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ADVISORY BOARDPUBLICATION COMMITTEEEDITORIAL BOARD

ContentsTrust and faith among the leadership

of the political parties of India and Pakistan

Jawaid riaz

Relations between India and Pakistan are key in establishing an agreement that ensures fairness, security and stability in the two countries. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has announced his plan to negotiate relations with Pakistan’s im-mediate neighbor India, his first priority. In past, his government has laid excel-lent grounds for a relationship with India unfortunately India has not dealt with Pakistan in the same manner

The latest controversy is the proof that some forces behind the curtain do not want the friendly relations between the two neighbors, current reports published in Indian media being the proof.

As per the reports published in Delhi news papers, an Indian home ministry former officer has disclosed that a member of the secret service team has accused incumbent governments of “orchestrating” the terror attack on Parliament and the 26/11 carnage in Mumbai.

According to Indian media, R V S Mani, who as home ministry under-secretary signed the affidavits submit-ted in court in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, has said that Satish Verma, until recently a part of the CBI-SIT probe team, told him that both the terror attacks were set up “with the objective of strengthening the counter-terror legislation (sic)”.

Mani has said that Verma “...narrated that the 13.12. 2001 (attack on Parliament) was followed by POTA (Pre-vention of Terrorist Activities Act) and 26/11 2008 (terrorists’ siege of Mumbai) was followed by amendment to the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act).”

The official has alleged Verma leveled the damaging charge while debunking IB’s inputs labeling the three killed with Ishrat in the June 2004 encounter as Lashkar terrorists.

Contacted by TOI, Verma refused to comment. “I don’t know what the complaint is, made when and to whom. Nor am I interested in knowing. I cannot speak to the media on such matters. Ask the CBI,” said the Gujarat cadre IPS officer who after being relieved from the SIT is working as principal of the Junagadh Police Train-ing College.

It must be noted that Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab have already been hanged in parliament and 26/11 cases respectively.

In my opinion Pakistani leadership must insist on talks with the Indian leadership on the pertinent issues which must be resolved. For example the fair distribution of water, as the time passes the Pakistani land is drying and the governments need to reach a settlement that’s based on fair redistribution. Kashmir and Sachin issues are the major burning problems which need to be resolved immediately through the peace negotiations and not by war or protecting army action from India or militancy from Pakistan. Immediate major cut in the defense budgets. Trade and friendly relationship needs to be addressed as soon as possible and issuance of the visa policy needs to be relaxed. Furthermore if the trade and frequently visiting between both countries will be bring the friendship and harmony.

The first step is both establishments should stop the blame game and accusing each other for travesties and tragedies, before it is too late. This is a time when we are all a living in is the atomic energy time and nobody can afford a nuclear war. Trust and faith among the leadership of the political parties of India and Pakistan will lay the foundation for a secure and sturdy agreement for the two nations.

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Nawaz’s China visit lauded

Abbottabad Commission report

CCI meeting ends inconclusively

Pakistani stocks end higher, rupee weakensAnything that goes against Balochistan will not be accepted: Abdul Malik

PTI finds fault with deal for LNG import from Qatar

Pakistan condemns attack on holy sites in Syria

PPP announces boycott of presidential election

Altaf Hussain interrogation carried out as per UK law, govt kept informed: Nisar

PTI to contest presidential election: Imran

ANP puts weight behind Raza Rabbani for presidential election

MQM to remain firm in face of conspiracies: Altaf Hussain

Maximize the last 10 days of Ramadan

Eid Mubarak2013

Nikkah Ceremony of Sheeroz Kamran

Egypt interim presidency “saddened” by Cairo clashes

JULY - 2013 NEWS4

Nawaz’s China visit lauded

PML-N Trade Wing Senior Vice President Abuzar Ghaffari has

said the recent visit of Prime Minis-ter Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to China will prove to be a milestone in the history of Pakistan.

He said that in the coming days, the country would not only get rid of loadshedding but also become successful in generating over 20,000MW electricity.

He said this while addressing a meeting of traders which was at-

Aziz plans

to visit Kabul

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs

and National Security Sartaj Aziz will go to Kabul on Saturday on a daylong ice-breaking trip.

Mr Aziz disclosed his plans to travel to Afghanistan for delivering an invitation to President Hamid Karzai from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to visit Pakistan, at a press conference along with British For-eign Secretary William Hague after their talks.

Unravelling of Islamabad-Kabul ties has impeded international efforts for peace in Afghanistan and world leaders have been en-couraging both countries to mend fences.

“Good relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan are fundamental to the security of the region,” Mr Hague said and added that the UK was ready to help the two coun-tries bridge their gulf.

The British foreign secretary’s visit comes two and half weeks after Prime Minister David Cameron travelled to Pakistan and Afghani-stan to persuade their leaders to develop a cooperative relationship.

During his Kabul visit, Mr Aziz will try to address some of the conten-tious issues that have tended to sour bilateral ties in recent months. He will also talk about trade and economy with his Afghan interloc-utors even though the otherwise important issues look peripheral given the acrimonious phase of relationship through which the two countries are currently passing.

Afghan leaders have unleashed a running diatribe against Pakistan as their relationship dips to new lows. As Mr Aziz’s visit to Kabul

Plan to import 500 mmcfd LNG

from Qatar

A meeting, presided over by petroleum minister Shahid

Khaqan Abbasi and attended by top management of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), the Planning Commission, gas companies and bulk cargo han-dlers of liquefied gas, discussed at length an offer from the Qatari government to provide 500mmcfd of LNG at port.

A senior official told that the Qa-tar government had offered to

make arrangements for provid-ing 500mmcfd of LNG through its own ships provided Pakistan had facilities to offload these quantities at Karachi port.

“Qatar will provide LNG and the ship, but could not make terminal arrangements for regasification, unloading and onward transporta-tion,” said the official.

He said the Ministry of Petroleum was taking a summary to the Eco-nomic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet in its forth-coming meeting with two options – one for short- term and one for long-term LNG supply arrange-ment to be implemented in three to five years.

He said given the fact that no oth-er options, except the LNG, was possible in the short term, the ECC was being requested to allow retrofitting of LPG storages of En-

tended by Altaf Hus-sain Gohar, Sheikh Naseer, Kashif Hussain Gohar, Sheikh Raza, Zahid Rashid, Talat Butt, Khawaja Yaqoob, Umar Qudoosi, Latif Gujjar, Khawaja Azhar and many others here Monday at his office.

Abuzar Ghaffari said that economy-related memorandums of un-derstanding signed with China, including

Gwadar to Kashgar corridor, La-hore to Karachi bullet train, wind energy projects, Nandipur power project, metro and underground bus service in Punjab’s five cities, would not only mitigate power cri-sis in the country but also become catalyst to run all commercial, in-dustrial and export-oriented mega projects at their optimal level.

He said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to China was a com-mendable effort as China had helped Pakistan in its difficult times.

gro and SSGC through which gas imports could begin in six to seven months to resolve the energy crisis by mid-winter.

Secondly, the ministry would recommend setting up of 500-1000mmcfd capable new terminal for which bidding should be held or any selective party from a friendly country be involved through government to govern-ment deal.

He said the ECC would be re-quested to approve one-time ex-emption from application of Public Procurement Rules to run through various stages of bidding so as to shorten the overall bidding schedule.

However, these recommendations have not gone well with the Ogra.

The sources said the Ogra in-formed the Petroleum Ministry that Ogra rules required a licence for LNG terminal operator before it is allowed to set up LNG han-dling facilities while in the instant case, neither the SSGC, nor En-gro’s storage facility had such a licenced provision for LNG import.

In fact, the Ogra also pointed out that even though Engro was among the three applicants who had been given licences for LNG import at a separate point which could not be used for retrofitting of SSGC-Engro storage facilities.

The terminal licences are issued with specific place, technology, quantity and quality that could not be used as an umbrella permis-sion to start importing any product somewhere else, the Ogra is re-ported to have put on record.

The ECC in its recent meeting had cancelled the two bidding rounds of 400mmcfd of LNG import and authorised the Petroleum Ministry to engage with the Qatar govern-ment for a government to govern-ment deal.

A ministerial team that recently vis-ited Qatar had been offered to pro-vide LNG and a ship for its trans-portation up to Karachi port by the Qatari side.

LNG imports are facing various hitches for more than 10 years now as gas shortages increased beyond 2000mmcfd during peak winter season.

Various governments have been making failed attempts to import at least 500mmcfd to generation about 4000mw of electricity.

continued....

JULY - 2013 NEWS5

Abbottabad Commission

report: Overhaul of spy outfits proposed

was finalised, his Afghan counter-part Rangin Dadfar Spanta fired yet another salvo in a radio inter-view saying Pakistan was a bigger threat to peace than Al Qaeda.

The anger against Pakistan in Ka-bul’s power echelons is out of fear that Islamabad could be trying to bring the Taliban back to power.

Mr Aziz would in Kabul, one of his aides said, reiterate Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful and united Afghanistan, and offer help to revive the Doha process which collapsed because of controversy over the name of office and raising of flag.

At the press briefing, Mr Aziz ex-

ISLAMABAD: The Abbottabad Commission has recommended

restructuring and overhauling civil and military intelligence agencies through a parliamentary oversight and proposed a well-defined na-tional security policy to ensure effective counter-terrorism perfor-mance.

While the government plans to convene an all-party conference to chalk out a consensus-based national security policy, the com-mission noted that despite the fact that Pakistan was the main victim of terrorism, there was no national security policy in the country to combat the menace. The clas-sified report was leaked to Al-Jazeera news network– a copy of which is available on its website.

“The excessive powers and non-accountability of Pakistani intelli-gence establishment have posed the greatest threat of state fail-ure to Pakistan,” the commission noted in its findings, adding, “The current defence policy and the

joint strategic directive modality is a reflection of the military hegemo-ny over the formulation of the National Security Policy (in unwritten form) which despite token ci-vilian bureaucratic inputs, excludes serious civilian input.”

Analysts say the govern-ment might use the find-ings of the Abbottabad

Commission to assert civilian au-thority on matters of national secu-rity in the upcoming APC.

The leaked report states that the National Assembly should set up an expert committee to look into the performance and mandate of the various civilian and military in-telligence agencies.

“In particular, the failure of the intel-ligence community with respect to developments preceding and fol-lowing the May 2 [2011] incident [Osama bin Laden raid] needs to be thoroughly looked into,” it reads.

The expert committee, the report says, should assess intelligence agencies work, culture, achieve-ments and failure, their mandate and organisation, accountability, parliamentary oversight, among other things, and make appropri-ate recommendations consistent with civilian control and national security.

The violation of this democratic procedure was one reason for ex-clusive vigilance towards a border from where a developing threat was palpable, if not certain. As a result, no effective ‘pro-active’ policy planning took place and

“we were left in our usual reactive policy mode in which policy op-tions in a crisis are close to zero”.

Need for a National Security Council

The commission said a prop-erly constituted National Security Council was necessary.

“Just as there is no national secu-rity policy, there is no NSC in the country. The Defence Commit-tee of the Cabinet is not a substi-tute for a NSC. The NSC primar-ily should be a body that collects, collates and coordinates informa-tion and intelligence related to na-tional security and submits regular policy paper and recommenda-tions to the chief executive, i.e. the prime minister. These papers and recommendations should address long term, short term and immedi-ate national security issues includ-ing crisis situations.”

It recommended that the core of the NSC will need to be a secre-tariat headed by a national security adviser of acknowledged analyti-cal ability, having a deep under-standing of the internal, regional and international situations and their trends.

The Abbottabad Commission recommended that the National Counter-Terrorism Authority need-ed to be made into a real rather than fictional body.

Corp commanders discuss impli-cations of report

Also on Tuesday, the top military commanders informally discussed the likely implications of the leaked report of the Abbottabad Com-mission.

Chaired by Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the meeting was held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.

An Inter-Services Public Relations statement said the routine corps commanders meeting undertook a comprehensive review of the prevalent internal and external se-curity situation of the country.

However, sources confirmed that the top brass also discussed the findings of the commission.

pressed the hope that the difficult patch in the Doha process would be overcome and discussions between the Taliban and the US would start soon. He was, how-ever, unsure when the Taliban and Afghan High Peace Council — the Afghan body that coordinates rec-onciliation process — would meet and said that Pakistan, the UK and the US were all working towards that end.

Mr Aziz’s meeting with Afghan Ambassador Umar Daudzai over a fortnight ago, in which the Afghan side claimed he (Mr Aziz) had pro-posed to the Afghan government to share power with the Taliban, sparked a serious diplomatic row.

A senior official, speaking on con-dition of anonymity, said although officially the report was not made public, the conclusions of the commission were nothing new. The official admitted that there was a ‘systematic failure’ at all levels.

He said the findings had made it clear that the slain al Qaeda king-pin Osama bin Laden had no insti-tutional support from within Paki-stan during his nine-year stay in the country.

When asked, he said the military would give its formal reaction once the report was officially made public.

Nawaz meets

British FM; Pakistan’s

role against terror lauded

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with British

Foreign Minister William Hague in Islamabad on Thursday and discussed bilateral relations and regional situation, DawnNews re-ported.

Nawaz Sharif said that “Pakistan is with the international commu-nity to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan”.

William Hague said that Pakistan’s efforts for peace in Afghanistan were commendable and Pakistan has an important role in the fight against terrorism.

Moreover, in the meeting they also exchanged views to enhanced co-operation to fight against terrorism.

JULY - 2013 NEWS6

Pakistani stocks end higher, rupee weakens

KARACHI: Pakistan’s main stock exchange closed higher

on Thursday, buoyed by buying in cement and oil stocks.

The benchmark 100-share index of the Karachi Stock Exchange up

Pakistan’s forex reserves fall to10.502 billion

KARACHI: Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves dropped

to $10.502 billion in the week ending July 12, from $10.543 bil-lion the previous week, the central bank said.

Remittances from Pakistanis abroad rose 5.56 percent to $13.92 billion in the 2012/13 fis-cal year, from $13.18 billion during the same period last year. The fis-cal year runs from July to June.

The monthly average remittances for JulyJune 2013 period come out to $1,160 billion compared to $1,098 billion during the last fiscal year.

An amount of $1,164 billion was remitted by overseas Pakistani in June, compared with $1,117 bil-lion in the same month year earlier.

0.52 percent or 120.25 points at 23,114.97.

Pakistan State Oil Company Ltd rose 2.31 percent to 339.98 ru-pees while Maple Leaf Cement Factory Ltd was up 4.98 percent to 27.21 rupees.

In the currency market, the rupee ended weaker at 100.70/100.75 against the dollar, compared with Wednesday’s close of 100.42/100.49.

Overnight rates in the money market rose to 8.90 percent from Wednesday’s close of 6.50 per-cent.

Govt to spend Rs7.5 billion on medicines: Minister

Students visit German university

Health Minister Khalil Tahir Sind-hu on Wednesday said free

medicines worth Rs7.53 billion would be provided free of charge at government hospitals.

The health minister said compared to the previous year, allocation of health services 19 percent greater.

He said that the prime responsibil-ity of the administrations of gov-ernment hospitals was to utilise the funds efficiently.

He directed the Health Department to create a monitoring system for the provision of free medicines

to patients. Sindhu said the main purpose of spending billions on upgrading the health sector was to improve the quality of services available to the people. He urged the Health Department, hospital administrations and doctors to work together.

Health Secretary Hassan Iqbal said for the first time the Health Department had created 2,897 jobs for house officers in govern-ment hospitals.

Legislation: Shahbaz Sharif approves draft of new local government lawChief Minister Shahbaz Sharif

on Thursday approved the draft for a new local government system.

Minister for Local Government and Law Rana Sanaullah Khan, Minis-ter for Agriculture Farrukh Javed, Minister for Education Rana Mash-hood Ahmad Khan, MNA Hamza Shahbaz, the chief secretary and secretaries of law and local gov-ernment departments were pres-ent in the meeting.

The law minister told the meet-ing that government needed five months to conduct local body elections.

The chief minister said the govern-ment wanted to hold local elec-tions as soon as possible. He said the approved draft of the Punjab Local Government Bill would be placed before the standing com-mittee of the Assembly. The chief minister said transparency had been the top priority in the new system.

He said separate authorities would be established for education and

health sectors and reconciliation councils would be formed to re-solve disputes at local levels.

He said a proposal to introduce panchayat system in villages would also be considered. Sharif said the proposal for municipal police in cities was also being considered.

He said an efficient local govern-ment system was essential for solving people’s problems at the local level. At the same time, he said, a system of check and bal-ance was also essential.

Sanaullah told the meeting that the government had sent a sum-mary for convening the assembly session.

He said the bill would be intro-duced to the Punjab Assembly next week. He was hopeful that the bill would be passed within a month.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had or-dered all provincial governments to hold local body elections by September.

LAHORE POSITION-holder stu-dents who are on a study tour

of Europe visited Potsdam Univer-sity Germany.

According to a handout issued here Monday, Director Department for International Admissions wel-comed the position-holders and briefed them on social and politi-cal history of Germany.

She appreciated the decision of sending position-holder students on a study tour of European uni-versities and lauded the services of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The students visited differ-ent sections of the university.

They were informed that there are 21,000 students on roll in the uni-versity and staff strength 2,500. The university has faculties of law, arts, human sciences, economics and social sciences while the de-partments of earth sciences and public policy and management are of special importance.

Top position-holder for Lahore Board Sarmad Waqar thanked the administration of the university on behalf of the visiting students and Punjab government.

JULY - 2013 NEWS7

continued....

CCI meeting ends inconclusively

Failure to address grievances: Govt to replace PPP’s flagship programme for Balochistan

Failure to address grievances: Govt to replace PPP’s flagship programme for Balochistan

Ch Nisar arrives in Karachi to review law and order situation

KARACHI: Interior Min-ister Chaudhry Nisar

Said Monday that the law and order situation in Ka-rachi had not improved even after the new government had taken over.

Speaking to the media upon his arrival at the Jinnah International Airport, Nisar added that he plans to hold meetings with Chief Minis-ter Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan as well as the heads of security insti-tutions to better understand the law and order situation in Karachi.

Nisar further added that unrest in Karachi affects the entire country and it is important to take control of the deteriorating law and order situation and that order cannot be established without taking the matter seriously.

The meeting was attended by all members of the council includ-

ing the provincial chief ministers.

Originally six points were to be discussed during the meeting however due to the reservations of provinces only two points came under debate.

During the meeting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that his govern-ment planned to completely end electricity loadshedding within three to four years and through a multi-pronged strategy. He added that the price of electricity would be brought down to less than Rs10 per unit.

The strategy will include low cost energy, tariff restructuring, efficient technology transparency and mer-

it-based system.

The Prime Minis-ter said low cost energy would be produced by using coal and hydel power for power genera-tion.

The extraction of coal and devel-

opment of the infrastructure for power production will be carried out simultaneously to save time.

He said coal will be imported till it is available locally for power con-sumption.

He said run of the river projects were being initiated to overcome short term demands while large dams including Bunji dam and Bhasha dam would be construct-ed over a period of time to over-come irrigation needs and power shortage.

Other topics discussed during the meeting included implementation of the new energy policy, gas theft and recovery issues, and punish-ment for those stealing electricity.

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s government is planning

to replace its predecessor’s flag-ship programme for Balochistan with a new policy after it failed to resolve the festering problems of the troubled province.

“We intend to introduce a new policy … We believe a vibrant eco-nomic policy can heal the wounds of the people of the violence-wrecked province,” Minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAF-RON) Lt-Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch told Press.

The previous Pakistan Peoples Party-led government had intro-duced the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan (AHB) package with much fanfare in 2009 as part of its efforts to stabilise the situation in the province.

The wide-ranging package – which was aimed at eliminating the sense of deprivation among the people – comprised six constitutional, five political, 16 administrative and 34 economic proposals. However, the government could implement just 43 of the 61 proposals by the end of its five-year constitutional tenure.

The incumbent government’s new Balochistan policy will focus on the 18 non-implemented propos-als of the AHB package, officials preparing the draft told The Press.

Its prime focus, according to them, will be Balochistan’s share in gas royalties from the Iran-Pakistan pipeline agreement – under the $1.4 billion pact, Islamabad in-tends to import 750mmcfd of gas from Tehran. The new policy will allocate a third (250mmcfd) of the gas imported under the agree-ment to Balochistan.

Nisar revealed that he will be meet-ing Pir Sahib Pagara to discuss the upcoming presidential election and the names of candidates will be announced in the coming days.

Responding to a question regard-ing Dr Imran Farooq’s murder in-vestigation, Chaudhry Nisar said the British government has not contacted the Pakistani govern-ment regarding the issue.

This is Nisar’s first visit to Karachi since the PML-N came into power a month ago. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is scheduled to meet the po-litical leadership of Sindh and will be briefed on the law and order situation in Karachi by heads of the security institutions.

It also proposes admitting around 5,000 youths from Balochistan in vocational training institutes and sending another 5,000 skilled workers abroad for better employ-ment opportunities.

The policy also focuses on the re-vival of the Pakistan Railways ser-vice from Quetta to Zhob, and later to Dera Ismail Khan and Bhakkar. A study on this aspect has already been completed and the project’s proposal will be presented before the finance ministry soon, accord-ing to the officials.

Other proposals include setting up an electricity transmission line from Dera Ismail Khan to Zhob, and providing television boosters to all 32 districts of the province. It prioritises the completion of 100 delay-action dams currently under construction in Balochistan, and the construction of four small to medium dams to fulfill the agricul-tural needs of the province.

The new policy also includes a de-velopment package worth Rs4.1 billion for Dera Bugti and its ad-jacent areas, and initiatives worth Rs1.63 billion for Kohlu district. These will include schools, wa-ter supply schemes, hospital and roads for the respective areas, said the officials.

In addition to the economic as-pects of the government’s new Balochistan policy, the interior min-istry will include a portion related to security in order to overhaul the province’s policing structure, of-ficials from the ministry told Press.

Under the security policy for Balo-chistan, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan will decide the fate of the judicial inquiry into the kill-ings of Baloch political workers, they revealed.

JULY - 2013 NEWS8

Ending the unmanned War: PM asked to drop plans to seek US drone tech

continued....

ISLAMABAD: As the government looks for alternatives to convince the US to call off its drone cam-paign in the tribal areas, the foreign ministry has asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to drop his plan to ask Washington for the transfer of drone technology from his list of options citing ‘legal implications’.

The government was planning to formally request the US for

drone technology during the up-coming visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry as part of efforts to end the impasse over the con-troversial programme.

However, senior foreign ministry officials recently briefed the gov-ernment on the likely implications of such a policy.

“We have to take a principled stand against drone use. Seeking drone technology shows a contradiction in our policy,” argued a foreign ministry official, speaking on con-dition of anonymity due to the sen-sitivity of the issue.

“Killing people without due process of law through drones is illegal. If Pakistan acquires this technology, should it kill people without due process as well?” he said.

The government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif publicly condemns drone attacks and has urged the US to stop such unilateral strikes.

In a recent background briefing, one senior government official told journalists that Islamabad would seek drone technology from the US to deal with the terror threat.

However, the foreign office strong-ly believes that acquiring drone technology would weaken Paki-stan’s case against the illegal use of unmanned aerial vehicles.

“The foreign office has conveyed its position to the government on the issue. It is now up to them to take the final decision,” said another official.

The official recalled that when the head of the UN team investigating the civilian impact of drone use travelled to Pakistan in March this year, Islamabad sought a ban on the unilateral use of drones against sovereign countries. He said Paki-stan was engaged in efforts to cre-ate consensus for declaring drone use in counter-terrorism opera-tions illegal.

UN special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism Ben Emerson is due to present his re-port on the legality of drone use before the annual session of world body in September.

Pakistan expects that the final UN report will help develop consensus against use of drones as weapons.

A recent survey conducted by Washington-based Pew Research Center revealed that the US policy of drone use in places such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia is facing broad opposition around the world. The survey conducted on the issue in 39 countries, found that more than half of the respon-dents in 31 of these countries disapproved of US drone attacks against extremist groups. The re-port noted that in most of the na-tions polled, there continues to be extensive opposition to the Ameri-can drone campaign against ex-tremist leaders and organizations.

KABUL: Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz on Sunday as-sured the Afghan leadership that Pakistan would extend full support and cooperation in holding intra-Afghan talks for peace and stabil-ity in Afghanistan.

Afghans to negotiate with Taliban: Sartaj

He said Afghanistan will hold negotiations with the Taliban,

while Pakistan will provide its full-est cooperation in this regard.Dur-ing his day-long visit, Sartaj Aziz held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Dr Zalmai Rassoul. The two sides discussed ways to further pro-mote bilateral relations and pros-pects for peace in Afghanistan.

Addressing a press conference with Zalmai Rassoul, Sartaj Aziz said Pakistan was ready to help in holding intra-Afghan talks for peace and stability in Afghanistan, if the Afghan leaders asked for it.

He said Pakistan has been trying to help jump start the peace pro-cess as a stable Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s own interest.However, he said, any peace talks must be Afghan-owned and Afghan-led. He said Pakistan would take every step to bring peace in Afghanistan.

Sartaj Aziz, who was on his first vis-it to Kabul after assuming charge as adviser to the PM on foreign affairs and national security, said:

“The PML-N government wants to expand relations with Afghanistan.”

He said his visit brought a mes-sage of peace and cooperation from Pakistan. The PM’s adviser said Pakistan wanted to remove all barriers in the way of trade be-tween both the countries. He said expansion in trade would bring prosperity to the people of the two countries, besides improving the economy.

Sartaj Aziz denied perceptions held by many in Afghanistan that Pakistan controls the Taliban, giv-en that its leaders have apparently taken sanctuary in Pakistan, and insisted Islamabad could only help bring about a deal and not impose one.

“We have some contacts with the Taliban because of the past but we don’t control them,” he told the news conference.He said Pakistan had eased the movement of Tali-

Nisar will also make a decision on constituting a judicial commission to probe the killing of Jamhoori Wattan Party chief Nawab Akbar Bugti and look into the judicial inquiry into the controversial allot-ment of hundreds of acres of land in Gwadar.

When contacted, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Political Secretary Asif Kirmani said a meeting to re-view all policies pertaining to Balo-chistan will take place soon. “The Balochistan issue is being taken seriously by the prime minister,” he added.

QUETTA: Anything that would go against Balochistan and its people is unacceptable, Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Malik told media on Thursday.

He said that the Balochistan government would continue

to think for the benefit of the Balo-chistan people, be it a mega proj-ect or any other project, as it has done so in the past.

He said that the government was looking at all projects in detail.

Malik said that the federal govern-ment has been asked to complete two electricity lines, one from Dera Ghazi Khan and the other from Dadu to Khuzdar, within one year. These will add 600-700 mega-watts of electricity, he said.

The Balochistan chief minister said that the federal government has also been asked to complete the four roads in Balochistan within two years.

Anything that goes against Balochistan will not be accepted: Abdul Malik

JULY - 2013 NEWS9

PTI finds fault with deal for LNG import from Qatar

Committee set up to restore Ziarat

residency

ban negotiators and released 26 Taliban detainees at the request of the Afghan government.

“In the future, if to this extent we are requested, we can play the same role but at the appropriate time and in consultation with other interested parties,” he said.

In an unusually blunt remark, Af-ghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Ras-soul said that efforts on both sides to strengthen relations, fight terror-ism and ignite peace talks “have not been successful”.“I hope the new government of Pakistan will open a new chapter in Pakistan-Afghan relations,” he said.

Earlier, Sartaj Aziz invited Presi-dent Hamid Karzai to Islamabad to strengthen bilateral relations and to improve strained relations and help peace efforts with the Taliban.

“The main purpose of my visit is to convey a formal invitation from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to President Karzai to visit Pakistan.”

“We wish Afghanistan a success for those two important milestones.”

ISLAMABAD: Another project ini-tiated by the PML-N government in the energy sector has attracted criticism for its staggering price tag.

In a detailed critique, the Paki-stan Tehreek-i-Insaf challenged

on Monday the government’s plan to import LNG from Qatar, which it said would cost the national ex-chequer Rs18 billion every year for 20 years.

Last week, the government was criticised for an upward revision of the Nandipur power project’s cost from Rs22 billion to Rs57bn and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had ordered an investigation into the matter.

Terming the LNG import deal a

QUETTA: The Balochistan govern-ment has constituted a committee to undertake work on the restora-tion of the historic Quaid-i-Azam Residency in Ziarat.

A spokesman for the provincial government has said the com-

mittee is headed by former chief secretary Mirza Qamar Baig.

Well-known architects, engineers and experts like Nayyar Ali Dada, Yasmin Lari and Kamil Khan Mum-taz are members of the commit-tee. They have volunteered their services.

Mr Dada and Mr Mumtaz visited Ziarat recently and gave sugges-tions for the restoration of the resi-dency and the provincial govern-ment has started steps in light of their recommendations.

The spokesman said the commit-tee had invited prequalification bids from contractors from across the country.

He said the government would re-store the residency to its original shape through its own resources.

He said that an impression cre-ated in a section of the press that renowned businessman Sadarud-din Hashwani would do the job was wrong.

However, the spokesman said the provincial government appreciat-ed Mr Hashwani’s offer to restore the national monument.

A spokesperson of Pakistan Teh-reek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday re-

futed the allegations levied against party chairman Imran Khan for de-laying the all parties’ conference (APC) by leaving for UK.

In an official statement, the spokesperson reiterated that Im-ran’s visit to UK which was on ac-count of medical reasons, did not hinder PTI’s presentation for APC as they were fully prepared.

“It is the government who is still in the process of drafting a presen-tation on national security policy,” the statement continued.

Citing government’s ill-prepared-ness for APC as the main reason for the delay, the spokesperson stated that PTI chairman had waited for two months for the gov-ernment to call on a meeting on counter-terrorism and had already postponed an immediately need-ed medical trip earlier.

The spokesperson said that Im-ran’s ill health meant that it was impossible for him to postpone his medical consultation and he had never said that he was going to postpone his UK trip.

The party leaders were told of the meeting only a few days in ad-vance and Imran was not directly contacted at all, the party spokes-person added.

The statement said the PTI chair-man could not be blamed for the delay of APC, since he had nomi-nated party representatives to attend the conference in his ab-sence.

The APC which was earlier sched-uled to be held on July12 was postponed to ensure attendance from all political parties. A new date for the conference has yet to be finalized.

The PTI Chairman was criticized on social media for new photos of him attending a party thrown by Prince Charles.

mega scam, PTI’s information sec-retary Dr Shireen Mazari alleged that the ministry of petroleum and natural resources, through a hur-riedly drafted summary for the Economic Coordination Commit-tee of the cabinet, had managed to benefit a particular business group.

The ECC approved on July 18 the summary for the import of LNG from Qatar by using Engro’s exist-ing terminal at Port Qasim.

“The LNG will be procured from Conoco Phillips (CP), and not from Qatar on a government-to-government basis, as is be-ing falsely claimed. The so-called government-to-government deal with Qatar will be through the CP, a private US energy company. So why lie to the nation that the deal is with the state of Qatar,” ques-tioned Dr Mazari.

Substantiating her claim, the PTI information secretary said the base cost of LNG from CP was $16.99/mmbtu (million British thermal unit) plus additional cost of about $2.50/mmbtu to be paid to Engro, resulting in a re-gasified LNG cost of $19.49/mmbtu com-pared to the open market price of $17.707/mmbtu. “This is clearly a mega scam to rob the people of Pakistan by about $180 million, or Rs18 billion, a year,” she said.

Dr Mazari said the most damag-ing part of the deal was that CP/Qatari proposal would not allow any change in the price over the 20-year duration of the contract, whereas prices were expected to go down sharply over 5 to 7 years.

According to the deal, Pakistan will have to “take or pay” for the committed LNG irrespective of the country’s ability to lift or not. They have already indicated that they will not allow resale of any cargo to a third party.

She said the manipulation by the ministry of petroleum and natural resources that only Engro could provide facilities on a fast-track basis for LNG storage and its re-gasification was an attempt to fool the ECC.

APC delays: PTI refutes allegations against Imran Khan.blames govt

JULY - 2013 NEWS10

continued....

Pakistan condemns attack on

holy sites in Syria

SC orders presidential election on July 30

PPP says SC decision on presidential poll date one-sided

ISLAMABAD: The Government of Pakistan strongly condemns the deliberate and wanton attack on the holy sites in Syria, including the 19th July attack on Sayyeda Bibi Zainab’s (R.A) shrine, accord-ing to a statement issued by the Foreign Office on Monday.

The statement also noted that the trend of desecration of holy

sites has hurt the sentiments of Muslims in Pakistan, as indeed the world over. Such violations, which also fuel sectarian strife, are most reprehensible.

It said: “Pakistan calls upon the Government of Syria to ensure safety and security of all holy shrines and buildings in Syria. Pakistan also calls upon all parties to the conflict in Syria to observe international humanitarian law and help protect the common heritage of mankind respecting the sanctity of the holy buildings and places of worship”.

The statement adds, that the Charge d’ Affairs of Syria in Islam-abad has been called to the For-eign Office to convey the concerns of the Government and people of Pakistan on the desecration of the holy shrine of Sayyeda Bibi Zainab.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Elec-tion Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold the presidential election on July 30 with a new schedule.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Sheikh Azmat Seeed, heard the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) petition, seeking a change of date for the presidential election on July 30 instead of Au-gust 6.

The court directed the ECP to change its earlier schedule and hold the presidential election on July 30 instead of August 6 after the Federation supported the peti-tion.

The court ruled that the holding of election of the office of the presi-dent of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is one of the most impor-tant constitutional activities, which has to be undertaken by the ECP.

“Therefore, keeping in view the reasons/grounds put forward and also to ensure that the ECP may discharge its functions, we ac-cordingly direct the ECP to change its schedule,” the court ruled in its short order.

The court directed the ECP to hold the presidential election with a changed scheduled i.e.

(a) Filling of nomination papers with the presiding officers at Islamabad and with each of presiding officers at Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta on July 24.

(b) Scrutiny of nominationpapers by the returning officer at Islam-abad on July 26 at 10:00am.

(c) Withdrawal of candidature be-fore the returning officer at Islam-abad on July 27 up to 12:00 noon.

(d) Publication of the list of validly nominated candidates on July 27 at 5:00 pm.

(e) Polling day and polling time July 30 from 10:00am to 3:00pm.

(f) Place of the poll 1. The Parlia-

ment House, Islamabad.

2. The provincial assembly build-ing, Lahore.

3. The provincial assembly build-ing, Karachi.

4. The provincial assembly build-ing, Peshawar.

5. The provincial assembly build-ing, Quetta.

Earlier, during the hearing, Attor-ney General Munir A Malik while appearing before the court on no-tice appraised the court that the federal government supports the petition, adding that it was the constitutional right of every mem-ber of the parliament to vote in the presidential election.

The chief justice asked the AG as to whether there existed any con-stitutional hurdle for rescheduling the election. The attorney gen-eral confirmed that there exists no constitutional bar in holding the presidential election on July 30.

The chief justice said there was no bar in holding the presidential election on July 30, adding that the ECP should facilitate the pro-cess.

During the hearing, Sher Afghan, Additional Secretary ECP, told the court that the Election Commis-sion has to complete procedural formalities after publication of the list of the validly nominated can-didates, therefore, the polling day and time has been fixed on 6th of August.

When the court pointed out to him the reasons on account of which the request has been made for an-tedating the polling as incorporat-ed in the petition, he sought time to seek instructions from the ECP.

Later on he filed a statement be-fore the court for consideration stating that the Election Commis-sion has considered the matter

regarding change of presidential election schedule.He submitted that the commission feels that it shall require three clear days be-tween withdrawal-day and poll-day to complete all necessary ar-rangements for conduct of election.

He submitted that whatever order is passed by the apex court keep-ing this requirement in view will be complied with in letter and spirit.Meanwhile, the court disposed of the petition.After the court verdict, the Election Commission issued new schedule for the presidential election.

Raza Rabbani unhappy over change in polls schedule

ISLAMABAD: Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, who is Pakistan Peo-ple’s Party (PPP) candidate for upcoming presidential elections has expressed concerns over apex court’s decision to change the election schedule. Rabbani said that change will dent election campaign of the candidates. He said that it is not possible for can-didates to go to provincial head-quarters and ask legislators for support. Addressing a crowded press conference in Federal Capita today he said that Supreme Court has issued order after listening to one side only. He was of the view that court should have listened to all the candidates instead of gov-ernment only. Senor PPP leaders senator Aitzaz Ahsan, Makhdoom Amin Fahim and opposition leader Syed Khurshid Shah were also present in the press conference.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peo-ple’s Party has criticised the Su-preme Court’s decision to allow the government to hold the presi-dential election on July 30 instead of August 6, saying it was evaluat-ing whether it should contest the election.

JULY - 2013 NEWS11

PPP announces boycott of

pres ident ia l election

MQM pledges ‘unconditional

support’ for PML - N presidential nominee

We are consulting our partners to boycott the presidential

election and if we and our part-ners boycotted, then this election would become a meaningless ex-ercise,” said the opposition leader in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan while addressing a press conference along with PPPP president Makh-doom Amin Faheem, opposition leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah and PPP’s presidential candidate Mian Raza Rabbani here on Wednesday.

Aitzaz Ahsan said the decision had been given without hearing the other candidates. Speaking on the occasion, Mian Raza Rabbani said a change in the presidential poll date would affect his campaign. “I am a presidential candidate but I was not served any notice pertain-ing to hearing the plea seeking a change in the poll date,” he said.

Aitzaz Ahsan said the Supreme Court, Election Commission of Pakistan and the PML-N had de-cided the matter without hearing the other parties. “The Supreme Court has dictated the election schedule to the Election Commis-sion,” he added.

Aitzaz Ahsan said the PML-N was afraid of the election campaign of Mian Raza Rabbani and had taken such measures to avoid defeat.

He said the decision of the Su-preme Court, as per the desire of the PML-N, creates doubts, as on the very first hearing the decision was announced without hearing the four provincial election com-missioners. “I have never seen such a decision in my 45-year-long legal career,” he added.

Raza Rabbani wondered how he would run his election campaign as he belonged to the middle class and the opposition benches.

“I cannot go to Karachi, Quetta, La-hore and Peshawar in two days. I have no government machinery to benefit from.” He said his op-ponent, being a part of the ruling party, had all the government re-sources to reach the voters wheth-er in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar or Quetta. “I will be restricted to Is-lamabad as scrutiny of the nomi-nation papers will be held on July 26,” he said.

Rabbani said the Supreme Court, on the petition of the N-League, gave a one-sided decision without hearing the other parties. ‘The Su-preme Court even gave the sched-ule of the presidential election,” he added.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) an-nounced Friday it would boycott next week’s presidential election to protest against the vote being brought forward without consultation.

The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the ballot

would be held on July 30 instead of August 6 after the main ruling party complained that the original date clashed with the end of Ra-madan.

Many lawmakers tasked with electing a replacement for Presi-dent Asif Ali Zardari will be on pil-grimage or offering special prayers at the tail end of the holy fasting month, the court said.

Twenty-four candidates applied to stand in the vote, although the election of Mamnoon Hussain, the candidate for the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N party is consid-ered a foregone conclusion.

“We have been left with no alterna-tive, but to boycott the election,” said Senator Raza Rabbani, the presidential candidate for the op-position Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

“The Supreme Court did not issue us any notices, nor did they hear us or provide us an opportunity to present our point of view... a uni-lateral decision was made,” Rab-bani said.

“We see it is part of moves to im-pose the centre’s rule again.”

Syed Khursheed Shah said it was not possible to go to the voters in four cities in two days. He said the PPP had sought the cooperation of all the four major political parties, which shows its seriousness. “The PML-N is afraid of Mian Raza Rab-bani and is complicating the issue,” he added.

Pakistan’s new president will be elected by members of the upper and lower houses of parliament and of four regional assemblies.

Rabbani said that the Supreme Court decision made it difficult for him and other opposition candi-dates to campaign in four provin-cial capitals and the federal capital Islamabad in just two days.

Zardari was elected after the PPP won elections in 2008 following the assassination of his wife, for-mer premier Benazir Bhutto.

The PPP served a full five-year term in office, but lost heavily in May general elections won by a PML-N landslide.

Constitutional amendments brought in by the last PPP govern-ment mean that the president is a largely ceremonial role, though Zardari was seen as a sharp politi-cal operator behind the scenes.

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Friday offi-cially announced its “unconditional support” for ruling party Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) candidate in the upcoming presi-dential elections.

The leader of the party, Altaf Hussain, has announced un-

conditional support to Mamnoon Hussain, the PML-N’s nominee for the presidential election,” MQM leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi told a press conference at the party’s ‘Nine-Zero’ headquarters at Aziz-abad.

Accompanied by a delegation of the PML-N in Karachi, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar also formally invited the MQM, the largest po-

litical party in Karachi, to join them in the PML-N-led federal coalition government.

Thanking the PML-N for the invita-tion, Siddiqi said the offer would be discussed with the party’s se-nior leadership.

The PML-N delegation, compris-ing the finance minister, presiden-tial candidate Mamnoon Hussain, and Information Minister Pervez Rasheed, first called on Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad at the Gov-ernor House in Karachi.

Sources said that the Sindh gov-ernor spoke with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over telephone.

The PML-N delegation later visited ‘Nine-Zero’ where they met with members of the party’s Rabita Committee (central coordination committee).

“If elected, I will try to ensure that I do not serve as the president of the PML-N, but a president for all political parties,” Mamnoon Hus-sain told a press conference fol-lowing the meeting. “I will also pay special attention to Karachi for a viable solution to the problems of the city.”

Meanwhile, the ruling party in Sindh province, the Pakistan Peo-ple’s Party (PPP) has announced that it will boycott the presidential elections, set to take place on July 30 following the announcement of final candidates by the Election Commission on July 27.

PPP candidate Raza Rabbani pulled out of the race at the last minute in protest of the revision of the election date from Aug 6 to July 30, following a decision by the Supreme Court on a petition by the ruling party.

The nomination papers of Mam-noon Hussain and Iqbal Za-far Jhagra of PML-N and Justice (Retd) Wajihuddin Ahmad of Paki-stan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) were ac-cepted on Friday.

According to the Constitution, the president will be chosen for five years by an electoral college of 706 lawmakers, including 104 senators and 342 members of the National Assembly and 260 of the provincial assemblies.

50 seats of the national and pro-vincial assemblies are currently vacant, by-polls for which are scheduled for August 22, almost a month after the election of the new president.

JULY - 2013 NEWS12

KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed anger over a report produced by the Sindh Rangers over Karachi unrest.

An apex court bench was hearing the Karachi law and order case at the Karachi Resgistry of the Su-preme Court.

The court expressed anger after the report was presented before it without the signatures of the DG Rangers.

Justice Amir Hani Muslim asked the Rangers to resubmit the report with DG’s signatures.

During the hearing Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said the court might summon DG Rangers if the need arose.

The court inquired as to how mo-bile phones were brought in a Ka-rachi jail and what action was tak-en against the responsible officials. IG Jails told that the court that six officers were suspended over the issue.

The apex court also took notice of the recent escape of prisoners from courts around the city and has summoned a report and the Chief Secretary on July 17.

Karachi unrest: Supreme Court annoyed over Rangers report

Unrest in Karachi: Zardari gives law-enforcers a dressing downKARACHI: Growing impatient with law enforcers’ inability to control the law and order situation in Ka-rachi, President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday sought ‘deadline’ from police and Rangers officials to re-store peace in the metropolis.

I receive a different excuse from you every time … let me know

when I can see peace in Karachi,” he said while chairing a meeting on law and order at Bilawal House.

Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad at-tended the meeting, along with the provincial chief secretary, addi-tional home secretary, IGP, Rang-ers director general and other se-nior officials.

Sources privy to the meeting told The Express Tribune that President Zardari severely criticised the per-formance of law enforcers in Ka-rachi. “Some have asked me to impose governor’s rule in Sindh and are questioning the compe-tency of law-enforcers … Enough is enough,” sources quoted Presi-dent Zardari as telling the officials of law-enforcement agencies.

“Police and Rangers have been given a free hand in Karachi, but they still haven’t proven to be competent … If you need any as-sistance, tell me now … but I want to see peace in Karachi,” he said.

Following the dressing down, law enforcement officials asked Presi-dent Zardari to hand over op-erational control of 40 sensitive police stations to Rangers and suggested bringing in police rein-forcements from rural Sindh for a targeted operation in the city.

The meeting also decided to revive the old intelligence network within police stations by seeking the help of notable people in different lo-calities.

“Sub-division (mohalla) committees comprising notable people from a certain area will be revived and more policemen would be recruit-ed,” a senior police official said while talking about the meeting’s decision.

MQM concerned about Kutchis, other communities

KARACHI: Concerned about the ongoing violence in Lyari, the Mut-tahida Qaumi Movement’s coordi-

PTI to contest presidential election: Imran

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan said that his party candidate Justice (retd) Wa-jihuddin Ahmed would contest the presidential elections.

Speaking in a press conference here, Khan said that his party would not boycott the elections but does not agree with the SC’s decision on the change in dates of presidential elections.

Imran Khan said that the PTI would not leave the field open for the PML-N.

He said the verdict of the Supreme Court for advancing the date of presidential election was within the constitutional framework.

The time given to run the campaign for presidential elections was not enough, he said.

Imran Khan thanked Jamaat-e-Islami for its support for the PTI candidate.

‘Rigging in the 11th May polls was the worst example one gets in his-tory’ he said.

PTI’s presidential candidate re-tired Justice Wajihuddin Ahmad said the judgment of the Supreme Court had no constitutional‚ legal or moral blemish.

Talking to reporters following the meeting, former interior minister Rehman Malik said action would be taken against criminals, regard-less of their political affiliations. He added that more police and Rang-ers pickets would also be set up in sensitive areas of the city.

Malik said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s state-ment about taking Karachi under his control was also discussed at the meeting. “He is a federal min-ister … no one has stopped him from visiting Karachi and giving his input … but the Sindh government is doing its utmost to deal with the situation,” he said.

According to Malik, the president has also asked the Sindh govern-ment to install more CCTV camer-as in Karachi. “The provincial gov-ernment has assured President Zardari that 3,000 cameras will be set up by the end of this year.”

He revealed the Sindh government has also planned to convene an all-party conference on the Kara-chi issue.

Unrest in Lyari

The meeting also focused on the situation in Lyari, which has seen clashes between the Baloch and Kutchi communities over the past few days.

The president was briefed by some Pakistan Peoples Party leaders from Lyari. According to sources, the leaders said that there was no dispute between the Baloch and Kutchi communities. They claimed a ‘third force’ was trying to cre-ate a rift in the area. The meeting decided that stakeholders in Lyari would be invited to a ‘peace con-ference’ in order to resolve the situation amicably. The date for the conference will be announced soon.

Negotiations with MQM

President Zardari once again asked the chief minister to develop a good working relationship with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. Opposition leader in the National

nation committee has condemned the activities of the gangsters. In a statement issued on Friday, the party said Kutchis, Kathiawaris, Memon and other peaceful com-munities in Lyari need protection.

The ‘terrorists’ belonging to the Peoples Amn Committee are sub-jecting people to torture while the law enforcement agencies watch silently, the statement added. The committee demanded the gover-nor and chief minister take imme-diate action.

continued....

JULY - 2013 NEWS13

London Police say Altaf Hussain under investigation: Report

Altaf Hussain interrogation carried out as per UK law, govt kept informed: Nisar

Assembly Khursheed Shah and Rehman Malik will accompany the chief minister during negotiations with the MQM, which will begin within a few days. According to party sources, Malik will also con-tact Altaf Hussain prior to the start of the negotiations.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said in a statement, on Thursday, that Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hus-sain’s interrogation is being carried out according to UK laws.

Recently, on June 20, as part of their investigation on the Im-

ran Farooq murder case, Scotland Yard had raided Hussain’s London house and some material was seized from his residence.

Following this Altaf Hussain re-signed as party head on June 30, voluntarily handing over party’s au-thority and responsibilities to the Rabita Committee, only to take back the decision of resignation few hours later on request of his party workers.

The interrogation is being carried out in London and not in Pakistan but the Pakistani government is being kept informed, Chaudhry Nisar added.

Commenting on other issues faced by the country, Nisar said to resolve the matters concerning namaloom afrad, Aafia Siddiqui and terrorism three task forces will submit their reports in two weeks.

In June, British police arrested 52-year-old Iftikhar Hussain at Heathrow Airport and took him to the West London police station as part of the investigation process.

He also expressed concern over the situation in Egypt and said that Egyptian people should be given a chance to choose their own gov-ernment.

LONDON: London Metropolitan Police said that an investigation is being carried out against Mut-tahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain on charges of money laundering and provoca-tion to torture, BBC Urdu reported on Thursday.

London Police wrote a response to BBC Urdu Service verifying

the raids on Altaf Hussain’s resi-dence and office. They also ac-ceded that huge sums of money were seized from his home and office.

The investigation has started but no arrests have been made as yet, police said.

Furthermore, during a reports pre-pared by BBC show News Night, the police told a BBC correspon-dent that the investigation into for-mer MQM leader Imran Farooq’s murder was also underway.

Earlier in June, as part of their in-vestigation into the Imran Farooq murder case, Scotland Yard raided Altaf Hussain’s house in London.

The search operation continued for over 55 hours.

Later in July, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police in London had told, that a significant amount of money was seized in the raid from the house of the MQM chief. However, the spokesperson did not disclose whether the politician is being questioned over it.

Another spokesperson said that if a money laundering case is estab-lished, then it would be treated as a financial case, separate from the murder case of Dr Imran Farooq.

‘Zulfiqar Mirza has no intention to record statement against MQM’

KARACHI: Former Sindh Home Minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Zulfiqar Mir-za’s visit to London has led to speculation that he would help the Scotland Yard investigation against Muttahida Qaumi Move-ment (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain for money laundering and instigating violence in Karachi.

When contacted, one of Mir-za’s close aides said that the

PPP leader was on a personal visit to London.

“Mirza has gone with his family. He has no intentions to record a statement against the MQM chief,” PPP MNA Kamal Chang from Ba-din said.

Local media reported that Presi-dent Asif Ali Zardari, who is also in London, telephoned Mirza and requested him to not meet with the British investigators. The lat-ter, however, allegedly refused to abide by the president’s advice.

Mirza is said to be the arch rival of MQM chief Altaf Hussain.

He had resigned from the ministry and a senior position in the PPP about two years ago after criticiz-ing Altaf Hussain and the MQM for being involved in creating havoc in Karachi. Mirza later went to Lon-don and had announced he would lodge a complaint with Scotland Yard with evidence against the MQM, but the PPP — that was a coalition partner in the govern-ment — had asked him to refrain from doing so.

Mastermind of terrorist attack on Justice Maqbool aqar arrested

A Criminal Investigation Depart-ment (CID) team on Wednesday night carried out a raid in Mang-hopir area of the city and arrested four terrorists involved in the attack on Chief Justice Sindh High Court (SHC) Justice Maqbool Baqar.

The mastermind of the attack was also among the arrested,

the sources said. According to sources, the CID team arrested the accused associated with a banned organisation in a raid in the wee hours of Wednesday and shifted them to an undisclosed location. During interrogation by a joint investigation team, it was revealed that two of the accused were involved in the attack on the SHC judge.

The four terrorists were also in-volved in several other terror at-tacks in the city, where explosive-laden motorcycles were used in the attacks. The police also recov-ered weapons, ammunition and explosive material from the cus-tody of the accused.

At least nine people including eight security personnel were killed in the attack on Justice Baqar’s con-voy on June 26 as it was passing through Burns Road in Karachi. Justice Baqar and 14 others were injured in the attack.

JULY - 2013 NEWS14

KARACHI:

The venue where the chief se-curity officer of Benazir Bhutto,

Munawar Suharwardy, was killed on June 17, 2004, witnessed the death of the personal security of-ficer of President Asif Ali Zardari, Bilal Sheikh, nine years later – a suicide bomb blast near Guruman-dir on Wednesday claimed the life of the 43-year-old jiyala along with killing three other people, includ-ing the alleged bomber.

Less than a month ago, the Paki-stan Peoples Party’s workers com-memorated the death anniversary of Suharwardy, demanding the government to re-investigate the murder of their leader and expose the assassins. But before the gov-ernment could meet their demand, PPP lost another activist, Bilal Sheikh, on the same spot where Suharwardy lost his life.

Shaikh, born in Haji Mureed Goth,

Bilal Sheikh was killed at the same location as Benazir’s security officer

Nazimabad, started his political career by joining Peoples Student Federation (PSF), student wing of PPP, in 1986. Being an active worker, he was appointed as the vice-president PPP’s central dis-trict. He also served as president of PS 107.

When Benazir Bhutto was return-ing to Pakistan after her self-im-posed exile in 2007, Shaikh acted as the leader of Janisaran-e-Bena-zir Bhutto and managed her secu-rity.

He survived two attacks in 2006 and 2007, only sustaining injuries in one. When President Zardari took over the office, Shaikh was appointed as his personal security officer.

His duties took him wherever the president went – within the coun-try and abroad.

ANP puts weight behind Raza Rabbani for presidential election

MQM trashes BBC programme, considers lawsuit

Awami National Party (ANP) on Thursday announced its support for PPP-nominated presidential candidate Senator Raza Rabbani.

Senator Rabbani held a meeting with ANP Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan to discuss the upcoming presidential elections scheduled on July 30 and the situation that arose after the Supreme Court judgment on the issue.

ANP leader expressed reserva-tions over the Supreme Court or-

der to hold presidential elections on July 30, instead of August 6 as earlier announced by the Election Commission.

He said although his party has de-cided to support the candidature of Senator Rabbani, a decision to boycott the election in protest against Supreme Court judgment will be taken later in the evening.

Reports of allegations against him surfaced during his career and he was implicated in a few cases as well but the court acquitted him on all charges.

According to the spokesperson for Bilawal House, the allegations were only meant to malign the de-voted party worker. Soon after the blast took place, President Zardari asked the Sindh IG for a report on the people involved in the incident, saying “I want to find out as soon as possible who killed Bilal and the other people.”

The party has termed the incident as a terrorist attack, alleging the people who killed their leaders, in-cluding Benazir Bhutto, were also involved in this “cowardly act”.

Shaikh leaves behind four children and a widow. His will be laid to rest in the Liaquatabad graveyard.

KARACHI: Key leaders of the Mut-tahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Thursday heaped scorn at the British Broadcasting Corpo-ration (BBC) for running a vilifica-tion campaign against its London-based chief Altaf Hussain and raising questions about their par-ty’s alleged involvement in money laundering.

The party’s leaders lashed out at the BBC Two report on Thurs-

day, calling it propaganda and part of a defamation campaign.

MQM deputy convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui at a press con-ference said such programmes strengthen the bond between their leader and party workers. He said that they reserve the right to protest peacefully, and would do against such programmes. “We have full confidence in our chief. His statements were taken out of context.”

BBC Two, in its investigative re-port on the MQM during its pro-gramme Newsnight, had raised several questions about allega-tions of money-laundering, mur-der of Dr Imran Farooq,incitement of violence through hate speech, and the MQM’s overall image of violence. Host Jeremy Paxman termed the party one of the most feared parties in the country.

Federal lawmaker Ali Raza Abidi while talking to Media said the re-port was biased and ignored the targeting of MQM by the Taliban.

“MQM is the only remaining sane voice against terrorism, but sadly the BBC did not highlight that.”

MQM’s Rabita Committee mem-ber Wasay Jalil, who is currently in London, said on Twitter that the report was aimed to tarnish the image of their leader, and the pro-paganda was not new.

Meanwhile, speaking on condi-tion of anonymity, a MQM member stated that the party was consider-ing filing a defamation suit against the BBC.

In the programme, Paxman put up a series of questions including if Britain was providing sanctuary to an organisation which threatens and persecutes others? Will Brit-ain put Altaf Hussain on trial? And why does the government keep doors open for the MQM?

In the report, Owen Bennett Jones, showed Altaf’s house where the Scotland Yard conducted a raid in June and according to the BBC seized hundreds of thousands of pounds. The programme also carried interviews of eyewitness-es and reported on threatening speeches by Altaf Hussain, includ-ing the one in which he threatened the UK government against hatch-ing conspiracies against the party.

After the report, Paxman grilled MQM leader Farooq Sattar live, asking him how much money was seized, what it was for and where it come from.

Responding to the scathing criti-cism, Sattar said that the mat-ter was “under investigation” and should not be made subject of media trial.

“BBC is a very reputable organisa-tion. But after seeing the report, it seems that there has been an in-fluence of pro-Taliban and radical forces,” blurted out a visibly dis-turbed Sattar.

continued....

JULY - 2013 NEWS15

MQM to remain firm in face of conspiracies: Altaf Hussain

Trend continues: Girls outshine boys, bag top positions

LONDON: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) will remain steadfast in face of the latest inter-national conspiracies against the party, said MQM chief Altaf Hus-sain on Friday.

Hussain made this statement in response to the recent probe

going on in London against him. The investigations are reportedly related to allegations of money-laundering, murder of Dr Imran Farooq and incitement of violence through hate speech.

Today, the MQM chief said that he will not disappoint his work-ers, adding that such conspiracies were hatched in the past but noth-ing was proven.

Hussain added that anti-MQM el-ements will soon face disappoint-ment.

On June 2, the London police raided Hussain’s house in the city and seized many items in relation to their investigations of Farooq’s murder.

Recently, the BBC also ran a doc-umentary about the investigations carried out in London. MQM lead-ers lashed out at the report, calling it a propaganda and defamation campaign.

KARACHI: In keeping with tra-dition, girls outshone boys and bagged the top three positions in the annual Secondary School Certificate Part-II (General Group) examinations conducted under the aegis of Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BISEK).

Hafiza Hafsa Binte Qamar and Hafiza Ayesha Ilyas of Iqra

Haffaz Girls Secondary School, North Nazimabad, finished first and second respectively while Tooba Imran of Mama Baby Care, Kinder Garden primary and sec-ondary school, Guru Mandir, came in third.

Haifza Hafsa, who secured 776 marks out of 850 (91.92 per cent), told Media she was unfazed by the load-shedding as she learnt how to work around the issue. “I made a plan so that I didn’t waste my time when the lights were out,” she said. “I used to revise what I had already memorised during load-shedding hours.” She attrib-uted her success to her parent’s prayers and said that her career ambition is to become a teacher. She plans to continue her studies at the same school, she added.

Pleasantly surprised over finish-ing second, Hafiza Ayesha said that although she was hopeful of securing 90 per cent marks, she didn’t expect a position in the board. Ayesha, who obtained 765 marks (90 per cent), however, said that load-shedding, especially during the night, gave her a tough time. She too wants to be associ-ated with the teaching profession.

For Tooba Imran, success came as a result of consistent hard work.

“I used to put in eight hours of work every day and regular study of text books was the key to my suc-cess along with encouragement from parents and school teachers.” Tooba, who bagged 756 marks (88.94 per cent), is not interested in conventional fields for women and wants to be a banker. “I was very good at Economics and want to become a banker.”

BISEK controller of examinations Noman Ahsan told Media that a cer-emony would be arranged to honour the position holders after the Science Group result was announced.

A spokesperson for the Metro-politan Police confirmed to Media on Thursday that the incitement probe was under way. “Investi-gations started in May when we received a series of complaints,” he said; referring to the Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf (PTI) activists who complained to Scotland Yard against Altaf, when during one of his speeches he threatened them by alluding to the three swords of Clifton.

JULY - 2013 NEWS16

Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) is described in the

Quran as, “better than a thou-sand months” (97:3). Any action done on this night such as re-

citing the Quran, remember-ing Allah, etc. is better than acting for one thousand months which do not con-tain the night of Qadr.

Allah’s Messenger used to exert himself in devotion during the last ten nights to a greater extent than at any other time.” (Muslim). Allah’s peace and bless-ings be upon our beloved Prophet.

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, related that the Prophet said: Look for Laylatul Qadr on an odd-numbered night dur-ing the last ten nights of Ramadan (Bukhari).

The Prophet said: “Whoev-er prays during the night of Qadr with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven.” (Bukhari and Muslim re-corded from Abu Huraira).

Here are some tips of things we can do on the Night of Power and the time before and after it.

1. Take a vacation for Allah.

We take a break from our jobs for almost everything in life. Why not this time to focus on worshiping and thanking our Creator.

If this is not possible at least take a few days off if you can. This can make it easier to stay awake at night to do extra Ibadah, not having to worry about getting to work the next day. It will also facilitate do-ing Itikaf.

2. Do I’tikaf.

It was a practice of the Prophet to spend the last ten days and nights of Ramadan in the masjid for I’tikaf.

Those in I’tikaf stay in the masjid all this time, performing various forms of zikr (the remembrance of Allah), like doing extra Salat, recitation and study of the Quran. They do not go outside the masjid except in case of emergencies, there-fore, they sleep in the masjid. Their families or the masjid administra-tion takes care of their food needs. I’tikaf of a shorter period of time, like one night, a day or a couple of days is encouraged as well.

3. Make this special Dua.

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: I asked the Messenger of Allah: ‘O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what should I say during it?’ He said: ‘Say: O Allah, You are pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.’ “(Ahmad, Ibn Ma-jah, and Tirmidhi).

The transliteration of this Dua is “Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul ‘afwa fa’fu ‘annee”

4. Recite the Quran.

Perhaps you can choose Surahs or passages from the Quran, which you have heard in Tarawih this past Ramadan to recite.

If you attend a class where the recitation of the Quran is taught, this is a great time to put your knowledge into practice.

5. Reflect on the meaning of the Quran.

Choose the latest Surah or Surahs you’ve heard in Tarawih and read their translation and Tafseer. Then think deeply about their meaning and how it affects you on a per-sonal level.

6. Get your sins wiped out.

Abu Huraira narrated that the Mes-senger said: Whoever stands (in prayer) in Laylatul Qadr while nour-ishing his faith with self-evaluation, expecting reward from Allah, will have all of his previous sins forgiv-en. [Bukhari and Muslim).

Don’t just pray using the shorter Surahs that you know. Try to make your prayers longer, deeper and meaningful. If you are familiar with longer Surahs, read the transla-tion and explanation and then pray reciting these Surahs, carefully re-flecting on the meaning while you pray.

Even if you are only familiar with the shorter Surahs, read the trans-lation and explanation beforehand, and then pray reflecting on the message of the Surahs.

This is a good way to develop the habit of concentration, even in regular prayers, where many of us tend to be fidgety and/or easily distracted.

7. Make a personal Dua list.

Ask yourself what you really want from Allah. Make a list of each and everything, no matter how small or how big it is, whether it deals with this world or not. Allah loves to hear from us. Once this list is ready, you can do three things:

Ask Allah to give you those things

Think about what actions you have taken to get those things

Develop a work plan to get those things in future.

8. Evaluate yourself.

Ask yourself those questions that need to be asked. Do an evalua-tion of where you are and where you are going. Let this evaluation lead you to feel happiness for the good you have done and remorse for the bad you have done. This latter feeling should make it easier to seek Allah’s sincere forgive-

ness when making the Dua mentioned in tip number one above.

9. Make long, sincere and deep Duas

One of the best times to do this is during the last part of the night.

Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, re-lated that the Prophet said: When the last one-third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious One descends towards the heaven of the earth and proclaims: Who is that who supplicates for Me, and I grant his suppli-cation? Who is that who begs Me for anything and I grant it to him? And who is that who seeks My forgive-ness, and I forgive him? (Bukhari, Muslim).

That means for instance, waking up one hour before Suhoor time to ask Allah for anything and every-thing you want that is Halal. This can be done using the Duas of the Sunnah, but also Dua in your own lan-guage, with sincerity and conviction.

10. Memorize a different Dua every night

They don’t have to be long. They can be just one line. And be sure to know what they mean generally at least, even if you don’t know the exact translation in English.

You can put them on index cards (or and keep them with you during the day, glancing at them during work, while driving, waiting in line, etc.) Then practice them at night in prayer.

Maximize the last 10 days of Ramadan

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Eid Mubarak 2013

ISLAMABAD: Darul Iman Jamia Masjid Qurtuba’s story is as dra-matic as the sectarian history of Pakistan. The newly-built mosque in Islamabad’s Margalla foothills is calling upon its followers to stop discriminating along sectarian lines and to start praying together – in whichever way they like – under the same roof.

Zahid Iqbal is a local business-man who conceptualised the

idea of a sect-free mosque in 2010. He bought the mosque plot in the E-11 sector. But the road to the realisation of his dream wasn’t

Eid Mubarak 2013 is one of the great festival of Muslims, All

Muslims do fast on the month of Ramadan 2013 and after comple-tion of one month all Muslims are celebrating Eid Mubarak 2013.

Ramadan was started from the date of 11th July 2013 and and end of Ramadan month on the date of 8th August 2013 and Eid Mubarak 2013 takes place on the date of 9th August 2013.

Now all Muslims are waiting for Eid Mubarak 2013 because these day is celebrating day and one of the great day for all Muslims, Eid is one of the popular festival hole in the world.

Muslims populations is very high so numbers of celebrating of Eid Mubarak 2013 is will be high, Af-ter completion of Roza all Muslims

Pakistan’s first sect-free mosque calls for end to discrimination

easy: At first, authorities refused to register it as a sect-free mosque. Under Capital Development Au-thority rules, every mosque has to declare its sect following, before being granted permission to build the mosque.

The procedure involved some complicated maneuvering: To by-pass the strict rules, he registered a trust, and then sub-registered the mosque under the trust’s ban-ner: The Al-Kitaab Foundation Trust.

Meanwhile, Iqbal has already found an Imam for the mosque – Qari Jehangir, who is currently do-ing his Master’s degree from the Islamic University. The coordinator of the mosque is doing his MBA from Preston University. Both are young men in their twenties. The Imam and Khateeb are both from different sects – and the mosque administration says it will have no problem if a Shia Imam leads prayers.

There’s a simple philosophy behind Iqbal’s revolutionary idea. For the mosque’s administration, brand-ing Islam along sectarian lines has damaged religion more than any other reason. “By branding our-selves on sectarian lines we have even put non-believers to shame

celebrate Eid Mubarak, on the day Eid Mubarak all Muslims wear new cloths specially Kurta Pajama or Jubba, and spray the perfumes and then going to the Masjid for doing of pray of Eid Mubarak.

After the completion of Namaz of Eid Mubarak all Muslims have to meet our families and friends and eat swain specailly.

We are waiting Eid Mubarak 2013, which is very important for me and also for all Muslims

continued....

JULY - 2013 NEWS18

SAN FRANCISCO: The University of California appointed a Muslim American woman as a student member of its governing board on Wednesday in a move opposed by Jewish groups that objected to her pro-Palestinian activism.

Sadia Saifuddin, a 21-year-old social welfare major at the

prestigious University of California at Berkeley, will become the first Muslim student member of the 26-person board of regents for a year-long term starting in 2014.

Jewish groups including the prom-inent Simon Wiesenthal Center strongly objected to her nomi-nation, citing her involvement in a campaign to divest university funds from companies with busi-ness connections to the Israeli military.

They also objected to her spon-soring a student senate resolution that condemned a lecturer at the system’s Santa Cruz campus for what the resolution said was Is-lamophobic rhetoric.

The groups said it was Saifuddin who showed an intolerance to-ward opposing viewpoints.

“In a year where campus climate issues have been the dominant theme of the UC system, a vote to appoint somebody who has served to polarise thousands and thousands of people in the cam-pus community and beyond is shocking,” said Rabbi Aron Hier of the Wiesenthal Center, which peti-

Controversy over naming of Muslim student to University of California board REUTERS

tioned the regents to deny Saifud-din a seat on the board.

“An appropriate Muslim candidate could have ably served in this po-sition. We don’t believe Sadia is that appropriate candidate,” he added.

Despite the opposition, 25 univer-sity regents voted on Wednesday to confirm her appointment with one member, Richard Blum, ab-staining from the vote. He cited concerns about Saifuddin’s divest-ment efforts.

“I’m beyond blessed, and I’m very excited for this position,” Saifuddin said after the vote, wearing a floral Muslim heads-carf and beaming as she walked through a largely supportive crowd to ac-cept her seat.

In her acceptance speech, Saifuddin said she hoped to make the

university system accessible to more students. She could not later be reached for comment on contro-versies surrounding her nomination.

Saifuddin’s supporters said she was an exemplary student who cared about students of all faiths and has worked to benefit the sys-tem as a senator in the Associa-tion of Students of the University of California and a member of the Muslim Student Association.

“Sadia is a remarkable young wom-an. She is committed to support-ing all of UC students, and to this university and this country which she loves,” said Regent Bonnie Reiss, who chaired the student re-gent selection committee.

Reiss, who is Jewish, said the committee would not have select-ed Saifuddin to be a student re-gent if they thought she was anti-Semitic, responding to complaints that the divestment campaign in-cluded elements of anti-Semitism.

Council on American-Islamic Rela-tions spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said opponents who disagreed with Saifuddin’s politics wanted to unjustly exclude her from civic par-ticipation.

“Anytime an American Muslim rises to a prominent position, or starts to rise to prominence, that tiny minority of ‘Islamophobes’ in our society goes into action and seeks to marginalise and disenfran-chise that individual,” Hooper said.

Egypt interim presidency “saddened” by Cairo clashes

Egypt’s interim presidency, though linking the killings to

“terrorism,” has expressed its deep sorrow over the death of at least 72 people during Saturday clashes.

“We are saddened by the spilling of blood on the 27th, but we can-not decouple this incident from the context of terrorism,” Mostafa Hegazy, an adviser to the new in-terim government, said on Sunday.

According to Egypt’s health minis-

try, at least 72 people were killed after clashes erupted during a pro-Morsi sit-in, in Nasr city of Cairo on Saturday.

Muslim Brotherhood accused the security forces of using live ammu-nition on demonstrators during the mass rallies, which swept Egypt to condemn Morsi’s overthrow by the army. However, the interior ministry denied the claims, saying the forces only used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Hegazy further added that the in-terim government “would be tak-ing a stance after investigation ends, regardless of whoever is found responsible.”

He also described Cairo’s Nasr City, where the protests had oc-curred, as a “terror-originating spot,” saying, “There is a wave of terror and we will break this wave.”

“The government is exhausting ev-ery single channel to find a solu-tion to save blood and save face,” Hegazy concluded.

The Egyptian interim interior min-ister said on July 27 that the sit-in protests in the capital Cairo by the supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi will be “brought to an end soon and in a legal manner.”

Muslim Brotherhood activists and their supporters have been stag-ing sit-in protests at Nasr City and al-Nahda Square in Cairo for weeks, demanding Morsi to be reinstated. The North African country has been the scene of in-creasing violence since the head of Egypt’s armed forces, General Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, said on July 3 that Morsi was no longer in of-fice and appointed the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, Adly Mansour, as the new interim president.

According to the Egyptian sourc-es, at least 150 people have been killed and 5,200 others wounded in unabated clashes between the supporters and opponents of Mo-hamed Morsi across the country.

through violence and unruly con-duct,” the businessman said. He believes that mullahs have turned religion into business ventures for petty personal gains.

Calling his prayer hall a ‘model mosque’, Iqbal added, “This is God’s house. Even non-Muslims are allowed to come and seek the light.”

In addition, the mosque, located in the northern strip of the capital in the E-11/2 sector, not only invites all sects, but also has a separate section for women, and a library filled with religious books from all sects. With the support of other businessmen and overseas Paki-stanis, the 2-kanal compound has been built at a cost of Rs30 million.

The mosque is also funding at least ten students’ completion of their Bachelor’s degree, which they could otherwise not have af-forded.

So far, Iqbal is thrilled by the reac-tion he has received from people.

“There has been individual criticism but overall a collective acceptance amongst the community is settling in,” he said, adding that people from different sects are already praying there together, although the number is not yet big enough to cover the 350-people prayer hall.

JULY - 2013 SPORTS19

Ashes 2013: No thoughts of whitewash, says James Anderson

Senior Open: Mark Wiebe beats Bernhard Langer in play-off

Najam Sethi appoints Moin Khan PCB chief selector

Pakistan wrap up

West Indies’ tour on winning note

Pakistan wrapped up their tour of the West Indies with an 11-

run win in the second Twenty20 international in St Vincent on Sun-day to complete a one-day double over the world T20 champions.

Scorecard

The visitors ran through the home team’s top order at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown to lay the foundation for success as they defended a modest target of 135 for seven by restricting the West Indies to 124 for nine from their 20 overs.

It ensured a successful conclusion to Pakistan’s tour on the back of a 3-1 win in the five-match ODI se-ries played in Guyana and St Lucia.

Opener Ahmed Shehzad scored a breezy 44 in 53 balls but was not supported by his partners. His de-parture for the fourth wicket in the 13th over brought Umar Akmal to the crease and he took over the scoring responsibility on a slow track.

While spinner Sunil Narine threat-ened to sweep through the rest of the Pakistan batting, taking three wickets in a second spell at the end of the innings, Akmal helped push the tally to 135 with an un-beaten 46 off 56 balls.

In reply, West Indies lost their first three wickets in three overs, in-cluding another failure for Chris Gayle, who lobbed a ball straight to cover and was out for one.

Dwayne Bravo, Narine and Kieron Pollard threatened a dramatic res-cue, even though the asking run rate went to more than 12 an over.

During a dramatic 17th over, Pol-lard smashed 20 runs off the first four balls with two sixes landing on the roof of the stand.

Zulfiqar Babar then had him caught in the deep and took a second wicket with the next ball, dismiss-ing Bravo in similar fashion. Tino Best, the last man in, threatened some drama too with two huge sixes but fell short in the end.

England seamer James An-derson says he and his

team-mates are not yet con-templating a 5-0 Ashes series whitewash over Australia.

Holders England lead 2-0 ahead of the third Test at Old Trafford, which begins on Thursday, after edging the first Test at Trent Bridge and then dominating Australia at Lord’s.

“It (5-0) is not something we are re-ally focusing on,” said Anderson, 31.

“We played really well in the first two games. Our job is to improve on that.”

England are aiming to retain the Ashes after winning the last con-test 3-1 down under in 2010-11, their third victory in the past four series.

England have won eight of the nine

series in which they have taken a 2-0 lead, but they have never earned a 5-0 whitewash over Australia.

“We are very conscious of not get-ting ahead of ourselves,” added Lancashire’s Anderson, who needs six wickets to pass Bob Willis’s 325 and become England’s second-highest Test wicket-taker of all time.

“We have to concentrate on win-ning this game and not looking too far ahead in the series.”

Anderson will be playing on home soil during the third Test, with Old Trafford the home of his county side Lancashire.

“I am very excited about it. I have not played an Ashes Test here be-fore,” he said.

“The ground looks amazing, the redevelopments have made huge improvements and come Thurs-day it will be an incredible atmo-sphere and something we are all looking forward to.

“The whole region is cricket-mad and to get an Ashes Test back is a huge thing for the area.”

American Mark Wiebe over-came Bernhard Langer on the

fifth play-off hole to win the Senior Open at Royal Birkdale.

After play had been halted be-cause of darkness following two extra holes on Sunday, the tour-nament carried over to a fifth day.

Playing the 18th for a fifth time in the sudden-death play-off, Langer could not match the par four of the American.

German Langer, 55, let a two-shot lead slip at the 72nd hole on Sun-day to allow Wiebe into the play-off.

Langer, a two-time winner of the

Masters, had been three clear of the field going into Sunday, but took two shots to get out of a bun-ker at the last.

Rain and lightning caused play in the final round to be suspended on two occasions.

Both men wanted to finish the tournament on Sunday for sched-uling reasons but, after they each parred the 18th twice, play was halted.

On Monday, Langer’s approach on the fifth play-off hole landed just short of the green and, after chipping on, he missed with a par putt to keep the tournament alive.

The win, which earned the Ameri-can £207,000 in prize money, is a sixth career victory for Wiebe, 55.

America’s Corey Pavin, Peter Senior of Australia and South Africa’s David Frost tied for third at six under par.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed former captain Moin

Khan as chief selector. He replac-es Iqbal Qasim who has resigned recently. With the appointment, all members of the selection commit-tee have been reinstated, includ-ing Azhar Khan, Saleem Jaffar, Asif Baloch and Farrukh Zaman.

Moin Khan has been appointed by PCB acting chairman Najm Sethi, although he doesn’t have the right to do so under the board’s consti-tution and a recent decision by a court.

Moin looks happy with the deci-sion, and so do most players of Karachi. But an appointment by PCB’s acting chairman does not augur well for Moin’s future. How-ever, his appointment has been generally welcomed by experts and fans, because of his attach-ment to Pakistan cricket and his knowledge of contemporary tech-niques used in the sport, which will definitely help cricket prosper in the country.

Moin played 69 Tests and 219 ODIs for Pakistan, including 13 Tests he captained.

JULY - 2013 SHOWBIZ20

Main Hoon Shahid Afridi trailer will bowl you over!

India Tribune Nite …a sensational treat of fashion and dance

What a promising year this is turning out to be for Paki-

stani cinema. With two films (indie film Siyaah and Shahzad Nawaz’s Chambaili) having been released already, we are anticipating a few more. And the trailer that has caught our attention is the recently released teaser of Six Sigma’s Main Hoon Shahid Afridi.

We can’t decide if it’s the two-sec-ond clip of the sizzling Mahnoor Baloch dancing that has us going gaga, or the fact that the storyline is based on a sport close to our hearts.

MHSA is the story of a young man who dreams of becoming the star cricketer himself, but is struggling to achieve his dream. He realises that his final chance is a cricket tournament that will take place in Sialkot, where he hopes he can defeat professional, undefeated

Asian Media USA ©

Rolling Meadows, IL: It was ex-travaganza of fashion, dances,

breathtaking lights and sound as India Tribune presented the India Tri-bune Nite 2013 which rocked a ca-pacity audience at the classy Mead-ows Club here on Saturday, July 13, 2013.

‘Outstanding...”, “breathtaking”, “the best community event”, were only some of the accolades which were heard, as the audience were treated to a vibrant fashion show by Studio Elite choreographed by Monica Gan-dhi and presented by Shahida Khan and Abiha Javed Khan. This was fol-lowed by a truly memorable dance concert aptly titled “Dance, Vance te Rhythm Suhana” by performers from Hollywood and Chicago led by choreographer and dancer Shivani Thakkar. The show was conceived and scripted by Madan Kulkarni and narrated by Shebani Kulkarni.

The finesse and energy of the MKM Bollystars from Hollywood, the sensuousness of Arabian dancers Megan and Jessica and the breath-taking pyrotechnics of hip hop and breakers Danny Haywood and the Brave Monks from Chicago had the audience gasping in awe and ap-preciation.

The evening began with a cocktail hour which featured some tasty ap-petizers and top shelf spirits served

rivals. He and his team take help from former cricketer Akbar Deen (played by Humayun Saeed), who helps them but has a dark past of his own.

The Main Hoon Shahid Afridi team describes the film as “a journey of mistrust, betrayal, love, power and unfulfilled dreams” — we can’t wait to watch it on Eid ul Fitr!

by the attentive staff of the Mead-ows Club. The attendees were im-mediately in high spirits and walked into the main ballroom with high ex-pectations. Their expectations were justified as they settled into their seats marveling at the table décor, the soft lighting and the brightly lit screens.

Tanya Prabhakar launched the eve-ning by welcoming the audience and introducing the first performance, an invocatory number by Leah Nandy, a student of Guru Dilshad Khan. It was a very skillful performance with beautiful movements and expres-sions in the Kathak Style of dance.

The invocation was followed by the introduction of Congressman Danny Davis by Tanya. The Congressman then read out a special proclama-tion applauding and appreciating the contributions of India Tribune and its publisher Prashant Shah to the community in the US.

Eric Shah of India Tribune then

spoke briefly to the audience and emphasized the fact that the eve-ning was going “to be and about entertainment, entertainment and entertainment”.

Following this Leah Nandy present-ed the “Agneepath” dance which again wowed the audience for its subtle grace and footwork.

The fashion show then presented by Studio Elite held sway for the next 30 minutes as energetic and sprightly models paraded an exqui-site collection of designer outfits by leading designers from South Asia. The churidars, lehengas, kaftaans and other accessories sizzled under the dazzling lights and through inno-vative presentations conceived and choreographed by Monica Gandhi. The audience were mesmerized by the rich designs and intricate work on the outfits presented.

A brief glimpse of the cultural show which was to follow the dinner was then announced by Shebani Kulkar-ni and a riveting presentation of classical and fusion styles, Dola re & Dum Dum was presented by the MKM Bollystars from Hollywood. It raised the expectation levels of the audience as a gourmet multi-course dinner was served to the audience with wine and champagne service. The gourmet dishes made by the chefs of the Meadows Club and the prompt service drew a lot of appre-ciation from the audience.

Apart from the desserts the mood was enhanced by some melodi-ous songs by Chicago songstress Kathakali Das Gupta.

Post dinner the audience settled down to witness what can only be termed as a command perfor-mance by the extremely talented performers from Hollywood and Chicago. A heady mix of Indian, Lat-in, Caucasian and Black performers gave their own twist to famous Bol-lywood tunes which reflected the international appeal of Bollywood music and dance today. The cho-reography of Shivani Thakkar was exceptional and innovative.

The classical element was first in-troduced to the audience by nar-rator Shebani Kulkarni and then a short video clip showing famous classical Bolly-wood performances over the years was presented. This was followed by an extremely expressive Bharat Natyam piece

“Bho Shambho” by cho-reographer and dancer Shivani Thakkar. Black and Latin performers Erica Duff and Gloria

Lanuza delighted the audience in their traditional Indian outfits as they performed to the Taraana from the movie Thak Shak in “Bollywood Natyam”.

The lyrical element of Bollywood was then presented by the MKM Bollystars, DeVaughn, Derek, Yas-meen and Meghan Nichols. Set to some brilliant lighting by Mike Kell-ner the dance was a visual delight.

The vibrant and colorful folk element of Bollywood was demonstrated by a video clipping which was followed by the Spirit of Rangeela presented by Megan and Jessica which fea-tured colorful props and entranc-ing movements. This was followed a high energy Rajasthani folk style presentation of Dholna by the MKM

Bollystars. The color, the beats, the lights and the dancers had the audi-ence in raptures.

The pop and hip hop sections were then introduced to audience and a brilliant James Brown number Good Foot, choreographed by Cheryl Baxter was presented by Derek and Tom in the true tap dance style of Hollywood greats. It was both a slick and engaging piece which lent a variety to the show.

Next the guests were treated an explosive, energy driven piece of sheer technique, skill and pyrotech-

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nics by Danny Haywood and his Brave Monks of Chicago. Danc-ing to drums of AR Rahman’s Ishq Dance the skill of the performers in hip hop, lock and pop and street dance styles drew repeated gasps of amazement from the guests.

Cabaret ad Mujra was the next seg-ment which was introduced with a short video clipping and true Bol-lywood cabaret style opening num-ber Apni to jaisi taisi instrumental by Jessica Beuckman. And then an absolutely breathtaking medley of cabarets and a mujra by the MKM Bollystars had the guests squealing and screaming in delight. Nostalgia and admiration was evident as this mixed group of dancers performed to hits like “ Duniya Mein, Piya Tu, Do Ghoont Mujhe Bhi, Ae Mera Dil, Sa-laam-e-Ishq, Kaisi Paheli Zindagani”, and “Chamma Chamma”. The lights and sound added to the glamour and finesses of the presentation.

A brief vote of thanks on behalf of India Tribune was then presented by Madan Kulkarni, founder and CEO of the Meadows Club before the house was brought down again by another exquisite finale presentation, a medley of Talli Ho Gayi and Jai Ho by the MKM Bollystars .

A special mention needs to be made for the brilliant lighting and sound designs of Mike Kellner and Anil Mahajan of Tantrixx and show-reels for the evening put together by Sri Latha and Nagesh from Chicago and director Milind Oak from India.

Speaking later Mr Prashant Shah, the long time Publisher of India Tri-bune complimented the choreog-raphers, performers and directors of the show for an outstanding pre-sentation and said he was already thinking and planning for the next year’s event.

The audience reactions could be summed by a statement by noted physician and a decorated Gujarati poet, Ashraf Dabawala who cele-brated his birthday on during the event with his friends. “ You do not get to see this kind of a performance in community events. This was truly outstanding and my compliments to India Tribune and all the performers for an amazing evening”. It indeed was…..

Health tips for RamadanMoney Gram Iftari distribution campaign

Fasting has been found to be an ef-fective treatment for psychological and emotional disorders. It helps a person to firm up his will, cultivate and refine his taste and manners, strengthen his conviction of doing good, avoid controversy, petulance and rashness, which all contribute to-ward a sane and healthy personality.

Besides nurturing resistance and ability to face hardships and endur-ance, fasting reflects on outward physical appearance by cutting out gluttony and getting rid of excess fat. The benefits of fasting on health do not stop there but are instrumen-tal in alleviating a number of physi-cal diseases, including those of the digestive systems, such as chronic stomachache, inflammation of the colon, liver diseases, indigestion, and conditions such as obesity, ar-teriosclerosis, high blood pressure, asthma, diphtheria and many other maladies.

So take the following precautions:

AVOIDFried and fatty foods.Foods containing too much sugar.Over-eating especially at suhur.Too much tea at suhur: Tea makes you pass more urine taking with it valuable mineral salts that your body will need during the day.Smoking cigarettes: If you cannot give up smoking, cut down gradu-ally starting a few weeks before Ra-madan. Smoking is unhealthy and one should stop completely. EATComplex carbohydrates at suhur so that the food lasts longer making you less hungry.Haleem is an excellent source of sugar, fiber, carbohydrates, potas-sium and magnesium.Almonds are rich in protein and fiber with less fat.Bananas are a good source of potas-sium, magnesium and carbohydrates. DRINKAs much water or fruit juices as pos-sible between iftar and bedtime so that your body may adjust fluid lev-els in time.Finally, as Swiss physician Dr U. Barsilus, says: “The advantages of hunger as a remedy exceed those ingesting medicine several times.”

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JULY - 2013 NEWS23

Mr. and Mrs. Mohammad Kamran hosted a grand reception to celebrate the Nikkah Ceremony of their daughter Sheeroz Kamran to Asad R Khan son of Mr. and Mrs.Hashim Khan on July 6, 2013 in Holiday Inn Itasca Hotel.

The Nikkah Ceremony took place at the Institute of Is-lamic Education (IIE) in El-gin and the grand reception was held at the Holiday Inn Itasca Hotel. A large number of family and friends enjoyed the celebrations.

Urdu Times and Pakistan Abroad congratulate the Bride and Bride groom and their families and wish them a happy and prosperous fu-ture together.

Mr. and Mrs. Mohammad

Kamran hosted a

reception to celebrate

the Nikkah Ceremony

of their daughterSheeroz Kamran

at Holiday Inn Itasca HotelReport by Jawaid Riaz