Friday, 26 April, 2013 Jamadul Sani 15, 1434Rs 17.00 Vol III No 299 19 Pages Islamabad — Peshawar Edition

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eCp rules out delay in elections

Do not vote,warn ttp threatpamphlets

sC orders audit of information Ministry’ssecret fund

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stories on page 19

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Pakistan wants peace in Afghanistan

before the withdrawal of foreign

troops. – Maleeha Lodhi

do not vote, warnTTP threatpamphletsKARACHI: The banned Tehreek-e-Tal-iban Pakistan (TTP) distributed pam-phlets in Buner, Peshawar and differentareas of Karachi warning citizens not toparticipate in the upcoming elections.Leaflets were distributed in various areasof Karachi warning people against at-tending political rallies and casting theirvotes at polling stations. Local adminis-tration and security officials were report-edly unaware of any such incident. Thepamphlets warned voters that they wouldbe responsible for their own lives. TTPspokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan told amedia outlet that democracy was un-Is-lamic and was the agenda of secularforces in Pakistan due to which theywere opposed to it. He added that themilitant organisation would continue itsfight against secular forces and govern-ments which were backed by externalsecular countries. Pamphlets were re-ceived near a mosque in Shingrai inShalbandi area of Buner warning resi-dents against taking part in upcomingelections. Local residents and securitypersonnel confirmed that the threateningleaflets were distributed in the areawhich had warned of similar conse-quences to those of the 2008 by-electionsin the area. The pamphlets were issuedby Taliban militants based in Malakanddivision’s Swat area. Similar pamphletswere distributed in Peshawar’s Badaber,Mattni and Adizai areas. AGENCIES

Pakistan ulema Council declares voting ‘islamic responsibility’

ISLAMABAD: Religious scholars fromthe Pakistan Ulema Council have issueda fatwa that declares not casting vote asin, adding that voting was an Islamic re-sponsibility. The fatwa further states thatwomen have equal rights to vote, addingthat it was not religion that barred themfrom voting but the feudal system. ONLINE

2 PmL-n leaders jailed for dual nationality, fake degree SAHIWAL/KASUR: The district andsessions courts of Kasur and Sahiwal onThursday sentenced another two PML-N leaders Rao Mazhar Hayat in a fakedegree case and Zahid Iqbal in a dualnationality case. Sahiwal sessionscourt sent PML-N leader Zahid Iqbal tojail for 15 months in dual nationalitycase. Sessions Judge Mushtaq Ahmedalso imposed a Rs15,000 fine on Iqbal.He was immediately arrested as hecame out of the court. Separately,Kasur District and Sessions Judge TariqIftikhar Ahmed sent PML-N leader RaoMazhar Hayat to jail for two years in afake degree case. Hayat was also finedRs 20,000. INP

KARACHI/QUETTA/PESHAWARSTAFF REPORT

IN continuing incidents of vio-lence that threaten holding of thegeneral election on May 11, atleast 12 more people, includingsix political workers and four

personnel of law enforcement agencies,were killed in separate incidents of vio-lence in Karachi, Balochistan’s Noshkidistrict and Karak district in KhyberPakhtunkhwa on Thursday, while severalother were left seriously injured.KARACHI BOMBING

At least five supporters of the Mut-tahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) werekilled and 13 others wounded when a blastripped through the party’s election officein the Nusrat Bhutto Colony area onThursday night. This is the second bombattack on the MQM in as many days.Three party workers were killed in the firstbombing targeting the party’s election of-fice at People’s Chowrangi.

Initial reports suggested that the bombwas planted in a motorcycle near theMQM election office. The explosion dam-aged nearby buildings and vehicles.Sources said that three brothers wereamong the five deceased.MQM CALLS FOR STRIKE

Reacting strongly to the bomb attack,the MQM Coordination Committee has

postponed its election rally in Nawab Shahscheduled for today (Friday) until Satur-day, and appealed to traders, transportersand citizens to join the party in mourningthe loss of its party workers and condemn-ing the attacks on political parties in aSindh-wide strike.

The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pak-istan (TTP) has claimed responsibility forthe attack. Speaking to a media outlet,TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said themilitants had targeted the MQM as theyvowed to do so in the past. In nearby Hy-derabad, a Rangers personnel was killedwhen unidentified men attacked theRangers Headquarters in the city. BALOCHISTAN ATTACK

In Balochistan’s Noshki area, one per-son was killed and another was injured ina hand grenade attack on the election of-fice of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) can-

didate Sardar Umar Gorgach, who is alsoa former federal minister.

Three persons were also killed in var-ious parts of the volatile province while anElection Commission office was attackedin Kalat.

According to reports, the party work-ers were sitting in the office in the mainNoshki bazaar when two persons riding amotorcycle threw a hand grenade on them,killing one person instantly.

Furthermore, unidentified attackersthrew a hand grenade in the premises of anElection Commission office in Kalat. Thegrenade landed with a huge blast butcaused no damage. Moreover, unknownpersons gunned down a police constablein a shooting on a Chamalang-bound pas-senger wagon in Loralai town.

In Awaran district, two unidentifiedmotorcyclists killed a man while another

was left injured with multiple bulletwounds. ENCOUNTER IN KARAK

A bloody encounter between militantsand police in Karak left two police offi-cials and four militants dead while threepolicemen were injured, police said.

On a tip-off about the presence of mil-itants in the Teri area in Banda Daudshahtehsil, the police started a search operation.When the militants saw the police party,they started indiscriminate firing. The po-lice retaliated and in the ensuing encounterthat continued for several hours, ASIKhurshid Khan, Constable Ashraf Zahidand four of the militants were killed. PARACHINAR ATTACK

In Parachinar, a man was killed andthree more were injured when a tractorcollided with an improvised explosive de-vice (IED) planted on the roadside.

Terrorism monsTerdevours 12 more

Six political activiStSand four lawenforcementperSonnel amongthoSe killed inviolence in karachi,noShki and karak

ISLAMABADSTAFF REPORT

After expressing satisfaction over security arrangementsput in place by provincial governments for the May11 elections, the Election Commission of Pak-istan on Thursday ruled out any possibilityof delay in elections. A meeting held at theECP on Thursday reviewed securityarrangements in detail. Representatives ofECP, NADRA, Defence Ministry,Rangers, Ministry of Interior, Ministry ofLaw and all four provincial governmentsparticipated. CEC Fakhruddin G Ebrahimafter reviewing security arrangements ex-pressed satisfaction. During the meeting,Defence Secretary Asif Yaseen Malik sug-gested the Election Commission to use army asa “Quick Response Force” on polling day to maintainlaw and order. The army would also perform security dutiesat marked sensitive polling stations, the CEC was told. The

meeting discussed the strategy pertaining to security of polit-ical leadership during electioneering and polling stations onthe polling day and the participants shared views over the sub-

ject. It was decided that modalities to deploy armywould be left for the military commanders and

local administration so that the force could beused per need. The ECP also decided to con-

tact WAPDA chairman and finance secre-tary so that there was no load-sheddingbetween May 11 and 13 to keep the elec-tion process smooth. Security in the up-coming polls has been a major problemfor the government and the ECP, as sev-eral political parties and leaders have be-

come target of terrorist during theircandidatures, particularly in KP. After the

meeting, ECP Secretary Isthiak Ahmed Khansaid all provincial secretaries and defence sec-

retary assured the commission that they would en-sure peaceful environment for the elections. He said thatElections would be held on May 11 at all cost.

Amnesty urges authoritiesto probe election violenceISLAMABAD: Amnesty International called onPakistan Thursday to investigate a wave of attacksand threats against politicians and election workersthat have marred the run-up to key polls next month.At least 26 people have been killed by bombers andgunmen since April 11, including 16 mown downby a suicide bomber at a rally by the Awami Na-tional Party (ANP) in Peshawar, according to anAFP tally. Militants have directly threatened thethree main parties in the outgoing government, thePakistan People’s Party (PPP), the ANP and theMuttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which areoften described as secular. “This has been a particu-larly deadly election period marked by an alarmingsurge in attacks and intimidation of political ac-tivists and election officials,” said Mustafa Qadri,Amnesty’s Pakistan researcher, in an open letter.Amnesty said at least 37 people had been killed and183 injured in attacks on election officials and partyrepresentatives and supporters countrywide. As a re-sult of the threats, there have been few large-scalepolitical rallies leading to a lacklustre campaign forthe May 11 polls. “With these deliberate attacks, thearmed groups have shown flagrant disregard forhuman rights, including the rights to life, freedom ofexpression and freedom of peaceful assembly,”Qadri said. AGENCIES

ECP rules out delay in elections

KARACHI: A rescue worker and Rangers personnel inspect the damage

after a bomb attack on the office of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on

Thursday night in which five people were killed and 13 injured. ONLINE

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Friday, 26 April, 2013

Caretaker govt is extending all possible assistance

to Elelection Commission in conducting the general

elections. – Prime Minister Hazar Khan Khoso

sC wants AG, Law ministryto speed up process ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed theattorney general of Pakistan and the Law Ministry to speed upthe process for issuing an ordinance to give the right of fran-chise to expatriates. The three-member bench headed by ChiefJustice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising JusticeGulzar Ahmad and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed resumed thehearing into identical constitutional petitions by Imran Khanand others. During the course of the proceedings, the CJP said itwas the desire of the constitution not that of the Supreme Courtand it was the court’s obligation to follow the constitution.Deputy Attorney General Ali Zai informed the court of the gov-ernment’s concern that granting voting rights to overseas Pak-istanis was almost impossible as it needed a lot of time. “Thesoftware is untested which is the real problem and testing thesoftware is not possible before May 11,” he said. The CJP saidprima facie the government was not serious in providing votingrights to overseas Pakistanis. “All the stockholders are willingbut the government is using delaying tactics,” the CJP said. APP

ISLAMABADONLINE

THE Supreme Courthas ordered FederalAudit DG Dr AsifurRehman to scruti-nise Rs 180 million

utilised from the secret fund of In-formation Ministry within threeweeks.

The three-member bench underthe chairmanship of Justice JawwadS Khawaja started hearing the caseon Thursday.

Attorney General Irfan Qadirraised objections about the publicis-ing and audit of the secret fund ofMinistry of Information and Broad-casting. He said his character assas-sination was being carried out in themedia and the court should take no-tice of it.

The bench sought reply fromthe attorney general, Ministry of In-formation and Broadcasting andother concerned on May 2.

Justice Khawaja said theamount was taken from the pock-ets of the public, so the courtwould take account of every singlepenny. Clean journalists wouldcome out from the audit, the courtsaid.

It asked the Ministry of Infor-mation to provide the list of benefi-ciaries of the secret fund after theattestation of three officers of theministry. “If the list proves bogus,

the court will take action against theofficer who attested it.”ASMA’S LASHES OUT

The SC’s decision to publishthe list of journalists who were al-legedly paid by the InformationMinistry from its secret funds drewflak from Asma Jahangir, who is ep-resenting journalists who denied re-

ceiving any such benefits.“The Supreme Court’s website

is not a gossip column. There is alimit to such things,” a visiblyangry Jahangir told the bench.

As the hearing of the casebegan today, several journalistsfiled applications saying theirnames had been falsely included inthe said list.

Responding to Asma’s criti-cism, Justice Khawaja said the listwas corroborated and signed by thesecretary and director general of theconcerned ministry.

Jahangir however said the SCdid not publish the names of hard-ened criminals on its website.

“Instead you have put orangesand apples in one box,” Asma re-sponded.

Furthermore, Justice Khawajasaid the list was published in orderto inform the world about the truth;

hence, theapex courtdirected theaudit of thelist. He alsosaid that thej u d i c i a r ywas not a

holy cow.Moreover, Jahangir said the

court should get out of the state ofself-righteousness and stop engag-ing in ‘loose talk’. Attorney GeneralIrfan Qadir objected to her remarks.

Federal Audit DG Dr AsifurRehman told the court that he ap-peared on behalf of the AuditorGeneral of Pakistan and that theyreceived the list and order of thecourt two days earlier. “The matterpertains to Rs 860 million and itsaudit may be completed withinthree weeks or more time.”

Justice Khawaja said manycontroversies had been createdabout the usage of secret fund as ithad not been audited in the past.

“Once the audit would be con-ducted everything would becomeclear.”

Senior Journalist ShakeelTurabi said offi-cials of the min-istry had notadded names oftheir blue-eyedjournalists in thelist that washanded over tothe court. Tothis, the courtsaid their nameswould also comeout.

Absar Alamsaid his commu-nity wanted

audit of secret fund but the name ofthe innocent people should be re-moved who did not benefit from thesecret fund.

The court adjourned the hearinguntil May 2.

nAB ends RPP probewithout informing sC

sC orders audit of infoministry’s secret fund

the supreMe Court’swebsite is not agossip ColuMn.there is a liMit tosuCh things!

expats’ right to vote (

(

LHC orders action against 14 candidates LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday orderedaction against 14 candidates in Articles 62 and 63 implementa-tion case. A full bench resumed hearing and issued the order totake action against 14 contesting candidates. The court also sum-moned record from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) regarding 1,319 candi-dates who had moved appeals in the court. In this regard, theState Bank, NAB and the FBR have been issued notices for fur-ther proceeding. The court has made it clear that the main job ofthe Election Commission of Pakistan is not limited to the holdingof general elections; rather it has to do a lot of things after elec-tions. “If anybody wants a medal in this regard, he would be be-stowed with special award after elections,” said the court order.On the other hand, the ECP is of the view that it was busy inmaking arrangements for holding of free and fair elections. Like-wise, the FBR is of the opinion that the data of more than 600candidates was provided to the ECP but returning officers hadnot conducted scrutiny honestly. AGENCIES

Terrorists trying toderail polls: Habib

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker InteriorMinister Malik Habib on Thursday saidsome external and internal elementswanted to derail electoral process inPakistan. He said the caretaker govern-ment had formulated an effective strat-egy to maintain peace and tranquility inthe county during polls. Talking to aprivate TV channel, Habib said that lawenforcers had identified the elementswhich wanted to spread unrest inKarachi during electoral process. Heclaimed that morale of law-enforce-ment agencies was high to tackle ter-rorists in the country. The caretakergovernment was coordinating with lawenforcers to formulate strategy againstterrorists. To a question, he claimedthat the caretaker government wouldestablish a peaceful environment dur-ing polls. The caretaker governmentwas using all resources to maintainpeace across the country, he added.He said that symbolic presence duringpolls was necessary across the countryduring polls, adding that Rangers per-sonnel would be deployed inside thesensitive polling stations. He claimedthat the caretaker government wouldset all to ensure free, fair and transpar-ent elections in the country. He saidthat maximum security would be as-sured to the polling staff during polls toavoid the incidents of harassment. Toanother question, he said that the care-taker government would remove thereservations of all political stakeholdersof Balochistan and Karachi regardingsecurity issues. APP

MONITORING DESK

The National Accountability Bureau(NAB) discreetly ended its investigationinto the high-profile Rental Power Plants(RPPs) corruption case involving formerprime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf lastmonth without informing the SupremeCourt, according to media reports.

In fact, not only was the SC notkept in the loop, NAB also sought moretime from the apex court on Wednesdayto conduct further investigations despitealready closing the case.

During Wednesday’s proceedings,which were headed by Chief JusticeIftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, NABProsecutor General (Accountability)KK Agha requested the court to grantan extra month to the bureau so that itcould complete its investigation. Thistime, Agha said, was needed to complywith the court’s orders regarding thefiling of references against the accusedbefore the accountability court and forinitiating action against them.

However, official documentsavailable with a local newspaper re-vealed that the investigation into theRPPs scandal was ended three days be-fore the end of the Pakistan People’sParty-led government’s tenure. OnMarch 13, the executive board meetingof NAB closed the investigations intothe alleged corrupt practices and mis-use of authority in awarding the 192megawatts RPP contract to PakistanPower Resources Piranghib Multan.

According to documents, the inves-tigation was closed on the grounds thatsince there was no money trail, Mensrea (guilty mind or intent) could not beproved and there was only violation ofPublic Procurement Regulatory Author-ity Rules and it appeared that the viola-tion was resorted to save money.

Similarly, the anti-graft body alsoended its investigation into the150MW RPP contract which wasawarded to Techno Engineering Serv-

ices (Pvt) Ltd at Sahuwal, Sialkot,causing Rs 20.44 million in losses tothe national exchequer. The contents ofthe meeting’s decision regarding thiscase reads: “Investigation Officerfailed to collect any evidence about acriminal act and the money trail somens rea cannot be established, andthere is only violation of PPRA Rulesand it appears that the violation was re-sorted to save money. The investiga-tion into the government functionariesis closed except the company, whichshould be offered Voluntary Return ifany amount is due against them.”

The reasons given by NAB to jus-tify the closure of the investigation sug-gest that many high profile governmentofficials who were allegedly involvedin corruption amounting to billions ofrupees have been given a clean chit.

The winding up of the cases, atleast by NAB, is good news for the ac-cused, which included Ashraf, formerfinance minister Shaukat Tarin, formerfinance secretary Salman Siddique, for-mer water and power secretary ShahidRafi and former establishment andwater and power secretary IsmailQureshi, among others.

The copy of the letter pertaining tothe minutes of the EB meeting held onMarch 13 at NAB headquarters was is-sued with the stamp and signature ofBrigadier (r) Farooq Naseer Awan, theprincipal secretary to NAB chairman.

The Supreme Court on January 15,2013 had ordered NAB to arrest for-mer premier Ashraf and 15 others, in-cluding Tareen. A three-member benchheaded by Chief Justice Chaudhry alsodirected NAB to submit a report onJanuary 17. The court said that, on theface of it, the accountability body’s in-vestigating officers case were not beingallowed to ensure the implementationof the court’s judgment in letter andspirit. Kamran Faisal, one of the leadinvestigators in the case was alsofound dead on January 18.

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Friday, 26 April, 2013

Power Crisis Toworsen in nexTTHree monTHs

The electricity crisis is expected to

get worse in the coming three peak

summer months as oil stocks are

plunging to historic low with reserves

covering less than two days and the

Pakistan State Oil (PSO) is canceling

shipments of fuel for May. Anticipating the

worst power crisis, the government came

up on Wednesday with an offer to a group

of 10 independent power producers (IPPs)

to put on hold their financial claims for two

months and run their plants to full capacity

against direct fuel supplies to them on

credit. “Practically, it is a two-way short-

term moratorium on cash payments. The

IPPs will not pay anything to fuel suppliers

and run their plants to full capacity without

getting payments for electricity they sell to

the power system. The government will be

responsible to meet their fuel

requirements,” a senior official told Dawn

after talks between IPPs and a government

team, led by Minister for Water and Power

Dr Musadik Malik. mONITORING dESK

Partial lunareclipse occurs onThursdayISLAMABAD: A partial moon eclipse

occurred on Thursday night and it was

visible in all parts of the country.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological

Department the penumbral eclipse of

moon began at around 11:04pm and

the partial eclipse started at 12:52am.

It reached its peak at 01:09am and

ended by 01:30am. NNI

Pakistani-Americanarrested overterrorism chargesVIRGINIA: A Pakistani-born US citizen

has been taken into custody on charges

for allegedly making threats of terrorism

against county officials, local American

media reported on Thursday. Saad Lodhi

started making threats after federal

lawsuits he filed against Fairfax County

were dismissed, foreign media reported.

According to the affidavit, Lodhi sent

threatening emails to several county

officials since May 2012. “Lodhi sent an

email … with the statement ‘Advise the

Board of Supervisors to start hiring new

commonwealth attorneys because I’m

about to tell them what municipal fatality

means very soon’,” the affidavit said. In an

April 3 email to the Board of Supervisors,

Lodhi is quoted as writing, “Dear Fairfax

County Board of Supervisors, just to give

you an update, we are now proceeding to

the next phase of warfare. I just submitted

a concealed weapons permit… and once

that clears through, I have a special gift

for Fairfax County commonwealth attorney

– click click click.” ONLINE

Three Britishmuslim men jailedfor terror offencesLONDON: Three British Muslims,

including a convert who was featured in a

documentary about radical Islam and a

former London police support officer,

were jailed on Thursday for terror

offences. Richard Dart, Imran Mahmood

and Jahangir Alom pleaded guilty last

month for traveling to Pakistan for terror

training between 2010 and 2012. Dart,

who appeared in a BBC documentary that

chronicled the efforts of his filmmaker

stepbrother to understand why he had

embraced an uncompromising form of

Islam, was jailed for six years Thursday

at London’s Old Bailey court. Alom, a

former police support officer who

appeared in an online video expounding

hardline beliefs, was sentenced to four

years and Mahmood to more than nine

years. ONLINE

LAHORENAdEEm SyEd

It is not just true about Lahore butelsewhere in the Punjab too, thefinal outcome – who is going towin, and who is going to lose – isawfully difficult to predict.

A certain measure of uncer-tainty is an intrinsic part of theelections, yet in the previouselections in so many constituen-cies one used to get the feel of thecandidate who was ahead of thepack. And also could safely esti-mate the number of seats any ofthe two major contestants were

going to win. Not this timearound, for almost in every con-stituency it is not just a three-waycontest, but with other factorsthrown in it has become an in-triguing, too close to callelection constituencyafter constituency. Eventhe all-powerful Estab-lishment, said a well in-formed source, has littleclue about how the chipsare going to fall.

In public and in private, thePML-N leaders display an air ofconfidence and certainty. They ac-tually seem quite cocky about their

chances, and brag about being onthe home run – ‘our turn’, theyclaim. Only the other day KhawajaSaad Rafique, dishing out his

analysis was of the view thatreal contest in the city was

on just a few seats. Onothers, he held forth, thePPP and PTI were nomatch to the ‘N’. Even

so, he was kind enoughto ‘grant’ one seat to the

PPP, and here too he promiseda close contest.

Knowing Lahore’s con-stituency politics as intimately asthe back of their hand, some ana-

lysts foresee the PPP going firstpast the post in three to four con-stituencies. In the rest, they seethe PTI and the PML-N slugfest.

Khawaja Saad Rafique’sbluster notwithstanding, deepdown the Sharifs too are feelingthe heat and doing everything intheir power to turn things around.There is this palpable sense of ap-prehension around them , thoughthere is no shortage of peoplewho think that they are through atleast up to the extent of Punjab.

Amid this air of uncertainty,one thing though is certain: thePTI is making waves. Whatever

the PML- N ranks may say aboutits prospects, the PTI is now aforce to reckon with, making itspresence felt on the ground. ThePTI mantra of ‘Change’ is defi-nitely gaining currency. And onecan note a growing goodwill forPTI amongst the youth, womenand even working classes. Butthe main question: how much ofthis goodwill gets translated intoelectoral success? The PTI’s dra-matic rise as a potent third forcehas disturbed the conventionalcalculations, and political analystsare not really certain by howmuch Imran Khan and the PTI aregoing to dent the PML-N and thePPP? These are only guesstimatesat the moment, but for the PML-N particularly, the setback couldbe a sizeable one.

ISLAMABADSHAIQ HUSSAIN

AFTER a long period of un-willingness on holdingtalks with the United States(US), the Afghan Taliban

have shown an inclination for re-sumption of peace dialogue withthe US, that had broken down inMarch 2012 in Doha.

The talks in Doha between theMullah Omar-led Taliban and USwere suspended after Taliban repre-sentatives led by Tayyab Agha, a closeaide of Mullah Omar, blamed Wash-ington for going back on its promiseto release some senior insurgent lead-ers from Guantanamo Bay.

Taliban representatives includingTayyab Agha, Maulvi ShahabuddinDilawar, former Taliban ambassadorto Saudi Arabia Sohail Shaheen, for-mer Taliban envoy in Pakistan andQari Deen Muhammad have beenleading a quiet life in Doha alongwith their families since the collapseof talks in March last year.

However, diplomatic sourcessaid off late there had been indica-tions that the Taliban leadershipcould give its nod to re-engagementin talks with US officials in Qatar.

They said the Taliban were wellaware that they needed to sit on thedialogue table with American author-ities before US withdrawal fromAfghanistan in 2014.

A source said the Taliban wouldstill like the US to set free their lead-ers from Guantanamo Bay and alsorecognise their movement as a grouprepresenting Afghan people and nota terrorist organisation.

“The difference this time couldbe that these Taliban conditions couldbe discussed in talks with the US of-ficials in Doha and they would not belike any pre-conditions to resume thesuspended talks,” the source said.

Another source, familiar with thelatest developments on theAfghanistan reconciliation processsaid indications that Taliban could re-sume talks with the US didn’t meanthat they (Taliban) could go for anyimmediate ceasefire in Afghanistan,as was desired by the US.

“Taliban are likely to continuewith their attacks on NATO andAfghan troops as part of their strat-egy to put pressure on their oppo-nents so that if and when there werepeace negotiations, the Taliban rep-resentatives could speak from a po-sition of strength,” said a source.

A Pakistani official when con-tacted said he was unaware of anywillingness on part of the Taliban toresume talks with Washington. How-ever, he said the matter of talks be-tween different Afghan groups and theTaliban talks with US was discussedin the recent meeting in Brussels be-tween the US Secretary of State JohnKerry, Pakistan Army Chief Gen Ash-faq Parvez Kayani and Afghan Presi-dent Hamid Karzai.

He said it was agreed during theBrussels meeting to accelerate effortsto bring Taliban to the table of negoti-ations so that the “sluggish”Afghanistan reconciliation processcould be given the required thrust.

He said the three sides also agreedon the need to work for ironing outdifferences between Islamabad andKabul on various issues.

The official said Pakistan wascommitted to continue its positiveand constructive role towardsachievement of a durable peace inAfghanistan.

“Islamabad, however, needsKabul to reciprocate in the same man-ner and instead of engaging in anyblame-game through media, it shouldwork to improve ties between Pak-istan and Afghanistan,” he said.

MONITORING DESK

Internet users are likely toface a slowdown in browsingspeed once again as an impor-tant submarine cable thatmanages 40 percent of thecountry’s total bandwidth (in-ternet traffic) will undergomaintenance and repairs fromApril 28, industry sourcessaid. They also suggested thatgiven the undersea cables’vulnerability to damage, Pak-istan needed to increase its in-ternet landing points.

South East Asia-MiddleEast-Western Europe-4, alsoknown as SMW-4, is one ofthe four submarine cables thatconnect Islamabad globallyvia the internet. The 18,800-kilometre long fibre opticcable developed fault in itswestern segment betweenAlexandria (Egypt) and Mar-seilles (France) on March 27.

The breakdown came at atime when India-Middle East-Western Europe, another in-ternet landing point for thecountry, was being repairedand the country’s internet traf-fic plummeted over 60%.

According to updates, theinternet service providers(ISPs), which received band-width from SMW-4 NetworkOperations Centre, the repairwork of the affected segmentwill start on April 28 and mightcontinue into May. The centre,however, did not give an esti-

mated time the repair will take.“The damaged cable is

pulled to the surface by diversor robots and is then repaired,”Convener of Internet ServiceProviders Association of Pak-istan, Wahajus Siraj, said.

“Sometimes the damagedpart is replaced by a joint of upto three kilometres dependingon the damage done,” he said.Once repaired, the robots re-place it well under the seabed.Admitting that undersea cablesare vulnerable to damage, Sirajsaid, “These cables are usuallydamaged by the anchors offishing trawlers, which canpenetrate the seabed and strikethe undersea cables.”

The high-end users, ac-cording to industry sources,had switched to more expen-sive satellite-based connec-tions, but a majority of internetusers faced myriad of prob-lems as a result of this break-down. The operators shouldincrease the number of under-sea links to avoid major out-ages in the future, they said.

“Given the frequent out-ages and risk of damage to theundersea cables, we must dou-ble our landing points,” sug-gested Haroon Rashid,Director of Interconnect Part-ners, who also works for theBroadband Commission of In-ternational Telecommunica-tion Union (ITU), a UnitedNations specialised agencyfor ICTs based in Geneva.

KABULNNI

Following withdrawal of in-ternational troops fromAfghanistan by the end of2014, Washington and Lon-don will keep their drones tosupport Afghan securityforces continue fightingagainst insurgency, NATO’sAir Force General JakePolumbo said.

Present challenges facingthe Afghan air force requiredusing the unmanned aerialvehicles beyond the end of2014, Polumbo said. “Afghanair force will need time till2016 to end up at full opera-tional capability (FOC). Theway we have partnered withthe Afghan security forces, inparticular the air force, is tobe committed to that dura-tion, to bring on these air-crafts, these trainingmechanisms, and the like,”the senior NATO and US air-

man said.The US general added

that there were currently6,000 aircrafts for the Afghanair force, yet only one per-cent of them were capable ofcarrying out air operations.“The results are showing, notonly in the training environ-ment but more importantlyon the battlefield. Afghan airforce airmen have conductedre-supply missions to remoteAfghan national army loca-tions in Nurestan province inthe east, and they have pro-vided direct support toAfghan border police in Pak-tika, Zabul province in theeast and also down in thesouth in Kandaharprovince,” he said.

“During recent combatoperations Afghan air forcehelicopters flew life-savingcasualty evacuation flightsand they also conducted inde-pendent air assaults in thecontested areas.”

3-hour reduction inload shedding now, 5hours from may: sethi

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

Punjab Chief Minister Najam Sethi on Thurs-day said that immediate relief would be pro-vided to citizens as load shedding would bereduced by three hours till May 1 and reducedby five hours after the said date. He furtherclarified that restaurants in Punjab would notbe shut down after 11pm to save electricity.The interim chief minister said that the federalgovernment had given approval to the releaseof Rs 45 billion for reducing load shedding.“After release of this money, there would be asignificant reduction in load shedding acrossthe province,” he said. However, the chiefminister announced that street lights would beshut off across the province to conserve en-ergy. Furthermore, the chief minister said thatdue to decrease in load shedding, the law andorder situation would improve in the province.Sethi said that as chief minister, he had beencalling out energy crisis as a national problemsince the first day. He stressed the need foradopting a national approach for resolving theissue. The chief minister said that the presi-dent, prime minister, federal ministers, in-dustrialists, traders and representatives of themedia were apprised of the seriousness ofthe load shedding during meetings.

Taliban hinttowards peace talksresumption with us

Drones to stay for‘support’: nato general

ISLAMABADSTAFF REPORT

The World Health Organisa-tion (WHO) acting head inPakistan, Dr Nima Saeed Abidon Thursday warned the coun-try against a rising number ofmeasles cases because of poorimmunisation coverage acrossthe country, saying only 59percent of minors in Punjabhad been vaccinated so far.

Addressing a news con-ference, Dr Nima said foodinsecurity as well as substan-dard food were the mainproblems being faced by thePakistani children, addingthat this was making the sit-uation worse. He said inter-national stakeholders werewell aware of the situationand had recently held a sit-

ting to review the scenario inPakistan. “There are variousprogrammes under progressat the provincial level in thisconnection,” Dr Nima said,adding however that theneed of the hour was creat-ing awareness regarding thedisease among rural womenand children. The WHO’sacting head was of the viewthat international health en-tities had expressed concernsover the rise of measles inPakistan. Regarding polio,Dr Nima said the situationworst than measles.

“Pakistan is rated amongthose countries where thepolio situation is not muchhopeful,” he said, adding at-tacks on polio teams werecontributing a lot to the de-teriorating situation.

pakistan at risk of measles,polio, warns who

internet speed toslow down againfor cable repairs

with the pti factor, too close to call

eleCtion

Diary

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IslAmABAd

IFriday, 26 April, 2013

05

Low

high

SAtUrdAY SUndAY MOndAY27C I 18°C 28°C I 16°C 28°C I 18°C

PRAyER TImINGS

rAIn

WeAther UpdAteS

260C

Fajr Sunrise Zuhr Asr Maghrib Isha

3:58 5:27 12:06 3:47 6:45 8:15

160C

Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might

endanger the morals of an individual, the former invariably

endangers the morals of the entire country. –Karl Kraus

ISLAMABADZAIN-UL-ISLAm

THE Capital DevelopmentAuthority (CDA) hasclaimed that work on thePark Enclave project willfinish by the end of this year

but the authority is already destined tomiss its deadline of the Margalla AvenueSang Jani project due to lack of funds andincompetence, Pakistan Today has learnt.

The CDA has claimed that it wasvigorously busy in finishing work on thePark Enclave. “I am personally monitoringthe development work as its quality andtimely completion will be ensured tofacilitate the allottees,” said CDA ChairmanSyed Tahir Shahbaz on Thursday.

On the other hand, the Rs 588 millionworth project of the Margala Avenue SangJani was launched in June 2012 and itsconstruction of 9 kilometres long road wasto be completed by this June. According toreliable sources, the road project cannotmeet the deadline due to “financial crisis theagency is facing.” It was also said that onlya small portion of the project had beencompleted in the last 10 months. The sourcealso said that on several places the CDA hadyet to procure land for the avenue. Lack ofplanning in the CDA is obvious from theauthority’s inability in completing theMargala Avenue Sang Jani on time.

A CDA official told the PakistanToday that the authority had no resourcesto accomplish this huge project but theCDA chief had hoped to generate fundsfrom selling plots. “Despite selling of alarge number of residential andcommercial plots, the authority hasremained unable to complete the project,”the CDA official said, adding that theproject had begun without resolving theissue of land acquisition.

Shahbaz admitted professionalshortcomings in the CDA. He said hisbasic objective was to reintroducecommitment “for which the authority wasonce known for”. He said variousmeasures were being adopted to reclaimthe lost glory. He said committed officerswere being posted within the organisation.“We will ensure better and improvedservices for the people of the federalcapital and the authority will leave nostone unturned to achieve its targets,” headded. Answering a question, the chairmansaid progress on the Kuri Model Village

project was also underway. He said that theauthority was facing some land grabbingissues which were being backed by somepowerful people, but the CDA wascommitted to taking action against landgrabbers. He said the authority would alsointroduce a transparent mechanism for the

allotment of plots.But Margala Avenue Sang Jani project

manager Rana Naeem tells another story.Talking to the Pakistan Today, he said theCDA had not yet paid for whatever the workhad been done so far. He said the CDA wasprobably trying to change the deal which

they could not afford as a huge sum ofmoney was involved. He said there mightarise need to take the matter to the court ifthe CDA still persisted on its stance. He saidthere was only 6 kilometres of the road hadyet been acquired while 3 kilometres was yetto be purchased from various entities.

CdA sweATs As inComPLeTeProjeCTs PiLe uP

ISLAMABAD: A three member commission has accused

the Capital Development Authority (CDA) of corruption,

favoritism, and nepotism in mega projects while the

Senate Standing Committee on the Cabinet Division has

sought details of the Bahria enclave project in which the

people were being made to pay more price than agreed

at the time of allotment. The three member commission

was formed by the Islamabad high Court to probe

allegations of corruption against the CDA in mega-

projects. The three-member inquiry commission, headed

by Justice (r) Sardar Raza Khan, reviewed major projects

including the Monal Restaurant, the Kuri Model Village,

the Saidpur Model Village, IJ Principal Road, allotment of

a plot for the construction of a five-star hotel near the

Convention Centre, allotment of the land for the

Centaurus Complex, plots near Rawal Dam, land

allotment for a private firm named Manawa, the

awarding of the contracts to LeD and the Diplomatic

Shuttle Service, and issuance of no-objection certificates

to private housing schemes. The commission recorded

statement of 125 people and inspected the related sites

before completing its 118 pages report. The report notes

that the owner of the Park Tower sold apartments

without paying a single penny to the CDA. Justice

Siddiqui ordered to make the report public and cancelled

the Rs 22.5 million contract of water filtration plants

awarded to a private company. The CDA was also grilled

by the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Division

for allowing the owner of the Bahria enclave for

demanding more money than agreed at the time of

allotment. The committee meeting was held in the

Parliament house with Begum Kalsoom Parveen in the

chair. The committee was apprised that the total cost of a

plot in the Bahria enclave was Rs 6 million at the time of

allotment but it had been raised to Rs 8.5 million. CDA

Chairman Syed Tahir Shahbaz confessed to the

committee that some of the officials in the authority were

allegedly supporting the land mafia, adding that efforts

were being made to eradicate corruption and improve

the performance of the CDA. STAFF REPORT

cda Short of fundS to complete Sang Jani proJect,however cda chairman aSSureS completion of park enclave proJect by the end of the year

ihC, senate CoMMittee put CDa through the Mill

AnF seizes 1 kGHeroin AT THeAirPorT ISLAMABAD: The Anti Narcotics Force

(ANF) seized one kilogramme of heroin

at the Benazir Bhutto International

Airport on Thursday.

According to a press release, the

ANF was tipped off that heroin was

being smuggled to Saudi Arabia

through the Benazir Bhutto

International Airport. During the

search operation, the ANF

discovered one kilogramme of

heroin in the suitcase of

Muhammad Imran, son Amir

Bakhsh, a resident of District

Vehari. A case has been registered

against Imran under Control of

Narcotic Substances Act 1997. APP

YounG mAnkiLLed BY HisFriendRAWALPINDI: A 21-year-old man

was alledgedly gunned down by his

friend in the suburbs of Mohra Miral

in Rawat.

Aftab Ahmed and Basit were very

close friends but had an altercation

few days back. According to

Ahmed’s father, Muhammad Rafiq,

Basit contacted his son later on

and took him to a nearby jungle to

bring wood. he said Basit opened

fired when had taken his son in the

jungle. The police concerned have

taken Basit in custody and initiated

interrogation. During initial

investigation, Basit claimed that

Aftab had committed suicide.ONL INE

APmL won’TBACk oFFISLAMABAD: All Pakistan Muslim

League (APML) leader Ashraf Gujjar

has said that former President Pervez

Musharraf’s party would not boycott

elections. Gujjar told this to media

after having a meeting with Musharraf

at his resident.

he said the former president had

directed the party to fully

participate in the election process.

he also said Musharraf had been

told by his mother not to come to

Dubai. ONL INE

EMOTIONS ON SALE: An elderly man with

his children singing devotional songs

outside the Bari Imam Shrine. ONLINE

ISB 26-04-2013_Layout 1 4/26/2013 2:08 AM Page 5

IslAmABAdI

Friday, 26 April, 2013

06If you put the federal government in charge

of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there’d be

a shortage of sand. –Milton Friedman

RAWALPINDIAPP

RAWALPINDI Commissioner KhalidMasood Chaudhry has directed IESCOauthorities to ensure uninterruptedelectricity supply at least from one dayprior to May 11 so that the general

elections could be held smoothly.Chaudhry gave these directives during a meeting

held with the Divisional Load ManagementCommittee. The meeting was also attended byRawalpindi Regional Police Officer Naseem-uz-Zaman, Rawalpindi District Coordination Officer(DCO) Rashid Mehmood Langrial, City Police OfficerAbdul Razzaq Cheema, WAPDA Additional DirectorMuzammal Hussain, IESCO Chief EngineerFarmanullah Khan, DCOs of Chakwal, Attock andJhelum and other officials.

Chaudhry directed the officials to end theunscheduled load shedding during elections. He wasapprised that a comprehensive plan would be devisedby WAPDA and the IESCO to ensure uninterruptedpower supply during the election days. All TehsilMunicipal Administrations of the Rawalpindi Divisionwill arrange vehicles that will be mounted withgenerators to meet any emergency situation. Thecommissioner ordered the authorities not to cut powersupply to main water supply units of the city duringload shedding hours. He also ordered a closecooperation among all the departments concerned.

Zaman said the list of all main grid stations shouldbe provided to his office so that special securityarrangements could be made.IESCO ISSUES POWER SUSPENSION PLAN:The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) onThursday issued power suspension programme forvarious areas due to necessary maintenance and routine

development work. According to IESCO spokesman,the power supply of the following feeders and gridstations would remain suspended on Saturday from9am to 1am: Scheme-2 feeder, Mehfooz Shaheedfeeder, Club-II feeder, Pindori feeder, ChakShahzad Farm House, Rawal Town,Shahzad Town, NCRD, Park Road,Margalla Town, Orchard Scheme, MurreeRoad, REDCO and surrounding areas.IESCO BoD RECOMMENDS TWONAMES FOR CEO: The Board ofDirectors of Islamabad Electric SupplyCompany (IESCO) has recommended twonames for the appointment of chiefexecutive officer (CEO) of the company toMinistry of Water and Power (MWP).

According to sources, names ofGeneral Manager Development MalikYousuf Awan and General Manager

Transmission Muhammad Rafique had been sentto MWP for the appointment of CEO. Board ofdirectors forwarded the names as IESCO CEO isretiring on April 22.

ISLAMABADAGENCIES

World Malaria Day was marked on Thursdayacross the world including Pakistan with thetheme “Invest in the future: defeat malaria”.

Malaria affects 200 million people everyyear. According to UNICEF’s estimates, malariais endemic to 107 countries and killsone million people globally eachyear. Almost half of the world’spopulation lives in the areaswhere malaria istransmitted. Out of onemillion, about800,000 deaths takeplace in the sub-SaharanAfrica among thechildren below theage of five.

According to aprivate TV channel, malariacauses high rates of miscarriageamong pregnant women andcauses low birth weight, anaemia, growthretardation, and potentially long term cognitiveand developmental impairments amongnewborn children. The disease further provesfatal for HIV patients, since they are more proneto developing infections due to the weakimmune system.

Despite the fact that malaria is one of theleading causes of death in the underdevelopedworld, it is a preventable and curable disease.

Over the last decade, the world has witnessed amajor progress in the fight against malaria.Deaths caused by malaria have been cut by onethird in Africa. Out of Africa, the number ofcases has decreased by 50 percent in 35countries that were severally affected with thisdisease. Resultantly, the child mortality rate hasfallen by about 20 percent in the countries where

malaria control interventions have beenimproved significantly.

Since 2000, mortality raterelated to malaria has

decreased by more than 25percent in 50 countries outof 99 countries wheretransmission of the diseaseis going on. These

countries are expectedto reach the target, set

by the World HealthAssembly, of reducing more

than 75 percent of cases by2015.

World Malaria Daywas instituted by World

Health Organisation (WHO) member statesduring the World Health Assembly of 2007. Theday is celebrated every year on April 25 toencourage efforts being made for stopping thespread of malaria. It is an occasion to highlightthe need for continued investment and sustainedpolitical commitment for malaria prevention andcontrol. The day is also an opportunity for thecountries to learn from each other’s experience.

no power cuts during elections, says rawalpindi commissioner

‘Invest in the future:defeat malaria’

525,000 TeACHersneeded For PrimArY eduCATion

ISLAMABADAPP

Capital Administration and Development(CAD) Minister Younus Soomro said onThursday that 525,000 additional teacherswere needed in the country to achieve theuniversal primary education by 2015.Soomro said this while addressing theprogramme titled “Teachers’ Day Out”organised on the occasion of the GlobalAction Week (GAW) at F-9 Park. The eventwas attended by about 500 students andteachers from various schools.The minister emphasized major reforms inthe educational system to enhanceenrollment and literacy rate in the country.He said tangible steps needed to be taken inconsultation with the civil society to secureevery child’s right to education guaranteedin Article 25-A of the Constitution ofPakistan. The minister said that role of teachers wasof pivotal importance in imparting qualityeducation. He said teachers must be givenmore facilities The GAW is an event organised by theGlobal Campaign for Education (GCE)every year and this year’s theme was “EveryChild Needs a Teacher”. The week iscelebrated in the country by PakistanCoalition for Education (PCE), which is theofficial partner of the GCE. The GAW’sobjective is to highlight the current lack ofeducation in the country and its setbacks onthe whole.

ELECTIONEERING: Supporters of Pakistan

People’s Party set up banners at their

camp office in the federal capital. SAjjAd ALI

ISB 26-04-2013_Layout 1 4/26/2013 2:09 AM Page 6

07

nEwsFriday, 26 April, 2013

There cannot be a crisis next

week. My schedule is already

full. —Henry Kissinger N

BOSTONAGENCIES

The federal government had added thename of the dead Boston Marathon bomb-ing suspect to a terrorist database 18months before the deadly explosions, USofficials are reported to have said.

Five days after the US determined whowas allegedly behind the deadly Bostonmarathon terror attacks, Washington is piec-ing together what happened and whetherthere were any unconnected dots buried inthe US government files that, if connected,could have prevented the bombings. "Daysafter the Boston Marathon bombing sus-pects were caught and it's now clear thatboth the FBI and the CIA were aware ofTamerlan Tsarnaev for more than a year,"said Al Jazeera reporter Dominic Kane.

"When the hunt for the Tsarnaev broth-ers concluded last week, police and law en-forcement agencies spoke of it as a victory.

"But now the revelation that TamerlanTsarnaev was on a watchlist of potentialterror suspects might put that in a differentlight." The surviving suspect, DzhokharTsarnaev, 19, told authorities that his olderbrother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, only re-cently recruited him to be part of the attack,two US officials said on Wednesday.

Dzhokhar told the FBI that they wereangry about the US wars in Afghanistanand Iraq and the killing of Muslims there,officials said. How much of those conver-sations will end up in court is unclear.UNANSWERED QUESTIONS: TheCIA named Tamerlan to a huge, classifieddatabase of known and suspected terroristsa year and a half ago, officials said, an ac-

knowledgment that will undoubtedlyprompt congressional inquiry aboutwhether the Obama administration ade-quately investigated tips from Russia thatTsarnaev had posed a security threat.

Shortly after the bombings, US offi-cials said the intelligence community hadno information about threats to themarathon before the April 15 explosions.

The US officials who spoke to The As-sociated Press were close to the investigation,but insisted on anonymity because they werenot authorised to discuss the case with re-porters. Investigators have said the brothersappeared to have been radicalised throughmaterials on the internet and have found noevidence tying them to any one group.

Tamerlan, whom authorities have de-scribed as the driving force behind the plot,was killed in a shootout with police.

Dzhokhar is recovering in a hospital frominjuries sustained during a getaway attempt.

The CIA made the request to addTamerlan's name to the terrorist databaseafter the Russian government contacted theagency with concerns that he had become afollower of extremism. About six monthsearlier, the FBI had separately investigatedTsarnaev, also at Russia's request, but theFBI found no ties to terrorism, officials said.CAPTURED UNARMED: Officials saythey never found the type of derogatory in-formation on Tsarnaev that would have el-evated his profile among counterterrorisminvestigators and placed him on the terrorwatch list. Lawmakers who were briefed bythe FBI said they had more questions thananswers about the investigation of Tsarnaev.

US officials were expected to brief theSenate on the investigation on Thursday.

Officials said on Wednesday thatDzhokhar acknowledged to the FBI his rolein the attacks but did so before he was ad-vised of his constitutional rights to keepquiet and seek a lawyer. It is unclear whetherthose statements would be admissible in acriminal trial and, if not, whether prosecu-tors even need them to win a conviction.

Officials said physical evidence, includ-ing a 9 mm handgun and pieces of a remote-control device commonly used in toys, wasrecovered from the scene. Authorities hadpreviously said Dzhokhar exchanged gun-fire with them for more than an hour on Fri-day night before they captured him inside aboat covered by a tarp in a suburban Bostonneighbourhood backyard. But two US offi-cials said on Wednesday that he was un-armed when captured, raising questionsabout the gunfire and how he was injured.

us had already been tipped off about boston bombing suspect

BELGRADEAGENCIES

Serbia's nationalist President Tomislav Nikolic has per-sonally apologised for the first time for the 1995 Sre-

brenica massacre of 8,000Muslims, but stopped short

of calling it genocide."I kneel and ask for

forgiveness for Serbiafor the crime committedin Srebrenica," Nikolicsaid on Thursday in aninterview to be aired on

Bosnian national televi-sion parts of which have

been released on YouTube.

"I apologise for thecrimes committed

by any individ-ual in the nameof our stateand our peo-ple," he saidin the inter-v i e w .Nikolic's of-fice con-firmed to

AFP news agency the authenticity of the statement.Thousands of Bosnians, mostly Muslims, were killed

by Serb soldiers during the Balkan War between 1992 and1996. After being elected last May, Nikolic caused a stirin the region by refusing to acknowledge that the massacrein the Bosnian enclave, was a genocide, despite it beingruled as such by two international courts. Nikolic at thetime said "there was no genocide in Srebrenica".WAR CRIMES TRIAL: Until five years ago Nikolicwas a top official of the ultra-nationalist Serbian RadicalParty, which has denied that Serb forces committed crimesduring the Balkans wars.

Its leader Vojislav Seselj is currently on trial for warcrimes before The Hague-based UN International Crimi-nal Court for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

While this marks Nikolic's first apology on Sre-brenica, Serbia has in the past expressed regret over thedeaths. In 2010, the Serbian parliament passed an historicdeclaration condemning the Srebrenica massacre in a ges-ture ending years of denial by Serbian politicians aboutthe scale of the killings, but Nikolic at the time did notsupport the move.

Nikolic's predecessor Boris Tadic also apologised toSrebrenica victims during a commemoration event in2005. Both the ICTY and the United Nations' highestcourt, the International Court of Justice, have found thatthe Srebrenica massacre was a genocide.Bosnian Serbwartime political and military leaders Radovan Karadzicand Ratko Mladic are currently on trial on genocidecharges before the ICTY for their role in the massacre.

DHAKAAGENCIES

rESCUERS in Bangladesh havecontinued to hunt for survivors in acollapsed building as the death tollrose to 161 and criticism mountedof foreign firms that source cheap

clothes from the country.More than 1,000 people were injured

when the site housing five garment factorieson the outskirts of Dhaka imploded onWednesday, allegedly after managers ignoredworkers' warnings that the building had be-come unstable.

Flags flew at half-mast on Thursday asthe shell-shocked country declared a day ofmourning for the victims of the nation'sworst factory disaster, which highlightedanew safety concerns in Bangladesh's vitalgarment industry. Army Brigadier GeneralMohammed Siddiqui Alam Shikder saidmany people are still trapped in the building,which housed a number of garment factoriesemploying hundreds of people.

Workers had warned a day earlier thatlarge cracks had developed in the structure. Aclearer picture of the rescue operation wouldbe available by afternoon, Shikder said.Searchers worked through the night to getthrough the jumbled mess of concrete withdrills or their bare hands, passing water andflashlights to those pinned inside the build-ing. "I gave them whistles, water, torchlights.I heard them cry. We can't leave them behindthis way," said fire official Abul Khayer.

Local police chief Mohammaed Asaduz-zaman said police and the government's Capi-tal Development Authority had filed separatecases of negligence against the buildingowner. Searchers cut holes in the jumbledmess of concrete, passing water and torchesto those pinned inside the building as rescueoperations illuminated by floodlights contin-ued through the night. The disaster came lessthan five months after a factory fire killed 112people and underscored the unsafe conditionsin Bangladesh's booming garment industry,the second biggest in the world.

death toll risesto 160 in dhakabuilding collapse

serbia president apologises for massacre

isrAeL sHooTsdown LeBAnesedroneTEL AVIV: The Israeli military says it

has shot down an unmanned aircraft

several kilometres off the coast of the

northern port city of haifa after it

entered Israeli airspace from

Lebanon. "An unmanned aircraft

(UAV) was identified approaching the

coast of Israel and was successfully

intercepted by IAF aircraft five

nautical miles off the coast of haifa at

approximately 14:00 (1300 GMT)

today," it said. "I view with great

gravity this attempt to violate our

border," Israeli Prime Minister

Binyamin Netanyahu said in a

statement on Thursday. "We will

continue to do what is necessary to

defend the security of Israel's

citizens." Last October, an Israel

missile shot down a UAV sent by the

Lebanese group hezbollah after it flew

some 55km into southern Israel.

Israel waged a month-long war on

Lebanon in 2006 after a hezbollah

cross-border raid. Since that incident,

Israeli aircraft has regularly

performed overflights into Lebanese

territory. AGENCIES

s koreA wArnsnorTH To ACCePToFFer To TALkSEOUL: South Korea warned of an

unspecified "grave measure" if North

Korea rejects talks on a jointly run

factory park shuttered for nearly a

month, setting up the possible end of

the last remaining major symbol of

inter-Korean cooperation. In a

televised briefing with reporters on

Thursday, Unification Ministry

spokesman Kim hyung-suk refused to

describe what Seoul would do if

Pyongyang does not respond by a

deadline Friday to a demand for

formal working-level talks on the

industrial complex just over the

heavily armed border in the North

Korean town of Kaesong. But Seoul's

talk of a "grave measure" may be an

attempt to signal it will pull out its

remaining workers from the complex.

"There is no change on our stance to

support the stable operation and

improvement" of Kaesong, Kim said.

"But we cannot let this situation

continue as it is," he added. "If North

Korea rejects our proposal... we have

no choice but to take significant

measures." Kim did not elaborate on

what steps might be taken, but the

ultimatum suggested South Korea was

considering a permanent withdrawal

from the zone, which normally

employs 53,000 workers at 123 South

Korean companies. The talks

proposed by Seoul would be between

the respective heads of the North and

South committees that oversee

Kaesong operations. AGENCIES

DHAKA: Bangladeshi rescue

workers and volunteers search

the rubble after an eight-storey

building collapsed, killing many

people. AGENCIES

ISB 26-04-2013_Layout 1 4/26/2013 2:09 AM Page 7

nEwsNFriday 26 April, 2013

08 Army may intervene if any effort

is made to sabotage the election.

– General Aslam Baig

Contempt of

court plea hearing

against zardari,

Ashraf adjourned

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC)

has adjourned for three weeks the hearing

in contempt of court case against President

Asif Ali Zardari, former prime minister Raja

Pervez Ashraf, Senator Rehman Malik, the

chief election commissioner and others.

President Asif Ali Zardari and former prime

minister Ashraf were issued contempt of

court notices by the SC for not

implementing court’s verdict in dual

nationality case. A three-member bench

presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan

(CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry took

up the case for hearing on Thursday. The

court maintained, “We want to hear the

case in detail, therefore, the hearing is

being adjourned for three weeks”. The

contempt of court petition was filed by

Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi. ONLINE

sC exempts Gilani from courtappearance

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on

Thursday exempted former prime minister

Yousaf Raza Gillani from appearance in the

court and directed him to appear through

his counsel in hajj corruption case. A three-

member bench, headed by Chief Justice of

Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry, when resumed

the hearing Gillani appeared before the

court seeking immunity from appearance.

During the course of proceeding, the CJP

said, “The court did not direct you to appear

before the court, there are some legal

issues to be discussed so appoint a lawyer

so that he could plead your case.” APP

measures beingtaken to improveenergy situation

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Mir

hazar Khan Khoso on Thursday said the

government was taking all possible steps to

improve the energy situation in the country.

“We look towards our friends, particularly

the United States (US), to help us in

overcoming energy crisis,” he said while

talking to Richard G Olson, US ambassador

to Pakistan, who called on him. The PM said

that Pakistan and the United States enjoyed

good bilateral relations. he reiterated that

the caretaker government would support

and do all to hold free, fair and transparent

elections in the country. The government,

he said, was also extending all possible

assistance to the election Commission of

Pakistan (eCP) in the conduct of general

elections. The ambassador informed the

prime minister that the US government was

supporting the Diamer-Basha Dam and

funding its feasibility studies. APP

PmL-n wiLLoverCome LoAdsHeddinG wiTHin 2YeArs: sHAHBAz

JHANGNNI

Former Punjabchief ministerShahbazSharif hassaid thePML-Nwillovercomeloadsheddingwithin twoyears if votedinto power.Addressing apublic meeting in Jhangon Thursday‚ he promised to end loot andplunder and darkness from the country. Heurged the people to vote for the PML-N ifthey wanted industries to function‚ exports toincrease‚ self-reliance and jobs. He saidunemployment had increased due to energy crisis.

PAKPATTANAGENCIES

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chair-man Imran Khan on Thursday for thesecond time challenged Pakistan Mus-lim League-Nawaz (PML N) chiefNawaz Sharif to a live debate on TVahead of the elections.

Addressing a public rally in Pak-pattan, Khan reiterated his resolveagainst taking oath from President AsifZardari, unlike Nawaz, who he allegedwas hand in gloves with the president.Boasting about his cricket credentials,the PTI chief said he would bowl thePML-N leader on the very first ball,adding that the nation would celebratethe making of a new Pakistan on May11. Khan said the PML-N had been re-peatedly tested but failed each time. Hesaid former Punjab chief ministerShahbaz Sharif should have focused onresolving the power crisis instead ofspending millions on the metro bus

project, adding that thebiggest factor behind theincreasing unemployment wasthe energy crisis.

“The excessive load shedding inPunjab is due to the mismanagement ofShahbaz Sharif’s government and notthat of the Centre,” Khan said. The PTIchairman again made it clear that ifvoted into power‚ the PTI willbring a revolution in the countrythat was on the verge of col-lapse. “The people of Punjabhave decided for change andwill vote for the PTI onMay 11,” Khan said.

imran issues another Tvdebate challenge to nawaz

i won’t take oathfrom Zardari ifelected into power

LONDONAGENCIES

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) hasdenied seeking the Ahmadiyya commu-nity’s support in the upcoming generalelections after a video clip surfaced inthe social media of a meeting betweena party delegation and the Ahmadiyyaspiritual chief in London recently.

According to the video, the supportof the persecuted Ahmadiyya commu-

nity was sought through a PTI delega-tion led by one Nadia RamzanChaudhry who met Mirza MasroorAhmed, spiritual leader of the Ah-madiyya community.

In the video clip, Nadia Ramzan in-troduced herself as a London-based of-fice-bearer of the PTI working in theParty’s Secretariat. During the meeting,the two sides discussed the upcominggeneral elections in Pakistan.

“We had voted for Zulfikar AliBhutto but in return he declared us non-Muslim, Allah Almighty bestow youwith success…we will think on the mat-ter if PTI will do justice after cominginto parliament,” responded Mirza Mas-roor when Nadia Ramzan asked for hissupport for PTI in the general elections.

Nadia enquired from Mirza whatwould be the outcome of the generalelections, as the Ahmadiyya communitybelieved in justice and equality and thePTI also believed in the same principle,the community would support which

party and what would be Mirza’s direc-tives to his followers?

Mirza said as far as casting votewas concerned, the Ahmadiyya commu-nity would vote for the party that wassincere with the country and believed inequality. He said, “The community hasbeen declared as non-Muslims in Pak-istan, we have a separate voters listwhich discourages the community fromtendering votes.”

During the meeting, Mirza saidwhen Imran Khan was building his po-litical party, he had sought the Ah-madiyya community’s support throughone of his emissaries during Mirza’svisit to Pakistan. He said that no onetalked about withdrawing the law de-claring Ahmadis non-Muslims for fearof ‘Maulvis’.

At one instance, Nadia said thePTI’s manifesto ensured liberty to allreligions and sects, to which Mirza en-quired which party’s manifesto declareddiscrimination among Pakistani citi-

zens? “We will definitely vote for thePTI next time when the party does jus-tice with us after coming into power,”Mirza added.PTI DENIES ASKING FOR SUPPORT: Commenting on the meet-ing, PTI Information Secretary ShireenMazari said the individual in the videodoes not represent the PTI “politically”.

“Imran Khan has categorically de-nied having passed on any such instruc-tions to anyone on the party’s behalf,”she said. “Nadia Ramzan is the daugh-ter of Imran Khan’s friend. Our secre-tariats both in the US and UK haveelected office-bearers and a young man,Shahbaz heads the PTI Secretariat inthe UK,” she said.

However, she said that Imran Khanhas a personal secretariat in Londonwhich collects funds for charity projectssuch as cancer hospitals and universi-ties and “Nadia is a part of that secretariat which includes Khan’s close friends”.

pti denies seeking ahmadis support in pollspti info Secy SaySnadia ramzan iSdaughter of imrankhan’S friend andraiSeS fundS forcharity proJectS

BAHAWALPUR: Pakistan Muslim

League-Nawaz President Nawaz

Sharif addresses a public rally at

Yazman on Thursday. NNI

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nEws N

09

Friday 26 April, 2013

A plot is underway to create law and order problems in

Karachi, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in order to

postpone the upcoming polls. – Abdul Ghafoor Haideri

ISLAMABADSTAFF REPORT

THE Federal InvestigationAgency (FIA) on Thursday for-mally arrested Pervez Musharrafin the Benazir Bhutto murdercase after an Anti-Terrorism

Court (ATC) allowed the FIA to includethe former dictator in the investigation ofthe Benazir case.

The formal proceedings for the arrestwere completed by a FIA deputy director atMusharraf’s farmhouse which has been de-clared a sub-jail. During the interrogation,the former president was asked why BenazirBhutto was not provided security upon herreturn to Pakistan to which Musharrafreplied that she was provided complete se-curity. Musharraf also refused to accept theallegations against him and said Benazir

Bhutto became the target of terrorists. The FIA will file a petition seeking

the physical remand of Musharraf in theAnti Terrorism court on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Anti-TerrorismJudge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman took upan application filed by Chaudhry ZulfiqarAli, special public prosecutor, in which herequested the court that after dismissal ofMusharraf’s bail application the FIAshould be allowed to investigate the for-mer president.

“The trial court already issued perpet-

ual arrest warrants of the accused so inorder to complete challan against Mushar-raf, his statement is required,” he added.

Musharraf’s counsel Afshan Adil ob-jected to the application saying, “It is acase of murder of a former prime minis-ter which is registered with the City Po-lice Station of Rawalpindi. Police canprosecute the case.” After hearing the ar-guments, the special court accepted theFIA application and directed them to inves-tigate Musharraf in the assassination case.

It was also observed in the judgementthat due to security concerns, Musharrafshould not be moved out of the sub-jailand his statement could be recorded in-side the premises of his farmhouse.

Musharraf is accused of involvementin a conspiracy to murder Benazir Bhutto,who died in a gun and suicide attack inDecember 2007.

former preSident tellSfia interrogatorS heprovided completeSecurity to former pm

musharraf formally arrestedin Benazir murder case

Musharraf’s lawyerseeks 14-memberSC bench fortreason hearing

ISLAMABADSTAFF REPORT

Former president Pervez Musharraf’scounsel Ibrahim Satti on Thursday said theverdict of July 31 had been announced bya 14-member bench and the same benchshould be formed for hearing the treasoncase against the former COAS.A three-judge Supreme Court benchheaded by Justice Jawwad S Khawajaresumed hearing in a set of petitionsseeking the initiation of treason caseagainst the former army chief.Satti said, “If there are ambiguities in therules and regulations of the SupremeCourt, the constitution of the state wouldbe preferred,” argued the counsel. He alsosaid that India had also formed aconstitutional court in order to tackle suchhurdles and complexities. Satti saidMusharraf was not a party to the petition inwhich a ruling was issued against him.Moreover, Attorney General Irfan Qadirsaid the measures taken on November 3,2007 were unnecessary. Justice Khawajaasked what did the attorney general meantby “unnecessary”, adding that all ends ofjustice would be met and a verdict wouldbe given in consonance with the law andconstitution. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain remarked, “TheSC has laid down in its decision incategorical terms that no step of dictatorswill be indemnified by the court nor theparliament wields the power to do so. Ifany judge of SC or high court does so hewill also be proceeded against under thecode of conduct. Advancing remarksagainst the judges should stop now.” Satti said the SC was still keeping thedoctrine of necessity alive. “In the July 31decision all martial laws imposed by pastdictators were declared just whileMusharraf’s martial law was declared amartial law that he imposed to servepersonal interest because he wanted tobecome president. The court should notgive such a decision which may affect trialprocess against Musharraf.” Satti said theSindh High Court (SHC) verdict was notagainst Musharraf directly. Justice Khilji remarked, “You have tried togive an impression that we have beenendorsing ultra constitutional steps. Readthe other paragraphs of the decision. Thecourt has made it clear that parliament isnot allowed to indemnify the steps ultravires of the constitution nor any judge ofSupreme Court or high court can giveverdict in favour of them. If it is so done,the proceedings will be initiated againstthem under code of conduct.” He made a special mention of LegalFramework Order by Musharraf, saying alljudges had taken oath under PCO and thesitting Chief Justice Iftikhar MuhammadChaudhry was also among them. He further said the court’s objective wasmaking others realise rather than takingrevenge. MUSHARRAF NOT HEARD: Satti saidMusharraf was never heard. “I have notasked for setting aside the decision. Let thefederal government do what it has to do.” The hearing of the case was adjourneduntil Monday. MUSHARRAF ESCAPE CASE:Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of Pakistandisposed off on Thursday an appeal filedby Islamabad’s Inspector General Policeagainst the Islamabad High Court’s earlierverdict and ordered the Interior Ministry tohold an impartial enquiry into the matterkeeping in view the IHC’s earlierdirectives over the case.Islamabad Police IG Bani Amin had filedan appeal against the IHC’s earlierdecision which had ordered action afterholding him responsible for Gen (r) PervezMusharraf’s escape from the courtpremises on April 18.Amin had blamed the Rangers for theincident and pled to the apex courtthat they were not expecting thatRangers, deputed inside the IHC forsecurity purpose, would becomehelpful in his escape.

ISLAMABADTAyyAb HUSSAIN

Amid claims of another exile being of-fered to former dictator General (r) Per-vez Musharraf in the garb of seeing hisailing 95-year-old mother, the formerpresident has reportedly rejected anyoffer of safe passage, saying he would notleave Pakistan until and unless declaredinnocent in all cases framed against him.

“Some international leaders haveconveyed to Musharraf to make up hismind for another exile keeping in view

the hostile media and judiciary in Pak-istan. They also asked him to file a pleain the court seeking bail on pretext tosee his ailing mother. But Musharrafpolitely refused to accept the offer andtold all his well-wishers that he wouldnot leave Pakistan until he was freed bythe courts in all cases against him,” asource who met Musharraf at his farm-house told Pakistan Today.

“General Musharraf told the inter-locutors that it was none other than hisailing mother who had directed him togo to Pakistan and face courts and get

himself cleared from all charges. Hesaid his mother had told him that Pak-istan was his country and he should liveand die there,” the source added.\ Thesource said Musharraf told visitors thathe had made up his mind to return tohis homeland after through thinkingand he would bravely face the courts ir-respective of the behaviour he was fac-ing. “He strongly believes that thecourts would give him justice but weknow that this is not going to happen,”the source added. APML Secretary In-formation Aasia Ishaq confirmedMusharraf had rejected an offer madeto him for visiting her ailing mother.“Musharraf is not a coward and he willface the legal process. He will not leavethe country come what may. He be-lieves that he would get justice and thecourts would decide his cases onmerit,” she added.

musharraf refuses exile offerbrokered by ‘int’l players’

ex-preSident waSoffered to leavecountry on pretext ofviSiting ailing mother

apml SaySmuSharraf to facecourtS, live anddie in pakiStan

don’t take it toheart- it’s only thelaw of the land

MONITORING DESK

The ‘grief’ of the former dictator’s house-arrest has not only affected ex-generals,but also some unusual suspects it seems.According to All Pakistan Muslim League(APML), a man named Kacho Nisar fromGilgit-Baltistan passed away due to aheart-attack after the shocking news of thearrest. Nisar, 30, was following GeneralMusharraf’s legal saga on his televisionfrom Basho village, a valley in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), when he suffered a heartattack. APML claimed that the incidentcould not be immediately reported due topoor communication facilities in thevillage. “The former president is beinghumiliated and this is somethingMusharraf’s fans and lovers cannotendure,” said Yoltar. General (r)Musharraf’s ‘plight’ is unique as he is theonly Pakistani military ruler to be tried bycivilian courts, for violation of theconstitution amongst other things.

HYDERABAD: An election candidate

seeks votes in a door-to-door campaign

in Hala Naka on Thursday. INP

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CommEnt

Aziz-ud-Din AhmadEditor

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

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

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

C

all parties resolve to ‘do their homework’meeting of the three ks in Brussels

Punjab’s violence-free elections

The decline of the right wing

WOULD the plethora of religious parties that claim a stake in Pakistan beable to regain the space ceded for various reasons in the 2008 generalelections? is the question that is on peoples lips. The leaders of various

religious parties have been seen in negotiations with political party leaders, includingthe Sunni Ittehad with the Pakistan People’s Party, the Jamaat-i-Islami with thePakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and more recently with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Huffing and puffing with bloated egos, religious parties have foundthemselves on the wee end of the negotiating table, with none of the mainstreamparties giving much wind to the electoral alliance offers. Religious parties are perhapsthe demon of last choice for mainstream political parties: changing positions andalliances at will – or where the best offer is. Religious parties have for a long timebeen accused of piggy riding on the back of military dictators – and claimingmainstream credentials once the helping hand of the establishment is missing.

This is most visible in the JI’s failed attempt to take the upper hand in negotiationswith mainstream parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and PakistanMuslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). After the PTI refused a purported 50:50 seat sharingformula offered by the JI, the PML-N has also rejected the JI position that it wantedsupport on 18 NA constituencies, including those where its stalwarts Liaqat Baloch andFareed Paracha were contesting. The demand was reduced to 8 NA seats and 25 PAseats, but with such a weakened position, the PML-N thought it more prudent to let theso-called advantage to be gained with an ‘understanding’ with the JI be forgiven andforgotten – at least for now. The religious vote itself has been divided this term, witheach religious party playing to different galleries. With the so-called unity of theestablishment-backed Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) nowhere to be seen, the SI, theJamaat-e-Ulema-i-Islam-Sami ul Haq (JUI-S) and Ahle Sunnat Waljammat (ASWJ) arepursuing their own strategies. To its credit, the JUI-Fazli has changed some of theperimeters of the role of religious parties, choosing not to join the DPC, and managing tohold two large rallies in Lahore and Karachi. However, it is not expected to reap fruit inany province other than Khyber Pakthunkhwa (KP).

Remember the year 2002. The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), a conglomerationof religious parties, formed government in the two provinces of Balochistan and the thenNorth Western Frontier Province (NWFP). To those watching the politics of Pakistan, itwas the rebirth of the so-named Military-Mullah Alliance (MMA). This was the militaryestablishment’s way of gaining legitimacy, but in return the credibility of the religiousright fell, resulting in the poor results of the 2008 general elections. Having failed inwooing genuine electables to support it, the JI chief Munawar Hasan has begun to claimthat “previously elected electables need to be defeated.” The statement is to be taken asmore of an admission that religious parties shall have lesser sway, than they have vervein the next general elections.

PAKISTAN and its neighbour to the west, Afghanistan, haven’t had a relationthat can be described as warm, much less ideal, in the past few weeks. A trustdeficit has put a wedge between the two nations. However, with the US and

NATO forces preparing to leave Afghanistan by the end of next year, rocky relationsbetween the two would benefit no one. In this context, the tripartite meeting held atBrussels between the three Ks – Kerry, Karzai and Kayani – could certainly pave theway for a relation based on trust, instead of the blame game that goes on unabatedly.

Any tension between the two is going to hurt them both, for it’s the militants thatwould cash in on the rift and thwart attempts at peace talks that are so important forthe region and the world at large. The Karzai government blames Islamabad ofbuilding a new gate on the border between the two nations. Pakistan issues a strongdenial, and says that it is merely a renovation and repairs work at an already presentone. The rift somehow escalated and the Afghan government severed military tieswith Pakistan and held protests in its country. While ideally there should be no suchissues between the two neighbours who have so much to lose if peace doesn’t returnto the region. However, dwelling on one point or the other won’t solve them; theyhave to sit together and thrash out their differences before their tiff can cause troubleto more than just their egos. And, that’s exactly what US Secretary of State, JohnKerry, seems to have succeeded in accomplishing. And the two leaders, HamidKarzai and Gen Ashfaq Kayani, both appeared relaxed in their body language aftertheir three-hour meeting in Brussels.

Their meeting, on the face of it, hasn’t produced any result though what the threecame out of it with is better than nothing at all. As John Kerry said, “We’re not goingto raise expectations or promise results that can’t be delivered… We’re all going to gohome and do our homework.” This is good news as it means peace stands a chanceand that Pakistan and Afghanistan have come to some sort of an understanding that itis up to them, and in their interests, to have peaceful relations and focus their energiesin solving much bigger problems than a gate at the border. Both of them can influencethe Taliban to come to the negotiating table to discuss peace, a direction now the USagrees with too. The sooner they agree to do so, the better the chances to weed outterrorism from the region, thus eliminating a threat to world peace as well.

left without patrons, religious parties expected to perform poorly

Friday, 26 April, 2013

10

being a safe havens for militants lacking high-profile targets has saved province

Each generation must discover its

mission, fulfill it or betray it, in

relative opacity. –Frantz Fanon

THE MQM leadership hasasked why Punjab alone ishaving violence-free elec-tioneering while the otherthree provinces are facing

the wrath of terrorists. What is beingsuggested is that this is a part of somesort of conspiracy against the MQM.Since few in other provinces would oth-erwise grieve over MQM’s bad perform-ance in elections under an independentEC, the party has included two moreprovinces in the list of the targets of con-spiracy to gain sympathy.

In fact if the conspiracy element isremoved, none can have beef with thestatement that Punjab remains by andlarge violence-free while KP, Balochis-tan and Karachi and Hyderabad are highon the list of the terrorists.

There is far lesser terrorist activity inPunjab because most of the high profiletargets the TTP is looking for are outsidethe province. Of the three parties de-clared secular and thus game for the ter-rorists, the ANP and MQM have littleelectoral presence in Punjab.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains asever the stronghold of the ANP while theparty is also a significant player inBalochistan. It is contesting on 33 Na-tional Assembly (NA) and 81 ProvincialAssembly (PA) seats in KP-cum-TribalAreas. In Balochistan, it is fighting on 7NA and 29 PA seats. The party has con-sistently opposed militancy as through-out its history and has practiced thepolicy of non-violence preached byBacha Khan. It has faced the major bruntof the terrorist offensive in the twoprovinces with exemplary courage andfortitude. A number of its candidateshave fallen victim to deadly terroristblasts and hardly a day passes without anattack on a party rally. Despite this theparty has shown no self pity. The ANPchief Asfandyar Wali insists that anypostponement of the elections would

have catastrophic consequences. The ANP is the weakest in Punjab as

it has never won a seat here since 1988. Itis contesting only on 10 NA and 13 PAseats in the province. The TTP is after eas-ier targets i.e. in the KP districts adjoiningthe tribal areas or Balochistan districtsalong the Durand Line where militantscan cross over from Afghanistan to launchattacks. It is less likely to target low pro-file ANP candidates in distant Punjab.

The MQM remains a paper organi-sation in Punjab, KP and Balochistan.The announcement of candidates fromthese provinces is an exercise in smokeand mirrors aimed at creating a false per-ception that the MQM is an all Pakistanparty. As few serious people are willingto contest on its ticket in Punjab, its listof nominees mostly comprise ghost can-didates. In 2008, it announced 39 NAcandidates from Punjab. It turned out tobe a sheer joke. Not a single one couldget second, third or even fourth position.The overall vote percentage of theMQM, with kite as election symbol, wasthe lowest in the province

This time the joke has gone too far.The MQM is “contesting” on 130 NAseats in Punjab and 258 PA seats. Thereare 10 districts at least whose names the“candidates” have mis-spelt on the offi-cial party website! Would genuine localcandidates would ever do that? The ter-rorists would prefer high value targets inKarchi and Hyderabad rather than dum-mies in Punjab.

The PPP alone has a major presencein Punjab. It has however shunned biggatherings and has confined itself largelyto either small constituency level meet-ings or door-to-door canvassing.

Punjab may not remain terror-freeonce the electioneering reaches climax.The local elite habitual of free use of mus-cle power is likely to test the ability of theECP and the caretaker set up. Terroristsmay also decide to launch attacks onsome of the more exposed PPP candidates

There is also a second reason behindthe lull in terrorist activity in Punjab.While the law and order situation in Pun-jab was in no way enviable under thePML-N, the province remained muchmore peaceful than Karachi. The rival-ries between the ruling parties compris-ing PPP, MQM and ANP led to a killingspree in Karachi that continued non stopon for five long years. Each one of thethree partners accused the other of beinglawlessness, patronising the extortionmafia and groups of land grabbers. In-stead of working as a team, mutual re-crimination characeterised the alliance.The ANP and PPP accused the MQM of

patronizing the killer gangs while theMQM announced that the People’s AmnCommittee supported by the PPP was themother of all evils.

As the SC was to discover subse-quently the entire police service and ad-ministration had been politicised.Notorious killers were released by HomeDepartment under pressure from one orother ruling party on parole who thendisappeared in thin air only to continuetheir gory mission from the shadows. Asa judge commenting on MQM Sen. Nas-rim Jaleel’s petition asking the SC to re-store peace in Karachi remarked earlythis month, “Members of the assemblywho relished power for 20 years are nowwriting to the court. But they did nothingon their own. The caretaker set up hasalso been installed with their consulta-tion.” Another observed, “They have re-mained allies of the government, whyhave they not done anything?”

There is however a third reason be-hind the suspension of terrorist activity inPunjab. The PML-N leadership has al-lowed major militant networks to set upheadquarters in Punjab where their lead-ership moves around freely. It is not with-out reason that Hafiz Saeed, chief of JuDwhich is a reincarnation of the bannedLeT, is free to address meetings despitethe bounty announced by the US on hishead. Similarly, Malik Ishaque of LeJ issafely stationed in the provincial capital.

This has raised the question if thereis a give and take between the PMLNleadership and the terrorist networks.After all it is not without a reason thatthe TTP had suggested to make thePML-N, along with two religious parties,an a guarantor for peace. While themainstream Sunni population, the lawenforcement agencies and governmentinstallations have been safe from the ter-rorists, they have attacked Ahmadis,Shias and Christians with a vengeance asthe government failed to provide minori-ties adequate shelter. There have been al-legations that networks enjoyingfreedom in Punjab launch attacks inother provinces. It is highly dangerous toharbor groups like LeJ who conduct at-tacks on Hazara community in Balochis-tan, only to have peace in PML-N ruledPunjab. This raises a serious questionabout the future. Suppose the PML-Ncame to power in the country will it, forthe sake of peace in the country, harbourand allow these networks to use Pak-istan’s territory as a spring board for at-tack on neighbouring countries?

The writer is a political analyst anda former academic.

A good stepA bill to facilitate reproductive healthcare and health rights hasbeen approved by the national assembly. This is a welcome stepto promote and protect these rights in accordance with the con-stitution and international commitments made by the govern-ment of Pakistan.

With the effective implementation of the approved bill,everyone would have access to information related to reproduc-tive rights and responsibilities within a gender perspective freefrom stereotyped and discriminatory practices. These interven-tions would surely be beneficial especially for younger genera-tion as access to this information will guard them against abuse,exploitation and will improve their knowledge and access tomodern contraceptives to reduce chances of getting infectedwith various diseases including HIV.

Now, responsible stakeholders including government de-partments and media should play their role in translating thesewords into reality to ensure required execution of related lawsand legislations for the protection and promotion of basic youthrights in the country.

AMINA SARWARIslamabad

Fulfilling his job descriptionIt was good to learn that the Caretaker Prime Minister Jus-

tice (retd) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso is a man who simply wants toconcentrate on the job. His stand, not to get involved in extrane-

ous activities when general elections are just a couple of weeksaway is both sound and based on proper reasoning.

When the senate passed the resolution on the issue, Mushar-raf didn’t take the first flight out of the country. He stayed inPakistan for quite some time during which the government couldhave taken the action but failed to do so.

We know in Turkey and Egypt, the civilian leaders havelimited the military to its conventional role but this feat has beenaccomplished by ‘real’ leaders with untainted past.

I think it is about time that those in authority, and the com-ing government, adopt a positive attitude, do things that wouldbe beneficial to the country and the people.

S R H HASHMIKarachi

vulnerable election campaignsAs the election campaigns of different political parties for

the general election 2013 are on full swing, different terroristgroups have begun to target major political parties in Quetta, Pe-shawar and Karachi to sabotage the election. It has not onlycaused deaths and injuries, but also frightened people who wishto cast votes on election day.

Therefore I request the Interim Government and ElectionCommission of Pakistan to take highest security measures inorder to overcome security lapse, for a free, fair and peaceful en-vironment for the elections.

NASEER HASHMIKarachi

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. Fax: +92-42-32535230 E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusivelyEditor’s mail

AZIZ Ud dIN AHmAd

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IN terms of content, theArmy chief Gen AshfaqKayani’s speech on theoccasion of passing out

parade at Pakistan’s premiermilitary academy, Kakul, is notmuch different from his lastfew speeches: the emphasis onIslam and Pakistan, the sacro-sanctity of ideology of Pakistanand vows to make Pakistan anideal Islamic welfare state. Thistime the speech has pointed to-wards the provocative state-ments from the neighboringcountries and a sentence aboutfocusing on the internal threats.But the emphasis on the ideology of Pakistan has flustered some quartersthat were all praise for the speech last year on the eve of IndependenceDay, when General Kayani had a speech at the same venue after witnessingthe ‘Azadi parade’ on August 14.

In that speech, Gen Kayani had discussed the threat of religious terrorismin detail, challenging their interpretation of Islam while contesting anyone’sclaims to be the sole interpreter of Islam and using violence to impose it overothers. Gen Kayani ordained a fight against the forces of extremism and ter-rorism, insisting it as our own war and warned against a civil war situation ifcobwebs persisted in the minds on the complexity of this crucial issue.

Though in that speech too, Gen Kayani didn’t forget to remind us thathow Islam was the basis for the foundation of Pakistan and had the samepledge of making Pakistan an ideal Islamic welfare state and society basedon the golden principles of Islam. The speech came after fresh settlementswith United States post-Salala affair over allowing NATO supplies andother issues, it was considered as building environment for an offensive inNorth Waziristan, so the weary parts of the speech were brushed aside.

But now, what has perturbed many is the omission of the resolveagainst those misinterpreting Islam for political means and trying to imposeit upon others by use of violence. While the speech kept reiterating its em-phasis on the Pakistan ideology and the inseparable relation of Islam andPakistan, hence putting his weight in favour of those elements that havemade a particular interpretation of Ideology of Pakistan a Procrustes bedfor the political forces to stretch or hack them off to fit that standards.

More dreadful is the fact that, Taliban have attained an unvanquishablestatus due to the cobwebs of confusion around them in the national narrativeled by the security establishment for its changing preferences. Lack of suf-ficient action against them and allowing them to prescribe their terms forthe upcoming elections to the people on who should be supported or alien-ated in their electoral campaigns.

The focus on the internal security should have prioritized measuresagainst active networks of terrorism across the country and their sleepingcells in the Punjab. For peaceful elections and providing level playing fieldto the political parties who have actively supported army offensives againstthe Taliban and extolled them for their glorified Swat and Malakand oper-ations, kept a close eye over and defended them against harsh criticism bythe human right organisations over detentions and extra-judicial killings ofthe suspected militants, dumping the bullet riddled bodies or throwing theminto river Swat or handing them over to their relatives after their deaths indetention due to some mysterious illness.

During these years, Taliban’s physical control over some territoriesmay have diluted but virtually they still have the powers to strike in thoseareas against security forces or civilian gatherings. Also their virtual controlhas been extended manifold to new areas and territories. Their ability toacquire or manufacture arms and explosives, generating finances via dif-ferent sources and reinforcements through recruitments of certain types ofwarfare experts or ordinary fighters has not been forestalled.

What has been required in the mean time is to interdict their terror op-erations of hitting at the targets of their choice. Putting strict security meas-ures to secure possible targets can deter their power to achieve specifictargets. But it is possible only if these orgqanisations have been attackedin their dens and militarization points, before they start out by going throughtheir plans. But this all can be done through effective intelligence measuresand well coordinated plans to hinder networks of terror of their plans andtactics as well as admonishing the impression of indomitability of thesegroups in society and among the fearful and disconcerted populace.

The exulting right wing religio-political groups over the conjecturalUS military setback in Afghanistan have started speaking out loudly againstthose political forces that have opposed Taliban or have supported militaryoffences against them, especially in Pakistan. It has also reinforced a ratherflawed argument of dealing violent groups politically by acceding to someof their demands. It has been testified through the turbulent history and thelast few years of this country that ceding political space to those employingdeliberate violence to attain ideological objectives will not stop at a desiredpoint but it eventually results in conceding turf to these forces.

The reemergence of state-friendly Jihadi organisations or the so-calledgood Taliban too bears witness to the same false assertions around theendgame narrative in Afghanistan. If one desires that these Jihadi locomo-tives of us will drag the good and bad Jihadi militants out of Pakistan toaid their ideological counterparts in Afghanistan, it should be kept in mindthat Pakistani Taliban have its network of support and reinforcement ex-isting across Pakistan, it is highly unlikely that it will be unrolled or sentback packing to their perceived buffer zones.

The external threat narrative around neigbouring countries and the ide-ological foes has bucked up jingoism, at the same time projecting conspir-acy theories. All this while the persisting threat of the Taliban and theirideological allies has given rise to a sense of haplessness in the people di-rectly hit by terror. And it has been transforming society drastically pushingit towards adopting more radical traits and losing its traditional attributesof tolerance and pluralism.

Ali Arqam is a journalist and researcher based in Karachi. He can becontacted ataliarqam@hotmail.com or interacted on twitter at @aliarqam

with the end game in aghanistan, the ttp is unlikely tounroll its extensive network in pakistan

IN their works titled “Women in the MuslimUnconscious” and “Quran and the Woman”Fatna Sabbah and Amina Wadud respec-

tively present contrasting opinions on the rolesand depiction of women in Islam. They use thekey source of information, the Quran, to validatetheir arguments. Sabbah suggests that womenbecome ‘objects of religious discourse’ as thebulk of Quranic scripture is addressed to men,forming a power structure in which men regu-late and enforce divine law over women. Thisresults from an essential discrepancy betweenthe sacred and the biological analysis of events,and as each occurrence is predetermined byGod, women’s natural capacity to give birth andthus be responsible for the expansion of thehuman race, is undermined. Wadud converselyproposes that the Quran, except on a few occa-sions, addresses both men and women. Accord-ing to her, the traditional interpretations of theQuran are shaped by the social/cultural notionsof gender, which are separate from the actualcontent of the religious text. Moreover, theQuran is meant for all mankind and has a “nat-ural adaptive nature of interpretation” meaningthat no single explanation is ‘definitive’.

Sabbah suggests that Islam is based on a hi-erarchal structure of relationships where God hasexclusive control over mankind and the malebeing takes precedence over the female being. Herprincipal argument relies on the fact that the scrip-ture portrays women to be objects of gratificationfor men. ‘The existence of God is rooted in thevery existence of man’ – the sacred discourse im-plies that God is omnipotent, attributing the cre-ation of man solely to God’s will and thereforeeradicating the woman’s importance in theprocess of procreation. In fact, Sabbah notes thatas per the Islamic rendition of the Adam and Evestory, woman was ‘created from’ man, reinforcingher position as the ‘other’ in Islamic society.

The concept of ‘sacred space’ stretches be-yond the Earth and attaining Paradise is madeout to be a believer’s ultimate goal. However, inthe quest for Paradise, the element of gender in-equality arises as many verses pertaining to Par-adise appeal to the desires of men. The

importance of the earthly woman is reduced andalmost obliterated in Paradise by the introductionof the ‘houri’ or the paradisal woman solely cre-ated for the pleasure of “those of the right hand”.Sabbah points out that “nowhere in Paradise arethe needs of this earthly woman taken into con-sideration” hence reducing the woman’s signifi-cance in the sexual discourse. “The houri isdefined in physical terms” and “is created to bea sexual partner for the male believer,” reducingwomen in general to anatomical objects. TheQuranic verses are isolated and read literally bySabbah as she uses the verse “Enter the Garden,ye and your wives, to be made glad” to suggestthat women’s fate is dependant on their hus-band’s virtues. However, there is a contradictionin this statement as another verse of the Quranreads “and whoso doeth good works, whethermale or female, and he (or she) is a believer, suchwill enter paradise” stressing on the accountabil-ity of men and women as individuals.

According to Sabbah, the superiority ofmen is established in Islam as they are definedas the caretakers of women. Islam, by allowingpolygamy or multiple marriages, “encouragesthe husband to make little emotional invest-ment” and reiterates the woman’s role as apleasure tool designed to gratify the sexual de-sires of male. “Mastering the woman meansmastering desire” and the woman’s sexualneeds are given almost no importance due totheir lack of mention in the Quran.

Wadud diverges from Sabbah as she takessimilar verses from the Quran and dissects theirlanguage in terms of grammar and content toshow that divine law is equally applicable toboth men and women. Instead of concentratingon the immediate intricacies of the text she pres-ents the idea that “allegorical verses cannot beempirically determined” and draws attention toGod’s larger scheme. Her major argument restson the fact that the verses of the Quran, whethergrammatically masculine or feminine refer toboth. “Grammatically the ‘nafs’ (self) is femi-nine… Conceptually, ‘nafs’ is neither masculinenor feminine”. However, her case for genderneutrality in Islamic learning is laid out by com-paring it to other religions such as Christianitywhich states that Eve was created from Adam’srib. As the Quran excludes any verse specificallystating the aforementioned, Wadud suggests thatthe important factor is the creation of humanity,not a particular gender.

The crux of Wadud’s argument lies in her as-sertion that the Quran does not “support a specificand stereotyped role for its characters”. Hence therelations to specific women must be placed in theparticular “social, cultural, and historical context”in which they are related. Wadud points out thatthe Prophet was situated in Arab society, hencein order for the people of the time to comprehendthe message, God had to speak in a cultural con-text they could relate to. Hence, “the referencesto female characters in the Qur’an use an impor-

tant cultural idiosyncrasy which demonstrates re-spect for women.” Women, like men are used todepict models of believers/behavior in Islam.

The relationship between God and the indi-vidual is not based on gender as there is no dif-ference in the spiritual capacity of men andwomen laid out in the Quran. Instead, the distinc-tion between believers is made on the basis offaith as the verse “Whoever does good, frommale or female and is a believer, all such willenter Paradise (4:124)” clearly suggests.

Examples of believing women are given, andWadud suggests that the derived lesson ‘tran-scends their femaleness’. Unlike, Sabbah’s asser-tion that Islam removes the significance ofwomen from the process of procreation, Waduduses Mary’s example in the Quran to assert theopposite. The Quran refers to Mary as ‘one of theqanitin’ (believers-masculine form) instead of thefeminine plural, a fact which Wadud uses to reit-erate that the teachings from the narratives in theQuran are meant for all humanity.

The discussion of Paradise is also brought upby Wadud who approaches the verses/message ofthe Quran in an untraditional manner. Her explana-tion for the verses geared towards sexual gratifica-tion of men and the existence of the ‘Hur-ul-Ayn’(the paradisal woman) is that the Quran at the timeof its revelation spoke primarily to ‘prominent pa-triarchs in a patriarchal society’. The later verses(revealed in the Madinan period) hardly containany mention of such women and instead lay em-phasis on ‘harmony’. However, an essential con-tradiction arises in Wadud’s argument as shesuggests that Quran is an eternal message from Godthat transcends time, space, gender and socialnorms yet her argument asks one to contextualizethe Quran. This sense of confusion arises becausethere is no clear indication as to when the Qurancan and can not be taken out of a specific contextand speak to the entire mankind instead of peoplein a certain historical time frame or locality.

Unlike Sabbah, Wadud views the Quran asan inclusive text that “adapts to the concept of themodern woman” and instead of giving impor-tance to literal intricacies the “goal has been toemulate certain key principles of human devel-opment: justice, equity, harmony”. The traditionalpatriarchal interpretation of the Quran that sug-gests “a woman’s subservience to a man” hasbeen made by readers who are situated in socialsystems that promote these ideals and hence theytake advantage of the open-endedness of theyQuran by enforcing their own value system intheir explanation of it. Wadud further reads theQuran as an accommodative text that does notgeneralize and “negative terms” “are neither di-rectly nor exclusively associated with women”,encouraging the reader to look at them through amultidimensional lens.

The writer is a staff member of PakistanToday and holds a degree from Mount HolyokeCollege.

CommEnt CFriday, 26 April, 2013

11Without music, life would

be a mistake.

–Friedrich Nietzsche

Feminism and islaman analysis of two different points of view

of hope andhaplessness

NAdIA KHAwAjA

ALI ARQAm

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melissa Gilbert and TimothyBusfield get married!Little house on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert said

"I do" to actor Timothy Busfield on Wednesday at

San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif., the

actress's rep confirmed to People. Gilbert, 48, wore

a red dress for her nuptials. She and Busfield, 55,

got engaged over the holidays. At the time, a rep

for Gilbert, a Dancing With the Stars alum, told e!

News the future spouses were "both incredibly

happy." A source added that the duo have "known

each other for quite some time, as their paths have

crossed off and on over the past 20 years." This is

the third marriage for both. Gilbert has two children

from previous relationships, and Busfield has three.

Congrats to the newlyweds! NEwS dESK

GWYNETH PALTROWcrowned world's most beautiful woman

NEWS DESK

Gwyneth Paltrow, who was voted as the most hated celebrity lastweek, has now been named as the world's most beautiful woman.The 40-year-old actress topped People magazine's annual list, withactress Kerry Washington coming in second place and 'LesMiserables' star Amanda Seyfried coming third, the Mirrorreported. Paltrow has stolen the title from her friend Beyonce whowas voted the fittest of them all last year. Speaking about theaccolade the Hollywood star said that her Coldplay frontmanhusband Chris Martin and their two kids, Apple, eight, and Moses,seven, are surprised by the news as they see a very different sideof her. She said that when she is in house, she wears just jeans anda T-shirt and doesn't really put-on any make-up. "And Chris willmake a joke about it. If I've gotten fully dressed up, he'll be like,'Oh, wow! You're Gwyneth Paltrow!' Because he's used to seeingme in like baggy shorts and frizzy hair," she said.

sofia vergara launches'sexy shapewear line'Sofia Vergara has decided to add a shapewear line

to her existing Kmart collection. According to

WWD.com, the 40-year-old actress is expanding her

collection to include toning bodysuits, camis, tanks,

bustiers, waist-shaping briefs and boyshorts, thigh

slimmers, and half and full-slips, the New York Post

reported. Vergara, who posted a photo of her

shapely rear after her 2012 emmys gown split from

the back and wailed via Tweet before the ceremony,

"nothing fits meeee!!!!" told WWD that usually,

when she goes to an event, she wears shapewear.

She said that it's not to hold anything in, but to

smooth everything out, and she does make it a

point to wear a bra with her garments. The curvy

stunner said that each of the undergarments have

been Vergara approved. She said that she is not

really a designer but her lines are based on what

she likes and what she wears. Vergara added that

they have a lot of meetings and all of the products

get tried on by her.

The items run M to

2X and products

with built-in

bras contain

cups sized

from 36C

to 38DD

and 40D.

NEwS

dESK

arts

AFriday, 26 April, 2013

12

I'm stupid, I'm ugly, I'm

dumb, I smell. Did I mention

I'm stupid? –Eminem

zuLqArnAin For PromoTinGPAk-irAn Co-ProduCTionTo overComeindusTrY Crises

LAHORE: Renowned television actor

and comedian Zulqarnain haider said

Pak-Iran co-production should be

promoted to overcome the ongoing

crises in the film industry.

In a media interview he said Iranian

film industry possesses modern

technology and we are able to utilise

it for competing with India’s

Bollywood. he said if this trend is

promoted and encouraged‚ it would

bring investment in the showbiz

sector in Pakistan. NNI

MONITORING DESK

FULLY titled, Chambaili: the Fragrance ofFreedom, the film has been written and co-produced by Shahzad Nawaz and directedby Ismail Jilani. Set against a political back-drop, the film purports itself to be a ‘saga of

courage, romance and sacrifice of a group of friends whoare led by circumstances and incidents to find themselvesat the crossroads of fate’. Some of the actors starring in thefilm include Salman Peerzada, Khalid Ahmed, MairaKhan, Shafqat Cheema, Omair Rana, Sadia Hayat, SaiqaKhayyam, Ali Tahir, Ehtisham, Khalid Qureshi, Fatima,Ali Fateh, Humayun Bin Rathor and Shahzad Nawaz witha special guest appearance by Ghulam Mohiuddin.

“This is a 100 per cent Pakistani film and we takegreat pride in saying that,” said the director while intro-ducing the film. “The revival of cinema doesn’t takeplace with one film or by corporate-sponsored projectson TV. How is the corporate sector going to bring abouta revival? They’re here to sell products.”

“What does a film have anything to do with TV?”he questioned, “There will be a revival of cinema whenwe start treating films like films.” “When I made thisfilm I only had Rs7,000 with me,” the filmmaker saidhinting at the struggle involved in making the film. “YetI believe it’s the biggest film ever produced in the coun-try,” he said. “Every intelligent person told me that thiswould sink. But when you connect with your soul, youlose the fear of losing. Every time the film ran out ofmoney, it came in from somewhere,” he said.

First political film made in Pakistanto release today

Ben To Live on$1.50 A dAY TorAise AwArenesson PoverTY

Ben Affleck has pledged to live on

1.50 dollars a day for five days as

part of a campaign by the charity Live

Below The Line to raise awareness for

world poverty.

According to News.com.au, the

campaign is meant for participants to

"better understand the daily obstacles

faced by 1.4 billion people trapped in

the cycle of extreme poverty".

Singer Josh Groban and actress Debi

Mazar are also taking part. NEwS dESK

Centimeter is a quiet Swedish band that, foralmost ten years, has been content to recordsad and beautiful songs in its native tongue.“Motorhead” is Centimeter’s inauguralEnglish-language single and the first off itsupcoming release, 70, which came out April 3.It’s something of a coming out from under thesafety blanket for the band. “Changing fromSwedish lyrics to English was kind ofliberating but also an inspiring challenge. Ienjoy playing with words and we always startwith the lyrics, even in English. No lyric, nosong,” says singer Johan Landin. Of thecreative process, he says: “We talked abouthow we function as human beings and why thefour of us are playing together. This album isa huge turning point for us.” The video for“Motorhead” goes a long way towardscapturing just that unsettling moment oftransition. It’s filmed on a high-speed Phantomcamera on a cold November day in Stockholm,with youthful bodies feigning summertimeelation leap through fireworks—all in hypnoticslow motion. Like the song, there’s a below-the-surface foreboding, a simultaneous ecstasyand melancholy: live in the moment becausesummer, like love, won’t last forever. NEwS dESK

SONG REVIEW:

Centimeter’s perfectly summery single, motorhead

ISB 26-04-2013_Layout 1 4/26/2013 2:09 AM Page 12

13ARtsFriday, 26 April, 2013

A

The reader becomes God, for all textual

purposes. I see your eyes glazing over,

so I'll hush. –David Foster Wallace

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

PAKISTAN Fashion DesignCouncil (PFDC) Sunsilk Fash-ion Week 2013 Lahore editionbegins on Friday (today) at theExpo Centre in Johar Town.

This is the sixth edition of the PFDC Sun-silk Fashion Week. The first day, of thefour-day long event, will showcase worksof the following renowned designers.

TAPU JAVERIBRAND PHILOSOPHY: To make

wearable art.INSPIRATION: The “Tapulicious”

line is an evolution of the KaraChakra ex-hibition photo-manipulations, pop culture,old buildings and the streets of Karachi.

TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR:-Vivid colors-Vibrant prints-Unique wearable art in the form of

bags, scarves and prints-Incredible shoes and earrings

MISHA LAKHANIBRAND PHILOSOPHY: A unique

sense of personal style, weaving the Ro-mance of Old India with the language of In-ternational chic

INSPIRATION: Mughal style geo-metrically based frames lattices containingfloral ornaments cutwork.

TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR:-Cutwork-Floral motifs-Geometric configurations-Crushed silk

FNK ASIABRAND PHILOSOPHY: To make

cutting-edge, free spirited fashion for thewoman of the subcontinent.

INSPIRATION: “East of Bengal”- atrip to Bengal and a visit to the lush rain-forests and tree plantations of Srimongal.

TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR:-Reconstructing the saree drape -The revival of the Pakistani craft-Big black and white patterns-The new Boho with a feminine twist-Pop of neons

ELANBRAND PHILOSOPHY: Energy and flair

INSPIRATION: Romantic Poets andChinese Imagery

TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR:-Billowing silhouettes-Structured pieces-Large beaded embellishments-Earthy colors

SUBLIME BY SARABRAND PHILOSOPHY: Minimalist

by nature and emphasis on cuts and drape.Belief in the power of understated glamour.

INSPIRATION: A desire to liveNOW. A need for change. A pop of colour,femininity and funk.

TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR:-Neon-Floral prints-Stud embellishment-Orient classic

AKIF MEHMOODBRAND PHILOSOPHY: Fusing tra-

ditional design with contemporary cuts tocreate a product that is fashionable yetwearable.

INSPIRATION: The art of collageTRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR: -Long and short flared silhouettes-Printed pants-Uniquely designed separates

SANIA MASKATIYABRAND PPHILOSOPHY: To use

pure fabrics and the finest craftsmen avail-able to create a balance between elegance,comfort and practicality.

INSPIRATION: The craft and motifsof Persian, Middle Eastern, Hispanic andItalian Renaissance ceramics and tiles.

TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR:-Bold and vibrant colors paired with

pastel hues.-Customized digital and screen prints-Embroidered motifs

MARIA B.BRAND PHILOSOPHY: Affordable

fashion for the modern womanINSPIRATION:“The Sunshine Collection”, inspired by

the happiness, joy and innocence of youth.

TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR:-Candy hues-Bold and modern asymmetrical prints-Clean cuts-High impact accessories-Pure cotton, khaddar and silkCHEN ONE- PAREESA LAWNBRAND PHILOSOPHY: To create an

ethnic line of prints in sub-continental em-broideries and motifs.

INSPIRATION: Young and cuttingedge graphic prints in black and white withsplashes of colour

TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR:-Modernizing lawn with a contempo-

rary feel-Targeting a chic and style conscious

consumer. KAYSERIA

BRAND PHILOSOPHY: The brandis intrinsically based on the universal con-cept of soul, inner meaning and spirit.

INSPIRATION: Synonymous withgreat quality and magical prints

TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR:-Bright, electric and alive- the Neons

have arrived!SITARA TEXTILES

BRAND PHILOSOPHY: Sitara hasalways considered originality to be itsstrongest asset and quality to be its mostprominent feature. This belief has estab-lished Sitara as the brand of preference formajority of the population.

INSPIRATION: The impact of theemerging global fashion trends

TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR:-Woven-Dyed in brilliant shades of nature-Sparkling fabrics-Comfort and uniquenessRIZWAN BEYG LAWN SHOWPHILOSOPHY: The Rizwan Beyg

philosophy is fundamentally based on wear-able practical clothes.The pret line aims atedgy separates in natural fibres like silk ncotton and follows creative current trends.The bridal line is based on traditional em-broideries like marori zardozi reshamkariand rich handloom fabrics like jamavaarbrocade and kimkhaab. The couture line isbased on embroidered classics with fine fin-ishing and are timeless heirloom pieces.

INSPIRATION:The inspiration for lawn comes from a

global perspective on fashion with a strongemphasis on subcontinental traditions.Chintz, kashmiri shawls, Damask and Is-lamic tile-work are rich in inspiration. Theoriginal concept of lawn as a fine count cot-ton with simple beautiful prints has alwaystaken precedence with the label and lawnshould always be affordable and simple isthe labels motto. The mass appeal of lawnis the way lawn was meant to be worn.Simple fine count voile in stylish prints as99% of Pakistanis have and will alwayscontinue to wear the shalwar kameez de-spite trends at fashion weeks.

TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR:The classic tunic shift slightly A- Line

cut close to the body is this years lawntrend. NO volume, panels’ embroidery ormix and match prints. The addition of lace,trims and different fabrics to formalise thelook. A very simple and ‘do it your self ap-proach’ to keep it affordable and wearable.

PFdC sunsilk Fashion week 2013 kicks off

On Wednesday morning, Vidya Balan was

chosen to be a part of the nine-member jury,

headed by Steven Spielberg, at this year's

Cannes Film Festival. The actress, who was

busy shooting for a special song at

Filmalaya studio for Ghanchakkar, did not

have enough time to field media queries

about the honour. But she did have time to

make that one very critical call: to the

man who has turned her into the biggest

brand ambassador of the saree,

Sabyasachi. Given that Vidya has never

had an easy relationship with the fashion

police, and how the Cannes red carpet

comes under the severest scrutiny, sources

close to the actress say she has been quite

anxious about her high-profile appearance.

When she called Sabya with a mix of excitement

and apprehension, the feeling was mutual. A friend of

the actress said: "Sabyasachi is very excited to be a

part of Vidya's big moment. They have become thick

friends over the years and Vidya trusts the designer

blindly when it comes to designing her sarees.

however, Sabya is a bit nervous this time, as he

doesn't want anything to go wrong on the red

carpet." The designer called up Nisha Kundnani, an

independent stylist who has worked with Aamir and

Kiran Rao in the past. A source added: "Sabya

requested Nisha to carry alternative options for

Vidya, in case there were last-minute changes."

While Ash has mostly stuck to western designers

for her Cannes appearances, Sonam Kapoor and

Deepika have turned to the saree for making a

mark at the fashion mecca. NEwS dESK

Vidya Balan:Cannes I pull itoff in a saree?Anxious Vidya calls up Sabya to work out a slam-proof look for her Red Carpet stint

NEWS DESK

Award-winning actor Nana Patekarhas spoken out against Sanjay Dutt ina rare outburst amid a chorus ofcelebrities voicing support for theconvicted Bollywood star who re-turns to prison in May.

Patekar, a Bollywood veteran andthree-time National Award winner,said he will never work with Dutt orwatch his films.

"That is the punishment I cangive him from my side," the 62-year-old actor told a Marathi news chan-nel. Dutt was sentenced to six yearsin jail in 2007 for acquiring illegalweapons from men convicted for the1993 Mumbai bombings that killed257 people, but has been out on bailever since.

In March, the Supreme Court re-duced Dutt's sentence to five yearsand ordered him to return to prison.On April 17, the court granted the 53-year-old actor four more weeks offreedom, allowing him to finish workon some of his films before servingthe remainder of his prison term.

Dutt was cleared of conspiracycharges in the bombings but wasfound guilty of illegal possession ofan AK-56 rifle and a pistol, weaponsthat he claimed were to protect himand his family during a period of ri-oting. Patekar hinted that Dutt, themost high-profile of 100 people in-volved in the Mumbai bombings trial,had been let off lightly.

Twelve people received the deathpenalty and 20 others were given lifesentences in the case.

"The nature of his crime is horri-ble. Why should justice be meted outdifferently for him?" Patekar said.

"The law is different for a poorman and different for me, just be-cause I am actor? Why should thatbe?" he said.

Patekar's reaction is at odds with

the Hindi film industry that came outin Dutt's support and called for himto be pardoned, describing him as amisguided youth and a victim of hisstar lineage.

Dutt, son of actor and formerCongress minister Sunil Dutt and ac-tress Nargis, enjoys goodwill in bothpolitics and the movie industry. Hissister Priya is a Congress lawmakerfrom Mumbai.

NANA PATEKAR SAYS he won't work with Sanjay Dutt

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inFotainMent

IFriday, 26 April, 2013

14

redwoodsFeLLed A CenTurYAGo To Live on

meet Lamo, the sheepthat thinks he's a dog

reverse engineeringthe food in front of you

Cancer patients could have treatmentchosen by computer rather than a doctor

COURTESy HUMANS INvENT

LEO KENT

wHILE many of us in the west loveAsian food most of us have no ideahow to cook it for ourselves – past asimple stir-fry that is. In Sweden,however, a leading supplier of oriental

food has come up with a clever way of helping peoplekeen to give it a try.INSTAGRAM: Ask CT Food is a new service peoplecan use through Instagram to find out the ingredientsand methods of cooking Asian food. If you’re at arestaurant and want to know how to make the Sushithat you’re about to eat, you can take a photo of thedish and CT Food will tell you how. Luong Lu, who,along with co-creative Farnaz Sajadi and web devel-oper Nikola Romcevic, created this concept for CTFood, says, “It is a very personal, almost 24/7 cus-

tomer service right in your pocket. Everytime youhave a question about an Asian dish at a restaurant youjust snap a picture and then put in our username@askctfood. We will then see the picture and, basedon what the question is, reply as quickly as possible.”EXPERTS: The service is completely free with ateam of specialists ready to answer any questions.Lu says, “If you have a weird ingredient that you’venever seen before, you can take a picture and ask uswhat you want to know about it. We have between6 to 7 experts who will reply to your question, giv-ing ingredients or recipes.”

Many ingredients can appear unusual to a west-erner and CT Food makes sure these are carefullylisted in their responses. “At Instagram, you can findthe most popular 500 products and each product hasits unique hashtag so when we reply with the recipe,you’ll also get this unique hashtag which tells you ex-actly what products you need for a specific dish.”

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS: This conceptwas developed upon realising that while Swedes loveto eat south-east Asian food, they were apprehensiveabout making it for themselves.

“The Asian shops are actually much more focusedon the Asian people than the general public so we wantto crash this barrier and create a service where youdon’t feel intimidated, you just go in there, show thepicture and say, ‘I need this, this and this’ and thecashier or service person will locate it for you.”

Lu concludes, “What we’ve done is take customerservice and put it into a very relevant medium.” In-deed, it is a clever piece of marketing that will raisethe awareness of CT Food at the same time as makingthe Swedes more au fait with the ingredients andrecipes behind the food they already love to eat. Withluck, this type of social-media based customer servicewill be appropriated by food suppliers across Europefor all manner of exotic cooking.

NEWS DESK

A computer model of lung cancer was found to be consis-tently better at predicting the future symptoms of patientsfollowing a course of radiotherapy or chemotherapy thanthe doctors responsible for their care. Each model is fedwith the personal medical details and the treatment historyof each patient, researchers explained. Dr Cary Oberije, ofMaastricht University Medical Hospital in the Nether-lands, said: "If models based on a patient, tumour and treat-ment characteristics already outperform the doctors, thenit is unethical to make treatment decisions based solely on

the doctors' opinion. "We believe models should be imple-mented in clinical practice to guide decisions." Dr Oberijeand his team used computer models to determine howmany lung cancer sufferers in a group of 21 would survivefor two years, how many would experience difficultieswith breathing and how many would find it hard to swal-low. As more and more data is collected on patients, suchas information about their genetic make-up, computermodels are set to become increasingly important in decid-ing how to respond to certain diseases. Scientists have re-cently shown that cancer tumours can vary betweenpatients and different types of treatment may be neededaccording to a patient's genes. Computer models couldprove effective at calculating this complex mathematicalanalysis. Dr Oberije said the research proved that "indi-vidualised treatment can only succeed it prediction modelsare used in clinical practice". He added: "We know thatthere are many factors that play a role in the prognosis ofpatients and prediction models can combine them all." Pro-fessor Alan Ashworth, chief executive of the Institute ofCancer Research in London, said computer models werebecome increasingly important as doctors collect moreand more information on genetics and cancer diagnostics.

If you are religious, then remember that the atomic bomb is Man's challenge

to God. It's worded quite simply: We have the power to destroy everything that

You have created. If you're not religious, then look at it this way. This world of

ours is 4 600 000 000 years old. It could end in an afternoon. –Arundhati Roy

wild cheetah may disappear by 2030NEWS DESK

The number of cheetahs in the wild has been droppingso quickly that wildlife experts think the animal coulddisappear by 2030, reports AFP. They estimate thatmaybe 10,000 of the big cats exist, mostly in Africa,down from 100,000 about a century ago. The problemis that while the animals' natural habitat is shrinking, theanimals generally don't do well in wildlife preserves.

They need more far more open space because, fast asthey may be, they can't compete against bigger animalssuch as lions and leopards. To make matters worse, thecheetah is suffering from widespread inbreeding as itsworld shrinks. One sliver of hope, according to AFP, isthat the animals are easily tamed and thus can be raisedin captivity. The big question is whether cheetahs bornin captivity can survive once released in the wild, andearly experiments haven't been encouraging.

It's unlikely that the name of an

Indian woman who died on Sunday

will mean anything to you, but her

nickname is sure to resonate.

Shakuntala Devi, aka the "human

computer," died at the age of 83 in

Bangalore, leaving behind a legacy of

jaw-dropping computational genius.

her colorful story begins at age three,

when her lion-tamer father discovered

her prodigious talent for memorizing

numbers. Major public performances

began at the age of six, taking her

from what she once described to the

Times of India as the semi-slums to

locations around the world. Among

her feats, as also recounted by the

New York Times and the Telegraph:

• 1977: She extracted the 23rd

root of a 201-digit number in 50

seconds; a Univac computer

tasked with performing the same

calculation did so in 62 seconds.

• 1980: She entered the Guinness

Book of World Records after

multiplying two 13-digit

numbers—and voicing the 26-digit

solution—in a total of 28 seconds.

• She famously gave answers (once

on the BBC, another time at the

University of Rome) that were

different from the ones the

interviewers had; she was correct

on both occasions.

• An American researcher who

studied her abilities asked her to

find the the cube root of

61,629,875, and the seventh root

of 170,859,375. She did so before

his wife was even able to start a

stopwatch. NEwS dESK

A new weapon in the fight against

climate change: 18-inch-tall redwood

clones. The laboratory-produced trees

are genetic duplicates of three giants

that were cut down in northern

California more than a century ago.

Remarkably, shoots still emerge from

the stumps, including one known as

the Fieldbrook Stump, which measures

35 feet in diameter and is believed to

be about 4,000 years old. The tree

was about 40 stories high before it

was felled. "This is a first step toward

mass production," says David Milarch,

the co-founder of the nonprofit group

spearheading the project, which is

planting redwoods today (yep, it's earth

Day) in Australia, New Zealand, Great

Britain, Ireland, Canada, Germany,

and the US. The group has developed

several methods of producing genetic

copies from cuttings, including placing

branch tips less than an inch long in

baby food jars containing nutrients

and hormones. NEwS dESK

'HumAn ComPuTer'deAd AT 83

Thirteen-month-old Lamo is so sure he is a canine

he fetches sticks and balls, wears a collar and a

lead, jumps up on his hind legs and tries to bark.

Lamo does not even recognise his own kind -

preferring to chase rabbits instead.

Owner Jennifer Jones, 45, who runs Rockfield

Animal Rescue in Wentnor, Shrops, took Lamo in

when he was run over last February. She fed Lamo

milk and brought him up with her three dogs - a

Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Wallace, a Jack

Russell called Judy and a Labrador called Poppy.

She said: "Lamo was given to me as a terrified

little lamb and we have no idea where he came

from. "There's a farm nearby but the farmer said it

couldn't be his. "I raised him with my three dogs

so now he thinks one of them. "he really is

wonderful, he follows us around everywhere and is

always under our feet. "he doesn't care about the

other sheep, he prefers humans. he's always

trying to get our attention and is constantly getting

up to mischief." Jennifer also takes Lamo round to

her friends' houses to mow their lawn by chewing

the grass and puts him on a lead to take him for

walks at the weekend. NEwS dESK

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S

Friday, 26 April, 2013

15I love watching Virat Kohli bat. He looks to me like an individual ofmy own heart. I love his aggression, and [he has] serious passionthat I used to have. He reminds me of myself – Viv Richards

NEW DELHIAGENCIES

THE BCCI has onceagain declined thePCB proposal ofhaving a bilateralseries between Indiaand Pakistan,

CNN-IBN reported onThursday. The recentpoliticaldevelopmentsbetween the twocountries don’tpresent anappropriatesituation forresuming thecricket ties,opined sources.

Earlier,PCB had sent aproposal to theBCCI for a bilateralseries titled Gandhi-Jinnah series, along thelines of the Ashes. In theproposal it was mentioned that theseries would be played on a regularbasis, at a neutral venue - though

playing in India would also be anoption. The recent politicaldevelopments between the twocountries don\’t present an appropriatesituation for resuming the cricket ties,said the sources. Though Pakistanvisited India for a short limited oversseries in December last year, there

hasn’t been a bilateral seriesbetween the two countries

since 2007. There havebeen several

attempts by thePakistan CricketBoard in recentmonths toconvince theBCCI for aresumption asthe contestsfeaturing the

two arch-rivalsare a huge hit

with fans andgenerate good

revenue. Tensiongripped the two nations

after two Indian soldierswere killed by Pakistani soldiers and

one of them was beheaded at the borderearlier in the year.

Another no by BCCi toPak-india bilateral series

pCb yet to naMe squaD For ChaMpions trophyLAHORE: Pakistan’s national selection committee continued its

deliberations for the third day with no signs yet of the final

squad being announced for the ICC Champions Trophy.

Reports said that one thing that had been decided by

the selectors was that all players would have to

undergo fitness tests before they are sent to england.

“The team captain, Misbah-ul-haq has infact insisted

that fitness tests should be conducted before the

squad is announced as the deadline for sending the

final 15 names to the ICC is around May 5,” the source

said. Interestingly, besides the deliberations on the

Champions Trophy squad the selectors have also been told to

prepare a list of players who qualify for the new central contracts for 2013. “The

selectors have been told to prepare a list of 20 players but they feel the list should

be of atleast 25 players as the board’s idea is to do away with the retainer

category,” it said. In the past the board has announced central contracts in three

categories A, B and C while a fourth category is of retainership. “This time the

selectors have suggested having four categories for central contracts and only those

players should be given contracts who are seen as strong candidates to play the 2014

T-20 World Cup and 2015 World Cup,” it added. Although four months have passed

this year the board is yet to give out central contracts which were also delayed last

year. The source said some seniors might not be given central contracts this time

around and will be told to keep on playing on series-to-series basis as and when their

form and fitness allows them to be considered for selection. “There might be a few

surprises this time around although the selectors and team management is divided

on how much experimentation can be done in the Champions Trophy,” another source

close to the selectors said. STAFF REPORT

Play cricket thereligious way, saysAnwar the preacher

LAHORE: The Pakistani pace bowlerstraining at a specialised camp under thesupervision of former captain, WasimAkram, were given a religious sermon byex-opener Saeed Anwar.In an surprise development, Anwar, adevout Muslim, visited the NationalStadium with a group of religiouspreachers including former pop star,Junaid Jamshed, to deliver the sermon.“The idea of talking to the players was totell them how important it is as a Muslimfor us to follow the teachings of Islam. Itold them they can improve as humanbeings and become better players if theyfollowed the principles of Islam in theirlife,” Anwar said. The bearded Anwar,dressed in a flowing white robe andwearing a skull cap, spent nearly 30minutes with the group of 23 players, asAkram and the national team’s head coach,Dav Whatmore listened from a distance.Anwar, a prolific left-handed opener of histime, who retired after the 2003 WorldCup after scoring two hundreds, told theplayers to “lead a pure and simple life”.Anwar had found solace in religion afterthe tragic death of his infant daughter.Religion became an important part of thePakistan team during the tenure of formercaptain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, between 2003and 2007, when the players prayedtogether regularly, leading to fears that theplayers might not be able to focus oncricket. Pakistan’s former Test batsman,Mohammad Yousuf, had also converted toIslam from Christianity. Anwar told theplayers to make use of the opportunity towork with a legendary bowler like Akram.The camaraderie between Anwar andAkram — both had played a lot together— was obvious from the moment theformer walked into the stadium.“The sort of facilities being given to theseplayers now we did not have in our timesso I think these players are lucky to have achance to train in such conditions withWasim,” Anwar said. STAFF REPORT

JOHANESSBURG AGENCIES

South Africa are confident that all-rounderJP Duminy will be fit to play in theChampions Trophy tournamentin England and Wales inJune. Duminy was ruledout for six months afterrupturing his Achilles’tendon in a warmdownsession during the firstTest against Australiain Brisbane inNovember. “JP is five-and-a-half monthspost-op and has startedsprinting at up to 80 percentof maximum,” Proteas teammanager Mohammed Moosajee said onWednesday. Duminy had been workingwith South Africa’s head coach, GaryKirsten, under the supervision of Proteasphysiotherapist Brandon Jackson and the

Cape Cobras medical team of ShaneJabaar and Dieter Swanepoel, and was oncourse to return to full activity by the endof May. “At present he is batting withoutrestriction with the help of Gary in the

nets, and should be able to startbowling unrestricted within

the next week,” Moosajeesaid. “We are exercisingextreme caution becauseof the sensitive natureof the injury but weremain cautiouslyoptimistic of his speedyreturn to action.”

Meanwhile, ProteasT20 captain Faf du Plessis

was expected to return to thefield next week after six weeks

on the sidelines.The 28-year-old all-rounder was ruled

out of the last two one-day internationalsagainst tourists Pakistan, due to a lowerback injury, in March.

dumIny sEt FoR ChAmPIons tRoPhy REtuRn

SyDNEy AGENCIES

Skipper Michael Clarkesays Australia willprove their criticswrong and bring theurn home fromEngland despite histeam being panned asthe “worst Ashessquad”.

Clarke has backedhis 16-man party namedon Wednesday to do the jobin five Tests against England,starting at Nottingham’s Trent Bridgeground on July 10.

Sections of the British press haveslammed Clarke’s touring party withThe Daily Mail declaring:” Aussiesname worst Ashes squad in memory”,adding gloatingly: “Is that it, Australia?Is that all you have got?”

Clarke said the reaction does notsurprise him following Australia’signominious 4-0 Test series rout inIndia in March.

“It didn’t come as much of asurprise when an English reporter

described us as Australia’s ‘worst Ashessquad’ at yesterday’s team

announcement,” Clarkewrote in Sydney’s Daily

Telegraph onThursday. “I’ve beenhearing commentslike that throughoutmy time as captainand, more often thannot, I’d like to think

we’ve proven ourcritics wrong. “I’m not

going to make any GlennMcGrath-style (5-0)

predictions about theAshes result, but I will saythat I’m confident wecan bring the urnhome with us if weplay to ourpotential.”

Clarke said histeam will giveEngland “duerespect” in their homeconditions but he addedthat Australia had selecteda number of players who havesucceeded playing in English

conditions.The skipper pointed to recalled

opener Chris Rogers playing more than100 games, scoring almost 10,000 runsand averaging close to 55 in England.

“This is obviously a huge tour forAustralian cricket and to be in aposition to call a batsman into the squadwith that kind of experience is a hugeasset for us,” Clarke said.

Clarke said paceman Ryan Harrisalso has the potential to make a bigimpact for the Australians and his styleof bowling was well suited to English

conditions. He added that veteranwicketkeeper Brad Haddin

would not be burdened bythe vice-captaincy or the

intensity of an Ashesseries and “absolutelyloves the heat ofbattle”. The skipperalso backed theyounger players in his

squad, highlightinguncapped all-rounder

James Faulkner as acompetitor who has taken

125 wickets at just over 22 in 34first-class games for Tasmania.

we’ll surprise critics, says Clarke

Australia michael Clarke isquietly confidenthis team can do

the businessagainst England

s. Africa areconfident that all-rounder JP

duminy will be fit to play in the

Champions trophytournament in

England and wales

english batsman hitssix sixes in one over

LONDON:Lancashire’s

Jordan Clarkhas becomeonly thefifthbatsman tohit six sixes

in one overduring a

professionalcricket match. The

English County said in a statement onWednesday that the 22-year-old hadachieved the feat in a Championship SecondXI game against Yorkshire to join anillustrious list of names. Former West Indiesall-rounder Garfield Sobers was the first manto do it, in 1968, and Indian Ravi Shastrifollowed suit in 1985. South Africa openerHerschelle Gibbs smashed six sixes in anover at the 2007 World Cup and IndianYuvraj Singh did the same at the inauguralTwenty20 World Cup the same year. AGENCIES

Test spinner Lyonmoves to nsw

MELBOURNE:Australian test

spinnerNathan Lyonhas made aninter-stateswitch,leavingSouth

Australia tojoin New South

Wales, CricketNSW said on

Thursday. The New South Wales-bornoffspinner, 25, has played 22 tests and wasnamed on Wednesday in Australia’s touringsquad to play in this year’s Ashes series inEngland. Cricket NSW said the move willallow Lyon to work closely with former testbowler Stuart MacGill, who works as a part-time spin coach at Cricket Australia’s centre ofexcellence. “Having grown up in New SouthWales and played my early cricket there, it isan exciting prospect to be returning home,”Lyon said. “Knowing a number of the playerspretty well, I’m looking forward to coming toSydney to live and being part of the Bluessquad for next season.” NSW boast a numberof other Australian internationals on theirbooks including test captain Michael Clarke,Brad Haddin and Shane Watson. AGENCIES

Kp ruleD out oF ChaMpions trophyLONDON: england batsman Kevin Pietersen will not

be ready for the one-day series with New Zealand

and June’s Champions Trophy after a further scan

on his injured knee on Wednesday, fuelling

speculation he could be an Ashes doubt. “Kevin

Pietersen has been ruled out of the ICC

Champions Trophy following a repeat MRI scan

on his right knee earlier today,” the england and

Wales Cricket Board said in a statement, adding he

would also skip the New Zealand one-dayers which

precede the tournament. The 32-year-old had already

been told he would miss the two-match test series against

New Zealand next month because of the injury. he suffered the knee problem

during fielding practice in the away series in New Zealand last month and was

unable to play in the third and final test. The home five-test Ashes series against

Australia starts in Nottingham on July 10 with the Champions Trophy one-day

tournament taking place from June 6-23, also in england. Pietersen remains

england’s most explosive batsman and any sign he will miss all or part of the

Ashes offers encouragement to Australia, who named their squad earlier on

Wednesday and are seen as underdogs after losing the last two series. AGENCIES

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sPoRts S

Friday, 26 April, 2013

16If you look at the IPL and the money that’s going around there, that’s

got to be a big influence I think. As much as they all say ‘Test cricket’s

the No. 1’, a million dollars is very distracting – Mark Taylor

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

SEAMER Junaid Khan haswelcomed the tutelage offormer fast bowler WasimAkram, ahead of Pakistan’sChampions Trophy. Akramhas agreed to a short-term

contract, which will see him workalongside the country’s seamers in thebuildup to the limited-overs tournament inEngland in June.

“I have learnt a lot fromWasim in the bowlingcamp and I assure youeveryone will see thedifference when Ibowl in theChampionsTrophy,” insistedJunaid. “He hasspent a lot of timewith me workingon making my in-swinger moreproductive. It has agreat experience tolearn from a great howmuch you can do with thecricket ball.” The 23-year-oldlooked forward to translating his recentstretch of solid form for Lancashire intosuccess on the international stage,alongside fellow left-armer MohammadIrfan, who has also been improving underthe watchful eye of Akram.

“I will also try to use my previous

experience of playing county cricket togood effect in the tournament. But I canpromise you everyone will see a moreimproved and lethal Junaid now,”concluded Khan. Pakistan have beenpooled with South Africa, India and theWest Indies in Group B, with theircampaign underway against the Windies atThe Oval in London on 7 June.

The 23-year-old left-armer willspearhead Pakistan’s attack in the absenceof injured Umar Gul in the eight-nation

event to be held June 6-23. Khansaid his 2011 Lancashire

stint introduced him tothe conditions in

England.“I played for

Lancashire andlearnt about theconditions inEngland whichare helpful forswing bowling,so that will surely

come good when Iplay in the

Champions Trophy,”Khan told reporters at a

tune-up camp for Pakistanpacemen. Khan said tips from

Wasim, who introduced him toLancashire, are a great help.

“Learning is a never-ending processand in this camp Wasim told me how toimprove my in-swingers and yorkers whichare considered as the two best weapons forthe left-arm bowler, so I am learning fast,”

said Khan.Khan, who rose after playing first-class

cricket in 2007 in the Pakistani garrisontown of Abbottabad, said he was alsodeveloping aggression under Wasim.

“Wasim told us how to showaggression towards a batsman and I amdeveloping that. I was the most aggressivebowler on the tour to India and then SouthAfrica,” said Khan of Pakistan’s last two

tours. He said tune-up camps are good forburgeoning talent.

“It is a very good initiative from thePCB and chairman Zaka Ashraf has showninterest in helping fast bowlers becausePakistan has always been known for itsquality pace bowlers,” said Khan.

Wasim praised Khan’s talent.“He has the capacity to spearhead

Pakistan’s attack and after noticing his

talent I recommended his name toLancashire,” said Wasim of the county heplayed for in the 1980s and 90s.

“As a young boy he did well forLancashire and his ability to learn will helphim in the Champions Trophy,” saidWasim. Pakistan will play two one-dayinternationals each against Ireland andScotland in May before competing in theChampions Trophy.

‘You will see an improved, lethal junaid’lehMann to aDDress paK’s batting woes away FroM hoMe?

LAHORE: The PCB is looking to appoint former Australian cricketer

Darren Lehmann as a batting consultant for Pakistan’s tour of

england, later this year. “Lehmann should join the team in late

May after the Indian Premier League. he will join the team

when they are playing ODIs against Ireland and Scotland and

before they go to england for the Champions Trophy,” a PCB

source was quoted as saying, informing that the burly

Aussie has agreed in principle. Pakistan is due to play a

series of ODIs against Ireland and Scotland in May before

the Champions Trophy. “The two parties will decide after

the Champions Trophy whether they should sign an

extended contract,” the source added. Lehmann had made

it clear in the past about his reservations over the

security situation in Pakistan so he is unlikely to work with

the players in Pakistan but could work out a arrangement

where accompanies the team on their foreign tours. Lehmann,

44, who played 27 tests and 117 one-day internationals has

taken to coaching after his retirement and is currently the coach

of Kings XI Punjab. S TA F F R E P O RT

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

Pakistani pacer Wahab Riaz believes thenational team will not be haunted by thespot-fixing scandal when they go toEngland for the ICC Champions Trophyin June. Wahab was part of the Pakistansquad that was hit by the spot-fixingscandal in 2010 after the fourth Test atLords, which led to the suspension ofcaptain Salman Butt and pace bowlers,Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir,followed by bans.

Wahab was also suspected of beinginvolved in the spot-fixing racket whenhis footage was released by the nowdefunct tabloid ‘News of the World’ withthe Pakistani bookmaker, Mazhar

Majeed. But the pacer was later clearedof all wrongdoings. “I don’tthink what happened inthe past will affect usnow. It is historynow and I think theteam is now justfocused ondoing well inthe ChampionsTrophy,” hetold reporters atthe nationalstadium inKarachi.

“Those weredifficult times forPakistan cricket but theplayers have shown after

that they are committed to presenting apositive image of Pakistan

cricket to the world,” headded. Wahab is

among a list of pacebowlers who are

presently beingtrained byPakistan’slegendary pacer,Wasim Akram,in a 10-dayspecialised

camp at theNational stadium.

Wahab saidspending time with

Wasim and getting one-to-one attention from him

was proving very beneficial for all thebowlers.

“I am working hard on myoutswinger but Wasim has greatexperience and he is focusing on teachingus how to make use of our run-up, thecrease and the bouncer/slower ball in allthree formats of the game,” the pacer,who took five wickets on his test debut atthe Oval in 2010, said. “There are thesesmall details he is talking about whichotherwise we didn’t pay attention to, likehow to best use the new ball and that isgreat for all of us,” he said. Pakistan’shead coach Dav Whatmore also joinedthe camp on Wednesday and paid specialattention to the bowling of MohammadIrfan, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz andEhsan Adil with the new ball.

nothing haunts Pakistan team: wahab

Continue yourbattle, sukultells Asif

MUMBAIbIPIN dANI

Salman Butt, the former suspendedPakistani captain has agreed to ICC’srehabilitation process, however, thepace-bowler is yet to accept the offer.Mohammad Asif has been advised by hislawyer to continue his battle against theICC. “My advice to Asif is that I havegiven after I examined the evidence inhis case, we must continue to pursuejustice with the same energy we had atthe beginning”, the Barrister Ravi Sukul,who along with his wife, Savita,represented the bowler at the Court ofArbitration for Sport, said exclusivelyfrom London. “The ICC can say whatthey want to say. They usually do. Theyare a powerful entity and flirted with anabuse of their power. But no entity isgreater than the law, and one day the lawshall prevail”, he added. “I adviced Asifnot to confess to the crime, which he hadnot committed. He is not a spot-fixer”,the lawyer insisted. “I am yet to take thefinal call. Shall discuss the issue withmy lawyer”, Asif, when approached inPakistan said. The buzz is that the 30-year-old Pakistani pace bowler is invitedto participate in popular Big Boss realityTV show in India, though it could notbe confirmed. Asif neither denied norconfirmed the news, which has beenfirst conveyed to us by his friend andlevel II coach Mohammad Haroon inLondon. Asif, during his trial period inLondon last year stayed with him. Hehas been serving his seven-year ban,with two years suspended for hisalleged role in spot-fixing.

Pakistan haverecovered fromspot-fixing: misbah

LAHORE:Pakistan captainMisbah-ul-Haqhas insistedthat hisplayers willnot be affected

by the spot-fixing scandal

when they return toEngland this summer. Salman Butt,Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amirwere found guilty of spot-fixing during thefinal Test against England at Lord’s in2010 and were jailed a year later. Misbah,who will lead Pakistan in the upcomingICC Champions Trophy in England, hassaid that the squad is determined toimprove the country’s reputation. “I don’tthink the scandal will haunt us and we arenow mentally prepared to play in Englandfor the first time since the incident,”Misbah was quoted by Sky Sports News.“It has been three years since the scandaland the players have made a consciouseffort to project a positive image ofPakistan cricket with positive results.There is more discipline and unity in theteam. “We see the Champions Trophy asan ideal opportunity to redeem ourselvesin the eyes of our supporters in Englandbecause there is a big Asian communitythere.” STAFF REPORT

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

Former Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis opines thatSouth African pacer Dale Steyn in just 2-3years away from hitting the top of the all-time pace bowling list.

The former pacer, who himselfestablished a reputation of beingone of the best ever in the world,believes Steyn is among thetop-three fast bowlers of all-time and that he was a ‘bigfan’ of the Proteas’ front-linepacer.

“I don’t want to offendanyone because there havebeen some great bowlers inthe last four-five decades thatI can remember. We’ve hadImran Khan, Kapil Dev, DennisLillee, Glenn McGrath, WasimAkram, Michael Holding and somany big names,” he was quoted assaying in Indian T20 league’s officialwebsite. The 41-year fast bowling great isworking as a mentor with Hyderabad in theongoing T20 Cricket League (T20-League) and hasbeen impressed with Steyn. “Dale Steyn is definitely in thetop three for me. And if he keeps going like this for the next

two-three years, he’ll hit the top. Not many bowlers swing theball at his pace and have his fitness,” Waqar said.

Waqar was candid in his admission that he is a “big fan”of Steyn who has played a key role in getting his team

to a good position in the tournament with eightwickets at an average of 19 and an

economy rate of 5.46. Waqar alsohopes Ishant Sharma would live up

to his potential in the future. “He is a very, very hard-

working kid. He really wants tolearn. Fair enough, he hasn’tlived up to his potential upuntil now but he is on his way.I believe he will do well inthe future.” The Pakistanigreat said unhelpfulconditions in the Indian sub-continent was Ishant’s

undoing. “The first and thebiggest reason are the slow

pitches in India. They don’t suithis bowling style. He has played

most of his 50 Test matches in India. “I think it has a lot to do with his

action as well. He’s got a hard action andhis height makes it even tougher for him. At

times, he also tries to do too much when he doesn’tget wickets. We are trying to get him to bowl more gooddeliveries in a row,” added Waqar.

steyn among the top 3pacers of all time: waqar

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Friday, 26 April, 2013

17My message to myself was to go there, get in

and do what I want; I knew they won’t be

able to stop me that easily – Dwayne Smith

MUHAMMAD BUTT

There is a fair chance that somewherein the lead up to the game againstChelsea, Brendan Rodgers would haveasked his players to show a bit moredesire and hunger. A perfectly normalresponse following two dire and insipidperformances against lowly rankedteams.

Suarez’s response however wasneither perfect nor natural or so onewould think. But this is Suarez and onedoes not associate such adjectives,especially the latter, with theUruguayan. His key contributions in thematch were an expertly taken goal, abeautifully weighted assist forSturridge, a silly handball which led toa penalty and a bite on the shoulder ofBranislav Ivanovic. Routine stuff really.

Suarez’s actions of biting-attemptedor otherwise-were in bad taste. Of thatthere is no doubt. That he should bepunished is something everyone can

agree on despite Suarez apologising tothe Serbian. The extent of thepunishment is however debatable. It cancertainly be argued that attempting tosink teeth into an opposition player isno worse than say an elbow to the faceor a high two footed challenge butbecause the culprit in this case happensto be Suarez, there is bound to beunwarranted vitriol directed towards theAnfield striker.

The FA has already released astatement deeming the standard threematch ban ‘insufficient’. Given thehistory between Suarez and the FA andthat he is already committed a similaroffence in the past, El Pistolero couldface a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Best case scenario is that he missesthe rest of the Liverpool season whichfor all intents and purposes is prettymuch over anyway. However, what isthere to say the striker will not dosomething similarly stupid next year,get banned and subsequently miss a

sizeable portion of the season?The temperamental and the

sometimes only mental Uruguayan hasnot exactly shown the ability to learnfrom his mistakes. Suarez could bemarooned on an island alone and stillstir up a controversy.

Calls for him to be sacked have byand large involved a moralistic leaningand are somewhat over the top but thereis football logic in there somewhere aswell. A team that is not that good in thefirst place cannot afford to have its bestplayer miss a quarter of the season.

The flipside is of course Suarez’splaying ability and the fact that at thispoint Liverpool probably needs himmore than the other way round. He isdefinitely Liverpool’s best player andarguably deserving of the PFA Player ofthe Year award for which he has beenshortlisted. There have been rumoursthat Suarez may either leave or be soldin the summer even before this incident.The American owners who were clearly

not amused by Evra-gate last year wouldnow have a ready made excuse to cashin on their prized asset if they so desire.

The theory of selling your bestplayer and then rebuilding the teamusing that money sounds appealing butit rarely ever works. There is obviouslyno guarantee that the 3-4 players signedwould be adequate replacements. Withno Champions League football, thedeparture of Suarez will only weakenthe clubs hand to attract established starsor talented youngsters for that matter.

Suarez has time and again reiteratedhis desire to stay at Liverpool but comesummer, he may not have a say in thematter. Fenway Sports Group have sofar shown to be ruthless paymasters butthey would probably be advised to givethe matter some thought before makingany decision. After all the last time theclub had a conundrum in the strikingdepartment, Andy Carroll was signedfor 35 million pounds and we all knowhow that turned out.

onCE BIttEn, twICE shy

STUTTGART AGENCIES

CARLA Suarez-Navarroof Spain beat worldnumber 10 CarolineWozniacki 7-6 (8-6),6-1 in the first round

on Wednesday as the first seed fellby the wayside at the PorscheGrand Prix. The seventh-seededformer world number oneWozniacki squandered an early 3-0lead en route to defeat in 1 hour 47minutes against the 23rd-rankedSuarez-Navarro. The winner impressedwith her one-handed backhand and racedthrough the second set after winning the tight

first. Suarez-Navarro wrapped up her sixthcareer win over a top 10 player on her first

match point when Wozniacki’s baselineshot was ruled out. “I played well and

am very happy. Caroline is a verygood player and fights. It was adifficult first set, very close,”Suarez-Navarro said. Suarez-Navarro has reached four finals,including Acapulco 2013, but isyet to lift a trophy. Set to play laterwas fifth-seeded former

Wimbledon champion PetraKvitova against Annika Beck, 2011

champion Julia Goerges againstKirsten Flipkens and 2008 champion

Jelena Jankovic against the sixth-seeded2010 runner-up Samantha Stosur.

wozniACki CrAsHesouT in sTuTTGArT

monaco reachesBarcelona quarters

BARCELONA:Juan Monaco

of ArgentinaoutlastedJeremyChardy ofFrance in along

second-settiebreaker to

win 6-0, 7-6(11) in the third

round of the Barcelona Open onThursday. The seventh-seeded Monacowill play either Martin Klizan orPhilipp Kohlschreiber in thequarterfinals. Also, Dmitry Tursunov,the Russian qualifier who upset top-seeded David Ferrer on Wednesday,was beaten by Thomaz Bellucci ofBrazil 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. Seven-time winnerRafael Nadal plays Benoit Paire ofFrance later, while Tomas Berdych,Nicolas Almagro and Milos Raonic arealso in action. AGENCIES

suarez may leave Liverpool

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool striker LuisSuarez’s future at the club is in doubtaccording to multiple sources in England.Suarez and Liverpool were left stunned onWednesday after the Football Association(FA) announced the striker had beenhanded a 10-match ban, pending anappeal, for biting Chelsea’s BranislavIvanovic at Anfield last Sunday.This would cover the final four games ofthe current Premier League campaign aswell as the first six of the 2013/14 season.An independent regulatory commissiondelivered the charge of violent conductagainst the Uruguayan, upholding the FA’sclaim that a standard suspension of threematches would not be sufficient.Suarez, should the length of ban stay thesame, would not be able to kick a PremierLeague football for Liverpool untilSeptember. It is understood he will stillhave to serve the remainder of his 10-game suspension next season even if heleft England as Queens Park Rangersmidfielder Joey Barton had to do when hejoined Marseille on loan.Suarez has until midday on Friday toappeal, but several UK newspapers andbookmakers are backing the 26-year-oldto quit the Anfield outfit.According to sources close to theGuardian, Suarez feels he is being‘victimised by the football authorities inEngland’.The newspaper suggests that the Uruguayinternational continues to ‘feel wronged’by the punishment handed down fromanother independent regulatorycommission last season which found himguilty of directing racially abusivelanguage at Manchester United’s PatriceEvra. On that occasion, he was banned foreight games and fined £40,000 and thepublication believes Suarez is nowconsidering ‘a fresh start in Europe’ withJuventus and Bayern Munich lurking inthe background.Juve were interested in signing Suarez lastyear while incoming Bayern manager PepGuardiola may have the inside track as hisbrother, Pere, is Suarez’s agent.Another UK title, The Sun quotesSuarez’s family members in Uruguay assaying that the 10-game ban has left theplayer ‘morally destroyed’ by wreckinghis dream of being recognised as the bestforward in England this year. AGENCIES

ISB 26-04-2013_Layout 1 4/26/2013 2:11 AM Page 18

GEO SUPERKKR v Kings XI

03:30 PM

sPoRts SFriday, 26 April, 2013

18Obviously it’s a massive game for us with a Champions League

place at stake but it’s also massive for next season with the

confidence we can get from winning – Oxlade-Chamberlain

wAtCh It LIve

Yaseen Akhter event in quarters stageLAHORE: The 28th M Yaseen Akhter

Memorial Cricket event has reached in

the quarterfinal stage. The four clubs

i.e rising star club, Ghulam Qadir

memorial club, Tauseef Club and crown

club have already reached into the

quarterfinal stage. The match between

Wahdat eaglets club and Ghari Shaho

gym will be played on April 26 at

Mehran Block ground. The other match

between Jallo Gym and Mughalpura

Institute will be played on April 27 at

Mughalpura Instute ground. The

importent match of the event i.e Model

Town CLub and Shining club will be

played on April 29 at Model Town

Ground. The same day Ludihana Gym

will also face with Model Town Gym at

same ground. STAFF REPORT

AKHTER, ALIGARH, SERVICE

QUALIfY fOR 3RD ROUND: The

Akhter Abdul Rehman club, ALigarh club

and servis club have qualified for 3rd

round in the 10 M Siddiq Memorial

cricket event. Model Town Greens,

National Gym, Prince CLub and

Mughalpura Whites have reached into

2nd round. The match between

Mughalpura Whites and National Gym

will be played on April 26 at Mehran

Block ground. STAFF REPORT

SIx CLUBS MARCH IN QUARTERS:

The prominent 6 clubs of the city have

marched into the quarter final of 16th

Tauseef Trophy cricket championship i.e

Ghari Shaho Gym, Muslimabad Gym,

Servis Club, Mughalpura Whites, Akhter

Abdul Rehman Club and Wahdat

eaglets. The two remaining matches for

quarterfinals will be played in next

week. The 4 semifinals clubs will play

league matches . every club will play 3

matches. STAFF REPORT

ZAfAR MEMORIAL BEAT

DHARAMPURA: Zafar Memorial Cricket

Club beat Dharampura Gymkhana by 5

wickets here at the Bara Dari Cricket

Ground. Scores: Dharampura

Gymkhana 240/8 in 30 overs. Babar

Butt 56, Rana Shahid 36, hamza 32,

Baba Jameel 26 & Amir 15 runs. Fayyaz

Butt 3/40, Abu Bakkar Malik 2/36 &

Usman Zahid 2/40. Zafar Memorial

242/5 in 26 overs. Adil Raja 63, hafiz

Mashood 52, Sajjad haidar 39 &

Shahbaz 21 runs. Babar Butt 3/45 &

hamza 1/4 wickets. STAFF REPORT

SHAHjAHAN LATIf MEMORIAL

TABLE TENNIS : The Lahore District is

organizing the Shahjahan Latif Memorial

Inter School Table Tennis Tournament

from April 26 to 28 at Muhammad Ali

Johar hall, near Mian Plaza, Johar Town

here. educational institution teams from

all over Lahore will be participating in

the event. “It will provide a platform to

the young players to experience sports

at the highest and most competitive

level,” said Sabah Waris. “It will indeed

be a sports extravaganza of the highest

quality, as the events will take place at

the state of the art facility,” he added.

The matches will be played at the

custom built Muhammad Ali Johar hall.

The event will start at 10pm on April 26

with the girl’s team events. The finals

will be played on April 28 at 11am.

Ahmer Mallick, honorary secretary

Pakistan Table Tennis Federation will be

the chief guest for the finals.

The events to be contested includes boy’s

team and girl’s team event, boy’s/girl’s

singles (under-14), boy’s/girl’s singles

(under-16) and boy’s/girl’s singles

(under-19). STAFF REPORT

loCAl nEws

LAHORESTAFF REPORT

Punjab and Khyber Pathkunkhawafashioned out high margin victoriesagainst their respective rivals on thethird day of the National WomenBaseball here on Thursday at PunjabStadium. Sindh suffered severepunishment at the hands of Punjaband KPK in the two back to backmatches it played.Punjab thrashedSindh 11-1 after establishing early leadand consolidated it with brilliance andall around performance.Punjab’snotable run getter’s were Nabila 2Tahmina, Mussarat ,Nazia Nazir,Sabahat with two runs each followed

by Rabia with one run.Sindh linescorer was Fiza with one run. KPKgave baseball lesson to Sindh with aimpressive 15-1 victory dominatingwith coordinating as their opponentslacking basics of the game failed tocome out of the pressure giving enoughspace to them to pile up runs one afteranother.Naila Javed ,Safiashared threeruns apiece followed by two runs eachfrom Samreen Hashmi , Sidra,Erum ,Rubaba as Yusra added one. Aleenasupported Sindh with one run.Secretary, Punjab OlympicAssociation, Idris Haider Khawaja wasthe chief guest on the occasion. HigherEducation Commission will take onPunjab on Friday.

PunJAB, KPK EAsE to wIns In womEn BAsEBAll

STAR SPORTSMartial Arts: Super League

9:00 PM

ESPNBarcelona Open Tennis

4:00 PM

BALLANTINEAGENCIES

WORLD No 7LouisOosthuizenwas tucked inone strokebehind the

leaders with two holes to go when badlight ended play prematurely in theBallantine’s Championship first round inSouth Korea on Thursday.

The South African, who flew in fromhis home in Florida on a private jetprovided by the organisers of theEuropean Tour event, was four-underthrough 16 holes in Seoul.

After a day when play wassuspended for more than two hours dueto rain and poor visibility, Oosthuizentrailed clubhouse leaders Jean-BaptisteGonnet of France, Australian KieranPratt, Swede Johan Edfors, BritonMatthew Baldwin and South KoreanKim Gi-whan who all shot 67s.

Oosthuizen roared to the turn in 30strokes thanks to six birdies in theopening eight holes including fourin a row from the first.

The 2010 BritishOpen champion, whomissed the cut atthe US Mastersearlier thismonth, thendropped backwith bogeys atthe 10th and12th.

“It’s agood start,”Oosthuizen toldreporters at theBlackstone Golf andCountry Club. “I’mhitting it really well andhit it fairly close on the frontnine.

“When I teed off on 10 the wind and

the weathercame in ... butI’m feeling

good. I haven’thit it as well as I

did on that frontnine for a while.”

Ireland’s PeterLawrie and South Korea’s

Lee Jung-hwan carded 68swhile Briton Tommy Fleetwood wasalso four-under after 17 holes.

Former US PGA Championshipwinner Yang Yong-eun of South Koreaposted a 70 in the sixth edition of theevent that is also co-sanctioned by theAsian Tour.

“I’m quite used to the hot weather ofThailand, Malaysia and Singapore andalso the chilly weather of Korea and theUnited States,” Yang said.

“I know I need to overcome thosedifficulties...to perform well. However,it was not that easy out there today.”

early birdie barragelifts oosthuizen

top junior series travels to benoniBENONI: The Glacier by Sanlam

Junior Series, South Africa’s

largest junior golf series, travels

to Gauteng for the first time

this year when the Larry

Nestadt Tournament tees

off at Benoni Country Club

this Sunday. The first

three tournaments on this

year’s series have been

played in the Western

Cape and have already

featured some impressive

scoring. At two of the three

previous tournaments, rounds

of 69 were needed to win the

elite A Division. The series features

25 tournaments played around the

country, with the winners in each of the A, B and

C Divisions qualifying for the National Final later this year. The winner here

qualifies for an all-expenses paid trip to compete against some of the world’s

top juniors in the Orange Bowl Junior Invitational in America. each

tournament is sponsored by either a leading professional golfer or South

African golf official, institution or benefactor. Nestadt, who was born in Benoni,

has long been a major benefactor of South African golf. As one of the

founders of Investec Bank, Nestadt has channelled his passion for

golf into supporting the Glacier Junior Series as well as

promoting a Sunshine Tour event. Nestadt himself benefited

from the strong junior golf platform in South Africa, and

was a scratch golfer by the age of 16. he captained the Air

Force Gym golf team, and has continued to serve the

game through his passion for it. AGENCIES

Amir resumesrebuilding process

LONDON: Amir Khan will resume hisefforts to rebuild his career when he fightsJulio Diaz in Sheffield on Saturday night.The former WBC and WBA “super”junior welterweight champion will havehis second fight since Danny Garciastopped him in the fourth round last year.He takes on Diaz in a 12-roundcatchweight bout at 64.85 kg at theMotorpoint Arena.The 26-year-old Khan, who hails fromBolton in England, has a new trainer,Virgil Hunt. He takes a professionalrecord of 27-3, with 19 wins inside thedistance, into the fight.Diaz, who is the 33 years old and has arecord of 40-7-1; 29, was born in Mexicobut fights out of Coachella in California.Khan must beat him to get back into aposition from where he could challengefor a “world” title again.The Briton, a former Olympic Gamessilver medallist, has beaten AndriyKotelnik, Paulie Malignaggi, MarcusMaidana and Zab Judah; all highly ratedopponents. His points defeat againstLamont Petersen caused an uproar.Diaz has been a professional boxer for14 years. Kendal Holt stopped him inthe third round in 2011 but since then hehas beaten Henry Aurad (14-4-1) andHector Sanchez (19-2). His fight againstShawn Porter (20-0) ended in a splitdecision draw.On the undercard, former OlympicGames super-heavyweight goldmedallist Audley Harrison meets 27-year-old American heavyweightDeontay Wilder in a fight scheduled forten rounds. The 41-year-old Harrisonhas a record of 31-6; 23. Wilder (27-0;20) won a bronze medal at the 2008Olympics. AGENCIES

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

Friday, 26 April, 2013

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