MQMʼs Sardar Ahmedmade Sindh Opp leader

KARACHI: Following the Governor’sacceptance of the resignationssubmitted by the Muttahida QaumiMovement (MQM) provincialministers and advisors, Speaker ofSindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khoroissued a notification for theappointment of Syed Sardar Ahmedas the new opposition leader onTuesday. According to a notificationissued by the Speaker’s oSce, SyedSardar Ahmed was appointed as theleader of the opposition after receivinga request signed by the 52 MQM’sprovincial lawmakers. –AGENCIES

Last meeting offederal cabinet today

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister RajaPervez Ashraf has summoned the lastmeeting of the federal cabinet today(Wednesday). Approval of the pre-budget summary and confirmation ofthe decisions of EconomicCoordination Committee are on the16-point agenda. –ONLINE

Balochistan MPAfeared kidnapped

QUETTA: ANP’s MemberBalochistan Assembly Sultan Tareenwas reported missing on Tuesday,media reports said. Sources in hisfamily said they lost contact withTareen at Kuchlak area when he leftQuetta in his car for Harnai townwhich is some 170 kilometres fromthe provincial capital. Harnai islocated in the north east ofBalochistan province. –ONLINE

Report sought on missingspokesman of banned outfit

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Courtdirected the ISI and MI on Tuesday tosubmit their written reply until March12 over the missing spokesman ofHizbut Tahrir, a banned outfit. A two-member bench comprising JusticeJawwad S. Khawaja and Justice KhiljiArif Hussain expressed dissatisfactionover a report submitted by the ISI andMI contending that neither NaveedButt was with them nor they had anyinformation about him. –STAFF REPORT

Pak Army refutes USpaperʼs report on drones

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Army hasrefuted claims made by a US paperthat it had carried out drone attackslast month in the tribal belt in whichnine people were killed including twosenior commanders of the Al-Qaeda.Commenting on a news reportpublished in New York Times onMarch 5, an ISPR spokesman deniedPakistan’s security forces havingcarried out any operation, includingair strikes, in the area on datesmentioned in the news report. –ONLINE

China hikes defencebudget to $115.7 billion

BEIJING: China on Tuesday hiked its$ 115.7 billion, dwarfing India'scurrent defence spending of USD 37.4billion, amid the communist giant'smilitary ambitions and territorialdisputes with neighbours. Thedouble-digit rise in defence budgetfor 2013-14 was announced byPremier Wen Jiabao. –AGENCIES

WEDNESDAYMARCH 06, 2013THE SPOKESMAN - RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD

SNEAK PEEK

NA body angry at misuse of green belts by big hotels

National AssemblyStanding Committeeon House and Libraryon Tuesday expressedannoyance over thefailure of the Capital

Development Authority to stop twobig hotels - Marriot and Sareena –from using greenbelts (centralreservations) as parking plazas. Thecommittee also was not happy as theCDA has failed to remove barriersplaced by these hotels.

Page 02

Economy willpull through: SBP

Governor of State Bankof Pakistan (SBP) YaseenAnwar Tuesday saidPakistan’s economy hasthe ability to navigatethrough choppy waters.

“I’m excited by the economic potentialthat this country holds, and I encourageyou all to become a part of the country’sfuture by becoming a part of the solution,”he said while delivering a speech atPakistan Navy War College here.

Page 04

Polio continues tocripple children

Pakistan is one of thethree leading countriesin the world that failedto eradicate poliodisease. The recentsurge in attacks on the

teams participating in the anti-poliodrive shows that the country would notbe able to get rid of the crippling diseasein near future.

Page 05

FBR empoweredto block CNIC

The National Assembly’sStanding Committee onFinance, Planning andrevenue already passedon Tuesday the “TaxLaw Amendment Bill

2012” with consentfrom PakistanPeople’s Party (PPP) and PakistanMuslim League-Nawaz.

Page 05

Nida azwer joinsthe race of lawn

Nida Azwer was going tolaunch her debutcollection of boutiqueand limited edition ofunstitched lawn printsearlier in February, the

Nida Azwer atelier announces oScialexhibition dates for Karachi on the 15th ofMarch and in Lahore on the 17th ofMarch. The brand also reveals actressHumaima Malick as the oScial NidaAzwer lawn ambassador.

Page 10

India score inningswin over Aussies

Australia had beenexpected to struggleagainst spin on day four,but the collapse thatpanned out on Tuesdaymorning was perhaps

swifter than they too could have envisioned.Ishant Sharma set the tone with his bestspell of the series, but it was the spinnersRavindra Jadeja and R Ashwin who ranthrough the line-up to inflict an innings-and-135-run win on the hapless tourists.

Page 11

WEDNESDAYMarch 06, 2013 Rabi-us-Sani 23, 1434 I Rawalpindi/Islamabad I Vol, V, No. 321 I www.thespokesman.pk Pages 12 I Price 10/-

LASHKARI MORETHUNDER THAN FIRE

PG I 03

TODAY’S WEATHERBright sunshine

HIGH: 30 LOW: 12

PG I 07

RE-IMAGING THE LEFT:A RESPONSE– EHSAN KAZI

PG I 06

CULTURE WARON SHRINES– IMDAD HUSSAIN

ZEESHAN JAVAID

ISLAMABAD: Expressing strongreservations over Iran-Pakistan gaspipeline project, the Ambassador ofUS to Pakistan Richard Olson onTuesday articulated the willing ofState Department to financeTurkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistanand India (TAPI) gas pipeline projectand 4500MW Diamer Bhashahydropower project.He was speaking on the

inauguration ceremony ofrehabilitation and upgradation ofTarbela power generation units hereat Tarbela power house.The US Ambassador said that State

Department supported the $7.5 billionTAPI project and was also interested tofinance the 4500MW Diamer Bhashahydropower project keeping in viewthe ongoing energy crisis in Pakistan.He was of the view that the

completion of rehabilitation andupgradation of power unit of Tarbela

dam would help the country toovercome the ongoing energy crisisin Pakistan.He further maintained that State

Department realized that Pakistan hadbeen facing an energy crisis and “we arecommitted to doing our part. The workcompleted here at Tarbela contributesenough electricity to supply two millionconsumers, and helps provide relief tothose suTering from extensive powershortages.” To restore electricitygeneration at Tarbela, the USAID

provided $ 16.5 million to WAPDA torepair three power generation unitsand to train staT to operate theupgraded equipment.With financial assistance of the

United States Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID), the Water andPower Development Authority(WAPDA) completed first phase of therehabilitation of Tarbela Hydel PowerStation, restoring 128 megawatt (MW)electricity to the System.Chairman WAPDA, Syed Raghib Ali

Shah said that authority appreciatedthe financial support of the StateDepartment to the energy sector inPakistan, adding such projects wouldbe helpful to minimize power shortagesin the country. Dilating upon the two-pronged strategy for optimal utilizationof hydel resource, the WAPDAChairman said that authority was notonly constructing the new projects butalso rehabilitating and upgrading itsaging power houses, besides adding agood quantum of electricity to the

system to cater for increasing demand.Relieving Pakistan’s energy crisis is

a top priority for US assistance toPakistan. In addition to Tarbela, theUnited States is also funding otherhigh impact projects in hydropowersector, such as rehabilitation of theMangla Power Station. The USGovernment is also co-financing thecompletion of Gomal Zam andSatpara dams which will add 35 MWelectricity power and irrigate morethan 200,000 acres of land.

US backs TAPI, not Pak-Iran gas pipeline project

ZEESHAN JAVAID

ISLAMABAD: The Senate onTuesday unanimously passedthe “Anti-Terrorism(Amendment) Bill‚ 2013 ,which will enable lawenforcement agencies to takeeffective action againstfinanciers of terrorism inPakistan.The bill, moved by Law

Minister Farooq Naek, amendsthe Anti-Terrorism Act‚ 1997. Itwas opposed by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam – Fazal (JUI-F) leaderSenator Abdul Ghafoor. Hewalked out in protest when thebill was voted upon and passed.It needs to be signed by thepresident to become an act. Thenew bill helps law enforcementagencies take action againstthose who finance acts ofterrorism and those who benefitfrom the proceeds of such acts.The bill addresses the

shortcomings relating to terrorfinancing provisions in the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 that werehighlighted by the Financial ActionTask Force (FATF) - aninternational body of countries andinternational organizations andwhich sets and monitorsinternational standards on anti-money laundering (AML) andcounter-financing of terrorism(CFT). The provisions on freezing,seizing and forfeiture of propertyinvolved in terrorism financingoTences have been strengthened toensure that the funding of theterrorism financing is detected andseized after due process of law.According to the bill, a new

clause in the act shall be insertedas "money includes coins or notesin any currency, postal orders,money orders, bank credits, bank

accounts, letter of credit,travelers cheques, bank cheques,bankers draft in any form,electronic, digital or otherwiseand such other kinds of monetaryinstruments or documents asthe federal government may byorder specify." Similarly, in section 110 the

Act 1997 shall be substituted,namely: - "(1) The federalgovernment or a provincialgovernment may, from time totime, designate an officer of thegovernment, by notification inthe official gazette, or direct anyother person to freeze, seize ordetain any money or otherproperty for a period of fifteendays, if there are reasonablegrounds to believe that (a) it is aterrorist property; or (b) it isproperty of a person included inthe Fourth Schedule.The officer or person effecting

freeze or seizure must, within48 hours of the freeze or seizure,issue notice thereof to allpersons concerned with themoney or other property frozenor seized and cause publicationof such notice in one Englishnewspaper and one Urdunewspaper with widecirculation in the area. The refusal to eTect freeze or

seizure under this section withoutjust cause will be an oTenceunder this act and shall be liableon conviction to imprisonment ofup to five years or fine up to Rs.500,000, or both. If a legal person commits an

offence under sub-section (4), itshall be liable to a fine of up toRs. 5 million and every directorofficer or employee of suchentity found guilty under sub-section (4) shall be punished interms thereof.

LAHORE: PML-N chief NawazSharif Tuesday hit hard at PPP sayingruling party completed five years butpushed the country fifty years behind.In a fresh mode along with

Lashkari Raisani and other Balochleaders who joined his party, he saidthat with pathetic alliance, PPP wasfinally going to complete its tenurebut had left the country in turmoil.Nawaz lashed out at government

for recent wave of terrorism in thecountry and termed it failure of therulers. “People have been dying inBalochistan and Karachi every daybut the government never bothers to

take steps for protection of innocentpeople,” PML-N president said.He said the job of federal interior

minister was just to predict terrorismactivities but did nothing to preventthem. Nawaz said ruling ally partieshad armed-wings in Karachi andsome members of them wereinvolved in 100 murder cases.To a query of caretaker setup,

Nawaz said that opposition leader inNational Assembly Ch. Nisar hadconsulted political parties includingthose which were not part of theParliament to evolve consensus .Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz

Sharif said it was federal and Sindhgovernment which have issued armslicences to banned outfits. The CMsaid the apex court has declaredRehman Malik as a liar. FormerPeople’s Party member in BalochistanLashkari Raisani who quit PPP tojoin PML-N on the occasion said thatPPP had abandoned the vision andcommitment of Benazir Bhuttotherefore he left the party.He said Balochistan was

witnessing the worst situation in thehistory of the country but currentgovernment did nothing but to savetheir rule. –ONLINE

PPP’s 5 years pushed country 50 years back: Nawaz

OUR STAFF REPORTER

KHYBER AGENCY: A ladyhealth worker (LHW) wasinjured in an explosioncaused by a planted device inthe Civil Hospital Jamrud onTuesday.Agency Surgeon Dr

Sameen Shinwari said theongoing Polio campaign wasthe target in which a LHW,identified as Samia, sustainedinjuries and was shifted to aPeshawar hospital for medicalaid. A room, verandah andsolar plant were destroyed inthe explosion. The facility wasused as cold storage forvaccines used in the entireFATA, he said. Soon after theblast, the Khasadar personnelrushed to the scene andadopted precautionarymeasures, sources said. TheJamrud administrationdeployed heavy contingent oflaw enforcers in the hospitaland all services weresuspended for the timebeing, sources said. Searchoperation had been launchedin the hospital and four classfour servants had beenarrested and sent to Jamrudlockup for investigation,sources said.

TAHIR NIAZ

ISLAMABAD: The Muttahida QaumiMovement (MQM) on Tuesday pointedfinger at the Awami National Party (ANP)for the Karachi unrest as the NationalAssembly condemned Abbas Townincident amidst blame game anddisinterest on part of the legislators in sucha serious issue in which more than 48innocent people were killed and over 200others injured.The members other than the speakers

seemed least interested in what was goingon in the House and almost every speaker,at his turn, had to request the Chair to haveorder in the House. Despite consensus overdebating the Karachi issue, two membersfrom the PPP and PML-N started oT withallegations against each other’sgovernments in the respective provinces.Imtiaz Safdar Warraich of the PPP, in replyto the criticism by Sheikh Rohail Asghar ofthe PML-N said that the agenda of theterrorists and Punjab Chief Minister wassame. This led to blame game between the

members. However, Syed Khurshid Shahinterrupted and suggested both the sides tocome to the point. Initiating the debate, Wasim Akhtar of

the MQM said the culprits of the Karachikillings had taken refuge in the oSces ofthe ANP in Karachi. “Everybody knowswho is behind these killings… even thePresident knows who is attempting to pitchShias against Sunnis but he did not takeaction”, he lamented. Khawaja Asif of the PML-N said the

government failed to tackle the issueadding that law-enforcing agencies were toresolve the problem but they were now partof the problem. Interior Minister Rehman Malik in reply

to the concerns shown by the legislatorssaid that he would brief the House on thefacts today (Wednesday). He appealed thePunjab government to take action againstLashkar-e-Jhangvi to wipe out terrorism.

Terrorism in Karachi

MQM pointsfinger at ANP

LAHORE: Supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami and other parties hold party flags on arrival of the Peace Train at the railway station. –ONLINE

Bill on terrorfinancingpassed

� NA condemns Abbas Town incident amidst blamegame, disinterest on part of legislators � Malik topresent facts in the House today

ZEESHANJAVAID

ISLAMABAD: Legislators fromthe Upper House of theParliament on Tuesday came downhard on the Supreme Court for notresponding to the Senate questionregarding judges having dualnationality.The senators regretted that the

SC neither responded to thePublic Accounts Committee(PAC) of the National Assemblynor answered the Senateadequately, saying the SCconsidered itself above theparliament.

Senator Farhatullah Babar askedabout dual nationality of somejudges in the Supreme Court onDec 20, 2012 and the reply wasthat neither the Constitution northe Code of Conduct for judges ofthe SC places any embargo.But he was dissatisfied with this

reply and sent the same questionback, but the same reply cameback yet again. Reacting to theSC's second reply, Senator Babarsaid the SC did probably think itappropriate to respond to theparliament or there were somedual-nationality judges in theSupreme Court.

If a dual national could notbecome a Member of Parliamentanda CSP officercould not join thearmed forces, how could a dualnational become a judge of theSupreme Court, he asked.SenateChairman NayyarHussainBokharisaid that if a member was notsatisfied with an answer from aministry or department, he couldinvoke Rule 60 and the matterwould be discussed in detail, but aproper request must be made tothe chair.Senator Farhatullah Baber said

he would apply properly for Rule60 to discuss the matter in detail.

However, PML-N Senator ZafarAli Shah was of the view thatRule 60 could not be invoked inthis case because the finalauthority on judges’ appointmentlay with the President of Pakistanand details about judges’appointment could be had fromthe Presidency, but the registrarof the SC could not tell the houseabout the number of judges withdual nationality.Babar Awan said that 19A was

inserted in the 18th amendmenttothe constitution, which relatedto access to information as theright of every citizen. After the SC

judgment on TahirulQadri'spetition, a litigant must havesingle nationality if he/she wantsto move court. According to thejudgment, a dual national cannotbe treated equally to a singlenationality. Ruling PPP Senator SaeedGhani

said the registrar of the SCconsider himself the Chief Justiceof Pakistan and could not botherto attend PAC meetings. FederalLaw and Justice MinisterFarooqNaek told the house thatthe Sharia Court hadrespondedclearly that there were no dualnational judges there.

ZEESHAN JAVAID

ISLAMABAD: The UpperHouse of the Parliament onTuesday observed fierydebate over the news that USArmy Corps of Engineer hadbeen granted permission tobuild a Tactical Commandand Operations Centrecompound at the JinnahInternational Airport,Karachi to exchangeinformation with PakistanCustoms Drug EnforcementCell concerning smugglingactivities in and aroundKarachi.Speaking on call attention

notice Senator Mian RazaRabbani said federalminister for finance wasunaware about this dealwith the US and that waswhy he handed over thismatter to law minister.Federal Law and Justice

Minister, Farooq H Naekinformed the House that thegovernment was yet todecide and allow theconstruction of such afacility at Karachi airportand had not grantedpermission to any US firm.Rabbani strongly reacted

and claimed that the lawminister was giving wrongstatement and misguidingthe House. During thedebate, Raza Rabbani andChairman Senate NayyarBokhari exchanged harshwords, and the former leftthe House in protest. Two instances of walkout

were observed during thesitting. The ANP senatorsstaged a walkout overincreased incidents ofkidnapping for ransom inBalochistan and PPPSenator Raza Rabbani, onthe other instance, walkedout of the House as he wasnot satisfied with theresponse to the callingattention notice he raised.

MASOOD REHMAN

ISLAMABAD: Heading a three-memberSupreme Court bench hearing NationalInsurance Company Limited (NICL) scaminvolving Rs5.34 billion embezzlements,the Chief Justice Iftikhar MuhammadChaudhry noted on Tuesday that NICL’sformer Chairman Ayaz Niazi wasappointed at the behest of Pakistan People’sParty Parliamentarians President andsenior federal minister for CommerceMakhdoom Amin Fahim.The bench also comprising Justice Gulzar

Ahmed and Justice Sh. Azmat Saeeddirected the Federal Investigation Agency’s(FIA) Director General to personallyappear before it on March 11 and explainhow Waqar Haider, a Director of theAgency at Lahore, against whom contemptof court charge had been framed, was stillperforming his duties and even conductinginvestigation of the NICL scam.The court directed the FIA to submit a

comprehensive report over the action ithad so far taken against the accused ofNICL scam. During the hearing, JusticeGulzar Ahmed remarked that the moneytrail led to the bank account ofMakhdoom Amin Fahim. The court alsoinquired why Amin Qasim Dada had notso far been arrested and Mohsin HabibWarraich was still at large.Munir Ahmed Peracha, counsel for

FIA, informed the court that theplundered money had been recoveredfrom the accused Qasim Dada and if hispassport was restored, he wouldvoluntarily return back.“If FIA was functioning on probabilities

as it seemed as if its strings were beingpulled by someone else”, the chief justiceasked. The counsel told the court that themoney plundered during the purchase ofland at Karachi had been recovered. Thechief justice inquired what action hadbeen taken against Makhdoom AminFahim on whose behest NICL’s formerchairman was appointed.The court admonished the Commerce

Secretary Munir Qureshi for his

lackluster efforts after getting an FIRregistered against the accused. To a courtquery that how many letters had beenwritten to FIA head for the arrest of theaccused, the Commerce Secretaryinformed the court that red warrants ofthe accused had been issued.The chief justice asked him that being

a complainant he should have madeefforts for arrest of the accused. Thesecretary then stated that the accusedhad secured bails, despite theirproperties had been confiscated.“Is it the policy of FIA to not take any

action against the accused after recoveringthe looted money”, Justice Sh. Azmat Saeedquestioned. “These people want to provethat there is no law in the country againstthe rich people”, the chief justice regretted.To a court query, Commerce Secretary

stated that the oSce of NICL’s chairmanwas vacant since a month, however asummary to fill the oSce had been sent tothe Establishment Division. The chiefjustice regretted that over three years hadlapsed but no progress had so far beenmade in the case. Later, further hearing wasadjourned until March 11.NICL case attracted a lot of attention

when big names like Chaudhry MoonisElahi and Commerce Minister MakhdoomAmin Fahim also surfaced. On July 19,2012, the court had dropped proceedingsagainst Moonis, son of Deputy PrimeMinister Pervaiz Elahi, after the FIA said itwas diScult to prove that the money in hisaccounts was dirty.Former minister Habibullah Warraich,

Mohsin Habib Warraich and AkramWarraich collectively owed Rs420 millionto the NICL. Earlier, Akram Warraich,director of Farms (Pvt) Limited, signed afive-year agreement to return the moneyand presented 10 post-dated cheques to theFIA. But the first cheque for Rs42 millionas a guarantee for depositing the liableamount of Rs420 million bounced on April4, last year because there were no funds inthe account. Subsequently, a case wasregistered against Mohsin Warraich andAkram Warraich in June last year.

TAHIR ALI

ISLAMABAD: Taliban detainees inGuantanamo Bay Prison,otherwise knownas Gitmo, are on hunger strike against thealleged desecration of the Holy Quran byAmerican soldiers inside the facility. The detention campis run by the US and

is located in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Thefacility was established in January 2002 tohold prisoners from Afghanistan and laterIraq. Since it opened in early 2002,hundreds have been taken to the prisonwhile 171 afghan detainees are still inside

the jail. According to ZabihullahMujahid,

spokesperson for Afghan Taliban,the‘inmates’ are on hunger strike for last 20days and their condition is serious. “For along time now, the invaders have beencarrying out reprehensible activities, undera pre-drawn plan, aimed against Islam,” hesaid.When the US-led North Atlantic Treaty

Organisation (NATO) has announcedwithdrawal in 2014 and seeks a patch-upwith Mullah Omer led Taliban, the newdesecration issue atGitmo can make things

worse for NATO forces. The Islamic Emirateof Afghanistan (the movement of AfghanTaliban) condemned the ‘despicable act’ asa ‘cowardly and shameful action by defeatedAmerica."According to Mujahid, the Afghan Taliban

have asked the Islamic world, Human Rightsorganizations and international assistancegroup to investigate the matter and preventsuch incidents in future. “The inmates are stillon strike, therefore we call on theInternational Red Cross Committee and otherHuman Right groups, in accordance with theirdue obligation, to inform themselves of this

prison and reach out to prisoners in direconditions”, reads a statement sent to TheSpokesman by Afghan Taliban. In May 2005 reports about the desecrating

of Holy Quran by US soldiers were reportedat Gitmo that sparked protests worldwide,especially in Muslim countries. InAfghanistan, protests erupted in easternprovinces and finally reached Kabul, causingat least 17 deaths, while in other Muslimcountries 15 people lost their lives in protests.The UN was compelled to withdraw allforeign staT from Jalalabad following attackson two guest houses and government

buildings. In Jalalabad, two oSces ofinternational aid groups were also destroyed.In 2009 President Obama pledged to close

Gitmo but no action has been taken yet.Later in 2010, his administrationannounced that around 50 detainees would‘neither be prosecuted nor released, butwould remain in indefinite militarydetention without charge or criminal trial’.Last year the Hamid Karzai-led Afghangovernment announced the transfer ofTaliban prisoners to Afghan jails fromGitmo, whereas the White House said thatno such decision was taken.

OUR STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC)on Monday issued notices to top governmentoScials in response to a contemptapplication filed by over 26 oScials from theMinistry of National Food Security andResearch for non-compliance with courtorders.Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan issued notices

to Regularisation Sub Committee ChairmanKhurshid Shah, Cabinet Secretary NargisSethi, and others. The court sought their

replies after 26 oScials from grades 14 to 19filed a contempt application against themfor not regularising them in compliance withthe court order. Arguing for the petitioners,Advocate Umair Baloch informed the courtthat on October 9, 2012, Justice Azim KhanAfridi passed orders to regularise theoScials within three months after ex-PrimeMinister Yousaf Raza Gilani issued a policyto regularise government employees servingon contract basis but even after the courtorders concerned authorities did not pay anyheed to the issue.

SAHTAK BALOCH

ISLAMABAD: No one has beenheld responsible for thecountrywide power breakdownlate at night on February 24 as aninquiry committee formed by theprime minister believes "darknessprevailed that night due totechnical fault in national grid". The four-member inquiry

committee formed to probe intocauses of rare countrywide powerbreakdown has submitted itsinitial inquiry report to the PM'soSce. The committee, headed by

WAPDA oScial Qasim Khan, wasasked to point out thoseresponsible for the powerbreakdown, and submit its reportwithin seven days to the PM. Sources in Water & Power

Ministry told The Spokesman thatthe committee's report hassubmitted its report to the PM’sHouse where not a single oScial ofNational Power Control Centre(NPCC) and NationalTransmission and DispatchCompany (NTDC) has been heldresponsible for the blackout whichbegan at 11:45pm on Sunday andlasted for several hours in variousparts of the country. The sourcessaid the committee in its bid tohush up the matter has not fixed

the responsibility on any oScialbut simply said that hours-longblack out was result of technicalfault in national grid as powerdemand was high while thegeneration remained low.The inquiry report also

mentioned that this massivebreakdown was not countrywideas one unit of Mangla Dam andone of Terbela Dam was foundfunctional at that time because ithad supplied electric power toMardan and Mirpur areas whileother power stations of the countryswitched oT within seconds afterthe occurrence of fault in thenational grid. Both units of Manglaand Terbela dams had largelysupported the power system of thecountry and saved it from heaviestloss. And, even if both units wentoT then several hours wererequired to restore national gridsystem, all was transpired to thisnewspaper during an exclusive talkwith a senior oScial at water andpower ministry. aIt is to be notedhere that oScial Water and PowerMinistry from day one has beenfound harping a note of technicalfault at a privately run 1,200megawatt power plant operated byHub Power Co. (HUBCO), thecountry's second-biggest generatorwhich led to colossal black out inmajor parts of the country.

Raisani joins PML-N alongwith PPP Balochistan MNA, 4 MPAsLAHORE: Former Balochistan PPP president Nawab Lashkari Raisanicalled on PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif at Raiwind and joined PML-N alongwith MNA Yumayun Aziz Kurd and four MPAs from the province. Raisaniwas accompanied by his brother Asad Raisani. Raisani will be headingPML-N in Balochistan. MNA Humayun Aziz Kurd is PPPP seat holderfrom Kachhi NA 267. The four MPAs – Tariq Mahmood, Rahila Durrani,Haji Ismail and Dr Mahesh Kumar - who joined PML-N are all from PPPP.The move has virtually emptied the PPP closet in the province as thebackbone of party’s structure in the province has defected to PML-N. Themove is being seen as the big boost for PML-N that thus far had nosignificant representation in the province. Raisani reached Raiwind leadinga 40-member delegation which was received warmly by the PML-N leaders.Later in the evening Raisani entourage called on Punjab Chief MinisterShahbaz Sharif and attended a function at 90-Shahra-e-Quaid-e-AzamoSce of the chief minister. –STAFF REPORTER

Rs 5.34 billion NICL scandal

Money trail leadsto Amin Fahim: SC

� State Dept willing to finance Diamer Bhasha project, says US ambassador in Pakistan

� MQM to launch movementagainst govt if needed: Sattar ‒Page 4

� Shahbaz says Centre, Sindh issued arms licences to banned outfits� Raisani says he left PPP because it had abandoned Benazir’s vision

RELATED STORY

Anti-poliocentre targeted,LHW injured

� Provisions to freeze, seize and forfeit property

involved in terrorism financing reinforced� Law enforcement agencies can act against

financiers of terrorism � New bill describes all

modes and methods of payment

Inquiry blames no one

Blackout wastechnical fault

Senate slams SC on judges’ nationality

� Notes appointment of NICL’s formerchairman was made at the behest of PPPP president

Regularisation of contract employees

Nargis Sethi, othersget contempt notice

Taliban in Gitmo on strike over Quran desecration

SRINAGAR: Kashmiri protesters throw stones at Indian police during a spontaneous strike to protest the death of 28-year old student Mudassir Qamran Malla in the Indian city of Hyderabad at the weekend. –ONLINE

Raza Rabbaniwalks out ofSenate

Election Commission invitesapplications for election symbolsISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has invited applications from the political parties forallotment of election symbols for the upcoming general elections by 15th March, 2013. According to a pressrelease issued here on Tuesday, the political parties which have complied with the provisions of the PoliticalParties Order, 2002 and the rules framed there under have been invited to make applications for allocation ofone of the symbols prescribed under Rule 9 of the Representation of the People (Conduct of Elections) Rules,1977. The applications, duly signed by the respective party leader, should reach the Election CommissionSecretariat, Islamabad, on or before the 15th March, 2013. The parties would apply for the symbols in order ofpreference. The applications should contain the information regarding symbols if any allocated to the politicalparty during the previous general elections. –STAFF REPORT

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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2013

Police vehicles notprovided enough petrol

ISLAMABAD: More than 200patroller-vehicles of OperationDivision of Islamabad Police that wereprovided around 500 litres of petrol inthe past, are now being given only 300litres of petrol. The cut in petrolprovision is not in congruence with theincreasing crime rate in the city.Certain police high-ups are of the viewthat the complaint is baseless and thepatrolling vehicles are being providedwith optimum amount of petrol. Onthe other hand, the situation hasincreased problems for the OperationDivision of Police. Dozens ofpolicemen has asked the FederalInterior Minister to take notice of thematter. �ONLINE

184 cops occupying houses illegally

ISLAMABAD: Around 184 oMcers andconstables of Islamabad Police havebeen illegally occupying thegovernment owned residentialbuildings in diNerent sectors of thefederal capital. Sources said that about120 police personnel have beenoccupying government residences since2007. The Housing Ministry hasinformed the federal government of thematter. It has been told that all thepolice oMcers and other personnel haveobtained stay orders from therespective courts. It merits mentioninghere that the Supreme Court has issuedorders for ridding the governmentowned residential buildings fromillegal occupation. �ONLINE

Tuition centres fleecing students

ISLAMABAD: Tuition centres in thetwin cities of Islamabad andRawalpindi are looting the students byreceiving huge tuition fee. These so-called educational institutions areviolating the rules and regulationsformulated by the government withregard to limiting the tuition fee. Thesecentres attract the students by givingads in the newspapers. A group ofstudents informed that the tuitioncenters receive big amounts on accountof crash courses before the BoardExams. To add to this, the teachersfrom these tuition centers are notadequately educated. The students arealso forced by certain teachers to attendto their tuition centers due to whichabsenteeism is a phenomenon commonin the educational institutions. �ONLINE

Kohsar police arrests 22 suspects

ISLAMABAD: The Kohsar policestation has arrested 22 suspects duringsearch operation and checking in itsrespective area, a police spokesmansaid on Tuesday. Following thedirections of IGP Islamabad BaniAmin Khan, teams of Kohsar policestation supervised by SDPO cityconducted search in its area includingBlue Area. The search operation wasconducted by police teams in variouslocalities including slum areas, under-construction buildings, houses, hotelswhence 22 rounded up suspects failedto produce any document for theiridentification. The IGP Bani AminKhan and SSP Islamabad YaseenFarooq has ordered to expand thissearch operation in other areas of city,while also ordering, ensuring strictmonitoring and vigilance of suspectedelements. �ONLINE

ISLAMABAD: The new 500-bedteaching hospital at Islamabadwould have additional facilities ofburn centre, cardiology and a livertransplant centre. Officials of theWorkers’ Welfare Fund have saidthis while briefing the NationalAssembly Standing Committee onHuman Resource Developmentregarding tender process forconstruction of the hospital.The meeting was chaired by

member national assembly Ms.Shagufta Jumani. According to theofficials, 28 companies had appliedfor the pre-qualification out ofthem four firms were short listed.Moreover, they informed thecommittee that 50 per centadmissions will be offered to thechildren of laborers and other 50per cent seats will be fulfilled onopen merit.The banking institutions will

submit fees of the poor children andjob security will be offered to themafter completion of their studies.The officials said that such loanswill be returned to bankinginstitutions through theincome/salaries of the hospitalgraduates. The officials furtherstated that all provinces wereadvised to construct one medicalcollege at least in every provincialcapital.

They said that the government iscommitted to provide qualityhigher education to the poor youthof the country. Meanwhile, theofficials of the workers’ welfarefund informed the committee thatseveral under-construction welfareprojects were delayed due to delayin release of funds by the financeministry. The committee hasrecommended the ministry toimmediately release the funds for

completion of long delayed welfareprojects.The officials told the committeesome 18719 flats and houses, 7schools and colleges, 3 hospitalsand 123 miscellaneous projectshave been delaying due to non-release of funds on appropriatetime. The officials also requestedthe committee to seek attention ofthe ministry of finance in thiswake. �ONLINE

Teaching hospital to have liver transplant facility

ISLAMABAD: A boy sits in front of candles lit outside National Press Club by Civil Society activists during a demonstration against the Karachi bombing.�ONLINE

SALMAN ABBAS

ISLAMABAD: National AssemblyStanding Committee on House andLibrary on Tuesday expressedannoyance over the failure of theCapital Development Authority tostop two big hotels - Marriot andSareena – from using greenbelts(central reservations) as parkingplazas. The committee also was nothappy as the CDA has failed toremove barriers placed by thesehotels.The Committee met under theChairpersonship of Deputy SpeakerNational Assembly Faisal KarimKundi.The committee expressed itsdispleasure over the erection ofbarriers/ obstructions causingblockage of roads in front of Marriotand Serena hotels and use ofgreenbelts/ open spaces in theirvicinity as parking places. The CDA

chairman informed the committeethat notices of cancellation of NOChave been issued to themanagements of the two hotels. Heassured the committee membersthat the greenbelts/ open spaces inthe usage of these hotels as parkingplaces “will soon be vacated”.The National Assembly Houseand Library Committee alsoexpressed its dissatisfaction overthe security arrangements at theParliament Lodges and directed theICT Police Department to beef uptheir security measures at thepremises. It also expressed itannoyance over lethargy of policepersonnel in checking increasedtrend of theft cases in theParliament Lodges. It was brought into the notice ofthe committee that securitycameras installed in ParliamentLodges were not functioningproperly and security guards

deputed in the various blocks of theParliament Lodges have beenremoved. The Committee directedthe DIG, ICT Police to takeappropriate measures to control thetheft cases in the ParliamentLodges and ensure foolproofsecurity to the Parliamentariansresiding in the Parliament Lodges.The committee also directed theCDA to make necessaryarrangements for repair of securitycameras installed at ParliamentLodges.The Committee also expressed itsdispleasure over the erection ofbarriers/ obstructions causingblockage of roads in front ofMarriot and Serena Hotels and useof green belts/open space in theirvicinity as a parking. TheChairman, CDA informed theCommittee that notices ofcancellation of NOC have beenissued to the Management of said

Hotels. He assured the Committeethat green belt/open spaces used bythose Hotels as parking will bevacated soon. The latest position of the NationalAssembly Employees CooperativeHousing Society (NAECHS) wasalso came under discussion. TheCommittee directed Administratorof NAECHS to expedite the processof acquiring NOC from CDA so thatthe allotment of plots to theMembers of the Society could beactualized. The Committee alsodirected CDA Management tofacilitate the NAECHSAdministration in completion theformalities. MNAs Mehreen Anwar RajaAdvocate, Mrs. Belum Hasnain,Mr. Noor Alam Khan and Mrs.Shagufta Sadiq attended themeeting. Special Secretary Cabinet,Chairman, CDA and DIG PoliceIslamabad were also present.

NA body angry at misuse of greenbelts by big hotels

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister RehmanMalik has said journalists must take thenational interest first and use their powerfor reformation of society instead ofdisrespecting mankind and spoilingcultures. Speaking at a conference relatedto security of journalists organized byPakistan Federal Union of Journalists inIslamabad on Tuesday afternoon‚ he saidheroin was also used as a weapon againstUSSR occupation troops in Afghanistanbut later it became a monster for Pakistanand Afghanistan. Rehman Malik said thatterrorism is being used as a tool to achievecertain negative objectives.He said in a couple of days with finalapproval from the Prime Minister‚ aJournalist Welfare Trust will beconstituted through which journalists'families will be compensated. Theminister said incidents of Quetta andKarachi were worst kind of terrorunleashed by a militant group. Heappreciated Pakistani journalists forcovering of war on terror despite seriousrisks and threats to their lives.Malik said nowhere in the world‚journalists are sent to war zones withoutproper training‚ gadgets and securityprotection but in Pakistan journalists havebeen covering terrorism on their own risk.The interior minister said there should bea contributory fund to take care ofjournalists performing professional dutiesin war zones. �ONLINE

‘Pen powershould be usedto reformsociety: Malik

STAFF REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority on Tuesday sealed four morehouses in its ongoing operation against non-conforming use and violations ofbuilding bylaws in different residential sectors of the city.According to the details, the Capital Development Authority EnforcementDirectorate’s officials assisted by Building Control Magistrate took apart in theoperation, which was supervised by Member Planning and Design SyedMustafain Kazmi.During the operation, House No 9, Street No 29, Sector F-10/1 used for (QUIKCommunications) oMce purpose, House No 81, Street No 45, Sector F-10/4 beingused as (Streaming Networks) oMce, House No 233-B, Street No 51, Sector F-10/4(JAN Enterprises) and House No 289-A, Sumbal Road, Sector F-10/4, being usedas oMces, were sealed. CDA Chairman Syed Tahir Shahbaz said that the oMces inthe residential sectors would not be allowed as there is enough space in thecommercial sectors of Islamabad. So owners of these oMces in their own interestmay shift their oMces to these commercial areas, so that the problems of theresidents could be solved. He further said that in the first phase oMces situated inthe residential sectors would be removed and later on CDA will take step againstother such activities in the residential areas.

SHANEL KHALIQ

ISLAMABAD. A group of 23contemporary artists captured thecolours and feel of the landscape of theTumair Village, near Bhara Kahu. Theirworks were displayed at an exhibitionentitled “Harmony in Diversity”, It wasorganised by the National Arts Gallery, incollaboration with the Pakistan NationalCouncil of the Arts, at PNCA on Tuesday. The National Art Gallery arranged aresidency programme for a group ofartists lasting 10 days at the TumairVillage starting from February 25. The

artists were invited from all over thecountry to come together and share theirideas with each other. The idea was tocapture the landscape from the artist’sperspective. The forty-piece displayincludes paintings, photographssculptures and other forms of art workprepared by the artists during their stayon the location. One of the artists, Syeda Hera Shakoor,works with WWF and Action Aid Pakistan.She told The Spokesman that “Naturecannot be captured, what you are viewingis merely my perception which I have triedto paint”.

CDA seals four more houses

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD: The headquarters of the CapitalDevelopment Authority, responsible formanaging city’s civic problems, has very littleparking space for its 10,000 employees, most ofwhom have their own cars, The Spokesman haslearnt. The inability of the civic authority raises a bigquestion: how can it remove other biggerproblems when its high-ups cannot handle theirown issue of parking space paucity?Apart from the CDA’s employees, hundreds ofother people visit the CDA chairman’s oMce onevery day, most of the by cars and bikes. Uponarrival, the first thing they encounter is lack ofparking place on the premises.During the week days, the CDA headquartersseems more like a car market, where a large

number of second-hand cars are parked for sale.“I am taking rounds here to find a place to parkmy car but no suitable place is available. And onecannot park their vehicle without a risk of it beinglost,” said Asif Ahmad, the owner of a fast foodoutlet, who came to the CDA head oMce in a land-related issue.Visitors of the headquarters complained thatthey had to park their vehicle far from the oMceon road which can also result in theft of theirvehicle or any other damage.I had parked my car at roadside because I haveto meet the Director Estate Management but onmy return I found that a driver of CDAenforcement directorate hit his truck in my carwhile turning,” said Murtaza Shah, a visitor,adding that had the suitable parking beenavailable, he would not have endured a loss ofthousands of rupees.

CDA head-oMce suNerslack of parking place

� Committee also annoyed at police for increasing thefts in Parliament Lodges

ISLAMABAD: A little girl wanders the streets of the federal capital to sell pens and earn a livelihood forher family. �ONLINE

ISLAMABAD: Students taking part in Hiking Contest on Margalla Hillsduring the Students Week of Air University. �ONLINE

‘Harmony in Diversity’captures village landscape

ISLAMABAD: Allama Iqbal OpenUniversity will hold shortly the first big of itskind nationwide convocation in all the maincities around the country through video-conferencing system. This was announcedby Prof. Dr. Nazir Ahmed Sangi, Vice-Chancellor, AIOU on taking notice of thenews published in a local daily on the title“AIOU degree-holders looking forconvocation”. The vice chancellor set up ahigh level committee to prepare and confirmall the needed arrangements for the saidconvocation and submit therecommendations and suggestions.Participation of maximum students of theUniversity across the country in convocationwould be ensured, he added. �ONLINE

AIOU’s nationwideconvocation

ISLAMABAD: The public parks in therural areas of the federal capital are notin good condition such that they arealmost deprived of chairs, shades andswings. Millions of rupees are goingdown the drain due to the negligence ofthe Capital Administration regardingmaintenance of these recreationalresorts, located in Rawal Town, RawalDam and other areas.The locals have demanded of the CDAofficials to provide required facilities inthe parks situated and appoint guards forthe security of the parks’ property. �ONLINE

Parks deprived ofbasic facilities

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 06, 2013

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

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

POWER ALLEYS|

Sheeshnag has been informed by a PP“jiala” since the Bhutto era that YusufRaza Gillani is set to prop up his son

Abdul Qadir Gillani, who was electedMNA in a by-election, for a provincial seatfrom Multan. They are believed to haveheld talks with Pakistan Tehreek-i-InsafMember Sikander Hayat Bosan, a formerfederal minister for Agriculture. They havereportedly reached an understanding thatBosan will stand for NA-151 seat while“Bunny” will contest the PP-200 seat.Furthermore, the incumbent of theprovincial seat, Malik Ahmed HassanDehar, is defecting to join PakistanMuslim League (N).

Sheeshnag has also learnt that PakistanPeople’s Party’s Faisal Karim Kundi,Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly,will not be given the ticket to contestelections for the constituency NA-24, DeraIsmail Khan. The lucky man who will beawarded this ticket is Senator WaqarKhan. He will be battling with MaulanaFazlur Rehman. The interesting thing isthat Kundi will be contesting from NA-25,where the current MNA is the Maulana’sbrother Atta-ur-Rehman. In a further caseof musical chairs Atta-ur-Rehman will becontesting NA-27, Lucky Marwat.Sheeshnag feels that Kundi and theMaulana have reached a tacit agreementregarding this game of musical chairs.Shh…

Political musicalchairs!

NEETAM RIMA

The Nawaz Sharif camp isjubilant over the joining ofSenator Lashkari Raisani. This

helps in the ongoing war of winning‘electables.’ This is being painted as abig victory for Nawaz Sharif.

He brings along supposedly 22political luminaries from Balochistan.The important ones are two PPPMPAs, Tahir Mahmood Khan, IsmaelGujjar besides the speculation aboutMNA Hamayun Kurd. This issupposed to be a big achievement forthe Nawaz camp.

The idea is to create the impressionof victory for PML (N) in the nextelections, which attracts the fence-sitters to jojn the party. This is thestory of Pakistani politics.

This has been the single largestfeature of our politics, especially since1985. In fact, Nawaz Sharif is theproduct of this mode of politics. Theyknow how to gather the like-mindedvested interests over promises ofsharing the booty—party tickets,future Ministries and Senatorships,jobs for relatives, exemptions, plots,licences, you name it. The politicalelite always like to go with the partythat has a better chance at deliveringon this count, besides an electoralvictory. The good or bad thing is thatthe PPP led by Asif Zardari plays thesame game now. Both are locked inthis battle to outdo each other inwinning the ‘electables,’ ignoringevery principle of ideology or moralityin the principles.

Unfortunately, Imran Khan too hasjoined them in this race. The skipperhas chosen the wrong wicket thistime. He doesn’t know the weather,the pitch, even the team that he isplaying with and against. And he hasto satisfy a whole multitude of veryexcited, youthful spectators.

Coming back, the inclusion ofLashkari Raisani begs a big question:

How much political and electoralsuccess does he represent. In ouropinion, not much.

For a start, Lashkari cannot win aconstituency himself. He had alreadyresigned from PPP Senatorship,which after months of delay has nowbeen accepted. This means that hisSenatorship is gone. It will be difficultfor him to become a member of theUpper House in the near future.Being the younger brother of theNawab of Sarawan, Aslam Raisani,there is very little chance of himcontesting against his tribal chieftain.Even if he does, there is no chance ofwinning either national or provincial

seat from Mastung. In any case, eventhe elder brother, Aslam, is in trouble.It’s been years and months that he hasnot visited Mastung. He could not gothere even as the Chief and as theSardar of Sardars. The last timeRaisani tried to show some power inMastung, Lashkari’s nephew gotkilled in the stadium. Mastunghappens to be one of the mostdangerous flashpoints in Balochistanand the Raisanis are politically weakin their area.

Chances are that the National Partyand the Balochistan National Party(Mengal) are going to field jointcandidates in Mastung and have abetter chance of winning. This endsthe story of Lashkri Raisaini.

Now about the two MPAs that hehas brought to the PML (N) field.Both of them got elected in the timeswhen both the Pashtun and Balochnationalists boycotted the polls. Thistime around, the electoral fight inQuetta is anybody’s game. The PML(N), as the PPP, hardly exists as apolitical party. The PML (N) has not

strengthened the party at all and hasalways given importance to theNawabs and Sardars. It may bementioned that the party’s provincialPresident is the second biggestChieftain of Balochistan, the Nawabof Jhalawan, Sanaullah Zehri. Infact, this has been the biggest factorin the Balochistan crisis. Themainstream political parties havenot supported the middle andworking class political order. Boththe PPP and the PML (N) revolvearound a few Sardars. The joining ofLashkari adds another Sardar to itsrank. Basically, it is more thunderthan fire.

By the way, if the news of HamayunKurd also joining the party is true,the important point to be noted isthat he won the last election becauseof the support of Nawab ZulfiqarMagsi. One of the biggest tribes inthe Jhal Magsi constitueny are theMagsis. It is difficult to imagine himwinning without their support. So letthe PML (N) celebrations be seen inits stride.

Lashkri more thunder than fire

No-Holds-BarredWhen people stand for public office the presumption is that they are betterthan others. But public figures here expect the same immunity as that of a

private citizen. Politicians stall basic queries, even about the number of wivesand children they may have, in the name of morality. We want to contest

them through innuendo, humour and sarcasm—our best weapon in a societythat suppresses information to the hilt.No hard feelings we hope—Editor

Fahd Husain@FahdhusainLashkari Raisanijoins up with NLeague in latestround of politicalmusical chairs.

Prepare for more surprises#PoliticalMusicalChairsShereen H Aljarrah@ShereenAljarrahMNA/MPAs turn lota-licious whnthey c benefits & call it "nazrayatiikhtlaf " so nazrayati ikhtlaf=mainuticket/perks vakha mera mood bnay.Javed Aziz Khan @StoryTeller147After PML-N, JUI-F is being joinedby majority of those quitting PPPand ANP in KP and rest of Pakistan.Amir Mateen@AmirMateen2PML (N) gets another Baloch SardarLashkari Raisani. They already haveNawab Sanaullah Zehri.Where ispolitical party in Sardari nizamDanish Khan@KhanDanish_And Raisanis are not the only tribein Mastung (home constituency).There are Dehwars, Lahri,Suleimani among others.Danish Khan@KhanDanish_Raisani politics is done for inBalochistan, elder brother is out ofcountry and known for all ills inprovince. Joining PMLN meansnothing.Fahd Husain@FahdhusainN attracting pols like bees to honey@SaqibTanveer:@sohaibmahmood@Fahdhusain shortsighted? I'd callthem blind#PoliticalMusicalChairs"Raza Rumi@RazarumiWhen a PML-N wallas switches overto PPP, it is a ghastly incident . Whenthe opposite happens, it is a cause forcelebration.#khulatazaadSHARMILAFARUQUI@sharmilafaruqiHe told me 2 yrs back!"@ShahidQazi1: Just two days ago Ipredicted about Lashkari's joiningand he joined PMK N today...Shia Sms Pakistan@shiasmspk*Tamam Shia Dushman QuwatainPML-N Me Jamaa* (Sabiq)Khanzeer-e-Aala Balochistan AslamRaisani K Bhai Laskari Raisani NayPML-N Join Kar LiYousuf Nazar@YousufNazarPTI would learn in due course. Acentre-right economic program is notenough to defeat the status-quo forces.PTI looks set to lose to PML-N"Wasey Azim@waseyazim#Zardari Apne bande turrayi ja reyaein.... Kithon da Chaalak ein??Ainwayeen Shashka paaya hoya siapni Chalaakian da?? Ja Oye!!!

TAHIR NIAZ

ISLAMABAD: In a belated decision,the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)has recommended that the policy ofallotment of a second plot under thePrime Minister’s Special Package forBS-22 officers be discontinued for thefuture, as at least 214 BS-22 officersand 20 judges of the Supreme Courthave had already been allotted morethan one residential plots inIslamabad.

The PAC termed the allotment ofmore than one plots to the BS-22officers as discriminatory andrecommended discontinuation of thepolicy in future. The 234 persons whohave already been allotted two plots arejustified in considering them ‘lucky’.The PAC further recommended thattransfer from one sector to the other, ofplots allotted under the PrimeMinister’s Special assistance Packageor under the age-wise seniorityschemes be cancelled. It is to mentionhere that there was no policy forchange or transfer of plot from onesector to the other and suchtransfers were, howeverallowed under

discretionarypowers exercised by the

Secretary Housing. Chairman PACpresented the report of the PAC onpolicy of allotment of plots to federalgovernment employees in the nationalassembly on Tuesday.

Interestingly, the list provided by theconcerned authorities lack designationof some of the persons who were givenmore than two residential plots inIslamabad. These include S M Junaid,Mrs Ali Begum Khan DMG OfficerNWFP, Javed Mahmood and KhalidFarooq.

The judges who have been allottedmore than one residential plots inIslamabad include Justice (Ret)Mansoor Ahmed, Justice MuhammadNawaz Abbasi, Justice FaqirMuhammad Khokar, JusticeMuhammad Javaid Buttar, JusticeSyed Saeed Ashad, Justice AbdulHameed Dogar, Justice SardarMuhammad Raza Khan, Justice MianShakirullaha Jan, Justice TassaduqHussain Jillani, Justice Javaid Iqbal,Justice Khalil-Ur-Rehman Ramday,Justice Falak Sher, Justice Nasir ulMulk, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed,

Justice Syed Jamshed Ali, JusticeGhulam Rabbani, Justice Ch. IjazAhmed, Justice Muhammad Sair Ali,Justice Anwer Zaheer Jamali andJustice Arif Hussain Khilji. However,Justice ® Syed Zahid Hussain did notobtain any plot under the BS-22package despite offer.

The BS-22 officers who have beenallotted more than one residential plotin Islamabad include Dr Faqir HussainRegistrar Supreme Court,Ejaz RahimCabinet Secretary, Tariq MahmoodSecretary Communication, Syed JalilAbbas Secretary Culture Division,Khalid Saeed Principal Secretary to thePrime Minister, Syed Tariq Ali BokhariSecretary Establishment Division,Nawid Ahsan Secretary General M/OFinance, Muhammad Ismail QureshiSecretary Food, Syed Anwer MahmoodSecretary Information, Abdur RaufChaudhary Secretary M/O TextileIndustries, Shahid Rafi SecretaryM/O Culture, Syed KamalShah SecretaryM/O

Interior,Rasool Bakhsh

Baloch Secretary M/OKashmir Affairs, Muhammad Jamil

Secretary Minorities Affairs, IsmailHassan Zaidi Secretary NarcoticsControl, M Aslam Sanjrani SecretaryOverseas Pakistanis, Ahmad WaqarSecretary Petroleum, Vakil AhamdKhan Secretary Religious Affairs,Muhammad Abdullah YousufChairman FBR, Muhammad NaeemKhan Secretary Social Welfare, SajidHussain Chattha Secretary States andFrontier Division, Salim Gul ShaikhSecretary Tourism, Ashfaq MahmoodSecretary Youth Affairs, Sajid HussainEx-Secretary M/O Education, Dr.Waqar Masood Khan Special SecretaryPM Secretariat (Public), Javed SadiqMalik Federal Ombudsman, MohsinHafeez Secretary to the President, SyedMohsin Asad Secretary Federal TaxOmbudsman Secretariat, MuhammadHumayun Farshori Secretary LocalGovernment and Rural Development,Tariq Aziz Secretary National SecurityCouncil, M Jehangir Bashir SecretaryM/O Education, Tanwir Ali AghaFinance Secretary, Riaz MuhammadKhan Secretary Foreign Affairs, SherAfghan Khan Special SecretaryForeign Affairs, Major ® Malik AsifHayat Secretary Labour andManpower, justice ® Mansoor AhmadSecretary Law, Shahzado Sheikh

Secretary Population Welfare,Muhammad Shakeel DurraniChairman Railways, Syed MasoodAlam Rizvi Secretary TextileIndustries, Dr Shakeel Aleem MahmudOSD Establishment Division, SuhailSafdar Secretary (awaiting posting)Establishment Division, Syed BilalAhmad Secretary Sports Division, SyedAsif Shah Secretary Commerce, SharifAhmad Secretary Science andTechnology, Farrakh QayyumSecretary Petroleum,Muhammad Zia UrRehman Secretary Foodand Agriculture, KamranRasul Secretary Defence,Muhammad Akram MalikSecretary Economic Affairs,Major ® Ziaul HassanKhan IG Police,Farid

Nawaz MDNational Police Bureau,

Jahangir Mirza IG Police, TariqPervez DG FIA, Pervez Tahir MDEnercon, Iftikhar Ahamd KhanController General of AccountsController General of Accounts, AsifEzdi Shah Ambassador, Musa JavedChohan High Commissioner forPakistan to Ottawa, Hasan SarmadAmbassador, Kamran NiazAmbassador, Shahid Malik HighCommissioner, Shuja Shah ExecutiveDirector The World Bank, MuhammadYaseen Tahir DG Pakistan IntellectualProperty Rights Organization, Mst.Humaira Ikram Secretary PrivatizationCommission, Faizullayh KhiljiChairman National Tariff Commission,Ijaz Ahmad Qureshi SecretaryEnvironment, Ghias Uddin AhmadSecretary Youth Affairs, MushtaqAhmad Malik Secretary Board ofInvestment, Arif Mansoor (late)Secretary Privatization and InvestmentDivision, Shafkat Saeed Ambassador,Muhammad Izhar Ul Haq AdditionalAuditor General of Pakistan, AhmadNasim IG Police, Syed Safdar JavaidChairman Board of Revenue,Muhammad Mohsin Khan ControllerGeneral of Accounts, Mrs RukhsanaJabbar Memon Auditor General Auditand Accounts, M Saeed KhalidAmbassador, Asma Anisa Ambassador,G M Sikandar Principal Secretary toCM Punjab, Sahibzada Riaz NoorChief Secretary, Muhammad SharifSecretary States and Frontier Regions,Ahmad Jawad Secretary Privatization,

Salman Nabi Tax Expert Ministry ofFinance, Ghiasuddin SecretaryRailways Division, Suleman GhaniChairman Planning and DevelopmentBoard, Ms Naheed Hyder SecretaryLabour, Siraj S Shams Uddin PrincipalSecretary to Prime Minister, DrShahzad Qaisar Special Secretary tothe Prime Minister, MuhammadAshraf Khan Secretary Sports, Badar

Ul Islam EstablishmentDivison, MuhammdIkram Arif ChairmanNational Tariff

Commission, NayyarAgha SecretaryPopulation Welfare,Ali Arif SecretaryTourism, MahmoodSaleem Mahmood

SecretaryPetroleum, Tariq

Shafiq KhanSecretaryEconomicAffairs,Muhammad

Fareed KhanSecretary Human Rights

Division, Anwar Haider ChairmanSindh Public Service Commission,Muhammd Kashif Murtaza SecretaryScience and Technology, Mrs SaroodLashari Secretary Inter ProvincialCoordination, Shoaib Suddle DGIntelligence Bureau, Saud GoharSenior Member Prime Minister’sInspection Commission, Sed NayyarHasnain Haider MD Labour, ShaukatJaved IG Police, Raja Raza ArshadSecretary Environment Division,Muhammad Iqbal Sheikh ChiefSecretary, Abdur Rauf Khan SecretaryFederal Tax Ombudsman, Abid JawidAkbar Chairman National InsuranceCompany Ltd, Shahab AnwarKhawaka Secretary Industries, HifzurRehman Khan Secretary Information,Sami Ul Haq Khilji Secretary Housingand Works, Mirza Kareem Baig SeniorMember Federal Land Commission,Malik Naveed Khan Provincial PoliceOfficer NWFP, Fazal Ur Rehman ChiefSecretary, Salman Faruqi ChiefSecretary Sindh, Zafar MahmoodSecretary Cabinet Division,Muhammad Ihtesham Khan SecretaryKashmir Affairs, Muhammad RiffatPasha Secretary State and FrontierRegions, Salman Siddique SecretaryFinance Division, Kalay Bux RindSecretary Narcotics Control, KhushnorAkhtar Lashari Secretary Health,Muhammd Saleem Khan SecretryPorts and Shipping, Sheikh Ghazanfar

Hussain Secretary ParliamentaryAffairs, Muhammad Saleem KhanJhagra Secretary Local Governmentand Rural Development, Ashraf MHayat Secretary Planning andDevelopment, Salman BasherSecretary Foreign Affairs, Abdul MoizBukhari Assistant Secretary GeneralOIC, Mrs Fauzia Nasreen DG ForeignServices Academy, Shahid AhmadKamal Ambassador, Ashfaq AhmadGondal Secretary Information,Muhammad Ahmad Mian DG PakPost Office, Abdul Wadood KhanAdvisor to the Chairman FBR, UmerKhan Alisherzai Ambassador, ShahbazAmbassador, Muhammad Ali AfridiSecretary Livestock and DairyDevelopment, Khalid Aziz BabarSpecial Secretary Foreign Affairs, MrsFauzia Abbas Ambassador, Mrs NargisSethi Principal Secretary to PrimeMinister, Jalil Abbas Jillani HighCommissioner, Imtiaz Inayat ElahiChairman CDA, Jaweed AkhtarSecretary Minority Affairs, InamullahKhan Secretary Minorities Affairs,Khalid Idrees Secretary Zakat andUsher, Mrs Batool Iqbal QureshiSecretary Women Division, AhmadMahmood Zahid Inter ProvincialCoordination Division, Ghalib Ud DinSpecial Secretary Prime MinisterSecretariat, Anis Ul Hassnain MusaviSecretary Board of Investment, AghaSarwar Raza Qazilbash SecretaryReligious Affairs, Tariq Iqbal Puri ChiefExecutive Trade DevelopmentAuthority, Mansoor Suhail SecretaryInformation, Moin ul Islam BokhariSecretary Culture, Muhammad AtharTahir ED NAVTEC, Nagibullah MalikSecretary Information, Asif BajwaSpecial Secretary Finance Division,Abdul Ghaffar Soomro SecretaryIndustries, Major ® Qamar ZamanChaudhary Secretary Interior, IntiazHussain Kazi Secretary Social Welfare,Mrs Rukhsana Saleem ChairpersonPakistan Re-Insurance Company Ltd,Ishtiak Ahmad Khan SecretaryElection Commission of Pakistan,Shahid Rashid Chief Executive OfficerSMEDA m/o Industries, NasirMahmood Khan Khosa ShiefSecretary Balochistan, Javed IqbalChief Secretary Government ofNWFP, Junaid Iqbal Ch SecretaryWafaqi Mohtasib, Suhail AhmadChairman FBR, Muhammd SamiSaeed Senior Member ReveueDepartment Punjab, Ghulam Ali ShahPasha Senior Member Board ofRevenue Sindh, Ahmed Bakhsh LehriChief Secretary, Syed Shabbir Ahmad

Commandant National PoliceAcademy, Tariq Masood KhosaSecretary Narcotics Control, JavedIqbal MD National Police Foundation,Waseem Kausar IG Motorway Police,Tariq Saleem Provincial Police OfficerPunjab, Javed Noor DG IntelligenceBureau, Masood Khan Ambassador,Khalid Khattak Ambassador,Muhammad Haroon Shaukat SpecialSecretary Foreign Affairs, MuhammadAyub Khan Tarin Addl AuditorGeneral, Zameed Akram PermanentRepresentative to UN, G A SabriSpecial Secretary Petroleum,Iftikharullah Babar Special SecretarySenate, Raja Muhammad AminSecretary Senate, Athar MahmoodAmbassador, Karamat Hussain NiaziSecretary National Assembly, ShaheedA Gillani Ambassador, Shaulat HayatDurrani Secretary Population andWelfare, Abdul Waheed KhanAdditional AG of Pakistan, Major ®Iqbal Ahmad Secretary Youth Affairs,Abdul Hameed DG Pakistan PostOffice, Lt ® Muhammad AbbasSecretary Housing and Works,Sahibzada Muhammad KhalidChairman Pakistan Tobacco Board,Saeed Ahmad Khan SecretaryOverseas Pakistanis, Irfan NadeemSyed Secretary Scientific andTechnological Research Division, RajaMuhammad Ikramul Haq SecretarySpecial Initiatives, Muhammad JavedMalik Secretary Environment, ShahidHussain Raja Secretary RailwaysDivision, Tariq AzizuddinAmbassador, Khurshid AnwarAmbassador, Malik MuhammadIqbal IG Police, Amjad Ali Khan EDNAVTEC, Khawaja MuhammadNaeed Additional SecretaryCommerce, Ghulam Dastgir ChiefSecretary KPK, Abdul Wajid RanaSpecial Secretary Finance, AkhlaqAhmad Tarar Secior Member Boardof Revenue, Attaullah Khan AddlChief Secretary Planning andDevelopment Dept KPK, JavaidAslam Chairman Planning andDevelopment Punjab, Kazi AfaqHussain Secretary Zakar and Usher,Muhammad Arif Azim SecretaryLabour and Manpower, Masiid JhalidAmbassador, Fiaz Ahmad Khan ToruIG Police, Muhammad EjazAhcudhary Secretary PrivatizationCommission, Anwar Ahmad KhanChief Executive Officer SMEDA,Muhammad Ramzan Member FBR,Sibtain Fazal Haleem EstablishmentDivision and Mahmood AlamMembers FBR.

Lucky 234 get more than one residential plots in Islamabad� PAC recommends discontinuation of two plots policy in future, Justice (r) Syed Zahid Hussain did not obtain any plot despite offer

MQM to launch driveagainst government if need be, says Sattar

KARACHI: Muttahida QaumiMovement leader Dr Farooq SattarTuesday warned the government thatif it does not fulfill its duties forprotection of citizens then MQM willlaunch movement against thegovernment. Speaking to reportersafter visiting the bomb-hit AbbasTown apartments on Tuesday, Sattarsaid massacre of civilians must cometo an end. He called the Abbas Towntragedy “the worst Yazidiat of thecurrent era.” He said that the objectiveof his visit was to show sympathy andsolidarity with the victims. The MQMleader demanded that the governmentmust ensure full rehabilitation of theaRected families; otherwise, MQMworkers would launch a programmefor the rehabilitation of blast victims.It is the question of country’s existenceand security, he said. “All options areopen in front of the Rabita Committee.We will take the best decisions to savecity and country,” he said. �ONLINE

Lateef Khosa gets PPPelection cell position

LAHORE: Former Punjab GovernorSardar Lateef Khosa has been given acharge to head PPP’s central electioncell. The responsibility was given tothe former governor during hismeeting with President Asif AliZardari last day here at BilawalHouse. Lateef Khosa would make theparty’s preparation for forthcominggeneral elections. He would alsoconsult with the party leadership overnominations of candidates. �ONLINE

RMC principal servednotice in Kamran case

RAWALPINDI: Show cause notice hasbeen served on principal RawalpindiMedical College for sending forensicdoctor to conduct postmortem ofKamran Faisal body, NAB investigationoQcer without permission andtransgressing his powers. Healthdepartment Punjab sources saidProfessor Dr Muhammad AfzalFarooqui, principal RMC had sent DrMateen of forensic department to carryout postmortem of dead body of formerNAB investigation oQce in rentalpower case, Kamran Faisal. Dr Mateendeclared the death of Kamran Faisalnatural in postmortem report and sentthe report to concerned quarters. DrFarooqui had not obtained permissionfrom the concerned authorities to doso. Upon it show cause notice has beensent to him by the provincialgovernment directing him to explainhis position. �ONLINE

Sharmila defends herselfover Abbas Town security

KARACHI: PPP leader SharmilaFarooqui received widespread publiccriticism after it was reported that largecontingents of police personnel in thecity were deployed at her engagement-related celebrations. Media reports andthe public questioned why securityforces were not present hours aftertwin blasts occurred in Abbas Town onthe same night. Farooqui’s event wasbeing held at the Mohatta Palace,across town from the gruesomeincident. Amid the ruckus, Farooquidismissed accusations that securitypersonnel were busy at her event andwere therefore unavailable to providesupport in Abbas Town, reported aprivate TV channel. Farooqi tweeted:“Abbas town is in District Central andMohatta in District South Khi. Theyhave separate DIDs to SSPs to SHOs.”Responding to queries about the heavycontingents of police personnel at herfunction, Farooqui tweeted: “Oh32000 police personnel wereprotecting 400 guests? Find a betterexcuse to bash me!” “Ok! So the blastwas my fault and the unfortunatecasualties were because Clifton Policewas around Mohatta…If it soothes thehaters keep abusing.” �ONLINE

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2013

LAHORE: The Awami Rickshaw Union protesting outside Lahore Press Club. �ONLINE

SHANEL KHALIQ

ISLAMABAD: Philanthropy andbenevolence know no boundariesand perhaps Agostino GaetanoBono is a living example of that. Tocome to a far away foreign land forwork purpose and end upestablishing a charity hospitalthere to serve the underprivilegedis undoubtedly extraordinary andworthy of praise. It so happened in 2006 that

Bono was posted to work inIslamabad at the Italian Embassyas Defence Attaché. As he travelledto the area of Khushpur, on theinsistence of one of the residents ofthe area, he realized thatIslamabad was far from what therest of Pakistan stood for. Khushpur, located in the

Faisalabad district, houses a largeChristian community. However,Bono on visiting realized thatcontrary to its name the area wasin the pits of disease, hunger andilliteracy. Medical care wasminimal and as a result the localswere suffering and surviving withthe bare minimum. It was a lifechanging experience for him andat this point he knew that he wasgoing to do something for these people. The journey started and he sent

donations in the form of food,wheelchairs and medication. Soonhe set the foundation for a hospitalto treat the people in the area anderadicate illness and disease fromthere. He put in his own savings tostart the project and was joined inby friends who organized fundraisers to make it a success. Today the hospital stands in the

remote village of Khushpur as abeacon of compassion andbenevolence. It has treated morethan 2500 patients to date for freeand is still growing. AlthoughBono’s oQcial stay ended in 201ohowever he revisits Pakistan to seeoversee the hospital. On his latestvisit to Pakistan he told TheSpokesman that seeing theremarkable success of the hospitalhe now wishes to expand furtherinto vocational training andeducation to help the residents ofthe area economically as well. When talking about the

challenges he is facing hementioned the shortage ofelectricity being the foremost. “Weare thinking of buying solar panelsto deal with the energy crisis in thecountry so that service in thehospital is provided uninterrupted”,he added. He also appealed to thePakistani community to donategenerously for the hospital and toplay their part in changing lives.

A diplomat’s journeyfor care and healing

HOMER BALOCH

ISLAMABAD: The foreigner accusedby many of committing frauds andwanted to the UAE, Saudi Arabiagovernments as well as Pakistanipolice was on Tuesday sent to jail.Muhammad Ayub was arrested bythe Shalimar police with 80 bottles ofwine in his possession. Ayubi was also arrested some three

years back and sent to jail. OnTuesday, he was sent to Adiala Jail for14 days by Civil Judge Abbas Shah.Many of Ayubi’s fraud victims werepresented in the courtroom. A victim told The Spokesman that

Ayubi had struck a business deal withhim but he betrayed him. However,there were also some other peoplewho spoke in Ayubi’s favour.Muhammad Usman, who works as acook in F-11 Markaz and is a residentof Karachi, was among those whodescribed the Syrian national to be akind human being. While narrating his story, he said

that he along with his friend camein Islamabad a year back in searchof job. During the earlier days of hisstruggle, he said, found himself sickand approached Pakistan Instituteof Medical Sciences hospital for hischeck-up where doctors diagnosedthat he has some cardiac issues. “I was worrying about my

condition as I was not having enoughmoney for my treatment. That veryday as I left the hospital, Ayubistopped his car near me to ask theway to a market next to PIMS. Healso asked me why I was visiting thehospital. He then gave me Rs.5,000and gave me his cell number tocontact him in case I needed moremoney,” said Usman. He further said,“I was new in the city and nobodyknew me at that time, but still thatkind man helped me without myverification, and also never askedabout the money he gave me. Ayubiis not less than a god. He helped mewhen I was in difficult situation.”

Syrian sentto jail amidblame,praise

OUR STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE: Governor of State Bank of Pakistan(SBP) Yaseen Anwar Tuesday said Pakistan’seconomy has the ability to navigate throughchoppy waters. “I’m excited by the economic potential that

this country holds, and I encourage you all tobecome a part of the country’s future bybecoming a part of the solution,” he said whiledelivering a speech at Pakistan Navy WarCollege here.He said that while our current economic

situation is less than optimal, it is also very farfrom what may be described as an economiccalamity. “In 65 years, Pakistan has never gonethrough an episode of hyperinflation; Pakistanhas never defaulted on its international anddomestic debts; in fact, our economy hasgrown consistently, but not spectacularly, overthe past six decades,” he said, adding: “Thishas been despite periods of internationalalienation and sanctions, three expensivewars, two hostile fronts, regular political

upheaval, social unrest, sharp increases in theprice of oil, and much, much more.” Anwar said the SBP has always ensured that

the financial system of the country remainssafe and stable. “The robustness of ourfinancial system is a direct consequence of thereforms process and the SBP’s constantvigilance,” he said, adding that there’s a lotthat can be improved in our financial system.He called for the development of efficient debtmarkets, even better regulatory and reportingpractices, and the broadening of the financialsector’s scope to include largely unbankedsectors of the economy, such as agriculture,small and medium enterprises, and housing.“Despite this wish-list, the fact remains thatour financial system is, by design, secure anddoes not pose any threat to the economy as awhole,” he added.SBP Governor pointed out that the size of

Pakistan’s undocumented economy is, by someestimates, as large as the formal economy. Theinformal economy does not file taxes and,while it does absorb a significant chunk of the

labour force, it also evades corporate andlabour laws, he said, adding that althoughclose informal relationships do make theeconomy more resilient, they do so at a cost tothe overall economy, by eroding the ambit ofthe regulators. “Ideally, we, at the State Bank,would like to see a smaller informal economy,while society retains the structure that hasmade it so resilient,’ he observed.He stressed the need for the greater

integration of country’s domestic market withglobal markets but observed it does not meanthat we should not have proper controls andmechanisms in place to safeguard our owninterests. ‘Greater integration with financialmarkets will mean that capital will flow morequickly through our borders. It’s definitelysomething that will boost the nationaleconomy, but, as most East Asian countrieslearned in the 90s, it can be a double-edgedsword. Therefore, having some capitalcontrols in place, which reduce the volatilityof capital flows, is a necessary regulation inthis day and age,’ Mr. Anwar added.

Economy will pullthrough, says SBP

MULTAN: “It is our endeavor toremove the backwardness of SouthernPunjab and funds are being enhancedfor this purpose, said President AsifAli Zardari while addressing theopening ceremony of RashidabadFlyover in Multan on Tuesday. Hesaid that 95 per cent of developmentalprojects in Multan had beencompleted.Zardari said southern Punjab was

deprived of its share of developmentin the past‚ “but our governmentallocated record funds for its rapiddevelopment.” Earlier former PrimeMinister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilaniaddressing the ceremony saidPresident Zardari released Rs 1.5billion for the development of Multanwhich was a gift for the people.He said work on a cancer hospital

and a burn centre in Multan would

start soon. He said work on MultanInternational Airport was completedand would soon be inaugurated. Hesaid work on Faisalabad-Multanmotorway would also be initiatedsoon. This 500-meter flyover hasbeen completed in 10 months at a costof Rs 1.47 billion. It would be the 8thflyover in Multan city facilitating thetraQc flow between Multan andLahore. �ONLINE

South Punjab backwardness will end: Zardari

ATTOCK: Farmers working in the fields. Despite rising demand, the vegetable production has declined in the country.�ONLINE

ATHAR LASHARI

BAHAWALPUR: The Seraiki nationalparties have launched a ‘CultureRestoration Movement’ in southPunjab. As a part of the campaign,‘Seraikistan National Seminars’ arebeing conducted in every districtunder the initiative of SeraikistanQaumi Ittehad.Addressing a seminar on Tuesday,

Seraiki Qaumi Ittehad ChairmanKhawaja Ghulam Freed Koreejasaid.”We are Seraikis and not JanoobiPunjabi. The Janoobi Punjab orBahawalpur Janoobi Punjab will never

be accepted.” Koreeja further said thenew province should cover 23 districtsof south Punjab and all the Seraikinationalist parties were united for thedemand. “We will contest the comingelections from every constituency inthe Seraiki belt and we have a plan forseat adjustment with other Seraikinationalist parties. Giving details ofthe initiative, he said they wouldarrange seminars in other Seraikidistricts as well.The chairperson of National Seraiki

Party, Sajda Langah, accused the PPPand PML-N for their non-seriousattitude towards the Seraiki province

issue. “The PPP pushed the Seraikiissue towards backburner for manyyears. Zardari is not serious for aSeraiki province,” She claimed.Sajda added that all the nationalist

parties were united for a new province.“How can we lose our identity, cultureand language; we will continue ourstruggle,” she maintained.On the other hand, Pakistan Seraiki

Party backs the PPP government.“PPP is facing many problems but theyare serious in creation of a Seraikiprovince,” Taj Langah, the head ofPakistan Seraiki Party, said. He opinedthat the PML-N and PML-Q were

blackmailing the PPP government onthe issue, adding that both the partieswere the enemies of Seraikis’ identity.“They are creating hurdles in the wayof establishing a Seraiki province.According to Taj Langah, all the

Seraiki nationalist parties willparticipate in elections so thatawareness can be created amongpeople. Another nationalist partySeraikistan Qaumi Council is also apart of the movement. Its chief ZahoorAhmed Dhareeja said, “Takht-e-Lahore is creating hurdles for theSeraiki province and opposing thelinguistic divide. “PML-N and PPP are

playing with the Seraiki nation andtrying to grab more votes on the issueof new provinces,” Dhareeja added. Hesaid if Zardari was serious on theSeraiki issue then a Seraiki Bankwould have been established.On the other hand, the former tehsil

nazim Ahmedpur East and a probablecandidate from NA-183, Syed SamiHassan Gilani, opposes the demand ofestablishing province or provinces onlinguistic lines. “New provinces shouldbe created on administrative basis andnot language-based units. “Ourdemand is of a new province; there isno fight over its name.”

RA KHAN

MIRPUR (AJK): The issue of forcedmarriages is very serious and needseQorts both at the state and societallevels. That’s why the British HighCommission regularly conductsseminars and workshop in Mirpurwith the help of Kharri Sharif WelfareSociety to create awareness amongpeople. They have conducted morethan 10 workshops at the gross rootlevel to let people know the diQerencebetween arranged and forcedmarriages and their eQects.A senior lawyer with special interest

in human rights, Chaudhry Ashfaq,says Islam is a complete religion. Itgives right to children to get marriedwhere they want to and with their will.Islam doesn't allow or support forcedmarriages. The acceptance factor by a

girl or boy is the main theme of Nikahwhich the parents should realise. If thegirl or the boy doesn’t want to marrysomeone and they are forced tocommit to the relation, then it will ruinlives of both and is not acceptable inIslam as well.He further says, “The Asian family

system, especially the Islamic one, isconsidered and known to be the bestall around the globe and even westerncountries and other religions accept it.But by these kinds of forced and falseacts we are destroying our own familyvalues and Islamic traditions. Parentsmust understand that this is not theproper way to impose their will ontheir children.”Renowned religious scholar from

Mirpur Maulana Aslam KhanNaqshbandi says there is no room forforced marriages in religious, moral

and legal values taught by Islam.“Islam is a complete code of life.Getting your children married is areward for the parents, but a forcedmarriage becomes a sin for them.Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) married

their beloved daughter to Hazrat Ali(RA) and said ‘I am marrying youwith the finest man in Arab’ and alsoasked Hazrat Fatima (RA) for herwillingness.”He says parents

need to talk theirchildren and asktheir will. Adaughter is closerto her mother anda boy to father;therefore, bothshould ask theirwill accordingly.Parents should

talk to their children when they wantto settle marriage of their daughter orson. Tell them the qualities of theperson whom they want them to getmarried and then ascertain wherethey want or not.”If the son or daughter agrees with

them, only then they should gofurther; otherwise, do not force themto get married, says Naqshbandi. “It’snot necessary that parents should

marry theirchildren in theirown family. Islamdoes notdiQerentiatebetween anyfamily and theirstatus. Personshould be judgedon his or her pietyand goodwill. Any

other criteria for marriage is notallowed in Islam nor practiced by ourProphet (PBUH) and his companions.”“In some of the cases I have

witnessed that there is a lot ofdiQerence between thinking of acouple which lead their life to miseries.Parents should know that if they marrytheir children without their will andtheir children are living a miserableand awful life they are responsible forit and they will pay for their false deedon Judgement Day."The cleric further says we all should

need to realise that forced marriage isfalse way to treat the children. Parentsshould accept the fact that forcedmarriage will result in ruining the lifeof their child. They should developclose personal relation with theirchildren; they must teach themIslamic values and tradition and bring

them up under their own tradition andvalues and tell them the importance oftheir family, especially country, butleave the final decision to them.Naqshbandi further says this will

definitely help the parents and theirchildren to understand and helpresolve the issue. “Our religion doesnot allow forced marriage as it givessame importance to children just likethe parents. If parents think that theirchildren are getting closer to Westernculture rather than Islam and theirown values, they should teach theirchildren Islamic values which will helpthem and parents as well.”To end with, he says Islam is the only

religion which provides solution ofeverything problem. “Quran says ‘thereis no compulsion in religion’.”

(Concluded)

Forced marriages – Islam doesn’t permit compulsion�Both boy and girl have equal right to accept or reject the proposal �No Nikah without their acceptance �Parents defaming Islam by imposing their will

TAHIR ALI

PESHAWAR: Pakistan isone of the three leadingcountries in the world thatfailed to eradicate poliodisease. The recent surge inattacks on the teamsparticipating in the anti-polio drive shows that thecountry would not be able toget rid of the cripplingdisease in near future.In a fresh such incident on

Tuesday, a lady healthworker (LHW) was seriouslyinjured when a bomb blasttook place at a hospital inJamrud area of KhyberAgency. The bomb whichwas reportedly placed in thebathroom of the facilitydamaged a room being usedas a polio vaccination center.The polio vaccinations

teams are under fire inPakistan and especiallyduring last four months asurge has been witnessed inthese attacks. Last year inDecember during a three-day campaign at least eighthealth workers includingfive female and three male,were killed around thecountry. The 2013 has alsonot proved good for thepolio vaccination teams, asfour people have beenkilled while a LHW hassustained injuries so far infour separate attacks onanti-polio teams in KhyberPakhtunkhwa andadjacent tribal areas.Mainly, the task of

administering poliovaccines to the children isthe duty of LHWs who walkdoor-to-door all around theyear, but three-day specialcampaigns are frequentlylaunched to reach the leftbehind/missing children. Atthe moment there are 1,

6245 LHWs who work on avery meager amount of Rs7,000 per month, whichthey usually receive verylate. When LHWs takepart in polio specialcampaign, they receive anadditional amount of Rs250 per day and it is timewhen the faceless enemiestarget them.The LHWs are looked

down upon in most of therural areas of the countrywhere the women did not gooutside of their homes. Somereligious extremists are alsoagainst the vaccinationscampaign saying that it is aprogram supported butwestern power with ‘vestedinterest’. Despite therepeated demand of AllPakistan Lady HealthWorkers WelfareAssociation, the governmenthas so far failed to providesecurity to the LHWs---- andnot single killer of the LHWshas been arrested.Talking to The

Spokesman Bushra Arain,the chairwoman of theassociation, said withoutproviding proper securitythe LHWs were forciblysent into field. “The poorladies are being compelledto work in such sensitiveareas”, said Bushra. AfterNigeria and Afghanistan,Pakistan is the thirdcountry where polio is outof control. Bill and MelindaGates Foundation (BMGF),run by the billionairecouple, is currentlyworking to eradicate thiscrippling illness from thesethree countries. The eQorts of polio-

eradication teams havebrought the number ofvictims down, as in 1994there were 20,000 cases in

Pakistan while in 2012 only56 cases have been reportedall round the country.“The incidents in Pakistan

in this summer was tragic;and it is really awfulpeople….women going out tovaccinations are subjected tothat kind of violence”, BillGates had said when LHWswere attacked in Pakistan.Dr Shakeel Afridi, who

helped the CIA to trace alQaeda chief Osama binLaden through a fakecampaign at Abbottabad,has crumpled the campaignin the country. After reportsemerged about hisinvolvement first Tehrik eTaliban Pakistan (TTP)stopped anti-polio campaignat South Waziristan followedby other militant leaders.“What is the need for such

a polio campaign over whichthe ‘well-wishers’ arespending millions of money,as hardly a child among thethousands of childrenbecomes victim to poliovirus. While at the sametime, the well-wishers (US)with the help of its ‘slave’Pakistan are busy intargeting (us) with thedrones. Hundreds of ourinnocent children, womenand old men have becomeprey to such attacks. Thehovering of drone aircrafts inthe area has made almost allthe tribesmenpsychologically sick or are onthe verge of being patients --drone are more dangerousthan polio,” Taliban said instatement last year.Although the TTP has

distanced itself fromattacking the poliovaccinations teams still thereare reports alleging TTP andsome other militant outfitsfor these attacks.

Polio continuescripple children

Seraiki nationalists launch campaign to save culture

OUR STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD: Rejecting acertificate submitted by the Sindhirrigation secretary overimplementation on therecommendations made by theFlood Commission in its report, theSupreme Court on Tuesday directeda complete survey of the provincewith regard to floods devastationand sought a comprehensive reporttill March 20.A three-member bench

comprising Chief Justice IftikharMuhammad Chaudhry, JusticeGulzar Ahmed and Justice SheikhAzmat Saeed, while hearing a casepertaining to implementation ofthe Flood Commission report,directed the Sindh irrigationsecretary that the report shouldcontain magnitude of devastation,steps taken so far to avert suchdisasters in future and thecompensation paid to theaQected people.The court admonished the

irrigation secretary for presentingfalse certificate and noted that nostrategy was devised to avert suchfloods in future. The chief justicenoted that the floods which hit theSindh and other provinces in 2010had caused billion of rupees losses.He said standing crops of the

people had destroyed and livestockalso badly aQected, besides housesin the kutcha area were alsowashed away. He said removal orshifting of illegal buildings wasalso a challenge.He said seriousness of the Sindh

government could be gauged froma false certificate, over theimplementation of FloodCommission report, prepared by aclerk full of grammatical errorsand submitted in the apex courtof the country.The chief justice asked the

irrigation secretary to take care of

poor people instead of keeping theministers happy to avert theiranger. He said everyone knew whohad illegally been occupying thelands in the kutcha area. He saiddue to the ineligibility of Sindhgovernment, Sukkur was about tobe deluged during the 2010 floodsand majority of lands were beingoccupied illegally today too.To a court query, the irrigation

secretary told the court that theprovincial government hadabolished 80 percentencroachments. He said there weresmall villages in the area of kutcha.He said six villages were beyond theway of the river. He said eQortswere underway to clear theencroachments.Appearing on notice, the

petitioner, Marvi Memon who is aformer legislator of PakistanMuslim League- Quaid (PML-Q)and currently associated with thePakistan Muslim League- Nawaz(PML-N), stated that noaction had so far been takenagainst the land grabbers,landlords and encroachers.She said she was not satisfied with

the certificates submitted by theSindh government and otherprovincial government overimplementation of FloodCommission report. On this, thesecretary sought time for a freshreport, which the court granted.The court again directed the

federal and provincial governmentsto ensure implementation on therecommendations of FloodCommission’s report. The courtdirected the concerned authoritiesto make the Flood Commission’sreport public.Marvi Memon had requested the

court in September 2011 to orderrevival of the Flood Commissionwith a view to determining if thegovernment had failed to carry outthe recommendations.

SC orders surveyof flood devastationin Sindh

ATTOCK: Digging a well. The water table is decreasing at an alarming rate in Pakistan. �ONLINE

SHIKARPUR: Sindh’srenowned dargah (shrine)Ghulam Shah Ghazi’scaretaker Pir Syed HajanShah Bukhari was laid to reston Tuesday, which wasfollowed protests in variousareas of the province.Bukhari was injured in a

bomb blast on February 25and succumbed to injuries ata hospital in Karachi onMonday.Heavy contingents of police

were deployed in Larkanaand Shikarpur to control thesituation before burial of thedeceased. A shutter-downstrike is being observed inmany cities of the provinceagainst his death. After thefuneral, angry protesterstook onto streets and roadand burnt tyres to blockhighway. �ONLINE

‘Ensuredelimitationin Karachi’GHARO: Awami TehreekPresident Ayaz Latif Palejohas said that the ElectionCommission (EC) mustimplement the SupremeCourt orders.Addressing the party

workers on Tuesday, Palejosaid 190 million people ofPakistan must have to defeatthe corrupt policies of theruling elite.On the delimitation of

constituencies in Karachi,the Awami Tehreek leadersaid that the ECP mustcomply with the verdicts ofthe SC, adding that avoidingthe implementation ofverdicts would weaken thecommission. He further saidthe terrorists working onforeign agenda wanted tospread sectarian violence todisgrace the country. �ONLINE

Injuredcleric diesin hospital

Senior lawyer Chaudhry Ashfaq and religiousscholar Maulana Aslam Khan Naqshbandi

�Underpaid LHWs assigned huge task amidst constant threats

OUR STAFF REPORTER

MARDAN: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwagovernment has started reconstruction ofSarhadi Lutheran Church, which hadbeen set on fire by a mob in Septemberlast year during protest against ablasphemous US film.The provincial government has allocated

Rs3.66 million to renovate the churchbuilding which was completely destroyedby extremists. The building consists of aprayer hall, library, high school, and thehouses of bishop and the school principal.Mardan Lutheran Church Chairman

Andrea Riaz expressed satisfaction on theconstruction work and said on the requestof Christian community, the C&WDepartment decided to expend the prayerhall by 20 feet. “We are thankful to the Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa government for taking aspecial interest in the reconstruction thehistorical building of the city.” The churchbuilding covers an area of 1,518 squaremeters and was built in 1930. According tosources around five thousand Christianfamilies currently live in Mardan since thecreation of Pakistan. The Sarhadi Lutheran Church was thrice

targeted in bomb blasts in 2010, but a mobattacked the premises on September 21and torched it as they protested against theblasphemous film. Recently, differences arose between the

Peshawar Diocese and the MardanLutheran Church elders which have beenresolved amicably. The chairman saidthe church would now be under theDiocese of Peshawar.

Torched Mardanchurch beingrenovated

OUR STAFF REPORTER

MIRPUR (AJK): The elections for thelargest district bar of Azad Kashmircompleted after a strong competition afterthe chief election commissionerannounced the results on Tuesday.Sardar Ijaz Nazir Panel proved victorious

with a significant margin. Polling startedat 9am which continued for eight hours.358 votes were casted out of a total of 468.Sardar Ijaz secured victory with 217 voteswhile his opponent Sardar MuhammadRazzaq Khan got 137 votes. The supportersof Sardar Ijaz danced and distributedsweets after the victoryDuring the polling, lawyers on a few

occasions were ready for a clash but thematter was settled amicably, as the chiefelection commissioner managed the aQairprofessionally and prevented any unfairincident. Later on, the winning panelmarched towards Chowk Shaheedan withhundreds of supporters. "I will continuemy struggle for the lawyers. Mirpur’shistory tells that the bar always worked forthe rights and betterment of lawyers andcommon citizens. And it will continueduring my presidentship,” said Sardar Ijaz.The name of the victorious lawyers are

Sardar Ijaz Nazir (President), ChaudhryAbdul Razzaq (General Secretary),Ahtesham-ul-Haq (Senior Vice-President), Mirza Muhammad Khursheed(First Vice-President, Chaudhry ShaukatAli (2nd Vice-President), ArshadMehmood (Joint Secretary), Sardar SidraLatif (Additional Secretary), ChaudhryHaq Nawaz (Secretary Finance), NaziaJabeen (Secretary Librarian). Former chiefjustice Riaz Akhtar Ch also came to casthis vote but his name was not included inthe voters list; therefore, he left thepremises soon after.

Mirpur Bar getsnew oPce-bearers

PESHAWAR: A plot to unleash majordestruction was foiled at Matni in theoutskirts of the provincial capitalcity on Tuesday.Police said the device was planted by

roadside at Maiamzai in the precincts ofMatni Police Station. The bomb disposalsquad said that the remote-controlled bombweighed 12 kilograms, which was defusedbefore it could cause any havoc. �ONLINE

Terror bid foiled

�Rejects certificate submitted by irrigation secretary

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 06, 2013

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2013 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2013

THE SPOKESMANChief Editor: Huma Ali

Executive Editor: Atif MateenResident Editor: Saeed Minhas

Consulting Editors: Jalees Hazir Samina Choonara

Culture war on shrines

Between the years 2005 to 2010, morethan twenty-five shrines were attackedall across Pakistan. The peopleresponsible for the attacks callthemselves warriors who trace theirlineage to Mahmud Ghaznavi (971-1030), who is glorified as anidol-breaker. They are backed by themonarchs of the House of Saud, whoare hailed as protectors of Islamdespite their love of erasing popularshrines and converting shrines lovers.In Saudi Arabia, the House of Saud

started destroying tombs and shrinessince they took over Mecca in 1803and Medina in 1805. In her book,Somnath: The Many Voice of aHistory (Verso, 2005), famoushistorian Romila Thapar disputes theidea of Mahmud as an idol-breaker asa complete myth. But its debunkingdoes not weaken the intentions ofthese warriors in Pakistan for whomthis myth and the actions of theHouse of Saud seem to provide rolemodels to this day.Most writers on terrorism in

Pakistan consider shrine destructionabsolutely reprehensible. While inSaudi Arabia, the State is directlyinvolved in erasing shrines withbulldozers and cranes, in Pakistan, theState is busy erasing the shrine ethosby ideological means. But here the waragainst this ethos is much morevirulent and it has been going on insilence for quite some time now.This war needs much more scholarly

and political attention, and in my viewit is being waged along three fronts.First, the Pakistani State hascontributed in weakening the syncreticcharacter of shrines which wereequally venerated by Hindu, Sikh,Christian and others. The 1911 censusof India describes 79,085 Sikhs as thedevotees of Sakhi Sarwar, buried inDera Ghazi Khan. Muslims alsorevered saints in other traditions.Yoginder Sikand paraphrases AmitabPal (see his book Hindu-MuslimSyncretic Shrines and Communitiespublished in 2002 by MittalPublications) and illustrates thispoint:‘One representative figure would be

Baba Budhan Ali Shah, who, born intoa family of chieftains, left everything tobecome a Sufi mystic. He met up withGuru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism,and was blessed by him with a longlife. Not surprisingly, to this date, hisshrine is as popular, if not more, withSikhs as it is with Muslims. Anothersuch incredible personage is that of aSufi saint named Pir Mittha, whoseshrine is so jointly revered by Hindusand Muslims that a temple and a Sufishrine exist side by side in harmony athis resting place.’Thanks to the persistent

Islamising efforts of the PakistaniState, these saints are increasinglyreferred to as the precursors ofsome tableeghi jamaat.

Second, with or without the pretextof terrorism, the Pakistani State hasdamaged the role of shrines as placesof inclusion. Think, for example, of theshrines of Shah Dola in Gujrat, BabaGayyan Wala in Shakargarh, ShahJamal Laj Paal (sustainer of dignity) inLahore. All of them providedprotection, food and respect to thesocially excluded and marginalisedpeople. With little research, one canfind a shrine of a mystic of bhangis[cannabis users], dhobis, sweepers,goongas [dumb], charsis [hashsmokers], animals, and transgenderedpeople. Even a brief visit to the ShahJamal shrine in Lahore can be telling.On Thursday evening, visitors at ShahJamal refer to him as Laj Paal. Theyoung musician, Arieb Azhar,captured it well in a performance in2011: ‘hum charsi bhangi hain, par sabke sangi hain’ (we are charsi andbhangi, but friends to all), pointing to

the inclusive ethos of shrines.Third, the Pakistani State has

reduced the available public spaces formen and women. Many shrines areclosed on the pretext of securityaround isha prayers. But security is notthe only motive. The public ethos ofshrines, which is gender-inclusive, andexpressed with the help of music, doesnot suit the oYcial State culture. It didnot suit the British either. The Britishenforced The Music in MuslimShrines Act 1942. The law read: ‘If anywoman or girl sings to theaccompaniment of a musicalinstrument or dances with or withouta musical instrument in a MuslimShrine, she shall be guilty of an oZenceunder this Act and shall be liable on

conviction to be punished with finenot exceeding five hundred rupees orwith imprisonment of eitherdescription for a term not exceedingsix months or with both such fine andimprisonment.’ Continuing in that spirit, State

agencies in the country discouragethe playing of music at shrines.Under the instructions of theGovernment of the Punjab, drumbeating remained banned for a largepart of 2011 and 2012 at the shrine ofShah Jamal in Lahore.How did this come to pass? Shrines

were turned into the targets of culturewars both by the Islamic modernistsand their enemies in Ahl-i-Hadith andDeobandi camps during the early andmiddle decades of independentPakistan. The proponents ofmodernist Islam such as FazlurRahman (1919-1988), Ghulam AhmadPerwez (1903-1986) and Javed Iqbal

(b. 1924) wanted to restrict the role ofshrines through public policies. WhenGeneral Muhammad Ayub Khan, amodernist, promulgated WaqfProperties Ordinance 1959 andcreated the Auqaf department, mostsecular liberals celebrated this. Thiswas the earliest expression of thePakistani State betraying its laterambitions. Preoccupied with politics, Ayub

could not actualise his ambition totransform shrines into the appendagesof the Auqaf department. Zulifkar AliBhutto did not make many changes toAyub’s legacy in this matter, butGeneral Zia-ul-Haq dealt with shrinesin quite another way. Instead ofclosing them down, he commissionedpeople to change the popular image ofshrines and mystics. WithoutoZending his Barelvi allies, Ziadamaged the ethos of shrines insignificant ways. Curriculum andtextbooks, writers and Seeratconferences, Pakistan Television andRadio Pakistan were the sites ofchanging the image of shrines frompublic places to places of devoutMuslim practice. He managed toreconstitute the image of the fakir asan Islamic preacher and scholar. Theprocess of making inclusive shrinesinto exclusive religious places startedduring the Zia regime. The cultural war on shrines has

become fierce with the passage of time.Anywhere you travel across the Punjab,you can find wall chalking “QabroonKo Sajda Haram”. No attack on shrinescan be as systematic as this wallchalking. The underlying messageportrays shrine visitors as mushriks(idolaters). As inheritors of Mahmudthe idol breaker, the propagators of thismessage continue to weaken thepopular image of the shrine. The ideasof the Islamic modernists, thebureaucratisation of shrines, and thepractices of the House of Saud arebeing advanced to this day. Sadly, theculture war on shrines is much moreharmful for the ethos of shrines thanblowing them up with bombs would be.

THE WRITER IS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

AT FORMAN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE,LAHORE

Just the other day, my 4-years-oldnephew came running to me andasked, ‘Is 200 a large amount?’ Ismiled and said, ‘Yes, why do youask?’ He looked at me with hisinnocent eyes and said, ‘Mama wastelling her friend that 200 peoplehave died in three bomb attacks. Andwe too will die if we say “Ya Ali.”’The child’s question left me

speechless. All I can remember of mychildhood is that we had no idea whatit meant to die or to kill. Or for thatmatter, what being Sunni or Shiameant. All we knew was that we hadto play, eat and sleep. Our biggest fearwas a scolding from our parents andthe most unsafe place for us wasstanding on the edge of the roof. Butnow we tell our children this countryis not a safe place to live in. My heart goes out to all those

families who lost their loved ones inthese shameful attacks. Nothing willbe the same for them anymore. So,heaven just gained another 40innocents whose only reason to diewas that they were Shia or living in aShia- dominated area.Whenever I hear about someone’s

death, it revives the memory of mybrother in my mind. He was suZeringfrom cancer and we all knew that hewould leave us soon, yet we were notprepared for his death. I wonderabout those people who weregathered around a family meal thatevening when the bomb went oZ intheir vicinity. How that must havechanged everything they know of lifeand suddenly losing loved ones ishard to even imagine. I feel so tired of this violence, so

tired of the pain I feel all the time andhow I can do nothing to relieve it. I'mtired of being on the road, lonely as arobin in the rain. I want to run awayfrom all this but what will thatchange? People will still keep dyinghere senselessly, through no fault oftheir own. I’m tired of people beingugly to each other. It aches like piecesof glass in my body. I want to help insome way, so the pain is a little less,the pain that comes fromhelplessness.I often wonder how would a Sunni

feel if they are asked to change theirsect just because a Shia didn’t like it?They never question us about ourbeliefs, then why do we have toquestion them? Actually, no one evenquestions them, the fanatics just killthem…I do not understand why everyone

is complaining about the police forcebeing deployed at SharmilaFarooqui’s wedding that night thebombs went oZ. Why is nobody

asking if the blast was carried out bysome religious extremist group, whothey are and how to apprehendthem? Are we suggesting that insteadof the people of Abbas Town, itshould have been the ones busydrinking and partying all night at thewedding?We have become so angry that we

do not understand where to directthis anger. I believe a society thataccepts mass killing as a norm is adead society. It hurts me to accept thisbitter truth about my society, wheredying has lost its meaning and inKarachi at least ten people arereported dead each day. So what do we do now if not watch

more people die aimlessly,shamelessly? Not much, but we can atleast volunteer to help at the EdhiCentre nearest our house by donatingblood or our time. I know it won’tbring back the dead, but maybe it willhelp the injured and give hope tothose of us who still call ourselvesamongst the living.We feel the pain of the Shia

community and their growing senseof alienation; being targeted for whatthey believe in, for who they are. Yetthis is not enough. We must findsome way of expressing our solidaritywith them when they are beingvictimised so brutally. We must standby their side. We might not believe inthe same interpretation of Islam thattheir sect follows, but we must standwith them against the barbaricmentality of people who consider itright to kill innocent people for theirreligious beliefs. We must stand upfor the right of people to practice theirreligion freely. This is what Quaid-e-Azam taught us.Pakistanis in general are repulsed

by the bigoted targeting of the Shia. Itis important that the non-ShiaPakistanis stand with the Shiacommunity, share their grief andcondemn the shameful violencedirected against them. Nobody hasthe right to play God on earth.Matters of faith are between theindividual and God. If someone errsin his or her duty to God, it is Godand God alone, who he or she isanswerable to. Islam teaches us to bekind to human beings. It teaches us tolive in peace with others, even peoplebelonging to diZerent religions. Sowhat kind of Islam do these terroristsfollow? What could justify the killingof fellow Muslims who believe in thesame Quran and the same prophet?Surely, these animals are notMuslims. They are actually theenemies of Islam. I do not understand what is

happening to my country and whostands to gain, which political partyor international interest, by themurder of so many God-fearingpeople. My country bleeds again andI mourn, I mourn for its fate, itsdestiny and its people…

THE WRITER IS A FREELANCER

The pain ofhelplessness

Iraq is disintegrating as a country under thepressure of a mounting political, social andeconomic crisis, say Iraqi leaders.They add that 10 years after the US invasion

and occupation the conflict between the threemain communities – Shia, Sunni and Kurd – isdeepening to a point just short of civil war.“There is zero trust between Iraqi leaders,” saysan Iraqi politician in daily contact with them.But like many of those interviewed by TheIndependent for this article, he did not want tobe identified by name.The escalating crisis in Iraq since the end of

2011 has largely been ignored by the rest of theworld because international attention has beenfocused on Syria, the Arab uprisings anddomestic economic troubles. The US and theUK have sought to play down overwhelmingevidence that their invasion and occupation hasproduced one of the most dysfunctional andcrooked governments in the world. Iraq hasbeen violent and unstable for so long that Iraqisand foreigners alike have become desensitised toomens suggesting that, bad as the situation hasbeen, it may be about to get a great deal worse.The record of failure of post-Saddam

governments, given the financial resourcesavailable, is astounding. One of the reasonsmany Iraqis welcomed the fall of Saddam in2003, whatever their feelings about foreignoccupation, was that they thought that hissuccessors would restore normal life after yearsof sanctions and war. To their astonishment andfury this has not happened, though Iraq now

enjoys $100bn (£66bn) a year in oil revenues.In Baghdad there is scarcely a new civilianbuilding to be seen and most of the newconstruction is heavily fortified police ormilitary outposts. In Basra, at the heart of theoilfields, there are pools of sewage and heaps ofuncollected rubbish in the streets on whichherds of goats forage.I was in Baghdad at the end of January when

there were a couple of days of heavy rain. Foryears, contractors – Iraqi and foreign – havesupposedly been building a new sewage systemfor the Iraqi capital but none of the water wasdisappearing down the drains. I drove for milesin east Baghdad through streets flooded withgrey, murky water, diluted with sewage. I onlyturned round in Sadr City, the Shia working-class bastion, when the flood waters became toodeep to drive through. Shirouk Abayachi, anadvisor to the Ministry of Water Resources, saidthat, since 2003, $7bn has been spent to build anew sewage system for Baghdad and the worstflooding had been where in theory there werenew sewage pipes, while those built in the 1980sworked better.Theft of public money and incompetence on a

gargantuan scale means the government fails toprovide adequate electricity, clean water orsanitation. One-third of the labour force isunemployed and, when you include thoseunder-employed, the figure is over half. Eventhose who do have a job have often obtained it

by bribery. “I feared seven or eight years ago thatIraq would become like Nigeria,” says oneformer minister, “but in fact it is far worse.” Hecited as evidence a $1.3bn contract for anelectricity project signed by a minister with aCanadian company that had only a nominalexistence – and a German company that wasbankrupt.Iraqis looked for improved personal security

and the rule of law after Saddam, but again thishas not materialised. The violence is much lessthan during the mass slaughter of 2006 and2007 when upwards of 3,000 Iraqis were beingbutchered every month. But Baghdad andcentral Iraq remains one of the most dangerousplaces on earth in terms of bombings,assassinations and kidnappings. It is not justpolitical violence that darkens lives, but abreakdown of civil society that leaves peopleoften looking to tribal justice in preference topolice or oYcial courts.The same sense of insecurity in the face of

arbitrary government taints political life. If thereis not quite the same fear as under Saddam, itoften feels as if this is only because the securityforces are less eYcient, not because they are anyless cruel or corrupt. The rule of Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister since 2006, has becomea near dictatorship with highly developedmeans of repression, such as secret prisons, andpervasive use of torture. He has sought tomonopolise control over the army, intelligence

service, government apparatus and budget,making sure that his supporters get the lion’sshare of jobs and contracts. His State of LawCoalition won only 24 per cent of the votes inthe 2010 election – 2.8 million votes out of 19million registered voters – but he has ruled as ifhe had received an overwhelming mandate.Dr Mahmoud Othman, a veteran Kurdish

leader and member of parliament, gives anexcoriating analysis of what is wrong withpresent-day Iraq. “It is a failed state,” he says.“The country is run by gangs [within thegovernment] and gangs are more importantthan law. Maliki rules because he is head of thearmed forces. Iraq is run by force, but force doesnot mean that those exercising it are in control.”The power of religious and ethnic

communities is too great for successfulcoercion by the state and is underpinned byIraqis’ loyalty to tribes, clans and extendedfamilies. When the Americans were leavingIraq their main concern was that they wouldleave behind a security vacuum. But this was tomistake the nature of Iraqi politics. “The new[post-Saddam Hussein] Iraq has been built onthe consensus of three communities: theKurds, the Shia and the Sunni,” says one Iraqileader, previously optimistic about the future ofthe country. “This political consensus hasfractured.” He believes there is still somechance of repairing the damage, but, if thisfails, he says “the end of Iraq and the division of

the country will be inevitable”.Iraqis who fought for years against Saddam

Hussein, blaming most of Iraq’s ills on hisregime, today express bitter disillusionmentwith his successors. Mustafa al-Khadimi, aveteran opponent of Saddam’s rule, says “I feelsaddened and disappointed. I have given my lifeto destroying the old system and have seenmembers of my family and friends killed. Now Iwatch Iraq treated like a cake to be cut upbetween our politicians.” Others, equally despairing, criticise Mr

Maliki for exacerbating and exploiting politicaldivisions to keep power in his hands. As thepre-eminent leader of the Shia, three-fifths ofthe population, he alarms them by suggestingthat their political dominance is under threatfrom the Sunni, a fifth of Iraqis, once in chargeunder Saddam but now marginalised. Lastyear, Mr Maliki sought to unite Sunni andShia Arabs against the Kurds, another fifth ofthe population, by massing troops andthreatening to invade Kurdish-controlled butdisputed areas.What makes these escalating conflicts so

bizarre and damaging to Iraq is that they arefought by combatants who are part of the samepower-sharing government. But because theydon’t co-operate – and indeed hate and feareach other – government itself is paralysed.

(COUNTERPUNCH)

This refers to a series of articlescarried a few days back in TheSpokesman which reviewed twobooks on the issue of Left politics inPakistan (Taimur Rehman’s ClassStructure in Pakistan and SadiaToor’s State of Islam, Culture andCold War Politics in Pakistan). Whilereviewing the books, some very acuteand interesting observations weremade on the overall situation of Leftpolitics in Pakistan. For instance,how during the ‘40s up till the ‘80s,Left politics had been a core for mostcultural, political and artisticendeavour throughout the world,including Pakistan, and how all thisstarted changing after the ‘80sworldwide and, coincidently, inPakistan as well. These and other observations

made in the article are importantbecause the generation born in the‘80s and after is not aware of thisaspect of twentieth century politics.The current situation of the countryalso calls for a renewal of suchdebates since there is a desperateurge in the masses in general, andthe youth in particular, for politicalalternatives. And if we remainunaware about the alternatives of thepast, there are chances of followingsome beaten narratives andrepeating history. The dilemma of the Pakistani Left

has really not been recorded in full.What started with so muchenthusiasm for revolution andchange in the ‘50s had vanishedalmost entirely from the scene by the‘90s, leaving no room for analternative narrative and style ofpolitics in the country. It is also arecorded fact of history that Left-leaning people and parties had tofight on many fronts and in Pakistanthey were faced with the strongideological front of the Islamic State.

But it was obvious from the start thata country that came into existence inthe name of Islam would become afield for such battles. There were striking similarities

(and diZerences as well) betweenMarxist and Islamist politicalmovements: both had global agendasand were not comfortable with theliberal democratic model of the West(they are still not comfortable with itbut have no grounds for launchingan alternative movement). However,the Left was more confident andcould bank upon the fruits of theBolshevik Revolution which was arecent phenomenon as compared tothe Islamists ideal of reviving theCaliphate which was more ancientand far more complex aphenomenon than the OctoberRevolution. Cutting the long story short(since

the story itself is not the purpose ofthis article), it soon became clearthat both the movements couldn’tgain ground in the masses since theydid not harbour much hope in theexisting system but were strugglingto topple it. The reasons wereobvious, the system (presidential andparliamentary, both are actually anti-revolutionary in structure) hadinbuilt protective measures againstany revolution. So it became clearwith repeated defeats to the Left thatit was not possible to bring about arevolution in this country merely ontheoretical grounds, especially sinceopposing theories proved muchstronger.

Another important factor in thefailure of the Left in this country wastheir overt antagonism to the idea ofPakistan in general and with theconcept of religion in particular. Allover the world, people of Leftmovements shared almost similarideas but in some places theyremained committed to the culturaland traditional norms of the land,

thus gaining acceptance among themasses. However, here the leaders ofthe Left - with the exception of a few– were not accepting of religious andtraditional norms and created a veryhostile environment for themovement. This attitude of theleaders actually proved quiteharmful and soon the agenda of theLeft had been hijacked by otheremerging groups whose leaders weremore astute.

Around this time, Zulfiqar AliBhutto emerged as a role model forthe masses and he was in powerwithin a few years. Many people onthe Left preferred to join Bhuttosince he had progressive ideas and inthis way the Peoples’ Party came tobe identified as a socialist party.Although many Leftists disagreedwith him and continued strugglingon their own, the end of the Bhuttoregime signaled an end to allprogressive ideals. When theIslamic ideologue, General Zia ulHaq, came into power it becameclear that all hope of socialism nowlay in ruins. And here began thesorry state of the Left from which itnever quite recovered to this day.

The other blow came globally withthe fall of communism. So, as rightlypointed out in the earlier articles,instead of initiating any newstruggle at a political level, manypeople of the Left found itconvenient to struggle in the socialfield, ironically with the help of thesame imperialist power againstwhom they had been waging a warfor decades. Many of them saw thisas a transitory role, but some ofthem gave up the strugglealtogether. And now, after almosttwo decades, the situation has notchanged much. Those who were initially

considering this role as a transitoryone have settled into the benefits ofpower, prestige and prosperity. The

result of this is that, at a personallevel, some people became successfulbut at the political level anintellectual vacuum was created,bereft of political ideals andalternatives. So many peoplebecame disillusioned and gave up onthe idea of a struggle for changewhile others relapsed into privatelives rather than becoming part ofany national or political problem orsolution.

But what is to be done now? CanLeft- leaning politics based on someideology be revived? What are theoptions available and what are thechances of success for any sucheZort? The apparent answer is in theaYrmative. The new century posesnew challenges which are political innature and therefore requirepolitical and not technical solutions.All the current questions beingraised at the national, regional andinternational levels are political innature so they require politicalanswers. In the case of Pakistan, a majority

of young people have become activein politics due to various factorsincluding the popularity of ImranKhan. This Facebook generationmay be politically naïve in manyways but it is still a positive signthat instead of turning into biggerconsumers, they are taking aninterest in things not easilyconsumable: ideologies andabstractions. The role of Left-leaning intellectuals, thinkers andpoliticians is to make a strong caseagainst the exploitation, prejudiceand manipulation witnessed in ourtimes. And if a strong andconvincing case is made for astruggle for change, the revival of ideology based politics will notbe too far.

THE WRITER IS A DEVELOPMENT

CONSULTANT BASED IN ISLAMABAD

Re-imaging the Left: A response

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

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

EHSAN KAZI

SHIREEN GUL

Can Left- leaning politics based on some ideology be revived? What are the optionsavailable and what are the chances of success for any such e(ort? The apparentanswer is in the a'rmative

While in Saudi Arabia, the State is directly involved in erasing shrines withbulldozers and cranes, in Pakistan, the State is busy erasing the shrine ethosby ideological means

We have become so angry that we do notunderstand where to direct this anger. Ibelieve a society that accepts masskilling as a norm is a dead society. Ithurts me to accept this bitter truth aboutmy society, where dying has lost itsmeaning and in Karachi at least tenpeople are reported dead each day

The US and the UK have sought to play down overwhelming evidence that their invasion and occupationhas produced one of the most dysfunctional and crooked governments in the world

How the world forgot about Iraq

Afghan President Hamid Karzai once again lashed out at Pakistanover a statement by Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi of the All PakistanUlema Council, who is alleged to have said that suicide attacks inAfghanistan are lawful because NATO troops are invaders that haveoccupied the country. Karzai observed that Ashrafi was appointedto the peace delegation by the Pakistani government and thatIslamabad was backing his views. Meanwhile, Tahir MehmoodAshrafi told an American news agency that ‘his comments had beentaken out of context and that he considered suicide bombings un-Islamic’. The fact of the matter is that last month a delegationof Afghan Ulema visited Pakistan to seek the support of Pakistanireligious scholars for the proposed Afghan Peace Conferenceplanned to be held without the participation of the AfghanTaliban. Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, addressing a Press conferenceat Lahore Press Club had said that the objective of the AfghanUlema delegation was to consolidate Karzai rule and malign theTaliban resistance. President Karazai apparently vented out hisanger over these comments by criticising Pakistan. Actually, thereare quite a few reasons for his frustration.Karzai has routinely tried to deflect the myriad issues haunting

his government by accusing Pakistan of one thing or the other. OnMonday, NATO’s Secretary General was in Afghanistan and calledon the Afghan government to ensure free and fair presidentialelections next year. Rasmussen also asked Afghanistan tovigorously fight corruption, boost women’s rights and strengthenthe rule of law, adding that these will be the key to maintainstability within Afghanistan, and support within the internationalcommunity. On several occasions, Karzai was warned by the USand Britain that they would stop aid to Afghanistan if corruptionwas not rooted out. For Karzai, these warnings are an excuse to usevitriolic against Pakistan; the country that was severely aZectedduring the Afghan jihad, and has suZered in men and treasuresince it joined the “war on terror”. Disregarding Pakistan’s securityconcerns, he has signed strategic pacts with India and the US.Karzai’s other frustration is that according to the constitution he

cannot have another term as president. He, however, wants to see hisnominee win the 2014 presidential elections. This is highlyimprobable though. He is hated by the Taliban who consider him apuppet of occupying powers. Karzai did nothing to accommodatePushtuns in the administration, and the consequences of completelysidelining Afghanistan’s majority ethnic group are becoming cleareras his international supporters prepare to leave. He sat helplesslywhen the occupiers packed up the new power structure with theirbuddies from the Northern alliance, grouping together Afghan ethnicminorities of Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks. Anyhow, President Karzaishould not throw the blame of his regime's failures on Pakistan, andshould put his own house in order. He must understand that Pakistansincerely wishes a stable Afghanistan at peace with itself, as no othercountry has suZered as much as Pakistan on account of the chaos andturmoil in Afghanistan over these past decades.

Another Karzai tantrum

The process of making inclusive

shrines into exclusive religious

places started during the Zia

regime. The cultural war on

shrines has become fierce with

the passage of time

Dozens have been killed and many moreinjured in the Karachi twin blasts nearAbbas Town in what is yet anotherheartbreaking attack. Many independentnews sources have claimed that most ofthe city’s police was deployed at SharmilaFarooqi’s Mehndi function at MohattaPalace to ensure the safety of the eventand the VIP guests. In an earlier article, Iused the term VIP-OP describing it asVIP Operating Procedures. VIP-OP inPakistan has become a mandatoryoperating procedure for the ruling class.In 2011, Supreme Court took suo moto

action against the deteriorating law andorder situation in Karachi. The Sindh IGPtold the court that the total strength of thepolice force in Karachi is 32,524, out ofwhich 8,000 police officials are on VIPsecurity and only 20,000 police officialsare engaged in protecting 18 millionpeople in the city. In 2012, the KhyberPakhtunkhwa Assembly was told that 883police guards were deployed for VIP

security. According to an independentnews report, more than 680 elite forceguards have been deployed in Lahore forthe protection of VIP families, out ofwhich more than 250 elite guards protectthe Sharif family.One of the basic characteristic of a

leader is compassion, which basicallymeans understanding the suffering ofothers. In the case of political leadershipthis refers to understanding the nation’ssuffering. In Pakistan, the desire to beelected as a political leader has now beenmerely reduced to a pursuit of power anda race for grabbing a VIP status. Majorityof our MNAs and MPAs are only in therace for election to ensure that they get anelite position in the society. Our political leaders are on their seats

primarily for a few material aspects. Theydesire a bulletproof green number platecar which increases their ‘prestige’, with atleast six private cars already being undertheir ownership. They also fancy policesecurity; preferably, a van of the elite forcefollowing them like a shadow. If not, they

would at least want a team of gunmensitting at the front of their cars, openingcar doors and saluting their majesty. Allthis is to quench their inner thirst of being“privileged”. And then there is the cravingto be invited as the chief guest on highprofile occasions, so that they can cutribbons and inaugurate events to feel thepride of being an elected member. Withthese standards, these elected membershave certainly lost their credibility andintegrity.Do you think our leaders, wanting all of

the aforementioned perks, can ever stepinto the shoes of the common man? Doyou think when they get out of theirSarkari palaces they fear the threats that acommon man feels these days? Do youthink Zardari, Nawaz Sharif or RehmanMalik, think of being deprived ofvaluables, or being killed in a bomb blastwhen they are moving out of their house?Do they experience the threat ofterrorism, bomb blasts, roadside robbery,or kidnapping for extortion? Not really. Sohow can these so called leaders ever serve

the nation?If the government at large can’t control

the security situation, they can at thevery least give moral support to thepeople of this country by behaving likecommon citizens. By eliminating the VIPoperating procedures, the leaders can tryto bring the country under commonbeneficial goals. Dr Mahbubul Haq statedin one of his speeches that thequintessence of the VIP culture is to takefrom the poor and give it to the rich;whereas, all civilised societies do exactlythe opposite.At a stage when the country is passing

through the most difficult of times and itsexistence is being questioned, thegovernment and the opposition areslugging it out to win a pointless battle –who is more “VIP”. At a time when everysingle human being in this country needsto unite under common goals, the rulingclass is finding more and more ways ofprotecting themselves. True democraticleaders make sure that every citizen in thecountry is equal despite his status or

wealth. However, these leaders haveredefined the idea of equality anddemocracy.If the common man is unsafe in this

country, every government official shouldbe equally unsafe. It looks like the peoplein power have failed to give up theircolonial mentality. One of the main reasons for the failure

of the justice system is because of the VIPculture. The common man has the right toask why his life comes to a standstillwhenever there is a movement of the VIPentourage.We seriously need to think of our

strategies to combat terrorism in thiscountry and convert them into social andeconomic justice strategies. We need togive equal privileges to everyone in termsof social, economic and political rights.We need to strengthen our value system,make our foundations strong and createunity amongst this nation. Equality is thefirst virtue of a nation.

THE WRITER IS A FREELANCE COLUMNIST

VIP operating procedures and equality

The APC; behind the scenes

The most widely publicised all partiesconference with mammoth gatheringof all shades of political thoughtsignaled a question mark to itsmotives and the hidden agendacapped until then.APC ,in itsdeclaration neither identified theperpetrators of raging violence norpointed to outfits ,henceforth,claiming the responsibility of all the

extremist acts and heinous crimes.APC in its declaration demanded

compensation but could not mentionthe beneficiaries. It should have madesense had they mentioned the benefitsgiven to those thousands innocents,murdered brutally in suicidebombings or to our soldiers who weremercilessly beheaded by the so calledcustodian of Sharia—the extremists.The declaration in its clear terms hastotally failed to condemn the crueltiesand barbarism manifested in bombblasting, suicide bombings andonslaught of brutal attacks on oursecurity agencies. It seemed that acamouflage agenda was beingpromoted under the banner of peaceand non violence.The sponsor of the conference,

though a veteran politician and acustodian of democratic institutionshas further confused. The already,prevailing mess and ambiguity.Displaying a Talbanised mindset, hehas tried to cap the mischievouscharacters of the bloody narrative. Itseems APC was an advocacy campaignto create a soft corner for the so calledIslamic Militias for their inclusion as astake holder; otherwise they don’tconform to the definition of a legalized

stake holder. It is an irony that thosewho have openly disowned ourpolitical, security and judicialinstitutions are being demanded to bea stake holder. It appears that some ofpolitico-religious parties are exploitingthe political plate farms to furthertheir own ideological agenda and thatof TTP and compelling the nation tocede to the extremists demands.This gives to speculations that such

Religo-political parties are intended toreshape the unanimously documented1973 constitution in favor ofobscuranticism and conservatism.What they could not achieve throughparliamentary dispensation want toachieve using the threat of militants.Tracing the history back to MMAsgovernment in KPK under GeneralPervaiz Musharraf tutelage they areall set to usurp the individual rights asenshrined in the statutory books asalready they tried to impose “HasbaBill” later on declared null and void bythe apex court.In fact forces of obscuranticism are

coursing their way to snatch theindividual rights of the citizens and areset to creep into the personal domainof the people and to dictate how to liveaccording to their interpretation of

Sharia; how to behave with thehousehold, how to dress, how to maketheir outward look and how toconduct their matrimonial aZairs.They are all set to erase theconstitutional clauses which grantspersonal fundamental rights andwhich binds the federating unitstogether.

MUHAMMAD KHALID NIAZI

Appreciating the website

I simply could not leave your site priorto suggesting that I extremely lovedthe standard info an individualprovide to your guests? Is gonna beagain regularly to investigate cross-check new posts.

SEO LINK BUILDING

ILJCRHKZH@GMAIL.COM

Keep working, impressive job!

SEO TOOLS

WYUNEMU@GMAIL.COM

I’ve been exploring for a bit for anyhigh-quality articles or blog posts onthis sort of area. Exploring in Yahoo Iultimately stumbled upon this site.Reading this information, I’m happyto express that I have a very gooduncanny feeling I came upon exactlywhat I needed. I most unquestionablywill make certain to don’t fail toremember this site and provides it alook on a continuing basis.

BACKLINK SOFTWARE

GLUQMLN@GMAIL.COM

Hi there just wanted to give you a quickheads up. The text in your article seemto be running oZ the screen in Opera.I'm not sure if this is a format issue orsomething to do with web browsercompatibility but I thought I'd post tolet you know. The style and design lookgreat though! Hope you get theproblem solved soon. Many thanks.

GENIEPHAM@GMAIL.COM

It's really nice for me to pay a quickvisit this site. It includes preciousInformation.

SCRAPEBOX

LUOVAC@GMAIL.COM

Hi there. You have done a fantasticjob. I'll definitely dig it and willpersonally suggest it to my friends.I'm sure they'll benefit from this site.

PPNHMRHOEI@GMAIL.COM

I like the valuable info you providein your articles. I’ll bookmark yourweblog and check again hereregularly. I am quite certain I’ll learn a lot

of new stuff right here! Good luckfor the next!

VBHQBUSNKT@GMAIL.COM

I have learned a lot of excellentstuff here; definitely pricebookmarking for revisiting. Iwonder how you put all this effortto make the sort of greatinformative website.

SCRAPEBOX PROXIES

JIXXMMEXD@GMAIL.COM

Please email your letters to

letters@thespokesman.pk or post

them to our address in Islamabad.

EDITOR’SMAIL BOX

Feedback from the web

PATRICK COCKBURN

IMDAD HUSSAIN

AHMED SALEEMI

Do you think our leaders can ever step into the shoes of the common man? Do you think when they get out of their palacesthey fear the threats that a common man feels? Do you think they think of being deprived of valuables, or being killed in abomb blast when they are stepping out of their houses?

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 06, 2013

16 men sentencedin Afghan bank scandal

KABUL: An Afghan court handeddown jail time on Tuesday to 16 of 22men accused of involvement in amulti-million dollar bank fraud insentences that will likely be seen asan aSrmation of Afghanistan'scommitment to fighting corruption.The collapse of Kabulbank in 2010triggered a financial crisis, civildisorder and a run on deposits,worrying foreign donors andembarrassing the US and Afghangovernments. –AGENCIES

Syrian rebels battleregime holdouts in Raqqa

BEIRUT: Syrian rebels battledpockets of regime loyalists in thenorthern city of Raqqa on Tuesdayafter capturing the governor of thenorthern province in fierce clashesovernight, activists said. Rebelfighters pushed government troopsfrom most of Raqqa, a city of some500,000 people on the EuphratesRiver, on Monday. If the oppositionmanages to wrest all of Raqqa fromthe government, it would mark thefirst time an entire city has falleninto opposition hands. –AGENCIES

Peru, UN createanti-drug centre

LIMA: Peru and the UN oSce ondrugs agreed Monday to jointlyestablish a center to stem theproduction and trade of illegal drugsin Latin America and the Caribbean.The Center of Excellence is aimed atboosting the government's ability tocontrol the distribution of chemicalsubstances by training oScials toidentify the methods used to funneldrugs and their base componentstoward illegal production, accordingto the UN OSce on Drugs andCrimes. –AGENCIES

Vietnamese presidentmeets Russian minister

HANOI: Vietnam will try its best towork with Russia to further developbilateral ties with eSciency in all fields,including national defense, saidVietnamese President Truong TanSang on Tuesday. At a reception forRussian Defense Minister GeneralSergei Shoigu here, Sang applaudedthe outcomes of talks between Shoiguand his Vietnamese counterpart,General Thanh, saying they wouldcontribute to promoting cooperationbetween the two countries. –AGENCIES

S.N.M. ABDI

THE clouds of war - civil warto be precise - indeed hanglow over Jharkhand. Oneneedn’t venture deep intothe countryside; the siege

within is evident virtually at thedoorsteps of urban zones. Indeed,Jharkhand witnessed more killings byMaoists last year than evenChhattisgarh, whose forested Bastarregion is regarded as the epicentre ofleft-wing extremism in India. Out of 409Maoist killings in 2012 (296 civilian and113 security personnel), Jharkhandaccounted for as many as 160; ahead ofChhatti¬sgarh (107), Orissa (45), Bihar(43), Maharashtra (41) and And¬hraPra¬desh (13) by a huge margin.But why is left-wing extremism in full

bloom in this tribal state? TelesphoreToppo, the 73-year-old Archbishop ofRanchi and obviously a man of peace,has a blunt explanation: “Jharkhandwas created to protect the interests oftribals. But political parties from theword go started exploiting the verytribals whose cause they were supposedto espouse. When Maoists first sneakedinto Jharkhand, conditions were idealfor sowing the seeds of rebellion. The

seeds they scattered flowered in notime because the ground was fertile.Even today there is no justice inJharkhand although the state’s coTersare overflowing. And there can’t bepeace without justice. Tribal men go toPunjab or Haryana in droves to toil inbrick kilns, while the women slog asdomestic help in Delhi. Those who areleft behind join the Maoists.”According to Fr Toppo, the tribals—

comprising 28 per cent of Jharkhand’spopulation—are easy pickings forMao¬ist recruiters not only because oftheir poverty and backwardness butalso due to the excesses committed bysecurity forces. He recalled the killingof a tribal girl by CRPF duringOperation Green Hunt in 2010. Thevictim’s legs and hands were tied to abamboo pole as though she was not ahuman being but an animal that hadbeen hunted down. Such barbarismand savagery fuel tribal rage,intensifying the armed conflictbetween the Maoists and the state.“Out of 24 districts,” says Jharkhand

director-general of police GouriShankar Rath, “21 are Maoist-aTectedtoday; earlier Maoists were active onlyin 18 districts. I have been bat¬tlingMaoists for 12 years, forty percent of

my police force is deployed againstthem. But Maoism hasn’t lost itsappeal; in fact, it’s growingdangerously. Now, statistically, we arethe worst-aTected state.”Rath is not finished yet. “It’s our

misfortune,” he says, “that we’resurrounded by Maoist-aTected states—Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa,Chhattisgarh, and bey¬ond, Andhra—giving Maoists strategic depth. Anothermajor handicap is our dense forests. Ofcourse, Maoism is no ordinary law andorder problem. It’s tied to governanceand development—or rather the lack ofit! We are saddled with widespreaddisplacement due to mining activitiesand industrialisation, creatingfavourable conditions for left-wingextremism to flourish. And to top it all,Jharkhand is politically so unstable; nogovernment here has lasted for fiveyears; there have been eight CMs in 12years and President’s rule has beenclamped on it thrice. So there we are.”78 companies of CRPF and 100companies of state police have beendeployed in the state. The Maoists are split into several

groups because of two primaryreasons—caste and cash. They fightpitched battles over extortion rights,

collection of levies and areadomination; the conflict leaves manyultras dead. Significantly, this finds anecho on the other side: there is a lot ofbad blood between the central securityforces and the state police.Of course, while Maoists truly are in

an advantageous position in today’sJharkhand for a variety of reasons, theyare no angels either. No doubt there arededicated ideologues at the top fightingfor the oppressed and thedowntrodden with all their might. Butat the middle and lower levels there arecriminals galore masquerading asMaoists. They have no regard for thehuman rights of either villagers orsecurity personnel. Senior leaders dotry to rectify recalcitrant cadres. Classesare held to inculcate comradely values.But very few undergo a change ofheart. There are desertions whendiscipline is enforced. There are plentyof rotten apples even in the CommunistParty of India (Maoist) basket but thesplinter groups Rath lists are, by allaccounts—including confessions ofarrested goons—nothing but extortionrackets run by brandishing weaponssnatched from police armouries ordead law-enforcers.Highly-placed oScials admit that

Jharkhand is witnessing triangular andeven quadrangular contests forsupremacy. In the fray are state forces,mainline Maoists, breakaway Maoistsand outright criminal groups.Sometimes it’s diScult to fathom whois fighting whom. Security forces havean advantage in any multi-corneredcontest while villagers are usually at thereceiving end. There is large-scaledisplacement of the poor because ofmining and hydroelectric projects.Displace¬ment is accompanied bypolice repression. State oppression isan open invitation to Maoists to feathertheir own nest. New projects anywayentail new roads and infrastructure.Pitched battles are fought for baggingcontracts. Maoist and non-Maoistforces extort money from contractors;it’s an increasingly violent free-for-allunder the shadow of industrialisation,urbanisation and criminalisation.Alex Ekka, director of Ranchi’s Xavier

Institute of Social Service (XISS), toldOutlook that fanning Maoism are theMoUs being signed by the governmentwith MNCs. “The state is so servile tobig business houses in the era ofglobalisation that it’s giving MNCs landbelonging to tribals. When tribals resistland-grabbing, paramilitary forces are

sent to silence protesters. The securityforces invariably behave like anoccupation army which gives Maoists agolden opportunity to come forward assaviours of the oppressed. In reality, themuch-touted Saranda Action Plan(SAP) is a ploy to remove hurdles in thepath of foreign and Indian companieseyeing the iron ore-rich region. Maoismis bound to flourish when the statetramples upon the interests ofindigenous tribespeople.”The bomb Maoists planted in the

belly of the dead CRPF jawan—whichthey admitted to doing in a four-pageHindi press release—was not debatedas vociferously in the electronic or printmedia as it should have been becauseboth time and space were hijacked bythe LoC beheadings. But a civil rightscampaigner who for some strangereason prefers anonymity oTered a veryoriginal argument in favour of the bellybomb. He said it’s as innovative asramming planes into the World TradeCenter. Just as the WTC attacks werenecessitated by America’s crimesagainst innocents abroad, the bellybomb, he argued, was retribution forthe reign of terror unleashed bysecurity forces on Indian soil.

(Outlook India)

Maoist insurgency in Jharkhand getting worseThe state is so servile to big business houses in the era of globalisation that it’s giving MNCs land belonging to tribals; when tribals resist

land-grabbing, paramilitary forces are sent to silence protesters. Left-wing extremism is in full bloom in this tribal state of India

UNITED NATIONS: The UNSecurity Council was set to holdclosed consultations on NorthKorea and non-proliferationTuesday after UN diplomats saidthe United States and Chinareached agreement on a new draftsanctions resolution to punish thecountry for its latest nuclear test.The diplomats, speaking on

condition of anonymity becauseno official announcement hasbeen made, said the United Stateswas expected to circulate a draftresolution to the full council at the11 a.m. (1600 GMT) meeting.Council members are thenexpected to send the draft to theircapitals for review.Hours after North Korea carried

out its third atomic blast on Feb.12, all 15 council membersapproved a press statementcondemning Pyongyang's nucleartest and pledging further action.The swift and unanimous

response from the UN's mostpowerful body set the stage for afourth round of sanctions againstPyongyang.For the last three weeks, the

United States, a close ally of South

Korea and Japan, has beennegotiating the text of a newresolution with China, NorthKorea's closest ally.Lawmakers in Washington this

week are also pushing for tougherUS financial restrictions on NorthKorea. Targeted US financialsanctions have been tried beforeand have had a significant impactbut have upset China.Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly

Churkin, whose country holds theSecurity Council presidency thismonth, told a news conferenceMonday that a resolution onNorth Korea might be approvedin March though the text had notyet been circulated.A Chinese Foreign Ministry

spokeswoman in Beijing refusedto give any details about the dealat her daily media briefing, butindicated China was concernedabout Pyongyang's behavior."We have said here many times

that China supports the UNSecurity Council in reactingmoderately and explicitly objectsto North Korea's nuclear test,"spokeswoman Hua Chunyingsaid. –AGENCIES

SIRAJGANJ: Women villagers of pro-hartal picket attend a strike in Sirajganj district, some 134 km northwest of Dhaka. Thousands ofpro-hartal picket fought pitched battles with the law enforcers during riots erupted since an Islamist opposition leader was sentenced todeath for war crimes. –WIRE SERVICE

Russia signals backingfor new UN sanctionsMOSCOW: Russia is ready to back a draft UN Security Councilsanctions resolution against North Korea over its third nucleartest if it focuses solely on Pyongyang's nuclear and missileprograms, a senior diplomat said on Tuesday. UN envoys saythe United States and China have struck a tentative deal on adraft resolution to punish North Korea over the test. "It (thedraft) will be acceptable to us if the restrictive measures do notgo beyond the boundaries of missile and nuclear issues,"Interfax news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister GennadyGatilov as saying. Russia, which holds the presidency of the 15-nation Security Council this month and is one of fiveveto-wielding permanent members, was due to conveneconsultations on North Korea at the United Nations later onTuesday, the UN press office said. –AGENCIES

US, Chinaagree on NorthKorea curbs

FALLUJAH: Unidentified armedmen killed 42 Syrians and sevenIraqis on Monday night as theyambushed a convoy carrying Syriansoldiers to the border throughAnbar province in western Iraq,army oScers said.The ambush, a day after a key

Syrian opposition group accusedIraq of interference in Syria,threatens to entangle Iraq in itsneighbour’s bloody, prolongedcivil war, something Baghdad hassought to avoid. The Syriansoldiers crossed into Iraq fromthe Yaarubiyeh border crossing,scene of fighting on Saturdaybetween rebels and troops loyalto President Bashar al-Assad,Lieutenant Colonel MohammedKhalaf al-Dulaimi told AFP. Thesoldiers were first transported byIraqi authorities to Baghdadfrom the northern Ninevehprovince, bordering Yaarubiyeh,and they were on their way to behanded over to Syrian authoritieson the border with Anbarprovince when the attack tookplace, he said.Armed men attacked the convoy

from two sides with mortar rounds,automatic weapons and mines,killing 42 Syrian soldiers and sevenIraqis guarding the convoy.Eight Syrians and four Iraqis

were wounded, and three vehiclesin the convoy destroyed, he said.

Major Ali Juwair al-Dulaimifrom Iraq’s Anbar OperationsCommand confirmed the toll.The ambush was “a clear message

to all Iraqis that what is happening inSyria today eTectively moved to Iraq,”political analyst Hamid Fadhel toldAFP. Anbar province’s Sunniresidents have close tribal, family andtrade ties with eastern Syria, withwhich the province shares a longborder. And Anbar, once home to keySunni militant strongholds, sharesreligious ties with Syrian rebels, whoare also mainly Sunni Muslim.Iraq’s “western and northern

areas close to the border with Syriahave a Sunni majority and in oneway or another are supportive ofthe armed groups fighting theAssad regime,” Fadhel said.The Monday attack comes after

defence ministry spokesmanMohammed al-Askari said an Iraqisoldier was killed and three peopleincluding a soldier wounded by firefrom Syria during clashes betweenSyrian rebel and regime forces atthe Yaarubiyeh crossing.He also said four wounded Syrian

soldiers were treated at an Iraqihospital during Saturday’s fighting.Baghdad has pointedly avoided

calling for the departure of Assad,who is locked in a bloody civil warwith rebels opposed to his regime,and has instead urged an end toviolence by all parties. –AGENCIES

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian troopsbacked by fighter jets stormed the camp ofan armed Filipino group on Tuesday, tryingto end a standoT on Borneo island afterviolence that killed at least 27 people andsparked fears of broader insecurity in theresource-rich region.Jets bombed the area in Malaysia's eastern

Sabah state for more than 30 minutes beforehundreds of ground troops moved in tosearch for about 200 Filipinos believed to behiding near a coastal palm-oil plantation,Malaysian oScials said.The outcome of the operation remained

unclear more than 11 hours after it began.Malaysian oScials said their forces suTeredno casualties but they gave no details on thefate of the Filipinos, whose allies based inManila claimed they had survived and werestill resisting. The government-run NewStraits Times newspaper reportedexplosions at a site 30 km (19 miles) awayfrom the main standoT. After tellingreporters earlier the operation had beensuccessful, police said it was still going onand that gunmen could still be at large."The government has to take the right

action in order to preserve the pride andsovereignty of this country," MalaysianPrime Minister Najib Razak said in astatement announcing the assault.The group is demanding recognition and an

increased payment from Malaysia for theirclaim as the rightful owners of Sabah, part ofBorneo island and which the sultanate leasedto British colonialists in the 19th century.Malaysia has refused the demands andManila has repeatedly told the group to putdown its weapons and come home. But theviolence has sparked a political crisis ahead ofelections in both countries. Each governmentsays it is investigating allegations ofopposition involvement.Najib, who faces a tough election within

weeks, has come under pressure to take a firmstance against the group, which arrived byboat about three weeks ago claiming to bedescendants of the southern Philippines'sultanate of Sulu. The security headachecould prompt him to delay the polls, whichmust be held by June, adding to nervousnessamong investors over what could be thecountry's closest ever election. PhilippinePresident Benigno Aquino has said hesuspected his country's opposition backed theobscure group in an attempt to underminehim ahead of congressional elections in May.The insecurity has disrupted operations inSabah's huge palm oil industry. Prolongedtrouble could dampen growing investorinterest in energy and infrastructure projectsin the state, although the main oil fields arefar from the standoT. –AGENCIES

TEHRAN: Iran's Foreign MinistrySpokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast,said Tuesday that the Islamicrepublic is ready to respond to theconcerns of the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA) afteran agreement is reached.Talking to reporters at a weekly

press briefing, Mehmanparastresponded to "request" by YukiyaAmano, director-general of theIAEA, for access to Iran's militaryParchin site. Iran and the IAEAshould initially agree on a"framework" in which there shouldbe "clear" references to Iran's rightsto " peaceful" nuclear activities and aresponse to the "alleged concerns"about Iran's nuclear program, saidthe Iranian spokesman.The Parchin site has been the

main concern of the agency sinceNovember 2011. Iran has previouslyrefused to grant access to the site

unless an agreement has beenreached on a structured approach, aframework which would allow UNinspectors to look into Iran's nuclearactivities. Iran's talks with the IAEAas well as its negotiations with theso-called P5+1 group (comprisingfive permanent members of the UNSecurity Council plus Germany)have had a "positive" tendency, saidMehmanparast, expressing hopethat the talks will bring about resultsif Iran's rights to nuclear activitiesare recognized.On Feb. 13, the Islamic republic

and the IAEA held their latest roundof talks on Iran's disputed nuclearactivities without reaching anyagreement. The last round of talksbetween Iran and the P5+1 powersconcluded on Feb. 27 in Almaty,Kazakhstan, with both sidesexpressing optimism about theoutcome of the meeting. –AGENCIES

15 militants killed in Mali fighting: FrancePARIS: About 15 Islamist militants were killed by French and Chadian troops in fighting overnight in northernMali's Ametetai valley, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday. He said some 1,600 Frenchand Chadian troops in that area continued to search for Islamist rebels, seven weeks into a campaign to drive alQaeda-linked fighters out of Mali's north. "Our forces fought terrorist groups last night, still in the same area,the Ametetai valley region, where there is a strong concentration of them. Around 15 militants were killed," LeDrian told BFM TV. "It's not over yet as after the Ametetai valley there are other valleys ... Given the ferocity ofthe fighting over the past fortnight, we can see there is a hideout there." Chad's President Idriss Deby overnightreiterated that two key al Qaeda commanders, Abdelhamid Abou Zeid and Mokhtar Belmokhtar, had beenkilled. Le Drian, however, said France is still not in a position to confirm that they had been killed. Deby said thetwo bodies had not been displayed out of respect for the dead. "I say to Minister Le Drian, who is asking forproof: as Muslims, we do not put on show the bodies of the dead," Deby said on state television late on Monday."In the days that come, we will see that these terrorists have indeed been killed in fighting with the Chadianforces." Shown a photograph published in French media of a partly shrouded corpse said to be Belmokhtar's, LeDrian said it would be good news if it was the jihadist leader but that he was not convinced by the image. AbouZeid and Belmokhtar led the two Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) units that operated in Mali's north,kidnapping Westerners and launching sporadic attacks over the last decade. Three French soldiers and dozens ofmilitants have been killed in the oTensive against the Islamist fighters who hijacked a separatist Tuareg rebellionto take over northern Mali last April. –AGENCIES

Iran ready to respondto IAEA concerns

Malaysian troopsattack armedFilipinos in Sabah

42 Syrian soldierskilled in Iraq

Gold 10 Gms Dollar Interbank Kibor 6 months T Bills6 months Urea/Bag Coal Spot 10-Y PIB Furnace oil

Rs.51771 Rs. 98.15 9.15%-9.40% 9.47% Rs. 1742 $93.05/Ton 11.42% 78,446/MT

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2013

Greece interested inPakistani olive oil, solar energyISLAMABAD:Greece expressed itsinterest to boost the market of oliveoil and solar energy in Pakistan,which will help to expand the net ofthe bilateral trade between bothcountries. Ambassador of Greece toPakistan Petros Mavroidis visitedIslamabad Chamber of Commerce &Industry (ICCI) for discussing waysand means to enhance bilateral traderelations between Pakistan andGreece. Greece Ambassador said thatPakistan and Greece need to improvetheir commercial and economicrelations to promote bilateral tradeand investment by taking advantageof new business opportunities. Hesaid that olive oil is one of the majorand well-known products of Greeceand is known to be the finest in theworld, adding Mavroidis said thatcooperation in solar energy sectorcould be one of the areas forstrengthening economic relationsbetween the two countries as currentannual bilateral trade between Greeceand Pakistan was very low that needsto be enhanced by exploring the areasof common interest. –STAFF REPORT

PSF, Intel Pakistan join to promote science in PakistanISLAMABAD: Pakistan ScienceFoundation (PSF) and Intel Pakistanjoined hands to promote scienceactivities in the country by signing aMemorandum of Understanding hereon Tuesday. PSF Chairman Prof. Dr.Manzoor H. Soomro and IntelPakistan Country Manager Mr.Naveed Siraj signed the MoU onbehalf of their respective organizations.Under the signed MoU both theorganizations will work together toimplement the Intel Science FairsProgram all across Pakistan for thebetterment of economic condition ofthe masses by creating awareness,promoting and popularization ofresearch in sciences and mathematicsthrough mutual collaborative activities,aiming to infuse a stronger spirit ofdiscovery in schoolchildren and toincrease their interest in science andtechnology. –AGENCIES

Farmers boost milk yieldswith USAIDʼs help

MULTAN: The United StatesAgency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID) MissionDirector Jock Conly, Tuesday,awarded 129 motorbikes to artificialinsemination technicians over theirsuccessful completion of five weektraining program. These workershad completed a five-week artificialinsemination training programthrough the USAID Dairy Project.Artificial insemination technicianswork with local farmers to improvethe quality of the breed and cattlethat will produce higher milk yields.In order to reach farmers in remoteareas, frequent travel is required forartificial insemination technicians.These motorbikes enable technicianswho have received USAID trainingto put that new knowledge to gooduse, helping to increase dairyproduction throughout southernPunjab. –AGENCIES

STAFF REPORT

KARACHI:Not a good day for either science orequity markets as the law and order situationfinally reflected on the index movements.Technically speaking many of the blue chipcompanies have entered the bearish zone so hasthe benchmark index which remained redthroughout the day. The proof is in the fact thatPIA was the volume leader closing at upper limitof PKR 7.77. KSE 100 index meanwhile lost 90points at the conclusion of session to close at18,035 points. Trade Volume inched marginallyup to 247 million sharesStock to Watch

KAPCOKAPCO posted a profit after tax of Rs 3,683million during the first half of the current fiscal

year, registering a handsome growth of 36% overlast year, translating into an earning per share ofRs4.18. According to Investcap Such increase wasprimarily driven by depreciating PKR againstUSD (by 9.27%YoY) and a massive decline infinance cost (down by 37%YoY) as the company hasretired most of its debt thuseasing financial chargespayable on the reducedamount. The Board ofDirectors declared a DPS ofRs3.00, considerably lower as compared toconsensus forecast. This was despite the companyhaving posted a healthy increase in bottomline.Invest Cap expects such a decision to be backedby an attempt to accumulate finances for its coalconversion venture. Substantial decline in

payables to PSO (down by 71%YoY) markssubsidy payment by the government thus furthereasing pressure on KAPCO's financial charges.DGKC

Incorporating for 1) higher share of domesticdispatches compared to exports, 2) persistence oftowering cement prices especially in the north

and 3) slightly lower longterm coal price assumptions;we have raised ourFY13/FY14/FY15/FY16Eearnings target for DGKC by24%/9%/10%/7%respectively. BMA Capital

now expects DGKC to post astounding grossmargins of 41% during FY13, up 8pps comparedto FY12 on the back of improving retention levelsand sliding price of key cost driver coal.According to report it still suggests a potentialupside of 27%.

PTC

After the Supreme Court’s decision to reinstatethe International Clearing House (ICH), Manyresearch houses are extremly bullish on the stock.JS reasearch' liking for PTC is led by (1) strong32% 5-year EPS CAGR driven by higher rates oninternational incoming calls; (2) undemandingvaluation where PTC trades at 5.0x 2013E P/E, a30% discount to the KSE P/E.The Apex Court has referred the case on ICHto the Competition Commision of Pakistan (CCP)which has previously opposed the ICH. That saidCCP’s historical figure-head role keeps usrelatively comfortable on ICH rate sustainability.Key risks to this thesis would be (1) if the CPPtakes a strong anti-ICH stance; (2) faster thanexpected fall in incoming minutes owing totechnological innovations and (3) near-term DPSuncertainty given US$291mn renewal fees forUfone’s cellular license.

Bears reign supreme amid deteriorating law and order

ZEESHANJAVAID

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’sStanding Committee on Finance, Planningand revenue already passed on Tuesdaythe “Tax Law Amendment Bill 2012”with consentfrom Pakistan People’sParty (PPP) and Pakistan MuslimLeague-Nawaz.The committee met at ParliamentHouse under the chairmanship of MQMMNA Sohail Mansoor, who later left themeeting in protest accompanied byother members of committee from theMQM including Rasheed Godil, becausehe had reservations regarding the newtax law amendment.The amendment will allow the FederalBoard of Revenue (FBR) to block theComputerized National Indentify Cards(CNICs) of defaulters reluctant to payone-time average of Rs 40, 000 for the

last three years of unpaid tax.Board Chairman Ali Arshad Hakeeminformed the committee that the bill willhelp expand the tax net and discouragetax evaders.He informed the committeethat FBRhad alreadyupdated its system withNational Database andRegistration Authority(NADRA) under thenew scheme introducedby the board, whichwould help todifferentiate betweentaxpayers and evadersand the authority willbe able to monitor thecomplete information regarding thebusiness, vehicles, moveable andimmovable properties, foreign visits byevery National Tax Number (NTN)holder.

The chairman maintained that aperson who fails to either pay the onetime sum or filean appeal, will bepenalised by the FBRby having theperson's CNIC blocked by NADRA.

The FBR informed thecommittee that only700,000 NTN holderspaid tax last year, while2.9 million tax evaderswere indentified in thesame period. Thechairman claimed thatonce the scheme wasimplemented, theauthority would be ableto generate $750

million, while all agriculturalbusinessmen would also be liable to filetheir returns.The FBR further maintained that11,000 private limited companies were

paying taxes, however 100 of them havebeen contributing 80% of total taxrevenue, adding that 25% tax is beinggenerated from Petroleum, Oil andLubricant (POL) products.The FBR registered first informationreports (FIRs) against Tribal Textile(Lahore), Jamhoor Textile (Lahore),Shehzad Textile (Lahore), The LahoreTextile (Lahore), Salfi Textile (Karachi),Colony Mills (Multan), and HussainLimited (Faisalabad), for misusing thenew sales tax withholding regime inmultibillion rupee transactions in thename of fake companies.Colony Millsand Hussain Limited alone caused a lossof Rs200 million to the government.These companies misused thestatutory regulatory orders (SROs) thatordered six percent withholding taxdeduction if the products were sold tounregistered persons and one percent onthe sale of products to registeredpersons.

FBR empowered to block CNIC

CURRENCY BUYING SELLINGUS Dollar 99.10 99.35Euro 128.66 128.90British Pound 149.42 149.66UAE Dirham 26.90 27.15Saudi Riyal 26.40 26.60Kuwaiti Dinar 348.10 351.85Canadian Dollar 95.55 97.24

CAIRO:Egyptian talks with the IMF over a $3.2 billion loan stalled after months of squabbling between the Islamist dominated people’s assembly and themilitary-appointed cabinet over the country’s economic policy.

Welcome the robotrevolution, but beware

Robots are evoking some deep economic anxietythese days. They’re routinely mastering humantasks -- driving cars, trading securities,

diagnosing diseases - - that not long ago appearedpermanently beyond their capabilities. And asautomated technology advances at an exponentialrate, more and more jobs, in more and more fields,will be done by intelligent machines in the very nearfuture. This transition will involve some scary trade-oRs. Growth and productivity will probably accelerate,and low-cost, high- quality goods will probablyproliferate. But many workers will find their skillsobsolete and their ability to compete diminished.Unemployment could be exacerbated. Wagestagnation for the middle class could persist orworsen. And inequality seems likely to widen. For allthat, we remain optimistic. Throughout history,technology -- from the steam engine to electricity tothe computer -- has upended old ways of doingbusiness and created useful and edifying new fields ofhuman endeavor. This long cycle of creativedestruction suggests, however, that the robotrevolution will be a time of significant turmoil. Andthat the more we prepare for it now, the better oRwe’ll be. As the digital economy churns through oldindustries, workers will need to become increasinglycreative and open to change, and governments willneed to grow more nimble in encouraging innovationand cushioning the blow for those left behind. As ErikBrynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee argue in their book“Race Against the Machines,” the guiding principle forrevamping public policy as this revolution unfolds isflexibility. That means, first, preserving labor-marketflexibility by fighting the urge to inhibit job losses inindustries where robots will inevitably displacehumans. A smarter way for the government toencourage hiring is to start shifting from taxes onemployment, like the payroll tax, and toward taxes onconsumption and pollution, like carbon. Investing ineducation, as always, will be critical. Expandedworker-training and placement programs would helpease the burden of changing jobs and better alignworkers’ skills with what employers need. Andreforms that help make health-insurance policiesmore portable would be a boon to workers looking totry new fields. Second, the government needs to do abetter job of encouraging innovation. It may seemparadoxical that one way to mitigate the stresses ofsurging innovation is yet more innovation. But the keyto the next economy will be people who can think ofnew fields, new applications and new businesses thatrobots can complement. Entrepreneurs will createwhole new categories of jobs -- many of which wehaven’t imagined yet -- by combining humaningenuity with the eQciency and precision of robotlabor. Entrepreneurialism will thus become anincreasingly essential skill. Congress can help byresisting the urge to regulate new industriesoverzealously, keeping taxes on small businesses lowand making it easier to start new companies. It shouldalso reform the immigration system by expanding H-1B visas for temporary workers, ensuring that thosewho graduate from U.S. universities with advanceddegrees in science, technology and mathautomatically qualify for green cards, and by creatinga “startup visa” to encourage foreign entrepreneurswho have attracted investment or revenue in the U.S.to stay and create jobs.

–BLOOMBERG EDITORIAL

Analysis

STAFF REPORT

ISLAMABAD:Denying that it had shiftedthe burden of an increase in duty on HighSpeed Diesel (HSD) up to 2 percent ontoconsumers, the Oil Companies AdvisoryCommittee (OCAS) on Tuesday theaccusation baseless and "utter rubbish".OCAS claimed that the local refinerieswere committed to invest US$2.4 billionfor refinery improvement projectsincluding investments in cracking units inaddition to Diesel Hydro De-Sulphurisation (DHDS) units.A senior OCAS oQcial told TheSpokesman that against the largeinvestment, refineries undertaking theseprojects would generate an additional

revenue of Rs 4.7 billion annually whichwould be insignificant in relation to theadditional annual operating and debtservicing costs on these projects.The OCAS oQcial also denied that therefineries had not utilized the reservesaccumulated in the past for their upgradeprojects as the reserves were utilised perthe provisions of the applicable pricingformula. Regardless, such reserves wereabsolutely insuQcient to meet the capitalcosts of the upgrade projects, due to whichthe refineries have been requesting areview of the pricing formula.While the refineries are actively engagedin undertaking the projects which wouldimprove product quality making themEuro II compliant, some of these projects

like Diesel Hydro De-Sulphurisation(DHDS) units are being delayed for lack ofadequate incentives.He said that the local refineries requirean additional incentive and time to meetthe Euro-II quality. Such projects requireabout 3 years to complete.The incentive proposed throughadditional 1.5% duty on HSD, is subject tothe completion of these projects by thedeadline of 31st December 2015. It has alsobeen proposed that till the completion ofthese projects, refineries will no longer beallowed to oRset losses from the SpecialReserve Accounts and the distribution ofprofits shall remain subject to theprescribed conditions laid down in thecurrent pricing formula.

OCAS rejects accusations

Tax on diesel not shifted onto consumer

KSE 18053.32 -73.45 -0.41%

ISE 3329.81 -38.58 -1.16

LSE 4360.93 +2.56 +0.06

APCNGA rejects move to close15-year-old CNG stations

ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan CNG Association(APCNGA) on Tuesday rejected a move by petroleumministry to close CNG filling stations that completed fifteenyears of operations terming it intrigue against masses.Some politically well-connected oQcials in the Ministry ofPetroleum and Natural Resources has remainedconcentrated on damaging CNG sector providingeconomical fuel to masses and saving foreign exchange tobenefit powerful petroleum and liquid gas sectors, it said.The summary moved by the petroleum ministry to theCabinet’s Economic Coordination Committee to closedown CNG outlets is a plot to deprive masses ofeconomical fuel, hit transport sector, plunge millions intounemployment, and lay waste to our investments, saidGhiyas Abdullah Paracha, Chairman Supreme CouncilAPCNGA. In a statement issued here today, he said thatPetroleum Minister Dr Asim Hussain who contributed tothe unpopularity of current cabal has been desperatelytrying to close down CNG business and introduce LPG asearly as possible. With no respect to the prevalent lawsand rules, the minister has been overstepping authorityof Ogra since years and taking controversial decisionwhich remained unpopular even among the ruling elite,he added. While dubbing the summary a plot to destroyinvestments in the CNG sector and overburdengrievously affected masses, Ghiyas Paracha warned thatany hasty decision in the forthcoming meeting of theECC would be resisted with full force. –AGENCIES

LAHORE: The Federal Revenue AllianceUnion (FBR Union) president MianAbdul Qayyum has condemned the FBRchief commissioner Shafqat Mehmoodfor protecting all major dummycompanies including Ms/ ChawlaEnterprises, which committed a fraud ofRs.311 million through flying invoices in2007. He said that though Fir wasregistered against those companies butno action was taken even after a lapse ofalmost five years.Giving detail of fake invoices, the FBRUnion president revealed that Ms/Chawla Enterprises did not undertakegenuine transactions of taxable goods,however to cover dummy transactions ittried to manage compliance of section 73of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 in certain

purchases.As per record Chawla Enterprisesdeclared purchases of Rs195.326 millionsfrom SMC Industries whereas, payment ofRs.35.77 million only was made and thebalance of Rs.159.554 million remainedunpaid. Similarly in case of SM Siddiq &Co payments were not made within timeprescribed limit. In respect of certainsupplies to M/s Newage Cables (Pvt.), amajor buyer of the registered person,payments have not been made yet.Hence, M/s Chawla Enterprisesfraudulently adjusted input tax ofRs.39.358 millions on basis of fake salestax invoices from July, 2007 to Dec 2011and have violated tile provisions ofSection 3,6,7,8.8(1) (ca).8(1)(d), 8A.22.23.26 and 73 read with section 2(33),

2(35), 2(39), and 2(41) of Sales Tax Act,1990 attracting penal action undersection 33(5), 33(8), 33(11c), 33(16) ibidand have committed tax fraud.He further said: “Whereas, inpursuance of a complaint against M/sChawla Enterprises, Shop No. 12, AminMarket, 11 Nishtar, Brandrath Road,Lahore having STR No 0309730013628and NTN 0137765-5 and in order toascertain the facts, the registered personwas requested to produce prescribed salestax record for the tax period from July2007 to Dec, 2011.An enquiry audit regarding fraudulentinput tax adjustment was conducted whichreveals that Chawla Enterprises is memberof a cartel involved in the business of fakesales tax invoices.” –AGENCIES

� 700,000 NTN holders paid tax last year

� Index takes a 90-point nosedive to close at 18,035

FBR union flays CC for protecting fraudulent firms

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 06, 2013

Victoria Justice can get driving licenceNEW YORK: Victoria Justice is ready to put the pedal to the metal. The Nickelodeon starcelebrated her 20th birthday party with a handful of celebrity pals at RH restaurant insideWest Hollywood's hotel. The Victorious actress oPcially turned the big 2-0 a week and a halfbefore her star-studded soiree, where guests like Miley Cyrus and Chord Overstreet drankVitamin Water mocktails and played Twister Rave. "I went to Vegas!" Justice told. "I saw theBeatles Love show and stayed at The Mirage. It was just amazing." Justice, who still lives athome with her parents, added that she "didn't want any gifts" this year. Instead, she's givingherself the "biggest" present ever: "I'm buying a car!" Before she gets behind the wheel,however, the Fun Size star needs to take her driver's test. "I'm getting my license. I'm a bit ofa late bloomer on that, I know," Justice told. "I've been so busy, but I'm so excited to pick outmy first car." The "Freak the Freak Out" singer said she's "undecided" about the vehicle'smake and model. "I just want something safe and sturdy," she explained. -SHOWBIZ DESK

SYDNEY:Hollywood star James Franco has lashed out at Australia for banning the US gay-themed film I Want Your Love, calling the decision embarrassing. Australia's Classification Boarddeemed the movie's sex scenes too explicit and refused to allow it to be screened at the upcomingMelbourne Queer Film Festival and the Brisbane Queer Film Festival. Franco, best known forroles in the Spider Man trilogy, blockbuster "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", and his Oscarnomination-winning turn in 127 Hours, said adults should be allowed to choose what they watch."I don't know why in this day and age something like this, a film that's using sex not for titillationbut to talk about being human, is being banned," he said in a YouTube appeal to the ClassificationBoard posted Monday. "It's just embarrassing. I hope you'll reconsider." The film, about a younggay man in San Francisco returning to his Midwestern roots, was directed by Travis Mathews, whocollaborated with Franco on "Interior. Leather. Bar." -SHOWBIZ DESK

IQRA IMRAN

LAHORE: Nida Azwer was going tolaunch her debut collection of boutiqueand limited edition of unstitched lawnprints earlier in February, the Nida Azweratelier announces oPcial exhibition datesfor Karachi on the 15th of March at Shara-e- Attar near Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mazaar,Block 4 Clifton and in Lahore on the 17thof March at 1O T, Main MM Alam Road.The brand also reveals actress HumaimaMallick as the oPcial Nida Azwer lawnambassador.Speaking about her debut S/S lawn

collection and her choice of brandambassador, fashion designer Nida Azwersaid, “This is the first time I’m doing lawnand I am doing it independently as it hasallowed me greater freedom in all aspectsfrom the creative to the retail side. Also,with my lawn, each print is deliberatelyavailable only in limited edition quantitiesto retain a sense of exclusivity and that isimportant to me. Given that my brand has always

encapsulated that which is instinctivelyPakistani, be that in our craftsmanship orembroideries, I was keen to work with aPakistani personality for my lawn as well. Iam therefore delighted to have HumaimaMallick represent this boutique lawncollection” Speaking about collaborating with Nida

Azwer, brand ambassador HumaimaMallick said “I’m delighted to be the brandambassador for Nida Azwer; the lawncollection is chic, smart, elegant andtimeless, something I look personally lookfor in everything I wear. I just love thetheme of the designs and the fabric isexquisite. The quality of its shines throughwhen you wear the material. Super soft andsuper fine.”The Nida Azwer S/S 13 debut limited

edition lawn collection is an eclectic mix offun, quirky and classy designs. For thiscollection, designer Nida Azwer has drawn

from a diversityof inspirations;from thetimelessness ofEuropeanbuildings to therichness ofTurkish pottery,drawing uponthe beauty ofthe Frenchtrellis and floraland fusing thiswith a headymix of Africaninfluences andenchantingbirds. For herS/S 2013limited editioncollection, NidaAzwer

showcases pure chiQon digitally printedduppatta’s as well voile duppattas. Expectpersonalized Nida Azwer buttons, handembroidered buttons, handmade tasselsand Nida Azwer’s signature screen prints,embroidered motifs and pockets as seen inadd on and accessories. For S/S limitededition lawn 2013, Nida Azwer will beintroducing10 unique prints with each in 2distinct colour variations with three piecesuits priced in very aQordable range.

Nida Azwer joins the race of lawn�The brand reveals actress Humaima Mallick as theo cial Nida Azwer lawn ambassador

ʻMy brand hasalwaysencapsulatedthat which isinstinctivelyPakistani, I waskeen to workwith a Pakistanipersonality formy lawn aswell. I amdelighted tohave HumaimaMallickrepresent thisboutique lawncollectionʼ

SHOWBIZ DESK

DALLAS: Famous Pakistani super starReema Khan said that PakistaniAmericans always come to help wheneverPakistan goes through diPcult period.She was delivering keynote address atPakistani physicians representativegroup APPNA’s North Texas annualaward distribution ceremony in Dallas.“Pakistanis living abroad feel the painclose to them and open their wallets andoQer themselves to help. This is why wenever lose hope in Pakistan.” The filmstar Reema expressed her frustration onthe current situation and level of violencein Pakistan. She further said that she hasfaith in human strength and resolve. “Wewill overcome all of the hurdles and wewill have bright future. We may or maynot be living here for rest of our lives, soit is our responsibility that we educateour children on Pakistani culture,traditions and language,” she said. Reemarecited a number of sonnets on thisoccasion on Pakistan’s current situation.She thanked Dr. Dawood Nasir and

Dallas chapter of APPNA for hosting heras chief guest in their annual awardceremony and also for arranging such anexcellent event.A fashion show was presented by

Dallas fashion designer Dallas Studio “D”which was participated by local modelsin Pakistani dresses; Pakistani womentook special interest in the fashion show.The program ended with a music show.Pakistan TV and film vocalist and NigarAward winner Arshad Mahmoodperformed for the audience.

Itʼs our responsibility to educate childrenon culture: Reema Khan�Expresses frustration over current situation and violence in Pakistan

SHOWBIZ DESK

LOS ANGELES:Jack the GiantSlayer tells the story of an ancientwar reignited when a young farmhand’s few runs of bad luck withsome magical beans results in thechallenge of his life. With a princessheld captive at the top of a beanstalkand old tales of giants that live at thetop, banished long ago for trying toexterminate all of mankind, Jackvolunteers along with a few of theKing’s guardsmen to begin the longclimb towards the heavens andprove he is more than a merepeasant. Without me having to saymore, you can probably figure outhow the majority of this story goesfrom here as this movie has a ratherpredictable story line progression.An unlikely hero rises amidst the

shadows of poverty to chase afteranother damsel in distress for

reasons of true love, self-discoveryand the preservation of humanity. Itis a plot used many times within thefairy tales we all know and love,however, nothing new isincorporated with this movie to

make this particular rendition of thefairy tale stand out. While the moviedoes make use of an army of giantsas opposed to the lone giant the Jackcharacter faces in the original story,filmmakers never took advantage of

this plot change. The “great battle”between giants and humans isnothing more than a lethal tug-of-war match between the two sides asthe giants attempt to enter thecastle. Even action sequences suchas Jack faring against his first giantand the talented cast of actors, suchas Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies)and Ewan McGregor (Star Wars,Moulin Rouge) within the film areonly enough to make this movieaverage. The actors do their job to make

the threat of a giant invasionbelievable, and what that couldmean for humanity in this fantasysetting. However, the movie dropsthe ball when the time comes forthat belief to become a reality. Themovie would have been better, hadthe director added some personalityin the movie that would help it

stand above the ancient fairy tale.Instead of making the princess, whopointlessly wears a suit of armor forhalf the film, just another damsel indistress, they should have made heran independent force to bereckoned with. Give the character achance to unsheathe that daggerstrapped to her waist and take out agiant or two to at least get awayfrom that extremely overdone, andby this day and age just plainannoying, theme of a woman alwaysneeding a man to come and save theday.“Jack the Giant Slayer” is by no

means a bad movie, but there is alsonothing stupendous about it thatreally makes it memorable. Thetimeless storyline, talented cast andnice action sequences make it anentertaining theatre experience, butnothing more.

Overdone plot makes classic fairytale movie forgetful

SHOWBIZ DESK

LONDON: Canadian singer Justin Bieberapologized on Tuesday after fans booedhim for turning up nearly two hours late toa London concert, blaming technical issuesfor his late performance. The 19-year-oldteen idol had been scheduled to take thestage at London's O2 Arena at 8.30 p.m.but said in a Twitter message that the timewas pushed back to 9.35 p.m. due to "sometechnical issues". Many fans, and the venue itself, appeared

not to have got the message aftercomplaints poured in that Bieber wasnearly two hours late when he finallyappeared at around 10.20 p.m. "Last nightI was scheduled after 3 opening acts to goon stage at 935 not 830 but because ofsome technical issues," Bieber wrote onTwitter, the micro-blogging site where heboasts the largest following of more than35 million people. "I got on at 10:10,I was 40 min late to

stage. There is no excuse for that and Iapologize for anyone we upset. However itwas great show and I'm proud of that." Inthe third of four tweets, he vowed to run ontime on Tuesday, and in the final messagesaid his relationship with the media, whichpicked up on fans' displeasure following

Monday night's concert, was "not alwayseasy but I'm trying". The popular Sun tabloid newspaper said

many fans, some of them as young as fiveyears old, had gone home by the timeBieber began while others voicedfrustration. There was no on-stage apology,although the O2 Arena did later addressfans, popularly known as "Beliebers",apologizing in a Twitter message to "all theJustin Bieber fans for the lateness of hisshow tonight".

Bieber apologizes to angryfans for late UK show

LONDON: R&B superstar Beyonceand husband Jay-Z are eyeingMichael Jackson's Neverland ranch,bidding 16 million pounds for it.The musical couple wants to turnthe estate into a vineyard, reportedDaily Star. But the price they haveoQered is 3 million pounds belowthe asking price for the 30,000-acre California estate. Jay-Z, 43,and Beyonce, 31, reckon it is theperfect place to bring up year-olddaughter Blue Ivy and to start awinery. -SHOWBIZ DESK

Beyonce bids for Jackson's ranch

James Franco lashes Australia for banning gay film

MUMBAI: Actor John Abraham saysvarious film projects are keeping him sobusy that he has no time to get married."I would like to get married but I don'tknow when it will happen. I am busywith projects. I have Shootout AtWadala and other two projects. Thisyear I am busy,Packed with work," Johnsaid. John is now dating investmentbanker Priya Runchal whom as rumourshave it he intends to marry this year.After being together for nine years, JohnAbraham and Bipasha Basu called itquits in 2011. John, 40, will be seenplaying a Mumbai gangster of the 80sManya Surve in Sanjay Gupta'sShootout at Wadala. He will play anintelligence oPcer in his next homeproduction film Madras Cafe and thenhe will be seen in Karan Johar's Dostana2. His first release of the year was GoldieBehl's I Me Aur Main. -SHOWBIZ DESK

John ends2013 marriagerumours

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 06, 2013

COLOMBO: Sri Lankabatsman ThilanSamaraweera wants toretire from all forms ofcricket but bosses aretrying to persuade himotherwise. Sri Lanka Cricketsecretary Nishantha Ranatungaconfirmed that Samaraweera hadhanded a resignation letter to himon Tuesday. "We requested Thilan tohave a meaningful dialogue with thenational selectors before finalisingsuch a decision," Ranatunga toldreporters. "At a time like this whensome of the senior cricketers aresuPering from injuries, a cricketer ofThilan's experience is vital to thenational team," he said.Samaraweera was named as areplacement for the injured MahelaJayawardene in the initial squad of20 for the first Test againstBangladesh starting at Galle onMarch 8 but was left out when it wascut to 16. The 36-year-old right-hand middle-order batsman hasplayed in 81 tests for his countrysince 2001 and scored 5,462 runs atan average of 48.76. He has alsoappeared in 53 one-dayinternationals. �AGENCIES

Korean basketball coachin match-fixing probe

SEOUL: South Korean prosecutorssaid Tuesday they were investigating aprofessional basketball coach foralleged match-fixing, followingsimilar scandals in domestic footballand volleyball leagues. "Theinvestigation is underway," aspokesman from the prosecutors'oOce in Uijeongbu city near Seoul,told AFP. He declined to elaborate.The coach, whose name was notrevealed, allegedly received some 30million won ($27,500) from agambler about two years ago andrigged games by substituting keyplayers, Yonhap news agency andother media outlets said. The gamblerwas recently arrested, reports said,citing the city prosecutors.Professional sports in South Koreahave been rocked by a series ofscandals in recent years, touchingfootball, volleyball, baseball and evenmotorboat racing. In 2011 prosecutorscharged 57 people – 46 current andformer players and 11 criminal gangmembers and bookmakers. �AGENCIES

Hingis, Long among fiveelected to Hall of Fame

NEWPORT:Former WorldNo. 1 MartinaHingis andAustralianlegend ThelmaCoyne Long were among five peoplenamed Monday as 2013 inductees intothe International Tennis Hall of Fame.Two ATP co-founders, Americans CliPDrysdale and Charlie Pasarell, andRomanian star Ion Tiriac, were alsoelected to the sporting shrine by aselection panel. A person needs 75percent support from the group forelection. All five will be enshrined onJuly 13 during ceremonies at the ATPHall of Fame Championships grass-court event, joining 224 previoushonorees from 19 nations. "Beinginducted into the International TennisHall of Fame is a tremendous honor,"Hingis said. "It is truly a privilege to bepart of such an exclusive group oftennis icons." Retired Swiss starHingis, 32, topped the rankings for209 weeks and won 43 career WTAtitles and five Grand Slam singlescrowns, including Wimbledon, USand Australian Open titles in 1997 andthe 1998 and 1999 Australian Opens.Hingis, who went 548-133 in WTAsingles matches, also won nine GrandSlam women's doubles titles and onemixed doubles title. �AGENCIES

BY SHIGEMI SATO

TOKYO: As the sun rises over Tokyo,six men, naked apart fromloincloths, stand on sand and stamptheir feet repeatedly. Six trunk-likethighs are heaved into the air,pausing for a second before crashingdown, the topknots on eachwrestler's head wobbling with theimpact. Monotonous it may be. Butno one ever said training to be asumo supremo was supposed to befun. “Shift your weight!” “Don’t raiseyour hips too fast!” shouts a retiredwrestler now working as a caretakerand coach.The routine, called “Shiko”, builds

strength and bulk in the lower bodyand lasts half an hour on sand-covered clay in the gym of a stable indowntown Tokyo. Three hours ofexercises, including leg splits and anelaborate foot shuffling routine,culminate in one-on-one clashes ina circular combat ring, a tradition-

steeped form of wrestling practicedin Japan for hundreds of years. Man-mountains grapple and

thrust against each other, trying tothrow down or force their opponentout of the ring, watched over from araised wooden platform bystablemaster Tadahiro Otake, whosits cross-legged in front of a smallaltar. The sand is raked by bamboobrooms, sprayed with water andsprinkled with salt for purificationwhile the combatants wipe sweatfrom their bulging bodies.A few weeks earlier, the wrestlers

had performed their daily exercisesin front of the body of stable founderKoki Naya – better known by hisring name of "Taiho" (GreatPhoenix) – after his January 19death. The former yokozuna (grandchampion) established the stable in1971 on his retirement from the ring.A similar morning training regimenwas taking place at Japan's 43 otherprofessional sumo stables, as

wrestlers geared up for the next bi-monthly tournament, opening onMarch 10 in Osaka. The caretaker-coach, Masataka Yuho, said thepractice had not changed in the fourdecades since he joined the stable,even as it struggled through some of

the scandals that have savaged thesport in recent years – marijuana useand illegal betting. "The atmosphereis totally different, though," saidYuho, 56, noting a rule change thatallowed live-in wrestlers to ownelectronic gadgets. "We were bannedfrom owning even a transistor radiowhen I started."

Most of the 610 wrestlers whocome under the aegis of thevenerable Japan Sumo Associationare lodged in stables like this one;living, eating and sleeping togetherin facilities that allow for littlepersonal space. Privacy, like respect,

must be earned. Only the 70wrestlers in the top two divisions arepermitted to live by themselves.Japan's declining birthrate and thegrowing popularity of other better-paid sports in Japan such as baseballhave made it increasingly difficult torecruit wrestlers. Fewer youngJapanese want to endure the

privations of a whole way of life toearn 150,000 yen ($1,600) everyother month, half of what new high-school graduates earn. It is differentfor those at the top of a sportdominated by foreigners. Mongoliangrand champion Hakuho wasestimated to have earned more than150 million yen last year in monthlywages, special allowances, sponsors'prize money and endorsements. "Every part of sumo life is very

tough," said Egyptian AbdelrahmanAhmed Shaalan, the highest rankedamong Otake's eight wrestlers, whoneeds to climb 23 ranks to crack intothe second division. "The only joy Ihave is the feeling that I'm comingclose to my dream" of beingyokozuna, said the 21-year-old, thefirst professional sumo wrestler fromeither Africa or the Arab world. Withthe ring name of "Osunaarashi"(Great Sandstorm), Shaalan – 189centimetres (6 feet 2 inches) and 145kilogram’s (320 pounds) – has lost

only five of his 35 regular matchessince his debut in March last year. After their morning workout, the

wrestlers bathe and eat their firstmeal of the day. As in many areas ofJapanese life, the younger wrestlersmust wait for the older ones. Themen, aged between 19 and 32 withcareers ranging from less than 12months to 17 years, are served aheavy stew, called "chankonabe", asthey sit on the floor around a smalltable in the dining room-kitchen. The stable was established in 1974

when Taiho retired from the ring. Heserved as stablemaster untilretirement in 2004 when heentrusted it to a former high-ranking wrestler who married one ofhis daughters. Five of the men whopassed through the stable made itinto the top division, the last ofwhich, a Russian wrestler,quit the sport in disgrace in 2008after testing positive formarijuana.

Japan’s sumo wrestlers grapple with tradition

Only the 70 wrestlers in the top two divisions arepermitted to live by themselves. Japan's decliningbirthrate and the growing popularity of other better-paid sports in Japan such as baseball have made itincreasingly difficult to recruit wrestlers.

Indian players celebrate their victory over Australia in the second Test on Tuesday. �AGENCIES

Sri Lanka's Samaraweeramulls retirement

HYDERABAD: Australia had beenexpected to struggle against spin onday four, but the collapse thatpanned out on Tuesday morningwas perhaps swifter than they toocould have envisioned. IshantSharma set the tone with his bestspell of the series, but it was thespinners Ravindra Jadeja and RAshwin who ran through the line-up to inflict an innings-and-135-runwin on the hapless tourists. India'ssecond-biggest win over Australiawas MS Dhoni's 22nd, makinghim the country's most successfulTest captain ever.Australia were simply suPocated

in a probing 35 overs of play. Ishantfound some reverse swing and triedto strangle the batsmen down theleg side, before Jadeja removedMichael Clarke, Ed Cowan andMoises Henriques in threesuccessive overs as Australiacrashed from 108 for 3 to 111 for 6.Ashwin simply had to pitch the ballon the stumps to elicitapprehension, and finished with 5for 63 as Australia folded for 131,thus becoming the first team to losea Test by an innings after declaringtheir first innings.Trailing by 192 runs, Australia

were looking to Cowan and ShaneWatson to lay a platform but insteadthey lost Watson for the addition ofone run to the overnight total. AsSachin Tendulkar had on Monday,Watson tickled a leg-side deliverydown the pads to a diving MSDhoni. It was Ishant's first wicket ofthe series after 39 overs.Ishant was confident he had

Clarke caught oP the pads too eventhough replays did not show anedge, and had words with theAustralian captain. That excellentspell (5-2-5-1) had set Australia backfurther, and with spin from both

ends the pressure was building.Clarke's response to the verbalbanter and pressure of four close-catchers was to dance down and loftJadeja for six over mid-oP; however,the aggression was short-lived. Asuperb delivery from Jadeja, withplenty of drift and a hint of turn, beatClarke's forward prod and cannonedinto oP stump. Jadeja had bowledClarke in the first innings too.Ashwin extracted Glenn Maxwell

with a carom ball; Peter Siddlepoked Jadeja to gully; Wade edgedAshwin to slip; and Australia hadlost six wickets for 22 runs in 12.3overs. The final wicket fell whenAshwin trapped James Pattinsonlbw for a 27-ball 0. �AGENCIES

India scoreinnings winover Aussies

Hosts lead Test series 2-0

SCOREBOARDAUSTRALIA FIRST INNINGS 237 (M Clarke91, M Wade 62, B Kumar 3-53, R Jadeja 3-33)INDIA FIRST INNINGS 503 (C Pujara 204, MVijay 167, G Maxwell 4-127, X Doherty 3-131)AUSTRALIA SECOND INNINGS (overnight74-2)E Cowan c Sehwag b Jadeja 44D Warner b Ashwin 26P Hughes b Ashwin 0S Watson c Dhoni b Sharma 9M Clarke b Jadeja 16M Wade c Sehwag b Ashwin 10M Henriques run out (Jadeja) 0G Maxwell lbw b Ashwin 8P Siddle c Kohli b Jadeja 4J Pattinson lbw b Ashwin 0X Doherty not out 1EXTRAS: (B 7, LB 6) 13TOTAL: (all out; 67 overs) 131FALL OF WICKETS: 1-56, 2-56, 3-75, 4-108,5-111, 6-111, 7-123, 8-130, 9-130, 10-131BOWLINGKumar 6-4-7-0Ashwin 28-12-63-5Harbhajan 10-7-10-0Jadeja 18-8-33-3Sharma 5-2-5-1Toss: Australia and chose to batMan of the match: C Pujara (India)Umpires: K Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and MErasmus (South Africa)Third umpire: S RaviMatch referee: C Broad (England)

OUR STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI: Pakistan andIndia on Tuesday postponedtheir snooker series plannedfor this week over securityfears in host city Karachi,following a bomb attack thatkilled 48 people. The four-day series – the first betweenthe arch-rivals in almosteight years – was due to starton Thursday but the visitorsvoiced concerns afterSunday’s blast and asked forthe series to be played later.Pakistan Snooker andBilliards Associationpresident Alamgeer Sheikh

said it was a mutual decisionto postpone the clash. “Itwas not possible for anycountry to play in Karachiafter the deadly blast and weaccepted India's request tohold the series until thesituation gets better in thecity,” Sheikh told media.The neighbours have not

played a snooker series since2005, when India visited.All sporting ties were frozenafter the deadly attacks onMumbai in 2008, whichwere blamed on Pakistan-based militants. Cricketingties were revived after a gapof five years when Pakistan

toured India in December-January for a shortlimited-overs series. Despitethe interruption, Sheikhpraised India for agreeing tothe series. “India had showna great gesture to agree onthe series and four of theirplayers were due to arrive onWednesday, but it'sdisappointing that thesituation forced us to put theseries on hold,” said Sheikh.Snooker and billiards arefast-growing sports in thesub-continent, andPakistan's Mohammad Asifwon the world amateursnooker title last year.

Karachi bombingdelays Pakistan-Indiasnooker competition

Hamas banswomenrunnersGAZA: The main UnitedNations agency in Gazahas cancelled the annualmarathon in the smallPalestinian territory afterruling Hamas Islamistsbanned women from therace. Hamas said havingwomen in the annualevent, scheduled for April10, contravened Islamictradition even thoughdozens of Palestinianschoolgirls had started thetwo previous marathons."This disappointingdecision followsdiscussions with theauthorities in Gaza, whohave insisted that nowomen shouldparticipate," the UnitedNations Relief and WorksAgency (UNRWA), whichsponsors the race, said in astatement.This year's field of 1,500

schoolchildren and 800adults was to have includeda record number of women– 260 Palestinians and 119foreigners, UNRWA said.The children's participationis symbolic – they begin therace but run only a fewhundred metres, while theadults do the full 42 km (26miles). "The marathon wasan annual event to showsolidarity with thePalestinian people and toraise funds for summercamps organised byUNRWA which serve atleast 250,000schoolchildren," said AdnanAbu Hasna, the agency'smedia adviser in Gaza.Relations between UNRWAand Hamas, which hascontrolled the Gaza Stripsince 2007 and is shunnedby the West over its hostilitytowards Israel, have beenstrained at times.Some Hamas oOcials

have accused UNRWA offailing to includerepresentatives of the Gazagovernment when UNRWAhas hosted meetings withinternational visitors.Several Hamas lawmakershave been critical of thecurriculum in UNRWA-runschools. �AGENCIES

Gaza marathoncancelled

OUR STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE: Pakistan's cricket chiefZaka Ashraf threw his weight behindunder-fire coach Dav Whatmore onTuesday, after the national team's 3-0Test whitewash in South Africa,saying he was doing a good job.Whatmore, appointed Pakistan coacha year ago, came in for severe criticismfrom former captains Wasim Akram,Moin Khan and Rashid Latif whocalled for the former Australianbatsman to be sacked.Appointed on a two-year contract,

Whatmore guided Pakistan to theAsia Cup title and a one-day serieswin over arch-rivals India but lostconsecutive Test series in Sri Lankaand South Africa.Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)

chairman Zaka vowed there wouldbe no hasty decisions on Whatmore'sfuture. “Whatmore is under contractwith the PCB and is performingwell,” Ashraf said. “There is acommittee which evaluates eachperson under contract and submitsits report. We take decisions only onmerit and performance of theindividuals.”Pakistan has a history of sacking

coaches, showing the door to theirlast foreign coach GeoP Lawson afteronly a year in the job in 2008.Whatmore's own appointment in

March last year came as a surpriseafter his predecessor Mohsin Khanwas widely acclaimed for bringingstability to the team and leadingthem to a 3-0 Test whitewash overEngland. But the latest Testcapitulation prompted Mohsin tolash out at Whatmore, whomasterminded Sri Lanka's 1996World Cup triumph, calling himover-rated and saying he was"fighting for survival".Pakistan bounced back with a

convincing win in Sunday'sTwenty20 match and a PCB oOcialspeaking on condition of anonymitysaid Whatmore should not be judgedon Tests alone. "Undoubtedly, theTest performance is a concern butour results in other formats are notbad. People who are criticising thecoach must look at the team's overallperformance," the oOcial said.Pakistan's Twenty20 captain

Mohammad Hafeez, who blitzed amatch-winning 86 on Sunday as thetourists hammered South Africa by95 runs in the second T20, alsobacked Whatmore. “It (criticism ofWhatmore) was unfair,” Hafeez saidin his post-match comments. “If theresults of one format do not come inyour favour, it does not mean theboys are not working hard or thecoach is not good enough. Those areall premature statements,” he said.

Zaka backs under-firecoach Whatmore

OUR STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE: India players have reaped therewards for an innings and 135 runs win overAustralia in the second Test in Hyderabad bymaking a charge on the latest ICC Test PlayerRankings, which were released on Tuesday.The biggest gains have been made bybatsman Cheteshwar Pujara and oP-spinnerRavichandran Ashwin, who have achievedtheir career-best rankings in batting andbowling respectively. Pujara, named player ofthe match for his double-century in thesecond Test, has jumped 12 places to a career-best 11th position, while Ashwin, who hadmatch figures of six for 104, is now at a best-ever eighth spot, having jumped threepositions. In the ICC Player Rankings forTest batsmen, second-ranked Australiacaptain Michael Clarke has dropped threeratings points and now trails number-oneranked Hashim Amla by 13 ratings points.Matthew Wade also moved to 52nd (up by

four) and Murali Vijay, the other Testcenturion in Hyderabad, has jumped 27places to 60th. In the ICC Player Rankingsfor Test bowlers, Australia’s fast bowlerJames Pattinson has broken into the top 20in 20th position (up by one), while otherbowlers to improve their rankings includeHarbhajan Singh in 25th (up by one),Ravindra Jadeja in 40th (up by 23) andBhuvaneshwar Kumar in 97th (up by 28).The bowlers’ table is still headed by SouthAfrica’s Dale Steyn with his teammateVernon Philander in second place and

Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal in third place. ICC Test Championship Table and prize

money: Apart from the ongoing India-Australia Test series, there are two moreseries scheduled to be held before the 1 Aprilcut-oP date, as the battle for slots on theReliance ICC Test Championship Tableintensifies. New Zealand host England from6 March in a three-match series in Dunedin,while Bangladesh travel to Galle in Sri Lankato take on the host in a two-Test series fromMarch 8. South Africa have already sealedtheir position as the number-one ranked Testside at the April 1 cut-oP date, which meansthey have not only retained the Test mace buthave also been assured of a reward ofUS$450,000.But a further $750,000 is still up for grabs.

This money will be distributed to teams thatwill finish second (US$350,000), third(US$250,000) and fourth (US$150,000) onthe Championship table at the cut-oP date.The battle for second place is a three-way

race, with Australia, England and Indiahaving an opportunity to claim the spot intime for the cut-oP date. These three sidesare separated by 13 ratings points.

Pujara and Ashwin on risein ICC Test Player Rankings

Australia, England and India in battle for 2nd position