave these remarks while presid-ing over a three-member SC bench dur-ing the course of hearing of Musharraftreason case on Tuesday.

Ahmad Raza Kasuri argued Mushar-raf was not made party anywhere inSindh case and this thing was very clear.

Justice Ejaz Afzal remarked it wascorrect that Musharraf was not madeparty in these petitions, but notice was is-sued to him which could not reach him.

Kasuri argued if Musharraf was pun-ished for subverting the constitution, thenall judges, military officers and politiciansshould be punished for providing an op-portunity to Musharraf to take over power.Justice Khilji remarked, “you are sayingthe matters have become clear with theabolition of 17th Amendment and all willhave to be given punishment.” Kasurisaid, “I want to read the names of judges.”

Justice Jawwad remarked, “Names ofall parliamentarians also come therein.

Will this matter go up to patwaris. We arenot going to make any political decision.We will have to draw a line up to whatextent we will have to initiate proceed-ing. I am ready too. The federation caninitiate proceedings if it wants to do so.Cut of line will have to be drawn up.”

Kasuri said the lines should includeon the civil side, secretary and additionalsecretary and on the army side those per-sonnel who were involved therein.

Justice Jawwad remarked, “We haveto author decision why should we leaveother people out. Those who had abro-gated the constitution twice will becomeguilty. Proceedings will be initiatedagainst 10,000 people.”

Kasuri said Bhutto lost half of thecountry. “Action will have to be initiatedagainst him as well. Senators who castvote in favour of Musharraf and now arein parliament will have to be proceededagainst. The federal cabinet which ap-proved the orders and services chiefs willalso stand included therein.”

Justice Khilji said, “We will see whodid what after the martial law. Whoso-ever assisted the act of subverting theconstitution will have to be put to trial.”

Kasuri said proceedings would have tobe initiated against Arshad Hassan Khan,

Afrasyab, Bashir Jahangir, Ejaz Shah,Abdul Rehman Khan, Sheikh Riaz,Chaudhry Arif, Munir A Sheikh, RashidLatif Khan, Nazim Hussain Siddiqui, ChiefJustice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muham-mad Chaudhry, Bhagwan Das, MianAjmal, Deedar Hussain Shah, Javed Iqbal,Abdul Hamid Dogar, Tanvir Ahmad Khan,Taqi Usmani for taking oath under PCO.

Justice Jawwad remarked, “We willnot allow judges to be maligned. Thewhole world should come to know whogot money. This all should come to light.Musharraf had a role in abrogating theconstitution. It is known to every one.Political speeches will not be allowed tobe delivered.” Kasuri insisting that a fullcourt minus the CJP should be constituted.Justice Jawwad said they had sent a requestto the CJP and a three-member bench wasconstituted after it. The hearing of the casewas adjourned until Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad HighCourt was assured that action would betaken against Islamabad IGP Bin yaminin the Musharraf escape case.

During today’s proceedings, InteriorSecretary Javed Iqbal appeared beforethe court and said the IGP was an officerof Grade 21 and according to Civil Serv-ices Act, only the prime minister couldtake action against him.

Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui re-marked that the ICT police fell under theMinistry of Interior, adding that actionshould have been taken against thosewho facilitated Musharraf in escape.

WASHINGToNAGENCIES

The vast majority of Pakistanis are unhappy withtheir country’s direction and a growing numbersee the domestic Taliban as a threat, said a surveyreleased Tuesday ahead of elections.

The poll by the Pew Research Centerfound that 91 per cent of Pakistanis were dis-satisfied with the direction of the country andthat a mere 14 per cent saw President Asif AliZardari favourably. Former prime ministerNawaz Sharif, seen as a front-runner in Satur-day’s election, was viewed favorably by 66 percent of Pakistanis and 60 per cent held positiveviews of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief ImranKhan. However, the poll was taken in March,when Pakistan was just starting the campaignfor what could be the country’s first demo-cratic transition of power. Pew conducted1,201 in-person interviews across Pakistan.

The poll found overwhelming alarm atcrime and terrorism. Forty-nine per cent de-

scribed the Taliban as a “very serious threat” toPakistan, for the first time nearly equaling thosewho said the same about historic rival India.Despite concerns about the Taliban, the vastmajority opposed US drone attacks against mil-itants, saying they killed too many civilians.Two-thirds welcomed US plans to pull troopsout of neighboring Afghanistan next year.

Unlike in much of the world, Pakistaniopinions of the United States have grownonly more negative since President BarackObama succeeded George W Bush, with only11 per cent saying they had a positive imageof the country. A majority said that US assis-tance to Pakistan — including a $7.5 billioncivilian aid package unveiled in 2009 inhopes of improving the relationship – had noor even a negative impact. Despite wide pes-simism about the country’s direction, 79 percent of Pakistanis praised the impact of themilitary — long a key power center — andsmaller majorities voiced confidence in reli-gious leaders, the media and the courts.

SIALKoT ONLINE

Indian Border Security Forces on Tuesdayopened unprovoked fire at working boundaryin Sialkot District, officials said. PunjabRangers retaliated at Samba sector near Sialkot.According to reports, Indian Border SecurityForce opened fire in Chenab sector and laterfired mortar shells in Samba sector which

landed in Tanda village near border area, how-ever no casualty was reported. Punjab Rangersresponded the Indian firing and silenced theguns from across the border. This was the firstincident of firing from Indian forces after gravetension between two archrival countries whichresulted in killing of four Pakistani soldiers andtwo Indian troops at LoC few months back.Pakistan has decided to launch protest againstIndian firing during flag meetings with India.

Judiciary has to ensuresupremacy of law: sC

Vast majority of pakistanisdissatisfied: poll

India opens fire on sialkot sector

musharraf’s CouNsel says all judges, militaryoffiCers, politiCiaNs should be puNished for proVidiNgopportuNity to musharraf to take oVer power

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