New Delhi, October 02:

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday unanimously decided to drop a contro-versial ordinance and bill aimed at protecting con-victed lawmakers, days after Congress leader Ra-hul Gandhi publicly de-nounced the move. Information and Broad-casting Minister Man-ish Tewari made the an-nouncement after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who returned late

Tuesday after attend-ing the U.N. General As-sembly, presided over a 20-minute Cabinet meet-ing. “The decision of the Cabi-net was unanimous,” Mr. Tewari told the media. The ordinance, now with President Pranab Mukher-jee, sought to overrule a Supreme Court ruling which wanted convicted MPs and State legislators disqualified from their re-spective legislatures. “In so far as the bill is con-

cerned, it is the property of parliament,” Mr. Tewari said. He added that at an appropriate time, it would be taken back. The Minister hastened to add that Wednesday’s move should not be seen as undermining the author-ity of the Prime Minister, who was party to the ear-lier decision to go for the ordinance. “Democracy is not a mono-lithic authoritarian sys-tem of government,”

See Union Cabinet on Pg. 11

Srinagar, October 02:

The General Officer Commanding 15 Corps Lt. General Gurmeet Singh on Tuesday said that no village in Keran Sector is under occupa-tion of Pakistan Army. Refuting the news car-ried by some private channels that a village in Keran has been occu-pied by Pakistan army. He said that all the re-ports misconceived, fabricated and baseless. He said that an opera-tion against infiltrators is goings on in the area for last over one week in which atleast 10-12 mili-tants have been killed. “I can’t share any kind of information about the operation as it could have bearing on my sol-diers. Let the operation be over and I will share

everything with you,” Singh told reporters in Srinagar adding that it is absurd to claim that Pakistani troops had oc-cupied an uninhabited village along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kash-mir last Monday.

Lieutenant general Gurmeet Singh said that Indian soldiers handling the operation are making the move-ment of intruders diffi-cult and soon they will be eliminated. “There is no time limit as we are not in hurry. Hurry

means causality to our soldiers. We are deal-ing with intruders in a planned manner and it is the question of time now,” he said.He said that the Army had inputs that some 30 to 40 militants are pres-ent in Keran sector and, “we cordoned them. There was an exchange of fire and the operation is in progress,” he said. Coming down heavily on inimical forces Singh said that there are cer-tain elements who are propagating that mili-tants have occupied a village. “It is a difficult terrain and no village is found in the area. It is absurd to claim that militants have occupied any of our post or vil-lage,” he said. While replying to a

See No Village on Pg. 11

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

THURSDAY October 03 | 2013 | 26 Zeeqad 1434 AH | PAGES 12 | VOL NO: 3 | ISSUE NO: 248 | RS: 2/- (AIR SURCHARGE FOR JAMMU /DELHI/LEH 50 PAISA)Pen For JusticeLargely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&K

No village or post occupied by Pak

http://www.zabarwantimes.com

On six-day visit to Belgium, Turkey

Addresses Maha Gram Sabha

7 8 10

Abdur Razzak recalled to Test squad

Union Cabinet withdraws ordinance on lawmakersYouth drowns in

Anantnag Srinagar, October 02: A 23 years old, Assan Ahmad Dar son of Abdul Rashid resident of Udhi-yan Seel Doda was drowned in nallah Lidder near Anchidoora, in the jurisdiction of Police Station Anantnag. The body of deceased was fished out and handed over to his relatives for last rites.

1 dies, 9 injured in road mishapsSrinagar, October 02: One person died and nine others were injured in different road accidents across the valley.A Scooter bearing chasis num-ber 007298153 collided with a Horse Cart at Dolipora cross-ing, Baramulla resulting in on spot death of scooterist Bilal Ahmad Dar son of Abdul Samad resident of Dolipora, Baram-ulla. Meanwhile, a Motorcycle bearing registration number JK13/4974 hit and injured a pedestrian Reshma wife of Mon-gyat at present Noorpora, Awa-ntipora at Larnoo. The injured has been shifted to hospital for treatment. In another accident,

See Mishaps on Pg. 11

Keran Infiltration

Operation against infiltrators on: GoC 15 Corps

Srinagar, October 02:

Police today foiled the can-dle light march procession that was scheduled to be taken out by Government employees from Poloview to Chief Minister’s resi-dence to protest against the delay in ‘fulfillment’

of their demands which mainly include the re-moval of Pay anomalies and enhancement in the retirement age from 58 to 60 years.Meanwhile, the govern-ment today said that the employees should shun confrontational attitude

and join talks. Talking to KNS, minister for medical education Taj Mohi-u-Din, who is also the member of cabinet sub-committee dealing with employee de-mands, said that govern-ment should not be com-pelled for any harsh steps.

See Employees on Pg. 11

Employees candle light march foiled, many detained

Shun agitation, we are open for talks: Govt

Kulgam, October 02:

In a throwback to ’90s, Army, SOG and paramili-tary CRPF on Wednesday cracked down on hamlets of Gofebal and Gretebal in South Kashmir’s Kulgam town and forced people to come out from their bed and assemble in a nearby ground. Locals told CNS that around 4 am large

See Crackdown on Pg. 11

Crackdown returns in Kulgam

Srinagar, October 02:

A KAS officer, Ajesh Ku-mar resident of Kishtwar who was posted as Regis-trar Co-operatives slipped and fell from the upper storey of Hotel Heemal at Dalgate, Srinagar where he was staying. He was se-riously injured in the fall and was shifted to SKIMS, Srinagar where he

See Officer on Pg. 11

Officer slips to death

Daily ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS

Says efforts on to make

Kashmir as adventure destinationSRINAGAR, SEPT 02:

Inaugurating the 7-day long paragliding festival at Chandpora, Harwan today, the Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir said that paraglid-ing is one of the latestnewest entries in the list of adventure sports in the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

“Being blessed with end-less plush greenery and ex-quisite hilltops, it is a perfect place to try paragliding and one can choose to glide over valleys, mountains or lakes “, he said and added that for this adventure aero sport at Sonamarg, Gulmarg, Harwan and Baderwah are iconic plac-

es to provide excellent winds and landscape for this adven-ture.

The Paragliding festival was organized by Tourism

Department to introduce it at commercial level under pri-vate sector, for the purpose the Department also facili-tates local youth by providing them necessary training of paragliding.

During the festival days several adventure competi-tions like tendon, solo flights and paraglides would be held, in which besides State players 31 National level players are

participating.Director Tourism Kashmir,

TalatParvaz, Manging Direc-tors, CCC, Mr TufailMatto, Managing Director, JKTDC,

Mr. Shamim Ahmad besides a number of Tourists, adventure lovers and locals were present who evinced keen interest in paragliding.Speaking on the occasion, Tourism Minister said that J&K Tourism is plan-ning to push Kashmir as an adventure tourism destina-tion, as domestic as well as foreign tourists do come to the Valley to see the scenic beauty and splendour of Kashmir.

SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 02

On the eve of Gandhi Jay-anti, Wednesday, J&K Khadi and Village Industries Board organised a 7-day State Level Exhibition-cum-sale of local products at Sangarmall City Centre here. The Exhibition was inaugurated by Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamen-tary Affairs, Mir Saifullah.

State Director, Khadi and Village Industries Commis-sion, GoI, Mr Baldari Singh pre-sided over the function which was attended by officers of Industries sector, Khadi Insti-tutions, entrepreneurs and artisans besides large number of people.Various products including Kashmiri Namdas, Gabbas, Pashmina and Kani Shawls, Carpets, wood furni-ture and carving items, Paper-machie items, Brass and Cop-per Utensils, Honey and Fruit

Jams and other products are available on special discounts for sale spread over 40 Stalls set up in the exhibition.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that Mahat-ma Gandhi presented Khadi and Village Industries as a symbol of Nationalism, equal-ity and self-reliance, adding that besides struggling for the political freedom, Gandhiji throughout his life also cham-pioned the cause of social and economic freedom of the people by encouraging self-reliance and supporting the cause of local Khadi and Cot-tage Industries. His Swadeshi movement highlighted the significance of self-reliance and economic freedom and his legacy has continued to inspire us to support and en-courage our artisans and local small scale industries, through many Governments spon-

sored flagship programmes and schemes.Calling youth to actively participate and con-tribute in industrial and self-employment activities, the Minister said that the schemes launched by the government for empowering artisans and unemployed youth has helped in establishment of hundreds of units, thereby providing employment to thousands of unemployed youth. He asked the young entrepreneurs and unit holders to look for more and more avenues to expand their units further and look for diverse market opportuni-ties outside also.Saifullah also appreciated the Youth who have availed the benefits of Government Schemes and contributed positively in not only their own self-reliance but also generating employ-ment avenues for scores of other young people.

G.A.Mir inaugurates 7-day Paragliding festival at Chandpora Harwan

KVIB on Gandhi Jayanti organizes 7-day State level

exhibition-cum-sale at Sangarmall

THURSDAY OCTOBER | 03 | 2013

You may feel extra passionate today, Libra, so don’t be surprised if you take things to extremes even more than usu-al. There’s an aggression within you that’s working to help keep you in control of every situation. Remember that you must be prepared to receive whatever you dish out. There’s a warring instinct in everyone that’s likely to emerge on a day like this.

Find your strength from within, Scorpio. There’s a great deal of it in there, and it’s ready to erupt like a volcano. Let your passion drive your engine today and you’ll be amazed at the incredible places you can go. Don’t be afraid to take things to extremes. Your fantastic good luck will pull you out of any sticky predicament.

Your strong yet steady pace may get a lift today, Sagittar-ius. It might seem like there’s a fire under your feet, and you probably need to keep moving in order to keep yourself from getting burned. Use your independent streak to get things done the way you want them. This could be a powerhouse day for you!

There’s excitement today that indicates that things are happening, things are changing. Stay alert and in tune with what’s going on around you, Capricorn. There’s a wonderful energy charge urging you to push the boundaries of every-thing going on around you. Do your part to help the world evolve to a happier, more peaceful place.

You’re the sensitive one in a sea of anger today, Aquarius, so keep your guard up. Don’t be tempted or seduced by any rage around you. Be wary of people who seem motivated by fear. You’ll be much better off when you align yourself with those who act from a point of neutrality and self-confidence. Model your behavior after the people you see as superheroes in your world.

You should mesh quite well with the prevailing energy today, Pisces. There’s a powerful, transformative force help-ing to give greater strength to your ego and vitality. Note the fiery energy about the day that encourages your dynamic and forceful personality to shine through. Feel free to ex-press your independence in every situation.

Tension is building today that may wreak havoc with your harmonious nature, Virgo. The key for you now is to see the opportunity instead of conflict in each situation. This is a good time to gain a greater perspective on certain things. A bit of internal transformation may take place when you see things from the other side of the fence.

Things may be happening too fast around you today, Ar-ies, but that doesn’t mean you necessarily have to join the frenzied pace. You’re probably much better off sticking with your methodical approach. Take the time to collect the facts you need before you jump into a major decision or plan of attack. People may be a bit jumpy, so do your best to be the stable one in the group.

Make sure you aren’t projecting a picture of yourself that doesn’t represent the real you, Taurus. It’s important that you remain true to your soul or you’ll end up in situations that make you uncomfortable and frustrated. There’s a strong transformative force working against you today, but you’ll have the leadership and confidence to stand up for yourself in whatever way you need.

Remind yourself of all the positive things you have going on in your life now, Gemini. It’s possible that you’ll be met with tension and challenges today that are threatening your sense of self. Arguments may break out around you, and you may have questions regarding what it is you stand for. Don’t lose touch with your nurturing qualities and sixth sense.

The fire within you is burning extra hot, Cancer, so make the most of this incredible internal furnace. Treat yourself to some new attire and proudly show it off tonight. Take the lead on projects that might be floundering. You have power behind your words and actions today, so use it for the high-est good.

You may feel the urge to get up and go today, Leo, but at the same time you may feel like you aren’t prepared. Perhaps you don’t feel you’re on solid enough ground to take the next step. Don’t let the pressure of the outside world move you to a place you aren’t ready to go. Take things at your own pace, and be tolerant of those who choose to go at theirs.

Asks authori-ties to check man-animal

conflictsSRINAGAR, OCTOBER 2:

Underlining need for making people aware, particularly those liv-ing near the jungles, about the pre-cautions need to be taken whenever a wild-animal turns man-eater, the Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment, Mian Altaf Ahmad has asked the authorities of Wild-life Department to take concrete measures for containing man-ani-mal conflicts besides saving human population from becoming victims of such incidents.

The Minister was addressing at a function organized by Wildlife Pro-tection Department in connection with celebrations of Wildlife Week here at SKICC today

Describing human lives pre-cious, the Minister said that human lives should be on priority while conserving wildlife and forests. He

said during past four years, the de-partment has succeeded in curbing the timber smuggling for the forests

of the State..Senior officers from State Pollu-

tion Control Board, Forest, Environ-ment and Remote Sensing, NGOs, Environmenlists, teachers and stu-dents of several schools were pres-ent on the occasion.

Terming the human lives pre-cious, Mian Altaf asked the con-

cerned officers to take necessary steps so that the lives of both hu-man and animals are saved. He said

there is no time table when an ani-mal turns man-eater and directed the authorities to devise a pre-plan for sensitizing the people about the different methodologies of animals’ attacks, besides suggesting protec-tive measures for saving their lives. He said unless the people are not sensitized, the graph of man-ani-

mal conflict cannot be reduced, he added.

The Minister said that prior-ity of the Government is to control man-animal conflicts, adding that field functionaries of the depart-ment need to be mobilized across the State particularly in those areas where such incidents have been of-ten taking place.

Mian Altaf said that the com-pensation of man-animal conflict victims has been increased to Rs. 3 lakh from Rs. 1 lakh, while as Rs. 25,000 are being paid to those get injured in such incidents. He said the cost of treatment of injured persons is higher than the compen-sation and advocated for increasing the limit of this existing amount.

The Minister asked to organize such more seminars at district lev-els and block levels involving NGOs, media and civil society to yield bet-ter results. He said it is duty of the department to take effective steps for taking forward the activities of the department.

Regarding the progress of the project started for conservation and safety of Hangul and Markhor, the Minister said that achievements of the project are not matching with the expectations, adding that the

population of Hangul has been swelled despite the difficulties fac-ing by the field functionaries for their conservation. He said estab-lishment of breeding centres has become imperative for conserva-tion of Hangul and Markhor like animals.

Advocating for taking in con-fidence, the people living near jungles, the Minister said that de-partment can succeeded in curbing timber smuggling menace with the active support of these people. He said forest land encroachment was also once an issue before the Gov-ernment, adding that with active support of people and efforts of the department this practice has been checked to a large extent during past four years.

Earlier senior forest officers spoke on the subject and high-lighted the role of the department in conservation of wildlife and forests.s

The School children presented variety of cultural programmes related to conservation of wildlife and forests which enthralled the audience.Later, the Minister gave away awards among the students adjudged the best in debate and painting competitions.

Anayat Ali

Kargil/02-10-13: The Horticul-ture Department organized three days Fruit Growers Camp, during which the fruit growers form all over Kargil displayed their best fruit products like, Apricot, Apple, Pears, Grapes, Jams and Jellies, etc. which concluded today at Indoor Stadium Kargil.

On this occasion the Chief Ex-ecutive Councilor LAHDC Kargil Haji Asgar Ali Karbalie was the Chief Guest and the Executive Councilor for Tourism Skalang Wangail was the Guest of Honour.

During the Camp while Interact-ing with the fruit growers of Kargil Karbalie told that the living status of the people of Kargil will change only and if the people focus on the four traditional industries of Kargil which is Agriculture, Horticulture, Ani-mal and Sheep Husbandry and should produce vegetables, fruit, meats etc for commercial purpose. These four sectors will boost the economical de-velopment of Kargil, leading to the overall development of Kargil and due

to which Kargil will become self suf-ficient.

Supporting the scientific imple-mentation in the production, process-ing and marketing of fruits and agri-culture products CEC assured that the government will try its best to make the farmers equipped with scientific methods so that the dream of prosper-

ous Kargil comes true.Talking about the preservation of

apricot species, and to make Kargil an international bank of Apricot, Karbalie told that this unique fruit plant should be preserved and will try to do so, as there are more than 150 varieties of Apricot in Kargil according to KVK Kar-gil survey.

SRINAGAR OCTOBER 02: Chairperson, J&K Commission for Women and MLA Habba Kadal, Mrs. Shahmim Firdous today distributed Rs. 2.72 lakh among 19 beneficiaries suffering from various ailments for their treatment here. The amount was pro-vided out of the Chief Minister’s Relief Funds.

Mrs. Shamim extended her gratitude to the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for providing necessary funds to advance the cause of the needy and the helpless, adding that Chief Minis-ter remains committed towards working for the welfare of the people. She said the amount provided to the beneficiaries will provide monetary relief to these people and will also help them in getting the better treatment to save their life.

Sahai visits B&J hospital to enquires wellbeing of

injured studentSRINAGAR OCTOBER 02: Additional Director General of Po-

lice (Armed) Mr. S M Sahai, immediately after concluding prize distribution function of, rushed to Bone & Joint hospital, Bar-zulla to enquire about the wellbeing of Miss Aksha Sabir, a 5th class girl student from Lal Public High School, Bota Kadal, who got injured while participating in the Kashmir Marathon “Run for Fun”.The Marathon organized by the J&K Police was flagged off by the Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Mr. Ali Mohammad Sagar here today at Police Golf Course and passed through various destinations of the city.

Shamim distributes Rs. 2.72 lakh among 19

ailing persons

IT Minister flags off Digital Literacy Yatra, Khidmat-e-Tohfa

Sagar, Vikar address maha gram sabha

Reiterate Government’s resolve to empower Panchayats

FRUIT GROWERS CAMP CONCLUDED IN KARGIL

Scientific methods for development of farmers will be intoduced; karbalie

Mian Altaf inaugurates Wildlife Week

Feroz asks students to

develop their poten-tial to the fullest

SRINAGAR OCTOBER 02:

Minister of State for Information Technology and Science & Technology, Feroz Ahmed Khan today flagged- off the “Digtal Literacy Yatra and Khidmat-e-Tohfa” in collaboration with Intel Partner at SKICC, as a part of the citizen Literacy Programme, initiative aimed at the youth of the State for imparting technology lit-eracy skills thereby enhancing their em-ployability opportunities.

Commissioner Secretary, Information Technology, Science and Technology, Bi-pul Pathak, Director Strategic Initiatives and PBJ, Intel South Asia, Rajiv Bhalla,

Addl. Chief Executive officer Jammu and Kashmir e-governance Agency (JAKEGA) Dara Singh and large number of youth were present on the occasion.

Addressing the function on the occa-sion, the Minister said that Digital Literacy Yatra features a mobile Lab which will tra-verse the State and reach the youth with-in the age group of 16-25 years across five districts. He said that the participants will be selected through a competitive process and trained on making a local small scale business successful. The mobile lab will include laptop for hands-on training and will be a direct access point for the youth of various far-flung areas of these districts of the State.

Mr. Khan said that Khidmat Centre Facilitators will be trained on Intel ( R ) Learn Technology and Entrepreneurship to develop the capacity to design entre-preneurial activities with ICT that allow individual students to learn with practical orientation so that students can develop their potential to the fullest.

JAMMU, OCTOBER 02-

Minister for Rural Development, Panchay-at Raj, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Mo-hammad Sagar, has reiterated the determina-tion of Government in making panchayats more empowered by further strengthening these basic institutions of democracy with increasing their role in planning and execu-tion of development plans.

The Minister was addressing a large gathering of Panchs, Sarpanchs, panchayati adalat members, SHGs, besides senior offi-cers and officials of various departments at a function held to commemorate 144th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, organised by Rural Development Department at Pa-rade Ground, here today.Minister for Hous-ing, Horticulture and Culture, Raman Bhalla, Minister of State for Information and Rural Development Departments, Vikar Rasool, District Development Commissioner, Ajeet

Kumar Sahu, Director Rural Development De-partment, Shafiq Ahmed Raina besides other senior officers from RDD, SWD, PHE and R&B were present on the occasion.

All the dignitaries paid homage to Father of Nation and emphasized upon the maha sabha to tread the path truth and non-violence as shown by Bapuji for a better tomorrow.Sagar appreciated the role of PRIs during recent floods besides complimenting them for ensuring effective implementation of various schemes in their respective areas. He said that the Omar Abdullah Government is taking several initiatives to further add to empowerment of Panchayats for creating a healthy and harmonious society to live in.

Sagar said Panchayat elections was a long cherished dream of late Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah which has been materialized by Omar led Government. He said Sarpanchs and Panchs including women were elected in a total free and fair manner.

Agencies

Saeed Ajmal, the Pakistan spin-ner and one of their senior players, has suggested that Dav Whatmore has made “no difference” in his time as coach of the team. Ajmal praised Whatmore’s predeces-sors, Mohsin Khan and Waqar Younis, and said that a higher salary and an inability to com-municate in the same language were the most noteworthy as-pects of Whatmore’s 18-month tenure.

Pakistan have not won a Test series since Whatmore, a for-mer Australia international and World Cup-winning coach with Sri Lanka, took charge in 2012. That was on the back of Pakistan whitewashing England in the UAE under Mohsin but, ahead of their return to the region to host South Africa, their most re-cent result was a 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe.

Whatmore last week de-scribed defeat to Zimbabwe in the second Test as “embarrass-ing, upsetting and disappoint-ing” but expressed confidence in the team. Despite the neutral tone of Ajmal’s comments - he said Whatmore was “not that bad” dur-ing a lengthy interview with Geo TV - they will do little to strengthen the mood in the Pakistan camp, coming

less than two weeks before the first Test against South Africa.

Asked about having a foreign coach - Whatmore was born in Sri Lanka and grew up in Australia - Aj-mal said: “There is no difference, just

that we are paying more to him, oth-erwise there is no difference. Waqar handled us better. He used to stress on fitness and he used to say that if your fitness is good then you are 80

percent okay on the ground but if it’s only 20 percent then you cannot do anything on the ground.

“Mohsin did well. He would scold in front [of the team] if anyone is not taking wickets or a batsman is

not scoring, irrespective of if he is senior or junior. If a junior was not performing then he would say that if you don’t, then you will not be able to keep your place.

“Dav is a foreign coach, he doesn’t know our language much, but he is a coach and has done coaching for various countries and has helped other teams win, he is not that bad. We had our coaches, we have our

language.”Ajmal, who is ranked the

fourth-best bowler in Test crick-et, was inspirational when Paki-stan beat England in the UAE last year and he claimed 11 wickets in Harare last month to give Whatmore his maiden Test win as coach. His form will be crucial against South Africa, who beat Pakistan 3-0 at the start of 2013, and he stressed that it was the players on the pitch, rather than Whatmore, who had to fix Paki-stan’s poor recent record.

“I am not saying that I am not satisfied, he is a good coach and helped Sri Lanka lift the World Cup,” Ajmal said.

“I am happy in every situa-tion, if there is a trouble then it’s okay, I laugh and smile and even if there are hard times then it is inevitable, this is my lifestyle ... I don’t have any problems [with] who is coming in as coach and, for me, more important is what

reaction he has on my performance. He helps us get everything on what the batsmen are doing wrong. He tells us instantly what we have to do. He can’t go [on to] the field.

Abdur Razzak recalled to Test squad, Mahmudullah retainedAgencies

Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who last played a Test for Bangladesh in August 2011, was named in the squad for the first Test against New Zealand, which starts on October 9.

Razzak has been a regular part of the limited-overs squad and played the ODIs and Twenty20 games against Sri Lanka and Zim-babwe. However, the last of his nine Tests came against Zimbabwe in 2011, on Zim-babwe’s return to the Test fold.Anamul Haque, who missed the tour to Zimba-bwe due to college exams, has been named in the squad, along with Naeem Islam and Marshall Ayub. Naeem, who has been plagued with injury since December 2012, is fit for the tour. Ayub has been re-warded for consistent per-formances in the domestic season. Both batsmen are likely to bolster the middle order.Mahmudullah, the vice-captain of the side, has been retained in spite of his poor recent form, as the

selectors look to capitalise on his experience and suc-cess in the lower order.The selectors have also named

pace bowlers Robiul Islam and Rubel Hossain in the squad. Robiul is recovering from a hamstring injury, while Rubel had muscle stiffness, but the bowlers are expected to be fit in time. Young pace bowler Al-Amin Hossain has been included the squad.The se-lectors also announced a re-vised BCB XI for the three-

day game against the New Zealanders, to be played between October 4 and 6. Shakib Al Hasan has been

added to the side, while Jahurul Islam, Mominul Haque and Mehrab Hossain jnr have been left out.BCB XI: Mahmudullah (capt), Shakib Al Hasan, Anamul Haque, Ziaur Rahman, Naeem Islam, Shamsur Rahman, Marshall Ayub, Sajedul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Mukhtar Ali, Noor Hossain, Farhad Reza.

SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 02:

Minister of Rural Development, Mr. Ali Mo-hammad Sagar has highlighted the role of Jam-mu and Kashmir Police in promoting sports in the State, besides performing their professional duties.

The Minister was speaking at the flag-off ceremony of Kashmir Marathon “ Run for Fun” organised by Jammu and Kashmir Police at Police Golf Course Boulevard here this morn-ing. More than 3000 athletes including men, women and students from various educational institutions, besides a large number of retired and serving police personnel including senior officers of the organisation participated in the Marathon.

The flag-off ceremony for different cat-egories of the Run started at 6.30 a.m. Athletes from different districts of the valley had come to participate in the Marathon. A huge gather- ing also witnessed the Marathon along its route from Police Golf Course to Naseembagh - Gan-

derbal via Habbak Crossing. On the conclusion of Run, winners of all categories were awarded cash prizes and the participants were given cer-tificates of participation.

Addressing the athletes and other par-ticipants at the function, Mr. Sagar thanked them for their participation in the event and said that the interest of the people has encour-aged police organisation to conduct such events. He said JKP has organised various sports events during the summer season in the valley and the people particularly the youth have shown much interest in these events. The aim for organizing such events is to promote sports culture and to exploit the potential of the youth in different sports disciplines.Mr. Sagar appreciated the ef-forts of organizers, who ensured large participa-tion of athletes from all shades of life including the students of various educational institutions of valley. He advised the youth of the State to participate in these activities which will help

them in maintaining mentally and physical fit. In his welcome address, Mr. Sahai said

that due to the support and cooperation of vari-ous sports organizations including J&K State Sports Council and Department of Youth Ser-vices and Sports, the event was organized suc-cessfully. He also appreciated the arrangements made by the Traffic Police on the routes of the Marathon.

At the conclusion of the Run, Mr. Sagar distributed cash prizes and certificates among the winners in different categories. Mr. Jigmit Narbo of Leh got first position in 42 Kms, while as, Mr. Hamid Aziz of Srinagar and Mr. Ishtiyaz of Badgam got first positions in 21.5 kms (Half Marathon) and 12 kms, in male category re-spectively. Ms. Insha Wadu of Srinagar got first position in 12 kms in girls category.

Similarly, in Spoon Race, Mr Bazil Abas in boys category and Ms. Sadiya Muneer of Sri-nagar in girls category was adjudged winner.

THURSDAY OCTOBER | 03 | 2013ZABARWAN TIMES8

Sagar appreciates role of JKP in sports arena

Agencies

Former Test batsman VVS Laxman believes the current Indian cricket team is hungry for more success and backed the hosts to triumph over Austra-lia in the upcoming limited-over series.

“There are lot of talented cricketers in the Indian side who are eager to perform. The up-coming Australia series at home will be a good test for them. I think India are favourites to win the series. They have the fire power to do

it,” Laxman told reporters at an award function in Gur-gaon on Tuesday night.

India will be playing Aus-

tralia in a seven-match ODI series preceded by a T20 encounter at Rajkot on Octo-ber 10.Laxman, who retired from international cricket

last year, was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sports Illus-trated India’s annual sports

award ceremony on Tuesday.On the return of Yuvraj Singh to the national team, the Hy-derabadi said the styl-ish left-hander’s come-back was just a matter of time.“Yuvraj’s re-turn was expected. He is such a class player. You can’t keep him out for long. He has lot to contribute to the team. He worked hard on his

fitness and reaped benefits during the India ‘A’ series and the Challenger Trophy,” Laxman said.

Agencies

New Delhi: Kieron Pollard’s approach to-wards life is very similar to his cricket - un-complicated.

While cricketers across the world love to make right noises about how much they love playing Test cricket, the 26-year-old Mumbai Indians all-rounder is very practical about choices he has made and firmly stands by it.

“You make decisions in life. The point when I started playing top-level cricket to this day, T20 is the cricket that I have made my name in. I don’t have any regrets having played only 24 first-class matches till date. It is a business as well and I have to look after my family and live as well,” Pollard told PTI in an exclusive interview here on Wednesday.

Apart from being a star performer for MI in IPL, Pollard has played for Somerset in England, Big Bash in Australia, Bangladesh Premier League and the Caribbean Premier League.But does the tag of T20 freelancer hurts him, Pollard gave a pointed reply, “If people want to call me T20 freelancer, that’s

their opinion. I can’t do anything about it. If I try to change everything, I will be trying to change the whole world. For me, it’s just a matter of what I am supposed to do and that is playing whatever format I get to play.”

The giant of an all-rounder felt that his stint with Mumbai Indians has made him a better cricketer.

“Four years with Mumbai Indians has been a learning experience for me. The best part is that players come and go in other teams but at Mumbai Indians, the core of the team has been same for the last four years. We have enjoyed each other’s success,” said Pollard, who has played 85 ODIs and 37 T20 Internationals for his country.

On the technical aspects, Pollard believed that he has become a better batsman against slow bowlers during his stint with Mumbai Indians.

“Earlier, whenever I would come into bat, the opposition captain would immediately bring in a spinner. It has changed now as they normally don’t bring a spinner when I come into bat.

Laxman backs India to win ODI series against Australia

T20 cricket helps me take good care of my family, says Kieron Pollard

Agencies

I had laid out my plans for this match long before the tournament, believing this could have been Dravid’s final game of competitive cricket. An overnight trip from Delhi to Jaipur felt like a pilgrimage to see the legend take the field.

Brad Hodge’s match-winning, iceman-like innings, Rahul Shukla’s revelatory bowling per-formance, James Neesham’s all-round perfor-mance, my pick is Ajinkya Rahane. His innings set up the chase and held it together for the most part, and its technical perfection and class would have made his captain proud.

One thing I’d have changedShaun Tait bowling on this pitch in tandem

with the rampant Shukla would have been a treat to watch. With a generous sprinkling of grass and quite some assistance on offer, Royals could have inflicted greater damage on Otago in the Powerplay. Instead, Tait was in the dugout, talking to commentators on air.

Face-off I relishedPravin Tambe v Ryan ten Doeschate. Not the

biggest names on the pitch, but these two dished

out a duel that took us back to the days of classic, flighted legspin, with the odd flatter one thrown

in. Having come in with his team tottering at 20 for 3, ten Doeschate showed no signs of trouble against any bowler, attacking with gusto. But when he tried stepping out repeatedly to Tambe, he was beaten by a combination of flight, pace and dip. In his third over, Tambe trapped ten Doeschate in front with a flatter one. A week shy of turning 42, Tambe has been doing everything in his capacity to prove Douglas Adams right.

Wow momentShane Watson’s (dead) ball of the century,

which had about as much chance of landing as there is of Watto not reviewing an lbw dismissal. Watson should have looked up to the commen-tary box for empathy. Who better than Murali Kartik, the last man to perform this wayward feat against a Kiwi team, to go to in such times?

The acrobatPravin Tambe’s exploits on the field have

thus far gone unnoticed. An acrobatic dive at the boundary, followed by poor recovery, cost Royals a boundary. However, Tambe would not give up trying. He dived again and saved overthrows for his team. It reminded us of a certain Bermudian policeman’s efforts, six years ago.

Tambe and the answer to the universe

Uthappa ruled out of Duleep Trophy

Whatmore makes ‘no difference’ to Pakistan - Ajmal

Agencies

Robin Uthappa has been ruled out of the up-coming Duleep Trophy with a hamstring strain. He suffered the injury, which will sideline him for at least two weeks, in a Challenger Trophy match, in which he represented India Red against Delhi.

Uthappa had been named in the South Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy, which will begin on October 3 with a quarter-final between South Zone and West Zone in Chennai.

Uthappa tweeted about the injury: “Hey guys! Will be missing the Duleep Trophy as I strained my hamstring in my last match! In a re-hab programme for 2weeks.”

Uthappa has been busy in the last month playing limited-overs matches against New Zea-land A and West Indies A before the Challenger Trophy. He scored 161 runs, including a hundred, in three unofficial ODIs against New Zealand A at an average of 53.67, and 60 runs in the next three unofficial ODIs against West Indies A. In the two innings he played in the Challenger Trophy, he produced scores of 9 and 7.

He will hope to be fit in time for the Ranji Trophy in which Karnataka’s first match starts on November 7 against Jharkhand.

Kashmir Marathon held

Agencies

NEW DELHI: Oil Minis-ter Veerappa Moily will un-veil sale of five-kg cooking gas cylinders for about Rs

350 per unit in select petrol pumps of Bangalore on Sat-urday and launch a cooking gas portability that will al-low existing cooking cus-tomers to change their gas agencies.Simultaneously, this model will be imple-mented in identified petrol pumps in Delhi, Kolkata,

Chennai and Mumbai, gov-ernment and industry offi-cials said.“Both schemes will enable consumers to exer-cise greater choice, freedom and convenience in major

cities and portability of cook-ing gas connections across oil marketing companies,” the oil ministry spokesman said.Initially, mini cylinders will be sold through petrol pumps owned-and-oper-ated by IOCBSE -1.51 %, BP-CLBSE -1.15 % and HPCLBSE -0.63 %, he said.“This facility

will be a boon to migratory population such as students, IT professionals, BPO em-ployees and persons with odd duty timings as it would provide them the flexibil-ity to pick up cylinders and obtain subsequent refills at time of their choice as petrol stations are open for longer hours,” he said.The other initiative, the inter-company LPG portability scheme, will give an option to the con-sumer, he said. “Under this scheme, a consumer can now opt for the distributor of his choice within a cluster of LPG distributors in the vicin-ity and across the oil compa-nies,” he said. The consumers will be able to see the service ratings of all the distributors in their cluster and choose the one they want based on service levels.The facility is available to the consumer in 30 cities. Electronic tracking of the portability request and closure is in place to ensure a consumer does not have any difficulty to move to a dis-tributor of his choice, he said.

THURSDAY OCTOBER | 03 | 2013ZABARWAN TIMES 7

Sri Lank-an national

sneaks into Ra-meswaram; held

Despite the claim of tight vigil by naval and coast guard personnel fol-lowing an alert about possible infil-tration of terrorists through the sea, a Sri Lankan Tamil managed to sneak into the island by a high-speed boat early on Wednesday morning.Police said they arrested Chellakrishnan of Pesalai in Sri Lanka following a tip-off by a local resident shortly after he was dropped at Arichalmunai by the boat, police said.The boat which dropped him managed to go back. He had come in a high speed boat and that might be the reason why the coastal security police and coastguard and even Navy would have missed the craft, said an official.Patrolling along the shores and in the sea has been strengthened since last month after an intelligence alert that ter-rorists might enter the country from Sri Lanka through the Palk Strait and attack the Lord Ramanathaswamy temple, Madurai and Mayiladuthurai.During questioning, the Sri Lankan national claimed that he was staying in Tiruchirappalli and had left for Sri Lanka by a ferry some time ago and returned now.

Obama cuts short Asia trip as US govt shutdown continues

Agencies

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Wednesday scrapped part of long-planned trip to Asia and left the remainder of the trip in doubt as a US government shut-down entered a second day with no end in sight to the funding battle in Congress that triggered it.

Obama scuttled two stops on a planned four-country tour and left visits to two other countries up in the air, according to White House statements.

The president told his counterparts in Malay-sia and the Philippines he would not be able to meet them as planned and a White House official said the president is weighing whether to attend diplo-matic summits in Indonesia and Brunei.

“We will continue to evaluate those trips based on how events de-velop throughout the course of the week,” National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said.

Obama was originally due to leave the United States on Saturday

and return a week later. Not only must the president deal

with the budget impasse and its ef-fects, but he faces an even bigger crunch in Congress, which will put the United States at risk of default-ing on its debts if it does not raise the US public debt ceiling. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has said the Unit-

ed States will exhaust its borrowing authority no later than October 17.

The fight between Obama’s Democrats and the Republicans over the government’s borrowing power is rapidly merging with the standoff over every day funding, which has forced the first govern-

ment shutdown in 17 years and forced hundreds of thousands of federal employees to take unpaid leave.

The White House announce-ments about the Asia trip followed a fruitless day on Capitol Hill, with congressional Democrats and Re-publicans coming no closer to re-

solving their differences. Obama accused Repub-

licans of taking the govern-ment hostage to sabotage his signature healthcare law, the most ambitious US so-cial program in five decades, passed three years ago.

Republicans in the House of Representatives view the Affordable Care Act as a dangerous extension of gov-ernment power, and have coupled their efforts to un-dermine it with continued efforts to block government funding. The Democratic-

controlled Senate has repeatedly rejected those efforts.

The standoff has raised new concerns about Congress’s ability to perform its most basic duties and threatens to hamper a still fragile economic recovery.

Now, mini LPG cylinders at petrol pumps; consumers can change agencies

Putin nominated for 2014 Nobel Peace Prize

Weapons experts begin Syria mission amid clashes

Agencies

President Vladimir Putin has been nominated for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize by a Russian advocacy group for his key role in preventing a US missile strike on Syria and initiatives to dismantle Damascus’ chemical weap-

ons.The International Acad-emy of Spiritual Unity and Cooperation Among the Na-tions of the World has nomi-nated President Putin as a candidate for the 2014 Nobel

Peace Prize.Underling Putin’s active

participation in the search for a political and diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis, group’s vice president Beslan Kobajia said those efforts made him deserving of the Nobel Prize, media reports said.

An official letter contain-ing the request was sent to the Nobel Prize Committee on September 16 and was received on September 20, reports said.

Agencies

The U.N.-endorsed mission faces the tightest deadline ever placed before the experts of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

International inspectors in charge of overseeing the destruc-tion of Syria’s chemical weapons left their hotel in Damascus on Wednesday to begin their work as deadly clashes raged on the edge of the capital.

The inspectors’ mission en-dorsed by a U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for Syria’s chemical stockpile to be scrapped by mid-2014 faces the tightest deadline ever placed before the experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.It was not clear where the inspectors, who arrived in Syria on Tuesday from neighbour-ing Lebanon, were headed from their hotel in central Damascus. Their work comes against the backdrop of relentless fighting.On the northern edge of the city, fierce clashes between Syrian troops and al-Qaeda-linked fight-ers killed at least 12 soldiers and pro-government militiamen on Tuesday, anti-regime activists said, as the Army pressed on with a campaign to dislodge opposi-tion fighters from the capital.The fighting in the contested district of Barzeh had flared up on Mon-day, when the Army stepped up

attacks against opposition forces who have been trying to capture the area for months, said the Syri-an Observatory for Human Rights.

Barzeh is important for rebels trying to take their battle closer to President Bashar Assad’s seat of power.

At least 19 government troops have been killed in Barzeh since Monday including the 12 on Tues-day and dozens of others have been wounded, the Observatory said. The rebels, mostly from the ranks of al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra fighters, also sustained losses, but have not disclosed them, the Observatory said.

The fighting illustrates the enormous challenges the inspec-tors an advance team of 19 from a Netherlands-based chemical weapons watchdog and 14 U.N. staff members face as they kick off their work.Within a week, a sec-ond group of inspectors is sched-uled to join them to form teams that will fan out to individual locations.They have around nine months to complete their mis-sion, which calls for finding, dis-mantling and eliminating Assad’s estimated 1,000-tonne chemical arsenal.Experts at The Hague, where the OPCW is based, said on Sunday the inspectors’ prior-ity is to reach the first milestone of helping Syria scrap its ability to manufacture chemical weapons by a November 1, 2013 deadline, using every means possible.

President Pranab embarks on six-day visit to Belgium, Turkey

Agencies

Delhi: President Pranab Mukher-jee on Wednesday embarked on a six-day state visit to Belgium and Turkey with education being the focus of his maiden trip to Europe after taking over as Head of the State.

A high-level delegation, including ministers, senior officials and rep-resentatives of educational and aca-demic institutions, is accompanying the President.

UGC Chairman Ved Prakash, Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University Dinesh Singh, Jawaharlal Nehru University VC Sudhir Kumar Sopory and Hyder-abad University VC Ramakrishna Ra-maswamy are part of the delegation visiting the two countries.

The President was on Wednesday given a ceremonial send-off at the Rashtrapati Bhavan by Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Man-mohan Singh and other Cabinet min-isters.

In the first leg of his visit, the Pres-ident will go to Belgium at the invita-tion of the King Philippe. It would be the first visit by an Indian President to Belgium.

In Belgium, Mukherjee would in-augurate jointly with King Philippe the ‘Europalia-India 2013-14′, a cul-tural extravaganza showcasing India.

He will visit Turkey from October 5-7 at the invitation of the President of Turkey.

It would be the third visit by an Indian President to Turkey after the visits by the President of India in 1993 and 1998.

India and Turkey share common

interest in ensuring peace and politi-cal stability in Afghanistan and Cen-tral Asia.

“India and Turkey share a lot of common interests in ensuring that there is peace, there is stability and political continuity and the environ-ment for progress and development.

“…it is a scope for India and Tur-key to work together particularly in the private sector where Turkish

companies are big in infrastructure globally. We are welcoming their par-ticipation in India,” Press Secretary to the President Venu Rajamony had earlier told reporters in New Delhi.

Minister for Shipping GK Vasan and a group of MPs including Priya Dutt, Deepender Singh Hooda, Za-far Ali Naqvi, Baishnab Charan Parida and Prabhakar Kore would also be travelling with the President.

Agencies

Terrified Muslim families hid in forests in the State on Wednesday, a day after ram-paging Buddhist mobs killed a 94-year-old woman and burned dozens of homes.

AP Residents walk at a market near a mosque on Wednesday, in Thandwe, Ra-khine State, western Myanmar. Terrified Muslim families hid in forests in the State on Wednesday, a day after rampaging Bud-dhist mobs killed a 94-year-old woman and burned dozens of homes.

Totally blackened pillars stand among debris of a burnt building on Wednesday, in Thandwe, Rakhine State, western Myan-mar.

AP Totally blackened pillars stand among debris of a burnt building on Wednesday, in Thandwe, Rakhine State, western Myan-mar.

Muslim families hid in forests in west-ern Myanmar on Wednesday, one day after fleeing a new round of deadly sectarian violence that erupted even as the president toured the divided region. The discovery of four bodies brought the death toll from the latest clashes up to at least five.

Tuesday’s unrest near the coastal town of Thandwe, which saw Buddhist mobs kill a 94-year-old woman and four other Muslims and burn dozens of homes, under-scored the government’s persistent failure to stop the sectarian violence from spread-

ing.Rights groups say President Thein Sein,

visiting the region for the first time since clashes flared there last year, has done lit-tle to crack down on religious intolerance and failed to bridge a divide that has left

hundreds of thousands of Muslims mar-ginalised and segregated, many of them confined by security forces in inadequately

equipped camps for those who fled their homes.

Mr. Sein arrived in Thandwe on Wednesday, the second day of his visit to Rakhine State, and was to meet religious leaders from both communities.

While Mr. Sein has condemned the vio-lence in Rakhine State before, critics say his security forces have not done enough to

contain it. They also say his government has failed to crack down on radical monks who have instilled hatred and fear of the na-tion’s Muslim minority, arguing they pose a threat to Buddhist culture and traditions.

In a message to religious leaders that ran in Myanmar’s state-run newspapers on Wednesday, Mr. Sein said the sectarian unrest threatens the government’s reform process “and tarnishes the national image internationally.”

“The constitution of Myanmar fully guarantees freedom of religion as the fun-damental right of citizens,” Mr. Sein said. “We all should never misuse this noble idea of freedom of religion, or use it as a spring-board for any kind of extremism or for fuel-ling hatred.”

Mr. Sein has been widely praised for overseeing an unprecedented political opening in the Southeast Asian nation since the army ceded power two years ago to a nominally civilian government led by re-tired military officers.

Even with a boosted security presence, unrest engulfed several villages in the Thandwe area a day before the President’s arrival. Witnesses said soldiers and police made no efforts to step in to try to stop Tuesday’s violence.

In Thabyuchaing, about 20 km north of Thandwe, more than 700 rioters, some swinging swords, took to the streets, police officer Kyaw Naing said.

Myanmar Muslim families hide in forests after deadly clashes

Sikh rights group to serve

US court summons to

PM in New DelhiAgencies

New York: A Sikh rights group has said it will serve a US court summons to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi in connection with the alleged human rights violations in the coun-ter-insurgency opera-tions in Punjab in the 1990s.

Sikh for Justice had planned to serve the summons on Singh during his visit to Washington last week but could not do so due to “high security detail”.

“Following Washington DC’s law on service of summons, SFJ will now serve Manmohan Singh in India through Hague Convention on the Ser-vice Abroad of Judicial and Extra-Judicial Docu-ments.”

“Due to the high security detail, the rights group could not serve outstanding US Fed-eral Court summons on Prime Minister during Obama-Singh meeting at White House,” SFJ Legal Advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said here.

Can’t ignore Gujarat: British high commissionerDEHRADUN: Narendra Modi heads the elected government of Gujarat, which

is an important state and can play a key role in fostering better India-British ties, British high commissioner to India James Bevan said on Wednesday.

“Gujarat is an important state and Narendra Modi is its chief minister. He heads the elected government of a state which like other states can play a key role in fostering better Indo-British ties,” Bevan said in reply to a question.

“If we want stronger relations with India we can’t overlook Gujarat, can we?” he asked.