SNEAK PEEKProtesters block roads forfour hours against arson

The Christiancommunity of thefederal capital onSunday staged protestsat Faizabad and outsideIslamabad Press Club

against the sad incident of Lahore inwhich some 200 houses of Christianswere set ablaze after a non-Muslimallegedly made blasphemouscomments about ProphetMuhammad (PBUH).

Page 02

Now Saifullahs demandpresidential system

Amidst existing chaosand uncertaintysurroundingforthcoming electionsin the country, PakistanMuslim League

(likeminded) has started championinga presidential system for the countryon the pretext that democracy is futilefor the country.

Page 04

Taliban carry on‘mission bomb schools’

The militants havelaunched a war againsteducation as theycontinue bombing theschools, especiallythose for the girls. In

this scenario, Khyber Pakhtunkhwahas suffered a lot at the hands ofTaliban who consider moderneducation a Western weapon beingused against the Muslims.

Page 05

Ingram sets up SouthAfrica victory in first odI

Colin Ingram hit anunbeaten century to setup a comfortable 125-run win for SouthAfrica in the first one-day international

against Pakistan at Chevrolet Park onSunday. The left-handed Ingram made105 not out as South Africa piled up315 for four after being sent in to bat.Pakistan could only make 190 in reply.Ingram made his runs off 103 ballswith ten fours. It was his third one-dayinternational century and his secondagainst Pakistan.

Page 11

moNdAY march 11, 2013 Rabi-us-Sani 28, 1434 I Islamabad/Rawalpindi I Vol, V, No. 326 I www.thespokesman.pk Pages 12 I Price 10/-

MAGSI AND AZIZ JOINTHE BANDWAGON

PG I 03

TTOODDAAYY’’SS WWEEAATTHHEERR

Sunny to partly cloudyHIGH: 28 LOW: 13

cmYk

PG I 07

BEETLE DAYS

–SAMINA ALI

PG I 06

ATTACKING DRONES LEGALLY

–KAMRAN ADIL

SAHTAK BALOCH

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: A scam involving theillegal imposition of 8.8cents perminute on incoming international callshas surfaced, in which Ministry ofInformational Technology andPakistan Telecom Authority (PTA)seemingly established a ‘typical’ cartelunder a special agreement dubbedInternational Clearing House (ICH) tobenefit Pakistan TelecommunicationCompany Limited, sources told TheSpokesman on Saturday.This has prompted the Competition

Commission of Pakistan (CCP) to sendnotice to PTCL on March 4, 2012telling it to respond in writing within 7

days of the date of the notice and placebefore the commission facts andmaterial in support of its contentionand to explain why a penalty shouldnot be imposed for its violations.The Supreme Court had directed the

commission to treat writ petition no.26636/2012, filed by the M/s BrainTelecommunication Limited with theLahore High Court as under theCompetition Act, 2010 and to decidethe case within 15 days of the receipt ofthe order by issuing notice and afterhearing all the undertakings concernedand attending to the issues raised in therepresentation.The sources said by the ICH

agreement, there was no incentive for

any LDI (long- distance international)operator to improve sales or enhancequality of service or for that matter toinvest in improving its network. Underthe ICH regime, PTCL has become thesole LDI operator with the exclusiverights to terminate all incoming traUcto Pakistan while there are 14companies licensed by PTA to operateas LDI telecommunication serviceoperators, they added.“Furthermore, with a fixed quota

there were far less incentives for anyLDI operator to bring in additionaltraUc from overseas operators postICH," sources said, adding that theministry had mutually allocated quotasand rates for all LDI operators.

However, as a result of the agreement,LDI operators were stopped by ITMinistry from improving theirstandards to increase sales. The ministry restricted the free

market in this way. They also said theprice for making calls to Pakistan hasincreased significantly, which woulddefinitely decrease the volume ofinternational incoming calls permonth.OUcial documents reveal that LDI

operators had earlier applied for anexemption under Section 5 of theCompetition Act to seek imposition of8.8 cents per minute on incominginternational calls in the name ofInternational Clearing House

Agreement. While a commission washearing an exemption application, arequest was filed five months later bythe LDI Operators to withdraw theexemption application. Thecommission while allowing thewithdrawal of applications, disposed ofthe matter on the condition that sucharrangements are subject to clearancefrom the commission in future.The Ministry of Information

Technology (MoIT), after agreementby all LDI operators issued, a policydirective dated 13-08-2012 to PTA toestablish an International ClearingHouse Exchange for internationalincoming calls for long distanceinternational, fixed-line local loops,

wireless local loops and mobileoperators. The PTA on 23-08-2012issued a letter directing all the LDIoperators to conclude theInternational Clearing HouseAgreement in light of the directive.However, on 28-08-2012 thecommission issued a policy note andapprised MoIT and PTA about thebackground of the ICH Agreementand also observed that the proposedICH Exchange under the directivedirectly violates Section4 (2)(a) and 4(2)(b) of the Act. However, acollection of 8.8 cents per minute onincoming international calls wasstarted on 1st October 2012, settingaside the policy note of the CCP.

PTCL, MoIT involved in telephony cartel� CCP slams PTCL with notice for incoming calls scam � SC tells CCP to act on petition from Brain Telecommunication Ltd

MUHAMMAD RIZWAN

LLAAHHOORREE//KKAARRAACCHHII:: Christiansacross the country rallied againstthe burning of homes by a mob inBadami Bagh over allegedblasphemy.The main demonstrations were

in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad,Rawalpindi, Quetta, Hyderabadand several other cities.In Lahore, enraged Christians

braved tear gas and baton chargeas they fought pitched battles withriot police at five different place ofthe city that prompted PunjabChief Minister Shahbaz Sharif tovisit the site of Saturday arsonattacks where the entireneighbourhood was burnt down.The Chief Minister laid the

foundation stone of newneighbourhood at Joseph Colonyand said that 131 people have beenarrested in connection ofvandalism and assured themourning community at BadamiBagh that a case will be registeredunder Section 295-C PPC againstthose who torched copies of Biblesand a church in the locality. Thechief minister also announced toraise the compensation moneyfrom Rs 200,000 per family to Rs500,000.But the re-assurances from the

chief minister failed to douse theanger of Christian communityresiding in Lahore who from themorning came out on the streetsand blocked the roads. InYouhanabad, some 3000Christians blocked the FerozepurRoad and fought running battles

with police who resorted to teargas shelling. However, no one washurt during the day-long battle.Demonstrators resorted to stonepelting and broke the windows ofbuses and stands of the recently-launched Metro Bus service. Thebus service was suspended afterthe incident. At The Mall, hundreds of

Christians blocked the roads andraised slogans against the Punjabgovernment. The protesters ledby PPP MPA Pervez Rafiq peltedstones on police and demandedquashment of 295-C FIR againstSavan Masih, the accused inblasphemy case. Rafiqannounced to resign from hisPunjab Assembly seat andvowed to continue the struggletill the justice was done toChristians community and theirsafety is ensured.Similar unrest was seen in other

parts of the city too that continuedthroughout the day on Wednesday.The busy Raiwind Road andMultan Road was also blocked bythe protesters who weredemanding vacation of FIRagainst Savan Masih.In Karachi, more than 1,000

protesters blocked a road in amain market and damaged about25 vehicles, said police officer AliRaza. He said some of theprotesters also attacked 10 shopsand looted valuables and cash. Hesaid the police beat back theprotesters and fired tear gas shellsto disperse them. At least twoprotesters were taken intocustody, he said.

LAHORE: A woman and girl collect belongings from their house which was burnt in the Badami Bagh incident. –ONLINE

Lahore chokes with protests, pitched battles

Christians up in armsacross country� Shahbaz starts reconstruction in JosephColony � Says 131 accused arrested � Severalvehicles set ablaze in Karachi

OUR STAFF REPORTER

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Paying no heed to thestiV opposition from the US, bothPakistan and Iran are finally set to laythe foundation of the much-awaitedPakistani section of the Iran-Pakistanpipeline today (Monday), despite thethreat of sanctions by the US.The heads of the two neighbour states

are now scheduled to host thegroundbreaking ceremony being held atGabdzero point on the Pak-Iranianborder. President Asif Zardari will landin Tehran today along with a largePakistani delegation includinggovernors, chief ministers, other

politicians, diplomats, journalists,government oUcials etc and will proceedto the Pak-Iran border in the companyof his Iranian counterpartMahmoudAhmadinejad. The chief ministers andgovernors of the four provinces ofPakistan have also been invited to theceremony reportedly to demonstrate aconsensus on this important project. Presidents Zardari and Nejad have

reportedly invited top leaders from theCentral Asian states, Gulf CooperationCouncil, Turkey, Iraq, China andAfghanistan. When this report wasmade at 9:30 pm, only Afghanistan haddeclined to participate in the memorableevent. "Both sides have so far withstood

tremendous pressure from the US butwere not deterred from their stance. Thetwo sides finally agreed to sign whatmany believe is a monumentalagreement, " a Foreign OUce sourcesaid. Senator Pervez Rasheed firstdenied any invitation to Punjab CMShahbaz Sharif from the PPPgovernment and in the same breathreaUrmed PML-N's belief in regionalcooperation, aUrming that Pakistanshould get energy from where it can tomitigate its energy crisis.According to the top brass in the

Petroleum Ministry, “We are short ofwordsto praise those great men whohave paid oV the debt that they owed this

country in such a big way, nor can it bedescribed in human feelings. In fact it isbeyond that.” The IP gas pipeline projectwas initially proposed in 1955 but seriesof meeting between bothneighbourshalted in 1993 due to USpressure, now coupled with USsanctions on Iran. As US sanctions haveput problematic hurdles in the way ofmaking payments to Iranian firms, thetwo sides have drawn up a plan tofinance the gas pipeline on Pakistan'sside without Islamabad transferringfunds to Tehran. This agreement is for 20 years with

a 5-year extension. Iranian gas will beconsumed by Pakistan's power plantsto generate around 4,000 megawattsof electricity.

Race for compensationsans Blasphemy LawIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: President Asif Zardari and Punjab Chief Minister seemsto have entered into a race to outwit each other on the plight of Christianfamilies in Lahore by announcing hefty compensation packages withouteven caring to condemn the misuse of blasphemy law. Punjab ChiefMinister, who kept a mum while the burning spree of hapless Christiansremained on for hours in the heart of Lahore’s auto hub, Badami Baghbut decided to announce a package once the mob had burnt the housesto ashes. The chief minister was gracious enough to visit the spot onSunday raised the compensation from Rs 200,000 to Rs 500,000besides starting the reconstruction work of the damaged houses. But hedid not utter a single word about the misuse of a law which has alreadycreated many ripples in the country including the murder of formergovernor Punjab Salman Taseer. Feeling left behind, President Asif AliZardari summoned Governor Punjab Makhdum Syed Ahmed MahmudSunday called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Bilawal House, Karachiand ordered him to immediately announce a compensation package ofRs 500,000 for each victim of the Lahore incident. Though, Presidenttouched upon the blasphemy law but only to the extent of asking thereligious leaders to advise the Government how best to prevent themisuse of the Blasphemy law without committing anything on it.Especially from a party which claims to be the most victimized of allother political entities, a non-committal response was considered a bitlacking by many in civil society. –SAEED MINHAS

KKAABBUULL:: Afghan President Hamid Karzaion Sunday accused the Taliban and the USof working in concert to convince Afghansthat violence will worsen if most foreigntroops leave – an allegation the topAmerican commander in Afghanistanrejected as "categorically false."Karzai said two suicide bombings that

killed 19 people on Saturday – one outsidethe Afghan Defense Ministry and the othernear a police checkpoint in eastern Khostprovince – show the insurgent group isconducting attacks to help show thatinternational forces will still be needed tokeep the peace after their current combatmission ends in 2014."The explosions in Kabul and Khost

yesterday showed that Taliban are at theservice of America and at the service of thisphrase: 2014. They are trying to frighten usinto thinking that if the foreigners are notin Afghanistan, we would be facing thesesorts of incidents," he said during anationally televised speech about the stateof Afghan women.U.S. and NATO forces commander Gen.

Joseph Dunford said Karzai had neverexpressed such views to him, but said it wasunderstandable that tensions would arise asthe coalition balances the need to completeits mission and the Afghans' move to

exercise more sovereignty.Karzai also denounced the arrest of a

university student Saturday by Afghanforces his aide said were working for theCIA. It was unclear why the student wasdetained. The Karzai government's latestcomments and actions come as it negotiatesa pact with the U.S. for the long-termpresence of American forces in Afghanistanand just days after an agreement to transferthe U.S. prison outside of Kabul to Afghanauthority fell through. They also cameduring U.S. Defense Secretary ChuckHagel's first visit to Afghanistan sincebecoming the Pentagon chief.Karzai said in his speech that any foreign

powers that want to keep troops inAfghanistan need to do so under conditionsset forward by Afghanistan."We will tell them where we need them,

and under which conditions. They mustrespect our laws. They must respect thenational sovereignty of our country andmust respect all our customs," Karzai said.Karzai oVered no proof of coordination,

but said the Taliban and the US were in"daily negotiations" in various foreigncountries and noted that the US has saidthat it no longer considers the insurgentgroup its enemy. The CIA could not bereached for comment. –AGENCIES

Taliban in cahootswith US: Karzai� Says both holding talks daily, conspiring to keeptroops in Afghanistan � Washington rejects charges

All set for grand IP pipeline ceremony

PPEESSHHAAWWAARR:: Twosuspected militants werekilled Sunday morning in thevolatile North Waziristantribal region by whatPakistani and TalibanoUcials said was a dronestrike. If confirmed, the attack

could be the first Americanstrike in Waziristan in twomonths — one of the longestoperational pauses since thedrone campaign started inearnest in mid-2008. TwoPakistani oUcials, one inPeshawar and a second inthe tribal belt, said missilesfired from a CIA-operateddrone hit the militants atDegan village in Dattakhelarea, about 20 miles fromMiram Shah, the main townin North Waziristan. “Details are sketchy. We

don’t know the identity ofthose killed, and our localcontacts say the bodies wereunrecognizable and beyondrecognition,” a senior oUcialin Peshawar said, speakingon customary condition ofanonymity. “We don’t knowif they were locals or foreignmilitants.” OUcial said themilitants had been travelingon a motorcycle when themissile struck. –AGENCIES

Two killedin NWAdrone strike

� Zardari travels to Iran with CMs, governors and top o.cials

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

RABIAH BAIG

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Sarim Burney WelfareTrust International is one of Pakistan’sleading human right organisations witha mission to work as a non-political, non-governmental and non-profitableorganisation. In a short span of time,Sarim Burney Welfare Trust has achievedtremendous success in different areas,particularily camel jockey, womentrafficking, disaster relief, legalassistance, providing shelter to coralwomen and children, under theleadership of Sarim Burney, without

getting a single penny from any donoragencies.In order to revolutionise the legal

system and to work for the needy andpoor, who have been victimised by thepresent legal system, Sarim BurneyWelfare Trust International has formeda dedicated legal aid committee, whosemain objective is to defend the sufferersand to safeguard the interest of thevictimised.The trust established a centre for the

protection of exploited children, in thisconnection many victimised childrenand women have been provided shelter

and their needs were taken care of bythis trust. Trust since its establishmenthave worked for the betterment and forthe procurement of social justice and inthis connection have raised its voice oneach and every forum for the prisonersconfined in various jails of Pakistan. Being a trust it is an obligation to work

as to provide all the legal assistance inreaching out the required justice. Thetrust by fulfilling its obligations hasprovided and is providing legalassistance to those prisoners who cannoteven afford a single penny, further more

to those who are falsely implicated incases & have been confined in jails.Soon, Sarim Burney Welfare Trust

International will open its office inIslamabad to provide services to thepeople of KP, Punjab and adjacent areas.Sarim Burney is hopeful that keeping inview their efforts and performance duringthe last couple of months, internationaldonor agencies will encourage andsupport their organisation in its effort toprotect human rights and promotesolutions for a better, more liberal andfree society in Pakistan.

Struggling for change - Sarim Burney Welfare Trust

CMYK

CMYK

Crackdown againstAfghans occupying slums postponedIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Operation against aslum located in Sector I-11 has beentemporarily postponed due to politicalpressure. Afghan refugees have beenliving in the slum for a long time. Theowners of 487 plots occupied byAfghan population will be allottedplots in Sector I-11/2 as an alternative.In the first stage, the aMectees will beallotted 250 residential plots. PlanningWing has already issued directives inthis regard. �ONLINE

Super Market lacks basic facilitiesIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Super Market located inthe federal capital lacks basic facilities.There are no public toilets and filtrationplants present in the market, which isconsidered to be the one meetinginternational standards. Four yearsbefore, place for a filtration plant wasspecified but of no avail. Though the richvisitors of the market buy filtered water,the middle class remains deprived of it.Moreover, heaps of garbage is a commonsight in the market. In addition, thesecurity of the visitors has not beenensured and criminals have looted manyof them. �ONLINE

Girls schools lack basicamenities in RawalpindiRRAAWWAALLPPIINNDDII:: Most of GirlsPrimary and Elementary schools allover district Rawalpindi lack basicamenities. Sources said basic facilitylike toilet is not available in 488 Girlsschools while 449 schools have notbeen connected with electricitysupply and 301 schools are facingproblem of clean drinking water.Sources said 166 schools are havingno boundary wall while 150 rooms inthese schools have been declareddangerous. As many as 169additional rooms are required inthese Girls schools. Sources said that192 Girls Elementary Schools areoperating in 7 tehsils of districtRawalpindi. �ONLINE

Second FIR registeredagainst doctor IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Another FIR has beenlodged against the employees ofPakistan Medical and Dental Councilby one of the employees of the sameorganisation for issuing a fakeregistration letter. According to details,Muhammad Iqbal Khattak, AssistantSecretary in PMDC, has lodged the FIRagainst the accused, namely Yasir Iqbaland Dr Ahmad Nadeem Akbar whoallegedly added fake information onregistration letters. When contacted,Hina Shaukat, Public Relations OLcerof PMDC, said that she has noinformation about the latest FIR.Khattak, however, did not attend thecall. Earlier, an FIR was lodged againstthe same accused (Dr Ahmad Nadeem)for issuing 13 fake registration letters inPolice Station Ramna. Abid Hussain,SHO of Ramna Police Station, said thatthe accused has succeeded in getting apre-arrest bail on the previous FIR andthe police are taking action to arresthim for the latest one. �STAFF REPORT

Painting exhibitionIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: A paintingsexhibition will be held at theRawalpindi Arts Council on Monday,at 3pm, says a press release. Theexhibition will feature paintings bytwo fresh artists - Nabeela Rashidand Madeeha Saeed. The event willbe inaugurated by Miss TahiraAurangzeb, Member NationalAssembly. �STAFF REPORT

OUR STAFF REPORTER

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD.. The 2nd “NationalWomen-at-Work Festival” concludedat F-9 Park here on Sunday. The five-day festival was organised by theDevelopment CommunicationsNetwork (DEVCOM-Pakistan) incollaboration with Pakistan BaitulMaal, ICIMOD, Pakistan Science

Foundation, Amrat Cola, Tops, andIslamabad Crescent Lions Club. Over 50 stalls showcased the work

of women and the organizationsworking for women’s rights andgender mainstreaming. The festivalfeatured traditional dresses,handicrafts, family entertainmentand food.Students of local colleges and

universities keenly took part in theart, speech and drama competitionswhich were arranged at the Aiwan-e-Quaid on different days of thefestival. Female studentsparticipated in a variety ofcompetitions. The idea behindorganising these contests was tosensitise the youth about thechallenges confronting women and

the role of the youth in changing thesocial attitudes and behaviors. The festival featured a painting

exhibition as well as a speech contestalong with musical evenings.Participants used all the mediums tohighlight the achievements andsacrifices of the women in Pakistan indiMerent capacities. In the speechcontest particularly, the students

talked about the role of women rightfrom the independence of the countryto its current state of development.The students of four educationalinstitutions also enacted playshighlighting female oppression indiMerent parts of the country. The edirector of the festival, Munir

Ahmed, while talking to the mediasaid, “The festival was aimed at

promoting and mainstreaming theeMorts and initiatives of governmentand non-governmental organisationson the issues of women rights,violence against women, genderpolicy advocacy and governance. Theother task is to raise public awarenesson the gender issues for providing abetter work environment and a moresocially equitable status to women.”

50 stalls showcase women’s work at park festival

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Christians chanting slogans during their protest outside National Press Club against Lahore arson incident. �ONLINE

HOMER BALOCH

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The Christian community of thefederal capital on Sunday staged protests atFaizabad and outside Islamabad Press Clubagainst the sad incident of Lahore in whichsome 200 houses of Christians were set ablazeafter a non-Muslim allegedly madeblasphemous comments about ProphetMuhammad (PBUH).The protesters started their march from Iqbal

Town in Islamabad towards Faizabad wherethey staged a sit-in and raised slogans againstthe Punjab government. They also burned tyres.Shoukat Masih, who was part of the protest,

said that it wasn’t the first incident in which theChristian community in Pakistan threatened,but the government is not paying attention overtheir issues. He also said that althoughSupreme Court is taking suo-moto notices ofevery single issue, the minorities are still being

ignored by them.The protestors - hundreds of men, women,

youth and children - blocked the highway atFaizabad Morr for more than four hours, whichaMected the traLc. They demanded that thegovernment take immediate action over theincident and assure that such incidents wouldnot occur in future. Liaqat Masih, another protester, told The

Spokesman that the Christian community isnot safe in Pakistan. He said that they are beingtreated like aliens in their own country, which isa shameful act. Sohail Anjum, a leader of AllPakistan Muslim League, on the occasion, saidthat instead of paying its concern over theissues and status of poor people and minorities,the Punjab government is focusing on ghostprojects that have nothing to do with thewelfare of common people, but the elite class.The peaceful protest turned violent when

some people standing on the Faizabad Bridge

threw stones on the protestors who were at thattime walking close to the bridge. One of theprotestors while showing his reaction over thestone-throwing said that while everyone in thecountry was protesting against violation of theirrights the Christians were being prevented of apeaceful protest.Area Magistrate Malik Farrukh reached the

venue and assured the protestors that a largenumber of people had been arrested after theLahore incident. He said a commission hasbeen made over the issue and soon they aMectedpeople will be given justice. The Christian community also protested in

front Islamabad Press Club by burning tyresand blocking the road. Meanwhile, BishopRobertson Asghar and General Secretary of AllPakistan Christian Action Committee JustineJaved, who were also part of the protest, haverefused a Punjab government oMer ofRs200,000 each for every aMected people.

OUR STAFF REPORTER

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Higher EducationCommission Chairman Dr JavedLeghari on Sunday said that the OICmember countries are in favour ofdeveloping collaboration regardingscience and technology with theEuropean Union to achieve socio-economic growth. Leghari said thisafter returning from a conference titled“EU Science: Global Challenges andGlobal Cooperation.” It was chaired byIreland as well as European UnionPresident Enda Kenny.The HEC chairman said that over 70

percent of the earth’s energy resourcesand 40 percent of natural resources arepossessed by the OIC countries. “Butstill more than 40 percent of theirpopulation lives below the poverty level.About 70 percent of its women areilliterate.” While telling the reason behind these

lapses, Leghari said that most of OICcountries have not invested enough inhigher education, science andtechnology. He further added that in anorder to uplift the quality of live,transformtory researches are essential.By giving an example of cancer disease,he said cure has been found of thecancer disease through research. Hesaid the information technology hasfacilitated the coordination by turningit easier. While talking about the development

of research in Pakistan, he said that,“Research in Pakistan has significantlyimpacted agriculture and livestock,where new strains of plants and newbreeds of animals are beginning tochange their lives of farmers and ruralareas”. He said the HEC has been agame charger in Pakistan over the lastdecade, by supporting such researchand new knowledge initiatives.

Low investmentin highereducation OIC’sdilema: HEC

Protesters block roads forfour hours against arson� Minority leaders refuse to accept Punjab offer of Rs 200,000 for every affected people

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Women walking their dogs at the 15th FCI CACIB Show. �ONLINE

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: A woman checking jewellery at a stall on the last dayof a festival in connection with International Women’s Day at LokVirsa. �ONLINE

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Campaign launched bythe Islamabad Traffic Police that wasaimed at making the motorcyclists tobehave responsibly on roads and ensuretheir protection by the use of headlights,helmets, concluded here on Sunday. TheITP launched the campaign incollaboration with Suzuki Company.Islamabad IG Bani Amin Khan has

expressed satisfaction over thiscampaign and said it helped to educatemotorcyclists to drive more cautiously onroads by abiding traffic laws. “The ITP isdoing its best for safer road environmentin capital and has involved community inits affairs,” he added. �ONLINEIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Aafia Movement leader Dr Fauzia

Siddiqiui has said that the innocent daughter of thenation, Dr Aafia, has completed a decade ofimprisonment with bravery and valor; however, thePakistani rulers still have to summon courage to writea letter to the US president for her release.Addressing “Azadi Rally” at D-Chowk outside the

Parliament House on Sunday, she said she shares thegrief of the Christian community and would personallyvisit Badami Bagh Lahore to condole with them. Shesaid the Ulema and religious scholars should comeforward for the security of minorities, and similarly thePope should also raise voice against the atrocitiesagainst Muslim Ummah and for the release of Dr Aafia.She said Muslims are in minority in Europe and the

Pope should raise voice for their rights and againstwidespread discrimination they face in the Western countries. She said that ‘Azadi March’demands from the government to take steps for theimmediate repatriation of Dr Aafia and also givejustice to the heirs of Kamran Faisal, Jehanzeb and theaffectees of Badami Bagh. She asked how the rulerswho cannot repatriate Aafia can solve the problems ofminorities. �ONLINE

Politicians asked tothink about Aafiabefore electioneering

ITP campaign to educatemotorcyclists

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The Islamabad policerecovered stolen items worth Rs. 57.2million during current year after resolvingcases successfully, a police spokesmansaid. According to details, IGP IslamabadBani Amin Khan directed heads of allpolice circles to accelerate eMorts intracing the theft as well as burglary casesand provide maximum relief to citizens byresolving their problems.In compliance of these directions, total

of 97 theft cases were resolved and 195theft accused were arrested besides a totalrecovery of worth Rs. 5,72,16,600 fromthem. �ONLINE

Capital policesolves 97 theft cases

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

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

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

POWER ALLEYS|

RRaazzaa RRuummii ��@@RRaazzaarruummii@ijazkhan individual civil servants aside,bureaucracy as a whole is anti-politician,anti-democracy.They remember the daysof glory 50s/60s

IIjjaazz KKhhaann ��@@iijjaazzkkhhaann@Razarumi and this is the major reason democracy is nottaking root in Pakistan at least- cannot say abt IndiaFFaaiizzaann LLaakkhhaannii ��@@ffaaiizzaannllaakkhhaannii“We saved every penny to collect for my daughter’s dowry, Inone night they have left us homeless & out on the streets," Avictim in #LahoreMMeehhrr TTaarraarr ��@@MMeehhrrTTaarraarr'Whosoever harms a non-Muslim citizen of a Muslim state,I shall be the complainant against him on the Day of Judge-ment.’ (Sahih Bukhari)FFaattaahh ��@@ffaattaahh__ppaakkImran Khan has no shame when he targets 24 year old Bi-lawal Bhutto, What makes Imran Khan so insecure fromBilawal's entrance in politics?HHuussaaiinn HHaaqqqqaannii ��@@hhuussaaiinnhhaaqqqqaanniiInteresting. I just asked a political science question & gotinundated w/ partisan abuse fm cricketer fans in #Pak-istanDDrr AAsshhrraaff CChhoohhaann ��@@DDrrAAsshhrraaffCChhoohhaannSo much issues in Karachi Dur to MQM and look they beg-ging British PM tu interfere in Punjab. Please stop defam-ing PakistanHHAABBIIBB JJAANN ��@@HHaabbiibbJJaannLLyyaarriiMQM (A) split as well in #UK only 40to50 #MQM work-ers took part in demonstration include Dr.Imran Farooq'swife as well after huge publicityBBaasshhaarraatt NNaazziirr ��@@BBaasshhaaNNaazziirrSchools in Pakistan glorify blood-thirsty warriors, teach ha-tred, bigotry & intolerance. So, an atrocity like#BadamiBagh hardly surprising

MIRZA KHURRAM SHAHZAD

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The Zari TaraqiatiBank Limited (ZTBL) waived ofprivate loans of more than 2.1 billionrupees on the instructions ofChaudhry Zaka Ashraf and his fellowmembers of the Board of Directors, itwas learnt reliably.The loans were waved oV against

the State Bank policy and violatingmajor rules in this regard. Thebeneficiaries of this waver weremostly influential families having arelationship with Chaudhry ZakaAshraf, his friends or the majorpoliticians.The loans were waved oV by

applying the State Bank of Pakistan's(SBP) Circular no.22 of 2002 whichwas not applicable in these cases. Theauthorities however misused theseorders by illegally waving oV theloans of worth more than two billionrupees.The sources privy to this

development confided that this policy

was not extended to small farmersand it mainly benefited to thecustomers who had got a loan ofmore than one million rupees.And that too who are close to

Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf and hispolitician and other influentialfriends.It was learnt that some oUcials of

the bank have already taken thismatter into the court and IslamabadHigh Court (IHC) is likely to take upthis issue in a few days.The court will look into this matter

along with various other illegal stepstaken by the ZTBL administration,and reported to the IHC by somebank oUcials through their petitions.Meanwhile, the ZTBL Board of

Directors members are likely to meetin Islamabad on Monday to discussthe situation emerged after leakage ofinformation regarding wrongdoingsof Zaka Ashraf and his associates andits possible hearing in IslamabadHigh Court.According to a list obtained by The

Spokesman, the companies whose

loans were written oV through ZakaAshraf and his people included Al-Rahim Fisheries 7.841 million, DoabaLivestock 1.410 million, FarooqHabib Textile 265.550 million, KiranSugar Mills 149.133 million, NorahiFish Farms Thatta 1.215 millions, PakGreen Fertilizer 171.053 million,Pakistan Poultry Farm, Rawalpindi12.198million Panjnand polyprine68.343 million,Zimpo Agro Services5.624 million, Gilani LivestockFaisalabad 1.353 million, Jeetani

enterprises 0.947 million, A-OneChicks Lahore 57.705 million, AngroMaster Gujranawala 2.113 millions,Hafiz Godown 5.314million, LangarSuleman D.G. Khan 271.043 million,Mubarik Dairies Lahore 158. 890million, Multan Edible Oil Karachi354.318 million, Murad AngroServices 7.587 million, NationalModarba Karachi 5.987 million,Pakpattan dairies Lahore 467.115million, Sultan Ghulam Shah DeraMurad Jamali 1.111 million, Ali Sher

Soccer 0.760 million, Amir Bux KoraiNawabshah 0.686 million, S. BakerAli Shah Nawabshah 0.711 million,Altaf Hussain, Khanka Diagram0.970 million, Rehmatullah Pithoro0.898 million, Chand BhoyoShikarpur 0.536 million, Mst.Shahida Karachi 1.744 million,Chaudhary Oil Extraction Vehari0.863 million, New PAk Punjab AgroOkara 1.143 million and MuhammadAzhar and Mazhar Rahim Yar Khan1.1445 million.

ZTBL writes o# Rs. 2.1 billionloans on Zaka Ashraf 's desire

SAEED MINHAS

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Peshawar for quite some timewhile Quetta of late has surfaced high on theagenda-ladder of foreign diplomats inPakistan and no matter what every countryrepresented in Islamabad through itsdiplomatic corps, are looking for the men(even spouses) who matters in theseepicenters of trouble.Latest, in the queue was none other than

South Korea, a country which herself is facinglots of domestic and regional issuesthreatening even its own existence especiallyfrom North Korea. But living under theshadows of American war-o-cracy, SouthKorea seems to have decided to expand itsbases in Pakistan by appointing honouraryCounsel General (CG) each in Peshawar andQuetta. A ceremony was held in a local hotelto announce this with a toast in the presenceof journo-turned-leaguer, Mushahid Hussain.Presence of the old guards and arrival of

new ones in the troubled lands of Peshawarand Quetta is enough to kick-start a debateprimarily on the single topic that how manymore foreign players Pakistan can aVord tohave in its backyard? With many of kings’ menfrom Gulf empires, Iran, Africans, Americans,Europeans including Britain (had to elaboratebecause of EU’s conundrums) and even SouthAmericans having either their consulates or

honourary CGs in various parts of the countryand continuous pouring in of the news actorsmeans that conspiracy theorists will havemouthful of ideas regarding the motives,suggested a known retired ambassador ofPakistan to US present in South Koreanfunction. But do the these ideas- -most ofthem targeted at American imperialism—holdany ground or just the figment of imaginationwas the questions being tossed around on allthe classified tables of the ceremony organizedby the Embassy of South Korea.But before we venture further into this

debate of who to blame and what for justguess who is the honorary Counsel General ofSouth Korea in Lahore? None other than ourmumbling and rumbling Chaudhry Shujaat,who suits all the foreign dignitaries for notone but multiple reasons, commented one ofthe oUcial looking after political side of EU.“Neither we can make anything out of his roll-on sort of narration nor he can understandmuch of our side yet his investments in someEuropean, Far East and even Africancountries as well as his place in Pakistanipolitics makes him an attractive choice for allthose aspiring to keep a tap on the powerpolitics of Pakistan,” commented thediplomat. As Mushahid Hussain, who wasrepresenting Chaudhry Shujaat oUcially inthis ceremony muttered with laughter that“one who gets things done without sayingmuch is a true diplomat.” Since ChaudhryShujaat has got that flavor of leaving everyonesurprised, therefore, his selection by SouthKoreans seems to be justified to the core.Now guess who they have chosen to be their

honourary CGs in strategic cities of Peshawarand Quetta? In Peshawar they have picked upnone other than Afan Aziz, son of Mohsin

Aziz—owners of Aziz group of industrieswhich own several concerns in KhyberPakhtunkhawa (KP) including but not limitedto textile, Formica, cold storages, and matchfactories. Being part of elite club of tradersand investors, of course we cannot just ignoretheir love for politics or as many call itpoliticking.For Quetta, South Koreans have made a

politically correct choice by taking on boardMrs. Shama Parveen Magsi and the less wesay about her political and social clout thebetter it is because after all her husband rules

the insurgency hit province and the family hasbeen in power since ages no matter what.Returning to the debate we have been

discussing earlier, our retired generals in songwith Jay Saliks of journalistic community andrenowned figures from lawyers’ movementwere just agreeing to disagree with smilingand bowing Koreans that why they arejumping into the American fire in thesetroubled lands. Koreans, just like Japanese,however, were making every eVort to makesure that it’s not because of anyone else but forthem so that they can take advantage of the

great potentials these areas have for foreigninvestors, especially Gawadar. “If the whiterace can come (referring to Chinese) andcontrol a strategic sea port in Pakistan, whynot another one should see the possibility oftrade and investment there,” commented aneager diplomat who just got fed up ofAmerican connection Pakistanis associatewith everything under the sun.As if the heated debate could enter into a

fiery stage, the Korean Ambassador ChoongJoo Choi concluded his speech to invite theguests for a Korean-cum-Pakistani dinner.

Misplaced priorities of provincial government seems tohave taken its toll on poverty-stricken students ofSeraiki belt where Zakarians (from Bahauddin Zakaria

University) adopted a novel way to remind Chief MinisterPunjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif that they want aVordable fees notfree laptops. Students from BZU lined up to oVer a symbolic funeral prayer

(Namaz-e-Janaza) of those free laptops which were distributedby the Punjab government under special initiative of the ChiefMinister throughout the province. The provincial governmenthas announced to distribute 100,000 free laptops to highachievers in public sector universities and matriculation examsand is nearing the end of phase two of this scheme before theexpiry of its term on April 08, 2013.

Laptops’ Funeral?

Search for Men who matters in Peshawar and Quetta

Some oUcials of the bank havealready taken this matter into the

court and Islamabad High Court (IHC) islikely to take up this issue in a few days.The court will look into this matter along withvarious other illegal steps taken by the ZTBL administration, and reported to the IHC by some bank oUcialsthrough their petitions.

“”

� Magsi and Aziz joins the bandwagon

Pork-eatingparliamentarians

Agroup of Pakistaniparliamentarians were foundeating pork in a Delhi hotel.

It was lunch time at a five star hotelin Delhi. A contingent of PakistaniParliamentarians, who had missedbreakfast because of travelling,virtually ‘wolfed’ upon the buVetmenu. Almost six of them did not payheed to the small menu tag describingthe food as ‘pork ribs.’ This was largelybecause of the Pakistani habits whereno one can imagine pork to be served,even to foreigners.The meat-loving portly membersfrom Punjab, another from Karachi,and yet another ‘religious-type’ fromKhyber Pashtunkwa, found the porkribs particularly delicious. A journalistwho joined the table in the last hadnoticed the pork ribs in the menu. Butby the time he joined theparliamentarians, they were in themiddle of their lunch, particularlyrelishing the ribs. “Hey, why don’t youtry the ribs; they are the best,” oneparliamentarian was quick to point outto the journalist. Another one fromPakpattan, eating the ribs the Punjabiway, using hands instead of the cutlery,also recommended them highly to thejournalist. The religious-type went astep ahead, pointing out that he couldnot imagine that “the banias wouldhave such quality of meat; believe me Icome from a tribe of meat-guzzlersand I have never tasted meat as thisone; Vow man.”The journalist kept quiet, thinkingthat he should not spoil their fun andthe meal. The warning stage hadpassed; the damage was done. Also,knowing the culture he feared that theparliamentarians, if told, might pukein public. Which, of course, they didwhen told later in the afternoon. Twoof them rushed to the washroom tocleanse themselves of the haraammeat. But at least one of them had theguts to admit that “Soor it may be, thedamn thing was tasty,” he said whilerequesting, “please don’t ever say that Isaid that.” The journalists never did.Did he?

CMYK

Efforts to rescue schoolsfrom Qabza mafiaRRAAWWAALLPPIINNDDII:: Efforts to rescue 21schools of metropolis from Qabzamafia have been sped up. Animportant meeting between thesessions judge of Rawalpindi andcity’s educational department, to beheld today, would be one of thehighlights of such noble efforts, whichwould be devising final authority asauthorised by the CJP, besidesmulling the possible strategy foraction. Reliable sources havedisclosed that majority of theseunscrupulous Qabza mafia belongsfrom the City itself. ONLINE

Police confiscating kites from childrenRRAAWWAALLPPIINNDDII:: The inept police ofRawalpindi have resorted to lowestgrade of action and are beating aboutthe bush in their operation against kitemakers: they are confiscating kitesfrom kids in the street. During all this‘crackdown’ on kite making business,initiated since Friday, the main kitemakers have simply shifted theirotherwise ‘banned business’ to theirresidences. However still the policehas managed to file 55 cases indiNerent parts of City, arresting 82alleged culprits, and confiscating10,200 kites along with 170 chemicalsand twine rolls. ONLINE

Nawaz readies himself to become PM - againIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: PML-N Chief NawazSharif is all set to take over the reignsof the country and has started makingpreparations in this regard. Accordingto reliable sources, after the recentIRI survey which had predicted thepopularity of PML-N, Nawaz Sharifhas already started makingpreparations to move into the PM’sHouse. Sources said that Nawaz Sharifhas even got a draft of his winningspeech prepared as well as his maidenspeech in the assembly and address tothe nation after assuming power. He haseven prepared a draft of names of hiscabinet members, sources said. ONLINE

Salik in Lahore to sharecommunity’s griefLLAAHHOORREE:: Renowned Christianactivist and politician J. Salik arrivedin Lahore on Sunday to share grief andpain of aNectees of Badami Bagh’sJoseph Colony residents. During hismoments with his community at thisdistressful time. He regretted anotherbrutal incident of vandalizing andburning of Christians’ assets like theirhouses and churches. Salik also slatedthe administration could have taken anearly notice early because they hadbeen informed by him and theresidents about the dire possibility well in time. ONLINE

Suddal elected unopposed IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Former InspectorGeneral of Police Dr. Shaoib Suddalhas been elected has been elected asPresident of International PoliceAssociation (Pakistan Section). Thedecision to elect Shaoib Suddal as anunopposed candidate was taken atthe meeting of National Council,International Police Association heldhere at Police Lines Headquarters,attended by the representatives ofregional council of provinces andmembers of National ExecutiveCommittee. During the meeting heldwith a purpose to elect the NationalExecutive Committee for the nextthree years. ONLINE

KKAARRAACCHHII:: Two female Rangers searching a house in the presence of familiy members in Manghopir during a targeted search operation on Sunday. ONLINE

LLAAHHOORREE:: SACHET-Pakistan is runningan advocacy and informationdissemination campaign to combatgender-based violence under GenderEquity Programme of the AuratFoundation, with the financial assistanceof United States Agency forInternational Development. Under this campaign, SACHET

conducted a two-day training workshopon “Capacity Building of Media and DutyBearers on Gender Equity, GenderSensitive Reporting and Monitoring at alocal hotel on Saturday.The training is specifically designed for

the local police and journalists, who arepart of the media committee formed inLahore Press Club on January 26 bySACHET-Pakistan. Bushra Iqbal, asenior journalist and communicationexpert, conducted the training.Senior journalists, associated with

diNerent newspapers, television andradio channels including Daily Jang,Daily Dunya, Daily Azkaar, Daily Hareef,Daily Sadaqat times, Daily Nai baatWeekly Byan-e-Halfi (Chakwal), Thespokesman, Radio Pakistan FM 101FM92,FM 101, FM 100, ATV News, DailySamma, participated in the training.Participants were representing fivedistricts, including Lahore, Rawalpindi,Chakwal, Mandi Bahuudin andKhushab. Four police oMcials, two maleand two female - were the participantsfrom Punjab police.SACHET-Pakistan’s Programme

Development Officer MuhammadAsfar broke the ice and shared thattraining aims of the training, i.e. tohelp the participants in changing thestereotype mindsets on the genderperspective, to highlight on theimportance and sensitivity of theirprofessional roles in the context ofgender and to enhance the knowledgebase of the participants on the subject.The training addressed the very needof awareness and knowledge in mediaprofessionals and police officials ongender, gender equity, gender-basedviolence, pro-women legislation,gender sensitive reporting andinformation networking betweenmedia and police. PR

Workshop on gender equality ends

SAHTAK BALOCH

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The leadership of NationalCommission for Justice and Peace hascondemned in strong terms the registration of afalse blasphemy against Sawan Masih and theensuing arson that has destroyed 178 Christianhouses in Lahore’s Joseph Colony.NCJP National Director Fr. Emmanuel Yousaf

Mani and Executive Director Peter Jacob saidin a joint press statement that the Lahore policeand its administration were mainly responsiblefor the vast-scale destruction in the heart of theprovincial capital. They also rapped the politicalleadership of the country who, according to theChristian leaders, failed to address thesuNerings of the religious minorities.

(President Asil Ali Zardari, it may be recalled,has called for an immediate report into theincident and ordered arrest of the arsonists.) The provincial government. They said, was

responsible for the shameful incident,because it ignored the plight of the minoritiesin the wake of a growing religious intolerancefueled by extremist groups. “The government paid no heed to the

recommendations made by the judicialinquiry conducted by Justice IqbalHameeduddin after burning alive of sixChristians and destruction of 140 housesbelonging to Christians in Gojra in 2009. Hadthe provincial as well as federal governmentstaken steps to introduce legal safeguards andadministrative reforms, the tragic incidentsmaking 200 households homeless in Badami

Bagh could have been avoided. Had theofficers in police and administration foundresponsible in Gojra, been punished, thepattern of false allegations and FIR againstthe minority citizens would have beendiscouraged,” they claimed. The NCJP representative body which is

constituted by Catholic Church of Pakistan hasdemanded that the FIR against innocent SawanMasih should be withdrawn and he should beset free. “The massive use of the blasphemy lawis actually a Punjab phenomenon where about80 percent of the total cases were reported. Thegovernment of Punjab, instead of findingexcuses, should accept the challenge of makingrecommendations for legal and administrativereforms to check abuse of laws,” the NCJPstatement further said.

Top Christian body demands‘blasphemer’s’ instant release� Punjab govt urged to make recommendations for legal reforms to check abuse of laws

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

HOMER BALOCH

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Sessions JudgeAyesha Shabbir on Sunday saved amosque cleric from the clutches ofShahzad Town Police who held andtortured him for four days,commenting that he wasimplicated in a false case. Releasingthe clerk, Judge Ayesha asked thepolice facetiously if they had agrudge against the man or hadarrested him on a whim.On Wednesday, March the 6th,

Shahzad Town Police took QariAjmal of Bilal Town from hishouse, telling him he was beingtaken to the police station for a‘routine case’, to be set free after

investigations. But Qari Ajmalwas kept in police custody for allday and at the end he was told that he is accused of kidnapping a woman.“I had no idea what was going on.

The police officials threwoff myturban and jeered at me for myreligious background, saying that ifa maulvi could be involved in suchcrimes, what example was hesetting”, said Qari Ajmal.Qari Ajmal then explained that

on Thursday 17th January, awoman named Madeehaapproached his wife, in her rightan Islamic scholar, and asked herfor help. She told her thatshe wassuffering domestic violence, her

husband Hakeem Sarwar beat her.He said they told Madeeha to takelegal recourse instead of involvingthem, or simply to contactherfamily which according to heris in Gujranwala, but she refused,saying she once succeeded inescaping from Sarwar’s custodyand reached her father’sGujranwala house but Sawarthreatened her to return or hewould kill her. Qari Ajmal said he then dropped

Madeeha to Darul Aman in ShamsAbad, Rawalpindi, but a monthlater, he was arrested.Qari Ajmal was presented to

Sessions Judge Ayesha on Thursdaywhere thepolice got a three-day

remand for him.“The police did noteven let me enter the court, theinvestigating officer himself talkingto the judge in my absence. Theyjust showed me to her once andthen took me away. Idon’t knowwhat they told her about me”, saidQari Ajmal.The days later when the police

again presented Qari Ajmalin courtwhere for the first timethe judgeheard him, he told her everything,when the court ordered the policeto bring Madeeha from DarulAman. Madeeha told the court herstory and how she was helped byQari Ajmal, whom she called amessiah. The judge dismissed thecase and sent Madeeha back to

Darul Aman after she filed fordivorce from Hakeem Sarwar.On the other hand Hakeem

Sarwar said, “What had to happenhas happenedand I have left thematter to God."Shahzad Town Sub Inspector

Mohammad Ilyas, the investigationofficer in the case said, “Whateverwe did was according to law.Wereceived a complaint and wetook action, however regard the remarks and the decision by highly”.Another police official asking not

to be named told The Spokesmanthat the FIR was lodged on thepressure from an SP who has closerelations with Hakeem Sarwar.

Judge rescues cleric from police's clutches

OUR STAFF REPORTER

RRAAWWAALLPPIINNDDII:: Amidst existing chaos anduncertainty surrounding forthcomingelections in the country, Pakistan MuslimLeague (likeminded) has startedchampioning a presidential system for thecountry on the pretext that democracy isfutile for the country.Addressing a corner meeting in

Rawalpindi, leaders of one of many splintergroups of PML known as likemindedcastigated Peoples Party and democraticset up for failing to redress the grievancesof masses and short of asking the army

chief to take over pleaded to have apresidential system in the country. “As parliamentarian system has failed in

this country,” said Pakistan Muslim League(Likeminded) leader Salim Saifullah. “Onecan’t remove poverty of people, terrorismor other problems faced by Pakistan withempty slogans of democracy.” He saidPeoples Party’s government failed todeliver in five years. MNA HamayunSaifullah Khan, Aslam Khan Esakkhel,Haji Mohammad Azeem Khan, HajiInayatullah Khan, Abdul Manan and othernotables of Marwat tribe were present onthe occasion.

The former federal minister said thatPakistan is passing through verycritical stage of history and he prayedto God, to give a sincere leadership tothis country, who takes care of thiscountry and the people of this country.Salim Saifullah said that his family hasserved the area more then any otherperson or family, as his brother AnwarSaifullah Khan went to jail for peopleof area, and his mother Begum KulsomSaifullah and elder brother HamayunSaifullah Khan were awarded Hilal-e-Imtiaz for their services to the community.

Now Saifullahs demand presidential system

STAFF REPORT

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: President Asif Ali Zardari, on the advice of the primeminister on Sunday, assented to Pakistan Coinage (Amendment) Bill,2013, The Maritime Security Agency (Amendment) Bill 2013 and TheProvincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2013.''The Pakistan Coinage (Amendment) Bill, 2011'', which was prepared

after receiving recommendations from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP),commercial banks and business community for elimination ofdecimal/old coins.After turning the said bill into act, the decimal/old coins will no more

transact in daily life due to their negligible worth). The old coins havebecome obsolete and lost their utility and have lost their acceptancetherefore these are no more used in transactions as these coins are rarelywithdrawn/deposited at bank counters.It further described that the decimal/old coins are burdensome and

diMcult to carry, while Pakistan Mint had also requested for return ofold/decimal coins for re-cycling/re-melting to save government resourcesutilized for the purchase of metals for minting of Rs.1 and Rs 2 coins.The aim of 'The Maritime Security Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2012'

was to facilitate the recognition of the agency as law enforcement agency.Maritime Security Agency is an attached department of Ministry ofDefence to enforce national laws and international agreements underWater in the Maritime Zones of Pakistan.

LLAAHHOORREE:: Irfan Khan of Army came first in the 17-kilometer marathon in the provincial capital. (Inset) He is being given the first aid afterthe race. ONLINE

LLAAHHOORREE:: Women of all ages take part in a three-kilometer FamilyFun Run. ONLINE E

Zardari gives approvalto 3 important Bills

LLAAHHOORREE:: A bishop who came from the US isaddressing a protest rally at Faisal Chowk torap the Badami Bagh tragedy. ONLINE

ATHAR LASHARI

BBAAHHAAWWAALLPPUURR:: The wheat harvestingfalls in hot weather, which is mostlyunbearable, which makes life tough forthe women and child labourers. With thearrival of harvesting season, many ofpoor families migrate to other areas andthis is one of the most diMcult decisions,as it involves leaving the house whilecarrying their children, clothes, utensils,animals and other things.According to the United Nations, child

labour is a crime. But unfortunately, thereis no law in Pakistan to cater theinternational convention. When a familymigrates, it is totally dependent on thehost farmer. Mostly, the farmer’sbehaviour is rude. I think there are three

major problems of the migrating families.One is sexual harassment, second lifethreat and the third is financial. There areso many examples when these womenface sexual harassment by landlords.“There are two options for us: work or

don’t work as a labour. If yes, then ourself-respect and honour is at the stake andif not, then we have to die because ofhunger,” says Kalsoom Khatoon.It has been observed on many occasions

that the farmer (landlord) or his familymembers target the female guest workers.One can easily imagine that mostly thesewomen, including non-Muslim, facebaseless character-related accusations.And the non-Muslims being minority inPakistan, especially in south Punjab, haveno power to raise voice on the issue.

In my village, a Hindu girl had to facesexual assault when she was busy incutting the fodder at a landlord’s land forher animals, as two young men raped her.And the end result was a familiar one, asthe chapter was closed forever by somecommunity Muslim leaders. A Hindu 50-year-old woman (her name cannot berevealed because of privacy reasons) says,“I have spent more than 40 years asharvesting labour and I face the samesituation every year. We don’t have anyother income source. It was in 2002 whenI was working at a landlord’s farm forwheat harvesting with other familymembers, more than 70 kilometres awayto my home.” “One night, the farmeroNered a dinner and we accepted it, as itwas a huge support for my family. It is to

be noted that when we migrate to anotherplace, all the expenses, including food, isour own responsibility. And before thesunrise next morning, my two daughtersand I had been used for sex.” Sharing herstory, she said, “If you want to survive andneed some food, then you have to makedeal with someone; otherwise, stayingalive is very diMcult.” According to thewomen, they can’t do anything when afarmer shouts to influence them. “Wecannot even answer him.”In interior Sindh, the population of

minorities is much higher than otherparts of the country. Mostly, the Hindufamilies, who are the oldest communityof the land, work as seasonal labourersbut they have no security accordingly.One of them, Channdo Ram, says they

are mostly an ignored commodity as theyare “impure” for Muslims. “Some avoidhiring us for wheat harvesting. Theybelieve their crop will be ‘haram’ (anitem whose use is forbidden underSharia) if we touch their crop.”In some instances, the residence for

the guest seasonal labourers is arrangedby the host former, but situation is quiteopposite in most of the cases. Duringthe harsh weather of April and May,these families’ residence is the shadowof trees, but there are no big trees inRohi Cholistan which can provide ashelter from sun and rain; therefore,they set their cots under the roof of skyand sleep with their naked childrenduring the night.

((TToo bbee ccoonnttiinnuueedd))

Seasonal labourers – wheat for survival (II)

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

�Women face constant sexual harassment at the hands of host landlords �Most these workers are from minorities, which multiplies their problems

AATTTTOOCCKK:: Men and women carrying fodder on donkey carts. The increasing number of cattles has resulted in fodder cultivation on large tracts ofland, especially for the consumption in urban areas. -ONLINE

OUR STAFF REPORTER

KKHHYYBBEERR AAGGEENNCCYY:: ThePakhtuns have noownership rights on theirresources. Tribesmen havebeen kept backward andilliterate to exploit theirresources. Political reformsin the tribal belt are a needof the hour, but the powersof the political agentsshould be abrogated. Peacecan be restored in theregion only if the foreignersare pushed out of their safeheavens in FATA.These views were

expressed by PakhtunkhwaMilli Awami Party (PkMAP)Provincial PresidentMukhtar Khan Yousafzaiwhile addressing a selectedgathering at residence ofSaleem Khan at Khuga inLandi Kotal on Sunday.He said the tribesmen in

Waziristan and Bara hadbeen displaced for the lastfew years which aggravatedtheir problems. Yousafzaisaid the entire Pakhtunregion was passing througha critical phase of history,adding that the blood of thePakhtun was very cheap.“Any reforms in the tribal

areas introduced by thebureaucracy sitting inIslamabad cannot beapproved until the Pakhtunsin FATA are not consulted,”he observed. He stressed theneed for formation of a tribalelected jirga to decide thefate of the tribal Pakhtunsand said the governor ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa mustalso be elected by the people.“Despite abundant natural

resources in their territory,they are living below thepoverty line,” he remarked.Yousafzai said because of

the wrong policies ofintelligence agencies,situation was grim in FATAand central Pakhtunkhwa.“The trade in FATA,particularly through theTorkham border, should notbe called smuggling becauseit is the only source ofincome of the tribal peopleas there is no industry andagriculture in the tribalregion,” the PkMAP.“The huge income

through the Pak-AfghanHighway and Torkham aswell must be spent on thedevelopment of LandiKotal,” he suggested.“Pakistan is now bankrupt

but being run only throughthe water from KhyberPakhtunkhwa, which is theonly source of powergeneration in the country,but there is no electricity forthe Pakhtun regions,”Yousufzai noted.He also asked the

government to pay theroyalty of the Warsak Dam,which is, according to him, aproperty of the tribal people,and urged the Pakhtuns toget united for their basicrights. Another party leaderMujib-ur-Rehman said thePkMAP would unite thePakhtun regions into oneprovince, if their party cameinto power.

OOKKAARRAA:: The PPP CentralPunjab President MianManzoor Ahmad Wattooon Sunday said that theMian Brothers were sacredof him and they had nocontestant against him.Addressing various public

gatherings, he said that thePML-N’s tall claims andunwonted pride wouldsoon end after the arrival ofthe caretaker government,as many political upsetswere in the oMng.Wattoo claimed that since

he (PPP) had an excellentrapport with masses,people would neverabandon their support toPPP, as the relationshipwith masses extendedbeyond politics.He said that the PPP was

an ideological party, whoseactivists could not beattracted by others. Hewarned that the selfishelements, who had desertedparty ranks, should learn byhistory that anybodydeserting PPP lost one’spolitical clout forever.He claiming that the

government had ‘performedremarkably in many spheresof various fields’ and alsoannounced a flat electricityrate of Rs 8 per unit fortube-wells. –ONLINE

ASADULLAH MAYAR

MMAARRDDAANN:: The militants have launched awar against education as they continuebombing the schools, especially those for thegirls. In this scenario, Khyber Pakhtunkhwahas suNered a lot at the hands of Taliban whoconsider modern education a Westernweapon being used against the Muslims.That’s why they shoot people like Malala,while the killing of seven female teachersand their support staN in Swabi in January isanother example of their brutal agenda.According to reports, 1,300 schools have

so far been destroyed in KhyberPakhtunkhwa during the last five years.Most of these bombings occurred inMalakand Division where around 650schools have been destroyed.According to Assistant District Education

OMcer Khalid khan, 16 schools have so farbeen bombed in the Katlang, Rustam andLund Khwar areas of Mardan and most ofthem were for girls schools.According to reports, 29 schools were

destroyed in FATA during the last year.Mohmand Agency was the most aNectedtribal district for which the figures stood at16, while nine schools were blown up by themilitants in Khyber Agency. One school eachwas destroyed in Bajour, North Waziristanand South Waziristan Agency.A recent UN report shows that nearly

three quarters of young Pakistani girls arenot enrolled in schools. 55 percent of allPakistani adults are illiterate, and theilliteracy rate in females is about 75 percent.Data shows that the militants had destroyedover 1,300 schools in diNerent districts of

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including 640 inMalakand Division from 2009 to 2012.Among these schools, 166 were completelydestroyed and 477 were damaged in thewake of military operation. Before themilitary operation, militants had alsooccupied schools and turned the buildingsinto hideouts. In addition to that, 50 schoolsin Peshawar, Hangu, Bannu, Lakki Marwat,Nowshehra, Kohat and other areas of theprovince were destroyed by the militants and83 were damaged.Education for All Global Monitoring

Report 2012 states that Pakistan has a totalof 5.1 million out of school children, makingit the nation with second highest out-of-school children in the world. The provincialgovt claims that they did a lot in educationsector during last five years. According toprovincial Education Minister SardarHussain Babak, around 3,000 schools havebeen established, including the renovatedones which had been destroyed. He says sofar, 74 colleges, including 46 for women,have also been established in the province.According to oMcial data of FATA

Secretariat, the militants have destroyed450 schools in the tribal belt in recent years.Among the destroyed schools, 68 (boys) and26 (girls) were in Bajaur Agency, 66 (boys)and 23 (girls) in Mohmand Agency and 31(boys) and (27 girls) schools in KhyberAgency. People in Khyber Pakhtunkhwaare concerned about the destruction of theeducation institutions in the provincebecause the militants are targeting themto keep the Pakhtuns illiterate, while thereare no school bombings in the otherprovinces of the country.

Taliban carryon ‘missionbomb schools’

OUR STAFF REPORTER

MMUULLTTAANN:: The Christian community insouth Punjab protested against theBadami Bagh incident, as a large numberof them from across the region attended arally arranged by the PML-N’s MinoritiesWing in Multan.The president of PML-N Minorities

Wing (South Punjab), Yousuf, led thereally from Multan Cantt to NawansheharChowk. He asked questioned why suchincidents happened during the rule ofPML-N. “We are not safe here; we are notsubmitting our applications for the partytickets for reserved seats for minorities inthe National Assembly as well as thePunjab Assembly.”Yousaf added that the Punjab

government was not serious about theirsecurity issues; therefore, they would nomore remain associated with the party.“Today (Sunday) was the last date for

applying for the party tickets but mycolleague and I have not submitted theapplications as the reaction to theincident,” he told the protesters.He also demanded the Chief Justice of

Pakistan to take suo motto notice of theBadami Bagh incident.Boota Sarfraz, the regional general

secretary of PML-N’s Minorities Wing,

said police were not addressing theirsecurity concerns. “CPO Multan is not evenlistening to us; we are facings threats inPunjab,” he said.The protesters chanted slogans against

the Punjab government and the chiefminister. They accused the PML-N ofsupporting the banned outfits. “Theminorities will be targeted, if the Punjabgovernment (PML-N) will make a dealfor seat adjustment with Ahle SunnatWal Jamaat (Sipah e Sahaba), then,”Imran Masih, a protester, said. TheChristian community also held a protestagainst Badami Bagh incident at IslamiaColony Bahawalpur.On the other hand, CPO Multan Dr

Rizwan Ahmed rejected the impressionthat the Christian community is facing anythreat. “We have held a meeting withChristian religious leaders; there are nothreats to the community in south Punjab,”the CPO claimed.He added that a ten-member committee

had been formed to monitor the situationon a weekly basis.It is important to note that the banned

organisations enjoy considerable supportin region and claim that they have thenecessary votes to prove decisive in generalelections. The PML-N has repeatedlydenied any linkages with the militants.

Christian leaders notto seek party ticket

OUR STAFF REPORTER

MMAARRDDAANN:: The Paramedical Expended Programme immunization (EPI) AssociationMardan has refused to participate in the upcoming anti-polio campaign which isscheduled to start from 11th of this month. According to the district president of theassociation, Badrullah Khan, they have serious concerns over the anti-polio campaign,including security problems. He said they were unable to participate in the campaignsthrice in a month, as they oNered their services for one in every month. He added thatthe district health administration was not serious in understanding their problems,while police was also not cooperating to provide proper security. According to Dr AbdulWahab of EPI, the district health authorities and the EPI had to decide whether to startthe anti-polio campaign from March 4, but the paramedical staN did not cooperate andthat was the reason why the campaign was postponed till March 11. The oMcial furthersaid they still had some concerns over the campaign; therefore, they had decided tolaunch drive from March 13. He said the three-day campaign would start on 13th of thismonth, while the second phase was scheduled to commence from March 18.

Insecure paramedicsto boycott anti-polio drive

‘Tribesmenunsafe intheir ownterritory’

PML-N Minorities Wing organise protest

�Accuses Punjab govt of supporting banned outfits

Sharifs scaredof me: Wattoo

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The National Centrefor Physics (NCP) in collaborationwith Abdus Salam InternationalCentre for Theoretical Physics(ICTP), Trieste, Italy is organizingthe Fifth International ScientificSpring (ISS) from March 11-15, atNCP Campus.Prof J Niemela of ICTP and Dr

Hamid Saleem are the directors ofthe activity and both are hopefulthat collaboration between the twocentres will strengthen in the yearsto come.The activity will focus some

important areas of basic and appliedphysics. Oral talks, video lectures andposters on specific research topics willbe presented by the renowned foreignand local scientists/researchers. Theevent will facilitate productivediscussions among experts and localresearchers.The interaction of younger

researchers/students with foreignexperts will be very beneficial forcarrying out research projects forindustrial & socio economicdevelopment in Pakistan. Suchdiscussions will lead to new ideas and

will prove very fruitful for the localscientists engaged in research anddevelopment.This activity has brought with it a

sense of scientific "festivity" inPakistan; indeed, it is our hope thata "spring" of new ideas and thoughtswill emerge in this part of the world,bringing with it prosperity and socialjustice along with stability. In fact, it is the second time that

International Scientific Spring isbeing jointly organised by NCP andICTP. However, the main purpose ofholding the ISS is to inspire youngstudents & researchers to do qualityresearch with enthusiasm andpresent the outcome of theirscholarly work among a galaxy ofexperts in the relevant disciplines forquestioning and criticism.The ISS event provides a unique

platform and excellent opportunityto discuss results of their theoreticaland experimental research in thepresence of internationallyrenowned scientists and experts” Dr.Hamid Saleem, Director GeneralNCP said.Foreign scientists from diNerent

universities of Algeria, China, Egypt,Italy, Iraq, Japan, Malaysia, SaudiArabia, Sri Lanka, Sweden,Switzerland, Turkey, USA and UAEwill participate and present theirresearch papers. The activity willfocus on the core areas of physics andits related fields like AcceleratorPhysics, Particle Physics,Nanosciences and Plasma Physics. Itis worth mentioning that twoprofessors Harold W Kroto and Dr.Robert Kurl (Nobel Laureates) willdeliver video lectures in this activityfollowed by question-answer sessions.Dr Hamid Saleem said that

presently, NCP is focusing on twomain themes; one is thedevelopment of a strong theoreticalphysics department at NCP and theother is to establish a few very activeresearch laboratories such as LaserPlasma Physics, Material SciencesDepartment and EnvironmentalResearch Laboratories forindigenous research to be applied tosolve the problems being faced bythe country and play a role insupporting industrial developmentand environment. -ONLINE

National Centre for Physicsto hold ‘Int’l Scientific Spring’

AATTTTOOCCKK:: Man and a boy working at a honey bee farm. The northern parts of the country, especially theSwat valley, are famous for natural honey production. There is a great scope for bee farming in thecountry, as it can give vital additional income to the farmers. Although, it requires knowledge andexpertise, the space required for the business is not that big. –ONLINE

OUR STAFF REPORTER

SSWWAABBII:: All TeachersAssociation (ATA) leaderson Sunday said that both themanagement cadre andteaching community shouldput their heads together toimpart quality education tothe students because it wasthe need of the hour.The ATA meeting was

convened to discuss therecent promotion ofphysical education teacher(PETs), certified teachers(CTs), Arabic teachers(ATs), theology teachers(TTs), drawing masters(DMs) and primary schoolteachers (PSTs).The meeting lauded the

role of District EducationOMcer Abdus Salam whohandled the entire delicateprocess with greatadministrative skill andplayed his distinguished rolein the materialising theprocess dream of theteaching community.

Teachersfor qualityeducation

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

THE SPOKESMANChief Editor: Huma Ali

Executive Editor: Atif MateenResident Editor: Saeed Minhas

Consulting Editors: Jalees Hazir Samina Choonara

Attacking drones legallyInternational law is regarded as thelanguage of international relations,and for a country with limitedinternational space, the language ofinternational law remains the onlytool to assert its point of view on aparticular issue. In the case of droneattacks, Pakistan’s viewpoint has notbeen presented suWciently in thejargon of international law.Conversely in the West, various

research papers have been publishedon the subject and these papers,many of them well-researched, whichhave tried to analyse the attacks fromdiXerent perspectives. For example,one of the most recent reports styledas Living Under Drones waspublished by Stanford Law Schooland New York Law School inSeptember 2012. Although the reportis quite comprehensive, the impact ofcivilian killings on US-Pakistanrelationship has been particularlyhighlighted from the report in thepress in Pakistan.Similarly in his report, Philip

Alston, Special Rapporteur of UN onextrajudicial, summary or arbitraryexecutions, has underlined variouslegal issues related to extra judicialkillings and analysed the issue ofdrone attacks within that framework.Then there are specialised researchpapers like Robert P. Barnidge Jr’s AQualified Defence of AmericanDrone Attacks in Northwest Pakistanunder International HumanitarianLaw and Oxford Research Group’s(ORG) Drone Attacks, InternationalLaw, and the Recording of CivilianCausalities of Armed Conflict.Whereas the former obviously tries toprotect the American State policy byassuming the existence of an “armedconflict”, the latter, is more balancedin its approach in applying therelevant legal regimes to theincidence of drone attacks.The statistics, objectives, civilian

deaths, means and methods ofwarfare, and several other issues havebeen discussed in diXerent reportsand employed to justify or criticisethe use of drones. For a country likePakistan, approaching the issue ofdrone attacks from a legal point ofview presents the most eXectiveoption for challenging and stoppingthese attacks. In doing so, Pakistanwill find many provisions ofinternational law supporting its

standpoint.As noted in the ORG’s paper, there

are as many as four possible legaldomains applicable to drone attacks.First is the Law Enforcement

Model. This is the applicable nationallaw. It can be illustrated by the caseof the attack in November 2002 inYemen by a US predator on QaedSalim Sinan Al Harethi, a suspect inthe USS Cole bombing. In this case,four other men also died. The attackwas launched with the consent of thegovernment of Yemen.Similarly, a drone attack was

launched in Bannu on 19 November

2008 in which Abdullah Azam AlSaudi was targeted. Bannu is clearlynot a part of the tribal areas andthere is obviously no applicability ofinternational humanitarian law inthe area as there is no “international”or “non-international” armedconflict in the area. It may be notedthat the applicability of the lawenforcement model does not providefor any collateral damage andtherefore any civilian causalityattracts prosecution.This is precisely the formulation of

some of the law professors in the US,including Professor David Glazier ofLoyola Law School, who put forththis argument in response to LegalAdvisor, US Department of State,Harold Koh’s speech at the annualmeeting of American Society ofInternational Law in 2010.

Second is the domain of Jus adbellum (law of use of force). The useof force against another State isprohibited by Article 2(4) of the UNCharter. However, Article 51 of theCharter provides for the right to selfdefense. The right to self-defense isnot at all absolute; the caveatreflecting imminence being one ofthe pre-conditions. Ben Emmerson,QC who is a rapporteur of the UN,has very aptly pointed out theabsurdity of this position: how can acivilian be killed in 2011 in “self-defence” for attacks that took placein 2001? Such attacks can best be

categorised as reprisals, which areprohibited under IHL.Third is the domain of

International Law of Human Rights.ORG’s report pronounces clearinternational law obligationsemanating out of internationalhuman rights treaties which areapplicable at all times. Thecharacteristic obligations in thisdomain are: rights to recognitionbefore the law, to security and libertyof a person, right to life, right toproperty and inherent dignity of thehuman person.Fourth is the Jus in bello

(International Humanitarian Law),which has two streams of the GenevaLaw and the Hague Law: TheGeneva Law ensures protection inwar, whereas, the Hague Lawprimarily regulates means and

methods of warfare. The cardinalprinciples of civilian protection,distinction and proportionalityoccupy a dominant position in thedebate on the use of drone attacks. Arelated debate is the categorisationof armed conflicts as internationaland non-international.The purpose of elucidating the four

domains is to demonstrate that theissue of drone attacks is not simple.Covert and implied consent oracquiescence by Pakistan or any of itrepresentative departments furthercomplicate the legality of droneattacks. Building the foundation ofPakistan’s stance on the basis ofprinciples of international lawhaving customary value can fortifyPakistan’s position on drones at alllevels. However, for this, a concertedand knowledge based eXort isneeded. OX the shelf tactical and adhoc stances will demolish Pakistan’scase. At the same time, thoughtfulState practice has to supplement theprincipled stance well entrenchedinto international law. State practicethat contradicts the principledstance will expose Pakistan tofurther manipulation.Whereas the facts of cases

constantly change, the immutablecharacteristics of values underlyingprinciples of international lawwhich, by and large, concur withIslamic Law, provide the best shieldto a developing country like Pakistanto protect itself from the illegalonslaught of the “sole superpower”.To do so within the establishedgovernance structures in Pakistan,all the components providing inputwill have to share everything, at leastamongst themselves. Mutuallyexclusive communications andrelationships amongst diXerentcomponents of the governmentcomprising civil service, militaryestablishment and politicalleadership have beencounterproductive and failed toprotect Pakistan’s national interest.Concerted eXort is in order; lack oftrust will breed fragmentation andwill infuse feebleness.

THE AUTHOR IS A PRACTICING LAWYER

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

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

Over 175 houses were burnt in a mob attack on a Christian colony inLahore’s Badami Bagh over an alleged blasphemy incident. The mobcomprising thousands of people attacked Joseph Colony, torchedhouses, ransacked several shops and looted them. The police tookinto custody a 28-year-old sanitary worker, SawanMasih, after analtercation with his Muslim barber friend led to the latter accusinghim of making blasphemous remarks. Fortunately, there were nocasualties this time. In July 2009, seven Christians were burnt aliveand at least 70 houses and a chapel were set ablaze. The reasonadvanced by General Ziaul Haq for amending the Blasphemy lawwas that it would stop the people from taking law in their hands andthat they would prefer a legal recourse if any incident of blasphemyor desecration occurred. Unfortunately, mob attacks fuelled byalleged acts of blasphemy have increased significantly since the lawwas amended by General Ziaul Haq as part of his misguidedIslamisation drive. Many civil rights organisations have expressedconcern over the misuse of the blasphemy law, and demanded thatamendments be introduced in it to stop its misuse.There were only two blasphemy cases registered up to 1978 while

the number exceeded 950 after the inclusion of the death penaltyclause in the Blasphemy law by Ziaul Haq that year. This is a clearindication that the amended law introduced by General Ziaul Haqhas become a tool in the hands of mischief-makers rather thanserving the stated purpose for which it was amended. After theassassination of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, the issue ofintroducing new amendments in the Blasphemy law had become afocal point of discussion not only in the national but also theinternational media. Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, a renowned religiousscholar, has said: ‘Quran does not lay down a punishment forblasphemy and the current Blasphemy laws are not Islamic’. In viewof the fact that Blasphemy law has been rampantly misused as aroutine, and some non-Muslims as well Muslims were framed bytheir opponents for personal enmities, property disputes and land-grabbing scams, civil rights groups, legal experts andmany religiousscholars are of the view that it needs to be amended.It has been established in most of the blasphemy cases that the

allegations were fabricated, yet the false accusers have goneunpunished. In Gojra, for instance, an entire community ofChristians was attacked because of a rumor that three Christianmen had desecrated the Holy Quran in a village in the outskirts ofthe town. Justice requires that the blasphemy law should include aclause regarding strict punishment to false accusers. The accuserin blasphemy cases, if found guilty, should be indicted on twocounts - one for blasphemy and second for wrong accusation. It isall the more necessary because Allah has ordained that saving aninnocent life (whether Muslim or non-Muslim) is just like savingthe whole humanity. The government should amend the law tobring an end to this madness by giving exemplary punishments tothe people involved in games of death and destruction let loose onpeaceful communities.

Madness at Badami Bagh

Mutually exclusive communicationsand relationships amongst differentcomponents of the governmentcomprising civil service, militaryestablishment and politicalleadership have beencounterproductive and failed toprotect Pakistan’s national interest

At first glance, this would seem like arather silly, stupid and pointless question.Why, the average person would answer,the American people own it. Or rather, ifone had to get more technical, theAmerican government, which is in turn,being a Republic, owned by the people,one in the same.But, as most such simple seeming things

in life, the truth is neither simple or straightforward and the answer is neither silly,stupid or pointless, but indeed is critical tothe well being of nations and hundreds ofmillions if not billions of people.For the truth of it, neither the people of

America nor the government of Americaowns the US dollar. How's that, you say?Well, if one was to really dive just a bitdeeper, before hitting the rocks just underthe US greenback pond, one wouldquickly discover that the actual US dollarhas not existed since 1913, where it waseffectively killed. What is now called theUS dollar is actually a Federal ReserveNote, says it right at the top of each bill.Why does that matter? Read on.First of all, a US dollar, as something

before 1913, was an instrument of wealth.

That piece of paper, or just as common agold or silver coin, had actual worth,anywhere in the world. It was worth itsweight in gold, be it actual gold or paper. AReserve Note, on the other hand, is a debtinstrument, which not only is not wealthbut is the opposite of wealth. Its veryexistence is a sucking sound on wealth,wealth being transferred, in this case notto the poor masses (as defined by defunctand unworking Marxism) but to the top1% (equally defunct and unworking, butits only now starting to go that way).How is that you say? Why quite simple,

but for that answer, again, we must followthe rabbit down the rabbit hole.The Federal Reserve, unbeknownst to

many outside the US and almost everyonein the US, is NOT a Federal, that is,government entity. It is about asgovernmental as Federal Express. Intruth, it is a wholly private, untraded, andthus unsupervised, banking corporation,with a secret cabal of owners. One canassess some of those probable owners by

those corporations/banks who were bailedout, while others were allowed to die.Effectively, this private banking concern,

the only one of its kind in the world, hasthe exclusive right to make the US dollar,or rather the Federal Reserve Notes (debt)called the US dollar, the one and only legaltender of America. Now, when the USgovernment wants or needs money, itcannot simply "have" money. Put aside thenotions about not starting the printingpresses and so on, the simple fact is, notonly can the US government NOT coincurrency, it cannot just have it either.Remember, these are Reserve (debt) Notes.So, when the US government wants

money, the Treasury Department printsbonds (promissory notes aka debtobligations) and "sells" these to theFederal Reserve (private bankingconcern), which then "gives" the USgovernment Federal Reserve Notes(tender). Thus dollars, the money of theUS government and thus in turn, the USpeople and all peoples and nations in the

world who hold dollars (and why do youthink they push these on the world somuch?), are debt instruments owed to theFederal Reserve, by the holders. Thus,sooner or later you must return them, plusa percentage. Of course, to the FederalReserve, the percentage is better.But, let us take this one step further, and

here is the really scary part. To note, noone's logic ever seems to go this far, so formany, this may be your final Eurekamoment, when you figure out just howscrewed and owned you really are.If the only legal tender is the Federal

Reserve Note and it must be paid back atits face value plus percent, again, inFederal Reserve Notes, well how do youdo it? Let me explain. If the Fed offers you(like a crack dealer) $100 million FederalReserve Notes and you must pay it back,sooner or later with a 2% add on, thus, letus say, in 1 year, you will owe and mustpay $102 million Federal Reserve Notes,well, how do you do it? Simply put, youonly have $100 million, where do you get

the other $2 million Federal ReserveNotes? You cannot print them, you cannotmint them, well, you have no choice but toask the Federal Reserve to print them.Thus you get your $2 million more to payback the debt, but that itself has a 2%attachment, that again, you must ask theFed to print and at a percentage and so oninto perpetuity....well not really, becausein a rather short order, the Fed and itsowners will own everything.Rarely has so brilliant and patient a

ponzy scheme been dreamed up than this.And by exporting it overseas, they are

sucking in the rest of the world's finance,into their ever greedy, chubby and purelyevil little hands.So, leaders of the world, why the bloody

hell, are you giving away the future of yourpeoples and nations to this tiny group ofAmerican parasites, who have already bledthe US dead dry, where the top 1% holdsover 60% of that nation's raw wealth?

(PRAVDA.RU)

Who owns the US dollar?

Natural resourcesIt does not need any new evidencethat we have abundant naturalresources in our country, butwe have tried little to exploitthem properly to get rid of oureconomic woes.The only exception was our self-sufficiency in natural gas, butthanks to our planners thatmillions of new connections togain political mileage by successivegovernments, especially during

Musharraf ’s regime, criminallyuncalculated distribution of CNGstation permits and conversion ofindustries to gas for powergeneration due to governmentimposed exorbitant cost of dieseland furnace oil that today gas hasbecome a rare commodity.The nation starved itself for the

country’s nuclear programme, butit has only helped us becomeequipped with nuclear weaponsand there are no chances that thenuclear technology can be used byour scientist for peaceful means,especially for power generation.Our celebrated nuclear scientists

are not even capable to overhaulthe ailing Chashma and KANUPPplants to solve the energy crisis.Trillions of rupees of the poornation were spent over years onthe nuclear and missileprogrammes with no auditrequirement. However, thecountry’s nuclear assets instead ofmaking it invincible have made itmore vulnerable.

RANGERLAHORE

Three heroes and thelessons they taughtThe writing seems to be an excellentdefinition of the famous verse, "Islamzinda hota hai har Kalbala ke baad".

SHAHAB DOGAR

SHAHABDOGAR@GMAIL.COM

ZTBL: A luxurious personalempire for Zaka Ashraf

This is just the tip of an Iceberg.

ZAHIDMGAPKISTAN@GMAIL.COM

Shah MahmoodQureshi—duped byGohra Saeen

I'm really enjoying the design andlayout of your site. It's very easy on theeyes, which makes it muchmorepleasant for me to come here and visitmore often. Did you hire out a

developer to create your theme?Outstanding work!

MAKEMINEGROWREVIEW.ORGCHERIMCGHEE@ELITEMAIL.ORG

Return Rs 250 billion orstay away from polls

Perfect article. The only reasonmostof these people are in politics is to beable to control loan issue. A trulyfailed state.

USMAN

RAFIQUSMAN@HOTMAIL.COM

War on terror: A fairytale

Nicely done Azeem. Keep it up bro!

RANAHUSSAIN

RANA_HUSSAIN_TAHIR@HOTMAIL.COM

Controversial doc holdingmain PIMS post illegallyPIMS is already suXering from somecruel administration, oWcials, doctors

and staX. This new ED is looking likean additive gift of this corruptgovernment.

ZIA ULLAH

ZIA_BDN@YAHOO.COM

The pain of helplessnessVery touchy. Indeed people who havea sensitive heart, feel like that. Theproblemwith people here is that theydon’t go to root causes of problems buttry to use the event for their owninterests. Same is the case with themedia here. In spite of discussing theroot cause they twist things in thedirection of self interests which isharmful for the country and thenation as a whole.

NASRAT BALOCH

NASRAT.BALUSH@GMAIL.COM

The era of loot andplunder in Balochistan

It is a true articleMUHAMMAD PERVAIZ BALOCH

MUHAMMADPRVAIZ@YAHOO.COM

PTI Intra PartyElections 2013

I am not a PTI fan and even I myselfthink that writer really needs to read"Democracy 101".

ANONYMOUS

VIEWER@YOURSITE.COM

Lucky 234Moral of the story is that they all havemilked the nation so much that theyare getting blood instead of milk.

A J KHANAJK@YAHOO.COM

Legharis to ditch PTIA number of player versus playercombat dialogues and no longer getincontinence target, far from chitchat.

GW2GOLD

IEOTSDS@GMAIL.COM

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

EDITOR’SMAIL BOX

KAMRAN ADIL Building the foundation of Pakistan’s stance on the basis of principlesof international law can fortify Pakistan’s position on drones at alllevels. For this, a concerted and knowledge based e0ort is needed

STANISLAV MISHIN Effectively, a private banking concern, the only one of its kind in the world, has the exclusive right to makethe US dollar. So, leaders of the world, why the bloody hell, are you giving away the future of your peoplesand nations to this tiny group of American parasites, who have already bled the US dead dry?

Feedback from the web

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

Did you ever know anyone whoknew anyone who owned aBeetle? You know, those tank-likecreatures that crawled sturdilybut slowly along the roads,lovingly kept by their ownerspainted bright orange andpurple, or pristine white? Someof them even had an AC fittedinto the roof since the cars weremanufactured in Germany wherethey seem to have little use forcold, fresh air. These people werea club almost, and would waveas they crossed each other onthe roads.There were specialised motor

mechanics who knew how to lookafter that famous suspension,that tail engine, and its fan beltproblems. Most enthusiasts keptmore than one – say a beetle anda VW jeep, or a Beetle and a VWstation wagon – and I know afriend who would give away aBeetle to anyone he fancied. Butdriving those cars that wereinvariably quite old meanteveryone went slow, say, at anaverage of 35 miles-per-hour.And that used to be just fine forsleepy Lahore or even sleepierIslamabad because the intentionwas to enjoy the going and notjust the getting there.So whatever happened to the

joys of slowness? Maybe thesolution to our traffic problemstoday in the big cities is tointroduce chunky old cars thatcan’t pick up a lot of speed. Andthen let there be public transportfor all. In my mind, there is anaesthetic to poverty, evenlydistributed.Speaking of which, did you ever

know someone middle class andeducated, who cycled to work?My father did, and his friendstoo, college-educated peopleholding down serious jobs. Someof them would throw a blanketover their clothes in winter, notafraid of looking like a simplegardener on his way home. Butcan one even imagine that now inthe obscenity of large carsbeating each other down on theroads in rage?And so many people, men and

women of all social backgrounds,walked large parts of the city toget somewhere, enjoying theevening breeze in June, theaftermath of monsoon rains inAugust, but especially in Januaryand February, soaking up the sunand resting at times in parks withoranges and peanuts. And this isnot like a half century ago butonly a decade back or so.So how did we pick up such

speed and where is everyonegoing?I still have friends who get

together to sit on the rooftopunder the full summer moon,

friends who will gather to enjoy arainstorm, the thunder andlightning show, and later pick upthe jamun and ambi mangoesthat fall to the ground, friendswho will strum the guitar or araga, or read classical Punjabi,Sindhi, Seraiki poetry when wemeet. And poetry in English too,and Urdu. For not only thecreation of the arts – painting,music, poetry, or writing of anykind flourish only at a differentpace – but even the appreciationof the arts takes a different beat.But slowness is more than an

aesthetic and may be considereda politics of living differently.When no one needs to change themodel of cars frequently andcertainly not the style offurniture in the house every otheryear. No one makes seasonalclothes according to what, forexample, the brand managers oflawn prints dictate. There wasalways the rafugar if youdamaged old clothes, and alwaysthe dyer if you wished to refreshtheir fading colours. Perhaps noone wants to live any longer likesoft, old clothes, grown familiarto the skin.And eating well almost always

meant not eating out, but freshand home cooked, for this wasthe hard labour of love. Andsomeone cooking for you, guysincluded, (not their hired cooks)was the ultimate in an intimatetime spent together, where yourelished the chopping and thecubing, the churning and thewaiting, picking out delicateflavours, mixing themthoughtfully, and garnishingthem with seasonal herbslike mint or coriander, bay leafor tulsi.For just as the best meals are

cooked at a slow fire, so arefriendships and relationships.And how can they foster in somuch haste, responding to quick,consumerist turns. So where didthe comfortable silences betweenpeople go?I am often told that our times

are bad, or that the cost of livinghas gone up which is why peopleneed to work harder – and faster– to make money. I am told thatthe world has changed. But hasit? Or is it just the quality of ourdesires? Perhaps the only form ofpolitical resistance I know is tofight off this haste. To resistbeing cheated out of a life byselling all my time to the marketfor more, better, new. To resistbeing arm-wrestled intocomparing myself to theneighbours or the relatives, toresist being respected for what Ihave not who I am. For me, it isnot wealth that cuts it. I muchrather prefer the wealth of time.

THE AUTHOR IS A FICTION WRITER

Beetle days

Two events coincided this week thatillustrate the crisis of political economy inthe capitalist West—the premature andintensely sad death of Hugo Chavez andthe trite idiocy symbolizing the classwarfare declared by the rich against therest of us as the Dow Jones stock indexreached its highest point ever. Where Mr.Chavez dedicated (and likely gave) his lifeto improving the lot of Venezuela’s and theregional South’s poor and building theinfrastructure of real economic andpolitical democracy, America’s ‘liberal’President Barack Obama claimed the rightof extra-judicial assassination of thecitizenry at his whim while ‘sequestering’the economic interests of poor and workingAmericans to bolster the alreadysubstantial fortunes of the pirate financiersand industrialists he serves. To the political‘left’ that voted for Mr. Obama, thecontrast is there if you care to see it.Lest there be confusion around the matter,

the richest 1% of Americans own 40% offinancial assets and the richest 10% own80%. The soaring stock market symbolizesthe ascendancy of a tiny economic elite withall social resources dedicated toconsolidating its power. Remove financialand oil company profits, two industriesexisting on government transfer payments,tax breaks, business guarantees andoccasional wars, all at public expense, alongwith the nearly $3 trillion in Federal Reserveasset purchases designed to boost the valueof wealth ‘owned’ overwhelmingly byAmerica’s plutocracy, and the stock marketwould be trolling the lower depths of hell.A thought unlikely to occur to most

Americans is the profoundly anti-democratic

sidestep around habeas corpus that Mr.Obama’s claim to the right of extra-judicialmurder of citizens implies ties directly to hiseconomic policies. At a time when the U.S.uses murder robots around the globe toslaughter people charged with no crime,launches ‘pre-emptive’ wars of aggression,incarcerates millions of overwhelminglypeople of color in for-profit prisons andreturns immigrants to countries U.S. tradepolicies have rendered economicallydysfunctional, the economic and politicalelite here enjoys near complete immunityfrom prosecution for any of a large numberof war, political and economic crimes.What is taking place is economic pillage

with the full cooperation and facilitation ofMr. Obama and his administration. Frombanker bailouts to stolen homes,incarceration for profit, student loanpenury, wars for oil, profit extracting sick-care and social insurance cuts, class warwas launched and is being fought fromabove. And the non-conflictual economictheories of classical and neo-liberals haverendered cooperation the mechanism ofself-subjugation. Against far greater oddsHugo Chavez fought back the forces ofglobal capital, plutocracy and theirservants in the oil mafia (CIA) to improvethe lot of Venezuela’s poor. What heshowed is the straightest path to achievingsocial justice is to fight for it.The recurrent theory expressed by people

who by now should know better is that Mr.Obama must ‘be made’ to do the right

thing. What Hugo Chavez demonstrated isthat an actual leader has a political-economic core which only evidence thatideas and policies aren’t working asintended informs and changes. The ironyhere is that to anyone paying attention, Mr.Obama also has just such a core and it isneo-liberal. Unless his supporters believehim to be incapable of seeing whether ornot his policies are working, theircontinuation suggests they are workingjust as he intended them to. The differencethen is that Mr. Chavez said what hebelieved and Mr. Obama said what hethought would win elections.As part of the national mythology many

Americans, and likely nearly all liberalsand progressives, accept the premise thatpolicies designed to boost the fortunes ofthe already wealthy might be misdirected,but not outright destructive to theirinterests. After four years of unwaveringsupport for America’s plutocrats andmalignant acts toward their economicvictims in every actual administrationpolicy—witness his continuing call to cutsocial insurance programs while 20 millionpeople remain un and under-employed ascorporate profits and financial marketssoar, Mr. Obama’s faithful retain the beliefhe is working in ‘their’ interest. In contrast,Mr. Chavez faced a ruling elite inVenezuela with a long history of taking allof the social resources they could get awaywith taking and there was never thepretense that allowing oligarchs to put

social wealth in their own pocketsbenefited ‘everyone.’Venezuela’s oil wealth may have made

this point more clearly visible, but no moretrue than it is in the U.S. today. Naturedidn’t give Barack Obama the ‘right’ tomurder U.S. citizens (or anyone else)without trial or evidence—a policyconspicuously against the interests of allwho lack the social power to resist it. Thispoint is likely well understood by those whohave historically been on the receiving endof coercive state power.And so to what effect is Mr. Obama’s

‘effort’ to raise the minimum wage if theentirety of his time in office is spentempowering the same plutocrats who resistthe idea and are determined to see itdefeated? These titans of finance andindustry were hobbled and momentarilyhumbled when Mr. Obama entered officeand today they are fully restored, in largemeasure due to his efforts. The distributionof corporate profits clearly indicates theirintent with the lowest proportion in historygoing to labor and the highest to capital.Liberal economists decry this outcome asthey use aggregated data that hides it toargue Mr. Obama’s economic policies havebeen a relative ‘success.’ Of what benefit isGDP (Gross Domestic Product) ‘growth’ ifwhat it accomplishes is to grow the politicalpower of a ruling elite determined to use itto reduce the political power and economiccircumstance of everyone else?When Mr. Obama reiterated (for the

8,000th time) ‘his’ willingness to cut socialinsurance programs whose onlyshortcomings are that corrupt, self-interested executives and capital arebleeding them dry, where were the foolswho insisted he was only doing so becausehe was being forced to by obstinatedemagogues in the Republican party?To reiterate, there is nothing personal in

this critique of Mr. Obama—the problemis his policies and it is his institutional rolethat is being criticized. By contrast, thereis everything personal in calling HugoChavez a great leader; a champion of thepoor and dispossessed, and ultimately inhis institutional role as a facilitator ofeconomic and political democracy thatknows it can only exist by keeping itsenemies humble.The Western mythologies of political

democracy in the context of economicplutocracy and of ‘natural’ distribution ofeconomic resources was tried in Venezuelaand was shown to produce a politicaleconomy where a few thrive at the expenseof broader society, not from ‘nature’ butfrom the deliberate acts of people. Thesame is true in America today. With HugoChavez as a model, my contention isAmericans would respond to a leader witha social justice core s/he is willing to fightfor. What we don’t need is just one morecynical windbag with the patina of ‘liberal’shilling for the military oil banker mafia.

(COUNTERPUNCH)

Despite the increase in the pitch ofanti-drone voices across the globe,drone attacks continue. As far astheir defence goes, proponents ofthe military programme, as well asthose who recognise its adverseeffects, call it the “lesser evil.” Isthis a legitimate argument if theevil entails opening up Pandora’sBox of blowback?Drones are developing rapidly and

becoming the new darling of thedefence industry. In 2001, during theBush era, the United States possessed50 drones. By 2012 the country couldboast over 7,500. The number ofstates worldwide with dronecapability rose from about 40 in 2005to more than 75 in 2012. Presently,only the United States, UnitedKingdom and Israel are known tooperate “killer” drones. However,given the international demand forstrategic drones such as the deadlierPredator and Reaper varieties – likesof which are seen bombing allegedterrorist hideouts in Pakistan – it isprognosticated that more countrieswill acquire combat UAV capability inthe near to medium future.According to rigorous data compiled

by The Bureau of InvestigativeJournalism, as of 2013, between 411and 884 civilians were reported killedin Pakistan since the commencementof theUS drone campaign in 2004.Over 300 of the total 360US dronestrikes in FATAwere carried out underthe wake and re-wake of the Obamaadministration. The Bureau figuresshow that civilian casualties occur inapproximately one-fifth of US dronestrikes in Pakistan.Ever-expanding popularity of drones

can be attributed to several factors, themost significant of which are:a) Little or no risk to drone pilot and

UAS crew; in fact the “no body bags”has been amajor impetus behind theexpansion of American drone

campaign; b) Cost-eXective; UAVs areseemingly cheaper thanmannedalternatives tomilitary strategy. Ablasted or gunned-down drone is alsoeasily replaceable; c) Endurance;drones can boast the ability to stay aloftfor extended number of hours anddays; d) “Smart” bombs; drones arethought to be surgically precise andnot indiscriminate like clustermunitions or other types of weaponssystems currently available; e) theperceived utility of drones inasymmetrical warfare – such ashunting Al-Qaeda in Pakistan’snorth-western terrain; f) US droneprogramme is eXective.For these reasons – and the popular

notion that drone warfare is a morefavourable alternative to other formsof military operations – proponentsof drone warfare often deem it the“lesser evil.”However, the “lesser evil” argument

may hold little sway when the evil inquestion is compoundingmilitancy inthe region, and, potentially, abroad.The argument here is that drones are

worse than other forms ofmilitaryoperations for they lower the politicalcost, fuel anger and resentment againsttheUS as well as the local governmentand army –making larger groupssusceptible to radical ideology:Considerable collateral damage,

including civilian casualties, and anaugmentation in anti-Westernsentiment, in particular, anti-American, amongst the local populace,are often the epiphenomenon ofdeploying dronemissiles. The highnumber of civilian casualties erodesany support for peace theUSmightnow or in the future strive for.Developments inUS drone

programme, including “signaturestrikes,” also bodes ominous for thelevel of collateral damage. Signature

strikes constitute targeting an areabased on perceived patterns ofbehaviour that look suspicious fromaerial surveillance, rather than relyingon intelligence about specificmilitantactivists. That is, unidentified people ina “suspicious area” can fall victim tosuch a strike.The technological advantages of

UAVsmight be exaggerated: thetechnical precision of the drones hasbeen disputed, including by companiesthat developed software used intargeting. An oft-cited factor is“latency” – the delay betweenmovement on the ground and thetransmission of the video image to thedrone pilot. Evenwhen they areprecise, damage and deaths are notnecessarily confined to the specificindividual or structure targeted: theblast radius from a Hellfire missileextends from 15-20 metresAccording to some estimates only

2% of those assassinated were high-level terrorist. Most othersconstituted obscure PakistaniTaliban low-level militants, unknowneven in US counterterrorism circles.This has raised questions to thelegitimacy of the drone strikes thattarget these men. Alarming too areallegations of repeat strikes –secondary strikes after an initialdrone attack – that occur whenmedical personnel, rescuers are onthe ground to help the injured. Theseattacks constitute a war crime. Thehigh level of civilian casualtiesinvariably brings into spotlight theflawed human intelligence. Themethods used by the CIA are hazy atbest, and it is dubious whether localtribesmen are objective in providingleads. The drone campaign in theTribal Area has elicited a movementof militants from the western borderto other parts of either the tribal belt

or bigger cities, like Karachi. Thishas inevitably led to a weakersecurity situation in the largestPakistani city, potentially furtherdestabilising a fragile state. Majorfaux pas in US/NATO militaryoperations have resulted in seriouspolitical and economic upheaval. Forexample, recently, NATO air strikeon 26 November 2011 that killed 24Pakistani soldiers and promptedIslamabad to close its borders toUS/NATO supply lines toAfghanistan. Many analysts haveargued that drone strikes constitutea tactic, not a strategy. Drones as analluring technology are likely to havelowered the political andpsychological threshold to warfare.The remote-controlled nature ofpiloting a drone vehicle distances thepilot and crew from the immediatemortal and psychological threatsnormal to conventional formswarfare. It is likely this has paved theway for a “PlayStation”-mentalitythat renders fighting less real andtherefore easier to engage in. Alongwith being cost-eXective, dronewarfare is seen as risk-free – farremoved from the traditional imageof war as an act of national sacrificeand mobilisation, bloodshed, andpolitical and economic fallout. As isseen time and again in war history,technological advances appear to gounbridled without an advancementof concrete “strategic will.” Tacticaland technological advances appearto lose out on the political front.It can be argued that drones,

instead of providing conventionalresponses to asymmetric warfare, arepiloting an “asymmetric” response tounconventional threats.

THE WRITER IS AN OSLO-BASEDRESEARCHER

Are drones really the lesser evil?QANDEEL SIDDIQUE The “lesser evil” argumentmayhold little swaywhen the evil in question

is compoundingmilitancy in the region, and, potentially, abroad

Maybe the solution to our tra/c problemstoday in the big cities is to introducechunky old cars that can’t pick up a lot ofspeed. And then let there be publictransport for all. In mymind, there is anaesthetic to poverty, evenly distributed

The Western mythologies of political democracy in the context of economic plutocracy and of ‘natural’distribution of economic resources was tried in Venezuela and was shown to produce a political economywhere a few thrive at the expense of broader society, not from ‘nature’ but from the deliberate acts of people

Where is America’s Hugo Chavez?ROB URIE

SAMINA ALI

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

Hagel press conferencecanceled for security fearsKKAABBUULL:: A joint news conference thathad been scheduled for AfghanPresident Hamid Karzai and USDefense Secretary Chuck Hagel hasbeen canceled over security concerns,US oPcials said. The oPcials declinedto cite the nature of the securitythreat. But it comes a day after asuicide bombing in Kabul that killednine civilians, about a kilometer awayfrom where Hagel was holding amorning meeting. –AGENCIES

Freed UN hostagesarrive in JordonAAMMMMAANN:: A group of 21 Filipino UNpeacekeepers captured by rebels inSyria have arrived in Jordan afterbeing released. Rebels moved thehostages themselves after a UN teamhoping to collect them inside Syriawas prevented from doing so bygovernment shelling. Fighters fromthe Martyrs of Yarmouk group seizedthe soldiers on the Golan Heights,near Israel, on Wednesday. –AGENCIES

Berlin apartmentbuilding fire kills 8BBEERRLLIINN:: An early-morning fireSunday at an apartment building insouthwestern Germany left eightpeople dead, seven of them children,police said. Three other people wereinjured in the fire in Backnang, atown near Stuttgart, and taken tohospitals. Police said the victims wereof Turkish origin, news agency dpareported; Turkey's ambassador toGermany planned to travel to thescene. Authorities were alerted to theblaze at 4:30 a.m. (0330 GMT).Police said they believe the fire brokeout in a second-floor apartment, andsaid in a statement that theirinvestigation is focusing on a heater inthe apartment. The building is part ofa former leather factory that wasconverted into a row of three-storyapartment blocks. –AGENCIES

Blast injures severalpeople in south IranTTEEHHRRAANN:: An Iranian semi-oPcialnews agency is reporting that anexplosion has injured several people ina port in the south of the country. Thelate Saturday report by ILNA did notspecify the cause of the blast. It says italso damaged several cars andshattered windows of nearby buildingsincluding a hotel in Imam Khomeiniport, some 1,000 kilometers (620miles) southwest of Tehran. The port,one of Iran's major import and exportterminals, is located in oil-richKhuzestan province, the scene ofoccasional protests in recent years bymembers of Iran's Arabic-speakingminority seeking more rights. Iran inthe past has blamed explosions in theprovince on saboteurs tied to Arab andWestern intelligence agencies. –AGENCIES

All eyes on Capriles asVenezuela election setCCAARRAACCAASS:: Opposition leaderHenrique Capriles must make whatcould be the most important decisionof his political life, now that Venezuela'selections commission has called anApril 14 vote to pick a successor to thelate Hugo Chavez. The 40-year-oldstate governor is expected to announceon Sunday whether he will run againstChavez's hand-picked successor, who'sa heavy favorite amid lingeringsympathy for the charismaticpresident. The stakes are high: A defeatfor Capriles just six months after he lostthe presidential vote to Chavez wouldlikely finish his political career. If hewaits, a Chavista government mightprove inept and give him a better shotin a later election. –AGENCIES

ANIA LOOMBA

IT has been a strangeexperience to witness theunfolding of events andrhetoric after I, along withsome colleagues, drafted a

letter to the student organisers of theWharton India Economic Forum,protesting their decision to inviteGujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modito be a keynote speaker at its 17thEconomic Forum on March 23, 2013.What we did not expect is that the

Wharton India Economic Forum woulddisinvite him so quickly. Large sectionsof the Indian media have projected thisas a case of UPenn faculty (i.e. those ofus who initiated the letter) or theadministration pressurising haplessstudents. This is not true.Was our letter’s promise to protest at

the event and “to educate our

community about the incalculable andcontinuing harm done by Modi’s brandof politics to the secular valuesenshrined in India’s Constitution” sothreatening? Does that sound like adenial of freedom of speech, as has beenmade out by so much of the press?Student groups in the U.S. are free toinvite whom they want, but that doesnot mean no one can protest theirdecisions. Few have noted that just lastweek, the President of FordhamUniversity in New York blasted studentRepublican Groups for inviting theright-wing commentator, Ann Coulter,and that she was subsequentlydisinvited. When the questioning comesnot from the administration but fromfaculty and students, as it did in theWharton case, it is not anti-democraticbut the essence of democracy.The reason so many commentators

have chosen to project this particular

incident as a freedom of speech issue isthat it allows them to project Mr. Modias a wronged party. Somecommentators who argue that Mr.Modi should not have been disinvitedconnect the issue to the U.S.’s lack ofconcern for human rights, as if anyonewho questions Mr. Modi is therebycondoning other atrocities. Otherssuggest that because the anti-Sikh riotsof 1984 have also not been adequatelyredressed, we should simply move pastwhat happened in Gujarat. This is theway in which a consensus begins to bebuilt up in the public sphere, and inwhich pitting one atrocity againstanother exonerates those responsiblefor all of them.On virtually every TV show following

the Wharton aQair we have heard shrillvoices harping on Mr. Modi beinginvited for his economic vision, and forhis great skills as an administrator.

They also repeat that there are nocharges against him in the SupremeCourt, and that he is a democraticallyelected leader. TV anchors across theboard sound like Mr. Modi’s advocatesas they press his critics to address this“fact.” We know that the so-calledGujarat model of development ishardly a model to be followed, that bythe many indices of quality of life, it isdoing worse and not better every year.But even if we discount those indices,the divorcing of economy from humanrights is a very dangerous idea. In thebrouhaha that has followed theWharton aQair, so-called impartial andunaPliated commentators have alsoasserted this separation, which simplyshows how far the rhetoric of Mr.Modi’s media machine has spread. The student organisers of the India

Economic Forum assert that they haveno ideology. One does not have to

announce one’s political aPliations tohave them. The Adani Group was a‘Platinum sponsor’ of the event (theyhave since refused their sponsorshipafter the invitation to Mr. Modi wasrescinded). Gautam Adani, chairmanof Adani Group, is a well-known Modisupporter, and his pulling out is areminder that his sponsorship was partof an attempt to relaunch the GujaratChief Minister in the U.S. We shouldremember that the State Departmentcontinues to deny Mr. Modi a visa. Thereason right-wing Indian groups in theU.S. are so eager to provide him aforum is to pressurise theirgovernment to revoke its stance. Mr. Modi’s proposed plenary address fit

very much with this sanitising campaign,since he was due to speak on his State’seconomic record, and there was to be noscope for questioning his human rightsrecord. We have been repeatedly asked

why we did not let him come and thendebate him at the Wharton forum. Butthe very nature of the event was notdesigned for any real debate about Mr.Modi’s record or indeed his views aboutthe kind of India he wants to build.If we allow a broad consensus to

build up that economics and politicsare separate spheres we become partyto an extremely dangerous ideologythat has historically justified thecoming to power of anti-democraticand repressive regimes. Such regimeshave used the idea of progress anddevelopment, and yes, have often beenvoted into power. Our letter of protestis a reminder that not everyone buysthe eQorts to whitewash Mr. Modi’sgrim record. And that not everyonebuys into the idea that economicgrowth can be divorced from questionsof human rights and social justice.

(The Hindu)

Human rights and economy are linked

WWAASSHHIINNGGTTOONN:: With debateintensifying in the United States overthe use of drone aircraft, the USmilitary said on Sunday that it hadremoved data about air strikes carriedout by unmanned planes inAfghanistan from its monthly airpower summaries.US Central Command, which

oversees the Afghanistan war, said ina statement the data had beenremoved because it was"disproportionately focused" on theuse of weapons by the remotelypiloted aircraft as it was publishedonly when strikes were carried out -

which happened during only 3percent of sorties. Most missionswere for reconnaissance, it said.US President Barack Obama's

administration has increasingly useddrones to target against al Qaeda-linked militants overseas.Civilian casualties from drone

strikes have raised ethical concernsand angered local populations,creating tension between the UnitedStates and Pakistan and Afghanistan.Some US lawmakers have also

questioned the legality of targetedkillings and whether drones wouldallow the killing of American citizens

inside the United States.The debate was intensified by

Obama's decision to nominate hischief counter-terrorism adviser JohnBrennan, an architect of the dronecampaign, as the new director of theCIA. The Air Force Times said airforce chiefs had started posting thedrone strikes data last October in anattempt to provide more detail on theuse of drones in Afghanistan.The newspaper said the statistics

were provided for Novemberthrough January, but the Februarysummary released on March 7 had ablank spot where the drone data had

previously been listed."A variety of multi-role platforms

provide ground commanders inAfghanistan with close air supportcapabilities, and it was determinedthat presenting the weaponsrelease data as a whole betterreflects the air power provided" inAfghanistan, Central Commandsaid in its statement."Protecting civilians remains at the

very core of AFCENT's (Air ForceCentral Command's) mission," it said."The use of all AFCENT aerialweapons are tightly restricted,meticulously planned, carefully

supervised and coordinated, andapplied by only qualified andauthorized personnel."The statement said the decision to

stop reporting the drone strikes wastaken with the International SecurityAssistance Force - the NATO-ledcoalition in Afghanistan.Brennan was sworn into oPce on

Friday following a protractedconfirmation battle that saw SenatorRand Paul attempt to block a vote onthe nomination with a technicalmaneuver called a filibuster, in whichhe tried to prevent a vote by talkingcontinuously. –AGENCIES

USAF stops data on Afghan drone strikes

TAIPEI: Tibetans protest against the Chinese government during the anniversary of the Tibet uprising 54 years ago in Taipei. Hundreds ofslogan-chanting Tibetan activists and their Taiwanese sympathisers marched through Taipei in protest against China’s suppression ofTibet during the past half a century. –WIRE SERVICE

AAMMMMAANN:: Syria's opposition haspostponed a meeting to form aprovisional government, in the latestsetback to opposition eQorts to createan administration to take over ifPresident Bashar al-Assad is ousted,coalition sources said on Sunday.The Syrian National Coalition

meeting to elect a provisional primeminister, which was due to be heldon March 12 after being postponedonce already, has been rescheduledfor March 20, but it was uncertainit would be held even then, thesources said. "We cannot aQord asplit over this issue any more. Therevolution was not born chaotic,"said coalition member Kamal al-Labwani, a veteran oppositionfigure who spent nine years as apolitical prisoner after Assad tookover from his father in 2000.Labwani said the coalition was

split in two over the merits offorming government, with somepreferring to wait to see if UNmediator Lakhdar Brahimi'seQorts to form a transitionalgovernment as part of a politicalcompromise succeed.Other wanted to form a

government immediately to pre-empt any deal that could see Assadremaining in power, Labwani said.A second coalition source said that

the meeting could go ahead onMarch 20 and that even if only asmall number of members attendedthey could approve a governmentwith a simple majority.Osama al-Qadi, an economist

who leads an opposition taskforcedrawing up plans for post-conflicteconomic recovery, has emerged

as front-runner for the post ofprime minister after formerPrime Minister Riad Hijab, thehighest-ranking civilian defectorfrom Assad's government,withdrew his candidacy. Hijabhad run into opposition fromIslamists and liberals in thecoalition over his former ties withSyria's ruling elite.Backed by its foreign allies,

the opposition has said Assadmust step down before any talkscan be held on ending theconflict, but Moscow hasinsisted on negotiations withoutany preconditions. Westernleaders have been increasingpressure on President VladimirPutin, but experts said it wouldbe difficult for Moscow to backdown. “The longer the situationlasts, the more difficult it is forMoscow to separate itself fromAssad,” said Alexey Malashenko,an analyst with the MoscowCarnegie Center.What’s needed before diplomatic

eQorts can move forward, expertssaid, is an end to the stalemate thathas seen the rebels make some gainsbut not yet pose a serious threat tothe regime. “There can be nopolitical solution without a changein the balance of power on theground,” the French diplomat said.“Damascus needs to be afraid.”“If Moscow realizes that basically

its client has decisively lost, thennew diplomatic options willsuddenly open up,” said RichardGowan, a Syria expert at the Centreon International Cooperation atNew York University. –AGENCIES

Syrian Opppostponesforming govt

MMAANNIILLAA:: The Philippinegovernment said on Sundayit views with "grave concern"the alleged human rightsviolations committed byMalaysian authoritiesagainst Filipinos in Sabah.Philippine media reports

said community members ofSuluk/Tausug descent inLahad Datu and other areas inSabah have been rounded upover the weekend as Malaysiacontinues its all-out oQensiveagainst dozens of supporters ofFilipino Sultan Jamalul KiramIII who entered the area byboat on Feb. 12 to presshistorical claim over theresource-rich territory."The allegations are

alarming and should beproperly and immediatelyaddressed by concernedauthorities," a Departmentof Foreign AQairs statementsaid as some Filipinos whowere sent back by Malaysiato Sulu and Tawi-Tawicomplained of allegedviolations of human rights."The Department urges

the Malaysian government totake steps to clarify thesealleged incidents," it said."We reiterate our call on theMalaysian Government togive humane treatment tothe Filipinos under theircustody." Malaysia last weeklaunched air and groundassault to quell the intrusionits worst security crisis inyears - that killed at least 61of Kiram's men and arrestedat least 80 outside battle zoneon suspicion that they haveaided the Filipinos. –AGENCIES

WWAASSHHIINNGGTTOONN:: One week after thefederal government spending cuts tookeQect, U.S. President Barack Obama onSaturday called on Congress to end thespending cuts to bolster the country'seconomic growth and job creation."We learned that our businesses added

nearly 250,000 new jobs last month. Theunemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent,still too high, but now lower than it waswhen I took oPce," Obama said in hisweekly address.U.S. unemployment rate edged down 0.2

percentage point to 7.7 percent, the lowestsince December 2008, but governments ofall levels slashed 10,000 posts in Februarydue to government outlays cuts, U.S. LaborDepartment reported on Friday."Our businesses have created jobs every

month for three years straight - nearly 6.4million new jobs in all. Our manufacturersare bringing jobs back to America. Ourstock market has rebounded. New homesare being built and sold at a faster pace.And we need to do everything we can tokeep that momentum going," Obama said."At a time when our businesses are

gaining a little more traction, the last thingwe should do is allow Washington politicsto get in the way," he noted.Obama has reached out to Republicans

earlier this week to find smarter ways togrow U.S. economy and reduce thegovernment's budget deficits than thearbitrary spending cuts.Roughly 85 billion U.S. dollars of

spending cuts started to hit variousgovernmental departments this yearstarting on March 1, as agreed byDemocrats and Republicans in January toresolve the so- called "fiscal cliQ".

"I'll keep fighting to solve the realchallenges facing middle- class families,"Obama stressed. Obama noted the unemployment rate is

now lower than when he took oPce afterbusinesses created 6.4 million jobs over thepast three years. But he warned partisan battles in

Washington could disrupt the recovery.“The last thing we should do is allowWashington politics to get in the way,” hesaid. “You deserve better than the samepolitical gridlock and refusal tocompromise that has too often passed forserious debate over the last few years.He touted his recent outreach to

Republicans, including a dinner with adozen senators at the JeQerson Hotel indowntown Washington on Wednesday. He said the group discussed “smarter

ways to grow our economy and reduce ourdeficits than the arbitrary cuts of the so-called ‘sequester’ that recently went intoplace. He said they also talked aboutpotential common ground on immigrationreform and gun-violence legislation.Next week, he will meet with the Senate

Democratic caucus on Tuesday, the HouseRepublican conference on Wednesdayand the Senate Republican conferenceand House Democratic caucus onThursday. Senate Republicans who havetalked with the president in recent dayssay they expect him to convene othersmall gatherings to build bipartisansupport for his agenda. White House deputy press secretary

Josh Earnest on Friday declined to saywhen those more intimate meetingsmight take place or who might receiveinvitations. –AGENCIES

Obama callsfor ending govtspending cuts

Manila alarmedby violationsin Sabah

The Gujarat chief minister’s proposed address to a university forum in the US was part of a campaign by his Indian-American supporters to sanitise his image

Tibetan self-immolationsspark China tensionLLHHAASSAA:: Tibetans around the world mark Tibetan Uprising Day,the anniversary of the 1959 revolt against Chinese rule in Lhasa, theTibet Autonomous Region's capital. In March 2011, a new wave ofprotests began in the area ethnically/culturally identified as Tibet,which is one-quarter the size of China. To protest against Chinesegovernment policies, at least 105 Tibetans in historic Tibet have setthemselves on fire in the last two years - the vast majority of whomhave died. Facing an intense security crackdown in Tibetan-populated areas of Sichuan and Qinghai, self-immolators have citeda range of grievances: occupation, restrictions on religious freedomand re-settlement of nomads in block housing. They also highlightalleged land grabs, the Dalai Lama's exile in India and restrictionson the use of the Tibetan language. Meanwhile, talks betweenBeijing and the Tibetan spiritual leader's representatives have beenfrozen since 2010. Some activists seek full independence, whileothers would accept increased sovereignty. China continues toinvest heavily in infrastructure upgrades around Tibet, as XiJinping and Li Keqiang prepare to take the reins of power onMarch 17. On Sunday, local police in Dharamsala, India, arrestedDawa Dhondup after he attempted to set himself alight on the 54thanniversary of the Tibetan Uprising. –AGENCIES

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

Businessmen, lawyers forconsumers’ protectionRRAAWWAALLPPIINNDDII:: Business and legalfraternities, civil society andofficials committed to strengthenthe consumer redress mechanismunder the Punjab consumerprotection law. This was said by the speakers

during an advocacy seminar on thetopic of “Energy SectorRegulations & the Consumer inPakistan” organised by an NGOThe Network for ConsumerProtection, which was attended bythe people belonging to diversesection of society including tradingcommunity, complaint handlingofficials from Islamabad ElectricSupply Company (IESCO),members of the RawalpindiDistrict Bar and RawalpindiChamber of Commerce & Industry.The finding of a study conductedby The Network on the EnergySector and the ConsumerProtection was shared among theparticipants in the form of a policybrief; “Energy Sector Regulations& Consumer in Pakistan” underthe Energy Project funded by theUnited States Agency forInternational development(USAID). –AGENCIES

Egypt does not need IMFbridging funding: ministerCCAAIIRROO:: Egypt does not needbridging financing as offered bythe International Monetary Fundto some countries but rather broadstructural measures to tackle itsbudget deficit, Planning MinisterAshraf al-Araby said on Sunday.With its dollar reserves falling tocritically low levels and deficitsoaring, the government says itwants to reopen stallednegotiations for a $4.8 billion loanfrom the IMF. "The cure for thebudget deficit needs broadstructural measures and the helpwe are requesting from the IMF isnot quick fixes," al-Araby told anews conference. With Egypt inpolitical turmoil, some analystshave suggested the IMF could offerbridging financing until afterparliamentary elections are held,pending negotiations on a fulldeal. Al-Araby played down suchan idea. "It is not suggested for usto obtain a bridging loan," he said."This is offered by the IMF in itsnegotiations with many countries.In our case, we do not needbridging loans." He did not sayexplicitly whether the IMF hadoffered Egypt short term funding.Last month President MohamedMursi called the elections to beheld between April and June, but acourt later canceled his decree,throwing the electoral process intoconfusion. Analysts have said theIMF may be reluctant to offer evenshort-term financing during thecurrent chaos. –AGENCIES

Data analytics baseddecision makingTARIQ MALIK, CHAIRMAN NADRA

For too long in Pakistan,decision makers at the helmof aRairs and in the power

corridors have relied on theirintuition or what they call “goldengut” to make decisions. Importantcalls by Ministers and bureaucratshave been based not on real time orlegacy data but on the experienceand unaided judgment. “Notanymore” was my immediate response when I took overNational Database Registration Authority (NADRA), whichhouses one the world largest multi-biometric citizensdatabase as I have over the years come to realize thesignificance of the wonders that can be derived from asuccessful database management. Most ministries in Pakistan have massive amounts of data

at their disposal – yet fail to utilize it in any meaningful way.But at NADRA, a powerful new IT tool –analytics – isenabling federal and provincial government departments toleverage their data in key management decisions andprocesses with impressive results. As we at NADRA now usereal time data more eRectively to glean valuable analyticalinsights, we learn that good governance, erosion ofcorruption, and improved service delivery are not distantdreams. When I joined NADRA in early 2008, my first goalwas to utilize data analytics for the good of most vulnerable–the poorest of the poor of Pakistan. I was always skepticalof the Zakat distribution system of Pakistan. OverseasPakistanis send thousands of dollars every year religiously.My friend, Zamurad Khan, then newly appointed Chairman,Zakat and Baitul-Mal was up to challenge. I got hold of thedata of Zakat distribution from 1999 to 2007 and reconciledit with Citizens database at NADRA. We ran various dataanalytics techniques and lo and behold found out that ourworst fears were true. Musharraf regime misappropriatedbillion of Zakat money by not targeting properly. There weregovernment employees, overseas Pakistanis, members ofZakat and Usher Committees, people having passports, andbeneficiaries getting Zakat multiple times. Hence, by makinguse of data analytics, we were able to weed out undeserving,target real beneficiaries and channel money where it wassupposed to – the zakat deserving individuals and families.The same model is now being implemented at provincialgovernments. Zakat and Usher department of Governmentof Sindh has realized the power of analytics and collaboratedwith NADRA to disburse Zakat to deserving beneficiaries.Government of Punjab has also contacted us and it looks likethe same model will be deployed there soon.Data Analytics used to find poorest of poor so that

government can reach out to deserving people was notenough – devising a tax policy to broaden tax net and findout tax evaders who were forcing poverty on the rest ofnation was another initiative of NADRA. TAX POLICYdebates are about how we pay for the things we do togetherfor our communities, our families, and our economy. Thisincludes the roads, bridges, and buses that help us getaround and allow our economy to function; the schools thateducate our children and strengthen our future workforce;the police and fire protection that keep our neighborhoodssafe; the environmental safeguards that maintain our cleanair and water; and the safety net that protects us when wefall on hard times. By using Data Analytics NADRA andFBR triggered a healthy debate in society and in parliament.Finding out 3.6 million tax dodgers was a result of datamining in NADRA database. We learnt that 1,611,153frequent travelers, 56,421 residents of posh localities,584,730 individuals having multiple Bank Accounts, and19,149 owners of expensive vehicles do not have NationalTax Number (NTN), hence are not in Tax net. Likewise, NADRA is embarking on reforming pension

disbursement system of Pakistan. Initial data analysisreveals that some pension disbursement agencies relymostly on manual system and don’t have CNICinformation of the pensioner. During analysis we arefinding out some people getting three pensions!Within the recent years, NADRA has most significantly

helped with the analysis of the population for the BenazirIncome Support Program (BISP). This initiative of thegovernment provides financial assistance to womenbelonging to underprivileged families in rural areas. For thispurpose, more than 4.3 million nomination forms werereceived from the parliamentarians. We were then asked touse our database to analyze each nomination and ensure itseligibility, after which 2.3 million people were declared aseligible beneficiaries. During the process, there were cariousapprehensions regarding political repercussions of making alarge number of people ineligible, but the power of analyticswas trusted and stringent checks ensured that the final list ofbeneficiaries was final and closest to the truth. Apart from the BISP, the authority also helped in

disbursement of the Pakistan Card to the internally displacedpersons (IDPs) after the floods in the recent years and thepension disbursement scheme of the government. Similarly,strict set of criteria were set for the analysis which helped incorrectly identifying the deserving beneficiaries. For a developing nation such as Pakistan, the use of these

tools proves to be of much significance time and again due toa large number of projects taking place at the same time.Hosting data and records of about 96 per cent of the adultpopulation of Pakistan – which is more than 90 millionpeople – NADRA’s database can be used for variousanalytical purposes to help the public sector in Pakistan. Thelarge database at that is at our disposal alleviates the needfor any ground research; the data covers all major aspects ofa person’s social standing and creates links between familymembers in the form of a web. The idea of data analysis isnothing new to Pakistan. However, the use of a national leveldatabase to analyze the needs of the population has onlybeen made possible after a number of technologicaladvancements that were made over the past few years. I had always understood the concepts and rationality

behind using the analytical tools for various purposes;however, during the last few years of my work at NADRA, Ihave come to fully understand the importance andsignificance that these tools hold. Seeing their application inthe public sector on such large scales and for the uplifting ofthe community, I have started to visualize more and morebenefits of these tools. With the launch of the new SmartNational Identity Card (SNICs), the possibility of applyingthese analytical tools have virtually become endless. In future, these tools can be further enhanced and made

useful by allowing various government departments to linktheir databases with that of ours. Similarly, thisdevelopment will also allow us to extend our support tonewer developmental projects in terms of populationanalysis in the near future. These tools have enhanced ourcapabilities of examining each and every decision that wemake. Socrates said, “the unexamined life isn’t worthliving,” and I would argue that “the unexamined decisionisn’t worth making.”

––TTHHEE WWRRIITTEERR IISSNNAADDRRAA CCHHAAIIRRMMAANN

Analysis

SAHTAK BALOCH

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The All Pakistan CNGAssociation (APCNGA) on Sunday sought7-day gas supply to the Compressed NaturalGas (CNG) filling stations across the stretchof the country as normal weather hassubsided demand for the natural gas. In astatement issued here today, Chairman ofthe Supreme Council APCNGA GhiyasAbdullah Paracha said that governmentmust revisit load shedding schedule forCNG sector to resume round-the-clock gassupply until next winter.Government must end discrimination

and provide relief to masses before thedissolution of the assemblies as we have

braved unprecedented gas load sheddingwhich took toll on daily life, economy andthe foreign exchange reserves. GhiyasParacha said that reduced demand of gashas improved the supply that can beconfirmed from the record of gasdistribution companies leavinggovernment with no excuse to continuepolicy of unjust distribution of resources.Regretting the continued silence ofministry of petroleum over proposals byAPCNGA to get over gas crisis, he said thatgovernment must take steps to rescue theCNG sector and ensure smooth sailing,especially in Punjab reeling underunfavourable policy of the centre based onpolitical confrontation.

The leader of the CNG sector said thatPunjab is being penalised by thepolicymakers and the largest province bypopulation remained exposed to cruelloadshedding as compare to any otherprovince. Reasons are not technical butpolitical, he said. Paracha said that foreignexchange reserved have touched alarminglevel while country is unable to sustainimports for two and a half months. In sucha scenario, CNG can play a decisive role incutting the import bill providing somemuch-needed fiscal space.Rulers must realise that Pakistan is set

to witness widespread political chaos ifcountry fails to create one million jobs perannum without which survival of Pakistan

and economic stability would remain farcry, he said. The energy crisis and the wayit is being handled since some years isadding to the vast army of unemployedposing great security threat to country,Paracha noted. An independent commission should be

formed to probe causes and consequencesas well as macroeconomic implications ofthe energy crisis and choking CNG sectorwhich may work as a wakeup call for theauthorities who have worked on cross-purposes since years without any objectionfrom the ruling elite.He said that owners of the CNG filling

stations would not accept intentionallyengineered gas shortages anymore.

APCNGA for uninterrupted gas to stations

AATTTTOOCCKK:: Farmers plowing land on Sunday, as new crops replace the old amid seasonal changes. —ONLINE

With electioneering infull swing, people’sattention is focused

on the political transition thatlies ahead in Pakistan. But thefate of the economy is asconsequential for the countryas the approaching election.A precarious economy

marked by widening internaland external imbalances hasheightened the risk of afinancial crisis erupting right inthe middle of the transition andbefore a new governmentassumes power. This urges theneed for responsible economicstewardship during the brieftenure of the interimgovernment. Although thecaretaker government’sprincipal responsibility will besupervising free and fairelections, it will also have tokeep a watchful eye on adeteriorating economy andtake measures to prevent aneconomic breakdown.The economy will need to be

prudently managed in a periodwhere the important (holding

credible elections) and theurgent (averting economiccrisis) will compete forattention. Virtually allmacroeconomic indicatorspoint to significant worseningof the economy: low or fallinggrowth, rising budget deficit,high inflation, decliningrevenue collection, growinglosses in public sectorenterprises, record governmentborrowing from the State Bankand commercial banks,plummeting domestic andforeign investment, and adeeply troubled energy sectorthat continues to straingovernment resources.Moreover, the government’sfiscal profligacy ahead ofelections has further weakenedpublic finances.It is the country’s perilious

external position that cantrigger a crisis. Exports havebeen stagnating and foreigndirect investment has slippedto an all time low. In the firstseven months of this fiscal yearFDI was just $525 million. While the current account

gap is not as large as last year’sand remittances from overseasPakistanis remain robust(around $13 billion last year)but this is not enough to meetthe country’s external financingrequirements in the face ofdepleting foreign exchangereserves.The present level of reserves

held by the State Bank isaround $8.1 billion, whichcover about two month’s ofimports. This will drop byanother $400 million this

month when another paymentis made to the InternationalMonetary Fund. This fiscalyear reserves have steadilyeroded at around $500 milliona month. External inflows havetapered oR while repaymentshave had to be made to theIMF on the $11 billion loancontracted in 2008.As the reserve cushion has

begun to erode so hasconfidence. This has put risingpressure on the balance ofpayments and the rupee,whose value has sunk to ahistoric low against the dollar.With more repayments due tothe IMF, foreign exchangereserves could dwindle to adangerous level by this fiscalyear’s end. Between now andend-June, Pakistan needs topay $1.5 billion to the Fundand another $1.2 billion toother lenders. Reserves will,therefore, fall much below $ 6billion in the absence of anyforeign inflows.There are two aspects to the

country’s weakening positionon the external account. One,drawdowns of reserves couldproduce a cash flow crisis,when the country will simplynot have enough foreignexchange to meet its externalfinancing gap. A balance ofpayments crisis would thenfollow.But before this happens a

second, more likely scenariomight materialise. As reservescontinue to dwindle, this couldspark panic in the market.Confidence could startevaporating when the market

perceives that the countrywon’t be able to service itsforeign obligations.When panic sets in people

start converting rupees intodollars as a hedge against risk.This pressure can prompt theSBP to run down reserves veryquickly. And if the central bankdoes not use its reserves, therupee’s value plunges. This isnot an unfamiliar scenario. Itresembles what happened inthe 2008-09 balance ofpayments crisis, which was onlyresolved by emergencyfinancing from the IMF.All of this creates the

imperative to skillfully managethe economy in a politicallychallenging environment. Theinterim administration may, infact, have to take importantdecisions – in consultation withmajor political parties – toprevent the economy fromgoing oR the cliR. Such actionsin the fiscal and monetarysphere and energy sector wouldalso help the country transitioninto a new Fund programme,which is unavoidable becausewithout substantial inflows thecountry would be pushedtowards default on its externalobligations.The caretaker government

will, therefore, need to takecare of more than an election –act to save the country fromeconomic collapse.

DR MALEEHA LODHI SERVEDAS PAKISTAN’S AMBASSADOR TO

THE US AND UNITED KINGDOM

––CCOOUURRTTEESSYY KKHHAALLEEEEJJ TTIIMMEESS

T he United States’ current fiscal andmonetary policies are unsustainable.The US government’s net debt as a

share of GDP has doubled in the past fiveyears, and the ratio is projected to be highera decade from now, even if the economy hasfully recovered and interest rates are in anormal range. An aging US population willcause social benefits to rise rapidly, pushingthe debt to more than 100% of GDP andaccelerating its rate of increase. Although theFederal Reserve and foreign creditors likeChina are now financing the increase, theirwillingness to do so is not unlimited.Likewise, the Fed’s policy of large-scale

asset purchases has increased commercialbanks’ excess reserves to unprecedentedlevels (approaching $2 trillion), and hasdriven the real interest rate on ten-yearTreasury bonds to an unprecedentednegative level. As the Fed acknowledges, thiswill have to stop and be reversed. While the future evolution of these

imbalances remains unclear, the result couldeventually be a sharp rise in long-terminterest rates and a substantial fall in thedollar’s value, driven mainly by foreigninvestors’ reluctance to continue expandingtheir holdings of US debt. Americaninvestors, fearing an unwinding of the fiscaland monetary positions, might contribute tothese changes by seeking to shift theirportfolios to assets of other countries.While I share these concerns, others

frequently rely on two key arguments todismiss the fear of a run on the dollar: thedollar is a reserve currency, and it carriesfewer risks than other currencies. Neitherargument is persuasive.Consider first the claim that the dollar’s

status as a reserve currency protects it,

because governments around the worldneed to hold dollars as foreign exchangereserves. The problem is that foreignholdings of dollar securities are no longerprimarily “foreign exchange reserves” in thetraditional sense.In earlier decades, countries held dollars

because they needed to have a highly liquidand widely accepted currency to bridge thefinancing gap if their imports exceededtheir exports. The obvious candidate for this reserve fund was US Treasury bills.So, although dollar bonds and,

increasingly, dollar equities are a large partof these countries’ sovereign wealthaccounts, most of the dollar securities thatthey hold are not needed to finance tradeimbalances. Even if these countries want tocontinue to hold a minimum core of theirportfolios in a form that can be used in thetraditional foreign-exchange role, most oftheir portfolios will respond to theirperception of diRerent currencies’ risks.In short, the US no longer has what Valéry

Giscard d’Estaing, as France’s financeminister in the 1960’s, accurately called the

“exorbitant privilege” that stemmed fromhaving a reserve currency as its legal tender.When that happens, exchange rates and

interest rates can change without assetsbeing sold and new assets bought. If foreignholders of dollar bonds become concernedthat the unsustainability of America’ssituation will lead to higher interest ratesand a weaker dollar, they will want to selldollar bonds. If that feeling is widespread,the value of the dollar and the price of dollarbonds can both decline without any netchange in the holding of these assets.The dollar’s real trade-weighted value

already is more than 25% lower than it wasa decade ago, notwithstanding the problemsin Europe and in other countries. And,despite a more competitive exchange rate,the US continues to run a large current-account deficit. If progress is not made inreducing the projected fiscal imbalances andlimiting the growth of bank reserves,reduced demand for dollar assets couldcause the dollar to fall more rapidly and theinterest rate on dollar securities to rise.

––CCOOUURRTTEESSYY PPRROOJJEECCTT SSYYNNDDIICCAATTEE

Two dollar fallacies

Pakistan on the brink of default

� Supreme Council chairman asks govt to revise load shedding schedule till winter

Dr Maleeha Lodhi

Martin Feldstein

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

London: South Korean rapper Psy's parents are overjoyed with his fameand are proud that their son is more famous than secretary-general of theUnited Nations Ban Ki-Moon. Psy says his parents are thrilled that'Gangnam Style and its wacky horse riding dance move are such a hitbecause he is now the most famous Korean in the world, reported Sunonline. "They are really proud. My father is happy, because now he sees Iammore famous than Ban Ki-Moon, the secretary-general of the UnitedNations. He was the most famous Korean person before me," Psy said.The rapper recently announced that he is set to release the highly-anticipated follow-up to his global hit 'Gangnam Style' in April, and holda large concert in Seoul to mark the occasion. -SHOWBIZ DESK

No romance with Nawazuddin, says Bipasha BasuMUMBAI: Actress Bipasha Basu says people should not look for romantic element in 'Aatma', inwhich she is paired opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Siddiqui is playing themain lead oppositeBipasha in 'Aatma', a supernatural drama directed by Suparn Verma. The film releases onMarch22. "Please don't look out for romance. Every film cannot have romance. You can be husband andwife but not necessary that romance is there in the forefront. There is a story, it is not just asupernatural horror film," Bipasha said. "I had good time working with him on this film. He is avery good actor. I really liked him in 'Kahaani'." 'Aatma' happens to be Siddiqui's first filmwherehe is paired opposite a known actress like Bipasha. The film centres around amother (Bipasha)whomust fight to keep her daughter safe from the ghost of her father (Siddiqui). "The film showsthe horror and fear of losing your loved ones. There is a strong human drama in the film,"Bipasha said. -SHOWBIZ DESK

CMYK

SHOWBIZ DESK

People like us like to go and onabout inflation and risingcosts, but the chatter is

confined to newspaper headlines,and squiggly TV graphics. Poverty asa central theme has been pushed sofar from our flashy multiplexobsessed times that it is almost likeencountering an alien creature whenit raises its head in a film. Especiallywhen it is done with such sincerityas it is in Saare Jahaan Se Mehenga,a film that reminds us how crushingthe spiraling bhaav of the proverbialaata and daal can be. Puttan (Mishra) works at a government-runanimal husbandry outlet, helpingreluctant cows and bulls to get in thefamily way. His bad-tempered father(Badola) hovers around blackly,cursing all comers and goers fromhis rocking chair on the verandahwhich abuts the narrow street. It is asmall mohalla in a small town inHaryana, but it could be anywhere atall, give or take a Jat accent and anoverflowing drain or two. His wifeNoori ( Pragati) runs a beautyparlour where first time dulhans are

enticed into waxing half an arm as agift to their husbands. And hisyounger brother Gopal ( RanjanChhabra) is a jobless sit-at-homewho makes eyes at the mingy

grocer's girl, when he does anythingat all.This milieu used to be an integral

part of the Hindi movie scene till the70s and 80s, and then vanished inpost-liberalised India, only tosurface on and oQ via those directorswho are busy trying to get back` real'India into the movies. 'Saare JahaanSe Mehenga' mainlines thesecharacters and their constricted liveswith compassion and knowledge,and makes it a surprisinglywatchable film. The bane of theirlives is rising costs, which stopsthem from having mutton, or`kheer', or `ghee' even once in twoyears. And, in a nice touch, thereaching out for instant noodles,amidst the gur and ration-waali-shakkar is made a commodity ofdesire between the young boy andgirl: Maggi is 'modern', it is thefuture. The film has been writtenzippily by people who know thisworld. It looks and feels authentic,minus exaggeration. And the actorslook as if they belong. Mishra tampshimself down, which is a relief, andcarries the film. Most of the cast is

unknown: the actors who play thewife and the brother (those curly,shoulder length lovingly tendedlocks which Chhabra sports are spot-on) are eQective. Badola goes overthe top, though, and the plot weariesa bit by the end : complaining aboutaataa and daal is fine, but kaala dhan( black money) locked in Swissbanks, which is what Puttan and coare made to get hot and botheredabout too, becomes a bit much. Still,there's enough for you to want tocheer on these people and their planto banish `menhgai' and get 'sastaai'in their lives: roti, kapdaa aurmakaan is still as much a challengeas it has always been.

Saare Jahaan Se Mehenga�Film has been written by people who know this world

MovIe RevIeW

Sonam is notin a hurry tobe on topMUMBAI:With her last few filmstanking at the box oPce, SonamKapoor says she has learnt her lessonand would select only those projectsthat satisfy her as a performer. The27-year-old actress says she is not in ahurry to be on the top. Sonam'srecent films "Thank You", "Mausam"and "Players" did not fare well butthe actress believes they helped herunderstand the kind of roles shewants to do. "Two years ago, I did acouple of films and lost my way. Istarted oQ with an agenda of doingcertain kind of films and gotdiscouraged by the way industry isgrowing. I went to the wrong pathand realised that I am notcomfortable in that. "I am not in therat race and don't want to be thenumber one actress. I want to workonly in those films whichmakemefeel as an artiste. Theymight not bethe biggest projects, actors anddirectors but if my character is good Iwill do them," she told PTI. Sonamwas in the Capital to announce thesecond edition of L'Oreal ParisFeminaWomen Awards 2013. TheBollywood's fashionista is ready withthree big projects "BhaagMilkhaBhaag", "Raanjhnaa" and"Khoobsurat" remake. In Anand LRai's "Raanjhnaa" she will be seenplaying a strong character of astudent of JNU. -SHOWBIZ DESK

SHOWBIZ DESK

LAHORE: A Pakistani fish seller,Mohammad Shahid Nazir whosells fish in a UK fishmarket bysinging, has got a record deal withWarnerMusic after getting fame asOne Pound FishMan. MohammadShahid Nazir is recognized for hismusical style of selling Fish tocustomers at Queen’s Market,Upton Park, London. He attractscustomers with his “1 Pound Fish”Beautiful Song which sounds:Come on ladies, come on ladies,have a, have a look, one pound fish.Very very good, very very cheap,one pound fish. The video of his

song was uploaded online whichreceived about 3.6 million views onYou Tube, making him popular asOne Pound FishMan. He wastherefore, approached to sign adeal of OneMore Tune withWarner, which will be released as asingle song this December. Naziralso said, “People have come fromAustralia, the US, Canada and allover Europe. They don’t come hereto work or shop; they come for OnePound FishMan.” MohammadShahid Nazir is a 31 year oldmarried man. His family includeshis wife and four children whoreside in Pakistan whereas Nazirearns for them at Queen’s Market

in London. He told that he wasasked to shout for selling fish by his

boss but he refused to shout andthus composed his own song.

One pound fishman gets big dealwithWarnerMusic

PARIS: He raked in more than $30million in 2012 thanks to his filmand endorsement deals. And BradPitt looks like a man who knows hisworth. The 49-year-old lookedever-so-stylish as he saunteredconfidently along the streets ofParis. Multi-million dollar man:Brad Pitt was snapped saunteringalong the streets of Paris onSaturday after it was revealed thathe raked in $35.5million in 2012The Hollywood actor looked like hewas the star of his own runwayshow as he casually made his waythrough the picturesque streets ofthe French capital. Brad lookededgy in an all-black ensemble ofbaggy jeans, a zip-up sweater, a coatand faded boots. He wore his longblonde hair in a ponytail, andlooked cool in aviator shades. Bradwho looked stylish as he walkedalong the streets of the Frenchcapital The Oceans Eleven star wassnapped the day before moseyingaround interior decor stores in theFrench capital with a 'decorationcoach.' It is unclear what he wasbuying at the store, but Brad haspreviously revealed his penchantfor design. The actor hascollaborated with Frank Gehry tobuild homes in NewOrleans, is saidto be 'pushing his kids' to becomearchitects and in November hedebuted his first furniture designcollection. Brad is no doubt lookingto spend some of his massivefortune after it was revealed byParade magazine on Friday that hemade an impressive $35.5 millionin 2012, despite only appearing inthe moderately successful KillingThem Softly.A whopping $7million of that

total came from his much ridiculedChanel No. 5 commercials, as wellas his limited-edition line offurniture. -Showbiz Desk

Brad Pitt! TheMulti- milliondollar man

SHOWBIZ DESK

LOS ANGLES: TomHanks, Alec Baldwin,SteveMartin, Dan Aykroyd and ChevyChase were just some of the guest stars thatcelebrated Timberlake's fifth time at thecenter of the action. It almost didn’t matterwhat happened after Justin Timberlake’sSaturday Night Live opening monologue,because by that time the episode wasalready the biggest of 2013. It was themusician-actor’s fifth time hosting, whichgave him access to the exclusive “five-timer's club.” Timberlake was ushered oQthe stage and into the inner sanctum,where he encountered a slew of SNL vetswho had all hosted or performed as themusical guest at least five times. PaulSimon greeted Timberlake, as did a pipe-smoking SteveMartin, who was a tadsuspicious of the club’s newmember,scoPng when he learned Timberlakecouldn't play the banjo."He can't do everything," Martin

remarked. The comedian then belittledDan Aykroyd, who as a mere one-timehost, was reduced to bartending for theclubmembers. Martin Short (also not amember of the club) was forced to work asa mistreated waiter. When Chevy Chaseappeared next to Short andMartin,Timberlake was thrilled to realize he wasstanding next to the three amigos. (The trio

would appear in full Mariachi garb later tointroduce Timberlake’s secondmusicalperformance.) Alec Baldwin and TomHanks revealed their greatest pleasure ofthe five-timers club was making SNLcastmembers fight each other. The paircheers on BobbyMoynihan and TaranKillam as they went blow-for-blow in amatch similar to a disturbing parlor roomscene from Django Unchained. “I killedmy best friend” Moynahan screamed afterthe battle. Hanks and Baldwincongratulated him and said he deserved abeer. Shortly after, Candice Bergenappeared to demand the other membersput the toilet seat down after using it.

Justin Timberlake hostsyear's biggest episode

NEWDELHI: It's confirmed that Hrithik Roshan is all setto play Lord Shiva in Shuddhi, themovie adaptation ofauthor Amish Tripathi's Immortals ofMeluha, but thebattle is now on for the leading lady. According to reports, itwill be either Deepika Padukone or Kareena Kapoor whowill get to play the role of Lord Shiva's wife Sati in themovie to be produced by Karan Johar. Kareena andHrithikhave earlier worked inmovies like Kabhi Khushi KabhieGham andMujhse Dosti Karoge whereas Deepika hasnever worked with the Dhoom actor. But reports are thatsince Deepika's date are full shemay not be able to sign forthe role and chances are that Kareena, who is currentlyshooting for Satyagraha, bagging the role are very high. Themovie is currently in its pre-production stage and directorKaranMalhotra of Agneepath fame is likely to begin thefilm's shoot by November this year. -SHOWBIZ DESK

Kareena or Deepika - Whowill be the leading actress?

LOSANGELES: Even superstarRihanna can't escape amother'swrath. The 25-year-old singer tellsElle U.K. that hermomhad somechoice words for her over a few racyInstagram posts. "I'm not afraid ofany person in this world butmymother, I'm terrified of her!"Rihanna told themagazine. "Shecalledme two days ago and reeledme in about two naked picturesmyfriend put up on Instagram, a sneakpeek from a photo book she'smaking aboutme." Rihanna'sInstagram topics of choice typicallytend to be Chris Brown, smokingweed, or showing oQ butapparently it's the nudity that gets hermomworked up."She went crazy onme, I was like, embarrassed," shecontinued. "I felt like I got whipped in front ofmy class atschool! She humbled out ofme." -Showbiz Desk

Rihanna's mom furiousat semi-naked photos

Parents proud that I am more famous thanBan Ki-Moon: Psy

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

CMYK

CMYK

The best news Australia havereceived while touring India isthe reports of England's

monumental first-innings battingcollapse in New Zealand, and GraemeSwann's elbow operation. The worst-case scenario for Australia was theywould depart India with their top sixin the batting order in turmoil. Unlessthere's amajor turnaround in fortunesin the last two Tests, that's exactly thesituation they'll find themselves in asthey prepare for a tilt at regaining theAshes in England.Australia know they can match

England in fast bowling, but theirbatting and spin departments werealways going to be a concern.Australia's batting frailty is beingblamed on inexperience and thesudden decision of Michael Hussey toretire at the end of the home summer.I'm not so sure those excuseswithstand close scrutiny.While Australia have lost the

extremely valuable services of RickyPonting and Hussey in a short spaceof time, India have also recently hadtwo stalwarts retire: Rahul Dravid andVVS Laxman. In addition, VirenderSehwag, another lynchpin of India'sbatting strength over the last decade,has been stumbling lately to the pointwhere he's fallen flat on his faceduring the series against Australia.That's also a lot of experience and runsto lose in a short time.While the comparison is somewhat

biased because the Indian batsmen

are being judged in their ownconditions, there's a world ofdiLerence between Australia'srebuilding eLorts and those of MSDhoni's cohorts. Those Indianbatsmen who have been promotedexude talent, technique and flair; theyare also reasonably young. In addition

to Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay,both of whom looked capable whenthey debuted in Test cricket, Indiahave a depth in batting reserve thatAustralia don't possess.While Rohit Sharma has been a

disappointment inmany respects, he'sjust one in a talented list of reservebatsmen who have the ability to

replace Sachin Tendulkar when heeventually retires. Additionally, duringthe recent Under-19 World Cup, theIndian batting was superior toAustralia's, in both technique andflair. Both Unmukt Chand and BabaAparajith would either be on the vergeof, or in, the current Australian side.

The Australian batting productionline has been faltering for some years,and one of the main flaws is exposedwhen you look at recent history. For acountry that used to consistentlyproduce talented young batsmenready for the Test side in either theirlate teens or early 20s, Australia haveonly had Ricky Ponting and Michael

Clarke (as long-term successes) in thatcategory since Pontingmade his debut18 years ago.Where the early 20s usedto be the normal debut age for anAustralian Test batsman, it's nowblown out to the late 20s andoccasionally even 30.Clarke aside, the current Australian

batsmen aren't inexperienced. Theyhave played a lot of first-class cricket.It's just that they haven't establishedtheir Test credentials under a varietyof conditions. Consequently, the toporder is currently a dog's breakfast,and there's no real opportunity toresolve the issues before theEngland tour.It's all well and good to say

Australia's performances in Indiawon't have any eLect on the Ashesseries and that they'll bat better inEngland. Confidence is a big part ofbatting once a player has reached thehighest level, and a lack of it plays an

adverse role in the same way as anabundance helps.Again, apart from Clarke, the

batsmen's credentials aren't yetestablished under seaming conditions.Australia have little choice now but tostick with what they have for theAshes series, as there's little in the wayof alternatives and none of the playersback home are making a strong casevia the SheKeld Shield competition.That'swhyAustraliawill be delighted

to know that England's batsmen havehad some issues adapting to NewZealand conditions. And having beenmesmerised by R Ashwin's oLspin sofar in the Indian series, anything thathampers Swann's preparationwill alsoprovide welcome relief.

(Former Australia captain IanChappell is now a cricketcommentator for Channel 9, and acolumnist)

Australia’s India performance will a"ect their Ashes showing

and blaming the failures on inexperienceand on the unexpected retirement of

Michael Hussey is misleading

IAN CHAPPELL

BBLLOOEEMMFFOONNTTEEIINN:: Colin Ingram hitan unbeaten century to set up acomfortable 125-run win for SouthAfrica in the first one-dayinternational against Pakistan atChevrolet Park on Sunday. The left-handed Ingram made 105 not out asSouth Africa piled up 315 for fourafter being sent in to bat. Pakistancould only make 190 in reply. Ingrammade his runs off 103 balls with tenfours. It was his third one-dayinternational century and his secondagainst Pakistan.He shared partnerships of 120 for

the third wicket with captain AB deVilliers (65), 62 for the fourth wicketwith Faf du Plessis (26) and 50 off only23 balls with Farhaan Behardien, who

hammered 34 not out off 14 deliveries.Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla setan aggressive tone with an openingpartnership of 72 after South Africawere sent in, with both batsmen goingfor their shots against Junaid Khanand Umar Gul despite the Pakistannew ball bowlers getting some earlyassistance from the pitch. Pakistan made a bright start with

Mohammad Hafeez and NasirJamshed putting on 42 for the firstwicket off 43 balls before the suffereda double blow. Jamshed was caught atslip by Graeme Smith off RoryKleinveldt for 25 and Hafeez fell forthe same score in unlucky fashionwhen a drive by Younis Khan wasdeflected by bowler Kleinveldt into the

stumps for Hafeez to be run out.Asad Shafiq fell cheaply and

Pakistan were unable to buildsubstantial partnerships with captainMisbah-ul-Haq top-scoring with 38.Shahid Afridi hit 34 off 16 balls beforehe was last man out but his inningswas never likely to alter the outcome.Afridi hit three sixes, including amassive strike which sailed out of theground and into a car park. Kleinveldt, whose first two balls

were hit for four, came back stronglyto finish with four for 22 in 5.2 overs,while Ryan McLaren tookthree for 19. The win gave SouthAfrica a 1-0 lead in the five-matchseries. The second match will be inCenturion on Friday. –AGENCIES

Ingram sets up South Africa victory in first ODIscoreboard

SSOOUUTTHH AAFFRRIICCAA IINNNNIINNGGSSG Smith c Kamran b Ajmal 30H Amla c Malik b Hafeez 43AB de Villiers c Younus b Ajmal 65C Ingram not out 105F du Plessis c Gul b Junaid 26F Behardien not out 34Did not bat: R McLaren, R Peterson, R Kleinveldt, KAbbott, L TsotsobeEEXXTTRRAASS (B-1, LB-5, W-6) 12TTOOTTAALL (for four wickets, 50 overs) 315FFAALLLL OOFF WWIICCKKEETTSS:: 1-72, 2-83, 3-203, 4-265BBOOWWLLIINNGG:: Junaid Khan 9-0-59-1Umar Gul 10-1-68-0 Mohammad Hafeez 10-0-48-1 Saeed Ajmal 10-0-53-2 Shahid Afridi 8-0-60-0 Shoaib Malik 3-0-21-0PPAAKKIISSTTAANN IINNNNIINNGGSSMohammad Hafeez run out 25

Nasir Jamshed c Smith b Kleiveldt 25Younus Khan c de Villiers b Abbott 30Asad Shafiq c Abbott b McLaren 5Misbahul Haq c de Villiers b McLaren 38Shoaib Malik c McLaren b Tsotsobe 19Kamran Akmal c Smith b McLaren 2Sahid Afridi c Behardien b Kleinveldt 34Umar Gul c and b Kleinveldt 2Saeed Ajmal lbw b Kleiveldt 0Junaid Khan not out 0EEXXTTRRAASS (LB-6, W-4) 10TTOOTTAALL (all out, 36.2 overs) 190 FFAALLLL OOFF WWIICCKKEETTSS:: 1-42, 2-52, 3-65, 4-114, 5-135, 6-148, 7-165, 8-178, 9-178BBOOWWLLIINNGG:: Tsotsobe 9-0-52-1 Abbott 6-0-35-1Kleinveldt 5.2-2-22-4 Peterson 8-0-47-0McLaren 7-0-19-3Behardien 1-0-9-0Result: South Africa won by 125 runs

KAASHEF AHMAD

Perhaps the writing wasalways on the cardsonce the playing eleven

was announced. This is not ateam that has players whohave objectives that extendbeyond their own selectionfor the next match. Captainedby the most defeatist captainin the history of Pakistancricket, and most players pasttheir expiry date, the match inits outcome and indeed in theway it was played, was not toofar from expectations.A pitch that was supposed

to be a batting paradise andexpected to produce a 320plus score batting first, thePakistan captain’s decision tofield first bewildered theexperts and the commonman alike. Our bowlersstarted well, beating the batsof Hashim Amla and GraemeSmith but this did not lastlong. They started slow butbuilt their inningsprogressively upping the rateby continuously takingsingles and doubles at willwhile scoring the oddboundaries. There was noplan to tie the South Africansas our bowlers leaked runs.The captain stood in thecorner, quiet and ineLective.Maybe he was ruing the factthat he chose to field on abatting track. There was nocontingency plan when thepartnership between AB deVilliers and Colin Ingram wasthreatening to take the gameaway from Pakistan andneither in the last overs whenthe South African hitters tookthe visitors bowlers to thecleaners – the result, a hugebut still an uphill task of threehundred and fifteen runs.Nasir Jamshed and

Mohammad Hafeez startedoL well, keeping abreast therequired rate until Jamshed’slost of concentrationsquandered a good start.Then came Younus Khan.Totally out of his element,blocking deliveries until Ibegan to wonder if this was aTest match and not a high-scoring chase. It did not helpmatters when his straightdrive ran out Hafeez. Thethird umpire, I must say gotthis one wrong. The replayswere inconclusive aboutwhether the bowler hadtouched the ball on its way tothe wicket - but the umpireforgot that he was judging acricket match and not theOscars. Reaction of theplayers should have nothingto do the final decision of thethird umpire. Benefit ofdoubt, always goes to thebatsman last time I checked.The wicket of Hafeez broughtanother slow starter to thecrease – a certain Misba. Bythe time Misbah and Younushad gone back to the pavilion,Pakistan were out of thegame, as it usually happenswhen these two bat. Arequired rate of nine and oversaw Kamran Akmal (a belowpar keeper and now a belowpar batsman), Shoaib Malik(used mainly as a batsmanthese days but with no realbatting abilities except thatagainst India) come and gowithout really doing much.Shahid Afridi’s cameo cameas the last flicker of a dyingflame as he clubbed bowlersout of the park with immensepower reminding us onceagain why he is called BoomBoom. The game wasforfeited long before that.

BBLLOOEEMMFFOONNTTEEIINN:: Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez set walking for 25 runs by South Africa's Rory Kleinveldt during their first ODI at Chevrolet Park on Sunday. –AGENCIES

IIPPOOHH:: World champions Australiaput on a strong showing Sunday towhip Pakistan 6-0 in the secondmatch of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.South Korea secured their first winwhen they defeated India 2-1 in aclosely fought match, while hostMalaysia kept up their winning waysto defeat defending champions NewZealand 2-1. In a show of clinicalfinishing, which was helped by aninsipid Pakistan team, Australia,aiming for a seventh cup title, hadlittle trouble collecting full points tolead the standings after two days.The world number two took the leadthrough Daniel Mirecki, and MattGohdes increased the gap withanother field goal.Goalkeeper Imran Butt proved to

be a bundle of nerves. It got worse forthe Pakistanis as the Australiansrang up another two goals by JacobWhetton for a 4-0 first half lead.Daniel Beale and then Nick Budgeoncompleted the rout, the latter with apenalty corner goal. Pakistan chiefcoach Akhtar Rasool said the playerswere tired and worn down by thehumidity in the Southeast Asiannation. He added Butt might be

replaced by Imran Shah."We can only improve, and

hopefully the rest day (Monday) willdo the team some good," he said.Australia's coach Ric Charlesworthdownplayed the rival's thrashing.Australia already beat India onSaturday. "Beating Pakistan at anytime is a welcome moment," he said."The big score is not that big a dealas it can happen in an internationalmatch. The next minute you mayend up losing to the same team."Meanwhile, Kang Moon-Kweon

scored twice for South Korea, whileIndia earned their goal via MalakSingh. India went on to waste sixpenalty corners in the second halfthrough poor execution and gooddefending by the Koreans. In the lastmatch of the day, the goals came fromMalaysia's Chua Boon Huat andAhmad Tajuddin Jalil, although theKiwis pulled a goal back throughShay Neal. Malaysia now rank secondwith six points, like the Australians,having won both their games,ahead of South Korea and Pakistan.India and New Zealand have nopoints so far. The tournament endsnext Sunday. –AGENCIES

Australia whip Pakistan

GGAALLLLEE:: Mohammad Ashraful made the highestscore by a Bangladesh batsman in Test cricketwhen he scored a magnificent unbeaten 189 on thethird day of the first test against Sri Lanka onSunday. Together with captain Mushfiqur Rahim,who also made a career best score of 152 not out,Ashraful figured in an all-time record partnershipfor his country of 261 as Bangladesh reached 438for four replying to Sri Lanka's first innings of 570for four declared. Bangladesh trail Sri Lanka by 132runs with two days left. "This is the first time I spent so much time in the

nineties and I felt like batting all day," Ashraful toldreporters. "I made 35 runs in the second session todaybut it wasn't boring. I told myself that this is testcricket. I enjoyed every moment of it. I am justthankful that they selected me. I am just 11 runs away,I want to be the first Bangladeshi to score a double-century." Sri Lanka grabbed two wickets in the firstsession but Ashraful and Mushfiqur then battedtogether through the rest of the day to frustrate thehome bowlers on a flat track that hardly oLered anyassistance. The ball rarely beat the bat and Sri Lankaalso missed a few half chances that came their waywith Ashraful on 110 and 143 and Mushfiqur on 103.Ashraful, selected for the tour only because of aninjury to Shariar Nafees, went past his own previoushighest score for Bangladesh - 158 not out againstIndia at Chittagong in 2004 - and by the close hadfaced 398 balls and hit 20 fours and a six. Mushfiqurprovided him with excellent support, striking 18 foursand one six in his 236-ball knock. Ashraful celebrated his return to Test cricket after a

15-month absence by reaching his sixth century in themorning session, having moved on from his overnightscore of 65. It was his fifth ton against Sri Lanka andhe raised his bat and punched the air in delight.Ashraful had enjoyed a third wicket stand of 105 withovernight partner Mominul Haque before the hostsmade a quick double strike. Seamer NuwanKulasekara managed to find the edge of Mominul's

bat and Angelo Mathews took the catch at first slip tosend him on his way for 55. Seven runs later,Mahmudullah (0) gave the charge to left-arm spinnerRangana Herath but missed to oLer wicketkeeperDinesh Chandimal an easy stumping. –AGENCIES

Ashraful heroics boostBangladesh in Galle

Bangladesh’s Mohammad Ashraful raises his bat ashe acknowledges the crowd after completing 150 runson Sunday. –AGENCIES

scoreboardSSRRII LLAANNKKAA 11SSTT IINNNNIINNGGSS 570-4 decl (LThirimanne 155 not out, K Sangakkara142, D Chandimal 116 not out; SohagGazi 3-164)BBAANNGGLLAADDEESSHH 11SSTT IINNNNIINNGGSS (overnight135-2):J Islam c Chandimal b Eranga 20Anamul Haque b Mendis 13Mohammad Ashraful not out 189M Haque c Mathews b Kulasekara 55M Mahmudullah st Chandimal b Herath 0Mushfiqur Rahim not out 152EEXXTTRRAASS (B 2, LB 1, NB 6) 9TTOOTTAALL (for four wickets; 136 overs) 438

FFAALLLL OOFF WWIICCKKEETTSS:: 1-23, 2-65, 3-170,4-177BBOOWWLLIINNGG:: Kulasekara 21-3-76-1 Eranga 22-3-80-1 Herath 42-9-103-1Mendis 23-2-92-1Mathews 6-1-16-0Dilshan 20-3-55-0Thirimanne 2-0-13-0Toss: Sri LankaUmpires: Richard Illingworth (ENG) andNigel Llong (ENG)TV umpire: Tyron Wijewardene (SRI)Match referee: David Boon (AUS)

Pakistan paythe penalty offielding first

Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Tournament

DDUUNNEEDDIINN:: England's batsmen showed theresilience they had been lacking in their firstinnings to battle to a draw in the first of threeTests against New Zealand at University Oval onSunday. The tourists, who had been bundled outfor 167 in their first innings, were 421 for six witha lead of 128 runs when captains Alastair Cookand Brendon McCullum agreed a result wasunlikely in the remaining 15 overs available onthe final day. Ian Bell, on 26, and wicketkeeper Matt Prior on

23 were at the crease when the match ended,having snuffed out New Zealand's slim hopes ofvictory in the final session. Those hopes had beenbriefly roused after the tea break whennightwatchman Steven Finn was trapped in frontby left arm spinner Bruce Martin for 56 and JoeRoot was run out for a duck. Root's dismissal leftEngland on 390 for six, a lead of 97 runs with aminimum 31 overs remaining in the day. "Ithought even up until the last couple of oversthere we were a red hot crack if we could get intothose bowlers with the ball still new," McCullumtold reporters. "We did everything we possibly could to get the

result but we came up against a team that was hellbent on ensuring they didn't lose, and on a surfacelike that they would have had to make a fewmistakes in the second innings. "Even then we stillwent past the bat numerous occasions and therewere many times when things could have fallen ourway on a diLerent day."

Dogged England: Finn's first Test half centuryand highest first class score exemplifiedEngland's doggedness in their second innings ashe played the nightwatchman's role toperfection. Prior to his first innings knock of 20at University Oval, his previous highest testscore was 19 against Sri Lanka at Lord's in 2011.The tall fast bowler faced 203 balls and battedfor almost five hours as he held up one end whilethe more established batsmen chipped away atwhat was remaining of New Zealand's imposing293-run first innings lead after McCullum haddeclared their first innings at 460 for nine.

"The way Steven applied himself was fantastic, Icertainly didn't know he had that in him," Cooksaid, adding that Finn had been "bribed" to takethe role with inducements if he reached scoremilestones or lasted a set number of overs. "I don'tthink he did either but it shows when you reallyput your mind to something and are reallydisciplined on a flat wicket, anyone can makethemselves hard to get out." –AGENCIES

England-NZ first Test ends in draw scoreboard

EENNGGLLAANNDD FFIIRRSSTT IINNNNIINNGGSS 167 all outNNEEWW ZZEEAALLAANNDD FFIIRRSSTT IINNNNIINNGGSS 460-9 dec.EENNGGLLAANNDD SSEECCOONNDD IINNNNIINNGGSS (overnight 234-1)A Cook c Watling b Boult 116N Compton lbw b Wagner 117S Finn lbw b Martin 56J Trott c & b Wagner 52K Pietersen c Watling b Wagner 12I Bell not out 26J Root run out 0M Prior not out 23EEXXTTRRAASS (B-6, LB-11, NB-1, W-1) 19TTOOTTAALL (for six wickets, 170 overs) 421 FFAALLLL OOFF WWIICCKKEETTSS:: 1-231, 2-265, 3-355, 4-367, 5-386, 6-390BBOOWWLLIINNGG:: T Southee 36-8-94-0 T Boult 35-12-49-1N Wagner 43-9-141-3 B Martin 44-13-90-1K Williamson 12-3-30-0

New Zealand’s captain Brendon McCullum (2nd L) shakeshands with England's James Anderson (L) as they walk oKthe ground at the end of the first Test at the UniversityOval on Sunday. –AGENCIES

cJ takes suo motunotice of Lahore incidentIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The Chief JusticeIftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry tooknotice of the Badami Bagh incidentthat occurred in Lahore on Saturdayand fixed the matter in the court onMonday and directed oUce to issuenotices to Advocate General Punjaband IG Punjab to appear and put upcomprehensive reports. The actionwas taken on an oUce note initiatedby the Registrar, Supreme Court ofPakistan based on press clippings ofdiVerent newspapers containing thedetails of the incident that over 178houses were burnt in a mob attack on9.3.2013 in a predominantlyChristian Colony in the Badami Bagharea over an alleged blasphemyincident. The note further intimatedthat the incident is a serious threat tothe life of people and furtherenormous loss of property has beenoccasioned to the property ofminority community, which areserious violations of fundamentalrights. –ONLINE

Ajmer priests refusedonation from RajaAAJJMMEERR:: Priests at the dargah ofKhawaja Moinuddin Chisti refused adonation from Prime Minister RajaPervez Ashraf when he visited the800-year-old Sufi shrine on Saturday."The Prime Minister wanted to oVer'nazrana' (donation) at the dargah.But we told the Pakistan HighCommission that any nazrana by thedignitary will not be accepted," WahidMian Chisti, secretary of theAnjuman Khadims said, adding thatthe refusal had nothing to do with theboycott of Ashraf 's visit by the Diwanof the dargah, Zainul Abedin AliKhan. Chisti said all religious headsand priests, barring Zainul Abedin,were at the dargah when thePakistani leader came with hisdelegation on Saturday. The priestsoVered headgear to Ashraf beforeentering the dargah. Ashraf oVered avelvet 'chadar' and floral tributes atthe mausoleum. He remained at thedargah for about 20 minutes alongwith his wife Nusrat and some 40members of his team. –MONITORING DESK

Bomb kills littlegirl in Landi kotalPPEESSHHAAWWAARR:: A remote controlledbomb exploded near a mosque inLandi Kotal Sunday, killing afour-year-old girl and woundingthree others. The bomb wasplanted beside the outer wall ofthe mosque, local administrationchief Shakeel Burki said. “Theblast killed a four-year-old girland wounded three others, one ofthem seriously,” he said. No onehas claimed responsibility of theblast which came a day after abomb placed in a mosque in adensely populated neighbourhoodof Peshawar went off duringafternoon prayers, killing sixpeople. Peshawar is vulnerable tobomb blasts and Taleban attacksas it runs into the semi-autonomous tribal belt,considered a safe haven forTaleban, Al Qaeda and otherinsurgents fighting both inPakistan and across the border inAfghanistan. –STAFF REPORTER

Elections may be heldon may 9: khurshid ShahKKAARRAACCHHII:: Federal Minister andPPP leader Syed Khurshid Shah saidthat general elections will possibly beheld by May 9. Talking to reportershere Sunday‚ he said schedule forgeneral elections will be issued in 3 to4 days. Khurshid said the PPP-ledgovernment has completed its 5-yearterm and now the people will decideabout the future governmentthemselves keeping in view ourperformance. –ONLINE

MONDAYMARCH 11, 2013THE SPOKESMAN - RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD

ZEESHAN JAVAID

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The power sector has forecastan alarming electricity load-shedding of up to12 hours during the upcoming summer seasonbecause of power shortage, which is estimatedat 6,489 MW in the grid system of PakistanElectric Power Company (PEPCO) for themonth of June 2013.A document available with The Spokesman

revealed that the power shortage will likely toshoot up to 6,489MW during end of Fiscal Year2012-13, which would cause the severe load-shedding in upcoming summer season.It further says that the demand of electricity

consumption could reach up to 24,656MWagainst the estimated power generationcapacity of 18,167MW during summer season.

The country has been facing chronicelectricity shortage because of no addition tothe generation capacity against the demandgrowth along with other major reasons,including high system losses and seasonalreduction in the availability of hydropowerand circular debt.The Water and Power Development

Authority (WAPDA), the major stakeholder ofhydel power generation, failed to add a visiblevolume of hydel power to the national gridbecause in the power sector - which is a mix ofthermal, hydro and nuclear power plants - theratio of hydel to thermal installed generationcapacity in the country was 67 percent to 33percent respectively in the year 1985, while thefailure of WAPDA turned the hydel generationcapacity down and the ratio of thermal and

hydel now stood at around 28 percent to 68percent respectively.During last fiscal year 2011-12, the total

energy generated in the country was recorded98.664 billion units of which the share ofthermal electricity generation was 64.821billion units; hydel power plants generated28.643 billion units, while the nuclear powerplants put its power generation share up to4.872 billion units.A senior oUcial of the Ministry of Water and

Power says to minimise the forecast of severeelectricity load-shedding during the upcomingsummer, WAPDA needs to enhance the hydelpower generation and not to rely on the thermalpower. “The increasing share of thermalelectricity increased the utilities’ financialburden, particularly in foreign exchange. There

is a strong need to increase the hydel generationby adding new small or medium hydropowergeneration plants,” he maintained.The country has a potential of around

40,000MW hydropower, whereas the installedaverage hydel power capacity at the end of FY2011-12 was recorded 6,716MW, the share ofexisting hydel power installed capacity to thetotal installed generation capacity of thecountry is only 28.53 percent.During last fiscal year (FY) 2011-12, the major

part of total energy mix was generated throughFurnace Oil showing 34.18 percent share as30.662 billion units were generated ataccumulated cost of Rs 488.617 billion withhighest per unit cost Rs 15.94.Approximately 28.643 billion units were

generated through hydel resources with the

total cost of Rs. 4.66 billion as Rs. 0.16 per unitand the share of hydel energy in total energymix was recorded up to 31.93 percent duringlast fiscal year.During last five years, WAPDA despite to

enhance the hydel power generation capacity,curtailed the hydel generation up to 19% asrecord revealed that WAPDA generated totalhydel power 6,114MW during year 2008,while it was decreased up to 4,944MWduring last year 2012.Tarbela hydropower plants reduced its

generation up to 2,182MW during last year ascompare to 3,149MW in year 2008 showing adecrease of 30 percent, Mangla Dam producedless power generation in year 2012 up to850MW only compare to power generation in2008 as 1,070MW showing 20.56 percent.

Hard times ahead as power shortfall to reach 6,489MW in June

cmYk

OUR STAFF REPORTER

PPEESSHHAAWWAARR:: Attacking politicaldynasties, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf(PTI) Chairman Imran KhanSunday said, “PTI do not want tobecome a Family LimitedCompany.”“The day my party members elect

Suleman Khan [Imran Khan’s son]as the party leader, I will resign,” he

declared while addressing a rallyhere. “In all these years, they[politicians] haven’t made leadersbut made children.”Condemned the Joseph Colony

attack, Imran said if the Punjabgovernment had caught theterrorists in Gojra, then this attackcould have been avoided altogether.He also condemned the recent

terrorist attacks on Shias and

stated he had a solution forsectarian violence. He also claimedto have the answer to increasingterrorism and said it will berevealed during an upcoming rally.“If this Punjab government doesnot make seat adjustment withterrorists then terrorism can becurbed. They [PML-N] only careabout ‘the chair’, whatever comesalong they do not care,” the PTI

Chairman said.Imran said he will unveil the PTI

manifesto on March 23 during theirLahore rally to be held on thegrounds of Minar-e-Pakistan. Hesaid, “The manifesto will explainhow we [PTI] will build NayaPakistan [New Pakistan].”He reiterated that corruption and

tax evasion is the cause forPakistan’s failure as a nation. “We

are the first party who asked eachand every member to declare theirassets and we have put up theresults on our website,” Imran said.

He concluded by saying, “PTI isnot a Tsunami but a ‘Tsunama’.”

After the rally, a staircase brokeinjuring seven people. The incidentoccurred when workers present onstage tried to follow Imran Khanon the stage.

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan addressing a public gathering at Ring Road Chowk. –ONLINE

TAHIR NIAZ

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: With the treasury andopposition, so far standing polls aparton the appointment of caretaker primeminister, the Election Commission ofPakistan (ECP) would be in a fix overwhose nominee it would pick to beappointed as the caretaker primeminister if at all the case is referred to itfor final decision.Under Article 224-A of the constitution,

if the Prime Minister and the Leader ofthe Opposition in the outgoing NationalAssembly do not agree on any person tobe appointed as the caretaker PrimeMinister, within three days of thedissolution of the Assembly (by March19), they shall forward two nominees eachto a Committee to be immediatelyconstituted by the Speaker of the NationalAssembly to final the name for caretakerprime minister. The Committee shallfinalize the name of the caretaker PrimeMinister within three days of the referralof the matter to it (by March 22) and incase of inability of the Committee todecide the matter in the aforesaid period,the names of the nominees shall bereferred to the ECP for final decisionwithin two days (by March 25).The sources in the ECP are of the view

that it would be a testing time for theECP as it will have no other option butto pick one either from the nominees ofthe PPP or the PML-N in general. “Wewill have to side either with the PPP orthe PML-N… we will have no otheroption”, a top ECP official told TheSpokesman on Sunday. He believed thatit would be by March 25 that the ECPwould finalize the name of the caretakerprime minister if the parliamentarycommittee failed in reaching aconsensus on the issue. “With some

elements already campaigning todeclare the ECP controversial, the ECPdecision to finalize the caretaker primeminister might help them acceleratingcampaign against the ECP”, he feared.The ECP consists of four members,

one from each province and the ChiefElection Commissioner Justice(Retd.)Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim.Amongst the members, Justice

(Retd.) Muhammad Roshan Essanirepresents Sindh, Justice (Retd.) RiazKiyani represents Punjab, Justice(Retd.) Fazal-ur-Rehman representsBalochistan and Justice (Retd.)Shahzad Akbar Khan is therepresentative of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwaprovince. The nominee for the caretakerprime minister requires the support ofat least three ECP members to hold thepost. The ECP has been in the limelightover the issue of delimitation in Karachiand verification of educationalcertificates of the sitting MPs. On theother hand, the ECP is waiting responsefrom the Presidency over the issue of newnomination forms, to be presented to thepotential candidates in the upcominggeneral elections. If the President rejectsthe ECP proposals, it would have no otheroption but to oVer the old nominationpapers to the candidates.

Imran opposes ‘Family Ltd’ parties� PTI is not a Tsunami but a ‘Tsunama’ � Blames Sharifs for Joseph Colony attack � To unveil manifesto in Lahore rally on 23rd

ECP in a fix oververy first ‘audition’

CCAAIIRROO:: Protesters in Port Said tried to blockthe Suez Canal and deadly riots broke out inCairo the other day after a judge upheld thedeath sentences for 21 people involved inEgypt's worst ever football crowd disasterand jailed a further 24.The unrest follows a month of violence in

the northern Egyptian city where more than50 people have already been killed andhundreds injured in clashes with police.On Saturday, Port Said residents set

loose boats, attempted to block the Suezwith ferries, and attacked the city'sstadium after the verdict. In Cairo,hardcore football fans set on fire a policebuilding and two restaurants, and blockedseveral roads and one of the city's mainbridges. At least two people died duringthe ensuing clashes with police.The fighting is part of the fallout from a

stadium disaster in February last year, inwhich more than 70 fans of Cairo club AhlyFC were killed in rioting and crushes after agame against Port Said's Masry FC. Twenty-one Masry fans were condemned to death inJanuary for their role in that riot – a verdictthat sparked a bloodbath in which at least 40people died, and set in motion a month ofcivil disobedience. Throughout February,Port Said has been paralysed by strikes,school walkouts and further clashes that haveseen government oUces set alight andransacked. Port Said residents have resortedto civil disobedience because they believe thatthose condemned in January's verdict weresacrificed in order to placate the restive Ahlyfans in Cairo. That feeling of injustice wasexacerbated by Sunday's verdict, which wasmet by screams of horror from Port Saidresidents watching on television in cafesacross the city. Many felt their friends hadconvicted for nothing. "Twenty-five years forsomeone helping to carry the dead outsidethe stadium," said Mohamed Ataya, a PortSaid fan alluding to the case of his friend –jailed on Sunday – who Ataya said was notinvolved in the violence. "They are sacrificingus to satisfy Cairo." –AGENCIES

Football disasterRiots as Egyptianjudge upholds 21death sentences

SUSHANT SAREEN

NNEEWW DDEELLHHII:: Terming as"unoUcial" Prime MinisterRaja Pervez Ashraf 's visit toIndia, External AVairsMinister Salman KhurshidSunday said success inbilateral issues involving thetwo neighbours is a timetaking aVair.The minister also said he

would not be able to give atimeframe as to whenoUcial talks between thetwo nations could take placein the future."Success (in issues related

to India and Pakistan) is notachieved in a day or amoment. First thefoundation is made and thenwe subsequently go ahead tocreate an edifice," Khurshid,who oUciated as the chiefguest at the Raising Daycelebrations of paramilitary

CISF here, said.He was asked if there was

any progress in bilateralissues after he met thePakistan Prime Minister inJaipur. Khurshid maintainedthat the visit of the PakistaniPrime Minister was "not anoUcial" trip and it was acourtesy extended by theIndian government whenAshraf desired to visit theSufi shrine in Ajmer alongwith his family. "It is courtesythat one is allowed to go tohis place of prayer for thepeace of the soul andmind...Similarly when peoplefrom India want to visit agurudwara for pilgrimage inPakistan that is a courtesy,"he said. Khurshid said hewould not be able to give atime frame as to whenoUcial talks between thetwo nations could take placein the future.

Yasin under house arrestSSRRIINNAAGGAARR:: JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik was Sundaydetained at Srinagar Airport soon after his arrival fromDelhi and "escorted to his home" here. Police sourcessaid that Malik, who returned from Pakistan after overseven-week stay Saturday, was detained at the airportand escorted to his home at Maisuma. Malik, however,claimed that he has been put under house arrest.“Malik was taken into custody by police within theairport premises and later taken out through the backgate,” a spokesman of JKLF said. Malik has been underattack for meeting terror outfit Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT)chief Hafeez Saeed in Pakistan and his return tonational capital saw protests by Shiv Sena activists atthe airport. –STAFF REPORT

No timeframefor talks, saysNew Delhi� Khursheed says dialoguewill take time to bear fruit

�No choice but to pick PPP or PML-N nominee ifconsensus not developed on caretaker PM

OUR STAFF REPORTER

KKAARRAACCHHII:: ParamilitaryRangers on Sundaylaunched a targetedcrackdown in thePakhtunabad area ofMangopir, a hotbed ofTaliban and banned militantgroups, and arrested morethan a dozen suspects andrecovered weapons.The area was cordoned oV

in the early morning, with allexit and entry points sealed.Aerial surveillance wascarried out via a chopperthat was hovering in the airthroughout the searchoperation. The hoodedcommandos of theparamilitary force, includingthe women’s wing,

participated in the searchoperation. Sources said therangers discovered thehideouts of militants inbanned extremist groupsand rounded up 15 suspects.They also recovered about100 weapons. President Zardari, who has

been in Karachi for the pastcouple of days, gave thepolice and the rangers a freehand to conduct the targetedoperations in the city. Thepresidential orders cameafter army chief GeneralAshfaq Parvez Kayani calledon him last Thursday andconveyed the concerns of acorps commandermeeting over theworsening law and ordersituation in the country.

Rangers begincrackdown in Karachi