SATURdAy April 20, 2013 Jamadi-us-Saani 09, 1434 I Rawalpindi/Islamabad I Vol, V, No. 366 I www.thespokesman.pk Pages 12 I Price 10/-

TTOODDAAYY’’SS WWEEAATTHHEERR

A thunderstorm in spotsHIGH: 34 LOW: 17

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TERRORISINGTHE ANP– TAHIR ALI

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MQM AND KARACHI’SNEW REALITIES–MOHAMMAD JAMIL

cMyk

IMRAN KHAN GETS ONGERNELI SARAK

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SNEAK PEEKMeddling didn’t allow PPPto complete agenda: leaders

Pakistan People’s Partyleaders on Friday pledgedto complete unfinishedagenda if the party wasvoted to power again afterthe upcoming general

election. They contended the PPP wasable to deliver on most of its manifestopoints but could not implement somepromises due to intervention bycertain quarters.

Page 02

Raja’s timber approvalscome under scrutiny

Environmentalists andcivil society organisationshave expressed theirgrave concern over thecontroversial approval byformer prime minister

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to dispose of fourmillion cubic feet of timber cut legally andillegally in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan province.

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50 nabbed in targeted actionas four more killed in karachi

The law and ordersituation in theprovincial capitalcontinues to worsen asfour more people werekilled on Friday. In early

morning, two men were killed whileone was injured in firing at Sher ShahAkbar Chowk.

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Previous govt’s gaspolicy aggravating outages

Outgoing PPP-ledgovernment at the fagend of herconstitutional tenurehad desperatelychanged the sectoral

priority order in Natural Gas LoadManagement only to benefit influentialindustrialists, which has contributed toworsen the power load shedding acrossthe country.

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Aamir emerges as one of the100 most influential people

Bollywood star AamirKhan has been featuredon one of the sevenspecial covers of the Timemagazine listing theworld's 100 most

influential people.Page 10

SNGPL win President’s cupOne-day cricket Tournament

Led by Misbahul Haq’s,Sui Northern GasPipelines Limited(SNGPL) defeatedPakistan WAPDA by 32runs in the final of the

President's Cup One-day NationalCricket Tournament at National Stadiumhere on Friday.

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MIRZA KHURRAM SHAHZAD

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Once a king of thestate who had everything underhis belt and made the wholesystem of military and civilianbureaucracy as well as politiciansto dance to his tunes, was left withnowhere to go on Friday.One of the most powerful

dictators General PervezMusharraf, who surrendered topolice in a case of putting judgesunder arrest, was taken todifferent roads of Islamabad whenIslamabad administration wasconfused about the detentionplace of this most high profile'accused'.

After taking him in custody,Islamabad police did not knowwhere to take him. They left thecourt in sector F-8 and took him toMargalla road in order to take himback to his plush farm house.However, midway, the handlers of

his security changed minds andthought to take him somewhere else.As the 'VVIP guest' reached closer

to an oQce of the superior InterServices Intelligence (ISI) in sectorG-5 near Punjab House onMargalla Road, the convoycomprising of his personalcommandos, rangers personnel andpolice guards, stopped for a while.The officers exchanged their

views for a while and then the

convoy took U-turn, heading backtowards sector F-8. It stoppedagain in front of Shalimar CricketGround at Margalla Road, theofficers again exchanged views,one senior official of Islamabadpolice was dropped and the convoyagain took a U-turn, now headingback towards the Supreme Court.Reaching at a police picket in

front of the ISI office, the convoystopped again. Another round ofconversation was held among theofficials for a few minutes andthen a security official spottedthat 'The Spokesman' isfollowing them.He advised the guard at picket to

stop the vehicle chasing them and

the convoy resumed its journeytowards Supreme Court.The officers at police picket tried

to stop 'The Spokesman', failing,he sent a message on wireless andat the next check post, a policemancame in the middle of road andblocked the whole traffic after theconvoy had passed.He requested to give a five

minutes gap to convoy. And as thefive minutes passed, he let thisscribe to go because the VVIPguest had already ‘escaped’ withhis security guards and theofficials who had his 'custody'.Later, eye witnesses said that theconvoy was reluctant to pass fromthe front of Supreme Court and

went towards Prime MinisterHouse to take a secret route toBari Imam and then ChakShahzad.When a police official was

contacted, he said the authoritieswere in a fix as to where theyshould take Musharraf as theywere confused about a suitableplace to detain him.Later in the evening, a senior

leader of All Pakistan MuslimLeague (APML), said that thepolice officials were worriedbecause Musharraf could not stayat his farm house while being ontransit remand."That is why they later shifted

him to the police lines," he said.

In search of a detention place for Musharraf� Former president driven through Islamabad roads in confusion

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: RRaannggeerrss ssttaannddiinngg aalleerrtt aatt PPoolliiccee HHeeaaddqquuaarrtteerrss wwhheerree ffoorrmmeerr pprreessiiddeenntt PPeerrvveezz MMuusshhaarrrraaff iiss kkeepptt aafftteerr hhiiss hhoouussee aarrrreesstt.. –ONLINE

SALMAN ABBAS

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: A judicial magistrate onFriday handed former president General(retired) Pervaiz Musharraf in policecustody on a two-day transit remand soas to produce him in a Anti-TerrorismCourt on or before April 21. Islamabad Police produced the former

president, accused of detaining judges, incourt and sought judicial remand of 14days, however the judge rejected policeplea and granted two days remand.Pervez Musharraf was later taken intocustody by police and taken to policeheadquarters. The magistrate stated that police

showed Musharraf ’s arrest on April 18and requested two weeks’ judicialremand, adding that the police shouldabide by the Islamabad High Court’sorder and include Section 7 of anti-terrorism followed by the report.“Investigation Officer of the case isstrictly directed to implement the IHC'sorders in letter and spirit" he said. After a brief hearing, the court reserved

its decision for a while, during whichperiod Musharraf waited in his car. Afterthe verdict, the former military chief left.According to police, Musharraf has beenat Police Lines Headquarters and will beproduced in the ATC Islamabad at anytime. The court was hurriedly establishedon Friday to facilitate the formerpresident, otherwise he would have to goto ATC Rawalpindi. Sessions JudgeKausar Abbas Zaidi has been givenadditional charge to hear the terrorism-related case.Meanwhile, Inspector General of

Islamabad Police Bani Amin appeared in

person before the IHC's Justice ShaukatSiddiqui, who on Thursday whilerejecting Musharraf 's bail plea hadordered the police to arrest him, butpolice didn’t act. On Friday, JusticeShaukat Siddiqui reprimanded the IG,asking him why he didn’t come onThursday and why the police didn’t arrestthe accused, who despite the presence ofpolice managed to flee from the court.The IG contended that the OperationsSSP was in the court to deal with thesituation. However, Justice Siddiqui saidthe SSP was in the court to protectParvez Musharraf, not arrest him.“Usually around 10 police officials

reach anywhere in the city to arrestvendors… but in this high-profile case ofjudges confinement, why didn’t policearrest the accused?” the judge asked. Thecourt observed that SPs investigate cartheft cases but in this high-profile case,the investigation was left to low-gradepolice officer. In its order, the court heldthe IG responsible for Musharraf 's flightfrom the court on Thursday.The court directed the Interior

secretary to take action against thenegligent IG and other police officers andmake a report on police negligencedetermining responsibility, by April 23. In its five-page judgment, the court

also nullified the suspension orders ofSHO Secretariat Police Station, headconstable and two constables, observingthat the low rank police employees weresuspended just to protect seniorofficials. The court remarked that themedia has shown how Musharrafreached his house (which has now beendeclared a sub-jail) whereas the policereport was not based on facts.

ZEESHAN JAVAID

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The UpperHouse of the parliament onFriday unanimously passeda resolution calling for a trialof former president General(retd) Pervez Musharrafunder Article 6 of theConstitution for derailingdemocracy and abrogatingthe constitution.PML-N Senator Ishaq Dar

moved the resolution to theHouse supported by PPPSenators Raza Rabbani andFarhatullah Babar, which wasnot opposed by any senator.Dar said the interim

government shouldimplement orders of thejudiciary and ensure theSenate’s resolution passedon 23rd Jan 2012 is alsoimplemented. During thesession a resolution toremove Musharraf ’s portraitfrom government buildingswas also approved.

On adoption of theresolution, Senator Rabbanicalled it a historic moment inthe Senate's history andsuggested both theresolutions be placed outsidethe Senate Secretariat. ANP Senator Zahid Khan

suggested Musharraf betaken to Attock Fort, whereformer PM Nawaz Sharifwas kept, adding it was aninjustice to declareMusharraf 's own house asub jail. PPP SenatorFarhatullah Baber askedaloud who decided todeclare his farmhouse assub-jail, the interimgovernment or 'some other'forces. PML-N SenatorZafar Ali Shah said ifMusharraf 's arrest was forthe sake of detention (if hislife was threatened) then itwas okay but if his arrest wasmade for trial, and he was inhis house, then it wasunlawful.

KKAARRAACCHHII:: At the end ofthe day of mourning,observed across Sindh by theMuttahida QaumiMovement (MQM) againstkillings of its workers andoQce bearers on Friday, DrFarooq Sattar claimed that aconspiracy was beinghatched to keep the partyaway from contesting theMay 11 elections.Speaking at a press

conference, the deputyconvener of the party’sRabita (coordination)Committee said thatelectoral candidates andparty sympathizers werebeing targeted through aconspiracy.The MQM had observed a

“peaceful day of mourning”in Karachi and other parts ofthe province denouncingbrutal killings of its partyactivists and oQce bearers inthe recent past.The party, late on

Thursday, had appealed itsworkers to remain peacefuland hoist black flagsthroughout the day. TraQcand business activitiesacross the province largelyremained unhinderedduring the protest.Speaking to journalists,

Sattar said the party hadbeen kept away fromcarrying on with their routineelection campaign though aplanned conspiracy. “Ourdemocratic andconstitutional right is beingsnatched,” he said. However,he added that MQM wouldnot boycott the cominggeneral election, the historicevent in which an electedgovernment would take overfrom public representativesfor the first time in thecountry’s history.–AGENCIES

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The formerpresident and military rulerPervez Musharraf hassubmitted a plea inSupreme Court toconstitute a full bench tohear the treason caseagainst him.The petition, submitted

by Musharraf ’s counsel,requested the court toconstitute a full bench tohear the case. The petition further said

that the case involved anumber of constitutionaland legal complicationsfor which a full bench ofthe apex court wassignificant. The petitionhas also requested thecourt to review the verdictof July 31, 2009, addingthat only a bench of 14judges found Musharrafguilty of treason in thejudgment. –ONLINE

OUR STAFF REPORTER

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: NADRA hasdelivered Final Electoral Rolls2012(FER) carrying pictures of thevoters, to Balochistan, KhyberPakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab andFATA except Karachi.For the first time in the electoral

history of the country, picture ofeach and every voter has beenprinted on the computerizedelectoral rolls. The step has beentaken in the light of the demandraised by a number of politicalparties and civil societyorganizations regarding variousdiscrepancies in electoral rolls dueto fake, multiple or duplicateentries in previous voter list. Intotal, 86,189,751 voters have beenregistered in the current electoralrolls, out of which total voters fromPunjab are 49.25 million, fromSindh 18.96 million, fromBalochistan 3.33 million, fromKPK 1.22 million, from FATA 1.73million and 0.626 million votersfrom Islamabad.In Pakistan, for many years,

electoral rolls were prepared only

through door-to-doorenumeration and there wasabsence of any authentic data toback the process up. However, innewer method the data ofapproximately 81.2 millioncompiled during preparation onprevious rolls was transferred toNADRA for verification by ECP.Thus all such records which werenot backed with a CNIC wereremoved, since CNIC was declaredto be requisite for registration asvoter as a consequence of this, 37million unverified voters that wereidentified in previous voter list wassorted out and all duplicate andfake entries were quashed.According to NADRA, total

length of the list is 21, 900kilometers and printed voter listhas comprehensive information ofvoters including serial number,Gharana (family) number of voter,name of voter, S/O, D/O, W/O,CNIC number of voter, age (as of31st July 2012), voter’s address,photograph and one blank columnwhere the voter will imprint his leftthumb using magnetic ink at thetime of issuance of ballot paper.

Voter list carriespictures of all voters

Mush arrested,remanded inpolice custody

Senate unites onMush treason trial

� NADRA dispatches final electoral rolls toprovinces � 21, 900 kilometers long list hascomplete data of 86,189,751 registered voters

MQM seesconspiracy tokeep it awayfrom polls

� Ex-Army chief arrested first time in Pakistan’s history

Treason caseMusharrafsubmits plea toform full bench

Government notifies ATc IslamabadIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: With the Islamabad High Court ordering the police toalso lodge terrorism charges against Pervez Musharraf in judges’detention case, the federal government Friday notified theestablishment of anti-terrorism court in the federal capital where theaccused would be presented on or before April 21. District andSessions Judge Islamabad, Kousar Abbas Zaidi has been givenadditional charge of the Judge of the ATC Islamabad. A notificationin this regard has been issued by the Ministry of Law. Musharraf isaccused of high treason for unlawfully putting dozens of judges underhouse arrest in 2007 after he imposed emergency. There has been noanti-terrorism court in Islamabad and the accused were presentedbefore anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi. But keeping in view thesecurity threats to the former president, the authorities concerneddecided to establish an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad. –TAHIR NIAZ

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013

OUR STAFF REPORTER

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Architecture ofpostmodern Faisal Mosque is inspiredby Sinan minaret, the 16th centuryOttoman architect par excellence. TheMuslim genius’ influence spread tocivil works across the Anatolia, theSubcontinent, Middle East, NorthAfrica, and Eastern Europe, HammadHusain, a reputed architect, said

while speaking to a select gathering ofacademics, artists and architecturestudents at the Rumi Forum’sIslamabad Chapter.Rumi Forum, a Turkish-foundedintercultural dialogue centre, wasestablished in Islamabad in 2006 tofoster academic and informationalexchange and to highlight the spirit ofpositive deeds as an essential for theprogress of humanity. Such

distinguished speakers are invited tospeak on their respective area ofexpertise every Thursday in its F-10/2centre.Married to a Turkish journalist,Hammad Husain studiedarchitecture at the METU in Ankara,in the early 90s. The Islamabad-basedarchitect has designed under-construction AJK Presidency andPrime Minister’s House.

Speaking about the contribution ofSinan (1491-1588), Hammad Husainelaborated upon the evolution of themosque typology and the way God-gifted Turkish mastermind playedpivotal role in its modern-dayarchitecture. In his opinion, Turkey’sSelimiye Mosque in Edirne remainsthe most fascinating religious space inthe world for its visual impact,structural wonders and being the

epitome of Islamic architecture.“When you look at the structure, one[sic] feels it’s light and afloat yetmajestic,” he said.Husain believes that due to its falsetop dome, Shah Jahan’s sponsored TajMahal is “overrated”. Comparing TajMahal with Sinan-designed mosques,he pointed out that each dome,regardless of its size, was a source oflight for inner space, while the

Mughal emperor’s architects couldnot achieve this due to a false domeoutside a real one.“Throughout Sinan-designedmosques and compounds,uninterrupted free space and artisticuse of natural light in the prayer hallnot only made his works visuallycaptivating, but also architecturallymarvelous,” said the speaker, who hasnamed his only son after Sinan.

‘Taj Mahal overrated in presence of false top dome’� Pakistani architect Hammad says Mughal emperor’s architects failed to understand the importance of Turkish Sinan’s mosque design light factor

CMYK

CMYK

President felicitatesVenezuelan president on electionIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: President Asif AliZardari Friday congratulated NicolasMaduro on his election as President ofthe Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.In his letter, the president said theelection of Nicolas Maduro was abefitting tribute to his political sagacityand a manifestation of the confidencewhich the Venezuelans had reposed inhis leadership. On Pak-Venezuelabilateral ties, the president said thattwo countries enjoyed friendly relationswhich were destined for growingfurther in the years to come. He saidthat he is looking to work with thenewly elected Venezuelan president tostrengthen relations. The presidentalso expressed his best wishes for thepersonal well-being of the Venezuelanpresident. �APP

‘Australian Day in Spring’ todayIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The Australian HighCommission is about to celebrate‘Australia Day in Spring’ 2013 here onSaturday. Australian HighCommissioner Peter Heyward willmeet with Pakistan’s SenateChairman Syed Nayyar HussainBukhari as chief guest among otherPakistanis to celebrate Australia dayin Pakistan. �ONLINE

IESCO asked to keep power on during pollsRRAAWWAALLPPIINNDDII:: District CoordinationOMcer Rashid Mehmood directed theIslamabad Electricity Supply Companynot to hold load shedding during twodays on the eve of coming generalelections. He expressed these viewswhile presiding over a meeting ofdistrict load management committeehere the other day. The DCO, on therequest of district bar president,directed the IESCO authority toarrange a briefing in the district barhall so as to share the hurdlesregarding load shedding and shortfallwith them. �ONLINE

AAllii KKhhuurrrraamm aanndd SSaallmmaann RRaafifiqquuee ooff ‘‘RRii&& && RRoollll’’ ttaakkiinngg ppaarrtt iinn GGuuiittaarr aanndd DDrruummss WWoorrkksshhoopp aatt HHuunnddeerrkkaaddaa.. �ONLINE

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Pakistan People’s Party leaderson Friday pledged to complete unfinishedagenda if the party was voted to power againafter the upcoming general election. Theycontended the PPP was able to deliver on mostof its manifesto points but could not implementsome promises due to intervention by certainquarters.Senator Saleem Mandviwala and SenatorSaeed Ghani while addressing a policy seminaron the manifesto of their party said that in theirparty guarantees provision of basic amenities forall, empowerment of citizens, inclusive growth,infrastructure development, new social contract,ensuring security and positive engagement ofinternational community. The event organised by SustainableDevelopment Policy Institute here was theeighth in a series of seminars planned to bringmanifestos of political parties into discussionand assess their impact on electorates in the runup to the general elections. Shakeel Ramay ofSDPI moderated the proceedings while Dr. AbidSuleri presented introductory remarks. Presenting the manifesto, Senator SaleemMandviwalla highlighted the provision of basicamenities to citizens. He said that the PPPpledges to increase education expenditure to 4.5percent of the GDP and will bridge the public-private and regional gaps with respect to thequality of education through the establishmentof ‘National Education Standard Council’. Providing glimpses on PPP’s plan for inclusive

and equitable growth he said that the PPP willstrive to reduce the budget deficit to less than 4percent of GDP and will seek to adopt prudentpolicies to ensure current expenditure undercontrol. He said that they will aim to achieve agrowth rate of 6 percent, GDP savings up to to15 percent, inflation brought down to 6 percent, debt reduced to 60 percent, remittancesincreased to 2 billion and exports enhanced to50 billion dollars per annum in the next fiveyears. Mandviwala said that the BISP has proved tobe a successful social protection system and thePPP is planning to double the monthly payments

under the programme. With regards toemployment, he said that one million jobs willbe created annually along with the promotion ofentrepreneurship for providing livelihood to thepeople. On energy crisis, Mandviwala admittedthe shortcomings for not being able to resolvethe crisis but blamed interventions failure of notimplementing their energy policy. Senator Saeed Ghani talked on social contractof the PPPP manifesto and said that healthspending would be increased to 5 percent ofGDP. He also expressed that for the first time inPakistan, PPP has proposed four reserved seatsfor workers in national assembly and 2 seats forworkers in each provincial assembly. He alsopledged to add one more seat in parliament forminorities in the capital area. He said that theirparty is committed to safeguarding thefundamental rights of every citizen and PPP willcontinue to work on the implementation of allinternational conventions and treaties on humanrights. He said there is a significant reduction inthe number of cases of enforced disappearancesand PPP has also introduced an Act in theparliament under which agencies are answerableto citizens on missing person cases.Faryal Gohar, an acclaimed human rightsactivist and member of Board of Governors ofSDPI, criticised PPP’s failure to live up to itspromises during the previous tenure. She citedthe example of Sri Lanka, a country which hasimproved its health and education sectorsdespite being involved in a thirty-year-long war.

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Caretaker FederalMinister for Information andBroadcasting Arif Nizami on Friday saidthat the caretaker government wouldimplement the court orders regardingformer president Pervez Musharraf inletter and spirit. The former president could not bespared from law, he said. He said thatissue of Musharaf ’s escaping from courtwas being probed. Talking to a privateTV channel, Nizami said that Ministryof Interior was also assuring Musharraf ’ssecurity as he was under terrorist threat.He claimed that caretaker governmentwas neutral in performing day-to-dayfunctions of the country. To a question regarding secret funds inthe ministry, he said that issue wasimportant and the caretakergovernment would implement courtorders in letter and spirit. The caretakergovernment would stop the use of secretfunds in the ministry, he added .Nizamisaid the agenda of caretaker governmentwas to maintain law and order and holdpolls in free, fair and transparentmanner. He strongly condemned the terroristincidents in Balochistan and Peshawar,adding that some elements wanted toderail the electoral process. He stressedon the need of cooperation among allpolitical parties to maintain peaceduring the electoral process. �APP

Meddling didn’t allow PPPto get results, claim leaders� Sustainable Development Policy Institute continues bringing manifestos of political parties intodiscussion � Faryal Gohar raps PPP for failure to live up to promises while in government

‘Court orders onMusharraf to beimplemented inletter and spirit’

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Lack of road lights onIslamabad Highway from Karalchowk to Rawat has led to roadaccidents due to the CDA’sindifferent attitude of towardsinstallation of lights.This is the busiest highway as notonly voluminous local transport runson the road but also the inter districttransport plies thereon round theclock. Moreover, the thicklypopulated towns and housingsocieties including Bahria Town,Korang Town, Pakistan Town, PoliceFoundation, PWD Housing Scheme,

and Media Town, Gulberg, Ghauritown and Judicial Town are locatedalongside both sides of highway andresidents use this high wayfrequently having the only doorwayto federal capital.The residents have to facedifficulties in driving their cars andvehicles in pitch darkness due to lackof lights. Sources said that new roadlights were installed by the CDA in2001 from Karal Chowk to Rawatbut the same were got removed in2008 on the plea that population hasexpanded therefore, large size lights

would be installed. The CDA invitedtenders but later it was cancelled.The CDA has not invited tendersagain. “We dare not to move on theroad for fear of becoming victim oflooters who ambush on us takingadvantage of darkness and deprive usof all the valuables. Even they snatchour cars and motor bikes”, said agroup of Bahria Town residents.People have demanded immediateinstallation of road lights in the 12kilometer area of IslamabadHighway from Karal chowk toRawat. �ONLINE

Lightless Islamabad Highway leading to accidentsIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: British High Commissioner AdamThomason said that the Queen’s birthday is an occasionto reflect on the close ties between the UK and Pakistan.Speaking on a ceremony to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s87th birthday, Adam Thomson said, “The theme ofbirthday party is the ‘GREAT’ Britain Campaign whichshowcases the very best of what Britain has to offer. TheBritain is a great place to visit, stud and business. Ourculture is diverse and we have always thrived on ourmulticulturalism, a significant part of which comes froma tremendous latticework of historical connectionsbetween the UK and Pakistan. These connections areembodied in one million people with close ties toPakistan living in Britain and thousands of our citizenswho travel each year to work, study and enjoyment.

Tonight, I particularly pay tribute to the BritishPakistanis who help to nurture the links between thecountries.”“This year is particularly important as the upcomingelections are a crucial milestone in Pakistan. As a fellow inCommonwealth countries, we look forward to witnesselections this year that are credible and acceptable to thePakistanis and that will bring democratic continuity to thiswonderful country,” he said. Around 1,000 people attendedthe celebrations, including representatives of thegovernment, political parties, the military and membersof the diplomatic corps, civil society, the media andbusiness. Thomson and chief guest cut a cake to mark thisimportant occasion for the UK, Pakistan and the otherCommonwealth countries. �ONLINE

British HC celebrates Queen’s 87th birthday

PPPPPP ccaannddiiddaattee FFaaiissaall SSaakkhhii BBuutttt aaddddrreessssiinngg aa pprreessss ccoonnffrreennccee aabboouutt ggeenneerraall eelleeccttiioonn.. �THE SPOKESMAN

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013

Venom Inc. This should not be heldagainst me in a court of law as Isolemnly declare that these are

absolute lies, dirty whispers and wildspeculation that I have heard while crawlingin the dark power corridors of the creepyCapital. You will believe them at your ownrisk Shh...If you have venom to spill pleasedon’t hesitate to share with us on our blog atwww.thespokesman.pk

POWER ALLEYS|CMYK

Veena Malik�@iVeenaMalikA sad day in D History ofpakistan...A leader whoimproved Pakistan does not

deserve to be treated and humiliated likethis...#Musharraf!!!Ali Salman Alvi �@alisalmanalvi#Musharraf arrested. Fair enough. Whydidn't the court order to arrest Gen AslamBaig, Gen Durrani and Gen Hamid Gul in#AsgharKhanCase?Tahir Imran Mian �@TahirImranSo we sit glued to tv & clap when #Musharrafgoes at one place to other & everyone knowsno one in this country can touch him.Zunnoon Meer �@ZunnoonMeerone thing you all should know! you didntbring #Musharraf back,,, he came backhimself despite all these threats fromjudiciary n militantsrabail Jehan �@rabailJehanI want Arsalan Iftikhar behind the barsfirst..two-faced ***** #Shame #Musharraf CJis Drunk and so is our justice system!!

ZEESHAN JAVAID

ISLAMABAD: The caretaker set-upput itself into the lap of Bureaucracy asthe cartel of Caretaker Federal Ministerfor Water and Power Dr. MusadiqMalik and the Powerful bureaucraticregime intentionally held the summaryof superannuation of ManagingDirector (MD) National EngineeringServices Pakistan (NESPAK) AsadI.A.Khan, despite the approval fromPM secretariat.

Sources in Ministry of Water andPower informed daily “TheSpokesman” that influential bureaucratTahir Shamshad, whose suspiciousappointment as MD NESPAK wasblocked by the apex court due toambiguity in the whole process, againapproached the top bureaucracy ofMinistry Water and Power, includingAdditional Secretary Arshad Mirza andJoint Secretary Dr. Zafar Nasarullah,for his induction in NESPAK asmanaging director.

It was also learnt that MinistryWater and Power has actively beenworking on the fresh summary totransfer the Powers for appointmentof MD to the company’s Board ofDirectors/Management (BOD/M).The main players of this new Powergame were associated withadditional secretary Water andPower Power joint secretaryNasarullah, a close associate offormer secretary Water and PowerNargis Sethi. Mirza has beenrunning the business from the officeof state minister, which is vacantafter the natural demise of theformer government on March 16. A senior oUcial of Ministry Water

and Power, on condition ofanonymity, said that the issue relatingto the appointment of MD NESPAKwas not very crucial as it was made bythe bureaucracy, adding “because ofinfluence of Powerful ‘estate’ tycoonTahir Shamshad’s close associationwith Zafar Nasarullah and other high-ups, the caretaker minister MusaddiqMalik seemed reluctant to performhis duties according to rules ofbusiness.”The controversy over the seat of

MD NESPAK turned towards amore crucial situation, when theMinistry Water and Power brushedaside the order of Caretaker PrimeMinister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso for

granting superannuation of one yearto MD NESPAK Asad.I.A.Khanwhile the summary is yet to bemoved to NESPAK’s BOD/M forendorsement.It was also learnt that on the

direction of apex, court as on March28, Arshad Mirza prepared a summaryfor continuation of MD NESPAK tillApril 2014 and moved it toEstablishment Division on April 2nd2013 late night for clearance and thesent it to PM secretariat on April 3rdfor final approval by sitting caretakerpremier Khoso, where the approvalwas made on April 4 and sent back tothe concerned Ministry for necessaryaction.The apex court restored Mr. Asad

I.A. Khan as Managing Director ofNESPAK on March 28, when he wassuddenly overnight replaced byTahir Shamshad, a Vice President inIslamabad Office of NESPAK, onthe last day of the outgoinggovernment.The directives of apex court dated

March 28 clearly maintained “in theforgoing circumstances, we woulddirect the Ministry concerned and theestablishment division to initiate thesummary well before April 4, 2013and obtained necessary approvalthereon from the competent authority

in accordance with rules. The boardof directors of NESPAK shallthereafter proceed in accordance withthe Companies Ordinance for thepurpose of appointing ChiefExecutive/MD of the company.”However, the Ministry Water andPower is intentionally yet to call theNESPAK’s BOD meeting forendorsement of PM approval.Former prime minister Raja

Pervaiz Ashraf, who is allegedlyinvolved in Rs.22 billion RentalPower Plants (RPPs) scam and onlyrecently was conditionally allowed byLahore High Court (LHC) to contestgeneral elections from his homeconstituency NA-51, approved thename of Shamshad as new MD ofNESPAK despite the fact thatMinistry Water and Power withdrewthe controversial summary of thenew appointment.The oUcial of Establishment

Division confirmed that the divisionhad received and endorsed theMinistry of Water and Power'ssummary for continuation of Asad IKhan, but the second summary, that ofShamshad, had been sent directly bythe Ministry of Water and Power to PMSecretariat and that EstablishmentDivision had nothing to do with thesecond Summary.

Nespak o%cials befooling Courts and Caretakers

It was also learnt that on the directionof apex, court as on March 28,

Arshad Mirza prepared a summary forcontinuation of MD NESPAK till April 2014 and moved it to Establishment Division on April 2nd 2013 late night for clearance and thesent it to PM secretariat on April 3rd for finalapproval by sitting caretaker premier Khoso, where the approval was made on April 4 and sent back to the concerned Ministryfor necessary action.

“

”

SAEED MINHAS

ISLAMABAD:Can a loan defaulter contest theelections? The answer which has been echoingwas a resounding NO. First the Supreme Courtof Pakistan laid the rules by announcing ajudicial commission to compile acomprehensive list of all loan sharks from 1971till to date. Then we heard the same echoesemerging from the corridors of ElectionCommission of Pakistan that no tax evader, loandefaulter or cheat will be allowed to contestelections.Is that really the case? Apparently not. The

Spokesman has just dug out two prominentbillionaires who are contesting elections despitedeclaring it on their nomination papers thatthey are pronounced loan defaulters. Thepersonalities in question are Jahangir Tareen ofPakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf, who is contestingelections from NA 154 Lodhran and SardarJaVar Khan Leghari of Pakistan Muslim League(Nawaz), who is contesting elections from NA174 Rajanpur.As per the record of the State Bank of

Pakistan, submitted with the ElectionCommission of Pakistan, which is readilyavailable on ECP’s website as well, both aredeclared loan defaulters. Jahangir KhanTareen has been declared defaulter of UBL,

MCB and Royal Bank of Scotland. In responseto the query of the ECP, SBP has written in thecertificate that “Please refer to your requestreceived through ECP (SBP portal) forscrutiny of nomination papers of captionedcandidate, the detail of overdue /write oVamounting to Rs. 2 million and above for lastone year reported by the member financialinstitutions against thecandidate/spouse/dependent as on February28, 2013 is given below. Further,candidate/spouse/dependent is alsodirector/owner of following companies havingoverdue /write oV amounting to Rs 2 millionand above for last one year.” The details can beseen in the copies reproduced here. JahangirTareen and his son Ali Khan Tareen are shownas owners/directors of Faruki Pulp Mills anddefaulters of Rs. 19.234 million of United

Bank Ltd, Rs. 9.015 million of MCB and Rs.21.57 million of Royal Bank of Scotland. Theyalso owe nearly one million in overduepayments to IDBP. Another case surfed through ECP’s website

was that of a cousin of former President ofPakistan and leader of PML (N), Sardar JaVarKhan Leghari who is considered defaulter bySBP of Allied Bank (Rs.2.35 million) andNational Bank of Pakistan (Rs. 164.89million).There are many more beneficiaries of

oversight of ECP but upon investigations, TheSpokesman has found out that both these andmany other players have played so smarlyt thatthey exploited the incompetence of FakhruBhai’s team to the fullest. Our sources insouthern Punjab reveal that both thesecandidates kept the lower judiciary happythroughout the nomination and scrutinyprocess. Those scrutinizing the papers of theseinfluential industrialists-cum-politiciansdelayed sending their nomination papers forfurther processing till the very last day. Oncetheir nominations got approval from the localReturning OUcers on the last day of scrutiny,ECP received these details from FBR, SBP andeven NAB. Now given the lack of training andtime for even having a look at these documentssent to them by these state institutions, ECP

just considered it a formality and nothing elseto post them all on their website. Now you maycall it incompetence of ECP or smartness ofthese candidates, but the end result is thatscrutiny filters for the upcoming electionsstand punctured. The targets were given themaximum attention while those who knewhow to bargain with the watchdogs havemanaged to slip through these filters withoutany hurdle. Who does not know that Jahangir Tareen or

for that matter even Sardar JaVar Leghari areconsidered the law in those areas from wherethey are contesting the election 2013? So onemust appreciate them for being so innovativethat even the suo-moto machine of ChiefJustice of Pakistan, Iftikhar MohammadChaudhry, seems to have gone silent on thisissue. The purported vigilant eyes and ears—who many consider as vigilantes- oflate-bloomers like Fakhru Bhai standcompromised. Yet they are both trying veryhard to ensure that, if not all, at least a fewshould be made an example of scrutiny. Willthis work?It is certainly a scar on the face ofboth the judiciary and the ECP. Will theycome up clean on this? Presumably, theyshould.

NEETAM RIMA

Imran Khan seems finally focusedon what he ignored for so long—Grand Trunk Road, popularly

known as either GT road or GerneliSarak.The schedule of his election

campaign shows that he is largelypinning for the GT Road belt thatencompasses around 100 electoralNational Assembly seats.The GT Road belt is generally

referred to as Central Punjab that hasthe highest concentration of votes andelectoral seats in Pakistan. It is herethat the real Battle of Panipat will befought between the ‘electables’ of PML(N) and PTI’s so-called Tsunami.Battle lines will be drawn between

the two contestants around here asmany believe that the PPP-PML (Q)nexus seems out of the main battleground in the Central Punjab. Andthis may have been the area that wasbypassed by Imran Khan—perhapsgrievously. He was generally criticizedfor ignoring the crucial Faisalabad,

Gujranwala, Sargodha and LahoreDivisions that have about 84 electoralseats. Nawaz League has gathered aformidable team of electable heavyweights from here. PTI, on the otherhand, has mostly new candidates whoneeded more support to sway thepublic mood. For some reason, Imrankept the rural area of these divisions,which are home to at least 50 seats,out of his agenda. So far, that is.Imran seems to have realized that.

This is reflected from his electoralitinerary. He starts his central Punjabcampaign from the southern end inRenala in Sahiwal Division on April 23.The next day he covers the ruralheartland of Lahore Division holdingpublic meetings in Kasur, Nankanaand Sheikupura. In between thisambitious programme of holding threerallies a day, he covers about 17 electoralseats of rural Lahore Division. This ismore than double the entire Hazararegion that has only seven seats. ImranKhan may have gone to Hazara thricein a couple of years but hardly to thestrategic Lahore rural areas.

After taking a quick tour of the restof Pakistan, he reverts back to Sialkoton May 2 for a public meeting that issupposed to cover the entireGujranwala Division. This Division ishome to 23 seats, which is more thanKarachi seats. And then from 5thMay he plans to evoke Tsunami inand around GT Road, starting fromFaisalabad with its 20 national seats,then Lahore on May 6. His campaignends with a grand finale that startswith a continued rally on GT Road,starting from Gujranwala on May 7and reaching Lahore in two days forthe final show on May 8th.It will be interesting to see how this

works out and whether Imran Khanis able to sway the public mood awayfrom Tsunami or not—becauseherein lies the keys to his election.While Nawaz Sharif is likely to

focus on other provinces, which hemay have ignored, Imran Khan willbe challenging him in his ruralPunjab fortress. This starts the battleof Gernaili Sarak, as the GT Roadmade by Sher Shah Suri is known.

Imran Khan gets on Gerneli Sarak

The journalistsdeputed outsideMusharraf 's

farm house saw adriver of vehicleresisting the securityguards for checking.The security staVerswere bent to checkdubious cartons in the

vehicle but the driver would not let them dothat. This triggered a scuTe of sorts, whichalso drew the attention of the inquisitivejournalists. The newsmen naturally tookthe side of the security insisting that thevehicle should be checked. Pressured, the driver opened the first

carton, which had the most expensiveRomeo Juliet, Kehuba Havana Cigars. Heagain resisted other cartons and thenstarted calling people inside. Before hecould be rescued, the journalists were quickto have a peek at the rest of the cartons. Itwas vintage holy water and in huge quantity.Ahmad Raza Kasuri was not wrong, after

all: the General is having good time at thefarm house.

CCI meeting,really?

Cigars, Coffee andwhat not?

Caretaker PrimeMinister MirHazar Khan

Khoso chaired whatwas supposed to be ameeting of the Councilof Common Interests.Just when the meetingwas about to start, aparticipant pointed out

that the caretaker could not legally do that.The babus had an agenda that they wantedto get passed from who thought were themore pliant caretakers, which too wasrefused. The PM turned out to be moreassertive than he is given credit for.So while everything else was declared

except the common interests.

Decisive PTI-PML (N) battle inCentral Punjab

Why suo-moto machines are silent over loan defaulters?

RTA demolishes threebuildings, fines58 shopkeepersRRAAWWAALLPPIINNDDII:: The Rawal TownAdministration has launched operationagainst illegally constructed buildingsand demolished three buildings. TheRTA launched operation anddemolished three illegally constructedplazas without mapping while alsoissued challan against 58 encroachmentshopkeepers and imposed fine withworth of Rs 60,000 against them.Meanwhile, they also confiscated threetrucks full of diNerent encroachmentequipment. ONLINE

8 sanitary workers, onesupervisor, inspectorsuspendedRRAAWWAALLPPIINNDDII:: Due to the continuousabsence and poor performance ofsanitary workers eight sanitary workers,one sanitary supervisor, including onesanitary inspector were served showcause notice and suspended from theirduty. The decision was taken by DistrictOMcer Doctor Mazhar Azeem due tothe absence of sanitary workers formtheir duty. Five sanitary workers weresuspended on account of poorperformance and showing lack ofinterest in their duty. SanitarySupervisor Shah and Sanitary inspectorZafar were also suspended. ONLINE

CTO asks citizens to remove tinted glassRRAAWWAALLPPIINNDDII:: Chief Traffic OfficerSyed Ishtiaq Hussain Shah has askedthe citizens to remove tinted glassesfrom their vehicles other wise strictaction would be taken against them.In order to ensure foolproof securitydue to the upcoming elections, CTOsaid that the citizens must remove thetinted glasses from their vehiclesotherwise strict action would be takenagainst those who would try to violatethe traffic law under section codenumber 07. ONLINE

Yearly Regional FoodFestival kicks off RRAAWWAALLPPIINNDDII:: Pearl Continental HotelGeneral Manager Sheharyar Mirza,along with Malaysian HighCommissioner Dr Hasrul Sani BinMujtabar, inaugurated the RegionalFood Festival 2013 at the Hotel onFriday night. A large number ofbusinessmen, governmentfunctionaries, diplomats and socialitesattended the inauguration ceremony.This festival will continue for three days.Welcoming the chief guest, SheharyarMirza said the Regional Food Festival isbeing held each year at the PC whichaims to show the rich culture ofPakistan to our youth. General Managersaid that our chefs are participating inthe festival and would delight thevisitors with their rich culinary dishes.PC’s Public Relations Manager AsadulHussain said that it would be anopportunity for the families to acquaintfirsthand experience of Pakistani cuisinewhich is a blend of various regional andinternational cuisines at the festival.Sheharyar Mirza also thanked theguests for patronising the RegionalFood Festival and making it successfuleach year. Appreciating the eNorts,Malaysian High Commissioner DrHasrul assured his support to Pakistan.He said events like this were essential inbringing nations together. PR

LLAAHHOORREE:: WWoommeenn lliigghhttiinngg ccllaayy llaammppss aatt tthhee sshhrriinnee ooff BBiibbiiyyaann PPaakk DDaammaann dduurriinngg UUrrss.. ONLINE

LLAAHHOORREE:: Central of Pakistan People’sParty and senior lawyer Chaudhry AitzazAhsan has said that decision ofIslamabad High Court regarding formerpresident Musharraf is appreciable. Hewas talking to media in Lahore HighCourt Bar on Friday.Aitzaz said that imprisonment of

judges and keeping judges underconfinement comes under the ambit ofterrorism but Musharraf should be givenright of self-defence, he added. Heclarified that he is not in favour oflawyers’ arrests with reference to theincidents of November 09, adding thatthe rumours airing in this regard haveno reality.It is pertinent to mention that

Musharraf contacted Aitzaz for legalcounseling. PPP leader asked that howMusharraf and his lawyers will prove theNovember 3rd emergency in the court.Aitzaz Ahsan mentioned that if thedecision of Supreme Court will bepursued regarding November 3rdemergency then article 06 would beimplemented over Musharraf. ONLINE

Aitzaz laudsIHC decisionon Musharraf

OUR STAFF REPORTER

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Environmentalists and civilsociety organisations have expressed their graveconcern over the controversial approval byformer prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf todispose of four million cubic feet of timber cutlegally and illegally in the Diamer district ofGilgit-Baltistan province.They said that his approval has put the

environment and bio-diversity of the area atextreme danger and could cause severe conflictsamong people due to royalty and other issues.The critically vague decision, without anytimeframe, was made vide ‘Order No. C-6(1)/2011GBC’ on March 15, 2013.Sustainable Development Policy Institute,

Akhtar Hameed Khan Resource Centre, Bio-Resource Research Centre, and Sarhad AwamiForestry Itehad on Friday arranged a discussionwith environmentalists, civil societyrepresentatives and members of local

communities to deliberate upon the issue andhow to address the negative fallouts of Raja’s decision.According to the order of former PM Ashraf,

2.078 million cft legally extracted timber lying invarious forests of Diamer is allowed fortransportation to down country as per agreementdrawn between government and forest lessees.The order said that illegally cut timbermeasuring 1.963 million cft shall be released onlyafter imposing fine as per the fixed rates. Speaking on the occasion, BRC Executive

Director Fakhar-i-Abbas highlighted the issuewith latest glimpses from the localcommunities. The community representativefrom Diamer showed their grave concern andrequested all possible help to immediate makethe order null and vide.Senior Research Associate of SDPI Kanwar

Muhammad Javed Iqbal, shared the technicalaspects and said that there was no mechanismin place to precisely measure 4 million cubic

feet of timber in concerned area adding thatissue was also questionable in terms of‘national legal framework’ and ‘internationalbinding agreements’. He said the order was vague that not only

allows illegal activities in Diamer, but also posesthreats to the boundary line forest area ofKohistan district, where movement of timber bysmugglers has already been reported by localcommunity representatives.AHKRC Director Fayyaz Baqir and former

Forests IG Bashir Ahmed Wani suggested a wayforward to take up the issue at various levels,particularly with community and civil societyorganisations at large. The participants of the seminar also decided

to launch a campaign with coordinated eNortsutilizing all possible means including media,protest demonstrations, forum meetings,seminars, and meetings with policy makersincluding politicians to withdraw the decisionand protect environment in the area.

Raja’s timber approvalscome under scrutiny� Ex-PM’s approval to dispose of four million cubic feet of timber cut legally and illegally in Diamer hasput the environment of the area at danger and could cause severe royalty conflicts, say speakers

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013

HHYYDDEERRAABBAADD:: EExx--ppoolliicceemmaann AAllii HHaassssaann wwhhoo wwaass ttoorrttuurreedd bbyy aann iinnflfluueennttiiaall ppeerrssoonn oonn MMaarrcchh2244,, 22000088 aanndd wwaass ccrriipppplleedd iiss ssttiillll wwaaiittiinngg ffoorr jjuussttiiccee ttoo bbee ddoonnee.. ONLINE

SHANEL KHALIQ

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: As the political activity becomesstronger in the run-up to the forthcoming generalelection, media representative organisations in thecountry have come together to adhere to a set ofguidelines to maintain impartiality and ethicalcoverage of the elections.As the Election Commission of Pakistan

announced the final list of the candidates for theMay 11 vote, broadcasters, publishers and editorialexecutives across all platforms of media highlightedan unprecedented agreement on media guidelinesthat aims to ensure fair reporting of the electionsand to avoid all forms of hate speech, incitement toviolence and propaganda. Aiden White, Director of the Ethical Journalism

Network, while expressing appreciation of thesigning of the guidelines also expressedapprehensions regarding accomplishing theenormous task. “It is now imperative in thisatmosphere to see whether the media can rise up tothe challenge or not,” he said. In reference to theatmosphere he said that it is the time of electionswhen democracy is really put to test. Heemphasized the fact that guidelines and codes ofconduct are in fact aspirations and are meaninglessif not implemented properly. He further added thatfeedback from the people on the media should beinvited by the media houses themselves so as to ridthemselves of the cynicism and criticism thatjournalism is very often surrounded with. Mr Whitequestioned media representatives present abouttheir commitment to the guidelines and contendedthat these should be disseminated properly amongall staN and concerned stakeholders. Federal Minister for Information and

Broadcasting Arif Nizami, speaking at the meetingof the media and support groups in Islamabad, said

that he was hopeful that the media will dulyperform its role which is indeed a pivotal one. Healso said that it is for the first time in the history ofPakistan that there is an impartial caretakergovernment and an independent electioncommission. The European Union, Election Observer

Mission’s media analyst Inta Lase, who is helping ateam of experts to monitor the performance ofselected media outlets in their coverage of theelections, also spoke on the occasion. She said thata sample of major media had been selected formonitoring which included 6 TV channels, 2 radiostations and 4 newspapers. The observers will usequantitative and qualitative analysis as part of theirmethodology. Quantitative analysis will measure the time and

space allotted to diNerent political parties andleaders including the political advertisements. Incase of the qualitative analysis they will identify hatespeech and monitor the tone of reporting to testwhether the coverage is positive, negative orneutral. However it is noteworthy that regions suchas parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA andBalochistan are not being monitored by the missiondue to security concerns. Moreover, the channelsthat are being monitored also include mainstreammedia and regional channels have been neglectedwhich raises a question about the reach and allencompassing nature of the report of the mission.The media guidelines are the result of detaileddiscussions between the Election Commission ofPakistan, South Asian Free Media Association,Pakistan Broadcasting Association, All PakistanNewspaper Society, Council of Pakistan NewspaperEditors, Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation,Pakistan Television, National Press Club, PressCouncil of Pakistan, and the Pakistan FederationUnion of Journalists.

Media organisations set on election impartiality

RRAAWWAALLPPIINNDDII:: The lonely public park located in Harley Street hasturned into ruins due to negligence of cantonment board Chaklala.Harley Street Park was built when Cantonment Board Rawalpindiwas not bifurcated and later the park came under the control ofcantonment board Chaklala. Million of rupees were spent on its rehabilitation and

beautification. Boundary wall was cemented and iron rods wereinstalled over it. Seesaws were erected for the children and a specialjogging track was built for women. The park is now wearing adeserted look as it seems to be a vandalized spot left with all seesawsbroken, boundary wall worn out and even the iron rods of the walland structure of seesaws have been fleeced.Anything like greenery and flowers are but a non-entity in the

park as all the plants have been trampled under their feet by thechildren who are seen playing cricket and football with impunity.The residents of the area have demanded immediate renovationand revival of the solitary park of Harley Street to provide themopportunity to take breath in fresh air in healthy milieu. ONLINE

QQUUEETTTTAA:: PML-NPresident MianNawaz Sharif saidthat former militaryruler PervezMusharraf shouldhave been sent to jailimmediately afterthe court's order.Talking to media Friday, the PML-N chiefsaid that Musharraf committed greatcrimes. He said why was he kept in his house?

He should have been sent to jailimmediately after the court’s order.Nawaz demanded judicial inquiry into

the attack on Sanaullah Zehri NawazSharif says the law and order situation inBalochistan is miserable. He said ajudicial commission must be constitutedand the culprits involved in the attackmust be brought to justice.He said the law and order situation in

Balochistan is miserable that needsimmediate attention. He said the solutionof all the issues is election. ONLINE

Mush shouldhave been sent tojail, says Nawaz

Public park in shambles

HHYYDDEERRAABBAADD:: AAllll PPaakkiissttaann MMuusslliimm LLeeaagguueeLLeeggaall AAiidd CCoommmmiitttteeee mmeemmbbeerrss ddeemmoonnssttrraattiinnggaaggaaiinnsstt aarrrreesstt ooff ffoorrmmeerr pprreessiiddeenntt PPeerrvveezzMMuusshhaarraaff.. ONLINE

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013

LHC allows Ch Wajahatto contest electionsLLAAHHOORREE:: The Lahore High Courthas allowed Pakistan MuslimLeague-Q leader Chaudhry WajahatHussain to contest the upcomingelections. On Friday, the courtaccepted his appeal by making himeligible to contest the election.Earlier, Wajahat’s papers wererejected by a returning oNcer of theElection Commission on initialscrutiny, after which he had filed areview appeal with an electiontribunal. Earlier this week, thetribunal had also rejected his appeal.Wajahat is the younger brother ofPML-Q President Ch ShujaatHussain and will contest on the NA-104 seat in JallalpurJattan-Karianwala. The objectionson Wahajat’s papers had stated thathe did not declare his assetscorrectly. �ONLINE

Toy bomb kills twochildren, woman in Buner BBUUNNEERR:: A woman and two childrenwere killed after a toy-bombexploded in the Shewai village ofBuner, a district of the KhyberPakhtunkhwa province. Nawagaipolice confirmed that three peopleincluding a 10-year-old girl, a six-year-old boy and the children’s auntdied when the bomb they had foundin a field exploded. The aunt of the ill-fated children had gone to deliverfood and refreshments to the malemembers of the family working infields near the village. Nawagai PoliceStation SHO Muhammad Shah Khanconfirmed that they had lodged anFIR on the report and areinvestigating. The children had foundthe toy-like explosive device, whichappeared to be either a mortar or anRPG shell and were removing mudfrom it when it exploded. �ONLINE

10-party alliance inKarachi, Dadu brokenKKAARRAACCHHII:: Alliance of 10 politicalparties in Karachi and Dadu finallycame to an end on Friday as theparties failed to agree over seatadjustment in both the cities. Theparties announced to take theircandidates in the upcoming electionsagainst each other. Despite an earlierdeal of seat adjustment with thePakistan Muslim League–F, thePakistan Muslim League–N issuedtickets to its candidate from NA 90and NA 91. Furthermore, formerfederal minister Liaquat Jatoi alsorefused to accept the seat adjustmentcontract in Dadu, taking the allianceto its end. �ONLINE

Looters can’t return topower: AqeelIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: PML-N candidate forNA-48 Anjum Aqeel Khan Fridaysaid that those who ruined thecountry would not regain power. Hewarned the opponents to pack up asworkers of the PML-N have becomeactive. Addressing a meeting atMohra Badia, he said that evenopponents gave example of goodgovernance and development projectsof the Punjab government during thelast five years. Aqeel claimed that thePML-N would form the nextgovernment throughout the countryand looters of the national exchequerwould be brought to justice. �ONLINE

Sindh to celebrateEnvironment Day on 22ndLLAARRKKAANNAA:: Sindh Minister forEnvironment and EnergyMohammed Sharif Ansari hasannounced to celebrateEnvironmental Day on April 22throughout the province. Heemphasised the masses to celebratethe day by planting trees in everynook and corner of the province witha view to stop pollution from Sindh.He directed all educationalinstitutions – from schools touniversities – to celebrate the day andtake part in national tree plantationdrive. �ONLINE

KKOOHHAATT:: IInnddeeppeennddeenntt ccaannddiiddaattee ffoorr PPKK--3399 MMaalliikk TTaajj KKhhaann aaddddrreessssiinngg eellddeerrss dduurriinngg aa jjiirrggaa.. ——ONLINE

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: About 20 Pakistanischolars received total of $410,000worth of grants from the US Agencyfor International Development(USAID) for research related togovernance, creative cities & regions,energetic youth & communities andvibrant markets.The twenty proposals were selected

from almost 200 research applicantreceived from across the country aswell as abroad. Planning CommissionDeputy Chairman Dr Nadeem ulHaq, USAID Pakistan Director Jock

Conly distributed awards among thescholars in a graceful ceremony.Talking to the participants, Jock

Conly said that it was yet anotherexample of the US support forPakistan’s development priorities. “Webelieve that this research will help layfoundations to the growth ofPakistan,” he said. Pakistan and theUS joint eOorts in the field ofeconomic growth, energy andeducation will contribute to a strongerbrighter future for Pakistan.Conly said USAID was providing

funds for research purposes to thescholars because they believe thatgood quality research impacts oneconomic growth of any country andinnovations in the economic researchare vital for growth. He said that toremove institutional barriers thisprogramme would be helpful.Dr Nadeem ul Haq said that USAID

assistance would enable Pakistan tomodernise its policy formulation byimproving research based policyanalysis; building capacity andleadership. This program will create a

favourable environment for theinvestment and enterprise growth.Dr Nadeem said that the

government does not provide fundsfor research activities althoughresearch has its importance but it wasvery unfortunate that the governmentwas not ready to invest in research.“We are facing huge losses in theenergy sector but no one bothered toidentify what are the reasons behindthese losses,” he said.The oNcial said that economies of

developed countries especially US

were research bases economies.“Unless we will not invest in researchwe will not be able to get economicgrowth,” he said. It is pertinent tomention here that researchscholarships are awarded under theUSAID-funded Pakistan strategysupport programme, administered bythe International Food PolicyResearch Institute.Though this programme, USAID

will provide up to $2.4 million ingrants to support policy research overthe next three years. �ONLINE

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: To celebrate theNational Book Day being held onApril 22, the National BookFoundation has planned a three-daybook festival from Saturday (today)at the Pak-China Friendship Centre.Writers, poets, intellectuals,

columnists and leaders of civil societywill participate in the bookcelebrations. These distinguishedmen and women of letters will inspirethe large number of audience thatincludes book lovers, youths, studentsand teachers, members of civil society,bibliophiles, budding writers andgeneral public.

Talking to media, NBF ManagingDirector Mazharul Islam who himselfis an acclaimed short story writer saidit was for the first time in Pakistanthat prominent writers andintellectuals would communicate withtheir readers at a length and answertheir questions.The purpose of this activity is to

cement the bond of friendshipbetween the general public and thebook. The NBF initiated the NationalBook Day celebrations in Pakistan.Islamabad Public Library will set upits branch at the Pak-ChinaFriendship Centre and issue cards to

the visitors. They will enjoy readingtheir favourite books during the three-day visit for free.This is the fourth consecutive mega

book event being celebrated by theNBF at the national level. The eventserves to turn people into bookloversthat is why this year’s National BookDay’s slogan is back to book – read forlife. Students dressed in book-attirewill sing out the ‘book anthem’ on thisoccasion. Besides, Book March, BookReading Festival, Book Parade, BookFlag Hoisting ceremony and anumber of activities to engage youngminds with wonderful book reading

exercise are part of the first daycelebrations.However, the highlight of the first

day celebrations will be ‘CelebratingWriters Readers, Authors BookReading Festival.’ In the varioussessions of this festival, prominentwriters, poets and intellectuals willread out excerpts from theirbestsellers. These celebrated writersinclude Intazar Hussain, Mian RazaRabbani, Assad Mohammad Khan,Ahmed Aqeel Rubi, Attaul HaqQasmi, Mehmood Sham, AmjadIslam Amjad, Asghar Nadim Syedand Asim Butt. Renowned artist

Qawwi Khan will read from SaadatHasan Manto.The participants will continue to

inspire the audience on the secondday (April 21,) of the three-dayfestivities as Mustansar HussainTarar, Fahmida Riaz, Zahida Hina,Masood Ashar, Javed Jabbar and DrWahid Ahmed will read out of theirselected books. Excerpts from booksby Noon Meem Rahsid, Mansha Yadand Younis Sethi will also be read tothe sheer joy and amusement of theaudience. Rana Seerat, Naureen TalatArooba, Qurratul Ain Ali will alsorecite from diOerent books. �ONLINE

National Book Day at Pak-China Friendship Centre

Writers and intellectuals to communicate with readers

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Chinese AmbassadorLiu Jian Friday presented a cheque of$50,000 on behalf of the Chinese RedCross for the rehabilitation of theearthquake victims in Balochistan.In a meeting with Foreign Secretary

Jalil Abbas Jilani here at the ForeignONce, Liu Jian presented financialassistance from the Chinese Red Crossfor the rehabilitation of theearthquake-hit people in the province. Thanking the ambassador and the

Chinese Red Cross for the generosity,the secretary stated that it wasreflective of the close and cooperativeties that both Pakistan and China andthe friendly people of the twocountries enjoy. �ONLINE

$50,000 for quake-hit Balochistan

US to boost economic, agricultural research in Pakistan� Jock Conly says US aid agency funding scholars for research � Dr Haq sees investment, enterprise growth after foreign support

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan is allset to launch his party’s electioncampaign from Sunday byaddressing rallies across the countryto woo the voters for casting theirdecision in favour of the change.According to statement issued on

Friday, the campaign of the PakistanTehrik-i-Insaf was to be launched onApril 16 from Lodharan andMultan. However, the intra-partyrow over the distribution of partytickets, internal strife between theparty’s oNce bearers and the attack

at Imran Khan’s home by the party’sprotesting workers resulted into thedelay.Imran Khan will address public

gatherings during the electioncampaign which are going to be heldacross the country. As per theannouncement, Imran wouldaddress public gatherings in Karakand Dera Ismail Khan on April 21,on April 22, he would be addressingrallies in Malkand Agency, LowerDir and Upper Dir. He would beaddressing his final election rally inRawalpindi on May 9. �AGENCIES

PPEESSHHAAWWAARR:: The ElectionCommission of Pakistan allottedelection symbols to independentcandidates here on Friday. Thesymbols to candidates, who arecontesting elections 2013 from fourNational Assembly and 11 provincialassembly seats, were allotted by thereturning oNcers concerned.Last month, the ECP had already

allotted election symbols to about148 political parties. AneelaShaheen, a journalist who iscontesting general election fromNA-4 Peshawar as an independentcandidate, was allotted ‘basket’while another independentcandidate from NA-2 and PK-6Peshawar Khadim Hussain Khalilwas allotted ‘Stag’ and ‘WheelBarrow’ respectively.Khadim said that preference was

being given to candidates’ choicebefore allotting symbols and boththe election symbol allotted to himwas per his choice. “If I am elected,top focus would be given to establisheducational institutes in NA-2 andPK-6 as problems ofunemployment, law and order,illiteracy and poverty could only beaddressed through promotion ofeducation,” he said.

The candidate said that problemsof NA-2 were many including lack ofquality educational and vocationalinstitutes, non pavement of streetsand link roads, lack of disposal ofsolid waste, unavailability of theBasic Health Units in majorityvillages, outdated drainage systemand vowed to solve all theseproblems if elected. �AGENCIES

Symbols alloted toindependents

SSUUKKKKUURR:: The ElectionCommission allotted ‘guitar’ asthe election symbol to ShamanAli Mirali, a renowned Sindhisinger who is contestingelection from NA-199 and PS-4 Sukkur. Explaining hischoice of constituency, he saidthat he has a huge fanfollowing in the region. Miraliis contesting election againstKhursheed Ahmed Shah of thePakistan People’s Party fromNA-199 and against hisnephew and son-in-law AwaisQadir Shah from PS-4. �ONLINE

‘Guitar’ forSindhi singer

KKAARRAACCHHII:: The law and ordersituation in the provincial capitalcontinues to worsen as four morepeople were killed on Friday.In early morning, two men were

killed while one was injured in firing atSher Shah Akbar Chowk. Furthermore,police recovered two unidentifiedbodies from Sher Shah and Manghopir.The police said that they have initiatedinvestigation into the attack.On the other hand, rangers in

collaboration with the police havearrested over 50 suspects during atargeted action from various areas ofthe city. The action was carried out inOrangi Town, Mangopir and PakhtoonAbad areas. The action was confined tospecial localities and houses as all theentry and exit points were cordoned oOduring the search.As many as 28 suspects were arrested

during this operation and the policealso recovered arms from theirpossession, a banned outfit activist wasalso among the detainees, sourcesadded.

The police also arrested 12 suspectsduring the action carried out inDefence area of Rasool and Neelamcolonies while three motorbikes were

recovered from the accused. OrangiTown SP Chaudhry Asad said that thetargeted actions would continueagainst the criminal elements. �ONLINE

Targeted action in Karachi

50 suspects nabbedas four more killed� A banned outfit activist among detainees

KKAARRAACCHHII:: AA ppaarraa mmiilliittaarryy ssoollddiieerr cchheecckkiinngg ppeeooppllee iinn PPIIBB AArreeaa aass tthhee sseeccuurriittyy hhaass bbeeeennbbeeeeffeedd uupp iinn tthhee cciittyy aahheeaadd ooff tthhee uuppccoommiinngg eelleeccttiioonnss.. �ONLINE

Imran to kick-o�campaign from Sunday

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Federal Ministerfor Petroleum and NaturalResources Sohail Wajahat hasappealed to the nation for helpingcreate awareness regardingcurbing the menace of sabotageon gas pipelines across thecountry.During the month of April, 11

numbers of incidents ofsabotage/terrorist attacks onpipelines have taken place, whichhas resulted in gas supplydisruption from some of thesources due to which companies

could not supply gas to their valuedcustomers.Wajahat has been monitoring

the situation closely and has beenissuing instructions to themanaging directors of therespective companies. Teams weredispatched for immediate repair ofthe damaged pipelines, on eachoccasion, which successfullyresumed gas supply while workingat odd hours and in arduoussecurity circumstances.Presently, three teams are

working simultaneously to restoregas supply, thus resulting inresource constraints. The Ministryof Petroleum reiterates itscommitment to maintaincontinuous supply of energyresources to the masses, and in thisregard is taking proactive actionsin coordination with allstakeholders. �ONLINE

11 attacks reportedon pipelines in April� Teams resume gas supply after repairing

EELLEECCTTIIOONN 22001133:: AA ssuuppppoorrtteerr ooff aaccaannddiiddaattee llooookkss aatt tthhee lliisstt ooff eelleeccttiioonnssyymmbboollss ffoorr ppoolliittiiccaall ppaarrttiieess wwhhiicchh iissddiissppllaayyeedd aatt CCiittyy CCoouurrtt iinn KKaarraacchhii.. �ONLINE

VViiccttiimmss rreemmoovviinngg ddeebbrriiss ooff aa hhoouussee wwhhiicchh wwaass ccoollllaappsseedd iinn rreecceenntt eeaarrtthhqquuaakkee iinnMMaasshhkkhheeeell.. �ONLINE

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013

THE SPOKESMANChief Editor: Huma Ali

Executive Editor: Atif MateenResident Editor: Saeed Minhas

Consulting Editors: Jalees Hazir Samina Choonara

MQMandKarachi’s new realities

Altaf Hussain, former PresidentMuhajir Students Organisation,formed theMuhajir QaumiMovement during the Zia era, laterrenamed theMuttahida QaumiMovement (MQM) to erase thestigma of an ethnic group. TheMQMmobilised Urdu-speaking people of allclasses to make Karachi its exclusivepreserve, and to dominate other citiesof Sindh like Hyderabad and Sukkur,which led to violent confrontationbetween Urdu speaking immigrantsand local Sindhi. However, during the1990s, the dynamics of the conflictchanged and it is now theMuhajirversus the Pushtun and Punjabi. Tounderstand the reasons for thepresent chaos and conflict in Karachi,one has to analyse the events that havetaken place in the recent past.After the C-130 crash on 17 August1988 that killed General Zia-ul-Haqand other top brass of the army,Senate chairman Ghulam Ishaq tookoath as acting President of Pakistan.Elections were held in 1988, and thePPP emerged as the single largestparty winning 93 out of 207 seats.Benazir Bhutto was invited to formthe government but since the PPPdid not have a clear majority, itformed the coalition governmentwith the MQM.Within months, diWerencesemerged between the partners andthe coalition ended. Later, PresidentGhulam Ishaq Khan used theconstitutional provision under 58-2bto dismiss the PPP government anddissolve the assemblies. Electionswere held on 24 October 1990, theIslami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) led byPML-Nawaz won and the MQMjoined the coalition governmentwith the PML-N. When Karachisuccumbed to a bloodbath, amilitary operation was conducted toquell the violence. Anothersubsequent operation wasconducted by the PPP governmentthat came after the IJI governmentwas dismissed. The operationsrestored some peace to Karachi.However, after the secondNawazgovernment was overthrown by the

COAS, General PervezMusharraf, theMQMwas given almost a free hand inKarachi, and it got police and otheroVcers in the administration of itschoice appointed where it mattered tothem. Karachi once again becameMQM’s exclusive preserve and othercontenders like the Jamat-i-Islami (JI)andMQM-Haqiqi were knocked outwith the support of theMusharafgovernment.In this period, theMQMgot theconstituencies in Karachi demarcatedaccording to its wishes. However, theANP still won two seats in Karachi inthe 2008 elections and in thegovernments that were formedwas acoalition partner with the PPP andMQMat the federal level and in Sindh,

andwith the PPP in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Still, target killings inKarachi continued unabated, and thecoalition government failed to stopthem. AfterMPARazaHaider wasshot dead in Karachi,MQMworkerswent berserk and killed about 100Pushtun and torched transportvehicles, vans, trucks and buses ownedby them. There was not even a remotepossibility of the ANP’s involvement inhismurder, yet theMQMaccused theparty. As is always the case, amajorityof those killed in thismayhembelonged to the labour class, those whohad come to eke out a living in the portcity and industrial hub.Even if the land and drugmafiawereinvolved in these killings, the coalitionpartners could not be absolved of theresponsibility of inability to protect thelives of people, as similar criminal

syndicates all over the world operatethrough connection in high places.Anyhow, the so-calledMQMactivistsor extortionists whowere collectingbhatta (forced financial contribution)from the business community are nolonger willing to share the booty withthe party because they take all the riskand face themusic.MQM leaders claim that 10millionUrdu-speaking people - descendents ofthose who hadmigrated from India -live in Karachi. The figure isexaggerated as they includeMemon,Bohri, Agha Khani and otherminorities.Meanwhile, Pushtunleaders claim their population exceedssixmillion. Karachi is also home tomore than fivemillion Punjabis for the

last six decades. To counter each other,theMQMand the ANP have armedtheirmilitant wings to the teeth, whichimplies that any confrontation isunlikely to yield a decisive victory toeither side. At best it may be a pyrrhicvictory, which toomay not besustainable for long.Turf wars to assert power isconsuming all the time and energy ofthese groups, while the country isslipping deeper into crises, instigatedby foreign forces in some cases. Thecoalition government had agreed totake action against criminals andmiscreants without discrimination inKarachi, but this did notmaterialise.After a short hiatus, Karachi burnsagain, with criminality of all sortsblighting the economic hub ofPakistan. This year, with electionsplanned, all sorts ofmafia have become

active and plunged the city into fearand gloom. And if the situation isallowed to deteriorate, in not toodistant a future, most politicians inKarachi will be dancing to the tune oforganised criminal gangs. In fact, theMQM leaders have realised that theirgrip on activists and thugs is loosening,with such groups now actingindependently. This accounts for thechange in their tone and tenor, andnow they do not hurl threats asfrequently as they used to in the past.The plain truth is that three politicalentities are pitted against each other ina bloody battle for the conquest ofKarachi, the commercial and industrialhub of Pakistan. Once a symbol ofpeaceful co-existence where peoplefrom all provinces - Pushtun, Baloch,Punjabis - lived in complete harmonywith Sindhi,Mohajir,Memon, Bohri,Agha Khani and Parsi communities upto the late 1970s, the city is nowunrecognisable. Karachi had seenturmoil once in 1965 duringpresidential elections when FatimaJinnahwas contesting against AyubKhan, and the second time in 1972when language riots broke out after theSindh Assembly passed a language billadopting Sindhi as oVcial language ofthe province. Otherwise, it was apeaceful and thriving city.A fewweeks ago, while defending hisdual citizenship in a televised speech,Altaf Hussain equated dual nationalityholders withMohammed Ali Jinnah,not realising that he was a citizen ofBritish India. More recently, theMQMsubmitted amemorandum to the UNurging it to use its influence inensuring fair and free elections and toput pressure on the ECP to stoppursuing the process of delimitation ofconstituencies in Karachi. Involvingthe international community in theinternal aWairs of Pakistan is adespicable and condemnable act,which needs to be viewed seriously byall segments of society including themedia, civil society, political partiesand the general masses. TheMQMmust learn to live with the newrealities of Karachi.

THE WRITER IS A FREELANCECOLUMNIST

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

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

Turf wars to assert power is consumingall the time and energy of thesepolitical groups. The coalitiongovernment had agreed to take actionagainst criminals and miscreantswithout discrimination in Karachi, butthis did not materialise

CondolencesTuesday’s earthquake was felt acrossthe region, though the epicentre lay insoutheast Iran.This is a very sad day for my countryandmy countrymen. Thousands ofPakistanis have been aWected by ahuge tremor that damaged hundredsof homes and killed at least 41 people,necessitating a military rescue eWort inremote regions.

The deaths and damage resultingfrom Pakistan’s worst earthquake in2005 is still fresh in memory. Over80,000 had died and 3.5 millionpeople became homeless.My deepest condolences to thefamilies of Mashkail, a poor town inBalochistan province, for the loss oflives, injuries and destruction ofproperty as a result of this disaster.My thoughts and prayers are withmy countrymen.

AJMAL KHATAKLAHORE

Insecurity for womenThe recent news coverage of sexualcrimes in Pakistan makes the country’swomen feel insecure. I, for instance,fear for my sisters in diWerent parts ofthe city who travel via public transportto their universities.Women are assaulted in the name of‘honour’ and they often pay the price

for disgrace brought about by malemembers of the family. Yet, theauthorities are insensitive towardsthis matter.Days after the Delhi gang-rape victimdied, a nine-year-old girl in Pakistanwas allegedly abducted from her homeand raped by threemen. Few Pakistanimedia outlets carried this story and nodemonstrations have been held insupport of the young victim.The severe social stigma associatedwith rape in urban areas has pressuredmany women to commit suicide aftersuWering such crimes.

RIDA BATOOL RIZVIISLAMABAD

The Korean crisisThe display of bravado by the NorthKorean leadership is an act ofbrinkmanship. The danger posed by ithas been exacerbated by the persistentprovocations by the US.

Brinkmanship is the escalation ofthreats to achieve one’s aims. The termbrinkmanship was coined by USSecretary of State, John Foster Dulles,during the ColdWar.In order for brinksmanship to bepolitically eWective, the threats arecontinuously escalated. However, athreat is not worth anything unless it iscredible, at some point the aggressiveparty, may have to back up its claim toprove its commitment to action.The chance of things sliding out ofcontrol is often used as a tool ofbrinkmanship, because it can providecredibility to an otherwise incrediblethreat. Nuclear brinkmanship createsimmense pressure in a situation untilone person or party backs down, orboth are annihilated.North Korea is playing a dangerousgame of nuclear roulette. And the US isbehaving like a global bully instead of aresponsible super power. A conflictarising out of the unreasonable attitudeof the two could lead to a nuclear

inferno in the Korean Peninsula withmassive global consequences.

FATIMA IDRISLAHORE

Making electionsegalitarian and lawfulGood evaluation with forward-lookingeWect.

SYEDMASROORHUSSAIN SHAH

Will I be blamed for theBoston bombs?Very well written piece! It made mefeel the pain you are going throughand reminded me of a short story by aPalestinian writer. I feel that youshould have mentioned tax and otherissues being faced by people living in

Boston these days and also theconspiracy theories being discussed bythe media in the US. In any case it is avery good piece.

AAMIR FARAZ

WAPDA chairman’s lootand plunderSuch people need to be tried in thecourt of law and punished properly. Itis absolutely disgusting to hear that hewas opposed to projects that are ofutmost significance to Pakistan. Thepresent chairman could do well toremove his son. I am confident thereare other more competent andexperienced individuals than someonewhomerely holds a B.Com degree.

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

MOHAMMAD JAMIL

President Musharraf made news once again on Thursday after anextension in his bail was refused by the Rawalpindi bench of theLahore High Court and an additional charge was added to the FIRagainst him under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The present caseagainst him relates to the unlawful detention of judges after he hadimposed his 3 November 2007 emergency, and the court observedthat stopping judges from working is a terrorist activity. Onlearning that he could be arrested for his crime, Musharraf hastilyleft the court premises to speed away in his luxury SUV to hispalatial residence in the luxuriant suburb of Chak Shahzad.Powerful people with even lesser clout are usually not verybothered about the law, and Musharaf, after serving in topmostpositions like Chief of the Army StaW and (pre-EighteenthAmendment) President of Pakistan, wasn’t about to be arrestedand taken to a thana. Yet, Musharraf ’s presumptuous commandoact is likely to get him into deeper trouble. Already many pertinentquestions are being raised about his behaviour.Since his return fromLondon,Musharraf has literally been put in thedock. Hemust now defend himself in courts against charges that hehad been evading for the past four years in self-exile; for themurderof Benazir Bhutto, Akbar Bugti and JamiaHafsa casualties. Hispalatial residence in Chak Shahzad could be torn down as it is built inviolation of rules on landmeant for growing vegetables for theresidents of Islamabad. In 2009, the Supreme Court had directed thefederal government to bring a case of treason against him underArticle 6 and is currently hearing a case regarding why the federalgovernment has failed to do so. He has been declared unfit to contestelections from each one of the four constituencies he was eyeing forhis election to the national assembly. Beyond his personal travails,what happens toMusharraf is being viewed as a test case for the Ruleof Law in the country.Will a formermilitary dictator be heldaccountable for his crimes without fear or favour?Media commentators have stretched the significance of his recentabove-the-law behaviour and the helplessness of police oVcials, andgone on to point fingers towards the army establishment, holdingtheir support responsible for the retired general’s bravado. Due to theway themilitary establishment has traditionally behaved,commentators insist that themen in khaki would not let their formerchief be humiliated in civilian courts. Conversely, it has been reportedthatMusharraf ’s request to the current army high command forprotection on his return was turned down and he was advised not toreturn to Pakistan as it could add to the chaos. By deciding to return,that is what he has clearly done; kicking up debates that distractfrom real issues in the upcoming elections. Regardless of the highoVces of the State held by him in the past, hemust act within theconfines of law and be ready for accountability, even if he is not usedto it. It is important for the security establishment to dispel theperception that it is watchingMusharraf ’s back through a categoricalstatement, and reiterate its commitment to the Constitution.

Musharraf in trouble

The Canadian International DevelopmentAgency is no longer. In its recent budget theConservative government collapsed CIDA intoForeign AWairs, creating theDepartment ofForeign AWairs, Trade andDevelopment.Whilethere was plenty of commentary on the Tories’move, no one - from themainstream right to thedevelopment NGO left - pointed out thatCanadian aid has primarily been aboutmaintaining and/or extending the grip theworld’s richest one percent holds over the globe.Canada began its first significant (non-European) allocation of foreign aid through theColombo Plan.WithMao’s triumph in China in1949, the 1950Colombo Plan’s aimwas to keepthe former British Asian colonies, especiallyIndia, within theWestern capitalist fold.To justify an initial $25million ($250millionin today’s dollars) in Colombo Plan aid, ExternalAWairsMinister Lester Pearson told theHouseof Commons: ‘Communist expansionismmaynow spill over into South East Asia as well asinto theMiddle East… it seemed to all of us atthe [Colombo] conference that if the tide oftotalitarian expansionism should flow over thisgeneral area… the FreeWorldwill have beendriven oW all but a relatively small bit of the greatEurasian landmass…We agreed at Colombo thatthe forces of totalitarian expansionism could notbe stopped in South Asia and South East Asiabymilitary force alone’.Two years later PrimeMinister Louis St.Laurent was evenmore explicit about the carrot

and stick approach to defeating left wingnationalism (“communism”). In September1952, St. Laurent explained, ‘in South East Asiathrough the establishment of the Colombo plannot only are we trying to provide widercommercial relations but we are also fightinganother Asiatic war against Communism in theinterests of peace, this timewith economicrather thanmilitary weapons.We Canadiansknow that in the struggle against Communismthere are two useful weapons, the economic andthemilitary.While wemuch prefer to use theeconomic weapons as we are in the Colomboplan, we know that wemay have no choice butto use themilitary weapons as we have beenforced to do in Korea’ [27 000 Canadian troopsparticipated in this war that left 3million dead].In other words, if some of India’s post-colonialpopulation had not set their sights on asocialistic solution to their troubles - with thepossibility of Soviet or Chinese assistance -Canada probably would not have provided aid.Five years into the Colombo Plan, Pearsonadmitted ‘Canada would not have started givingaid if not for the perceived communist threat’.The broad rationale for extending foreign aidwas laid out at a 1968 seminar for the newlyestablished Canadian InternationalDevelopment Agency. This day-long event wasdevoted to discussing a paper titled “Canada’sPurpose in Extending Foreign Assistance”

written by Professor Steven Triantas of theUniversity of Toronto. Foreign aid, Triantasargued, ‘may be used to induce theunderdeveloped countries to accept theinternational status quo or change it in ourfavour’. Aid provided an opportunity ‘to leadthem to rational political and economicdevelopments and a better understanding of ourinterests and problems ofmutual concern’.Triantis discussed the appeal of a ‘SundaySchoolmentality which appears noble andunselfish and can serve in pushing into thebackground othermotives… [that]might bediVcult to discuss publicly’.A 1969 CIDA background paper, expandingon Triantas views, summarised the rationale forCanadian aid: ‘To establish within recipientcountries those political attitudes orcommitments, military alliances ormilitarybases that would assist Canada or Canada’swestern allies tomaintain a reasonably stableand secure international political system.Through this objective, Canada’s aid programswould serve not only to help increase Canada’sinfluence within the developing world, but alsowithin the western alliance’.This type of thinking continues to drive aidpolicy. Largely ignored in recent commentary,there are innumerable documented instances ofCanadian aid advancing highly politicisedgeopolitical objectives over the past 25 years.

As an early advocate of InternationalMonetary Fund/World Bank structuraladjustment programs, since the early 1980sCanada has channeled hundreds of millions in“aid” dollars to supporting privatisation andeconomic liberalisation eWorts in the GlobalSouth. At the start of the 2000s Ottawa plowedmillions of dollars into supporting theWestern-backed “coloured revolutions” inEastern Europe and opposition to JeanBertrand Aristide’s elected government inHaiti. More recently, the Conservatives haveramped up aid spending in Latin America tocombat independent-minded, socialist-oriented governments. Barely discussed in themedia, the Harper government’s shift of aidfrom Africa to Latin America was largelydesigned to stunt Latin America’s recentrejection of neoliberalism and US dependenceby supporting the region’s right-winggovernments andmovements.An entirely unacknowledged, thoughincreasingly obvious, principle of Canadian aidis that where theUSAwields its big stick,Canada carries its police baton and oWers acarrot. Or to put it more bluntly, where US andCanadian troops kill Ottawa provides aid.During the 1950-53KoreanWar the south ofthat country became amajor recipient ofCanadian aid and sowas Vietnamduring theUSwar there. The leading recipient of Canadian aid

in 1999/2000was thewar-ravaged formerYugoslavia and Iraq andAfghanistanwere toptwo recipients in 2003/2004. Since that timeAfghanistan andHaiti (where Canadian andUStroops helped overthrow the elected governmentin February 2004) have been the leadingrecipients. Tens ofmillions in Canadian “aid”dollars have been spent to reestablish foreignand elite control overHaiti’s security forces.There are a number of reasons for the lack ofdiscussion about aid being used as a tool tomaintain/extendWestern capitalist dominance.NGO critics of aid policy are generally unwillingto point out the geopolitical underpinnings ofCanadian aid because their jobs depend onkeeping quiet. They stick to criticising the waysin which foreign assistance is used to benefitspecific corporate interests. This stakeholdercriticism generally amounts to nomore thanNGOs saying: “Give the aidmoney to us not thecorporations, because we’ll do a better job ofwhatever it is you want to accomplish”.If you tell truth to power by saying Canadianaid is largely designed tomaintainWesterncapitalist dominance of the Global South you’renot likely to have your grant renewed. The funnything is, with the Conservatives in power, ifyou’re doing anything remotely useful toordinary people, you’re not likely to anyway.

(COUNTERPUNCH)

Canada’s destructive foreign aid

In the run-up to elections, all sorts of mafia have become active in the city. And ifthe situation is allowed to deteriorate, in not too distant a future, most politiciansin Karachi will be dancing to the tune of organised criminal gangs

YVES ENGLER There are a number of reasons for the lack of discussion about Canadian aid being used to advance highlypoliticised geopolitical objectives

Feedback from the web

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013

Interestingly, the young are known tobe disobedient to their elders,particularly when it comes tochoosing a profession or career forthemselves, especially when it comesto choosing the same profession astheir parents. For instance, a teacher’ssonmay not want to become ateacher due to the poor scale ofremuneration. Similarly, the son of afarmermay not see any attraction inhis ancestral profession possibly dueto the intensity of work and themeagre turnover. But it seemsimpossible for a politician’s son ordaughter to resist the temptation offame and fortune involved infollowing the family tradition andentering into politics.Not only in Pakistan but in theentire Indian subcontinent, politicaldynasties seem to be remarkablyresilient and children tend tocontinue in their parents’ footstepsdespite a series of political murders ofthe elders. The term political dynastycan simply be defined as a situationwhere people related to each otherwithin the third degree ofconsanguinity or aVnity hold electiveoVce simultaneously or some oVcessuccessively in a legislative district,region, province, city ormunicipality.From the British colonial period,this kin-based political organisationhas survived phases of colonialism,democracy, authoritarianism and re-democracy. Still, what ismore strikingis not somuch that political dynastiespersist but that ours seem to havebeen enjoying their political andeconomic stature without the pressureof performance in terms of nationaldevelopmentwhen they are in oVce.In Pakistan, more than 50 per centnational and provincial assemblyseats are occupied by a political elitegroup comprising around 100families. The number of familiesrunning the country through politicaldynasties is growing which reflectsthat political dynasty is flourishing. Itis evident thatmore andmorefamilies have joined the elite groupshowing that the trend is unlikely towane. But social analysts areunanimous in their view that familypolitics is spoiling the dynamic spiritof democracy in Pakistan.Currently, four major politicalparties are the flag carriers ofdynastic politics that include theAwami National Party (ANP),PakistanMuslim League-Nawaz(PML-N), PakistanMuslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and PakistanPeople's Party (PPP).At this stage, it is diVcult to assumethat the two budding stakeholdersMuthidaQaumiMovement (MQM)and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) are

opposed to political inheritancebecause the time has not yet arrivedfor the sons or daughters of theseparty heads to enter the greenpastures of governance.In contrast, political parties in otherparts of the world harbour politicaldynasties, but their longevity isconditional to their success in servingthe people. Themore terrible realityis that a large number of politicalclans have been associated withpatronage, corruption and coercion asa way tomaintain their access to thestate and, through it, to gaineconomic entitlements.In old England, the phrase the“King’s party” was coined to illustratethe absolute obedience of theConservative Party which was bent onseeking the pleasure of the Kingunder all circumstances. But if wetake a look at the current politicalparties in Pakistan, it is sad to notethat all parties (with exception of PTI,possibly due to it being new) carry thequalities of being the King’s partysince party heads behave like ownersand proprietors andworkers obeythem silently.It is due to King’s party syndromethat granting party tickets is based onloyalty to the leader rather thanloyalty to the party. The party leaderis always considered a paragon ofvirtue who can never do any wrong.The leader is not considered ‘the firstamong equals’ but takes the place of aprophet or an ancient EgyptianPharaoh re-descended on Earth.It has become a fashion to deploremilitary rule in Pakistan on thegrounds that it incites dictatorshipwhere decisions are taken arbitrarily.The time has come to redefine theterm dictatorship that exists equallyin political, social and religiousgroups. Let us teach ourselves andothers that dictatorship has nothingto dowith amilitary uniform but thatit is amind-set and cast runningparallel to democracy. The punch lineis that continuous dynasticsuccessions in Pakistan haveperpetuated both themilitary andcivilian dictatorships.It is quite understandable why thereis such a clamour to purge Pakistanipolitics of dynastic rule. To this end,twomeans have been proposed: one isto push for an amendment that willintroduce an anti dynasty provisionto the Constitution; the other is tourge the masses to wake up and votefor the right candidates irrespectiveof family roots.This is because political dynastiesare as intolerable to democracy astorrential rains is to the over floodedvalleys. Indisputably, Pakistani politicsis in the grips of a few notable familiesand it is time to question their lifelongownership and entitlement to beingparty heads. This seems to be thedemand fromwithinmajoritarianparties and the voice of the electorate.

THE WRITER IS A FREELANCEJOURNALIST

Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater: The Riseof theWorld'sMost PowerfulMercenary Army,has a new book that should be required readingfor Congressmembers, journalists, warsupporters, war opponents, Americans, non-Americans - really, prettymuch everybody. Thenew book is calledDirtyWars: TheWorld Is aBattlefield. Of course, Scahill is not suggestingthat the world should be a battlefield. He'sreporting on how the Bush andObamaWhiteHouses have defined and treated it as such.The phrase "dirty wars" is a little less clear inmeaning. Scahill is a reporter whosechronological narrative is gripping andrevealing but virtually commentary-free. Anyobservations on the facts related tend to come inthe form of quotations from experts and thoseinvolved. So, there isn't anywhere in the bookthat explicitly explains what a dirty war is.The focus of the book is on operations thatwere oncemore secretive than they are today:kidnapping, rendition, secret-imprisonment,torture, and assassination. ‘This is a story’, readsthe first sentence of the book, ‘about how theUnited States came to embrace assassination asa central part of its national security policy’. It's astory about special, elite, andmercenary forcesoperating under even less Congressional orpublic oversight than the rest of theUSmilitary,a story about the Joint Special OperationsCommand and the CIA, and not about the"shock and awe" bombing of Baghdad or theactivities of tens of thousands of soldiersoccupying Iraq or Afghanistan.The type of war recounted is variouslyidentified in the book as dirty, dark, black, dark-side, small, covert, black-ops, asymmetric,

secret, twilight, and - in quotationmarks -"smart". At one point, Scahill describes theWhiteHouse, along with General StanleyMcChrystal, as beginning to ‘apply its emergingglobal kill list doctrine inside Afghanistan,buried within the larger, public war involvingconventional US forces’. But part of Scahill'sstory is how, in recent years, something that hadbeen considered special, secretive, and relativelyunimportant has come to occupy the focus oftheUSmilitary. In the process, it has lost someof its stigma as well as its secretiveness. Scahillrefers to some operations as "not so covert". It'shard to hide a drone war that is killing people bythe thousands. Secret death squad night raidsthat are bragged about in front of theWhiteHouse Press Corps are not so secret.I don't think, in the end, that Scahill issuggesting that other wars, or other parts ofwars, are clean. In fact, he characterises theObama administration's growing use of dirtywar tactics as ‘the fantasy of a clean war’. Theterm "clean" has been used inWashington DC,to distinguish killing from imprisonment-and-torture. Scahill's book should make clear toevery reader that there is nothing clean abouta war fought by death squad, drone, andmissile strike - any more than any other war.They're all dirty, filthy, nasty enterprises, aboutwhich we're usually fed a pile of oVcialsanitising and beautifying lies.Weighing in at over 500 pages, DirtyWars isan extensive account, in large part, of how the

WhiteHouse came to begin killingUS citizenswith drones. You can, however, read this book inless time than it takes to watch a 12-hourfilibuster on the subject, as recently presentedby Senator Rand Paul, and you'll learn a greatdeal more in the process.Scahill combines publicly availableinformation with his own original reporting(much of which he has written and spokenabout before) to create the best history we haveof how the practice I call murder-by-presidentevolved from tiny origins in the ClintonWhiteHouse to weekly Terror Tuesdaymeetings forObama. The book is arranged chronologically,and some stories are returned to again andagain. One of these, probably the best, is thestory of the Awlaki family, of Anwar Awlaki andhis father and his son.Anwar Awlaki, as far as we know, began toturn against theUnited States following theUSharassment ofMuslims that began on 12September 2001, at which time Awlaki wasliving in Virginia; and he grew in his oppositionto theUnited States as our governmentharassed him and threatened tomurder him.Awlaki, as far as we know, never took any actionagainst theUnited States beyond publiclyencouraging others to do so. In other words,Awlaki did the same thing CNNdoes quiteoften: he promoted the waging of war. Now, Ithink that such actions should be illegal, andthat under the International Covenant on Civiland Political Rights they are. I'd like to see

Awlaki and variousmembers of theUSmediaand various US government oVcials prosecutedfor war propaganda. Butmy position is rare ifnot unique. It is farmore common tomaintainthat the First Amendment protects such speech.Awlaki wasn't charged with or tried for anycrime. Instead, he was killed by a drone, alongwith another US citizen, Samir Khan, whowaswith him - a death that oneUS Congressmember called "a bonus" and "a twofer".Awlaki's teenage son and several other teenagemembers of his family were killed twoweekslater by another US drone strike.These deaths were a handful among themountain of corpses produced byUS dirty wars.AndDirtyWars provides uswith theheartbreaking and "humanising" stories of someof the non-US victims. I put "humanising" inquotes because I always wonderwhether anyonereally truly doubts that foreigners living far awayare human until a photo or film or narrative"puts a human face on them".Here are stories ofinnocent families, children, women, andmenkilled by aGlobalWar on theGlobe thatadvertises itself as eliminating terrorism.The Bostonmarathon bombs created a bit ofa public debate this week over how to define"terrorism".Many were unsure whether it wasterrorism, not knowing whether the bomberswere foreign or domestic. Others believed thebombers' motives needed to be known beforethe "terrorism" label could be applied. Thelatter is a reasonable position, but one that

renders the term less useful, while ignoringmany of its common uses. If we define"terrorism", as seemsmost useful, as acts ofviolence that terrorise people, it is hard to seemuch of what's recounted in Scahill's book asanything other than terrorism.While we're defining terms, it's worth notingthat "assassination" is usually defined as themurder of a prominent public figure. A"signature strike", which Scahill describes as atype of "pre-crime" punishment, in whichPresident Obama or his subordinate orders thekilling of someone whose name is unknown butwhose behaviour suggests that he or shemightbe likely to engage in active resistance to aUSoccupation ormight be likely to attack people intheUnited States someday - that is by definitionnot an assassination. It is a diWerent type ofmurder, but still, of course, amurder.When theNewYork Times reported onPresident Obama's kill list onMay 29, 2012, itquotedObama's National Security Advisor andcited interviews with three-dozen former andcurrent advisors to Obama in theWhiteHouse.TheUS voting public reelectedObama fivemonths later, and it appears entirely possiblethat the president wanted the public to knowthat hemurders people (trusting thatmanywhowouldn't approve would avoid knowing), andthat as a political strategist - if in no other waywhatsoever - Obamawas right.

(OPEDNEWS.COM)

The AwamiNational Party (ANP)and Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan (TTP)are at loggerheads. The former claimsit is fighting a war for secularism andliberalism in the country while thelatter is determined to removeeveryone that comes between themand their self-proclaimed style ofIslamic Shariah. In this "war" the ANPhas lostmore than 700workers andleaders during the past five years.On Tuesday, the TTP carried out asuicide attack against a politicalgathering of the ANP in Peshawar thatresulted in killing 17 people whileanother 40 sustained injuries. It wasthe fifth attack in one week against themembers of ANP. The TTP’s relentlessattacks are continuing while the ANPis also firm over its position, saying it‘will fight the war until no singleterrorist remains in the country’. TheANP is one of themajor politicalparties in the country that has a clearstance against the Taliban.The animosity between the ANPand the TTP is nothing new but itintensified when the Pashtunnationalist party demanded amilitaryoperation against Maulana Fazlullah-led militants in the Swat region in2009. After that operation, themilitants started attacking ANPleaders and workers. Theassassination of ex-provincial seniorminster Bashir Ahmed Bilour was asevere blow to the ANPwhile theparty lost another twomembers of theprovincial assembly, as well.‘Taliban attacks will not weaken thegovernment’s commitment to combatmilitancy; we will never bow ourheads before them’, were the words ofBashir Ahmed Bilour when hecondemned a TTP attack ten daysahead of his assassination.‘Wemust go after their sanctuaries

(in NorthWaziristan); I will meet withthe president to advise him to go afterthemilitants.Whether anyone standswith us or not, we have to fight thismindset’, said AsfandyarWali Khan,the head of the ANP on the occasion ofBashir Ahmed Bilour’s death inDecember 2012.According to the TTP, themilitantsare targeting the ANP for threediWerent reasons: first, the ANP is asecular party; second, it is involved inanti-TTP activities; third, it was part ofthe previous government that carriedoutmany operations against themilitants. TTP has declared ANP,MutahiddaQaumiMovement (MQM)and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) astheir enemies. In their war onMQM,militants have so far killedMPAManzar Imam and one of theircandidates for the Sindh ProvincialAssembly. However, the PPP has notbeen targeted the way the TTP hastargeted ANP andMQM.Last year, during an interviewHakimullahMehsud, the head of TTP,had warned that they would attack thepolitical gatherings of the ANP duringthe upcoming elections. ‘It is my orderto the mujahedeen that once againelections are close to forming ademocratic, secular system in thecountry. The “nationalyaan” (ANPfollowers) are the members of Satan’sShura; whenever you findmembers ofthe ANP, target them. Give them suchan exemplary punishment that theywill remember it for hundreds ofyears. The “nationalyaan” arecommunists and when it comes toideology they are infidels; they areenemies of Islam, they are behind thekilling of Muslims everywhere.’HakimullahMehsud had blamed theANP for always supporting theinvaders, ‘Yesterday, whenRussia wasbombing theMuslims (of Afghanistan)andwas involved in the genocide of theMuslims, ANP supportedMoscow. The

ANP killedMuslims all around theSarhad (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) for thesake of its (secular) ideology and aboveall to please the Russians.‘Today, when the Americans havecapturedAfghanistan and imprisonedMuslimUlema (clerics) andwomen,and have bombardedmosques anddestroyedmadrassahs, the ANP is onceagain supporting them (theAmericans). The enslaved“nationalyaan” (ANP) ask theUS formonetary support and then attack thetribesmen to get into the good books oftheUS.Honourable people of Sarhad(Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), I appeal to younot to participate in the rallies of theANP, otherwise youwill be responsiblefor any tragedy befalling you’,Mehsudwarned.HakimullahMehsud still usesthe termSarhad instead of KhyberPakhtunkhwa, as the provincewasrenamed by his enemies, the ANP.In February, the ANP called an AllParties Conference (APC) to settleissues with the TTP before the generalelections but the Taliban rejected theoWer. ‘As the general elections are notfar, the calling of an APC shows thatthe political leaders are doing this fortheir own safety and power’, saidIhsanullah Ihsan, TTP spokespersonwhile rejecting the APC oWer.Let’s take a look at themajor Talibanattacks against the ANP leaders andworkers in the past five years:On 1October 2008, a suicide bomberentered theHujra of AsfandyarWaliKhan in Charsadda to target him butthe attack was foiled.In February 2009, AlamzebKhan,an ANPMPAwas killed when his carwas hit by a powerful bomb in thesuburbs of Peshawar.In December 2009, a suicidebomber struck theHujra of ANPMember Provincial Assembly DrShamsher Ali Khan, killing him andinjuring 11 others, including his twobrothers in Swat.

In April 2010, at least 45 peoplewere killed andmore than 100 wereinjured when a suicide blast tookplace at the political rally of the ANPat Timargarah.In July 2010, themilitantsassassinatedMian ArshadHussain, theonly son of ex-Provincial InformationMinisterMian IftikharHussain.InMay 2011, a leader of the ANP,MuzaWar Ali Khan, along with hispersonal guard and a policeman, werekilled in a grenade attack inMattaTehsil in Swat.On 8 June 2011, the militants shotdead Israel Khan, ANP president ofthe Bannu district along with anothertwo activists.In December 2011, at least eightpeople were wounded when a remote-controlled bomb went oW near thepublic rally of the ANP chiefAsfandyarWali Khan in his hometown Charsadda.In July 2012, ANP leader MalikQasim was killed along with anotherfive people when a bomb went oW inQuetta’s Kachlak Bazaar. Later inthe same month, Khan Gul,president ANP district Tank waskilled by the militants.InNovember 2012, ANP leaderMalak Fateh Khan and his threeguards were killed in a suicide blast indistrict Buner.In December 2012, a suicide bomberof the TTP targeted provincial seniorminister Bashir Ahmed Bilour, makingthis the biggest target hit by themilitants during their ongoing waragainst the ANP.In February 2012, Ex-ChiefMinister KP Ameer Haider KhanHoti escaped an assassinationattempt in Mardan when a suicidebomber attacked his convoy.

THE WRITER IS A JOURNALISTBASED IN PESHAWAR AND TRAVELS

EXTENSIVELY IN FATA

Terrorising the ANP

Themany dirty wars waged by the US

FARAKH SHAHZAD

TAHIR ALI

The focus of Jeremy Scahill’s new book is on operations that were oncemore secretive than they are today:kidnapping, rendition, secret-imprisonment, torture, and assassination. It shows how something that had beenconsidered special, secretive, and relatively unimportant has come to occupy the focus of theUSmilitary

DAVID SWANSON

The TTP’s relentless attacks are continuingwhile the ANP is also firm over itsposition, saying it ‘will fight the war until no single terrorist remains in the country’

Downwiththe blue bloodsIn Pakistanmore than 50 percent nationaland provincial assembly seats have beenoccupied by a political elite groupcomprising around 100 families. Thenumber of families running the countrythrough political dynasties is growing

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013

7.0-magnitude quakeoff Japan’s HokkaidoTTOOKKYYOO:: A 7.0-magnitudeearthquake hit oQ Japan's Hokkaidoat around 12: 06 local time Friday,said Japan' s Meteorological Agency.The epicenter was initiallydetermined at 46.2 degree northlatitude, 150.9 degree east longitudenear Kuril Islands, with a depth of 10km. The quake was registered 4 onthe Japanese seismic intensity scale of7 in north parts of Hokkaido. Notsunami warnings were issued and nodamage and injuries were reported asof now. –AGENCIES

Ships arrive in Ukraineport for naval drillsKKIIEEVV:: Ships from the Black SeaNaval Group, the Blackseafor, arrivedFriday atto the Ukrainian port ofSevastopol to take part in the 21stBlackseafor naval drills. "Blackseaforis a very important initiative. Itspractical implementation contributesto the maintenance of peace andstability in the Black Sea region," ViceAdmiral Yury Ilyin, commander of theUkrainian Navy, said during thewelcoming ceremony for the ships.Six ships from Turkey, Ukraine,Romania, Georgia, Russia andBulgaria are deployed in the drills inthe Black Sea. During the presentexercises, the international navalgroup has already visited theBulgarian port of Varna andConstanta port in Romania. Thepurpose of the Blackseafor initiative,which ends April 23, is to promotecooperation and strengthen mutualunderstanding among the Black Seacountries. –AGENCIES

Peacekeepershot dead in DarfurKKHHAARRTTOOUUMM:: One peacekeeper wasshot dead and two others injured inSudan's Darfur early Friday, theAfrican Union-United NationsMission in Darfur (UNAMID)confirmed in a statement. Accordingto the statement obtained by Xinhua,unidentified gunmen attacked theAfrican Union-UN base nearMuhajeria, East Darfur State, in earlymorning hours, leaving onepeacekeeper killed and two othersinjured. The statement did not revealthe nationalities of the victims. TheUNAMID is investigating the case incooperation with Sudanesegovernment, and is making eQorts to"ensure that the perpetrators arebrought to justice, as any attack oninternational peacekeepers is a crimeunder international law." –AGENCIES

Taliban held oversuicide bomb plotKKAABBUULL:: Afghan authorities said onFriday they have arrested fiveTaliban insurgents who wereplanning suicide attacks on civiliansin the capital Kabul and another citylater this month. Police arrested thefour men and one woman in theeastern city of Jalalabad onThursday and seized four suicidebomb vests and C-4 explosives alongwith other weapons, the interiorministry said. “They were trainedoutside Afghanistan’s borders andhave confessed their crime,” ministryspokesman Sediq Sediqqi told anews conference. He said the fiveAfghans were linked to the Talibanand the Haqqani network and werearrested “as they were preparing tolaunch a coordinated attack oncivilian facilities on April 27-28” inKabul and Jalalabad. –AGENCIES

TONY CATALUCCI

CNN reports that some200 US troops are beingstationed along Syria'sborder. Reports alsoreveal that huge amounts

of US-provided flour smuggled intoSyria have formed the foundation of AlQaeda's public relations strategy.Together with huge amounts of US-provided weapons, the aid is fueling AlQaeda's continued operations andatrocities inside Syria. The addition ofUS troops along Syria's border appearsto be a response to recent andsignificant gains made by the Syriangovernment in stamping out terroristoperations nationwide.As reported in October 2012, the

networks used to flood Iraq withweapons and Al Qaeda militantsduring the US occupation, had beenpositively identified by the extensiveacademic eQorts of the US Army's ownWest Point Combating TerrorismCenter (CTC). Two reports werepublished between 2007 and 2008revealing a global network of Al QaedaaPliated terror organisations, and howthey mobilised to send a large influx of

foreign fighters into Iraq.The first report, "Al-Qaeda's Foreign

Fighters in Iraq", was extensively citedby historian and geopolitical analystDr. Webster Tarpley in March of 2011,exposing that the NATO-backed "pro-democracy" rebels in Libya were in factAl Qaeda's Libyan Islamic FightingGroup (LIFG), listed by the US StateDepartment, United Nations, and theUK Home OPce as an internationalterrorist organisation.These very same terrorist would then

be documented flooding into Syria,primarily through Turkey with NATOcomplicity. A Telegraph article, "Libya’sNew Rulers OQer Weapons to SyrianRebels", reported that Syrian rebelsheld secret talks with Libya's newauthorities on Friday, aiming to secureweapons and money for theirinsurgency against President Basharal-Assad's regime. At the meeting,which was held in Istanbul andincluded Turkish oPcials, the Syrianrebels requested "assistance" from theLibyan representatives and wereoQered arms, and potentiallyvolunteers.‘There is something being planned to

send weapons and even Libyan fighters

to Syria’, said a Libyan source, speakingon condition of anonymity. ‘There is amilitary intervention on the way.Within a few weeks you will see.’ Laterthat month, some 600 Libyanterrorists would be reported to haveentered Syria to begin combatoperations and have been flooding intothe country ever since.In Syria, the southeastern region

near Dayr Al-Zawr on the Iraqi-Syrianborder, the northwestern region ofIdlib near the Turkish-Syrian border,and Dar'a in the south near theJordanian-Syrian border, produced themajority of fighters found crossing overinto Iraq, according to the 2007 WestPoint study. These are nowastonishingly the very areas where theUS CIA is overseeing the flow ofthousands of tons of weapons and aid -aid that is clearly falling almost entirelyinto the hands of Al Qaeda's Syrianfranchise, Jabhat al-Nusra.The New York Times in their article

titled, "Arms Airlift to Syria RebelsExpands, With CIA Aid”, admits that:With help from the CIA, Arabgovernments and Turkey have sharplyincreased their military aid to Syria’sopposition fighters in recent months,

expanding a secret airlift of arms andequipment for the uprising againstPresident Bashar al-Assad, accordingto air traPc data, interviews withoPcials in several countries and theaccounts of rebel commanders.The airlift, which began on a small

scale in early 2012 and continuedintermittently through last fall, expandedinto a steady and much heavier flow latelast year, the data shows. It has grown toinclude more than 160 military cargoflights by Jordanian, Saudi and Qatarimilitary-style cargo planes landing atEsenboga Airport near Ankara, and, to alesser degree, at other Turkish andJordanian airports.While the West attempts to claim

these weapons are being sent to"moderates", the US State Departmentitself admits that Al Qaeda is operatingin every major city in Syria, carrying outhundreds of terrorist attacks, and is byfar the most highly organised, mostprominent militant front in the conflict.If the West via Saudi Arabia and Qataris sending thousands of tons of weaponsto "moderates", who is sending moreweapons to Jabhat al-Nusra?The London Telegraph revealed in

their February 2013 article, "Syria: How

Jihadist Group Jabhat al-Nusra isTaking Over Syria's Revolution", thattaking over bakeries was a key strategyused by Al Qaeda's al-Nusra front to"win over" the population in areas takenover by the rebels: In the past weeks,Jabhat al-Nusra pushed other rebelgroups out of the stores and establisheda system to distribute bread throughoutrebel areas. ‘I am from Jabhat al Nusra.All the managers of all the bakeries are’,said Abu Fattah, the manager on abakery in a rebel-controlled area. ‘Thismakes sure that nobody steals.’In essence, Al Qaeda is taking over

neighborhoods upon a mountain ofUS-provided flour, in bakeries overrunand held at the barrels of US-providedguns. Just as was planned in 2007, theUS is attempting to overthrow thegovernment of Syria with "extremistgroups that espouse a militant vision ofIslam and are hostile to America andsympathetic to Al Qaeda".Humanitarian aid is being used as apolitical weapon to carve out territoryfor the West's heavily armed proxiesand extort cooperation from thesubjugated people who find themselvesinside Al Qaeda-occupied territory. The Pentagon now reports that

some 200 US troops are on their wayto augment an already establishedUS military presence along theJordanian-Syrian border. Thedeployment ‘creates an additionalcapability’ beyond what has beenthere, one oPcial said, and will givethe United States the ability to‘potentially form a joint task force formilitary operations, if ordered’. Exactly where on the spectrum

between actual operational intentionand psychological warfare thedeployment represents is stilluncertain. What is certain is that theUS is deploying military assets withthe intent of bolstering militant eQortsinside Syria and along its peripheries.The astonishing irony is that many ofthe terrorists operating on both sidesof the Jordanian-Syrian border UStroops plan on "defending," may quiteliterally have been the same militantskilling US troops in Iraq andAfghanistan for the past 10 years. USforeign policy has unraveled to suchan extent that it risks unhingingentirely America's legitimacy andrelevance abroad, as well as peace andprosperity at home.

(PressTV.ir)

US troops propping up al-Qaeda in Syria

JJAAKKAARRTTAA:: GGrreeeennppeeaaccee aaccttiivviissttss ttaakkee ppaarrtt iinn aa rraallllyy ttoo wweellccoommee EEaarrtthh DDaayy iinn JJaakkaarrttaa.. TThhee rraallllyy ccaalllleedd oonn tthhee IInnddoonneessiiaann ggoovveerrnnmmeenntt ttoossuuppppoorrtt tthhee iiddeeaa ooff eexxtteennddiinngg ffoorreesstt mmoorraattoorriiuumm.. –WIRE SERVICE

BBAAGGHHDDAADD:: A late-night bombingat a Baghdad cafe frequented byyoung men playing billiards andvideo games killed 27 people onThursday, just days before Iraq’s firstelections since US troops withdrew.The attack was the single deadliest

in the country in a month, andcomes amid concerns over thecredibility of Saturday’s provincialelections as Iraq grapples with aspike in violence and an ongoingpolitical crisis.Thursday’s bombing struck at

10:00 pm (1900 GMT) in themostly-Sunni Amriyahneighbourhood and also woundedmore than 50 people, security andmedical oPcials said. Among thedead were at least three children andone woman. It went oQ at the Dubaicafe, which lies on the 2nd floor of asmall shopping mall that is filledwith families as it containsrestaurants and clothes shops.The cafe itself, however, is mostly

frequented by young men playingbilliards and video games.The bombing comes ahead of

provincial elections on Saturday inwhich an estimated 13.8 millionIraqis are eligible to vote for morethan 8,000 candidates, with 378seats being contested.Diplomats have raised questions

over the credibility of the vote,however, as a spike in violence hasleft at least 14 candidates dead and a

third of the country’s provinces arenot even taking part, including twowhere authorities say securitycannot be guaranteed.Iraqi forces are solely responsible

for polling day security, the first timethey have been in charge withoutsupport from American or otherinternational forces during electionssince dictator Saddam Hussein wastoppled in 2003.US forces eventually withdrew

from Iraq in December 2011.The election also comes amid a

long-running crisis between PrimeMinister Nuri al-Maliki and severalof his erstwhile governmentpartners, which oPcials anddiplomats say insurgent groupsexploit by using the politicaldiQerences to enhance their roomfor manoeuvre on the ground.The political tensions have been

reflected by a rise in deadly violencein recent months. Attacks havekilled more than 200 people eachfull month so far this year, comparedto tolls well below that figure for thelast three months of 2012, accordingto AFP data.And while violence has fallen

significantly from the height of Iraq’ssectarian war, the country still facesmajor security challenges, mainlyfrom Sunni militants linked to Al-Qaeda who carry out attacks in a bidto undermine confidence in theShiite-led government. –AGENCIES

Baghdad blastkills 27 aheadof elections

MMOOSSCCOOWW:: Moscow expectsthe action group on Syria tofacilitate political dialoguein that country, the ForeignMinistry said Friday. "We expect our partners,

who signed the Genevacommunique of the actiongroup on Syria on June 30last year, understand thechoice they face," ministryspokesman AlexanderLukashevich told a newsbriefing. "They can either go ahead

along with those whopursue their selfish aims,encourage bloodshed, or tochannel the eQorts tofacilitate political processand sooner start ofnegotiations between theSyrian government andopposition," he said. TheoPcial added suchnegotiations must startwithout preconditions.Lukashevich also said theU.S. plan to deploy 200servicemen in Jordancontradicted the Genevacommunique. "We on alllevels urge our western andregional partners to scrapthat dangerous practiceand shift towardsimplementation of thepolitical obligations we allhave taken regarding thesettlement in Syria," hesaid. –AGENCIES

GGHHAAZZNNII:: Taliban insurgents killed 13 localpolicemen while they were sleeping onFriday, in an attack on their checkpoint insoutheast Afghanistan, oPcials said.The policemen were shot dead in the

Andar district of Ghazni province, saiddistrict governor Mohammad QasimDesiwal. “They were asleep when theircheckpoint came under attack by theTaliban and were killed by AK-47 fire,”Desiwal told AFP.Provincial governor Mosa Khan

Akbarzada confirmed the death toll and saida delegation had been sent to the district toinvestigate. The victims were members ofthe 18,000-strong Afghan Local Police, avillage-level force formed in 2010 to providesecurity in areas where the better-trainednational police and army are scarce.Afghan troops and police are increasingly

on the front line against the insurgents, andsuQering heavier casualties, as Nato combattroops prepare to withdraw by the end ofnext year. The bodies of four Afghan regularsoldiers were found on Wednesday withtheir throats slit in Jawzjan, a day after theywere kidnapped by the Taliban along theroad to the northern province.The Taliban have been waging an

insurgency against the Afghangovernment since they were toppled frompower by a US-led invasion in 2001.Attacks traditionally intensify in springafter the harsh winter recedes. A total of23 people were killed on Tuesday andWednesday, including the four soldiersand two local employees of the RedCrescent medical charity. GherardoPontrandolfi, head of the InternationalCommittee of the Red Cross delegation in

Kabul, said those killings would make iteven harder to reach people in need.“In many areas people cannot reach

hospitals or clinics safely. And the end ofwinter is likely to bring renewed fighting,making the problem worse,” Pontrandolfisaid in a statement on Thursday. Separately,the interior ministry in Kabul said onFriday that police have arrested five Talibaninsurgents who were planning suicideattacks on civilians in the capital and inanother city later this month.The four men and one woman were

detained in the eastern city of Jalalabad onThursday and police seized four suicidebomb vests and C-4 explosives along withother weapons, the ministry said. “Theywere trained outside Afghanistan’s bordersand have confessed their crime,” ministryspokesman Sediq Sediqqi told a newsconference.He said the five Afghans were linked

to the Taliban and the Haqqani networkand were arrested “as they werepreparing to launch a coordinatedattack on civilian facilities on April 27-28” in Kabul and Jalalabad. April 28,Victory Day, is a public holiday markingthe mujahideen’s overthrow in 1992 ofthe Soviet-backed government ofMohammad Najibullah.The Haqqani network, a faction of the

Taliban, was founded by JalaluddinHaqqani, a mujahideen leader againstSoviet troops in Afghanistan in the1980s who is now based with his familyin Pakistan. Haqqani is close to Al-Qaeda and his fighters are active acrosseast and southeastern Afghanistan andin Kabul. –AGENCIES

Taliban attack kills13 Afghan police

Russia urgesaction groupon Syria tofacilitate talks

TTEEHHRRAANN:: Iran has rejected reportsabout an agreement betweenTehran and the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on anew round of nuclear talks, PressTV reported Friday.An oPcial close to the Iranian

nuclear negotiating team told PressTV that no agreement has beenreached between Iran and the UNnuclear agency over the date of a newround of talks. The issue had been

discussed in a meeting but no dealwas reached, the source said oncondition of anonymity. QuotingIAEA diplomats, Western mediareported Thursday that Iran and theIAEA agreed to meet again in May.On Feb. 13, Iran and the IAEA heldtheir latest round of talks on Iran'sdisputed nuclear activities, but noagreement was reached.The last session of talks, in

February, failed to yield a

breakthrough that would enable theIAEA to restart its investigation, andanother round in May is a possibility,the source said without elaborating.The IAEA, whose mission it is to

prevent the spread of nuclearweapons in the world, has been tryingfor more than a year to negotiate a so-called structured approach with Iranthat would give it access to sites,oPcials and documents.IAEA Director General Yukiya

Amano this month said that some ofthe diQerences between the two sideswere still "quite important". He saidany deal with Tehran must enable hisinspectors to carry out eQectiveverification work.The IAEA-Iran talks are separate

from, but still closely linked to,broader diplomatic negotiationsbetween Tehran and six world powersaimed at resolving the decade-olddispute peacefully and prevent a new

Middle East war. Iran and the powers- the United States, France, Germany,Britain, Russia and China - failed tobreak the deadlock in their lastmeeting, held this month inKazakhstan. The IAEA's immediatepriority is to visit the Parchin militarybase. It suspects explosives testsrelevant to nuclear weapons may havetaken place there, perhaps a decadeago, and then been concealed. Tehrandenies the accusation. –AGENCIES

No agreement with IAEA for new talks: Iran

Massive US arms and aid deliveries prop up Al Qaeda in Syria, while US troops land in Jordan to defend terrorists they spent last decade fighting

� Last session of talks, in February, failed to yield a breakthrough and another round in May is a possibility

Suspects were identified as Dzhokhar andTamerlan Tsarnaev, real brothers from Chechnya

1 of 2 suspects inBoston bombing killedWWAATTEERRTTOOWWNN:: The two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombingkilled an MIT police oPcer and hurled explosives at police in a carchase and gun battle overnight that left one of them dead and hisbrother on the loose, authorities said Friday as thousands of oPcersswarmed the streets in a manhunt that all but paralyzed the Bostonarea. The suspects were identified by law enforcement oPcials and afamily member as Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, brothers from aRussian region near Chechnya, which has been plagued by an Islamicinsurgency that has carried out deadly bombings. They lived nearBoston and had been in the U.S. for about a decade, an uncle said.Tamerlan Tsarnaev, a 26-year-old who had been known to the FBIasSuspect No. 1 and was seen in surveillance footage in a black baseballcap, was killed overnight, oPcials said. His 19-year-old brother —dubbed Suspect No. 2 and seen wearing a white, backward baseball capin the images from Monday's deadly bombing at the marathon finishline — escaped. The law enforcement oPcials spoke on condition ofanonymity because of the sensitivity of the unfolding case. Authoritiesin Boston suspended all mass transit and warned close to 1 millionpeople in the entire city and some of its suburbs to stay indoors as thehunt went on. Businesses were asked not to open. –AGENCIES

sabotage resultsin extending gascurtailment: arif HameedIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: M. Arif Hameed saidthat a sabotage activity took place onthe distribution pipeline networktoday at 2:30 am on the border ofPunjab and Sindh which is 6kilometers from Indus, resulting inextending curtailment to CNG andIndustrial sector of Zone 1, tillSaturday, he was addressing a pressconference at SNGPL Head OQcetoday. He added that his 30 inchesdiameter pipeline carries Natural Gasfrom Peer koh, Hasan and Zamzama.He further said that 7 pipelinesabotage activities have taken place sofar in past few months, includingtoday’s major activity. Responding tothe questions asked by journalists, Mr.Arif Hameed said that SNGPL have atotal of 8500 km of high pressuretransmission network laid inunpopulated area/ cross country. Inorder to provide safety and security tothis network, SNGPL has contractswith Civil Armed Forces and othersecurity agencies in the four provinces.He further added that “such sabotageactivity does have a financial impacton SNGPL in terms of volume losshowever, the Government in terms ofenormous economy loss. As theCompany, SNGPL has to meet suchshortfall in gas supplies throughcurtailment to Power, Industry andCNG sectors. –STAFF REPORT.

secP introduces onlinefinancial reportingsystem for Trec holders IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: In continuation of itseRorts to strengthen the surveillanceof equity markets, the Securities andExchange Commission of Pakistan(SECP) has introduced onlineFinancial Reporting System for theTREC holders/Brokers of the threestock exchanges. From July 2013onwards, all TREC holders/brokerswill be required to file their financialinformation online within 15 days ofthe end of each quarter. This eRort isa part of Commission’s overall policyto make use of informationtechnology and automation and tostreamline the flow of information.Introduction of this online system willprovide timely financial informationwith respect to TRECholders/Brokers and enable theCommission to proactively monitortheir financial soundness and takepre-emptive measures for theprotection of investors.–AGENCIES

Fcci welcomes GsP Plusstatus to PakistanFFAAIISSAALLAABBAADD:: Traders communityhas welcomed the grant of GSP plusstatus to Pakistan by us government.the decision will surely spur upPakistani textile export to USA. USembassy Islamabad hosted a videoconference to brief the implications ofof the new scheme to the Faisalabadbased traders. Mian Javed Iqbal,former President, FaisalabadChamber of Commerce and Industry(FCCI) has appreciated US Embassyin Islamabad’s eRorts to facilitate thepresentation on ‘US GeneralizedSystem of Preferences (GSP) Schemethrough video-conferencing forfurther awareness of the businesscommunity of Faisalabad here today.He stated that the U.S. GSP programpromotes economic growth in thedeveloping world by providing duty-free entry to the U.S. market for goodsimported from designated beneficiarydeveloping countries. –AGENCIES

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013

Gold (oz)

rs. 1,599.52 rs. 98.15

Dollar interbank cement (bag)

457.00 6,900.00

cotton (Maund) urea/bag

1,704

coal spot

$87.90/Ton 11.42%

10-y Pib Furnace oil

76,188/MT

currency buyinG sellinGUS Dollar 99.20 99.45Euro 127.84 128.09British Pound 149.06 149.30UAE Dirham 26.70 26.95Saudi Riyal 26.20 26.45Kuwaiti Dinar 342.79 349.34Canadian Dollar 94.80 96.49

SAHTAK BALOCH

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: To benefit the influentialindustrialists by ensuring additionaltariR for New Captive Power Plants(NCPPs) at the cost of powerconsumers, water & power ministry hasnow sought from the NEPRA tosuspend its earlier decision, as it wasunlawful while the regulator hasadmitted the ministry's plea for hearing. Documents made available with this

scribe disclosed that Secretary waterand power Sikandar Ahmed Rai onMarch 8 has requested the regulatoryauthority (NEPRA) for reconsideration

of the Authority's intimated tariRdetermination dated 09-01-2013under Section 31 of the NEPRA Act, inthe matters of Power AcquisitionRequests (PARs) filed by FESCO,HESCO and SEPCO under NEPRAInterim Power Procurement(Procedures and Standards)Regulations 2005 (the "IPPR" inrespect of various N-CPP Plants.

Since few high profile personalitiesowned these NCPPs of their industrialunits so NEPRA is under extremepressure and if it (NEPRA) succumbedto political influence and withdraws itsearlier decision about NCPPs tariR then

it would also be a new mega scamworth in billions also similar to RentalPower Plants (RPPs) the scam as powerpurchase agreements and tariR was setwithout seeking the approval ofNEPRA despite the fact thatprescribing tariR by government or anygovernment agency other than NEPRAis inconsistent with the section7(6) and12 of the NEPRA Act.

And, despite provision of preciousand scarce gas, old and outdatedmachinery's plants were installed in thenine industrial units of mightyinfluential millers. Among these millersone beneficiary was the husband of

former foreign minister Hina RabbaniKhar. The influential industrialists hadbeen benefited through 20 years longagreements of NCPPs with DISCOs atthe cost of over burdened powerconsumers already bearing heavy bruntof sky-high power tariR for a long time.Similarly, Discos while paying no heedto the pre-requisite of advance NEPRAapproval inked agreement withindustrialists, making sheer mockeryand violation of relevant laws andprocedures as well.

Sources in power ministry also toldthis scribe that the ministry whilebacktracking from its earlier stance had

now requested the regulatory authority(NEPRA) to reconsider itsdetermination dated January 9 beingnot in accordance with the applicableNEPRA laws and allow the purchaseenergy from the NCPPs on thetariR/terms and conditions enumeratedin the sale and purchase agreementwhich these NCPPs have alreadyexecuted prior to February 2012.However, the regulator has declared theministry's request admissible for thehearing, sources added.

They said though NEPRA's earlierdecision pertaining tariR determinationof the tariR of NCPPs was in the light of

water and power ministry's proposal yetthe ministry and PEPCO (PakistanElectric Power Company (Private)Limited) after the transfer of secretarywater & power Ms Nargis Sethi havesurprisingly withdrawn from its earlierstand and adopted double standards byseeking revision in the determinedtariR. Under NEPRA Act section 31(4),the ministry can submit its reviewpetition to the NEPRA within fifteendays and also the NEPRA is to take adecision within fifteen days yet in thiscase the ministry had sought revision onMarch 8 after almost a two-monthdelay, sources added.

FARAKH SHAHZAD

FFAAIISSAALLAABBAADD:: Over 1.3 billionpeople in the world are living withoutelectricity and one billion people,including around 700 million SouthAsians, will remain without electricityuntil 2030 if the Nations couldn’tswitched to alternative sources ofenergy since conventional sourceswould be becoming costlier with theeach passing day. This was stated bythe speakers at a Training Workshopon “Construction, Operation &Maintenance of Bio-Gas Tube wells”jointly organized by DirectorateGeneral Agriculture (Field) Punjaband University of Agriculture,Faisalabad (UAF) on Saturday atNew Senate Hall.The workshop was presided over by

the Vice Chancellor UAF Prof. Dr.Iqrar Ahmad Khan, while ViceChancellor PMAS Arid AgriculturalUniversity Rawalpindi Prof. Dr. RaiNiaz Ahmad, Additional Secretary,Planning Ahmad Ali Zafar and D.G.Field Dr. Muhammad Bashir were theguest of honor. Others speakersinclude Project Director, Dr.Muhammad GhaRar Dogar, Prof. Dr.Muhammad Iqbal, Dean Faculty ofAgriculture, UAF, Deputy ProjectDirector, Dr. Muhammad Ashraf, D. G.PCRET Islamabad Khalid Islam andDr. Manzoor Ahmad.Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan urged the

need for commercial options of Bio-Gas potential with constant marketingaspects. He stressed for introduction ofnew disciplines of softwareEngineering and Material Science

Engineering Disciplines in theuniversity keeping in view therequirement of precision futuristicagriculture. He called for treatment ofmethane (CH4) gas into Bio-GasEnergy for the purpose of protection ofenvironment and green house impact. Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad said that

Pakistan has huge potential todevelop renewable energy projectssince it was the third largest oR-gridpopulation after India andBangladesh and has excellent solar,bio-mass, micro-hydro opportunitiescoupled with centralized landowning,which could make credit guaranteeseasier. He said that many projects arebeing launched at Chakwal which hasgreat potential for horticulture andagricultural productivity. Mr. Ahmad Ali Zafar said that

presently, the domestic solid waste inPakistan has not been managed in asatisfactory and adequate manner asfar as its collection, transportation &disposal or dumping are concernedregardless of the size of the city. Headded that polluted dust blows andpeople suRers from living in suchconditions. “It is estimated that theurban areas of Pakistan generateover 55,000 tones of solid wastesdaily” he maintained.Dr. Muhammad Iqbal said that we

can minimize the total energy cost oftube well installed in Punjab which istouching Rs. 337 billion annually. Headded that Punjab can generate 5400Mega Watt Electricity with Bio-Mass.Dr. Muhammad Bashir said that asper livestock census, there are 46.69million of animals (buRaloes, cows,

bullocks) in Pakistan (FBS, 2002b)on the average, the daily dungdropping of a medium size animal isestimated at 15 kg per-day. He was ofthe view that Pakistan is spending 16billion dollars per annum on theimport of oil for generation of energywhich could be minimized bydesigning such Bio-Gas projects.

Dr. M. GhaRar Dogar said thatgovernment of Punjab in first phasehas launched 50 Bio-Gas plantsproject with subsidy of over 5 lac/unitand it will be completed in end of Maythis year. later on Prof. Dr. IqrarAhmad Khan UAF VC and D.G.Agriculture (Field) Punjab Dr. BashirAhmad signed an MOU in order topromote collaboration between bothorganization for successful launchingof Bio-Gas Tube well scheme.

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: AArriiff HHaammeeeedd aaddddrreessssiinngg aa pprreessss ccoonnffeerreennccee aatt SSNNGGPPLL HHeeaadd OO$$ccee.. –ONLINE

SAHTAK BALOCH

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Outgoing PPP-ledgovernment at the fag end of herconstitutional tenure had desperatelychanged the sectoral priority order inNatural Gas Load Management only tobenefit influential industrialists, which hascontributed to worsen the power loadshedding across the country.Earlier, Chairman National Accountability

Bureau (NAB) on April 16, 2013 while takingcognizance of excessive load shedding andsuRering of the people, had given clearinstructions that 'Gas will be provided inaccordance with laid down priorities with thehighest priority going to the public at largefollowed by eQcient power producers'.However, sources in gas utilities (SNGPL

& SSGCL) said that despite passing threedays, ineQcient new captive power plants(NCPPs) are being provided gas at

subsidized rates while they (NCPPs) areselling electricity back to the government atfull rates, instead of to the industries atsubsidized rates. The NAB chairman in astatement also said," this is an instance ofcorruption, which is not possible without, atthe least criminal negligence and, at the mostconnivance of government functionaries."Available documents with this scribe also

disclosed that outgoing PPP-ledgovernment at the fag end of herconstitutional had desperately changed thesectoral priority order in Natural Gas LoadManagement almost two times. Thepetroleum & natural resources ministryunder the leadership of Advisor to PrimeMinister Dr Asim Hussain on 21-01-2013had sought change in the priority orderfrom the economic coordination committee(ECC) of the cabinet and the highesteconomic forum (ECC) of the country hadapproved the change in priority order

under which domestic and commercialsectors were on first, power sector onsecond, general industrial, fertilizer andcaptive power were on third while CNGwas on fourth and cement sector was onfifth order in the priority order. The ECC on29-01-2013 had given its approval to theproposal of petroleum ministry andchanged the priority order under whichcement sector including captive power thathad secondary agreements for the supply ofnatural gas were given fourth order whileCNG sector which despite has primaryagreement for the provision of natural gaswas put on fifth order in the priority orderon Natural Gas Load Management. The sources also told this scribe that the

caretaker government following the path ofoutgoing government has succumbed topressure of 'mighty' industrialists as it has notsuspended supply of precious natural gas tothe ineQcient NCPPs.

Ministry seeks additional tariR from NEPRA

Alternative energy is imperative to end power crisis�

Germany’s concernsabout a bankingunion lack credibility

Germany is hitting the brakes on a bankingunion crucial to the long-term survival of theeuro, on the grounds that it needs a better

legal foundation. That position would be a lot moreconvincing if Germany were doing more to reducethe threat its largest financial institutions pose tothe European economy. The banking union, whichEuropean Union leaders agreed in December tocreate, is supposed to help sever the unhealthy linkbetween banks and governments. Empowering theEuropean Central Bank to supervise financialinstitutions throughout the euro area coulddiscourage cozy and often corrupt relations at thenational level between banks and politicians.Centralizing the authority and money needed totake over and recapitalize banks could keep thetroubles of large banks from ruining a nation’sfinances -- an all-too-real danger for eurocountries such as Ireland and Spain. GermanFinance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble threw thisproject into doubt last week, saying that a properbanking union would require time-consumingchanges in the European Union’s founding treaties-- changes that the European Commission, thetreaties’ official guardian, has said are unnecessary.A charitable explanation would be that Schaeubleis being too much of a stickler for detail. A less-charitable analysis is that Germany is balking atceding power to oversee its banks to asupranational authority and on sharing the costs ofhealing the euro-area economy.Potential threatGermany’s concerns might be defensible if it were

doing a better job of supervising its bankingsystem. German officials, for example, have resistedEU demands to dismantle failed regional banksknown as Landesbanken. More troubling is thepotential threat presented by Deutsche Bank AG,the largest bank in the euro area, with assets of 2trillion euros ($2.6 trillion). The bank’s tangibleequity -- the bedrock layer of capital -- is so thinthat a mere 2 percent decline in the value of itsassets could render it insolvent. A genuine dangerof a banking union is that it could encourageinstitutions such as Deutsche Bank to get evenlarger. The more havoc their failure would wreak,the more certain they could be that the bankingauthority would be forced to bail out their creditorsat the expense of euro-area taxpayers. The bestsolution is to require banks to finance theiractivities with much more equity fromshareholders, who would be first in line to absorbany losses. Germany has instead focused on makingcreditors share losses, a generally good idea thatbecomes implausible in the case of an institution aslarge and globally interconnected as DeutscheBank. In short, one can’t help but wonder whetherGermany is less concerned about the bankingunion’s effectiveness than about what a trulyeffective banking union would mean for its largestfinancial institution. Any sensible regulator woulddemand that institutions such as Deutsche Bankraise large amounts of equity, a move that -- whilegood for the health of the financial system andeconomy -- would adversely affect certain measuresof profitability. In turn, that could strengthen callsto break up giant banks into smaller, moremanageable units. As Bloomberg News reports,Europe’s leaders are planning to congratulatethemselves on their crisis management at thisweek’s meeting of the Group of 20 developed anddeveloping nations. Yet judging from the state oftheir banking union, they have a lot of work to do.We hope other nations’ finance ministers willremind Germany that, as Europe’s self-appointedvoice of prudence, it should be leading the wayinstead of finding reasons to stall.–AGENCIES

analysis

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

The recoverable reserves of gasreached to 26.9tr Cubic Feet (cft)at the end of financial year 12 ascompared to 27.8tr cubic feetduring the fiscal year 2010-11,registering a yearly decline of 3%.The current balance indicatesreserves suQcient for a period of17 years assuming currentproduction level of 1.56tr peryear. Such a trend of decliningreserves has been led by anabsence of major discoveriescoupled with increasing gas

production. The province ofSindh took the lead in gasreserves balance with its majorfour gas fields (Mari, MariDeep, Qadirpur and Kandara)contributing 34% to total gasreserves of the country.Moreover, Baluchistan, with itstwo major fields Uch and Sui &Sui Deep contributing 25% sharein the total reserves. According to invest cap' report

Gas production increased by 6%in FY12 to a level of 1.56 trillioncubic feet. Whereas averagegrowth of gas consumption

remained negative (-0.90%) forthe last 3 years, the total gasconsumption in FY12 increasedby 3.8%YoY in FY12 to 1.29tr cft.The power sector remained themajor consumer, consuming28% of gas in the accumulatedconsumption of the country. Thesector registered growth of6%YoY while on an absolutebasis consumption increased by20.98bn cft. increased by20.98bn cft. In the absence ofcheaper alternative for fuel forelectricity generation, gassurpasses as the only

substitute of costly oil(considering time limitations).However, due to security

concerns, drilling activities inthe past ten years in Baluchistanhave been very low, the potentialimport of gas from Iran could beanother option to fill thedemand supply gap of gashowever, due to the rising tusslebetween Iran and American onIran's Nuclear program Analystsremain conservative on thisfront considering Pakistan'dependency on US support inthe new IMF program.

Previous govt’s gas policyaggravating outages

Gas reserves fall to 11-year low

� Influential industrialists assured of tari� from New Captive Power Plants

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013

vidyut Jamwal is ready for 'Commando' sequelMUMBAI: The Force actor Vidyut Jamwal's Commando - Rambo act indirector Dilip Ghosh's Commando has been received with heartwarminggusto by the public. And as it becomes clear that Jamwal is the new actionhero of Bollywood, plans to carry the Commando tale forward are now beingconcertized. South African action director Franz Spilhaus (of Dredd fame)who worked on all the breathtaking stunt pieces of Commando has beenasked to take Jamwal's action to the next level. Spilhaus has asked producerVipul Shah to send video-recorded stunt-pieces performed by Jamwal.Producer Vipul Shah admits that the sequel is in the process of being quicklyformulated. Vidyut is quite taken up with the idea, though he admits there is alot of pressure to take the stunts to the next level. "With Commando we seemto have taken the action in Hindi cinema to the next level. -SHOWBIZ DESK

Leonardo feels work encumbers personal lifeLONDON: Even though he’s a three-time Oscar nominee and hotter than the midday sun,Leonardo DiCaprio has not been able to find ‘the one’, and he blames his hectic filmingschedule for it. The “Django Unchained” star has dated a bevy of bombshells, including BarRefaeli and the world’s highest-paid supermodel Gisele Bundchen. He reportedly broke upwith Victoria's Secret model Erin Heatherton last Novemeber after a year-long relationship.Rumor has it he dated formerMiss Universe Kosovo Aferdita Dreshaj, and alsoMargotRobbie. Later this year, he will share screen space with the latter in the “TheWolf of WallStreet,” directed byMartin Scorsese, with whomDiCaprio has also worked previously on“Shutter Island” and “The Departed.” Right now, he’s reportedly taking a break from the setsafter having completed filming for Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby.” The “Titanic” star,who will appear on theMay cover of Esquire, admitted to the magazine that being awayfilming for months was not the best thing for a relationship. -SHOWBIZ DESK

CMYK

SHOWBIZ DESK

Aheroine who isn't thin orbeautiful, who is stronger andbroader than her guy, who has

straggly hair, who loves eating, whogoes by the name Eep (Stone) andwho recklessly seeks adventure. Forthat alone, let's celebrate this latestanimation fromDreamworks, TheCroods.However, there is much else torecommend in this story set in theFlintstone-era of cavemen and aworld that's fast changing. TheCroods are the last of the families ofcavemen in their area nowremaining, against odds that the filmquickly establishes. Her father Grug(Cage) keeps huddling the familyinto their cave for safety, and Eep,who loves the sun, keeps trying tostay out.The connect is easily established:Eep wants to "follow the light", Grugtells her "never not be afraid", Eepwill learn to "fly to tomorrow", Grug

keeps telling her "new is bad".Their world changes when 'Guy'(Reynolds) enters the picture. He is arank higher in the evolutionarychain, having travelled far and wide,learnt to devise clothes and shoes outof animal skin, andmoreimportantly, learnt how to make fire.It's a beautiful scene when Eep seesfire for the first time -- the sun thatshe always sought now apparently ather beck and call. Guy is a man of"ideas", pitted against Grug, the manof brute force.The story is disappointingly vagueabout why The Croods and Guy keeprunning, putting it all under thegeneral heading of "going where thesun goes", even as the earth keepscracking up and exploding behindthem. However, thankfully, you don'twander about that much as thejourney, complete with fantasticalplants and animals, is interesting andfunny enough -- that too, withoutany songs.

SHOWBIZ DESK

SOUTHKOREA: TV networkexecutives in South Korea have

banned pop sensation Psy's new'Gentleman' video, in which he is seendestroying public property. Therapper's follow-up to global chartbuster 'Gangnam Style' opens with the

star strolling down a street andkicking over a traOc cone andcontinues with the hitmakertormenting beautiful women in aseries of pranks, reportedHuOngtonPost.The cone sequences have oPendedchannel chiefs at Kbs, who insist theyamount to the destruction of publicproperty, and they are refusing to airthe clip for fear of negativelyinfluencing youngsters to do the same.Psy's managers have accepted theban after refusing to edit the video forthe network, but the snub appears tohave just boosted the promo'spopularity online. 'Gentleman'smashed online records with almost19million Youtube views within 24hours of its release.'Gentleman' has since racked upover 144 million views in its first fivedays online, but it still has a longway to go before matching thesuccess of 'Gangnam Style', whichbecame the first pop clip to everreach one billion views.

MUMBAI: Saif Ali Khan at the music launch of his soon-to-releasezombie film Go Goa Gone.

The CroodsMovie review

Psy’s ‘Gentleman’ videobanned in South Korea LONDON:Oscar-winning singer Adele reportedly wanted

to buy seven flats for her cousins, but they turned down theoPer. The 24-year-old 'Skyfall' recently topped the rich listof young stars with a fortune of 30million pounds,reported Daily Star. "Adele wanted to spread her happinessand success through the family, but they politely declinedthe extremely generous oPer," a source said. Adele's motherhas two sisters, who have three and four children each, allof whom spent every day of their childhood with thesinging sensation. "We all lead our own lives, we're self-suOcient and don't need her to help out.We all still livewithin spitting distance of each other and phone each othermost days," said Anita Atkins, Adele's aunt. -SHOWBIZ DESK

Adele oPersflats to cousins

SHOWBIZ DESK

NEWDELHI: Bollywood star AamirKhan has been featured on one of theseven special covers of the Timemagazine listing the world's 100 mostinfluential people.The list includes Finance MinisterP. Chidambaram, Delhi lawyerVrinda Grover and California'sIndian-American attorney general

Kamala Harris besides teenagedPakistani activist Malala Yousafzaiand US President Barack Obama.Like Aamir Khan, Malala Yousafzai,"the Pakistani schoolgirl whoseadvocacy for girls' rights is justbeginning" is also featured on one ofthe special covers. Aamir Khan, 48,the Bollywood star who wins praisefrom composer A.R. Rahman, "hasbeen chosen for using his influence to

raise social awareness in India.""In a world of false diplomacy andevasiveness, Aamir is astraightforward man," writesRahman noting, "He uses his gifts asa charmer to give his audience themost bitter medicine. Hypnotized, wetake it without complaint.""Aamir has started a movementthat will help change the world inwhich Indians live. Jai ho!" adds theAcademy Award-winning composer.Described as "a trusted counsellorto the ruling Congress Party's Gandhifamily, Chidambaram's experience isunsurpassed", writes Time.Playing "an important role as Indiaopened its economy" in the 1990s,"his reform record has been spotty,"Time says and suggests: "To landIndia's top job, he needs to revive hiscountry's economic fortunes. He mayalso need to adopt a more Indianstyle." Delhi lawyer Vrinda Grover's"work as a human-rights lawyer andadvocate for women's rights hasmeant that she presses down prettyhard", writes Time. "Herdetermination to force an oftenrecalcitrant political and legal systemto change was evident in these pastfew heated months, as a particularlytragic rape in Delhi brought women'srights center stage," it notes.Kamala Harris, 48, is described as ajurist to watch by Nancy Pelosi, thefirst woman to serve as US Speaker ofthe House."In 2010, after seven years as SanFrancisco district attorney, shebecame the first African American,first South Asian and first woman tobe elected California attorneygeneral," Pelosi writes, predicting:"As a new generation of women picksup the mantle of progress, she willalways be among the first to stand upand step forward."

Aamir Khan emerges as one of the100most influential people

PARIS:The 38-year-oldhunky actor - who haspreviously dated screenbeauties Zoe Saldanaand Renee Zellweger -and the 21-year-oldBritish model havebeen seen enjoying aromantic break inParis, France thismonth and friends saythey have fallen foreach other sincemeeting at a party inLondon in February. Asource told Graziamagazine: "[They are]absolutely smitten.Suki adores Bradley.They're in constant contact and are trying to spend asmuch time together as they can in-between work." Whilethe new couple are growing increasingly close, Suki'sformer boyfriendMiles Kane - who she split from late lastyear - recently predicted their romance won't last becauseof the age gap between them. The rocker said: "She is a 21-year-old girl and you forget how young she is. I don't knowhow old he is - what, 40 or something? She is a young girland I'm sure he'll realise that." -SHOWBIZ DESK

MUMBAI: 'Pankh' maker Sudipto Chattopadhyay threatensto take legal action against Zoya AkhtarWriter, directorSudipto Chattopadhyay has accused Zoya Akhtar of liftingthe central idea of his 2010 filmPankh, for her upcomingBombay Talkies. Sudipto is planning to send a legal notice toZoya regarding this. Pankh, which starred Bipasha Basu,Lilette Dubey,MaheshManjrekar, Ronit Roy, SanjeedaSheikh and newcomersMaradona Rebello and AmitPurohit, was a story of the sexual identity crises of a boy whogrew up acting as girls in films. The film had tanked at thebox oOce. "My film revolved around the confused sexualidentity of the boy and how he liked to dress up as a girl andgot constantly rebuked for doing so. Bipasha essayed therole of a fairy the boy confided to—in fact it was anextension of the boy's own self."If you look at the trailer of Zoya Akhtar's film, this isexactly what is shown there. Every bit of that storyline issame. Katrina Kaif is playing the role of the fairy.My film isout there for everybody to see. How can somebody pinchmyidea like that?" asked Sudipto who had taken the film tonumerous film festivals worldwide including those thatdealt with issues concerning the LGBT community.After watching the trailers, Sudiptomade enquiries andstumbled uponwhat he claims uncanny similarities. "Ifound out frommy sources that Zoya's story is same asmine. There are scenes, which are frame-to-frame copies ofmy film. The character sketches are same too. I knowmyfilm didn't do well at the box oOce and not toomany peoplesaw it. But I should have been given a credit formywork. Iam talking tomy lawyers and planning to send a legal noticeto her," Sudipto added.Whenwe got in touchwith Zoya, shedenied the allegation and said: "I have not pinchedmy filmfrom anybody else's film. The story idea is entirelymine. Ihave not seen Pankh butmy film is not inspired by any filmlet alone be a copy of one." -SHOWBIZ DESK

SHWOBIZ DESK

LOS ANGELES: Oscar-winning actressJennifer Lawrence will receive the DownSyndrome of Louisville's Friendship Awardnext week.The 22-year-old 'Silver Linings Playbook'star will be lauded for her friendship withLouisville local Andy Strunk, who hasDown Syndrome, who she has known sincemiddle school, reported Ace Showbiz."Jennifer and Andy Strunk have beenfriends since their middle school days.Jennifer and Andy enjoy a loyal friendshipof mutual encouragement and enjoy eachother's company. They text and speak onthe phone quite frequently. Their familiesstay in close contact and continue afriendship too," a spokesperson for theevent said."Our members and staP of DownSyndrome of Louisville are so very proud ofJennifer for staying true to her Louisvillehometown roots while she achieves globalrecognition for her craft as an artist. We are

thrilled that Andy will present theFriendship Award to her family."Lawrence will be unable to attend theceremony on April 26 at theMint JubileeGala as she is currently filming in Hawaiibut her brother Blaine and his fiancee willaccept the award on her behalf.

Jennifer Lawrence toreceive friendship award

'Bombay Talkies' landsup in controversy

Bradley and Suki are‘absolutely smitten’with one another

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013

CMYK

CMYK

For about 20 minutes in Mohali, thatrather sleepy adjunct to Chandigarhwhere fast bowlers are allowed anexistence in India, two spin bowlersdeceived and tormented batsmen andreminded us that while the bat is apowerful weapon, the ball canhoodwink it. They had travelled a longway and neither spoke the locallanguage. One was a phlegmatic WestIndian with a gelled Mohawk thatrather resembled a large centipedestuck on a head; and the other aslightly stern looking Sri Lankan, notquite as physically eye-catching as hisnew teammate. They spoke in distinct

accents, but between them theymesmerised batsmen.Sunil Narine is from the Caribbean,

a land of great joy, where spinnerswere, until recently, in danger ofextinction from big, jolly fellows whobowled as fast as the tornadoes thatoften visit its shores. Some years ago Iinterviewed the giant Nixon McLean,who told me his father ‘hated demspeeners’. But Narine comes fromTrinidad, where the pitches sometimessupport the twirlers. His coach musthave let him be, because he couldnever have come through a moderncoaching factory.Sachithra Senanayake comes from a

land that has always produced verygenial, modest cricketers, wheremystery in spin bowling is almost atradition now. They follow in thefootsteps of the great Muralitharan,who if he ever swore violently did itwhen no one was watching. Murali

was a wristspinner really, butSenanayake uses his fingers and theball seems to enjoy following theirinstructions. InMohali, he andNarinewere like two puppeteers. They told astory with their fingers.Adam Gilchrist might be in his early

forties but he can recognise what acricket ball does.He sat onhis back foot,waiting for the ball fromSenanayake to

spinaway sohe could cut it past point. Ittook some time getting to him but onceitmet the turf, it hissed at Gilchrist andwent thewrongway.By the time thebatcame down it was too late. It was atypical stealth operation. Slow, slow,slow, then pounce.Young David Miller from South

Africa, where they know everythingabout big seam bowlers who bang theball onto a hard surface but not toomuch about guys with short run-upswho bowl whodunits, was similarlybamboozled. Senanayake bowled theoPbreak – he is described as anoPspinner – but he also bowled thecarrom ball, deceptively, flicking thering finger, and other assortmentswith

the seam up or scrambled.DavidHusseywas looking good until

an oPbreak from Narine sprang up athim and took his glove on the way tothe wicketkeeper. Azhar Mahmood,originally of Pakistan and brought upin the same side as the inventor of thedoosra, Saqlain Mushtaq, got one that

he believed would turn into him. Ittook his leading edge. Then youngGurkeerat Singh came in and playedinside the line.Orwhat he thoughtwasinside the line. It pitched and seamedaway like a legcutter does on amattingwicket andhit the top of oP stump. Theball might have been waving at him asit passed by. Three balls, threedeceptions, three wickets.Senanayake and Narine, two

cricketers revelling in unorthodoxy andplaying for a team based in a citysteeped in tradition. It was deliciouslyironic. But if we thought T20 was allabout the unconventional and thedeeply mysterious, Amit Mishrashowed there can be room for anorthodox legspinnerwho bowls legspinexactly as it has been bowled for ahundred years.Mishra is a little, rather round, man

in no danger of being called athletic.He often wears a slightly pained

expression and looks like he mighthave been bullied in a boys' school.But with ball in hand he comes intohis own, expresses himself anddisplays the complete range. He tookfour wickets in an over with a classicallegbreak, a googly, a skidder and abeautifully tossed-up ball, and it is fairto say that the batsmen looked morethan a bit bemused; a bit stupid,actually. Those big clubs in theirhands weren't doing too much forthem since they were being outwitted.When T20 first arrived, it was thoughtthere would be no space there forspinners. But just as the beauty ofwords has withstood the Twitter era,the charm of spin bowling has stayedalive, even flowered, in T20 cricket.And that is so nice to see.

((HHaarrsshhaa BBhhooggllee iiss aa ccoommmmeennttaattoorr,,tteelleevviissiioonn pprreesseenntteerr aanndd wwrriitteerr.. HHee iissccuurrrreennttllyy ccoonnttrraacctteedd ttoo tthhee BBCCCCII))

Spinners alive and kicking in Twenty20

HHAARRAARREE:: Bangladesh will need toproduce a record fourth-inningstotal to beat Zimbabwe in the firstTest after 16 wickets tumbled onthe third day on Friday.Bangladesh, replying to the hometeam's 389, lost their last fivewickets for no run as they wereskittled out for 134 beforeZimbabwe stretched their hugelead to 442 by reaching the close on187 for seven. Paceman RobiulIslam gave the visitors hope byclaiming the first six wickets inZimbabwe's second innings beforeskipper Brendan Taylor (81 notout) and Graeme Cremer (43)shared a stand of 79. Earlier, Bangladesh resumed on

95 for one but they could nothandle the bounce of a livelyHarare Sports Club wicket. ShingiMasakadza, 26, playing in hissecond test, took four for 32 andfellow seamer Kyle Jarvis returnedfigures of four for 40. Bangladeshbattled their way to 134 for fivebefore their last five batsmen allfell in the space of 20 balls. "Weprepared a seamer-friendly wicketand it worked out for us. As abatter you will always get one thathas extra bounce," said Masakadzain a TV interview. Zimbabwe decided not to enforce

the follow-on but Robiul Islam

ripped through their top order in amarathon 13-over opening spell asthe hosts slumped to 84 for six.Taylor then steadied the ship, justas he had in the first innings with a

patient 171, and Bangladesh willnow need to eclipse the worldrecord of 418 that West Indiesmanaged against Australia in2003. "We thought about enforcing

the follow-on but we didn't want tobat last on that wicket. We justneed to keep our discipline inBangladesh's second innings,"Masakadza added. –AGENCIES

Zimbabwe on top after16 wickets tumble in Harare

ZZiimmbbaabbwwee bbaattssmmaann GGrraaeemmee CCrreeaammeerr ssuurrvviivveess aa rruunn--oouutt aatttteemmpptt bbyy bboowwlleerr SShhoohhaagg GGaazzii ((22nnddRR)) oonn tthhee tthhiirrdd ddaayy ooff tthhee fifirrsstt TTeessttbbeettwweeeenn ZZiimmbbaabbwwee aanndd BBaannggllaaddeesshh aatt tthhee HHaarraarree SSppoorrttss CClluubb oonn FFrriiddaayy.. –AGENCIES

SCOREBOARDZZIIMMBBAABBWWEE FFIIRRSSTT IINNNNIINNGGSS 389 (B Taylor 171, MWaller 55, G Cremer 42, Robiul Islam 3-84,Enamul Haque Jr 3-133)BBAANNGGLLAADDEESSHH FFIIRRSSTT IINNNNIINNGGSS (overnight 95-1)Jahurul Islam lbw b Meth 43Shahriar Nafees c Maruma b Jarvis 29Mohammad Ashraful c Waller b S. Masakadza 38Mahmudullah b Meth 3Shakib Al Hasan c Sibanda b S Masakadza 5Mushfiqur Rahim lbw b S. Masakadza 3Nasir Hossain c Mutumbami b Jarvis 7Sohag Gazi c Waller b S. Masakadza 0Enamul Haque Jr b Jarvis 0Rubel Hossain b Jarvis 0Robiul Islam not out 0EEXXTTRRAASS:: (B 4, LB 1, WD 1) 6TTOOTTAALL:: (all out, 54.1 overs) 134FFAALLLL OOFF WWIICCKKEETTSS:: 1-53, 2-102, 3-112, 4-123,5-124, 6-134, 7-134, 8-134, 9-134, 10-134.BBOOWWLLIINNGGJarvis 16-8-40-4Meth 20-6-41-2S Masakadza 14.1-4-32-4Chigumbura 3-0-16-0Cremer 1-1-0-0.ZZIIMMBBAABBWWEE SSEECCOONNDD IINNNNIINNGGSST Maruma lbw b Robiul Islam 10V Sibanda b Robiul Islam 4H Masakadza c & b Robiul Islam 0B Taylor not out 81M Waller c Nasir Hossain b Robiul Islam 4E Chigumbura c Jahurul Islam b Robiul Islam 27R Mutumbami lbw b Robiul Islam 0A Cremer run out (Mahmudullah/MushfiqurRahim) 43K Meth not out 13Still to bat: S Masakadza, K Jarvis.EEXXTTRRAASS:: (LB 2, W 2, NB 1) 5TTOOTTAALL:: (7 wickets; 56 overs) 187FFAALLLL OOFF WWIICCKKEETTSS:: 1-7, 2-9, 3-16, 4-27, 5-84, 6-84, 7-163.BBOOWWLLIINNGGRobiul Islam 17-1-55-6Rubel Hossain 6-0-31-0Shakib Al Hasan 9-2-22-0Enamul Haque jr 11-2-34-0Sohag Gazi 9-0-24-0Mahmudullah 4-2-19-0Toss: Bangladesh.Umpires: Billy Bowden (NZ) and Tony Hill (NZ)Third umpire: Jeremiah Matibiri (ZIM)Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)

OUR STAFF REPORTER

KKAARRAACCHHII:: Led by Misbahul Haq’s,Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited(SNGPL) defeated Pakistan WAPDAby 32 runs in the final of the President'sCup One-day National CricketTournament at National Stadium hereon Friday. With this victory, SNGPLended the 2013-13 domestic season ona high note as they had earlier wonNational Super Eight Twenty20 andPresident's Trophy titles. Chief guest Pakistan Cricket Board

(PCB) director general Javed Miandadpresented the winning trophy to

SNGPL skipper Misbah along with acash prize of Rs.250,000 whileWAPDA skipper Rana NaveedulHasan received the runners-up trophyand Rs.125,000 cash prize. Pakistanteam manager Naveed Akram Cheemaand KCCA president Syed Sirajul IslamBukhari were also present on theoccasion.Put to bat first, SNGPL made 283 for

the loss of 8 wickets in 50 overs due toopening stand of 125-run betweenMohammad Hafeez and Taufiq Umar.Hafeez struck 7 fours in his 58 oP 64balls while Taufiq made 79 oP 78 balls.His knock was studded with 8 strikes

to the boundary. Azhar Ali contributed33 in 51 balls with a solitary four. Leftarm fast medium bowler Nasir Malikwas best of WAPDA bowlers, taking 3wickets for 45 runs in 10 overs. In reply, WAPDA could muster only

251-9 in 50 overs. Test discard AyubDoggar hit a defiant 66 oP 60 ballsstudded with 9 fours and talentedSohaib Maqsood hit an enterprising 57in 71 balls spiced with half a dozenboundaries and brace of sixes. Fierypacer Asad Ali was hero in his team'svictory – snapping 4 wickets for 37runs in 10 overs. Summarised scores: SNGPL283-8 in 50 overs (MohammadHafeez 58, 64 balls, 7x4s, Taufiq Umar79, 78 balls, 8x4s, Azhar Ali 33, 51balls, 1x4s, Misbahul Haq 34, 35balls,3x4s, 1x6s, Khurram Shahzad 42, 42balls, 4x4s, Junaid Khan 2-57, NasirMalik 3-45, Saad Nasim 2-34) VSWAPDA 251-9 in 50 overs (RafatullahMohamand 7, Sohaib Maqsood 57, 71balls, 6x4s, 2x6s, Ali Azmat 39, 57balls, 1x4s, 4x6s, Aamer Sajjad 29,Mohammad Ayub 66*, 60balls, 9x4s,Asad Ali 4-37, Mohammad Hafeez 1-58, Yasir Shah 2-50) RReessuulltt:: SNGPL won by 32 runs TToossss:: WAPDA UUmmppiirreess:: Ahsan Raza and ShozabRaza TTVV uummppiirreess:: Saleem BadarRReesseerrvvee uummppiirree:: Kamal MarchantRReeffeerreeee:: Anwar KhanOOOOcciiaall ssccoorreerr:: Salman SiddiquiPPrreessss ssccoorreerr:: Wasim Abbas

SNGPL win President’s CupOne-day Cricket Tournament

PPCCBB ddiirreeccttoorr ggeenneerraall JJaavveedd MMiiaannddaadd ggiivviinngg aawwaayy tthhee wwiinnnneerr’’ss ttrroopphhyy ttoo SSNNGGPPLL ccaappttaaiinnMMiissbbaahhuull HHaaqq oonn FFrriiddaayy..

Big bats, unorthodox strokesand short boundaries can't beat a canny spinner

Harsha Bhogle

MMOONNTTEE CCAARRLLOO:: Bulgarian GrigorDimitrov flirted with a massive upsetbefore Rafael Nadal managed to restorenormal service as the Spaniard earned atight 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 win in thequarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masterson Friday. Nadal, bidding for anunprecedented ninth straight trophy atan event which he has dominated, wasgiven a huge fright by Dimitrov, who fellvictim to leg cramp in the closingmoments of a thriller lasting just overtwo hours.One of the closest calls of Nadal's clay

career, ended as the Spaniard won his45th straight Monte Carlo match. He losta set here for only the third time since2009. Nadal admitted that he did notplay at his best: "I didn't play tennis forseven months," said he recent knee injuryvictim. "I'm losing little bit intensity of thematch for moments. "That's normal afterbeing a lot of time outside of thecompetition. I played for a month andthen I stopped for another month. I needtime to play with top rhythm all thematches. "I was playing great at the firstset, playing my best level. So that's themost important thing."

While admitted to some taping on hisback, Nadal did not delve into detail onthat apparent injury. "I'm happy to be inthe semifinals, I played the best withwhat I had. It's normal have problems onthe back, on the shoulder, on the elbow."Dimitrov, feeling his left thigh, managedto save a Nadal match point with a riflingwinner down the line, which left him,doubled over in pain. A few momentslater, Nadal fired over his second ace of adramatic afternoon to take the win.Nadal, whose only loss here came back in2003, produced some 36 unforced errorswhile the 34th-ranked Dimitrov struck28 winners. "It's a tough loss, I think Igave everything I had today," saidDimitrov. "Today he obviously showedwhy he's the best not only on that surface,I believe, but he's one of the best outthere." Third seed Nadal will now have toprepare for a semifinal against confidentFrenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, whoearlier advanced against StanislasWawrinka, winning 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.Wawrinka, the 13th seed, saved fourmatch points -- three on his own serve inthe penultimate game -- before Tsongabulldozed to victory in just over two

hours on the clay. Tsonga ended with hissixth ace in a match where he fended oP10 Wawrinka break points from 12chances for the Swiss. And he will nowgather his strength for his match onSaturday against Nadal."It's an incredible challenge, he's won

eight times here. Anything I mightachieve will be just a bonus for me," saidTsonga. "I have no longer any pain in mylegs because I know I'm going to play aplayer that's a lot better than I am on clay."I do have some weapons, I haveeverything to win and nothing to lose."Tsonga is the last French player still incontention, with seventh seed and 2005semifinalist Richard Gasquet bowing outagainst Italian Fabio Fognini, whoadvanced 7-6 (7-0), 6-2. Wawrinka, whoeliminated second seed Andy Murray onThursday, swept the first set in 42minutes but found his progress slowed inthe second as the burly Tsonga began todiscover his deadly range. The Frenchseed broke twice in the second to level ata set apiece. He went up a break in thethird 4-3 but had to battle throughWawrinka's last stand before winning onhis fourth match point. –AGENCIES

Monte Carlo Masters Tennis TournamentNadal survives Dimitrovbullet to face Tsonga in semifinal

SSppaaiinn''ss RRaaffaaeell NNaaddaall cceelleebbrraatteess aafftteerr wwiinnnniinngg hhiiss mmaattcchh aaggaaiinnsstt BBuullggaarriiaa''ss GGrriiggoorr DDiimmiittrroovv oonn FFrriiddaayy.. –AGENCIES

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The sports club of OGDCLorganised a spring sports gala of cricket,table tennis and football teams in all thefour provinces during the last two months,which concluded at Jinnah StadiumSports Complex here on Friday. A footballmatch of OGDCL oOcers and staP wasplayed the on the final day, which won byOGDCL staP by 6-2. The prizedistribution ceremony was graced byMasood Siddiqui, MD-CEO OGDCL, whopresented trophies and shields to winners

and runners-up teams of cricket, tabletennis and football. Addressing the fans ofthe sports, Masood highlighted the

importance of the sports for outstandingperformance of the employees. He saidthat the games demanded concentration,dedication, hard work and patience towin. He lauded and appreciated theePorts of the sports club organisers toarrange these games around the vicinityof OGDCL fields and locations in the far-flung areas of the country. He added thatthis sports gala would create harmony,cooperation, dedication and tolerance toachieve the set goals. –PR

Masood assures to promote sports in OGDCL

OUR STAFF REPORTER

KKAARRAACCHHII:: Karachi cricket chiefs onFriday banned three international players– Sohail Khan, Fawad Alam and KhalidLatif – for lack of discipline during adomestic Twenty20 tournament. Sohail,29, is banned from playing for Karachi inany domestic match, and Alam and Latiffor playing in Twenty20s. All three bans areto last 12 months. “It is disappointing toban players but we had to take the decisionso that an example is set,” Karachi CityCricket Association (KCCA) presidentSirajul Islam Bukhari said. The playerswere shown on TV criticising with coachTauseef Ahmed, a former Pakistan player,during the Super Eight Twenty20 eventheld in Lahore last month.Sohail has played two Tests, five one-

day and three Twenty20 internationalsfor Pakistan, the last of which onPakistan's tour of Zimbabwe in 2011.Alam, 27, hit a hundred on his Test debutagainst Sri Lanka in 2009. He has so farplayed three Tests, 27 one-day and 24Twenty20. The 27-year-old Latif hasplayed five one-days and sevenTwenty20s. He last played a Twenty20match on last year's tour of Sri Lanka.Pakistan cricket has been in and out ofthe headlines for bans over match-fixingand discipline problems. Three topplayers – Salman Butt, Mohammad Asifand Mohammad Aamir – were banned ina spot-fixing case in 2010. The Court ofArbitration for Sports rejected appealsagainst the bans on Wednesday.

Violation of code of conduct

Karachi bans 3national playersfor one-year

MMaassoooodd SSiiddddiiqquuii,, OODDGGCCLL MMDD,, aawwaarrddiinnggttrroopphhyy ttoo tthhee wwiinnnniinngg ccaappttaaiinn SSaallmmaann AAmmeeeenn..

Nawaz’s planeescapes accidentLLAAHHOORREE:: A private plane carryingPakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif was forcedto land on Friday after itswindscreen was damaged, officialssaid. The plane was flying fromQuetta to a small town in Punjab.“Sharif was flying to Hasilpurtown, 447 kilometres fromIslamabad in a private jet when itswindscreen (was) damaged, forcingthe pilot to land the plane at theairport in Lahore,” civil aviationspokesman Hamid Qaimkhanisaid. He said that there were 11people including Sharif and someof his close aides on board theplane, adding that it had landedsafely with no injuries. –AGENCIES

Anti-polio teamattacked in TankTTAANNKK:: Members of an anti-poliovaccination team came underattack in Gomal village in Tankdistrict’s border area withWaziristan tribal region, officialssaid on Friday. Two malevaccinators were injured in thatattack, according to police whoadded that the injured workerswere shifted to a local hospital.The attackers immediately escapedfrom the scene after the incident.Police rushed to the scene andstarted search operation. Pakistanis among most dangerouscountries where polio virus couldnot be controlled while attacks onanti-polio workers increased inrecent days. –ONLINE

Election rally targetedin SWA, four deadWWAANNAA:: At least four people werekilled and scores of otherswounded when a missile struck apublic meeting of an independentcandidate in NA-41, SouthWaziristan on Friday. The deathtoll may mount as several peopleare reportedly in critical condition.According to officials, unknownmiscreants fired back to back fourrockets at a public gathering inWana, leaving four people dead.The meeting was organized byindependent candidateNaseerullah, who narrowlyescaped the attack. The injuredwere shifted to Wana Headquarter.As many as 38 candidates,including those of PTI, JI, PPP,JUI-F and PML-N, are taking partin the election in NA-41. –ONLINE

Musharraf lashes outat accusers after arrestIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Former Pakistanimilitary ruler Pervez Musharrafhas lashed out at his accusersfollowing his arrest in a caseinvolving his decision to firesenior judges while in power.Police arrested Gen. Musharrafovernight following his dramaticescape from a court in Islamabadon Thursday after a judgerejected his bail and ordered hisdetention. Gen. Musharraf calledthe allegations against him“politically motivated” in amessage posted on his Facebookpage after his arrest. –ONLINE

Shujaat foreseesfive PMs in 5 yearsGGUUJJRRAATT:: Pakistan MuslimLeague-Q (PML-Q) headChaudhry Shujaat Hussain haspredicted that Pakistan is going tosee five prime ministers over thenext five years. Speaking toreporters in his hometown ofGujrat on Friday, Shujaatexpressed the fear that situationcould worsen after the upcominggeneral election. Five primeministers will come in five years,he opined, foreseeing thatindependent candidates would winmore seats in the election. –ONLINE

candidates to begin pollcampaign from todayIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The ElectionCommission of Pakistan (ECP) hassaid that the electoral candidateswould formally begin theircampaigns from today (Saturday),Geo News reported. According toECP, the candidates will have 20days for election campaign that isbeginning from Saturday. Electioncampaign date would expire on 9thMay at midnight and polling willbe held on 11th May after a day’sgap. –MONITORING DESK

SATURDAYAPRIL 20, 2013THE SPOKESMAN - RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD

cMyk

Published by Ahmad Waleed from Yasmeen Majeed Printing Press 69 Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi.

Pakistan urges eRort for a strong AfghanistanIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Pakistan Fridayurged all concerned stakeholdersincluding the United States todevote their energies towardsmaking Afghanistan peaceful,progressive, prosperous andstable country in the post-withdrawal period.Foreign Office spokesman Aizaz

Chaudhry in his weekly briefinghere said, “Pakistan is in contactwith all concerned on the issue ofpeaceful Afghanistan in the post-

withdrawal period and monitoringthe evolving situation.” Thespokesman while responding tothe allegations by Kabul aboutPakistan’s involvement in terroristactivities inside Afghanistan, said,“Pakistan does not believe inallegations and counterallegations.”“We are convinced that peace,

stability and reconciliation inAfghanistan is in Pakistan’s owninterest,” he added. The

spokesman said Pakistan willfacilitate peace process inAfghanistan in every possiblemanner. Replying to a question hesaid there were some issuesbetween Pakistan and Afghanistanincluding that of bordermanagement and militaryauthorities of the two countrieshad contacts to resolve it.Answering to another question,

he said Pakistan-US relationshipis on positive trajectory. “We are

collaborating with US in differentfields and the two countries are inconstant interaction,” he added.The spokesman said compositedialogue between Pakistan andIndia is continuing. He said thetwo rounds have been completedand the third round of CompositeDialogue Process betweenPakistan and India is underway.He hoped that dates for talks ondifferent segments of thecomposite dialogue between

Pakistan and India would besorted out soon.Replying to a question he said no

country or foreign mission hascontacted or approached theForeign Ministry on the issue ofretired General Pervez Musharraf.He said European Union electionobservers are already in Pakistanand getting briefings whileNational Democratic Institute hasalso indicated its interest toobserve elections. –AGENCIES

QQUUEETTTTAA:: TTeennttss bbeeiinngg uunnllooaaddeedd ffrroomm aa hheelliiccoopptteerr ffoorr eeaarrtthhqquuaakkee vviiccttiimmss iinn MMaasshhaakkhheell.. –ONLINE

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Prime Minister MirHazar Khan Khoso on Friday laudedthe political parties for their activeparticipation in the ongoingelectoral process and stressed uponministry of interior and homedepartments to plug security holeswhich might aRect the process.He was talking to Punjab Chief

Minister Najam Sethi, BalochistanChief Minister Nawab GhausBukhsh Barozai and KhyberPakhtunkhwa Chief Minister TariqPervaiz who called on him at thePrime Minister’s House. Theydiscussed the overall politicalsituation in the country withspecial focus on the prevailing lawand order.The prime minister addressing the

chief ministers, said that it washeartening to note that all thepolitical parties, representing allshades of political spectrum, haddecided to be part of the mainstreampolitical process. “This shows theirconfidence in the democraticdispensation. However, thisconfidence has seriously aRected dueto recent killings of the prominentparty candidates belonging to majorpolitical parties,” he added.The prime minister maintained

that as they were approaching theelection day, law and order situationwas becoming a challenging task forthe caretaker government. “It is theduty and obligation of thegovernment to provide a conduciveatmosphere for the conduct of fairand transparent elections,” he added.Prime Minister Khoso further said

that there was a need to restore andstrengthen confidence of people byensuring a peaceful environmentduring the elections and bymaintaining law and order. Hestressed upon the Ministry of Interiorand Home departments in theprovinces and FATA, to lay additionalemphasis in addressing the security

loopholes. He said that they shouldall do their utmost eRorts to plug allholes that could aRect or disrupt theelectoral process. He also asked thechief ministers for a candiddiscussion on law and order situationand find comprehensive andobjective solutions. The PM said that every citizen

must be treated equally with dignityof human life fully protected whileliberty of life and honour must beguaranteed as envisaged in theConstitution. In a separate meetingwith Balochistan Chief MinisterNawab Ghaus Bakhsh Khan Barozaion Friday, the prime ministerdirected him to provide maximumrelief to the earthquake-aRectedpeople in his province.The prime minister said that

priority should be given to earlycompletion of the developmentprojects so that the people of theprovince can reap benefits. Hestressed that the province ofBalochistan holds a critical place inthe federation of Pakistan andexploitation of vast natural resourceslying underneath it can beinstrumental in the overalldevelopment of the country. –ONLINE

NNEEWW DDEELLHHII:: Terming the arrest offormer Pakistani President andmilitary leader Pervez Musharraf to bea historic day in the history ofIslamabad, the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) on Friday expressed hope thatthe power of democracy and law thatis equal for all continues in the futureso that the people in the neighbouringnation get the opportunity to elect aleader of their choice."It is full circle for Pervez

Musharraf, the great dictator, thearmy general, who used to epitomizethe voice of Pakistan. Arrogance was apart of his idiom. Today he is runningfor cover, he almost ran away from thecourt. That is indeed a part ofdemocracy. What Musharraf didagainst India is too well known. But asfar as Pakistan was concerned, it was acase of murder, mayhem, deliberatebreaking of the system, seeking tooverawe the judiciary. All has comefull circle," said BJP chiefspokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad."It was a very historic day in the

history of Pakistan. I only wish that this

power of democracy, the rule of law isequal for all, a small Pakistani or anarmy general, will continue in thefuture so that the people of Pakistan getthe opportunity to elect a leader of theirchoice," he added. –ONLINE

BJP welcomes arrestof Pervez Musharraf

PM happy withrole of partiesin poll process

SAEED MINHAS

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The electionschedule continues to roll ondespite hiccups andinconsistencies on the part of thelower judiciary and even the ECP,yet the pessimism whetherelections will be held or notcontinues to persist.Queries like absence of a level

playing field or even acomprehensive security plan,incompetence of caretakers,massive bureaucratic shuffles andlast but not the least GeneralMusharraf episode arecontinuously popping up to add tothe confusion. But the fact is thateven Pakistan People’s Party is yetto launch a formal election

campaign while Awami NationalParty (ANP) is being bombed left,right and centre. With the MQMupping the ante slowly butconsistently for the downing of itscandidate in Hyderabad andworkers in Karachi, the mistcontinues to blur the electionseason in Pakistan. The media hasbecome the only source ofelectioneering for the PPP, PTIand PML-N, running theircampaigns by TV advertisement.But the Khaki leadership has alwayshad a plan for this fateful nation,informed knowledgeable sources. The evidence quoted by various

sources was when the five federalsecretaries were summoned to theGHQ just before the first round ofPak-US strategic dialogue.

Economic, energy or even strategicfigures they presented to themilitary commanders wereconsidered dustbin stuR. Thesefederal babus were then shown thereal figures and the roadmap for thefuture in Power Point presentations. One recalls the days when

despite being foreign minister,Shah Mehmood Qureshi used tobrag about his name beingincluded in the much coveted listof feasibles. He was not the onlyone thinking so, many in the PPPranks considered very close toPresident Zardari and some TVpersonalities have all been made today-dream. Many of them havesince been living on the hope ofgetting a late night call for asherwani-clad photo-op.

Many in the know of things revealhow those chosen for the caretakersetup had to get past the clearanceinterview from plain-clothed-khakis. Some of them, includingMir Hazar Khan Khoso, was askednot to leave Islamabad’s BaluchistanHouse for two whole weeks. ThoughNajam Sethi’s name was receivedthrough a wired message by PPP forPunjab’s set up, but he too wasconsidered a very strong candidatefor Khoso’s role.No matter who says what, the

truth is that all these factors arecommon knowledge and everypolitical player currently in thefield — including Balochnationalists and FATA reservists— are hinting at these factorsevery now and then. Since

Musharraf has stolen the limelightfor the time being, electionobservers are more interested infinding out how this battlebetween a former military dictatorand a judicial lord will pan out.With the Americans quick todisassociate themselves from theMusharraf saga by calling itPakistan's internal matter, manypolitical observers believe that‘guarantors’ have to remainvigilant. Not because of politicaladversaries after Musharraf, butbecause of a 'judicial supremo' whowants to settle scores with a dictator,according to garbled chatter.Whether Musharraf 's detention fortwo days will quench that thirst ornot will come to the surface in thenext couple of days.

Mist still shrouds possibility of Elections 2013

RRAAJJAANNPPUURR:: Some unidentifiedterrorist blew up 24-diameter gaspipeline near Rajanpur due towhich the gas was suspended inLahore and other areas of Punjab,Industries and CNG stations.According to General Manager

Sui Northern Gas Company, someunknown terrorist planted abomb somewhere between Suiand Ghudo and blew up 24diameter gas pipe line creating ashortfall of more than 250 million

cubic gas.On account of gas explosion,

CNG will not be available inLahore, Sheikhupura, Sahiwal,Multan, and Gujranwala,including Gujrat station located inZone one.The rescue teams could not

reach for repairwork on the sitedue to which the gas wouldremain suspended in differentareas of Punjab and Gudho Powerstation. –ONLINE

Gas line blown up, supplyto Punjab suspended

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Prime Minister MirHazar Khan Khoso has deferredmeeting of Council of CommonInterest, scheduled to meet here onFriday after procedural objectionraised by Khyber Pakhtunkhwachief minister. In a subsequentinformal meeting, it discussed thepresent energy situation in thecountry.Minister for Water and Power

Dr Musadiq Malik briefed theparticipants on present energysituation and measures beingtaken by the government in thelimited available time to improvethe situation. He informed thatthe power situation in the countrywas adversely impacted because ofineQciencies, element ofcorruption and mismanagementthat encompassed the entireenergy chain.The Minister said that hydel

power generation in the countrypeaks to around 6000 MW foronly few days and fluctuatesbetween 800 to 6000 MW duringthe year. The hydel generation isfurther restrained by the fact thatit is not governed by storagecapacity as perceived generally, butby the flow which is regulated byIRSA on the indent of provinces,he further informed. He said that it is a myth that the

total generation capacity is over20000 MW. “The assumption isbogus,” he added. The 'Council of Common

Interests' was introduced throughthe Constitution of 1973 and itconsists of chief ministers of theprovinces and an equal number ofministers of the federal governmentnominated by the prime minister.The Council can formulate andregulate the policy in the Part II ofthe Legislative List. –ONLINE

CCI meetingdeferred onproceduralobjection

US ‘takes no position’on legal proceedingsagainst MusharrafIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The US Embassy inIslamabad on Friday said that theUnited States takes no position onthe return of former presidentPervez Musharraf or the legalproceedings against him. In astatement, a US Embassyspokesperson said: “This is an issueto be resolved solely in accordancewith Pakistan’s Constitution andlaws.” The United States reaQrmsthat it is backing democracy inPakistan, and does not support anyparticular political party orindividual candidate, thespokesperson added. –ONLINE

Zardari assures Obamaof continued Pakistani support

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: President Asif AliZardari has strongly condemned theheinous act of terrorism in the city ofBoston‚ Massachusetts USA duringthe Boston Marathon and hasexpressed profound grief and sorrowover the deaths and injuries in theterrorist attack. In a letter to Presidentof the United States Barack Obama‚

President Zardari while extending his deepest condolences said thatgovernment and people of Pakistan condemn this heinous act of terrorism inthe strongest possible terms. He assured the US President of the continuedsupport of Pakistan in the fight against terrorism and said that people ofPakistan itself being victims of terrorism for a long time share the pain andanguish of the families of the victims. –ONLINE