e-paper pakistantoday 09th february, 2013

Rs 17.00 Vol III No 223 19 Pages Karachi Edition Saturday, 9 February, 2013 Rabiul Awal 27, 1434

STORY ON PAGE 24

STORY ON PAGE 24

OPP AGREES ON TWOFORMER SC JUDGESAS CARETAKER PM:NISAR ALI KHAN

Leader of the Opposition inNational Assembly Nisar Ali Khanon Friday said the opposition hadreached consensus on two formerSupreme Court judges – NasirAslam Zahid and Shakirullah Jan –out of eight names for thecaretaker prime minister.

INDIA REJECTS OICSUGGESTION FORJ&K MISSION

Strongly rejecting the Organisation ofIslamic Cooperation’s (OIC) suggestionof allowing an OIC fact-finding missionto Jammu and Kashmir to assess thehuman rights situation in the country,the Indian government on Friday saidthe grouping had no locus standi onsuch matters and termed suggestionsto this effect by the Pakistani foreignminister as “propagandist”.

SBP MAINTAINS POLICY RATE AT9.5 PERCENT

Terming macroeconomic conditionsin the country as weakening duringthe first half of FY13, the centralbank on Friday decided to keep thediscount rate for the next couple ofmonths unchanged at 9.5 percent.The regulator, however, hasreduced the interest rate corridorby 50 basis points (bps) from 300bps to 250 bps.

US DRONE STRIKESFACE RARE SCRUTINYON CAPITOL HILLIn a rare public discussion on the USuse of drones for targeted killings, akey panel on the Capitol Hill engagedin intense questioning of the basisand rationale of the secret operationswhen John Brennan, Obama’s pickfor next CIA director, appeared forhis confirmation hearing.Page 04 9 Page 18 Page 16

The Pakistan Super League (PSL),the country’s upcoming T20tournament has been postponed.According to the Pakistan CricketBoard (PCB), the new schedulefor the tournament will beannounced later. The PCB pressrelease stated: “The concernsexpressed by the stakeholders ontight timelines for submission ofbids & leveraging of assets, holdmerit." PAGE 22

Pakistan SuperLeague postponed

Unlike its strong opposition tothe government’s bill for thecreation of Bahawalpur JanoobiPunjab province, the PakistanMuslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) offered a soft resistance

against the tabling ofthe 24th AmendmentBill 2013 andwalked out of thesession. PAGE 24

24th AmendmentBill tabled in Senate

Developmentwork will continue

STORY ON PAGE 19

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advertiSementSaturday, 9 February, 201302

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Pact with China should also have a provision for jobsto the residents of Gawadar and other Balochistancities. — Jamaat-e-Islami chief Munawar HassannewSN

04

Saturday, 9 February, 2013

The judges also gave a week’stime to the government toevolve, in consultation withpolitical parties, a strategy todeal with “illegal strikes” thathindered smooth running ofeconomic and commercial ac-tivities in the city.

“The learned advocategeneral states that the reportin this respect has not yet beensubmitted and seeks sometime to file the same,” thebench stated.

Also, the court was madeto review the passage of a billon Thursday in Sindh Assem-bly that legitimised out-of-turn promotions in the policedepartment.

Terming the legislationun-Islamic and unconstitu-tional, DSP Maqsood told thecourt that some 5,200 policeofficers were frustrated withthe new legislation. Maqsoodargued that as the court hadearlier ordered against promo-tions in review, the samestood illegal.

Justice Khwaja, however,said the government could notbe denied its right to legislateand the new act had become astatute which cold only betaken up by the court whensomeone challenged it.

He said the induction ofan additional para, Section 23,in the Sindh Civil ServantsAct 1973 had made it astatute.

The judges were also crit-ical of Home SecretaryWaseem Ahmed for his igno-rance of the number of judi-

cial enquiries instituted in thematter of killings in the citysince 1985.

“This statement appearsto be quite extraordinary com-ing from the senior most func-tionary of the HomeDepartment of the province,”it observed.

The court asked the secre-tary to furnish the particularsof judicial inquiries other thanthe 15 Ahmed was aware of.

The proceedings werelater adjourned until Febru-ary 25.

PESHAWAR: People shop for Valentine gifts at a shop on Friday. ONLINE

ISLAMABADSTAFF REPORT

L EADER of the Opposi-tion in National Assem-bly Nisar Ali Khan onFriday said the opposi-

tion had reached consensus ontwo former Supreme Courtjudges out of eight names forthe caretaker prime minister.

Taking a jab at the Pak-istan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ina press conference, he saidImran Khan’s party had nowbecome Pakistan Tehreek-e-Tazaad (contradictions).

Nisar said the oppositionhad considered eight namesfor the coming caretakersetup, adding that consensushad been developed on namesof two former Supreme Courtjudges — Nasir Aslam Zahidand Shakirullah Jan. He said

no backdoor diplomacy or ne-gotiations with the govern-ment were under progress onthe issue of the caretakersetup. Nisar clarified that itwould be the decision intro-duced by the opposition todissolve the Punjab Assemblyand no one else had the man-date to make such decisions.

The opposition leader saidthe “PTI had earlier supportedthe chief election commis-sioner and the election billand Imran Khan had shownfull faith in Fakhruddin GEbrahim. Now he has reserva-tions just like Tahirul Qadri”.

Nisar said, “The PTI al-ways boasted of not formingany allegiance with any party,then why is it tilting towardsTahirul Qadri all of a sudden.”

He further blamed the PTIfor accepting former presidentPervez Musharraf in the pastand his chosen election com-missioner Irshad HussainKhan, whose eligibility wasquestionable as he had post-poned elections for three yearsand allowed amendments in

the constitution. “The TMQ,PTI and PML-Q want to post-pone elections, therefore, theyare bringing up all these reser-vations.” The opposition leaderreminded media about the issueof Justice (r) Irshad Hussain,saying that the three parties ob-served criminal silence overthe issue and accepted thenmilitary dictator PervezMusharraf and the then contro-versial “imported” prime min-ister. “Imran Khan cannotbring a tsunami in a teacup andPTI has become a party of con-tradictions rather than a partyof justice.” The senior PML-Nleader was of the view that thegovernment had vowed to bull-doze the House with the HigherEducation Bill at the eleventhhour and his party would op-pose the move as it was not inthe interest of the nation. Nisarsaid the PML-N would bringits own bill on the newprovinces and the homeworkhad been completed for thepurpose. “No more controver-sial bills would be toleratedanymore,” Nisar added.

Centre not interested in Karachi peace: SC


The Supreme Court has ac-cepted Tahirul Qadri’s peti-tion for the reformation of theElection Commission of Pak-istan (ECP). The hearing ofthe case will be held on Feb-ruary 11 and the SupremeCourt has issued notices toQadri, the attorney general,the chief election commis-

sioner and the federation.Qadri had filed a petition

in the Supreme Court on Feb-ruary 7, according to which,the appointments made to theElection Commission of Pak-istan were not in accordancewith articles 213 and 218 ofthe constitution. Talking to re-porters on Thursday, Qadrisaid Article 218 dealt with thematters relating to the ECP,and the ECP would be re-

formed under Article 213. Hesaid the constitution stated thatthe ECP would consist of fivemembers. Qadri said under theconstitution, 15 names wouldbe presented before parliamentprior to the appointment. Par-liament will hear all the 15candidates under Article 213.He said the constitution re-quired a parliamentary hearingbefore the appointment ofmembers to the commission.


The Election Commission ofPakistan (ECP) on Friday par-tially lifted the ban on recruit-ments and allowed the concerneddepartments to fill the vacancieswhich were advertised on or be-fore August 31, 2012. Constitu-tional institutions like SupremeCourt, the high courts, districtcourts and provincial assem-bles are exempt from the ban.

According to a directive is-sued by the ECP said that thedevelopment projects already inprogress may continue withoutinterruption where no diversionof funds is required. Further-more, the ECP said that all ap-pointments should be madestrictly in accordance with therules applicable to such ap-pointments and purely on merit.Furthermore, the directive saidthat requests from ministries,divisions and departments or in-stitutions of the federal govern-ment or any department orinstitution of any provincial orlocal government including thehealth and education depart-ments would be considered oncase-to-case basis by the ECP.

Moreover, the ECP said thatas far as diversion of funds wasconcerned, requests from for-eign donors to divert funds fromone project to another would beconsidered on case-to-casebasis. Diversion of funds in re-spect of projects of strategic im-portance would also beconsidered by the ECP on case-to-case basis. However, nofunds would be diverted froman ongoing project to a new orexisting development project inany constituency, the ECP said.The minister for law and justice,through his letter dated January29 had sought review of the di-rective, dated January 22 issuedby the ECP, whereby the ECPhad said that “All kinds of re-cruitments in any ministry, divi-sion, department or institutionof the federal government orany department or institution ofany provincial and local govern-ments is banned forthwith ex-cept recruitments by the federalor provincial public servicecommission. Diversion of fundsalready allocated to various de-velopment projects in the coun-try is banned forthwith and thespending of funds so divertedshall stand frozen forthwith.”

Opp agrees on twoformer SC judges ascaretaker PM: Nisar

OPP LEADER SAYSPML-N WOULDBRING ITS OWN BILLON NEW PROVINCES

Former IB chiefsubmits tworeports before SC

ISLAMABADAPP

Tariq Lodhi, former chief of theIntelligence Bureau (IB), on Fri-day submitted two reports be-fore the Supreme Courtregarding the usage of IB’s se-cret funds case. A three-memberbench of the Supreme Court,comprising Chief JusticeIftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry,Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Jus-tice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, heardthe case. The former IB chief re-quested the court to keep certainparagraphs confidential keepingin mind national interest. Thecourt admitted his stance andsealed the document. The benchalso directed the attorney gen-eral to submit a written reply onbehalf of the current IB directorgeneral during the next hearing.Lodhi was also exempted fromappearing at in the next hearingas he informed the court that hewas leaving for Europe in con-nection with his official duties.Earlier, Lodhi filed a writtenreply before the court onwhich the bench showed dis-satisfaction and directed himto resubmit his statement.Later, the case was adjourneduntil February 26.

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

President Asif Zardari arrivedin the provincial capital onFriday on a six-day visit. Perdetails, President Zardarireached Lahore to inaugurateBilawal House in BahriaTown, Raiwind Road. He wasreceived at the airport byPunjab Governor MakhdoomAhmad Mahmood and Punjab

Education Minister Mian Mu-jtaba Shujaur Rehman. OnFriday evening, Prime Minis-ter Raja Pervaiz Ashraf calledon President Zardari and dis-cussed with him the currentpolitical situation, particu-larly the issues pertaining tothe Election Commission ofPakistan. Pakistan People’sParty Chairman BilawalBhutto Zardari was also pres-ent on the occasion.

Scuffle delaysPTI partyelections inMultan

MULTANONLINE

The union-level partyelections of PakistanTehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) inMultan were delayed afterworkers at various pollingstations quarrelled on Friday. Workers at polling stations,including those inHasanabad, Gol Bagh andLodhi Colony, threw chairsand took out tents, reported aprivate TV channel.Members of the party hadearlier expressed thatunderhanded lobbying bykey members, growinginternal rifts anddisorganisation wereincreasing behind a gleamingpublic image of PTI.Seeking anonymity, partyworkers said the mostapparent example of growingdissent within the party wereacts of lobbying and briberyfor votes in the intra-partyelections by various keymembers in Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh.

Zardari arrives in Lahore toinaugurate Bilawal House

ECP partially lifts banon fresh recruitments

SC to hear Qadri’s petition on 11thECP RECONSTITUTION( (

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24


KARACHISTAFF REPORT

A T leastthreepeoplewere killedwhile twoothersinjured indifferent

areas of the city on Friday. Twovehicles were burnt and sporadicclashes were reported in many areasbesides aerial firing incidents as Ahl-i-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ)observed strike against the ongoingwave of sectarian killings. Accordingto police, a man was shot dead in afiring incident in Nagan Chowrangi.Another firing incident claimed a

man’s life in Qasba Colony. Ashopkeeper, identified as Aamir, 28,was gunned down near Taj Complexat MA Jinnah Road.Clashes were reported in various

areas while two buses were set on firein Lyari area. Traffic was suspendedin Quaidabad, Sohrab Goth and AbulHassan Isfahani Road areas whenangry protesters took to the streets. Commotion due to aerial firing

was also reported near Steel Town.According to Superintendent of

Police (SP) Rao Anwaar, angryprotesters pelted stones on policemobile that injured a sub-inspectorand two others in the area. Religiousand political parties, transporters,traders and private schoolassociations also supported the strike.JI leader Muhammad Hussain

Mehnti and spokesman of AhleSunnat Wal Jamaat appealed thepeople and traders to observe thestrike peacefully and make itsuccessful. Shia Ulema Council alsosupported the cause of the strike.Private School ManagementAssociation announced to close all theschools in metropolis due to thestrike. Talking to a private TVchannel, Electronic and Small

TradersAssociationPresident

Muhammad Rizwan said all themarkets remained closed to showsolidarity with religious parties overthe killings of ulema.Vehicular traffic remained thin as

public transport remained off theroads. Markets, businesses andschools were closed.CNG stations were shut for 24

hours across the province due to theload-shedding management system.Incidents of rioting and gunfire

were reported in Guru Mandir area ofthe city where some protestors burnttyres and blocked the roads.Rioters blocked the National

Highway near Quaidabad’s MurghiKhana area and Sohrab Goth area ofthe city whereas Mauripur road wasclosed for traffic by protestors.The protestors also set out to the

streets near Dawood Chowrangiblocking traffic from MalirCantt. Two cars weretorched in Kharadararea. One person waskilled by gunfirenear Capri cinema

on MA Jinnah road. The call wassupported by over a dozen Sunniorganisations and traders andtransporters. In a rare gesture, theShia Ulema Council also backed thestrike call. Talking to a private TVchannel, Maulana Akbar SaeedFarooqi of the ASWJ said the strikecall was supported by the JamiatUlema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), WafaqulMadaris al Arabia, an organisationrepresenting more than 10,000seminaries and around 8,000 Iqraschools across the country, and fiveother organisations.“We all feel the pain and brutality

that has been going on in the city.Religious scholars and seminarystudents are also being targetedbesides the common people and noone knows the reason behind thismenace. There is no doubt that thegovernment has failed to protect livesof the common people and has thuslost the right to govern,” he added.He said the Friday’s strike was

planned to get the ‘peaceful protest’registered, and persuade theauthorities to pay heed to the people’s

concerns. No part of the countryis facing anarchy-like situation

as is Karachi’s”, headded.The most

surprisingannouncement

came from theShia UlemaCouncil,supportingthe ASWJ’sstrike callwhilestressing thatit would backevery movemade forpeace andagainst

terrorism.“We have suffered the most in

recent wave of terrorism,” saidMaulana Nazir Abbas Taqvi of theShia Ulema Council. “We feel thesame pain for those families whoseloved ones fell prey to this madness,regardless of their sectarianassociation and their faith. Killing ofevery innocent man should becondemned by all sections.”Maulana Taqvi said the council

supported the ‘shutdown appeal’ eventhough it had been made by the ASWJand other Sunni organisations only toshow its resolve against every kind ofterrorism, especially in Karachi.The Jamaat-i-Islami followed suit

and its Karachi Chief MuhammadHussain Mehanti also announcedsupport for the ’peaceful strike’, andso did the traders’ and transportbodies, saying they would support thestrike call for ‘good reasons’.

MAULANA NAZIR ABBAS TAQVISHIA ULEMA COUNCIL

We feel the same pain forthose families whoseloved ones fell prey tothis madness regardless

of their sectarianassociation and faith.

Killing of every innocent should becondemned by all

sections

KaraCHi

KFriday, 8 February, 2013

05The country is presently going through evolution and oncethis process is complete, opportunities for capable people willmultiply manifold – Nisar Ahmed Khoro

Low

high

120C

sUnday Monday tUesday

29°C I 14°C 28°C I 14°C 29°C I 15°C

PRAyER TImINgS

Fajr sunrise Zuhr asr Maghrib Isha

5:53 7:10 12:47 3:59 6:23 7:40

sUnny

Weather Updates

280C

ALL GET ON ONEPLATFORM FORGOOD REASON

ASWJ OBSERVES STRIKEIN CITY, THREE KILLED,TWO VEHICLES SET ONFIRE IN VIOLENCE


KaraCHiSaturday, 9 February, 2013

06

K

HYDERABAD: Activists of Awami Workers Party chant slogans during a protest rally against feudal system and Sharia Court’s decision regardingAgriculture Reforms Bill-1977. ONLINE

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

T HE Sindh Assem-bly on Friday unan-imously passed theKarachi School ofBusiness and Lead-ership Institute Bill2012 into law to en-

hance educational facilities in theprovince.

Also, in the house two other billswere also introduced but their considera-tion was deferred to next sittings as themembers wanted to debate the same thor-oughly before enacting them into law.

Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomrotabled the Karachi School of Businessand Leadership Institute Bill 2012 as soonas the Sindh Assembly Deputy SpeakerShehla Raza called for order in the house.After a brief discussion, the houseadopted the bill with a unanimous vote.

“With a view to enhance the educa-tional facilities and encourage the partici-pation of private sector in education, aninstitute that will be called the Karachi

School of Business and Leadership Insti-tute is being established at Karachi, there-fore, it is expedient to enact a law in thisregard,” read the bill’s statement of object.

The first of the two bills deferred wasthe Sindh Protection of Breast-Feedingand Child Nutrition Bill 2013. It was de-ferred when the lawmakers sought moretime to review the provisions of the pro-posed law by saying that they might alsobe presenting their recommendations.

The house, through passing a motion,referred the bill to the standing committeeconcerned. The lawmakers said the com-mittee should accommodate their recom-mendations on the bill within a week andensure that it could be presented on nextWednesday (February 13th). Meanwhile,the second bill was delayed for consider-ation till next Monday.

Ayaz, who tabled the bills, pleaded tothe chair to defer their considerations fornext dates. Sindh Finance Advisor MuradAli Shah, however, termed the defermentof bills after introduction as illegal.

Shah suggested that the house shouldallow the transfer of these bills to thecommittees concerned for review and

then bring them back for legislations infuture sittings of the assembly.

Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) law-maker Munawar Ali Abbasi, SussuiPalejo, Ayaz and the Muttahida QaumiMovement’s (MQM) Syed Sardar Ahmedhad sought deferment of the bills.

Pakistan Muslim League-Functional(PML-F) legislator Jam Madad Ali at theend of the session rose on a point of order,asking the chair’s permission for consid-ering the passage of a resolution the op-position had earlier moved in theprovincial assembly on March 15th. Hesaid the resolution was pertaining to theprotection of Sindh’s geographicalboundaries. He also said that at that time,senior Education Minister Pir MazharulHaq was head of the special committee towhich the resolution had been referred todeal with. The deputy speaker told JamMadad that Mazhar had undergone a sur-gery and would be here in the next ses-sions to update the house on the fate ofthe resolution.

The legislator contended that Mazharhad resigned from the committee andtherefore it was irrelevant to do the same.

He said if Mazhar was not available, Ayazcould head the committee.On this, deputyspeaker Shehla said that the resignationof Pir Mazhar had not been accepted yet.Ayaz, however, said that Mazhar wouldreturn to the house in the next session.

The other issue, Jam Madad raisedwas a clarification on Rafiq Engineer’sallegations that the PML-F’s leader,namely Imtiaz Shaikh, had not returnedhis official vehicles to the department towhich he was appointed as advisor.

He said Imtiaz had returned the vehi-cles to the department concerned, whichthe government had allotted him. Heshowed documents in the house to provehis stance on the issue.However, RafiqEngineer again alleged that Imtiaz stillpossessed the vehicles and if he did notreturn them to the government, the min-istry concerned would lodge a First Infor-mation Report (FIR) against him torecover the official vehicles from him.

The debate between Jam Madadand Rafiq Engineer was just beginningto escalate when the deputy speakerabruptly adjourned the house till Mon-day morning.

NEW BILL TO ENCOURAGEPRIVATE SECTOR IN EDU

KARACHISTAFF REPORT

The NADRA has successfully prepared arobust and authentic Biometric VerificationSystem (BVS) for telecom operators, saida NADRA spokesperson on Friday. Shesaid all preparations for the system hadbeen carried out and NADRA was ready tolaunch it from February 28th.

She said earlier all telecom operators

had agreed in a meeting with the primeminister to launch biometric verificationfor the issuance of SIMs from the abovementioned date.

The spokesperson further said that thenew verification system would requireeach citizen to personally approach the re-tailer, franchise or Customer Service Cen-ters of cellular operators and providehis/her fingerprints for authenticationagainst CNIC data held with the NADRA.

SIM would only be activated when thetransactions prove successful, she added.

She also said that this operation wouldbe performed online and would take only

15 seconds end to end. Moreover, securityrelated apparatuses believed that suchmeasures would help the Government ofPakistan to curb the use of illegally issuedSIMs for terrorism, extortions and streetcrimes, the spokesperson said. She furthersaid that Pakistan had a significantly highcellular density in the country, adding thatalthough it had changed the dynamics ofcommunication, yet their misuse had cre-ated a great security risk for the country.

Prior to BVS, methods adopted to reg-ulate SIM issuance were prone to frauds.Now, with fingerprint matching facility, itwas expected that the same would bring

authenticity to the whole SIM issuanceprocess and would also reduce the risk ofSIM issuance against fake identity to al-most zero. In this regard, NADRA haddemonstrated its services and applicationsto Pakistan Telecommunication Authority(PTA) and Cellular Mobile Operators in-cluding representatives of Mobilink, Te-lenor, Ufone, Warid and Zong.

The NADRA spokesperson said thatproof of concept had been carried out withsome telecom operators. A draft contractcontaining minute details of operations hadalready been forwarded to the mobile phoneservice providing companies, she added.

You’ve just 10 days!KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has set a10-day deadline for the appointment of theopposition leader in the Sindh Assembly. The SHC heard a petition filed by PML-Fleader Jam Madad Ali which stated thatnotification for appointing Nusrat SehrAbbasi as the opposition leader was notbeing issued. The advocate general informed the two-member bench hearing the case that thespeaker of provincial assembly was also theacting governor and more time should beafforded to him. The court stated if the notification is notissued in 10 days then decision will be madeby the court. INP

identify yourself and thou shall passNADRA TO VERIFY MOBILESIMS FROM 28TH

NADRA officesclosed afterDefence attackKARACHI: National Database andRegistration Authority (NADRA) has gone onstrike in the metropolis after its office inDefence was attacked by activists of apolitical party. Some unidentified armedmiscreants launched an attack on the NADRAoffice located in the city’s posh area ofDefence, Khayaban-e-Ittehad, and went onrampage with aerial firing, triggering panic inthe entire area. According to the NADRAcrew, the attackers wanted to haveforeigners’ identity cards ready for them.The office’s glass panes were smashed andthe crew stepped out of the premises.Expressing lack of security following thebrazen attack, the NADRA employees closedall of their offices in the city for an indefiniteperiod of time. The citizens are facingproblems owing to this unexpected strike byNADRA’s employees. Gizri police registered acase against the attackers and conductedraids in Sultanabad and PIDC bridge area forthe arrest of accused involved in the attack.It should be mentioned here that NADRA ispreparing identity cards, alien registrationcards, smart cards, birth certificates anddeath certificates. ONLINE

UK education fairgets underwayKARACHI: Students keen to acquire highereducation abroad will find the two-day UnitedKingdom (UK) Study Fair being held in HotelSheraton Karachi very useful. This was said byGlobal Education Fairs and Conferences MiddleEast and Africa Director Operations FizaAhmed at a reception hosted last evening byBritish Deputy High Commissioner and Tradeand Investment Director Francis Campbell forthe universities’ representatives visitingPakistan.Fiza said the UK Study Fair which startedyesterday, had more than 30 universities ofthe UK exhibiting here to highlight theopportunities available there for foreignstudents. She added that the study fair was afirst of its kind to be hosted in Pakistan, andhad received such an enthusiastic responsethat another one would be held in November,and thereafter a fair would also be held on anannual basis.She pointed out that students interested inattending UK universities for higher educationhad a great opportunity to learn about whatthe universities in that country had to offer.Furthermore, Fiza said that her organisationhad created a platform for UK universities andPakistani students to interact with each otheron a regular basis. She said the fair was alsoa unique opportunity for universities andinstitutes in Pakistan to build strategicpartnerships. Earlier British Deputy High CommissionerFrancis Campbell said that representatives ofUK universities coming to Pakistan were acatalyst for Pakistan which could send acrossa good message that the country was open forbusiness. Such initiatives would also helpPakistan to resolve the negative perceptionthat it had been suffering from since long, sheadded. He said the one key ingredient thathad the potential to ensure Pakistan’s brightfuture was education.He added that at any given time more than30,000 Pakistani students were studying in UKuniversities which demonstrated the strongties between both countries. STAFF

REPORT/AgENcIES


07newS


Cruel leaders are replaced onlyto have new leaders turncruel — Che Guevara

N

DAMASCUSAgENcIES

H EAVY fighting iscontinuing around the Syriancapital, as government forcestry to halt a rebel advance.

Activists said clashes continued inJobar district in Damascus on

Friday amid rocket shellingby government forces onthe eastern district andnearby neighbourhoods.

While opposition fighters haveseen gains across parts of the country,they have so far been kept away fromthe centre of Damascus. But in thepast three days, rebels have overrunarmy positions encircling the heart ofthe city. Early on Friday, a rocketfired by government forces hit theDamascus suburb of Moadamiyah,killing six rebel fighters and injuring12 other people, opposition activistssaid. More people have been injuredin overnight bombardment in theDamascus neighbourhoods of al-Hajar al-Aswad, al-Qadam, al-Assaliand Barzeh, according to activists.Syrian state media, meanwhile,

reported that six people,including three children, hadbeen killed on Wednesday when

“terrorists” fired two mortar shells

on a bus station in al-Qaboun districtin Damascus. ‘Pursuing terrorists’SANA state agency also reported thatgovernment forces continued topursue “armed terrorist groups” in theDamascus suburbs of Arbeen,Zamalka and Adra al-Balad, TalKurdi, Douma Farms and Harasta,“inflicting heavy losses upon theirmembers”. State media regularlyrefers to armed rebels fightingPresident Bashar al-Assad forces as“terrorists”. Regime forces arebattling to retake control of an 8kmbelt around the heavily guardedcapital. In the central city of Homs,heavy bombardment was reportedin the Old Homs district in thecentre of the city. The rebel-heldarea has been under tight siegeby government forces for the pastnine months. In rebel-heldKafaraya on the outskirts of Homs,activists posted a video showingseveral rockets falling at once onFriday morning. SANA said that “anumber of terrorists were killed ina series of operations” in the area.Violence in the country shows nosign of abating since the uprisingagainst Assad began in March2011. The UN estimates that morethan 60,000 people have killed overthe past two years.

TUNISAgENcIES

Tens of thousands chanted anti-Ennahda slogansin the streets of Tunisia’s capital for the burialprocession of a slain opposition leader whosemurder plunged the country into a political crisisand fresh post-revolution violence.

Crowds surged around an open army truckcarrying Belaid’s coffin, draped in a red andwhite Tunisian flag, from a cultural centre inthe slain leader’s home district of Jebel al-Jaloud. “Belaid, rest in peace, we will continuethe struggle,” they changed, holding portraitsof Belaid - who was shot dead outside hishome on Wednesday by a gunman whoescaped on the back of a motorcycle.

Some shouted slogans against RachidGhannouchi, leader of the ruling Ennahda party.“Ghannouchi, assassin, criminal,” they chanted.“Tunisia is free, terrorism out.”Al Jazeera’s AhmedJanabi, reporting from Tunis, said supporters ofEnnahda had gathered outside parliament. Theysaid they had come out to ‘defend therevolution’ and denounce the assassination ofBelaid. “We are here to say that Islamist partiesdid not assassinate Belaid,” one demonstratorsaid. “We hold Tunisian media responsible forplanting the idea that Islamists are behind thekilling. Until now, the media is supported byZine El Abidine Ben Ali’s supporters.”GENERAL STRIKE: The capital was at nearstandstill amid a general strike called by theNorth African country’s biggest union toprotest his murder, blamed by the oppositionon the ruling party, Ennahda. Al Jazeera’sHashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Tunis, saidthe strike “is already causing loads ofproblems. Tunis air has suspended all flights -the airport remains open but most of theinternational flights are affected, publictransportation is at a minimum, shops are

closed and supporters of the union are alreadyrallying in the square.

“A big army force is out to prevent anyclashes between protesters... This is the biggestconcern, to have casualties. It could plungeTunisia back into more violence and uncertainty.”Belaid’s widow has insisted that women shouldbe allowed to attend the funeral - which is unusualin Tunisia. One of the slain opposition leader’sdaughters fainted in chaotic and emotional scenesas the funeral religious prepared to set off in a10km procession to the cemetery. Tunisian policefired teargas to disperse anti-governmentprotesters throwing stones and petrol bombs in themining town of Gafsa, witnesses said.SECULAR VERSUS RELIGIOUS: Tunisiahas a long-established secular tradition which hasbeen countered by the rise of one of the region’smost powerful Islamist parties. “The growing riftbetween religious and secular parties is creatingpolitical deadlock,” Ahelbarra said. “All thepressing issues like the drafting of a newconstitution and setting a final date for theelections are likely to be delayed until a deal isreached. The police and army have been put onalert to prevent any outbreaks of violence and to“deal with any troublemakers”, thepresidential spokesman Adnan Mancerannounced late on Thursday. The strike comes onthe back of Ennahda rejecting Prime MinisterHamdi Jebali’s proposal to dissolve thegovernment and install a cabinet of technocrats ina bid to restore calm after Shokri’s assassination.

“The seculars are concerned, saying thatEnnahda should not build an autocraticsystem, while the party says they have entereda coalition with seculars. But the problem isnot everyone here buys into that rhetoric,”Ahelbarra reported. “They are calling forEnnahda to dissolve the government andinstall a technocratic system otherwise theywill continue to fight.”

tunisian oppositionleader laid to rest WASHINGTON

AgENcIES

US defence chiefs have defended themilitary response to last year’s deadlyattack on a US mission in Libya, vowingto position small, quick reaction forcescloser to global crises centres to be bet-ter prepared for any future assaults.

Defence Secretary Leon Panetta andArmy General Martin Dempsey, thechairman of theJoint Chiefs ofStaff, werecalled to testifyin front of Con-gress on Thurs-day to explainwhy the militaryfailed to stop theattack that killedfour Americans,including Am-bassador Chris Stevens. The two ex-plained that they moved quickly todeploy commando teams from Spain andCentral Europe last September 11, theday of the assault on the US installationin Benghazi, but the first military unit didnot arrive until 15 hours after the first twoattacks. “Time, distance, the lack of an ad-equate warning, events that moved veryquickly on the ground prevented a moreimmediate response,” Panetta said inlikely his last appearance before Congressbefore stepping down as Pentagon chief.

Republicans have accused PresidentBarack Obama’s administration of anelection-year cover-up of a terrorist at-tack in the nearly five months since theassault, and they kept up the politicallycharged onslaught on Thursday.

The military also found itself underattack, with at least one senator accusing

the Joint Chiefs chairman of lying.Faced with repeated questions about

where units were during the attack andwhat they were doing, Dempsey said themilitary is taking steps to deal with thenext crisis. “We’ve asked each of the serv-ices to examine their capability to buildadditional reaction-like forces, small, rap-idly deployable forces,” Dempsey said. Inmore than four hours of testimony, Panettaand Dempsey described a military unit

faced with not a sin-gle attack over sev-eral hours, but twoseparate assaults sixhours apart; little real-time intelligence dataand units too far awayto mobilise quickly.

On the night of the attack, Panetta issuedorders for military forces from Spain andCentral Europe to deploy to Libya and foranother team of special operations forcesin the US to prepare to deploy to a stagingbase in Europe.

The first of those units did not arrivein the region until well after the attack.

Defence officials have repeatedlysaid that even if the military had beenable to get units there a bit faster, therewas no way they could have gotten therein time to make any difference in thedeaths of the four Americans.

US defence chiefs defendBenghazi response

WE’VE ASKED EACH OF THESERVICES TO EXAMINETHEIR CAPACITY TO BUILDADDITIONAL REACTION-LIKESMALL, RAPIDLYDEPLOYABLE FORCES

Deadly bombattacks rockIraq marketsBAGHDAD: At least 29 peoplehave been killed and dozensothers wounded by car bombsin mainly Shia Muslimneighbourhoods in Iraq, officialssay. Police officers said a bombhidden in a box went off atthe Milhaniya pet market onFriday in the Khatamiya area innorthern Baghdad. In a secondblast, a parked car exploded. Thetwin explosions killed at least 16people and wounded 43 others,security and medical officialssaid. Glass and shrapnel wasscattered across the scene, andseveral nearby cars werecompletely destroyed. In thepredominantly-Shia province ofBabil, two car bombs in the townof Shomali, south of Baghdad,killed 13 people and wounded 47others, according to security andmedical officials. The firstexplosion went off on the town’soutskirts, while the second wasdetonated in a market. Womenand children were among thecasualties in both attacks, medicssaid. Markets are crowded onFridays as Iraqis come to shopand spend family time during theMuslim weekend. The marketsare a frequentlytargeted by armed groups whichseek to inflict large numbers ofcasualties. Despite a drop inviolence, fighters carry out near-daily attacks on security forcesand civilians in Iraq in an attemptto undermine the Shia-ledgovernment. AgENcIES


newSNSaturday, 9 February, 2013

08 Government will soon announceelection date, interim setup. — Khursheed Shah

WASHINGTONSPEcIAL cORRESPONDENT

I N a rare public discussion onthe US use of drones for tar-geted killings, a key panel onthe Capitol Hill engaged inintense questioning of the

basis and rationale of the secret oper-ations when John Brennan, Obama’spick for next CIA director, appearedfor his confirmation hearing.

At the onset of hearing, Codepink

activists raised the issue of civiliankillings in Pakistan and elsewhere inthe CIA covert operations. After re-peated disruptions, Senate IntelligenceCommittee Chair Dianne Feinstein or-dered the room be cleared.

The members of the panel askedBrennan about secrecy of the droneprogramme and demanded answers toquestions surrounding legal basis oftheir use in an unprecedented way. TheUS has also used unmanned aerial ve-hicles in killing Americans suspected to

be linked with al Qaeda. The UnitedStates has employed drones frequentlyin the last four years outside the de-clared war zones in countries includingPakistan, Yemen and Somalia, leadingto widespread international oppositionto such operations on foreign soils. Is-lamabad has repeatedly voiced its crit-icism of the drone strikes in the TribalAreas as being counterproductive to itsanti-terror efforts and in contravention

of the national sovereignty and interna-tional laws. In his defence, Brennancited Washington’s continuing state ofwar against al Qaeda operatives butconceded there was “widespread de-bate” about the administration’s coun-terterrorism operations. He also agreedto suggestions that, when the CIAdrone strikes accidentally killed civil-ians, those mistakes should be admittedby the United States.

girLS’ SCHooL BomBed in BannugirLS’ SCHooL BomBed in BannuBANNU: Unidentified militants blew up a government-run girls’ school in Bannu in the wee hours ofFriday. However, no casualty was reported. According to details, the assailants had planted explosivesinside the building of the school that was badly damaged. No casualty was reported as the building wasunoccupied at the time of explosion. Locals said it was a high intensity blast creating panic among theresidents of the area.INP

US drone strikes face rarescrutiny on Capitol Hill

US DRONES KILL HUNDREDS OF AFGHAN CHILDREN: UNNEW YORK: The United Nations’ Committee on the Rights of theChild on Friday said that the United States military attacks, includingdrone strikes, have killed hundreds of children in Afghanistan over thelast four years. The Geneva-based committee said the casualties were‘due notably to reported lack of precautionary measures andindiscriminate use of force’. The committee was reviewing a range ofUS policies affecting children for the first time since 2008. In thereport, the UN committee told the US to ‘take concrete and firmprecautionary measures and prevent indiscriminate use of force toensure that no further killings and maiming of civilians, includingchildren, take place’. Human rights and civil liberties groups applaudedthe UN committee’s findings and recommendations. Meanwhile, USState Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that she was notaware of the UN report and would look into it. ONLINE

KANDARIO/SUKKURAgENcIES

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)President Nawaz Sharif has called for an endto “daku raj” in Sindh and restoration ofpeace in Karachi.

“The president should try to put thecountry on the road to progress… he couldget Nawaz Sharif’s vote this way,” Nawazsaid, adding, “We have been deceived manytimes, we will not be bamboozled by talksanymore.”

Addressing a public gathering in Kan-dario district of Sindh, Nawaz said when hewas the prime minister he used to spendevery other day in Sindh but his governmentwas terminated within two years.

He said around 10 people were killed inKarachi everyday and 300 people had been

in the city in January alone. Nawaz said police and institutions had

failed in Sindh to such an extent that theSupreme Court had to give orders to arrestkillers in the province.

“The Supreme Court is issuing ordersfor the arrest of murderers... the accused inShazaib murder case was arrested fromDubai after the order of the Supreme Court.”

He said the administration and policehad failed in Sindh and those who used tosupport the PPP had lost all hopes.

Nawaz said he had supported PresidentAsif Ali Zardari with good intentions but thepresident had betrayed him.

Nawaz said he had told Zardari hisvote would remain with him if he man-aged to lead Pakistan towards progressand development, “but unfortunatelyZardari failed to do so”.

ECP requiresreforms

ISLAMABADONLINE

PakistanPeople’sPartySenatorAitzazAhsan onFriday said thatthe ElectionCommission ofPakistan (ECP) is transgressing from itsprerogatives, and it requires reforms.Talking to reporters outside the SupremeCourt, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan said that it iswrong on part of the ECP to advise thegovernment to do legislation. To aquestion, he said that Pakistan AwamiTehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri has got theright to move the Supreme Court, but itshearings could defer the upcoming generalelections. The PPP lawmaker claimed thathe did not pursue hundreds of cases inorder to save Chief Justice of PakistanIftikhar Chaudhry from beingcontroversial, as the CJP has been hisclient in certain cases. “Had I done this,people would have pointed fingers at thechief justice of Pakistan,” he added. FromMarch 2007 until now, he had appearedbefore the CJP in only two cases, ZulfiqarAli Bhutto reference case and contempt ofcourt case, against former premier YousafRaza Gilani, Aitzaz Ahsan observed. “IfChief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry summonshim on February 20, then he will decidewhether or not to do so, after consultationwith his client,” Barrister Aitzaz Ahsanconcluded.

Rocket attack kills2 soldiers in Turbat

TURBAT INP

Unidentified people on Friday attacked aconvoy of security forces with rockets inTurbat city of Balochistany. Two lawenforcers were killed and another tworeceived serious injuries. According tosources, the incident took place whenunidentified miscreants attacked theconvoy with rockets, killing two securityofficials and injuring two others.

DISSOLUTION OF ECP ISUNCONSTITUTIONAL ISLAMABAD: Minister forInformation and BroadcastingQamar Zaman Kaira on Fridaycategorically stated that thedissolution of the ElectionCommission of Pakistan(ECP) was notconstitutionally possible.Talking to journalists‚ hesaid Dr Tahirul Qadri hadbeen told of the impossibilityof a constitutional dissolution ofthe ECP in several meetings inIslamabad and Lahore. Responding to aquestion, Kaira rejected the objections of Pakistan MuslimLeague-Nawaz (PML-N) on the commission for creation ofnew provinces. He said that the PML-N and the Punjabgovernment had been requested time and again tonominate their members for the commission but they didnot suggest any names. Furthermore, he said that theleadership of the PML-N was confused on several issues andneeded clarity on many of its stances. Answering anotherquestion‚ Kaira ruled out delay in general elections. ONLINE

MALALA DISCHARGEDFROM UK HOSPITALLONDON: Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai hasbeen discharged from a Britishhospital where she had beenreceiving treatment fornearly four months afterbeing shot in the head bythe Pakistani Taliban. The15-year-old Malalaunderwent skullreconstruction and acochlear implant surgeryto restore her hearing lastweekend. Birmingham’sQueen Elizabeth Hospital saidFriday that Malala has been released after ”makinggood recovery” from her surgery and will now continueher rehabilitation at her family’s temporary home inBirmingham and visit the hospital occasionally foroutpatient appointments. Malala was shot on Oct. 9 onthe way home from school by Taliban angered at herobjection to the group’s interpretation of Islam, whichlimits girls’ access to education. AgENcIES

FAUJI CONSORTIUMACQUIRING ASKARI BANKKARACHI: The FaujiConsortium has signed ashare purchase agreementwith the Army WelfareTrust (AWT) for stakes inAskari Bank. Theconsortium, which iscomprised of FaujiFoundation, Fauji FertilizerCompany Limited, and FaujiFertilizer Bin Qasim Limited,would purchase the bank’sshares from AWT at Rs 24.32 per share. AWT isAskari Bank’s majority shareholder. The bank andFauji Foundation have confirmed to their respectiveshareholders at the country’s stock exchanges thatthe two sides have entered into a share purchaseagreement. The deal however is subject to theapproval of regulators from the State Bank ofPakistan and the Securities and ExchangeCommission of Pakistan (SECP). ISmAIL DILAWAR

nawaz calls for end to ‘daku raj’ in Sindh

girLS’ SCHooL BomBed in Bannu


newS N09


PML-N only hurdle in newprovince for Seraiki people. — Jamshed Dasti

DASUAPP

PRIME Minister Raja PervezAshraf on Friday laid the founda-tion for construction of Thahkot-Dasu Road and vowed to continuedevelopment work for the masses

despite opposition.The road will be 63 kilometres long and

would cost Rs 2 billion.Addressing a gathering after the founda-

tion stone-laying ceremony, the prime minis-ter raised the Hard Area allowance forKohistan to 40 percent, as was the practice inother areas.

He also directed the WAPDA chairman toimmediately fulfil the promises made to thelocal people and warned of swift action incase of non-compliance.

The PM directed for repair of schools bythe Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabil-itation Agency (ERRA) and promised in-crease in quota of the area in medical andengineering colleges.

Ashraf was earlier briefed about theThahkot-Dasu Road project that would becompleted in 30 months and provide an easyaccess to the 4,320MW Dasu Power Projectbesides serving as an alternative route to

Karakoram Highway.The prime minister strongly dismissed

criticism against the development projects ofthe government. “We will not stop servingthe masses or stop development work as itbenefits them.”

The prime minister also rejected the crit-icism against the Benazir Income SupportProgramme (BISP) and said it was a servicefor the poorest of the poor and would not beallowed to end. He said the people of Pak-istan would continue to support this pro-gramme through the power of the ballot.

Ashraf said BISP would continue andwould be further expanded.

Addressing critics, he said the govern-ment would raise the disbursement amount toRs 5,000 and even Rs 10,000.

The prime minister added that the gov-ernment did not have time to indulge in mudslinging or to counter the propaganda of thecritics, as it was busy in initiating develop-mental projects for the masses.

“There is no need to teach us whatdemocracy is and how to serve the masses,”he said.

“We are not among those who run away,we will stand up and fight the critics andprove that the people of Pakistan see the PPPas a sign of hope that will not shy from anysacrifice to serve them.”

He said it was his desire to meet the peo-ple of Kohistan who were ardent supportersof Pakistan People’s Party. He said he toowas an ordinary worker of the PPP and be-lieved in the vision of the martyred leaders -Zufikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.

PM vows to continuedevelopment work

INAUGURATESDASU-THAHKOTROAD PROJECT

NEW DELHIONLINE

Strongly rejecting the Organisation ofIslamic Cooperation’s (OIC) sugges-tion of allowing an OIC fact-findingmission to Jammu and Kashmir to as-sess the human rights situation in thecountry, the Indian government onFriday said the grouping had no locusstandi on such matters and termedsuggestions to this effect by the Pak-istani foreign minister as “propagan-dist”.

A spokesman for the Indian Min-istry of External Affairs said “TheOIC has no locus standi on matters

concerning the internal affairs ofIndia or the recent incidents on theLoC. We have already clarified thatUNMOGIP has no relevance in re-gard to the latter.”

Backing Pakistan, the OIC hadyesterday asked India to allow anOIC fact-finding mission, interna-tional rights groups and humanitarianorganisations to visit Jammu andKashmir to assess the rights situation.

A joint communique, adopted atan OIC summit that also welcomedPakistan’s proposal for an investiga-tion by the UN Military ObserversGroup for India and Pakistan (UN-MOGIP) into recent ceasefire viola-

tions along the Line of Control (LoC).It expressed “deep concern” over

the ceasefire violations.The communique had further

called on India to undertake an “inde-pendent investigation into the discov-ery of mass graves and ensure freeand fair trial of those responsible” for“heinous crimes“.

The Pakistani delegation to thesummit was led by Foreign MinisterHina Rabbani Khar who called for aprobe into the ceasefire violations onthe LoC by the OIC.

The move came in the wake ofIndia’s rejection of Pakistan’s call fora probe by the UNMOGIP.

KARACHISTAFF REPORT

Free and fair elections are the only way left tosave democracy in the country, read a jointstatement issued after the Council of PakistanNewspapers Editors (CPNE) conference onFriday.

The conference, Democratic Transition-Free and Fair Elections, was held at a hotel.

It was also said that caretaker governmentwould not proceed beyond its fixed periodwhich is 90 days and would resist if anyone tryto prolong this fixed time.

Earlier, addressing the conference, Sindh

Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memonsaid that the government wanted that the elec-tions would be held on time. “In 2008 generalelections, the mandate was distributed in all po-litical parties in such a way that not a single po-litical party can form government alone andthis would be happened in these general elec-tions too,” he added.

“The ECP should have its focus on remoteareas of the country where influential peopleoccupy the stations a night before the pollingday.”

“The role of judiciary in past was not sig-nificant. The sitting chief justice (CJ) helped tostrengthen the dictatorship in past and he

helped Pervez Musharraf to prolong its gov-ernment and he is assumed as hero of Pak-istan,” he accused.

Speaking on the occasion, MuttahidaQaumi Movement (MQM) Deputy ConvenerDr Farooq Sattar said, “The present govern-ment failed in holding local bodies’ election allover the country. I am hopeful that the nextelected government would hold local bodies’election in 100 days after formation of nationaland provincial assemblies,” he added. Hestressed a need for formation of nationalagenda and repeatedly requested the authoritiesconcerned to maintain law and order situationduring the election process.”

JI urges govt toaccept Talibantalks offer

LAHOREONLINE

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Munawar Hasan onFriday urged the government to start talkswith the Taliban so that those spilling blood inthe name of Taliban could be exposed.Addressing the Friday prayers at Mansooramosque, he said that Taliban’s offer for talksshould be accepted forthwith, and the armedforces should also create an impression thatcould restore confidence and ensure thesuccess of the talks. Talks should be startedwith full confidence to end terrorism in theregion and for the restoration of peace andlaw and order in the country, he added. Hesaid that the Taliban had certain reservationsregarding the armed forces because of theirpast attitude which should be removed so thatthe Taliban could believe that the Pakistanigovernment was sincere. Dialogue with theTaliban was also necessary to overcome thetarget killings in Karachi and Balochistan,abductions for ransom, extortion and othersuch serious crimes, he added. He said thatpeace was the need of everybody and itshould be restored at any cost. He said thearmed forces had tolerated the NATO attackat Salala check post and did not even protestover that. Besides, despite knowing theassailants of the Abbotabad and navalheadquarters’ attacks, a policy of retreat wasadopted. He said to say that the Taliban didnot keep their word was a one-sided view. TheJI chief also welcomed the cabinet decision tohand over the Gwadar Port to China andstressed upon the government to ensure theimplementation of the agreement along withthe security of the Chinese engineers. Besides,he said, the pact with China should also havea provision for jobs to the residents of Gwadarand other cities and towns of Balochistan.

NA session adjournedindefinitelyISLAMABAD: The National Assembly session wasprorogued on Friday after completion of business. It wasthe 49th session of the Lower House that wassummoned on January 21. As the proceedingscommenced, PML-N lawmaker Shireen Arshadpointed out no-quorum. Upon head counting, the Housewas found lacking quorum prompting Deputy SpeakerFaisal Karim Kundi in chair, to read out the presidentialorder to prorogue the session. In its 12 sittings, besidesroutine business, the House also admitted the report ofthe Parliamentary Commission on Creation of NewProvince in Punjab. The House also discussed theprevailing law and order situation in the country, especiallykeeping in view the unrest in Balochistan. During thewhole session, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl remainedon protest against governor’s rule in Balochistan andwalked out of the House in every sitting. A day after EidMiladun Nabi on January 26, the House also specified itsone sitting to provide members the chance to speak onteaching of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), setting a newtrend in parliamentary history. APP

india rejects oiC suggestion formission to Jammu and Kashmir

‘Free and fair polls onlyway to save democracy’

INDIA DEVELOPING AGNI-VI BALLISTIC MISSILENEW DELHI: India on Friday said it is developing a long-range nuclear Agni-VI ballistic missile that would carrymultiple warheads allowing one weapon system to take outseveral targets at a time. “Agni-V is a major strategic de-fence weapon. Now we want to make Agni-VI, which wouldbe a force multiplier,” Defence Research Development Or-ganisation (DRDO) chief VK Saraswat told reporters inBangalore, capital city of the South Indian state of Kar-nataka on Friday, the Press Trust of India reported. Refus-ing to divulge the range of the new under-developmentmissile, he said the force multiplier capability of the missilewould be because of its Multiple Independently TargetableRe-entry Vehicle (MIRV) capability. The Agni-V ballisticmissile, which was test-fired in April last year, has a rangeof up to 5,500 kms and it is believed that the Agni-V1would have a range longer than its predecessor. “It willhave force multiplier capability by the MIRV approachwhich would enable us to deliver many payloads at thesame time using only one missile”. NNI

KOHISTAN: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf addressing a public gathering after inauguration ceremony of Thakot–Dassu Road Project. INP


Comment

Arif NizamiEditor

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

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

Email: [email protected]

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

CAnd so falls the coalition based on petty interestsHouse of cards

Before it is ashes

KARACHI has virtually become a hotbed of all sorts of mafia andterrorist activities. Not a day goes by without murder, kidnappingsor turf war. In the past few weeks, the trend has gained

momentum it once had in the ’90s when scores of dead bodies were founddumped in gunny bags around the city, on a daily basis. Presently,particularly disturbing is the targeted killings of religious scholars.Sectarian terrorism, it seems, is on the rise again.

Over a dozen Sunni organisations, traders and transporters observed astrike yesterday protesting against targeted killings of religious personalities.In a show of solidarity, which is a desperate need of the time, the Shia UlemaCouncil also backed the strike. Their protest is justified though a strike is notthe optimal platform to express it. The city was paralysed with businessesand markets shut down. To their credit, the strike was relatively peaceful.

Equally responsible with the militants, a statement to which manywould dispute, are the governments and their law enforcement agenciesthat have consistently been missing in action. Whereas the tally of victimshas been piling up, no tangible action has been taken neither by theprovincial nor the federal government to stop this madness. If theworsening law and order situation gets worse any more, it would be aperfect recipe for a complete breakdown of the system, thus inviting anarchy.

Failing in fulfilling their constitutionally fundamental responsibilities,both the provincial and federal governments have conveniently looked theother way, mainly out of political compulsions, while hundreds of innocentpeople have been waylaid by terrorists. The roots of the problem lie withthe politicians themselves more than anyone else. As noted by the SC, andagreed by the Sindh provincial government, the terrorists do have supportfrom political parties. But no such mention has been made in the reportsubmitted to the court, thus giving a clean chit to the political parties thatare involved in heinous crimes for some petty political gains.

The SC has though taken exception to the issue and said that it wouldissue orders ‘according to the constitution’, if the government is not willingto do it. Both governments’ apathy has put the city on fire, it would bemuch better if they paid attention to the problem and saved the city beforeit is ashes, as one SC judge has put it.

T HE elections are round the corner but the ruling coalition has yet toput its house in order. The ANP and MQM are firm on contestingelections on their own, on the basis of their respective programmes.

The PPP and PML-Q are trying to figure out if they can agree on a formulaof mutual adjustment. Whether the coming election will bring them closeror further divides them remains to be seen.

The flip-flopping MQM is again acting as an aggrieved party. Earlierthis week, Farooq Sattar told media that his party had serious reservationswhich would have to be addressed in a meeting between Altaf Hussain andAsif Zaradri. The meeting however failed to take place. The PPP had putits popularity on the line in its stronghold of Sindh by yielding to MQM’sdemand for a divisive local bodies system. Altaf wanted this to be followedby local bodies polls to consolidate his party’s hold over Karachi prior tothe general elections. PPP’s failure to oblige gave birth to a new grievance.Subsequently Altaf refused to meet Zardari in London. The signal to theNAB to go ahead against Babar Ghaouri is a double edged sword though.It could either bring the MQM back to the fold or strengthen its resolve tocontest the polls on its own and look for possible allies after the elections.The PPP could also ignore the MQM this time hoping to gain in Sindhwhat the separation would cost it in Karachi.

Mutual adjustments in various constituencies are a major cause ofbickering between the PPP and PML-Q. Despite being reduced to a shadowof its former self due to unending defections, the party leadership continuesto live in the past. It wants to be treated as a major mainstream party withpresence in all provinces. The unrealistic image of the self has led PML-Qto reject any formula for seat adjustments based on ground realities.Turncoats have left the party to join the PML-N and PTI but the partyreacts strongly whenever PPP accepts any of its renegades. It refused tonegotiate with the PPP committee headed by Manzoor Wattoo accusinghim of being instrumental in defections. A second committee headed byRaja Pervaiz Ashraf has so far failed to break the deadlock.

Despite being a parliamentary minority, the PPP managed to rule onaccount of its policy of reconciliation with all. Its erstwhile partners inpower will now wait for the outcome of the elections to decide who it suitsthem to ally with.

Sectarian killings in Karachi


10 Lahore is the perfect city to host a literary festival – great writers,incredible history, amazing music, art and architecture andarguably some of the best food in South Asia. –Libby Owen Edmund

whiteLIESapoLLo

T HE Chief Election Commis-sioner (CEC) Justice (retd)Fakhruddin G Ebrahim has fi-nally reacted to the criticismagainst ECP and its members

terming it as most unfortunate. But this is notgoing to deter M/s Imran Khan and Tahir ulQadri who challenging the integrity of ECPmembers in unison, and are demanding thereconstitution of the commission.

Fakhru Bhai’s integrity is beyond re-proach. However this has not deterred thecleric or his newfound ally from demandingthat all four members of the ECP should besent packing.

Understandably the PPPand PML-Nhave no problem with the presently consti-tuted ECP. After all being represented in theparliament they were party to the consen-sual arrangement that led to the formationof an independent and impartial ElectionCommission.

Qadri after a seven year absence fromthe country wants to reform the ambit of theelection process system even at the cost ofturning the whole political system upsidedown. Naturally enjoying the privileges ofa Canadian passport he has little at stake indemocracy or Pakistan.

Nonetheless what is surprising is thenew found love of Imran Khan for thecleric’s agenda. He had successfully resis-ted the temptation to join Qadri’s band-wagon. Yet after a meeting between thedelegations of the two parties, the PTI andPAT decided to join hands calling for apowerful election commission and an im-partial caretaker government, “to ensurefree and fair general elections”.

In the same meeting PTI and Qadriagreed to oppose any move to get the elec-tions postponed. But in reality, such de-mands when general elections are justabout to be announced in a few weeks aretantamount to throwing a spanner in theworks. Shah Mehmood Qureshi claimedwith a straight face after the meeting that

both the army and the judiciary want con-tinuation of democracy.

The Makhdoom of Multan’s mysticsense probably gives him the insight intothe minds of the two institutions. How cananyone guarantee that once these mattersare to be decided at the altar of the apexcourt elections will not be put on hold? Andsince the present parliament will completeits term in a little over a month, this couldprove to be the precursor for a caretakergovernment lasting more than sixty orninety days – a la much talked about butdiscredited Bangladesh model?

In this context Nawaz Sharif’s lamentthat ‘certain forces’ were conspiring todelay the elections is ominous. The PPPconstitutionalist senator Raza Rabbani ex-pressed similar doubts a few days ago.

But why would the Tsunami Khan be aparty to such machinations? After all we hearad nauseam from him and his party stalwartsthat the PTI is going to sweep the elections!

Conspiracy theorists claim that after theinitial surge the PTI chief feels more threat-ened from PML-N’s excellent showing in therecent by-elections in Punjab. Similarly theycontend that the PPP is making inroads in theSouth of Punjab making Imran’s dream ofsweeping the elections even more elusive.

When he re-launched himself from amassive public rally in Lahore in October2011, it seemed there was no stoppingImran. The enthusiasm for him amongst theyouth and the idealists knew no bounds.

Those who were entirely fed up withthe shenanigans of the traditional politi-cians flocked around him. And then the tra-ditional politician seeing his party ticket asa free pass to the next assemblies startedjoining him in hordes.

Gradually tsunami of the people thatImran boasted would sweep everyone offtheir feet has become a tsunami of oppor-tunists joining him. Imran is now sur-rounded by soldiers of fortune and idealists,while the original core team who sincerelywant to do something for Pakistan suddenlyfind themselves in a minority.

A mixture of political naivety and ide-alism persuaded the PTI chief to go forparty elections. An excellent idea, but mostparties run by personalities hardly followthe democratic path they preach for thecountry within their ranks.

The same criticism is leveled by suc-cessive military strongmen against demo-cratic politicians. But as Imran hasdiscovered to his peril it is not an easy task.

The PTI’s elections, which were to con-clude last August, are still pending. Mean-while infighting and groupings within theparty have become its scourge.

Elections are on the anvil but the urgent

task of awarding party tickets is still pend-ing. Hence in most constituencies there arenumerous candidates claiming to be partyticket holders.

Khan’s criticism of Asma Jahangir as acandidate for caretaker prime minister isalso somewhat misplaced. Sharing this dys-logistic approach towards her with the mul-lah, the PTI chief has attacked her integrityas an impartial player. Interestingly hername has been floated by the PML-N andnot by the PPP.

But by virtue of some perverse logicshe is somehow being portrayed asZardari’s candidate by the PTI. Accordingto the ‘muk mukaa’ arrangement the care-taker prime minister will be of PPP’s likingwhereas Punjab’s caretaker chief ministerwill be of PML-N’s choice although nomi-nated by the PPP.

Obviously our ubiquitous establishmentwould never have clearedAsma’s name.Her pro-India views do not sit well with themilitary’s worldview. And this would haveput paid to her candidature. But Imran whoclaims not having any truck with the estab-lishment, in essence had no qualms aboutwashing their dirty laundry.

Qadri’s agreement with the govern-ment being unworkable under the consti-tution was never going to fly. Now asexpected he has filed a petition in theSupreme Court for reconstitution of theECP. Still adamant on implementation ofArticles 62 and 63 of the constitution, inthe coming days he has announced a cou-ple of sit-ins in Central Punjab.

Meanwhile leader of the opposition inthe National Assembly, Nisar Ali Khanwants the entire field of incumbents rang-ing from provincial governors to the IGs ofPolice replaced with ‘impartial’ persons.Similarly Imran wants the president to besent packing before the elections. All thesedemands are extra constitutional.

Suddenly everyone has become puri-tanical about the fair and free elections. Ina clear break from the past there is an inde-pendent election commission headed by aperson of integrity, a caretaker governmentis to be formed before elections are an-nounced while media and independentcourts are overseeing the process.

What more do we want? Is there aconspiracy to delay the elections in thename of free and fair elections? Wittinglyor unwittingly, some of our august politi-cians are a party to it.

Hopefully Zardari will tie up some ofthe loose ends – and there are many now –in his impending meeting with NawazSharif during his visit to Lahore.

The writer is Editor, Pakistan Today

Qadri and Imran aim at what?

Puritan doublespeak

ARIF NIzAmI

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

Asenior retired judge of theLahore High Court and hiswife, who runs her own

hospital, celebrated their 50th weddinganniversary recently.The food was to be brought in from oneof Lahore’s elite clubs. Well, there was abit of a mix-up: the food couldn’t bedelivered on time. The solution? The

aforementioned hospital’s ambulances(yes, ambulances) were deputed to getthe food delivered. It gets better: theywent with sirens blaring as well!What qualifies to be an emergencyseems to be very relative. It might be acardiac arrest for some, and it might belukewarm (oh, the horror!) chicken a laKiev for others.

F INISHING touches on the President’spersonal mansion in Bahria Town,Lahore. It will come in handy for visits

to Lahore.But why build one out of (what is arguably) hisown money? Because his official residence forLahore visits is the Governor House. That, hissecurity experts have deemed insecure becauseof the large number of staffers who have beenliving in their colonies inside the gubernatorialcompound since a very long time. Thepresident, reportedly, did not want toinconvenience them for his own trips.Despite what you might have heard, he is saidto be actually very considerate when it comesto such matters.


Comment CSaturday, 9 February, 2013

11No sociologist should think himself too good, even in his oldage, to make tens of thousands of quite trivial computationsin his head and perhaps for months at a time. –Max Weber

L ET’S try to enact the broad con-tours of prospects that are impact-ing the current politicaldevelopments in the country.

People’s Party is desperate to stay in poweras, failing that, it may see many of its leadinglights including its co-chairperson land up injail on account of involvement in mega scams.

PML-N has waited anxiously for almostfive years for its ‘turn’ to ravage the countrywith its last two stints in power providing thelead. It is unwilling to forego the chance.

MQM is using all its muscle to hold on,even increase its fake ‘mandate’ by resisting ef-forts for delimitation of constituencies and reg-istration of voters in Karachi. People willing tocooperate with the Election Commission staffare being threatened with dire consequences.

PML-Q is fast losing relevance at the handsof its more influential political adversaries asmost of its stalwarts are deserting a sinking ship.

ANP has its goose cooked in the wake ofits below-par performanceand the alleged involvementof its leaders in numerous fi-nancial irregularities.

Confronted with shrink-ing space, the traditional re-ligious parties including theJamaat-e-Islami (JI) and theJamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam(JUI) will be fighting evenmore venomously to hold onto their slice of the con-stituency cake.

PML-F has somewhatexpanded its base in Sindhand has also made headwayin striking alliances withlike-minded outfits else-where in the country.

All these parties consti-tute the traditional, status-quo mafia of the country.They are now being chal-lenged by the drive for‘change’ led by PTI’sTsunami, Tahir-ul-Qadri’slong-march politics and theemergence of the nationalistforces in Sindh andBalochistan. The million-dollar question is: will theforces opposing the status-quo politics, individually orcollectively, succeed in dis-mantling the strongholds ofthe traditional politicalmafias by playing on their

wicket suited to their kind of game?Conceded that the hold of these tradi-

tional forces may be waning because of theirexcessive involvement incorruption, the lack ofdelivery of their govern-ments at the centre and inthe provinces, their in-ability to provide succourand security to the peo-ple, the virtual disappear-ance of energy eitherbecause of paucity insupply or an abominableincrease in the cost andan incessantly enhancingnumber of problems forthe common people thatare adversely impactingtheir chances for sur-vival, but does it also fol-low that these mafiashave also run out oftricks that they can play to keep the masseshostage in their criminal tentacles? And, whatare these tricks that may still be available tothem to continue their stranglehold?

The principal instrument that is still avail-able to the stalwarts of these mafias is the‘system’ that works by corruption and you-scratch-my-back-I’ll-scratch-yours mecha-nism. There has been no change there as noneof the incumbent political mafias would allowthat. This is their favourite wicket and theyknow how best to play on it. They know thebounce and they have perfected their armouryto extract maximum advantage from the turfand the prevalent conditions. The question is:do they also know their adversaries and willthey be able to evade their bouncers andsmother their googlies?

That brings us to evaluating the prospectsof the stalwarts of ‘change’: a possible combi-nation of the Tsunami, the long-marches andthe nationalist forces of Sindh and Balochistanrepresenting a quest for emancipation. In addi-tion to their respective merits and strengths,will these forces be able to work in unison toachieve a cause that, apparently, is advanta-geous to them all? To begin with, it appearedthat these forces were working at a tangent toone another, but there are indications that, afterall, they may be able to build a commonalityof objectives as part of their united struggle.The outstanding issues that need the conver-gence of all forces representing ‘change’ arethe composition and functioning of the Elec-tion Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and themanner and method of the induction of the in-

terim government that would be tasked withthe objective of holding the national elections.

There should be little ambiguity regardingthe intentions of the in-cumbent mafias to useboth these instruments totheir advantage. Therehave been indications thatthe ECP, after its initialsalvo of bravado, is actu-ally succumbing to the in-cessant pressure exertedby the status-quo forces ascan be gauged from thestatements of the ChiefElection Commissioner(CEC). After vowing touphold all injunctions ofthe Supreme Court, hebacked off just a few dayslater on his commitment tocarry out delimitations inKarachi. Even the voter

registration exercise that is understandably un-derway in the city is being conducted withoutthe help of the army as had been ordered by theSC which makes it brazenly counterproductive.The very composition of the ECP with four po-litical appointments renders it impossible for theCEC to act as he may deem right. He has tocurry the support of at least two of them in for-mulating and implementing decisions which ispossible only in the event when there is a con-flict of interest between the two major politicalforces – the one marshalling the government andthe other controlling the opposition. As thingsstand today, there is no such conflict and therewill not be because these mafias are united inthe cause of keeping the corrupt ‘system’ going.

Therefore, can the Tsunamis, the long-marches and the nationalist forces achievethe minimum desirable objectives by work-ing individually, or is there a need for themto close ranks and put together a charter ofdemands with an operational mechanism toget to the goal? The meeting between the PTIand Tahir-ul-Qadri could be a starting point,but there is a need for inducting all forcesstanding for ‘change’ into their ranks tolaunch a joint and concerted struggle for ex-tricating this country from the clutches of thecriminal mafias that have ruled it in one garbor the other. In the event this does not hap-pen, the dream of ‘change’ will quickly dis-integrate thus further perpetuating the evilhold of the corrupt and the cunning.

The writer is a political analyst. He can bereached at [email protected]

Moves not so subtleThe prospects and pitfalls on way to change

To thenegotiating table

candid cornerRAOOF HASAN

HAD I notbeen a firmbeliever ofthe view that

most of the traditionalconcepts of conflict reso-lution in the discipline ofinternational relations areoutdated, I would havecast serious doubts on theTTP’s willingness to con-ditionally parley with thegovernment dominatedby the infidels, as the self-styled crusaders perceiveof the declared secularparties like PPP, ANP and their other coalition partners.

In the post-9/11 world, the nature of conflicts and the partiesinvolved therein have introduced a watershed change in the para-digms of conflict resolution methods. The wars being fought acrossthe globe today see the states predominantly engaged with the non-state actors. And the non-state actors are those who, having alreadychosen militancy as a lifestyle and with no public pressure on theirback, are totally unwary of the outcome of any process of negoti-ations they rarely opt for. These non-state actors, therefore, havethe leverage to dictate terms and conditions for the talks.

In case of TTP in Pakistan, this leverage stands automaticallydoubled with Taliban seeing the world’s sole super military might,the US, backed by NATO, having ultimately chosen the path of di-alogue to wrap up the decade-old guerrilla warfare in Afghanistan.

If evaluated against the backdrop of conventional conflict reso-lution methods, the TTP, being one of the conflicting sides, mustcome to the negotiation table sans preconditions that most of the timeconstitute the bone of contention between the warring groups. In fact,the belligerents, when sit across the table, negotiate these precondi-tions to pave the way for a broader range of parleys. This, however,is not the case with the so-called Pakistani Taliban who apparentlytend to hold the most-discussed talks with arms in their hands.

No sane person would ever buy the contention that the TTP isserious in holding result-oriented talks with the politico-judicially-embattled government if the banned outfit’s conditional willingnessfor peace comes with the determination to ‘eliminate’ MQM, amajor coalition partner of the ruling PPP and one of the mostprominent stakeholders in the current polity in Pakistan.

Also, terming the imprisoned Muslim Khan and Maulvi Omar asthe would-be leaders of their peace-negotiating team, the Taliban havelinked the start of dialogues with their release. This is the most pre-dictable stumbling block for the talks yet to commence. If analysed indepth, Sunday’s video message of TTP Spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsanor Yaseen Safi, Ihsan’s reported real name, depicts anything but Tal-iban’s willingness to shun violence, at least in the foreseeable future.

Instead, the TTP, seeking a trilateral guarantee from the leadershipof PML-N, JUI-F and JI, seems to have some underlying political de-signs that, if not contained pragmatically, are very much likely toplague the electioneering country with a fresh political turmoil. Havingalready used terminologies like good and bad Taliban, we would soonbe witnessing politicians categorised as pro- and anti-Taliban. Thoughmurkily, politics is lurking from the ambiguous conditions set forth bythe Taliban. What is more alarming, however, is the fact that the stake-holders from the govt’s side are also not apolitical in their response.

ANP’s KPK Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, whohas lost his only son to militancy in the terrorism-stricken province,was quick in reportedly claiming that TTP had responded to ANP’soffer. “In fact, banned TTP expressed willingness for dialogue in re-sponse to ANP’s offer,” he said last Sunday. Another political touchin this entire episode is the fact that all of the leaders the TTP confidedin as ‘guarantors’ from the military’s side are presently sitting in theopposition block and have one thing in common: anti-Americanism.

The three Taliban favourites also have a clear idea, more thanothers, of the realities on ground in a country like Pakistan wherethey know Parliament is not the only centre of power. This appre-hension can be seen at work in a recent statement of Maulana FazlurRehman who has linked his role as a mediator with ‘total authority’.

This is an open secret that the shrewd Maulana is asking the all-powerful Pakistan Army for ‘total authority’ and not the elected gov-ernment which cannot deal, unilaterally, with strategic issues Pakistanis facing on the War on Terror front. Also, the PPP-led political gov-ernment is less likely to give a free space to these three politicianswho are its potential rivals, most prominently PML-N, in the forth-coming election. PPP’s trouble-shooter, Interior Minister RehmanMalik, has sought ‘next few days’ for response to TTP’s offer.

JUI’s Deputy Secretary General Farid Paracha has already putenough weight behind this impression by saying that how his partycould play as a guarantor given the government’s unwillingness toimplement even the parliamentary resolutions.

Amid these miscomprehensions and apprehensions, the PPPwould end up with the only choice of mobilising another Talibanfavourite: Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan. Dr Khan, the father of Pakistan’snuclear programme, and a disgraced figure for his alleged involve-ment in nuclear proliferation, is a ‘national asset’ to TTP, as Ihsandubbed him in his 7-minute video message. It is prerequisite for aconflict resolution process that the mediator be acceptable to allsides. The non-partisan status of Dr Khan makes the former nuclearscientist equally a preferred choice for the PPP government.

What is direly needed in this country is to have a single legitimatedecision-making central authority, let’s say the Parliament, which couldindependently decide the ill-defined national interest of Pakistan.

Putting it more simply, we would never be able to put an end tothis never-lasting ideological fight called War on Terror if all pillars ofthe state, which include the government, army, judiciary, media andbureaucracy, fail to go hand-in-hand in bargaining with the militants.

The writer is a Karachi-based journalist. He can be reachedat [email protected]

ISmAIL DILAWAR

The principal instrumentthat is still available to thestalwarts of these mafiasis the ‘system’ that worksby corruption and you-scratch-my-back-I’ll-scratch-yours mechanism.


Have a heart that never hardens, and atemper that never tires, and a touch thatnever hurts. — Charles Dickens

BRUCE WILLISAGAINST NEW GUNCONTROL LAWSBruce Willis has said that he’s againstthe new gun control laws that couldinfringe on the Second Amendmentrights. The 57-year-old action star alsodismissed any link between Hollywoodshootouts and real-life gun violence.He said that he believes that thegovernment couldn’t just pick anythingout of the Bill of Rights withoutthinking that it’s all going to becomeundone. “If you take one out or changeone law, then why wouldn’t they takeall your rights away from you?” theNew York Daily News quoted him assaying while promoting his latest film,‘A Good Day To Die Hard.’ He alsobelieves that “the real topic isdiminished” when observers linkHollywood with high-profile massshootings like those last year inConnecticut and Colorado. NEWS DESk

ARTS

ASaturday, 9 February, 2013

12

EVERYONE who’s anyoneknows that The Voice Season4 premieres on March 25,2013 with new coachesUsher and Shakira. But how

much do we really know about thesenewbies? Shakira’s already informed usthat her hips don’t lie and that she’sreally into Africa, but there are someother interesting tidbits you mightwant to know before checking out thepremiere of our favorite hit realityshow. 1) SHAKIRA AND BOYFRIENDGERARD PIQUE SHARE THE SAMEBIRTHDAY!In addition to sharing eternal love,Shakira and her soccer star BF GerardPique have the same birthday — Feb.2. The real shocker? Shakira is exactly10 years older than her main man. Herbaby daddy is a mere 26 years old,while Shak is a youthful 36. Get it,gurl!

2) SHAKIRA HAS TWOGRAMMYS AND EIGHTLATIN GRAMMYSThough she didn’t makeher big break until therelease of her album LaundryService in 2001, Shakira’smusic career has been goingstrong since the early ‘90s. In thattime she’s picked up eight LatinGrammys and two Grammys in the U.S.

3) “WAKA WAKA (THIS TIME FORAFRICA)” IS THE BIGGESTSELLING WORLD CUP SONG OF ALLTIMERemember when everyone just wantedto belly dance and sing about Africa?Good times. Well, Shakira’s anthem notonly represented the 2010 World Cup,but it also ended up being the bestselling World Cup anthem of all time. 4) SHAKIRA FOUNDED THE PIESDESCALZOS FOUNDATION

If her Unicef baby shower campaignwas any indication, this pop star

lovesto give back.

In 1997 she founded the PiesDescalzos Foundation — aColombian charity with specialtyschools for poor children in thecountry. The foundation got its namefrom Shakira’s third album — PiesDescalzos.

5) SHAKIRA HAS APPEARED ONTHE SHOWS UGLY BETTY ANDWIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACEStep back, Adam Levine. Shakira

was into actingplenty

ofyearsbeforeAmerican HorrorStory was eveninvented! Granted,the pop star playedherself, but she didit well.

CRAZY SHAKIRA FACTSYOU NEVER KNEW

The Love on Top singer - who stunned with her 14-minuteSuper Bowl performance in New Orleans on Sunday - doesn’twant any of her fans to miss out on attending her upcomingMrs Carter Show world tour and has made sure that her ticketprices are as low as possible. A source told USMagazine.comthat tickets in the US will start at approximately £30, adding:“There are plenty of tickets at low prices in every city soBeyoncé can make sure all of her fans can seethe show. And there are similarly low-priced tickets in every worldwidecity. “She takes care of all herfans so that every one of themcan see her.” Europe, North America Pre-sale tickets will go on sale onFriday from Ticketmasterand general tickets will goon sale on 11 February forthe tour, which will beginon 15 April in Belgrade,Serbia and cover mostof Europe. The singer- who is married torapper Jay-Z andhas a one-year-olddaughter Blue IvyCarter - will thentravel to overtwenty citiesthroughout NorthAmerica this summerand she is confirmedto headline at theworld’s largest musicfestival Rock in Rio on13 September in Brazilbefore the second wave ofthe tour starts in Latin America,before moving on to Australia and Asia.The Rolling Stones came under fire lastyear when they announced tickets for their50 and Counting shows would cost between£95 and £375 per ticket in the UK, andguitarist Keith Richards was forced to defendthe prices. He said: “We do it for ourselves.And I don’t mean money-wise - of courseyou don’t mind getting paid - but that is notthe driving force behind this band. Youcan sit at home, do a bit of painting orwriting or whatever. “But there’s acertain magnetic thing that says what Ireally want to do is play with CharlieWatts and Mick and Ronnie. That’sthe force that’s indescribable. Youput this bunch into a room with abunch of microphones andsome instruments andsomething is going to comeout.” NEWS DESk

BEYONCÉoffers cheap concert tickets

Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones says she was not worried one bit when her husband Michael Douglasinformed her that he was going to kiss co-actor Matt Damon in a new project. “I’m kissing MattDamon,” Douglas told his wife. But Welsh star Zeta-Jones says she was “happy” about the twomen snogging, reports thesun.co.uk. Douglas portrays the flamboyant Liberace in a movie aboutthe late performer’s gay love affair with Scott Thorson, played by Damon. Zeta-Jones, 43,revealed that Damon was thinking of her while he was getting up, close and personal withDouglas. The film, “Liberace: Behind The Candelabra”, is a TV movie by “Ocean’s Eleven”director Steven Soderbergh. “I must say I have seen ‘Liberace: Behind The Candelabra’, andif my husband is going to kiss anybody else, I’m so happy it’s Matt Damon,” she said.“Supposedly, when Matt was kissing Michael, he said that he closed his eyes and pretended he

was kissing me, rather than Michael, which is very flattering. Matt said that toMichael. Matt was closing his eyes, kissing Michael but pretending he waskissing me. “I thought that was one of the biggest compliments I have everhad. Or so ****ed up,” she added. NEWS DESk

Zeta-Jones had no issueswith husband’s gay kiss

I’m ashamed ofRs.100 crore game:Kay Kay MenonVersatile actor Kay Kay Menon says he is ashamed that thereis no cinema left and it’s only about box office business andbig numbers. “I am ashamed that talent is not promoted, it’sall about marketing. There is no cinema, it’s only aboutRs.100 crore (business),” said the 45-year-old who feelsearning Rs.100 crore is “not a big deal”. “I am ashamed ofthis Rs.100 crore game,” he added. Seen in different roles insuccessful films “Sarkar”, Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd and“Life In A... Metro” and critically acclaimed Gulaal”, KayKay says he is not even “interested in understanding thisgame. For me, it is something else. Anything which is non-cinema, I am not interested in it”. A management graduate,Kay Kay’s love for the craft of acting motivated him to joinmovies. He only wants to stick to acting because “that iswhat I am good at. I am enjoying it. When I will be bored, Iwill shift to something else.” “I am living my life to thebest of my ability. I don’t do things that doesn’t appeal tome. Finding cinema is a rare commodity, to find a goodcinema is all the more difficult,” he added. Kay Kay iscurrently busy promoting “ ABCD - Anybody Can Dance”,country’s first 3D dance film starring a host ofchoreographers like Prabhudheva and Ganesh Acharaya. Ithas been directed by dance director Remo D’Souza and iscoming out Feb 15. NEWS DESk

JENNIFER LAWRENCESTALKED JOHNSTAMOS AT A PARTYJennifer Lawrence, who has rubbedelbowed with Tinseltown A-listers allawards season, admitted that shestalked John Stamos at a party. The22-year-old actress told Conan O’Brianin her latest winning talk showappearance that the “Full House” hunkis the coolest star she’s met, the NewYork Post reported. “He was at a party,and I turned into a perverted guy,” shesaid. “I was like following him intorooms and staring at his ass.” The‘Silver Linings Playbook’ actress alsosaid that she was avoiding meeting himbecause when she meets people itnever turns up to be good. She addedthat it were her friends, who broughthim over and she started reallyfreaking out and he asked her, whethershe was on mushrooms to which shereplied “No. I’m dead sober. This is justme.” NEWS DESk


A woman should be home with the children,building that home and making sure there’s asecure family atmosphere. — Mel Gibson

13artSSaturday, 9 February, 2013

A

BINA SHAH � I never told YouTube I likethe Big Bang Theory. HOWDID IT KNOW TORECOMMEND THE BLOOPERSCLIP TO ME? I’m scared.

MOHAMMAD ALI TALPUR Karachi Literary Festival.M.Hanif’s book on ‘BalochMissing’ launch on 16thFeb Beach Luxury Hotel11.15 a.m.

HUFFPOST BOOKS“A mind needs books as asword needs a whetstone, ifit is to keep its edge.” —George R.R. Martin, AGame of Thrones

SHEERAZ HASAN An extremely wealthySheikh from Qatar justcalled me to ask how muchfor @50cent to attend hisdaughters birthday

HEIDI KLUM “Do not go where thepath may lead, goinstead where there is nopath and leave a trail” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

NOTABLE TWEETS

NEWS DESK

Today is the 201st anniversary of the birth ofthe incomparable Charles Dickens. Yet there’s alot of facts about him that you probably didn’tknow - such as that he once performed under thename Rhia Rhama Rhoos, and had a pet raventhat you can now see in Philadelphia. 1 ‘What the Dickens’ predates him by a

few centuries: Its first recorded use is inShakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor -‘Dickens’ was a euphemism for ‘devil’.

2 He had a pet raven called ‘Grip’: After itdied, he had it stuffed - you can see it here.It’s now on display in Philadelphia.

3 His first published fiction: His firstpublished fiction was “A Dinner at PoplarWalk,” published in Monthly Magazine. Hewrote it aged 21, while working as a reporterat The Morning Chronicle

4 He was mostly self-taught: He left schoolaged 15, when he had to take a job as a legalclerk to support his family.

5 He had a secret study: In his house, hehad a door built to look like a bookcase,behind which he hid a secret room.

6 He named one of his sons after anotherwriter: His youngest son was Edward BulwerLytton Dickens, named after the author whoinfamously started one of his books, “It was adark and stormy night.” The writer BulwerLytton and Dickens were friends.

7 Pickwick spinoffs: His first serial, ThePosthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (akaPickwick Papers), was so popular during itsrelease that unofficial commercial spinoffssoon proliferated, including Pickwick pastriesand Fat Boy sweets.

8 He loved nicknames: He had a number ofdifferent nicknames for himself, including“The Sparkler of Albion”, “Revolver” and “TheInimitable.” He also gave his childrennicknames including “Chickenstalker” and“Skittles.”

9 He loved magic: He onceperformed a conjuring show on

the Isle of Wight for friends, with the stagename “The Unparalleled Necromancer RhiaRhama Rhoos, educated cabalistically in theOrange Groves of Salamanca and the OceanCaves of Alum Bay.”

10 He knew shorthand: His first business cardhad his occupation listed as “Short HandWriter.” He got it made at some pointbetween the age of 17 and 19.

11 His writing overlapped: He started OliverTwist when halfway through Pickwick Papers,and Nicholas Nickleby halfway through OliverTwist.

12 He loved cold showers: While overseeingrenovations to a new house, he wrote that “aCold Shower of the best quality, alwayscharged to an unlimited extent, has becomea necessary of life to me.”

12 facts you didn’t knowabout Charles dickens

ANGELINA JOLIEslammed for adoptingkids from Africa

MOZAMBIQUE-BORN model Tasha daVasconcelos has hit out at theadoption of African children bycelebrities like Madonna andAngelina Jolie, saying that

by taking children away, they are “ripping theheart out of Africa.” As she prepares to openthe doors to a new eye clinic she built inMalawi with her charitable foundation,Amor, De Vasconcelos also criticisedwealthy foreigners for “throwing money”at Africa rather than getting involved onthe ground and working directly with thesystems in place there. “There issomething inside me that cries every dayfor not being in the place where I wasborn,” she told the Independent. She addedthat if anyone wants to help them, they shouldhelp them inside their country. One has tobecome close to the people on the ground: theministers, the chief of the village, the people whoare running the projects on the ground, and thatmeans being hands-on. It is not enough just to sendcheques, she said. She said that as a refugee she hadexperienced the impact of leaving behindcousins, family members, grandparentsand, most of all, the land she loved.“This is why I do not advocateadoption out of Africa to aHollywood lifestyle, asMadonna and Angelina Joliehave done,” she added.Following a recent visit toAfrica, the 46-year-oldsupermodel was madehonorary consul for the G8to “bridge” the gapbetween Europe andAfrica. NEWS DESk

Kader Khanfine, upsetwith deathrumours

NEWS DESK

Veteran actor Kader Khan is hale and hearty and says hisfamily is really upset with rumours about his death doing therounds on the social-networking sites. The 77-year-old hasurged gossip mongers to stop spreading rumours. “My familyis extremely upset about it. They are very worried. All this hasshaken my family. Whoever is spreading such rumours, pleasestop it,” Kader told IANS. “Ek din toh sabko jana hai aurmain aap sabki duayein lekar jaunga, (one day everyone hasto die and when I’ll go, I will go with your blessings). Rightnow I am completely fine,” he added. From negative roles tocomedy to character roles,Kader has portrayeddiverse characters onscreen in his careerspanning almost fourdecades. He hasworked in over 350films, includingCoolie, BaapNumbri Beta DusNumbri, Hum, BolRadha Bol, Aankhen,Raja Babu andJudwaa. He also wrotescripts and dialoguesfor movies.

Naomi Wattscalls family life‘best thing’

NEWS DESK

Naomi Watts,who has twosonsAlexander,six, andSamuel, five,with partnerLiev Schreiber,has said that eventhough her familylife is exhausting, “It’sso great, it’s the best thing.” “I do my ownlaundry but I sometimes have help. I cook. Idefinitely don’t have a chef,” the DailyExpress quoted her as saying. Watts saidthat after shooting ‘The Impossible’ andPrincess Diana biopic ‘Diana,’ she’s glad tobe able to take some time out. She addedthat she just can’t travel again right now asshe did a lot of travelling last year and nowit was time for her to be home with herkids.

I get more offersfor direction:Prabhu Deva

NEWS DESK

Choreographer-actor-director Prabhu Deva,who will next be seen acting in ‘ABCD - AnyBody Can Dance’, says he receives moreoffers for direction but loves choreography themost. “I get more offers for direction thanacting. I don’t receive offers for acting...everyone takes me as a director... which Ithink is good. It is not that I am not keen onacting. If I am comfortable and I like it then Itake up acting. It is not that I won’t be acting,”Prabhu told . “I did choreography, directionand acting. Everything is a part of my job. ButI love doing choreography more thananything,” he said. Prabhu is not actively seenacting in Hindi films, but has made cameoappearances, especially in songs. He was lastseen in a special appearance song in AkshayKumar’s ‘Oh My God’ and ‘Rowdy Rathore’last year. As far as acting in films is concerned,Prabhu believes he should feel comfortableenough to act. “I think I should feelcomfortable to do the role, the film.And then I should have time as Ihave choreography anddirection work as well,” hesaid. Prabhu, who has beenwooing the audience withhis fine andflexibledanceskills,says, “Myfirst passionischoreography.Presently I am busywith direction, if I am freeand if someone needs me Iwill do it (choreography),” hesaid. Considering that he wouldbe acting in Remo D’Souza’supcoming 3D dance film‘ABCD’, Prabhu did not have to bea choreographer. “This is notmy first film as an actor. Inevery Indian film dance is anessential part, there arechoreographers. So I didnot have to hold myself inthe area of choreography.When I am acting I amjust acting and nothingelse,” he said. ‘ABCD- Anybody CanDance’ stars Prabhuand GaneshAcharya in keyroles, while somecontestants ofreality show‘Dance IndiaDance’ also essaycentral characters.


NEWS DESK

R ESEARCHERS fromGlasgow University werepart of an internationalteam that has beeninvestigating

the demise of thedinosaur. By usingdating techniqueson rock and ashsamples, theyestablished thecreatures diedout about66,038,000years ago -give ortake 11,000 years.hat date appears tocoincide with theimpact of a comet orasteroid. ebate has raged asto whether the giant impact was the solecause of a quick demise of the dinosaurs,whether they were already in decline atthe time of the impact, or whether theimpact in fact happened as much as300,000 years after they weregone. he study has been publishedin the journal Science, and alsoinvolved researchers from theBerkeley Geochronology Center andUniversity of California, Berkeley in theUS and Vrije University Amsterdam inthe Netherlands. he extinction of thedinosaurs was first linked to acomet or asteroid impact in 1980.

'FINAL STRAW': A 180km (110mi)-wide crater in the Caribbean off theYucatan coast of Mexico is presumed to bethe result of that impact. Called Chicxulub,the crater is thought to have been createdby an object 10km (6mi) across that threwinto the atmosphere debris which is stillfound around the globe. These includesigns of the enormous force of impact andits extraterrestrial origin: glassy spheresknown as tektites, "shocked" quartz and alayer of dust enriched with an elementcalled iridium. The international teamdecided last year to use these clues to puta more precise date on the dinosaur

extinction, bye x a m i n i n g

layers

of the archaeological record where they lieclose to the last fossils of dinosaurs. Theylooked at tektites from Haiti and volcanicash collected from the Hell CreekFormation in Montana - the source ofmany dinosaur fossils and one of the bestsites to study the change in fossils frombefore and after the extinction. Thesamples were analysed in laboratories firstin the US, where a technique called"argon-argon dating" was used todetermine their ages precisely. Theapproach makes use of thefact that then a t u r a l l y

radioactive element called potassiumslowly decays into argon with greatregularity; the argon-argon method isamong the most precise ways of"clocking" how long a particular samplehas been decaying. Paul Renne, professorin residence of earth and planetary scienceat the University of California, said of the

revised date: "The impactwas clearly the finalstraw that providedthe tipping point."We have shown thatthese events aresynchronous towithin a gnat'seyebrow and therefore

the impact clearly played a majorrole in extinctions, but it probablywasn't just the impact." The Glasgowresearchers, based at the ScottishUniversities Environmental ResearchCentre in East Kilbride and led by DrDarren Mark, then conductedindependent argon-argon analyses onrock samples, which confirmed theresults from the US. Dr Mark said:"This study shows the power of highprecision geochronology. "Manypeople think precision is just about

adding another decimalplace to a number, butit's far more excitingthan that. It's morelike getting asharper lens on acamera. "Itallows us todissect theg e o l o g i c a lrecord atg r e a t e rresolution andpiece togetherthe sequence of Earth history."

Say hello to your oldestmammal ancestorScientists believe they've identified the common ancestorthat links human beings with all other placental mammals: arat-sized creature that lived on insects.University of Florida researchers analyzed the anatomy ofliving and fossil primates, including lemurs, monkeys andhumans, as well as their closest living relatives, flying lemursand tree shrews. And contrary to a commonly held theory,they say, the group diversified wildly after the extinction ofdinosaurs 65 million years ago."With regards to evolution, it's critical to understand therelationships of living and fossil mammals before askingquestions about 'how' and 'why,' " says Jonathan Bloch of theFlorida Museum of Natural History."This gives us a new perspective of how major change caninfluence the history of life, like the extinction of thedinosaurs - this was a major event in Earth's history thatpotentially then results in setting the framework for theentire ordinal diversification of mammals, including our ownvery distant ancestors."A visual reconstruction of the creature was made possiblewith the help of a cloud-based,d publicly accessibledatabase called MorphoBank.Researchers recorded observational traits for 86 placentalmammal species, including 40 fossil species. The resultingdatabase contains more than 12,000 images that correspondto more than 4,500 traits detailing characteristics like thepresence or absence of wings, teeth and certain bones, typeof hair cover and brain structures. The team reconstructedthe anatomy of the common ancestor by mapping the traitsmost strongly supported by the data. These suggest a two-horned uterus, a brain with a convoluted cerebral cortex anda placenta in which maternal blood came in close contact withmembranes surrounding the fetus, as in humans. NEWS DESk

NEWS DESK

In her search for more advertising revenue, Yahoochief Marissa Mayer has decided to team up with herformer employer, Google. In a post on its websiteWednesday, Yahoo said it willbegin using Google'sAdSense and AdMobservices as it seeks toboost sales from thecontent on its ownpages. The SunnyvaleWeb portal companysigned a global,nonexclusiveagreement with Googlefor contextualadvertisements. The adswill appear on Yahoo'ssites for finance, news, sports and autos, said SaraGorman, a spokeswoman for the company. ChiefExecutive Officer Mayer plans to get users spendingmore time on a dozen of Yahoo's top sites, she saidin a call with analysts last month. The partnership

with Google, her former employer, could help Yahooboost revenue from those pages, said Mark Mahaney,managing director at RBC Capital Markets in SanFrancisco. He said the move indicates that Yahoobelieves it will generate revenue, and that it should

be "a near-termpositive." Yahoo stockrose 1.5 percent to$20.15 in extendedtrading after theannouncement of the

new partnership. Googlealready distributessimilar ads tothousands of websites,a service that hashelped establish it asthe Internet's most

prosperous company.Yahoo has been struggling to attract more advertisers,even though marketing budgets have been shifting tothe Internet. Google retains part of the revenuegenerated from the ads shown on its partners' sites.The revenue split with Yahoo wasn't disclosed.

Living bacteriafound beneathAntarctic iceScientists drilled through a half-mile ofice into an Antarctic lake and foundwhat is believed to be a first: livebacteria, reports the New York Times.The discovery is intriguing because ifthe cells can survive there, they couldtheoretically survive on a frozen planetsomewhere. More research is underway to find out one crucial detail:Where is the bacteria getting its food?“If it’s just consuming organicscarried in from elsewhere”—a meltingglacier, for example, “it is of muchless interest,” explains a NASAscientist. But if the cells are feedingoff material that comes from a “localenergy source,” such as minerals inthe continent’s rock, that’s a differentstory. Extraterrestrial life would likelyhave to do the same. NEWS DESk

Dad pays teendaughter $200to quit FacebookDesperate to get your teenager toquit Facebook? Try reaching into yourwallet, like one Boston father.Paul Baier, a research consultant inBoston, is paying his 14-year-olddaughter a cool $200 to quit the socialnetwork until summer, according to apost on his blog that has been makingthe rounds. Baier on Tuesday postedan image of the "FacebookDeactivation Agreement," with hisdaughter, Rachael. In the agreement(below), signed by both parties, theteen promised to deactivate the socialnetwork from this past Monday untilJune 26. In return, Baier will pay hisdaughter $50 in April and theremaining $150 in June, at the end ofthe five months. "He/she will haveaccess to my Facebook to change thepassword and to deactivate theaccount," the contract reads. "This willprevent me from re-activating theaccount in the future." Baier wrote onhis blog that the arrangement wasactually his daughter's idea. In thesigned contract, Rachael wrote thatshe plans to use the money for"stuff." According to a report from theNew York Daily News, Rachael wantsto quit Facebook so she can focus onher studies, instead of wasting timeon the social-networking site, untilshe finishes school at the end of June.Bribing your teen is one way to limittheir Facebook time, or you couldtake more extreme measures — likedestroying their laptop, as one fatherrecently did. NEWS DESk

INFOTAINMENT

ISaturday, 9 February, 2013

14

Yahoo teams up with google on ads

SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THEYHAVE DETERMINED THE MOSTPRECISE DATE YET FOR THEEXTINCTION OF DINOSAURS.

One can say that three pre-eminent qualities aredecisive for the politician: passion, a feeling ofresponsibility, and a sense of proportion. –Max Weber

'no practical use' for 17-milliondigit prime number

NEWS DESK

A new prime number, thought to bethe largest ever identified, has beendiscovered by a professor at theUniversity of Central Missouri.Curtis Cooper used a giantcomputer network to do the workto find the 17-million digit number- which is a number divisible onlyby itself and by one. Speaking tothe Today programme about whatuse the number may be, Mr Coopersaid: "I don't know of any practicalapplication of the fact that this

number is prime. "But with thatbeing said, there are some sideeffects from this process we wentthrough, this idea of taking a big

problem and putting out onthousands of PCs and letting themwork on the problem, and thenfinding something at the end."

Dinosaur extinction: Scientistsestimate 'most accurate' date


SPortS

SSaturday, 9 February, 2013

15 I’m looking to maintain the same level of consistency inthe upcoming matches. I hope that the selectors would giveme a chance to represent Pakistan again. – Wahab Riaz

LAUSANNEAgENcIES

M OHAMMAD Asif, the Pakistan fastbowler, has presented his case to have hisICC ban for spot-fixing overturned to theCourt of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Asif

appeared before CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland, onThursday to try and have his seven-year ban, with twoyears suspended, quashed but will have to wait at leastthree weeks for an outcome and it could take as many assix. "Today was quite busy," Asif said after emergingfrom the CAS headquarters. "They will give us theirdecision in the next three weeks. Hopefully I am going towin this case. I'd like to play cricket again."

Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, will havehis hearing on Friday in an attempt to overturn his 10-yearban following the News of the World sting in August 2010which exposed plans to bowl on-demand no-balls.

On Wednesday Butt said in a statement that he wantedthe chance to resume his career. "Cricket is my life and everysingle day that has passed has been so painful because I havenot been able to play. All I want is an opportunity to get backinto cricket whilst I am still young and I can still play well."Mohammad Amir, the third player to be caught in the Newsof the World sting, decided not to appeal against the five-yearban against him. The ban does not permit the players to takepart in any official match - international, domestic or club -until at least September 2015. All three players served time.Butt served seven months of a 30-month prison sentence, Asif

was released from Canterbury Prison in Kent on June 3 lastyear after he served half of a year-long sentence while Amirspent three months in a young offenders' institution afteradmitting his charge at a pre-trial hearing.

MUMBAIAgENcIES

New Zealand began their Super Sixcampaign with a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka at the BandraKurla Complex in Mumbai. Their seamersset the stage for a big win after Sri Lankawere put in to bat and were dismissed for103 in 42 overs. In four matches, this is thethird time New Zealand have dismissed theiropposition for a low score, after bowlingSouth Africa out for 170 and Pakistan for104 in their first two matches. New Zealandnow have four points, after carrying forwardtwo points from the first stage.

Opening bowlers Sian Ruck and LeaTahuhu shared seven wickets betweenthem and conceded merely 43 runs in their20 overs. Nicola Browne, Morna Nielsenand Frances Mackay also kept the SriLankan batsmen under pressure, withBrowne and Mackay being the mostexpensive bowlers at three per over.

The New Zealand seamers rocked andchoked the Sri Lankan batsmen, making use

of the slightly moist conditions in themorning. Ruck and Tahuhu bowled intandem; Ruck swung the ball without givingany room to the batsmen and Tahuhu madethem uncomfortable with her paceand bounce. Tahuhu struck withher first ball, cleaning upYasoda Mendis, who hadplayed big knocks in SriLanka's two victories inthe first round. Lankawere pushed to the backfoot with that as their runsdried up for the next fewovers. Deepika Rasangikabroke a few shackles whenshe loosened up for threeconsecutive fours on both sides of thepitch in Tahuhu's third over. ChamariAtapattu, on the other hand, looked out ofsorts, not able to open her account for 24balls and was bowled by Ruck in the nextover. Before Rasangika could swing herarms again, she was yorked by Tahuhu for20. It soon became three wickets in threeovers when the captain Shashikala

Siriwardene flashed hard outside the offstump and Katie Perkins took a diving catchto her left at point, leaving Sri Lanka at 23for 4. What followed was a drought of runs

for Sri Lanka. They managed onlythree runs in the next six overs,which included four maidens -three alone from Ruck.Dilani Manodara andSandamali Dolawatte facedroughed up by the seamersbut they survived and tookthe score past 50 in the22nd over. They could havebeen in a worse situation had

the wicketkeeper Rachel Priestnot dropped Dolawatte off Browne

in the 18th over and not missedManodara's stumping in the 21st over.Manodara helped her team pick up the pacea little bit, driving and cutting Browne andleft-arm orthodox Morna Nielsen forboundaries in consecutive overs. SCORES: New Zealand 108 for 2 (Mackay39*, Bates 37) beat Sri Lanka 103 (Tahuhu4-27, Ruck 3-16) by eight wickets.

ENGLAND LOSE TO AUSTRALIA INWOMEN'S CRICKET WORLD CUP:England fell to an agonising two-rundefeat by Australia that severely damagestheir chances of defending the Women'sWorld Cup. Last-wicket pair AnyaShrubsole and Holly Colvin looked oncourse to snatch England the mostunlikely of wins, only for Colvin to becaught behind off Erin Osborne withinone blow of victory. In pursuit of 148,England had earlier been reduced to 39-6,only for Lydia Greenway (49) and LauraMarsh to drag them back into the contestwith a painstaking stand of 57.

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

Injured Pakistan batsman Taufeeq Umar isconfident he will be able to regain his place oncehe's recovered from his shin troubles, despite hisreplacement, Nasir Jamshed, making a name forhimself. Umar was forced to miss the tour toSouth Africa because of his injury, a blow for theside considering his good record against theProteas, but he feels that he'll be able to slot backinto the side for the next series against the WestIndies in June. Taufeeq said: "Injury is always asetback for any player in world cricket. I wasunfortunate to have it at such a wrong time. But Iwas lucky it was not a serious injury and I ampositive about my future. "I only require anotherfour weeks to get back in shape. Thedisappointment is obviously there as I waslooking forward to the South Africa tour for a long

time as I always enjoy playing against them andscore a lot of runs. "Injuries do come but thatdoesn't mean that is it. I have been doing wellsince my comeback in 2010 and have nothing tofear about. The next months obviously are toughbut I am ready to put in all the hard work toreclaim my place in the side."

He continued: "There are certain teams I loveto score runs against and South Africa is one ofthem. I need not worry at all about whoevercomes in to replace me. It's in fact a good sign asthere is a sense of competition for the slot, whichis good for the team. "I have good wishes forNasir or whoever replaces me what is importantis that they perform well. I am positive and havenothing to lose, I know I am around and will beavailable for the next series." The fact that thereis such a big gap between Test series for thePakistanis is a concern for the batsman, as theyplay fewer Tests than any of the other top sides.

CSA should stayaway from myfuneral: Clive Rice

JOHANNESBURGAgENcIES

Pained by CSA's refusal to honour twodeceased players with a minute's silence,former players have launched a scathingattack on the national cricket board andClive Rice even asked Cricket South Africato stay away from his funeral in future.CSA refused to observe a minute's silencein the memory of Peter van der Merwe andNeil Adcock, who passed away last monthand were part of the segregated cricketstructures in apartheid-era, before the gameagainst Pakistan at the Wanderers here lastweekend. The claims that the players wererefused honour since they played inapartheid-era caused a huge furore. Van derMerwe was the first South African captainto win a series in England in 1965, whileAdcock was the first fast bowler to take 100test wickets for South Africa. Rice playedin that era for South Africa, but also led theteam from his country onto the field inIndia after country returned to internationalfold in 1991. "CSA is sensitive about thepast, but at the same time they have a racistapproach. This is part of history and youcannot just erase it," Rice said. Proteasteam manager Mohammad Moosajee saidpolicy at CSA was for players to wearblack armbands on the field if someoneclose to the players or someone involvedwith CSA after re-admission had died.

Clarke ruledout of final ODI

SYDNEYAgENcIES

Australia's captain Michael Clarke will miss thefinal ODI against the West Indies in Melbourneafter complaining of a recurrence of thehamstring trouble that he has carried throughthe summer since suffering a muscle strain inthe Hobart Test last year. Shane Watson, onlytwo matches into his own return from a calfproblem, will lead the team at the MCG, withShaun Marsh called into the ODI squad ascover. Instead of travelling to Melbourne,Clarke will remain in Sydney for recoverywork until leaving for India on February 12."Michael Clarke has had his right hamstringassessed by team medical staff following thegame and the team physiotherapist hasconfirmed that Michael has stiffness in the righthamstring," a CA spokesman said. "While thereis no cause for alarm, Michael will not nowtravel to Melbourne for the fifth ODI onSunday, as a precaution. "He will leave forChennai on the tour of India on 12 February, asplanned. Shane Watson will captain Australia inthe fifth ODI vs the West Indies at the MCG onSunday. Shaun Marsh has been added to theODI squad and will travel to Melbournetomorrow ahead of Game 5 at the MCG."

ASIF PRESENTSAPPEAL CASE

MOHAMMAD ASIF SAYS HE HOPES TOPLAY PROFESSIONAL CRICKET AGAIN

taufeeq not worried about test spot

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2013( (

Seamers lead New Zealand to big winTEAM WON LOST NRR POSAustralia 3 0 +0.483 6N Zealand 2 1 +1.712 4W Indies 2 1 +1.187 4England 1 2 +0.320 2Sri Lanka 1 2 -2.432 2S Africa 0 3 -1.357 0

SuPER SIx TAbLE

new Zealandseamers rocked

and chokedthe Sri Lankan

batsmen

TAUFEEQ UMAR PAKISTAN OPENING BATSMAN

Injury is always asetback for any playerin world cricket. Iwas unfortunate tohave it at such awrong time


SPortS SSaturday, 9 February, 2013

16A little bit of competition, [Ed] Cowan gets a hundred [against SouthAfrica] then Warner gets a hundred - that sort of competition has beenseen to be good at times. But continuity is important too. –Pat Howard

SYDNEYAgENcIES

S HANE Watson's life withoutbowling is so far turning out tobe a life without worries - forhim, and for Australia. Another

fluent innings from Watson set the hostson the path to a leisurely five-wicketvictory over the West Indies at the SCG,thus extending the series ledger to 4-0 infavour of Michael Clarke's team as theybegin to be fragmented by departures forthe imminent tour of India.

Forming important early stands withAaron Finch and Phillip Hughes, Watsonshowed there was little bowling joy to befound in a pitch on which the visitorsearlier slipped to 6 for 55. Kieron Pollard'sadmirable rearguard had dragged thevisitors' tally to 220 and at least ensuredthe lights would be required before 18,161spectators watched Australia strollinghome with 31 balls to spare.

Watson played handsome strokes allaround the ground, while also absorbing ateasing spell from Sunil Narine, but wasgiven a major helping of good fortune on32 when wicketkeeper Devon Thomasdropped the sort of chance any glovemanwould have been embarrassed to turf. TheWest Indies were again their own worstenemies when Narsingh Deonarinespurned a chance to run out Hughes,taking the ball but disturbing the stumpswith his arm as he did so.

Pollard's century notwithstanding,Australia's target had been kept wellwithin reach by Mitchell Johnson, whohad done his best impression of the restedMitchell Starc to zip through the visitors'batting. None of the West Indian top fourreached double figures, leaving Pollardattempting to cobble some kindof total together in a matchrendered dead byAustralia's completionof an unassailable 3-0margin on Wednesdaynight in Canberra.Supported by BenCutting, Clint McKayand a tidy GlennMaxwell, Johnsongrabbed three earlywickets to turn the WestIndies innings into a salvageoperation for Pollard after their captainDarren Sammy had little hesitationbatting first on a dry, hard surface that

offered bounce. Finchand Watson began thechase with good sense,striding to a second half-

century opening stand in asmany innings before Finch was

pinned lbw by Narine. Reviewingthe decision, Finch discovered the ballwas straight enough and clipping the topof the stumps, sending him on his way

for another total that indicated morepromise than substance. Hughes wassoon playing in Watson's slipstream, thetarget steadily reduced, but he did notexploit the missed run out, gloving anattempted paddle sweep to slip afterstruggling to deal with Narine's spin,which from the outset of the innings hadseemed West Indies' lone hope ofinducing a rush of wickets.

Broad admits heel along-term problem

AUCKLANDAgENcIES

Stuart Broad may have to live with his heel injuryfor the rest of his career, with England's Twenty20captain admitting he and the medical staff willhave to 'manage' the problem to keep him playingat the highest level. Broad has not played since thesecond Test in Mumbai in November, where his 0for 60 was his second consecutive wicketless Testand continued a disappointing end to 2012. Broadwas subsequently dropped for just the second timein his career. The heel problem prevented hisreturn as captain for the T20 series and he alsomissed last month's ODIs, but he is back in thefold for the series in New Zealand. After a trip toGermany to be fitted with specially designedboots he claims he has felt good in training, andtook a hat-trick in a warm-up game, but hisadmission that the problem is unlikely to go awayis a cause of concern. "It is going to be a long-term thing," Broad said ahead of the openingT20 in Auckland. "It is a laceration of the fatpad so is not going to go away overnight. It issomething I need to manage. It has been goodthese couple of weeks, I have found good waysto look after it. It is not going to go away witha week's rest or a year's rest." Broad admits hiscareer path as a fast bowler is an issue onaccount of the type of injury he has whichsuggested that he may have to be rested acertain periods., "If I did pretty much anythingelse in the world but bowl seam it would notbe a problem, I don't feel it walking or runningor batting - it is just fast bowling," he said.

WEST INDIES STAY WINLESSDESPITE POLLARD TON

WEST INDIESkOA Powell c maxwell b Johnson 9J charles b Johnson 0Dm bravo c Finch b Johnson 4DJ bravo lbw b maxwell 3kA Pollard not out 109N Deonarine c Finch b cutting 10Dc Thomas† c Finch b cutting 7DJg Sammy* c clarke b cutting 25AD Russell c maxwell b Faulkner 18SP Narine c †Wade b mckay 23TL best run out (Finch/Faulkner) 1ExTRAS (b 1, lb 1, w 9) 11TOTAL 220FALL OF WIckETS 1-5 (charles, 3.5 ov), 2-17 (Powell, 7.3ov), 3-17 (Dm bravo, 7.6 ov), 4-22 (DJ bravo, 10.4 ov), 5-45(Deonarine, 17.3 ov), 6-55 (Thomas, 19.2 ov), 7-98 (Sammy,31.6 ov), 8-133 (Russell, 38.3 ov), 9-197 (Narine, 46.1 ov), 10-220 (best, 49.4 ov)bOWLINgcJ mckay 10-2-41-1, mg Johnson 10-1-36-3, gJ maxwell 10-0-34-1, bcJ cutting 10-1-45-3, JP Faulkner 9.4-1-62-1, AuSTRALIASR Watson c †Thomas b best 76AJ Finch lbw b Narine 25PJ Hughes c DJ bravo b Narine 23mJ clarke* c †Thomas b best 37Ac Voges c Sammy b Russell 28mS Wade† not out 13gJ maxwell not out 14ExTRAS (lb 8, w 8, nb 2) 18TOTAL 221(4.92 runs per over)DID NOT bAT JP Faulkner, mg Johnson, bcJ cutting, cJmckayFALL OF WIckETS 1-53 (Finch, 9.5 ov), 2-115 (Hughes, 23.2ov), 3-145 (Watson, 28.4 ov), 4-198 (Voges, 41.3 ov), 5-220(clarke, 44.3 ov)bOWLINgTL best 9.5-0-38-2, AD Russell 6-0-40-1, DJg Sammy 2-0-16-0, SP Narine 10-1-34-2, DJ bravo 4-0-25-0, NDeonarine 8-0-38-0, kA Pollard 5-0-22-0match detailsToss West Indies, who chose to batSeries Australia led the 5-match series 4-0Player of the match kA Pollard (West Indies)umpires SD Fry and NJ Llong (England)TV umpire Asad Rauf (Pakistan)match referee RS madugalle (Sri Lanka)Reserve umpire PR Reiffel

ScOREbOARD

AUSTRALIA T20 TEAMTO FACE WEST INDIESMELBOURNE: Australia teamnamed on Friday for theirTwenty20 match against WestIndies in Brisbane onWednesday. Australia squad:George Bailey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ben Cutting, JamesFaulkner, Aaron Finch, BradHaddin, Josh Hazlewood, BenLaughlin, Clint McKay, ShaunMarsh, Ben Rohrer, AdamVoges. AgENcIES

watson setthe hosts onthe path toa leisurely

5-wicket win

AFTER RECOVERING FROMHEEL INJURY, HE IS BACK INTHE FOLD FOR THE SERIESIN NEW ZEALAND


SPortSSSaturday, 9 February, 2013

17 I had three good rounds on the EastCourse that year. If I can do that now, I'llhave a chance on Sunday. – Richard Sterne

JEREZ: Nico Rosbergtakes a turn in hisMercedes as he piledon the laps at Jerez.

LONDONAgENcIES

Andy Murray, who won $5.7 million lastyear and has already amassed $1.39m in2013, is adamant he would be preparedto take a reduction in prize money to helpfinance a state-of-the-art anti-dopingprogram that will determine tennisdoesn’t fall into the same trap as cyclingand is clean from of banned performanceenhancing drugs.

The world no.3 is insistent prizefunds on offer to players at all leading

events should be cut in order to boosttennis’ anti-doping budget, which last yearamounted to little more than $1.8 million.Last month’s Australian Open offered arecord prize fund of $ Aus 30 million($31.25m). Murray believes the he and hisfellow leading players such as NovakDjokovic, Roger Federer and RafaelNadal, should exert more pressure on theInternational Tennis Federation, thatadheres to the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) code to invest more intodrug detection.

“Maybe it’s down to our

governing bodies, the ATP WorldTour, to invest some of our ownmoney into WADA and into makingsure we get more testing done,” saidMurray. “That’s the only way you canimprove your testing procedures; byhaving more of them, more bloodtesting. “In the long term I think youwould save a lot of money becausemore people would come to watchsports rather than reading all the timeabout doping or match-fixingscandals. Every single week right nowthere’s something different.

murray wants reduced prize money topay for better drug testing program

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

T HE Pakistan SuperLeague (PSL), thecountry’s upcomingT20 tournament has

been postponed. According tothe Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB), the new schedule for thetournament will be announcedlater. The PCB press releasestated: “The concerns expressedby the stakeholders on tighttimelines for submission of bids& leveraging of assets, holdmerit." The press release furtherstated that 80 internationalplayers had signed for the PSLauction but the process ofacquiring NOCs was stillunderway and would requiretime. Furthermore, schedulingconflicts which arose after thePSL dates were announced couldresult in potential star players not

being able to take part.The tournament was

originally scheduled to takeplace from 26 March to 7 April.

“Since the time we haveannounced PSL the responsefrom sponsors, broadcasters,potential franchises and players

has been over whelming. Over80 foreign players have alreadysigned agreements with PSL, anumber of foreign coaches,

umpires and referees have alsosigned up with PSL,” saidSalman Sarwar Butt,Managing Director PSL. “Theprocesses that we are following toaward various rights i.e., those ofbroadcasters, sponsors, franchiseesetc., are very transparent.

Over 15 potential Franchisebuyers, around 10 topBroadcasters and variouspotential sponsors from largebusiness houses have collectedthe bid documents and shownextremely keen interest inacquiring respective rights.

However, there are severalother investors who would likeus to give them more time forour various rights,” he added.“The concerns expressed by thestakeholders on tight timelinesfor submission of bids andleveraging of assets, holdmerit,” the PCB release added.

Sports should be kept out ofpolitical protest: Pak teamBHUBANESWAR: Sports should be kept free of politicalprotests, the women`s cricket team from Pakistan saidFriday in a reference to large-scale protest against theircountry`s participation in the ongoing ICC Women’s WorldCup tournament. Be it Kabaddi, hockey or cricket, gamesshould be out of other matters? Bashir Ali, manager ofPakistan women`s cricket team, said on arrival here fromCuttack on way back to his country. ICC shifted the GroupB match of the tournament to Cuttack at the last minutedue to stiff opposition to Pakistani team in Mumbai. As thematches were fixed at the eleventh hour, the Pakistaniteam was put up in OCA Club in Barabati stadium inCuttack. Pakistan Team captain Sana Mir was all praise forthe hospitality, saying “I cannot forget the hospitalityoffered by the Odisha Cricket Association." Terming herteam`s serial defeat in the tournament as not pleasant?,Sana Mir said they had worked very hard for the last fewyears for the World Cup. AgENcIES

Lake City in Nurpur Polo Cup final LAHORE: A Nurpur PoloTournament is being hosted at theLahore Polo Club ground and theLake City team won the quarter-final against New Age Cables tomove into the next stage. Their winwas followed by another victory inthe semi-final against Master Paints and on Sunday, LakeCity will take on Colonial Group in the finals. STAFF REPORT

PSL POSTPONEDAMIR SHOWS INTEREST IN BUYING PSL TEAM LAHORE: Pakistan origin British boxer Amir Khan hasshown his interest in the Pakistan Super League. Accordingto sources close to Amir, the boxer is planning to buy ateam in the PSL or either develop his own cricket team forthe League. He further said that he intends participation inthe PSL auction process and is thinking of buying a team.He further said that he is in contact with Shahid Afridi. Hesaid that his cousin Sajid Mahmood will take part in PSLand hinted that Sajid might even play for Pakistan in future.Amir also intends to bring some other English players tofeature in PSL. He said that he is a cricket admirer and if hewas not a boxer, he would be a cricketer. STAFF REPORT


SPortS SSaturday, 9 February, 2013

18

WATCH IT LIVEESPNBarclays League: NewcastleUnited v Tottenham Hotspur 06:10PM

STAR SPORTSField hockey:Ranchi v Lucknow05:00PM

I'm not overly pleased with the match but awin is a win and I'm glad I was able to get theteam off to a winning start. – Judy Murray

Mobilink Golfat Royal Palm

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

The 6th Mobilink Golf Championship isgeared up for tee off at 9 am on Saturdaymorning at the delightful, par 72, RoyalPalm Golf Course. The setting and fairways all prepared toplay host to golf playing top corporatebusiness leaders, wizards of the legal andfinancial world, government functionariesof significance, physicians and surgeonsand not to forget some accomplishedgolfers who will put in their best toproduce scores of excellence. Participationlist adds up to a huge total of 140 golfers,all of them in a mood to satiate theirappetite for competitive golf and thoughquite a few of them are not at theirswinging best, having been more inclinedtowards their business pursuits andinterests, they hope to use their focusingability to make up their for theirshortcomings in golfing flow. And as RajaKaiqobad, a participant and an adeptsurgeon said: "I agree I am out of form butmy urge to play well is going to be thedriving force in this Mobilink golf event.So all I am concerned about is a wonderfulday with fellow golfers whom i dont get achance to meet". As for Mobilink, itcontinues to promote golf across thecountry. It has already held onechampionship at Karachi and this is thesecond of the series in 2013.The third oneis expected to be held in Islamabad. Col (r)Jameel Khalid of Royal Palm stated thatthe Royal Palm Golf Course is wonderfuland corporate golfers will enjoy everymoment of their golfing on superb fairwaysand an environment that is full of freshoxygen. The tee off will be at 9:00 am.

Annual Sports Day LAHORE

STAFF REPORT

The annual sports day of Crescent ModelHigher Secondary School will be heldhere today, Saturday at the schoolsground. Hundred of school students willdisplay their talent in different events.Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, MNA will be thechief guest on the occasion and willdistribute prizes among the winners.

Win for Lucky Stars LAHORE

STAFF REPORT

Lucky Stars defeated Samanabad Club byone wicket at the Samanabad Ground onFriday.SCORES: Samanabad 262 all out in 35overs. Raees 51, Umair 41, Bilal Akbar5/38, zubair 3/35. Lucky Stars 263/9 in34.4 overs. Jawad Abbas 59, AsifMehmood 52, Malik Waheed 30 not out.Shoukat 3/49, Saad 2/36. Man of thematch: Bilal Akbar.

SBP Governor's CupCricket from 9th

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

The 9th State Bank Governor's Cup CricketTournament will roll into action fromFebruary 9-18 at Lahore’s three prominentgrounds. Director Finance Nazar AliChanara while addressing a pressconference said that the players belongingto various banks including SBP BSC willtake part in the event while youngcricketing talent hired by various bank willalso be part of the teams. “The finalists ofeach region and previous year finalists arealso participating in the super series,” headded. He further siad that the theme of thetournament is to promote State Bank's cleannote policy. besides encouraging healthyactivities amongst the banking communityand to promote cricket. He said that threedifferent grounds with final to be held at theBagh-e-Jinnah ground on 18th and YaseenAnwar will be the chief guest of the final. The tournament is in continuation of theSBP Governor Cup held in five differentregions including Karachi, Hyderabad,Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi. first classcricketers who have played after 2008 willnot be allowed to play, he added.The winner will be awarded Rs 100,000 andthe runner up will be given Rs 50,000. Dr. Muhammad Salim, Chief Manager, SBPBSC, Karachi, Mr. Shafiqullah Siddiqui,Secretary Sports Committee, Karachi &Mr. Zaheerul Hassan, Sports Manager SBPKarachi Team participated from Karachi.Mr. Javaid Iqbal, Chief Manager, SBP BSC,Lahore & Rana Rashed Mehmood, DCM(Admn)/ Chairman Sports OrganizingCommittee, SBP BSC, Lahore were alsopresent during the press conference.

STAMFORDAgENcIES

Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitezpraised Frank Lampard on Thursday afterreports emerged that the midfielder could yetstay at Stamford Bridge. FollowingLampard's decisive goal for England inWednesday night's 2-1 win over Brazil, itwas reported the 34-year-old midfielder hadbeen offered new contract to extend his 12-year stay at Chelsea. Such a move wouldsuggest an about-turn by Chelsea owner

Roman Abramovich, whopreviously had been preparedto allow Lampard to leave atthe end of the season.Chelsea declined tocomment when askedabout Lampard, but Benitezwas upbeat when askedabout the midfielder'sperformance against Brazil."He's scoring goals forus already and Ithink he's

doing well," Benitez told Chelsea TV."Ninety-four caps is a fantasticachievement. If he can get 100 it will bereally positive and it will mean he willbe fit, he will be playing and he will bedoing well." A 27th international goalon the occasion of his 94th cap showedLampard still has a future with England,who beat Brazil for the first time in 23

years, and prompted England bossRoy Hodgson to state hispreference for themidfielder to stay in

Europe ahead of the 2014 World Cup. Thatcould yet be at Stamford Bridge. Despite theuncertainty over his future, Lampard hasperformed well this term, scoring 12 times tomove five behind the Blues' goalscoringrecord of 202 held by Bobby Tambling.Should Lampard stay on, it would come as awelcome boost following the contractextension signed by Ashley Cole, who wonhis 100th England cap against Brazil. Benitezadded: "Ashley Cole - 100 caps is anamazing, a great achievement for anyone,and for a player in the England squad, which

is very competitive, so even better."Lampard said of Cole on chelseafc.com:

"It's a fantastic achievement. He's been anunbelievably consistent performer both forclub and country, and he started all of thosegames which makes it all the moreincredible. "The consistency levels he'sshown, particularly when you considerLeighton Baines has been around for a whilenow, have been great.

"For me, he's been one of the best in theworld, and to be the first full-back to reach100 caps is brilliant."

JEREZ AgENcIES

N ICO Rosberg finally put a smileon the face of everyone atMercedes as he piled on the laps

at Jerez while it was also a first run-out forRed Bull's Sebastian Vettel. Rosberg washalted by an electrical fault on the openingday of pre-season testing on Tuesdaywhile team-mate Lewis Hamilton crashedout on Wednesday following brake failure.

The pressure was on the team toemerge unscathed on Thursday and theywere relieved to report a clean bill ofhealth after Rosberg completed 148 laps -the equivalent of two grands prixdistances. "We were just massivelyunlucky the last two days with problemsthat could have been easily avoided, butthey've also been so difficult to fix, whichis also very unusual," said Rosberg.

"But today [Thursday] we showed wehave a very reliable car. We really madeup for it. Nothing at all went wrong, notthe slightest thing, which is good. "It reallyput a smile on everybody's face. "To drivefrom Silverstone to Spa, distance-wise, ina test day with an F1 car with no problemswhatsoever, pounding out the laps, beingvery consistent, is a fantastic achievement.

"So I'm very excited about todaybecause it was a great test day as we wereconsistent and we got through everythingwe had on the plan." Hamilton, whoreturns to the car on Friday to conclude the

first of three tests before the season kicksoff in Australia on March 17, will behoping for a repeat of Rosberg'sreliability. "I'm sure it's goingto be the same tomorrow,"Rosberg added. "Thatwill really kickstart ourprogramme." The 27-year-old finishedsecond on Thursdaywith a best lap of oneminute 18.766 seconds,sandwiched between thepacesetting Ferrari of FelipeMassa and reigning three-timeworld champion Sebastian Vettel,making his first outing in the new RedBull. Jenson Button, who was quickest forMcLaren on Tuesday, was down in

seventh but only because he concentratedon aero and mechanical work. The

Briton's day ended five minutesearly after he stopped theMP4-28 on track, apparentlydue to a loose wheelfollowing a pit stop.Massa, meanwhile, washappy to finish top of thestandings with the fastestlap of the week so far - a1:17.879. His fastest lapcame on the quicker soft

tyre, and the Brazilian isrefusing to get carried away. "It

was an important three days for us tofind the right direction to work on the car,even if I didn't do as many laps as Iexpected to do," said Massa.

rosberg improves asvettel starts testing

MCLAREN LIVES UP TO PEREZ EXPECTATIONSJEREZ: Sergio Perez savoured "an incredible day" as he made his track debutfor McLaren in a car he can already tell has race-winning potential. Althoughonly seventh quickest at the Circuito de Jerez, Perez enjoyed a steadyintroduction to his new car after two seasons with Sauber. Perez had hismoments with the Swiss-based team, notably last season when he finishedrunner-up twice in Malaysia and Italy. But primarily the Sauber was a midfieldrunner, so to get behind the wheel of a car that could land him a maidenvictory was an obvious thrill. There remain a few kinks to iron out, such asbeing more comfortable in his race seat, but aside from that the 23-year-oldMexican could not be happier. "It was a day in my new office which was muchmore different than I was expecting," said Perez. "By sitting in a different seatyou have to adapt yourself to a new position, a different way of holding thesteering wheel. Pretty much everything is different”. AgENcIES

Chelsea pondering new Lampard deal

i’m sureit’s going tobe the sametomorrow,says nico


SIX KILLED IN SWA DRONE STRIKEPESHAWAR: A US drone strike in SouthWaziristan on Friday evening killed at least sixpeople and left two wounded. Two missilesstruck a house in the village of Babar Ghar, atribal district bordering Afghanistan which is astronghold of Taliban and al Qaeda-linkedmilitants. On Wednesday, three militants,including a foreign fighter, were killed when anunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fired missileson a militant compound in Ghulam Khan tehsilin North Waziristan. STAFF REPORT

KPT DENIES REPORTKARACHI: Reacting to a news itempublished in Pakistan Today on Feb 8, aspokesman of the Karachi Port Trust deniedthat KPT does not follow the relevant PPRArules. He said that KPT is a law abidinginstitution and has at all times adhered totransparent procurement methods andprocedures. PRESS RELEASE

8 KILLED IN ORAKZAI BOMBING PESHAWAR: At least eight people were killedand 23 were injured when a high-intensitybomb went off in Orakzai Agency’sheadquarter, Kalaya, on Friday. Per details, alarge number of people were leaving afteroffering Friday prayers near Ferozkhel Chawkin Kalaya when the bomb went off. Officialsconfirmed that so far eight people had diedand 23 had been injured in the blast. Theyalso said the condition of several of the injuredwas critical, fearing that the death toll couldrise. Officials said that most of the victimsbelonged to Ferozkhel tribe, which has formeda peace lashkar in the area. STAFF REPORT

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot No 79, Sector 24, Korangi Industrial Area Karachi. Editor: Arif Nizami


ISLAMABAD: Supporters ofreligious parties stage a protest rallyon Friday against targeted killings ofclerics across the country. INP

ISLAMABADTAyyAb HuSSAIN

U NLIKE its strong opposition to thegovernment’s bill for the creationof Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjabprovince, the Pakistan Muslim

League-Nawaz (PML-N) offered a soft re-sistance against the tabling of the 24thAmendment Bill 2013 and staged a walk-out out of the session.

To the surprise of the oppositionbenches, Minister for Law and Justice Fa-rooq H Naik moved the bill, which was not

on the agenda. Senate Chairman NayyarHussain Bukhari said since the report on thenew provinces commission had been tabled,it had been referred to the standing commit-tee concerned for further deliberations and areport should be presented within 10 days.

The bill, which was not mentioned in theorder of the day and was introduced througha supplementary agenda, proposed that thenew province shall comprise territories ofMultan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Mi-anwali and Bhakkar districts. On a point oforder, Leader of the Opposition Ishaq Daropposed the bill, saying it was a constitu-tional matter and the committee should be

given adequate time to complete its report. He suggested that the report of the par-

liamentary commission on new provincesshould have been tabled before the Senatejust like it had been tabled in the NationalAssembly. Speaking on a point of order,PML-N lawmaker Zafar Ali Shah said thebill was not on agenda despite it being avery serious matter. He said such an impor-tant issue could not be taken up withoutconsultation with the opposition.

However, the law minister said this ob-jection should have been raised by the op-position when the item was being taken up.He said since the chair had given a ruling,it could not be challenged further.

This infuriated the PML-N senatorsand they opted to walk out from the Senateproceedings. Later, the chairman took theother two items on the agenda. 24TH AMENDMENT BILL: The bill willamend seven articles of the constitution topave the way for the creation of a new

province if passed by the Upper House. It isaimed at amending Article 1 so that the term‘Bahawalpur Janoobi’ can be added beforePunjab. By amending Article 59, the numberof seats in the Senate would be increased to127 and thus the existing Punjab would havea total 46, double of the existing number ofseats in the Upper House with 23 seats eachfor Punjab and Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjab.

The amendment in articles 175A and 198of the constitution would give way to the es-tablishment of a high court in the new provinceand for the abolition of the Lahore High Courtbenches in Multan and Bahawalpur. Underthis legislation, a commission, comprisingchief justices of the four provincial highcourts, shall be formed for the appointmentof the chief justice and judges of the highcourt of Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjab.WALKOUTS BY RABBANI, OTHERS:Earlier, senators who are members of theParliamentary Committee on National Secu-rity (PCNS) staged a walkout from the Sen-

ate over the non-tabling of the committee’sreport on missing persons. Speaking on apoint of order, PCNS Chairman Raza Rab-bani expressed concern over the behaviourof the Senate Secretariat for not including areport prepared by the committee on missingpersons despite assurance from the chair-man. He said being chairman of the commit-tee, he had already sent copies of the reportto the prime minister, the National Assemblyspeaker and the Senate chairman so therewas nothing to hide. The Senate chairmansaid he would examine the issue raised byRabbani, as there was no purpose to put thereport on hold. Finally, the other membersof the committee, including Mushahid Hus-sain Sayed, Ishaq Dar, Mir Hasil Bazinjoand others seconded his viewpoint. Later, allof them walked out of the House. Mean-while on a point of order, JUI-F SenatorHafiz Hamdullah criticised the governmentfor imposing governor’s rule in Balochistanand staged a walkout from the House.

PESHAWARSTAFF REPORT

A senior lawyer belonging to the Shia communitywas shot dead in the Gulbahar area of Peshawarearly on Friday. Malik Jarrar, a senior advocatewas shot dead by unidentified men when he wasdropping his children at school in the morning.Soon after the assassination contingents of policerushed to the site and shifted the body to hospital.The incident caused unrest amongst the peopleand most of them were confined to homes.

Expressing severe resentment over the as-sassination, lawyers boycotted court proceed-ings and staged a sit-in front outside theGovernor’s House. No one has claimed respon-sibility for the killing so far, but officials have

termed it an act of sectarian violence.Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister

Mian Iftikhar Hussain said Jarrar’s assassinationwas connected to sectarian violence in theprovince. The minister alleged that certain ele-ments were bent upon creating a Quetta-like sit-uation in Peshawar. In this regard, Chief MinisterAmir Haider Hoti had recently convened eldersfrom both sides and they had unanimouslyagreed to remain peaceful and patient towardseach others. Meanwhile, lawyers community ona call by Peshawar High Court Bar Associationand Peshawar Bar association boycotted pro-ceeding of courts and staged a sit-in outside theGovernor’s House. They urged the governmentto take early steps for arresting the culprits andremove the capital city police officer.

KARACHIISmAIL DILAWAR

Chiding the federal government for its lackof interest in the prevailing law and order in thecity, the Supreme Court on Friday expressedconcern after coming to know that hundreds ofon-duty police functionaries were under trial invarious provincial courts for committingcrimes, including murder.

The larger SC bench of Justices Jawwad SKhawaja, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, JusticeSarmad Jalal Osmani and Justice Amir HaniMuslim was informed that over 5,200 deserv-ing officers in the police department were feel-ing “frustrated” with the government’sdecision to give a legal cover to out-of-turnpromotions through Thursday’s enactment ofSindh Civil Servants (Amendment) Act 2013.

“If indeed these police functionaries are en-joying field postings despite the criminal casesagainst them, it represents an alarming and dan-gerous breakdown of the administration of po-lice department prima facie,” the bench said inits interim order issued on Friday.

Quoting a list provided to it by the SindhHigh Court, the bench observed that there were300 to 400 police functionaries facing criminaltrials. It asked Sindh IGP Fayyaz Leghariwhether these policemen were performing ac-tive duty in the field and had faced any depart-mental “disciplinary action”.

Leghari, however, said he was headinga force of a 100,000 policemen and couldnot pinpoint the current posting locations ofsuch officers. Ali Sher Jakrani, AIG(Legal), also expressed his inability to an-

swer the court’s questions.“It is our understanding that these per-

sons, despite being challenged and being pro-ceeded against, are currently enjoying fieldpostings,” the bench said.

The court asked Leghari to submit a com-plete report setting out the current postings ofthese officials, the disciplinary action, if any,which might have been initiated against thesefunctionaries, the reason why the prosecutionhad not been concluded and the actions, if any,taken in respect of these persons.

Seized with the hearing of the Karachi lawand order case, the bench took a strong excep-tion to the federal government’s lukewarm re-sponse to its earlier orders of Centre takingaction against 0.1 million foreigners residingin the city illegally.

“Today, after a lapse of almost three-and-a-half months from the date of the aforesaidletter, the learned DAG has stated that no ac-tion pursuant to the same has been taken,” thecourt observed, adding that this “provides theclearest manifestation of the absence of interestor active involvement of the federal govern-ment in the prevailing situation”.

The bench was also unhappy with theNADRA DG and Police who were directed toset up a joint cell of specialised officials andexperts along with adequate manpower to iden-tify illegal foreigners.

“This exercise was to be completedwithin a year of our judgment dated October6, 2011. It is regrettable that this has notbeen done,” it said.

Centre not interestedin Karachi peace: SC

JUDGES ALARMED OVERNUMBER OF SINDH COPSFACING CRIMINAL TRIALS

WANTS GOVERNMENT TO DEALWITH ‘ILLEGAL STRIKES’ INFINANCIAL CAPITAL

24th Amendment Bill tabled in SenatePML-N OFFERS SOFTRESISTANCE AS NEWPROVINCES BILL TABLED INSENATE, STAGES WALKOUT

RAZA RABBANI, OTHERSWALK OUT AGAINST NONTABLING OF PCNS REPORTON MISSING PERSONS

Shia lawyer shot dead in Peshawar

Pakistan has eliminatedal Qaeda network


Foreign Secretary Jalil AbbasJilani on Friday said Pakistanhad eliminated the al Qaedanetwork from its territory. Ina briefing before the membersof the Senate’s StandingCommittee on ForeignAffairs, Foreign SecretaryJalil Abbas Jilani said securityforces had eliminated the alQaeda network fromPakistan’s territory and alQaeda operatives had beenuprooted and were now onthe run. Declaring thepredator strikes in FederallyAdministrated Areas (FATA)of Pakistan unfruitful, he saiddrones strikes were provingcounterproductive and werecausing a rise in militancy.Terming them a violation ofcountry’s sovereignty Jilanisaid the attacks were notacceptable for Islamabad. He

said such attacks wereviolation of the UnitedNations charter, adding thatIslamabad had alwaysopposed them. The secretarywas of the view that around1,900 to 3,000 Pakistanis hadfallen prey to these unwantedpredator’s strikes insidePakistan, which waslamentable. On Pak-US ties,Jilani said dialogue with theUS was the only way toresolve the issue of droneattacks, adding that thegovernment had raised theissue with the USadministration on a number ofoccasions. To a question, hesaid the internationalcommunity was supportingPakistan on drone attacks, asa number of countries hadmentioned that these strikesin Pakistan were not provingsuccessful other thanpromoting more violence andmilitancy in the region.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 04


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