lahore edition Friday, 2 March, 2012 rabi-ul-sani 8, 1433rs15.00 Vol ii no 245 22 Pages

Accountability bill to betabled with consensus: Gilani

‘Babar Awan, you’ve got to be kidding me!’

PAGE | 05 PAGE | 16 PAGE | 10

ISLAMABADshAiq hussAin

In a rebuff to US warnings against going ahead with the

vital project of import of natural gas from Iran through a

multi-billion dollar pipeline, Pakistan on Thursday

declared it would proceed with the construction of the

pipeline and had no plans to drop the project.

“All of these projects are in Pakistan’s national interest and

will be pursued and completed irrespective of any extraneous

considerations,” said Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar

while addressing a news conference at the Foreign Office.

She said, “As far as our bilateral relations and cooperation is

concerned, we do not make it contingent on views and policies

of any third country.” “It is in Pakistan’s national interest to

acquire energy from wherever it was available. We cannot afford

to be selective,” Hina said.

The foreign minister’s statement was in response to US Secretary

of State Hillary Clinton’s warning that she came up with in her

testimony on Wednesday before the congressional subcommittee

that Pakistan risked facing economic sanctions if it continued

with its plan to go for the construction of Iranian gas pipeline.

To a question on possible sanctions that Pakistan could face in

case it pursued the gas pipeline project with Iran, she said, “We’ll

cross the bridge when it comes.” “We will see what will be the

impact but we hope for no implementation on the unilateral

sanctions,” she said. “We will talk to the international community

on this and the world agrees that this region cannot afford

destabilisation because of any other military action,” she said.

Answering another query, she said the relations with the United

States, nATO and ISAF would be promoted on the basis of

mutual self-respect and in line with

the policy devised by Pakistan’s

parliament.

She said the parliamentary

committee on foreign policy

would finalise the

recommendations by the

second week of current

month.

g Foreign minister says pakistan can’t be

selective in meeting its energy needs

g says pakistan will cross ‘the bridge of

sanctions’ when it gets there

Pakistan digsin over Irangas pipeline

Missing prisoners

You lack legitimacy, sCtells agencies

ISLAMABADMAsood RehMAn

Expressing dissatisfaction with a reportsubmitted by spy agencies on 11 missingprisoners of Adiyala Jail, Chief JusticeIftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry onThursday sought the law whichempowered the agencies to detain peoplewithout proof and observed that ifparliament had not done its job properly,there would have been martial lawimposed in the country today. Heading athree-member bench consisting of JusticeKhilji Arif Hussain and Justice TariqParvez, the CJP observed that the reportsubmitted by the spy agencies did nothave any proof for detaining theprisoners in accordance with the law. Thecourt admonished Raja MuhammadIrshad, counsel for the ISI and MI, whenhe criticised the incumbent parliament,saying it had failed to redress theproblems being faced by the people.“What are the parliamentarians doingwhile representing the people who gavethem mandate?” Raja Irshad said in asentimental tone, when the court askedhim to state the law under which the spyagencies could detain people withoutlegal requirement. “Don’t be emotionaland keep in mind that if the parliamenthad not done its job properly, therewould be a martial law in the countrytoday,” the chief justice said. JusticeKhilji Arif Hussain asked the lawyerwhether he was saying this on behalf ofhis client or in his personal capacity thatparliament was not doing its job well.Irshad, however, stated that he wasstating that in his personal capacity.When the lawyer tried to elaborate thesacrifices of the intelligence agencies toprotect the supreme interest of thecountry, the chief justice said if agencieswere claiming protecting the interest ofthe state, the judiciary was moredetermined to protect the supremeinterest of the state, rule of law andsupremacy of the constitution. “Provideus a law which empowers spy agenciesand police to detain a person withoutfulfilling legal requirements,” the chiefjustice asked, observing that if prisonerswere involved in any act of terrorism, theirinvolvement should be proved inaccordance with the law. “This is ourcountry also and everyone here is apatriotic citizen and ready to rendersacrifice for protection of the motherland,”Justice Khilji Arif Hussain remarked. Hesaid it was a “pathetic thinking” of thosewho thought only they were superior forcaring about the integrity of themotherland. “Your reply indicates that wehave committed a sin while asking for yourreply in the instant case,” Justice Khilji ArifHussain asked Irshad.

ISLAMABADAPP

Rejecting any foreign pressure on thebilateral cooperation between Pakistanand Iran including on energy sector,Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani onThursday said Pakistan being a sover-eign state would do whatever was in itsown interest.

“We are a sovereign country and wewill do whatever is in the interest ofPakistan,” Gilani said while respondingto a question during “Prime MinisterOnline” programme, jointly hosted byPTV and Waqt News. He said Pakistanand Iran had bilateral relations and co-operation in diverse fields including en-ergy, gas pipeline, and electricity.

To another question, the primeminister said there had been ups anddowns in Pakistan-US relations, addingthat Pakistan wanted to expand tieswith the US on partnership basis as wellas on mutual interest and mutual re-

spect. He said Pakistan and the US alsohad a common goal of success in the waragainst terrorism.

However, Gilani added that the USshould refrain from interfering in Pak-istan’s internal affairs to allow confi-dence building and keep the Pakistanimasses from harbouring any ill-feelingabout it. Gilani also referred to the recentPakistan-Afghan-Iran Trilateral Summitheld in Islamabad and said the issue ofpolitical reconciliation in Afghanistanhad been discussed in length with Presi-dent Hamid Karzai. He said since therewas no military solution in Afghanistan,there was a need to find a political solu-tion. He said Pakistan, Afghanistan andthe United States wanted to find a perma-nent solution to the Afghan conflict,adding that the solution could be soughtthrough an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process.

In response to a question, Gilani re-jected the impression that there was anydanger to democracy or the democratic

government. He said democracy wasstrengthening in the country and thosewho were talking of such dangers wouldbe regretful. When asked about his ear-lier remarks that the political situationwould improve after the Senate elec-tions in March, Gilani said, “As springsets in the month of March, everythingbrightens.” Democracy is prosperingand has a bright future, he added.

About the memo case, the primeminister said he had been saying fromthe day one that the man (Ijaz Man-soor), who wrote the memo had nocredibility, as he had a history of writingagainst Pakistan’s Establishment, intel-ligence agencies and the governments.To a question about the contempt ofcourt case, Gilani said he had appearedbefore the Supreme Court twice and wasready to appear whenever he would besummoned by the court. He said thegovernment had strengthened the coun-try’s institutions by restoring the 1973Constitution.

Won’t accept foreign pressure onnational interests: prime minister

Continued on Page 04

Continued on Page 04

SENATE GOES TO POLLS TODAYAs the much-doubted Senate electionsfinally take place today to thedisappointment of many who hadexpected that the assemblies would besent packing owing to the face-off betweenthe military and civil establishments, thePakistan People’s Party (PPP) is all set toemerge as the single largest party, short ofa simple majority, to command the UpperHouse of parliament. Ninety-sevencandidates will contest for 45 Senateseats, following the retirement of half ofthe Senate members whose term expireson March 12. The newly-elected Senatorswill take oath the same day. The electionfor the new chairman and deputychairman of the Senate will also be heldthe same day. Earlier, the election wasscheduled to be held on 54 seats butnine candidates, including Aitzaz Ahsan,Ishaq Dar, Mushahid Hussain, OsmanSaifullah , Nuzhat Sadiq, KhalidaParveen, Kamran Michael, Abdul HafeezShaikh and Farogh Naseem have alreadybeen elected unopposed.

detailed story | Page 04

After president, Greek PM also gives up salary

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02Friday, 2 March 2012

News

today’s

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lAHore

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CArToon

Page 13

surprise, surprise! PML-n to form next govt in sindh: nawaz

ISLAMABADnni

PAKISTAN Tehrik-e-InsafChairman Imran Khan onThursday said his party wouldprotest against hike in petro-leum prices.

Addressing a press conference, Imransaid the people of Pakistan were unneces-sarily being burdened. He further said thegovernment needed to check prices in-stead of increasing the people’s miseries.“The poorer the people become, the richerthe rulers get,” he added. He said his partywould launch demonstrations in all theprovinces.

Imran claimed Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf would arrest Benazir’s killers oncoming to power. The PTI chief said therulers had issued red warrants for PervezMusharraf but no one would issue redwarrants for the corrupt rulers. He saidthe UN inquiry pointed out that factsabout Banazir’s assassination were con-cealed.

Imran said he and his party fully con-demned the Kohistan attack in which anumber of passengers of buses were killed.He also condemned sectarian killings inParachinar. “It is the government’s re-sponsibility to ensure law and order,” headded.

He opined that appointment of judgesthrough parliamentarians under the 18thAmendment was a way to hide corruption.Imran said anybody could join the PTI.“We don’t need anyone’s permission toallow people to join us,” he added.

The PTI chief said some people werespreading rumours that Imran’s tsunamihas stalled. He said it was the corrupt peo-ple who were scared of tsunami.

Imran said perhaps the by-electionshad been held as per the old electoral listsand announced to move the SupremeCourt on the issue. Earlier, PPP leaderIsrar Shah who had lost his legs in theblast when travelling with Benazir’s rallyannounced joining the PTI. He said he wasjoining the PTI to compelete the unfin-ished agenda of Benazir Bhutto.

PESHAWARstAff RePoRt

Apart from information of substandardmaterial having been used in the construc-tion of the mansion allegedly used byOsama bin Laden in Abbottabad, variousparaphernalia was recovered from debrisof the razed compound.

Fig and dates, toys and clothes of chil-dren, a hard board inscribed with Arabic,a bird cage, magazines both in English andArabic, dish antenna, a burnt CPU of acomputer, several parts of motor vehiclesas well as certain parts of a destroyed hel-icopter found from the compound, it waslearnt through well-placed sources onThursday.

There were blood stains on stairs andwalls of the upper portion of the residen-tial compound where Osama was allegedlyliving, sources said, adding that there werea total of 11 rooms in the compound withan attached bathroom and kitchen witheach.

The sources said an 18-foot wall sep-

arated the lawn from the rooms of thecompound. According to a building con-struction expert, the material used in com-pound was sub-standard and there was nobunker-like establishment in the house.

The sources said land measuring ninekanals and nine marlas had been trans-ferred to the district government of Abbot-tabad and there was a probability that apolice station would be set up there.

PTI to protest against

petroleum price hike: Imrang Says by-polls held per old electoral lists g Announces moving the SupremeCourt on the issue g PPP leader Israr Shah joins PTI

Trade with India tobe normalised byyear end: Firdous

ISLAMABADnni

Pakistan will phase out major restrictionson Indian imports by the end of this year,said Federal Information MinisterFirdous Ashiq Awan on Thursday.Firdous Ashiq Awan said Islamabadwould gradually scrap the negative listwhich banned export of hundreds ofitems from India.“Normalising trade tieswith India is in the interest of Pakistan asit will not only help strengthen thenational economy but also boosteconomic activities in the region,” sheclaimed. The government has decided inprinciple to phase out the negative listbetween the two countries by December31, 2012, which will complete the tradenormalisation process”, she said.Deepening economic engagementbetween the two countries which havefought three wars since theirindependence from Britain in 1947 isseen as crucial to establishing lastingpeace in the troubled South Asian region.

osama’s razed compound waspoorly constructed

Arrest warrant issued

for Hamid MirQUETTA

stAff RePoRt

Quetta Judicial Magistrate-IIIMuhammad Ibrahim Kakar has issued anon-bailable arrest warrant for Geo’sanchorperson and columnist Hamid Miras well as the chairman of the group andeditor-in-chief of daily Jung newspaper.The court issued Mir’s arrest warrant in acase filed by a senior lawyer ofBalochistan, Khalid Khan. The petitionerhas taken the plea that in his column ofOctober 24, 2011, Mir had deliberatelyused contemptuous words againstPashtoon nationality that hurt the feelingof Pashtoon people. Besides the columnist,he had also made the editor-in-chief of thenewspaper a party in the case. He hasprayed for legal action against both thecolumnist and editor- in-chief for hurtingthe feelings of Pashtoons. Notices havealready been served on both respondentsfor their appearance before the court butthey failed to comply with the orders.Three lawyers, including Abdul MajidKakar, Abdul Wali Nasir and Abdul Zahirrepresented the petitioner in the court.

PESHAWAR: Students from a local school enquire after the health of a

soldier who was recently injured in an operation in the tribal areas, during

their visit to the Combined Military Hospital on Thursday. Staff Photo

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03Friday, 2 March 2012

NewsCoMMenTdetermining isi’s role

Articles on Page 12-13

It should not be political at all.

sound and furyJournalism and politics of price-hikes.

fahd husain says:

hasan Akari says:Bahrain is free: State oppression can’t stop a revolution.

hashim bin Rashid says:Celebrating acid attacks: Should it be celebrated?

ForeIGn newS

Story on Page 18

ArTS & enTerTAInMenT

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SPorTSAamir not to challenge iCC ban

Story on Page 18

syrian rebels hold out against homs assault Veena Malik to star in 'super Model'

The slap: It represent what is wrong with the system.

ISLAMABADGni

CHIEF Justice of Pakistan(CJP) Iftikhar MuhammadChaudhry on Thursday saidthe constitution was thesupreme law of the land

which elaborately defined the composi-tion and powers of the various organs ofthe state.

“The constitution not only har-monises the relation of the organs butalso defines the basic edifice of gover-nance. The various constitutions of theworld provide different models andschemes of governance and distributionof powers amongst the state organs. TheConstitution of Pakistan represents acombination of Islamic and democraticthoughts. In its preamble, it is laid downthat sovereignty over the entire universebelongs to Almighty Allah alone, the au-thority to be exercised by the people ofPakistan through its chosen representa-

tives,” the chief justice said while ad-dressing the visiting officers of the Pak-istan Air Force (PAF) Air War College,Karachi.

He said the Constitution of Pakistanwas federal in nature, and provided adual system of governance at the federaland provincial levels. “The overallscheme of the constitution shows thatthe three main pillars of the parliamen-tary democracy are legislature, execu-tive and judiciary. The legislature enactslaws and the executive implements thelaws and policies. The judiciary inter-prets the laws and constitutional text.These pillars have to function harmo-niously and within the bounds laiddown by the constitution to achieve thedesired objectives of securing social,economic and political justice. The im-print of public aspiration on which theentire edifice of the constitution standsis the principles of freedom, equality,justice and rule of law. No society in theworld can live with peace and harmony

if it is not following the principle of ruleof law. For upholding rule of law andconstitutionalism in the society, an in-dependent judiciary is a sine qua non.”

The chief justice said the judiciaryplayed an important role of interpretingand applying the laws for adjudicatingany disputes between governments andcitizens and one citizen with another.“The courts have the additional functionof protecting the constitution by inter-preting its provisions and keeping all theauthorities within the four walls of theconstitution.”

He said the people had always con-sidered the courts as the ultimateguardian of their rights and liberties.“Accordingly, the constitution has ac-corded a very prestigious position to thejudiciary. The constitution entrusts thecourts with the powers to preserve, pro-tect and defend this basic document.The constitution assigns the SupremeCourt a unique responsibility of main-taining harmony and balance between

the three pillars of the state,” he said,adding that the Supreme Court of Pak-istan stood at the apex of the country’sjudicial system and is the court of ulti-mate jurisdiction.

Constitution is supreme

law of the land: CJPg Says people always considered the courts the ultimate guardian of their rights and liberties

QUETTAshAhzAdA zuLfiqAR

Six people were killed and threeFrontier Corps personnel were in-jured in separate incidents of firingand landmine blast in various townsof Balochistan on Thursday whiletwo bodies was recovered in Pishinand Kech districts.

Two Frontier Corps personnelwere injured when unidentified

armed men attacked a patrollingparty in Pir Sori area of Dera Bugti.

The paramilitary forces retali-ated, killing three assailants and alsoseizes their weapons. However, theysaid the names of the attackers couldnot be ascertained.

In another incident, an FC manwas injured when he accidentallystepped on a landmine in Pir Koharea of Dera Bugti. He was moved toa nearby hospital for treatment.

In Khuzdar, a man was killed andanother two injured in an armedclash.

A levies official said a clasherupted between two tribes over adispute on a piece of land that re-sulted into the death of ShabirAhmad and injuries to two others, in-cluding Qamarud Din.

Meanwhile, a person was killedin Mangochi area of Khuzdar district.The motive behind the killing could

not be ascertained.Unidentified people opened fire

on Hidayatullah in Rekhni area ofBarkhan. He received seriouswounds and later succumbed to hisinjuries.

Meanwhile, two bodies werefound from Pishin and Kech districts.

The body found from Yaro areaof Pishin was identified as Ajab Khanwhile that from Kech was identifiedas that of Abdul Rehman.

Brig Ali planned GHQ

attack to takeover

civilian controlLONDON/ISLAMABAD

inP

Brigadier Ali Khan,who is currentlyfacing court martial,planned to spreadmutiny against thegovernment byattacking the army’sGeneralHeadquarters (GHQ)with the support ofmilitant group Hizb-ul-Tahreer. MajorSuhail, defencecounsel witness, in his written statement before amilitary court, said that Brigadier Ali had hatched aconspiracy with an air force pilot who flies F-16 aircraft,and planned to attack the GHQ during a meeting of corpscommanders. Through these covert actions they wantedto overpower the civilian and military top brass, hestated. A report appearing on BBC Urdu webpage saidthat during a meeting with the members of Hizb-ul-Tahreer, the brigadier drew circles on a paper tohighlight his plan, and told them that with the support ofthree to four hundred armed men, they could takecontrol of the government. He also told them to head themutiny, according to witness accounts who furtherclaimed that he was also confided by these people thatthe GHQ in Rawalpindi would be targeted with an F-16jet to be flown from a nearby air strip. They had furtherplans to attack US bases inside Pakistan and BlackWater’s locations, the witness said. Major Suhail Akbaralso admitted that during last seven years, he had been incontact with Hizb people. Brigadier Ali also claimed tohave succeeded in getting support from Triple OneBrigade and certain generals. Giving reasons for hisrefusal to join the secret plans, Major Suhail said that hedid not personally like violence.

1 killed, several injuredas FC officer opensfire outside madrassa

KARACHIinP

One man was killed and four others sustainedinjuries on Thursday when a member of theFrontier Constabulary (FC) opened fire duringa dispute outside the Jamia Darul Quranmadrassa in the Muslimabad Colony located inQuaidabad. The dispute started outside themadrassa where, according to police sources, itescalated when the FC’s Mohammad Khurshidcalled in an FC mobile with other personnel init and they opened fire. Mohammad Rehman,25, was killed in the attack, while Shaukat, AliZaman, Sher Jan and Zarwali Khan wereinjured as a result of the firing. They wereshifted to Jinnah Post Graduate MedicalCentre. After the incident, the madrassastudents and other members of the public wentto the Quaidabad police station to protest. Theysurrounded the police station and startedhurling rocks at it, but the mob was warded offby the police. Four members of the FC,including Mohammad Khurshid, have beendetained by the police for interrogation but nocase has been registered against them yet.

6 killed, 3 fC personnel injured in Balochistan violence

Un calls on holy Quran burners to be punishedKABUL: The United Nations on Thursday said the perpetrators of the holy Quran burning in Afghanistanshould be punished, but insisted ties between the international community and the Afghan people wouldemerge stronger. “It hasn’t affected our determination to work with the people of Afghanistan and theauthorities,” the special representative for the UN in Afghanistan Jan Kubis said in the wake of the deadlyprotests. He described the burning as a “very unfortunate mistake... very sad” and said the UN expected to see“disciplinary action” at the end of the investigation. His comments came on the same day two NATO soldierswere killed by their Afghan colleagues in one of several attacks which have followed the Koran burning at a USbase last month. The burning sparked widespread protests, leaving 30 people dead and over 200 wounded.NATO withdrew all its advisers from Afghan government ministries last Saturday after two American officerswere shot and killed within the interior ministry, apparently by an Afghan colleague. AfP

NEW DELHIAfP

India on Thursday welcomed Pakistan’s decision tophase out major restrictions on Indian imports bythe end of this year, a move to normalise trade tiesbetween the nuclear-armed neighbours.

India’s Foreign Minister SM Krishna thankedPakistan for deciding to gradually scrap the “nega-tive list” that prevents the export of hundreds ofitems from India.

“Pakistan is moving in the right direction interms of bringing economic content into the politi-

cal relationship,” Krishna told reporters in NewDelhi. “This would certainly help strengthen our bi-lateral ties.” Islamabad has decided in principle tophase out the negative list between the two coun-tries by December 31, which will complete the tradenormalisation process. India’s Associated Cham-bers of Commerce and Industry, a trade body esti-mated that the move will increase cross-bordertrade to over $6 billion by 2014. Direct trade be-tween India and Pakistan currently constitutes lessthan one percent of their respective global trade.India exported goods worth $2.33 billion to Pak-istan last year while its imports were $330 million.

India praises Pakistan’s efforts tonormalise trade ties

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04Friday, 2 March, 2012

News

Answering a query on any re-morse expressed by the USsecretary of state during a re-cent meeting she held with herin London, Hina said the USofficials expressed regret overthe NATO attack on the Salalacheckpost. Responding to aquestion on not allowing theUS officials to visit Pakistan,the foreign minister said therefusal was until the time aclear cut policy on ties with theUnited States was finalised.

She said it would remainso until a final decision wasmade by parliament on the na-

ture of relations with theUnited States in the future.Hina said as far as her meetingwith Clinton was concerned, itwas on the sidelines of an in-ternational conference in Lon-don.

She also dubbed the re-cently held Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran trilateralsummit in Islamabad a land-mark meeting, saying thethree sides had tasked theirforeign ministers to come upwith a roadmap for coopera-tion and collaboration in thefield of trade, commerce andenergy sectors. She said Pak-

istan supported an Afghan-ledand Afghan-owned solution tothe problem of Afghanistan.

On normalisation of traderelations with India, the for-eign minister said Pakistan’sdecision to normalise tradeties with India reflected a de-sire to move away from thepolicies of the past 40 years.However, she cautioned that itshould not be taken as any di-lution of its stand on core is-sues like Kashmir. She said,“We believe that the establish-ment of normal trade relationswith India will be mutuallybeneficial for both countries.Significantly it also illustratesthe priority that we attach toPakistan’s economic develop-

ment.” She said, “This deci-sion, however, should in noway be construed as any dilu-tion of our principled stanceon the core issues that havebedevilled Pakistan-India rela-tions for the last 60 years, andnotably the issue of Jammuand Kashmir.” “Pakistan willcontinue to seek the peacefulresolution of all issues withIndia and continue to insist onmeaningful progress in the di-alogue process on all issues si-multaneously,” she said. Shesaid the Pakistani govern-ment was willing to try newmeans to engage with Indiathat amounted to a shift fromthe policies of the past fourdecades.

Pakistan digsContinued FroM Page 1

ISLAMABAD

AS the much-doubted Senateelections finallytake place today tothe disappoint-

ment of many who had ex-pected that the assemblieswould be sent packing owing tothe face-off between the mili-tary and civil establishments,the Pakistan People’s Party(PPP) is all set to emerge as thesingle largest party, short of asimple majority, to commandthe Upper House of parlia-ment.

Ninety-seven candidateswill contest for 45 Senate seats,following the retirement of halfof the Senate members whoseterm expires on March 12.

The newly-elected Sena-tors will take oath the sameday. The election for the newchairman and deputy chair-man of the Senate will also beheld the same day.

Earlier, the election wasscheduled to be held on 54seats but nine candidates, in-cluding Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan(PPP), Ishaq Dar (PML-N),Mushahid Hussain Sayed(PML-Q), Osman SaifullahKhan (PPP), Nuzhat Sadiq(PML-N), Kalida Parveen(PPP), Kamran Michael (PML-N), Abdul Hafeez Shaikh (PPP)and Dr Muhammad Farogh(MQM), have already beenelected unopposed.

In Islamabad, polling willbe held for two seats reservedfor the federal capital and fourseats reserved for FATA.

However, two candidatesfor Islamabad seats have al-ready been elected unopposed.The election will now be heldfor the FATA seats.

Meanwhile, the ElectionCommission of Pakistan onThursday imposed ban on themember of the assemblies fromcarrying their mobile phones orany other electronic devicethrough which pictures couldbe taken to avoid sale and pur-chase of votes.PUNJAB: The political tem-perature in metropolis has in-creased, as the political partiescompleted plans for makingtheir candidates succeed in

Senate elections. Eight candi-dates of three parties have filednomination papers for sevengeneral seats.

The PML-N has fieldedfour candidates – Sardar Zul-fiqar Khan Khosa, M Hamza,Rafiq Rajwana and Zafar UllahDhandla, while the PPP nomi-nated Dr Babar Awan andAslam Gul.

PML-Q nominated KamilAli Agha, who is also enjoyingthe support of the PPP.

Earlier, it was expectedthat all the candidates would beelected unopposed but after ac-ceptance of papers by ElectionCommission of Pakistan (ECP)of PML-Q member MohsinLeghari, the situation took adramatic turn. Leghari enjoysthe support of some forwardbloc members and hopes to gettheir votes and upset Kamil AliAgha. 0However, political pun-dits believe that Agha enjoysthe support of the PPP and ifthe forward bloc voted infavour of Leghari, PML-N’scandidates would be in danger.“PML-N would never like toloose a Senate seat for the sakeof Mohsin Leghari,” a seniormember of the PPP said.

PPP’s Aitzaz Ahsan andPML-N’s Ishaq Dar have al-ready been elected unopposedon two technocrat seats. Onone minority seat, PML-N’sKamran Michael has beenelected unopposed. On twowomen seats, PPP’s KhalidaQureshi and PML-N’s BegumNuzhat Amir Sadiq have al-ready been elected.SINDH: A “political upset”would occur in Sindh Assemblyif Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi, thelone Senator-hopeful from thePML-Likeminded, obtainsmore than four votes on Fridaywhen the provincial lawmakersgo to polls for or against 10 can-didates for the Upper House.

Further, despite the lapseof four years, the provinciallawmakers need a reminderfrom Speaker Nisar AhmedKhuhro to make sure they havetheir Assembly MembershipCard obtained from the Secre-tary Sindh Assembly on theballoting for Senate.

PML-Likeminded, whichhappens to be the only opposi-

tion party in the Sindh Assem-bly, would contest the Senateelections with three of its can-didates each for general, mi-nority and women seats.

Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi,Yasmeen Farukh and PhotoMal alias Dileep are the PML-Likeminded senator hopefuls.“We hope to win the support ofmembers other than our partymembers in the Sindh Assem-bly,” said Abdul Razzak Rahi-moo, who along with ArbabZulfiqar Ali, Chettan Mal Ar-wani and Nuzhat Pathan is saidto have formed a forward-blocin the PML-Q in Sindh.

Commenting on the polls,a lawmaker from PPP’s coali-tion party told Pakistan Todaythat the four-member PML-Likeminded would mark a “po-litical upset” in Sindh if Arbab(Ghulam Rahim) group’s can-didates obtained more thanfour votes.

“We know that we may notget the wining 24 votes, buteven if we win six votes tomor-row (today) it would be a bigsuccess for us,” optimisticRahimoo said. He, however,denied to have contacted any ofthe voters from the ruling PPPor other political parties repre-sented in the provincial legisla-ture. After Adviser to PM onFinance and Revenue AffairsDr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh andBarrister Dr MuhammadFarogh Naseem of the MQMwere declared elected unop-posed, a total 13 candidateswould be contesting for 10seats of the Senate.

Eight candidates, whowould contest for seven generalseats include Mian Raza Rab-bani, Saeed Ghani, Dr KarimKhawaja and Mukhtar aliasAajiz Dhamra of the PPP, SyedMustafa Kamal and TahirMashahdi of the MQM, SyedMuzaffar Hussain Shah of thePML-Functional and AbdulGhaffar Qureshi of the PML-Likeminded.

Those contesting forwomen seats include MudassirSaher Kamran of the PPP, Nas-reen Jalil of the MQM and Yas-meen Farukh of thePML-Likeminded.

The hopefuls for minorityseats are Hari Ram of the PPP

and Photomal alias Dileep ofthe PML-Likeminded.

KP:Despite ruling Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa, the Awami Na-tional Party’s high command isworried by wealthy aspirants inthe Senate election, as one of itsMP has proposed a constitu-tional amendment to bind theelectorates for showing the bal-lot paper in the Senate election.

The resolution was movedin provincial assembly by theANP MPA Saqib Ullah KhanChamkani on Thursday. How-ever, Speaker Kiramat UllahChagharmatti differed with theresolution.

Earlier, while talking on apoint of order, InformationMinister Main Iftikhar Hussainexpressed severe concern oversale and purchase of votes forthe Senate elections. He said allof the MPAs were bound to fol-low party decisions, addingthat the senate was a symbol ofthe federation, therefore itmust be represented on politi-cal grounds rather than wealthand investment.

He called upon leaders andMPAs of opposition parties tosupport the ruling coalition inits drive for discouraging horsetrading.

The ANP has fielded sixcandidates, whereas the PPP iscontesting for five Senate seats.The main opposition JUI-Ffielded three and PML factionsentered in to an alliance andfielded four candidates.

The JUI-F fielded one can-didate each on general, techno-crat and women seat. TheJUI-F has a squad of 14 MPAs.Senator Talha Mehmood isconsidered the most influentialand is likely to “please” all these14 MPs, which is essential forhis second victory.

All seven PML-Q MPA’sare divided, as two of themhave publicly backed the candi-dature of All Pakistan MuslimLeague’s Barrister MohammadAli Saif.

Saif is considered a blue-eyed boy of Pervez Musharaf.

However, some are likelyto back adviser to PM SyedQasam Shah, who was nomi-nated on general seat by party’scentral president Chaudhry

Shujaat Hussain.However, there seems

complete unity amongst theranks of PML-N’s 14 MPAs.

The 124 MPAs of KP aregoing to elect 12 senators.

PML-N’s Nisar Muham-mad Khan, JUI-F’s Talha Mah-mmod, APML’s BarristerMohammad Ali Saif and inde-pendent candidate Faisal Afridiare allegedly making heavy in-vestment on Senate elections.

The ANP enjoys the sup-port of 52 members in a Houseof 124. BALOCHISTAN: The PPPthat has 15 MPAs is believed toemerge as the single largestparty in the Senate electionsfrom Balochistan, while thePML-Q would be biggest loserdespite having the single-largest parliamentary groupwith 19 assembly members.

PPP fielded its threestrongest candidates for thegeneral seats whose success issure. They are BarristerNawabzada Saifullah Magsi,son of Balochistan GovernorNawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi,Yousaf Baloch, who is said to bethe closest to President Asif AliZardari and Sardar Fatah Mo-hammad Hasani.

Multi-millionaire YousafBaloch, who is said to belong toSindh, has succeeded in carv-ing out close “relationships”with PPP and PML-Q mem-bers. The PPP is also expectedto win the only minority seatand one each in woman andtechnocrat/ulema categories.

PPP promised all threecandidates three to four votes,while the rest they have to“arrange from the market”.

Saif Magsi has his two fam-ily votes, while the rest he canhave due to the influence of hisfather and uncle Tariq Magsi.Similarly Sardar Fatah, adviserto President Asif Ali Zardari onBalochistan affairs, also hastwo votes of his family andfriends and the rest of he would“arrange” himself.

The JUI-F and BalochistanNational Party (Awami) cansurely have one seat each fromthe general category.

They have put Hafiz Ham-dullah and Minister Mir Is-rarullah Zahri in the race.

The JUI-F has 10 mem-bers, while BNP-A has seven.

The JUI-F formed an al-liance with nationalist groupsBNP and Awami NationalParty who have three membersin the assembly.

The lone member of JUI-Ideology Abdul Khaliq BasherDost has announced supportfor the ANP. The group enjoysthe support of 21 members andis in a good position to clinch awoman and technocrat/ulemaseat.

The PPP nominatedParveen Mengal on women’sseat, while the PMLQ namedprovincial minister RubinaIrfan, wife of PPP minister DrAgha Irfan Karim.

She is considered a strongcandidate having the backingof both the PPP and independ-ent candidates.

PPP overnight importedanother candidate on minorityseat, Dr Ramesh Kumar, who issaid to have been an MPA inSindh, but landed in Balochis-tan after dealing and wheelingwith party high-ups.

Ramesh Kumar has thebacking of estranged party Sen-ator Nawabzada LashkariRaisani, brother of BalochistanChief Minister Aslam Raisani.

On Wednesday, Kumarmet the CM at his office andannounced to join the PPPwhile expressing his full confi-dence in the party leadership.

The very next moment, hewas replaced by Hina Gulzar,the official candidate on minor-ity seat.

The PML-Q will be theloser, as the party has been leftdivided in tiny groups and itsMPAs have already made theirdealing and wheeling, mostlywith PPP candidates in accor-dance with their convenience.

Party’s senior parliamen-tarian Shiekh Jaffar KhanMundokhail and provincial fi-nance minister and party par-liamentary leader in theassembly Mir Asim Kurd Gailluare running pillar to post forseeking the support of theirparty members for their cousinand brothers, respectively.

Another PML-Q MPA, PirAbdul Qadir Gillani, son-in-lawof former chief minister Jam

Mir Mohammad Yousaf, an-nounced his support for thePPP in a press conference anddeclared that he had been as-sured that his three-year an-nual development fund of Rs650 million would be released.

Two provincial ministers,Rahila Durrani and NusreenKhaithran, are also running forSenate election as independentcandidates after being refusedparty tickets.

Provincial minister Engi-neer Basant Lal Gulshun alsoreceived party ticket and is saidto be a potential candidate onminority’s reserved seat.

Provincial minister MirShanawaz Marri who is con-testing as independent candi-date on general seat claims tobe enjoying the support of sixmembers. The National Partyhas fielded Tahir Bizenjo, theparty’s central secretary gen-eral, for general seat with thebacking of two MPAs.

The party announced thatit has bleak chances of winningin the elections, but it wants toexpose the elements whowould get elected on the basisof horse trading.

M u l t i - m i l l i o n a i r ecoalminer, Haider KhanNaasar, a former caretakerminister, is also in the run andrunning pillar to post to gethimself to the Upper Housethrough his money’s power.

The ANP nominated DaudKhan Achakzai on general seatand he could get elected fromthe tripartite alliance with JUI-F and BNP-A.

The PML-N central leader-ship did not show any interestin the Senate election for hav-ing only two MPAs in theBalochistan Assembly.

However, PML-N provin-cial president Sardar SanaullahZehri, the provincial ministerfielded a multi millionaireAkbar Askani on a general seat.

Another party memberCapt (r) Abdul KhaliqAchakzai, already announcedhis support to independentcandidate Mir ShahnawazMarri. Askani is aspirant forSenate seat with only one partyvote. KAshif AbbAsi/nAuMAn

tAsLeeM/isMAiL diLAwAR/shAMiM

shAhid/shAhzAdA zuLfiqAR

Senate goes to elections today

According to the report submit-ted by the agencies, amongstmany others, the arrest of 11persons was carried out after aconvoy of security forces wasambushed in an operationalarea. It said the custody of de-tainees was with the securityagencies for their trial underthe provisions of Army Act,1952 after investigation. Thecourt, however, expressed dis-satisfaction over the report andasked Raja Irshad to providethe court a law under which se-cret agencies could detain peo-ple without any proof.

The chief justice asked himthat he had not mentioned inthe report as to which agencyhad detained the prisoners. Ir-shad contended that the agen-cies had no enmity or grudgeagainst anyone or any sectionof the people, but could notshut their eyes to the rebelliousacts of internal and external el-ements involved in acts of highprofile terrorism.

“How we can ignore theconstitution and how we cananswer the public who havegrave concerns about theissue,” the chief justice said.

He added that whateverthe secret agencies had done,they would have to produce theevidences in court.

“Look at the province fromwhich I belong, people havegrave concerns about day today incidents in which bodies ofthe people are being found instreets and secret agencies arebeing blamed for the instabil-ity,” the CJ said. He said hewould be thankful to God if theremaining seven detaineeswere saved. “But what aboutthe mother who died of shockafter knowing about the deathof her son in custody,” the chiefjustice asked Irshad.

Irshad, however, submit-ted that he had brought thecourt’s concerns about themissing persons into the noticeof the authorities concernedand they (authorities) were alsocautious of the burning issue.

The chief justice asked himto provide the court a law underwhich his clients had detainedthe prisoners. “We cannot re-main oblivious as we havetaken oath under the constitu-tion and we have to protect it,”the chief justice observed.

During the proceedings,the court appreciated KhyberPakhtunkhwa Chief SecretaryGhulam Dastagir for his reporton the circumstances underwhich the detainees were al-lowed to be admitted to the In-ternment Centre by theinternment authority on Janu-ary 26, 2012. Later, the courtadjourned further proceedingsuntil March 16.

YoU LaCKContinued FroM Page 1

Bilawal vows todefend minoritieson Bhatti’sanniversary

KARACHIPRess ReLeAse

The PPP will continue tostand by Pakistan’s religiousminorities and support themagainst bigotry in thetradition of Benazir Bhutto,PPP Chairman BilawalBhutto Zardari said onThursday. In a statement marking thefirst anniversary of theassassination of PPP leaderShahbaz Bhatti, a member ofthe Christian community,Bilawal paid tribute toBhatti’s dedication todemocracy and the idea of amore tolerant and inclusivePakistan.“Pakistan was conceived as ahomeland for Muslimswhere all religious andethnic groups would live inpeace and harmony. It is atragedy that Quaid-e-Azam’sideal of a pluralist nation hasbeen distorted underdictatorship to spread anideology of hate. It is thisideology of hate that tookaway from us a great publicservant like Shahbaz Bhattifrom us,” Bilawal said.

QUETTAstAff RePoRt

The railway track linkingQuetta with the rest of thecountry was blown up withexplosives on Thursdaynight, suspending train serv-ice between the provincialcapital and the rest of thecountry.

Railway officials said thatunknown people had plantedexplosives along the railway

track and blew it up. “As a re-sult a three-feet long portionof the track was blown up inthe blast,” police said, addingthat after the blast theQuetta-bound Jaffar Expresscoming from Rawalpindi wasstopped at Sariab RailwayStation, while other trainswere also stopped at differentstations. They said the trackwould be reopened by Fridaymorning after repairs and se-curity clearance.

MIRANSHAHinP

Six tribesmen sustainedcritical injuries when sixmortar shells fired byNATO forces inAfghanistan landed inZairai village in NorthWaziristan Agency’s DattaKhel tehsil on Thursday.

Officials said NATOforces stationed inAfghanistan fired six mor-

tar shells on Datta Khel, atribal area considered astronghold of al Qaeda -affiliated militants by theUS.

The injured wereshifted to a hospital fortreatment.

The incident sparkedpanic among the locals whocomplained that the USwas trying to kill the tribes-men through drone strikesand mortar shelling.

Blast severs Quetta’s raillink with rest of Pakistan

6 tribesmen injured by Nato’s

cross-border shelling in NWa

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05Friday, 2 March, 2012

News

After the by-polls with PPP and PML (N)leading from the front once again, it is nowquite safe to say that nothing will stand muchdifferent even after the next parliamentaryelections while those predicting a tsunami ofchange are living in fool’s paradise.

Intriguingly, after surviving perilouslyclose to the death-bed for the last four yearswith media not even allowing some breath-ing space to those placed in the echelons ofpower, suddenly things seem to be gettingeasier for the PPP government and Presi-dent Zardari. One indication that good daysare ahead for the PPP is that all of a sudden allthe fuss about an early election to see the backof the PPP has disappeared or taken a backseat. More intriguingly, the PML (N) if onelends an ear to the opposition leader’s talk inthe city is ready to cut deals with the PPP forthe sake of the ‘public’. The more independentpolitical circles, also shared by the opposition,are abuzz that the status quo would remainunchanged after the general election with thesupremacy of PPP and PML (N) quite assured.“At the most if change does come it will be inthe shape of Nawaz replacing Gilani andnothing more” claimed a senior politicianfrom Islamabad. These circles do not rule outthe return of the PPP coming back to poweronce again under the stewardship of Presi-dent Zardari. But they do, however rule outany profound political change, as being es-poused by the supporters of PTI. If these arecalculations shared by the opposition, as it ap-pears to be the case, then it is heartening newsfor the PPP that remains to be much discred-ited by the media and its opponents.

Already, Imran Khan seems to be downand somewhat out for the time being. The PTIno longer is considered to be a veritable threatto the main political parties like PPP and PML(N) as it was a couple of months back whenImran managed to attract staggering numbersat his rallies in Lahore, Karachi and othercities. His path-breaking Minar-i-Pakistanpublic meeting which catapulted him right inthe heart of national politics as a force to bereckoned was painted as a game-changingevent by almost every one. Desperation pre-

vailed in the PML (N) leadership following theevent at Minar-e-Pakistan. But then Imranfailed to keep up the good work and soonerthan later people learnt that probably electoralpolitics and wherewithal it required are notImran Khan’s cup of tea. He is yet to prove thathe could raise a party that could contest elec-tions nation-wide, and from all the constituen-cies as is the case of parties like the PPP.

The PML (N) too has not been able to as-sert itself outside the Punjab. The Senate elec-tions provides the complete picture of PML(N)’s growing isolation shunned even by itsonce natural allies like JI or Jamaat-Ahle-Sunnat. So the PML (N) has no representa-tion in the upper house from Sindh or NWFPor Balochistan, unlike the PPP which has asupport base intact everywhere.

Even in Punjab where the elections willdecide the fate of the country in the comingmonths, the PML (N) would not be able tostay unscathed facing a real threat fromImran Khan and the PML-Q-PPP alliancewith the JI and other urban parties like Sun-nih Itehad also chipping away at its vote bank.However, you still cannot rule out the popu-larity of the PML (N) if you talk to the com-mon man in many districts of Punjab.

The PPP leaders are upbeat after the by-polls. The political analysts already are paint-ing a much rosier picture for the PPP fromnow onwards saying the PPP along with its al-lies ANP, MQM and PML (Q) is all set to bean important political player in the next par-liament, leading in the Senate already.

The PPP held its ground, maintainedunity in its ranks despite multiple crises thathit the ruling party from time to time. Its sur-vival instincts and positive approach haveearned it a lot of good will from the other po-litical forces in the country with the potentialto tip the balance of power in favour of anynew political set up in future.

Knowledgeable sources disclosed thatthat in coming days the PPP would do every-thing to boost its image in its remaining daysin power. “It seems that good days are aheadfor the PPP after seeing all the bad ones”claimed one senior leader from Islamabad.

Sources revealed that PPP governmentafter Senate election would go for a spendingsplurge in the development sector. It also hasplans ready to overcome the energy crisis inthe country.

toothless tiger, flailing tsunamiand everything in betweeng PPP’s road to another electoral victory

ISLAMABADGni

PRIME Minister YousafRaza Gilani on Thursdaysaid that there was no po-litical prisoner in Pak-istan, adding that his

government would bring an ac-countability bill to parliament withconsensus.

He was talking to AndrewMitchell, UK’s Secretary of State forInternational Development, whocalled on him on Thursday.

The prime minister said it wouldbe first smooth civilian transition inPakistan according to the best prac-tices of parliamentary form of gov-ernment and the constitution. Hesaid the civilian rule had taken rootsin Pakistan, which had resulted inthe strengthening of democratic in-

stitutions in Pakistan. He said thepresent democratic government wascommitted to the cause of democ-racy. Talking about relations withthe neighbouring countries, theprime minister said the federal cab-inet took a unanimous decision tonormalise trade relations with India,which would give impetus to trade

between the two countries.He said he had a number of meet-

ings with Indian Prime Minister DrManmohan Singh and the latest onewas held in Maldives where both theprime ministers expressed the resolveto settle all outstanding issues, includ-ing the core issue of Jammu and Kash-mir. He referred to his recent meeting

with Afghan President Hamid Karzaiin which he made an appeal to Pak-istan to help him in the Afghan recon-ciliation process. Conceding to therequest of the Afghan president, hesaid he appealed to all factions of theTaliban to support the president in hisendeavours to bring peace throughreconciliation. The prime minister ap-preciated the UK’s support for GSPplus status for Pakistan and alsopraised UK’s assistance in the devel-opment of Pakistan’s social sector. An-drew Mitchell said the Britishgovernment was keenly looking for-ward to the visit of Prime Minister Gi-lani to the UK this May underEnhanced Strategic Dialogue. Hehighly appreciated Pakistan’s decisionto normalise trade relations withIndia, adding that it would benefit thepeople of both countries including“positive impact on the borders”.

Accountability bill to be

tabled with consensus: PMg Gilani says Pakistan committed to regional peace

even president’s address is

incomplete in eCP’s voters’ listISLAMABAD

onLine

The incomplete home address ofPresident Asif Ali Zardari in the“accurate” electoral list compiled bythe Election Commission ofPakistan (ECP) speaks volumesabout the standards adopted fortransparency and correctness. Thepresident’s eligibility to cast vote inhis constituency would bequestionable according to theECP’s new electoral list. A reliablesource told Online that Zardari’sname was checked in the voters’ listby using his national identity card (NIC) number, and it was found thatthe ECP had entered his incomplete home address. The address thatappears in the record is: Housing Society, Zardari House, Nawab Shah,Shaheed Benazirabad; while the president’s Block Code is 347030401with Serial No 3. Online verified the report by using the president’s NICthrough the helpline of National Database Registration Authority(NADRA). The ECP spokesperson refused to give the electioncommission’s version when contacted. On the other hand, millions ofvoters, including youth, senior citizens and women, would cast theirvote in other constituencies instead of their own cities due to the ECP’snegligence, as the commission registered wrong addresses and evenchanged their block numbers in the voters’ lists displayed across thecountry. The ECP used NADRA’s record to prepare the new voters’ lists,which even include the record of dead voters as the ECP wanted to getrid of the old method of verification.

22 militants killed, 5 hideouts destroyed in orakzaiHANGU: At least 22 militants were killed and 26 injured in a crackdown by thesecurity forces in Upper Orakzai Agency, officials said on Thursday. The securityforces pounded the hideouts of the terrorists located in Upper Orakzai Agency’sSama Bazaar, Berlas and Barmila areas. Sources said the aircraft attackedmilitant’s compounds in the mountains and at least five hideouts were destroyedin the airstrikes. Pakistan’s military has been battling a homegrown insurgencyin northwestern tribal region. At least 35,000 people, including militarypersonnel, have lost their lives during the campaign against the extremists. onLine

isLAMAbAd: Prime Minister yousaf Raza Gilani talks to a british delegation

led by the secretary of state for international development. oNLINe

CoMMenTnAdeeM syed

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06Friday, 2 March, 2012

News

NAWABSHAHAGenCies

PAKISTAN Muslim League-Nawaz President NawazSharif on Thursday claimedthat his party would formthe next government in

Sindh. Addressing a public rally in Qazi

Ahmed town, Nawaz said the PML-Nwas the first to help the people of Sindhduring the floods. “Punjab rose to the oc-casion and gave more relief goods thananyone else when the worst floods hitSindh,” he said.

Nawaz said his party would not at-tend the All-Parties Conference (APC)on Balochistan proposed by the govern-ment until the killers of Akbar Bugtiwere arrested and steps for the recoveryof missing persons were taken.

He said the rulers had totally failedin fulfilling their obligations and as a re-sult people were suffering. He said if thegovernment had served the country,there would not have been slogans of“Go Zardari Go”.

He said the violence committed bythe PPP candidate Waheeda Shahagainst female election officials had cre-ated a bad image of the country in theeyes of the international community.

He said the PML-N on the otherhand took action against its sittingMNAs and MPAs who indulged inwrongdoings and would not have al-lowed such a member, who slapped elec-

tion officials, to take oath. Nawaz saiddespite announcement by the ministerfor water and power, more than 12 hoursof load shedding was being observed.

Referring to laptop distribution inthe province, he said a revolution wastaking place in Punjab in the educationsector and vowed to strengthen educa-tional structure in the province.

“Punjab is proud of helping other

provinces without differentiatingBalochis, Sindhis, Pakhtuns and Pun-jabis,” he added

He said during his tenure the gov-ernment eradicated the culture of terrorin Sindh and would do so again on com-ing into power next time.

Earlier, large number of workersreceived the PML-N chief at Nawab-shah airport.

PML-N to form next govt in Sindh: Nawazg PMl-n chief says party won’t attend APC until Akbar Bugti’s killers are arrested, missing persons recovered

Constablecommitssuicide afterkilling 2

KHAIRPURAGenCies

A policeman committed suicideafter killing a fellow constable and apassenger in Khairpur on Thursday.Police said Shaikh Rasheed arrivedat the police station armed andstarted firing at his fellowconstables. He killed anotherunidentified man in the policestation. After killing two, he killedhimself with his own gun.According to SHO Zahid Abro,Abdul Rasheed Sheikh shot deadconstable Abdul Razaaq Galaldeployed at Army More policepicket near Babarlou area ofKhairpur. He said the other personkilled was identified as Badshah.Sources said the murder was theoutcome of a personal enmity.

DERA ISMAIL KHANReuteRs

A faction of the Pakistani Taliban onThursday claimed responsibility for thekilling of a Chinese woman this week, say-ing it was in revenge for China’s killing ofMuslims in its troubled northwestern re-gion of Xinjiang.

The claim of responsibility is likely toalarm both the government and China,which is a close of ally of Pakistan and hasconsiderable investment in its south Asianneighbour.

The Chinese woman was shot on Tues-day in a market in Peshawar along with aPakistani man. Police at the time said theydid not know the motive.

“Our comrades carried out the attack inPeshawar which killed the Chinese tourist,”Mohammed Afridi, a spokesman for a fac-tion of the Pakistani Taliban from theDarra Adam Khel area, told Reuters bytelephone from an undisclosed location.

“This was revenge for the Chinese gov-ernment killing our Muslim brothers intheir Xinjiang province.”

Pakistani and Chinese officials havesaid militants based in western China havelinks to the Pakistani Taliban and othermilitants in northwestern Pakistani regionsalong the Afghan border.

China accuses one group, the EastTurkestan Islamic Movement, of carryingout attacks in China and says it has brokenup training camps for men seeking inde-pendence for China’s the largely Muslim

Xinjiang region.The Pakistani Taliban, an umbrella or-

ganisation of militant factions, is battlingthe Pakistani government. It has also at-tacked foreigners from countries and or-ganisations backing the government.

Afridi said the militants were also de-manding that China halt what he called itssupport for the Pakistani government’scampaign against militants, and said at-tacks would go on against Chinese peopleas long as China maintained that support.

There have been several attacks on Chi-nese people in Pakistan over the pastdecade by Islamist militants and auton-omy-seeking rebels in Balochistan.

China, while calling on Pakistan to en-sure the safety of its citizens, has main-tained close economic and diplomatic ties.The Chinese embassy in Islamabad calledfor action after the latest incident.

“The embassy has requested the Pak-istani side to conduct a thorough and im-mediate investigation, bring the murdererto justice and properly deal with its after-math,” it said.

“The Pakistani side is also requested totake effective steps to ensure the security ofthe Chinese nationals in the country.”

Pakistan’s ambassador to China, Ma-sood Khan, vowed that the attackers wouldbe tracked down.

China has been Pakistan’s most stead-fast ally for decades, providing diplomaticand military support and investing in arange of sectors including infrastructureand nuclear energy.

ttP faction says Chinesewoman killed for revenge

WASHINGTONinP

The United States has negotiated approvalfrom five countries to expand the so-callednorthern route for supplies to enter andleave Afghanistan, mitigating some of thedamage done when Pakistan closed truckroutes from the south in November in re-action to a NATO air strike that killed 26Pakistani soldiers.

“We now have a two-way approval tomove equipment back out of Afghanistan,”Air Force General William Fraser III, headof the US Transport Command, told theSenate Armed Services Committee. Theagreement will allow non-lethal suppliesand equipment plus wheeled armouredvehicles to enter and leave Afghanistan –something that was not permitted before,Fraser said.

Arms and lethal weapons have beencarried by aircraft, which are still beingused to transport materiel brought to Pak-

istan by ship, Fraser said. The expanded northern route agree-

ment involves Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Russia andwill help remove troops and motorisedequipment as a reduction in US and coali-tion forces takes place over the next twoyears. Fraser said the new approach muststill be tested. He added, “We need thePakistan ground lock open because of thelarge numbers that we’re talking aboutthat we need to bring out in a timely man-ner.

“We’re tasked this year to bring an-other 23,000 troops out by the first of Oc-tober,” he said, noting that excessequipment was already being identified.In addition, all cargo-capable aircraft thatnow fly into Afghanistan are being used toremove excess equipment, Fraser said.

In the past, Pakistan’s truck routes toAfghanistan carried 60 percent to 70 per-cent of NATO supplies while the northernroute handled the rest.

Lethal weapons being air lifted throughPakistan to afghanistan: US general

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Friday, 2 March, 2012

time to learn the sign language

PAGe 07

LAHOREnAuMAn tAsLeeM

PUNJAB Chief Minister ShahbazSharif finally came to the Pun-jab Assembly after eight monthsand delivered a long speech onBalochistan issue and other na-

tional problems on Thursday.The CM, instead of discussing provincial

problems like dengue and deaths due thedrugs Punjab Institute of Cardiology drugs, re-mained critical of the federal government andpreferred to raise his voice on the issues of na-tional level. The Opposition in PA had alwayscriticised the CM for not coming to the Housewhile Punjab Law Minister Rana Sana UllahKhan and others had tried their utmost to de-fend the CM but to no avail. It is pertinent tomention here that the CM remained absentfrom the PA when a number of major prob-lems arose in the province, including thedengue outbreak and the deaths due to the PICdrugs. Sana’s main argument in the CM’s de-fence was always that “no member is bound tocome to the house.” It was perhaps the firsttime on Thursday that he did not have to pres-ent an excuse for the CM.

The Opposition chose to boycott the ses-sion when the CM entered the House thus pro-viding an opportunity to the Treasury tobecome the victims. “The CM is here to answerquestions yet the Opposition is on a boycott,”Sana said. During his speech at the PA, Shah-baz said Pakistan, which comprised Sindh,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistanand Azad Kashmir, was like a human structureand if one organ was lost it would affect theperformance of the whole body. He said his-tory would not forgive Pakistanis if any care-lessness was shown to the insurgency inBalochistan. He said it was time to learn frommistakes to live with honour in the comity ofnations. “Balochistan issue will have to be re-solved at all costs and the grievances of theBaloch brethren will have to be redressed,” hesaid and also proposed that a committee com-prising representatives of all political partiesbe constituted under the chairmanship ofProvincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khanwhich, through a comprehensive resolution,should condemn the excesses committedagainst the Balochi people and convey themessage of love and brotherhood to them.

Shahbaz said there repeated military in-terventions had taken place in Balochistanduring the last 64 years. However, in thetenure of former dictator Pervez Musharraf, alllimits were crossed and Baloch leader NawabAkbar Bugti was assassinated, he added. Hesaid the entire nation demanded justice in thecase. He said that it is time to redress the griev-ances of Balochi brethren rather than conven-

ing All Parties’ Conference on the issue ofBalochistan. He said Germany was completelydestroyed in the world wars but it had emergedas a strong economic force due to the hardwork and sincerity of its people and the BerlinWall between East and West Germany wasalso pulled down. However, it was ironic thatPakistan of the Quaid which was achieved aftera numerous sacrifices was disintegrated but nolesson had been learnt from that tragedy. Hesaid instead of taking practical measures tomake up for the excesses committed againstthe Balochi brethren, hollow statements werebeing issued from the bunker of Islamabad. Hesaid time had come to raise voice overBalochistan issue and every effort needed to bemade to appease the estranged Balochis. Hesaid the people of Punjab would fight for therights of Balochi people and every effort will bemade for the solution of their problems.

Shahbaz further said dictator Musharrafdespite having complete authority could not getunanimous approval of NFC Award but the po-litical leadership of the four provinces hadachieved this miracle. He said Punjab had dis-played a spirit of sacrifice and had surrenderedRs 11 billion from its share for the promotionof national integrity. He said people of Punjabwould not hesitate to offer even a bigger sacri-fice if needed for the strengthening of the coun-try. He said the credit went to the PakistanMuslim League-N government for doubling thequota of the students of Balochistan and otherprovinces as well as Azad Kashmir in educa-tional institutions in the province. Moreover,he said, scholarships were being given to thetalented students of other provinces from Pun-jab Educational Endowment Fund and posi-tion-holder students of Azad Kahsmir and allprovinces were included in the delegations senton study tour abroad so that the whole countrycould be represented. He said male and femalestudents of all provinces had been included inthe programme of distribution of laptops. Hesaid Pakistan was facing terrorism, extremismand other serious challenges and innocentMuslims were being killed in terrorist acts. Hesaid an attempt was made to give a strongmessage to Pakistan through a resolution onBalochistan in America. He said it was hightime to realise the gravity of the situation andto find a solution to Balochistan issue and pla-cate the Balochi people without any furtherloss of time.RESOLUTION AGAINST HIKES: PML-N members in announced to move a resolutionagainst increase in petroleum, gas and electric-ity prices and said it was nuclear attack on thepeople. The session also discussed the Irriga-tion Department. Zulfiqar Gondal of PPP crit-icized the provincial government for dengueand PIC issue and said that the provincial gov-ernment has failed to deliver.

LAHOREstAff RePoRt

The daughter of a head-constable was‘accidentally’ shot dead by a student ofB-Com at an academy situated inUsman Block of Nishtar Colony policelimits on Thursday.

The accused boy and security guardof the academy, who had handed overhis gun to the boy, have surrenderedbefore the police along with the gun.Police have registered a case againstthe accused persons and have removedthe body to morgue for autopsy.

The deceased student was identi-fied as Noreen Sehar, the daughter ofNawaz, a police cop who had been re-cently deputed at the prime minister’shouse in Defence. The victim was a stu-

dent of BA at Babe-Arqam Academy.The accused boy has been identified

as Abdul Rehman, 20, resident of NishtarColony and a student of B-Com at thesame academy. He was also working parttime as an office boy at the same acad-emy. It was learnt that the security guardof the academy, identified as Saeed, usedto handover his 12-bore gun to the ac-

cused boy when he took a break. On theday of the incident, the accused boy wassitting in the small courtyard of the acad-emy and was cleaning the gun in theguard’s absence. In the meantime,Noreen came out of the room and fell vic-tim to the bullet fired by Abdul Rehman.

Noreen received injuries on theright side of her neck and died on thespot due to excessive bleeding. The in-cident created severe panic in the acad-emy and the students rushed outside.The academy administration informedthe local police who collected forensicevidence and took the accused boy andsecurity guard into their custody.

Abdul Rehman told the police thathe had no grudge against Noreen andhe was trying to clean the gun when theaccident happened while Saeed said hehad left the gun with Abdul Rehman ashe had done so every day.

It’s always the empty gun that fires

SurPrISe, SurPrISe!g Guess who showed up at the PA today?

g CM Shahbaz Sharif expresses undying love for

Balochistan, ignores dengue, PIC deaths

g Security guard’s carelesness takes a life

LHR 02-03-2012_Layout 1 3/2/2012 1:43 AM Page 7

low

High

110CSATUrDAY SUnDAY MonDAY27°C I 12°C 26°C I 12°C 27°C I 12°C

PrAYer TIMInGSFajr Sunrise Zuhr Asr Maghrib Isha

05:07 06:28 12:15 15:33 18:02 19:23

CITY DIreCTorY

reSCUe 1122

eDHI ConTrol 115

MoTorwAY PolICe 130

PolICe 15

GoVernor’S HoUSe 99200081-7

CHIeF MInISTer’S HoUSe 99203226

FIre BrIGADe 16

BoMB DISPoSAl 99212111

MCl CoMPlAInTS 99211022-29

lAHore wASTe DISPoSAl 1139

eMerGenCY HelP

HoSPITAlS

BlooD BAnk

FATMID 35210834-8

ISlAMIC AllIAnCe 37588649/37535435

CoMPlAInT

wAPDA 111-000-118

SUI GAS 1199

rAIlwAYS

CITY STATIon (enQUIrY) 117

reSerVATIon 99201772

rAIlwAY PolICe 1333

AIrPorT

FlIGHT enQUIrY 114

PIA reSerVATIon 111-786-786

ColleGeS / UnIVerSITIeS

PUnJAB UnIVerSITY 99231257kInnAIrD ColleGe 99203781-4QUeen MArY ColleGe 36362942GoVT. ColleGe UnIVerSITY 111-000-010UMT 35212801-10lUMS 35608000UeT 36288666lCwU 99203072SUPerIor ColleGe 111-000-078

MID CITY 37573382-3

SerVICeS 99203402-11

MAYo 99211100-9

GenerAl 35810892-8

SHeIkH ZAID 35865731

SIr GAnGA rAM 99200572

UCH 35763573-5

ITTeFAQ 35881981-85

CMH 366996168-72

SHoUkAT kHAnUM 35945100

JInnAH 111-809-809

ADIl (DeFenCe) 36667275

CHIlDren’S 99230901-3

DeFenCe nATIonAl HoSPITAl 111-17-18-19

CelebrATing spring 2012

DATe AnD TIMe: FeB 11 —MAr 11, 2012, 8AM To 1:00PMVenUe: AlHAMrA — GADDAFI STADIUM

register till 10th March 2012 during office timings 3 pm atPermanent Art Gallery, Cultural Complex, Qaddaffi Stadiumlahore Children will bring their art material along with DrawingBoards & Drawing Sheets size 18x20/28x 30 inches. Studentscan use any medium (Pencil colors, water colors, crayons,pastels, clay, collage, mix-medium oil color, acrylics etc).

red bull pAper Wings 2012 p ...

DATe: FeBrUArY 10 — MArCH 10, 2012VenUe: UnSPeCIFIeD, lAHore

PArTlY CloUDY

weATHer UPDATeS

26°C

08Friday, 2 March, 2012

Lahore

ArAbiC CAlligrAphY

CAllIGrAPHY ClASSeS are on-going, interestedstudents can enroll throughout the year. Theduration of one module is three months. There arefour modules of learning calligraphyt: primary,secondary, advanced and higher. The course includestraditional pen and traditional paper making.

DATe AnD TIMe: JUne 1, 2012, 4PM To 6PMVenUe: HAST-o-neeST CenTer

Feeling the need for wInGS?After an overwhelming response to red Bull Paperwings held in Pakistan in 2009, the best and mostcreative Pakistani folders & throwers will have thechance to represent their country at the worldFinals at Hangar-7, Salzburg, Austria this year also!

LAHOREMuzAffAR ALi

If the Punjab government does notexecute the noise abatement meas-ures and environment friendly poli-cies on exigent basis to minimisenoise pollution there is ample chance

that about one million people Lahore would losetheir hearing ability permanently in the comingyears,” otolaryngologists have warned.

“At early stages, people have to be very care-ful as they cannot judge if they are slowly losingtheir hearing ability. They should occasionallyconsult concerned doctors if they find it difficultto understand speech under audible radius,”they said, adding that owing to high sound inten-sity of above 85 decibel (db) in major residentialareas of the city, more than 80 percent of thepopulation was exposed to harmful loud soundlevels while seven to eight percent adults aging20 to 50 have permanently damaged hearing.

According to standard guideline, the noisepollution should not exceed 55 decibel in resi-dential areas but the available data reveals thatthe sound levels are 65 to 90 decibel in all theresidential areas of the city. The reason behindthis nasty noise pollution is lack of staffers at theEnvironment Protection Department. The policehave also failed to control noise pollution andhave lost impetus to execute policies for dimin-ishing traffic noise.

“Besides exposure to loud noise, congenitaldisorders and infections like mumps, measlesand meningitis and the use of substan-dard drugs also contribute to thedamaging of the ears,” say Ear,Nose and Throat (ENT) spe-cialists.

Talking to PakistanToday, Dr IrfanMughal said thenoise pollution was amajor source ofdamaging thed e l i c a t ecells of theinner earand noise-i n d u c e dh e a r i n gloss occurs gradu-ally without anypain. He said aperson experiencedringing in the earsknown as tinni-tus or difficultyin hearing andthis temporarythreshold shiftcould become permanent if

preventive measures were not taken. He saidnoise pollution not only damage hearing but itcould also be a cause of increase in blood pres-sure, digestive disturbances and a rise in heartbeat and breathing. “In some cases, doctors findcomplaints of migraine headaches

among patients due to noise pollution,” he said,adding that the biggest contributors to noise pol-lution in the city were pressure-horns used inbuses, wagons, cars and even motorcycles.

A child specialist and Sir Ganga RamHospital Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr

Masood Akhter Sheikh told Pakistan Today thatchildren were easy victims of noise pollution. Hesaid that children usually watched and listenedmusic in higher volume and this could also causehearing damage. “Furthermore, noisy environ-ment can harm children when they find difficultyin concentrating their studies and that can nat-urally lead to long-term learning problems,” hesaid, adding that some antibiotics that had oto-toxic elements could also cause hearing loss. Hesaid youngsters also use headphones to listenmusic in high volume and this is also anothercause of damaging hearing.

He said people could check their ability ofhearing while using mobile phones as it was ex-perienced by the lot of people that they could notpick the voice of other person while walking innoise places. He said there were many ways tocheck level of hearing ability and a few of themare that when one leaves a noisy place, he feelsbuzzing in the ears, difficulty to understand peo-ple and difficulty in understanding speech.

A psychiatrist Dr Ijaz Haider said noise pol-lution could create negative impacts on the psy-chology of human being. He said the most directimpact of noise pollution was on one’s mood as

it created irritation and depression in peoplethat could lead to disturbance of one’s sex-

ual life and social interactions. Hesaid sleeping time could also be dis-

turbed by noise pollution andother recreational activities and

some patients he observedstarted to prefer staying at

home to avoid social func-tions such as marriage cer-emonies owing of noisepollution. Muddassar Ali,

a focal person of anNGO attached toenvironment re-

lated issues, said theEPD was not adequately

trained to check noisepollution in differ-

ent parts of thecity and thissituation ag-

g r a v a t e dwhen trafficpolice andEPD coulde x e c u t en o i s eabatementmeasures.

TIme To learn The

languageWith no check on noise pollution, experts say half

of us are already deaf, with the rest to follow

LHR 02-03-2012_Layout 1 3/2/2012 1:43 AM Page 8

09Friday, 2 March, 2012

Lahore

LAHOREstAff RePoRt

THE murderer, who killed a 65-year old man, Arshad Chughtai,and his three-year old grand-daughter Khatija Adnan, resi-dents of 163/Abu Bakar Block,

Garden Town, and injured their maid Shu-maila Jaffer (14), actually wanted to kidnapthe girl for ransom. This was revealed byDeputy Inspector General of Lahore Police’sOperations Wing Ghulam Mehmood Dogarwhile talking to the media. Shumaila wasshifted to the hospital where doctors treatedher and she recovered from her injuries.

Police officials investigated Shumaila, whorevealed that her elder brother Akif Jaffer hadkilled Arshad and Khatija. The DIG said thatShumaila had further revealed that her brotherhad injured her when she stopped him fromcarrying out the heinous act. He said that afterknowing about Akif’s involvement the policetraced his location and arrested him from Is-lamabad. He further added that Akif not onlywent on to confess his crime but also revealedhis intentions. The DIG confirmed that the

murderer wanted to receive ransom and hadinitially tried to kidnap the girl.

Akif, in police custody, told media that hewas in love with his cousin and wanted to marryher, and added that his aunt demandedRs100,000 in return for marrying her daughterwith Akif. He said that being a labourer he hadfailed in mustering such a huge sum of moneyand hence, had conjured up the kidnappingplan. He said that he had found a large sharpsickle from a park and took it to the place of in-cident with half his face covered. He said thatKhatija had showed resistance and startedscreaming when he tried to take her away. Hissister Shumaila had also offered resistancewhich had infuriated him and led to him slaugh-tering the minor girl and injuring his sister.

“Due to Shumaila’s resistance and a briefscuffle with Arshad Chughtai, the maskwhich I was wearing slipped down exposingmy identity”, the killer said adding that Ar-shad Chugatai had identified him and hadthreatened him with dire consequences afterwhich he had slaughtered Arshad as well andhad escaped. The DIG has announced cashprizes and commendatory certificate for thepolice team.

Cooperative Punjab Registrar farhan Aziz taking a briefing on the performance of Punjab

Provincial Cooperative Limited. PR

UHS rocks, says HeC chairmanLAHORE: Higher Education Commission (HEC)Chairman Dr Javaid R Laghari has greeted the Universityof Health Sciences (UHS) for being ranked as the topmedical university of Pakistan. UHS has recently beenranked by HEC as the best public sector university in themedical category and eighth best in the overall ‘Top 10’ listof Pakistani higher education institutions based on quality,teaching and research. stAff RePoRt

with the sun, sets ouR hoPe: zaheer, unemployed, looks at the setting sun hoping that tomorrow would have

better things in store for him. NaDeeM IJaZ

operations DIg solvesthe intriguing whodunit

There’s no problem

with oPV drops,

claim doctorsLAHORE

stAff RePoRt

Mayo Hospital Medical SuperintendentDr Zahid Pervaiz and ProfessorNosheen Aziz, Head of Social andPreventive Paeds Department, KingEdward Medical University Lahorehave said that the oral polio vaccine(OPV drops) were fully effective andthere was no problem of efficacy asshown by the surveillance results –that with one year, there was only onecase of polio in Punjab.They said this while addressing a jointpress conference in the hospital tonullify the effects of propagandaagainst the anti-polio campaign in themedia. Dr Zahid Pervaiz said that OPVprovided to the Health Departmentwas tested and verified for efficacy,before it was supplied and used forvaccination. Moreover, to maintain aneffective immunity level in children, ithad to be given repeatedly in a year. Hefurther said that the cold chain of thevaccine was maintained from the pointof manufacturing to the users. All thetransportation and storage of OPV wasat the recommended temperature andthere was no question of anydisruption of cold chain of OPV, heconcluded.

LHR 02-03-2012_Layout 1 3/2/2012 1:43 AM Page 9

10Friday, 2 March, 2012

Lahore

CIneMA FIlM TIMeCIne STAr Tere nAAl loVe Ho GAYA 02:00 PMPH: 35157462 JoDI BreAkerS 04:30 PM

THe woMAn In BlACk 07:00 PMTere nAAl loVe Ho GAYA 08:30 PMJoDI BreAkerS 11:15 PM

CIne GolD ek MAIn AUr eke TU 12:00 PMPH: 35340000 ek MAIn AUr eke TU 3:00 PM

ek MAIn AUr eke TU 6:00 PMek MAIn AUr eke TU 9:00 AMek MAIn AUr eke TU 12:00 AM

SoZo worlD Tere nAAl loVe HoGAYA 12:00 PMPH: 36674271 Tere nAAl loVe HoGAYA 2:30 PM

JoDDI BreAkerS 5:00 PMJoDDI BreAkerS 8:00 PMTere nAAl loVe HoGAYA 10:30 PM

SoZo GolD GAlI GAlI CHor HeI 12:30 PMPH: 36674271 ek MAIn AUr eke TU 03:00 PM

AGneePATH 05: 30 PMAGneePATH 08: 30 PMGAlI GAlI CHor HeI 11: 30 PM

LAHOREstAff RePoRt

LAHORE High Court on Thursday re-jected objections of PPP SenatorBabar Awan against three amicuscuriaes (friends of court) appointedby LHC to assist the court in hearing

of a petition seeking his disqualification. TheLHC was hearing a petition filed by AdvocateShahid Javed challenging eligibility of Awan, re-cently elected as a senator.

Through an application Babar Awan had con-tended that Advocate AK Dogar, AdvocateSalman Akram Raja, Advocate Salman Akramand former Advocate General Punjab KhawajaHarris, who had been appointed as amicus curi-aes in the matter against him were not impartialand justice will suffer if court heard their argu-ments in the case. Rejecting the objections ofAwan, Justice Umer Ata Bandial observed thatthe court had appointed impartial advocates andthe court had lawful authority to appoint any per-son for its assistance in any case. Justice Bandialalso said courts decided cases not on the desireof parties but on merit, law, norms of justice,

rules and legal ethics. When the judge set asideobjections from counsel for Awan, the courtheard arguments of Harris who said the peti-tioner who brought case against Awan was not anaggrieved party as he was neither his rival nor hissupporter in the senate election hence, the peti-tion was not maintainable.PETROL PRICE PETITION: A petition wasfiled on behalf of Mohammad & Ahmad, a publicinterest litigation company, on Thursday beforeLahore High Court challenging the recent in-crease in petroleum prices. The petitioner statedthat the government enhances price of petroleumproducts after short intervals, which causes pricehike of other items that is unjust to the people.

He stated that a petition was pending inwhich he had prayed that the government shouldbe directed to give details about the method ofdetermination for revising the petroleum prod-ucts vis-à-vis cost of production and cost of sup-ply including charging of different levies, dutiesand taxes and further disbursement of above col-lections to the different heads. He further prayedthat the petitioner may be directed to supply withthe audited accounts of all the respondents con-nected with the production and supply of the pe-

troleum products specifying the details of cate-gory wise with complete profit and loss accountsthrough certified audited accounts.SHIFTING WALTON FLYING CLUB: TheLahore High Court on Thursday sought replyfrom the Punjab government and others by March15 on a petition seeking directions to shift WaltonFlying Club from residential area to a far-off lo-cation. Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik passed theorder on a petition filed by petitioner-counsel Ish-tiaq Ahmad impleading the director general CivilAviation Authority, Walton Flying Club DirectorTraining and Punjab Home Secretary.PROBING DRUG DEATHS: The DefectiveDrugs Inquiry (DDI) Tribunal, set up to probedeaths caused by Punjab Institute of cardiology’sspurious medicines, on Thursday recorded thestatements of Drugs Testing Laboratory Ex-Di-rector Abdus Salam Mufti and Ex-Chief DrugsInspector Mouazam Ali Khan. They also pro-duced documents in support of their statementswhereas the Tribunal questioned them about var-ious aspects of the matter being probed. DataGanj Bakhsh Town Drug Inspector Saeed Iqbal,also appeared before the Tribunal and got hisstatement recorded.

Minorities apprehensive aboutlife security, and with reason…

LAHOREstAff RePoRt

The Hindu community protested in front of Lahore PressClub against sorry state of security for them in provincesof Sindh and Balochistan where, they claim, six Hindushad been kidnapped in a week. The protesters flayed theincompetence of Peoples Party’s provincial governmentsfor their ineptitude in providing security to theminorities. The protesters said earlier this week twoHindus were kidnapped from Quetta, one from Karachi,a girl from Mirpur Mathelo and another from Jacobabad.They asked the government to give them rights that theydeserved, biggest of which is life security. The family of agirl, Rinkal, kidnapped last Friday from Mir Pur Mathiloalso attended the protest. Nand Laal, father of the victim,told journalists that three goons of the local PPP MNAMian Mitha had kidnapped his daughter from theirhouse early on Friday.

Head clerk goes on hungerstrike after dismissal

LAHOREstAff RePoRt

A former employee of PHA, on hunger strike till death,has demanded his reinstatement. Nusrat Ali Toor wasdismissed from his post of Head Clerk in PHA for hisabsence from service. He claimed Director GeneralLahore Development Authority and PHA Abdul JabbarShaheen had victimised him for personal reasons.Nusrat said he remained absent from his job because ofmedical reasons. “For three years, I remained undertreatment in Sweden,” he said. In October 2007, hesaid, he got a stroke followed by a heart attack and hisangiography was performed in Sweden while he alsoremained under psychiatrists’ treatment. “I had sent mymedical reports to my department but in spite of thefact that they had given a final notice throughnewspapers to report in seven days, I got back tocountry last year,” Nusrat told Pakistan Today. On hisreturn, a board was commissioned to hear his case butwithout waiting for its decision Shaheen had orderedhis dismissal, he claimed. He demanded his residenceto be allotted back to him and asked for immediatereinstatement as he claimed that he had three moreyears of service left.

‘Babar Awan, you’ve got to be kidding me!’

DHA’s month-long

Jashn-e-Baharan

celebrations

LAHOREstAff RePoRt

DHA Lahore management keeping itstradition has decided to celebrate theJashn-e-Baharan from 2nd to 31st March.The preparations regarding the celebrationsare at its peak and the steamers andbanners carrying the details of the eventshave been installed across DHA premises.DHA parks, green belts, clubs andeducational institutions have been adornedwith various types of flowers. DHASpokesman Tajammal Hussain Anjum saidthat a variety of sports competitions havebeen planned during Jashn-e-Baharan thatwould give an opportunity of healthyentertainment to the residents. He wastalking with to the journalists in his office.He said that a cricket match of the residentswill be held from 2 to 4 March at DefenceStadium and another cricket match of DHAofficers will be held from 3 to 4 March. Thefinal match will be played on the 10th and11th of March at Defence Degree Collegeground. A tennis tournament will be playedout on 10 and 11 March at the Defence Cluband the basket ball event will be held from23 to 25 March at Defence Stadium. Aspecial walk will be held on 23rd March at3pm from Education City to Phase Vcommercial area. Swimming gala will takeplace at Defence club from 24 to 25 March.Golf match will be held on 25 March atDefence Raya Golf course phase VI.Football and rugby tournaments will beheld from 28 to 30 March and 22 to 24March respectively at the Defence Stadium.Flower exhibition will take place from 15 to17 March and prize distribution ceremonywill be held on 21 March at Sheeba Park Yblock phase III. A food gala will be held on25th March at Defence club.

LAHOREstAff RePoRt

Three persons, including a 45-year-old woman,committed suicide in separate localities of theprovincial metropolis on Thursday.

A 28-year-old man opened fire on his temple overunknown issue in the Manawan police limits. The de-ceased person was identified as Waris, the son of Tu-fail, resident of Chandni Chowk. He had returnedfrom the dera of his friend on Tuesday morning afterwhich he locked himself in a room and committed sui-cide. After hearing the shots, his family membersrushed to the room and found him in a pool of blood.He was rushed to a local hospital where doctors pro-nounced him dead. Local police also reached thescene and removed the body to morgue for autopsy.

Separately, a 26-year-old man identified as ImtiazAli, the son of Akbar Ali, resident of China SchemeGujjarpura, committed suicide by swallowing poison-ous pills. He was rushed to a local hospital where hedied. Local police after being informed reached thehospital and removed the body to morgue while sus-pecting the incident to be mysterious. The victim’sfamily claimed that Imtiaz had committed suicide.

In another incident, a 45-year-old woman com-mitted suicide by jumping into the canal in theMustafaabad police limits. She was rushed to alocal hospital where she died. The body of the vic-tim woman, yet to be identified, was shifted tomorgue for autopsy. Rescue official said that thewoman had jumped into the canal near Dharam-pura bridge in the Mustafaabad police limits. Themotives were not clear in all the three incidents.

When suicide is the last resort

oxford university Press organized a talk by sarmila bose, based on the author’s recently published book dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971

bangladesh war, on 14 february 2012, at the oxford bookshop in Lahore. this ground-breaking book chronicles the 1971 war in south Asia by

reconstituting the memories of those on opposing sides of the conflict. sarmila bose is a senior Research fellow in the Politics of south Asia at the

university of oxford. seen in the photograph is sarmila bose (fourth from left) with najam sethi, editor-in-Chief, the friday times (fifth from left),

and tariq haq, Regional sales director, oxford university Press Pakistan, (third from left).

wAitinG And wAitinG: A large number of freight bogies standing at Lahore station of Pakistan Railways

which is facing fuel shortage. oNLINe

LHR 02-03-2012_Layout 1 3/2/2012 1:43 AM Page 10

Editor’s mail 11Friday, 2 March, 2012

The cost of social mediaIn recent years, the social networking

websites like Twitter and Facebook, havegained massive public popularity fromyouth. But most recently, the politicisa-tion of social media has taken place rap-idly, especially after emergence of ImranKhan and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)from the core of these social mediagroups. Imran Khan’s massive publicgatherings and his emergence as “thethird option” has proved one thing thatsocial media do have an impact on ‘re-alpolitick’.

It is a giant: uncontrolled and un-monitored and can affect both the“media” and policymaking and the worseof all it can cause anarchy and can beeasily used to manipulate a big section ofour educated class.

Try stalking any political, religious,ethnic issue on any forum; it will be fullof confident “pseudo intellects”, bom-barding ideas (mostly baseless or basedon unseen myths) and virtually fightingamongst each other. In a country likePakistan which has been a home of eth-nic, religious and political conflicts, sucha situation can deepen the impact ofthese ethno-religious grievances whichmay result in long term poisoning of oursensitive youth.

Our youth is educated, but what ex-actly is that education? Are issues relatedto dominance of Punjab, sectarian vio-lence, ethnic conflicts, inter-provincialgrievances, Talibanisation, ever been apart of our curriculum? These issueshave been absent from the mainstreamdebates, even the media tries to neu-tralise their impact.

Now imagine their impact when theygo unobstructed to our emotionally sen-sitive youth, with much greater intensityand often with misleading ‘facts’ and re-alities. Policymakers need to be worriedabout this slow poisoning or should beready to face their consequences in thelong run.

MUHAMMAD NOWKHAIZLUMS, Lahore

Political parties’ fundingThere is no rocket science involved in

reality that huge public rallies and adver-tisements by major political parties in-volve a lot of funds. There was a timewhen politicians used to go around coun-try by rail, now they go on private orchartered jets, paid for by tycoons in-volved in real estate, sugar, banking orcement cartels and even controversialenergy sector. There is no such thing as afree lunch. There is a price for all of this.The fleet of expensive bullet proof SUVs,Mercs and BMWs don’t come free. It isan investment on which investors expectreturns. Today behind every successfulman with a fortune, it is no longer usu-ally a woman, but a crime that has beencommitted.

It would be better if the EC and thosewho matter make it mandatory thatfunding of political parties be made legalto ensure that there is no foreign inter-ference through huge donations, whichcompromises our national sovereigntyand dignity. This country should nolonger be a sanctuary for unwanted menlike Osama. No foreign national, NGOetc, should be allowed to fund politicalactivities located in Pakistan.

Late Mohtarma BB and GenNaseerullah Babar made startling revela-tions in NA on April 24, 1994, where theynamed almost everybody ranging fromJam Sadiq Ali, Javed Hashmi, Altaf Hus-sain, Nawaz Shariff, Afaq Ahmed, JamMashooq Ali, Muzaffar Hussain, AbidaHussain, Jamali etc to have receiveddole-outs from ISI in collaboration withYunus Habib. There was a time whenforeign and ISI money was routedthrough Yusuf Haroon to Mujeeb andZAB, with disastrous consequences forPakistan. This abuse and proliferation ofdemocracy can only be curtailed if all po-litical funding be declared legal and au-dited instead of being subverted as it istoday.

MALIK TARIQ ALILahore

Concept of forgivenessThe Islamic concept of forgiveness is

embodied in the verse 134 of Surah Al-Imran which describes virtues of a right-eous person. “Those who spend (freely),whether in prosperity, or in adversity;who restrain anger, and pardon (all)men, for Allah loves those, who do good.”

The above verse has a clear reso-nance in relation with the stand of MianMuhammad Nawaz Sharif in as much ashe is averse to pardon PML(Q) leadersfor joining Musharraf in his absence fortheir survival. Main sahib ought to lookat his own faults at first sacking JahangirKaramat, then selecting Musharraf overhis senior Ali Quli Khan, and then com-pounding his mistakes by dismissingMusharraf thus bringing calamity onhimself. Will he ponder over the aboveverse to qualify for a righteous person bypardoning PML(Q)?

DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTILahore

The UN designated the year2012 as the internationalyear of ‘Sustainable Energy

for All’. During 16-19 January2012, Abu Dhabi hosted World Fu-ture Energy Summit to discusshow the future of energy shouldlook like, and how we can shape it.Today, the concern about energyhas become central to global issuesand policies as the survival andsustainability of modern life isstrongly dependent upon the avail-ability and usage of energy.

The age of fossil fuels broughttremendous changes in the way welive today. However, with thegrowing population and depletingoil and gas reserves, woes are in-creasing as how to maintain thepace of progress and prosperitythat world achieved during the ageof fossil fuels. Pakistan is no excep-tion to the dictates of ever increas-ing stress on energy resources,given the decreasing reserves-pro-duction ratio of fossil fuels world-

wide. Because of low oil and gasdeposits in Pakistan, and fluctuat-ing cost of these commodities inthe international markets, thecountry faces accelerating eco-nomic pressure. Pakistan’s oil im-port bill exceeds $ 12 billion a year,according to the Pakistan Bureauof Statistics. Despite this hugespending, the country remains un-able to generate electricity as perdemand although the fact remainsthat its installed capacity still ex-ceeds peak demand.

Long hours of electricity-lesslife in Pakistan push the country insomething akin to the Stone Age.A population which is dissatisfiedcan trigger political unrest and re-mains vulnerable to the brain andmoney drain. The situation alsoworks as a huge impediment toforeign investment. The problemgets particular importance if seenwith the changing demographic re-alities of the country: youth bulgewith expectations of modern life. Ifthe energy crisis becomes severe inthe coming years, this youth bulgewould become a liability for thecountry. Contrarily, the availability

and modern usages of energycould play critical role in transfor-mation of this youth bulge into anasset. In fact, it is important tonote that development in contem-porary world is in direct propor-tion with the usage of energy. In2005, in the developed countries,energy use per capita per annumwas 4,720 kilograms of oil equiva-lent (kgoe), whereas in the devel-oping countries it was 975 kgoe. InPakistan per capita usage of energywas further low at 490kgoe/annum.

The technological advance-ments achieved during the oil agehave placed the world at a juncturewhere we have many viable op-tions available in the form of re-newable energy. These include:nuclear, hydro, solar, wind, biomass, tidal, geo thermal, and waveenergy. All of these sources havetheir own merits and de-merits.

Hydro and nuclear are the bestknown, cost effective, and as yetthe largest provider among the re-newable energy sources. However,given the political strings attachedto hydro and nuclear energy in the

particular case of Pakistan, thewind and solar offer a workable so-lution and a good opportunity forbusiness. Pakistan’s geographic lo-cation endows it with tremendouspotential for generating wind andsolar electricity. Studies havefound that Pakistan has a potentialof over 340,000 MW for wind and100,000 MW for solar generatedelectricity. Both these resourcesare being switched to in the ad-vanced countries and emergingpowers.

Today, top five countries pro-ducing wind generated megawattsof electricity are: China (44,733),the US (40,180), Germany(27,215), Spain (20,676), and India(13,065). Important to note thatSpain’s only wind generated elec-tricity exceeds entire peak demandof electricity in Pakistan. Accord-ing to a recent announcement byChina’s National Energy Adminis-tration, by the year 2015 the coun-try would increase its wind andsolar power generation capacity to100,000 MW, and 15,000 MW, re-spectively. The problems related tointermittence, cost, and reliability

have been resolved to a great ex-tent by technological improve-ments, making wind and solarenergy the fuels for a green andsustainable future.

The per capita energy usage inPakistan is expected to take asharp upward trend in future giventhe combination of following fac-tors: abysmally low per capitausage of energy at present, youthbulge, and increasing access for alarge segment of population tomodern amenities of life due todeepening of globalization. Policy-makers in Pakistan would be thusbetter advised to harness wind andsolar potential of the country tomeet the future demand. Thiswould not only relieve the countryfrom economic stress that comeswith importing fossil fuel basedenergy, but also political stressthat is attached to building largedams. In addition, the clean en-ergy obtained from wind and Sunwould also keep the country awayfrom the hazards attached to nu-clear power plants.

Pakistan can not only solve itselectricity problem through ag-

gressive pursuit of wind and solarenergy, it can also harness busi-ness potential by collaboratingwith business corporations thatproduce wind turbines and solarcells. Such joint ventures would beattractive for foreign companies asPakistan ranks ahead of India andBangladesh in South Asia in theWorld Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Busi-ness Index’. Moreover, it providesa readily available market, and po-tential access to future markets inthe adjoining region. Our policy-makers should thus invite Chinese,Japanese and Korean companiesfor the purpose. Pakistan has asuccess story in the form of M-2motorway built by a Korean com-pany. Now is the time to build asustainable energy highway –winding along the wind corridors,and lit by the Sun – that is pivotalfor progress and prosperity; keyingredients in contemporary worldfor economic and social stability.

The writer works for Islam-abad Policy Research Institute, Is-lamabad. He can be reached atmustansarbillah@yahoo.co.uk

More then two decades ago I askedmy Pakistan Studies teacher how could ademocratic constitution ensure that theleader selected would work for the bestinterest of Pakistan. She replied with asmile, "Checks and balances". And ex-plained that the Constitution has a num-ber of checks and balances to ensure thateveryone does their job honestly and inthe best interest of the country.

Unfortunately, in the currentPPP/ANP-led government, the checksand balances system of our constitution

has been removed. When a governmentofficer holds two or more positions, thenthe check and balance system won’twork. Best example is the Punjab govern-ment, where the CM was holding the postof more than 16 offices, including health,which caused many issues in Punjab, in-cluding dengue, fake flood camps, PIChospital patient deaths etc. There is no"One Man Show" in democracy.

The check and balance for the top-most position in the government is dif-ferent. The president's orders can only be

turned down on the intervention of theChief Justice. Since 2008, the currentgovernment has been intent on destroy-ing Pakistan. They have embezzled hugeamounts from the public, they have re-duced government institutions intolosses turning their share prices downand then buying them off (like they aredoing with BoK), fake and low qualitypurchases with kickbacks in each andevery institution has destroyed our econ-omy. Many foreign spies are roamingaround in Peshawar with police escorts

and worst of all a country that can gener-ate more then 20,000MW power hasbeen forced into loadshedding of 10hours since four years now.

The CJ has tried his level best to stopthis rape of our country, but he cannotstop or control everything. My Chief ofArmy, the virus has crossed your bordersand entered the system that is called thegovernment. Will you act after our coun-try is burnt to the ground?

SHAHRYAR KHAN BASEERPeshawar

The system of checks and balances

Gunmen in military uniform forced in on passengers travel-ling in four buses on Karakoram Highway, from Rawalpindi toGilgit. The militants hauled off passengers from buses and afterchecking their identity, those 16 found to be Shias were gunneddown.

According to foreign new agencies the spokesman for theJandullah faction of Taliban claimed the responsibility of grue-some murders. The militants who called themselves mu-jahideen are also killing the Shias in Balochistan. The Shiasthroughout the country have staged protested against this hor-rendous crime. One fails to understand as to why our intelligentagencies have failed to prevent such incidents? Why are theynot able to find out who are the members of Jandullah groupare and who is funding their activities of killing the peaceful cit-izens of Pakistan?

It is the prime responsibility of the government to protectthe lives and properties of citizens, but is seems that the gov-ernment has no political will and ability to stop the prevailingviolence in the country.

Why is the civilian government not eliminating terrorism?Why is the government not activating the anti-terrorist forcespecifically with the responsibility of countering terrorism andsectarianism in the country, which is damaging the country eco-nomically and tarnishing its image in the world? Why the groupof religious forces who have formed Difa-e-Pakistan Council isnot condemning sectarian killing and playing its role to save thecountry from enemies working within the country before its cansave the country from the foreign enemies?

S T HUSSAINLahore

sectarian killings

waheeda Shah’s slapWe have all seen Waheeda Shah on

TV screens. This woman slapped a poorand innocent girl, who must have beeneither a low-paid primary school teacheror a lady health visitor made to act as areturning officer. I saw Mehreen Raja ofPPP arguing on TV that both sides mustbe investigated. My version of the entireincident is that what could have that re-

turning officer said to Waheeda Shah toprovoke her to resort to this? Is she wor-thy of being a legislator? Does she havethe temperament or the ability to go tothe assembly?

In my humble opinion, WaheedaShah surely does not deserve to be in theassembly, no matter the clout she is car-rying. PPP is silent about this incident.Election Commission, if still alive, isquiet and seemingly indifferent.

Waheeda Shah must tender publicapology to that girl and compensate herin monetary terms out of her purse. Wa-heeda should be banned from all kinds ofpolitical roles for five years, if not for life.I am glad that the CJ has taken suo-motunotice of this incident. She should betaught some manners and decency in herbehaviour with commoners.

AMJAD H MIRZALahore

opportunity in crisis

Send your letters to:Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, PakistanFax: +92-42-36298302E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters may be edited for length and clarity.It would be appreciated if letters were ad-dressed to Pakistan Today exclusively.

By M Mustansar Billah Hussain

LHR 02-03-2012_Layout 1 3/2/2012 1:43 AM Page 11

Comment12Friday, 2 March, 2012

Arif NizamiEditor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36298305-10 Fax: 042-36298302Karachi – Ph: 021-34330811-3 Fax: 021-34330900Islamabad – Ph: 051-2287414-6 Fax: 051-2287417

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Time for the judiciary to settle this issue

Determining ISI’s role

The SC has finally woken to the need of taking upAsghar Khan’s plea which was gathering dust inthe record room of the SC since 1996. Not that theissue was not pressed by the indefatigable Air

Marshal through media after the restoration ofindependent judiciary. The plea, however, continued tohang fire. That the matter was taken up only after aprotracted delay would raise questions about how the courtdetermines the priorities of the cases to be heard. Such wasthe state of neglect meted out to the petition that sealedrecords connected with the case were not available onWednesday when the hearing started and proceedings hadto be adjourned for a week to locate them.

The petition incriminates both the ISI and thepoliticians. This was by no means the first or the last timethat the ISI interfered in politics to get the electoral resultsof its liking. The manipulations by the ISI have hinderedthe growth of the institutions, promoted corruption amongthe political elite and weakened the political system. Overthe decades, the spy agency has played a major role inbreaking up of the mainstream parties and bolstering thosesupporting military dictators. It has crafted new politicalalliances. The ISI has approached politicians andmaintained elements in the media on its payroll. Unlessthose who devised the plan to rig the 1990 elections,provided finances for it and doled out money are meted outexemplary punishment, corruption in politics will continueto flourish.

Politician who received the money from ISI are equallyto be blamed. One expects political leaders to act as a rolemodel for the coming generations. That they shouldsuccumb to act as henchmen of the ISI in return for moneyis a matter of shame. As some those included in the ISI listhave denied receiving the funds, a thorough probe isneeded in the affair. Those who are found to have acceptedthe payment should be proceeded against. The case beingno more than the tip of an iceberg, it would be in place ifthe apex court appoints a judicial commission to probeother cases of gross interference by the ISI in politicalmatters to close the chapter for good.

Got any suggestions?

Sound and fury

Coverage of energy price hikes are codified in thenation’s media outlets, particularly the broadcastmedia. The SOP: as soon as Nepra, Ogra, KESC orwhatever the concerned body that is, sends a press

release to the beat reporter, the newsroom starts preparinga man-on-the-street package (or, vox pops, as they areknown in shop talk.) The channel then starts flashing thenews as yet another assault on the “poor man”, even if it isa CNG price hike, which is functionally the bane of themiddle-classes.

To cut to vox pops and ask concerned random peopleon the street to comment on the issue, you won’t get a well-informed opinion on international oil markets, the specialOpec rate we get, the constraints of our public financialprofile, the mechanics of duties and sales taxes. You willonly get misguided and (always) vague frustration. To getactual experts to talk about it is problematic, not onlybecause it is tougher and more expensive than the low-hanging fruit of stepping out of the office and talking topeople but also because a reasonable measure of empathyfor the situation the government is in wouldn’t go down towell with viewers.

This government is run by a political party. One thatcontests elections. Whose politicians do the rounds andhears all objections levelled upon it by ordinary voters. Itunderstands how unpopular steps like these are.Incompetent it might be, politically unwise it is not. Itwould give anything to make this problem go away. But itwon’t go away. It can’t be wished away and this issomething that cannot be argued around either.

The trade-off is more than clear: either subsidise theprice-hikes or transfer them to the consumers. In the caseof the former, the development budget has to be eaten into,in which case, if, say, a hospital in inadequately manned,off to another vox pops package from irate patients.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Especially witha media insistent on not raising the level of debate in thecountry, be it public finance, terrorism or plain, old-fashioned politics.

the slapit represents what is wrong with the system

Having slapped her way into in-famy, will Waheeda Shah nowbe slapped with a convictionby the Supreme Court, ormerely get a slap on the wrist?

Ms Shah has already lost all respect, soshe might as well lose her seat too. The slapthat was heard around Pakistan is nowboomeranging to leave her black and blue asshe bears the brunt of a public whiplashwhich the likes of her rarely get to taste. Bonappetite, Ms Shah. You have surely earnedwhat's coming your way.

The PPP politician from rural Sindh nowhas an FIR against her, and a date with thejudges, who on normal days are grumpy,angry and glowering. So for Ms Shah, the SChearing ain't gonna be a walk in the park.Sadly the judges, with all the constitutionalpower at their disposal, do not have thepower yet to slap their way to justice. Other-wise this would have been a textbook casefor flexing such constitutional muscles.

Waheeda Shah did not murder anyone.Nor did she cripple, or paralyse or loboto-mise anyone. But if she didn’t inflict seriousphysical injury on her hapless victim, shemade up for this inadequacy by tearing intothe victim's dignity and self-respect. She hu-miliated her with a nonchalance that is

borne of a life of privilege and power, andwhich breeds a contempt that it so richly de-serves.

But it was just a slap, her PPP apologistssay. And people get slapped around everyminute of every day in this country of ours.So what is the big deal?

The big deal is that Waheeda Shah's slaphas come to symbolise much that is rotten inthis class-ridden system which perpetuatesthe hold of the social and political elite overthose who are weak, vulnerable and unpro-tected. Such Pakistanis are fair game for thepredatory state, and the rapaciously power-hungry politician. These weak, vulnerableand unprotected Pakistanis get maltreated,abused, manipulated, exploited and humili-ated as a matter of habit by the elites andthose who are fed fat on unchecked statepower.

In fact, this skewed relationship betweenthe powerful and the weak is so deeply en-trenched in this soil that a vast majority ac-cept it as a way of life. That's how it's alwaysbeen through the ages and that's how it willremain, goes the belief. The right to abuse,say the powerful, is a right ingrained withinthe concept of power itself. What good ispower, they argue, if it doesn’t mean gettingone's own way.

Does culture add to this loathsome mix?The housewife slaps the maid, the thanedarslaps the detainee, the officer slaps the sub-ordinate, the feudal slaps the teacher, theteacher slaps the student… the list goes onand on. The relationship between the 'slap-per' and the 'slappee' is the same: powerfulvs weak. If this be the reality, then what Wa-heeda Shah did was in tune with the socialand cultural norms that she has always ad-hered to.

While this line of argument may con-form to a traditional belief system which de-fines a grim reality, it is in essencegrotesquely wrong.

Simple enough: laws of the land trumpall norms, beliefs and traditions. Laws existto level the playing field for everyone. But

when laws are not applied uniformly, norms,beliefs and traditions trump them. Case inpoint: Waheeda Shah.

This Sindhi feudal PPP politician proba-bly slaps people around her all the time.Who knows, maybe she even beats her dogand cat. She does this because she knows shecan. And because she knows those weaker toher politically, socially or financially cannotrespond in kind. Notice the policemen in herslapping footage standing next to her with adumb expression on his face. He's the face oflaw there. But Waheeda Shah knows that sheis the local political grandee in the area, andthis dumb cop is subservient to her becausethe law he represents and executes is subor-dinate to her. So she slaps the woman doingher electoral duty. Ms Shah knows that ifanything, the dumb cop will approve of theslap. After all, he slaps people around as amatter of routine. And the dumb cop looksat Ms Shah's slapping spree as if it’s the mostnatural thing to do in those surroundings.State power and political power locked in avicious nexus to slap around a Pakistani whohas no power.

Waheeda Shah belongs to the rulingPPP. Her party and its government aremumbling inanities which stink of nauseat-ing justifications for Ms Shah. This breed ofpeople is now lording over the destiny of thishapless nation. Byproducts of a fundamen-tally unjust system, such politicians and suchgovernments continue to perpetuate a socialstructure that resists change, progress andmodernity. But how long can they plug ahole in the dam with their fingers?

Waheeda Shah may have slapped a weakPakistani woman. But now the Pakistani na-tion is slapping Waheeda Shah back till shegoes blue in the face.

The writer hosts a primetime talk showon ARY News. He has worked as DirectorNews of Express News and Dunya News andEditor The News, Islamabad. He can bereached at fahd.husain1@gmail.com or onTwitter @fahdhusain

By Fahd Husain

state oppression versus struggle for freedom

Bahrain is free

“Change does not roll inon the wheels of in-evitability, but comes

through continuous struggle.And so we must straighten ourbacks and work for our freedom.A man can't ride you unless yourback is bent.” Martin LutherKing Jr said in his speech inMemphis, Tennessee, April 3,1968.

Abdulhadi Abdulla HubailAlkhawaja, the prominentBahraini human rights activist,who now enters day 19 of hishunger strike against the regimeof Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, con-tinues to make Luther King Jrproud. Alkhawaja is serving a lifesentence for having refused tobend his back.

The painful act of protest isnot voluntary, some say. His jawshave been broken during cus-tody: he can’t chew. IV tubes,used to deliver fluid into a pa-tient’s body, have stopped work-ing: his veins have shrunk due toweakness, according to his doc-tor.

While propagators of freespeech and democracy stand bysilently and watch, Alkhawja and

6 fellow humans, who stood upagainst oppression, continue tosuffer. Why?

It all started on February 14,2010. Buoyed by the success inEgypt and Tunisia, Bahrainisgathered at the Pearl Square inManama. They wanted a consti-tutional monarchy in Bahrain,where people could choose theirrepresentatives. Irrespective ofreligion, sect or race, Bahrainstood united. Almost 80-85 per-cent of employees in Bahrainwent on strike on February 20.

Their demands were re-buffed; dozens of protestors wereshot dead at point blank range,thousands captured and tor-tured. Houses of the oppositionleaders were raided at nightwithout warrants, their womenmade to stand in night clothing.People were ridiculed at check-points for their religious believes.Doctors who had treated the in-jured protesters at Manama’s Su-laimaniya Medical Complex werejailed, threatened and torturedfor treating the wounded. Forcesof the state persecuted the in-jured on their hospital beds, allbehind closed doors, far from theeye of the media.

State propaganda went intoan overdrive: what was an upris-ing against tyranny and injusticewas turned into a sectarian con-flict. Western PR mercenaries,funded by the state, were hired tocarry out the dirty work on socialmedia. Fake accounts on socialplatforms were created that la-beled the people of Bahrain asterrorists. Muslims were pittedagainst one another. And sadly,it worked; it always has.

Bahrain state televisionplayed its part. The protestorswere branded terrorists and ene-mies of the state, bounties an-nounced for anyone who broughtin intelligence. The initial waveof opposition was brutallycrushed. Men in power, headingstates and regimes, watchedwhile their bank accounts contin-ued to roll in with petro-dollars.

Bahrain Independent Com-mission of Inquiry was initiatedby the king under increasingpressure from human rights or-ganisations. Or, maybe it was ashameless act of tokenism.

Nevertheless, the govern-ment of Bahrain was found guiltyon all of the following accounts:1) Violation of human rights,

which includes: use of forceby government actors,manner of arrests, treat-ment of persons in custody,prosecution for expressionand association and assem-bly, enforced disappear-ances.

2) Other human rights issues:demolition of religiousstructures, treatment ofpublic and private sectoremployment, dismissals ofstudents and suspensionsof scholarships.

Atrocities committed are be-yond the scope of a single article.Perpetrators of the aforemen-tioned violations remain at large.In stark contrast, medics inBahrain now treat injured pro-testors underground. Dead bod-ies of teenagers continue toappear and activists continue tobe harassed with tear gasgrenades being fired into their

homes.Bahrain has been left help-

less by the world media, its at-tention now firmly focused onneighbouring Syria. The king ofBahrain openly calls for Syria’sBashar al-Assad to listen to hismen, to stop torturing and killinghis own people. How cruel isirony?

United States of Arabia andSaudi Arabia take turns in takingeach other to bed; in the issue ofBahrain, the Saudis lulled NATOand its master, the US, to royalbeds, littered with crumbledSaudi Riyals. No attention will bespared. Saudis will continue toforcefully ‘preach’ and spreadtheir brand of Islam and Hamaswill continue to be a puppetdancing on Arabian tunes.Meanwhile, dollars continue toroll in.

While the Pearl roundabout– the sign of hope and freedom –has long been destroyed, hopeprevails. Bahrain continues toshout in the dark, hoping againsthope to be heard. But they willnot give up. Brave men likeAlkhawaja will give their lives tofuel the cause; the people havewoken up, they have nothingmore to fear.

Jim Morrison once said, “Ex-pose yourself to your deepestfear; after that, fear has nopower, and the fear of freedomshrinks and vanishes. You arefree.”

Bahrain is free.

The writer is an IBA gradu-ate and freelance journalist. Hecan be reached athasan.askari@khi.iba.edu.pk

By Hasan Askari

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Comment 13Friday, 2 March, 2012

but why bihari kebab is not on the menu

the Bihari cuisinePakistan’s first oriental award…

Celebrating acid attacks

Yesterday evening, I was at author SadiaDehlvi’s home in Nizamuddin East whois on cloud seven. Her new book, The

Sufi Courtyard: Dargahs of Delhi, has justcome off the press. Since it carries a few of myphotos, I too had a reason to be happy.

While we were having dinner, Dehlvi’sKarachi-born son musician Arman Ali Razamoaned about that just why we in India don’tget to eat Bihari kebabs. He wondered thatwhy he finds it only in Karachi where he goesannually to meet his Pakistani relatives. Then,turning to me, Arman asked, “Bihar is in India,not Pakistan. Then why don’t we have Biharikebabs, and they have?”

Point to ponder.But just what is a Bihari kebab?I never thought that Bihar has a great cui-

sine. But, then ‘it’ happened.O my Bihari-kebab eating friends in Pak-

istan, if Bihar were a country, Delhi should beits capital and litti chokha its national dish.The capital is home to a large migrant popula-tion from Bihar, but… ‘Just what is littichokha?’

Smoked brinjal and baked dough. A rustictwo-dish combination symbolises the resur-gence of a region that has been vilified for toolong as wretched, lawless and corrupt.

Litti chokha began as the food of the poorin what is now known as Bihar, and rarely ap-pears on roadside carts or restaurant menus of

big cities. Instead, it has largelyremained confined to the homekitchens of Biharis.

Litti chokha is soul food forpeople in Jharkhand and easternUP too. In villages, peasantsmake littis by stuffing the staplesattu — roasted gram powder —into thick round balls of atta,which are then baked overgoyetha (dried cow-dung pat-ties). In cities, the baking is donein gas tandoors or ovens.

Chokha is prepared by roast-ing eggplant, boiled potato andtomato over a direct flame till theskin turns black. The vegetablesare then peeled, mashed, spiced,mixed with chopped onions, gar-lic, green chilli and lemon juice,and spiked with raw mustard oil.Those who can afford it havetheir littis dipped in ghee.

“Litti chokha is a great healthfood,” says Pushpesh Pant, theDelhi-based author of the volu-minous India: Cookbook. “It de-mands no frying and it hasalmost every nutrient, includingcarbohydrates, proteins, vitaminsand calcium.”

The streets of Delhi have littichokha carts but these are diffi-cult to find. One litti landmark is

in Mayur Vihar Phase I, opposite the SupremeEnclave apartments, at the entrance ofAcharya Niketan market (ask any rickshaw-walla bhayya at the Metro station to take youto “the place where litti chokha is sold”).

Another is, I’m told, on New Delhi railwaystation’s platform No 7, the point where mostBihar-bound trains are often pulled in forboarding as they prepare to commence theirjourney.

Mamu’s dhaba at Jawaharlal Nehru Uni-versity also sells litti chokha.

There are stalls in the office sectors ofNoida, just across the border from Delhi. Ihave sighted a stall in Sector 57. Cheap, fillingand delicious, litti chokha is a great proletar-ian food. Most clients of that cart are rick-shaw-wallahs and drivers. Three sellers sitnear the police station in Sector 58.

One cart has been seen outside the Filmis-tan cinema, near Sadar Bazaar in centralDelhi.

During the annual India InternationalTrade Fair (IITF), litti chokha sells like hotcakes at the Bihar pavilion.

“Living away from Bihar for so many years,I rarely speak in Magahi, my region’s dialect,”says Shubha Sinha, who moved to Delhi afterher marriage in 1980. “But the family remainswedded to its traditions on the dining table. Imake litti chokha at least once a month insummer and every week in winter. Cooking itis an excuse to connect to Bihar.”

The turnaround in Bihar’s image – fromcorrupt and caste-ridden to development-fo-cused– may help lift its cultural symbols outof obscurity. “If you are not in an economicallyadvantageous position, nobody notices you.Traditions are maintained but only in homes,”says Delhi-based dancer Shovana Narayan,whose parents are from Bihar. “But with thestate finally on the path of development, littichokha may become the emblem of the newBihari pride.”

The dish is difficult to find in the city’srestaurants. The canteen at Bihar Bhawan inChanakyapuri makes litti chokha only toorder.

Whenever you chance to visit Delhi, youmust visit The Pot Belly restaurant in ShahpurJat Village (near Coffee Garage, close to Sliceof Italy) in south Delhi. Opened last year, thelovely rooftop eatery is perhaps the world’sonly restaurant that specialises in Bihari cui-sine, and its litti chokha platter (Rs 190) ismagnificent. The presentation inclines to-wards minimalist philosophy. The accompany-ing channa daal is extraordinarily comforting.

But, of course, there’s no Bihari kebab onthe menu.

Mayank Austen Soofi lives in a library. He hasone website and four blogs. The website address:thedelhiwalla.com. The blogs: Pakistan Paindabad,Ruined By Reading, Reading Arundhati Roy andMayank Austen Soofi Photos

Icertainly did not intendto write an Op-ed on thematter when I shared a

friend’s Facebook status onSharmeen Obaid’s Oscarwin on the documentary‘Saving Face’, addressingthe deeply troubling subjectof acid attacks on women inPakistan.

Amongst all the front-page news and glamour and‘raised Pakistan’s namearound the world’ that wasbeing screamed acrossmedia channels, Facebookand Twitter (from what Ihear), a radical Marxist-feminist friend of mine whogoes by the name Heer Heerhad rather innocentlyasked: “Ironic that Pakistanis celebrating its first Oscarfor the movie the subject ofwhich can put any nation toshame.”

Re-shared on my wall,‘likes’ and comments beganto float it. A debate beganbetween ‘cynics’ and ‘patri-ots.’ The argument, simplis-tically, from the patriotswas, ‘A Pakistani won anOscar, we must celebrate.’When the question of, ‘butdoes the subject deservecelebration was asked?’ Theanswer was, ‘but we mustcelebrate the recognition ofSharmeen’s bravery intelling such an importanttale.’

First, the original com-ment was not about thecontent of the documen-tary, but the unreflectedscreening of Sharmeen’sOscar winning speech,again and again. Second, itwas being projected that thepolitics of who the docu-mentary had spoken to, and

its internal ‘politics of rep-resentation,’ were beyondquestioning.

The laurels for SavingFace were independent ofthe questions of: who wasgiving the award? How wasthe subject depicted?

In absence of the askingof these questions, a com-mentator like myself feltvindicated in saying, it is ei-ther sheer ignorance orsheer laziness that allowsour elite classes to receivelaurels from the West with-out engaging in seminalwork in the study of Orien-talism and neo-Oriental-ism. The question beingasked was based on the un-derstanding that acceptingthe award meant reifying‘Empire’s discourse on gen-der’.

This is, of course, not todeny the reality of the crimeof throwing acid on womenin Pakistan. Only a weekago, acid was thrown at fourwomen in Faisalabad. Thequestion to ask is one of thefundamental questionsasked by postcolonial femi-nists – Gayatri Spivak toname one: what is the valueof a feminist value reifiedby white men (Oscar judici-ary) to a brown woman(Sharmeen and the acid at-tack victims represented)?

The Oscars, if it be re-membered, are greatly con-tested within the UnitesStates. Over 70 percent ofthe voting academy arewhite males. When HalleBerry became the first blackwoman to receive an Oscarfor ‘Best female actor,’questions were asked by theAmerican black communityover why the first blackwoman to receive an Oscarhad to film an explicit sexscene in order to secure theaward. It is a similar ques-tion that can be asked inthis context: why does thefirst Pakistani documentaryto receive an Oscar have topresent brutality againstwomen?

Again, one is not cri-tiquing the importance ofthe documentary itself here,but asking why, indeed, we

are either celebrating theentire matter or are ex-pected to be doing so.

In terms of the debateon Facebook, anotherfriend had shared a tweetfrom the Oscar winninglady from June 2011 whereshe said, “Employees of#KESC on strike I have zerosympathy for you – you fa-cilitate kunda connection,slow meters etc,” which heused to legitimately ask:“she received an awardfrom a bunch of white menfor her sympathy for acidattack survivors but fails torecognise that unions are abasic democratic right?”The earlier friend shared aninterview of her from 2004,where she said, “Pakistan isnot ready for democracyyet.”

This raises the pointagain: that Pakistan’s liber-als suffer from selectiveconsciousness. This is notto take away from the im-portant step that the acidattack documentary indeedis – but rather a plea thatwe allow our understandingof social contradictions toexpand. Sharmeen’s workin the Citizens Archive Pak-istan is work I appreciate inits ability to offer nuancedhistories and focus onspeaking to local audiences.

The larger point is thatthe Oscar to ‘Saving Face’ isnot located outside politics.And a celebration of it is acelebration of the particularpolitics that the award isabout.

“Acid attacks broughtPakistan recognition. Atoast is due,” as crude as itsounds, is what those cele-brating are saying. The realcelebration will come whenPTV decides to air the doc-umentary and Radio Pak-istan decides to run its voiceover.

The writer is a member ofstaff, a researcher at LUMSand a member of the Workers’Party Pakistan. He blogs atvoiceamidstsilence.blogspot.com and can be reached athashim.rashid@pakistanto-day.com.pk

Comradely MusingsBy Hashim bin Rashid

delhi CallingBy Mayank Austen Soofi

LHR 02-03-2012_Layout 1 3/2/2012 1:43 AM Page 13

MuMbAi: wearing a fakesnakeskin, actor and Miss AsiaPacific 2000 Dia Mirza appears ina new ad for People for theethical Treatment of Animals(PeTA) India just in time forlakme Fashion week which takesplace 2nd to 6th March in Mumbai.The caption reads, ‘Face It: exoticSkins kill. wild Animals Belong inthe wild, not in Your wardrobe’.The attention-grabbing ad, inwhich Mirza is “bloodied” to makeit look as if she skinned alive -which is the case for many of thesnakes used in the skin trade -was shot by ace photographer andlong-time PeTA friend Jatinkampani. “Skinning animals aliveor beating them to death for apair of boots or a purse cannot bejustified”, says Mirza, an ardentPeTA India supporter. Mirza joinsfellow actor raveena Tandon-Thadani, who also posed for aPeTA India ad against the cruelexotic-skins trade. AGenCies

MuMbAi: he had been toying withthe idea of a sequel to his 1993blockbuster ‘Aankhen’ starringGovinda and Chunky Pandey. Andfinally, Pahlaj nihalani has decided togo ahead with it. interestingly, thefilmmaker has decided to rope inRanbir Kapoor and shahid Kapoor inthe lead roles. the filmmakerconfirmed the news and said, “i havesounded off Ranbir for ‘Aankhen 2’and i intend meeting shahid verysoon for the same. the only otherthing that i can say at this point isthat ‘Aankhen 2’ will be funnier thanmy original Aankhen.” And for thisfunnier ‘Aankhen’, Pahlaj, accordingto sources, has decided to have bothhis lead actors in double roles. the'93 version had only Govinda in adouble role. though the exact rolesof shahid and Ranbir are stillundecided, a source revealed thatPahlaj is busy working out the finalscript for the project and plans totake it on the floors by the end ofthis year. “As soon as the script isready, Pahlaj will make an officialannouncement. the director and thetwo girls are also still to be decided,”added the source close to the project.And while the young actors havebeen sounded off, the source saidGovinda and Chunky Pandey mightnot be a part of the sequel. AGenCies

14 Friday, 2 March, 2012

NEWS DESK

A FTER KareenaKapoor's‘Heroine’, it'stime for ‘SuperModel’ Veena

Malik. Post her much-hyped relationship withAshmit Patel on realityshow ‘Bigg Boss’, Veena isall set to romance Ashmitagain, but this time on the

silver screen.And to

top

it all, the film is titled‘Super Model’. As thename suggests, the moviewill have Veena Malikportraying the maincharacter. The 25-year-old,who had earlier said sheand Ashmit were ‘justfriends’, insisted that thefilm would showcase thesizzling chemistry betweenher and Patel. “This iswhere people will get tosee the rocking chemistrybetween Ashmit Patel andmyself, long after the ‘BiggBoss’ episode,” the ExpressTribune quoted Malik assaying. As controversy'sfavourite child, Veena's lifehas also gone throughmany phases andcontroversies. The mostrecent one involved Veenabeing accused of spyingfor the Pakistaniintelligence agencies aftershe shot photos with atattoo on her arm. Hernotoriety is probably thereason why director Navin

Batra chose Veena for thelead role. “In real life,Veena has been aprofessional and successfulmodel and actress inPakistan. She was the aptchoice to play the lead inmy film,” explains Batra.“Her body language, styleand poise are that of asuper model. Many fromthe industry and mediahave endorsed this view.So, I didn't have to thinktwice before roping inVeena. The shooting of thefilm will be done in Fiji,Australia and a few otherscenic locations,” saysBatra, throwing more lighton the project. VeenaMalik is super excitedabout the project: “It willbe shot in Australia andthe Fiji Island and since Ilove travelling, it will besuper fun,” she added.Reportedly, Malik alsohas plans to be part of afew Indian fashion showsas well.

Kamal Lawn by Élan to be exhibited in Lahore

Veena Malik to star in 'Super Model'

new York: TV personalities Barbara walters and

Star Jones attend the American Heart Association's

2012 new York City Go red for women luncheon. afP

nAshViLLe:

singer/song

writer Carrie

underwood

attends the

nordstrom

symphony

fashion

show. AFp

MuMbAi: Anil Kapoor with John Abraham, Kangana Ranaut, tushar Kapoor and

Mahesh Manjrekar attend the launch ceremony for ‘shootout at wadala’. AFp

MUMBAI:

Chitrangada

Singh unveiling

the latest

edition of FHM

magazine. afP

IN LIMELIGHT

NEWS DESK

Premier home textiles ex-porters, Kamal Limited isset to launch their first localinitiative with a lawn collec-tion for 2012 in collabora-tion with fashion designerKhadijah Shah of Élan. Thelaunch of Kamal Lawn byÉlan is scheduled to takeplace on 13 March at PFDC,Mall One on the MainBoulevard in Lahore. At theevent, managed by QYTEvents, models will be dis-playing Kamal Lawn pieces.The brand will also be ex-hibited in Karachi andFaisalabad on 14 March andIslamabad on 15 March; atImperial Garden inKarachi, Dynasty in Faisal-abad and Kapas in Islam-

abad. After these one-dayexhibitions across the fourcities, the exclusive lawncollection will be availableat major retailers such asSaleem Fabrics in Lahore,all three outlets of Portia

Fabrics in Karachi (Clifton,Bahadurabad and Hyderi),Kapas in Islamabad andShaukat Fabrics in Faisal-abad. Model and actressAamina Sheikh is the exclu-sive brand ambassador forKamal Lawn by Élan, lend-ing her style and grace to abrand that encompasses thesame values. Kamal Lim-ited is known for its state-of-the-art quality in clothand printing, and attentionto detail in design, whereÉlan brings in its signatureaesthetic in its elegant prêtand couture wear. KamalLawn by Élan will offer a di-versity of design options invarious geometric and floralpatterns with the diversityof both vibrant and pastel-based colour palettes.

MuMbAi: ‘the dirty Picture’ got Vidya balan a lot ofglittering awards. As for emraan hashmi, the film brought

in offers from the biggest production houses in the hindicinema industry. emraan, who has reportedly been roped in for

Karan Johar's production to be directed by Rensil d'silva, has nowsigned a film with yash Raj films, reveal industry insiders. Accordingto the source, emraan hashmi has been roped in for yRf's next, tobe directed by Parmeet sethi, who had earlier made ‘badmaashCompany’ with the production house. emraan is currentlyshooting for Vikram bhatt's ‘Raaz 3’. And though the formalitiesof the yRf venture are still underway, emraan is apparently quiteexcited about his role. emraan hashmi, who has reportedlysigned films with two of the biggest production houses of thehindi film industry, yash Raj films and dharma Productions,refused to reveal anything about his future projects with thebig companies. he simply said, “when there's a formalannouncement, i will be in a position to say something,” andadded, “i have always looked up to both the production houses.they have made some cult films.” And though films havealways fascinated him, film awards haven't. talking about hisco-star Vidya balan sweeping all the awards for ‘the dirtyPicture’, emraan simply said that he is happy for her. “i don'twant awards. i am not saying this like it's a case of sour

grapes. it isn't. i have been to a couple of award functionsand i soon realised that it doesn't give me the kick thatit does to others,” he added. AGenCies

Hashmi offered

YRF’s next

Dia Mirza targets animal cruelty in

punchy new PETA ad

LHR 02-03-2012_Layout 1 3/2/2012 1:44 AM Page 14

LAHOREPR

Following the launchof Ufone Uth Records2.0 with a firstepisode that cele-brated the journey ofseason one's artists;the anticipated musicplatform is now set tointroduce six newartists, introducing anew musician weekly through sixindividual episodes. Ufone UthRecords episode two will show-case the work of Jarar Malik on03 March. A Pakistani Americanmusician, Jarar Malik will beperforming his original track 'Be-wafa' at Ufone Uth Records 2.0 -a song about heartbreak, some-thing he felt most people haveexperienced at some level andwill be able to relate to. Experi-menting with a diverse range ofmusical genres from pop to rockto R&B, Jarar plays both the gui-tar as well as keyboards. Seasonone artist Natasha Humera Ejazalso contributes to this trackwith her backing vocals as well asaudio mixing; Guest musician

and bassist Russell D’Souza alsofeatures with Jarar on ‘Bewafa’as does producer Ufone UthRecords and drummer extraordi-naire, Louis J ‘Gumby’ Pinto.Through Ufone Uth Records 2.0,Jarar hopes to receive a platformto showcase his art to a wider au-dience and to connect with themon a musical level. Directed byZeeshan Parwez, Ufone UthRecords 2.0 episode two will beairing on AAG, Aaj News, ApnaChannel, ARY Muzik, ATV, Aplus, Channel G, CNBC,KTN,Kashish, Metro, News One, Oxy-gen, Play TV, PTV Home, Style360, TV One, Wasebas well asacross Ufone Uth Records' socialmedia platforms, on 3rd March.

15

LOS ANGELESAGenCies

CAMERON Diaz,Gwyneth Paltrow,Reese Witherspoonand Ryan Murphy walkinto a restaurant and

come out hours later with an ideafor the craziest star-studdedmusical-comedy feature film thisside of ‘Rock of Ages.’ It's not aterrible joke, but apparentHollywood reality. The ‘Glee’ creatoris talking about teaming with threeof Hollywood's biggest female stars,Beyonce and Andy Samberg for ‘OneHit Wonders.’ The musical wouldfocus on three rival performers(Diaz, Witherspoon, Paltrow) whoeach had one successful single in the'90s; down on their luck, the triojoins forces as a way to get back intothe spotlight. The idea is that

Samberg and his Lonely Islandtroupe would write original musicfor ‘Wonders,’ while Beyonce's roleis currently unknown. (If you like tobelieve Internet commenters, onewrote on that Blue Ivy's mama

would play the woman who actuallysang the three one-hits released byDiaz, Witherspoon and Paltrow'scharacters.) While Paltrow andWitherspoon are noted for theirstrong singing voices, Diaz has beenknown throughout her career for alack of vocal prowess. In ‘My BestFriend's Wedding,’ she famouslyshrieked through a karaoke versionof ‘I Just Don't Know What To DoWith Myself’ and in 2008 the actresstold the Associated Press that shefound performing live on stage“impossible.” Sony picked upMurphy's pitch for the comedy,though the studio hasn't confirmeddeals with anyone just yet. Murphypreviously worked with Paltrow on‘Glee,’ and is busy with hisadaptation of ‘The Normal Heart.’Let's hope hell doesn't freeze overbefore this cuckoo-bananasproduction gets off the ground.

Beyonce, Diaz, Paltrow circling same musical

wAshinGton:

honorary Chairman of

the Avon foundation

for women Reese

witherspoon

announces the

winners of the Avon

Communications

Awards. AFp

Emma Watson to star in new Sofia Coppola film ‘The Bling Ring’LOS ANGELES: Sofia Coppola has cast Emma Watson tostar in her new film ‘The Bling Ring’, the true story of agroup of teenagers who broke into the homes ofcelebrities, including Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan,reports say. “I'm excited about the young cast we'reassembling and I'm looking forward to shooting onlocation here in Los Angeles,” said Coppola, who will writeand direct the film. Watson, who is known for playingHermione in ‘Harry Potter’ franchise,has been focusing more on smallbudget films. She was recentlyseen in ‘My Week With Marilyn’and just finished filming ‘Perks ofBeing a Wallflower’. The Oscar-winning director has been known towork with child actors in transition,with Scarlett Johansson in ‘Lost inTranslation’ and Elle Fanning inher latest film ‘Somewhere.’ Cbs

Ufone Uth Records 2.0 introduces Jarar Malik in epsiode two

Auction of Oscar statuettes brings in $3mLOS ANGELES: Fifteen Oscar statuettes have sold for atotal of $3 million at an online auction, the most moneymade from a single collection of Oscars in a sale by bid,organisers said. Los Angeles auctioneer Nate D. Sanderssaid the hot seller of the collection was HermanMankiewicz's statuette for best screenplay, which he won forco-writing the 1941 film ‘Citizen Kane’ with Orson Welles.The Oscar sold for $588,455. Welles' own best screenplayOscar for the movie, which both the American and Britishfilm institutes list as the best picture ever made, fetched$861,542 at an earlier Sanders auction in December. Otherstatuettes that pulled in high sums included the 1933 bestpicture award for the drama ‘Cavalcade,’ which brought in$332,165, while the oldest statuette in the collection, the1931 best picture award for ‘Skippy,’ netted the thirdhighest total. It sold for $301,973. An Oscar given toCharles Coburn in 1943 for best supporting actor in ‘TheMore the Merrier’ held special significance as the firststatuette ever awarded in the best supporting actorcategory. It went for $170,459. Oscars are increasingly rarefinds at auction. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts andSciences introduced an agreement in 1950 that bannedwinners from selling their Oscars to anyone but theAcademy for the nominal sum of $1. The best picture Oscarfor the 1939 film ‘Gone With the Wind’ was sold to singerMichael Jackson in 1999 for a record $1.54 million. ReuteRs

Jack attack: Man arrested for fake ID with Jack Nicholson photoSAO PAULO: Brazilian police arrested a man for forgerywhen he tried to open a bank account using anidentification document with a photo of actor JackNicholson. Ricardo Sergio Freire de Barros, 41, wasarrested in the northeastern city of Recife and chargedwith using false documents and forgery. A copy of theforged document released by police shows a photo ofNicholson's face next to the signature of ‘Joao Pedro dosSantos’ and a fingerprint. “The document with the photoof the actor and other false identification were used tostart a fictitious company and with it, also open a bankaccount,” said the police. Nicholson, 74, won Oscars for‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest’ (1975), ‘Terms ofEndearment’ (1983) and ‘As Good as It Gets’ (1997). AfP

George Clooney findsgay rumours 'funny'LOS ANGELES:George Clooney'scommitment tobachelorhood haslong fuelledrumours that hemight be gay. In aninterview, Georgeconfronted thegossip with a sharpsense of humourthat has becomehis trademark. “I think it's funny,”said George. “But the last thing you'llever see me do is jump up and down,saying, ‘These are lies! I'm not goingto let anyone make it seem like beinggay is a bad thing.” George has beenan activist for gay rights. “It's alwaysbeen this albatross that stood out tome as the final leg of the civil rightsmovement,” George said. “One day themarriage equality fight will look asarchaic as George Wallace standing onthe University of Alabama steps,keeping James Hook from attendingcollege because he was black.” GeorgeClooney is all set to perform alongwith Martin Sheen, Jamie Lee Curtisand George Takei in Dustin LanceBlack’s stage play called 8. Black, whowon an Academy Award for the ‘Milk’screenplay, entered his new playaround Proposition 8 of 2010. AGenCies

MuMbAi: This clearly comes as a surprise. eventhough her film may not be raking in the moolah,Sonam kapoor has managed to surpass Shahrukh khan and Amitabh Bachchan in an onlinepoll. The pretty actress topped the list of mostinfluential Indians on Twitter, defeating popularactors like Hrithik roshan, Amitabh Bachchan,Shah rukh khan and politician Shashi Tharoor. Thepoll conducted by a private online firm indicatedthat Sonam was the most influential celebrity inthe country with over 1 million followers and overfive thousand tweets. The poll result was basedon the number of followers the celebrity has andalso on the quality of tweets and responses. Thetop most influential Indian celebs are:Sonam kapoorPriyanka ChopraAmitabh Bachchanram Gopal VarmaHrithik roshankiran BediFarhan AkhtarAkshay kumar AGenCIeS

Sonam more

influentialthan Big B, SRK?

Ranbir- Shahid will team up for

‘Aankhen 2’

MuMbAi: Fans and industry people wereaghast to see Salman khan at a recent event.The star arrived looking visibly overweight,biceps sagging and puffy faced. He had beenaway in Cuba for ages shooting for ‘ek ThaTiger’ and apparently, due to his recentsurgery, was not allowed to work out for awhile. The lack of exercise actually showedSalman’s true age and the extent of hisillness, something which is not very evidentwhen he’s in his top form. one is used toseeing Salman set standards for fitness forothers in the industry (after all, it’s almostmandatory for him to pose shirtless in hisfilms) so people were shocked to see thispaunchy avatar of the actor. But there is goodnews for his fans. A family member reveals,“His health problems and packed scheduleshaven’t allowed for proper training. But he’sdefinitely going to shed the flab and get inshape to play the super cop in ‘Dabangg 2’.”This gives him just about 10 days to get fitand apparently he’s already on a high proteindiet with two workouts a day. well Sallubetter shape up before it’s too late. else hisbox-office enemies will gloat and the femalepopulation might switch loyalties. AGenCies

Has Salman lost his

physique?

LHR 02-03-2012_Layout 1 3/2/2012 1:44 AM Page 15

Friday, 2 March, 2012

16 Foreign News

DAMASCUSAfP

SYRIAN rebels were holding outin the central city of Homs onThursday more than 24 hoursinto an all-out assault byregime forces as international

envoy Kofi Annan said he hopes to go toDamascus with a clear message — the “vi-olence must stop.”

The opposition Syrian NationalCouncil said it wants to take charge of or-ganising arms deliveries to the rebels asthe UN Human Rights Council called onDamascus to end all rights abuses andallow relief supplies in to besieged protestcities such as Homs. Gulf states, whichhave been at the forefront of interna-tional calls to arm the rebels, said theywill hold talks next week with key Dam-ascus ally Moscow, which has so farblocked Arab and Western efforts to takeaction through the UN Security Council.

Britain announced that it was follow-ing the United States in closing its embassyand pulling out its remaining diplomats inresponse to the “deterioration of the secu-rity situation in Damascus.” Rebel fightersin the Homs neighbourhood of Baba Amrkept up their dogged resistance as regimeground troops pressed a ground offensive,activists and a human rights group said,even as state television aired footage ofwhat it said were abandoned defences.

“The Free Syrian Army has succeededin stopping the attempt to attack BabaAmr, and it continues to resist,” activistHadi Abdullah told AFP from Syria’s thirdlargest city. He said that troops loyal toPresident Bashar al-Assad “have not en-tered the district,” which has become asymbol of the Syrian uprising after 27straight days of bombardment.

The head of the Britain-based Syr-ian Observatory for Human Rights,Rami Abdel Rahman, said: “The fight-ing between deserters and the army

continues on the edges of Baba Amr,not inside.” A Damascus-based securitysource told AFP on Wednesday thatregime forces had launched a groundassault on Baba Amr late on Tuesday

and that the neighbourhood was “undercontrol.” “There remain only few pock-ets” of resistance, the source added,after reinforcements from the fearedFourth Armoured Division, led by

Assad’s brother Maher, arrived inHoms. State television aired footage itsaid was filmed inside Baba Amr, in-cluding interviews with people it saidwere residents angry with the rebels.

BRUSSELSAfP

Serbia prepared for a “milestone” leaptowards European Union membershipThursday seen as opening a new chap-ter in the troubled history of the West-ern Balkans.

A final verdict on Serbia’s bid tojoin the EU club is due from leaders ofthe 27-nation bloc shortly after theygather from 1700 GMT for a two-daysummit in Brussels. The decision togrant Belgrade official EU candidatestatus, a first but crucial step in anoften long and rocky road to full mem-bership, requires a unanimous votefrom the 27 member states.

Serbia’s 2009 application,launched in the throes of the financialcrisis and amid worries that the EU hadexpanded too far and too fast in its2004 “big bang” enlargement, has beenfraught with problems. Seen finally asa shoo-in for membership after lastyear’s arrest of war criminals RatkoMladic and Goran Hadzic after almost

two decades on the run, Belgrade sud-denly was held back and told to domore for Balkans peace by defusingtension with breakaway Kosovo.

While staunchly refusing to recog-nise Kosovo’s 2008 independence, itjoined an EU-sponsored dialogue with itsformer province a year ago, aimed atsmoothing relations and overcomingdaily headaches caused by the borderrow — problems such as disrupted road,rail and telecommunications networks.But Belgrade’s hopes of a subsequent EUpat on the back at a December summitwere dashed notably by Germany andBritain, among 22 EU nations to haverecognised Kosovo. More was demandedfrom the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue.

“We encourage Serbia to build onthat dialogue and to improve relationswith Pristina for the sake of regional sta-bility,” EU president Herman VanRompuy said at the time. Other EU na-tions fretted over the friendship withRussia enjoyed by one of the last ex-communist states of eastern Europe stilloutside the bloc. But last week, Serbia

and Kosovo, both keen to inch closer tothe bloc, staged a key breakthrough. Inan 11th-hour deal just days before the EUsummit deadline, Belgrade agreed toallow Kosovo to speak under its flag inregional meetings and to sign interna-tional agreements like any other fullyrecognised nation. “It was an historicagreement,” said EU foreign policy chiefCatherine Ashton. “Serbia deserves can-didate status,” added European Com-mission president Jose Manuel Barroso.But earlier this week, Serbia again faceddisappointment when EU ministers dueto have given their prior approval to Bel-grade’s candidacy were blocked by ob-jections from Romania. Of the sixnations once part of the former Yu-goslavia, Slovenia joined the EU in 2004while Croatia is to be annointed the 28thmember in 2013.

Macedonia and Montenegro areboth official candidates countries buthave yet to be approved to open formaladhesion negotiations, a process that cantake years. Politically divided Bosnia hasmade no move towards the EU.

Bomb attack onpolice bus wounds16 in Istanbul

ISTANBULAfP

A roadside bomb in central Istanbulwounded 16 people, almost all of thempolice officers, on Thursday, in an attacknear Turkey’s ruling party headquarters,officials said. The remote-controlledexplosive was fitted to a stationarymotorcycle and went off in the morning as apolice bus carrying 21 officers passed by,authorities said. The blast hit close to theoffices of the ruling Justice andDevelopment Party (AKP) of Prime MinisterRecep Tayyip Erdogan, who condemned theattack as an “act of terror”. “The villains thatcarried out this attack will never reach theirambitions,” he said in televised remarks,without naming any suspects. Severaloutlawed armed groups — Kurdish, Islamistand leftist extremist — have carried outbomb attacks in Istanbul in the past.Erdogan said 15 of those wounded werepolice officers. Istanbul police chief HuseyinCapkin said the blast came from a “remote-controlled bomb that went off as a dutyvehicle with 21 policemen on board droveby,” the Anatolia news agency reported. Thedevice was made of plastic explosives,Istanbul governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu wasquoted as saying by the agency.

after president,Greek PM alsogives up salary

ATHENSAfP

Prime Minister Lucas Papademos hasfollowed in the path of President CarolosPapoulias by giving up his salary to helpease Greece’s debt burden, a governmentsource said on Thursday. “It was personaldecision, the PM did not feel that it had tobe announced,” the official, who declined tobe identified, told AFP. Ta Nea daily saidPapademos, a former vice-president of theEuropean Central Bank, made therevelation on Wednesday during a visit toBrussels where finance ministers are todiscuss a new bailout for Athens worth 130billion euros ($175 billion). “Not even hisassociates knew this,” the daily said.Papademos’ office was unable to give detailson the level of his salary. On Wednesday,the finance ministry released a list of itsbest-paid public servants, including theprime minister, which it said are entitled tosalaries of more than 5,000 euros ($6,700)a month. Deputy finance minister FilipposSachinidis released the information inresponse to a parliamentary question, thesemi-state Athens News Agency said. Thelist of pre-tax monthly salaries of over5,000 euros includes President Papoulias,Papademos, cabinet ministers, juniorministers and parliament lawmakers.

Violent clasheserupt inazerbaijan’s north

BAKUAfP

Police in Azerbaijan used tear gas todisperse thousands of protesters after theytorched the local governor’s houseThursday, in a rare outburst of unrest inthe tightly-controlled state, reports and aneyewitness said. Locals in the northernAzerbaijan city of Quba set fire to thegovernor’s house in outrage at a recenttelevised remark that they deemed to beinsulting, an eyewitness told AFP over thephone from Quba. Both the governor RaufHabibov and Azerbaijan’s transportminister apologised before protesters, butthe thousands gathered insisted thegovernor must resign and then torched hishouse. Police then used tear gas to dispersethe crowd, the witness said.Footage of thedemonstration posted on YouTube showedthe demonstrators filling the centre of thecity, whistling and shouting slogansagainst the governor and local authorities.Pictures posted on the website of RadioAzadliq — the Azerbaijani service of RadioFree Europe — also showed smokebillowing up from an area in the town.Radio Azadliq also said that the governor’shouse was set on fire and other buildingsdamaged in the ensuing rioting.

MALe: Maldivian policemen stand guard as a protester shouts slogans during a rally on thursday. opposition MPs in the Maldives have prevented the new president, who is

accused of seizing power in a coup, from opening parliament as violent protests erupted outside the building. afP

Syrian rebels hold out against Homs assaultRussia presses Syria to receive UN envoyMOSCOW: Russia on Thursday strongly urged Syria to allow UNhumanitarian chief Valerie Amos into the country to assess thesituation in flashpoint cities such as Homs. Deputy Foreign MinisterGennady Gatilov told ITAR-TASS in Geneva that Russia expected “theSyrian government... in the coming days to give a positive response tothe arrival of chief UN humanitarian coordinator Valerie Amos.” “Inour contacts with the Syrian government, we are insistentlyrecommending that they take such decisions,” he said in reference tobroader cooperation with international aid organisations. The Syrianforeign ministry said Thursday it was willing to discuss a date for sucha visit after initially calling its timing “not suitable”. Russia had earlierin the day voted against the UN Human Rights Council’s call on Syriato end all rights abuses and allow aid agencies “free and unimpeded”access to those caught up in the bloodshed. qusAyR: Members of the free syrian Army patrol an area on thursday. afP

Serbia set for ‘historic’leap to eU membership

LHR 02-03-2012_Layout 1 3/2/2012 1:45 AM Page 16

Foreign News 17Friday, 2 March, 2012

GUWAHATIAfP

Water levels have plunged in a majorriver in India’s northeast that originatesin Tibet, local officials told AFP on Thurs-day, triggering speculation that Chinamight be responsible.

The Brahmaputra has its source inChina’s southwestern Tibet region whereit is known as the Yarlung Tsangpo, andit enters India in the mountainous, re-mote northeastern state of ArunachalPradesh, where it it is called the Siang.

The 1,800-mile (2,900 kilometre)river then descends into the plains of ad-joining Assam state and ends inBangladesh in the Bay of Bengal, alongthe way supplying water to hundreds ofmillions of farmers and residents. “It wasshocking to find the Siang river drying upand patches of sand visible on its bed in avery large stretch close to Pasighat town,”local state lawmaker Tako Dabi told AFPby telephone from the scene. “We suspect

the sudden drying up of the Siang couldbe a result of China either diverting theriver water on their side or due to someartificial blockades somewhere in theupper reaches,” added Dabi, an advisor tothe state’s chief minister and a formerhome minister. He estimated the flow wasabout 40 percent of its normal strength.

“The water level has reduced byroughly three meters (10 feet) in the pastfew days and we really don’t know thereason,” K. Apung, an engineer at theState Water Resources Department inPasighat, explained to AFP. Video footagefrom the scene showed the Siang — nor-mally a gushing torrent several kilome-tres (miles) wide at Pasighat, according toDabi — reduced to flowing in narrowchannels in a large sandy riverbed. Theproblem was highlighted on the day theChinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechiheld talks in New Delhi with his Indiancounterpart S.M. Krishna.

India is extremely nervous about thedanger of its giant northern neighbour di-

verting rivers that originate in Tibet andflow into India, or disrupting their flowwith hydroelectric plants. The two coun-tries have held frequent talks about theissue at the highest level. “We have beenassured that nothing will be done whichaffects India’s interests adversely,” IndianPremier Manmohan Singh told the upperhouse of parliament last August.

Energy-hungry and water-deficientChina is building hydroelectric facilitieson the Yarlung Tsangpo. India says it hasreceived assurances they are “run-of-the-river” projects rather than dams whichwould disrupt the flow. “Our satellite pic-tures convey that no such activity of anystorage facility is being worked out by theChinese authorities,” Krishna told re-porters on Thursday after his talks withhis Chinese counterpart. He said that inlight of the media reports about theriver’s flow, “we will get our ambassador(in Beijing) to check it.”

A senior official at the water re-sources ministry in New Delhi, who asked

not to be named, denied that there wasany problem. “The river drying up is a fig-ment of their imagination,” he told AFP.

Brahma Chellaney, an expert in NewDelhi who has written extensively onwater issues in Asia, said the alarm inArunachal warranted further investiga-tion. He said China had not signed anywater-sharing agreements in accordancewith international norms with its manydownstream neighbours who are depend-ent on the vast fresh water flows from theTibetan plateau. “If you look at the pat-tern, they (China) build dams and initiatethem very quietly,” Chellaney told AFP,citing the experience of countries down-stream on the Mekong river.

India and China have decided that2012 will be the “India-China year ofFriendship and Cooperation” in a bid toovercome mutual mistrust and suspicionthat continues to bedevil their relations.The two Asian giants have an unresolvedborder dispute that was the cause of abrief but bloody war in 1962.

JERUSALEMAfP

ISRAEL’S deputy foreign min-ister on Thursday said that aNorth Korean pledge to sus-pend nuclear tests in exchangefor US aid should not be seen

as a model for dealing with Iran’s nu-clear ambitions.

“The two cases are completely dis-similar,” Danny Ayalon told Israelipublic radio, hours before Prime Min-ister Benjamin Netanyahu was due toleave for talks in Washington with USPresident Barack Obama, expected tocentre on Israeli concerns that Tehranis racing to produce nuclear arms.

“We should congratulate UnitedStates foreign policy... but we have toremember that what has happened inNorth Korea is too little too late,” Ay-alon added. “They have already crossed

the threshold of nuclear capability andthat’s certainly not what we would wantto see happen in Iran.”

The Haaretz daily said that theWhite House argument against an Is-raeli pre-emptive strike on Iran wasbolstered by Wednesday’s Washing-ton-Pyongyang accord. “Reportsabout the North Korea deal con-tributed to the Obama administra-tion’s full-court press against thepossibility of an Israeli military oper-ation targeting Iran,” the paper wroteon Thursday.

White House spokesman Jay Car-ney warned on Wednesday that anymilitary action against Iran would cre-ate “greater instability” that couldthreaten the safety of Americans inAfghanistan and Iraq. “We continue toratchet up the pressure on Tehran,”Carney said. “And I think it’s importantto note that, while Tehran does not and

has not lived up to its international ob-ligations... we do have visibility intotheir programmes.”

Ayalon, however, said on Thursdaythat Washington was “absolutely not”pressuring Israel to forego a possiblemilitary option. Iran denies it is seekingnuclear weapons, but Israel — the Mid-dle East’s sole if undeclared nuclearpower — has called for tough sanctionsagainst Tehran to force it to abandonits nuclear activities. Iran’s nuclear pro-gramme will be the “main topic” of dis-cussion when Obama and Netanyahumeet at the White House on Monday,according to the Israeli premier. Ne-tanyahu will fly overnight on Thursdayto Canada, where he will spend theweekend in Ottawa and meet PrimeMinister Stephen Harper, before trav-elling to Washington for his first trip tothe United States since he met Obamain September.

South Sudanaccuses Khartoumof air strikes,troop incursion

JUBAAfP

Sudanese fighter jets have bombed oiland water wells deep inside South Sudanand its ground troops have crossed intocontested oil-rich border regions, SouthSudan officials said Thursday. ButKhartoum swiftly denied the claims.Border tensions have mounted sinceSouth Sudan split from Sudan in Julyafter decades of war to become theworld’s newest nation, with each sideaccusing the other of backing proxy rebelforces against it. “They have flown intoour territory 74 kilometres (46 miles)and are violating South Sudaneseairspace,” South Sudan InformationMinister Barnaba Marial Benjamin saidof the air strikes Wednesday. Sudaneseground troops had also moved 17kilometres inside South Sudan’s oil-richUnity state, army spokesman PhilipAguer said. Khartoum and Juba disputeareas along the undemarcated border.South Sudan has accused the north ofcarrying out several recent bombing raidsin frontier regions, but the claims havebeen denied by the Sudanese army. “TwoMiG (fighter jets) bombed Panakuat inPariang county,” Aguer told AFP onThursday, adding two bombs struck anoil well and a drinking water well.“Khartoum... have been bombing SouthSudan since last year, but this is the firsttime MiGs have come,” Aguer said,adding that previous attacks had been farless accurate bombs rolled out the backof Antonov aircraft. Sudanese armyspokesman Sawarmi Khaled Saaddismissed the latest accusations by theSouth. “This information is completelyincorrect — they have to show theevidence about the bombing or ourtroops going 17 kilometres inside theborder,” Saad told AFP in Khartoum. Theregion borders Sudan’s SouthernKordofan state where rebels — once partof the ex-guerrilla turned official SouthSudanese army — are battling theKhartoum government forces. “They saythat we are supporting wars in theirterritory and it’s simply not true,”Benjamin said. “The government is in aposition to protect its citizens andterritory, but it will not be dragged backto a senseless war.” South Sudan tookthree quarters of Sudan’s oil reserves, butall pipeline and export facilities arecontrolled by the north.

haiti fMLamothe tobecome PM,form new govt

PORT-AU-PRINCEAfP

Haitian President Michel Martelly hasasked Foreign Minister Laurent Lamotheto become prime minister and form a newgovernment after the nation’s last premierresigned, an official said Thursday.Lamothe will replace Garry Conille, whoabruptly stood down Friday after just fourmonths in office, bringing new politicalturmoil to impoverished Haiti, which isstruggling to recover from a catastrophic2010 earthquake. The process ofappointing Lamothe, who is consideredone of Martelly’s closest aides and whostudied in Haiti and in the United States,was to begin shortly in parliament,according to the official.

China foreignminister in India talks

NEW DELHIAfP

China’s foreign minister held talks in Indiaon Thursday that focused on issuesaffecting the neighbours’ often troubledties as well as an upcoming summit ofmajor emerging economies. Yang Jiechi,who arrived in New Delhi late Wednesday,kicked off his brief official visit with around of discussions with his Indiancounterpart S.M. Krishna. The talkscovered preparations for a summit of theso-called BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia,India, China and South Africa — in NewDelhi at the end of March, said foreignministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin.Brazil, India and South Africa have beenlobbying to turn their growing economicclout into greater diplomatic influence bysecuring permanent seats on the UNSecurity Council. After their talks, Krishnasaid “every possible issue” pertaining toChina-India relations had been discussed.“We have understood each other’s positionand we have understood the perspectiveand we will continue to exchange these,”he added without elaborating. Tiesbetween the neighbours have never beeneasy and a border dispute which triggereda brief but bloody war in 1962 remains asource of tension and deep mistrust.Fifteen rounds of talks on the borderissue have yielded no progress and Indiafears China is becoming more assertiveabout its territorial claims.

London: britain’s queen elizabeth ii, Catherine, duchess of Cambridge, and Camilla, duchess of Cornwall, look at a jubilee cake during an official visit to a department

store in central London on thursday. afP

Israel says N. Korea nucleardeal no model for Iran

River flowing from China driesup in India: lawmaker

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Friday, 2 March, 2012

Murray survivescontroversyfor Berdych revenge

Page 21

LAHOREstAff RePoRt

THE Pakistan Cricket Boardon Thursday appointedformer Test spinner IqbalQasim as chief selectorafter the interim head of

the selection committee MohammadIlyas was asked to resign. In its firststep towards changes in the PCB, a newselection committee was appointed inwhich former Test pacer Saleem Jafferwas also inducted in the committee.The revamp of the selection committeewas expected after Pakistan lost to Eng-land in the one-day and T20 series lastmonth in the UAE.

Azhar Khan, Asif Baloch and FarrukhZaman have been retained from the oldselection committee. "Ilyas has submit-ted his resignation and we have appointedIqbal Qasim as the new chief selector. Theboard will be provide him all the supportsand backing he needs," PCB chief ZakaAshraf said while talking to reporters.

Qasim also worked as chief selectorduring the tenure of former ChairmanIjaz Butt but had resigned voluntarilyafter Pakistan was drubbed in Australia inthe first quarter of 2010. Mohsin Khan re-placed Qasim as the chief selector and

worked in the position until he was askedto take over as interim coach of the na-tional team last September following thesudden resignation of coach Waqar You-nis due to personal and health reasons.

Qasim's appointment now leaves abig question mark on how the PCB plansto utilise the services of Mohsin Khan infuture. Ilyas said he had stepped down ashe felt after the England series there wasa need for new faces to take charge in Pak-istan cricket. "I got full support from the

board and my fellow selectors and now Ifeel this is the right time for someone elseto head the selection committee and makea new beginning," Ilyas said.

It is no secret that Ilyas faced a lot ofcriticism as chief selector for preferringhis son-in-law Imran Farhat in the na-tional team for the one-day series overother deserving candidates.

The 58 year old Qasim said: "It wasan honour to be given the responsibilityof such an important and respected rolein Pakistan cricket. I thank the Chair-man and the Board members for givingme this responsibility once again and Ipromise that I will carry out the role tothe best of my ability. I ask the wellwishers of Pakistan cricket to pray forthe team's success."

Qasim, presently the sports head ofNational Bank of Pakistan (NBP), re-signed from his previous stint as chief se-lector following a terrible tour ofAustralia in 2009-10. The team waswhitewashed in both the Test and ODIseries and all rounder Shahid Afridi wasbanned for biting the ball. Qasim whoplayed in 50 Tests and 15 One Day Inter-national from 1976 to 1988 confirmedthat he would be travelling to Lahore assoon as possible to meet new Head CoachDav Whatmore and to meet Misbah ul

Haq, in order to discuss the make up ofthe squad for the upcoming Asia Cup.

"My first priority is to get a squadready with Dav (Whatmore) and Misbah(ul Haq) that can mount a serious chal-lenge for the Asia Cup title. I'll be headingfor Lahore very soon and look forward tomeeting Dav and Misbah so that we canfinalise the squad for the Asia Cup. Iwould expect that the squad would be an-nounced either tomorrow or Friday. I ob-viously haven't had much of a chance tothink about the role due to the short no-tice, but I'm sure we can come up with acompetitive squad for the Asia Cup.""After the Asia Cup we will look at whoare the players that we feel can performwell in international cricket. Let's analyseall the talent around the country, becausethere is a lot of talent that needs to begiven a chance. Age is no barrier, youngplayers or experienced players will all begiven a fair chance. Let's take stock ofwhat we have and utilise the resources inthe best way possible." Qasim alsothanked Mohammad Ilyas for his hardwork as chief selector and wished himwell for the future. "Ilyas has done a goodjob. He worked hard and everyone at thePCB appreciates his efforts. The AsiaCup commences on 11th March whenPakistan take on Bangladesh in Mirpur.

PCB appoints Qasim as chiefselector after Ilyas resigns

KARACHIAfP

Pakistan's teenage paceman MohammadAamir has decided not to appeal a five-year ban imposed for spot-fixing duringthe 2010 Lord's Test against England, an offi-cial said on Thursday. The highly-rated 19-year-old was released from a British prisonlast month after serving half of a six-monthsentence for his part in the scandal duringthe Test between England and Pakistan in2010. His former teammates Salman Buttand Mohammad Asif are serving sen-tences of 30 and 12 months respec-tively, handed down by a British courtin November, after the trio were foundguilty of corruption and receiving illegalmoney. The International Cricket Coun-cil (ICC) also banned all three for violat-ing the players' code of conduct, with

Aamir receiving the minimum five-year punishment."Through his lawyer, Aamir has informed us that hehas no intention of filing an appeal against the ban,"

an ICC spokesman told AFP from Dubai. Under therules, Aamir could have appealed against the ban inthe Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in

Switzerland, but legal experts believe he lost thatpossibility after pleading guilty in Britain.

Aamer, who returned to Pakistan onSunday, has vowed to revive his career.After making his debut in 2009 he wassoon considered one of the brightestnew talents in international cricket,but his career was derailed by thescandal on the tour of England. Pak-

istan Cricket Board (PCB) chairmanZaka Ashraf said Aamir is still "anasset and a world class bowler"."We will consider him for selec-tion once his ban is over," he tolda news conference in Islamabad.

NEW DELHIAfP

Pakistani stars playing in a new In-dian field hockey league saidThursday their participation couldhelp revive sporting links betweenthe two countries.

Five current and former Pak-istan internationals, including ex-captain Zeeshan Ashraf, are inIndia for the lucrative but unsanc-tioned World Series Hockey (WSH)tournament which opened onWednesday.

"We are thrilled to be in India,"said Zeeshan, who is joined in thetournament by team-mates AdnanMaqsood, Rehan Butt, Shakeel Ab-bassi and Waseem Ahmed.

"This is a great platform toforge friendship between India andPakistan. I hope it will mark thestart of sporting ties between thetwo countries."

Bilateral series in cricket, themost popular sport in the sub-con-tinent, have been stalled since aterrorist attack on Mumbai in No-vember 2008, which India blamedon militants based in Pakistan.

Pakistan last toured India for acricket series in 2007, while Indiafeatured in the Asia Cup playedacross the border in early 2008.And no Pakistani has featured inthe cash-rich Indian PremierLeague since the first edition in2008. The Pakistanis have riskedtheir careers to play in the WSH be-cause it is not supported by the In-ternational Hockey Federation(FIH), which has threatened to barplayers from world events.

The world governing body op-poses the WSH, which with prizemoney of $3 million is one of therichest events in the sport, since itis backed by the rebel IndianHockey Federation instead of theofficially recognised Hockey India.

The Indian national squad,which qualified for the LondonOlympics last week, has chosen tostay away from the tournamentfearing possible action by authori-ties. The tournament has alsofailed to attract top world stars,with former Australian captainBrent Livermore the best-knownforeigner apart from the Pakistanistaking part.

Pakistan hockey stars hope to revive Indian ties

Collingwood’s sideleft Impi-tent afteranother defeat

JOHANNESBURGAfP

Skipper Paul Collingwood could not pre-vent his South African Twenty20 Chal-lenge side The New Age Impi sufferingtheir sixth consecutive loss Wednesdayand remaining rooted to the bottom ofthe table. Fellow strugglers Eastern CapeWarriors made 182-2 off 20 overs and re-stricted the Impi to 146-8 to win by 36runs at Willowmoore Park in eastern Jo-hannesburg suburb Benoni. Former Eng-land one-day international captainCollingwood -- one of four imports hiredby the first privately funded team to com-pete in the competition -- was run out for28 after a 24-ball spell that included twofours and a six. Fellow Englishman LukeWright struck 24 runs, Ryan tenDoeschate from the Netherlands 23 andAustralian tailender Ben Edmondson wasunbeaten on two when the Impi ran outof overs. It was the first victory of the sea-son for the Port Elizabeth-based Warriorswith leading scorer Ashwell Prince (63)ably assisted by Craig Thyssen (49 notout) and Colin Ingram (42 not out). Thetop of the table clash between CentralKnights and Northern Titans in Bloem-fontein was cancelled without a ball beingbowled after a thunderstorm drenchedthe Chevrolet Park outfield. Knights have18 points after six rounds, Titans 15,Highveld Lions 13, Coastal Dolphins 12,title favourites Western Cape Cobras 11,Warriors four and Impi are pointless.

CHAnDIGArH: Chandigarh Comets' hockey players (in blue) in action against Bhopal Badshahshockey players (in white) during the first match of world Series Hockey (wSH) Tournament. BhopalBadshahs win the match by 4-3. afP

aamir not to challenge ICC ban

PFF forms committeeto manage AFCU-14 Festival

LAHOREstAff RePoRt

Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) hason Thursday constituted a ManagementCommittee for AFC U-14 (Boys) Festivalof Football 2012. The Festival will be heldat Islamabad from April 3 to 17 and thecommittee formed will be working underthe chairmanship of Lt. Col ® Ahmed YarKhan Lodhi TI (M), General Secretary,PFF to facilitate this event in a profes-sional way along with its subsidiary localorganizing committee (LOC).The detail of Management Committee is appendedalong with the official decision of PFF under the seal ofGeneral Secretary, PFF:The Vice Chairmen of PFF Management Committee areMuhammad Hassan Baloch, General Secretary, SindhFootball Association, Muhammad Dawood, General Sec-retary, Balochistan Football Association, Mahmoodkhalid, Punjab Football Association, Basit kamal, Gen-eral Secretary, kPk Football Association, MuhammadZaman, General Secretary, Islamabad Football Associa-tion and wing. Cdr. ® Pervaiz Saeed Mir TI (M), DirectorDevelopment & Competition, (Competition Director).The PFF Management Committee members are lt. Col.® Farasat Ali Shah, khalil Ahmed, Muhammad Awais,rauf Bari, Arif Siddiqui, Muhammad Amin Tahir, AghaMuhammad Ajmal, Shahid khokhar, Irfan khan niazi,Muhammad Babar khan and Mirza naeem Baig.Dr. Fazal-ur- rehman has been nominated by PFF as theChairman of local organizing committee. The detail ofsub committees of loC has been constituted as under:Muhammad Irfan khan niazi, Chairman reception &Protocol Committee, Malik Imtiaz Ahmed, ChairmanFood & Accommodation Committee, ChaudhryMuhammad Saleem, Chairman Purchase & FinanceCommittee, Muhammad Shakir khan, ChairmanGround & Training Venues Committee, ChaudhryGhulam rasool, Chairman entertainment Committee,Maj. ® Shahid Bangash, Chairman Security Commit-tee, Atif nazir, Chairman Media Committee, Dr. SharifAsturi, Chairman Medical Committee and ChaudhryMuhammad Saleem, Chairman Transport Committee.

LHR 02-03-2012_Layout 1 3/2/2012 1:45 AM Page 18

LAHOREstAff RePoRt

The players from Lahore maintainedtheir control in different events on thefourth day of Inter divisional PunjabSports Festival being organized at differ-ent venues. Lahore which dominatedkarate event clinched gold medals in thesport and reached to the top inweightlifting and basketball too.

In weightlifting university male, La-hore got first position, Gujranwala se-cured second while Sargodha got thirdposition. In general public basketball,Lahore scored first position whileFaisalabad was second. In basketballboys college, Punjab College of Com-merce Lahore scored 65 points with firstposition, Punjab College of CommerceFaisalabad got second position with 41points. In university basketball boys,University of Central Punjab Lahoreshone with 61 points and first positionwhereas Bahauddin Zakriya UniversityMultan achieved second position.

In the general public final volleyball,Faisalabad defeated Sahiwal 3-1, Faisal-abd was also victorious in the collegeboys semifinals beating Sahiwal 2-0while Gujranwala beat Lahore 2-1.

On the other side, girls matches con-tinued at various venues and in volley-ball college semifinals, Rawalpindi beatBahawalpur 3-0, Faisalabad thrashedMultan 3-0, Lahore beat Bahawalpur inthe semifinals of university female vol-

leyball.Faisalabad outplayed Multan 3-0. In

the hockey college male, Faisalabad beatSahiwal 6-0. Gujranwala defeatedRawalpindi 2-1, DG Khan beatRawalpindi 1-0, Bahawalpur thrashedMultan 5-1.

In the general public hockey, Faisal-abad beat Sahiwal 5-1, Gujranwala out-played Multan 2-0.

In the karate university girls events,45 kgs, Madeeha Hussain of Lahoreclinched gold medal, Masooma Ijaz ofFaisalabad was second. In 50 kgs, Mar-ium Lodhi of Lahore secured gold,Pamela of Faisalabad attained silverwhereas in 50-plus kgs, Anza Tahir ofLahore got gold medal and Rubab of Gu-jranwala was second with silver medal.

In the boys university karate, Lahoredominated with gold medals. In 48 kgs,Waqas of Lahore was the winner, SajjadHussain of Bahawalpur was second withsilver. In 55 kgs, Ayaz of Lahore got goldwhile Zulqurnain of Bahawalpur got sil-ver. In 55-plus kgs, Shahid of Lahore at-tained gold and Mohammad Abbas ofSahiwal secured silver medals. Ba-hawalpur dominated with 13 points towin first position in university wrestlingmale competitions. Islamia College Uni-versity of Bahawalpur shone with 2 goldand 1 silver to win the finals. Lahore at-tained second position with 11 pointswith 1 gold and 2 silver.

In college athletics, Tanveer Abbasof Sargodha was victorious in 100 m

race, Tariq Mehmood of Lahore won200 m, Mohammed Shahid of Gujran-wala secured first position in 400 m,Zahid of Bahawalpur got position in1500 m, Ehsan Ijaz of Faisalabad got

first position in 800 m while in the longjump, Adnan of Lahore, in shot-put Mo-hammad Sajjad of Bahawalpur whereasin javelin throw, MOhammad Qasim ofLahore got first positions.

Sports 19Friday, 2 March, 2012

LAHOREstAff RePoRt

COLONY Sugar maintainedits grip on the top of thestanding in the Bank AlfalahNational Polo Championshipfor the Quaid-e-Azam Gold

Cup 2012 on Thursday, winning the sec-ond match by yet another big margin hereat the Lahore Polo Club ground.

It was another busy day at the LPCwhich apart from Colony Sugar saw Mas-ter Paints, Al Khan-Ciro’s Pomodoro andNestle leave the field smiling ad relieved.

Master Paints, the defending champi-ons downed Hataff/Diamond Paints 10-7. Although Hataff opened the scoringthrough Vieri Antinori by his solo effort,but Master Paints came into the gamewith two back to back goals in the secondchukker and then three in the third. Gas-ton Moore was the star of the match whoscored first goal of his seven to start thesecond chukker for Master Paints. Igna-cio Del Tour scored the second goal by along lofted pass of Gaston.

Masters remained dominant of thethird chukker also in which Moore gottwo goals through 40 and 60 yardspenalty. Sufi Mohammad Amir hit in the

fifth goal f his team after a long chase.Gaston Moore added another two

goals to the start of the four chukker andit was only then Hataff got a chance tosneak into Masters goal post twice thanksto Vieri Antinori. Gaston added two more

field goals and Vieri got though once butthe margin of difference remained 9-4unassailable for Hataff until a gigantic ef-fort is shown.

Hataff contributed three more goalsin the fifth chukker but that was not

enough to reduce the margin while Igna-cio came up with Masters’ 10th goal.Vieri’s one and two from Bilal Haye werenot enough to save Hataff from defeat.

Colony Sugar, the title favouriteteam, cut Pakistan Army-Nadra to size buhitting in a dozen goals and concedingsix. Colony Sugar came up with four goalsto start the match with. Santiago Men-divil scored two goals with a back handerand a long chase in the first chukker andanother in the second by an under theneck shot after Raul Laplacette producedunder the neck goal. Raja Temur Nadeemgot the first goal of the losing side withhis solo effort. Colony Sugar kept its gripon the game with another two goals in thethird chukker while allowing the rivalteam’s James Harper to go through theirdefence for once.

The fourth chukker also remained inColony Sugar’s control after they scoredfour goals wile Army-Nadra getting justone. However the fifth quarter was achange of fortune in which Army-Nadraconverted three goals while Colony Sugarhad two.

The third match Al Khan/Ciro’s Po-modoro had to fight all ends to beatGuard Group/Newage 9-8 in a suddendeath sixth chukker. They were locked

eight-all by the fifth chukker and thegolden goal was cacked by Manuel Crespowith a solo effort. Hissam Hyder, TaimurAli Malik and Shah Shamyl Alam werethe stars of the losing side while AlKhan/Ciro’s Pomodoro got win throughall of their four riders Omar Asjad Malhi,Shaukat Ali Malik, Dr. Iftikhar Ali KhanSimba and Crespo.

Nestle outplayed BBJ Pipes by 9 goalsto 6. Nestle took early lead in the matchand that control on the game remainedunreachable for BBJ Pipes till the finalhooter. Shah Qubilai Alam, HamzaMawaz Khan and Raja Samiullah main-tained their upper hand throughout thefie chukkers with on and off effort waswitnessed from the rival team’s AhmedZubair, Gerardo Mazzini and Ahmed AliTiwana.

Points tAbLe teAMs P w L Gf GA Pts AVe

Colony Sugar 2 2 - 22 9 4 +13

nestle 2 2 - 18 14 4 +4

Master Paints 2 1 1 18 16 2 +2

BBJ Pipes 2 1 1 14 15 2 -1

Pakistan Army 2 1 1 15 20 2 -5

Al khan/Ciros 2 1 1 12 18 2 -6

Guard Group 2 - 2 16 18 0 -2

Hataff 2 - 2 13 18 0 -5

lAHore: Master Paint rider tries to reach the ball during the national Polo Championship. Staff Photo

Colony Sugar maintain grip in National Polo

LAHOREstAff RePoRt

Around 10,000 people have beenconfirmed registration for participa-

tion in the Marathon Race of thePunjab Sports Festival. Addressing apress conference along with DGSports Punjab Usman Anwar, DeputySpeaker/Chairman organizing com-

mittee sports Festival Rana MashoodAhmed informed that the upcomingMarathon and Family Fun Race theyhave received healthy response forparticipation in these races. He alsoshowed his satisfaction and pleasureover the successful organization ofthe Sports festival which has createda hype of festivity not only in Punjabbut all over the province. "We havebrought to the fore thousands of tal-ented players from grass root levelthrough this festival," he said.

He said that all the fool proof se-curity arrangements have been com-pleted for the Marathon, which is tobe held on March 4.

“Over 10,000 people have beenregistered in the two races including17 km Marathon and 3 Km Famliyfun race having 25 prizes forMarathon and 13 for Family funrace," he added. He further said thatsuch events are a source of bringingthe people together and a healthysource of inspiration.

lAHore: Affan Butt and Tazeem Hassan are locked in a wrestling bout of the InterUniversity Male competitions of Sports Festival. Staff Photo

Lahore tighten hold in Punjab Sports Festival

over 10,000 register forMarathon, fun races

lAHore: rana Mashood Ahmed, Deputy Apeaker and Chairman organizingCommittee highlights the details of Marathon and Family Fun races as DG SportsPunjab Usman Anwar looks on. Staff Photo

Australian playerscry foul overFIFA hijab ban

SYDNEYAfP

Assmaah Helal has broken barriers toreach football's elite, but a controversialFIFA ban on Muslim women playing inthe hijab means she may never realise herdream of wearing the Australian jersey.Helal, 25, was introduced to football byher Egyptian-born father when she wasjust five, and she was determined not tolet gender keep her from joining her threebrothers on the pitch. It was no easy task.Members of her Muslim community inwestern Sydney frowned on the idea ofgirls playing sport at all, much less a roughand tumble game which was, at that time,still very much a male domain. "I used tojust get told I was a tomboy. In my culture,to play with the guys and to mix with guyswas seen as not appropriate," Helal toldAFP. Helal now plays in the Super League,one step below the nation's premier W-League for women, and says representingAustralia in national side the Matildaswould be her ultimate dream. But devoutMuslim beliefs which see her don thehijab to play every weekend mean -- fornow -- such a dream is out of reach.FIFA banned players from wearing the Is-lamic headscarf in 2007, claiming it isunsafe, but Helal has never once experi-enced or heard of a hijab-related injuryand has joined growing calls for the banto be overturned. "I strongly believe thatthe ban is just outright discrimination,"she said of the headscarf, which she de-scribed as "a part of a Muslim woman'sidentity which cannot be changed". "Atan international and an elite level, sportslike taekwondo and rugby allow the head-scarf to be worn during the competitivematches, and for the world game, for theuniversal language that is football, to banthe headscarf... it doesn't make sense."

Punjab clubin quartersLAHORE: Punjab club has moved intothe quarter final of 9th M Siddique Memo-rial cricket event when they down strongApallo sports by 31 runs played at AllamaIqbal institute ground on Thursday. sCoRes: Punjab club 191/9 in 20 overs. Sheraz Butt 75,Zeeshan Ali 39, Afzal 10, nazir 14, Yousuf 10. BaberSafder 3/25, Mubeen 3/38, Shahid 2/47, Arif 1/16, Mohsin1/47. Apallo sports 160 all out in 19.2 overs. Abrar 98 (no),Afzal Shah 24, Mohsin 14. Faisal 5/16, Adeel 2/30, Awais2/40, Shoaib 1/23. stAff RePoRt

new Uniondefeat raja Club

LAHOREstAff RePoRt

New Union Club defeated Raja Club by7 wickets in the LCCA Super CricketLeague played at Wahdat Colonyground on Thursday. sCoRes: raja club 82 all out, new Union Club 83/3.now 244 matches have completed in lCCA leaguewhile 99 matches of east Zone clubs have beenplayed. stAff RePoRt

LHR 02-03-2012_Layout 1 3/2/2012 1:45 AM Page 19

Sports20Friday, 2 March, 2012

lAHore: Qaiser Shahzad, the best badminton player of the Motorway Police Sports Festival receives trophy fromMinister Communication Dr Arbab Alamgir while Inspector General nH&MP wajid Ali khan is also seen in the picture.

Motorway Police Sports Festival concludes

LAHOREstAff RePoRt

Four runs by Arshad Khan and three eachby Farooq, Arif, and Rashid helped Armyretain the title, crushing Wapda 18-1 inthe final of the Shaheed Kamran Inter-de-partment Baseball Championship at theUCP ground Lahore on Thursday.

Army dominated the final from itsstart to finish as Wapda failed to put onany tough fight. The soldiers made threeruns in the first innings as Farooq, Arif,Arshad were the scorers. In the secondinnings, Army added three more to take6-0 lead as Imtiaz, Umair and Arshadcollected one run each. The third inningswas barren as no team could score anyrun. But in the fourth innings, Armyagain resumed the scoring and put onthree more runs as Imtiaz, Arif, Farooqchipped in one run each. Asif scored thesolitary run for Wapda in this innings. Inthe fifth innings, the offensive Army

plundered three more runs throughRashid, Arshad and Arif, who hit homerun. Army continued the dominationand added three runs each in the sixthand seventh innings to earn a convincing

win. Rashid (2), Arshad, Farooq, Umairand Imtiaz added one run each in the lasttwo innings. President Pakistan Federa-tion Baseball Shaukat Javed was thechief guest and distributed the prizes.

lAHore: Army team members receive trophy from Shaukat Javed, PresidentPakistan Federation Baseball. Staff Photo

army retain NationalInter-dept Baseball title

LAHOREstAff RePoRt

National Highways and Motor-way Police organized a week longSports Festival 2012 which con-cluded on Thursday amid colour-ful closing ceremony.

Minister Communication Dr.Arbab Alamgir and InspectorGeneral NH&MP Wajid Ali Khanwere the chief guests of the cere-mony.

DIG Training Shahid YarKhan, DIG Motorways JahanzeibKhan Jogezai, Zonal CommanderN-5Central SSP Nisar Soraya,Commandant Training CollegeRiaz Nazir Ghara and other offi-cial of motorway police were also

present on the occasion.Players of West, N-5 South,

N-5 Central, N-5 North, Motor-ways Zone, NH&MP TrainingCollege and NH&MP Headquar-ters participated in the week longsports events of cricket, bad-minton, table tennis, volleyball,tug of war, athletics and football.N-5 Central Zone was declaredbest zone among all zones ofNH&MP for its outstanding per-formance in the sports events.

Dr. Arbab distributed the tro-phies and medals among the win-ners and runner-ups of differentgames. The minister presentedthe trophy of ‘Best Zone’ to ZonalCommander N-5 Central SSPNisar Soroya.

Brisbane gets

nod for Australia,

S korea Davis CupBRISBANE

AfP

The hard courts of Brisbane will hostAustralia's Davis Cup tie against SouthKorea next month, captain Pat Raftersaid Thursday.Australia are seeking a return to theWorld Group for the first time since2007, and victory over the Koreansover April 6-8 would thrust them into aplay-off for the elite tier in September."The weather and the court are idealfor the boys and the conditions willdefinitely boost our chances of win-ning," said Rafter."Both Bernard (Tomic) and Matt(Ebden) have had some excellent winsat the Brisbane International, so it's ahuge positive for them to return to aplace where they've already achievedgreat results." Australia's team ofTomic, Ebden, Lleyton Hewitt andChris Guccione whitewashed China 5-0in their first-round Asia-Oceania zonaltie in Geelong last month.

McIlroy gets

another shot at no. 1PALM BEACH GARDENS

AfP

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy couldget another chance to seize golf's num-ber one world ranking when he tees itup at the US PGA Tour Honda Classicthis week. McIlroy had the opportunityto supplant England's Luke Donaldatop the rankings at the World GolfChampionships Match Play Champi-onship last week, but his runner-up fin-ish to Hunter Mahan wasn't enough toboost him to the top. Despite falling toAmerica's Mahan in the championshipmatch, McIlroy said the event in Ari-zona "was a very positive week".

Poland, Portugalfail to shine instadium debut

WARSAWAfP

Euro 2012 hosts Poland and qualifiersPortugal were unable to deliver a thrillerfor fans on Wednesday, drawing 0-0 herein what was billed as one of the meatiestfriendlies of the Poles' tournament prepa-ration campaign. Home supporters ex-pecting a flood of goals at the first evergame in Poland's new National Stadium -- venue on June 8 of the opening matchof Euro 2012 -- were sorely disappointed.While the Poles' defence looked improvedcompared with previous outings, theyshowed up attacking weaknesses."After this match against Portugal, I'm ascalm about things as I was before thematch," said Poland's much-criticisedmanager Franciszek Smuda. "What canwe do better? Score goals of course...Given that, I think the set pieces in ourperformance today weren't as they shouldhave been," he acknowledged. Polandclearly missed injured star striker RobertLewandowski, who has been riding highwith his German club Borussia Dort-mund, earning the nickname "Lewan-goalski". Portugal, who were forced toearn their Euro 2012 berth via the play-offs, also displayed a lack of finesse, fail-ing to build on their dominance ofpossession and a string of free kicks andcorners. In a repeat of their English Pre-mier League battles, Portugal's Manches-ter United striker Nani sparred withArsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny,firing a shot which the Pole saved easilyin the third minute, and following upwith two less-convincing efforts.Poland, meanwhile, deployed French-born attacking midfielder Ludovic Obra-niak up front, but he shot wide in the 13thminute. Portugal captain and RealMadrid sharpshooter Cristiano Ronaldowas unable to beat an alert Szczesny inthe 38th minute, as he punched the ballclear and then saved the corner with ease.There was heartache for Lewandowski'sstriking understudy Ireneusz Jelen aminute before half time as he powered to-wards what seemed an open goal beforebeing put off stride as Portugal keeperRui Patricio plunged into his path.In stoppage time, Nani shot wide. Thesecond half saw the hosts up the pace,with Obraniak latching onto a cross fromLukasz Piszczek but firing over the bar inthe 48th minute, before beating a stringof defenders three minutes later only tosee Rui Patricio save his shot. A flurry ofsubstitutions failed to inject sufficient en-ergy into the game, until Poland broughton Adrian Mierzejewski 10 minutes fromtime. Five minutes later the home crowdheld their breath as he crossed to fellowsubstitute Slawomir Peszko, only to seethe latter's strike saved. Mierzejewski, ofTurkey's Trabzonspor, attacked again aminute later and then, after winning afree kick, beat the Portuguese wall -- buthis shot was saved easily by Rui Patricio.Like fellow Euro 2012 hosts Ukraine,Poland have an automatic slot at the 16-nation championships and so have hadto rely on friendlies to hone their skills -- with patchy results. Having flunkedtheir qualifying run for the 2010 WorldCup, Poland have not played a competi-tive match since October 2009.

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ACAPULCO AGenCies

Fourth seed Kei Nishikori bowed out in thesecond round of the Mexico Open onWednesday after a 1-6, 7-6(8), 6-0 defeat toFrenchman Jeremy Chardy. The Japaneseworld No. 17 comfortably took the first setafter breaking his 64th-ranked opponent inthe opening game of the match but Chardydug deep to come back and even things upby winning the tiebreaker.

Nishikori needed treatment in the thirdset after hurting his right shoulder and a se-ries of errors cost him a place in the quar-terfinals. "I had lots of match points and thematch really was there for the taking," saidNishikori. "But I think it was a case of myopponent moving up a gear rather than meplaying badly."

"I couldn't keep playing my game in thethird set. The shoulder wasn't really such abig deal." Nishikori reached the quarterfi-nals of last week's Copa Claro in BuenosAires before falling to Stanislas Wawrinkaof Switzerland. The 22-year-old normallyplays on hard courts at this time of the year,but has chosen clay court events to betterprepare for the French Open.

Sports 21Friday, 2 March, 2012

watch It LIve

ESPNSports Center

07:30PM

DUBAI: Serbia’s top-seeded

novak Djokovic returns the

ball to his compatriot Janko

Tipsarevic during their

quarter-final match at the

ATP Tennis Championship. AFp

DUBAIAfP

ANDY Murray, the firstBritish male since the1930's to reach threeGrand Slam finals,earned a valuable revenge

over Tomas Berdych as he reached thesemi-finals of the Dubai Open for thefirst time here Thursday. The third-seeded Scot won 6-3, 7-5 against thefifth-seeded Czech to whom he lost thelast three times, making it his best se-quence in four attempts at the lucrativeMiddle East tournament.

It also earned Murray a possible re-match with Novak Djokovic, the tripleGrand Slam titleholder with whom hehad a classic semi-final in last month'sAustralian Open. Djokovic was due toplay his fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic inthe evening session. The match ended incontroversy as Berdych argued at lengthwith the umpire over a Hawkeye deci-sion when he had earned a point tobreak back for 6-6. Murray's appeal tothe computer replay showed that theline judge's call of fault had been wrongand that his unreturned serve had in factbeen in. But when the umpire awardedthe point to Murray, Berdych claimedthe rally should have been replayed.

The Czech argued that the linejudge's call had interfered with his re-turn of serve, but TV replays showedthat the call came after Berdych had hit

the ball, and that the umpire's decisionwas correct. Berdych said he was"shocked" by the decision of umpire Mo-hamed Lahyani, from Sweden. "If welook at all the rule books we going to seethat if it's not a clear ace there is a repeatof point actually," the Czech claimed.

"I have no idea what Mohamed did.He is the best referee on tour and I neverhad anything like that with him." Mur-ray said: "It's a bad rule, and one that Ihave a big problem with. "It comesdown to kind of how the umpire sees it.

You know, they don't always see it thesame way as the players do. Sometimesit goes your way; sometimes it doesn't."Murray went on to close the match outin that game, although he required sixmore rallies and seven match points al-together before doing it.

The Scot had controlled much of thefirst half of the match by denyingBerdych as many opportunities as pos-sible to wind up with fierce flat driveswhich are especially dangerous onDubai's hot, fast hard surfaces.

Murray survivescontroversy forBerdych revenge

DUBAI: British player Andy Murray returns the ball to Thomas Berdych of the Czechrepublic during their quarter-final match at the ATP Tennis Championship. afP

KUALA LUMPURAfP

World number five Agnieszka Rad-wanska won two matches Thurs-day to advance to thequarter-finals of a rain-inter-rupted BMW Malaysian Open.The Pole beat Akgul Amanmu-radova, who she was originallyscheduled to play Tuesday, 6-2,6-4 in her first match of theday before easing by KarolinaPliskova, 6-4, 6-4.

While results went Rad-wanska's way, it was the endof the road for fourth seedJarmila Gajdosova and sev-enth seed Jelena Dokic. Rad-

wanska was in cruisecontrol againstPliskova of the CzechRepublic in the sec-ond round but ad-mitted it was hardwaiting just to finishoff her first round

match. "Playing twomatches (in one day) is

bad, especially under theseconditions. The weather reallyhasn't been helping theprogress of the tournament,"Radwanska said. Radwanska

came to KualaLumpur afterwinning inDubai on Satur-

day, a victory which saw her reach a ca-reer high on the WTA rankings. Theplayer, who was wearing a thigh strap,will meet Taiwanese qualifier Su-WeiHsieh Friday for a berth in the semi-fi-nals.

"I've not had much rest too as Ihave been playing for several weeksnow. My shoulder feels sore as a resultof this, but hopefully it is not too bad.But the thigh strap is just a precau-tion," she said.

Rain led forced her Tuesday matchagainst Amanmuradova to be post-poned and it was then called off onWednesday with the score at 6-2, 3-3.When play resumed on Thursday, Rad-wanska was fired up to finish and tookjust 20 minutes to close out the match.

Meanwhile, defending championDokic, threw away a one set and 4-2 uplead in against fellow Australian OliviaRogowska to lose in three.

Rogowska held her nerve despitefacing some punishing groundstrokesto grind out a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) vic-tory. "It was one of those frustratingdays where I couldn't play my best ten-nis," Dokic said. "It was a game Ishould have won easily." A delightedRogowska will now face Eleni Dani-ilido, who uupset Gajdosova of Aus-tralia 6-4, 6-0, for a place in the semis.

Third seed Peng Shuai of China alsoreached the quarter-finals Thursdayand will meet fifth seed Petra Martic ofCroatia. The $220,000 BMWMalaysian Open ends on Sunday.

Nishikori ousted in 2nd round of Mexico Open

ACAPUlCo: Swedish tennis player Sofia Ardvidsson returns the ball to Italian tennis playerFlavia Pennetta during the third day of the Mexican Tennis open. afP

ACAPUlCo: Italian tennis player Flavia Pennetta reacts after losing a point against Swedishtennis player Sofia Ardvidsson during the third day of the Mexican Tennis open. afP

Radwanska reaches Malaysia quarter-finals

Tall order, Isnersweeps pastSweeting

DELRAY BEACHAfP

Top seed John Isner saved all five breakpoints he faced en route to a 6-3, 6-4win over Ryan Sweeting in the secondround of the Delray Beach TennisChampionships on Wednesday.In a battle between two of the biggestmen on the ATP Tour, the 26-year-oldIsner bombed 10 aces and won 78 per-cent of the first-serve points to beatSweeting in the first career meeting be-tween the two Americans.The 206-centimetre tall Isner won forthe second time in as many days as theworld number 11 saved five set points ina 32-point second set tie breaker toeliminate Jesse Levine 6-4, 7-6 (17/15)on Tuesday.Isner, who is looking for his fourth ca-reer title and his first of 2012, madequick work of Sweeting. He recordedjust one double fault in the 67 minutematch to reach the quarter-finals for thefirst time at this event.The 196cm tall Sweeting had six acesbut struggled on his serve, saving justtwo of four break points.The 24-year-old Sweeting falls to 3-6this season.In other second round matches Wednes-day, Australian qualifier Marinko Mato-sevic defeated sixth seed AlexBogomolov of Russia 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 andformer Delray Beach winner ErnestsGulbis of Latvia beat Belgium's SteveDarcis 6-7 (6/8), 6-1, 6-3.Gulbis won 89 per cent of his first-servepoints and broke Darcis five times in thetwo hour, 10-minute match.This marks the first time Gulbis hasbeen in a quarter-final since he won theLos Angeles tournament in July by beat-ing American Mardy Fish.Matosevic, who is ranked 173rd in theworld, advanced to his first ATP Tourquarter-final.

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Friday, 2 March, 2012 22

Published by Arif Nizami for Nawa Media Corporation (Pvt) Ltd at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore. Editor: Arif Nizami, Executive Editor: Sarmad Bashir

ISLAMABADstAff RePoRt

THE Supreme Court on Thursdayreserved its judgment over ashow-cause notice issued toBabar Awan, vice president ofthe Pakistan People’s Party

(PPP) and a senior lawyer, for his con-temptuous address at a press conferenceagainst the court’s December 1, 2011 orderon the memo case.

A two-member bench comprising Jus-tice Ejaz Afzal Khan and Justice AtherSaeed heard the contempt of court caseagainst Awan. Video footage of the pressconference held by him along with otherPPP leaders at the Press Information De-partment (PID) on December 1, 2011, werealso screened in the courtroom.

During the hearing, Awan’s counsel AliZafar argued that in view of the videofootage, his client had not given any re-marks which ridiculed the judiciary. Thecourt pointed out that the remarks werepassed against the family of an apex courtjudge, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, during thepress conference.

Zafar however said that his client in hisstatement had reconfirmed that he had ut-most respect and regard for the judge andconsidered him to be a leading luminary,and that in case the judge had been hurt,Awan offered deepest regrets.

Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan observed thatAwan had expressed only regrets, but hadnot tendered an apology for passing re-marks about the family of an SC judge. Hesaid Awan was a popular lawyer as well asa politician therefore he should have re-

spected the judiciary.Zafar said that his client was accused

of committing judicial contempt and insuch proceedings the court was like a par-ent while the person accused of contemptwas like an errant child, which was whycourts worldwide use the power in excep-tional circumstances and not as a way ofpunishment.

After hearing the arguments, the courtreserved its judgment until March 8.

Earlier while submitting the writtenreply on behalf of Awan, Zafar said thatNawaz Sharif had called Supreme Courtjudges “Jayala Judges”, announced that“he would remove them by catching themfrom the ears”, and accused the chief jus-tice of Pakistan of promoting “lotacracy”,yet the Supreme Court had not punishedhim for contempt on the ground that such

statements were issued in tense times at apress conference, which unlike a writtenspeech, was never premeditated but oc-curred on the spur of the moment.

He cited examples of several politi-cians, lawyers, authors, article writers andpublishers against whom contempt pro-ceedings were initiated. Zafar quoted KhanAbdul Wali Khan, who had alleged that thejudiciary had “blackened its face”. He saidthat freedom of speech could not be barredin the name of freedom of judiciary.

He further said that senior lawyers likeAkram Sheikh, Dr Basit, Khalid Anwar andothers, all of which had allegedly commit-ted serious contempt against the judiciaryand even accused it of becoming politicalor dishonest, yet the Supreme Court haddischarged contempt charges against all ofthem on the grounds that the freedom of

expression was a fundamental right underwhich everyone was entitled to free speechand fair criticism, and that it was not thejudiciary’s role to gag people.

Zafar quoted the famous principle:“Justice is not a cloistered virtue. She mustbe allowed to suffer the scrutiny and out-spoken comments of men,” and relied onthe judgments of US, UK, Australian, NewZealand and Canadian Supreme Courts.He also pointed out that in the 200 yearshistory of the US Supreme Court, only onecontempt judgement been issued, and inthe last 50 years in UK history, no con-tempt had been proceeded with any court.

He submitted that Babar Awan hadheld a conference of a political nature,which was directed against Nawaz Sharif,the leader of the opposition, and notagainst the judiciary.

WASHINGTONinP

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hascalled President Asif Ali Zardari “a good part-ner” in the war against terrorism, even whenthe Pakistani military and the Inter-ServicesIntelligence (ISI), according to her, havemaintained relationship with terrorist groupsfor decades.

Testifying before a congressional commit-tee on Wednesday, Clinton said, “I think Con-gressman, what President Zardari told you onbehalf of the civilian leadership of the govern-ment of Pakistan is true.” “He has been a goodpartner in going after terrorism that threatenshis country and Afghanistan and our troops,”she said while responding to questions fromSenator Michael Mccaul. In response to aquestion, she said, “We have no evidence ofany high-level official knowing about binLaden. But, like you, I have to assume thatlower-level people had to have known some-thing. But we haven’t proven that. It could beasserted, but not yet proven.”

“This is a complicated, difficult relation-ship. What we are doing now is making it veryclear what our expectations have to be goingforward. And there is no doubt in my mindthat certain elements of the Pakistani govern-ment are more ambivalent about crackingdown on terrorism than other elements,” Clin-ton said. “You know, when I sit across the for-eign minister or talk to the ambassador or talkto the prime minister and others, I think theyare very sincere. They know that the scourge

of terrorism is killing Pakistanis.” Deliberating further, Clinton said,

“Zardari knows that terrorists killed his wife.And yet there has been relationship betweenterrorist groups and the military and the intel-ligence services for many decades. “The factthat this democratically elected governmenthas survived longer than any other democrat-ically elected government is a unique thing.For the first time in the parliament, you havequestions being asked of the military and theISI. You have the Supreme Court asking ques-tions about actions of the military and the ISI,”she told the lawmakers.

“So you see the strains and stresses of tryingto have a civilian government in a democracyassert control over all elements of the govern-ment. We want to continue to support the dem-ocratic trend inside Pakistan,” Clinton said.

two Nato troopskilled by afghancolleagues

KABULAfP

Two NATO soldiers were killed by theirAfghan colleagues on Thursday, thelatest in a series of such attacks after theburning of Holy Quran at a US basesparked widespread violent protests. Thesoldiers were identified as Americans byan Afghan official, who said they werekilled at a military outpost in theinsurgency-plagued southern province ofKandahar, the spiritual birthplace of theTaliban. NATO’s US-led InternationalSecurity Assistance Force (ISAF) said thesoldiers died when a man “believed to bean Afghan National Army servicemember” and another in civilian clothingturned their weapons on the troops.The civilian was a literacy teacher

working in the outpost who grabbed aweapon from a soldier and opened fire,Zhary district chief Niaz MohammadSarhadi told AFP. Other troops returnedfire, killing the teacher and an Afghanarmy soldier, Sarhadi said. If the deadare confirmed to be US troops, it willtake the death toll to six Americanskilled by Afghan colleagues within aweek since angry protests erupted overthe Quran burning at a US military basenear Kabul. Two days earlier, twoAmerican troops were killed by anAfghan soldier who turned his weaponon them as demonstrators approachedtheir base in the east of the country.

LONDON/ISLAMABADAGenCies

The central character in the “mem-ogate” issue, Mansoor Ijaz, onThursday revealed that there wasthreat of a military coup in Pakistanfollowing the US operation in Ab-bottabad in which al Qaeda chiefOsama bin Laden was killed.

During his cross-examination,Ijaz said the military posed a seri-ous threat to the government,adding that intelligence agencies ofthree or four other countries hadalso confirmed the threat of thecoup. He said he had received adraft about Inter-Services Intelli-gence (ISI) Director General Lt GenShuja Pasha’s visit to foreign coun-tries and about the May 2 incident.However, he refused to commenton who had sent him the draft. Hesaid Gen Pasha had met with rulersof various countries to garner their

support on the matter. “It was on the basis of this draft

that it was discovered that therewas a military coup threat,” he said.

Ijaz also handed over confiden-tial documents to the commission.The Judicial Commission, formedby the Supreme Court to investigatethe scandal, released a 39-pagerecorded statement by the US busi-nessman. He was cross-examinedvia a video link from the PakistaniHigh Commission in London.

PML-N President Nawaz Sharif’scounsels Mustafa Ramday andRasheed A Rizvi had been in Londonwhile Hussain Haqqani’s counselZahid Bukhari and Ijaz’s counselAkram Sheikh were attending pro-ceedings at the Islamabad High Court.

Mansoor further claimed thathe recommended action against the“dual policy” of Pakistan in his arti-cle after the Abbottabad operationwhich was acknowledged by Hus-sain Haqqani but publicly he re-fused to endorse his views.

He also informed about hismeetings with President Asif AliZardari after May 2009. He said hewas neither an agent of a countrynor was he on the Pakistan govern-ment’s payroll. Ijaz also revealedthat the US pilot and Pakistani airtraffic control were in contact witheach other before the Abbottabadraid. Further proceedings were de-ferred for Friday.

KARAChi: A petrol filling station employee displays the new fuel prices on thursday. oNLINe

Zardari a good partner in waragainst terrorism: Clinton

there was threat of acoup after May 2: Ijaz

SC reserves verdict on contempt case against Awang awan’s counsel argues that his client had ‘highest respect’ for the courts and offered ‘deepest regret’ for any hurt feelings

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