thursday, 15 november, 2012 dhu al-Haj 29, 1433Rs 15.00 Vol iii no 139 19 pages islamabad — peshawar edition

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Iraq bombingskill 17 on eve ofMuharram

Those named in Asghar Khan case should abandon politics: Imran

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Pakistan freesAfghan Talibanprisoners

MANDI BAHAUDDINAgencies

PRESIDENT Asif AliZardari on Wednesdayreassured the people thatgeneral elections wouldbe transparent and would

be held on time.Addressing an Eid Milan party in

Malikwal, Mandi Bahauddin, the pres-ident said those elected would get torule the country for the next term,adding that electoral rolls were beingmade in a way that eliminated rigging.

The president said his party wouldrespect the mandate of the people,therefore, all measures had been takento ensure the holding of free and fairelection. He said the preparation ofvoter’s lists and the appointment of anindependent chief election commis-sioner were examples that exhibited thegovernment’s intent.

The president said the situation inKarachi was not a failure of the govern-ment and terrorists were trying to ag-gravate the situation in Karachi inorder to divert the government’s atten-tion from the war on terror.

The president said conspiracieswere being hatched against the incum-bent government and Pakistan.

He reiterated that Pakistan’s sur-vival was tied to democracy, addingthat democracy had still to grow and

prosper in the country.“If democracy does not flourish,

neither will the nation,” he added. Zardari said though his rivals had

been somewhat successful in their con-spiracies, history would prove him right.

“Even our rivals accept that wehave strengthened the parliament andtransferred all powers to the represen-tatives of the people,” he said.

“Like Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, I practicepolitics like I worship God. And I will

wage war against those who disturb mein my worship,” he said.

Zardari said Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto gavepoor the power to vote. “Now every polit-ical party has to reach out to the massesand ask for their favour and support,” hesaid. The president urged all politicalparties to end their differences anddemonstrate tolerance. Recalling thathe spent four years of his youth in thejails of Punjab, he said politics shouldnever be turned into personal enmity.

He said there was a need tostrengthen political parties at the grass-roots level so that they could put the coun-try on road to progress and prosperity.

Paying tribute to political parties,he said each party played its role insteering the country out of crises.

The president said he took along allpolitical parties in order to secure thefuture of our children.

SC drops contempt

charges against

PM AshrafISLAMABAD

Agencies

The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) on Wednes-day discharged the contempt notice against PrimeMinister Raja Pervez Ashraf in the National Rec-onciliation Ordinance (NRO) implementationcase.A five-member bench headed by Justice AnwarZaheer Jamali and comprising Justice Khilji ArifHussain, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice EjazAfzal Khan and Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry re-sumed hearing of the contempt case againstPrime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf for defying theSC orders in NRO implementation case. DuringWednesday’s proceedings, Federal Law MinisterFarooq Naik appeared before the court and ap-prised the bench about the letter written to Swissauthorities and the retraction of the NRO letterwritten in 2006. He presented the sending andreceiving receipts of the letter to Swiss authoritiesand told the court that they had received the let-ter on November 9. The court then withdrew thecontempt proceedings against the PM, uponwhich the law minister thanked the bench. ThePakistani embassy in Berne, Switzerland, haspassed on the letter to Switzerland’s Federal Of-fice of Justice (FOJ). Talking to reporters afterthe hearing, Naik said the court’s decision was avictory for justice and democracy, adding that thegovernment implemented every directive of theSupreme Court. Moreover, he said the letter wasnot written forcibly rather in accordance with SCinstructions. The law minister later met PrimeMinister Raja Pervez Ashraf at the Prime Minis-ter’s Secretariat and apprised him of the SupremeCourt’s proceedings in the NRO implementationcase. Naik informed the PM that the SupremeCourt had dropped charges of contempt againsthim. Ashraf hailed the decision of the SupremeCourt as a “victory of justice”.

Zardari assures people oftransparent, timely electionsg President says Karachi situation does not reflect government’s failureg Conspiracies against government and Pakistan will fail

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Today’s

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Youth ready to change the country’s fate: Qureshi Mice could replace dogs to sniff out explosives, drugs

KP govt restricts clerics’movement during MuharramPESHAWAR: Keeping in view the sensitive nature of security inthe approaching month of Muharram, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(KP) government has banned entries and exits of clerics in theprovince. During the restriction, valid throughout Muharram,DCOs of relevant districts have been informed about 30 clerics ofvarious sects and schools of thought hailing from Peshawar, Kohat,Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Abbottabad, Nowshera and otherscities, who would be restrained from leaving KP. Similarly 70clerics listed from such areas as Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad, Azad Kashmir and Tribal areas have beenbanned from entering KP, and their names have been dispatchedto administrative officials of Peshawar and Nowshera. Online

Govt bans sale of pre-paidSIMs at shops from Dec 1Government has put a ban on sale of Subscriber IdentificationModules (SIMs) at unauthorised shops across the country witheffect from December 1, Geo News reported on Wednesday. Anindividual wishing to buy a mobile phone SIM will now have to visitthe cellular companeis’ authorised centers to buy the SIM which willbe issued to him upon completion of a procedure prescribed by thegovernment. The costumer will need to submit a photocopy of hisNational Identity Card (NIC) to the cellular company’s authorisedcentre. The company will later carry out the verification of thesubscriber’s address by sending a staffer. The SIM will finally beissued to the subscriber after getting a go ahead from NationalDatabase and Regulation Authority (NADRA). According to sources,at present there are 25 million SIMs available at 100,000 shopsacross the country and the implementation of this order will cause 5companies to face a combined loss of Rs 2 billion. MOniTORing Desk

Five militants killed in SWAoffensiveFive militants were reportedly killed and several of their hideouts de-stroyed in a military offensive by security forces in South WaziristanAgency on Wednesday. The forces, backed by helicopter gunships,pounded several hideouts of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)in Sanzela village, south of Wana. Officials said several militantbunkers and compounds had been destroyed in the attack, while sixof the militants had been left injured. MOniTORing Desk

ANF raids warehouse full of hashishKARACHI: The Sindh Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) onWednesday seized over 3,000 kilograms of Hashish from awarehouse in Mowach Goth area on Hub River Road. Duringthe operation, which was carried out with the help of PakistanRangers, four suspects were arrested. Meanwhile, efforts arebeing made to arrest the other culprits involved. inP

ISLAMABADnni

PRIME Minister (PM) Raja PervezAshraf directed law enforcingagencies of all provinces to beef upsecurity arrangements and toevolve a mechanism to maintain

peace and harmony during the holy month ofMuharram- ul-Haram.

In his opening remarks at the cabinetmeeting on Wednesday‚ he said the federalgovernment would extend all possible assis-tance to the provincial governments in this re-gard.

The PM expressed serious concern overthe law and order situation in Karachi and saidmiscreants were trying to create sectarian strifein the city. He said extremism, militancy, in-tolerance, sectarian violence and terrorism hadposed a serious threat and challenge to na-tional sovereignty, security and cohesion. “We,as a nation, have to thwart sinister designs ofterrorists and the government would play itspart in eliminating these elements,” he added.

The PM appealed to the people of Karachito keep an eye on suspicious activities of mis-creants and inform the law enforcing agenciesabout any unusual activity. He urged Ulemaand religious scholars to play their role inbringing peace to the city. He also condemnedthe suicide attack at Rangers Headquarters inKarachi.

The cabinet expressed deep sorrow andgrief over the loss of precious lives in the cow-ardly act of terrorism.

The cabinet also offered fateha for the soul

of former senator and law minister IqbalHaider who passed away this week.

The federal cabinet congratulated Presi-dent Barack Obama on his re-election.

The PM said Pakistan and United Stateshad common bilateral interests and shared re-gional objectives of peace, security and stabil-ity. “As partners in a shared enterprise, I amconfident that we would be able to continue topursue our collective goals to the mutual ben-efit of both our countries,” he said.

The PM apprised the cabinet about hisvisit to Laos where he attended the Asia Eu-rope Meeting Summit and also met severalworld leaders on the sidelines. He said the 9thAsia European Summit discussed the unfortu-nate misuse of freedom of expression, causingmisunderstanding between followers of vari-ous religions.

He said this trend was being seen as an-other kind of extremism that was neither de-sirable nor welcome. He said all religionstaught tolerance and accommodation andstressed the need to inculcate and promote re-spect for these values. Ashraf said during thesummit, Pakistan’s efforts to improve humanrights situation in the country includingwomen rights and protection of rights of mi-norities were also highlighted.

He mentioned that Pakistan’s desire forpeace in the region, especially in Afghanistanwas also discussed.

He said the role of the present governmentin strengthening institutions and democracy inthe country was discussed and added that thegovernment’s resolve to hold free and fair elec-tions was also appreciated by world leaders.

PM orders strict security measuresfor Muharram

KArAcHIsTAFF RePORT

The JF-17 Thunder aircraft of the PakistanAir Force (PAF) is among the over one hun-dred aircrafts that have arrived at Zhuhai toparticipate in the 9th China InternationalAviation and Aerospace Exhibition (Air Show2012) which kicked off on Wednesday.

The impressive JF-17 Thunder whichwas manufactured in a joint venture by PAFand China Aero-Technology Import-ExportCorporation (CATIC) and co-produced byPakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) andCATIC has been put up for static as well asaerial display at the show.

JF-17 Thunder made its debut at Farn-borough, United Kingdom in 2010, when twoJF-17’s flew all the way from Pakistan to

Farnborough. The aircraft attracted intensefocus of visitors and international media.

Four months later in November, 2010,three JF-17s flew over to China to participatein the Zhuhai Air Show, where the aircraftmade its first ever aerobatic display.

In June, 2011, three JF-17s participatedin an aerial and static display when the Turk-ish Air Force celebrated its 100 years.

In November, 2011 three JF-17s partici-pated in the Dubai Air Show and wereawarded the Stars of the Show award.

JF-17 Thunder is prominent in its ownclass of fighter jets. At present, when Pak-istan’s defence budget is shrinking and thePakistan Air Force is facing difficulties in af-fording modern combat aircrafts, JF-17Thunder is a highly cost effective solutionwith a cutting edge technology.

The JF-17 Thunder is all weather, multi-role and light weight combat aircraft that hasthe potential to be the mainstay and work-horse of any air force. The design of JF-17 air-craft is based on modern aerodynamics. Theaircraft is equipped with a digital fly-by-wireflight control system that gives it the agilityin all regimes of the operational flight enve-lope.

The JF-17 Thunder has a complete glass

cockpit, excellent man-machine interface anda modern self protection suite which en-hances combat potential and the survivabilityof the aircraft.

The JF-17 is equipped with a fourth gen-eration avionics system, wide range of con-ventional and smart weapons, long rangeglide bombs, Beyond Visual Range (BVR)and short range air-to-air missiles, anti-shipmissile and air–to-surface missiles. The air-

craft requires a remarkably short length ofrunway for take-off and landing which offersflexibility during operations. The air-to-airrefueling capability further enhances its com-bat potential.

Pakistan Air Force has inducted JF-17 inits combat fleet and has equipped two of itsfighter squadrons with JF-17 Thunder. Itsproduction is in full swing and aircrafts arerolling out from PAC Kamra.

ANP contactsJUI-F to contestelection jointly

ISLAMABADOnline

The Awami National Party (ANP) hascontacted the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl(JUI-F) to discuss options to contestelections jointly and for seat adjustment.Well-placed sources on Wednesday said thatthe ANP leadership had summoned themeeting of the party think tank on Friday(November 16) with ANP leader AsfandyarWali in the chair in the Khyber PakhtunkhwaHouse to finalise seat adjustment and otheroptions with the JUI-F. Sources said thatthis development was ‘unprecedented’ sinceboth the parties were political opponents.

A roar of Thunderover Chinese skies!

HYDERABAD:

Activists of the

Pakistan Fisherfolk

Forum stage a rally

to demand

agrarian and land

reforms in the

country on

Wednesday. INP

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editoriAlThe farce in Balochistan

CoMMent

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It’s all on PPP

Adeel Amjad says;Change in the system: Only through democratic means

Yasmeen Hassan says;

Malala’s impact: When girls are treated like adults

ArtS & entertAinMent

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buSineSS

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SPortS

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Taylor swift admits she doesn’t like to take charge in a relationship ecc may allow additional export of 0.2 mt sugar Bangladesh swift in reply to West indies's 527

ISLAMABADinP

PAKISTAN Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman ImranKhan on Wednesday demanded the Election Commis-sion of Pakistan (ECP) ban all politicians, including PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, who were named by former ISIchief Asad Durrani’s list of money recipients in the As-

ghar Khan case. Addressing a press conference at the PTI central secretariat

along with veteran politician Air Martial (r) Asghar Khan, Khan saidthe government should make the FIA chief accountable to theSupreme Court to conduct an impartial investigation.

He made it clear that if taking money was proved against PTIleader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, he would not take part in thecoming election. He said the Asghar Khan case would go a long wayin benefiting democracy in the country.

“The judgement has exposed those who have lied for decadesand indulged in intrigues and conspiracies to come to power.” Herecalled that on the occasion of merging of Tehreek-e-Istaqlal in thePTI, he had demanded reopening of the 16-year-old case.

“At that time, the PML-N was accusing the PTI of taking helpof agencies, but the SC decision has proved that the PML-N was ontop of the list of ISI beneficiaries,” Khan said.

The PTI chief came hard on the government for its inaction overthe Supreme Court’s ruling in the National Reconciliation Ordi-nance (NRO) implementation case, saying it was merely the pow-erless who endured jail terms while the powerful got NROs. He alsolashed out at politicians, saying they had made politics a businessand they did not let any inquiry to be conducted, calling it thebiggest problem of Pakistan.

Referring to Younus Habib, the owner of Mehran Bank impli-cated in the Mehrangate case for allegedly having a hand in the cre-ation of the IJI, he stated, “A powerful man steals in the countryand gets the NRO. This was also the NRO, they did not let an inquirybe conducted and did not let him be sentenced.”

Referring to certain politicians, he said those who were facing

allegations of taking Rs 3.5 million and those who had Rs 5 billionin Switzerland cannot pull the country out of crises. He said thePML-N and PPP, like in the past, would strike a deal over the AsgharKhan case verdict. “The two parties will only save each other andwill not take any action except for a noora kushti and mere state-ments,” Khan added. He asked why the Supreme Court’s order hadnot yet been implemented. “When the time for the real job comes,i.e. to investigate, where is the FIA inquiry?” he questioned.

Commenting on the deteriorating situation in Karachi, he saidthe provincial government had failed to protect the life and propertyof the people in the country’s business hub. In his view, de-politici-sation of the Sindh administration, especially the police, was thekey to restoring peace in Karachi. He said the PML-N had not madeany negotiations with the PTI regarding the caretaker setup.

Those named inAsghar Khan case shouldabandon politics: Imrang Pti chief says fiA chief should be made accountable to SC for an impartialinvestigation g Politics has been made a business by politicians

ISLAMABADAPP

The National Accountability Bureau(NAB) on Wednesday sought time toreconsider its stance in the referencesagainst Ahmed Riaz Sheikh and AdnanA Khawaja in light of the recently an-nounced judgements of the apex courtin Asghar Khan and Anita Turab cases.

The Supreme Court had stated inboth the judgements that government

officials were bound to adhere to theconstitution.

The five-member bench of SupremeCourt comprising Justice Anwar ZaheerJamali, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain,Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice IjazAfzal and Justice Ijaz Chaudhry washearing the NRO implementation case.

Justice Jamali observed that thegovernment had disowned MalikQayyum’s letter to the Swiss authori-ties.

NAB Prosecutor General K Agha in-formed the court that it was mentionedin their letter that Qayyum’s letter writ-ten to Swiss authorities should be con-sidered illegal.

Justice Khosa questioned ifQayyum had misused his authority asattorney general.

Justice Anwar asked the NAB pros-ecutor general if he had an intention tofile a reference against Qayyum.

Agha informed the court that NAB

had completed its inquiry and decidedthat the matter should be closed.

Justice Hussain said that in thelight of Asghar Khan and Anita Turabcases, NAB, which was determined onits stance, should reconsider it.

Justice Khosa said that the govern-ment had conceded to the court’sstance after three years and thereforeany deviation would be tantamount tomisuse of authority.

Agha said that Asghar Khan and

Anita Turab decisions should be re-viewed.

Waseem Sajjad, counsel forQayyum, said the court order shouldnot mention that NAB had been di-rected to initiate another inquiry intothe case.

Justice Afzal remarked that thecourt had not given any directives inthis regard.

The court adjourned hearing tillDecember 4.

NAB seeks time to reconsider stance in references against Khawaja, Riaz

IHC reserves verdict inRimsha Masih case

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC)on Wednesday reserved the decision in a plea todismiss the case against Rimsha Masih, aChristian child accused of blasphemy. IHC ChiefJustice Iqbal Hamid Khan heard the plea fordismissal of the case against Rimsha. The counselfor Rimsha argued that the allegations against theaccused were baseless and prayed for thedismissal of the FIR against her. The prosecutormaintained that the medical report of the accusedwas false and the Interior Ministry had tried toweaken the case. After the completion of thearguments, the court reserved its judgment. inP

Gilani misguided by officers aboutconvicted appointees, SC toldISLAMABAD: Supreme Court on Wednesday granted a deadline to theNational Accountability Bureau (NAB) until December 4 to take a final decisionpertaining to filing a reference against former prime minister Yousaf RazaGilani for misuse of authority. According to a private TV channel, the order wasissued when a five member bench, headed by Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, washearing the case pertaining to the appointment of convicted people in theFederal Investigation Authority (FIA) and Oil and Gas Development CompanyLimited (OGDCL) by Gilani. NAB Prosecutor General KK Agha informed thecourt that NAB had decided not to file a reference against Gilani but it will filereferences against the officers who were involved in the appointments process.The prosecutor was of the view that the accused officers did not inform theprime minister about the conviction of the appointees. nni

Imran will understand his actual

position in polls: SanaullahLAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday saidPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chief Imran Khan would realise the truescope of his political party in the forthcoming general election.Commenting on the statement of Imran Khan in which he saidpoliticians named in the Asghar Khan case should be banned, Sanasaid after having been deprived of the masses’ support, “Khan’sthinking and understanding capability has been badly damaged and heis trying to support his falling political graph by levelling baselessallegations on others”. He said Khan’s tsunami, which had beenbrought about by agencies, had now started to recede because thepeople had seen the true face of the PTI and Imran Khan. Sana saidKhan should realise that he would achieve no success at all in thegeneral election and warned him against befooling the people. “Tellthem [people] why you did not raise a voice against drone attacks in theUS,” he said. The minister said the PML-N believed in service of thepeople wholeheartedly and would achieve brilliant success in thecoming election, purely on the basis of its performance. Online

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MONITOrING DESK

PAKISTAN andA f g h a n i s t a nlook on thes p e c t a c u l a rlandslide re-

election of Barack Obama fora second term as US presidentwith some trepidation, accord-ing to an article by political an-alyst Ahmed Rashid forFinancial Times.

Pakistan has just come outof a nine-month breakdown ofall talks with the US, the worststate the two countries rela-tionship has been in for 60years. Pakistan thinks the USunder Obama has no strategy,while the US thinks Pakistanlies as it continues to harbour

extremists. Obama has fre-quently called Pakistan hisbiggest headache but he hasbeen unable to come up with asatisfying painkiller.

In Afghanistan, a war ofwords has persisted betweenObama officials and PresidentHamid Karzai. Washingtonhas in effect told the Afghanpresident to be quiet and begrateful for the sacrifices thatthe US is making. Mr Karzaikeeps reminding everyonethat he enjoyed better dayswith George W Bush and thatObama has tried to underminehim.

For leaders of both coun-tries, Obama’s first term hasbeen the worst of all possibleworlds, periodically using car-

rot or stick to drag Islamabadand Kabul into line, but oftenusing threats without clearstrategic goals. Moreover, actsdeclared as victories by the USsuch as the killing of Osamabin Laden, the start of the UStroop withdrawal fromAfghanistan or the refusal toprovide the Afghan army withheavy weapons have beenviewed with enormous suspi-cion by Pakistan andAfghanistan.

In Washington, the prob-lems have been magnified byinternal rivalries. Obama hadallowed the US military to runhis policies towards Pakistanand Afghanistan, starting withthe surge in Afghanistan in2009 and then planning for

the US withdrawal in 2014.More important politicalstrategies such as talking tothe Taliban, making sure freeand fair elections are held inAfghanistan and Pakistan andtrying to revive relations withIslamabad have been run by aweak state department,stymied by the lack of presi-dential support.

Now Obama gets a chanceto do things differently. Whatshould he do?

Well, for starters, every-thing. If the US withdrawalfrom Afghanistan in 2014 ishigh on his agenda than heshould prioritise talks with theTaliban that would aim for aceasefire between all sides be-fore troops depart and before

Afghan presidential electionsare held in April of that year.

Many of the Taliban lead-ers have become advocates fora political settlement ratherthan a bloody power grab forKabul that the Taliban knowwould prompt a civil war theycannot win.

Last year’s US-Talibantalks broke down, partly be-cause the military and the CIAin Washington underminedthem. Now US officials say allparts of the administration areon board. Obamaneeds toswiftly compose a team of ex-perts and diplomats and enlistthe help of some Europeancountries to talk to the Talibanwith the aim of reducing vio-lence in Afghanistan in a step-

by-step process that could leadto a ceasefire. Another majordiplomatic effort is alsoneeded to revive talks with allneighbouring states, includingIran and Pakistan, about anon-interference regional pactthat would protectAfghanistan.

Despite the country’s in-ternal chaos, a clear US strat-egy to talk to the AfghanTaliban leaders based in Pak-istan would be attractive to thewarring military, judicial andpolitical factions. That is espe-cially so for the military, whichis now feeling the heat fromthe growing threat posed bythe Pakistani Taliban. A US di-alogue to achieve a cease fire inAfghanistan that includes Pak-

istani participation may act asa glue to help bind the bicker-ing Pakistani establishment.

The new Obama adminis-tration needs to re-engagewith Pakistan on all fronts butparticularly to help it deal withthe growing internal jihadistthreat and that includes help-ing Pakistan devise a compre-hensive policy to disarm theanti-Indian extremist groupsthat inhabit the importantprovince of Punjab. On its ownand without financial helpPakistan is presently incapableof devising any such strategy.And if left out of any peaceequation in Afghanistan, itsintelligence agencies will betempted to act as spoilersrather than healers.

“Democracy is the future ofour younger generation andthose who are hatching con-spiracies against democracywill never succeed in their ne-farious plans, because the en-tire nation and its politicalleadership stand united in itssupport,” he said.

Referring to the PML-N,he said those who called them-selves “lions” were of the opin-ion that the 2008 generalelection should be boycotted,but the PPP persuaded themto take part in the election andhelped get rid of General (r)Musharraf. “They have parted

ways with us, but we neverclosed our doors for them,” headded. Zardari said the attackon Malala was an attack on theeducation of women. “Thosewho shot at Malala representa certain mindset that neededto be changed,” he said.

The president said the PPPwas working hard to preparePakistan for the challenges ofthe 21st century, adding thatthe PPP had a vision to takePakistan to new heights. “Wewant Pakistan to become acountry that is feared by none.We are, therefore, workinghard to strengthen Pakistan’srelations with other countries,”he said.

On the other hand, a largenumber of businesses and in-dividuals who were requiredto be registered with the FBRand to regularly file their in-come tax returns were avoid-ing their legal obligations.The FBR, along with NADRA,has data about the multiplebank accounts, travels, assetsand other details of thesenon-filers.

Based on this data, twotax incentive schemes werebeing proposed by the FBR.The past attempts by FBR toregister them failed as theFBR field units unfortunatelycompromised the data.

The cabinet was informedthat the Tax Registration En-forcement Initiative, 2012 hasbeen devised to attemptthrough a simple scheme toregister and bring into tax netnon-filers of tax returns. Afixed tax is proposed and pro-vides cover to undeclared in-

come/assets of up to Rs 5 mil-lion.

The cabinet was informedthat the Investment TaxScheme, 2012 was being pro-posed to be enacted under au-thority given in the section120A of Income Tax Ordi-nance 2001, which would at-tempt through a simplescheme to provide a mecha-nism and cover to regular fil-ers in addition to non-filers ofincome tax returns to declareundeclared income assets/ex-penditure up to the value ofRs 5 million by payment oftoken tax and additional as-sets/income by payment ofinvestment tax as per pro-posed slab.

The scheme would be ad-ministered through establish-ing special counters with thehelp of banks along withNADRA.

The Revenue Divisionsecretary informed the cabi-net that both schemes shouldnot be taken as a safety net

for those who had not com-plied with tax laws, but as atrampoline which would pro-vide buoyancy to the nationaleconomy and deepen andbroaden the tax base.

The people availing theschemes shall also have im-munity under the NationalAccountability Ordinance,1999, Federal InvestigationAgency Act, 1974, CompaniesOrdinance 1984 and ForeignExchange Ordinance, 2002.These schemes had been finetuned based on discussionsand feed backs from tax barassociations, trade bodies andthe field units, he said.

The cabinet also accordedex-post facto approval to startnegotiations and signing ofthe memorandum of under-standing (MoU) between theForeign Service Academy ofPakistan and the DiplomaticAcademy of Chile. It also con-sidered and approved Elec-tion Laws (Amendment) Bill,2012.

ISLAMABADAgencies

The Muttahida Qaumi Move-ment, the Awami NationalParty, the Pakistan MuslimLeague-Nawaz and Balochnationalists parties staged awalk-out from the UpperHouse against the worseninglaw and order in Karachi onWednesday.

ANP Senator Zahid Khansaid the law minister had as-sured the House on Tuesdaythat Prime Minister RajaPervvez Ashraf would take the

House into confidence overthe situation in the country’scommercial hub but he didnot even attend the session.

He said the provincialand the federal governmenthad been doing nothing tobring peace in the city despitethe fact that the lawmakershad kept raising the issuesince the past three months.

It was the third consecu-tive day that the governmenthas been facing criticism notonly by the opposition butalso by its allies, over theKarachi law and order.

SC drops contemptcharges against PM Ashraf

He praised the services ofthe law minister and histeam for bringing a suc-cessful closure to this longstanding issue to the satis-faction of all concerned.Appreciating the profes-sional acumen, competenceand deft handling of thecase by the minister, theprime minister observedthat closure of the NRO im-plementation case had si-lenced those whopropagated a clash of insti-tutions. He said the suc-cessful closure of the NROimplementation case wouldremove the air of uncer-tainty and help create con-ducive atmosphere duringthe political transition,adding that it would facili-tate a smooth transfer ofpower by conducting freeand impartial elections inthe country.He said the governmenthad fulfilled its commit-ment to abide by the deci-sions of the court in letterand spirit.Ashraf expressed the confi-dence that all institutionswould work harmoniouslyto ensure continuity of thesystem and strengtheningof democracy.

Continued fRom page 01

Cabinet endorses MQM’s

Zardari assures

Walk-out in Senate

over Karachi unrest

‘Obama cannot neglect Pakistan for four more years’

Continued fRom page 19

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bal thackeray on

oxygen, not taking food

MuMBAI: Ailing Shiv Senachief Bal Thackeray’s conditionwas described as “serious” lateon Wednesday night, reportssaid. “Thackeray is serious, butstable. A team of doctors is con-tinuously monitoring him,” aparty official told reporters.There were reports that the 86-year-old leader had been put ona ventilator, but party officialsdenied them. Two days ago,Thackeray, in a personalisededit in Saamna, the partymouthpiece, had declared thathis health was poor, but he wasnot put on ventilator, asclaimed by a section of themedia. Online

Thai Airways partners with samsung Pakistan in a joint marketing campaign, powering the travel industry with the latest

samsung galaxy Tab 2. press release

drones kill more terrorists

than innocents: Musharraf

KARACHI: Former presidentGeneral (r) Pervez Musharrafsaid on Wednesday that theUS drones were killing mostlyterrorists in Pakistan’s tribalareas, and that the number ofcivilian casualties was beingexaggerated. In an interview toa UK-based radio, Musharrafsaid that a conspiracy wasbeing hatched against the mili-tary on the basis of the ideathat “if you want to weakenPakistan, then weaken thearmy.” Musharraf said thatduring his tenure he had or-dered the intelligence agenciesto keep themselves aloof frompolitics. inP

uS general demotedWASHINGTON

inP

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta demoted a formerhead of the Africa command on charges of excessivetravelling and lavish spending. Former commander ofUnited States Africa Command General William Wardwill now be retired as a Lieutenant General, the Penta-gon Press Secretary George Little said on Wednesday.“A department of the Army will also seek to recouproughly US $82,000 stemming from General Ward’smisconduct in travel, misuse of military aircraft andstaff, and his receipt of reimbursements to which hewas not entitled,” he said. In June, the Department ofDefence Inspector General issued a report substantiat-ing that General Ward had engaged in numerous actsof misconduct related to misuse of government fundsduring his tenure as Commander of US Africa Com-mand. “Panetta insists that leaders within the Depart-ment of Defence exemplify both professionalexcellence and sound judgement,” said Little. Headded that Panetta wants to ensure that any impropri-eties or misconduct by senior officers should be dealtwith swiftly and appropriately. Since departing fromhis post at US Africa Command, General Ward re-verted to the grade of Major General and is currentlyserving as a Vice Chief of Staff’s Special Assistant.

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LAHOrEsTAFF RePORT

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice ChairmanShah Mahmood Qureshi said on Wednesdaythat the youth would play a vital role in usher-ing winds of change in the country.

Addressing the PTI’s Youth Convention,Qureshi said the young men and women whohad volunteered and worked day and night toorganise the event would be the real agents ofchange who would reject traditional politics.

He said that the obsolete and corrupt polit-ical system would end through new politicalreformation. He said that while PTI might lackexperience, Imran Khan’s credibility more thanmade up for that. He said that PTI was neitherthe product of electoral rigging, nor would itever allow that to take place. He praised the en-thusiasm of the youth at the conference andsaid that if this zeal remained as strong, PTIwould expect a 60 to 70 percent voter turnoutand sweep the next general elections.

He said that even though no transportor media coverage had been arranged forthe convention on November 4, peopleused their own resources and social mediato turn it into a great success.

Qureshi said that PTI would not stop atthis and their next Youth Conventions wouldbe held in KPK, South Punjab, Sindh andBalochistan. He addressed the youth of

Balochistan and acknowledged their hard-ships and committed to redress their issuesonce in power. He said that Khan would ad-dress a rally in Mirpur AJK today (Thursday)and uphold national interest without compro-mising on principles. Qureshi praised the ef-forts of the youth and told them to keep up

their good work. He said that Khan had an-nounced a 25 percent quota for them in theParliament and it was up to them to provetheir abilities.

Qureshi distributed certificates amongvolunteers while young students chanted slo-gans and expressed solidarity with PTI.

PESHAWAr sAjjAD Ali

THE Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf(PTI) may be against Ameri-can drone attacks, but when itcomes to democracy, itprefers US-styled debates for

its first-ever intra-party elections. However, irrespective of its ap-

proach on holding the long-awaitedpolls, an announcement by the mediacell of the PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(KP) chapter on Tuesday gave away thelack of coordination and possible differ-ences within party ranks.

“The PTI is going to make history byintroducing pre-election debates in theparty,” said a press release issued by thePTI KP office. The pre-election debatewould be held on November 17 atNishtar Hall, Peshawar. According to thestatement, senior PTI leader HamidKhan will be the chief guest on the occa-sion, while the party’s chief provincialelection commissioner Qazi MuhammadAnwar and PTI KP Convener Prof DrMehr Taj Roghani would be the moder-ators of the debate. Expressing its desireto see “real democracy” in the country,the PTI announced holding pre-election

debates among various party candidatesin order to eliminate status quo and endthe influence of certain families overpower in the country.

The aim of holding intra-party elec-tion with US-styled debates is to pres-ent local caucuses on district levelsthroughout the country. The candidateswould hold lengthy discussions and un-dergo primaries to win a party ticket forcontesting election on provincial assem-bly or National Assembly seats andparty portfolios. The candidates forparty portfolios will have to presenttheir future visions within the frame-work of the party manifesto before thePTI workers during the debate.

But, lack of coordination within theparty’s provincial chapter was visiblewhen this scribe contacted two prominentPTI leaders to get their opinion on thepre-election debates.

When contacted over the matter,PTI’s provincial spokesman Shah Far-man expressed surprise to the point ofshock, saying the party had no intentionto hold pre-election debates. “Let metalk to the PTI’s media coordinator andask on whose directives the press releaseon the pre-election debate is issued, asthe party has no such plans so far”, Far-

man said and hung up. Asad Qaisar, former provincial party

chief and a candidate for the same slotahead of the intra-party polls, also ex-pressed ignorance over the development.“No way; there is no such plan to organiseany pre-election debate,” he exclaimed.After being told that the decision hadbeen reported in the media, he said: “No,no.” Four candidates, including formerprovincial president Asad Qisar, ShaukatAli Yousafzai, MPA Pervaiz Khattak andformer director general of the IntelligenceBureau Masood Sharif Khattak, are con-testing for the provincial presidency,while Saad Abdullah is contesting for theslot of provincial general secretary.

Insiders said the candidates whowere opposing pre-election debateshad not prepared a policy to presentto their workers.

The PTI has already dissolved all theorganisations and bodies for the intra-party polls, and divided the province intofour zones, namely Malakand, South,Hazara, and Central (Peshawar).

The party has not promised partytickets to anyone, and linked theaward of tickets with the nominationby local caucus elected through theintra-party election.

PTI to stage US-styleddebates, but does everyoneknow about it?

Youth ready to change the country’s fate: Qureshi

Balochistandoctors’ strikeenters 29th day QuETTA: Doctors in Balochistan boycottedwork at OPDs of all government hospitals for the29th consecutive day on Wednesday, demandingthe recovery of their abducted colleague Dr SaeedAhmed Khan. The general operation theatreswere also closed .The strike is being observed onthe call of the Pakistan Medical Association(Balochistan). According to the PMA, the strikewill continue until Dr Khan was recovered. Theprovincial government has failed to make anyheadway in the recovery of the abducted doctor,an eye specialist and head of LRBT Hospital, whowas kidnapped on October 16 from Saryab Roadin Quetta. Patients coming from far-flung areas ofthe province have been facing a lot of trouble dueto the doctors’ strike. inP

cHAMAn: An Afghan woman enters Pakistan after crossing the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in

a wheelbarrow on Wednesday. INP

No-trust motion against BAspeaker under considerationQuETTA: Consultations began on Wednesday to bring ano-trust motion against Balochistan Assembly SpeakerAslam Bhotani as Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashrafsummoned PPP lawmakers to Islamabad in a bid toresolve the crisis. According to sources, PPP’s coalitionpartners and independent candidates are being consultedto present a no-trust motion against Bhotani. Thesources added that Bhotani could be replaced with anyother member of the PML-Q. On Tuesday, BalochistanAssembly unanimously adopted a resolution, backingAslam Raisani as the chief minister. In interim order, theSupreme Court had ruled that the Balochistangovernment had lost its constitutional authority in thewake of poor law and order situation. inP

ISLAMABAD Online

Minister for Information and BroadcastingQamar Zaman Kaira has said no political partyis involved in worsening the situation in Karachi,but it is the after effects of war against terrorism.

Talking to reporters outside parliament onWednesday, Kaira said the atmosphere of polit-ical victimisation had ended due to politics ofreconciliation in the country.

“The president has clarified that the govern-ment will complete its tenure and the electionswill be held on time. We are hoping that the peo-ple will vote for the PPP once again,” Kaira said.

He said former prime minister Yousaf RazaGilani’s stance was correct as the court had saidthere should a middle way on writing the letter.“The PPP found the constitutional solution tothe issue,” he said.

The information minister said salaries ofgovernment employees had not been raised any-where in the world but the PPP government hadnot only increased salaries in Pakistan but hadgiven employment to people.

Kaira sees no political involvement

in Karachi situation

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ISLAMABADAPP

MEASURES adopted bythe federal and provin-cial authorities to com-bat target killings, hadbrought down the

number of such incidents during thelast two months in the country.

Data available with APP revealed onWednesday that within Islamabad, con-cerned authorities had established 29 halt-ing points with a break up of 12 in the cityzone, 9 in Saddar and 10 in the I-Area zone.

Around 51 vehicles had been de-ployed at these halting points. The datafurther revealed that from 1359 hours to0600 hours, the number of haltingpoints had been increased to 126.

Around 63 vehicles had been de-ployed at these halting points to keep aneye over suspicious persons and vehi-cles, to control target killing.

With regard to the patrolling systemwithin ICT, data revealed that it hadalso been revamped and 15 Falcons and16 pairs of Eagle Motorcycles along with6 Commandos’ vehicles had been de-ployed, and officials were working inthree shifts for surveillance.

Regarding check posts, the datarevealed that a total 60 posts hadbeen erected, including 24 in the cityzone, 18 in Saddar, 14 in IndustrialArea and four check posts had beenerected in the rural zone that arefunctioning round the clock.

On steps taken in Punjab, the datarevealed that activities of Afghantrained boys (ATBs), returnees fromAfghan prisons (RAPs)/GuantanamoBay, madaris involved in militancy, fire-brand speakers of different sectarianorganizations and the publication anddistribution of hate material were beingmonitored closely to control targetkilling in the province.

Karachi Police, in order to combatthe crime, undertook measures includ-ing beefing up presence in violence af-fected areas, apprehension of targetkillers and gangsters, enhancement ofpatrolling in sensitive areas, monitoringand surveillance of sensitive areas, etc.

However, 124 target killers in-volved in violence had been arrested.Steps taken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(KPK) included extraordinary vigi-lance, sharing of intelligence withother law enforcing agencies (LEAs),effective police patrolling round theclock and the establishment of addi-tional checkpoints in conspicuousplaces, and detection of most ofcrimes and interrogation of suspects.

In FATA, the data revealed thatspecial focus had been maintainedand measures were taken in shape ofdeployment of LEAs on all routesleading to and from the agencies, toensure that target killing in the juris-

diction of the respective agencies waseffectively controlled.

Due to the efforts of their respec-tive Political Administrations, targetkilling in FATA had been broughtdown to minimum with the exceptionto one incident which took place onOctober 11 in North WaziristanAgency, in which three persons werekilled and one was injured.

In Balochistan, the number of tar-get killing incidents was 30 during Sep-tember and October, due to which 10personnel of LEAs and 24 civilians losttheir lives while 12 LEAs’ personnel and11 civilians received injuries.

CCTV cameras had been installed atkey points within the provincial capitaland all entry and exit points of Quettadistrict. Security at troubled spots hadbeen enhanced in order to provide secu-rity to the citizens.

Traders were being escorted fromHazar Ganji to Hazara Town and on-ward up to Marriabad Quetta whilemourners travelling from Quetta to Iranwere also being escorted through theroute by District Police and LeviesForce in the area of responsibility.

Community policing restored

rAWALPINDIinP

To curb crime and ensure effectivepolicing, Islamabad Police an-nounced to restore community polic-ing in the federal capital. Thedecision was taken in a meeting heldunder the chair of Inspector GeneralBani Amin Khan. The meeting wasattended by DIG (Headquarters) DrSultan Azam Temuri, SP (Saddar)Sajid Kiani and in-charge of PoliceCommunity Police Centres. Underthe system, police personnel of in-spector and sub-inspector rankswould be appointed as in-charge ofcommunity centres. The IGP saidthat strict action would be takenagainst those disturbing the law andorder situation with the help of thecommunity in order to make Islam-abad a crime free city.

Report claims targetedkilling ‘under control’

PAF Chaklala officialsgiven 10 days tochange water pipelinesRAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi DistrictConsumer Court had given a deadline of10 days to officials of PAF Chaklala tochange water pipelines in the area.Wing Commander Raja Parvez Hassanappeared before the court in the case ofthe supply of adulterated water to resi-dents. The PAF officials prayed that theconsumers paid the cost of the pipesand the authority should be given onemonth’s time for installation work. Thecourt rejected the viewpoint of PAF offi-cials and remarked that the consumerswere not responsible for paying the costof pipes as they paid their bills regu-larly. The court ordered the officials tolay the new pipelines in 10 days andpresent its report in the court on No-vember 23. inP

FIA arrests passengerattempting to travelon fake visaRAWALPINDI: Federal InvestigationAgency (FIA) on Wednesday arrested apassenger from Benazir Bhutto Interna-tional Airport Islamabad, who was at-tempting to travel to Greece on a fakevisa. During the routine checking of trav-elling documents, FIA (Passport Circle)took the passenger into its custody fortrying to proceed to Greece on a bogusvisa. Without disclosing the name of thearrested passenger, sources said that FIAhad started investigations to arrest theagents involved in preparing fake docu-ments and fleecing the public. “I securedthe visa after paying 600 Euros,” sourcesquoted the passenger as saying. APP

Met office predictsrain for the weekendISLAMABAD: Pakistan Meteorologi-cal Department (PMD) on Wednesdayindicated chances of light rain for dif-ferent places of Upper Punjab, KhyberPakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan dur-ing Friday and Saturday. According tothe synoptic situation, continental airprevailed over most parts of the coun-try. Mainly dry weather was expected inmost parts of the country during thenext 24 hours. Foggy/misty conditionswere likely to prevail overCentral/Southern areas of Punjab andPeshawar division during late night andmorning. APP

nAb nabs 2 forrs 300m fraud

ISLAMABADOnline

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) hasarrested two swindlers on the charge of get-ting Rs 300 million from 27 citizens byfraud. NAB spokesman told reporters thatboth the culprits Tahir Saeed and NaeemRaza formed a firm with the name ofAhmed Trading Company and started thebusiness of money changing. They lured people into investing by promis-ing good returns and also gave fake foreigncurrency to their customers. The investorsmade investment in the bogus company byusing international fund telegraph transferthrough bank.When NAB got the records from thebank, it revealed that entire amount wastransferred in a personal account. Ac-countability court Islamabad has handedover both the wrongdoers to NAB on 14days physical remand.

ISLAMABAD sTAFF RePORT

Millions of people, forcibly displaced bynatural and man-made disasters, oftenface a ‘secondary disaster’ that comesfrom living in unplanned and informalsettlements. They lack the necessary so-cial service, including health care andclean water, which they struggle to ac-cess alongside facing an increased ex-posure to sexual and gender-basedviolence.

This was revealed at the launchingof the World Disasters Report 2012 at aceremony jointly organised by the In-ternational Federation of Red Crossand Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) andPakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS)here on Wednesday. The Reportstresses that people forcibly displacedby conflict, disasters, persecution andother factors are increasingly seekingrefuge in cities and not in relief camps.

Speaking at the launching cere-mony of the report, PRCS ChairmanManaging Board Member MianMuhammad Javed said that the reportfocused on forced migration and dis-placement. He said at present, the RedCross and Red Crescent estimated thatthere were more than 72 million forcedmigrants which was equivalent to onein every hundred people on the planet.These were people who do not have achoice but to leave their homes and fleebecause of a range of sadly predictablefactors such as conflict and violence.“Think of Syria and the Arab Spring,political persecution, mega natural dis-asters like Haiti and our own countryPakistan and even poorly planned de-velopment projects,” he said.

As the report outlined, govern-ments can also minimize the impact ofmigration on their communities andcan even benefit from new arrivals byincluding migrant health issues in na-

tional health plans, and by workingmore broadly to ensure that migrantsbecome productive members of theirnew communities.

“Governments and humanitarianorganisations are still struggling to fig-ure out how to support these people whohave fled a disaster or a conflict and whohave ended up living in informal parts oftowns or cities,” Mian Javed added. InPakistan, displacement was no longer aonce-in-years phenomenon, sincecountless number of people migratedthroughout the year because of domesticconflicts and natural disasters.

Head of Delegation IFRC Karen HBjornestad speaking on the occasionsaid for the IFRC, the World DisasterReport 2012 provided practical backingfor ongoing call to governments to en-sure that migrants, irrespective of theirlegal status, have access to humanitar-ian assistance and that they weretreated at all times with respect and

dignity. In November 2011, at the 31stInternational Conference of the RedCross and Red Crescent Movement, 164governments agreed to this principle byadopting a resolution in this regard.

She stressed that governmentsneeded to adopt new policies and strate-gies that recognize the rights of migrantswhile helping them become productivemembers of communities and not a bur-den, as some may perceive.

Others who also spoke on the occa-sion included UNHCR Pakistan repre-sentative Neill Wright, Head ofDelegation International Committee ofthe Red Cross (ICRC) Paul Castella, andCountry Director International LabourOrganization (ILO) Francesco D’O-vidio. A copy of the World Disaster Re-port 2012 was officially handed over tothe Chief of Mission International Or-ganization for Migration (IOM) EnricoPonziani to signify the official launch ofthe book in Pakistan.

Millions forcibly displaced facing ‘secondary disaster’ in cities: report

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islAMABAD: A large number of people released blue balloon (symbol of Diabetes) into the air after a walk to mark the “World Debates Day” at D chowk. INP

RCB confiscates six truckloads of goodsunder its anti-encroachment operation

rAWALPINDIAPP

Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB)confiscated six truckloads of goodsfrom different markets in its cam-paign against encroachments, whilefines were imposed on a number ofshopkeepers. The anti-encroachmentoperation had further been intensi-fied in RCB areas to provide relief tocitizens visiting the markets. Accord-ing to the RCB Additional ExecutiveCantonment Officer (AECO) ShakeelAnwar Jappa the grand clean-up op-eration against encroachments wasunderway in RCB areas under thespecial instructions of the RawalpindiStation Commander.He said that RCB markets were regu-larly being visited by the staff con-cerned and raid were being conductedin main markets. Six truckloads wereconfiscated during the last two daysfrom Hafiz Abad, Naseer Abad andSaddar areas. Vendors who werefound selling their products displayedon footpaths and different roads werefined and given warnings.He said that strict action would betaken against those violating orders.

ISLAMABADOnline

SENATE committee onWednesday requestedthe government to bringOil and Gas RegulatoryAuthority (OGRA) ordi-

nance 2002 into the Parliament tomake it an act.

The meeting of the SenateStanding Committee on CabinetSecretariat, held in the parliamenthouse with Senator KalsoomParveen in the chair, strongly criti-cized the role of Oil and Gas regu-latory Authority (OGRA) and saidthat despite it being a regulatorybody, OGRA’s role was critical as itcould develop or destroy the econ-omy of the country. Price fluctua-tions affect each and everycommodity of life as each and everything is linked to petroleum prices.

Senator Abdul Haseeb said thatthe appointment of OGRA Chair-

man Saeed Ahmed had not beencarried out in a transparent man-ner as four members had not beenconsidered during the process ofappointment of the chairman.

Senator Kamil Ali Agha saidthat there was a dire need for legis-lation over the OGRA ordinanceand this legislation was in favour ofthe common man.

The standing committee sug-gested that the government neededto fix the petroleum levy.

Najma Hameed said that thegovernment should withdraw thefree fuel provision to the govern-ment as it was a heavy burden onthe economy. The committeeshowed strong reservations over oilprices and the price mechanismformula and decided to come withtheir own price determination for-mula in the next meeting.

Expressing concerns overCESS, the standing committeeasked the OGRA chairman to give

complete details about the totalamount collected under CESS.

The committee also asked offi-cials of OGRA to give the selectioncriteria of the OGRA chairman andits members.

The chairman said that duringa hearing in the Supreme Court,Secretary Petroleum Dr Waqar Ma-sood withdrew the MoU of operat-ing costs of CNG and no formulahad been given so far, therefore theprice of CNG had been frozen. Heinformed the committee that petro-leum prices were fixed by followinga formula from the federal cabinetand till the further directions fromthe cabinet, old prices would bemaintained.

CNG Association ChairmanGhiyas Paracha said that the asso-ciation wanted to provide relief toconsumers and to maintain lowerprices however it was the responsi-bility of the government to imposeequal tax on all sectors.

PHA to spend Rs 30mon planting flowers on green belts

rAWALPINDIsTAFF RePORT

Rawalpindi Parks and Horticulture Agency (PHA)decided to spend Rs 30 million on planting flowerson green belts of various roads in Rawalpindi.According to sources, the flowers planting processhad been started in green belts of various roads in-cluding Benazir Bhutto Road, Rawal Road, SaidpurRoad, Sixth Road and Fifth Road.PHA Managing Director Captain Mushtaq Ahmedsaid that scarcity of funds was usually a problem,adding that they were planting flowers in the author-ity’s nursery as well, that would be ready to beplanted on green belts and parks till April.He said that this would improve the situation of allthe parks. “We are trying to hire gardeners at dailywages for the purpose,” he said. Expressing their reservations, citizens of the citysaid that it would have been better to use the grantfor metalling the roads and streets. They said thatthey smelled a rat in the scheme and wondered as towho such a big amount was going to be spent on in-stead. A citizen said that with such an amount thewhole city could be filled with flowers. He said that alittle amount would be spent on flowers plantationwhile the rest would go to specific pockets, as wasthe norm in the country.

ISLAMABAD sTAFF RePORT

School of Leadership’s (SoL)nationwide campaign titled‘Shabash Pakistan’ met for itssixth session in Bahria Uni-versity, in which 500 stu-dents of the university cametogether and pledged to savetheir motherland by becom-ing ambassadors of peace

SoL unveiled the firstevent of ‘Shabash Pakistan’ inBahria University. The sec-ond event took place in AirUniversity. The movementaimed at reviving patriotismand ‘Pakistaniyat’ in the

youth to create a positiveimage of Pakistan in the in-ternational arena.

The campaign involves aseries of three one-day ses-sions in four universities,which would be divided overthree months. The target au-dience is the undergraduateand graduate students.

School of Leadership isknown for being pioneers ofthe training industry in Pak-istan. They claim to provide aplatform for individuals todiscover and utilize their abil-ity to elevate their livesthrough conscious endeav-ours. SoL helps bring about

positive changes in people’spersonal, professional andsocial lives, which favourablyimpacts their families, organ-izations, communities andsociety at large.

SoL aspires to empowerpeople through greaterawareness of self, others andtheir environment, to enablethem to steer their communi-ties and organizations tohigher levels of sustainablegrowth, impact and prof-itability. SoL believes that theyouth can be trusted to shapetheir own destiny, inspiretheir communities and craft abrighter future.

‘Shabash Pakistan’ impacts Bahria University

ECP to provide levelplaying ground to all candidates

ISLAMABADsTAFF RePORT

“The Election Commission of Pak-istan (ECP) will provide level playingground to all the political parties andcontesting candidates to ensure fair,transparent and credible elections aselections are not only vital for thedemocracy but also for the stability ofthe country ”. This was stated by Ish-tiak Ahmad Khan, secretary ECP in ameeting with the participants of the12th Senior Management Course(SMC) of National Institute of Man-agement, Karachi, who visited theElection Commission of Pakistan(ECP) on their inland study tour heretoday on Wednesday. Ishtiak AhmadKhan said that a survey has been con-ducted regarding establishment ofpermanent polling stations and afterapproval of the ECP, the list of thesepermanent polling stations will beshared with political parties invitingsuggestions/complaints thereon.Later on, it will be placed on ECP’swebsite to eliminate the possibility ofany changes at eleventh hour and tokeep the voters informed about thelocation of their concerned pollingstations. The secretary informed theparticipants that Code of Conduct forthe political parties and candidateshas already been finalized and sent tothe political parties on October 7,2012 to seek their valuable feedbacklatest by October 22, 2012.

Govt may table OGRA ordinance into parliament:standing committee

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PoliCe eMergenCy 15

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reSCue 1122

HilAl-e-AHMer 9250488

edHi foundAtion 2827844

boMb diSPoSAl 9270698

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Sui gAS 1199

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reSerVAtion 9273614

rAilwAy PoliCe 1333

AirPort

fligHt enquiry 114

PiA reSerVAtion 111-786-786

CollegeS / uniVerSitieS

internAtionAl iSlAMiC uniVerSity 9260765

bAHriA uniVerSity 9260002

nuMl 9257677

quAid-e-AzAM uniVerSity 90642098

Arid AgriCulture uniVerSity 9290151

fJwu 9273235

riPHA internAtionAl uniVerSity 111510510

nCA rAwAlPindi 5770423

PunJAb lAw College 4421347

MAHroof int 2222920

PiMS 9261170

Poly CliniC 9218300

CdA 9221334

SHifA internAtionAl 4603666

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diStriCt HqS 5556311-14

ultrASoniC CliniC 2824862

Holy fAMily 9290319

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POTTerY & HOBBY CerAmICS

instructor: Shahid waheedtimings : 4pm - 6:00pm days : Monday, tuesday & wednesday.

dAte And tiMe: 05:00 PM, weeKly eVentVenue: tHe Centre for ArtS & Culture

our drumming circle is a (free!) ongoingevent and is held every friday from 5pmto 6pm. we are having a great time, andwant to share the good time with you!our drumming circle has children ...

dAte: oCt 22 - deC 31Venue: KuCH KHAAS: ArtS & Culture

YOgA WITH AmANDA

this yoga course will creatively and mindfullyincorporate physical poses with the rhythm of thebreath. the course will teach you thefundamentals of yoga, such as good alignment,body mechanics, and breathwork.

dAte: oCt 22 - deC 31Venue: KuCH KHAAS: ArtS & Culture

DrummINg CIrCle

NEWS DESK

DRESSED up in elaborate, femi-nine outfits and artfully ap-plied makeup, they areshowered with money whiledancing at all-male wedding

parties. But the lives of transgender people inPakistan are also marked by harassment, re-jection and poverty, according to a report bythe Washington Post.

Transgender people live in a tenuous po-sition in conservative Pakistan, where theroles of the sexes are traditionally starklydrawn. Families often push them out of thehome when they’re young, forcing many toprostitute themselves to earn a living.

One role where they are tolerated is asdancers at weddings and other celebrationsat which men and women are strictly segre-gated. In between the dancing and showers ofrupee notes, they must fend off groping fromdrunken guests.

“I don’t understand why people feel it istheir duty to tease and taunt us,” said onetransgender Pakistani who goes by the nameSymbal. Many in the transgender communitypick a name for themselves and do not usetheir last name to protect their family.

Others beg on the streets or earn moneyby blessing newborn babies. The blessings re-flect a widespread belief in Pakistan andother South Asian nations that God answersthe prayers of someone who was born under-privileged, said Iqbal Hussain, a Pakistani re-searcher who has studied the transgendercommunity. But he cautioned that didn’tmean people were ready to give them equalrights.

In recent years the community has gainedsome government protection. A SupremeCourt ruling in 2011 allowed them to get na-tional identity cards recognizing them as aseparate identity — neither male or female —and allowing them to vote.

In neighboring India, the election com-mission ruled in 2009 that transgender peo-ple could register to vote as “other,” ratherthan male or female. In other parts of the re-gion and Muslim world, the attitude towardtransgenders is also complex.

In Thailand, the community is very visi-ble and broadly tolerated. Transgender peo-ple are regularly seen on TV soap operas,working at department store cosmetics coun-ters or popular restaurants and walking therunways in numerous transgender beautypageants.

Many transgender Indonesians publiclywear women’s clothes and makeup and work

as singers. But societal disdain still runsdeep. They have taken a much lower profilein recent years, following a series of attacksby Muslim hard-liners. In Malaysia, Muslimmen who wear women’s clothes can be pros-ecuted in Islamic courts.

In the Arab world, there is little opportu-nity for transgender people to openly showtheir identity in public. In 2007, Kuwaitmade “imitating members of the oppositesex” a crime, leading to the arrest of hun-dreds of transgender women, Human RightsWatch said. In Iraq, extremists have targetedand killed people perceived of being gay oreffeminate.

Transgender communitycaught between worlds

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thursday, 15 november, 2012

Foreign NewsSri lanka denies

intimidating un

over tamil deaths

cOLOMBOAgencies

The Sri Lankan government hasdenied allegations that it intimidatedUN staff at the end of the civil war.The claims were made in a UN reportleaked, in which the UN accused itselfof failing the civilian Tamil populationin the final stages of the conflict in2009. The Sri Lankan UN ambassadorsaid it was "absolute nonsense" to saya "small country" could intimidate theUN. Palitha Kohona said his countryhad worked with senior UN officials.Plantations Minister MahindaSamarasinghe told a press conferencein the capital, Colombo, that he didnot want to comment directly on thereport. But he said: "How can youintimidate them (the UN)? They don'tget intimidated by anyone." The UN'sinvestigation into its own conductduring the last months of the conflictconcluded: "Events in Sri Lanka marka grave failure of the UN." It said theorganisation should in future "be ableto meet a much higher standard infulfilling its protection andhumanitarian responsibilities". Thereport does highlight the positive roleplayed by some UN staff on theground and the secretary general, butit points to a "systemic failure". Itquestions decisions such as thewithdrawal of UN staff from the warzone in September 2008 after the SriLankan government warned it couldno longer guarantee their safety. ATamil school teacher now seekingasylum in Britain, said "We beggedthem (the UN), we pleaded with themnot to leave the area. They did notlisten to us."The teacher who did notwant to be named, added: “If they hadstayed there, and listened to us, manymore people would be alive today.” ‘DIffICuLT DILEMMAS’: TheUN's former humanitarian chief, JohnHolmes, has criticised the report. MrHolmes said the UN faced "some verydifficult dilemmas" at the time andcould be criticised for the decisions ithad taken. "But the idea that if webehaved differently, the Sri Lankangovernment would have behaveddifferently I think is not one that iseasy to reconcile with the reality at thetime," he said. The government andTamil rebels are accused of warcrimes in the brutal conflict whichended in May 2009. The 26-year warleft at least 100,000 people dead.There are still no confirmed figuresfor tens of thousands of civiliandeaths in the last months of battle. Anearlier UN investigation said it waspossible up to 40,000 people hadbeen killed in the final five monthsalone. Others suggest the number ofdeaths could be even higher.Hundreds of thousands of Tamilcivilians remained in the war zone,exploited by both sides: forciblyrecruited by Tamil Tigers or used ashuman shields; or underindiscriminate government fire. Onthe day before the war ended, 17 May2009, Mr Samarasinghe said:"Soldiers saved all the Tamil civilianstrapped inside the war zone withoutshedding a drop of blood."

BAGHDADAgencies

At least 17 people have beenkilled and dozenswounded in bombingsacross Iraq, on the eve ofthe Islamic new year and

the holy month of Muharram.Six car bombs and roadside devices

exploded in the capital, Baghdad, andfour other cities, the AFP news agencycited officials as saying.

In the deadliest attack, at least threebombs went off simultaneously inKirkuk, killing at least five people.

Muharram is an important part ofthe Shia Muslim religious calendar.

During its first 10 days, millions willcommemorate the martyrdom in 680AD(61 in the Islamic calendar) of ImamHussein, a grandson of the ProphetMuhammad, at the Battle of Karbala.The mourning culminates in the festivalof Ashura. Shia religious events have inthe past frequently been targeted by ex-tremist Sunni Islamist militant groups,including al-Qaeda in Iraq.

No group has said it was behindWednesday's bombings, most of whichoccurred in the ethnically-mixed, oil-richnorthern province of Kirkuk. Police saidthe attacks in Kirkuk city started with acar bomb explosion near the offices ofthe Kurdistan Democratic Party, led bythe president of the semi-autonomous

Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani.As security forces and bystanders

gathered at the scene, there was a secondblast, leaving at least five people deadand 34 wounded.

"My child was killed! His friendswere killed!" Shukriyah Rauf screamedafter the blast, according to AFP. "Thereis no security here, our homes were de-stroyed!" A separate attack in Kirkukwounded seven street cleaners.

"The car bomb targeted our friends -they are not police, soldiers or politi-cians," said Jassim al-Obeidi. "They justwanted to make a little money."

Another car bomb targeted an armypatrol in the nearby, predominantlySunni town of Hawija, killing at least

four people.In the town of Hilla, south of Bagh-

dad, a vehicle packed with explosivesblew up near a girls' secondary schooland a crowded poultry market, leaving atleast six people dead and dozenswounded, among them reportedlyschoolchildren.

A blast was also reported in the townof Bald Ruz, in the central province ofDiyala. In the capital, Baghdad, one per-son was killed and at least six werewounded in a series of blasts.

One of the explosions went off nearthe Palestine and Ishtar Sheraton hotels,two of the city's biggest, shatteringnearby windows. Another blast was re-ported in the central Firdous Square.

TRiPOli: A team of libyan experts and military engineers dismantle a rocket under the supervision of the un. experts were assigned to dump the toxic chemicals left over

from the former gaddafi regime. AgeNCIeS

Iraq bombings kill 17 on eve of Muharram

MADrID Agencies

Workers across the European Union arestaging a series of protests and strikesagainst rising unemployment and aus-terity measures.

General strikes in Spain and Portu-gal halted transport, businesses andschools and led to clashes between policeand protesters in Madrid.

Smaller strikes were reported inGreece, Italy and Belgium, and rallieswere planned in other countries.

Hundreds of flights have been can-celled in Spain and Portugal.

Airlines are recommending passen-gers check the schedules before settingout to airports. The European TradeUnion Confederation has co-ordinatedthe Europe-wide action.

The confederation's Judith Kirton-Darling said that austerity was not work-ing. "It's increasing inequalities, it'sincreasing the social instability in societyand it's not resolving the economic cri-sis," she said. Some 40 groups from 23countries are involved in Wednesday'sdemonstrations. 'There is just no work'

Unions in Spain and Portugal startedstrikes at midnight to protest againstausterity measures that have combined

tax rises with cuts in salaries, pensions,benefits and social services.

Marchers came out late on Tuesdayin Spain, where 25% are unemployed,the highest rate in Europe. "I have twosons in my house, one is getting subsi-dies, the other has been at home for thelast three years," said protesting house-wife, Paqui Olmo. "It is not that he does-n't want to work, there is just no work."

In the first reported clashes of theday, picketers and police fought at aMadrid bus depot where demonstratorswere trying to stop buses from leaving.

There were outbreaks of violence inother Spanish cities, and the interior min-

istry said more than 30 arrests had beenmade. The government has played downthe strike, saying the electricity grid isregistering 80% of its normal usage. Butunions claim the operations of severallarge companies, including Danone andHeineken, have ground to a halt.

In neighbouring Portugal, demon-strators took to the streets in the earlyhours, carrying banners denouncing theEuropean Union, International Mone-tary Fund and European Central Bank.

The so-called troika has bailed outPortugal to the tune of 78bn euros($100bn; £62bn), and demanded deepausterity measures in return.

European workers stage austerity protests

israel ministry

paper proposes

‘toppling’ Abbas

over un bidTEL AvIvAgencies

A position paper by Israel's foreignministry proposes "toppling" PresidentMahmoud Abbas if Palestine's bid forUN non-member state status isapproved. The internal document says itis "the only option" if deterrence effortsdo not succeed, even though Israel"would have to pay the consequences".Mr Abbas will submit a request to theUN General Assembly on 29 November.Israel and the US strongly oppose themove, saying an independent state canonly be achieved through negotiations.A Palestinian bid to join the UN as a fullmember state in 2011 failed because of alack of support at the Security Council.Currently, the Palestine LiberationOrganisation (PLO), the umbrella groupwhich represents most Palestinianfactions and conducts negotiations withIsrael, only has "permanent observer"status at the UN. Mr Abbas, who ischairman of the PLO and president ofthe Palestinian Authority, wantsPalestine to be admitted as a non-member observer state based on theboundaries which existed before Israeloccupied the the West Bank, EastJerusalem and the Gaza Strip during the1967 war. The Israeli position paper isintended for use in internal discussionsand has not been endorsed by ForeignMinister Avigdor Lieberman.

BEIJINGAgencies

China's Communist Party has concludeda week-long congress, a day before un-veiling its new leadership line-up.

More than 2,200 delegates met toselect a new Central Committee in Bei-jing's Great Hall of the People.

That committee will meet onThursday to endorse China's top deci-sion-making body, the Politburo Stand-ing Committee. The new line-up will bekeenly watched for signs of China's fu-ture economic and political direction.

In a closing statement, PresidentHu Jintao said the congress had "re-

placed older leaders with younger ones"and made decisions of "far-reachinghistorical significance", Xinhua newsagency said.

China's leadership change happensevery 10 years. The party congressopened on 8 November with a televisedwork report from Mr Hu, but since thenthe decision-making has been takingplace behind closed doors.

While votes are held, key selectionsare in reality decided in advance by topleaders, with the Politburo StandingCommittee line-up to be revealed at11:00 (03:00 GMT) on Thursday.

Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang are ex-pected to become party leader and

deputy respectively. Mr Xi is also ex-pected to take over from Hu Jintao asChina's president in March 2013.

Both were appointed to the CentralCommittee, Xinhua news agency con-firmed, as were the leading contendersfor inclusion in the Standing Commit-tee. Vice-Premier Wang Qishan, prop-aganda chief Liu Yunshan, partyorganisation chief Li Yuanchao, Tianjinparty boss Zhang Gaoli and Vice-Pre-mier Zhang Dejiang are all thought tobe front-runners.

But the exact composition of thecommittee - which could be reducedfrom nine to seven members - will notbe clear until it is formally announced.

China party congress wraps upahead of leadership unveiling

ISB 15-11-2012_Layout 1 11/15/2012 1:40 AM Page 9

Comment10

Arif NizamiEditor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36298305-10 Fax: 042-36298302Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 Fax: 021-35381208Islamabad – Ph: 051-2287414-6 Fax: 051-2287417

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

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

it’s all on PPP

the farce in balochistan

The farce that was staged in Balochistan Assembly onTuesday amounted to trivialisation of the democraticsystem. It could be easily predicted that despite hisabysmal failure to perform CM Raisani would get a

confidence vote on account of the system he had engineered innegation of the spirit of democracy. It would be difficult to findanother assembly in the world where practically every legislatorhas been made a minister. In the absence of an opposition thatcould keep the government on toes, its tenure has been marked byirresponsiveness to the needs of the people. The unprecedentedamount of funds made available under the 7th NFC Award couldhave been employed for social development, particularly in healthand education sectors, thus creating thousands of new jobs for theyouth in the province.

The budget for 2012-13, however, envisaged a decline ofaround Rs 10 billion in development funds compared to therevised estimates of 2011-12. As a result, in Balochistan, thedevelopment expenditure constituted only 25 percent of totalexpenditures while in Sindh, KP and Punjab, it was 42.3 percent,33.7 percent and 31.9 percent respectively. Those who benefittedfrom the extraordinary award were only the provincial ministersas funds put at their disposal were more than doubled. This waswidely seen as bribes to ensure their loyalty to the CM. Cabinetmembers have been accused by colleagues of indulging inheinous crimes like kidnapping for ransom. The CM, however,has provided protection to the accused. It doesn’t matter to theMPA-cum-ministers if killings and kidnappings continue oralienation spreads among the Baloch and the minority Hazaras,as long as their perks, privileges and an unchecked spending offunds are protected.

While a vote of confidence in the CM has thus beenmanoeuvred, the issue remains far from being settled. Theworking of the government under Raisani has already causeddivisions in the PPP. The provincial chapter of the party hascancelled his basic membership. The Balochistan provincialcouncil has termed the assembly session unlawful and called onthe PPP central leadership to take action against the CM.

The PPP has to realise that the way the administration isworking in Balochistan provides ground to forces opposed todemocracy to malign the system. The federal government,therefore, needs to intervene to set things right in the province bymaking use of the remedies available under the constitution.Instead of waiting for the SC full verdict on the working of theBalochistan government, the federal government should itselfresolve the situation.

thursday, 15 november, 2012

When girls are treated like adults

Malala’s impact

In defending the right of girls to go toschool, 14-year-old Malala Yousafzaiwas targeted for assassination by ex-

tremists as if she were a frontline activistor political operative in her country’s waragainst extremism. The perpetrators ofthis brutal crime had no regard for the factthat she was a child. That there was noprotective shield around Malala’s inno-cence has outraged Pakistani society. Thefact that a young girl was targeted vi-ciously and treated as an adult, rather thanas the child she is, has reverberatedaround the world.

By virtue of their gender, girls are bothpoignant symbols and easy targets. Theirpotential is exploited and limited, in dif-ferent ways, in nearly all societies.

Adolescent girls like Malala are dis-proportionately vulnerable to humanrights abuses that can have severe andlong lasting consequences. They generallylack adequate ways to defend themselvesagainst abuse by family, teachers orstrangers and therefore remain vulnerableto attacks in their homes, schools andcommunities. As a result, their safety, ed-ucation, access to justice and ability to de-

velop their human potential is fundamen-tally compromised.

At Equality Now, we created the Ado-lescent Girls Legal Defense Fund (AGLDF)to address the unique human rightsabuses against girls in early adolescencethat harm their self-esteem, strip them ofbasic rights and deny them access to legalprotection, social entitlements and eco-nomic opportunities.

Working with partners around theworld, we support and publicise legalcases that represent the most commonand significant human rights abusesagainst adolescent girls. Our goal is in-creasing legal protection for girls throughimpact litigation and law reform and en-hancing the capacity of communities toaddress adolescent girls’ human rights.AGLDF also works to prevent violenceagainst girls by ensuring that legal systemsprotect girls and deter perpetrators.

In nearly all the cases we work on,girls are treated and tried as adults.

In one case, Wafa, an 11-year-oldYemeni girl, had dreams of pursuing hereducation like Malala before she was mar-ried by her father to a 40-year-old man. Shehardly understood what was happeningwhen the marriage ceremony took placeand she was taken to her new husband’sfamily. She was then forced to abandon her

education. Defenders of traditional childmarriage often claim that girls betrothed ata young age remain with their parents untilthey are mature enough to be wives. Storiesfrom child brides around the world provethis is often not the case.

In her husband’s household, Wafatook on a slave-like role, functioning as aservant to an abusive husband and hismother. After a year of marriage, duringwhich she was violently beaten, she es-caped and ran home. However, when girlsare treated as adults, family is often unableto provide them with adequate protectionand support in crisis. Wafa’s father died afew months prior to her escape and hermother was unwell. Her husband repeat-edly attempted to forcibly take her back.

Working with Yemen Women Union(YWU), Equality Now took on Wafa’s caseand successfully arranged for a lawyer torepresent her. A Yemeni court agreed togrant Wafa a divorce on the condition thatshe paid back the dower—money that herhusband paid her family at the time ofmarriage but that her father had sincespent. The absence of a law banning childmarriage in Yemen meant she was unableto get out of the marriage without beingsubjected to these divorce requirementsfor women.

In recalling her experience in court,

Wafa said, “At the beginning, the judgewas very kind and understanding and I be-lieved he would support me. However,when my husband came before the judge,the judge asked me whether my husbandused to beat me. At that point, I was soscared of my husband that I changed myanswers and said that he did not abuseme. Then I felt the judge changed his atti-tude toward me.” Wafa has said that thejudge disregarded the fact that she is achild. His decision that she either returnedto her husband or repaid the dowry wasprofoundly disappointing.

Wafa’s uncle borrowed money torepay the dower, and the judge conse-quently issued Wafa a divorce. Her unclethen began pressuring her to marry him.

Wafa remains in limbo. She is now ina shelter, where there is a measure of dis-tance and protection from her uncle. Now14-year-old, the same age as Malala, shehas returned to school and is doing better.But without a law banning child marriage,girls like her remain at constant risk of ex-ploitation and abuse.

Wafa recently told us, “My message toother parents is that they should not thinkof marrying their daughters at a youngage. Girls should go to school. I don’t wantany girl to suffer as I did. Girls should beeducated in order to be able to live happily

and in dignity.”In Pakistan, Malala’s case has risen to

such prominence that her perpetrators, ifapprehended, are unlikely to receive anyimpunity. Like the other countries wherewe work, though, Pakistan is severely lack-ing in victim-friendly services, legal proce-dures that accommodate children andgirl-centred support services. The govern-ment of Pakistan must take Malala’s casethrough the judicial system to show thatnot only is hers an exceptional case, butthat all children are entitled to fullest en-forcement and protection of the law.

When one girl is violated, childrenthroughout the community are trauma-tised by what they witness. This includesthe other girls injured in Malala’s shoot-ing, her classmates and girls across Pak-istan who live with heightened fear thatnowhere is safe and that society cannotprotect them. We must send a clear mes-sage to girls by implementing properlyfunctioning legal systems and gender-sen-sitive laws that deter violations againstthem as children and protect their girl-hood in a world that sees them as women.

*Names have been changed to protectthe identity of children in these cases.

The writer is the Global Director ofEquality Now.

Since 1947, democratic forces haveresolved to bring change in Pak-istan, sometimes revolutionaryand sometimes evolutionary. Thefounding fathers of this nation

laid down the basis of an independent statebut the idea of independence has been trans-formed at many levels. Call it Bhutto’s ge-nius that brought the liberal andconservative forces under one platform toadopt the 1973 Constitution or the intuitionof the people of Pakistan to live and prosperin a democratic country, this land has seen alot of diverse changes in its socio-politicalsystem. Opinions have differed over thedecades on the basic concept of separationof powers in Pakistan. Constitution cameunder different interpretations as theregimes changed, each with its own particu-lar liking, tone and intention. Thus, everydemocratic or dictatorial regime has onlybeen raising the slogan of “change” withoutbringing any real change.

The talk of revolution has been going onand on in governments after governments,yet the end results turned out to be the same.For once, the people of Pakistan must realisethat all this nation needs is education and in-formation in its true context. The idea ofchange is nothing new as every regime hasbeen playing this masquerade. Some claimedto have done so by engaging the radical Mus-lims while the others stuck with the basic so-cial needs of the masses. Still the majority ofpopulation in Pakistan resides in villages andare least bothered by any concept of change.Instead, their votes, the only true democraticdeterminer for a change, are mostly cast onthe basis of candidate’s caste, family, biradari, feudalism or nuisance value.Shouldn’t this be the real worry for the flagbearers of change as no real change is possi-ble without bringing a change in the anti-quated customs and norms of our society?

Come elections and every political partywill come up with slogans to attract themasses. The political process in this countryhas been subject to interventions, causing se-

vere damage in establishing institutes andrules. The only thing permanent here is thecontinuous and consistent intervention ofnon political organs into the civilian working.Why, then, is the political scenario in 2013elections considered to be different from anyother elections in the country? Why do polit-ical parties seem so geared up in bringing thenecessary change? What’s so different aboutthese elections? The statements issued bygovernment representatives and oppositionleaders always warn people of the dangerslying in future. Strangely, political parties arestill showing optimism for the electoralprocess.

Punjab presents an excellent case studyinto this phenomenon. The involvement ofthe youth is considered a new litmus test forthe popularity and success of a politicalparty. The followers of such parties believethat the massive input given by the young-sters will help the “tsunami” or the “laptopholders” in claiming control over the execu-tive and legislature. Chairman PTI ImranKhan of late has attracted more controver-sies, and perhaps political sagacity, than inhis about two decade-long political career.Similarly, CM Punjab Shahbaz Sharif hasmaintained an image of clean and strictpolitician, who follows rules and does notallow others to deviate from them as well. Healso has his own concept of bringing the“Youth Revolution” in Pakistan.

Both Shahbaz Sharif and Imran Khan aretrying to woo the voters by targeting the is-sues of corruption and lawlessness. All thiswhile they gained stature by showing theiruncompromising attitude towards pro-gov-ernment forces. Similarly, religious partiesare still clinging to their anti-America ap-proach for public support. PPP and PML-Nare also targeting South Punjab by support-

ing their demand of a separate province. Inother words, the political parties are showingtheir willingness to continue working withinthe system.

However, Pakistan requires more thanwillingness to make any significant headway.In the past, the people have been given falsehopes of change. Can there be any changewhere candidates are still elected democrat-ically and come into power through legalmeans? Or, maybe, the question should be:do we need any change? But then again, theypromise roti, kapra, makan or so manyother slogans, but do nothing when they ac-tually hold power. We, the people of Pak-istan, have got used to the idea of beinggracefully dumped but we still continue to re-main passionately hopeful for this country.

The success of political parties rests onthe mobilisation of the people. Almost all thepolitical parties that took part in 2008 gen-eral elections had a chance to serve in thegovernment during the past five years at bothfederal and provincial levels. To the credit ofopposition, no effort was made to derail thepolitical process while the government getsthe credit of sticking to democratic norms.The policies of PPP and its allied can be crit-icised on the basis of deteriorating law andorder situation and continuously tumblingeconomy but the dignity and integrity shownby its leaders in abiding by the decisions ofthe apex court deserves great applause.

Major political forces in Pakistan seem tohave learnt a lesson from the past and aresticking to the main goal of remaining on thepath of strengthening democracy. However,the end result of this effort will not be re-vealed any sooner.

The writer can be reached ata.amjad@decurious.com

Change in the systemOnly through democratic means

By Adeel Amjad

By Yasmeen Hassan

ISB 15-11-2012_Layout 1 11/15/2012 1:40 AM Page 10

Comment 11

thursday, 15 november, 2012

Editor’s mailSend your letters to: Letters to

Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-ShaareyFatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan.

Fax: +92-42-36298302. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk.

Letters should be addressed to PakistanToday exclusively.

new petitionsLast two popular petitions were not

very difficult to handle but this! Are wegoing to see breakup of another empirein our life time? Under the ‘We the Peo-ple’ programme, White House is boundto respond to any petition with 25,000 ormore signatures (anyone who is above 13can file a petition). Earlier filed worthmentioning petitions are —- asking forWhite House beer recipe (which was pro-vided), and legalisation of marijuana(which was obviously declined). But thistime it’s bit tough. Are we going to seethe same divide which resulted in Ameri-can civil war?

More than 20 petitions have beenfiled by around 100,000 Americans,25,000 only from Texas, representingmore than 20 states, to allow their statesto secede from the US. Most of thesestates represent Republicans strongholds(though few from swing and blue-Demo-crat states as well). Petitioners are citingdifferent reasons for the demand —- eco-nomic rundown, federal governmentmismanagement, blatant abuses ofAmerican rights, intrusive screening atair ports and few other interesting ones.Out of these reasons, a valid one could bethe fragile state of economy and prevail-ing joblessness. But do the Republicansrealize what they have done or haveforced others to do in last ten years —-wars in Afghanistan and Iraq havedrained the economy. It erased the illu-sion about American supremacy on theworld stage. They need to realize that theAmerica’ future is not in the hands of itsWhite population anymore, there areother groups —-blacks and Latinos whoare now asserting themselves. Theydidn’t vote for Obama because he wascoloured but they think his policies canmake a change in their lives –increasedtaxation on super rich, reining in the cor-porate culture, healthcare for all, reason-able moves towards integration ofdeserving illegal migrants.

The US constitution doesn’t permitsecession of states from the Union;however, there is no harm in tryingwhile sitting in one’s study with a lap-top and net connection.

Interesting days ahead.MASOOD KHAN

Jubail, Saudi Arabia

Military ethics and

moralityAlthough sex in politics and extra-

marital flings are not unheard of inUSA, things have changed since mid80s.The process of reformation andstrict adherence to code of ethics is es-sential for any state or institution tosurvive and flourish. Former NY Gov-ernor Eliot was forced to resign in2008, when it was discovered that hewas a regular visitor to a prostituteworking in an escort service located inhis state. Gary Hart a front runner forDemocratic nomination in 1988 USpresidential election, had to pull outwhen it was revealed that he spent anight with a woman who was not hiswife on a luxury boat.

No public office holder in USA hasever escaped accountability for financialirregularities, abuse of power and con-flict of interest. One wonders when willour elected ruling elite, including paidcivil and armed bureaucracy, submitthemselves to accountability and as-sume the moral high ground expected ofthem, especially since our constitutionmandates that all laws will be in con-formity with Islamic laws and princi-ples. The institutional and economicnightmare that Pakistan faces is a con-sequence of abuses of power by succes-sive military juntas and politicalgovernments who failed to follow the vi-sion of Quaid-e-Azam, who led thiscountry by example.

Those holding public office are ex-pected to adhere to a more conservativemoral and ethical code during theirtenures. In the US military, adultery isnot allowed for officer corps, duringtheir tenure of service and is punishablewith termination of service, dishon-ourable discharge without any benefits

and even prison. While extramarital af-fairs are considered a private matter forordinary American citizens and evi-dence of infidelity can only be used fordivorce proceedings, there being nocriminal penalty involved.

In any system of governance, in-cluding democracy, the basic principleis that power comes with responsibil-ity. Gen Petreaus, a four star generalwho commanded the US military inIraq and Afghanistan, retired from ac-tive service and was appointed as headof CIA. As head of CIA, he was ex-pected to behave in a more responsiblemanner and have moral authority toenjoy respect of the officers and staffthat worked under him.

Although this alleged extramaritalaffair is believed to have occurred afterhis retirement, its exposure resulted inhis retirement. As head of CIA, he hadaccess to confidential intelligence infor-mation which could impact Americannational interests. Any such display ofsuccumbing to human temptations,such as an extramarital affair, or receiv-ing other undue favours, financial orotherwise, can jeopardise position ofpublic office holders who may subse-quently be susceptible to blackmail etc.

MALIK TARIQ ALIIllinois, USA

total chaosThe “city of lights” is drowned in the

darkness of fear and chaos due to targetkillings of the innocent its citizens. Thisbrings the anarchic situation in the citywhich seems almost uncontrollable toour security forces. It also raises a ques-tion mark on the government and itsstrategies which it has made.

Our hopeless police as usual playshide and seek with the criminals and thelaw breakers. Even when the pillion rid-

ing is banned, they roam freely on thestreets, equipped with weapons withoutconsidering it as a crime. That is whyapart from this voracious killing, snatch-ing is also very common.

Peace is a desire of every living being.But it looks dreary for the KarachiitesMay Allah make Karachi a happy place!

MUHAMMAD WASIF KHANKarachi

draconian measures

neededThe law and order situation in

Karachi is deteriorating by the day withblind killings of all sorts of people thathas prompted Mr Mustafa Kamal to cryout for prime minister to leave his mun-dane affairs to focus on Karachi. It ap-pears the provincial govt has utterlyfailed to control the mayhem whichneeds draconian measures by the federalgovt to save the lives of people. If harshlaws are needed to prosecute the culprits,these may be enacted like the summarymilitary courts to give speedy punish-ments to hardened criminals that arerunning wild in the city like a jungle.Even if a single innocent person is killedit is like killing the entire humanity as perIslam. The situation ought to bring frownon the face of prime minister instead ofsmiles if he has any genuine concern tocontrol the situation by all means. If thesituation is allowed to drift, a Beirut likecivil war would result decimatingKarachi. The city is hub of industries andbusiness for Pakistan and it cannot be al-lowed to drift and sink in public disorderof terrible nature. The federal govt musttake requisite steps to stem the killing inthe city.

DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTILahore

Army and judiciaryThis is apropos to the statements of

General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ChiefJustice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhrythat appeared on the same day, 5 Novem-ber, 2012. It was mere a coincidence thatarmy chief and chief justice addressedtheir respective audience on the same dayand contents of their statements werealso released on the same day. However,it is ironic that some segments of printand electronic media resorted to manip-ulating the speeches to create sense ofconfrontation between the two presti-gious national institutions.

Nobody can deny the fact that con-spiracy against Pakistan army is on so asto weaken Pakistan. Every now and thenthe conspirators continue to devise newmodes and tactics to create a rift in armyor between the masses and the army. Theobjective of these foreign backed conspir-ators has been to weaken an Islamic nu-clear power state. The army chief had themoral responsibility to point out all suchill designs to the nation, which he did onNovember 5, 2012.

On the other hand, in the address ofthe chief justice, there was no rejectionof army or armed forces as an institu-tion or undermining their roles. Ratherhe too was emphasising on the su-premacy of constitution and the rule oflaw. The agenda to create fissure be-tween army and judiciary is detrimentalto spirit of nation harmony and smoothfunctioning of state. Therefore, insteadof polluting the masses and provokinginstitutions against each other by givingmisconstrued and sensationalism state-ments, media should play positive roleinstead of joining hands with the ene-mies of Pakistan.

ANZA KANWALRawalpindi

“There is no other thing that causes the extinctionof a state or society earlier than does the unjustifiedbloodshed,” said Hazrat Ali. Of course, societies allow-ing the tyranny and atrocities are bound to disappear.All the political philosophers, from Plato and Aristotleto Thomas Hobbes and John Lock, are equally con-vinced that the basic purpose of a state is to providesecurity to its subjects. Explaining the origin of a state,the Social Contract theory contends that the individu-als have surrendered their liberties to the state on thecondition that the state, in return, will provide themthe security of life. Likewise, provision of the securityto its subjects is only function of Police State— a statewhich is considered the worst form among all kinds ofstate entities.

So, provision of the security of life to its citizen isthe fundamental duty of any state, failing this, stateloses the raison d’être for its existence as the founda-tion of its very edifice is severely crumbled. If a state

doesn’t have a right to exist, then what justification agovernment may have to stay in power. The way somerogue and criminal elements are playing havoc withthe lives of innocent people in Karachi is simply unpar-alleled and unprecedented in the contemporary worldincluding war-torn Afghanistan and Iraq. Targetkilling, torture, extortion and kidnapping have becomethe order of the day here. Karachiites are being bru-tally slaughtered like senseless animals.

It is an open secret, now, that all the so-called po-litical stakeholders in the city have been either equalparticipator or silent spectator over these ruthlesskillings. That is absolutely regrettable. All the previousslogans by the successive governments of across-the-board operation have gone by the board. Instead of op-eration, they have just wrapped the bandages over thewounds of this “poor patient” with an aim of hidingrather than healing it .At this point of time, the task ofkeeping peace and stopping these killings is beyond

the control of police and paramilitary forces. As theKarachi police have become both politicized and de-moralized, therefore, they, alone, cannot establish thecomplete writ of the state here.

If a superpower like America can take stern actionby dismantling two whole countries in the world afterbeing attacked, then why can we not act? It shouldn’tbe forgotten that the casualties we have suffered inKarachi are far more than in the 9/11 incident inAmerica. So, it has become mandatory that the stateshould act now by using its full security and coerciveapparatus ignoring all political affiliations and com-pulsions. In addition to the police and rangers, Army’shelp must also be sought to nip this evil in the bud.Only lip service would not suffice now. It’s time to actas road paved with only good intentions may lead us tothe hell.

MOHSIN RAZA MALIKLahore

Karachi: it’s time to act

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Taylor Swift admits she doesn’t liketo take charge in a relationship

WITh a fair share of break-ups behind her,

singer Taylor Swift says does not like to be in

charge in a relationship. The Mean hitmaker

insists that she is not the type of over-controlling

girlfriend. “If I feel too much like I’m wearing the pants,

I start to feel uncomfortable, and then we break up. It

needs to be equal. If I feel too much like I’m wearing

the pants, I start to feel uncomfortable, and then we

break up,” she tells harper’s Bazaar magazine. “It’s

wonderful to hand over the reins to your boyfriend when

you control so much of these big, high-pressure

decisions, you know? That is a huge defining factor in

who you choose to be with.” neWs Desk

Kristen Stewart-Robert Pattinson’sfirst red carpet appearance post-split

TWIlIGhT fans were in for a treat, as Kristen

Stewart and robert Pattinson made their first

public hollywood appearance together since

the actress admitted to a “momentary indiscretion”

with married director ruper Sanders, at the world

premiere of Breaking Dawn - Part 2, at Nokia theatre

in los Angeles. The 22-year-old actress trailed

behind Pattinson, as the couple made their way to

the front of the theatre, stopping to sign autographs

for their thousands of fans, US magazine reported.

Stewart donned a nude, strapless gown for the

event, completing the look with her brunette hair

swept to the side in cascading curls, while the 26-

year-old actor looked dapper in a dark-green suit

and lavender shirt. At one point, the couple stopped

to pose for a picture together, and Stewart

affectionately rubbed Pattinson’s back. The Twilight

couple have been making the rounds recently to

promote the final instalment of the successful

franchise but have been tight-lipped regarding the

on-again status of their relationship. neWs Desk

Nicole Kidman: Tom Cruise divorcewas a ‘shock to my system’

For Nicole Kidman the giddy highs of her

relationship with Tom Cruise and the sting of

their breakup remain major milestones in her life.

“I fell madly, passionately in love,” Kidman, who was 23

when she married Cruise in 1990, tells DuJour

magazine. “I was reeling with Tom. I would have gone

to the ends of the earth for him.” Kidman, 45, says their

10-year union was happy, but the glare of media

attention made them isolated. “We were in a bubble,

just the two of us,” she says. “We became very

dependent on one another.” Just before their split in

2000, Kidman says she believed “our life together was

perfect,” and was surprised by their rapid breakup. “It

took me a very long time to heal,” she reveals. “It was a

shock to my system.” Still, the optimistic and resilient

actress, who next up plays Princess Grace in Grace of

Monaco, said that even then she hoped to find love

again someday, though she wasn’t sure she ever would.

of course, Kidman did get another shot at true love –

with her current husband, country star Keith Urban,

with whom she has two daughters. neWs Desk As a nurse in her new movie Here Comes the Boom,Salma Hayek shows both her nurturing and playfulsides, says Will Lawrence.

Academy Award nominee Salma Hayek hasalways had a playful streak. It stretches back toher childhood and her stint at a Catholic girls’boarding school in Louisiana. She was a de-cent student, despite struggling with dyslexia– yet, she admits, “I had a moment or two,like every child does, when I told silly storiesto my teachers.

“But I didn’t do anything really bad,”continues the 46-year-old actress, who roseto stardom in the wake of her Oscar-nom-inated performance as Mexican painterFrida Kahlo in the 2002 biopic Frida.

“They were really benign little thingsthat you might do at a private boarding schoolwhere you have to entertain yourself and yourpeers.”

It comes as no surprise, perhaps, that herfavourite film as child was the impish WillyWonka & the Chocolate Factory. “I look backfondly at that period of my life,” she recalls,“sometimes waking up in the middle of thenight and making all the alarm clocks gooff. We just did little things like that.”

Can she see that mischievous spark inher own child, I wonder? Hayek’s daughter,Valentina, has just turned five years old.“Definitely I can see it,” beams the Des-perado star. So how does she react?“It’s funny, I think I am a strict mumsometimes but also quite relaxed.

“I am fun and I do a lot ofthings with my daughter,” sheadds. “I talk to her and listen to herbut I definitely set boundaries and Ithink my husband and I have a very good balance –sometimes he is easier and I am harder and some-times vice versa.”

Hayek, who was born and raised in an affluentarea of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, says that she was de-lighted but also surprised when she conceived

Valentina at the age of 40 withoutundergoing fertility treatment.

Having a baby later in life, shesays, has allowed her to

raise her child in a moresettled and contented en-vironment. “It has been a

very happy time,” shesays, “and my hus-

band is very sweet.” Her husband is

also quite well off. In2009, Hayek mar-

ried French magnateFrançois-Henri Pin-ault, whose fatherForbes ranks at No59 on its list of bil-

lionaires, estimatingthe Pinault family for-

tune at $13 billion as ofMarch this year.

Hayek, too, hasplenty of businessacumen, co-pro-ducing Frida be-fore going on toproduce herown directo-rial debut,TV movie

The Mal-donado

Miracle, in 2003. Since2006 she has been developingprojects for ABC Studios thatdraw on Latin themes and talent,most notably serving as executiveproducer on the multi-award-win-ning series Ugly Betty, based onthe Colombian series Yo Soy Betty,La Fea.

She also guest-starred in sevenepisodes of the show in 2006 and returned

to primetime viewing in 2009 with a six-show turn onhit TV comedy 30 Rock. In addition, she recently lenther voice to the animated capers Puss In Boots andThe Pirates! Band of Misfits.

Since the birth of her child, it seems, Hayek is em-bracing comedy like never before.

“I do love comedy,” she says, “and I particularlylove improvising, but it is very hard to find the rightpeople to spark with in that way.” She’s found a com-edy muse in actor and producer Kevin James, how-ever, who rose to fame on the back of the TV seriesThe King of Queens, and with whom shestarred in Adam Sandler’s bawdy 2010ensemble Grown-Ups.

“Kevin was living right nextdoor to us on Grown Ups,” she re-members. “The two families, myhusband, his wife, and our kidsare the same age. I really foundhim to be quite an amazingman and we were very funnytogether off screen.

“Later he said, ‘You willbe in my next movie’, and hewas true to his word. Hecalled and said, ‘I am doingthis film and I am writingyou a part. Are you still upfor it?’ and I said, ‘Ab-solutely.’” In fact, Hayekwas so up for it, she said yesbefore she had read the script.

As it transpired, she hadsigned up for Here Comes theBoom, which tells the tale of a biol-ogy teacher and former collegewrestler (James) who bids to raisemoney for his failing high school bymoonlighting as a mixed martial artsfighter. Everyone thinks he is crazy, most ofall the school nurse (Hayek), but as Scott en-

dures his painful journey, the school(along with Hayek’s nurse) rallies be-hind him. neWs Desk

I lIKE CoMEdY: SAlMA HAYEK

KEIRA Knightley, the British actress currently starring in Joe Wright’s big-screen adaptation of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, admits she almost convincedherself that she was anorexic after a media storm over her weight. Knightleyspoke in-depth about the matter during an interview with Allure magazine,which she also covers for November. Despite regularly finding herself in the

‘most beautiful’ lists, the Oscar-nominated actress admits she isn’t entirely comfortablewith her body and admitted that rumors concerning her thin figure hit her “pretty hard,”saying, “Because you go, oh, maybe that’s right! I knew I wasn’t anorexic, but maybe my

body is somehow not right,” she said. “When you’re going through a period whereyou’re really getting a lot of criticism, you go, maybe all this is right!” After becoming

tabloid fodder for years, Knightley is notoriously private about her relationshipsthese days. She’s currently engaged to the Klaxons keyboardist James Rightonthough insists she’s a little stuck as to how she’s going to keep her wedding asecret from the media, “Maybe I’ll be permanently engaged!” she joked. The

27-year-old Londoner certainly doesn’t have to worry about her career, hav-ing become one of the most sought after leading ladies in Hollywood.

Though reviews of Anna Karenina have been lukewarm, critics agreeon Knightley’s assured performance. Richard Corliss of Time Mag-

azine said “Knightley embodies Anna as a girlish woman who hasnever felt erotic love; once smitten, she is raised to heavenly ec-

stasy before tumbling into the abyss of shame.” Knighleyrecently completed filming Can a Song Save Your Life? acomedy drama about a dejected music business executive

who forms a bond with a young singer-songwriter. AnnaKarenina hits theaters in the U.S. on Friday (Novem-

ber 16, 2012). neWs Desk

Confidenti@l has learned from multiplesources that Justin Bieber has made sev-eral gallant attempts to get back SelenaGomez, his girlfriend of two yearsprior to last weekend’s breakup. Thepint-sized pop phenom “is havingsecond thoughts” about splittingwith the gorgeous Gomez, al-though it’s been widely reportedthat the 20-year-old Gomezpulled the plug. “He has beencalling and texting her,” says asource, adding, “he’s beenreaching out to her friends.”

After Gomez landed in New York City on Sunday andchecked into the London Hotel in midtown, the boywonder paid a visit to his brunette beauty. “He mether at her hotel so they could talk and he laterasked her out to dinner,” adds the Gomez gabber.The source said Bieber wanted her to feel comfort-able, so he invited friends to join them for dinner

at Morandi in the West Village Sunday night.Although the Gomez insider says a reunionlooks “promising” and that both sides areinterested in working things out, Gomezisn’t giving in easily. After their low-profiledinner with Bieber, Gomez and a gaggle ofgal-pals went to WIP — the same clubwhere Chris Brown and Drake infamouslycame to blows last spring. Gomez “askedher friend to take her phone from her forthe night when she got to the club,” saysa second Gomez source. “She said she

didn’t want to text [Bieber]. Shedanced and had fun and when shegot her phone back at the end of thenight, she rolled her eyes andshowed her friends how manymissed calls and texts she hadfrom him.” neWs Desk

Justin Bieber hassecond thoughtson breakup

KeIrA KNIgHTleY:wait a minute, maybeI am anorexic?

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Rolling Stones greatest hits album ‘Grrr!’brings no ‘doom and Gloom’ to ears

RoCK ‘n’ roll legends the rolling Stones

released its 60th album Tuesday, and it is no

let down. The group is celebrating 50 years

together, and to commemorate the milestone it

released “Grrr!,” a greatest hits album with two

newly recorded tracks, “Doom and Gloom” and “one

More Shot.” The new songs are two of the better

songs that the group has released in quite some

time. “Doom and Gloom” has a classic rolling Stones

feel to it, and Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith

richards sound great on the track, especially for men

of their ages, 69 and 68, respectively. “one More

Shot” sounds more like many of the band’s hits from

the 1980s with more of an upbeat sound. “Grrr!” is

offered in five different versions, some of which

include 50 tracks to commemorate 50 years, and a

special edition that offers 80 tracks. All four versions

start out with “Come on,” the band’s first hit single

from 1963, which was actually a cover of a Chuck

Berry song. The 50-track versions of “Grrr!” then

move through the band’s career before ending with

the two new tracks. neWs Desk

Madonna performs‘Gangnam Style’ with Psy Madonna performed ‘Gangnam Style’ with Psy at a

concert last night (November 13). The singer was joined

by the Korean star during her show at New York’s

Madison Square Gardens. Madonna said: “Because

you’ve been working so hard on smashing your egos I

have a little surprise for you. “A song I haven’t sung for

a while. You’re gonna have to help me out with

everything. I’m tired, I’ve been doing this for a year!”

She then mashed up her own song ‘Give it 2 Me’ with

‘Gangnam Style’, before Psy entered the stage for the

track’s famous dance routine. The US leg of Madonna’s

‘MDNA’ tour wraps up later this month. neWs DeskBradley Cooper may be best known for hisrole in the hugely successful comedyfranchise “The Hangover,” but the American

actor is gaining positive reviews for hisrole as a bipolar former teacher in “SilverLinings Playbook.” In the film, which will

be released on Friday and won the People’sChoice Award at the Toronto International

Film Festival, Cooper plays Pat Solitano,who has just been released from a

mental institution and is trying to puthis life back together. Directed

by David O. Russell andbased on the novel by

Matthew Quick,“Silver Linings” seesCooper’s charactermove back homewith his parents,played by RobertDeNiro and JackiWeaver, withhopes of

reconcilingwith his ex-wife. Thingsgetcomplicatedwhen anabrasivewidow, actressJenniferLawrence,enters thepicture.Cooper, who isshooting athirdinstallment ofthe“Hangover”films, spoke toReuters abouthis role, why it

is unlike anything he has done and what he thinksof all the Oscar talk.

Q: YOu WERE BORN AND RAISED INPHILADELPHIA. DID YOu uSE YOuRCHILDHOOD ExPERIENCES gROWINguP THERE TO CREATE THE CHARACTER?A: I upped the Philadelphia accent a little bit.Everything about it is where I come from. So yeah, Iwas able to mine what I’d grown up with. Forexample, Lenny Roberts was a guy in high schoolthat dressed like the way we decided Pat woulddress like. And my grandfather had an art deco faceof Christ on a necklace, which we made Pat wear.

Q: IS THIS THE fIRST TIME YOu’vEPLAYED A CHARACTER fROM YOuRHOME STATE?A: It’s funny because when I was doing the role Ithought, I don’t know how I’m going to be able topull this off. We were shooting one day and mymother was (visiting the set). We had just shot areally demented scene and she said, “Oh my God,Bradley, it’s like you’re not even acting!” I thought,“What do you mean, that Pat Solitano is me?”

Q: THE fILM DEALS WITH MENTALILLNESS, YET THERE ARE A LOT OfLAugH-OuT-LOuD MOMENTS. WAS IT AfINE LINE STRADDLINg THE TWO?A: Well, any traumatic event that’s happened in mylife was riddled with comedic circumstances, frommy father’s death (in 2011) and everything. Anygreat tragedy has a lot of humor in it. So it wasn’tthat hard, really. If you play it real, comedy willcome, especially if you’re playing extreme situationswith an extreme character, but playing it real.

Q: YOu’RE PRIMARILY KNOWN fORYOuR WORK IN COMEDIES LIKE “THEHANgOvER” fRANCHISE AND ACTIONfILMS LIKE “LIMITLESS.” IS THIS ROLEuNLIKE ANYTHINg YOu’vE PORTRAYEDBEfORE?

A: On film, for sure. No question about it. Thischaracter has to go from A to Z in the emotionallandscape, which is heaven for an actor. I’ve neverbeen able to do these kinds of things on film, so itwas a huge opportunity.

Q: WHAT KINDS Of THINgS ARE YOuREfERRINg TO?A: To play a character that’s telling the viewerthe story - right there that’s an honor to be ableto take on that responsibility. Secondly, to play acharacter who is emotionally colorful anddynamic. Pat Solitano has no filter, for example.To get under that skin, to play somebody who hasa trigger and can create an emotional responseoutside the box, that’s very gratifying. Becauseyou get to explore a lot of things in yourself withyour imagination that you never get - that I don’tnormally get to do.

Q: DO YOu fEEL TYPECAST BYHOLLYWOOD AS A PARTICuLAR TYPEOf ACTOR THAT ONLY DOES CERTAINgENRES?A: I don’t feel that. I do theater so I’ve always feltfulfilled in the acting jobs I’ve gotten. Butperhaps I was naive to the fact that maybe peopledid think I just do one thing. Since doing thismovie, people are like, “Oh, he actually is anactor,” and not just think I show up to the“Hangover” set and that it’s not a character.”

Q: YOuR PERfORMANCE CERTAINLY ISMAKINg PEOPLE STAND uP AND TAKENOTICE, AND THERE HAS BEEN SOMEEARLY OSCAR Buzz. ARE YOu fEELINgTHAT ExCITEMENT AROuND YOu?A: I don’t. What I feel is excitement and hopethat people go out and see this film and love it. Ireally hope the movie lives. That’s all I thinkabout. In terms of all that Oscar stuff, honestlythat would be absolutely insane. I very muchdoubt that it would happen. But it would beinsane. neWs Desk

Bradley Cooper mines Philly childhood in ‘Silver linings’

JAB Tak Hai Jaan is a special film formany reasons. It’s Yash Chopra’s lastdirectorial canvas. SRK will likelyregain his lost numero uno status inthe industry. But interestingly, does

the film mark an end to the infamous Khan war?The Khan triumvirate - Salman, Shah Rukh andAamir- was present under one roof. AmitabhBachchan (@SrBachchan) posted on Twitter onNovember 13: “T 930 - Danced my shoes offwith all the youngsters .. an amazing evening...spending time with Salman, Aamir, Shahrukh,Katrina and Anushka.” It’s a well-known factthat Rani Mukerji called all the shots forpremiere’s guest list. Salman Khan had manyreasons to come- he is Rani’s good friend, he isthe film’s lead Katrina’s ex and has acted in YRFproduction Ek Tha Tiger. Aamir Khan, too, willbe seen in YRF film, Dhoom 3 and is starringwith Rani in Talaash. So the Khan war might notbe over, but ‘Yash Chopra’ certainlyovershadowed the bitterness amongst theactors. Not just the Khans, all the leading ladiesof Yash Chopra films were also present to paytribute to the legendary filmmaker. neWs Desk

SRK, SAlMAn, AAMIRcome together for Jab Tak Hai Jaan premiere

Kevin Spacey wants tobe a Bond villainKevin Spacey wants to re-team with his American Beauty di-rector Sam Mendes for a 007 mission as the actor is convincedhe would make the perfect BOND villain. Spacey and Mendesboth won Oscars - for Best Actor and Best Director respec-tively - for their work on the 1999 movie and the filmmakerhas gone on to join the Bond franchise by directing DanielCraig and Javier Bardem in Skyfall. The actor nowhopes he will be given a job if his pal is asked to takecharge of a second Bond film following Skyfall’s hugebox office success. He tells The Evening Standard,“I would hope the Broccolis (Bond producers) agreeand that Sam is going to do the next one. That wouldbe a lot of fun. I adore him. I had someof the most seminal experiences of mycareer with him, both a decade agowith American Beauty and last yearwith Richard III (at the Old Vic theatre).“It would be sublime to work with himagain. It doesn’t surprise me he has hadsuch a big success with Bond.” neWs Desk

LOS ANGELES: Lea Michellebounces on stage for theTonight Show with JayLeno. AgeNCIeS

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14Infotainment

thursday, 15 november, 2012

Mice could replace dogs to sniffout explosives, drugs

MICE could soon replace dogs to sniff outbombs, explosives, drugs and even suicidebombers. An Israeli security company has

now trained rodents to tip off guards when they detectexplosives, drugs and other contrabands, virtuallyturning them into biological sensors. The securityfirm called 'Tamar Group' is the brainchild of formerIsraeli special forces officers, who claim that theirbreakthrough could transform the homeland securitymarket. Boaz Hayun, CEO of the group, was quotedby Daily Mail as saying that mice were eventuallychosen over dogs because of their keen noses anddiminutive size. "Our system takes animals and turnsthem into biological sensors, using specially-trainedlaboratory mice and measuring their reactions tooutside stimuli. "They are placed at the entry point ina security checkpoint or installation, and when theydetect something that appears suspicious, the sensorrecords their physical reactions and communicates itto a computer that analyses the data and alerts thesecurity personnel," he said. neWs Desk

Australians treated to rare full solar eclipse

Arare full solar eclipse plunged northQueensland into darkness for two minutesearly on Wednesday, delighting the

thousands of people who had gathered on theAustralian state's beaches. In Cairns, the main cityin north Queensland and a gateway to the GreatBarrier Reef, cloudy skies and occasional rain partlyobscured the view, but elsewhere viewing conditionswere more favourable. North Queensland's tourismbody and NASA provided a live stream of theeclipse, which was expected to give a A$75 millionboost to the region's tourism industry with manypeople travelling from around the country andoverseas to catch the best view of the celestial show.Authorities warned spectators to wear safetygoggles, noting the sun remains incredibly powerfuleven when hidden behind the moon. While northQueensland was treated to a full eclipse at around6.39 am local time (2039 GMT Tuesday), a partialeclipse was visible in other parts of Australia, NewZealand, Chile and Antarctica. neWs Desk

Man uses GPS to catch wifehaving an affair with student

Asuspicious husband used the GPS capabilityon his wife’s cellphone to find the 38-year-oldteacher having an affair with a 16-year-old

boy. Amie Neely now faces a felony sexual assaultcharge after being arrested by Port St. Lucie, Fla.police early Sunday morning, according to TC Palm.WPBF reports that the boy was an exchange studentliving with Neely and her husband at the time of thealleged assault. There is also another exchangestudent still taking up residence there, according tothe station. There is no indication that Neely, whoteaches at Community Christian Academy, evertaught the student she's accused of assaulting. Theboy told cops he drove Neely to an area near St.Lucie West Centennial High School. He said he gotin the back seat with Neely and, as the two werehaving sex, the teacher's husband walked up to thecar and discovered them. neWs Desk

IS the human species doomed to intellec-tual decline? Will our intelligence ebbaway in centuries to come leaving our de-scendants incapable of using the technol-ogy their ancestors invented? In short:

will Homo be left without his sapiens?This is the controversial hypothesis of a lead-

ing geneticist who believes that the immense ca-pacity of the human brain to learn new tricks isunder attack from an array of genetic mutationsthat have accumulated since people started livingin cities a few thousand years ago.

Professor Gerald Crabtree, who heads a genet-ics laboratory at Stanford University in California,has put forward the iconoclastic idea that ratherthan getting cleverer, human intelligence peakedseveral thousand years ago and from then on therehas been a slow decline in our intellectual andemotional abilities.

Although we are now surrounded by the tech-nological and medical benefits of a scientific rev-olution, these have masked an underlying declinein brain power which is set to continue into thefuture leading to the ultimate dumbing-down ofthe human species, Professor Crabtree said.

His argument is based on the fact that for

more than 99 per cent of human evolutionary his-tory, we have lived as hunter-gatherer communi-ties surviving on our wits, leading to big-brainedhumans. Since the invention of agriculture andcities, however, natural selection on our intellecthas effective stopped and mutations have accu-mulated in the critical “intelligence” genes.

“I would wager that if an average citizen fromAthens of 1000BC were to appear suddenlyamong us, he or she would be among the bright-est and most intellectually alive of our colleaguesand companions, with a good memory, a broadrange of ideas and a clear-sighted view of impor-tant issues,” Professor Crabtree says in aprovocative paper published in the journalTrends in Genetics.

“Furthermore, I would guess that he or shewould be among the most emotionally stable ofour friends and colleagues. I would also make thiswager for the ancient inhabitants of Africa, Asia,India or the Americas, of perhaps 2,000 to 6,000years ago,” Professor Crabtree says.

“The basis for my wager comes from new de-velopments in genetics, anthropology, and neuro-biology that make a clear prediction that ourintellectual and emotional abilities are genetically

surprisingly fragile,” he says.A comparison of the genomes of parents and

children has revealed that on average there arebetween 25 and 65 new mutations occurring inthe DNA of each generation.

Professor Crabtree says that this analysispredicts about 5,000 new mutations in the past120 generations, which covers a span of about3,000 years.

Some of these mutations, he suggests, willoccur within the 2,000 to 5,000 genes that areinvolved in human intellectual ability, for in-stance by building and mapping the billions ofnerve cells of the brain or producing the dozensof chemical neurotransmitters that control thejunctions between these brain cells.

Life as a hunter-gatherer was probably moreintellectually demanding than widely supposed,he says. “A hunter-gatherer who did not correctlyconceive a solution to providing food or shelterprobably died, along with his or her progeny,whereas a modern Wall Street executive thatmade a similar conceptual mistake would receivea substantial bonus and be a more attractivemate,” Professor Crabtree says.

However, other scientists remain sceptical.“At first sight this is a classic case of Arts Fac-ulty science. Never mind the hypothesis, giveme the data, and there aren’t any,” said Profes-sor Steve Jones, a geneticist at University Col-lege London.

“I could just as well argue that mutations havereduced our aggression, our depression and ourpenis length but no journal would publish that.Why do they publish this?” Professor Jones said.

“I am an advocate of Gradgrind science –facts, facts and more facts; but we need ideas too,and this is an ideas paper although I have no ideahow the idea could be tested,” he said.

THE DESCENT Of MAN

HuNTER-gATHERER MAN: The humanbrain and its immense capacity for knowledgeevolved during this long period of prehistory whenwe battled against the elementsATHENIAN MAN: The invention of agricultureless than 10,000 years ago and the subsequentrise of cities such as Athens relaxed the intensivenatural selection of our “intelligence genes”.COuCH-POTATO MAN: As genetic mutationsincrease over future generations, are we doomedto watching soap-opera repeats without knowinghow to use the TV remote control?IPAD MAN: The fruits of science and technologyenabled humans to rise above the constraints ofnature and cushioned our fragile intellect from ge-netic mutations. neWs Desk

A Canadian man presumed to be in a permanentvegetative state for more than a decade is “talking”to researchers and answering their questions.

Severely brain injured in a traffic crash 12 yearsago, Scott Routley’s condition had been officiallyclassified “vegetative state,” unable to communicatewith the outside world.

His family has always believed differently. Now,high-tech brain imaging appears to have proventhem right. With the help of functional MRI, Rout-ley has been able to answer “No” to the question,“Are you in pain?”

The finding, first reported Tuesday by the BBC,could have profound implications for helping thoselocked in a vegetative state.

“Brain imaging techniques are helping us to un-derstand more about what some of these patientscan and can’t do, particularly things they can dothat might not be apparent from standard clinicalexamination,” said Adrian Owen of the Universityof Western Ontario’s Centre for Brain and Mind.The British neuroscientist moved to Canada lastyear from the University of Cambridge.

“His official clinical condition has been that hewas in a vegetative state. But his family have alwaysmaintained that there is more going on with Scott— that he is aware of many things going on aroundhim, and even that he was able to communicate,”Owen said in an interview with Postmedia News.

“That’s one reason why our results are very in-teresting — in many ways they confirm what thefamily has known for many years.”

A vegetative state is often referred to as beingin a state of wakefulness without awareness, Owensaid. But, “there is an enormously high misdiagno-sis rate in this population, it’s more than 40 percent.” That’s because it’s often difficult to spot sub-tle signs of consciousness.

“These patients do move, they’ll often sponta-neously move,” Owen said. They often grunt; theywill open their eyes or move their hand. The prob-lem is knowing, “Is that a conscious response, or

was it just chance?” Owen said. “They do lookaround the room but they don’t seem to focus onanything in particular. But what if they do for a fewfleeting seconds? Does that mean something, ordoes it mean nothing?’

“We’re not saying anybody has made any mis-takes here,” Owen stressed. “It’s enormously difficultto know what is going on inside the minds of thesepatients,” he said, “because behaviour is very compli-cated in these patients.” With brain imaging, Owen’steam has taken behaviour out of the equation.

“Instead of trying to work out what’s going onin their brains from what they can do, we just meas-ure their brain activity directly and try to concludehow conscious they are, and whether they can an-swer questions, by directly measuring brain activ-ity.” Patients are put inside the brain scanner andasked to imagine two scenarios: playing a game oftennis, or walking around their homes. Experi-ments in healthy people have shown different areasof the brain light up when they imagine doing thesetasks, said Damian Cruse, a post-doctoral fellow atWestern working in Owen’s lab.

Patients are asked a series of “yes” or “no” ques-tions, and instructed to imagine playing tennis ifthey want to respond “yes”, or walking around theirhouse for “no.” In past experiments, vegetative pa-tients have been asked simple questions, Crusesaid. “Do you have brothers or sisters? Is your fa-ther’s name Alex?” neWs Desk

woman runs overhusband over fear of obamacare

A wife furious at her husband for notvoting, ran him over in a Gilbert, Ariz.parking lot, according to police. The EastValley Tribune reports that, on Saturdaynight, Holly Solomon, 28, was arguing withher husband over his lack of voterparticipation when, witnesses said, theyheard yelling and saw Solomon get into aJeep and allegedly chase her husbandthrough the parking lot. MyFox Phoenixreports that the argument was fueled bySolomon's fear and hatred of theAffordable Care Act, commonly calledObamacare. Solomon's husband first triedto hide behind a light pole, but Solomondrove around it while yelling at him, aGilbert Police report said. When thehusband tried to flee, Solomon drove afterhim, eventually hitting him and pinninghim between the SUV and the curb, copssaid. ABC 15 reports that Solomon'shusband was taken to a local hospitalwhere he is in critical condition. Solomonwas charged with domestic violence andaggravated assault. neWs Desk

intelligencedeclining?

Human

Vegetative Canadianman ‘tells’ researchershe’s not in pain

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Thursday, 15 november, 2012

Page 17

Courts have made defencethe new attack: federer

BrISBANEAgencies

IN the aftermath of the BrisbaneTest, Hashim Amla made lightof the Australian attitude of ag-gression, calling it "quite hu-morous," and brushed aside any

suggestion of being intimidated. MichaelClarke's men brought out their mean sideon the final afternoon as they went insearch of nine South African wickets intwo and half sessions and managed to fin-ish with five. In the most intense passageof play of an otherwise slow Test, Aus-tralia's attack threw everything at theSouth African top order after Clarke de-clared 115 runs ahead. In addition toshort balls and movement off the seamthey also had a lot to say - particularly toGraeme Smith and Amla.

Amla played on against James Pattin-son but was not out because the fastbowler had overstepped - the fourth in-stance of a no-ball wicket in the match.Later in his innings, Peter Siddle thoughthe had Amla caught behind. A desperateappeal followed with help from DavidWarner at short midwicket but Amla saidhe was certain he had not made contact.

"I actually found it quite humorous.Obviously the guys were a bit pumped upthinking I had nicked the ball. I guess itis a bit funny when guys get emotionalwhen there is no real need to," Amla said."But it's part of the game. I found it quitefunny and just enjoyed the moment. Itwas a nice patch of play for cricket." Amla

was out shortly after when he handedMichael Hussey a catch at short cover.

Smith was also dismissed following aperiod of high drama. Post-lunch, Pattin-son launched a verbal tirade on Smith forpulling away when a bird entered his lineof sight when Pattinson was in his deliv-ery stride. Smith waved him away andthen faced a series of bouncers beforeedging a fuller ball to gully.

However, the South African captainalso gave no credence to Australia's waywith words. "There was a lot of noise outthere but I couldn't really make out whatwas being said," Smith said, dismissively."It was the same as any other game."

Tensions ran high despite the matchpetering out to a draw. Michael Clarkewould have wanted exactly that as heasked his bowlers to try and cause analmighty collapse and he was pleasedwith the outcome. "I think the aggressionand the intent is the way we play our bestcricket and I certainly don't want to stopthat," he said. "But we understand there'sa line and you can go to the line but youcan't overstep it."

Australia's oral traditions in the gamehave long been the source of a SouthAfrican undoing. To this day Daryll Cul-linan refuses to talk about his experiencesin facing Shane Warne and the legend ofSteve Waugh telling Herschelle Gibbs hehad "dropped the World Cup," after hespilt a catch in the 1999 World Cup liveson despite it being fiction.

While the art of sledging is nothingnew, the tactics employed in the Brisbane

Test may sound suspiciously close to the'dossier' which made headlines in the leadup. Both coach Mickey Arthur and Clarkedenied the existence of the document andsaid some of the information contained init was never discussed by the team.

Although they did not go into thespecifics, it was thought that one of thosewould be to sledge Amla. It was a surpris-ing strategy because Amla is known forhis calm demeanor and difficult to roughup. It was also seen as fairly defeatist andmade it seem as though Australia had noother ideas to stop Amla from scoring.

In the first innings, that may havebeen true. Despite nervous strokes and anumber of edges, Amla notched up an-other Test ton. As Australia went for thewin, though, they bowled far tighter lines,had better control over their length andeven a player of Amla's quality struggled.

While Clarke believes that achieve-ment will give Australia momentum andthe mental edge going into Adelaide,Smith was not convinced. "I think a drawwas a reflection of both teams."

Amla was also not ready to heappraise on Australia's bowling determina-tion and said that while their attack isvery good, "in my opinion, the SouthAfrican attack is the best in the world."He also used it as an opportunity to punthis own part-time offspin as he followedup with a joke on what to expect in thesecond Test. "I was really disappointedwhen Graeme took me out of the attackafter just two overs but he said he is rest-ing me for the next Test."

Australia's intimidation tactics 'humorous': Amla

DHAKAesPncRicinFO

At one end was Shivnarine Chander-paul, who took seven-and-a-half hoursto make his second Test double hun-dred. At the other end was TamimIqbal, who hit so many boundaries inhis 72 that he turned the single into anevent. In the end, Bangladesh werehalfway towards the follow-on mark,at the cost of their top order.

West Indies didn't lose a wicket intwo sessions today, with DeneshRamdin making a hundred and put-ting on 296 with Chanderpaul. AfterDarren Sammy declared with Chan-derpaul having equalled his highestTest score, West Indies did lose theirbearings for a bit, though, as Tamim,along with Shahriar Nafees briefly, en-tertained the sparse crowd with athrill-a-minute show of unrestrainedhitting.

Bangladesh tend to regularly in-dulge in such shows, but they gener-ally prove to be self-consuming in Testcricket. Tamim and Nafees both fell tourges to manufacture outrageous

strokes, and it was down to NaeemIslam and Shakib Al Hasan to shutdown the thrill store for the evening.

Tamim's first boundary was fortu-itous, when a lifter from Ravi Rampaultook the edge and flew over the slipcordon. A similar, and better targeted,snorter soon consumed Junaid Sid-dique. Then began the Tamim-and-Nafees display. It barely lasted eightovers, fetched Bangladesh 63 runs, 52of which came in boundaries. Thehighlight was Tamim's assault on TinoBest, who was punched, pulled anddriven for four fours in an over.

The suicidal moments arrivedsoon enough. After hitting seven foursin his 31, Nafees flailed at one too closeto him, and was caught behind offRampaul. Tamim carried on a whilelonger and hit Sunil Narine for twosixes in three deliveries before some-how managing to tennis-forehand ashort and wide Sammy delivery toshort mid-on.

The frenzied action was in starkcontrast to the calm manner in whichChanderpaul and Ramdin took WestIndies to an imposing score. They bat-

ted nearly three sessions, and theirnear-triple century stand came at ahealthy rate of 3.57 runs an over.SMART STATS: Shivnarine Chan-derpaul's double-century is his secondin Tests and the 20th by a West Indianbatsman in away Tests. Brian Laraholds the record for the most awaydouble-centuries by a West Indianbatsman (5).

For the second time againstBangladesh and the 18th time overall,three centuries were scored in a singleinnings for West Indies. The previoussuch occasion came against England inTrinidad in 2009.

The 296-run stand between Chan-derpaul and Denesh Ramdin is thesecond-highest fifth-wicket stand forWest Indies. The highest is 322 be-tween Lara and Jimmy Adams in Ja-maica in 1999.

The 296-run stand is the sixth-highest in Tests against Bangladeshand and the highest partnership forWest Indies in Bangladesh.

Ramdin's century is his third inTests and his second this year after the107 in Edgbaston. Among West Indianwicketkeepers, only Jeff Dujon hasscored more centuries (5).

Chanderpaul, troubled a few timesin the morning by the quicks, but oth-erwise in control, kept leaving offer-ings outside off stump, but stillmanaged to outscore Ramdin. Chan-derpaul hit fewer boundaries on theday than Ramdin, and went about hisjob unobtrusively as usual. Singleswere picked regularly, deliveries wereworked from off through midwicket,and he did enough to let Bangladeshknow who was in charge.

What stood about Ramdin's in-nings was his desire to bat long - he wasat the crease for five-and-a-half hours.He did loft the spinners for a fewboundaries after getting to his secondTest hundred of the year but beforethat, he had gone through several peri-ods of denial, refusing to go after in-nocuous stuff from the tiring spinners.

Cricket helped mebeat cancer, saysyuvraj Singh

NEWSDESK

Not many elite sportsmen struck down intheir prime by cancer recover sufficientlyto return to the highest level, but YuvrajSingh is one of them, rejoining India'sTest team just eight months after finish-ing his treatment in the United States.It is an incredible story. Eighteen monthsago Yuvraj's life was about as good as itgets even in the glittering world of Indiancricket. Player of the tournament in the2011 World Cup, a trophy India won athome in front of its adoring fans, andwith Bollywood starlets queuing to besquired by him, he appeared to have it alland then some, all before the age of 30.Then cancer struck and that world camecrashing down to be replaced by onewhere even fundamental things likedrinking and breathing could not betaken for granted as he embarked uponthe rough, uncertain road of recovery."There was a time where I couldn't drinka basic thing like water," Yuvraj said."For almost three months during mychemo I couldn't drink water. My bodyused to crave it and the moment I used todrink it I would throw up. So comingback from there I know the value of smallthings like breathing with both the lungs,because for a very long time I didn't dothat."Being talented at cricket can pre-pare you for many of life's trials but thiswas on a primal level with survival atstake. When that happens, old perspec-tives cannot hope to remain in place aspain signifies both good and bad."It was really tough," Yuvraj said. "Aftergetting the World Cup man of the series Iwas really confident of taking the nextstep in my career. But then life hadsomething else stored for me. When youhear the word cancer for the first timeyou really get scared. Cancer. It is like adeath sentence. You become really un-sure where your life will take you."Obviously, it started with a state ofpanic, though I was more concernedabout my family, my mother and myfriends as I could see how this affectedthem. So I had to stop the panic and takecontrol of the situation.

Bangladesh swift in replyto West Indies's 527

Ashwin has enoughvariations to foxbatsmen: dhoni

AHMEDABADAgencies

India do not boast a mystery spinner likePakistan's Saeed Ajmal but off-spinnerRavichandran Ashwin's variations makehim quite a handful, team captain Ma-hendra Singh Dhoni said on Wednesday.The onus will be on India's slow bowlersto exploit England's weakness againstspin on bouncing and turning wickets athome in the four-test series starting onThursday.Ajmal was the leading wicket-taker with24 scalps from three tests when Pakistanblanked England 3-0 in the United ArabEmirates at the beginning of the year.Ashwin has replaced veteran HarbhajanSingh as India's spin spearhead and hasbeen the man of the series in their lasttwo series at home against West Indiesand New Zealand."I feel they are different bowlers. It's abit unfair to compare two individuals,"Dhoni said on the eve of the first test inAhmedabad."Ajmal has got a brilliant doosra andgenerates a lot of pace when it comes tothe ball that goes away from a right-handed batsman. He's quite special."But Ashwin also has got variations, hehas got different deliveries. He can al-most bowl each and every delivery thatanyone can bowl. He's got the flipper, hebowls leg spin, off-spin, the carom ball."The majority of his deliveries are stilloff-spin. I think it's important for him toconcentrate on his stock delivery and usethe variations as variations."Ashwin, 26, has forged a strong partner-ship with left-arm spinner Ojha, the duosharing 73 wickets in the five tests theyhave played together, and England'schances in the four-test series will de-pend on how they handle the duo."They understand each other really well,something that's very important," Dhonisaid. "If it's not turning then Ojha issomeone who can keep it tight. Ashwinwill always be the more aggressivebowler. "The best part is if there is some-thing for them (in the wicket) they makesure they come into the game."

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PuNjAB INTerNATIONAl SPOrTS FeSTIvAl

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thursday, 15 november, 2012

LAHOrE sTAFF RePORT

PAKISTAN onW e d n e s d a yraised the goldmedals tally to 12after its touch-

ball team won the final hereat the University of Lahore.Pakistan downed Sri Lanka5-4 in a closely-contestedtitle match to land with the12th gold medal for the coun-try. Pakistan has won onegold medal each in fistball,baseball and now in touch-ball (male and female) whilethe ju-jitsu players grabbedeight gold medals in the Pun-jab International Sports Fes-tival.

The win that earned Pak-istan its 12th gold medal sawthe men in green fight forevery point facing tough re-sistance from their oppo-nents Sri Lanka in the finalof touch ball.

Rao Altaf Hussain, senior

vice president PakistanTouchball Federation andDIG Motorways, was thechief guest and distributedthe medals among the win-ners and other participants.

Pakistan players tooklead through Shahbaz whileSirth Midugala leveled it inthe very next move. ButAmjad Waseem with twoback to back points providedPakistan an upper hand.

However in a tit for tatmove, Sri Lanka’s Akram Rif-fah managed a point but Pak-istan remained in the lead.Mazhar Iqbal of Pakistan ex-tended the lead and the re-duction in the score camefrom Sri Lank’s Dilshan.Ramzan with a fighting pointleveled the score 4-all. But itwas Mohammad Aslam whocame up with the winner forPakistan that provided thehome team gold medal.

The International Festi-val 2012 on its day of conclu-sion would see Serbia and

Yemen teams clash for foot-ball title here at 7 pm at thePunjab Stadium on today(Thursday).

But on Wednesday’s lastleague match, Punjab Whitesin a surprise move was heldby Mongolia to a one-alldraw to get one point each intheir standing. However,their drawn game did nothave any bearing on theprospects of finalists but theperformance of the Punjabteam was a great boost forthe players of the country.

Rizwan Safdar providedthe Punjab Whites team aleade in the 29th minute ofthe match and despite greatefforts the score remained1-0 by the end of f irst ses-sion. However, in the 70minute, Mongolia ’sAnkhtoor brought the equal-izer. After that leveler boththe team went into defen-sive and settled for a one-alldraw instead of trying to geta win.

Pakistan medals tally rises to a dozen with touch ball win

LAHOrEsTAFF RePORT

The Pakistan Hockey Federation here onWednesday announced the national team forChampions Trophy.

The PHF has added two new faces inKashif Ahmed and Mohammad Atiq and theteam management is hoping to improve Pak-istan’s ranking by putting up a good show in8-nation event being played from December2 in Melbourne.

“It is the most suitable combination se-lected from the 27 camp probables and wehave included two un-capped players keep-ing in view our preparations for 2014 WorldCup,” said Chief coach and manager of theteam, Akhtar Rasool Chaudhary while ad-dressing a news conference to anno0uncethe 18-member squad .

He said Kashif will strengthen the for-ward line and Atiq will reinforce the defenceas a full back. The team management has ap-pointed full back Mohammad Imran as thecaptain of the team which also has the serv-ices of veteran defender, Wasim Ahmed whowas also part of the teams during this sum-mer’s Olympics in London.

“We have selected the team purely onmerit and we seek God’s help for improvingits performance during two hockey assign-ments in Australia,” he added. Prior to itsparticipation the team will also play in 9-a-side hockey tournament commencing fromNovember 22.

The team official said the participation inchampions trophy is very significant in orderto improve its ranking .” We will be going allout to produce a better show to improvefrom our number seventh ranking to numberfour or five and if we do so it will be a big ac-complishment “,he asserted.

Akhtar Rasool said the team manage-ment is under heavy load of responsibility asit is also performing the duties of the selec-tion committee. “ Our aim is to inspire theteam to a level to struck its peak during the

Champions trophy and to improve its rank-ing “,he said adding “ the task is tough amidpresence of world’s best eight teams butachievable as Pak team is full of talent andpotential.”

“We will be playing Australia in two im-portant tournaments after Olympics and wewill be aiming to blend the team into a com-bination capable of producing good resultsand we have set some certain goals which in-cludes bringing improvement in team’s pres-ent ranking.”

Team coach, Hanif Khan said the teammanagement could not bring whole salechanges in the team due to shortage of timeafter its participation in Olympics in Augustlast.

“The team management is striving forbringing overall improvement and we havebrought in two new players and after the tourof Australia we will be working on our plansto make changes in the side focusing on ourfuture needs,” he said.

“Before taking up coaching of the team Iwas a selector and I think both the jobs havegreater responsibility and I will be doing mybest to do justice in the role of a coach.” hesaid.

He blamed lack of clubs activities for theoverall downfall of hockey in Pakistan andsaid clubs have almost vanished from thehockey scene and those which exist are mak-ing lesser efforts to strengthen the base ofthe game at grass root level.the team:

goAlKeePerS: imran Shah & imran butt

full bACKS: Muhammad imran (Capt), Muhammad Ateeq &

Syed Kashif Shah.

HAlVeS: waseem Ahmad, Muhammad tousiq, fareed

Ahmed, rashid Mahmood & Muhammad rizwan Junior.

forwArdS: Muhammad waqas (Vice-Capt), Shafqat rasool,

M. umar bhutta, Abdul Haseem Khan, Shakeel Abbasi,

Muhammad Kashif Ali, Muhammad rizwan Senior & Ali Shan.

teAM offiCiAlS: Akhtar rasool Chaudhary, Manager/Head

Coach, Mr. Abdul Hanif Khan, Coach, M/s. Ajmal Khan lodhi

& Ahmed Alam, Asst. Coaches, Mr. faiz-ur-rahman/Physio-

therapist and Mr. nadeem Khan lodhi/Video-Analyst.

Pak hockey team named,chief coach eyes 4th place

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thursday, 15 november, 2012

Hearn uncertain on Kell brook andAmir Khan fight

NEWSDESK

Kell Brook's promoter Eddie Hearn saysa possible fight with Amir Khan wouldhave to be on Brook's terms.Brook, 26, is expected to face DevonAlexander for the IBF welterweight titlein America on 19 January.Hearn told BBC Radio Sheffield: "He'scoming off back-to-back losses, he hasno belt and he doesn't really bring thatmuch to the table."If Amir Khan wants to fight for the titlewhen we've won it then that'll be on ourterms."Tale of the tapeKhan, who lost to Danny Garcia in July,is set to take on American fighter CarlosMolina in Los Angeles on 15 December.Brook defeated Argentinian Hector Sal-divia in October to stretch his unbeatenrun to 29.After the fight Brook said: "I would loveto take Khan's chin clean off and every-one knows I want to destroy Khan."Hearn is confident the Sheffield fightercan get the better of Alexander, who hasa record of one defeat from 25 bouts."Devon Alexander is very skilful andquite tricky. He's a bit of a spoiler and acounter puncher. He's not the biggestpuncher in the world but he is techni-cally very gifted and he's only 25," hecontinued."Kell needs to go in there and put it onhim with a new level of intensity. Heneeds to go in there and stop him and Ithink he can do that.

world Cup hostbrazil struggles tofill stadiums

SAO PAULOAgencies

In the nation that will host the nextWorld Cup, however, fewer people go tosee professional soccer matches than inChina or the United States.With attendances falling further thisyear, Brazilian clubs are using differentstrategies to try to fill their grounds butthey are hampered by antiquated stadi-ums, a lack of respect for fans, televisionstations that show every game live andinsufficient policing and security.In Brazil, just about everyone has a teamand an opinion, but few actually go tosupport their side."Lots of people confuse the phenomenonof the World Cup in Brazil with a truelove of the game," said Juca Kfouri, oneof Brazil's best-known sports writers."Brazil is not a country where peoplelove football. It is a country where peo-ple love to party around the World Cup."That assertion got factual backing fromtwo recent reports on attendances.One, by the Stochos consultancy,showed the average crowd at Brazilianfirst division matches has fallen eightpercent this season to less than 13,000.While big clubs such as Sao Paulo andCorinthians regularly pull in crowds ofmore than 30,000 people, the averageattendance is below 10,000 at morethan half of Brazil's first division clubs.Santos, home to top striker Neymar, hasan average home gate of 7,788 this sea-son. The average at Portuguesa, anotherSao Paulo club, is 4,162. Just 449 peoplewatched Atletico-GO play Sport lastmonth.A second study put Brazil 13th on aworld table of attendances for 2011. Anaverage of 14,987 fans attended first di-vision matches, according to the studyby Pluri, a Brazilian sports consultancy,which used a slightly different method-ology to Stochos.Germany's Bundesliga led the table with45,083 fans, followed by England, Spainand Mexico.Brazil lagged behind all the big Euro-pean nations, as well as the UnitedStates, which was in sixth place. Italso came in behind China in 10thand Japan, which was one placeabove it. Average crowds at BrazilianSerie A matches are lower even thanthose in the German and English sec-ond divisions.

SHeffield: Kell brook traing in a gym for a

possible fight with Amir Khan early next year.

NEWSDESK

NOT that long ago men'stennis was dominated bybig servers and naturalvolleyers such as PeteSampras, Boris Becker

and Stefan Edberg and even the baselin-ers like Andre Agassi and Jim Courierhad naturally aggressive styles.

Before that John McEnroe, JimmyConnors and Ivan Lendl all played front-foot tennis with rallies usually decidedafter four or five strikes of the ball.

Nowadays, baseline exchanges of 20

plus strokes are commonplace, shotsthat used to be clean winners are comingback and matches are stretching longerand longer.

The year began with a near six-hourAustralian Open final between NovakDjokovic and Rafa Nadal while the U.S.Open final between Andy Murray andDjokovic was only slightly shorter.

More recently the Shanghai Mastersfinal between Murray and Djokovic wentto three and a half hours and that wasonly a best of three set contest.

Federer believes slower courts andballs, combined with improved fitness

levels, may have tipped the balance toofar in favour of those for whom no ball isunreachable. Speaking after his 7-6 7-5loss in the final of the ATP World TourFinals to Novak Djokovic in anotherepic, Federer said there was an easy fixto reward the risk-takers.

"Just make quicker courts, then it'shard to defend. Then attacking style ismore important," the 31-year-old Swiss,a free-hitting shot-maker whose defen-sive skills cannot be overlooked in his 17grand slam titles, told reporters.

"It's only on this type of slow courtsthat you can defend the way we are all

doing right now."I think it's exciting, but no doubt

about it, it's tough. What you don't wantis that you hit 15 great shots and at theend, it ends up in an error.

"I think sometimes quicker courts dohelp the cause. I think it would helpfrom time to time to move to somethingfaster. That would help players learn dif-ferent styles, to realise that coming tothe net is a good thing, not a bad thing."

With the US Open, Australian Openand so many of the Masters Series tour-naments being played on medium-pacedhardcourts, Federer said there was adanger of styles becoming homogenised,especially with Wimbledon's grass nowsuiting baseliners.

"I've played on all different speeds.But I think some variety would be nice,some really slow stuff and then some re-ally fast stuff, instead of trying to makeeverything sort of the same," Federersaid in London.

"You sort of protect the top guys re-ally by doing that because you have thebest possible chance to have them in thesemis at this point. But should that bethe goal? I'm not sure."

World number one Djokovic is thebest in the business at getting back onemore ball, often launching attacks fromimprobable positions.

His fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevicagrees that the modern player's priorityis to be able to retrieve rather than strikeloads of winners.

"You look at the game of tennis, inmy opinion the point which improved orthe level that increased in the last 10years is not the offence, it's the defence,"he said last week.

"Even the tall guys like (Juan Mar-tin) Del Potro, (Tomas)Berdych and (Jo-Wilfried) Tsonga are defendingincredibly well.

"If you look at Sampras and Agassi,all these guys before, they used to bevery aggressive, but couldn't really de-fend."

Courts have made defence the new attack: Federer

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thursday, 15 november, 2012

watch it LiveESPNSports Center07:30PM

doctor banned inArmstrong caseused to advisetennis players

NEWSDESK

Some tennis players are no longer work-ing with one of the doctors banned bythe U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in thewake of the Lance Armstrong dopingscandal.Dr. Luis Garcia del Moral Pancho hasbeen working with the TenisVal acad-emy in Spain for more than a decadeand the head of that acaemy has saidthat several players consulted del Moralfor preseason blood tests, strength testsand for injuries.Those who have worked with him in thepast include French Open finalist SaraErrani and former world no. 1 DinaraSafina.Errani said in September that del Moral“was the best doctor in Valencia foreverything, so I have been working withhim, of course" but also maintained thatshe would no longer consult him.Former world no. 1 Safina also con-sulted del Moral when she was at Tenis-Val. “Del Moral gave us no advicewhatsoever and did not handle ourcases,” Safina told one newspaper “Ihave nothing to be afraid of. I’m clean.”The ITF has said that it has looked intothe tennis players cases and has notfound any wrongdoing.

P&t gym outplaytauseef Club

LAHOrEsTAFF RePORT

P&T Gymkhana has become H groupChampion of LCCA Super CricketLeague when they outplay Tauseef Clubby 133 runs played Iteefaq Hospitalground on Tuesday. Fine batting byBaber Manzoor, Tayab Tahir(P&T Gym)and 2nd Hatric by AwaisManzoor(Tauseef Club) were the mainfeature of the match. Earlier Awais Man-zoor has also awarded Hatric againstEast Zone Whites in LCCA League.Scores: P&T Gym 264/7 in 40 overs.Baber Manzoor 87, Tayab Tahir 73, MAsim 25, HAseeb ur Rehman 21, AliManzoor 16, Waqas Ahmed 14. AwaisMAnzoor 3/26(including Hatric),Sheraz Baig 2/59, Waqas Khan 1/42,Sher Baz Khan 1/48. Tauseef Club 131all out in 35.5 overs. ShehzadMuhayudin 28, ISrar Baig 20, Ibrar Baig19, sher Baz Khan 18, Waqas Khan 10,Awais Manzoor 10. Rohail ALi 2/29, AliManzoor 2/16, HAseeb ur Rehman 2/9,Wajid 1/28, Babaer Manzoor 1/8.

FANLINGAgencies

RORY McIlroy couldbe forgiven fortaking his foot offthe gas at thisweek's Hong Kong

Open after securing the moneylist titles on both sides of theAtlantic with a third-place finishin Singapore on Sunday.

However, the Britishworld number onei n -

sists thea d r e n a l i n ethat flowed atS e p t e m b e r ' s

Ryder Cup vic-tory and his U.S

PGA Championshiptriumph the previous month willcontinue to run at one of his hap-piest hunting grounds.

"Back in 2005, I first camehere as a junior in the Faldo Se-ries. We stayed at the golf club andI really enjoyed the course," thedefending Hong Kong Open cham-pion told reporters on Wednesday.

"Then when I came back hereas a European Tour player, Istayed in Hong Kong city and re-ally enjoyed the buzz and the at-mosphere.

"But its here at the golf coursethat I have had some great experi-ences as a player, taking part inone of the best ever playoffsagainst Lin Wen-tang in 2008 andthen finally putting my name on

the trophy last year,"the 23-year-old

added."I wasn't

feeling well onthe Saturdayand went intothe finalround threebehind but

shota 65,h o l -ing ab u n k e rshot atthe last,to winby two."

McIlroy admits that his love ofthe Fanling course was one of hismain motivations to return toHong Kong as he attempts to pickup a fifth victory of the season atthe co-sanctioned Asian and Euro-pean Tour event.

"It is really old school," hesaid. "I love the trees that frame

most of the holes. You can reallysee your shots. There is a

lot of definition. Lengthhere doesn't matter.There won't be too many

drivers used around here."Among the sub-plots being

played out this week will be thefinal formation of the top 60 onthe Race to Dubai money list thatwill advance to a trip to the Emi-rate for next week's season-endingTP World Tour Championship.

Former European Ryder Cupplayers David Howell (61st) and

Paul Casey (74th) have trav-elled to Hong Kong sitting

outside the cut-off point,desperately hoping they can

finish high enough to earna berth at the lucrativetournament.

The final positionson Sunday will also

decide which playerswill retain their Eu-ropean Tour cardsfor 2013, with thetop 119 players on the

money list keepingtheir privileges for at

least another sea-son.

McIlroy delights in HKreturn after fantastic year

Scott seeks to cap

frustrating year with

win down underMELBOUrNE

Agencies

A winless season marked by one of themost spectacular major tournamentmeltdowns in the modern era has leftAdam Scott desperate for success at thisweek's Australian Masters, where homecrowds have rueful memories of famousnear-misses. Since turning professional12 years ago, Scott has long been toutedas Australia's heir apparent to formerworld number one Greg Norman andappeared set to break the country'sBritish Open drought dating back to the'Great White Shark's' win in 1993.Scott's final round implosion at theOpen Championship at Lytham in July,gave rise to far less flattering compar-isons with Norman, whose own Augustacollapse at the 1996 U.S. Masters re-mains a bitter recollection for manyAustralians. Where Scott blew a four-stroke lead over his last four holes to giftErnie Els the Claret Jug, Norman squan-dered a six-stroke lead to hand NickFaldo the Green Jacket at Augusta, andnever added another major trophy to histwo British Open titles.With pundits lining up to consign Scottto a lifetime of disappointment and aspell on the psychiatrist's couch, the 32-year-old has toiled on through a barrenseason, while insisting the British Openghosts no longer haunt him."I enjoyed the whole (British Open) ex-perience thoroughly and, looking back, Ijust take so many positives from what Idid right that week," Scott told reportersat Kingston Heath Golf Club on Wednes-day."Obviously the result was not what Iwas expecting with an hour or so to play,but there's always going to be a lesson tobe learned from that."I don't think it'sharmed me at all. I think it was a greatexperience and all I can say, it's more ofa motivator than anything for me to getback and have another shot at it."

LAHOrEsTAFF RePORT

Lahore City Cricket Association willtrain and groom young cricketers fromBalochistan by providing them all thenecessary facilities by placing them indifferent clubs. This was stated by LCCA,President, Khawaja Nadim Ahmed whiletalking to a delegation of the SportsWriters Association of Balochistanwhich called on him here on Wednesday.Rana Irfan led the five members delega-tion which apprised the LCCA Chief theproblems being faced by upcomingcricketers from Balochistan in cricketcoaching and training. Kh Nadim briefedthem on the working of the LCCA andthe support of its all three affiliatedzones in bettering club cricket. The del-egation members praised the working ofLCCA and termed it a model bodyamong all the regional bodies for its ef-forts for promoting cricket at early level.

“The services of LCCA are availablefor the young cricketers of Balochistanand we will mobilize our all available re-

sources for providing training to thecricketers from all parts of the Balochis-tan” said the LCCA chief, himself a for-mer first class cricketer.

He said LCCA will welcome youngcricketers from Balochistan, speciallyfrom Quetta to place them in variouslocal clubs so that they should learn thefiner points of the game under the ableguidance of LCCA coaches besides fea-turing in local club matches to get thematch temperament and experience.

“Balochistan is the province wherelimited cricket facilities are availableand their young cricketers have lesserchance to get proper training and partic-ipating in quality club cricket,” said KhNadim adding “it is the dire need to helpBalcohistan to revive and strengthentheir club cricket and LCCA services willplay its due role in this regard.”

Balochistan Sports Writers Associa-tion, Senior Vice President, NasimHameed put up the proposal that a T-20tournament featuring all the teams ofthe regional cricket association, FATAand Gilgit Biltistan be organized in April

next year in Quetta to foster brotherunity among the regional cricket bodies.

LCCA president accepted the pro-posal and said he will forward it to thePakistan Cricket Board for necessary ap-proval and getting their assistance. “Wewill be providing all out help for the pro-posed tournament and we will be work-ing in close liaison of PCB in thisregard,” he added.

The delegation members said there

was no dearth of cricket talent inBalochistan and cricket was equally pop-ular even in the far flung areas of theprovince where the youth has a specialpassion for the sport. “It is quite unfor-tunate that the talent is being wasteddue to lack of coaching facilities and in-frastructure and it is the duty of all theregional cricket bodies of the country tolend hand to Balochistan for strengthen-ing its club cricket .

MELBOUrNEAgencies

Ian Poulter converted his sparklingRyder Cup form into his second WorldGolf Championship victory in Shen-zhen earlier this month and will hopeto maintain his strong finish to the yearby defending his Australian Masterstitle.

Poulter will battle former majorwinner Graeme McDowell and a deter-mined local contingent spearheaded byworld number five Adam Scott atKingston Heath in Melbourne's famedsandbelt.

The 36-year-old Englishman sug-gested his strongest opponent thisweek might well be himself, however,and admitted to struggling to take his

Ryder Cup intensity to stroke playevents.

"You don't get the intensity at amajor like you do at the Ryder Cup,"the world number 16 told reporters atKingston Heath on Wednesday.

"You can't recreate what it meansin a Ryder Cup into a stroke play event.

"But to give you an example, Iprobably had five percent adrenalinegoing through my body - compared tothe 100 percent that I had at the RyderCup - two weeks ago at the WGCevent."

While the Masters's modestA$180,000 ($188,000) winner'scheque might do little to stoke Poul-ter's competitive fires, KingstonHeath's tricky layout, which places apremium on tactics while rewarding

risk-takers, offers a mouthwateringchallenge.

Poulter showed himself up for anychallenge at last year's tournament,where he upstaged a strong fieldboasting then-world number one LukeDonald at nearby Royal Victoria GolfClub.

After recovering from a bout offood poisoning, Poulter battledthrough gale-force winds on the finalday to win by three strokes and earnthe tournament's 'Golden Jacket', anod to the more salubrious green onehanded to U.S. Masters winners.

In contrast to Poulter, McDowellwould hope to leave his Ryder Cupform back in Illinois, where he posteda disappointing a 1-3-0 record and wasbenched on the second day.

Poulter hopes to channelRyder Cup magic in Australia

LCCA TO TRAIN AND GROOM YOUNG CRICKETERS FROM BALOCHISTAN

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thursday, 15 november, 2012

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

ISLAMABADsTAFF RePORT

PAKISTANI officials onWednesday said they hadreleased some Taliban pris-oners to supportAfghanistan’s reconcilia-

tion efforts.The “positive gesture” came amid

meetings between Kabul’s peace negotia-tor Salaluddin Rabbani and Pakistani au-thorities in Islamabad.

“A group of Afghan Taliban has beenreleased and they are accessible to anyonewho wants to contact them,” a ForeignMinistry official privy to the talks said.

The number of freed prisoners was saidto be less than a dozen but sources told Pak-istan Today that the number was at least 12.

Details about the release remainsketchy, but the officials said they be-longed to the insurgency’s low and mid-tier leadership.

They said those freed did not includeformer Taliban deputy leader MullahAbdul Ghani Baradar, who was arrestedin Karachi in February 2010.

The sources told Pakistan Today thateight of the prisoners were released from

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa jails, while fourhad been detained in jails in FATA.

Furthermore, some of the releasedmen were members of the Taliban Cen-tral Shura, the sources added.

These prisoners would be airlifted toAfghanistan in a special plane, but thesources could not confirm whether theywould be handed over to the Karzai gov-ernment or to the Taliban leadershipunder Mullah Omar.

Rabbani, chairman of the Afghan PeaceCouncil, said such moves would aide theAfghan government’s reconciliation effortsand help restore peace in Afghanistan.

The US, vying to leave Afghanistanby 2014, had earlier began peace negoti-ations with the Taliban in Qatar earlierthis year. However, the talks broke downin March after the US failed to accept theTaliban’s demand of releasing a few topleaders of the Taliban detained in Guan-tanamo Bay prison facility before anyconcrete talks could take place.

Insiders say the US administrationhad advised President Obama against themove until at least the US presidentialpolls held earlier this month, as it couldinvite a public backlash.

However, with Obama having made

it to the White House for an four years,the US is likely to hand over the Talibanleaders to Qatar, a move that could putthe stalled peace talks with the Afghan in-surgents back on track.

Also, Taliban negotiators like TayyabAgha, who opened the Taliban politicaloffice in Doha, are still living in Qatar de-

spite the collapse of peace negotiations,hinting the Taliban are also willing to re-sume talks with the US.

According to press reports, SaudiArabia had also invited several Talibanleaders for this year’s Haj pilgrimage aspart of its possible role in the Afghanpeace process.

Pakistan frees Afghan Taliban prisoners

Obama shows faith in gen Allen amidst probe

ISLAMABADTAYYAB HussAin

The federal cabinet on Wednesday en-dorsed and shared the concerns expressedby the Muttahida Qaumi Movement(MQM) ministers, who conveyed its reser-vations to the prime minister over the on-going killing spree in Karachi and the “lackof commitment” of law enforcement agen-cies (LEAs) to arrest the killers.

Moreover, despite the Transparency In-ternational Pakistan requesting theSupreme Court to take suo motu notice of“two blanket tax amnesty schemes” beingproposed by the government, the federalcabinet considered and approved contro-versial amendments in the Customs Act1969, Sales Tax Act 1990, Income Tax Ordi-nance 2001 and Federal Excise Act 2005 toregister non-tax filers in the tax net, pavingthe way for tax amnesty scheme tagged as

registration and enforcement initiative.A source in the federal cabinet told

Pakistan Today during Wednesday meet-ing of the cabinet, MQM ministers in-formed their colleagues that goons ofbanned outfits were targeting people onsectarian basis and gangsters were killingtheir rivals, while law enforcers were actingas “spectators”.

The source added that the MQM minis-ters told Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashrafthat law enforcers were inactive on instruc-tions from their high-ups and when theywere allowed to act, they arrested a dozentarget killers with large quantity of arms.

The source added that MQM ministersalso shared with their cabinet colleaguessome exclusive documents about criminalactivities and extortion in Karachi.

Prime Minister Ashraf expressed seri-ous concern over the Karachi situation.“We are all mindful of the fact that extrem-

ism, militancy, intolerance, sectarian vio-lence and terrorism have posed a seriousthreat and challenge to our sovereignty, se-curity and National Cohesion,” he said.

“As a nation, we have to thwart sinisterdesigns of terrorists and the governmentwould play its part in eliminating these el-ements,” he said.

Keeping in mind the sanctity of the Holymonth of Muharrum, the prime ministersaid he had directed LEAs in all provinces tofurther beef up security arrangements, keepa vigilant eye and evolve a mechanism tomaintain peace and harmony.

Interior Minister Rehman Malikbriefed the cabinet on the situation inKarachi. The cabinet expressed seriousconcern over the law and order inKarachi and directed the ministry tomake a detailed presentation to the cab-inet in its next meeting and suggest con-crete proposals.

The cabinet congratulated PresidentBarack Obama on his re-election for a sec-ond term.

The PM said Pakistan and the US hadcommon bilateral interests and shared re-gional objectives of peace, security andstability, hoping that as partners in ashared enterprise, they would be able tocontinue pursuing collective goals to themutual benefit of both.

The cabinet later discussed and ac-corded its approval to the proposedamendment in Foreign Exchange Regula-tion Act, 1947 (FERA, 1947) and the LandSurveying and Mapping Bill – 2012.

In order to avoid any legal complica-tion of important terrorism cases undertrial, the cabinet approved, subject to vet-ting by the Ministries of Law and HumanRights, the Juvenile Justice System(Amendment) Bill, 2012. Necessary pro-visions have been incorporated for the

protection of witnesses and juvenile ac-cused persons in the proposed bill.

The cabinet considered and approvedamendments in the Customs Act 1969,Sales Tax Act 1990, Income Tax Ordi-nance 2001 and Federal Excise Act 2005to register non-tax filers in the tax net.The cabinet was informed that a signifi-cant segment of Pakistan’s economy wasundocumented.

The growing size of the undergroundeconomy was not only depriving the na-tional exchequer of its due share but wasalso acting as a hindrance for economicplanning and development. A large num-ber of businesses and individuals whowere regularly filing their income tax re-turns were avoiding their legal obligationsby either under-declaring or not correctlydeclaring their assets or income.

Cabinet endorses MQM’s concerns over Karachi violence g MqM says goons of banned outfits targeting people on sectarian basis g Cabinet approves controversial tax amendments to give exemptions to non-filers

top Hamas

commander killed

in israel attack GAZA

Agencies

Israel killed the military commander of thePalestinian group Hamas in a missile strikeon the Gaza Strip on Wednesday andlaunched air raids across the enclave, push-ing the two sides to the brink of a new war.The attacks marked the biggest escalationbetween Israel and Gaza militants since a2008-2009 conflict and came despite signson Tuesday that neighbouring Egypt hadmanaged to broker a truce in the enclaveafter a five day surge of violence. Hamassaid Ahmed Al-Jaabari, who ran the organi-sation’s armed wing, Izz el-Deen Al-Qas-sam, died along with an unnamed associatewhen their car was blown apart by an Israelimissile. Palestinians said nine people werekilled, including a seven-year-old girl. Videofrom Gaza showed the charred and mangledwreckage of a car belching flames, as emer-gency crews picked up what appeared to bebody parts. Israel confirmed it had carriedout the attack on Jaabari and warned thatmore strikes would follow.

five Kamra Air base

attackers arrestedPESHAWAr

sHAMiM sHAHiD

The law enforcing and secret agencies suc-ceeded in arresting five militants, involvedin attack on Kamra Air Base, fromMohmand Agency. Highly placed tribalsources told Pakistan Today that all five mil-itants were arrested on pointation of theiraccomplices who were arrested during theattack on the base on August 16 2012. How-ever, so far no official statement has been is-sued in this respect. Sources said the fivemilitants arrested from Mohmand Agencybelong to Afghanistan and are consideredhigh profile militants. The exact identity ofthe arrested militants could not be ascer-tained as yet but it was revealed that theywere involved in high profile acts of terror-ism in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.Sources further said that the Kamra attackwas planned in North Waziristan and hadinput from Obaidullah, who was amongstthe 384 prisoners who escaped from CentralJail Bannu on April 15 2012.

WASHINGTONAgencies

Despite being under attack, General JohnAllen has retained the pivotal trust of hispresident, Barack Obama.

The US top commander inAfghanistan is being probed for his al-leged “inappropriate communication”with a woman, Jill Kelley, linked to for-mer CIA director David Petraeus, who re-signed abruptly last week over anextramarital affair.

Allen will continue to command theforces while under investigation.

White House spokesman Jay Carneysaid, “He (President Obama) has faith inGeneral Allen” and added that he wasdoing a fine job in Afghanistan.

Earlier, Obama had agreed to put onhold the nomination of Gen Allen as thenext commander of the US EuropeanCommand. His confirmation hearing was

scheduled for Thursday.Obama had nominated General

Joseph Dunford, assistant commandantof the Marine Corps, to succeed General

Allen at ISAF. Dunford’s confirmationhearing, however, is as per schedule onThursday.

The family of Jill, the Florida woman

at the centre of the scandals swirlingaround the two top US national securityofficials, has been the subject of at leastnine lawsuits in recent years, according toa report by Politico.com.

In one instance, Kelley and her hus-band Scott, a cancer surgeon, owned athree-story office building in downtownTampa. In 2011, after the couple was suedby Central Bank, a judge ordered thebuilding sold. Court records showed thecouple owed the bank $2.2 million, ac-cording to the Tampa Bay Times.

Either Jill or Scott has been the sub-ject of nine lawsuits, including an indebt-edness case from Chase Bank, a secondforeclosure suit from Regions Bank, anda credit card lawsuit. The Telegraph re-ported the Regions Bank lawsuit was for$1.8 million. Another claim from thebank totalled $453,000. And Bank ofAmerica sued Jill for $25,000 in unpaidcredit card charges and fees.

g Move could bolster Afghan government’s reconciliation efforts g Mulla baradar not among those released

Continued on page 04

islAMABAD: Afghan High Peace council chairman saluhuddin Rabani meets interior

Minister Rehman Malik on Wednesday. AgeNCIeS

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