LAHORE: Patriotic emotions ran through the sky when around 70,000 participants of Punjab Youth Festival joinedvoices with an aim to break the world record for the most people singing a National Anthem simultaneously atNational Hockey Stadium.

Continued on Page 7

AMANULLAH KHAN

K A R A C H I — R e n o w n e dnuclear scientist Dr. AbdulQadeer Khan, perturbed bywhat he called the worstever law and order situation,has called for imposition ofgovernor rule wherever thelaw & order situation hasslipped out of hand.

Speaking as the chiefguest at a Seminar hereKhan said that there is aprovision under the consti-tution in case any provin-cial government fails to de-liver and protect the life,

Law and order situation calls forgovernor rule in provinces: A Q Khan

honor and property of thecitizens, the Chief Ministerand the Home Ministershould be sent to homes.

Topic of the seminar was“Controlling Spread of Way-wardness” which was orga-nized by Bazm-e-Kiran.

Khan bitterly criticizedwhat he called ineffective ef-forts to control heinouscrimes like target killing,kidnappings for ransom andrampant extortions by thegangsters. Industrialists andbusiness people are beingthreatened for their live ifthey failed to comply with the

demands of the extortioniststhrough slip of a paper called“parchi”. Their factories areput on fire if they resist orfail to meet their demands. Itis happening every day andthere is no one to heed or

takes action against theselaw breakers. On the otherhand half hearted efforts arebeing made to combat thepersistent energy crisis.People are being hoodwinkedwith false promises or claimsto convert Thar coal into an

endless stream of energy. Allthese claims are like sugarquoted pills which is a sheerdishonesty with the nation.

Dr. Qadeer strongly rec-ommended that if any pro-vincial government failed todeliver its first responsibil-ity of protecting life, honorand property of the people,

the Chief Minister and theHome Minister should besent to their homes. The situ-ation in Balochistan andPakhtunkhawa is also be-yond control, enforce gover-nor rule in that province andyou will see that the situa-

Continued on Page 7

Malala attack justa drama, allegesAl-Qaeda siteISLAMABAD—A websitelinked with Al-Qaeda saysattack on Malala Yousufzaiis ‘just a drama’.

“It’s a plot tostrengthen the globalcrusade against Muslims,”it adds commenting that ‘it(Al-Qaeeda) is not againstgirls’ education but againstsecular education system.

The statement hasseverely criticized Pakistaniand international mediaover their coverage ofMalala.

“Until any authenticmedia outlet of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)doesn’t give any statementabout attack on the girl andit’s after affects the wholeact is suspicious,” it said.

The site namingAnsarullah attacks BBC,saying most of the state-

tion would return to nor-malcy within couple ofdays.

He urged the people toexercise their right of voteto bring good people at thehelm of affairs. He regret-ted that despite havingenormous potential thepeople are deprived of theirbasic rights of health andeducation, peace and pros-perity due to poor leader-ship. If the good peoplewere not elected to powereverything would be de-stroyed he warned. It is the

Continued on Page 7

SC judgmentshould beimplemented:MQMSTAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—The Co-ordination Committee ofMuttahida Quami Move-ment (MQM) has welcomedthe historic judgmentdelivered by the SupremeCourt in Asghar Khan case.It said that the judgment ofthe court should beimplemented according toits spirit. It said that actionshould be taken under theconstitution and the lawagainst the army andgovernment officers whodistributed money from thenational exchequer amongpoliticians and all thosepolitical leaders andjournalists who received

STAFF REPORTER

L A H O R E — I n f o r m a t i o nQamar Zaman Kaira Saturdaysaid the government wouldinitiate an impartial investiga-tion into distribution ofmoney among politicians inthe light of the Supreme Courtverdict in Asghar Khan case.

A joint investigation teamcan be formed in this connec-tion, he told reporters here onSaturday. However, Kaira ex-pressed his reservations aboutremarks in the SC verdict aboutthe role of president. He said,

Riaz demands Sharifs’disqualification

Kaira hints at joint probe“President is elected througha political process and cannotbe kept away from politics.”Kaira said the office of Presi-dent is not apolitical office.Terming the comments asstrange he said if the presidentis not to do politics what elsehe would do.

Kaira said, if PML-N wantsto hold a political meeting inthe Presidents House it wasmost welcome.Moreover, PPP Punjab hassought disqualification ofSharif Brothers and inclusionof their names in ECL.

Meanwhile, Leader of theOpposition in the PunjabAssembly Raja Riaz said on

ISLAMABAD—Ali AsgharKhan, son of Air Marshal(Retd) Asghar Khan saidmoney distributed by the es-tablishment during 1990 elec-tion was directed againstPeople’s Democratic Alliance(PDA) and not PPP.

Talking to Online he saidPPP was a part of PDA. PPPhad not cooperated with thecourt during the hearing ofAsghar Khan case on anyoccasion, he alleged.

He went on to say PPPhad gone active to exploitSupreme Court (SC) verdictin Asghar Khan Case for po-litical gains in the perspec-tive of upcoming general elec-tions.

He charged PPP was mis-guiding the people in respect Continued on Page 7

PPP trying to take politicaladvantage: Ali Asghar

of this case. Establishment infact had disbursed moneyagainst PDA during 1990elections and PPP was coali-tion partner with Tehreek-e-Istiqlal, Tehreek-e- Nifaz-e-Fiqa Jaffria and PML (QasimGroup).

Son of Air Marshall(Retd) Asghar Khan said PPPwas giving such impressionas if the court’s verdict wasits victory.

It was ridiculous to saythat justice had been pro-vided to PPP, he said addingthat on the other hand factremains that PPP had not co-operated with the court atany stage during the hearingof the case nor it filed relevantdocuments with court de-

Continued on Page 7

WASHINGTON—The UnitedStates support a strong,democratic Pakistan thatworks well with the interna-tional community and Wash-ington in addressing the ter-ror challenges it faces.

Replying to a question,state department’s spokes-

US supports Pakistan to addressterror challenges: State Department

person Victoria Nuland saidthe US is reengaging withPakistan after some period intrying to get the workinggroups and other thingsback up and running to sup-port their joint efforts to meetthe terror challenge.

She said that is the tra-

jectory that they have nowon.

About Malala Yousufzai,Victoria Nuland commendedthe UAE for transportinghere and the UK for treatmenther treatment. She said thatthey hope for her full andspeedy recovery.—INP

Continued on Page 7

ISLAMABAD: US Special Representative for Afghanistanand Pakistan Marc Grossman in a meeting with ForeignMinister Hina Rabbani Khar.

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—The UnitedStates Special Representa-tive for Pakistan and Afghani-stan Marc Grossman has saidthat the US is not puttingpressure on Pakistan fro con-ducting military operation inNorth Waziristan Agency,adding that decision in thisregard will be taken by Paki-stan itself.

He said that US and Paki-stan are trying for restoringpeace, stability and securityin Afghanistan.

While talking to state-run TV here on Saturday, hesaid that there is need forprogress of the education forpurifying the society fromthe terrorism. He said thatpeople in US were shocked

US not pushing for NWAoperation: GrossmanHolds talks with Hina, Kayani

Continued on Page 7

on the murder attack atMalala Yousafzai. He saidthat US know, how much thepeople in Pakistan are af-fected by the terrorism and

extremism, adding that the USexpresses solidarity with thepeople of Pakistan in this re-gard. He said that now the

MUZAFFAR ALI

LAHORE—Chief JusticeIftikhar MuhammadChaudhry on Saturday saidthat problems generate onlywhen individuals becomestronger than institutionsand conflicts between statesis the main source of terror-ism, adding that lasting peacebetween India and Pakistanwould not be possible with-out establishing the rule oflaw.

He was addressing on thesecond day of International

Not individuals but institutions need strengthening

CJ links Pak, India peaceto law rule

Conference on “Peacethrough Law” organized by

the Supreme Court Bar As-sociation (SCBA) here at alocal hotel. An Indian law-yers’ delegation is also in thecity to participate in the con-ference.

Chief Justice IftikharChaudhry said that denyingthe supremacy of law andbreaching the constitutionhave misled the people andthe rule of law is only rem-edy for all social evils.

He said that Islam is areligion of peace and there isno space for violence in it.

Flight delay: CJsummons PIA

officialsLAHORE—Chief Justice ofPakistan Iftikhar MuhammadChaudhry summoned PIAofficers and rebuked them fordelay of light, through whichhe was to fly to Karachi from

Continued on Page 7 Continued on Page 7

70,000 Pakistanisset record of singing

National AnthemLAHORE—Thousands ofpeople gathered in Lahoreand created a record of sing-ing National Anthemtogether.a

Nearly 70,000 of stu-dents, athletes and civil so-ciety members were gatheredat the National Hockey sta-dium Lahore to create arecord of singing NationalAnthem of Pakistan. Earlier15,000 Indians had made therecord by singing nationalanthem together.

Officials of the GuinnessWorld Records were alsopresent and watched thebreaking number of athletes,volunteers, students andguests.The athletes marchpast and a torch lightened after

Picture on Back Page

Continued on Page 7

Saturday the Election Com-mission should immediatelydeclare the Sharif brothersineligible to contest polls inlight of the Supreme Courtsrecent orders.

Speaking to reporters ata press conference here inLahore, the PPP’s Partyleader said that Punjab ChiefMinister Shahbaz Sharif wasalready constitutionally ineli-gible for elections followingan SC ruling declaring the1990 election, which was wonby Sharif’s party, was rigged.

In its landmark ruling onFriday, the apex court or-

SC takes noticeof killings of

lawyersSTAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—The SupremeCourt of Pakistan has issuednotice to the inspector gen-eral of the Sindh police overthe murders of lawyers and

Changezi hailsAsghar Khancase verdict

CORRESPONDENT

Q U E T T A — P a k i s t a nPeoplel’s Party Balochistanchapter leader Zamin AliChangezi on Saturday wel-comed the Supreme Courtruling on the Asghar Khancase and called for actionagainst those who betrayednation and received moneyfrom the establishment.

In a statement issuedhere, he while hailing the SCverdict said that it was his-toric decision made by thefull bench of the apex court,adding the ruling has onceagain made it clear that con-spiracies had been hatchedagainst the PPP in every re-gime. “The court observationhas revealed the covert facesof the politicians who did notwant democracy to flourishin the country”, he main-tained. Mr Zamin called onthe politicians who receivedsecret money to apologizethe nation for their wrong act.

Dental conferenceat UMDC

OUR CORRESPONDENT

FAISALABAD—The first na-tional general Dental Practi-tioners Conference was heldat University Medical andDental College (UMDC) hereon Saturday. The conferencetargeted the practicing den-tal surgeons from the CentralPunjab and other parts of thecountry.

The conference com-prised of two parts. The firstpart included eight lecturesby the veteran consultants inthe field of dentistry includ-ing Prof Dr Ayyaz Ali Khan,Prof Dr Samir Qazi, Prof DrMoghees Baig, Prof Dr UlfatBashir, Dr Arshad Malik, DrAgha Suhail, Dr ArhamChohan and Dr Hina ZafarRaja. The second part of theconference comprised of fourworkshops on OrthodonticsTreatment Planning, Man-agement of Pediatric Patients,Rotary Endodontics.

DBA observesstrike

MULTAN—The District BarAssociation (DBA) Multanobserved strike against themurder of a senior lawyer inLahore here on Saturday.The strike was observed onthe call of Punjab Bar Coun-cil against the murder oflawyer Shakir Ali Rizvi inLahore and the lawyersboycotted the court pro-ceedings. District Bar Asso-ciation president Hafiz AllahDita, general secretary ChAfzal Jutt.—APP

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—The monthlong pre Hajj flights opera-tion concluded on Saturdayas over 180,000 Pakistanisincluding the governmentand private scheme pilgrimshave reached Saudi Arabiafor performing the sacred re-ligious ritual of Hajj. Accord-ing to an official of the Min-istry of Religious Affairs, thepre hajj flights operation wasstarted on September 19. Thepost Hajj flights operationwould be started from Octo-ber 31. The last two flights

are set to leave for SaudiArabia from Islamabad andKarachi on Saturday.

Over 180,000 Pakistanihujjaj were airlifted with thehelp of a total of 283 flightsincluding 149 of PIA, 80flights of Shaheen Airline and54 flights of Saudi Airline, hesaid. PIA has airlifted 45,481pilgrims including 6,639 fromIslamabad, 5,633 fromLahore, 6,639 from Karachi,7,057 from Quetta, 9,049 fromPeshawar, 6,958 fromMultan, 3,506 from Sialkot.

Saudi Airline has lifted45,481 pilgrims including

2,660 from Islamabad, 2,660pilgrims have been airliftedfrom Lahore, 2,000 fromKarachi, 6,000 fromPeshawar, 320 from RahimYar Khan and 3,010 fromFaisalabad, he said.Shaheen Air had airlifted20,700 pilgrims including5,300 each from Islamabadand Lahore, 6,100 fromKarachi and 4,000 fromPeshawar. The airfare ofNorth Zone was Rs 85,000and Rs 73,000 was chargedfrom the passengers wantedto go to Saudi Arabia fromSouth Zone, he said. To

serve and facilitate Pakistanihujjaj, a contingent of 625doctors, paramedics and an-cillary staff have alreadyreached Saudi Arabia.

The medical missionhas been increased from540 to 625 to better serve tohujjaj. The contingent hasbeen drawn from Armedforces, federal/provincialgovernments, health de-partments, he said. Onedoctor has been deployedto serve every 1000 pil-grims. A total of 180 Paki-stani doctors have beensent to Saudi Arabia includ-

ing 126 male and 54 femaledoctors. While two paramedics have been sentagainst one doctor.

As many as 330 Pakistanbased Mauveneen-i-Hujjaj(Khuddam) have alsoreached Saudi Arabia for thewelfare of pilgrims. Likewise900 local Mauveen-e-Hujjaj has been recruited for40 to 60 days for the wel-fare and services of theHujjaj, he said. And a con-tingent of 170 seasonal stafffrom Ministry of ReligiousAffairs has also been se-lected for serving in facili-

tation desk for the facilita-tion and guidance of pil-grims.

Yet another 1475 welfarestaff has been sent to SaudiArabia including 330Muaveeneen , 625 hajj medi-cal mission, 350 volunteerMauvaneen and 170 SeasonalDuty Staff. The staff hasstarted its activities in SaudiArabia, he said. In Hajj area,he said 25 Saudi hospitals areproviding quality services tothe hujjaj, Four hospitals areworking in Arafat, Four inMina and seven in Mekkahtul Makarama, he said.

Governor tovisit Faisalabad

on 23rdOUR CORRESPONDENT

FAISALABAD—Punjab Gover-nor Sardar Lateef Khosa willvisit the city on Tuesday in-stead of Monday. In a state-ment issued by the FaisalabadChamber of Commerce andIndustry (FCCI) here on Sat-urday, the governor wasschedule to visit here onMonday but his visit has beenadjourned from Monday toTuesday (October 23). Presi-dent FCCI Mian Zahid Aslamsaid the governor had alsobeen invited in the chamberwhere he will address traders,businessmen, exporters andimporters at 11:30am.

Annual Naatcompetion held

STAFF REPORTER

PESHAWAR—Annual Naatcompetition held among Girlsmiddle schools of the publicsector was won by Govern-ment Middle School NewKarimpura, Peshawar. TheAnnual Naat competition ar-ranged by of Elementary andSecondary Education (Fe-male) District Peshawar washeld at Government GirlsMiddle school Cantt.Peshawar. District EducationOfficer (Female) SofiaTabassom was chief guest atthe event while FarzanaYusuf, District Sport Secre-tary was also present.

Students from 25 middleschools of the district partici-pated in the competition. Ac-cording to jury decision,Sundus of Government GirlsSchool New Karimpuraclinched first position whileKhadija of GGMS Gul BachaJee and Maryam of GGMSLahori gate grabbed 2nd each.Similarly Asma of GGMSShaheen Muslim Town,Gulbahar No 4 and Rimsha ofGGMS Jehangirpura,Peshawar was declared as 3rdin the competition.

Speaking on the occasion,Farzana Yusuf, District SportSecretary lauded efforts ofheads of middle schools formaking the event a success.She appreciated courage andpresentation skill of the stu-dents. She said co-curricularactivities can play vital role inbuilding up of the studentsbesides developing a sense ofhealthy competition in them.The chief guest District Edu-cation Officer (Female) SofiaTabassum gave trophies to thewinners of the competition.

Seven studentsreceive burn

injuriesCORRESPONDENT

FATEH JANG—Seven stu-dents received burn woundswhile disposing off the gar-bage by burning it here onSaturday. According to de-tails, students of a school lo-cated in village Babrra of FatehJang were trying to dispose offthe rubbish present aroundand in the school throughburning it when the burningheap of garbage engulfed theseven students resulting inburn wounds to them.

The local people andparents of the students gath-ered at the scene and shiftedthe injured children to Dis-trict Headquarters (DHQ)Hospital Attock where ac-cording to hospital sourcescondition of three injuredstudents was serious. Theparents of students and lo-cal people urged the authori-ties concerned for maintain-ing cleanliness in school sur-roundings and also de-manded the teachers to askstudents for maintenance.

DESPITE a slightly increase of 5 percent inoverall number of tour-

ists as compared to previousyear, the hospitality busi-ness has witnessed overall8 percent decrease since2008 across the country.According to the experts,the main reasons behindthis decline in hospitalitybusiness are technologicalchanges, lack of tourism,government’s economic in-stability and terrorism. Theavailable research data re-veals that the main reasonof declining in hospitalitybusiness is not terrorismrather i t is technologicalchanges. Globally chang-

ing technology has af-fected hospitality businessin Pakistan and its role isabout 73 percent to worsenthe hospitality because ofour failure in adoption ofmodern and advanced tech-nology.

Next to it is terrorism thatgripped the country and itsnegative role is recorded 48percent. Lack of tourismpolicy on the government’sside is also badly affectingthis industry and its role istagged 36 percent while roleof the poor law and ordersituation is about 19 per-cent. There is an observabledecline of customers from 40to 60 percent in five-starhotels chains owing ofopening easily affordablenew small chains of differ-ent hotels. The five star ho-

tels indicated that their rev-enue from food and bever-age was over 632000 coverslast year. International fastfood restaurants named asKFC, McDonalds and PizzaHut are hotel’s main com-petitors in the past. Theseare also creating problemsfor hotel industry. The hotelindustry is also killed bytour operators who offer in-flated prices.

Talking to Pakistan Ob-server, Iftikhar Ahmed, anofficial of a five-star hotelin Lahore, said technologi-cal advances will be amongthe most important forcesdriving the hotel industrybut unfortunately, there isno fashion of adopting thedevices of new technologyin hostility industry in Pa-kistan. He said the people

from all over the world usu-ally come to meet their rela-tives; they do not contrib-ute much to the hotel in-dustry, because of increas-ing fear of suicide bomb-ing.

He said the service in-dustry is the world’s larg-est growing industry fasterthan the manufacturing andagriculture but the onlyfive star hotels in Pakistanhad planned for an invest-ment for over three milliondollars only.

Ishtiaq Gill, the trainer ofhospitality business, saidthat after 2008 the PakistanTourism, Hospitality and Lei-sure (TPL) sector was start-ing to see measurable fall-out from the economic cri-sis in the form of negativeindicators in the hotel indus-

try, a slowdown in the gam-ing sector and increased“trading down” from casualdining restaurants to quick-serve restaurants. He saidthere are 134 tourist placesand 178 hotels in Pakistanand our ranking in tourismindustry is 88 from 196across the globe. He saidthat the government’s poli-cies are not encouraging.“This indicates that the in-dustry is far from healthystate and needs improve-ment,” he added.

LCCI former Senior VicePresident and CEO SozoTheme Parks EngineerSohail Lashari said that thegovernment has failed toshowcase the tourism po-tential of the country there-fore effective measures areneeded to be taken.

Hospitality business on decline

Pre-Hajj flights end

CommentsMUZAFFAR ALI

STAFF REPORTER

PESHAWAR—The KhyberPakhtunkhwa Governor, Bar-rister Masood Kausar has saidthat the southern parts of theprovince especially the KohatDivision and its adjoiningtribal belt is going to becomehub of economic activities innear future. He said due to thepresence of oil and gas andprecious minerals productionin the region, completion ofunder construction road net-work both via South andNorth Waziristan agencies,apart from the new bridge atKhushalgarh over Indus Riveras well would bring revolution-ary chances in the life of thepeople of southern part. Allthese projects are meant to getaccess to Central Asian Statesfor promotion of trade throughland routes.

The Governor expressedthese views while addressing

as the chief guest at the 17thParents Day function of Gar-rison Cadet College at Kohaton Saturday. Cadet Ahmad

Abdullah was adjudged thebest cadet of the year and wasawarded coveted honor ofthe institution which theAyubi House achieved theChampions trophy. Smartcontingents of cadet pre-sented well disciplined

march past, demonstratedgymnastic skills, PT shows,cultural activities and re-ceived appreciation from theaudience who besides par-ents of cadets, senior militaryand civil officials were alsoincluded elites of the area.

The Governor asked thestudents to develop the habitof personal and collective dis-cipline in their lives, which, heremarked, is the hall mark allthe progressive nations. “Youare the future leaders of Paki-stan with tremendous respon-sibilities on your shouldersand you must strive for excel-lence in education, inculcatenational values and steer thebeloved motherland to thepath of progress and prosper-ity”, he added. BarristerMasood Kausar said that re-alization to the importance ofgoal oriented education verymuch exists and the govern-ment is making efforts for at-

tainment of the desired stan-dards in this respect. He re-minded the cadets that theirparents are rendering a greatdeal of sacrifices for their edu-cation and they must come upto their expectations.

“You should also remaincognizant of your responsi-bilities towards the commu-nity, society and above all thecountry as the whole and toachieve the desired goals,fully devote your energies foracquiring knowledge whichis essential for prosperity ofthe country and yourselftoo”, he said. Appreciatingthe performance of the col-lege, the Governor said thatthough this is relatively newamongst its sister institu-tions yet it has attained apermanent place in the ranksof elite educational institu-tions of the country in a veryshort span of 19 years andemerged an ideal institution.

OUR CORRESPONDENT

DERA GHAZI KHAN—Deathanniversary of former Presi-dent Sardar Farooq AhmedKhan Leghari was observedhere on Saturday. SardarFarooq Ahmed Khan Leghariwas born on May 29, 1940, inChoti Zareen, a village ofDera Ghazi Khan District.

Leghari served as eighthpresident of the country

Ex-President FarooqLeghari remembered

from November 1993 to De-cember 1997. In 1996, he dis-missed the government ofPrime Minister BenazirBhutto over corruptioncharges.

Leghari resigned afterdeveloping differences withBhutto’s successor, NawazSharif. Leghari also brieflyserved as foreign minister in1993 during Benazir Bhutto’ssecond stint in government.

ISLAMABAD—The weatherturned cold as different partsof Pakistan received rain, aprivate news channel re-ported. According to MetOffice, weather remain dry inmost parts of Pakistan. how-ever, rain was recorded inMultan, Sargodha, Jhang,Toba Tek Singh, Dadu,Peshawar, Mianwali, Swat,Kohat and some parts ofGilgit Baltistan. The new spellof rain turned weather cold.

Lowest temperature dur-ing past 24 hours was re-corded in Astour where mer-cury fell up to 2 degree centi-grade while cold wave per-sists in Hunza, Kalat, Quetta,Malam Jabba, Parachinar andSkardu. Met office has pre-dicted rain for Lahore,Gujranwala, Sargodha,Faisalabad and some upperparts of the country duringthe next 12 hours. The localMet office has forecast partlycloudy weather for the cityand its suburbs during thenext 24 hours.

On Saturday, the maxi-mum and minimum tempera-tures were recorded as 27.5and 17.1 degrees centigrade,

Rain forecastrespectively. Humidity wasrecorded 85 per cent at 8amand 53 per cent at 5pm. Me-teorological Office here onSaturday forecasts scatteredrain/ thunderstorm in parts ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa duringnext 24 hours.

Partly cloudy weather isexpected in most parts of theprovince with a chance ofrain and thunderstorm inPeshawar, Malakand andKohat Divisions. The chiefamount of rain during last 24hours was: Peshawar, 10mm,Parachinar, 6mm, Dir andKalaam, 19mm and Chitral4mm rain. The Meteorologi-cal department on Friday fore-cast cloudy weather withchances of thunder/rain inthe provincial capital duringthe next 24 hours. Theweather pundits say thatthunderstorm/rain.—APP

Southern KP, adjoining tribal beltto emerge as economic hub: Kausar

ABBOTTABAD: Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Khalid Shameem Wynne, awarding coneted Swardof Honour to best cadet of 126th PMA Long Course, Academy Senior Under Officer, Anees at Pakistan Military Academy.

AB B O T TA B A D—ChairmanJoint Chiefs of Staff Commit-tee (CJCSC), General KhalidShamim Waynne has saidthat armed forces of Pakistanare committed and have thecapability to confront allkinds of internal and external

Armed forces ready to bluntall threats: Gen Waynne

challenges. The CJCSC saidthis while speaking at a pass-ing-out parade ceremonyhere on Saturday.

General Waynne said thatPakistan’s armed forces arecapable in all aspects and thePakistan Army should not be

treated as lesser than that ofany other country. He saidthat the entire nation is unitedon the issue of national se-curity. The CJCSC said Paki-stan has no aggressive de-signs against any country.

Later, General Waynne

witnessed the passing-outparade and distributed prizesamong the top performers.The honorary sword wasgiven to Officer Anis. A Pal-estinian and a Sudanese ca-det were also included in thecourse.—INP

180,000 pilgrims flown to Saudia Arabia

Drive for dues recoveryOur Correspondent

HYDERABAD—Hyderabad Electric Sup-ply Company in its massive campaign ofrecovery of outstanding dues againstpublic and private consumers, had dis-connected 3387 power connections inall 12 districts of its three operationcircles on Friday and recovered Rs. 7.571millions from the defaulters. An amountof Rs. 42.9 billions is outstandingagainst 0.213 million public and privateconsumers and on the directives of

Federal Minister for Water and Power Choudhry AhmedMukhtar, the Chief Executive HESCO Muzaffar Ali Abbasihas asked the heads of 15 special recovery teams to en-sure cent percent recovery of outstanding dues from thedefaulters, the spokesman informed here on Friday. InTando Muhammad Khan-I Operation Sub-Division, thespokesman informed that the recovery team disconnectedthe power connections of Irrigation Colony having out-standing dues of Rs. 910 million while the power connec-tions of the installation of Taluka Municipal Administra-tion Tando Muhammad Khan having outstanding dues ofRs. 370 million and 53 villages having outstanding dues ofRs. 40 million have been disconnected by the recoveryteam. In Badin Operation Sub-Division, the recovery teamdisconnected the power connections of the office of TalukaMunicipal Administration, Public Park, Excise Colony, Rev-enue Colony, LBOD Workshop and Circuit House. In TalharOperation Sub-Division, the power connections of the of-fices of Taluka Municipal Administration Talhar.

History proves Benazir was rightOur Correspondent

SARGODHA—Minister of State for Wa-ter and Power Tasneem Ahmed Qureshisaid on Saturday that after 22 years,history had proved Benazir Bhuttoright that the 1990 elections wererigged. Talking to journalists at PeoplesSecretariat, the state ministerwelocmed the historic decision of theSupreme Court of Pakistan and said thePPP was thankful to the judiciary forunveiling the conspiracy and rigging

plan woven at the Presidency against former Prime Min-ister Shaheed Benazir Bhutto in 1990. Qureshi said thatthe decision would be fully implemented and after impar-tial investigation through FIA, accused politicians wouldbe dealt with according to the law. Federal Minister forWater and Power Ch Ahmed Mukhtar said the PPP wouldwin the general elections as per vision and manifesto ofShaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto Shaheed.He said this while addressing a public gathering afterinaugurating gas project at UC-110 and UC-111 in NA-66, Sargodha. Minister of State for Water and PowerTasneem Ahmad Qureshi was also present. The federalminister said the government had succeeded in reducingloadshedding duration in the country and energy crisiswould be resolved soon. Ahmed Mukhtar said the gov-ernment was fully depending on its own resources toresolve energy issue, adding that the Thar Coal projectwould be completed and the government had releasedfunds in this regard. On this occasion, Minister of Statefor Water and Power Tasneem Qureshi said the Punjabgovernment was creating hurdles in completing devel-opment works but with the cooperation of the public, thePPP would provide all possibile facilities to the masses attheir door steps.

Journalists playing vital roleRaza Naqvi

ATTOCK—In today’s era the role of presscan not be denied. Press is the fourth pil-lar of any state. Press and politics cannotbe separated from one another. MNA andChairman Standing Committee for DefenceProduction Sheikh Aftab Ahmad said thiswhile addressing journalists here at APC(Attock Press Club) as chief guest. Onthe occasion Chairman APC ShahzadAnjum Butt, office bearers and membersof APC were also present. Sheikh Aftab

Ahmad said that the journalists of Attock are playing theirvital role in highlighting the problems of the people and alsomaking aware them of their rights and duties. He said, journal-ists are performing a sacred duty as they bring to the fore thefacts and for this they even put their lives at stake. .He saidthat the problems of the journalists of APC will be solved onpriority. He said that he will apprise the Chief Minister Punjabregarding the problems being faced by the members of APCand will try his best to resolve them. He said he will discusswith Chief Minister Punjab the issue of the establishment ofjournalist colony in Attock. Sheikh Aftab said that for therenovation of APC special funds will be allocated and provi-sion of basic facilities will be ensured. He said that journaliststo remain united for the prosperity of the country. FormerCandidate for MPA from PP 15 Sheikh Salman Sarwar in hisaddress appreciated the journalists community of APC forhighlighting the problems of the people of Attock district. Heannounced Rs 25000/ grant for APC. Earlier Chairman APCShahzad Anjum Butt in his welcome address apprised thechief guest of the problems being faced by the journalists ofAttock. He specially demanded that special quota be allo-cated for the childern of journalists in universities and col-leges and special funds be allocated for them (journalistschildern) to complete their studies.

LUMHS takesnotice of electricity

disconnectionOUR CORRESPONDENT

HY D E R A B A D—The man-agement of Liaquat Univer-sity of Medical and HealthSciences Jamshoro hastaken serious notice of thedisconnection of electric-ity of residential and com-mercial ares by HyderabadElectric Supply Companyon charge of arrears ofelectricity bills of bulk sup-ply.

The university spokes-man clarified that in resi-dential colony of LUMHSabout 45 percent residenceshave been occupied by theemployees of Liaquat Uni-versity Hospital belongingto Sindh Government de-spite so many reminderssent to the administration ofLiaquat University Hospitalregarding the payment ofelectricity bills, no amounthas been deposited tilldate.

1,500 cornealtransplantation

conducted at MTHOUR CORRESPONDENT

FAISALABAD—As many as1500 successful cornealtransplantation have beenconducted free of cost atMadinah Teaching Hospitalunder the aegis of MadinahFoundation.

This was expressed byDr Aamir Ali ChaudharyVice Principal UniversityMedical & Dental Collegewhile addressing a seminaron “Management of Cor-neal Pathologies” here onFriday.

Prof Dr Asad AslamKhan, Vice Chancellor KingEdward Medical Universitywas the chief guest while DrZahid Yasin Hashmi PrincipalPunjab Medical College(PMC) attended the cer-emony as guest of honor.

QUETTA: Wife of kidnapped doctor, Dr Saeed Khan, wiping her tears during meeting ofParamedical Stall Association.

HYDERABAD: A Hindu woman decorating Mata SheraWali statue to celebrate the Navratri Festival.

DI KHAN: Police personnel demonstrating their skills after completing anti-terrorism course arranged by Pakistan Army.

STAFF REPORTER

PESHAWAR—In order to cre-ate and polish leadershipqualities among the youth, atwo-day workshop was heldunder the auspices of Paki-stan, US Alumni Network(PUAN) at Edwards College,Peshawar on Saturday. Themain aim of the seminar was tobring together a diverse groupof students under one roof inorder to create awareness onhow to promote democraticleadership and its sub catego-ries well in Pakistan.

Addressing the conclud-ing session, Iftikhar Firdous,Bureau Chief of Daily ExpressTribune, Peshawar said thatin the present era social me-dia along with mass mediawas playing a pivotal role inmind setting and as provedby the recent revolutions inthe Middle-East countries.He stressed on the partici-pants to use social media for

constructive purposes anddon’t waste time in unneces-sary matters on social media.He further said that we shoulduse social media for strength-ening democracy in Pakistanand take concrete steps tomake Pakistan an economi-cally, socially and education-ally stronger country.

Director General Provin-cial Disaster Management Au-thority, Dr. Shahzad Bangashhighlighted different aspectsof democracy. He said that weshould take steps to promoteand strengthen democracy byincreasing literacy rate, eco-nomic uplift, try to eliminatethe factors of racism, extrem-ism and militancy from our so-ciety.

While Saeed, MasterTrainer gave a comprehensivelecture on creative writing. Atthe end, Salman Ahmad, Co-ordinator Curricular activitiesdistributed certificatesamongst the participants.

PUAN holds workshop

NAZIR SIYAL

LARKANA—The burst deathanniversary of BegumNusrat Bhutto wife of formerPrime Minister and FounderPPP Shaheed Zulffikar AliBhutto and mother of BenazirBhutto will be observed onOctober 20-2012 at PresidentCamp House Naudero andGarhi Khuda Bux Bhutto.The President of PakistanAsif Ali Zardari, ChairmanPPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardariand other Central and Pro-

vincial leaders of the party willplace the floral wreath on hermazar, attend the program andpay rich tributes to BegumNusrat. On the occasion, dif-ferent programs among QuranKhuwani will be held at GarhiKhuda Bux Bhutto and freelunger will also be distributedamong the workesrs andpeople on the occasion.

Meanwhile Khuhro com-munity chieftain along with alarge number of Khuhrotribesmen held anti-MumtazBhutto protest rally and de-

manded arrest of MumtazBhutto accusing him of tribalclash and bloodshed of inno-cent people in the area. Chief-tain Sardar Asad Khuhroalong with hundreds ofKhuhro community peoplestaged protest demonstrationand took out a rally from BankSquare to Jinnah Bagh. Onthe occasion, Khuhro com-munity people carrying ban-ners and placards inscribedwith slogans of arrest ofMumtaz Bhutto andAmeerBux Bhutto,

Nusrat Bhutto’s death anniversary on 23rd

Khuhro chief demandsMumtaz Bhutto’s arrest

OUR CORRESPONDENT

DASKA—An anguished sonstrangulated his motherwhile 70 year old husbandchopped off the hands, arms,feet and legs of his wife alongwith one sister here on Sat-urday. A 55-year-old RaziaBibi and her sister Sureya Bibi50 was sitting in her housewhen the accused husbandAbdul Wahid attacked herwith the sharp-edgedweapon. He first chopped herhands, arms, feet and legs offand then killed both of them.The accused fled away fromthe scene successfully.

On getting information,police reached the spot andbroke down the door of thehouse. Later on, Police reg-istered the case and startedsearch for criminals. In an-other case, an anguished sonAbdul Sattar strangulatedhis mother Kausar Bibi forhonour when she was asleepin her room here in con-gested Sohawa locality.

Honour killing

Later, the accused wentto the Daska City Police andsurrendered. He told the po-lice investigators that hekilled his mother for honour,as she allegedly had devel-oped illicit relations with alocal. The police registered amurder case against the ac-cused.

one person was killedwhile another got seriousinjuried when a man at-tacked on them with stick atvillage Mohammad KhanLashari in the limits of Talukapolice station on Saturday.According to police ,Subhan Rajput is stated tobe mentally up-set. He at-tacked on them and as a re-sult two persons Madad AliLashari and MohammadRamzan Meher sustainedserious head injuries. Theinjured were rushed to civilhospital where Madad AliLashari, was died whileother’s condition was statedout of danger. Police was in-vestigating into the incident.

OUR CORRESPONDENT

HYDERABAD—For the firsttime, the state governmenthas decided to send a ‘Jatha’(group) of 3,000 SikhSehajdhari pilgrims toGurudwaras in Pakistan onthe occasion of the birth an-niversary of the first SikhGuru, Sri Guru Nanak Devji.

The Andhra PradeshState Minority Finance Cor-poration (APSFMC),Hyderabad district, execu-tive director told Indian Ex-press that they have received

3,000 Sikhs to visitPakistan gurudwaras

a message from the UnionMinistry for Minorities Wel-fare that the pilgrims wouldbe sent to Pakistan from No-vember 23 to December 2.

Interested Sikh pilgrimscan submit their applicationsto the district collector beforeOctober 22, he said, addingthat the same would be sentto the central government.Welcoming the decision, thePrabhandak Committees ofvarious Sikh Gurudwaras inHyderabad andSecunderabad wanted thegovernment to extend the last

date for submission of appli-cations by at least one week.

They wanted the govern-ment to bear the expenditureon the same lines it has beendoing to other minority com-munities like Muslims (Haj pil-grimage) and Christians (forJerusalem). They also wantedthe APSFMC to issue properguidelines on the issue for thebenefit of Sikh pilgrims.

Indian Sikh pilgrims areallowed to visit GurudwaraSacha Sauda, GurudwaraDera Sahib, GurdwaraJanmasthan Guru Ram Das,

Gurudwara Singh Singhania,Gurudwara Hargobind Sahiband Gurudwara Mula Khatri,Gurudwara Nankana Sahib,Gurudwara Punja Sahib,Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahiband Gurudwara Rori Sahib.

Recently, Pakistan de-cided to allow Indian pilgrimsto four more Gurdwaras in-cluding GurdwaraJanamsthan Bebe Nanaki atDera Chahal in Lahore,Gurudwara Babe Di Ber inSialkot, Gurdwara Bhai JogaSingh and Gurdwara BhaiBiba Singh, both in Peshawar.

OUR CORRESPONDENT

QUETTA—Doctors contin-ued to observe a strike inQuetta for the third straightday on Saturday againstthe kidnapping of a seniordoctor. Outpatient clinicsand other departments arelying closed due the strike,causing problems for poorpatients.

According to reports,

Govt run hospitaldoctors continue strike

there is no OPD and otherservices at Civil Hospital andall other government-runmedical facilities because ofkidnapping of Dr. SaeedKhan.

Patients are suffering butnobody is there to take notice.Protesters say the murder ofdoctors and their kidnappingshave become a routine thingas the government has failedto prevent the crimes.

STAFF REPORTER

PESHAWAR—Benazir BhuttoWomen University Peshawar(BBWU) and Southern Meth-odist University, Dallas, USAhave reached an agreementfor partnership between thetwo universities. JavedAzam, Managing Director ofDevelopment Group Interna-tional, a consulting and man-agement firm in Fallas, saidtheir efforts, initiatives andexpertise in cooperation withthe Southern Methodist Uni-versity, a Dallas based topranked university has led tothe approval of a cooperative

agreement.Javed Azam mentioned

the significance of thisproject for the capacity en-hancement of BBWU and itsPsychology faculty and asmodel in the academic indus-try in Pakistan, as inspired byDr Farhana Jehangir, ViceChancellor of the University.The objectives detailed aspriorities for the SBBWU in-clude development andimplementation of facultyand student exchange pro-grams; academic collabora-tion including curriculum de-velopment, teaching and pro-fessional development for

BBWU, S-Methodist varsityenter partnership agreement

the faculty members.In addition, strengthen-

ing the research capabilitiesof faculty and graduate stu-dents through advanced re-search training and creationof a Psychology ResearchCenter is proposed. The cen-ter will serve a variety offunctions to promote worldclass research, hosting a li-brary, awarding small re-search and travel grants andsponsoring two annual re-search conferences in Paki-stan. The agreement will alsoassist in building the capac-ity of the existing psych clinicin Peshawar.

Son strangulatesmother in Daska

466,026 houses damaged by floodsSTAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABD—A total of466,026 houses have beendamaged as a result of recentfloods including 275,023completely and 191,003 par-tially destroyed houses inthe flood hit areas. Accord-ing to data released by Na-tional Management Author-ity (NDMA) as many as14,370 villages have been in-undated in the recent floods.1,21,992 acre standing cropshave been damaged. Overfive million people have beenaffected by the floods and455 people killed and 2,800people were injured.

NDMA has helped theflood hit people by mobiliz-ing its own resources.

NDMA has established 441relief camps and basic ameni-ties of life are being providedto 266,037 the maroonedpeople. Due to recent rainsover 5,056,489 persons wereaffected. As many as 455people have been died and2,884 sustained injuries.NDMA has distributed42,630 tents and 220,995 foodpacks including 42,250 inBalochistan, 161,245 inSindh, and 17,500 in Punjab.And 9,651 cattle heads havegone missing due to thefloods.

Meanwhile AdditionalDeputy Commissioner (Rev-enue) Azeem Anjum visitedthe camp established for theflood- affectees here at East-ern Bypass area of the city.

Mohammad Wasim, Inchargeof the camp told the ADC thatabout 6000 individuals of 272families have been staying ina camp set up for the flood-stricken families.

He further said that afterevery ten days PDMA sup-plies ration to the camp whilea medical team is also avail-able 24 hours along with anambulance to take care of theIDPs. ADC revenue, met withthe IDPs families and inquiredissues they were confrontingin the camp. “Efforts wereafoot for the rehabilitation ofthe affected region and theIDPS staying in camps andalong the banks of roadswould be rehabilitee in theirhometowns,” the ADC toldwhile talking to the media.

SC verdict offar-reaching impactAFTER long sixteen years, the Supreme Court finally gave its

verdict in the much-awaited and talked-about Mehran Bankscam or Asghar Khan case with far-reaching impact on future

happenings and politics of the country. Some of the issues have beendealt with in a clear-cut and unambiguous manner in the short orderwhile there are expectations that others would be clarified in the detailedjudgement.

Credit goes to Air Marshall Asghar Khan, a man of integrity whohad an uncompromising position on major issues, for pursuing thecase that led to epoch-making verdict on stealing of mandate of thepeople and its significance for the future. The judgement assumesmore relevance in view of the forthcoming elections and hopefullythe directions given by the apex court would add to the fairness andtransparency of the exercise. This is because it will have a deterrenteffect on the electoral politics and introduce higher degree oftransparency if directions of the court are followed in letter and spirit.The Supreme Court too has gained much by delivering the verdict onmerit, dispelling the impression that the ruling PPP was trying tocreate that the judiciary was delivering only one-sided judgementsagainst PPP and its leadership. Those who had been leading thecampaign to criticize the judiciary are now showering praises on itfor exposing those whose hands were polluted with electoralwrongdoings. Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, who convened anemergent press conference announced initiation of investigationsagainst politicians concerned by FIA which means that thelongstanding issue would continue to drag on for sometime in thefuture. It is also expected that as a consequence of the observations,findings and directions of the Supreme Court, all institutions wouldremain within their domain and avoid jumping into electoral fray ina bid to influence the outcome. We also hope that in the spirit of thejudgement, civil society and other stakeholders would initiate athorough debate on how to ensure sanctity of the polls and necessaryrules would be framed to achieve that objective.

Demand for deploymentof Army in Karachi

A representative gathering of the business community, held inKarachi on Friday, expressed serious concern over non-stop

deterioration of situation in the mega city and demanded of theGovernment to deploy Army there to protect lives of people and restorenormalcy so that normal business and other activities could go on.Addressing a crowded press conference, S M Muneer, a highly respectedand front-ranking leader of the business community, dwelt at lengthon the worsening law and order situation and its negative impact onthe economy of the country. A strike call for November 8 has also beengiven to highlight the problem and the need for its urgent resolution.

We fully endorse the viewpoint of the FPCCI leaders about thestate of affairs in Karachi and its implications for ordinary Karachiitesand the overall economy of the country. We have been pointing out inthese columns since long that Karachi is slipping out of hands asdifferent mafias are strengthening their hold, kidnappings for ransomhave become a norm, target killings take several lives daily and extortionmafia is getting stronger. All this is happening despite the fact thatthose with great stakes in the affairs of the city are rulers of Sindh. Thenose-dive in security situation is leading to closure of business activitieswhich obviously means more unemployment, dwindling local andforeign investment rather flight of the capital and above all widespreadscare in the city caused by uncertainty and insecurity. Law-enforcingagencies have repeatedly made it known that they have the ability todeliver but political interference is the major hurdle. With this in view,we endorse demand of the FPCCI to hand over control of the city toArmy for a short period of time to carry out across-the-board surgicaloperation to wipe out criminals of all sorts. We, however, stronglydiffer from strike call as economy has already suffered a lot and thereis absolutely no justification for inflicting self-injuries.

Need for pollsunder Judiciary

OPPOSITION leader in the National Assembly Ch Nisar Ali Khanhas supported the proposal for holding general elections under the

supervision of judiciary. PTI Chairman, Imran Khan has also come up witha similar demand emphasising that the judiciary was the only institution inthe country which enjoyed people’s confidence and similar voices are be-ing heard from across the country.

The sixty-five year electoral history of Pakistan has remained taintedin the perspective of transparent elections and there is dire need to holdupcoming elections under the judiciary so that no one could raise an accus-ing finger. Though the present Chief Election Commissioner Justice RtdFakhruddin G Ibrahim has expressed his resolve and in our opinion he hasall the capacity to ensure free and fair elections yet the whole process underthe aegis of Judiciary with the help of Pakistan army in certain sensitiveand insecure areas would ensure larger turnout and give credibility to theelections. We say so because the society has reached to an extent wherethere is lack of tolerance and people with resources exercise their politicaland financial powers to influence the elections. They indulge in creatingscare at the polling stations by firing and other tactics to prevent supportersof their opponents from casting their votes. The Acting Chief Commis-sioner Justice Tassadiq Hussain Jilani gave a hint for involvement of thejudiciary by stating that he has written a letter to the Chief Justice ofPakistan to review the National Judiciary Policy and allow the appoint-ment of Judges as District Returning Officers. We have been repeatedlysaying that the coming elections would be mother of all elections thatwould set the direction of the country and therefore all arrangementsmust be put in place to ensure their transparency. Thus the demand forpolls under Judiciary is justified because if the faith of the people is shakenin transparent elections, the democratic process could be derailed.

Physics had always had a fascination for me. I had studied till my first graduation

but then I was pulled away fromscience by none other than Dr.Mohammad Ajmal who was head-ing the Psychology department.He was recruiting students who hethought could make a change inthe world. I had come under scru-tiny while leading the Govern-ment College in a cricket local fi-nal match with arch rivals IslamiaCollege. Physics is still home tome. As I was reading the latest ex-periment by Bak and the sand PileI found that Pakistan was a goodexample. The Sand Pile experi-ment was fascinating because itwas so fundamentally unpredict-able. Sand was heaped on till thepile was big enough. Then whenBak added one single grain andthat started an avalanche and thedestabilization of the entire pile.The entire episode meant thatthere seemed to be no proportion-ality between cause and effect.

Bak had theorized that thesand pile would break down by ahammer blow as well as by asingle extra grain that was addedto the sand pile. This had impli-cations far and wide and could betested in trade and even in finan-cial markets. A single pin couldhammer out the entire system. Thelogic could be ad infinitum. Inter-national finance seems to relay thefacts that Bak’s sand pile system

At the drop of a pin

HR violations in IHK

Liberty meansresponsibility. Thatis why most mendread it.

All Parties Hurriyet Conference publishes fortnightlyreport giving details of hu-

man rights violations in IndianHeld Kashmir. According to itslatest report, 93801 people havebeen killed from 1989 to 15thOctober 2012. Since then 120392Kashmiris were arrested and10042 women were gang-raped ormolested. International commu-nity is all praise for, what they say,the largest democracy in theworld, and turns a blind eye to itsrepression on minorities. Yet thereare sane voices that expose Indianatrocities on minorities, especiallypeople of Jammu and Kashmir. InJune 2012, British MP of LaborParty, Dr Denis MacShane, dur-ing his speech in the House ofCommons, blasted his govern-ment for its silence on dreadfulhuman rights violations in Kash-mir and atrocities perpetrated bythe Indian forces on Kashmiris.He said: “Pakistan is criticized,but the dreadful human rightsabuses in Kashmir by Indian se-curity forces are downplayed,and no pressure is put on Indiaby this government to stop re-pression in Kashmir.”

In India, the entire media –analysts, panelists, commentariatand intellectuals support the In-dian government’s stance onKashmir. Renowned Indian nov-elist and political activistArundhati Roy is perhaps the onlyperson that has time and againasked the Indian government tostop perpetrating atrocities on the

Shrinkthe banksVIKRAM Pandit’s reign as

chief executive of Citigroupended Tuesday after what

may have been the roughest fiveyears for any Citi boss. Mr. Pandittook over in 2007 on the eve of anepochal financial crisis, which wastriggered in part by over-investmentin mortgages by Citi and others. Citisurvived only with the help of fed-eral aid, including $45 billion incapital and a US backstop for $301billion worth of toxic assets. Taxpay-ers eventually recouped the aid, plusa profit. But perhaps more than anyother institution, Citi — the origi-nal financial “supermarket” —epitomized the dilemma of “too bigto fail.” The crowning irony was therecent suggestion by Sanford Weill— who first expanded Citi’s busi-ness to encompass investment bank-ing and other risky activities — thatbanks “be broken up so that the tax-payer will never be at risk, the de-positors won’t be at risk, the lever-age of the banks will be somethingreasonable.”

Mr. Weill was jumping aboarda bandwagon already occupied byformer Federal Reserve chairmanPaul Volcker and members of Con-gress from both parties. But the ideahas not fully taken hold in US policy,despite the Dodd-Frank regulatoryreform bill’s provisions bolsteringbank capital and pushing federallyinsured institutions out of propri-etary securities trading. The latestcall to shrink the banks came from aparticularly influential source. OnOct. 10, Federal Reserve BoardGovernor Daniel K. Tarullo floatedthe idea of capping banks’ non-de-posit liabilities — borrowings theyuse to finance themselves — at acertain percentage of GDP. Mr.Tarullo’s suggestion was quicklyseconded by James Bullard, thepresident of the Fed’s St. Louisbranch. Sen. Sherrod Brown ofOhio, a Democrat, has proposed abill that would do something simi-lar, and he has teamed up with Sen.David Vitter (R-La.) to seek highercapital requirements for banks.

In short, there is broad supportfor some form of restriction on thesize and complexity of federally in-sured commercial banks. The prob-lem, of course, is how to translatethat seemingly straightforward ideainto a workable law. Depending onwhere you set the cap, Mr. Tarullo’sidea could break up all six of the big-gest banks, some of them or none.Critics of the proposal argue that theUS economy benefits from havingat least a few big players in globalfinance, which can take advantageof economies of scale and thus pro-vide services efficiently across bor-ders. There is merit to arguments onboth sides, but it should be possibleto manage the trade-off betweenwhatever benefits large-scale bank-ing produces in the short-run and therisk of future losses to taxpayers if alarge, complex institution fails. Re-cent experience counsels resolvingthat trade-off in favour of safety. —The Washington Post

****

A boldmove

IRRESPECTIVE of whether hisallegations bear merit or not,Arvind Kejriwal has ensured that

seasoned politicians from the rulingparty, their close family membersand the opposition are giving a verypoor account of defending them-selves. Kejriwal has, in a manner ofspeaking, thrown the kitchen sinkwhile levelling allegations of corrup-tion against top ministers and lead-ers in the already scandal-hit Con-gress party and its nemesis, theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in pub-lic rallies. Charges are backed up byevidence, forcing members of bothparties to react like a helpless deercaught in the headlights. Their re-sultant actions have been nothingshort of a public relations disaster.Explanations have been lacking inconviction and substance. Therehave also been numerous gaffes andadministrative bunglings leading thepublic to ascertain if the accusationshave value. This seems to beKejriwal’s stock-in-trade, given thathis party has been formed solely tofight corruption. Who better to bethe judge, jury and executioner thanthe common man with the generalelections looming large? As politi-cians provide contrasting, but be-musing, accounts in the defence ofself and party, it is Kejriwal who isgaining in credibility. — Gulf News

had some how deter-mined. There are,when things are go-ing so well, all of asudden a jerk thatsends the systeminto turmoil and thecrash-Wall Street orwhatever seem tohave no explana-tion. Neither does

the recession in the western devel-oped countries. Modernity has itsproblems explicitly identified byBak’s physics experiment. Theworld trading system at the momentis in a storm and this keeps on com-ing from time to time reducing allthe gains that have taken place inan economy.

No one can explain the Tsuna-mis that occur. There are conjec-tures but that is all. It’s like themotor way and the traffic in RajaBazar. The crash on the motorwayis likely to be heavy in terms of ca-sualties but in the Raja bazaar thechances are of scratches and a pos-sible dent to the car. The car on themotor way will get you there fasterbut at a risk. It will crash sooner orlater. The Asian crisis came fromnowhere and went as it came. Whena bank crashes every one tries toget out. The reason everyone is do-ing it so I will. The ripple of thisunknowable economic physics hitsinnocent bystanders. The fasterclever ones get out when the sandpile starts to crumble.

Given that the USA has farmore savvy economists why can-not they stop the downward trendsin the economy that are visible. Itis to take an analogy from Bak be-cause they cannot fathom when thatextra grain has landed on the pileand how that avalanche started. Didthe economy lose its balance? Thegranularity and the interdependencethat links one with other show a

kind of effect that mesmerizes thescientist. It may be surmised thatthere is a critical state which maybe way out of balance where minordisturbances may cause these socialand economic avalanches.

Are we then organized into in-stability? Does that mean that thebasic instability of the World Or-der be accepted? This you wouldsay is chaotic thinking. It wouldmean that countries would have tobrace themselves to clear them-selves from traditional thinking.The view that the economy ismechanistic has to be given up.That is the reason why Pakistanlags behind most of the develop-ing world what to speak of the de-veloped world. Does it mean con-stant surprise and new ideas? Whatdoes that do to political power?Power cannot be hoarded so eas-ily. There isn’t that theory of cal-culus whereby the power can beraised to an exponential number.Political power must change handsif the intellect of the power holderhas to be kept in tact. The subjectand object of economics as laiddown in the fiscal and monetarypolices of the government of Paki-stan cannot be intelligible anymore. Agents that used to deliverwill not do so any more.

The world’s complexity has in-creased manifold. The economy istherefore organic and tends togravitate towards not stable situa-tions but as a not so well orderedgigantic machine. In the case ofPakistan this well ordered giganticmachine is further complicated bythe instability of the human sys-tems. The insecurity and the insta-bility are now well documented andmy assertion is that this will notsettle down as it will defy any so-lution. The avalanche must stop onits own. It is also indicative of mal-adaptive systems in Pakistan. Any

MEDIA WATCH

G B Shaw—Irish dramatist

people of Kashmir. On 12th No-vember 2011, she had made a strongcase for Kashmiri people’s right toself-determination before Americanaudience. “I think that the peopleof Kashmir have the right to self-determination - they have the rightto choose who they want to, andhow they want to,” she said in thecourse of a discussion on ‘Kash-mir’. In her remarks, she lamentedthe fact that so little is known aboutthe atrocities committed by morethan 700,000 Indian troops, and in-dignities let loose on Kashmiri men,women and children by them”. Royattributed the apathy in the west-ern world towards Kashmir to theirpursuit of commercial interests inIndia where they were more eagerto sell their goods than raising theirvoice for human rights violations.

Innocent Kashmiri masses, es-pecially the youth are undergoingtremendous psychological traumadue to continued repressive and sup-pressive policies of regime in IHK.As recently as in June 2012, elevenyouth committed suicide as theycould not further bear environmen-tal distress prevailing in IHK, as theevents like unwarranted arrests, kill-ings, arson, torture and molestationby Indian security forces is a matterof routine there. Government func-tionaries of the state backed by In-dian government are involved inhuman right violations in IHK andencourage the security forces to usecoercive measures to suppress thepeople. Last year, Indian SupremeCourt instead of convicting the sol-diers involved in killing of a 12 yearold boy asked the Army to carry outappropriate action against the cul-prits. It meant that the court shirkedits responsibility, and as a result jus-tice was delayed. People of Kash-

mir are indeed getting a raw dealfrom the Indian government.

In fact, there is a law of junglein IHK as Indian troops and policepersonnel are free to arrest anyonethey want and commit the gross hu-man right violations. European Par-liament had once emphasized theneed for resolving the Kashmir dis-pute, and highlighted brutalitiesperpetrated by Indian military in In-dian Held Kashmir. On 10th July2008, European Parliament hadpassed a resolution, calling uponthe Government of India to holdan impartial inquiry into the uni-dentified mass graves discoveredin the disputed state of Jammu &Kashmir. To stop highhandednessof the Indian military and policeonce for all, there is need to imple-ment the resolutions passed by theUnited Nations that bestowed onthe people of Kashmir the right tojoin India or Pakistan through aplebiscite to be held under the UNaegis. However, it does not looklike they will do it because onlywhen public protest fits into thegeopolitical designs of the US andthe West that they declare it a popu-lar movement and honour it withthe award of a colour label.

The orange revolution ofUkraine, the rose revolution ofGeorgia, the cidar revolution ofLebanon and earlier velvet revolu-tion of Czechoslovakia would palebefore the Kashmiris’ movementfor their freedom, yet they weregiven colours by the colour-blindbig powers. It has to be mentionedthat in none of the above cases therewas a UN mandate whereasKashmiris have been given theirinalienable right of self-determina-tion by the UN in 1948 and 5thJanuary 1949. International com-

munity should help resolve theKashmir issue because tension be-tween the two nuclear states wouldnot only make the environment ofthe region perilous but also of theworld at large. Internationalcommunity should thereforeurge India to stop killings, fakeencounters, forced disappear-ances and arrests of innocentKashmiris. It should also per-suade India to resolve all out-standing issues between Indiaand Pakistan, so that both coun-tries start allocating more fundsfor welfare of their masses in-stead of spending on defence.

It is unfortunate that more 64years have elapsed but interna-tional community continues toshow apathy and indifference to-wards sufferings of Kashmiris.Even those countries that had inthe past supported Pakistan’sgenuine stance now suggest thatIndia and Pakistan should resolvethe Kashmir dispute through bilat-eral negotiations, knowing fullwell that many rounds of dialoguehave taken place including thestalled composite dialogue, but tono avail. India takes the plea thataccording to Tashkant Declarationand Simla Accord both countriesare obliged to resolve the issuethrough bilateral negotiations. In-dia should bear in mind that theKashmir dispute is pending in theUN, and if the dispute is not re-solved within a ‘reasonable’ pe-riod of time, Pakistan has the rightto approach the UN with the de-mand to play its role and make ar-rangements to hold plebiscite inJammu and Kashmir as per UnitedNations Security resolutions.—The writer is a freelancecolumnist doing and a PhD scholar.

and all innovations are rejectedoutright by a rigid system. Whenhit these rigid systems simply col-lapse. My contention is that anyone that thinks that science [agri-culture] can be done with financesdoes not understand that billonsof rupees are not needed for agrain of sand. I constantly had thisargument in the research systemfor much that is required isthough understanding and knowl-edge not through science in itstraditional fold. Money is merelya conduit. How much discover-ies have been done where peoplehave had unlimited resources attheir disposal.

There is a complete discon-nect between the Pakistan Agri-culture non-scientists and theground realities. Money is notessential knowledge is. Whereever one has seen an excess ofmoney it acts like a grain of sandand disturbs the sand pile. Thesejonnies have clung to wrongideas and have not and will notdeliver. These are people whojust can’t see beyond their oldideas and their illusions. The tra-ditional vary of survival with oldideas will all the time detractpeople from the innovations thatmust come if uncertainty has tobe resolved.

The country is in the midst ofa crisis and the only way out is torethink our sums. But with allthese committees and stagnant in-dividuals in the fold there is noway that the complexity can behandled. Cynicism is ripe. The in-tellect has to be buried in Paki-stan just as Bak was chided by theCambridge scientists. No one inPakistan will make history. Se-nile, sinecure and snitchers do notget anywhere. Lament a while.Run of the mill passing shows.What do you expect!

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Voice of the People

Afghans ready for NATO withdrawal: Karzai

President Hamid Karzai saidThursday that Afghan securityforces were ready to protect the

country if the US-led NATO forcespeeds up its withdrawal before ascheduled 2014 departure date.Karzai also warned that no foreignadvisors should be appointed toAfghanistan’s Election ComplaintsCommission, a stance likely to an-tagonize the international community,which is concerned about potentialvote tampering in the presidentialelection scheduled for 2014.

Karzai’s comments came at anews conference with NATO Sec-retary-General Anders FoghRasmussen. “Afghans are ready to

expedite the process of transition ifnecessary, and willing as well,”Karzai said, according to the Asso-ciated Press. “So this is in all aspectsgood news for us and good news forNATO.”

For his part, Rasumussen reit-erated NATO’s commitment to Af-ghanistan beyond 2014, emphasiz-ing that NATO desires a continu-ing foreign presence for advisingthe Afghans after the withdrawal ofcombat troops. “We are committedto continuing that cooperation withthe Afghan national securityforces,” he said.

Afghan and US-led forces con-tinue to face strong resistance in thesouthern and eastern sections of thecountry, where the Taliban and theiraffiliates have carried out a string ofattacks on coalition and Afghan

bases in recent months. The Afghanpolice and army have now fielded337,000 personnel, on the way to-ward the goal of 352,000 set by theAmericans. But there is doubt abouttheir ability to provide adequate se-curity without NATO backing.

Karzai has vowed to not partici-pate in the 2014 presidential elec-tion but declared Thursday that elec-toral oversight bodies would be off-limits to the international commu-nity. “The presence of two foreign-ers at the Election Complaints Com-mission hearing is a national mat-ter, as Afghanistan is moving towardindependence and approval of con-stitution,” Karzai told reporters, ac-cording to the local Tolo NewsAgency. “The presence of foreign-ers in our election process is againstthe national sovereignty of Afghani-

Fata’s administrative anomalies

For how long will the militaryhold the civilian governmentsresponsible for the political

mismanagement’s and policy fail-ures? Have the politicians ever beenfree and independent to do what theywant to do with the core policy is-sues? The military has always ex-pected the politicians to bandwagonthe national interests that military hasdetermined and defined; It is in thiscontext that the ultimate decision tolaunch the military operation in NorthWaziristan remains entirely of that ofthe military; passing on its owner-ship to the civilian authorities is justa hoax. The compliant civilian au-thorities are also playing it to thegalleries by suggesting that the rec-ommendations of the military com-manders and the situation on groundwill actually determine whetherthere is a requirement of launchingsuch an operation or not? That leavesno one in doubt actually to knowwhere lays the ownership of launch-ing the military operations.

On the face of it, it seems noth-ing much has changed. The militarycontinues to call the shots. The poli-ticians continue to act as subordinateto the military authority. To say theleast both the military and the civilgovernment have failed as institutionsto convince the general public aboutthe sincerity of their purpose to takethe much required measures to pro-

Civilian control of the militaryvide for the safety and security of thepeople. If military strategy is all abouttime, space and effort; is the time notripe to conduct an operation now ?Could the military have asked formore public support than it had in theaftermath of Malla tragedy? Was itnot time to control the momentum ofthe war on terror riding on the shoul-ders of this public support? Whatgood reasons will the military and thegovernment offer to the people?Ihope they are anything but the strate-gic depth and our national interestswhich now many people are not readyto buy. To most people in Pakistanthe only immediate national interestis for its military to show somemuscle and wipe out the terroristsfrom their roots and the only depthfrom which they want to be pulledout is the depth of pain and miserythey continue to suffer at the handsof these extremists.

Shouldn’t the civilian govern-ment be responsible to formulate ourdefence policy and only ask militaryto execute its military component?Was there ever a time when militarycould be brought under civilian con-trol? Did our politicians ever try todo this? After the 71 war Zulfiqar AliBhutto the charismatic leader had agolden opportunity to bring militaryunder the civilian control. He endedup appointing General Zia as COASand the General instead, controlledhim the military and the behavior andthe direction that the State would takein future. There came a second op-portunity after the Kargil war and thistime Mr Nawaz Sharif blew it away

NAB & FBRto blame

SHAHRYAR KHAN BASEER

Well done FBR, you have only notincreased the number of tax payersin Pakistan from 0.5% in the pastfour years, but you have also singlehandedly managed to reduce theFDI (Foreign Direct Investment)into Pakistan by 80%. Most ofwhich is reduced due to the flight ofinvestment from Telecom compa-nies, who were incorrectly targetedby FBR for collection of incorrecttaxes. It is worth mentioning that theTelecom sector is one of the biggestpayer of taxes to the Governmentof Pakistan and one of FBR’s big-gest customer. But after the wayFBR and NAB started printing ob-noxious and inconsistent articles inthe media about the non-payment ofthis new “imaginary tax” a fewmonths back, this resulted in the re-moval of 179$ Million foreign in-vestment from the telecom sector.

This is not the first time FBR isacting like this. All the people whopay taxes know that FBR is a spine-less organization that only pressur-izes its customers for collecting ex-tra taxes. But it is the job of FBR toincrease the number of tax payersin Pakistan, which stands at only0.5% since 2002, ironically in acountry that is the 6th most popu-lous nation of the world. When FBRdiverts from its main role and startspressurizing the real tax payers,then it only results in the removalof investment or non-payment oftaxes in the future by the tax pay-ers, to avoid undue pressures fromFBR. Well done FBR. I would liketo recommend the government toplease present the “Sitara-Imtiaz”medal on FBR for being the orga-nization to reduce the Pakistan FDIby 80% in three months, and withthe printing of a single news itemaccusing their biggest customer ofstealing “imaginary” taxes.—Peshawar

US policiesslammed

ESCHMALL SARDAR

Criticism against America is com-ing from within and outside. FormerPresident Jimmy Carter’s latest ti-rade against the Obama administra-tion is worth mentioning. “TheUnited States is abandoning its roleas the global champion of humanrights.” Carter added: “Revelationsthat top officials are targetingpeople to be assassinated abroad,including American citizens, areonly the most recent, disturbingproof of how far our nation’s vio-lation of human rights has ex-tended.” Drone use, detention poli-cies and investigative tactics werealso attacked by Carter, who lev-eled similar charges at the Bush ad-ministration. He also criticized thedetention facility at GuantanamoBay, Cuba, which Obama has un-successfully sought to close.

A similar statement came fromKhalid Sheikh Mohammad (KSM),the alleged mastermind of 9/11 at-tacks during a court hearing atGuantanamo on Oct 17 that Americahas wantonly used national securityas a pretext to murder and torture.“Obama can take someone andthrow him in the sea under the nameof national security,” he said in a ref-erence to the OBL killing. “Don’tget affected by crocodile tears, be-cause your blood is not made of goldand ours is made of water. We areall human beings,” he warned. KSMis a terrorist but Carter is not. How-ever, the truth is that Obama, closeto elections, has not fulfilled hispromise of closing camp X-Ray, orearly winding up of deadly missionin Afghanistan.

There are hundred and one ex-amples and quotes of the renownedcritics of American policies abroad.The latest is none else but the NewYork Times. In its October 13 edi-torial it advised Obama that Af-ghanistan is not a war of necessityand “it is time for United Statesforces to leave Afghanistan [be-cause]… the US will not achieveeven President Obama’s narrowinggoals, and prolonging the war will

Aims behind Malala dramaRANA TANVEER AHMAD KHAN

I earnestly wish the “Sucker” Pakistanis would reflect on the planted issue of Malala that is beingpoliticised for personal gains and not for any humanitarian considerations. All of our ruling elite are

mining a rich seam of Malala drama to make them appear faithful to the voice of their masters, thebestial US/CIA and NATO “Desperadoes”. Our media appear feeding frenzy blowing, this dastardlyact of murderous attack on Malala, out of all proportions. Malala is merely a “Stooge” being dexter-ously exploited by the US led NATO forces and all abhorrent American CIA in cahoots with our so-called NGOs to further their nefarious designs to beef up pressure on our forces to launch a fullfledged attack in Waziristan to unearth the alleged hide-outs of the armed bandits of Taliban andresultantly depriving Pakistan of its Nuclear Assets, by creating a planted hoax of fear about our“Nukes” going into possession of terrorist outfits to the detriment of the security of Pakistan. That’swhat this “Malala drama” is all about. While praying for the speedy recovery of Malala, I, also praythat Allah (SWT) may guide our gullible nation to the right path enabling us to distinguish between afriend and foe and see through the conspiracy being hatched against our beloved motherland by theforeign imperial powers. Shame on our US toady ruling elite!—Sheikhupura

Federally administered tribal areas are integral part of Pakistan. Fata consists of seven

agencies and six frontier regions.However, it is administratively andconstitutionally an anomalous region.The inhabitants of Fata are deprivedof the fundamental right guaranteedby the constitution. They are left atthe mercy of unbridled bureaucracyand exacerbated militancy. The con-stitution gives Fata a special statusunder article 246 and 247. Thepeople of Fata are governed by dra-conian Frontier Crimes Regulation.Due to the administrative and con-stitutional flaws, the tribal regionslipped into the annals of extremismand terrorism.

The first administrative anomalyis the application of Frontier CrimesRegulation within the territorial lim-its of tribal areas. This regulation con-

tains inhuman punish-ments such as collec-tive responsibility andrazing the houses tothe grounds. This lawdoes not give accusedthe right to engagecounsel, plead his in-nocence and also noright to appeal isgranted. It is conflict-

ing with the fundamental humanrights, principle of natural justice andfundamental principles of criminallaw.Actually FCR was introduced bycolonial masters to keep the localpeople suppressed in order to installa buffer zone to contain the expan-sion of USSR. But after demarcationof borders our successive govern-ments have kept it intact. Instead ofembracing tribal people to the mainstream, efforts were made to keeptribal people underdeveloped andsubjugated. After the dismembermentof USSR, the raison d’eter of FCRno more exists.

In addition to this, the SupremeCourt is barred from exercising ju-risdiction in Fata. The Supreme Courtcannot take suo motu action on thesufferings of tribal people. Similarlythe residents cannot knock at the doorof court to undo the injustice of po-

litical administration.With the devel-opment of law the concept of judi-cial review of administrative actionwas introduced. The main philosophybehind this concept was to keep checkon arbitrary use of executive power.Unluckily this concept of check andbalance is nonexistent in Fata. Thecurrent government is claiming thatthey have introduced reforms in Fataby setting up a commission to keepan eye on political administration. Butthis commission,in my point view, isnot at all judicial, as it consists ofserving and retired bureaucrats. Thesemembers can be removed by execu-tive order so they are prone to politi-cal influence. On contrary the judgesare removed by filing a reference inSupreme Judicial Council. This pro-cedure provides judges more libertyand security to perform their tasks andthis factor is seriously missing in caseof Fata commission. So instead offorming a commission, it was perti-nent for the government to extend thejurisdiction of superior and higherjudiciary to Fata.

The President is the chief execu-tive of Fata and he has delegated hispowers to the governor KhyberPaktunkawa to command the area.The chief minister KhyberPaktunkawa has no jurisdiction on

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by choosing an unsuitable and inap-propriate method/tactics of exercis-ing control over the military. HadBhutto not conveyed his intentions toGeneral Zia, “you pursue me now,wait for the time that I will pursueyou” he may have lived to gift us aPakistan sufficiently if not entirelyunder the control of civilian author-ity. Similarly had Mr Nawaz Sharifperused the subordination of militaryforces to political authority as a po-litical policy /goal of his heavily man-dated government we could still havea military submitting to the civiliancontrol. Surely the opportunities werepresented but they were floored bypolitical leaders who chose to appointnot the professionally deserving Gen-erals as COAS’s but officers whocould be personally loyal to them.

Blessed with three martial lawsand little democracy all the militaryrules did was to institutionalize themilitary role of corrupting the poli-ticians and the politics. For everycoup we were blessed to witness, itsmost striking feature was the mili-tary dictator’s moves to seek civil-ian cooperation and support in run-ning the affairs of the state.The lastone being managed by GeneralMusharraf who managed to breakaway 5 PPP jiaallas to help PMJamali lead a government with a onevote majority in 2002. Had the poli-ticians not submitted and renderedtheir support to the military it wouldnever had managed to control themand through them the politics andaffairs of the state. How can a mili-tary rule a country for over thirty

Fata. But it is an administrativeanomaly that the subordinate ofChief minister, the Chief SecretaryKP is the administrative head oftribal areas. Similarly,the people ofFata,though not part of KhyberPaktunkawa,yet enjoy quotas inprovincial civil services of KhyberPaktunkawa. So instead of livingwith this perpetual anomaly, themerger of Fata with KhayberPaktunkawa can be a wise option.

The deplorable state of educa-tion, the miserable situation ofhealth infrastructure and patheticcondition of roads makes the fail-ure of Mailks and political admin-istration evident. Such is the miser-able situation of administrative af-fairs in Fata. This administrative andconstitutional disorder resulted inwidespread ignorance, illiteracy,and backwardness in Fata. Due tothis ignorance the militancy andextremism found easy footholds inFata. If this administrative structureis rectified and FCR is replaced withpeople friendly law, the black holeof militancy in Fata can be eradi-cated. A new social contract isneeded with the people of Fata toreintegrate them in mainstream.—The writer is serving as ProvincialManagement Service Officer.

only do more harm.” Clearly the timeis changing; more bloodshed, coer-cive tactics, diplomatic or militarypush on Pakistan to go for operationin North Waziristan, or else would nothelp as the accurate calculations ofGreat Games also fail before the big-ger Schemes of Nature.—Peshawar

Syriancrisis grows

KHAWAJA UMER FAROOQ

In his recent speech Turkish PrimeMinster Recep Ardogan rightly saidthat due to silence of world commu-nity Balkan like tragedy is develop-ing in Syria and whole region mightbe affected from worse situation ofSyria. In Balkan conflict betweenBosnia, Serbia and Croatia thousandsof people lost their lives due to slowresponse of UNO and world commu-nity. Now due to slow response ofUNO and world community thingsare going bad to worse in Syria andneighboring countries are also pay-ing a high price.

Tension is rising between Turkeyand Syria after killing of six Turkishnationals when mortar hits their houseallegedly fired from Syria. Turkey al-ready sent fighter Jets and heavy weap-ons to its border with Syria and ex-change of small fire is occurred sev-eral times. Turkish Parliament has al-ready passed resolution allowing itsforces to retaliate aggression fromother side. Turkey is already hostingeighty thousand Syrian refugees on hu-manitarian basis most of them reachedthere after several days of mountain-ous journey without food and water.Lebanon is also paying high price forSyrian unrest. Several people lost theirlives when supporter and opponentsof Bashar Al Asad clashed in differentareas. Jordan is also hosting thousandsof Syrian refugees on humanitarianbasis but things are going bad to worsedue to lack of facilities. True reality isthat due to division in UNO SecurityCouncil worse human crises is hap-pening in Syria.Brutal killing in Houlaby regime forces long siege and hu-manitarian crises in Homs and Hamaand other cities has become big ques-tion for conscience of modern world.—Jeddah

Justice for Pakwar prisoners

MAZHAR IQBAL

Indian Supreme Court is dealing witha myth nowadays. One party says heis a war prisoner, the other says he isnowhere. But, his family and thosewho are defending his case categori-cally say that he is present somewherein India. He was arrested in Septem-ber 1965, declared dead after twomonths of his arrest and was laterfound languishing in jails in 2011. Hespent 46 years in prisons without be-ing identified and another year afterhis identification as Prisoner of War(POW). Until 2011, justice was notdenied but delayed in his case. Yet,in 2012 it has been detracted by a de-liberate effort to put his case togetherwith the cases of lesser importance.In coming months the highest courtin India will be hearing cases of 250foreign prisoners in a single petition, while, at least four among them havebeen identified by human rights law-yers as POWs of 1965 India-Pakistan.

On 16 October, 2012, a DivisionBench of Indian Supreme Court , whowas hearing the petition launched bylawyers of these POWs, issued or-ders to list their case before anotherDivision Bench, which is hearing an-other petition challenging the valid-ity of detentions of nearly 250 for-eign prisoners. The Division Benchof the Supreme Court dealing withthis case had asked Indian govern-ment to produce original record in thenext hearing. Now, as the case is atthe most crucial stage, reconstitutingthe formation of the court could havemore serious implications than theactual crime that the court is going todeal with. This could be the mostimportant decision by the highestcourt of a country dealing with sucha prolonged case of POWs and itshould not have been delayed. Un-fortunately, Indian government didnot exercise its powers to speed upthe court process and clear her from

the charges. Contrarily, it is puttinghurdles in providing justice to theseprisoners of conscience.—Via email

Hajj in PakistanCOL RIAZ JAFRI (RETD)

Once again the Ruet e Hilal Commit-tee has announced that our Eid ul Azhawill fall on Saturday 27 October 2012,that is one day after it would be ob-served at Makkah. This means that ourHajj will occur on Friday 26th Octo-ber 2012, whereas the ACTUAL Hajjat Mecca will be performed on Thurs-day the 25th of October 2012! Couldanyone please tell me as to why don’twe observe Hajj in Pakistan on the dayit is actually being performed at Arafat,Muzdalfa and Makkah?

We see it happening live on theTV yet we say, “No, our Hajj will betomorrow or day after”. Can Hajj beperformed anywhere else in the worldexcept at Makkah and on the dates ofour choosing? Now please do not lec-ture me on the lunar longitudinal dis-crepancies between Pakistan andSaudi Arabia and Hajj falling on the10th of ZilHajj etc. My question issimple and clear. Can Hajj be per-formed anywhere in the world exceptMakkah and o n any other day than itis actually being performed there?

Unlike Eid-ul-Fitr, beginning ofRamzan or start of Muharram etc.,which are all date specific and there-fore subject to the appearance of themoon, Hajj should not be made spe-cific to the 10th of ZilHajj only allover the world except in SaudiArabia? Kindly allow me to say fur-ther, that our Qurbani which can oth-erwise be offered upto 72 hours afterthe Hajj would fall out of this timelimit if we apply it to our dates ofHajj which are already 24 to 48 hoursafter the actual Hajj at Makkah.—Rawalpindi

Hand overFazlullah!S K AURAKZAI

Now it has been established that FazalUllah was behind the plan to killMalala and even interior ministerRehman Malik has confirmed that theterrorists sitting in Kunner andNooristan are behind Malala incident.Is it not the duty of Afghan govern-ment and the Nato forces which arethere in Afghanistan to hit Fazalullahor at least to hand over him to thePakistani govt. One is amazed thatwhy the America which always seemangry with Pakistan for not doingenough has itself failed to take anyaction against the terrorists hidingin Nooristan and Kunar. They attackPakistani posts by crossing Pak-Af-ghan border. If Afghanistan intelli-gence and the Afghani governmentare not supporting them then maybeit is NATO itself feeding and pro-tecting them there to use themagainst Pakistan.

Obviously there are people whoare feeding and giving financial sup-port to them. Can America and NATOforces give any justification of pres-ence of terrorists like Fazallulah,Faqir Muhammad and Abdul Alithere in Kunar? Why American arenot using drone technology againstthem which it happily use against theinnocent citizens inside Pakistantribal areas. In fact American and al-lied forces are working on set agendato destabilize Pakistan. According tothe newspapers, the terrorists sittingin Afghanistan have made more than14 attacks on Pakistani posts and 206Pakistani citizens have given theirlives during these attacks. The Afghanconcerned authorities have to wakeup to play their role to eliminate theKuner and Nooristan based terroristsor at least make efforts to arrestFazalullah and hand him over to thePakistani government.—Peshawar

years and get away with that? Howcan a military ruler in exile still plana comeback?Can an independent ju-diciary allow a military ruler to re-turn and stay at any other placebut behind the bars? The militaryrulers (ambitious Generals)should have shown interest in aQuaid’s Pakistan that envisaged tohave a parliamentary form of gov-ernment with a parliament andlegislature. Every time the coupmakers struck they struck at un-dermining the dream of the Quaid.The military rulers even did notlook at the constitution definingthe purpose of the Pakistan Armyas “armed forces shall, under thedirection of Federal government,defend Pakistan against external ag-gression or threat of war, and sub-ject to law, act in aid of civil powerwhen called upon to do so.”

Both - those who wrote theconstitution(politicians) and thosewho swore to protect it(military)failed this country. It is hoped thatthose who head and lead the vitalinstitutions of this country now re-alize this and will not commit themistakes their predecessors have.We deserve leaders who remain-ing within the fold of the constitu-tion can take some tough decisionsand stand by them as well; Initia-tion of military operation in NorthWaziristan to root out terrorists andterrorism from Pakistan is one suchdecision.—The writer a defence analyst,retired as a lieutenant colonel fromPak Army.

Ned Parkerstan.” The international communityhas indicated that free and fair elec-tions are a prerequisite for future aidfrom the West. A report from the In-ternational Crisis Group this monthwarned that a perception of unfair-ness in the 2014 election could fangreater instability and the possiblefragmentation of the security forces.

The organization urged that clearsteps be taken to ensure that thecountry’s judicial and electoralwatchdogs are free of political med-dling and their responsibilities arestrongly defined. Afgahnistan’s2009 presidential and 2010 parlia-mentary elections were marred bywidespread voter fraud. It is unclearat this point whether gross impro-prieties would result in a seriousslashing of aid. — Courtesy: Los Angeles Times

With car prices touching theroof, many car companiesare keen on producing a

cheap car like the Nano was whenit first came into the market. I wastherefore not surprised to get a callfrom one of them saying that theirswas ready and about to be launched.I rushed over to get a pre launchbriefing: “The cheapest car in theworld!” said the MD of the car com-pany with a flourish as he pulledthe tarpaulin off the model. “Is it arear engine car?” I asked, openingthe bonnet and peering in. “You are

the engine!” said the MD giving mea hefty pat on the shoulder. “See thoseholes on the floor, one set of holesfor your legs to go through, and foursets of holes for the whole family tostick their legs out….”

“And push..” I said. “Excellent!”said the MD giving my shoulders asqueeze, “you have an engineer’sbrain alright. With this model you willnot only have a fit family but a fam-ily that will go places together! Wehave even worked on the Mark IImodel where we will give the optionof fitting pedals. But that could takethe price a little higher!”

“It’s important to keep the pricelow,” I reminded him “That’s ourpromise to the nation,” beamed theMD. “Strange headlights!” I ex-claimed. “Brings nostalgic memoriesdoesn’t it?” “Yes,” I said. “This is

something we wanted to do,” said theMD, “not only give the public a cheapcar but also take them for a drivedown memory lane. Do you remem-ber these lovely lamps?” “Kerosenebicycle lamps,” I said. “Ah you rec-ollect don’t you? Wonderful rides youhad in the good old days with maybeyour sweetheart sitting on the cross-bar, and now when you can afford acar, we give you a car plus pleasantmemories! Value for money huh?Cost us a pretty penny in bus faressending our teams to scout all theChor bazaars in the country and buyup all the old lamps. Some lamps onsome of the cars are bigger though.”

“How’s that?” I asked surprised.“Couldn’t get too many bicycle lampsso we bought up the horse and buggyones, he ones on the old tongas andVictorias.” “Where are the brake ped-

A cheap car..!als?” I asked, peering into the con-traption. “You expect to havebrakes for a cheap car?” “How do Istop the car?” I asked. “I asked myengineering department the samequestion when we started buildingthe car,” said the MD, “they shooktheir heads and said; for brakesthe price would go up, I said “Noway! The public can’t be made tosuffer just for a set of brakes, sowe decided to hell with thebrakes. What d’you say? Youpromise the people a cheap caryou got to deliver, right?”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “When areyou launching it?” “Today!” saidthe MD, beaming at me, “We aregifting you the first model!” “Howkind of you!” I said, “But I prefermy bicycle to this cheap car..!”—Email:bobsbanter@gmail.com

Muhammad Ali EhsanEmail: muhammadaliehsan1@hotmail.com

Waseem Ahmad

DAVID ISENBERG

ABOUT three and a half years ago Iwrote that “One might note that withregard to future battlefields the useof contractors is like the use of ro-

bots. They promise both greater cost-effective-ness and less loss of life of government sol-diers.” With the advantage of hindsight it turnsout that the use of robots is heavily dependenton the use of contractors. It seems that today’sTerminators, such as unmanned aerial systems(UAS) drones are heavily dependent on meremortals.

Perhaps that should not come as such asurprise. After all, anyone who ever saw ArnoldSchwarzenegger act in the Terminator moviesunderstands how much he depended on theabilities of others in order to produce a success-ful movie. Still, the extent to which today’s con-tractors are involved in maintaining and operat-ing the U.S. premier robot system, aerial drones,will likely come as a surprise to you. It certaindid to me after reading the article, “Drone-Sourc-ing? United States Air Force Unmanned AircraftSystems, Inherently Governmental Functions,and the Role of Contractors,” published lastmonth in George Washington University’s Fed-eral Circuit Bar Journal. The author, Captain KericD. Clanahan, who serves in the U.S. Air ForceJudge Advocate Generals Corps, makes somepoints which are, pardon the pun, deadly seri-ous, and deserve some thoughtful consider-ation. To wit:

“In the decade-long conflicts in Iraq andAfghanistan, the United States has used mili-tary troops, federal civilian employees, and pri-vate military contractors to sustain and performUAS missions. Now, after the end of the war inIraq and entering the twelfth year of war in Af-ghanistan, we must ask: Exactly what jobs areindividuals performing in UAS operations?Who provides logistics and maintenance forunmanned aircraft? Who performs video andimagery analysis? Which individuals operatedrones on strategic intelligence, tactical intelli-gence, and targeted strike missions? And, mostimportantly, if private contractors are support-ing UAS missions, are they performing tasksthat should be reserved exclusively for govern-ment personnel?” Ah yes, “inherently govern-mental”, two words that continue to bedevilgovernment contracting with little resolution insight. Suffice it to say that the U.S. governmenthas yet to produce a comprehensive catalog ofactivities that must be performed by the gov-ernment.

It is very much worth pointing out that con-trary to popular perception drones are hardlyunmanned systems. According to Clanahan, “It’simportant to recognize that a medium or largeunmanned aircraft is only a single componentof a complex system that involves U.S. basedgrounded flight operators, sensor operators,communications technicians, and imagery ana-lysts; fielded forces and personnel directing take-

ROBERT DREYFUSS

IT’S not surprising that an isolated incident in Benghazi, Libya,took up a significant chunk of the2nd Presidential debate between

Barack Obama and Mitt Rom-ney, while the war in Afghani-stan, now in its twelfth year,was ignored. It shouldn’t havebeen, but although the war ismostly lost, it is even more im-portant to dissect the reasonsfor that failure, in detail, and it’sa tragedy that American votersaren’t demanding that the po-litical class be held accountablefor it. Since 2009 polls show thatAmericans have turned sharplyagainst the war, with two-thirdsto three-fourths of respondentsopining that war isn’t worthfighting. Although the war haslong been consideredunwinnable by many foreignpolicy experts, American vot-ers now seem to have reachedthe same conclusion. PresidentObama’s decision to wind down the warby next year, and to withdraw all U.S.forces in 2014, isn’t controversial. But2,000 Americans, and tens of thou-sands of Afghans, are dead – yetthat war-battered country is ar-guably no closer to peace andstability than it was at the end of2001, weeks after the U.S. inva-sion.

In the past, Romney has ex-pressed some important differenceswith the president on Afghanistan. He’ssaid that he’d never talk to or negotiatewith the Taliban, and he’s criticizedObama for drawing down too quicklythe 30,000-plus troops that were de-ployed in the 2009 “surge” that Obamaordered. During the Republican primaryseason, Romney said repeatedly thathe’d reconsider withdrawing U.S. forcesdepending on conditions on theground, and on the advice of the gen-erals. But, lately, Romney has prettymuch thrown in the towel, declaring hissupport for the president’s timetable.And when, in the vice presidential de-bate last week, Paul Ryan, Romney’s running mate, halfheartedly triedto revive the conditions-on-the-groundargument, Vice President Joe Bidenslammed the door. “[W]e are leaving,”said Biden. “We are leaving in 2014.Period. And in the process, we’re go-ing to be saving over the next 10 yearsanother $800 billion. We’ve been in thiswar for over a decade. The primary ob-jective is almost completed. Now, allwe’re doing is putting the Kabul gov-ernment in a position to be able to main-tain their own security. It’s their respon-sibility, not America’s.”

In stunning, lengthy editorial en-titled “Time to Pack Up” on October

Afghanistan: Why America’sLongest War is NOT a Campaign Issue

13, the New York Times reversed itslong-held, stay-the-course view onAfghanistan. “Americans are desper-ate to see the war end and the 68,000remaining troops come home,” said theeditors. The editorial began with a ring-ing declaration of failure: “After more

than a decade of having Americanblood spilled in Afghanistan, withnearly six years lost to President GeorgeW. Bush’s disastrous indifference, it is

time for United States forces to leaveAfghanistan on a schedule dictatedonly by the security of the troops. Itshould not take more than a year. TheUnited States will not achieve evenPresident Obama’s narrowing goals,and prolonging the war will only domore harm.” And the Times concluded:“We are not arguing that everythingwill work out well after the United Statesleaves Afghanistan. It will not. TheTaliban will take over parts of thePashtun south, where they will brutal-ize women and trample their rights.Warlords will go on stealing. Afghani-stan will still be the world’s second-poorest country.”

That’s in line with several recentanalyses by people with vast experi-ence in Afghanistan. Most surprisingwas a bleak forecast from Reto Stocker,the outgoing chief of the InternationalCommittee of the Red Cross, who’dspent seven long years there. TheICRC, which focuses on humanitarianrelief and civilian protection, rarely com-ments in public about its thinking. Still,Stocker said that, despite the efforts ofthe U.S./NATO coalition, the end of thewar “is not in sight,” adding: “I am filledwith concern as I leave this country.Since I arrived here in 2005, local armedgroups have proliferated, civilians have

been caught between not just one butmultiple front lines, and it has becomeincreasingly difficult for ordinary Af-ghans to obtain health care. People arenot just suffering the effects of thearmed conflict. Hardship arising fromthe economic situation, or from severe

weather or natural disaster, has becomemore widespread, and hope for the fu-ture has been steadily declining.” Evenbleaker was the most recent report from

the International Crisis Group,a nonpartisan body that hasbeen involved in Afghanistanfrom the start. It concluded thatAfghanistan is utterly unableto provide for its own securitywhen the international forces

leave. “Plagued by factionalism andcorruption, Afghanistan is far fromready to assume responsibility for se-curity when U.S. and NATO forceswithdraw in 2014,” the ICG said in itsreport. And it emphasized that the cor-rupt and mismanaged tangle of politics,elections and courts is so bad that thescheduled 2014 presidential election isalmost guaranteed to be plagued withwidespread fraud, vote-rigging, andviolence that it will either be postponedor held under a “state of emergency.”

The next Obama-Romney debatewill be held on Monday, and it is sup-posed to focus on foreign policy andnational security. Questions framedaround the arguments in the Times edi-torial, the ICRC’s comments, and theICG report might elicit useful responsesfrom both candidates. But don’t expectserious discussion and debate. As inIraq, where President Obama closed thedoor on a horrific mess created by hispredecessor without seeking to holdthe administration of George W. Thestrategic ones, however, are more trou-bling: What have we learned aboutAmerica’s ability to engage incounterinsurgency and nation-buildingin countries like Afghanistan? Whatdoes America’s failure in Afghanistansay about its ability to take action incountries.—Courtesy - The Diplomat

The use of unmanned aerial systems has dramatically increased overthe last decade, and especially under the Obama administration. Whilethe use of lethal unmanned drones itself raises great concerns about thefuture of warfare, a recent report has shown that drone operations arebecoming heavily dependent on the use of private contractors. PMSCsare hired for tasks related to logistics and maintenance, vehicle andsensor operation, weapons systems maintenance, and video and imageryanalysis. This is especially important as, in addition to direct strikes,drones are used to feed data to troops for special operations missions andgather information for intelligence. Ultimately, this raises questions aboutthe worrying future of the private sector’s involvement in government’smilitary strategies.

U.S. forces are drawing down in Af-ghanistan and concluding the longest war inits history. Why is such an important issuebeing forgotten?

Predator Military Contractors: Privatizing the Dronesoff, landing, and recovery procedures; and for-ward deployed maintenance and logistics crewskeeping the aircraft and payload (sensors, cam-era, radar, and armament on the aircraft) missionready.” How many people are involved? “Asingle Combat Air Patrol (“CAP”) mission for aPredator or Reaper demands approximately 160to 180 personnel to complete the 24 hour mis-sion; the more complex Global Hawk system re-quires between 300 and 500 personnel—human

capital requirements are adjusted depending onthe intelligence capabilities required for the mis-sion. From the 6 CAPs that were being performedin 2004 to the 69 CAPs that are planned for 2013,the Air Force is experiencing a 1,200% growth inUAS missions in less than ten years.”

One wonders if those are the sort of “high-skill” jobs Mitt Romney is planning to create, ifhe is elected, or the ones Obama includes whenhe talks about the ongoing economic recovery.You are probably asking why any of this is aproblem. After all, as Clanahan writes, “Fewerpilots flying the skies means fewer reports ofdowned airmen. The American public does notshed tears when a drone goes down in a fierycrash.” After all, nobody regards maintenanceand repair functions as inherently governmen-tal activities.

He answers that question this way: “Weap-ons systems maintenance, nevertheless, couldbe regarded as a critical function, that is, “a func-tion that is necessary to the agency being ableto effectively perform and maintain control ofits mission and operations.” While such posi-tions may be filled by government or contractorpersonnel, agencies must retain sufficient inter-nal capability to maintain control over the mis-sion and operations through (1) an adequatenumber of “[f]ederal employees with appropri-ate training, experience, and expertise” and (2)internal ability to oversee and manage the con-tractor workforce.” Drones however do morethan just fire missiles at targets.

They are also heavily used for gatheringintelligence. And that is at least a potential prob-lem. Exactly who can perform intelligence activi-ties for the U.S. government is a long debated

question. “According to a paper released bythe Office of the Director of National Intelligence(“DNI”) on July 19, 2010:

The Intelligence Community does not con-done or permit contract personnel to performinherently governmental intelligence work, asdefined by OMB Circular A-76 . . . . Core con-tract personnel may perform activities such ascollection and analysis; however, it is what youdo with that analysis, who makes that decision,

and who oversees the work that constitute the“inherently governmental” functions. Con-versely, many scholars opine that participationin intelligence collection, particularly tacticalintelligence, constitutes direct participation inhostilities, a status reserved for combatantsunder international humanitarian law and lawsof armed conflict. Because of this possible linkto a combat role, many scholars view tacticalintelligence as inherently governmental.”

Clanahan judges that The Air Force appearsto have adopted a position similar to that of theOffice of the DNI, but is not nearly as depen-dent on contractors for intelligence activitiesand thinks one can conclude “that the Air Forceis making a conscious effort to retain controlover intelligence-analysis activities, and is keep-ing contractors from engaging in inherentlygovernmental activities. But it is not hard to seehow things could turn bad. As a cautionarydanger, Clanahan notes this incident:

“A recent Air Force investigation of an erro-neous drone strike in the Uruzgan Province,central Afghanistan, raised questions concern-ing the possibility of inappropriate use of con-tractors for tactical intelligence and target iden-tification. In February 2010, Hellfire missiles,launched after a “positive identification” basedon drone intelligence monitoring, killed fifteenAfghan civilians, and injured at least a dozenmore, travelling in a three-vehicle convoy nearU.S. special operations forces who were con-ducting a capture mission.

Investigations into the miscalculated de-cision to strike revealed that although thedrone was operated by military personnel,and the decision to fire was made by the

ground force commander, the decision waslargely based upon intelligence analysis be-ing conducted and reported by a civilian con-tractor. Arguably, this reported contractor

activity should not be viewed as inherentlygovernmental since it did not involve “di-rection and control of intelligence” or finaldecision making, but should at least be con-sidered very “closely associated with inher-ently governmental [activities],” namely, thedecision to strike—i.e., to engage in offen-sive combat.... Nevertheless, the Air Forcemust always remain cautious of contractedintelligence activities where civilians mayexert a significant amount of influence orcontrol over targeting and weapons releasedecisions. It is imperative that the Air Forceprevent contractors from getting too closeto the tip of the spear.”

There is one aspect of contractor involve-ment in drone activities that may violate currentFederal policy. Currently, small tactical droneoperations seem to be the only Air Force UASmission where military members are not alwaysin operational control of a military aircraft. TheAir Force currently employs three types of smalltactical UAS: the Scan Eagle, RQ-11B Raven,and Wasp III. Although the Air Force ownsthese aircraft, which are utilized by troops intheater, contractor personnel have also oper-ated such drones.

The drones’ principal use is to feed data totroops to plan force protection and special op-erations missions, or possibly to provide directstrike capability. Therefore, the technologyshould be regarded as capable of combat op-erations or very closely associated with the in-herently governmental function of combat. Ac-cording to the Office of Federal Procurement

Policy: “When an operator remotely pilots adrone to an area for the purpose of engagingan adversary using UAV-delivered munitions—collecting intelligence that will be delivered to

combat forces currently engaged in hostilities,or gathering and delivering intelligence data totroops facing circumstances with “significantpotential . . . to evolve into combat”—the droneoperator’s activities mirror the security activi-ties described above. UAS operations involvesituations with a foreseeable likelihood that anintelligence mission could quickly erupt intocombat operations. As such, because of theprinciple uses of small tactical UAVs in the the-aters of military operations, the Air Force shouldregard such operation of UAVs as inherentlygovernmental and prohibit mission perfor-mance by contractor personnel.

So long as the Air Force adheres to a prac-tice of only allowing military personnel to serveas aircraft pilots of medium and large categoryUAS, then flight of these aircraft adheres tocurrent policy provided in OFPP Letter 11-1 andDODI 1100.22. If the Air Force has continuedits former practice of using contractor-operatedtactical UAS in theater, then such a practicevery likely violates current OFPP policy andDoD Instructions.” To keep things kosherwhen it comes to drone use Clanahan recom-mends the following:

“To ensure that the military does notoutsource such roles to a contractorworkforce, Congress should: (1) statutorily re-strict select UAS activities from being con-tracted; (2) order the development of regula-tions governing procurement of unmannedsystems and technical support; and (3) estab-lish appropriate transparency and accredita-tion regimes.— Courtesy - Huffington Post

w=80h=54

An Uncertain Future YU LINTAO

THE incumbent Japanese PrimeMinister Yoshihiko Noda retained leadership of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan

(DPJ) in the latest DPJ presidential elec-tion in late September. Days later, afterdefeating four opponents, former Japa-nese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe waselected as the head of the main opposi-tion Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).Since the farcical “purchase” of China’sDiaoyu Islands by the currentJapanese administration, the riskof political instability in Japanhas heightened. Soon after theelection, Noda reshuffled hiscabinet in an attempt to defend the DPJadministration. Meanwhile, Abe, ahawkish politician, is actively schem-ing to take advantage of theDPJ’s current trouble for a sec-ond stint as prime minister in thenext general election due withinthe year.

Observers said the instabil-ity of Japan’s political situationin the near future could bringmore uncertainty to the dead-locked Diaoyu Islands dispute.As Japanese politicians of bothparties remain tough on the dis-pute, prospects for a smoothresolution are not optimistic.“Whether the DPJ or the LDPtakes power, Japan’s policy overthe islands won’t changemuch,” said Shi Yongming, a re-searcher with the China Insti-tute of International Studies(CIIS).

Political uncertainty: Noda’s “is-land-buying” move has made clear theDPJ’s position on the Diaoyu Islands.Abe took a tougher stance over the dis-pute, threatening to establish a gov-ernment agency over the islands afterthe so-called “purchase” andstrengthen the power of the Japanesemilitary if he becomes Japan’s next headof government. Opinion polls sug-gested that the LDP will come first in alower house election expected withinmonths. That would put its leader inplace to become the next prime minis-ter. A poll carried out by Japan’s lead-ing news agency Kyodo News put sup-port for the LDP at 30.4 percent afterAbe was chosen as its new leader, up11.1 percentage points from September.

“Seen from the past, Abe focusesmore on the alliance with Washingtonand Seoul. Easing relations with Chinais unlikely to be his priority if he takesoffice. The two countries could facenew challenges,” Shi said. “It seemsthat the LDP is more radical over theissue, but it depends on its judgmentover the situation and prediction ofChina’s response. As I see it, if the situ-ation worsens, the dispute would prob-ably lead to conflict,” Shi told BeijingReview. Huo Jiangang, a researcher onJapanese studies with the China Insti-tutes of Contemporary International Re-

lations, claims that Abe’s hardlinestance on China is partly aimed at win-ning support in the election campaign.

To earn the support of conserva-tives, leaders of both parties resortedto heightening nationalism during theelections. Before taking office in 2006,Abe took a tough stance on China, buthe became much more pragmatic whenhe took power, Huo said. China shouldattach less importance to what Abe saidbut more on what he will be able to doin the future, he added. After the elec-tions of party leaders, a series of per-

sonnel arrangements were made withinboth parties. Makiko Tanaka, formerJapanese Foreign Minister, was tappedas education minister by Noda. The

decision to bring Tanaka into the cabi-net was reportedly aimed at repairingsoured ties with China following the ter-ritorial row over the Diaoyu Islands.

Tanaka has personal connectionswith Chinese leaders through her latefather, former Prime Minister KakueiTanaka, who spearheaded the normal-ization of diplomatic relations with Chinain 1972. When Makiko Tanaka was inBeijing as part of a cross-party Japa-nese parliamentary delegation on Sep-tember 28, she pointed out that shelv-ing the dispute over the Diaoyu Islandsis the consensus among old generationleaders of both countries. This was alsothe public stance of the Japanese Gov-ernment that was in power when thetwo countries normalized official ties.Meanwhile, Masahiko Komura, Chair-man of the Japanese parliament’s Japan-China Friendship League, was ap-pointed as vice head of the LDP by Abe.Komura is a former Japanese foreignminister as well as a sinophile. Abe saidthe appointment was intended to senda positive signal to China.

Shi, however, is skeptical about thenew moves in Japan’s personnel ar-rangements. “The two appointmentsare merely gestures, which do not equalsubstantial policy changes. As the in-fluence of Tanaka and Komura is lim-ited to their own parties, it is of littlehelp for easing the tensions,” Shi said.

Liu Jiangyong, a professor of interna-tional studies with Tsinghua University,echoed Shi’s views. Liu said despite therecent personnel arrangements anddiplomatic moves of the two parties,there will be no policy changes overthe Diaoyu Islands issue from the Japa-nese side. However, both parties havenoticed the severe impact of the issueon bilateral relations. It cannot be ruledout that Tokyo would reconstruct theSino-Japanese relationship followingthe upcoming general election, he said.

Aside from attempts to ease ten-sions with China, the two Japa-nese parties seem to be attach-ing more importance to warm-ing relations with South Ko-

rea. Ex-Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara,an iconic figure among anti-China Japa-nese politicians, was named as nationalpolicy minister of the Noda cabinet.

Critics say Maehara will un-doubtedly be a key figure inthe new cabinet and play animportant role in foreign af-fairs. Maehara has long advo-cated an alliance of Tokyo andSeoul to pin down Beijing.Economic fallout: A red hoteconomy with frigid politicalrelations has long been acliché to describe the Sino-Japanese relationship. Sincethe “island-buying” farce, thephenomenon seemingly cameto a stop. Since Chinesepeople’s spontaneous boy-cotts of Japanese products,once popular Japanesebrands have suffered in

China. Japanese automobile manufac-turers are bearing the brunt of the is-land dispute.

Reports showed that Japaneseautomakers saw sharp declines in Chi-nese sales in September. The Septem-ber sales of Mitsubishi in China plum-meted to 2,340 vehicles, down 62.9 per-cent from September 2011, and 33 per-cent lower than 3,495 vehicles in Au-gust. Mazda sold 13,258 vehicles, off35 percent from a year earlier and 20percent below the 16,539 sold in Au-gust. Toyota’s sales in September werehalf of August levels. During an alreadygloomy market, it also temporarilyceased export of its high-end car Lexusto the Chinese market. The number ofChinese tourists visiting Japan alsodeclined sharply. Japan Airlines recentlysaid it had passenger cancellations for19,500 seats on Japan-China routesin the September-November period.

Shi of the CIIS said the deterioratedbilateral relationship would inevitablyaffect bilateral trade and economic re-lations. If the situation continues toworsen, bilateral political relationswould go from cold to confronta-tional; and red hot economic relationswould freeze up. Since 2002, Japanhas been China’s largest trading part-ner for nine straight years. China hasalso exceeded the United States tobecome Japan’s largest trading part

The Diaoyu Islands dispute continues tobring political and economic repercussions

KARACHI: Information Minister Sharjeel Enam Memon addressing a press conference at CM House.

LAHORE: Pakistan Society for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled holding awareness walk on ‘World OsteoporosisDay’ outside Lahore Press Club.

CJ links Pak, India peaceto law rule

From Page 1

SC takes noticeFrom Page 1

PPP trying totake political

advantage: AliAsgharFrom Page 1

spite these were summonedby the apex court.

He alleged governmentused dilatory tactics throughits legal team so that decisionin this case is delayed.People should keep in viewthe facts of this case andshould understand it well thatPPP wanted to take politicalmileage out of this decisionahead of general election, headded.

It was PPP which con-ferred Tamgha-e-Jamhooriaton the central character ofthis episode, Gen (Retd)Aslam Beg and inducted Gen(Retd) Asad Durrani as am-bassador in Germany whowas the second central char-acter in this game, hestated.—Online

US not pushing for NWAoperation: Grossman

From Page 1

Malala attack just a drama,alleges Al-Qaeda site

From Page 1

ments regarding TTP’sclaims of acceptingresponsibility of the attackwere aired on by this Britishmedia giant.

“In these circumstances,TTP couldn’t be held re-sponsible for the attack as itwould be unfair, dishonestyand an attempt to conceal thetruth.”

Confirming EhsanullahEhsan as TTP spokesman,the statement says no Al-Qaeda or TTP media outletor website has issued yet any

statement regarding the at-tack.

The statement specifi-cally targets national and in-ternational media saying theyhave already lost authentic-ity and trust for “editingstatements of Mujahideen toair on only certain parts andleveling false blames againstthem to gain benefits.”

The website says it isnecessary to dig out person-ality of Malala before an-swering any question thathas emerged after the issue.

“A Jewish filmmakerEdam B. Ellick stayed atMalala’s house during Swatoperation in 2009,” the state-ment alleged, and added thatthe teenage girl and her fa-ther met with US ambassador,state secretary and militaryofficers urging them to cleanthe area from Taliban.

“Public response onMalala’s attack was naturalbut the way this incident waspromoted reveals evil de-signs of unseen hands be-hind this incident.”—INP

SC judgmentshould be

implemented:MQM

From Page 1the money.

The Co-ordinationCommittee said that theAsghar Khan case,lingering in the SupremeCourt for many years, bearsout the fact that thegovernment agenciesmeddled in the politicalprocess and influenced thegeneral elections held in thecountry.

The Co-ordination Com-mittee said it was a matterof record that the agencieshad offered money to theMQM leader Altaf Hussainlike other leaders, but AltafHussain refused to acceptmoney and did not sell hisconscience. This has beenaccepted by Younus Habiband officials of the govern-ment agencies who had dis-tributed money among thepoliticians.

The Co-ordination Com-mittee said that after thehistoric decision of the Su-preme Court, all politicalleaders who had acceptedmoney from agenciesshould show moral courageand surrender themselvesto law.

The Co-ordination Com-mittee called for ensuringthat all state institutionswork within their frameworkin future and do not trans-gress their constitutionallimits.

He added that all religions,including Islam, preachedpeace and tolerance. He fur-ther said that the last ProphetHazrat Muhammad (SAWW)is the greatest symbol ofpeace and historic examplesare present where Islamic in-stitutions and leaders solvedthe national issues. He saidthe very first verse of theHoly Quran states that Al-mighty Allah is the most mer-ciful and benevolent.

The Chief Justice saidthat the rule of law snubbedterrorism and conflict. Hesaid today, the society is fac-ing terrorism, extremism and

intolerance. He further saidthat it is the responsibility ofthe state to eliminate extrem-ism and this should be doneby remaining within the ra-dius of the law.

He said that it is impor-tant to affiliate law with peaceand in order to implementboth, understanding and co-operation among the statesis mandatory.

Chief Justice IftikharChaudhry further said thatlaw demands sacrifices andif the Constitution along withthe law is implemented, thenit leaves no room for terror-

ism. He said that deviatingfrom the law and Constitutionmisled us and only those na-tions flourish where the Con-stitution is respected and fol-lowed. He also said that in-dependent media, judiciaryand civil society are perti-nent for a good leadership.“Media is a keen observerand it gave the awareness tothe people regarding the ruleof law,” he added.

He said India and Paki-stan are facing the same kindof challenges and both thecountries should work out aviable plan to establish peacein the region.

Flight delay:From Page 1

Lahore.Sources said on Saturday

that the CJ was to leave forKarachi via PIA flight PK-303which was delayed due totechnical fault.

The chief justice was in-formed about the delay whenhe came at the airport depar-ture lounge. Chaudhry sum-moned the PIA officers anddelivered a lecture as the PIAofficers queued up lookinginto their steps in front of thecountry’s top judge.The CJsaid that his precious time wasbeing wasted at the airport.”—Online

70,000 PakistanisFrom Page 1

a rally. Punjab Chief MinisterShahbaz Sharif, Senior Advi-sor to CM Punjab SenatorSardar Zulfiqar Ali KhanKhosa, Deputy SpeakerPunjab Assembly RanaMashood Ahmed Khan andothers were also present.Meanwhile chief ministeropened the event.

Shahbaz Sharif also sang

Riaz demands Sharifs’ disqualificationFrom Page 1

dered legal proceedingsagainst a former intelligencechief and former army chiefover allegations ofbankrolling politicians tostop the current ruling Paki-stan People’s Party from win-ning 1990 election. The SCalso ordered a probe of thepoliticians allegedly in-volved in the corruption and

malpractice.Sharif is one of the politi-

cians accused of receivingfunds during the 1990 elec-tion which were eventuallywon by the PML-N.

Riaz said that the Na-tional Accountability Bureau(NAB) should ensure that itrecovers all the public fundsdoled out to corrupt politi-

cians in the rigged elections,as per the courts orders.

The PPP leader urged theElection Commission to dis-qualify the Punjab CM so hemay not be able to influencethe investigation. Riazadded that the Sharif broth-ers should apologise to thenation for committing thecrime.

ties between the US and Pa-kistan has been back on trackand there are multilateral re-lations between the US andPakistan, adding that Pak-USrelations are getting betterday by day. To a question,he said that if there would bepeace and security in Af-ghanistan, there would bepeace and security in Paki-stan. He said that Pakistancan play an important role forbringing peace and stabilityin Afghanistan. He said thatPakistan and Afghanistanshould have consultationsfor resolving their issues. Hesaid that US and Pakistan aretrying to bring peace in theregion. He said that land ofany country should not beused against any other coun-try as this has been stated inthe guideline of the Pakistaniparliament.

He said that there are bi-lateral relations between Pa-kistan and Afghanistan andthey can resolve the bordersissues. He said that after thewithdrawal of NATO forcefrom the Afghanistan in 2014,Pakistan and Afghanistanwould make their decisionsat their own level. He saidthat present government inAfghanistan is better as com-

pared to the government ofthe Taliban in Afghanistanten years ago, adding thatnow Afghanistan is makingeconomic progress andrights are being given towomen and the people , stan-dard of living is better , chil-dren are going to schools.Marc Grossman said that notonly Afghanistan but thewhole region is important,adding that the voices arebeing raised in the wholeworld against the Afghan warand this is according to thedemocratic freedom.

He said that there hasbeen progress in Pak-US re-lations and these are baseson the mutual respect be-tween Pakistan and US. Hesaid that 20 percent Pakistanifinished products are beingexported to US.

He said that US is seek-ing for more US companiesto make investment in Paki-stan. He said that US andPakistan should promote re-lations in different fields in-cluding civil society andeconomy. Marc Grossmansaid Pakistan and the UnitedStates have multifaceted re-lations and there are improv-ing day by day.

Replying to another

question he said he doesn’tbelieve that the bilateral rela-tionship between the twocountries was transactionalas Pakistan is beneficiary ofthe largest FulbrightProgramme and the UnitedStates is also providing as-sistance for the energy sec-tor. Replying a question re-garding the US drone strikesinside Pakistan, Grossmansaid he could not answer re-garding drone strikes.

Meanwhile US SpecialEnvoy to Pakistan and Af-ghanistan Marc Grossmanmet Foreign Minister HinaRabbani Khar on Saturday.Both the leaders discussedregional security situation.Security situation in Af-ghanistan were also cameunder discussion. Theyvowed that Pakistan and theUS would continue effortsagainst insurgency till elimi-nation of terrorism from theregion. Attacks in Pakistanfrom Afghanistan were alsodiscussed during the meet-ing.

Grossman also met armychief General Ashfaq Kayaniand discussed “matters ofmutual interest and peaceand stability in Afghani-stan”, a military official said.

Law and order situation calls forgovernor rule in provinces: AQ Khan

From Page 1

first responsibility of thepeople to participate in theforthcoming general electionand exercise their power ofvote to bring good people atthe helm of affairs. He saidpeople not Pakistan of 20years back when everythingwas in order and peopleused to stroll on streets indays and night without anyfear of loot, arson, kidnap-ping or killing which is invogue these days. Mr. ZafarIqbal President Bazm e Kirandecorated Dr. Qadeer withgold medal in acknowledg-ment of his services for thecause of Pakistan.

Speaking on the occa-sion Zahid Malik, Editor inChief of Pakistan Observerand the founder president ofNazariya Pakistan Councilpaid glowing tributes to thematchless contribution ofDr.Abdul Qadeer Khan forthe security of Pakistan.

Zahid Malik who is anoptimist by nature and nevergives up hope in the futureof Pakistan said in a firmtone that this nation hascome to stay forever andhaving a divine support willhave a new birth, and enjoypeace and prosperitysooner or later.

“ Despite all odds anddifficulties even today Paki-stan is a much better coun-

try as compared to variouscountries around the world.Keeping in view the enor-mous economic potentialand strength and above allthe asset of true Pakistanishaving unshakable belief inPakistan, the country wouldemerge as a respectable na-tion once again on the glo-bal landscape,” he ex-pressed his confidence.

Citing the tragic incidentof Malala he expressed hisapprehension that forces ofvested interests were out todub Malala incident as thesecond 9/11 to find an ex-cuse to launch attack inWaziristan.

Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khanand Zahid Malik were hon-ored by Brig. Ghazali whopresented them his two mas-ter pieces of calligraphy onthe occasion.

The seminar was ad-dressed by leading businessleaders, industrialists, schol-ars including SM Muneer,former President FPCCI,Mian Zahid, former chairmanKATI, MehtabuiddinChawala a leading industri-alist and Senator AbdulHaseeb Khan,

Extremely fed up withthe deteriorating law andorder situation particularlyin Karachi, SM Muneer saidthe business community has

arrived at a consensus thatKarachi should be put un-der Army control to dealwith the worst ever law andorder situation. Muneersaid, 15 to 20 people arekilled every in this city be-sides horrible incidents ofkidnapping for ransom.“How long would peopleexperience such uncertainsituation where there is nosecurity for life and othervalues?”

Muneer said that Rang-ers too have failed to deliveras according to Rangerschief whenever they arrestany criminal or culprit in-volved in heinous crimesand hand over him to thepolice, the influential politi-cal forces intervene and getthe arrested man releasedwhich indicates that theselawbreakers and killers havea strong backing. People arenot willing to accept such acostly democracy on theheap of human bodies, andthe no go areas where nosocio-human values are re-spected nor writ of the gov-ernment prevails.

The seminar was alsoaddressed by Zafar Iqbal,President Defence Resi-dents Society and the Bazm-e-Kiran, Col (Retd) Athar AliKhan Secretary of BazmeKiran.

songs before the partici-pants.

Meanwhile addressingthe participants Shahbazsaid that the masses will forceto flee Ali Baba and 40thieves. Shahbaz asked theparticipants weather they willmake Pakistan of Quiad andIqbal dreams and wouldforce to flee Ali Baba and 40

thieves. He said that today ithas been proved that the na-tion is wakening and there isgreat vigour in masses, add-ing that it was the festival ofwhole Pakistan and not onlyof Punjab. On the occasionthe slogans of “PakistanZindabad” were chanted bythe participants of the cer-emony.—SANA

BD concludes 2009mutiny trial, nearly6,000 soldiers land

in jailDHAKA—With the an-nouncement of the last ver-dict against 733 accused Sat-urday, trial of Bangladesh’sborder guards who in Febru-ary 2009 staged a two-dayhorrendous mutiny in the para-military force’s headquartersin Dhaka and other stationsconcluded.The special courtsof Border Guard Bangladesh(BGB), previously known asBangladesh Rifles (BDR),awarded jail terms rangingfrom four months to sevenyears to nearly 6,000 borderguards of the force’s 57 unitsin the last two and a half year.

The trial for the mutinybegan in April, 2010.

Paramilitary BDR in No-vember 2009 constituted sixspecial courts to try thou-sands of guards accused indozens of cases in connec-tion with the bloody mutinyon Feb. 25- 26, 2009. On thefirst day of the two-day mu-tiny, the head of BDR Maj.Gen Shakil Ahmed was shotdead by mutineers.Of the 6,042guards who were tried sinceApril, 2010, a BGB official whopreferred to be unnamed toldXinhua Saturday that “5, 926guards of total 57 units werejailed and 115 acquitted.”

In Saturday’s last verdict,A BGB special court in capi-tal Dhaka awarded jail termsranging from four months toseven years to 723 borderguards of the 57th unit.

Major allegations againstthe convicted soldiers of theunit which comes underSadar (headquarters) RiflesBattalion of the erstwhileBDR included staging rebel-lion with firearms, instigationand distributing leaflets.

The special court also fined100 taka (1.43 U.S. dollars) foreach of the convicted soldiersof the Battalion which led thebloody mutiny inside the para-military force’s headquarters.Some 64 of the accused soldiersof Battalion were awarded withthe highest seven years impris-onment term while others re-ceived jail terms ranging fromfour months to six years at thelast verdict, the BGB officialsaid.—NNI

violence at the district barassociations in Sindh.

The police chief has beendirected to appear with hiscomments before the apexcourt on October 24.

A delegation of theKarachi Bar Associationmembers, led by its president,Mehmoodul Hasan, had metChief Justice IftikharMuhammad Chaudhry onSaturday. They complainedabout the failure of the lawenforcement agencies to pro-tect practicing lawyers.

JEDDAH—Custodian of theTwo Holy Mosques KingAbdullah inaugurated 420health projects and laid founda-tion stones for 127 other healthfacilities worth SR 12 billion ina function at his palace inJeddah. The king pressed thebuttons announcing the inaugu-ration and laying of foundationstones of the projects.

During the function the kingstressed the importance of hardwork and honesty. “May Allahbless you and create many likeyou as you are hardworkingmen. People speak too much butwhat is important is honesty. Themost correct is the good work. Ipray to Allah Almighty to helpyou serve your religion and na-tion. This is what I wish and thisis what every citizen wishes.Thank you,” the king said.

“These projects, which are

King Abdullah launchesSR12b health projects

considered a cultural qualitativeshift, are in fact the largest eventin the history of the Ministry ofHealth,” Minister of HealthAbdullah Al-Rabeeah said.

The newly opened projectscomprised 29 hospitals and healthfacilities and 391 primary healthcare centers, the minister said. Theking also laid the foundationstones for two medical cities in thenorthern and southern regions,projects in three medical cities, aspecialist hospital, seven publichospitals, two medical towers, 73digitized operation theaters and111 primary health care centers,the minister said. With these newadditions, the number of hospitalscommissioned by the ministryover the last three years reached54 and primary health care units645, the minister said.

The ministry is currently con-structing 122 hospitals and medi-

cal towers, 305 primary healthcare units and is planning todouble beds in its hospitals in thenext seven years. Highlighting hisministry’s qualitative perfor-mance, Al-Rabeeah said 10 Saudihospitals won the AccreditationCertificate by the US Accredita-tion Authority for Public HealthProgram and 30 other hospitals ofthe Accreditation certificate of theSaudi National Committee onQuality Assurance. The king be-gan the launching ceremony of thenew projects by pressing a buttonsignifying the opening of severalHaj health projects including theEast Arafat hospital with 236 bedsand 10 health centers at the costof SR 153. 45 million.After thatthe king pressed buttons to open28 hospitals and specialist depart-ments at the cost of SR 3.89 bil-lion. They include the King FaisalHospital in Taif, the Maternity and

Children’s hospital in Makkah,the Maternity and Children’shospital in Dammam, each ofthem with 500 beds, and theSouth Riyadh hospital and Al-Quwaeiyah hospital in Riyadhprovince with 200 beds each.Badaei hospital in Qassim andJazan Medical Tower have 100beds each. The ceremony alsoinvolved the renovation of theAl-Noor hospital, Badr Al-Janoub and Yadmah hospitals inNajran and Al-Khobah and Al-Raith hospitals in Jazan and someother hospitals in Asir and Qassimprovinces. These hospitals willprovide 2,600 additional beds, theSaudi Press Agency reported. Thenewly inaugurated 381 primaryhealth centers worth SR 1.38 bil-lion cover all provinces in theKingdom. The king also viewed avideo presentation of theseprojects.—AN

Shujaat admitsmoney offer

in 90’sISLAMABAD—Pakistan Mus-lim League-Quaid (PML-Q)President Chaudhry ShujaatHussain said he and DeputyPrime Minister Pervaiz Elahiwere offered a heavy amountof money in the 1990 elec-tions; however, they spurnedthe offer.

Talking to media after ameeting with a delegation ofEuropean Union at his resi-dence, he noted the impressionis not correct that the delayingtactics are being employed inthe elections, adding the elec-tions will be convened at theirappointed time.

“The Supreme Court’sruling regarding the AsgharKhan case should be imple-mented without fail,” he as-serted.

Speaking on the occasion,Q-League Secretary GeneralMushahid Hussain Sayed saidthe scam regarding who tookhow much money in the run upto 1990 elections, should bebrought to the fore—INP

OGRA proposesRs2.32/l petrol

price cutSTAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Oil and GasRegulatory Authority (OGRA)on Saturday recommended thereduction of prices of petroleumproducts by Rs.2.32 per liter, theregulatory authority sourcessaid.

The OGRA has dispatchedthe summary to slash the pricesof petroleum products to thepetroleum ministry.

According to OGRA sum-mary, petrol has been recom-mended to be slashed by Rs.2.32 per liter, high-speed dieselby Rs.0.33 and a cut worthRs.0.55 has been proposed in theprice of light diesel.

The authority also recom-mended reduction of Keroseneoil by Rs. 0.61 per litre.

US Afghanwarehouse burnt in Taliban attack

KABUL—Taliban attacked awarehouse full of food andsupplies for troops withrocket-propelled grenades atthe main U.S. base in Afghani-stan late Friday, sparking afire that destroyed the ware-house and everything inside.

Taliban spokesmanZabiullah Mujahid said thatthe fire at the Supreme Groupcompound destroyed a “largestock of food meant for U.S.troops.—INP

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD –President AsifAli Zardari Saturday on theadvice of the Prime Ministerapproved nominations for theElection Tribunal to disposeof appeals against the deci-sions of the Returning Officerrejecting/accepting the nomi-nation papers for by-electionsin consti tuencies PP-129Sialkot-IX and PP-133Narowal-II.

Bye-Elections in PP-129

Sialkot-IX and PP-133Narowal-II are scheduled tobe held on 27th November2012. Spokesperson SenatorFarhatullah Babar said thatthe Election Commission, un-der the provisions of the Rep-resentation of the People Act1976, proposed three judgesof Peshawar High Court forthe Tribunal namely.

Just ice Nasir SaeedSheikh Justice MuhammadAnwaarul Haq and JusticeAbdus Sattar Asghar for dis-

posing appeals in these twoconstituencies. The proposednames were then routedthrough the Law Ministry ina summary for the Prime Min-ister who subsequently ad-vised the President to approvethe nominations.

Appeals, if any, againstacceptance/rejection of nomi-nation papers will be filed by2nd November 2012 and theappeals are due to be disposedof by the Tribunal by 6th No-vember 2012.

Election tribunal for Punjabby-elections announced

PESHAWAR—Chief, JUI-F,Maulana Fazlur Rehman said onone hand hue and cry was beingraised on Malala incident and onthe other establishment andmedia were keeping mum overatrocities being perpetrated byUS on Aafia Siddiqui.

He said this while address-ing condolence reference heldon Saturday on the death of ZiadAkram Durrani, member ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) As-sembly.The JUI-F chief held thechildren who had been killed indrone attacks in seminaries atFATA and Aafia Siddiqui werealso beacon of knowledge. Itwas matter of regret that Paki-stani establishment and media

were silent over the brutalitiesbeing perpetrated by US onthem, he underlined.

Taliban attack on Malalawas not correct but we will notallow any one to play politics onMalala issue, he held.

Those who are criticizing uswith reference to friendly oppo-sition should understand it wellthat his party was participatingin the politics only for the sakeof state, he remarked.

He lamented legislation wasbeing made in the assembly withregard to NGOs while the rec-ommendations evolved byCouncil for Islamic Ideologyhad not been tabled in the assem-bly. —Online

No politicking onMalala issue: Fazl

Live waterstorage capacitydrops 29%ISLAMABAD—The country’slive water storage capacity hasdropped 29pc to water reservoirwhich is badly affectingagricultural and power sectors.A senior official of the Ministryof Water and Power told Onlinehere on Saturday that storagecapacity of dams and waterreservoirs have been dropped tosignificant level which has badlyaffected the agricultural sectorof Pakistan which heavilydepends on agro basedeconomy. If the situation lingerson for sometime more, theenergy crisis would deepen assoon as the water level goesfurther down.—Online

Set on fire byin-lawsBAHAWALPUR—A man wasallegedly set on fire by his in-laws in the city’s suburbanarea of Samasatta. Accordingto police, Muhammed Haneefis the resident of Samasatta’slocality of Otirah. His wifewas living with her fatherafter leaving him in resent-ment. Haneef reached thehouse of his in-laws to bringround his offended wife. But,his father-in-law andbrothers-in-law, dousing himin petrol, set him on fire. Hewas shifted to VictoriaHospital in critical state.According to the doctors, atleast 80 percent of Haneef’sbody was affected. Policeregistered a case against fourpeople and started lookoutfor them. —NNI

KARACHI: Dr A Q Khan in a group photo at a seminar on ‘Controlling Spread of Waywardness’, organised by Bazm-e-Kiran at the DHA Library on Saturday. Editor-in-Chief Pakistan Observer Zahid Malik is also present.

LAHORE—Governor PunjabSardar Latif Khosa has said thatdeployment of Pakistani and In-dian troops at the Siachen gla-cier, the world’s highest battle-field, is stupidity. He stated thiswhile speaking at the Pak-IndiaJudicial Conference here on Sat-urday. It should be mentionedthat the Siachen glacier lies atmore than 5,500m above sealevel in Kashmir. Punjab Gov-

Siachen glacier troops’deployment is stupidity: Khosa

ernor Sardar Latif Khosa saidPakistan and India are nuclearpowers besides being theneighbours.The two countrieshad wasted ample time in wars,and now it his high time for bothPakistan and India to thinkabove their ego levels.

He was of the view that shy-ing away from the Kashmir is-sue was harmful for both thecountries. —INP

SALIM AHMED

KALLAR KAHAR—PunjabChief Minister MuhammadShahbaz Sharif has welcomedthe Supreme Court verdict inAsghar Khan case and saidthose who were blaming PML-N leadership of receivingmoney should bring evidenceagainst it.

Talking to media during aceremony in a college of KalarKahar, Chakwal, Shahbaz al-leged that President Asif AliZardari distributed Rs50 mil-lion in Intelligence Bureauthree years back. He asked foraccountability into this.

Shahbaz said they acceptevery decision of the court withopen heart saying, everyoneknew those who celebrated dis-missal of PML-N on 12th Oc-tober 2012, adding that, theyshould also be held account-able.Addressing prize distribution

PML-N accepts SC verdictwith open heart: Shahbaz

ceremony and sports day of Ca-det College Kallar Kahar,Shahbaz said Pakistan is facingserious challenges like terror-ism, loadshedding and corrup-tion which can be overcomethrough promotion of educationand national approach. Heurged that the rulers shouldspend the national exchequeron education, health and pub-lic welfare instead of bulletproof vehicles, luxuries andconstruction of palaces andonly in this way, the progressof country can be ensured. Hesaid that the persons holdinghigh offices at federal govern-ment are engaged in mintingmoney whereas Punjab govern-ment is striving hard for mak-ing Pakistan a country of Quaidand Allama Iqbal.

The Chief Minister saidthat the political and non-politi-cal governments are account-able to the masses with regardto their performance during the

last 65 years and people can de-cide better that which govern-ment has taken solid steps forthe development of the country.

Special Assistant to ChiefMinister on Higher EducationSyed Zaeem Qadri, MembersAssembly Sardar MumtazTaman, Ayaz Amir, MalikTanvir Aslam, Zahoor Anwar,Begum Iffat Liaqat Ali, PML(N) leaders Lt. Gen. (Retd.)Abdul Majeed Malik, Lt. Gen.(Retd.) Abdul Qayum, MalikSaleem Iqbal, Principal CadetCollege Kallar Kahar, Lt.Gen.(Retd.) Muhammad Nazar,teachers of the college, parents,and a large number of studentswere present on the occasion.Shahbaz Sharif said thatDaanish Schools are being setup at backward tehsils of theprovince where facilities ofstate-of-the-art class rooms, li-braries, laboratories, sportsgrounds, hostels and mess havebeen provided.

Dacoits held, 10bikes recoveredLAHORE—Gulberg policesmashed a dacoit gang andarrested its two members, andrecovered 10 motorcyclesbesides illegal weapons. Duringpreliminary interrogation,gangsters confessed 22 incidentsof vehicle snatching in differentareas of the city. A specialpolice, led by SPO Gulberg,smashed Abbasi dacoit gang andarrested Massarat Abbas and hisaccomplice Noorul Hassan. Meanwhile, Gulshan Ravipolice smashed a robers gangand arrested its five members,and recovered four motorcycles,ten mobile phones besidesillegal weapon. A special policeteam led by SPO Gulshan Raviarrested five dacoits of Zainidacoit gang.—APP

THERE’S a new warning for parentswho use laundry pods about howkids are mistaking them for bright,

colorful candy and eating them. There were1,008 cases of detergent poisoning amongkids during a 30-day period this summer,according to a Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention reportreleased Thursday. Ofthose reported cases, 486were linked to pods. Poi-son centers across thecountry were seeing anaverage of 10 cases a day,the CDC reported in May.

Ninety-four percent ofpoisonings from laundrydetergent are among kidsyounger than 6, accordingto the CDC report, and inthese children, those whoconsumed pods were usu-ally sicker than those whoingested other forms oflaundry detergent. TheCDC says that exposure tothe detergent pods is “anemerging public healthhazard in the United States.”

Parents are learning just how danger-ous the bite-sized, single-dose of laundrydetergent pods really can be. The concen-trated packet of detergent sent 1-year-oldIsabella Sutton to the hospital after sheate one. “I just figured they got into candy,and they were eating candy,” JessicaSutton, Isabella’s mom, told ABC Newsearlier this year.

Minutes later, Isabella had severe vom-iting and diarrhea before being rushed tothe emergency room. Similar reactions havebeen reported across the country withmany children also experiencing drowsi-

ness, nausea and potentially life-threat-ening symptoms such as difficultybreathing. “You don’t think about safety-proofing laundry detergent,” Sutton said.

The makers of Tide detergent - Proc-tor & Gamble - told ABC News in Maythey planned to unveil new childproof

packaging by the summer.The new packaging featuresa double-latch lid and alarger warning label on thecontainer that some criticssay looks like a candy jar.

Proctor & Gamble hasdistributed the new contain-ers but never recalled theold ones. ABC News visitedfour stores this week andfound the old easy-to-openplastic containers onshelves.

Proctor & Gamble toldABC News that it is addingan over-the-lid resealablesticker that will “graduallybe available as of Decemberin stores.”

Henkel — the maker ofPurex Ultra Packs — told ABC News that,since May, is has “updated the packag-ing with clearer labels to warn parentsabout the risks and to provide more spe-cific instructions in the event of inges-tion.”

Other detergent manufacturers whopreviously told ABC News in May thatthey were reviewing the safety packag-ing did not respond to requests for anupdate. Until changes are made, poisoncontrol experts say, the onus falls onthe parents to keep the detergent pack-ets locked up and out of the reach ofchildren.

Laundry detergent pods‘emerging public health hazard’

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Bahrain Mohamed Ebrahim Mohamed Abdulqader, Ad-visor to PM on Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain, Ambassador of UAE Eisa Abdullah AlBasha Al-Nuaimi, President PML-L Saleem Saifullah, Turkish Ambassador BaburHizlan, Ambassador of Algeria Dr Ahmad Benflis, President Islamabad Chamber ofCommerce & Industry Zafar Bakhtawari and others at a reception hosted by theAmbassador of Bahrain.—PO photo

ISLAMABAD: Models walk down the ramp during Fashion Gala 2012 at a local hotel.—PO photo Sultan Bashir

SANA JAMAL

ISLAMABAD—The Embassyof Japan, Japan InternationalCooperation Agency (JICA),JICA Alumni Association ofPakistan and the IslamabadJapanese School in collabo-ration with the Pakistan Na-tional Council of the Arts or-ganized a musical perfor-mance on Japanese traditionaldrums (Wadaiko) and danc-ing at the National Art Gal-lery on Saturday to mark thecelebrations of 60th anniver-sary of diplomatic relationsbetween Japan and Pakistan.

About twelve schoolchildren between 9 to 15years old performed a livelyset of traditional dance anda drum beat ensemble. Theenergetic and rhythmicdance with Wadaiko drum-ming by the students ofJapanese school enthralledthe audience. The purpose

of the event was to show-case traditional Japanesemusic and dances to the Pa-

kistani people. It was a dy-namic, thunderous and pow-erful performance, with the

sound of the drums resonat-ing in the soul of both per-formers and listeners.

ISLAMABAD: Japanese children performing during a musical performance organizedby Embassy of Japan and Japan International Cooperation Agency at PNCA.—PO photo

Japanese traditionalmusic performance enthralls audience

Wadaiko is the Japanesename for both the act ofdrumming in a traditionalJapanese style (of whichthere are many) and thedrums themselves.

The name comes fromthe Japanese words ‘Wa’,meaning ‘Japanese’, and‘Taiko’, meaning ‘drum’. Inmodern Japan, wadaiko hasbecome more of a perfor-mance art, seen at festivalsor in concerts.

The amateur performersshowcased a folk traditionof Japan by exemplifyingtheir dedication and disci-pline in mastering a complexchoreography. This musicalperformance provided anopportunity for the Paki-stani people to discoverJapanese culture and tradi-tion through their little Japa-nese friends and was highlyappreciated.

ISLAMABAD: Birds sitting at the leafless branches of a tree at dusk.

SHOsuspended onaerial firing

RAWALPINDI—City PoliceOfficer (CPO) Rawalpindi sus-pended the Station HouseOfficer (SHO) of New Townpolice station for showingnegligence in implementingthe marriage laws and pre-venting frequent use of aerialfiring on weddings ceremo-nies.

CPO directed all the headof police stations to take strictaction against the violators ofmarriage laws and put thembehind the bars.—APP

PTDC to constructmore hiking

trails in capitalISLAMABAD—Pakistan Tour-ism Development Corpora-tion (PTDC) is going to con-struct more hiking trails infederal capital in cooperationwith Capital DevelopmentAuthority (CDA).

This was stated byManaging Director PTDCMir Shahjahan Khetran whiletalking to APP.

He said PTDC in col-laboration with non govern-mental organizations initi-ated a number of tourismprojects in different areas in-cluding Khunjerab, Chitral,Chouperson Valley, DirKohistan, Hussaini, Gilgitand Shimshal Valley.

Students are trainedabout cleaning of mountain,safety of flora and fauna inthese areas, he said. —APP

IBA observes strikein protest of its

colleague’s killingSTAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Islamabad BarAssociation (IBA) on Satur-day observed completestrike in protest against thebrutal killing of Syed ShakirAli Rizvi near Lahore HighCourt.

While talking to APP,IBA General SecretaryChaudhry MuhammadAyyub Arbab Gujjar told thatIBA felt deep sorrow on mur-der of its colleague and de-manded a stern actionagainst the culprits on imme-diate basis from the con-cerned authority.

He also condemned thewithdrawal of medical facil-ity provided to legal frater-nity by Punjab governmentthough Lahore andIslamabad High Courts hadgiven verdicts in lawyers’favour.—APP

I S L A M A B A D — J u d g eIslamabad High Court, JusticeMuhammad Anwar Khan Kasihas opined that laws in a soci-ety were promulgated to forbetter discipline in life, saying,“The laws are rules for deter-mining legal rights and legalobligations which are recog-nized by the courts.”

He was expressing theseviews in a certificate awardingceremony of one-week train-ing course entitled “ Case andCourt Management and En-forcement of Intellectual Prop-erty Rights (IPRS) Laws inPakistan” for Civil Judges hail-ing from all over the countryincluding Azad Jammu andKashmir and Gilgit-Baltistanhere at Federal Judicial Acad-

emy (FJA), on Saturday.About the importance of In-tellectual Property Rights, hesaid: Different statutes orlaws have been enforced inall societies for the welfare ofcitizens and for safeguard oftheir rights.

In the same manner, theIntellectual Property Rightsgive legal protection againstthe misuse of trade-mark andharm to the lawful businessin the field of intellectualproperty.

Appreciating the con-tents of the course, he said: Ihave gone through the con-tents of the course and feltsatisfaction that it was de-signed to meet the needs oftime; hence, I convey my spe-

cial appreciations to the teach-ing staff.

Regarding the importanceof training he said: trainingprovide knowledge and con-fidence to deal with compli-cated questions and intricatelaws. I am confident that par-ticipant judges from all partsof Pakistan, AJ&K as well asGilgit-Baltistan have gainedsufficient Knowledge, whichwould go a long way in theircareer.

In the end, the honorablechief guest gave away certifi-cates to twenty-one CivilJudges -four female judges-two from Sindh district Judi-ciary and two from Punjabdistrict judiciary-in the cer-emony.—APP

Laws are promulgated forbetter discipline: Justice Kasi

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Allama IqbalOpen University (AIOU) hasreiterated its support toSAARC countries’ scoutsassociation to promote peaceand tranquillity in the region.

While welcoming nearly400 scouts from the regionalcountries at a function heldhere on Friday evening at theUniversity’s main campus,acting vice chancellor Dr.Prof. Ali Asghar Chishti as-sured that AIOU will worktogether with scouts asso-ciations from home andabroad for ensuring their ac-tive participation in promo-tion of peace and friendshipin the region.

He said AIOU has al-ready been on forefront foraugmenting the scouts’ ac-

tivities. The function wasjointly organization by Paki-stan Scouts Association andthe AIOU.

The university’s seniorofficial including the Deanfaculty of social sciences Dr.Abdu Hafiz, RegistrarMuhammad Bashir Chaudhryand Mir Mukhtar HussainTalpur, Director Bureau ofUniversity’s Extension andspecial programme also spokeon the occasion and high-lighted the role of AIOU inpromoting academic and ex-tra-curricular activities.

They said the AIOU willcollaborate with the membercountries for undertakingcommunity-based socio-economic developmentprogrammes for commonbenefit and prosperity. Thescouts who are messengers

of peace will be encouragedthrough all possible means,they added.

The leaders of scoutsAssociations from theSAARC countries, India, SriLanka, Maldives, Nepal andBangladesh thanked theAIOU for extending themwarm hospitality in holdingthe 2nd SAARC Scoutsfriendship camp in Pakistan.

Vice Chancellor Prof DrNazir Ahmed Sangi who is cur-rently abroad has already as-sured that the AIOU will ac-tively work with Scouts Asso-ciations to achieve their noblecause, promoting peace andtranquillity in the region. ChiefCommissioner Pakistan BoysAssociation Justice AghaRafiq Ahmed also attendedthe function and thanked theAIOU for its support.

AIOU to collaborate withSAARC Scouts to promote peace

RAWALPINDI—An FIRagainst eight Rawalpindi Can-tonment Board (RCB) staffersfor thrashing an APP journal-ist has been registered hereat R.A. Bazaar Police Station.

According to details, theRCB staffers on Tuesday(Oct 16) thrashed TahirChaudhary for detectingsome of them taking bribe fromthe encroachers during ananti-encroachment drive atChungi Number 22. The vic-tim approached Police Station

FIR registered against RCB staffersRA Bazaar for legal actionagainst the RCB staffers,while the journalist bodiesalso condemned the incidentand demanded of the authori-ties concerned to take strictaction against the culprits.RCB Anti-Encroachment De-partment Head Fayyaz Khanalong with dozens of otherstaffers carried out an opera-tion against the vendors,hand-pushcart owners andother encroachers at ChungiNumber 22 and on Tench

Road. Tahir Chaudhary whoreached there for coverage,noticed that some RCB staff-ers were taking bribe fromsome vendors to let them runtheir businesses.

On this, Tahir approachedthe team incharge and askedas to why the operation wasbeing conducted on discrimi-natory basis.

According to Tahir,Fayyaz Khan instead of reply-ing called his staffers andstarted beating him.—APP

His Majesty King Mohammed VI Kindgom of Morocco conferred Morocco NationalAward upon Mirza Ishtiaq Bait, Hon Consul General of Morocco. Ambassador of HisMajesty Mohammed Rida El Fassi decorating the award.

ISLAMABAD: Children of an open-air school cleaning their sitting place before start of class.

ISLAMABAD: A view of damaged windows of the office of Executive Director PIMSHospital after the clash between young and senior doctors.

STAFF REPORTER

RAWALPINDI—The RoyalCommon Society has a richhistory of nurturing thecreative talents of youngpeople around the Com-monwealth through arange of competitions.They encourage creativeresponses to global chal-lenges and offer a uniqueinternational platform fornew young talent.

Open to all Common-wealth citizens aged 18 orunder, the Essay Compe-tition offers young peoplethe opportunity to maketheir voice heard on a glo-bal platform, encouragingstudents to engage with

Roots School System wins awards inRoyal Commonwealth Essay Competition

issues which are importantto them. Every year, theCommonwealth Essay Com-petition inspires thousandsof young writers from allover the world.

Organized by the RCS,this international youthwrit ing contest has beenrunning for over 100 years- the World’s oldest and ishighly regarded and popu-lar international educationproject.

Roots School Studentswin maximum awards – 19 inthe Royal Common WealthEssay Competition 2012. Ac-cording to the Royal Com-mon Wealth Society, U.Kpress release, nearly 8000entries were received from all

over the WORLD this year.It is indeed a great honourand achievement to win 19awards from a single schoolsystem in Pakistan. Roots isno 1 in bagging 19 awardsas compared to all other win-ners from Pakistan. Manyprestigious Schools partici-pated in the annual essaycontest and have won Silverand Bronze Awards.

Roots brilliant GoldAward winners are: ShafinWaqar of DHA I Campus, M.Taimur Adnan of DHA ICampus, Ahmed AdeenMirza of DHA I Campus,Zunera Maryam 93 HarleyStreet Campus and DaniyaAli of Peshawar Campus.Silver Award winners are

Easham Ijaz of RootsLahore Campus, YusufShakeel of DHA I Campusand Fatima Taj of DHA ICampus. Bronze MedalWinners are Zahra UzairQureshi of DHA I Campus,Murvah Assad of DHA ICampus, Jumana Babar ofDHA I Campus, HamzaTasneem Roots 93 HarleyBranch, Meerab AsadRoots DHA I Campus,Maaneha Faisal Roots 93Harley Campus, Neha OmairDHA I Campus, MahnoorShabbir Roots 15 Tulsa,Ibrahim Fawad Roots WahCantt, Mahnum HafeezRoots DHA I Campus andHassan Khalid RootsPeshawar Campus.

SHARAFAT KAZMI

IS L A M A B A D—After thesuccessful implementa-tion of energy friendlydress code in Cabinet Di-vision and Ministry ofWater and Power, Secre-tary Cabinet, Nargis Sethihas taken another initia-tive of conservation, atlarge-scale, by declaringIslamabad as model cityfor energy conservation.

In this regard Capital

Development Authority(CDA), Islamabad ElectricSupply Company (IESCO),Islamabad Capital TerritoryAdministration (ICT) and SuiNorthern Islamabad havebeen tasked to jointly workfor the conservation of wa-ter, electricity and NaturalGas in the Capital under thesupervision of Cabinet Sec-retary/Secretary Water andPower.

Under the Slogan of theinitiative “Pani, Bijli or Gas

bachao—apnee zindageeasan banao” (conserve wa-ter, electricity and gas —make your life easy) all theseinstitutions would intensifytheir efforts to check its sup-ply lines, effectively enforceby-laws against violatorsand sensitize the public of theutility of conservation.

Ban on use of illumina-tions or decorative lights,regulation of billboards, ra-tionalization of lights in mar-kets in consultation with mar-

ket committee, review ofbuilding codes for energyconservation, discouragingthe use of electric heaters atoffices and homes and mini-mum use of gas heaters andgeysers are some of thesteps planned under the ini-tiative.

Similarly effective moni-toring of leakages of the wa-ter supply lines would en-sured to ensure there is nowastage. School children,members of civil society, me-

dia and public servantswould be involved to awarethe residents of Islamabadabout the initiative and se-cure their support.

The Cabinet Divisionwould coordinate the effortsof all the institutions to pre-vent any duplication and en-sure quick response for im-provements in the conserva-tive plan, suggestions andfeedback by the pubic, civilsociety and media would bechanneled via regular moni-

toring and consultations bythe Cabinet Division.

The electricity, water andgas so conserved by imple-menting the initiative wouldbe diverted to education in-stitutions, hospitals andneed-based services of largerpublic interest so thatstudent’s activities do notsuffer because of powershortage, patient’s lives donot endanger due to want ofelectricity and winter doesnot bring sufferings for

housewives due to unavail-ability of gas. The initiativeis designed on the basis ofgovernment’s decisions topresent Islamabad as modelcity to be followed by othercities of the country.

It may be added that ac-cording to expert opinionand international best prac-tices energy conservationhas proved a great tool ofnarrowing the demand andsupply gap and lead to effi-cient load management.

ISLAMABAD: A student presenting painting to Chief Commissioner Tariq Pirzada during his visit to stalls showcas-ing different projects at an expo.

Islamabad to be made modern city for energy consumption

ISLAMABAD—Chief Commis-sioner Islamabad TariqPirzada on Saturday said thatTurkey is playing vital role inthe development of Pakistanthough multiple initiatives.

We are tied in deep bondof brotherhood; our extensivecultural, commercial and stra-tegic cooperation will go tonew heights with the passageof time, he said.

Talking to media after in-augurating Third Eye Exhibi-tion Organized by Pak-Turk

International Schools andColleges here at a local park,Tariq Pirzada said that a pref-erential trade agreement (PTA)between the brotherly coun-tries will further boost our cen-turies-old ties.

He said that Turkey en-sured its developmentthrough quality education

and now it has focused onPakistan for provision of qual-ity and affordable educationwhich we see as invaluablecooperation.

Millions of Pakistanis arebenefitting from selfless ser-vices offered by Turk breth-ren which will go a long wayin our nation building moves,he said.

The Chief Commissionersaid that other educationalinstitutions should also payspecial attention to social andmoral education and organisesuch events keeping in viewthe importance of activitybased learning.

Earlier, Mr. Pirzada alongwith Chairman Pak-Turk I.C.E.F Unal Tosur, MD Fesih Celik,Director Education KamilTure, Principals EbubekirHaspolat and Ahmet Efiturk

and other administrators vis-ited all the stalls showcasing150 projects prepared by thestudents.

The projects included sci-entific inventions, differentsocial and moral issues, na-tional and international dis-putes and their resolution, re-sponsibilities towards ournation and many other sub-jects. Students explainedabout their projects in detailwhich was appreciated.

Moreover, Turkish foodpavilion and stalls exhibitingdresses attracted many visi-tors and parents of the stu-dents.

It is worth mentioninghere that all the income gen-erated by selling of food anddress items will be contrib-uted towards scholarships ofthe needy students.—INP

Turkey playing vital rolein development of Pakistan

ISLAMABAD—The inferno in-cident in Karachi took bystorm all district administra-tions to ensure adequate firesafety measures across thecountry but Capital Develop-ment Authority (CDA) Emer-gency and Disaster Manage-ment Directorate could notcomplete survey in this con-nection despite passage ofone year.

Sources said that no vis-ible efforts made to cope upwith fire incidents/emergencysituation as most of the build-ings located in Blue Area lackfire fighting equipment be-sides bare electric lines makethese buildings more prone tofire incidents.

A large number of thepeople visit Blue Area, an im-portant business centre ofIslamabad containing hotels,restaurants, bakeries, gar-ments, computer, medicalstores and offices of PakistanInternational Airlines (PIA)and OGRA office. Moreover,thousands of people work inthe multi-storey buildings lo-cated in the shopping areaand cluster of electric wirescould outbreak fire in thesebuildings. Emergency andDisaster Management Direc-

torate of the civic body hadstarted a survey in 2010 tocheck fire safety measures in-cluding emergency exits, fireextinguishers and later it wassupposed to issue NOC andnotices to buildings sansproper fire safety measures.But, survey could not be com-pleted despite passage of overone year.

Emergency and DisasterManagement Directorate of-ficials few days back briefedCDA Chairman Syed TahirShahbaz that fire safety ar-rangement finalised in 25 per-cent buildings situated incommercial area.

Sources said that con-cerned directorate of the civicbody despite passage of sev-eral months has managed toaccomplish only 15 percentwork, adding that owners ofbuildings allegedly escapefire safety arrangements bygreasing the palms of CDAofficials.

When contacted, spokes-man for CDA, Ramzan Sajidclaimed that 60 percent workhas been completed on sur-vey of fire safety arrange-ments in commercial buildingand process would be com-pleted soon.—INP

Risk of fire incidentsin Blue Area

RCB given threedays to clear

garbage-dumpingRAWALPINDI—Lahore HighCourt (LHC) Rawalpindibench, Justice MamoonRashid Sheikh has directed thechief executive officer (CEO)Rawalpindi Cantonment Board(RCB) to clean Dhoke Syedanground from debris and gar-bage within three days. TheLHC bench was hearing a pe-tition of Anwar Dar, presidentof a local NGO who had chal-lenged the sale and construc-tion of the land in DhokeSyedan ground in violation ofthe stay orders of a LHC benchin April 2009.

The petitioner hadbrought to the courts noticethat the ground had becomea dumping point for garbage,creating unhygienic condi-tions for residents.

The LHC bench also di-rected the respondent, thePunjab government, to sub-mit its reply regarding statusof the land. The advocate forthe petitioner argued that de-spite stay orders the groundhad been filled with debrisand garbage right in themiddle of a thickly populatedarea. The CEO RCB and themilitary estate officer were re-sponsible for the situation, heargued.—INP

Defiance ofLoudspeakerAct on rise

STAFF REPORTER

RAWALPINDI—The CounterTerrorism Department (CTD)of Punjab Police has ex-pressed concern over thebreach of ban on the use ofloud speakers in mosques andother places as a measure tomaintain inter-religious har-mony.

According to sources, thedepartment wrote to thePunjab government that theloud speaker act had beenviolated at 177 mosques andother places since July thisyear but the local administra-tion, district government andpolice had not taken an effec-tive action.

According to a reportsent to the additional IGRawalpindi and Home Depart-ment Punjab, only one casewas registered in Rawalpindidistrict while three cases wereregistered in Attock district inthe Rawalpindi division so faron defying the ban on unnec-essary use of the loudspeaker.—INP

PIMS’ youngdoctors scuffle

with seniorsCITY REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Young doc-tors of Pakistan Institute ofMedical Sciences (PIMS) onSaturday ransacked the hos-pital building after clash withsenior doctors.

The protesting doctorsscuffled with senior doctorsover their refusal to partici-pate in the strike, a privatechannel reported.

CITY REPORTER

RAWALPINDI—City TrafficPolice (CTP) and PakistanPost are mulling over estab-lishing a Pakistan Postcounter in the CTP head of-fice to facilitate the citizensin getting tickets.

According to sources,correspondence was under-way between the two insti-tutions in this connection.

Giving details, the sourcesaid dozens of people cometo the CTP head office situ-ated in Race CourseRawalpindi to get driving li-cences and learners. The visi-

tors are provided the relatedforms on the spot while thePunjab government has alsoappointed doctors in an of-fice in the boundary of theCTP head office for the medi-cal examination of the appli-cant.

The doctors give a certifi-cate to the applicant on thespot after his/her medical ex-amination. Though the tick-ets for the payment of the feefixed by the provincial gov-ernment are not available inthe CTP head office, thesources said, adding the ap-plicants either have to go toGeneral Post Office (GPO) in

Saddar or to a post office inQasim Market, a nearby postoffice, to get the tickets.

Pakistan Post and CTPare now planning to providethe facility to the applicantsinside the CTP head office,the source informed, addingthat a Pakistan Post counterwould be established in theoffice.

Expressing their views onthe step, members of the so-cial circles of the city said thatthe provision of the facilityin the CTP head office wouldsave the applicants’ time andthe process of getting a driv-ing licence would get easier.

CTP head office to havePakistan Post counter

05:4001:3004:45

07:30

Zohr

October 22

ANNUAL entrepreneur-ship conference 2012titled ‘Learn Create Lead,’organised by the HigherEducation Commission,National ICT R&D Fund,FAST National Universityand Pakistan ScienceFoundation, at the Na-tional Library of Pakistanauditorium, ConstitutionAvenue at 9 to 5 pm.

*****

EXHIBITION of works byfive artists from the Na-tional College of Arts(Lahore), at the RohtasGallery, House No 57-B,Street 26, Sector F-6/2, at5 pm.

October 23

EXHIBITION titled ‘Papercuts works by RabeyaJalil, Nadia BatoolHussain and SophiyaKhawaja, at the RohtasGallery, House No 57-B,Street 26, sector F-6/2 at5:30 pm.

November 8

ALUMNI Association -National Institute ofPsychology (AA-NIP)will hold Annual AlumniDinner, 2012 on 8th No-vember, 4:30 P.M to10:00 P.M at Geo Phys-ics Auditorium, QAU.For Registration pleasecontact Irum Naqvi. 051-9 0 6 4 4 0 4 7 ,Irumnaqvi2006@gmail.com.

Capital getsanother police

stationCITY REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—The InteriorMinistry has approved cre-ation of new police station inSector I-16 in Islamabad de-spite non-availability of build-ing, office equipment, furni-ture, arms, vehicles and man-power. Sub-Inspector SheikhNaeem was appointed in-charge of the new police sta-tion in Sector I-16.

Sources said that onlymanpower of 40 to 70, includ-ing 10 to 15 sub-inspectorswould be required to make thepolice station at Sector I-16operational, but there is nobuilding available for the po-lice station.

It merits mentioning herethat the police station and itsSHO are only on paper as thereis no proper building for thesame besides other require-ment which ultimately meansthat creation of police stationon paper would not reducecriminal activities in its limits.

Citizensdecry traffic

mess on BBRRAWALPINDI—Traffic messon different points on BenazirBhutto Road (BBR), includingMareer Chowk, Waris Khan,Liaquat Bagh and others isannoying the residents andcommuters of the city.

According to sources,with the construction ofChandni Chowk flyover, traf-fic problems on in the chowkwere resolved to a great extentbut the gridlocks have nowshifted to other chowks on theroad starting from Naz Cinematill Mareer Chowk.

Talking to INP, RizwanKhan, a commuter, said that hehad to travel on the BBR toreach his office and his one toone and a half hour daily waswasted due to the traffic jamson almost every major chowkon the road.

Zahoor Asgher, a wagondriver, said that the traffic pres-sure and encroachments on theroad cause a huge loss of timeas well as money, as relativelygreater fuel was consumed oneach round of their route dueto slow plying. —INP

KOTLI: AJK Minister for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry Sardar Akhtar Hussain Rabbanibeing received by a public delegation.

ISLAMABAD: AJK Prime Minister Ch Abdul Majeed with a public delegation led by HajiMunsaf Dad and Ch Liaqat.

MIRPUR: Vice Chancellor of MUST talking to Engineer Naib Hussain, MBE Haji SabirMughal.

NILOOFAR QURESHI

They are consummate traders who deal ina host of merchandise with the tenacityand commitment that perhaps has noother parallel in the world. But they are also

traders of a different type- they deal in all forms ofmerchandise, the actual as well as the ab-stract. Andwhile they are the best of friends while trading oneset of commodities, they becoming bit-ter enemieswhile trading another. Yet the beauty of this com-mercial arrangement is that despite this ‘love andhate’ relationship, both continue trading and it isthis which make them truly unique part-ners!

These strange trading partners go by the nameof India and Pakistan and both follow a commonphilosophy that, ‘come what may, trade we must-so trade we will’! On the commercial front, goodsare being traded on a war footing with each side be-stowing the status of ‘Most Favoured Nation’ (MFN)on the other. On the Line of Control (LoC), the

armies of both countries remain equally busy in thetrade of exchanging fire while on the diplomatic fronttoo the two nations work overtime and keep busytrading something entirely different - accusa-tions andcharges at the UN.

Such an elaborate and comprehensive trade ar-rangement between the two countries holds im-mensepromise of revolutionising commercial en-terprisesall over the world as it places trade above moralityand ethics. And it is this unholy philosophy that opensthe floodgates of possibilities for the unscrupulous.For example, America could follow the Indo Pakmodel by granting MNF status to Iran, importing oilfrom it and then using the same to fuel its fighteraircrafts and drones, bomb Tehran. Iran too could usethe millions of dollars it receives for the oil sold toAmerica to hire terrorist groups or mercenaries to

bomb the US. Wouldn’t this be a ‘win win’ proposalfor both sides. Returning to the Indo Pak tradingmatrix one finds that even in their hostile diplomaticexchange of trading charges, there is an inbuilt safetymecha-nism to ensure that parity exists. While Indiastakes claim to the entire territory of the erstwhilekingdom of J&K, it takes due care not to express anysolidar-ity with the people of this region, which byvirtue of New Delhi’s claim are Indian citizens. AndIslama-bad’s stance too is curious - while it considersIn-dian presence in J&K ‘illegal’, pledges wholehearted ‘political, diplomatic and moral support’ toits people and calls for the implementation of the UNresolutions, by failing to move any resolution on thesame, it falls woefully short of its stated posi-tion onKashmir!

We have been given to understand that India and

Pakistan are moving forward on the issue of resolv-ing the Kashmir issue. In March this year, while ad-dressing the joint Parliament session on the first dayof the budget session, President Pratibha Patil haddeclared that “We are committed to resolv-ing alloutstanding issues with Pakistan through dialogue.”As per Pak media reports, President Zardari too hastold Mirwaiz Umar Farooq that “Pakistan believesthat result-oriented, uninterrupted dialogue processwith India will greatly help create a conducive envi-ronment to find permanent solution of the Kashmirdispute in accordance with the aspi-rations of thepeople of Kashmir.” But all this was before the twocountries decided to trade vitriolic exchanges on Kash-mir at the UN. However, those who are apprehensivethat this spat may derail the ongoing bonhomie be-tween the two countries, need not despair. The In-

Consummate traders of Kashmir dian Home Min-ister, currently on a visit to J&Khas made two im-portant observations- the first,that militants con-tinue to cross the fencing put upby India and sec-ondly, that the Government of In-dia is determined to promote cross LoC trade. Thesestatements have once again reinforced the invinci-bility of the ‘blow hot –blow cold’ Indo Pak rela-tions.

So, the stark reality is that commerce is nowbecome the ‘core issue’ between India and Paki-stan and thus, despite their conflicting views on theKashmir issue, it is and will remain, ‘business asusual’ between the two. It is quite evident as to whyNew Delhi is behaving the way it is. But what doesdefy explanation is Pakistan’s ‘flip-flop’ on theKashmir issue. Pakistan wants us to know that ithas not forsaken the Kashmir issue but it has alsocon-veyed that its resolution can wait till a ‘condu-cive environment’ emerges. Does Islamabad lackthe will, or is it merely taking the people of J&Kfor granted? Courtesy—Kashmir Observer.

AJK Presidentadministers oathto Acting HC CJ

STAFF REPORTER

I S L A M A B A D — S a r d a rMuhammad Yaqub Khan, Presi-dent of Azad Jammu and Kash-mir on Saturday afternoon ad-ministered oath of office as Act-ing Chief Justice of AJK HighCourt to Mr Justice M AftabAlvi in an impressive ceremonyheld in Kashmir House here.

Chief Justice AJK HighCourt Mr Justice GhulamMustafa Mughal has flown toSaudi Arabia for performance ofHajj. During his Hajj leave thenext senior judge of the HighCourt Mr Justice M Aftab Alvihas been appointed as ActingCJ. The oath administering cer-emony was participated byjudges of the higher judiciary,senior lawyers, higher officialsand the media members. Jus-tice Alvi has started functioningfollowing taking oath.

One killed, twoinjured in IHK

SRINAGAR—One man waskilled and two others injuredwhen unknown attackers firedat the employees of a hotel onthe Srinagar-Muzaffarabadhighway in Nowgam area. Themanager of the hotel told me-dia men that three gunmen en-tered the lobby of the hotel mak-ing enquiries about the guestsstaying at the hotel after whichthey took three hotel employeesin the backyard and opened fireat them. An army convoy,which was passing on the high-way, was halted for some timeduring the firing incident. “Oneemployee identified as FarooqAhmad belonging to Tral townin south Kashmir was killed inthe firing while two others wereinjured,” a police officer said.The injured have been shiftedto hospital for treatment.—NNI

‘Diabetes on risein Kashmiryoungsters’

JAMMU—“With the prevalenceof Diabetes rising to over 15 per-cent in Jammu & Kashmir, themajor health challenge in thenext few years will be increas-ing incidence of Diabetes inyoungsters including adolescentsand teenagers”. This was statedby renowned Diabetologist, Na-tional Professor of Diabetes andnoted author Dr. Jitendra Singhwhile addressing a DiabetesAwareness cum Detectionprogramme held at “KushtAshram” (Leprosy Home),Bhagwati Nagar. This was prob-ably the first of its kind Diabe-tes programme to be held at Lep-rosy Home here and was orga-nized by Diabetes Care Founda-tion (DCF) in collaboration withShaheed Kuldeep Verma Memo-rial Committee.

He said that often the healthservices do not adequately reachleprosy affected sections of so-ciety and even the medical pro-fessionals attending on them fo-cus primarily on leprosy withoutrealizing that these people couldalso be victims of modern daynon-communicable diseases likeDiabetes and hypertension. Dur-ing the camp over 150 leprosyindividuals received counsellingfor Diabetes and there wereabout 10 new detections of dia-betes patients. Holding lifestylechanges as mainly responsiblefor rapid spread of Diabetes, Dr.Jitendra Singh made a startlingdisclosure that a survey con-ducted during morning hoursacross various school bus stopsin and around Jammu city has re-vealed that a majority of schoolgoing urban children are eitherobese or overweight.

The rising trend of weightgain coupled with lack of physi-cal exercise and high level ofmental stress in school going chil-dren acts as a precursor of futurediabetes in them at a younger ageparticularly in those children whoalso have a family history of dia-betes, he added.—NNI

SRINAGAR—Senior leader ofthe All Parties Hurriyet Confer-ence, Shabbir Ahmad Shah hassaid that the Kashmiris never ac-cepted India’s illegal hold onJammu and Kashmir. ShabbirAhmed Shah addressing a bigpublic gathering in Tral town saidthat the people of Jammu andKashmir had been fighting forsecuring their inalienable right toself-determination and offeringhuge sacrifices to achieve theirgoal. “Despite this fact if anybodystill calls Kashmir as an integral

Kashmiris never acceptedIndia’s rule : Shabbir Shah

part of India, he is living in a fool’sparadise and talking nonsense,”he said.The senior APHC leadermaintained that history could notbe changed by conducting elec-tions in the occupied territory andforming puppet governments.

He deplored that pro-libera-tion leaders were being harassedand intimidated to deter themfrom pursuing the liberationstruggle. Mushtaq-ul-Islam, DrMuhammad Qasim Fakhtoo andMasarrat Aalam Butt are lan-guishing in jails without any jus-

tifications, he added.Shabbir Shah welcomed the

decision of the UK for giving thepeople of Scotland the right todecide their future through a ref-erendum. “East Timor, SouthSudan and Ireland have beengiven the choice to decide theirfuture but only Kashmir has beenleft and ignored. New Delhishould learn a lesson from the de-cision and give the Kashmiripeople a chance to decide theirfate by themselves,” he main-tained.—NNI

SRINAGAR—After mortgaginghis home and ancestral land,Najeeb Rashid availed a bankloan of Rs five lakhs and estab-lished a poultry farm in remoteShalgam village of South Kash-mir. The venture began well andstarted yielding satisfactory re-sults. But his happiness was short-lived. A bridge connectingShalgam with rest of the worldgot damaged and the village lostits only road connectivity.

Rashid continued with hispoultry farming but lack of con-nectivity affected his business andhe was unable to sell his produce

Kashmiris commit suicideunder Indian duress

at competitive rates. “I sufferedlosses and was unable to reim-burse the loan. The bank intereststarted piling up and I was de-clared a defaulter,” he said. Oneday the inevitable happened andNajeeb received a bank noticewarning him to clear his debt orface auction of his mortgagedproperty. “I rushed to my relativesbut nobody came forward tohelp.” Pushed to the proverbialwall, Rashid consumed some poi-sonous substance and attemptedto end his life. However, fortu-nately he was rushed to hospitaland his life was saved.

Tahir Malik, a graduatestruggled for many years for agovernment job, but failed to getone. He then started a small busi-ness of his own and raised capitalby availing loans from banks andfriends. “In the beginning busi-ness was running smoothly and Iwas able to repay a portion of theloan,” said he, adding “but lifetook an ugly turn. I sufferedloses”.

Malik also became a de-faulter and received a notice fromthe bank. “I decided to dispose offmy house but my wife didn’t al-low me to do so.—NNI

SRINAGAR—Members of theInternational Amnesty (AI) metsenior leaders Syed Ali ShahGeelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq,Mohammad Yasin Malik, ProfAbdul Gani Bhat and othershere. The team headed by direc-tor for Indian programmes ofAI, Shishi Kumar Villath, is onan eight day visit to Kashmir.

Hurriyat Conference (G)chairman Syed Ali ShahGeelani told the team that forlast 22 years the infamous lawsAFSPA, and Disturbed AreasAct are in force in Kashmir andthe history of PSA is old. Healleged that there is no end tohuman rights violations.Hurriyat (G) spokeperson AyazAkbar said that the group wasinformed about the detention ofthe Masrat Aalam, Pir Saifullah,Ghulam Nabi Sumji andMushtaq ul Islam who are de-tained under the Public SafetyAct (PSA). Later, the group met

Int’l community silent over HRsviolations in Held Kashmir: Geelani

chairman Muslim ConferenceAbdul Gani Bhat at his resi-dence in Rajbagh. Confirmingthe meeting, Bhat said AI teamstated that the pending Kashmirissue is the reason for the men-tal and physical torture of thepeople of Valley.

The three member team alsohad a meeting with MirwaizUmar Farooq, chairmanHurriyat (M) at his Nageen resi-dence. Mirwaiz told them thatAI was doing a commendablejob in highlighting the rightsviolation on international level.He said that in that context, therecent amnesty report regardingthe black laws imposed in Kash-mir was a right step in right di-rection. Mirwaiz further in-formed the Amnesty team thatduring his recent foreign trip, hemet the top brass of the organi-zation and had detailed talkswith them over the human rightsviolation being committed in

Kashmir.Hurriyat (M) chairman ap-

prised the three member teamabout the increasing rights vio-lation in Kashmir, about the pa-thetic condition of prisoners lan-guishing in jails, about ten thou-sand enforced disappearances,and about thousands of un-marked graves being discoveredin the conflict region. He saidthe black laws like AFSPA anddisturbed areas acts have vestedunbridled powers with the In-dian troops. JKLF chairman,Mohammad Yasin Malik, dur-ing his meeting with AI saidJammu Kashmir is the onlyplace in the whole world whichhas highest number of troopsposted in every nook and cor-ner. Despite no violence thenumber of these troops is notdecreasing but increasing dayby day.

He alleged that interna-tional community is observing

Deadly attackon military

convoySRINAGAR—Police in Indian-controlled Kashmir say gunmenhave opened fire on a militaryconvey and at a hotel. At leastone person was killed and twowere wounded. An officer saidthe group attacked the convoyon the outskirts of Srinigar onFriday, then entered the groundsof the Silver Star hotel and con-tinued firing. The three victimswere hotel employees.

The officer said a searchoperation was under way. Sev-eral rebel groups are fightingIndian rule. None has issuedstatements on the incident.Since 1989 a separatist insur-gency and the subsequent crack-down by Indian forces havekilled an estimated 68,000people.—INP

Ill-treatment ofprisoners in IHKjails denounced

SRINAGAR—APHC leaderand the Chairman of Jammu andKashmir National Front,Nayeem Ahmed Khan, has con-demned the beating of prison-ers in jails in the territory.

Nayeem Ahmad Khan ad-dressing his party activists inSrinagar said that beating ofprisoners was an act of coward-ice and the laws used against theinmates had been declared thelaws of oppression by the Am-nesty International. He ex-pressed serious concern over theconditions of jails. The APHCleader said that that evenhardcore criminals were re-leased on the eve of their reli-gious festivals but Kashmirisdidn’t get the benefit of this for-mality. “India is so scared of theresistance of Kashmiri peoplethat it does not release them onthe auspicious occasion of Eid,”he said.

Nayeem Khan maintainedthat New Delhi and its puppetsin the territory were trying ev-erything to deter the Kashmirisfrom continuing the ongoingliberation struggle but theywould never succeed in theirnefarious designs. He asked hisparty members to keep in touchwith the kith and kin of the de-tainees on the forthcoming Eid.On the other hand, the spokes-man of Jamaat-e-Islami in oc-cupied Kashmir in a statementin Srinagar expressed seriousconcern over the ill-treatmentmeted out to illegally detainedKashmiri Hurriyet leaders andactivists in jails.

He said that ill-treatmentmeted out to liberation leader,Mushtaq-ul-Islam, and otherpolitical prisoners by Superin-tendent Udhampur Jail, DrVinod Kumar was condemnableact. He demanded stringent le-gal action against this erringofficer who was infamous forsuch activities.—KMS

silence over the human rightsabuses. “Jammu and Kashmirhas the world’s highest concen-tration of troops and for aboutevery three Kashmiris, there isa soldier. If anybody shows thecourage against this tyranny heis being subjugated, arrested,tortured and put behind the barsunder draconian laws like pub-lic safety act etc.

This is the place wherea solider kills, tortures, loots orshoots anybody without beingquestioned or brought to thejustice. APSPA and other dra-conian laws like these are ac-tually providing shield to thesekillers and human rights abus-ers,” Yasin said.

He alleged that even thepeople who are in jails are be-ing subjected to worst kind oftreatment. Yasin said that in2008 and 2010 hundreds of ouryoung ones were killed by po-lice and forces.—NNI

SRINAGAR—The Chairman ofthe All Parties Hurriyet Confer-ence, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq haswarned the international com-munity that death and destruc-tion by Indian troops in occu-pied Kashmir is continuing un-abated.

The APHC Chairman ad-dressing a big gathering atCharar-e-Sharif, , demanded thewithdrawal of troops fromJammu and Kashmir to pave theway for a peaceful resolution ofthe Kashmir dispute. He saidthat the ongoing liberationstruggle of the Kashmiris wasan indigenous popular move-ment that would continue

Death, destruction continuingunabated: Mirwaiz

against all odds.Hurriyet lead-ers, Shabbir Ahmad Shah,Nayeem Ahmad Khan,Muhammad Yousuf Naqash andJaved Ahmad Mir addressing apublic rally at Tral Chowk reit-erated that the sacrifices of theKashmiris would not be allowedto go waste. People in the rallyshouted slogans ‘Jeway JewayPakistan’ and ‘We Want Free-dom.

APHC leaders includingAgha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi,Mukhtar Ahmad Waza, andZafar Akbar Butt addressingdifferent gatherings said thatthe permanent peace in SouthAsia was not possible without

resolving the Kashmir disputein accordance with theKashmiris’ aspirations. On theother hand, the veteranKashmiri Hurriyet leader,Syed Ali Gilani was placed un-der house arrest in Srinagar,today, to prevent him from of-fering Juma prayers.

The office of Syed AliGilani told media men, today,that the Pakistan High Com-missioner to India phoned Mr.Gilani and extended invita-tion to him on behalf of theForeign Minister, HinaRabbani Khar to visit Paki-stan from 17th to 22nd De-cember 2012.—NNI

SRINAGAR—Expressing con-cern over the recent incident ofshelling in Uri which three ci-vilians were killed, MirwaizUmar Farooq , Chairman AllParties Hurriyat Conference(M) demanded demilitarisationon both sides of LoC. He wasaddressing people at Charar-e-Sharif. “On both sidesKashmiris are getting killed. Tostop this, a process for completedemilitarization should bestarted on both the sides of theline of control,” Mirwaiz said.

The Hurriyat (M) chairmansaid India is trying to give animpression that Kashmir ispeaceful. “If Kashmir is peace-ful why lakhs of Indian troopsare in Kashmir,” he asked.Mirwaiz stated that lakhs of

Mirwaiz for demilitarisationon both sides of LoC

troops stationed in Kashmirwere the main obstacle in wayof resolution of Kashmir issue.He said instead of decreasingtheir numbers, the governmenthas brought 15000 more CRPFmen to Kashmir which aptlyexposes its intentions.

The Hurriyat (M) chairmandemanded release of all politi-cal prisoners languishing in dif-ferent jails across the country.He said that human rights vio-lations, imprisonment and tor-ture of Kashmiris is continuingunabated. “Yesterday, I met theAmnesty International (AI)team in Srinagar and appealedthem to play their role in ad-dressing these issues. Hundredsof Kashmiri prisoners and youthare in jails and torture centers

even as the Eid-ul-Zuha is nearat hand. We demand release ofall the political prisoners beforeEid,” he said. Mirwaiz statedthat Hurriyat (M) is not againstimproving of relations betweenIndia and Pakistan. However, headded that Kashmir is not aneconomic problem. “Both thecountries should take steps forresolving the Kashmir issue ac-cording to the wishes and aspi-rations of people living inJammu and Kashmir,” he said.He paid rich tributes to thepeople of Charar-e-Sharif in theongoing movement.

Hurriyat (M) chairman saidthat it is due to the sacrifices ofKashmiris that the issue is be-ing recognised at internationallevel.—SANA

SRINAGAR—Senior leader ofAPHC (M) and Jammu andKashmir Peoples League,Mukhtar Ahmad Waza, has saidthat the people of Kashmir havebeen deprived of their birthrightto self-determination for the lastseveral decades. Mukhtar Wazasaid that the right to self-deter-mination was a fundamentalprinciple of human rights lawand its universal acceptance hadmade it a cornerstone right ofthe United Nations system.

He said that the UnitedNations Security Council hadpassed various resolutions onKashmir that called for a freeand impartial plebiscite underthe UN auspices to allowKashmiris to determine theirfuture by themselves but theywere being deprived of this

Kashmiris being deprivedof fundamental rights: JKPL

fundamental right from last 64years, during which lakhs ofInnocent Kashmiri people laidthese precious lives, thou-sands were torchered inintragration centers, Kashmiriyoung girls were reaped re-sulting greave human rightsviolations in the valley andvery recently thousands ofunmarked graves were foundin the valley that itself are evi-dences of the human rightsviolations done by the Indiantroops and other agencies ofIndian Government.

He said that the people ofKashmir still wait for theimplementation of UN resolu-tions on Kashmir. He said it ishigh time for the internationalcommunity particularly theHuman Rights Council to play

due role to expedite the earlyand peaceful resolutions of thedispute. He said apart from thebasic right, right to self deter-mination , Government of In-dia is looting natural recoursesof valley and people of Jammuand Kashmir are facing acuteshortage of electricity andother things.

He said that NHPC is be-having like East India Companyin the valley as they valley’sNatural recourses, water cangenerate more than 25000MWA of electricity that we cansell and also can feed the statefree of cost but due to Sindh-Tahas water treaty Kashmirisare also not to allow use thisbasic right and hence Kashmirremains as it was before 65years in every aspect. —NNI

People do not lackstrength; they

lack will.

All NBP branches goonlineObserver ReportISLAMABAD—NationalBank of Pakistan hasconverted its entire networkof 1,283 branches onlineand become highestnumber of online branchesin Pakistan, exceeding anyother bank operating in thecountry. NBP offers itscustomers the facility ofpayment of governmenttaxes through online debitto their accounts, theBank’s Account Openinghas been made systembased with completeelimination of paper basedAccount Opening Form(AOF). All account holdersof NBP can now availfacility of NBP Cash (ATM)Card from all the branches.Payment of EOBI pension ismade through online web-based access and effortsare underway to makepayment of EOBI pensionthrough direct credit toEOBI beneficiary account.

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—The All PakistanAnjuman-e-Tajiran has an-nounced that it is ready tojoin hands with the FBR toenhance tax net, playing itsrole to unearth new taxpay-ers, but tax departmentshould also consult the realstakeholders before formu-lating national tax policy.

“The FBR, apart fromdeveloping co-ordinationwith provincial tax authori-ties, also needs to improveliaison with trade bodies by

Traders ready to join hands with FBR to unearth new taxpayerssetting up joint action com-mittees at regional level toremove existing irritants andwork out mechanism to in-crease the revenue pie,”APAT secretary generalNaeem Mir said. The traderswill support the tax depart-ment awareness drive to paytax in national interest, hesaid, adding:”We suggestthe FBR to launch a campaignwith the help of trade bodiesallover the country to con-vince retailers as well aswholesalers to come into taxnet and consider paying tax

as a national obligation.”The real problem is that

high officials of the FBR arenot ready to consult the realstakeholders to enhance taxnet. During last decade, doz-ens of new plazas haveemerged in provincial capitalwhere thousands of peopleare running their businesseswithout paying any tax butthe tax authorities are totallyblind to them, he added.

He reiterated that onlyprovincial cooperation willnot improve tax net, as dif-ferent parties’ governments

at provincial level, in an ef-fort for political point scor-ing, will cause loss to na-tional exchequer.

He said the Federal Boardof Revenue (FBR) shouldtake measures to bring theuntaxed sectors and blackeconomy into the tax net in-stead of squeezing thosewho were already in the taxnet and paying all their duesdiligently. He said the FBR,which was established withan objective to facilitate thetrade and industry, had beenunfortunately turned into a

money making machine andthe people sitting at the helmwere not only unaware of theground realities but wereleast concerned about theproblems and the day-to-daychallenges being faced bythe businessmen.

He said that at a time whenboth the trade and industrywere looking for a relief pack-age to run their businesses,they were being pushed to thewall by issuing controversialand impractical SROs. He saidthat APAT understood wellthat a quantum jump in Tax-to-

GDP ratio was in dire need butalso believed that this objec-tive could only be achievedthrough facilitation of existingbusinesses instead of playingarm-twisting with them.

He said FBR and the trad-ers wanted and supporteddocumentation of theeconomy by bringing hospi-tals, clinics, restaurants, bak-eries, wedding lawns, travelagents etc into the tax net.

He asked those traderswho have not NTN holdersto get their NTN number andpay tax on their earnings.

He said FBR shouldavoid issuing new tax poli-cies without the consultationof the business communityfor being the main stakehold-ers, as it would have devas-tating effect on the busi-nesses in Pakistan.

APAT feels that the FBRhas already shifted its bur-den of monitoring and track-ing of the tax system onmanufacturers by imposing0.5 per cent tax on their salewhich is unjust and unethi-cal. “If the FBR was inter-ested in broadening of tax

net, it must bring the agri-culture sector into the taxnet instead of creatingtroubles for the registeredpersons who were alreadydoing businesses in thepresence of multiple internaland external challenges.”

The APAT general sec-retary said it was very diffi-cult to understand that whypeople sitting at the helm ofaffairs at the FBR did notconsult the business com-munity in the country be-fore formulating businessrelated policies.

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Export of tex-tile and clothing reboundedin September 2012 after wit-nessing a slump for at leastone year, mainly owing to aslight surge in demand fromrecession-hit key markets ofEurope and United States.

Textile and clothing ex-ports witnessed double digitgrowth of 12.91 per cent inSeptember from a year ago,suggested data of PakistanBureau of Statistics.

The unprecedentedgrowth was mainly driven bysubstantial increase in export

Textile exports gainmomentum

proceeds of readymade gar-ments, towels, and other lowvalue products, like cottonyarn and cotton cloth, etc.

Former Chairman ofReadymade Garments Asso-ciation of Pakistan MasoodNaqi said that growth in ex-port of value-added productswas the outcome of threemain factors witnessed in thepast few months.

He said that growth inexports was the outcome ofspillover effects from Chinaand Taiwan’s labour issue.About two or three per centspillover from China alonewas more than enough for

Pakistan’s exporters to meetit.

Secondly, Mr Naqi saidthat the announcement ofwaiver on 75 products fromEurope Union also encour-aged European buyers to re-develop contacts in Paki-stan.

He said major Europeanbuyers are eying to yieldbenefits in case EU grantedPakistan GSP plus status in2014.

American buyers also re-establishing contacts withPakistan’s textile and cloth-ing exporters after disruption

Continued on Page 14

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—A number ofmedicines including thoseused for treating cough andsinus related ailments are inshort supply while a drugused for treating thyroid dis-order is selling at Rs200-400as against its original priceof Rs50.

Chemists in different ar-eas said the supply of tran-quillizers and some life-sav-ing drugs have improved af-ter the release of ephedrinequota by the government.However, some tranquilizerslike Zolnox and Relaxin areeither short or not easilyavailable.

They said that shortagealso looms in some sinus re-lated tablets and cough syr-ups. In some cases, the sup-

Consumers hit by drug shortageply of these items resumedwith more than 50 per centprice hike.

They added that Arinacsyrup is available but avail-ability of its tablet is very lim-ited. Erythrosin tablet is alsomissing. Corex D, Daycor,Nicor, Benatus, Actifed D,Combinol D, Actifed DM,Phensedyl P, and Sancoscough syrups are hard tofind.

Chemist owners said thatprices of cough syrups havealmost doubled in the last sixmonths. They said distribu-tors of a leading multinationalcompany is providing two tothree packs of Thyroxine asagainst the demand of 10packs thus failing to meet thesupply against the demand.

It is pertinent to mentionthat the manufacturer of Thy-

roxine has initiated a mediacampaign in the last 20 daysensuring full availability ofthe medicine but so far therequired medicine is eithernot available or can be pur-chased at unaffordableprices.

The government has yetto check whether the short-age of drugs had been trig-gered by the retailers bykeeping the stocks in handin anticipation of increase inprices or was there any prob-lem from the manufacturingside. In both the cases con-sumers are running pillar topost to get the medicines.

A senior executive inGlaxo Smith Kline (GSK) saidthat the company has de-cided to increase the pro-duction of Thyroxine to

Continued on Page 14

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—After an in-crease in diesel and keroseneprices during the week end-ing on October 18, 2012 theSensitive Price Index inchedup for the lowest incomegroup.

However, due to the de-crease in the prices of ba-nanas, chicken and petrol thesensitive price indexdropped slightly for the high-end income group during theweek under review.

The data released by thePakistan Bureau of Statisticssaid that the SPI for the low-est income group earning upto Rs8,000 remained in the redfor the second consecutive

Fall in weekly inflation recordedweek ticking up by 0.08 percent compared to the previ-ous week.

The weekly inflationaryimpact for income group earn-ing between Rs8,001 andRs12,000 a month was nomi-nal at 0.04 per cent againstthe previous week, while theSPI for middle income groupearning between Rs12,000and Rs18,000 per month re-mained almost flat with anincrease of 0.02 per cent.

However, for the uppermiddle class earningRs18,001 to Rs35,000 permonth the SPI eased by 0.03per cent over the previousweek.

Whereas, the weekly in-flation declined by 0.09 per

cent for the high-end incomegroup earning more thanRs35,000 per month, and theoverall SPI for the combinedincome group went into nega-tive by 0.03 per cent.

Analysts said that petrolwas the preferred fuel for thehigh-end consumers, be-sides decline in the prices ofcooking oil and bananashave aided the drop in SPIfor upper income categories.

During the week underreview the prices of 13 itemsregistered a decline includingbananas, live farm chicken,petrol, red chillies powdered.

While prices of 15 itemsregistered an increase led bytomatoes as its prices in-creased by more than 19pc.

KABUL—The first-ever Pa-kistani industrial exhibitionopened at International Ho-tel here with the participa-tion of more than 85 Paki-stani companies.

In his opening remarks,the deputy for the ministryof commerce and industriesDr. Sadrudin Sahar saidthat the government is do-ing its best to pave the wayfor foreign investment inthe country, saying avail-

Pakistan made industrialexhibition opens in Kabul

ing opportunity the Pakistanibusinessmen and companiescan also invest in Afghani-stan.

The deputy in chamberof commerce and industriesof Afghanistan, Khan JanAlkozai in his speech notedthat holding such exhibi-t ions can play effect iverole in enhancing trade re-lat ions between the twonat ions.

Speaking on the occa-

sion, Pakistan’s ambassa-dor to Afghanistan,Mohammad Sadiq said thatAfghan traders can solvetheir problems in Pakistanthrough the Pakistani em-bassy.

The President of cham-ber of commerce and indus-tries Rawalpindi, in hisspeech stressed for holdingsuch exhibition to promotetrade between the two coun-tries.—INP

OUR CORRESPONDENT

FAISALABAD—Textilers havestrongly opposed one dayincrease in Gas load shed-ding for industry and termedit a deliberate attempt to shat-ter the export oriented textileindustry. This would inflict aloss of one billion rupeesdaily in export earnings andvalue addition.

Briefing the newsmen af-ter chairing a joint meeting ofPakistan Textile ExportersAssociation (PTEA), All Pa-kistan Textile Mills Associa-tion (APTMA), All PakistanTextile Processing Mills As-sociation (APTPMA), Paki-stan Hosiery Manufacturers

APTMA resent increasein gas load shedding

Association (PHMA), AllPakistan Bedsheet and Up-holstery Manufacturers As-sociation (APBUMA) andKhurrianwala Industrial Es-tate Association (KIEA) hereSatirday, Asghar Ali, Chair-man Pakistan Textile Export-ers Association criticized theplea of gas managers thatsupply was compressed dueto cold weather and said thatthis was not feasible becausethe weather had not yettouched the critical tempera-ture point where gas is fos-silized.

He said the fact of thematter is mismanagement ga-lore. Resultant upon this fail-ure to manage, more than 300

industrial units and over 1.5million textile workers wouldbe affected due to shortageof basic fuel creating indus-trial unrest, he said. The Gasadministrators had workedout an agreed schedule torevolve the Gas load shed-ding two days a week, he saidand added that the industri-alists and exporters had ac-cordingly scheduled theirproduction and made com-mitments with foreign buyersto ship consignments ontime. But all of a sudden, theduration of Gas load shed-ding has been increased ar-bitrarily for three days a weekwithout consultation, he said.

Continued on Page 14

US CG visits KESCStaff ReporterKARACHI—The US ConsulGeneral in Karachi, MichaelDodman, paid a visit to theKESC head office and metthe top management. TheConsul General wasaccompanied by othermembers of the US missionin Pakistan. The KESC CEO,Tabish Gauhar, thanked theConsul General for the keeninterest shown by theConsulate in KESC’s affairs.He also briefed the USdelegation on the progressthat KESC has made underthe present managementteam over the past threeand a half years. Thedelegation was informedthat the present manage-ment has invested anunprecedented amount ofone billion US dollars invarious developmentprojects, including installa-tion of 1000 MWs of newgeneration capacity,significant enhancement inthe transmission anddistribution infrastructureand many other projects ofstrategic importance.

PM for to ensuringuninterrupted gas

supply to domesticconsumers

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Prime MinisterRaja Pervez Ashraf Fridaydirected his advisor on Pe-troleum and Natural Re-sources Dr. Asim Hussain toensure uninterrupted supplyof gas to the domestic con-sumers in the coming winterseason.

The Prime Minister whiletalking to Dr. Asim Hussainhere at Prime Minister Houseasked him to prepare WinterPlan and sensitize the gen-eral public about it throughan effective media campaign.

Dr. Asim apprised thePrime Minister that he and histeam were already working ona winter plan.

Dr. Asim also apprisedthe Prime Minister about theprogress on negotiations car-ried out by his Ministry toimport LNG and LPG to meetthe energy requirements ofthe industry.

Summit Bank’safter tax loss

reducesSTAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—The after tax lossof Summit Bank Limited hasreduced to Rs 1.308 billion inthe nine month period endedSeptember 2012 as comparedto after tax loss of Rs 1.671posted in the correspondingperiod in 2011. The board ofdirectors of the bank in itsmeeting held on Friday de-clared that the bank’s pershare loss stood at Rs 1.21 inthe period under reviewagainst Rs 2.05 in the sameperiod last year.

According to the finan-cial results sent to KarachiStock Exchange, the bank’sloss before taxation stood atRs 1.046 billion in the ninemonth period this yearagainst Rs 2.113 billion in thesame period last year.

On quarterly basis, thebank posted Rs 362.505 mil-lion as after tax loss translat-ing per share loss of Re 0.34in the quarter ended Septem-ber 30, as compared to aftertax profit of Rs 63.21 millionwith earning per share of Re0.06 in the same quarter lastyear.

BoK profit aftertax increasesOBSERVER REPORT

KARACHI—The profit aftertaxation of Khyber Bank Lim-ited has increased to Rs794.398 million in the ninemonth period ended Septem-ber 30, 2012 as compared toRs 743.189 million in the cor-responding period in 2011.

The board of directors ofthe bank in its meeting held onThursday declared that thebank’s earning per share hasreduced to Re 0.97 in the pe-riod under review against Rs1.35 in the same period last year.

According to the finan-cial results sent to KarachiStock Exchange, the bank’smark-up/return/interest earn-ing increased to Rs 5.320 bil-lion in the nine month periodthis year against Rs 5.046 bil-lion in the same period lastyear while mark-up/return/interest expenses increasedto Rs 3.392 billion against Rs3.291 billion.

AMANULLAH KHAN

KARACHI—Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Pakistan SteelMills , Major General (Retd)Muhammad Javed HI-M(Retd) has pledged that theMills will be revived andmade profitable within next 12to 18 months as per approvedbusiness plan and its expan-sion will also be made soon.

He was addressing afunction held at the office ofPakistan Steel People’sWorker s Union (CBA) officefor the announcement ofCharter of Demand of theworkers for the year 2010-12.He said that the productioncapacity of the Mills will beincreased after the arrival ofraw material till mid of Novem-ber and will reach up to 45 %

PSM to turn aroundin 12 months: CEO

in January 2013.He informedthat from the first installmentof bailout package , PakistanSteel opened 3 Lcs of rawmaterial 2 coal ships and oneironore ship which will beutilized to boost the produc-tion up to 45 %, and next ship-ments will be purchasedsoon after the second install-ment of bailout package. He said that Pakistan Steelmanagement would requestthe Federal Government torelease another Rs five billionso that the consistency inproduction could be main-tained. He expressed satisfac-tion that the Mills plants arein good condition. The CEOPakistan Steel announcedthat the Mills would be ableto repay to the Government

after two years when its pro-duction capacity will be en-hanced to 1.5 million tonesper year. He warned that themisuse of PSM resourcesshould be stopped as theMills cannot afford any fur-ther embezzlement or wasteof resources when it is al-ready in crisis.

He urged the employeesto work with commitment andturn this organization into avery profitable one for theirgood future and in the inter-est of the country. Major Gen.(Retd) Muhammad Jawedassured that he would not fireany single worker from theMills.He said that there mustbe accountability at everylevel .“ We should start ac-countability from our own,”he remarked.

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Managing Di-rector Pakistan Tourism De-velopment Corporation(PTDC) Mir ShahjahanKhetran said that one millionforeigner tourists visited Pa-kistan in current year.

He said that law and or-der situation in Pakistan ismuch better which is attract-ing international tourists. Hestated this while addressingthe Tourism Walk partici-pants at Margalla Trail-5.PTDC organized the walk tocreate awareness amongyouth about importance ofnatural environment andtourism.

One million tourists visitPakistan this year

Shahjahan Khetran saidthat PTDC is going to con-struct more trails in capital incooperation with Capital De-velopment Authority (CDA).

He said PTDC in collabo-ration with non governmen-tal organisations initiated anumber of tourism projects indifferent areas includingKhunjerab, Chitral,Chouperson Valley, DirKohistan, Hussaini, Gilgitand Shimshal Valley.

He said that PTDC in col-laboration with Alpine Club,Adventure Foundation andSustainable Tourism Foun-dation organizes differentprogrammes for students inKashmir, Kaghan Valley and

Gilgit Baltistan to createawareness about preserva-tion of environment. Stu-dents are trained aboutcleaning of mountain, safetyof flora and fauna in theseareas, he said.

He appealed the PrimeMinister to retain PTDC un-der federation in order to de-velop and promote tourism inthe country and abroad.

Around 150 studentsfrom various schools, col-leges and families from twincities of Islamabad andRawalpindi participated inthe event. Certificates andshields were also distrib-uted among participants ofwalk.

Major contributorFAISALABAD—The livestockis becoming a major con-tributor in national economyas its share is more than allother sectors in the agricul-ture field. This was stated bySecretary Livestock IrfanElahi while inaugurating thenational Goat Show atUniversity of AgricultureFaisalabad (UAF) here onSaturday. The secretary saidthe government wasproviding numerous facilitiesto private sector invest inlivestock and help the publicsector in promoting animalproduction. He said theLivestock & Dairy Develop-ment Department strived toensure growth and develop-ment of livestock sector inthe province. Earlier, UAFVice Chancellor Prof Dr IqrarAhmad Khan said the goatshow was second of its kindduring the last two year.—APP

Naeem Yahya Mir, CEO and MD, PSO receiving the Best CEO Award for the Oil and Gassector at second CEO/CFO/CIO Award Ceremony organized by Mass Human ResourceServices with the collaboration of Karachi Stock Exchange and Pakistan Standard andQuality Authority.

DR GHAZANFAR ALI

KHAN & DR BABAR

SHAHBAZ

VERY much peculiarand pinching facthas come on the

scenario that we are mostlyentrapped within a spherethat innovators (the peoplewho first of all adopt theinnovation) are the bestcategories of farmers in theperspective of adoption ofagricultural innovationsand the laggards (who areresistant to change) arecriticized. There remains aparadoxical and perplexsituation to decide whetherthere is any place for thepeople having traditionalideas. These people do notwant to adopt the changeat once and try to thrashout the new things with thestrength of their experience.However, they have to face

Reviving traditional ideas for sustainable agriculturethe music in this context.Young people, some times,are having a mania of superi-ority complex and look downupon the old people by giv-ing such comments; “Youknow nothing; we have thereal solutions of your pre-dicaments.” Can we move onthe road of sustainable agri-culture with this obsession?It is a very crucial questionwith somewhat still obscureanswer.

Change just for sake ofchange may not be desirable;only sustainable change isdesirable. We are becominghabitual of seeking newthings by overlooking thereal pros and cons thereof.Especially in agriculture, aninnovation is considered asbeneficial for the target cli-ent (farmers). It is a commonsaying; all that glitters is notgold. Situation in real per-spective should be analyzed

while looking at the innova-tion with all its facets. It isthe irony of fate that we havegiven all the privilege to thescientific knowledge and wedo not bother about theworth of indigenous or tradi-tional knowledge. Somescholars like Stan Burkey andRobert Chamber have high-lighted the value of indig-enous knowledge and tradi-tional ideas for sustainability.Stan Burkey stressed uponthat we should learn from therural people in the realm ofconducive environment ofmutual respect, love and af-fection. It will substantiallypave the way for the desti-nation of sustainability.

We appreciate the inno-vators and early adopter whoimmediately adopt the newthings while we criticize thelaggards. It may be interest-ing to observe that the lag-gards might have also pos-

sessing some soundgrounds for adopting thethings at last when they be-come fully convinced aboutthe utility. We have spoiledour precious natural re-sources by injecting poisonsin various forms like over useof artificial fertilizers, blinduse of pesticides and indus-trial wastes, and now geneti-cally modified seeds etc. Al-though we are attaining moreproduction yet we are goingon increase the pollution andhealth hazards as well and thesustainability remains asquestion mark. It seems in-dispensable to revisit ourstrategies to improve notonly production but also de-velop nature friendly agricul-ture. It may be possible thatwe revert ourselves towardsconsulting the experience ofelders who are so called con-ventional, orthodox and dog-matic. Now it is the time to

realize this fact that we haveto get benefits from the tra-ditional assets i.e. experi-enced old farmers. One rea-son for this paradigm shiftmay be explained with an ex-ample; our forefathers hadconstructed such type ofbuildings and houses withproper ventilation and lightfor best utilization of naturalresources (sunlight, air). Onthe other hand we are nowmaking such types of build-ings in which more energy isrequired for getting illumina-tion, ventilation, cooling andwarmth.

Global demand of organicfarming ascertains the impor-tance of those practices whichare closer to nature. Variousnatural patterns like Farm YardManure (FYM), green manur-ing, non polluted irrigationwater, biological pest controlcontribute towards health andbetter environment. We have

to make a transition about ste-reotype if we want to developour agriculture in a better andsustainable fashion. Thusconsideration of laggards’worth looks logical becausethey are rationale people andthinker.

Taking a step towards aprogressive change with afoundation of previous (tra-ditional) knowledge can bemore reliable. The situationbecomes more crucial whenwe thrash out all the tradi-tional methods and blindlybelieve in the new one. Thematter over here is not thedenial of either of the two.The point of discussion isthat both old and the new oneshould be given a dueweightage in the right per-spective. Total avoidance oftraditional knowledge is notthe judicious way ofprogress. Giving the devil hisdue, we are not advocating

that we should remain staticin sense of transition; how-ever it must be under consid-eration that ignoring theknowledge only account ofits oldness is not logical.

Organic farming is acrystal clear example on thescene that the natural andpurified way of growingcrops is better than the poi-soned and polluted way.Keeping pace with the newtechnology seems neces-sary but sometimes we haveto work on in such a waythat a balance and equitybetween the new and oldone should be there. Super-ficially, here a skepticismarises, if acceptance of newis there then rejection of theolder one is obvious. Itseems rather difficult tokeep both the formats si-multaneously. But the realsolution is that we can ac-cept the new ideas but we

AMANULLAH KHAN

KARACHI—Exports ofleather industry have beenthreatened seriously due tosuspension of water supplyin Tannery Zone of KorangiIndustrial Area.

The Chairman of Paki-stan Tanners Association(S.Z), Amanullah Aftab hasexpressed deep concern thatthe largest national cluster

of exporting leather andleather made-up units lo-cated on Sector 7/A, KIA,is being starved of waterdue to suspension of watersupply through tankers.

The local tanneries aretotally dependent on supply

Water scarcity hamperingleather exports

of water through tankers inabsence of water supplyfrom KW&SB for years.“Now since hydrants havebeenclosed by KW&SB, thetanneries are feeling beingstifled for want of water”,Aftab said. He warned thatthe peak season of tannerieshas already begun and dur-ing Eidul Azha, the largestchunk of hides and skinswould be brought to thiszone by the charity organi-zations and the tannerieswould require water in abun-dance for their processing.He further warned that if thewater is not supplied by theKWSB, the hides and skinsworth crores of rupees may

be destroyed.Aftab said that he water

intensive tanneries are beingthreatened to default in ship-ment of leather to customersabroad on stipulated deliv-ery dates since it will not beready in time for want ofwater, he said adding that theworkers may also graduallylose job due to closure ofunits and lower productionin absence of water which isthe main input in this indus-try, he added. He appealed tothe Governor Sindh, DrIshrat ul Ebad to orderKW&SB to make some ar-rangements of supply of wa-ter for tanneries whether it isthrough pipeline or tankers.

Askari Bank’spost-tax upOBSERVER REPORT

KARACHI—The profit aftertaxation of Askari Bank Lim-ited has increased to Rs1.473billion in the nine month pe-riod ended September 30 thisyear against Rs1.004 billionearned in the correspondingperiod in 2011.

The board of directors ofthe bank in its meeting heldon Friday declared that thebank’s earning per share hasincreased to Rs1.81 in theperiod under review againstRs1.24 in the same period lastyear.

According to the finan-cial results sent to KarachiStock Exchange, the bank’smark-up/return/interest earn-ing increased to Rs25.324 bil-lion in the nine month periodthis year against Rs24.620billion in the same period lastyear while mark-up/return/interest expenses increasedto Rs18.130 billion againstRs17.173 billion. The bank’stotal non-mark-up/interestincome increased to Rs2.989billion against Rs2.203 billionwhile total non-markup/inter-est expenses increased toRs7.013 billion againstRs6.439 billion.

JSCL stake saleSTAFF REPORTER

K A R A C H I — J a h a n g i rSiddiqui and Company Lim-ited (JSCL) announced thatit has received Rs2.36 billionagainst the sale of its stakein Pakistan InternationalContainer Terminal Limited(PICTL), according to a noti-fication.

“We are pleased to in-form you that JSCL has re-ceived Rs2,364,922,950 forthe sale of 15,766,153 ordi-nary shares of PICTL atRs150 per share,” said thenotification of JSCL dis-patched to the Karachi StockExchange.

Earlier, JSCL has signeda share purchase agreementwith ICTSI Mauritius (theacquirer of PICTL) for thesale of minimum 13.000.000shares of PICTL, accordingto the notice.

EU insurers stripcover from shipsstoring Iran oil

SINGAPORE—Two Europeaninsurers have withdrawncover for tankers involved inthe Iranian oil trade, the firstsuch move since tough newsanctions were imposed inJuly.

The tankers, operated byHong Kong’s Titan Petro-chemicals Group Ltd, wereused to store Iranian oil fortop oil trader Vitol and littleknown shipping firmGlammarine.

While the EuropeanUnion sanctions bar West-ern-based insurers from cov-ering tankers that carry,rather than store, Iranian oil,the documents show the in-surers were not prepared torisk falling foul of the curbs.

“Titan’s conduct breachesthe spirit if not the wording ofU.S. and EU sanctions againstIran,” a September 14 documentquoted Mike Salthouse, direc-tor of North Insurance Man-agement, as saying on behalfof the North of England P&IAssociation, Titan’s main in-surer. “Were the Association tocontinue to provide insuranceto the Titan fleet we have con-cluded that there would be ahigh probability of furtherbreaches of sanctions,” itsaid.—Newswire

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan’s pe-troleum products import in-creased by 8.15 percent to$2.71 billion, whereas textileexports raised by 2.95 percentto $3.272 billion during thefirst quarter of the current fis-cal year against $3.178 billionin the corresponding periodlast year.

In quantity the petroleumproducts import went up by8.84 percent to 3.671 millionmetric tons. Meanwhile,crude petroleum imports de-clined by 2.46 percent to$1.288 million and dipped by1.57 percent to 1.66 millionmetric tons in quantity. Riceexport has declined by 26.8percent to $308.8 million andpetroleum and coal have

Petro imports updropped by 98 percent to 6.35million.

Cement export betweenJuly and September FY13 in-creased by 30.6 percent to$146.3 million over the sameperiod last year when it stoodat $112 million. Textile exportsrose due to increased exportsof cotton yarn, which rose by39.3 percent to $530.9 million.Moreover, cotton cloth ex-ports rose by 5.3 percent to$669.67 million; tent canvasand tarpaulin by 48 percent to$26.45 million; readymade gar-ments by10.2 percent to $448.1million; and towel sales abroadincreased by 4.78 percent.

On the other hand,knitwear exports fell by 10.27percent to $555.08 million;bed-wear by 14.6 percent to$446.98 million; art, silk and

synthetic textiles by 15.8 per-cent to $110.53 million; andmade-up items fell by 1.3 per-cent to $146.6 million over thesame period last year. Rawcotton export also declined by54 percent to $25 million.Jewellery sales in the interna-tional market increased by342.7 percent to $740.5 millionduring the period under re-view, indicating potential forgrowth. However, lack of ex-pertise is still a major con-straint. Moreover, the mining,cutting and polishing tech-niques for gems and preciousstones are not up to interna-tional standards. However,during this period gems ex-ports rose by 56 percent toone million dollars while fur-niture exports declined by6.66 percent to $6.346 million.

QUETTA: All Pakistan Flour Mills Association Chairman Syed Zahoor Agha speakingat a press conference.

have to decide its aspects/proportion of acceptanceand we can keep the oldidea to extent which isbeneficial.

The new generation hasentered into a fantasy worldthat we have gained more byindulging ourselves in mod-ernization and getting rid ofthe traditional modalities ofour ancestors. If we look atthe scenario of gain andloss, the picture is gloomyin the context of gain whileloss seems more prominent.Blindly hankering after theso called development, wehave deteriorated our eco-system, polluted our envi-ronment, poisoned our foodcommodities etc.—(The authors are facultymembers at the Institute ofAgri. Extension & RuralDevelopment, Universityof AgricultureFaisalabad)

KARACHI: Haroon Rasheed, acting President FPCCI addressing a press conference.

Bilour to visitLCCI

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Federal Ministerfor Railways Ghulam AhmadBilour will visit the LahoreChamber of Commerce andIndustry soon to brief thebusiness community on mea-sures being taken by the gov-ernment for the revival ofPakistan Railways.

The federal minister wastalking to LCCI Vice PresidentMian Abuzar Shad at the in-auguration of Business Inn& Business Cafe at the rail-way station. LCCI ExecutiveCommittee members AftabAhmad Vohra and MianZahid Javed were alsopresent, according to anLCCI spokesman here Satur-day.

Mian Abuzar informedthe federal minister about ini-tiatives being taken by theLahore chamber to rejuvenateeconomic activities and saidthe government would haveto redraft all economic poli-cies in consultation withstakeholders to ensure theirimplementation in letter andspirit.

Call to includekinno in

export listSARGODHA—The KinnoGrowers Association said onSaturday the governmentshould include kinno (or-ange) in the export list withIndia.

In a press release, KinnoGrowers Association Secre-tary Syed Munir Hussainappreciated the federal gov-ernment for boosting tradewith India. He appealed toparliamentarians of districtSargodha to work for inclu-sion of kinno in the export listwith India.

He said if kinno was in-cluded in the list, it would helpearn huge foreign exchangefor the country.—APP

Chickenprices dropSTAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—The prices ofchicken has dropped to Rs100 per kg in twin cities ofIslamabad and Rawalpindidue to decrease in demandahead of upcoming Eid-ul-Azha.

Poultry traders said thatfurther decrease expected incoming days. They said de-mand for chicken decreasesduring Eid-ul-Azha whichforces the farmers and sell-ers to cut its price to attractcustomers.

While the prices of eggswere increased to Rs 110 perdozen due to high demand.

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Agri-culture Storage and SupplyCorporation (PASSCO) hasproposed that its Board ofDirectors should be allowedfor speedy disposal of sur-plus stock either through ex-port or local sale.

According to the docu-ments available with onlinePASSCO is a self- sustainingconcern, therefore, its staffand infrastructure should beutilized to its optimum and itshould be allowed to engageitself in full spectrum of agrobusiness. It must carry outprocurement and marketing ofother agricultural commodi-ties and services (on commer-cial basis) to achieve the goal.

“PASSCO requires mini-mum storage capacity of 1.5million tons because its

PASSCO wants to endgovt role in wheat sales

godowns has the capacity ofonly 0.431 million (28 per cent)tons and the remaining 72 percent wheat stocks were storedin open under tarpaulins,” of-ficials date reveals.” the situa-tion is precarious at 2.039 mil-lion tons wheat stocks are ly-ing in the open in far-flung ar-eas (as on 24.09.2012) whichhas more susceptible to cli-matic hazards and pest at-tack,”. It said there was a direneed to create additional stor-age facilities for PASSC and inthis regard proposal and offerof Islamic Development Bankfor construction of silos withcapacity of .65 million tonsneed to be persuade at warfooting on government level.

It proposed by PASSCOthat to minimize the subsidyburden on the Government of

Pakistan and also to minimizethe carrying cost wheat pro-curement targets allocated toPASSCO should be needdriven and wheat procurementtarget to be given keeping inview the average requirementof dependent provinces.Armed forces plus strategicand any unforeseen factors.

“A payment mechanism bedeveloped wherein the cost ofwheat dispatched to Gilgit-Baltistan and Government ofAzad Jammu and Kashmir(AJK) are directly paid atsource in advance to PASSCOby the Federal governmentwhich, will save the nationalexchequer heavy mark-upwhich keeps accumulating dueto present payment mecha-nism,” it further added.—Online

This half week closure willcut down drastically the manu-facturing of export goods andexporters would not be able tofulfill their commitments to for-eign buyers, he added. He in-formed that a joint committeeconsists of all stake holdersled by Khurram Mukhtar hasbeen constituted to draw nextline of action against emerg-ing gas crisis.

Asghar Ali lamented theunfortunate Gas shortage atthis crucial juncture of cur-rent fiscal when thecountry’s exports are alreadyunder huge pressure due togas shortage as well as highprices of raw material.

APTMAFrom Page-13

in supply from Egypt. “Buyers are approaching

Pakistan in bulk which is be-yond our imaginations,” MrNaqi.

As a result of perfor-mance of textile and clothingsector, overall exports alsowitnessed 2.95 per centgrowth in the first quarter(July-Sept) this year as itstood at $3.271 billion thisyear as against $3.178 billionover the corresponding pe-riod last year.

A sector-wise analysisshowed that export ofreadymade garments wentup by 26.5 per cent, knitwear0.95 per cent, and towels14.47 per cent in Septemberthis year over last year.

Export of low value-added products like cottonyarn was up by 40.79 percent, cotton cloth 14.38 per

cent, yarn other than cottonyarn 90.44 per cent, made-ups 7.30 per cent and othertextile material 138.92 percent in September this yearover same month last year.Former chairman of All-Pa-kistan Textile Mills Associa-tion Gohar Ijaz said that per-sistent supply of gas for fiveconsecutive days in July-September period to textilesector produced the desiredresults.

He said that growth inyarn and fabric exports wasmainly because of improvedenergy supply. Mr Ijaz saidthat 80 per cent textile prod-ucts were manufactured inPunjab.

The full capacityutilisation of productioncaused growth in export ofhome textile — towels andbedwear as well.

TextileFrom Page-13

Seminar onHRs held

OBSERVER REPORT

K A R A C H I — A s s e s s m e n tand Strengthening Program(ASP-AiD) has conducted asix-day Human ResourceManagement workshop onSmall Grants & AmbassadorsFund Program (SGAFP) com-pliance for Civil Society Or-ganizations (CSO), whichwas attended by 21 CSOsfrom Sindh, Baluchistan,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Punjab, AJK, Chitral andGilgit.

Training courses werebased on newly launched HRManagement for CSOsmanual containing HR relatedtopics for effective and effi-cient performance. The aimwas to enhance the capacityof these CSOs working un-der SGAFP. Manuals on Pro-curement Management, Fi-nancial Management, ITManagement, Monitoringand Evaluation are sched-uled to be launched nextmonth. These manuals will besupported by Enterprise Re-source Planning (ERPs) andwill be followed by trainingon these areas for CSOsacross Pakistan. PresentlyASP-AiD is working with 42CSOs this number will in-crease to around sixty by theend of current year.

250,000 packs per monthfrom October as compared to150,000 per month which willcertainly improve the sup-plies in the markets. Thyrox-ine production actually re-sumed in August after a gapof seven to eight months dueto various reasons, headded.

He said the problem ofshortage is coming as 11companies, who had got thelicence to produce the mostsought after life saving drug,are not producing it.

ConsumersFrom Page-13

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—The local cottonmarket recorded slow tradingactivity while spot rate re-mained firm, said a dealer.

The spot rate remainedfirm at Rs5,700 per maund(37.324kg) and Rs6,109 per40kg, while ex-Karachi ratestood unchanged at Rs5,855per maund and Rs6,264 per40kg after addition of Rs155as upcountry expenses, hesaid.

An analyst said that thereare speculations about de-cline in the crop during rainsbut cotton arrivals reportshowed an increase; how-ever, ginners are reluctant totrade at lower rates.

Cotton spot rate firm“Some factories are still

running under capacity, asthey claim that growers hadrestricted selling of cotton-seed,” he said.

Karachi cotton market re-corded slow trading of around16,000 bales from the newcrop, while prices remained inthe range of Rs5,550 toRs5,900 per maund.

Shahdadpur’s 1,600 bales,1,000 bales of Tando Adam,1,000 bales of Mirpurkhas and1,000 bales of Sanghar wereeach sold at Rs5,650 toRs5,700 per maund, 1,000bales of Khairpur and 400bales of upper Sindh atRs5,800, 1,400 bales ofHasilpur at Rs5,550 toRs5,700, 600 bales of Fort

STAFF REPORTER

KA R A C H I—Dr Arshad A.Vohra, Chairman, Site Asso-ciation of Industry has ex-pressed concern on precari-ous water supply positionin area because of less sup-ply of water from KW&SBto Site Ltd., which has twodirect connection and wassupposed to receive 8 MGDwater on daily basis, is notgetting this much water.

Supply has been cur-tailed and that is also withlow pressure as a result ofwhich the industries aregetting meagre supply ofwater through tankers. Nowthe position has becomeworst for the last 3 daysbecause of closure of waterhydrants and strike of wa-ter tankers the factories areon the verge of closure. Dueto shortage of water, all in-dustries including export

Abbas at Rs5,600 to Rs5,750,200 bales of Vehari and 200bales of Gojra at Rs5,600, while200 bales of Bhakkar and 200bales of Uch Sharif were eachsold at Rs5,850 per maund.

Burewala’s 1,000 bales weresold at Rs5,650 to Rs5,700, 200bales of Sahiwal, 1,000 bales ofRajanpur, 200 bales ofDaranwala and 200 bales ofFaqirwali were each sold atRs5,700 per maund, 400 balesof Kotla Moosa Khan atRs5,750, 300 bales ofHaroonabad at Rs5,750 toRs5,800, 3,000 bales ofMianwali at Rs5,800 to Rs5,900,while 400 bales of Depalpur, 200bales of Layyah and 400 balesof Lodhran were each sold atRs5,800 per maund.

Water supply to SITEcurtailed: Vohra

oriented industries are notgetting water and are suf-fering huge losses and fac-ing non-fulfilment of exportorders due to which theirreputation is on stake.

In this age of interna-tional competition, the costof production, which is al-ready higher than our re-gional competitors, increasesmany fold if the industriesbuy water from the tankermafia which is also not avail-able for the last 3 days. DrVohra has already informedManaging Director of SindhIndustrial Trading EstatesLtd. and Managing Director,KW&SB on this topic. Thewater trickles in the lines atfactories at very low pres-sure, due to which the indus-trialists of SITE Karachi areagitating and demanding therequisite quantity of water sothat industrial productionmay not suffer.

Syria envoy presses for ceasefireDAMASCUS—International mediatorLakhdar Brahimi met Syria’s Foreign Min-ister Walid al-Moualem in Damascus onSaturday, pressing for a brief ceasefirebetween President Bashar al-Assad’sforces and rebels seeking his overthrow.Brahimi has called for a ceasefire duringnext week’s Islamic Eid al-Adha to stemthe bloodshed in a 19-month-old con-flict which activists say has killed at least30,000 people and claimed the lives of

220 more on Saturday. There were no immediate details onthe talks but Syria has so far given a guarded response toBrahimi’s proposal, suggesting it wants guarantees that rebelswould reciprocate any move by Assad’s forces. Brahimi, thejoint U.N.-Arab League special envoy for the Syria crisis, hasbeen criss-crossing the region with the aim of convincingAssad’s main backers and his foes to support the idea of atruce during the holiday, which starts at dusk on Thursday.Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has called for allsides to observe the three- or four-day ceasefire. Iran, one ofAssad’s major backers, has also supported the call but addedthat the main problem in Syria was foreign interference. TheUnited States, which has been a vocal critic of Assad but haslittle apparent influence on the ground, threw its weight be-hind the ceasefire call on Friday. “We urge the Syrian gov-ernment to stop all military operations and call on oppositionforces to follow suit,” State Department spokeswomanVictoria Nuland said. A previous ceasefire in April collapsedafter just a few days, with each side blaming the other. Me-diator Kofi Annan resigned his post in frustration a few monthslater.—Reuters

Rivals trade bruising barbs NEW YORK —President Barack Obamaand Republican rival Mitt Romney onThursday made a series of lightheartedjabs at themselves and each other at acharity fundraiser. At the event organisedby the Catholic Archdiocese of New York,Obama said his first debate performance- which he was judged to have lost - hadbeen a “long nap” to prepare for the sec-ond. Romney mocked his own wealth.Referring to his Mormon faith, he said he

had prepared for the debates by “not drinking alcohol for 65years”. The Alfred F Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner - atraditional fixture on the presidential campaign calendar - wasRomney’s only public event on Thursday after several cam-paign stops in Virginia the day before. Resplendent in formalwhite tie on stage, Romney - known for his business fortune- said that after a long campaign it was “nice finally to relaxand wear what Ann and I wear around the house”. He alsoreminded the audience of the vice-president’s mirth-filledapproach to his debate with Paul Ryan a week ago: “I washoping the president would bring Joe Biden along becausehe’ll laugh at anything. Referring to the first presidential de-bate, Obama said: “I had more energy in second debate. Iwas well-rested after the nice long nap I had in first debate.”Obama also noted he had been criticised for being too popu-lar abroad at the beginning of his term. “I’m impressed withhow well Governor Romney has avoided that problem,” hesaid, in a nod to a summer overseas trip that drew criticism.—BBC

‘Cyberspace battlefront of the future’WASHINGTON—Cyberspace is thebattlefield of the future, with attackersalready going after banks and other fi-nancial institutions and developing theability to strike US power grids and gov-ernment systems, Defence SecretaryLeon Panetta said on Saturday “We con-front a whole new threat of warfare in(cyberspace). ... This is an area we’ve gotto pay close attention to. This is thebattlefront of the future,” he told a busi-

ness group in Norfolk, Virginia, a city at the center of one ofthe largest concentrations of military power in the UnitedStates. Panetta’s remarks came a week after he delivered amajor policy speech on cyber security to a New York busi-ness group, saying the US military could act pre-emptively ifit detects an imminent threat of cyber attack. US banks andfinancial institutions have been under sustained attack inrecent weeks by suspected Iranian hackers thought to beresponding to economic sanctions aimed at forcing Tehranto negotiate over its nuclear program. A group calling itselfthe Cyber Fighters of Izz ad-din Al Qassam has claimed creditfor the disruptions, calling them a protest against an anti-Islam video posted on YouTube that has provoked violentprotests across the Muslim world. “As I speak, there areattacks going on in this country, cyber attacks, on financialinstitutions, on banks,” Panetta told the business group onFriday, adding that Washington faces hundreds of thousandsof attacks per day.—Reuters

‘Libya not fully liberated’TRIPOLI—Libyan leader MohammedMagarief has said not all areas of theNorth African country have been fully“liberated”, one year after the captureand death of dictator Muammar Gaddafi.Libya was declared “liberated” a fewdays after his death on October 20, 2011,and while its new rulers have led the na-tion to elections, they have struggled toimpose their authority on a countryawash with weapons. Speaking on

Libyan television late on Friday, the national congress leadersingled out the town of Bani Walid, some 160 kms (100 miles)south of Tripoli, a former Gaddafi stronghold which has seendeadly clashes in the last few days as the army struggles toimpose order. “The campaign to liberate the country has notbeen fully completed,” Magarief said. He cited “delays” inthe formation of the army and police and the failure to disarmand integrate former rebels. Libya’s congress ordered theDefence and Interior Ministries to find those responsible forabducting Shaban and suspected of torturing him to death.It gave Bani Walid a deadline to hand them over. The armychief of staff said on Thursday the army was heading to thetown to try and restore order. “This is not targeting a region,a tribe, or unarmed civilians but outlawed men,” Magariefsaid. Tensions between Misrata and Bani Walid underscorethe challenge Libya’s new rulers face in reconciling groupswith long-running grievances.—AP

South Sudan dismisses coup talkNEW YORK—South Sudan’s vice presi-dent, Riek Machar, dismissed on Fridayrumours of a planned military coup, say-ing it would be “unwise” for army offic-ers to attempt a takeover of the year-oldstate. The speculation was seriousenough to prompt South Sudan’s Presi-dent Salva Kiir to visit the headquartersof Sudan’s army (SPLA) this week to warnthat any successful coup leaders wouldbe isolated internationally, according to

the Sudan Tribune. The move came six months after a refer-endum agreed to under a 2005 peace deal that ended decadesof civil war that left more than 2 million people dead. Distrustbetween the neighbours runs deep and tensions eruptedinto fighting along the border in April, when South Sudan’sarmy briefly occupied the Heglig oilfield, which is vital toSudan’s economy.—Reuters

KANDAHAR—An Afghan po-lice officer and cook poisonedtheir colleagues at a check-point in an assault coordi-nated with insurgent fightersthat left six dead in thecountry’s south, officials saidSaturday. It was the latest in astring of attacks from insidethe Afghan army and policethat are threatening to under-mine both the partnership withinternational troops — whichhave been the target of manyattacks — and the morale ofAfghan forces, who have suf-fered equally heavy casualtiesfrom such strikes.

The police officer and thecook worked with outside in-surgents in the assault, whichhit police manning a check-point in the Gereskh districtof Helmand province, thegovernor’s office said in astatement. They poisoned two of theofficers and then the militantsattacked from outside, killingthe remaining four officers,provincial spokesman AhmadZirak said. He did not say howthe officers were poisoned.The police officer was cap-tured as he fled, but the cook

Six dead in TalibanHelmand attack

escaped and remains at large,Zirak added.

The insurgent gunmenescaped by motorcycle withweapons and ammunition, thegovernor’s statement said. Arecent upsurge in the numberof insider attacks on coalitiontroops by Afghan soldiers orpolice — or insurgents dis-guised in their uniforms — hasfurther undermined publicsupport for the war in theWest. So far this year, at least52 foreign troops — about halfof them Americans — havebeen killed in insider attacks.

The Afghan governmenthas not provided statistics onthe number of its forces killedin insider attacks. However,U.S. military statistics obtainedby The Associated Pressshow at least 53 members ofthe Afghan security forceshad been killed by the end ofAugust. Meanwhile, a Talibanattack elsewhere in Helmandkilled two district communitycouncil members, whileTaliban-fired rocket-propelledgrenades destroyed a ware-house full of food destined forthe main U.S. base in Afghani-stan.—AP

Suu Kyi tovisit India

NEW DELHI—Myanmar’spro-democracy icon Aung SanSuu Kyi will make her first tripin 25 years to India next month,a country where she studiedand her mother served as anambassador, an organiser saidyesterday.

Suu Kyi will deliver theprestigious Jawaharlal Nehrumemorial lecture, whichhonours independent India’sfirst prime minister, on Novem-ber 14 in New Delhi, organiserstold .—Reuters

Nepali politiciansasked to end

constitutionaldeadlock

KATHMANDU—Almost threeweeks after his last meetingwith top leaders, PresidentRam Baran Yadav has onceagain told them to show will-ingness to forge consensus tobreak the current political andconstitutional deadlock at theearliest. President Yadav, dur-ing a meeting with top leadersof two dozen political forces,including Unified CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress,CPN-UML, MadhesiJanaadhikar Forum-Demo-cratic and CPN-Maoist, readout a seven-point statement,reiterating that he was readyto play a completely support-ive role, provided that the par-ties came up with a concretesolution to break the stalemateby remaining within the con-stitutional limitations.

Stating that the countrywas facing serious constitu-tional, legal, political and fi-nancial crises, the Presidentreminded the political partiesof their earlier commitment toresolve all the crises by mid-October and said he wasforced to prod them onceagain into acting seriously sothat the problems don’t’ getfurther complicated. “Tobreak the political and con-stitutional stalemate that hasappeared following the de-mise of the Constituent As-sembly, the political partiesmust forge consensus as perthe spirit of the Interim Con-stitution. Therefore I havebeen repeatedly calling all theparties together and urgingthem to work together forconsensus.”—Reuters

A family walks past flaming tyres used as a roadblock to protest the death of Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan, head ofthe intelligence division of Lebanon’s domestic security forces in a car bomb attack targeting his convoy, in thesouthern port city of Sidon, Lebanon.

BEIRUT—Protesters andgunmen blocked roads withburning tires in Beirut andother cities on Saturday asgrief and anger over the as-sassination of a senior intelli-gence official opposed to theSyrian leadership kept Leba-non on edge. Lebanese sol-diers opened fire on a groupwho took over a road in theBekaa valley, wounding twopeople, witnesses said.Troops reinforced road junc-tions and official buildings inthe capital but many roads,including the highway to theinternational airport, were cutby demonstrators.

The protests broke out inreaction to the killing of Briga-dier-General Wissam al-Hassan in a car bomb explo-sion in central Beirut on Fri-day afternoon. Politicians ac-cused Syrian PresidentBashar-al Assad of being be-hind the attack, deepeningfears that the sectarian-tingedcivil war in neighboring Syriais spilling over into Lebanon.

Lebanese troops alerted oversecurity chief’s blast death

Hassan had led an investiga-tion that implicated Syria andits Lebanese ally Hezbollah inthe assassination of formerPrime Minister Rafik al-Haririin 2005. Hassan had alsohelped uncover a bomb plotthat led to the arrest and in-dictment in August of a pro-Assad former Lebanese min-ister - a setback for Syrian in-fluence in Lebanon.

Lebanon’s religious com-munities are divided betweenthose that support Assad inSyria’s civil war and those thatback the Sunni-led rebels. InBeirut’s Sunni Muslim areas,where people are opposed tothe Alawite Assad, carsmounted with loudspeakerscruised the streets issuingcalls for the Lebanese govern-ment to resign. Dozens of gun-men were in the streets andthe mood was tense, wit-nesses said.

Squads of gunmen werealso in the streets in the north-ern, mostly-Sunni city of Tri-poli, where pro- and anti-

Assad factions clashed earlierthis year. Rallies were also heldand roads closed in the east-ern Bekaa Valley and in thesouthern town of Sidon.

Soldiers and policeguarded street corners inBeirut’s Ashrafiyeh area, themainly Christian district wherethe bomb exploded duringrush hour, and at Martyrs’Square in the centre.Lebanon’s mufti, the seniorSunni religious figure, an-nounced three days of mourn-ing for Hassan. He will be bur-ied with full honors on Sun-day.

The Beirut Star newspa-per said the perpetrators of thebombing - which killed at leasteight people and woundedmore than 80 - clearly aimed topush Lebanon into a newround of chaotic violence. “Ifthe goal was to divert atten-tion from the events in Syria,then people should rememberthis well and head off any at-tempt to take Lebanon furtherinto tension and civil strife,” it

said.The late Hariri’s son, Saad

al-Hariri, accused Syria’sAssad of being behind thebombing. Lebanon’s opposi-tion March 14 bloc called onPrime Minister Najib Mikati’sgovernment, which includesministers from Hezbollah, toresign. The head ofLebanon’s Internal SecurityForces, Major-General AshrafRifi, described Hassan’s deathas a “huge blow” and warnedthat further attacks were likely.“We’ve lost a central securitypillar,” he told Future Televi-sion. “Without a doubt, wehave more sacrifices comingin the future. We know that,but we will not be broken.”

More than 30,000 peoplehave been killed in Syria sincea Sunni-led popular uprisingagainst Assad, a member ofthe Shi’ite-linked Alawite sect,broke out 19 months ago. In-ternational powers fear theconflict could inflame rivalriesacross the region as it intensi-fies.—Reuters

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM—The Israeli navy seized an in-ternational pro-Palestinianship in the Mediterranean seaon Saturday to prevent itbreaching its blockade of theGaza Strip, a military spokes-woman said. She said no onewas hurt when marinesboarded the SV Estelle, athree-mast schooner, and thatit was rerouted to Israel’ssouthern port of Ashdod af-ter it ignored orders to turnaway from the Hamas-gov-erned Palestinian enclave.

The Estelle was carrying30 activists from Europe,Canada and Israel, humanitar-ian cargo such as cement,and goodwill items such aschildren’s books, a missionspokesman said earlier onSaturday. Shipboard activistscould not immediately bereached for comment.

Israeli navy seizes Gazablockade breaker ship

Citing a need to stemarms smuggling to Hamasand other Palestinian mili-tants, Israel maintains a tightnaval blockade of Gaza. Israeland neighboring Egypt alsolimit overland traffic to andfrom the territory. Palestiniansdescribe the curbs as collec-tive punishment for Gaza’s 1.6million residents and theirsupporters abroad havemounted several attempts tobreak the blockade by sea.Most were stopped by Israel,and in one May 2010 incidentits marines killed nine Turk-ish activists in clashesaboard their ship.

An inquiry into that inci-dent commissioned by U.N.Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon found that Israel’s Gazablockade was legal butfaulted the navy for exces-sive force.—Reuters

DUBAI—Bahrain’s interiorminister said on Saturdaythat the country had identi-fied several suspects in abomb attack on Thursdaythat killed one policeman andinjured another followingclashes between protestersand the security services inthe U.S. ally. The tiny GulfArab kingdom has been con-vulsed by unrest since Feb-ruary last year after massdemonstrations led by ma-jority Shi’ites demandingdemocratic change in theSunni-led monarchy.

Thursday’s explosion,which the government calleda “terrorist attack” and whichfollowed clashes in a villagesouth of the capital, was thelatest such bombing thisyear. Four policemen wereinjured in a similar incidentin May. “We have identifieda number of suspects in thecase,” said Interior MinisterSheikh Rashid bin AbdullahAl Khalifa in a statement dis-

Bahrain identifies suspectsin police bomb attack

tributed by thegovernment’s InformationAffairs Authority.

Bahraini authorities haveaccused Shi’ite power Iran,which once ruled the Gulfisland, of instigating the pro-tests, a charge Tehran hasdenied, and have promiseda tough response to violentdemonstrations after talkswith the opposition stalled.“We won’t stop at just de-termining who committedthe crime, but we will alsodetermine who orchestratedthe explosion and whotrained the individuals intheir bomb-making skills,” AlKhalifa said.

Shi’ites complain of dis-crimination in the electoralsystem, jobs, housing andeducation and say they aremistreated by governmentdepartments, the police andthe army. Government prom-ises of action to address theirconcerns have come to noth-ing, they say.—Reuters

GUANTANAMA BAY— Thedeath penalty trial of fiveGuantanamo prisoners ac-cused of plotting the Septem-ber 11, 2001, attacks on theUnited States is so importantthat it should be televised glo-bally, defence lawyers ar-gued. The issue of televisingthe proceedings was dis-cussed on the final day of aweek-long pretrial hearing forthe alleged mastermind of thehijacked plane attacks, KhalidSheikh Mohammed, and fourco-defendants accused ofproviding money, trainingand travel assistance to thehijackers.

“If these proceedings arefair, why is the governmentafraid to let the world watch?”asked Marine Major WilliamHennessy, a US military law-yer defending Walid BinAttash, a Yemeni accused oftraining two of the hijackersat an al Qaeda camp in Af-ghanistan. “The governmentadmits that these are historicproceedings,” Hennessyadded even as the militaryjudge in the case sounded

Televise 9/11 trial globally fromGuantanamo: Defence

skeptical about televising thetrial and the prosecution saidthe trial should not become“reality TV.”

Defence Secretary LeonPanetta has sole authority toauthorice the broadcast of thetrials. A Pentagon spokesmansaid that no one has formallyasked him to do so. The fivedefendants, who could faceexecution if convicted ofcharges that include murderand terrorism, skippedFriday’s session after thejudge declined their requestfor a recess on the Muslimholy day.

Currently, the public canwatch closed-circuit broad-casts of the Guantanamo warcrimes court proceedings onlyat a 200-seat theater at FortMeade, a US Army base inMaryland. Closed-circuitviewing sites at a handful ofother military bases in theeastern United States are re-stricted to relatives of the 2,976people killed in the September11 attacks and to thefirefighters, police officers andother emergency responders

who gave aid and searchedfor victims at the crash sitesin New York, Washington andPennsylvania.

In hearings at the remoteUS naval base at GuantanamoBay, Cuba, lawyers for someof the defendants asked thejudge to open those viewingsites to the general public,which the judge declined todo.

Lawyers for other defen-dants said the trial should betelevised globally to anyonewho wants to watch.Hennessy, the defence law-yer, acknowledged that therules give the defence secre-tary sole authority to decidewhether to televise the trials,but suggested the judgecould make the decision in theinterests of ensuring the ac-cused get a fair trial.

Officials at Fort Meadehave said during previoushearings that only a few dozenpeople turned up to watch,and that most of them werejournalists or lawyers as-signed to other Guantanamocases. —Reuters

UNITED NATIONS—The pushby the Palestinians for up-graded status at the UnitedNations is likely to succeed,the president of the U.N. Gen-eral Assembly said on Friday,while warning the UnitedStates against cutting U.N.funding over the issue. Thepresident of the United Na-tions General Assembly, VukJeremic of Serbia, speaks dur-ing an interview at the UnitedNations Headquarters in NewYork.

In his first major interviewsince winning a divisive cam-paign for the largely ceremo-nial U.N. post in June, formerSerbian Foreign Minister VukJeremic also said he was seek-ing to improve coordinationbetween the world body andthe Group of 20 bloc of keydeveloped and developingnations. Having failed lastyear to secure full U.N. mem-bership due to U.S. opposi-

Palestinian bid for UNstatus to succeed: UN GA

tion, Palestinian PresidentMahmoud Abbas said lastmonth he would ask the 193-nation General Assembly toapprove a less-ambitious pro-motion of the PalestinianAuthority’s observer status to“non-member state,” like theVatican. It is currently consid-ered an “entity.

Jeremic said Abbas is con-sulting with U.N. memberstates and is expected to callfor a meeting on the Palestin-ian issue as early as nextmonth, after the November 6U.S. presidential election.“Most people expect that it isgoing to be the second half ofNovember,” the 37-year-oldformer Serbian foreign minis-ter told Reuters.

“If they decide to go for itafter these consultations,which is what PresidentAbbas announced in hisspeech in September, mostpeople expect that this is go-

ing to pass,” Jeremic added.The United States and Israelhave warned the Palestiniansagainst seeking a status up-grade, saying it would be asetback for the peace processand suggesting that it couldhave financial implications forthe Palestinian Authority.

Some U.N diplomats saythat the Palestinians have notmade a final decision to go forthe upgrade and are under in-tense pressure from Washing-ton and European nations tocall it off. U.N. diplomats andofficials say they are also wor-ried about a possible reduc-tion of U.N. funding from theUnited States, which supplies22 percent of the regular U.N.budget. Jeremic said he doesnot want to lecture theUnited States, but voicedconcern about a possibleAmerican suspension ofU.N. funding due to the Pal-estinian issue.—Reuters

KHARTOUM—Rebels inSudan’s western Darfur re-gion have launched an attackon government forces, killingseveral people, state newsagency SUNA said. Darfur hasbeen plagued by violencesince mainly non-Arab tribestook up arms in 2003, com-plaining the central govern-ment in Khartoum had ne-glected the remote westernterritory.

While violence is downfrom its peak in 2003 and 2004,law and order have collapsedin parts of the vast territoryand banditry, tribal fightingand clashes between rebelsand government forces havecontinued. Rebels attacked thegovernment-controlled areaof Abu Dalig in North Darfuron Wednesday, SUNA saidlate on Friday, citing a local of-ficial.

It said several“mujahideen”, a synonym forfighters from government-al-lied militias or tribes, werekilled or wounded during theattack, adding that rebels hadtried stealing property of citi-zens. It gave no details of what

Several killed infresh Darfur flare-up

had happened. The SudaneseRevolutionary Front, an alli-ance of rebels in Darfur andtwo border states, said it hadattacked a government con-voy in Abu Dalig near al-Fasher, capital of North Darfur.

“The government forcessuffered huge losses,” it saidin a statement, adding that therebels had seized five militaryvehicles, heavy weapons andammunition. The rebels’ alli-ance, which also includes theSudan People’s LiberationMovement-North fighting inthe border states of SouthKordofan and Blue Nile, plansto topple Sudan’s PresidentOmar Hassan al-Bashir.

The International CriminalCourt has indicted Bashir andissued an arrest warrant forDefence Minister AbdelRaheem Muhammad Husseinto face charges of mastermind-ing war crimes in Darfur,charges they deny. TheUnited Nations has estimatedthat around 300,000 peoplemay have died in Darfur,where Sudanese troops andArab militias have sought tocrush the rebellion.—AP

KARACHI: Shahid Afridi and Sanath Jayasuriya with the trophy before start of the T20 match on Saturday.

SOUTH KOREA: Suzann Pettersen of Norway watches her shot on the third hole dur-ing the second round of the LPGA Championship golf tournament at Sky72 Golf Club inIncheon, west of Seoul.

JOHANNESBURG—You need43 off 43 with seven wicketsremaining to make the semi-fi-nals and knock three compet-ing teams out. What do youdo? If you are a South Africanside, you nearly choke. Theingredients were all there.Commanding position in acrunch game, the threat of rain,Duckworth-Lewis calcula-tions, the works. And JeanSymes took the Lions fansthrough the full range of emo-tions at their home ground. Heallowed the asking-rate, whichhad started at around six-and-a-half, to touch ten after the18th over. Even as the familiarword started doing the rounds,Symes, on 6 off 16, slammedfour of his next six deliveriesfor boundaries to carry Lionsto the knockouts of the Cham-pions League Twenty20, andwith one final blow down theground, sent Chennai SuperKings, Mumbai Indians andYorkshire out of the tourna-ment.

It had been Lions’ game tolose after their bowlers hadnever allowed the Yorkshirerun-rate to approach seven atany stage in keeping them to131. Yorkshire had begun theirdefence well in sending backthe Lions openers with 31 onthe board but Quinton deKock had steadied the chaseas he hit boundaries just whenYorkshire managed to buildsome semblance of pressure.

De Kock’s wicket, a top-edge ending in thewicketkeeper’s gloves off thelast ball of the 13th over, wasto precipitate the drama.Symes, having taken Lionshome against Chennai SuperKings in the last over as wellwith a counter-attacking blitz,struggled to get the ball off thesquare. The 14th and 15thovers produced a run eachand suddenly, the asking-ratewas above eight.

Azeem Rafiq, with a spellof 4-0-14-1, was largely respon-sible for the urgency in York-shire captain Andrew Gale’smanner now. But his decisionto give the next over to AdilRashid was to even mattersagain. Rashid, having gone for22 in two overs, was taken for14 more in the 16th by DwainePretorius, playing ahead of theveteran Zander de Bruyn.

Yorkshire refused to giveup, though. Steven Pattersonhad Pretorius caught in thedeep for 25 off 14. Iain Wardlaw,playing only becauseYorkshire’s two first-choicequicks - Ryan Sidebottom andMoin Ashraf - were injured,conceded just three in the 18thover. Oliver Hannon-Dalby, thesecond replacement playinghis first T20 game, kept ThamiTsolekile to a single off the firsttwo balls of the 19th butSymes now decided it was time.

With 19 neeed off 10,Symes made room and lofted

over sweeper cover for six, andsmashed the next deliverydown the ground for four. Helifted the second ball of the20th over mid-on to finish thejob that Lions’ bowlers hadstarted so well.

Yorkshire’s batsmen, heav-ing and flailing, had found thecombination of a fast Wander-ers pitch and a balanced Lionsattack too much to handle.Left-arm spinner AaronPhangiso impressed again, Li-ons captain Alviro Petersengot Yorkshire’s top-scorer PhilJaques, but it was the homeside’s four quick bowlers whoused the pace and bounce inthe pitch to tie down Yorkshireall through.

Andrew Gale and Jaquesdid add 54 upfront, but thatpartnership never looked incontrol, with numerousswings-and-misses, especiallyfrom Gale. Nevertheless,Jaques managed to pull and cutfor a few fours, and with Galealso hacking away some runs,Lions did have a base. It wasthe introduction of the fourthfast bowler, Pretorius, thatended Gale’s scratchy effort,as the Yorkshire captain top-edged a slog to thewicketkeeper.

Joe Root came out lookingto hit every ball, and Phangisosoon had him sweepingstraight to deep square leg.The expected rain arrived toforce a 15-minute interruptionafter which the part-timerPetersen, giving himself a sec-ond over of offspin, bowledJaques after the batsmanmissed a slog-sweep.

Gary Balance looked theman most likely to lift York-shire out of their stupor, buthe thick-edged a slog offPhangiso to short third man todepart for 17. Yorkshire’s lackof depth meant Rashid, with ahighest T20 score of 36, wasin at No. 6 and when AdamLyth swung Chris Morris todeep square leg in the 17thover, Yorkshire’s final realisticchance of a late charge wasover.

Their inexperienced attackgave Lions a real scare, but thistime, there was to be no chok-ing for the South African fran-chise.—Agencies

Yorkshire innings:AW Gale b Pretorius ..... 21PA Jaques b Petersen ... 31Root c Tanvir b Phangiso5Lyth c Nannes b Morris 21Balance b Phangiso ...... 17Rashid lbw b Tanvir ........ 8DM Hodgson not out .. 10Azeem b Tanvir ............... 4Extras:(lb 4, w 9, nb 1) ... 14Total:(7 wickets) .......... 131Fall of wickets 1-54, 2-60, 3-67, 4-100, 5-111, 6-118, 7-131Bowling ............ O-M-R-WSohail Tanvir ........ 4-1-25-2DP Nannes ........... 4-0-30-0CH Morris ............ 4-0-25-1AM Phangiso ...... 4-0-23-2AN Petersen ........ 2-0-11-1D Pretorius ........... 2-0-13-1

Lions innings:Petersen b Dalby ........... 19Bodi lbw b Patterson ...... 8Q de Kock b Wardlaw .. 32McKenzie lbw b Rafiq .. 13

D Pretorius b Patterson 25J Symes not out ............. 27TL Tsolekile not out ....... 4Extras: (lb 1, w 5) ............. 6Total: (5 wickets) ......... 134Fall of wickets 1-27, 2-31, 3-69, 4-89, 5-107Bowling ............ O-M-R-WI Wardlaw ............. 4-1-23-1SA Patterson ..... 3.2-0-21-2OJ Hannon-Dalby 4-0-35-1JE Root ................... 1-0-4-0Azeem Rafiq ......... 4-0-14-1AU Rashid ........... 3-0-36-0

Lions vs Yorkshire, CLT20

Symes puts Lions insemis after tense chase

JOHANNESBURG: Sohail Tanvir took 2 for 25 during Lions vs Yorkshire semifinalmatch of CLT-20.

LAHORE—The PakistanCricket Board (PCB) is stillawaiting the tour itineraryfrom its Indian counterpartfor the much-anticipated bi-lateral series between thetwo countries later this year.PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraftold reporters that the BCCIwas expected to send thefinal schedule for the serieswhich is to be played in twomonths’ time in India.

The BCCI has said thatPakistan will play three one-day internationals and twoTwenty20 matches on theshort tour that begins in thelast week of December andends in the first week of thenew year.

It is the first bilateral se-ries between the two coun-tries after the Mumbai terrorattacks in November 2008.The arch-rivals have notplayed a series sincePakistan’s tour of India in2007. The Indian and Paki-stani cricket teams have onlymet in international tourna-ments since 2007.

“I had enquired from theBCCI officials during the re-cent ICC meeting in Co-lombo about the finalschedule and they said theywould send it soon. So weare also awaiting it. But ob-viously they will announceit as it is their home series,”Ashraf said. He said rela-

tions with the BCCI hadbeen good in recent timesand both boards haverealised the importance ofhaving regular bilateralcricket matches.

“The positive thing is af-ter such a long time a bilat-eral series has been okayedand obviously the schedulewill be announced afterproper clearances,” headded.

The PCB had requestedthe BCCI to include Mohalias one of the venues for thematches to allow more Paki-stanis to visit India for thematches but their requestwas politely turned down bythe Indians.—INP

PCB waits for India tour itinerary

INCHEON, South Korea —Suzann Pettersen shot a 4-under 68 on Saturday to ex-tend her lead to five strokesafter the second round of theLPGA KEB HanaBank Cham-pionship. The Norwegiandid not reach the level of heropening round when shecarded a course-record 63but still had a strong leadgoing into the final day of thethree-round event at theSky72 Ocean Course atIncheon.

Two birdies on the finaltwo holes capped a strongperformance over the firsttwo days for the No. 9-ranked player.

‘’It just felt like I got outthere this morning and Ididn’t really expect it to beas breezy as it was,’’ saidPettersen. ‘’Not that it wasextremely windy, but it was alittle different yesterday ...and it almost took me nine

holes to kind of adjust to theconditions.

‘’On the back nine, veryhappy the way I finished. I wasstanding on 15 and said tomyself, it would be nice to fin-ish with two or three birdies,and I think that’s what I did.Good way to finish the day.’’

South Korea’s Ryu So-yeon had a 70 and is alone insecond place, a stroke aheadof compatriot Se Ri Pak, whohad the day’s best roundwith a 67, Germany’s SandraGal and top-ranked YaniTseng.

Ryu, the 2011 US Openchampion, is leading the raceto be the tour’s Rookie of theYear and is having to adjustto her star status in her home-land. ‘’If the Hana Bank win-ner is Korean, they will loveit, because this is in Korea,’’Ryu said. ‘’But sometimes itreally makes it tough andcrazy, but I want to enjoy this

tough situation because I ama professional. I’m so happyto be playing in front of theKorean fans, and I want toreally say thanks to the Ko-rean fans.

‘’The final round is al-ways tough. I think though Iam ready to play tomorrow.’’Tseng, the defending cham-pion, closed strongly on theopening day, a sign that herrecent slump may be comingto an end. Two birdies overthe first four holes Saturdayput the Taiwanese star justtwo shots off the lead beforebogies at the sixth, eighthand ninth holes dropped herback into the pack.

Three birdies on the backnine left her six shots off thepace and with an outsidechance of back-to-back titles.‘’I’m very looking forward totomorrow and just want to re-lax and have the same strategyas today,’’ said Tseng.—AP

Pettersen leads by 5strokes at LPGA Korea

Greig diagnosedwith lung cancerLONDON—Tony Greig, theformer England captain, hasbeen diagnosed with a formof lung cancer and will un-dergo a biopsy later this weekto determine at what stagethe disease is at and what therequired course of action

would be.“I have had a few scrapes

in my life and this is anotherone,” Greig told the SundayTelegraph. “[His wife] Vivianand I are going to put theboxing gloves on and fightthis like we’ve never foughtanything before.”

Greig, who is currently awell-known television com-mentator, was initially diag-nosed with bronchitis in May.His condition did not im-prove and tests following theWorld Twenty20 revealedthat he has a lesion on hisright lung. On his return toAustralia from the tourna-ment, he had “a lot of fluid”drained from the lung, andfurther testing revealed hehad cancer.—Agencies

DFA Mardan clinchSoccer C’ship

PESHAWAR—District Foot-ball Association Mardanlifted the trophy after defeat-ing DFA Kohat in the final ofthe 3rd Khyber PakhtunkhwaRight to Play Peace Inter-Dis-trict Football Championshipplayed at Younis StadiumMardan on Saturday.

The match was sched-uled on Friday but due toheavy downpour, it was de-cided to hold the final on Sat-urday despite wet surface.Commissioner Mardan AdilKhan was the chief guestwho gave away the prizes.Chairman DFA Mardan andOrganizing Secretary AliGohar, internationalfootballer Muhammad ZahirKhan and large number ofspectators were also presenton this occasion.—APP

Pak Stars XI wintoss, elect to bat

KARACHI—Pakistan All StarXI won the toss and electedto bat first against the Inter-national World XI in the firstT-20 here at the National Sta-dium Karachi.

The International WorldXI is touring Pakistan for atwo-match T-20 series in aneffort to bring internationalcricket back to Pakistan.

FIFA MA SpecialReferees Course-

2012 kicks offLAHORE—The 5-days MASpecial Referees Course-2012,organized by Federation of In-ternational Football Associa-tions (FIFA), Saturday, kickedoff here and will conclude onWednesday. It is being con-ducted by MohamedMuhiseen Ariff as Referee De-velopment Officer (RDO) fromSri Lanka and GaneshManium, FIFA Physical In-structor from Singapore willconclude on Wednesday, Oc-tober 24, 2012.

Qazi Mohammad Asif andAhmed Ali will act as CourseCoordinator, M. ArifSiddiqui, Salah-ud- DinAwan and Mohammad Raufas MA Technical Instructors.According to Pakistan Foot-ball Federation (PFF), Lt. Col.(R) Ahmed Yar Khan LodhiTI (M), General SecretaryPFF inaugurated the courseas Chief Guest and said that“PFF is committed to provid-ing football referees, from be-ginner to most advance, withup-to-date theoretical, physi-cal and practical knowledgefor referees from provincesand regions can ensure thatreferees develop their skill tofull potential”.—Online

Motorcycling:Lorenzo edges out

Pedrosa to take poleSEPANG , Malaysia—MotoGP leader JorgeLorenzo seized pole positionfor Sunday’s Malaysian Mo-torcycle Grand Prix, with theYamaha rider putting in arecord lap in qualifying.

The Spaniard clocked alap of 2 minutes 00.334 sec-onds at the end of the one-hour qualifying session onSaturday, breaking the circuitrecord of 2:00.518 set by Ital-ian rider Valentino Rossi inqualifying in 2009.—AFP

THERE’S a new warning for parentswho use laundry pods about how kidsare mistaking them for bright, colorful candy and eating them. There were

1,008 cases of detergent poisoning among kidsduring a 30-day period thissummer, according to a Cen-ters for Disease Control andPrevention report releasedThursday. Of those reportedcases, 486 were linked to pods.Poison centers across the coun-try were seeing an average of10 cases a day, the CDC re-ported in May.

Ninety-four percent of poi-sonings from laundry detergentare among kids younger than6, according to the CDC re-port, and in these children,those who consumed podswere usually sicker than thosewho ingested other forms oflaundry detergent. The CDCsays that exposure to the de-tergent pods is “an emergingpublic health hazard in theUnited States.”

Parents are learning just how dangerous thebite-sized, single-dose of laundry detergentpods really can be. The concentrated packet ofdetergent sent 1-year-old Isabella Sutton to thehospital after she ate one. “I just figured theygot into candy, and they were eating candy,”Jessica Sutton, Isabella’s mom, told ABC Newsearlier this year.Minutes later, Isabella had severe vomiting anddiarrhea before being rushed to the emergencyroom.

Similar reactions have been reported acrossthe country with many children also experienc-

ing drowsiness, nausea and potentially life-threatening symptoms such as difficultybreathing.

“You don’t think about safety-proofinglaundry detergent,” Sutton said.

The makers of Tide de-tergent - Proctor & Gamble -told ABC News in May theyplanned to unveil newchildproof packaging by thesummer. The new packagingfeatures a double-latch lid anda larger warning label on thecontainer that some critics saylooks like a candy jar.

Proctor & Gamble hasdistributed the new containersbut never recalled the old ones.ABC News visited four storesthis week and found the oldeasy-to-open plastic containerson shelves.

Proctor & Gamble toldABC News that it is adding anover-the-lid resealable stickerthat will “gradually be avail-able as of December in stores.”

Henkel — the maker of Purex Ultra Packs —told ABC News that, since May, is has “up-dated the packaging with clearer labels towarn parents about the risks and to providemore specific instructions in the event of in-gestion.”

Other detergent manufacturers who pre-viously told ABC News in May that they werereviewing the safety packaging did not re-spond to requests for an update.

Until changes are made, poison controlexperts say, the onus falls on the parents tokeep the detergent packets locked up and outof the reach of children.

Laundry detergent pods‘emerging public health hazard’

KARACHI: Activists of Tahreek-e-Islami demonstrating against the attack on Malala and drone attacks.

KARACHI: General Manager Pearl Continental Hotel Muhammad A. Azeem Qureshi alongwith the Vice Consul General of China Pan Qing Jiang, Consul General of Sri Lanka DWJinadasa, Honorary Consul General of Yemen Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig Tahir A Khan andothers at the inauguration of Heer Ranjha Food Festival.

Medical reportrejects Kulsoom

claim of gun attackSTAFF REPORTER

KA R A C H I—Member ofSindh Assembly KulsoomChandio’s claimed that shewas injured with a gunshot;but, according to a police re-port, the doctors said thewound on Chandio’s bodyseems to be of a knife.

According to the first state-ment by Kulsoom Chandio, shewas hit with a bullet during arobbery at Punjab Chowrangi.

But, police sources, settingaside her previous claims saidshe did not receive any gunfireinjury; instead, it seems to be aresult of a sharp-edge weaponassault.

According to police sources,there was neither blood stain normark of any bullet on her car.Meantime, there are varying re-ports regarding the incident site.Consequent upon the discrepan-cies, the Chandio’s medical re-port has been sealed.

Kulsoom hails from Dadu,where angry workers of Paki-stan People’s Party (PPP)mounted protest demonstrationagainst the incident and de-manded the attackers shouldsummarily be arrested.

69

KCCI to stage sit-in against failing state of law, orderM M ALAM

KARACHI—Siraj KassamTeli Chairman BMG Group,while summing up what wastermed as a Brain StormingSession held here at Aiwan-e-Tijarat on Saturdayevening, declared with theconsent of Karachi Chamberof Commerce & Industry(KCCI) members & officebearers that businessmen aswell as citizens would stagesit-in before CM House aswell as Governor House at 4PM on Saturday November3 if Government failed toameliorate the state of wors-ening law and order situation.

Announcing the three-pronged strategy he said thatin order to make their con-cern public a continuous pro-cess of hoisting black ban-ners all over the Metropoliswould commence from Mon-

day Oct. 22; top legal advisorswould be hired to move the Su-preme Court; and if no improve-ment was seen in the law andorder situation sit-in would bestaged at CM & GovernorHouse. He requested FPCCIthrough Arif Habib & SenatorHaseeb Khan present on theoccasion to extend their call ofstrike on Nov. 8 by two days.

Terming the state of affairshere as the result of turf warbeing fought between variouspolitical parties, he said that allconcerned including law enforc-ing agencies knew about it butthere was no political will tocontent the aggravating condi-tion. Senator Abdul HaseebKhan stated that Governmentwas unserious with businesscommunity taking advantage oftheir split and thus FPCCI &KCCI needed to unite and strivefrom one platform; community-based security system should be

KARACHI: Chairman BMG Group Siraj Kassam Teli snapped giving concluding remarksat the end of a Brain-Storming Session held at Aiwan-e-Tijarat on Saturday evening. P.O.Photo. Javed Iqba

IGP orders actionagainst foreignersstaying illegally

KARACHI—Inspector Generalof Police Sindh Fayyaz AhmedLeghari has directed the Addi-tional Inspector General of Po-lice Special Branch to take le-gal action against those stayingin the province illegally, with thecooperation of NADRA andSindh Rangers. Chairing a meet-ing here Saturday he reviewedthe security measures taken bythe police and also called forcase to case detail of all killingsin the provincial capital.

He directed the officials totake action against criminalswithout any discrimination. Hedirected all divisional superinten-dents of police to make andimplement policing plan in theirrespective areas under the super-vision of the concerned zonalDIGPs and also send the same tohim for perusal. Later he wouldalso visit every police divisionand take briefing. The ProvincialPolice chief also directed the Fo-rensic division to visit the crimescene in all murder cases andgather forensic evidences fromthe spot and also send their re-quirements about man power andvehicles.—APP

Water tankerowners’ on strikeKARACHI—Several parts ofthe city faced acute water short-age as the Water Tanker Own-ers observed strike on Saturday.People of the city are compelledto buy water from tanker own-ers normally but it is a verytough situation now as thepeople even cannot get the ba-sic need, the water, by payingmoney. The problem is acute inDefence, Clifton and other ar-eas of the city. People are suf-fering from the conflict occurredbetween the Water Tanker Own-ers Welfare Association and theKarachi Water and SewerageBoard (KWSB) as both havetheir own interests.—Online

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—Chief MinisterSindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, onSaturday presided a meeting re-garding relief and disaster man-agement at CM House.

The meeting was attendedamong others by Provincial Min-ister for Rehabilitation, HajiMuzaffar Shujra, Advisor toC.M. for Relief, Haleem AdilShaikh, Chief Secretary Sindh,Raja Muhammad Abbas, ACS(Finance), Muhammad ArifKhan, Secretary Rehabilitation/Relief, Hashim Raza Zaidi, Sec-retary Education, MukhtiarSoomro, Secretary Health, AftabAhmed Khatri, Principal Secre-tary to CM, Agha Jan Akhtar.

Chief Minister Sindh said

Qaim allocates Rs 1bfor rain affectees

that the recent heavy rains haveaffected six districts of UpperSindh and still water is there insome of districts particularly inJacobabad and Kashmor-Kandhkot.

He said that the situationwas bad in the rain affected ar-eas as such it is very essentialthat before onset of winter sea-son, the people residing in re-lief camps or open places intents be provided food withoutfailure and necessary healthcare be provided to them. Hesaid that the ration, tents, mos-quito nets, medicines etc be fre-quently provided to affectedpeople.

Advisor to C.M. Sindh forRelief, Haleem Adil Shaikh, in-formed that in all 121 Union

Councils of six districts andabout 31 lac people have beenaffected. He said that 264,691people are at relief camps while12,005 villagers have been af-fected.

The total crop of 245,459acres has been damaged while2,421 people were injured and258 persons had died and 438relief camps have been estab-lished.

Chief Minister Sindh di-rected foro early supply of ra-tion, tents, mosquito nets,medicines and blankets to af-fected families for which heapproved an immediate alloca-tion of Rs. one billion. He alsodirected Secretary Livestockto provide veterinary treatmentfacility to animals.

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—At least eightpeople including four robberswere killed in separate firingincidents in different areas ofthe city on Saturday.

The police and Rangersduring separate search opera-tions and raids took into cus-tody several suspects and re-covered arms from their pos-session.

According to details, uni-dentified armed motorcyclistsshot at and killed a man inKorangi Town area, ZamanTown police station jurisdic-tion and fled away. The bodywas shifted to hospital whereidentity of the deceased was as-certained as Aqeel.Irfan, 40,who was injured in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area of Orangi Town dur-ing firing incident, succumbed

Four robbers amongeight killed, 10 arrested

to his wounds in the hospital.The police recovered a

bullet riddled and tortureddead body of a man packed ingunny bag from Nursery areanear society office.

The body was shifted tohospital for medico-legal for-malities where identity of thedeceased was yet to be con-firmed. Police found deadbody of an unidentified personfrom Kala Pul area of the city.

Four robbers were killedwhile their two cohorts man-aged to escape during a shoot-out with the police near DiscoBakery in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

The police on a tip off ap-proached a house located inGulshan-e-Iqbal where sixrobbers break into and werebusy in looting the residentsat gun point. The robberswhen alarmed about arrival of

police at the scene resisted andstarted firing in an attempt toescape from the scene. In re-taliatory firing of police rob-bers were killed while twomanaged to flee.

Meanwhile, firing inci-dents continued in differentareas of the city includingLyari, Shah Faisal Colony,Nazimabad, Sohrab Goth andNorth Karachi during whicheight people were reported in-jured. The injured were shiftedto different hospitals of con-cerned areas.

The police and Rangersduring separate targeted searchoperations and raids in BaldiaYousaf Goth, Macchar Colonyof Kimari and other areas ar-rested 10 criminals and recov-ered arms, mobile phones,cash and other looted valu-ables from their possession.

introduced; meeting be heldwith Chief Minister in whichKCCI & FPCCI members,representatives from politi-cal parties, Interior Minister,Police Chief & DG Rangersshould confer and find way outof the crisis. CPLC ChiefAhmed Chinoy questionedwhen alternate arrangementscould be made in the case ofpower outage and water short-age why such arrangementcould not be made for secu-rity? Pointing out thatkarachiites were already foot-ing security bill by hiring atleast 55,000 private securityguards, he too advocated com-munity policing in which Po-lice should operate under thecitizens. He cited the examplesof nine such modules in placein Karachi where crime ratewas zero. Zubair Motiwalaheld since culprits went scotfree as victims did not feel safe

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—A delegation ofKarachi and Hyderabad Bar As-sociations headed by Mahmood-ul-Hassan (President Karachi BarAssociation), Qazi Abdul Sattar(Advocate High Court) and con-sisting of other office bearers,members of Karachi andHyderabad Bars called on ChiefJustice of Pakistan Mr. JusticeIftikhar Muhammad Chaudharyon sunday in Supreme CourtBranch Registry, Karachi.Talking to the delegation, hislordship also admired the role oflegal fraternity in Lawyers’Movement in which they stoodfirm and struggled hard to bringrule of law in the society throughpeaceful efforts. His lordshipadded that the movement wassupported by the civil societybecause it was the struggle for theprinciples. The members of Bar also

appreciated his Lordship’sstruggles and efforts in the daysof lawyers’ movement which isunique in the global history andinformed about their struggle andsacrifice during the days of themovement. They also discussedwith the Chief Justice, issues andmatters of interest to the legal/judicial fraternity. They assuredthe Hon’ble Chief Justice of theirfull support and cooperation.They expressed the hope that theadministration of justice needshis bold leadership and motiva-tion to deliver justice to the pub-lic at large. They said that thepublic have reposed great confi-dence in the judiciary. The del-egation informed his lordship thatthe movement for rule of law,supremacy of Constitution andindependence of judiciary in-stilled a new spirit and provideda common platform to lawyersto cooperate with one another forlarger good of the society.

Karachi, Hyderabad Bardelegations call on CJ

KARACHI—The Institute ofBusiness Administration (IBA),Karachi, and Higher Educationorganized e-seminar in collabora-tion with the Harvard University.An official of the IBA said onSaturday that the event, held at theIBA here was part of Social En-terprise Seminar Series organizedby South Asia Initiative at HarvardUniversity in collaboration withAman Foundation.

The title was Spurring Entre-preneurship” A Case for InclusiveInnovation in Emerging MarketsLessons For Pakistan from China

HEC, IBA host HarvardUniversity in E-Seminar

and India”.The seminar featuredDr. Tarun Khanna live fromHarvard University in Cambridge,Massachusetts USA. Dr. Khannais a professor at the Harvard Busi-ness School, Director of SouthAsia Initiative and Faculty Chairfor Harvard Business School ac-tivities in India. He is also the au-thor of the book, Billions of En-trepreneurs How China and Indiaare Reshaping Their Futures andYours, it was further stated. Theevent was attended by faculty andstudents of 20 universities includ-ing IBA, KSBL, Sukkar IBA,

COMSATS and others across Pa-kistan through videoconferencing. The seminar wasmoderated by Dr. Shahid Qureshi,Associate Director for the Centerfor Entrepreneurial Developmentat IBA, with technical facilitiesprovided by Higher EducationCommission in Pakistan.

The CEO of Aman Founda-tion, Ahsan Jamil, introduced Dr.Khanna through his work on en-trepreneurship in China and Indiaand how it would help Pakistanin economic growth and job cre-ation.—APP

PHYSICAL exercise is critical to keeping our brains healthy, preventing orslowing the progression of cognitive

decline that can lead to dementia, accord-ing to the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention. Unfortunatelythe CDC estimates thatonly 14% of adults aged 65to 74, and 4% of adultsover 75, exercise regularly.

These were the facts Dr.Cay Anderson-Hanley hadwhen she began a study onexergaming and olderadults. The assistant pro-fessor at Union College inNew York hoped to deter-mine if exergames - virtualreality games that combineexercise with interactivefeatures - would motivatesenior citizens to work outmore.

What her study foundwas that exergames havethe potential to improvecognitive function more than traditionalexercise alone. The results were publishedin the current issue of the American Jour-nal of Preventive Medicine.

The study analyzed the executive cog-nitive function of 102 older adults from eightretirement communities. Executive cognitivefunction is higher thinking, like multi-task-ing or planning, that helps keep us inde-pendent, Anderson-Hanley says. “When itstarts to slip, that’s when we start to seefolks entering nursing homes and such.”

Study participants were split into twogroups, a control group that rode a tradi-tional stationary bicycle and an experimen-

Exercise boosts brainfunction among seniors

tal group that went “cybercycling” witha virtual reality program. Both groupsbiked for 45 minutes, five days a week forthree months.

Cybercyclers engaged in interactiveelements like navigating vir-tual pathways or competingwith other riders. These ele-ments provided extra stimu-lation that watching TV orreading while exercisingcan’t, Anderson-Hanleysaid. The benefit was signifi-cant; the cybercycling groupexperienced a 23% reductionin mild cognitive impairment,compared to the mental ben-efits experienced by the tra-ditional exercise group.

More research must bedone to determine exactlywhat it is about exergamesthat creates a bigger reduc-tion in cognitive impairment,Anderson-Hanley said. Herhunch is that there’s some-

thing special about the combination ofphysical exercise and mental interaction-a synergy of sorts is created.

“The neat thing about exergames isthat what happens on the screen is drivenby what’s going on on the bike.” For in-stance, if you want to catch the rider infront of you, you have to pedal faster.“The challenges are uniquely tied.” Moreresearch must also be done to see if thestudy’s results could be replicated in alarger population and if the cognitivebenefits would apply to younger partici-pants. But for now, Anderson-Hanley isoptimistic about the possibilities.

LAHORE: Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif listening to the problems of an old lady during his visit toAshiana Housing Scheme.

LAHORE: Female Chefs busy in making cake during a ceremony to mark InternationalChefs Day at Alhamra Hall.

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Federal Ministerfor Information and Broad-casting Qamar Zaman KairaSaturday said the governmentbelieved in free media and allout efforts are being made toensure better working atmo-sphere for newsmen.

He said “We believe infreedom of media and are tak-ing all possible measures toensure the welfare and bet-ter working conditions formedia workers.”

The Information Ministerheld out the assurance in ameeting with the delegationof newly-formed Desk Edi-tors Forum Lahore at theGovernor’s House. Prime

Minister’s Adviser ChaudhryAslam Gill, DEFL PresidentAslam Chaudhry and otherPPP leaders were alsopresent on the occasion.

The Information Ministersaid “I have always advo-cated the cause of journal-ists’ community and peopleworking in various sectionsof newspapers or television.”

Earlier, DEFL PresidentChaudhry Aslam briefed theFederal Minister about theproblems and dismal workingconditions of sub-editors. Hesaid sub-editors/desk editorsdo the real job and make anews item publishable byediting/refining its text andfacts but despite being over65 percent of total

mediapersons, they were stillbeing ignored and unheard.

He said for the first timein Pakistan’s media history,the DEFL initiative was takenfrom Lahore with a prime ob-jective of striving and secur-ing the rights of people work-ing in the newsroom. The fo-rum has now more than 600members, he added. On re-quest of the DEFL, the Fed-eral Information Minister as-sured them of his participa-tion the oath-taking cer-emony of Forum’s office-bearers after Eidul Azha.

The Minister also as-sured them of all possiblesupport to resolve problemsand improving their workingconditions.

Govt to ensure bettermedia atmosphere: Kaira

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Pakistan MuslimLeague senior central leaderand Deputy Prime Minister ChParvez Elahi has lauded Su-preme Court of Pakistan ver-dict in Asghar Khan case andsaid those politicians who hadtaken money should be dis-qualified because such peopleare not suitable for politicking.He said all issues between In-dia and Pakistan should be re-solved peacefully. He chargedShahbaz Sharif govt for de-stroying the Health Depart-ment, intention of the present

ruler towards young doctorsis not right and doctors areleaving the country.

Ch Parvez Elahi said thiswhile responding to ques-tions from media after meet-ing the delegations of the In-dian journalists and the youngdoctors at the State GuestHouse here today. He said thatwe respect the verdict of theSupreme Court in AsgharKhan case. He said GeneralMirza Aslam Beg had calledCh Shujat Hussain and him formeeting and offered to pro-vide funds for the elections.

He categorically said that

we had declined the offer andtold him that we contest theelections on our own, wehave never taken funds fromanyone nor would do so infuture either because we donot need funds.

In reply to a question, hesaid that the verdict of theSupreme Court should beimplemented in letter andspirit like NRO case judgmentand action must be takenagainst those politicians whohave been named in this case,they should be exposed anddisqualified as they are notsuitable for politicking.

PML-Q lauds SC verdict

Elahi demands disqualificationof politicians named in verdict

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—Punjab ChiefMinister MuhammadShahbaz Sharif has ex-pressed his dissatisfactionover the slow pace of devel-opment work at AshianaHousing Scheme and se-verely reprimanded the con-cerned authorities. The ChiefMinister paid a surprise visitto Ashiana Scheme at SarobaAtari Saturday, and in-spected under-constructionwork going on there. Takingstrict notice of public com-plaints over delay in con-struction of park, initiation ofclasses in school and irregu-larity in the bus service,Shahbaz ordered that thepoor must be provided allnecessary facilities, underone roof.

He directed that mattersregarding Ashiana ProjectScheme be immediatelystreamlined, and warned thatany officer or official who willnot work, would be sent

home. The Chief Ministersaid that Ashiana HousingScheme is a project for thepoor persons, therefore nodelay or negligence would betolerated in this regard. Ad-dressing the authorities ofPunjab Land DevelopmentCompany, Shahbaz said thatthe basic objective oflaunching Ashiana Scheme isto provide all necessary fa-cilities of life to persons, withlow income, and if the affairsare not set right, he wouldrelieve everyone.

The Chief Minister saidhe has felt very sorry aftervisiting Ashiana Scheme, asthe affairs here are not mov-ing in the right direction,while the residents are fac-ing difficulties, which is in-tolerable. He warned thatthose officers, who will notwork, would be removed fromtheir posts and strict actionwould be taken against them.Severely reprimanding theauthorities, MuhammadShahbaz Sharif warned that

had their own or his childrenbeen living there, would theyhave committed such negli-gence and carelessness. TheChief Minister directed thatthe pace of work in underconstruction park at AshianaScheme be further expedited,and should be completedbefore Eid-ul-Azha. He saidthat initiation of classes inthe school of the schemeshould be ensured withinseven days. On the com-plaints of the residents,Muhammad Shahbaz Sharifordered that bus service onthe rout of Ashiana Schemebe launched immediately sothat residents do not have toface any difficulty while go-ing to their educational insti-tutions and offices.

He further directed thatthe problems of residentsshould be solved on prioritybasis, while the Ashianaproject should be run on cor-porate basis, with a modernmarketing office, in additionto evolving a mechanism for

Ashiana Housing Scheme incompletion

Shahbaz to show way toinefficient officers

immediate redressal of prob-lems relating to street lights,security, construction ofboundary wall and othercomplaints. MuhammadShahbaz Sharif issued on-the-spot instructions on vari-ous complaints of the resi-dents of Ashiana Scheme.

He ordered that affairs ofthe scheme be streamlined ashe would not tolerate tradi-tional delaying tactics withregard to provision of facili-ties to the people. The ChiefMinister directed the authori-ties to depute guards for se-curity and solve the waterissue of the Ashiana, in ad-dition to submitting report tohim in this regard. MemberPunjab Assembly and Chair-man Punjab Land Develop-ment Company Sheikh Ala-ud-Din, MPA Mian Naseer,Senior Member Board ofRevenue, CommissionerLahore Division, DCOLahore and other relevantauthorities were also presenton the occasion.

JI raps selfishpolitics

LAHORE—Ameer JI PunjabDr. Syed Waseem Akhtarpointing out that powerfulauthorities have alwaysused Pakistan for their self-ish interests demandedabolishment ofestablishment’s role in poli-tics. Verdict of Asghar KhanCase, after 16 years is tan-tamount to ‘better late thannever’, he said.

He said those involved,in this heinous crime mustinstantly be dealt accord-ingly.

Dr. Waseem said that PPPand its allies by adoptingpath of confrontation withJudiciary have created criti-cal situation. He said in 4 ½years of present regime for-eign debt has doubled. Hesaid government is being runby printing 3 billioh currencynote every-day. Because ofthis rulers have been accu-mulating wealth, whereasmasses are leading miserablelife.—INP

PostgraduatePediatrics Doctors

workshopSTAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Principal PostGraduate Medical Institute(PGMI) Professor AnjumHabib Vohra and ProfessorAgha Shabbir Ali incharge ofPediatric ward have an-nounced that a 2 day work-shop in collaboration withCollege of physician and Sur-geons Pakistan Lahore Cen-ter on TOACS (Task Ori-ented Assessments of Clini-cal Skills) for Pediatrics PostGraduate Residents will beheld in Lahore General Hos-pital, Lahore on 24th to 25thOctober.

Post Graduate residentsfrom all over the country willparticipate in this workshop.The renowned Pediatriciansare facilitators of this work-shop. They will discuss dif-ferent aspects of PediatricPostgraduate examinationwith the participants. Theparticipants will perform ex-amination exercises in thepresence of experiencedteachers and trainers. Thistwo day workshop will in-crease the knowledge of resi-dents and it will also helpthem to pass through theirexams successfully. Dr. imranYasin will be co-ordinator ofthis workshop.

Dacoits held, 10bikes recovered

LAHORE—Gulberg policesmashed a dacoit gang andarrested its two members,and recovered 10 motor-cycles besides illegal weap-ons. During preliminary inter-rogation, gangsters con-fessed 22 incidents of ve-hicle snatching in differentareas of the city.

A special police, led bySPO Gulberg, smashedAbbasi dacoit gang and ar-rested Massarat Abbas andhis accomplice NoorulHassan.

Meanwhile, Gulshan Ravipolice smashed a robersgang and arrested its fivemembers, and recovered fourmotorcycles ,ten mobilephones besides illegalweapon. A special policeteam led by SPO GulshanRavi arrested five dacoits ofZaini dacoit gang.

The arrested were identi-fied as Zain, Sadaam,Khurram, Waqas andMehmood. During prelimi-nary interrogation, the gang-sters confessed 32 incidentsof dacoity and other heinouscrimes in various places of thecity. Meanwhile, Factory Areapolice arrested two drug push-ers and recovered one kgheroin and 60 litre of liquor.On a tip off, police arrestedthe accused with contrabandworth thousands of rupees.The arrested were identifiedas Tariq Dogar and Babar Butt.Police have registered casesagainst them.—APP

International ChefDay observed

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE —Institute of Tour-ism and Hotel Management,associated with Tourism De-velopment CorporationPunjab , on Saturday markedInternational Chef Day byholding cooking competitionsamong the women colleges atITHM office. Students of gov-ernment college for womenSamnabad, government col-lege for women Wahdat Roadand Model Town women col-lege participated in the com-petitions. Chief guests wereBegum Shaista Pervaiz Malikand Ishrat Ashraf, MNA.

The main aim of this spe-cial day is for chefs from 72countries to create massiveawareness of the profession byhosting culinary competitions,demonstrations and charityevents to raise funds for theinternational culinary commu-nity. Government officials, char-ity organisations and tourismboards of each country willcome together to drive the vi-sion of WACS, as well as raisethe profile of the associations.

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Special SecretaryHealth Punjab Babar HayatTarar has said that checking upof accounts of District HealthOffices is being started soonto ensure proper use of fundsof billions of rupees allocatedfor providing healthcare facili-ties to the people. In this con-nection, the checking of ac-counts Health DepartmentNankana has already been or-dered for which report within amonth would be submitted.

He stated this while pre-siding over a meeting of EDOsHealth of all districts of the

Punjab and Divisional Direc-tors of Health at Institute ofPublic Health, here Saturday.He directed the officers tochalk out their monthly workplan and implement it strictlyso that their performance couldbe improved and health deliv-ery system also be made moreefficient. He said that our mainfocus is to improve health de-livery system in Punjab forwhich Health Department hasto work day and night. He fur-ther directed that EDOs andDistrict Officers Health shouldalso launch a social mobiliza-tion campaign to attract femalesegment of the society for op-

timum utilization of regularhealth facilities at governmenthospitals by pregnant women.He further said that deliveryunder the supervision of ladydoctor, lady health visitor orthrough skilled birth attendantis necessary to control mater-nal mortality rate.

Addressing the meeting,Director General Health Dr.Nisar Cheema disclosed that onthe directions of Chief Minis-ter Punjab, MuhammadShahbaz Sharif, health facilitiesin labour room and Peads in-door in all DHQs as well asTHQs hospitals will be pro-vided free of cost.

Rs.500m fresh grant givenfor free health facilities

LAHORE: Pakistan Society for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled holding awarenesswalk on ‘World Osteoporosis Day’.