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HARIPUR: Chairman of Tehreek-e-Suba Hazara, Baba Haider Zaman addressing a protest rally on Sunday.

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US special forces mustleave Wardak, Logar

Taliban target Afghan intelligenceagency in 3 suicide attacks

Militants killsix labourers

in PasniPASNI—Militants gunned downsix labourers on the coastal high-way in Pasni’s Shadi Kor areain Gwadar district ofBalochistan province on Sun-day.

Six laborers, believed to benatives of Zhob, were shot at byunknown motorcycle-ridinggunmen. All the labourers diedon the spot after which the as-sailants escaped , according toLevies sources who alsoclaimed that it was a ‘target kill-ing’ incident.

The bodies were shifted toPasni hospital where arrange-ment were underway to shift thebodies to Karachi.

In another unrelated inci-dent FC troops conducted raidoperations in Killi Norak andGulistan Karez areas arrest-ingfour suspects according to aspokesman of the FC. However,

PM raisessalary of AGPR

employeesISLAMABAD—The Prime Min-ister has raised salary of AGPRemployees.

The employees have beenobserving strike for the last sev-eral days.

The AGPR had stoppedpreparation of developmentfunds as well as salaries. Theyhave also stopped the pay ofPresident House and PMHouse.—Online

Forces kill 6militants inKhyber AgencyLANDI KOTAL—At least sixmilitants were killed in a freshclash with security forces inKhyber tribal region onSunday, officials said.

According to politicaladministrator, the clash tookplace in Arjali Nadi area wheresecurity forces shot dead twomilitants. Meanwhile, PAF’sfighter jets pounded militantpositions at Teerah valley inKhyber Agency early Sundaymorning, destroying theirhideouts.

Extremism,terrorism realthreats: KairaSALIM AHMED

LAHORE—InformationMinister Qamar Zaman KairaSunday said that caretakersetup will be formed as perprovisions of the constitutionto hold general elections in atransparent and free manner.

Talking to reporters hereSunday, Kaira said thereshould be no doubt thatelections will take place ontime. Without naming the

Tauqir likely to berepatriated in 48 hoursABU DHABI—Former Oil andGas Regulatory Authority(OGRA) chairman TauqirSadiq, allegedly involved inRs80billion scam, is expected tobe brought back to Pakistanfrom the United Arab Emirates(UAE) within 48 hours.

According to sources in Pa-kistan embassy, UAE, all the rel-evant documents have beenhanded over to UAE authorities.

The sources added that Pa-kistani officials held meetingwith UAE authorities Sundaynight and handed over docu-ments to them.

It may be noted here thatTauqir Sadiq is allegedly in-volved in Rs80 billion corrup-tion and the case is under hear-ing in the Supreme Court of Pa-

kistan. The court had issued or-ders for his arrest in this scam.

Sources said on the instruc-tions of the Ambassador, theEmbassy of Pakistan in AbuDhabi remained open during theweekend holidays (Friday &Saturday) because of TouqirSadiq case.

The extradition file sent byNAB authorities reached CargoOffice at Abu Dhabi airport Sun-day evening. The Embassy staff,without waiting for the couriercompany to deliver it next day,immediately rushed to the airportto collect the file directly fromthe cargo to avoid delay.

The NAB team was imme-diately contacted to reach theEmbassy. The Embassy officerand NAB team signed and at-

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KABUL—Afghan PresidentHamid Karzai demanded Sun-day the withdrawal of US spe-cial forces from Wardak andLogar within two weeks, accus-ing them of fuelling “insecurityand instability” in the volatileprovinces neighbouring thecapital Kabul.

“In today’s national securitycouncil meeting… PresidentKarzai ordered the ministry ofdefence to kick out the US spe-cial forces from Wardak andLogar provinces within twoweeks,” said presidentialspokesman Aimal Faizi.

“The US special forces andillegal armed groups created bythem are causing insecurity, in-stability, and harass local peoplein these provinces,” he told apress conference.

The announcement wouldbe another blow to the prestigeof US-led forces as they prepareto withdraw combat troops fromthe war against Taliban insur-gents by the end of next year.

A US Forces Afghanistan(USFOR-A) spokesman said hewas aware of the reported com-ments by Faizi.

“We take all allegations ofmisconduct seriously and go togreat lengths to determine thefacts surrounding them,” hesaid.

“Until we have had a chanceto speak with senior (Afghan)officials about this issue we arenot in a position to commentfurther.

Meanwhile, Taliban suicidebombers targeted Afghan secu-

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Two Lashkar-e-Jhangvi groupsoperating in Pakistan: Malik

KHANEWAL/JAHANIAN—Federal Interior Minister,Rehman Malik Sunday said thattwo groups of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) working underMalik Ishaq and MaulanaLudhianvi were operating inPakistan.

Speaking to the media inSahiwal Malik added that allprovinces need to take actionagainst terrorism and if thePunjab government had acted onletters sent by him pertaining tothe LeJ, a tragedy such as the

one on Kirani road in Quettawould not have taken place.Malik said thatS after the 18thamendment, law and order wasthe responsibility of the provin-cial governments.

The interior minister addedthat information regarding anattack on the Hazara communityhad been given four days earlier,questioning whose fault it wasif the attack could not bestopped.

Talking to media Jahanian,Interior Minister said enemies

were working to destabilize thecountry but their nefarious de-signs would be foiled by forg-ing unity.

He said when Taliban be-come weak they talk about dia-logue; however‚ he said the gov-ernment would form a strongteam to have dialogue withthem.

“We don’t want to see sui-cide vests in the hands of ourfuture generations”, Maliksaid.

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PPP, MQM splitjust a sham: NawazGovt, Opposition to sit together for interim setup

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—Pakistan MuslimLeague–N President MianNawaz Sharif has expresseddoubts over the genuineness ofthe rift between the MuttahidaQaumi Movement and the Pa-kistan People’s Party saying thesplit between the two partiesmight be just a sham.

He, however, said that hecould not comment on the MQMand PPP relationship and

whether their separation wasreal or fake.

Talking to media in Lahoreon Sunday, the PML-N headsaid the MQM’s decision tomove into the opposition afterserving four years and 11months in power was beyond hiscomprehension. He said hecould not tolerate hypocrisy andurged Pakistan People’s Party tostop the politics of hypocrisy inSindh. He said that PPP distrib-uted sweets on Local Bodies Bill

and afterward annulled it andagain distributed sweets.

He further said it is possiblethat the two parties are ‘fight-ing’ because the provincial as-semblies are about to be dis-solved, and a caretaker chiefminister is to be elected by thegovernment — the PPP — andthe opposition, now led by theMQM. “Why did the MQM notleave the government three orfour years back? Why does it 15

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Pak humiliatedby innings

defeatCENTURION—Pakistanwere crushed by SouthAfrica with a humiliatinginnings and 18 run defeatwhile also being cleanswept in the three-matchTest series here at the

SuperSport Park on Sunday.After compiling 409 in the

first innings, South Africabowled Pakistan out twice towin the third and final Test byan innings and 18 runs as thematch ended within three days.

Ministerrefuses to signsummary of

Pak SteelISLAMABAD—Federal Ministerfor Production Anwar AliCheema has refused to sign anysummary relating to PakistanSteel Mills in view of the poormanagement by Chief ExecutiveOfficer Retd Major GeneralMohammad Javed despite abailout package by the govern-ment.

Because of his refusal, theECC last week rejected a sum-

PML-N MPAjoins PPP

DG KHAN—Pakistan MuslimLeague-Nawaz (PML-N) MPAfrom Dera Ghazi Khan MirBadshah Khan Qaisrani, alongwith his companions, joined thePakistan People’s Party (PPP) onSunday. He announced this dur-ing a meeting with Faryal Talpur.

Detailed story on Page 16

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Major cities plunge into darknessafter power breakdown

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—A major powerfailure occurred in cities acrossPakistan late Sunday night.Urban centres includingKarachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi,Islamabad, Gujranwala,Multan, Quetta and Peshawarwere affected after a fault de-

veloped in the National PowerControl Centre (NPCC).

A 1200-megawatt Hubcopower plant tripped which leadto a system failure across Paki-stan, according to the Water andPower Development Authority(Wapda).

In Karachi 36 grid stationstripped. At least 70 per cent of

the city plunged into darkness,reports suggested. In the restof Sindh there were reports ofpower failures.

In Quetta and surround-ing areas of the provincialcapital, power supply was sus-pended too following the faultat NPCC. Apart from Quetta,

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HAFIZABAD: DCO Farah Masood distributing anti-dengue pamphlets among the people after awareness walk tomark Anti-Dengue Day organized by Health Department.

SWAT: Furniture of CCU Ward of Saidu Sharif Hospital was damaged due to fire whicherupted in the building by a short circuit.

FAISALABAD: A large number of rickshaws standing in queue at a CNG Station due toclosed CNG station for gas load management in city.

GUL HAMAAD FAROOQI

CHITRAL—Rural Commu-nity DevelopmentProgramme (RCDP), in col-laboration with Citizens Ac-tion for Peace and Develop-ment (CADP) a project ofSouth Asia Partnership(SAP) for Pakistan, has es-tablished different villagelevel peace youth groups tosolve petty conflicts at dif-ferent union councils.

They completed differ-ent training workshops formale and female youth ofChitral. The project waslaunched in Novemberlastyear. Its first quarter wassuccessfully completed.Under the auspices of SAPfive village committees com-prising of 25 members of

each group, 5 village levelpeace youth groups com-prising over 200 youth aswell as three village levelwomen groups of 75 womenwere established.

These women groupwill solve women problemson volunteer basis. Two-day training session andfollow-up activities werearranged twice for enhanc-ing their skill and capacitybuilding for resolvingthese issues.

Similarly two trainingcamps on mobilization andemerging need were alsoconducted for village levelcommittees. They will workas instrument for resourcesmobilization and accumula-tive development practicescooperating with line agen-

cies. Engineer Temour Shah,Coordinator of RCDP, whiletalking to journalists saidthat all of these members willplay vital role in solvingthese issues on volunteerbasis.

He said that youth willcoordinate with village levelcommittees for controllingand resolving petty conflictsand small issues causinggreat tussles. He said thatthey had established thesevillage groups at Chamrkun,Jughor Goaldor, HoonFaizabad, Ushasht andMahtoomabad.

He said that they weretrying their best to energizeand strengthen these youthsfor solving these issues andto maintain peaceful environ-ment of Chitral.

Local peace groups set up tosolve village level disputes Ruling coalition

based on selfinterest: Hashmi

OK A R A—The PakistanTehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) presi-dent Makhdoom JavedHashmi said on Sunday thatthe ruling coalition wasbased on the politics of selfinterests that is way it re-peatedly breaks and thenrecurs.

In a meeting with localnotables here, JavedHashmi said different con-spiracies have beenhatched on daily basis asthe general elections aredrawing nearer. He said theruling coalition is afraid ofthe tsunami of change.

He said the change com-ing through the ballot willend the politics of self in-terest. He said the nation ispinning its hopes on ImranKhan. He said the PTI wantstimely elections despite res-ervations over the proce-dure of conduct of elec-tions. —INP

Girl dies ofmeasles

KANDHKOT—A four-year-old girl died of measles hereon Sunday. According to re-ports, the girl died in GulsherMuhalla area of the city.

As many as 128 childrenhave died in the district inlast two months.

Measles is caused by themeasles virus, a single-stranded, negative-senseenveloped RNA virus of thegenus Morbillivirus withinthe family Paramyxoviridae.Humans are the natural hostsof the virus; no animal reser-voirs are known to exist. Thishighly contagious virus isspread by coughing andsneezing via close personalcontact or direct contact withsecretions.—INP

Death anniversaryof Khushal

Khattak todayI S L A M A B A D — P o p u l a rPashto poet Khushal KhanKhattak will be rememberedon his 134rth death anniver-sary to be observed on Mon-day (February 25) . He wasborn in Akora Khattak inNowshera district in Karak.

Khushal Khan Khattakwas a scholar, thinker, phi-losopher and poet. KhushalKhan’s poetry consists ofmore than 45,000 poems.

According to some his-torians, the number of bookswritten by Khattak are morethan 200. His more famousbooks are Baz-nama,Swat-nama,Fazl-nama, Tibb-nama,and Firaq-nama. KhushalKhan Khattak died on Feb-ruary 25, 1689.—APP

Campaign againstpower thefts

MULTAN—Multan ElectricPower Company (MEPCO)has decided to launch a spe-cial campaign at trade centresto control power pilferage.

According to MEPCOsources, checking teams wereformed at circle, division andsub-division level. The teamswill monitor trade centres from6 pm to 11 pm in winter sea-son while from 6 pm to 12 pmin summer season.—APP

40 shopsdemolished

MULTAN—The town munici-pal administration demolished40 shops to extend Chungi No9 Road on Sunday. The townmunicipal administration ledby operation land officerFarooq Khan and AzamKaleem with heavy machinerylaunched an operation earlymorning under the direction ofthe district administration.

Heavy police contin-gents were also present toavoid any unpleasant inci-dent.—APP

Abductors freeRevenue Deptt

employeeTANK—An abducted em-ployee of revenue departmentwas set free on Sunday and hereached home safely, policesources said.

Muhammad IbrahimPatwari was taken away byunidentified armed personsfrom village Jamal when hewas returning home from of-fice a few months back. Hetold police that he did notknow where he was kept dur-ing his abduction days andadded that he could not iden-tify the abductors.—INP

National debatesbegin at GCU

LAHORE—The 18th NationalGCU Parliamentary-style De-bates 2013, began at the Gov-ernment College University(GCU) here on Sunday underthe auspices of the DebatingSociety GCU. According to apress release issued hereSunday, some 120 speakersfrom 40 educational institu-tions including UET, PunjabUniversity, FCC UniversityLahore, LUMS, Kinnaird Col-lege, UCL, Lahore School ofEconomics, Beaconhouseand Lahore Grammar Schoolwill participate in the sixrounds of contests.

The participants, at thepreliminary rounds of thecontests,debated on the“need for expansion of met-ropolitan cities into semi-ur-ban rural areas”, “openingIndian markets to US multi-nationals”.—APP

PESHAWAR—The Chief Min-ister Khyber Pakthunkhwa,Ameer Haider Khan HotiSunday sought more invest-ment in education sector forprogress and development ofnation.

The Chief Minister saidwhile addressing a functionon the 5th Foundation Dayof Abdul Wali Khan Univer-sity (AWKU) in Mardan andlaunching of Naway SehrLaptop scheme in Mardan.

For a brighter future ofpeople of KhyberPakthunkhwa, he said theGovernment has allocated 4percent of the total GDP foreducation that was a bigachievement besides estab-lishment of eight universitiesin the province.

He said establishment of

universities in KP by theGovernment would ensurepeace, tolerance and pros-perity in KhyberPakthunkhwa.

Vice Chancellors of differ-ent public sector universitiesbesides MNA HimayatullahMayar and MPA Ghani DadKhan were present on theoccasion. He congratulatedthe recipients of the laptopsthat were possible due totheir hard work and excel inthe study.

The Chief Minister saidthat Abdul Wali Khan Uni-versity in four years attaineda reputable status among theuniversities of Pakistan aswell as in the world universi-ties. He said that promotionof computer education is theneed of the hour and govern-

ment took good steps by in-troducing laptop scheme toencourage young lot, addingmerit is the hallmark of thescheme. He said that morethan 935 students of Mardanwould be facilitated with thisscheme. Haider Hoti saidAWKU campuses have beenestablished in Nowshera, Dir,Buner and Chitral to quenchthe education thrust of thestudents of these areas attheir doorstep.

He said that Bacha KhanUniversity and University ofSwabi was possible due tothe achievements of AWKU.He underlined the need tostrengthen these two univer-sities financially and admin-istratively and the role playedby AWKU would be highlycommendable.—APP

CM seeks big investmentin education sector

PESHAWAR—The Met Officehere Sunday predicted isolatedrain in Bannu, Kohat andMalakand division of KhyberPakthunkhwa during next 48hours.

According to Met Officehere, a fresh westerly troughis likely to affect western andupper parts of the country fromMonday evening/night andexpected to persist for two tothree days. This will bring iso-lated rain in Bannu, Kohat,Malakand division, northeastBalochistan and GilgitBaltistan during next 48 hours.

However, continental air isprevailing over most parts ofthe country. In next 24 hours,mainly cold and dry weather isexpected in most parts of thecountry, however isolated rainmay occur in Malakand divi-sion Gilgit-Baltistan. Theweather of Abbottabad, Swatdistricts and Parachinar, head-quarter of Kurram Agency willremain partly cloudy duringthe aforesaid period.

Weather remained coldand dry in most parts of thecountry, However isolated rainoccurred in Lahore andGujranwala divisions in last 24hours. Maximum rain was re-ceived by Sialkot (AP) 15mmfollowed by Sialkot (City)14mm, Lahore (AP) 11mm,Okara 4mm and Lahore (PBO)3mm. Agriculture experts saidthe recent moderate rain hasbrought positive effect on thewheat crops in arid and semiarid areas of KhyberPakthunkhwa and expected in-crease in overall production ofthe commodity due to timelyshowers. The farmers of Karak,DI Khan, Bannu and Kohat dis-tricts were largely benefitedfrom the rain.

Parachinar and Astore -6Chave remained the coldestplaces of the country followedby Kalam -4C, Hunza &Malamjabba -3C, Kalat andGupis -2C respectively. Pollen

count remained 15 per cubicmeter.

Metereological ChiefMuhammad Hanif Khan haspredicted mainly cold and dryweather in most parts of thecountry during next 24 hours.

Temperature of some ma-

jor cities recorded on Sundaymorning was: Islamabad andLahore 8 degree centigrade,Karachi 17, Peshawar 10,Quetta -1, Gilgit 5 andMuzaffarabad 9 degree centi-grade. A westerly wave is af-fecting Northern parts of thecountry and likely to moveeastward during next 12-24hours.

However rain with snow-fall over the hills is likely at Iso-lated places of NortheastPunjab (Rawalpindi, Lahore,Gujranwala divisions), Kash-mir and Gilgit-Baltistan duringthe day time. He said weathernext 48 hours will remain mainlycold & dry weather in mostparts of the country.

Chief amount of rainfallduring last 24 hours in mmwas as follows :Garidupatta40, Dir, Mangla, Kotli 30,Rawalakot 28, Gujranwala 26,Parachinar 25, Murree, Sialkot(City) 24, Chhor 22, ShaheedBenazirabad 21, Balakot 19,Bahawalnagar 17, Kalam 16,Chirat 15, Malamjabba 14,Muzaffarabad 12, Islamabad11, Lower Dir, Padidan 10,Kakul, Quetta (SM) 09,Saidusharif, Risalpur 08,Chitral, Drosh, Mirkhani 07,Quetta (PBO) 06, Okara, D.GKhan, Sahiwal, M.B.Din,Sibbi, Mirpurkhas, Kalat 05mm. Snowfall: Kalam &Murree 04 inch.—APP

Met Office predicts rain forBannu, Malakand divisions

Serious steps urgedagainst polio

MULTAN—In charge ofWorld Health Organization(WHO) Punjab, Dr Farnando,said on Sunday polio was adangerous disease and seri-ous steps should be takenfor its eradication.

Addressing a meeting atRohri Club Chanab, DrFarnando urged governmentand non-governmentorganisations to play role insaving the country from thedisease. He said that duringyear 2011 not a single poliocase was recorded in Punjaband added that polio caseswere recorded in 2012 whichwas an alarming situation.

President Rohri ClubChanab, Dr Naveed Ahmed, saidthat every citizen should play arole in eradication of polio. ProfMuhammad Hussain Azad,Chaudhry Farooq, Dr Athar, DrAbid, Rao Jamshaid Ali and ProfTanveer Ahmed were alsopresent. Scores of students andemployees of Government PilotSecondary School took out arally for eradication of dengueat Nawan Shehar Chowk onSunday.—APP

Couple dies inroof collapse

SIALKOT—A couple diedwhile another person sustainedinjuries when roof of a housesuddenly came down on earlySunday morning here. Accord-ing to details, roof of a mud andstone made dilapidated houselocated in Mehtpur locality ofSialkot collapsed as the area re-ceived heavy rain during lasttwo days.

As a result of roof cave in,a couple sleeping in the housedied while another person sus-tained wounds. The relativesand neighbours on self help ba-sis dug out the bodies and in-jured from the rubble andshifted them to Tehsil Head-quarters (THQ) Hospital.—INP

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—Provincial Min-ister for Law, RanaSanaullah has said thatRehman Malik is accusingPunjab government only tocover his own incompe-tence, but no matter howmuch hue and cry he raises,nobody is ready to trusthim, as the former record ofRehman Malik is witness tothe fact that he has neverspoken truth in his life.

Commenting upon thestatement of RehmanMalik, Rana Sanaullah saidthat the statements ofRehman Malik for theachievement of selfish po-litical interests are highlyregrettable and reprehen-sible. He said Punjab gov-ernment has always takena strong action against ter-rorist organizations. Hesaid that Shahbaz Sharif ’sgovernment had arrested

Malik Ishaq twice in thepast, while many extremistshave also been put behindthe bars, due to which lawand order si tuat ion inPunjab province is muchbetter as compared to therest of the country. RanaSanaullah said that insteadof taking any practical ac-tion, Rehman Malik issuesonly empty statementsagainst terrorism after ev-ery tragic incident.

He said metro busproject is a living proof oftransparency, as Punjabgovernment has alwayskept quality and transpar-ency in developmentprojects uppermost, whilefederal government has es-tablished records of cor-ruption. He said the lootand plunder of corruptionking Zardari is well-knownto everyone, but peoplewould vote out this gangof thieves and looters, in

Nobody trusts Rehman Malikthe forthcoming generalelections, and it would beeliminated from the politi-cal scene forever.

Political workers asked to unitePESHAWAR—Finance Minister KhyberPakthunkhwa and PPP leader, EngrHamayun Khan here Sunday urged partyworkers to stand united for general elec-tions and appraise masses about thevarious achievements of PakistanPeoples Party. “Unity is the key to foilthe propaganda of opponents andachieve hundred percent results in gen-eral elections,” he said while address-ing different public meetings in

Batakhela, Totakan, Hasaar Baba and Dheri Jolgram inMalakand district. He said in the upcoming elections po-litical workers should stand united for it as propagandaagainst PPP would only be foiled by unity in our ranks andbest performance in elections. The PPP leader said elec-tions would be held on time and preparations would fur-ther gain momentum after dissolution of national and pro-vincial assemblies. He said Benazir Bhutto Shaheed hadlaid down her life for restoration of democracy in the coun-try and to carry forward her mission we need to shun dif-ferences and work for strengthening of democracy sys-tem. He said PPP-led government had achieved success inevery field on the basis of its people-friendly policies andit would win the next elections with great margin. He saidMalakand was the stronghold of PPP and would get over-whelming victory from here like in the past from here ingeneral election that is around the corner. He assured thatthere would be no delay in coming elections and the gov-ernment would consult all the stakeholders for the interimset-up to ensure free, fair and transparent polls. The demo-cratic institutions are mature enough to take political ini-tiatives and decisions to hold free, fair and transparentelection in the country in line of the framework of the con-stitution. He said that Parliament is supreme institution tofollow the voice of common masses of the country and tomaintain strong democracy in the country. On this occa-sion, hundreds of political workers of other parties an-nounced joining of PPP and assured full confidence in theleadership of the Minister of PPP.—APP

ANP not to accept polls delayPE S H AWA R—Khyber PakhtunkhwaMinister for Information MianIftikhar Hussain Saturday said theAwami National Party (ANP) wouldnot accept any delay in holding ofgeneral elections in the country. Ad-dressing the oath taking ceremony ofSwat Press Club here, he said anti-democratic forces wanted to delayelections on the pretext of securitysituation in the country. This is not a

valid reason as elections were held in Afghanistan andIraq despite civil war there, he added. The InformationMinister said the ANP government took all parties intoconfidence over important national issues, inlcudingnegotiations with the terrorists in Malakand and mili-tary action in the area. Terming the reconciliatory policyof ANP one of its major successes, he rejected theimpression that his party thought of negotiations withterrorists towards the end of i ts tenure. The ANPstarted the dialogue process four years back. How-ever, the talks could not succeed because of stubbornattitude of the terrorists, he added. For the first timepeople started siding with the government against theterrorists, who were left alone, he said. He said being aleading party of the province, the ANP had startednegotiations with the terrorists and organized all par-ties conference on the issue in the Federal Capital. Allthe major political parties of the country attended theAPC and agreed to start negotiations with the terror-ists, he added. Mian Iftikhar claimed that five yearsperformance of ANP was much better than the pastgovernments in 63 years of the country. Regardinglaunching of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa TV, he said thatfunds had been allocated for the project and all othercodal formalities had been completed. Only licence fromPEMRA and NOC was awaited. The Information Min-ister directed for expediting developmental work inSwat Media Colony and release of Rs 2 million to theSwat Press Club announced by Chief Minister KhyberPakhtunkhwa Ameer Haider Khan Hoti.—APP

Punjab govt taking agri promotion stepsMU LTA N —Provincial Minister forAgriculture Haji EhsaanuddinQureshi said the Punjab governmentis taking all possible steps to promoteagriculture. Talking to a Korean del-egation on Sunday, the provincialminister said the government at-tached priority to agriculture. TheKorean delegation led by ChhoieChin apprised the minister that Ko-rea was interested in investing in the

fertiliser sector. He added that Korea wanted to see aprosper Pakistan. The provincial minister said thePunjab government would provide facilities to inves-tors. Chief Coordinator Labour Department PunjabHamid Khan, Ayub Minhas and Ehsaan Batalvi werealso present.—APP

‘Vote for honest candidates’SARAI —Federal Minister for Infor-mation and Broadcast ing QamarZaman Kaira urged the people to votefor honest , deserving and capablecandidates in the forthcoming elec-tions. The people should make judi-cious use of their vote and elect ca-pable candidates as it is necessaryto change the destiny of the country,he added. Addressing a public gath-ering here at Saadatpur village, Kaira

said people’s active participation and their correct de-cision could make the differnce, otherwise the situa-tion would not improve if wrong and incapable per-sons were elected to the assemblies. He called on thepeople to vote on the basis of merit instead of Biradrism(caste system) if they aspired for a real change. TheInformation Minister said the Pakistan Peoples Partywould win the general elections on the basis of itsperformance.—APP

‘PPP made record sacrifices for democracy’DIPALPUR—Mian Manzoor AhmadWattoo says President Zardari has en-couraged alliance politics to face thechallenges being faced by the coun-try. The President PPP Central PunjabMian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo has saidthat President Asif Ali Zardari has en-couraged alliance politics to face thechallenges being faced by the coun-try. Addressing party workers atDipalpur near Okara Sunday‚ he said

that PPP leadership laid unprecedented sacrifices for de-mocracy and became popular among public by practicalmeasures. Manzoor Wattoo asked the party workers tomaintain unity in their ranks and continue efforts to takeforward the vision and mission of Shaheed Zulfiqar AliBhutto and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.—NNI

HYDERABAD: Tyres seen burning on main road during strike called by MQM against statement of Sindh ProvincialMinister for Education Pir Mazhar ul Haq.

PESHAWAR: A man and a kid seen colouring old carpets before selling at Shoba Bazaar.

SHER GONDAL

MANDI BAHAUDDIN—Se-nior Vice President PakistanEx-Servicemen Society(PESS) Mandi BahauddinMajor (Retd) Nasir Javed hassaid PESS would hold its 55thNational Council meeting onMarch 3 at HeadquartersPESS, Rawalpindi. He wastalking to media persons hereon Sunday.

He said the meetingwould discuss problems be-ing faced by soldiers after re-tirement relating to pensiongap between old and new re-tirees, rehabilitation, medicalallowance, and employmentquota in government depart-ments, disparity in welfarefacilities in rural and urbanarea and widows pension etc,and evolve a strategy to ad-

dress them.Current situation prevail-

ing in the country and apa-thy towards ex-soldiersshown by rulers would alsobe brought under discussionand a specific and clear rolewould be defined for ex-ser-vicemen to play to rescuethe nation from ongoing tur-moil.

He said all appointmentholders of PESS from acrossthe country at center, dis-trict and tehsil levels wouldparticipate in the meeting.***** Mandi Bahauddin ex-servicemen have congratu-lated Usman Sher Gondal onhis election as finance sec-retary Lahore High Court BarAssociation with over-whelming majority. PresidentPakistan Ex-Servicemen So-ciety, Mandi Bahauddin

Chapter, while talking tomedia persons here on Sun-day said it was a matter ofpride and joy for ex-service-men and other people of thisdistrict that Usman SherGondal Advocate belongingto their district had won aprestigious slot of LahoreHigh Court Bar Associationas an independent candi-date.

He also congratulated hissupporters includingWaseem Maken, FatehMuhammad Gondal, andFarooq Gondal ex-presidentDBA Mandi Bahauddin. Ona question he said Usmanobtained 5,542 votes whilehis opponents ShabnamNagi and Feroza Malik, bothwomen candidates secured1,382 and 1,228 votes respec-tively.

PESS meeting to discuss problemsfaced by retired personnel

M. HALEEM ASAD

TIMERGARA—Teachers’ or-ganizations of Dir Lowerhave demanded of theKhyber Pakhtunkhwa gov-ernment and higher authori-ties of education departmentto change the policy of post-ing of newly upgradedteachers in the Lower Dir.Talking to journalists here onSunday district president ofIttehad-e-Asateza KhaliqueRahman, president ofMalgari Ustazan WazirMuhammad, president AllTeachers’ Association(ATA) Syed MuhammadShah, president Tanzeem-e-Asateza Sahibzada sadiqJan, president All CT Teach-ers Association MuhammadShoiab along with dozens of

government school teacherssaid that posting of newlyupgraded teachers had be-come a headache for admin-istration and community.They said that according tothe KP policy there wouldbe only one grade 15 PSTteacher at each primaryschool while the newly up-graded secondary schoolsteachers like CT, DM, AT,PET and TT in grade 16would be posted at high andhigher secondary schools.

They said that accordingto the policy no teacher ingrade 16 would serve in gov-ernment middle schools.Similarly, they viewed theadministration would alsoface difficulties to follow thegovernment spouse policyaccording to wishes of the

teachers.“This policy will cause a

big shuffle in education de-partment and the manage-ment will have no solution totackle it properly in near fu-ture,” Khalique Rahman saidand suggested the govern-ment should give personalscale to the upgraded teach-ers and they should be al-lowed to teach at the sameschools. The heads of theseorganizations demanded ofthe KPK government andauthorities of education de-partment to review the exist-ing policy of posting and takethem into confidence beforemaking any solid decision inthat regard. They also warnedto launch massive protestsacross the province if theirdemand was not materialized.

Change in newly upgradedteachers’ postings demanded

SHAFFAAT MALIK

TALAGANG—Male MobilizersAssociation (MMA) (Popula-tion Welfare Department)Chakwal took out a protestrally and demanded of thePunjab government on Sun-day that their jobs be madepermanent.

General SecretaryChakwal Male MobilizersAssociation Zafran Malikaddressed the protest rallyand said that on WorldPopulation Day July 2009Prime Minister Syed YousafRaza Gilani had agreed tomake the employees workingin Male Mobilization sectionpermanent.

However, because of

the 18th amendment whichbrought the departmentunder provincial control ,the prime minister ’s ordercould not be carried out.According to Malik,Punjab government is notshowing interest in this re-gard while lady healthworkers have been pro-moted as permanent em-ployees recently.

“We all are qualifiedpeople and working hard tomeet the goals of our de-partment,” he added. He ap-pealed the government tomake Male Mobilizers per-manent employees, other-wise, they would start hun-ger strike and launch pro-tests in the whole province.

MMA urges govt toregularise their services

HYDERABAD—Business ac-tivities were closed inHyderabad, the second largestcity of Sindh, because of anunannounced strike and firingin different areas on Sunday.Armed bike riders resorted toaerial firing in Latifabad, Sadar,Haider Chowk and other busymarket places, created frightand panic among citizenswhich closed all kind of busi-ness activities.

Busy markets of Latifabad,Reshamgali, Shahibazar, GariKhata, Tower Market andPakka Qila remained closed dueto an announced strike in thecity on the holiday, with low traf-fic on roads. Police said twopeople were injured in the fir-ing at Hyderabad’s Auto Bhan

Road.Tension gripped Karachi

and Hyderabad after theMuttahida Quami Movementannounced to protest againsta statement of Sindh EducationMinister Pir Mazharul Haqabout a public sector univer-sity in Hyderabad. Pir Mazharulsaid on Saturday that he delib-erately did not allow the set-ting up of a university inHyderabad and served as a‘bulwark’ against the project.

His statement came in thewake of MQM’s separationfrom the coalition governmentand subsequent repealing ofSind Peoples Local GovernmentOrdinance (SPLGO).

Meanwhile, Sindh Educa-tion Minister Pir Mazharul Haq

has said that he had not givenany statement that PPP wouldnot allow anyone to constructa university in Hyderabad. Headded that his statement wastwisted and tries to create dif-ferences between PPP andMQM.

In a statement issued onSunday, Pir Mazhar said that heupgraded Sir Ziauddin, BaqaiUniversity and others aftermaking legislation in SindhAssembly. Pir Mazhar said thatHyderabad was his city andseveral grave of his ancestorswere in Hyderabad. He addedthat one university would notbe constructed in Hyderabad,but two or four universitieswould be constructed in thecity.

He requested MQM lead-ers to not focus on such fakestatements. Meanwhile, theMuttahida Qaumi Movement(MQM) has laid into SindhEducation Minister PirMazharul Haq for his statementregarding a new university inHyderabad, and announcedprotests across Sindh. Haq ear-lier said that he would let anynew government university tobe established in the Sindh’ssecond-largest city,Hyderabad, at any cost.

In a statement issued today,the Rabita (Coordination) Com-mittee of the MQM severelycriticised Haq’s statement whatit called the beginning ofSindhi-Muhajir divide in theprovince. —Agencies

Strike, firing injures 2 peopleBusiness activities remain closed

Toxic milkclaims lives ofthree children

NOWSHEROFEROZ—At leastthree children died and sevenothers affected by taking teamade with toxic milk here lateSaturday night.

According to details,some relative families resid-ing jointly in Mehrabpur areaof Nowsheroferoz boughtmilk from a shop nearbyhome which became toxic dueto unknown reasons andmade tea for children to keepthem safe of chill caused byheavy and intermittent rain.

After taking tea condi-tion of all 10 children wors-ened, they fell unconsciousand were rushed to GambatHospital.

During treatment threechildren died while sevenothers were under treatmentwhere according to hospitalsources condition of threemore children was serious.

A case has been regis-tered into the incident andpolice after arresting theshopkeeper have started in-vestigation.—INP

PESHAWAR—The KPK Homeand Tribal Affairs Departmenton Sunday reminded thecommissioners of maintaininga computerized district-wisedata of non-local people.

The KhyberPakhtunkhwa Cabinet , inits 43rd special meeting onlaw and order situation, de-cided that the commission-ers would prepare, main-tain and periodically up-date computerized district-wise data of non-locals tak-ing abode in the district oftheir respective divisionsand the exercise should becarried out through therevenue field staff in ruralareas and municipal enti-

ties in urban areas.The Home and Tr ibal

Affairs Department was toprovide forms and formatsfor the purpose of unifor-mity and the data so pre-pared, was to be providedto the district police offic-ers and police to carry outground check and take se-quential actions.

The Home and TribalAffairs Department onSunday in a statementurged the Local Govern-ment, Elections and RuralDevelopment Departmentand all divisional commis-sioners to update the dataabout non-locals with theirlatest status.—APP

Commissioners asked toupdate non-locals’ data

PE S H AWA R—The poliocases has started reductionin Khyber Pakthunkhwadue to holding of vigorousimmunization and advo-cacy campaigns and onlyone positive case has beenreported this year, an offi-cial of Health Departmenttold APP on Sunday. Hesaid last year 27 polio caseswere reported in KhyberPaktunkhwa while only onecase registered this year inBannu, adding in the firsttwo months of 2012, fourcases were reported whileonly one case registered inthe first two months of this

year, showing a significantreduction.

One of the major rea-sons in i ts reductions isregular holding of NationalImmunization Days andSub National ImmunizationDays and reduction of re-fusal cases and t ime wasnot for away when this ail-ment would be wiped outfrom our province verysoon, he added.

Sti l l , Peshawar,Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi,Nowshera are vulnerabledistr icts where specialcampaigns are held fromtime to time to purge these

areas from the virus.He said polio virus can

be transmitted through useof contaminated water orfood and spreads primarilythrough the fecal-oralroute, especially in areaswhere sanitat ion is inad-equate. Polio is so conta-gious that anyone l ivingwith a recently infectedperson is likely to becomeinfected too, he said, add-ing this virus could only bedefeated by administeredanti polio vaccine to chil-dren under five years of ageon regular basis.

Due to effective vacci-

Vigorous immunization campaigns help reduce polio cases in KPnation and cooperation ofpeople besides improvedquality of water of Swat,Malakand, Dir Lower andAbbottabad districts, poliocases were almost eradi-cated in these areas, say-ing no polio case has beenreported from Swat sinceOctober last year that wasa great achievement. Asmany as 5.2 million childrenin Khyber Pakthunkhwaare being given Oral PolioVaccine from time to timewith help of Lady HealthWorkers and other staff toprotect children from thisfatal ailment.

He said security situa-tion, refusal cases, crossesborder movement and reli-gious factor are the majorreasons, which are hamper-ing our efforts in completeeradication of this crip-pling disease. He said greatresponsibilities lied on me-dia persons to write col-umns, features stories andnews articles besides docu-mentaries highlighting thecauses, investigations andtreatment of polio virus onregular basis for informa-t ion and education ofpeople to make Pakistanpolio free country.

He said sufficient vac-cination was available forupcoming campaigns andfoolproof security is beinggiven to field staff and ap-preciated the cooperationof polio and other securityagencies in this regard. Hesaid polio was not an he-reditary disease and Ulemaissued several Fatwas infavour of the vaccine forhuman consumptions. Hesaid polio eradication cam-paign in KP and Fata waspart of national emergencyplan of the government tomake Pakistan polio freedestination.—APP

RAWALPINDI—The ban onkite-f lying and metal l icstrings is openly being vio-lated in the city and can-tonment areas.

The residents of thecity have expressed con-cern over kite flying anduse of metallic strings. It isa question mark on the per-formance of authori t iesconcerned. The policeseem to have shut eyes askites can be seen flying inseveral areas of the city intotal voaltaion of the ban.

The areas includePeoples Colony, TenchBhatta, Dhoke Seydan,Kiani Road, DhokeChaudharian, Adyala Road,Bakra Mandi, Masrial andothers, where ki te f lyingcontinues unchecked.

Mumtaz, a resident ofdowntown city area, toldAPP that the kites could bewitnessed flying in manyareas, special ly on Sun-days, but the administra-tion had failed to implementthe ban.

He said March 8 hadbeen f ixed to celebrateBasant in Cantt areas. Hedemanded of the authori-ties to manage strict com-pliance of the kite flying

ban to prevent road acci-dents and loss of precioushuman lives.

Haider, another ci tyresident, urged the policehigh-ups to ensure a com-plete ban on the sale ofkites, strings, particularlymettal ic ones along withfireworks materail.

The citizens demandedof Punjab Chief MinisterPunjab Shahbaz Sharif andthe district government tostrictly implement the banon kite flying.

It may be noted that theChief Minister had an-nounced that administra-tion and police concernedwould be held accountablefor the violation of the banon kite flying in any districtof the province. However,no appropriate measuresseem to have been taken tocurb the activity.

The violat ion of ki te-f lying ban has become aroutine in the city, whichhas been causing differentproblems for the peoplevis-a-vis traffic. Owing toeasy availability, the youthpurchase kites and violatethe ban by flying kites notonly on rooftops but alsoon roads.—APP

Violation of kite-flying bangoes unchecked in Pindi

Malik’s old dream ofoperation in PunjabINTERIOR Minister Rehman Malik has come out with a warning

that the Federal Government will have to take action if Punjabgovernment failed to launch operation against terrorist groups in

the Province. Talking to media on Saturday, he said Lashkar-e-Jhangvi(LJ) has safe havens in Punjab and the Provincial governmentshould take action against the banned outfit.

This is not an isolated statement by the Minister about presence ofwhat he alleged terrorist elements . He had been promoting the notion ofPunjabi Taliban and pointing out that they were concentrated in SouthernPunjab. Because of these assertions by the Interior Minister, one may re-call that the Americans in the Kerry-Lugar aid bill for Pakistan, also listedQuetta and Muridkee as places of militancy but it did not receive any sup-port because it was devoid of ground realities. Now in the perspective ofHazaras killings in Quetta, for which Lashkar-e-Jhangvi reportedly claimedresponsibility, the Minister got the opportunity to fulfil his old dream ofoperation in Punjab. Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif was per-fectly right in questioning the Interior Minister as to what action he tookagainst the terrorists in Balochistan who were unleashing a rein of terroragainst the Hazara community. The law and order situation in Punjab ismuch better than any other province and any ill advised step in Punjabwould provide an opportunity to the interested forces who might exploitthe situation which in our view would be extremely detrimental to the se-curity situation not only in Punjab but also in Pakistan. Any operation inPunjab would be like playing in the hands of the enemies of Pakistan. MrMalik who is responsible for keeping an eye on the internal security mustset his own house in order and answer the questions being asked byBalochistan Governor and some of his cabinet colleagues about the failureof intelligence agencies to prevent the tragedies in Quetta. Gone are thedays when mere sloganeering were considered enough to satisfy the peopleas they are fed up with such statements and want to see concrete results.We would suggest that the Interior Minister should concentrate all his at-tention to situation in Balochistan to wipe out militancy, as any more inci-dent of killing would lead to a situation that would be difficult to control. Itwould also be advisable for him that at this point of time when negotiationsare taking place between Taliban and US and things are wrapping up, heshould follow the lead instead of opening up new fronts.

Nargis Sethi showsthe way to civil

servantsFEDERAL Secretary for Cabinet Division Nargis Sethi has opted to

leave the additional charge of Ministry of Water and Power for unex-plained reasons but reports suggest that she had requested the Prime Min-ister Raja Pervez Ashraf to be relieved of the assignment. According toreports, there were many pressures on her to agree to the demands ofpowerful Ministers and influential people for approving power subsidyof Rs 40 billion for the tube wells and promotion and transfer of seniorofficials in the Ministry in violation of rules and regulations which sheresisted as the power sector is already suffering huge losses.

This is not the first instance that she followed a principled stance andearlier in her capacity as Principal Secretary to former Prime MinisterSyed Yusuf Raza Gilani and as Federal Health Secretary she took deci-sions on merit on the basis of rules and procedures and never ever surren-dered to pressures. As Secretary Water and Power, she worked day andnight to get the country out of the worst type of energy crisis and helpedin reducing duration of power outages in addition to recovery of billionsof outstanding dues from the defaulters. Through her innate desire toserve the country, she thus contributed tremendously in line with the say-ing of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah that the civil servants mustwork fearlessly and tirelessly in the service of the nation. Unfortunatelythe successive governments have politicised the civil service, which isstructure of the State, and if for any reasons, this structure is damaged,the state would suffer. In our view she has shown the way to every civilservant that they are servants of the people of Pakistan, must work for thegreater good of the country to the best of their ability and follow thehigher principles.

Sibi festival reflectsreal Balochistan

THE historical Sibi festival, now in progress has attracted large number of people mostly the livestock breeders‚ customers from all over

the country and there were jubilations all around which reflect centuriesold traditions of the valiant people of Balochistan.

The horse, camel and cattle show is an important part of the festivalbesides lot of other colorful activities. Band display, PT show by schoolchildren, animals cavalcade, national songs, horse dance, regional dances,parachute jumping, tent pegging were entertaining events presented atthe inauguration of 5-day mela. Despite the ongoing security situation,thousands of the best camels from the deserts, horses and cattle fromvillages have been brought to the show and tended by colourful tribalpeople. The fair attracts Balouch tribal elders besides important figuresfrom all over Pakistan, as well as tribesmen from the surrounding areasand is an excellent place to shop for local Baluchi handicrafts. The fair iscivilization inheritance and has deep relation with local economy. Thoughwith the passage of time such festivals have got some set backs but withtheir participation people of Balochistan have shown their resilience.This is the real face of Balochistan, humane attitude of its people and thisaugurs well for a bright future of Pakistan.

Hazaras: Sons of a lesser god

For every why he hada wherefore.

Mursielectorallayout

EGYPT’S political bigwigsare in a new test zone. President Mohammed Mursi’s

proposed multi-stage parliamentaryelections can bring to full circle itsevolutionary phase — only if theyare conducted in a free and fairmanner, and that too with the vi-brant opposition on board. But thatdoesn’t seem to be the case as theopposition politicians are up inarms and opposed to any electoralprocess under the Muslim Broth-erhood dispensation until and un-less they are engaged in meaning-ful talks. Nobel laureate MohamedElBaradei, who leads the main op-position National Salvation Front,believes that the ‘decision to go forparliamentary elections amidst se-vere societal polarisation and erod-ing state authority is a recipe fordisaster’. These are serious allega-tions and warrant a detailed re-sponse from the govt and that toowith some retrospective analysis.

Hundreds of lives have alreadybeen lost across the country sincethe first impressive gathering at theTahrir Square registered the launchof democratic movement in theenterprising Arab country. Subse-quently, the controversial decree byMursi, which was armed him withdraconian powers — only, to berescinded under pressure, and thereferendum has already fragmentedits social mosaic. Both the Broth-erhood and the opposition, none-theless, are in an unending blamegame with the elected strata accus-ing the latter of conspiring to de-rail democracy at the behest ofvested circles in the establishment.Similarly, the opposition that inci-dentally comprises of die-hard radi-cals and liberals believe that Mursiis installing a one-man show at thecost of country’s political intelli-gentsia. This tug-of-war had al-ready led to the suspension of anelected parliament, which had anIslamic majority, and confrontationboiling down to an equation wherethe army was restlessly waiting tostage a comeback. The economy isalready in a mess with tourism andinvestment taking a backseat. Theneed of the hour is to deliberateminutely the recently approveddraft constitution with politiciansacross the board and introduce innecessary amendments to make ita sacrosanct document. This willenable to govt to go ahead smoothlywith the parliamentary electionsschedule having addressed thegrievances and reservations of theopposition.— Khaleej Times

*****

Unitedagainst

extremismCOUNTRIES in Africa have

been making steady socialand economic progress in

recent years by strengthening po-litical governance, lifting peopleout of poverty and improving liv-ing standards. By some estimates,sub-Saharan Africa is expected togrow at between 5 and 7 per centannually. Angola, Ghana,Mozambique and even the war-tornDemocratic Republic of the Congo,are projected to be among the fast-est growing economies in the worldfor the next few years – admittedlyoff very low base and because oftheir huge reserves of natural re-sources. However, there is alsomuch of which to be wary.

Corruption and weak, ineffi-cient bureaucracies are often still adrag on entrepreneurship and ef-forts to deliver better living stan-dards. This also leads to popularfrustration and social and politicalinstability that sometimes threatensto spill into violence. Poverty alsoprovides a breeding ground for ex-tremists, with whom there seemsto be no way to reach a reasonablepolitical settlement. In Somalia,Nigeria and Mali, to name but afew, extremists are sowing terrorin the name of religion. The sup-port of the African Union (AU) forthe French intervention in Mali todislodge the extremists, whothreatened to take over the coun-try, is a clear indication the lead-ership of the continent is willingto take hard decisions and do what-ever is necessary to protect its re-cent gains. The AU must maintainthis determination and its unitedfront against militants who are athreat to the future of the conti-nent. — Gulf News

MEDIA WATCH

Samuel Butler— English satirist

There is an overwhelming perception backed by intelligence-based statements of

the government functionaries thattarget killing of members of dif-ferent sects, especially the Shiite,is part of the game to divide thePakistani society. To keepBaluchistan on boiling point is alsoin the interest of those interna-tional players who are againstIran-Pakistan pipeline and hand-ing over of the management ofGwadar port to the Chinese firm.Prudent manner in which the lead-ers of Hazara community as wellas the Shiite leadership managedthe crises arising out of two re-cent major attacks against Hazarapeople is commendable. Shiitecommunity throughout the coun-try expressed its anger throughpeaceful protests and sit-ins. Theirfarsightedness has indeed frus-trated the designs of the enemy.A national salute is due to theHazara leadership for their matu-rity, perseverance and nationalspirit.

It is also heartening that on boththese incidents, the entire nationclosed ranks and expressed itsheartfelt condolence on the tragicloss of precious lives and destruc-tion of property. People of Pakistanunanimously denounced these bar-baric acts of terrorism and con-demned the design of the perpetra-tors and executors of these heinouscrimes against the humanity. In-stead of Shia or Hazara tragedies,both the events took the colour ofnational tragedy.

Hazaras have a long history ofpersecution at the hands of Afghanswhich dates back to 16th century.

Misusing democracy

During the era ofAmir AbdulRahman (1880-1901), who is re-garded as founderof modern Af-ghanistan, thou-

sands of Hazaras were killed, ex-pelled and enslaved. Almost half ofthe Hazara population was displacedto neighbouring Baluchistan of Brit-ish India and the Khorasan provincein Iran.

Hazaras shifted to Quetta, innumbers, from Afghanistan in 1840;and to avenge the Afghan atrocities,they joined the British army inflocks. In 1904, the British raised aninfantry unit, the “106th Hazara Pio-neers”, comprising Hazara refugeesin Quetta. Hazaras fought for theBritish during Anglo Afghan wars.Hence, they carry a historic baggage;whereby the Afghans do not toler-ate their presence in Pashtun areas.Therefore, by default, it has becomea fault line which can be easily trig-gered. And once ignited, it soon be-comes self sustaining through itsown momentum and tempo. So farHazaras have been on the receivingend; they have refrained from tak-ing up organized armed struggleagainst the rival groups.

During this year, Hazaras ofQuetta have been targeted merci-lessly as if their lives are of no con-sequence. Earlier also, the Hazaracommunity was hunted down, as amatter of routine. Previously, inci-dents were of the type of forced off-loading of travelling Hazaras frompublic transport and killing them in-discriminately, like animals. TheJanuary 10 massacre has set a newtempo and tenor; incident resultedin the death of over 100 innocentpeople. The provincial governmentwas dismissed; shameless membersof provincial assembly maintain thatthe action was uncalled for; theyeven went to streets for restoring the

government. These legislators, whohad displayed indifference towardsthe killing of Hazaras, suddenly be-came united to demonstrate and pro-test against the dissolution of theprovincial government and imposi-tion of Governor’s Rule. They founda sizable number of supporters in thefederal government too.

Unfortunately, Governor’s ruledid not accompany the required strat-egy and measures to stem violencein the province. As a consequence,governor’s Waterloo was also not faraway. On February 16, another bombexplosion wreaked havoc, this timecasualties were a combination ofHazaras and Pathans. All intelli-gence agencies as well as watch andward personnel were proverbiallycaught, with their pants down, as awould be suicide bomber drove awater tanker laden with more thanone ton of explosives in the midst ofa crowded market in Quetta thatkilled 85 persons. On both theseoccasions, Baluchistan governmentdisplayed callousness and apathytowards the families of the victims.Even the federal government, tookinordinate time to respond. Survi-vors of hapless victims weatheredrain and sub-zero temperatures, re-fusing to bury the dead till punitiveaction was taken, and army wascalled in. It was only when the issuestarted drawing international atten-tion that the governments sprang intoaction.

Having attracted more than dueshare of criticism over previous mili-tary operations in Baluchistan, armyhas no love lost for another venture.From Army’s perspective, undoingof the turmoil in Baluchistan wouldnecessitate a Herculean effort; andArmy already has its platter full. In-deed Army is overstretched, anddeeply embroiled. Political govern-ments in the province and inIslamabad are also averse to callingin Army out of the fear that once

started, the scope of military actionwould virulently spread to othertrouble spots as well. Hence creat-ing a raison d’être for postponingthe elections indefinitely.

Systematic targeting of Hazaracommunity has many facets: localrivalries, sectarian sentiment, re-gional dynamics and fissures cre-ated by the Great Game. Recentincrease in the massacre like eventshave come under the backdrop ofweakening of our law enforcementagencies (LEAs) through a con-certed campaign of smear propa-ganda. This campaign was particu-larly focused against Frontier Corps(FC) Balochistan. Saner voiceshave all along been cautioning thatexclusion of “B” areas form the ju-risdiction of LAEs and handing itover to Levies and Khasadarswould eventually result in handingover lambs to wolves, in the ruralarea. Demand for withdrawal of FCfrom Baluchistan is aimed at driv-ing the chaos to unmanageableheights in urban areas as well.

Though FC has its structuraland functional limitations, warrant-ing corrective action; its outrightcondemnation has done no good. Ithas certainly lowered the morale ofthe troops. Nevertheless, the FC hasset up 19 additional posts in Qalatand Quetta divisions to furtherstrengthen the security situation inthe province, and a targeted opera-tion led by the FC and supportedby the police and intelligence agen-cies is underway in the province.Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) hascarried out 130 intelligence opera-tions in Baluchistan and preventedseveral terrorist attacks in the pastfour months. Prudent and profes-sional handling of the threat toHazara people can bring an earlyend to their hardship; blame gamewould only prolong their suffering.—Writer is Consultant, Policy &Strategic Response, IPRI.

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Sunday Magazine

Sadia Zahid MalikEditor

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

Most of the people say, Current tenure of the PPP government has been the worst

and most corrupt period in the his-tory of Pakistani politics; nasty, un-caring, arrogant, irresponsible and in-competent. Left or right, up or down,we have had and still have somemajor issues. IMF has recently said,“Underlying inflation remains highand represents a regressive tax thatdisproportionately hurts the poor,”The absence of vision, insight andany clear idea of what needs to bedone, given Pakistan’s persistent,serious and growing, economic prob-lems, has been the most striking as-pect in our leadership. In this era thebanks prospered, millionaires and taxevaders prospered, corrupts anddacoits prospered. The country con-tinues on a downward spiral and to-day living here is not preferred byanyone. It is now passing through themost critical era of the history.

Are we living in the eighteenthcentury again, while the rest of thecountry, the livelihood of poor andthe education and health service, suf-fer? What has this government done?Brought about a long-term slump inour economy; shut the industry, en-ergy problems, unprecedented rise indebt, worst law and order situation,encouraged a generation of well-edu-cated young people without long-term career prospects; set about dis-mantling the state sector that manypeople rely on; done nothing to give

confidence to the private sec-tor; and given just cause tomake people think that thegovernment is essentiallycorrupt, incompetent and dis-honest.

Our rulers want to re-main above law and to keep dragnetof accountability confined to have-nots only. They have no respect forlaw and superior judiciary. Morality,principles and values are of no con-cern to them. Look at leaders of theother nations. They have surrenderedto system not to the whims of partystalwarts. They are stopping beforethe red traffic light though there isno police around. Everywhere theyare guided by patriotism and march-ing ahead on the road to prosperityin the absence of corruption. ThePPP is directly responsible for thepresent worst ever state of this coun-try, and they are doing what they al-ways do, make a mess, run away andleave it to someone else to clean up,then sit on the sidelines and blamethe cleaners!

Never in the history has any gov-ernment gone to war with its ownpeople, but PPP has viciously at-tacked almost every segment of thepopulation, including big corpora-tions, small business, conservatives,the army, the Supreme Court, news-papers, peaceful protesters, climatechange skeptics, their own allies. Itis a corrupting government, disre-specting and destroying the integrityand impartiality of our democraticinstitutions. It is the government ofcriminals treating Pakistan like theirown empire to be used and abused,lied to and remain unaccountable to,for their own power trips and ad-vancement, complete with sleaze,

vicious in-fighting, political assassi-nations and corruption. It is an evillydivisive government, pitting one Pa-kistani against another and destroy-ing social harmony, all just to hangon to power. It has started a class warbetween the poor and the rich. It is amonumentally incompetent govern-ment, with virtually every programand initiative it has attempted failing,typically spectacularly and often le-thally and too numerous to list here.

It is a government underminingour democracy, with its attacks on thefreedom and independence of judi-ciary, its attacks on our respect forand freedom of expression by brib-ing some media houses and TV an-chors, dividing the nation in the nameof provinces and the like. It has nounderstanding at all of basic finan-cial and economic policy. Worseningeconomic condition in the country,deteriorating law and order situation,and energy crisis are the main causesof sinking rupee which witnessedsharp devaluation during five years.The widening current account defi-cit, excessive government borrowingfrom State Bank, absence of foreignflows, increasing oil imports, lack offoreign investment remained thenorm during whole tenure. Industrygroups and employers are railingagainst energy crisis.

Focusing on taxes to raise rev-enues is vital so that government caneffectively provide services. But whatif the real problem is that our gov-ernment by its nature is incapable ofproviding cost effective services? Isay that government spending on ser-vices are not only cost ineffective butprobably harmful to the overalleconomy. The government has man-aged to destroy public institutions like

the PIA, railways, steel mills, ZTBL,and the energy sector. The averageGDP growth rate during the past fiveyears has been the lowest in the his-tory of Pakistan, and as per the IMF,the country’s debt is not sustainablewithout foreign help. Daily there arenew assaults. The government hasbroken faith with the electorate.

Our food is killing us. Our roadsare crumbling. The only way to breakfree from this is for the people to votein those who have the country’s bestinterests at heart, not their own. Un-fortunately, Presidency had been thecentre of conspiracies for the last fiveyears. Parliament as a whole is anequal partner with a responsibility toprovide oversight of the executivebranch. During this tenure, Parlia-ment has also not exercised this re-sponsibility effectively. People arefrustrated with politics. The state andthe society are fast getting discon-nected. People are getting disillu-sioned with farce of democracy andwith leaders devoid of moral valuesand fear of God. The Federal Gov-ernment has merely delivered lip ser-vice is just a way of attracting voters.Voter apathy is creeping up slowly.Voter turnout is declining.

Pakistan needs a brave, honest andloyal leader who possesses the realqualities of leadership, a man whocould interact with nations of the worldwith self esteem and pride. Upcom-ing elections are not only for chang-ing government but for the survival ofthe country also. It is of paramountimportance for people to elect honestand devoted leaders in the cominggeneral elections to bring about a realchange in the country. The fate of thecountry could be changed only if weelected honest politicians.

Air Cdre Khalid Iqbal (R)Email:khalid3408@gmail.com

Shaukat M ZafarEmail: smzafar101@gmail.com

Voice of the People

In a period of less than two months,Hazara community was targetedfor the second consecutive time

causing massacre of over two hun-dred people altogether. On January10, 2013, over hundred innocentHazaras were killed through twobomb blasts and on February 16,2013, massacre of another over ninetyHarazas was caused through anotherpowerful blast of explosive kept in awater tanker. This is besides the rou-tine target killing of this communityat the hands of terrorists in last overa decade. It is estimated that total kill-ing of this community over last onedecade has exceeded the figure of1000, all-inclusive; children, women,old and youth.

It is pertinent to mention that over600,000 people of Hazara communityconsisting of well-read, economicallyaffluent, dedicated and patriotic Pa-kistanis. They make up bulk of thebusiness community of Quetta in par-ticular and Balochistan in general.Being an educated community, thereis a remarkable number of this com-munity among officer corps of armedforces, doctors, engineers and local

Behind Hazara killings

White elephantASGHAR MAHMOOD

The Pakistan Post has a huge bu-reaucracy presided by a Ministerassisted by Chairman of the Board,Secretary and Managing Director.What is this White Elephant’s per-formance.? An UMS bearing No30180870, starting journey fromGPO Islamabad on January 11 ( Fri-day) took a week to reach its desti-nation in Zone V, Sector O-9,Islamabad on 18th January ( Friday).

This is the state of UMS, whichwas introduced by Pakistan Post forquick and safe delivery of letters.What about ordinary mail service?This explains why people prefercomparatively costly private courierservices. May be Pakistan Post ishelping the private sector this way.—Islamabad

WastefulmarriageSHERYAR TOOR

Weddings are in full swing in Paki-stan these days in what is officiallyknown as ‘the wedding season’.With the arrival of this ‘season’ ev-ery few months, one also noticeshow wasteful we Pakistanis can be.

We are a poor nation in whichpoverty is at an astounding high butwhen it comes to weddings we areready to spend more money than onecan fathom. We spend on decora-tions, lights, presents and food. Andit is this food that is wasted in anappalling manner.

Hungry guests load up theirplates and, unable to finish all thefood, throw it away. There are somany starving people in this coun-try, one cannot help but feel what asin we are collectively committingeach time the wedding lights go up.I implore the authorities to urge thepeople to hold wedding festivitieswith more simplicity.—Lahore

Baseless caseLATEEF MUGHAL

We, the workers of the PPP, stronglycondemn the blasphemy caseagainst PPP leader and Pakistaniambassador to the US, SherryRehman, which has been registeredin the courts. In the world of poli-tics, Sherry Rehman is a highly re-spected name.

The case that has been filedagainst her is baseless and has notruth to it. Some elements have cre-ated a conspiracy against her. Theblasphemy law should be treated ac-cording to the constitution and notfor any political gains.—Karachi

Choosingstudy field

HASNAIN ALI BANANI

Student life is full of charm and ismissed by everyone who enterspractical life. However, student lifealso has many challenges and prob-lems of its own. Students from de-veloping countries like Pakistanhave lots of problems — financial,poor transportation systems, the lan-guage barrier, incompetent teachersand many more. One of the prob-lems faced by students is that usu-ally they are not free to choose studyprogrammes of their own choice.Parents normally impose upon thema field of study that may not be suit-able for the child or one he/she doesnot feel comfortable studying.

This is a very common problemin our society. A student may wantto be a journalist or a photographerbut his parents may select engineer-ing for him. When he gets admis-sion in an engineering college, hedoes not perform well. He then startsto feel that he is not fit for the field.Parents should think about this andstop imposing study programmes ontheir children. They should only in-form them about the scope and prob-lems of every field, and let themchoose a study programme.

Students, after passing theirmatriculation examination, face toomuch confusion about the selection

Cricketers’ accountabilitySYED NAYYAR UDDIN AHMAD

As the first day of the third test was coming to an end, the body language of the Pakistani cricketplayers showed that they were not only physically exhausted and tired, but had surrendered the

match mentally as well. The captain was just going through the motions only to get back to the com-fort of the hotel room. We have yet to witness such an uninspiring and demotivated leader of a team.It looks as if Misbah is totally devoid of any enthusiasm and has already accepted defeat. Is thereanybody on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) who will inform Misbahul Haq that, if fate has or-dained defeat for our team, all the players should still give a good fight? Moreover, MuhammadAkram, our team’s bowling coach, should also be asked to explain the reason behind almost a dozenno balls thrown by our bowlers during the day. Our coaches must be held accountable for the down-hill performance of the players. We can tolerate losing the game and not taking out opposing teamsbut our performance going down in various fields must not be tolerated at any cost. If our coachescannot improve our players, at least they must ensure that the players are not unlearning the basics ofthe game. It is the duty of the PCB’s corporate/departmental heads to ensure ruthless accountably ofthe players, coaches and the team’s management without any laxity.—Lahore

READERS

Email:editorial@pakobserver.net

are requested to typetheir letters legibly withdouble spacing and only onone side of the paper.

—Editor

of their further studies. They do notknow which study area is best forthem. Most of the students do noteven know about the different fieldsof study other than engineering andmedicine due to lack of study andcareer counselling.

They get admission to theseprogrammes and then do not get goodmarks. That is the point where theyfail to get admission to medical orengineering colleges, and becomeupset thinking about their career op-tions. We do not have career coun-sellors in Pakistan other than a fewinstitutions that hire career counsel-lors to guide their students. Studentsshould have some basic knowledgeabout any profession before decidingto take it up as their future profes-sion. Students should be able to con-sult their teachers, parents and friendsin this regard, particularly the personsalready attached to the professionthey are interested in.—Karachi

Corruption ineducation system

HASNAIN ALI BANANI

The education system of the countryis based on the government educa-tion board and it is the dominant edu-cation board which supervises theeducation system of the whole coun-try. The problem is that there is a lotof corruption in the country and thishas also affected the education sys-tem of the country because educationsystem is also facing problem of cor-ruption and students are very muchin a state of unrest and frustration dueto this issue.

Many deserving students are un-able to acquire good marks in examsalthough they work hard for thepreparation and attempt good in ex-amination While on other side the stu-dents those are not deserving and useunfair means pass with flying colorsinstead.I urge the concerned authori-ties to take action against this risingissue and help students get justiceregarding education and academicstudies.—Karachi

Law for allREHAN ALI

A police constable has been given lifeimprisonment by the Sind High Courtdue to his involvement in a drug case.He was convicted by the Control ofNarcotics Substance Court, but tak-ing advantage of his uniform, he es-caped from the Control of NarcoticsSubstance Court and continued per-forming his duties.

He filed an application in theSind High Court seeking suspensionof the sentence awarded to him. Thecourt expressed surprise over the nonarrest of a convicted police officerwho was still performing his dutiesand ordered his arrest. This is a greatexample of justice being served ,asno one is above the law, whetherpeople are in uniform or not, every-one is equal in the eyes of the lawand this step taken by the Sind HighCourt has proved that.—Islamabad

Belateddisclosures

KHIZAR HAYAT

The facts recounted by Malik ZahoorAhmed in his article ‘The unsunghero of Kargil’ (February 20) are in-deed most revealing. But what hurtsme as a Pakistani is that the goodMalik let all these startling facts lieburied in his bosom till the time hehad availed himself of all the benefitsthat come a Pakistani bureaucrat’sway. He truly followed in the foot-steps of Lt-Gen (r) Shahid Aziz who,after remaining silent for years, cameout with his account of the Kargil cri-sis only recently.

Malik Zahoor says that ShahidAziz deserves respect – for what mayone ask. Come on, Malik Sahab, thecatharsis and conscience-cleansinghave come very belatedly. Or is it anexercise to attract Nawaz Sharif’sattention, whose popularity is goingup according to the latest Galluppolls? If so, then it’s excellent net-working.—Connecticut, US

Torture, lies and Hollywood

I watched “Zero Dark Thirty” notas a former FBI special agent whospent a decade chasing, interro-

gating and prosecuting top membersof Al Qaeda but as someone who en-joys Hollywood movies. As a movie,I enjoyed it. As history, it’s bunk.

The film opens with the words“Based on first hand accounts of ac-tual events.” But the filmmakers im-mediately pass fiction off as history,when a character named Ammar istortured and afterward, it’s implied,gives up information that leads toOsama bin Laden.

Ammar is a composite characterwho bears a strong resemblance to areal-life terrorist, Ammar al-Baluchi.In both the film and real life he was arelative of Bin Laden’s lieutenant,Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. But theCIA has repeatedly said that onlythree detainees were everwaterboarded. The real Mr. Baluchiwas not among them, and he didn’tgive up information that led to BinLaden. In fact, torture led us awayfrom Bin Laden. After Mr.Mohammed was waterboarded 183times, he actually played down theimportance of the courier who ulti-mately led us to Bin Laden. Numer-

ous investigations, most recently a6,300-page classified report by theSenate Select Committee on Intelli-gence, have reached the same con-clusion: enhanced interrogationdidn’t work. Portraying torture as ef-fective risks misleading the next gen-eration of Americans that one of ourgovernment’s greatest successescame about because of the efficacyof torture. It’s a disservice both to ourhistory and our national security.

While filmmakers have the rightto say what they want, governmentofficials don’t have the right to co-vertly provide filmmakers with falseinformation to promote their own in-terests. Providing selective informa-tion about a classified program meansthere is no free market of ideas, but acontrolled market subject to manipu-lation. That’s an abuse of power.

John O. Brennan, a former CIAofficial and now President Obama’snominee to head the agency, recentlytestified that the classified reportraised “serious questions” about in-formation he received when he wasthe agency’s deputy executive direc-tor. Mr. Brennan said publicly whatmany of us — who were in interro-gation rooms when the program wasdevised — have been warning aboutfor years: senior officials, right up tothe president himself, were misled

about the enhanced interrogation pro-gram. For instance, a 2005 JusticeDepartment memo claimed thatwaterboarding led to the capture ofthe American-born Qaeda memberJose Padilla in 2003. Actually, he wasarrested in 2002, months beforewaterboarding began, after an FBIcolleague and I got details about himfrom a terrorist named AbuZubaydah. Because no one checkedthe dates, the canard about Mr. Padillawas repeated as truth. When agentsheard senior officials citing informa-tion we knew was false, we werebarred from speaking out. After Presi-dent George W. Bush gave a speechcontaining falsehoods in 2006 — Ibelieve his subordinates lied to him— I was told by one of my superiors:“This is still classified. Just becausethe president is talking about itdoesn’t mean that we can.”

The creators of “Zero DarkThirty” attempted to document thegreatest global manhunt of our gen-eration. But they did so without ac-knowledging that their “history” wasbased on dubious sources. The film-makers took the “firsthand accounts”of a few current and former officialswith an agenda and amplified theirmessage worldwide suggesting toAmericans in cinemas around thecountry, and regimes overseas, that

torture is effective and helped lead toBin Laden. There is no suggestion inthe movie that another narrativeexists.Hollywood is primarily aboutentertainment. The moral responsibil-ity for setting history straight, ensur-ing the public isn’t misled, and mak-ing sure mistakes aren’t repeated fallsto Congress and the president. Yet theSenate report remains classified, andonly those with security clearances,like Mr. Brennan, can read how thepublic was misled. It’s the duty of thepresident and Congress to responsi-bly declassify the report — and theother documents that advocates oftorture don’t want released.

That’s the only way to ensure thatfuture generations won’t ever godown that dark and dangerous pathagain. As Senator John McCain hassaid, the Senate report “has the po-tential to set the record straight onceand for all” and end “a stain on ourcountry’s conscience.” Once that’sdone, it won’t be long before anotherHollywood movie comes along to tellthe real story about how Americakilled Bin Laden. The author is aformer FBI special agent who inter-rogated Qaeda detainees & authorof “The Black Banners: The InsideStory of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda.” — Courtesy: The New YorkTimes

Ali H Soufan

administration of the province as wellas at the national level. The formerCommander-in-Chief of PakistanArmy, General Musa Khan was fromthe same community of patrioticPakistanis.The community has con-tributed a lot in the dissemination ofbasic and higher education in theprovince; irrespective of the ethno-sectarian factor. They indeed are de-voted Pakistani and remain steadfastin the most trying times of the his-tory of Pakistan, once there were dis-turbances in the province. A vast ma-jority of Hazara community todaythink that, Hazaras are paying theprice of this devotion and loyalty withPakistan. Indeed, Hazaras maintainedunwavering support for the Federa-tion of Pakistan, against the sub-na-tional tendencies and anti-Pakistanactivities. This is considered anotherreason for their genocide.

The extremist ideology ofLashkar-i-Jhangvi and its leading af-filiates like TTP is based on, “terror,intolerance and religious fanaticism.”In contrast, the Hazara communitystrongly believes on the principles of;human rights, democracy, tolerance,pluralism, inclusiveness, and equalopportunity for all. After two suc-cessive events of massacre, the Fed-eral Government has taken some cos-metic measures for the transitory sat-isfaction of the community. Imposi-

tion of Governor Rule to sideline thedisgruntled former Chief Ministerwas one act. Now after second attack,the Provincial Inspector General ofPolice has also been transferred.Then, reportedly, Punjab Governmenthas also detained the main perpetra-tor of banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi,Malik Mohammad Ishaq. Besides,there have been some arrests and evenkillings of few terrorists of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi elements in Quetta.

Whereas, Hazaras buried theirloved ones after days of protests inextreme weather conditions, thesecosmetic and fleeting measures takenby the Government are nothing morethan a sand dune or a haystack. Theterrorists would find new ways andmeans to unleash terror as and whenthey desire. Could Governor Rulesave Hazaras from another massacrethat a new IGP, a bureaucrat underGovernor or CM would do? None-theless, there is a requirement of achange in the mindset and adaptationof an apolitical approach.

The real demand is to find the ac-tual culprit(s), who sponsor this ter-rorist outfit and encourage such ter-rorist acts for their political gains. Asevidenced by media, many scholarsand even Federal Interior Minister,the activities of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi areclosely linked with a key political fig-ure in Punjab. With this news being,

Views From Abroad

Once upon a time it was Madras: young girls in half saris, men on cycles creaking

away across roads that hardly hadtraffic. Garbage all over, spillingfrom slums onto the roads and backinto the slums.

Once upon a time it was Ma-dras: men in short dhotis who at thedrop of a hat used any wall avail-able to relieve themselves whilelone Ambassador or Fiat or maybethe odd Standard Herald passed by

and passengers turned away in dis-gust as the man at the wall continuedunconcerned. Once upon a time itwas Madras where interior designinga home meant buying a new sofa cumbed, and painting a house was a newcoat of chunna done hurriedly with ahome made brush.

Today it is Chennai, a changedvibrant city, bursting with activity assame family once happy with sofacum bed now spends lakhs on re-decorating their home, pulling outmosaic, laying marble, consultingnot neighbour but professional inte-rior designer who with iPad in handsketches, shows and sells fancyideas. Today it is Chenai where endof one flyover is the beginning ofanother, where roads stretch for

miles, not narrow winding streets ofyesterday but four lane expresswaysthat lead to buildings tall and spec-tacular.

Chennai has moved forwardwhereas Mumbai hasn’t. Once upona time it was Bombay. A city whichnever slept, where the night life keptmany asleep the next day, where mencame with little and made much.Once upon a time it was Bombaywhere the streets where washed ev-ery morning and cleanliness was notjust a word. A handshake over a busi-ness deal was as good as a lawyerdrawn out agreement. A boat ride atthe Gateway was to see the islandsin the distance, the ships in the har-bor and not to see where Kasab andhis cruel men landed.

The tale of two cities..!A city where you could sit on

Bandra rocks with your love andwhisper sweet nothing’s withoutbeing dragged to police station bymoral policemen who instead ofguarding the city find it easier clos-ing dancing bars and lying in waitoutside for sign of any jive or twistor other Bollywood gyration.

Once upon a time it wasBombay, an international city nowbeing made slowly and steadilyinto another village by politicianswho care for nothing but theirvotes and power and money evenif one day they reign over a citywhich exists no more. Chennai andMumbai: The Tale of Two Cities,one growing the other decaying..!—Email:bobsbanter@gmail.com

Martyrs immortalised the movement

Afzal Guru’s execution createddichotomic scission andcleavage of Indian intelligen-

tsia. Polarization between objectiv-ism of nonconformists and obscu-rantism of chauvinists with imperi-alistic mindset is discernible. We holdthe emancipated rationalists in esteemfor their eclecticism and empiricism.Regressive and aggressive national-ism of chauvinists and pseudo-demo-crats of India is gradually leading thiscountry to balkanization within.

Venomous fascism is eating intothe very vitals of Indian system. AfzalGuru became an expendable pawn forfalse prestige of the dictatorial pluto-crats of Delhi. Notwithstanding, in-firmity and conjecture in Afzal Guru’scase supreme court, in contraventionof the norms of justice, evinced andexuded its impulsiveness just to ap-pease and propitiate the callous andarrogant rulers. So it was miscarriageof justice. Alas! , Justice became a

causality in the simulated system ofIndian judiciary.

All the judicious luminaries of In-dian civil society question, impugnand arraign the court verdict whichsought satisfaction of collective con-science while inadvertently strangu-lating and smearing the conscienceof every sensitive jurist. Thus, thereprehensible episode of Afzal’shanging did not augur well for Indianpluralism. Now it portends somethingominous in Kashmir; and it will beimputed and ascribed to the immatu-rity of Delhi hawks.

Delhi rulers were absolutelyoblivious of the political backlash andwhiplash in Kashmir. Theirprudentialism could have forestalledwhat has added to their embarrass-ment now. Kashmiris are seethingwith anger, cynicism, lurking scepti-cism and antipathy for Indian estab-lishment. The disillusionment, dis-contentment and fulmination of ago-nized and excruciated Kashmiris isglaring conspicuous and to the fore.Kashmiris feel disgusted with Delhidarbar; they feel psychologically pit-

ted against the haughty rulers of In-dia. To be true, Delhi imperialistswaged a war against Kashmiris whowere already on the receiving end dueto their chauvinistic and domineer-ing demeanour. Deplorably the car-nivorous temperament of these im-perialists sought its gratificationthrough the sadistic act of reprisal.Yes, Afzal’s hanging did satiate thepredatory and ravenous sentimentsand emotions of these blusteringbutchers. Sanity and sagacity of hu-manists could not rein in these ob-streperous cannibals and vampires.

Jingoistic rowdyism of Delhi rul-ers was aimed at bullying and coerc-ing Kashmiris into submission. How-ever, resilient freedom zealots ofKashmir discern, in Afzal Guru’shanging, a raison d’être for addedresolve to resist the onslaught of In-dia in Kashmir. Graves of MaqboolBhat and Afzal Guru typify, symbol-ize and monumentalize the history ofheroic resistance of freedom lovingKashmiris. The splendor ad grandeurof their graves metaphysically in-spires the freedom votaries of Kash-

mir. And Kashmiris, in theirepicedium and dirge, will ostenta-tiously express their innate urge torise like ocean surge. Kashmiri mar-tyrs- who are lying either buried in500 cemeteries of Kashmir or inter-spersed, littered and strewn in theinhospitable mountainous terrain ofKashmir- have ideally immortalizedthe resistance movement of this cou-rageous nation. The Holy Qur’anreveals: “Those who lay down theirlives while treading the path (lead-ing to the pleasure) of Allah shouldnot be regarded as dead; they are,in fact, alive; however, your wisdomis too poor to comprehend this (re-ality)” (Surah Baqarah -V.No. 154).

Licensed Indian army person-nel, while mowing down multitudeof people here, ruthlessly slaugh-tered the valiant adherents of our re-sistance movement. Alas! , myopicand ego-centric Delhi rulers couldnot visualize the serious and peril-ous ramifications of Afzal’s hang-ing. Now they find themselves en-tangled in the quagmire of Kashmirembroilment.

talk of the town, should there stillbe logics for not taking actionsagainst such people. Does the Con-stitution of Pakistan provide anyimmunity for such people too?

The insecure Hazara commu-nity has also demanded the Govern-ment for the provision of Army pro-tection, which mean they trust thisnational and unbiased institution.The Government may have its ownreasons to deny them, whereasArmy command was all set to se-cure the lives of Hazaras. In re-sponse to some media misreporting,the ISPR has rejected any linkagewith any religious or banned out-fits. It is therefore, responsibility ofpolitical leadership to bring to thejustice, those responsible for Hazaramassacre and causing a divideamong the Muslims of Pakistan fortheir petty political gains or elseaiming to fulfill any peripheralagenda. After having a clear indica-tion of the factors behind the mas-sacres of Hazara, should the Govtstill play politics with the grievedand impoverished people, just forpolitical gains? In academia, we aretaught that, democracy is the formof government; of the people, for thepeople and by people. In Pakistan,we have a democracy, but is it re-ally “for the people?”—The writeris Islamabad-based IR analyst.

Azam Inqilabi Email: mahazmediacell@gmail.com

Dr RajaMuhammad Khan

Email: drmk_edu@yahoo.com

Polls & rumoursJAVAID BASHIR

These days, people are asking onlyone question: will the elections beheld in time or not? The speculationsover elections delay are being dis-cussed on TV talk shows and eachhas its own slanting view on thismatter. The answer to the other ques-tion, about who will benefit from thedelay, is not so obvious. Everybodyis just making wild guesses and isaccusing every party and person un-der the sun.

The handing over of Gwadar portto China has been seen in this con-text also. Some analysts are pointinga finger at the US as well. All theseanalyses are based on lack of anyconcrete evidence. We must refrainfrom shifting blame on foreign in-volvement in our affairs. We are read-ing too much into this matter. Oncethe caretaker set up has been installed,the chips will fall where they should.We are just worrying too much overthis issue. Considering the deteriorat-ing law and order situation in thecountry, rumours are being spread.The government and the electioncommission have assured the peoplethat the elections will be held on timebut some miscreants are disruptingthe political process. They do not be-lieve in democracy and are express-ing their discontent. To hold free andfair elections is a monumental task.

In this atmosphere the delayseems natural and imminent. How-ever, all the political parties and theirleaders want these to be held on time— there is a general consensus on thisissue. The National and provincialAssemblies will be completing theirterms on March 16, 2013 and, there-after, elections will be held within 60days. It will be a historic day for thepeople of Pakistan. It is hoped thatthis will set a trend for our politicalprocess to move in a positive direc-tion. This will strengthen the demo-cratic system. All suspicions will dis-appear into thin air with the forma-tion of the interim government.

Both the election commissionand the interim government will beresponsible for holding free and fairelections. Clearly, the movers andshakers, outsiders and entrenchedparties would like to destabilise thecountry to postpone or delay the elec-tions. They will certainly benefit fromsuch a development. The other ben-eficiaries can be the vested interestthat wishes to change our policies. Amajority of the parties want electionsto be held on time. We should notspread rumours to benefit our en-emies.—Via e-mail

Widespreadgraffiti

ZAHEER ABBAS

Graffiti has become a permanentmenace in Pakistan. Walls of housesand other properties in residential andcommercial areas are used for politi-cal motives such as political slogansand political marketing not only bypolitical and religious parties but alsoby student federations, unions andother organisations.

Graffiti is excessively used, with-out any fear or restriction, as a modeof cheap marketing by low-levelcompanies, palmists and so-calledhealth clinics. Apart from ignoranceand lack of awareness, one of the pos-sible reasons for widespread graffitiin the country may be lack of forumsor platforms to express one’s emo-tions.

People ruin aesthetics of the cit-ies to vent their frustration and useothers’ property as an outlet for theirthoughts. Attention of parliamentar-ians and authorities concerned isdrawn towards this issue in the wakeof upcoming general elections.—Islamabad

MARY KALDOR

THE EU should explicitly adopt theconcept of human security as a basisfor external security policy both atthe level of high and low politics. CSDP

should be greatly strengthened with more re-sources devoted to the kind of military and ci-vilian capabilities required for human securitymissions. New mechanisms, including perhapsa pan-European election for a single presidentof the Commission and Council should be in-troduced in order to increase the accountabil-ity and deliberative engagement of the Union.There is general agreement that Europe has togo forwards or it will go backwards. Saving theeuro is critical not just for Europe but for theglobal financial system. Failure to save the eurocould plunge Europe into a new Dark Agescharacterised by economic depression, xeno-phobia and pervasive violence, with ripple ef-fects on the rest of the world.

There is also a widespread consensus thatto save the euro Europe has to go forwards,although there is some disagreement about whatthis means. For some, like Angela Merkel, go-ing forwards means tighter rules about the sizeof budget deficits and more effective mecha-nisms to ensure compliance. For others, goingforwards means the creation of Eurobonds, aEuropean fiscal mechanism, common bankingsupervision and, above all, a unified and ac-countable political leadership. At the same time,few people think that either of these options ispossible. The first requires drastic austerity onthe part of indebted countries that may actuallyreduce revenue and make deficits worse – notto mention the human cost. Yet there are con-cerns that the second would imply a furtherloss of national sovereignty and that the EUmight become a new superpower. Within na-

tional capitals, politicians have for so longblamed Europe for difficult decisions that theyfeel unable to mobilise political support for anynew steps towards integration. There is cur-rently much handwringing about the decline of

The EU as a New Form of Political Authority: An Example of the Common Security and Defence Policy

Europe. It is true that the rapid growth of Chinaand India has shifted the economic centre ofgravity (Quah, 2011). Nevertheless, Europe re-

mains the biggest economic bloc and a con-tinuing source of economic, cultural and politi-cal innovation. But its economic weight is notmatched by an ability to act politically becauseof the widespread reluctance to further the Eu-

ropean political project.In this article, I argue that fears about Eu-

rope becoming a superpower and overridingnational sovereignty are unfounded because

the EU is a new non-state form of political au-thority, a new type of polity that could offer amodel for global governance. Going forward is,therefore, not just critical for Europe but it couldalso contribute to the development of new po-

litical mechanisms capable of addressing theglobal challenges of our time. Europeans in-vented the nation-state model – a model that

had huge advantages in terms of economic de-velopment but that also culminated in two worldwars and the Holocaust. The EU has been de-veloped through trial and error in reaction tothat experience. In developing this argument, I

use the example of the Common Security andDefence Policy (CSDP), formerly the EuropeanSecurity and Defence Policy (ESDP), as an il-lustration, albeit a crucial illustration. I have

chosen this example partly because security isat the heart of political authority and partly be-cause it is the case I know best. I will argue thatCSDP does represent, in Jolyon Howarth’swords ‘a radically new discourse’ (Whitman,

2011, p. 12) but it is constrained by many fac-tors, not least the lack of politics at a Europeanlevel. I will conclude by suggesting that we need

an elected president who could oversee theCSDP and by the same token an effective CSDPthat could help to legitimise European politicalleadership.

The EU as a model for global governance Ina celebrated article in 2002 Ian Manners de-scribed the EU as a normative power (Manners,2002). This term seemed to contain three mean-ings. Firstly, the EU is a normative actor, actingin global affairs in support of norms rather thaninterests. Secondly, the EU relies, in Manners(2011) words, on ideational power, what JosephNye calls soft power rather than material (eco-nomic) or physical (military) power. Thirdly, andintriguingly, it refers to ‘the ability to define whatis ‘normal’ in international relations (Manners,2002, p. 253). I suggest that it is this third aspectthat has most relevance in understanding thesignificance of the EU’s role in global affairs.

The debate about norms versus interests isparalleled by the debate about geopolitics ver-sus cosmopolitanism or, in international rela-tions’ terms, realism versus idealism. It can beillustrated by the debate about humanitarianintervention in the aftermath of the Cold War,that is to say, whether it is legitimate to usemilitary force to prevent genocide, ethnic cleans-ing or the massive violations of human rights inother countries. Those who oppose humanitar-ian intervention on the left argue that concernabout humanitarian issues is not motivated by

universal values but is instead a way tolegitimise geopolitical interests (Chomsky, 1999).This is an empirical claim about the way thatgreat powers behave. Those who oppose hu-manitarian intervention on the right make a nor-

mative claim that states ought to act in the na-tional interest and that they should not inter-fere in the affairs of other countries unless it

can fulfil some geopolitical goal. This was theopinion underpinning the advertisement signedby a group of well-known realists opposing theintervention in Iraq (even though this cannotbe categorised as a humanitarian intervention)on the grounds that this intervention did notserve the national interest (New York Times,2002). What the debate illustrates is the diffi-culty of distinguishing norms from interestssince interests are always framed in terms ofnorms.

Thus, the dominant US foreign policy nar-rative is expressed in terms of a moral story aboutthe USA as a global policeman acting in sup-port of freedom on the American model. For-eign policy may or may not be shaped by inter-ests but those interests are given meaning interms of what is widely viewed as good or evil.The question is therefore not norms versus in-terests but the way norms are defined. Both theUSA and the EU share a commitment to democ-racy and human rights. Where the EU differsfrom the USA in terms of norms is in its overrid-ing commitment to peace and the spread of in-ternational law. This difference derives from dif-ferent historical experiences. For the USA thevictory in World War II was a foundationalmoment ushering in a golden age of Americanhegemony aimed, at least in theory, at the spreadof democracy and prosperity. According to thisview of the world, military power is an impor-tant instrument for the promotion of democracyand human rights. For most members of the EU,World War II is remembered with shame andhorror. The founders of the EU were primarilyconcerned with the construction of a multilat-eral system that could prevent war, genocideand imperialism in the future. Hence the interestof the EU is framed in terms of preventing warand fostering interdependence and, as I shallargue, the dominant foreign policy narrative iscosmopolitan rather than geopolitical.

—Courtesy: Global Policy

Looming perils…

In the first two decades after World War II the US used its massive economic power to spread markets and prosperity throughinsistence on an open international trading system and through generous aid. As the USA began to lose it competitive edge it in-

creasingly began to act unilaterally, sucking in resources from the rest of the world through growing indebtedness made possibleby the privileged role of the dollar.

But some military skills are required, since what is known as robust policing is necessary if the EU is to contribute to the pre-vention or dampening down of violence in other parts of the world. It is worth noting here that what is being proposed is a capacityto undertake St Petersberg tasks, including humanitarian intervention. But to carry out those tasks, it is argued, requires a new type

of human security capability.

ROSS DOUTHAT

IMAGINE, as 19th-century utopians often did, a society richenough that fewer and fewerpeople need to work a society

where leisure becomes universally ac-cessible, where part-time jobs replacethe regimented workweek, and whereliving standards keep rising eventhough more people have left thework force altogether. If such a uto-pia were possible, one might expectthat it would be achieved first among

the upper classes, and then gradu-ally spread down the social ladder.First the wealthy would work shorterhours, then the middle class, and fi-

nally even high school dropoutswould be able to sleep late and takefour-day weekends and choose theirown adventures “to hunt in the morn-ing,” as Karl Marx once prophesied,“fish in the afternoon, rear cattle inthe evening, criticize after dinner ...”

A World Without WorkYet the decline of work isn’t actuallysome wild Marxist scenario. It’s a ba-sic reality of 21st-century Americanlife, one that predates the financialcrash and promises to continue apaceeven as normal economic growth re-turns. This decline isn’t unemploy-ment in the usual sense, where peoplelook for work and can’t find it.

It’s a kind of post-employment,in which people drop out of the workforce and find ways to live, more orless permanently, without a steady job.So instead of spreading from the top

down, leisure time — wanted or un-wanted — is expanding from the bot-tom up. Long hours are increasinglythe province of the rich.

Of course, nobody is hailing this

trend as the sign of civilizationalprogress. Instead, the decline in blue-collar work is often portrayed in near-apocalyptic terms on the left as theeconomy’s failure to supply good-paying jobs, and on the right as a de-pressing sign that government depen-

dency is killing the American workethic. But it’s worth linking today’strends to the older dream of a post-work utopia, because there are waysin which the decline in work-force par-ticipation is actually being made pos-sible by material progress.

That progress can be hard to ap-preciate at the moment, but America’simmense wealth is still our era’s mostimportant economic fact. “When anation is as rich as ours,” ScottWinship points out in an essay forBreakthrough Journal, “it can realizelarger absolute gains than it did in thepast ... even if it has lower growthrates.” Our economy may look stag-nant compared to the acceleration af-ter World War II, but even disappoint-ing growth rates are likely to leave theAmerica of 2050 much richer than to-day.

Those riches mean that we canprobably find ways to subsidizethrough public means and private acontinuing decline in blue-collar work.Many of the Americans dropping outof the work force are not destitute:they’re receiving disability paymentsand food stamps, living with relatives,cobbling together work here and there,and often doing as well as they mightwith a low-wage job.

By historical standards their livesare more comfortable than the left of-ten allows, and the fiscal cost of theirsituation is more sustainable than theright tends to admits. (Medicare maybankrupt us, but food stamps prob-ably will not.) There is a certain air ofirresponsibility to giving up on em-ployment altogether, of course. Butwhile pundits who tap on keyboardsfor a living like to extol the inherentdignity of labor, we aren’t the onesstocking shelves at Walmart or hunt-ing wearily, week after week, for a jobthat probably pays less than our lastone did. One could make the case thatthe right to not have a boss is actu-ally the hardest won of modern free-doms: should it really trouble us ifmore people in a rich society end upexercising it?

— Courtesy NYT

A world without work..............

DES ROCHES

JOHN Kerry’s first trip as secretary of state provides a good opportunity to look at how we evaluate our secretaries. Most recent

secretaries have considered travel tobe the measure of their terms. WhenHillary Clinton returned to work fromhospitalization, her staff gave her a foot-ball jersey with “112” on it – reflectingthe number of countries she had vis-ited. Republicans retorted thatCondoleezza Rice still held the recordfor most miles logged. This focus onsecretary of state travel as a measureof dedication, efficiency and compe-tence is dysfunctional. We should de-cide, as Mr. Kerry’s first trip (to Europeand the Middle East) gets underway,to abandon this harmful metric andevaluate diplomacy in a way that ac-knowledges its complexity. Diplomacyis a very hard process to evaluate. Onemeeting can lead to a breakthrough, orseveral meetings over months or yearscan result in nothing. We should agreenow that evaluating secretaries of stateby the amount they travel is like tryingto design the world’s heaviest airplane:not only unhelpful, but most probablyharmful.

First, it diminishes the role of am-bassadors in foreign countries. Whytalk to the monkey when you can talkto the organ grinder? U.S. ambassa-dors are personal representatives of thepresident, and are charged with con-veying American foreign policy over-seas. If a secretary of state is constantlyvisiting a country, the role of the am-bassador is undermined. Issues whichcould be resolved are deferred in orderto have “deliverables” to announce atthe secretary’s visit.

Conversely, if the secretary is un-likely to visit soon, business will beconducted at embassies. Empower ourambassadors – they will conduct ourdiplomacy in the professional, sus-tained manner it deserves. Second, se-

John Kerry first trip and current‘success’ metric

nior visits become ends in themselves.No U.S. Embassy has an officer dedi-cated solely to visits or protocol. Whena senior official is visiting, a diplomat

must be taken away from her daily workto deal with the wide variety of visit-specific requirements which may oftenhave little correlation to the UnitedStates’ goals in the country. The juice

produced by secretary visits is rarelyworth the squeeze.

Moreover, the drive fordeliverables and photo ops takes over.When any senior official travels, oneinevitable desire is to have a ribbon-cutting somewhere, anywhere. The an-nouncement of new initiatives becomesan end in itself. This skews policy andplans and often leads to unsustainableprojects. Another simple point is, the

secretary of state doesn’t really havemuch time. A cursory analysis of pretty-much mandatory SecState events (e.g.,the UN General Assembly, the G-20

summit, NATO foreign ministerial)shows that about eight weeks a yearare consumed by these events. Addanother two weeks for congressionaltestimony, two weeks off over Christ-

mas / New Year and three weeks for va-cation, and you get a total of 35 weeksfor work. The State Department hasdozens of bureaus, and hundreds ofoverseas posts. Time spent in travelwithout a compelling reason (such asfacilitating an Israeli-Arab peace) isprobably not time well spent.A secre-tary of state’s real challenges are inWashington, not overseas.

—Courtesy: Washington Times

John Kerry embarking on first visit to listen to us............

BERLY MARTAWARDAYA

LET us start with two recent cases ofdisrespect toward women. First, GarutRegent Aceng Fikri took a 17-year-old girl as his second wife in an unreg-

istered marriage (siri) only to divorce her bySMS four days later, claiming she was not avirgin. He locked her in his home for days afterthe wedding day. Second, judge MuhammadDaming Sunusi, the head of the BanjarmasinHigh Court, told House of Representatives’members who grilled him during a selection ofSupreme Court justices that “both the victimof rape and the rapist might have enjoyed theirintercourse together, so we should think twicebefore handing down the death penalty”.Deanna Ramsay (The Jakarta Post, Feb. 14)said the two cases marked a bad start to theyear for women. I beg to differ.

To assess respect for women in currentcontestation of public policy discourse, weneed to look back at the history of Indonesia,

where women have often played a significantrole. Kartini’s intellectual awakening and thesocial change she ushered in by promotingformal education for women back in the 19th

century led many to continue her deeds. Onthe war front, Aceh’s Cut Nyak Dien’s fero-cious fight against the Dutch was an inspira-tion in the pre-independence movement. Thetwo names were prominent examples of themany heroines who have shed blood, sweatand tears for a free Indonesia. Among the cul-tural royalty, including religious clerics, mili-tary leaders and educated professionals thatmade up 68 Indonesian members of the Prepa-ratory Body for Indonesian Independence(BPUPKI), there were two female members: Siti

Mangunpuspito who headed the women’s di-vision at the Jakarta Office of Java Hokokaiand Maria Ulfah, who was later appointed so-cial services minister (1946-1947).

A historian and political scientist expressedsurprise when he discovered the issue ofwomen voting rights was unanimously passedwithout any prolonged debate back in 1945despite strong patriarchic tendencies in manyof Indonesia’s ethnic groups. Founding presi-dent Sukarno appointed three more female min-isters during his reign, who were SK Trimurtias manpower minister (1947-1948), RusiahSardjono as social services minister (1962-1966) and Artati M Sudirdjo as basic educa-tion and culture minister (1964-1966). Such a

journey was not as smooth in other countries.Unlike Indonesia, the US took 157 years afterindependence to install a female minister, whenFrances Perkins was appointed secretary of

labor under the progressive presidency ofFranklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933. Women inthe US then had to wait for another 44 yearsuntil two more women, Juanita M Krepps andPatricia R Harris, were appointed ministersduring the Jimmy Carter presidency in 1977-1981.Historically, the 56 delegates of the sec-ond Continental Congress that signed the USDeclaration of Independence in 1776 were allwhite males and it took the Americans 144 yearsto grant voting rights to women in 1920. Evenafter 1945, seven state legislatures had yet to

affirm the equal right, with Mississippi beingthe last in 1984. While its fair to argue that aprogressive movement in the 20th century af-fected many countries in the world simulta-neously, it is hard to state that respect forwomen in Indonesia was not an ingrained partof the independence movement here and, atleast partially, was hardwired to national insti-tutions and conventions. Nevertheless, wehave to admit that the women’s movement inIndonesia has had its ups and downs alongthe way.

Islam, the religion of the majority of Indo-nesians, has sometimes been misused as justi-fication for disrespectful acts against women.Many deliberately ignore numerous instanceswhere the Koran and Hadiths clearly holdwomen in high regard. One of the latter beingthat the best Muslim men are those who treatwomen and wives the best (Hadith by Tirmidzi:285). Sometimes in public policy, the publicbacklash is more important and lasts longerthan the act itself.—Courtesy: Jakarta Post.

A year of respect for Indonesian women

Our nation would be better served if those of uswho watch foreign affairs look at these complicated

issues of State Department capacity and measure thesecretary of state by this, rather than treating him as asort of Clark Griswold trekking around Rome checking

off a list of fountains.

In a sense, the old utopians were prescient: we’vegained a world where steady work is less necessaryto human survival than ever before. But human flour-ishing is another matter. And it’s our fulfillment, rather

than the satisfaction of our appetites, that’s threatenedby the slow decline of work.

The boycotting power of women was also evident in the cases of Puspo Wardoyo, owner ofWong Solo restaurant chain and Muslim cleric Abdullah Gymnastiar who both practice polygamy.

Indeed, the rising power of women has a positive impact on politics. Any ambitious Indonesianshould avoid disrespecting women in words and deeds.

Mexican ‘ape woman’buried after 150 years

SINALOA DE LEYVA—An in-digenous Mexican woman puton display in Victorian-era Eu-rope because of a rare geneticcondition that covered her facein thick hair was buried in herhome state in a ceremony thatends one of the best-knownepisodes from an era whenhuman bodies were treated ascollectible specimens.

With her hairy face andbody, jutting jaw and other de-formities, Julia Pastrana be-came known as the “apewoman” after she left the Pa-cific coast state of Sinaloa in1854, when she was 20, andwas taken around the UnitedStates by showman TheodoreLent, according to a Norwe-gian commission that studiedher case.

She sang and danced forpaying audiences, becoming asensation who also toured Eu-rope and Russia. She and Lentmarried and had a son, but shedeveloped a fever related tocomplications from childbirth,and died along with her babyin 1860 in Moscow.

Her remains ended up atthe University of Oslo, Nor-way. After government andprivate requests to return herbody, the university shippedher remains to the state ofSinaloa, where they were laidto rest.

“Julia Pastrana has comehome,” said Saul Rubio Ayala,mayor of her hometown ofSinaloa de Leyva. “Julia hasbeen reborn among us. Let usnever see another woman be

turned into an object of com-merce.”

After a Roman CatholicMass in a local church,Pastrana’s coffin was carriedto the town cemetery and bur-ied as a band played traditionalmusic.

“The story is so impor-tant,” said visual artist LauraAnderson Barbata, who cam-paigned for Pastrana’s returnto Sinaloa. “Bringing her backhere is a way of recovering it.”

Pastrana’s repatriation ispart of a broader movementamong museums and academicinstitutions to send human re-mains gathered during the Eu-ropean colonization of LatinAmerica, Africa and Asia backto their countries and triballands.

Hundreds of thousands ofremains have left cultural in-stitutions in the U.S., Europeand Australia since the repa-triation movement began in thelate 1980s, when a new gen-eration of anthropologists, ar-cheologists curators begangrappling with the coloniallegacies of their disciplines,said Tiffany Jenkins, author of“Contesting Human Remainsin Museum Collections: thecrisis of cultural authority.”

“They’ve been symbolic,in a way, of making an apol-ogy,” Jenkins said.

Institutions in Scandina-vian countries have come tothe movement somewhat laterthan their counterparts in otherparts of Europe and in theUnited States, where more

than a half-million sets of re-mains and artifacts have beenreturned to Native Americantribes, she said.

“Norway has become inrecent times more uncomfort-able about their holding of hu-man remains,” she said.

Mexican AmbassadorMartha Barcena Coqui, who isbased in Copenhagen, Den-mark, formally receivedPastrana’s coffin at a Feb. 7ceremony at Oslo UniversityHospital in the Norwegiancapital before the coffin wasflown to Mexico.

“You know I have mixedfeelings,” the ambassador said.“In one way, I think she had avery interesting life and maybeshe enjoyed visiting and trav-eling and seeing all the places,but at the same time I think itmust have been very sad totravel to these places not as anormal human being but as amatter of exhibition, as some-thing weird to be talkedabout.”

Jan G. Bjaalie, head of theInstitute of Basic Medical Sci-ences at the University ofOslo, said he was happy thatthey had “finally been able togrant a worthy end to her life.”

“Today, it’s almost incom-prehensible that a circus usedcorpses for entertainment pur-poses. Hers was used in a waywe today would consider to becompletely reprehensible,” hesaid. “It’s important that wenow have a clear end to theway she was treated.”—Newswire

PML-N, he said unfortunatelyinstead of strengtheningdemocratic culture‚ culture ofchanging loyalties is beingpromoted.

He said that it is only de-mocracy whereby politicians areheld accountable by people. Hesaid politicians are not only be-ing criticized but they are beinghumiliated and ridiculed.

The Information Ministersaid the government took strongmeasures to bring improvementin all sectors but radical changes

Extremism, terrorismreal threats: Kaira

From Page 1take time and situation will notchange in four-five years.

He said PPP governmenttook a number of measures tostrengthen federation and prov-inces but a lot has to be done.

He said reconciliation wasthe spirit of Charter of Democ-racy and the PPP governmentpromoted it and took decisionswith consensus.

Kaira said extremism andterrorism are real threats to de-mocracy and stressed the needfor collective efforts to change

LAHORE: President PML-N Muhammad Nawaz Sharif inquiring about the health of Rao Zafar Iqbal, President PML-N Khairpur.

days prior to dissolution of as-semblies?” he questioned.

Nawaz said that everyoneknows what public opinion isabout the MQM’s exit from thegovernment and everything willbe clear once the governmentand opposition sit together fortalks on a caretaker setup.

Responding to a question,Nawaz said the all those desir-ous of PML-N tickets were be-ing scrutinized under Articles 62and 63 of the constitution.

To another question withregard to change of political loy-alties, he said that we were notluring any one instead the peoplefed up with PPP were joining hisparty and added that even suchpersons not needed by themwere also joining.

Explaining his party votes tothe prime minister, NawazSharif clarified that the voteswere not given for the love ofPPP, but for the country.

Reposing full confidence inthe Election Commission of Paki-stan (ECP), Nawaz said that wetrusted ECP earlier and trust it now.

The PML-N chief furthersaid that his party had voted infavor of the Pakistan PeoplesParty (PPP) nominated primeminister not because of any lovelost for the PPP but only in theinterest of strengthening thedemocratic system. To a queryregarding repealing of local gov-ernment act in Sindh, Nawazsaid that the PPP should stopplying pharisaical politics.

on their way back the raidingteam was ambushed by localmiscreants and an exchange ofgunfire ensued.

At least one of the attackerswas killed and another was criti-cally injured whereas one FCpersonnel was injured as well.FC claimed to have recoveredfour smg, 7 RPG rockets and alarge quantity of explosive ma-terial from the suspects.

rity forces in three separate at-tacks on Sunday while thecountry’s intelligence agencysaid it prevented a similar strikein the capital’s diplomatic en-clave.

Two suicide car bombingsin eastern Afghanistan killedtwo intelligence agents and apolice officer, officials said.

Although such bombingshave long been a militant tactic,the gradual withdrawal of U.S.and NATO troops and mild win-ter weather have allowed insur-gents to be more active in vari-ous parts of Afghanistan than inpast years.

One of Sunday’s suicide at-tacks targeted a building used bythe country’s National Director-ate of Security in eastern city ofJalalabad, where two intelli-gence agency guards died when

PPP, MQMsplit just a

sham: NawazFrom Page 1

Militants killsix labourers

in PasniFrom Page 1

US special forces mustleave Wardak, Logar

From Page 1

LAHORE: Women participating in dengue awareness walk organized by Punjab Text BookBoard to mark Anti-Dengue Day at Liberty.

LAHORE: Children enjoying marry-go-round ride as large number of people arrive at Jinnah Park for enjoying theholiday in provincial capital.

the mindset of extremism.Earlier‚ addressing a semi-

nar on “Democracy”‚ the min-ister said states are run on prin-ciples and not by force. He saiddemocracy is one of the bestsystems of government in theworld.

He urged media to play its duerole to pave the way for changeas in democratic system true ac-countability takes place throughvote. He said media should high-light verdicts of the courts insteadof remarks of the judges.

At least four terrorists killedin fresh shelling, officials said.Security forces are engaged inbattling militants in the regionfor more than two years but at-tacks on their safe hideouts in-creased in recent days.—Online

tested the extradition file by2000 hrs. The file was then dis-patched to the UAE Ministry ofForeign Affairs at 2200 hrs. Butas the UAE Foreign Ministrywas closed, the file was deliv-ered early Sunday morning.

The extradition process le-gally and diplomatically com-menced on Sunday after the ar-rival of the file dispatched byNAB.

Sources added that an expe-ditious action is expected fromthe UAE Foreign Ministry inview of intense prior diplomaticcommunication and their meet-ings with the Pakistani Ambas-sador.—INP

Forces kill 6militants in

Khyber AgencyFrom Page 1

Tauqir likely tobe repatriatedin 48 hours

From Page 1

a bomber exploded a vehiclenear it, officials said.

Hours later, a secondbomber tried to storm a policepost in Logar province to thesouth of Kabul. Police fatallyshot the bomber, but he was ableto detonate his explosives, kill-ing one officer.

Also in another, evidentlycoordinated attack in Logar, asuicide bomber detonated him-self near a group of police of-ficers, killing one and a civilian,authorities said.

The Taliban asserted re-sponsibility for the attacks inJalalabad and Logar province.

In Kabul, security forceskilled a man inside an SUV theysuspected was planning to stagean attack in front of a branch ofthe intelligence directorate in an

area where several Western em-bassies are based.

Security forces blocked sev-eral roads for hours in the morn-ing, opening them after they de-fused the explosives packed in-side the Toyota Land Cruiser.

As foreign troops draw downhere, the Taliban have more thanin past years focused their attackson Afghan security forces.

Last month in Kabul, sixTaliban gunmen and suicidebombers were killed as theytried to storm the National Di-rectorate of Security offices inanother part of the city. Dayslater, insurgents raided the maintraffic department, exchangingfire with security forces for al-most nine hours. At least fourbombers were killed, officialsreported, as well as two police-men.—Agencies

Qaiserani expressed confi-dence in the vision of BenazirBhutto and Bilawal BhuttoZardari. Faryal Talpur said PPPwelcomed all those who joinedthe PPP, adding that the party’sdoors were open for all whowanted to join it.—Agencies

PML-N MPAjoins PPP

From Page 1

mary of the PSM for Rs3 bil-lion loan from the NationalBank of Pakistan.

To sort out the matter, Fi-nance Ministr Saleem HMandviwala formed a twomember committee consistingof Acting Finance SecretaryAbdul Khaliq and ProductionSecretary Gul Mohammad Rind.—INP

Minister refusesFrom Page 1

Shujaat laments Punjabgovt for making characterassassination of Malik Riaz

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—Pakistan MuslimLeague President Senator ChShujat Hussain has said thatPunjab Govt. is spending Rs30 million daily on the publi-cat ion of advert isementsagainst Malik Riaz Hussainon account of his character as-sassination and personal en-mity.

Ch Shujat Hussain saidthat this money is allocated toimplement the projects forwelfare and well-being of thepeople like construction of cul-verts and streets and roads,provision of healthcare, educa-tion and other small schemesbut is being utilized on defam-ing the Bahria Housing Soci-ety through advertisements.

He said that former Chair-man of Bahria Town MalikRiaz is a big name in welfareworks in Pakistan, currentlyhospitals equipped with mostmodern facilities and equip-ment in Lahore, Rawalpindiand Islamabad are providingfree dialysis, kidney trans-plants, hepatitis and other se-rious and dangerous diseasestreatment free of charges,about one lakh people aredaily provided free meals two

times and if anyone wants tosee what arrangements aremade for providing food tothe needy and poor people, hecan go and see BahriaDastarkhwan in front of PIMSHospital in Islamabad.

Continuing Ch ShujatHussain said that there aremore wealthy people also inthe country than Malik Riazbut none of them bothered toget Pakistanis held hostage bySomali pirate for six monthsreleased adding that it wasMalik Riaz who paid ransomof Rs 13 crore to get fellowPakistanis freed.

He said likewise servicesrendered by Malik Riaz dur-ing earthquake and floods arenot hidden from anyone.

He said Bahria Town ispresently only housing colonywhere there is no electricityload shedding nor watchmenare required to be hired for se-curity and the residents areenjoying facilities of hospital,super market, schools and col-lege and the biggest mosqueof Pakistan is being con-structed in Bahria Town.

He said that Punjab Govtis trying to harm reputation ofMalik Riaz for personal inter-est out of public money.

Nawaz KidneyHospital in Swatto be completed

in timeSTAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—President Board ofTrustees Punjab Hospitals Trustand Leader of the Opposition inSenate, Senator MohammadIshaq Dar presided over a meet-ing of Technical and FinanceCommittee of Punjab HospitalsTrust in which progress of con-struction of Nawaz Sharif Kid-ney Hospital, Swat was re-viewed.

All the members includingChairman P&D Board, Secre-tary Health, Secretary Finance,Dr. Javaid Asghar, consultant,contractor of the project andother associated Technical per-sons were present on the occa-sion.

The meeting expressed sat-isfaction over the progress of theproject, however, took notice ofdelay due to recent rainy seasonand snow-falling.

The contractor informed themeeting that double shift will bestarted from next week to coverthe delay and the meeting ap-proved the proposal. Ishaq Darsaid that construction workshould be completed withinstipulated period without anycompromise on the quality.

power supply has gone in north-ern and central districts ofBalochistan.

Cities in Punjab andKhyber Pakhtunkhwa also facedthe same difficulty, with reportssuggesting several cities expe-riencing power outages.

People faced great difficul-ties after the abrupt powerbreakdown.

Prime Minister RajaPervez Ashraf took notice of thepower breakdown. PM Houseissued a statement saying thatthe prime minister was monitor-ing the situation.

Officials from the Ministryof Water and Power said thatofficers were working on thetechnical problems.

Major citiesplunge into

darknessFrom Page 1

He criticized the Punjabgovernment for not takingproper action against the bannedoutfits. He said a list of 734 ter-rorists has been provided to thePunjab government and thesepeople should have been ar-rested.

Rehman Malik lamentedthat the Punjab government tookonly halfhearted action againstLashkar-e-Jhangvi on the infor-mation provided by the federalgovernment.

He warned Shahbaz Sharifto stop using indecent languageagainst President Asif AliZardari and threatened to usemore harsh words against Sharifbrothers.

Malik said those who havebeen criticizing the federal gov-ernment should explain whetherany tender was announced forthe construction of metro busproject.

He said he would write abook on petition mafia.—INP

Two Lashkar-e-Jhangvi groups

From Page 1

Police arrest 19accused, 5

abducted kidsrecovered

LAHORE—Police arrested 19accused in a crackdown againstcriminals and recovered stolenproperty worth hundreds ofthousands of rupees from themin one week.

In a drive against motor-cycle snatchers, police arrestedthree accused and recoveredthree motorcycles from them.Police arrested two people with600 litre liquor.—APP

Loadsheddingdestroys

From Back Page

services and the development madein Punjab is before the people. Heasked the people to elect PML-Nin elections for eliminating corrup-tion and steering the country outof darkness and putting it on theroad to progress.

He made a promise to thepeople in public meeting that ifPML-N came into power, metrobus will be started fromRawalpindi to Islamabad so thatlike Lahore, people of this areacould also reach to their desti-nation without wastage of time.

Earlier, the Chief Ministerlaid foundation stone ofRawalpindi GT Road to AariSayedan Road which will costRs.44.5 crore. This road is 16km long and the people of ModelTown Humak Islama-bad,Sehala and Aari Sayedan willbenefit from it.

He said that amounts wereallocated for mega pro-jects inNA-49, decision was made toset up me-chanical tandoors ofsasti roti but federal govern-ment created hindrances.

He said that had federal gov-ernment extended cooperation,Punjab govern-ment would havewritten new chapters of develop-ment and the living standard ofthe residents of rural areas ofIslamabad would also have beenimproved like people of urbanareas of Punjab.

Musharraf to contestelections from Chitral

IRFAN ALIGI

KARACHI—All Pakistan Mus-lim League (APML) leaderPervez Musharraf has said thatthe people of Chitral were fa-mous for the loyalty to the coun-try and they were hardworking,and peaceful citizens of thecountry.

Musharraf expressed theseviews while talking to a delega-tion of students from Chitral. Onthe occasion, APML Central In-formation Secretary Asia Ishaq,Haji Qayyum Lal, Sher JehanAdvocate, Ali Raza and ImtiazAli Shah were present.

He said that he would con-test coming general electionsfrom Chitral believing that thepeople of Chitral had deep love

for him and voice versa. He saidthat during his tenure as thePresident of Pakistan, heftyfunds were spent on installationof basic infrastructure especiallyfor the construction of roads.

He said that the future of thecountry was in the hands of theyouth of the country and the stu-dents from Chitral should playtheir role supporting him totransform the country as thewelfare state.

Speaking on the occasion,APML central Information Sec-retary Asia Ishaq said that amiddeteriorating law and order situ-ation, Chitral remained peacefuland the religious harmony inChitral was quite impressive andan example for the people ofother parts of the country.

700 bottles of winerecovered, one held

MUZAFFAR ANSARI

KAMALIA—Kamalia police onSunday raided a den of narcot-ics, recovered 700 bottles ofwine and arrested one culprit.

The SHO of City Police Sta-tion, Akhter Saeed, on an infor-mation, raided a house inMohallah Madinaabad and ar-

rested one Osama, son ofMuhammad Siddique, who wasengaged in the business of winesince long.

The arrested culprit was sentto lockup. The police is investi-gating the case. The residents ofarea have appreciated the actiontaken by police.

A N K A R A — I m p r i s o n e dKurdish rebel leader AbdullahOcalan has called talks withTurkish officials aiming tohalt a decades-long conflict ahistoric step and urged allsides involved to show “careand sensitivity.”

His brief message wasconveyed Saturday by threepro-Kurdish legislators whowere allowed to travel to hisprison island off Istanbul toconfer about the peace pro-cess.

The government declaredin December that it was hold-ing talks with Ocalan with thegoal of convincing the rebelsto declare a cease-fire, with-draw from Turkey and dis-arm.

Legislator Pervin Buldantold reporters Ocalan also ex-pressed hope officials and sol-diers kidnapped by the rebelswould soon be released.

Ocalan’s Kurdistan Work-ers’ Party, or PKK, is fightingfor self-rule in southeast Tur-key. The conflict has killed tensof thousands since 1984.

Sitting across the tablefrom top Turkish officials,jailed Kurdish rebel leaderAbdullah Ocalan wields thepower to silence guns acrosssoutheastern Turkey whichhave killed more than 40,000people in a three decade-oldinsurgency.

Reviled by most Turks andheld in virtual isolation sincehis 1999 capture, the Kurdistan

Workers Party leader has ex-pressed in fledgling peace talkswith Ankara a will to end a con-flict which both sides realizethey cannot win militarily.

A similar resolve in Ankaraamid a winter lull in violencehas created an unprecedentedopportunity to end fightingwhich has inflicted massive hu-man and economic costs, andhas long undermined Turkey’sdemocratic ambitions.

But both sides face majorchallenges to meet their end ofthe bargain.

Looming elections nextyear and the growing risk of re-newed clashes as summer ap-proaches mean Prime MinisterTayyip Erdogan will need toinitiate reforms swiftly to

Head constablekilledPESHAWAR—A police headconstable was gunned down bysome unknown shooters in theYakatoot Police Station area,interior City on Sunday morn-ing, police confirmed. Headconstable Farman Khan, resi-dence of Tuheed Abad, Yakatootwas going for Fajr prayer whensome unknown shooters raidingon a motorbike started indis-criminate firing on him, killingFarman Khan on the spot andmade their escape goods. Hewas Head Constable in CID Po-lice and was the gunman of SSPInvestigation. Soon after the fir-ing, people of the area come outfrom their houses and shiftedhim to hospital. Police alsorushed on the spot and a searchoperation has been started to nibthe culprits. —NNI

FC arrests 28AfghansQUETTA—Frontier Corps havearrested 28 Afghan nationalswho illegally entered Pakistanand did not have any travelingdocuments. They have beenhanded over to the local admin-istration. As per details, the Af-ghans were seized during searchin a bus that was going fromQuetta to Taftaan. These travel-ers wanted to go to Afghanistanvia Pakistan.—Online

NA, Senate tomeet todayISLAMABAD—Separate ses-sions of National Assembly andSenate would be held today,Monday after a 2-day spell. TheNational Assembly meeting,being convened at 1700 hrswould also entail a questionhour, besides regular agenda(s),including some other importantlegislation, under the chair ofSpeaker N.A, Dr. FehmidaMirza. Senate would be con-ducted by acting Chairman SabirHussein Baloch, during whichsources have expressed the pos-sibility of tabling of bill regard-ing Southern Punjab Province,expected to meet full resistancefrom opposition. Sources havealso said that on the auspiciousoccasion of Assemblies complet-ing their full 5-year tenure thegovernment wanted to legislateas much as possible. —Online

Man strangulatesmotherTAKHT BHAI—A man alleg-edly strangulated his motherover being estranged over hissister’s marriage against hiswishes here Chef Khan Killayarea on Saturday night. Accord-ing to details, accusedBakhtawar Gul was unhappyover the marriage of his sisterGulnar Begum with Zakir. OnSaturday night he allegedlystrangulated his 65-year-oldmother Lal Fora and fled thescene. Police, on the complaintof Gulnar Begum, has filed anFIR against the accused andlaunched search for him. —INP

Kurdish leader calls talks ‘historic step’widen Kurdish minority rightsand enable the rebels’ reintegra-tion into society.

In return, Ankara hopesOcalan will set in motion stepstowards a militant ceasefire andwithdrawal from Turkey in thecoming weeks. First he willneed to win over battle-hard-ened PKK fighters in the moun-tains of northern Iraq.Comments from Kurdish poli-ticians and PKK commandersbased in Iraq’s Qandil moun-tains suggest Ocalan can do justthis.

“If Ocalan is con-vinced, those in Qandil will beconvinced. Those in Qandilcould not and would not resistan Ocalan who is clearly deter-mined,” said Cengiz Candar,

author of a think-tank report onending the conflict.

The talks have been keptunder wraps for fears of a na-tionalist backlash, but mediaclose to the government haveoutlined a process under whichthe PKK will halt hostilities,withdraw from Turkey withinmonths, before ultimately dis-arming.

Ocalan, isolated on theprison island of Imrali nearIstanbul, will need to be ableto communicate with Qandiland offer them strong incen-tives to pull out around 2,000fighters believed to be in Turk-ish territory.

“Ocalan is no doubt the per-son who knows his own groupthe best,” said Sahismail

Bedirhanoglu, head of a busi-ness association in the mainlyKurdish city of Diyarbakir whoheads a contact group aimed atfostering dialogue on Kurdishissues.

“(The state) must createchannels via which Ocalan cantalk to the PKK ... or the talkswill not have legitimacy.”

Ocalan was seized by Turk-ish special forces in Kenya in1999, brought back to Turkey,tried and sentenced to hang.The sentence was later com-muted Ocalan dispatched toImrali.

The PKK, designated a ter-rorist group by Turkey, theUnited States and the EuropeanUnion, took up arms in 1984with the aim of carving out a

Kurdish state in southeastTurkey. Subsequently itmoderated its stated goal toautonomy, but it is unclearwhat sort of deal Ocalanwould now accept.

Issues in the talks arelikely to include steps towardsdecentralization, Kurdish lan-guage education, constitu-tional changes to improveequality and reform of an anti-terror law under which thou-sands of people have beenjailed for links to the PKK.

Parliament has made onlyslow progress on constitu-tional changes and Erdoganhas vowed to present his ownreform plans in March if thereis no cross-party agree-ment.—AP/Reuters

MQM delegationmeets Qadri

LAHORE—A delegation of theMuttahida Qaumi Movement(MQM) met with the chief ofTehrik-i-Minhajul Quran DrTahirul Qadri at his residencein Lahore on Sunday.

The MQM delegation,comprising of SenatorNasreen Jalil, Sindh’s Memberof Provincial Assembly RazaHaroon and MQM RabittaCommittee member Saif YarKhan, met with the PakistanAwami Tehrik chief to discussa possible alliance in Punjabamong other issues.

Both the sides agreed topress for the implementationof articles 62 and 63 of theconstitution for the cominggeneral elections and cooper-ate for ensuring rule of law andan end to corruption.

The MQM delegation de-livered a message of AltafHussain and assured their co-operation to Dr Qadri. Speak-ing on the occasion Dr TahirulQadri said that without elec-toral reforms, elections wouldbe unconstitutional and wouldnot be acceptable to the peopleof Pakistan.

He said he would an-nounce the future strategy on17th or 18th of March whichwould be in line with the aspi-rations of the people.—INP

HEC formsspecial cell forverification ofMPs degrees

ISLAMABAD—The HigherEducation Commission Paki-stan (HEC ) has establishedseparate cell to facilitate theparliamentarians for the veri-fication of their degrees.

The cell is comprised offive dedicated and experi-enced officials.

The cell is actively work-ing exclusively for the par-liamentarians after the in-structions of the election com-mission.

In a letter written by electioncommission of Pakistan on 7thFebruary 2013, 249 parliamen-tarians were asked for comple-tion of verification process withinfifteen days. —INP

Pak-Iran talkson LPG to kick

off todayISLAMABAD—Two-day talkson import of Liquefied Petro-leum Gas and Furnace Oil fromIran to Pakistan will be held be-tween the representatives of thetwo countries today.

Iran has offered Pakistan tosell LPG at a discount of 30 dol-lars per ton. Initially, Iran willprovide LPG to Pakistan at a rateof 10,000 tonnes each day. Adelegation led by DG Gas SherKhan has already reachedTehran.

It is expected that the rec-onciliation memorandum re-garding installation of oil refin-ery in Gawadar will be signedon February 27 on the occasionof the expected visit of Presidentof Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari toIran. President Ahmedi Nijadwill also participate in the cer-emony.

On the other hand, negotia-tions on Crude Oil Import andJoint Refinery will be held inDubai next week.

It merits mentioning herethat the talks on Pak-Iran GasPipeline, also known as PeacePipeline are in the finalstages.—Online

Elections to beheld before May

27: KhurshidSUKKUR—The Minister for Re-ligious Affairs‚ Syed KhurshidShah has said that the assemblieswould be dissolved on the 16th ofnext month while the general elec-tions will be held in May.

Addressing a news confer-ence in Sukkur Sunday‚ the Min-ister said the government makesdecisions according to the wishesof the people. He asked MQM topropose names for the caretakersetup. Referring to the issue ofnew provinces, the religious min-ister said that people of southernPunjab will realise as who are sup-porting and opposing them.—NNI

Sherry awarded USSmith College MedalWASHINGTON—Pakistan’sAmbassador to the United StatesSherry Rehman has beenawarded prestigious US SmithCollege Medal for her extraor-dinary achievements and out-standing dedication to the rightsof women AmbassadorRehman‚ who graduated in 1985from the institution‚ joined fiveother alumnae who are now out-standing professionals in receiv-ing the medal.Established in 1962‚ the SmithCollege Medal is given annuallyto those alumnae who‚ in thejudgment of the trustees‚ exem-plify in their lives and work thetrue purpose of a liberal arts edu-cation. Sharing her views onthe occasion from her experi-ence as a journalist and parlia-mentarian‚ Sherry Rehman em-phasized that the outstandingpeople must focus on buildinginstitutions to ensure successorof their efforts.—NNI

KARACHI—Deputy Convener ofthe Co-ordination Committee ofMuttahida Quami Movement(MQM) Dr Farooq Sattar has saidthat the peaceful protests againstthe prejudicial statement of theeducation minister of Sindh wouldcontinue as long as the Sindh As-sembly did not pass the bill forthe establishment of theHyderabad University.

Addressing a big gathering atthe Karachi Press Club Dr Sattarsaid, “If the bill for the establish-ment of the university is not in-troduced in the Sindh Assembly,the demonstrators would marchtowards the Sindh Assembly andforce the so-called politicians,who are sowing the seeds of ha-tred, to establish the university.”

Dr Sattar said that the Bill forthe establishment of theHyderabad University should bepassed by the Sindh Assembly ifthe conspiracies against the divi-sion of Sindh have to be defeated.He warned that the MQM wouldpresent the Bill in the Sindh As-sembly if the PPP failed to do it.

A large number of peoplehailing from different walks oflife, including women and stu-

dents, took part in the demonstra-tion at the Karachi Press Club toprotest against the statement of theprovincial education minister PirMazharul Haque.

Dr Sattar said that the literacyrate in the country was very low.The education minister shouldhave said that many universitieswould be established in Sindh inorder to dispel the darkness of ig-norance. He said that the state-ment of Pir Mazharul Haque hasrevealed the real face of the PPP.

Speaking about the PeoplesLocal Government Act 2012 wasbeing presented as the best law tothe people but as soon as theMQM came out of government,it became a bad law.

Speaking on the occasionmember of the Co-ordinationCommittee Waseem Aftab saidthat the intellectuals of Sindhshould decide as to which politi-cal party had given sacrifices forthe rights of the Sindh province.

He said that the PPPclaimed that the resources ofKarachi belong to the entireSindh, but the PPP did nothingfor the progress of the city forthe past five years.

Protest will continue till passage ofHyderabad University Bill: Sattar

PESHAWAR—In KhyberAgency‚ 5 militants were killedwhen jet fighters pounded theirhideouts in Tirah Valley.

According to officialsources‚ 3 hideouts of the mili-tants were also destroyed in thebombing by Pakistan AirForce’s fighter jets.

Security forces have im-

7 militants killed injet fighters strike

posed dawn to dusk curfew inNorth Waziristan Agency inwake of movement of securityforces’ convoys.

Meanwhile, two militantswere also killed in a freshclash with security forces inKhyber tribal region on Sun-day. The clash took place inArjali Nadi area.—NNI

NEW DELHI—Two youths havebeen sentenced to varying jailterms by a court for kidnappingand gangraping a minor girl in amoving car, to take revenge on hersister, Indian media reported onSunday.

Additional Sessions JudgeKamini Lau awarded life term to24-year-old Manoj and 10 yearsof jail to 24-year-old Amit forgangraping and threatening the12-year-old victim after theyfailed to find her elder sister whomthey wanted to teach a lesson.

It is writ large that not find-ing the woman (victim’s sister),Manoj targeted her younger mi-nor sister hardly aged 12 years.This incident being a rape for pur-pose of revenge, only to teach alesson to two other women can-not be over- looked and henceManoj deserves no leniency,” thecourt said.

The judge noted that Manojwas in a live-in relationship witha woman who was the friend ofminor victim’s sister and due tosome disputes between the live-in couple, they used to frequentlyapproach police.

“In front of the police thevictim’s sister would take the sideof her friend and perhaps it is forthis reason that Manoj decided toteach a lesson to her.

“It is evident from the recordthat when the victim was going tothe market (on February 6 lastyear) and met Manoj he first askedfor her sister. However, after sometime he instead took her away,”the court said.

The court also imposed a fineof Rs. 60,000 on Manoj and Rs.20,000 on Amit.

According to the prosecution,on the evening of February 6, thevictim told him that her sister was

at home and he could meet herthere as they were known to eachother but, in the meantime, theother accused Amit came there ina car and Manoj forcibly pushedher inside the vehicle.

Police said that both the ac-cused had threatened the minornot to raise an alarm and Manojraped her inside the car while driv-ing through an isolated area.Thereafter, Amit took the girl tovarious places and after raping herdropped her in Mangolpuri area.

The girl’s family contactedpolice after she failed to returnhome in the evening. As Manojalso worked as a police informer,the officials sought his help insearching the victim.

The girl was later foundaround midnight after her sistercalled at her mobile phone andshe told her location, policesaid.—Online

Two jailed for gangrapingminor in moving car in India

COLOMBO—With the Indiangovernment under increasingpressure from Tamil Nadu MPsto vote for the US-sponsoredresolution against Sri Lanka inthe March session of the UNHuman Rights Council(UNHRC), Sri Lankans havebrought up India’s questionablehuman rights record in Kashmir,to rein in New Delhi.

Speaking to The IslandDaily, Lankan Defence Secre-tary Gotabaya Rajapaksa re-minded India that UK’s Chan-nel 4 TV had shown a video inJuly last year on Indian atroci-ties in Kashmir.

Channel 4, the videoKashmir’s Torture Trail showedhow “hundreds of thousands”of stone-throwing teenagerstook aim at heavily armed In-dian security forces, who re-turned live fire; 118 demonstra-tors, many of them children,were killed.

This was followed by alockdown in which no onecould get in or out of the State.

It was a “powerful andshocking film uncovering aState-sanctioned torture

programme that had set Indiaon a collision course with theinternational community.”Gotabaya recalled that a sectionof UK’s influential print mediahad backed the Channel 4 docu-mentary on Kashmir.

He pointed out that the In-dian media had, at that time,wondered how the Channel 4team was present in the valleywhen the stone throwing move-ment took place, and whetherit had been tipped off by thosewho planned the demonstra-tions.

Writing in the State-ownedDaily News, columnist LucienRajakarunanayake pointed outthat the British media, whichhad gone ballistic on allegedhuman rights violations in SriLanka, was silent on the “huge”human rights violations that In-dia was committing in Kashmir,the latest being the hanging ofAfzal Guru, described by theIndian media itself, as an “Ex-ecution Most Foul”.

Rajaklarunanayake attrib-uted the stony silence of the Brit-ish media to Britain’s need to sellits products to India.—INP

Sri Lanka questions Indianhuman rights record in IHK

2 killed in QillahAbdullah operationCHAMAN—Two accused werekilled and five others arrestedwhen Frontier Corps (FC) con-ducted targeted operation here onSunday. Huge cache of arms andexplosives was also recovered.According to details, FC person-nel launched targeted operationin district Qillah Abdullah ofBalochistan. During action mis-creants offered resistance andstarted firing at security forceswhich led to exchange of fire. Incross firing two culprits werekilled while FC managed to de-tain five of their cohorts.— INP

LAHORE: A delegation of the MQM comprising of Senator Nasreen Jalil and Sindh Member of Provincial Assembly RazaHaroon meeting chief of Tehrik-e-Minhajul Quran Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri.

RAWALPINDI—Punjab ChiefMinister, Muhammad ShahbazSharif has said that metro busproject has been completed at acost of Rs. 30 billion in a recordperiod of eleven months. He saidthat Zardari and his cronies lev-eling allegations against Punjabgovernment would have nevercompleted this project even byspending 200 billion rupees.

He was addressing a bigpublic meeting at Model TownHumak, Islamabad, on Sunday.

He said that those levelingaccusations of completing metrobus project with 90 billion ru-pees committed corruption ofbillions of rupees in rentalpower, dacoity in NICL, lootedHujjaj and bullet-proof vehiclesand helicopters were importedand worst corruption of the his-tory of the country was commit-ted but only dilapidated and oldbuses have been available to themasses and people of rural ar-eas of Islamabad are also de-prived of good bus service.

Muhammad Shahbaz Sharifsaid that development projectscosting billion of rupees havebeen completed in Punjab andif corruption of a single pennyis proved, he is ready to face anypunishment. Contrary to it,Zardari and his cronies commit-ted worst corruption in the coun-try, he added. The Chief Minis-ter said that till the decision of

suo moto notice of SupremeCourt on awarding contractwithout tenders for Safe CityProject being constructed withforeign aid, a dacoity of sevenbillion rupees was committedwhich is untraceable so far.

He said that worstloadshedding was made in thecountry particularly in Punjabdue to which schools, collegesand hospitals faced darkness.The Chief Minister said that heran the affairs of the governmentby sitting in the tent office atMinar-e-Pakistan Lahore,Liaqat Bagh Rawalpindi,Faisalabad and Sargodha andprotested over it but the rulers

did not pay any heed. He saidthat due to loadshedding facto-ries stopped production, lakhs ofpeople became jobless, cropswere destroyed due to non-op-erating of tube-wells and meritwas flouted in every sector.

He said that teachers andpolice officials were recruitedon merit in Punjab. He said thatsolar lamps were given to themale and female students ofschool and colleges on meritwhich are helping the studentsin getting education duringloadshedding.

Shahbaz Sharif said that our

Loadshedding destroysfactories, crops: Shahbaz

Rulers imported billions of copters, bullet proof vehicles

Continued on Page 7

BUT when he accidentally discoveredthat genetically modified (GM) foodsare dangerous, he became the

biotech industry’s bad-boy poster child,setting an example for other scientiststhinking about blowing the whistle.

In the early 1990s, Dr. Pusztai wasawarded a $3 million grantby the UK government todesign the system forsafety testing geneticallymodified organisms(GMOs).

His team includedmore than 20 scientistsworking at three facilities,including the Rowett In-stitute in Aberdeen, Scot-land, the top nutritionalresearch lab in the UK,and his employer for theprevious 35 years.

The results ofPusztai’s work were sup-posed to become the re-quired testing protocolsfor all of Europe. Butwhen he fed supposedlyharmless GM potatoes to rats, thingsdidn’t go as planned.

Within just 10 days, the animals de-veloped potentially pre-cancerous cellgrowth, smaller brains, livers, and tes-ticles, partially atrophied livers, and dam-aged immune systems.

Moreover, the cause was almost cer-tainly side effects from the process ofgenetic engineering itself.

In other words, the GM foods on themarket, which are created from the sameprocess, might have similar affects onhumans.

With permission from his director,

Pusztai was interviewed on TV and ex-pressed his concerns about GM foods.He became a hero at his institute — fortwo days.

Then came the phone calls from thepro-GMO prime minister’s office to theinstitute’s director. The next morning,

Pusztai was fired. He wassilenced with threats of alawsuit, his team was dis-mantled, and the protocolsnever implemented. His In-stitute, the biotech indus-try, and the UK govern-ment, together launched asmear campaign to destroyPusztai’s reputation.

Eventually, an invita-tion to speak before Parlia-ment lifted his gag orderand his research was pub-lished in the prestigiousLancet. No similar in-depthstudies have yet tested theGM foods eaten every dayby Americans.

Irina Ermakova, a seniorscientist at the Russian Na-

tional Academy of Sciences, wasshocked to discover that more than halfof the baby rats in her experiment diedwithin three weeks. She had fed themothers GM soy flour purchased at asupermarket. The babies from mothersfed natural non-GMO soy, however,only suffered a 10% death rate. She re-peated her experiment three times withsimilar results.

Dr. Ermakova reported her prelimi-nary findings at a conference in Octo-ber 2005, asking the scientific commu-nity to replicate her study. Instead, shewas attacked and vilified.

This supermarket ‘health food’ killedthese baby rats in three weeks

ISLAMABAD: Models walk down the ramp during a fashion show “Aik Hunar Aik Nagar” organized by AHAN at Pak-China Friendship Centre.—PO photo

ISLAMABAD: Folk artists perform during Jashan-e-Bahar Mela at Lok Virsa.—POphoto by Sultan Bashir

ception.

ISLAMABAD: Artist Zaheer Abbas sellings his painting at footpath in Jinnah Super Market.

LIAQAT TOOR

I S L A M A B A D —Niger ianHigh Commissioner to Pa-kistan, Dauda Danladi hassaid multi-dimensional rela-tions between Pakistan andNigeria are moving on fasttrack.

In an interview with Pa-kistan Observer, the HighCommissioner said both thecountries established theirdiplomatic relations soonafter Nigeria got indepen-dence in 1960. Since then,their ties have been warmand cordial.

Both the states havecommon interests and theyare members of interna-tional bodies. However,over the past decades dueto internal exigencies, thetempo in terms of trade and

Interview of Nigerian High Commissioner

Opportunities are waiting for Pakistanand Nigeria to boost trade volume

investment has been low. Inaddition, he said for overthirty years, there were nopresidential visits to boosttrade and investment for thegeneral development of boththe countries.

In reply to question onsteps being taken to enhancetrade and investment, DaudaDanladi said PresidentGoodluck Ebele Jonathan,GFCR visited Pakistan inNovember last after a periodof thirty years which openeddoors for deepening existingrelations. Even though, pri-marily to attend D-8 summit,but it was a unique opportu-nity for all stakeholders andbig players in the economyto meet and draw-up strategyfor increasing trade and in-vestment.

The High Commissioner

said President GoodluckEbele Jonathan has initiateda Transformation Agenda

making Nigeria as No. 1 des-tination for investors in theworld. In addition, he saidNigeria believes that Paki-stan is one of the fastestgrowing economies in Asia

which can offer Nigeria a mar-ket outlet for Nigerian prod-ucts such as palm oil, cocoabutter, tin, rubber, coal andtimber. The private sectors inboth the countries can ex-plore joint ventures in areassuch as sugar production,fertilizer, rice processing, ag-ricultural equipment, oil andgas and solid materials.

To another question hesaid as far back 1983, variouseconomic agreements wereinitiated on trade, economic,scientific and technical coop-eration.

Draft MOUs on informa-tion science technology, edu-cation, visa regime and tradehave reached advanced stagefor ratification. Already boththe countries are striving toensure the establishment ofPakistan-Nigerian Joint Com-

mission this year.He said in the area of

defence, a lot has beenachieved. Both the coun-tries have inked MOUs onmilitary training and by theend of last year, NigerianChief of Army Staff and AirStaff visited Pakistan.

The High Commis-sioner was optimistic therewill be massive investmentin the exploration of solidminerals, agriculture, oiland gas development aswell as defence related pro-duction.

Referring to the greatopportunities available forinvestment in Nigeria, hesaid Nigeria is the 7th larg-est oil producing nation inthe world. Free oil zone hasbeen established to attractforeign investors.

NA body to discussnon-removal of

slumsISLAMABAD—Standing Com-mittee for Cabinet Secretariatof National Assembly will holda special meeting on Monday(today) in the ParliamentHouse.The meeting would bepresided over by convener ofthe special committee SenatorHameedullah Jan Afridi.

The NA body had takennotice of non-removal of thekatchi abadis (slums) in Sec-tor I-11 of the federal capi-tal.

The committee had in-structed the Capital Develop-ment Authority (CDA) to getthe sector vacated from squat-ters and give possession of theplots to the allottees, whohave been waiting to take pos-session of their plots for last23 years, after completing de-velopment work in the sec-tor.—INP

ISLAMABAD—A number ofprivate schools in differentsectors of federal capital areencroaching lands of theCapital Development Au-thority besides creating haz-ards for pedestrians as wellas commuters especially inbusy hours.

The private instituteshave occupied more spacethrough installing gates andmaking gardens or puttingblocks for security reasonsor putting blocks in front ofthe buildings irk the massesresiding in these areas, andhampering the smooth flowof traffic.It has been ob-served that a number of pri-vate schools has been in-creased in recent years asthe investors consider run-ning educational institute asmost profitable business andmany of the private schoolsare functioning within thehomes just to mint money.

The governmentschools are providing qual-ity and inexpensive educa-tion to the students belong-ing to every class but are not

Private schoolsencroaching CDA’s land

enough in number to catertheir needs and the parentsare bound to educate theirchildren through private in-stitutes.

“I live in I/10 sectorwhere people are runningprivate schools in theirhomes. I stuck up on theroad daily in traffic rushcaused due to encroachmentof more space by schoolsthan allocated”, ShakirHussain, a resident said.

“A large number of pri-vate schools are operatingwithin the homes withouthaving registration with thePrivate Educational Institu-tions Regulatory Authority(PEIRA) just to earn moneywhile the authority also lackspowers to keep vigilance onthese institutes, he observed.

Kamran khan, anotherresident of F/10 said “Mostof the private schools haveoccupied space by extendingthe boundary walls or plac-ing concrete blocks for secu-rity reasons outside the gates,making roads overcrowdedmost of the time.”—APP

Orientation galleryserves nature lovers

ISLAMABAD—Virtual Orienta-tion Gallery (VOG) at DisplayCentre of Pakistan Museumof Natural History has becomea big source to provideintercactive electronic basedinformation to students andgeneral public regarding natu-ral resources of the country.

It complements the exist-ing information and aware-ness related activities and fea-tures of PMNH including di-oramas in various galleries, filmshows, posters, brocheres,workshops, seminars and lec-tures. Talking to APP, DirectorPMNH DR.MuhammadRafique said VOG is a creativeachievement in the field of in-formation technology andconsists of informative soft-ware on Natural History.

He said VOG runs on a net-work of computer systems lo-cated in the PMNH DisplayCentre with each computer us-ing touch screen technologyfor an interactive learning ex-perience. “Other than theWorld of Natural History sec-tion, all components are avail-able in both English and Urdufor the convenience of users.

One section provides asummary of the various func-tions, activities and scientistsof PMNH”. Visitors can getcomplete information aboutPMNH by touching “AboutPMNH” icon on the screen.Information regarding PMNHestablishment, museum loca-tion, Zoological Sciences Di-vision, Botanical SciencesDivision, Earth Sciences Di-vision and Public ServicesDivision.—APP

ISLAMABAD—Margalla HillsNational Park (MHNP) whichhas a potential for developing itas a eco-tourist spot is facingmany threats, including stonecrushing, forest fires and treecutting.

It is ultimately resulting insqueezing of the actual core habi-tat and concentration of animaland birds in certain pockets.

Ever-increasing humansettlements, mining, fuel woodextraction, wildlife hunting, live-stock grazing, road construction,air, noise and water pollution, andrecently installed lights on theDaman-e-Koh Road are the mainproblems in the park area.

Entire avifauna of Pakistan

Lack of maintenance marsbeauty of Margalla Park

comprises 667 birds and out ofthese,380 species of birds areseen in federal capital enhanc-ing the natural beauty of themetropolitan in which diverseweather condition prevailsthroughout the year.

Common,abundant andfrequent species are 244 in to-tal and the new species whichwere first seen in Islamabad areOlive-backed Pipit and DuskyWarbler. There is an uncon-firmed sighting of red-leggedFalcon,which would be a newspecies for Pakistan,DirectorPakistan Museum of NaturalHistory (PMNH) Dr.Rafiquetold APP.

Several globally threatened

species were also seen, he said,adding oriental white backedvulture is oftenseen,occasionally even in largenumbers. Dr.Rafique said thebirds that have been consideredat the verge of extirpation inPakistan,include Rufous-belliedWoodpecker.

He said interesting seasonalchanges are that many morebirds seem to have becomeatleast occasional wintervisitors,not only double passagemigrants or summer visitors.

Director PMNH said thepark on the right side of theRawal Lake might be a potentialthreat for bird species and needsa continuous monitoring.—APP

RAWALPINDI—RawalpindiArts Council (RAC) on Sun-day organized an awarenesswalk in connection with Den-gue Awareness day whichwas lead by Waqar Ahmed,Resident Director.

A large number of peoplebelonging to different seg-ments of society includingartist, artisans, students andgovernment employees tookpart in the walk that held fromthe art council’s building toMurree Road.

Pamphlets containing in-formation about dengue fe-ver, its symptoms and preven-tive measures were distrib-uted on the occasion. Theparticipants of the walk werecarrying banners and plac-ards inscribed with slogansregarding dengue awareness.

Addressing the partici-pants of the walk, RAC Resi-dent Director Waqar Ahmedsaid the main objective of the

Dengue awareness walkorganized at RAC

walk is to create awarenessabout dengue fever and mea-sure to eliminate dengue lar-vae.

He said dengue can beeliminated by only collectiveefforts of the whole societyand everybody join their role

in the effort to uproot to den-gue. He said nobody died dueto dengue fever last yearsdue to vigorous awarenesscampaign and preventivemeasure, adding dengue willbe defeated this year aswell.—Online

GrievanceCommissionerISLAMABAD—Acting WafaqiMohtasib M Salman Faruquihas appointed Ejaz AhmadQureshi, a retired BS-22 officer,as Grievance Commissioner toinvestigate into public com-plaints against the CDA.

The Acting WafaqiMohtasib appointed him asGrievance Commissioner in ex-ercise of powers vested in himunder Section 7 of the FederalOmbudsmen Institutional Re-forms Ordinance 2013 (ordi-nance No. 1 of 2013).—APP

ISLAMABAD: First Lady Begum Nusrat Pervez attending cultural programme at theSAARC Exhibition organized by Ahan.

ISLAMABAD: Participants from different schools pose for group photo during programmeCare Environment organized by WWF at Fatima Jinnah Park.

ISLAMABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif unveiling the plaque to inaugurate road from Rawalpindito Model Town Humak.

ISLAMABAD: A large number of vehicles waiting in queue near a CNG station to fill theircylinders.

CITY REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—A five-day train-ing workshop for youth to con-tribute towards reconciliationand peace building in the coun-try through dialogue and medi-tation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(KPK) and Federally Adminis-tered Tribal Areas (FATA) con-cluded here on Sunday.

The workshop, conductedby PAIMAN Alumni Trust incollaboration with Search ForCommon Ground (SFCG) - aproject funded by the EuropeanUnion, was arranged for theyouth of Dera Ismail Khan andTank.

The training titled, “Pro-moting Peace in KPK and

Training workshopon peace building

FATA: Connecting Youth andPolicymakers through Media-tion and Dialogue” was aimedat building capacity among stu-dents of Dera Ismail Khan andTank effectively engaging withlocal policymakers.

The participants, throughthis training workshop, wereexposed to insights into con-flict transformation and peacebuilding techniques so thatthey could effectively connectthemselves with relevant deci-sion-making processes aimedat finding effective solutions todisputes at the communitylevel.

Speaking on the occasion,Country Director SFCGAmmara Durrani said youth of

KPK and FATA were at the fore-front of a courageous struggle torestore peace, democracy andprogress and their role in thisregard must be highlightedthrough print and electronicmedia.

“The local youth has tre-mendous potential for effectiveleadership and social transfor-mation, which needs to be har-nessed by policymakers to buildcommunity-level and sustain-able peace to the region”, sheadded.

Development and PoliticalAttache European UnionSimona Gallotta, participants ofthe workshop and media personsattended the concluding cer-emony.

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—A school chainheld a well-attended parentingseminar to prepare parents todeal with their children in a waythat ensures their success in fu-ture which was seen imperativeto achieve goal of national de-velopment and economic pros-perity. Parenting, one of themost important jobs of one’slife, is a topic that is not appre-ciated or frequently discussedthat is why the administration ofPak-Turk International Schoolsand Colleges decided to hold aseries of seminars to providenecessary training to parents tohelp build long-lasting charac-ter into hearts of their children.

Hundreds of parents of pre-school, elementary-age andteenagers wishing success fortheir children by acquiring suc-cessful parenting skills to shapechildren’s behaviour attended

Pak-Turk holds parenting seminar

Better parenting tied toeconomic prosperity

the seminar to know how to de-velop cooperation and responsi-bility among their kids.

Speaking at the occasion,the trainers said that it is not al-ways easy for parents to com-municate with their children intoday’s fast-paced culture but itis important as proper parentingshapes the coming generations,and the way they will behaveaffecting the world around them.Engaging children in difficultissue which can be daunting butit cannot be ignored as is it notonly tied to family’s success andfuture of children but to the so-cial responsibility and prosper-ity of the country, they said.

The trainers said that Paki-stani students are highly giftedand they deserve best possiblesupport in the practical life forwhich every possible effortshould be undertaken includinglatest teaching and learningstrategies, confidence, praise,

responsibility and self-trust.Many children fail to achievedesired results not because ofstandard of schooling or povertybut due to lack the necessaryparental skills among parents tosupport their children, they said.

They called upon the parentsto do their best to inculcate im-portance of values among theirchildren without which successwill remain incomplete. Every-thing we mentioned would holdabsolutely no water and crumbleto failure if it is not being donewith consistency which is thebackbone to discipline, the train-ers underlined. During the ques-tion-and-answer session, parentsappreciated helpful suggestionsand raised many points. Someparents requested regular counsel-ling session which was acceptedby Pak-Turk administration. Laterprizes were distributed amongthose who demonstrated positiveattributes of effective parenting.

Nationwide actionagainst human

traffickers initiatedISLAMABAD—Actions againstagents, elements, involved innefarious act of human traffick-ing, including Afghan nationalsto foreign destinations, espe-cially to UK has begun.

One agent from Peshawarhas already been arrested, whileorders have also been issued forarrest of any FIA and PIA offi-cials found involved in the is-sue.

The action has been initiatedafter complaints from UK, whilein one such action carried out on02 Feb five Afghan nationalsfrom PK 785.were arrested overfake Pakistani documents.

During through investiga-tions it was discovered that twoagents Akram ullah and FayyazKhan of Hayatabad had chargedeach of these passengers $22000 for providing them withpassports and British visas.

Director FIA Islamabadzone, Muhammad Sajjad Haiderhad strong suspicions about pos-sible involvement of FIA andPIA officials of airport, specifi-cally counter staff, FC MumtazAkbar and immigration checkerASI Jaleel Abbas, who havebeen suspended, while shiftincharge inspector MuhammadTauqeer has been issued a show-cause notice.—Online

ISLAMABAD—Islamabad Po-lice traced a total of 7 blindmurder cases during the currentyear, collected vital evidencesagainst 17 culprits involved inthis crime and submitted thechallans of these cases into con-cerned courts, a police spokes-man said on Sunday.

Inspector General ICT Policeassigned special task to all policestations of Islamabad police toresolve murder cases and providerelief to the families of victims.

Capital police trace 7 blindmurder cases; arrest 17 killers

According to details,Aabpara police station resolveda murder case and booked fourculprits identified as Sabir Shah,Qasim Shah, Mumtaz Khan andAbid. Bhara Kau police stationarrested Anwer, Saif ur Rehman,Fiaz and Shamim Akhtar fortheir alleged involvement inblind murder case.

Similarly, Golra police stationapprehended Zaheer and Fiaz forhaving involvement in a murdercase in this respective area while

police resolved another murdercase by arresting two alleged kill-ers Ameen and AbidMasih.Likewise, Sabzi Mandipolice arrested Hyat for his in-volvement in a blind murder whileit also nabbed Tufail and Riaz inanother blind murder case.

Shehzad town police stationresolved a blind murder case af-ter arresting two persons BabarHussain and Hamid Iqbal whoconfessed to commit this hei-nous crime.—Online

Traffic jamproblem slowingdown routine lifeRAWALPINDI—The citizenshave urged the authorities con-cerned to take solid steps toavoid traffic jam problem on cityroads as the motorists travelingon city roads are witnessingnowadays worst traffic gridlocksacross the city. Several ambulances are alsoseen stuck in the long trafficqueues on roads. The commuters of publictransport are the worst sufferersas traffic on several chowks isdiverted to alternative roads. Traffic wardens are foundabsent from duty points and oth-ers made half- hearted efforts toregulate traffic. A car rider Altaf said, “Therewas a traffic chaos every whereon Saturday and motorists wereleft abandoned.” The citizens have called onthe authorities to outline acomprehensive plan to solvetraffic congestion in the city asheavy traffic jam on city roadsespecially at Center Hospitalto Marrir Chowk andPirwadhai Mor area atG.T.Road after launching ofMarrer Chowk tunnel projecton Benazir Bhutto Road(Murree road) and Pirwadhaiflyover project is creating a lotof problems for the masses ofRawalpindi city..—APP

Stray dog bitesfive personsin Saidpur

ISLAMABAD—Stray dogs havemade the life of residents mis-erable in Saidpur village locatednear Margalla Road.

Residents talking to INPsaid that stray dogs roam freelyin the area and incidents of dogbites have been on the rise intheir locality.

“We are scared of going outin evenings and morning timesand keep our children insidehome,” they said.

The residents said five per-sons were bitten by a stray dogthe other day. The injured werelater shifted to Polyclinic Hos-pital for treatment.

However, upon information,CDA officials soon reached thespot and killed the dog.

Sources said CDA have onlyone vehicle for the eliminationof stray dogs in a big city likeIslamabad.—INP

150 two strokerickshawsimpounded

RAWALPINDI—The RegionalTransport Authority (RTA)Rawalpindi has started crackdownon two stroke rickshaws for be-ing a major source of environmen-tal pollution and impounded over150 rickshaws in different policestations of the city.

On the other hand, rickshawunion leader Abdul HameedShinwari along with scores ofprotesters staged a protestagainst crackdown on two strokerickshaws on Murree Road theother day. The protesters werecarrying placards inscribed withslogans against the operation.

They said that RTA wasforcing them to install new fourstroke engines of a specificbrand which are not only of badquality but also very expensive.The operation would leave thou-sands of poor rickshaw driverswithout employment, theyadded.Rickshaw union officebearers threatened to seize RTAoffice if operation against twostroke rickshaws was notstopped immediately.—INP

Clearing ofpassage maytake two days

RAWALPINDI—Despite pas-sage of two days, the collapsedheavy hydraulic rotary machinecould not be removed due towhich city witnessed gridlocksas Benazir Bhutto Road re-mained congested at MareerChowk.

The heavy hydraulic rotarymachine collapsed on the busyartery on Friday evening.

It may be noted that an un-derpass is being constructed atthe busy Mareer Chowk andtraffic bound for Saddar andLiaquat Bagh areas are usingone side of Benazir Bhutto Roadat the junction.

Sources said that the courseof dismantling and removing themachine from the site might taketwo more days keeping in viewthe sluggish attitude of con-cerned authorities.—INP

Children’s healthdepartment shiftedto BBH basement

RAWLPINDI—Administrationof Benazir Bhutto Hospital(General Hospital), Rawalpindihas shifted the children’s healthdepartment in its basement, asheer botheration for public.

The ground floor of the por-tion, refurbished for childrensection at an estimated cost ofRs 9 million has been selfishlyallotted as classrooms of doctorsand students.

It is pertinent to mention thatthe basement was rather to beused as a storage section formedicine, and severely lackssuch pertinent facilities likelavatories, and water supply.

Principle RMC has takenstrong notice of the issue anddemanded an explanation fromadministration.—Online

TMA’s operationagainst

encroachmentsRAW L P I N D I —Operat ionsagainst encroachments, carriedout in Rawal Town premises byTMA is in full swing, in face ofintense political pressure(s).

In its ongoing intensive op-erations against encroach-ments administration clearedencroachments from Raja Ba-zaar, Jamia Masjid Road,Banni Chowk, and other areasof the municipality were re-moved.

The operation generatedpolitical oriented resistance,whence many pressure tele-phone calls were made, butRawal Town’s TMA refused tobe budged and is carrying out itsactions.

Warnings have also beingissued to meat sellers to shiftback their stalls and protect meatby covering it.—Online

ISLAMABAD—Allama IqbalOpen University (AIOU) hasstarted admissions in 6-Monthduration of Technical and Voca-tional Education includes Elec-trical Wiring, Electrician, AutoServicing, Care and maintenanceof domestic electric equipments,basic electro-logy, Radio-Servic-ing, Auto-mechanics and care ofdomestic electric utensils.

The admission forms areavailable from the sale-points ofUniversity’s main campus inSector H-8, Islamabad andcountry-wide Regional Cam-puses and Coordinating Offices.

AIOU admissions intechnical programmes

Last date for submission the ad-mission forms is 4th March.Admission fee includes books,Exams fee, Certificate and Reg-istration of each technical courseis Rs.840/-.

In addition, Admissions for theSemester Spring, 2013 from Matricto MA/M.Sc level programmes indifferent disciplines are also con-tinue and the admission forms /prospectuses can be obtained fromthe sale-points of University’s maincampus in Sector H-8, Islamabadand country-wide Regional Cam-puses and Coordinating Offices.—Online

RAWALPINDI—Negotiationsbetween Punjab Teachers’ Union(PTU) and the provincial govern-ment have been successful.

After the talks, it was de-cided that the teachers servingin the province will be givenConveyance Allowance, TA/DA, and SST equal to that re-ceived by the teachers employed

Demands of PTU acceptedby federal government.

The representatives of theTeachers’ Union included SajjadAkbar Kazmi and Rana LiaquatAli, while Provincial EducationMinister Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman and SecretarySchools Muhammad Aslam rep-resented the Punjab Govern-ment.—Online

Japanese calendarsexhibition

continues at RACISLAMABAD—A week-longJapanese calenders’ exhibitiondisplaying more than 100 cal-enders to present thecountry’s traditional and con-temporary arts, sports, auto-mobiles, nature, cultural heri-tage and architecture contin-ues at the Rawalpindi ArtsCouncil here.

The ehibition, which hasbeen organized by the Japa-nese Embassy with the coop-eration of Japan Calender As-sociation, Tokyo andRawalpindi Arts Council, willremain open for general pub-lic till February 27 from 09:00hours to 5:00 hours.

According to the JapaneseAmbassador. most of the calen-dars being displayed are madeby private Japanese companies,and majority of them are printedon recycled paper which is a fineexample of Japan’s efforts to beeco-friendly.

The Japanese companiseuse innovation in their technol-ogy to preserve the environment,said a representative of Japaneseembassy.

By doing so, they can en-hance corporate image and, atthe same time, satisfy their pas-sion for improving the environ-ment, he added.

He said both the countriesshould work hard to promotecooperation and cement culturalties between Japan and Pakistanin the future.

Since every calendar is apiece of art, the Japan Calen-dar Association has tried theirbest to attract viewers throughdifferent subjects and medi-ums.—APP

ISLAMABAD—The growingtrend of fast or junk food out-lets is a big source of income inthe twin cities of IslamabadRawalpindi but at the cost of thecitizens’ health. The increasingnumber of fast food outlets inevery nook and corner of thetwin cities clearly indicates howour youth is turning towards theunhealthy trend.

Although unhealthy, its de-mand is on the rise with outletsmushrooming across the city. Re-tailers say youngsters and officeworkers are their main customers.Bilquees Kuaser, a housewife,while talking APP, complained,“My 18-year-old son Ali wastes alot of money on junk food dailyas he doesn’t like vegetables andgrains cooked at home. I can’t al-ways cook meat as we need a bal-anced diet for a healthy life.” Ac-cording to the perturbed mother,her son studies in a college andshe cannot keep a check on him,but she tries her best to motivatehim towards healthy and home-cooked food. She said the ingre-dients present in junk food wereconsidered unhealthy when regu-larly eaten, and her son got illwhenever there was a suddenchange in weather as his immu-nity system was weak.

However, Athar Abbas, a

Mushroom growth offast food outlets

student who was having a zingerburger at a fast food outlet inSuper Market, was of the viewthat the junk food was deliciousand definitely irresistible.

The great taste of burger andchicken roll paratha influencesthousands of other girls and boyslike him who opt for junk food.“It’s not only me who is addictedto this sort of food but my familymembers also cannot resist eat-ing the food at various cafes,” hesaid with a watery mouth. AsifKhan, a sales boy at a fast foodchain in Melody food Park, wasof the opinion that a large num-ber of costumers, with a major-ity of youngsters,visited the placefrom offices and educational in-stitutions on lunch time. He saidthere were five to six other out-lets as well and all of them weredoing good business, “We cleanall utensils properly and use goodoil while preparing food,” heclaimed but refused to name theoil they use in their outlet. Ac-cording to various researches,processed and pre-prepared food,which can be cooked fast andhanded over to customers withinno time, are eliminate hunger andtaste great, but do not provide es-sential nutrients and eventuallyresults in weakness and fa-tigue.—APP

February 27

LITERARY Conference inconnection with 31st deathanniversary JoshMalihabadi, organized bythe Josh Literary Founda-tion, at the Pakistan Acad-emy of Letters, PitrasBokhari Road, Sector H-8/1, Islamabad, 2:30 pm.

05:19 01:3004:30

07:45

ISLAMABAD: Activists of Pakistan Sunni Tehreek led by Allama Waseem Abbasi demon-strating against Afzal Guru hanging.

SRINAGAR—In a significantbreak from his past practice,the chairman of the Hurriyat(G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani,has asked pro-freedom groupsin Kashmir to frame a jointstrategy for demanding thebody of Muhammad AfzalGuru back from Tihar Jail.

Still under house arrest inNew Delhi, Geelani has ex-pressed his willingness to goalong with any decision thepro-freedom leadership herejointly takes, his close associ-ate and the acting Hurriyat (G)chief, Muhammad AshrafSahrai, said.

“He is ready for mutual

Geelani willing to sit with Mirwiaz for joint strategyconsultations with the Hurriyat(M), the JKLF, the Jama’at-e-Islami, the Jami’at-e-Ahl-e-Hadees and all other groupsoutside the fold of the twoHurriyats,” he said.

This is for the first timesince the Shrine Board landtransfer agitation in 2008 thatGeelani has agreed to joint de-cisions with the Hurriyat (M)which he accuses of deviatingfrom the conglomerate’s char-ter. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, whoheads the Hurriyat (M), has al-ready called for a consensus willall groups on the separatistcamp’s next move.

Sahrai said that Geelani was

out of direct contact because ofstrict restrictions put on him inDelhi. “But through an indirectmessage, he has conveyed thatif the leadership present inSrinagar can manage to meet onthe issue and come to a decision,he will abide by that,” Sahraisaid. “He has asked us to es-tablish contact with others, andcome out with a programme af-ter Monday,” he said.

Meanwhile, commentingon a statement by the state po-lice chief, Ashok Prasad, theHurriyat (G) has said that theconditions being imposed onGeelani for his return toSrinagar were “untenable.”

“The government and theadministration should shun thisapproach of imposing terms andconditions, and respond posi-tively to the demand forMuhammad Afzal Guru’s mor-tal remains,” he said.

“Geelani is under a strictpolice cordon in Delhi, and willreturn to Srinagar as soon as heis freed,” he said. The TeHacting chairman said after ob-serving the response from vari-ous quarters that there has to bea joint strategy among the “pro-freedom leaders”, he said: “I gota message from Geelani Sahab(through a source) that peopleshould be conveyed that there

will be no strike on February 23,24 and 25. People should re-sume normal business till Mon-day.” Sehrai said he was hav-ing no authority to issue protestcalendars. He further clarifiedthat he was part of TeH and notHurriyat (G).

“Every program comes fromGeelani Sahab,” he said. He saidthere was no contact with Geelanisince February 18. “We havecome to know that he has beenshifted to some unknown placefrom his New Delhi residence.We could not confirm this as weare not able to contact Geelani,”Sehrai said. On whether Hurriyat(G) would announce any long-

term protest calendar on Monday,Sehrai said: “He acts only as me-diator between Geelani and thepeople of Kashmir. If I establishany contact with Geelani Sahab,I will convey whatever he says tothe people of Kashmir.”

He said Government of In-dia should lift curbs on Hurriyat(G) chairman and allow him toarrive in Kashmir. “Due to coldweather conditions in Kashmir,Geelani needs to stay in a placelike Delhi. He is under house ar-rest since February 9,” he said.“This is a cause of concern forus. Our demand is that Geelaniand all other separatist leadersshould be released.”

Sehrai said they would takea lead in consulting Hurriyat (M)chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq,JKLF chairman Yasin Malik andall other separatist leaders so thata “joint-strategy” is framed.“This time, we have only onepoint agenda - return of Guru’sbody,” he said. “This is only pos-sible when government will liftcurbs on Geelani, Mirwaiz andrelease all separatist leaders.”Sehrai, who is suffering fromknee problem, said he is not ableto walk properly otherwise, hetoo would have been put behindthe bars. “We believe Guru didnot get a fair trial and wasframed. There was no direct evi-

dence against him despite thathe was executed,” he said.Sehrai said Government of In-dia should hand over the bodyof Guru to Kashmiri people on“humanitarian grounds.” “Howunfortunate is it that Guru wasnot allowed to see his wife andlone son one last time. Moreirony is that his wife and soncould not see Guru even afterhis death,” said Sehrai.

Pertinently, Hurriyat (M)chairman Mirwaiz UmarFarooq was first among theseparatist leaders to advocate“broader alliance and jointstrategy among the pro-free-dom leaders.”—NNI

ISLAMABAD: AJK Prime Minister Ch Abdul Majeed with members of Kashmir Committee.

SRINAGAR—Jammu & Kash-mir Liberation Front has calledfor hour-long peaceful protestson Ist March after Fridayprayers to seek the mortal re-mains Muhammad MaqboolBhat and Muhammad AfzalGuru. “We will protest and seekthe remains of Bhat and Guruon March 1 after Friday prayers.The people should also protestagainst the atrocities being com-mitted by the forces,” JKLF act-ing chairman Advocate BashirAhmad Bhat said in a statementhere. Bhat thanked people forobserving shutdown and stagingpeaceful protests on Friday.JKLF had called for a completestrike while Hurriyat (G) hadasked people to suspend busi-ness after 12 PM Friday.

The JKLF acting chairman

JKLF calls for one-hourprotest next Friday

said they organized peacefulprocessions and protests at vari-ous places in the Valley. He saidthat Front members and activ-ists staged protests atGanderbal, Bandipora,Pulwama and Budgam. “TheFront district president forPulwama, Javid Ahmad Bhataddressed a public meeting atJamia Masjid Arihal,Pulwama,” he said.

Bhat lashed out at the gov-ernment for imposing strict cur-few restrictions and “preventinglakhs of people from offeringFriday prayers.” “We will con-tinue to stage peaceful protestdemonstrations against the ex-ecution of Guru and to press forthe return of the mortal remainsof Bhat and Guru,” he said.

Bhat accused mainstream

politicians of ‘shedding croco-dile tears’ over the execution ofGuru. “They are responsible forGuru’s hanging. They are play-ing politics of deceit by de-manding return of ShaheedGuru’s body to his family. Butthe fact is that they won’t suc-ceed in befooling people everytime,” he said. “New Delhi andits collaborators in Jammu &Kashmir should take lessonfrom British Prime Minister’sapology to the people of Indiafor Jalianwalla Bagh massacre,”Bhat said.

The JKLF acting chairmansaid mainstream parties shouldknow that “New Delhi will haveto leave J&K and they will haveto account for all the atrocitiesbeing committed on thepeople.”—NNI

SRINAGAR—Hundreds of ap-plicants from Kashmir areawaiting passport clearance bypolice and intelligence agencies,much to their annoyance.

Afroza Bhat of Khanyar,who had applied for passport inFebruary 2012, still travels tooffices including CID, RegionalPassport Office Srinagar andother departments to inquireabout the status of her passport.

“I applied for passport inFebruary 2012 with all neces-sary documents to travel toDubai where my husband isworking. After roaming frompillar to post and standing inqueues outside these depart-ments, I am yet to receive it,”said Afroza. “Despite having nomilitancy-related background orconnection with any politicalparty, I fail to understand why acommon Kashmiri is not givenpassport in time.”

“After the authorities failed

Hundreds await passportclearance in Kashmir

to give a reason for delay in mypassport, I contacted the Pass-port Officer Srinagar manytimes but to no avail,” she said.

Another student, who hadapplied for his passport in August2012, complained that he has notbeen issued the necessary docu-ment so far, even as she contem-plated to go for higher studiesabroad. “I had to go to SaudiArabia for higher studies but dueto absence of passport I couldn’t,”he told Greater Kashmir. “I ap-peal the passport authorities toissue the document in my favouras soon as possible,” he said.

According to sources, thereare many such cases where as-pirants are not told as to whytheir passports are not ready.“The officials must cite a rea-son thereof,” they said. “Intimes of the Public ServicesGuarantees Act (PSGA), whichensures timely delivery of pub-lic services, it is unfortunate that

the passports are not issued intime to the applicants. The gov-ernment must take the issue se-riously, especially in view of therising number of passport appli-cations every year.”

An official report of 2007said thousands of people weredenied passport after being‘blacklisted’ by intelligenceagencies in Kashmir. Report-edly around 60,000 familiesacross the Valley were figuringin the list issued in 2007.

Sources said the number ofpassport seekers was increasingevery year. However they saidthe government must take quickmeasures to fast-track securityclearance by the CID for issu-ance of passports.

Meanwhile Passport Of-ficer Srinagar Firdous Iqbal re-fused to comment on the issue.“I am outside the State, I can-not talk on the issue,” he toldGreater Kashmir.—NNI

Unite to seekAfzal’s body: AsiyaSRINAGAR—Urging people ofKashmir to stand united at thisjuncture so that the body ofAfzal Guru could be “retrievedfrom the clutches of Govern-ment of India,” Dukhtaran-e-Milat chairperson Syeda AsiyaAndrabi has said the curbs im-posed in Kashmir to restrictpeople from offering Fridayprayers “won’t affect the free-dom movement.”

In a statement issued here,Andrabi said it was unfortunatethat strict curbs were put inplace to prevent people fromassembling and staging protestsagainst the execution of AfzalGuru.

“It is high time that peopleof Kashmir show a united factso that body of Guru is soughtfrom the Government of India,”she said. Andrabi said curbs andrestrictions won’t break the re-solve of the people towards“achieving freedom from In-dia.”—NNI

SRINAGAR—The gold pricesfell to their lowest level in thesix months this week raisinghopes among the gold dealersthat sales may go up.

“It is a good sign for thegold dealers that the rate hascome down by Rs 700 per 10gram. Earlier the rate of gold 24carat per 10 gm was Rs 31,000,which has now plummeted toRs 30,300,” Bashir AhmadRather President, All KashmirGold Dealers’ and Workers’Association said.

“For the 22 carat gold therate was earlier Rs 28,000/tengram,” Rather who is also thevice-president of All India AkhilBhartiya Swarankara Sang(ABSS), said.

However, experts believethe little ease in the price wouldhardly attract much of the buy-ers. “It is true that the priceshave come down to the lowest

Falling gold prices raisejewellers’ hopes

level in the last six months thisweek, yet they are too high tobe affordable for a commonconsumer,” experts said.

“During the last two yearssince gold has come on the com-modity market, there has beencontinuous upsurge in the priceswhich has added to the woes ofgold dealers as well as for thecustomers,” he said, adding thatdue to its online trading, theprice volatility has marred thegold market and it has broughtour margins under strain.

Tariq Ahmad, a jewelersaid: “We are hoping that therate of gold will decline furtheras it would increase the interestof investors as well as buyers.”

Many jewelers said that thecontinuous price fluctuationshave brought about uncertaintyin the market. “Customers de-lay the purchase of gold withexpectation that prices may fur-

ther come down”, said FayazAhmad, a jeweler.

The jewelers said the highgold prices had brought aboutboom in the scrap sales. “We getmore customers who sell theirold gold ornaments and jew-elry,” said Ali Muhammad, agoldsmith.

Pertinently, most of the cus-tomers find the gold prices toohigh to cut them within theirbudgets.

Meanwhile, the customersare keenly watching the rates.“I was planning for a long timeto purchase an earring for myniece, but now I will purchasethem as there is no guarantee ofprices.”

Experts believe the goldprices have gone up in the pastsome years because it is beingused as hedge by the investorsagainst the risks in other finan-cial market investments.—

SRINAGAR—While termingthe restrictions on movement ofits Chairman, Mirwaiz UmarFarooq, as direct interference inthe religious matters of peopleof the state, the Hurriyat Con-ference (M) has strongly con-demned the authorities for stop-ping the valley’s head priestfrom offering congregationalFriday prayers and continuoushouse detention of the partychairman Mirwaiz UmarFarooq including other partyleaders for past few days.

“APHC denounces the ar-rest of leaders who have beenarrested by the government andare lodged in different policestations across Kashmir,” thespokesman of Hurriyat (M) saidin a statement issued here.

The spokesman termed thehouse detentions and arrestsagainst the party leaders by thegovernment as worst form ofdespotic rule.

“It is a democratic dicta-torship,” spokesman said add-ing, “You could not find any ex-ample anywhere where restric-tions have been used in such amanner to silence the political

Hurriyat flays house arrests,curbs on Mirwaiz, other leaders

dissent.” He said senior lead-ers like Agha Syed Hassan andProfessor Bhat continue to beunder house arrest while asHakim Abdul Rashid andMukhtar Ahmad Waza andother Hurriyat leaders are stilllodged in police lock-ups.

The spokesman said largenumber of security personnelhave surrounded the house ofChairman and have restrictedhis movement and political ac-tivities. He said the securitymen have also preventedMirwaiz from contacting otherparty activists and leaders fordiscussions and suggestions inview of the ongoing serioussituation prevailing in the val-ley.

“It is a cause of seriousconcern. We condemn it,” hesaid. “The restrictions laid bythe authorities on Chairman’spolitical, social, and religiousactivities are highly condem-nable”, said the HurriyatSpokesman in a statement is-sued here.

“In an act of direct reli-gious interference, the dictato-rial authorities restricted APHC

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq from of-fering Friday prayers at historicJamia Masjid Srinagar.

Besides offering prayers,Mirwaiz also delivers sermonsbefore thousands of worship-pers. APHC Chairman was putunder house arrest soon after hearrived from Delhi. As soon, helanded in Srinagar, the largeposse of police surrounded himand placed him under house ar-rest at his Nageen residence”,he said.

He added that the the gov-ernment has already placed se-nior Hurriyat leaders MaulanaAbbas Ansari, Aga SyedHassan Al Moosvi and ProfAbdul Ghani Bhat under housedetention. Moosvi too was re-stricted from offering nimaaz atImam Bargah, Budgam.

“Other Hurriyat leadershave been arrested and kept invarious police lock-ups acrossKashmir”. The Hurriyat Con-ference has also condemned au-thorities for allegedly stoppingpeople from offering prayers.“Wanton arrests and stoppingpeople from offering prayers ishighly condemnable.—NNI

Kashmir convertedinto a pressure

cooker without safetyvalve: Mehbooba

SRINAGAR—Strongly con-demning the mass arrest ofyouth and political leadersPeople’s Democratic Party(PDP) has said the governmenthas converted Kashmir into apressure cooker without a safetyvalve.

Addressing a party workersmeeting of Srinagar districtMehbooba said the anger man-agement exercise by the govern-ment has reached a new andmore atrocious level withpeople being denied even thebasic liberties of expression.

“Every means of expressionis virtually sealed by an insecuregovernment that has fully col-laborated in the secret executionof Mohammad Afzal Guru andis now trying to raise its stockfurther in Delhi for being cham-pions of enforcing a silencethrough undemocratic and ille-gitimate methods,” she said.

The meeting called to dis-cuss the situation created by thehanging of Afzal Guru was alsoattended by senior leaderMaulvi Iftikhar Hussein Ansari,Naeem Akhtar, district presidentMohammad Ashraf Mir, AbdulHamid Kohsheen and other se-nior workers.

Mehbooba said hundredsof youth have been arrestedthroughout the division whichincludes scores of teenagers aswell.

There are many instancesin which a father has been ar-rested and kept as a hostagefor ‘good behaviour of hisson’, she said and added thegovernment by resorting tosuch draconian methods is de-stroying whatever was left ofour democratic claims.—INP

Geelaniincommunicado,family concerned

SRINAGAR—The All PartiesHurriyet Conference (G) Chair-man Syed Ali Shah Geelani,who continues to be underhouse arrest in New Delhi forpast 15 days, has been held in-communicado with the policeauthorities having put additionalrestrictions on his communica-tion links.

“Police have snatched awayhis cell phones and they are notallowing anyone including hisfamily members to see him in theroom. There is only a girl look-ing after him in the room where aposse of policemen is stationed.If she leaves the room for gettinganything from market, she is notallowed to go alone. Some police-man always accompanies her allalong the way,” a family memberof Geelani told a local newspa-per over phone, adding that “Weare very much concerned over his(Geelani’s) health.”

“We have not been ableestablish contact with GeelaniSahab for the past some days,”the family member said, de-manding lifting of restrictionsfrom Geelani and restorationof his communicationslinks.—SANA

IHK patients sufferas ambulances,medicines not

availablezSRINAGAR—Eight-year oldTawheed of Kawdara suffersfrom measles but couldn’t getmedical help due to strict cur-few in Srinagar. He was forcedto stay at home for the past 4days. His mother said, “I wasnot able to get medical assis-tance for my son who was suf-fering due to the disease. Whenhis condition deteriorated, wedecided to shift him to SMHSHospital. But the hospital au-thorities did not provide us am-bulance to ferry him safely. Fi-nally my brother arranged somevehicle but police didn’t allowus to cross the Kawdara Chowkand Aali Kadal. We pleaded be-fore them for half an hour thenonly they allowed us.”

Strict curfew for the past 4days has crippled the Valley.Medical shops have been shutand people have no access tomedical care and ambulances.

People across held Kashmirfaced a tough time ferrying criti-cal patients for treatment to theprime hospitals. In some hospi-tals, discharged patients and at-tendants are held up for want oftransport.While the DivisionalAdministration started helplinefor critical patients and emer-gency arrangements for people,patients complained about non-availability of ambulances atmost of the hospitals especiallythe Associated Hospitals ofGovernment Medical CollegeSrinagar.

Hidden from the political de-bate, valley hospitals explain thereal pain and suffering people arefacing in held Kashmir. Patientsand their attendants wait outsidethe casualty ward of LD Hospi-tal and SMHS Hospital, wantingto go home.

Only emergency cases aregetting ambulances, that toowith the help of local non-gov-ernmental organizations likeHelp Poor Voluntary Trust, HelpFoundation and J&K YateemTrust.—Newswire

JAMMU—Infighting in thePanchayat Raj came to fore whena Sarpanch was denied informa-tion under RTI Act by the RuralDevelopment Department,Kulgam. The Sarpanch knockedthe doors of State InformationCommission (SIC) Srinagar andthe SIC issued a show cause no-tice to the BDO asking him whypenalty should not be imposed onhim? According to details theState Information Commissionvide its order No: SIC/K/Comp/173/2012/01 dated Jan 1, 2013has directed the BDO to explainwhy the penalty / criminal pro-ceedings could not be initiatedagainst him.

According to details theSarpanch of village Shurath dis-

SIC issues show cause notice to BDOtrict Kulgam, Mubarak Ahmadhad approached the InformationCommission.

The SIC order reads that theCommission received a complainton 14.11.2012 from MubarakAhmad, Elected Sarpanch,Panchayat Halqa Shurath againstBlock Development Officer,Kulgam stating that he applied toPIO Kulgam seeking certain infor-mation under RTI Act. PIO Dis-trict Kulgam directed BDOKulgam to provide the requisite in-formation but no information wasprovided by the BDO concerned.In view of the above he has re-quested the Commission to directthe concerned to compensate himand moreover the concerned BDObe dealt with iron hands as he has

openly challenged the RTI Act.The records enclosed with thecomplaint reveal that RTI applica-tion was addressed to Public In-formation Officer, District Kulgamseeking certain information. Thisapplication was transferred by PIOADDC Kulgam to BDO Kulgamvide letter dated 15.09.2011 en-closing Form ‘A’ (see rule (3)) ofRight to Information Act submit-ted by Mubarak Ahmad stating thatcontents of which are self explana-tory, requisite fee stands depositedby the applicant in District Trea-sury Kulgam under T.R. No. 20dated 15.09.2011 and has directedthe BDO to furnish the requisiteinformation within three days.

The details available revealthat the RTI application was trans-

ferred properly by Additional Dis-trict Dev Commissioner (ADDC)Kulgam as provided under section6 (3) of the J&K RTI Act, 2009and hence BDO Kulgam was thedeemed PIO for disposal of thisRTI application.

Subsequently PIO of DC of-fice Kulgam (ADDC) had in-formed BDO Kulgam vide letterdated 10.10.2011 in reference toearlier letter dated 15.09.2011 un-der which the RTI application wastransferred stating that SarpanchHalqa Shurath approached his of-fice that he has not been providedthe requisite information underRTI in respect of village Shurathwhen he has applied for the samelast month.

PIO (ADDC Kulgam) had de-

sired the BDO to furnish the in-formation within two days to theconcerned otherwise there wereapprehensions that he would ap-proach the higher authorities wherehe cannot justify his position fornot furnishing the desired informa-tion to him well in time.

In reply to the notice of theCommission, BDO Kulgam videletter 31.12.2012 has submittedthat information has been providedto the information seeker on19.12.2012 against proper receipt.It is, therefore, obvious that therehas been abnormal delay in dis-posing of the RTI application be-yond period stipulated under sec-tion 7 of the J&K RTI Act, 2009.Although notice for appearancewas issued to the BDO Kulgam

by the State Information Com-mission yet he neither attendedthe hearing in the Commissionnor sought any exemption fromappearance.

The Information Commis-sion Nazir Ahmad while passingthe order in this regard furtherreads “In view of above Regis-try shall issue show cause noticeto BDO Kulgam under section17 of the Act as to why penaltyshall not be imposed on him fordelay in disposing the RTI ap-plication. BDO be further askedto explain as to why proceedingsu/s 32 CPC Samvat-1977 shallnot be initiated against him fornon-appearance in the Commis-sion without seeking exemp-tion.”—Online

MUZAFFARABAD—ChairmanIslamic Political Party Jammuand Kashmir MohammadYousuf Naqash has said that themost shameful and inhumanacts of mass rapes in the areaOf Kunan Poshpora and thou-sands such heinous crimes inIHK expressed brutality of In-dian forces This he said in astatement issued from his officehere on Sunday .

He said that Indian uni-formed brutes proved their in-sanity and brutality by perpe-trating such heinous crimes inKashmir. And these brutes areenjoying freedom and getting

Gang rapes in IHK unveilsIndian animal face

rewards from Indian govern-ment for doing so when theydeserve severe punishmentsnot less than death penalty.But to think of getting justicefrom India and its judiciariesis a mere cruel joke forKashmiri people.

If Kashmiri people evenhope about justice in this regardwill be self deceiving. Becausethese brute forces have perpe-trated and are still perpetratingthese heinous crimes at the be-hest of Indian Government tocurb and supress the genuineand inherent voice of Kashmiripeople for freedom.—Online

Gold Tezab 51857.00Silver Tezabi 934.28

Gold Tezabi (24-Ct) 53,850.00Gold 22 Ct 48,600.00SilverTezabi 970.00Silver Thobi 895.00

USA 98.00 97.80

UK 149.97 146.67

EURO 129.51 129.25

Canada 96.42 96.23

Switzerland 105.52 105.31

Australia 101.13 100.92

Sweden 15.29 15.26

Japan 1.0500 1.0479

Norway 17.30 17.26

Singapore 79.18 79.02

Denmark 17.36 17.33

Omani Riyal 255.00 245.00

Saudi Arabia 26.13 26.08

Hong Kong 12.64 12.61

Kuwait 346.52 345.82

Malaysia 31.60 31.54

Newzeland 82.18 82.02

Qatar 26.92 26.86

UAE 26.68 26.63

KR WON 0.0903 0.0902

Thailand 3.286 3.279

Britain losesAAA rating

WASHINGTON—Moody’sstr ipped Bri tain of i tstriple-A debt rating on Fri-day, saying governmentdebt was still mountingand that growth was tooweak to reverse the trendbefore 2016.

In an expected rebuffto the David Camerongovernment’s hopes thatsharp spending cuts wouldboth reduce its deficit andgive growth a boost, therating agency cut Britain’sgrade by one notch to Aa1.

In parallel, it loweredthe rating of the country’scentral bank, the Bank ofEngland (BoE), which alsofell from AAA to Aa1.

The move sent thepound tumbling and put thearchitect of British auster-i ty, f inance ministerGeorge Osborne, on thedefensive.

“Far from weakeningour resolve to deliver oureconomic recovery plan,this decision redoubles it,”he said after the Moody’sannouncement. “We arenot going to run away fromour problems, we are go-ing to overcome them.”

The main driver for thedowngrade, Moody’s said,“is the increasing claritythat, despite considerablestructural economicstrengths, the UK’s eco-nomic growth will remainsluggish over the next fewyears.”

It described the Britisheconomy as constrainedboth by turgid globalgrowth and the drag frombusinesses and the govern-ment rapidly slashing theirdebt burdens.

“It’s a combination ofthings. But mostly there isboth a public and a privatedeleveraging process goingon, and that has certainlycurtailed growth,” SarahCarlson, Moody’s leadanalyst for the UK, toldAFP.

In turn, slow growthmakes it harder for thegovernment to shrink itsdeficit and balance its bud-get — and so debt will con-tinue to grow, Moody’ssaid. “The debt trajectoryis unlikely to reverse be-fore 2016,” Carlson said.

Osborne said thedowngrade underscoredthe challenge the countryfaces rebounding from re-cession. “Tonight, we havea stark reminder of the debtproblems facing our coun-try — and the clearest pos-sible warning to anyonewho thinks we can runaway from dealing withthose problems,” the fi-nance minister said in astatement.

“We will go on deliv-ering the plan that has cutthe deficit by a quarter, andgiven us record low inter-est rates and record num-bers of jobs.” The down-grade came three monthsafter Moody’s removedFrance’s AAA rating, asthe continuing Europeancrisis humbles what wereonce the world’s most solideconomies.—Agencies

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—A two-day nationalconference of presidents of allChambers of Commerce andIndustries to discuss the prevail-ing economic conditions andthoroughly deliberate the pro-posals for the forthcoming na-tional annual budget will be heldon Feb 25 at Bhurban.

The president of Federationof Pakistan Chamber of Com-merce and Industry and all itsvice presidents along with presi-dents of chambers across thecountry will attend the moot anddiscuss at length problems be-ing confronted by the businesscommunity and share theirviews with stakeholders forfinalising the concrete propos-als sought by the Federal Boardof Revenue and other federal

Two-day tycoons moot

FPCCI to finalize annualbudget for next FY

ministries to be considered bythe federal government and iffeasible to be incorporated in thenext annual national budget.

The purpose of conferenceis to have direct one on one in-teraction with business leadersto discuss budget proposals forthe next fiscal year and sort outtrade issues.The host of the con-ference Rawalpindi Chamber ofCommerce and Industry hasfinalised all arrangements forholding the moot in befittingmanners with the active partici-pation of all chambers.

Chief spokesman FPCCI,Iftikhar Ali Malik, who is alsoco-chairman Businessmen Paneland former president FPCCItold media Sunday that FPCCIwill finalise its budget propos-als for the next fiscal year in thelight of suggestions of the affili-

ated chambers. He greeted theRawalpindi chamber for hostingthis mega event which will beparticipated by the democrati-cally elected genuine trade lead-ers.

Federation of PakistanChambers of Commerce andIndustry (FPCCI),an apex bodyof chambers in the country, hadalready sought budget propos-als from all the affiliated cham-bers and trade bodies across thecountry.

FPCCI will also hold sepa-rate series of meetings at its re-gional offices with the presi-dents of affiliated chambers,registered trade bodies and as-sociations to arrive at viable pro-posals and future strategy to betaken up with Federal FianceMinister and Chairman FederalBoard of Revenue.

Gem Bazaar gainspopularity

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—Punjab Chief Min-ister, Muhammad ShahbazSharif has said that Germancompany AEG is executing 400MW and 50 MW solar energyprojects in Choolistan and in-vesting Rs.100 billion in theseprojects which is an excellentgift of PML-N government tothe people of Pakistan andPunjab. He said that 50 MWproject will start generatingelectricity in June 2013 whereas400 MW project will also becompleted within a year.

He said that German com-pany AEG will charge at the rateof 18 cent and sovereign guar-antee will be sought from fed-eral government for theseprojects. The Chief Minister saidthat Punjab government has alsosigned two Memorandum ofUnderstandings (MoUs) withGerman company Energiequelleand Austrian company AndritzHydro for cooperation in energy

German company AEG executing two400MW, 50 MW solar energy projects

sector.He was talking to media on

the occasion of signing cer-emony of two Memorandum ofUnderstandings (MoUs) withenergy companies of Germanyand Austria at Model Town. Sec-retary Energy on behalf ofPunjab government and HelmutFugemann, Director Sales onbehalf of German CompanyEnergiequelle signed the MoUwhereas Secretary EnergyPunjab and representative ofAustrian company Andritz Hy-dro signed the other MOU.

Special Assistant ZaeemHussain Qadri, Senator PervaizRashid, Begum ZakiaShahnawaz, MNA PervaizMalik and other officials werepresent on the occasion. Underthe agreement, German com-pany will install project of 300MW solar energy whereas Aus-trian company will cooperate inhydel power projects.

Talking to media on the oc-casion, Muhammad Shahbaz

Sharif said that vast opportuni-ties of generating energythrough coal, hydel and solarexist in Pakistan and Punjabgovernment welcomes the in-vestment by German and Aus-trian companies in energy sec-tor. He said that Punjab govern-ment is serious in executing en-ergy projects speedily. However,it is lamentable that NEPRA hasyet not fixed per unit electricityrate for energy projects. ShahbazSharif said that he has raisedvoice a number of times in thisregard but no attention was paidto it.

He said that an agreementhas been made with Germancompany AEG for producingelectricity at 18 cent. He dis-closed that federal governmentwas interested to talk on 22 centbut now it has to give sovereignguarantee at the rate of 18 cent.The Chief Minister said thatPakistan is marching towardselections and German companywill complete 50 MW solar en-

ergy project in June which is agift for the coming government.Shahbaz Sharif said that he willlay the foundation stone of thisproject in Choolistan this month.

He said that investment ofRs.100 billion by German com-pany in energy sector is a clearproof of our seriousness in en-ergy sector. He said that the in-vestors are very careful whilegoing to Islamabad that they arenot deprived of their wealth butthey are investing in Punjab gen-erously which is reflective oftrust by investors in policies ofPunjab government. Replying toa question, Shahbaz Sharif saidthat the coming government willhave to face big challenge ofenergy crisis, however, if thepeople gave an opportunity ofservice, these challenges will beovercome under the leadershipof Mian Nawaz Sharif.

He said that federal govern-ment ruined the country due tocorruption and destroyed itseconomy.

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Gem Bazaar, aninnovative concept brought for-ward by Pakistan Gems andJewellery Development Com-pany (PGJDC), has gainedpopularity in a very short spanof just one year.

It has done wonders in termsof bringing together the numberof buyers and sellers of gem-stones under one roof. Gem Ba-zaars have created numerousopportunities for the local stake-holders of gemstone sector.

Talking to media, an officialof PGJDC said the Gem Bazaarswere held almost every monthat Peshawar, Quetta, Islamabadand Lahore.

“Pakistan relishes the luxuryof abundant and valuable gem-stone treasures buried in itslands. The actual potential ofgemstone industry of Pakistan ishard to grasp unless it is ob-served in the ardent environmentof a Gem Bazaar”, the officialsaid.

He said Gem Bazaar was aunique concept where buyersand sellers meet each other andengage in gemstone trade. It has

expedited the local trade ofgems, he added.

The availability of gemstoneidentification laboratory ensurestransparent and fair trade of pre-cious/semicprecious gemstonesand mineral specimen which arebrought in from all across thecountry, he added.

These Gem Bazaars have pro-vided the gemstone dealers andbuyers a platform to reach businessdeals in the most transparent andfair environment, he noted. “Theidea behind introducing Gem Ba-zaar is to build and enhance thevalue chain productivity resultingin enhancing business relationshipsbetween the buyers and sellers”.

Business relationships de-veloped during Gem Bazaar canbe exploited further, to eventu-ally boost the exports and localtrade, he added.

The official said the GemBazaars reflected PGJDC’scommitment for consistent ef-forts to promote the country’sgemstone sector and also to pro-vide a platforum to those inter-ested in buying and selling gem-stones and mineral specimenunder one roof in a secured en-vironment.

STAFF REPORTER

ISLAMABAD—Consul Generalof Pakistan designated forGuangzhou China, Babar Aminvisited Islamabad Chamber ofCommerce and Industry (ICCI)and discussed opportunities oftrade and investment for enhanc-ing Pak-China bilateral relationswith the businessmen.

During his meeting withbusiness community, Amin saidthat Guangzhou was one of themain trading hubs of China andmajor economic zone whichprovided tremendous opportuni-ties for Pakistani entrepreneursto increase export of their valueadded food products.

He said that conferences,trade shows and exhibitions aregreat ways to promote businessand trade relations asGuangzhou has unique geo-graphical location and also fa-

Businessmen urged to explore tradepotential in Guangzhou China

mous for organizing trade fairsand exhibitions.

He urged Pakistani business-men to participate in these eventswhich would provide an opportu-nity to the business community ofboth the countries to come closer,he added. Among others, ICCIPresident, Zafar Bakhtawari andPresident of PFCCI, , Haji FazalKadir Khan Shirani were presenton the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion,Haji Fazal Kadir Khan Shirani,President of PFCCI said that itis the right time to enhance traderelation with our neighbouringcountries especially China, say-ing that there was good tradepotential for Pakistani productslike textile, rice, surgical instru-ments, sports goods and Paki-stani towels.

He said that FPCCI andICCI could plan a combine busi-ness delegation to Guangzhou

which would further improveB2B relations between the busi-ness communities of both thecountries.

Referring to the importanceof Guangzhou, ZafarBakhtawari, said thatGuangzhou has great impor-tance for Pakistan as Guangzhouprovide good opportunities toPakistani business communityfor doing business with Chinesecounterparts.

He suggested that a direct airlink from Guangzhou to Karachishould be set up for further im-proving bilateral relation be-tween China and Pakistan.

President of ICCI said thatestablishment of newGuangzhou city on KarakorumHighway which is only 15kmaway from Kashgar is not onlyin the best interest of Pakistanbut also for whole CentralAsia.

Apple, Samsungface onslaught at

mobile fairBARCELONA—Chinese handsetmakers will lead an onslaught onsmartphone titans Samsung andApple when the world’s biggestmobile fair opens Monday inBarcelona, Spain.

Offering big-screen, slick,slim smartphones at lowerprices, Chinese manufacturersHuawei, ZTE and Lenovo willleverage the Mobile World Con-gress to chip away at the mightyduopoly, analysts say.

The handset battle is part ofa broader revolt against a hand-ful of companies with a strangle-hold on the booming industry’shandsets, operating systems andmicrochips, they say.

Apple, as usual, is steeringclear of the February 25-28 con-gress that draws 1,500 exhibi-tors to this Mediterranean cityin northeastern Spain, andSamsung is not expected tolaunch its next big offer, theGalaxy S4, until some time af-ter the show.—AFP

ISLAMABAD—Former Chair-man of Pakistan Steel Mills andPakistan Ordinance Factories,Lieutenant General (Retd)Abdul Qayyum has underscoredthe need to further enhance Iran-Pakistan cooperation in energysector.

In an interview with IRNA,Qayyum said that Iran is a coun-try which is close to Pakistanideologically and geographi-cally and it is good to see thatboth countries are moving for-ward on Iran-Pakistan gas pipe-line project.

He hailed the decision ofIran to establish oil refinery insouth western Pakistani city ofGwadar with an estimated ca-pacity of about 400,000 barrels

Gen Qayyum for further boostingIran-Pakistan energy coop

per day. “It is a positive devel-opment,” the analyst viewed.

The intellectual was of theopinion that cooperation withIran is in the interest of Pakistan.He said that Iran-Pakistan gaspipeline project should beimplemented as soon as pos-sible. Abdul Qayyum went on tosay that Iran is a close friend ofPakistan and is always ready tohelp us.

He said that Gwadar portwhich is handed over to Chinais a major port of the region andif Iran establishes an oil refin-ery over there it would benefitthe whole region.

He said that there are forceswhich are trying to disturb thepeace of the region. “They are

trying to create problems forboth Iran and Pakistan,” he said.He added that Iran and Pakistanwith their close cooperation canundermine conspiracies againstboth the nations.

He said that it is good to seethat the government of Pakistanis determined to complete Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project. “Itis good news for the region andfor the economy of Pakistan,” saidthe analyst. He said that Iran andPakistan should remain preparedto face possible international pres-sures on the project. “We have totake the decisions which are in theinterest of our people,” he viewed.Lieutenant General AbdulQayyum is a retired 3 star generalof Pakistan Army. —NNI

DUBAI—A delegation repre-senting the Bureau Internationaldes Expositions (BIE), the inter-governmental organisationbased in Paris that is responsiblefor World Expo, arrived on Sun-day in the UAE.

The aim of the visit is toconduct a four-day Enquiry Mis-sion to assess the UAE’s abilityto host the World Expo 2020 inDubai, a global gathering whichis expected to attract 25 millionvisitors, Gulf News reportedSunday.

His Highness ShaikhAhmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum,President of Dubai Civil Avia-tion Authority and Chairmanand Chief Executive of EmiratesAirline and Group, in his capac-

World Expo mission arrivesin UAE to assess Dubai bid

ity as Chairman of the HigherCommittee for Hosting the 2020World Expo in Dubai, said: “Weare honoured to welcome theBIE Enquiry Mission to theUAE so they can see first handthe excitement, spirit and sup-port for Expo 2020 exhibited byour multicultural nation. Withgreat pride we look forward tothe Mission’s discovery of ourcapabilities to not only host theevent but to make it the bestExpo in the event’s 150 year his-tory.”

The Enquiry Mission, led byMr Steen Christiansen, Chair-man of the BIE Executive Com-mittee, follows the UAE’s recentsubmission of its official Expobid dossier.—NNI

LAHORE—A five memberSwedish delegation, lead byLars-Hjalmar Wide, Ambassa-dor of Sweden to Pakistan, vis-ited the Punjab Board of Invest-ment and Trade (PBIT).

The delegation includingMs Charlotte Kalin, CEO,Chamber Trade Sweden, YawarMian, Capital Business Sweden/CSR Pakistan, Jonas Rottorp,Swedish Environmental Re-search Institute (IVL) and JohanBergkvist, Second Secretary,Embassy of Sweden held talkswith PBIT team lead by JavedAkbar, Chief Executive Office,regarding cooperation in varioussectors especially energy, agri-culture and waste management.

The Swedish delegates are in

Sweden for coop in energy,agri, waste management

Pakistan to conduct seminars inLahore and Sialkot chambers ofcommerce & industry to presentCase Studies of key SwedishGreentech expertise areas, success-ful Greentech solutions in Swedenand how Swedish technologieshave benefited other countries.

Charlotte Kalin, CEO,Chamber Trade Sweden, who isin Pakistan as a Follow up visitof her earlier 2010 visit, to over-see forward cooperation in en-ergy sector between Pakistan &Sweden, shared the fact thatmost global renewable compa-nies are focusing on investing inIndia and China; while it was herorganization’s effort to divertsimilar Swedish companies toinvest in Pakistan.—Online

NEW YORK—Asset managerLegg Mason Inc is preparing toname its interim head, JosephSullivan, as its permanent chiefexecutive, two people familiarwith the matter said, as the com-pany turns to a sales chief to stopan outflow of funds.

Sullivan, 55, became in-terim CEO of the Baltimorefund firm when Mark Fettingstepped down under pressurelast September. Sullivan wasseen by insiders as the leadingcontender for the post.

The company’s choice of an

Legg Mason to name interimCEO Sullivan as next leader

insider rather than an outsiderwill signal to investors that LeggMason is less inclined to fix it-self through radical reinvention,analysts have said.

Picking Sullivan “is veryconsistent with a strategy of try-ing to keep going on the samecourse,” said University ofMaryland finance professorRuss Wermers in a telephoneinterview.

Legg Mason might do “lim-ited spinoffs or selling some as-sets, but they will pretty muchstay the course and not let the

last three to four years definethem,” Wermers said.

With $654 billion undermanagement at January 31,Legg Mason is one of the larg-est publicly traded U.S. assetmanagers, but some of its larg-est funds have turned in mixedperformances and thecompany’s shares have laggedits peers. Customers have beenpulling money out for almostfive years and one-time starmanager Bill Miller steppeddown from his largest fund lastyear.—Newswire

ADB’s Kurodapulls ahead in

race to lead BoJTOKYO—Asian DevelopmentBank chief Haruhiko Kuroda isleading the race to become thenew governor of Japan’s centralbank, according to media reportson Sunday, as Prime MinisterShinzo Abe nears a decision onwho will head the bank’s fightagainst deflation.

The government has said itwill decide its nominee thisweek and Abe was expected tohuddle with aides to reach a fi-nal decision after returning froma US trip on Sunday. Still, who-ever Abe nominates is not cer-tain to get the job because theappointment must be approvedby both houses of parliament.

Abe’s ruling bloc does nothave a majority in the upperhouse, and as a result the gov-ernment will consult oppositionparties before naming its choicesfor the Bank of Japan’s (BoJ)topposts - the governor and twodeputy governors - when incum-bents retire on March 19.

Former top financial bu-reaucrat Toshiro Muto had beenconsidered the leading candidateto replace Masaaki Shirakawa,who leaves after a five-yearterm.—Agencies

Abu Dhabilender ADCBto issue twotranche bond

DUBAI—Abu Dhabi Commer-cial Bank will issue a two-tranche bond, which includesone portion that will be used toboost its capital ratios, the banksaid in a statement on Sunday.

The United Arab Emirates’third-largest lender by marketvalue will issue a benchmark-sized five-year bond and also aten-year subordinated deal whichwill enhance the bank’s Tier 2,or supplementary capital.

Benchmark-sized bond istypically at least $500 million.

The dollar-denominatedtransaction will be launched “inthe near future subject to marketconditions,” the statement added.Banks in the United Arab Emir-ates will this year aim to repayTier 2 capital placed with themat the height of the global finan-cial crisis, with some turning tothe bond market to avoid servic-ing expensive debt and risking asudden ‘capital cliff’ later on.

ADCB is due to concludefixed income investor meetingsin Singapore on Monday, havingalready completed roadshows inSwitzerland, London and HongKong.—Agencies

ICBC ME2012 profitjumps 69pc

RIYADH—The Middle Eastbranch of Industrial and Com-mercial Bank of China, theworld’s biggest lending bank,enjoyed surging profits and as-set growth in 2012, it said onSaturday, underscoring increas-ingly close economic ties be-tween Beijing and the Gulf.

The bank’s Middle East unit,based in Dubai, said pre-tax profitsurged 69 percent in 2012 from2011 to $54 million, while oper-ating income jumped 47 percentto $72 million. Total assets at endof 2012 were $3.96 billion, a riseof 29 percent over the same fig-ure at the end of 2011, it said inan emailed statement.—Agencies

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—PakWheels.com isPakistan’s leading automobileswebsite, with over 20 millionpage views and over 2 Millionusers every month. This vibrantenterprise is organizing a capti-vating Automobile-Show onSunday 17th March 2013 from11am to 7pm in Lahore. A dis-play of more than 500 exclusivecars including but not limited tosports, exotic, SUVs, vintage andluxury vehicles. There will alsobe another prime attraction for

PakWheels.com brings thirdAnnual Auto Show in Lahore

bike lovers with a tremendousturnout of heavy bikes that willbe presented to the attendees.

This event promises to beone of the biggest gatherings ofautomobile car lovers in Paki-stan, where over 25,000 peopleare expected to attend and ar-rangements have been made forproviding ample parking spacefor visitors at the event location.People from different walks oflife will come and share theirobsession for automotive tech-nology. This exciting event isaimed at promoting the automo-

tive industry in Pakistan,through a lively event, whereyoung fans can also learn aboutthe risks of street racing andreckless driving.

The Marketing Manager forPakWheels.com – Mr. AhmedSaeed enthusiastically pointedout that; “PakWheels has a tra-dition of coordinating some im-pressive auto-shows. The lastauto show was held inIslamabad in November lastyear which was attended by over10,000 people and showcasedover 200 cars and bikes.

Retail inflationrises to 10.79pcNEW DELHI—Rising for thefourth consecutive month, retailinflation remained in doubledigits at 10.79 per cent in Janu-ary, driven by higher prices ofvegetables, edible oil, cerealsand protein-based items.

The retail inflation had stoodat 10.56 per cent in December, 9.90per cent in November and 9.75 percent in October, 2012. The veg-etables basket in January recordedthe highest inflation of 26.11 percent among all the constituents thatmake the Consumer Price Index(CPI), according to data released.Vegetables were followed by theoil and fats segment at 14.98 percent. Meat, fish and egg became13.73 per cent more expensive dur-ing the month.—Newswire

WASHINGTON—Boeing hasproposed a fix for battery prob-lems on the 787 Dreamliner butthe aircraft will stay groundedworldwide until a safe solutionis determined, US air safetyregulators said on Friday.

“The FAA is reviewing aBoeing proposal and willanalyse it closely,” the FederalAviation Administration saidafter meeting with senior Boeingexecutives to discuss the ongo-ing investigation of the batteryissues.

“The safety of the flyingpublic is our top priority and wewon’t allow the 787 to return tocommercial service until we’re

Boeing offers proposal tofix Dreamliner battery

confident that any proposed so-lution has addressed the batteryfailure risks.”

Boeing earlier said that RayConner, the head of BoeingCommercial Aeroplanes, had a“productive meeting” with FAAchief Michael Huerta in Wash-ington to discuss the lithium-ionbattery issues on the cutting-edge plane that is key to thecompany’s growth strategy.

“We are encouraged by theprogress being made toward re-solving the issue and returningthe 787 to flight for our custom-ers and their passengers aroundthe world,” a Boeing spokesmansaid.

All 50 of the 787s in servicehave been grounded for morethan five weeks, disrupting air-line schedules, as US and for-eign investigators try to pinpointthe cause of a battery fire on aparked plane and a batterysmoke incident that forced an-other into an emergency landing.

While Boeing claimsprogress in the probe, the extentof the problems and the poten-tial complexity in addressingthem remains unknown, trigger-ing mounting speculation on howlong the groundings will last.

Neither the FAA nor Boeingoffered any details on the bat-tery proposal. —Agencies

Shurooq, ISPATsign landmark

MoUSHARJAH—Sharjah Investmentand Development Authority(Shurooq) has signed a Memo-randum of Understanding (MoU)with the Republic Of TurkeyPrime Ministry Investment Sup-port and Promotion Agency(ISPAT) with the aim of strength-ening business relations and de-veloping reciprocal cooperationbetween Sharjah and Turkey.

The MoU was signed in thepresence of H. H. Sheikh DrSultan bin Mohammed AlQasimi, Member of the Su-preme Council and Ruler ofSharjah, and Turkish PrimeMinister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The signing ceremony tookplace during the second Govern-ment Communication Forum(GCF 2013) held under the theme‘Effective Communication- Uni-fied Message’, which was openedon Sunday the 24th of Februaryby H. H. Sheikh Dr Sultan binMohammed Al Qasimi, Memberof the Supreme Council and Rulerof Sharjah, at the Expo Centre inSharjah.—Agencies

Hollande hails quality meat at farm showPARIS—French President Francois Hollandesang the praises of local produce at the annualFrench farm show, where the horse meat scan-dal added to French cattle breeders’ downbeatmood. Hollande, who was long the head ofthe rural Correze region, spent hours talkingto livestock farmers, who worry that the dis-covery of horse meat in lasagnes and otherprocessed foods labelled as beef-based will castanother cloud over their sector. “We need topromote French quality, French production and

French cattle breeding,” Hollande told reporters at Europe’s largestfarm show. He added that France will push for traceability and com-pulsory labelling of meat in processed foods at talks with EU part-ners. In 2000, mandatory labelling was introduced for beef due tohealth concerns that stemmed from Europe’s bovine spongiformencephalopathy, also called mad cow disease, crisis but labels on theorigin of beef do not apply to processed food. “The idea that pre-pared foods should have the same safety requirements as fresh butcherproducts will become evident in the coming months,” Hollande said.France has played a pivotal role in the horsemeat scandal as a com-pany in southern France has been blamed for having mislabelledRomanian horse meat and resold it as beef to companies who makeready-made meals based on minced beef. “People have confidencein their farmers, but not necessarily in their food,” Xavier Beulin,the head of FNSEA, France’s largest farm union, told Reuters. Manyfarmers are worried the scandal will hit their sector, which struggleswith the high cost of grain-based animal feed. “When somethinglike this happens just weeks before the show, it gives a bad image,”said Florent Michard, 25, in front of the family’s Prim’Holstein cows.Official data show that French cattle breeders earn just 15,000 eurosper year on average, compared to 72,000 to 80,000 euros a year forcereal growers and sugar beet farmers. The socialist president saidhe aimed to shift part of EU farm subsidies to livestock farmers fromcrop growers, who are benefiting from high grain prices. —Reuters

Italians go to polls amid recessionROME—Italians began voting on Sunday inone of the most closely watched elections inyears, with markets nervous about whetherit can produce a strong government to pullItaly out of recession and help resolve theeuro zone debt crisis. Some of the first peopleto cast their ballots expressed fears that noclear winner would emerge, leading to po-litical stalemate and a coalition that may notgovern for long. “I think we will have to goto elections again ... I expect instability for

the next two years,” said Vincenzo D’Ouria, voting in Milan.Italians started voting at 8 a.m. (0700 GMT). Polling booths willremain open until 10 p.m. on Sunday and open again between 7a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday. Exit polls will come out soon aftervoting ends and official results are expected by early Tuesday.The election is being followed closely by financial markets withmemories still fresh of the potentially catastrophic debt crisisthat brought technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti to powermore than a year ago. Monti and his wife cast their votes at apolling booth in a Milan school on Sunday morning. His centristbloc would only enter a future government as a junior partner ofa bigger party. Final polls published two weeks ago showed cen-ter-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani with a 5-point lead, but analystsdisagree about whether he will be able to form a stable majoritythat can make the economic reforms Italy needs. Bersani is nowthought to be just a few points ahead of center-right rival SilvioBerlusconi, the four-times prime minister who has promised taxrefunds and staged a media blitz in an attempt to win back vot-ers. A huge final rally by anti-establishment-comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo on Friday highlighted public anger at tra-ditional parties. Grillo’s 5-Star movement, made up of politicalnovices, is in third place in its first general election, polls sug-gest, and popular support from voters across the political spec-trum has increased uncertainty about the outcome. —Reuters

Nasheed leaves Indian embassy refugeMALE—Former Maldives PresidentMohamed Nasheed on Sunday left the IndianHigh Commission, his party said, after tak-ing refuge for 11 days to avoid arrest oncharges related to his presidency. The gov-ernment has said he no longer faces arrest.Nasheed, the Maldives’ first democraticallyelected leader, left office last year in contestedcircumstances. He entered the Indian HighCommission, or embassy, in the capital onFebruary 13 as police tried to arrest him in

connection with a court case. During his refuge in the embassyNasheed called for the formation of a caretaker government to en-sure free and fair presidential polls in the Indian Ocean archipelago,scheduled for September. He was greeted on Saturday by hun-dreds of his party supporters, who cheered him with his nickname“Anni,” and surrounded him before he came before the media.“I’ve come out with the understanding I will be able to conductpeaceful political activity and my social life,” he told reporters. “Ibelieve that even on issues that we disagree on, we can reach acompromise with the Maldivian government.” His supporters sayhe was ousted last February in a coup in the Maldives, a majortourist destination. They have clashed with police outside the dip-lomatic mission and near the entrance of the country’s main highsecurity zone since he took refuge. Nasheed’s decision comes afteran Indian delegation led by Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla, JointSecretary, Ministry of External Affairs held a series of meetingwith the officials of the Maldives government. The Indian HighCommission in Colombo said in a statement Nasheed “entered theIndian Mission in Male on 13 February 2013 on his own volitionand had similarly decided to leave on his own A court orderedNasheed’s arrest after he missed a February 10 court appearance ina case relating to accusations that he illegally detained a judgeduring the last days of his administration, which also forced theregime change.—Reuters

Pope prays last blessings for ChristiansVATICAN CITY—Pope Benedict XVI gavehis pontificate’s final Sunday blessing fromhis studio window to the cheers of tens ofthousands of people packing St. Peter’sSquare, but sought to reassure the faithfulthat he wasn’t abandoning the church by re-tiring to spend his final years in prayer. The85-year-old Benedict is stepping down onThursday evening, the first pope to do so in600 years, after saying he no longer has themental or physical strength to lead the

world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. But while he has lately looked tiredand frail, the crowd filling the cobblestone square seemed to en-ergize him, and he spoke in a clear, strong voice, repeatedly thank-ing the faithful for their closeness and affection as they inter-rupted him, again and again, with applause and cheers. Policeestimated some 100,000 people turned out. Benedict told thecrowd that God is calling him to dedicate himself “even more toprayer and meditation,” which he will do in a secluded monas-tery being renovated for him on the grounds behind Vatican City’sancient walls. “But this doesn’t mean abandoning the church,”he said, as many in the crowd looked sad at his departure fromregular view. “On the contrary, if God asks me, this is because Ican continue to serve it (the church) with the same dedicationand the same love which I have tried to do so until now, but in away more suitable to my age and to my strength.” The phrase“tried to” was the pope’s adlibbed addition to his prepared text.Benedict has one more public appearance, a Wednesday generalaudience in St. Peter’s Square. Benedict smiled at the crowd afteran aide parted the white curtain at his window, telling the people,“thank you for your affection.” Heavy rain had been forecast forRome, and some drizzle dampened the square earlier in the morn-ing. But when Benedict appeared, to the peal of church bells as theclock struck noon, blue sky crept through the clouds.—Reuters

RAMALLAH—Palestinians onSunday called for an interna-tional investigation of Israel’streatment of detained Palestin-ians, after a 30-year-old Pales-tinian died in custody and a hun-ger strike by four other inmatessparked a week of West Bankprotests. The death of ArafatJaradat has raised new ques-tions about Israel’s Shin Betsecurity service, which has beenaccused by rights groups ofmistreating Palestinians duringinterrogation.

Palestinian officials and thedetainee’s family allegedJaradat was mistreated by theShin Bet, saying he was healthyat the time of his arrest lastweek. Israeli officials saidJaradat died of an apparent heartattack and denied he was beatenor subjected to any treatmentthat could have led to his death.

Palestinians urge int’l probe into Israeli prisonsSeveral thousand Palestinianprisoners held by Israel observeda one-day fast Sunday to protestJaradat’s death, which wasbound to spur more Palestiniandemonstrations in support ofprisoners.

In the West Bank’s largestcity, Hebron, dozens of Palestin-ians on Sunday threw stones atIsraeli soldiers who fired teargas and rubber-coated steel pel-lets. Stone-throwing protestsalso erupted near Jaradat’s vil-lage of Saeer in the West Bank.In all, Israel holds close to 4,600Palestinians on a range ofcharges, from throwing stones atIsraelis to involvement in deadlyshooting and bombing attacks.Of the detainees, 159 are beingheld without charges or trial inso-called administrative deten-tion.

The fate of prisoners is an

emotional issue for Palestiniansand Israelis. Virtually every Pal-estinian family has seen a mem-ber imprisoned since Israel cap-tured the West Bank, Gaza andeast Jerusalem in 1967, and theprisoners are generally seen asheroes resisting Israeli occupa-tion. Many Israelis tend to viewPalestinians involved in politi-cally motivated violence as ter-rorists. The Shin Bet said Jaradatwas arrested last Monday, afterresidents in his village of Saeersaid he was involved in a rock-throwing attack that injured anIsraeli.

Jaradat admitted to thecharge, as well as to anotherWest Bank rock-throwing inci-dent last year, the Shin Bet said.The agency said that during in-terrogation, he was examinedseveral times by a doctor whodetected no health problems. On

Saturday, he was in his cell andfelt unwell after lunch, theagency said. “Rescue servicesand a doctor were alerted andtreated him, they didn’t succeedin saving his life,” the statementsaid. A Shin Bet spokesman,speaking on condition of ano-nymity in line with protocol,said Jaradat was not beaten dur-ing his interrogation, nor was hesubjected to any treatment thatcould have affected his health.

Jaradat was not on a hungerstrike and died of an apparentheart attack, said SivanWeizman of the Israel PrisonsService. Israel’s main forensicsinstitute was to perform an au-topsy, with a Palestinian physi-cian in attendance.

Jaradat, a father of a 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son,worked as a gas station attendantand his wife, Dalal, is pregnant,

relatives said. His family andPalestinian officials said he washealthy at the time of his arrest,and alleged he was mistreatedduring interrogation.

Issa Karake, a Palestinianofficial who handles prisonerissues, said he holds Israel re-sponsible for Jaradat’s death,alleging ill-treatment and medi-cal negligence. Karake called foran independent international in-vestigation of Israel’s treatmentof Palestinian detainees. The Is-raeli human rights groupB’Tselem also demanded an in-vestigation, including howJaradat was questioned.

The agency routinely holdsdetainees in isolation for ex-tended periods during interroga-tion, keeping them in cells thatare lit around the clock and de-nying them access to lawyers,said Sarit Michaeli, a spokes-

woman for the group. She saidthat physical mistreatment ofdetainees has dropped sharply inrecent years, but has not disap-peared, according to affidavitsby released prisoners. She alsosaid detainees have filed some700 complaints about mistreat-ment by Shin Bet agents over thepast decade, but that none hasled to a criminal investigation.

Jaradat’s death comes at atime of daily Palestinian dem-onstrations in support of prison-ers, especially four hunger strik-ers. The health of one of the hun-ger strikers has deteriorated. Inrecent days, protests oftenturned into violent clashes withsoldiers. Defense officials saidChief of Staff Lt. Gen. BennyGantz convened top military of-ficials Saturday night to discussescalating tensions in the WestBank.—AP

10 killed infilm warehouse

blastHANOI—Twin blasts at a ware-house owned by a cinema spe-cial effects expert killed 10people and reduced three homesto burning rubble in Vietnam’sbiggest city, state media reportedon Sunday.

Teams of firefightersworked through the early hoursafter the overnight explosionsand found three survivors amongthe bodies buried beneath whatwas left of the houses in south-ern Ho Chi Minh City early onSunday, the Tuoi Tre newspapersaid on its website(www.tuoitrenews.vn)

Among the dead was LeMinh Phuong, 58, who workedin pyrotechnics for local filmsand stored explosives in hishome, which doubled as a ware-house, Tuoi Tre said, citing pre-liminary police investigations.

Six members of Phuong’sfamily, including his six-year-old daughter, were also killed.Police said they believed theexplosions were triggered byaccident.

Local residents fled after theblasts shook homes locatedwithin a 500-metre radius, ac-cording to the news websiteVNExpress.—Reuters

Citizens’ tide of protests

across SpainMADRID—Spaniards furious athardship and corruption scan-dals in the financial crisismassed in cities across the coun-try on Sunday in a “citizens’tide” of protests. Tens of thou-sands converged in Madrid,Barcelona and other cities to thedin of drums and whistles andyells of “Resign!” directed atPrime Minister Mariano Rajoyand his government.

“We have come because ofit all - unemployment, corruptpoliticians, the young peoplewho have no future - it’s a com-bination of everything,” saidLuis Mora, 55, a constructionworker in Madrid. He joined amultitude of nurses, doctors,teachers, firemen, miners withlamps on their helmets and nu-merous other groups.

The grouping of civil associa-tions that called the protests choseFebruary 23 for the anniversaryof an attempted coup in 1981 byofficers who tried to restore mili-tary rule six years after the deathof the dictator Francisco Franco.The protestors’ manifesto said thedemonstrations targeted the “coupof the financial markets” whichthey largely blame for the crisisbrought on by the collapse of thehousing market. —AFP

Tunisian secularists protestagainst new Islamist PM

BEIRUT—Syrian rebels usedcaptured tanks to launch a freshoffensive on a government com-plex housing a police academynear Aleppo and clashed withgovernment troops protectingthe strategic installation on Sun-day. The military respondedwith airstrikes to defend thecomplex, which also includesseveral smaller army outposts incharge of protecting the policeacademy.

Rebels have logged a stringof strategic victories over thepast few weeks, especially inthe northeast where Aleppo islocated. Capturing the complexnear Aleppo would be anotherblow to the regime that has inrecent weeks lost control keyinfrastructure in the northeast

Syria rebels fight for policeacademy near Aleppo

including a hydroelectric dam,a major oil field and two armybases along the road linkingAleppo with the airport to itseast. Rebels have also been at-tacking deeper into the heart ofDamascus, posing a stiff chal-lenge to President Bashar Assadregime in its seat of power.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, thedirector of the Britain-basedSyrian Observatory for HumanRights, said rebels have beentrying for months to storm thecomplex west of Aleppo in thesuburb of Khan al-Asal. Rebelshave also been trying for weeksto capture Aleppo’s InternationalAirport.

There were no reports offighting for the facility on Sun-day. But there have been battles

around a section of the highwaythe army has been using to trans-port troops and supplies to amilitary base within the airportcomplex. Assad’s forces havebeen locked in a stalemate withrebels in Aleppo since July,when the city became a majorfront in the civil war.

Months of heavy streetfighting have left whole neigh-borhoods in the city in ruins,carving it up into areas con-trolled by the regime and othersheld by rebels with both sidesshelling each other’s positions.On Friday, regime forces firedthree missiles into a rebel-heldarea in eastern Aleppo, hittingseveral buildings and killing 37people, according to the Obser-vatory. —Reuters

TUNIS—Thousands of Tuni-sians protested on Saturdayagainst the new prime minister-designate Ali Larayedh, ahardliner from the main Islam-ist Ennahda party. PresidentMoncef Marzouki askedLarayedh to form a governmenton Friday, in the aftermath of theFebruary 6 assassination ofsecular opposition politicianChokri Belaid.

Outgoing prime ministerHamadi Jebali resigned on Tues-day because Ennahda rejectedhis plan for an apolitical tech-nocrat cabinet to prepare forelections. Larayedh, the newpremier-designate, is controver-sial because opposition secular-ists accuse the Interior Ministrywhich he headed of failing to

curb Islamist violence. About3000 secularists flocked to thecapital’s main street HabibBourguiba raising banners hos-tile to the Ennahda party andLarayedh.

They chanted “Larayedhout” and “The people want tobring down the regime”. Tuni-sia plunged into political crisison February 6 when the assassi-nation of secular oppositionpolitician Chokri Belaid ignitedthe biggest street protests sincethe overthrow of strongmanZine al-Abidine Ben Ali twoyears ago.

Larayedh, 57, is viewed aspart of Ennahda’s hardline wing,which rejects any role for par-ties linked to the Ben Ali era —Reuters

NICOSIA—Cypriots voted onSunday in a runoff to elect apresident who must clinch a bail-out deal before the island nationplunges into a financial melt-down that would revive the eurozone debt crisis. Conservativeleader Nicos Anastasiades, whofavors hammering out a quickdeal with foreign lenders, istipped to win against Commu-nist-backed rival Stavros Malas,who is more wary of the auster-ity terms accompanying any res-cue.

Financial markets are hop-ing for an Anastasiades victoryto speed up a joint rescue by theEuropean Union and Interna-tional Monetary Fund before theisland runs out of cash and de-rails fragile confidence returningto the euro zone. The 66-year-old lawyer took more than 45percent of the vote in the first

Cyprus presidential voteon verge of bailout deal

round in the Greek-speakingCypriot south, easily beating 45-year-old geneticist Malas, whotook 27 percent.

Polls close at 4.p.m. (Britishtime), with the result expectedsoon afterwards. The winner willtake the reins of a Mediterraneannation ravaged by its worst eco-nomic crisis in four decades, withunemployment at a record highof 15 percent. Pay cuts and taxhikes ahead of a bailout have fur-ther soured the national mood.

“We have to choose betweenthe lesser of two evils,” saidGeorgia Xenophondos, a 23-year-old receptionist who votedfor a third contender in the firstround. She now plans to vote forthe conservative chief, but iswary of backing more austerity.“We are already damaged by itand I don’t know if we can takeanymore,” she said. “We’ve hit

poverty, unemployment and lostrespect from the EU - things wedidn’t see five years ago.” News-papers reflected the grim outlook,warning of an uphill climb for thenew president. One described itas walking towards “Calvary”,where the Bible says Jesus wascrucified.

“He will be plunged straightinto the deep end, and failure isnot an option,” the Simerini dailywrote. Fewer voters were ex-pected to show up at the pollsthan on February 17 after thethird-placed candidate refused toback either contender in the run-off, boosting Anastasiades’schances.

About a half million Cypri-ots are eligible to vote but manyare expected to abstain or castblank votes in protest. Both con-tenders have implored Cypriotsnot to shirk their duty.—Reuters

A Palestinian protester runs past tear gas shell during clashes with Israeli security forces in the West Bank city of Hebron.

ADDIS ABABA—A U.N .-medi-ated peace deal aimed at endingtwo decades of conflict in the eastof the Democratic Republic ofCongo was signed on Sunday byleaders of Africa’s Great Lakesregion in the Ethiopian capitalAddis Ababa.

African leaders failed to signthe deal last month after a dis-agreement over who would com-mand a new regional force thatwill be deployed in easternCongo and take on armed groups

African leaders sign UN-mediateddeal ending Congo conflict

operating in the region.The Democratic Republic of

Congo’s army is fighting the M23rebels, who have hived off afiefdom in eastern Congo’s NorthKivu province in a conflict hasdragged Congo’s eastern regionback into war and displaced anestimated half a million people.

U.N. Secretary General BanKi-moon and leaders fromMozambique, Rwanda, Uganda,Tanzania, South Africa, Demo-cratic Republic of Congo, Congo

Republic and South Sudan werepresent at the signing of the Peace,Security and Cooperation Frame-work for the Democratic Repub-lic of Congo and the Great Lakes.

Rwanda and Uganda hadbeen accused by U.N. experts ofsupporting the rebels, an accusa-tion they denied. “It is my hopethat the framework will lead toan era of peace and stability forthe peoples of the DemocraticRepublic of Congo and the re-gion,” Ban said.—Reuters

W A S H I N G T O N — F o r m e rAmerican diplomat ThomasPickering said what struck himmost during a review of lastyear’s attacks on the U.S. mis-sion in Benghazi, Libya, werethe frequent personnel changes,second-guessing on security up-grades, and dismissive attitudetoward dozens of security inci-dents. The temporary status ofthe mission also led to uncer-tainty about providing additionalfunding, including for security,he said in an interview. TheUnited States established a dip-lomatic presence in the easternLibyan city after the 2011 revoltagainst former Libyan leaderMuammar Gaddafi.

Pickering, who served as aU.S. ambassador in the MiddleEast, Russia and India, headedan Accountability Review Board(ARB) on the September 11 at-tacks by militants in Benghazithat killed the U.S. ambassadorto Libya, Christopher Stevens,and three other Americans at themission and a nearby CIA an-nex. The mission compoundwhere Stevens was killed wasprotected against homemadebomb devices but not the hordeof attackers - numbering about60 - who swarmed in, Pickeringsaid in the interview on Fridayin his Washington office.

Nor did it offer adequateprotection against the use of fireas a weapon and more attention

Benghazi attacks exposeslim US security: ex-envoy

needs to be paid to that threat atdiplomatic posts in the future,Pickering said. Stevens and an-other American diplomat died ofsmoke inhalation. The StateDepartment formed a task forceto implement 29 recommenda-tions in the ARB report and sentsecurity assessment teams to 19U.S. missions in 13 countries foran on-the-ground review ofposts in high-threat environ-ments.

The department has a three-part plan for fixing security is-sues at those posts by boostingthe number of Marines, addingDiplomatic Security officers andincreasing money to deal withconstruction problems,Pickering said. “They had foundthings that needed to be fixedand that the three major pro-grams they were putting in placewere designed to immediatelyfind answers to those problems,”he said.

The Benghazi attacks havebeen the subject of congres-sional hearings and now someRepublicans are threatening tohold up President BarackObama’s nominations for topposts unless he releases moreinformation about theadministration’s response. TheARB report was released in De-cember, and former Secretaryof State Hillary Clinton ac-cepted all of its recommenda-tions.—Reuters

SOFIA—Tens of thousands ofpeople marched in cities acrossBulgaria on Sunday, demandingan end to high utility bills andnew voting rules after the gov-ernment was toppled last week.Public anger with power mo-nopolies in the EuropeanUnion’s poorest member forcedright-of-centre Prime MinisterBoiko Borisov’s cabinet to re-sign and has put the country ontrack for an early election byMay.

Although Borisov’s govern-ment managed to maintain fiscalstability since taking power in2009, belt-tightening has heldback growth and driven up un-employment. His departure hasfailed to calm voters fed up withlow living standards and rampantgraft, and his GERB party is nowrunning neck-and-neck with theopposition Socialists ahead of thenew election.

The last straw for many wasa jump in winter electricity billsthat at times exceeded incomesin a country where average sala-ries are just 400 euros ($530) amonth and pensions are less thanhalf that amount. Much of theanger has been directed at powercompanies including Czech CEZ

Bulgarian protests forcheaper energy intensify

and Energo-Pro and Austria’sEVN, which bought exclusiverights to distribute energy in spe-cific regions from Bulgaria in2004.

Waving Bulgarian flags andslogans reading “Fighting fordecent life” and “Down withmonopolies” over 10,000 Bulgar-ians marched through downtownSofia. “For years and years thepoliticians failed to impose strictcontrols over monopolies. Thisshould stop,” said 54-year-oldIrena Mitova, a shop owner inSofia. Demonstrations also tookplace in around 40 other cities,with some 15,000 people march-ing in Bulgaria’s second and thirdlargest cities Plovdiv and Varna.

Separate, smaller protestswere held against an inefficienteducation system that critics saydoes not prepare students for thelabour market and against highinterest charges from retail bankscriticised for hurting small busi-nesses. President RosenPlevneliev, who will probablyappoint a caretaker governmentand dissolve parliament nextweek to pave the way for theearly election, met protesters andensured them their voices wouldbe heard.—Reuters

BIPIN DANI

OBSERVER

CORRESPONDENT

M U M B A I — P a k i s t a n ’sImtiaz Ahmed is the first in-ternational wicketkeeper tohave scored double hun-dred in Test.

Speaking exclusivelyfrom Lahore on Sundayevening, he said, “yes, it isa bit difficult for awickekeeper to score 200runs, but Dhoni is a good

Scoring 200 runs bywicketkeeper is not easy: Imtiaz

batsman and has been scor-ing runs in the game and Iwas not surprised when hepassed this double figure to-day”.

“What is important forDhoni is that he is leading theside, but I don’t think hisbatting is affected due to thisadded responsibilities”, the85-year-old Imtiaz Ahmedadded.

Dhoni came into bat atnumber six and is unbeatenat the end of the play. Imtiaz

C H E N N A I — M a h e n d r aSingh Dhoni hit a career-bestundefeated 206 while ViratKohli cracked 107 as Indiagained control of the firstTest against Australia by tak-ing a substantial 135-run firstinnings lead on Sunday.

Dhoni produced a stun-ning counter-attacking knockto notch up his maidendouble hundred, his sixthTest century overall, whileKohli recorded his fourth inlonger format as the hostsreached a commanding 515for eight at close, on aneventful third day’s play.

The Indian captain setthe M A Chidambaram sta-dium ablaze with his amazingstrokeplay as he smashed 22boundaries and five sixesduring his 243-ball assaultwhich cheered the Indians asthey went about consolidat-ing their position in thematch.

Dhoni, who wasagonisingly run out for 99against England in India lastTest in Nagpur, changed thecomplexion of the game with

his aggressive batting afterthe hosts lost SachinTendulkar (81) early in themorning session.

The Indians found thegoing a little tough in thepre-lunch session as theruns dried up but the sec-ond new ball ball saw thegame slipping away from theAustralians as both Dhoniand Kohli attacked thebowlers with an array ofshots on both sides of thewicket.

The duo added 128 runsfor the fifth wicket before off-spinner Nathan Lyon pro-vided the breakthrough forthe visitors with India still 56runs short of Australia’s firstinnings total.

Kohli paid the price for a

lapse in concentration as hetried to lift a delivery fromNathan Lyon over mid-onbut could not get the desiredelevation and Mitchell Starclatched on to a good catch.Kohli clobbered 15 bound-aries and a six during his 206-ball knock.

After Kohli’s dismissal,India lost another three wick-ets in periodic intervals asRavindra Jadeja (16),Ravichandran Ashwin (3)and Harbhajan Singh (11)were back in the pavilion.

However BhuvneshwarKumar (15 batting) comple-mented his skipper reallywell as they put on a record109 runs for ninth wicketpartnership against Austra-lia.—AFP

Australia 1st innings:380India 1st innings:Vijay b Pattinson ........... 10V Sehwag b Pattinson .... 2CA Pujara b Pattinson .. 44SR Tendulkar b Lyon .... 81V Kohli c Starc b Lyon 107Dhoni not out .............. 206RA Jadeja b Pattinson .. 16R Ashwin b Lyon ............ 3Harbhajan b Henriques 11B Kumar not out ............ 16Extras: (b 2, lb 14, w 3) .. 19Total: (8 wickets) ......... 515Fall of wickets 1-11, 2-12, 3-105, 4-196, 5-324, 6-365, 7-372, 8-406Bowling: ........... O-M-R-WMA Starc ............ 25-3-75-0JL Pattinson ....... 26-5-89-4PM Siddle ........... 22-5-61-0NM Lyon .......... 40-1-182-3MC Henriques ... 17-4-48-1MJ Clarke ............. 8-2-25-0DA Warner ........... 3-0-19-0

India vs Australia first Test

Dhoni hits double ton asIndia take control

CENTURION: Imran Farhat walks back after being dismissed by Kyle Abbott during South Africa vs Pakistan 3rdTest on Sunday.

S Africa 1st innings: 409Pakistan 1st innings:156Pakistan 2nd innings:Hafeez b Steyn ................ 0Azhar Ali run out .......... 27Younis c Smith b Steyn 11Imran Farhat b Abbott .. 43Misbah c de Villiers bKleinveldt ......................... 5Asad Shafiq b Kleinveldt 6Sarfraz c Elgar b Steyn . 40Saeed lbw b Steyn ........ 31Ehsan Adil b Abbott ..... 12Rahat lbw b Peterson ... 22Irfan not out ..................... 6Extras: (b 9, lb 10, w 11,nb 2) ................................ 32Total: (all out) .............. 235Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-39, 3-93, 4-107, 5-107, 6-114, 7-183,8-202, 9-202, 10-235Bowling: ........... O-M-R-WDW Steyn .......... 23-5-80-4Philander ............ 15-4-32-0KJ Abbott ........... 17-7-39-2Kleinveldt ........... 13-2-33-2RJ Peterson ........ 10-2-32-1

scored 200 runs (againstNew Zealand at Lahore in1955) at number eight.

“The New Zealand teamwas playing well and weneeded runs badly. I re-ceived good support from(Mahmood) Hussain”, headded.

Spectators came to seeSachin Tendulkar get an-other hundred. They got tosee Virat Kohli get one. Nowthey also saw MSD get hismaiden double.

MUMBAI—Former Indiastumper Farokh Engineerwill be 75 on Monday. “Iam not 75 years old, I amyoung at 75”, talking exclu-sively over telephone fromBangalore, he said. Inciden-tally, Engineer’s birth anni-versary falls on DonBradman’s death anniver-sary. World’s legendarycricketer, Don Bradmandied at the age of 92 on 25thFebruary, 2001.

“Oh, is it so ? I didn’tknow this”, Engineer com-mented.

Young at 75: Farokh Engineer“I am proud to be associ-

ated with Bradman in thatway, though it is sad...”, headded.

“Bradman was my closefriend and he and his wifenever missed to send X’mascard to me every year”, Engi-neer recalled.

“Bradman was a chirmanof selectors when I was theonly Indian originally se-lected to play for WorldEleven. Sunil Gavaskar waslater added in the team.Bradman chose me ahead ofAllan Knott and Rod Marsh

in the team”.“Bradman was the great-

est player ever. I met him on2-3 occasions in Adelaide”.

Engineer is in India, with-out his family members tilllater this week. “My friendshave thrown a birthday partyfor me in Mumbai on Mon-day. Yes, I enjoy Mumbai’sdelicious bhelpuri andsevpuri. They are myfavourite eatable dishes”.

Engineer will join his wife(Julie) and two daughters,Roxana and Scarlette) inThailend later this week.

CENTURION—For the twodecades since their returnfrom sporting isolation, SouthAfrica have been among thetop teams in the world, with-out ever having a sustainedrun as the undisputed No. 1.Even in the recent successes,an element of ruthlessnesswas missing, highlighted bythe lack of consecutive Testvictories over a four-yearspan ending with the hard-fought series victory overAustralia.

Graeme Smith’s men havebeen unrelenting in correct-ing that anomaly over thehome summer. Not only havethey won all five Tests, theyhave utterly dominated al-

South Africa vs Pakistan 3rd Test

South Africa completeseries sweep

most all of them, as the mar-gins suggest: innings and 27runs, innings and 193 runs,211 runs, four wickets andtoday at Centurion, inningsand 18 runs.

None of those matcheswent to the fifth day, the op-position was outclassed inthe batting, bowling andfielding, and the near-per-fect summer silenced anydebate over which was thebest side in the world. It alsoquelled murmurs over SouthAfrica’s less than impressiverecord at home in recentyears.

It has been all one-waytraffic over the past coupleof months, and it looked likethat would be the case onSunday as well. There wereplenty of cracks in the Cen-turion pitch making the oddball swerve dramatically, andthere was a bit of unpredict-able bounce as well. And DaleSteyn removed Pakistan’sman for a crisis, Younis Khan,early with another of his typi-cal have-to-poke-atoutswingers.

Azhar Ali and ImranFarhat, however, kept theSouth African pace batteryat bay for a couple of hours.Ali, who had only one sub-stantial score in five previ-ous innings, capitalised onthe deliveries on his pads,and was happy to other-wise push around for thesingles. He looked to leaveas many deliveries as hecould, and defended solidlyas he patiently made hisway to an unbeaten 27 bylunch.

Farhat, who couldn’topen the innings after hav-ing been struck on the hand

yesterday, continued toshow the confidence he hadat the start of the first in-nings, crashing the ball pastpoint repeatedly. He was notshy of the pull shot eitherwhen South Africa’s quickspitched it short.

Still, despite their defi-ance, as has been the caseall summer, a Pakistan bat-ting collapse never seemedfar away. What will hurt themis that this time the slide be-gan due to a run-out. Soonafter lunch, there was confu-sion whether to go for thesecond or not, and by thetime Ali was sent back, a bul-let throw from Steyn at fineleg had arrived, and thedogged partnership wasover.

That opened the gates fora slew of wickets. DebutantKyle Abbott got yet anotherwicket behind the stumps asFarhat edged through to thekeeper, before RoryKleinveldt finally had rewardfor his persistence. Misbah-ul-Haq nicked one through toAB de Villiers, and soon af-ter Asad Shafiq gave awayhis wicket by punching acatch to Vernon Philander atmid-off.

With an hour still left tilltea, and Pakistan’s tail noto-riously fragile, there was agenuine chance that thematch would finish beforethe session was scheduledto. Sarfraz Ahmed, who hasbeen hopeless with the batall the series, and SaeedAjmal, who put up some re-sistance in Newlands as well,made sure the collapse didn’textend beyond four wickets,playing out the 13 overs tillthe break.

Steyn returned to whipout two wickets, to go pastthe great Allan Donald’s Testhaul of 330 wickets, and wasone away from yet anotherfive-for. Abbott got his ninthwicket of the match when hegot the other debutant EhsanAdil to steer a catch to thirdman.

That left Steyn andAbbott chasing the finalwicket for personal mile-stones, and thoughPakistan’s last pair, Rahat Aliand Mohammad Irfan, at-tempted many an agriculturalswipe, the final strike justdidn’t arrive. The frustrationincreased for South Africa asdespite a bunch of chances,Rahat and Irfan batted outeight overs. Smith finallytossed the ball to his spin-ner, Robin Peterson, who fin-ished off the game in his firstover, getting Rahat lbw.

It completed a miserableseries for Pakistan, whosebatting has consistently letthem down on the testingsurfaces in South Africa. Inthis match, no batsman madea half-century, and in the se-ries no batsman aggregated200 runs.

For the home side, it wasonly the third time since theirreturn that they have wonthree or more Tests in theseries. And there was anotherrecord for Smith to savour ashe became the first captainto win 50 Tests.

Not only have the resultsbeen magnificent for SouthAfrica, they have beenachieved through a eye-catching brand of cricket thatcombines aggression, graceand efficiency. South Africafans, lap it up.—AFP

CHENNAI: MS Dhoni slaps one onto the leg side duringIndia vs Australia 1st Test on Sunday.

PATTAYA, Thailand: Inbee Park won the Honda LPGA Thailand on Sunday in a day of high drama as local teen starAriya Jutanugarn suffered heartbreak.

Golf: Park wins inThailand but tears

for teen AriyaPATTAYA (Thailand)—InbeePark won the Honda LPGAThailand on Sunday in a dayof high drama as local teenstar Ariya Jutanugarn suf-fered heartbreak after fluffinga two-shot lead at the finalhole.

The Korean world num-ber four, who made a final-round 67 to finish the tour-nament 12-under at 276 (67-71-71-67), looked on in shockfrom the locker room as 17-year-old Ariya triple-bo-geyed the last to lose by asingle shot.

Ariya finished 11-under(69-66-70-72), with worldnumber one Tseng Yani ashot further back (75-68-72-63) in joint-third withKorea’s So-Yeon Ryu (68-68-74-68), American StacyLewis (63-69-76-70) andBeatriz Recari of Spain (68-68-72-70).

It was the cruellest ofoutcomes for the youngThai who captured heartswith courageous golf—even making a hole-in-oneon the 12th—before tears asshe left the final green to beconsoled by her older sis-ter and fellow pro golferMoriya.—AFP

Kvitova beatsErrani to capture

Dubai titleDUBAI—Former Wimbledonchampion Petra Kvitovascored her biggest successin 15 months when a 6-2, 1-6,6-1 victory over Sara Erraniearned her the Dubai Opentitle on Saturday.

The hard-hitting 22-year-old Czech looked as thoughshe was going to swamp theFrench Open finalist from Italywhen she won the first fourgames and the first set in littlemore than half an hour.

But Errani adapted hertactics well, taking time awayfrom Kvitova with earlierball-striking and net rushes,and was rewarded with sixgames in a row in the sec-ond set.—AFP

Oldest marathonrunner finisheslast race at 101

HONG KONG—The world’soldest marathon runner ranhis last race on Sunday at theage of 101.

Fauja Singh finished theHong Kong marathon’s 10-kilometer (6.25-mile) race in atime of 1 hour, 32 minutes and28 seconds.

Singh, a Sikh, wore a saf-fron turban and sported aflowing white beard. As hefollowed the route along thenorthern lip of Hong Kongisland, he was accompaniedby a group from the city’slocal Sikh community, joiningabout 72,000 other runnerstaking part in the marathon.

The Indian-born runner,nicknamed the TurbanedTorpedo, had said that hewould hang up his sneakersafter the race in the southernChinese city, just before his102nd birthday.

‘I will remember this day.I will miss it,’ Singh said min-utes after crossing the finishline.

Singh, a great-grandfa-ther, became the oldest manto run a full marathon atToronto in 2011, at the age of100. But his record was notrecognized by GuinnessWorld Records because hedoesn’t have a birth certifi-cate to prove his age.—AP

BUT when he accidentally discoveredthat genetically modified (GM) foodsare dangerous, he became the biotech

industry’s bad-boy poster child, setting anexample for other scientists thinking aboutblowing the whistle.

In the early 1990s, Dr. Pusztai wasawarded a $3 million grantby the UK government todesign the system for safetytesting genetically modifiedorganisms (GMOs).

His team included morethan 20 scientists workingat three facilities, includingthe Rowett Institute in Ab-erdeen, Scotland, the topnutritional research lab inthe UK, and his employerfor the previous 35 years.

The results of Pusztai’swork were supposed to be-come the required testingprotocols for all of Europe.But when he fed supposedlyharmless GM potatoes torats, things didn’t go asplanned.

Within just 10 days, the animals devel-oped potentially pre-cancerous cell growth,smaller brains, livers, and testicles, partiallyatrophied livers, and damaged immune sys-tems.

Moreover, the cause was almost cer-tainly side effects from the process of ge-netic engineering itself.

In other words, the GM foods on the mar-ket, which are created from the same pro-cess, might have similar affects on humans.

With permission from his director,Pusztai was interviewed on TV and ex-

pressed his concerns about GM foods. Hebecame a hero at his institute — for twodays.

Then came the phone calls from thepro-GMO prime minister’s office to theinstitute’s director. The next morning,

Pusztai was fired. He wassilenced with threats of alawsuit, his team was dis-mantled, and the protocolsnever implemented. His In-stitute, the biotech industry,and the UK government,together launched a smearcampaign to destroyPusztai’s reputation.

Eventually, an invitationto speak before Parliamentlifted his gag order and hisresearch was published inthe prestigious Lancet. Nosimilar in-depth studieshave yet tested the GMfoods eaten every day byAmericans.

Irina Ermakova, a se-nior scientist at the Russian

National Academy of Sciences, wasshocked to discover that more than half ofthe baby rats in her experiment died withinthree weeks. She had fed the mothers GMsoy flour purchased at a supermarket. Thebabies from mothers fed natural non-GMOsoy, however, only suffered a 10% deathrate. She repeated her experiment threetimes with similar results.

Dr. Ermakova reported her preliminaryfindings at a conference in October 2005,asking the scientific community to repli-cate her study. Instead, she was attackedand vilified.

This supermarket ‘health food’killed these baby rats in three weeks

KARACHI: Activists of MQM stage a protest against the statement of Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazhar ul Haq and cancellation of recent LocalGovernment Ordinance on Sunday.

KARACHI: Central leader of Pakistan Sunni Tehreek Muhammad Shahid Ghouri meetingwith Chairman All Tajir Ittehad, Attique Mir, and his delegation at Markaz Ahl-e-Sunnat.

17 unidentified victimsof Baldia factoryinferno laid to rest

KARACHI–The bodies of 17unidentified victims of Baldiafactory inferno were laid to resthere on Sunday.

The bodies were shifted toBaldia Town from Edhi Homeand hundreds of people be-longing to different walks oflife attended the funeralprayers of the deceased andthey were buried.

It should be mentioned thatsome five months earlier morethan 250 people died and scoresothers suffered burn wounds ina devastating Baldia factory fire.

Seventeen of the deceasedwere scorched to such extentthat their identity was not pos-sible after which they wereshifted to Edhi Home.—INP

KARACHI: Former City Nazim Naimatullah Khan sitting on stage at launching ceremonyof Al-Khidmat Orphan Care programme at a local hotel.

KARACHI: Encroachments creating obstcle in smooth traffic flow at Empress Market.

Violence claims3 more lives

KARACHI—At least three morepeople were killed in firing andother incidents of violence inKarachi, officials said on Sun-day. According local police,Sheikh Mohsin, 30, was shotdead in the jurisdiction ofGulbahar Police Station nearInquiry Office. The deceasedwas carrying a newspaper card,police said.

A mutilated dead body wasfound from nullah near LyariExpress adjacent to SohrabGoth. The identity of the de-ceased could not be establishedyet. Another dead body withhands and feet tied were foundfrom Gulbahar area of FirdousColony.

Separately, police roundedup 22 suspects in different raidsin Shah Faisal Colony,Gulbahar, Garden, Surjani andNew Karachi. Karachi, the larg-est city and financial hub of Pa-kistan has been witnessing worstviolence in history of the coun-try.—Online

50‚000 free ofcost residentialplots for poor

KARACHI—The Sindh Gov-ernment has announced to pro-vide 50‚000 free of cost residen-tial plots to the poor in all the23 districts of the province.

In this regard‚ spokesman ofthe Lyari Development Authorityhas said that these plots are a partof the Shaheed Benazir BhuttoProject being granted to the poor-est of the poor of the society.Hesaid initially 27500 plots will begiven to the poor residents of 8districts of the province. They areKarachi‚ Hyderabad‚ Jamshoro‚Thatta‚ Dadu‚ Mirpur Khas‚Khairpur and Tando MuhammadKhan. The applications will be re-ceived till the 4th of the nextmonth.—NNI

IRFAN ALIGI

KARACHI—Muttahida QaumiMovement Chief Altaf Hussainhas said that the MQM was al-ways against the division ofSindh in the past, and did notwant Sindh to be divided eventoday. MQM was not party ofnarrow-minded people andwould build universities in Sindhand throughout Pakistan if got achance to rule over the country.

He was talking to the mem-bers of the Zonal committee of

MQM always opposedSindh division: Altaf

Hyderabad over telephone fromLondon.

He deplored the prejudicialstatement of Sindh senior Min-ister Pir Mazhar Ul Haqueagainst the establishment of auniversity in Hyderabad. Hesaid that he was aware of theconcerns of the people ofHyderabad, and the grief causedto them by the prejudicial state-ment.

He said that the MQMwould spread education, and itwould build universities in

Dadu, Thatta, Kashmore,Larkana, Jacobabad, andKhairpur besides Hyderabad. Itwas part of the MQM’s mani-festo to provide education andhealthcare facilities to thepeople and would implement itsmanifesto.

He asked the people not toharm public and private propertywhile protesting against theprejudicial and provocativestatement. He asked them tokeep their protests completelypeaceful.

STAFF REPORTER

KARACHI—Pakistan SunniTehreek (PST) had Sunday an-nounced not to observe strike incondemnation to the ongoingrampant incidents of target kill-ings, kidnappings for ransomand extortion in the city in thewider interest of the propel of thecity, traders, businessmen andstudents.

PST Central leaderMuhammad Shahid Ghauri an-nounced this while talking to adelegation of traders, privateschool management associations

PST cancels strike calland transporters that had calledon him at the PST headquarters.The eminent leader of tradersAtiq Mir had led the delegation.

All Karachi Tajir IttehadPresident Ansar Baig Qadri,Zubair ali Khan, MuhammadAhmed Shamsi, RanaMuhammad Akram,Muhammad Arif Qadri,Muhammad Shakir Fancy,Muhammad Sabir Fancy,Muhammad Zahid Pirani, TariqMumtaz, Muhammad AfreenSiddiqui, Muhammad AliGhaanchi, Muhammad ArifJeeva, Syed Sharaft Ali, Imran

Parwani, Shahid asghar Qureshi,Tayyaab Ali, Shahid Hassan,Amjad Ali Khan were among thedelegation. PST Central informa-tion secretary FahimuddinSheikh, Shahzad Qadri andTayyab Qadri had accompaniedthe PST leader Ghauri.

The delegation informed thePST leader that the traders hadsuffered a colossal loss of Rs40billion during past 14 dayswhich forced the traders to keeptheir shops and markets closedor were affected due to heavydisturbance in the city due tostrikes, law and order situation.

KARACHI—PPP CentralDeputy Secretary Informationand Sindh Minister for Informa-tion Sharjeel Inam Memon hassaid that 550 new Behn BenazirBastis (localities) have beenconstructed in all districts ofSindh province.

In these basties, 5,063houses have been completed byShaheed Benazir Bhutto Hous-ing Cell (SBBHC) and handedover to the most deserving poorfamilies free of cost. Thus, morethan 35,441 people have beenbenefitted by this scheme.

The Minister was talking to

KU admissionsKARACHI—The Karachi Uni-versity has fixed Feb 28 as thelast date for submitting enroll-ment forms of B.L and L.L.Mfor the year 2012-13 with Rs 750late fee along with Rs 1500 nor-mal fees.

The students can submitthese forms in their respectivecolleges. Meanwhile, the admis-sions forms for the first and sec-ond parts of B.A., B.Sc. andB.Com (Pass) will be acceptedwith Rs 500 late fees till Feb 27,and with a late fee of Rs 1,000till March 28, 2013. —APP

Later, PST leader Ghauriaddressed a press conferencealong with the leader of the del-egation and said that the govern-ment had failed to protect liveand property of the people of thecity and dozens of PST activistswere murdered while hundredsof citizens were also silencedtom death.

He said that around 10,000citizens had been killed in thecity during last five years and injust one month, the PST had lostits 12 die hard workers while300 were killed in addition toPST workers.

550 new Behn Benazir Bastisconstructed: Sharjeel

a group of journalist here, saidan official statement on Sunday.

He said that 629 houses arein their advance stages ofcompletion while 610 housesare in different stages of con-struction. Within two months1,239 houses will be completedand handed over to the poor,shelter-less families of the prov-ince. More than 6,302 poorestof the poor and 44,114 inmateswill get benefit from this freehousing programme launchedby the present elected demo-cratic government, SharjeelMemon said.

Sindh Information Ministersaid that the Government hasalso planned to build 10,000houses for flood/ rain affectedfamilies of the province.

These houses will be pro-vided to needy and shelterlessaffected families.The Govern-ment has been seriously pursu-ing development schemes in ur-ban areas which included infra-structure development.The workhas started on roads, storm wa-ter drain, water supply and sew-erage works on 80 acres of landat Deh Luqman, KhairpurTownship, the Ministwer said.KARACHI—The budget for the

year 2013-14 of SindhMadressatul Islam University(SMIU) has been passed by theFinance and Planning Committeeof the institution in its first meet-ing.

SMIU Vice Chancellor DrMohammad Ali Shaikh was in thechair, said a release here onSunday.The meeting was attendedby Justice (R) Syed DeedarHussain Shah, former judge ofSupreme Court of Pakistan andformer chairman of NAB, NazirAhmed Dhoon from Sindh Fi-nance Department, Mr Samdanifrom Higher Education Commis-sion (HEC), Director FinanceGhulam Ali Surhio, Dean SocialSciences Dr Fouzia Naeem Khan,Dean Education Dr. Anjum Bano

Sindh Madressatul IslamUniversity passes budget

Kazmi and Registrar of SMIUGulzar Ahmed Mughal.

The meeting was informedthat SMIU required an amount ofRs 165 million for its recurring ex-penditure for next financial yearfor running its five departmentsand two model schools.

The meeting was apprisedthat so far the HEC had not pro-vided any grant and all the expen-ditures were being met from thegrants given by the Governmentof Sindh.

The Committee observed thatthe HEC too should financiallysupport the SMIU. On this pointthe representative of HEC saidthat although the HEC itself waspassing through financial hard-ships efforts would still be madeto support the SMIU.—APP

Muttahida tocontinue servingpeople: Nishat

KARACHI—Muttahida QaumiMovement (MQM) will con-tinue serving the people for theprovision of basic facilities attheir door-step.

This was stated byHaqparast member of SindhAssembly Nishat MuhammadZia Qadri during his visit to re-view the progress of carpetingof roads and streets in UC-3 ofShah Faisal Town throughutilisation development fundsallocated to Haqparast MemberNational Assembly IqbalMuhammad Ali Khan.

MQM leaders, pursuing thevision of their party chief AltafHussain, would make all pos-sible efforts for the developmentof all the residential areas andfor provision of basic facilitiesto the people at their door-step.

Town Officer (Infrastruc-ture) Aslam Pervez and otherofficers of the town were alsopresent, said a release here onSunday.—APP

SHCBA invitesMQM to Peace

ConferenceKARACHI–A delegation ofSindh High Court Bar Associa-tion (SHCBA) led by its presi-dent Mustafa LakhaniAdvocate,visited KhursheedBegum Secretariat of the MQMhere on Sunday. They met mem-bers of the Co-ordination Com-mittee Kunwar Naveed Jamiland Gulfaraz Khan Khattak andextended invitation for the“Karachi Peace Conference” tobe held by the SHCBA fromMarch 3 to 4 and a peace walkto be held on February 27.

Lakhani informed about theobjectives of the conference andthe peace walk and extended theinvitation to the Co-ordinationCommittee. Talking to the lawyerson occasion the members of theCo-ordination Committee saidthat their party chief Altaf Hussaingives top priority to peace inKarachi for the existence and se-curity of the country. —APP

MORE than 5 million Americanscurrently have the degenerativebrain condition, there’s no sure

way to prevent it and current treatmentoptions don’t work for everyone. Evenmore millions are taskedwith the sometimes diffi-cult and frustrating dailycare of those stricken withthe memory-robbing dis-ease, often with little ex-perience or training.

But as the number ofAmericans withAlzheimer’s has risen inthe past few decades andcontinues to spiral up-ward, anecdotal and re-search evidence has ac-cumulated on ways tomake everyday life morebearable for those withthe disease and to helpthose caring for them. Itincludes expanded knowl-edge of what works andwhat doesn’t in areas ofmedication, living situations, everydaycontact and more, and ranges from com-plex to simple solutions.

“There are times that it can be diffi-cult to handle someone with Alzheimer’s,but you have to have patience, and youhave to put yourself in their shoes,” saidTeresa Dinau, a caregiver for Home CareAssistance, based in Palo Alto, Calif. “It’simportant to try to understand whatthey’re going through.”

Dr. Jacobo Mintzer, chairman of theMedical and Scientific Advisory Boardfor the Alzheimer ’s Foundation of

Alzheimer’s caregivers:Patience, sympathy are key

America, said that the biggest initialproblem for caregivers is often that“they’re trying to preserve the personthey knew as long as possible.”

“That’s usually where they getthemselves into trouble,”he said. “Because of thisdesperate need to try topreserve the person,caregivers will put them-selves in dangerous situa-tions, like letting the per-son with Alzheimer’s drivebecause it has always beenimportant to them.”

Not pushing some-one with Alzheimer’s to bewho they used to be makessome caregivers feel likethey’ve given up on theirloved one, added Mintzer,who’s also a physician atthe Ralph H. Johnson VAMedical Center in Charles-ton, S.C.

But he said that’s notthe case and that there are

plenty of safe ways to keep a connec-tion. If someone with Alzheimer’s usedto like to swing dance, for instance, andyou put on music and swing dance withthem, it will often be calming, he said.Or, people with Alzheimer’s usuallyenjoy looking at photos from the past,according to the Alzheimer’s Associa-tion.

Mintzer said there are no treatmentscurrently available to alter the courseof the disease. However, two types ofmedications have been approved in theUnited States to help with memory loss.

LAHORE: President PML-N Muhammad Nawaz Sharif inquiring about the health ofRao Zafar Iqbal, President PML-N Khairpur.

LAHORE: LAHORE: Children enjoying marry-go-round ride as large number of people arrive at Jinnah Park toenjoying their holiday in provincial capital.

LAHORE: Women participating in dengue awareness walk organized by Punjab TextBook to mark Anti-Dengue Day at Liberty.

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Speakers at aSeeratun Nabi conference onSunday stressed promotionof peace, tolerance and re-spect for mankind as taughtby Holy Prophet (Peace BeUpon Him).

The Lahore peace com-mittee organized the event atAllama Iqbal Town whileleading scholar and re-searcher Allama Abdul QadirJamalulddin presided over it.

Other speakers includedpeace committee vice chair-man Rana Javedul Qadri,Additional Inspector GeneralPolice (IGP) Mubarak Athar,peace activists ArshadBhutta advocate, M ZafarQadri advocate, Pir Qari NiazAhmed and Liaqatabad SHOPeerzada M Idrees Qureshi.

Allama Abdul Qadir said

the Muslim world was facinga lot of issues and solutionto all the issues is in follow-ing the Sunnah of the HolyProphet. “Only this is theway to bring the Muslimsand other human beings outof darkness of illiteracy andother crises,” he said.

“The Holy Prophet(PBUH) has shown the pathof success in this world andhereafter to the whole hu-manity and it is unfortunatefor us if we do not follow thepath,” he added.

Other speakers said thatPakistan was passingthrough a critical juncture ofits history and there was aneed to revive the spirit ofpeaceful co-existence.

They also highlighted theneed to promote culture ofrespect and love for mankindto face national challenges.

Call to promote peace

Police arrest 19accused, 5

abducted kidsrecovered

LAHORE—Police arrested 19accused in a crackdownagainst criminals and recov-ered stolen property worthhundreds of thousands ofrupees from them in oneweek.

In a drive against motor-cycle snatchers, police ar-rested three accused and re-covered three motorcyclesfrom them. Police arrested twopeople with 600 litre liquor.

Similarly, police alsosmashed a gang of swindlersand arrested its two membersincluding the ringleader andrecovered Rs 600,000 in cashfrom the accused.

Police arrested two ac-cused of a dacoit gang andrecovered a stolen motor-cycle besides illegal weap-ons.

They also arrested fourculprits including a woman in-volved in printing of fake for-eign currency and ATM cardsin Icchra. Police raided and ar-rested accused and recoveredfake dollars, passports, ATMcards and machinery from theirpossession.

Data Darbar policeclaimed to have arrestedMaulvi Jabbar and his ac-complice Mehmood and re-covered five children fromtheir custody.—APP

LAHORE—Acting InspectorGeneral of Police PunjabKhan Baig has said that po-lice officers would have tocome in the field to overcometerrorism and sectarianism sothat lives and properties ofthe people can be protected.

He expressed these viewswhile addressing a farewellceremony held at the CentralPolice Office in the honourof Additional-IG (CTD)Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera af-ter his posting as the IGP ofthe Balochistan province.

The IGP lauded the ser-

Police officers directed to takeinitiatives for controlling terror

vices of Mushtaq AhmedSukhera for the police depart-ment especially his outstand-ing work during his postingas in the CTD and hoped thathe would show commend-able performance in theBalochistan to maintain lawand order in the province aswell.

On this occasion, IGPBalochistan MushtaqAhmed Sukhera said that hewould leave no stoneunturned to maintain law andorder in Balochistan as perthe expectations of the gov-

ernment.Mushtaq Ahmed

Sukhera said that he made alot of efforts to eliminate ter-rorism and sectarianism fromthe province in his capacityas Additional-IG CTD.

Additional-IG TrafficPunjab Kalb-e-Abbas, Addi-tional-IG Special BranchPunjab Nasir Khan Durrani,Additional-IG (PHP) MalikKhuda Bukhsh Awan, Addi-tional-IG Welfare and Fi-nance Sarmad Saeed andother police officers werealso present.—APP

SALIM AHMED

LAHORE—The Punjab gov-ernment will ensure stability offlour price in the open marketin the genuine interest of thecommon lot as there is no rea-sonable justification for anyprice-hike by flour mills in theexisting scenario of wheatavailability throughout Paki-stan. This resolve was ex-pressed by Senior Advisor toChief Minister Punjab, Sena-tor Sirdar Zulfiqar Ali KhanKhosa while presiding over ahigh-level meeting held to re-view the regulatory mecha-nism of wheat supply to theflour mills on support pricequota regime.

Special Assistant to CMfor Food DepartmentMuhammad Mansha AllahButt, Chief Secretary PunjabNasir Mehmood Khosa, Chair-man Planning & DevelopmentJaved Aslam, Provincial Sec-retary Food Irfan Ali and se-nior administrative representa-tives of the departments ofAgriculture, Finance and In-dustries participated in themeeting.

Punjab govt to ensurestability of flour price

Sardar Zulfiqar Ali KhanKhosa directed the Food De-partment authorities to actupon the time-tested strategyadopted during the last sea-son of wheat procurement inPunjab to ensure facilitation ofthe cultivators particularlysmall growers both in availinggunny bags/polypropylenebags and benefiting from onewindow operation in a totallytransparent manner at 375wheat procurement centres tobe established in the field.

Giving briefing to the par-ticipants of the meeting, Secre-tary Food Punjab Irfan Ali dis-closed that 1.9 million tonswheat stock is still availablewith Pakistan Agriculture Sup-plies and Storage Corporation(PASSCO) out of which onemillion ton wheat will remainpreserved as strategic reserve.

As for as the wheat avail-ability situation in the provinceof Punjab is concerned, theprovincial food departmenthad a total stock of 4.527 mil-lion metric tons wheat pro-cured in the last season out ofwhich three million tons ofwheat has been provided to

flour mills in the province un-der a support price quota re-gime which will be continuedin the coming months also.

The Food Department stillposses a stock of 1.536 milliontons of wheat out of which fivelakh tons wheat will be re-tained as food security reservewhile 600,000 tons wheat willbe supplied to flour mills inPunjab during the month ofMarch and 2.84 lakh tonswheat will be released in themonth of April this year. Dailyconsumption of wheat is 27thousand tons while the esti-mated wheat crop size in thecurrent season is more than 1.8million tons, he added.

The meeting accorded ap-proval to the sale of 50 thou-sand tons wheat to the FlourMills Association, KPK as anadditional quota demandedthrough proper channel de-vised by the government ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa and 12thousand tons wheat will beprovided to the World FoodProgramme at the rate ofRs.1150 per mound as a tokenof mutual cooperation for theshared aims.

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Spokesman ofPunjab government, SenatorPervaiz Rashid has said thatMalik Ishaq was arrested twiceand that too by Punjab gov-ernment of Shahbaz Sharif, firsttime in 1997 and now again inhis present tenure. Therefore,Rehman Malik is leveling falseallegations only for politicalpurposes, he added.

He said Rehman Malikshould check the record and heshould know that Malik Ishaqwas sentenced a number oftimes by the trial courts but hewas released by higher courtsthrough appeals duringMusharraf era. He said the factis that Rehman Malik neitherwrote a letter to Punjab gov-ernment for arresting MalikIshaq nor provided any mate-rial, on the basis of which, MalikIshaq could be arrested.

Senator Pervaiz Rashidsaid this is an open secret thateleven arm licenses issued to

Malik Ishaq and his two sonsMalik Usman and MalikMuhammad Haq Nawaz re-lated to Sindh and BalochIstangovernments of PPP. Similarly,the licenses of prohibitedbores were also issued to MalikIshaq by the federal govern-ment whereas Punjab govern-ment never issued any licenseto him and federal governmentwas also reminded repeatedlythat the issuance of prohibitedbore license should bestopped. Senator PervaizRashid asked Interior Minis-ter that instead of leveling al-legations, he should tell whylicenses in such a large num-ber were issued by Sindh andBalochistan governments ofPPP. He said that Rehman Malikinstead of criticizing Punjabgovernment should call expla-nations from federal and pro-vincial governments and raisethis issue in party meeting.

Senator Pervaiz Rashidfurther said that due to thearrest by previous Punjab

government of ShahbazSharif, Malik Ishaq had tospend 14 years in jail who wasreleased due to weak pros-ecution in the courts duringMusharraf era. He said thatRehman Malik should alsotell why his government hasbeen issuing arms licenses toMalik Ishaq and what actionhe has taken in this regard.

He said that why RehmanMalik did not arrest Malik Ishaqwhen he was roaming freely forgetting licenses from Sindh andBalochistan governments. Hesaid that contrary to it involv-ing Punjab government in thismatter is totally a partial stepwhich has no concern with re-alities but the fact is that it isthe result of PPP governmentpolicies and a conspiracy isbeing hatched to put the re-sponsibility on Punjab govern-ment.

It may be mentioned thatMalik Ishaq was issued licenseNo. 227/8 for weapon No.973066 of 222 bore, license No.

226/9 for weapon No. 860760of 223 bore and license No. 225for weapon No. 887068 of 44bore from Jacobabad by Sindhgovernment and license No. 358for weapon No. SA 6393 of 12bore from JaffarabadBalochistan, license No. 3158for weapon No. 7034 of 222 boreby Balochistan governmentfrom Quetta. Malik MuhammadUsman son of Malik Ishaq wasissued license No. 2192 forweapon No. 276376 of 12 boreand license No. 2193 forweapon No. 6192 of 30 bore byBalochistan government fromQuetta while license No. 803 forweapon No. 45358 of 30 borefrom Jaffarabad Balochistan.Similarly, Malik Haq Nawaz sonof Malik Ishaq was issued li-cense No. 2191 for weapon No.276374 of 12 bore from QuettaBalochistan, license No. 804 forweapon No. 31110014 of 30 borefrom Jaffarabad Balochistanand license No. 2190 forweapon No. 915312 of 30 borefrom Quetta Balochistan.

Punjab govt spokesman rejoinder to Rehman Malik

Anti-dengueday observed

STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Special Assistantto Chief Minister PunjabKhawaja Salman Rafique hassaid that the last year’s suc-cess against Dengue virus wasdue to the collective efforts ofpolitical leadership, govern-ment machinery, medical ex-perts, general public and themedia that proves that anychallenge can be confrontedand combated successfully, ifall the stake holders join handsfor this national cause.

He expressed these viewswhile addressing an awarenessseminar held at Town Hall, heretoday in connection with Anti-Dengue Day. Besides, a largenumber of workers of differentgovernment departments, DCOLahore Noor ul Amin Mengal,Ajasim Sharif, MPA, Denguevolunteers, representatives ofdifferent NGOs and officers ofHealth and Education Depart-ment attended the Seminar.Khawaja Salman Rafique saidthat due to the change inweather and recent rains, it wasexpected that the temperaturewill increase in coming dayswhich may provide conduciveenvironment for dengue breed-ing.

PPP gave identityto minorities:

NaveedSTAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—Coordinator toPresident M NaveedChaudhry said that PresidentAsif Ali Zardari has led thenation towards prosperity bysigning agreements with Iranand China.

Addressing a memorialservice for christian martyrsin Pakistan on Global memo-rial day organised by BrightFuture Society Pakistan Mi-norities movement, CanadianChristian Association at alocal hotel, he said that gaspipeline project with Iran andGwadar port managementproject with China would leadthe country to the road to fi-nancial prosperity.

He said that Founder ofPakistan People’s PartyZulfikar Ali Bhutto Shaheedhad given identity to minori-ties and the present govern-ment had allocated seats inthe senate for them.

Nawaz KidneyHospital in Swatto be completed

in timeSTAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—President Board ofTrustees Punjab HospitalsTrust and Leader of the Op-position in Senate, SenatorMohammad Ishaq Dar pre-sided over a meeting of Tech-nical and Finance Committeeof Punjab Hospitals Trust inwhich progress of construc-tion of Nawaz Sharif KidneyHospital, Swat was reviewed.All the members includingChairman P&D Board, Secre-tary Health, Secretary Finance,Dr. Javaid Asghar, consultant,contractor of the project andother associated Technicalpersons were present on theoccasion.

The meeting expressedsatisfaction over the progressof the project, however, tooknotice of delay due to recentrainy season and snow-falling.The contractor informed themeeting that double shift willbe started from next week tocover the delay and the meet-ing approved the proposal.Ishaq Dar said that construc-tion work should be com-pleted within stipulated periodwithout any compromise onthe quality.

The meeting also gave ap-proval to the equipment for thehospital and said that processof procurement should bestarted through bidding fromnext week. Senator Ishaq Darsaid that transparency must beensured in the procurement ofthe equipment.

Int’l Gastroenterology& G.I Endoscopymoot concludesSTAFF REPORTER

LAHORE—The 4-day Inter-national Gastroenterology &G.I Endoscopy Conferenceconcluded in the provincialmetropolis here today inwhich 1500 doctors from allover the country and abroadincluding 100 delegates fromAfghanistan participated. Asmany as 20 foreign doctorsread out their thesis. Whileaddressing the concluding cer-emony/media briefing, SpecialAssistant to Chief MinisterPunjab Khawaja SalmanRafique said that the real focusshould be on the prevention ofdiseases, because if the num-ber of patients continued to in-crease the hospitals would notbe able to cater to the treatmentneeds of the patients.