Sunday, 15 July, 2012 Shaban 24, 1433Lahore editionRs 22.00 Vol iii no 20 19 pages

BISHAMAPP

PRIME Minister Raja PervaizAshraf on Saturday urged op-position parties to shun differ-ences and come forward tohold free, fair and transparent

elections in the country.Election is the only process to reach

the power corridors, the prime ministersaid while addressing a function after in-augurating 72MW Khankhwar hydropower project in Bisham town of KhyberPakhtunkhwa. Ashraf said he did not

have differences with any oppositionparty and all should make collective ef-forts for holding free and fair elections.

He said a consensus chief electioncommissioner had been appointed be-cause we do not want any hanky panky

in the polling process. The PM said hehad never made any effort to manipulatethe elections, rather we are victims ofconspiracies. The prime minister saidthe present government would remain inpower until God wanted to.

Some people have been giving timeand dates for the departure of the govern-ment, but all such speculations fizzled outwith the passage of time, he added. Hesaid no effort should be made to destabi-lize the government and collective effortswere needed to steer the country out thecrisis. The prime minister said he wassincere in establishing cordial relationswith the opposition parties.

He regretted that dictators ruled thecountry for more than 10 years at a go butno one stopped them from their uncon-stitutional actions, but an elected govern-ment was unnecessarily being targeted.He said all hydro power projects, includ-ing Neelum Jehlum, Dober, Kohala andDasu, would be taken up for overcomingthe energy crisis.

The future of the country lies inincreasing hydro power generation,he said, adding that work on the TharCoal project had already been initi-ated. The prime minister said severalinvestors had left the country due toundue criticism of independent powerproducers (IPPs). Ashraf said powercrisis would have worsened if the IPPswere not put in place. He said the gov-ernment was focusing on hydropowergeneration projects to produce inexpen-sive and environment friendly power.

The PM said the demand of powerwas increasing eight to 10 percent annu-ally and this challenge could only be metby plugging the demand and supply gap.

Govt to raise

POL, CNG prices

by up to Rs 5 ISLAMABAD

Agencies

The government on Saturday decidedto increase the prices of petroleumproducts and CNG from Re 1 to Rs 5.Per reports, CNG price is likely to soarby Rs 1.25 per kilogram in region-I andII, which will push the gas price to Rs71.89 per kg in region-I and Rs 78.62in region-II. According to thePetroleum Ministry, petrol price willbe increased by Rs 1.41 per liter, LightDiesel by Rs 1.62, Kerosene Oil by Rs1.94 and High Octane price will beraised by Rs 5.64. The price of HighSpeed Diesel will be retained at thecurrent level. The notification for thenew prices of petroleum products willbe issued today (Sunday). Earlier, thegovernment had substantially slashedPOL prices twice in a month in movescriticized by many as bids to regainpopularity among the masses ahead ofthe election. The government had cutpetroleum prices by up to Rs 6.44 perlitre and CNG prices by Rs 4.59 per kgon June 30, and as the electionsneared, people were expecting POLprices to fall further. Asked about thePOL price hike, a customer at a CNGfilling station said it was expected, butnot this soon. I thought they[government] would stick to theirdecision of keeping POL prices low,but its sad they could not sustain thelittle good they did, he said.

g Ashraf says elections only

way to come into powerg Future of country lies in

increasing hydro-power

generation

Quotas for youth:PML-Ns panaceain a PTI pinch

LAHOREUmAir Aziz

The newly-proposed legislation to benefitthe youth and technocrats in the newly-proposed Punjab Local Government Act,2012 currently in the Punjab Assembly is said to be politically motivated, andwithout any provision in the constitution,Pakistan Today has learnt.The prime mover, sources privy to thedevelopment reveal, is the Punjabsincumbent political dispensation newly-formed strategy to woo the youth andtechnocrats with an eye on the forthcomingelections. The mouthwatering carrot of thereserved seats is meant to engage thesetwo fast emerging voting niches before theelections because these vast urbansegments have the potential to swing theelections for the PTI at the PML-Nsdetriment. The beleaguered PPP and itscoalition partners in the federalgovernment are currently being hammeredby most political opponents and analystsover a brace of politically motivatedlegislation. By no means is the practice isthe exclusive preserve of the PPP. ThePML-N too has a history of indulging itselfwith gay abandon, finding justification ingarnering selfish ends even when meansare far removed from justified.Last month Shahbaz Sharif presided over thecabinet meeting, which approved the draftlaw of the Punjab Local Government Act2012. The meeting also proposed four-yeartenure for the local governments, besidesrestoring offices of mayor, deputy mayor andchairman replacing the Nazimate introducedby Gen Musharraf. Addressing the cabinet,the high-sounding CM had termed the newsystem more in tune with the modern age,closer to the aspirations of masses and thepromotion of democratic process. He furtherallocated five percent quota for the youth togive effective representation to the youngergeneration in the decision-making process.Special seats have also been reserved forwomen, minorities, farmers and workers togive due representation to all segments ofthe society. The draft bill also sets an agelimit of 21 years to 25 years and a minimumqualification of Masters degree for the youngcouncilors. Sources in the governmentexpressed their reservations on setting this asthe minimum qualification, which was noteven required for the countrys superiorservices. However, the legal experts confidedto the scribe that the matter of qualificationand age limit is secondary. The primaryissue is that the constitution does not providefor the reserved seats for technocrats andyouth, while it backs minorities, women andpeasant seats in the supreme document.There is always a rationale in the provisionsof the constitution; women, minorities andpeasants have been mentioned there, butquota for the youth and technocrats has sospace, said a senior legal expert, seekinganonymity.The legal experts are of the opinion thateven if the Punjab Assembly passes the bill,it will still remain challengeable in courts,which can strike it down. Interestinglyagain Punjab would be the first province tohave a special quota for the youth in localbodies, which according to the critics is anattempt to sneak into the PTI chairmanImran Khans overwhelming influence onthe youth. The PML-N senator PervaizRasheed however said the government hasonly decided to present the draft bill in thePunjab Assembly, which has a strongopposition, which will grill the bill beforepassing it, and in the process highlight ifanything is against the constitution afterwhich the PA will decide a way out. To aquestion, Rasheed said the cabinet has justgiven approval to present the draft bill inthe assembly.

BAlochistAN shuts dowN oN ANP strike cAll

BAlochistAN shuts dowN oN ANP strike cAll

QUETTAAgencies

A shutter-down strike wasobserved across Balochistan onSaturday on a call given by theAwami National Party (ANP)against Fridays bomb attack onits rally. Meanwhile, at least 10workers of the ANP were injuredwhen unidentified gunmenopened fire at a party gatheringat Quettas Zarghoon Road.Following the strike call,

commercial areas and otherbusiness centers of Quetta,including Liaquat Bazaar,Jinnah Road and Abdus SattarRoad remained closed and lessthan routine traffic waswitnessed plying the roads. TheANP also announced three-daymourning over the terroristattack on its rally in which sixpeople were killed. There was asecurity high alert put in placeacross the city, with securityagencies patrolling around the

city to avert any untowardsituation. The strike was alsoobserved in Pishin, Kochlak andChaman.Expressing grief over thekillings and condemning theKochlak massacre,Pakhtunkhwa Mili Awami Party,Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), JamiatUlema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F),Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI)and Anjuman Tajiran alsoannounced complete backing forthe strike.

10 hurt in firing on ANP workers in Quetta

PM offers olive branchto Opp for free, fair polls

Continued on page 04

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Decision to be made after consultations with allies: khosa the strange case of Jonathan Pollard

Contempt law challengedin SCs Lahore RegistryLAHORE: The recently approved contempt law has beenchallenged in the Lahore Registry of the Supreme Court on Saturday.Petitioner Barrister Zafarullah stated that the new contempt law wasa conspiracy to limit powers exercised by the judiciary and anattempt to amend the constitution. However, the new prime ministerwill be tried under the contempt law of 2003 and not the new one, asthe action was initiated on the National Reconciliation Ordinance(NRO) case under the law of 2003. APP

Two soldiers killedin SWA clashesWANA: Two soldiers were killed and several others were injured inclashes with militants in Baddar village of South Waziristans Ladhatehsil on Saturday. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesmanIhsanullah Ihsan claimed that the clashes were continuing betweenthe security forces and the militants in Baddar since Friday night inwhich two soldiers were killed and several others were injured so far.However, the ISPR has not issued any statement about the clashes. inP

Nine killed as bus, truckcollide near JampurAt least nine people, including three women, were killed on Saturdaywhen a bus carrying pilgrims collided with a truck in Dera Ghazi Khan,a private TV channel reported. Dozens of people were reportedlyinjured in the crash. The accident took place on Indus Highway nearJampur tehsil of DG Khan. According to police, the bus was heading toHafizabad from Sehwan Sharif when it hit a truck head on, leavingnine people dead and several others injured. monitoring Desk

Eight Gujrat attack suspectsarrested in GujranwalaGujRANWALA: Law enforcement agencies on Saturday arrestedeight more suspects involved in the army camp attack in Wazirabad.According to officials, the police along with intelligence personnelcarried out a joint operation in the Peoples Colony and Amainabadarea of Gujranwala and arrested eight suspects from politico-religiousand outlawed outfits. The police said that these fresh arrests werecarried out on information gathered through interrogation from thosealready in custody. They were shifted to an undisclosed place forfurther investigation of the Gujrat attack incident. The operation waslaunched in areas surrounding the Chenab, following a terrorist attackon an army camp at the river bank. Sources said that the countryspremier intelligence and other agencies were actively working on thecase and the role of local police had been marginalised. Agencies

Women honourably killed jHANG/ FAISALABAD: Two women were killed in the name ofhonour in two separate incidents on Saturday. A young girl Sumera,daughter of Ghulam Murtaza, was shot dead in the jurisdiction ofGarh police station, Faisalabad, by Nasir Ali, resident of ChakNo.549-GB, and others on suspicion of having an affair. Anotherwoman in Jhang was electrocuted by three persons, in thejurisdiction of Satellite Town police station. The police reported thatMuhammad Ramazan, a resident of Basti Bajaywali, reported topolice that Yaqoob along with two others barged into his house lastnight and killed his niece Saira Bibi. Agencies

LONDONnni

PAKISTAN Muslim League-Nawaz(PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif hasaccused Pakistan Peoples Partys coali-tion partners of doing the politics ofvested interests.Addressing a press conference on Satur-day, the former prime minister also ac-

cused the PPP and its allies ofdestroying Pakistan. He said those

who backed off from their promisesof giving evidence to the Scotland

Yard had changed their positionsand they were unfit to run the

country, an obvious referenceto Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

Chairman Imran Khan.Khan had said he wouldprovide the London Po-lice with evidence againstthe Muttahida Qaumi

Movement. Nawaz said hehad sacrificed his govern-

ment in Sindh for law and order and over the murderof Hakim Muhammad Saeed in Karachi. He said heshould be given credit of good work that he carried outduring his stint as the prime minister of Pakistan. ThePML-N constructed airports; made Pakistan an atomicpower and finished unemployment from the country.There was no existence of terrorism in my tenure, hesaid. The former prime minister said he had built themotorway where fighter planes like JF-17 Thunder andF-16 could land and take off, signed deal for the JF-17Thunder project, invited Indian prime minister, elimi-nated unemployment and was about to eliminatepoverty when his government was toppled by thosewho were against development. He said 70 percent ofload shedding should have been ended by the govern-ments in its four years of rule. The PML-N presidentsaid he considered party workers a priceless asset.Nawaz said long marches were obvious, as generalelections were nearing. He said he was blamed forbeing a friendly opposition, but said friendly oppo-sitions did not stage long marches. He accused Pres-ident Asif Ali Zardari of violating the Charter ofDemocracy (COD) signed by him and PPPs latechairperson Benazir Bhutto. Nawaz said ShahbazSharif had show exceptional performance in Punjab.

Govt, allies doing politicsof vested interests: Nawazg PML-N chief says he should be given credit of good work as prime minister

DPc long marchsets off for chamanto save Pakistan

QUETTAshAhzADA zUlfiqAr

The Difa-e-Pakistan Council on Saturday kicked off itsmarch from Quetta to Chaman against thegovernments move to restore NATO supplies throughPakistan, with only a few DPC figures leading the rally.Maulana Samiul Haq, Maulana Amir Hamza, HafizFazal Muhammad Bareach, Maulana AurangzaibFarooqi, Maulana Qadir Luni and Abdul Kabeer Shakirparticipated in the march. A large number of peoplehailing from various religious parties took part in thelong march. After a few speeches at Meezan Chowk inQuetta, the procession set off for Kochlak town on themain Quetta-Chaman highway to address anotherpublic meeting. The participants stopped at Kuchlakand Yaro where Maulana Samiul Haq and otherleaders addressed the people. The sole purpose of thislong march is to safeguard Pakistans frontiers becausethe US is now focusing on Pakistan after targetingAfghanistan, Haq said, adding that the US wasinvolved in the ongoing unrest in Pakistan, particularlyin Balochistan. He said by participating in the rally, thepeople of Balochistan had proved that they were truePakistanis and lovers of Islam. Haq said the rulers hadgiven priority to the US by restoring NATO suppliesagainst the wishes of the people and disrespected themasses as well as parliament. The DPC leader said theforum would adopt all peaceful means to stop NATOsupplies via Pakistan, as blocking NATO supplies wasindispensable for the security of the court.

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NABs reopening of cases against Sharifs

humayun gauhar says;Small men: We know well what happens to them when given power

saad rasool says; Conflicted from within: And no, Ababeel dont show up anymore

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sylvestor stallones son found dead sorry brother Pakistan, your wheats bad quality: iran Pakistan want Drs for all intl matches

PESHAWARstAff rePort

OPPOSING the re-sumption of NATOsupplies on Saturday,Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Chairman

Imran Khan said the decision wascontrary to the wishes and expecta-tions of the people of the country.

Addressing a large sit-in on GTRoad, Khan said, The nation isagainst the war on terror as it isAmericas war.

The sit-in was arranged toprotest the resumption NATO sup-plies and it was participated by PTIworkers and stalwarts from all overthe province and the Tribal Areas.

Amidst sizzling heat, thousands

of PTI workers poured in Peshawarfrom all over the region and stageda sit-in on the main GT Road. PTIworkers chanted slogans against thegovernment and demanded an endto all sorts of relations with theUnited States.

Khan said Pakistan and its peo-ple did not have any concern withthe war on terror as it is Americaswar. Pakistan must disassociate it-self from it without any delay.

Khan said the US was only inter-ested in safeguarding of its own in-terests in this region, adding that itwas not with terrorism, militancy oreven human rights.

The PTI chief said the entire na-tion had insisted on linking therestoration of NATO supply routeswith an end to the US drone strikes

but it was astonishing that withoutensuring that, the government hadallowed supplies to NATO troopscamping across the border inAfghanistan. Khan said all US dronevictims were Pakistani nationals.There are no foreigners, he said,demanding the government take outa list of the names of the victims ofdrone strikes.

Leveling corruption allegationsagainst the government, Khan saidbillions of rupees were embezzledevery day. He said right from thepresident to the common worker ofthe ruling party, all are involved incorruption and malpractices.

Khan said the ANP leadershiphad also broken all records of cor-ruption in joining hands with AsifAli Zardari.

Reaffirming his support to thechief justice of Pakistan, Khanwarned of staging what he called atsunami rally in Islamabad ifsomeone jeopardised the sanctity ofthe Supreme Court. He said the gov-ernment needed to obey all direc-tives of the Supreme Courtotherwise it would lose its right toremain in power.

Khan said the PTI was deter-mined to make a new Pakistanwhere people enjoyed equal rightsand privileges without any discrimi-nation, adding that the PTI wasgoing to set up organizations for thepropose.

He said the PTI would lead ajirga to Waziristan by the end ofSeptember to ensure the return ofpeace to the region.

govt trampled peoples wishes

on naTo supplies, says imrang PTI chief says Pakistan must disassociate itself from Americas war on terror

NEWS DESK

Islamic groups in Pakistan were initially hos-tile to cable TV because of concerns aboutobscene foreign imports, but religion nowdominates the airwaves. A new breed of Is-

lamic TV evangelist has emerged, leading toa confrontation with liberals, according to areport in the BBC.

On any day of the week, television inPakistan is a potent cocktail of soap operas,fiery political debate and, increasingly, pop-Islam. This last strand of programming hasa set format. Viewers call up to ask questionsabout Islamic rulings on everything fromhair removal to ethical mortgages. The an-chors - part celebrity, part religious leaders -dish out bite-size fatwas (theological rulings)for audiences with a seemingly insatiable ap-petite for religion on TV. Controversy hassurrounded many of these programmes andthe pious presenters that front them.

Farhat Hashmi has been accused of em-bezzling funds from her television show andfleeing to Canada to avoid prosecution, al-though she denies any wrongdoing. AndMehar Bukhari, known for her political in-terviews, sparked outrage by declaring the

politician she was speaking to was a heretic.Another mullah clashed with a Bollywoodactress on live television after condemningher behaviour - that clip subsequently be-came a viral hit. But the best-known of all theTV evangelists is Dr Amir Liaqat. From aglossy television studio above a parade ofrun-down shops in Karachi, he had an audi-ence of millions for Alim aur Alam, a liveone-hour show that went out five days aweek across Pakistan.

The programme allowed Dr Liaqat toplay the role of a religious Agony Uncle,remedying the religious dilemmas of his au-dience. In September 2008, Liaqat dedi-cated an entire episode to exploring thebeliefs of the Ahmedis, a Muslim sect whichhas been declared as un-Islamic by muchof the orthodoxy. In it, two scholars said thatanyone who associated with false prophetswas worthy of murder.

Dr Khalid Yusaf, an Ahmedi Muslim,

watched the programme with his family, andsays he was shocked that a mainstreamchannel would broadcast this kind of mate-rial. They talked about murder as a religiousduty. A duty for good Muslims.

Within 24 hours of the broadcast, aprominent member of the Ahmedi commu-nity was shot dead in the small town of Mir-pur Kass. Twenty-four hours later KhalidYusafs father, another Ahmedi communityleader, was killed by two masked gunmen.

Liaqat has distanced himself from theshootings. I have no regrets because it hasnothing to do with me, he says. Im hurt bywhat happened and Im sorry for the familiesbut it has nothing to do with me or anythingthat was said on my programme.

Although Liaqat attracted some criti-cism within the comment pages of Pakistansbroadsheets, the Ahmedi incident hasntdamaged his career. Hes being paid to en-dorse a brand of cooking oil and hes soon to

launch his debut album of religious songs.He continues to present his television showand has this month returned to his old chan-nel Geo, one of the most popular networksin Pakistan.

PEMRA, the Pakistan Electronic MediaRegulatory Authority, is a government or-ganisation entrusted with policing the na-tions TV channels. One of their stated aimsis to stop the broadcast of programmes thatpromote communal and sectarian attitudesand disharmony.

Critics have branded the organisation astoothless after they failed to take any actionagainst Liaqat. PEMRAs general managersaid he didnt want to speak about the regu-lation of religious broadcasters as it would belike starting a fire.

But not everyone in Pakistan believesthat theres a problem with television evan-gelists. Liaqat says these programmes haveappeal because they educate. I want tospread a message of love. Despite all the con-troversy I am still here and audiences loveme because people want to learn about reli-gion. Thats why people watch these pro-grammes. People want to learn.

The rise of The TelevangelisTs

PESHAWARstAff rePort

Expressing severe resentment over theincreasing confrontation between theexecutive and judiciary, JamiatUlema-e-Islam-Fazl chief FazlurRehman on Saturday called it harmfulto the very interests of the country andthe democratic process.

Conspiracies are being hatchedagainst democracy, Fazl said whileaddressing a function arranged byJUI-F in Peshawar on Saturday. Hesaid the conspiracies against the dem-ocratic process could be averted byholding of early elections. Fazl, how-ever, said for such a purpose, under-standing was essential between thegovernment and opposition. Referringto ongoing hostilities between the ju-diciary and government, Fazl said,Affairs are getting personal, addingthat the judiciary had become aparty.

The JUI-F chief suggested the ju-diciary remain impartial. Welcomingthe appointment of Justice (r)

Fakharuddin G Ebrahim as the chiefelection commissioner, Fazl said, Itcould be hard for the CEC to under-

stand the election complications atthis stage.

He, however, said he desired im-partial and transparent elections. Re-garding extraordinary activism on partof certain religious-politico groups, hesaid, Secret agencies are patronizingthe groups involved in sectarian vio-lence. He said the agencies were uti-lizing these groups for meeting itsnefarious designs. Fazl accused the es-tablishment of creating hurdles forhis party, saying, The reason is clear,JUI-Fs reluctance to toe its (agencies)line. He said the JUI-F was capable ofgetting rid of its rivals, but fighting theestablishment was very hard. Ex-pressing disappointment with the per-formance of the present government,Fazl said all policies and decisionswere still made by corps commandersrather then governors and chief min-isters. He said supplies to NATO hadresumed, but the US still continued toconduct drone strikes.

New CEC cant apprehend election complexities in this age: Fazl

Man buries newborn daughteralive in KhanewalKHANEWAL: A man buried alive his newly borndaughter in the Kacha Koh area of Khanewaldistrict for being handicapped, police and witnessessaid. Chand Khan, a father of five daughters, had asixth daughter the other day, who wasunfortunately handicapped. Hospital sources saidKhan had insisted the doctors poison his daughter,but the doctors refused to do so. Later, Khan tookthe newborn from the hospital to his village andannounced that his daughter was born dead. Heasked a local cleric to offer the funeral prayers, butas the prayers were in process, the child startedcrying, taking the villagers aback. Khanimmediately made away with his daughter. Later atnight, Khan went to a nearby graveyard and buriedthe child alive. Residents informed the police of theincident, who arrested the culprit and registered acase against him under Sections 301 and 302. Policehave moved a plea in the sessions court forexhumation of the childs body. Agencies

PESHAWAR: PakistanTehreek-e-InsafChairman Imran Khanaddresses a protestrally againstreopening of NATOsupply routes onSaturday. STAFF PhoTo

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ISLAMABADonline

MISAPPROPRI-A T I O N S ,frauds, lossesand thefts havebeen un-

earthed in the Pakistan Postcaused a loss of Rs 69.744million to the national ex-chequer.

The auditor general ofPakistan in its report has re-vealed 97 cases of deflectionsand losses during 2003-04for which no disciplinary ac-tion was taken by the admin-

istration. These cases wereneither reported to the auditat the time of their occur-rence nor had the process torecover the amount been ini-tiated. The administrative ac-tion against the delinquentswas also slowed down.

The repot said under Ar-ticle 24 of Posts, Telegraphsand Telephones Initial Ac-count Code Vol-1 Losses andFrauds were required to bereported to audit offices onoccurrence even if the losshad been made good but de-spite that the PPO adminis-tration favoured the officials

involved. It has been also saidthat in cases of fraud, embez-zlement or similar offences,departmental proceedingsshould be instituted at theearliest but nothing had beendone. The DAC in its meetingheld on February 4, 2006 haddirected the management toexpedite action to be taken atthe departmental level in allsuch cases. The managementof Pakistan Post has directedby the Public Accounts Com-mittee to hold an inquiry intoit and give a report regardingall the irregularities with inq0 days to the committee.

BISHAMAgencies

Prime Minister Raja PervezAshraf on Saturday launchedJuly 2012 anti-polio cam-paign and vowed to eradicatethe crippling disease fromthe country.

The prime ministerkicked off the three-day drivefrom July 16-18 by adminis-tering anti-polio vaccine tosix children at the Civil Dis-pensary, Shung. He was ac-companied by Minister forWater and Power ChaudhryAhmad Mukhtar, Special As-sistant to PM on Polio Eradi-cation Begum Shahnaz WazirAli and Pakistan Baitul MaalChairman Zamurd Khan.

The July 2012 anti-poliodrive will target over 34 mil-lion children across the coun-try, with particular focus on

5.12 million minors in KhyberPakhtunkhwa and the Feder-ally Administered TribalAreas (FATA). Ashraf said hewas personally monitoringthe implementation of aug-mented emergency responseaction to control polio.

He said the federal gov-ernment had recently re-leased an amount of Rs 35.15million for strengtheningunion councils polio eradica-tion committees at the rate ofRs 10,000 per union councilfor each campaign. He said16,795 teams would adminis-ter oral anti-polio drops tochildren in KhyberPakhtunkhwa. Ashraf saidthe government was aware ofreported cases of polio insome parts of the country,adding that special steps hadbeen taken to vaccinate thechildren in FATA.

Five gunneddown inbalochistanviolence

QUETTAstAff rePort

At least five people weregunned down in variousincidents in Balochistan onSaturday. A couple was killedin the name of honour inDhadar area of Bolandistrict. Levies officials saidAbdul Fateh killed his sisterand her alleged paramour,Barkat Ali, in Nafari area forhaving illicit relations. Fatehfled the scene aftercommitting the crime. Thebodies were taken to anearby hospital for autopsy.The officials registered a caseand started investigations.Meanwhile, unidentifiedarmed men tried to snatch amotorcycle from Abdul Kabirin Sabzal Road area. Whenhe resisted, the assailantsfired at him and took awaywith the motorbike. Kabirwas critically injured andsuccumbed to injuries on theway to hospital.

NEW DELHIinP

Former Indian minister andMP Shashi Tharoor, says thatthere is a systematic effort toshield the perpetrators of theMumbai terror attack, but itis in our interest to havepeace with Pakistan, becausedevelopment was not possiblewith troubled borders.

There is an element ofconnivance with the Pakistaniestablishment, as revealed byDavid Headley and now AbuJundal, which hasnt beendealt with convincingly by thePakistani authorities, saidTharoor to Indian media.

However, he said, therewas a realistic case for Indiato make peace with Pakistan.Its in our interest to havepeace with Pakistan. We haveaspirations for ourselves andour people which are notcompatible with hostility with

Pakistan. We wont be able tofocus on development if wehave troubled borders, hesaid. Tharoor, an MP fromThiruvananthapuram, and aformer UN official, was min-ister of state for external af-fairs when Indias relationswith Pakistan were severelystrained after the 26/11 at-tacks and dialogue betweenthe two countries was frozen.

Tharoor attributes thedismal state of India-Pakistanrelations, and the slow paceof 26/11 justice to the stran-glehold of Pakistans military-dominated establishment.There are elements in Pak-istan who dont want peacewith India, because it will de-stroy their excessive claim toinfluence. Pakistan will not bea military-dominated state ifthe military cant persuadethe country that there is athreat from India, he said.

In his new book, Pax In-

dica: India and the World ofthe 21st Century, Tharoorwrites: The central problembedevilling the relationshipbetween the two sub-conti-nental neighbours is not, asPakistani propagandists liketo suggest, Kashmir, butrather the nature of the Pak-istani state itself - specifically,the stranglehold over Pakistanof the worlds most lavishlyfunded military (in terms ofpercentage of national re-sources and GDP consumedby any army on the planet).

Pitching for multi-align-ment as New Delhis model ofdiplomacy in a multi-polar 21stcentury world, Tharoor hasused the metaphor of the world-wide web in Pax Indica to de-scribe how India can juggle aseries of networked relation-ships to realise its foreign policygoals for the larger overarchinggoal of domestic transformationand national renaissance.

NEW DELHIAgencies

India has assured Pakistanthat it will consider liftingthe ban on Pakistanitelevision channels in thecountry.Foreign Secretary JalilAbabs Jilani proposed lastweek that India not onlyallow transmission of PTV,but also private Pakistanichannels, both news andnon-news. Jilani said thatall Indian TV channels areavailable in Pakistan, andIslamabad has donenothing to imposerestrictions on theirtelecast. During talksbetween the two countrieslast week, Pakistanis toldthe Indian delegation, ledby Foreign SecretaryRanjan Mathai, that if Indiawants to spruce up people-to-people contact, it mustallow Pakistani channels tobe broadcast in Indian

homes. He recalled thepopularity of PTVs soapslike Deewarein, Waris andJungle in the 1980s, inIndia, saying that currentprogrammes on Pakistanichannels have the potentialto become as popular.The delegation was assuredby their Indiancounterparts that they willlook positively at theproposal although thematter will first have to bediscussed by theInformation andBroadcasting ministries inboth countries, as PTVsanti- India campaign inthe past over internalissues, including Jammuand Kashmir, has been aconcern. India and Pakistanare looking at signing anMoU for promotion of artsand culture, during the visitof Foreign Minister SMKrishna to Pakistan in earlySeptember. The two sidesare expected to further

hasten the groundwork forKrishnas visit as Pakistanshigh commissioner-designate Salman Bashir,finally presented hiscredentials before PresidentPratibha Patil and assumedfull charge after weeks ofwaiting. As a former foreignsecretary, Bashir wasinstrumental in bringingties back on track after thehiatus caused by 26/11attacks.During the talks, both sidesunderlined the importanceof greater people-to-peoplecontacts and friendlyexchanges in building arelationship of trust andfriendship between the twocountries. They emphasisedthe importance of greaterparliamentary exchanges;promotion of cooperation invarious fields includingfacilitating visits to religiousshrines and cessation ofhostile propaganda againsteach other.

Misappropriations inPakistan Post resultedin loss of Rs 67m

PM launches nationwideanti-polio drive to leave forSaudi arabia today

ISLAMABAD: PrimeMinister Raja Pervaiz Ashrafwill leave the country today(Sunday) for a two-dayofficial visit of Saudi Arabia.During the visit, the PM willhold a meeting with SaudiKing Abdullah bin AbdulAziz and perform Umrah.Saudi Arabias Ambassadorto Pakistan Dr Abdul AzizIbrahim bin Saleh Al-Ghadeer said the meetingbetween the two leaders hasbeen planned for Mondayand Prime Minister Ashrafwill perform Umrah onSunday. He said that PrimeMinister Ashraf woulddiscuss important issues,including bilateral relationsbetween the two Islamicstates, regional andinternational affairs with theSaudi king during themeeting. oNLINe

Peace with Pakistan inIndias best interest,says Shashi Tharoor

India might reverse banon Pakistani channels

lAhore: An elderly woman holds a photograph of her missing relative during a protest outside the lahore high court on saturday.

MIAMIAfP

A US federal judgesentenced an Uzbek man tomore than 15 years inprison Friday on terror andweapons charges forthreatening to kill USPresident Barack Obama,US prosecutors said.Ulugbek Kodirov, 22, wassentenced to 15 years andeight months in prison forproviding material supportto terrorism, threatening tokill the president andpossession of a firearm byan illegal alien, they said ina statement.Kodirov, who entered theUnited States on a valid visabut later was in the countryillegally, will be deported toUzbekistan after hecompletes the sentence, thestatement said. This casehas a happy ending Kodirov is going to prisonfor more than 15 years andno one was hurt, said USAttorney Joyce WhiteVance.Kodirov was arrested onJuly 13, 2011, at a motel inAlabama, after attempting

to buy explosives and gunsfrom an undercover agent.He pleaded guilty to allcharges in February.As part of his pleaagreement withprosecutors, Kodirovadmitted he hadcommunicated with asuspected member of theIslamic Movement ofUzbekistan identified onlyas the Emir whosuggested that he killObama.The US State Departmentlists the Islamic Movementof Uzbekistan as a foreignterrorist organization. Thiscase demonstrates thecontinuing threat posed byviolent extremists in thiscountry and how lawenforcement works togetherto neutralize such plots,said the DOJs assistantattorney general forNational Security, LisaMonaco.Kodirov entered the UnitedStates from Uzbekistan inJune 2009 on a student visathat was revoked in April2010 after he failed toenroll in school. But he didnot leave the United States.

uncontrollable woman of-

floaded from London flight ISLAMABAD: A woman was offloaded from a plane aftershe went berserk on board an airplane at BenazirInternational Airport on Saturday. According to a private TVchannel, Pakistani British Shameen Raza began to run amokwhile she was on board a London-bound flight of PakistanInternational Airlines (PIA) before its takeoff. The staffers atthe plane offloaded her and handed her to Airport SecurityForce (ASF). According to the ASF officials, the woman wasmentally disturbed. After she was taken off the plane, thewoman went on a rampage at the international arrivalcounter and smashed glasses there. oNLINe

Forklift collides with Pia

plane at Milan airportKARACHI: A forklift collided with a PIA plane at MilanAirport, after which the plane has been grounded, a PIAspokesman said. According to the spokesman, the forkliftcollided with flight PK-749, during shifting of cargo at Milanairport. 169 passengers of the flight were due to land in Paris,but have been shifted to a hotel, he added. INP

Monsoon spell to continue LAHORE: The Meteorological Department has announcedon Saturday that more showers are expected in Punjab,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Kashmir. Heavy rains areexpected in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore,Sargodha, Faisalabad, Kashmir and upper and lower parts ofKP. Rain is also forecasted for the coastal areas of Sindh andBalochistan in the next 24 hours. Showers are also expectedfor the Gilgit and Baltistan region. The highest temperaturein the country was recorded at 47 degrees in Dilbadayn. INP

Uzbek man jailed in USover plot to kill Obama

LHR 15-07-2012_Layout 1 7/15/2012 5:45 AM Page 4

Sunday, 15 July, 2012

05

MULTANonline

THE decision regarding writing theletter to the Swiss authorities willbe made after consultation withcoalition partners, Punjab Gover-nor Latif Khosa said on Saturday.

Addressing PPP office bearers, workers,and reporters at the Circuit House, the gov-ernor said the PPP government would con-vene a meeting of the cabinet members of thecoalition partners in which the decisionwould be made on whether or not to write theletter to the Swiss.

Later under the direction and decisionof the cabinet, the government will put for-ward its stance on the issue in the SupremeCourt, he said. Khosa said the people and theconstitution of Pakistan gave protection andimmunity to all presidents of the country in-cluding President Asif Ali Zardari.

We do not intend to present our presi-dent to a third-class magistrate abroad,moreover, it will be a disgrace to the country,he added. He said the PPP governmentwanted to establish a new Seriaki province forthe people of South Punjab and in this regard,President Zardari had directed National As-sembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza to form a 14-

member committee, adding now its the re-sponsibility of the speaker and the Senatechairman.

Criticising the judges of the SupremeCourt, Khosa said they had dual standards, ason the one hand, the age of retirement of apublic servant was 60 while a judge of the SCwas 65-year-old. They are also not replyingto the Public Accounts Committee regardingtheir financial matters, he added.

The governor said the Sharif brothers didnot have a democratic attitude and theyneeded to improve their political skills.

We gave the Punjab government to theSharif brothers as a donation, Khosa said.

LetteR tO the SwiSS

Decision to be made after consultations with allies: Khosag Punjab governor says Punjab government was given to Sharif brothers as donation

Veteran journalistMahmood Hamdanipasses away

ISLAMABADstAff rePort

Veteran journalist Mahmood Hamdanibreathed his last early Saturdaymorning here at a local hospital. He had stopped eating for the pastsome days and had been sufferingfrom dehydration. His son Aliadmitted him at PIMS for treatmenton Wednesday night where the doctorsdetected a kidney problem. Heunderwent a dialysis but could notrecover. During his long professionalcareer, Mr Hamdani served in variouscapacities including Resident EditorThe Nation, Islamabad. Later, he joined Pakistan Today as amember of its founding team atIslamabad. He was also an activist forjournalistic rights and was a very vocalunion leader. Being a leftist, heremained an activist for the rights ofworking journalists. His funeral prayers were offered onSaturday evening at his ancestralvillage, Bahter, near Fateh Jang, alocality in the south of Taxila.

SRINAGARAgencies

The horrendous tales of torture andmass graves in Kashmir brought tolight by British media few days agohave received a positive feedbackfrom Kashmiri citizens and mediaprofessionals in particular.

Two popular media outlets in UK,The Guardian and Channel 4, pub-lished an article and aired a documen-tary, talking about Kashmir being oneof the most under reported conflictson earth.

This has probably happened forthe first time in the history of mediareportage on the Kashmir conflict,that foreign media has come out onthe Kashmir issue, with the big brassof UK media tweeting their views onthe conflict.

However, a leading national dailyquestioned the very credibility ofthese reports, sensing that UKs mediamight be running propaganda againstIndia. The report in the national dailysays, The lacuna in the programme,though, was that no neutral party, letalone authorities in J&K or at theCentre were given an opportunity toexpress their point of view. Strangely,the production team was in the Kash-

mir valley at the time of last yearsstone-pelting incidents in which overa hundred youths were killed. Thereare questions being asked whetherthey were tipped off by those whoplanned the demonstrations.

Internationally acclaimed journal-ists, on the other hand, are all for UKmedias new found support for theKashmir issue.

Jon Snow, a popular anchor withChannel 4 says, Utterly MUST SEEFILM on one of the most under re-ported conflicts on earth: KashmirsTorture Trail, 11.10pm, Tuesday, C4:

Tony Smith, a video journalistwith BBC news, shares his experience,Did this story 18 yrs ago (and won anAmnesty gong). Sad its still goingon.

Kashmiri born London basedjournalist and author of The Collabo-rator, Mirza Waheed opines, Watch-ing Kashmirs Torture Trail onChannel 4; devastating, damning evi-dence of widespread torture by Indianforces. A sad, sad night.

Jonathan Miller, Foreign AffairsCorrespondent with Channel 4 Newssays, Award-winning documentaryteam brings us grim tidings fromunder-reported Kashmir tonight.Kashmirs Torture Trail.

On July 10, UKs leading newspa-per, The Guardian ran an extensivestory on the mysterious disappear-ances, custodial killings and subse-quent disclosure of mass graves inKashmir that took place since theeruption of violence in late 80s.

These series of reports have alsopitched national media against inter-national media, with a leading na-tional daily blaming reportage byUKs media, as being biased and nottaking into account stories from theIndian administration and Securityforces into consideration.

The backlash does not end there.Kashmir based media personnel arealso expressing their opinions as towhy national media is discrediting in-ternational reportage on Kashmir.

What is wrong with human rightsissues being brought to the surface,and if famed journalists are talkingabout it? For so many years, thesevoices have been muzzled and Indianmedia has decided to choose non-se-rious issues over human rights viola-tions in Kashmir. If they are nowsensing UKs current reportage onKashmir as a part of propaganda, thenthat has been their problem fordecades. a Kashmiri journalist wish-ing anonymity expressed.

UK medias coverageon Kashmir HR abuseevokes massive response

qUettA: Difa-e-Pakistan council chairman maulana samiul haq addresses participants of quetta- chaman long march against the reopening of nAto supply route on saturday. INP

LHR 15-07-2012_Layout 1 7/15/2012 5:45 AM Page 5

PHC takes steps to barhealth facilities from becom-ing money-making machinesdevoid of all humanity

LAHOREstAff rePort

FINES and other measures havebeen taken in the recently-in-troduced draft rules of thePunjab Healthcare Commis-

sion (PHC) to ensure proper healthcarefor the public and to bar public health fa-cilities from becoming money-makingmachines devoid of humanity, PakistanToday learnt on Saturday. These draftrules are intended to assure that highquality of care is delivered in healthcareestablishments throughout Punjab start-

ing from Basic Health Unitsand dispensaries to the ter-tiary level hospitalsboth from privateand public sec-tors. Theserules, proce-dures andMinimumService Deliv-ery Standards shallapply to each and every health-care establishment including privateclinics, poly-clinics, private hospitals andpublic sector health outlets including dis-pensaries, BHUs, rural health centres,tehsil headquarter hospitals, DHQ hospi-tals and the teaching hospitals attachedwith public as well as private medicalcolleges in the province.

The Minimum Service Standardstabulated in the draft rules include ac-

cess to care, continuity of care, compre-hensiveness of care, coordination of serv-ices, humaneness of treatment,conservation in intervention, safety ofenvironment, professionalism of healthproviders and participation in usefulstudies. In accordance with the Public

Healthcare CommissionAct 2010, all

healthcare es-tablish-ments will

require tobe regis-

tered and licensed bythe Punjab Healthcare Com-

mission. No healthcare establish-ment shall operate in Punjab withoutbeing duly registered and licensed by thePHC which will develop a strategic planfor this purpose. The Act empowers thePHC to prescribe the appropriate man-ner and form for licensing. This processmay be initiated in a phased mannerkeeping in view the grounds reality andallied factors. For the first five years, aregular license shall be issued on compli-ance with the Minimum Service DeliveryStandards determined by the PHC. Onreceipt of the complete provisional li-censing applications, the relevant health-care establishment will submit detailedinformation of all health providers in-cluding medical staff, consultants, para-medical staff and other employees whichshall be deemed registered under thePHC Act 2010. Once the healthcare es-tablishment has met the standard deter-mined by the PHC, the clinician and thehospital management will request theCommission for an inspection / survey ofthe premises. If the healthcare outletfails to meet certain standards, the PHCmay issue a conditional license and incase of meeting the outstanding stan-dards in a reasonable period of time, aregular license will be issued to the appli-cants which will be valid for a period of

five years. This license is not transferableor assignable and shall be valid only forthe premises named in the application.Re-application for license shall be filedwhen a change of 50 percent or greaterownership occurs.The PHC may suspenda license, deny renewal of a license andrevoke a license besides imposing a finein an amount not to exceed Rs 5 lac oninspection after a complaint or after find-ing a violation of any provision of thedraft rules or abetting the commission ofany illegal act like repeated cases of med-ical negligence against any health outletwhich will be given reasonable periodof time to respond in writing with anacceptable plan of cor-rection for non-compliance.The resultsof the in-vestiga-tion ofany com-plaintagainst thehealth out-lets will be re-viewed and uponrecommendation of theteam leader of the in-spection team for-warded to the Boardof Commissioners forfurther action. Thedraft rules have beenpublished in thegazette of Punjab anddisplayed on the web-site of Punjab Health-care Commission.

Sunday, 15 July, 2012

It is healthcare, not some business!

LHR 15-07-2012_Layout 1 7/15/2012 5:46 AM Page 6

Sunday, 15 July, 2012

07

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Lahore

LAHOREstAff rePort

PASSENGERS for severaltrains, including theKarachi-bound Shali-mar Express, on Satur-

day protested over the 5 to 15hour delay in departure. Accord-ing to reports, minor scufflesbroke out between the passengersand administration over thedelay.

Pakistan Railway blamedshortage of engines and technicalfaults, having stopped 45 trainspermanently. The railway is nowconsidering stopping other trainsdue to lack of engines and othertechnical problems.

Sources from the railway saidthat a letter has been written tothe Ministry of Railway, apprisingthem about the current situation,adding that the condition cannotbe improved without the provi-sion of more engines.

Railway delaysanger passengers

New cNG buses start disappearingLAHORE: Only five to ten percent of air-conditionedCNG buses launched by the Lahore Transport Company(LTC) were providing transport services on Saturday,causing inconvenience to many commuters. The Punjabgovernment had launched 56 new buses, inaugurated byChief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, for commuters in Novem-ber 2011. However, because of ineptitude of officers andlack of proper CNG supply, the services were not avail-able to the people. Passengers of the route B-9, B-33, andB-6 had to wait for hours, sometimes resorting to hireexpensive rickshaws to get to their destinations. Whencontacted, Lahore Transport Company official Amjad Alisaid most buses were off the road due to CNG problemsand hoped they would start their full operation withinfew days. APP

LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister RanaSanaullah Khan has said that powerlessDeputy Prime Minister Ch Pervaiz Elahidoes not let go of any opportunity toscore points against the Punjab govern-ment and per his attitude, Pervaiz Elahihas now issued a political statement onRasool Park tragedy which is like throw-

ing salt on the injuries of an alreadygrieved nation. Politicians like PervaizElahi sell their conscience every day.Everyone knows his past. He has a habitof saluting every rising son for the sake ofgaining power, he said.

The Chaudhry brothers have nowbecome friends with Ali baba and forty

thieves and all of them are robbing thecountry together, Sana added. He saidthe government had thrown the nationinto an ocean of corruption, loadshed-ding, price-hike and unemployment andPakistan Peoples Party and PakistanMuslim League-Quaid were helping eachother stay in power. stAff rePort

Muhammad FarooqZaman, senior advocateSupreme Court andson of Late JusticeKhursheed Zamanpassed away onSaturday. His Namaze Janaza will be heldat 112, DE/1, GhalibRoad, Gulberg III,Lahore, today(Sunday) 4pm.

DEAR DEPARTED For saluting every rising sun, Ch brothersget powerless posts, says Rana

LHR 15-07-2012_Layout 1 7/15/2012 5:46 AM Page 7

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Lahore

100 GhAZALS OF MAULANA RUMi

hast-o-Neest centre for traditional art & culture

invites you to its Monthly Saturday Sitting with

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(director, iqbal academy Pakistan)

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3:30 to 5:00 pm, Last Saturday of every month

date: March 31 to deceMber 29, 2012 veNue: haSt-o-NeeSt ceNtre, Lahore

LAHOREtAJWAr AWAn

REHMAN Alis source of livelihoodis his horse and the tonga (cart).He has managed to educate all his5 children through the income he

earned by dropping and picking school chil-dren and later taking passengers from onepart of the city to the other. That was beforethe ban.

Now, he can hardly provide for his wifeand his youngest son who still lives with him.

My father and his father both drove ton-gas all their lives. Back then, rich and poorboth used tongas and there was no Defense orGulberg. The world keeps closing in on thepoor, Ali said while talking to PakistanToday.

Long before the British came, tongas weresub-continents most favoured mode of trans-portation. People from all classes and back-grounds owned and used horse-plied carts totravel and the decorations on the cart showedoff the owners wealth for him.

The tongas even had a separate bazaar forthe accessories. The bazaar, Sazaanwala, sur-vives to this day, however, there are only afew shops left that serve the bazaars originalpurpose.

Before the ban and the restriction im-

posed by the government on their movementwithin the city, the number of tongas has de-creased from thousands to a few hundred.A LEGACY?

According to a historian Dr NosheenZahid, tonga walas usually gathered aroundthe Lakshmi Chowk from where they werehired by people.

Their use and importance decreased afterthe British came and introduced systems thatincreased the difference between socialclasses. That is when the rich started buyingcars and hiring chauffeurs while the tongaswere left for the poor, she said.

They formalised the use of tongas for thepublic by introducing uniforms for the driv-ers. That was not how things were done here.Tonga walas lived in the same areas as thepassengers; they were not looked down upon.But this uniform culture subconsciously im-plied that they were different, they were serv-ing people and had to dress in a certain wayso that they could be differentiated from therest who owned cars, for example. That wasnot how the culture at that time worked, shesaid.

But thankfully, to this day the majorityare still poor and that is why if you go to theWalled City or the Misri Shah or to Shahalmiand other so-called backward areas, you canstill spot the tongas. But the fact remains that

they will disappear if steps are not taken toprotect those for whom they are the onlysource of income, she said. STILL uSEFuL?

I think if the government can patronisethe use of tongas, we can actually have a verygood pollution-free mode of transportation,Momin Bashir, a student of EnvironmentStudies said while taking to Pakistan Today,adding Why not?

A better plan would be to reserve thearea of the Walled City for tourists and tongawalas could drive the tourists through, stop-ping and showing them our citys old build-ings and other monuments, he added. NO WAY OuT?

My friends and colleagues have suggestedthat I switch from a tonga to a Qingqi (motor-cycle rickshaw) but I dont think I can affordit. Plus what will become of my horse? Alisaid, adding that the ones who have bannedthe tonga should have at least given us an-other option.

The roads are being constructed in a waythat there is no place for slow vehicles. I donot think the cyclists can travel safely on ourroads, let alone the tongas. It is a shame thatwe keep implementing ideas from abroadwithout pausing and thinking if they will beviable in our local setting, said Areeb Ahmed,an urban developer.

The Tongas ride

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Govt may have been able to keep tongawalas out of the posh areas by banning

them, but has anything been done to providethem with alternate source of livelihood?

LHR 15-07-2012_Layout 1 7/15/2012 5:46 AM Page 8

09Sunday, 15 July, 2012

Foreign News

DAMASCUSAfP

SYRIAN troops and pro-regime militias stormed andtorched a southern town onSaturday, reports said, as UNobservers visited a central vil-

lage where a mass killing has provokedharsh global condemnation.

Hundreds of soldiers backed by hel-icopter gunships attacked Khirbet Ghaz-aleh in the province of Daraa thecradle of a 16-month uprising amidheavy gunfire, the Syrian Observatoryfor Human Rights said.

An activist on the ground who iden-tified himself as Bayan Ahmad gave asimilar account, saying pro-regime mili-

tias were setting alight houses in thetown.

The army entered without resist-ance as the rebel Free Syrian Army lefttown. The shelling has wounded dozensof people but we dont have medical re-sources to treat them, he added.

Elsewhere, a pregnant woman wasamong 28 people killed across the coun-try, the Observatory said, a day after 118people died including dozens of civiliansgunned down by troops at anti-regimeprotests.

The violence persisted despite inter-national outcry over the killing onThursday of more than 150 people in thecentral village of Treimsa.

The circumstances surrounding theincident have still not been clarified, but

UN observers made their way to the vil-lage in the central province of Hama onSaturday to investigate.

Spokeswoman Sausan Ghosheh toldAFP that a group of observers was visit-ing Treimsa, while an activist callinghimself Abu Ghazi said they had metresidents and inspected places thatwere bombed and where there weretraces of blood.BIGGEST MASSACRE: Rebel leaderAbu Mohamad, whose fighters are basednear Treimsa, had said more than 200people were slaughtered there.

The Observatory was more cautious,saying several dozen rebel fighters wereamong those killed, adding that onlyaround 40 of the dead had been identi-fied, while 30 were burned and 18 were

summarily executed.A spokesman for Syrias military

said the army killed many terrorists inTreimsa, but no civilians, in a specialoperation... targeting armed terroristgroups and their leadership hide-outs.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rah-man told AFP it might be the biggestmassacre committed in Syria since thestart of the revolution.

If confirmed, the 150-person tollwould exceed that of a massacre atHoula on May 25, when a pro-Assadmilitia and government forces were ac-cused of killing at least 108 people.

Treimsa, which had a population of7,000, is empty now. Everyone is deador has run away, an activist callinghimself Abu Ghazi said.

Troops storm syria town

as observers visit Treimsag Syria violence killed 118 on Friday

TRIPOLIAfP

The Libyan authorities shouldtake immediate steps to as-sume custody of thousands ofdetainees still held by militias,a rights watchdog said on Sat-urday, after a deadline for ahandover passed.

Despite months of cajol-ing the militias, the transi-tional authorities missed thedeadline and failed to gaincontrol over approximately5,000 people still held arbi-trarily by armed groups, somesubjected to severe torture,said Sarah Leah Whitson,Middle East director atHuman Rights Watch.

These detainees and theapproximately 4,000 othersalready in state custodyshould be granted their full

due process rights, the NewYork-based group said in astatement.

HRW cited Law 38 passedon May 2 which required theministries of interior and de-fence to refer all supportersof the former regime, if thereis enough evidence againstthem, to the judiciary by July12.

Most detainees are mem-bers of Moamer Kadhafis se-curity forces, suspectedloyalists of the slain dictator,former government officials,suspected foreign mercenar-ies, or migrants from sub-Sa-haran Africa, the watchdogsaid. The authorities havealso shown a lack of politicalwill to challenge the armedgroups that fought againstMoamer Kadhafi, HRW said,pointing to the absence of

clear legal consequences forthose who hold people outsidethe law. The public prosecutorhas convened committeesunder the justice ministry toscreen detainees held in mili-tia-run and state prisons inorder to determine if theyshould be charged or released,the rights group said.

But some prisoners havebeen detained for more than ayear without being broughtbefore a judge, as required byinternational law, and mosthave been denied access tolawyers, it added. In manycases, there are appears to beno legal basis for their deten-tion. HRW reports have doc-umented torture andmaltreatment in facilities runby militias, including caseswhich it says have resulted indeath.

Libya militias hold thousandsas deadline passes: hRW

Gunman killedin clash withSaudi police

RIYADHAfP

A gunman was killed during an attack on apolice station as four Saudi policemen werewounded in a separate assault on their patrolsin the kingdoms Shiite-populated east, statemedia reported. Four masked gunmen onmotorbikes entered Al-Awamiya police centrewhere one of them threw a petrol bomb whilethe rest opened fire at the station, interiorministry spokesman Mansur al-Turki said,quoted by SPA news agency. The guardsdealt with them, killing one while the rest (ofthe assailants) fled, said Turki. The attack inthe Shiite town of Al-Awamiya took place onFriday evening, less than a week after twoprotesters were killed in clashes with police inQatif district following the arrest of aprominent Shiite cleric. In those clashes, onSunday night, activists said dozens ofprotesters were wounded when police firedon a demonstration against the arrest ofSheikh Nimr al-Nimr whom the authoritieshave described as instigator of sedition.Turki said the security forces would nottolerate rioters, especially those who arearmed, and would hold responsible anyonewho does not help in handing them over oroffers them refuge. In a separate statement onSPA, the spokesman announced that twosecurity forces patrols came under gunfirefrom masked armed men on motorbikes inthe town of Saihat, wounding four membersof the security forces.

China state mediaaccuses Clinton ofmeddling

BEIJINGAfP

Chinas official Xinhua news agency onSaturday accused US Secretary of StateHillary Clinton of meddling in the SouthChina Sea territorial disputes. Rival claimshave for decades made the resource-richwaters one of Asias potential militaryflashpoints and tensions have risen in the lastyear with the Philippines and Vietnamaccusing China of becoming increasinglyaggressive. At an Asian security forum inCambodia this week, Clinton called on allsides to resolve the disputes withoutcoercion, without intimidation, withoutthreats and certainly without the use offorce. Xinhua said in a commentary:Though wary of overtly irking China,Clinton further meddled in the South ChinaSea issue by repeatedly highlightingAmericas interests there and openlysupporting individual ASEAN membersscheme to complicate the maritime dispute.Divisions over members territorial disputeswith China prevented the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) fromissuing its customary joint statement at theconclusion of its meeting in Cambodia onFriday. China essentially claims the whole ofthe South China Sea, which is believed to berich in hydrocarbons and straddles strategic

Hollande tellspartner to keeppersonal life private

PARISAfP

French President Francois Hollande saidSaturday that he had told those close to himto resolve personal issues in private, reactingto an incendiary tweet by his partner ValerieTrierweiler. Private affairs are resolved inprivate. And I have told this to those close tome so they can scrupulously accept thisprinciple, Hollande said during a televisedinterview with TF1 and France 2 on BastilleDay. The tweet at the height of Francesparliamentary election campaign last monthsaw Trierweiler backing an opponent ofSegolene Royal, the presidents ex-partnerand mother of their four children. The tweetreceived widespread media coverage withthe French press calling it anembarrassment to Hollande. I think theFrench people are like me, they want thingsto be clear, that there is no interferencebetween the presidents private and publiclife, Hollande said. Hollande also sought todouse speculation that Trierweiler, whoattended the Bastille Day military paradewith the president, was not appearing withhim after the tweet.

PARIS: Frenchsoldiers fromthe SignalRegimentparade on theChamps-Elysees avenueduring theannual BastilleDay militaryparade onSaturday. AFP

CAIRO: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in Cairo on Saturday fortalks with new President Mohamed Morsi, amid a power struggle between

the Islamist leader and the generals who ruled Egypt after Hosni Mubarak

was ousted. It will be Clintons second visit to the Arab worlds most

populous nation since a popular uprising overthrew long-time US ally Hosni

Mubarak last year. Over two days, she will meet Morsi a senior member of

the Muslim Brotherhood until he was sworn in last month and other top

officials, as well as civil society groups, the official MENA news agency reported.

Clinton steps into the political maelstrom of a complex power struggle between

the president and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). Last

week, Morsi ordered parliament to convene, defying a military decision to

disband the house after the countrys top court ruled it invalid. Morsis

decree was applauded by supporters who believed the courts

decision to disband parliament was political, but it set off a fire

storm of criticism from opponents who accused him of

overstepping his authority. The origins of the battle for

parliament lay in the constitutional declaration issued by

the SCAF before the president was sworn in. The

declaration, which acts as a temporary constitution until a

new one is drafted, granted the military sweeping

powers, including legislative control, and rendered the

presidential post little more than symbolic. AFP

Clinton headsto Cairo for keytalks with Morsi

LHR 15-07-2012_Layout 1 7/15/2012 5:46 AM Page 9

Comment10Sunday, 15 July, 2012

Arif NizamiEditor

Lahore Ph: 042-36298305-10 Fax: 042-36298302Karachi Ph: 021-34330811-3 Fax: 021-34330900Islamabad Ph: 051-2287414-6 Fax: 051-2287417

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

nABs reopening of cases against sharifs

untimely

The sudden change of mind on the part of ChairmanNAB leading to the opening of cases against theSharifs only months before the elections is bound toraise questions. More so in the presence of several

conspiracy theories centering around the idea of a wellplanned upsetting of the system. The chairman had earlierannounced that he was keeping the cases pending till afterthe elections. This was generally welcomed in politicalcircles with the prominent exception of the PTI chief. Itwould be interesting to find how the special committeeconstituted by Admiral (rtd) Bukhari managed to convincehim to take a 180 degree turn within less than a week. TheHudaibiya Paper Mills case, Assets Beyond Known Sourcesof Income case and the Willful Loan Default case belong to1990s. During the last four years, the PPP leadership hadturned a blind eye to these cases despite severalprovocations by the PML(N), including the dragging of PPPleaders to the courts. This indicated that either there wasntenough solid stuff in the cases or the government waslooking the other way in line with the spirit of the CoD. Torevive the cases all of a sudden comes as a surprise.

The federal government is struggling hard to completethe last few months of its tenure. With one prime ministerremoved and the other likely to follow suit, the PPP can illafford to open yet another front. It is surprising that themove comes at a time when the PPP and PML(N) are busynegotiating the arrangements required to hold fair and freeelections. The agreement on the CEC was a big success. Thateven Imran Khan expressed satisfaction over thenomination of Justice (rtd) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim indicatesthat politicians still have the capacity to resolve knottyissues if they are determined to do so. It was hoped that thetwo parties would now take up the question of a neutralcaretaker set up which is an equally challenging issue.

A continuous confrontation between the executive andthe Supreme Court does not suit the system. Things arelikely to improve if a firm date for the elections isannounced through consensus between the government andopposition. While the offstage players continue to be adecisive force, the democratic institutions have alreadystarted nibbling at their power. For the first time,parliamentary committees which are still in their infancywere trying to assert themselves though with little success.It was understood that an orderly transfer of power wouldbring into existence a more confident and hopefully morepowerful civilian government. Does the prospect disturb thepower brokers?

Small menWe know well what happens to them when given power

We have proved the adage,Give a small man power andhe will show you how smallhe is. Small men with soiledhalos hovering above their

dyed heads infest every state institution. Allsuffer from public perceptions of improprietyand transgression. All engender distrust. Theydefy description. They challenge belief. Is thiswhat we made Pakistan for, to hand it over tosmall, soiled men of questionable integritywhile we wallow in misery? No, we did not. Itsabout time we did something about it. If we canwin liberty and change the course of history bymaking a country, we can certainly put it right.

Pomp and circumstance, panoply andparaphernalia, do not a big man make mo-torcades, sirens, strobe lights, private planes,traffic stoppages, routes manned by endlesspolice needed elsewhere, hysterical syco-phants twittering, stooges wittering. Actually,they underline their smallness. A big man isbig in mind, by deeds, by intentions. Smallmen are mental midgets where intellectual gi-ants are needed, wily operators where states-men are needed. Small men are blind too, fornone can see what their families are up to.Should people so oblivious hold public office?They could unwittingly sell us down the drain.Or is it that relatives and cronies are frontmen and potential fall guys too if caught?These are big questions that need urgent an-swers to the exclusion of everything else if ourcountry is to be saved from small men.

The result: confusion caused by contra-dictions and hypocrisy in our basic law. Ourinstitutions are working against rather thanwith each another. Have you seen theOlympic Games logo, rings within rings? Thatis how state institutions are supposed towork, in tandem. Ours are like separate ringsspinning and in their own orbits without anyrelation to one another, sometimes workingto knock others out of their orbits. Thus wehave meltdown. Everything is going to thedogs. Nothing is working. No basic needs, nojobs, rising prices, falling real incomes whileour country is being attacked with impunityfrom within and without with small menhelping the aggressors. Its beyond belief.

Our attention is diverted by a flawed

constitution that gives high officials immu-nity. Is that a license to elect or appoint thecorrupt to public office? Will we do some-thing about it or not?

Another question that needs an urgentanswer if the judiciary is to be protected fromits own: is there any link between the chiefjustice and property tycoon Riaz Malikthrough the chief justices son? If it is provedthat there is, then we have a serious problem.A television programme and Maliks pressconference diverted attention from it, buttemporarily. The question wont go away andthe sooner it is answered the better.

A frustrated people think that small menin office are the problem. A desperate peopleput faith in other small men formerly in of-fice. Their messiahs of today were small menof yesterday and will be the small men of to-morrow. Salvation lies not in small peoplebut in high principles, not in parties but inthe basic law and the system it spawns. Keepconcentrating on false messiahs for deliveryand they will invariably show you once againwhat small men they are.

The problem is the disease. The disease isthe constitution and the system it spawns.Small men are the symptoms the systemspawns. How can you expect the symptoms tocure the disease, the spawn to kill its begetter?In so doing, they would destroy themselves.Mir kya saada hain, hoovay beemar jis kaysabab; ussi attar kay launday say dawa laitayhain Simpleton Mir, he looks for the cure inhis disease. Got it? Stop placing faith in smallmen and focus on correcting the system. If it ismessiahs you want, then realise that a messiahlies in each one of us. Collectively we can makea tsunami if only we would unite over one issue correcting the system and saving our country.

The constitution makes Pakistan an Is-lamic state. The constitution reflects the willof the people. It is the social contract in writ-ing. Was this our social contract? If you dontlike it change it or make it work by being trueto your ideology that has become your justi-fication for existence and is the much-toutedspirit of your constitution.

What a spectacle weve made about dualnationals holding public office. The answershould be obvious to the meanest mind, butour small men cannot see. Is it self-interest,perchance? No one with split loyalty shouldhold public office high or low, including instate-run corporations. Period. Even privatesecretaries, assistants and office boys ofsmall men have access to sensitive files andinformation. This law shouldnt apply only toparliamentarians but the executive too, thejudiciary, civil and military bureaucraciesand public sector enterprises. Can we trustdual nationals in them if they are up for pri-vatisation and bidders are from their othercountry, or competitors for that matter?

It gets worse. We have the dangerous situ-ation where a British national is a member ofour National Command Authority. We have

worked our butts off to make our nuclear assetssafe. Our command and control is the best. Yetwe let foreigners into it because they also holdPakistani nationality. Ridiculous. By swearingoath of loyalty to another country they madetheir choice. They cant have their cake and eatit too. Why cant we make the obvious choicetoo, that people are welcome to split their loy-alty provided they stay away from public office.

Judges demand sensitive governmentfiles? Can they hold dual nationality? Shouldthey? How can military officers and bureau-crats be dual nationals when some of themhave important strategies and policies in theirlaptops? Talk of sleeping with the enemy, thisnonsense has to end if we are to be safe fromthose we consider solely our own with undi-luted loyalties before we make ourselves safefrom those we perceive as enemies.

The tamasha about writing a letter to theSwiss to reopen corruption cases against thepresident continues unabated. This is aprime example of small men not understand-ing the disease: remove as many prime min-isters as you like, the new ones too will notwrite the letter. What you have to remove arenot small men but the un-Islamic clause ofimmunity in the constitution. But what to dowhen the removers are small men too? To ex-pect them to see the obvious when they can-not see what their own families are up to isasking for too much.

Why doesnt our judiciary proceed withthe case itself? Why pass the buck on to theSwiss? The Supreme Court did order a retrial.It wont happen because the main accused isdead. If she cannot appear in court the casecant proceed. Have you ever heard of any-thing more ridiculous? This law is an ass. Itshould be changed. That an accused has theoption to be represented by council in absen-tia is enough. If dead, change the main ac-cused. But get to the truth for Gods sake, notbe diverted by spurious laws. In all this ker-fuffle the main issue is forgotten, that Pak-istan has lost millions of dollars that need tobe returned and the thieves punished. Wefirst pardon alleged thieves and send them toSaudi Arabia or withdraw cases against them to much public acclaim, dont forget thenmake them president, prime minister, leadersin waiting and give them immunity. Then wehowl over our sorry lot. What?

Does contempt of court exist in Islam?Libel, defamation and slander, yes: contemptof court, no. People have the right to decentlycriticise any judgment or judge about his extra-judicial activities. We are told that judges can-not be judged. Does whoever said this knowabout shirk placing someone besides God?

Our basic law is the disease. Small men areits symptoms. The people are the host. The hostis always the victim. It is our fault that we hostthe disease. We have to find a cure, and fast.

The writer is a political analyst. He can becontacted at humayun.gauhar786@gmail.com

By Humayun Gauhar

The Holy Book narrates the storyof Ababeel the mystic birds thatshowed up with tiny stones intheir claws and beaks, three each,

to help the righteous in the battle betweengood and evil. I think of that story, andwonder who the righteous and the wickedmight have been. And how appropriate itseems that the hand of Divinity shouldreach down from the Heavens, and rainstones to decide the primordial (and stillcontinuing) fight between haq and batil.

I think of it, and wonder, why theAbabeel dont show up anymore?

On Thursday, just as the day was

breaking in the capital of Punjab, armedgunmen stormed a building in the bustlingheart of Ichhra, killing nine police officials,who were visiting from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) for a training sessionin Lahore. These trainees all between theage of 21 and 25 were training to manthe jails in KP, where several militantshave been detained for heinous crimes(against humanity). The gunmen, on threemotorcycles and in a car, were not hidingtheir faces with a piece of cloth, nor werethey hiding their guilt with any expressionof remorse. With unclad faces, they wereeager to accept responsibility for their ac-tions (evident from Tehreek-e-TalibanPakistan publicly accepting responsibilityfor the barbarianism).

And I wonder why the Ababeel dontshow up anymore?

The crime of these police trainees?They were condemned for wearing the in-signia of the state of Pakistan on their uni-form. The price for this crime?Bullet-ridden bodies, all in the early twen-ties. Their faith? Muslims, but loyal to thestate of Pakistan, and not to some fanaticmullah. Their redemption? The ChiefMinister Punjab has vowed a thorough in-vestigation; the KP government has

blamed Punjab police; and the InteriorMinister has condemned this attacks.

And I wonder why the Ababeel dontshow up anymore?

This attack comes at the heels of anoverall ramping up of militant campaignsacross Punjab. Three days earlier, thesame outlawed group, gunned downseven army jawans and a police official inGujrat. And later, in a message that beganwith a proclamation of the mercy ofAllah, they declared (nay, threatened)that these attacks proved that there is noplace that is out of our reach. There isnta soul alive in this nation who can disputethat claim. And no law enforcement agen-cies that can claim to bring all the mem-bers of this group into the fold of law.

And I wonder why the Ababeel dontshow up anymore?

Is this a failure of the state? Or also anequal failure of the people who reside insuch a state? Is the police simply incom-petent? Or are we all impotent for allowingsuch an attack to be carried out in theheart of a major city, and then allowing theperpetrators to escape scot-free?

We can all make excuses while sip-ping on imported coffee and sitting in air-conditioned living rooms. All of us (myself

included) can spin stories to ourselves ofliberal views and a secular approach tostatehood. That some of us pray five timesa day, while some drink every night, is nobusiness of any other. And that regardlessof what any individual does in their pri-vate life, our only collective goal should beto work towards a progressive, peacefuland democratic Pakistan. But we will onlybe fooling ourselves. And, as Wittgensteinonce said, The hardest thing to do in lifeis to not fool yourself.

The truth is: we, each of us individu-ally as well as collectively as a nation, areconflicted inside as to what our identity is.All of us (generalising a bit here) are Mus-lims in part, secular in part, and national-istic in part. We dont view violencethrough a singular, humanistic prism butinstead view it through a multitude of allthese facets that define our personality.For example, the blowing up a bus of Mus-lim pilgrims by a certain fanatic group isviewed differently than the blowing up ofa bus carrying Hindu fishermen by thesame group. Even if both buses containedPakistani citizens. Somewhere deep in-side, there exists a continuing tussle be-tween our religious affinity and ournational identity. And this spills over intoconsequences such as a fraction of ISI,army or police officials sympathising withthe militants, or the lawyers showeringrose-petals on Mumtaz Qadri.

This internal conflict, of definingwho we are, is at the heart of how we as anation react to the extremist threat. Our

collective national identity, in manyways, is simply a sum of our individualpersonalities (as Iqbal once wrote,Afrad ke haathon mein hai aqwaam kitaqdeer, har fard hai millat ke muqadarka sitara). And, consequently, each ofus have to make our individual choices intilting the balance of our national scales.The buck doesnt just stop with the lawenforcement agencies. Deep inside, weare all guilty for allowing to fester a soci-ety where extremist elements have sym-pathetic appeal. And in this ongoing war,it is important to define oneself, in thehope that doing so will bring clarity toour national character.

For now, the gunmen who came ontheir motorcycles and cars had said theirmorning prayers right before the event,whereas the young police trainees had justdone their wuzu before having been mar-tyred. He who pulled the trigger did sowith a scream of Ya Allah Madad, andthe bullet pierced the heart of one whosaid La Ilaha Il Allah. The culprits, re-turning back to their underground hiding,were welcomed with slogans of AllahuAkbar, whereas the janaza of the mar-tyred was lifted with the same cries.

If the Ababbeel had shown up, I amnot sure if they would have known whoto throw stones at.

The writer is a lawyer based in Lahore.He has a Masters in Constitutional Lawfrom Harvard Law School. He can bereached at: saad@post.harvard.edu

And no, Ababeel dont show up anymore

Conflicted from within

By Saad Rasool

LHR 15-07-2012_Layout 1 7/15/2012 5:46 AM Page 10

Comment 11Sunday, 15 July, 2012

I was amazed to read Wapdas advertisement thatappeared in various newspapers claiming Wapda committed to a Brighter Pakistan (July 14).

As matter of fact, the role of Wapda has generallyremained controversial for the last four decades. At leastits three former chiefs belonging to Punjab openlysupported their province at the cost of rest of the threeprovinces. They were: late Lt Gen (r) Safdar Butt,General (r) Zulfikar Khan and Tariq Hameed. Needlessto mention, two former Prime Ministers, Z A Bhutto andSyed Yousaf Reza Gilani, called Wapda a white elephant.

A resolution was unanimously passed in the KPAssembly to shift Wapdas headquarters from Lahoredue to Wapdas policies against three provinces whereassimilar voices also echoed in the Sindh Assembly.

For the man-made extensive destruction of Indusdelta the sixth largest in the world, Wapda, among

others, is directly responsible resulting in sea intrusioninundating 2.7 million acres of valuable land in Sindhwhereas non-release of limited water downstream Kotrihas left 2.6 million people living in area of 145kilometres, stretching from Kotri downstream toArabian Sea, to die due to hunger and thirst despite theyare Muslims, human beings and Pakistani Sindhis.

Human tragedy due to worst environmentalconditions is expected in Sindh as a result of non-releaseof at least 10 maf water Kotri downstream despite WaterAccord of 1991 being signed 22 years back.

Meanwhile, ever-increasing high level corruption inWapda is also big problem. Sometime back, the auditorgeneral presented a report in the National Assemblydisclosing Rs 90 crores embezzlements in Wapda. Aftera few days, there were other reports in media disclosingat least Rs 2.2 billion embezzlement in Neelam and

other projects. Such reports are common in media butour elected government is totally unaware of them.

A large number of people would join me when I sayWapda has harmed Pakistan more than any foreigncountry by damaging the interests of three provinces outof four, creating discontentment among the people. Wapdaalso maneuvered data about release and availability ofwater to support one province, from time to time.

I suggest Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistanto take suo motu action against the ever increasing highlevel corruption in Wapda and its long standing policiesagainst three out of four provinces.

Also I suggest PPP government to form acommission to probe prevailing record-corruption inWapda in addition to its controversial policies

MOHAMMAD KHAN SIALKarachi

an outburstThis is with reference to the reports

which appeared in all the national dailieson Saturday, regarding outburst of PML-Qs disgruntled legislator Riaz HussainPirzada over the appointment of PML-Qs senior central leader Ch Parvez Elahias the Deputy Prime Minister in thefederal cabinet of new Prime MinisterRaja Pervaiz Ashraf on the floor of theNational Assembly on Friday.

Riaz Hussain Pirzada is a seasonedpolitical worker and parliamentarian. Heshould have known that the appropriateforum for raising the party matters is theparty itself and not the national assemblyas such. Furthermore, if he is so muchannoyed with the party high command,Ch Shujat Hussain and Ch Parvez Elahi,he should better quit the party and thenseek re-election on PML-Ns ticket or anyparty of his choice.

There is no mention of the posts ofthe deputy prime minister and the seniorfederal minister or the senior provincialminister and the acting provincial chiefminister in the constitution and these arem