e-paper pakistantoday 26th march, 2012
22
DUSHaNBe:the presidents of afghanistan, tajikistan, Iran and pakistan pose for a photograph during a regional summit here. onLinE Clinton arriving next month to sign new counter-terror agreement PAGE | 02 She survived the acid attack, but not the ensuing injustice PAGE | 7 Lahore edition monday, 26 march, 2012 Jamadi-ul-awal 2, 1433 rs15.00 Vol ii no 268 22 pages PAGE |05 Pakistan opens Karachi port to let Indian wheat pass WASHINGTON INp The United States military has decided that no service members will face disciplinary charges for their involvement in a nATO airstrike in november that killed 24 Pak- istani soldiers, an accident that plunged re- lations between the two countries to new depths and has greatly complicated the al- lied mission in Afghanistan. An American investigation in Decem- ber found fault with both American and Pakistani troops for the deadly exchange of fire, but noted that the Pakistanis fired first from two border posts that were not on coalition maps, and that they kept firing even after the Americans tried to warn them that they were shooting at allied troops. Pakistan has rejected these conclu- sions and ascribed most of the blame to the American forces. The American findings set up a second inquiry to determine whether any American military personnel should be punished. That recently com- pleted review said no, three senior military officials said, explaining that the Ameri- cans fired in self-defence. Other mistakes that contributed to the fatal cross-border strike were the regrettable result of battle- field confusion, they said. “We found nothing criminally negli- gent on the part of any individual in our in- vestigations of the incident,” said one senior American military official involved in the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the results of the re- view had not been made public, a new York Times report said on Sunday. The military’s decision is expected to anger Pakistani officials at a time when the two countries are gingerly trying to patch up a security relationship left in tatters over the past year from a series of episodes, includ- ing the shooting of two Pakistanis in lahore by a CIA contractor, the navy SeAls raid in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin laden and the deadly airstrike in november. Pak- istan’s parliament is scheduled to resume debate on Monday on a major review of re- lations with the United States, a debate that the Obama administration hopes will bring a resumption of full diplomatic relations and the reopening of nATO supply lines into Afghanistan through Pakistan. As part of that debate, Pakistani legisla- tors have demanded an unconditional formal apology from the United States for the fatal airstrike. In the highest-level parley of leaders of the two countries since the accident, Pres- ident Obama is to meet Pakistani Prime Min- ister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday in Seoul after a nuclear security conference to discuss Afghanistan and other security issues. But Obama is not expected to go beyond the re- grets he conveyed to Pakistan soon after the airstrike on november 25. Some administration aides said at the time that they worried that if Obama for- mally apologized to Pakistan, it could pro- vide ammunition for his Republican opponents in the presidential race. By contrast, Obama offered a personal apology last month to President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan for the burning of Holy Qurans by American soldiers there, as well as regrets about the massacre of Afghan civilians in which an Army staff sergeant has been charged. Gen James n Mattis, the head of the military’s Central Command, is scheduled to hold long-de- layed meetings this week in Islamabad with Gen Ashfaq Kayani, the Pakistan Army chief of staff, to discuss the airstrike investigation, as well as new border coor- dination procedures to prevent a recur- rence of the episode. General Mattis will also discuss oppor- tunities for training, arms sales and im- proving border coordination centers, military officials said. Other senior Ameri- can officials, like Deputy Secretary of State Thomas R nides, and Marc Grossman, the State Department’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, are also ex- pected to meet soon with senior Pakistani officials to begin mending relations. Pakistan’s generals are likely to be pri- vately angered by the latest American de- cision, although in public the military is deferring to the parliamentary process, the nYT report said. “A full investigation was done by our military, and the conclusions were sent to the parliamentary committee,” said Maj Gen Athar Abbas, the military’s spokesman. “now the government should communicate to the US whatever they want.” Armed with the information from the first inquiry, the American chain of command in Afghanistan and at the Central Command set out to determine any culpability. They found none that warranted crimi- nal charges, military officials said, nor signif- icant discipline like fines or demotions. It is possible, the officials said, that at some level of the chain of command a soldier could re- ceive an administrative reprimand, but those matters are held privately within the unit or command. American military legal experts said that the episode illustrated the difficul- ties of assigning blame when an unintended chain of events results in tragedy. “The ab- sence of disciplinary action in a specific case doesn’t mean that there was a cover-up or anything like that,” said Charles J Dunlap Jr, a retired Air Force major general who served as deputy judge advocate general and is now executive director of the Duke University law School’s Center on law, ethics and na- tional Security. “Rather, it may well simply indicate that a tragic accident occurred, and the fog and friction of war make the facts such that assigning criminal responsibility is just not the right thing to do.” LAHORE/FAISALABAD Staff RepoRt/aGeNcIeS P ROlOnGeD power outages forced people across Punjab, and even in the Tribal Areas, to take to the streets in protest for the second day run- ning, forcing them to burn tyres and block several main roads across the province on Sunday. There were protests in several parts of lahore on Sunday against massive load shedding, as the city suffered blackouts for several continuous hours that paralyzed routine life. electricity in majority of lahore re- mained shut in the morning and was only restored in the afternoon. every nook and corner of the city was deprived of electricity for more than 16 hours on Sunday, a holiday wherein the demand is usually quite less than in weekdays. The power demand re- mained at 13,500MWs while the gener- ation dropped to 8,000MWs, creating a shortfall of 5,500MWs. Citizens staged protests in Walton area, Mustafabad, Mughalpura, Town- ship, Johar Town, Green Town and sev- eral other areas. Frustrated and defiant, traders of The Mall also staged a protest against the power outages. They chanted slogans against the lahore electric Sup- ply Company (leSCO) for depriving them of power. The protesters ex- pressed their anger against the govern- ment and PePCO for continuous load shedding. “Four hours of load shedding after every hour. Haye Bijli,” said a Facebook user from lahore on his page. “There will be all-out dark in the coming years,” said another. Meanwhile, a private TV chan- nel put the toll at 6,500MWs. Protests: There were protests in Gujranwala as well, where residents took to the streets, burnt tyres and dis- rupted traffic on the main GT Road. Police resorted to aerial firing and hurled teargas shells to disperse them while the agitators tried to keep riot po- lice at bay by hurling stones. The people of Faisalabad protested in a unique style: dancing to the tune of dhols (drums) as they burnt tyres and blocked the traffic. Hundreds of factory workers and labourers protested the massacre of industry in Faisalabad. According to details, protesters blocked the narh Wala, Jhang and Samundri Roads by burning tyres and placing big hurdles. They shouted slogans against the government and WAPDA and de- manded an end to prolonged and un- scheduled load shedding. The angry protesters also broke signboards in- stalled along roadsides, outside com- mercial centres and atop markets’ roofs. SSP Operation Sadiq Dogar arrived to meet the protesters for a dialogue, but eventually decided against dis- cussing the issue with an angry mob. People in Attock also staged a demonstration against prolong un- scheduled power load shedding at gen- eral bus stand on the main Attock-Kamra Road. Also, hundreds of tribesmen in north Waziristan Agency protested against continuous power cuts and warned the political administration to take appropriate steps to tackle the issue within 24 hours, or else be ready to face a wheel-jam and shutter-down strike against WAPDA authorities. DUSHANBE GNI To create an atmosphere of goodwill and cor- diality for the meeting between President Barack Omaba and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in Seoul, the United States on Sunday expressed respect the territorial in- tegrity and sovereignty of Pakistan. Ahead of the meeting between the two lead- ers, the United States Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Marc Grossman, met Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Dushanbe. “Ambassador Grossman highlighted the United States’ respect for the ter- ritorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan,” a statement, issued by the US embassy in Islam- abad, said. He also expressed respect for Pak- istan’s ongoing parliamentary review of US-Pakistan relations. “Our belief is that we have many shared interests and common goals that we can act on together,” he was quoted as saying. The ambassador and President Zardari dis- cussed the importance of regional stability and security, including efforts to support an Afghan peace process. Ambassador Grossman said Pak- istan’s recent call for insurgents to join an Afghan peace process was welcome and helpful. President Asif Ali Zardari said the parliamentary review process of Pak-US relations, that was long overdue, was a manifestation of democracy taking roots in Pakistan and the elected repre- sentatives taking ownership of one of Pakistan’s most important bilateral relationships. He said that the effort had to be to work within the parameters set by the parliament and not to bypass it. The two also discussed the importance of counter-terrorism cooperation against insurgents who would harm Afghans, Pakistanis, and Americans, and Ambassador Grossman recalled the sacrifices of so many Pakistanis in the fight again violence extrem- ism. They noted the importance of regional economic integration and discussed how best to expand trade and economic cooperation both bilaterally and in the region. Ambassador Grossman emphasized that the United States wanted an honest, constructive, and mutually beneficial relationship with Pakistan and re- mains committed to continued engagement. US military would not charge troops involved in Salala attack g American investigators persistent Pakistani troops fired first g Probe finds ‘nothing criminally negligent on part of any individual’ Driven to the edge Power outages g Electricity remains absent for 16 hours on Sunday g Protests continue in Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, tribal areas g President takes notice of load shedding US expresses respect for Pakistan’s sovereignty g US special envoy meets President Zardari in Dushanbe opp threatens marCh towards presdidenCy | page 07 Continued on page 04 LHR 26-03-2012_Layout 1 3/26/2012 4:07 AM Page 1
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e-paper pakistantoday 26th march, 2012
Transcript of e-paper pakistantoday 26th march, 2012
DUSHaNBe:the presidents of afghanistan, tajikistan, Iran and pakistan pose for a photographduring a regional summit here. onLinE
Clinton arriving nextmonth to sign newcounter-terror agreement
PAGE | 02
She survived the acidattack, but not theensuing injustice
PAGE | 7
Lahore edition monday, 26 march, 2012 Jamadi-ul-awal 2, 1433rs15.00 Vol ii no 268 22 pages
PAGE |05
Pakistan opensKarachi port to letIndian wheat pass
WASHINGTONINp
The United States military has decided thatno service members will face disciplinarycharges for their involvement in a nATOairstrike in november that killed 24 Pak-istani soldiers, an accident that plunged re-lations between the two countries to newdepths and has greatly complicated the al-lied mission in Afghanistan.
An American investigation in Decem-ber found fault with both American andPakistani troops for the deadly exchange offire, but noted that the Pakistanis fired firstfrom two border posts that were not oncoalition maps, and that they kept firingeven after the Americans tried to warn themthat they were shooting at allied troops.
Pakistan has rejected these conclu-sions and ascribed most of the blame to theAmerican forces. The American findingsset up a second inquiry to determinewhether any American military personnelshould be punished. That recently com-pleted review said no, three senior militaryofficials said, explaining that the Ameri-
cans fired in self-defence. Other mistakesthat contributed to the fatal cross-borderstrike were the regrettable result of battle-field confusion, they said.
“We found nothing criminally negli-gent on the part of any individual in our in-vestigations of the incident,” said onesenior American military official involvedin the process, who spoke on the conditionof anonymity because the results of the re-view had not been made public, a newYork Times report said on Sunday.
The military’s decision is expected toanger Pakistani officials at a time when thetwo countries are gingerly trying to patch upa security relationship left in tatters over thepast year from a series of episodes, includ-ing the shooting of two Pakistanis in lahoreby a CIA contractor, the navy SeAls raid inAbbottabad that killed Osama bin ladenand the deadly airstrike in november. Pak-istan’s parliament is scheduled to resumedebate on Monday on a major review of re-lations with the United States, a debate thatthe Obama administration hopes will bringa resumption of full diplomatic relationsand the reopening of nATO supply lines
into Afghanistan through Pakistan.As part of that debate, Pakistani legisla-
tors have demanded an unconditional formalapology from the United States for the fatalairstrike. In the highest-level parley of leadersof the two countries since the accident, Pres-ident Obama is to meet Pakistani Prime Min-ister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday in Seoulafter a nuclear security conference to discussAfghanistan and other security issues. ButObama is not expected to go beyond the re-grets he conveyed to Pakistan soon after theairstrike on november 25.
Some administration aides said at thetime that they worried that if Obama for-mally apologized to Pakistan, it could pro-vide ammunition for his Republicanopponents in the presidential race.
By contrast, Obama offered a personalapology last month to President HamidKarzai of Afghanistan for the burning ofHoly Qurans by American soldiers there,as well as regrets about the massacre ofAfghan civilians in which an Army staffsergeant has been charged. Gen James nMattis, the head of the military’s CentralCommand, is scheduled to hold long-de-
layed meetings this week in Islamabadwith Gen Ashfaq Kayani, the PakistanArmy chief of staff, to discuss the airstrikeinvestigation, as well as new border coor-dination procedures to prevent a recur-rence of the episode.
General Mattis will also discuss oppor-tunities for training, arms sales and im-proving border coordination centers,military officials said. Other senior Ameri-can officials, like Deputy Secretary of StateThomas R nides, and Marc Grossman, theState Department’s special representativefor Afghanistan and Pakistan, are also ex-pected to meet soon with senior Pakistaniofficials to begin mending relations.
Pakistan’s generals are likely to be pri-vately angered by the latest American de-cision, although in public the military isdeferring to the parliamentary process, thenYT report said.
“A full investigation was done by ourmilitary, and the conclusions were sent tothe parliamentary committee,” said MajGen Athar Abbas, the military’s spokesman.“now the government should communicateto the US whatever they want.” Armed with
the information from the first inquiry, theAmerican chain of command inAfghanistan and at the Central Commandset out to determine any culpability.
They found none that warranted crimi-nal charges, military officials said, nor signif-icant discipline like fines or demotions. It ispossible, the officials said, that at some levelof the chain of command a soldier could re-ceive an administrative reprimand, but thosematters are held privately within the unit orcommand. American military legal expertssaid that the episode illustrated the difficul-ties of assigning blame when an unintendedchain of events results in tragedy. “The ab-sence of disciplinary action in a specific casedoesn’t mean that there was a cover-up oranything like that,” said Charles J Dunlap Jr,a retired Air Force major general who servedas deputy judge advocate general and is nowexecutive director of the Duke Universitylaw School’s Center on law, ethics and na-tional Security. “Rather, it may well simplyindicate that a tragic accident occurred, andthe fog and friction of war make the factssuch that assigning criminal responsibility isjust not the right thing to do.”
LAHORE/FAISALABADStaff RepoRt/aGeNcIeS
PR O l O n G e Dpower outagesforced peopleacross Punjab,and even in the
Tribal Areas, to take to the streetsin protest for the second day run-
ning, forcing them to burn tyres andblock several main roads across theprovince on Sunday.
There were protests in several partsof lahore on Sunday against massiveload shedding, as the city sufferedblackouts for several continuous hoursthat paralyzed routine life.
electricity in majority of lahore re-mained shut in the morning and wasonly restored in the afternoon.
every nook and corner of the citywas deprived of electricity for more than16 hours on Sunday, a holiday whereinthe demand is usually quite less than inweekdays. The power demand re-mained at 13,500MWs while the gener-ation dropped to 8,000MWs, creating ashortfall of 5,500MWs.
Citizens staged protests in Waltonarea, Mustafabad, Mughalpura, Town-ship, Johar Town, Green Town and sev-eral other areas. Frustrated and defiant,traders of The Mall also staged a protestagainst the power outages. They chantedslogans against the lahore electric Sup-ply Company (leSCO) for deprivingthem of power. The protesters ex-pressed their anger against the govern-ment and PePCO for continuous loadshedding. “Four hours of load sheddingafter every hour. Haye Bijli,” said aFacebook user from lahore on his page.
“There will be all-out dark in thecoming years,” said another.
Meanwhile, a private TV chan-
nel put the toll at 6,500MWs. Protests: There were protests inGujranwala as well, where residentstook to the streets, burnt tyres and dis-rupted traffic on the main GT Road.
Police resorted to aerial firing andhurled teargas shells to disperse themwhile the agitators tried to keep riot po-lice at bay by hurling stones.
The people of Faisalabad protestedin a unique style: dancing to the tune ofdhols (drums) as they burnt tyres andblocked the traffic. Hundreds of factoryworkers and labourers protested themassacre of industry in Faisalabad.
According to details, protestersblocked the narh Wala, Jhang andSamundri Roads by burning tyres andplacing big hurdles.
They shouted slogans against thegovernment and WAPDA and de-manded an end to prolonged and un-scheduled load shedding. The angryprotesters also broke signboards in-stalled along roadsides, outside com-mercial centres and atop markets’ roofs.
SSP Operation Sadiq Dogar arrivedto meet the protesters for a dialogue,but eventually decided against dis-cussing the issue with an angry mob.
People in Attock also staged ademonstration against prolong un-scheduled power load shedding at gen-eral bus stand on the mainAttock-Kamra Road. Also, hundreds oftribesmen in north Waziristan Agencyprotested against continuous power cutsand warned the political administrationto take appropriate steps to tackle theissue within 24 hours, or else be ready toface a wheel-jam and shutter-downstrike against WAPDA authorities.
DUSHANBEGNI
To create an atmosphere of goodwill and cor-diality for the meeting between PresidentBarack Omaba and Prime Minister YousafRaza Gilani in Seoul, the United States onSunday expressed respect the territorial in-tegrity and sovereignty of Pakistan.
Ahead of the meeting between the two lead-ers, the United States Special Representative toAfghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador MarcGrossman, met Pakistani President Asif AliZardari in Dushanbe. “Ambassador Grossmanhighlighted the United States’ respect for the ter-ritorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan,” astatement, issued by the US embassy in Islam-abad, said. He also expressed respect for Pak-istan’s ongoing parliamentary review ofUS-Pakistan relations. “Our belief is that we havemany shared interests and common goals thatwe can act on together,” he was quoted as saying.
The ambassador and President Zardari dis-cussed the importance of regional stability andsecurity, including efforts to support an Afghan
peace process. Ambassador Grossman said Pak-istan’s recent call for insurgents to join anAfghan peace process was welcome and helpful.President Asif Ali Zardari said the parliamentaryreview process of Pak-US relations, that waslong overdue, was a manifestation of democracytaking roots in Pakistan and the elected repre-sentatives taking ownership of one of Pakistan’smost important bilateral relationships.
He said that the effort had to be to workwithin the parameters set by the parliamentand not to bypass it. The two also discussed theimportance of counter-terrorism cooperationagainst insurgents who would harm Afghans,Pakistanis, and Americans, and AmbassadorGrossman recalled the sacrifices of so manyPakistanis in the fight again violence extrem-ism. They noted the importance of regionaleconomic integration and discussed how bestto expand trade and economic cooperationboth bilaterally and in the region. AmbassadorGrossman emphasized that the United Stateswanted an honest, constructive, and mutuallybeneficial relationship with Pakistan and re-mains committed to continued engagement.
US military would not charge troops involved in Salala attackg American investigators persistent Pakistani troops fired first g Probe finds ‘nothing criminally negligent on part of any individual’
Driven to the edgePower outages
g Electricity remains absent for 16 hours on Sundayg Protests continue in Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, tribal areasg President takes notice of load shedding
US expresses respect forPakistan’s sovereigntyg US special envoy meets President Zardari in Dushanbe
opp threatens marCh towards presdidenCy | page 07
Continued on page 04
LHR 26-03-2012_Layout 1 3/26/2012 4:07 AM Page 1
02 Monday, 26 March, 2012
News
Today’s
LookQuick
LAHOre
Story on Page 07
NewS
Story on Page 05
cArTOON
Page 13
things broken, tyres burnt, facebook updated aitzaz likely to conclude arguments in contempt case today
UK police
arrests Pakistani
upon landing at
HeathrowLONDON
INp
The British police arrested a 25-year-oldPakistani travelling from lahore to londonat Heathrow Airport. According to details,five British police officials, including afemale entered the Pakistan InternationalAirlines (PIA) flight PK-757 as soon as itlanded at the Heathrow Airport. The policeofficials directed the passengers of theplane to keep seated, and startedquestioning them. After interrogating thepassengers for one hour, the British policearrested a 25-year Pakistani youth andhandcuffed him immediately. The Britishpolice took the detainee to an undisclosedlocation, and did not announce the reasonfor arresting him.
peSHaWaR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-fazl (JUI-f) chief fazlur Rehman addresses a public gathering organised under the Islam Zindabad conferene on Sunday. onLinE
JI not to acceptrestoration of NATOsupplies: MunawarHUJrA sHAH MUQeeM: Restoration ofnATO supplies will not be accepted at any cost, JIchief Munawar Hasan said on Sunday. Talking tojournalists at wedding of a local JI worker,Munawar said that the PPP-led coalitiongovernment wants to restore nATO supplies due tofear of the US. If the government would present aresolution in parliament to restore nATO suppliesthen all routes towards Afghanistan would beblocked to stop supplies to nATO containers, headded. The JI chief announced that all oppositionparties would hold a sit-in on Tuesday in front ofthe Parliament House. Munawar said that allpatriotic forces should unite to defeat the evilmotives of the US and allied forces. oNlINe
Blast kills two children
in Malakand DivisionMALAKAND: Two children were killed andanother was injured when explosives stored ina house went off early on Sunday morning.According to details, the explosive materialwas kept in a house located in the Garang Daravillage of Dargai, Malakand Division. Thehouse was destroyed due to blast, and twochildren, a boy and a girl, were killed, whileanother sustained injuries. The relatives andlocal people dug out the victims from therubble of the collapsed house. Police said theowner of the house used the explosives forblasting rocks in the hills, and had stored themin his house for the same purpose. INp
ISLAMABADSHaIq HUSSaIN
THe United States is planning tosend its Secretary of State HillaryClinton to Islamabad next monthafter the review of Pakistan-USrelations by the joint session of
parliament and during that important visit,Secretary Clinton is likely to sign new andwritten agreement with Pakistani leadershipon ‘fresh terms of engagement’ between thetwo states on counter-terrorism coopera-tion.
However, before Secretary Clinton’svisit, two top American military and civilianofficials, General James Mattis, US CenT-COM chief and Marc Grossman, Special USenvoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan will ar-rive in the first week of April (next month)to give final touches to the fresh understand-ing between the two countries on variouscontentious issues like nATO supplies’ re-
sumption, drone strikes, supply of CoalitionSupport Fund (CSF) and deployment of USdefense contractors and CIA operatives inPakistan etc. Once that job of finalization ofthe new proposed Pak-US pact on counter-terrorism cooperation is done, Clintonwould make it to Islamabad so that Islam-abad and Washington could ink the new ac-cord. “However, this plan for newPakistan-US agreement depends on the out-come of debate in joint session of parliamentcommencing here today (Monday). The ses-sion is likely to end on Tuesday and it willapprove around 35 recommendations ofParliamentary Committee on national Se-curity (PCnS) in form of a resolution thatwill pave the way for normalization ofstrained relations between Islamabad andWashington,” said a Pakistani diplomat,seeking anonymity. He said both sides wererequired to finalize the modalities for futureworking relationship in the wake of parlia-mentary debate on bilateral ties.
“For example, the PCnS only recom-mends that the nATO supplies shall be re-sumed but tax will be levied. TheAmericans would like to know and settlethe amount of new taxes to be imposed byIslamabad on nATO tankers and oil con-tainers,” he said. He said that then therewas the drone strikes’ issue that still neededto be sorted out and also the deployment ofAmerican defense contractors that whatwould be there number etc. Another Pak-istani official when contacted said therewere strong chances that the US secretaryof state would visit Islamabad after the im-portant trip of General Mattis and Gross-man, who were expected to come toIslamabad on April 5-6. “The US adminis-tration has planned to come up with strongand positive political gestures towards itsestranged ally, and the meeting betweenPresident Obama and Prime Minister Gi-lani in Seoul would be followed by Secre-tary Clinton’s trip to Islamabad,” he said.
Clinton arriving next month to signnew counter-terror agreement
LHR 26-03-2012_Layout 1 3/26/2012 4:07 AM Page 2
03Monday, 26 March, 2012
NewscOMMeNTthey meet again
Articles on Page 12-13
Gilani and Obama meeting is an opportunity.
to the streetsNo electricity for the poor.
Waqqas mir says:Constitutionally biased?: Pakistan’s journey has many ironies.
arif ansar says:Growing intolerance: There is increasing hostility against the non-Westerners in the West.
Umair Javed says:Viva la materialism: The side of Pakistan that is projected time and again is negative.
fOreIgN NewS
Story on Page 17
ArTS & eNTerTAINMeNTShafqat amanat ali rocks, Delhi sways along
Story on Page 14
SPOrTSpakistan unhappy over Bangladesh cup appeal
Story on Page 18
Saudi mulls sending woman to olympics
LAHORENaDeem SyeD
As numbers alone determine the fate of polit-ical parties in parliamentary democracy, thePMl-Q is quietly preparing ground for maxi-mizing its number to stay in power and hencein reckoning in any future political set up afterthe elections, as it did in the Senate election,squeezing six seats from nowhere.
The long and short of the latest strategyof the Chaudhrys is to attain as many seatsthat guarantee an important role for them inany future political set up.
“If we do not have the magical figuresto form government in the Punjab or else-where, never mind. We are only looking forthe figures good enough to lend hand tosomeone in the formation of the govern-ment and while doing so carving out for ourparty a role in any future dispensation as isthe case right now in PPP-led set-up,” com-mented a senior leaguer while depicting theparty’s future line of action for the comingelection in Pakistan.
To achieve this goal, the gritty Chaudhryswould be very happy to continue engaging thePPP leadership.
Already a perception is growing amongthe political circles that that the present rulingalliance that features the PPP, PMl-Q, MQMand AnP is going to stay here even after theelections, most probably in 2013. The lacklus-ter performance of both the PTI and PMl-nmay be a factor in strengthening this percep-tion.
The Chaudhrys have developed a soundequation with President Zardari, if not withPrime Minister Gilani, and this could be basisof their future political cooperation with thePPP.
The trust Shujaat reposed in PresidentZardari was highlighted when in a party meet-ing a leaguer asked Shujaat not to trust thePPP and keep his eyes open. This leaguer isquite a strong advocate of the PMl unifica-tion. “We trust Zardari, not the PPP,” was avery concise and meaningful reply by Shujaat,surprising as it should be for all the partici-pants of the meeting.
The Chaudhrys are a bit distrustful ofPrime Minister Gilani’s commitment towardsthem, believing that he (Gilani) harbours asoft corner for the PMl-n, party insiders re-vealed.
As per the PMl-Q strategy, they would goalong with the PPP in a broader alliance at thetop with an understanding that Q-leaguewould be free to make minor adjustments atthe local level to enhance their electoralprospects.
The sources did not rule out adjustmentsand understanding even with PTI at the locallevel, if required per circumstances. ThePMl-Q leadership is engaged with its coun-terpart from Sunni Tehreek and is hopeful ofentering an election alliance in the comingdays. Sunni Tehreek was once considered inpolitical circles a natural ally of the PMl-n,but this time it is not interested in any en-gagement with the Sharifs.NUMber GAMe: “The number we arelooking at in Punjab Assembly is 70-plus orclose. In the national Assembly, we will befine with 30-plus seats. This is not a far cryfrom the results of last elections when weachieved 80-plus in Punjab and notchedabove 50 seats in the nA,” a party insidersaid.
“This is an achievable target. If we man-age one seat from each district we will end upgetting more than 30 seats and it is gettablegiven the nature of candidates we have every-where,” he added.
The PMl-Q still harbours a vast pool ofelectable leaders as opposed to some otherparties. Shujaat and Pervaiz elahi deservethe credit for pre-empting the disintegrationof their party as predicted by political circlespost-2008 elections. They stuck to theirguns and came out of vicious cycle soonerthan later to give hope to the party rank andfile when most analysts were writing themoff as a ‘gone case’. They took care of theirparty members on all levels and never tookimportant decisions without prior consulta-tions with them. Those who quit the partywere those forced on to the Chaudhrys bygenerals and the Chaudhrys never askedthem to stay.
chaudhrys’ election strategy
Govt to develop consnsuson reopening of nATosupply routes : Gilani
ISLAMABADStaff RepoRt/aGeNcIeS
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Sundaysaid that parliament would decide on reopeningnATO routes and the government would de-velop consensus with other political parties onthe issue.
“The government itself took the decision ofblocking nATO supply, vacating the Shamsi air-base and boycotting the Bonn Conference,” hesaid while talking to reporters at Chaklala Air-base before departing for a four-day visit toSeoul, South Korea, to attend second nuclearSecurity Summit on 26-27 March. Gilani saidthose steps had not been taken on the demandof the opposition. “On the very first day in themeeting of the Defence Committee of the Cabi-net (DCC), we had decided to close the nATOsupply routes and the government should atleast be credited for this,” he said.
Gilani said Pakistan wanted civil nucleartechnology to meet its energy requirements.“Civil nuclear technology has been our require-ment and we have been demanding it. nucleartechnology is important for Pakistan to maintainbalance with India and to promote regional sta-bility. If we do not have balance with India, thenthere will be lack of stability in the region,” headded. He said Pakistan had 40 years experience
of using nuclear technology and it had an effec-tive command and control system for the safetyof its nuclear assets.
“This security system is beyond any doubtand is well protected,” Gilani said, adding thathe would meet United States President BarackObama on the sidelines of the summit and dis-cuss the situation in Afghanistan.
Responding to a question, Gilani said the re-cent statements of the opposition made it evi-dent that the government never bulldozedproceedings in parliament.
Gilani said the government had been takingthe opposition along in the parliament on thematters of legislation and parliamentary pro-ceedings. “Whenever amendments were intro-duced in the constitution and resolutions wereadopted, our objective was to build consensuswith other parliamentary parties,” he added.
He said all parties had representation in theParliamentary Committee on national Security(PCnS). “The recommendations of the commit-tee on foreign policy were not only of the govern-ment but the members of the opposition also puttheir signatures on them,” he said.
Arriving in Seoul later, the prime ministertold Korean news Agency that allegations thatIslamabad cooperated with north Korea’s nu-clear program were unfounded and representeda thing of the past.
PESHAWARaGeNcIeS
The Pakistani Taliban on Sunday threatened to attack lawmak-ers if they voted in support of resuming supplies for nATOtroops in Afghanistan, a spokesman said.
The government sealed border with Afghanistan to nATOsupply convoys after nATO airstrikes killed 24 Pakistani sol-diers near the border in november, triggering outrage in Is-lamabad. From Monday lawmakers are to debate newparameters for getting the troubled relationship back on track,expected to see Pakistan eventually reopen its Afghan borderto nATO convoys after a four-month closure. “everybodyknows we are against restoration of nATO supplies and we willtarget each and every member of the parliament who will sup-
port the restoration,” Taliban spokesman ehsanullah ehsantold AFP in a telephone call from an undisclosed location. “Weare also advising the drivers of nATO supply trucks to quit thisjob otherwise they will be responsible for any consequences,”ehsan said. Meanwhile, senior security officials are reported tohave urged extensive new security measures for the legislators inthe face of the threat. According to foreign media, top security of-ficials in Peshawar took the threat seriously saying that it was “avery genuine threat. It is a major cause of concern for us”. Anothersenior police officer in lahore said they had “credible reports” thatthe Taliban would target members of parliament who supportedthe reopening of the supply route. The recommendations for a re-crafted relationship — up for debate in parliament — include a USapology for the november killings, an end to drone strikes againstmilitants on Pakistani soil and taxes on nATO convoys.
Taliban warn lawmakers against resuming NATO supplies
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Monday, 26 March, 2012
MONITORING DESK
PAKISTAn Tehreek-e-Insaaf ChairmanImran Khan hasclaimed that hisparty would halve
the corruption in the countrywithin nine days of coming topower.
According to a private TVchannel, Khan told reportersthat the demands for a “PTIChildren’s Wing” were grow-ing, making a case for the for-mation of one. To a question,he said, “Whether the partysurvives or not, we will elect allthe office bearers for all posi-tions through vote,” adding
that there would be no directappointments.
He said in Sunday’s meet-ing, the party had settled all the“differences” and now was rift-free. Khan also revealed thatthe details of the members’ as-sets would be posted on theparty’s website.
He once again condemnedthe leading political parties ofthe country for their silentagreements in looting thecountry’s wealth. “Asif Zardariand nawaz Sharif are one, theyare on board the Samhjota ex-press,” said he. The PTI chiefdownplayed the effectivenessof parliamentary recommen-dations over restoration of
nATO supply lines and an-nounced that PTI would notbecome part of the ruling-op-position alliance over the issue.
He also renewed his pledgefor leaving the nATO and USwar on terror as the countryhad sacrificed 40,000 peoplewith a whopping loss of $70billion. He reiterated his re-solve to bring in the local bodysystem. Thana and Patwari sys-tem would be abolished, onlymerit would prevail on all ap-pointments, he added.
“The PTI is a democraticparty and it will choose its ownleaders through party elec-tions,” he said, adding, “Thosewho considered departure of
Shuja Pasha the end of thetsunami must see the PTI ral-lies in South Punjab, Sialkotand Mianwali.” Terming thecampaign as the largest evermembership drive by any polit-ical party, Imran said that itwould run for two months, fol-lowed by party elections. TheCeC of the PTI also unani-mously approved the constitu-tion of party. Ibrarul Haq wasnominated the president of theYouth Wing. PTI PresidentJaved Hashmi, Vice ChairmanShah Mehmood Qureshi, In-formation Secretary ShafqatMehmood and Secretary Gen-eral Dr Arif Alvi and other partyleaders were present.
PTI will halve corruption within 9 daysof coming into power: Imrang Says PTI won’t become part of govt-opposition alliance over the issue of reopening NATO supply routes
Malik Mir Jannat Khan,Malik Zardad Khan, MalikInamullah, chief ofToorikhel tribe MalikGhulam and others wereleading the protest rallywhich culminated at theMiranshah Press Club.
Pakistan electricPower Company (PePCO)Director General RafiqQureshi said on Sundaymany power plants hadbeen shut down due tonon payment to inde-pendent power producers(IPPs) and discontinuedsupply of oil, which hadraised the power shortfallto 6,500MWs.
Talking to reporters,he said the issue of out-standing dues of Rs 152billion could not be re-solved between the banks,oil companies and IPPs.He said all resourceswould be utilised for re-solving the power crisis.
Qureshi admitted thatdue to interference of thegovernment, load shed-
ding was not being car-ried out in the country onan equal basis.
The Ministry of Waterand Power said totalpower generation was7,010MW whereas the de-mand was 13,240MW.PresiDeNt: PresidentAsif Ali Zardari on Sun-day took notice of massiveload shedding and or-dered that a Rs 152 bil-lion-bank guarantee becleared immediately.
According sourceswithin the Ministry ofWater and Power, Presi-dent Zardari had directedthat payments owed toIPPs and oil and gas com-panies be cleared. The Suinorthern Gas Pipelinelimited has been directedto start gas supply to 10power plants by haltingsupply to other indus-tries. The sources saidthat by supplying gas topower plants, 4,000MWscould be generated within24 hours.
Driven to the edgeContinued from page 1
KARACHI/LAHOREoNlINe
The funeral of acid attackvictim Fakhra Younas, whocommitted suicide in Italyon Saturday, was held inon Sunday.
The funeral was of-fered at edhi CentreSohrab Goth after the bodywas flown back home.Fakhra was laid to rest atGizri graveyard. Socialworker Abdul Sattar edhi,MQM leaders and a largenumber of people from allwalks of life attended thefuneral of the acid victimwho ended her life after a12-year fight for justiceand recovery following thepainful experience.
A large number of peo-ple from civil society, so-cial and welfareorganisations, includingMQM ministers, werepresent at the Jinnah In-ternational Airport to re-ceive Fakhra’s body.Women were carryingplacards demanding theSupreme Court to take no-tice of such crimes.
Fakhra’s sisters, the
Italian ambassador to Pak-istan and Tehmina Dur-rani, the former stepmother-in-law of Fakhrawas also present to receivethe body. People from allwalks of life condemnedher suicide while MQMchief Altaf Hussain urgedthe president and PM tobring the culprits to jus-tice.
Her former husband,Bilal Khar, a former MPAand son of former Punjabgovernor Ghulam MustafaKhar, threw acid on herface on May 14, 2000,after which she was takento Italy where she under-went 39 reconstructivesurgeries.
Separately, Bilal de-nied that he threw acid onher wife’s face. Talking toa private TV channel, hesaid that Fakhra lived withhim for four months afterthe acid attack. He claimedthat Fakhra refused to tellhim who had attacked her.“She committed suicidebecause promises made toher by certain people werenot fulfilled,” the formerMPA said.
Acid attack victimFakhra laid to rest
Provinces toget a chunk oftax on NATOsupplies
PESHAWARoNlINe
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(KP) government would get$100 per nATO container incase Pakistan restoresnATO supply routes toAfghanistan. The federal government isconsidering imposing a taxof $2,000 dollars percontainer from which theKP government would get$100, the Sindh governmentwould receive $200, thePunjab government wouldget $150, whereas theBalochistan governmentwould get $50 dollars.In this connection, theFederal Board of Revenue(FBR) is preparing astrategy by taking allprovincial governmentson board.
Pakistani studentclinches worldmathematicscompetition
ISLAMABADINp
A 15-year-old Pakistanistudent Moosa Feroz onSunday won a gold medal inan Online World MathematicsCompetition held in Australia.Over one point, about 5million children from 100counties around the globetook part in the competitionwhich was held in the firstweek of March.
ISLAMABAD oNlINe
Pakistan’s former ambassadorto the United States HussainHaqqani has submitted a writ-ten statement along with vari-ous documents to the inquirycommission maintaining hisposition that he had no role inthe conceiving, drafting or de-livering of the alleged memo-randum.
Countering differentclaims made by Mansoor Ijazduring his witness statementand his cross examination,Haqqani has picked out thecontradictions in the statementof Ijaz to press home the pointthat Ijaz remains an unreliablewitness and all the evidencethat he has presented is cookedup. Haqqani has reminded thecommission that during hisown appearance before thecommission, Ijaz had admittedthat that no email, BBM orwritten word exists to showHaqqani’s link to memo.
The statement adds, “Itwas apparent… that aroundMay 9-12, Ijaz created a trail of
text and blackberry messengerexchanges that he could line upalongside contemporaneoustelephone calls to falsely andmaliciously implicate me in hisown scheme and specifically tocreate evidence that I was in-volved in a memo that hedrafted and gave to GeneralJames Jones for onward trans-mission to Admiral Mullen.”
Giving reasons for his con-tact with Ijaz on those fatefuldays Haqqani maintains thathe engaged in good faith withIjaz as part of his outreach toseveral people who were com-menting in the US media onthe US raid to kill Osama binladen in Abbottabad on May 2,2011. Haqqani has maintainedthat he knew from the outset ofthe so-called “memogate” thathe had not done anythingwrong but had got worriedafter former ISI chief GeneralShuja Pasha’s statement thatIjaz had corroborative evidencethat evidence may have beencooked up very expertly so hewaited for the full evidence tocome forward first and onlythen to rebut it.
Haqqani while reflectingon the post May 2 scenario saidthat after May 2, there was nofear of coup in Pakistan andthat the real problem was Pak-istanis were angered about USraid while world was angeredabout OBl presence in Pak-istan and that he had the diffi-cult task of defending Pakistan,army and ISI under those cir-cumstances. Haqqani hasmaintained that despite hisdoing that in his official capac-ity, he continues to believe “inneed to reform the ISI”.
The statement also vehe-mently denies that there wasany meeting between PresidentAsif Zardari and Ijaz in May2009. Submitting the copy ofpresident’s programme duringhis May 2009 visit to the US,Haqqani maintains that theprogramme does not mentionany meeting with Ijaz.
He has dismissed Ijaz’sclaim with the assertion thatmany Pakistani Americansdrop in the hotel where Pak-istani high dignitaries are stay-ing for a hand shake or photoopportunity, but he can’t even
recall such opportunity for Ijaz.Taking on the claims that Ijazhad a friendship with him,Haqqani has said that fewmeetings over a period of tenyears or sporadic email ex-changes did not make him afriend to Ijaz. Drawing on thestatements given by Ijaz him-self in the commission wherehe confirmed that former am-bassador had more influence inWashington than him,Haqqani has taken a positionthat he did not need Ijaz for de-livering any message to US ad-ministration and in fact therewas never a need to communi-cate such a message.
Haqqani has also deliber-ated at length on his relation-ship with the armed forces ofPakistan. He maintains thathe had worked closely as Am-bassador of Pakistan withvarious organs of defense andintelligence set ups of Pak-istan. “I have always fullysupported the armed forcesof Pakistan in fulfillment oftheir duties in accordancewith Article 243 of the Con-stitution of Pakistan.”
Haqqani rebuts allegations through written statement
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05Monday, 26 March, 2012
News
ISlamaBaD: lieutenant General (r) Zarrar azim aims at a target during the National open clay Shooting championship organised by Gun and country club Islamabad andfederal Rifle association. onLinE
KARACHIINp
In a quiet, yet significant, excep-tion to its transit policy for In-dian goods, Pakistan hasallowed Indian wheat to passthrough its territory to
Afghanistan. Source said that about 100,000
tonnes of wheat have, for the first time,moved over the past few months fromKandla to Karachi, and from there byrail and road to Torkham – the transitpoint on the Pakistan-Afghanistan bor-der. This is part of the 250,000 tonnesof wheat India has pledged as assistanceto Afghanistan.
Officially, Indian officials explainedthat this cannot be considered as achange in Pakistan’s stand as thearrangement has been tied up in a man-ner to show that Afghanistan is pickingup its consignment of wheat from
Kandla. Technically, Afghanistan is using
Pakistan for transit, not India and thatis how a major obstacle was circum-vented. But on the ground, sources said,the trading activity is being carried outby Indian shipping agents who deliverthe goods at Karachi, from where Pak-istani transport agencies take over anddeliver it to Torkham. “We have just toldthe Afghans to make arrangements fromTorkham. let’s not forget that Karachiis a busy commercial trading port andall this moves very smoothly as regularcommerce, unless there is political in-terference,” explained an insider privyto the details.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have en-tered into a trade and transit agreement,which was not extended to India due toIslamabad’s concerns. However, it doesallow Afghanistan duty-free access on alist of goods across Torkham andChaman transit points.
Pakistan, it may be noted, has re-peatedly refused transit of Indian goodsthrough its territory even though theyqualified under humanitarian assistanceto Afghanistan. The problem was soacute at the start, right after the fall ofthe Taliban that wheat consignmentswould even rot by the time they reachedAfghanistan through a circuitous routevia Iran.
To avoid this, India entered into anunderstanding with Afghanistan underwhich the wheat would be used to makefortified biscuits and then transportedto Kabul. These biscuits were then dis-tributed in schools in attractive packetsbearing the India label. While thisworked to quite an extent, larger prob-lems occurred with transporting goodsand material for infrastructure projects.
For instance, the project to laytransmission lines for bringing electric-ity to Kabul from the Uzbekistan borderovershot its deadline by a few years be-
cause of the delay in transporting trans-formers and transmission poles. In fact,India had to carry out one of its largestairlift operations to move five megatransformers from Delhi to Kabul. Indiahas tried to work out an alternate routethrough Iran, but the project at Chaba-har has been moving slowly due to vari-ous other political reasons.
new Delhi, in fact, has been quitesurprised by the response from Islam-abad allowing the Indian wheat toAfghanistan. In the past year, the twosides have made remarkable progresson the trade front with Islamabad takingan important step to move from a posi-tive to a negative list of items, movingforward on the most favoured nationissue and also exchanging high-levelvisit to resolve contentious issues. AtPakistan’s request, India too has madea cautious start at resuming back-chan-nel talks, a report in the Indian mediasaid on Sunday.
Pakistan opens Karachi port to
let Indian wheat pass
WASHINGTONINp
For every cloud of smoke that follows a CIAdrone strike in Pakistan, dozens of smallerplumes can be traced to a gaunt figure stand-ing in a courtyard near the centre of theagency’s langley campus in Virginia.
The man with the nicotine habit is in hislate 50s, with stubble on his face and thedark-suited wardrobe of an undertaker. Aschief of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Centre forthe past six years, he has functioned in a fu-nereal capacity for al Qaeda.
Roger, which is the first name of his coveridentity, may be the most consequential butleast visible national security official in Wash-ington, the principal architect of the CIA’sdrone campaign and the leader of the huntfor Osama bin laden. In many ways, he hasalso been the driving force of the Obama ad-ministration’s embrace of targeted killing asa centerpiece of its counterterrorism efforts.
Colleagues describe Roger as a collectionof contradictions. A chain-smoker whospends countless hours on a treadmill. noto-riously surly yet able to win over enough sup-
port from subordinates and bosses to hold onto his job. He presides over a campaign thathas killed thousands of militants and angeredmillions of Muslims, but he is himself a con-vert to Islam.
His defenders don’t even try to make himsound likable. Instead, they emphasise hisoperational talents, encyclopedic under-standing of the enemy and tireless work ethic.
Since becoming chief, Roger has workedfor two presidents, four CIA directors andfour directors of national intelligence. In thetop echelons of national security, only RobertS Mueller III, who became FBI directorshortly before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, hasbeen in place longer.
The CIA declined to comment on Roger’sstatus or provide any information on him forthis article. Roger declined repeated requestsfor an interview. The Post agreed to withholdsome details, including Roger’s real name, hisfull cover identity and his age, at the requestof agency officials, who cited concerns for hissafety. Although CIA officials often have theircover identities removed when they join theagency’s senior ranks, Roger has maintainedhis.
A native of suburban Virginia, Rogergrew up in a family where several members,across two generations, have worked at theagency.
He also married a Muslim woman hemet abroad, prompting his conversion toIslam. Colleagues said he doesn’t shy awayfrom mentioning his religion but is notdemonstrably observant. There is no prayerrug in his office, officials said, although he isknown to clutch a strand of prayer beads.
Along the way, he has clashed with high-ranking figures, including David H Petraeus,the US military commander in Iraq andAfghanistan, who at times objected to theCIA’s more pessimistic assessments of thosewars. Former CIA officials said the two hadto patch over their differences when Petraeusbecame CIA director.
“no officer in the agency has been morerelentless, focused, or committed to the fightagainst al Qaeda than has the chief of theCounterterrorism Center,” Petraeus said in astatement provided to The Post.
Current and former senior US intelli-gence officials said it is no accident thatRoger’s tenure has coincided with a remark-
ably rapid disintegration of al Qaeda — andthe killing of bin laden last year.
When Michael V Hayden became CIA di-rector in May 2006, Roger began laying thegroundwork for an escalation of the dronecampaign. Over a period of months, the CTCchief used regular meetings with the directorto make the case that intermittent strikeswere allowing al-Qaeda to recover and wouldnever destroy the threat.
“He was relentless,” said a participant inthe meetings. Roger argued that the CIAneeded to mount an air campaign against alQaeda “at a pace they could not absorb” andwarned that “after the next attack, therewould be no explaining our inaction”.
Under Hayden, the agency abandonedthe practice of notifying the Pakistanis beforelaunching strikes, and the trajectory began tochange: from three strikes in 2006 to 35 in2008.
A second proposal from the CTC chief, ayear or so later, had even greater impact.
“He came in with a big idea on a cold,rainy Friday afternoon,” said a former high-ranking CIA official involved in drone opera-tions. “It was a new flavor of activity, and had
to do with taking senior terrorists off the bat-tlefield.”
The former official declined to describethe activity. But others said the CTC chiefproposed launching what came to be knownas “signature strikes”, meaning attacks onmilitants based solely on their patterns of be-havior.
Previously, the agency had needed con-firmation of the presence of an approved alQaeda target before it could shoot. With per-mission from the White House, it wouldbegin hitting militant gatherings even whenit wasn’t clear that a specific operative was inthe drone’s crosshairs.
Roger’s relentless approach meshed withthe Obama mind-set. Shortly after taking of-fice, Obama met with his first CIA director,leon Panetta, and ordered a redoubled effortin the fight against al-Qaeda and the searchfor the terrorist group’s elusive leader.
From 53 strikes in 2009, the numbersoared to 117 in 2010, before tapering off lastyear. The cumulative toll helped to crumpleal Qaeda even as CTC analysts finally found acourier trail that led them to bin laden’scompound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
A convert to islam leads the CiA terrorism hunt: WP
Aitzaz likely to
conclude arguments
in contempt
case today
ISLAMABADStaff RepoRt
A seven-member SC bench will resumetoday (Monday) hearing of thecontempt case against Prime MinisterSyed Yousaf Raza Gilani and it isexpected that PM’s counsel SenatorAitzaz Ahsan will conclude hisarguments. The bench consists ofJustice nasirul Mulk, Justice Asif SaeedKhosa, Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany,Justice ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice IjazAhmed Chaudhry, Justice GulzarAhmed and Justice Athar Saeed. Aitzazwill continue his arguments on Article10-A amid his contentions that theexisting contempt of court ordinance2003 stood void after incorporation ofArticle 10-A in the Constitution throughthe 18th Amendment. He mightproperly challenge the contempt ofcourt ordinance 2003 today. Hecontends that Article 10-A gives right ofa fair trial to every citizen, thus underthis article, the bench which hadalready served show cause notice to thepremier was not competent to conductthe trial proceedings. Aitzaz says thatalthough Article 204 of the constitutiondeals with contempt but Article 10-A isa governing law, thus it should befollowed for due process of law andensuring and safeguarding thefundamental rights of the citizens. ThePM’s counsel says prosecution of anycase will not be possible if Article-10Ais considered independent of all laws.He says since the matter relates to thequalification and disqualification of theprime minister, thus it is necessary thatfair trial must be conducted.
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06 Monday, 26 March, 2012
News
KaRacHI: Brides attend a mass wedding ceremony organised by aplIta memon association in ymc Ground on Sunday. about 51 couples took part in the ceremony. inP
DUSHANBEapp
TeRMInG solidarity andunity as hallmark of Southand Central Asian region,President Asif Ali Zardarion Sunday said the bonds
that bring together people of the re-gion, are deeply rooted in history, cul-ture, religion and shared values.
“navruz is symbolic to this com-mon heritage,” President Zardari saidin his remarks at the navruz Interna-tional Conference 2012, which markedthe beginning of navruz celebrations inTajikistan. leaders and heads of dele-gation of various regional countries in-cluding the presidents of Iran andAfghanistan are attending the navruzcelebrations. President Zardari, whowas attending the navruz celebrationson the invitation of his Tajik counter-part emomali Rahmon, said he was
happy to be in the beautiful city ofDushanbe once again.
“The ongoing navruz celebrationshave added colour and a new spirit tothis vibrant city,” he added. The presi-dent extended his sincere wishes to thepeople of Tajikistan as they had cometogether to celebrate the navruz Festi-val. “This joyous occasion has come torepresent peace, tolerance and friend-ship among all civilizations of theworld,” he added.
Afghan President Hamid Karzaiand Iranian President MahmoudAhmedinejad, speaking on the occa-sion, also called for unity and solidarityamong the regional countries for peace,progress, development of the people ofregion, who share common culture andheritage. They also extended theirheartiest felicitations to the people ofTajikistan on navruz celebrations andthanked the Tajik president for invitingthem to join the festivities. Tajik Presi-
dent emomali Rahmon, in his welcomeremarks, expressed his gratitude to thepresidents of Pakistan, Afghanistanand Iran for participating in the navruzcelebrations and said it was a great mo-ment for the people of Tajikistan asleaders from brotherly countries hadjoined him in the navruz festivities.
later, President Zardari alongwithwith his Tajik, Afghan and Iraniancounterparts and other heads of dele-gations witnessed the navruz exhibi-tion, where local handicrafts,art-work, agricultural produce, tradi-tional food etc. were displayed, depict-ing Tajik culture and heritage. Thepresident along with other dignitariesalso witnessed a lively mega culturalshow, in which young Tajik boys andgirls attired in bright and colorful cos-tumes, presented tableau and folkdances. President Rahmon also hosteda banquet for President Zardari andother dignitaries.
Zardari attendsNavruz celebrations
Nawaz praises
patriotism of people
of gilgit-BaltistanLAHORE
INp
PMl-n President nawaz Sharif onSunday said that people of Gilgit-Baltistan have proven their patriotism byunconditional annexation of the territorywith Pakistan. Talking to PMl-n Gilgit-Baltistan Organising Committee SecretaryAkbar Taban at the Sharif familyfarmhouse at Raiwind, nawaz said that itwas a matter of pride for every Pakistanithat people of the area, despite alldifficulties, supported Pakistan and theirpatriotism was unwavering. He expressedsympathies with families of those whowere killed in the Kohistan tragedy,adding that if a chance was given to thePMl-n, it would take all steps to improvethe living standards of the people ofGilgit-Baltistan. He said that Gilgit-Baltistan was a beautiful area, which wasa source of attraction for tourists. Byfurther development, it could be made acentre of tourism, nawaz said, addingthat this would not only help earn foreignexchange but also create jobs.
Khadim-e-Aalaclaimant runningroyal system inPunjab: elahi
GUJRATGNI
The man who claims to be the Khadim-e-Aala of the province is running a royalsystem in Punjab, Senior FederalMinister Chaudhry Pervaiz elahi said onSunday. He was addressing a publicgathering after final of the All PakistanChaudhry Zahoor elahi Gold CupKabaddi Tournament. elahi said that thePunjab government had failed in everyfield to deliver and making false slogansof good governance while there was nolaw and order throughout the province.The former Punjab CM said that we hadestablished an example of a peoples’ erabut as compared to our era, the PMl-nhad taken the province backwards inevery field. He said that robberies,corruption and kidnapping for ransomhad increased manifold, adding thatservice to the people was pivotal andobjective of our politics. elahi said thatKabaddi was a traditional game of themasses and our family had worked hardand made great contributions towardsgrowth and popularity of this game.
fO asks InteriorMinistry to ensureforeigners’ security
ISLAMABADtaHIR NIaZ
Perturbed over increasing incidents ofabduction of foreigners and subsequentproblems in maintaining good relations withother countries, the Foreign Office onSunday asked the Ministry of Interior tochalk out a strategy to ensure safety offoreigners residing in Pakistan. According tosources, the ministry summoned a meetingon 27th in which top security and intelligenceofficials would participate. Kidnapping forransom had turned out to be a profitablebusiness in which criminals kidnapforeigners and local people for ransom,sometimes selling their hostages to Talibanand Al-Qaeda-linked groups. Two Westernaid workers, including an Italian andGerman, were kidnapped by unidentifiedgunmen from Multan in January andreportedly being held by the TTP. OnJanuary 22, a Kenyan aid worker and hisPakistani driver disappeared from nausheroFeroze, Sindh and according to police, theymight have been abducted for ransom.
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Monday, 26 March, 2012
‘Incurable optimist’ Nayarstill hopes for peace PAge 07
tHere Is No stoPPINg tHe outages aND tHe Protests
LAHORENaUmaN taSleem
THeRe were protests in manyparts of the city due to pro-longed load shedding whilecitizens also used social net-works like Facebook and
Twitter to register their protest. Yetagain the city witnessed longhours of power closuresparalysing routine life. The FBusers also shared graphics andpictures depicting state ofelectricity in Pakistan.
The electricity in majorityof the areas was closed early inthe morning and it was re-stored during the afternoon. Itwas Sunday and power de-mand reduced sharply buteven then there was no relieffor the consumers.
every nook and corner ofthe city was deprived of elec-tricity for more than 16 hours.Business centres, shoppingmalls, banks, educational in-stitutions and offices wereclosed because of Sunday buteven then load shedding kepthaunting the citizens. Thepower demand remained13,500MW while the genera-tion dropped to 7,000MWthus there was shortfall of
6,500MW.The consumers staged protests at
Walton Road, Mustafabad,Mughalpura, Township, Johar Town,Green Town and other areas. They werechanting slogans against lahore elec-tric Supply Company (leSCO) for de-priving them off power. The protestorsalso burnt tyres and blocked the main
roads. They demanded of the govern-ment to reduce the load shedding. Theprotestors also complained about exces-sive bills.
“The electricity was closed early inthe morning and there was no power tillnoon,” lamented Atif Majeed a resident ofJohar Town adding it has becomeroutine that power was closed for
more than three hours and re-stored for only one hour.
The consumers said theduration of load shedding wasincreasing with every passingday and there is no relief forthe consumers.
“When this governmenttook charge in 2008 thenthere was closure of half anhour. later in 2009 the dura-tion increased to one hour.Then in 2011, the power wasswitched off for two hours butnow more than two hours ofoutages are carried out in onego,” said another consumerAmjad Ali adding it seemsthere will be blackout in thecoming days.
The consumers also ex-pressed their anger againstthe government and PePCOfor continuous load shedding.“Four hours rest after everyhour. Hy Bijli,” says an FBuser from lahore.
“There will be all-outdark in the coming years,” shared an-other user. “Humaray bachay kahengy kkabhi Pakistan mae bijli b thee,” anotheruser’s status say.
The surfers also shared pictures andgraphics telling about the load shedding
in Pakistan. One of such pictures tellsthat scene of night time in different citiesand there was complete dark in the pic-ture of lahore.
Overseas Pakistanis also showedtheir surprise and anger over the loadshedding carried out in Pakistan.
LAHORE yaSIR HaBIB
Chief Minister Inspection Team(CMIT)’s report has finally surfaced,blowing the whistle on lahore Devel-opment Authority’s 31 officials, someblue-eyed of lDA former additional DGAbdul Jabbar Shaheen in the tragedy ofBOR Housing Society 5-storey plazaclaiming 4 death and 23 injuries sixmonths back in Johar Town
The stark revelations came to forewith CMIT’s report submission to CMPunjab Shahbaz Sharif, a copy ofwhich was available to Pakistan Today.Of 31 culpable, four officials includingChief Town Planner Ch MuhammadIkram, Chief Metropolitan PlannerWaseem Ahmed Khan, Director en-forcement Kh Javevd Aslam and engi-neering Assistant DirectorMuhammad latif who was close tolDA former DG Abdul Jabbar Shaheenand had never faced suspension underthe enquiry held by lDA. So much sothey were never named in FIR lodgedby lDA in the Plaza tragedy.
The CMIT report, exposing all theseofficials, strongly recommended actionagainst 15 officials under PeeDA Actfor showing criminal negligence and 16officials for underperforming in thedemolition of Plaza at BOR housing so-
ciety on September 23, 2011. Top 15 officials included lDA Chief
Town Planner Ch Muhammad Akram,Chief Metropolitan Planner WaseemAhmed Khan, Chief engineer Muham-mad Saeed Akhtar (now TePA chief en-gineer), eMe Director Abdul Razzaq,Director Town Planning Sheikh KhalidMehmood, Director enforcement KhJaved Aslam, Director estate Manage-ment Muhammad nauman Khan, Di-rector Buildings Ahmed nawaz Malik,engineering Assistant Director Muham-mad latif, Deputy Director Azhar Ali,Town Planning Assistant DirectorMuhammad Afraz Akhtar, Assistant Di-rector Akeel Salman, Assistant DirectorAli Abbass, Assistant Director Muham-mad Zubair, Town Planning DirectorMuhammad nadeem Akhtar Zaidi.
Other 16 officials are Town Plan-ning Director Muhammad Fahim,Deputy Director (Commercialization)Muhammad Mustafa Muazam, DD(Town Planning) Asad-u-Zaman, DD(Town Planning) Muhammad FahadYounis, Assistant Director Town Plan-ning (ADTP) Muthair Awan, ADTPTahir Ahmed Qureshi, ADTP Muham-mad nafees, ADTP Irfan Rana, ADTPAhmed Saeed, ADTP Umar Muham-mad, Deputy Director BuildingsMuhammad Iqbal Javaid, AD (eMe)Hafiz Bilal Afzal Chugtai, AD (eMe)
Hamza Aslam, DD (enforcement) AliBin Sohail, AD (enforcement) BasitAziz AD (enforcement) Uzair Sohail.
The CMIT revealed that the demoli-tion operation was ill-planned, ill-exe-cuted and grossly mishandled whichresulted in the collapse of the building andcaused loss of four precious human livesand injuries to twenty one persons. It saidall officials concerned who took part in thedemolition operation directly or indirectlywere responsible. CMIT report said it wasjust because of their negligence/ineffi-ciency (which they committed either byomission or by commission), that thetragic incident took place
In a covert secret move, lDA for-mer DG Abdul Jabbar Shaheen had re-instated and issued posting orders ofsome officials including then lDAchief engineer Muhammad SaeedAkhtar, Buildings Director MalikAhmad nawaz, eMe Director AbdurRazaq, Town Planning Deputy Direc-tor Azhar Ali and Town Planning As-sistant Director Afraz Akhter who weresuspended in the result of plaza col-lapse. Abdul Jabbar Shaheen issuedtheir posting order on March 19, somebefore he was replaced by DCO AhedCheema as new lDA DG. Meanwhile,he also posted then Chief engineerMuhammad Saeed Akhtar as TePAchief engineer on the same date.
Lynchpins named! g cMIT’s report on collapsed plaza that killed four, injured 21 points finger to LDA’s top officials
g frustrated citizens continue to protest against power outages on roads and on facebook
Things broken, tyres burnt, Facebook updated
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04:38 06:00 12:12 15:39 18:18 19:40
cITY DIrecTOrY
reScUe 1122
eDHI cONTrOL 115
MOTOrwAY POLIce 130
POLIce 15
gOVerNOr’S HOUSe 99200081-7
cHIef MINISTer’S HOUSe 99203226
fIre BrIgADe 16
BOMB DISPOSAL 99212111
McL cOMPLAINTS 99211022-29
LAHOre wASTe DISPOSAL 1139
eMergeNcY HeLP
HOSPITALS
BLOOD BANK
fATMID 35210834-8
ISLAMIc ALLIANce 37588649/37535435
cOMPLAINT
wAPDA 111-000-118
SUI gAS 1199
rAILwAYS
cITY STATION (eNqUIrY) 117
reSerVATION 99201772
rAILwAY POLIce 1333
AIrPOrT
fLIgHT eNqUIrY 114
PIA reSerVATION 111-786-786
cOLLegeS / UNIVerSITIeS
PUNJAB UNIVerSITY 99231257KINNAIrD cOLLege 99203781-4qUeeN MArY cOLLege 36362942gOVT. cOLLege UNIVerSITY 111-000-010UMT 35212801-10LUMS 35608000UeT 36288666LcwU 99203072SUPerIOr cOLLege 111-000-078
MID cITY 37573382-3
SerVIceS 99203402-11
MAYO 99211100-9
geNerAL 35810892-8
SHeIKH ZAID 35865731
SIr gANgA rAM 99200572
UcH 35763573-5
ITTefAq 35881981-85
cMH 366996168-72
SHOUKAT KHANUM 35945100
JINNAH 111-809-809
ADIL (DefeNce) 36667275
cHILDreN’S 99230901-3
DefeNce NATIONAL HOSPITAL 111-17-18-19
IPss DocuMeNtary coMPetItIoN
DATe: feBrUArY 07 TO APrIL 07, 2012 VeNUe: INSTITUTe fOr PeAce AND SecULAr STUDIeS
Under the initiative ‘Pakistan India relaxed Visaregime’, the IPSS has organized a short documentarycompetition. This short documentary contest aims atexploring and recording the depth and seriousness ofthis social cause, moreover being able to capture onfilm the intense need of a resolve in this conflict zone.
aJoKa´s basaNt baHar tHeatre FestIVal
DATe: MArcH 16 — 31, 2012VeNUe: ALHAMrA ArTS cOUNcIL - THe MALL
SUNNY
weATHer UPDATeS
30°c
08 Monday, 26 March, 2012
Lahore
arabIc callIgraPHy
cALLIgrAPHY cLASSeS are on-going, interestedstudents can enroll throughout the year. Theduration of one module is three months. There arefour modules of learning calligraphyt: primary,secondary, advanced and higher. The course includestraditional pen and traditional paper making.
DATe AND TIMe: JUNe 1, 2012, 4PM TO 6PMVeNUe: HAST-O-NeeST ceNTer
Ajoka Theatre in collaboration with the Lahore Artscouncil presents the Basant Bahar Theatre festivalMarch 2012, BULLHA based on the life & times ofBaba Bulleh Shah, written by Shahid Nadeem,directed by Madeeha gauhar on 16th March
LAHORENaUmaN taSleem
“I am viewing a new South Asia, where the bor-ders would become merely irrelevant and peopleacross the borders would have deep contactswith each other, a place where humanity is givensupreme importance.” These views were ex-pressed by veteran Indian peace activist Kuldipnayar during an exclusive interview with Pak-istan Today on Sunday.
nayar, who would turn 89 on August 14 butstill possesses a lot of energies and is thriving forbetter relations of both countries said peace inthe region was not a dream now rather it has be-coming reality. “More than 200,000 peopleevery year gather at Wagha Border on both sideson Independence Day of Pak-India and lights thecandles of peace. It means that masses want har-mony in the relations of Pak-India,” he saidadding the cultural, sports, economic and socialexchanges should be encouraged to bring furthercloser both countries.
To a question of any Pak-India war in future,he said there was no chance of such war in thecoming years. “Both the nations have realisedthat the solution to every problem of the regionlies in better relations.”
nayar, who often comes to Pakistan on peacemission and has visited around 200 times onlyfor advocating peace, said nations of both coun-tries had realised that their economic and socialprosperity was only in better relations. “I have avision of making sub-continent like europeanUnion, where there is no visa and people are freeto move. There is a common currency and com-mon market,” he said adding the borders shouldbecome irrelevant. “I am not talking about con-federation but there should be relaxation in visapolicies.”
He said relations of two neighbouring coun-
tries deteriorated after Mumbai attacks in 2008but later things got settled down. However, therewas a negative impression in India over recentvisit of a judicial commission from Pakistan,which has said the cross examination of AjmalKasab must have been allowed to it. “It was partof agreement that the judicial commission wouldonly record statement and there will be no crossexamination,” he added.
He said cricket runs in the blood of Pakistanand India and it should be concentrated on. Hesaid in the recent years the cricket matches playedimportant role in tranquilising relations but werelater it stopped. “I would also like to encouragecricket for normalising the relations, as both na-tions have deep love for cricket,” he added.
nayar said that he would also use commonheroes and freedom fighters of both countries toeducate new generation. He said people of bothsides know about Bhagat Singh and often com-memorate him but he would also rememberthose, who have done a lot for the region butpeople don’t know about them. “People don’tknow about a Muslim Ashfaq Ullah Khan, whobefore Bhagat Singh was executed during the in-dependence struggle only for looting a train tofund the revolution but we would like to intro-duce these icons,” he said. While highlighting theadvantages of peace in the region, Kuldip nayarsaid property prices in Indian Punjab have in-creased four times. “The economic activity isgenerated by peace,” he concluded.
‘Incurable optimist’ Nayarstill hopes for peaceg More than 50 years and 200 visits later, Kuldip Nayar says cricket is the easiest road to
restoring confidence between India and Pakistan
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09Monday, 26 March, 2012
Lahore
cINeMA fILM TIMecINe STAr JOHN cArTer 02:00 PMPH: 35157462 THe HUNger gAMeS 04:50 PM
JOHN cArTer 06:45 PMKAHAANI 09:00 PMTHe HUNger gAMeS 11:15 PM
cINe gOLD LONDON PArIS NewYOrK 12:00 PMPH: 35340000 LONDON PArIS NewYOrK 3:00 PM
JOHN cArTer 6:00 PMLONDON PArIS NewYOrK 9:00 AMLONDON PArIS NewYOrK 12:00 AM
SOZO wOrLD KAHAANI 12:00 PMPH: 36674271 LONDON PArIS NewYOrK 2:30 PM
THe HUNger gAMeS 5:00 PMLONDON PArIS NewYOrK 8:00 PMJOHN cArTer 10:30 PM
SOZO gOLD LONDON PArIS NewYOrK 12:30 PMPH: 36674271 Tere NAAL LOVe HOgAYA 03:00 PM
KAHAANI 05: 30 PMTHe HUNger gAMeS 08: 30 PMLONDON PArIS NewYOrK 11: 00 PM
South African heart beats for Pakistan The High Commission of Pakistan, Pretoria(South Africa) celebrated the national Day ofPakistan on 23rd March, 2012. The PakistanDay celebrations commenced in the morningof 23rd March, when H.e Mr. ZaighamUddin Azam, High Commissioner of Pak-istan hoisted Pakistani Flag. national An-them was played in the background whilstcrowd witnessed the ceremony in silence. Alarge number of Pakistani families attendedthe event. After the Flag hoisting ceremony,the Messages of Honorable President of Pak-istan, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari and HonorablePrime Minister of Pakistan, Syed Yusuf RazaGillani, were read out.
He Zaigham Uddin Azam, High Commis-sioner while addressing at the occasionstressed the expatriate Pakistanis for playingmajor role in portraying positive image of Pak-istan. The High Commissioner further addedthat it is because of the remittances sent by theexpat Pakistanis that Pakistan is able to main-tain a healthy foreign exchange reserves andunderlined the increasing need for sending thesame through banking channels.
In a prestigious ceremony in the after-noon, the High Commissioner hosted na-tional Day Reception at his residence. Thereception was attended by large number ofpeople from all walks of life which includedmembers from the Diplomatic Core, promi-nent businessmen, political figures and peo-ple from the corporate sector. Dr Rob Davies,Minister for Trade and Industry was pleasedto be the Chief Guest on the occasion, among
Out with the oversmart!
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
THe Sunni Tehreek will saveevery inch of the country fromthe elements that are befool-ing the nation in the name of
democracy, Sunni Tehreek PresidentSarwat ejaz Qadri said, adding that theway of corrupt leadership putting thecountry into serious debt of foreignloans will also be stopped.
Sarwat Qadri, while addressing the‘Azad Pakistan Conference’ held atMinar-e-Pakistan on Sunday, an-nounced the launching a new politicalmovement meant to make Pakistan awelfare state. He said the so-calledchampions of democracy had deceivedthe nation in the names of 18th, 19th,20th Amendments and had put everyPakistani child under a debt of at leastRs 71,000 rupees for their own pursuits.
Qadri said the ST would serve Pak-
istan per the commitment of the elderswho gathered at the same venue in 1940to pass historic Pakistan resolution.
He said it was high time that Pak-istan be saved from elements living inand outside it and conspiring against it.
He went on to say that ST would putan end to the politics of fraud, deceptionand would follow the footmarks of thosewho struggled for achieving Pakistan.
Vowing to make Pakistan a welfarestate, Qadri also said in order to endnegative traits in politics, religious andpolitical parties needed to join hands.
He said anti-state and extremist ele-ments were active in political forceswhose agenda was to tarnish the imageof Pakistan besides creating a divideamong people which was not acceptableat any cost. He also said political partieshad become family fief and ST would notaccept it.
Meanwhile ST members and theirallies presented and passed several res-
olutions on this occasion, which in-cluded: Reversing Pakistan position’son giving MFn status to India, bringingPervez Musharraf in a court of law forprosecution in Akbar Bugti’s assassina-tion, declaring of unscheduled loadshedding of electricity and gas andadopting discriminatory attitude withPunjab on this count was against thenational interest.
They demanded through anotherresolution that the government shouldresign, as it had failed to control unem-ployment and price-hike, besides de-manding immediate release of HamidSaeed Kazmi who they believe was inno-cent and was framed in a fake case.
They condemned target killings inKarachi and Balochistan through yet an-other resolution, besides demanding ofthe Punjab government to give the port-folio of health to a capable person tocontain the incidents of deaths due tospurious medicines and dengue epi-
demic. They warned the governmentthrough another resolution for taking adecision of their choice if the govern-ment failed to arrest the culprits in-volved in suicide attacks on shrines andassassinated Dr Sarfaraz Hussainnaeemi.
The participants of the conferencedemanded through a resolution that thegang war between Sindh governmentbacked groups and land mafia shouldend, warning that the people would notsit silently anymore, besides release ofMumtaz Hussain Qadri through yet an-other resolution.
Other leaders of ST also addressedthe conference and hailed late AllamaSarfaraz naeemi and Mumtaz Qadri.
earlier in the day, dozens of workersof ST installed banners at and aroundthe venue in order to guide the workersof Sunni Tehreek and those of other sis-ter parties from the Barelvi school ofthought.
Indian
parliamentarians
call on governor LAHore: A delegation of Indian parlia-mentarians as well as members of the busi-ness community called on PunjabGovernor Sardar latif Khan Khosa anddiscussed measures to enhance friendlyties as well as mutual cooperation betweenthe two countries during a meeting at theGovernor House here Sunday. Canadian parliamentarians of the Indianorigin were also part of the delegation. PPPSecretary General Jahangir Badar was alsopresent on the occasion. Speaking on the oc-casion, Punjab governor said the recent visitof Indian lok Sabha Speaker Meera Kumarand Commerce Minister Anand Sharma hasimproved relations between the neighbor-ing countries. He said leadership of both thecountries agreed in principles that the out-standing issues between the countriesshould be resolved through dialogue. Khosastressed the need to promote exchange oftrade delegations between Pakistan andIndia for economic progress in the region aswell as improving lot of the people on bothsides of the border. app
Vintages vroom in Liberty! LAHore: Tourism Development Corpo-ration of Punjab (TDCP) on Sunday organ-ized a grand auto Vintage car show atliberty Market Parking Area here.The purpose of the event was to provide aplatform to the Vintage and other car own-ers to show off their preserved vehicles topublic and encourage them to save theirlegacy. 150 cars were featured in Vintage,4x4, luxury, sports and modified categories.Ford 1940, Porsche 1952, Trumph Spit Fire,Dodge Dart, Marcedes W175, M G, OpelRekord 1966, Peguot 504 1974, ChevroletVan 1973, Morris Oxford 1962, MorrisMinor 1967 and other cars were displayed.MnA Hamza Shahbaz Sharif was the chiefguest of the occasion who distributed sou-venirs among the participants. A large num-ber of people belonging to different walks oflife attended the show. app
g Sunni Tehreek vows to protect country from those trying to befool people, says religious, political parties should
join hands g Pass resolutions demanding govt to quit, end violence in Balochistan, against giving MfN status to India
LAHOREINp
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Sun-day blamed that industrial sector of Punjab isbeing targeted through worst load sheddingand suspension of gas supply to defame thePMl-n-led provincial government.
Talking to journalists after inaugurating Fa-tima Jinnah Park at Green Town, Shah-baz said that despite the fact thatPunjab had a major role in thetotal agriculture and indus-trial production of the coun-try, the discriminatoryattitude of the federal gov-ernment had hit the twosectors of the provincehard.
He said that the en-
ergy crisis was the issue of the entire countrybut Punjab was targeted intentionally leavingthousands of factory workers and labourersunemployed. Shahbaz termed the recent in-crease in power tariff as a bomb on the com-mon man, who was already crushed due to
inflation and poor policies of the federal gov-ernment.
He said that protest against the discrimina-tory attitude of the federal government
would be recorded on every forumbut dues of the federation
would not be blocked.Separately, inaugurating
a PMl-n office on RaiwindRoad, Shahbaz said that theentire nation would have tounite to rid the country ofplunderers of nationalwealth.
LAHOREINp
leader of the Opposition nisar Ali Khan onSunday announced that the PMl-n wouldmarch towards the Presidency if poweroutages did not end within 24 hours.
Talking to reporters after condolingwith JI Secretary General liaqat Baloch’sover his mother’s death, nisar said insteadof increasing electricity generation, themasses were being tested with torturousload shedding.
“If 80 percent of the country’s areaswere provided electricity during the AsiaCup final, why could it not be done now?”he said.
The opposition leader warned that ifload shedding was not curtailed, the PMl-n would join the protesters.
He said how was it possible to end ex-tortion in Karachi without taking actionagainst those who had been involved insuch crimes.
‘Will march to islamabad’‘islamabad is biased’
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10 Monday, 26 March, 2012
Lahore
this Week
80
last Week70 ginger
this Week
14
last Week12 spinacH
this Week
35
last Week35 onion
this Week
205
last Week185 cHicken
this Week
50
last Week50 green cHillies
this Week
45
last Week45 lemon
this Week
35
last Week35 cucumber
this Week
100
last Week85 garlic
this Week
170
last Week190 pomegranate
this Week
55
last Week55 banana
this Week
40
last Week35 tomato
this Week
120
last Week100 oranges
this Week
15
last Week15 potato
this Week
155
last Week150 apple
this Week
45
last Week40 guava
per dozen
per dozen
suNDay bazaar uPDate
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
The prices of vegetables increased atSunday bazaars in the city while DCOalso paid a surprise visit of bazaars.lahore District Coordination Officernoor ul Amin Mengal paid visit toShadman, Islampura and Karim Park,Ravi Road Sunday bazaars and tookserious notice of inappropriatearrangements and selling of substan-dard fruits and vegetables.
He ordered TMO Data GanjBakhsh Town to improve the arrange-ments of the Sunday bazaars. Hewarned the stallholders for sellingsubstandard fruits and vegetables andsaid first warning will be issued thenthey will be fined and later their stallswill be cancelled. However, he an-nounced that such stallholders will begiven cash reward who sell standardand cheap items and a three-membercommittee had been constituted forthis purpose which will select the beststallholders. The DCO on the com-plaint of a citizen exempted the Islam-pura Sunday Bazaar from parking fee.
He, while inspecting different
stalls, inquired from the consumersabout the standard and price of theitems on which some of the con-sumers complained the DCO aboutthe quality of fruits and vegetables.
On this, DCO has directed theofficers that there should be no com-promise on the quality of fruits andvegetables. He said prices of fooditems in Sunday bazaars should notbe higher as compared to open mar-ket.
Mengal said substandard fooditems will not be allowed to be sold inSunday bazaars in the name of cheap-est things. He said he would pay reg-ular visit to Sunday bazaars. He alsodestroyed substandard vegetablesand fruits in Islampura bazaar andwarned the vendors who were sellingsubstandard items and said that sternlegal action will be taken against theviolators. He directed the TMO DataGanj Bakhsh Town to improve thechecking system in Sunday bazaars.DCO lahore appointed a TOR JavedIqbal in Shadman, TOI&S Mian Mu-dassar in Islampura and ATO MalikIjaz in Karim Park sunday bazar asspecial officer.
new DCo pays surprise visit
Tech Society club says banthem politicians!
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
external forces are repeatedly attack-ing Pakistan psychologically but arevolution like Quaid-e-Azam Mo-hammad Ali Jinnah can save thecountry.These views were expressed by thespeakers at a programme organisedby TeCH Society Club in connectionwith Pakistan Day.Islamia University Bahawalpur for-mer Vice Chancellor Prof. AbdulQayyum, Istaqlal Party PresidentSyed Manzoor Ali Gillani, engr AbdulMajeed Khan, Jameel Gishkori andZubair Sheikh, TeCH Club presidentexpressed their views in the program.The speakers said all international in-telligence agencies had miserablyfailed in Afghanistan. They stressedthe need for public Suo Moto actionagainst the political parties. Pakistanipeople should give a target of mini-mum acceptable standard to all politi-cal parties and leaders in Pakistan,they said. Doctrine of necessityshould be buried forever, speakers de-manded.
wAPDA, gIKI toteach engineeringtogether
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
Pakistan Water and Power Develop-ment Authority (WAPDA) is organis-ing a Post Graduate CertificateCourse in engineering Managementin collaboration with Ghulam IshaqKhan Institute. According to a state-ment issued here on Sunday, the in-augural ceremony of the course willbe held on Monday (today) atWAPDA Administrative Staff College.The nine-week course, the first of itskind, is meant for technical profes-sionals of all disciplines, and aims atfurther improving their managerialskills. The professionals belonging tovarious organisations includingWAPDA and PePCO are participatingin the course. The core modules de-vised for the course include engi-neering economics, CorporatePlanning, Project Management, Fi-nancial Management, Contract Man-agement, Technology Managementand environmental laws & Resettle-ment Issues. The course will betaught by a combination of academi-cians, field engineers and corporateleaders.
‘Millions sacrificedlives for Pakistan’
LAHOREpR
Millions of people sacrificed theirlives during the movement launchedfor the creation of Pakistan under thedynamic leadership of Quaid-e-AzamMuhammad Ali Jinnah. This was stated by Mian MarghoobAhmad, MnA-n at a seminar organ-ised in connection with the PakistanDay at Government Islamia CollegeCivil lines, lahore. Highlighting the role of the Muslimleague in the Pakistan Movement,Marghoob said that 23rd March was avery important day in the history andthe day should be celebrated with apledge to achieve prosperity and gloryby negating self-interests. He saidthat on this day a historic resolutionwas passed in lahore in the light ofwhich the Muslims of this subconti-nent struggled for an independentMuslim country, and they achieved it,finally. PMl-n MPA Mehar Ishtiaq Ahmad,Principal Dr Asif Mahmood Qureshiand Coordinator Mian MuhammadAkram also spoke on the occasion.
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
Aman in connivance withhis wife’s sister poisonedhis wife to death in thenorth Cantonment PoliceArea on Sunday. The de-
ceased was identified as Ramzana Bibi,a resident of Dhoni Chang Village lo-cated in Manawan Area.
Police said Ramzana Bibi con-tracted marriage with one Javed Iqbalfew years ago. As the time went on,Javed Iqbal established illicit relationswith Ramzana’s younger sister namelyRaheela few months ago. Since thenJaved Iqbal want to get rid of his wife.
On Saturday late night Javed Iqbalcontacted brother of Ramzana Bibi onhis mobile number and claimed thatshe fell ill suddenly and he had shiftedRamzana to a nearby hospital.
Ramzana in her last statement inhospital told doctors that she wasforced to swallow poison by her hus-band and by her younger sister.Ramzana later on died in the hospital.Police registered a case against Javedand Raheel and started investigating
the matter.MAN KiLLs sister For HoN-oUr: A man killed his 20-year-oldsister in the name of honour in theSundar Police Area on Sunday.
The deceased was identified asnaseem alias Shameem Bibi, a resi-dent of Sundar Area. The Police saidnaseem’s elder brother namelynaveed alias Bhola had a doubt in hismind that naseem has some illicit re-lations with some local men. On theday of incident both exchanged harshwords with each other over whichnaveed brought out his gun and shother in her head. As A result she sus-tained serious bullet wound and diedinstantly.
The police after being informedreached the scene and removednaseem’s body to morgue for autopsyand started searching for the accused,who managed to escape from thescene.AeriAL FiriNG KiLLs MAN:Aerial firing of groom’s friends duringa marriage ceremony claimed life of a45-year-old man in the Factory AreaPolice late on Saturday night.
The deceased was identified as
Ghulam Muhammad, a resident ofChungi Amer Sidhu Area.
The police said a local of the areanamely Imran requested deceasedGhulam Muhammad to let him and hisfamily arrange his Mehndi Ceremonyat his roof top. On Saturday late,mehndi ceremony of Imran was inprogress when suddenly two friendsnamely Shoaib and Khadim, who wereunder the influence of liquor, broughtout their guns and started carrying outaerial firing. Ghulam Muhammad afterhearing the bullet shot stopped themfrom doing so and asked them to leavehis house but they returned after fewminutes and started firing in the airagain.
During their aerial firing a bullethit Ghulam Muhammad and badly in-jured him. He was taken to a nearbyhospital where he succumbed to hisinjuries.
Police after being informedreached the scene and removed thebody of the deceased to morgue for au-topsy. Police also arrested one friendof the groom along with weapon andregistered a case against him on thecomplaint of deceased’s heirs.
DHA gets its ownultimate luxury golf resort
LAHORE Staff RepoRt
DHA Resident Association (DHARA)president Rohail Ikram cut the rib-bon for the inauguration of DefenceRaya Golf Club, one of the elitist andluxurious club in cosmopolitan of la-hore on March 25. Bedecked with illumination, openingceremony was held in befitting man-ner. Filling with enthusiasm, galaday was also spotted with specialmusic ceremony amid gigantic crowdof the members of club. Participants showing whopping in-terest in the inaugural ceremony paidtheir heartfelt gratitude to Club ad-ministration for holding bombasticextravaganza. DHARA President Rohail Ikramwhile talking to Pakistan Today saidDefence Raya Golf Club was a uniqueopportunity to high-profile personal-ities and those reckoned to be creamof society to get together for baskingin leisure time in tranquil and sereneatmosphere. He applauded the Defence Raya GolfClub’s administration for tremen-dous architect, interior, services andilluminative outlook of the club.
Husband, ‘sister-in-love’ kill wife
LHR 26-03-2012_Layout 1 3/26/2012 4:08 AM Page 10
Editor’s mail 11Monday, 26 March, 2012
Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. Fax: +92-42-36298302. E-mail: [email protected]. Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively.
gadi nasheen PMThe elected PM of Pakistan, who
happens to be a gaddi nasheen fromMultan, would like the 180 millionunfortunate citizens of this country toclose their eyes and ears to the groundrealities. They see unchecked corruptionon the rise, where in the rare instance iffew thugs and criminals have beenprosecuted and punished by judiciary,end up getting pardoned by theirPresident, totally unmindful of publicsentiments and sufferings.
The people of Pakistan have wit-nessed the worse inflation of their life, acrippling electricity shortage, breakdownof railways, worsening law and order andan economic crisis that has forced shut-downs of several industries accompaniedwith millions rendered unemployed.They have witnessed thousands of citi-zens including journalists, lawyers, po-lice officers and doctors in Karachi killedin target killings without a single mur-derer punished. For them these sufferingare because of bad governance, massivecorruption and abject disregard of publicinterests and their welfare. They are wit-nessing collapse of Pakistan Steel Mills,PIA, OGDC, PASSCO, nBP, WAPDA,Pakistan Railways, FBR, KPT etc withthe PM totally unbothered that his politi-cally appointed cronies have caused lossesand corruption of over Rs 8,500 billionin his tenure, while national debt almostdoubled during the past four years.
The image of democracy has sufferedbecause of the failings of an incompetentgovernment which lacks capacity todeliver. People of this country are notwilling to allow this government, electedthrough parliamentary democracy torebuke the Supreme Court, misinterpretthe constitution and harm the collectivewelfare of the whole population, so thatfew members of ruling elite couldovernight become billionaires, whiletheir insatiable greed for ill-gottenwealth has no limit, or in the words ofShakespeare not all of neptune’s oceancould wash this guilt off their hands.
MALIK TARIQLahore
No sigh of reliefFor the last many months, the prices
of essential commodities have beenrising. With the meagre salary it hasbecome difficult for the majority of thepeople to make both ends meet. A manwith a fixed income finds it all the moredifficult to pull on. He is always introuble. He cannot think a way out.
Goodness knows when this viciouscircle of rising prices will end. Thecommon man is crushed. He cannot fulfileven his daily requirements. Theessential commodities and things of dailyneed are rising in prices almost everyother week and sometimes it happenseven after two or three days.
There is always a solution to everyproblem. In order to put a check on theseever-soaring prices, it is imperative forthe government to plug all the loopholesand check black marketers, hoarders andprofiteers. These elements are theenemies of the people. If it is not put intopractice, the common man cannot heavea sigh of relief and he will be crushedunder the wheel of this price-hike.
FARYAL RASHEEDKarachi
Serious omissionsOne that the government has
missed out is Veena Malik for nishan-e-Imtiaz on 23 March. Shesingle-handedly harmonised relationswith arch-rival India with herextraordinary performances on Indianscreen and off the screen. Could anyonehave done it? She has beaten all in abillion dollar Bollywood industry. Shehas proved to those imported females ofIndia that Pakistani females can dowhat their girls are reluctant to do. Sheshould have been rewarded. The personwho selects the names of such people issurely biased or he has no aestheticsense. He should have consulted thehigher-ups.
If Meera is given Pride ofPerformance for her scandals one afterthe other and those too of such seriousnature, Veena should have beenrecognised with nishan-e-Imtiaz if notnishan-e-Pakistan. Rehman Malik ismissed out; who single-handedlycontrolled Karachi, Dr Mirza for hissuperb acting on TV screen Yousaf RazaGilani for his daring visits to SC.Haqqani for his verbal defence ofMansoor’s lies, Waheeda Shah for herextraordinary courage. Mansoor Wassanfor his skills in containing Karachi. AltafBhai for his melodious speeches andacting.
I strongly urge the government torectify these omissions and give them allbelated awards. By the way, nishan-e-Imtiaz suddenly seems a small award.even grad-22 nargis Sethi gets it. All ofthe above should be granted nishan-e-Pakistan. nishan-e-Haider, I know, hasits limitations.
AMJAD H MIRZALahore
PM's counselDespite much criticism, Aitzaz
Ahsan, is doing his best to bail out hisclient in distress by pleading his casebefore the Supreme Court. As a lawyer,he is duty bound to represent any clientwho pays him or rewards him innumerous other ways. The only selflessfeat Aitzaz ever pulled was when he ledthe movement for restoration ofjudiciary.
It was an unnatural behaviour on hispart; the real Aitzaz now defends theprime minister who has refused to writeto Swiss authorities to reopen cases ofmoney laundering by the president.Times and values have changed so muchthat Aitzaz does not trust the judiciary hehelped to restore. May he go fromstrength to strength; however, what Iapprehend is that he might meet thesame fate as Ahmad Raza Kasuri did – ablackened face.
DR A P SANGDILOslo, Norway
Bangladesh didn’t losePakistan cricket team won the Asia
Cup. Congratulations to the cricket teamand the nation. Bangladesh trulydeserved to win this match becauseafter defeating World Cup championIndia and another champion Sri lanka,Bengal boys had managed to reach thefinal. If Pakistani cricket fans do not feelhurt, allow me to say that althoughPakistan won, but Bangladesh also didnot lose.
M RAFIQUE ZAKARIAKarachi
Degeneration of bureaucracy
a people-friendly government
A silent killer of dairy farmingBovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV)
is an important viral pathogen of cattleall over the world, spread through bodyfluids. It destroys the health, fertility andproductivity of affected cattle. Infectionswith BVD virus can vary from subclinicalto manifestation of clinical signs such asoral cavity lesions, elevated bodytemperature, decreased milk production,diarrhoea, nasal discharge, death andabortion. Virus can establish two types ofinfections in the animals; transient andpersistent. BVD infection during earlystage of pregnancy will result in the birthof live calves that remain persistentlyinfected (PI) with the BVD virusthroughout their lives meaning they canspread vast quantities of BVD virus tosusceptible cattle.
Some PI calves appear to be normal
and healthy; however, they have poorimmunity, often fail to thrive and areprone to mucosal disease, the fatal formof BVD. Their offspring will also bepersistently infected with the BVD virusresulting in low fertility, abortions andill-health. Milk production of PI heifersis essentially halved; their immunesystem is affected making themsusceptible to other infections likepneumonia. Transiently infected animalsusually cleared the virus from body dueto self clearance mechanism.
Semen of bulls are potentially silentkillers, if untested for BVD and farmersare warned to ensure any bulls or theirsemen for insemination coming ontotheir farms are BVD free as the virusinflicts the greatest harm to cows duringpregnancy. Farmers are also advised to
make sure that any animal bought ontothe farm are BVD tested.
In Pakistan, Unfortunately littleattention has been paid until now toinvestigate this problem. Dairy farmerand professional mostly correlate causeof abortion to brucellosis whileignoring the involvement of BVD virus.In many developed countries, controlprograms are being implemented foreradication of this economicallyimportant disease. The success of allthese programs depends on the abilityto detect all PI animals at a young age.Undetected PI calves are the mainsource of the infection within herds. Itis recommended that all newborncalves should be tested; these animalsare worth a lot of money and anyanimal with BVD is not, economically,
worth keeping.Precise and economical assays for
confirmation of PI cattle with BVDVwould be best, since it would allowprevention of BVDV spreading on farms.University Diagnostic lab (UDl),University of Veterinary and AnimalSciences, lahore is providing diagnosticfacility for BVD infection. Blood or tissuesamples can be taken for diagnosis. It isadvised that farmers must contact theirvet before taking samples. Retesting isrequired if a carrier is detected. It ispertinent to mention that BVD is a verycomplex disease, and farmers wantingadvice, should talk with theirveterinarian to eradicate this problemfrom Pakistan.Dr Arfan Ahmad, Prof Dr Masood Rabbani
UVAS, Lahore
‘Four years have passed but the PPP’s roti, kapra aurmakan still does not appear to have been put into practice,’writes regular writer Kainat Fatima (February 26).
Z A Bhutto may have said so to our fathers/grands but notto us: I mean, who else to describe?
The irony is that this government is planning on passing thebucket to another one just like it, the PMl(n). There seems tobe no end to the miseries of the people.
Z A KAZMIKarachi
Indeed, the bureaucracy is regardedas “sine qua non” for successfulfunctioning of any government.Regrettably, there is a veritabledegeneration of the bureaucracy inSindh. efficiency and competence areindispensable to the effectivefunctioning, the bureaucracy in myprovince lacks both qualities – thetechnical competence and managementefficiency. Technical competence is thecapacity to think and conceptualide asuccessful management process, whilemanagement efficiency refers to theability to understand, apply, and turnconcepts and ideas into reality.
Recently, I had an opportunity tolisten to a bunch of bureaucrats andtechnocrat who were representing myhome province, Sindh, in an importantmeeting in the federal capital, Islamabad.Their lack of knowledge about provincialaffairs and their indifferent and apathy
towards the destitute and the poorpeople of the province was utterlydisappointing. The foreigners fromdifferent nGOs were more concernedabout the welfare of the people inprovince but they were busy with theirmobile phones. Personal interestssupersede the sense of province andpublic interest. That is why; the fundswhich are arranged and facilitated by theeconomic Affairs Division from differentinternational agencies, institutions andorganisations such as the World Bank,IMF and UnDP, among others, originallymeant to initiate various socio-economicprojects in Sindh and Balochistan province,go hundred percent into the lapse.
The lethargic, lousy, laggardbureaucracy in Sindh does not bother toplead the case and cause of the provinceproperly. neither they do the spadeworkfor any project nor do they submit theprerequisite papers with the concerned
officer of the eAD so that the funds maybe brought into the province and theambitious and potential projects maybelaunched for the welfare of the people ofthe province. It is a common feature thatSindh and Balochistan suffer because oftheir bureaucracy. Otherwise, abjectpoverty and mass unemployment mighthave been alleviated from both theseprovinces.
On the contrary, the bureaucracy andtechnocracy hailing from the Punjab andthe KP vociferously plead the case oftheir respective provinces and theyalways manage to get all the funds andthey utilise those funds thoroughly andjudiciously. It is a common complaintthat the desk officers/sections officersfrom the eAD always send their officialletters to the concerned provincialdepartments in Sindh province but theynever ever get any timely response fromthem. For this act, the bureaucracy in
Sindh deserves the President’s Pride ofPerformance for their collectiveperformance in the deprived and deniedprovince. Patently, sans individualresponsibility and accountability,bureaucracy becomes a brutalinstrument of social repression andregression as has been happening inSindh over the past two decades and thatsordid state of affairs still continue.Indeed, Sindh requires efficient andeffective bureaucracy to advance itsdevelopment.
Is there anyone to take notice ofdismal performance of the bureaucracywhich impairs economic efficiency,dampens local initiatives and enterprise,and intensifies other social problemssuch as poverty, crime, unemploymentand ethnic and tribal conflicts in theprovince?
HASHIM ABROIslamabad
The hate cycleThe drama in Toulouse is over with
the death of Mohammed Merah. Onewould have wished that Merah couldhave been captured alive to spill out hismurderous and hateful links. However,this is not a strange trail to be tracked.The 23-year-old Merah came to Francefrom Algeria (or could have been born inFrance to an immigrant family from thenorth Africa), grew up (in slums?) andeducated in Toulouse. During this periodhe got in touch with propagandists andAl-Qaeda recruiters who are always onhunt to catch the young blood byprojecting suffering of Muslims at thehands of Christians and Jewish forces.
He was smuggled into Afghanistan(perhaps through Pakistan), got trainingin the lawless mountainous tribal terrainbetween Afghanistan and Pakistan,caught in action and jailed but escaped ina mass jail breakout organized byTaliban. Apparently, he managed to getback to France and was undersurveillance for some time.
looking for something familiar in theabove trail – occupation of Palestine,undesired wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,uncontrolled access on the internetenjoyed by propagandists to lure youngfaithful to fight for Al-Qaeda or itssplinter groups, availability of
unsupervised access in mosques,madrassahs and other places of worshipto such groups to exploit the sufferings ofPalestinians and other such nationswherein wars have been waged by theWest, lawless tribal areas betweenAfghanistan and Pakistan for training andgrooming of terrorists – it’s a viciouscycle going on for years. With the adventof travelling ease and communicationfacilities this fire is now touching everyother household on this planet; are weready to break this cycle of violence in thename of religion, intolerance and hatred?
MASOOD KHANJubail, Saudi Arabia
LHR 26-03-2012_Layout 1 3/26/2012 4:08 AM Page 11
Comment12 Monday, 26 March, 2012
Arif NizamiEditor
Lahore – Ph: 042-36298305-10 Fax: 042-36298302Karachi – Ph: 021-34330811-3 Fax: 021-34330900Islamabad – Ph: 051-2287414-6 Fax: 051-2287417
Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: [email protected]
Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami
No power to you
To the streets
It was bound to happen sooner or later. last time, thepublic burnt a tyre here, broke a window there, theyeked a few months of uninterrupted electricity out ofthe fiscally-crunched government. They’re at it again.
Public patience was going to run out given that their angerwas being stoked not just by the frequent outages but forgood measure by our populist media whose tendentiouscoverage of the issue is not helping matters.
Although the problem of load-shedding has persisted inour country for quite a while now, the general public doesn’thave a handle on where the blame lies. The opposition finds iteasy – nay finds it positively helpful – to point fingers at theincumbents. The media also finds it easier to do that. Afterall, ‘new price shock’ makes for a snappier and faster-sellingheadline than ‘Hard-pressed government gears up foranother difficult decision.’
The trouble is the problem is not that easy to explain tobegin with. What people hear are little tidbits that make forgood sound-bites: that Pakistan has enough generationcapacity, there are kickbacks in RPP deals, there isinefficiency in the requisite departments, the governmentdoesn’t control factors like line-losses and theft etc etc. Whilethis is all true, what is not pointed out is also true i.e. thatthere are structural issues in the sector that can only besorted out in the long-run, that the government doesn’t havethe fiscal capacity to absorb the oil price shocks from theinternational market, that rationalising tariffs is necessary.Throwing a tantrum will get the public what it wants for awhile but will only exacerbate the endemic problems andmake them more difficult to solve.
Having said all this, while the government is not totally toblame, it is not totally to be exonerated either. even if it didnot create the problem, it has only worsened in the four yearson its watch. It has dealt with it in a lackadaisical manner,caved in to opposition on key decisions and not exploredalternate solutions. If this problem contributes to theirundoing in the elections, it hasn’t prepared any ground for itssuccessors. If it doesn’t, then they haven’t made their own jobany easier.
But at the end of the day, the public scarce cares aboutfacts and figures. What they do care about is missing the lastover of an Asia Cup final due to an outage. That pathos iseasier to stir up than to reason with. They want light and theywant it now.
Obama and gillani
They meet again
So the conference in Seoul might be about the nuclearissue but the upcoming meeting between premierYousaf Raza Gilani and US President Barack Obamahas assumed central importance. Their meeting –
which, though it might not exclude the nuclear issue, willmost definitely not centre wholly around it – is set to possiblyupstage the rest of the second global nuclear safety summit.
It has been two years since the two met last. And, if theywere to actually start talking, there would be a lot of groundto cover. The Salala incident, followed by Pakistan’s closingdown of the nato supply routes is one incident. TheAbbottabad fiasco is another. Both sides have their set ofcomplaints and allegations. Relations have been strained.
It would be incorrect, however, to assume that themeeting is going to lead to much breakthrough. These are notthe times of yore, where the discretion of heads ofgovernment held complete sway over all matters diplomatic.The American foreign policy machine is heavilybureaucratised and many stages have to be passed through toget anything done. Similarly, Mr Obama’s Pakistanicounterpart, despite his many spirited claims to the contrary,does not really call the shots when it comes to foreign policy.
What the meeting does hold is an opportunity in publicdiplomacy. Pakistan’s parliament is to decide soon whetheror not to continue the blockade. The militants have alreadyissued a warning and said they will target lawmakers if itwere to be discontinued. The diplomacy opportunity, werePresident Obama to be serious about mending fences, couldlie in the words he might use. If he were to be his articulatewarm-when-he-wants-to-be self, he could make lifting theblockade less unpalatable than the idea currently is inPakistani public discourse. If he continues to want to seemtough for his own domestic audience, especially in what is anelection year, then it would do both sides a whole lot of goodnot to meet at all.
Constitutionally biased?Imagined nationhood; real discrimination
let me begin with a generalisa-tion that I think is defensibleon 9 days out of 10: all nationsare imagined communities andrequire the promotion and, in-
deed, privileging of certain assumptionsover others. Certain truths have to beimagined while certain facts have to be ig-nored. A moralistic approach is perhapsinevitable in this process; minds brilliantand dim have to be convinced of the samecause. As a recent book points out, whenit comes to adopting what people see asmorally right positions, IQ can be largelyirrelevant. Maybe all of us, at one point oranother, go skinny dipping in the sea ofnationalistic fervour. At the same time, inways that we may never apply to ourselveswe critique others drowning in this sea.But strive for perspective we must.
23rd of March, 1940 saw a resolutionthat was pregnant with possibility. As anatural corollary, ambiguity was a closefriend of the argument advanced — andthere is nothing inherently wrong with am-biguity when nations set future goals. Butmany of the questions presented by life area matter of degree. Certain ambiguities canbe lived with while others could assume ahaunting existence like ghosts. And youmay not have to believe in either till youare actually haunted by them.
Pakistan’s journey from inception tillnow has many ironies. A minority reli-gious community achieved a separatehomeland but the state subsequently lostthe minority perspective. Our ConstituentAssembly celebrated announcing draftconstitutional provisions aimed at dealingwith untouchability but had no qualmsclosing off the highest office in the land forits religious minorities. The argument thatfaith, rather than civic sense and compe-tence, determines fitness for the highestoffice was one of the earliest contradic-tions by the state to the argument ad-vanced for the creation of Pakistan. Thatpersists today.
Many while discussing the subject ofPakistan’s early direction point to Mr Jin-nah’s “secular vision” for Pakistan. It isimportant to be cognisant of importantdistinctions here. Mr Jinnah’s personallifestyle can hardly be a guide in this mat-ter. Since when did we unquestioninglyassume that a leader’s personal lifestylewould be reflected in the public policiesthat he adopts or favours? Therefore anyargument pointing to his personal lifestyleis hardly the clincher.
now, what about his famous speechon 11th August, 1947 where he declared
that a person’s religion had nothing to dowith the business of the state? Consideringthe occasion, yes, you could argue that hisspeech represented a road-map. But whydid he then tell the Karachi Bar Associa-tion in January, 1948 that Sharia wouldform the basis of Pakistan’s Constitutionand that Pakistan would be an IslamicState? We can’t dismiss this tension. Whywould a man who had just led a successfulstruggle and must have been aware of thetension between competing visions for thenew state say one thing in August, 1947and then another in January, 1948? Hemust have known that the time for ambi-guities was gone.
My point is that deifying the foundingfathers’ vision or seeking all the answersin that vision is useful only up to a point— presuming you want to be rational andrelevant. For you might and often will dis-agree with what the founding generationwanted. It is called living in a differenttime. The founding fathers catered topressures posed by politics of their age,the perceived majoritarian pressures and,yes, they did contradict themselves. en-gaging in a fight over this kind of “origi-nalism” is hardly going to lead to ananswer that we claim as authoritative.More importantly, we need to stop lookingto the past for solutions to our presentproblems.
An argument for a pluralistic Pakistanin which religious minorities are equal cit-izens of the state should not have to besupported by claiming that that is what MrJinnah wanted. That raises the dangerouspossibility that subsequent generations inany country have to remain faithful to thenecessarily ambiguous vision of thefounders. Our religious minorities deserveequal treatment as citizens because we be-lieve in a state and a constitution that aimsto stand the test of time. Constitutionsrepresent the aspirations of majorities butthey are also supposed to guard against“the tyranny of the majority”. To the ex-
tent that our constitution discriminates onthe basis of religion, it remains a danger-ously imperfect experiment. It will im-prove not because of what Mr Jinnah didor did not say, but when you and I take itupon ourselves to challenge the reduction-ist discourse perpetrated in the name ofthe glory of Islam or the national interest.That is the harder and more exciting battleof ideas — rather than debating what MrJinnah meant.
Protecting the fundamental rights ofthe weakest and most vulnerable amongus is incumbent upon all those who wantto see a republic that values basic rights.Of course social and economic injusticesaffect Muslims too but consider this: evenif the justice system worked perfectly, thereligious minorities would still suffer be-cause the law simply does not recognisethem as equals. Their persecution andprosecution is enshrined in the law of theland. The practice of the law of the land ofcourse adds to the tragedy; whether it isthe issue of (among others) forced conver-sions or systematic targeting of Ahmadis.
There might be many imagined as-pects of nationhood but the consequencesof nationhood are real. Our children andtheir children will live with those. nation-hood also necessitates a conversation be-tween all constituent parts. The argumentthat I am making may not win but I haveno intention of backing down from it. Wemust remain involved in this conversationand further the case of religious minori-ties. equal citizenship, protected by law,must be ensured as a fundamental right ofevery Pakistani. By compromising on this,we compromise on everything that weclaim as a legitimate basis for Pakistan.
The writer is a Barrister and anAdvocate of the High Courts. He iscurrently pursuing his LL.M in the USand can be reached [email protected] or on Twitter@wordoflaw
By Waqqas Mir
The province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has long beensuffering from the scourge of terrorism. The acts ofterrorism have not only taken many thousands of lives
and resulted in great material loss by damaging countlessprivate property and public infrastructure but they have alsoensured that no investor, whether local or foreign, is willing toinvest in the region due to the security climate and pervasiveterrorism.
The incumbent provincial government though has madeattempts to restore peace to the region by calling upon atraditional tribal jirga. But it has not been shown any significantsupport by the central government in this regard. Consequently,these efforts have not bore much fruit and the intensity of
terrorism has increased in certain areas..The chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti has said time
and again that the provincial government is taking substantivesteps for the restoration of peace and has given priority to thecompletion of many developmental projects across the province.With the completion of these projects, the masses would be betterfacilitated in various aspects of life than before.
The CM said his government is not unaware of the problemsof the masses and is mindful of addressing the same throughpursuing various developmental projects.
But it cannot be denied that all these efforts for developmentare doomed to fail until the menace of terrorism and militancy isuprooted and peace is restored to the province. no developmentproject can help the masses if these problems persist.
–Translated from the original Pashto by Abdur Rauf Khattak
Terrorism and developmentDaily Pashtun Post
Regional press
LHR 26-03-2012_Layout 1 3/26/2012 4:08 AM Page 12
Comment 13Monday, 26 March, 2012
The murder of three Frenchsoldiers and the killing offour people at a Jewish
school this week in ToulouseFrance have once again raised theominous threat of home grownterrorism in the West. MohamedMerah, 23, had reportedly claimedhe was acting to “avenge Palestin-ian children” and to protestagainst French military interven-tion in Afghanistan.
France, Spain, UK and US haveall had their share of Al-Qaedalinked attacks. While Osama binladen is dead and the organisationsignificantly weakened, as claimed,homegrown threats have not di-minished. In fact, as the turmoilspreads in the Islamic world, theinternal stability of many westerncountries is at risk, and experimentwith multiculturalism is increas-ingly uncertain.
There are two contradictorytrends at play. On one hand, Mus-lim population in the West isgrowing, however, the policies ofthese countries are increasinglybeing perceived as hostile towardsthe Islamic world. This, includingworsening economics, is resultingin growing intolerance towardsethnic populations, and the rise ofanti-immigration policies andright-wing political parties andcandidates. In October 2010,courting anti-immigration fer-vour, Angela Merkel had statedthat the German attempt to createa multicultural society has ‘utterlyfailed’. She added that it was theresponsibility of immigrants to domore towards better integration.
The realisation of what happens‘over there’ impacts ‘here’ have stillnot fully sunk in. On the other hand,nationalist and Islamist sentimentsare resurging in the regions im-pacted by the war against terror.
According to Pew Forum on
Religious and Public life, USMuslim population is expected torise from 2.6 million in 2010 to6.2 million by 2030, constitutingabout 1.7% of the total population.
The study puts the number offoreign born Americans at 64.5%.In many northern and eastern eu-ropean nations, Muslims wouldmake up close to 10% of the totalpopulation by 2030, with pro-found electoral implications. A1998 newsweek article projectedIslam to be the fastest-growing re-ligion in the US and the AmericanMuslim population is expected tosurpass the Jewish.
Furthermore, a survey con-ducted by Zogby International inAugust 2000 and commissionedby the American Muslim Councilidentified the regional origin ofAmerican Muslim as follows:26.2% Middle eastern (Arab),24.7% South Asian, 23.8%African-American, 10.3% Middleeastern (not Arab), 6.4% eastAsian, and 11.6% Other. Moreover,the survey showed that 32.2 % ofAmerican Muslims live on the eastCoast, 25.3% in the South, 24.3%in the Central/Great lakes Re-gion, and 18.2% in the West.
Irrespective of these numbers,the foreign policy of the US, withthe exception of east Asia, is notconsidered favourably disposed to-wards these Islamic regions of theworld. especially, if we compare theinfluence of American Indian andJewish population on the foreignpolicy of US against that of Ameri-can Muslims. However, it could beargued that the reason for this isnot simply religion. The rulers ofthe countries that constitute theseMuslim dominated areas are hardlydemocratic. nonetheless, the windsof change are blowing through outthese regions in the form of ArabAwakening, with growing chancesof moderate Muslims and nation-alist coming in to power.
Part of the problem that pre-vents numbers to convert in to in-fluence, may have to do with howwell Muslims are integrated in thesocieties of europe and northernAmerica. It is commonly referredthat American Muslims are betterassimilated into their adoptedcountry than their counterparts ineurope. For example, a studyfunded by billionaire philanthro-pist George Soros found that only
78% of Muslims in the UK identifythemselves as British, in France49% claim themselves as French,while in Germany only 23% con-sider themselves Germans. Thereare about 4 million Muslims inGermany, while France has about5 Million.
In 2007, a Newsweek poll thatintended to assess American atti-tudes towards Muslims and Islamreported these findings: 40% ofAmericans believed that AmericanMuslims are as loyal to the US asthey are to Islam, 63% believedmost American Muslims do notcondone violence, and 41% feltthat Islam glorifies suicide.
Unfortunately, these numberswill almost certainly change for theworse as more links between theMuslims in the West and extrem-ists are discovered. This leads tothe most intriguing question ofwhat does better integration ofMuslim means in european andAmerican context. A challenge inthis regards is that while earliereuropean immigrants were cut offfrom the countries of their origin,the communication revolution andglobalisation has made it easier forthe more recent immigrants tomaintain a constant sense of con-nection to their native lands andthus maintain multiple loyalties.
At an event organised by thePakistani American Congress (PAC)at the Capitol Hill last June, theRepresentatives of the US Congressconstantly reminded the PakistanAmerican community where its loy-alty should be as US-Pakistan rela-tions deteriorate. The community,for example, is divided, as in Pak-istan, on the issue of drone strikes.
Perhaps the best approach todeal with the challenge of multi-culturalism in the West is pro-vided by a resounding quote fromthe sermon of Martin luther Kingdelivered in 1967,
“If we are to have a peace onearth, our loyalties must becomeecumenical rather than sectional.Our loyalties must transcend ourrace, our tribe, our class, and ournation; and this means we mustdevelop a world perspective.”
The writer is the chief analystfor PoliTact (www.PoliTact.comand http:twitter.com/politact)and can be reached [email protected]
on the future of multiculturalism in the West
Growing intolerance
politactBy Arif Ansar
An apology for being a bit late to this but itwas only yesterday that I found out mybeloved country, my mumlikat-e-khu-
dadaad, my sohni dharti is about to be blessedwith its very own, localised version of Hello! (theinternational fashion/lifestyle magazine).
“The side of Pakistan that is projected timeand time again is negative,” said ZahraaSaifullah, CEO of Hello! Pakistan. “There is aglamorous side of Pakistan, and we want to tapinto that.”
The quote is one of many given by both thepublishing editor and the consulting editor to anational Public Radio (nPR) reporter. Fromwhat I could gather from the news-report, theidea behind Hello! is to have a magazine that im-proves on the existing standard of fashion andlifestyle reporting in the country – i.e. the onecurrently being set by many existing publications.naturally, being a glamorous, international mag-azine, its editor is hoping it becomes the marketleader in a short space of time.
Before I’m accused of being a fashion-hater,or an elite-basher, or an armchair-socialist, I’dlike to point out that I think it’s perfectly rationalfor anyone to cater to the demands of our eng-lish speaking elite. People want to see pictures ofthemselves in print, they want to know about thelatest fashion trends, they want to know who is
doing what with whom,and they want to knowwhich cafes are worthbeing seen at, and whichones are worth sendingthe driver to. Having apublication that does agood job of covering all ofthese things is simplyplaying to the exigenciesof its clientele.
Viva la Lassiez FaireSo the problem, as I
see it, is not with glamourmagazines per se or thosewho run them. It’s actuallywith the crowd who readsthem. Allow me to explain.
Newsline is an inde-pendent current affairsmagazine that’s donesome of the best reportingon socio-political issues inthe history of this country.Their content is thorough,and of the highest quality,their reporters are innova-tive, their editors arehighly skilled, and some ofPakistan’s best journalists,writers, and intellectualshave worked for it at somepoint in their lives. A fewmonths ago, I was toldthat the magazine is hav-ing a hard time staying
afloat - citing falling advertisement revenues, andlow circulation. If, for example, Newsline were toclose down, we’d be left with Herald as the onlyother current affairs publication of record. Cur-rently, Pakistan has no existing english-languagemagazine that publishes more research-orientedwork in the fields of social sciences and the hu-manities. We have a grand total of 1 english-lan-guage literary magazine (The Life’s Too Shortreview), and that too is published on an annualbasis. To top it all off, two of our english-languagedailies are on the brink of closing down.
Contrast this with at least 7 fashion/lifestylemagazines, which are chock-full of articles tellingus how to do away with facial wrinkles, and burst-ing with advertisements selling designer clothes,chocolates, and beauty products. A long calendarof fashion shows and lawn exhibitions, but onlyone literature festival. looking at all of this to-gether uncovers a clear preference patternamongst the english-speaking classes in Pakistan.
Part of the reason why the country shies awayfrom any form of intellectual engagement/inquiryis because of the general disregard meted out tosuch activities. Public education in the social sci-ences is a complete mess, thanks to right-wing in-filtration, rampant plagiarism, politicalinterference, and the imposition of state-spon-sored narratives. The private sector is busy cater-ing to an increasingly service-sector orientedeconomy, which requires business and commercegraduates, not historians, writers, or sociologists.
The other part of the reason, and more specificto the elite over the last three decades, is that peo-ple are simply not interested in stepping out oftheir privileged bubbles – material or mental.Consumerism, accumulation, and social mobilityhold much more value than the world of thinking– even in english. Kids go abroad, study at someof the best colleges and universities, and eitherend up never coming back, or seamlessly reinte-grate themselves in the same gated, BodyShop/Godiva world upon returning. The tragedyis further compounded by the fact that some of ourbest english-language writers are from the sameclass of people, yet their idea of gauging publicopinion is built on a brief chat with the driver.
Around a year ago, one of Pakistan’s premierhistorians, Ayesha Jalal, gave a talk on the need forPakistanis to open up to the idea of critical think-ing, especially in the social sciences. Her view,which I largely ascribe too as well, is that many ofour identity related problems emerge from a com-promised intellectual environment. Professorswould willingly parrot statist history, studentsreadily accept these quarter-truths, and others whohave the opportunity to branch out, are too busywith more material concerns. As things stand, ourcrisis of intellect and thinking is fast approachingcatastrophic levels, and to be completely honest, Idon’t see a way out on the horizon.
The writer blogs at http://recycled-thought.blogspot.com. Email him at [email protected], or send a tweet @umairjav
critical thinking cramps our style
Viva la materialism!
By Umair Javed
LHR 26-03-2012_Layout 1 3/26/2012 4:08 AM Page 13
14 Monday, 26 March, 2012
IN LIMELIGHT
LAHORE: The HiFi Clublaunched ‘Insight’ atthe Sukh ChainWellness Club.
Staff pHotGRapHeR: MUrTAZA ALI
NEWS DESK
enGAGInG, enthralling,and enormously energeticwas singer ShafqatA-manat Ali's performancein Delhi. not to mention
extremely enjoyable and entertaining.The resounding applause that refusedto die down the moment he was intro-duced itself was evidence of the Pak-istani singer's fanfollowing in justDelhi, let alone India. He may havebeen dressed in his usual dark attire,but the artist definitely lit up theplace. The energy palpable, the musi-cians ready and the audience waitingwith bated breath, the stage wasset.The “RockstarUstaad”, as musicalduo Salim-Suleiman called him, soonbegan to cast his spell on the audiencewith unbelievably precise and res-onating aalaaps and loaches.Familiarrenditions like ‘Mora SayyaMose Bole
na’, ‘AankhonKeSaagar’ and even ‘Darmiyaan’, expectedly won huge rounds of applause. Butwhat was more exciting was the singer's spontaneity and his ability to make the audiencedance to his tunes, literally. Some 200 people watched the show standing throughout the twoand half hour performance. The remaining 1000 or so were too absorbed to notice.To performbefore an audience is one thing and to involve or engage it is quite another and the maestrodid so with ease. It's very rare to see an artist go up to the audience and get as many peopleto sing as possible. The singer sang a popular ghazaland made some 20 people from the au-dience sing with him. The melody was ‘AajJaane Ki Zidd na Karo’ and the audience was…well, delirious with joy.The artist also presented ‘YehHauslaKaiseJhuke’, ‘Mitwa’, ‘Diladara’from ‘RA.One’, ‘AbhinaaJaaoChhodKar’, once again blowing the audience away with his mu-sical perfection.Son of Pakistani music maestro Amanat Ali Khan and a member of the Patialagharana, Shafqathas certainly did his gharana proud with his rocking performance. The Rock-starUstaad's several fusion performances only magnified his versatility as a singer. In the end,while ShafqatAmanat Ali left with a lot of love and praises, the reluctant-to-disperse audienceleft with their hearts wanting for more.
Shafqat Amanat Alirocks, Delhi sways along
LONDONaGeNcIeS
Miley Cyrus, who donned a pair of tiny white hotpants as she prepared to board a flight out of losAngeles, sparked engagement rumours by postinga picture on-line of a huge sparkler on her ring fin-ger. The 19-year-old tweeted a picture of what ap-pears to be a large, diamond engagement ring onher newly manicured hand, with a message pro-moting a brand of nail polish.The photo sparkedspeculation about whether or not she and Aus-tralian actor, liam Hemsworth, are engaged. If sheand ‘The Hunger Games’ star do plan to gethitched, it might not come as a surprise. “They’restill keeping it a big secret, but they’re seriouslytalking marriage. liam is crazy about her! Mileywants the whole nine yards as far as a big weddinggoes,” a leading daily has quoted a source as tellinga magazine. The ‘See You Again’ singer metHemsworth on the set of their 2010 film, ‘The lastSong’, and the pair have been dating ever since.
Miley cyrus sparks engagement
rumours by tweeting diamond ring pic
mUmBaI: even when she is riding high on the success of her
numerous movies, actress Priyanka chopra constantly strives to
secure position number one, no matter which field she is in.
Her acting skills have been proven time and again in many of
her hit deliveries, and we can safely assume that the
beauty has carved a comfortable bubble for herself in
the list of the best actors of the Hindi film
industry.However, Priyanka believes that everybody
needs to strive for the first position, whether in
school or anywhere else. And her belief is
perhaps the reason behind her immense
success. Piggy chops was last seen
opposite Hrithik roshan in the
blockbuster ‘Agneepath’, and though
her role didn’t last for long, she
managed to silence her critics
with her flawless
performance.Speaking to a
leading daily the actress said, “It is
impossible to decide who is No.1 or
No.2. Nobody can decide who No.1
is.”Yet, with some dozen or more hits and
several more critical successes in her kitty,
we can safely assume that Priyanka is
somewhere there on the top. And she,
definitely, is here to stay. aGeNcIeS
Priyanka Choprastrives to be No.1
mUmBaI: She might not have been able to succeed
in finding a place in the league of her
contemporaries Katrina Kaif and DeepikaPadukone,
but Asin does have a point to prove. So what is she
hasn’t been so much in demand as her popular
colleagues but she has the Khans by her side. The
girl who made a big splash in Bollywood with Aamir
Khan in ‘ghajini’, grabbed not just once but a couple
of opportunities to work with the real bad boy of
Tinsel Town- Salman Khan. And with time, she has
been able to connect with him, more on the
personal front.rebuking all rumours about Salman’s
help in finding work in Bollywood, Asin while talking
to a daily said that Salman is very fond of her but
has no role in play in getting her work.The girl who
has worked with the ultimate ‘Dabangg’ Khan in
‘London Dreams’ and ‘ready’ said, “Salman is very,
very fond of me. He is extremely chilled out and a
great friend. My comfort level with him is reflected
on screen because I understand his sense of
humour. He appreciates the fact that I don`t
misunderstand him.”It feels nice to be in the good
books of the Khans in Bollywood. aGeNcIeS
I don’t misunderstandSalman Khan,says Asin
Saifplans 3D ‘AgentVinod’ sequelmUmBaI: Actor-producer Saif Ali Khan, who is
eagerly awaiting audience reactions to `Agent
Vinod`, says he might plan a sequel to the spy
Ali, Khadija, Annie and DaniaBilal and Saima
Fahad and Roshana
Khadija, Faisal and Mahnoor
Saba,Fawad and Shahwar Hamza and Mehwish
Seher,Farooq,Hajrah and Hamza
Dania with a friend
LHR 26-03-2012_Layout 1 3/26/2012 4:09 AM Page 14
15
LOS ANGELESaGeNcIeS
Demi Moore has been hit really hard by reports that that her estrangedhusband Ashton Kutcher had a four-hour liaison with Rihanna this week.She has reportedly been telling friends that she now wants Kutcher out ofher life. On Thursday night, Rihanna's car was seen dropping the pop starat party animal Kutcher's mansion los Angeles shortly before midnight.She's believed to have been picked up and taken home at 4 am. "Ashton'sbeen spotted with numerous women in the past few weeks and it's reallyhit Demi hard," the Mirror quoted a source as saying. "She feels like he'srubbing her face in it with all these women.now she doesn't want anythingto do with him anymore. She's gutted he's treated her like this after allthey've been through," the source added. Reports emerged that Rihannaand the 'Two and a Half Men' star have been secretly "dating" for the pasteight weeks despite both celebrities being linked to other partners. Theyhave yet to comment on the reports but this is their second sighting to-gether in one week. Sources say the 'Umbrella' singer is playing hard to getand knocking back Kutcher's advances, maintaining she wants to keeptheir relationship platonic. “She expects a bit more respect from themboth, especially in the public eye,” the source added.
Kutcher-Rihanna fling laststraw for Demi Moore
LOS ANGELESaGeNcIeS
Simon Cowell is opening upabout next season'sdrastically revamped ‘The XFactor’, saying he'sconfident that the decisionto replace two judges andthe host will make thesinging competition moreappealing and competitive,and give him the chance tofinally debut the show he's"always wanted to make."Cowell defended his decisionto act quickly to dramaticallyshake things up with theshow, which debuted tomuch lower ratings than theformer ‘American Idol’ judgehad predicted. "Sometimesyou've got to change things.That's why we decided to putnew judges on -- a new host,and we did it sooner ratherthan later," he said in a newinterview. Cowell -- who firstlaunched ‘The X Factor'sBritish edition in 2004 --
said that despite the fact that the departing stars "were all great"during the first season, he realized they were just not the right mixfor a successful show. "I think what I learned is that you needAmericans to host the show. I think that Paula and my relationshipwas too reminiscent of Idol."no replacements for Paula Abdul andnicole Scherzinger have yet been named. According to Cowell,viewers can expect the new X Factor to be "different, better andmore controversial." "It will be the show I've always wanted tomake, and now I have the ability to do it," he said.
NEWS DESK
Four poets from Pakistan and India read contemporaryUrdu poetry at the 48th Shankar Shad Mushaira in newDelhi in an attempt to further cultural and literary ties be-tween India and Pakistan and raise awareness about Urdupoetry among school children. The poets included Zehrani-gah and Fatima Hassan from Pakistan and Anwar Jalalpuriand MalikzadaManzoor Ahmad from India. The ShankarShad Mushaira, an initiative of the DCM Shriram Group, hasbeen promoting Urdu mushaira as a genre of literature andoral art since 1953 and encouraging poets from India andPakistan to take part. Urdu poetess Zehranigah, who livesin Karachi, said Urdu `shayari (poetry)` and `mushaira`have been witnessing a revival in the last decade among theyounger generation in both India and Pakistan". "InKarachi, school and college students often walk up to mewith questions about `shayari` and the culture of`mushaira`. I often visit a youth organisation in Karachi,`Second Floor` - dedicated to the promotion of Urdu poetryand `mushaira`- to talk to them about the Urdu literary tra-ditions," nigah said. The poetess, who writes contemporarypoetry addressing political and social issues, said: "Urdu po-etry has changed over the century to become more relevant.But youngsters in Pakistan still want to listen to old poetryby Ghalib, Mir and Kabir Das.” Fatima Hassan, from Pak-istan, has been writing Urdu poetry since 1953 and has pub-lished three collections of poems. She campaigns for equalrights for women and recognition of women poets throughher poetry. "Pakistan has many vocal Urdu poets who writeabout feminism, freedom, gender, taboos, culture, changeand society. Women are gradually coming out of the con-fines of their homes to write about contemporary issues intheir poetry. earlier, the social system was such that womencouldn`t come out," Hassan said.
Urdu poetry blursborders at Shankar-Shad ‘mushaira’
Simon: New 'X factor' tobe 'more controversial'
Heidi Klum wantsex hubby Seal tosign non-disclosurecontract
LONDONaGeNcIeS
Heidi Klum has demanded that herestranged husband Seal sign a lifetime“non-disclosure” contract as part of theirdivorce settlement. The 38-year-oldsupermodel claims to be exasperatedover his public comments.“She has askedattorneys to build a lifetime clause intotheir agreement prohibiting either ofthem from talking about their marriage,”a leading daily has quoted a source assaying.Seal, 49, has spoken about theirmarriage in interviews, but Klum has hitback.“People don’t need to know who didwhat. neither of us should be talkingnegatively or even positively about ourups and downs,” she said.
‘Hangover III’to bethe last hurrah
LOS ANGELESaGeNcIeS
The third installment of ‘TheHangover’ films will be the last, itsdirector has said.Todd Phillips said thefilm would see the return of originalcast members Bradley Cooper, edHelms, Zach Galafianakis and JustinBartha.The director said the film, dueout in cinemas in May 2013, would"surprise a lot of people"."It will be afitting conclusion to our three-partopera of mayhem, despair and baddecisions," he said in astatement.Phillips is writing thescreenplay with Craig Mazin, who alsocollaborated with him on the script forthe second ‘Hangover’ film, but he gaveno indication of where it will be set.Production on the film is expected tobegin in September 2012.
thriller, and that too in 3D."I don`t understand
3D and don’t enjoy it, but my son does. So,
maybe for the larger portion of audiences,
one should consider it for sequel," Saif told
reporters."I didn`t consider going for it this
time. There was some talk earlier though. If
it becomes a big action movie, then it is a
good idea to shoot it in 3D," he added. ‘Agent
Vinod’ is directed by Sriram raghavan, and
also features Saif`s real life lady love
Kareena Kapoor.Saif says if at all a sequel
takes shape, the character of Vinod will be
staple."It will be the same Vinod with
another cast for the sequels if at all it
comes. It is too early to discuss right now,"
the 41-year-old said. aGeNcIeS
Big B workinghard forIPL nightmUmBaI: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who will be
hosting the opening ceremony of Indian Premier
League (IPL) 5, is working very hard for the event.
"Up at 6 am and in studio to record for opening gala
of IPL in chennai on April 3rd," the actor tweeted
Sunday morning. The 69-year-old, who recently
underwent two abdominal surgeries, will recite a
special poem penned by writer-lyricist Prasoon Joshi
on the opening night. "Prasoon Joshi's poetry, raju
Singh's music, wizcraft's event design, captains of
world cricket and the IPL ..humbled!!," he further
posted. The IPL 5 starts on April 4, a day after the
opening ceremony, and the final of the tournament is
scheduled to take place on May 27. aGeNcIeS
mUmBaI: This could come as a big shocker in
Bollywood. A netizen has uploaded a video
comparing the ending of Sujoyghosh's
‘Kahaani’ and that of the 2004 psychological
thriller titled ‘Taking Lives’ starring Angelina
Jolie and ethan Hawke in the lead. The video
comparing scenes from both the movies has
been unloaded on YouTube with the title:
"The real Kahaani revealed”. ‘Taking Lives’ is
a DJ caruso directed thriller that was based on the novel of the same title by Michael Pye. Jolie's film is about an fBI profiler
who is called in by french canadian police to catch a serial killer who takes on the identity of each new victim. Though the
plotline of ‘Kahaani’ and ‘TL’ aren't exactly similar, what has become a talking point online is the curious similarities in the
way both movies end. when asked about it, director Sujoyghosh about this video, he said, "I have heard the name of the
movie but I have neither watched this film nor the video. ever since I started making ‘Kahaani’, people spoke about so many
sources that it has been copied from. In this country, people don't know about Satyajit ray, Yash chopra and Manmohan
Desai but they are aware of films abroad. It's amazing." Does he think that this video is a result of his detractors reacting
because of his success? "I really don't know about that." aGeNcIeS
Is ‘Kahaani’climax plagiarised?
Atif with Kiran
Tabeer
Imran and Anum
LHR 26-03-2012_Layout 1 3/26/2012 4:09 AM Page 15
Monday, 26 March, 201216 Foreign News
BEIRUTafp
blASTS rocked the flash-point city of Homs on Sun-day as Syria’s regimepressed its assault onprotest hubs, while rebels
attacked a military base in Damascusprovince, activists and monitors said.
There was “heavy shelling ofKhaldiyeh, Hamidiyeh and Old Homsneighbourhoods by the regime’s army,and explosions shook the whole city,” thelocal Coordination Committees said.
The Syrian Observatory for HumanRights, a Britain-based monitoringgroup, said in a statement that threepeople were wounded in the Homs dis-
trict of Safsafa.In the city of Hama to the north, the
Observatory reported that army shellingkilled one civilian in the neighbourhoodof Murk.
And in the southern town of nawa,“tanks have entered the main streets, andheavy gunfire by regime forces is re-ported,” said the lCC, the main opposi-tion activist group in Syria. Five troopsand three mutinous soldiers were killed.
nawa is in the southern Daraaprovince, where the popular uprisingagainst President Bashar al-Assad’s iron-fisted rule erupted in March 2011. Moni-tors say 9,100 people have been killedsince then. The Observatory said an ex-plosion hit a bridge in the Daraa region oflajat where many army deserters are re-
ported to be.In the north, near the border with
Turkey, rockets were fired into the townof Aazaz as helicopters flew overhead, thelCC said in a statement sent to AFP inBeirut. It added that rebel fighters of theFree Syrian Army blocked a highway usedby the military for reinforcements andsupplies to Aazaz, the scene of fierceclashes for the past few weeks.
In Damascus province, rebels firedrocket-propelled grenades in a dawn at-tack on a military facility in nabak whereambulances rushed to the scene, said theObservatory.
Mohammed al-Shami, an activist,said fighting erupted at night betweensoldiers and army deserters and contin-ued into the early hours of Sunday, in-
cluding in Douma, a hot spot on the cap-ital’s northeastern outskirts.
In eastern Deir ezzor, the securityforces conducted a search and arrest op-eration, according to the Observatory.
elsewhere, the official SAnA newsagency said that an “armed terroristgroup” attacked a gas pipeline in the east-ern region of Bir al-Jouf.
nurredin al-Abdo, an activist innorthwestern Idlib province, said night-time demonstrations were held across theregion, notably in the town of Saraqeb,where monitors reported deadly clasheson Saturday. At least 28 civilians werekilled across Syria on Saturday, includingtwo women and two children in the cen-tral province of Homs, according to theBritain-based Observatory.
Sixteen soldiers and two deserterswere also killed, it said, taking the day’stoll to 46.
As the year-old conflict showed nosigns of abating, rebel fighters set up amilitary council to unify their ranks andpolitical opposition leaders called a meet-ing of all dissident groups to forge com-mon objectives.
The latest violence came as Un-Arableague envoy Kofi Annan was in Moscowto seek the vital backing of Russia, a keyally of the Syrian regime, for his plan toend the bloodshed.
There are growing signs that Moscowis beginning to lose patience with Assad,despite his commitment to massive newRussian arms purchases and the grantingof key naval access to the Mediterranean.
MOSCOWafp
US President Barack Obama pledgedSunday to send “non-lethal” aid to theSyrian rebels while peace envoy KofiAnnan piled diplomatic pressure onthe regime by seeking the backing ofits ally Russia.
The announcement was the mostovert show of US support for therebels to date and is certain to irri-tate Russia following its fierce con-demnation of the West’s calls onPresident Bashar al-Assad to stepdown. Blasts meanwhile once againrocked Syria’s flashpoint city ofHoms as the regime pressed on withits assault on protest hubs while therebels countered by attacking a mili-tary base in Damascus province.
Obama said at talks with TurkishPrime Minister Recep Tayyip erdoganahead of a nuclear security summit inSeoul that they agreed “there shouldbe a process” of transition to a “legiti-mate government” in Syria.
A top US national security officialsaid the delivery of medical aid andother urgent supplies would top theagenda of a “Friends of Syria” meetingscheduled for April 1 in Istanbul.
Russia denounced the US-backedgroup on Friday amid contradictorysignals from Moscow about the extentof its divide with the West over thecrisis. Annan’s meeting with RussianPresident Dmitry Medvedev comesjust days after Moscow followedthrough on unprecedented criticismof Assad by finally backing a Un Se-curity Council call on his forces to pullout of protest cities.
Assad has thus far shown few signsof complying. At least 28 civilians werereported killed on Saturday and moni-tors reported new fighting stretchingfrom the outskirts of the capital Dam-ascus to Syria’s northern border withTurkey. Sunday witnessed “heavyshelling of Khaldiyeh, Hamidiyeh andOld Homs neighbourhoods by theregime’s army, and explosions shookthe whole city,” said the local Coordi-nation Committees (lCC) of Syria.
Opposition fighters responded totheir heavy recent losses by setting upa council to unify their ranks. The Syr-ian Observatory for Human Rightssaid the rebels fired rocket-propelledgrenades at a military facility nearDamascus on Sunday.
One civilian was reported killed inthe northern city of Hama on Sunday,
while the lCC reported five troopsand three mutinous soldiers killed inthe southern town of nawa.
Moscow on Wednesday backed anon-binding Security Council state-ment after vetoing two previous reso-lutions. But it did so only after makingsure the text contained no implicitthreat of further action should Assadfail to comply. Annan preceded histalks with Medvedev by holding a pri-vate meeting with Foreign MinisterSergei lavrov that Russian officialssaid agreed on the need for “further ef-forts” by world and regional powers onresolving the crisis. “Both sides under-scored the importance of working withboth the government and the opposi-tion,” Interfax quoted Deputy ForeignMinister Gennady Gatilov as saying.
Russia’s refusal to formally breakits ties with Assad comes in partial re-sponse to concern over a wave ofWestern-backed Arab revolts thatswept aside veteran leaders with long-standing ties to Moscow. The returnof Russian strongman Vladimir Putinto a third term as president amid a se-ries of what the Kremlin has brandedas US-funded protests in Moscow hasadded further bitterness to the tone ofthe diplomatic debate on Syria.
Ten killed in Afghanbombing
KANDAHARafp
eight Afghan security personnel and aforeign soldier were among 10 peoplekilled in a Taliban-style roadsidebombing in the southern province ofKandahar, officials said Sunday. “lastnight there was an IeD attack,” ShahMohammad, the local administrationchief of Arghandab district, told AFP.Provincial government spokesmanZalmai Ayoubi said an InternationalSecurity Assistance Force (ISAF) soldier,six Afghan policemen, two Afghan armysoldiers and a translator working for theforeign forces were killed in the bombing.An ISAF serviceman and another Afghanpoliceman were injured, Ayoubi added.Separately, the nATO-led foreign forcessaid one service member had died“following an improvised explosive deviceattack in southern Afghanistanyesterday”. A spokesman declined to givefurther details or confirm Afghancasualties. But a Western security sourceconfirmed to AFP that the Afghan andISAF reports were referring to the sameincident. Kandahar is the birthplace ofthe Taliban and remains a stronghold ofthe militants who have been fighting thegovernment of President Hamid Karzaiand its Western allies since being oustedfrom power a decade ago.
Nejad urges unityagainst ‘aggression’
DUSHANBEafp
Iranian President MahmoudAhmadinejad called on regional powersSunday to unite against “aggression” ashe gathered with his counterparts fromAfghanistan and Pakistan for securitytalks. Ahmadinejad said celebrations ofthe Iranian new Year holiday nowruzshowed that life only improved after a“hard winter” when friends joined forces.“nowruz represents a battle between theforces of light against those of darkness,the fight against injustice,” Ahmadinejadsaid at a ceremony hosted by TajikPresident emomali Rahmon andattended by some 15,000 spectators.“nowruz is traditionally viewed as a newday without poverty, aggression,instability, crime, discrimination,occupation and the abasement of humandignity,” Ahmadinejad said. “All peoplehave the right to live their life in dignity,”he declared. Ahmadinejad and Rahmonwere due to meet Pakistani President AsifAli Zardari and Afghan leader HamidKarzai later Sunday for another round oftalks aimed at forging a joint position inthe restive region. The meeting isofficially set to focus on providingsupport for the Afghan economy as thenATO presence there winds down by theend of 2014. But Ahmadinejad has usedthe occasion to ratchet up rhetoric in theface of renewed international pressureover his country’s contested nucleardrive. “Only the friends and neighboursof Afghanistan can in practice andrealistically help this nation,”Ahmadinejad said in a statement releasedby his office on Saturday.
tHeSSaloNÍKI: Demonstrators scuffle with riot police during the Greek Independence Day in athens on Sunday. fears of anti-austerity protests have prompted anunprecedented security mobilisation ahead of national parade to mark Greece’s Independence Day. AFP
Blasts shake Homs, Syrian rebels hit back
obama pledges ‘non-lethal’aid for syrian rebels
russia says Annan
offers last chance
for SyriaMOSCOW
afp
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warnedSunday that Kofi Annan represented the lastchance for avoiding a civil war in Syria andoffered the Un-Arab league envoyMoscow’s full support. “This may be the lastchance for Syria to avoid a protracted andbloody civil war,” Russian agencies quotedMedvedev as telling Annan at a meeting heldin Moscow’s Vnukovo 2 airport before hisdeparture for a summit in Seoul. “We will beoffering you our full support at any level inwhich we have a say,” said Mededev. “Wevery much hope that your efforts have apositive outcome.” Annan said he neededRussia’s strong backing to succeed in endinga year of bloodshed that the opposition sayshas claimed more than 9,100 lives. Russiannews agencies quoted Annan as saying heexpected Russia to play an “active” role inmaking sure that both sides follow the pointsof the Un Security Council-backed Syriapeace plan. neither Annan nor Medvedevmade any specific reference to SyrianPresident Bashar al-Assad or theopposition’s demands on his immediateouster. Annan preceded his talks withMedvedev with a private meeting withForeign Minister Sergei lavrov that Russianofficials said agreed on the need for “furtherefforts” by world and regional powers toresolve the crisis.
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Foreign News 17Monday, 26 March, 2012
DaKaR: Supporters of marabou Serigne Bethio thioune, who supports the incumbent abdoulaye Wade, called “thiantacounes”, cheer in front of a polling station whereWade voted on Sunday. Senegalese voted today in a run-off election in which the 85-year-old incumbent abdoulaye Wade is fighting off a mass opposition effort to foilhis controversial bid to stay in power for a third term. AFP
BHUBANESWARafp
Maoist rebels in India on Sunday releasedone of two Italian men who were kid-napped 11 days ago while on an adventureholiday in the eastern state of Orissa.
“It was a frightening experience.They have finally released me today,”Claudio Colangelo, a 61-year-old touristfrom Rome, told the nDTV news chan-nel after being freed. “let’s hope theyrelease Paolo (Bosusco) soon.”
Colangelo and Bosusco — a profes-sional tour guide living in India — werekidnapped while travelling in a remoteregion of Orissa, one of several states
where an armed Maoist insurgencyholds sway over much of the country-side. They were the first foreigners to betaken hostage by the rebels, who havepreviously kidnapped local officials andvillagers, freeing some after negotia-tions but killing others.
“I have no idea what conditionshave been laid down by the Maoists. Ihope they will understand that Paolo isnothing to do with the whole issue,”Colangelo said. The rebels had issued aseries of demands for the Italians’ re-lease, including a ban on tourists visit-ing tribal areas, the end of thegovernment’s anti-rebel operations andthe release of jailed Maoist leaders.
Bosusco, 54, from Turin, has beenliving in Orissa for a decade and runs anadventure tourism and trekking com-pany, while Colangelo is a doctor inItaly. “My family is in Rome and I willsoon talk to them,” Colangelo said afterMaoists released him to media re-porters. The nDTV news channel saidits reporters had trekked for 16 hours toarrange the hand-over with local Maoistcommander Sabyasachi Panda in Kand-hamal, 250 kilometres (150 miles)southwest of the state capitalBhubaneswar.
In Rome, Foreign Minister GiulioTerzi said Colangelo had spoken by tele-phone with Italy’s consul-general, who
had flown to Bhubaneswar to supportefforts to bring the men to safety.
“He told him that he was in goodhealth and was now travelling withsome Indian journalists who had suc-ceeded in reaching the area where thetwo Italians were,” Terzi said in astatement.
Terzi said Italian officials continued“to count on the cooperation and avail-ability of the Indian authorities” as theytry to secure Bosusco’s release.
Bosusco’s travel company, OrissaAdventurous Trekking, says on its web-site that it offers holidays to “a differentIndia from the Taj Mahal, far, very farfrom the crowds of tourists.”
Saudi mulls sending
woman to OlympicsDUBAI
afp
Saudi Arabia, where sports events forwomen are banned, is consideringsending a female athlete for the first timeever to the Olympics this year, followingcriticism from abroad.The issue of women in sport remainsextremely sensitive in the ultra-conservative Muslim state, where womenare not even allowed to drive cars and theauthorities shut down private gyms forfemales in 2009 and 2010.On Saturday, Al-Sharq newspaper saidthat equestrian jumping contestantDalma Malhas, 18, is likely to be SaudiArabia’s only female athlete at thissummer’s Olympics in london.Malhas won a bronze medal at the 2010Singapore Youth Olympics withouthaving been nominated by her country,following an invitation from theInternational Olympic Committee (OIC).Saudi Crown Prince nayef bin Abdul Aziz,also the powerful interior minister knownfor his opposition to women being giventhe right to drive, has given the nod tosending the her to the Games, accordingto local media. But the decision has yet tobe officially declared. The Saudi Olympicbody has so far said that only men willtake part in the london Olympics.In July last year, the president of theIOC’s Women and Sport Committee,Anita DeFrantz, criticised Saudi Arabia,as well as Qatar and Brunei for being thelast three countries to have never sentfemale athletes to the Olympics. lastmonth, the new York-based HumanRights Watch published a report thatdamned the systematic exclusion ofwomen from sporting activities in SaudiArabia. Qatar, which is bidding for theright to host the 2020 Olympics, hasalready announced its firm intention tosend female competitors to london.On Friday, HRW welcomed reports thatSaudi Arabia might be represented bywomen at the Olympics, but said the“positive step” was not enough. It saidSaudi Arabia was still in violation of theOlympic Charter “due to its systemicviolations of the right for women toparticipate meaningfully in sport in thekingdom,” calling on the IOC to use itsleverage to “help affect lasting change forSaudi women.” “Sending women to thelondon Olympics does not change the facton the ground in Saudi Arabia that girlsand women are effectively excluded fromtaking part in sport,” said Sarah leahWhitson, HRW Middle east director.“This is no moment for the IOC tocelebrate, when girls remain barred fromphysical education in Saudi governmentschools as a matter of policy,” she said. IfMalhas is chosen for the Saudi team forthe Olympics, the move could provokeresistance in her homeland. It could alsobe deemed in violation of the country’sstrict Islamic code under which womenare forced to cover themselves from headto toe. Prince nawaf bin Faisal, the headof the Saudi Olympic Committee, said atthe end of 2011 that Saudi Arabia wouldfield only male athletes in london, whilewomen can take part if they receive directinvitations. “Talks about Saudi Arabiasending a women’s team to the londonOlympics have been repeated many timesover the past 20 years. Saudi Arabia willparticipate with a male team, and there isno intention to send a female teambecause there are no women sports inSaudi Arabia,” he said.
one italian hostage released by indian Maoists
Palestinian detainees take onIsrael with hunger
RAMALLAHafp
Inspired by Palestinian prisoner KhaderAdnan, who pressured Israel with a 66-dayhunger strike, a growing number of hisfellow detainees are launching similarprotests. The tactic appears to be spreadingamong the thousands of Palestinians held inIsraeli prisons, who see themselves battlingfor their rights with the only weapon theyhave: “empty stomachs.” Adnan went formore than two months without food beforea military court agreed to free him, on April17, when his four-month administrativedetention order ends. Inspired by hisexample, 30-year-old Hanaa Shalabi begana hunger strike after her detention inFebruary, reaching her 39th day withoutfood on Sunday. Across the Israeli prisonsystem, around 30 Palestinian prisonershave followed suit, according to thePalestinian Prisoners’ Club, which tracksPalestinian detainees in Israeli jails. TheIsraeli prison service puts the number ataround 20, a spokeswoman said.
Suu Kyi cancels Myanmarcampaign travel
YANGONafp
Ill health has forced Aung San Suu Kyi toabruptly cancel further campaign travel,her party said Sunday, just a week beforeMyanmar by-elections that are seen as akey test of regime reforms. The nobellaureate opposition leader, who is runningfor a seat in parliament in the April 1 polls,was put on a drip and ordered to rest byher doctor after falling ill in the town ofMyeik in Myanmar’s far south. lookingtired and drawn, Suu Kyi arrived at Yangonairport after cutting short her visit, sayingonly that she was “not well”. Her doctor,Tin Myo Win, told AFP that Suu Kyi wasgetting better, but that he had asked thatshe cancel a final campaign trip on Tuesdayand Wednesday to Magway, the centralMyanmar region where her independencehero father was born.
DAKARafp
Senegalese voted Sunday in a run-offelection in which the 85-year-old in-cumbent Abdoulaye Wade is fightingoff a mass opposition effort to foil hiscontroversial bid to stay in power fora third term.
Having failed to deliver a crushingfirst-round victory a month ago, Wadefaces a stiff challenge from his formerprime minister Macky Sall, who has thefull weight of the opposition behindhim. long lines snaked outside votingstations as people waited to vote in thedecider poll after two months of sus-pense which has seen the reputation ofone of Africa’s pioneer democracies puton the line amid deadly riots.
As a coup played out in neighbour-ing Mali, eU election observers urgedSenegal to prove its credentials as astrong democracy in a troubled region.“I hope as a democrat that Senegal willshow a strong example in this Africanregion which is so tormented,” saideU mission chief Thijs Berman as hevisited a polling station in the Dakarsuburb of Parcelles Assainies.
Senegal has typically been hailedas one of the region’s success stories,
being alone among its mainlandneighbours never to have undergonea military coup.
The elections commission notedseveral clashes between rival support-ers during the election campaign, butit was calm compared with the run-upto the first-round vote in February,when near-daily riots left six dead.
Sall, 50, accompanied by his wife,cast his vote in his hometown Fatickin central Senegal, praising theturnout as long lines formed at pollingstations around the country.
“This shows our country is amajor democracy and that Senegaleseknow how to make their choice re-sponsibly,” he said. Both candidateshave declared they cannot lose, rais-ing fears that the poll’s outcome willinevitably be challenged.
“If all goes well, we should be ataround 70 percent,” Sall told AFP inan interview on the eve of the run-off.“Wade cannot win.” But Wade hassaid the same as his rival, calling theidea of his losing “absurd.” The elec-tion commission on Saturday urgedthe candidates not to declare victoryprematurely as results come in.
Around the capital hundredsqueued up to vote, raising hopes of a
better turnout than in the first roundwhen only 51 percent turned up.
“I want to vote in peace, and Iwant Macky Sall to win this electionbecause times are hard in Senegal,”said ndeye Fall, a teacher voting inthe working-class suburb of Derkle.
While Wade came first in the Feb-ruary 26 vote with nearly 35 percentof the vote to his ex-protege’s 26 per-cent, the octogenarian is in an uncom-fortable position as Sall has securedthe support of all the other candidatesduring the electoral campaign.
Wade has faced stiff rebukes fromabroad with former colonial powerFrance and the United States urginghim to retire as he pursued his contro-versial bid for a third term by circum-venting a constitutional term limit.
Despite having served two terms,a limit he himself introduced, Wadesays later changes to the constitutionallow him to serve two more man-dates as the law is not retroactive.This argument was upheld by thecountry’s constitutional council.
Some 5.3 million voters are regis-tered to cast their ballots in the run-off election, which will finish at 1800GMT under the gaze of 300 interna-tional observers.
Senegal votes in cliffhangerpresidential election
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monday, 26 march, 2012
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Djokovic, federeradvance, clijsters crashes
KARACHIafp
PAKISTAn'S cricket boardon Sunday expressed disap-pointment with Bangladeshfor considering appealingan incident in the last over
of the Asia Cup final which they believecost them the match. Bangladesh Satur-day said it would appeal to the AsianCricket Council (ACC) to review the lastover, accusing Pakistani paceman Aizaz
Cheema of deliberately blocking bats-man Mahmudullah Riyad from taking asecond run. Pakistan beat Bangladeshin a thrilling final on Thursday by tworuns to lift the four-nation Asia Cup.
Pakistan Cricket Board directorIntikhab Alam called Bangladesh'sstance "disappointing". "It's really sadand disappointing to hear the state-ment from BCB (Bangladesh CricketBoard) official," Alam told AFP. "Itwas a thrilling final and everyonepraised Bangladesh for their fight and
their decision to appeal is just an afterthought after the result.
"The fact of the matter is that nomatch umpire of referee complainedabout this to Pakistan managementand Bangladesh's complain will spoil awonderful final which everyone en-joyed," said Alam. BCB said it wouldseek five penalty runs for deliberateobstruction and a reversal of the resultin their favour. "We have seen videofootage of the incident repeatedly. It isclear that Cheema blocked Riyad de-liberately," enayet Hossain Siraj,chairman of the BCB operations com-mittee, told reporters. "We will lodgea written appeal to the ACC very soonand will also give a copy to the Inter-national Cricket Council."
Bangladesh is currently consider-ing an invitation to tour Pakistan fora limited over series next month.They sent a delegation to assess secu-rity arrangements in Pakistan for thetour but said a final decision will onlybe made by the country's govern-ment. Should Bangladesh go they willbe the first Test playing nation totour Pakistan since terrorist attackson the Sri lankan team bus in lahorethree years ago. The attacks, whichleft eight people dead and seven vis-iting players and an assistant coachwounded, suspended all interna-tional cricket in Pakistan as teams re-fused to tour the troubled countrybecause of security fears.
Pakistan unhappy overBangladesh Cup appeal
Did Amir - banned for five years for de-liberately no-balling in the lord’s Test of2010 - engage in any match-fixing orspot-fixing before Pakistan's tour of eng-land? This was the first key question sub-mitted to Amir through his lawyers atBirnberg Peirce.
Did Amir talk on a mobile phonewhile waiting to bat during the Asia Cupin Dambulla, Sri lanka, earlier in 2010 —and, if so, to whom? Amir and his lawyershave also failed to answer this question,submitted last Thursday.
Amir was caught on television alter-nately holding his right and left handnext to his helmet as he sat padded upand waiting to bat during Pakistan’s AsiaCup match against Sri lanka.
The International Cricket Council’sAnti Corruption and Security Unit, aftera brief investigation, let it be known thatAmir was not talking into a mobile phone
held outside his helmet.However, a former Pakistan Test
player testified to The Sunday Telegraphthat one of Amir’s teammates hadtold him what actually happened:that Amir was speaking into a mo-bile phone hidden inside his hel-met.
The former Pakistan playerrang the ACSU’s hotline, leav-ing a message and hiscontact number, butnever heard back.
In 2010, asnow, it was con-trary to the ICC’sregulations foranyone to usea mobile in-side thed r e s s i n g -room, exceptfor the teamm a n a g e r ’ sphone in anemergency. If this
allegation was true, here was a breach ofthe regulations, irrespective of the person
Amir was apparently speaking to.When Amir batted, Pak-
istan needed 38 runs off 9.1overs with three wickets left,and he scored five runs fromas many as 14 balls. Pakistan,
who had looked like winning,lost by 16 runs.
Another important, and unan-swered, question arising fromAmir’s interview last week iswhy he gave his bank accountdetails to a man, called Ali,whom Amir said he had brieflymet and barely knew. And, byAmir’s own account, Ali offeredno explanation when Amirasked him why he wantedthese bank details.
As the police closed in onAmir after the news of theWorld exclusive during thelord’s Test of August 2010,Amir borrowed a mobile
phone and texted Ali, asking him todelete all the texts and messages thatAmir had sent to him. For this unusualbehaviour, as for so much of what he did,Amir’s explanation was that he panickedand, in his words, "I couldn’t understandanything." The interview suggested thatAmir expects the public to be as gullibleas he presented himself to be: "nobody ismore stupid than me," he said.
The onus is on Amir to substantiatethe implausible version of events that hecame up with last week, after he consis-tently lied to the ICC tribunal - and to thePakistan Cricket Board when they inter-viewed Amir twice - by maintaining hisinnocence.
The tribunal set up by the ICC, con-sisting of three eminent judges led byMichael Beloff QC, concluded that "MrAmir was an active party to both the con-clusion and the implementation of thelord’s no-ball fix" — not a naive innocentpressurised by the Pakistan captainSalman Butt, as Amir painted himself lastweek. Throughout the ICC tribunal hear-
ings, Amir never suggested that Butt hadpressurised him to bowl the two no-balls,whereas his fellow bowler MohammadAsif had advanced this defence.
"Unlike Mr Asif, Mr Amir had notsought to suggest that he had been in-structed by Mr Butt to bowl in a way cal-culated to increase the odds of a no-ball,"the ICC tribunal found.
So, in his interview last week, Amirswitched to the completely opposite tackby claiming that Butt had pressurisedhim.
The ICC tribunal summarised: "Theexplanations offered by the three playerswere in each case quite implausible, andnone of them had been advanced at thetime the story first broke in the media, orby the time of or at the provisional hear-ing that took place in October 2010."
Amir has therefore repeatedlychanged his version of events, completelycontradicting himself in the process. Hislatest version may contain elements oftruth, but he still has some outstandingquestions to answer.
Amir’s interview offers up more questions than answersg Mohammad Amir and his lawyers have declined to answer crucial questions arising from the interviews that were designed torebuild his image last week after his imprisonment
SCYLD BERRY
Comment
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
Former PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt believesthat the statement made by his successorZaka Ashraf on Indian team managementhas dented the prospects of an early re-sumption of bilateral ties between the twonations. Ashraf had in a statement in Dubaisurprised everyone by saying that perhapsIndia was not keen to play Pakistan be-cause it was afraid of losing to the Pakista-nis. "We're ready to play against themwhen their Prime Minister and Board pres-ident want the teams to play. Maybe it'stheir selectors and team management whoare afraid of facing Pakistan," Ashraf hadsaid. Butt said he was disappointed at thecomments made by Ashraf few weeks agoon relations with India. The statementdrew no reaction from the Indian cricket
board but Butt said he was surprised at thestatement when it came out in the media."The statement was certainly uncalled forand sent adverse signals across the border.I was personally surprised by the remarkswhich might have dented the prospect of abilateral series in the near future, I amafraid," Butt told a TV channel.
Interestingly, Butt himself had got him-self into trouble when he accused englandcricketer of being involved in fixing andlater had to retract his remarks. Ashraf,since he took over as PCB chief in Octoberlast year has been trying hard to convincethe Indian board to resume bilateral cricketties but after meeting with no success hesaid last week that he would not be dis-cussing bilateral cricket ties with Indian of-ficials during his visit to Dhaka for the AsiaCup final. Ashraf said it was no use talkingto the Indian board officials at this juncture.
Butt blasts Zaka’s India statement
challenge yourban, PcB chiefsuggests Amir
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
Days after International Cricket CouncilCeO Haroon lorgat advised bannedPakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amirto concentrate on his rehabilitation,Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman ZakaAshraf termed Amir's five-year ban forhis role in spot-fixing as ‘harsh’, sug-gesting him to challenge it."I think the five-year ban is too harshand it is down to Amir if he wishes toappeal against that lengthy ban im-posed upon him.I would suggest that he does appealagainst the ban, and I think the relevantbody should take a lenient view givenhis age and the talent he possesses,"Ashraf said after his return from theAsia Cup in Bangladesh, which Pakistanwon."We should not let this young boy's ca-reer be ruined. We should all try to helphim and understand that he wastrapped into spot-fixing," he said.Ashraf, who had recently met Amir atthe PCB headquarters, said the youngpacer was sorry for the mistake he com-mitted."Amir was very apologetic at the meet-ing we had with him and spoke of howhe was trapped into spot-fixing. He issuch a wonderful young talent that hasbeen wasted and it's such a shame thathe cannot even use our practice facili-ties," Ashraf was quoted as saying by awebsite."Coming from such a remote village,Amir could have become the bestbowler in the world. He has served hisprison sentence and that matter is nowclosed, but the issue of the ICC ban isobviously still ongoing," Ashraf said.PCB has plans in place for Amir's reha-bilitation, including lectures to youngPakistan cricketers."First and foremost, we are going toarrange for some psychiatric treatmentfor Amir, which I feel is absolutely es-sential. Then he is going to give lecturesto other cricketers in Pakistan on hisown experiences and explain to othercricketers to not get trapped like hewas.""It will be a series of talks that he gives,delivering guidelines to other crick-eters. He can explain first hand to ourcricketers to avoid such people wholook to trap cricketers and provide thecricketers with first-hand experience onsuch matters," he said.
whatmoresatisfied withPakistan progress
KARACHIafp
Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore Sundayexpressed satisfaction over his team's per-formance during their winning Asia Cupcampaign, saying it would have been theicing on the cake to beat arch-rivals India.Pakistan beat Bangladesh in a thrillingfinal by two runs in Dhaka on Thursday,lifting the Asia Cup for the second time. Itwas Whatmore's first assignment sincetaking over earlier this month. The for-mer Australian batsman -- who guided Srilanka to the World Cup title in 1996 --said his team had been consistent andcompetitive in all matches. "It would havebeen the icing on the cake to have beatenIndia and go on to win the cup. We madesome mistakes but were in the game latein the second 50-over block," Whatmoretold AFP. "It was just one of those gamesthat makes you analyse more." India'sVirat Kohli smashed a career-best 183 tohelp India chase down a daunting 330-run target but India failed to make it tothe final. Whatmore, who also helpedBangladesh reach the latter stages of the2007 World Cup held in the Caribbean,praised the Asia Cup hosts. "Bangladeshhad a really good Asia Cup. On the evi-dence of this tournament, everyonewould agree they have improved. Theyneed to be consistent now," he said.Whatmore backed Misbah-ul-Haq afterthe Pakistan captain came under pressureover the team's 4-0 whitewash againstengland in a one-day series last month.
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Sports 19Monday, 26 March, 2012
WELLINGTONafp
CenTURIeS from Alviro Pe-tersen and JP Duminy gaveSouth Africa an iron grip onthe weather-affected third
Test against new Zealand on Sunday inWellington. South Africa declared theirfirst innings at 474 for nine in the finalsession at Basin Reserve and at stumpsnew Zealand were 65 without loss withDaniel Flynn on 35 and Martin Guptillon 28. It was a sound start by newZealand, who face an uphill battle to winthe Test and level the three-match series,which South Africa lead 1-0. The firsttwo days were both hit by rain delays.
South Africa resumed Sunday at246-2 and moved to 362-3 at lunch butthe dismissal of Petersen for a career-high 156 started a collapse that saw sixwickets fall before skipper GraemeSmith declared.
But the tourists' hopes of claiming atleast one wicket before stumps againstan untried new Zealand opening pairingfailed to materialise despite the hostileapproach of the bowlers.
Middle-order batsman Flynn, re-called after two years in the wildernessand thrust in as a novice opener, tookseveral hits to the body before decidingthe best defence was attack.
His innings includes four fours, withone off Vernon Philander bringing upthe new Zealand 50 and he followedthat lusty blow with a six off the next de-livery from the leading South Africanbowler in the series.
Guptill was more cautious at theother end yet still managed three bound-
aries as the pair put on the highest open-ing partnership by either side so far inthe series.
South Africa had looked comfortablein the morning session as Petersenposted his third Test century in the sec-ond over when he cracked Chris Martinto the boundary off the fifth deliverywith the new ball.
Duminy moved to 98 with three con-secutive fours off Doug Bracewell andthen patiently faced a further 18 deliver-ies before reaching his milestone byflicking Mark Gillespie through square
leg. However, his celebrations wereshort-lived. He was dismissed six ballslater by Gillespie, ending a 200-runstand with Petersen for the third wicket.
Petersen and AB de Villiers tookSouth Africa through to 362-3 at lunchbefore Petersen was trapped lbw byMartin for 156 with the fourth ball afterthe resumption.
AB de Villiers (38), Jacques Rudolph(11) and Dale Steyn (0) all found them-selves back in the pavilion during thepost-lunch session.
Martin had gone wicketless over the
first two days but followed up the re-moval of Petersen by bowling AB de Vil-liers. Gillespie, the most successful ofthe new Zealand bowlers with 6-113,claimed the wickets of Rudolph andSteyn before tea for new Zealand to fin-ish the middle session with four wicketsfor 75 runs.
Mark Boucher (46) was caught byKane Williamson in the gully off Gille-spie and Flynn caught Philander (29) onthe boundary, also off Gillespie's bowl-ing, before Smith called the SouthAfrican innings off.
South Africa tighten gripon New Zealand Test
South africa 1st inningsG. Smith c van Wyk b Bracewell 5a. petersen lbw martin 156H. amla c van Wyk b Gillespie 63Jp Duminy c taylor b Gillespie 103aB de Villiers b martin 38J. Rudolph c van Wyk b Gillespie 11m. Boucher c Williamson b Gillespie 46m. Steyn c Guptill b Gillespie 0V. philander c flynn b Gillespie 29m. morkel not out 10extras (b 6, lb 1, w 3, nb 3) 13total (9 wickets dec; 148.4 overs) 474fall of wickets: 1-13 (Smith), 2-106 (amla), 3-306 (Duminy),4-362 (petersen), 5-381 (de Villiers), 6-388 (Rudolph), 7-404(Steyn), 8-459 (Boucher), 9-474 (philander) Bowling: martin 28-5-95-2, Bracewell 30-3-106-1 (1w),Gillespie 33.4-7-113-6 (2nb, 2w), Vettori 42-11-98-0, Brownlie2-0-20-0, Williamson 13-1-35-0New Zealand 1st inningsD. flynn not out 35m. Guptill not out 28extras (lb 1, nb 1) 2total (0 wickets; 25 overs) 65to bat: B. mccullum, R. taylor, K. Williamson, D. Vettori, K.van Wyk, D. Brownlie, D. Bracewell, m. Gillespie, c. martin Bowling: Steyn 7-3-11-0, philander 6-0-30-0 (1nb), morkel 6-3-6-0, de lange 4-0-14-0, Duminy 2-0-3-0toss: New ZealandSeries: South africa lead the three-match series 1-0Umpires: aleem Dar (paK), Richard Kettleborough (eNG)tV umpire: Billy Doctrove (WIS)match referee: Ranjan madugalle (SRI)
ScoReBoaRD
weLLINgTON: Vernon Philander (L) of South Africa receives attention by team mateDale Steyn after he was hit in the head by a Daniel flynn (r) of New Zealand on day threeof the third and final Test at the Basin reserve. AFP
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
Asad-Ul-Khan from Mardan won the1st lahore Wheel Chair Marathon thatwas held here at the lberty MainBoulevard on Sunday morning.
Organised by the Punjab Para-lympics Association in collaborationwith the Punjab Olympics Associa-
tion, around 175 wheel chairs playerstook part in four categories.
The chief guest for opening cere-mony was Syed Shahid Ali, IOCMember in Pakistan and PresidentPunjab Olympic Association.
In the first category of polio Asad-ulllah Khan of Mardan for his winpicketed Rs 15000 while Kamran(Karachi) received the second place
prize money Rs 10000 and Ahmad Yarof lahore was third and got Rs 5000.
In the Spinal Cord category,Muhammad Raseed of Karachi wasfirst and won Rs 15000, Aftab (la-hore) for winning second place re-ceived Rs 10000. The third placewent to lahore’s Farryad Ali, whogot Rs 5000. In the female’s cate-gory, Miss Tehmina (Multan), MissAysha (Multan) and Miss neelam(lahore) were first, second and thirdand were awarded Rs 15000,Rs.10000 and Rs 5000.
In the fourth Tri-Cycle Category,nawaz (lahore) was first and got Rs15000 while Ramil and Mustafawere second and third and boththese players from lahore receivedRs 10000 and Rs 5000 cash awards.
Usman Anwar Director GeneralSports Board Punjab was the chiefguest for closing ceremony and gaveaway cash prizes of Rs 120000 andtrophies to the winners.
Idris khawaja, Secretary PbOA,Punjab Police Zulfiqar Ali Butt SHOliberty Police Station, Traffic War-dans and Dr. Rizwan naseer direc-tor General rescue 1122 were alsopreset on the occasion.
Asad grabs 1st LahoreWheelchair Marathon
MUMBAIafp
Sachin Tendulkar said Sunday he was fo-cused on helping India fight their wayback to the top of cricket rather than onpersonal records after recently achievinghis 100th international century. The 38-year-old brushed aside speculation abouthis retirement and said the Indian teamhad work to do if they were to regain thenumber one spot in the Test rankings thatthey lost to england last year.
"If you lose that then someone is play-ing better than you," Tendulkar told a press
conference in his home city of Mumbai."There's no doubt that yes, we have to per-form better as a team and win because thatis what we go out for." With an extraordi-nary two-decade career behind him, Ten-dulkar said it was important during this"rough patch" for his side not to lose hope."We can overcome this obstacle and forthat it's going to require hard work."
He insisted that he just wanted to "enjoythe game" after setting a new record duringthe recent Asia Cup by completing an un-precedented century of centuries. "I don'tthink I need to prove anything right now,"said the world's leading scorer in Test and
one-day cricket, when asked about his nextmilestone. "The dream was to play for Indiaand win the World Cup, and I've achievedthem both." Tendulkar admitted to testingtimes as the hype built over his 100th cen-tury, which took more than a year to achieveand finally came on March 16 againstBangladesh in Dhaka. His 99th interna-tional ton came against South Africa in theWorld Cup at nagpur on March 12 last year."I asked God what wrong did I do, why didit take so long?" he said. Tendulkar, a god-like figure himself to Indian cricket fans, tolda young man in the audience to "chase yourdreams" when asked for a few tips.
cullen securesmaiden title
JAKARTAafp
Australian golfer nick Cullen stumbledto his first professional title on Sunday,winning the $1 million enjoy Jakarta In-donesian Open -- the first event of thisyear's OneAsia schedule. The left-handercarded a two-over-par 74 to hold off abrave challenge from David Smail, pip-ping the new Zealand player to victoryby just one shot. "This means the worldto me," 27-year-old Cullen said after-wards in comments released by tourna-ment organisers. "I have been practicinghard and playing well but I didn't knowwhat to expect when I came here. "It isonly my second time playing in Asia andit's very different compared with playingat home particularly with a different cli-mate and food." Cullen looked to becruising to victory with five holes to play,leading the chasing pack by four shots.
Polio eradiation HockeyTournament held
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
Paradise and Rotary Club of lahoreGarrison organized Fatima-ShahMuhammad Memorial Hockey Tourna-ment at Chak 73/RB Karianwala, Faisal-abad. Theme of the tournament was‘Make Pakistan Polio Free; end Polionow’. In all 28 teams participated in theevent and Kanga, Ghona, Shahkot andParadise teams won their respectivesemi-finals. During the event audiencewas informed about the importance ofpolio eradication after each match. PastPresidents Rotary Club Mubasher Buttand M Iqbal Malik were the chief guestsof the semi-finals. lt Gen Ch Sardar Ali,Col nawab Ali and Mukhtar Ahmedgraced the final. The tournament wasorganized by Rotary's Past District Gov-ernor Shehzad Ahmed and Paradise Co-ordinator naeem Aslam under thearrangements of Paradise Hockey Club.
Jazz congratulatesTeam green
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
Mobilink Jazz congratulated Team Greenon winning the thrilling final of the AsiaCup by two runs played againstBangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.Jazz also lauds both teams on playing anexciting, competitive match in the spirit oftrue sportsmanship. Moeid Javeed, Direc-tor Marketing (Jazz) said: “We are veryproud that the team has brought home theAsia Cup for the second time. They havemade the nation proud, and strengthenedour commitment towards bringing inter-national cricket to Pakistani soil.”
Mobilink move intoShapes cricket final
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
Mobilink qualified for the Shapes Cricketleague final after it beat nestle by 3 wick-ets. In the first semi final played at Rail-way Stadium Ground, nestle scored 173/9in 30-overs. Muzafar Hussain 54, DawoodJaved 22. Murtaza Wahla 32 not out.Jawad Tayyab 19/2, Moazzam Siddiqi24/2, Fawad Saif 37/2. In reply, Mobilinkscored 175/7 in 29 overs. Jawad Tayyab68, Ijaz Malik 33, Wajahat Ali 28 andSalman Dar 24. naeem Khan 4/2, naveedZafar 18/2 and Farhan Yousaf 6/1. Moaz-zam Siddiqi gave away man of the Matchaward to Jawad Tayyab from Mobilink.Sagheer Ahmed & M. Asif Umpires andMasood Ahmed Scored of the Match.
Tauseef club winfestival match
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
Tauseef Club has won a festival match ofPakistan Day against Dehli Gym by 21runs played at Wahdat Colony ground onSunday. Fine bowling by Sheraz Baig wasthe main feature of the match, while syedTauqeer Ali shah president of West Zonecricket Association was the chief guest. Scores: Tauseef Club 229/7. Waqas Khan47, ISrar Baig 42, Ibrar Baig 32, MAhmed 27,Shehzad Muhyuudin 22, M AliRana 19(no). Waqar Ali 3/37, Ali Raza2/29, Imtiaz 2/18. Dehli Gym 201/9. Waqar Ali 52, UmairButt 48, Ghulam Muhayuudin 39(no).Sheraz Baig 4/28, Awais Manzoor 2/31,M Ali Rana 2/19, Mohsin Agha 1/18.
287 matches completedLAHORE
Staff RepoRt
In all 287 matches of lCCA cricket leaguehave completed and all the matches ofeast Zone (106), and north Zone (70)have been played. from West Zone 111matches have completed. while 16matches have remained to play. Mean-while 10 clubs from West Zone i.e CricketCenter, Township Whites, Imtiaz Club,Anwer Sports, City Gym, Wahdat eaglets,Model TOwn greens, Faran Gym, lud-hiyana Gym and Albilal club havemarched into the 2nd phase of league.
Tendulkar still hungry for Indian success
mURtaZa alI
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10tH asIa base ball cuP
Sports20Monday, 26 March, 2012
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
Shah Qubilai Alam with his su-perlative performance steeredGuard Group/Quick link to takethe Faysal Bank Polo Tourna-ment 2012 title here at the lPO’sAibak Ground on Sunday.
Playing in front of a largenumber of holiday fans and chiefguest Syed Kazim Raza, BranchBanking Head, Faysal Bank,Qublai hit five goals out of thenine of Guard Group-Quick link
as against newage’s six, who alsohave one and a half goal advan-tage. Qubilai not only scored hisshare of goals but also developedmoves that helped Raja Samiul-lah and Umair Shah score goals.Samiullah hit in three goalswhile Umair got one while theirfourth partner Taimur Ali Malikthough did not score a goal buthe too like Qublai made goalscoring moves.
From the losing side, Qublai’syounger brother Shah ShamylAlam provided maximum possi-
ble resistance by hitting in fourgoals while one each came fromTaimur Mawaz Khan and AbdulRehman Monnoo. But their ef-forts were no match to theQublai-led Guar Group team.
In the subsidiary final,Colony Sugar after winning threeback to back title went down toPessi 3-5. Atif Yar Tiwana,Ahmed Ali Tiwana and SherAlam Mahsud shared the Pessi’swinning stride while Saqib KhanKhakwani and Ahmed Khanfougt from Colony Sugar.
Qubilai steers Guard Groupto Faysal Bank Polo title
LAHOre: The winners of the faysal Bank Polo Tournament, guard group team with chief guest Syed Kazimraza, Branch Banking Head, faysal Bank, after the prize distribution ceremony. STAFF PhoTo
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
Qualifier Aqib Hanif staged the biggestupset of the 2nd FMC Pakistan Interna-tional Squash Circuit-I beating top seedand world number 29 Aamir Atlas infive-game final on Saturday at PSAcomplex.
Hanif came from behind to win 5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 10-12, 13-11. ShahidSalim, Head of FMC Asia was the chiefguest on the occasion and gave away theprizes. Vice President, Punjab SquashAssociation, Sohail Khan, Secretary,PSA, Tariq Farooq Rana were also pres-ent. Aqibs victory earned him a cashprize of US Dollars 1805 while Aamirgot US dollars 1235.
World number 176 Aqib, proved toogood for a much-fancied opponent whowas dubbed favourite in the pre-finalpredictions. Aqib won the heart of biggathering with his greater anticipationand agility in a match lasted 69 minutes.
Aqib continued his giant killing runin the US dollars 10,000 tournament byrising from nowhere to shine with thetitle victory, starting his voyage fromqualifying rounds and then makinggradual progress in the main round, fi-nally putting up a show in the finalwhich will be long remembered.
After a shaky start of losing the firstset, Aqib regained his lost touch by win-ning the next two sets to send a note ofwarning to Aamir who was anticipatingan easy win like the previous final con-
tested in the previous national rankingtournament.
Aqib was again in trouble whenAamir made his last desperate effort bytaking the fourth set exhibiting somegood serves and returns plus brilliantplacing in both the corners. Aqib thoughtried to make a come back in the samepart of the game but Aamir cut down hisall efforts with accurate shots and siz-zling serves.
With score read at 2-2 and the matchentering in the fifth and decisive set andcrowd enjoying a keen tussle betweenthe two players, Aqib started the set ona confident note dominating with crosscourt shots and clever placing above thetin which shattered the confidence ofAamir who was all out to salvage his
pride but failed.“It was a good match which I fought
with best of my abilities and skills and Iam glad to win the first title of my ca-reer,“ said Aqib from Punjab. He said hiscontrolled shots and balanced foot workfrom the mid of the court were the pluspoints of his game.
“Aamir caused problems by takingthe first and fourth sets but despite thesedeserve situation I did not lose the hopeand remained focused and my only aimwas to go for a victory and to get the titlewhich eventually happened.
Aamir said Aqib played bettersquash and deserved to win. “It was abad day for me as I could not make acome back in the match though I was incontrol on some stages.“
Aqib upsets top seed Aamir to grab fMc Int’l Squash title
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
Sri lanka made a fine start in the 10thAsia Base Ball Cup, registering 15-0win over Islamic Republic of Iran intheir opening first match at the Pun-jab Stadium here on Sunday.
Sri lankan batter were in knickform collecting 9 runs in the 1st in-ning to make a blazing start with Kos-ala and nero Shan contributed 2 runseach while Dampi Sameera, Shalitha,nelanka and Fupun made 1 run each.no run was made in the 2nd inning.
However Sri lanka were again on theattack in the 3rd inning earning 3more runs by Kosala, Dampi andSameera to consolidate the lead. norun was made in the 4th inning. Inthe 5th inning Sri lanka made thetally Dampi, Sameera and nelankaadded 1 run each.
Chief guest of the day was SyedShahid Ali Shah, member of Interna-tional Olympic Committee (Pakistan)and President Punjab Olympic Asso-ciation.
President Pakistan FederationBaseball Shaukat Javed, Khawar Shah
Secretary General of Pakistan Feder-ation Baseball, Mohsin Khan, VicePresident of Pakistan FederationBaseball, Haider Khan lahri, Secre-tary General Softball Federation ofPakistan, Asif Iqbal, Director Devel-opment PFB and Syed Fakhar Ali,Shah executive Director Welcomedwere also present on the occasion.
On Monday Sir lanka will faceAfghanistan. Syed Aqil Ali Shah, VicePresident Pakistan Olympic Associa-tion and Minister Sports KPK will bethe Chief Guest. The match will starton 2:00pm.
england have apoint to prove,says captain
GALLEafp
england captain Andrew Strauss onSunday urged his world number oneTest side to bounce back against Srilanka after the morale-sapping loss toPakistan."I think we've obviously got a point toprove," Strauss said ahead of the two-Test series starting at the Galle Interna-tional Stadium on Monday."We have to bounce back after those re-sults against Pakistan."england, who took over the top mantleafter a 4-0 rout of India at home lastsummer, crashed to an embarrassing 3-0 series whitewash by Pakistan in theUnited Arab emirates in January andFebruary.The failure of Strauss's men to adjust tospin-friendly wickets in Dubai and AbuDhabi raised questions about their abil-ity to win away from the seaming condi-tions at home.Sri lanka will offer little respite for thetourists, whose challenge to master theslow, turning wickets will be com-pounded by the oppressive heat and hu-midity prevailing on the island.Strauss, asked if the number one rank-ing was justified, insisted he preferred toconcentrate on the job at hand -- that ofbeating Sri lanka.
Murad have anultimate laugh
LAHOREStaff RepoRt
The race for the Royal Palm Champions titleultimately translated into a duel betweenSardar Murad and Mohsen Zafar on thefinal day of this two days 36 holes RoyalPalm Annual Golf Championship and whileothers had to be content with pursuing therunners up position these two golfers ofability were at each others throats through-out the final 18 holes. At the start of the day,Murad enjoyed a three-stroke lead overMohsen and at the end of the first nineholes Mohsen had reduced the deficit byone stroke. Mohsen completed the first nineholes in 36 with the help of a birdie on the7th hole, seven regulation pars and a birdieneutralising bogie. Murads performance onthe first nine holes boasted of eight pars anda bogie and a nine holes score of 37. As theplayers moved into the back nine stretch,noticeable was a bit of nervousness and lackof focus and apparent was erosion in thelevel of excellence. The double bogies onholes 16 and the vital 18th saw Mohsenschances go wayward and Sardar Muradlooked completely at ease as he putted forvictory and a glorious moment on the clos-ing 18th hole. Murad was a happy man andso were a large number of his supporters.With the national golf championship com-ing up next month at the Royal Palm GolfCourse, this should be a boost to his deter-mination to do well and as he said, "I haveto take time off from my business pursuitsand be seen on the golf course all 12 hoursof the day for the next three weeks". Othertop contenders ended up as follows:Mohsen Zafar, 73+79=149; Omer Salamat,75+79=154; Amir Mehmood, 77+85=162;Hamid Sharif, 81+86=167. In the CaptainsCup competition the victorious one turnedout to be Waheed Aslam with an outstand-ing closing round of net 66 and a two dayswinning aggregate of net 142. Through hisexcellence on the last day he surpassed thegood work done by Dr. nasrullah and MaxBabri. As a result Dr nasrullah had to becontent with the runners up slot and MaxBabri came third. Regarding the perform-ance of the two girls nushmiya Sukhera andKashfa Zafar competing with men they hadto be content with the fact that their scoreswere better than over 30 male competitors.
Sri Lanka plan spinassault on england
GALLEafp
Sri lanka will follow Pakistan's lead andconfront england with spin when thetwo-Test series starts in the coastal townof Galle on Monday. england, theworld's number one Test side, crashed toan embarrassing 3-0 series whitewash toPakistan in the United Arab emirates inJanuary and February. Off-spinnerSaeed Ajmal caused the maximum dam-age with 24 wickets, while left-arm slowbowler Abdur Rehman took 19 as eng-land struggled on the slow wickets inAbu Dhabi and Dubai. Mahela Jayawar-dene, returning as Sri lanka's captain ina Test match for the first time since2009, hopes his spinners will also inflictdamage on the tourists in helpful condi-tions. "We have an attack that can trou-ble the best on our wickets," saidJayawardene, who replaced TillakaratneDilshan as skipper after the tour ofSouth Africa earlier this year.
Sri Lanka thrash iran 15-0
royal PalM golF
Staff pHoto
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Sports 21Monday, 26 March, 2012
wATch IT LIve
ESPNSports Center
07:30PM
LAHORE: Guard Group
and Newage riders fight
for the ball during the
final. NaDeeM IJaz
KeY BIScAYNe: Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts to winning a point against Marcos Baghdatis ofcypress during the Sony ericsson Open at crandon Park Tennis center. AFP
KeY BIScAYNe: caroline wozniacki of Denmark in action against Petra cetkovska of the czechrepublic at crandon Park Tennis center. AFP
Djokovic, Federeradvance, Clijsters crashes
4 teams in semis LAHORE
Staff RepoRt
The semi-final stage was reached in the na-tional Bridge Championship in progress atthe bridge tables of lahore Gymkhana Club.JK team comprising international playerslike Masood Mazhar, Mirza Shauq Hussain,Tahir Abbas, Javed Khalid and FehminaShauq emerged as the leading team with ascore of 142 victory points(vp). These playershave shown considerable dominance andwon six matches on their way to the semifi-nals, beating their opponents comprehen-sively. Only the Preemptors had the honorof gaining an advantage over them in onematch. Other three teams who made it to thesemi finals are Precision Marathon, Preemp-tors from lahore and Century Insurance.Marathon comprises Tehsin Gheewala,Hasan Askari, Junaid Said, Farrukh liaqat,Mubashar Puri and Khalid. Incidentally allof them are internationals also. The Preemp-tors team consists of Asad Iqbal, SafdarMehmood, Jehangir Ahmed, Izzat Khalil,Ahsan Qureshi and Ghias Malik. As for Cen-tury Insurance, the team comprises AbdulKhaliq, Sheikh Abdul Muqeet, Asghar Abbasand Yawar Abbas. This team has indeed sur-prised all with their competitive play andtheir entry into the semifinals is a reflectionof their consistency. The semis will be con-tested over four segments, with one to beplayed late evening and three on Monday.
Sri Lankaups prices forengland Test
GALLEafp
Sri lanka's cricket chiefs have angeredfans by adopting a 10-fold increase inticket prices for the Test series againstengland starting on Monday. Daily ticketshave been priced at 5,000 and 7,500 Srilankan rupees ($39 dollars and $58 dol-lars), as compared to the 500 rupeescharged for the previous home seriesagainst Australia last year. "Feelings arerunning high in some quarters," BarmyArmy member Giles Wellington said. "Weknow we are lucky to be here, but we don'twant to feel we are being ripped off." Srilanka Cricket (SlC) officials admitted theprices for the two-Test series are higherthan before, but refuted suggestions thatengland fans were being charged morethan their local counterparts. "Yes, thereis a substantial increase from previoustours and the World Cup, but it's the samefor everyone," said SlC secretary nishan-tha Ranatunga. "Sri lankans are not pay-ing less. "We need to develop the game ofcricket in Sri lanka so whenever there isan opportunity and a demand for ticketsit is our policy to put prices up. We willget the best deal." Ranatunga, youngerbrother of Sri lanka's lone World Cupwinning captain Arjuna Ranatunga,said the high prices would not deterlocal fans. "We have seen a lot of Srilankans buying tickets at this price,"he said. "There's a demand for them."
MIAMIafp
DeFenDInG champ novakDjokovic and world no. 3Roger Federer both ad-vanced through the Miami
Masters second round in straight sets,but crowd favourite Kim Clijsterscrashed out of the women's draw. Topseed Djokovic easily defeated MarcosBaghdatis 6-4, 6-4 at the ATP/WTAMiami Masters hardcourt tournamenton Saturday.
Third-seeded Federer recorded his23rd win of 2012 by beating 19-year-old American wild card Ryan Harrison6-2, 7-6 (7/3). "I felt like I had to winthe match three times at the end, so Iwas relieved to come through," Federersaid. "And beating an American inAmerica is always a big deal, becausethis is here where they usually playtheir very best."
The Swiss superstar is bidding tocapture his third Indian Wells-Miamititle double, having also won the back-to-back US hardcourt Masters events in2005 and 2006. Federer has now won
40 of his past 42 matches since the2011 US Open semi-finals.
"I guess I'm more confident now. Ihave been playing really nice as oflate," Federer said. The 24-year-oldDjokovic now has 15 wins and just twolosses on the year. This was his firstmatch since losing in three sets toAmerican John Isner in the semis ofthe the Indian Wells Masters tourna-ment.
"I am really trying to have a posi-tive attitude," Djokovic said. "I'm hereto fight for the title just as all the otherplayers are and not to defend it."
Top seed Djokovic finished withtwo aces, one double fault and won 80percent of his first-serve points in the91 minute night match.
"I was working very hard these daysto get ready for this tournament, soevery win means to me a lot," Djokovicsaid. "So I'm really looking forward tothe next match." Djokovic advances tothe third round where he will squareoff against fellow Serb Viktor Troickiwho rallied to beat qualifier GuillermoGarcia-lopez 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Andy Roddick, the number 31 seed
and 2004 and 2010 champion inMiami, dropped nine points on hisserve and hit 10 aces to beat luxem-bourg's Gilles Muller 6-3, 6-2. TheAmerican, who is at his lowest rankingsince July 2001, won in 74 minutes.Roddick advances to face third seedFederer. Fifth seed David Ferrer, whoreached the 2005 and 2006 semi-fi-nals, converted four of 10 break-pointopportunities to beat 19-year-old Aus-tralian Bernard Tomic 6-4, 6-4.
France's Gael Monfils defeatedUkrainian qualifier Sergei Bubka -- theboyfriend of women's number one, Vic-toria Azarenka -- 6-4, 6-4 in 78 min-utes.
Monfils next faces Argentine 21stseed Juan Monaco. On the women'sside of the draw, Russian second seedMaria Sharapova eased her way intothe fourth round but Clijsters bit thedust after losing to Belgian compatriotYanina Wickmayer in straight sets.
Sharapova cruised into the nextround by dominating American quali-fier Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-2.
Sharapova, who is a three-timerunner-up in Miami, advances to face
unseeded Russian compatriot ekate-rina Makarova who beat Mona Barthelof Germany 6-2, 6-4.
Former world number one Clijsterssaved three match points against Wick-mayer, the 23rd seed, before losing 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in the third round.
"She definitely started off muchbetter and was more consistentthroughout," Clijsters said. "It wasclose. It's a little bit frustrating know-ing that I am playing not even 50 per-cent but it is still that close.
"On one hand I could have beatenher with the way that I was playing andfeeling, but she played good."
Clijsters, who was playing her firsttournament since an Australian Opensemi-final defeat by Azarenka, hadskipped last week's Indian Wells tour-nament to rest her injured ankle.
The 28-year-old won the Miamievent in 2005 and 2010.
American 10th seed SerenaWilliams breezed into the fourth roundwith a 6-2, 6-1 win over Italian number21 seed Roberta Vinci. Williams is play-ing her first tournament since a fourth-round exit at the Australian Open.
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Monday, 26 March, 2012 22
Published by Arif Nizami for Nawa Media Corporation (Pvt) Ltd at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore. Editor: Arif Nizami, Executive Editor: Sarmad Bashir
SEOULSaRmaD BaSHIR
PRIMe Minister YousufRaza Gilani will be one ofthe four keynote speakersat a two-day nuclear Secu-rity Summit beginning here
on Monday (today) with more than 50heads of state and representatives of in-ternational organisations participatingunder the shared goal of strengtheninginternational cooperation to combat thechallenges of nuclear terrorism.
The summit represents the joint effortof the global community to demonstratepractical measures to bolster nuclear se-curity. The focus of discussion will be onhow to translate the agreements reachedat the 2010 Washington nuclear Summitinto concrete actions. Strengthening ofnuclear security and safety, a major con-cern for the world powers following theFukushima accident in Japan last year,will also be discussed at this forum.
Gilani, who arrived here Sunday
night on a three-day visit along with For-eign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar andPakistan’s Ambassador to US SherryRehman, will present at the inauguraldinner the review of the “progress madeby Pakistan since the Washington Sum-mit”, while unveiling the steps conceivedby Pakistan to tackle nuclear terrorism.“He will make a strong case for non-dis-criminatory access to nuclear technologyfor peaceful uses, including nuclearpower generation, to meet our growingenergy,” said a Pakistani diplomat.
Gilani will also reiterate Islamabad’sstated position about the need for strength-ening the role of International Atomic en-ergy Agency (IAeA) and promoting synergyand coordination among the existing or-ganisations rather than setting up parallelinstitutions or adopting new mechanisms.
Pakistan was the first country to an-nounce its support for President BarackObama’s 2009 initiative aimed at securingnuclear weapons at vulnerable sites to pre-vent terrorists from acquiring them. Obamaacknowledged the safety and security of Pak-
istan’s nuclear programme, and it was afterthe positive statements made by him duringa newspaper interview and subsequentmedia interactions that Prime Minister Gi-lani participated in the Washington Summit.
looking from purely national perspec-tive, the PM’s meeting with the US presi-dent on Tuesday (tomorrow) on thesidelines of the summit will overshadow therest of the event. The two leaders are meet-ing at a time when the Pakistani parliamenthas already started debate on the new termsof engagements with the US following therecommendations of a high-powered par-liamentary committee which sought apol-ogy from Washington over Salala check postattacks, and an end to drone attacks. Whatactually brought the relations between thetwo countries to a record low was the covertoperation by the navy SeAlS in May 2011in Abbottabad against Osama bin laden.“The meeting will be an opportunity for thetwo sides to continue high-level consulta-tions on areas of mutual interest,” the WhiteHouse said in a statement issued on Satur-day afternoon.
Meanwhile, as the world leadersbegan converging in the South Koreancapital, President Obama made a sym-bolic visit to the world’s most militarisedborder on Sunday, striding into the sur-real Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separatingnorth and South Korea. The US presidentspent about 10 minutes at an observationpost, looking first towards north Korea,then back to the South. “The contrast be-tween South Korea and north Koreacould not be clearer, could not be starker,”Obama told American troops at the DMZ.That was a reference to the political free-dom and prosperity in South Korea, andthe repression and desperate food short-ages of the north. Obama’s visit to the de-militarised zone is being seen here as anattempt at keeping pressure on northKorea to back off the planned rocketlaunch and return to disarmament talks.Iran is going to be another target of hiscriticism for its refusal to support theglobal effort for nuclear security – theissue which is likely to dominate the sum-mit though it is not on the official agenda.
ISLAMABADoNlINe
A joint session of parliament will today(Monday) begin debate on new terms ofengagement with the US and the decisionon reopening of nATO supply routes.
The joint session would kick offwith the address of the leader of the op-position, which would likely focus onthe restoration of the nATO supplylines, drone attacks and ties with theUS. The joint session is likely to con-tinue for about seven days before votingon proposals about ties.
The session would hold a debate onthe important issues including review-ing the foreign police, ties with the US,restoration of nATO supply, and thewar on terror as well as drone attacks onPakistani soil. This joint session is beingconsidered as the most important in thehistory of Pakistan as it is for the firsttime that foreign policy will be reviewedby the representative of the people of thecountry. The Parliamentary Committeeon national Security had sent its recom-mendation on the terms of engagement
with the US a couple of weeks ago butthe session was delayed apparently dueto business of the government in inter-nal issues and parliament in the legisla-tion of the 20th Amendment.
However, official sources say per-sistent differences over key issueswithin the coalition parties and be-tween the ruling as well as the opposi-tion parties and voting on the proposedframework for the complicated part-nership caused the delay. The PCnSrecommendations had left some issuesvague, like drone attacks, resumptionof nATO supply and redlines the US isexpected to observe.
However, later the governmentdiscussed all the vague issues with themilitary leadership as well as its coali-tion partners and a strategy waschalked out as how to table a resolu-tion that could be smoothly passedthrough the parliament. After debat-ing the issues in parliament, a resolu-tion would be tabled for approval. oPPositioN: Meanwhile, the oppo-sition parties on Sunday said the gov-ernment’s resolution based on the
PCnS recommendations in the jointsession of parliament would be sup-ported if their suggestions were ac-commodated. The PMl-n, the JUI-F,the PPP-S are united in supporting aresolution provided their suggestionsare taken into consideration.
JUI-F spokesman Amjid Khansaid the opposition would not supportthe resolution if their suggestionswere ignored. “The head of our partywas part of the PCnS… how can weoppose it when we recommended it?But if it is ignored, we would stronglyoppose the resolution,” he said.
Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, headof the PPP-S and member of PCnS, didnot comment on differences within theopposition over support to the resolu-tion. However, he said a resolutionbased on the PCnS recommendationswould be acceptable.
Sources privy to the opposition’smeeting held on Saturday said JUI-Fchief Fazlur Rehman seems to be underpressure from his competitors in Difa-e-Pakistan Council to at least publiclyoppose such a resolution.
S Asian judiciaries
agree to collaborate
on enforcement of
environmental laws
BHURBANmaSooD ReHmaN
South Asian Conference onenvironmental Justice has agreed thatSouth Asian Judiciaries will collaboratein the process of enforcement ofenvironmental laws and shareinformation on environmentalchallenges and legal issues. Theparticipants of the South AsianConference, which concluded on Sunday,observed that the role of the judiciarywas pivotal in resolving theenvironmental issues, but it was equallyimportant that all stakeholders play theirassigned role in protecting theenvironment and institutions must beeffective, particularly from the point ofview of enforcement of orders anddirections. The participants agreed toshare the vision of the conference withother judicial members in theirrespective countries. It was agreed in theconference that the South AsianJudiciaries will collaborate amongthemselves and, as appropriate, engageothers in the process of enforcement ofenvironmental laws, to significantlyimprove the development,implementation, and enforcement of,and compliance of, environmental lawand collaborate to make an Action Planto achieve the same. It was also agreed toshare information on South Asiancountries’ common environmentalchallenges and, as appropriate, amongthe legal professionals, law schools, andthe general public. The conferenceagreed to share information onenvironmental challenges and legalissues, and best practices inenvironmental adjudication amongthemselves, acknowledging thedifferences among their respective legalsystems for the development of AsianJudges network on environmentwebsite. It agreed to strengthenspecialised environmental courts,tribunals/ green benches, where theyexist and consider establishing themwhere they do not exist and specialisedenvironment trainings/programs forjudiciary and other members of the legalfraternity. It was further agreed to seekto ensure that judicial decisions onenvironmental cases are made availableto the public and shared within the AsianJudges’ network on environment,encourage law schools to includeenvironmental law in their respectivescheme of studies and legal professionalassociations/judicial academies toprovide continuing legal education thatincludes environmental law andjurisprudence.
BUKaVU: pakistani soldiers serving at UN mission in the Democratic Republic of congo parade at a ceremony to award UN medals to pakistani troops. inP
Seoul nuclear summit kicks offwith hopes to make world saferg PM gilani among four keynote speakers g Obama visits ‘Demilitarized Zone’ at North-South Korea border
Parliament opens debate on US ties today g Opposition to conditionally support reopening of NATO supply routes
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