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BAHAWALPUR: Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif unveiling the plaque during ground breaking ceremonyof Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park on Friday.

Bleaker dialoguechance, even then talk................................................Nisar’s dos and don’ts................................................Food insecurityin most fertile land!

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BAHAWALPUR—Prime Minister MuhammadNawaz Sharif Friday termed agitational poli-tics uncalled for at a time when the countrywas on a path of progress, and invited thosefor dialogue who had given a call for protest.

Addressing a jam-packed gatheringhere at the Islamia University Bhawalpurafter the inauguration of country’s firstSolar Park project the Prime Minister saidthere was no justification for protests, par-ticularly at a time when the country hadembarked on a path of progress and de-velopment

“What is the need of the protest now?”he questioned and asked the gathering “arethey against the progress of Pakistan, arethey against the development projects inPakistan, are they against measures to endcorruption, against declining rate of dollar,end of load shedding?”

He said the people of Pakistan havesacrificed a lot and it was time that the coun-try was allowed to move forward. He saidthe government was working on projectsto build motorways, power plants whilecutting down on expenses and there wasno justification to agitate whatsoever.

“Why are you doing this? What areyour motives?,” he asked.

The Prime Minister invited those whoplanned protest rallies to the PM House fordialogue and resolve issues amicably.

“Come to the Prime Minister House.Talk to me. Have tea or coffee with me, dis-cuss your issues,” he said in an apparentreference to the PTI leader and recalled “Itoo visited you.”

He also dismissed the allegations of rig-ging in the general election and asked the

Nawaz invitesprotestors for talksTerms agitational politics uncalled for

Launches solar power plant in Bahawalpur

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OBSERVER REPORT

ISLAMABAD—US Deputy Secretary of StateWilliam J. Burns has conveyed the mes-sage of the United States government totop Pakistani civil and military officials dur-ing the meetings, asking for the destruc-

tion of terrorist sanctuaries in NorthWaziristan.

William J. Burns held meetings withAdvisor to Prime Minister on Foreign Af-fairs Sartaj Aziz, special assistant to theprime minister Tariq Fatemi, Chief of Army

Destroy N Waziristan terrorsanctuaries, Burns tells Raheel

Appreciates Pakistan’s economic policies

Continued on Page 7 Continued on Page 7Continued on Page 7

Blast inJafarabad,four injuredOUR CORRESPONDENT

JAFARABAD—At least fourpeople were injured in ablast in Goth MuhammadUsman, Jafarabad districton Friday.

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Earthquake inNawabshahkills two,injures 50STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—At least twopeople were killed and 50others were wounded in the

early hours of Friday afteran earthquake struck differ-ent parts of the Nawabshah

LIAQAT TOOR

ISLAMABAD—As the much projected Govt-Taliban talks are heading for nowhere, thesituation in North Waziristan is changingfast after the deadly attack on armed forceson Thursday, martyring nine security men.

No date has been fixed for next roundof talks which was expected this week asthe latest terror strike has proved to be a

Govt-Taliban talksheading for nowhere

Curfew imposed in NW for indefinite periodstumbling block in proceeding further. Theworried members of Taliban committee arealso swinging back and demanded TalibanShura to announce ceasefire.

The government had already an-nounced talks cannot go along with inci-dents of terrorism while Armed Forces hitback when they are attacked.

Sources privy to such development said

Beijing blamesUS for stokingtensions in SouthChina SeaBEIJING—China’s foreignministry blamed the UnitedStates on Friday forstoking tensions in thedisputed South China Seaby encouraging countriesto engage in dangerousbehavior, following anuptick in tensions betweenChina and both the

Picture on Back Page

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan InternationalAirlines (PIA), on the directive of PrimeMinister Nawaz Sharif has reduced itsfares on Umra and some domestic sec-tors.

The Prime Minister had orderedthe PIA to pass on the benefit to itspassengers following the reduction inpetroleum prices during last threemonths.

For Umra, the passengers from theNorth (Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kash-mir, Gilgit Baltistan and KhyberPukhtunkhwa) will get a reduction ofRs 6,000 in airfare, i.e. from Rs.72,000to Rs. 66,000.

The airfare for South (Sindh,Balochistan) have also been slashedfrom Rs.60,000 to Rs.54,000, with a re-duction of Rs 6,000.

The fares of domestic sectors in-cluding Multan, Faisalabad, Peshawar,Quetta and Dera Ghazi Khan have beenreduced by Rs 2,000 each. Meanwhile,it is reported that Chairman SenateStanding Committee on Religious Af-fairs and Inter-Faith Harmony SenatorHafiz Hamdullah on Friday directedthat intending pilgrims who did not getseat this year, would be accommodatedon priority next time.

PIA reduces Umra, domestic fares on PM’s directives

Intending pilgrims not selectedto be accommodated next year

Chairing the committee meeting,he said the committee should forwardits recommendations that the foodwould be optional for pilgrims ratherthan making it compulsory for everyone under Hajj package as were thepast practice.

The committee members alsoshowed concern on completing theHajj application process on govern-ment quota with in a day and saidthat it is checked that people fromfar f lung areas would not be ig-nored.

They said that equal opportuni-ties would be given to all for perform-ing Hajj as it is right of every one.

The committee also discussed thatthe rates of private tour operators forHajj packages starts from Rs. 4,60,000and goes up to Rs. 22,00,000 which ismatter of concern and recommendedthat there should be strict monitoringof these tour operators.

Committee members also pointedout that people performing Hajj on Rs.22,00,000 should be questioned abouttheir tax revenue details and it is alsochecked that how many times theyhave already performed Hajj.

The committee members also

asked that quota of black list privatetour operators would be suspendedand their partners and directors wouldbe black listed so that they cannotoperate with new name.

General Manager, Pakistan Inter-national Airline (PIA) informed thecommittee that it has planned 158flights for facilitating 63,814 pilgrimsduring the upcoming Hajj operation.

The committee also asked to call aseparate meeting on Evacuee TrustProperty Board affairs and asked theconcerned authorities to produce thecomplete details of the property andthe data of last ten years mentioningthat how much land and buildings weregranted on rent and lease and on whichrates.

The committee meeting was at-tended by Federal Minister for Reli-gious Affairs, Sardar MuhammadYousaf, State Minister for ReligiousAffairs, Pir Ameen ul Hasnat Shah,Senator Raja Muhammad Zafar ul Haq,Senator Muhammad Zahid Khan,Senator Hamza, Senator MuhammadKhan, Senator Zahida Khan, SenatorHaji Adeel, officials of Ministry of Re-ligious Affairs and media representa-tives.—APP

ISLAMABAD—Secretary Information of Pa-kistan Muslim League (N) SenatorMushahidullah Khan on Friday said peoplewould maintain the tradition of last year’sgeneral elections on May 11 by rejectingthe childish politics of Imran Khan.

Talking to mediamen here, he saidpeople want to maintain and carry forwardthe process of development which wasstarted after the general elections and theywill keep themselves away from any kind ofpolitical agitation on this May 11 too.

He said Imran Khan has proved from dayone that neither his politics has nothing to dowith people nor it will be of any relevance infuture. Mushahidullah said immature think-ing of Imran Khan has made him isolated andunhappy. He said since starting his politics,Imran Khan got himself involved in fights ofdifferent kinds just for the sake of his per-sonal wishes and desire for power.

He said the biggest example of his im-maturity is that he is in field of politics buthe has taken up fights with political partiesand media.

Imran Khan did not protest on any is-sue of public interest, he said adding afterthe May 11 elections, Imran Khan shouldhave focused his attention on KhyberPakhtunkhwa.

But he ignored his real responsibilityby hiding behind the so-called allegationsof rigging, he added.

Mushahidullah said they had offered

People to reject Imran politicsSana urges PTI to discuss issues in parliament

to look into the electoral process in 40 con-stituencies of National Assembly insteadof four but Imran Khan did not respondpositively to the proposal till today.

Mushahidullah said, “We still stand bythis offer. Imran Khan should point out 40constituencies of his choice and we areready to extend every kind of cooperation.”

He said those who voted for ImranKhan and his party are now feeling ashamedand regretful due to his immature politics.

The Senator said now it is proved thatneither Imran Khan is capable of running agovernment nor he can perform the role ofopposition in the assembly.

He said a person who cannot run a prov-ince and is also not allowing his nominatedprovincial team to work freely, will put atrisk the country if he comes to power in thecenter. He said Imran Khan should shunthe role of angry young man and play roleof constructive and responsible oppositionto resolve burning issues of the people, oth-erwise his politics has no future.

He said people will back Pakistan Mus-lim League (N) and Nawaz Sharif on comingMay 11. Meanwhile, Punjab’s Law Minis-ter, Rana Sana Ullah said that PakistanTehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) should discuss issuesin the parliament which was the right fo-rum. Talking to a private news channel, hesaid continuity of democracy was only so-lution to put the country on the path ofprogress.—APP

NHA to undertake E-35project in two phases

ISLAMABAD—National Highway Authority (NHA) would un-dertake Hassanabdal-Mansehra Expressway (E-35) in twophases, an official of Ministry of Communications informedon Friday.

He said in Phase-I, construction of 49 km Hassanabdal-Havellian Section will be taken up.

He informed Asian Development Bank has agreed to pro-vide $ 315 million and approved $ 200 million for this year andrest $ 115 million will be provided next year.

The project is to be executed in two Packages, Package-I is 40 Km long and Package-II 19 Km long.

He said tenders for construction above two packageswere advertised on last month.

About land acquisition, he said the process would becarried out in three packages. However land Acquisition forPackage I and II has been completed and 95 pc paymentsmade to land owners.

He said land acquisition process for Package-III is under-way, wherein 14 villages have been acquired and for remain-ing one village proceeds will be completed shortly.

Tenders will be called within three months after complet-ing all the requirements of ADB, he added.

He said after construction of E-35, huge traffic load onKarakoram Highway would be eased.

He said that the Karakoram Highway was constructed tomeet the needs of six to seven thousands vehicles, whereascurrently over 20,000 vehicles travel on this road daily.—APP

ISLAMABAD—Federal Minister for Statesand Frontier Regions Lt. Gen.(R) AbdulQadir Baloch has said Pakistan should learnfrom the European Union experience ofburring their past frictions by transformingtheir relationship into common goal of theirdevelopment and fostering love.

“This is a model that we could also fol-low. We want to have a peaceful relation-ship with our neighbours, he said in hisbrief remarks at the EU music evening atsprawling lawns of a local hotel as Paki-stani music rented the air. The event wasorganized here Thursday by the EU ambas-sador to Islamabad Lars-GunnarWIGEMARK to celebrate EU Day.

Referring to old European rivalries andwars about sixty five years ago, the minister,himself a soldier, said the EU states had puttheir past behind for forging ‘a new relation-ship of love’ by adopting a new approach intheir ties.Pakistan had the best of relation-ship with the EU with no complaints, he saidand thanked the EU for supporting Pakistanto get Generalized System of Preferences(GSP) plus which had put it in an advanta-geous position. GSP Plus gives tariff waiverto Pakistani exports to the EU. He congratu-

Pak need to learn from EU model forforging good ties in SA: Gen Qadir

lated the ambassador on EU day celebrations.The EU ambassador Lars-Gunnar, on the

occasion said, he wanted to showcase Paki-stani and a bit of EU music here because itwas very important for Pakistan. He said itwas gratifying to see that music, art and cul-ture had staged a comeback in Pakistan andreferred to the recent music festival and cul-tural and heritage show which depicted therich and diverse culture of the country. Heparticularly mentioned Qawali music whichwas a great experience for him, he said.Hesaid until now it has been a good year asPakistan saw an unprecedented transitionfrom one to another civilian government andbilled it a ‘milestone’ in the history of the coun-try. He said the EU also contributed in a smallway by sending its observers to monitor theelections in May this year.In his reference tothe EU-Pak. Strategic dialogue, he said thetwo sides had been discussing various is-sues including trade, human rights, counter-terrorism and other issues of concern to them.

The music evening was attended amongothers by the Opposition leader in SenateBarrister Aitzaz Ahsan, parliamentarians,diplomats and a large number of ambassa-dors based in the federal capital.—APP

Govt showing zerotolerance overSheesha usage

ISLAMABAD—ParliamentarySecretary for Interior andNarcotics Control, MarryamAurangzeb informed the Na-tional Assembly on Fridaythat there was complete banand zero tolerance over theuse of Sheesha in the federalcapital.Responding to a Call-ing Attention Notice movedby MNA, Ch KhadimHussain regarding increasingtendency of youth inIslamabad to use narcotics,the parliamentary secretarysaid if someone had knowl-edge about any Sheesha cen-tre being operated in thecapital, he should call on thethree Toll Free helpline num-bers established by the gov-ernment in this regard.

Marryam said a Taskforcehad been established inAnti-Narcotics Force (ANF)which was keeping a stricteye over the issue besidesspreading awareness in dif-ferent colleges and universi-ties about the menace.She in-formed that there was nomonitoring of the issue inpast, but the incumbent gov-ernment was taking the mat-ter seriously.—APP

PTA initiateslinkages witheducationalinstitutions

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Tele-communication Authority(PTA) has been working to-wards encouraging researchactivities and has taken ini-tiatives to establish linkageswith educational institutionsto promote telecom research.

The research on forth-coming regulatory issuesand challenges and transferof new technologies is likelyto assist the regulator andpolicy makers, ChairmanPTA, Dr. Syed Ismail Shahsaid.

He was talking to stu-dents of Telecom Engineer-ing Department, MilitaryCollege of Signals, who vis-ited PTA Headquarters hereon Friday. Senior officers ofPTA were present on theoccasion.

During the visit, Chair-man PTA informed the par-ticipants about working androle of PTA and spoke aboutthe latest developments intelecom industry, especiallythe recently 3G/4G spectrumauction.

He said that as reflectedfrom indicators, growth inthe telecom sector has beenimmense in recent years.

Similarly, education sec-tor has also shown tremen-dous growth in terms of add-ing up an increased numberof education, professionalinstitutions, development offaculty and students’ enroll-ments whereas growth inresearch on IT & telecomhas not been proportionate.

Later, he presented sou-venirs to the visiting facultymembers of Military Collegeof Signals, Col (Rtd) ZameerBhatti and Course Advisor,Dr. Adil.—APP

WHOrecommendations

to help controlpolio virus

ISLAMABAD—The WorldHealth Organization repre-sentative in Pakistan NimaSaeed Abid has said thattravel recommendations forPakistan are meant to con-trol international spread ofpolio virus. In an interviewwith Radio Pakistan, he saidthe recommendations aretemporary and will be reas-sessed after three months.

He said Pakistan is oneof the ten countries with ac-tive circulation of polio vi-rus. He said Pakistan falls inexporting category becausea virus detected in Afghani-stan was originated in Paki-stan during this year.

Dr Nima Saeed alsohopeful that polio vaccina-tion is now under way in thePolyclinic in the federal capi-tal, which is a positivestep.—APP

PESHAWAR: The ground of Government Girls Primary School Khazana Payan built four years ago is being used tokeep animals instead of using it for education of children.

CHITRAL: GOC 45th Engineers Division Maj-Gen Akhtar Jamil Rao writing his mes-sage on Visitor Book during the inaugural ceremony of Women Vocational TrainingCentre at Balach on Friday.

Air Vice-Marshal Azhar Hasan Rizvi, Air Officer Commanding, Southern Air Com-mand, PAF awarding Chief of the Air Staff Best Graduate Trophy to Flight LieutenantMuhammad Adeel Akram at the Institute of Air Safety PAF Base, Masroor Karachi.

Thanvi to replaceMustafa Kamal

in SenateIRFAN ALIGI

KARACHI—On a recentlyvacated seat of Senate of Pa-kistan, three of MuttahidaQaumi Movement (MQM)officers, Waseem Akhtar,Kanwar Khalid Younus andTanveerul Haq Thanvi hadsubmitted their nominationpapers. The seat was va-cated after Syed MustafaKamal tendered his resigna-tion as senator.

Sources privy to the situ-ation were of the opinion thatMQM would approveThanvi as the final candi-date and would easily beelected as Senator.

The sources claimed thatWaseem Akhtar and KanwarKhalid Younus had sincelong been on key positionsin the party with various re-sponsibilities and henceThanvi would be an appro-priate one to replace the re-signer Senator.

Thanvi hails from a emi-nent family of religiousscholars and keeps a solidbackground of high moralcharacter, a polite and sanescholastic personality andabove all without any tint ofany controversiality in anysection of life. His becom-ing a Senator would be amanifest of MQM’s policiesfor keeping all sections ofthe society united under itsplatform.

It is pertinent to mentionthat Pakistan People’s Partyhad already completed asame replacement by elect-ing Dr Qayyum Soomro af-ter Faisal Raza Abidi had quitas Senator after tenderinghis resignation.

ISLAMABAD—Minister of State for Parlia-mentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab Ahmad toldthe Na-tional Assembly that the FederalGovernment has paid an amount of 1.5 bil-lion rupees for acquisition of land for es-tablishment of new Balakot city. He saidthe Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government hasassured the federal government of hurdlesin the way of acquisition of land for theproject.

He said ERRA has the capacity to com-plete new Balakot city project in eighteenmonths after the allotment of the land. Par-liamentary Secretary for Interior MarriyumAurangzeb told the House that securityarrangements have been tightened inIslamabad fol-lowing Sabzi Mandi and F-8Katchery attacks. She said Islamabad Po-

Rs1.5b paid for new Balakot city landlice and Rangers have devised a joint se-curity plan under which both the forces areconducting joint patrolling in important ar-eas to curb crimes.

Responding to a calling attention no-tice Parliamentary Secretary MarriyumAurangzeb told the House that a completemonitoring mechanism has been evolved tocheck the menace of drug abuse.

She said a campaign is also beinglaunched shortly to create awarenessagainst the use of drugs. MarriyumAurangzeb said recently three big drugmafias including one in Islamabad havebeen busted in Islamabad. She said a taskforce has also been established in Anti-Narcotics Force to purge educational in-stitutions of drug addicts.—NNI

Mosquito netsales increase

PESHAWAR—The sale ofmosquito nets has registeredincrease in Peshawar mar-kets and adjoining areas aspeople especially of low in-come groups and salariedclass like it to protect chil-dren from mosquitoes dur-ing summer and rainy sea-sons.

The occasional and ir-regular fumigation cam-paigns and long hours loadshedding have compelledpeople to buy mosquitoesnets to protect children frommosquito causing diseaseslike deadly dengue and ma-laria.

Keeping in view ofpeoples’ positive responsetowards mosquito nets, theshopkeepers have in-creased its prices manifoldsby earning two timeshigh.—APP

Pragmaticmeasures to curbwastage of water

P E S H AWA R —Provinc ia lMinister for IrrigationMehmood Khan Friday di-rected Department of Irriga-tion to take pragmatic mea-sures make the irrigationsystem more efficient to en-sure provision of water tofarmers and stop wastage ofwater.

Presiding over a meet-ing of Irrigation departmenthere, he expressed satisfac-tion over performance of Ir-rigation department, how-ever, he directed the officialsconcerned to take precau-tionary measures to avoidflood devastation.

He said that the ongoingprojects should be completedwithin stipulated time withquality of work. If there weresome hurdles in release offunds than these should beaddressed on priority, headded.—APP

MEPCO fines104 powerpilferers

MULTAN—Multan ElectricPower Company (MEPCO)teams imposed over Rs 1.3million fine on 104 powerpilferers during April.

According to sources,monitoring and surveillanceteams raided Gulgasht sub-division and imposed Rs11,824 fine on two powerpilferers, Rs 76,088 fine wasimposed to eight pilferers inHassanabad sub-division,Rs 358,840 on 40 pilferers inGarden Town sub-divisionand Rs 14,728 on two pilfer-ers in Mukhtarabad sub-di-vision, Hasilpur.

Similarly, Rs 111,720 finewas imposed on 13 powerpilferers in Qasba Gujratsub-division, Rs 129,576 ontwo pilferers in KaramdadQureshi sub-division, Rs1,49,800 on nine pilferers inKabirwala sub-division, Rs293,560 on eight pilferers inAllahabad sub-division andRs 206,736 on 19 pilferers inQuetta Road sub-divisionDG Khan. Meanwhile, it isreported that a group of an-gry persons tortured theemployees of HyderabadElectric Supply Companyby attacking at the officesof HESCO Operation Sub-Divisions Hirabad andQasimabad here.

According to HESCOspokesman, a group of 15 to20 persons led by ShabbirChandio has firsted ran-sacked the office of Opera-tion Sub-Division Hirabadand beaten the office staffand later they attacked atOperation Sub-DivisionQasimabad near AlamdarChowk where the staff con-cerned also received inju-ries.—APP

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—Pakistan Navy’s AnnualSafety Review for the year 2013 washeld at Bahria Auditorium on Friday.Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral

Mohammad Asif Sandila was thechief guest on the occasion.

The safety review is held everyyear with an aim to overall evaluatethe safety standards at various Paki-stan Navy units. In addition it is alsoaimed at creating safety awarenessand promoting safety culturethrough detailed analysis of past in-cidents.

Addressing the ceremony, Chiefof the Naval Staff, AdmiralMohammad Asif Sandila, expressed

Sandila satisfied over enhancedsafety culture in Navy

‘We should be bold, innovative in conduct of Naval Operations’

KARACHI: Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Asif Sandila giving away Pakistan Navy’s Annual SafetyReview for the year 2013 awards to a winner during a ceremony at Bahria Auditorium on Friday.

his satisfaction over the positivechange of enhanced safety culturewithin Pakistan Navy. The NavalChief was assertive of fact that,safety and operational preparednessare closely linked to each other. It

may not be denied that Naval Opera-tions at sea and ashore have inher-ent element of risk, which can be miti-gated through meticulous planningand flawless execution while keepingthe element of safety as paramountconsideration.

He added that it may not be a real-istic expectation to eliminate the hu-man factor completely but we muststrive to minimize this by followingStandard Operating Procedures and

indoctrination of safety habits at alllevels.He reiterated that our govt andnation is spending substantial re-sources for the maritime defence ofthe country and has afforded us so-phisticated and capable assets to un-

dertake our assigned tasks. There-fore, we have no greater responsibil-ity than to take good care of our menand assets through better trainingand enhanced safety awareness. Weshould be bold, innovative, prag-matic and yet safe in conduct of Na-val Operations. Our goal should be asafe and efficient Navy, he added.Inthe end, the Chief Guest gave awaythe safety trophies and congratulatedall the safety winners.

ADB team assures CMof mega projects support

PESHAWAR—Asian Development Bank (ADB) has as-sured full support both technical and financial to the masstransit, road infrastructure, water supply, conservation,irrigation, energy production, creation of employment op-portunities programs envisaged by the PTI-led govern-ment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The assurance was conveyed Friday when a high leveldelegation of ADB led by its Country Director Werner E.Liepach called on the Chief Minister Khyber PakhtunkhwaParvez Khattak. MNAs Dr. Imran Khattak and ShehreyarKhan Afridi, Additional Chief Secretary Khalid Parvez andSecretary C&W assisted the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister briefed the delegation in detail aboutthe projects in different sectors particularly the mass tran-sit scheme for Peshawar, over 200 hundred water conser-vation and energy schemes particularly small hydle-powerprojects, the new express way from Motorway to Swatwhich will shorten the distance to that picturesque areasand open vast areas so far lying unexplored, and trainingof manpower on international standard.

The chief minister said due to load sheding it has beendecided to convert all tube wells of the province to solarenergy so that the problem is resolved once for all.

In almost all cities of the province there is a great rushand they needed mass transit systems in all the districtand divisional headquarters of the province.

The chief Minister briefed the ADB delegation of theproposed express-way to Swat which will bring about a lotof change in the lives of the people of that area. The ChiefMinister emphasized on resolving the growing and con-stant problem of unemployment in the Province which hesaid required urgent and durable solution.—APP

PESHAWAR—Khyber Pakhtunkhwa SeniorMinister for Health, Shahram Khan TarakaiFriday directed the concerned quarters inhealth department to complete all the requiredarrangements for polio vaccination and is-suance of polio vaccination certificate forpassengers going abroad here at Bacha KhanInternational Airport within one day.

He further directed to immediately con-vene a meeting of the airport authorities toset up a polio counter at the airport for thepurpose and to depute vaccination staff ofboth the health department and Civil Avia-tion Authority with round the clock dutiesin separate shifts.He was chairing a meet-ing to discuss matters related to the issu-ance of polio vaccination certificate to pas-sengers going aboard at Health Secretariat.

Besides issues related to polio certifi-cation, matters related to the availablestock of polio vaccines in the province,purchase of the required quantity of thevaccine, provision of funds for the same,number of arriving and departing passen-gers at various transit points of the prov-ince and arrangements for their vaccina-tion at the transit points came under delib-eration in the meeting and a number of im-portant decisions were taken to this effect.

The Minister also directed the quartersconcerned to make all necessary arrange-ments for providing free of cost services

KP for issuance of vaccinationcertificates in a day at airport

and facilities of polio vaccination and cer-tification under one-window operations atall the district headquarters hospitals andteaching hospitals of the province.

The meeting decided to authorize theDistrict Health Officers and Medical Su-perintendents of DHQ Hospitals andteaching Hospitals to issue the polio vac-cination certificate.While approving thedesign and contents of the polio vaccina-tion certificate, the meeting decided thatthe polio vaccination certificate compul-sorily carried the CNIC No, Passport No,and vaccine batch number of the bearer.

It also decided to indentify all the tran-sit points on the boarders of KhyberPakhtunkhwa with FATA and other prov-ince and set up polio vaccination counterstherein to ensure vaccination to every out-going and incoming passenger.

Addressing the participants of the meet-ing, Shahram Tarakai stressed upon con-cerned authorities to ensure free of costpolio vaccination and certification facilitiesto the public and said that it was the primeresponsibility of the government to providethe basic facilities of health to the peoplefree of cost.He strictly directed the relevantquarters to ensure transparency in the pro-cess of polio certification and vaccinationin all respects and maintain computerizedrecord of the whole process.—APP

PTI, PAT’s protest callunjustified: Ludhianvi

RAWALPINDI—Amir Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat MaulanaAhmed Ludhianvi Friday criticized Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf(PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) for giving call tohold protest rallies on May 11, terming it unjustified.

Talking to APP here, he said it was not the appropriatetime to hold protest demonstrations and rallies, especiallyin the prevailing situation as the country is confronted bynational as well as international challenges.

PTI, he said, was enjoying power in KhyberPakhtunkhawa and the other party’s (PAT) head was mak-ing the public fool while sitting abroad. He said all thiswas being staged on the whims of their foreign masters.

“All matters, whatsoever they be, must be taken up inthe Parliament and resolved in a democratic manner,” hemaintained.

He questioned that why PTI Chairman Imran Khanwaited for an year, adding now rigging allegations werebeing leveled. “What is the logic behind this move?, it isbeyond my understanding.”—APP

Religious,welfare groupssupport security

forcesHYDERABAD—Different re-ligious and social welfareorganizations Friday dem-onstrated in front ofHyderabad Press Club topay tribute to securityforces for the defence of thehomeland.

The activists of SunniItehad Council, Anjuman-e-Naujawanan-e-Islam andother organisations paidrich tributes to securityforces and stronglycriticised the policy of amedia group which pub-lished and telecast the newsagainst the sensitive insti-tutions of the country.

On the occasion, thespeakers Pir Syed HashmatAli Qadri, MoulanaMuhammad Ali Qadri, PirSufi Riaz Qadri, HafizMuhammad Yaseen andothers pledged solidaritywith the armed forces of thecountry. The activists ofHuman Rights Commissionof Pakistan (HRCP) andmembers of the civil societyand other organisationshave strongly criticised theassassination of humanrights activist ArshadRehman Advocate inMultan on Thursday last.

Rallies were taken outhere on Fridy by HumanRights activists HRCP andmembers of the civil soci-ety and other organisationsfrom different parts whichlater terminated in front ofHyderabad Press Clubwhere the speakersstrongly criticised the as-sassination and demandedarrest of the killers ofArshad Rehman.—APP

Rs29 billionoutstandingagainst govtdepartments

HYDERABAD—HyderabadElectric Supply Companyon Friday issued the de-tails of 16858 electricityconnections of the Federaland Sindh Provincial Gov-ernments Departmentswhich have outstandingdues of over Rs. 28.0877billions.

According to HESCOspokesman, the HESCO hasRs. 1.496 billion outstandingagainst 2025 electricity con-nections of the federal de-partments and Rs. 26.593166billion outstanding against14833 connections of pro-vincial government depart-ments.

58 special teams ofHESCO are engaged in re-covering the outstandingdues and disconnecting theelectricity connections overnon-payment in 14 districtsof its region.

A group of angry per-sons tortured the employeesof Hyderabad Electric Sup-ply Company by attackingat the offices of HESCO Op-eration Sub-DivisionsHirabad and Qasimabadhere.

According to HESCOspokesman, a group of 15 to20 persons led by ShabbirChandio has firsted ran-sacked the office of Opera-tion Sub-Division Hirabadand beaten the office staffand later they attacked atOperation Sub-DivisionQasimabad near AlamdarChowk where the staff con-cerned also received inju-ries.—APP

Unstable weatherconditions to continue

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD)on Friday predicted ‘wet than normal weather’ for themonth of May and said that the current unstable weatherconditions would continue with intervals in different partsof the country.

According to the Director National Weather Forecast-ing Center, Dr. Muhammad Hanif, frequent rain with dust-thundershower predicted in the coming days resulting mildsummer than normal in May.

Scattered rain with dust-thundershower is expected inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjaband Kashmir in next few days.

During next week, wide-spread rain and dust-thunder-shower is expected in thecountry accompanied by isolated heavy falls in upper partsof Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Malakand and HazaraDivisions and Kashmir.

Isolated heavy falls in the said areas may trigger someflash flood events and landslides in the vulnerable areas.

The farmers are advised to take precautionary mea-sures, particularly for harvesting and threshing of wheatcrop and sowing of cotton crop during next 2-3 weeks. Dueto low temperatures in northern areas, the insufficient snow-melt is predicted during the current month.—APP

Bleaker dialoguechance, even then talk

AT least nine soldiers of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) werekilled and over a dozen others sustained injuries in a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) attack on their vehicles at Ghulam

Khan area of North Waziristan Agency on Thursday. The soldiers weredoing some internal movements in the area when they came under attack.A security personnel was also killed when a checkpost in South WaziristanAgency during another attack by terrorists the same day.

As has been clearly stated by the Pakistan Army to respond firmly toall acts of violence, the forces launched a search operation and targetedhide outs of militants in the area but casualties were not known. Heat ofthe tragic incident was also reflected in the meeting of Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif and Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, who once againvowed that terrorism and extremism would be condemned in all theirmanifestations in the course of quest for peace. Otherwise too, such inci-dents are bound to leave impact on the thinking of Islamabad andRawalpindi and it would become even more difficult to tread the path ofreconciliation and peace. It is also understood that those who were againstdialogue with Taliban and wanted use of force to eliminate terrorism wouldbe overjoyed. Such elements always wanted Pakistan to get entangled ina messy situation and it seems the situation is drifting as per their designs.It is indeed regrettable that despite calls by the Government, politicalparties and opinion-makers, Taliban, instead of responding to the good-will gestures and patience of the Government, are adamant not to returnto the negotiating table and are trying to dictate terms. Though it is notclear who is behind dastardly attacks on law enforcers but in the prevail-ing environment of distrust and misunderstanding, these are likely todampen the spirit for peaceful resolution of the problem. The state has thepower and strength to deal with trouble-makers with iron hands and ulti-mately it would succeed but despite all that we would urge all stakehold-ers to exercise restraint and go for peace through dialogue.

Nisar’s dos and don’tsAS merely 24 hours are left to the planned rally of PTI and PAT to be

held in the business hub of the capital, the Blue Area, panic and fearis gripping residents of Islamabad because of their bitter memories ofpast in similar circumstances. The apprehensions that normal life includ-ing economic activities could remain paralysed, have rendered peopleweary and disgusted.

In this backdrop, Minister for Interior Ch. Nisar Ali Khan has dem-onstrated remarkable maturity by avoiding the course of confrontationand allowing the PTI to hold rally. However, he has full endorsementof the ordinary people in setting conditions that could help make theevent a peaceful exercise. Previously, PAT leader Allama Tahirul Qadrigrossly misused the permission to hold such a protest demonstration bychallenging the system through crude tactics that were disapproved bymajority of people. Some of his actions even sent the message that hewas dictating his terms to the Government, threatening to occupy Par-liament House and other institutions. PTI certainly has the democraticright to stage rally but this must be within the parameters announced bythe Interior Minister including ban on carrying arms and sticks, takinglactating children to the venue, use of containers and attempts to crossover to the Red Zone. Imran Khan and Qadri are hell bent to go forprotest mode but they must understand that people have no patience fordisturbance of life. Prolonged sit-in could harm business activities inthe twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi besides disruption of rou-tine activities including unimaginable losses to the students who areundergoing annual examinations these days. It is, therefore, duty andresponsibility of leadership of the two parties/entities to ensure that theirprotest remains peaceful. This is imperative as any saboteur can ruinthe environment by planting a bomb or firing a single shot that couldlead to blame game and trigger uncontrollable violence. It would bemore appropriate for the two to show their strength on May 11 anddisperse peacefully the same day without testing nerves of their ownworkers, people of Pakistan and of course, the Government.

Food insecurity inmost fertile land!

UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Kyung-whaKang, concluding her mission to Pakistan on Thursday, warned that

food insecurity remains a major concern in Pakistan where more thanhalf of the population does not have enough to eat. She noted that nearlyhalf of all children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition.

One wishes what the UN official said was untrue but the ground re-alities support her contention and findings. According to National Nutri-tion Survey, findings of which were made public in November last year,around 60 per cent of Pakistan’s total population is facing food insecurity,and in these households, almost 50 per cent women and children weremalnourished. It showed that stunting (short height for age), wasting(low weight for height) and micronutrient deficiencies were widespreadin the country. This is shameful for a country that boasts to be an agrar-ian economy and which is bestowed with plenty of irrigation water andfertile land and has a good network of canals. Rapidly growing popula-tion is no doubt a big challenge but despite that the country has thepotential to grow more not only to meet its own requirements but alsosurplus for exports. But our dismal performance in agriculture is reflec-tive of the lip-service by successive Governments that have miserablyfailed to evolve a long term vision for the sector. It is ironical that pricesof wheat are jacked up significantly almost every year denying accessto the people to the staple food. Undue price increase is one of the mainreasons of malnutrition in the country as marginalized sections of thesociety are unable to procure food. It is also intriguing to note that whileprices of wheat and flour are beyond the reach of the common man,farmers are still complaining and the profit margin is pocketed by middle-man, smuggler and miller. Apart from adopting technologies to increasefood, vegetable and fruit production, there is a need to take administra-tive measures to check inflation and smuggling.

Changes in Afghanistan & implications

Counter-terrorism:Britain’s

legitimacy gap

NO one can seriously disputethe terrorist threat in themodern world, including in

Britain. But the question facing lib-eral democracies such as Britain ishow best to deal with it. That hasalways been the big political ques-tion posed by terrorism, whetherfrom Northern Ireland in the pastor from Islamist jihadis today. It isnot one that Britain has always an-swered particularly well or consis-tently, let alone perfectly. It hasbeen given fresh topicality by ran-dom events in the past week, in-cluding the arrest of Gerry Adams,the Boko Haram kidnappings inNigeria, the anti-Assad rebel fight-ers’ retreat from Homs and, closerto home, by Theresa May’s latestplans to deprive some terror sus-pects of UK citizenship and byMetropolitan police plans to fit of-ficers with cameras when using stopand search powers.

It is also the overarching con-text of the home affairs selectcommittee’s important new reporton counter-terrorism today. Thecommittee is clear about the com-plexity and changing nature of thethreat. They accept, perhaps a littletoo easily, that there were as manyas 8,500 terror attacks of variouskinds in 85 countries during 2013,which caused 15,500 fatalitiesworldwide. They note a shift heretowards what are sometimes called“lower-signature” or “self-starter”terror acts, and they observe thatthese have a greater than usual ten-dency to succeed, as the murder ofLee Rigby illustrated. The commit-tee then asks whether the UK hasthe right mix of capabilities to beeffective in the counter-terror efforthere and abroad. Effectiveness is inmany ways the key word in this vi-tal debate. Counter-terrorism canbe sometimes forcefully effectivein stopping an attack or in elimi-nating an enemy. But counter-ter-rorism in a liberal democracy mustalso be politically effective by win-ning ongoing legitimacy for itsforceful actions. Modern Britainhas repeatedly faced failures andcontroversies on this front, on is-sues like rendition, alleged torture,and control orders, as well as tragicerrors like the De Menezes shoot-ing, to which must now be addedthe data-trawling allegations gen-erated by Edward Snowden. It isabsolutely clear that modern Brit-ain has a long way to go to provideits counter-terror effort with thedemocratic standing and legitimacythat it too often lacks.

The report is in many respectsan indictment of this country’s fail-ure to take this need for legal anddemocratic legitimacy seriouslyenough. It calls for a thorough over-haul and tightening of the Regula-tion of Investigatory Powers Act,and it is scathing about the lack oftransparency and accountability inthe investigatory powers tribunalprocess, whose 2012 annual reportconsisted merely of a two-para-graph news story on its website. Thecommittee want to see what theycall the “cautious liberalisation”achieved in some anti-terror laws(like the somewhat tighter systemof “TPIMs” that replaced control or-ders in 2012) applied much morevigorously. They argue, controver-sially and perhaps prematurely atthis stage, that responsibility forcounter-terrorism should be movedfrom the police to the national crimeagency – a very big call. But thereport reserves its strongest wordsfor the system of oversight of thesecurity and intelligence agencieswho work in the front line of thecounter-terrorist effort. That sys-tem, it concludes, is out of date, in-adequate and not up to the job. Itsculpable inadequacy, post-Snowdenand in the light of the response inthe United States, weakens the cred-ibility of the agencies and parlia-ment alike. It is time, says the re-port, for Britain to move beyond thesteam-age oversight system whichasks good people to do an impos-sible job and to bring oversight intothe digital and democratic age. Thefact that this report is a vindicationof this newspaper’s campaigning onthese issues is welcome. But it isless important than the fact that thereport is a wake-up call to parlia-ment and government. Here, yetagain, counter-terror effectivenessmust be judged not just by thestate’s ability to act but by the needto overcome the state’s legitimacydeficit too. — The Guardian

MEDIA WATCH

TWO very important developments, would have takenplace in Afghanistan, before

the year 2014 ends. A major bulk ofUS and NATO troops would havewithdrawn from Afghanistan; andAfghanistan, would have had a newPresident. Most likely, new presidentwould be Dr. Abdullah, Abdullahfielded by Jamat-i-Islami and a partof the non-Pashtoon northern alli-ance. Dr. Abdullah’s father was saidto be a Pashhtoon; but Dr. Abdullah,once a close aid of the legendry com-mander Ahmed Shah Masood, issquarely put in the camp of the Tajikdominated northern alliance.

These two developments arebound to have some serious reper-cussions for Pakistan. Analyzing thefirst development of the withdrawalof the bulk of the US and NATOforces from Afghanistan by the endof the year; two kinds of opinionsexist in Pakistan. The first opinionwhich in generally held by our reli-gious parties including right wingPTI; believes, that once the infideland occupying forces from Afghani-stan are gone, it will have a sober-ing effect on Taliban on both sidesof the border. This opinion seemsrather simplistic, and based on wish-ful thinking, rather than vigorousand objective analysis.

The second opinion, which is es-poused by the left leaning and lib-eral parties and intellectuals; postu-lates, that with the withdrawal of USand NATO troops from Afghanistan,the militants will get a psychologi-cal boost, and militancy will get a

fillip. This opinion is morethought out, and based onground realities, correctlypointing to the morale boost-ing of the Afghani Taliban.Believing in themselves, ofhaving forced a super power

to retreat, they would quickly like togo about defeating the Afghan na-tional army ANA, and capturingwhole of Afghanistan again.

The Taliban on the Pakistani sideof border will also get a great psycho-logical and moral boost. In the absenceof US and NATO troops, they wouldbe able to cross the Pak Afghan bor-der at will to a sanctuary, which wouldbe a safe haven for them. The hospi-tality presently being enjoyed byMullah Fazlullah in Noristan wouldbe available to Pakistani Taliban, inother provinces also. They thinking ofour army and intelligence agencies,that perhaps, they could prevent theHaqqani’s from helping PakistaniTaliban, in my opinion is quite erro-neous. The Haqqani,s may have a longhistory of collaboration with our agen-cies; but once the matter of helpingtheir brethren in faith in concerned;they will certainly not make any com-promises, and help their militant broth-ers to the hilt. The nexus between Pa-kistani Taliban and their Afghan coun-terparts has deepened considerably;sink Mullah Fazllullah was made theAmir of T.T.P. with the open blessingof Mullah Omar.

Afghan Taliban, are certainly, go-ing to ratchet up their military attacksin Afghanistan, after the withdrawalof US and NATO forces. This increasein militancy by Afghan Taliban, mayalso see a corresponding increase inmilitant activities by their counterparton Pakistan side of the border also; thefarce of talks notwithstanding. In ab-sence of US troops Afghan Talibanmay make some quick gains in the

rural areas. As far as the main citiesare concerned, the story may be en-tirely different. With the remnants ofUS and NATO troops in Afghanistan,and the availability of modern warfaretechnology like the drones and B- 52bombers.

The second important develop-ment having important implicationsfor Pakistan would be the electionof the new Afghan President. In thefirst round Dr. Abdullah Abdullahof Northern Alliance took a com-manding lead of 44% to his closestrival Dr. Ashraf Ghani 32%. Accord-ing to Afghan constitution, a run-offelection is required in case a candi-date gets less than 50% votes in thefirst round. According to most esti-mates Dr. Abdullah is predicted towin the second round.

Unlike Karzai, both Adbullah andGhani, have vowed to sign the bilat-eral security agreement (BSA) withthe US. This agreement effectivelyshields the remnants of US forces fromlegal prosecution, while performingtheir duties. Dr. Ghani being aPushtoon would be more pre-disposedtowards holding a dialogue with theTaliban. Dr. Abdullah being part of theNorthern alliance has a history of badblood with the Taliban. It would thusnot be very easily for successful talksto be held between Dr. Abdullah’sgovernment and the Taliban.

Although Pakistan says openly,that it would like to have good work-ing relations with any government thatis elected in Afghanistan. It would re-quire some effort to overcome themutual mistrust between Pakistan, andAfghanistan, ruled by a governmentof Northern alliance. Dr. Abdulla’sascendency to power would be propi-tious, in case Pakistan decides to takeall out action against the PakistaniTaliban. Dr. Abdullah, in spite of mu-tual suspicious, can prove to be a more

Judiciary, Armed Forces not debatable

AFTER addressing theIslamabad Bar the otherday, former chief justice of

Pakistan Iftikhar MuhammadChaudhry speaking to media saidthat “both the judiciary and armedforces were not debatable topics”.In other words, these two topics arenot open to discussion and argu-ment. Article 63 (1) g of Constitu-tion of Pakistan censures evenelected representatives, who defameor bring into ridicule the judiciaryor the Armed Forces of Pakistan.The fact remains that there has beena lot of military-bashing in the me-dia on the basis of Martial Laws inthe past, notwithstanding that beforeFebruary 2008 elections militaryleadership had vowed to go by thebook. Unfortunately, the pillars ofthe state were involved in turf wars,vying to acquire the powers beyondwhat is enshrined in the Constitu-tion. Confrontation between theExecutive and the Judiciary wasobvious over interpretation of Ar-ticle 248 of the Constitution, whichgranted immunity to the President.However, such things happen dur-ing transitional period, and all insti-tutions will ultimately learn to livewithin the ambit of the Constitution.

Pakistan’s armed forces deserveaccolades for giving supreme sacri-fices during wars and also whilefighting the militants and insurgents.More than 5500 officers and soldiershave sacrificed their lives in the line

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Sunday Magazine

Sadia Zahid MalikEditor

Ph: 2852027-8, Ext: 116Email: magazinesocialdiary@hotmail.com

A truly great mannever puts awaythe simplicity ofa child.

of duty while fighting thespectre of terrorism.Army helps people, whenthey face natural calami-ties like floods and earth-quakes, which is whypeople of Pakistan holdtheir armed forces in veryhigh esteem, and theywould not tolerate the at-

tempts to disgrace the institution.Anyhow, the successful relationshipbetween the institutions hinges on themutual trust and respect for eachother; however frequent interventionby military and imposition of threeMartial Laws had created distrustbetween the political leadership andmilitary leadership. But elected lead-ers also made blunders in the past;sometimes they tried to amend theconstitution negating the very spiritof the constitution. Some of themtried to ridicule the military, whichwas a tantamount to violating of theConstitution.

There was friction between mili-tary and Executive when militaryleadership had taken exception to in-sulting remarks in Kerry-Lugar bill,and also reacted when efforts weremade to denigrate military in theMemo written by Mansur Ijaz on thebehest of Hussain Haqqani. Had theelected leadership instead of protect-ing Hussain Haqqani condemned theinsults heaped on our institutions,military would not have reacted. Withrecent Geo’s tirade against the ISI andcommentriat denigrating military, ef-forts were made to draw a wedgebetween the people and the ArmedForces. Anyhow, judiciary and mili-tary should respect each other’s in-stitution, otherwise detractors of Pa-kistan and irresponsible media menwill let loose barrage of accusationsagainst these institutions in one wayor another. After retirement of

Chaudhry Iftikhar Muhammad, thereis let up in suo motu cases; and judgesdo not give frequent remarks duringthe proceedings of the cases, whichwill enhance prestige of the judiciary.

Pakistan’s independent judiciaryhas worked wonders in the past fewyears as from parliament to bureau-cracy has been held accountable.From Swiss case to fake degrees, dualnationality and from Asghar Khancase to delimitation of constitutionsin Karachi, Pakistan’s apex court hasplayed its vital role of not only act-ing as ombudsman but has also de-clared various government and bu-reaucratic decisions null and void inthe larger interests of the commonpeople. The court has kept check onthose who are in the corridors ofpower and misused power for con-solidating their authority without carefor public welfare. But there are somejurists who disagree with the judicialactivism. Justice retired TariqMehmood, one of the stalwarts of law-yers’ movement for the restoration ofjudiciary had once said that court’sindulgence in political issues has givenset- back to provision of justice to com-mon men. There was also a percep-tion that judiciary tried to assume moreauthority and powers that were pro-vided in the Constitution.

According to an English daily,then Chief Justice of Pakistan in hisconcluding remarks in missing per-sons’ case had once said that “thedeath squads of ISI and MI agenciesshould be abolished”, which wereconstrued as CJ’s agreement with thestance taken by Sardar AkhtarMengal. It should be borne in mindthat it is the responsibility of our agen-cies to apprehend the operators ofalien agencies as well as their agentsand proxies. If Pakistan’s premieragency is subjected to scathing criti-cism on the pretext of intelligence

reliable allay against the Taliban onthe other side of the border, thanmany of his counterparts.

It is, however, quite evident byknow that Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N,would continue with its Taliban ap-peasement policy, baring some verydrastic developments. These devel-opments could be militant strikes onkey military institutions, or repeatedbombings in the major cities ofPunjab. Even in today’s papers,Nawaz said ‘some opponents un-happy with Taliban ceasefire were’“neither our, nor TTP friends”.

In face of such objective condi-tions, the Taliban problem does notseem amenable to a quick solution.There is clearly a lack of political willon part of our political leadership, todeal with this existential threat. Thiswound of religious militancy it seemswould fester, till history throws upsome kind of a resolution; or we getpolitical leaders, who have the spine,to seek the problem out.

In the mean while all theneighbouring countries of Afghani-stan, should maintain positive andfriendly relations with any govern-ment that gets elected in Afghani-stan. The intelligence agencies of theneighbouring countries, should alsodesist from interfering in the inter-nal affairs of Afghanistan. Pakistanand India should specifically not beoverly paranoid about each other’sinfluence in the neighbouring coun-try. Neighbouring countries shouldstop their machinations of trying toinfluence internal affairs of Af-ghanistan. Afghanistan’s govern-ment should also not pickfavourites and keep cordial rela-tions based on mutual respect andnon-interference with all theirneighbours.—The writer is author, citizenjournalist and entrepreneur. —Chinese proverb

failure like attack on Abbottabadcompound or is accused of violat-ing the law in case of missing per-sons, only militants, insurgents andenemies of Pakistan would be happy.It should be borne in mind that ulti-mately it is the armed forces thathave to secure the borders and alsodeal with the internal enemies withiron hand. Samuel P Huntington inhis book titled ‘The soldier and thestate: the theory and politics of civil-military’ wrote: “A state can achievelittle by diplomacy unless it has thestrength and the will to back up itsdemands with force”.

It has to be mentioned that somepoliticians, Generals and judgeshave made mistakes in the past.Judges had given legitimacy to themilitary dictators more than thrice;of course every time the governmenthad failed to deliver to the masses.Moreover, political parties formedalliances to get rid of the electedgovernment. Our country has seenstrong chief justices but judicial sys-tem is still weak as we see griev-ances are very quickly addressed ifan issue is reported in media andfiled in apex court; but at lowercourts one has to wait for scores ofyears due to inordinate adjourn-ments, and victim has to bear theexpenses like that of accused. Leg-islature and judiciary need to workin tandem to provide justice to eachand every individual, which shouldbe quick, inexpensive and easilyaccessible. But unfortunately, ourcourts are always short of judgeseven at higher courts, and conditionin lower judiciary is much worse.Having all said, all institutionsshould work as per dictates of theConstitution, and should not trespassinto other institution’s domain.—The writer is Lahore-basedsenior journalist.

Mohammad JamilEmail: mjamil1938@hotmail.com

News & ViewsNews & ViewsNews & ViewsNews & ViewsNews & Views

Akbar Jan MarwatEmail:marwat.akbarjan@gmail.com

Voice of the PeopleYouTube being

unshackledCOL RIAZ JAFRI (RETD)

The National Assembly of Pakistanhas adopted a resolution to lift theban on the YouTube. More thananyone else, it must have overjoyedthe winners of the recently held bid-ding for the award of 3G and 4G inthe telecommunication sector. Thebidders had bid far less for the awardon the pretext that they would notbe able to muster the clientele in therequired numbers due to the ban onthe YouTube, which was in fact thebiggest revenue fetcher.

What an amazing harvest ofgood luck for them that the banwhich the general public was crav-ing for to be lifted for more than ayear had to be lifted soon after theauction of 3G and 4G technologies.By the way, was it just a coinciden-tal good luck or a very well plannedand perfectly manoeuvred timingsof lifting the ban?!—Rawalpindi

A plea toCM Punjab

SHAHZAD HUSSAIN BHATTI

Public Health Nursing SchoolAttock is deprived of basic facili-ties and has become fortress of wor-ries, corruption and troubles for thenursing students due to the non-ap-pointment of Principal since long.The corrupt mafia is the main ob-stacle in appointment of a lady Prin-cipal. The Medical Superintendent(MS) of District Headquarter Hos-pital (DHQ) Attock, has been givenadditional charge of the above men-tioned nursing school. He, being theMS of the hospital can not deliverhis duty as Principal of the school.It is imperative to appoint a ladyPrincipal on permanent basis, sothat the students feel comfortable toapproach Principal for the solutionof their problems and worries.

Apparently, school administra-tion seems to be failing in coupingup with problems and difficultiesexisting inside the school. The stu-dents who took admission in LadyHealth Visitor Course (LHV) dur-ing session of 2013-2015 in thisschool are mourning their fate as towhy they got admission in this head-less institute. The life of the studentshas become miserable because ofunavailability of light, fan, poorcleanliness and undesirable hygienicenvironment. Insecticide spray inschool and hostel has never been car-ried out and it may cause outbreakof “Dengue” fever.

Students are strictly banned tokeep mobile set with them due towhich they can’t contact with theirparents. The students are compelledto have a contact with their parentsonly through a clerk’s mobile. Mor-ally and legally, it is undesirable andunacceptable for gentle students torequest for communication from hispersonnel mobile set with their par-ents. He allows only selected stu-dents and refuses to others, whichcreate negative impact among stu-dents. The students demand that aPTCL line may be installed on gateor visiting room for the welfare ofthe students under the supervisionof female staffer. Earlier, at arrivalon 28 December 2014 for admissionin hostel, they were astonished to seethat there were no mattress, pillows,bulbs and door locks available inschool hostel. The students wereasked to purchase all these necessi-ties by themselves.. Although healthdepartment allocates sufficientfunds to all schools and other unitsfor purchasing of furniture, basic fa-cilities and repairs but corrupt mafiain school devours all these funds; inresult female student suffer.

There is no water filter installedin school due to which students aresuffering from skin and stomach dis-eases after drinking dirty water andmostly have left for home. The ChiefMinister Punjab, is requested to takeserious notice of the appalling con-ditions prevailing in the school andorder to provide basic facilities tothe students who will serve sick pa-tients more humbly in future. Par-ents of the affected female studentsalso appeal to Chief Minister Punjaband Secretary Health Punjab to lookinto the matter personally and ap-point female Principal so that shecan get their problem solved sym-pathetically through local adminis-tration.—Islamabad

Marine resourcesof our country

HASHIM ABRO

Sindh and Balochistan are endowedwith some of the best quality Sea-food stocks in the world and if theexploitation of these marine re-sources is properly managed, it cannot only improve the protein con-tent in our diet but will also provide

Polio in PakistanSRH HASHMI

I think instead of expressing grave concern over the imposition oftravel restrictions on Pakistan by World Health Organization,

requiring intending Pakistani travellers abroad to produce Poliovaccination certificates, Asif Zardari should have directed his con-cern and anger, towards our own institutions, which have demon-strated complete lack of seriousness in dealing effectively with thePolio menace, earning the country the dubious distinction of beingnamed the Polio Capital of the World. A religious scholar recentlymentioned in a television talk-show that the government team shouldhave raised the Polio issue in negotiations with the Taliban team,but did not. If not for the rest of the world then at least for our ownsake, we should deal with the issue on a war footing, more so whenfunds for the campaign are all provided by foreign donors. It is badenough that we are accused of exporting terrorism. It would be agreat shame if we also develop a reputation as exporters of Polio.—Karachi

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THE articles, columns andletters are published on thesepages in good faith. However,the contents of these writingsmay not necessarily match theviews of the newspaper.

—Editor

Guest air-conditioners..!

JUST about a decade or so ago,an AC in a home was a luxuryitem. Today with all the adver-

tising and easy use of the creditcard the air-conditioner has be-come as part of the home as thedining table or geyser in the bath-room. But that window AC, splitAC or ‘in the middle of the room’AC could be quite deceptive! Soin case you think you visit a homeand shown your bedroom with an

air-conditioner that cool nights awaityou; think again! There is an eti-quette attached to that purr in yourroom that has to be strictly followed.

If you see the aircon in your roomand your host doesn’t talk about it, itstrictly means you don’t put it on:Either it isn’t working or you are notthe kind of guest for whom this mostsacred of objects is meant for. Youcan stare at it as you sweat throughthe night but do not touch that switch.Again you could be a notch higher inyour host’s eyes if he turns to you ashe shows you your room and says,“Hey you can switch on the AC ifyou want!” Oh no, oh no if you knowwhat is good for you and you haveno other place to stay in that city then

don’t touch that switch or you’ll beoff his guest list.

But if your host switches on theAC when he shows you into yourroom than there are cool nightsahead. But remember switching it onmeans he expects you to switch itoff. Which means even if you go outof the room for breakfast you put itoff man or throughout breakfastyou’ll find your host cocking his earsand listening to the terrible tell taleevidence, loud and awfully clearemanating from your room, till inguilt you go back to your room afteryour meal put it off and sweat therest of your visit.

But if you were to visit a homeand shown a bedroom with the aircon

running shout with joy because itmeans you are a valued guest andmeant to enjoy your stay even if itsgoing to cost your host a bomb!

It’s tough getting upgraded;going from situation a to d but it’sbeen heard to happen; it all de-pends not on how close you arebut what level of cooling you gaveyour host when he visited you.No, don’t try carrying a pictureof your home with ACs stickingout from every window. Doesn’twork. He might show you all hisrooms with those appendagesleaning seductively towards youbut teasing you with their silencethrough a long sweaty night..!—Email:bobsbanter@gmail.com

Nawaz keeps faith in talks

DESPITE the frequent hic-upsencountered in the progressof dialogue with the TTP and

the frustration expressed by the inte-rior minister over the present stale-mate, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifstill keeps his faith in resolution ofthe conflict through dialogue. In aninterview with BBC he stressed thatthe strategy of talks could bring peacein the country without further bloodshed and that he was still hopefulabout the success of the dialogue, inspite of ending of the ceasefire by theTTP. At the same time he reiteratedthat the militants would have to re-spect the constitution and lay downtheir arms, as a pre-condition fornudging the process of parleys be-tween the two sides.

The COAS General RaheelSharif , more or less, said the samething while speaking to a gatheringof the families of the martyrs, mili-tary officers , diplomats and peoplefrom different walks of life, onYaume Shuhada. He said “ PakistanArmy supports all efforts to eliminateterrorism and restore peace in the

country and it is our earnestdesire that all elements fight-ing against the state shouldunconditionally submit to thecountry’s constitution and lawand come back to the nationalmainstream, otherwise the

military with the support of the peoplewill take them to task” He also vowedto strengthen democracy and uphold-ing the supremacy of the constitution.

For any anodyne observer, the in-ference that can safely be drawn fromthe statements of the Prime Ministerand the COAS is that contrary to thereported differences between the ci-vilian and military leadership on dia-logue with the TTP and dealing withthe phenomenon of terrorism, therewas complete unanimity of views onthe issue. The commitment tostrengthen democracy and upholdingthe constitution by the COAS wasalso very reassuring in the backdropof the media reports about rising ten-sions between the government and theArmy top brass. Another worth not-ing point is that the civilian and mili-tary leaders are determined to elimi-nate the scourge of terrorism and es-tablishing the writ of the state. Therecould be a difference of opinion onthe modalities to achieve the objec-tives but both have an unswerving andagreed commitment on the substan-tive issues, which is indeed a good

augury in regards to meeting the chal-lenges confronting the country. Yetanother significant indication fromthe statement of the COAS is that themilitary leadership seems to have re-alized the importance of democracyin achieving the cherished nationalgoals and its readiness to work underthe guidance of the elected govern-ment within the parameters of theconstitution.

Coming back to dialogue with theTTP, the stance taken by the PrimeMinister to give top priority to dia-logue to resolve the issue of terror-ism, reflects a realistic and pragmaticapproach to deal with menace and isin line with the historic conclusionsdrawn at global level in dealing withthe culture of terrorism. It is a provenfact that that the countries whichhave given first priority to the useof military force in combating ter-rorism, have invariably ended up byaggravating the problem and pro-longing its resolution. The approachalso makes sense when the state isdealing with its own citizens whohave taken up arms or challenged thewrit of the state.

In our situation, the critics of theapproach must realize that by offer-ing dialogue to the TTP the govern-ment has not abdicated its option touse force, in case the dialogue pro-cess fails to restore peace. The APC

resolution authorizing the govern-ment to hold negotiations with TTPalso did not preclude the possibilityof the use of military force as a lastresort. Another perspective to theconflict resolution by the PML(N)government is that it is not workingonly on two options i.e dialogue anduse of military force to tackle thesituation. It has for the first time de-vised a National Internal SecurityPolicy (NISP) which purports to pro-vide a comprehensive strategy, in-cluding development of infrastruc-ture for changing the economicprofile of backward areas fromwhere TTP recruits its manpower,reforming the religious institutionsand mounting an ideological chal-lenge to the dogma propagated bythe terrorist with the help of thereligious leaders and the media,raising a Rapid Response Forceand a number of other supportingmeasures to deal with any eventu-ality. All the stakeholders and thecivil society must lend an unquali-fied support to the efforts beingmade to deal with terrorism andrestoring peace in the country, withan unfaltering confidence in theability of the armed forces and thegovernment in establishing thewrit of the state at all costs.— The writer is Islamabad-basedfreelance columnist.

Views From Abroad

much needed additional sources ofexport revenue.

While visiting costal areas ofPakistan, I have noticed that the gov-ernments, both, Federal and Provin-cial are not working with develop-ment partners on modern lines to fa-cilitate the marketing of our fish andother seafood products in the com-plex global market. The mafias rulethe roost and the plight of the fisherfolk and other concerned is indeed,pitiable. It is advisable to introducemodern methods of surveillance ofour coastal waters to minimize poach-ing and discourage all illegal com-mercial fishing activities within theExclusive Protection Zone (EPZ).Moreover, pragmatic steps may alsobe taken to improve the lot of fisherfolks, instead of subsidizing themafias along the costal areas.—Islamabad

Solar parksSANIA KANWAL

Solar Park is easier and cheaper inthe long run as compared to estab-lishing a coal-fired power generatingsystem. It wouldn’t need any im-ported coal for its operation; its re-quirement being sunshine only. Asolar park is of modular construction,which means installing ready-madesolar panels on a vast piece of land.This land would be 14,000 acres inthe case of a 1,000MW solar park.Once, the infrastructure like roads,preparation of land, construction of aboundary wall with barbed wire, in-stallation of a security system, avail-ability of water for automatic wash-ing of the solar panels, etc., would beavailable, installation of solar panelswould be started.

The more manpower we use, theearlier this park would be completed.Work on all the three solar parkscould be started simultaneously. Allof the three parks could be estab-lished in a year. The equipmentshould be imported from China. Therequirements of solar panels wouldbe in the millions whereas the samefor the solar cell would be 100 to200 times more than the number ofsolar panels, as 100-200 solar cellsare pasted on one panel. For manu-facturing solar cells, the raw mate-rials quartz and silica(sand) is avail-able locally in our Gilgit-Baltistanand the River Sindh, respectively.China can airlift and transport itsfactories for the manufacture boththe solar panels and cells.

Pakistan should select manpowerto work in these factories and also forthe installation of solar panels in thesolar parks through a transparent se-lection process. There shouldn’t beany compromise, whatsoever, in theselection of manpower. It would bebetter if a major portion of this man-power is selected from the retiredpersonnel who’ve worked in civil aswell as defence-oriented factories.This manpower would hardly requirea month’s training by the Chinese.—Via email

Coverageof terrorists

SANIA KANWAL

I was surprised to see the amount ofcoverage given to religious extrem-ists in the name of peace talks, whichstill continues. My concern is that thepeople of Pakistan are emotionalwhen it comes to religion. And thesemilitants know this fact well and areusing it at a tool. The same wayFazullah used radio as a tool andplayed with the emotions of innocentpeople, now the TTP is getting non-stop coverage over the issue.

Unfortunately our media is notfulfilling its responsibility towardsthe country by giving unnecessarycoverage to the extremists. What elsecould they desire when they havebeen given an essay access to a com-mon man and can be seen for hours?If things will go that way, they willbe successful achieving what theywant, and would succeed to confuseour nation. It seems the Taliban won’tlose any chance of appearing on TVas in one way or the other they are inthe news and now they have an-nounced ceasefire for one month. Irequest the media to show some re-sponsibility towards our country, andstop showing such programmes,

Syria’s jigsaw as complicated as ever

AHMED Jarba, president of theSyrian opposition coalition(SOC), is in Washington this

week, flattered by the official “for-eign mission” status accorded to hisoffice- even if Barack Obama’s ad-ministration has been playing downits significance. Next week theFriends of Syria group - or its core of11 western and Arab countries - willmeet in London to ponder next stepsin the crisis. It will be their first high-level meeting since the Geneva talkspetered out in February. No-one isholding their breath.

It makes sense to have low ex-pectations. Syrian government forceshave now all but retaken Homs,cradle of the 2011 revolution. Planshave even been announced to revivetourism in the area. In less than amonth Bashar al-Assad will stand fora third term as president, re-electionguaranteed - despite western criticismof a “grotesque parody of democ-racy.” Meanwhile barrel bombs raindown on civilian areas with terribleconsequences. Suspicions are grow-ing that the jihadi Islamic State in Iraqand Syria (Isis) is in effect fighting

with Assad’s forces. Yet as so oftenin the Syrian war, the pieces of thejigsaw do not fit together easily.Thursday’s bombing of an Aleppohotel used by the army by the IslamicFront shows that the battle for the cityis not over. Other reports from theground show key rebel forces gettingtheir act together. The publicised de-livery of US-made TOW anti-tankmissiles to one carefully-vettedSaudi-backed brigade has raised theprospect of more significant militaryaid to anti-Assad forces and acounter-weight to support from Iranand Hezbollah. Saudi policy remainsopaque, but there are signs it is morecoherent - perhaps because of thedeparture of the mercurial PrinceBandar as intelligence chief. Jarbahas talked of building a “strategicrelationship” with Washington, em-phasizing the moderation of themainstream opposition and its deter-mination to fight the extremists ofIsis and Jabhat al-Nusra.

Fresh from his meetings withJarba, Kerry flies to London to joinWilliam Hague and other ministersto discuss “how best to significantlystep-up support to the Syrian opposi-tion, make urgent progress on im-proving the deteriorating humanitar-ian crisis and reinvigorate a political

process that has stalled due to regimeintransigence.” (Weapons deliveriesare unlikely to be mentioned pub-licly). It’s an ambitious agenda.

The most likely target for a newdiplomatic push is implementation ofan existing UN resolution authoriz-ing the urgent delivery of cross-bor-der aid- perhaps with the added threatof sanctions if it is not allowed. TheUS, Britain and France are said to beworking hard to make this as ame-nable as possible to Russia - butUkraine overshadows any attempt toget Moscow to cooperate over Syria.Intriguingly Assad spoke this weekof facilitating aid deliveries (thoughwithout “compromising national sov-ereignty) - perhaps to counter inter-national condemnation of his “surren-der or starve” policy. In any event,this looks like the one area wheremovement may be possible. “Wewant emphasise what we can dorather than what we’ve not been ableto do,” said one western official.

Progress has also been made byFrance in persuading the US to adoptlanguage on referring Assad to the In-ternational Criminal Court. That’simportant symbolically because oflong-standing American hostility to thecourt, though Russia (and China) re-main as opposed to this as ever. Prob-

Ian Blackably the most important thing, fromthe perspective of all oppositionforces, is reaffirmation of western-Gulf line that “Assad and his closeassociates...who have blood on theirhands will not have any role to playin the future of Syria” - just as he pre-pares to start a triumphal third term.

Lakhdar Brahimi, the Algerianmediator representing the UN andArab League, has now put off hisoft-threatened resignation until theend of June - a postponement thatwill give everyone more time to pon-der their next moves and the frac-tious SOC to choose a new presi-dent to replace Jarba.

Talk is rife of who may replaceBrahimi. UN deputy secretary-gen-eral Jan Eliasson of Sweden hasjoined Australia’s Kevin Rudd,Javier Solana of Spain, Tunisia’sKamel Morjane and British UN vet-eran Michael Williams on a much-discussed short list. Whoever doestake over will need to think very hardabout what do next — and first ofall decide whether the Geneva pro-cess or some other route to a negoti-ated political solution can be revived.Syria’s bloody crisis continues topose lots of questions. But few ofthe answers are satisfactory.— Courtesy: The Guardian

Seen unseen

INTELLIGENCE agencies areestablished to strengthen andsafeguard the boundaries of a

country against the hostile forces.The working of intelligence agen-cies has always been one of themost favourite topics for the politi-cal analysts throughout the worldbut usually the writers and analystsavoid direct commenting on theworking and organizational set upof the intelligence agencies of theirown country and whenever this dis-cussion is unavoidable, they try toportray a positive picture. Aston-ishingly, at the desire of the west-ern policy-makers and their bene-factors in India, some unseen typeof the forces in Pakistan have beentrying their best to defame and dis-repute the security forces of Paki-

stan for the last two decades.Thank God Almighty that theseunseen forces never succeededin their malicious desires but thegame is still on. Recently a verypopular and a very competentPakistani journalist Hamid Mir

was brutally attacked in Karachiand just after the cowardly killingattempt on him, the same unseenforces at once became over-activeand started trying to drag the ISIinto the matter.

The perpetrators of the HamidMir episode were never aware of thefact that this shooting episode wouldsimply turn into a referendum infavour of the Pakistan army and theISI. They were dreaming of defam-ing and slandering these institutionsof Pakistan but their dreams shat-tered the way the cookies crumble.It seems that the plan of draggingthe army and the ISI in a dirty gamewas prepared in a hurry and noproper paper-work was done beforebeginning the action. ThroughoutPakistan, all political and religious

parties, the student unions, the teach-ers, the traders, in short people fromevery walk of life, expressed theirstrong protest and severe resentmentagainst this blame game. Even dif-ferent media groups got united andjoined the people of Pakistan in thisprotest against the accused channel.We all must be thankful to that chan-nel for providing the whole nationwith an opportunity of expressingunity and solidarity.

The nation is grieved at thesorry fate of the senior journalistMr. Hamid Mir. This brave man isstill in serious condition and nodoubt needs a lot of sincere prayersfrom his people. The fact of thematter is that this brilliant journal-ist did not deserve the destiny hehad been pushed into. And morepainful is the attempt of draggingthe security institutions of Pakistaninto this dirty game. Throughout theworld the intelligence agencies aregiven some ‘poetic licenses’. Justcast a look at the working of theCIA, the MI6, the RAW,

MOSSAAD and the KHAD; allthese intelligence agencies aregiven special privileges, permis-sions and special authorities. Theofficers of these intelligence agen-cies are usually never dragged inthe courts.

Their plans and programs arenever discussed or criticized pub-licly but in Pakistan the situationseems quite different. Here, the in-telligence agencies have beenmade so public that even a man inthe street is allowed to blame andcriticize not only their actions butalso the high-ups of these agencies.As far as the role of media is con-cerned there are a few mediagroups and some so-called humanrights activists whose sole aim isto defame these agencies. The situ-ation needs a very careful law-making to safeguard the sanctity,honour, prestige and esteem of theintelligence agencies and other se-curity forces in Pakistan.—The writer is Multan-basedfreelance columnist.

Malik M AshrafEmail:ashrafazim2000@yahoo.com

Ali Sukhanver Email:alisukhanver@hotmail.com

which glorify terrorists. They shouldnot be given any coverage at all.—Via email

Unemploymentin Pakistan

SIBTAIN ALI

Unemployment means absence ofemployment. When persons are job-less they are called unemployed. It isan economic term. Many developedcountries like France and England arealso facing this problem. However,the situation in Pakistan is morealarming and is increasing day by day.There are different dimensions of thisproblem in the Pakistan context. Wecan see it in socially as well economicor political sense. Unemployment isa social evil and has far-reaching con-sequences. It gives way to hunger,starvation, poverty, frustration anddifferent social evils and may alsolead to suicides, disease and death ofits victims. They have no education,no culture, no concern for evil or goodor right or wrong.

In a country where a large num-ber of people are jobless, dishonesty,corruption, crimes, sin and vices cropup and finally destroy the whole sys-tem, as unemployed persons resort tonegative means to survive and keepthe body and soul together. They mayinvolve themselves in killing inno-cent people for the sake of their ownlife and survival of their families.Unemployment breeds discontent,revolutions and mob violence. Votesare bought and sold; merit is not ob-served; economic, social and politi-cal structures are destroyed. The out-look of our youth towards selectionof profession is not realistic. Theywant white collar jobs and high so-cial status in society. They want tobe officers holding bureaucratic posts.In order to cope with this problem ofunemployment, education should bemodernized keeping in view the re-quirements of present age.

Technical and professional edu-cation should be imparted to our boysand girls enabling them to start theirown business privately. Network ofindustries should be extended to therural areas so that the jobless personsmay be absorbed in them; populationmust be controlled and money shouldnot be allowed to concentrate in a fewhands. Agriculture products should beincreased. Continuous efforts are re-quired to get rid of this problem.—Via email

Private schoolsand poor parents

ALI RAZA

Some years before in Pakistan therewere no private schools but now wecome across a mushroom growth ofsuch schools in every street of littleor big city! It is a commercial activ-ity and an easy way of make money.Every school claims best quality ofeducation in it but the reality comesto the knowledge of the parents onlyafter their children get admission inthese money minting institutes. If theparents are not satisfied with the qual-ity of education and want to changetheir child’s school, they can’t, be-cause of different uniforms and syl-labus; this situation affects not onlythe ability of child but increases ex-penses of parents.

Government should frame an ef-ficacious law to enforce privateschools to use common syllabus anduniform, by this legislation parentsand students would be free of suchkind of punishments, and certainlythere can be different monograms forevery school for the identification ofthe students.—Karachi

AFTAB HUSSAIN

WITH the Indian electionsin full swing, the pollssuggest that the

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) maywin a majority, or at least a plu-rality, of seats and, with somesupport from like-minded parties,form the next government.

The BJP may not be in a po-sition to single-handedly form-ing a government because theimportance of local parties in In-dia has also grown over time.But the problem with a coalitiongovernment under the Indiansystem remains that the rulingparty’s ability to make clear de-cisions is often weakened.

The BJP has nominatedNarendra Modi for prime minis-ter who has a spotty image in-

BJP victory could improve Pakistani ties despite Modi’s harsh rhetoricside Pakistan. Most Pakistanishold him responsible for theGujarat riots of 2002.

In Pakistan, the political par-ties’ foreign policy priorities, in-cluding relations with India, in-fluence their electoral support theleast, while in India, ties with Pa-kistan are a major factor whichmay affect election outcomes.

The more a political party isagainst Pakistan the easier for itto get more public support in theelections. Thus to seek politicalgains Modi raises his fist and criti-cizes Pakistan.

Pakistan is observing elec-tions in India with interest sincethe results will be determiningfactor toward ties between NewDelhi and Islamabad.

Pakistani Prime Minister

Nawaz Sharif has always beensoft toward India and this timeagain he is looking forward towarming up bilateral ties. Nawazis ready to extend the hand offriendship toward India and ea-ger to improve bilateral ties.

In fact, Pakistan has learnt thefact that the present era is one ofgeo-economics and economicsalone can change the fate of thepeople. For this purpose Sharif’sfocus is improving trade ties withall neighboring countries, includ-ing India.

A comparison between theBJP and Sharif ’s Pakistan Mus-lim League-Nawaz (PML-N)would reveal that both parties arecourageous in taking decisions.The 1998 nuclear test is an ex-ample, which was followed bythen BJP prime minister Atal

Bihari Vajpayee’s visit to Lahoreand the signing of the LahoreDeclaration in 1999. Therefore, wecan hope that the BJP and thePML-N will, instead of weaken-ing ties, promote them.

India is growing, and to fulfillthe needs of its domestic marketit needs energy and trade with theoutside world. India has no roomfor expansion in the South andthe most likely route for itsgrowth passes through Pakistan.Similarly, Pakistan cannot reachother South Asian countries with-out crossing India.

It is important for leaders onboth sides of the fence to under-stand what the prevailing geo-stra-tegic situation requires from bothcountries. The long-standing en-mity has contributed to the under-development of both nations. The

potential of both India and Paki-stan cannot be realized to the fulladvantage of the people becauseof their bitter rivalry.

Hence the new Indian leader-ship needs to formulate policieskeeping in view the evolving re-gional and global developments.The environment calls for greatercooperation instead of confron-tation.

Pakistan is ready and hope-ful for the improvement of tieswith India. Not only cooperationis mutually beneficial, but for thedevelopment of South Asia as aregion, it is important that con-flicts be solved through peace-ful means. Courtesy: GT

[The author is a researcherat the Islamabad Policy Re-search Institute.aftabhussein@hotmail.com]

Does US FearAlternate Media?

DR. KEVIN BARRETT

FOR at least the past 50 years, the American peoplehave been fed a steady diet of lies.

Coups, false flags, political assassinations, mindcontrol, government corruption, Orwellian surveillance,psychopaths in power, bankster dictatorship, military-industrial complex dominance and the rise of the NewWorld Order – all of these realities have been carefullyhidden from the American people and the other citizensof the West.

But during the past decade, a significant fraction ofthe public has begun to wake up, thanks to the rise of theinternet-based alternative media. Outlets like Press TV,Veterans Today, Russia Today, WhatReallyHappened,Rense, Infowars, WhoWhatWhy, GlobalResearch,Antiwar.com and Counterpunch provide facts and per-spectives that are taboo in the corporate mainstream.

Now the US government is trying to stymie thespread of truth – by abolishing net neutrality in order toliterally “slow down” the alternative media.

Last Wednesday the Federal Communications Com-mission (FCC) announced that it would kill net neutral-ity by allowing big media to buy up internet “fast lanes”– leaving the alternative media, nonprofits, and ordi-nary users stuck on the internet equivalent of a dirtroad. In a post-net-neutrality brave new world, thepresstitutes of the lamestream media could hypnotizethe public with vast amounts of high-speed data; whileordinary internet users and the alternative media couldonly respond through slower, clunkier channels.

The net neutrality debate raises a philosophicalquestion: Should we allow big money to control massconsciousness?

In today’s USA, the mainstream media is a tool ofbig money. So are the universities, foundations, and theother “manufacturers of consent,” as Noam Chomskycalls them. These institutions lie incessantly. The world-view they peddle is a mythic delusion at best, a psy-chotic fantasy at worst.

The internet is different. There, thanks to net neu-trality, ordinary citizens and incorruptible journalists canchallenge the official version of events – and chip awayat the mind-control “matrix” that imprisons the massesin a dungeon of false consciousness.

The shadow-masters who control Plato’s cave areterrified by the viral spread of truth. The people chainedto the floor of the cave watching the play of shadowson the wall, and mistaking it for reality, are graduallywaking up. More and more of them are breaking theirchains and stepping out of the cave into the sunlight.

One of the leading shadow-masters, former ObamaAdministration information czar Cass Sunstein, wantsto “nudge” people back into the cave. In his earlierbook Nudge, Sunstein argues that the masses are irra-tional, so the rational elite – people like him – shouldgently push them, without their knowledge, in the de-sired directions.

Which directions? In his new book Conspiracy Theo-ries and Other Dangerous Ideas, Sunstein argues for“nudging” people away from “conspiracy theories” (thetruth) towards official accounts (the public myths). Heclaims that conspiracy theories, such as the claim that9/11 was an inside job, are so dangerous that some dayit may become necessary to outlaw them. Meanwhile,the government should “disable the purveyors of con-spiracy theories” through “cognitive infiltration” ofconspiracy groups, confusing and demoralizing peoplewho are searching for truth by spreading “beneficialcognitive diversity” (disinformation).

Sunstein is advocating a kinder, gentler sort of tyr-anny. Rather than executing or imprisoning you forspreading the truth about 9/11, the JFK assassination,Operation Northwoods, Operation Gladio, the Bostonbombing, the al-Ghouta gas attack, the US-NATO coupin Ukraine, or other important historical issues, he wantsto simply “disable” you with a series of “nudges” thatyou aren’t even aware of.

People like Cass Sunstein, and his even more fascistneocon friends, are behind the corporate-sponsored anti-net-neutrality lobby. The FCC proposal to abolish netneutrality would “nudge” people away from the alter-native media by allowing the corporate media to pro-vide faster service. It would enable big internet provid-ers to force even highly professional alternative mediaoutlets like Press TV onto the internet “dirt roads.” (PressTV has already been removed from satellites in Europeand North America; without net neutrality, its internetpresence might also be stifled.) In the long run, thedemise of net neutrality would turn the internet into justanother channel for the corporate mainstream.

—Courtesy: Kashmir Observer

China to build 8000-mile Beijing-US raillineBEIJING—China has outlined its plan to connect the worldby high-speed rail, including an underwater link to the USrunning 13,000 km. The ‘China to Russia plus the UnitedStates’ line proposed by the Chinese Academy of Engi-neering would start in the north east of China, travel upthrough Siberia, across the Bering Strait to Alaska and downthrough Canada before reaching the contiguous US, TheBeijing Times reports.

Other planned lines - construction of which has alreadyreportedly began in China - are a link to London via Paris,Berlin and Moscow, along with a second route to Europefollowing the silk road to reach as far as Germany via Iranand Turkey. The international legs of the lines are currentlyunder negotiation, the state ran paper said.

A fourth Pan-Asian line, connecting China withSingapore via Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia,is reportedly already under construction. Proposals for linesrunning from China to Africa are currently being drawn up,the paper added.

The most structurally ambitious of the proposals is theUS-China link, which would require around 200km of tun-nels to cross the gap between Russia and Alaska - fourtimes the length of the Channel Tunnel.—TI

MOSCOW—Russia showed off its militarymuscle Friday in the annual Red Square pa-rade marking victory over Nazi Germany, ata time when the world’s attention is focusedon Ukraine where pro-Russian insurgentsare preparing a referendum on secession.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin madeno reference to the situation in Ukraine in aspeech before the parade, focusing on thehistoric importance of the victory over NaziGermany. But in a sign of triumph overRussia’s annexation of Ukraine’s region ofCrimea, parading troops included a marineunit from the Black Sea Fleet that flew theCrimean flag on its armored personnel carri-ers.

About 11,000 Russian troops proudlymarched across Red Square to the tunes ofmarches and patriotic songs, followed bycolumns of dozens of tanks and rocketlaunchers. About 70 combat aircraft, includ-ing giant nuclear-capable strategic bomb-ers, roared overhead.

Crimea, which hosts a major RussianBlack Sea Fleet base, is also set to hold amassive navy parade in the port ofSevastopol, celebrating the Russian take-over.

Victory Day is Russia’s most importantsecular holiday and a key element of thenational identity, honoring the armed forces

Russia displays mily muscle amid Ukrainian crisisand the millions who died in World War II.This year it comes as Russia is locked in theworst crisis with the West since the end ofthe Cold War.

The parade, which featured massiveTopol-M intercontinental ballistic missiles,comes a day after Putin visited the DefenseMinistry’s main operational center to watcha massive military exercise that simulated aretaliatory nuclear strike in response to anenemy attack. The official statements de-scribing the maneuvers were strikingly blunt,reflecting simmering tensions with the West.

The West and the Ukrainian governmentaccuse Russia of fomenting the unrest inUkraine’s east, where insurgents have seizedgovernment buildings in a dozen of citiesand towns, and fought with governmenttroops. They have set a referendum on in-dependence for Sunday, a vote similar to aplebiscite that paved the way for Moscow’sannexation of Crimea in March.

Putin’s surprise call on Wednesday fordelaying the referendum in eastern Ukraineappeared to reflect Russia’s desire to dis-tance itself from the separatists as it bar-gains with the West over a settlement to theUkrainian crisis.

But insurgents in the Russian-speakingeast defied Putin’s call and said they wouldgo ahead with the referendum. While reflect-

ing the anger against the central govern-ment shared by many in the east, the movealso supported Moscow’s denial of engi-neering the mutiny.

The main eastern city of Donetsk wascalm as a handful of veterans gathered tocommemorate Victory Day, carrying formerregiment flags and playing old patrioticsongs.

In the Black Sea port of Odessa, whichlast week was rocked by violent clashesbetween pro-Russian forces and support-ers of the central government that left nearly50 people died, police arrested a municipallegislator and two pro-Russian activists ac-cused of staging the riots.

Authorities also beefed up security inthe city, fearing more violence, and the localgovernor issued an order banning publicdisplay of Russian flags. “We shouldn’t al-low emotions to spill into the streets,” Gov.Ihor Palytsa said.

In Kiev on Friday, a fire in a cable tunnelbriefly interrupted broadcasts of several tele-vision channels. Viktoria Syumar, a deputyhead of Ukraine’s National Security andDefense Council, said that the fire was anact of sabotage.

Putin said Wednesday that Russia hadwithdrawn its forces from the Ukrainian bor-der, but Pentagon spokesman Army Col.

Steve Warren said Thursday there had beenno evidence of a pullback.

Russia wants Ukraine to adopt a newconstitution that would give broad powersto its regions, helping Moscow to keep thecountry’s east in its orbit. It also has soughtguarantees that Ukraine would not joinNATO. Ukraine has rejected the Russiandemands. Swiss President DidierBurkhalter, who currently chairs the Organi-zation for Security and Cooperation in Eu-rope, offered a roadmap for settling the cri-sis during his meeting with Putin this week,but it hasn’t been made public yet.

The OSCE’s Secretary-General LambertoZannier visited Kiev Friday. He told TheAssociated Press that “we are now lookingat how we can move ahead on process ofde-escalation.” Zannier criticized the refer-endum in the east, calling it a “divisive ini-tiative.”

“The OSCE will certainly not recognizethe referendum of this kind,” he said.

The United States and the EuropeanUnion have slapped travel bans and assetfreezes on members of Putin’s entourage inresponse to the annexation of Crimea. Theythreatened to introduce harsher sanctions ifRussia continues to destabilize easternUkraine and tries to derail the May 25 presi-dential vote.—AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets servicemen during celebrations to mark Victory Day in Moscow’s

10 killed in Rajbariroad crash

DHAKA—At least 10 people were killed and around 23others injured in a head-on collision between two passen-ger buses on the Douladia-Khulna highway in RajbariSadar upazila early Friday.

Six of the deceased were identified as Khandakar GolamMostafa, 48, Mahbub Alam, 40, Babu Fakir, 40, supervisorof Global Paribahan, Jewel, 35, helper of the bus, Poresh,32, counter master of Goalanda crossing counter of thebus, and Afsar Uddin, 35.

Among the deceased, three were women aged between30 to 35 and a two-year-old child. Details of the victimscould not be known immediately, our Kushtia correspon-dent reports quoting Mahsinul Haque, officer-in-charge(OC) of Faridpur Sadar Police Station. A Barisal-bound Global Paribahan bus from Dhaka collided head-on with an oncoming bus of Eagle Paribahan from Khulnaat Basantapur area of the upazila around 4:15am, leavingsix people dead on the spot and 23 others injured, the OCsaid. On information, police rushed to the spot and sentthe injured persons to Faridpur Medical College and Hos-pital where four of them succumbed to their injuries in themorning.—Star Online

Philippines, US troopshold amphibious drill

MANILA—Philippine and US marines conducted an am-phibious operation at the shores of Zambales province innorthern Philippines on Friday.

The amphibious operation, or “boat raid”, was partici-pated in by more than 80 members of the Philippine Navyand around 40 US Marines. The Armed Forces of the Phil-ippines (AFP) said it is the first of the series of field train-ing exercises scheduled for this year’s bilateral drills un-der the Balikatan.

Lieutenant Annaleah P. Cazcarro of the Philippine Navy,spokesman of the Philippine-US Balikatan 2014, said thePhilippine Navy’s BRP Ramon Alcaraz and BRP Dagupanwere used for the exercise.

The Philippines and the United States formally beganthe annual joint military exercises dubbed as Balikatan onMay 5. The 30th annual joint military drill, which will beheld until May 16, involves 3,000 Filipino soldiers and2,500 American soldiers.—Xinhua

JEDDAH—A prominent Saudi Arab laborexpert has suggested that the Kingdom willrequire expatriate manpower in various sec-tors over the next 40 years. Abdullah Dahlan,former Saudi representative to the Interna-tional Labor Organization (ILO) and chair-man of the board of trustees of the Univer-sity of Business and Technology, also reit-erated the need for more Saudi men andwomen to match their specialties with labormarket needs. There are currently 2.5 millionpeople out of work in the Kingdom, of which44 percent are university graduates.

“While unemployment figures are on thedecline according to a recent study con-ducted by the university, the relatively highunemployment rate among university gradu-ates is due to the fact that more than two-thirds of these graduates are holders of theo-retical academic degrees that offer no voca-tional skills, while the other third are sciencegraduates,” he said.

Another reason for lack of employabil-ity, said Dahlan, is unsatisfactory educationlevels.

“A low-quality education results in lessqualifications, thus requiring extensivetraining for requalification into the labormarket,” he said. Dahlan prefers not toblame authorities. He recommends insteadfocusing on educational reforms that willhelp enhance teaching levels, particularlywith the support of Education MinisterPrince Khaled Al-Faisal in revamping theeducation system. “Women represent a sig-nificant component of the workforce andmust have their rights met, especially sincethey account for the highest unemploymentrates,” he said.

There are three variables that must bealtered to improve work environment and

make employment more attractive, which in-clude restructuring syllabi without placingspecial emphasis on religion and Arabic andintroducing courses that are essential fortoday’s work market, such as English lan-guage courses.”

Dahlan also suggested introducingcourses that teach simple business conceptsin order to build students’ hands-on experi-ence. University disciplines should be simi-larly restructured to meet market demands,he said. More than seven million of the 20million Saudis are under the age of 15, whileseven million are unemployable, accordingto a statistical study conducted in 2012.

Hussein Al-Alawy, the university’s di-rector, said that his institution has soughtto provide quality vocational education sinceit was founded a few years ago.

The founders are currently working onestablishing a college of medicine and a uni-versity hospital over the next two years, hesaid, confirming that land has been pur-chased for the construction of buildings forthese majors. He also said that the Kingdom’sHigher Education minister has issued ap-proval to introduce the insurance specialtyfrom the beginning of the next academic year.

“New students will soon be able to ap-ply for this major, which is one of the mostsought after disciplines in the Saudi labormarket today,” he said.

The current Saudi insurance market isestimated at more than SR21 billion and in-cludes 34 licensed companies.

The market is expected to be worth SR34billion by 2015. Al-Alawy also said that theKingdom, represented by the Ministry ofHigher Education, seeks to equip highlyqualified Saudi cadres in disciplines relevantto the labor market.—AN

Foreigners needed in S Arabfor 40 more years: Expert

Syrian troopsenter old Homs

as deal stallsHOMS—Bulldozers clearedrubble Friday from thestreets of battle-scarred dis-tricts in the central Syriancity of Homs after govern-ment troops entered the lastrebel-held neighborhoodsas part of an agreement thatalso granted oppositionfighters safe exit from thecity.

The governmentquickly forged ahead evenas another aspect of the ne-gotiated deal hung in thebalance.

The departure of a lastbatch of some 300 fighterswaiting to leave for rebel-held areas north of Homshad been delayed after op-position fighters in northernSyrian prevented aid fromreaching besieged pro-gov-ernment villages.

The aid delivery to thecommunities of Nubul andZahra in Aleppo provincewas part of the agreementallowing rebels to leaveHoms.

Some 1,700 rebels haveleft Homs since Wednesdayunder the deal struck by thegovernment and opposition.The withdrawal, whichbrought an end to a fierce,two-year battle for the heartof Syria’s third-largest city,marked a major victory forPresident Bashar Assad inthe civil war.—AP

OLOF SKOOG

EUROPE celebrates the anniversary of the SchumanDeclaration. It is an occasion to recall how Europeans have overcome differences and shaped a com-

mon future through the European Union. On this day 64years ago Robert Schuman called for the unification ofcoal and steel industries in six European countries as away to make war on the continent impossible.

Behind this simple initiative lay an ambitious and vi-sionary objective: To unite the people of a war-torn Eu-rope through economic and political cooperation. The ideawas so successful that the original six countries have nowbecome 28. And the European Union is the most advancedintegration project anywhere ever.

After severe financial challenges, Europe’s economyis now emerging stronger and more resilient. The EU re-mains the world’s largest economy, the largest trading blocaccounting for 19 percent of world imports and exportsand the biggest source of foreign direct investment in theworld.

We are open to the world and keen to partner withcountries like Indonesia for free and fair trade relationsthat benefit people both here and in Europe.

The EU is a global actor. We are the world’s largestsource of development cooperation, focused on povertyalleviation in all corners of the world and the fulfilment ofthe Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We are tak-ing on serious responsibilities in support of internationalpeace and security worldwide.

The EU’s High Representative for Foreign and Secu-rity Policy, Catherine Ashton, leads the talks with Iran onthe nuclear dossier. Together with the US we are activelydefending the sovereign right of Ukraine to choose itspath toward deeper cooperation with the EU and the West.

The EU spearheads the efforts assisting the Balkansto move forward and takes a prominent role in ensuringdurable peace in the Middle East, facilitating peaceful tran-sitions in Libya and Egypt and mediating conflicts in theHorn of Africa. The EU is the main humanitarian donorassisting the population of Syria as well as the Palestin-ians.

—Courtesy: Jakarta Post

The EU’s unfinishedbusiness

According to reports, aremote-controlled devicewas used in the blast..

No loss of life was re-ported till the filing ofthis report.

Security officials hadreached the site of the blastand the injured were shiftedto a local hospital for medi-cal assistance.

BlastFrom Page 1

Nawaz invites protestors for talksFrom Page 1

Staff General Raheel Sharif and FinanceMinister Ishaq Dar.

On behalf of the US, Mr Burns re-quested that this operation should be com-pleted before the installation of the newpolitical administration in Kabul.

During the meetings, the two sides dis-cussed Pakistan-US bilateral relations andregional issues, including Afghanistan, saida Foreign Office spokesperson.

Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary AizazAhmed Chaudhry and US Ambassador toPakistan Richard Olson also attended themeeting between US deputy secretary ofstate and special assistant to the prime min-ister, Tariq Fatemi during which the impor-tance Pakistan attaches to stronger Paki-stan-U.S. cooperation in diverse fields wasunderscored.

Fatemi expressed satisfaction at thepositive direction and momentum of Pak-US bilateral relations after Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif’s visit to Washington.

Both sides noted with satisfaction thatthe Ministerial Review of the Bilateral Stra-tegic Dialogue held subsequently whichhad further sustained this process.

With regards to Afghanistan, bothcountries emphasised the importance ofdeeper consultations between Pakistan andthe US.

Adviser to Prime Minister on NationalSecurity and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz,during his meeting with Mr Burns, reiter-

Destroy N Waziristan terror sanctuariesFrom Page 1

ated Pakistan’s support for the democraticprocess in Afghanistan and stressed thatsmooth security and economic transitionswere also fundamental for stability in Af-ghanistan and the region.

Both sides also discussed the post-2014situation and matters relating to Afghanpeace and reconciliation process.

During meeting with army Chief Gen-eral Raheel Sharif, Burns discussed secu-rity along the Pak-Afghan border andshared more information about terroristsanctuaries, calling for possible strikesagainst them.

The visiting US deputy secretary ofstate also held meetings with Prime Minis-ter Nawaz Sharif, Interior Minister Nisar AliKhan, and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

William J. Burns during his meeting withFinance Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday dis-cussed issues of mutual interest.

The Deputy Secretary appreciated theeconomic policies of the Pakistan govern-ment and said that the economic indicatorsare improving with the results better thanexpected.

The Finance Minister briefed him on theoutlook of the national economy and theencouraging positive trends in the eco-nomic indicators during the last 10 months.

The Deputy Secretary of State assuredthe Finance Minister complete support ofthe United States for development in energy,agriculture, education, and health sectors.

people “where did rigging take place?Was there any rigging in Bhawalpur?”he questioned.

“This is not the way - that we willneither play nor let you play. You havebeen playing all your life. Exhibit thesame sportsman spirit now,” the PrimeMinister said.

The Prime Minister earlier per-formed the ground breaking of thecountry’s first ever Rs 15 billion 100MW solar power park to provide cheapelectricity and help the country meetits increasing energy needs.

The Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park willbe expanded to produce 300 MW insecond phase by 2015, while in thirdphase it will add another 600 MW witha total power generation capacity of1000 MW by 2016.

The project will be completed bythe Chinese company TBEA and pro-duce electricity at a per unit cost of Rs15. The Bank of Punjab is providing 75per cent of funding for the project,while the remaining 25 per cent will beprovided by the Government of Punjab.The project having 400,000 solar pan-els at a cost of US 131 million.

A 132 KV transmission line for 400MW has already been installed, whileanother 220 KV line to carry another600 MW will be completed in one-yeartime.

Prime Minister Sharif said his gov-ernment would accomplish the task ofmeeting country’s energy needs muchbefore the end of tenure of his gov-ernment.

He said the solar power project inBhawalpur will be operational in fewmonths time and will reach its full ca-pacity of generating 1000 MW in alittle over two years time. He said theproject reflected love of the PML-Ngovernment towards its people andcommitment towards their future.

He said dearth of electricity in thepast has pushed the country back-wards and its entire industry and agri-culture sector had suffered immensely.He said the people of Pakistan weresuffering in all spheres of their life asthey could not get clean drinking wa-ter, health facilities and businessessuffered as there was no electricity.

Prime Minister appreciated theperformance of Chief Minister PunjabShahbaz Sharif and his team for theirdedicated work and timely completionof various development projects.

The Prime Minister also noted hislove for the people of Bhawalpur andreiterated resolve of his government

to bring about a sea change in the livesof the people and to make it a modernmodel District.

He said the good news for thepeople of Bhawalpur was that newmotorway project linking Lahore withKarachi will pass close to their city,while another motorway will link it withMultan.

Prime Minister Sharif said the gov-ernment was undertaking projects forthe progress of the country for next25 years.

He mentioned the 2100 km longPakistan-China trade corridor that willhave industrial estates and develop-ment will take place along the entireroute. He said Gawadar will be madeinto a most modern city and it will be afree port and will be a State like Dubai,Hong Kong or Singapore.

He recalled the recent powerproject that will produce 660 MW elec-tricity, while another project at Gadaniwith ten units will produce 6600 MWelectricity. He mentioned anotherproject at Jamshoro will produce 1320MW, besides several others at RahimYar Khan, Sahiwal, Jhang andMuzaffargarh will produce 2640 MWsin Punjab alone.

Prime Minister Sharif said undervarious projects China will help builddifferent projects with 33 billion USD.

He said Pakistan has generationcapacity of 23,000 MW and in nexteight years another 21,000 MW willbe added to the generation capacity.He said currently Pakistan was onlyproducing 13,000 MW.

The Prime Minister also appreci-ated the remarks made by the Chineseambassador who reiterated resolve ofhis government to help Pakistan in allareas.

He also appreciated the InspectorGeneral of Police Punjab for ensuringsafety of the Chinese project engi-neers and workers. He also directedto take special and effective measuresfor the security of Chinese personnel.

The mega event was attended byChief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif,Governor Punjab Ch Ghulam Sarwar,Minister for Water and Power KhawajaAsif, Minister for Inter Provincial Co-ordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Min-ister for Food Security Sikandar HayatKhan Bosan Rana Sanaullah, Chineseambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidongand President M/s TEBA Ltd ZhangJianxin, Chairman Quaid-e-Azam So-

lar Power Punjab Arif Saeed. Chief Minister said the ground

breaking of the country’s first solarpower plant has shown the grand vi-sion of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifwho realised that this precious re-source of sunlight be tapped forcountry’s progress.

He said the project to provide en-ergy for next 25 years will light up ev-ery nook and corner of the country,without relying on precious importedfuel or natural gas.

Shahbaz Sharif regretted that thedearth of energy of the past haspushed the country backwards withits industrial and agricultural unitsshut. He described the RPP projectsby the previous government as Rip-off Power Projects and said they failedto help the country meet its energyneeds.

The Chief Minister mentioned thevarious projects initiated by the newPML-N government in a short periodof one year that were designed to gen-erate additional power for the countryto help meet its future energy needs.

Shahbaz Sharif also lauded the US32 billion support by China for help-ing Pakistan in various projects.

He expressed the hope that thefirst module of 10 MW of the solarpark will be operational before the ad-vent of holy month of Ramzan to fa-cilitate the faithfuls in performance oftheir religious obligations.

The Chief Minister lashed out atthose who were trying to launch acampaign against the governmentwith vested interests and said they didnot appreciate the developmentprojects that were launched across thelength and breath of the country.

He said the 180 million strong na-tion will forcefully reject this protestby a handful few who were againstthe progress of the country andwanted to push the nation back intoan era of darkness.

Chinese ambassador to PakistanSun Weidong in his brief remarks saidhis country remained committed tohelping Pakistan in its developmentand progress and meet the energyshortage. He said Chinese companieswere helping Pakistan in different fields.

He was appreciative of the Chi-nese companies and their workers forthe dedication and commitment to theprojects in Pakistan. The Chinese am-bassador received a big applause ashe said in Urdu “ Pakistan aur Chinahamesha ke dost hain.”—APP

Philippines and Vietnam.China this week accused

Vietnam of intentionally col-liding with its ships in theSouth China Sea after Vietnamasserted that Chinese vesselsused water cannon andrammed eight of its vessels atthe weekend near an oil rig.

The United States hascalled China’s deploymentof the rig “provocative andunhelpful” to security in theregion, urging restraint onall sides. Chinese foreignministry spokeswoman HuaChunying repeated that thewaters the rig was operat-ing in, around the ParacelIslands, were Chinese terri-tory and that no other coun-try had the right to interfere.

“It must be pointed outthat the recent series of irre-sponsible and wrong com-ments from the United Stateswhich neglect the factsabout the relevant watershave encouraged certaincountries’ dangerous andprovocative behavior,” Huatold a daily news briefing.—Reuters

China blamesFrom Page 1

district.The earthquake was

measured approximately 4.3on the Richter scale, the USGeological Survey (USGS)said.

The quake’s epicentrewas 27 kilometres north-east of Nawabshah with adepth of 15 kilometres.

The intensity of thequake was such that roofsof several buildings col-lapsed, burying the peopleinside.

Police personnel andrescue teams immediatelyshifted the injured toNawabshah’s Civil Hospi-tal where an emergencyhad been declared.

Buildings were quicklyevacuated as fear andpanic gripped the area.

EarthquakeFrom Page 1the situation in North

Waziristan is changing veryfast as political authoritieshave clamped indefinite cur-few there.

With all these develop-ments, US Deputy Secre-tary State AmbassadorWilliam J. Burns held im-portant round of talks withPrime Minister NawazSharif, COAS GeneralRaheel Sharif and InteriorMinister Chaudhry NisarAli. He reportedly reiter-ated US demand for mili-tary action against ‘sanc-tuaries of militants’ in NWbefore exit of US-ledNATO forces from Af-ghanistan this year.

The Thursday meetingbetween Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif and COASGeneral Raheel Sharif tookstock of the situation aris-ing from the latest attackon the forces in NW andrefusal by Taliban for ces-sation of hostility.

Govt-TalibanFrom Page 1

CNG stationsto open twodays a week

in PunjabLAHORE—CNG stations inPunjab will open for twodays in a week accordingto the revised schedule ofSui Northern Gas PipelinesLimited (SNGPL) on Friday.The new schedule will beimplemented from 10thMay till 31st May. CNGstations will be open onWednesdays and Sundaysfrom 06:00am till next 24hours.

According to spokes-man, the decision wastaken to provide additionalsupply to the power sec-tor. CNG station owners,on the other hand, haverejected the revised sched-ule.—INP

NEW YORK—Permanent rep-resentative of Pakistan at theUnited Nations Masood Khansaid that Pakistan opposes thecreation new permanent seatat the United Nations SecurityCouncil (UNSC).

“We are against the cre-ation of permanent seatsand new centers of privi-lege,” said Khan.

Speaking at the UnitedNations Inter-GovernmentalNegotiations (IGN) on Secu-rity Council Reform, Paki-stani envoy said that the G-4 countries, namely Brazil,India, Germany and Japan,are the real minority, fourcountries, no more no less.The G-4 wants all the othercountries to support theirexaltation to the Council aspermanent members, asthey think that they are nowakin to the existing P-5.

The envoy said that theG-4 thinks that “they are nowrich and powerful and there-fore would want to join the

rich countries’ elite club”.He further alleged that,

“by entering into the Coun-cil as permanent members,they also want to qualify forunwritten advantages andprivileges such asoverrepresentation in UNbodies, Specialised Agen-cies and the Secretariat.”

Accusing the G-4 for pur-suing their national interestsnot representing the Unitingfor Consensus (UfC), the en-voy said that the G-4 coun-tries are monopolizing the dis-course in many forums, in-cluding this one, and creatingthe illusion that they are speak-ing on behalf of the majorityor the largely disenfranchiseddeveloping countries.

“Their minority interestshave been moved to thecenter stage and are nowbeing peddled as majoritypositions,” said Khan.

Supporting the UfC’sItaly-Colombia proposal, theenvoy said, “The only wayto move forward is to ex-plore a compromise solutionthat reflects the interests ofall member states.”

The UfC’s proposal isdesigned to aggregate theinterests of all states – small,medium-sized and large – theentire family, not the privi-leged few, added Khan.

Elaborating the pro-posal, he said that it wouldincrease non-permanentseats; and will create long-term seats in the Council for3 to 5 years or six years maxi-mum through immediate re-election of the 2-year termseats.—Agencies

Pak opposes creationof new permanent

seats at UNSC

LAHORE: Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif witnessing the signing of MoU between Punjab Governmentand International Universities.

Punjab Govt signs 3 MoUs withinternational universities

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—Three memorandums ofunderstanding were signed betweenPunjab government and internationaluniversities at a local hotel here Fri-day. Chief Minister MuhammadShahbaz Sharif was the chief gueston the occasion. Secretary HigherEducation Abdullah Sunbal and rep-resentatives of international univer-sities signed the documents.

Under the agreements Interna-tional Scottish Qualification Author-ity UK, COMSATS/University ofLancaster and Noor International Uni-versity will set up their campuses inthe state of the art Knowledge Park tobe established in Lahore.

These institutions will extend co-operation for the promotion of re-search in Punjab. Similarly, they willalso share their experiences and skillsfor promoting higher education inPunjab as well as award scholarshipsto the students. Addressing the func-

tion, the Chief Minister welcomed thesigning of the agreements betweenPunjab government and internationaluniversities for establishing the cam-puses in Knowledge Park and saidthat all out measures will be taken forgiving a practical shape to theseagreements as early as possible.

He said that education is essen-tial for achieving the goal of nationaldevelopment and prosperity as wellas overcoming extremism, poverty,unemployment and other problems.

Keeping in view the importanceof the education, he said, Punjabgovernment has attached top prior-ity to the development of educationsector in the province. He said thatknowledge park is being set up overa large area in Lahore where promi-nent universities of the world are set-ting up their campuses which willpromote the process of research.

Shahbaz Sharif said that Informa-tion Technology University will beshifted to the knowledge park while

kidney and liver research centre as wellas institutes with regard to medical andother important sectors will also be es-tablished in the park. He said that promo-tion of education is the most importantmethod to eradicate extremism, terrorismand militancy. He said that compared tobullet, education is more effective to dealwith the menace of extremism.

The Chief Minister said that DanishSchools have been set up in SouthPunjab to counter the trends of extrem-ism and educational facilities at par withprestigious educational institutions ofthe country are being provided to thechildren of extremely poor families freeof cost in these educational institutions.

Country Director British Council Pa-kistan Peter Upton in his address com-mended the efforts being made byPunjab government under the leadershipof Shahbaz Sharif for the promotion ofeducation in the province. He said Brit-ish Prime Minister has also lauded themeasures taken for the uplift of educa-tion sector in Punjab.

PTI demandsthumb

impressionaudit

From Back Page

PTI rejected the sug-gestion made by PML-N toform a fact-finding commit-tee.

Earlier on Wednesday,Rafique himself had sug-gested that eight constitu-encies be investigated.

Vice-Chairperson PTIShah Mahmood Qureshisaid that in the past suchcommittees have failed tomove beyond two fruitlessmeetings.

During the proceed-ings, Qureshi appealed tothe people to take part inPTI’s protest on May 11.

He also said, “We wereconsulted for the appoint-ment of chief election com-missioner but PTI was notconsulted on the appoint-ment of four provincialcommissioners of the com-mission.” He also said thatthe resignation of formerChief Election Commis-sioner Fakhruddin GIbrahim should be investi-gated.

Qureshi added that de-spite being provided evi-dence, ECP was not readyto file a comprehensive re-ply to the Supreme Courton PTI’s petition regardingrigging. “We want toknow why ECP was notpunished for using fakemagnetic ink during elec-tions,” Qureshi said.

(ZTBL), Naeem Mubeencommitted suicide byjumping off the 10th floorof the bank building onFriday.

According to officialsources, Naeem Mubeen

AVP ZTBL commits suicideFrom Back Page

was going through domes-tic crisis.

His son was in commafor the past two monthsand has recently gainedconsciousness. Naeem’soffice was on the 10th floor

of the ZTBL office inIslamabad from where hecommitted suicide by jump-ing off the window. Police has initiated inves-tigation into the incidentto ascertain the cause.

PPP bigwigsrefuse

From Back Page

Investigation into an-other high profile murdercase has revealed thatSakrand Training CentreSSP Ghulam Sarwar Abro andthe father of Salman Abromet with PPP bigwigs for outof court settlement but thepolitical party has refused toput weight behind him.

During investigation, itwas also revealed thatSalman Abro took the police-men along with him whenGhulam Sarwar Abro, theSSP, was sleeping. After re-fusal of the province’s larg-est political party for sup-port, the SSP has decided tofight for his son in court. Hehas taken briefing from legalexperts to save his son, whoalso got bullet wounds inexchange of fire and undertreatment in precarious con-dition at a private hospital.

On Friday, the policehave recorded the statementof SSP Ghulam Sarwar Abro.The father of Salman Abrotold police that his son anddeceased Salman Lashariwere friends from early child-hood. When my son came tohouse on May 08 evening, Ifound him sad, the SSP toldpolice, adding that “When Ilooked at my son, I saw duston his cloths.”

“I asked him that whathappened then he told methat he fell down while play-ing and went to his room,”the SSP told police, addingthat “He came back from hisroom after taking bath andleft the home again.” “ThenI received a call in night thathe got bullet wounds andhad been taken to hospitalfor treatment,” the SSP toldpolice in his statement.”

A committee has alsobeen formed under super-vision of DIG Training toprobe into the murder caseand submit a report imme-diately. The members of thecommittee visited the spotand gathered evidences.They have taken 36 emptyshells of SMGs, repeaterand 9mm pistol from thespot and sent them to fo-rensic laboratory for test.

SSP Ghulam SarwarAbro was tried to contactbut he could not be reachedfor comments despite re-peated phone calls.

FazlullahFrom Back Page

TTP’s Vice AmeerShaikh Khalid Haqqani hasbeen made Ameer of SouthWaziristan Agency.

Daud Mehsud said thatthey respect decisionstaken by the proscibed TTPChief Mullah Fazlullah.

Singer Zil-e-Huma’sleg amputatedLAHORE—Pakistani leg-endary singer Madam NoorJehan’s daughter Zil-e-Huma is reported to be in acritical condition due to dia-betes as her leg was ampu-tated here on Friday. Ac-cording to reports, thesinger is admitted in ICU ofa private hospital. Doctorssaid that her leg was ampu-tated to avoid further com-plications.—INP

Six terrorists arrestedfrom GujratGUJRAT—A major terrorplot was foiled as six terror-ists affiliated to an outlawedoutfit were arrested in a tar-geted operation in Gujrat onFriday. According to DPOGujrat, the six arrested ter-rorists were planning tocarry out an attack at Uni-versity of Gujrat. A hugequantity of ammunition wasalso recovered from theirpossession during the op-eration. The terrorists wereidentified as Afzal, Zakariya,Abrar, Anwar, Asif andShoaib. It is further said thatthey had also carried outtargeted attacks for spread-ing fear and tension.—INP

Police constablekilled in PeshawarPESHAWAR—A police per-sonnel was killed when uni-dentified armed men openedfire at him in the premises ofKhazana police station hereon Friday. According to po-lice sources, unidentifiedassailants opened indiscrimi-nate fire on a police con-stable identified as Abrahimin the limits of Khazana po-lice station when he was onhis way for duty, killing himon the spot. The deceasedwas shifted to the hospitalfor medico-legal formalities.Police started search opera-tion in the area after cordon-ing off the area. The attack-ers managed to flee from thescene.—INP

Lawyers protestkilling of ArshadKA R A C H I—The lawyerscommunity Friday ob-served strike against theassassination of humanrights activist AdvocateArshad Rehman and inju-ries to two other lawyersin Multan. The lawyersprotested against theirfellow’s assassination inMultan, Rawalpindi,Islamabad, Lahore,Karachi, Hyderabad andother cities. On the appealof Pakistan Bar Council,the lawyers of Hyderabadwearing black bands didnot participate in the pro-ceedings of Sindh HighCourt, Sessions and Civilcourts of Hyderabad. Theyalso staged a protest dem-onstration in front ofHyderabad Press Club anddemanded the arrest of theassassinators of AdvocateAr-shad Rehman.—INP

OBSERVER REPORT

ISLAMABAD—Senator Ishaq Dar, FinanceMinister, on Friday told the National As-sembly that talks would be held with Swissauthorities on a new tax treaty in the hopeof retrieving state assets illegally stashedin the European country’s secretive bank-ing system.

The Minister said that negotiations ona revised agreement with Switzerland wouldbe held from August 26 to 28.

Switzerland enacted a new law in 2011to make it easier for countries to recoverassets stolen by politicians and hidden inits banks.

It is assumed that Pakistani nationalshave over $200 billion stashed in Swissbanks. One of the directors of Credit SuisseAG Bank has stated on record that $97 bil-lion of worth of Pakistani capital is depos-ited in his bank alone.

In early 2012, Switzerland said it hadreturned $1.83 billion in illicitly-placed as-sets to countries involved in the ArabSpring regime changes, but Pakistan’s cur-rent tax agreement does not allow it to takeadvantage of the law.

In a written reply to the lower house ofparliament, Dar said the government was

Govt mulling on law torecover ill-gotten wealth

Swiss authorities contacted to recover$200b of Pakistanis

NAWABSHAH: A view of destruction caused by earthquake on Friday. (Inset) A mother of injured kids looking afterthem after the earthquake at a local hospital.

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—The anti-terrorism court in thefederal capital which has been hearing thejudges’ detention case granted exemptionto former military ruler Gen (Retd) PervezMusharraf for appearing during Friday’shearing and ordered the former president toturn up at the next hearing of the case.

The request for Musharraf’s exemptionsubmitted in the anti-terror court said theformer president was suffering from a painin the backbone due to which he could notappear in court on Friday.

While granting the former president ex-emption from appearance, the ATC warnedof strict action against Musharraf’s guaran-tors in case he fails to show up for the nexthearing of the case.

The court subsequently adjourned thehearing of the case to May 23.

The judges’ detention case is based on

Judges’ detention hearing

Court orders Musharrafto appear on May 23

an FIR registered in August 2009 againstthe retired general on the complaint ofChaudhry Mohammad Aslam Ghummanadvocate.

Ghumman had asked the police to ini-tiate legal proceedings against Musharraffor detaining over 60 judges, including thenchief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhryafter proclamation of a state of emergencyin the country on Nov 3, 2007.

Ever since his return to Pakistan prior tothe May 2013 general elections, Musharrafhas been facing a barrage of high-profilecases, including the Bugti murder case andthe Benazir Bhutto murder case.

The federal government in Nov 2013 de-cided to try Musharraf under Article 6 of theConstitution and a special court was set upin the federal capital city in this regard.

He was indicted for treason on Mar 31this year but pleaded not guilty to thecharges read out against him.

“seriously working to seek help of the newSwiss laws... to exchange heretofore confi-dential information about ill-gotten moniesstashed up in the clandestine Swiss bank-ing industry.”

Dar said the Swiss authorities have ex-pressed willingness to renegotiate the cur-rent Pak-Swiss agreement.

Meanwhile during the question hour inthe National Assembly, Parliamentary Sec-retary for Finance Rana Muhammad AfzalKhan said that the federal cabinet has al-ready approved a summary to renegotiatethe existing Pakistan-Switzerland Tax Treatywith the Swiss government in this regard.

He said that it will be helpful to identifythose Pakistanis who have illegally stashedaway their money in foreign bank accounts.

Khan also said that the Federal Boardof Revenue (FBR) is engaged in a campaignto identify those not filing their taxes whilenotices have been issued to 92,000 poten-tial taxpayers for filing of returns and in re-sponse, over 8600 have filed their returns.

The Parliamentary Secretary said thatthe government wants to bring 100,000 po-tential taxpayers in the tax net during thecurrent financial year while the FBR is mak-ing all out efforts to achieve the tax collec-tion target set for the current financial year.

Salman Lashari murder case

PPP bigwigs refuse to putweight behind Abro’s father

Fazlullahremoves Sajna as

SW TTP chiefSTAFF REPORTER

K A R A C H I — B a n n e dTehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan(TTP) Chief MullahFazlullah has sacked KhanSiad Sajna as Ameer ofSouth Waziristan and UmarKhurasani would commandthe movement in both Northand South Waziristan.

Hakeemullah Mehsud’sgroup spokesman DaudMehsud disclosed from anunknown location that

Continued on Page 7

AVP ZTBLcommits suicide

STAFF REPORTER

I S L A M A B A D —Assis tan tVice President of ZaraiTaraqiati Bank Limited

Continued on Page 7

STAFF REPORTED

I S L A M A B A D — P a k i s t a nTehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Fri-day asked the ruling party,Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), to sign anagreement together to de-termine the level of riggingin seven constituencies andalso demanded a thumb im-pression audit. The rulingparty rejected PTI’s offer.

Speaking in the NationalAssembly, Federal Ministerfor Railways Khawaja SaadRafique said that PML-N isready to recount votes andverify records, but PTI’s re-quest for a thumb impres-sion audit in the constitu-

PTI demands thumbimpression audit,PML-N says no

encies is not acceptable.Rafique said that the ink

used by the Election Com-mission of Pakistan (ECP) forthumb impressions duringthe elections was of low qual-ity.

He suggested that thePTI, after they conduct theirprotest, should sit down withthe government and decideon a procedure to identify rig-ging. Rafique also said thata fact-finding commissionshould investigate rigging.

“We will appear beforethe commission as the ac-cused,” he said. “ECP’s mis-take cannot be shifted ontoour shoulders.”

PTI termsPM’s invitation

non-seriousI S L A M A B A D — P a k i s t a nTehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) termedPrime Minister NawazSharif’s invitation to ImranKhan – to sit and resolve is-sues – non-serious.

Responding to PrimeMinister’s invitation to ImranKhan, a PTI spokespersonsaid that the way Prime Min-ister invited is not appropri-ate and serious.

Spokesperson said thatPTI will put forward its de-mands in front of Prime Min-ister and the whole nation onMay 11. PTI maintains that itwaited for one whole year butits demands were ignored.

They said that neitherSupreme Court providedthem justice, nor did the elec-tion tribunal proceed any fur-ther. Spokesperson said thatPTI is forced to hold protestand demonstrations afterone year of waiting.—NNI

AAMIR MAJEED

KARACHI—The bigwigs ofPakistan Peoples Party (PPP)has refused to put weightbehind father of SalmanAbro, who was accused ofkilling 18-year-old SalmanLashari in exchange of fire onearly May 08 morning inKhayaban-e-Shamsheer ,DHA.

Salman Lashari, 18, sonof Ghulam Mustafa Lashari

and a policeman were killedwhen his friend Salman Abroalong with police guards ofhis father SSP Ghulam SarwarAbro attacked on him at hishouse in Khayaban-e-Shamsheer, DHA duringnight between Thursday andFriday. Salman Abro also gotbullet wounds in exchangeof fire and under treatmentin precarious condition at aprivate hospital.

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EATING more fruits and vegetables mayreduce stroke risk by almost a third, according to a fresh look at recent evidence.

The results support existing recommendationsfrom organizations like the U.S. Centers forDisease Control and Preven-tion (CDC), which alreadycall for a diet rich in freshgreens. “The findings areconsistent with the currentknowledge that increasingconsumption of fruits andvegetables should be en-couraged to prevent stroke,”Dr. Yan Qu said in an email.

Qu, of the Qingdao Mu-nicipal Hospital and theMedical College of QingdaoUniversity in Qingdao,China, led the analysis. Astroke occurs whenbloodflow to part of thebrain is blocked by a clot ora burst blood vessel. With-out emergency care, a strokecan lead to severe braindamage or death. Stroke remains the fourthleading cause of death in the U.S., accordingto the CDC. Several studies have looked at theinfluence of diet on stroke risk. Some have tiedeating lots of fruits and vegetables to loweredrisk; others have found no link at all.

The effect could be indirect, and eatingfruits and vegetables may benefit overall healthby reducing blood pressure, cholesterol, weightand other stroke risk factors, Qu said. It’s alsopossible that specific nutrients in the foods mayreduce stroke risk, he said. To get a better un-derstanding of the relationship between strokerisk and plants in the diet, the researcherssearched for reports from recent decades that

tracked the eating habits and health of menand women around the world.

Twenty studies examining a total of 16,981strokes among 760,629 participants were in-cluded in the analysis. Overall, the people who

ate the most fruits and vegetableswere 21 percent less likely tohave a stroke, compared topeople who ate the lowestamounts, the researchers found.

The benefits rose alongwith the amounts of produceconsumed. Stroke risk fell by32 percent for every 200 grams(g) per day of fruit people ate,and 11 percent with every 200g of vegetables. The research-ers found that citrus fruits, leafyvegetables and apples and pearswere the specific types ofgreenery linked to reducedstroke risk. “The effect of othertypes of fruit and vegetables onstroke risk still needs to be con-firmed,” Qu said.

The researchers cannotsay for certain that eating fruits and vegetablescaused fewer strokes among the participants.They point out that there could be other fac-tors that influence the results; for example,people who eat more fruits and vegetables maylead generally healthier lives. “It doesn’t sur-prise me too much in that it seems to confirmwhat a lot of other studies have shown,” Dr.David A. Miller said. Miller, who was not in-volved in the new study, directs the AdvancedPrimary Stroke Center at Mayo Clinic in Jack-sonville, Florida. “We still don’t know if thereis anything inherent in the fruits and vegetablesor whether it’s their effect on blood pressure,”he said. “It’s a chicken and egg type of thing.”

Fruits and vegetableslinked to stroke prevention

Traders of Islamabad holding a rally in support of armed forces of Pakistan.

Head of the delegation of European Union Lars-Gunnar Wigemark speaks during a ceremonyto celebrate Europe Day at a local hotel. Federal Minister for SAFRON Abdul Qadir Balochand Ambassadors of European countries are also seen on the stage.—PO photo by Sultan Bashir

UROOJ RAZA

ISLAMABAD—To celebrateEurope Day, AmbassadorLars-Gunnar Wigemarkhosted a reception with me-lodious musical night fol-lowed by buffet dinner atSerena Hotel’s Lawn — oneof the most well attendedevents of the season so farand definitely the most wellattended by Political and dip-lomatic officials. The min-ister of SAFRON Lt Gen(retd) Abdul Qadir Balochgraced the evening and saidthat “European Union hasalways supported Pakistanespecially in securing GSPPlus status” European Unionis the one of largest partnerwith Pakistan having strongbilateral trade relationshipand we see the bright futureby moving together”.

Addressing the gather-ing, the host extended awarm welcome on behalf ofall EU members and saidwhile Pakistan chose to es-

tablish itself as a sovereignstate, the member states ofthe EU decided to pool their

sovereignty to build the mostadvanced regional integra-t ion organizat ion in the

world, which is now not onlyan economic union, but a po-litical one as well.

It was a grand affair withgovernment functionaries andpolitical entities, diplomats,local celebrities and dignitariesfrom various walks of life allmingling with each other.While Arieb Azhar started mes-merizing the audience by sing-ing Sufi kalam and made ev-ery one amazed especially by

singing” I have no name but myname is humanbeing”. JuniorAllan Faqir brought the verycolourful cultural and folkcolour through his beautifulperformance of “Jhoomer”dance musical night whichforced everyone to dance andto appreciate Sindhi Culture.

Although the ambassadorand his lovely spouse Mrs.Rebekkah Wigemark are notnew in town it was an opportu-nity for those who had not metthem before to introduce them-

selves. While ambassadors ofmember states of the EU, sev-enteen of which are represent-ing their countries in Paki-stan, remained in front theirrespective countries flags,where they had been invitedto stand during the ceremony.During the Ceremony livemusic of the kind everyoneenjoyed played throughoutthe time guests relished thebuffet dinner.

Thoughtfully, seatinghad also been arranged sothose who wanted to sit andeat or form groups and con-verse could do so and theyenjoyed the musicalevening overwhelmingly.

The ambassador of Eu-ropean Union to Pakistanconcluded by thanking au-dience for their participationand saying that the most im-portant thing Pakistan andthe EU both need wasPeace, democracy andstable and transparent insti-tutions for the prosperity inthe region and the world.

EU is keen to promote peace and prosperityin this region: Lars-Gunnar Wigemark

SYED AWAD

ISLAMABAD—Though the excavation workfor metro bus project along 9th avenue, be-tween I. J. Principal Road and Peshawar Moris causing inconvenience to commuters oftwin cities, still they are waiting anxiouslyfor this project to complete so that they couldget rid of the hectic, costly and old transportsystem. The residents of twin cities ex-pressed their satisfaction over the fast-trackmetro bus project and termed this a positivestep of the government towards providing afast, luxurious and affordable transport ser-vice to 150,000 commuters on daily basis.

Fahad Abbasi, a student told the Paki-stan Observer that people are facing greatdifficulty in reaching their destination in timebecause there is no proper transport facilitywhile the fares of fares of public transportand taxis are also very high. Metro bus projectwill provide easy and swift access to com-muters of twin cities. “It will end the mo-nopoly and discomfort of current public

Residents of twin cities waitinganxiously for Metro Bus

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Traders and Industrialists of the fed-eral capital on Friday staged a protest demonstra-tion outside the National Press Club (NPC) to ex-press complete and unconditional support to theArmy and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Vice President FPCCI Munawar Mughal ledthe demonstration while SVP ICCI KhalidChaudhry, and trade leaders including Ijaz

Abbasi, Sarfaraz Mughal, Khalid Mian,Musharraf Janjua, Nadeem Syed, and TahirAbbasi were on present on the occasion.

A large number of people from all walks oflife also participated in the demonstration andchanted slogan in favour of Army and ISI. Theyalso raised slogans against the elements trying todefame national institutions. The demonstratorswere carrying placards and banners inscribed withslogans in favour of the national institutions.

Traders, industrialists of Capitalexpress solidarity with Army, ISI

Deputy Director of the General office of Chinese’s Anti-Terror Work Leading Group An Weixing called on CM PunjabShahbaz Sharif at Punjab House on Friday.

transport system,” he added. The transporta-tion has always remained a major problemfor the commuters of twin cities as most ofthe time they have to change more than twovans to reach one city to another. Keepingthis aspect in view the sitting governmenthas taken this step so that the people of twincities have a better transport system.

A female passenger, Naheed Mukhtartold the Pakistan Observer that the attitudeof conductors of local vans is very rude andinsulting. The number of public transport ve-hicles is small and only front seat is reservedfor females but the drivers usually allow malepassengers to grab that seat too. “But aftermetro bus project the miseries of the com-muters will end and they will be able to com-mute in a peaceful, affordable and respect-able manner,” she added. Majority of peoplewant that the government should also startor link the metro bus project to the suburbanareas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad so thatthe passengers coming from these areas couldalso be facilitated.

However, a section of society expressedtheir concerns over cutting down of greenbelts and the inconvenience which the citi-zens will face throughout the constructionperiod. Babar Kahn, a resident of sector F-10 told the Pakistan Observer that it has be-come difficult to travel between the sectorsand it took much time to find a way acrossmajor sectors like G-9, G-8, I-8, I-9 and F-10. “The situation became worse duringschool times,” he added.

However, to ease the citizen’s miser-ies, Islamabad Traffic Police have also an-nounced a diversion plan for traffic dur-ing the construction work of metro busproject. Regarding excavation of greenbelts, the Capital Development Authority(CDA) officials claimed that at the timeof construction of 7th and 9th Avenue, thecivic body transplanted the grown-up treesto other places and planted almost threetimes more plants than the already exist-ing trees on these belts and the same wouldbe done for this project.

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Urging political parties and parliamen-tarians to immediately initiate a political dialogue onwide-ranging reforms to improve the election system,the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) callsfor complete authority to the Election Commissionover the electoral officials and processes as a prereq-uisite for free, fair and transparent elections.

In a press release issued on Friday, FAFEN saysthat the legislative and procedural framework thatgoverns elections in Pakistan has become obsolete,leaving ample opportunities and spaces for irregulari-ties that create conducive environment for rigging.Unless the independence of the Election Commissionis translated into complete authority and erring elec-toral officials drawn from lower judiciary and execu-tive are taken to task, elections will continue to bemarred by question of credibility. FAFEN reveals that

as many as 71,397 irregularities and violations of elec-toral processes were observed on 38,274 polling sta-tions across 263 National Assembly constituencies onthe Election Day (May 11, 2013).

Among the more critical irregularities, 5,142 in-stances related to pre-voting preparations and proce-dures were recorded in 3,449 polling stations. Voteridentification procedures were not implemented in asmany as 2,567 polling booths while ballot processingprocedures for each voter was not adhered to in 3,054polling booths. In addition, incidents of ballot stuff-ing were observed in 1,303 polling booths and inci-dents of voter and polling official intimidation wereobserved in 2,435 polling booths during the voting.The process of vote counting and consolidation wereclosely observed in 16,933 polling stations.

The observers recorded as many as 17,358 inci-dents of procedural violations in the vote countingprocesses. Furthermore, the observers recorded 7,331

irregularities and violations in the documentation anddissemination of polling station level results. FAFENin its analysis of the election results of 266 constitu-encies identified several other areas of concern. Thefirst such issue is the significant increase in the num-ber of rejected votes. The number of rejected voteshas increased from 775,720 in 2002 to 973,694 in2008 reaching an all-time high of 1,502,717 in 2013– an increase of 54% compared to 2008 elections.

The issue is critical not merely due to the numbersbut also given the skewed distribution across constitu-encies and regions – the numbers range from 0 in NA-53 to 25,562 in NA-266. From the results’ perspective,the issue is highlighted further by the fact that the num-ber of rejected votes exceeds the margin of victory in35 of the 266 constituencies analyzed. FAFEN arguesfor a set of reforms to bring in institutional and legalframework that will help ensure a more transparent,fair and accountable electoral system in Pakistan.

FAFEN calls for immediate politicaldialogue on electoral reforms

ANF recoverstwo kg heroin

RAWALPINDI—Anti-Narcot-ics Force (ANF) on Friday hasruined an attempt to smuggletwo kg of heroin with luggageat Benazir International Airportand also arrested the accusedpassenger.

The ANF officials checkedthe luggage of passengers travel-ling on the private airline’s flightno. PK-219, scheduled to go fromRawalpindi to Abu Dhabi, andrecovered two kilograms ofheroin worth of millions.—NNI

100th yearcelebrations of

schoolRAWALPINDI—The oldest andhistoric educational institution ofcity Govt Muslim Higher Sec-ondary School No 1, SaidPurRoad Rawalpindi is celebratingits Centurial Ceremony today(Saturday) at 9:00 am.

Raja Ashfaq Sarwar Provin-cial Minister for Labour andManpower will be the chief guestof this function, whereas DrJamal Nasir President PakistanGreen Task Force and PML(N)Leader will be guest of honouron the occasion.—INP

04:40 01:3005:30

08:45

Zohr

Asr

Isha

Fajar

Meghrab at Sunset

Brothers in Islamestablish regularprayers & charity

German Ambassador Dr. Cyrill Nunn with 79 scholars funded by HEC and the German Academic Exchange Service, whowill start their PhD research and Master courses at German universities in the coming months.

Assistant Commissioner Khalid Goraya giving dust masks to the citizens due to construction work of Metro BusProject.

Chairman National Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce Siraj Muhammad Khan posing with the student councilmembers of City School Senior Campus Nowshehra after their visit to National Assembly.

May 10

FEDERAL Minister for reli-gious Affairs and InterfaithHarmony, Sardar MuhammadYousaf will be Chief guest atprize distribution ceremonyamong Huffaz below ten yearon May 10, 2014 at 10:30 a.m.at Quaid-e-Azam Auditoriumof International Islamic univer-sity, Faisal Mosque.

May 14-15

TWO day international confer-ence on “Nuclear Deterrenceand its Dynamics in SouthAsia” would be held on 14 and15 May, 2014 in Serena Hotelto be organized by South AsianStrategic Stability Institute(SASSI) from 9.00 am to 6.00pm. Leading defense analystsfrom China, Russia and Paki-stan would participate andshare their experiences regard-ing theme of the moot.

May 28

A seminar on “The ChangingNature of the Nuclear NonProliferation Debate”, is to beheld at Pakistan Institute forParliamentary Services(PIPS) Attaturk Avenue (Ser-vice Road), F-5/2, onWednesday, May 28, 2014from 3:00-5:00 p.m.

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Monument - anational monument that reflects the cul-ture and civilization of the country anddepicts the story of the Pakistan Movementis attracting a large number of visitors, vis-iting capital city from all over the coun-try. At a time when people feel reluctantto visit recreational spots due to increas-ing inflation, the Pakistan National Monu-ment is one of the rare places, worth to bevisited.

The foundation stone of PakistanMonument, spreading over an area of 2.8hectares of land and located at the westviewpoint of the Shakarparian Hills, waslaid on May 24, 2004 and was inauguratedon March 23, 2007. The total cost incurred

on construction of monument was approxi-mately Rs600 million.

Because of the altitude, a clear viewof the twin cities of Rawalpindi andIslamabad is available from the spot. Thestructure of the monument comprises fourblossoming flower petals built of granite,representing the unity of Pakistani people.

Located in the middle of the federalcapital, the Pakistan Monument representsthe four provinces and three territories. Theblooming flower shape shows Pakistan’sprogress as a rapidly developing country.The four main petals of the monument rep-resent the Punjab, Balochistan, KhyberPakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces, whilethe three smaller ones for the three territo-

ries (Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir andthe Federally Administered Areas (FATA).

After a competition among many re-nowned architects, Arif Masood’s designwas selected. The monument has beendesigned to reflect the culture and civili-zation of the country and depicts the storyof the Pakistan, dedicated to those whosacrificed themselves for future genera-tions.

The four petals decorated with muralsare the most attractive at the site. The centralplatform is made in the shape of a five-pointed star, which is surrounded by a waterbody. A metallic crescent surrounding the staris inscribed with sayings of Muhammad AliJinnah and poetry of Allama Iqbal. —APP

Pakistan Monument - A mustvisit place in federal city

STAFF REPORTER

RAWALPINDI—In a bid to ensure transparencyand improve efficiency of public departments,Punjab government has launched helpline“0800-02345” for public to get the required in-formation from civic bodies.

The Punjab government under its PublicManagement Reforms Programme, will provideinformation about building maps, approvedhousing schemes, conversion of residentialproperty to commercial, auction to award com-mercial tax collection contracts, water and sew-erage, business licence, registration of birth,death, marriage and divorce, registered contrac-tors/builders, domicile certificate, legal heirsregistration, property transfer and registration.

The helpline, according to sources in thedistrict government, introduced in collaborationwith Local Government and Community De-velopment, Punjab Information TechnologyBoard and Board of Revenue, would operate

from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m with Sunday off.They said citizens can also know status of

their applications filed with different public sec-tor departments.

Recently, they said, Punjab InformationCommissioner, Mukhtar Ahmed Ali has directedDistrict Coordination Officers (DCOs) to des-ignate Public Information Officers (PIOs) inpublic sector departments falling in their respec-tive jurisdictions across the province underPunjab Transparency and Right to InformationAct-2013.

Stressing the need to implement the legis-lation, the commissioner said under clause 7 ofthe Act, all public bodies had to designate andnotify PIOs in administrative offices within 60days after its passage on December 16, 2013.He was of the view that district administrationmust be familiar with objectives of the legisla-tion here, he said access to information was afundamental right of the public, which could notbe denied in any manner.

Helpline for information aboutpublic departments launched

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—There are over 7 million drugsaddicts in the country including patients usingsedatives, tranquilizers and other such medicineswithout doctors prescription, Parliamentary Sec-retary for Interior Ms Marriyum Aurangzeb Fri-day said.

Answering the question of Zahra WadoodFatemi in National Assembly, she said threetreatment centres are being run by Anti Narcot-ics Force (ANF) in Quetta, Karachi andIslamabad where free of cost treatment to drugaddicts is being provided.

Over 80 percent harvesting of drugs has beenincreased in Afghanistan.

To another question, she said a total of 49Police Security Check points have been estab-lished on various key points of ICT. The points

are working round the clock to curb crimes.She said the database of 14 Police Stations

of ICT has been computerized and being sharedwith Rawalpindi police persistently.

The patrolling system of Islamabad CapitalTerritory (ICT) has been revamped to make itmore safe. As many as 22 commandos ATS ve-hicles have been included in Patrolling fleet towork in three shifts for surveillance to preventterrorism. A joint coordination security plan forRawalpindi/Islamabad Police and Pak Rangersis being conducted at IJP road and adjacent ar-eas to curb crimes.

According to a survey conducted by Inte-rior Ministry, a total of 84,591 people are resid-ing in 24 Kachi Abbadies of the ICT. Rawalpindiand Islamabad police have decided to ensureexchange of prompt information, both wouldconduct joint operations.

Over seven million drugaddicts in country, NA told

CITY REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—German Ambassador Dr. CyrillNunn bid farewell to 79 new scholars fundedby HEC and the German Academic ExchangeService (DAAD) who will start their PhD re-search and Master courses at German univer-sities in the coming months. The event at theGerman Embassy Islamabad was joined by Ms.Ursula Saarbeck, Director of the DAAD Of-fice in Islamabad. Dr. Dan Tidten, head of thecultural section, and Ms Sobia Nazir, Coordi-nator for cultural affairs of the German Em-bassy, and several Alumni of German univer-sities were also present.

The 57 PhD candidates are HEC funded,the rest will be financed via DAAD ResearchGrants or via the DAAD Master’s degreeprogrammes “Public Policy / Good Gover-nance” and “Development Related Postgradu-ate Courses”. Biology, Physics, Engineering,Medical and Social Science are the most popu-lar fields of study and research. All scholarswill participate in an intensive German lan-guage course in Germany. Though all of them

will do their study and research work inEnglish, the knowledge of German is es-sential for the communication in everydaylife.

“Pakistani students have a very goodreputation in Germany – they are smart,hard-working and very successful,” Am-bassador Nunn said. Ms Ursula Saarbeck(DAAD) added: “You passed a very com-petitive selection process. I am sure eachof you will enhance the people-to-peoplecontacts between Pakistan and Germany.”

For more than half a century DAAD(German Academic Exchange Service) hasbeen actively supporting the academic ex-change between Pakistan and Germany. Thenumber of Pakistani scholars at German uni-versities has increased tremendously afterthe HEC (Higher Education Commission)had launched its foreign scholarshipprogramme in 2004. In 2012, nearly 500 Pa-kistani fellows in Germany received fund-ing from HEC or DAAD, whereas the totalnumber of Pakistani students at Germanuniversities was more than 2,000.

Pakistani scholars leave forGermany for higher education

ISLAMABAD—Islamabad police Fridaystarted impounding containers to seal the fed-eral capital’s Red Zone, two days before thePakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf’s anti-riggingrally. According to reports, police stationsof Tarnol, Sabzi Mandi and Sahala areas haveimpounded dozens of containers to placethem on al l entry and exit points ofIslamabad.

Drivers and conductors of the seized con-tainers protested over the move after which the

government announced Rs10,000 daily rent percontainer, reports said.

Chairman PTI Imran Khan has announceda rally at Islamabad’s D Chowk on May 11against what he called ‘theft of public mandate.’He has vowed to show the power of his ‘tsu-nami supporters’ in the federal capital.

Keeping in view any untoward situation,the Federal Interior Ministry has allowed PTIto stage the protest with a list of condi-tions.—Agencies

Police impounding containers toseal federal capital’s Red Zone

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—The students of TelecomEngineering Department, Military Collegeof Signals visited Pakistan Telecommuni-cation Authority (PTA) Headquarters hereon Friday. Chairman PTA, Dr. Syed IsmailShah and senior officers of PTA werepresent on this occasion. During the visit,the chairman PTA informed the partici-pants about working and role of PTA.

He spoke about the latest develop-ments in the telecom industry especiallythe recent 3G/4G spectrum auction. He

said that as reflected from the telecom in-dicators, growth in the telecom sector hasbeen immense in recent years. Similarly,education sector has also shown tremen-dous growth in terms of adding up an in-creased number of educational and profes-sional institutions, development of facultyand students’ enrolments whereas growthin research on IT & telecom in Pakistanhas not been proportionate.

The chairman said that PTA has alwaysbeen an academia friendly organizationand we hold utmost respect and regard foracademia in our hearts. He said that PTA

has been working towards encouragingresearch activities in telecom sector. PTAhas taken initiatives to establish linkageswith the educational institutions for pro-moting telecom research.

The research on forthcoming regula-tory issues and challenges and, transfer ofnew technologies is likely to assist theregulator and the policy makers. On thisoccasion, Chairman PTA presented sou-venirs to the visiting faculty members ofMilitary College of Signals Col (Rtd)Zameer Bhatti and Course Advisor of Mili-tary College of Signals Dr. Adil.

Delegation of Military College ofSignals visits PTA headquarters

2kg heroin seizedat airport

RAWALPINDI—Two kilo-grams of heroin was seizedfrom Benazir International Air-port here on Friday.

The passenger, identifiedas Hamidullah, was detainedby the Anti Narcotics Force(ANF). He was travelling toAbu Dhabi via a Pakistan In-ternational Airlines (PIA) flightPK-219. It was reported thatthe passenger was a resident ofKhushab.—INP

Letter writingcontest result to beannounced in last

week of MayISLAMABAD—Pakistan Postwill announce the result of 23rdInternational Letter Writingcompetition in last week ofMay.

Senior officials of PakistanPost told APP that PakistanPost has received 32,110 en-tries for Letter Writing contestfor the students under 15 yearsof age.

He said that awards andcash prizes will be given to thewinners of letter writing com-petition.

He informed that the cashprizes for the first three posi-tion holders include Rs20,000-10,000 and Rs 5,000 respec-tively.—APP

ISLAMABAD—Twenty one mineral/bottledwater brands selling in different cities havebeen found unsafe for health due to chemi-cal or microbiological contamination. Thepoor quality of drinking water in the coun-try has forced a large cross-section of citi-zens to buy bottled water.

As a consequence of this expandingmarket, a mushroom growth of bottled wa-ter industry in the country has been wit-nessed during the last few years.

To monitor and improve the quality ofbottled water, the government of Pakistanthrough Ministry of Science & Technologyhas assigned the task to Pakistan Councilof Research in Water Resources for quar-terly monitoring of bottled water brands andpublicizing the results.

According to a press release issued here

on Friday, the monitoring report for the quar-ter (January-March, 2014), said that 68samples of mineral/bottled water brands havebeen collected from Karachi, Islamabad,Rawalpindi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar,Sialkot, Sahiwal, D.G.Khan and Multan.

Comparison of analytical findings withpermissible limits of Pakistan StandardQuality Control Authority (PSQCA) has re-vealed that 21 brands (i.e. Best Water, SeaBreeze, Aab-e-Kech, Ideal Life, Natural,Standard, Aqua Hygienic, Natural Aqwah,Aquatic Fresh, Butt, Cool, Premier, Al-Sana, Effort, Aqua National, Aftab Qarshi,Nectar, Lite Aqua, Fit, Minter & AquaSmart) have been found to be unsafe due tochemical or microbiological contamination.

Out of those 21 unsafe brands 8 brandsi.e. Natural, Butt, Cool, Premier, Al-Sana,

Aqua National, Nectar, and Fit) have highlevel of Arsenic ranging from 14-66 ppb(Permissible limit is 10 ppb) which has haz-ardous impact on health, as it can causecancer, diabetes, kidney diseases, hyperten-sion, heart diseases birth defects, black footdiseases etc.

The report said that 8 brands (SeaBreeze, Aabe-e-Kech, Ideal Life, NaturalAqua, Aqatic Fresh, Aqua Hygienic, AftabQarshi & Minter) have been found contami-nated microbiologically, which can causeCholera, Diarrhea, Dysentery, Hepatitis,Typhoid etc., four brands i.e. (Best Water,Aqua Hygienic, Lite Aqua and Aqua Smart)were found to have high levels of Sodium.

Three brands were found to have highlevels of Potassium (Standard), TDS (AquaSmart) and pH (Effort) respectively.—APP

21 brands of mineral waterfound unsafe: PCRWR

HAMEED SHAHEEN

ISLAMABAD—British Members ofParliament Mike Gapes MP memberForeign Affairs Select Committee, SirGerald Kaufman MP, Clive Betts MPChairman Communities and LocalGovernment Select Committee,SteveBaker MP, David Ward MP and JasonMcCartney MP called for empower-ing Kashmiri voices in the Pakistan-India dialogueprocess to resolve longstanding Kashmir conflict accordingto the wishes and aspirations ofKashmiri people, says an emailedmessage to Pakistan Observer hereon Friday. The highly influential andrespected members of parliament werespeaking at a Parliamentary receptionhosted by Simon Danczuk MP to helpKashmir Development Foundation(KDF) an indigenous Kashmiri devel-opment organisation to showcasetheir work to empower the voice ofunder-represented people and com-munities.

Simon Danczuk MP welcomed themembers of parliament support forempowering Kashmiri voices. He

British parliamentarians support Kashmiris right to self-determinationemphasised the need for the recogni-tion and inclusion of Kashmiri culturalheritage and identity in ethnic moni-toring systems in the UK.

The Executive Director of KashmirDevelopment Foundation Sardar AftabKhan highlighted the importance ofKashmiri narrative in the wider dis-course on Jammu and Kashmir conflictand explained how the KashmiriDiaspora can play an effective role inpeace-building in Jammu and Kashmir.He said: “Kashmir society is intrinsi-cally an open society. We have a cen-turies old ethos of multi-ethnic, multi-religious co-existence, but this open-ness is threatened by prolonged con-flict. We need to secure our open soci-ety from danger of unresolved Kash-mir issue. The people of Jammu andKashmir are striving for a peaceful so-ciety – a society where people haveright to life, liberty and security. Theyare in a struggle to secure their right offreedom, a freedom from the five facesof oppression: violence, economic ex-ploitation, marginalization, powerless-ness and cultural imperialism.”

Mike Gapes MP, member of the For-

eign Affairs Select Committee said: “In-dia and Pakistan didn’t involveKashmiris in the dialogue processstarted some fifteen years ago. Al-though both countries have made someprogress, domestic politics within In-dia and Pakistan will influence the de-cisions made by governments. It’s avery different context now, there is anelection coming up – looks like Modimight win, and not sure what that willmean in terms of the impact on the In-dia- Pakistan dialogue over Kashmir. InPakistan, there is a democratic govern-ment, but we know that the democraticgovernment doesn’t control all of Pa-kistani politics. Afghanistan’s loomingsituation, Taliban insurgency in FATA,and treatment of minorities in the re-gion is complicating the situation mas-sively.” He added that I have a lot ofKashmiri constituents, from both sidesof the Line of Control (LoC), so I un-derstand the complexity. “The relation-ship of diaspora communities in the UKfrom that region, working together tobuild a dialogue is important, becauseit feeds back. It is an important part ofprocess, if we’re going to build trust.”

Sir Gerald Kaufman MP said: “TheKashmir issue is longest standing in-ternational issue in the world – longerthan Palestine – taken to UN SecurityCouncil, by India. It’s a shame on theinternational community that this issuehas not been resolved. It’s not justabout the dreadful humanitarian atroci-ties, this is a situation of world crisis –both India and Pakistan have nuclearweapons, and they have fought sev-eral wars over Kashmir. The interna-tional community is unbelievably shortsighted in not understanding that, apartfrom other aspects, that this is mostcritical issue in terms of internationalpeace and security. It is regrettable thatthe UK Government will not involveitself in any way, and that it’s an issuefor India and Pakistan to determine bythemselves”.

He further said: “Economic devel-opment in J&K is essential andKashmiri voices must be heard.”

Clive Betts MP Chairman Commu-nities and Local Government SelectCommittee said: “The resolution of theKashmir conflict shouldn’t be left toIndia and Pakistan only, it should be

up to the people of Jammu and Kash-mir who are able to make a decisionabout their future. The right to Self-determination is key, and I hope thatthe UK parliament and internationalcommunity see that, and put that firston their agenda.”

Steve Baker MP and David WardMP stressed the need for bringing pro-fessionalism in the Kashmiris’ campaignfor their rights and forging links withall communities.

Jason McCartney MP said: “Timeis coming for self-determination. We’regoing to have a referendum in Scot-land and on the EU within the UK, so Ithink the time is coming for self-deter-mination around the world. Often I hearof atrocities in Kashmir– it is importantthat we have clear, transparent report-ing of what’s happening in Kashmir –we need to get this issue out there, onthe UK and world stage.”

Renowned Kashmiri writer/analystErshad Mehmood stressed the need tohighlight the crucial role of includingKashmiris in any dialogue relating toKashmir in ensuring a sustainable andjust peace. He said: “This is a critical

time for policymakers to devote theirtime, resources and intellectual ener-gies to the Kashmir conflict for mul-tiple reasons.

There are an increasing numberof reports from the ground in Kash-mir of a likely resurgence in militantactivity with the active participationof educated youth in Kashmir. Thereare concerns that governments havenot capitalised on the period of rela-tive calm (reduced militant activityand a “ceasefire” along the LoC) overthe last 10 years to achieve signifi-cant progress on dialogue andpeacebuilding, making a spike in mili-tant activity and violence at the LoCmore likely in the immediate future.

It is widely acknowledged thatpeople of Kashmir aren’t being con-sulted, and are not part of a wider dia-logue. Both India and Pakistan havebeen engaged, but not talking toKashmiris for over six decades. Peopleliving there know that they should beconsulted – but there’s no mechanism,no official structure, no process thatcan take the local narrative into con-sideration at the highest level.

SRINAGAR—A day after voters werethrashed and stripped in North Kashmir bygroups of youth, Chairman All PartiesHurriyat Conference Syed Ali Geelani Fri-day expressed his displeasure over the in-cidents and appealed people to maintaincalm.

In a video appeal posted on theYouTube, the octogenarian leader said:“There are reports of Sopore traders beingasked to shut shops in Handwor and peoplefrom Kupwor and Handwor being troubled,this is unpleasant and is against the ethosof Islam and our nation.”

Groups of youth on Thursday in Varmuldistrict had stripped and thrashed votersfrom Kupwor district which saw a high voter

turnout on Wednesday.Reports said today traders from Sopore

were asked to shut their shops in Handworand were asked to retreat.

Geelani said: “The voting process wasover and we must live like brothers and mustnot indulge in activities that can lead to acivil war.”

He said: “Such acts would help India’sdesigns on Kashmir and I appeal to all thepeople especially youth to refrain from suchacts and live in peace.”

The resistance leader, who is underhouse arrest since his return from Indiancapital in April, said: “I hope everyone lis-tens to my appeal and my Allah help us tocome out of the oppression.”—KD

Voters beaten: Geelani advisesnot to strengthen Indian designs’

India can’tsuppress Kashmir

liberationmovement: JKNFSRINAGAR—In occupiedKashmir, the Jammu Kash-mir National Front (JKNF)has said that the use of bruteforce and other cheap tac-tics of India cannot sup-press the Kashmiris’ ongo-ing liberation movement.

The JKNF spokesman ina statement issued inSrinagar, expressing con-cern over the fresh illegalarrest of Kashmiri youthfrom different districts of theterritory demanded their im-mediate unconditional re-lease.

He denounced that slap-ping of draconian law, Pub-lic Safety Act (PSA), onWaseem Ahmad of Pulwamaand Zubair Ahmad ofShopian. He also con-demned the continued ille-gal detention of Hurriyetleaders, Shabbir AhmadShah, Nayeem AhmadKhan, Mushtaq-ul-Islam,Shabbir Ahmad Dar and oth-ers.

“The continued deten-tion of Hurriyet leaders hasonce again made it clear thatIndia and its local collabo-rators are still using the oldtactics of oppression tocrush the ongoing liberationmovement,” he added.—KMS

JK MuslimLeague head

rearrestedBARAMULLA, IHK—In oc-cupied Kashmir, Indian po-lice rearrested the Vice Chair-man of Jammu and KashmirMuslim League (JKML),Masarrat Aalam Butt, onThursday after he wasgranted bail by a Srinagarcourt in a false case regis-tered against him.The JKMLspokesman in a statementissued in Srinagar said thatAdditional District and Ses-sions Judge, Srinagar,granted bail to MasarratAalam Butt. He said that asMasarrat Aalam was re-leased in District JailBaramulla, the police rear-rested him and took him tosome unknown location.

The statement whilecondemning the rearrest ofthe party leader termed it asillegal and undemocratic act.

Meanwhile, the JKMLActing General Secretary,Abdul Ahad Parra, in a state-ment strongly denounced thecontinued illegal detention ofGhulam Muhammad Hakim,father of the party leader,Showkat Hakim.—KMS

Strike in Sopore,Baramulla,Bandipora

against arrestsBANDIPORA, IHK—In occu-pied Kashmir, protest strikeis being observed, today, inSopore, Baramulla andBandipora towns againstarrest of innocent youth byIndian police and troops.

Curfew like situation isprevailing in Sopore townafter heavy deployment ofIndian troops and policepersonnel to prevent peoplefrom staging demonstra-tions against the arrests.Locals are facing severehardships due to this situa-tion, an eyewitnesses toldmedia men.

All markets in Sopore andBaramulla towns are closedand life remains paralysed,media reports said.—KMS

60-year-oldSarpanch shot dead

KULGAM, IHK—The poll-bound violenceseems unrelenting as unknown gunmenThursday shot dead a local politician atWanpoo area of South Kashmir’s Kulgamdistrict.

The sixty-year-old Gul MuhammadBhat, affiliated with the ruling NationalConference, was at his hardware shopwhen masked armed men approached himand one of them shot him from the pointblank range, eyewitnesses and officialssaid.

According to various eyewitness, Gulwas lying in a pool of blood when his neigh-boring shopkeepers and some policemenreached the spot.

He was removed to the district hospitalbut the doctors referred him to Srinagarhospital where he succumbed to grievousbullet injuries. “He had received two bul-lets in his chest and due to the gravity ofthe injury we referred him to Srinagar”, adoctor who attended Gul in Ananatnagsaid.

The killing comes a day after fivephased Parliamentary election concludedin Kashmir Valley. At least three sarpanchesand a numerdar (village head) were killed insouth Kashmir last month.

Meanwhile, Army, Special OperationGroup of Police and CRPF cordoned off thearea and launched a manhunt to nab thesuspected militants.

Meanwhile the ruling National Confer-ence Spokesman Junaid Azim Mattu hassaid that National Conference condemns

in the strongest of terms the assassinationof a Panchayat Member Gul MohammadBhat of Wanpoh Kulgam who was shotdead in an attack by militants this evening.Mattu said that Gul Mohammad Bhat wasa political worker and activist who belongedto the J&K National Conference.

Terming the killing as an act of coward-ice and barbarism, Junaid Mattu said “Bhatwas a sixty year old elder who was killedfor his beliefs. Bhat, a National Conferenceworker and Panchayat Representative waskilled by cowards in an act of sheer barbar-ism today. The party stands with the familyof the deceased in this hour of grief andloss”.

The killings have scared thousands ofpanchayat(village council) members andtheir respective heads who have long beendemanding personal security guards at parwith legislators. This is reportedly the sev-enth panchayat member who has beenkilled since the Panchayat elections wereheld in April 2011.

Ghulam Mohammad Lone, 45, was shotdead by the militants inside his residenceat Kulpora village of the same Pulwama dis-trict last year on April 08. He belonged tothe ruling National Conference. AnotherSarpanch was killed last year in January.The killings of panchayat members had trig-gered a wave of resignations across Kash-mir.

The panchayat elections were held inKashmir in 2011 after a 10 year long breakwith a record 80% turnout.—KMS

NAWA KADAL, IHK—ChairmanHurriyat Conference (M) MirwaizUmar Farooq said innocent killings ofyouth by the “trigger-happy forces”has made the resolve of people toachieve their final goal firmer than be-fore and that it was the young genera-tion who would chalk out future courseof action vis-à-vis Kashmir resolution.

He said the pro-freedom leadershipwould “stand shoulder-to-shoulderwith youth, who are the future of Kash-mir and are spilling their hot blood foran issue acknowledged by the UnitedNations besides other internationalbodies.”

Mirwaiz was placed under housearrest on April 30 and the siege aroundhis Nigeen residence was liftedWednesday evening. Today, herushed to visit the family of slainBashir Ahmed Bhat of Gratabal, NawaKadal, who was allegedly killed byCRPF on April 30 when polling forSrinagar Lok Sabha constituencyended. Mirwaiz expressed sympathieswith the family and offered Fateha.

Later, addressing a gathering at

Nawa Kadal chowk, Mirwaiz said bloodof young boys won’t go vain. “Theysacrificed for a cause. It is our duty totake their mission to its logical con-clusion,” he said as people, especiallyyouth raised pro-freedom and pro-Is-lam slogans. “Young blood has beenflowing on the streets of Srinagar forpast two decades. Young martyrs areour assets and those who are strivingto achieve the goal are our future,” hesaid.

“It is the Kashmir’s generationnext, who will show the future courseof action vis-à-vis Kashmir solution.Entire pro-freedom leadership willstand with them shoulder to shouldertill the final goal—a solution accept-able to the people of JK is reachedout.”

“At present hundreds of youthis behind the bars in south, north andcentral Kashmir including Srinagar.They are being subjected to tortureeven as their parents are not being al-lowed to meet them,” Mirwaiz said.Praising the role of youth, Mirwaiz saidthey proved that elections in Kash-

mir, which are being conducted withthe help of “military might is nothingbut a drama enacted by New Delhi.”“If we see the ground situation, therewas hardly any youth who took partin the election process. Sopore,Srinagar, Palhallan, Baramulla town,Bandipore, Hajin, Pulwama, Shopianare a case in point. Youth have provedtheir attachment towards freedom andI believe this should act as an eye-opener for those who used to sell elec-tions as a referendum on Kashmir,”Mirwaiz said.

Meanwhile, Mirwaiz visited theSMHS hospital to inquire about healthof three injured youth, includingMomin Bilal Kenu of Maharaj Gunj,who was put on ventilor after beinghit in protests. According to the doc-tors, his condition is now improving.

Mirwaiz also enquired about thehealth of Suhail Bashir of Hawal andMomin Farooq of Rajouri Kadal,whose one eye has been damaged inpellet firing allegedly by securityforces. The priest also prayed for earlyrecovery of all the injured boys.—GK

Youth writing future of Kashmirwith their blood: Mirwaiz

Visits bereaved families, wounded persons

Shabbir Shahsuffers chestpain under

illegal detentionRAJBAGH—In occupiedKashmir, senior APHCleader and the Chairman ofJammu and Kashmir Demo-cratic Freedom Party (DFP),Shabbir Ahmad Shah, wasrushed to police hospital forexamination after he com-plained of severe chest painin Rajbagh Police Station.

The DFP spokesman ina statement issued inSrinagar said that ShabbirAhmad Shah developed se-vere chest pain in police sta-tion Rajbagh, where he wasillegally detained, and wasrushed to a police hospitalwherefrom he was referredto SMHS Hospital inSrinagar. —MS

A view of deserted Bandipora polling station with road completely blocked by people.

ISLAMABAD, (IHK)—In occupied Kashmir,the Chairperson of Kashmir Tehreek-e-Khawateen (KTK), Zamruda Habib, hassaid that thousands of innocent Kashmiriyouth people especially youth are behindthe bars in different jails of India and theterritory.Zamruda Habib in a statement is-sued in Srinagar condemned the recent ar-rest of a large number of Kashmiri youthfrom Srinagar, Islamabad, Pulwama,Baramulla and Kupwara and demandedtheir immediate release.

She urged the international humanrights organizations including the AmnestyInternational to take notice of the plight of

Zamruda Habibdenounces youth arrests

Kashmiri Muslims confront Indian policemen after they arrested a youth during a protest.

Muzaffarabad: AJK Prime Minister leading a thanks-giving rally on Friday.

illegally detained Hurriyet leaders and ac-tivists in the territory and put pressure onIndia to settle the lingering Kashmir dis-pute so that permanent peace could be es-tablished in the region.

Meanwhile, Zamruda Habib, on the eveof International Mother’s Day saluted theKashmiri women struggling to know thewhereabouts of their sons who have beensubjected to custodial disappearance byIndian troops and police during the pasttwenty-five years. She also expressed soli-darity with the mothers whose childrenwere killed by Indian troops or languishingin jails.—KMS

There is only oneboss. The cus-

tomer. And he canfire everybody inthe company fromthe chairman ondown, simply by

spending hismoney somewhere

else.

—Sam Walton

ISE-10 index witnessesbearish trendISLAMABAD—IslamabadStock Exchange (ISE)witnessed bearish trendhere on Friday as theISE-10 index was downby 15.68 points to closeat 4,471.10 points. A totalof 15,000 shares weretraded, which showed anegative growth of156,000 shares whencompared with previousday’s trading of 171,000shares. Out of 147companies, share pricesof 79 companies recordedincrease while those of68 companies decreasedand no companyremained stable intoday’s trading. —APP

Tripartite efforts toboost fisheries exportsISLAMABAD—Threeassertive organizationshave resolved to join handsin boosting the export offish, prawns and lobsterswhich, in turn, will bringabout significant foreignexchange revenues. As afirst step in this direction,the Trade DevelopmentAuthority of Pakistan(TDAP) has grantedsubsidy to Seafoodexporters to participate inSeafex, a significantexhibition in seafood andfisheriesindustry being heldin Dubai, says a statementissued by the authority heretoday.—APP

Latest technologyvital for agri-growthISLAMABAD—FederalSecretary Ministry ofNational Food Securityand Research, SeeratAsgar here on Fridaysaid that trained man-power and latesttechnology vital forenhancing productivityof agriculture sector inthe country. Addressingthe wheat harvestingceremony held NationalAgriculture ResearchCenter (NARC), he saidthat government givespriority to agriculturesector for food securityin the country.—APP

Port Qasimshipping activityKARACHI—Four shipscarrying Containers andChemicals were berthed atQasim InternationalContainers Terminal andEngro Vopak Terminalrespectively. Meanwhilethree more ships carryingContainers and Furnace Oilalso arrived at outeranchorage of Port Qasimduring last 24 hours. Berthoccupancy was 65% at thePort on Friday where sevenships namely APL Oman,Jumme Trader, ERDenmark, Atlantic Glory,Ocean Flower, RBDAnema Core and AUTaurus are currentlyoccupying berths toload/offload.—APP

Conversion ratesKARACHI—The followingrates will be applicable forconversion into rupees ofForeign CurrencyDeposits, Dollar BearerCertificates, ForeignCurrency Bearer Certifi-cates, Special U.S. DollarBonds and profits thereonby all banks and forproviding Forward Coveron Foreign CurrencyDeposits (excluding F.E-25 deposits) by the StateBank on May 12, 2014.—APP

AMANULLAH KHAN

KARACHI—Zakaria Usman President Federationof Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industrystated that an increase in development expendi-tures by 65 percent is recommended in this shadowbudget, it seems apparently that size of FederalPublic Sector Development Program (PSDP) isdeclined by 23 percent. While on other side, de-velopment expenditures on Non-PSDP programsincluding development works by provinces haveincreased by 392 percent, which is a significantbig improvement in development program, headded.

FPCCI Shadow budget emphasized on new de-velopment initiatives, which is a disparity from tra-ditional approach. He informed that developmentexpenditures outside federal PSDP cover also pov-erty alleviation fund, Benazir Income Support Pro-gram and grants for reconstructions of various

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Zong, Pakistan’sfirst and only 3G & 4Gtelecom operator introducesits 3G user experience, start-ing from Lahore. This is thefirst step of Zong’s leadingnetwork roll out plan whichwill provide the best of thekind of 3G and 4G mobilenetwork city by city.

Zong 3G user experi-ence can now be availed inLahore by simply opting infor the program via theZong website. Final partici-pants will get a chance tobe the first ones to experi-ence lightening fast mobileinternet service in Lahore,once they are selected onthe basis of pre-defined cri-teria.

After experiencing Zong3G, participants will be re-quired to fill a questionnaireto give their feedback on the3G services. Selected 3G trialparticipants can get FreeMobile Internet (4GB

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—State Bank of Pakistan has re-leased a fresh set of prudential regulationsfor regulating financing in housing andmortgage. House Building Finance Com-pany Limited (HBFCL) heartily welcomesthis step of SBP which, in its opinion, wouldgo a long way to regulate housing financeactivities properly and according to theirrequirements, and also encourage the flowof finance in this very important sector.Before issuing housing finance specificprudential regulations, the housing financewas being regulated under prudential regu-lations for consumer financing, which areby all means totally different from the hous-ing finance. He hoped that, like the segre-gation of prudential regulations of hous-ing finance from the regulations for theconsumer financing, the State Bank mayalso develop a mechanism and setup forand medium enterprise financing. He alsohoped that, something better would be donesoon for effective implementation of fore-closure laws in the country for maintain thelifeblood of financing institutions. In astatement, Syed Sayef Hussain, the Man-

Finance Ministryclarifies

news reportISLAMABAD—The Ministryof Finance on Friday clari-fied a news item, which ap-peared in a section of presson May 8, containing com-ments of former FinanceMinister Dr. Hafeez Pashawhile speaking at an eventon budget proposals, orga-nized by the Institute forPolicy Reforms.

“The comments andconclusions drawn werenot only based on inaccu-rate facts and figures butalso contained assump-tions dependant on futuretransactions without tak-ing into account the repay-ments of loans being maderegularly” says a statementissued by the Ministry ofFinance.

“We must not forgetthat the present govern-ment started off its termwith inherited challengesincluding large fiscal defi-cit, unfavourable balanceof payment position, de-pleting foreign exchangereserves, limited revenuebase, rising current expen-ditures, circular debt, en-ergy crises, flight of capi-tal and shaken investor ’sconfidence.

Add to it Pakistanneeded to pay off the duerepayments to IFIs includ-ing IMF”, the statementadded.

The Ministry of Financefurther said the statementregarding signing/loanagreements amounting toUS$ 52 billion presented oneside of the picture. The Fi-nance Ministry further saidit was worth mentioningthat borrowing was benefi-cial for economic develop-ment of any country as longas it was undertaken to fa-cilitate the well thought outroad-map, devised with duediligence.

“As the above men-tioned borrowing will bemostly done for the devel-opment purposes & BoPsupport and that too onconcessional terms, it willaccelerate the pace of eco-nomic growth and help thegovernment to accomplishits social and developmen-tal goals”, it added.—APP

Zakria Usman President Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Ms Danuta Kubasik Presi-dent World Trade Centre Pozan signing an MoU in Katowice, Poland. Federal Minister for Commerce Engr KhurramDastgir Khan and Minister of State for Polish Economy Tomasz Tomczykiewicz is also seen in the picture.

FPCCI urges special incentives for infrastructure developmentprojects. However, the major change in develop-ment approach is the public sector investment inthose new initiatives where infrastructures are re-quired to induce the private investment. Such ini-tiatives belong to the proposed Kashgar-Gwadarrail link, Gwadar link with the rest of countrythrough motorways and highways and develop-ment of energy related projects, he stated.

According to the constitution of Pakistan,provinces are responsible for education, healthand social development projects. So, major part ofdevelopment expenditures in public sector shouldbe spent by the provinces. FPCCI Shadow budgetproposed Rs.660 billion for provincial developmentprograms. President FPCCI suggested abolishingor reducing spending on developmental works inpublic sector commercial entities including Na-tional Highway Authority, WAPDA, Pakistan Air-lines and Water and Power Division. Such devel-opment projects should be established by the pri-

vate sector investment.Mr. Usman further stated that the badly dete-

riorated physical infrastructure in Pakistan doesnot support the economic progress and industri-alization. To accelerate investment and industrial-ization in the country, our government has to de-velop physical infrastructure of ports, means oftransportation, energy and communications. It isobvious that fiscal space in public sector is notavailable for these badly needed projects. FPCCIshadow budget suggests that such developmen-tal works should be based on private sector in-vestment.

Particularly, foreign direct investment shouldbe promoted for these developmental works onthe patterns of Lahore-Islamabad Motorway, hesuggested. Furthermore, he stated that govern-ment has introduced Greenfield Investment schemefor such developmental projects, but necessarylegal framework and administrative measures have

not been taken to implement those investmentpolicies till now.

He said that there is no doubt that megaprojects are required in the economy. He empha-sized that Gwadar-Kashgar railway link,Motorways and linked highways, construction ofbig dams and energy producing and transmittingnetworks, and expansion in ports capacity are re-quired at the initial stage of accelerated develop-ment process.

These projects will lead the enhanced activi-ties in construction, energy, steel, mining, trans-port and financial sector. He suggested that vestedinterests of various groups at national and inter-national levels may be involved in this fast devel-oping process. FPCCI suggest avoiding from po-liticizing these economic ventures. It is possibleonly when we create transparency and liberaliza-tion for all stakeholders on competitive basis with-out discrimination.

Zong initiates 3G userexperience program

KARACHI: Lt. Gen Sajjad Ghani, Commander 5 Corps and President Executive BoardDHA listening to a briefing at the ground-breaking of Infrastructure developmentworks in DHA City Karachi Project Site.

KARACHI—Ground-breaking ceremony offast track infrastructure development workin DHA City was performed by Lt. GenSajjad Ghani, Commander 5 Corps andPresident Executive Board DHA in a simpleceremony held at the project site. Adminis-trator DHA, Brig Muhammad Abdullah re-ceived the Corps Commander and briefedhim regarding salient features of the project.

The fast track infrastructure develop-ment work involves construction of mainroads, streets, water supply, storm waterdrainage and sewerage lines in Sector 2, 6and Central Business District. Central Busi-ness District will be developed according

DHA expedites infrastructure developmentto International Standards and will cater forthe business needs of local as well as inter-national markets. Besides commercial ac-tivities, the district will also serve CulturalActivities.

The ‘Project Director’ and ‘Project Con-sultant’, Mr. Arif Osmani while briefing Lt.Gen Sajjad Ghani highlighted that re-nowned contractors including FWO andNLC have been engaged for ensuring ex-ecution of project up to the highest stan-dard of industry and adherence to timelines.The Corps Commander appreciated DHAfor executing the project with enthusiasmand professional dedication.—PR

SBP releases prudential regulationsfor housing & mortgage financing

aging Director of HBFCL said that, issuinghousing finance specific regulations bySBP is a very good step, and in near futureit will greatly impact the growth in this sec-tor of financing. He hoped that, like the seg-regation of prudential regulations of hous-ing finance from the regulations for theconsumer financing, the State Bank mayalso develop a mechanism and setup formonitoring and regulating housing financeentirely different from that of consumer fi-nancing or small effective implementationof foreclosure laws in the country for main-tain the lifeblood of financing institutions.HBFCL also appreciates the specific men-tioning of its name in Regulation HF-5 forlimit on exposure against real estate sector,recognizing its extending housing financeto borrowers as its core business, thus al-lowing it to extend housing finance with-out limit. A positive step of these regula-tions is the classification and provisioningagainst delinquent loan accounts, specificto the tone and tenure of housing finance,which would slacken the pressure on theborrowers and lighten burden on the fi-nancing institutions and banks, which isopenly appreciated by HBFCL.

STAFF REPORTER

PESHAWAR—Asian Development Bank(ADB) has assured full support both tech-nical and financial to the mass transit, roadinfrastructure, water supply, conservation,irrigation, energy production, creation ofemployment opportunities programs envis-aged by the PTI-led government in KhyberPakhtunkhwa so that these are completedwithin the proposed timeline. The assur-ance was conveyed Friday when a high leveldelegation of ADB led by its Country Di-rector Werner E. Liepach called on the ChiefMinister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ParvezKhattak in Islamabad. MNAs Dr. ImranKhattak and Shehreyar Khan Afridi, Advi-sor to CM on Economic AffairsRafaqatullah Babar, Additional Chief Sec-retary Khalid Parvez and Secretary C&W

ISLAMABAD—Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan,Minister for Commerce has invited Polish busi-nessmen to invest in different sectors of Paki-stan and stressed the need to adopt a compre-hensive approach to broaden and deepen bi-lateral relations. In a meeting with PolishDeputy Minister for Foreign Affairs KatarzynaKacperczyk, the Minister for Commerce in-formed the Polish Deputy Foreign Minister thePolish companies have shown great interestto invest in Pakistan. He said a comprehensiveumbrella Memorandum of Understandingneeds to be signed between Poland and Paki-stan that will encompass all potential areas forcooperation, according to a statement receivedhere on Friday.

Kacperczyk agreed to work with PolishMinistry of Finance to design a packagefor Polish companies who are interested towork in Pakistan. Minister Khurram Dastgiralso met with Presidents and CEOs of lead-ing Polish companies in coal mining, tex-tile, chemical and rail and rolling stockmanufacturing sectors and invited them toinvest in Pakistan and assured them that

Dastgir invites Polishtycoons to invest in Pakistan

Government of Pakistan would extend fullsupport to them in this regard.

Earlier the Minister opened the first Pa-kistan-Central Europe Economic Coopera-tion Forum in Katowice, major industrialcity, south of Poland. While addressing theEuropean audience, he affirmed that Paki-stan attaches great importance to its rela-tions with Poland and European Union (EU).EU, being the biggest trading partner ofPakistan, has a very important place inPakistan’s economic agenda.

Poland with its robust economic funda-mentals and sound progress along the pathof democracy holds a great promise foremerging democracies in the world. Pakistan,the gateway to Central and South Asia, isvery keen to enhance its ties with Poland.He also informed the audience that Pakistanplayed the leading role in global war againstterrorism and gave great sacrifices for thecause. Pakistan is the only country in theworld that suffered the most economicallyas well as in terms of civilian and militarycausalities due to the war on terror.—APP

ADB assures extensivesupport to KP Govt

assisted the Chief Minister.The Chief Minister briefed the delega-

tion in detail about the projects in differentsectors particularly the mass transit schemefor Peshawar, over 200 hundred water con-servation and energy schemes particularlysmall hydle-power projects, the new expressway from Motor-ways to Swat which willshorten the distance to that picturesque ar-eas and open vast areas so far lying unex-plored, and training of manpower on inter-national standard. The Chief Minister alsosaid that on the one hand the province hasto pay huge bills of electricity of both irriga-tion and drinking water tube wells while onthe other hand the citizens are always facingshortage of water due to loadsheding that iswhy he has decided to convert all tube wellsof the province to solar energy so that theproblem is resolved once for all.

Monthly Internet Package)and will also get a chance towin Samsung Note 3, S5 &iPhone 5s via Lucky Draw.

Speaking about the 3Gexperience program, Dr.Zhao Peng Chief Commer-cial Officer, ZonG said,“ZonG is a customer cen-tric company and hence wewant our 3G experience torevolve around the needsof our customers. ZonG 3Gexperience program will bea two-way communicationbetween ZonG and cus-tomers where our custom-ers will benefit from free 3Gtrials and we will benefitfrom their feedback by roll-ing out the optimum 3G ex-perience in Pakistan.”ZonG aims to remain at theforefront of mobile tech-nology and bring forth thesuperior mobility experi-ence. As the first and only4G telecom operator in Pa-kistan, ZonG has strength-ened its commitment to thePakistani consumer.

Weekly inflationdecreases 0.27pc

ISLAMABAD—The SensitivePrice Indicator (SPI) for theweek ended on May 8, forthe lowest income group upto Rs 8,000, registered de-crease of 0.27 percent ascompared to the previousweek. The SPI for the weekunder review in the abovementioned group was re-corded at 200.32 pointsagainst 200.86 points regis-tered in the previous week,according to data of Paki-stan Bureau of Statistics(PBS). The weekly SPI hasbeen computed with base2007-2008=100, covering 17urban centers and 53 essen-tial items for all incomegroups and combined.

The SPI for the com-bined group decreased by0.18 per cent as it went downfrom 209.31 points in the pre-vious week to 208.94 pointsin the week under review. Ascompared to the corre-sponding week of last year,the SPI for the combinedgroup in the week under re-view witnessed increase of9.06 percent.—APP

SamsungGalaxy S5 in

global marketsKARACHI—Samsung Elec-tronics Co., Ltd, today an-nounced the global avail-ability of KNOX 2.0, thecompany’s end-to-end se-cure mobile platform de-signed to provide ad-vanced data and privacyprotection for enterpriseusers. It provides bettersupport for IT departmentslooking for reassuranceand convenience as theyimplement and managetheir Bring Your Own De-vice (BYOD) strategies.

The Samsung KNOXplatform is no longer oneproduct but represents aportfolio of multiple prod-ucts and services designedto better meet the rapidlyevolving enterprise mobil-ity needs of customers. Asa result, the original prod-uct launched in 2013 asSamsung KNOX – the coresecurity platform and appcontainer –has now beenrenamed KNOXWorkspace. Announced atMWC 2014, KNOX 2.0 in-cludes KNOX Workspace,EMM, Marketplace andCustomisation.— PR

BF MicroFinance lendingsupports microentrepreneurs

LAHORE—Buksh Foun-dation, an impact-ledmicrofinance institution inPakistan has made inroadsin creating a self-reliantsociety by providingmicrofinance loans towomen, individuals andsocieties in eradicatingpoverty and creating microentrepreneurs. FizaFarhan, CEO Buksh Foun-dation said “Buksh Foun-dation moved away fromconventional charitybased approach of givingmicro credit to disbursemicro financeloans to cre-ate male and female microentrepreneurs who cangenerate additional in-comes for their families andraise their educational andhealth standards. Hencethis financing is creatingimpacts at the grass rootlevel in order to create aself-reliant society by pro-viding microfinance to in-dividuals who lack accessto formal banking sector”

Asim Buksh-ChairmanBuksh Group said: “Foun-dation doesnot only pro-vide finance but also worktowards capacity buildingand development of thelow income groupsthrough trainings in di-verse areas such as lead-ership and business de-velopment services”.Masooma Niaz is a microentrepreneur which Bukshcreated on its journey to-wards achieving develop-ment goals. She startedher stitching unit at hometo generate additional in-come for herself and herfamily with the help ofFoundation’s micro fi-nance. “We live like ahappy family now as meand my husband work to-gether to take care of thechildren. We can nowgive our children betterquality of food and sendthem to school, I plan tostart an embroidery unittoo by next year”Masooma shared herthoughts after becomingan entrepreneur.—PR

Currency Selling Buying

USA 98.40 98.20

UK 166.55 166.21

Euro 136.18 135.90

Canada 90.89 90.71

Switzerland 111.74 111.51

Australia 92.11 91.92

Sweden 15.08 15.05

Japan 0.9675 0.9655

Norway 16.68 16.65

Singapore 78.85 78.69

Denmark 18.25 18.21

Saudi Arabia 26.24 26.18

Hong Kong 12.69 12.67

Kuwait 350.08 349.37

Malaysia 30.50 30.44

Newzealand 85.10 84.93

Qatar 27.03 26.97

UAE 26.79 26.74

Kr. Won 0.0963 0.0961

Thailand 3.020 3.014

EPZA registers23pc exports

growthSTAFF REPORTER

KA R A C H I —ChairpersonEPZA highlighted thegrowth of 23% in exportswhereas EPZA hasachieved highest exports ofUS$34.806 million in April,2014 from EPZ. It was in-formed in a meeting with Mr.Ghulam Murtaza Khan Jatoi,Federal Minister for Indus-tries and Production duringthe discussion secessionheld in FPCCI which wasattended by Acting Presi-dent FPCCI, members FPCCIand prominent industrial-ists.

Refereeing to ExportProcessing Zones Author-ity (EPZA), Acting Presi-dent FPCCI informed theMinister that present 20 %ceiling of export to tariffarea may further be en-hanced to substantiate theimport substitution. It willhelp to increase the ex-ports, create employmentopportunities.

He further emphasizedthat facilities and incen-tives for the up countryzones may also be revis-ited. In addition to thismore land may also be pro-vided to EPZA in Karachifor its expansion to accom-modate the persistent in-flow of foreign invest-ments.

JS Global shinesin Fixed Income

& ForeignExchange martOBSERVER REPORT

KARACHI—JS Global Capi-tal Ltd (JS Global) continuedits impressive showing inPakistan’s Fixed Income &Foreign Exchange (FX) mar-ket in the 2013 FinancialMarket Association of Pa-kistan (FMA) survey. TheFMA survey is consideredthe gold standard of gaug-ing performance inPakistan’s Money and FXmarkets.

In the 2013 FMA survey,JS Global was awarded theprestigious ‘Best ForeignExchange Brokerage HouseAward 2013’ where this lat-est award marks the 4thconsecutive FX award JSGlobal has won. FMA alsoranked JS Global 2ndamongst all Money Marketbrokers in Pakistan in its‘Best Money Market BrokerSurvey 2013’.

JS Global Capital re-mains a market leader inboth Pakistan’s fixed in-come and equity brokeragemarkets, handling sizeableportion of total foreignfund business in the coun-try. Having the largest netcapital balance among do-mestic brokers, JSGCL hasthe ability to execute or-ders of over USD500mn/day and is arguably thetop broker by volume withthe highest-level of insti-tutional penetration, thelargest foreign base andmaximum retail outreachprogram through its liaisonwith JS Bank.

AMANULLAH KHAN

KARACHI—The framework on ware-house receipt financing has beenfinalised which is to a long way in de-veloping economy and its wide impacton the society. The Deputy GovernorSaeed Ahmad highlighted the impor-tance of mass awareness of the initia-tive and advised to share with all stake-holders including farmers’ associations,business chambers, federal & provin-cial government, traders bodies andmajor corporate. He urged all stake-holders to ensure smooth rollout of theinitiative and avoid possible pitfallsthat might hamper the entire processwith a national impact as paramount.

Deputy Governor SBP Mr. SaeedAhmad has said that framework onWarehouse Receipt Financing willaddress various issues besides facili-tating post-harvest financing to thevalue chain actors including farmers,aggregators, traders and processors.He was chairing a meeting of the Work-ing Group for Draft Framework onWarehouse Receipts Financing tobanks for their input before finaliza-tion. The meeting was held at SBPHeadquarters, Karachi.

The forum agreed on SBP’s central-ized management role of the initiative

Warehouse receipt financing inevitablefor improving performance: Saeed

which should be piloted without fur-ther delay. He reiterated that develop-ment of warehouse receipt financing isinevitable for improving the perfor-mance of the agricultural sectorthrough well-organized warehousinginfrastructure, grading standards, col-lateral management, etc. He emphasizedon the specific roles of each player inthe value chain including SECP, fed-eral & provincial governments, com-modity exchange, commercial & Islamicbanks, insurance companies, ware-house operators, collateral manager,farmers’ associations and all other par-ticipants for the successful implemen-tation of the initiative.

The meeting was attended by themembers of the working group includ-ing Mr. Tahir Mahmood, Acting Chair-man, SECP, Mr. Abdul Qadir Tareen,Additional Secretary, Sindh Agricul-ture Ministry, Mr. Irfan Siddiqui, Presi-dent & CEO, Meezan Bank, leadingcommercial banks, Islamic banks, In-ternational Finance Corporation (IFC)and ACE Control and Expertise Global(Pvt) Ltd.

He advised that any other partieswho may like to provide input on theprogram may contact Mr. KamranAkram Bakhshi, Senior Joint Director,Agricultural Credit & Microfinance

Department of SBP who is looking af-ter the scheme. A Committee compris-ing of SBP, Meezan Bank, HBL, ACEPakistan, SECP, EFU and Dr. SyedNadeem Qamar was formed to comeup with an action plan by the end ofMay to rollout the pilot on warehousereceipt by the end of June, 2014.

All the participants, especially Dr.Syed Nadeem Qamar, President SindhChamber of Agriculture appreciatedthe efforts of SBP and mentioned thatthey have been waiting for years forpost harvest financing against a ware-house receipt. The President MeezanBank explained that the system wouldprovide ample opportunities for Is-lamic Banks for investments in com-modities through warehouse receiptwhich fully comply to sharia prin-ciples.

Mr. Kashif Thanvi of Habib Banksaid that banks very much like to workon the model to ensure secured andreliable financing being monitored bycollateral manager with real time up-dates on movement stocks. Mr. FahadKhan of ACE Pakistan said that ACEGlobal has international expertise incollateral management and commoditycontrols and will provide full supportin bringing international standards ofwarehouse management to Pakistan.

LAHORE: Dr Faisal Sultan CEO SKMCH&RC and Noman Azhar Head of FinancialServices, Ufone with Syed Uman Viqar Head of Operations, Ubank and others at thesigning ceremony between Upaisa and Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cencer Hospitaland Research Centre for donation collection service.

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State/Chairman Privatisation Commission, MohammadZubair chairing 5th meeting of the Board of Privatisation Commission.

KARACHI: Group Chief Executive DADEX Qazi Sajid Ali with the participants andChairman Conference Sikandar Dada during Annual Sales Conference at local hotel.

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—Al Baraka partners with GhaniGas Limited, to fuel the economy. Ghani GasLimited is all set to become one of the lead-ing companies for the production of Indus-trial and Medical Gases in the Country, hav-ing multiple facilities for production ofGases, one at Bhai Peru and another onenow at Port Qasim, Karachi.

Speaking on the inauguration of Ghani Gasplant at Port Qasim, Mr. Shafqaat Ahmed, ChiefExecutive Al Baraka Bank, shared that“AlBaraka Bank and Ghani Group enjoy astrong banking relationship since the last 15years. “We, at Al Baraka are confident that thisplant will provide significant boost to the eco-nomic activity and employment generation inthe region by enhancing capacities of varioussectors including oil and gas exploration ac-tivities, food processing, steel manufacturingetc in the region and also will meet the gassesrequirement of one of the Asia’s largest shipbreaking industry at Gaddani. This new part-

LAHORE—Upaisa has collaborated withShaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospi-tal and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC) andmade its services available for people whowish to make donations to the Hospital at atime when funds are needed for the con-struction of Pakistan’s secondSKMCH&RC in Peshawar. With the launchof this new and innovative donation col-lection service, people will now be able tomake donations directly through anyUpaisa retail outlet available in their vicin-ity along with their mobile wallets. This willprovide an opportunity for everyone to do-nate to this noble cause with the utmostconvenience.

This ceremony was attended by Mr.Syed Umar Viqar (Head of Operations –Ubank), Mr. Amir Pasha (Head of PR-Ufone) and Mr. Noman Azhar (Head of Fi-nancial Services – Ufone). Speaking aboutthis new initiative, Mr. Noman Azhar saidthat, “Providing innovative and efficienttechnology-based solutions to the indus-

KARACHI: The Chairman K.H Group of CompaniesMr.Kafeel Hussain, presenting flower bouquet toMr.Abdullah Zaki, President KCCI at Chamber office.

PESHAWAR: Group photo of Representatives of KP Chamber of Commerce and Indus-try with Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Speaker NA in Parliament House.

LAHORE—Microsoft Pakistan, under itsCorporate Citizenship program for empow-ering youth and serving society, gave aUSD 295,000 software donation and latesttechnology access to AMAN Foundation;a local not for profit, working to championdignity and choice through strategic inter-ventions which are designed to be scal-able, sustainable and capable of catalyzingsystemic change for the underserved of Pa-kistan in the areas of health and education.

The Microsoft Corporate Citizenshipprogram is designed to support nonprofitorganizations by giving affordable accessto technology required in helping localcommunities and to help them to be effi-cient, effective and innovative in serving

Al Baraka Bank, Ghani Gasto fuel national economy

nership between Al Baraka and Ghani Group isa commitment for a better tomorrow.”

Al Baraka Bank (Pakistan) Limited ispart of Al Baraka Banking Group (ABG),Bahrain, the leading International IslamicBanking group in the Gulf region. Al Barakaoffers a wide array of Islamic financing prod-ucts such as Murabaha, Ijarah, Musharakahand Islamic Export Refinance etc., cateringto a diverse cross-section of the economyincluding the Corporate, SME and Con-sumer sectors. The Pakistan Credit RatingAgency (PACRA) has assigned long-termand short-term rating entity A, and A1 re-spectively. These ratings denote a lowerexpectation of credit risk emanating from astrong capacity for timely payments of fi-nancial commitments. The strategic partner-ship between Al Baraka and Ghani GlobalGroup dates back to the year 2010. RecentlyAl Baraka has also arranged a syndicatedproject finance facility of PKR 600 m forGhani Global Glass for their upcoming glasstubing manufacturing plant in Punjab.

Upaisa sets donation services forShaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital

try, besides making contribution to the so-ciety is the core of our business values,which is well reflected in our collaborationwith Shaukat Khanum. Now, anyone wish-ing to donate to the Hospital will be able todo so without any hassle and in a mostuser-convenient way.”

Dr. Faisal Sultan, CEO Shaukat KhanumMemorial Cancer Hospital expressed hisviews saying that, “Upaisa has made a valu-able contribution to the Hospital, as well asthe society by introducing this new andefficient service, making it easier for peopleto donate. This is really the essence of CSRto use your core strength to benefit thelarger society.”

This new facility follows up on Upaisa’sprevious CSR initiatives which have alsofocused on the company leveraging its tech-nology leadership to bring about positivesocio-economic change. With this new fa-cility, people will be able to make donationsby just visiting any one of the 25,000 Upaisaoutlets located throughout the country.

Microsoft Pak donates $295,000to AMAN Foundation

society. Microsoft grant will supportAMAN Foundation in its programs to workproactively for the cause of human devel-opment. This will assist the Foundation totechnologically update its nutrition, edu-cation and healthcare programs includingvocational training centers, EmergencyMedical response (Aman Ambulances) andcommunity health development.

Speaking on the occasion, Amir Rao, Coun-try Manager, Microsoft Pakistan said,

“Microsoft is proud to work withmore than 50,000 nonprofitsaround the world every year toprovide them easy and afford-able access to technology.”Through the Microsoft Soft-ware Donation Program, eligibleorganizations can receive soft-ware donations to enhance so-cial services and build a solidplatform for constructing a self-dependent society.

Ahsan Jamil, CEOAMAN Foundation said, “webelieve Microsoft’s corpo-rate social responsibility pro-gram is thoughtful and stra-

tegic as they are leveraging their technol-ogy to add disproportionate value to anorganization like ours. This grant will helpus upgrade our technological infrastruc-ture to serve communities more efficientlyand innovatively.”—PR

Spain offerscooperation inenergy sector

RAWALPINDI—Spanish am-bassador Javier M. CarbajosaSanchez offered Pakistan itscooperation in energy sectorespecially investment in windpower projects to overcomethe prevailing crisis.

The envoy, during hisvisit to Rawalpindi Chamberof Commerce and Industry(RCCI) here, underlined theneed for further strengthen-ing bilateral relations be-tween the two countries withspecial focus on trade ties.He said overall there was aconducive atmosphere forforeign investors in the coun-try. After attaining the GSP-Plus status, he said, Pakistanhas a good opportunity toincrease exports to Europeancountries and project its trueimage abroad in an effectivemanner.—APP

MARDAN: Vice President of PTI Sports Wing, Nasir Khan and Sports Officer Munawar Khan giving away twinning trophy to captain of winning team.

FAISALABAD: Pakistan’s Street Child Football World Cup 2014 team during their visit to University of FaisalabadAmin Campus on Friday.

LAHORE—Pakistan Cricket Board on Fri-day announced the schedule of PCB-PepsiCricket Stars U-16 TWO Day Tournamentstarting from May 10 at Lahore, Karachi andIslamabad simultaneously.

This year 15 regional teams would takepart in the tournament, said a spokesmanof PCB.

Format of the tournament has also beenchanged from this year, all the matches willbe of 2 day duration and will be played un-der PCB rules already in practice for 2 daygames.

As many as 15 teams divided into 4pools will take part in the event.

Following is the formation of pools,Pool A, consists of Lahore, Sialkot,Faisalabad and Multan will play their pool

PCB announces scheduleof U-16 cricket tournament

matches in Lahore. Pool B, featuresIslamabad, Peshawar, Bahawalpur and DeraMurad Jamali in Islamabad.

Pool C, have Karachi, Larkana, Quettaand Hyderabad in Karachi.

Pool D comprises Abbottabad, FATAand Rawalpindi in Islamabad. Final ofthe tournament will be played on May24-25 at Diamond Cricket Ground,Islamabad.

He said the 15 regional teams partici-pating in this tournament have been se-lected after completing talent hunt activi-ties at 48 districts across the country acrossthe country with 52 activities under youthdevelopment program NCA. This activityis conducted by PCB in collaboration withPepsi.—APP

LAHORE—Punjab swimming team, with272 points were declared the winners ofInter-Provincial Youth Swimming Champi-onship.

Hamza Attaullah, who grabbed 96points, was adjudged the best swimmer ofthe championship and was awarded a cashprize of Rs 15,000 by Pakistan Sports Board(PSB) in the closing ceremony held atIslamabad Sports Complex .

Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KPK) finishedsecond with 129 points followed byBalochistan (60), Islamabad (52) and Fatawith 5 points. Overall, Punjab swimmersclinched 11 gold medals, six silver and threebronze medals.

The concluding ceremony was at-tended by Deputy DG Pakistan SportsBoard Dr Waqar, President Pakistan Swim-ming Federation (PSF) Maj (retd) MajidWaseem, Director Sports IslamabadMushtaq Ahmed, Secretary Islamabad

Sports Asghar Niazi, Director Sports SBPJalil Ahmed Chohan, Deputy Director SBPM Hafeez Bhatti, Deputy Director TariqWatoo, Assistant Directors Rana NadeemAnjum and Waqas Akbar and DivisionalSports Officer Malik Waqar.

Maj (retd) Majid Waseem, in his addresson this occasion admired the dominatingperformance of Punjab swimmers. He con-gratulated DG SBP Usman Anwar over thisoverwhelming performance of young swim-mers of SBP.

Deputy Director SBP M Hafeez Bhatti,who is also secretary general PakistanSwimming Coaches Association, also ad-dressed the concluding ceremony sayingthat this amazing performance is a clearevidence of hard work done by the youngPunjab swimmers. “The budding swimmersof the country will definitely excel at inter-national level whenever given a chance infuture,” he expressed his hope.—APP

Punjab clinch PSBinter-provincial youth

swimming ChampionshipKARACHI—Qadir Khan and Ali Hashmihit sparkling centuries for Zone-VII astheir 2-day match Karachi Region InterDistrict Under-19 Cricket Tournamentended in a draw at the Pak Star GroundMalir here.

Qadir banged 12 boundaries and onesix in his unbeaten 120 and Ali Hashmiblasted 18 fours and three sixes in his78-ball 105 as Zone-VII made 332-6 intheir second innings.

Earlier in the day, Arsalan Farzandslammed 122 with 18 fours and threesixes and Zone-IV made 240-9 in theirfirst innings in reply to Zone-VII’s total323. At Landhi Gymkhana Ground,match between Zone-II and Zone-Vended in a draw.

Opener Kashif Iqbal hit 139 with 18fours and one six and Muhammad Nawazbanged 17 fours and one six in his 117as Zone-II scored 371-7 and Zone-V re-plied with 2151 in their first outing.

At TMC Ground, Fahaddis Bukhari

Qadir hits 3rd ton for Zone-VIIin Under-19 cricket

made 115 with 15 fours and one six andIsrar Warsi hit 14 boundaries in his 122as they secured three points for the firstinnings after their match against Zone-VI ended in a draw.

Summarized scores: Zone-VII vsZone-IV Zone-VII 232 (Hafiz Amin 43,Muhamad Tahir 43, M.Saeed 3-43) & 332-6 (Qadir Khan 120 not out, Ali Hashmi105, Ghani Subhan 48, Zubair Dilwar 44,Habib-ur-Rehman 3-67, Aqeel Jahangir2-640 Zone- IV 240-9 (Arsalan Farzand122, Mudassar Abbas 4-33, Ali Hashmi3-45) M.Shahrukh 31). Zone-1 vs Zone-VI Zone-I 227 (Umar Abdullah 64Yaseenullah 42 Alam Shah 5-60, FaizanKhan 3-34) & 230-5 (Jawad Alam 99, SamiAfridi 64) Zone-VI 394-9 (Israr Warsi 122,Fahhdis Bukhari 115, Faizan Khan 56,abdul Samad 3- 114). Zone-II vs Zone-VZone-II 371-7 (Kashif Iqbal 139,Muhammad Nawaz 117) Zone-V 251(Arsal Bashir 65, Wasiuddin 52, M.Asad3-42) & 99-3.—APP

SPM beatYaqoob XI in

nationalveteran cup

LAHORE—SPM Stagsoutplayed Yaqoob XI by 92runs to breeze into the re-gional semi final of the 16thNational Seniors CricketCup at Swedish collegeGujrat ground.

Brief scores, Stags bat-ted first 234 all out in 30overs. Karamat Ali 56, AfzalShah 31, Zahid Umer 31,Shahzad Butt 19, RehanRauf 16, Shakeel Malik 15and Ashfaq Aslam 15 Runs.Yaqoob Eleven bowlingNadeem Aslam 2/33, SohailMushtaq 2/27, MuhammadShafique 2/46, MuhammadMannan 2/34 andMuhammad Yaqoob 1/32Wickets.

In reply Yaqoob Eleven142 all out in 24.2 overs.Muhammad Nadeem 39,Nisar Ahmad 26 and AnwarHaider 17 Runs. SMP StagsBowling Rehan Rauf 3/12,Zahid Khan 3/21, ShakeelMalik 2/38, Asad Iqbal 1/0and Imtiaz Tarar 1/28 Wick-ets. Javaid Ashraf andMuhammad Asif were theumpires, Mian PervaizAkhtar was the match ref-eree and Khalid Waheedacted the scorer.—APP

Training campsin variousdisciplines

startedLA H O R E—The trainingcamps of junior hockey,badminton, table tennisand judo teams of Punjabstarted here at the NationalHockey Stadium andSports Board Punjab Gym-nasium Hall.

These camps are beingorganized for the prepara-tion of on-going Inter-Pro-vincial Youth Games.

Director General, SBP,Usman Anwar visited thecamps and expressed hissatisfaction on the trainingof the young players. TheDG asked the playersabout the facilities beingprovided to them. Usmanalso played table tenniswith the young players forsome time. As many as 20players are taking part inthe hockey camp while 30U-16 badminton and tabletennis athletes are beingtrained at SBP GymnasiumHall.

The badminton andtable tennis events will becontested from May 20 to22 at SBP Gymnasium Hallwhile the Under-14 Hockeytournament will be stagedfrom May 20 to 24th at theblue turf of NationalHockey Stadium. Karachiwill host the athletics com-petitions of under-14 boysand under-16 girls fromMay 15 to 21 whereas theboys taekwondo will becontested in Hyderabadduring the same dates. Thetable tennis event of un-der-14 boys will beorganised in GilgitBaltistan in the first weekof June while the footballcompetition will beorganised at AJK.—APP

KARACHI—The ‘Standard Chartered Tro-phy’ is an international 5-a-side footballevent and this will be the third edition ofthis tournament.

The competition was a great successin 2012 and 2013 with 10-team participat-ing. This year 14 teams are participatingin this Standard Chartered Trophy whichinclude UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ma-laysia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya, Thai-land, Korea, UAE, Bangladesh, Vietnam,Gambia, and Pakistan.

Football may not be the pulse of thenation but the following of this sport inPakistan is increasing day by day. Thereis a huge audience in Pakistan who reli-giously follow their favourite footballteams and favourite players.

Some of the top clubs from Europe en-joy great support from Pakistani fans andthere is a great interest in English PremierLeague, Spanish La Liga, GermanBundesliga and Italian Serie A.

Unfortunately, as our national teamhas never showed any significant perfor-mance at the international level and hasnot produced any local football greats,the following of football in the masses isstill lacking.

Karachi United off toLiverpool to play Standard

Chartered TrophyTo promote football in Pakistan, there

is a massive need of support both fromthe public and private sectors. While Pa-kistan Football Association is doing ef-forts on their front to improve the qualityand appeal of this game in the country,there are very few private sector organi-zations that have made any significanteffort to promote the game of football inPakistan. Standard Chartered Bank, whois the lead sponsor of Liverpool FC, ismaking an effort to promote football inthe country and in this regard SCB Paki-stan is taking a team from Pakistan to par-ticipate in the Standard Chartered Tro-phy that will be played at Anfield, thehome ground of Liverpool FC.

To pick the team from Pakistan, aqualifying tournament was earlier orga-nized by Standard Chartered Pakistanwhere number of teams from across thecountry participated and Karachi Unitedfootball club came out on top and willnow represent Pakistan at Standard Char-tered Trophy at Anfield.

This tournament will take place on12th & 13th of May and the all the play-ers of Karachi United are geared up toperform well in this tournament.—APP

KARACHI—Michael Clarke is expecting atough spin test against Pakistan in their se-ries in the UAE later this year but the Aus-tralian captain has declared that his teamwas looking forward to the challenge.

“The UAE is going to be an extremelytough series,” Clarke said in an interview.

“Pakistan have a very strong team andthey have had a lot of success in the past.They know those conditions really well andthey’ve got a very good team.

“They complement each other. They’vegot a good pace attack, some good spin-ners, and some experienced batters, so that’sgoing to be a tough challenge for us but welook forward to it,” Clarke said.

Pakistan will play against Australia forthe first time in four years when they willhost Clarke and Co for two Tests, three One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 Interna-tional in the UAE during October-Novem-ber this year. Their last full series was in Aus-tralia in which the hosts won every singlematch.

Clarke, however, conceded that beatingPakistan in spin-friendly conditions in theUAE won’t be easy.

“I think facing spin bowling has alwaysbeen an area of Australian cricketers’ gamethat we continually need to improve,” hesaid.

“We’re fortunate in Australia to havereally good wickets that do have pace andbounce and then later on in the game youget spin, but when you play in the subcon-tinent you’re getting spin from ball one.You’re getting less bounce. You’re getting

Clarke wary of Pakistan’sspin prowess

more natural variation off the wicket.“So I think the more we can experience

playing in those conditions, the better we’llbecome. I know our junior programmes do alot more in regards to travelling to the sub-continent to learn about those conditionsnow than, say, what we did when I was ayoung player.”

Clarke was all praise for Pakistan’s starspinner Saeed Ajmal.

“Saeed Ajmal is a wonderful bowler andone of his greatest strengths is he can spinthe ball both ways, but a lot of people don’tunderstand and realise how accurate he is.He can bowl over after over and land theball on a 20-cent coin,” he said.

Clarke hinted that the Aussies would berelying on Nathan Lyon during the tour asfar as spin bowling is concerned.

“Nathan Lyon, our current finger spin-ner, has shown by bowling the way he bowlshe can have as much success as anybodyelse,” he said.

Clarke said that the Australian selectorswould prefer consistency over everythingelse when picking the country’s squad forWorld Cup 2015 to be held Down Under.

“I think there’s a lot of cricket still to comebefore the World Cup, so there’s going to bean opportunity for a number of players. Itdoesn’t matter what form of the game you’replaying, it’s about consistent performance. Ifyou can score runs as a batsman, take wick-ets as a bowler, you’re going to be in thefront of the selectors’ minds. And for a majortournament, they’ll be looking for players thatare in form,” he said.—APP

AN T I G U A—Denesh Ramdin, the WestIndies wicketkeeper, has been namedcaptain of the Test side and will take overfrom Darren Sammy, who will remain theT20 captain. This means West Indieshave three separate captains for all threeformats.

Ramdin’s first assignment will be thehome series against New Zealand whichbegins on June 8. He has led the nationalside in three T20s and an ODI. His expe-rience with Trinidad & Tobago is moreextensive with 37 matches at the helmacross formats.

He has 21 wins under his belt andtook T&T to the semi-final of the Re-gional Four Day Competition this sea-son .

This is the second time in as manyyears that Sammy has had to relinquishcaptaincy. Last May he had to make wayfor Dwayne Bravo to become ODI cap-tain after criticism regarding his battingtoo low and his ability as a strike bowler.

Sammy’s tenure as Test captain be-gan in November 2010 when West Indiesdrew a three-match series against thehosts Sri Lanka.

His best accomplishment as captainwas when West Indies won six consecu-tive matches in 2012-13 which lifted theside to No. 5 in the rankings. But an over-all record of 8 wins to 12 losses - includ-ing a spell of five defeats in their last sixmatches - has hurt his cause.

Sammy’s three-year stint was marredby debate over his reliability as a player.

Ramdin named West IndiesTest captain

He usually occupies No.8 in the batting

order and has hit his only Test centuryand all five fifties in that position. Butan average of 22.43 cites his lack of con-sistency and his straightforward mediumpace, that fetched him 29 wickets in 10matches, prompted several cri t ics toquestion his impact as an allrounder.—AFP

Waqar’sappointment

purely onmerit

KARACHI—The decision toappoint Waqar Younis wasabsolutely on merit, followinga totally transparent proce-dure after duly scrutinizing allthe candidates, said IntikhabAlam and Zaheer Abbas.

The two former skippersand undisputed greats of thegame, Intikhab Aalam is pres-ently PCB’s Director Domes-tic Cricket who was also mem-ber of the committee taskedto select coaches for the Pa-kistan team, while ZaheerAbbas is Principal Adviser tothe Chairman PCB, said a Pa-kistan Cricket Board State-ment. The PCB’s rejoindercame in response to accusa-tions by former Pakistan chiefcoach and Mohsin Khan.“The procedure is that weusually interview candidatesabout whom we have no orlittle information. ButMohsin’s case was different;he is quite familiar to us andwe are aware of his strengthsand weaknesses”, saidZaheer Abbas. On WaqarYounis’s appointment,Zaheer said: “Waqar hasregularly been associatedwith Pakistan cricket andcommentating on the game aswell. The PCB thought thatWaqar Younis was bettersuited to take the team for-ward”. Intikhab said: “Wereviewed candidates’ applica-tions as we received them andnot in bulk on the last day.”

On selection process,Intikhab stated: “For the po-sition of Head Coach we tooka lot of other factors into ac-count. We looked at anapplicant’s ability to be inclu-sive and take players alongwith him. After reviewing allseven applications on merit,we recommended WaqarYounis”. Answering ques-tions Intikhab said, “We areresponding to the statementsmade by Mohsin Khan be-cause he is a former playerand we have immense respectfor him, not just as formercricketers but also as Paki-stani”. Regarding MohsinKhan taking the matter to acourt, Intikhab said, “It iseveryone’s right to take amatter to court, so ifMohsin wants to take it tocourt, it is his right but thePCB will not be taking thismatter to court.”—APP

MADRID: Maria Sharapova of Russia celebrating after beating Li Na in quarterfinal of Madrid Open on Friday.

BIPIN DANI

OBSERVER CORRESPONDENT

MU M B A I—With the appointment ofWaqar Younis as coach of the Paki-stan team, the players will be at easeand the language problem whichWaqar ’s predecessor Dav Whatmorehad admitted it being barrier, has beenresolved.

Richard Pybus, the former coach en-dorses Whatmore’s views.

Speaking exclusively, Pybus says,“Yes, language did become a barrier when

Waqar Younis wouldneed no interpreter

the team changed and a group of youngerplayers came in who had little Englishand had not played overseas”.

“The previous generation of Wasim,Waqar, Saeed, Saqlain etc had touredand played a lot overseas, they were easyto work with, primarily because they’reEnglish was good”, he added.

“I had decided after this experience ifI were in that situation again, I would usean interpreter like the soccer managersdo, they coach players from all over theworld with multiple languages in onedressing room”, Pybus concluded.

Aguero fit forMan City title

deciderL O N D O N — M a n c h e s t e rCity’s top scorer SergioAguero will be fit for his

side’s Premier League titledecider at home to WestHam United on Sunday,manager Manuel Pellegrinirevealed on Friday.

“The whole squad is fitfor Sunday,” Pellegrini tolda press conference. “It isvery important, always for amanager, if you have yourwhole squad and choosefrom all your players.”

Aguero, who scored thedramatic injury-time goalagainst Queens Park Rang-ers that gave City the titleon the season’s final day in2012, had been a doubt dueto a groin problem.

The 28-year-old Argen-tine striker, who has scored28 times in all competitions,limped off in the first half ofhis side’s 3-2 win at Evertonlast weekend and sat out the4-0 home win over AstonVilla on Wednesday.—AFP

MADRID—Maria Sharapova beat Li Nato book her place in the last four of theMadrid Open as top seed and reigningchampion Serena Williams pulled out ofthe tournament on Friday.

Williams was due to face PetraKvitova in the quarter-finals but pulledout due to a thigh injury she had beencarrying since sweeping aside Swissteenager Belinda Bencic in the first roundon Sunday.

“I have a left thigh injury and, unfor-tunately, have to withdraw from thisyear’s Madrid Open,” said Williams.

Sharapova has been beaten by Will-iams in Madrid in the last two years, in-cluding in the 2013 final, and the Russianis now the favourite to clinch her firsttitle in the Spanish capital as she edged a

Sharapova move to semis asSerena withdraws in Madrid

thrilling match against second seed Li 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.

Li looked on course for the semi-fi-nals when she broke to lead 4-3 in thesecond set.

However, Sharapova broke back im-mediately and, despite needing four setpoints, finally forced the match into a de-ciding set when Li netted at 5-6 down inthe tie-break.

There were three breaks of serve toopen the third set, but Sharapova tookcontrol when she finally consolidated thebreak at 3-1 and was gifted the final gamewhen Li double faulted on match point.

The four-time Grand Slam championwill face third seed Agnieszka Radwanskaor French qualifier Caroline Garcia in thesemi-finals on Saturday.—AFP

Hsieh to becomeTaiwan’s first

world number oneTAIPEI—Hsieh Su-Wei willbecome Taiwan’s first tennisworld number one when shejoins her partner Peng Shuaiat the top of the doublesrankings, the Women’s Ten-nis Association (WTA) saidFriday.

Hsieh and China’s Peng,who are into the MadridOpen semi-finals, will be listedas joint world number onesin the new rankings releasedon Monday.

“Reaching number one inthe world is a great feeling,”said Hsieh, 28. “We have beenworking really hard as a team.

“I was very proud Pengreached number one earlierthis year and now I am happywe can share it.”—AFP

LOS ANGELES—Bermane Stiverne andChris Arreola will square off in a rematchfor the vacant World Boxing Council beltwhen they meet Saturday in the first heavy-weight championship bout on US soil since2009.

“I believe that I am going to bring theexcitement back (to the heavyweight divi-sion),” Stiverne said.

The heavyweight class is traditionallyboxing’s glamour division. But title fightsin North America have been rare in recenttimes because of a lack of serious challeng-ers to the Klitschko brothers, Vitali andWladimir.

When Canada’s Stiverne and Arreolastep into the ring at the Galen Center arenaon the University of Southern Californiacampus they will be fighting for the WBCbelt vacated by Vitali in December. Vitalisurrendered the title so he could concen-trate on his presidential campaign in hisnative Ukraine.

Boxing: Stiverne, Arreola meet inrare US heavyweight showdown

In September 2009 in Los Angeles,Vitali clobbered Arreola in the last heavy-weight title fight in the US. Las Vegashasn’t hosted a heavyweight title fightsince 2006.

The 35-year-old Stiverne, who was bornin Haiti but grew up in Montreal, is seekinghis second straight win over Arreola.Stiverne won their first fight in April 2013,breaking Arreola’s nose en route to an easyvictory. He also knocked Arreola down inthe third round.

Arreola vowed to get his revenge atThursday’s news conference.

“I am going to mess you up. You aregoing to remember me. This Mexican is go-ing to do it,” who was born in the Los An-geles but considers himself Mexican.

The winner could eventually get a shotat Wladimir Klitschko. He holds the IBF/WBA/WBO belts and the WBC is the onlyone missing and keeping him from unifyingall the titles.—AFP

TAIPEI: WTA declared Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Peng Shuai world number one ofdouble rankings.

McMillannamed New

Zealandbatting coach

WELLINGTON—Former testplayer Craig McMillan hasbeen appointed NewZealand’s batting coach forthe upcoming tour of WestIndies, New Zealand Cricket(NZC) said on Friday.

“We had a number ofstrong applicants from NewZealand and abroad butoverall we felt that Craig wasthe best fit for the role,”NZC head of cricket Lind-say Crocker said in a state-ment. Capped 55 times, the37-year-old former all-rounder had worked as bat-ting coach for Canterbury,juggling the role with hiscommentary career.

New Zealand will leavefor West Indies later thismonth to play three testsand two Twenty20Internationals after whichNZC are expected to name afull-time batting coach.—APP

MANITOBA: Canada´s forward Melissa Tancredi drives for the net as USA´s goalkeeper Hope Solo looks on asdefenders Ali Krieger and Christie Rampone defend during the second half of an exhibition soccer match in Winnipeg.

LONDON—A subdued Jose Mourinho,still smarting from his latest fine by thefootball authorities, described Chelsea’sseason on Friday as a huge improve-ment despite their failure to win a tro-phy. He was fined 10,000pounds ($17,000) on Thursdayby the FA for sarcastic remarksabout Mike Dean, the refereein a crucial home defeat bySunderland last month, and of-ficials’ chief Mike Riley.

Mourinho’s appeal againstan 8,000-pound ($13,600) finefor going on to the pitch dur-ing a loss at Aston Villa wasthen rejected. Asked at a newsconference how much he hadenjoyed his return to England,the Portuguese said: “I like tobe back. I enjoyed most of thethings that happened. I like En-glish football.”

But he added of the keydefeats that cost his team theirchance of winning the PremierLeague: “To lose at Crystal Palace is(part of) English football. To lose likewe did against Aston Villa or Sunderlandis not English football.”

Clearly resentful of his treatment by

Chelsea have made big stridesthis season: Mourinho

PARIS—Brazil and Paris Saint-Germainskipper Thiago Silva is “physically andmentally exhausted” and set to miss theFrench champions final two games of theLigue 1 season, coach Laurent Blanc saidFriday.

“Thiago Silva will not play (againstLille),” said Blanc, adding that the centreback could also miss the final match againstMontpellier.

“As the goals have been achieved hewants to heal himself, it’s understandable,”said Blanc, adding that Silva had oftenplayed “in pain this season”.

Blanc added that after helping PSG toa second straight Ligue 1 title on Wednes-

Brazil skipper Silva to missPSG season finale

the FA, Mourinho said some issuesraised by reporters were best answeredby others because “other managers canhave a free opinion that I cannot have”.

Meanwhile, a subdued JoseMourinho, stillsmarting from hislatest fine by thefootball authori-ties, describedChelsea’s sea-son on Friday asa huge improve-ment despitetheir failure towin a trophy. Hewas fined 10,000p o u n d s($17,000) onThursday by theFA for sarcasticremarks aboutMike Dean, thereferee in a cru-cial home defeatby Sunderlandlast month, and

officials’ chief Mike Riley.Mourinho’s appeal against an 8,000-

pound ($13,600) fine for going on to thepitch during a loss at Aston Villa was then

rejected. Asked at a news conferencehow much he had enjoyed his return toEngland, the Portuguese said: “I like tobe back. I enjoyed most of the things thathappened. I like English football.”

But he added of the key defeats thatcost his team their chance of winningthe Premier League: “To lose at CrystalPalace is (part of) English football. Tolose like we did against Aston Villa orSunderland is not English football.”

Clearly resentful of his treatment bythe FA, Mourinho said some issuesraised by reporters were best answeredby others because “other managers canhave a free opinion that I cannot have”.

Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho believesthat Chelsea have made progress thisseason, but his abiding memory will beof the moment he lost his unbeaten homerecord in the Premier League.

Manchester City’s mid-week victoryover Aston Villa confirmed that Chelseawill go into their final match of the cam-paign at Cardiff City on Sunday know-ing that their title challenge is over. Itmeans that Mourinho will finish his firstseason back at Stamford Bridge empty-handed after his side exited the Champi-ons League at the semi-final stage andfell short in the domestic cups.—AFP

day Silva was now focusing on “Brazilwho have a chance of winning the WorldCup”.

PSG have two games left this seasonwith the sole motivation of beating theLigue 1 points record of 84 held by Lyon.They currently have 83 points.

Blanc can afford to let his World Cup-bound players rest with Maxwell also partof the Brazilian squad, with SalvatoreSirigu (Italy), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay),Blaise Matuidi, Yohan Cabaye (France),Ezequeil Lavezzi (Argentina), Gregory Vander Wiel (Netherlands) also expected tocompete in the tournament which beginson June 12.—AFP

EATING more fruits and vegetables mayreduce stroke risk by almost a third, according to a fresh look at recent evidence.

The results support existing recommendationsfrom organizations like the U.S. Centers forDisease Control and Preven-tion (CDC), which alreadycall for a diet rich in freshgreens. “The findings areconsistent with the currentknowledge that increasingconsumption of fruits andvegetables should be encour-aged to prevent stroke,” Dr.Yan Qu said in an email.

Qu, of the Qingdao Mu-nicipal Hospital and theMedical College of QingdaoUniversity in Qingdao,China, led the analysis. Astroke occurs whenbloodflow to part of the brainis blocked by a clot or a burstblood vessel. Without emer-gency care, a stroke can leadto severe brain damage ordeath. Stroke remains thefourth leading cause of death in the U.S., ac-cording to the CDC. Several studies have lookedat the influence of diet on stroke risk. Some havetied eating lots of fruits and vegetables to low-ered risk; others have found no link at all.

The effect could be indirect, and eating fruitsand vegetables may benefit overall health byreducing blood pressure, cholesterol, weight andother stroke risk factors, Qu said. It’s also pos-sible that specific nutrients in the foods mayreduce stroke risk, he said. To get a better un-derstanding of the relationship between strokerisk and plants in the diet, the researcherssearched for reports from recent decades that

tracked the eating habits and health of menand women around the world. Twenty stud-ies examining a total of 16,981 strokes among760,629 participants were included in theanalysis. Overall, the people who ate the most

fruits and vegetables were 21percent less likely to have astroke, compared to people whoate the lowest amounts, the re-searchers found.

The benefits rose alongwith the amounts of produceconsumed. Stroke risk fell by 32percent for every 200 grams (g)per day of fruit people ate, and11 percent with every 200 g ofvegetables. The researchersfound that citrus fruits, leafyvegetables and apples and pearswere the specific types of green-ery linked to reduced stroke risk.“The effect of other types of fruitand vegetables on stroke riskstill needs to be confirmed,” Qusaid. The researchers cannot sayfor certain that eating fruits andvegetables caused fewer strokes

among the participants.They point out that there could be other

factors that influence the results; for example,people who eat more fruits and vegetablesmay lead generally healthier lives. “It doesn’tsurprise me too much in that it seems to con-firm what a lot of other studies have shown,”Dr. David A. Miller said. Miller, who was notinvolved in the new study, directs the Ad-vanced Primary Stroke Center at Mayo Clinicin Jacksonville, Florida. “We still don’t knowif there is anything inherent in the fruits andvegetables or whether it’s their effect on bloodpressure,” he said.

Fruits and vegetableslinked to stroke prevention

Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Custom Collector Tariq Huda and others address-ing a Press conference at Custom House.—PO photo

Polio team administering drops to children on arrival at Jinnah International Airport.—PO photo Sultan Chaki

Activists of MQM shouting slogans during a rally under umbrellas to express solidarity with Pakistan Armed Forces atII Chundrigar Road on Friday.

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—World Health Organisation(WHO) has put Pakistan on a danger listdue to the largest number of Polio Casesfound in the country along with Syria andCameron. Till date, 59 cases reported inPakistan in 2014, 46 cases from FATA(40 in North Waziristan, 4 in SouthWaziristan, 1 in Khyber Agency and 1 inFR Bannu), 9 cases in KhyberPakhtoonkhawa (4 in Peshawar 4, 5 inBannu 5 and 4 in Karachi 4 (2 in Gadap2, 1 in Orangi Town and 1 in Baldia).

Pakistan Medical Association (PMA)stated this in a press conference at thePMAZ House in Karachi Friday.

The press conference was jointlyaddressed by PMA Centre SecretaryGeneral Dr. Mirza Ali Azhar, Treasurer

PMA Centre Dr. S M Qaisar Sajjad, PMAKarachi President Dr. M. Idrees Adhi,PMA Karachi General Secretary Dr. QaziM. Wasiq and College of Family Medi-cine Pakistan General Secretary Dr. AzizKhan Tank. They further informed thataccording to WHO recommendations alltravelers across Pakistan will have tohave Polio drops. This is a situation notunsurprising for many Pakistani’s espe-cially the health analyst.

PMA was raising its vice since a longtime but in vain. It is a shameful happen-ing for the 7th nuclear power of the world,they deplored, adding that the PMA be-lieves that there is no dearth of money,shortage of vaccines or crisis of manpower. The only thing, which we lack, isa political will to eradicate Polio fromthe country and an honest system in place

to do the job. At the moment there is acomplete chaos and confusion. People arerunning from Pillar to post to get vacci-nated and obtain certificate, they opined.

Sindh Government is mulling to in-stall check posts to scrutinize the peoplecoming from upcountry. In our opinionthis will further open gate of corruptionas the people sitting at check post willcharge the money and allow the peopleto cross the border, they lambasted.

The PMA laid further demands thata proper system of check and balanceshould be introduced, legislation againstall those elements, which attack and killpolio workers and exemplary punishmentfor them, should be ensured and incen-tives for health workers and compensa-tion for all those workers who were ei-ther killed or injured should be ensured.

PMA calls for coercivemeasures to eradicate polio

IRFAN ALIGI

KARACHI—Tusks of baby elephants incaptivity at the Karachi Zoological gar-den (KZG) had been cut and sold out toillegal traders of ivory.

Sources inside the Sports, Cultureand Recreation Department of KarachiMetropolitan Corporation told PakistanObserver that the management of KZGhad after tranqualising the two baby (fe-male) elephants of 7 and 9 years cut offthe 12 and 14 inches 4 tusks, which weresold out to a local ivory trader, whoseidentity was yet undisclosed.

Sindh information Minister SharjeelInnam Memon on his visit to KarachiSafari Park on Thursday was questionedby the newsmen about illegal trade ofivory, which was a precious but restricteditem. The Minister had in response tothose questions announced to dig into thedetails through an enquiry.

In this regard, KMC Sports, Cultureand Recreation Department senior Direc-tor Rehan Khan visited the KZG Fridaymorning.

Sources inside the KZG told Paki-stan Observer that Rehan Khan had lam-basted KZG Director Fahim Sheikh forbeing involved in illegal acts and exceed-ing his powers. However, it was notknown what departmental action wouldnow be ensued onward to that crime ofillegal ivory trade.

In past, 4 lion cubs had died at theKZG and despite severe action and rec-ommendations from top level, certainhidden hands had protected the then KZGDirector Mansoor Qazi and after remain-ing suspended for a few weeks, he wasreinstated and offered another lucrativepost in KMC accounts.

The import of baby elephants (1 maleand 3 female) was from Tanzania and theKMC had claimed that the Tanzania Gov-

ernment had donated the baby elephantsto KMC while the fact was that the babyelephants were bought for a hefty sumof money.

According to international laws gov-erning the elephants in particular wereclear that elephant could neither be ex-ported, transported, gifted nor traded asthey were declared protected animals.The laws also made it mandatory thattheir natural habitat would be protectedas protected reserve and national park.

The baby elephants had also devel-oped some problems as they were notkept in required special enclosures forpast many years and the enclosure wasrecently constructed and Sindh in-forma-tion Minister had on Thursday (May 8,2014) inaugurated it at Karachi Safaripark.

Pakistan Observer had reliably learntthat the prices of 4 elephant tusks in blackmarket was Rs 2.5 million.

Illegal ivory trade: Babyelephants’ tusks cut and sold

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—Pakistan People’s Party(PPP) Overseas President and SenatorAbdul Rehman Malik said that Talibanwere butchering citizens in Karachi butwere not claiming responsibility as partof their vested plan. They had been at-tacking Armed forces personnel, Paki-stan army troopers and the civilians andtheir ill-intentions had fully been ex-posed and hence it was of no use ofwasting time on keeping Taliban en-gaged in peace negotiations.

It was beyond doubt that peace talks

with Taliban would never yield fruit andthey would not lay their arms and stopterrorist activities. Government shouldon the pattern of Swat Valley operationlaunch a full-fledged operation againstTaliban in Waziristan.

Senator Abdul Rehman Malikstated this while talking to the news-men at Jinnah International Airport onhis arrival at Karachi Friday.

In reply to a question, he said thatprotest was democratic right of ev-ery citizen of Pakistan under the con-stitution of Pakistan but no one shouldbe allowed to derail democracy un-

der the disguise of democratic rightof protest.

To another question, the PPP over-seas President said that on characterassassination of a national security in-stitution (Inter-Services Intelligence),(Geo) should tender apology. PPP wasstanding with the state of Pakistan andnational institutions.

While responding to a question, hesaid that PPP and Muttahida QaumiMovement would continue to remainpartners and top leadership of both theparties was keen on bringing improve-ment in live of the people.

Taliban butchering peoplein Karachi: Rehman Malik

Recommendationson KCR to be

finalized next weekKARACHI—CommissionerKarachi, Shoaib AhmedSiddiqui, has ensured adminis-trative assistance for removal ofencroachments and said that vi-able recommendations onKarachi Circular Railway(KCR) would be finalized nextweek.

He was presiding over ameeting of high level commit-tee on KCR, constituted on di-rectives of CM Sindh. Admin-istrator KMC Rouf Akhtar, of-ficials of KUTC, Railways Po-lice, finance, revenue andtransport departments also at-tended.

The commissioner said that8 member KCR committeewould finalize its recommenda-tions based on ground realitiesand viable options regardingKCR in its third and final meet-ing, set to be held on comingWednesday.

Administration, KMC andpolice would extend their fullassistance and cooperation torailways for removal of en-croachments impeding theproject, the commissioner en-sured.—APP

KARACHI—Sindh Chief Minister Syed QaimAli Shah and Governor of Sistan-Balochistan AliOsat Hashemi agreed to form a joint workinggroup to expedite and identify new areas of mu-tual understanding and to promote trade and com-merce between both the provinces.

The decision came at a meeting betweemthem here on Friday. Director General for WestAsia Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iran SyedMehdi Nabizadeh and Consul General of Iran atKarachi Mehdi Subhani also accompaniedSistan-Balochistan Governor to CM House.

Sindh Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr.Sikandar Mandhro and Special Assistant to CMSindh Waqar Mehdi were also present at themeeting. Talking to the distinguished guests, theChief Minister said that Pakistan especially Sindhand its people have close historical, cultural and

bilateral relations with Iran and its people.He said that Iran is building three major hos-

pitals each at Garhi Khuda Bux district Larkana,in Khairpur and Badin to facilitate the people ofSindh. He said that ex-president of Pakistan AsifAli Zardari was taking keen interest to promotebilateral relations with Iran and had inked thePak-Iran Gas pipeline project.

The Chief minister said Sindh province isblessed with natural resources including reservesof oil, gas, coal, wind corridor, mines, and agri-culture and it has good potential to invest andexploit these resources.

He informed the Governor Sistan that after18th amendment in the constitution, provincialgovernment can enter into negotiations and evensign agreement with any country or its prov-ince.—APP

Sind, Sistan-Balochistan toidentify areas of cooperation

EATING more fruits and vegetables mayreduce stroke risk by almost a third, according to a fresh look at recent evidence.

The results support existing recommendationsfrom organizations like the U.S. Centers forDisease Control and Preven-tion (CDC), which alreadycall for a diet rich in freshgreens. “The findings areconsistent with the currentknowledge that increasingconsumption of fruits andvegetables should be encour-aged to prevent stroke,” Dr.Yan Qu said in an email.

Qu, of the Qingdao Mu-nicipal Hospital and theMedical College of QingdaoUniversity in Qingdao,China, led the analysis. Astroke occurs whenbloodflow to part of the brainis blocked by a clot or a burstblood vessel. Without emer-gency care, a stroke can leadto severe brain damage ordeath. Stroke remains thefourth leading cause of death in the U.S., ac-cording to the CDC. Several studies have lookedat the influence of diet on stroke risk. Some havetied eating lots of fruits and vegetables to low-ered risk; others have found no link at all.

The effect could be indirect, and eating fruitsand vegetables may benefit overall health byreducing blood pressure, cholesterol, weight andother stroke risk factors, Qu said. It’s also pos-sible that specific nutrients in the foods mayreduce stroke risk, he said. To get a better un-derstanding of the relationship between strokerisk and plants in the diet, the researcherssearched for reports from recent decades that

tracked the eating habits and health of menand women around the world. Twenty stud-ies examining a total of 16,981 strokes among760,629 participants were included in theanalysis. Overall, the people who ate the most

fruits and vegetables were 21percent less likely to have astroke, compared to people whoate the lowest amounts, the re-searchers found.

The benefits rose alongwith the amounts of produceconsumed. Stroke risk fell by 32percent for every 200 grams (g)per day of fruit people ate, and11 percent with every 200 g ofvegetables. The researchersfound that citrus fruits, leafyvegetables and apples and pearswere the specific types of green-ery linked to reduced stroke risk.“The effect of other types of fruitand vegetables on stroke riskstill needs to be confirmed,” Qusaid. The researchers cannot sayfor certain that eating fruits andvegetables caused fewer strokes

among the participants.They point out that there could be other

factors that influence the results; for example,people who eat more fruits and vegetablesmay lead generally healthier lives. “It doesn’tsurprise me too much in that it seems to con-firm what a lot of other studies have shown,”Dr. David A. Miller said. Miller, who was notinvolved in the new study, directs the Ad-vanced Primary Stroke Center at Mayo Clinicin Jacksonville, Florida. “We still don’t knowif there is anything inherent in the fruits andvegetables or whether it’s their effect on bloodpressure,” he said.

Fruits and vegetableslinked to stroke prevention

Vice Chancellor Dr Prof Mohammad Khaleequr Rehman visiting different stalls duringopening ceremony of four-day scouts, volunteers gala at GCU.

Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif witnessing the signing of MoU between Punjab Government and International Universities.

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—Punjab Skills Develop-ment Fund in its latest effort to en-hance the supply of skilled labor forcein the country awarded the contractsof worth 141 million PkR to 6 train-ing organizations in order to fund vo-cational trainings in various employ-able trades.

Under the scheme Skills for Job2014-15, PSDF will be funding thetrainings of more than 2000 individu-als from the districts of Bahawalpur,Bahawalnagar, Muzaffargarh, Lodhran,Rahim Yar Khan, Vehari, Khanewal.Contracted organizations will provide

trainings in the fields of automobiles,welding, fabrication, wood work, Fur-niture Making and construction.

According to the company spokes-person, third round of Skills for Job hasbeen launched. Under the previousrounds of the scheme, PSDF has fundedthe trainings of more than 15000 indi-viduals in various demand-based voca-tional trades.

Punjab Skills development Fund(PSDF) is a section 42 company, es-tablished by the Government of thePunjab in collaboration with the De-partment for International Develop-ment (DFID), UK. PSDF funds voca-tional training organisations for provid-

ing vocational and skills training to thepoor and the vulnerable populations offourteen districts of South Punjab –Bahawalpur, Lodhran, Muzaffargarh,Bahawalnagar, Vehari, Khaewal,Rahim Yar Khan, Lahore, Sargodha,Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Chiniot,Narowal and Sheikhupura.

Until now, PSDF has fundedtrainings of 40,000 men and women inits target districts of Punjab under itsvarious schemes for skill development.In future, PSDF plans to launch spe-cial schemes for sectors: light engineer-ing, footwear, food processing, sportsgoods, surgical instruments & cutleryand furniture.

PSDF signs contractsfor skilled labours

Punjab Govt signs 3 MoUswith international universities

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—Three memorandums of un-derstanding were signed between Punjabgovernment and international universi-ties at a local hotel here Friday. ChiefMinister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif wasthe chief guest on the occasion. Secre-tary Higher Education Abdullah Sunbaland representatives of international uni-versities signed the documents.

Under the agreements InternationalScottish Qualification Authority UK,COMSATS/University of Lancaster andNoor International University will set uptheir campuses in the state of the artKnowledge Park to be established inLahore.

These institutions will extend coop-eration for the promotion of research inPunjab. Similarly, they will also sharetheir experiences and skills for promot-ing higher education in Punjab as well asaward scholarships to the students. Ad-dressing the function, the Chief Minister

welcomed the signing of the agreementsbetween Punjab government and inter-national universities for establishing thecampuses in Knowledge Park and saidthat all out measures will be taken forgiving a practical shape to these agree-ments as early as possible.

He said that education is essential forachieving the goal of national develop-ment and prosperity as well as overcom-ing extremism, poverty, unemploymentand other problems.

Keeping in view the importance ofthe education, he said, Punjab govern-ment has attached top priority to the de-velopment of education sector in theprovince. He said that knowledge parkis being set up over a large area in Lahorewhere prominent universities of the worldare setting up their campuses which willpromote the process of research.

Shahbaz Sharif said that InformationTechnology University will be shifted tothe knowledge park while kidney andliver research centre as well as institutes

with regard to medical and other impor-tant sectors will also be established in thepark. He said that promotion of educa-tion is the most important method toeradicate extremism, terrorism and mili-tancy. He said that compared to bullet,education is more effective to deal withthe menace of extremism.

The Chief Minister said that DanishSchools have been set up in South Punjabto counter the trends of extremism andeducational facilities at par with presti-gious educational institutions of the coun-try are being provided to the children ofextremely poor families free of cost inthese educational institutions.

Country Director British Council Pa-kistan Peter Upton in his address com-mended the efforts being made by Punjabgovernment under the leadership ofShahbaz Sharif for the promotion of edu-cation in the province. He said BritishPrime Minister has also lauded the mea-sures taken for the uplift of educationsector in Punjab.

OBSERVER REPORT

LAHORE—Minister for Excise & Taxation, Finance Punjab,Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman has said that it is the dire needto create awareness among people regarding the rapidly increas-ing population as the increased population can only increaseproblems for the nation. He said that Punjab government hasprovided 19 percent additional budget for the provision of healthservices in Punjab. He said that by increasing the health budgetup to 102 billion rupees, the present government has ensuredmodern health facilities and free medicines as well as air-con-ditioning in general wards to poor and resource-less people.

While talking to various delegations, Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said that the world’s population is more than sixbillion and it would be doubled in 2050 and Pakistan’s popula-tion would be doubled in 2024. The reformatory initiatives arebeing introduced in education, health and other social sectorswhich resulted in providing relief to the masses and improve-ment in their living standard and the present government is keento uplift the rural development, however, these objectives can-

not be achieved unless we do not control rapid growth in popu-lation, he maintained.

Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman told that population growthrate in the developing countries is three to seven percent whereas,it is 0.5 percent in Japan, 0.3 percent in Germany, 0.1 percent inEngland and one percent in the United States. The Minister saidthat government has focused on the health of infants and moth-ers and for this purpose two billion rupees has been provided inthe budget and integrated Reproductive Newborn and ChildHealth and Nutrition Programme is shortly launched in all dis-trict of the province. He said Punjab government will spend Rs.102 billion for the provision of standardized healthcare facili-ties to the masses during current fiscal year. Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said that with a view to increase accessibility ofquality reproductive health services including family planningand to enhance understanding of adverse consequences of rapidpopulation growth, a project in collaboration with UNFPA hasbeen launched. The rising population was increasing unemploy-ment which resulted in poor law & order situation and othersocio-economic complications, he concluded.

Increased populationcan only increase problems

Defeat ofCh brothersin electionswas writing

on wallOBSERVER REPORT

LAHORE—Provincial Min-ister for Law, Rana SanaullahKhan has said that the defeatof Chaudhary Brothers ingeneral elections was writingon the wall. He said thatChaudhary Brothers pro-moted nepotism, violatedmerit and looted the nationalresources ruthlessly under thepatronage of a dictator.

Commenting upon theallegations of rigging byPervaiz Elahi, RanaSanaullah said that PervaizElahi before making hue andcry of rigging should firstsee his performance. He saidthat the people badly re-jected those who promotedcorruption and plunderednational resources.

He said that ChaudharyBrothers cannot hoodwinkthe people again. Law Min-ister said that all projects ofPervaiz Elahi were only onthe paper and he changed theliving condition of his com-panions instead of themasses.

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—A high-level Chinese delegationcalled on Punjab Chief Minister MuhammadShahbaz Sharif Friday. Matters of mutual in-terest and promotion of bilateral relations werediscussed in the meeting.

Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong andsenior officials of Chinese Anti-Terrorist Lead-ing Group were also present on the occasion.

Talking to the Chinese delegation, theChief Minister said that China is a trustwor-thy friend of Pakistan and Pak-China friend-ship is higher than Himalayas. He said thatrelations with China have turned into usefuleconomic ties.

Shahbaz Sharif said that Pakistan is fac-ing serious energy crisis and the menace of ter-rorism. He said that Chinese cooperation toovercome shortage of electricity is laudable.He said that full benefit will also be taken ofprofessional expertise and experience of Chinain coping with terrorism.

He said that police and law enforcementagencies are being provided with modern fa-cilities for protection of life and property ofthe people and new programmes will be initi-ated for capacity-building of concerned depart-ments with the collaboration of China.

He said that solid measures are being takenwith the cooperation of China for the economicdevelopment of the country. Similarly, all outresources are being utilized for elimination ofterrorism, he added. He said that an effectivestrategy is being adopted for the capacity-build-ing of police and law enforcement institutions.

He said that due to efforts being made bythe government, law and order is gradually im-proving which is also leaving a positive im-pact on national economy.

Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan SunWeidong and Deputy Director General Chi-nese Anti-Terrorist Leading Group An Weixingexpressed the resolve to continue cooperationwith Pakistan in the implementation of publicwelfare programmes in the country.

Shahbaz praises Chinese coopto overcome energy crisis

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—Pakistan Muslim League(PML-Q) senior central leader andformer Deputy Prime Minister ChParvez Elahi has said that Elections 2013were hijacked, judicial commissionshould be constituted to try hijackers forbreaking the Constitution and given ex-emplary punishment so that nobodydares to trample the mandate of thepeople.

He said this while addressing a pressconference at the Muslim League Househere today. Kamil Ali Agha, Tariq BashirCheema, Muhammad Basharat Raja, ChZaheeruddin Khan, Hafiz Ammar Yasir,Ahmad Yar Heraj, Dr Azeemuddin ZahidLakhvi, Ch Altaf Hussain, Qamar HauatKathia, Muhammad Khan Leghari,Seemal Kamran, Syeda Majida Zaidi,Kanwal Nasim and other leaders werealso present.

Ch Parvez Elahi said holding of elec-tion was taken over by former Chief Jus-tice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry in-stead of the Chief Election Commis-

sioner and announcement of the resultsby Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif,election staff and the returning officerswere being controlled from April bysome people including a “veiled person-ality” (pardanasheen) sitting in GORLahore, biggest target of rigging wasPunjab and our party, our votes were re-jected and our 44 seats snatched away,our party was first to raise voice againstrigging in the last bye-election held onDecember 4, 2014 and again in the gen-eral elections of 2013.

Earlier meeting of PML MNAs,MPAs, Senators, leaders and legal ex-perts was held under the chairmanshipof PML President and former PrimeMinister Senator Ch Shujat Hussain athis residence here. In the meeting it wasunanimously decided regarding May 11that PML extends full moral support tothe protest of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf(PTI) and mission of Dr Tahirul Qadriand PML delegations would also partici-pate in their rallies/protest.

Ch Parvez Elahi said that by involv-ing the judiciary in the election process

the former Chief Justice of Pakistan hadopenly violated the Judicial Policy of2009 issued with his signatures that infuture, judiciary will not be involvedin the judicial process, not only this in-stead of the Chief Election Commis-sioner the Chief Justice had been giv-ing verbal and written instructions tothe Returning Officers, the Chief Elec-tion Commissioner had announced onMarch 28, 2013 after meeting with del-egations of all political parties that allinstitutions should refrain from interfer-ence in the elections but the former ChiefJustice by issuing a special letter fromDistrict to Assistant Returning Officersstarted interfering in the election contraryto the direction of the Chief ElectionCommissioner who was responsible forholding of the election under the Con-stitution, held closed doors meetings andaddressed returning officers by visitingKarachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Peshawarand Quetta on which the lawyers bodiesincluding Pakistan Bar Council and theSupreme Court Bar Association hadstrongly protested.

Elections 2013 were hijacked: Elahi