SNEAK PEEKCompensation to family ofman run over by US vehicle

The family of MuzammilHussain Shah, who washit by a US official vehiclea week ago, hasultimately been offeredcompensation package.

Chan Pir Ali, uncle of the diseased, saidthat the meeting was not possible to bearranged elsewhere in Islamabad, so theywere requested to visit the US Embassy inDiplomatic Enclave to meet theauthorities.

Page 02

Malik loses ʻstingʼ, keepsʻvenomʼ in NACTA set-up

The National AssemblyStanding Committee onInterior recommendeddeleting the position ofvice chairman, essentiallythe interior minister by

virtue of his office, from the Board ofGovernors while Military Intelligence hasbeen represented in the BoGs as theparliamentary panel finalised theNational Counter-Terrorism AuthorityBill, 2013.

Page 04

Sami offers to mediate withTTP with govtʼs support

Maulana Sami-ul-Haq,the chief of his ownfaction of JamiatUlema-e-Islam (JUI-S),on Thursday said thesecurity forces and

intelligence agencies had failed toprotect the people, while the worldpowers were trying to destabilise thecountry.

Page 05

Senate body forlimiting govt borrowing

Senate’s StandingCommittee on Financehere on Thursdayunanimously proposed tothe State Bank ofPakistan to limit federal

government borrowing at 10% of the lastfiscal year’s revenues to restrictgovernment borrowing from bankingsector.

Page 09

Ali Zafar feels remakesare made for profit

Pakistani singer-actorAli Zafar, who will beseen in the remakeversion of 'ChashmeBaddoor', says thatremakes are made to

earn profit when at times Bollywoodruns out of original ideas. However,the 32-year-old actor alsoacknowledged that films based oninnovative subjects too are being madein the tinsel town.

Page 10

South Africa aim for cleansweep against Pakistan

South Africa will pressfor a clean sweep whenthey meet Pakistan inthe third and final Teststarting at SuperSportPark on Friday (today).

After a comfortable 211-run win in thefirst Test in Johannesburg.

Page 11

VOL V, NO. 309 I RABI-US-SANI 11, 1434 I www.thespokesman.pk I PRICE RS. 10/-

FRIDAYFEBRUARY 22, 2013

BAHRIA TOWNVERSUS LDA

PG I 03TODAY’S WEATHER

RainHIGH: 16 LOW: 09

PG I 07

RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD DAILY PAGES 12

US MEDIA CONFIRMSBIASES AGAINST MUSLIMS– GERALS VAN WILGEN

PG I 06

BREAKING THE USSTRANGLEHOLD– MOHAMMAD JAMIL

OUR STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI: Amid uproar, the SindhAssembly Thursday restored thecommissioner system in the provinceby approving a bill repealing theSindh Peoples Local Government(SPLGA) Act, 2012.

Opposition members mostlybelonging to the Muttahida QaumiMovement (MQM) shouted slogans

and staged a walkout against thepassage of the bill. Speaker NisarKhuhro overruled their demandand kept shouting “order, order”during the chaos as MQM memberscontinued interrupting him duringthe proceeding.

The bill seeking to repeal theSPLGA was moved by Provincial LawMinister Ayaz Soomro which wasimmediately passed into law.

According to the Sindh People’sLocal Government Act, 2012, districtMetropolitan Corporations wereconstituted for the areas of thedistricts of Karachi, Hyderabad,Larkana, Sukkur and Mirpurkhas.

The passed legislation breaksKarachi back into five districts andrestores the commissioner systemto the areas.

The treasure benched expressed

jubilation over the passage of the lawwhich restored the commissionersystem by reviving the Sindh LocalGovernment Ordinance of 1979.

Giving his response on the approvalof the bill, MQM leader FaisalSabzwari said that earlier the PPPleadership was calling SPLGO as thevoice of the people but now they hadreversed it. “If the SPLGA 2012 wasmeant to bring prosperity to the

people of Sindh at that time [whenthe government passed it], then whyis it not prosperous now?” MQMleader Faisal Sabzwari questioned.

This is a black day for the people ofthe Sindh,” he said, adding that heand his party was ashamed from thepeople of the province over the PPPbehaviour. Sabzwari said the PPPhad imposed the local governmentsystem of former military ruler Ziaul

Haq, following which MQMmembers staged a walk out from theassembly in protest. The lawmakerslater staged demonstration outsidethe house, chanting slogans andcondemning the decision.

PPP’s Pir Mazhar ul Haq addressedthe House and defended the decision.He, however, said that “MQMmembers are our brethren but theway they protest is unparliamentary.”

TAHIR NIAZ

ISLAMABAD: In what seemed tobe a purely political move ahead ofthe general elections, thegovernment on Thursday got passeda piece of legislation in NationalAssembly to upgrade the PakistanInstitute of Medical Sciences(PIMS), Islamabad to a medicaluniversity and also replaced “Quaid-e-Azam” with “Shaheed Zulfiqar AliBhutto”, which triggered in-houseprotest from the two major

opposition parties.As soon as Deputy Speaker Faisal

Karim Kundi allowed Minister forCapital Administration andDevelopment Nazar MuhammadGondal to move the Bill to providefor grant of degree awarding statusto the PIMS (The Shaheed ZulfiqarAli Bhutto Medical University(PIMS), Islamabad Bill, 2013) forpassage, the members from PML-Nand MQM started chanting slogansagainst the proposed piece oflegislation, saying it amounted to

erasing name of the father of thenation from history.

Holding portraits of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah intheir hands, the PML-N legislatorsassembled in front of the Speakerchair to protest the governmentmove while the MQM membersjoined the protest from near theirseats. However, the ruling PPP wereunconvinced and the deputyspeaker continued clause-by-clausereading of the Bill amidstopposition’s shouting against the

Bill. PML-N’s Shakeel Awan andMQM’s Abdur Rasheed Godel ledthe protesting opposition membersby chanting slogans: “Long LiveQuaid-e-Azam”.

At the outset of the proceedings,sensing mood of the government, aPML-N MNA Haneef Abbasi alsopointed out the quorum, whichprompted the adjournment of thesitting for around half an hour.

It is to mention here that under thenew legislation, Quaid-e-Azam PostGraduate Medical College,

Islamabad, which was affiliated withPakistan Institute of MedicalSciences, Islamabad has beenupgraded as Shaheed Zulfiqar AliBhutto Medical University withPIMS under its control. If the Billsails through Senate also, Quaid-e-Azam Post-Graduate MedicalCollege, carrying the name of thefounder of the nation will cease toexist, and will be replaced by aninstitution named after Zulfikar AliBhutto, a move which is unacceptablefor the opposition parties.

NA turns Quaid-e-Azam into Bhutto� PML-N, MQM protest government’s move to upgrade medical college into Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University

Sindh Peopleʼs Local Govt Act, 2012 repealed

Commissionerate system back in Sindh amid protests� Muttahida stages walkout in provincial assembly session � Questions sudden change of heart by PPP

LAHORE: Children burnt in a fire are being treated in Mayo Hospital. (inset) A shocked mother in tears outside the private schoolwhere the incident took place. –ONLINE

OUR STAFF REPORTER

RAWALPINDI: ISPR Director GeneralMajor-General Asim Bajwa Thursday saidthe army wishes general elections should beheld in the country according to schedule.

Speaking to reporters here, the topmilitary spokesman dismissed theperception that the military would benefitfrom the postponement of polls. “We fullysupport free, fair and timely elections in thecountry. We have been supporting thepresent political set up during the last fiveyears and will not get anything if electionsare delayed,” said Maj-Gen Bajwa.

The ISPR DG said the army had wagedwar against terrorist organisations. Heurged all institutions to unite in the fightagainst terrorism.

About the law and order situation inBalochistan, Bajwa said there was a civilgovernment in the province during the lastfive years and the decision to imposegovernor’s rule was taken after completepolitical consensus. He, however, said thatdecision of not calling the armed forces inBalochistan was also a political move

although the military leadership was notreluctant to support the civil administrationunder Article 245 of the Constitution.

The DG ISPR also made it clear that itwould also be a political decision if theprovincial government was restored inBalochistan. He said the FC had set up 19additional posts in Kalat and Quetta afterJan 10 to further strengthen the securitysituation after the Hazara Town incident. Atargeted operation led by the FC andsupported by the police and intelligenceagencies was going on in the province, headded. Rejecting the impression that anybanned organisation was being supported,he said the armed forces were not in contactwith any militant organisation includingLashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).

On the ISI role, he said it was operatingwithin its mandate and, during the last fourmonths, it had carried out 130 intelligenceoperations in Balochistan and preventedseveral terrorist incidents.

About deployment of army inBalochistan, he pointed out that not even asingle soldier was deployed anywhere inBalochistan during the last five years.

MASOOD REHMAN

ISLAMABAD: Admitting thepolice failure, Capital City PoliceOfficer (CCPO) of Quetta MirZubair Ahmad assured theSupreme Court on Thursday thatperpetrators of Quetta carnageswould be brought to book.

He give this assurance whileappearing before a three-memberbench comprising Chief JusticeIftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry,Justice Khilji Arif Hussain andJustice Sh. Azmat Saeed, whichwas hearing a suo motu caseabout the killings of Shia Hazaracommunity in Quetta. The chiefjustice observed that preventionof such incidents was necessary aselections were round the corner.

The CCPO told the court that183 suspects were beinginterrogated in connection withthe Kirani Road incident. To acourt query, he said, “police oftenreceives alerts about the dangersand takes necessary measures,however it did not get anyintelligence information about theKirani Road incident.”

The chief justice said thataccording to the ISI report, priorinformation of this incident hadbeen passed on to the civiladministration of the province.The CCPO said the anti-stateelements and terrorists hadchanged their methodology ofcommitting crime.

He said first shortage of waterwas created in Hazara Town andlater water was supplied throughtankers. The chief justiceinquired why tankers were notchecked despite existence ofFrontier Corps (FC) check postson the way. He said moderninstruments were available, whichcould easily detect explosives,adding that how a huge cache of

explosives loaded in a tanker wentunchecked, when a brutalincident in the area had alreadyhappened over a month ago.

He asked how it could beensured that such incidents didnot occur in future. The CCPOsaid that although police had beencommitting negligence in thepast, however, it would not repeatit in future and bring theperpetrators to the book. He saidtargeted operation was beingconducted by police.

Appearing on notice, AttorneyGeneral Irfan Qadir submitted thereply of Prime MinisterSecretariat and President Houseover the matter. The FC andInterior Ministry also submittedtheir reports. The court acceptedthe request regarding keeping thereplies of President and the PrimeMinister secret.

Court was informed that FCCommandant could not turn up incourt due to his engagements inoperational activities.

During the hearing, Nasir AliShah, a PPP MNA fromBalochistan, told the court thatsome 1,500 people had been killedfrom 2002 to-date, howeverchallan of not a single accused hadbeen submitted before any court.

He said that Interior MinisterRehman Malik had stated in apress statement that he knew verywell that Lashkar-e-Jhangvi andTaliban wanted to delay theupcoming general elections. Thechief justice said if Rehman Malikknew he should exchange hisinformation with the lawenforcing agencies.

“Intelligence is shared withthe law enforcing agencies andnot with the court,” the chiefjustice said. Later, the courtadjourned further hearing tillFebruary 26.

LAHORE: At least 21children received burninjuries along with a teacherwhen fire broke out in a schoolclassroom in Shahdra area.

The cause of fire was aheater. All children whosuffered from the fire aresaid to be between the agesof 10 and 12. Children alongwith the teacher wereadmitted to Mayo Hospitalfor treatment.

Relatives and eyewitnesssaid students reported gassmell in the classroom anda security guard was calledto check the gas leakage.The guard was smoking acigarette, and as soon as heentered the room, itignited the fire. However,rescue officials said thecause of fire was an electricshort-circuit.

Officials from thegovernment who visitedthe injured students at thehospital said the incidentwas the result of negligenceon part of the schooladministration. Police havearrested school principaland an investigation wasunderway.

President, PMʼs replies kept secret

Police denyadvance infoon carnage

Army favoursfair, timely poll� Not reluctant to support civil admin if asked� Says civilian govt in Balochistan a political decision

21 childreninjured inclassroom fire

� CCPO admits failure � Malik askedto share intel with LEAs, not court

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Courtwas on Thursday moved to seek itsorders for declaring Article 6(2A)repugnant to independence ofjudiciary. A constitutional petitionwas filed by senor lawyer of the SC,Zulfiqar Ahmad Bhutta. It has beensaid in this clause which wasincorporated in the constitutionthrough the 18th Amendment thatno court, including the SC and thehigh courts, would be authorised tovalidate any act of treason spelt outin Clause (1) and Clause (2). �ONLINE

GCU students witnessSenate, NA proceedingsISLAMABAD: A delegationcomprising of 35 students belongingto different departments and levelsfrom Government College UniversityLahore on Thursday visitedParliament House to witness theproceedings of on-going Senate andNational Assembly sessions.Secretary Senate Iftikhar Ullah Babargave detailed briefing to the studentsregarding working of Parliament, itslegislative and accountability roles,functioning of standing committeesetc. The Secretary Senate later onanswered various questions put bythe students regarding working ofParliament, its role and functions ofits standing committees. �ONLINE

Extension work on road tobe completed by June 30ISLAMABAD: The CapitalDevelopment Authority has said thatthe extension work of I-10 road wouldbe completed by June 30. CDADeputy Director Road ChaudharyYounis said that the extension work ofI-10 road started in August 2011 andwould be completed by June 30 thisyear. I-10 road was a single roadwhich is being dualised now. �ONLINE

Review petition againstPML-N MPA dismissedISLAMABAD: The Supreme Courton Thursday dismissed a petitionfiled by Muhammad Ikhlaq, memberof Punjab Assembly, seeking reviewof decision on his disqualificationfrom membership of assembly. Hewas declared disqualified on August,18, 2012 for holding dual nationality.He was elected member of PunjabAssembly on PML-N ticket. It maybe recalled that one Syed MehmoodAkhtar Naqvi had filed petition inthe court seeking disqualification ofM Ikhlaq for having dual citizenship.This decision has been announcedby a 2-member bench presided overby the chief justic. �ONLINE

Rauf Klasraʼs brother dies ISLAMABAD: Theelder brother ofsenior journalist RaufKlasra, Dr NaeemKlasra died here earlyyesterday morningdue to a heart attack.An eye specialist inBahawalpur Victoria Hospital, DrNaeem was also a distinguishedwriter. He was buried in his homevillage of Jaysal Klasra, Layyah. �PR

SALMAN ABBAS

ISLAMABAD: Around 100 widowsand retired employees of the CapitalDevelopment Authority (CDA) arerunning from pillar to post to getplot allotment for more than sevenyears whereas the concernedofficials are denying their right bymaking false promises.

Sultan Ahmad, 70, is one of 2,300retired employees who are waitingfor the plot allotment. Everymorning, he visits the chairmanoffice with the hope that the CDA

bosses may fulfill his demand andhe will be able to do something forhis family in the last stages of hislife. But the regretful part of thestory is that Sultan is not the onlyone who has adopted this practicebut scores of old employees andsome widows of former CDAemployees daily visit the office butevery time they return home withempty hands.

Sharing their plight with TheSpokesman, CDA retired employeessaid that they should not bediscriminated against as they have

served the civic body of the capitalfor several years.

In 2004, they said the CDAallotted around 4000 plots to itsemployees. Whereas the CDA hadallotted plots to around 400widows some two years back butleft around 100 of them in theallotment process which hascreated feeling of deprivationamong the remaining widows whoare now knocking the doors ofsenior officials for their rights.

Raja Saleem, a retired employee,said that in 2006 and 2007 some of

the old employees went intolitigation against CDA’s apathy andboth the Supreme Court and theLahore High Court had givendecision in their favour anddirected the CDA to resolve theissue on priority basis.

He said that then CDA chairmanKamran Lashari also announced toallot plots to former employees.After him, every chairmanincluding Imtiaz Inayat Elahi andFarkhand Iqbal also made the samepromises but to no avail, he said,adding that Syed Tahir Shahbaz,

the current chairman, also assuredthem of allotting plots.

CDA CBA Union SecretaryGeneral Chaudhry Yaseen told TheSpokesman that he had given adetailed briefing to the chairmanregarding the plot allotment issueto widows, retired and servingemployees.

He said the strength of widowswaiting for the plot allotment wasaround 100, old employees are2300 and around 2400 servingemployees. The CDA board hasgiven approval on the issue.

Old employees, widows again knock CDA’s doors to get plots

ISLAMABAD: Civil society activists holding placards during a protest against the hanging of Afzal Guru by India. �THE SPOKESMAN

HOMER BALOCH

ISLAMABAD: The family ofMuzammil Hussain Shah, who washit by a US official vehicle a weekago, has ultimately been offeredcompensation package by theEmbassy officials.

When contacted, Chan Pir Ali,uncle of the diseased, stated thatcouple of days ago they werecontacted by American officials attheir home and wanted toarrange a meeting, but due tosecurity reasons, the meeting wasnot possible to be arrangedelsewhere in Islamabad, so theywere requested to visit the USEmbassy in Diplomatic Enclave

to meet the authorities.“We met the administration

director in the embassy thatshowed his grief towards thedeath of my nephew, Muzammil,and offered us compensation onthe death,” he said. The embassyhas also confirmed their meetingwith the family of the victim andtheir offer of the compensation.“We are currently carryingnegotiations with the family andsoon will provide themcompensation,” said Rian Harris,spokesperson for the embassy.

According to sources, thecompensation will be done in twophases. In first phase, an amountwill be given to the family. In second

phase, one of the four brothers ofthe deceased will be given a job inPakistan. Pir Ali said that they wereinformed by the US officials that inprevious two cases, 500,000 and880,000 were given to the affectedfamilies respectively, and accordingto current status of the case, hisfamily may be given better amount.

Besides the job offer to one of thebrothers, the US officials have alsoconsidered to take care of alleducational expenses of thedeceased's daughter. TheSecretariat Police have providedspace to the US officials to patch upwith the family as the challanagainst the accused namelyLupersio Perez has still not been

submitted. The police stated thatthe challan will be submitted to thecourt within 14 days, only if theirinvestigation report is completed.

The report is still incomplete asthe medical report of Shoaib Raza,who was also injured in the sameincident, has not been acquired bythe police. Earlier, Polyclinic CMODr Tanveer had told TheSpokesman that the medical reportwas ready to be picked up by policeofficials but they were notcontacting him. On the other hand,Investigation Officer ASI Shabbirsaid that the medical report couldnot be attained from the hospital ashe was told that the report was notcompleted yet.

Compensation to family ofman run over by US vehicle

ISLAMABAD: Executive Director,Higher Education Commission Prof. Dr.Mukhtar Ahmed assured that the HECwill fully support the AIOU in itseducational pursuits, especially ensuringquality education and extendingacademic network across the country. Hegave this assurance to the Vice-Chancellor, AIOU, Prof. Dr. Nazir AhmedSangi during his meeting held here. Hesaid that AIOU was playing an importantrole in providing best quality education toits students.

He hoped that the AIOU will establishits linkages with other Universities forfurther upgrad academic network. TheAIOU, he added may undertake jointventures with other national- levelUniversities in academic programmes ofimportant nature. Prof. Dr. NazirAhmed Sangi assured him that theAIOU will be exploiting all availableresources to provide best possibleeducational facilities to its students,especially those living in the remote anddeprived regions. The AIOU, he added,will be utilizing latest technical know-how to make their students capable forcompeting at international level. He saidthat AIOU and other University can pooltheir academic resources for providingthe students equal access to the qualityeducation and meeting the requirementsof the modern time. The AIOU hasalready declared the year 2013 as ‘Yearof Quality Education’ to meet thenational needs. �ONLINE

ZONG staffspends daywith specialchildren

SC asked to declareArticle 6(2A) repugnantto freedom of judiciary

SHANEL KHALIQ

ISLAMABAD: The creative andtalented mind behind the AjokaTheatre is none other than MadeehaGauhar, a TV actress and theatredirector. Besides organising numerousfestivals and plays, the Ajoka ispromoting performing arts for the last25 years. The theatre was started bydaring Madeeha back in 1980s, the eraGeneral Zia ul Haq, a militarydictator.

Madeeha, sister of renownedtelevision actress Faryal Gauhar,developed an inclination towards theperforming arts from an early age.

While pursuing her undergraduatestudies from the Kinnaird College, shebecame president of the NajmuddinDramatics Society in the college.Later, she was also secretary of theGovernment College DramaticsSociety where she was part of a playthat portrayed anti-establishmentsentiments.

Her debut television serial ‘Zanjeer’came when she was 17-year-old.Following this, she went on to do herMasters in English Literature fromthe Government College (now GCU)Lahore. After a gap of a few years, shealso went on a British CouncilScholarship to the United Kingdom

for further studies. In 2002 she wasalso awarded with the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz from the government for herimmense contribution to thedevelopment of performing arts.

Madeeha inherited a radical andaction-oriented streak from hermother Khadija Gauhar who herselfwas a social worker and a humanrights activist of her time. “She (hermother) encouraged me immensely toset up a theatre back in General Zia ulHaq’s era when women pursuing fieldof performing arts were scornedupon,” she said. After completing hereducation, she began teaching at awomen’s college and later joined the

Women’s Action Forum, a non-partisan organisation that has beeninvolved in campaigning for women’srights across the country.

The Women’s Forum was activelyinvolved in protesting against GeneralZia’s extreme right wing policies thatespecially targeted women. Duringthis time, Madeeha was also arrestedtwice and sent to the Kot Lakhpat Jail.This was a time when all plays anddramas had to go through censorshipby the government authorities andindividuals such as Madeeha felt thatthis was against the freedom ofexpression that was a basic rightwithout which the art could not

flourish.Therefore, the plays made by the

Ajoka Theatre and her team wereperformed in private spaces only.However, they have had a long historyof highlighting harsh, gender-hostilepractices and laws such as HudoodOrdinance, women trafficking andother socially decadent customs andcontinue to do so. For Madeeha, herfirst love remains theatre plays,however, she flourishing ofperforming arts in Pakistan.

The theatre director encouragesyoung females to come into this fieldand stand up in the face of socialhostility and rejection.

Madeeha – a daring woman with a creative mind

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabadpolice have arrested nine outlawsfrom various areas of the cityincluding five car thieves andrecovered stolen as well astampered vehicles, wine andnarcotics from their possession, apolice spokesman said onThursday. According to details,Mussarat called at Kohsar policestation to inform police regardingtheft of his van (LOK-1170) fromJinnah Super market. Followinghis call, Kohsar SHO SajjadHussain Bukhari constituted aspecial team under hissupervision including Sub-Inspector Muhammad Arshadand others.

This team cordoned off the areaand checked suspected vehiclessuddenly they found a van near F-7/1 bearing number plates fake

which were changed soon aftertheft of the vehicle. The policearrested one occupant, lateridentified as Latif, while othermanaged to escape whose name isbeing told as Shoaib.

Likewise, the Koral policearrested four other car thieveswho took away the car (MV-223)of Safdar and then demanded Rs.200,000 from him to return hisvehicle. Police was told about thisdemand of car thieves and aspecial team supervised by Sub-Inspector Muhammad Abbas andothers was constituted.

This team arrested four carthieves identified as BabarHussain resident of Ali PurIslamabad, Nayyer Iqbal residentof Taramri Islamabad, Mustafaand Zarab Ahmed residents ofKotli Sattian. �ONLINE

Gangs busted, vehicles,narcotics recovered

�Family to receive money, job �Deceased’s uncle says family members met US officials at embassy

�Officials making false promises with affectees

ISLAMABAD: ZONG employees are pictured with the mentally-challenged chirldren. �PR

�Theatre director inherited a radical and action-oriented streak from her mother �Ajoka has history of highlighting harsh realities, gender-hostile practices, etc

ISLAMABAD: The ZONG employeesvisited Chambeli Institute of Mentally-Challenged Children and PhysiotherapyCentre, located in Satellite Town,Rawalpindi, the other day. The institutehas around 50 children and a staff of 20people.

It was a full-day event, which comprisedmany fun-filled activities, like facepainting, musical chairs, tableau, three-legged race, spoon-and-ball race anddancing competition. The childrenparticipated in the event with greatenthusiasm while volunteers from ZONGcompassionately arranged all theseactivities.

The children also watched a cartoonmovie on the multimedia and later onexcitedly received gifts, food items andgoodie bags which were being distributedby ZONG employees. By organising suchactivities, ZONG is promotingcommunity service among its employees.Their first hand exposure to theopportunities, challenges and conditionsof community members will inform theiractions as they move to become mentorsand decision makers. �ONLINE

HEC supportsAIOU in itsacademicpursuits

ISLAMABAD: The parliamentary panel on Trade and Com-merce on Thursday directed secretary commerce MunirQureshi to bung all appointments on the post of commercialattaché in foreign capitals till submitting the details of sum-mary sent to Prime Minister for deployment of trade officersabroad and to submit complete details of this process.

The national Assembly’s standing committee on Trade andCommerce, which met here under convenorship of membernational assembly Khurram Dastagir, expressed seriousreservations over finalizing the list of 44 commercial attachéson nepotism basis in different western and industrializedcountries.

The committee members were of the view that the ministryof commerce was accommodating its favorites by appointingthe kin and kith of influential politicians including formerpremier Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, MNA Yousaf Talpur, Gul-shan Saeed and many others.

MNA Kashmala Tariq, member committee, said that min-istry of commerce has started appointment of blue-eyed com-mercial attaches at their favourite stations abroad whileignoring the merit and transparency for the appointment of44 commercial attaches.

She asked the secretary commerce that on which groundsministry of commerce extended the tenure of CommercialCounselor in London Saira Abbas on the recommendationsof Pakistani Ambassador Wajid Shams-ul-Hassan.

In addition, the daughter of Senator Gulshan Saeed,namely Ayesha Saeed has not only been given extension inservice but has also been transferred to Kuwait from Brus-sels, while the tenure of Sheheryar Talpur, son of GhaniTalpur, has also been extended.

While responding to the query of member committee, sec-retary commerce Munir Qureshi said that these extensionswere made as existing officers were engaged in sensitive tradeissues with foreign countries.

Secretary commerce maintained silence over the transferof commercial attaché Azhara Jamali from South Africa toMontreal, Canada after she had failed in enhancing the bi-lateral trade between South Africa and Pakistan.

One Section Officer has been given charge of Deputy Sec-retary out of turn which has made the procedure for ap-pointment of Commercial Counselors even more doubtful,sources said adding that the former Director of CommerceMinister Makhdoom Amin Fahim, namely Farhan Junejo isalso included in the list of appointed Commercial Counselors.

The committee proposed to the chair to outsource the in-terviews and criteria of newly nominated 44 officers for thepost of commercial attaché in foreign countries from LahoreUniversity of Management Sciences (LUMS), adding thatparliamentary panel also recommended for third party eval-uation of all these 44 nominated officers.

Interestingly, with only few days left in the completion ofthe tenure of PPP regime, federal government appointed theDistrict Management Group’s (DMG) officers in developedcountries including Washington, Moscow, Sydney, Chicago,The Hague and Jeddah, while the officers having experienceand training in the field have been posted at missions in de-veloping countries.

Reportedly, officers from the audit and account and incometax groups are second and third in the row as they have se-cured postings in Hong Kong, Seoul, Rome, Paris, Riyadhand Berlin.

According to the summary about the postings, six tradeministers/counselors have been posted in six countries. TheDMG officers include Abdul Aziz Uqaili, posted in Sydney,Capt (retd) Khurram Agha (Washington), Fawad HassanFawad (Kandahar) and Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh (Moscow),The income tax officials made commercial counselors includeAmbreen Iftikhar, posted in Paris, Erfa Iqbal (New York) andKhurshid Ahmed Khan Marwat (Kabul).

Talking about Pak-Afghan transit trade, Secretary Com-merce informed the committee that all conditions of theagreement have not been enforced therefore they are facingfew problems however these issues would be streamlinedsoon. He said that Afghan government has started paying in-surance guarantee that was not paid earlier. Qureshi said thatsubsidization is given to the backward areas and governmentis facilitating them to promote those products produced inthese areas.

Secretary Commerce Munir A Qureshi told the legislativebody that despite having done their best for reviving Pak-India trade, this process remains stalled.—ZEESHAN JAVAID

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013 POWER ALLEYS|

Today's take: Whatʼs going on in Sind?

Up: PPP for again orchestrating a superb politicalmove

Down: MQM for losing not only the government butalso the local bodies

Losers: Nationalists for having the air taken out oftheir balloon

Lost: PML-N for not having a rallying pointanymore

Worried: PML-F sees losing support in Sindh as PPPagain has upper hand

Happy: ANP for nothing else but seeing MQM take ablow

Upset: Provincial bureaucrats seeing their perks slipaway

Confused: PTI - Who? When? What? Where? Why?How?

Relieved: People of Sind as maybe there will be lessstrikes now

Kashmala Tariq �@KashmalamnaNaeem Bokhari harrassing me fordefaming YBM hahaha a stooge whotakes between 7 to 12 lakh Rs a monthfrm Ptv as a consultant WoW

Ijaz Ul Haq �@ijazulhaqAustralian government has offered asylum to over 2,500Hazara families of Balochistan and urged UN refugeeagency to facilitate migration!Maira �@MairaButt1India #HyderabadBlasts -- Australian Cricket Team HasRefused To Play Test In Hyderabad due to bomb blast.Nafees Takar �@takar22#Pakistani militants scored 114 destructions of schools n#FATA's Mohmand alone after blowing up another schoolthere at #Safi Tehsil.Retweeted by WKhanMubasher Lucman �@MubasherLucman@sharmilafaruqi @PPPSocialMedia Did you know ChNIsar got 35 wigs of same style and pattern from a Chinesevendor 26 years ago??SHARMILAFARUQUI�@sharmilafaruqi@MubasherLucman Omg! How did u know that?Hassan Nisar �@HassanNisarPKOnce you own billions of UK property why should you careif the Pak Rupee gets decimated by your policies as yourassets are abroadFaizan Lakhani �@faizanlakhaniValid arguments put by @faisalsubzwari on local bodiesordinance and why the government isn't willing to de-centralize powers.Shiraz Hassan �@ShirazHassanInstead of renaming PIMS or other places' name afterBhutto, PPP govt should consider building new hospitals ininterior Sindh.#PakistanAqib Mughal �@aqibmughal89The only consistent policy of the #PPP government in thelast five years has been to rename whatever they can as#BhuttoSana BALOCH �@Senator_Baloch15Million #Baloch are deprived, both in Iran&Pakistan, toread& write n their MotherLanguage #Balochi Medium ofInstruction UrduPersianRetweeted by Nausheen Asim NyazeeOmid Bidar �@omidbidarDear Urdu Jurnos, the plural of Hazara in Urduremains Hazara, not "Hazaray" or "Hazaron". v@mSaleemJaved Saroor Ijaz �@SaroorIjazPIMS name changed by PPP as if changing everythingafter Bhutto's name would get it votes. The stupidity isunmistakeable.Mohammad Ali Talpur �@mmatalpur#InternationalMotherLanguageDay Unless children aretaught in Mother Tongues they'll remain at disadvantage.Elite wins anyway with English.Ali Salman Alvi �@alisalmanalvi#ReplaceEverythingWithBhutto is the top trendworldwide. Hashtags like #WeAreAllHazara,#ShiaGenocide were definitely not worth it.Asad Munir �@asadmunir38#ReplaceEverythingWithBhutto :Bhutto the Great.Emäñ �@EmanAh15#ReplaceEverythingWithBhutto In future a branch inPakistan studies: Bhutto Studies and its Impact on#PakistanAliya Arshad �@aliya_arshad#ReplaceEverythingWithBhutto Zardari K Lashkaray, JagMag Bhutto SarayShams udDin AbuBakr �@s4shams#ReplaceEveryThingWithBhutto The way Nawaz Sharifhas carried PPP on his shoulders for 5 years he shld renamehimself as Nawaz Bhutto Sharif

Awar of advertisement is on betweenBahria Town and Lahore DevelopmentAuthority (LDA). Good for the media,

particularly for those who are making moneyfrom both sides.

The story is interesting but somehow thiswill not be discussed in any newspaper or TVtalk show. We all know why. You just need toread the two ads really carefully.

What are being presented as facts on theBahria Town advertisement are anything but.The LDA has warned buyers not to purchaseproperty in Bahria’s D, E and F sectors andPhase 2 locality. The Authority also gives itsreasons, which are that these sectors have notbeen approved by it. It also dares to warnBahria Town that it could not carry outdevelopment in these sectors without theLDA approval.

Bahria Town concedes all these allegationsand yet chooses to praise itself for hundred

otherthings. Even the headline “Agah Karrain,Gumrah Na Karrain” is ironically misleading.It is actually Bahria Town that is misleading.

It is so right about the various lapses of theLDA. It may also be right about itsachievements but it has not clarified anyobjection raised by the LDA. It actually goeson to admit that it does not have governmentapproval.

So what is going on here. We understandthat the media in its blind greed for ads arepublishing very stupid ads by Bahria Town.

However, Sheshnag is interested in thegame behind this ad war. Does this mean it’snow a fight between Bahria’s Chief Malik Riazand LDA’s ultimate Chief, Shahbaz Sharif?

Last timewe heard they were bestof pals. Shahbaz Sharif ’s son Salmanwas Malik’s favourite as he acknowledged inhis infamous TV interview. Malik alsocontributed in the Punjab government’sAshiana scheme.

Sheshnag knows this was the cause offriction between Shahbaz and his long-timefriend, Chaudhary Nisar from Chakri.Shahbaz seemed to have given ‘Chakar’ evento the Man from Chakri.

So how should we interpret it. Is it the bigRs 2 billion house that the tycoon has built forthe Man on the Hill. Is it a pressure on theMalik to make another for them also. Is it awar or just an exchange of friendly fire. Looksserious. Sheshnag will keep you informed.

Venom Inc. This should not beheld against me in a court oflaw as I solemnly declare

that these are absolute lies, dirtywhispers and wild speculation that Ihave heard while crawling in thedark power corridors of the creepyCapital. You will believe them atyour own risk Shh...If you havevenom to spill please don’t hesitateto share with us on our blog atwww.thespokesman.pk

Bahria Town versus LDA

The committee memberswere of the view that the

ministry of commerce wasaccommodating its favorites byappointing the kin and kith ofinfluential politicians includingformer premier Syed Yousaf RazaGillani, MNA YousafTalpur, Gulshan Saeed andmany others.

“

”

Dubious postings of commercialattachés under fire in NA

Spotlight Punjab? Interior Minister Rehman Malik had a busy day yesterday meeting various MPs from Punjab; it’s anyones guess as to whether they discussed matters of security or election related issues.

As the election date draws near, various politicians will be looking to improve their PR among thevoters, so as to look important and high profile. This picture, released and circulated by the MNAfrom Karachi on social media, seems to do just that. Who knows, it might just be worthwhile.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013

RAWALPINDI: Grant amounting toRs 10 million has been released toupgrade general hospital being rununder control of cantonment boardRawalpindi. Construction work hasbeen started following thedisbursement of this grant. Labourroom and new wards will be built andold machinery and equipment will beoverhauled and some new equipmentwill be purchased. Sheds to facilitatethe visitors and attendants of thepatients will also be constructed.Arrangements will also be made toensure provision of clean drinkingwater. Work in this respect has beenstarted which is being monitored byadministration of the hospital andofficers of cantonment board directlyto ensure its timely completion. �ONLINE

Pakistan may become afailed state, says ShahbazLAHORE: Chief Minister ShahbazSharif on Thursday said that if currentlaw and order situation persistsPakistan may turn into “a failed state”.Talking to media, the CM saidwidespread killings of innocent citizenshad brought democracy and theexisting set-up into question, addingthat if the current circumstancespersisted, Pakistan may turn into “afailed state”. He said terrorism was atits peak in the country, adding that ifconcrete action was not taken againstthose responsible the country’sfoundations may begin to shake. ThePML-N leader moreover said worldpowers had used militants in the 1980sto fight their so-called war againstSoviet communism and now the samemilitants were terrorists in the eyes ofthese powers. �ONLINE

LAHORE: A Punjab University ground has been turned into a dumping site for material used to construct the Metro Bus track. �ONLINE

MASOOD REHMAN

ISLAMABAD: Expressing dissatisfactionover the progress report submitted by theKarachi Police on the murder of 20-year-oldShahzeb Khan, the Supreme Court onThursday observed that the helplessnessbeing shown by the law enforcement agencieswas worse than that of any African country.

A three-member bench comprising ChiefJustice of Pakistan Justice IftikharMuhammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji ArifHussain and Justice Sh Azmat Saeed alsosummoned a director and investigatingofficer of the Federal Investigations Agency(FIA) to appear today (Friday) and explainwhat action had been taken against theaccused who helped Shahrukh Jatoi, a primesuspect of Shahzeb murder, to flee abroad.

The court also directed the police toproduce complete file of the case. Expressingdissatisfaction over the police report,submitted by DIG Shahid Hayat, the chiefjustice questioned that why no progress hadbeen made in the case despite the lapse ofover two months. He noted that the entirenation was watching the matter which hadturned into a test case for police and courts.

Justice Sh Azmat Saeed noted that thehelplessness showed and being shown by thelaw enforcement agencies in the country wasworse than that of any African country.Admonishing the DIG, the chief justice askedhim that what action had been taken againstthe police surgeon who declared the age ofShahrukh Jatoi less than 18 years.

“When you knew the age first determinedby the police surgeon was wrong, what actionyou had taken against him,” the chief justiceasked him. He said any case of police whichcame to the court was full of irregularities. A

police investigative officer told the court thatShahrukh’s second medical report, hisAtchison College’s documents and birthcertificate confirmed that he was above 18years old.

Muhammad Ibrahim Satti, counsel forShahrukh Jatoi, objected on the proceedings,contending that the way the proceedingswere being conducted in the case, his clientcould not expect justice. He said that the casewas being adjudicated in the anti-terrorismcourt, thus the apex court’s proceedings wereaffecting the proceedings of the trial court.“Do you want we should exonerate ShahrukhJatoi,” the chief justice asked the counsel.

In its report, the police stated that ninebullets were fired at Shahzeb, out of whichtwo bullets struck Shahzeb while four of thenine bullets were fired from an unlicensedpistol. The report stated that the car used inthe incident also belonged to ShahrukhJatoi’s brother and the pistol used in themurder was lying in the car with the sparewheel. Shahrukh Jatoi, his friend Nawab SirajTalpur, 22, Nawab Sajjad Talpur, 21, and their23-year-old servant Ghulam MurtazaLashari were facing charge of murdering 20-year-old Shahzeb Khan.

The report said that Jatoi and Siraj hadallegedly gunned down Shahzeb over a pettydispute on December 24, 2012 in the Defencearea in Karachi. FIA Legal Director AzamKhan told the court that the case had beenregistered against those who helpedShahrukh in fleeing. He said the travel agentwho issued him air ticket without passport,the airport official who issued him boardingcard and the other responsible officials hadbeen arrested.

Later, the court adjourned further hearingtill today (Friday).

SC dissatisfied withShahzeb murder report

SALMAN ABBAS

ISLAMABAD: Disposing of the petition,filed by Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Mir Hazar KhanBijarani, the Islamabad High Court onThursday directed the ElectionCommission of Pakistan to take decisionon his application regarding delimitationof his constituency.

In 2002, Bijarani had filed anapplication before the ElectionCommission for setting aside thedelimitation of NA-209 and PS-16Jacobabad and Kashmor districts ofSindh province which is still pending foradjudication. In 2002, the delimitation ofNA-208, 209 and 210 were done duringthe government of former presidentPervez Musharraf. Bijarani objected thedelimitation and termed it as unjustified.

The IHC Division Bench comprisingJustice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasiand Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddique washearing the case filed by the ministerthrough his counsel Advocate Umer HanifKhitchi. The counsel stated that the thenPML government changed the limitationsof the said constituencies on the requestof a single person who wanted todestabilise the political base of his client.

In order to facilitate the then rulingparty candidates, three seats of eachNational Assembly and Sindh Assemblywere unnecessarily disarranged anddelimited in contravention of the Section9 of the Delimitation of ConstituenciesAct, 1974. The counsel contended thatBijarani in 2002, 2010 and 2012repeatedly filed written requests to theECP for resolving the matter of thedelimitation of NA-209 and 210 but thecommission never took up the application.

He pointed out that it was a simplematter and the ECP under Section 10-A ofthe Delimitation of Constituencies Act1974 may at any time, of its own motion,make such amendments, alteration ormodification in the final list of theconstituencies published under sub-section 3 or in the areas included in aconstituency, as it thinks necessary.

He requested the court to direct the ECPfor expeditious disposal of the applicationregarding delimitation of theconstituencies and to give them a certaintimeframe for deciding the matter.Without deadline, the court directed theElection Commission to take decision onthe application in accordance with the law.

IHC refersBijarani’splea to ECP

Grant to upgradeGeneral Hospital

ZEESHAN JAVAID

ISLAMABAD: The senators had awonderful day on Thursday, althoughno legislative business was done in theUpper House of parliament. Theygreeted each other smilingly and left forparliament cafeteria for tea, wrappingup the whole business within 15minutes. A report of the Law andJustice Committee on ‘24thConstitutional Amendment Bill-2013’was tabled in the House. This was theonly business which took hardly two tothree minutes. Afterwards, Senatechairman asked for point of orders, but

there was none. There were only twoitems on the agenda. One was a reportof the Standing Committee on Law,Justice and Parliamentary Affairs onthe Twenty-Fourth Amendment Billand a resolution to extend the servicesof Pakistan (Redressal of Under-Representation) Ordinance, 2012.

The second item was deferred on therequest of PPP chief whip IslamadudinSheikh, while the first item, the reportof the Standing Committee on Law,Justice and Parliamentary Affairs onthe Constitution (Twenty-FourthAmendment Bill), 2013), was presentedin the House by senator Muhammad

Kazim Khan, chairman StandingCommittee on Law, Justice andParliamentary Affairs. The bill is aboutcreation of a new province in SouthPunjab. The draft of the 24thConstitutional Bill-2013 pertaining tocreation of new province “Bahawalpur-Janubi Punjab” (BJP) had been tabledin the house on February 8, and wasreferred to the Senate standingcommittee on law and justice forfurther discussion.

The committee gave final touch to thebill on Feb 20 and the draft Bill waspassed by the committee amid strongopposition by the PML-N members,

saying no province should be created onlinguistic basis. They had accused theruling PPPP to cash in on theopportunity, despite the fact that it didnot have the majority in both NationalAssembly and Provincial AssemblyPunjab to get it passed with two-thirdmajority. Besides, the veteran PPPsenator Raza Rabbani also attached anote of reiteration with the draft bill.Senator Rabbani argued in his note thatthe creation of new province is ahistorical process, therefore, provincesshould not be carved out on the basis ofadministrative convenience. This willfurther aggravate the national, ethnic,

and linguistic and natural resourcesquestions, he noted. He said that it iscorrect that on the national or ethno-linguistic bases, certain regions mayhave a historically legitimate claim ofbeing called a province, but this is notthe appropriate time. Additionally, henoted that the existing federal structurecan also be affected, as certain regionsin the existing provinces may wantrealignment or inclusion in the newprovinces. This will give rise to newregional tensions. He suggested thatprior to taking this issue to Parliamentor a provincial assembly, a detailedstudy as to the financial sustainability

of the new province is required. Thefinancial impact and liabilities willremain confined not only to the newand the portioned province but willimpact on the federal budget and NFC,which shall have its own repercussionon other province. Hence, the 24thConstitutional Amendment Bill, 2013is likely to be presented for voting inthe Upper House next week in a bidto get it passed. But it is most likelythat the Bill would lapse as it couldnot be passed from the currentNational Assembly due to lack of thetwo-thirds majority with the PPP ledcoalition partners.

TAHIR NIAZ

ISLAMABAD: The NationalAssembly Standing Committee onInterior on Thursday recommendeddeleting the position of “ViceChairman”, essentially the interiorminister by virtue of his office, fromthe Board of Governors whileMilitary Intelligence has beenrepresented in the BoGs as theparliamentary panel finalised theNational Counter-TerrorismAuthority Bill, 2013.

Federal Minister for Educationand Trainings Sheikh WaqasAkram opposed the position of“Vice Chairman” in the Board ofGovernors of the NACTA, sayingthe Authority would no more be adifferent entity than the interior

ministry if the interior minister hasto be made its vice chairman.

The chairman of the committee,Abdul Qadir Patel, and othermembers agreed to Akram’s pointof view and recommended theinterior minister to be placed on theNACTA BoGs members’ list.However, the interior minister willact as chairman of the ExecutiveCommittee of the NACTA. Theprime minister will be the chairmanof the Authority.

The committee also excludedMinister for State and FrontierRegions, Minister for Law, Justiceand Parliamentary Affairs, Ministerfor Information and Broadcasting,Minister for Inter-ProvincialCoordination and Minister forForeign Affairs from the members’

list of NACTA BoGs, saying if allthese people were to be included,why not the federal cabinet be giventhe status of NACTA BoGs.However, keeping in view the utilityof the MI viz-a-viz intelligencegathering, the committee approvedplacing it on the NACTA BoGsmembers’ list.

The committee furtherrecommended that NationalCoordinator shall be an eminentprofessional of known integrity andcompetence (BPS-22 from PoliceService Group) with substantialexperience in civil law enforcement.He would be appointed by the PrimeMinister for a term of minimumthree years. Keeping in view thebacklog and technical problems, theCommittee asked the interior

ministry to grant blanket renewal tothe arms licences issued by theNADRA (card). However, theministry said that it would consultlegal experts on the subject beforeissuing directions to the relevantquarters in this regard.

Separately, the standing committeeon parliamentary affairs approvedallocation of four seats each innational assembly and Senate forspecial persons despite oppositionfrom the law ministry as it discussedThe Constitution (Amendment) Bill,2012 (Amendment in Article 50 ofthe Constitution), moved by MsKishwer Zehra MNA. The ministrywas of the view that under theconstitution, every Muslim memberof the parliament is to be electedthrough ballot.

Malik loses ‘sting’, keeps‘venom’ in NACTA set-up

Senators wrap up day’s work in just 15 minutes!�24th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2013 most likely to lapse as it could not be passed by National Assembly due to lack of two-thirds majority with PPP-led coalition

LAHORE: Commuters move on despite rain on Thursday. –ONLINE

ISLAMABAD: Australia on Wednesday deniedreports that it is introducing a new programme toresettle 2,500 Hazara families out of Pakistan.BBCUrdu had said that after the killing of hundredsof Hazaras in Quetta, the Australian governmenthad offered asylum to these families.

Australia is not introducing a new programme toresettle Hazara community out of Pakistan, as it wasreflected in the media reports, according toAustralian High Commission spokesperson. Incontrast, Australia’s priority is to assist thoserefugees who are the most vulnerable.

The spokesperson said though Australia hassympathies for the communities affected bysectarian violence, its Humanitarian Programme is

not specific to any particular country but only forrefugees. Refugees, including Afghan Hazaras,wanting to be resettled in Australia, must berecognised by UNHCR as meeting the criteria forrefugee status, because Australia only considersrefugees referred to it by UNHCR, thespokesperson said.

According reports, a representative of Australianimmigration department met with United Nationsofficials last week to make the asylum offer onhumanitarian grounds. At least 89 people of theminority community including nine women and twogirls aged seven and nine were killed when a tonneof explosives packed in a water tanker detonated inthe middle of a busy bazaar on February 16. �ONLINE

Australia denies plan tosettle 2,500 Hazara families

�Observes helplessness of law enforcers is worse than in Africa

MIRZA KHURRAM SHAHZAD

QUETTA: The Balochistan police havemoved an application to the ChiefElection Commissioner for a relaxation inthe ban on recruitment in order tostrengthen its force for Hazara'sprotection, it was learnt reliably.

A senior police official on anonymitytold The Spokesman that they have senta written request to the ElectionCommission and was expecting that theywould get a relaxation. “We have decidedto recruit around 200 Hazara youth inpolice and deploy them in their areas toprotect their community from any futureattack,” said the official who is heading aspecial division of police.

Within 37 days, around 200 Hazaraswere killed in two major attacks on theirlocalities on January 10 and February 16.After these attacks, the Hazaracommunity has staged unprecedentedprotests and sit-ins to demand protection.“We want to recruit Hazaras as soon aspossible to ensure their community'sprotection. That is why we have draftedan urgent request for the ElectionCommission,” he said.

The police official revealed that theyhave requested the CEC that thisrecruitment was not of political natureand is purely for public benefit so theban should be lifted and they should beallowed to recruit Hazarasimmediately. “We hope that theElection Commission will make adecision on our request as soon aspossible and we will be able to start therecruitment process within two weeks.”

“The purpose of imposing a ban on newrecruitment was to stop pre-poll rigging,and there is no sign of rigging with theemployment of Hazaras in police,” hesaid. The official said that the police werealready making enough efforts to stop theterrorist acts in the city and have foiledfive major attempts to attack Hazaras andother communities.

“We defused five bombs of around 50kilogram each during Jan 10 to Feb 16.These bombs were planted in differentareas of the city including SatelliteTown, Kuchlak and other places andwere targeting Hazaras and otherpeople,” he said.

Police seekrecruitment ofHazara youth

ANF seizes 44.8 kgs of heroin

KARACHI: The Anti Narcotics Force(ANF) on Thursday recovered a largecache of heroin from the Karachi SeaPort. As per details, the ANF receivedinformation that some internationaldrug traffickers would try to smugglecontraband through sea route. Onthis information, the ASF checked asuspected container bearing No plateESPU-2009705 at (InternationalContainer Terminal). During thesearch, 44.8 kilograms of heroinrecovered, concealed in cartons oftowels. The drug was being smuggledto Africa. �ONLINE

Trader, robber killed inattempted robbery FAISALABAD: Two persons,including a trader and robber, werekilled during a robbery attempt hereon Thursday. According to SP MadinaTown Tahir Maqsood, two armedmotorcyclists stopped car of a localtrader Muhammad Shafique inPeople’s Colony of Faisalabad. Theyasked him to hand over the cash,mobile phone and other valuables tothem. Upon resistance, one of thecriminals opened fired at MuhammadShafique hitting in his head due towhich he died on the spot whileanother bullet hit looter’s cohort alsokilling him. �INP

Data of suspected clerics to be updatedSARGODHA: The Interior Ministryordered keeping vigilant eyes uponthe movement of the religious leadersand up-gradation of data whosenames are mentioned in the fourthschedule. A statement issued by theministry stated that all records beupdated and the movement of theclerics belonging to the fourthschedule should be thoroughlyobserved. The Interior Ministry tookthis step following the atrociouswaves of militancy in the country,while according to sources thegovernment noticed that the clericsmight be in contact with militants.However, the government demandeddocuments of the clerics included inthe fourth schedule. �ONLINE

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013

JAMAL KHALID

MARDAN: The February 15 suicideattack on the caravan of Chief MinisterAmir Haider Khan Hoti near BachaKhan Square became a breaking news.Fortunately, the terror strike did notcaused any deaths. But it proved a blowto the security agencies as a blast hadrocked the Government Post GraduateCollege Mardan, which is adjacent toAbdul Wali Khan University, only threedays ago Mardan.

Terrorism has become a routine matterin the country, but Khyber Pakhtunkhwais the worst hit region of the country. Thefailed terror bid on February 15 was109th in total in Mardan district duringthe last six years.

In 2007, 10 blasts caused by locally-made bombs, five of dynamite and onerocket attack were reported. In 2008, sixwere caused by impoverished explosivedevices (IEDS) and one by dynamite,while three rocket and two suicideattacks were also carried out. In the nextyear, IEDS were used in 20 terror strikes,while five rocket and two hand grenadeattacks were also reported Likewise,three IEDs explosions and three rocketand one suicide attack occurred in 2010.

The year 2011 witnessed 11 IEDsexplosions, two bombing and two suicideattacks occurred. In 2012, 19 IEDs blastsand three armed attacks on police partieswere recorded, while eight IEDs blastsand one suicide attacks have so far beencarried out in the current year.

In total, Mardan has witnessed 78bombings through IEDs and six ofdynamite, 11 rocket attacks, four armedattacks on police, four hand grenadeattacks and six suicide hits.

The unending series of terror strike hasnot only caused financial loss but alsoresulted in the killing of innocent lawenforcers and citizens.

The three thousand-strong police force,army battalions stationed in the city andother security agencies have to answer thequestion that why they haven’t been able tocontrol terrorism. One of the main reasonsbehind the prevailing situation is thegovernment’s hesitance and failure tomaintain a check and balance on the topofficials in district administration and police.It is an encouraging step by the InteriorMinistry to take notice of the scenario afterthe attack on Hoti, but bringing changes inthe district administration and policedepartment is the need of the hour.

PESHAWAR: Drawing her dreams — Women’s education is the prime target of militants. �INP

ASADULLAH MAYAR

MARDAN: Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, the chief of his own factionof Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-S)on Thursday said the securityforces and intelligence agencieshad failed to defend the people,while the world powers weretrying to destabilise the country.He demanded immediate actionagainst those behind the incidentsin Balochistan.

He stated this while talking tomedia at Mardan Press Club thatthe government should leave thewar on terror because it’s notPakistan’s war. “If the governmentgives an assurance to us, then we can play a role in the negotiations between Talibanand the government. But weshould also address the pointsraised by the Taliban.”

Sami said there was no

sectarianism in the country. “Thegovernment failed to deliver andall previous records of corruptionhave been broken in all the state institutions.”

Talking about the law and ordersituation, he said the majorparties PPP, MQM and ANP wereresponsible for the uncertainty inKarachi; that was reason thebusinessman were transferringtheir investment abroad.

Sami warned that securitysituation was deterioratingalarmingly in the country,especially in Balochistanprovince. “Thousands of peoplehave been killed and more arebeing murdered in the countryevery day.”

Maulana Sami-ul-Haq saidthere was no sectarian violencein the country. Without naminganyone, he added that theforeign agencies were involved inthe massacre of innocent people

in Balochistan.He was of the view that had the

army, security agencies and policeplayed their role to defend thecountry there would have been noneed of making Difa-e-PakistanCouncil (DPC).

“We are in struggle to defend thecountry through the platform ofDPC which represents about 40religious and political parties aswell some jihadi groups.”

The JUI-S chief said electionsmust be held on time and it was asolution to all the challengescurrently being faced. He said it was impossible to make an interim government for two or three year and suchattempts would be dangerous for democracy.

Maulana Sami-ul-Haq said theJUI-S would contest theupcoming elections in withcollaboration in other religiousparties including Tehrik-e-

Tahaffuz-e- Pakistan, Ahle SunnatWal Jamaat (AWSJ), JUI-Nazriatiand JUP.

He said it was the high time tofocus on law and order situationthe country and save the innocentlives in Pakistan.

ASADULLAH MAYAR

MARDAN: Like other parts of the country, thefarmers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are alsofacing serious problems. The scenario is grimdespite the fact that Pakistan is an agriculturecountry and around 70 percent of populationis directly or indirectly related to theagriculture sector which produces thecommodities for human survival.Unfortunately, there is no sophisticated systemand solid policy for agriculture and that’s whywe are compelled to import various items.

There is no marketing system in theprovince; resultantly, the farmers are unableto get the right in profit which they deserve.The sugar mills and multinational tobaccocompanies are proving a headache for thesugarcane, tobacco and sweet potato growers.Similarly, the quality of pesticides andadulteration in seeds and less weight are alsoconstant problems.

On the other hand, the prevailing energycrisis has paralysed routine life, as

unending electricity and gas load-sheddingis badly affecting the farming community,for which whom there is no subsidy at all,leaving them at the mercy of unbridledmarket factors.

Most members of national and provincialassemblies depend on votes from the ruralpopulation to enter the legislature, but ignoretheir plight as soon as ‘accomplishing theirtask’. Although politicians make tall claimsabout their struggle for the farmers’ rights,but the whole exercise remains meaninglessas there are facilities and incentives for them

When we look at the inputs, the availabilityand pricing of urea is a big problem. On onehand, the price of urea is increasing alarminglyand, on the other, the dealers are resorting toblack marketing and adulteration.

According to a well-known agricultureexpert and provincial senior vice-president ofAnjuman Kashtkaraan (farmer’s association)Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Haji Nehmat ShahRoghani, the urea price was Rs 800 two yearsago, but it is currently available at Rs 1,800.

Similar, nitrate price moved upwards from Rs700 to Rs 1,500, DAP from Rs 1,600 to Rs4,500, nitro-phosphate from Rs 1,200 to Rs2,800 and that of super phosphate from Rs500 to Rs 1,100. The manifold hike in pricesshows the trend and the effects on the farmers.

As the negative effects of adulteratedpesticides posing a huge threat, the issue ofseeds is complicating the affairs. The nationaland multinational producers of seeds arelooting the farmers by charging extra moneyand acting as monopoly and cartel; andhence, remain unchecked in a democraticcountry.

It is encouraging that the KhyberPakhtunkhwa chief minister, his cabinetmember and different political leaders in thegovernment are spending millions of rupeeson development projects and roads, but theyare not paying any attention to theagricultural sector. It is true that educationalinstitutions, hospitals and roads are the basicneeds of people, but the steps, like acquiringaround 5,000 kanals of agriculture land for

the Bacha Khan Greater Campus in Mardan,have destroyed the farming in thesurrounding areas of Mayar, Toru, Nawa Kaliand Swaryan.

It is need of the hour that a special subsidyto farmers on seeds and fertilizers and rescuethem from the mess caused by the energycrisis.

The ZTBL (the main bank catering theneeds of agriculture sector) has been made abusiness institution, instead of to givefacilities to farmers.

Same is the case with the irrigation andrevenue departments, as they are not servingany purpose, as water shortage is now beingseriously felt in the far flung areas of Mardan.

The main cash crop of tobacco in MardanDivision, which is yearly generates sixty toseven billion rupees as revenue to the centralgovernment, is on the verge of collapse.Majority of the farmers are still waiting fortheir sugarcane returns city, but thegovernment has chosen act as a silentspectator.

Mardan has suffered 109 terror strikes so far

Talks with Taliban

Sami ‘can mediate’ withgovernment’s backing� Says foreign hand behind violence � DPC striving for a strong Pakistan

Hapless farmers at open market’s mercy

MIRZA KHURRAM SHAHZAD

QUETTA: After Asar prayers, 65-year-old Aiwaz Ali was taking sips of tea andwaiting for his two daughters-in-lawand three grandchildren to returnhome from the market and school.

The cup was still half filled and Ali'swas thinking that when his youngestgrandson Muhammad Hussain willreturn home happily after visiting themarket and how will he greet him.Suddenly, he heard a bang and then felttremors which shattered hiswindowpanes. However, poor Ali, whospent his whole life dreaming hischildren's bright future in HazaraTown, was not disturbed andcontinued waiting for his loving kids.

After sometime, when he thoughtthat his loved ones had really got late,he went out to look for them. But everystep out in the streets, made him moreanxious than worried. The streets werefull of people running around, the

broken glasses and blood stains.He could see everything until

somebody told him that his twodaughters-in-law and five-year-oldgrandson Muhammad Hussain werelast seen close to the two-story concretebuilding which caved in after the blast.And he lost senses, he was unable to seeand feel anything. He himself was justa lost old man who did not know whatto do.

"It was like the doomsday hasarrived. I did not know what to do tosearch my children. I did not knowwhether I should cry or shout or begsomebody to search for my family. I didnot know anything, I was lost myself,"said Ali sitting besides the five deadbodies of his family.

His two daughters-in-law Razia andZohra - married to his two sons Ishaqand Hadi-, two granddaughters 12-year-old Kubra and seven-year-oldRuqqaya, who were returning fromschool and the young naughty Hussain,

who always wanted to accompany hismother whenever she went out forshopping, were all killed in theFebruary 16 blast.

Ali is the most grieved person fromthe latest tragedy which hit Quetta'sHazara community, but there areseveral others who lost two, three andfour people in this one incident.

Hazara Town's streets are still filledwith the glass pieces broken with theimpact of the huge blast caused byaround 800 kilograms of explosivespacked in a water tanker.

The pieces of the tractor used to pullthe tanker in the town, burnt cars,motorcycles, carts, shoes and cloths ofthe victims, the fruits and vegetablesand the rubble of the buildingsgrounded after the blast is stillscattered in the market, which wasonce a posh corner inside the vicinity.People from around the Hazara Townand Mariabad still throng the blast siteand cry for their loved ones.

"My heart has broken after seeingthis scene. It’s weeping. I am sad andangry. This scene resembles thedoomsday, which our families havesuffered," said Noor Jehan, a 40-year-old Hazara lady who lost her cousin inthe blast.

"I came here to see the place wheremy uncle's son died. I am shocked tosee that the building where once heworked has been grounded and turnedinto rubble. Those, who killed him, arenot humans," she said while wiping hertears from the face.

The fact that how easily tractordriver managed to park the tankerin the crowded market isastonishing. According to somewitnesses, he drove through thebusy streets and parked the tankerat his target and then escapedsaying that the tractor haddeveloped some fault and he wasgoing to bring any mechanic. Andnobody noticed. Minutes after, there

was a huge blast which shook theentire vicinity. The windows ofalmost every house were brokenwith the impact of the blast.

Now, the sit-in staged to protest thekillings and demand an action againstthe culprits, has been called off. Thevictims have been buried, the relativeshave started offering fateha andaccepting post-burial condolencefrom the friends. Others are returningto normalcy as shops getting openedand yellow cabs have startedtransporting passengers.

But Ali is still lost. He even can'trecall the name of his wife when hespeaks about the tragedy. He says hedoesn't know about Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Taliban but he knowsthat the government has failed toprotect his children.

"I don't know there is any Lashkar-e-Jhangvi or not, there are Taliban or not.The government must know aboutthem. For me, the government has

failed to protect me," he said."I hand over my case to the

government and God. They shouldtake my revenge. I will not leave thisplace and my country Pakistan justbecause the fear of killings and war.”

"If today I am in trouble, one daythey (terrorists) will be, and I will waitfor that day. I will not be satisfied untilthe terrorists are no eliminated fromthis land and I will ask about my rightson the Day of Judgment," he said.

The officials say that features ofHazaras and their population in onecolony makes them vulnerable forattacks.

"Our security forces have notenough resources to gather qualityinformation and check every vehicleand individual. Moreover their facialfeatures make them vulnerable for theattacks. We are coordinating with thecommunity leaders to develop bettersecurity mechanism for them," said asenior security official in Quetta.

Targeted Hazaras now await 'Day of Judgment'� Aiwaz Ali, 65, says he doesnʼt know whether there are any LeJ or Taliban; all he knows is govt failed to protect lives of his two daughters-in-law, three grandchildren

Maulana Sami-ul-Haq

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador CinarAldemir, Executive Director of theConference on Interaction and ConfidenceBuilding Measures in Asia (CICA),Thursday, called on Nawabzada MalikAmad Khan, the minister of state forforeign affairs, at his office.

CICA is a regional organizationestablished in 1992 under an initiative ofthe president of Kazakhstan, with apermanent Secretariat in Almaty.Pakistan was a founding member ofCICA, which has since grown to amembership of 24 countries. Pakistanparticipates actively in all activities ofCICA on dialogue and cooperation indiverse areas such as environment,economic and trade issues as well asregional peace and security.

Ambassador Aledemir briefed theMinister of State on the evolution, currentactivities and future outlook of CICA. TheMinister of State appreciated the role ofAmbassador Aldemir in strengtheningCICA as an important regionalorganization and assured him of Pakistan’sfull support and cooperation in theexecution of his duties. It is worth notingthat the role of regional organisations isgaining importance amidst shrinkingworld due to globalised economy. �AGENCIES

PESHAWAR: The chairman of QaumiWatan Party (QWP), Aftab Ahmed KhanSherpao, has said that restoration ofpeace in Pakistan was one of his party objectives.

He was talking to a delegation of JamiatUlema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leaders led bySenator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri. The JUI-F delegation invited QWP chairman to theAll Parties Conference which would be heldon February 28.

Aftab Sherpao appreciated the JUI-Fefforts for peace and added that collectiveefforts could resolve all kinds of disputes.He assured the JUI-F leaders of his partyparticipation in the conference, saying thatQWP was committed to address the masses’sense of depravation, insecurity anduncertainty. He regretted the lack ofinterest in peace initiatives by thegovernment. “The declaration of therecently held APC was disappointing,” headded.

All the political parties should takeconcerted efforts for the restoration ofpeace in the country, he said, adding that apeaceful and prosperous country wouldensure improved standard of living of allthe segment of society. �ONLINE

Peace is toppriority: Sherpao

Pakistan laudsCICA’s role inenhancing co-op

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013

THE SPOKESMANChief Editor: Huma Ali

Executive Editor: Atif MateenResident Editor: Saeed Minhas

Consulting Editors: Jalees Hazir Samina Choonara

Breaking the US stranglehold

Two decisions by the Pakistangovernment, of handing over GwadarPort to a Chinese company foroperation and development and goingahead with the Iran-Pakistan gaspipeline, indicate a paradigm shift inthe foreign policy of Pakistan.Although the US did not publiclyexpress concern over handing over theoperations of Gwadar Port to theChinese state-run company, it hadbeen exerting pressure on Pakistan toabandon the Iran-Pakistan gas pipelineproject. According to a Wall StreetJournal report, Pakistan risksimposition of stringent US and UNsanctions if the proposed Iran-Pakistan pipeline deal goes through.‘Washington has made it clear that itwill impose economic sanctions onIslamabad if it begins to buy gasfrom Iran, besides the UN-mandated sanctions on any tradewith the oil-rich country,’ thenewspaper said. Obviously, thereorientation in our foreign policywould require a reorientation of howwe manage our economy.

For some time, the need for areorientation of our foreign policy wasbeing felt. There were persistentallegations by the US and internationalmedia against Pakistan, its militaryand intelligence agencies forsupporting and providing safe havensto terrorists. Moreover, American thinktanks and leaders have been raisingconcerns about Pakistani nukes,suggesting that terrorists may lay theirhands on them. The deterioration inrelations between Pakistan and the US,however, started after the US NavySeals operation at the AbbottabadCompound. The attack on Salalaborder posts brought the relations attheir lowest ebb, with Pakistanstopping the NATO supplies toAfghanistan, and getting the Shamsiairbase vacated from America.Pakistan had demanded an apologyfrom America for the attack on Salalaborder posts that killed 24 soldiers andofficers and the relations showed someimprovement after the US expressedregrets over the attack.

Pakistan was rightly upset about the

flouting of its sovereignty by America,as it had given tremendous sacrificessince it became a western ally in the1950s. It was because of America thatPakistan came close to being bombedby an enraged Soviet Union in 1960after its military downed a U-2American reconnaissance plane thathad taken off from Badaber, anAmerican base near Peshawar. Aftershooting down the plane, the SovietUnion had encircled Peshawar in boldred and threatened Pakistan of severeconsequences. Pakistan was also afrontline state during the Afghan warin the 1980s, and then in the so-calledwar on terror after 9/11. In return,Pakistan was rewarded with armsembargoes and sanctions on one

pretext or another. Ironically, the USentered into a civil-nuclear agreementwith India, and pushed for a biggerrole for India in Afghanistan after thewithdrawal of US-led forces from thecountry. It is worth remembering thatIndia had all along been in the Sovietcamp for all practical purposes, and itwas only after the end of the Cold Warthat India warmed up to the sole superpower.

The objective of foreign policy forany country is to have cordial relationswith other countries of the world,especially the neighboring countries,with a view to safeguard its nationalsecurity and independence, and topromote the well being of its people.On the basis of this benchmark, ourUS-centric foreign policy has been adismal failure. Pakistan has beenunlucky to have hostile neighbors likeIndia and Afghanistan. But lately, ourrelations with Iran and China, who arefriendly and aspire to deepencooperation with Pakistan, have also

been held hostage by Americaninterests. This subservience to the UShas not reaped any dividends either.

Today, the US, western countries andAfghanistan are suspicious of Pakistanand insist that it is working againsttheir interests. They blame Pakistan forproviding safe havens to the Talibanand Al Qaeda operatives. Pakistan hadsuffered hostility in the past during theCold War era due to its close ties withthe US. Arab countries like Egypt,Syria and Libya were unhappy withPakistan; the newly independent andnon-aligned nations were suspicious ofour role; the socialist block consideredPakistan as their enemy and the US-led western powers treated Pakistan asno more than a pawn on their

international political chessboard.It was against this backdrop that,

despite having entered into defencepacts with the West and a bilateralagreement with the US, Pakistan wasdismembered. The threat to Pakistan’ssecurity from India was the reason forjoining pacts with the West andentering into a bilateral agreementwith the US, but the uselessness ofthese pacts during the two wars withIndia in 1965 and 1971 became obviouswhen our allies, instead of helpingPakistan, discontinued not onlymilitary aid but also economic aid toPakistan at these crucial points.Apparently, no lessons were learned.

Unfortunately, the governments havebeen consistent in supporting the US,whereas the people of Pakistan havealways been opposed to US policies, beit the Suez crisis of 1950s, Arab-Israelwar of 1960s or the invasion ofAfghanistan and Iraq after 9/11. Whilecountries are making inroads and newfriends in a changing global

environment, we have lost out onwhatever we had achieved in the pastdue to an acute lack of vision on thepart of our leadership. For instance, theMiddle Eastern and Arab countriesused to support Pakistan’s stance onthe resolution of the Kashmir disputeon the basis of the United NationsSecurity Council resolutions, but nowthey support the Indian position ofresolving the dispute through bilateralnegotiations. Meanwhile, Pakistan’sforeign policy has amounted to littlemore than playing second fiddle toUncle Sam.

Finally, it seems that efforts are beingmade to break free from America’sdeathly embrace. America might be thesole superpower, but its dominance isbeing challenged by emerging powercentres and new economic giants withwhom we need to develop ourrelationship without Americaninterference. Last year, theParliamentary Committee on NationalSecurity (PCNS) proposed 35recommendations to review thecountry’s foreign policy and ourrelations with the US and NATO. Thedefence ministry and the foreign officehad given their proposals to thecommittee. The PCNS hadrecommended a deepening of ties withother countries in the region andbuilding cooperation with emergingeconomies of the world. This was apositive development.

Over the years, Pakistan’s successivegovernments had hitched their foreignpolicy to the American bandwagon sotightly that it had stubbed out anyindependent thinking or initiatives onthat front. And though the presentgovernment followed the same coursethese past five years, the recent shift inits foreign policy orientation is apositive development. However, itrequires a complementary shift in howwe run our economy. Pakistan mustmove away from its dependence onloans and grants, and the anti-poorprescriptions of predatory capitalismthat come with them. We must worktowards building a self-relianteconomy that places emphasis onsocial justice and public welfare.

THE WRITER IS A FREELANCE COLUMNIST

Block 11, G-6/1, Aabpara, IslamabadTelephone: 051 260 7153-4

Fax: 051 260 7498www.thespokesman.pkce@thespokesman.pk

MOHAMMAD JAMIL

The recent shift in Pakistan’s foreign policy orientation is a positive development.However, it requires a complementary shift in how we run our economy. Thecountry must move away from its dependence on loans and grants

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) came under fire inthe National Assembly on Wednesday for writing a letter to 249lawmakers asking them to verify their educational qualifications.The letter said that their degrees would be treated as fake andcriminal proceedings would be initiated against them if theyfailed to produce their matriculation and intermediatecertificates. The Leader of the Opposition, Chaudhry Nisar AliKhan of the PML-N, protested against the letter and said that theECP should not become a part of the ‘across-the-board vilificationof parliamentarians who were being painted in the media asfraudsters, fake degree holders or tax evaders.’ Law MinisterFarooq H. Naek came out in support of the opposition leader andtermed it a witch-hunt. The house decided to send a bipartisancommittee to the ECP to press for a more respectable treatment.This bipartisan tirade against the ECP for striving to bring theparliamentarians to the book is uncalled for. The verification ofdegrees has lingered for much longer than it should have, and theECP should not cave in to the pressure of the parliamentarians. Itmust discharge its constitutional responsibility.

It is a sad reflection on part of our public representatives thatthey are so profusely offended by a strongly worded letter fromthe ECP and not by the horde of black sheep in the house. Theyshould be more concerned than the ECP about clearing doubtsabout the future parliament, doubts that have seriouslycompromised the credibility and moral authority of the presentassemblies. Rather than blaming the media for running avilification campaign against the politicians, they should paymore attention to ensuring that the next crop of legislators arenot tainted by the serious stains on the outgoing members, andcooperate with the ECP in weeding out such elements from thelist of candidates that their parties are preparing to field in theupcoming elections. This will restore respect for the electedrepresentatives in the eyes of the public that has come to viewthem as self-serving individuals who could resort to forgery fortheir piece of the power pie.

The image of public representatives has suffered because of anumber of wrongdoings on their part that surfaced in the past fiveyears. A large number of MNAs and MPAs have been deseatedbecause they submitted fake degrees to the ECP before the 2008elections that required them to be graduates. Another set oflegislators was thrown out of the house for not declaring theirdual nationalities that constitutionally barred them from theassemblies. Others have been named in reports and lists detailingtax-evaders and loan defaulters. It is the responsibility of thepolitical leadership to take steps that would remove the troublingquestion marks about legislators by ensuring that such elementsare thrown out from their parties. When bitter foes in theNational Assembly gang up against an institution attempting toclean the stinking stable, it strengthens the impression that therot goes right to the top.

Rotten to the top?

‘Washington has made it clear thatit will impose economic sanctionson Islamabad if it begins to buy gas from Iran, besides the UN-mandated sanctions on anytrade with the oil-rich country,’

The experiences of countries like Brazil,Columbia, Malaysia and India suggest thattraffic management is successful not by makingnew institutions but by reforming existing ones.It is only logical to conclude that if we cannot fixthe problems of existing institutions, we canhardly be expected to do better at new ones.

The mass transit system of Curitiba citysuggests that the local government’s effectivecontrol of private bus companies contributed tothe effectiveness of the system. Themanagement of TransMileno, Bogota’s masstransit project, is also implemented by the localgovernment. In Istanbul too, the governmentruns the mass transit system. In developedcountries such as Japan, the United States andthe United Kingdom, transport is generally runby the local governments.

We learned many things from Turkey but wedid not learn that those who do not have a lotof money should repair their homes instead ofbuilding new ones on loans. In Malaysia, thepublic transport does not do very well becausemultiple agencies regulate it. Did anyonemake a study here of why the Volvo Bus and

GTS bus service imparted good service to thePunjab in the past and when and why thoseservices declined?

In Pakistan too, particularly in the Punjab, thelocal government needs to be in charge of trafficmanagement. If the establishment of anindependent authority becomes inevitable, itshould be a part of the local government and nota new and isolated institutional arrangement forprojects to be implemented in haste. It is theundue haste with which the outgoing chiefminister wanted some pet development projectscompleted that he wished to bypass localgovernment and create new authorities to takequick decisions without much debate.

The Punjab Metro Bus Authority (PMBA) isthe latest transport authority in the list ofauthorities created by the Punjab government.It is not surprising that this authority wascreated in a hurry without debate over the fixingof fares and the deputation of 300 policemen forthe purpose of surveillance. A separate MBSpolice may also be established any time soon,like the Ring Road traffic police. The Ring RoadAuthority (RAA) was created under an Act ofthe Provincial Assembly. Its traffic wardens arebeing paid 25 percent higher than the salary of

ordinary traffic wardens in the city. And this is being done while we have a

Transport Department (TD). Although the TDwas established in the Punjab in 1987, thePunjab government continued attachingdepartments to it: Punjab ProvincialTransport Authority (PPTA) and DistrictRegional Transport Authority (DRTA) areTD’s attached departments. This trend ofcreating new institutional structures is alsoprevalent in the federal government. TheMotorway and Pakistan Motorway Police wascreated in 1994, (renamed as NationalHighways & Motorway Police (NH&MP) in1997) on salaries and privileges higher thanother police officials. Motorway Police isconsidered a role model in service provision,which means federal and provincialgovernments can make all police servicespublic-service institutions if they so wish.

But back to the transport issues of Lahore.In 1976, Traffic Engineering and PlanningAgency (TEPA) was established under theauspices of Lahore Development Authority(LDA). Even with dismal performance, TEPAcontinues to exist and contributed to theconstruction of roads for the MBS. With the

presence of TD and TEPA, the chief ministerestablished the Lahore Transport Company(LTC). To facilitate traffic, he establishedLahore Parking Company (LPC) andseparated traffic and parking functions. TheAuthorities and Companies related totransport have not been established as a resultof a well-thought and integrated TransportPolicy. In the presence of LTC, why was there aneed for the PMBA?

Why do we need so many authorities andlaws? And why when we need to construct anew system of transportation or roads doesthis need assert itself? The chief ministerwants to establish an Economic DevelopmentZone around Ring Road. Will he need anotherauthority for that?

What are the problems these institutionsare likely to generate? First, these authoritieshave added to so many overlappinggovernment agencies. They will contribute toseparate policy, planning and execution.Second, these authorities do not address thecrisis of governance we are faced with today.Instead of fixing these problems, we arecreating authorities and giving themprivileged treatment: better salaries, better

working conditions, and dignity. The moraleof regular, less fortunate governmentemployees is bound to fall.

Thirdly, the provincial government’s controlover these authorities and their functions willlead to provincial centralisation. Ideally, CityDistrict Government Lahore (CDGL) shouldgovern traffic and transport and their officials inLahore. TEPA, LTC, LPC, RRA should be theregular functions of CDGL. Fourth, in theabsence of a master plan, we see trees and notthe forest. And, fifth, the new authorities arealso subject to same temptations.

Dealing with these problems seems difficult.While establishing authorities and companies,the Punjab government is being reworked onthe model of private business, but this model isbeing advanced with taxpayers’ money andforeign loans. It needs serious investigation andengagement since its repercussions are likely tobe long lasting. Without the political will toimprove existing government institutions andservices, the current trend of privatisation ofpublic transport will be hard to reverse.

THE WRITER IS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT

FORMAN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, LAHORE

Turning a public service into private business

Mega project lackstransparency

We are Pakistanis and once we are inthe government we take our shareand for those as well who work withthe government departments. Theygive government employees theiragreed share, and so there is nothingwrong in this “fair dealing” . Just the

small matter that is overlooked is thatin all this hoopla Pakistan is thebiggest loser.

RAFIUDDIN

ARCH.RAFI@YAHOO.COM

Hospital has structure but no doctors

Bravo Lashari, carry on the good work.

SYED HUSSAIN BUKHARI

SCORPIOBUKHARI@GMAIL.COM

Diary of a femalejournalistWhat a great opinion piece about theposition of female journalists in Pakistan.Some will relate, some will compare andsome will shake their heads in disbeliefor disapproval. It's a voice of a strongjournalist who refuses to bow down andhave her integrity questioned becauseshe's a woman and I'm honoured toknow Fatima Ali in person.

LILY CIRIC HOFFMANN

KATARZA@GMAIL.COM

As I've also worked inPakistani MediaI can't agree more with you Fatima. Iagree with what you've written as I canrelate to it myself. We all know suchwomen who like to charm their bossesand get what they want. Needless tosay, it's a shame!!

MADEEHA ANWAR

MADEEHAANWARCH@GMAIL.COM

In my country women are not relegatedin newsrooms even though most of thetime their leadership positions in suchnews organisations are limited toassisting a male boss. What a womancan cover as news depends on herstrength. We have senior femaleJournalists who cover hard news. In theUniversity where I work, more femalesthan male qualify for the Journalismprogram. So we have more femaleJournalist than male. Issues ofdiscrimination are mostly due topolitical and regional basis and this isonly witnessed in gaining employmentin some of these news organisations.

GWENDOLIN

MOKAKEGWEN@GMAIL.COM

Well worse... it is quite real. Hopeyou would retain good memories outof it.

K.K IONYOU23@HOTMAIL.COM

Legharis likely to ditch PTI for PML-N

If Jamal Leghari is joining PML (N)then Alim Shah and Javed AkhtarLund will be the most import andfigure of local politics. Both Shah andLund are the strong candidate oftheir consciences. If Alim Shah leavesthe Leghari group (perhaps he'llleave) then Chief Leghari will lose.The same situation is in 173, if LundSardar leaves Leghari Group thenOwais will lose. On the other sideMaqsod leghari is active in 172 andhis son is sitting MPA of 245. IfLegharis stand against each otherthen Jafar Leghari's role will beimportant and it will be veryimportant in DG Khan’s local politics.

BILAL BUZDAR

BILALBUZDAR@GMAIL.COM

Baabay di gall

You’re so cool! I don’t suppose I’veread something like this prior to thismoment. It is so nice to find somebodywith some original thoughts on thissubject. I would really like to thankyou for bringing this up. This issomething that's necessary on the web,an individual having some originality.You’re going a valuable job in bringingsomething new to the net!

BACYAQUAMYGUT

EYBWFU@799FU.COM

2,258 cases of terrorismstill pending in ATCs

Good details in this news, keep it upNOUREEN NAQVI

NOUREEN5@YAHOO.COM

Bars take up ‘Free Judiciary’ sloganagain – but for themselves This is goodnews piece, keep up the good work!

NOUREEN NAQVI

NOUREEN5@YAHOO.COM

Iran-Pak breakthroughIt is encouraging to see Iran andPakistan breaking the shackles of USantagonism and going full throttletowards overcoming their respectivecrises. Iran-Pakistan pipeline, inaddition to solving the respective as andfiscal problems is a massive geopoliticalstatement by the two governments.Iran is clearly stating that it cansurvive with the Western sanctions ontrade as well, and has a lot of suitors inthe world. Pakistan on the other handis being clear about breaking thestranglehold of Washington over itsforeign policy and showcasing achange in its policy making as well.

Here’s hoping that the two countriesmake it all the way and the projectreaches completion. It might look allrosy now, but I am pretty Uncle Samwouldn’t rest on his laurels.

SHAZIA AWAN

LAHORE

Please email your letters toletters@thespokesman.pk or postthem to our address in Islamabad.

EDITOR’SMAIL BOX

Feedback from the web

IMDAD HUSSAIN

While establishing authorities and companies, the Punjab government is being reworked on the model of private business,but this model is being advanced with taxpayers’ money and foreign loans. Without the political will to improve existinggovernment institutions and services, the current trend of privatisation of public transport will be hard to reverse

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013

The first week of February each yearis celebrated all over the world as atime to celebrate religious harmony.In Pakistan too, a small organisationin the historical town of Khurampurain District Khanewal celebrated afestival of religious harmony.

This is a colony of the very poorworking classes - I would call themthe ignored classes – of Christianbackground. To me, going therealways provides a great opportunityto meet people of all faiths minglingtogether. And it is not only people ofdifferent religious belief but thosefrom different ethnic and linguisticbackgrounds. But these are specialpeople because they love this land astheir home and accept it as home tomany kinds of people, as it wasinitially imagined.

Khanewal is a remote, small townwhere people of many faiths, havelived peaceably for a long time butunfortunately here too things havebeen changing. In recent years, thetown experienced extremism andfundamentalism and the roots goback to the late 1980s and the timesof General Zia’s martial law. Anumber of jihadi groups were formedat that time, patronised by the regimethat made southern Punjab theirtraining ground including Khanewal.

Shahzad Francis and his comradeswho work for interfaith harmony,grew up in this environment wheredistances were growing betweenpeople of different faiths who hadlived together for years. A result ofthis was the tragedy at Shanti Nagar,a colony of Christian community thatwas set on fire on fake charges ofblasphemy. Not only was the distancebetween faiths growing, it was for thefirst time that Khanewal experiencedconflict within the Muslimcommunity along sectarian lines.

In such a charged environment,there were some people like JacobFrancis and Samuel Sahib who stoodagainst these destructive trends.Jacob Francis got his Masters degreefrom the USA and had the choice tomake his home anywhere in theworld, but he returned to Pakistanand chose Khanewal for his service asa school teacher in a small village.Here he taught and inspired manyyoung students, including ShahzadFrancis. Another great man is SamuelSahib who also chose to teachprimary and high school despitehaving higher education. Their workhas borne fruit in students likeShahzad Francis and Sarfraz Clementwho are now young activistscommitted to restoring peace andharmony. Jacob Francis belongs toKhushakpur village, birth place ofmany great educationists likeDominic Mughal and Shahbaz Bhattiwho sacrificed his life for a peacefuland pluralistic Pakistan.

How I got to know Shahzad Francisis a very interesting story. I wasattending a meeting in the Council

Hall of Khanewal, when I spotted ayoung man protesting againstnegative remarks made by a Muslimcleric against religious minoritieswho had called all minoritiestraitors and agents of imperialism.At his reaction, the Muslim clerichad tried to instigate the Muslimsaudience against him. So I cameforward in his defense and I gave atough time to that cleric. Later, Imet that young man and came toknow Shahzad Francis.

He told me that he knew about mefrom having attended a coachingcentre where I and other friends usedto sit. My friend taught many youngmen who are now officers in the civilservice. Ironically, it is these officerswho now oppose radical sharpthought on society. That was the placewhere Shahzad saw me and Waqar,and was introduced to our thoughtswhich we shared with his father andSamuel Sahib. Then he and hiscomrades decided to set up anorganisation for peace and harmony.This idea was actually put forward byhis Father and Samuel Sahib.Shahzad tried to reach the lowerlayers of society and to break thestagnation of thought.

He involved people from differentreligious backgrounds andproliferated the message of peace inan increasingly negativeenvironment. It was not an easy task,made more difficult when you belongto a minority community. In such astruggle, Shahzad faced a very toughtime but he did not lose courage andworked without any fear. With thepassage of time, Shahzad groomedmore young men in enlightenedthinking. It was heartening to hearhim speak to others about liberty andpeace, while never forgetting toexplain the role of the imperialistglobal economy. He worked on scantresources and performed better ascompared to those non- governmentorganisations that get foreign fundingfor the purpose, organisations thataccept imperialist philosophy andserve the corporate mafia.

At that cultural festival, I sawdozens of young men and womenwho expressed their devotion toliberal and progressive ideas. I wassomewhat depressed on that day dueto the poor response of our societyagainst the imperialist war and thegrowing sectarianism, but when Iwarned the audience of the religiousand ethnic civil war in our society,many young women stood up fromtheir seats during my speech and litcandles for peace. It was a mosttouching moment for me thatshowed their passion for peace andthe love of their home. Akram, ahuman rights intellectual andactivist, also made a very impressivespeech. Syed Karrar Haider Shah, ayouth leader, was in that festivalalong with local musicians, youngdancers, singers and artists. Theseare not famous people and did notget trained in any art institution butlearnt their art from their mentorswho live in the streets of this smalland remote town, offering a ray ofhope in the growing darkness.

THE WRITER IS A FREELANCER

Ray of harmony

Hollywood likes to pretend that things aren’tpolitical when they are. It’s that bi-partisannationalist myth that if both corporate partiesagree to cheer for the empire, then everyonecheers for the empire. It’s gotten so bad nowthat races like the Oscars and the Writer’sGuild screenwriting award are tight contestsbetween one CIA propaganda film andanother CIA propaganda film. The first onehelps to demonize Iranians and set up the nextWorld War scenario, while the second filmfraudulently promotes the effectiveness ofstate-sanctioned torture crimes.

If there ever was a time for loud disgust andrejection of the Hollywood / Military-Industrial-Complex, this would seem to be it.Naomi Wolf made a comparison of Zero DarkThirty’s creators Bigelow and Boal to Nazifilmmaker Leni Riefenstahl (Triumph of theWill). That, to me, seems inappropriatelyoffensive to Leni Riefenstahl. The goodGerman filmmaker never promoted torturethrough deception. Nor was Triumph a call towar. The film was simply an expression ofGerman patriotism and strength, rebirth fromthe ashes of World War I. The current insidiouscrop of propaganda, as in the CIA’s leaking offictional scenes about locating Osama BinLaden through torture extraction, are arguablymore damaging and less defensible thanRiefenstahl’s upfront and blatant homage toHitler’s leadership.

The Zero Dark Thirty scandal should becommon knowledge by now, but here is what theSenate Select Committee on Intelligence wroteto Sony Pictures about it: “We believe the film isgrossly inaccurate and misleading in itssuggestion that torture resulted in informationthat led to the location of Usama bin Laden. Thefilmmakers had every opportunity to explore the

issue more fully, instead of relying on the“firsthand accounts” of the torturers themselves,and/or their allies within the Central IntelligenceAgency. Notably, torturers are felons and warcriminals. Those who know about their crimesand help cover them up are guilty of conspiracyto torture. Thus, these self-serving fairy tales thatillegal torture led to the desired results (binLaden) are tangled up with the motivation toprotect war criminals from prosecution.

Once this red flag issue was raised by theSenate, the filmmakers could have taken asecond look at what they had put up on screensand reassessed the veracity of their material andthe way it was being sold to the world. Insteadthey doubled down. Bigelow and Boal want itboth ways, extraordinary access to CIAstorytellers for a documentary-like “factual”telling of the bin Laden execution, but they alsowant license to claim that it’s just a movie andcan therefore take all the liberties they please. Ina nutshell, that’s the Zero Dark Thirty defense.It’s a highly sourced “very accurate film,” but wecan take all the liberties we like because it’s not adocumentary, and so if we made up a case fortorture based on the lies of professional liars inthe CIA, then oops. Any controversy over thepicture seems to help its box office, as moreuninformed people hear about it. Thefilmmakers themselves suffer no penalty as aresult of misleading a large number of people ontorture, to accept torture, to accept a secretivecriminal state that tortures with impunity.

Kathryn Bigelow, America’s Leni Riefenstahl,claims that Zero Dark Thirty tells “a true story,”even when confronted by evidence that it is a lie.She is unapologetic and completely divorcedfrom the real world damage her propaganda

encourages. If this film takes home the BestPicture Oscar, it should serve as the cherry ontop of a brutal, deceptive, decrepit and immoralempire, and signal this reality to the rest of theworld. If this is allegedly the “best” of America,then we are truly finished.

As for Ben Affleck’s Argo, its sins aren’t soreadily apparent. Both films show wonderfulCentral Intelligence “heroes” acting to furtherUS interests and take care of imperialproblems. The Argo scenario is a rescue,however, instead of a hit. The problem is thatIran, a country thrown into a bloodthirstydictatorship after its nascent democracy wasmurdered by the very same CIA in 1953, is nowthe bad guy. There are clearly two sides, andthe film takes sides with the people whodestroyed democracy in Iran and propped upan illegitimate monarch in order to control itsoil and its refineries. When this despoticmonarch whose secret police disappeared,tortured and murdered the political opposition– with the help and training of the CIA – isoverthrown, we are supposed to overlook allthat, because America is always good. Werescue our people. We risk our lives, and wecome up with elaborate creative plans to helpour people. We are heroic and triumphant vs.the inferior wild-eyed Persians and Arabs ofthe world. Now I do believe there’s a real storythere, and the situation is ripe for telling, butan extreme sensitivity to the political contextwould be required.

As Jennifer Epps put it: “…The Iran we seein the [Argo] news clips and the Iran we seedramatized are all on the same superficiallevel: incomprehensible, out-of-control hordeswith nary an individual or rational thought

expressed. …The problem is that viewers…aren’t going to walk out of [Argo] muttering“gee, it’s more complicated than I thought.”Instead, they’ll leave with their fears andprejudices reaffirmed: that Middle Easternerscreate terror, that Americans must be theworld’s policemen, and that Iranians cannotbe trusted because they hate America.”

So why are Argo and Zero Dark Thirtyreceiving all these awards? Are the awardingbodies so full of hyper-patriots who believe pro-American films can deceive and demonise withimpunity, that they want to send an unequivocalmessage of support for these practices? Is hyper-nationalist propaganda in vogue now? With theascendancy of Barack Obama, there is no longera moral anti-war voice of any significant size inAmerica. Obama, the smooth talker, has soothedaway morality, ethics, law and rights. The empireis beyond reproach because Obama runs it. Sothe liberal center/left says nothing. Nothing butempty blather and ignorant praise of theDemocrats. Murder is being codified in secret aswe speak. Bush’s wars are being publicly scaleddown, only to ramp up new covert wars ofconquest across Africa. Nothing substantial haschanged since George W, only the style.

There was a time when no one trusted theCIA. Far from heroes, they were the primesuspects in the assassination of president John F.Kennedy, and presidential candidate RobertKennedy. CIA support of terrorists was wellknown, if not loudly opposed. This agency hassponsored Cuban exiles to commit acts ofterrorism inside Cuba. Its Phoenix Programkidnapped and murdered Vietnamese villagersby the thousands, torturing and killing them foralleged communist sympathies. The CIA

overthrew democracies from Iran to Gutemalato Chile, and was instrumental in waging a terrorwar against Nicaragua by employing drug-running mercenary terrorists called “Contras.”When the Church Committee investigated theagency in the mid-70s, lots of dirty laundry wasaired. The agency was reined in for a time.Assassination was made technically illegal.

In the 1980s, the CIA fought a proxy waragainst the Soviet Union in Afghanistan byfunneling money and arms to radical IslamicJihadists – like Osama bin Laden – andcreating an intelligence/military monster inPakistan, known as the ISI. With untoldbillions of dollars of US tax money, plus Saudioil money, the Pakistanis were propped up asa central hub for militant groups to operatethroughout the region. Pakistan is whereOsama bin Laden allegedly ended up livingfor the last decade of his life, half a mile fromthe Pakistani military academy.

The CIA today is instrumental in the blitzkriegof terror across Syria. It funnels arms and moneyto radical Islamic Jihadists, exactly as it did inAfghanistan in the 1980s. In 2011 it participatedin the Libyan Crime Against the Peace doingmuch the same type of activity on behalf of theLibyan Islamic Fighting Group, a group thathelped take over that nation despite beingincluded on the US State Department’s TerroristList! The LIFG has sent its fighters over to Syria,after the fall of Qadaffi, to assist in the genocidalguerrilla war against the Syrian state, as well ascivilians. The CIA assists in these activities.

But of course those victims aren’t Americans.So none of that counts.

(COUNTERPUNCH)

‘Muslims Allegedly Stone ChristianProtesters’, the tagline said. It took meto a clip filmed at a street festival inDearborn, Michigan, an Americancity with the ‘largest concentration ofArab Muslims’. These Christianprotesters probably took a page fromthe Ku Klux Klan confrontationalhandbook, because these so-calledChristian protesters were only out tointimidate and antagonise the localyouth, who happened to be Muslim,and then go home and cry about it. Tome this is a form of extremism, but ofthe vilest sort. This Christian hategroup was hitting below the belt. Theinfuriated opponents exhibited thebehavior - stone throwing - theprotesters wanted to show the world,like poking the bull in the arena to gethim angry. The Christian protesterscould have handed out flyers, or freecookies to get their message across,but instead they chose passive-aggressiveness, the path theself-righteous so adore.

I don't know who you grew uphating, but I grew up in theNetherlands hating the Germans,with a vengeance. Both my parentswere born during the Second WorldWar. One of my grandfathers wasbrought to Germany for the“Arbeidseinsatz”, forced labor. Heonce told me he was taken to the cityof Bremerhaven, but never told mewhat he had to do or where he stayed.A great uncle perished in Germancustody after he was arrested. Thestory was that he was in theresistance.

The experiences within my family

weren't the reason I hated theGermans. I hated the Germansbecause everybody did. It wasn'taccepted to fancy Germans let alonemarry one. When Beatrix, the thencrown-princess of the Netherlandsfell for a German diplomat, Claus vonAmsberg, many people protested, andsmoke bombs went off during theirmarriage procession through thestreets of Amsterdam. The Dutch arealso very stubborn, and vehementprotests didn't sway her.

When I was young my anti-Germansentiment was fueled by readingbooks about the perils of ourresistance fighters, and theconsequences of their deeds for thegeneral population. The Germansliterally ruled with terror. Every timea German soldier was killed by theresistance the SS, an elite branch ofthe German army, would round uprandom people, and execute thempublicly. The feeling of powerlessnesswas infuriating. You can imagine thatwhen I grew older, and was allowedto learn about the concentrationcamps in which Jews, gypsies,homosexuals and other prisonerswere murdered on an industrialscale, I hated them even more.

The lowest point, in my opinion, inDutch-German relations, was the1988 Euro soccer championship. TheDutch team defeated Germany. Whenthe game was over players politelyexchanged their jerseys. RonaldKoeman, a defender who grew up inmy home town, (I might have playedagainst him once) wiped his rear withthe German shirt. He regretted itafterwards, but at that moment intime it seemed appropriate to us all.

Years later, I already was living inthe US, on the soccer field I finallyreceived the proverbial slap intoreality. I was playing a pick-up soccergame with a group of local peopleamong them a teenager with a heavyaccent. He told me he was German, Itold him I was Dutch. The first thinghe said to me was, ‘you don't hate medo you?’ He said it without hesitationor irony. I was stunned. I could onlysay, ‘I am so sorry’. His generationhad nothing to do with the war, andyet, I continued the hatred, at least,until that day.

What I realised that day is how easyit is to continue to hate. I remembervisiting Germany as a student,granted I didn't hate it that much thatI never wanted to visit, although Iknew plenty of people who did. WhenI was there I just needed one remarkof some veteran to justify my biases.‘Damals war alles besser’ (Back theneverything was better). Thatexpression was enough for me, just asit is enough today to fuel anti-Islamichatred by showing a short video clipof someone, who might be a Muslim,throwing a stone at someone, whomight be a Christian.

Confirmation bias means that I as ahuman being will look forinformation that confirms my standrather than trying to find data thatfalsifies my opinion. My behavior inGermany was a perfectdemonstration of confirmation bias.

In the United States there was afutile attempt to counter confirmationbias by presenting a “docu-series”about Muslim life the way it “really”is. It was shot in Dearborn, Michigan.The program documented the lives of

five ordinary American Muslimfamilies, and showed how they werestruggling with every day householdmatters, and with being a Muslim inpost 9/11 America. TLC, the networkthat broadcast the show took it offthe air after one season, supposedlybecause of protests by the FloridaFamily Association who wants to"counter the Islamist agenda". Even apetition with over 200.000signatures couldn't convince thenetwork to continue the series.Organisations like these are wellfunded, and don't play around. Theprotesters described earlier, whocrashed a party in Dearborn, arefriendly amateurs compared to theseintimidating groups.

What bothers me about thesegroups is not that they exist. I am astrong believer in the freedom ofspeech, and the freedom of religion.But I also strongly believe in dialogue.However, if people, from whicheverreligion or political conviction or evensports fans, refuse to take an interestin what I would like to call the facts,dialogue is impossible.

I'm pleading for an honestconversation based on facts. If peoplebelieve Islamists have concrete plansto dominate the world, please let meknow where they are, and who hasthem, because I would like to know.However, if you are misinformed, andyou are not able to accept it, you haveto agree to some sort of counseling,because ignorance is a disease thatcan't be cured with medicine.

GERALD VAN WILGEN IS A DUTCH

WRITER WHO LIVES AND WORKS IN THE

UNITED STATES

US Media confirms biases against Muslims

AAMIR HUSSAINI

GERALD VAN WILGEN

JOE GIAMBRONE

It is enough today to fuel anti-Islamic hatred by showing a short video clipof someone, who might be a Muslim, throwing a stone at someone, whomight be a Christian

Shahzad Francis and his comrades work forinterfaith harmony without foreign funds

It’s gotten so bad now that races like the Oscars and the Writer’s Guild screenwriting award are tightcontests between one CIA propaganda film and another CIA propaganda film

Hollywood’s imperial propaganda and CIA

Mali troops battle Islamists,Gao courthouse set ablazeGAO: Malian troops were battlingarmed Islamists in the northern Malicity of Gao on Thursday in clashesthat left the main courthouse inflames, an AFP correspondent and amilitary source said. Fighting had firsterupted overnight in Gao, where amilitary official and witnessesreported heavy gunfire around twomain entrances to the main city in thenorth of the country. –AGENCIES

Palestinians wantelections nowGAZA: A majority of Palestinianswants to hold elections as soon aspossible, according to the result of apublic opinion poll on Thursday.The study was held in the Gaza Stripand the West Bank a day afterCentral Elections Commissioncompleted updating voterregistration records. The survey,conducted by the Ramallah-basedArab World For Research andDevelopment Center, found that 87percent people want presidentialand parliamentary elections to beheld immediately. –AGENCIES

3 British Muslims guiltyof rucksack bomb plotLONDON: Three British Muslimmen were found guilty on Thursday ofplanning a string of bombings thatprosecutors said could have beendeadlier than the July 7, 2005, attackson London’s transport network. IrfanNaseer, 31, Irfan Khalid, 27, andAshik Ali, 27, were convicted of being“central figures” in an extremist plotto set off eight rucksack bombs andpossibly other timed devices incrowded areas. –AGENCIES

Cabinet handing nationalsecurity to Hezbollah: HaririBEIRUT: Former Prime MinisterSaad Hariri blasted Thursday thegovernment of Prime Minister NajibMikati, accusing it of turning a blindeye to recent clashes in Syria thatreportedly led to the death ofmembers of Lebanon’s Hezbollah.“What is happening on the Lebanon-Syria border is extremely dangerous,and most dangerous of all is that theLebanese government is playingunconscious and allowing Hezbollahto take control of national security,”Hariri said in a statement. –AGENCIES

Nigerian forces surroundkidnappers of touristsABUJA: Members of the Nigerianarmy and police Joint Task Forcefound the group in an area betweenDikwa and Ngala, about 780kilometers (485 miles) northeast ofthe capital, Abuja, the official said byphone today from Maiduguri, thestate capital. He declined to beidentified because he’s not authorizedto speak to the media about theoperation. –AGENCIES

Bulgariaʼs parliamentaccepts govt resignationSOFIA: Bulgaria's parliament hasapproved the resignation of PrimeMinister Boiko Borisov's centre-rightgovernment, which is stepping downamid nationwide social protests thathave turned violent. Deputies in thelegislature supported the resignationThursday in a 209-5 vote. –AGENCIES

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013

Imperial jockeying in Africa and rising US intervention

BEN SCHREINER

AS “the peril of guerrillawar looms” for the Frenchin Mali, the United Statesprepares to step-up itsintervention across

Africa. Speaking in Bamako onTuesday, U.S. Senator ChristopherCoons, chairman of the Senate ForeignRelations Committee, stated that directU.S. military support of the Maliangovernment is likely to resume after thecountry’s July elections.

“After there is a full restoration ofdemocracy,” Coons said, “I would thinkit is likely that we will renew our directsupport for the Malian military.” (TheU.S. suspended direct military aid toMali following a coup last year by aU.S.-trained Malian officer.) Coonswent on to deem al-Qaeda in IslamicMaghreb (AQIM) a “‘very real threat’to Africa, the United States and thewider world.”

According to U.S. intelligenceofficials, however, AQIM “remainsmainly a regional menace,” with “nocapacity” to launch attacks within the

U.S. Even so, the Pentagon continuesto move closer to directly targetingAQIM targets.

As was first reported by the New YorkTimes, the U.S. is currently in the midstof establishing a drone base in Niger.The base will reportedly host up to“300 United States military andcontractor personnel.”

“U.S. officials say they envision flyingonly unarmed surveillance drones fromthe base,” the Times reported, “thoughthey have not ruled out conductingmissile strikes at some point if thethreat worsens.”

But according to the Wall StreetJournal, “at some point” is a momentwhich fast approaches, as senior U.S.officials are pressing to expand the U.S.“kill list” to include targets fromnorthern Mali.

Meanwhile, in a prepared statementgiven to the U.S. Senate ArmedServices Committee last week, U.S.Army Gen. David Rodriquez, who ispoised to become the next commanderof the U.S. military’s Africa Command(AFRICOM), argued that greater U.S.intervention into northwestern Africa

is necessary for “stability.”“With the increasing threat of al-

Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,” Gen.Rodriquez wrote, “I see a greater risk ofregional instability if we do not engageaggressively. Our long-term fight againstal-Qaeda necessitates persistentengagement with our critical partners.”Likewise, Sebastian Elischer in a recentForeign Policy piece, titled “After MaliComes Niger,” argues that “If the Westwants to prevent the Sahel from fallinghostage to Tuareg and Islamist militants,longer-term military and financialengagement is urgently required.” Ofcourse, Pentagon plans for Africa doindeed stretch well beyond northernMali. A military doctrine of global“power projection” and “full spectrumdominance” dictates nothing less.

As part of his prepared remarks givento the Armed Services Committee,Gen. Rodriquez called for a 15-foldincrease in U.S. intelligence-gatheringmissions in Africa. This comes despitethe fact that the U.S. has alreadyestablished “about a dozen airbases”across Africa dedicated to “intelligence-gathering” just since 2007.

Even more foreboding, though, Gen.Rodriquez went on to call for the U.S.to enhance its Special Operationspresence in a total of ten African states(Libya, Niger, Tunisia, Algeria,Mauritania, Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon,South Sudan, and Kenya).

As an October report in the NewYork Times noted, the U.S. has alreadyallocated $8 million to train a Libyanforce of up to 500 special commandos.Yet as Christopher Chivvis of thePentagon-friendly RAND Corp. writes,the U.S. needs to “take the lead” and domore in Libya, lest one wishes toimperil NATO’s hard won “stability.”

In addition to Libya, late last yearAFRICOM announced plans to send4,000 U.S. troops to nearly three dozenAfrican states over the course of 2013for the purpose of training Africanmilitaries. The training is reportedlyaimed at helping “African troops beatback a growing terrorist threat posedby al-Qaida.” The targeting of Islamicextremists and al-Qaeda, though, is buta pretext for the U.S. to containChinese interests in Africa. AsSecretary of State John Kerry warned

in his confirmation hearing, “China isall over Africa — I mean, all overAfrica…And we got to get in.”

Indeed, for when asked whether theU.S. “pivot” to Asia would hamperAFRICOM’s mission, Gen. Rodriqueznoted that, “The impact on theoperations and activity;es ofAFRICOM will be minimal. In fact,based on the interconnectivity betweenAfrica and the Asia-Pacific region,AFRICOM’s activities may becomemore important.”

Of course, the U.S. adamantly deniesit is seeking any confrontation withChina. As outgoing AFRICOMCommander Gen. Carter Ham recentlycommented in a question and answersession at Howard University,“Militarily, we are absolutely not in anadversarial relationship at all withChina in Africa. Economiccompetitors, I think absolutely.”

But the contradictions of globalcapitalism – namely, the cleavagebetween a world economy and a nationstate system – threaten far more thanpeaceful economic competitionbetween the U.S. and China. For

imperialist economic competitionbegets military confrontation. AsLenin warned in his pamphletImperialism, even “a general allianceembracing all the imperialist powers…[is] inevitably nothing more than a‘truce’ in periods between wars.”

This reality has already come to berecognised as a rising menace in EastAsia by even the staunchest apologistsof global capitalism.

It’s clear, then, that a renewed globalrace to secure markets and resourceshas begun in earnest. And as Leninasked: “is there under capitalism anymeans of removing the disparitybetween the development ofproductive forces and theaccumulation of capital on the oneside, and the division of colonies and‘spheres of influence’ for finance capitalon the other side – other than byresorting to war?” The deepening U.S.military intervention into Africa and“pivot” to Asia is evidence enough ofthe reply from the American elite. Itappears the bloody road of imperialbarbarism is not yet at its end.

(Counterpunch)

Imperialist economic competition begets military confrontation. The targeting of Islamic extremists and al-Qaeda is a pretextfor the U.S. to contain Chinese interests in Africa. It appears the bloody road of imperial barbarism is not yet at its end

DAMASCUS: A powerful car bombexploded near the offices of Syria’sruling Baath party in centralDamascus on Thursday, killing atleast 35 people, wounding dozens andshattering buildings, media and awatchdog said.

The mid-morning blast, whichrocked the city centre and sent thicksmoke scudding across the skyline,came as Syria’s opposition wasmeeting in Cairo to discuss proposalsby its leader to hold conditional talkswith Syria’s regime.

Shortly after the blast, a nearbymilitary headquarters came under

mortar attack, state television said,without giving details.

The official SANA news agency saida “large number” of civilians werekilled or wounded in what itdescribed as a “terrorist attack”, whilethe Syrian Observatory for HumanRights put the initial toll at 31 deadand dozens wounded.

Images of bloodied bodies lying onthe ground and of blazing vehicleswere broadcast by the officialtelevision channel Al-Ekhbariya,which said children were among thewounded, as the blast occurred neara school in Mazraa district.

A police official told AFP the carbomb exploded at the 16 NovemberSquare near the Al-Iman mosque,where the Baath party’s head officesare located. Ambulances sirens rangout, and machinegun fire was alsoheard. Russian news agencies reportedthe windows of Russia’s embassy inDamascus were blown out by the blastbut none of its staff were hurt.

The explosion added urgency to theCairo meeting of the main oppositionNational Coalition, where discussionsaccording to a delegate were centeredon an offer by the group’s chief to holddirect talks with the Syrian regime.

“The agenda is long and among theissues to be discussed is the initiativeof Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib,” KhaledNasser told AFP.

Coalition chief Khatib has offered tonegotiate with officials of PresidentBashar al-Assad’s regime who haveno “blood on their hands” — namingVice President Faruq al-Sharaa as apossible pointman.

Assad’s regime has said it is ready tonegotiate with the opposition butwithout pre-conditions.

Khatib’s initiative has beenwelcomed by the Arab League andthe United States as well as by two of

Syria’s chief allies, Iran and Russia.But the Syrian National Council, a

key component of the Coalition, hasrejected any possibility of dialogueuntil Assad steps down. UN-ArabLeague peace envoy LakhdarBrahimi, who on Wednesday agreedto extend his mission by six months,at the weekend urged support forKhatib’s plan.

Holding talks “in one of the UnitedNations’ headquarters between theopposition and an acceptable Syriangovernment delegation would be astart to exiting the dark tunnel,” hesaid in Cairo. –AGENCIES

NEW YORK: World powers plan to makeIran a "serious" offer of economicincentives at talks next week on itsnuclear program, Western officials tellCNN.

In exchange for easing of sanctionsbarring trade with Iran in gold and otherprecious metals, the so-called P5+1diplomatic bloc of countries wants Iranto shut its underground enrichmentfacility at Fordo, near the holy city ofQom and ship out its stockpile ofuranium enriched to 20% purity, theofficials said.

The group, comprised of Britain,China, France, Germany, Russia and theUnited States, plans to deliver the offerat talks next Tuesday in Almaty,Kazakhstan.

The offer presents a slightly revisedpackage to the one presented to Iran lastyear during talks in Moscow, Baghdadand Istanbul, in which the groupproposed fuel for a medical reactor andeasing sanctions on aviation spare partsin exchange for Iran suspending itsuranium enrichment and shipping itsstockpiles out of the country.

"We couldn't come back with the sameproposal," one official said. "But the ideais to test the waters and see where theIranians are and if they are serious. Wehope to get some insight into theirthinking and see what they prioritize intheir asks and offers."

Iran has defied international demandsthat it halt its production of enricheduranium, which it insists is to be used forcivilian nuclear power and researchreactors. But the United States and Israel

have accused Iran of seeking thecapability to produce nuclear weapons,and the International Atomic EnergyAgency says it can no longer verify thatIran's nuclear program is strictlypeaceful.

The new deal also takes into accountthe advances at the Fordo plant, askingIran to permit wider IAEA inspectionsand to take steps that would makerestarting Fordo a more difficult andtime-consuming process.

"The logic of it, if the Iranians acceptthis, is that [the Iranians] have to erasethe progress [they] made since the lasttalks," the official said.

Iran's refusal to shut down its uraniumenrichment plants has led to tougher andtougher economic sanctions that havecrippled its economy. An oil embargo andbanking restrictions have crashed theIranian currency, the rial. New U.S.sanctions imposed in January targeted ahandful of companies and individualsthat Washington says are providingmaterials and technology to Tehran'snuclear program.

Tehran has already rejected the newoffer to be presented at next week's talks.But officials said they believe thedeterioration of the Iranian economymay be causing the regime to considermaking a deal.

Still, they acknowledged expectationsof a major breakthrough are low for theAlmaty talks, in large part due toskepticism that Iran's politicalleadership could make concessionsahead of the country's presidentialelections in June. –AGENCIES

MONACO: Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene visit the new ‘Lycee Technique et Hotelier de Monaco’(Vocational school for hotel and catering). –WIRE SERVICE

P5+1 set to offerIran incentives

SEOUL: North Korean state televisionhas broadcast pictures of leader KimJong-un attending a military drill, in thewake of the country's third nuclear test.

Mr Kim was seen inspecting soldiers,said to be from the Korea People's ArmyUnit 323, at an unknown base. The dateof the visit was also unclear.

It was reported that Mr Kim gavebinoculars, rifles and machine guns tothe unit as gifts.

The young leader visited variousfacilities, including a hall, library, lecturerooms, gymnasium and education room.

Amid high tension in the region, MrKim told the army unit that it shouldstep up its preparations for battle,according to the report.

North Korea carried out its latestnuclear test in the far northeast of thecountry on 12 February. It has defendedthe underground blast as an act ofdeterrence against US hostility.

State television yesterday broadcastfootage of a street parade celebrating thetest, which was attended by scientists,technicians and officials.

The US is currently negotiating withthe United Nations Security Council forstronger UN sanctions against NorthKorea following the blast.

South Korea's outgoing presidentwarned earlier this week that NorthKorea had pushed itself further into acorner.

President Lee Myung-bak said in hisfarewell address that North Korea willonly face international sanctions andisolation if it hangs on to its nuclear andmissile programmes. –AGENCIES

BERLIN: The Germanpresident of the EuropeanParliament, oncecompared to a Naziconcentration camp guardby former Italian primeminister Silvio Berlusconi,warned Italians onThursday not to back thescandal-ridden mediatycoon at the ballot box.

Martin Schulz is the latestin a line of Germanpoliticians to express fearsabout a possible Berlusconicomeback largely due toworries he will halt Rome'sreform drive that hashelped to lift investorconfidence in the euro zone.

"Silvio Berlusconi hasalready sent Italy into atailspin with irresponsiblebehavior in governmentand personal escapades,"Schulz was quoted as sayingin German daily Bild.

Berlusconi has beensentenced to prison for taxfraud and is on trial forhaving sex with an under-aged prostitute.

In quotes not printed inthe paper but sent in anadvance copy of the report,Schulz went on to urgeItalians to vote for

continued reforms."Much is at stake in the

forthcoming elections,including making sure thatthe confidence built up by(Prime Minister) MarioMonti is not lost. I am veryconfident that Italian voterswill make the right choicefor their country."

There is bad bloodbetween Berlusconi andSchulz, a Social Democrat.

In 2003, the then Italianprime minister said hewould like to suggestSchulz, who had criticizedhis policies, for the role of aKapo in a film on Naziconcentration camps. AKapo was a camp inmategiven privileges forsupervising prison workgangs. Berlusconi laterbrushed off the comment,saying he was being ironicand had referred to atelevision comedy series.

Merkel herself, who hassupported Monti'sausterity drive and has adifficult relationship withBerlusconi, has keptmum on who she wouldlike to see lead the eurozone's third biggesteconomy . –AGENCIES

Italiansadvised not tovote Berlusconi

35 dead as car bomb rocks Damascus� Violence spills across Syria; after the blast, a military headquarters near Damascus comes under mortar attack

Kim tells N Koreanarmy unit to step upbattle preparations

Tamil Nadu nuclear power plantposes no threat to Sri Lanka: IndiaCOLOMBO: The Indian High Commission in Colombo said on Thursday that there isno threat to Sri Lanka from the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu. TheHigh Commission said that India and Sri Lanka have an ongoing dialogue oncooperation in the area of nuclear energy, including in the areas of isotope hydrology,radio-tracer studies and dam safety. An Indian delegation is scheduled to visit SriLanka in the near future for the second round of the dialogue on these and other areasof potential cooperation. "The relevant issues are being addressed in the spirit of theclose and friendly relations existing between India and Sri Lanka, " the HighCommission said. The High Commission said that there have been reports in localmedia on leaks having developed in critical equipment of the Kudankulam NuclearPower Plant, raising completely unwarranted fears of dangers of radiation leaks."These reports are totally baseless. There has been no radiation leak at theKudankulam Nuclear Power Plant," the High Commission said. "The reports that theRussian experts at the site could not address issues are also not based on facts. Someequipment for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is sourced from countries otherthan the Russian Federation. Equipment supplied from Germany and Croatia aretested and commissioned in presence of specialists of supplier," the High Commissionsaid. The High Commission says all nuclear power plant sites in India are capable ofmanaging the radioactive wastes generated at these sites. –AGENCIES

Gold 10 Gms Dollar Interbank Kibor 6 months T Bills6 months Defense Sav. Cert Coal Spot 10-Y PIB Furnace oilRs.51514 Rs. 98.07 9.10%-9.45% 9.16% 10.84% (pa) $92.85/Ton 11.42% 76,188/MT

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013

Asim welcomes Germaninterest in oil explorationISLAMABAD: Advisor to the PrimeMinister on Petroleum and NaturalResources Dr. Asim Hussain has saidthat Pakistan has always welcomedthe cooperation extended by Germanyin various sectors of the economy. Hewas talking to H.E. Dr. Cyrill NunnAmbassador of Germany to Pakistanwho called on Dr. Asim Hussain todayin Islamabad. Dr. Asim Hussainapprised the German Ambassadorabout the ongoing projects of the oil &gas sector in Pakistan and informedthat the Government is providingincentives to companies intending toinvest in Oil and Gas sector ofPakistan. The Advisor stated thatrecent policy initiatives has madePakistan an investment friendlycountry particularly for thepetroleum sector. –ONLINE

ʻUS proud to supportenergy projects in PakistanʼLAHORE : The United States (US)Senate Foreign Relations CommitteeChairman Robert Menendez visitedMangla Power Station to reviewfirsthand the contribution USassistance funds are making to helpalleviate energy crisis in Pakistan.US Ambassador in Pakistan RichardOlson also accompanied him duringthe visit. This visit was conducted inthe context of the US commitment forproviding financial assistance up toUS $ 150 million for refurbishmentand up-gradation of Mangla HydelPower Station. –ONLINE

Discrimination ripe inindustrial sectorISLAMABAD: Despite deterioratinglaw and order situation in the countryand turning away of large number ofinvestors, higher governmenthierarchy continues with the processof benefiting specific people andcompanies. FBR has imposed eight-percent duty on polyethyleneterephthalate resin and otherproducts for the benefits of a certaincompany. In this regard, the letterfrom Transparency International, theadvice of Federal Minister Saleem HMandviwala and the policy note ofthe Competition Commission ofPakistan have also been ignored. Atthis Transparency Internationalshowed its concerns but FBR did nottake any notice of the matter, andthus the Monopoly of the specificcompany continues.

Engro offers reduction in urea priceISLAMABAD: The EconomicCoordination Committee (ECC) isexpected to make a decision in itsmeeting on Friday that will savefarmers Rs 34.2 billion annually andkeep food inflation in check for thecountry. Officials told that in ameeting with the top Governmentofficials, Engro Corporation offered toreduce the urea prices by Rs. 300 perbag on the basis Government fulfillsits contractual obligations to Engro. In2012, Engro Fertilizer’s efficient andstate of the art $1.1 billion dollar plantreceived only 9% of its gas allocationin a blatant violation of its water tightgas contract with SNGPL. –ONLINE

STAFF REPORT

KARACHI: After Supreme court’ favorableruling on the ICH matter, the telecom sectorrallied and took the benchmark index to with 7points of 18,000 points mark.

PTCL closed at upper limit appreciating 1.08PKR at 22.83, volume leader World Call gained61 paisa to close at PKR 3.70. PSO gained PKR4.06 to close at 243.41 Rupees.

But despite all that index lost 26 points toclose at 17921. Exchange volume on the otherhand rose to 373 million share indicating anabsorption of all the selling. Withdrawal oflocal government bill had a negative impact onthe overall sentiments of the market as thebears took charge.

World Call Quarterly ReviewIt is all about telecom these days it would be

appropriate to focus on a company from thesector. World Call’ parent company Omantelwith 56.8% shareholding has recentlypublished its financials.

The improvement it seems to have beenderived from increased LDI revenue (onaccount of ICH’ international calling rates), thecompany’ EBITDAincreased to Omani Riyal0.56 million which is 136million PKR. WTL has beenclean slating its accounts ofprovisions and other losses;as a result profitability is yetto be reflected in their 4QCY12 accounts.Encouraging sign for the company is thesecond tranche of USD 35mn Capex fundingfrom Omantel, which is expected to take placein 1QCY13.

LOTPTA: Paraxylene handling pricerenegotiated

In its analyst briefing, Engro Corporation(ENGRO) disclosed that its subsidiary, EngroVopak Ternimal Limited, which providesimport handling and storage facilities to LottePakistan PTA Limited (LOTPTA) has

renegotiated its contractwith the latter at a muchlower price.

According to Arif HabibResearch, LOTPTA waspaying around USD 30/ton

to Vopak, which has beenslashed to around USD 15/ton. Effective fromJan-13, this is estimated to reduce LOTPTA’scost by around PKR 510mn per annum, withan after tax impact of PKR 0.22/share.

LOTPTA, has been suffering from trenching

margins, which currently stand at historic lowof USD 61/ton compared to CY12 average ofUSD 97/ton.

This price negotiation with Vopak wouldbring some relief to the ailing bottom line ofthe company, which barely broke even in CY12due to lower margins.

Predictions for todayThe market has entered a volatile state of

late, where buying and selling waves areevident in a single session, a day trader’sparadise or hell depends on which way it islooked upon. Huge problems exist on theexternal front of the economy and last T billsauction is huge indicator of state of affairs. Aswe get close to election the speculativeprecariousness can only get worse, investorsshould look to guard their equity againstunexpected movements.

KSE down 26 points, despite SC’s favourable verdict

ZEESHAN JAVAID

ISLAMABAD: Senate’s Standing Committeeon Finance here on Thursday unanimouslyproposed to the State Bank of Pakistan to limitfederal government borrowing at 10% of thelast fiscal year’s revenues to restrictgovernment borrowing from banking sector.

Meanwhile, Yasin Anwar, Governor StateBank of Pakistan said that there is no pressureof exchange rate due to the InternationalMonetary Fund repayments as SBP is atcomfortable position till June 2013 and recentpressure on Pak Rupee when it touchedRs.100 mark was due to the speculators.

Incase SBP had a foreign exchange reservesat the level of $20 billion, there may not be thispressure on rupee, as the SBP would haveintervened the market to stop the downslide,

Governor SBP informed Senate StandingCommittee on Finance that met in parliamenthouse with Senator Begum Nasreen Jalil.

Committee posed full confidence on theinitiatives taken by the State Bank ofPakistan for managing the economy andalso recommended government that earlycomplete the appointment of two deputygovernors and remaining board membersat SBP board.

Replying to questions of falling foreignexchange reserves of the country of theSenator Osman Saifullah, Senator TalhaMehmood, governor SBP informed that theforeign exchange reserves with SBP are at thelevel of $8.89 billion, however, foreignexchange deposits with commercial bankshave also increased over $4.5 billion andbanks are opening letter of credits for the

private sector imports.He also informed the members that SBP has

the authority to fix the credit limits foragriculture and industry; however, this SBPintervention would hurt the free marketconcept operational in the banking industry.

On the question of Senator Sughra Imam, aSBP Director explained to the committee thatwhen current expenditure and currentrevenues are equal than there is no harm inbudget deficit, however, the situation duringthe last three years is totally adverse. Hugeborrowing is the result of the fiscal indisciplineand we have to swallow the bitter pill ofmaintaining fiscal discipline.

Governor SBP also informed that this yearremittances to cross $14 billion mark andclarified that size of the home remittancesranges between $500 to $1000 per family and

there is no truth in the allegation that blackmoney is being whitened through remittancesin the country.

He explained to the committee that oncethe volume of remittances was 85% withinformal channels which has 8.5% and dueto the PRI initiative the major volume iscoming through banking channel.

SBP has been successful in eliminatingHawala and Hundi otherwise FinancialAction Task For (FATAF) Asia Pacific couldhave impose ban on Pakistan’s bankingindustry, on the apprehensions of terrorismfinancing. Governor SBP also informed thatefforts should be made to reduce un-necessary imports through importsubstitution; however, major portion of theimport is oil import bill. Any $5 increase incrude oil price increases in internationalmarket increase $750 million additionalburden on FE reserves.

10pc of last fiscal year’s revenue proposed

Senate body for limiting govt borrowing

CURRENCY BUYING SELLINGUS Dollar 99.25 99.50Euro 132.02 132.25British Pound 151.14 151.36UAE Dirham 26.90 27.15Saudi Riyal 26.35 26.59Kuwaiti Dinar 349.10 351.85Canadian Dollar 96.65 98.35

XINJIANG: A solar power plant near a thermal power plant in Aksu, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. –AGENCIES

� No pressure of exchange rate owing to IMF repayments: SBP governor

KSE 17921.02 -26.05 -0.15%ISE 3383.62 +11.53 +0.34%LSE 4299.12 +10.54 +0.25%

P&G’s tale with Faisal SabzwariSHANEL KHALIQ

P&G Pakistan’sCountry ManagerFaisal Sabzwari says

that P&G in Pakistan hasexperienced exemplarygrowth in the past decadeand continuing expansionin all fields includingbusiness, sales, brands,customer services andhuman resource. FaisalSabzwari’s journey withP&G started back in 1997and since then he has worked in various capacities withthe company including his previous assignment thatwas as marketing director P&G Arabian Peninsula, inDubai. During this period he led P&G's male grooming,health and well being businesses and the brandoperations department for the Arabian Peninsula andPakistan. He says that P&G has grown despite theeconomic slowdown that hit the country since 2008.Over the years slowly and gradually P&G products havereached almost every rural and urban area of thecountry. It stays loyal to its aim of providing the bestquality products to its customers as they are part oftheir everyday lives. “Pakistan has proved to be a mostprofitable and fruitful market for P&G due to the factthat 65% of its population is based on young people,causing a rising trend in the consumption of goods andcommodities”, he says. Apart from that the humanresource available in Pakistan has also proved its mettleand currently there are 5,000 people employed by P&GPakistan. When talking about Corporate SocialResponsibility, Faisal Sabzwari feels that P&G is highlyaware of the importance of social welfare. The“Pampers Hospital Education Program” is one of theinitiatives taken by the company that aims to educatenew mothers about important baby care information.The program that was started in December 2000 cantoday boast of having reached out to more than 3.3million mothers across Pakistan. Another valuablecontribution mentioned is the “Safeguard Sehat-o-Safai School Education Program” that began in 2004.Since then the program has provided 7 millionchildren with health and hygiene education in over18,000 schools across Pakistan. The program hasbeen approved by Pakistan Medical Association(PMA) which is the largest body of doctors inPakistan. Another noteworthy program is the “AlwaysAgahi Program” that reaches out to young girls toprovide them with the necessary guidance onfeminine hygiene and psychological wellbeing. It alsoeducates them about dealing with pressures in orderto make them confident. Since 2003 this program hasreached out to and improved the lives of more than 6million girls across Pakistan. Faisal Sabzwari isconfidant of the future of P&G in Pakistan andespecially of the success of CSR projects that thecompany has started. The success of these projectshas enabled P&G to be granted the Award forCorporate Excellence (ACE) in 2012 for its 'Live,Learn, and Thrive' Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) program, which includes humanitarianassistance efforts to provide clean drinking water,food and hygiene products.

Profile

BUSINESS DESK

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan State Oil may defaulton payments due this month unless state-runcompanies at least partially pay for their oil, aspokeswoman said Thursday, putting energysupply at risk and threatening increasedblackouts ahead of key elections.

Pakistan State Oil is owed $1.5 billion,mostly by the government electricitycompanies but also by the state airline andrailways. It owes suppliers $1.23 billion.Around two-thirds of Pakistan's energy isgenerated by oil and gas. There are alsowidespread gas shortages.

Pakistan State Oil said it had receivedpayments of $200 million this month butneeded another $250 million within a week topay its creditors. "We have a liquidity crisisand we need funds urgently to keep the wheelsgoing. In case - god forbid - we can't pay thebanks or our suppliers, it will be a problem forPakistan," spokeswoman Mariam Shah told

Reuters. "We supply the airlines, we supplythe defence forces, the government. If theystart paying us on time, this kind of crisiswould never ever emerge."

The power cuts typically become far worsein the sweltering summer months when fansand air conditioners are turned on full.

The problem is exacerbated by wealthy orinfluential consumers, including mostgovernment agencies, who refuse to pay hugeutility bills for their homes and factories.

The power companies then cannot paysuppliers like Pakistan State Oil for the fuelthey use. "This lack of payment has brought thenation's largest and most profitable publiccompany to its knees and may consequentlylead to a breakdown in the oil supply chainwhich will result in increased blackouts andload-shedding across the country," thecompany said in a statement last week.

The Ministry of Petroleum and NaturalResources had appealed to the government torelease extra funds, said spokesman Irfan Qazi.

PSO ‘on its knees’, more blackouts feared

KESC to invest500m dollars inpower sectorISLAMABAD: Karachi ElectricSupply Company (KESC) wouldinvest 500 million dollars for settingup of coal based power plants,improvement in the transmissionand distribution system in Karachiduring next five years.

Tabish Gohar, Chairman Board ofDirectors of KESC stated this whiletalking to the Minister for Waterand Power, Ch. Ahmed Mukhtarhere on Thursday.

Chairman told the Minister that BinQasim power plant would beconverted on coal (imported and localcoal) to generate 400 MW cheaperelectricity with an investment of 300million dollars. The conversion planwould take place 18 to 20 months.

He said that 80 million dollarswould be spent on conversion of gasbased plants on combined cyclewhile 80 million dollars on the smartgrid stations. –ONLINE

LPG prices reduced after Pak-Iran dealISLAMABAD: The government has reduced the price ofLiquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) by Rs 15 per kilogram afterPak-Iran LPG agreement. Domestic cylinder was reduced toRs 170 and commercial cylinder to Rs 650 as governmentannounced. The President of LPG association, IrfanKhokhar appraised the step and said that decline in prices isthe result of policies adopted by the government and no onewill be allowed to take extra charges.

‘Businessmen support Pak-Iran gas pipelineproject’: The business community has asked thegovernment to continue work on the Pak-Iran Gas PipelineProject, by keeping aside the US Consul General MichaelDodman’s threat of sanctions on Pakistan.

General Secretary of All Pakistan Anjuman Tajran NaeemMir, while speaking to a delegation of traders on Thursdaysaid that the government should pursue Iran-Pakistan gaspipeline project as it is vital to overcome country's energycrisis. Appreciating the cabinet decision of handing over ofGwadar Port to China, he asked government to continue thisamended foreign policy. He said that how many projectswere financed by USA to overcome energy crisis in Pakistanwhile on the other hand Washington has inked several dealswith India to fulfill its energy needs, including civil nuclearagreements. Mir said that Pakistan should also chase otherimportant projects with Iran such as gas pipeline, electricitytransmission, up-gradation of connectivity and also buildinga more robust trade partnership between the two countries.

"All our friends are encouraged to really understandPakistan's energy crisis," he said, adding that thecountry was going through a serious energy crisis and itwas in the national interest to seek energy fromwherever it comes. –ONLINE

SAHTAK BALOCH

ISLAMABAD: Petroleum Ministry, in a bidto benefit ‘blue eyed’ Byco Refinery withbillion rupees, has dispatched a summaryto the Economic Coordination Committee(ECC) of the cabinet seeking twelve longyears tax holiday and an end to InlandFreight Equalization Margin (IFEM).

Official sources in Petroleum Ministrytold this scribe that the ECC scheduled tomeet today is likely to take up thesummary of Ministry.

They said if the ECC approves thesummary then with an end to the IFEM,there would be different prices ofpetroleum products (POL) in variouscities of the country. The 20 years long taxholiday was earlier given to KhalifaCoastal Refinery (KCR) over brand

installation of brand new machinery butthe Byco Oil Pakistan has recentlyinstalled second hand machinery in its oilrefinery located in Hub Balochistanadjacent to its existing refinery.

The ministry’s summary for the ECCapproval available this scribe disclosedthat Ministry has sought 20 years taxholiday for the ‘favourite’ refinery, whichis already enjoying seven years taxholiday.

In a bid to pay the transportation cost ofcrude oil to the Byco, the petroleumministry has given three suggestions tothe committee for consideration includingcharging the consumers withRs0.30/litre, which the independent Oiland Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA)has already declined to approve in thelight of Supreme Court order.

The petroleum ministry in its sentsummary has given three suggestion tothe ECC for its consideration to end thefreight/transportation cost on crude oil ismentioned in following:

a) ‘IFEM pool may be discontinued toextend level playing field to all therefineries, thus allowing the oil marketingcompanies to market refined products atcompetitive prices.

b) Federal government may pay cost ofIFEM through federal consolidated funds.

c) M/s Byco’s request for reimbursementof operational cost of Single PointMooring (SPM) through IFEM as perPARCO rates may be considered.

Petroleum ministry officials told that atpresent country’s refineries are paying 35percent income tax while 0.5 per centturnover tax is imposed on them.

20 years tax holiday for ‘favourite’ refinery

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013

MUMBAI: Actress Aditi Rao Hydari says she has learnt to take failuresin her stride in Bollywood and is keen on playing lead roles to get the"wholesome" experience as a protagonist on the screen. "At every stage,you feel there is struggle but then you also feel grateful. I have been herefor more than three years. Considering how many people want to bepart of this magical world and how difficult it is, I am grateful to havegot opportunity to be here and work in films. I did struggle but I havegot work also", Aditi said. She says the endearment from all, includingher fans, is what helps her overcoming the pulls and pressure of hercareer. "We do have problems like we can't be with family and friends allthe time. Everything is not glamorous. There's glamour but that is fromoutside. -SHOWBIZ DESK

LONDON: The Brit Awards went down a storm at London, as a host of national and international stars were recognized for theircommercial and artistic achievements over the last year. Ben Howard and Emeli Sande stole the night with two prizes each.

The Brit Awards 2013 - Who's walking away with the big prizes?

CATCH THE FULL LIST OF WINNERS BEST BRITISH FEMALE

Emeli Sandé BEST BRITISH GROUPMumford and Sons

BEST BRITISH BREAKTHROUGHBen Howard

BEST BRITISH MALEBen Howard

BEST BRITISH FEMALEEmeli Sandé

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEMALELana Del Rey

BEST LIVE ACTColdplay

BEST BRITISH SINGLEAdele - 'Skyfall'

SHOWBIZ DESK

MUMBAI: Pakistani singer-actor Ali Zafar,who will be seen in the remake version of'Chashme Baddoor', says that remakes aremade to earn profit when at timesBollywood runs out of original ideas.However, the 32-year-old actor alsoacknowledged that films based oninnovative subjects too are being made inthe tinsel town. "To some extent it is truethat the industry is running out of originalideas. But the commercial model of film-making is to revamp a story, keeping inmind today's times and present it in adifferent way. Cinema is a business. Theaim is to make profit," Zafar said in aninterview here. Zafar, who has acted intelevision dramas in Pakistan, also pointedout that the commercial viewpoint andoriginal ideas go hand in hand inBollywood. "But there are original filmsalso getting made like 'Tere Bin Laden','English Vinglish', 'Vicky Donor'. Both thethings exist. There are times when industrypeople are running out of ideas and whilethere are others who are trying out newersubjects," he said.

Directed by David Dhawan, 'ChashmeBuddoor' is the remake of 1981 hit romcomby the same name. "I think remakes aretricky. But if somebody knows the art ofremaking, it is good. The best part of thisfilm is the dialogues that Sajid-Wajid cameup with. When we were narrated the filmwe were in splits, couldn't stop laughing,"Zafar said. The 1981 film was about threebachelor students – Farooq Shaikh, RakeshBedi and Jai Ravi Baswani- and howDeepti Naval comes in their life. Theremake version will see Zafar essaying therole of Farooq Shaikh. "I am surecomparisons will be made. One can't avoidit. I doubt if everyone has watched 1981film, especially the youth. It will be new forthem," Zafar said. "I play a normal, shy andsoft-spoken guy. The film is really very

funny, the punch lines are hilarious, and itis a remake of a cult movie redone in amodern way," he added. Zafar also said thathe had not seen the original film whenDhawan approached him for the project."To be honest, I had not seen the originalfilm. I saw it after David Dhawan offeredthe film to me. I saw it and I liked it. I amhappy that I got to play the role thatFarooq Sheikh did," he said. The remakestarring south actors Siddharth and TapseePannu, Divyendu Sharma of 'Pyaar KaPunchnama' fame, Rishi Kapoor, JuhiChawla and Anupam Kher is slated forApril 5 release.

Ali Zafar feels remakesare made for profit

Jennifer going to Ends Of The WorldSHOWBIZ DESK

LOS ANGELES: JenniferLawrence and Bradley Cooper'snext David O. Russell-directedfilm has gotten a new title, EndsOf The World. And it looks likethe flick is appropriately titledbecause the Oscar-nominateddirector and his crew would goto the ends of the world for theirawards season. When askedabout Jennifer, producersSteven Tisch and John Bradleygushed: "Jennifer Lawrence is

one of the most versatileactresses we have ever seen.Her performance in 'SilverLinings' was transcendent andwas truly the heart and soul ofthe film. Jennifer was basicallyasked to play 4 personalitiesdepressed, sexy, romantic and awild dancer and did them allbrilliantly.

After seeing thatperformance we knew we hadour anchor for 'The Ends of theEarth.'" David continued theJ.Law love fest when he said:

"She is the most dedicatedperson I know. She is devotedto her family and they havebeen the true inspiration forher character and integrity. Heracting is effortless and shealways makes it look easy."

In all seriousness though,Jennifer has only gone aboveand beyond in her acting roles,so we're sure she'll do just thesame in the 1970s FBI stingmovie. We can almost alreadyhear her name being called forthe Oscars 2014 nominations.

MILAN: Madonna had it right allthose years ago when she wore aT-shirt saying "Italians Do ItBetter". Designers at LondonFashion Week only flirted withsensuality but Gucci creativedirector Frida Gianninidemonstrated a clearunderstanding of sex and how tosell it with her autumn-wintercollection in Milan. "The Gucciwoman seduces with herdangerous femininity," Gianninisaid. "She is steely yet sexy definingher discipline with femme fatalevices."

Fitted skirts that finisheddemurely below the knee were slitto dangerous heights in the backand worn with fishnets and spike-heeled leather booties. If youswapped the bamboo-handledhandbags for a riding crop, it was a

Helmut Newton photograph cometo life. Despite the sexual tension

in the air on Wednesday, there wasvery little flesh on show. A long-

sleeved, round-shouldered purplecoat dipped provocatively at thefront, while a snug, long-sleevedblack dress in crackle leather lefteverything to the imagination. TheGucci craftsmanship came to thefore when Giannini's powerwoman clocked off from the officeand prepared to party. Satin skirtsand trousers in petrol blues, blackand moss green were topped withlong-sleeved mesh embellishedwith feathers, sequins and studs.The strongest look of the show,however was a heavily pregnantGiannini taking her bow beforeheading off on maternity leave.With Gucci having played acrucial part in the recent profitannouncement of its parentgroup PPR, her smile suggestedthat success might be even betterthan sex.

Gucci power woman seduces Milan

A model shows the latest look of Gucci creative director Frida Giannini in Milan.

SHOWBIZ DESK

LOS ANGELES: Actor Daniel Craig says he is differentfrom his onscreen James Bond character in every way. The44-year-old has portrayed the role of the British superspyin three movies, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace andSkyfall. Asked in what ways he is different from 007, hesaid: "Every way. Nothing, that man has nothing to dowith me. Nothing at all, no." While Craig admits he hasbeen typecast by a number of people for playing Bond, hehas no plans to relinquish the role, reportscontactmusic.com. "It's working out for me at themoment. So I will keep at it, and there will be other stuffto do. When I accepted the job, I knew that it would havea major effect on my career," he said. "I mean, peoplewould find it very difficult not to see me as Bond now,which I always knew would happen. But what can I doabout it? It was my choice to be Bond. So I've got to get onwith it and try to be the best Bond I can," he added.

Daniel Craigsays he's unlikeJames Bond

SHOWBIZ DESK

NEW DEHLI: Former beauty queen andBollywood actress Aishwarya RaiBachchan feels strongly about safety ofwomen in the country and says a lot needsto be done to make them feel secure. The39-year-old actress, also a mother of a one-year-old girl, says she is angry because a lotis being said but very little action is takento rectify the situation.

"I don't feel fear, rather there is a lot ofanger and I don't hesitate to say this. Manyof us are privileged to have a lot ofassurance about our safety but most of thewomen in our country do not have that".

"A lot is being said but a lot more needsto be done about it. There should bedefinite laws for offenders. They should bepunished immediately. That is when wewill see the change in the society," saysAishwarya, who was in the capital to attendthe second edition of Zindagi Live Awards.

Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit,cricketer Gautam Gambhir and Unionminister Farooq Abdullah also attended

the ceremony, which felicitated eightwomen who challenged social stigmas.

SHOWBIZ DESKLOS ANGELES: Oscar-nominatedPalestinian director Emad Burnatcomplained that US customs briefly heldhim as he arrived for the awards, but saidhis people endure similar problems everyday. Burnat, whose “Five BrokenCameras” is shortlisted for bestdocumentary at the 85th AcademyAwards on Sunday, said being detainedfor an hour at Los Angeles’ LAX airportwith his wife and eight-year-old son was“unpleasant.””Last night, on my way fromTurkey to Los Angeles … my family and Iwere held at US immigration for about anhour and questioned about the purpose ofmy visit to the United States,” he said in astatement. Immigration officials wantedproof that he was nominated for an

Academy Award “and they told me that ifI couldn’t prove the reason for my visit,my wife Soraya, my son Gibreel and Iwould be sent back to Turkey on the sameday. “After 40 minutes of questions andanswers, Gibreel asked me why we werestill waiting in that small room. I simplytold him the truth: ‘Maybe we’ll have to goback.’ I could see his heart sink.”But headded: “Although this was an unpleasantexperience, this is a daily occurrence forPalestinians, every single day, throughoutthe West Bank.

“There are more than 500 Israelicheckpoints, roadblocks, and otherbarriers to movement across our land, andnot a single one of us has been spared theexperience that my family and Iexperienced,” said Emad.

Palestinian Oscar nomineelaments US airport snub

MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Tabu, who wasrecently seen in Oscar nominated Life Of Pi, isall set to play an important role in SalmanKhan's next film Mental. According to reports,the National Award winning actress will beplaying Salman Khan's elder sister in the moviedirected by Sohail Khan. Salman and Tabu haveearlier working in Jeet, Biwi No 1 and HumSaath Saath Hain though they have never pairedopposite each other. The official announcement of the same is awaited. -SHOWBIZ DESK

Tabu to play Salman Khanʼs sister in Mental

Struggle is inherent in Bollywood: Aditi Rao Mila Kunis chooses family over careerLONDON: Actress Mila Kunis says she might quit acting in favour of having a family in thenear future. Mila Kunis, 29, who is dating her former That 70s Show co-star Ashton Kutcher,said she wants to focus on enjoying a normal life and is prepared to choose her private life overher career, reported Contactmusic. "I want to be a present mom. When I was growing up bothmy mom and dad worked full-time. I guess the only thing I can say about that is they workedfull-time in one location. I'm never in the same place for more than two months. How am I

ever going to have a family like that?" "You have to make compromises. If that means I do onemovie a year, if people still want to see me and hire me and I don't suck by that point, great.But my only source of happiness can't be dependent on something so fickle. And I find this

industry to be incredibly fickle." she said. -SHOWBIZ DESK

Lot needs to be done forsecurity of women: Ash

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013

CENTURION: South Africa willpress for a clean sweep when theymeet Pakistan in the third and finalTest starting at SuperSport Park onFriday (today). After a comfortable211-run win in the first Test inJohannesburg, South Africa weremade to work hard before clinchingthe series with a four-wicket win inthe second Test at Newlands in CapeTown. The second victory wasachieved on a surface which captainGraeme Smith said did not suit histeam, whose bowling attack is basedon world-class fast bowlers.

Centurion has traditionallyfavoured fast bowlers and the SouthAfricans will feel confident they canprevail again in conditions morefamiliar than those in whichPakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmaltook 10 wickets in Cape Town.Coach Gary Kirsten told a South

African website that the hostswanted a pitch that was more seamfriendly than Newlands.

"We just don't want a pitch thatturns a lot," he said. Smith has beenracking up captaincy records duringthe series, notching 100 Testcaptaincies in Johannesburg and arecord 49th win as captain in CapeTown.

Under his leadership, South Africahave won 21 series – but none ofthem has featured a clean sweep in aseries of three or more matches.

With South Africa firmlyentrenched as the number one teamin the International Cricket Councilrankings, players and managementfrequently talk of creating a legacy –and maintaining standards after aseries has been won is one way ofdoing that.

With greater batting depth and

the world's two leading fast bowlersin Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander,South Africa appear to hold most of

the aces, although they will bewithout the tall Morne Morkel, thethird member of what has been

described as the best fast bowlingtrio in the world. Burly RoryKleinveldt will replace the injuredMorkel.

Pakistan hope left-arm fast bowlerJunaid Khan will have recoveredfrom a thigh injury. He wasPakistan's most impressive bowlerin the first Test, but missed thesecond because of injury. Given thesuccess of Ajmal at Newlands,Pakistan may be tempted to pick asecond spinner, left-armer AbdurRehman, even if conditions are notespecially favourable for spinbowlers.

In both Tests, Pakistan's thirdseamer has been a weakness, withRahat Ali and Tanvir Ahmedineffective in Johannesburg andCape Town respectively. Centurionhas been a South African fortress,with the home side winning 13 out

of 17 Tests at the ground. The onlyloss was a contrived result againstEngland in January 2000.Probable Teams South Africa: Graeme Smith (Capt),Alviro Petersen, Hashim Amla,Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers (wkt),Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, RobinPeterson, Vernon Philander, DaleSteyn, Rory KleinveldtPakistan: Misbahul Haq (Capt),Mohammad Hafeez, NasirJamshed, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan,Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed(wkt), Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal,Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan,Imran Farhat, Tanvir Ahmed,Ehsan Adil, Abdur Rehman,Faisal Iqbal, Rahat AliMatch referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL). Umpires: Billy Bowden (NZL),Steve Davis (AUS). TV umpire:Bruce Oxenford (AUS). �AGENCIES

Third and final Test begins today

South Africa aim for clean sweep against Pakistan

DUBAI: Samantha Stosur's season of woecontinued at the Dubai Championships when shecrashed out in the quarterfinals following a 6-26-4 defeat by Italian Roberta Vinci on Thursday.The Australian has lost more matches than shehas won this year, with her win-loss recordstanding at 5-7, after she produced an error-strewn performance under the searing desert sunthat left her frequently yelling in frustration.

Vinci, 30, broke in the opening game and wasalways in control against a player who has failedto win a title since triumphing at the US Open inSeptember 2011. The Italian has now beatentop-10 ranked players in successive matches –she defeated Angelique Kerber on Wednesday –and has yet to drop a set in Dubai. Worldnumber nine Stosur towered over thediminutive Vinci, but she was guilty of trying tobe too aggressive, clubbing a succession ofbackhand returns into the net. Vinci, part ofworld No.1 doubles pairing along withcompatriot Sara Errani, is a percentage player,relying more on her opponent's mistakes thangoing for winners herself and Stosur's approachplayed into the Italian's hands. Serving at 4-2down, Stosur ran to the net but Vinci, worldNo.17, played an angled backhand dropshotwinner for a break point.

The Italian duly converted after Stosur,backpedalling from the net, hit a smash long.Stosur then surrendered the set with anothererrant backhand. The Australian broke for thefirst time early in the second set as Vinci

played a forehand long and also changedtactics, slowing the game down and matchingVinci's backhand slice. But the Italianresponded with an immediate break back,taking Stosur to deuce before the latter strucksuccessive forehands wide. Stosur wasfrequently left stranded in mid-court, either

arriving too late to block off Vinci's passingshots or coming forward too soon andallowing herself to be lobbed. The Italianbroke again for a 4-3 lead after another Stosurerror and served out the match. Vinci will nowher friend Errani or Russian Nadia Petrova inFriday's semifinal. —AGENCIES

DUBAI OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Stosur extends miserable run with exit

Australia's Samantha Stosur returns the ball to Italy's Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinal match of the WTA DubaiOpen on Thursday.

CHENNAI: The four-Test seriesbetween India and Australia startingon Friday features two formerlydominant sides of the past decadewho are now going through atransition period. Both teams have alot at stake and would look todemonstrate a strong showing in thefirst Test starting from February 22to set the tone for the rest of theseries.

England beat India 2-1 in 2012,despite losing the first Test, andshowed that the hosts are no longerunbeatable in their own backyardwith a host of slow bowlers. Indiahave had a horrid last two years inTest cricket, losing eight successivematches overseas and beating onlyWest Indies and New Zealand athome. A series win against Australiawill do a world of good to theirconfidence and will restore somepride. On the other hand, anotherdefeat at home threatens to besmirch

their legacy and will spell animpending doom for Indian cricket.

Australia were also beaten 0-1 athome by South Africa but have faredbetter than India during that period.However, the recent retirements ofRicky Ponting and Michael Husseyhave left their middle order bereft ofexperience. The last time these twoteams locked horns, Australiapummeled India 4-0 at home ridingon the superlative performances oftheir skipper Michael Clarke and thefast bowlers. But conditions in Indiaare completely different and it willtake a gargantuan effort from thevisitors to outclass the hosts.

Interestingly, the two sides arebanking on different strengths to tryand outdo the other. India have asubstandard and largelyinexperienced fast bowling attackwhich has been their biggest failingover the years, and thus are countingon spin. India's second-stringspinners posed problems to theAustralian batsmen in the two tour

matches and the inexperienced teamhas a task at hand to exorcise thespin demons in the first Test. BarringClarke and Shane Watson, the otherbatsmen have no experience ofplaying Tests in India and this aprominent factor which the hostswill look to capitalize on.

Harbhajan Singh confirmed in thepre-match press conference that hewill play the first Test, indicating thatIndia might go with their all threefrontline spinners along withRavindra Jadeja's left-arm spin. Thisisn't a rare instance as India playedfour spinners – Pragyan Ojha, RAshwin, Piyush Chawla and Jadeja –in the Nagpur Test against Englandin December. Harbhajan struggledagainst England last year, but with agood record against Australia – 90wickets in 16 Tests – the latter couldyet again prove a thorn in Australia'sflesh. Additionally, the presence ofleft-arm spinner Ojha gives India aclear advantage.

Unlike England with Graeme

Swann and Monty Panesar, Australiadon't have a quality spinner in theirranks which might prove a hugedeterrent. Nathan Lyon has beenpreferred as the solitary slow-bowling option for the Chennai Testand the offspinner will have a bigrole to play if Australia want tostamp a significant impact on theseries. After Lyon, Australia do nothave a genuine wicket-takingspinner in their XI.

Where the tourists outrank India,however, is in the fast-bowlingstakes and they are going in with aclear plan. Australia will play withfour pace bowlers – Peter Siddle,Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson andthe debutant Moises Henriques – inChennai while India will haveIshant Sharma as their spearheadfollowed by one of the uncappedAshok Dinda and BhuvneshwarKumar. Starc is in sparkling form oflate and Siddle has been consistentfor the last year; if Pattinsonmanages to get away without any

injuries, Australia's fast bowlingstock is remarkable and they'll takeheart from James Anderson'ssuperb showing in the Test series inIndia. Henriques was the best of theAustralian seamers in the warm-upmatch against India A and if he getsreverse swing again he could provea steady hand at one end with hismedium pace.

What remains to be seen, however,is how much assistance Australia'sbattery of fast men gets from theChepauk pitch which is renowned tobe a batting paradise and helpspinners from day four. What Indiaand Australia have in common isworries at the top of the batting.India axed Gautam Gambhir fromthe 15-member squad for the first twoTests and drafted in Murali Vijay andShikhar Dhawan while retaining anout-of-form Virender Sehwag. Vijayis most likely to get the nod overDhawan for the first Test; Sehwagwill do good to seek inspiration fromhis outstanding record at the venue.

David Warner is recovering from afractured thumb and Australia havetaken a gamble by including him inthe playing XI for the first Test. EdCowan struck a fine century againstSouth Africa last year but struggledfor runs since then. Phil Hughes – setto bat at No. 3 – was ill at ease againstspin in the last tour match, leavingAustralia with a brittle top order.These problems on both sides leaveboth India and Australia reliant ontheir respective middle orders.

Probable XI:Australia: David Warner, Ed

Cowan, Phillip Hughes, ShaneWatson, Michael Clarke (Capt),Matthew Wade (wk), MoisesHenriques, Peter Siddle, MitchellStarc, James Pattinson, Nathan Lyon.

India: Virender Sehwag, MuraliVijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, SachinTendulkar, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni(Capt/wk), Ravindra Jadeja,Harbhajan Singh Ashok Dinda/RAshwin, Ishant Sharma, PragyanOjha. �AGENCIES

Australia face Indian spin challenge in Test series opener todayAUSTRALIA TOUR INDIA

OUR STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE: A judge of the IslamabadHigh Court, Noor-ul-Haq N Qureshi,has accepted a contempt of courtpetition filed by the Pakistan OlympicAssociation (POA), and has ordered 13persons including Federal Minister forInter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) MirHazar Khan Bijrani to submit theirwritten replies within 15 days. The orderto Mir Hazar Khan was issued asPakistan Sports Board (PSB) presidentand other PSB officials who wereordered to make replies are PSB vice-president Faridullah Khan, secretaryAbdul Ghaffar Khan and directorgeneral Syed Amir Hamza Gillani.

Pakistan Basketball Federation (PBF)president Asif Bajwa, Pakistan NetballFederation (PNF) senior vice-presidentsenator Ghulam Ali, a former sportsminister of Balochistan ShahnawazMarri, Pakistan Volleyball Federation(PVF) vice president Zafar Abbas Lak,Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) vice-president Rana Mujahid, PakistanNetball Federation (PNF) secretaryMudassar Arain, Army SportsDirectorate secretary Col QaiserMustafa, Brig (r) Arif Siddiqui and Col(r) Zafar Ahmad have also been asked tomake replies.

In its order the court has stated: “The

court vide order dated 7-2-2013 directedthe parties to maintain status quo till thenext date of hearing. As per learnedcounsel for the petitioner, therespondents knowingly ignoring the saidorder, processed further, thus committedcontempt of court. Copy of this criminaloriginal along with its annexure betransmitted to the respondents requiringthem to submit their replies within aperiod of 15 days. In case reply is notsubmitted the respondents shall appearin person before the court on the nextdate of hearing.”

It is pertinent to mention that thePSB held a meeting in Islamabad onJanuary 8 despite the fact that the IHCissued an order on January 7restraining the PSB from holding it.Soon after the meeting, news appearedon various TV channels that themeeting had imposed ad hoc on thePOA and it had also decided to hold the32nd National Games in Islamabadagain. However, when the minutes ofthe meeting were released, there wasnothing about the ad hoc, but later onanother meeting by some nationalsports federations’ officials was held inIslamabad in which a parallel body wasannounced. However, the InternationalOlympic Committee (IOC) taking aprompt action only recognised the POAheaded by Lt Gen (r) Arif Hasan.

IHC issues contempt notice toIPC minister and PSB officials

CHENNAI: India's southern Tamil Nadu staterefused on Thursday to host the Asian AthleticsChampionships because of the participation ofSri Lanka, which it accuses of war crimes.Chennai, the state capital, was due to host theevent in July, but Tamil Nadu chief minister J.Jayalalithaa said Sri Lanka must not be allowedto take part. Jayalalithaa, whose state has alarge Tamil population, accuses the IndianOcean island nation of committing "genocide"against its Tamil minority.

The Tamil Nadu government wrote to theAsian Athletics Association (AAA) stating thatthe participation of Sri Lankan athletes would"hurt the sentiments of the Tamil people",Jayalalithaa said. "Since the state governmenthas not received any favourable reply from theAAA, it would not be advisable to hold the meetin Tamil Nadu involving the participation of SriLankan athletes," Jayalalithaa said in astatement. Many politicians in Tamil Nadu havebeen critical of the Sri Lankan government overits military campaign that defeated separatistTamil Tiger rebels in 2009.�AGENCIES

OUR STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE: With an all-round performance, theKarachi Blues secured an eight-wicket victoryagainst Lahore Ravi in their Super-Eight Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match at the Gaddafi Stadium onWednesday. Lahore, after being put into bat,stumbled to 6 for 3. After a 48-run stand for the fifthwicket, they suffered another collapse as they lostfour wickets for only 19 runs. A half-century fromAdnan Akmal got them to 175. Karachi, in their firstdig, put up a competitive 265. Fakhar Zaman top-scored with 64, with Tariq Haroon contributing 61.Mohammad Irshad's 5 for 81 helped keep the Bluesin check through the course of their innings. Afterconceding a 90-run lead, Lahore were in trouble asthey were reduced to 57 for 4 through an effectivebowling performance from Anwar Ali, who took 5 for61. A 124-run stand between Akmal and Mirzasteadied the innings, but Lahore lost six wicketsquickly after that, and folded for 209. The Blues'batsmen went about their 120-run chase quickly,sealing the match on the third day. Brief scores:Karachi Blues 265 (Zaman 64, Haroon 61, Irshad 5-81) and 121 for 2 (Zaman 61, Rehman 47) beat LahoreRavi 175 (Akmal 56) and 209 (Mirza 70, Akmal 54,Anwar 5-61) by eight wickets

Sialkot score innings and 60 victory: Centuries fromMohammad Ayub and Shoaib Malik, who also took adecisive five-wicket haul in the second innings, helpedSialkot beat Rawalpindi by an innings and 60 runs.Rawalpindi were put into bat, and they were unable tobuild substantial partnerships over the course of theirinnings. Umar Amin, who top-scored with 75, andAdnan Mufti, who scored 54, were the chief contributors.Bilawal Bhatti was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 71as Rawalpindi were dismissed for 294. Sialkot, in reply,started well, with opener Majid Jahangir scoring 92.Ayub and Malik were then involved in a 225-run standfor the fourth wicket. Contributions towards the endfrom Mansoor Amjad (54) and Zeeshan Mushtaq (32)helped push Sialkot to 563, before they declared withseven wickets down, giving them a 269-run lead. TheSialkot bowlers reduced Rawalpindi, in their second dig,to 76 for 4 before Shoaib Ahmed and Babar Naeem puton a 111-run stand for the fifth wicket. Rawalpindi losttheir next five wickets for just 22 runs, as Malik andBhatti combined to bundle them out for 209. The winputs them on top of the points table, after three matches. Brief scores: Sialkot 563 (Ayub 160, Malik 152, Jahangir 92) beatRawalpindi 294 (Amin 75, Mufti 54, Bhatti 4-71) and209 (Naeem 71, Ahmed 53, Malik 5-64) by an inningsand 60 runs.

Asian Athletics Championships

Indian cityrefuses to hostkey event

Sialkot go top after inningsvictory in Quaid Trophy

OUR STAFF REPORTERLAHORE: A civil judge Islamabad hasordered the ‘so-called’ Pakistan OlympicAssociation (POA) interim committeechairman Asif Bajwa to pay an amount ofRs.50,000 to POA president Arif Hasan infour weeks, while also rejecting Bajwa’sclaim that the latter is not the genuine POApresident.

In his judgment, the learned judge,Adnan Jamali, states, “As seen above, thewhole cause of action of plaintiff (AsifBajwa) is based on the judgement ofHonourable Supreme Court, ibid, hereinthe tenure restrictive clauses i.e. section 10and 11 of National Sports Policy-2005 wererevived. I have gone through the judgementand in utter dismay I am penning it downthat the plaintiff has deliberately misguidedthis court by hiding the operative part ofcourt’s judgement, which has deadly effecton the plaintiff ’s cause.

In the said judgement His Lordships ofHonourable Supreme Court have

specifically distant Pakistan OlympicAssociation from the application ofNational Sports Policy-2005 on hisfunctioning. Their Lordship observed asunder: ‘Respondent No.5 namely, PakistanOlympic Association was not affected bythe impugned judgement and remainsunaffected by our present decision.’ “On 12-2-2013 Defendant No.1 (Arif Hasan)appeared in court and placed on recordcopy of order sheet dated 7-2-2013 ofHonourable Islamabad High Court,wherein a status-quo order was passed byhis Lordship Justice Noor-ul-Haq N.Qureshi and in defiance of such orderpresent the plaintiff without fear of anyconsequence filed instant suit on next datei.e. 8-2-2013, which shows that the plaintiffhas no respect for superior court. In myview it is nothing but sheer abuse of judicialprocess. Therefore, the plaint is rejectedU/O 07-11 CPC being devoid of merit andcause of action with costs of Rs50.000which shall be paid to defendant No. 1 (ArifHasan) within four weeks from today.”

Misguiding the learned civil court

Interim committee chief Bajwaslapped with Rs.50,000 fine

SC annuls LHC stayagainst tax on incominginternational callsISLAMABAD: The Supreme Courton Thursday annulled a stay order ofthe Lahore High Court pertaining tocollection of additional tax onincoming international calls byPakistan TelecommunicationAuthority. The SC in its orderhighlighted that it was not in LHC’sdomain to suspend the tax.However, the Supreme Court orderalso apparently highlighted that thecase should instead be heard by theCompetition Commission ofPakistan (CCP). PTCL will turn outto be the biggest beneficiary as thecompany’s revenue is expected toincrease manifold with virtually nocost increments. Analysts believethat the order will be turnaroundstories for small loss making LDIoperators too. Earlier, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had warnedInternet Cafes and CD shop owners acouple of days ago to shift their businesselsewhere or completely shut down andrefusal to comply would result inconsequences. Today’s attack seemsconnected with the warning pamphletsdistributed to warn CD shop andInternet Cafe Owners. –AGENCIES

Aitzaz withdrawsfrom LPG quota caseISLAMABAD: Aitzaz Ahsan, acounsel for the respondents in theLiquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)quota case, informed a three-memberSupreme Court bench on Thursdaythat he had withdrawn himself as acounsel from the case. He requestedthe bench comprising Chief JusticeIftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry,Justice Khilji Arif Hussain andJustice Sh. Azmat Saeed, to grantsome time to his client for engaginganother counsel. The court acceptedhis request and adjourned thehearing for second week of March.On a court query, the petitionerKhawaja Muhammad Asif, a PML-Nlegislator, stated that he had noobjection over Aitzaz’s withdrawal.However, he told the court thatnational exchequer was sufferingfrom the huge loss on daily basis,thus the case may be heard onpriority basis. The court then toldhim that it would not hear hiscontentions today (Thursday) as MrAhsan had withdrawn from the case.The court said he would have topresent his contentions on nexthearing, when another counsel willbe available. –STAFF REPORTER

Peshawar CD shop blastkills one, injures 18PESHAWAR: A powerful blast rippedthrough a CD shop in Hashtbagrimobile market killing at least oneperson and injuring 18 others. Reportssaid between 1 and 1.5 kilograms ofexplosive material was used in the timebomb used for the explosion. Rescueofficials said the injured and dead werebeing shifted to Lady ReadingHospital. Police and other lawenforcement agency personnel havecordoned off the area. –AGENCIES

Shahzain Bugti, guardsacquitted in arms caseQUETTA: A lower court ofBalochistan Thursday released JWPPresident Shahzain Bugti and hisbody guards in an illegal weaponcase. On December 22, 2010,security forces arrested ShahzainBugti, seizing heavy arms andammunition from his convoy at acheckpost in Quetta. The sessionjudge Nooraiz Hooti released theconvicts due to the absence of theevidences against them. –ONLINE

FRIDAYFEBRUARY 22, 2013THE SPOKESMAN - RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD

ZEESHAN JAVAID

ISLAMABAD: State Bank Pakistan(SBP) Governor Yaseen AnwarThursday said that it would submitthe list of loan defaulters to theElection Commission of Pakistan(ECP) by Monday.

Chairperson of Senate StandingCommittee on Finance NasreenJalil and other members asked theSBP Governor to tell the committee

about the details of his meetingwith the ECP regarding loandefaulters and what mechanismwas finalized in this regard.

The SBP would complete theupdate of loan defaulters’ list byMonday and provide the names tothe ECP. “We are going to provide thenames of the persons who have failedto honour their financial obligationregarding loans,” he stated.

About the process followed by the

banks regarding loan defaulters,Anwar said when anybody fails tohonour his financial commitmenthe is given a specific period of timeto clear dues before being classifiedas defaulter.

The Governor said the entirerecord of loan defaulters during theperiod of 1999-2004 is in thepossession of Supreme Court andthe court regularly acquiresinformation from the SBP about

these cases. Another SBP officialsaid the Supreme Court, which istaking up the case, has maintainedthat banks must recover the loansinstead of these schemes.

He said a Commission set up by theSupreme Court and headed byJustice Jamshed submitted a reportwith recommendations to the courton Wednesday. “We are trying toobtain a copy of the report”, the SBPofficial stated.

Anwar said the SBP role is verysimple and straightforward and itwould simply forward the names ofloan defaulters to the ECP. The roleof the SBP would be to capture allreports of loan defaulters from thecommercial banks, routinelyprovided to the regulators.

She went on: “SBP is bound toprovide information to the ECPbecause its Article supersedes the lawof regulators on secrecy.”

EC to get defaulters list on Monday: SBP

MONITORING DESK

ISLAMABAD: At least half theAfghan Taliban recently freed fromPakistani prisons rejoined theinsurgency, a Pakistani intelligenceofficial told ABC News, throwinginto question the value of suchgoodwill gestures that the Afghangovernment requested to restart aflagging peace process.

A senior Western official oncondition of anonymity confirmedthat "some" newly-freed Taliban havereturned to the battlefield.

The development underscores thedifficulties in reaching a politicaldeal with the Taliban before the endof 2014, when NATO and the UStroops withdraw from Afghanistan.

Many Taliban released from the USprison at Guantanamo Bay have alsogone underground.

Despite some recent signs from theTaliban that they are willing to sharepower and want to avoid a civil war,the militants may well be playing fortime until 2014. That's also when theAfghans are scheduled to elect a newpresident to succeed Hamid Karzai,whom the insurgents consider anAmerican puppet.

The Taliban have long refused tospeak directly with Karzai or hisgovernment. They have said they willnegotiate only with the US, which hasheld secret talks with them in Qatar.But at Karzai's insistence, the US hassince sought to have the insurgentsspeak directly with the Afghan

government. Western officialsprivately say that the talks have so fargone no further.

At the request of the Afghan HighPeace Council late last year, Pakistanfreed 24 prisoners to coax a reluctantTaliban leadership to talk peacedirectly with Karzai's government.The release of the prisoners appearsto have backfired. The outcome isfurther testing an already troubledrelationship between Pakistan andAfghanistan, and drawing UScomplaints that Pakistan has notdone enough to keep track of thefreed Taliban.

Frustrated by the criticism,Islamabad said it doesn't have theresources to track the prisoners andthat no request was made to follow

the freed Taliban or to hand themover to the Afghan government.Afghan authorities have also releasedTaliban prisoners from their own jails,occasionally over the objections of theUS military, and have since lost trackof many of them.

Agencies add: Afghanistan hasassured Pakistan that it would handover senior Pakistani Talibancommander Maulvi FaqirMuhamamd who was arrested in theNangarhar province, Foreign Officespokesman Muazzam Khan saidThursday. The Foreign Officespokesman added that despite USreservations, Pakistan wascommitted to the gas pipeline projectwith Iran as this was in the interestof the country.

Freed Afghan Taliban return to the battlefield� Afghanistan assures Pakistan it will hand over Maulvi Faqir Drones killed 4,700, admits US Senator

WASHINGTON: A US senator has said an estimated 4,700 people, includingsome civilians, have been killed in the contentious bombing raids of America’ssecretive drone war, local media reported on Wednesday. It was the first time alawmaker or any government representative had referred to a total number offatalities in the drone strikes, which have been condemned by rights groups asextrajudicial assassinations. The toll from hundreds of drone-launched missilestrikes against suspected al Qaeda militants in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewherehas remained a mystery, as US officials refuse to publicly discuss any details ofthe covert campaign. But Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunchsupporter of the drone raids, openly cited a number that exceeds someindependent estimates of the death toll. “We’ve killed 4,700,” Graham wasquoted as saying by the Easley Patch, a local website covering the small town ofEasley in South Carolina. “Sometimes you hit innocent people, and I hate that,but we’re at war, and we’ve taken out some very senior members of al Qaeda,”Graham told the Easley Rotary Club. Graham’s office did not dispute hisreported remarks but suggested that he had not divulged any official, classifiedgovernment figure. A spokesman said the senator “quoted the figure that hasbeen publicly reported and disseminated on cable news.” –AGENCIES

QUETTA: Hazara Students Federation activists lighting candles and clay lamps in the memory of the martyrs of Hazara Town blast. –ONLINE

SAHTAK BALOCH

ISLAMABAD: A new hike in POLprices is on the cards as the federalcabinet’s Economic CoordinationCommittee (ECC) is likely toapprove the increase incommission margin on petroleumproducts today.

Sources told The Spokesman thatthe ECC is likely to take up thesummary of Petroleum Ministryseeking increase in the margin of oildealers and oil marketingcompanies. The meeting, beingchaired by newly-appointed FinanceMinister Senator Saleem HMandviwalla, is likely to give itsapproval to jack up the prices ofpetrol and diesel up to Rs0.65/litre,sources said.

“If ECC gives its approval to theproposed raise then theoverburdened consumers ofpetroleum products would bear thebrunt of increase in the margin ofdealers and marketing companiesbecause the prices would witness araise by Rs0.65/litre, a senior officialsaid, adding that Adviser Dr AsimHussain has also given his consentto increase the margin as the dealersand the companies has pleaded tothe ministry that their cost of doingbusiness had increased manifold

and it was impossible to run theirbusinesses on the existing volume ofmargins and commissions.

Available summary dispatched tothe ECC in haste by the PetroleumMinistry says,” The OMCs (Shell,Chevron, Total PARCO) were notcomfortable with the existingmargin on petroleum products areplanning to disinvest in Pakistan.”

At present petroleum dealers aregetting Rs2.37/litre margin over thesale of petrol and Rs2.20/litre inhigh-speed diesel (HSD) while themargin of Oil Marketing Companieson petrol stands at Rs1.98/litre andon diesel, it is Rs1.76/litre.

OGRA sources said the OGRA isexpected to oppose the move of theministry, seeking raise in OMCsmargin and dealers’ commission, asit is of the view that they are allalready getting reasonable marginsand commissions.

It merits mentioning here thatearlier during a petroleum ministry’smeeting have failed to develop therequired infrastructure as per theagreements and terms of the licensesthey have acquired which is why mostof the companies have not increasedtheir storage capacity of POLproduces. And because of this veryreason the country at times facesacute shortage of the POL products.

Another‘petrol bomb’set to explode

HYDERABAD: Twin bomb blastsrocked the Indian city of Hyderabadin the Dilsukh Nagar area onThursday with at least 18 peoplefeared dead in the explosions.

The blasts happened at twopoints - Konark theater andVenkatadri movie theater. Theblasts happened simultaneously ataround 7pm within a difference offive minutes.

Two cycles were used to causethe blasts as per initial reports. Athird bomb is said to have beenfound unexploded near a footbridge. Around 50 people havebeen injured in the blasts and havebeen rushed to the nearby hospital.The locality is said to be verycrowded and hosts a fruit market.This is the old area of the city. Theplace is said to have been filledwith people at the time of blasts.

The local police reached the spotand prelimnary investigations areon. Sniffer dogs are also on thespot.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister KiranKumar Reddy visited the spot totake stock of the situation and

appealed for calm. Speaking toreporters he said, "We will makesure that those behind the blastsare punished. This is an act ofcowardice. Whoever has died,from the state government's side,six lakhs will be given."

Around two days back an alerthad been sounded by theintelligence agencies to couple ofstates of impending blasts atvarious places. The matter hadbeen discussed at the UnionCabinet's meet.

Talking to reporters in thenational capital Union HomeMinsiter Sushilkumar Shinde saidthat he had apprised PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh of theblasts in Hyderabad. However, hesaid, "Cannot speculate on theperpetrators of the blast."

Union Home Secretary RKSingh also told reporters, "I haveinformation about the blasts. Thearea has been cordoned off.Investigation has started." The cityof Hyderabad has been rocked byblasts last in 2007 in which 42people were dead. –AGENCIES

Hyderabadblasts kill 18

Haj to cost more this yearISLAMABAD: Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khursheed ShahThursday said Haj this year would cost approximately Rs 63,000more as compared to last year due to increase in rupee-dollar parity‚enhanced air fares and centralized sacrifice. At a press briefing onthe new Haj Policy along with Information Minister Qamar ZamanKaira, he said depending on distance from Haram Sharif inMakkah‚ there would be three categories of accommodation - white‚green and blue. Haj expenses for white category would be 285,000from South (Karachi‚ Sukkur and Quetta) and Rs 295,000 fromNorth (rest of the country). Expenses for green category for Southwould be Rs 351,000 from South and Rs 361,000 from North. Hajexpenses for Blue category from North would be Rs 411,000 and421,000 from North. –ONLINE

RAWALPINDI: Two main prosecutionwitnesses in Benazir Bhutto’s murder caseThursday apprised an Anti-Terrorism Courtthat the crime scene was washed off aftercollecting all necessary evidences as perpractice followed in such incidents.

District Emergency Officer Dr AbdulRehman and Firefighting Officer GhulamMuhammad Naz appeared before SpecialJudge of ATC-1 Chaudhry Habibur Rehmanfor cross-questioning and informed that ifthe incident site was not cleansed timely, thelaw and order situation would haveworsened there.

The witnesses told the court that it hasbeen a practice of the city’s concerneddepartments that sites of bomb blasts orsuicide attacks are washed off within 90 to105 minutes aimed at avoiding publicprovocation.

Naz said when he reached the site, securitypersonnel and police team were busy incollecting evidences. “When all evidenceswere collected from the site, the fire brigadewashed off the area after receiving theorders,” he said.

Dr Abdul Rehman informed the court thatthere was no negligence as all evidences weregathered with due care.

He said law and order situation in the citycould have worsened, if the blood spots andwreckage of destroyed items were notremoved from the incident site timely.

Senior Public Prosecutor of the FederalInvestigation Agency (FIA) ChaudhryZulfiqar Ahmed and counsel for formerpolice officials Malik Rafiq accusedformer city police officer Syed Saud Azizand former superintendent of RawalTown Police Khurram Shahzad. MalikRafiq asked various questions to theprosecution witnesses about hosing downthe crime scene.

On Feb 13, the Lahore High Court haddirected the ATC to complete the BenazirBhutto murder case trial in three months.

The high-profile case has lingered on incourts for more than five years now. –APP

No negligence: Witnesses

BB murder sitewashed off to avoidbacklash, ATC told

MONITORING DESK

LONDON: Three Britons have beenfound guilty of leading a terroristbomb plot that could have beenbigger than the July 7 bombings.

Irfan Naseer, 31, Irfan Khalid, 27,and Ashik Ali, 27, all fromBirmingham, intended to mounteight suicide bombings and poisonattacks as Britain prepared to holdthe Olympics.

Police believe it was the mostsignificant terror plot to beuncovered since the 2006conspiracy to blow up transatlanticairliners using bombs disguised assoft drinks. Khalid even boastedthat the outrage was “another 9/11”as “revenge for everything”.

During their trial at WoolwichCrown Court, the jury heard how themen - who referred to themselves asthe Four Lions from the spoofcomedy - plotted a number ofterrorist attacks. The court heardhow the men had raised £12,000 for

to fund the attack but then lost£9,000 playing the currency marketsforcing them to turn to payday loans.In surveillance recordings, Naseerwas heard talking about thepossibility of mixing poison intoCREAMS and smearing them on carhandles to cause mass deaths.

Naseer was found guilty of fivecounts of engaging in conduct inpreparation of terrorist acts, Khalidfour, and Ali three, all betweenChristmas Day 2010 and September19 2011. Naseer and Khalid alsotravelled to Pakistan for training,and Naseer helped others travel tothe country for the same purpose.

“The defendants were proposingto detonate up to eight rucksackbombs in a suicide attack and/or todetonate bombs on timers incrowded areas in order to causemass deaths and casualties.” Naseerand Khalid both travelled to terroristtraining camps in Pakistan between2009 and 2011 to learn about bomb-making, poisons and firearms.

3 Britons convictedfor ‘another 9/11’

Published by Ahmad Waleed from Yasmin Majeed Printing Press, 69-Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi