e-paper pakistantoday 21st april, 2012

Crash caused by outdated plane, Caa negligence

Human limbs litter planecrash site

Islamabad-Peshawar edition saturday, 21 april, 2012 Jamadi-ul-awal 28, 1433rs 15.00 Vol II No 294 28 Pages

a private airliner with 127 people on board crashed in bad weather as it came in to

land in Islamabad on Friday, scattering wreckage and leaving no sign of survivors.

the Boeing 737, operated by Bhoja air, was flying to the capital from Karachi. It

crashed more than five miles (nine km) from

the international airport. residents said they had seen a

ball of fire in the sky when the plane crashed,

making it one of the worst air crashes in

the last five years.

Disaster in the air

ISLAMABAD: Rescue personnel remove the covered remains of victims at the site of a plane crash in the outskirts of Islamabad on Friday. AFP

story | Page 03

list of passengersPage 02

Page 03

PDF E-Paper LHR_Layout 1 4/21/2012 3:33 AM

02Saturday, 21 april, 2012

News

Today’s

LookQuick

iSlamabad

Story on Page 08

nEWS

Story on Page 06

cartoon

Page 13

PNCA invites students to showcase talent in music Govt incapable of resolving Balochistan woes: Imran

Seat chart:Number of adults: 110Children: 6Infants: 5ToTal passengers: 121

Crew members: 6

Below is a list of passengerswho had checked in:

1. Abbas Ali2. Abida Javed Malik3. Adeel Chughtai4. Aiman Ikram5. Altamash Khan6. Anisa Akbar7. Anum Hussain8. Asif Aftab9. Asmaa Ahmad10. Ataur Rehman11. Azizur Rehman12. Baqir Mehdi13. Bibi Hameeda14. Chand Baboo15. Chd Faiq16. Dilshad Kamaal17. Dr Abdul Qadir18. Dr Asadullah19. Fahira Laiq20. Farah Sajid21. Fatima22. Fehmeeda Zubair23. Farooq Qasmi24. Ghulam Rehman25. Gul26. Gul Faraz27. Gul Sharif Jana28. Gul Zaman29. Habibur Rehman30. Hafeezur Rehman31. Hafsa Chughtai32. Hafsa Shahid33. Haleema Sadia34. Hamida Khadima 35. Haris Haris36. Husun Nisa37. Imran Waheed38. Irfan Ali39. Javed Akhtar Malik40. Javed Iqbal41. Kalo Abbasi42. Khwaja Raziuddin43. Liauqat Ali44. Masooda Begum45. Mishir Jan46. Atiq Khan47. Mohammad Latif48. Mohammad Latif49. Moiz Sadiq50. Mrs Khalida51. Ms Yumna52. Abdul Hafeez53. Anwar Khan54. Ashfaq Khan55. Muhammad Farooq56. Muhammad Irfan57. Muhammad Irfan58. Muhammad Qasim59. Shahnawaz60. Muhammad Sohail

61. Muhammad Younus62. Abdullah63. Mujtaba Siyal64. Mukhan Jan65. Munawar Sultana66. Musarrat Shaheen67. Nadir Khan Fazaldad68. Nasreen69. Nazmeen70. Nighat Mehdi71. Nihaluddin Alvi72. Nisar Ahmed73. Nuzhat74. Qamar Aftab75. Qari MuhammadAbdul Rahman76. Rakh Shanda77. Rakhshanda78. Rashida Rehman79. Raza Ali Khan Feroz80. Ree Han81. SM Saud Ishaq82. Saba Amber83. Sadaf Baloch84.Sadaf Tanveer85. Saeed Khan86. Saeeda Akhtar87. Sania Abbas88. Sarah Chughtai89. Sardar Shah90. Sarwat Mumtaz91. Shabbir Ahmad 92. Shahid Iqbal93. Shamima Abdullah94. Shazia Baloch95. Sobia Ubaid96. Suleiman Chughtai97. Sumaiyah Chughtai98. Muhammad Amjad99. Muhammad Rizwan100. Syed Omar Ali101. Syed Sajjad Ali Rizvi102. Amjad Shaheen103. Syeda Rizwan Sufia104. Tabbasum Sarwat105. Tabia Rehman106. Talat Mahmood 107. Tanveer Jan108. Tariq Mehmood109. Tasadouq Mahmood110. Tasneem Begum111. Tuba Shewar112. Usman Rahim113. Usman Rasheed114. Uzma Inam115. Wajat Abbasi116. Waji Ha117. Yasmin Muhammad 118. Zaheer Shah119. Zahida Aziz120. Zaibun Nisa121. Zuhra BegumCrew members:Captain Noor AfridiOfficer Javed MalikHead of Cabin AmmadPurser Ghazala Malik

air HosTessPrincess FlaviaSanam Fareed

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

hough Though the ill-

fated aircraft was

believed to have

crashed due to bad

weather conditions,

aviation experts fix the

responsibility of the

accident on the Pakistan

Civil Aviation Authority

(CAA) and management of

the Bhoja Airline.

Speaking to Pakistan

Today, a senior aviation

expert revealed that it

was routine practice in

private airlines,

especially in budget

carriers, that pilots were

hard pressed to land in

all circumstances to

avoid explanation.

Sometimes, a single diversion

could cost the captain his job

due to cut throat competition

in the aviation industry, they

underscored and added, “But

it is a job of the aviation

regulator, Civil Aviation

Authority, to ensure

enforcement of

aviation rules.”

Responding to a question,

aviation experts stressed that

working practices in CAA were

not much different from other

government departments.

“one cannot move a single

paper from one office to

another without paying

underhand. officials in the

CAA are virtually selling death

warrants to airlines as no

airline could get Air operation

Certificate (AoC) or Air

Worthiness Certification

(AWC) without paying bribes,”

they alleged.

They said that political

appointments in CAA had further

compromised the capacity and

capability of the CAA. “Almost

on all key positions retired

Pakistan Air Force and Army

Aviation officials are posted,

who do not have any experience

of commercial airline operation,”

they added.

Answering about the age of the

aircraft, aviation experts

indicated that as the aircraft

was some 27 years old and had

completed its age, this aspect

should not be ignored that the

ill-fated aircraft hull (outer

shell of the aircraft body) could

not sustain the high air

pressure and caught fire, they

concluded.

Manmohangrieved

ISLAMABADAPP

Indian Prime Minister DrManmohan Singh Fridayexpressed deep grief andsorrow over the tragic aircrash at Islamabad that killed127 people. In a message toPrime Minister Yousaf RazaGilani, the Indian primeminister conveyed his deepestcondolences to the families ofthose who lost their lives inthis unfortunate incident.Manmohan Singh said he wasdeeply grieved over the airtragedy that lead to loss of somany precious lives. “I praythat the Almighty will grantthem the strength to beartheir loss. Our thought andprayers are with the peopleof Pakistan in this time ofgrief,” the Indian PrimeMinister said.ISLAMABAD: A plane wheel lies amongst debris at the crash site. AFP


HUSSAIN ABADAFP

The smell of burning filled the air atthe scene of Friday’s deadly planecrash on the outskirts of Islamabad,where chunks of charred wreckagelay scattered across farmland.

The Bhoja Air Boeing 737 fromKarachi came down at dusk as ittried to land at the city’s airport in athunderstorm and officials say thereis no hope of any of those on board,believed to number up to 130, sur-viving. Rescue workers in orangejumpsuits and local residents usedtorches to search through the wreck-

age after nightfall, assisted by sol-diers carrying assault rifles.

Part of the airline’s name couldbe read on a large section of rippedwhite fuselage from the passengercabin. Witnesses described seeinghuman limbs strewn over a wide areaspattered with blood and an AFP re-porter saw plane oxygen masks andluggage littering the wheat fieldsaround the village of Hussain Abad.A long row of coloured sheets at theedge of the fields covered the remainsof victims recovered from the crashsite so far. Part of the plane’s wing fellon a house in the village. The ownerIntezar Hussain said it damaged a

balcony but caused no casualties.“The plane came down with hugenoise,” his son Jaffer Hussain said.“Its pilot perhaps tried to land intothe farmland. It hit trees and ex-ploded,” he said.

“It all happened in front of myeyes. I rushed away to save my life.When I looked back I saw flames werecoming out of the plane. “It crashed inheavy rains. There was thunder also.”A large section of wing with the airlinelogo and an engine could be seenamong the debris. There were emo-tional scenes at Islamabad airport asdistraught relatives wept bitterly forthe victims of the crash. “I had come

to receive my newly wed son anddaughter-in-law. My son Sajjad Alimarried only 20 days back. He wascoming with his wife Sania Abbastoday, I had come to receive the cou-ple,” said one heartbroken old man. Inthe southern city of Karachi, hundredsof people gathered outside the airportto inquire about relatives who had de-parted on the flight to Islamabad.

Women, men and children wereseen crying after finding the names ofloved ones on the list of passengersdisplayed by the airline. “My wife wason the plane, she was alone, going tosee her parents,” said Arshad Hussain,27, tears rolling down his cheeks.


NewsforEign nEWS

Story on Page 17

artS & EntErtainmEnt

Story on Page 15

SPortS

Story on Page 18

Syria activists call protests as bomb kills 10 Priyanka delays ‘Barfi!’ Pak tour, ICC presidency not related, says Kamal

commEntWarts and all:

articles on Page 12-13

The government’s mixed report card

Anger and apology:At the same time

Arif Nizami:

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad:

Terms of endearment: Will the current Indo-Pak goodwill last?

Peace and profits: The new ambassadors of amityRaoof Hasan:The inevitable question: Portents of a serious aberration

Human limbs litter plane crasH site

ISLAMABADTAHIR NIAz/KASHIF ABBASI

BHOJA Air’s inaugural flight from Karachi toIslamabad crashed just three kilometres awayfrom the Islamabad airport late on Fridayevening, resulting in the deaths of 127 peopleon board, including six crew members.

The crashing plane also razed to ground some houses inthe Hussain Abad area, a suburb of the twin cities,minutes before it was to land at the IslamabadInternational Airport in unfavourable-to-fly conditions.The weather in Islamabad region was windy, cloudy and itwas raining, however, no casualty was reported on theground.Friday’s air crash is the second of a private airline’s planein the last two years.Six children, five infants, 68 women and 53 men wereonboard the unfortunate Islamabad-bound flight.President Asif Ali Zardari was among several importantpersonalities expressing grief over the tragedy and askedfor an enquiry report immediately.PIA announced that it would fly the family members of thecrash victims from Karachi to Islamabad in the morningtoday (Saturday).The plane, a 27-year-old Boeing 737-200, took off fromKarachi airport at 5pm and was supposed to land at theIslamabad Airport at 7pm, but harsh weather barred theplane from making it to the runway without an accident.According to sources in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA),the plane lost contact with the Air Traffic Control at6:40pm after it was given clearance to land.Captain Noor Afridi was flying the plane in which,according to the CAA sources, no foreigner was travelling.Witnesses said the plane was up in flames even before itcrashed to the ground. Military and civilian rescue teams, including Civil Defence,Rescue 1122 and Islamabad Police, rushed to the site ofthe accident immediately after it occurred. An emergencywas declared in military and civil hospitals, as the YoungDoctors’ Association also called off its strike to join therescue operation.The wreckage of the plane was scattered across a radius ofover a kilometre. Rescue teams said several of therecovered bodies of passengers were beyond recognition.Sniffer dogs had also been called in to help find the dead.Reports said rescue officials had succeeded in locating theplane’s black box.Bhoja Air had only just re-launched its domesticoperations with a fleet of five 737s in March this year andFriday’s flight to Islamabad was its first from Karachisince. The airline had been grounded in 2000 by the CAAamid financial difficulties, reports said.Long queues of cars and people were seen scuttling in andaround the Islamabad airport, waiting to hear somehopeful news about the ill-fated flight.A man who had been waiting at the Benazir BhuttoInternational Airport for the flight only managed toscream “my two daughters are dead”, tears running downhis face. He then collapsed to the floor in shock and satsilently as other relatives of passengers crowded aroundlists of those on board. An uncle of the sisters, 18 and 20,said they were supposed to return to Islamabad onSunday, but flew early to see an aunt who was visitingfrom London.“We don’t even know when or where we will get to seetheir bodies,” said the uncle, Qamar Abbas, who keptmumbling “no, no, no” to himself. Nearby, relatives ofpassengers hugged each other and sobbed. One man cried“my kids, my kids”.Among them was Zarina Bibi, desperate to determinewhether her husband was on the flight. “He called mebefore leaving Karachi but I don’t know if he was on thisflight,” she said, eyes red from crying.“There is no chance of any survivors. It will be only amiracle. The plane is totally destroyed,” police officialFazle Akbar told a foreign news agency.Rescue crews were combing through the charred wreckageof the plane through the night, as TV footages keptshowing passengers’ belongings – clothes, shoes, jewellery– and disbelieving relatives up in wails.Former CAA DG Junaid Ameen said bad weather wasusually not the cause of plane crashes, because planes hadequipment which helped deal with the situation. “Planesare designed to fly in bad weather.”

KARACHI: Relatives mourn the death of a loved one at the Karachi airport. reuTers

ISLAMABAD: Rescue workers search through the debris for survivors. AFP



News

QUETTAAGENCIES

PAKISTAN Tehreek-e-In-saaf (PTI) Chairman ImranKhan on Friday blamedPML-N President NawazSharif for the deteriorating

situation in Balochistan, saying he per-suaded the APDM to boycott the 2008election.

Addressing a massive public rallyon Friday, Imran said the boycott ofelections by the APDM at the behest ofNawaz led to the deterioration in lawand order.

He said Nawaz had to gather peoplefor his meetings by distributing laptops.

The PTI chief said there was no lawand order in Balochistan and peoplewere tired of killings and kidnappings.

He said military operation was notthe solution of any issue and the re-sources of Balochistan should be uti-lized for the betterment of the province.

Imran said the PTI had come toBalochistan to break the shackles offear across the province. He said hadthe rulers been able to provide justiceto the people, they would not have tohide behind walls today.

Imran mentioned the Rs 110 billionannounced for Balochistan in the NFCAward, asking “where has this moneyhad gone”? He said until corrupt rulerswere present, the money would con-

tinue to disappear.The PTI chairman vowed to unite

all segments of Balochistan and bringpeace to the area. He said there was nomilitary solution to the problem andthey would talk with Baloch leaders andpoliticians. He said if educated peopleleft the province, it would not makeprogress.

He asked Baloch leaders outside thecountry to talk to the PTI leadership,which would not be a slave of any one.He said they would bring peace toBalochistan not through FC, but policeby making the department free frompolitical interference.

He said the rulers had no capabilityto deal with the situation in Balochis-

tan.Imran said the incumbent rulers

used military force when they were notcapable to handle the deteriorating lawand order, however, military operationwas no solution to a problem.

“The US used military force inAfghanistan but failed, similarly Indiafailed in Kashmir,” Imran added.

He said all issues would be resolvedpolitically.

He also sympathised with the fam-ily members of missing persons and as-sured that justice would prevail oncePTI came to power.

He said the PTI would spend all re-sources of Balochistan on the people ofthe province.

Govt incapable of resolving

Balochistan woes: Imrang Pti chief blames nawaz Sharif for balochistan crisis; invites exiled baloch leaders for talks

QUETTA: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan addresses a public gathering in Ayub Stadium on Friday. ONLINe

RAWALPINDIONLINE

The rescue operation at the Gayari site is being carriedout round the clock since an avalanche hit the base,the ISPR said on Friday.

Rise in temperature has not only increased thechances of slides being triggered onto work site buthas also made plant work difficult due to soft meltingsnow.

Work is being hampered by large boulders and thesite is being expanded to bypass these boulders andcontinue excavation work.

The Norwegian team conducted steam test fol-lowed by aerial shoots of the avalanche site for mapwork to be utilised by engineers during excavation ofthe site. The team has completed its work and there isno major deviation from existing findings.

A total of 503 personnel including 425 military, 78civilians along with 25 heavy machines are employedon search and rescue effort.

Water level in the blocked channel is rising quicklydue to rise in temperature and resultantly it is meltingsnow. Excavator is working to widen existing seepagefrom the channel.

However, no major breakthrough has been

achieved so far. Wapda team has completed hydrolog-ical survey of the blocked water channel and has rec-ommended immediate excavation of the channel to

route the water.Ground penetrating radars and geological techni-

cal experts are assisting rescue efforts.

No major breakthrough insiachen rescue efforts: IsPr

JSQm calls for

province-wide

strike todayLARKANA

NNI

Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM)has announced province-wide wheeljam and shutter down strike today(Saturday) against the fake andobscure postmortem report of lateNationalist JSQM leader BashirKhan Qureshi.The JSQM workers and leaders inevery city and town of Sindh took outrallies to distribute handbills andappealed all the civil society,business community and transportservices to shut their business androutine activities to support theJSQM call against the fake andfabricated reports of their leader’sdeath.Several other Nationalist groups andpolitical parties among PakistanMuslim League and others supportedthe JSQM call for the strike today.

Sc summons four

mPs, including,

malik in dual

nationality petitionISLAMABAD

INP

The Supreme Court has sought a replyfrom four parliamentarians includingInterior Minister Rehman Malik andFaranaz Asphani in a case of dualnationality of the members ofparliament. A three-judge bench headed by ChiefJustice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhryheard the petition pertaining to thedual nationalities of the MPs. During the hearing, the deputyattorney general submitted thatRehman Malik has sought time to replyin this case. The CJP said the court did not servenotices on Rehman Malik and FarahNaz Asphani as it did look decent.The petitioner told the court that morethan 24 parliamentarians hold dualnationalities on which the deputyattorney general replied that dualnationality holder becomes ineligibleto become parliamentarian underArticle 63 of the Constitution. JusticeTariq Pervez remarked that RehmanMalik should deny if the allegationsleveled against him were false.Adjourning the hearing till May 8, theSupreme Court sought reply fromFarah Naz Asphani, Rehman Malik,Iftikhar Nazir and Zahid Iqbal afterdeclaring them respondents in thecase. The petition has been filed byMahmood Akhtar seekingdisqualification of lawmakers holdingdual nationalities.

Woman injured

in gujranwala

acid attackGUJRANWALA

NNI

A woman was injured when unidentifiedmen threw acid on her on Friday.According to police, unidentifiedmiscreants threw acid on a womanidentified as Fozia in village Barranwali ofGujranwala district. The woman is amother of three children. Her face andbody have received serious burn woundsand she is being treated at a localhospital. Doctors said her condition wasserious. Police have registered a caseagainst the unknown miscreants andstarted investigation.



News

PESHAWARREUTERS

THE withdrawal of most com-bat troops from Afghanistanat the end of 2014 has raisedquestions from Kabul toBrussels to Washington

about the potential chaos that may followif the Taliban press to take over again.

Few people are as worried about whatthe pullout could trigger next door in nu-clear-armed Pakistan as Lieutenant-Gen-eral Khalid Rabbani, commander of thefrontline corps fighting militants in thenorthwest of the country.

Sitting in his office in the heavily-for-tified headquarters of the XI Corps in Pe-shawar - one of the Pakistan cities worsthit by suicide bombings - he speaks anx-iously about creating the right percep-tions as the foreign troop exit approaches.

If the Taliban are seen as the victorsin any way, that could be disastrous forPakistan, emboldening home-grown Tal-iban militants, who are close to al Qaeda,to step up their campaign to topple theU.S.-backed Islamabad government.

“If they are leaving and giving a no-tion of success to the Taliban ofAfghanistan, this notion of success may

have a snowballing effect on to the threatmatrix of Afghanistan,” Rabbani toldReuters in an interview this week.

“On our side, it may give impetus tothe already dying down so-called Tehrik-e-Taliban’s (Pakistan Taliban) effort overhere.”

Rabbani has good reason to worry,even though he and other military offi-cials say security crackdowns have hurtthe Pakistani Taliban.

“Our friends on the other side knowexactly where they are because we com-municate it to them. But they have capac-ity issues,” said Rabbani, referring toWestern and Afghan forces.

“I wonder, that if the superpowersand the Western world operating on theother side, they have capacity issues, wecertainly have them too.”

Critics say Pakistan has created amajor security threat along the border bysupporting militant groups for decades,an allegation Islamabad denies.

“ C o U n T e r p r o D U C T i V e ”Drone sTriKes: Rabbani took com-mand at a time of deep crisis in relationsbetween Washington and Islamabad, aweek after a cross-border NATO air at-tack killed 24 Pakistan soldiers on No-vember 26.

Pakistan’s parliament recently con-cluded a review of ties with the UnitedStates, recommending that the govern-ment demand an end to American dronestrikes in the nation’s tribal areas.

Even though analysts say dronestrikes which kill high-profile al Qaeda orTaliban militants are not possible withoutPakistani intelligence assistance, thecampaign fuels anti-American senti-

ments.Rabbani acknowledged the strikes

can be effective, but said they also killcivilians and are counterproductive.

“You kill five, and you’re making 50more enemies. It’s very clear arithmetic.This is the arithmetic that we’re trying tomake them understand,” he said, addingthat instead intelligence should be sharedso that Pakistan can act.

“They may indicate (a target), we’llpound it with the precision shooting ofour F-16s. So it can be done, it has beendone at one or two places. Why can’t thismodel be followed, we keep on tellingthem this is a possible model to be fol-lowed.” Washington has repeatedly urgedPakistan to mount a full-scale assault onNorth Waziristan and go after theHaqqani network, one of the deadliestAfghan insurgent groups. Rabbani saidthe region near the Afghan border was amajor security risk, but repeated the offi-cial line that Pakistan will set its owntimetable for any operation in the area.

“Something has to be done withNorth Waziristan. The sooner the bet-ter. And we are already looking into itas to how we are going to deal with it,”he said. “We will have our own time anddecision to go.”

FAISALABAD: Police arrest women who were protesting outside the sessions court on Friday against the registration of a case against a 15-year-old boy. ONLINe

Perceptions of Afghan Taliban

victory dangerous: Gen Rabbani

ISLAMABADAFP

The weekend attacks on Kabul, blamed bythe US on the Pakistan-linked Haqqani net-work, will strengthen Washington’s hand intalks with Islamabad over drone strikes andNATO supply routes, analysts say.

The US ambassador to AfghanistanRyan Crocker said Thursday the attacks —the biggest to hit the Afghan capital in 10years of war — were planned by Haqqanileaders in North Waziristan, in Pakistan’slawless tribal belt.

US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton saidWashington will continue to urge Pakistanto “squeeze” the Haqqani network, com-ments echoed by Crocker, who said the US

was “pressing the Pakistanis very hard” foraction against the militants.

A senior official with Pakistan’s power-ful intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intel-ligence (ISI), told AFP that after whathappened in Kabul this kind of pressurefrom Washington was expected.

“Our apprehension right from the be-ginning has been that the US will use theKabul attacks as a pretext to resume dronestrikes with increased vigour, put pressureon Pakistan to launch operations in NorthWaziristan and re-open the NATO supplyroute,” the official said.

Islamabad and Washington are trying topatch up a fractured relationship thatlurched from crisis to crisis last year andreached a low after a US air strike inadver-

tently killed 24 Pakistani soldiers at a borderpost in November.

Pakistan closed its border to convoyssupplying NATO troops in Afghanistan inresponse to that incident and a parliamen-tary review of ties last week called for an endto US drone strikes within Pakistani terri-tory.

Analysts say the Kabul attacks give theUS greater scope to lean on Pakistan in talksto reopen the supply lines and continuedrone strikes.

“The US pressure can increase in futureboth in terms of re-opening NATO suppliesor taking action against the Haqqanis,” se-curity analyst Hasan Askari said.

“Re-opening of the supply route is thetop and foremost priority for the US. If Pak-

istan does not re-open the supply route, thenthey will exert all sorts of pressures.”

Islamabad denies any support forHaqqani activities, but former US militarychief Admiral Mike Mullen has describedthe network as a “veritable arm” of the ISI.

The United States blames the Haqqanis,who are closely affiliated with the Taliban,for fuelling the 10-year insurgency inAfghanistan, attacking US-led NATO troopsand working to destabilise the Western-backed government of Afghan PresidentHamid Karzai.

Washington significantly stepped up de-mands last year on Pakistan to take actionagainst the network, which it blames for aseries of attacks including a 19-hour siege ofthe American embassy in Kabul on Septem-

ber 13.But Pakistan’s military says it is over-

stretched fighting local Taliban to launch anoffensive against the Haqqanis in NorthWaziristan, a stronghold of Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants.

“There is no question of any new mili-tary offensive in North Waziristan as ourtroops are currently engaged in consolidat-ing the gains in other northwestern andtribal regions, where operations were earlierconducted,” the ISI official said.

Drone strikes are resented in Pakistanas violations of sovereignty, despite the factthat they have at times worked in Islam-abad’s favour, such as when they killed Pak-istani Taliban founder Baitullah Mehsud inAugust 2009.

Kabul attacks will help us press Pakistan: analysts

india’s new missile

‘operational in

two years’NEW DELHI

AFP

India’s new long range missile, capable ofdelivering a nuclear warhead anywhere inChina, will be operational within two years,its developers said Friday, a day after theweapon’s maiden test.The state-run Defence Research andDevelopment Organisation (DRDO), whichbuilt the Agni V, also rejected the prospectof India “capping” its missile programmejust because it had now had a weapon withan intercontinental reach.“We will carry out two more tests of Agni Vwhich will take about one-and-a-half years,and after that the production of the missilewill commence and we will start handing itover to the military,” DRDO chief V.K.Saraswat said.“When it reaches the military they will starttraining and so a maximum time of twoyears is needed to operationalise Agni V,”he told reporters.India successfully tested the Agni V, whichhas a range of 5,000 kilometres (3,100miles) and could potentially hit targets inEurope, on Thursday, triggering anoutpouring of national pride.With its ability to strike across the Chinesemainland, the missile is seen as marking asignificant upgrade of India’s nucleardeterrent. India and China, each with apopulation of more than one billion, haveprickly relations and a legacy of mistrustthat stems from a brief but bloody borderwar in 1962. Saraswat, who describedThursday’s test as “textbook perfect,”rejected suggestions that the Agni V meantIndia had achieved its regional strategicobjectives and so had no need of morepowerful, even longer-range missiles. “Ourdevelopment needs are based upon today’sthreats and also evolving threats,” he said.

US helicopter crashes

in afghanistanWASHINGTON

AFP

A US Black Hawk helicopter crashed insouthwestern Afghanistan on Thursdaywith four people believed to be onboard, likely American soldiers, a USdefense official told AFP. “We’reassuming they’re American,” said theofficial, adding he could not confirmwhether those on board had been killedor wounded in the incident. The officialadded that poor weather had likely beena factor, but cautioned that nothing wasbeing ruled out. “The crash site issecured; the cause is underinvestigation. Additional informationwill be released as appropriate,” NATO’sInternational Security Assistance Force(ISAF) said in a statement. In NATOterms, southwestern Afghanistanincludes Nimruz and Helmandprovinces, where nearly 20,000 USMarines are stationed. While helicoptercrashes occur with some regularity inAfghanistan, ISAF says they are rarelythe result of Taliban fire. On March 16,12 Turkish soldiers and two civilianswere killed in a chopper crash in theAfghan capital Kabul.


Saturday, 21 april, 2012

ISLAMABAD: Senator Talha Mehmood speaks at a luncheon in honour of Hazara Journalists’ Association at his residence. sTAFF PhOTO

ISLAMABADAPP

A three-day nationwide polio-eradica-tion campaign will commence fromMonday throughout the country to ad-minister anti-polio drops to childrenbelow five years.

According to an official of PrimeMinister’s Polio Monitoring Cell, 34million children will be immunisedagainst polio by 77,072 house-to-houseteams during the drive.

He said each team comprises twomembers while 9,704 special fixed cen-tres will also provide vaccination facil-ity. Besides, 5,497 special transit teamswill be working to cover children travel-

ling during the campaign days.He said the federal government has

provided 39.1 million doses of polio vac-cine to the provinces and the deputycommissioners have been directed tolead the campaign.

He said the prime minister has re-quested all parliamentarians to super-vise and support the campaign in theirconstituencies. Chief ministers, gover-nors and political as well as religiousleaders will be inaugurating the cam-paign in their provinces and areas.

Motorway police will be providingvaccination services at all toll plazasthroughout the country. The campaignin three districts of Balochistan—Quetta, Killa Abdulah and Pishin—will

be held on May 7 whereas date for cam-paign in Gilgit-Baltistan and AzadJammu and Kashmir will be announcedsoon.

He said that if any child is missedduring the campaign, his or her parentsmay contact on helpline number for im-mediate response from immunisationteams. He said the main focus will be onmost vulnerable areas to protect thechildren from the crippling disease.

Meanwhile, the provincial healthdepartments have asked all healthworkers and volunteers to leave nostone unturned in reaching every child.They also requested parents to makesure that all their children under fiveyears of age receive the polio vaccine

during the three-day campaign.19 outlaws arrested: Police on Fri-day arrested 19 outlaws and recoveredcharas, liquor and illegal weapons fromtheir possession. According to a policespokesman, Bani police held Khasta Gulwith 1,100 grams of charas and Ziaullahwith 1.15kg charash while Waris Khanpolice arrested Imran with 160 grams ofcharas.

RA Bazaar police nabbed Banarasand recovered 115 grams of charas fromhim and held Dilawar for possessingfour bottles of liquor.

Pirwadhi police held Gul Nazir onthe charges of having 10 bottles ofliquor while Rata Amral police arrestedYameen with two bottles of liquor.

iESco power suspension notice

ISLAMABADAPP

The Islamabad Electric Supply Compnay(IESCO) on Friday issued a power suspensionprogramme for various areas due to necessarymaintenance and routine development work.According to an IESCO spokesman, powersupply of the areas falling under the followinggrid stations/feeders would remain suspendedas under: On April 21 (today): from 9am to1pm, Angori Feeder, Judicial Town, Satra Mile,Samli, Chaka Behgwal, Dk Badam, Chatar, Ba-nati, Company Bagh feeder, Bansra Gali, Com-pany Bagh, Treat, Berote feeder, Bansra Gali,Ghora Gali, Tratch, Upper Topa feeder, Kash-mir Point, Ghora Phapril, Lower Topa, BariImam, Saidpur, Chuntra and Pir Sohawa.On April 22 (Sunday): from 6am to 12noon,Industrial feeder, Pirwadhai feeder, Mongtalfeeder, Hally Road feeder, Bagh Sardaranfeeder, DM Textile feeder and Quaidabadfeeder. On April 23 (Monday): from 9am to1pm, Pindi Point feeder, Clita More, Numbal,Sehniw, Kohallah feeder, Rawat, Osia, Dewal,PAF feeder, Army Area and PAF Base. From 8am to 12pm, Quaid-e-Azam Hospitalfeeder, Quaid-e-Azam Hospital, Charing Corssfeeder, Charing Cross, Gulnar Colony, CobbDivision, Golra feeder, Nasirabad, ShamsColony, Dhok Qadir Bakhsh, Sain MirchooDarbar, Jhangi feeder, 26 No Chungi, TarnolChowk, Dhok Miskeen, Banjial, PAF Society,PECHS Society, P&T feeder, Shams Town,Faisal Colony, Dhok Malihar, BudhanaBanzeer Chowk, CWO feeder and CWO. From8:30am to 1:30pm, Asghar Mall feeder, 4thRoad feeder, Sadiqabad feeder, A-Block feeder,Asghar Mall Scheme, Sadiqabad, Murree Roadand A-Block. CHange of syllabUs irKs sTU-DenTs, parenTs: Students of federalgovernment schools (FGS) and their parentshave protested against change in syllabus.

The change in the syllabus of class 5 hascaused embarrassment among the studentsas they have already spent one month study-ing the old syllabus.

“This is an anti-people act of the gov-ernment as we all are from low-paid classof employees. We already purchased booksfor our children at high cost and after onemonth the decision to change the syllabushas been taken. This will be unbearable forus as we cannot afford to purchase new syl-labus with our meager salaries,” saidMuhammad Ali, naib qasid in some privateorganisation.

ISLAMABADAPP

THE Punjab govern-ment on Friday dis-tributed laptopsamong 1,517 talentedstudents of the four

provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK.The laptops were by Pakistan Mus-lim League-N President NawazSharif at a ceremony held in Islam-abad, said a press release. Amongthe students who were given laptopsincluded 416 from Azad Kashmir,386 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 95from Balochistan, 140 from Sindhand 480 from Punjab. The studentslauded the services of the Punjabgovernment for promotion of sci-ence education among the youth andallocating considerable budget forthe facilities like laptops. They saiddistributing laptops among studentsfrom the four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK was a good stepand would help the recipients excelin their education.

iiUi faculty members welcomeaSa panel

ISLAMABADAPP

The faculty members of International Is-lamic University on Friday welcomedthe recently elected panel of AcademicStaff Association (ASA).The following office bearers were electedunopposed in the said election: Profes-sor Dr. Muhammad Sher Joyia (Presi-dent), Ata Ulla Watto (Vice-President,Male), Miss Zara Sabeen (Vice-Presi-dent, Female), Dr Zafar Iqbal Baloch(General Secretary), Ameer Usman(Joint Secretary, Male), Miss ShaguftaKhanum (Joint Secretary, Female), Faizur Rehim (Finance Secretary) andMuhammad Aamir Khan (InformationSecretary).The faculty members of the universitywelcomed the unopposed election ofASA and they called it a good omen tomaintain solidarity between IIUIteachers.

blood test helps doctorsdiagnose depression in adolescents

ISLAMABADAPP

Using a simple blood test may one dayhelp doctors to better differentiate be-tween clinical depression and normalmood swings in adolescents, US scientistssays.Early diagnosis of clinical depressionamong teens can significantly help theirtreatment and restore their social andpersonal life. It can also reduce their riskof substance abuse, physical illnesses andsuicide, Iranian Press TV reported. Differ-entiating between early-onset major de-pressive disorder or MMD and normalteenage angst is one of the main chal-lenges for families and physicians.In a pilot study of 28 teenagers, re-searchers of Northwestern Universitydemonstrated that depression could be di-agnosed through a panel of 11 geneticmarkers, says the report published in thejournal Translational Psychiatry.The team tested blood samples of partici-pants for 26 genetic markers of major de-pression that they had previouslyidentified in lab rats. They found that 11markers showed up in depressed teens butnot in their healthy counterparts.“The idea is that if you have an objectivemeasure that is similar to any other labtest, it will bring mental illness into thesame arena as other illnesses,” said studyauthor Eva Redei. “It’s similar to choles-terol testing. If the levels are not withinthe normal range, they are flagged,” sheadded. Researchers hope that doctors caneasily use their blood test for diagnosisand screening teens and adults with earlysymptoms of depression.

1,517 more studentsreceive laptops

Three-day anti-polio drive from Monday


08 Saturday, 21 april, 2012

Islamabad

low

High

SUnday monday tUESday28°c i 18°c 28°c i 17°c 29°c i 17°c

PrayEr timingSfajr Sunrise Zuhr asr maghrib isha

04:01 05:30 12:07 16:49 18:46 20:12

city dirEctory

PolicE EmErgEncy 15

ambUlancE 115

rEScUE 1122

Hilal-E-aHmEr 9250488

EdHi foUndation 2827844

bomb diSPoSal 9270698

firE brigadE cEntrE 16

ciVil dEfEncE 9262830

EmErgEncy HElP

HoSPitalS

blood banK

PimS blood banK 9261272

Poly clinic blood banK 9209123

comPlaint

WaPda 111-000-118

SUi gaS 1199

railWayS

city Station (EnQUiry) 117

rESErVation 9273614

railWay PolicE 1333

airPort

fligHt EnQUiry 114

Pia rESErVation 111-786-786

collEgES / UniVErSitiES

intErnational iSlamic UniVErSity 9260765

baHria UniVErSity 9260002

nUml 9257677

QUaid-E-aZam UniVErSity 90642098

arid agricUltUrE UniVErSity 9290151

fJWU 9273235

riPHa intErnational UniVErSity 111510510

nca raWalPindi 5770423

PUnJab laW collEgE 4421347

maHroof int 2222920

PimS 9261170

Poly clinic 9218300

cda 9221334

SHifa intErnational 4603666

ali 4444435

diStrict HQS 5556311-14

UltraSonic clinic 2824862

Holy family 9290319

24tH cultural WeeK 2012

MALE CAMPUS (17-19 april 2012)Venue new campus iiU

* * * * * * * *

FEMALE CAMPUS (18-20 april 2012)Venue: faisal mosque (old campus)

Drumming circle

datE and timE: 05:00 Pm, WEEKly EVEntVEnUE: tHE cEntrE for artS & cUltUrE

our drumming circle is a (free!) ongoingevent and is held every friday from 5pmto 6pmWe are having a great time, and want toshare the good time with you! ourdrumming circle has children ...

HEaVy rain SHoWEr

WEatHEr UPdatES

28°c

datE: aPr 17 - 20, 2012 VEnUE: int’l iSlamic UniVErSity (iSb)

18°c

Women: HolDing up HalF tHe sKY

this group exhibition showcasing thework of iqbal Hussain, ahsen asif, amnailyas, isma Hussain, amra Khan, amnatariq, faten anjum Suleman, anmal fatimaUppal, Sehar Hashmi and annem Zaidiwill run from april 20 - may 10. (free)

datE: aPr 20 - may 10, 2012 VEnUE: SErEna HotEl, iSlamabad

ISLAMABADMAHTAB BASHIR

IN order to promote classical and semi-classical to folk and pop singing amongthe younger generation from twin cities,Pakistan National Council of the Arts(PNCA) on Friday invited a selected 25

students of various local colleges and universi-ties to groom their hidden talent at National ArtGallery (NAG) at Inter-University and Collegecompetition.

These 25 young male and female candidateswere the outcome of ‘Talent Hunt Programme’initiated by the council to let the music roleamong the students and to promote healthyextra-curricular activities.

Students from Fatima Jinnah Women Uni-versity (FJWU), National College of Arts (NCA),Mohammad Ali Jinnah University (MAJU),Quaid-e-Azam university (QAU), Federal Urdu

University of Arts, Science and Technology (FU-UAST), Govt College for Women, Satellite Town,Rawalpindi, Punjab College of Commerce, Islam-abad, F G Postgraduate for Women, KashmirRoad, Rawalpindi, Govt Degree College, MurreeRoad, Rawalpindi, IMCG, Humak, Govt Viqar-un-Nisa Postgraduate College for Women, IMCG,H-8, Froebel’s School, and Army Public Collegeof Management and Science, Rawalpindi, com-peted neck and neck to win the top three posi-tions in folk, semi-classical and pop music withrendition of various hit songs of the past.

In folk music category, Nayab Zehra ofFJWU got the massive applause while renderingsufiana kalam ‘Gharoli’ originally sung by AbidaPerveen. Zeeshan Shah of Froebel’s School pre-sented a Punjabi folk song ‘Piar nal na sahi,ghussay nal wekh lia kar’.

Anum Mansha from FJWU in semi-classicgenre sung ‘Ay jazba-e-dil gar mein chahoon’sung by renowned singer Nayyara Noor, Ayesha

Niazi of FG Postgraduate College for Women,Kashmir Road, sung ‘Piya re, piya re’, whileMadiha Iftikhar from Govt Viqar-un-Nisa Post-graduate College for Women, presented ghazal‘Muddat hui hay yar ko mehmaan kiay huay.

In pop category, Danial Shah from Froebel’sSchool, presented ‘Mein Jalta Raha’ in hisshrilling voice presented failed to receive ap-plaud from audience majority of among werestudents. Muhammad Shahbaz from federalUrdu University rendered ‘Mein doob rahahoon’, while Muhammad Hammad from Quaid-e-Azam University presented ‘Tere bina nahilagda dil mera dholna’.

Hassan Abbas Raza, Shaukat Manzoor,Mehfooz Khokhar and Muhammad Shafi wereamong the penal judges. At the end, three top po-sition-holders were awarded with souvenirs andawarded with ‘Talent Award’. The young selectedstudents will also be provided ample opportunitieson the council’s platform for their participation.

PNCA invites students toshowcase talent in music

‘talent Hunt programme’



Islamabad

RAWALPINDI: The eight-member Chinese delegation, headed by Jim Xue Vice, with PTDC MD Mir Shahjahan Khetran after their visit to Taxila. sTAFF PhOTO

Radio Pakistan enters digital era: PBC DGISLAMABAD

APPS

Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation(PBC) Director General Murtaza Solangihas said that Radio

Pakistan has entered into a digitalera and now its programmes are avail-able for people through differentsources.

This he said while participating in aprivate television show devoted to re-vival of Radio Pakistan in the modernera, said a press release on Friday.

Solangi said, “Apart from traditionalradio receivers, our broadcasts can alsobe listened, or watched, through mobile

phone sets and live streaming throughInternet enabled smart phones.” Hesaid Radio Pakistan is the only govern-ment organisation that has a bilingualwebsite and its programmes and newscan be accessed in text, audio or videoformat.

When his attention was drawn to-wards golden age of radio drama andmusic, Murtaza Solangi said things havechanged in this era of commercialisa-tion when both people and artists havedifferent options. He said Radio Pak-istan’s financial constraints are majorhurdles in attracting the right kind oftalent and artists.

To a question, he said Radio Pak-

istan’s annual budget is not enougheven to pay to its employees’ salariesand pensions worth Rs 3.8 billion. Hesaid nowhere in the world a publicbroadcasting institution like Radio Pak-istan functions without governmentsupport. He said unfortunately the li-cence fee of the organisation was abol-ished in 1999 through a finance bill bythe then government despite the factthat it is received in almost all the coun-tries.

Responding to question by a lis-tener, he strongly dispelled the impres-sion that medium wave transmitters arebeing closed and said there are parts ofthe country, especially Balochistan,

where even thousands of FM transmit-ters would not do the job that a fewmedium-wave transmitters can. He,however, pointed out that for establish-ment of medium-wave transmitters;Radio Pakistan needs funds which arenot forthcoming.

He said despite resource constraints,Radio Pakistan is installing a 400-KWtransmitter in Peshawar and 100 in DeraIsmail Khan through USAID funding.Similarly, JICA is also setting up a 500-KW medium-wave transmitter atFaqirabad in Attock district. After com-pletion of these projects, Radio Pak-istan’s medium-wave transmission willget a big boost, he concluded.

24th cultural weekof iiU concludes

ISLAMABADAPP

The female students who showed extraordinary performance during the 24thannual cultural week of International Is-lamic University, received prizes at acolourful ceremony held on Friday.Addressing the concluding ceremony,Ambassador of Bangladesh in Pakistan,Suhrab Hussain said that the studentsboth male and female of IIU did reallyhard work to exhibit the cultures of vari-ous Islamic Countries during 24th cul-tural week.He said that students are the ambassa-dors of countries wherever they are get-ting education and creates honor for theircountries. Regarding students exchangeprogramme, Suhrab Hussain added thatboth Pakistan and Bangladesh need to ex-change students to expand the bilateralrelations and develop understandingabout each other. Wife of Saudi Ambassa-dor said that the cultural activities arepart of Islamic Culture and civilizationand female students of IIUI enormouslyexhibited this event.She said that I am very pleased to repre-sent my country here with the message ofrespect to others, peace and harmony.Such kind of international cultural activi-ties play important role to brought to-gether minds of the muslims to developbrotherhood relations between them. Shehoped that IIUI will continue to celebratesuch cultural activities in future. RectorIIU, Prof Fateh Muhammad Malik saidthat the projection of Islamic civilizationis a good thing to do because these activi-ties are useful the progress of Islam. Headded that Muslims students are sons anddaughters of the nation and they have suc-cessfully represented Islamic values, tra-ditions and culture which is appreciable.Earlier, President IIU, Prof Dr MumtazAhmad welcomed the distinguish guestsand said that after visiting various stallsat the cultural exhibition I will boldly saythat Islam is not only the religion of peacebut also foods, dresses, architecture andculture. He said that today Pakistanis areseems depressed people but this culturalexhibition proved that we have the pas-sion to remain happy and prosper in theprevailing circumstances of our country.At the end ambassador of BangladeshSuhrab Hussain, High Commissioner ofKenya Mishi Mashika, Wife of Ambassadorof Saudi Arabia, Prof. Fateh MuhammadMalik, Prof. Dr. Mumtaz Ahmad and Prof.Dr. Sahibzada Sajid ur Rehman awardedcertificates and prizes to the female stu-dents who demonstrated outstanding per-formance during cultural activities.

ISLAMABADAPP

PAKISTAN ranks sixthamong the 22 high tubercu-losis risk countries, con-tributing 43 percent of thedisease towards the eastern-

Mediterranean region of World HealthOrganisation (WHO). According toavailable data, the incidence of TB per100,000 people in Pakistan is 181, casenotification per 100,000 per year is 150while the treatment success rate is 85percent. Official sources said more than700,000 TB patients have been treatedfree of cost and 100% latest treatmentmethodology of DOTS coverage isachieved in the country.

They said training and health edu-cation materials have been developedand all concerned health care providershave been trained. They said externalquality assurance for sputum mi-croscopy is implemented in 40 districtsof the country while five reference labo-ratories have been established includedone at federal level and one each atprovincial level. They said an estimatedone-third of the world’s population iscurrently infected with TB. The WorldHealth Organization is working on itsplan to cut TB prevalence rates anddeaths by half by 2015, they added.

Dr Sharif Astori from Federal Gov-ernment Poly Clinic (FGPC), said TB is

an infectious bacterial disease, which iscaused by mycobacterium tuberculosis,which most commonly affects the lungs.

He added the disease is transmittedfrom person to person via droplets fromthe throat and lungs of people with theactive respiratory disease. He said inhealthy people, infection with mycobac-terium tuberculosis often causes nosymptoms, since the person’s immunesystem acts to wall off the bacteria.

He said the symptoms of active TBof the lung are coughing, sometimeswith sputum or blood, chest pain, weak-ness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. CreaTiVe leaDers’ Confer-enCe To sTarT from 24TH: Ayouth symposium titled `Creative Lead-ers’ Conference’ is all set to begin in thecapital city from April 24 to empowerand inspire the young people, who com-prise of over 60 percent of Pakistan’spopulation. Young leaders from acrossthe country would gather at the three-day Creative Leaders’ Conference (CLC-2012). “The conference would prove tobe much desired platform the country’syouth who are usually neglected in thedecision making process of the country”Director Marketing CLC-2012 NadeemAhmad said.

“We aim to instill decision makingpower with a spirit of leadership andcommitment in the lives of youngster fora better understanding of creative careerdevelopment and to highlight the critical

role of our youth in changing the societyfor a better future” he added. Now in itsfourth year, the annual youth confer-ence theme `The World is Open for Me’encourages the youngsters to discovertheir latent potential and opportunitiesso that “when they return to their townsand communities they can initiate con-structive change at the grassroots level.”

The conference is being organisedby Creative Pakistan Foundation in col-laboration with Verite Media School.The prime purpose of the conference isto educate, enlighten, encourage andempower the youth through hands-ontraining, workshops, recreational activ-ities and short training programmes.

Over 500 finest youth of the countryare expected to attend the country’sleading youth conference, where theparticipants would get a chance to inter-act, exchange ideas and establishinglinkages with other youngsters as well asleading personalities from differentfields. More than thirty experts fromPakistan and abroad including promi-nent entrepreneurs, eminent scientists,renowned educationists, politicians,media professionals and inspiring indi-viduals would be part of the conference.

The experts would be facilitating thediverse program of the conference whichinclude discussion on entrepreneurialleadership, decision making, good gov-ernance, social media success and polit-ical leadership as the core themes.

5-day internationaltraining workshopconcludes

ISLAMABADAPP

A five-day international training work-shop on “Modern Research Techniquesin Ecology” concluded here on Friday.Pakistan Science Foundation, in collabo-ration with Department of Animal Sci-ences, Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU)Islamabad and Snow Leopard FoundationPakistan, organised the workshop to buildcapacity of the participants in designingecological studies and analysis of simple-to-complex ecological data and developdifferent statistical models. Internationaldelegates, addressing the concluding ses-sion, said that ecology is an interestingfield as collection of data and analysing itis a fun. Prof Sandro Lovari from Univer-sity of Siena, Italy, Dr Tom McCarthy, ex-ecutive director, Snow Leopard Programs,Panthera, USA, Dr Muhammad AliNawaz, Department of Animal Sciences,QAU, and Dr Muhammad Rafiq, director,Zoological Sciences Division, PMNH, alsoattended the workshop.

green exercise

boosts mental healthISLAMABAD

APP

Just a few minutes of exercise a day in apark can improve your mental health.Green exercise is an activity in the pres-ence of nature. It leads to positive shortand long-term health outcomes. Manystudies have shown that outdoor exer-cise can reduce the risk of mental illnessand improve overall well-being, HealthNews reported. In an analysis to deter-mine the dose of green exercise that isneeded to improve mental health, re-searchers did a meta-analysis of 10studies that studied the effect of differ-ent types of green exercise on a varietyof populations. This multi-study analysis assessed thebest regime of dose(s) of acute exposureto green exercise required to improveself-esteem and mood. The researchused meta-analysis methodology toanalyse 10 UK studies involving 1,252participants of different ages, gendersand studied their mental health status. The researchers analysed activities suchas walking, gardening, cycling, fishing,boating, horse riding and farming alongwith assessing the participants’ exerciseintensity and exposure duration. It wasfound that exercising in a green envi-ronment improved both self-esteem andmood of the participants. The presenceof water generated greater effects. Bothmen and women had similar improve-ments in self-esteem after green exer-cise, though men showed a differencefor mood. The greatest health changesoccurred in the young and the mentallyill, although people of all ages and socialgroups benefited. The largest positive effect on self-esteemcame from a five-minute dose of greenexercise. All natural environments werefound to be beneficial, including parksin towns or cities.The above findings confirm that the en-vironment plays an important role inimproving overall health of people.

Pakistan ranks 6th amonghigh-TB risk countries



Islamabad

ISLAMABADAPP

THE National Youth Assembly(NYA) on Friday proposedthat human rights educationshould be included in the cur-riculum of educational institu-

tions. An NYA delegation in a meeting withAdvisor to Prime Minister for HumanRights Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar here, rec-ommended that the ministry concernedshould sponsor an annual human rightsessay contest for students.

The delegation also suggested holdingof special awareness campaigns, seminars,conferences etc., involving the youth andyouth-led organizations.

The concerned should also announce`Youth Human Rights Award, appoint-ment of Youth Human Rights Ambassa-dors in the proclamation and recognitionof humanitarian work, they added. More-

over, they recommended that ministryshould also propose honorary degrees tocredible human rights activists in forward-ing the cause of human rights throughoutthe country.

Talking to the delegation, MustafaKhokhar said the youth constituted morethan 60% of the country’s population andplayed a pivotal role in promoting thespirit of human rights. He said it wouldhave monumental impact if the ministryallocated regular time on radio and televi-sion for human rights programming andHR education themes.

The advisor assured the delegationthat he would forward their recommen-dations including of National Youth Com-mission to higher authorities forconsideration. In response to idea of NYAfor its study visit to Adiala Jail, the Advi-sor issued directives for making arrange-ments. He also offered the interestedmembers of NYA for internship with the

Ministry of Human Rights to practicallyinvolving in alleviating the worsening sit-uation of HR problems.

On the occasion, President of NYA,Hanan Ali Abbasi asked the Ministry ofHuman Rights to propose formation of anon-partisan all party human rights caucusin parliament. Vice President NYA and in-ternational squash player, Aamir AtlasKhan expressed the hope that the ministry-NYA collaboration would have impressiveimpact on society for creating awarenessregarding human rights.reasonable priCes of booKsTo reViVe reaDing CUlTUre:For reviving the diminishing book read-ing culture among people, the books andreading material must be available at rea-sonable prices.

These views were expressed by FederalSecretary, Ministry of National Heritage &Integration, Asif Ghafoor while addressingthe concluding ceremony of 5-day National

Book Fair arranged by Pakistan Academyof Letters (PAL).

He said parents and teachers canplay pivotal role for promoting bookreading habit among children at earlyage as close relation of any nation withbooks showed their maturity and helpthem to get progress and prosperity inevery field of life.

The modern technology and highprices of books are major reasons of de-clining book reading habit in younger gen-eration and these problems must beaddressed to promote love for booksamong students, Federal Secretary said.

He appreciated the efforts of PAL forarranging National Book Fair and urgedthe Academy to continue such efforts to fa-cilitate literature lovers. The cultural pro-grammes including Mushaira, Authors’corners and folk music events were alsoworth acknowledging which provided anopportunity to enjoy different things at one

platform, he said. Chairman PAL, AbdulHameed on the occasion said that purposeof arranging book fair was to increasenumber of book lovers and inculcate bookreading habit, besides, developing a linkbetween books and younger generation.

He thanked the book publishers whoparticipated in the book fair and offeredbooks at discount rates. He appreciatedthe participation of universities studentswho made this event a success by their ac-tive participation. The Federal Secretaryat the end, distributed certificates amongthe publishers and other institutions in-cluding Urdu Science, Board, Tehqeeqat,Dastaweez Publishers, Subah Roshan,New Galaxy Books, Women PublicationsInstitute, Fiction House, Nigarshat, IqbalAcademy, Nisar Publishers, Pashto, Porab& Dawah Academy, Pakistan NationalCouncil of Arts, National Language Au-thority, Afaaq Publishers and TehreekAdbul Quran.

iqbal’s 74th deathanniversary today

ISLAMABADAPP

The nation will mark 74th death an-niversary of national poet Dr AllamaMuhammad Iqbal across the countrytoday to acknowledge his services for ac-quiring a separate homeland for theMuslims of sub-continent.Allama Iqbal is recognized as nationalpoet of Pakistan and known as Muf-fakir-e-Pakistan, Shair-e-Mashriq andHakeem-ul-Ummat. Various social, po-litical and cultural organizations willarrange special programmes to payhomage to the poet of the East while de-bate competitions, seminars and confer-ences will be arranged in schools,colleges and universities to highlight histeachings and philosophy which ledmuslims to get an independent state insub-continent. The newspapers willpublish special editions and TV channelwill on-air different programmes tomark Allama Iqbal’s death anniversary.The Muslims of sub-continent under thedynamic leadership of Quaid-e-AzamMohammad Ali Jinnah succeeded inmaterializing the dream of Allama Iqbalin the form of Pakistan. Allama Iqbal isthe best known for his poetic works, in-cluding Asrar-e-Khudi which broughtknighthood- Rumuz-e-Bekhudi, and theBang-e-Dara, with its enduring patrioticsong Tarana-e-Hind.Bang-e-Dara, Baal Jabreel, Zarb-e-Kaleem and Payam-e-Mashriq are hisgreat books. The great philosopher, ide-alistic and one of the most prominentleaders of the All India Muslim League,Allama Iqbal is also famous for his 1930address in Allahabad that encouragedcreation of a “state in north-westernIndia for Muslims. Allama MuhammadIqbal died on April 21, 1938 at the age of60 and rendered remarkable services foruniting the Muslims to establish theirown country and identity.A book launching ceremony of“Chashm-e-Dil” written by Brig. IqbalShafi will be held on April 21 at Sir SyedEducational Institution, Rawalpindi tomark the death anniversary. Renownedscholar and Rector International IslamicUniversity Prof Fateh Muhammad Malikwill be the chief guest.

iqbal bano to bepaid tribute

ISLAMABADAPP

The third death anniversary ofrenowned singer Iqbal Bano will be ob-served today. She had died on April 21,2008 in Lahore.To pay homage and eulogize the servicesof the legendary singer, Radio Pakistanwill broadcast a special programme at4:30 pm. The programme will be broad-cast by all FM-93 and medium wavechannels of Radio Pakistan on the na-tional hookup. Later in the evening, fa-mous Ghazals and film songs of IqbalBano will also be put on air in popular“Sur Sangeet” programme at 10:10 pm.

ISLAMABAD: Hepatitis patients protest against expected price hike of drugs, outside the National Press Club. sTAFF PhOTO

radio Pakistan,UnicEf join hands to promoteeducation

ISLAMABADAPP

Radio Pakistan and the United NationsChildren’s Fund, UNICEF, have joinedhands for launching a series of pro-grammes on creating awareness aboutchildren’s education in the country.Under the agreement, Radio Pakistanwill produce and broadcast a 20-minuteepisode on every Saturday at 11 a.m. Itwill be repeated on Sunday at the sametime. All FM-93 and medium wave sta-tions will broadcast the programme,which will continue for threemonths.The first programme of the se-ries will be aired on Saturday (tomor-row). The programme is designed topromote the UNICEF campaign “EveryChild in School” and raise awarenessamong the masses particularly in therural community regarding the impor-tance of children’s education.It may be added that 28.6 percent of thecountry’s population compromises chil-dren of 5-14 years of age. Pakistan hasthe highest proportion of out-of-schoolchildren in South Asia. It is hoped thisprogramme will create awarenessamong the parents to send their chil-dren to school to get education.

ISLAMABADAPP

New research shows that young driv-ers are being killed in car accidentsbecause of peer pressure. Youngadults aged between 17 and 21 aredriving differently to what theywould normally when they havefriends with them in the car.

The research was provided by acar insurance provider that alsofound young drivers car deaths weredue to poor training and not strap-ping up their seat belts when behindthe wheel, Live Science Reported.

The car insurance provider stud-ied young drivers’ behaviour andtheir attitudes to driving in an at-tempt to understand why young mo-torists are more at risk of accident orinjury.

Not only do young drivers alterthe way they drive when they havefriends with them, they also admit tolosing their concentration easilywhen they have more than one matein the car.

The research showed that one infive paid less attention to the road.What is even more shocking, one in

four teenagers also admitted to tak-ing their hands of the wheel whendriving.

According to Department forTransport statistics, young-driver ac-cidents and deaths are decliningmore slowly than in other groups ofmotorists. And it is no wonder if theresults of this new study are anythingto go by. Some 15 percent admittedthey perform illegal driving manoeu-vres and 97 percent know to drivemore carefully when in the car with aparent or grandparent.

Face-to-face interviews withyoung drivers were carried out tofind out their experiences of drivingwith their friends. And here is an-other statistic you wouldn’t wantyour child to admit – 9 percent ofthose surveyed said they would nothave awarded themselves a licencewhen they successfully passed theirdriving test. One in four young driv-ers had no extra training beyondpaid lessons, and one in five onlypractised with their instructor on thedriving test route.

Adam Gilbert, 19, from Ayles-ford, said: ‘I think my mates drivedifferently with friends in their car.

They are a bit more ambitious andless sensible. They might show off alittle bit show how fast their car cango.’

Alex Rodwell, 17, from Barnet,said: ‘I don’t see the difference be-tween putting the seatbelt over yourshoulder or under your shoulder.

I know if it’s under it can mess upyour arm and stuff and that over theshoulder is better for the impact butthe belt cuts into your neck and it’suncomfortable.

‘It depends on the impact be-cause if it’s side on, it does nothing.’Nigel Bartram has called on youngdrivers and their passengers to wiseup when behind the wheel. He urgedyounger drivers to take more per-sonal responsibility, wear seatbeltsso they can be more safe on the roadsand reduce the chances of being in-volved in an accident and sufferinginjury.

Nigel Bartram said, ‘Young driv-ers and passengers alike need to takeresponsibility for their own actionsthis means wearing a seatbelt at alltimes, driving with fewer passengersand not giving in to peer pressurewhile behind the wheel.’

NYA for including human rights in curriculum

Young drivers face accidentsdue to peer pressure


Editor’s mail 11Saturday, 21 april, 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.

on ending loadsheddingFormer federal minister of water and

power, Raja Pervez Ashraf, who has nowgraced the federal ministry of Informa-tion Technology, whose famous, defini-tive deadline on the end of loadsheddingpassed uneventfully insisted, while talk-ing to reporters on April 19 outside theNational Accountability Bureau, thatthere is no other short cut to ending theelectricity crisis but to rely on rentalpower plants and around 140 countriesare using RPPs.

He could well be right but only in thecontext of a country which has exploitedall other existing resources of energygeneration and distribution to the full,and pending completion of the ongoingprojects, is constrained to rely on theRPPs as a stop-gap measure. In our case,where the installed capacity exceeds theactual demand, and where the existingplants are not used to the full mainly dueto lack of planning resulting in the non-availability of fuel, and things like that,the statement does not sound very con-vincing, and that is putting it mildly.

In a recent discussion programme onthe issue, it was stated that governmentbuys lot of surplus electricity from thetextile mills in Punjab, for which it has apolicy, but when asked why does not thegovernment buy electricity from sugarmills which have offered 2,000 mw oftheir cheaply-produced surplus electric-ity, the excuse given was that the govern-ment does not as yet have a 'policy' forpurchasing power from sugar mills. Now,is the government waiting for angels todescend from heaven to devise for thema policy to enable purchase?

We also know that Dr SamarMubarakmand had offered to solve allelectricity problems through cheaply-produced Thar Coal Energy Project.However, recently he was heard on tele-vision complaining that despite havingproved the viability of the schemethrough the pilot project, he has not beenallocated necessary funds to expand op-erations.

It would seem that the reason behindmassive loadshedding is inefficiencymore than anything else.

S R H HASHMIKarachi

consider it at leastIt is rather pitiful that a veteran

politician Chaudhry Shujaat’s formulafor ending electricity load shedding whenpresently recently at the National EnergyConference was brushed aside instead ofbeing given due consideration at least atthe appropriate level in order to providemuch needed relief to the people, tomake the industry wheels rolling againand ensure that employment opportuni-ties, which are currently being curtaileddue to no electricity and industrial unitsnot working, are created.

It is rather strange that the rulers, atthe national and provincial levels, keepclaiming to be concerned about the wel-fare of the people but are somehow re-luctant even to give due consideration toCh Shujaat’s formula and part with justtotal amount of Rs 150 billion out of theirshare of the divisible pool of resourcesunder the NFC Award for three monthsfor making payment to the IPPs towardstheir circular debt and make them runaccording to their full installed powergeneration capacity.

The amount they would be so givingup to the federal government would justbe in the form of a loan and would surelybe given back to them in few monthstime.

The formula should be given dueconsideration and not be made yet an-other victim of politics and vested inter-ests.

EHSANUL HAQ QAZILahore

the problem of smugglingI want to draw the attention of gov-

ernment toward the crime of smugglingin Pakistan. Smuggling is an illegal trade.Pakistan is one of the countries most af-fected by it. Pakistan has become thegateway of smuggling now and thereseems to be no way of stunting itsgrowth. Smuggling is very ruinous forthe economy and the future of a country.Our border is long and deserted that’swhy it creates a conducive atmospherefor the smugglers to carry items withcomfort and ease.

There are lots of causes for this crimeincluding lack of peace and stability, lackof policing infrastructure etc. One of thereasons is the imbalanced policies delin-eated by government and high rates oftaxation on the goods. Sometimes, thedishonest custom officers, policeman orrangers become accomplices in this dis-astrous activity, which makes smugglingby roads, by air, as well as by sea on alarge scale a common activity.

The government should post an anti-smuggling force all along the border topursue and capture the smugglers. Thegovernment must provide employmentin a country and relaxation on taxes atleast on the most demanded goods. Offi-cers who are responsible to control thiscrime should be honest and develop suchregimes which can curb smuggling.

BUSHRA ASIMKarachi

Safety firstIn previous years, the city of Karachi

was hit by predicted thunderstorm butnobody was ever actually prepared ac-cording to the intensity of the storm.Hospitals had to face hundreds of casual-ties due to unpreparedness for suchthunderstorms.

Pakistan is predicted to receive athunderstorm that could carry on formore than one day. So to deal with thisthunderstorm and mitigate its harm, weshould all take some simple measures toprotect ourselves and our families frombeing harmed.

Firstly, if you have any loosely fixedwindows, get them fixed properly be-cause they can easily break from thepressure of the wind. Secondly, it’s betterand much safer if you move your bedsand sitting areas away from windows.Thirdly, many of us have our wiring sys-tems on our roofs. The wires should bechecked properly and if any wire is ex-posed or naked, an electrician should becalled and it should be covered post-haste. Fourthly, a fact that is ignored isthat when there is heavy rainfall, thewater seeps in to walls and may enter theelectric socket/electrical board due towhich there is a danger of a person re-ceiving an electric shock. So use rubberslippers as much as you can and beforeusing a socket/electrical board, observethe area around it for any seepage. Ifthere appears to be some, try using awooden tool to operate it.

ALIZA ALI RIZVIKarachi

a good gestureIt has been more than 10 days since

the Pakistani soldiers have been trappedburied under the snow avalanche atSiachen. The whole nation is praying forour brave warriors and expecting a mira-cle that those 135 lives are safe.

PML(N) Chief Mian Nawaz Sharif’svisit to Siachen was an important high-light of the week. His visit was not onlybeen broadcasted on electronic mediabut was also trending on social media. Ingeneral, the Pakistani masses appreci-

ated Mian Nawaz Sharif’s gesture of grat-itude and solidarity towards the brotherstrapped under ice. Mian Nawaz Sharif,despite the bad weather, reached Siachenwhich was appreciated not only bymasses but journalists like Hamid Mir,Mubasher Lucman and Dr Shahid Ma-sood.

Nawaz Sharif along with himself car-ried relief goods and stayed at Gyari forhalf an hour and then met the families ofthe soldiers buried under ice. He offered

5 lakh for each family with a job in Pun-jab government. Mian Nawaz Sharif’ssuggestion of a unilateral pullout oftroops from Siachen was endorsed by dif-ferent media people from both the coun-tries.

It’s high time for both sides, Indiaand Pakistan, to realise that they are notgaining much by losing precious lives.Mian Nawaz Sharif visit was not only im-portant to show solidarity towards thebrothers fighting there but also showed

his concern for his people. It is sign that change is afoot since

leaders like him now vouch for peace.This means that there is an evolving con-sensus for the need of peace across thepolitical ideological spectrum. MianNawaz Sharif’s gesture must be appreci-ated regardless of party affiliation as hehas put the right foot, and words, for-ward.

MAJID TAIMOORLahore

Coming out of the shadow of warPakistan army chief General Kayani suggested the other

day that Siachen, the infamous world’s highest warfront of in-habitable terrain, shall be vacated by both India and Pakistan,a step towards establishing peace between these two archri-vals. In any established democracy, the army chief wouldhave been by now fired upon making comments on foreignpolicy matters; however, everyone accepts who in Pakistan re-ally pulls the strings on such issues.

Indian defence ministry (not the Indian army chief as thisis not his area to comment upon!) has welcomed GeneralKayani’s statement. Therefore, Kayani’s views shall be greetedas it’s from a person who previously took pride as being‘India-centric’. One would presume that such a thinking rep-resents a real shift in army’ stand vis-à-vis different issueswith India.

The time has come for both countries to stop taking thehawkish line that war or threat of war is the only way forwardto keep the other on its toes.

There is no military solution to any of the land disputes

whether it’s Kashmir, Sir Creek or Siachen. Pakistan cannever win Kashmir by military means; India can also neverwin hearts and minds of its Kashmiri population at gun point.

Diplomacy is only way forward to resolve the issues. Thesooner this fact is realised by both countries the better. Fundsallocated for keeping the world’s 3rd and 7th largest armies infighting gears shall be diverted towards education, health careand poverty alleviation.

One would only wish no one in Pakistan would be study-ing how to respond to India’s launching of April 19 inter-con-tinental ballistic missile; we shall not be starting a new armsrace in South Asia.

Millions of people who are living below the poverty linehave no access to clean water, health care, whose children areworking as wage labourers instead of joining schools don’ttake pride in continental or inter-continental missiles. Oneday this wish may come true, perhaps!

MASOOD KHANSaudi Arabia

on plagiarismPlagiarism nowadays is very com-

mon among students. In many schools,colleges and universities, this activity isquite an acceptable activity.

Many teachers openly talk aboutplagiarism and even appreciate stu-dents for it because their basic motive

is not to teach students how to do re-search, collect information and producetheir own report but to collect assign-ments or reports as a mere formality tofulfil the policy requirements of the in-stitution. Teachers are not concernedfrom where it has been copied.

The education minister and all theeducational institutions should take

this thing into notice as it is a seriouscrime. One just can’t copy any other’swork and claim it as theirs.

Teachers should act responsiblyand should check these things thor-oughly rather than just making easymoney.

NATALIA ISLAMKarachi

The PM must understand that he isnot above the law and Anti-NarcoticsForce (ANF) investigators have a rightand an obligation to carry out investiga-tions, even if that involves summoningrecord of Prime Minister House visitors.Organisations such as ANF are funded bythe tax-payer, so that narcotics manufac-ture and distribution is strictly regulatedin accordance with laws and interna-tional monitoring agencies. No individ-ual, including the elected constitutionaloffice holders have any right to play withlives of our future generations.

We have had enough of this damageinflicted on our nation by the abuse ofself assumed powers of our public officeholders, who lack ethics or respect forrule of law. After all if the PM is inno-cent, as he claims, why does he want toevade investigations and obstruct judicialprocedure.

The Ephedrine and Hajj Scam de-picts the pits to which our political elite,obsessed with their greed for ill-gottenwealth can sink to. These stinkingepisodes are a smear on our democracyand the image of Pakistan. It is an insultto our founding fathers, who dreamed ofcreating a modern welfare state deliver-ing justice to its citizens, instead of be-

coming a fiefdom of corrupt politicalelite, or its equally selfish paid civil anduniformed bureaucracy.

Nobody including the president en-joys immunity from investigation. It isthe process of prosecution from anycriminal charges, from which the presi-dent enjoys immunity if any, and that isalso subject to interpretation of SupremeCourt and not the perceived immunityunderstood by office of president, theprime pinister or law ministry.

Those who hold high public offices,such as that of president, prime minister,governor, chief minister or ministersmust be subject to public or mediascrutiny and investigations to ascertainthat they are not involved, or have everbeen convicted of financial misappropri-ation, or any other crime involving moralturpitude.

Pakistan has suffered enough be-cause of misconceived powers assumedunto themselves by its rulers, bothelected or dictatorial, who destroyed themoral and constitutional fibre of thiscountry and its economy either by theirincompetence, or their indulgence inrampant corruption and insatiable greed.

MALIK TARIQ ALILahore

(II)This is with reference to lead news

appeared in your esteemed paper (20April) that Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF)nominates prime minister's son in Rs 7bn drug scam. As a result, prime ministerhas warned the Anti Narcotics ForceChief, Brig Fahim, for nominating his sonin drug quota scandal. While sounding awarning used language unbecoming of aprime minister.

It is very strange that our chief exec-utive is unaware that ANF is a civilian or-ganisation and operates under civil lawand not under the army act. Since his sonhas been named in the FIR, the primeminister should have extended all thecourtesy instead of threatening the offi-cer and reminding him that he was bor-rowed from the armed forces. Officersare not borrowed but sent on deputationor services are loaned by ministry of de-fence to other ministries

I would like to cite two specific exam-ples of British Prime Minister TonyBlair's wife Cherry Blair while travellingin the subway was caught by the localsubway police for not having a ticket. Inanother case, Tony Blair while serving asBritain’s prime minister had to go to thelocal police to complete the official for-

malities of bailing out his son hauled upfor rash driving. Incidentally when thishappened I was in UK and the TV flashedthis news. To my utter surprise, the sameevening during question answer sessionin the house of parliament, he tenderedhis apology to the house on account ofthis incident. Can such a thing ever hap-pen in this country?

Our rulers should now understandground realities that things havechanged, people are well aware abouttheir activities and with such large num-ber of TV channels nothing can be hid-den. It is time they respected the law ofthe land.

The prime minister should have re-frained from interfering in the case andshould have avoided confrontation andallowed the law to take its own course.No one has the right to influence the pro-ceedings of the case as it tantamount tointerfering in the matter and attractsprovision s of law. Let the law takes itsown course, the investigating officerknows that he is handling son of a primeminister and would be extra cautiouswhile dealing with him, but he mustpresent himself.

MUKHTAR AHMEDKarachi

the Ephedrine scam


Comment12Saturday, 21 april, 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

At the same time

anger and apology

Oscillating between carrot and stick might be themantra of choice for the Americans but they appear tohave upped their game. Gone are the days where thealternating policies of tough love and sweet talk could

get things done. It needs to be even more nuanced. Like sayingeverything simultaneously.

In this vein, US Senator John Kerry is to arrive in Pakistanwith what many believe would be an apology for the Salalaincident. Kerry, the chairman of the senate’s foreign affairscommittee, would be meeting with high-level civil and militaryleaders, in his first visit to the country after the incident whichresulted in the death of 26 Pakistani soldiers.

But, at the same time, the US is also sounding off on theHaqqani network, believed to be somewhere in Pakistani tribalareas, who the Americans believe to be behind the attacks inKabul from a couple of days ago.

Hawkish and peaceniks at the same time. Perhaps a validresponse to Pakistan’s own alleged behaviour of playing allpositions. “They have two tongues in one mouth, and two faceson one head, so that they can speak everybody’s language. Theyuse everybody, deceive everybody.” The words of Mullah Zaeef,former ambassador of the Taliban regime to Pakistan. True,Zaeef would obviously be peeved more because of the blatantdisregard the Pakistani state showed him when the chips fellwhere they did, but few from the world over would deny, inprivate, the veracity of his assessment.

The world, however, also needs to realise Pakistan’sposition. The Americans waged a war in Afghanistan and leftPakistan to pick up the pieces. It was ugly for Pakistan. Not asugly as it was for the Afghans, granted, but tough nonetheless.When the Americans came back to wage another war inAfghanistan, Pakistan response was a wisened one. Thathedging of bets has been vindicated by the Americans’ decisionto pull out of Afghanistan and take the Taliban on board todiscuss a future setup in the country. Advocates for doublespeakare pretty smug right about now.

It is the lot of the US to try to win over Pakistan by aconsistency in policies and ownership of the dispute. Only thencan the political governments in Pakistan, who do not in anyway see Afghanistan as a fifth province, be emboldened enoughto carry sway over the deep state in these matters.

The government’s mixed report card

Warts and all

It would be churlish not to give Prime Minister Gilani thecredit rightly due to him for restoring the 1973 constitution.This should not, however, lead him to assume a self-

righteous attitude. Government leaders all over the world havebeen subjected to probes and even sentenced when evidence ofculpability was available. It should in fact be a matter of pridefor the PM if under him the agencies investigating possiblescams are seen to be as free to investigate those in power as theyare in the case of commoners.

Several scams involving politicians and their close relativeshave made headlines during the last four years. Some of themhave landed up in courts. Unfortunately, complaints of lack ofcooperation or even attempts to create hindrances in the probesby the government have been all too common.

The two cases presently before the SC are typical examplesof the sort. Soon after the enquiry into the Ephedrine case wasinitiated by ANF, two of the investigating officials wereimmediately removed, only to be restored on the orders of theSC. The PM was quick to defend his son. It was maintained thathis family was being targeted for supporting the Seraikiprovince and for remaining loyal to President Zardari. The ANFhas finally nominated eight persons including Musa Gilani inthe case. The court was told that Musa Gilani was returning toPakistan but suddenly he changed his mind giving birth to alltypes of surmises.

Raja Pervez Ashraf who was one of the accused in the RentalPower Plants(RPP) case was rewarded with the IT ministrywhich would play a crucial role in the award of 3G licenses soon.SC orders to arrest the persons involved in the case continued tobe ignored by the NAB for three weeks. On Thursday, the apexcourt ordered the NAB chairman to “implement the judgmentfrom A to Z” within a week. This is likely to be considered as yetanother case of the government obstructing the course ofjustice.

While judging the performance of the present government,the historian would record a number of achievements. Therecord would also contain several glaring failures. High amongthese would be the government’s insensitivity to thephenomenon of corruption and lack of cooperation with thecourts.

Terms of endearmentWill the current Indo-Pak goodwill last?

whiteLIESby Ess aich

The Energy Conference held re-cently at the “Freemason Hall”

Chief Minister secretariat on the Mallhad every one buzzing about the sim-plicity that was being observed there.Delegates remembered the good olddays of the Chaudhry rule when there

was a five tier menu at every meal andthat a simple cup of tea was considereda travesty even for a casual guest.Faryaadis recalled being served fishfingers even if their problem did notget resolved.

We hear that even the comptroller

complained to the delegates that theChief Minister secretariat traditionunder Chaudhry Sahib had gone andthey missed that style and cama-raderie. But then every Chief Ministerhas his days and this one has askedthem to tighten their belts.

Back in 1984, when Indian troopsshocked the Pakistani nation bywresting control of the Siachenglacier, the president and COASGeneral Zia-ul-Haq expressed

his utter surprise at the furore. Instead ofexpressing any remorse at his armed forcesbeing caught unawares, he said, “What isthe fuss all about? Not even a blade of grassgrows there.”

That was more than a quarter of a cen-tury ago. Since then, more than 2000 troopson both sides of the divide in Siachen havelost their lives mostly not in combat butowing to extremely harsh terrain andweather conditions; Pakistani troops beingburied in an avalanche is the latest in the se-ries of battles the men have lost against theelements.

Despite a ceasefire holding since 2003,the longest running armed conflict betweentwo regular armies in the twentieth centurystill rages on. The human and economic costof sustaining the conflict cannot be overem-phasised here.

The late Zia-ul-Haq’s erstwhile protégéNawaz Sharif managed to make it first toGayari amongst the politicians. After meet-ing the families of the victims, he urged Pak-istan to take the first step to end the Siachenstandoff. Only a section of the gung-homedia has taken Sharif to task for “suggest-ing to accept Indian hegemony”. No one elseaccused him of being a ghaddar (traitor).

These are signs of changing times. Themost significant statement in this regard isthat of the COAS General Kayani who hascalled for “peaceful coexistence” with Indiaterming it vital for the welfare of the peopleof both the countries. Accompanying Presi-dent Zardari during his visit to Siachen,Kayani surprised everyone by declaring thatyou cannot be spending on defence alonewhile forgetting about development.

Its detractors accuse the military of con-

verting Pakistan into a national securitystate. It is generally perceived by the com-mentariat that he GHQ calls the shots onvital security and foreign policy issues. Atthis stage, it is too early to say to what extentGeneral Kayani can walk the talk. Howeverthe military chief’s statement does reflect achange in priorities.

India has welcomed General Kayani’sremarks on resolving the Siachen issue andthat resources be spent on development ofthe two countries. The Indian state ministerfor defence has acknowledged that deploy-ment of troops in glacial heights have takena heavy economic toll. Official sources inSouth Block have also welcomed Kayani’sremarks.

The cautious welcome by New Delhishould however be taken with a pinch ofsalt. General Kayani had spoken of all issuesto be resolved in an atmosphere of peacefulcoexistence. But the Indians it seems preferthe bonhomie to be limited to Siachen andthat also on their terms.

It is not disclosing a state secret that Is-lamabad with its narrow economic base forlong now has not been in a position tomatch India’s increasing military build up.Pakistan’s military budget has shrunk inreal terms whereas India only recently an-nounced a whopping 17 per cent increase inits military spending.

In order to justify its enormous defencespending, India cites China as the reason. Ithas just successfully test fired a new long-range nuclear missile, Agni V, capable of de-livering a nuclear warhead anywhere inChina. Recently, the Indian navy acquired anuclear powered submarine from Russia topatrol the Indian Ocean.

It is obvious that India with its bluewater navy, its modern air force fleet and itsnuclear capable missiles has readily as-sumed the role of becoming the West andRussia’s cat paw against China that is in-creasingly being perceived as a burgeoningmilitary power.

This is happening at a time when the In-dian economy is slowing down. And despite‘India shining’ on a fast growing elite andmiddle classes, there is a vast sea of human-ity in India which is poorer than the poorestin Pakistan.

In this context, President Zardari's re-cent ‘dargah diplomacy’ that took him toNew Delhi for an impromptu summit withthe Indian prime minister can only achievelimited results. India is more interested inopening trade, expanding economic ties andcommitting Pakistan to restrain non-stateactors to perpetrate terrorism on its soil.

In this backdrop, nabbing Jamaat-ud-

Daawa chief Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mas-termind of the Mumbai attacks, and alsobringing the planners of the 2008 carnageto book will remain New Delhi’s top prior-ity. This is unlikely to happen .The foreignoffice spokesman in Islamabad has statedthat the Jamaat-ud-Daawa chief had soughtprotection from the Lahore High Court fol-lowing the announcement of a $10 millionbounty on his head and, since Pakistan is ademocracy, the courts will determine HafizSaeed’s fate.

Pakistan would like resolution of issueslike Siachen and Sir Creek, which it feels,were decided long ago but India ditheredsubsequently. Defence secretaries of the twocountries are due to meet soon in Islamabadto discuss Siachen on a date yet to be deter-mined.

It is unlikely that New Delhi wouldagree to Pakistan’s proposal for redeploy-ment of forces form Siachen. A unilateral re-deployment as hinted by Nawaz Sharif hasbeen ruled out by Pakistan.

After General Musharraf’s disastrousKargil misadventure, New Delhi is evenmore unlikely to agree to vacate its strategicfoothold on Siachen. It gives it a clear ad-vantage over Pakistan no matter what thecost in human and economic terms.

Similarly, any meaningful progress oncontentious issues like Kashmir and waterdisputes with India is also out of the ques-tion at this stage. Musharraf’s foreign min-ister Khursheed Kasuri claims with somecredibility that the Kashmir issue was al-most clinched through back channel diplo-macy during the last year of Musharraf’sregime.

The present government has abandonedthe back channel route to resolve the Kash-mir Issue. And rightly so. Although relevantUN resolutions are no longer our mantra,back channel surreptitious deals cannot flyin a democracy.

The Economist commenting on the re-cent luncheon meeting between Zardari andManmohan Singh has labelled the two lead-ers as the ‘two lame ducks’ unlikely to be re-elected. This makes it even more difficultand contentious to tackle the basic issueshaunting the two South Asian neighbourssince their inception.

In the meanwhile, fast track progress ontrade and strengthening economic ties seemto be the way to reap peace dividends. How-ever, the tenuous honeymoon of sorts cancome to an abrupt end if there is anotherterrorist attack in India perceived to havebeen launched from our soil.

The writer is Editor, Pakistan Today

By Arif Nizami

Ahigh rise Information Tech-nology centre in Lahore wasrecently named after an IT

whiz kid who won a Microsoft Cor-poration contest. Arfa Karim diedprematurely but has become a sym-bol of the potential of our younggeneration and what it is capable ofcontributing to the development ofPakistan.

Naturally the Arfa Karim ITcentre is meant to pay silent tributeto that young girl, inspire othersand give a pat on the Chief Minis-ter’s back for getting his prioritiesright.

Unfortunately, the IT centre isnot thriving and expanding at therate that the Chief Minister secre-tariat chain is growing. We hearthat yet another Chief Minister sec-retariat has come into operation onthe top floor of the Arfa Karim ITcentre.

It is also rumoured that another two floors may also beneeded for the purpose which makes us wonder what the

appropriate name would be for the building. The ArfaKarim Chief Minister secretariat maybe?

For feedback, comments, suggestions and, most importantly, tips, contact us at [email protected]


Comment 13Saturday, 21 april, 2012

The Pak India peacecampaign has nowbeen taken over from

starry eyed peaceniks be-longing to the civil societyby hardnosed businessmenmotivated by strong mate-rial incentives.

The move has, thus, en-tered a new stage whereeconomic forces which arein a better position to influ-ence the establishment areplaying a dominant role.The last couple of decadeshave seen the emergence ofa section of businessmen inPakistan who find domesticmarket too small for theircapacity.

Unlike a previous gen-eration which was the prod-uct of state patronage andwere shy of competition, thenewcomers are more confi-dent of being able to standtheir ground in the SouthAsian market.

This was clear at thefour day Lifestyle Pakistanexpo at Pragati Maidan inNew Delhi. Pakistan wasrepresented by big brandnames that included GulAhmed, Al-Karam, Sefam,Orient Textiles, Nishat Tex-tiles, Asim Jofa and ChenOne.

The Sefam which al-ready has a store in the In-dian capital's GreaterKailash market announcedit was planning to launch itscollection in more than 200brand stores in Delhi,Mumbai, Chandigarh andLudhiana by 2015. Thestocks were sold out by thelast day and Gul Ahmed'sstall had to arrange for mer-chandise from their Delhidistributors.

"The Indian public’s re-

sponse is very encouraging.We are very much satisfiedwith the business in the ex-hibition", observed BashirAli Mohammed, chairmanGul Ahmad.

Mian Mansha was inNew Delhi meanwhile plan-ning to launch franchises tosell his textiles in everymajor city, buy technologyfrom India, set up a cementprocessing plant and openbranches of his MCB bank.“We hope that Indian bankscome to Pakistan too.”

Back in Pakistan, thecement industry, with muchmore modern plants than inIndia, was complaining thatit was not able to export asmuch as it wanted due tothe Indian NTBs.

There are also big In-dian concerns which look atPakistan as a lucrative mar-ket.

Pakistan has a 220 mil-lion kg consumption of teawhich is increasing at theannual rate of two percent.With Iran stopping its pur-chases from India due to apayment problem, Indiantea producers are bankingon Pakistan as one of theemerging export markets inthe coming years. A tradedelegation from PakistanTea Association was inIndia last week to strikelong-term business deals.

Pakistan also needs In-dian petroleum products asits existing refining capacitymeets only half its total do-mestic requirement. Indiahas offered to export petrol,diesel and other petroleumproducts to Pakistan andthere is already a talk ofbuilding of pipeline fromthe Mathura, Panipat andBhatinda refineries fortransporting petroleumproducts to this side of theborder. .

Pakistani billionaireMian Mansha wants to seeenergy pipelines across bor-ders, buy software fromIndia instead of paying ‘10times more’ to Europeanfirms and launch his IPL-like cricket team with In-dian players. He suggests

that trade would 'cushion' a'soft landing' to hold thefrayed bilateral relationshipin case of a future 'incident'.

Realising the full poten-tial of the mutual trade isvital for the two countriesbecause Asian exports arestill vulnerable to the eco-nomic slowdown in Europewith near zero growth anddiminished import ex-penses as well as sluggishgrowth in the US. Intra-re-gional trade and redrawingof economic linkages alonecan help Asian countries todeal with the after effects ofthe economic crisis in thewest.

Free trade betweenIndia and Pakistan wouldsubstantially increase tradeand investment flows, in-comes and employment,and would reduce povertylevels.

It would also generatecompulsions to resolve theperennial disputes. Interde-pendence created by Iran-ian or Turkmen gas flowingthrough Pakistan to Indiaand Indian supply of powerto Pakistan would act as apotent incentive for peace.“Flourishing trade is thebiggest confidence-buildingmeasure between any twonations,” said Indian Com-merce Minister AnandSharma.

The way to peace andfriendship is littered withbooby traps though. Whatcan become a game changerin Pakistan is a historic con-sensus between the politicaland military leadership overimproving ties with Indiawhich led Zardari to meetManmohan Sigh. There arefears this time that the at-tempt to stall the peace ini-tiative might again comefrom the Indian side as hap-pened after the Gilani-Man-mohan talks at Sharm alSheikh. It would be unfor-tunate on the part of thetwo neighbours if they failto seize the moment.

The writer is a formeracademic and a politicalanalyst.

What has been known to most all along butwhat has been denied vociferously andaggressively by everyone associated with

Mr Zardari was finally confirmed on April 18 bynone other than the legal wizard of the govern-ment: Aitzaz Ahsan. In the SC, he was made to readout from the record provided by the governmentwhich confirmed that, number one, there was aconviction handed down by the Swiss magistrateto Mr Zardari and others and, number two, it wasset aside by the appellate court not on merit, butremanded on the plea that the punishment givenwas less and the case needed to be reinvestigated.

In addition to causing extreme embarrass-ment, it spelled a major setback for the barrister inhis strenuous efforts to convince the bench to dropthe contempt proceedings against the prime min-ister. The question that arises, thus, and which thisscribe has highlighted on numerous occasions inthe past also is whether, in the presence of this casethat was remanded to another court for the awardof a possible higher sentence which the magistratewas not empowered to give, Mr Zardari was eligibleto be the president of the country when he movedhis papers for the coveted office? Its moral rele-vance is irrefutable, but it is the legal aspect thatneeds to be looked into in greater detail by thosemore familiar with matters of law.

If, in the end, it transpires that Mr Zardari’spapers contained claims which were not com-pletely true, or they did not include facts which,otherwise, should have been clearly stated, what

impact it would have on his ultimate eligi-bility for election as the head of the stateand how would it be reviewed in the realmof history? Also, if a serious aberration isestablished, how would it be dealt withnow that he has been president for awhile? The question of writing the letter tothe Swiss authorities has really got the na-tion glued to the news emanating from theSC on a daily basis. The filibustering tech-nique adopted by the defence attorney,fully aided and abetted by the entire stateapparatus which is being shuffled ever sofrequently to keep adding to the existingmess, is both unnerving and humiliating.It is unnerving because the charade hasgone on for too long already and humiliat-ing because, in full public view, statementsand claims are being made by the advo-cates of the government which are erro-neous in content and misleading in intent.Whether all this is going to get the accusedparty off the hook in the end remains de-batable, but it has already exhausted a na-tion.

The ephedrine scandal has been addedto the huge stock of cases against the gov-ernment. The prime minister’s son, AliMusa Gilani, a recently elected MNA, hasbeen formally nominated as the principalaccused in the ANF report submitted tothe apex court. Also accused are the prin-cipal secretary to the prime minister, theformer health secretary and the acting sec-

retary of the ministry of narcotics control. The in-volvement of this incredible galaxy in a major scamonly strengthens the pervading perception that thebureaucracy has been inordinately politicised andthey use their positions for personal gains in ex-change for demonstrating loyalty for the corruptruling mafias.

The effort to give political twists to simplecases of embezzlement, loot and plunder is ab-solutely bewildering. The manner in which thepresident went wild finding the non-existing linkbetween the prime minister’s avowed support fora Seraiki province and the contempt proceedingsagainst him in the SC defies logic. Corruption com-bined with blatant defiance in the face of adversejudicial adjudications make for a venomous mix-ture with potential to cause a major catastrophe.That is the potion the nation is being served as amatter of routine to cleanse it of its faculties to de-bate issues in a pragmatic and rational manner.

The question of new provinces is being con-sciously raised at a time when the next electionsare less than a year away (that may actually not bethe case as murmurings for postponement of elec-tions are already being heard from the governmentquarters including its sitting ministers and advi-sors). There is total disharmony even among thegovernment and its allies in this regard. PPP lead-ership has come out aggressively in support of aSeraiki province, but refuses to lend support to asimilar demand for the Hazara province. The carv-ing out of a new province in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is also being opposed by anothergovernment ally, ANP, but supported by MQMwhich also sits with the government in the centreand in the Sindh province. PML(N)’s stance is gen-erally ambivalent: while it comes out against thecreation of a Seraiki province, it doesn’t show thesame sentiments for the Hazara province. Let’salso not forget the calls for Bahawalpur provinceand the wall-chalkings in Karachi and elsewhere inSindh for the creation of a Mohajir province.Smells of anarchy, doesn’t it?

Creation of new provinces is a major taskwhich, under no circumstances, should be politi-cised. Decisions taken in this regard will have last-ing impact on the future of the country which isalready showing signs of disintegration under nu-merous pressures. Adopting or encouraging a divi-sive approach is bound to precipitate the fissuresthat mark the national scene presently. An advis-able course would be for all political parties to es-pouse this as an election manifesto item and thenwait for the electorate’s decision. If a political partyis able to secure the verdict, it’ll have the moral andconstitutional authority to proceed with the initia-tive. But raking up the issue at the highest politicallevel with an obvious intent to divert public atten-tion from a plethora of corruption and serious mis-demeanour cases against an errant governmentand its functionaries would be an immensetragedy.

The writer is a political analyst and a memberof the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He can bereached at [email protected]

Portents of a serious aberrationThe new ambassadors of amity

Peace and profits The inevitable question

Candid CornerBy Raoof Hasan

By Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad


WASHINGTON: Julia roberts hasoffered to baby-sit for newly engagedcouple brad Pitt and angelina Jolie asa wedding present. the actress hasstarred alongside Pitt in two films,‘the mexican’, and ‘ocean’s Eleven’was happy to hear the news ofhis engagement to his partnerof seven years Jolie, and haseven offered to look afterthe six children they raise -maddox, 10, Pax, nine, Zahara,seven, Shiloh, five and 3-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne- if they needed somequiet time. “oh yes, it’sexciting news. it’s alwaysnice when you’re ready tohitch your wagon foreternity to somebody,”contactmusic quoted her astelling E! news. on being askedabout the gift she’d choosefor the wedding, sherevealed that she wouldbaby-sit for them. “that’sa ways down the road, butit’s starting to be, now thatpeople are starting to askme and put pressure onme, so - babysitting.yeah, that’sgood,” sheadded.AGENCIES

LONDONAGENCIES

Simon Cowell has admittedthat he is embarrassed byjuicy revelations about hispersonal life in his unau-thorised biography. The ‘X-Factor’ boss is said to be“hardly sleeping” followingthe publication of journalistTom Bower’s book-whichreveals details of a seedyone night stand and an af-fair with former ‘X Factor’judge Dannii Minogue.Speaking to TMZ Live,Cowell says he feels “notgentlemanly at all” as de-tails of the yet-to-be re-leased book-‘SweetRevenge: The Intimate Lifeof Simon Cowell’ - hit theheadlines. The 52-year-oldstar insists it is not his styleto “kiss and tell” but said:“When you are with some-one for a long time, they do

get stuff out of you”. Cowellsays he decided to let Bowerhave personal access to himafter taking advice from hispal Bernie Ecclestone, whowas also the subject of anunauthorised Bower book.As Simon put it during hischat with the tabloid: “Ifsomeone is going to write

an in-depth book on you, Iwant him to really under-stand, you know, how Iwork, so (he would) have aclear understanding whenwriting the book.” But asthe revelations about hispersonal life hit the head-lines this week, Cowellseems to admit a degree ofregret. “What I would sayabout the book, and I haveto say this, is that I’ve beenvery embarrassed actuallythis week. It’s not my habitto kiss and tell. I’ve neverdone it. I’ve always tried tokeep my private life private,and it is unfortunate. So Iwas feeling very embar-rassed and not gentlemanlyat all this week because it’sjust not my style. At thesame time, the guy’s got theright to write the book hewants, but it has been un-comfortable to be honestwith you,” he added.

14 Saturday, 21 april, 2012

Why is Sonakshi Akshay’s girl? MUMBAI: it is a well-known for a fact thatSalman Khan discovered the actress in SonakshiSinha, who had no plans to venture intobollywood initially. and with 2010 blockbuster‘dabangg’, bollywood got one of its best talentand that too in a desi avatar. though just one filmold Sonakshi has grabbed plump projects and hasthree films with Salman’s friend akshay Kumar.With films like ‘rowdy rathore’, ‘Joker’ and ‘onceUpon a time in mumbaai’ sequel, Sonakshi hasstruck a purple patch and co-incidentally she willbe playing akki’s love interest in all these films.most importantly, the girl has ‘dabangg 2’ in herkitty and will be seen romancing her mentorSalman once again this year end. While talkingto a weekly magazine, Sonakshi spoke aboutwhat she likes the most about Salman andakshay who are almost double her age. Shesaid, “Salman and akshay don’t take their workor stardom too seriously and are generally verychilled out. i like that about them and haveimbibed that attitude. like them i don’t feelthat i am in a race and i don’t have to provemyself by showing a person down.” We aresure, as long as you have this Khan and Kumarby your side, there’s nothing that can stop youfrom making it big in bollywood. AGENCIES

‘John Abraham

deserves a big thank you’MUMBAI: it's a subject that's often talkedabout in hushed tones, but director ShoojitSircar decided to go hammer and tongswith this very subject. What was hethinking when he thought of making‘Vicky donor’? He laughs and says, "i justknew one thing - that this film had to bemade. i knew that John abraham hadturned producer and was looking toproduce some different kind of films. So ijust went to him with my script and thatwas enough to convince him to back thefilm. in fact, i really want to thank John forbacking me and the script, becausewithout him the kind of reach this filmhas got was unimaginable." Speakingabout stardom and sensitive topics,Shoojit says, "often you need the big starsto speak on sensitive subjects. it lends acertain credence to the subject and ofcourse helps the film reach a wideraudience. ‘Vicky donor’ is a super exampleof this and John's made this possible. Hedeserves a big thank you.” AGENCIES

1 LONDON: Jeremy Renner,Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett

Johansson and Cobie Smuldersattend Marvel ‘AvengersAssemble’ European premiere.

2 NEW YORK: Emily Bluntattends the ‘Your Sister's

Sister’ premiere during the2012 Tribeca Film Festival.

3 COLOMBIA: Paul McCartneywaves as he performs at

the Nemesio Camacho stadium.

4 MUMBAI: WaheedaRehman (R) and show host

Raveena Tandon performonstage during the talk show‘Issi Ka Naam Zindagi’.

5 MUMBAI: AmitabhBachchan attends the Polio

Eradication Champion Awardceremony.

IN LIMELIGHT

NEWS DESK

A LI Zafar will play ShahidKapoor's older brother inthe much talked-aboutHindi remake of ‘Vettai’.Madhavan who played the

older brother’ part in the original, isout of the remake of ‘Vettai’. Thedirector of the film says, “Madhavan isout of the country for three months(getting his knees treated).We can'twait. Shahid Kapoor has been finalisedto play the younger brother. We'regoing ahead with Ali Zafar for theother hero's role."

Interestingly there was a 10-yearage-gap between screen brothersMadhavan and Arya in the original. Ali

Zafar who will play Shahid's elderbrother in the remake is hardly a yearolder than Shahid. When we madeinquiries about how this skimpy age-difference would be covered in theremake, a source close to the projectinformed, "Ali may be just a year older.But he played Imran Khan's elderbrother in ‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’.Maddy (Madhavan) suggested thedirector take a look at Ali and Imran'sbhai-bhai act. That's how Ali came intothe picture." Ali, who is now wrappingup another remake, that of ‘ChashmeBuddoor’, for David Dhawan would bemeeting his screen brother shortly. Asfor the leading ladies, the directorbursts the bubble by saying he has sofar not finalised any actress.

Simon Cowell ‘embarrassed’

by tell-all book


15

LOS ANGELESAGENCIES

SINGER Lady Gaga is to make acameo appearance as an alienin upcoming movie ‘Men inBlack 3’. Director BarrySonnenfeld revealed the singer

could make an appearance as an alien inthe movie, which will also have a cameo byteenage singer Justin Bieber. "So, thechallenge is getting celebrities that arefamous, will give you permission and won'tbe like 'Who's that guy?' in 10 years. Sothat's one thing, the alien surveillanceboard that we've had in all three movies,"aceshowbiz.com quoted Sonnenfeld assaying. Talking about nabbing famousnames for the cameo part in the ‘Men inBlack’ franchise, Sonnenfeld said: "The

first movie I know we had (Steven)Spielberg, Danny DeVito, George Lucas,(Sylvester) Stallone, Isaac Mizrahi, mybaby daughter. I can't remember who wehad in the second one, but in this one thereare a few people that you'll see up on thesurveillance board including Lady Gaga,Tim Burton, who probably knows moreabout aliens than I do, and let's see whoelse-Justin Bieber-oh, I think in the secondone we had Martha Stewart and MichaelJackson. So far we've been pretty luck andpeople have been kind and interested. I amsurprised that Lady Gaga said yes.” Askedwhether Gaga would be able to tackle acomic role, the filmmaker said: "Yes, andby the way, probably could be an alien."Based on Lowell Cunningham's comic,‘Men in Black 3’ will focus on time travelinvolving Smith's Agent J.

Jackman's ‘The Wolverine’ to be shot in Australia

LOS ANGELESAGENCIES

The latest instal-ment of the X-Men franchise,‘The Wolverine’,starring HughJackman, will beshot in Australia.The potential blockbuster was due to befilmed in Japan last year but the devas-tation from the tsunami and earthquakethat hit in March put production onhold. Sydney-born Jackman, who willreprise the role of the metal-clawed,muscled-up mutant, said he could notbe more excited. "It will be great towork with the highly talented crew andto provide employment opportunities toso many people across all levels of theindustry," he said in a statement. ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’, the fourthfilm in the franchise and a prequel tothe original trilogy, was also filmed inAustralia in 2008.’Other large-scaleproductions to have been made DownUnder recently include ‘The GreatGatsby’ and ‘Happy Feet 2’.

World’s oldest living man turns 115

KYOTOAGENCIES

Japanese centenarian Jiroemon Kimurais proving that a sense of humour maytruly be the secret to longevity. On his115th birthday, he faced reporters gath-ered at his home in Kyotango City westof Kyoto, with a smile and a brief mes-sage-in English. “Thank you very much.You are very kind man,” Kimura said, asphotographers gave out a collective“ohhh,” surprised by his language flu-ency. The oldest living man in the world,Kimura is just 237 days shy of the oldestliving person, according to the GuinnessBook of World Records. That title be-longs to supercentenarian Besse Cooper,who lives in Monroe. Kimura was bornin 1897, and worked at the local post of-fice until he retired at the age of 65. Hehas 5 children, 14 grandchildren, 25great grandchildren, and 13 great greatgrandchildren. While Kimura hasslowed down with age, his family says hecontinues to read the newspaper everyday, and never misses a meal. Japan hasthe world’s fastest aging population, andKimura is just one of five Japanese whoare on the list of 10 oldest people, ac-cording to Guinness.

Priyanka delays ‘Barfi!’MUMBAI: anurag basu's woes continue over‘barfi!’. first it was the director's best friendimtiaz ali who reportedly took all of ranbirKapoor's dates for ‘rockstar’. next, Priyankachopra's dates have been a constant source ofworry and delay for the project. the film'srelease has been pushed forward twice already.and we now hear that it may not make theaugust 31 deadline after all. reason? Priyankachopra still needs to shoot for two days. Says asource close to the film, "only Priyanka's portionremains to be shot, the film is complete. theproducers have already postponed the releasefrom July 13 to august 31 to give Peecee todevote a couple of days. but she's alreadystarted on ‘Zanjeer’." ranbir we hear, is at theend of his patience with the delays. He justwants ‘barfi’ to be over.apparently he haspersonally requested Priyanka to find the twodays in her calendar. basu rises to his heroine'sdefence. "our schedules went haywire and allthe actors had to re-adjust their dates. Priyankatried her best to accommodate us. i'm sure shewill manage to give us the two crucial days."meanwhile, basu is working on his other leadinglady ileana's dubbing. Says he, "ranbir has nodubbing to do since he plays a deaf and mutecharacter. i'm happy to say ileana's Hindi hasimproved and she can confidently dub her ownlines. not bad for a girl who couldn't speak thelanguage when she started." AGENCIES

Cinnabon Pakistan holds first ever blogger’s meetup

Scorsese, DiCaprio finally officially reunite for ‘Wolf of Wall Street’

Gaga turns alien for

‘men in black 3’

NEWS DESK

Cinnabon Pakistan held itsfirst ever blogger’s event atDolmen Clifton Mall, making itan exciting and adventurousevent. The blogger’s event wasa huge success with food blog-gers from all over the city gath-ering to feast on Cinnamonrolls and Cinnabon Stix. Theblogger’s event was conductedas part of the pre-event cam-paign for Cinnabon’s launch oftheir second Karachi outlet.The blogger’s event was held tobring together some of themost influential voices in thefood industry, including freelance writers, bloggers at newsdesks, photo bloggers and even

a V-logger. “I think this was agreat initiative and one I wasextremely excited about,” saidFarah Kamal, renowned foodblogger and photographer.“Such blogger’s meetup give usthe chance to really get toknow a product, do some tast-ings, share our thoughts andget to meet the owners.” An-other blogger Sidra said shewas super-excited about thisblogger’s meetup because thiswas the first time she had everbeen invited to a meetup offood bloggers. “It’s a reallyneat idea and I hope other peo-ple catch on and start conduct-ing more such meetups,” shesaid. “Kudos to Cinnabon Pak-istan for taking the initiative.”

LOS ANGELESAGENCIES

‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, thelong, long, long discussed re-union of Martin Scorsese andLeonardo DiCaprio, is finallyofficial. According to a pressrelease from production com-pany Red Granite, ‘Wolf’-anadaptation of Jordan Belfort'sbest-selling memoir-is sched-uled to start shooting in Au-gust. If ‘The Wolf of WallStreet’ sounds familiar, thatmight be because you remem-ber when Scorsese and Di-Caprio were first attached tothe film in February of 2011.Scorsese replaced Ridley Scott,who was initially rumoured todirect. This will be the fifthfilm that Scorsese and Di-Caprio have collaborated ontogether. The director andactor previously made ‘Gangsof New York’, ‘The Aviator’,‘The Departed’ and ‘Shutter Is-land’. ‘Wolf of Wall Street’chronicles Belfort's fast-and-loose life as an investmentbanker, and his involvement indrugs, sex and fraud duringthe '80s and '90s. “Everythingabout this film plays to Martin

Scorsese’s genius and vision-ary storytelling,” Red Granite'ssaid in a statement. "At itsheart, 'The Wolf of Wall Street’is about the rise of new 'mod-ern' gangsters in New Yorkthat redefined excess, greedand arrogance. We’re excitedto see Mr. Scorsese take thereins of this visceral, tumul-tuous ride.”

Salman Khan

fears marriage? MUMBAI: Salim Khan and his familymight be eagerly waiting for the eldestson Salman to get hitched, but the actorseems to have a major mind block. the46 year old hunk is very much abachelor and isn’t interested in gettingmarried yet. an entertainment channelreported that when Salman had joined into celebrate bappa’s wedding with thelahri family recently, he was blessed byan elderly guest present at the party.apparently, when the senior personblessed Salman for his impendingmarriage, the actor requested the elderlygentleman to not do so. Salman askedhim to bless him with money, healthand success instead. the actor lookedpetrified on hearing the word ‘marriage’.So why does Salman fear enteringmarital bliss? is he commitment phobicor is there some other reason? Wellonly Salman can tell. AGENCIES



16 Foreign News

OSLOAFP

THE gunman who killed 77 peoplein Norway’s massacres showedno emotion Friday as he recalledshooting his victims at point-blank range, but insisted he was

a nice person and not a psychiatric case.Anders Behring Breivik said he had

trained himself to shut out emotions butacknowledged that his twin attacks lastJuly were “gruesome, barbaric actions”and said he had to work on his psyche formany years because “you can’t send an un-prepared person into war.”

The 33-year-old right-wing extremistbegan providing gory details of his shoot-ing spree on Utoeya island, describing how

he calmly walked across the island, pickingoff his victims coldly, one by one. In hisrampage on July 22 Breivik first bombedan Oslo government building, killing eightpeople, and then shot dead 69 people,mostly teenagers, at a Labour Party youthcamp on the nearby island of Utoeya.Breivik has said he was motivated by thebelief that Norway is being overrun by a“Muslim invasion” and claimed he is partof a militant ultra-nationalist networknamed after the Knights Templar, a Chris-tian military order.

As he recalled the shooting spree, heshowed no emotion despite the horror hewas describing. “There is a person 15 metres(yards) from the entrance. ... I walk calmlyover to him and shoot him in the head.”“There is another group in the other corner,

and I shoot all of them.” “I lifted my weaponand shot him in the head.” Survivors andfamilies of victims in the courtroom cried ashe recounted killing after killing. Twowomen hugged each other as they wipedaway tears. Breivik’s defence team hadwarned that Friday’s testimony would bethe most difficult for the families to hear.The self-confessed killer insisted earlier onthe stand that he was not “a psychiatriccase,” telling the court he was a “caring per-son” who spent years meditating to “de-emotionalise” himself. “I am a very likeableperson under normal conditions,” he said.

“I was rather normal until 2006 whenI started my training,” he said, adding thathe cut back his social life to focus on hisgoal. “You have to choose tactics andstrategies to dehumanise ... the enemy ...

those who I see as legitimate targets,” hesaid. “If I hadn’t done that ... I wouldn’thave managed to do it.” On the island,where he was disguised as a police officer,Breivik spent more than an hour methodi-cally shooting at hundreds of people, manyof whom tried to flee by jumping into theicy waters. Many victims had multiple gun-shot wounds to the head and back, in whatwas the deadliest shooting rampage com-mitted by a lone gunman. Breivik said his“technical” wording and cold demeanourduring his testimony was necessary to “dis-tance himself” and to hold up throughouthis trial, which is expected to last untilmid-June. He is intent upon proving hissanity so as not to delegitimise his Islamo-phobic and anti-multiculture ideology.

“If I were to use more normal lan-

guage, I don’t think I would be able to ex-plain everything,” he said. The gunmanhas explained to the court that he seeshimself as a militant nationalist “knight”heroically fighting to defend “ethnic Nor-wegians” from being wiped out by a “Mus-lim invasion.” He reiterated Friday that heespecially blames Norwegian and Euro-pean media for making his attacks “nec-essary,” since they “systematically censor”ultra-nationalists like himself. He said hewould not have carried out his attacks ifhe felt that Norwegian media had pro-vided fair coverage of the immigration-skeptical Progress Party ahead of 2009parliamentary elections. Breivik, chargedwith “acts of terror,” has entered a plea ofnot guilty, saying his actions were “cruelbut necessary.”

BAMAKOAFP

Mali’s transition premier, theastrophysicist Cheick ModiboDiarra, pondered the make up ofhis interim government Fridayin a defused political climateafter the military released 22political prisoners.

The military guard watchingformer minister Soumaila Cisse,was lifted from his post at thehospital where Cisse wasrecovering, after anannouncement that the ex-minister was free to go. Oustedpresident Amadou ToumaniToure, who formally resignedafter being overthrown by themilitary last month, left thecountry to seek refuge inSenegal.

Abou Abel Thiam,spokesman for SenegalesePresident Macky Sall, told AFPthat Toure, who arrived lateThursday in Dakar with hisfamily, had been taken to theResidence Pasteur where high-

ranking guests are lodged. “Hewas calm. He was with his entirefamily” of about 15 people,Thiam said. Senegalese ForeignMinister Alioune Badara Cissehad gone to pick them up in theMalian capital Bamako in theSenegalese presidential plane,he added. It was notimmediately known if Toure, 63,would stay in Senegal or was justpassing through.

A military source in Bamakohad earlier said on condition ofanonymity that Toure haddeparted “with the agreement ofCaptain Amadou Haya Sanogo”,the coup leader, after soldiersposted at the airport had refusedto let him leave. The militarysource said troops had tried tooppose the former president’sdeparture by firing in the air,provoking mass panic. Toure’sdeparture from Mali and therelease of his allies who wererounded up by the junta helpedease tensions in Bamako wheresome feared soldiers were loatheto give up power as arrests

continued despite a commitmentto a return to civilian rule.

The wave of detentions tookplace shortly after former NASAastrophysicist and head ofMicrosoft Africa, Diarra wasappointed. He is expected toannounce the make up of histransition government in comingdays. Television footage hadshowed assault rifles andammunition clips as ColonelDiamou Keita, the head of thegendarmerie, said they hadarrested 22 people, 11 of whomwere civilians — one a banker —and 11 of them soldiers.“Everybody has been released,” asource close to the leaders of theMarch 22 coup said lateThursday, adding however thatCisse and Toure ally, GeneralWaly Sissoko “remained undermedical observation”. “It wasonly this morning (Friday) thatSoumaila Cisse was informed ofhis freedom in his hospital bed,”said a member of his entourage,indicating he would beevacuated to Fran.

un awaits syriagreen light for$180m relief plan

GENEVAAFP

A $180 million draft plan for deliveringhumanitarian aid for Syria’s one millionneedy has been drawn up and is awaitingthe green light from Syria, the UnitedNations said on Friday. A successfulassessment mission has been carried outand donors are ready with their cash toprovide food, medical and other supplies,said John Ging, director of operations forthe UN Office for the Coordination ofHumanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “We wereable to access all areas that we needed toaccess to assess the situation and get amore accurate understanding of theneeds,” Ging said on the fringes of ameeting of aid agencies in Geneva. “Wehave shared with the forum the draftresponse plan that has been developed bythe UN agencies on the ground. “That planamounts to $180 million which is added tothe regional refugee response plan of $84million. “Our donor community are fullyaware of what we have planned. Now it’s aquestion of implementing those plans,” hesaid. Friday’s private meeting, the secondso-called Humanitarian Forum on Syria,was hosted by OCHA, the Arab League, theOrganization of Islamic Cooperation, andthe European Commission HumanitarianOffice. Ging said that the Syriangovernment had agreed “that there is aserious humanitarian need and there’s anurgency for humanitarian action.”

South Sudan orders

troop pull out from

Heglig oil fieldJUBAAFP

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir onFriday ordered the immediate withdrawalof his troops from the contested Heglig oilfield, as the two former civil war foesinched back from a wider war. “The Re-public of South Sudan announces that theSPLA (Southern army) troops have beenordered to withdraw from Panthou-Heg-lig,” Information Minister Barnaba MarialBenjamin said, reading out a presidentialstatement. “An orderly withdrawal willcommence immediately and shall be com-pleted within three days,” the statementadded, potentially easing conflict that hasthreatened to plunge the countries backinto war. Fighting between Sudan andSouth Sudan escalated earlier this month,following the South’s April 10 seizure ofHeglig, which makes up around half of Su-dan’s oil production for its faltering econ-omy. Sudanese troops launched a renewedcounter-attack late Thursday with airstrikes hitting Southern troops entrenchedalong the frontline, Southern armyspokesman Philip Aguer said. “There wasfighting on Thursday evening, SAF (Su-dan’s army) was advancing and they werebeaten,” he said, adding he had no reportsof fighting on Friday.

LYON: Supporters of the Front de Gauche (FG) leftist party’s candidate for

the 2012 French presidential election dance on Friday prior to watching,

on a canvas stretched over the side of a truck, the FG campaign meeting

held at the same time at the Porte de Versailles in Paris. AFP

Breivik gives Oslo court graphic account of massacres

political tension eases inmali as prisoners freed

clashes in bahrain

ahead of f1 practicesDUbai: Bahraini security forcesclashed with protesters againstBahrain’s controversial Grand Prix inShiite villages on Friday despite beefedup security for the start of practicesessions. The overnight clashesbetween protesters and security forcesacross Shiite villages continued into theearly morning, witnesses said. “Thepeople want to topple the regime,”chanted dozens of protesters carryingpictures of jailed hunger strikerAbdulhadi al-Khawaja. “DownHamad,” they called, referring toBahrain’s king. Met by tear gas andsound bombs, the protesters respondedby hurling petrol bombs at securityforces, witnesses said. Security forcesalso fired buckshot to disperse thecrowds, wounding dozens of people.Protesters burned tyres, brieflyblocking several main roads leading tothe Sakhir circuit where Friday’sFormula One practices were takingplace, witnesses said. The February 14Youth Movement had called on socialnetworking sites for “three days of rage”to coincide with the event. AndBahrain’s main opposition group, Al-Wefaq, called for a week of dailyprotests to coincide with the Grand Prix,to focus media attention on theirlongstanding demands for greaterequality in the Sunni-ruled kingdom. AFP


Foreign News 17Saturday, 21 april, 2012

DARET EzAAH: A Syrian demonstrator calls for ‘Freedom’ during a protest in Daret Ezaah, close to the Syrian city of Aleppo, on Friday. AFP

Qaeda, armyclashes kill 20 in Yemen

SANAAAFP

Clashes between Al-Qaeda militants andthe army on the outskirts of Zinjibar inYemen’s restive south left 20 people dead,mostly jihadists, as soldiers advancedtowards the city, the defence ministry saidFriday. “Eighteen Al-Qaeda militants werekilled and dozens wounded while the restfled” the clashes on the outskirts of theextremists’ stronghold of Zinjibar, whichYemeni troops have been trying to retakesince May, the ministry’s website 26sep.netsaid. “Two soldiers were also killed whileseven others were wounded” in the clashesthat erupted late on Thursday, it said. AFPcould not independently verify the toll. Theministry said the army had “made a majoradvance towards Zinjibar, driving out theterrorist Al-Qaeda elements from severalpositions they held.” Since May 2011, thearmy has been battling the extremistgroup’s Yemeni branch, known as thePartisans of Sharia (Islamic law), whichtook over Zinjibar, in an attempt to regaincontrol of the capital of Abyan province.The website 26sep.net also reported thatIslamist insurgents were planning to targetgas terminals and companies in Belhaf,Shabwa province, with “six bomb-ladencars driven by six suicide bombers.” “Theinterior ministry has given orders toShabwa security services to deal seriouslywith this information and to take thesecurity measures needed to foil thisterrorist plot by Al-Qaeda,” it said.

Suspected islamists kill

eight in northern nigeriaKANO

AFP

Suspected members of Islamist group BokoHaram have killed at least eight people,including a policeman, in separate attacks inrestive northern Nigeria, police said Friday.The attacks, which also wounded apoliceman, occurred in three different cities,with most of the violence in Maiduguri, thecapital of Borno state in Nigeria’s northeastwhere Boko Haram has been based. “Fivepeople were killed yesterday by gunmensuspected to be Boko Haram, in a bakery.All five were labourers in the bakery, locatedin the Polo area of Maiduguri,” Borno statepolice commissioner Bala Hassan told AFP.He said two gunmen stormed the bakerywith guns concealed in a sack and shot thefive dead. The attackers fled before policearrived, he said. Hassan said a customsofficer was shot dead on Wednesday atGamboru market in Maiduguri, while awater vendor was also killed in another areaof the city on the same day. In nearby Yobestate, police spokesman Toyin Gbadegeshintold AFP a policeman was killed outside hishouse in the state capital on Thursday. “Welost a policeman to unidentified gunmenwho trailed and killed him outside hishouse at Pawari neighbourhood ofDamaturu,” he said, adding that BokoHaram was suspected.

DAMASCUSAFP

Syrian activists protestedagainst Bashar al-Assad on Fri-day, saying the Syrian presi-dent will be defeated, as abomb the government blamed

on terrorists killed 10 security personnel.The latest violence, which left three

security forces dead elsewhere, came asinternational envoy Kofi Annan’sspokesman acknowledged the situationwas “not good” and as rights monitors re-ported an opposition activist killed andintense shelling of protest centres.

“It’s a very fragile ceasefire,” AhmadFawzi told reporters of the tenuous trucewhich has seen more than 120 civilianskilled since it went into effect on April12.\ The deadly blast on took placed inthe southern region of Quneitra, near theborder with Israel in the disputed GolanHeights, state television reported. “Anarmed terrorist group exploded a 100-kilogramme (220-pound) bomb in Sahmal-Jolan in the region of Quneitra, killing10 members of the security forces,” thetelevision said. Meanwhile, an advanceteam of UN military observers resumedwork bolstered by the signing on Thurs-day of a protocol governing their missionto monitor a six-point plan brokered byAnnan. UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged the

Security Council to take “early action” tobolster the mission, while acknowledgingthat boosting its numbers to 300 was “nota decision without risk.”

Opposition activists had called for ashow of defiance against Assad’s regimefor the main weekly protests on the Mus-lim day of prayer and rest. “We will winand Assad will be defeated,” was the slo-gan on the Syrian Revolution 2011 Face-book Page, which has been a majorengine of the 13-month uprising thatmonitors say has left more than 11,000people dead. Videos posted onlineshowed thousands of demonstrators join-ing a huge rally in the city of Hassaka inthe mainly Kurdish northeast. Othersshowed demonstrations in the southernprovince of Daraa, cradle of the uprising,as well as in the Damascus suburbs.

Across the country, activists reporteda massive security force presence, partic-ularly outside mosques, the traditionalstarting point for marches and protests.French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe saidthe UN observer mission needed to beable to guarantee Syrians the freedom toprotest. “We need observers on theground, but properly equipped observerswith helicopters that can ensure the rightto protest. It’s extremely important. Theday this freedom is guaranteed, theregime will fall,” he said. But the head ofthe small observer advance team, Mo-

rocco’s Colonel Ahmed Himmiche, said itwould not be attending demonstrationson Friday for fear that “our presence isused for an escalation.” “Today, we have

other tasks. We are going to meet civiliansand representatives of organisations,”Himmiche told AFP as his team preparedto leave their Damascus hotel.

Syria activists call protests as bomb kills 10

PARISAFP

Nicolas Sarkozy apologised for his mis-steps Friday, the final day of campaigningin France’s presidential election, while hismain rival Francois Hollande wasincreasingly confident of victory.

The latest polls ahead of Sunday’s firstround point to a resounding win for theSocialist in the May 6 run-off againstSarkozy, dogged by criticism his flashyand overbearing style lowered thestanding of France’s head of state.“Perhaps the mistake I made at the start ofmy mandate is not understanding thesymbolic dimension of the president’s roleand not being solemn enough in my acts,”a contrite Sarkozy told RTL radio. “Amistake for which I would like to apologise

or explain myself and which I will notmake again,” he said, insisting: “Now, Iknow the job.”

The vote is seen by many as areferendum on the unpopular Sarkozy,who feted tycoons and marriedsupermodel Carla Bruni during his five-year term, rather than a chance tochoose France’s first Socialist presidentsince 1995.

The latest survey beforecampaigning and opinion polls were tobe banned at midnight on Friday saidHollande would win 29 percent of votesto Sarkozy’s 25.5 percent before the pairmeet head-on in the second round.Hollande is on course to win the finalvote 56 percent to the right-winger’s 44percent, polling organisation Ipsosforecast. Far-right candidate Marine Le

Pen could take 16 percent in the firstround, the far-left’s Jean-LucMelenchon 14 percent and centristFrancois Bayrou 10 percent, IPSOS said.

IPSOS’ Brice Teinturier said that if thefigures proved accurate, “for the first timesince the start of the Fifth Republic, fivecandidates will have double-figure scores.”He nevertheless noted voter “porosity anduncertainty” and added that far-rightvoters initially drawn to Sarkozy were nowabandoning him. Even pro-Sarkozynewspaper Le Figaro said “confidence hasswept into Francois Hollande’s camp”where “the candidate is having difficultyconcealing his optimism”, to the point ofdenigrating potential second-round allies.Amid speculation that he could reach outto Melenchon or Bayrou to ensure hisvictory in the run-off, Hollande has said

there would be no between-round deals,such as tapping a prime minister fromamong his rivals.

“There is no place in a presidentialelection for negotiations between parties.No bartering, no concessions, noexchanges,” Hollande said. Sarkozy’scampaign spokeswoman NathalieKosciusko-Morizet played up French voterunpredictability, with pollingorganisations themselves saying they hadnever seen “such erratic predictions soclose to the first round.” “I think that therewill be big surprises,” she told Le Parisiennewspaper, thanks to “the silent French,who don’t express themselves in the mediaor on the Internet.” Hollande’s campaignchief Pierre Moscovici told the same paperthat voters had a “powerful and tranquilexpectation of change” and those backing

other left-wing candidates in the firstround would end up voting Hollande.

“Hollande will become the candidateof the Socialist Party and of its allies: hewill be the candidate of the left and ofchange,” Moscovici said.

Sarkozy was briefly buoyed by securityfears in the wake of last month’s Al-Qaeda-inspired killings in Toulouse andhas vowed to cut immigration, but theeconomy has been the overwhelming issuethroughout the campaign. Unemploymentis at a 12-year high, the eurozone debtcrisis has shaken the economy and Frenchcitizens’ purchasing power is diminishing.Hollande took a statesmanlike stanceFriday, saying France would join UN-backed military intervention in Syria andcalling for the European Central Bank tocut interest rates.

sarkozy’s mea culpa as French presidential campaign winds up

assads’ luxury lifestyle istarget of new eu sanctionsbrUssels: The Assad couple’s lifestyle is the next target of EU sanctions on theSyrian regime, with the bloc ready to ban exports of luxury items, diplomats said Fri-day. “Sanctions are ready,” said an EU diplomat who asked not to be named. “Wewill see Monday, depending on the situation on the ground, if European Union for-eign ministers decide to adopt them or not” at talks in Luxembourg. This 14th roundof EU sanctions would concern luxury goods and so-called dual-use goods which canbe used for internal repression or for the manufacturing of equipment used for inter-nal repression, a senior EU diplomat said. By targeting luxury items, the EU is “sym-bolically” targeting the lifestyle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his glam-orous British-born wife Asma, said a European diplomat speaking on condition ofanonymity. “The Assad couple, as well as his inner circle and leaders of the regimemust be made to understand that events in Syria will also impact their personallives,” the source told AFP. The EU a month ago tightened the noose on Assad’s fam-ily, slapping a travel ban and asset freeze on his wife, mother and sister in the 13thround of EU sanctions in a year. His immediate family were among 12 people andtwo oil companies added to an existing EU blacklist totalling 126 people and 41 firmsor utilities. Asked whether the EU would provide logistical support to the UN teammonitorihng a ceasefire in Syria, a senior EU diplomat said Brussels had informedUN chief Ban Ki-moon of the bloc’s readiness to back the mission. “They may needhelicopters, armoured cars and trucks or satellite images,” he said. “We can supplyall of that and we’re in contact to see exactly what they need.” AFP


Saturday, 21 April, 2012

Page 21

berdych takes down murrayin monte carlo marathon

PORT OF SPAINAFP

Australia captain Michael Clarke vowed to keep making ambi-tious declarations even if it meant risking seeing his plans comeback to haunt him. Clarke set the West Indies a 215-run targetoff 61 overs in the second Test on Thursday, after declaring on160 for eight early in the afternoon, only for torrential rain towash away any chance of a result.

His decision to tempt the West Indies to force a result hadpaid dividends in the first Test in Barbados, which his team wonby three wickets, despite declaring his team's first innings 43runs behind. Thursday was also set for an intriguing finish whenWest Indies reached 53 for two off 11 overs before rain returnedto end the weather-battered contest.

"My goal my whole career has been to help the Australianteam win as many games as possible and I guess now that I amcaptain I have the opportunity to show that," said Clarke.

"At times with my declaration, when there is a chance forwinning, you've got to have a go at it. "There's going to be times

that it might backfire and we might lose every now and then.But I enjoy the brand of cricket that we're playing at the mo-ment. "I know the guys are really focused on the team havingsuccess and trying to win as many games as we can. And I thinkit's bringing the best out of the team."

The draw meant that Australia retained their two-decadegrip on the Frank Worrell Trophy with just the final Test to playstarting in Dominica on Monday. In an effort to win on Thurs-day, West Indies captain Darren Sammy switched his battingorder, moving Kieran Powell to open and placing himself atnumber three. But Australian seamer Ben Hilfenhaus soon hadthe West Indies rocking, trapping Powell lbw for just four in hissecond over which allowed Sammy, himself, to come to thecrease. Hilfenhaus had both openers back in the dressing roomjust two overs later when he produced a beautiful outswingerthat took the edge of Adrian Barath's bat and the catch wastaken by Clarke at first slip. That left West Indies on 13 for two.

Sammy, though, still had his sights firmly set on an unlikelywin and launched into an attack on Hilfenhaus, striking him fortwo boundaries and a six over long-off.

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

pRESIDENT of theBangladesh CricketBoard (BCB), MustafaKamal, has denied

that he committed toBangladesh’s tour of Pakistan inreturn for Pakistan CricketBoard’s support of his vice-pres-ident candidacy for the Interna-tional Cricket Council (ICC).

“No that is absolutely incor-rect. I can’t get the vice-presi-dency with Pakistan’s supportonly. I need endorsements fromat least 7 of 10 full members ofthe ICC to acquire the importantoffice,” said Kamal, on a privatetelevision channel.

Bangladesh were scheduledto play one One Day Interna-tional and one Twenty20 matchin Lahore at the end of April.However, the tour was post-poned after Dhaka High Courtissued a stay order due to whichthe BCB postponed the trip.

According to the petitionfiled in the Dhaka High Court,Kamal had committed to thetour without the permission ofthe relevant authorities.

Speaking after the tour waspostponed, Kamal said that hissincerity should not be doubted.

“PCB and BCB are strivinghard for the betterment ofcricket in the region, and I hopethe bilateral cooperation willcontinue,” he added.

PHf asks rebelplayers to explain

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

The PakistanHockey Federa-tion has on Fri-day issuedshow cause no-ticed to some ofthe seniormembers of thenational hockeyteam for teirparticipation inan illegal tour-nament inIndia. According to reports, Nimbus Com-munications Ltd engaged around sevenPakistani players for “World Hockey Se-ries”, which was played in India. The FIHdeclared the event as unsanctioned. "SevenPakistani players featured in the "WorldHockey Series", which was played in India.The FIH declared the event as unsanc-tioned so these players have violated theconstitution of PHF and FIH," a PHF re-lease said. The Pakistani players have vio-lated the Constitution of PHF and FIH andparticipated in the said event. The playersRehan Butt, Waseem Ahmed, Tariq Aziz,Zeeshan Ashraf, Adnan Maqsood, ShakeelAbbasi and Imran Warsi. The PHF has is-sued Show Cause Notices to the aboveplayers and asked them to appear beforethe PHF Discipline Committee on 7thMay 2012 in the PHF Office, NationalHockey Stadium Lahore to explain theirpoint of view. Pakistan's dwindling for-tunes in field hockey would suffer anotherserious blow if the players were banned.Pakistan, four times world and threetimes Olympic gold medal winners, haveslumped in recent years, recording aworst-ever eighth position at the BeijingOlympics in 2008. They finished 12th andlast in the 2010 World Cup held in NewDelhi but surprisingly won the AsianGames in China the same year to win anautomatic berth in the London Olympics.

PORT OF SPAINAFP

Australia retained their two-decade grip onthe Frank Worrell Trophy when heavy rainmeant the second Test against the West Indiespetered out into a draw on Thursday. The dis-appointing end came just when the home sidewere cranking up their pursuit of a 215-runvictory target at Queen's Park Oval. Australianskipper Michael Clarke had declared histeam's second innings at 160 for eight early inthe afternoon, leaving West Indies with a min-imum 61 overs to force a result and level thethree-game series. But after reaching 53 fortwo off 11 overs, the umpires led the teams offas bad light and heavy rain, which had re-stricted Wednesday's action to just 30.4 overs,returned. "I think it was going to be a goodfinal day if the rain stayed away," said Clarke,whose team won the first Test in Barbados.

"It was disappointing for both teamsand the fans. It's going to be a tough fight inDominica (where the final Test starts onMonday) because we played inconsistentcricket here." In an effort to win the game,West Indies captain Darren Sammyswitched his batting order, moving KieranPowell to open and placing himself at num-ber three. Australian seamer Ben Hilfenhaussoon had the West Indies rocking, trappingPowell lbw for just four in his second overand the decision stood despite anotherwasted review by the home side.

Sammy, himself, then came to thecrease. However, Hilfenhaus had both open-ers back in the dressing room just two overslater when he produced a beautifuloutswinger that took the edge of AdrianBarath's bat and the catch was taken byClarke at first slip. That left West Indies on13 for two. Sammy, though, still had hissights firmly set on a win and launched intoan attack on Hilfenhaus, striking him fortwo boundaries and a six over long-off. He

reached 30 not out from 26 balls with histeam still needing another 162 runs to winwhen the weather intervened.

"We were going after the runs. We losttwo wickets, but we had Shiv (Chanderpaul)and Narsinh (Deonarine) in the end. Wemade a positive statement. We looked at itas a one-day scenario," said Sammy. During

the morning the unlucky Fidel Edwards fi-nally took his first wicket of the match in his10th over of the second innings. A short ballto Ricky Ponting had him playing one of hisfavourite hook shots but he failed to keep theball down. It went straight to Powell on thesquare leg boundary and Ponting was gonefor 41 off 85 balls, an innings which featured

three fours. The highlight of the morningcame in Sammy's second over. He haddropped a sitter at first slip earlier in the in-nings but now took an excellent catch off hisown bowling to remove his opposite num-ber Clarke. The delivery seemed to stop a bitoff the pitch and Clarke was through thestroke a little early before Sammy thrust

out his right hand to take the chance. MikeHussey and Matthew Wade took Australiathrough to lunch at 123 for five with a leadof 177 before the pace was stepped-upafter the interval. West Indies pacemanKemar Roach took two more wickets togive him his second five wicket innings inthe match as he finished with 5-41.

Sohail questionsbcci policy ofleaving Pakistanplayers out of iPl

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

Former Test captain Aamir Sohail hascalled on the Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) and the government to ensure par-ticipation of Pakistani players in the In-dian Premier League (IPL). Sohail, aformer chief selector and now a well-known cricket analyst and commentator,said while the IPL was a domestic eventof the Indian board but it was sad thatonly Pakistani players were missing fromthe ongoing competition. "Players fromall over the world are invited to take partin the competition. Why should onlyPakistani players continue to be kept outof the IPL," he questioned. "The PCB andeven the government should find out thecause for this issue. The PCB must askthe BCCI why only Pakistani players arenot allowed to take part in the IPL."When our players can go and play in theWorld Series Hockey, I don't understandwhy not in the IPL. No one appears tohave a logical explanation for this," hesaid. BCCI vice President Rajeev Shuklahad last week said that Pakistani playerscould only be invited to take part in theIPL once bilateral cricket ties resume be-tween the two countries. He made itclear that the IPL was a sub-committeeof the BCCI and was governed by it. "Wehave nothing against Pakistan if that wasso we wouldn't have allowed Pakistaniumpires, commentators or coaches in theIPL," Shukla had said. Sohail welcomedthe PCB move to invite Bangladesh toplay two matches in Lahore. "I think thePCB has done the right thing by invitinga foreign team to Pakistan because weneed to get the ball rolling. It is a serieswhere we should also try out our newplayers particularly fast bowlers."

Pak tour, ICC presidencynot related, says Kamal

Port-of-SPain: West indies cricketer darren Sammy (r) and fidel Edwards (l) celebrate thewicket of australian batsman michael clarke during the final day of the second test match. AFP

Second Windies, Australia Test abandoned as draw

Australia 1st innings 311 (M. Hussey 73, S. Watson 56; K. Roach

5-105, S. Shillingford 3-92)

West Indies 1st innings 257 (S. Chanderpaul 94, N. Deonarine

55; N. Lyon 5-68)

Australia 2nd innings (overnight 73-3)

E. Cowan lbw b Roach 20

D. Warner c Bravo b Edwards 17

S. Watson b Roach 0

R. Ponting c Powell b Edwards 41

M. Clarke c & b Sammy 15

M. Hussey b Roach 24

M. Wade not out 31

B. Hilfenhaus b Roach 0

N. Lyon c Sammy b Shillingford 3

Extras (b4, lb1, w1, nb3) 9

Total (8 wickets dec; 61.5 overs) 160

Did not bat: J. Pattinson

Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Warner), 2-26 (Watson), 3-57 (Cowan), 4-

93 (Ponting), 5-95 (Clarke), 6-145 (Hussey), 7-149 (Hilfenhaus),

8-160 (Lyon)

Bowling: Edwards 10-2-28-1 (1nb), Shillingford 23.5-4-55-1,

Roach 18-4-41-5 (1nb), Sammy 8-0-17-1 (1w, 2nb), Deonarine 2-

0-14-0

West Indies 2nd innings

A. Barath c Clarke b Hilfenhaus 5

K. Powell lbw b Hilfenhaus 4

D. Sammy not out 30

D. Bravo not out 8

Extras (b6) 6

Total (2 wickets; 11 overs) 53

Did not bat: Kraigg Brathwaite, Shivnarine Chanderpaul,

Narsingh Deonarine, Carlton Baugh, Shane Shillingford, Kemar

Roach, Fidel Edwards

Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Powell), 2-13 (Barath)

Bowling: Beer 4-1-10-0, Hilfenhaus 4-0-22-2, Watson 3-1-15-0

Toss: Australia

Result: Match drawn

Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG), Marais Erasmus (SA)

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (Nz)

Third umpire: Tony Hill (Nz)

SCOREBOARD West indiescall up assadfor third testporT of spain: Left-hander Assad Fu-dadin was on Thursday called into the WestIndies squad for the third and final Testagainst Australia which starts at WindsorPark in Dominica on Monday. He comes infor leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo. Middle-order batsman Kirk Edwards, who was inthe squad for the second Test, has not recov-ered from a leg injury and is not available forselection. Fudadin, a 26-year-old fromGuyana, is a steady batsman, who was thesecond highest run-scorer in the recently-concluded Regional 4-Day competitionwhere he made 576 runs at an average of 48with a top score of 108. Chairman of theWest Indies Cricket Board selection panel,Clyde Butts said: "Fudadin has been a mem-ber of the West Indies A Team for a whilenow and we have seen signs of developmentand improvement." "This year he battedwell in the Regional 4-Day Tournament, andmade over 500 runs including two centuries.He was very consistent in the middle-order.He can also bowl medium-pace and that isan asset." The second Test at Queen's ParkOval here was abandoned as a draw onThursday after Australia won the opener inBarbados by three wickets. AFP

Clarke vows to keep pressing for victory


News 19Saturday, 21 april, 2012

Nawaz said that his party was performingits “due role”, but added that the coalitionpartners of the ruling Pakistan People’sParty (PPP) “should also think about thecountry”. “The government’s allies areequally responsible for the current state ofaffairs in the country,” he said.

On a question about the unification ofvarious factions of the PML, Nawaz said inan apparent reference to the Chaudhrys ofGujrant: “I have a list in my mind of thosewho should not join us.” The PML-N chiefsaid that until now, the government hadnot consulted his party on the preparation

of next year’s budget. Earlier, Nawaz welcomed Lt General

(r) Abdul Qayyum to the party, saying,“Every general is not like Parvez Mushar-raf. I had a wish that such people (GenQayyum) should join the PML-N.”Qayyum expressed confidence in the PML-N’s vision and leadership on the occasion.

Earlier in the day while addressing alaptop distribution ceremony at Conven-tion Centre, Nawaz said the past PML-Ngovernments had not been allowed to com-plete the tenure. “We (PML-N) were neverallowed to work for more than two years,”he added. He told the students to use their

votes “carefully”, saying that “some peo-ple” had disguised themselves and weretalking about a revolution. During the cer-emony, the Punjab government distributedlaptop computers to 1,517 brilliant stu-dents from across the country, including480 from Punjab, 416 from Azad Jammuand Kashmir, 386 from KhyberPakhtunkhwa, 95 from Balochistan, and140 from Sindh. The students who receivedlaptops praised the living arrangementsprovided by the Rawalpindi District andDivisional Administration. They thankedthe Punjab government for giving themlaptops as a goodwill gesture.

ISLAMABADSHAIQ HUSSAIN

PAKISTAN has firmlyturned down renewed USdemands for a full-scale mil-itary operation in NorthWaziristan Agency (NWA)

against the Haqqani network allegedlybased there, and blamed by Washingtonfor recent coordinated attacks in Kabuland other parts of Afghanistan.

The Obama administration resumedpressure on Islamabad for military ac-tion in North Waziristan. The demandwas first made by US Ambassador toPakistan Cameron Munter during his

meeting with Foreign Minister HinaRabbani Khar which took place after theKabul attacks, followed by a telephonecall from US Secretary of State HillaryClinton to her Pakistani counterpart. Be-sides, official sources say that the USalso conveyed the demand to the Pak-istan Army leadership through militarychannels.

However, Pakistan has once againrefused to budge to US pressure forlaunching a military offensive in NorthWaziristan, where the Obama adminis-tration believes that senior Talibanleader Siraj Haqqani is hiding, alongwith his fighters.

US Ambassador to Afghanistan

Ryan C Crocker also blamed theHaqqani network on Thursday for con-ducting coordinated attacks in Kabuland other cities. Talking to reporters inKabul, he demanded Pakistan to crackdown on what he called “Haqqani safehavens” in Pakistan. “There is no ques-tion in our minds that the Haqqaniswere responsible for these attacks. Weknow where their leadership lives andwe know where these plans are made inPakistan,” he said. A Pakistani diplomatseeking anonymity, however, rejectedUS allegations, saying that everythingthat happens in Kabul is not planned inPakistan’s tribal belt.

“There might be Taliban fighters

present in North Waziristan and othertribal areas, but blaming those peoplefor every bad thing that happens inAfghanistan seems to have become theAmericans’ habit now,” he said, whileruling out the possibility of a new mili-tary offensive in North Waziristan.

A security official, who also soughtanonymity, confirmed that the US wasexerting increasing pressure on Pakistanfor a new military offensive. However,he too rejected the likelihood of any suchoffensive, saying that would put toomuch burden on Pakistani securityforces already overstretched due to on-going operations in areas such Khyberand Orakzai agencies.

Pakistan rejects US demand

for military operation in NWA

ISLAMABADSTAFF REPORT

The federal government has decided toget the consent of the home countries ofthe family members of slain Al Qaedachief Osama bin Laden before deportingthem from Pakistan.

In this respect, Interior MinisterRehman Malik chaired a high-levelmeeting on Friday which was attendedby the federal Interior secretary, the Is-lamabad chief commissioner anddeputy commissioner, the Islamabadinspector general of police, and the di-rectors general of the Federal Investiga-tion Agency (FIA) and the National

Crisis Management Cell (NCMC). The senior officials briefed Malik on

the deportation of the 13 family mem-bers of Osama Bin Laden. Malik di-rected the Islamabad chiefcommissioner to visit Osama’s familymembers with a female police officer,and ask them about their choice of thedestination country. The minister alsodirected the Interior secretary to con-tact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs fortaking the consent of the respectivecountries to accept Osama’s familymembers. Malik said that the process ofdeportation of OBL family membersshould be completed under the existingrules and regulations.

Ali Musa Gilani and some bureau-crats, including PM’s PrincipalSecretary Khushnood AkhtarLashari, to appear before the courtfor being allegedly involved in thescam.

In Friday’s hearing, SalmanAkram Raja, counsel for Ali MusaGilani and Khushnood AkhtarLashari, informed the bench thathis clients were ready to appearbefore the court, whereas thebench allowed former parliamen-tarian Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed tobecome party in the case and askedhim to extend cooperation to theANF. Narcotics acting secretaryZafar Abbas Lak told the benchthat the ANF had not recoveredany facility to convert ephedrineinto any narcotic material so far.He said any evidence of misuse ofephedrine had also not beentraced.

He blamed the ANF of fabricat-ing cases, adding that ANF officerswere rebels who never bothered tofollow rules and regulations.

Lak said the ANF implicatedinnocent people in drug cases andhe was ready to resign if the accu-sation were not proved.

He maintained that it couldalso be possible that ANF might

even incriminate the prime minis-ter of the country by plantingheroin in his car.

Justice Khilji Arif Hussain saidin his remarks that the investiga-tion teams must be dismissed ifthousands of cases were registeredon fabricated grounds. Lak re-quested the bench to protect himfrom the ANF, saying the forcemay arrest him from his home, towhich the chief justice said, “Youare a powerful person who cantransfer a sitting brigadier andgeneral”. The CJ added that in-cumbent narcotics secretary ZafarAbbas was becoming the basis ofdefaming the ANF.

Munir Ahmed Piracha and SyedZulfiqar Abbas Naqvi, counsels forM/s Danas Pharmaceuticalspleaded before the bench that theyhad already approached a highcourt for grant of bail and hadnothing to say in present proceed-ings. Raja Shahid Mehmood Ab-basi, counsel for ANF, pointed outthat the bail matter was lingeringon for one or the other reason,upon which the bench asked theconcerned high court to dispose ofthe matter of bail within sevendays. The bench adjourned thehearing of the case to be fixed afterthree weeks.

sC directs ANF to conduct

of troubling

CoNtINUeD From Page 28

CoNtINUeD From Page 28

Govt to get destinationcountries’ consent beforedeporting OBL family

PESHAWARSHAMIM SHAHID

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) govern-ment has evolved a plan to round up the384 escaped prisoners from Bannu Cen-tral Jail after some 300 Taliban fightersstormed the prison and freed about 150of their accomplices, including somehigh-profile militants.

So far, the authorities have claimedre-arresting more than 140 prisoners.Senior police officials informed PakistanToday that four special teams had beenconstituted to re-arrest the escaped pris-oners. According to them, all four teamsare working in Bannu, and have estab-lished contacts with civil authorities andthe high-ups of law enforcement agenciesin the province and the adjoining tribalbelt.

A senior police officer said the secu-rity agencies across the province had beenput on high alert, as the escaped prisonersbelonged to scattered areas. So far, theKarak Police has given a positive andfruitful response by arresting 11 escapedprisoners, he said, adding that the LakkiMarwat Police had also succeeded in ar-resting a number of escaped prisoners.

When contacted, KP Interior AffairsSecretary Mohammad Azam Khan con-firmed that 35 escaped prisoners had

been re-arrested, adding that 108 had re-turned voluntarily. He said that a high-level meeting, held in Peshawar two daysago, had evolved a strategy for re-arrest-ing the escaped prisoners.

In response to a question, the secre-tary said that the escaped prisonerscould have taken shelter in the adjacentNorth Waziristan. “There is no access ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa government inFATA (Federally Administered TribalAreas), therefore, the provincial govern-ment is in contact with the federal gov-ernment through FATA and theSecretariat’s governor,” he said, addingthat through such contacts, they wereworking on a plan to re-arrest the es-caped prisoners from North Waziristan.

According to prison officials, thetotal strength of inmates in Bannu Cen-tral Jail was 946, and 384 of them hadescaped on April 15, 2012. The authori-ties said that one of the prisoners haddied due to hunger, or on medicalgrounds. They said that most of the in-mates were able to escape after militantstried to free Adnan Rashid, who was sen-tenced to death by a military court in afoiled attempt on the life of former pres-ident Pervez Musharaf. Rashid’s secondaccomplice, Niaz Mohammad, wasshifted to Haripur Central Jail fromMansehra on April 17, 2012.

KP govt lays out planto re-arrest escapedBannu inmates

ISLAMABADINP

The Supreme Court of Pakistan onFriday reserved its verdict on theelection expenses case after hearingarguments from both the sides.

A three-judge bench, headed byChief Justice Iftikhar MuhammadChaudhry and comprising JusticeKhilji Arif Hussain and JusticeTariq Parvez, heard the petition re-garding the election expanses.

The chief justice said that theElection Commission was responsi-ble for not holding municipal elec-tions which were a constitutionalrequirement. The chief justice fur-ther said the provincial govern-ments had held the ElectionCommission responsible for not

holding municipal elections and re-marked that preparation of electoralrolls was the responsibility of theECP.

Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry alsocriticised the Election Commissionfor absence of the ECP director-gen-eral from the hearing.

“The ECP has become just a postoffice. It is not fulfilling its duties ofholding transparent elections,” saidthe chief justice.

According to the chief justice,when a candidate stands for elec-tions, scrutiny is done to keep acheck so that they do not cross thelimits set for electoral expenditureand if they do so, action should betaken against them.

He criticised the ECP for its fail-ure to scrutinise the candidates.

11 more gunned

down in Karachi KARACHIONLINE

The deadly trend of target killings inKarachi showed no sign of decline as 11more people were gunned down in thecity, rescue sources said. Police andrescue sources said six people weregunned down in separate incidents inOrangi Town while five others werekilled in Liaquatabad, Teen Hati, Clifton,Memon Goth and Sabzi Mandi areas ofthe city. A total of seven people werekilled in Orangi Town. Two of them werekilled and one sustained injuries whenunknown assailants opened fire in theGaddafi Chowk area of Orangi Town,Chhipa sources said. Orangi TownDeputy Superintendent of Police TariqMalih, confirming the incident, said theinjured had been shifted to a nearbyhospital. Two people were killed in theNew Sabzi Mandi area and one nearBilawal House in Clifton. Anotherperson was gunned down in the TeenHatti area. DSP Malih said the conditionof two out of the three injured wasserious because bullets had piercedthrough their heads and chests. SindhHome Minister Manzoor Wasan directedthe respective SHOs to patrol their areasto curb any terror bid. INP adds: Twoarmed men opened fire at Shoaib, 22, inthe Ram Swami area, injuring himcritically. The injured was rushed to anearby hospital where he succumbed tohis wounds. The police recovered deadbodies of two persons from OrangiTown. The bodies were shifted tohospital for postmortem. Identity of thedeceased aged between 25 to 30 years,has not been confirmed. In the Old Cityarea, gunmen opened fire at a manleaving him critically injured. Theinjured was rushed to hospital where hesuccumbed to his wounds. The policerecovered the dead body of an unknownperson from the Memon Goth area. Thearms and legs of deceased were tied withropes. Meanwhile, more than 10 personswere injured in various firing incidentsin New Karachi, Liaquatabad, JahangirRoad, Shah Faisal Colony and Lyari.

ISLAMABADAFP

The deportation of Osama bin Laden’s familyfrom Pakistan to Saudi Arabia will take at leasta few more days and is being discussed betweenthe two countries, their lawyer said on Friday.The 9/11 mastermind’s three widows, theireight children and a grandchild were held byPakistan authorities after bin Laden was killedin a US special forces operation in the town ofAbbottabad, north of Islamabad, last May. The12 were originally supposed to be deported thisweek but it was delayed because legalformalities were not complete. “It will takesome more days to complete the deportationprocess,” Atif Ali Khan, the lawyer for binLaden’s widows, told AFP. “We are still waitingfor news from the authorities. “I don’t want totalk about weeks but we hope that it will be overin a few days.” Deputy interior minister ImtiazSafdar Warraich told AFP on Wednesday that“the required documents are being preparedand it is being done swiftly.

osama widows’deportation ‘fewmore days’ away

sC reserves verdict on

election expenses caseg Holds EcP responsible for not holding lb elections


Sports20Saturday, 21 april, 2012

LoNDoN: The uS team practice

ahead of the teams technical

routine during the FINA olympic

games Synchronised Swimming

Qualification competition, a part

of the London Prepares series

of test events, at the Aquatics

Centre in the olympic Park. aFp

national boxingfrom 23rd

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

The 34th Velo National Boxing Champi-onship will be held on April 23 to 27 here atPunjab College. Addressing a press confer-ence here on Friday, Pakistan Boxing Fed-eration President Duda Khan Bhutto, whowas to address the press conference couldnot make the occasion and Akram Khan,secretary PBF addressed the gathering andsaid that the championship has been allot-ted to the Punjab Boxing Association andwould be participated by all the affiliatedunits of the federation. Velo is the sponsorof this 34th edition of the Championship inwhich prominent teams from the fourprovinces, FATA, Islamabad, PAF, Army,Navy, Higher Education Commission(HEC), Police, Railway and Wapda will beparticipating. Akram Khan, secretary PBF,informed that the weigh in ill be held in themorning at around 10 am and will be fol-lowed by bouts in two sessions, morningand evening. The winners will be awardedmedals, he maintained. MohammadYousuf Mahmood Butt, secretary Punjabboxing was also present on the occasion.He said: President, Pakistan Olympic Asso-ciation, Lt Gen (r) Syed Arif Hasan will in-augurate the national championship whosefinals will be played on April 27.

rokhri badmintonfrom monday

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

The 14th All Pakistan Aamer Hayat KhanRokhri Badminton Invitation Tournament2012 will be held in the hall of New KhanSports Board from April 23 to 29. All thefour provinces namely Sindh, Punjab,Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa be-sides players from Wapda, Railway, Na-tional Bank of Pakistan have confirmedtheir entries. Teams from Fata, AJK andGilgit Baltistan are also participating.

With four games to go – five for some,six for Bolton – every match in the Eng-lish Premier League would have massiverepercussions for not only the two teamsinvolved but also those that surroundtheir position on the league table. Theearly kickoff today at the Emirates is oneof the biggest games of the season forboth the clubs involved and of course forTottenham Hotspurs and NewcastleUnited as well. All four of them couldfinish anywhere between 3rd and 6th de-pending on results going in their favour– or lack thereof; that’s how close therace for Champions League football is.As things stand Arsenal are 3rd with 64points, Tottenham 4th with 59, Newcas-tle 5th with 59 and Chelsea 6th with 57points. And Arsenal have played 34games – a game more than the rest ofthe chasing pack.

Arsenal and Chelsea are coming offthe back of contrasting results. The awayteam for today’s encounter beat possiblythe greatest club side to ever play thegame in the UEFA Champions Leagueon Wednesday, owing to a dogged, de-termined performance. While Arsenalcame unstuck against a relegation con-tender – even though teams of that par-ticular kith and kin are veritable beastsat this time of the year – Wigan, who arefighting for their life with vigor andverve that has seen them conjure upback-to-back wins over ManchesterUnited and Arsenal.

As far as Champions League qualifi-cation are concerned, Chelsea need thewin today more than Arsenal do – unlessthey’re going for the ‘easy way out’ and

beating Barcelona and one of BayernMunich or Real Madrid en route to win-ning the Holy Grail of club football andgetting automatic qualification. How-

ever, back-to-back defeats for the Gun-ners would give their North Londonneighbours a sniff of the third spot; eventhough they haven’t seemed particularly

interested in sniffing around that partic-ular spot recently.

Chelsea should also get more moti-vation – as if they needed any – owingto being on the wrong end of a jarring 5-3 loss at Stamford Bridge earlier thisseason, and the blues should have rea-son for optimism knowing that MikelArteta is out for the rest of the seasonand that Yossi Benayoun would not beinvolved against his parent club whileAbou Diaby has next to no fitness levelto fill that void. That would mean thatAaron Ramsey – who has had a mixedseason and continues to divide opinion– should be played in the middle.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have fitness is-sues of their own. Considering the factthat the collective age of their normalfirst choice 11 is only a couple of yearsless than the Egyptian pyramids, theBarca match would undoubtedly take itstoll in the second half against Arsenal.Furthermore Arsenal’s tormentor-in-chief historically Didier Drogba – whohas scored 12 goals in 14 games againstArsenal – would not be playing todayafter the Ivorian was ruled out with aknee injury. Hence Fernando Torresshould get the umpteen hundredthchance to pay back some of the amountthe Roman Abramovic splurged out forhis services.

It goes without saying that RobinVan Persie would have a major part toplay for Arsenal, and if he finds hisgroove – like he did in the reverse fixtureat Stamford Bridge – Arsene Wenger’syounger, fresher troops might just runChelsea ragged. Despite Chelsea needingit more, Arsenal look better placed totake the three points – something that,as things stand, Abramovic might evengive a blank cheque for.

a pivotal moment in the racefor champions league footballPreviewing the Arsenal-Chelsea game, highlighting the ramificationsof the outcome for the teams between 3rd and 6th

KUNWAR KHULDUNE SHAHID

EPL CRYSTAL BALL


Sports 21Saturday, 21 april, 2012

MONTE CARLOAFP

TOMAS Berdych staged afightback to deny Andy Mur-ray a third semi-final in fouryears at the Monte Carlo

Masters, with the Czech squeezing outa tight 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-3 win on Fri-day to reach the final four.

Berdych, seeded sixth, will face thewinner from top seed Novak Djokovic,playing on despite learning on Fridayof the death in Serbia of his grandfa-ther, and Dutch surprise Robin Haase.

Murray could only be frustratedwith himself after a performance inwhich Berdych managed 16 break

point chances and converted on five.Murray had one opportunity on theCzech's serve but was unable to takeadvantage. Berdych girded for a battleon the clay under sunny skies after los-ing the 74-minute opening set in atiebreaker. The former Wimbledon fi-nalist took his chances and profittedfrom a Murray miscue in a strugglelasting for just over two and three-quarter hours.

"I had to stay in the fight after thefirst set," said the winner. "I had somebad luck in the tie-breaker, but mygame started getting stronger.

"I hope to keep playing my besttennis on clay," said the Monte Carlosemi-finalist from 2007 who now leads

Murray 4-2 in their career series. Thebig Czech stands 2-0 over the Scot onclay after a 2010 fourth-round win atRoland Garros. Murray looked likefighting through after the marathonopening set, where he saved a total ofseven break points - four of whichwere set points. But after salting awaythe opener, he let his game drop.

Berdych turned the tide endingwith 50 winners and 40 unforced er-rors from his go-for-broke style. Thefinal set began with three consecutivebreaks of serve before Berdych stead-ied to earn the win on his first matchpoint, a forehand winner to the corner.The Berdych win was his 22nd of theseason against just five losses.

WATcH iT Live

GEO SUPERIPL-5: Super Kingsv Royal Challengers03:30PM

Berdych takes downMurray in Monte Carlo

monaco: britain's andy murray hits a return to czech tomasberdych during the monte-carlo atP masters Series match. AFP

monaco: czech tomas berdych hits a return to britain's andy murrayduring their monte-carlo atP masters Series tournament match. AFP

MONTE CARLOAFP

Novak Djokovic buried his grief to advance to the quarter-finalsof the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday, just hours after learn-ing of the death in Serbia of his beloved grandfather. The worldnumber one elected to take to the court against Alexandr Dolgo-polov of the Ukraine after suffering the heart-breaking blow attraining in the morning. His match, interrupted by the fourthrain shower of the day at the Monte Carlo Country Club, even-tually ended with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 win and a pleading look to theMediterranean skies from the distraught star.

Djokovic was said to be close to grandfather Vladimir andsheltered with him and other family members during the NATObombing of Belgrade in 1999. After leaving the court in silenceorganisers the ATP released a statement which read: "NovakDjokovic would like to ask for your understanding.

"As you know, he lost his grandfather today just before thematch, and it was very hard for him to play. After he won, he justfelt totally exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally."There was no word as to whether the world number one wouldcontinue in the tournament which he missed last year during arecord-setting season of ten titles including three of the fourgrand slams. He is due to face Holland's Robin Haase in Friday'squarter-finals. Second seed Rafael Nadal continued his quest foran eighth straight title at the tournament as he dispatchedMikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 6-1, 6-1.

Nadal will next face Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland fora place in the semi-finals. World number two Nadal needed just60 minutes to see off Kukushkin, breaking serve five times fromsix opportunities and dropping only six points on serve.

HAVANAAFP

Cuba's Olympic 110m hurdles championDayron Robles said Thursday that he isnow injury-free and will start his build-upto the London Games on Friday inEcuador. Robles, the world record holder,hurt his back in a training accident inSpain in March which ruled him out of theindoor world championships in Istanbulwhere he would have defended his title.

"I am completely recovered from my in-jury and I am going to Guayaquil in Ecuadorfor two weeks starting from Friday where Iwill be working on my technique," the 25-year-old told AFP. "After my accident in Eu-rope, I went back to Cuba to follow a shortcourse of treatment and then worked undermy coach Santiago Antunez but withoutoverdoing it," he added. Robles plans torace on May 1 in Martinique, then in Puerto

Rico, on May 12, Havana on May 27, Eu-gene, Oregon, on June 2 and then New Yorkon June 9 before he heads to Europe.feDUloVa geTs olympiC berTHafTer freesTyle win: SvetlanaFedulova of Saint Petersburg took gold inthe women's 50-metre freestyle on thethird day at the Russian swimming cham-pionships here Thursday. With a time of25.32sec Fedulova won the right to per-form for Russia at the 2012 Olympics inLondon. Veronika Popova was second(25.77), with Natalia Lovtsova in third(25.83). In the championships, which alsodouble as Olympic qualifiers, Danila Izotovof Krasnodar region also received a pass tothe Olympics, winning the men's 200mfreestyle in 1:46.56.

The race also opened the way to Lon-don for second-placed Yevgeny Lagunov(1:47.47) along with third-placed ArtemLobuzov (1:47.53) and Nikita Lobintsev,

who came fourth obtaining a place in Rus-sia's 4x200m relay team. in the men's200m breaststroke, Vyacheslav Sinkevichwon gold in 2:11.04, sendingt him on hisway to the 2012 Games along with second-placed Anton Lobanov (2:12.35).

Marat Amaltdonov was third (2:12.38)Yulia Efimova won the women's 100mbreaststroke with a time of 1:07.05, earn-ing her an Olympic pass along with the sil-ver medalist Daria Deyeva 1:07.22.Anastasia Chaun finished with bronze(1:08.74). In the women's 200m back-stroke Anastasia Zueva came first with atime of 2:06.59 beating Maria Gromova(2:11.11) and Yulia Larina (2:12.97).

Nikita Konovalov won gold in thenon-Olympic men's 50m butterfly clock-ing a time of 23.32sec ahead of YevgenyKorotyshkin (23.95) and Roman Kaig-orodtsev (24.20). Meanwhile, YelenaSokolova won the women's 800-metre

freestyle earning a place in Russia'sOlympic team with a time of 8:36.44.Yelizaveta Gorshkova was second(8:44.48), while Yekaterina Seliverstovacame third (8:49.78).polanD CoaCH wenTa qUiTsafTer olympiC miss: Poland'smen's handball coach, former interna-tional Bogdan Wenta, announced his res-ignation on Thursday after his team failedto qualify for the London Olympics. "Tohalt all the discussion, assumptions, spec-ulation, rumours and lies about me, I wishto inform the media that I am ending mycooperation with the Polish men's hand-ball team," Wenta told reporters.

"I already made up my mind in Ali-cante," he said, referring to the Spanishcity which from April 6-8 hosted an Inter-national Handball Federation Olympicqualification tournament. Spain and Ser-bia won out in that race, while Poland

and the fourth participant, Algeria, bothfailed to make the cut. Wenta, 50, hasbeen a handball star in Poland for yearsand was an iconic member of his coun-try's squad in the 1980s and 1990s.‘german Dressage CoaCHsCHmezer Dies’: Holger Schmezer,the coach of Germany's equestrian dres-sage team, has been found dead at a hotelin the Netherlands, the German Eques-trian Federation (DRV) announced Fri-day. Schmezer, 65, was found in a hotelroom in the Dutch town of 's-Hertogen-bosch, which is hosting the final of theEquestrian World Cup series. The DRVsaid no circumstances of his death wereyet known but paid tribute to one of thesport's "most devoted" coaches. "It's un-believable to think that Holger Schmezeris no longer with us," DRV presidentBreido Count said. "The sport of dressagehas lost one of its most devoted coaches."

changoz in lcciPolo cup final

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

Changoz has qualified for the final of theLCCI Polo Cup after it beat Guard Grouphere at the LPC ground on Friday. The finalwill be played on Sunday while the sub-sidiary final will see Diamond Paints figureagainst the team to be decided yet. Changozbeat Guard Group 8-6 to make it to the finalwhile Diamond Paints thrashed TNBT 9-1.

Pff forms localorganizing committee

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Football Federation onFriday constituted a Local OrganizingCommittee (LOC) for AFC President’sCup, 2012 which is being held at PunjabFootball Stadium from May 8 to 12.Dr. Allah Bakhsh Malik, SecretarySports, Punjab has been named as thechairman of the committee to facilitatethis event in a professional manner.THE PATRON IN CHIEF OF LOC WILL BE MAKHDOOMSYED FAISAL SALEH HAYAT, PRESIDENT PFF. THEDETAIL OF LOC IS APPENDED BELOW:chairman of the loc is dr. allah bakshs malik, Secre-tary Sports, government of Punjab and the Vicechairmen of Pff loc are muhammad arshad Khanlodhi, President Pfa & member Pff congress, Usmananwar, director general Sports, govt. of Punjab, lt.col. ® ahmed yar Khan lodhi ti (m), general Secre-tary, Pff, rana muhammad tahir, additional Secretarygovt. of Punjab and while Wing. cdr. ® Pervaiz Saeedmir ti (m), director development & competition asorganizing Secretary loc.the loc members are lt. col. ® farasat ali Shah (di-rector ma & Projects Pff), Sardar naveed HaiderKhan (consultant marketing & Events Pff), Khalidmahmood (member Pff congress), Secretary KPKfootball association, Secretary balochistan footballassociation, Secretary Sindh football association, rif-fat mehmood (dg Sports WaPda), rana ibrar anwar(Secretary railways Sports board), Khalil ahmed(manager admin Pff), Shahid niaz Khokhar (managermarketing Pff), agha muhammad ajmal (media man-ager Pff), rauf bari (manager competition Pff), amintahir (manager it Pff), muhammad Shabaan (mangerfinance Pff), muhammad nasir (administrator PunjabStadium), Superintendent of Police Security lahore,Superintendent of Police traffic lahore, representa-tive of rescue Emergency Services 1122, representa-tive of lESco Wapda lahore, Sdo Wapda gardentown lahore and SHo gulberg Police Station lahore.

Honours for PU teams

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

The All Pakistan Inter-University Bad-minton Championship was organized byPunjab University Sports Department fromApril 10 to 13. In all 16 universities qualifiedfor the All Pakistan Inter-Universities Bad-minton Championship 2011-12 and Univer-sity Central Punjab, Lahore won the title andwas followed by Punjab University at therunners-up position and University of Sci-ence & Teach, Bannu got the third position.At the conclusion of the Championship Prof.Dr. Syed Mansoor Sarwar, Director Sports,award prizes, trophies and souvenirs. Uni-versity Central Punjab Lahore Team in-cludes Hafiz Irfan, Ali Nawab Dil, Sherazi,Ali Raza, Muhammad Adan. Punjab Univer-sity, Lahore Team comprised AbdulRehman, Saqib Nawaz, Anwar ul Haq,Soban, Naeem Ashraf. Meanwhile, PunjabUniversity Teaching Department won theAll Pakistan Inter-University GymnasticsChampionship organized by Karachi Uni-versity Sports Department, Karachi fromApril 19 to 22. Govt. College of Commerce,Faisalabad was runners-up and UniversityCollege of Fine Arts, Lahore was third.

Hurdles champion Robles starts Olympics build-up

monaco: Serbia's novak djokovic reacts at the end of hismonte-carlo atP masters Series tournament match. AFP

Grieving Djokovic battlesinto Monte Carlo quarters



22

Published by Arif Nizami for Nawa Media Corporation (Pvt) Ltd at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad. Editor: Arif Nizami, Executive Editor: Sarmad Bashir, Resident Editor: Rana Qaisar

OKARAAGENCIES

PRESIDENT Asif Ali Zardarion Friday ruled out any uni-lateral withdrawal of troopsfrom Siachen, two days afterarmy chief General Ashfaq

Kayani proposed demilitarization of theworld’s highest battlefield.

President Zardari was apparentlyreacting to the statement of oppositionleader Nawaz Sharif, who had urgedPakistan and India to withdraw troopsfrom Siachen, where harsh weather hadkilled more troops of the two countriesthan actual fighting. President Zardarisaid the Punjab government was giftedto the PML-N by the PPP, a gift he saidhe could “withdraw anytime”.

He said the PPP would contest the

forthcoming general elections fromPunjab and would win hands down.“We cannot unilaterally withdrawtroops from Siachen,” PresidentZardrai told his party supporters inOkara district. “If Pakistan withdrawstroops unilaterally from Siachen, wewould have to explain the losses suf-fered during the last ten years. I amaware of the difficulties of soldiers inSiachen which is a difficult terrain, butour opponents are also not in any com-fortable position there,” he said.

“If India withdraws its troops wewill be ready to take a similar step,” hesaid. He said Pakistan was ready to re-solve Siachen and all other disputeswith India through dialogue. Zardarisaid if Pakistan unilaterally withdrewtroops, the people would criticize thedecision. “India is suffering more losses

in Siachen than Pakistan,” PresidentZardari said.

He also announced to consideropening Head Sulemanki border fortrade with India, adding he had dis-cussed with Indian Prime MinisterManmohan Singh ways to promotetrade ties during his visit to Indiathis month. Nawaz had also sug-gested the government take the ini-tiative of withdrawing troops even ifIndia was unwilling to withdraw thetroops first.

India occupied its areas of Siachenin 1984 and Pakistan has been demand-ing withdrawal of Indian troops to pre-vious positions. The dispute overSiachen has been in focus since an ava-lanche hit a Pakistan Army camp onApril 7, burying 138 soldiers and civil-ians under heavy snow.

ISLAMABADMASOOD REHMAN

A seven-member special bench of theSupreme Court on Friday extended an offer toPrime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani of haltingcontempt proceedings against him even at thisstage if he admitted his mistake and wrote toSwiss authorities for reopening graft casesagainst President Asif Ali Zardari.

The special bench consists of JusticeNasirul Mulk, Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa,Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, Justice EjazAfzal Khan, Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry,Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Muham-mad Ather Saeed. Prime Minister Yousaf RazaGilani’s counsel Aitzaz Ahsan, however, con-tended before the bench that under nationalas well as international law, a letter could nei-ther be written against the president, norshould it be written.

The bench asked Aitzaz that when the pres-ident enjoyed immunity according to hisstance, why was the letter not being written, asnothing would happen even if it was. JusticeNasirul Mulk noted that writing the letter wasmeant to restore the claim of Pakistan’s civilparty on the amounts in Swiss accounts. Aitzazthen contended that writing a letter against thepresident would be embarrassing for the entirenation. “Impeach the president, there will be away out for writing the letter,” Aitzaz said.Aitzaz contended that the prime minister actedon a summary by the Law Ministry. He said hisclient thought that letter could not be writtenagainst the president, as he enjoyed absoluteimmunity until he was president. The bench

noted that the point of immunity was not raisedat the stage of review against the National Rec-onciliation Ordinance (NRO) judgment.

Justice Ijaz Afzal noted that the primeminister was firm on not obeying court orders.“Can any one say that he will implement thecourt order by his own will,” he inquired.Aitzaz contended that writing the letter wastantamount to withdrawing the immunity ofthe president. To a court query, he said the let-ter should not be written until Asif Ali Zardariheld the office of the president. Justice AsifSaeed Khan Khosa noted that it seemed as ifthe prime minister would not write the letterduring his tenure as the PM. “If it happens,everyone would do so on different pretexts,”Justice Muhammad Ather Saeed observed.Concluding his arguments, Aitzaz pleaded thatthe court’s earlier order pertaining to writinga letter without any summary or advice shouldnot come into effect in the present case.

Meanwhile, the court adjourned hearingfor Tuesday, directing the attorney general,who is acting as the prosecutor in the con-tempt case, to start his arguments on Tuesday.Talking to reporters later, Aitzaz said a newbench should be constituted to hear the con-tempt of court case against the prime minister.He opined that under Article 10-A of the con-stitution‚ the bench presently hearing the casecould not hear it, as it had initiated the pro-ceedings itself. He said he still expected thecourt to refrain from asking the prime minis-ter to write the letter to Swiss authorities.Aitzaz said parliament was independent andcould make constitutional amendments, andcouls even nullify any order of the court.

sC directs ANF to conduct

fair probe into drugs

scam involving PM’s sonISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

Hearing the Rs 7 billion ephedrine chemical quota scam inwhich Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s son Ali MusaGilani has also been nominated as an accused, theSupreme Court on Friday directed the Anti-Narcotic Force(ANF) to conduct a free and fair trial and investigationinto the matter without maligning anybody. A three-mem-ber bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry,Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez alsodeclared the directives of Narcotics Control Ministrythrough which prosecutors’ funds were frozen as null andvoid. The court noted that Ministry of Narcotics ControlSecretary Zafar Abbas Lak was creating hurdles in the in-vestigations instead of extending his cooperation. Thebench also asked Lak to reverse all directives that resultedin transfer of officials probing into the scam, includingANF Regional Director Brigadier Fahim Ahmed Khan andinvestigation officer Deputy Director Abid Zulfiqar, as wellas those who rendered the ANF dysfunctional and power-less through substituting ANF director general with Nar-cotics Control secretary. Earlier on April 10, the bench hadsummoned Primer Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s son

OKARA: President Asif Ali zardari presents the keys of a tractor to a farmer under the National Bank Easy Loan Scheme

for agriculture at Wasawewala on Friday.

PML-N pulls out of troublingsiachen withdrawal position

ISLAMABADSTAFF REPORT

After facing strong criticism from various quarters, includingmainstream political parties, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Friday backtracked from its earlier stancein which its president Nawaz Sharif had proposed theunilateral withdrawal of Pakistani troops from Siachen. “Wehave never asked for a unilateral withdrawal of troops fromSiachen,” Opposition Leader in the National AssemblyChaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Friday in response to aquestion at a press conference he jointly addressed withNawaz Sharif. Nisar blamed a section of the press for“misquoting” Nawaz’s statement. “What he (Nawaz) said wasthat Pakistan should lead dialogue with India over theSiachen issue,” he added. Replying to another query on arecent statement by Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chiefImran Khan, Nisar said: “There is no doubt that Imran Khanis a poor fellow and cannot afford a visit of Giyari to expresssolidarity with soldiers trapped under a gigantic avalanche.Khan can use private jets owned by several members of hisparty for foreign and domestic visits, but cannot go to Giyari.”Addressing the press conference, Nawaz said the pastmistakes of both Pakistan and India and their attitudetowards each other, had proved to be a stumbling block in thedialogue over Siachen. When asked about the PML-N’s plansfor forcing the government for early elections,

Zardari rules out unilateraltroop withdrawal from Siacheng says Punjab govt is a gift to PML-N that can be withdrawn anytime

sC offers to halt contempt proceedings if PM writes the letterg aitzaz says letter can neither be written, nor should it bewritten g bench asks ag to begin arguments on tuesday

ISLAMABADINP

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s son AliMusa Gilani postponed his return toPakistan, as he could not get a pre-arrest bailin the Ephedrine drug case involving acorruption of over Rs 7 billion. Sources said that Ali Musa had been asked tostay back in Dubai because the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) had decided to arresthim upon returning to Pakistan. Accordingto reports, Ali Musa was scheduled to reachIslamabad from Dubai on Friday morning,and the protocol staff of the Prime Minister’sHouse had reached the airport to receivehim. However, the PM’s son suddenlypostponed his return. His counsel Fawad

Chaudhry told a private TV channel that anapplication for the pre-arrest bail of Ali MusaGilani would soon be filed in the apex court.However, Chaudhry was reluctant to specifya date or time for the application’ssubmission. But sources said that Ali Musawould return only after he was granted a pre-arrest bail by the court.The Supreme Court had earlier issued anotice to Ali Musa Gilani and directed him toappear before it, as part of the ongoinginvestigations regarding the import ofcontrolled substance Ephedrine, and thesubsequent attempts to hush up an enquiryinto the matter. The PM’s son, who hadflown to South Africa just before the issuanceof the notices, has claimed that he was being“wrongly” implicated in the case.

pm’s son won’t return without pre-arrest bail

CoNtINUeD oN Page 19 CoNtINUeD oN Page19


e-paper pakistantoday 21st april, 2012

Documents

muhammad farooq56

muhammad irfan57

muhammad irfan58

muhammad qasim59

muhammad sohail61

muhammad younus62

muhammad amjad99

muhammad rizwan100