Continued on Page 7 KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari standing in respect of national anthem after laying floral wreath at the Mazar of Father of the Nation Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah on his birth anniversary. Continued on Page 7 Dr A Q Khan pins hope on elections for positive change Urges youths to fulfil mission of Quaid-i-Azam in creating a welfare State Highlights Pakistan’s quest for security and its nuclear capability ASHRAF ANSARI I SLAMABAD —Renowned nuclear scientist, Father of Pakistan’s Nuclear Programme, Mohsin-i-Paki- stan, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan says that the nation can hope to come out of current crises as a result of upcoming gen- eral elections in the country. Delivering a special lec- ture marking Quaid-i-Azam’s birth anniversary he expressed the hope that the people would elect representatives of charac- ter and commitment so that a genuine leadership could emerge in the country. He said the youths of the country bear responsibility to play their role in pulling the country out of morass the country was faced with. His lecture had been ar- ranged by Nazriya Pakistan Council (NPC) to celebrate the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation on Tuesday at Aiwan- i-Quaid in the federal capital. Chairman NPC Zahid Malik presided over the function. In his lecture Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan critically analysed political, economic and social crises Pakistan was passing through. He said, Pakistan today is in the worst situation in po- litical, economic and moral terms. He pointed out that na- tional institutions like PIA and Railways were in ruins and there were no efforts to salvage them. Corruption was rampant and moral values were being trampled. Even food items were not available in pure forms. He said there is abject poverty and millions are de- prived of basic needs of life. Most of the people in the country have been denied heath and education facilities. He said these tragic circum- stances have no justification as the country does not lack God given resources and capable human resource. He was of firm opinion that successive rulers were responsible for the depressive situation of the country. He made a special mention of law and order situ- ation especially target killings in Karachi and elsewhere. The Mohsin-i-Pakistan said it is high time for the na- tion to turn to the ideals of Quaid-i-Azam and objectives Continued on Page 7 ISLAMABAD: Mohsin-i-Pakistan Dr A Q Khan and Zahid Malik cut a cake to celebrate birth anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam. From left to right are Mian Mohammad Javed, Dr Nazir, Kanwar Dilshad, Dr Basharat Jazbi, Ms Farrukh Khan, Dr A Q Khan, Zahid Malik, Chairman NPC, Dr Naeem Ghani, Prof Ayub Sabir and Anjum Khaliq.—PO photo by Sultan Bashir Zahid Malik urges Dr A Q Khan to help promote education in Pakistan STAFF REPORTER I SLAMABAD—Mr. Zahid Malik, Editor-in-Chief, Paki- stan Observer, has appealed to the founder of Pakistan’s Nuclear Programme, Dr. A.Q. Khan to spearhead the mission of Nazriya Pakistan Council (NPC) to bring the 30 million poverty-afflicted school-less children of Pakistan to educa- tional institutions. Mr. Zahid Malik, who is also Chairman of Nazriya Pa- kistan Council, in his presi- dential address paid rich trib- utes to Dr. A.Q. Khan who was the Chief Guest at a func- tion held at Aiwan-i-Quaid on “Quaid’s Vision of Pakistan and Pakistan Today” for mak- ing the defence of the country impregnable. The function was held as a part of the NPC Continued on Page 7 Ebad awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz STAFF REPORTER KARACHI—Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan was con- ferred upon the highest civil award, Nishan-e-Imtiaz, on Tuesday. President Asif Ali Zardari decorated the award with Sindh Governor in recognition of the latter’s meritorious public ser- vices at a ceremony held here at the Governor House. Facilitating Dr Ebad, Presi- dent Zardari said the conferment of award upon the governor was Continued on Page 7 Mahmood takes oath as Punjab Governor Continued on Page 7 Christians celebrate Christmas ISLAMABAD—Like other parts of the globe, the Christian community in Pakistan celebrated the Christmas with religious zeal and enthusiasm. The day started with special prayers at churches. christmas trees were decorated with lights and colourful balls in Christian colonies, outside shopping malls and alongside the important roads. The Christian community in the country renewed their commitments to follow the teachings of their religion in letter and spirit. Special ceremonies were organized in all churches across the country with prayers for peace and stability in the country. Christmas is the time which brings happiness for the people, who get together to Kazakhstan military plane crashes, killing 27 MOSCOW—Kazakhstan’s acting border service chief was among 27 people killed in a military plane crash Tuesday near a southern city, another blow to the agency after he was appointed in June to deal with the aftermath of a mass killing involving a conscript. The Russian-made An-72 crashed at 1255 GMT (7:55 a.m. EST) about 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from the city of Shymkent near the border with Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan’s Committee for National Security said in a statement. The fatalities included a crew of seven and 20 border guards, including the acting head of the ex-Soviet nation’s border protection service, Col. 11 killed in Karachi bloodshed Gunmen injure ASWJ leader Continued on Page 7 Asfand for holding talks with militants Military operation is last option Continued on Page 7 RAHMATULLAH KHAN PESHAWAR—The ANP Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan has said that his party stance is clear for holding dialogue with militants and appealed all political par- ties to join hands and adopt strategy for complete elimina- tion of militancy. “Operation is the last option while our first priority is to ne- gotiate with the militants for sake of durable peace in the country. We will never bow down to militants,” reiterated while addressing a press confer- ence here at Chief Minister House on Tuesday. He said, “Militants want to enforce the system, which they enforced in Afghanistan,” adding that such kind of system would never be accepted. “This is not an Islamic war because Masajid (Mosques) and other holy places are being targeted by the mili- tants,” he said . “The militants, term elec- tions and democracy as unIslamic while every political party was to contest the elections Seven dead, thousands homeless in Manila fires MANILA—At least seven people were killed and thousands left homeless as two fires struck the Philippine capital on Christmas Day, sparking riots as a slum went up in flames, Manila’s fire marshal said Tuesday. Six bodies were recovered and two other people were missing as a blaze erupted at dawn in a row of old apart- ments in the Baler section of northern Manila, said Chief Superintendent Santiago Laguna. Suspected arsonists meanwhile set off a second blaze at a sprawling shantytown across the city, Continued on Page 7 BANGALORE—All-rounders Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik steered Pakistan to a five-wicket exciting vic- tory over their arch rivals In- dia in the first Twenty20 Inter- national here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday. Chasing 134, Pakistan made a disastrous start losing three wickets for only 12 runs However, skipper Hafeez and former captain Malik bat- ted sensibly to repair the dam- age and added 106 runs for the fourth wicket partnership to help Pakistan reach the winning tar- get with two balls remaining. Malik hit the winning six off the fourth ball of the final over to get Pakistan their first T20I win over India.—Agencies Malik seals 1 st T-20 thriller for Pakistan Shoaib Malik PESHAWAR: President of Awami National Party Asfandyar Wali Khan addressing a press conference on Tuesday. Gross official reserves may dip to $8.24b by June 2013 ISLAMABAD—The country’s gross official reserves may de- plete to $8.24 billion by June 2013 which is 28 per cent or $3.2 billion, lower than what has been projected for last financial year 2011-12,said an official. The official said the current account deficit - gap between to- tal foreign receipts and payments - is expected to widen to $5.3 billion or 2.1 per cent of total size of economy during on going fis- cal. The incumbent government has also decided that the neces- sary international and domestic payments would be mulled over on case to case basis during cur- rent financial year 2012-13. An official working in the Finance Ministry said unavoid- able, international and domestic contractual and obligatory pay- ments will be considered on case to case basis and relaxation if re- quired may be allowed by the Finance Secretary. The aid-dependent Pakistan has to pay significant portion of the foreign debt during current fiscal which will plunge unpleas- ant implications for exchange rate that in return will fuel infla- tion due to increasing cost of imported goods. Continued on Page 7 STAFF REPORTER KARACHI—At least 11 people were killed and several others injured on Tuesday, including a key leader of the religious Ahl-i- Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) party in separate incidents of vio- lence in Karachi. Maulana Orangzaib Farooqi, a key ASWJ leader, was injured when gunmen opened indis- criminate fire on car near Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s Moti Mahal area, killing his guard, driver, and four policemen. Farooqi sustained bullet in- juries, however, his condition was said to be stable. Following the incident, busi- nesses were closed down as panic gripped several city areas, includ- ing Nagan Chowrangi, Abul SALIM AHMED LAHORE—Political figure from Rahim Yar Khan Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmood took oath as Governor Punjab here at Governor’s House on Tuesday. Chief Justice of Lahore High Court Umar Ata Bandial admin- istered the oath to Mahmood. Punjab Chief Minister, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Federal Minister Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, Senior Advisor to Chief Minister Sardar Zulifqar Ali Khosa, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz, Senator Jehangir Badr, Corps Commander Lahore, se- nior officers and political lead- ers of PML-Q, Jamaat-e-Islami and activists of PPP were also present on the occasion. The PPP activists raised full throated slo- gans of Jaye Bhutto and in favour of President Asif Zardari. After his swearing in as the provincial governor, Mahmood told reporters that his appoint- ment would lead to improvement in the Punjab’s situation. He added that his first priority would be to work for the betterment and welfare of the people. He said his appointment as governor was 7 more die in foggy roads accidents MUZAFFAR ALI LAHORE—The thick fog which turned denser than Monday is still hanging over many cities of Punjab adding to chill in the capi- tal metropolis besides halting road, rail and air traffic while seven persons including four stu- dents died in fog-related accidents. The fog reduced the visibil- ity in Lahore and the foggy con- ditions, according to Met officer will to continue for the next couple of days. He said that the fog is being caused due to low tempera- ture during the night hours. Seven people including five students were killed in a road accident near Mian Channun on Tuesday. According to sources, the mishap occurred on National Highway near Mian Channun where a car was badly crushed by a heavy vehicle. As a result, five students of Bahawalpur Uni- versity who also hailed from youth parliament died on the spot. The four deceased were identified as Muhammad Ahmed, Umair Akram, Sidrah Javed and Rida Javed while one victim was yet to be identified. According to the police. They were students between 20 to 25 years ago. Rescue teams reached the site of occurrence and shifted the victims to nearby hospital. Be- sides, two men also fell prey to Continued on Page 7 Nation celebrates Quaid’s birth anniversary KARACHI—The 137th birth an- niversary of the founder of Paki- stan Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was marked Tuesday throughout the country with zeal and fervour. A change of guard ceremony was held at the mausoleum of the Father of the held Nation. Cadets of the Pakistan Mili- tary Academy (PMA) Kakul mounted the ceremonial guard at the Mazar-e-Quaid as represen- tatives of all three armed forces offered fatiha at the grave of founder of Pakistan. Continued on Page 7 Picture on Back Page Detailed story on Page 16
Transcript
Continued on Page 7
KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari standing in respect of national anthem after laying floral wreath at the Mazar ofFather of the Nation Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah on his birth anniversary.
Continued on Page 7 Dr A Q Khan pins hope on elections for positive changeUrges youths to fulfil mission of Quaid-i-Azam in creating a welfare State
Highlights Pakistan’s quest for security and its nuclear capabilityASHRAF ANSARI
ISLAMABAD—Renownednuclear scientist, Father ofPakistan’s NuclearProgramme, Mohsin-i-Paki-stan, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khansays that the nation can hopeto come out of current crisesas a result of upcoming gen-eral elections in the country.
Delivering a special lec-ture marking Quaid-i-Azam’sbirth anniversary he expressedthe hope that the people wouldelect representatives of charac-ter and commitment so that agenuine leadership couldemerge in the country. He saidthe youths of the country bearresponsibility to play their rolein pulling the country out ofmorass the country was facedwith.
His lecture had been ar-ranged by Nazriya PakistanCouncil (NPC) to celebrate thebirth anniversary of Father of
the Nation on Tuesday at Aiwan-i-Quaid in the federal capital.
Chairman NPC Zahid Malikpresided over the function.
In his lecture Dr. AbdulQadeer Khan critically analysedpolitical, economic and social
crises Pakistan was passingthrough. He said, Pakistan todayis in the worst situation in po-litical, economic and moralterms. He pointed out that na-tional institutions like PIA andRailways were in ruins and there
were no efforts to salvagethem. Corruption was rampantand moral values were beingtrampled. Even food itemswere not available in pureforms. He said there is abjectpoverty and millions are de-prived of basic needs of life.Most of the people in thecountry have been deniedheath and education facilities.He said these tragic circum-stances have no justification asthe country does not lack Godgiven resources and capablehuman resource. He was offirm opinion that successiverulers were responsible for thedepressive situation of thecountry. He made a specialmention of law and order situ-ation especially target killingsin Karachi and elsewhere.
The Mohsin-i-Pakistansaid it is high time for the na-tion to turn to the ideals ofQuaid-i-Azam and objectivesContinued on Page 7
ISLAMABAD: Mohsin-i-Pakistan Dr A Q Khan and Zahid Malik cut a cake to celebrate birthanniversary of Quaid-i-Azam. From left to right are Mian Mohammad Javed, Dr Nazir, KanwarDilshad, Dr Basharat Jazbi, Ms Farrukh Khan, Dr A Q Khan, Zahid Malik, Chairman NPC,Dr Naeem Ghani, Prof Ayub Sabir and Anjum Khaliq.—PO photo by Sultan Bashir
Zahid Malik urgesDr A Q Khan to help promote
education in PakistanSTAFF REPORTER
ISLAMABAD—Mr. ZahidMalik, Editor-in-Chief, Paki-stan Observer, has appealed tothe founder of Pakistan’sNuclear Programme, Dr. A.Q.Khan to spearhead the missionof Nazriya Pakistan Council(NPC) to bring the 30 millionpoverty-afflicted school-lesschildren of Pakistan to educa-tional institutions.
Mr. Zahid Malik, who isalso Chairman of Nazriya Pa-kistan Council, in his presi-dential address paid rich trib-utes to Dr. A.Q. Khan whowas the Chief Guest at a func-tion held at Aiwan-i-Quaid on“Quaid’s Vision of Pakistanand Pakistan Today” for mak-ing the defence of the countryimpregnable. The functionwas held as a part of the NPCContinued on Page 7
Ebad awardedNishan-e-Imtiaz
STAFF REPORTER
KARACHI—Sindh Governor DrIshratul Ebad Khan was con-ferred upon the highest civilaward, Nishan-e-Imtiaz, onTuesday.
President Asif Ali Zardaridecorated the award with SindhGovernor in recognition of thelatter’s meritorious public ser-vices at a ceremony held here atthe Governor House.
Facilitating Dr Ebad, Presi-dent Zardari said the confermentof award upon the governor was
Continued on Page 7
Mahmood takes oathas Punjab Governor
Continued on Page 7
ChristianscelebrateChristmasISLAMABAD—Like other partsof the globe, the Christiancommunity in Pakistancelebrated the Christmas withreligious zeal and enthusiasm.The day started with specialprayers at churches. christmastrees were decorated withlights and colourful balls inChristian colonies, outsideshopping malls and alongsidethe important roads. TheChristian community in thecountry renewed theircommitments to follow theteachings of their religion inletter and spirit.
Special ceremonies wereorganized in all churchesacross the country with prayersfor peace and stability in thecountry. Christmas is the timewhich brings happiness for thepeople, who get together to
Kazakhstanmilitary planecrashes, killing 27MOSCOW—Kazakhstan’sacting border service chief wasamong 27 people killed in amilitary plane crash Tuesdaynear a southern city, anotherblow to the agency after he wasappointed in June to deal withthe aftermath of a mass killinginvolving a conscript.
The Russian-made An-72crashed at 1255 GMT (7:55a.m. EST) about 20 kilometers(12 miles) away from the cityof Shymkent near the borderwith Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan’sCommittee for NationalSecurity said in a statement.
The fatalities included acrew of seven and 20 borderguards, including the actinghead of the ex-Soviet nation’sborder protection service, Col.
11 killed in Karachi bloodshedGunmen injure ASWJ leader
Continued on Page 7
Asfand for holdingtalks with militants
Military operation is last option
Continued on Page 7
RAHMATULLAH KHAN
PESHAWAR—The ANP ChiefAsfandyar Wali Khan has saidthat his party stance is clear forholding dialogue with militantsand appealed all political par-ties to join hands and adoptstrategy for complete elimina-tion of militancy.
“Operation is the last optionwhile our first priority is to ne-gotiate with the militants forsake of durable peace in thecountry. We will never bowdown to militants,” reiteratedwhile addressing a press confer-ence here at Chief MinisterHouse on Tuesday.
He said, “Militants want toenforce the system, which theyenforced in Afghanistan,” addingthat such kind of system would
never be accepted. “This is notan Islamic war because Masajid(Mosques) and other holy placesare being targeted by the mili-tants,” he said .
“The militants, term elec-tions and democracy asunIslamic while every politicalparty was to contest the elections
Seven dead,thousandshomeless inManila firesMANILA—At least sevenpeople were killed andthousands left homeless as twofires struck the Philippinecapital on Christmas Day,sparking riots as a slum wentup in flames, Manila’s firemarshal said Tuesday.
Six bodies were recoveredand two other people weremissing as a blaze erupted atdawn in a row of old apart-ments in the Baler section ofnorthern Manila, said ChiefSuperintendent SantiagoLaguna.
Suspected arsonistsmeanwhile set off a secondblaze at a sprawlingshantytown across the city,
Continued on Page 7
BANGALORE—All-roundersMohammad Hafeez andShoaib Malik steered Pakistanto a five-wicket exciting vic-tory over their arch rivals In-dia in the first Twenty20 Inter-national here at the MChinnaswamy Stadium onTuesday.
Chasing 134, Pakistanmade a disastrous start losingthree wickets for only 12 runs
However, skipper Hafeez
and former captain Malik bat-ted sensibly to repair the dam-age and added 106 runs for thefourth wicket partnership to help
Pakistan reach the winning tar-get with two balls remaining.
Malik hit the winning six offthe fourth ball of the final overto get Pakistan their first T20Iwin over India.—Agencies
Malik seals 1st T-20thriller for Pakistan
Shoaib Malik
PESHAWAR: President of Awami National Party AsfandyarWali Khan addressing a press conference on Tuesday.
Gross official reserves maydip to $8.24b by June 2013
ISLAMABAD—The country’sgross official reserves may de-plete to $8.24 billion by June2013 which is 28 per cent or $3.2billion, lower than what has beenprojected for last financial year2011-12,said an official.
The official said the currentaccount deficit - gap between to-tal foreign receipts and payments- is expected to widen to $5.3billion or 2.1 per cent of total size
of economy during on going fis-cal. The incumbent governmenthas also decided that the neces-sary international and domesticpayments would be mulled overon case to case basis during cur-rent financial year 2012-13.
An official working in theFinance Ministry said unavoid-able, international and domesticcontractual and obligatory pay-ments will be considered on case
to case basis and relaxation if re-quired may be allowed by theFinance Secretary.
The aid-dependent Pakistanhas to pay significant portion ofthe foreign debt during currentfiscal which will plunge unpleas-ant implications for exchangerate that in return will fuel infla-tion due to increasing cost ofimported goods.
Continued on Page 7
STAFF REPORTER
KARACHI—At least 11 peoplewere killed and several othersinjured on Tuesday, including akey leader of the religious Ahl-i-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ)party in separate incidents of vio-lence in Karachi.
Maulana Orangzaib Farooqi,a key ASWJ leader, was injuredwhen gunmen opened indis-
criminate fire on car nearGulshan-i-Iqbal’s Moti Mahalarea, killing his guard, driver, andfour policemen.
Farooqi sustained bullet in-juries, however, his conditionwas said to be stable.
Following the incident, busi-nesses were closed down as panicgripped several city areas, includ-ing Nagan Chowrangi, Abul
SALIM AHMED
LAHORE—Political figure fromRahim Yar Khan MakhdoomAhmed Mahmood took oath asGovernor Punjab here atGovernor’s House on Tuesday.Chief Justice of Lahore HighCourt Umar Ata Bandial admin-istered the oath to Mahmood.
Punjab Chief Minister,Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif,Federal Minister Mian ManzoorAhmed Wattoo, Senior Advisorto Chief Minister Sardar ZulifqarAli Khosa, Punjab Law MinisterRana Sanaullah, OppositionLeader in Punjab Assembly RajaRiaz, Senator Jehangir Badr,Corps Commander Lahore, se-
nior officers and political lead-ers of PML-Q, Jamaat-e-Islamiand activists of PPP were alsopresent on the occasion. The PPPactivists raised full throated slo-gans of Jaye Bhutto and in favourof President Asif Zardari.
After his swearing in as theprovincial governor, Mahmoodtold reporters that his appoint-ment would lead to improvementin the Punjab’s situation. Headded that his first priority wouldbe to work for the betterment andwelfare of the people. He said hisappointment as governor was
7 more die infoggy roads
accidentsMUZAFFAR ALI
LAHORE—The thick fog whichturned denser than Monday is stillhanging over many cities ofPunjab adding to chill in the capi-tal metropolis besides haltingroad, rail and air traffic whileseven persons including four stu-dents died in fog-related accidents.
The fog reduced the visibil-ity in Lahore and the foggy con-ditions, according to Met officerwill to continue for the next coupleof days. He said that the fog isbeing caused due to low tempera-ture during the night hours.
Seven people including fivestudents were killed in a roadaccident near Mian Channun onTuesday. According to sources,the mishap occurred on NationalHighway near Mian Channunwhere a car was badly crushedby a heavy vehicle. As a result,five students of Bahawalpur Uni-versity who also hailed fromyouth parliament died on thespot. The four deceased wereidentified as Muhammad Ahmed,Umair Akram, Sidrah Javed andRida Javed while one victim wasyet to be identified. According tothe police. They were studentsbetween 20 to 25 years ago.
Rescue teams reached thesite of occurrence and shifted thevictims to nearby hospital. Be-sides, two men also fell prey to
Continued on Page 7
Nation celebratesQuaid’s birthanniversary
KARACHI—The 137th birth an-niversary of the founder of Paki-stan Quaid-i-Azam MohammadAli Jinnah was marked Tuesdaythroughout the country with zealand fervour.
A change of guard ceremonywas held at the mausoleum of theFather of the held Nation.
Cadets of the Pakistan Mili-tary Academy (PMA) Kakulmounted the ceremonial guard atthe Mazar-e-Quaid as represen-tatives of all three armed forcesoffered fatiha at the grave offounder of Pakistan.
Continued on Page 7
Picture on Back Page
Detailed story on Page 16
10 day-long programmes to cel-ebrate the Quaid’s 136th birth-day.
Talking about the role of Dr.A.Q. Khan in the developmentof Pakistan’s nuclear and mis-sile programmes, Mr. ZahidMalik distributed copies of afour-page letter written to himby the then President of Paki-stan Mr. Ghulam Ishaq Khanwho, having been closely asso-ciated with the nuclear project,clearly stated that it was Dr.Khan and Dr. Khan only whocrowned these most sensitiveand complicated projects of Pa-kistan. He felt sorry that a part
Zahid Malik urges Dr A Q Khan tohelp promote education in Pakistan
From Page 1
for promotion of democracy.Earlier a meeting of the ANP
Consultative committee chairedby Asfandyar Wali Khan, whichstated that we appeal to all po-litical parties to take a clear standon this issue. If the experience ofthe recent past is anything to goby, the terrorists will not forgiveany political or religious party,even those who have literallyacted as supporters or apologistsof the terrorists. It will be an ex-ercise in futility to appease theterrorists.We are opposed thedrone strikes and have raised ourvoice against it however, we arealso opposed terrorists individualand networks from within thecountry and other country whohave carved sanctuaries on oursoil, it further said.
There are several groups ofthe militants, have no centralleader and we don’t know towhom we should initiate peacetalks as we in the past had suc-ceeded in dialogue with the mili-tants in Swat and Dir were work-ing under a leadership, however,he explained it that they would
Asfandyar for holdingtalks with militants
From Page 1
of the Pakistani media joined theforeign media’s mud-sluggingand character assassination driveof Dr. Khan in the middle of lastdecade.
Mr. Malik also comple-mented the wife of Dr. A.Q.Khan, Mrs. Hanny Khan, who,as he said, stood like a solid rockbehind him during the mostnerve-shattering and agonizingdays of the nuclear scientist.
Mr. Malik said that he wouldnot like to comment upon thedecision of Dr. Khan to launch apolitical party but would suggestthat as he was the third most re-vered personality of Pakistan af-
ter Allama Iqbal and Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnahand as all segments of societyheld him in the highest esteem,therefore, he may contribute tothe “Taleem Network of Paki-stan”, an ambitious programmeof the Council, which aims at in-spiring the well-to-do Pakistanisto sponsor the education of aschool-less child and the NPCtarget was one lakh children dur-ing the year 2013. The country-wide programme will be for-mally launched soon, he said.“Dr. Khan should lay down a newpitch for yet another glorious in-nings,” the NPC head suggested.
hold with those who acceptgovernment’s writ.
Responding queries aboutdrone attacks, he lamented thatsome people raised voice thatonly innocent tribal people werebeing targeted and is violation ofairspace, which is really condem-nable but I asked those who areagainst drone attacks, why theyare silence over infiltration offoreigner militants on our soil andkilling innocent civilians in sui-cide attacks. The suicide bomber,he said “None of country in theworld can control individual actof crime and when a suicider in-tends to blow himself up, then,no one can stop him”.
“Pukhtuns in tribal regionand Khyber Pukhtunkhwa arebearing the brunt of terrorists’menace. Why the rest of thecountry not effectively joiningthis struggle, Is it only thestruggle of Pukhtuns who arebeing killed on both sides of theDurand Line,” the ANP leader-ship in the meeting asked ques-tion. Paying tribute to martyredANP leader and Senior Minister
of the province Bashir AhmadBilaur, history is witnessed thesacrifices of ANP since the veryinception and is ready to rendermore sacrifice for sake of thecountry and Pukhtuns.
When asked about upcominggeneral elections, the ANP chiefsaid there would be dire conse-quences, if the elections werepostponed, “Any delay in theforthcoming general elections istantamount to destruction of thecountry. Despite the ANP is thetarget, we don’t want postpone-ment the general elections.
Dispelling the rumours thatANP would not contest the elec-tions and would be out of politi-cal activities after incident of thesenior minister Bashir AhmadBilaur, he vowed to continue hisparty political activities and takepart in the elections.
Asfandyar Wali Khan an-nounced appointment of elderson of late Bashir Ahmad Bilaur,Haroon Ahmad Bilaur as advi-sor to Chief Minister KhyberPukhtunkhwa Ameer HaiderKhan Hoti.
well-deserved and recognitionof his devotion, dedication andoutstanding contributions for thecause of public service.
The president also congratu-lated MQM chief Altaf Hussainon the occasion.
“Dr. Ishrat-Ul- Ebad Khan,was appointed as the youngestgovernor of Sindh province onDecember 27, 2002, has becomethe longest serving Governor inthe country,” said the citationread on the occasion.
It said Dr. Ebad made sig-nificant contributions in the di-verse sectors, such as foreigninvestment, infrastructure devel-opment, law & order, education,interfaith harmony and reliefactivities. During his tenure amassive infrastructure, in termsof networks of roads, flyovers,bridges, underpassess, watersupply schemes, public transportsystem, public housing and sup-port facilities were built.
Sindh witnessed phenomenalinfrastructural growth during hisGovenorship. The developmentof “Bagh-e-Ibne Qasim” park isa case in point. He made qualita-tive development in the HigherEducation sector. Under Dr. Ebadmajor improvements in foreigninvestment were observed.
Trade and Industry wit-nessed accelerated growth andpublic private partnership inidentified areas flourished. Re-alizing the importance of energyfor growth of industry, he madestrenuous efforts in Oil and gasinvestment and exploration inthe Province.
Owing to his passion for thepromotion of art and culture, herevitalized institutions such as“Arts Council of Pakistan”, “theNational Academy of Perform-ing Arts (NAPA)” and Koocha-e-Saqafat. He also infused a newspirit in the Citizen Police Liai-son Committee (CPLC).
He was instrumental insteering legislation against so-cial evils such as “Karokari”. Heled from the front the release ofcrew members of two cargoships from the Somalian pirates.
Ebad awardedNishan-e-Imtiaz
From Page 1
Turganbek Stambekov, the statement said.
Without specifying furtherdetails, authorities said an inves-tigation was opened into thecrash. No cause was given, butsouthern Kazakhstan over recentweeks has been buffeted bywinds, heavy snows and lowtemperatures, causing wide-spread flight delays.
Stambekov was appointedacting head of the border servicein June, after a mass killing of14 frontier troops in a remoteKazakh outpost near China themonth before. VladislavChelakh, a 20-year-old con-script, was sentenced earlier thismonth to life in prison after be-ing found solely responsible forthe killings.
The border service has comeunder close scrutiny inKazakhstan since the killings,which many argued showed thelack of readiness and profession-alism among serving troops.Legislation approved Thursdayby the upper house of parliamentand supported by Stambekovwas designed to improve the pro-cess for selecting conscripts forthe service.
The Kazakh-Uzbek borderstretches 2,200 kilometers (1,350miles) of Central Asian steppesand deserts.—AP
of the Pakistan movement he ledto success. He referred to theheroic struggle of Father of theNation and supreme sacrificesby millions of Muslims of SouthAsia for the creation of Pakistan.He underlined the fact that Mr.Mohammad Ali Jinnah wanteda social welfare state in the nameof Pakistan which would havebeen a true Muslim polity. Helamented that present day Paki-stan was quite the opposite ofwhat the Quaid-i-Azam orAllama Iqbal had vsualised. Hestressed the need to follow theteachings of Father of the Na-tion so that Pakistan could be-come a country in accord withhis vision.
Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan alsobriefly reviewed the struggle heundertook to make Pakistan anuclear power. He had to facemany difficulties and hurdles inhis way but he remained deter-mined to make the country’sdefense impregnable by makingit a nuclear power.
Referring to to attempts bycertain elements to tarnish hisimage and create confusionabout his historic contribution,Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan wasmagnanimous to say that he
Dr A Q Khan pins hopeon elections for positive change
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Kazakhstanmilitary plane
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does not bother about any claimsor misrepresentation facts be-cause he can take all satisfactionfrom the great fact that Pakistanbecame a nuclear power.
NPC Chairman ZahidMalik expressed his profoundthanks to Dr. Abdul QadeerKhan for his lecture markingthe birth anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.He said there was no denyingthe fact that the real architectof Pakistan’s NuclearProgramme was none else butDr. Abdul Qadeer Khan. Hesaid the late Ghulam IshaqKhan had headed the nuclearprogramme of Pakistan in vari-ous capacities besides beingpresident of the country and heis on record to acknowledge thehistoric contribution made byDr. A. Q. Khan as the architectof the programme.
A brochure containing textof Ghulam Ishaq Khan’s letterto Zahid Malik was distributedamong the participants of thelecture. In his letter the latepresident paid glowing tributesto the Mohsin-i-Pakistan as thereal soul behind Pakistan’snuclear programme.
Zahid Malik Chairman NPC
said Dr. A. Q. Khan is fully ca-pable to make some more his-toric contribution towards mak-ing Pakistan a country in linewith the dreams of Father of theNation and Allama Iqbal. Heurged him to lay a new pitch andplay a new brilliant wicket. Hecan make a real difference byplaying his role in the presentcircumstances. He said the NPCis launching a nationwide edu-cational network to provide edu-cation to about one hundredthousand helpless children whoremain out of schools and askedMohsin-i-Pakistan to accept pa-tronage of the programme. Dr.A. Q. Khan accepted the offer.
Later Dr Abdul QadeerKhan cut a cake to celebratebirth anniversary of the Quaid-i-Azam, joined by Zahid Malikand Members of NPC.
A Sardar from BalochistanAbdul Sattar Baloch presentedhis turban to Dr. A. Q. Khan toexpress his sincere sentimentsfor the unique contribution madeby the great nuclear scientist tomaking Pakistan’s defence un-breakable.
A large number of youthsincluding students attended thefunction.
LAHORE: Santa Claus giving away Christmas gifts to children at Children’s Ward in Mayo Hospital on Christmas.
sparking rioting that left oneman dead and two others
arrested, he said in an interviewthat aired over DZBB radio.
“They (residents) startedgrabbing hoses from ourfirefighters, who could not doanything as they feared for theirown safety,” Laguna said.
Seven dead, thousands homeless in Manila firesFrom Page 1
A man was beaten up andlater died from his injuries in themelee as the blaze consumed theshantytown in the San Juan dis-trict, he added.
“They mistook him for afireman,” he said of the victim,adding two suspected rioterswere also arrested.
Laguna said residents wereapparently infuriated by the de-layed arrival of firefighters andtook it upon themselves to grabfirehoses to aim at their blazingshanties.
However he said the resi-dents were themselves to blame.
“Our firetrucks had diffi-culty entering the narrow streetsthat were blocked by parked carsand carts,” he said. “Ourfirefighters had to drag the hoses
into the alleys, where they wereattacked.”
The shantytown blaze leftsome 2,000 families homeless,he said, a figure that equates toat least 8,000 people.
An AFP photographer on thescene saw hundreds of homelesssurvivors huddled on the floorof two basketball courts nearby.
Laguna said the cause of theapartment blaze was under in-vestigation, though he addedelectrical circuits had probablyoverloaded from increased useduring Christmas Eve partiesacross the metropolis of 14 mil-lion people.—AFP
US Senator Crapoarrested, charged
ALEXANDRIA,Va—Idaho SenMichael Crapo was arrestedand charged with driving underthe influence in a Washington,D.C., suburb, authorities said.
Police in Alexandria, Va.,said that the three-term Repub-lican was pulled over after hisvehicle ran a red light. Policespokesman Jody Donaldsonsaid Crapo failed field sobrietytests and was arrested at about12:45 a.m. He was transportedto the Alexandria jail and re-leased on an unsecured $1,000bond at about 5 a.m.
“There was no refusal (totake blood alcohol tests), no ac-cident, no injuries,” Donaldsonsaid. “Just a traffic stop that re-sulted in a DUI.”
Police said Crapo, who wasalone in his vehicle, registereda blood alcohol level of .11 per-cent. The legal limit in Virginia,which has strict drunken driv-ing laws, is .08 percent.
The 61-year-old Crapo(KRAY’-poh) has a Jan. 4 courtdate.
“I am deeply sorry for theactions that resulted in this cir-cumstance,” Crapo said in a
statement. “I made a mistakefor which I apologize to myfamily, my Idaho constituentsand any others who have puttheir trust in me. I accept totalresponsibility and will dealwith whatever penalty comesmy way in this matter. I willalso undertake measures to en-sure that this circumstance isnever repeated.”
In Virginia, the driver’s li-cense of anyone who registersa blood alcohol level of .08 per-cent or higher is automaticallysuspended for seven days. Afirst-time conviction for DUIcarries a mandatory, minimum$250 fine and license revoca-tion for one year, according tothe state Department of MotorVehicles. A Crapo spokesmandeclined to comment on the cir-cumstances surrounding thesenator’s arrest.
Elected in 1998, Crapo isin his third U.S. Senate term;he served for six years in theU.S. House of Representativesbefore that. He was easily re-elected in 2010 with more than70 percent of the vote, andwon’t have to run again until
2016. In Congress, Crapo hasbuilt a reputation as a staunchsocial and fiscal conservative.It was expected he would takeover the top Republican spotnext year on the Senate Bank-ing Committee.
He also serves on theSenate’s budget and financepanels. Crapo was a memberof the so-called “Gang of Six”senators that worked in 2011toward a deficit-reduction dealthat was never adopted byCongress.
A Mormon who grew up inIdaho Falls, Idaho, Crapo wasnamed a bishop in the churchat age 31. He is an attorney whograduated from Brigham YoungUniversity and Harvard LawSchool. He has five childrenwith his wife, Susan, and threegrandchildren.
The Mormon church pro-hibits the use of alcohol, as wellas coffee, tea and other sub-stances. About one-quarter ofIdaho residents are Mormon.Crapo has told The AssociatedPress in past interviews that heabstains from drinking alco-hol.—AP
China may require real nameregistration for internet access
BEIJING—China may requireinternet users to register withtheir real names when signingup to network providers, statemedia said on Tuesday, extend-ing a policy already in forcewith microblogs in a bid to curbwhat officials call rumors andvulgarity. A law being dis-cussed this week would meanpeople would have to presenttheir government-issued iden-tity cards when signing con-tracts for fixed line and mobileinternet access, state-run news-papers said.
“The law should escort thedevelopment of the internet toprotect people’s interest,” Com-munist Party mouthpiece thePeople’s Daily said in a frontpage commentary, echoingsimilar calls carried in statemedia over the past week. Onlythat way can our internet behealthier, more cultured and
safer.” Many users say the re-strictions are clearly aimed atfurther muzzling the oftenscathing, raucous - and per-haps most significantly,anonymous - online chatter ina country where the Internetoffers a rare opportunity foropen debate.
It could also prevent peoplefrom exposing corruptiononline if they fear retributionfrom officials, said some users.
It was unclear how the ruleswould be different from exist-ing regulations as state mediahas provided only vague detailsand in practice customers havelong had to present identity pa-pers when signing contractswith internet providers.
Earlier this year, the gov-ernment began forcing users ofSina Corp’s wildly successfulWeibo microblogging platformto register their real names.
The government says sucha system is needed to preventpeople making malicious andanonymous accusations onlineand that many other countriesalready have such rules.
“It would also be the big-gest step backwards since1989,” wrote one indignantWeibo user, in apparent refer-ence to the 1989 pro-democ-racy protests bloodily sup-pressed by the army.
Chinese internet users havelong had to cope with extensivecensorship, especially over po-litically sensitive topics like hu-man rights, and popular foreignsites Facebook, Twitter andGoogle-owned YouTube areblocked. Despite periodic callsfor political reform, the rulingCommunist Party has shown nosign of loosening its grip onpower and brooks no dissent toits authority.—Reuters
According to the repaymentschedule agreed between Paki-stan and IMF, Pakistan will re-pay $7.6 billion to the IMF tillthe end of fiscal year 2014-15.The $11.3 billion SBAprogramme had expired on Sep-tember 30, 2011 and the last twotrenches of $3.7 billion could notpay to Pakistan by IMF follow-ing Islamabad’s failure to pursuekey reforms as well as the emer-gence of the revenue figures fi-asco.
Despite depressive economicsituation of the country, the gov-ernment had paid back totalamount of $2.52 billion to Inter-national Monetary Fund so farfrom foreign currency reservesheld by the State Bank of Paki-stan (SBP).
Pakistan had enter into a$11.3 billion programme in2008 with IMF and got disburse-ments of about $7.6 billion, butfailed to get the remaining $3.7billion due to slippages in per-formance criteria, leading to sus-pension of the programme inMay 2010 and was ended unsuc-cessfully on September30,2011.—Online
Gross officialreservesmay dipFrom Page 1
feast and pray. These arememorable moments that aresacred and blessed. Since earlydays, Christmas is celebratedculturally and religiously as amajor festival by the believersof Christianity.
The government made com-prehensive security arrange-ments and special deployment ofpolice was ensured at Churchesand public places.—NNI
Christianscelebrate
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President Asif Ali Zardari,Chairman Pakistan People’sParty Bilawal Bhutto Zardari,Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul IbadKhan, Sindh Chief Minister SyedQaim Ali Shah along with theprovincial cabinet laid floralwreaths at the Mazar.
People from various walks oflife visited the mausoleum to payhomage to the Father of the Na-tion. A number of organisationsof the Founder of the Nation.
All commercial and businesscentres and government and pri-vate offices remained closed.
Mohammad Ali Jinnah wasborn on December 25, 1876 inKarachi. He got his early educa-tion in Karachi and at the age of16 went to England for furtherstudies.
It was due to his strugglethat despite opposition from theCongress and British govern-ment, Muslims of sub continentmanaged to get their ownhomeland on August 14, 1947.
The Quaid was also the firstgovernor general of Pakistan. Hismotto was Unity, Faith andDiscipline. Jinnah died onSeptember 11, 1948, just over ayear after Pakistan gainedindependence from the Britishrule. —NNI
Nation celebratesQuaid’s birthanniversary
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“not the result of backdoor diplo-macy.” To a question, the Punjabgovernor said that leaders of theHouse and opposition leaders inNational and Provincial Assem-blies must concentrate for reach-ing consensus for induction ofcaretaker setup at federal and pro-vincial levels.
He expressed gratitude toPresident Asif Ali Zardari, PPPChairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari for appointing him asPunjab governor and assured thathis induction would bring posi-tive change. He also paid glow-ing tributes to ShaheedMohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
Answering another questionabout Bahawalpur and SouthPunjab province, he said the Na-tional and Punjab assemblies hadadopted resolutions while theCommission was doing neces-sary work. He expressed opti-mism that there will be imple-mentation of the resolution ofPunjab Assembly regarding res-toration of status of Bahawalpuras a province.
When asked whether hewould meet the PML-N Presi-
dent, he said he would see himafter meeting PPP ChairmanBilawal Bhutto Zardari, Presi-dent Asif Zardari, Prime Minis-ter Raja Pervaiz Ashraf andFaryal Talpur.He said he enjoys good relationsbased on respect with the PML-N leadership and expressed opti-mism that these would go for thebenefit of people.
To another query about pub-lic meeting of Prof Dr Tahir ulQadri and deadline given by himto the government, the governorsaid he had respect for Prof Qadribut advised him not to push hisfollowers into any test.Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmoodreplaced Sardar Latif Khosa whohad been appointed Punjab gov-ernor on January 13, 2011.
After the oath taking cer-emony, Makhdoom AhmedMahmood visited Mazar-e-Iqbaland shrine of religious saintHazrat Data Gunj Bukhsh.The governor reached Mazar-e-Iqbal and shrine of religious saintHazrat Data Gunj Bukhsh with-out any official protocol. He re-mained there and offered ‘fateha’
for the eternal peace of DrAllama Iqbal and Hazrat DataGunj Bukhsh.Online adds: Mahmood onTuesday underlined that hewould not take any salary or anyother benefits considering the fi-nancial crisis prevailing withinthe province.
“My first priority is to workfor the prosperity of the people,”he said.
“I will work for the democ-racy in the province,” the newlyappointed governor said addingthat the Punjab governmentshould focus on his recommen-dations and work for the forma-tion of the new interim setup inthe province. While expressinghis notions, the governor said hewould try his best to meet greatexpectations of the president,adding that he would also standby the Punjab government forgood governance.
Makhdoom AhmadMahmood said that welfare ofpublic is his top most priority andexpected that the Provincial Gov-ernment will cooperate with himin this regard.
Mahmood takes oath asPunjab Governor
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Hasan Isphahani Road, StadiumRoad, Guru Mandir and PatelPara, where miscreants resortedto arson. Unknown men alsotorched two cars near RizviaColony and Waterpump areas.
Meanwhile, three peoplewere killed by unknown gunmenin Orangi Town, while anotherwas was killed by gunshots inShah Faisal Colony’s Azeempuraarea. A man was also injured inthe firing incident in Azeempura.
Another man also fell victimto firing when he sustained gun-shot wounds in Landhi’s SharafiGoth area. Earlier on Tuesday, apolice officer’s son was gunneddown in Clifton’s Darakhshanarea. According to police sources,the incident was a result of per-sonal enmity
11 killedFrom Page 1
an accident which occurred inMuzaffergarh due to mist, kill-ing two men and hurting 40 oth-ers. According to police, the ac-cident took place as an overspeeding bus collided with a pas-senger coach coming from oppo-site side. As a result, two personswere killed on the spot whilemore than 40 sustained injuries.The injured passengers wereshifted to nearby hospital formedical treatment.
While on the other hand,Allama Iqbal International Air-port remained close at night andall the international and localflights were diverted to other cit-ies to avoid untoward incident.The airport staff directed thecommuters to get informationfrom civil aviation office abouttheir scheduled flights prior toreaching the airport. Themotorway M2 and M3, whichwas closed at Monday eveningowing of dense fog, reopenedagain for public traffic.
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Prosecutor killed inGuatemala along
with 6 othersGUATEMALA CITY—Guatemala’s attorney general dis-patched a special team Mondayto investigate the slaying of a fed-eral prosecutor and six otherpeople in an attack near the Mexi-can border.
Attorney General ClaudiaPaz y Paz said she was sendingprosecutors and investigators tothe area of northern Guatemalawhere Irma Yolanda Olivares,who worked in one of theprosecutor’s regional officers,was slain along with an officialworking for a government socialservice agency and five others onSunday night.—AP
STAFF REPORTER
PESHAWAR—Like elsewherein the country, the 136th birthanniversary of Father of theNation, Quaid-e-AzamMuhammad Ali Jinnah wascelebrated on Tuesday withnational spirit and enthusi-asm in Khyber Pakthunkhwaand Fata. The people re-newed their pledge to strictlyadhere to his golden prin-ciples of Unity, Faith andDiscipline to make Pakistana stronger, developed anddemocratic welfare-state.
National flag is beinghoisted at all the governmentbuildings in all major cities ofKhyber Pakthunkhwa andFata as mark of respect and
to pay homage to the greatleader. It was a public holi-day. The day dawned withspecial prayers in mosquesfor departed soul of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad AliJinnah and prosperity, peaceand development of Pakistanand liberation of muslims oc-cupied territories. A numberof political, social, culturaland educationalorganisations have orga-nized different programmesto mark this momentous oc-casion in a befitting manner.
In this connection, a dec-lamation contest was heldhere at Ahmed PublicSchools and College, TarruJabba here where speakerspaid glowing tributes to Fa-
ther of the Nation. EhtesamQaiser, a 10th grade studentsaid Muhammad Ali Jinnahwas a towering personality,who changed the course ofhistory and geography ofworld through peacefulstruggle. He said Quaid-e-Azam stood for constitution-alism, rule of law, respect forhuman rights, and equality.He said Quaid-e-Azam’s slo-gan of ‘Unity, Faith and Dis-cipline’ had inspired theMuslims of the subcontinentto achieve a separate state forthemselves in South Asia.Shehryar Khan, a 9th classstudent said Quaid e Azamwas a principled and far-sighted statesman and evenhis opponents had acknowl-
edged his flawless and exem-plary character.
He was not only led thefreedom struggle to its suc-cessful completion but alsotook practical steps to deter-mine basic contours of polity.His thoughts and ideals arebeacon of light for the nationtill today, he added. TV andRadio channels are presentingspecial programmes on the life,struggle and achievements ofthe Quaid-e-Azam, while thenewspapers brought out spe-cial supplements to highlightthis momentous day. Similarly,special functions were alsoheld at all the agency head-quarters of Fata where na-tional songs and debate com-petitions among students held.
PPP workersleave for GarhiKhuda BukhashMULTAN—Dozens of Paki-stan People’s Party workers’carvans left for Garhi KhudaBukhash to attend the deathanniversary of ShaheedMohtarma Benazir Bhuttohere on Tuesday. The maincaravan led by General Sec-retary Pakistan People’s PartySouth Punjab MPA AamirDogar, PM’s media-coordi-nator Khawaja RizwanAalam, PPP district presidentKhursheed and comprisedhundreds of workers made itsway to Garhi Khuda Bukhashby Zakariya Train.
The workers were carry-ing banners and placards in-scribed with slogans payingrich tribute to ShaheedMohtarma Benazir Bhutto.MPA Malik Aamir Dogarwhile talking to APP said thatthey were ready to sacrificetheir lives in line with the mis-sion of Shaheed Zulfikar AliBhutto and MohtarmaBenazir Bhutto. He addedthat PPP would continue toserve masses according tothe vision of the great lead-ers.
Similarly, another caravanof People’s Students Federa-tion led by President SouthPunjab Syed Arif Shah alsomoved to attend martyrdomanniversary of ShaheedMohtarma. Dozens of PPPwomen wing workers led byBegum B.A Jiggar also leftfor Garhi Khuda Bukhash.Similarly, a large number oflocal leaders and workers leftfor Garhi Khuda Bukhash bytheir own vehicles. The work-ers also arranged conventionto pay tribute to BBShaheed.—APP
HYDERABAD: A woman labour busy in road construction work at Latifabad.
SALIM AHMED
LAHORE—Punjab Chief Min-ister Muhammad ShahbazSharif has said that youth willhave to come forward and playtheir active role for resolutionof problems of the country asthey are future of Pakistan. Hesaid that the key of develop-ment and prosperity of thecountry is with the youth. Itwould not be wrong if it is saidthat the youth are bright starsof the country, he added. TheChief Minister said that theyouth should utilize all theirenergies for meeting the chal-lenges being faced by Paki-stan as nation has great ex-pectations with them. He saidthat Punjab government ofPakistan Muslim League-N is
pursuing revolutionaryprogrammes for the welfare ofthe youth and providingthem an honourable status inthe society and expressed thehope that we will solve theproblems of Pakistan jointlywith the youth.
He was talking to position-holder male and female stu-dents of intermediate examina-tions belonging to other prov-inces at Model Town, on Tues-day. Special Assistant ZaeemHussain Qadri, Shaista PervaizMalik, Secretary Higher Edu-cation, position holder maleand female students of Sindh,Khybar Pakhtunkhawa,Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan,Azad Kashmir and Islamabadboards were present on theoccasion. Welcoming the stu-
dents, Shahbaz Sharif said thatPakistan is rich with resourcesand our identity is also linkedwith the motherland. He saidthat today talented and brilliantstudents of not only one prov-ince but the entire country aresitting here.
He said that the messageof such unity had been givenby the founder of PakistanQuaid-e-Azam MuhammadAli Jinnah whose birthday isbeing celebrated today. Hesaid that giving respect to thetalented and brilliant studentsis their right and Punjab gov-ernment has openly acknowl-edged the abilities of thesestudents during last four anda half years. He said that be-sides cash prizes, foreigntours to the prestigious insti-
tutions were also arranged. Hesaid that Punjab governmenthas made revolutionary re-forms in education, health andother sectors. He said thatmerit has been promoted inevery sector due to whichPunjab has become a rolemodel for other provinces.
The Chief Minister saidthat educational scholar-ships have been given to 40thousands male and femalestudents through PunjabEducational EndowmentFund. He said that the vol-ume of Endowment Fund hasreached to Rs.10 billion andRs.2 billion are being addedevery year in this Fund.Shahbaz Sharif said that dueto this Fund, the poor buttalented male and female stu-
dents are continuing theirstudies in renowned institu-tions like LUMS and NUST.He said that this is a uniqueproject in the 65 years’ his-tory of Pakistan. He said hadwe started this work 65 yearsago, the volume of Educa-tional Fund would have beenRs.150 billion and hundredsof thousands of studentscontinued their studies andtoday the Pakistan of eliteand the Pakistan of the poorwould not be different.
Shahbaz Sharif said thatQuaid-e-Azam MuhammadAli Jinnah had not dreamedsuch Pakistan where rich andelite should avail all facilitiesbut the poor should be de-prived of basic amenities. IfPunjab can set up Daanish
schools, Educational Endow-ment Fund, IT university, dis-tribute laptops, launch in-ternship programme, yellowcab and green tractorschemes then why such wel-fare programme cannot bestarted throughout the coun-try, he questioned. He saidthat there is only need of rightdirection and sincerity.
He said that if leadership ishonest, courageous and com-mitted then every difficult taskis also become easy. The ChiefMinister said that despite worstcorruption and nepotism ofIslamabad rulers, Punjab gov-ernment started developmentand welfare projects of billionsof rupees in the province andpeople are benefitting fromthese projects.
ISLAMABAD—In order tocheck soil erosion, protectecosystem and mitigate ef-fects of climate change, Pa-kistan is preparing to setGuinness World Record(GWR) of planting 0.75 mil-lion mangrove plants in asingle day along its coastal-line in Sindh province duringthe upcoming March 2013.Unlike in India where theplantation is done with thehelp of Navy authorities, themangroves plantation in Pa-kistan would be done by so-cial workers, volunteers andemployess of the forestrydepartment during daylighthours of a single day in com-ing spring.
Earlier, India had set arecord in 2010 by planting0.55 million mangrovesagainst the plantation of0.545 million mangroves byPakistan in the year 2009.“During the upcomingMarch, we will break the In-dian record by planting 0.75mangrove plants and once
again highlight the name ofthe country in the GWR,”Arif Ali, Divisional ForestOfficer Sindh told reportersduring their visit to thecoastal areas.
Under the ADB-FundedCoastal Community Devel-opment Project, about 8,000hacters of coast line havebeen brought under man-grove plantation by theSindh Forest Departmentwith the help of the localcommunities that havebeen mobilized by NationalRural Support Programme(NRSP) and trained by In-ternational Union for Con-servation of Nature (IUCN).The objectives of the man-groves plantation are toprotect ecosystem and re-duce the chances of seaerosions in future.
“The mangrove planta-tion along the coast line isthe first defence line againstsea disasters that helps toprotect our shoreline fromstorm surges, cyclones and
other extreme weatherevents,” Khokar said. Themangrove plantation alongthe coast line of Thatta andBadin Districts of the Sidhprovince is the part of AsiaDevelopment Bank’s (ADB)funded project which hasbeen launched to uplift thepoor of the coastal areas.
The ADB has been pro-viding funds for the SindhCoastal Community Develop-ment Project (SCCDP) to di-versify household incomegeneration options and ac-cess to service. Besides, thepurpose of the ADB-Fundedproject is to improve costalzone management by stabi-lizing environmental degra-dation, protecting coastal ar-eas from accelerated coastalerosion.
Meanwhile, Senior Advi-sor IUCN, Tahir Qureshitold the reporters that lackof fresh water has inflictedgreat losses on mangroveforests along the coastal lineand the only way to mitigate
this loss is to involve com-munities in planting freshplants. He said that down-stream water flow has de-creased manifold as duringsome centuries back theflow of Indus River was over150 million acre feet (MAF)which has now reduced justto about 90 MAF.
It is pertinent to mentionhere that mangroves are vari-ous kinds of trees up to me-dium height and shrubs thatgrow in saline coastal sedi-ment habitats in the tropicsand subtropics and expertshave suggested an increasein mangroves for climatechange mitigation. Accord-ing to the latest global sta-tistics, Pakistan is 24th larg-est mangrove forest in theworld.
Brazil, Indonesia, Austra-lia, Nigeria, Burma and Ma-laysia have the largest man-groves in the world while thesmallest mangrove forestsare in the tiny islands of Car-ibbean and Sri Lanka.—APP
ZHOB: A voter casts his vote at a polling station in Mani Khwa during by-election forPB-18 Sherani-cum.
Shahbaz activates youth for problems resolution
Pakistan to set mangrove plantation record in coming spring
Quaid’s anniversary celebrated in KP, Fata Minister’s brotherwins by-electionsRAFIULLAH MANDOKHAIL
ZHOB—Independent candi-date Dr. Abdul Razzaq Kakarwon the by-election held inPB-18 Sherani-cum-Zhobhere on Tuesday. Dr. Razzaqsecured 7666 votes by beat-ing his counterparts JumaKhan Babar who got 2514,Abdul Rahim Kibzai 2357,Mulavi Nek Muhammad 38and Mulavi Nasrullah 22votes. By-election for theconstituency PB-18, fallenvacant after the death ofAbdul Khaliq Basherdost,Local Bodies ProvincialMinister.
Altogether five candi-dates including the brotherof the deceased Abdul KhaliBasherdost, Dr. AbdulRazzaq, ANP’s Juma KhanBabar and independent can-didates Abdul Rahim Kibzai,Mulavi Nasrullah andMulavi Nek Muhammad con-tested for the seat. Pollingstarted at 8.00am and contin-ued till 5pm. The registeredvoters in the constituencyare 68000, the Election Com-mission had set up 67 poll-ing stations for this by-poll,out of which, 24 polling sta-tions were declared sensitiveand section 144 was clampedin the area.
Moreover, display ofweapons had also beenbanned in the constituency.Levies, Balochistan Con-stabulary and FC personnelwere deployed for the se-curity.
SIALKOT: Christians busy in religious ritual at a localChurch on Christmas.
ConstructionManagement
Course concludesSTAFF REPORTER
PESHAWAR—A three-weekcourse on ConstructionManagement was concludedat Continuing EngineeringEducation Center, the otherday. The course was aimed toimprove understanding of in-service engineers and archi-tects from public and privatesector organization son con-tract techniques and to effec-tively negotiate and managea construction contracts intime and updating their knowl-edge and skills based onworld’s best practices.
Vice chancellor, Imtiaz H.Gilani, in his address appre-ciated the content of courseand urged Engr Asif Ali ShahDirector CEEC to continueplay pivotal role in strength-ening network of industrywith university academia foroptimum use of knowledgeand expertise on ground.
ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Me-teorological Department(PMD) Tuesday forecastmainly cold and dry weatherin most parts of the countryduring next 24 hours. How-ever, isolated rain with lightsnow over the hills is likelyin Malakand division. Ac-cording to Met office, foggyconditions are likely to pre-vail in the plain areas ofPunjab and Sindh (Lahore,Gujranwala, Bahawalpur andSukkar divisions) duringnight and early in the morn-ing.
According to synopticsituation continental air isprevailing over most part ofthe country. Coldest placesduring last 24 hrs: Parachinar-11øC, Skardu, Kalam -06øC,
Cold, dry weather forecast
Peace in Chitralstressed
GUL HAMAAD FAROOQI
CHITRAL—A large numberof stakeholders comprisingrepresentatives of differentcivil societies, human rightsactivists, police officials, so-cial workers, media persons,lawyers, and teachers partici-pated the workshop ‘Strat-egy plan for peaceful Chitral’.The workshop was con-ducted by Young Star Devel-opment Organization(YSDO). Afsar Jan a knownsocial worker shared differ-ent issues regarding humanrights faced by Chitral peopleespecially women folk.
Coordinator of YSDOwhile briefing the partici-pants about aim and objec-tives of YSDO said that wework on different sector likenatural resources, health andhygiene, Advocacy and ca-pacity building. YSDO alsoarranged so many free medi-cal camps where hundred ofpoor patients were examinedand they were given freemedicine as well as blooddonation to needy and de-serving patients. We alsoburying unclaimed dead bod-ies he added. He said that wealso issue advance loans todeserving people for busi-ness. Similarly 25 women or-ganizations, 40 village orga-nizations, 30 sports club areregistered with YSDO. Andwe support them by differentways.
He said that the presentworkshop is also a series ofour activities to scrutinizeand frame a strategy forpeaceful Chitral to maintainits present position forever.And that is why we inviteddifferent stockholders toshare their experiences andviews for supporting of thisplan.
ISLAMABAD—Free, fair andtransparent elections wouldbe held within 90 days as perconstitution and figment ofimagination of an analystShaheen Sehbai that the care-taker Government would beof chosen persons is notbased on facts, said aspokesman of PakistanPeoples Party (PPP). In astatement, he said AllamaTahir al Qadri should partici-pate in elections and afterwinning the elections, he isfree to introduce reforms.
Qadri must avoid adopt-ing extra constitutionalmeans for grabbing powersas days of grabbing powersthrough back door are over.Quoting the analyst, he said
Days of grabbing powersthru back door is over: PPP
Sehbai in his published ar-ticle tried to authenticate theviews of Allama Tahir al Qadrithat certain reforms should beissued before announcinggeneral elections. In the care-taker government peoplefrom all walks of lives wouldbe included in the caretakeraiming to make is acceptablefor all, he said.
He said Shaheen Sehbaishould have tell the peoplethat the agenda of Tahir alQadri of exterminating thepolitical process from thecountry would produce sameresults of dictators’ an-nouncement of ‘Account-ability first then elections.’Long marches and sit inswould destroy the election
process as caretaker set upis round the corner. In theSunday’s speech Tahir alQadri was talking about thereforms by quoting article 254of the constitution. However,it seems that Tahir is tryingto mutilate the constitutionby quoting it, he said.
Shaheen Sehbai shouldadvise Allama Tahir to go tothe people for political suc-cess instead of dragging po-litical bickering in court oflaw. The participation in elec-tions will clear whether Tahiral Qadri enjoys peoples’ con-fidence or not. The spokes-man has recalled that Qadrihad stated on oath that noone was behind his politicalcampaign.—APP
LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab, Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif with position holder students of provinces, FATA,AJ&K and Gilgit, Baltistan.
Gupis, Astore -05øC, Hunza,Dir -03øC, Chitral, Rawalkot -02øC, Gilgit, Drosh,Malamjabba and Quetta -01øC. The Karachi Met Of-fice has forecast dry weather
with cool night in the cityover the next 24 hours. Ac-cording to Met Office’sweather report issued onTuesday the minimum tem-perature is expected to re-main in the range of 12 to 14degrees centigrade.—APP
QUETTA—Work on Rs 260million state of the art slaugh-ter house in Quetta has beencompleted which wouldsoon be made operationalunder the City municipal cor-poration. The Provincial Sec-retary for Livestock told re-porters that the facility hadbeen constructed with finan-cial assistance of Asian De-velopment Bank whichwould greatly help providemeat to the citizens.
“The newly establishedslaughter house would alsohelp check sale of impure meat
Slaughter house completedto the consumers which is cur-rently widely practiced bybutchers in absence of a properslaughter house in the city,”he said and added the onlyslaughter house in the provin-cial capital was rendered dys-functional following its shift-ing from Gawalmandi to by-pass area which encouragedthe butchers to slaughter andsell the meat of ill animals intheir shops. This practice alsocaused severe environmen-tal and sanitation problemsas the butchers instead ofproperly disposing.—APP
Minorities enjoying freedomSIALKOT—Federal Minister for NationalRegulation and Services Dr. FirdousAshiq Awan has said that minorities areenjoying a complete religious freedomin the country. Addressing the Christianscommunity after laying foundation stoneof the construction of a church at villageChak Mandaahar near here on Tuesday,she said that Christians were playing apivotal role for peace, prosperity and in-tegrity of the country. She said the gov-
ernment are taking effective measures to safeguard the rightsof minorities living in Pakistan. The Minister said the gov-ernment was empowering minorities so that they could con-tribute maximum to the development of the country. Shealso cut X-mass cakes during the special ceremonies held atthe local churches in villages Bhoth, Hunterpura and Sialkot,besides, distributing X-mass gifts among the Christians.She announced to donated five-marla land in ChakMandaahar for Church. Earlier, addressing a big public meet-ing at village Daallowali, she said that true democracy anddemocratic norms and values were getting political boost inthe country due to effective political strategy of the PPPgovernment, claiming that these reforms were also bringingthe positive changes in the political attitude of the people.Federal Minister said the poor masses of the country wereactual political power of the PPP, adding, the PPP is suc-cessfully foiling every anti democracy conspiracy of politi-cal orphans and jugglers, who stole mandate of the massesin past. She said that it was the first time in the country’spolitical history that any democratic government elected bythe masses was completing its constitutional tenure.—APP
Hoti wants action against terroristsStaff Reporter
PESHAWAR—Chief Minister KhyberPakhtunbkhwa, Ameer Haider Hoti, whilepaying glowing tributes to late BashirBilour for embracing martyrdom for hisstrict stance against militancy, has calledupon all political and military leadershipto take a final decision about getting ridof the menace of terrorism. “Its time forall of us to get united and take a finaldecision as to how we should get rid ofthis menace of militancy which has badly
damaged our whole society,” remarked Haider Hoti in chokedvoice while speaking in provincial assembly to pay tributeto late Bashir Bilour. The environment in provincial assem-bly was very gloomy due to tragic killing of Bashir Bilour ina suicide attack on Saturday night. To express grief over thetragic demise of Bashir Bilour, the assembly staff had putfloral wreath on his seat, covered with red shawl and cap ofAwami National Party. A number of MPAs spoke on theoccasion and expressed their grief, sorrow, aguish and strongcondemnation over killing of Bashir Bilour by militants. Ad-dressing the house, Chief Minister said paying tribute tothe services of martyred Bilour is not enough, we have totake some proper action what to do for ending this killing.“If we didn’t take any proper decision at this stage, it will bea criminal negligence on the part of us and history will notforgive us for this sin,” he observed. Elaborating his viewpoint, Ameer Haider Hoti said final decision does not meanthat we should take out guns and take action, but we shouldfind out a proper solution to this problem either throughnegotiation or through action. He said it is very ironical thatmilitants who have formed separate groups in their respec-tive areas, get united for their ulterior means, but we are stillnot united as to how we have to tackle this problem.
Nation can’t afford political confrontationHYDERABAD—Federal Minister for Po-litical Affairs Senator Moula BuxChandio has said the nation cannot af-ford any political confrontation or marchnear the general election. Talking tomedia persons during his visit toHyderabad Footwear Centre here, hesaid such moves could not only harmdemocratic institutions but other politi-cal parties as well. He said the PPP willbe the first political party completing its
tenure and intend to hold free and fair elections to ensurecontinuity of democracy in the country. Responding to aquestion, he said no one can resolve the issues of thecountry within three weeks that have been piled up duringthe last 65 years. He disagreed with the slogan of account-ability before the election and said only the Election Com-missioner of Pakistan has the authority to decide. MoulaBux Chandio said the PPP is the party of masses and hasbeen regularly arranging big public gatherings with tensof thousands in attendance. Expressing grief over the mar-tyrdom of ANP leader Bashir Ahmed Bilour in a terroristattack, he lauded his services for democracy and fightagainst terrorism. He termed his death a big loss to thecountry. Talking about Hyderabad Leather Footwear Cen-tre, he recalled the old glories of Hyderabad when it wasrich due to such industrial units. He said investment andindustries are essential for progress and prosperity andPPP government is facilitating industrialists to generateemployment. Meanwhile, Sindh Law Minister MohammadAyaz Soomro has said that all arrangements have beencompleted to observe 5th death anniversary of ShaheedChairperson Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto on December 27 atGarhi Khuda Bux. Addressing a press conference here, hesaid that Quran Khawani will be held for the departed soulof Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.—APP
Energy crisisSARGODHA—State Minister for Waterand Power, Tasneem Ahmed Qureshisaid that Benazir Bhutto Shaheed madeagreements with foreign power compa-nies for increasing the production ofelectricity but due to the negative pro-paganda of Sharif brothers, the compa-nies were forced to flee from the coun-try. Addressing a Sui gas project cer-emony at Remond Depot, the State Min-ister said that Sharif brothers came into
power for two times but they did not work on any electric-ity or gas project. He said that now they are politicizing thesame issue, adding that despite of massive power con-sumption the PPP-led government is practically workingto overcome the power crisis in the county. On the occa-sion senior vice president Hamid Nawaz Awan, PPP citypresident Shaikh Afzal, Ameer Moavia and Mian JavedAmjad also addressed the ceremony. On theotherside,USAID’s Assistant to the Administrator for theOffice of Pakistan and Afghanistan Affairs Alex Thier sayspolitical will is required from Pakistan’s government andopposition parties to make hard decisions on the country’senergy crisis. Returning from a trip to Pakistan last week,the USAID representative told that USAID programmeswould have added 900 megawatts to the grid by early nextyear. “Pakistan is only going to solve its energy crisis if itbetter governs the energy system,” said Thier, adding thatthis requires work on the transmission system’s losses,cracking down on theft, ensuring payment of electricitybills and an efficient load shedding management system.“What really needs to happen is at the political level, thatsome of these changes, like making sure the electricitytariffs are equivalent to the costs because otherwise thecircular debt problem is never going to go away.—APP
STAFF REPORTER
PESHAWAR—The anti-poliocampaign will continue inKhyber Pakthunkhwa andFederally Administered TribalAreas (FATA) according tothe programme of NationalTask Force (NTF) and themissed out children will beadministered vaccine beforethe end of current year. Thiswas decided during a highlevel meeting presided over byMember National AssemblyAsma Arabab Alamgir Khanand Chief Secretary KhyberPakthunkhwa GhulamDastagir Akhar here, said anofficial statement on Tuesday.
The meeting was at-tended, besides others, byNTF members, includingSenator Robeena Khalid,
Secretary Information andCulture KPK, Azmat HanifOrakzai, secretaries Health,Home and Tribal Affairs, IGPKhyber Pakthunkhwa, divi-sional commissioners, dis-trict coordination cfficers,the Chief Capital City PoliceOfficer, UNICEF and WorldHealth Organization offi-cials.
The meeting expressedthe resolve to make theprovince and FATA poliofree by 2013. The meetingappreciated the coopera-tion extended by people,parents, tribal elders andUlema during the nationalimmunization campaigns.The meeting was informedthat only 45 polio cases hadbeen reported this yearshowing a significant de-
crease.While the scars left by
the killing of polio workersmay take a while to heal, theKhyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P)government decided to be-gin a fresh immunisationcampaign with the help ofthe police and army. TheUnited Nations recom-mended halting the anti-po-lio campaign after nine po-lio workers were slain inKarachi, Charsadda andPeshawar last week in whatthe police later admittedseemed ‘organised’ attacks.But while the government ofSindh postponed the cam-paign in the province, theadministration of K-P wentahead with the drive, onlysuspending it in the areaswhere the killings took
place.The vaccination cam-
paign will now be completedin high-risk union councils ofthe province in the remainingdays of December and vacci-nations will be administeredto children who missed out asa result of the killings. Thedecision was taken in a meet-ing presided over by K-P ChiefSecretary Ghulam Dastagirand attended by InspectorGeneral of Police Akbar KhanHoti, Secretary Home andTribal Affairs DepartmentAzam Khan, National TaskForce members MNA AsmaAlamgir and Rubina Khalid,officials from the Health De-partment, commissioners andrepresentatives of WorldHealth Organisation (WHO)and UNICEF.
STAFF REPORTER
PESHAWA R—The KhyberPakhtunkhwa Governor,Barrister Masood Kausarhas congratulated the newGovernor of Punjab,Makhdoom AhmadMahmood on assuming of-fice and wished him successin fulfillment of his respon-sibilities.
In a message of felicitationon Tuesday, the GovernorKhyber Pakhtunkhwa saidthat accepting responsibilityof this prestigious office in thisimportant phase of our na-tional history is in itself a greatchallenge and MakhdumAhmad Mahmood’s elevationto this position is dueacknowledgement of his abili-ties and leadership capabilities.
Barrister Masoor Kausarwished the incoming Gover-nor Punjab the best in realiz-
ing the expectations of gen-eral public and political lead-ership and serving the coun-try and the province to thebest of his qualities of headand heart.
Meanwhile, the KhyberPakhtunkhwa Governor, Bar-rister Masood Kausar has ex-pressed his deep condolenceon the sad demise of themother of a former Directorof PBC Station, Peshawar,Nissar Muhammad Khan.The Governor has also con-doled the sad demise of thewidow of the former provin-cial Khateeb Late MaulanaRehmat Hadi.
In his separate condo-lence messages on Tuesday,the Governor while express-ing his deep sympathieswith members of the be-reaved families has alsoprayed for eternal peace ofthe departed souls.
KP, FATA anti-poliocampaigns to continue
Kausar greetsPunjab Governor
STAFF REPORTER
PESHAWAR—The KhyberPakthunkhwa Government’sHome and Tribal Affairs De-partment has released Rs.700,000 as compensation tothe legal heirs of the victimsdied due to un- natural deathsin Bannu, Haripur and LakkiMarwat districts. As per thebreak up, Rs. 400,000 wassanctioned as compensationto the legal heirs of deceasedpersons namely Shawar Gulof Domel, Muhammad Tahirof Lakki Khass, Ghaffar Khanof Ghorghai Dodikhel Domeland Tahir Khan of villageIsmail Khel, residents ofBannu district. They died dueto electric short circuiting,says a press release of HomeDepartment here on Tuesday.
Similarly, Rs. 200,000have been sanctioned forthe legal heirs of Mst SabiraJan wife of Nisar Shah andSyed Qasim Hussain Shahson of Nasir Shah died dueto roof collapse at villageBudhar Jabri in districtHaripur this year. As manyas Rs. 100,000 has been re-
leased as compensation tolegal heirs of Miss Wreshmindaughter of Samiullah Khanresident of Daultkhel districtLakki Marwat died due tosudden fire occurred in reedsstock on April 27, 2012.
The said amount hasbeen placed at the disposalof DCOs Bannu, Haripur andLakki Marwat respectivelyfor payment as compensa-tion to the legal heirs of theabove deceased persons af-ter observance of all codalformalities and procedure.Earlier, the KhyberPakhtunkhwa Minister forInformation and Public Re-lations, Mian IftikharHussain visited the resi-dences of the martyrs ofDhaki Naalbandi suicide at-tack including Haji NoorMuhammad, former NaibNazim Mian Pervez, HajiMuhammad Hashim andAbdul Mateen on Mondayin Peshawar and condoledwith the bereaved families.
He also visited KabuliPolice Station to condole thedeath of SHO, Sattar Khattakin the incident.
Rs7m for heirs of unnaturaldeath victims released
HYDERABAD: Activists of Aafia Movement hold a protest for release of Dr Aafia outside Press Club.
STAFF REPORTER
PESHAWAR—Senate Chair-man Nayyar Hussain BukhariTuesday paid tribute to BashirAhmed Bilour and said hisservices for the country wouldbe remembered for long.Bukhari was talking to news-men here at the Bilour Househere after condoling the deathBashir Bilour with his broth-ers Railways Minister HajiGhulam Ahmed Bilour andSenator Ilyas Bilour. BashirBilour, Khyber PakhtunkhwaSenior Minister, was martyredin suicide attack after address-ing the party meeting in thecity the other day.
Meanwhile, Chief Minis-ter Punjab Mian ShahbazSharif and Opposition leaderin National Assembly,Chudhry Nisar Ali Khan here
Tuesday visited Bilour Housewhere they condoled with Fed-eral Minister for Railways HajiGhulam Ahmed Bilour andSenator Ilyas Ahmed Bilourover the sad demise of hisbrother Bashir Bilour Shaheed.They offered Fateha for eter-nal peace of the Shaheed.Later, talking to reporters,Mian Shabaz Sharif paid richtributes to the social and po-litical services of the BashirBjilour Shaheed and termed hisdeath is a great loss for thecountry and ANP. He that hewas a brave politician whosacrificed his life by adoptinga bold stance against terrorism.He said sacrifices of theShaheed will not go waste. Hesaid they came here to ex-press solidarity with Bilourfamily over the sad demise ofBashir Bilour Shaheed.
Bukhari, Shahbaz,Nisar visit Bilour
House, offer fateha
HYDERABAD: Labourers are busy in construction ofShaheed Benazir Bhutto sculpture at Benazir Bhutto Parknear Sindh Museum.
Interim set up:Input of Army, SC
not unconstitutionalTHE mammoth gathering that Chairman of Pakistan Awami Tehreek
(PAT) Dr Tahirul Qadri was able to arrange in Lahore and his extraordinary demand for reforming the electoral system within three
weeks or be ready for a long march on Islamabad have started a heateddebate not only amongst all segments of the society but also the politicalparties. In the meantime, Minister for Information and BroadcastingQamar Zaman Kaira, who is spokesman of the Government, has rejectedthe proposition that the Army or Judiciary be included in the consultativeprocess for appointment of the interim set up.
Constitutionally speaking, Kaira has a point as only the Prime Min-ister and Leader of the Opposition have a say in proposing and discuss-ing names for the Caretaker Prime Minister and in case they do notagree then the Election Commission has the final authority to pick upthe one from a list provided to it. But there is absolutely no harm inmaking the process broad-based as was done in the case of appoint-ment of the CEC. The Constitution does not bar consultations withother stakeholders and in fact, Ch Nisar Ali Khan has said on more thanone occasion that his party would consult other parties both within andoutside the Parliament on the issue. The Government itself would, un-derstandably, take its coalition partners into confidence, as it has beendoing in the case of other important matters. Inclusion of the Army andthe Judiciary in the consultative process would give more credence tothe interim set up as well as the elections itself, which is surely theobjective of all political parties. Army is critical stakeholder of the stateand the judiciary has proved that their input in nation building and stateaffairs is vital and they must be on board if the objective is to holdgenuinely free, fair and transparent elections. It is also true that care-takers are not supposed to carry out reforms as their mandate is re-stricted to elections but the country would be gainer if the process ofreforms is initiated to purge the system of its prevailing ills.
President ultimatelyopens wind power projectINAUGURATION of the country’s first-ever 50 MW wind power project
by President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday was indeed a breeze of freshair that augurs well for otherwise choked energy scenario. Fauji Founda-tion and Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) really deserveappreciation for bring the project to fruition.
Despite frantic efforts being made by the ever-vigilant Nargis Sethi,Secretary Water and Power, the power supply situation is deterioratingand suspension of electricity to almost entire textile industry in Faisalabadhas forced APTMA to issue a warning to lay off millions. In this back-drop, it is encouraging that the Government and the AEDB are activelyexploring reliable energy alternatives and according to Chairman AEDBten more projects with a total capacity of 500 MW would be completedin 2013 ensuring addition of dependable supply to the national grid. Nodoubt, at the moment, wind and solar options are capital intensive and apoor country like ours can hardly afford to achieve a breakthrough in thefield but given the existing crisis, immense potential and reliability of thesupply, we must spare resources for the purpose. Experts say that thewind corridors of the country have the potential to provide 300,000 MWof electricity –enough to take care of our demands for the foreseeablefuture. And sky is the limit for solar potential besides the much-talked-about coal option but we have been negligent in taping these God-givenresources. As future lies in alternative energy resources, it is time wemake significant allocations for research and development in this sector.
Arundhation rapes in IHK
WHILE Indians are up in arm against gang rape of a girl in Delhi andthe protests are not dying down demanding justice and security to
the fair sex, prominent writer and human rights activist Arundhati Royhas made a very courageous statement that the Indian army and po-lice are using rape as a weapon against people in Kashmir and otherparts of India.
In an interview Roy, a torchbearer of human rights, made her pointthat the Indians were protesting for a week over a single gang rape inDelhi but these very people did not speak about the rapes of thousands ofinnocent girls and did not demand death punishment for the perpetratorsof such crimes in Kashmir. Veteran Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Gilani in astatement while denounced the incident but also criticised the Indianpeople’s silence over numerous such happenings in the occupied terri-tory. In fact rape has become a daily occurrence in Kashmir and thesilence in India encouraged rapists to carry out the immoral acts all overIndia. Even as public anger over the rape of the 23-year-old woman con-tinue, reports of atrocities against women continued to pour in from acrossthe country. A seven-year-old was raped and killed in Sitapur, UP, inSagar, MP, three men raped a woman in a hospital, in Maharajganj, UP, a35-year-old woman was raped and a 25-year-old woman was allegedlyraped by two men in a village near Jammu. These incidents reflect thatthe State has become an instrument largely for the benefit and protectionof a few and mostly politicians and their supporters. It is time that theIndians must give up their double standards, take notice of the statementof Arundhati and also raise voice against the incidents of rapes in Kash-mir because the subjugated people are also human beings.
Towards a welfare State
Nature abhors avacuum.
All the challenges that thenation is facing today demand us to further under-
stand the message, guiding prin-ciples and the vision of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, thefounder of Pakistan. It is impera-tive to reshape the priorities to cre-ate a forward looking and progres-sive modern democracy as it wasdreamt by our great leader. Thenation needs to strive more to be-come a genuine democratic soci-ety as humanitarian democraticvalues were the conviction of ourgreat political thinker and a match-less nation-builder. While lookingback in the history, we can find theextraordinary characteristics ofQuaid-i-Azam as an inspirationalleader as well as an ardent and de-vout leader for whom, the welfareof the masses was prime objectiveof his movement. Personally, theQuaid not only followed a highlydisciplined life but exhibited aspotless character, thus able to leadthe nation towards unity, faith anddiscipline.
The struggle of our great Quaidwas based on premise of a countrythat offers equal economic oppor-tunities and social justice to all thepopulation without any discrimina-tion of caste, creed and color. Thepolitical insight of the Quaid re-sulted in carving out a nation froma subjugated and directionless mi-nority besides establishing a mod-ern nation state. Being a true demar-
Morsi mustreach out toopposition
Egypt’s President MohammadMorsi has successfullyrammed a rushed constitution
through a two-stage country-widereferendum, but any sense ofachievement will be short-lived if hedoes not reach out to the opposition.Like the previous constitution, thisone declares Islamic law to be a mainsource of legislation, but it also addsa new article, No 219, which definesthose legal principles as the estab-lished schools of Sunni Muslimscholarship. This worries manysecular and liberal Egyptians sincethis article can be interpreted in allsorts of ways, allowing future radi-cal groups to totally change Egypt.
The deep divisions over the newconstitution were summed up by twoheadlines yesterday morning, whenthe dominant state-owned newspa-per, Al Ahram, announced that “Thepeople sided with democracy”,whereas the largest independentnewspaper Al Masry Al Youm, re-ported what happened as “Whole-sale violations”. The backlash fromliberal and secular leaders has al-ready started, as they seek to test theruling Muslim Brotherhood’s major-ity in the country. Morsi’s authori-tarian tactics have worried the en-tire spectrum of Egyptian politics,ranging from the left-wing, secularand liberal groups, through all ofEgypt’s minorities of whom, theChristian Copts are the largest. Theonly group that is happy is the mili-tary with whom the Muslim Broth-ers have formed a close alliance.
So, in addition to dealing withthe position of Sharia in the consti-tution, the opposition should alsoobject to the extraordinary immunitythat the new constitution grants theEgyptian military. Morsi has reacheda deal with the Hosni Mubarak-eragenerals, who still run the armedservices, under which they agree toprotect his Islamist government,while Morsi protects the Egyptianmilitary from legal and parliamen-tary oversight, engraving its au-tonomy in the constitution. Two ex-amples of the military protecting itsown interests under the new consti-tution are the military budget notbeing subject to parliamentary re-view and the minister of defencehaving to be a serving officer. Thislevel of favouritism leads tocronyism of the worst kind and fu-els popular discontent with Morsi’sgovernment.—Gulf News
*****
Defence dealsin Delhi
It was a win-win situation forboth Manmohan Singh andVladimir Putin in Delhi. As they
inked defence deals worth $2.9 bil-lion, they conveniently sent downthe message of congeniality — re-jecting the impression that India isWest’s basket of procurement. Themost important salient feature of thenot much-hyped memorandum is thefact that the region’s biggest export-oriented economy, Russia, is eagerto increase bilateral trade with Indiato the tune of 20 billion dollars by2015 — doubling it by 100 per centin a mere three year span. This isbig economics, and is tantamount tothe fact that Asian economies, andespecially India, are almost freefrom the menace of recession thathas pestered the Western economies.For Putin who is locked down in aserious political struggle at home, ashe is seen as the one who is not soeager for reforms, this deal alongwith his Eurasia vision will go a longway in cementing the revival of anambitious major power — poised toconfront the United States and Chinain their military and economicrealms, respectively.
As far as Delhi is concerned,this deal comes after similar bigprojects bagged with France, SouthKorea, Europe and the UnitedStates, including the nuclear fuelsupply agreement. India’s defenceand development reliance is multi-disciplinary and by reaching out tothe Russians once again, it has justestablished its geopolitical versatil-ity. Moscow on its part hasproactively through this deal, whichwill see India buy 42 Sukhoi SU-30 fighter jets and 71 Mi-17 heli-copters, stepped back as India’sprime weapons supplier — a statusit had lost out on several majordeals to Western companies in re-cent years. —Khaleej Times
MEDIA WATCH
Francois Rabelais—French satirist
cate, Mr. Jinnah pre-scribed democracy asthe only way forwardfor the newly ac-quired country. With-out any ambiguity, hemade the priorities ofthe state clear rightafter the inception ofPakistan while stat-ing that the
government’s aim and objectiveshould be to serve the people anddevise ways and means for their so-cial welfare, well-being and better-ment. Regarding the democratic fu-ture of the Pakistan, Quid said that itis in the hands of people to put thegovernment in power or remove itfrom power. This guiding principleof Quaid-i-Azam still serves as asource of strength for the democ-racy loving people of Pakistan. His-tory is evident of the fact thatPakistan’s first democraticallyelected Prime Minister ShaheedZulfikar Ali Bhutto and his daugh-ter Shaheed Mohtarma BenazirBhutto had laid down their life inthe pursuit of the same mission andfor the practical manifestation of thedreams of the Quaid.
It is pertinent to note here thatthe Quaid, as a great leader andstatesman, also underpinned the sig-nificance of welfare of the peopleof Pakistan as future roadmap of thestate. We must revisit his historicspeech delivered on August 11, 1947when he said that “if we want tomake this great State of Pakistanhappy and prosperous, we shouldwholly and solely concentrate on thewell-being of the people, and espe-cially of the masses and the poor.”Therefore, the dreams of Mr Jinnahrevolved around a Pakistan that isan egalitarian modern democracyoffering equity in the distribution ofwealth and resources to enable thepeople of the country to live a happy,
prosperous and meaningful life.The vision of our Quaid has spe-
cial significance as he had laid thefoundation for the concept of an Is-lamic Social welfare state which isa need of our society and relevant asever to strengthen the nation on theface of various contemporary chal-lenges. We have observed that PPPhas always actively followed the eco-nomic and social vision of Quaid-i-Azam and it is a hallmark of the eco-nomic policies of the PPP led Fed-eral Government. Under the firmcommitment and persistent supportfrom President Asif Ali Zardari, thedemocratic government has success-fully advanced the notions of socialjustice, equal opportunities andwellbeing of the people of Pakistan.
Besides the importance of equalopportunities, the Quaid had alsohighlighted the women empower-ment as a fundamental requirementfor the development and progressof any state or society. In this re-gard, he said that no struggle canever succeed without women par-ticipating side by side with men.The democratic government hasadopted the concept of welfare ofthe people as the only way forwardto become a modern democratic inline with the guiding principlesgiven by the founding father of thenation. Moreover, the empower-ment of women, youth and childrenhas also made the areas of primefocus under the same vision.
The welfare approach of theGovernment is based on a holisticapproach to cater the needs of all themarginalized groups of the society.This approach also includes the re-alization of the phenomena of ris-ing inflation, mounting unemploy-ment, and diminishing opportunitiesas it has pushed a huge chunk ofpopulation down to poverty line andhence, countless economic woes forthe millions of families. Therefore,
Emerging markets, includingPakistan, will drive thegrowth of the dairy industry
as global demand for liquid dairyproducts (LDP) is set to acceler-ate in 2011-2014, according to astudy released by Tetra Pak. Ac-cording to Daily Index 2012, Pa-kistan is the third largest milk pro-ducing and consuming country inthe world with 64 percent of thecountry’s population classified as“Deeper in the Pyramid” (DiP),which represents 60 percent ofLDP consumption. DiP representsa golden opportunity for delay pro-cessors and packaging companiesbecause today’s low-income con-sumers are tomorrow’s middleclass, according to Tetra Pak, aleading food processing and pack-aging solutions company.
The challenge for the dairy in-dustry in Pakistan has been toreach DiP consumers, especially ina country where 94 percent of thepopulation consumers unpackagedmilk and 70 percent of the popu-lation lives in rural areas. Foodprocessors in Pakistan are comingup with innovative affordableproducts to reach this market. Onesuch product is affordable teacreamers, which has a huge poten-tial among DiP consumers asdrinking milk with tea accounts for32 percent of total milk consump-
Prospects in agriculture sectortion in Pakistan, ac-cording to the TetraPak research. Con-sumption by low-in-come consumers indeveloping marketsis forecast to in-crease from about 70billion litres in 2011to almost 80 billionlitres in 2014, ac-
cording to the Dairy Index, whichtracks worldwide facts, figures andtrends in the global dairy industry.Many of these consumers are ex-pected to switch in coming yearsfrom drinking loose milk to pack-aged milk.
Low-income consumers repre-sent one of the biggest growth op-portunities for the dairy industry.The key to tomorrow’s success isreaching these consumers today,said Tetra Pak President and CEODennis Johnson. They make up al-most 40 percent of the world’spopulation and live in economiesdriving our industry’s growth andthey are growing more affluent.These low income consumers liveon Rs.180-750 a day and are virtu-ally untapped by today’s dairy pro-cessors. These DIP consumersmake up about 50 percent of devel-oping countries population and con-sumer 38 percent of LDP in devel-oping countries.
The Tetra Pak research focusedon Pakistan, India Indonesia, Bra-zil and Kenya which together ac-count for more than 76 percent ofLDP consumption by DIP consum-ers in developing countries. Tap-ping into this market is not withoutits challenges, according to the re-port, Tetra Pak has identified threekey challenges for dairy processorsseeking to reach consumers in this
growth market. They need to makeproducts which are affordable,available and attractive to consum-ers on limited incomes. That meansdairy processors must producehealthy, safe and nutritious pack-aged dairy products without addingunsustainable costs. They must alsomake them available in small tra-ditional stores in remote rural ar-eas or congested cities where lowincome consumers shop.
Tetra Pak also announced thatglobal consumption of liquid dairyproducts is set to rise by a com-pound annual growth rate (CAGR)of 2.9 percent in 2011-2014, accel-erating from 2.5 percent growth in2008-2011, led by buoyant demandin Asia, Africa and Latin America.Asia, Latin America and Africa areall expected to record higher growthrates in consumption in 2011-2014than in 2008-2011. Asia is forecastto consolidate its position as theworld’s biggest market for liquiddairy and dairy alternatives, whileLatin America is forecast to over-take Western Europe as the world’ssecond biggest market by 2014, theresearch shows, Demand in Asia-Pacific is forecast to rise by 4.6 per-cent (CAGR) in 2011-2014 to some165.3 billion litres.
Asia-Pacific nations face a yearof slowing growth caused bytroubled export markets and risingcommodity prices, an annualUnited Nations report warned lastweek. Despite the gloomy outlook,the region will remain the fastestgrowing in the world this year, theUN’S Economic and Social Com-mission for Asia and Pacific surveyfound. The growth will edge downto 6.5 percent in 2012 from 7.0 per-cent last year as the rumbling eurozone debt crisis and continued un-
despite various economic con-straints, unprecedented steps havebeen taken to provide relief tomarginalized segments of societythat are worst hit by impacts of glo-bal economic turmoil during pastfew years. Benazir Income SupportProgramme (BISP), in line with thewelfare-based vision of the govern-ment, has been emerged as the keyplatform of serving millions offamilies in Pakistan that needed im-mediate relief and support.
The success and effectivenessof the Programme could be mea-sured and evaluated by the fact thatvarious prestigious internationalorganizations, keeping the trans-parency, objectivity and effective-ness of the Programme, have posedtheir full trust and confidence. Withregard to the concept of equalitygiven by Quaid-i-Azam, BISP en-visaged a fair and impartial selec-tion criterion for all the deservingfamily to get registered with BISP.To bring positive socio-economicchange in the lives of millions ofdeserving families, the Programmehas introduced numerous innova-tive and unprecedented steps i.e.monthly cash grants, interest freemicro-financing, vocational andtechnical training.
Moreover, besides Health In-surance and Life Insurance, BISP’sWaseela-e-Taleem initiative hasbeen launched to promote educa-tion among the children of benefi-ciary families. While marking the136th birthday of our great leader,we from the platform of BISP,deem it an absolutely perfect oc-casion to reinvigorate our commit-ment with the cause of empower-ing the people of Pakistan and tomake the country a social welfarestate as per the vision of the Quaid.—The writer is a Federal Minis-ter and Chairperson of BenazirIncome Support Programme.
certainty over the US economicoutlook weaken demand for ex-ports, it said. The region faces anew challenge of volatile commod-ity prices that the UN warned willhit the poor hardest unless govern-ments make plans to soothe the painof higher costs. The greatest threatto the region is a disorderly debtdefault in the euro zone, UN under-secretary Noeleen Hayzer said.
If it (the euro zone) unravels itcould lead to a $300 billion loss inthe region over 2012 and 2013, shesaid, adding that the scenario wouldhamper efforts to cut poverty bykeeping over 14 million people inthe region below the $1.25 a daypoverty line. Heyzer said Asia-Pa-cific governments are well-placedto make economic policies to meetthe difficulties ahead. The region isfacing key challengers, but it hascontinued being an anchor of sta-bility and a growth pole for theworld economy, she said.
The survey urged governmentsto prepare for new economic andsocial challenges that will shapetheir development in future years..Speculative inflows of money,over-reliance on natural resources,income inequality and high rates ofunemployment will all require care-ful political attention, it said. Paki-stan, therefore, has a very goodchance to develop this sector to reapthe benefits of the tremendous po-tential it offers. All we need is apositive direction and proper road-map and a firm determination at thegovernment level to provide neces-sary in-puts for developing thisimportant sector which with is tiedthe future of Pakistan.—The writer is former Director(Emigration) & Consultant: ILOand IOM.
People often ask me — in termsof my argument about “tensteps” that mark the descent to
a police state or closed society — atwhat stage are the Americans? I amsorry to say that with the importationof what will be tens of thousands ofdrones — by both US military andcommercial interests, into US air-space, with a specific mandate to en-gage in surveillance and with the ca-pacity for weaponisation, which isdue to begin in earnest at the start ofthe New Year — it means that thepolice state is now officially here.
In February of this year, Con-gress passed the FAA ReauthorisationAct, with its provision to deploy fleetsof drones domestically. JenniferLynch, an attorney at the ElectronicFrontier Foundation, notes that this
followed a major lobbying effort, “ahuge push by the defence sector” topromote the use of drones in Ameri-can skies: 30,000 of them are ex-pected to be in use by 2020, some assmall as hummingbirds, meaning thatyou will not necessarily see them,tracking your meeting with your fel-low-activists, with your accountantor your Congressman, or filmingyour assignation with your lover, asits video-gathering whirs. Otherswill be as big as passenger planes.Business-friendly media stress theirplanned abundant use by corpora-tions: Police in Seattle have alreadydeployed them.
An unclassified US Air Forcedocument reported by CBS News ex-pands on this unprecedented and un-constitutional step — one that for-mally brings the military into the roleof controlling domestic populationson US soil, which is the bright linethat separates a democracy from a
Military capability is requiredto protect the country frominternal and external threats,
while political stability and economicprosperity is essential for develop-ment. The three components help inprotecting the sovereignty, integrityand security of a state as well as well-being of the people. The three areinterlinked and cannot be separatedfrom each other. It will be ideal toconcentrate entire energies of the statetowards economic prosperity and tobuild up democratic institutions at-tuned towards welfare of people.
Pakistan is among the few stateswhose existence was not accepted byIndia and from the day one it con-spired to reabsorb it into IndianUnion. It succeeded partially in 1971when it broke Pakistan into two andconverted its eastern wing intoBangladesh. It is now conspiring tofurther truncate Pakistan. On its westis unfriendly Afghanistan, which hastraditionally remained pro-India andanti-Pakistan. Of late, India and Af-
Misperceptions about defence budgetghanistan have be-come strategic part-ners and India has in-creased its influencein Afghanistan mani-fold. Perpetual hostil-ity of India and de-ceitful behavior ofAfghanistan has keptPakistan on tenter-hooks and in a con-
stant state of insecurity.An influential lobby in Pakistan
at the behest of detractors of Paki-stan has all along been critical ofarmed forces and its defence expen-diture. It sells a mischievousmisperception that but for 60% ofnational budget getting consumed indefence; Pakistan would have be-come a prosperous state. MaulanaFazlur Rahman alleged that ‘oneday’s Army budget is the combinedannual budget of education andhealth’. He forgot that one day cor-ruption in Pakistan comes to Rupeeseight billion as disclosed by Chair-man NAB. He also forgot that unlikemilitary run institutions which arewelfare oriented, they pay taxes andare running in profit, all public sec-tor enterprises are running in lossesand second largest portion of budgetgets consumed in keeping themafloat. Losses incurred by them canmeet the needs of defence. Anotherfalsehood in circulation is that themilitary consumes a very big portion
Old cases in SCSANSAAR KANDHRO
Chief justice is being called an iconof justice these days due to emi-nent political decisions but whocares he ruined 10years of my fam-ily. In 2003 we filled civil suit inMalir Court Karachi, we fought forapprox 10years for our property Ipersonally invested my precioustime in this case I left my classesof ICMAP to be present in thecourt. From few weeks while hear-ings Judge used to say that ChiefJustice of Pakistan has ordered usto clear old cases in this Decemberand we are being pressurized.
December 22, 2012 was fixedfor judgment we waited in court forjudgment, judge did not bother tocome out, his assistant came outand announced that case is dis-missed. After 10 years Case is dis-missed! Without any decision! Whyis that? I ask Chief Justice of Paki-stan to answer me that is this whyyou ordered judges to solve oldcases within December? Did youask them to dismiss old cases sothat we again go in the court to reg-ister with new number and NewYear? Who is responsible for theprecious tears of my mother?—Karachi
Wire-tapping billAMJED JAAVED
Unless the above law has beendrafted by angels, it is very porous.Privacy is already a brutally-trampled area in Pakistan. Even theangels would be reluctant to treadit. Once cyber evidence is collected,it has to face the judicial test. Shouldwe expose our precious intelligenceofficers in courts? The legal makeupof our intelligence officers militatesagainst their new role. They are si-lent soldiers and trained to shunlimelight. Look! How ferociouslythe CIA guards the identity of theiroperatives. It is the FBI (fidelity,bravery, integrity) that takes care ofcyber evidence and prosecution. Attheir joint meetings, they (CIA andthe FBI) are at daggers drawn. Soit is because their psychologicalmake-up and assignments are dif-ferent. Same is the case with mili-tary and civil professionals.
We could pluck young officers(not retirees or re-employed oldies)from intelligence agencies and othergovernmental bodies to set up anFBI-like body. Some Edward deBono should examine that oursleuths-to-be have reasonableminds, not reflection of oyster-shellswe have all around. The fragmen-tation of our society into politico-religious factions has warped mindsof our most people.
Let’s resist the temptation to putthe cart before the horse. One pro-fessionally respected agency and nota plethora of agencies is the key, weneed. Our perceptions are so skewedthat we once even legislated thatwall chalking (graffiti) is terrorism.Manager (mohtamim) of a madrassaattending a call from a banned out-fit (shia or sunni) is not a terrorist.Nor is any politician bureaucrat ormaulvi shaking hands with or ac-cepting gifts from a ‘hostile’ - coun-try diplomat. Still fresh are memo-ries of parties, now in government,declared LTTE-type terrorists.Above all, eavesdropping is unlikelyto make the weak link of prosecu-tion any stronger.—Rawalpindi
Journalists:Prime target
KHAWAJA UMER FAROOQ
In third world countries media andjournalists are still paying a highprice to expose truth in front of mod-ern world. According to organiza-tion Reporters Without A Border 88journalists lost their lives in 2012while covering wars and gangbattles in different countries. Recentkilling of Journalists and media per-
Here comes QadriSYED HASHMI
On purely technically grounds, one would feel compelled to compliment the ruling party for accomplishing the impossible task of completing five-year tenure, despite not having even a simple major-
ity in the National Assembly. However, the loyal opposition deserves as much credit for the feat as theruling party. Presence of an army chief, apparently with no political ambitions, was another contribut-ing factor and so were the masses: a herd of sheep without a shepherd, in an extremely agitated bututterly confused state, hence unable to exercise any influence or exert any pressure on the rulers tostop the rot. The announcement from Peoples Party sources of a caretaker set up taking over twomonths before the completion of the term and holding of general elections within sixty, and not ninetydays, meaning smooth takeover by the next government, are other welcome moves. What it means isthat the ‘mature’ attitude of the two major parties seems to have put democracy on sound footing inPakistan. However, when it comes to delivery, things do not sound too good and the media keeps uswell-informed about it, not that we need to be told because nearly all of of us know it from bitter,personal experience. And the deep understanding and level of cooperation that the too major partieshave developed, makes us think that the future, regrettably, would not be much different from thepast and present, and that sure is not a pleasing feeling. Comfortable with each other, the two partieswould not feel any political threat; neither will they feel any real need to solve the problems of themasses whom they would not need till the next elections five years later, assuming the state survivesthat long. Surely, the non-serious and happy-go-lucky approach of the rulers during the last five yearshardly does anything to reassure us on that point. However, sudden arrival in Pakistan of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri, a resourceful person with huge following at home and abroad, has stirred things up and upset allthese calculations. I wonder whether the shepherd has arrived.—Karachi
are requested to typetheir letters legibly withdouble spacing and only onone side of the paper.
—Editor
of government expenditures. The re-ality is that in 2012/13, defence af-fairs and services consumed only17% of all government expenditures.Largest amount of budget is spent ondomestic debt servicing.
Those propagating curtailment ofdefence expenditure to be able to de-velop economy forget that militarilyweak Pakistan will tempt adventurersto either step in or destabilize it fromwithin employing covert means. Eco-nomic prosperity is possible only whenthe country is free of external and in-ternal threats, or is militarily in a posi-tion to thwart the threats, or has abun-dant mineral resources. China couldn’thave made such an impressiveprogress in its four-point moderniza-tion program and turned into an eco-nomic giant on the strength of itseconomy alone. While pursuing anoverall defensive strategy, it never ig-nored the growth of its military po-tential to keep its adversaries at bay.Likewise, India’s military muscle en-abled it to extract benefits from thecurrent and former super power as wellas western world, Muslim world andJapan. On 16 November 2012, In-dian journalist Kuldip Nayar on theoccasion of his book launching cer-emony at Dhaka, ‘Beyond the Lines’,advocated formation of ‘South AsianUnion’ on the lines of EuropeanUnion, which is yet another Indianfloated idea of ‘confederation’. Itgives a fair idea that even after pas-
sons Increased 33 percent compareto last year’s statistics. The reason forthe large number of journalists killedin 2012 is mainly wars in Syria, So-malia, Pakistan, Libya and drugs andgangs wars in Mexico. Syria againproved deadliest country for journal-ist in 2012, Twenty eight journalistslost their lives in Syria while cover-ing street fights between Free SyrianArmy and Assad forces. Fifteen Jour-nalist lost their lives in Somalia whilecovering conflict between govern-ment and Al shabab rebels. Mexicodrug and gang war took furthertwelve lives of journalist most ofthem kidnapped and killed brutallyby notorious drug gangs. Pakistan isstill hard field for journalist. Accord-ing to media news another Pakistanijournalist was shot dead by unidenti-fied gunmen in the southwestBaluchistan province.
The dead body of a another kid-napped Pakistani journalist was dis-covered in Karachi last week. Localdaily reporter was kidnapped justweek ago. At least eleven journalistshave died in Pakistan since the be-ginning of 2012. The statistics byCommittee to Protect Journalistssays that 42 journalists have beenkilled in Pakistan since 1992 most ofthem killed while covering US ledwar on terror and increasing violencein Baluchistan and Karachi. In Paki-stan media is facing pressure fromboth sides Militants groups have alsoissued their own guidelines for me-dia and want to use media for theirpropaganda purpose.
Journalists are covering mostdangerous assignments without anyprotection in areas border with Af-ghanistan. Pakistan governmentforces cant able to go inside tribalareas all news are coming throughlocal media. In countries where allpolitical and sectarian groups havetheir own arm militias media is pay-ing high price to exposing the truth.Now due to media revolution andgeneral public awareness every onewant to present his point of view onmedia. Different talk show have gotwidely public attention and journal-ist have become prime target for mili-tants, ethnic and sectarian groups.—Jeddah, KSA
Economicstabilisation
SYED SADAQAT HUSSAIN
Since we could not make to avoid theunnecessary spending, extravagance,lavish style of government perks andprivileges, foreign tours - official andprivate - Hajjes and every other dayUmeras at govt. expense, etc. simi-larly, if tax increases scheduled notto go into effect we could not save usfrom economic turmoil. It wouldmerely let us continue the policy mis-takes we’ve been making for years,allowing us only to temporarily sta-bilize the economy rather than ad-dress its deep, systemic failures. Eventhough, we know the root causes offailure of economy, having substan-tial resources to lift it up. Paucity ofmaking good and decisive decisionis being felt tremendously, We areloosing control on rein of running thegovernment.
Notably, we experienced that sta-bilization in economy and securityhas become the dream of the nation.Neither any intuition occurred nor theeconomic architects could give us asustainable planning. It has not onlylet deeper problems fester, but alsoaggravated inequality. Financial in-stitution such as Bankers continuedto get rich.
More than four years after thatfinancial crisis began, nothing hasbeen done to address its root causes.The common perspective behind thisfailure of economy frequently quotedhas global economical changes, andprices of fuel enhanced are the ulti-mate reasons of sluggish economy.There are many countries in the worldwhere economy is stable while theyhave limited economical substantialrather than us. The key elements tosuch a stabilize system that couldmake a sensible decision making and
Enigmatic non-native terrorists
The recent audacious car bomb,rocket and gun attack by theTaliban suicide squad upon the
Peshawar airport brought life to amiserable and frightful stage as theTaliban promised to attack the placeagain until their objectives of inflict-ing severe and irreversible injury isachieved. The airport being the cen-tre of both civilian and military airbase, the attack had posed a bilateralthreat that had been reversed due tothe quick response of the securityforces.It was a great example of thesuccessful handling of the Pakistanisecurity forces. There has never beenany doubt about the fact that our sol-diers excel in their professional tasksand have always been high achieverswhenever they’ve been tested.
There are many questions thatstill require answers such as the ter-rorists involved in the raid, their ori-gin, the rationale behind the use offoreign bombers in a local setting, andthe details of the renewed agendabeing followed. They are posing aserious problem for all those analyz-ing the current situation. The TTPbeing the largest militant group op-erating in and against Pakistan, thereis no terror incident apart from thecross-border attacks in Pakistan that
the TTP has not claimed to be itshandiwork in the recent post-Osamapast. It has also known to have linkswith Alqaeda. Among its main ob-jectives has been to inflict maximuminjury to the Pakistani securityforces, something that has increas-ingly being experienced. Further-more, another has been to operateas an extension of the afghanTaliban, thus helping their Afghanfriends in tackling the Nato/Isafforces inside Afghanistan.
The Afghan government is in-volved in a reconciliation processwith the Taliban and has agreed toaccept certain terms and conditionsposed by the Taliban. These includethe release of prisoners most of whichare housed in Pakistani jails. At thebehest of the Afghan government,Pakistan has agreed to release themin order to aid and facilitate the rec-onciliation process, as it is being con-sidered vital for the interest of boththe countries as well as the region. Itis being believed that the process ofpeaceful negotiations should beadopted to bring an end to the pro-tracted conflict. After the high peacecouncils visit to Pakistan earlier thismonth, some 18 Taliban prisonershave been freed according to a cal-culated estimate. Furthermore, Paki-stan has agreed to free some moremid-level operatives from its jails inthe near future too. Moreover, therelease of key Taliban leader Ghani
Baradar, that the Taliban had de-manded is also being brought underserious consideration by the Pakistaniauthorities. This should not only re-duce mistrust between all regionalstakeholders including Pakistan, Af-ghanistan and the Taliban but oughtto provide the Taliban with a reasonto stop its increased attacks in Paki-stan. What does not go down wellwith all this drama of reconciliationprocess is that the frequency of at-tacks in Pakistan that ought to havedecreased instead of increasing.
The fact that the Peshawar attackwas largely conducted by foreignersand that too with some strange char-acteristics such as the tattooed bodyof one, is intriguing. The shape of thedemon carved upon the back may ei-ther be taken as symbolic of the forcesof darkness operating inside the coun-try or it may have been pre-plannedby the terrorists to add some extra fla-vor of mysterious frolic to the ugli-ness of war and to broaden its geo-graphical scope. Moreover, the halfwritten letter in the native languageadds to the mystery and leaves muchroom to be given multiple interpreta-tions and ultimately be misinter-preted. Whatever the case may be,one thing is for sure that the causeand effect theory doesn’t hold anyground with the Taliban. Anythingcan trigger a new spate of terror at-tacks, or it may be triggered for noapparent reason. Mind boggling!
Osama’s killing had been instru-mental in unleashing the Talibanwrath upon Pakistan as their lead-ers were found vowing to avengethe loss they had suffered. Althoughthe Pakistani forces had no hand inkilling Osama, not because it didn’twant to, but because they werenever taken into confidence bytheir allies, per se. But at least thebest part was that the Pakistanisand their expert speakers on theissue knew why they were being hitby the enemy.
This time round however, theincrease in terror attacks cannot beattributed to any such prior actionby the Pakistani government or thesecurity forces. The enigmadoubles in its import as the issuesof origin of the terrorist’ in thePeshawar airport attack is con-cerned. The Pakistani analysts arebusy analyzing the dynamics tobring some sense to the entireevent. The pieces of the puzzle donot fit as the scheme of events de-viate from the primary conceptualframework that underlines all pre-vious terrorist assaults, thus theentire security scenario needs to beanalyzed according to the rapidlychanging and expanding networkof terrorism where everyone is theenemy now. In this backdrop, theplatter of national interest needsnot be offered to anyone but to bekept safe from scavengers.
military oligarchy. (The US consti-tution allows for the deployment ofNational Guard units by governors,who are answerable to the people; butthis system is intended to prevent themilitary from taking action aimed atUS citizens domestically.)
The air force document explainsthat the air force will be overseeingthe deployment of its own militarysurveillance drones within the bor-ders of the US; that it may keep videoand other data it collects with thesedrones for 90 days without a warrantand will then, retroactively, determineif the material can be retained whichdoes away for good with the fourthamendment in these cases. While thedrones are not supposed to specifi-cally “conduct non-consensual sur-veillance on specifically identifiedUS persons”, according to the docu-ment, the wording allows for domes-tic military surveillance of non-”spe-cifically identified” people (that is, a
sage of 65 years Indian politicalleaders and elites have not given upthe hope of undoing Pakistan andBangladesh and establishing mythi-cal Akhand Bharat. Pakistan hasbeen deviously embroiled in the fu-tile war on terror imposed by USAwhich is eating into its vitals. TheUS which is continuously preach-ing that India poses no threat to Pa-kistan has also not given any guar-antee. Even if it gives a guarantee,it will have little value since it didn’thonor its 1959 agreement in 1971.
Given the hostile track recordof India, bulk of strike formationspoised against Pakistan, its Pakistanspecific Cold Start doctrine, its re-fusal to resolve longstanding dis-putes of Kashmir, Siachen and SirCreek, its resort to water terrorismto dry up Pakistan, its heavy in-volvement in FATA andBalochistan, its efforts to isolate andstrategically encircle Pakistan andmake it a failed state, it will be ut-terly foolish to suggest downgrad-ing our defensive effort. Willfulmisperceptions by a handful of mis-guided politicians, journalists andpseudo intellectuals about defencebudget to misguide the people andto defame and undermine the Armymust end. Its huge sacrifices underextremely adverse conditions mustbe acknowledged and lauded.—The writer is a freelance colum-nist and a defence analyst.
group of activists or protesters) andit comes with the important caveat,also seemingly wholly unconstitu-tional, that it may not target indi-viduals “unless expressly approvedby the secretary of defence”.“I don’t think it’s crazy to worryabout weaponised drones. There isa real consensus that has emergedagainst allowing weaponised dronesdomestically. The International As-sociation of Chiefs of Police has rec-ommended against it,” warns JayStanley, senior policy analyst at theAmerican Civil Liberties Union(ACLU), noting that there is alreadypolitical pressure in favour ofweaponisation: “At the same time,it is inevitable that we will see pres-sure to allow weaponised drones.The way that it will unfold is prob-ably this: Somebody will want toput a relatively ‘soft’ non-lethalweapon on a drone for crowd con-trol.— Guardian News
Naomi Wolf
Hey Santa! “Ho! Ho! Ho!”“Hey Santa, it’s Christmastoday!” “Ho! Ho! I know! I
know!” “So what are you doing,jumping around and saying yoursilly ho, ho, ho!”
“Well the people love me say-ing ho, ho, ho!” “But do the peopleknow that you have nothing to dowith Christmas?” “Sssshhh man,what’s wrong with you, “said Santalooking at me suspiciously, “Look
at all those shops, those malls, thosedepartment stores, those crowds allwanting their children to sit on mylap!” “And buy gifts!”
“Yeah man they need me to sell,don’t go around spoiling the fun!”“No Santa, no, I won’t spoil your funon your birthday, but you seem to bespoiling the meaning of somebodyelse’s birthday!” “Man, like I said,ssshhh! What’s with you? You a com-munist or something?”
“Santa look me straight in the eyeand tell me whose birthday it is?” “Ohman come on, you know it’s the birth-day of a babe born in a manger, butlisten that’s all changed, now it’sabout me! Ho! Ho! Ho!” “Would youlike somebody else taking over the
celebration of your birthday?”“Now there you go again!”
“Would you like somebody else tak-ing those kids on your lap on yourbirthday, when it was a Jesus who firstsat children on his own lap andwarned the people that they shouldnever harm a hair on the heads ofthese children!”
“I know, I know!” “And don’tyou think that message is relevant to-day, with girls in our country feelingvulnerable, unsure and unsafe?” “Yougot something there alright!”
“Yes, Santa move over will youand let’s celebrate the birthday of theOne who’s birthday it is today! OfJesus who came down to change thehearts of men, who said that even if
Happy Birthday Jesus..!you look at a woman with lust inyour eyes you have committedadultery and that adultery couldmean rape Santa!”
Santa moved over from his seatat the mall, “I’m going!” he said ashe got up and trudged back to thenorth pole, or south pole or fromwherever some story teller had cre-ated him from. And in his place Isaw a manger, and in the manger ayoung virgin woman held her new-born baby. “Happy BirthdayJesus!” I said, “Let your messageof purity and cleansing be heard byall today. We nee d you more thanever. Happy Birthday dear Christchild..!”—Email: [email protected]
ensuring that all economic and po-litical actors have some skin in thegame. I must say that entire tenure ofthe current government and its alli-ance was allegedly involved in loot-ing of the country’s treasure and re-sources. There is also one of the big-gest policy mistake of the past decaderesulting from centralized decisionmaking. The Afghan War, its tragicoutcomes resulted in casualties inthousands, deeper terrorism, deficitbudget, additional enhancement andmobilization for the security. If weseriously want our economy not tobe merely resilient, but to flourish,so the binding and anti-fragile mea-sures ought to be reconsidered. Sincewe cannot stop making mistakes andprediction errors, let us make suretheir impact is limited and localized,and can in the long term help ensureour prosperity and growth.—Karachi
Ah! BashirAhmed Bilore
ALI ASHRAF KHAN
The most recent act of terrorismsnatched ANP Leader Bashir AhmedBilore, Senior Minister KPKalongwith 8 people, injuring over 2dozen in a congested street of QisaKhani Bazar. To my utter surprisemoments later the news flashed onelectronic media that blame for attackhas been owned by Tehrik-e-TalibanPakistan while there was still conflict-ing news spread on media till latenight that attack was when he arrivedfor a meeting or when he was leav-ing after the meeting?
It is a known fact that LateBashir Bilore was a strong and stead-fast campaigner against terrorist actsand its ill-effects on our society; weare all facing this problem becauseof mediocrity in governance andadopting US proxy war as ours. Wemust understand that this is the re-sult of George W. Bush decision tolaunch Pre-Emptive attacks in andaround Afghanistan, which has notspared the safety and security of USanymore and President Obama hasnot changed their stance. Their ill-conceived agenda in Iraq, Afghani-stan and Middle East has startedyielding disastrous effects on theWest. US support for subversion todislodge Ghaddafi & Basharul Asadwith Al-Qaeda support will claim itstoll from West.
Coming back to unfortunate lossof Bashir Bilore, who was a popularand active leader, reaching out in needof people of Peshawar, on the sceneof every blast with his helping handsor even on sighting of Eid moon con-troversy in KPK, he was there to re-spect the will of the people. We alsoremember that Haji Ghulam AhmedBilore, a Federal Minister had an-nounced Hundred Thousand dollarsas Head Money to a killer of Ameri-can Blasphemer a few months ago,whom President Obama had nottouched inspite of our Parliamentaryresolution under the freedom of ex-pression available to blasphemer inUS. So I still doubt if the killing ofBashir Bilore can easily be leveledagainst Taliban? We have to holdgenuine dialogue to build consensuson vital issues within religious andpolitical forces to dig out the hiddenhand involved in destabilizing thefoundations of Federation of Paki-stan. Blame game against TTP is anagenda of West, who are actively pa-tronizing Al-Qaeda in Syria and fac-ing its brunt in Libya & Yemen. Weall are with the family of victims ofthis tragedy and pray for the eternalrest for the departed souls.—Karachi
THE foreign-policy Christmas gift of theyear may have been given by the president of the United States and Secretaryof State Hillary Clinton to the new nomi-
nee for Clinton’s job, Sen. John Kerry. The gift isnot, however, Secretary Clinton’s seventh-floor of-fice at State Department headquarters in Foggy Bot-tom. It is instead related to what could actually some-day be seen as the administration’s most importantinternational affairs legacy and Clinton’s greatestcontribution as secretary of state: the restoration ofdiplomacy to its proper place in U.S. internationalpolicy. Over the past two decades, the role of theState Department has diminished. In part, this isbecause the White House has assumed a more cen-tral role in making policy. In part, this is because ina one-superpower world, we stopped thinking weneeded to ask permission or gain support to takeaction internationally. In part, this is because of theelevation of the defense and intelligence communi-ties in the so-called War on Terror. And in part, it isbecause the role of ambassadors and embassies hasbeen marginalized due to new communications tech-nologies and the ability (and inclination) of worldleaders to go around lower-level functionaries atState and right to their bosses.
But a number of factors have produced whatmight be seen as a surprising reversal. Why sur-prising? Because the changes have come during anadministration in which the White House has ac-tively controlled policy formation (so give the presi-dent and his advisors credit for recognizing the needfor the renaissance of diplomacy), while the tech-nological trends mentioned above have only con-tinued to reduce the role played by most ambassa-dors. First, the president came into office with anopenness to engagement that set the stage. Say whatyou will about Obama: He has at least resisted theunconstructive view that speaking to our enemieswas a sign of weakness. Next, America’s domesticeconomic problems, our wounds from Iraq and Af-ghanistan, and our consequent reluctance to get in-volved in major military operations overseas andthe rise of other powers has made it increasinglyimportant to be able to assemble coalitions to getanything done.
It was Clinton who played the vital role of seiz-ing the moment and effectively putting diplomacyin action. Whether it was fashioning a next-genera-tion coalition around the intervention in Libya,working to bring pressure on Iran with unprec-edented sanctions, helping herd the cats of the in-ternational community into some action in Syria,
America rediscovers diplomacythe vital bilateral and multilateral groundworkthat made the “pivot” to Asia a reality, or therenewed efforts to work effectively through
the U.N. or other multilateral mechanisms, ac-tive diplomacy only grew more important overthe past four years. Some of these efforts
were clearly more effective than oth-ers. Some efforts — like those to advance cli-mate negotiations or the reset with Russia or effortsto stop the slaughter of Syrian innocents — werefrustratingly ineffective. Some — like the embraceof emerging powers, raising the profile of groups
like the Arctic Council, or the effort to negoti-ate a stop to Iran’s nuclear program — areclearly works in progress. But with troops be-
ing pulled out of Iraq and Afghanistan and nopublic appetite for future comparable interven-tions, it is clear that the during the next four
y e a r s ,America’s foreign policy will turn more cen-trally on the effectiveness of the diplomacyKerry leads than perhaps any comparable pe-riod since the end of the Cold War.
The centrality of diplomacy also creates the
possibility of a great legacy issue for Obama’sforeign policy. That issue was touched uponat the recent forum Foreign Policy conducted
with the State Department called “Transfor-mational Trends.” During the event, U.S. Na-tional Security Advisor Tom Donilon was fea-tured in a keynote conversation. Donilon isone of the key architects with Clinton of thisother, more important, pivot — the one awayfrom a unilateralist, force-based foreign policy toone in which diplomacy, alliances, and coalition-building is more central. In his candid, wide-rang-ing comments, Donilon focused on what he saw asAmerica’s unique national advantage. “We have,”he said, “the ability to work anywhere in the worldwith allies with whom we have shared threat as-sessment and established habits of cooperation.
This represents a deep investment in an assetnone of our peers and none of our competitors have.It’s a huge plus for the United States and one thatwe can never take for granted and must work onconstantly.”
He went on to say, “As a strategic matter, un-derstanding the importance of our alliances, the re-newal of our alliances has been a top priority. Peoplewill give their own grades to this. But I think it’sfair to say that both in Europe and in Asia, our alli-ances are in quite good shape after a tremendousamount of effort.” It is hard but important to re-member how damaged America’s alliances were inthe wake of the invasion of Iraq. But this adminis-tration came in and made restoring those alliances atop priority. The strategic rebalancing to Asia deep-ened existing ties from Korea to Japan to SoutheastAsia to India. Developing new levels of coopera-tion with regional powers like Turkey and the mod-erate Arab states, whether in dealing with Syria orLibya or other regional issues, has been anotherimportant dimension of this overall initiative.
Much work remains to be done. Indeed, onecould see a second Obama term making significantprogress by building on this focus on alliances anddiplomacy as the centerpiece of its foreign policy.
This is a way to leverage constrained assetsand to reduce risk by deepening friendshipsand cooperation rather than through enhanc-ing our ability to intimidate or impose our will.Areas of special opportunity should include:tightening ties with our European allies, pos-sibly through seriously consider a U.S.-EUFree Trade Agreement and a similar initiativewith our friends in Japan (in both cases, thekey will be agricultural subsidies reform, agrowing possibility given the fiscal condition ofall the participants — something that will createreal goodwill and further possibilities for coopera-tion with emerging powers like Brazil), deepeningties with India, potentially the emerging power withwhom the United States might have the closest andmost important ties, strengthening NAFTA giventhe economic vitality and shared interests associ-ated with the North American resource boom, andseeking institutional reforms in vital multilateralmechanisms such as the NPT, WTO, U.N. Secu-rity Council (supporting Brazilian permanent mem-bership in addition to that of India, Japan, and Ger-many could strengthen ties at a very low cost to theU.S.).
Finding ways to work even more effectivelywith vital partners in the Middle East like Turkeyand the moderate Arab states, deepening ties withpotential allies in Africa, and supporting our tieswith key powers in Asia through moving aheadwith Trans-Pacific Partnership and similar regionaltrade agreements would all augment this effort.Finally, realizing progress on the president’s grand-est of all initiatives, the one laid out in his Praguespeech about moving toward the ultimate elimina-tion of nuclear weapons, would be a dramatic tri-umph of diplomacy, as would brokering a much-needed deal that would bring into secure existencean independent, viable Palestine that recognizesIsrael as its neighbor. Not all of these goals will beachieved. But the reality is that all of them are pos-sibilities and that they are being discussed.
That is a tribute to some of the subtler and morepositive changes made in U.S. policy over the pastfour years. It is also a recognition that such agree-ments are actually in the interests of all involved.We are, after all, at a moment in which all theworld’s major powers face great challenges at homeand none, including the United States, can affordcostly or unilateral ventures elsewhere in the world.It is a time ripe for progress in diplomacy. And wehave an administration with a proven commitmentto exploring avenues for diplomatic progress thatalso recognizes that neither America’s strength norour security can be assessed in the number of ourdivisions or carrier battle groups, but rather in thenumber of countries that view us as a friend.
—Courtesy FP
JOHN ARQUILLA
SURPRISINGLY humane moments in combat and why theymatter. Armed conflict is unquestionably one of mankind’s worst
innovations; but even the most terriblewars occasionally produce moments ofgrace. On this night 98 years ago, for ex-ample, nearly five months into the cata-clysm of World War I, many soldiers onboth sides put down their weapons. Theyserenaded each other with carols, met in
no man’s land to exchange simple gifts,and then on Christmas Day played soccertogether. This amity persisted over the fol-lowing days and weeks, with a kind of live-and-let-live philosophy emerging from the
trenches. It took quite a while for generalson both sides to tamp down such senti-ments and get back to the brutal businessof mounting costly, fruitless frontal assaultsthat massacred millions for little or noground gained. There were other signs ofdecency amid the slaughter. It was not atall uncommon for a fighter pilot to invitea vanquished foe who survived the crash
Can There Be War Without Hate?of his biplane on the victor’s side of thelines — to join him for dinner at his aero-drome. At sea, German surface raider cap-tains generally acted with considerable carefor the crews of the vessels they took; and,the sinking of the Lusitania and other darkincidents aside, U-boat skippers often tookthe risk of surfacing to stop their prey andallow the merchant seamen to get into theirlifeboats before sinking their vessels. TheRoyal Navy took advantage of this by cre-ating “Q-ships,” gunboats disguised astramp steamers — and lured more than a
few subs to their doom. The Great War inAfrica saw some chivalry as well. Paul vonLettow-Vorbeck, the German commanderin East Africa Tanzania today conducteda brilliant, frustrating guerrilla campaign
that massive Allied forces were never ableto quell. With only a few violent excep-tions, both sides retained their essential hu-manity in this most difficult theater of war.When Lettow, in the bush and almost com-pletely out of touch with his homeland, waspromoted to general for his exploits, Al-lied intelligence, in the know, made a pointof getting word to him. And at the end of
the war, once convinced that an armisticehad been reached, Lettow graciouslyopened his stores to the starving Britishsoldiers who had been chasing him. Butthen again, he was only flush for havingraided their supply depot. None of the fore-going diminishes the horror of war; butthese flashes of basic decency suggest thepossibility of fighting, when one must,without hate. It was a lesson all too oftenforgotten during World War II — althoughthat terrible conflict did produce anotherGerman general, Erwin Rommel, whoconducted his amazing campaigns withgreat care for the safety of civilians andprisoners. He also openly defied Hitler’sdirective to execute captured commandosand Jews. Winston Churchill even wentso far as to praise him in the House ofCommons: “We have a very daring andskillful opponent against us and, may I sayacross the havoc of war, a great general.”
One doesn’t hear this sort of commenttoday. But it is interesting to note that, overthe past decade of problematic field op-erations, the U.S. military has performedbest when it has found its inner Rommel.In Iraq some five years ago, this meantdiscarding “shock and awe,” or a too-heavy reliance on the added numbers ofthe surge, in favor of more conciliatorymeasures. It meant reaching out to the veryinsurgents who were planting IEDs andsniping at our troops. To our amazement,tens of thousands of enemy fighters turnedagainst al Qaeda in the aptly named“Awakening” movement. And an Iraq thatwas suffering a hundred civilian deaths aday soon saw this violence drop by 90percent — and stay down. My favoritevignette from this conflict comes from astudent of mine who was assigned themission of disrupting an al Qaeda cell
operating out of a small city in Anbar prov-ince. One night, “Major Todd” and his mencaptured a young Anbari, bringing him injust as dawn was breaking. The prisonerclearly expected to receive rough treat-ment. Instead, he was invited to sit downand have breakfast with Major Todd andhis interpreter.
—Courtesy Foreign Policy
JOHN S PARK
FOR YEARS the Iran factor inNorth Korea’s ballistic missileprogram has been hiding in theopen. North Korea’s successful
launch of a long-range missile has turned ahypothetical into an emerging reality. Re-cent U.S. intelligence estimates warned ofa North Korean missile capable of reachingthe shores of Alaska and Hawaii in a fewyears. Failed missile tests since 1998 hadinoculated many observers with the beliefthat North Korea’s long-range missile de-velopment program had more bark than bite.Pyongyang had been reportedly using mis-sile tests as a bargaining chip rather than aspart of a concerted effort to attain long-rangecapability. North Korea’s leap forward inmid-December, however, clearly demon-strates that the nascent Kim Jong-un regimeis on a credible path to further improving itslong-range missile capabilities.
How did Pyongyang pass the chroni-cally elusive threshold of completing a three-stage rocket test and placing a satellite inorbit? The Iran factor has been hiding in theopen: Cooperation between North Koreaand Iran has been a critical yet under ex-amined enabler of the recent success. Whatstarted as a transactional relationship, whereIran provided much-needed cash to NorthKorea in return for missile parts and tech-nology, has evolved into an increasingly ef-fective partnership. The time has come toview their previously independent ballisticmissile programs as two sides of the samecoin. Client Becomes Partner: Althoughsporadic cooperation between North Koreaand Iran on missile development has beenwell documented, analysts viewed this in-teraction largely through the lens of serialcommercial transactions. The conventionalwisdom was that cash-starved North Koreafound a lucrative client in Iran. As a result,analysts tended to view the two pariahs’long-range missile development programsas largely independent endeavors. However,North Korea’s sudden success on Decem-ber 12th was not the result of good fortunebut rather was the fruition of its increasinginstitutional cooperation with Iran. In Sep-tember 2012, North Korea and Iran signeda scientific and technological cooperationagreement. Largely dismissed as a propa-ganda ploy, it provided an organizationalframework to set up joint laboratories andexchange programs for scientific teams, as
But the reality is that all of them are possibilities and that they are being discussed. That is a tribute tosome of the subtler and more positive changes made in U.S. policy over the past four years. It is also a recogni-tion that such agreements are actually in the interests of all involved. We are, after all, at a moment in whichall the world’s major powers face great challenges at home and none, including the United States, can afford
costly or unilateral ventures elsewhere in the world.
The Iran Secret: ExplainingNorth Korea’s Rocket Success
well as to transfer technology in the fieldsof information technology, engineering, bio-
technology, renewable energy, and the en-vironment. In practice, the projects created
a cover for these regimes to weather U.S.-led sanctions related to missile-proliferationactivities. The new bilateral agreement thusappears to have formalized a recent mecha-nism through which both regimes had beenregularly procuring specialized components,as well as sharing technical data and exper-tise. When one side masters or acquires akey missile-related technology, the othernow institutionally benefits.
Further technical analysis is likely toshow that North Korea’s recent success wasrooted in Iran’s orbital launch of its Omidsatellite atop the Safir satellite carrier inFebruary 2009. This landmark event wasitself likely facilitated by Russian missile
cooperation with Iran in the 2005 period.Under the innocuous title of “civilian sci-
entific and technological cooperation,” the
North Korea–Iran agreement provides aconduit for Pyongyang to access earlierRussian inputs into the Iranian program. Ofparticular significance to North Korea isRussia’s proven long-range missile technol-ogy. The fact that North Korea’s rocket re-portedly used red fuming nitric acid as apropellant further underscores this possibil-ity.—[John S. Park is Stanton Nuclear Se-curity Junior Faculty Fellow in the Se-curity Studies Program at the Massa-chusetts Institute of Technology. Thisarticle originally appeared on thewebsite of The National Bureau of AsianResearch as an NBR Analysis Brief].
Sadly, the Awakening movement has been all but dismantled in the wake of our all-too-abrupt withdrawal from Iraq. And the amity that was beginning to weld the Iraqis
together in a kind of shared national purpose has faded away. Substantial American forceswill not be returning; so now the last, best hope for Iraq is that leaders of all ethnic groupsfigure out how to rekindle the spirit that can bring them together in pursuit of their com-
mon goals. Stay tuned to see whether they do.
PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
AMID stagnant multilateral trade talksunder the World Trade Organisation(WTO) but fast-moving bilateral and regional negotiations, Thailand is looking
at pursuing more free-trade pacts to ensure its com-petitiveness and level playing fields for Thai enter-prises. The government has been under pressure toconsider three major pacts: the US-led Trans-PacificPartnership, a Thailand-European Union FTA, anda comprehensive Thailand-India FTA. Many enter-prises and academics support pushing ahead withtalks, claiming that market liberalisation will facili-tate trade and investment amid a global economicdownturn.
Others, however, have warned against rushinginto joining these pacts for fear of losing competi-tiveness with developed nations. The Nation has re-viewed the pros and cons of these potential FTAs aswell as summing up the results of past trade agree-ments. Should Thailand join every trade pact to grasp
The pros and cons of far-reaching trade agreementsthe benefits of liberalisation amid the stalling of mul-tilateral talks? Or should we slowly study the pos-sible impacts of such agreements, such as emphasison intellectual property (IP) rights and liberalisationof trade in services and investment? Should we con-sider extending the negotiation periods to ensure thereadiness of Thai enterprises to compete?
Trans-Pacific partnership: Many Thai enterprises
want the country to join the US-initialised TPP. Thepact so far involves nine countries: the United States,New Zealand, Singapore, Chile, Brunei, Australia,Peru, Vietnam and Malaysia. Japan, Mexico andCanada have also shown high interest in joining theagreement. Notably, the US is Thailand’s third-larg-
est trading partner, accounting for 10 per cent of totalexport value. Thai enterprises involved in foods, toys,electronics, garments, sugar, jewellery and ornaments,and footwear support joining the TPP.
Exporters share similar views, saying the agree-ment would entail tariff cuts and lowering of non-tariff barriers to services and trade. Thai exports arefacing difficulties amid the slowing economic growth
of the US. Nevertheless, trade experts have warnedthat Thailand should think twice about rushing intothe TPP, which could be a bid to get around WTOrules that currently protect developing nations. Forinstance, Supachai Panitchpakdi, secretary-general ofthe United Nations Conference on Trade and Devel-
opment (Unctad), warned that the TPP would includemany requirements and standards imposed by theUnited States, such as labour rights, that developingcountries including Thailand and Vietnam would findit difficult to commit to. The US could also forcegovernments to privatise state-owned companies inexchange for market access.
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have
also expressed strong concerns on the issue of IP pro-tection, since the US would want to impose its ownstandards, including on drug patents. Although tradewith the US is important and many Thai exportersrely on that market, it seems the country will play aless critical role due to its slowing growth and the
emerging of Asian economies. Thailand should care-fully study whether to join the TPP and concentrateon the current regional integration with other Asiacountries under Asean+3 and +6, the so-called Re-gional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP), because it will certainly help promote thegrowth of Thailand’s trade during the rising of Asia.Thailand-EU FTA: Thailand should also carefullyconsider whether to start negotiating a free-tradeagreement with the European Union, as the two par-ties have different standards on many trade-relatedissues including protection of intellectual propertyand drug patents.
Will it be worthwhile for Thailand to participatein overall market liberalisation in exchange for a cutin export privileges to the EU market? Inevitably,Thailand will definitely lose benefits under theGeneralised System of Preferences of the EU. How-ever, according to a Commerce Ministry report, tradeunder the GSP to the EU accounts for only 2-3 percent of the total exports from Thailand.
—Courtesy: Thailand Nation
Economic experts warn that the euro crisis could expand across the whole European continent. Thailandand the other Asean countries, therefore, should strengthen cooperation among themselves and get rid off non-
tariff barriers to promote trade and regional economic growth. Asean and six leading Asian economies re-cently announced the official establishment of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which will
be the biggest free-trade market on the globe.
For Iran, North Korea was a vital supplier of conven-tional arms during the Iran-Iraq War. For North Korea,Iran has been a long-standing linchpin in Pyongyang’s
vitally important procurement activities in the Middle Eastand Eastern Europe a role that China is now increasinglyplaying as a result of more foreign companies setting up
production facilities targeting the growing Chinese market.
10 day-long programmes to cel-ebrate the Quaid’s 136th birth-day.
Talking about the role of Dr.A.Q. Khan in the developmentof Pakistan’s nuclear and mis-sile programmes, Mr. ZahidMalik distributed copies of afour-page letter written to himby the then President of Paki-stan Mr. Ghulam Ishaq Khanwho, having been closely asso-ciated with the nuclear project,clearly stated that it was Dr.Khan and Dr. Khan only whocrowned these most sensitiveand complicated projects of Pa-kistan. He felt sorry that a part
Zahid Malik urges Dr A Q Khan tohelp promote education in Pakistan
From Page 1
for promotion of democracy.Earlier a meeting of the ANP
Consultative committee chairedby Asfandyar Wali Khan, whichstated that we appeal to all po-litical parties to take a clear standon this issue. If the experience ofthe recent past is anything to goby, the terrorists will not forgiveany political or religious party,even those who have literallyacted as supporters or apologistsof the terrorists. It will be an ex-ercise in futility to appease theterrorists.We are opposed thedrone strikes and have raised ourvoice against it however, we arealso opposed terrorists individualand networks from within thecountry and other country whohave carved sanctuaries on oursoil, it further said.
There are several groups ofthe militants, have no centralleader and we don’t know towhom we should initiate peacetalks as we in the past had suc-ceeded in dialogue with the mili-tants in Swat and Dir were work-ing under a leadership, however,he explained it that they would
Asfandyar for holdingtalks with militants
From Page 1
of the Pakistani media joined theforeign media’s mud-sluggingand character assassination driveof Dr. Khan in the middle of lastdecade.
Mr. Malik also comple-mented the wife of Dr. A.Q.Khan, Mrs. Hanny Khan, who,as he said, stood like a solid rockbehind him during the mostnerve-shattering and agonizingdays of the nuclear scientist.
Mr. Malik said that he wouldnot like to comment upon thedecision of Dr. Khan to launch apolitical party but would suggestthat as he was the third most re-vered personality of Pakistan af-
ter Allama Iqbal and Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnahand as all segments of societyheld him in the highest esteem,therefore, he may contribute tothe “Taleem Network of Paki-stan”, an ambitious programmeof the Council, which aims at in-spiring the well-to-do Pakistanisto sponsor the education of aschool-less child and the NPCtarget was one lakh children dur-ing the year 2013. The country-wide programme will be for-mally launched soon, he said.“Dr. Khan should lay down a newpitch for yet another glorious in-nings,” the NPC head suggested.
hold with those who acceptgovernment’s writ.
Responding queries aboutdrone attacks, he lamented thatsome people raised voice thatonly innocent tribal people werebeing targeted and is violation ofairspace, which is really condem-nable but I asked those who areagainst drone attacks, why theyare silence over infiltration offoreigner militants on our soil andkilling innocent civilians in sui-cide attacks. The suicide bomber,he said “None of country in theworld can control individual actof crime and when a suicider in-tends to blow himself up, then,no one can stop him”.
“Pukhtuns in tribal regionand Khyber Pukhtunkhwa arebearing the brunt of terrorists’menace. Why the rest of thecountry not effectively joiningthis struggle, Is it only thestruggle of Pukhtuns who arebeing killed on both sides of theDurand Line,” the ANP leader-ship in the meeting asked ques-tion. Paying tribute to martyredANP leader and Senior Minister
of the province Bashir AhmadBilaur, history is witnessed thesacrifices of ANP since the veryinception and is ready to rendermore sacrifice for sake of thecountry and Pukhtuns.
When asked about upcominggeneral elections, the ANP chiefsaid there would be dire conse-quences, if the elections werepostponed, “Any delay in theforthcoming general elections istantamount to destruction of thecountry. Despite the ANP is thetarget, we don’t want postpone-ment the general elections.
Dispelling the rumours thatANP would not contest the elec-tions and would be out of politi-cal activities after incident of thesenior minister Bashir AhmadBilaur, he vowed to continue hisparty political activities and takepart in the elections.
Asfandyar Wali Khan an-nounced appointment of elderson of late Bashir Ahmad Bilaur,Haroon Ahmad Bilaur as advi-sor to Chief Minister KhyberPukhtunkhwa Ameer HaiderKhan Hoti.
well-deserved and recognitionof his devotion, dedication andoutstanding contributions for thecause of public service.
The president also congratu-lated MQM chief Altaf Hussainon the occasion.
“Dr. Ishrat-Ul- Ebad Khan,was appointed as the youngestgovernor of Sindh province onDecember 27, 2002, has becomethe longest serving Governor inthe country,” said the citationread on the occasion.
It said Dr. Ebad made sig-nificant contributions in the di-verse sectors, such as foreigninvestment, infrastructure devel-opment, law & order, education,interfaith harmony and reliefactivities. During his tenure amassive infrastructure, in termsof networks of roads, flyovers,bridges, underpassess, watersupply schemes, public transportsystem, public housing and sup-port facilities were built.
Sindh witnessed phenomenalinfrastructural growth during hisGovenorship. The developmentof “Bagh-e-Ibne Qasim” park isa case in point. He made qualita-tive development in the HigherEducation sector. Under Dr. Ebadmajor improvements in foreigninvestment were observed.
Trade and Industry wit-nessed accelerated growth andpublic private partnership inidentified areas flourished. Re-alizing the importance of energyfor growth of industry, he madestrenuous efforts in Oil and gasinvestment and exploration inthe Province.
Owing to his passion for thepromotion of art and culture, herevitalized institutions such as“Arts Council of Pakistan”, “theNational Academy of Perform-ing Arts (NAPA)” and Koocha-e-Saqafat. He also infused a newspirit in the Citizen Police Liai-son Committee (CPLC).
He was instrumental insteering legislation against so-cial evils such as “Karokari”. Heled from the front the release ofcrew members of two cargoships from the Somalian pirates.
Ebad awardedNishan-e-Imtiaz
From Page 1
Turganbek Stambekov, the statement said.
Without specifying furtherdetails, authorities said an inves-tigation was opened into thecrash. No cause was given, butsouthern Kazakhstan over recentweeks has been buffeted bywinds, heavy snows and lowtemperatures, causing wide-spread flight delays.
Stambekov was appointedacting head of the border servicein June, after a mass killing of14 frontier troops in a remoteKazakh outpost near China themonth before. VladislavChelakh, a 20-year-old con-script, was sentenced earlier thismonth to life in prison after be-ing found solely responsible forthe killings.
The border service has comeunder close scrutiny inKazakhstan since the killings,which many argued showed thelack of readiness and profession-alism among serving troops.Legislation approved Thursdayby the upper house of parliamentand supported by Stambekovwas designed to improve the pro-cess for selecting conscripts forthe service.
The Kazakh-Uzbek borderstretches 2,200 kilometers (1,350miles) of Central Asian steppesand deserts.—AP
of the Pakistan movement he ledto success. He referred to theheroic struggle of Father of theNation and supreme sacrificesby millions of Muslims of SouthAsia for the creation of Pakistan.He underlined the fact that Mr.Mohammad Ali Jinnah wanteda social welfare state in the nameof Pakistan which would havebeen a true Muslim polity. Helamented that present day Paki-stan was quite the opposite ofwhat the Quaid-i-Azam orAllama Iqbal had vsualised. Hestressed the need to follow theteachings of Father of the Na-tion so that Pakistan could be-come a country in accord withhis vision.
Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan alsobriefly reviewed the struggle heundertook to make Pakistan anuclear power. He had to facemany difficulties and hurdles inhis way but he remained deter-mined to make the country’sdefense impregnable by makingit a nuclear power.
Referring to to attempts bycertain elements to tarnish hisimage and create confusionabout his historic contribution,Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan wasmagnanimous to say that he
Dr A Q Khan pins hopeon elections for positive change
From Page 1
Kazakhstanmilitary plane
From Page 1
does not bother about any claimsor misrepresentation facts be-cause he can take all satisfactionfrom the great fact that Pakistanbecame a nuclear power.
NPC Chairman ZahidMalik expressed his profoundthanks to Dr. Abdul QadeerKhan for his lecture markingthe birth anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.He said there was no denyingthe fact that the real architectof Pakistan’s NuclearProgramme was none else butDr. Abdul Qadeer Khan. Hesaid the late Ghulam IshaqKhan had headed the nuclearprogramme of Pakistan in vari-ous capacities besides beingpresident of the country and heis on record to acknowledge thehistoric contribution made byDr. A. Q. Khan as the architectof the programme.
A brochure containing textof Ghulam Ishaq Khan’s letterto Zahid Malik was distributedamong the participants of thelecture. In his letter the latepresident paid glowing tributesto the Mohsin-i-Pakistan as thereal soul behind Pakistan’snuclear programme.
Zahid Malik Chairman NPC
said Dr. A. Q. Khan is fully ca-pable to make some more his-toric contribution towards mak-ing Pakistan a country in linewith the dreams of Father of theNation and Allama Iqbal. Heurged him to lay a new pitch andplay a new brilliant wicket. Hecan make a real difference byplaying his role in the presentcircumstances. He said the NPCis launching a nationwide edu-cational network to provide edu-cation to about one hundredthousand helpless children whoremain out of schools and askedMohsin-i-Pakistan to accept pa-tronage of the programme. Dr.A. Q. Khan accepted the offer.
Later Dr Abdul QadeerKhan cut a cake to celebratebirth anniversary of the Quaid-i-Azam, joined by Zahid Malikand Members of NPC.
A Sardar from BalochistanAbdul Sattar Baloch presentedhis turban to Dr. A. Q. Khan toexpress his sincere sentimentsfor the unique contribution madeby the great nuclear scientist tomaking Pakistan’s defence un-breakable.
A large number of youthsincluding students attended thefunction.
LAHORE: Santa Claus giving away Christmas gifts to children at Children’s Ward in Mayo Hospital on Christmas.
sparking rioting that left oneman dead and two others
arrested, he said in an interviewthat aired over DZBB radio.
“They (residents) startedgrabbing hoses from ourfirefighters, who could not doanything as they feared for theirown safety,” Laguna said.
Seven dead, thousands homeless in Manila firesFrom Page 1
A man was beaten up andlater died from his injuries in themelee as the blaze consumed theshantytown in the San Juan dis-trict, he added.
“They mistook him for afireman,” he said of the victim,adding two suspected rioterswere also arrested.
Laguna said residents wereapparently infuriated by the de-layed arrival of firefighters andtook it upon themselves to grabfirehoses to aim at their blazingshanties.
However he said the resi-dents were themselves to blame.
“Our firetrucks had diffi-culty entering the narrow streetsthat were blocked by parked carsand carts,” he said. “Ourfirefighters had to drag the hoses
into the alleys, where they wereattacked.”
The shantytown blaze leftsome 2,000 families homeless,he said, a figure that equates toat least 8,000 people.
An AFP photographer on thescene saw hundreds of homelesssurvivors huddled on the floorof two basketball courts nearby.
Laguna said the cause of theapartment blaze was under in-vestigation, though he addedelectrical circuits had probablyoverloaded from increased useduring Christmas Eve partiesacross the metropolis of 14 mil-lion people.—AFP
US Senator Crapoarrested, charged
ALEXANDRIA,Va—Idaho SenMichael Crapo was arrestedand charged with driving underthe influence in a Washington,D.C., suburb, authorities said.
Police in Alexandria, Va.,said that the three-term Repub-lican was pulled over after hisvehicle ran a red light. Policespokesman Jody Donaldsonsaid Crapo failed field sobrietytests and was arrested at about12:45 a.m. He was transportedto the Alexandria jail and re-leased on an unsecured $1,000bond at about 5 a.m.
“There was no refusal (totake blood alcohol tests), no ac-cident, no injuries,” Donaldsonsaid. “Just a traffic stop that re-sulted in a DUI.”
Police said Crapo, who wasalone in his vehicle, registereda blood alcohol level of .11 per-cent. The legal limit in Virginia,which has strict drunken driv-ing laws, is .08 percent.
The 61-year-old Crapo(KRAY’-poh) has a Jan. 4 courtdate.
“I am deeply sorry for theactions that resulted in this cir-cumstance,” Crapo said in a
statement. “I made a mistakefor which I apologize to myfamily, my Idaho constituentsand any others who have puttheir trust in me. I accept totalresponsibility and will dealwith whatever penalty comesmy way in this matter. I willalso undertake measures to en-sure that this circumstance isnever repeated.”
In Virginia, the driver’s li-cense of anyone who registersa blood alcohol level of .08 per-cent or higher is automaticallysuspended for seven days. Afirst-time conviction for DUIcarries a mandatory, minimum$250 fine and license revoca-tion for one year, according tothe state Department of MotorVehicles. A Crapo spokesmandeclined to comment on the cir-cumstances surrounding thesenator’s arrest.
Elected in 1998, Crapo isin his third U.S. Senate term;he served for six years in theU.S. House of Representativesbefore that. He was easily re-elected in 2010 with more than70 percent of the vote, andwon’t have to run again until
2016. In Congress, Crapo hasbuilt a reputation as a staunchsocial and fiscal conservative.It was expected he would takeover the top Republican spotnext year on the Senate Bank-ing Committee.
He also serves on theSenate’s budget and financepanels. Crapo was a memberof the so-called “Gang of Six”senators that worked in 2011toward a deficit-reduction dealthat was never adopted byCongress.
A Mormon who grew up inIdaho Falls, Idaho, Crapo wasnamed a bishop in the churchat age 31. He is an attorney whograduated from Brigham YoungUniversity and Harvard LawSchool. He has five childrenwith his wife, Susan, and threegrandchildren.
The Mormon church pro-hibits the use of alcohol, as wellas coffee, tea and other sub-stances. About one-quarter ofIdaho residents are Mormon.Crapo has told The AssociatedPress in past interviews that heabstains from drinking alco-hol.—AP
China may require real nameregistration for internet access
BEIJING—China may requireinternet users to register withtheir real names when signingup to network providers, statemedia said on Tuesday, extend-ing a policy already in forcewith microblogs in a bid to curbwhat officials call rumors andvulgarity. A law being dis-cussed this week would meanpeople would have to presenttheir government-issued iden-tity cards when signing con-tracts for fixed line and mobileinternet access, state-run news-papers said.
“The law should escort thedevelopment of the internet toprotect people’s interest,” Com-munist Party mouthpiece thePeople’s Daily said in a frontpage commentary, echoingsimilar calls carried in statemedia over the past week. Onlythat way can our internet behealthier, more cultured and
safer.” Many users say the re-strictions are clearly aimed atfurther muzzling the oftenscathing, raucous - and per-haps most significantly,anonymous - online chatter ina country where the Internetoffers a rare opportunity foropen debate.
It could also prevent peoplefrom exposing corruptiononline if they fear retributionfrom officials, said some users.
It was unclear how the ruleswould be different from exist-ing regulations as state mediahas provided only vague detailsand in practice customers havelong had to present identity pa-pers when signing contractswith internet providers.
Earlier this year, the gov-ernment began forcing users ofSina Corp’s wildly successfulWeibo microblogging platformto register their real names.
The government says sucha system is needed to preventpeople making malicious andanonymous accusations onlineand that many other countriesalready have such rules.
“It would also be the big-gest step backwards since1989,” wrote one indignantWeibo user, in apparent refer-ence to the 1989 pro-democ-racy protests bloodily sup-pressed by the army.
Chinese internet users havelong had to cope with extensivecensorship, especially over po-litically sensitive topics like hu-man rights, and popular foreignsites Facebook, Twitter andGoogle-owned YouTube areblocked. Despite periodic callsfor political reform, the rulingCommunist Party has shown nosign of loosening its grip onpower and brooks no dissent toits authority.—Reuters
According to the repaymentschedule agreed between Paki-stan and IMF, Pakistan will re-pay $7.6 billion to the IMF tillthe end of fiscal year 2014-15.The $11.3 billion SBAprogramme had expired on Sep-tember 30, 2011 and the last twotrenches of $3.7 billion could notpay to Pakistan by IMF follow-ing Islamabad’s failure to pursuekey reforms as well as the emer-gence of the revenue figures fi-asco.
Despite depressive economicsituation of the country, the gov-ernment had paid back totalamount of $2.52 billion to Inter-national Monetary Fund so farfrom foreign currency reservesheld by the State Bank of Paki-stan (SBP).
Pakistan had enter into a$11.3 billion programme in2008 with IMF and got disburse-ments of about $7.6 billion, butfailed to get the remaining $3.7billion due to slippages in per-formance criteria, leading to sus-pension of the programme inMay 2010 and was ended unsuc-cessfully on September30,2011.—Online
Gross officialreservesmay dipFrom Page 1
feast and pray. These arememorable moments that aresacred and blessed. Since earlydays, Christmas is celebratedculturally and religiously as amajor festival by the believersof Christianity.
The government made com-prehensive security arrange-ments and special deployment ofpolice was ensured at Churchesand public places.—NNI
Christianscelebrate
From Page 1
President Asif Ali Zardari,Chairman Pakistan People’sParty Bilawal Bhutto Zardari,Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul IbadKhan, Sindh Chief Minister SyedQaim Ali Shah along with theprovincial cabinet laid floralwreaths at the Mazar.
People from various walks oflife visited the mausoleum to payhomage to the Father of the Na-tion. A number of organisationsof the Founder of the Nation.
All commercial and businesscentres and government and pri-vate offices remained closed.
Mohammad Ali Jinnah wasborn on December 25, 1876 inKarachi. He got his early educa-tion in Karachi and at the age of16 went to England for furtherstudies.
It was due to his strugglethat despite opposition from theCongress and British govern-ment, Muslims of sub continentmanaged to get their ownhomeland on August 14, 1947.
The Quaid was also the firstgovernor general of Pakistan. Hismotto was Unity, Faith andDiscipline. Jinnah died onSeptember 11, 1948, just over ayear after Pakistan gainedindependence from the Britishrule. —NNI
Nation celebratesQuaid’s birthanniversary
From Page 1
“not the result of backdoor diplo-macy.” To a question, the Punjabgovernor said that leaders of theHouse and opposition leaders inNational and Provincial Assem-blies must concentrate for reach-ing consensus for induction ofcaretaker setup at federal and pro-vincial levels.
He expressed gratitude toPresident Asif Ali Zardari, PPPChairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari for appointing him asPunjab governor and assured thathis induction would bring posi-tive change. He also paid glow-ing tributes to ShaheedMohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
Answering another questionabout Bahawalpur and SouthPunjab province, he said the Na-tional and Punjab assemblies hadadopted resolutions while theCommission was doing neces-sary work. He expressed opti-mism that there will be imple-mentation of the resolution ofPunjab Assembly regarding res-toration of status of Bahawalpuras a province.
When asked whether hewould meet the PML-N Presi-
dent, he said he would see himafter meeting PPP ChairmanBilawal Bhutto Zardari, Presi-dent Asif Zardari, Prime Minis-ter Raja Pervaiz Ashraf andFaryal Talpur.He said he enjoys good relationsbased on respect with the PML-N leadership and expressed opti-mism that these would go for thebenefit of people.
To another query about pub-lic meeting of Prof Dr Tahir ulQadri and deadline given by himto the government, the governorsaid he had respect for Prof Qadribut advised him not to push hisfollowers into any test.Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmoodreplaced Sardar Latif Khosa whohad been appointed Punjab gov-ernor on January 13, 2011.
After the oath taking cer-emony, Makhdoom AhmedMahmood visited Mazar-e-Iqbaland shrine of religious saintHazrat Data Gunj Bukhsh.The governor reached Mazar-e-Iqbal and shrine of religious saintHazrat Data Gunj Bukhsh with-out any official protocol. He re-mained there and offered ‘fateha’
for the eternal peace of DrAllama Iqbal and Hazrat DataGunj Bukhsh.Online adds: Mahmood onTuesday underlined that hewould not take any salary or anyother benefits considering the fi-nancial crisis prevailing withinthe province.
“My first priority is to workfor the prosperity of the people,”he said.
“I will work for the democ-racy in the province,” the newlyappointed governor said addingthat the Punjab governmentshould focus on his recommen-dations and work for the forma-tion of the new interim setup inthe province. While expressinghis notions, the governor said hewould try his best to meet greatexpectations of the president,adding that he would also standby the Punjab government forgood governance.
Makhdoom AhmadMahmood said that welfare ofpublic is his top most priority andexpected that the Provincial Gov-ernment will cooperate with himin this regard.
Mahmood takes oath asPunjab Governor
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Hasan Isphahani Road, StadiumRoad, Guru Mandir and PatelPara, where miscreants resortedto arson. Unknown men alsotorched two cars near RizviaColony and Waterpump areas.
Meanwhile, three peoplewere killed by unknown gunmenin Orangi Town, while anotherwas was killed by gunshots inShah Faisal Colony’s Azeempuraarea. A man was also injured inthe firing incident in Azeempura.
Another man also fell victimto firing when he sustained gun-shot wounds in Landhi’s SharafiGoth area. Earlier on Tuesday, apolice officer’s son was gunneddown in Clifton’s Darakhshanarea. According to police sources,the incident was a result of per-sonal enmity
11 killedFrom Page 1
an accident which occurred inMuzaffergarh due to mist, kill-ing two men and hurting 40 oth-ers. According to police, the ac-cident took place as an overspeeding bus collided with a pas-senger coach coming from oppo-site side. As a result, two personswere killed on the spot whilemore than 40 sustained injuries.The injured passengers wereshifted to nearby hospital formedical treatment.
While on the other hand,Allama Iqbal International Air-port remained close at night andall the international and localflights were diverted to other cit-ies to avoid untoward incident.The airport staff directed thecommuters to get informationfrom civil aviation office abouttheir scheduled flights prior toreaching the airport. Themotorway M2 and M3, whichwas closed at Monday eveningowing of dense fog, reopenedagain for public traffic.
7 more dieFrom Page 1
Prosecutor killed inGuatemala along
with 6 othersGUATEMALA CITY—Guatemala’s attorney general dis-patched a special team Mondayto investigate the slaying of a fed-eral prosecutor and six otherpeople in an attack near the Mexi-can border.
Attorney General ClaudiaPaz y Paz said she was sendingprosecutors and investigators tothe area of northern Guatemalawhere Irma Yolanda Olivares,who worked in one of theprosecutor’s regional officers,was slain along with an officialworking for a government socialservice agency and five others onSunday night.—AP
LIAQAT TOOR
ISLAMABAD—Zahid Malik,Editor-in-Chief of PakistanObserver, while addressing abig congregation of the Chris-tian community at the FatimaChurch in F-8 Sector here onTuesday said encouragingsigns of tolerance and much-needed inter-faith harmony arequite visible in Pakistan.
Malik, who is also Chair-man of Nazriya Pakistan Coun-cil, Islamabad, said it was anannual feature of the membersof the Executive Committee ofthe Council to visit a Churchon the birthday of the ProphetJesus and convey a message ofgoodwill from the Muslimcommunity to its Christianbrothers and sisters on Christ-mas Day.
He explained that accord-ing to his analysis, Pakistanwas an extension of the Stateof Madinah, founded by theProphet Muhammad (PBUH),therefore, Pakistan would soonbecome a safe haven for all thedwellers in it. “In Madinah, fol-lowers of all religions werecitizens with equal rights andthey had unlimited freedom topractise their religions,” he
said, adding that it was for thefirst time in Pakistan that someUlema, particularly MaulanaTahir Ashrafi, came to the de-fence of Rimsha Masih, a resi-dent of Islamabadneighbourhood, who was ac-cused of blasphemy and that re-flected how a positive change ofthe mindset was emerging in Pa-kistan. He said that the non-Mus-lims too, in the perspective ofemerging culture of tolerance,should contribute towards a bet-ter and prosperous Pakistan.
Malik informed the audiencethat one of the major initiativesof Nazriya Pakistan Council wasto promote harmony among allthose who live within the bound-aries of Pakistan and in that con-text the Council is hosting a na-tional conference at Aiwan-i-Quaid, Islamabad on December29 which will be addressed byleaders of the Muslim, Christian,Hindu, Sikh and Parsi commu-nities and Sardar Attique AhmadKhan, former Prime Minister ofAzad Jammu and Kashmir, willdeliver a key-note address.
He said NPC will stand bymembers of Christian communityin hours of need.
Rev. Father Rahmat MichaelHakim responding to the good
gesture expressed by Zahid Malikand his colleagues thanked theNPC for joining with them on thishappiest day of their life. He as-sured that members of Christiancommunity will extend full co-operation to the NPC for devel-oping inter-faith harmony andpeace in Pakistan. Pakistan is ourcountry and both Muslims andChristians should work withunity for prosperity of Pakistan.
On the occasion, ZahidMalik gave one thousand rupeesto a Christian child-girl whom hedescribed as a true disciple of theProphet Jesus because of her deepinvolvement in listening to theproceedings of the Service.
The members of the NPCExecutive Committee who werepresent at the Church proceedingsincluded Mian MuhammedJaved, Dr. Basharat Jazbi, Dr.Naeem Ghani, Farrukh Khan andKanwar Muhammad Dilshad,Executive Secretary. Some fami-lies of the Muslim communityalso participated in the event.Gauhar Zahid Malik, ExecutiveEditor of Pakistan Observerwas also present on the occa-sion. Later, Zahid Malik andRev. Father Rahmat MichaelHakim along with members ofNPC cut the Christmas cake.
NEW DELHI—A 47-year-oldDelhi Police constable, who suf-fered serious injuries during vio-lent protests at India Gate onSunday, died on Tuesday afterbattling for life in a city hospi-tal. Subhash Chand Tomar wason ventilator since his admissionat Ram Manohar Lohia Hospi-tal on Sunday evening.
“With deep regret, we haveto inform you constable SubhashChand Tomar succumbed to hisinjuries at 6:40AM today,”Delhi Police CommissionerNeeraj Kumar said.
Tomar, a graduate in arts,hailed from Meerut in UttarPradesh.
Delhi gang-rapeCop killed, protests continued on Xmas holiday
He was posted in KarawalNagar area and was called formaintaining law and order atIndia Gate area during the pro-tests on Sunday over the gang-rape of a 23-year-old girl onDecember 16.
Tomar, who joined the po-lice in 1987, was found lyinginjured on Tilak Marg and wasrushed to the hospital.
As a mark of respect, theDelhi Police decided that allpersonnel will donate one day’ssalary to Tomar’s family.
Police had already arrestedeight persons, including an ac-tivist of Arvind Kejriwal-ledAam Aadmi Party, earlier and
charged them with attempt tomurder in connection with theinjuries caused to Tomar.
A senior police official saidmurder charges will be nowadded to the case.
Meanwhile, anti-rape pro-testers held agitations and ral-lies for women’s safety. Heavysecurity can’t deter them. Anddespite Tuesday being Christ-mas, hundreds joined themagain in their fight for justice to23-year-old gangrape victim.
The woman continues tofight for her life in SafdarjungHospital, her condition was re-ported to have deteriorated onMonday.—Online
Six killed overmarriage feudStaff ReporterSWABI—At least six personsincluding five women werekilled when unknown armedmen stormed a house here onTuesday. According to DPO,Rasheed Khan, armed assail-ants barged into a house locatedin Sarracheena area of Swabi,Yar Hussain police station ju-risdiction and opened indis-criminate fire at the residents.As a result of firing, six personsincluding a couple, their threedaughters and a grand daugh-ter were killed on the spot. Theattackers managed for escapefrom the scene after killing sixpeople. The bodies wereshifted to hospital for medico-legal-formalities.
Nisar Qasim joinsPML-QLAHORE—PML-N formerticket holder from PP-22Chakwal Pir Nisar Qasim hasjoined Pakistan Muslim Leaguealong with thousands of his col-leagues. He made the announce-ment when he called on Paki-stan Muslim League senior cen-tral leader and Deputy PrimeMinister Ch Parvaiz Elahi at hisresidence here Tuesday. He wasaccompanied by Sardar GhulamMehdi, Ch Muhammad Ali, ChGhulam Haider, Ch Qasim Ali,Ch Tanveer Ali advocate andseveral other local leaders. ChZaheeruddin Khan andMuhammad Basharat Raja werealso present on the occasion.While making the announce-ment, Pir Nisar Qasim expressedcomplete confidence in the lead-ership of Ch Shujat Hussain andCh Parvez Elahi.—NNI
Delimitation: Malikavoids commentsKARACHI—Federal interiorminister, Rehman Malik has re-fused to comment on delimita-tion of constituencies inKarachi, due to the issue beingsubjudice. Talking to media onTuesday after his visit to themausoleum of Quaid-e-AzamMuhammad Ali Jinnah for of-fering Fateha and laying flowerwreath the interior ministerpaid tributes to Jinnah forFounder’s struggle for Paki-stan. Rehman Malik pledgedgovernment’s strong resolve tomake Pakistan a welfare state,in tandem with the vision ofQuaid-e-Azam. He also paidhis tributes to (late) Z. A.Bhutto for providing the Nationwith a constitution, while “Benazir Bhutto sacrificed herlife for safeguarding the consti-tution”, he declared.
IHC judges’appointmentsummaryStaff ReporterISLAMABAD—Law Ministryhas sent summary on appoint-ment of two judges of IslamabadHigh Court (IHC) to Prime Min-ister for issuance of notificationin line with Supreme Court (SC)verdict. President Asif AliZardari under the advice of PrimeMinister will issue orders with re-gard to appointment of JusticeShaukat Aziz Siddiqui as perma-nent judge of IHC and extensionfor six months in the service ten-ure of Justice Anwar ul Haq. Ju-dicial Commission had recom-mended for induction of onejudge of IHC on permanent ba-sis and extension in service pe-riod of another judge of IHC.The SC had ordered for issuanceof notification on appointment ofthese two judges of IHC on De-cember 21 after hearing the presi-dential reference.
NPC joins Xmas celebrations
Pakistan will be an umbrella for all citizens: Zahid Malik
ISLAMABAD: Editor-in-Chief Pakistan Observer and Chairman NPC Zahid Malik addressing Christian community toexpress solidarity with them during the Christmas ceremony at Fatima Church on the occasion of Christmas in the capital.—PO photo by Sultan Bashir
ISLAMABAD—Former PrimeMinister Syed Yusuf RazaGilani has finally decided tofile review petition in SupremeCourt against his disqualifica-tion verdict.
The former PM had de-cided to file appeal plea seek-ing review of disqualificationdecision after consultationwith legal experts and partysenior leadership, media re-ports say.
Sources said PresidentAsif Ali Zardari was highlykeen to active participation byGilani in party election cam-paign particularly in SouthPunjab in upcoming general
elections. On the other handFaisal Chaudhry counsel forGilani was of the view that hisclient’s position stands highlyfortified following the dis-patch of letter to Swiss Au-thorities against President AsifAli Zardari and he with theconsent of Gilani would filepetition seeking review of SCJune 19 decision.
Faisal Chaudhry was ofopinion that the review peti-tion would be filed on themodel of the petition filed byNawaz Sharif in plane hijack-ing case.
Close sources said the mat-ter of filing review petition in
respect of Gilani would be pre-sented in PPP Executive Com-mittee meeting taking place inGarhi Khuda Bakhsh on De-cember, 27 for further discus-sion. Legal experts said everycitizen has right to file reviewpetition but it should have beenfiled within the 30 days of thepronouncement of decision.
There is likelihood thatGilani’s review petition is rejecteddue to lapse of period prescribedfor filing such application.
On the other hand a majorreference is available in this re-gard that Nawaz Sharif had filedthe review petition after 9years.—Online
Gilani to file review petitionagainst his disqualification
HAROONABAD—Minister forInformation and BroadcastingQamar Zaman Kaira has saidthere are no obstacles in the wayof holding of general electionson time.
Addressing a press confer-ence along with former SenatorZafar Iqbal at the residence ofdeputy opposition leader in thePunjab Assembly ShaukatMehmood Basra, Kaira said thatthere are no obstacles in the wayof holding of general electionson time. We are in consultationwith party allies and an an-nouncement regarding distribu-tion of party tickets would bemade soon.
The caretaker setup will bein place by March 16 after thedissolution of assemblies.
He emphatically stated thatonly the political parties, electedrepresentatives and the parlia-ment have the prerogative to
take decisions and not the mili-tary and judiciary.
While answering a questionregarding Tahir-ul-Qadri’s hugepublic gathering, he said that thePPP government would opposeunconstitutional steps taken byanyone.Qamar Zaman Kairasaid Pakistan People’s Party be-lieves in the politics of ideologyand not of any groups. Onlythose people who will be electedto power by the people willbring change.
Answering a query he ad-mitted that people of the SouthPunjab has a sense ofdeprivation.Recounting theachievements of the presentgovernment, the informationminister said we gave greater re-sources and autonomy to theprovinces. Balochistan has beengiven more resources to re-move their sense of depriva-tion.—Online
No snag in holdingpolls: Kaira
KABUL—The Wolesi Jirga —or lower house of parliament— passed a draft law barringAfghan diplomats in foreigncountries and their spousesfrom having dual nationality.Approved by the Wolesi Jirgathree months ago, the measurewas also passed by the upperhouse and was to the presidentfor signature. However, Karzaiordered its revision.
Under the law, only gradu-ates from faculties of law, po-litical science, journalism, lit-erature and economics couldserve as diplomats, said legis-lator Noor Akbari. He told theWolesi Jirga the 18 house com-missions discussed the issueon Sunday and supported thepresidential suggestion to al-low a graduate from any fac-
ulty to serve as diplomat. “We’ve accepted the
president’s proposal becausethe original draft, deprivingmany of their rights, was prob-lematic for the foreign minis-try as well,” another MP,Mohammad Daud Kalakanisaid.
The draft law banned dip-lomats and embassy/consulateworkers from dual nationality,Akbari said. At a meeting onSunday, the commissions de-cided wives of diplomatswould have only the national-ity of Afghanistan.
In a rare show of unanim-ity, all 126 legislators presentduring Monday’s sessionraised their green cards as asign of approval of theamended law.—NNI
No dual nationality forAfghan diplomats, wives
Sacking of 3,078PIA staffers decidedISLAMABAD—The governmenthas decided to sack more than3,000 employees of PakistanInternational Airlines (PIA), fi-nance ministry sources said.
According to the sources,the decision has been taken tofire 3,078 employees step bystep in five years. It said that Rs3.8 billion would be saved an-nually by sacking the employ-ees.
The sources said that thedecision is also taken not to re-employ retired staffers of PIA.
“It is a part of reform pro-cess and the sacked employeesof PIA would be given specialpackage.” The sources said.
It also said that the primeminister would give final ap-proval with regard to the firingof PIA staffers. —APP
Syrian rebels fullycapture townnear Turkey
BEIRUT— Syrian rebels fullycaptured a northern town nearthe Turkish border on Tuesdayafter weeks of siege andheavy fighting, activists said.
The takeover of Harem, atown of 20,000 in northernIdlib province, was the latestin a string of recent rebel suc-cesses that include the captureof wide areas along the bor-der with Turkey. Most ofthose areas have been innorthern Aleppo province,where anti-government forceshave captured at least threelarge military bases.
The Britain-based SyrianObservatory for HumanRights said the rebels capturedHarem in the early hours ofTuesday. —AP
Iran to conductnavy drill in
Hormuz soon DUBAI —Iran will begin sixdays of naval drills in the Straitof Hormuz at the end of thisweek, an Iranian naval com-mander said on Tuesday, an ex-ercise meant to showcase itsmilitary capabilities in what is avital oil and gas shipping route.
The “Velayat 91” drills willbe held from Friday to Wednes-day across an area of about 1million square kilometers in theStrait of Hormuz, the Gulf ofOman and northern parts of theIndian Ocean, said HabibollahSayyari, according to Iranianmedia. Iranian officials haveoften said that Iran could blockthe strait - through which 40 per-cent of the world’s sea-borne oilexports pass - if it came undermilitary attack over its disputednuclear program. —Reuters
KARACHI—President Asif AliZardari on Tuesday reiterated un-qualified support to the Palestin-ian cause till the achievement oftheir right to self-determination.
He was speaking at a cer-emony held at the GovernorHouse here to celebrate theachievement of the non-memberObserver State status given to thePalestine in the United Nations.
The Ambassador of the Pal-estine, Walid A. M. Abu Ali, whohad earlier presented his creden-tials to President Zardari, alsospoke on the occasion.
President Zardari said, “Itgives me great pleasure to cel-ebrate with you today the achieve-ment of the non-member Ob-server State status to Palestine inthe United Nations”.
He said that this was a his-toric occasion for the Muslimworld and more so for the Pales-
Zardari reiterates unqualifiedsupport to Palestinian cause
tinian people. “On behalf of thepeople of Pakistan and on my ownbehalf I wish to express my hearti-est congratulations to our Pales-tinian brothers on this greatachievement”, the President re-marked. He said he was pleasedthat Pakistan was one of the co-sponsors of the resolution adoptedby the United Nations General As-sembly last month. Presidentpointed out that Pakistan was alsoamong the original co-sponsors ofthe first resolutions on Palestineadopted by the United Nations.
“We are proud that we havealways stood by the people ofPalestine”, he added.
The President said “Todaywe also celebrate the birthday ofour founding father Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.”
It was indeed his struggle andleadership and sacrifices of thepeople that led to the creation of
Pakistan, he added. He alsopointed out that the exercise of thepeople’s right of self-determina-tion was the foundation of the stateof Pakistan. It was a lesson of his-tory that the right of people to self-determination cannot be denied.
“We have, therefore, alwayssupported the people of Pales-tine”, President Zardari said andadded,”We have also supportedour Kashmiri brethren, who havestruggled for decades to achievethe same right”. There may bechallenges but in the final analy-sis ‘right’ always prevails over the‘might’, he remarked and addedthat the UN membership of Pal-estine had once again vindicatedthis principle.
The President said that Paki-stan had always been guided bythe principles and that was why“we extended unqualified supportto the Palestinian people”.—APP
Afghanistan:Woman who killedAmerican is Iranian
KABUL—The policewoman whokilled an American contractor inKabul is a native Iranian whocame to Afghanistan and dis-played “unstable behavior” but noknown links to militants, an Inte-rior Ministry spokesman saidTuesday.
The policewoman, identifiedas Sgt. Nargas, shot 49-year-oldJoseph Griffin, of Mansfield,Georgia, on Monday, in the firstsuch shooting by a woman in aspate of insider attacks by Afghansagainst their foreign allies. Nargaswalked into a heavily-guardedcompound in the heart of Kabul,confronted Griffin and gunnedhim down with a single pistol bul-let.
The U.S-based security firmDynCorp International said on itswebsite that Griffin was a U.S. mili-tary veteran who earlier workedwith law enforcement agencies inthe United States. —AP
LAHORE: Chief Justice Lahore High Court Mr Justice Umar Atta Bandiyal administering the oath to Makhdoom AhmedMahmood as Governor of Punjab. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was also present.
ANYONE with a brother or sister can attest to the inevitability of conflicts during childhood, but frequent clashes may
take a toll.Squabbling over two topics in particular,
researchers say, may put adolescents at riskfor depressive symptoms and anxiety.
Psychologists at the Uni-versity of Missouri reachedthat conclusion after survey-ing 145 adolescent sibling pairsover the course of a year. Theresearchers quizzed the kids ontheir sibling relationships, andalso asked them to answerquestionnaires to measure theirself-esteem and symptoms ofdepression and anxiety. Theyfound that kids with high self-esteem at the beginning of thestudy typically had fewer con-flicts with their siblings oneyear later. But those who re-ported sibling conflict at thebeginning of the study weremuch more likely to developnew mood problems over thefollowing year.
“There are definitely as-pects that are going bothways,” says researcher Nicole Campione-Barr,an assistant professor of psychological sciencesat the University of Missouri, about the possi-bility that sibling conflict may contribute tofuture emotional changes, as well as the poten-tial that existing emotional changes may alsofuel more squabbles . “But we believe that thereare particular types of conflict that are settingkids up for problems,” she says.
In particular, Campione-Barr and her col-leagues have identified two common themesamong the sibling arguments that they studied.Kids who clash with their brothers and sistersabout “equality and fairness issues” (things likewho’s hogging the bathroom and whose turn it
is to do the dishes) appear to be at unusuallyhigh risk of depressed mood one year later.Conversely, arguing over “personal domainconflicts” (like borrowing items without ask-ing, or hanging around when the other sibling’sfriends are over) is associated with anxietysymptoms and lower self-esteem one year
later. The findings are publishedthis week in the journal ChildDevelopment.
Campione-Barr says theresults are somewhat surpris-ing since in previous research,experts had looked at siblingtrust and communication, butonly found an association be-tween the personal domainconflicts and reduced trust;there was no relationship withbetween trust and the fairnessand equality conflicts.
It’s not surprising thatconflicts over personal spacemay be particularly impactfulfor adolescents because they’re“going through the process ofestablishing an individual iden-tity, and establishing au-tonomy,” Campione-Barr says.
She believes that argu-ments and fighting over fairness, in contrast,may often hit one child in the sibling pairharder than the other, and that may be whatis bridging a link to depressive symptoms. Ifone sibling, for example, thinks he’s not get-ting his fair share of the family resources, orthat his parents are tougher on him and makehim do more chores than his brother or sisterdoes, those feelings of being treated unfairlymay potentially be more psychologicallydamaging than the arguments themselves.
“We think it has more to do with withkid’s interpretation of what’s going on […],where they stand within the family,” saysCampione-Barr.
Squabbling may lead to depressivesymptoms anxiety, among teens
ISLAMABAD: People passing through a street in slum area decorated in connection with Christmas.
RAWALPINDI: Firefighters trying to extinguish fire which erupted in a hotel at Faizabad.
ception.
CITY REPORTER
ISLAMABAD—The Christiancommunity Tuesday held spe-cial prayers to celebrate the holyfestival of Christmas with reli-gious zeal and enthusiasm.
Christmas is the annualcommemoration of the birth ofJesus Christ and a widely ob-served holiday celebrated onDecember 25 by millions aroundthe world.
Christian community mem-bers were seen exchange gifts andgreetings cards.”Christmas is thebirthday of Jesus Christ and thisday is celebrated world over withreligious fervor and gaiety,” saidDavid Chris, a Christian devo-tee. “This is a special day for allof us and we prayed for the wel-fare of humanity,” said Chris,who came to the church with hiswife.
Christmas trees were deco-rated with lights and colourfulballs in Christian colonies, out-
Christian communitycelebrates X-Mas with zeal
side shopping malls and along-side the important roads. Thetree is usually decked with dif-ferent ornaments includingbaubles, small jingling bellspainted gold or silver, stars ofdifferent shapes and sizes, pinecones, apples, candies, tinseland balloons made from glass,metal, wood and ceramic.
An angel and star is oftenplaced at the top of the tree rep-resenting the host of angels.
The Christian communityliving in Federal Capital has alsodecorated Christmas trees attheir homes and main placeswhile the Capital DevelopmentAuthority (CDA) has also deco-rated Christmas trees at differ-ent places in the capital.
In various cultures, theChristmas tree is traditionallybrought into the home and deco-rated with Christmas lights(originally candles), ornaments,garlands, tinsel, and candy canesduring the days around Christ-
mas. A seller said that people
mostly used colorful candles andelectric lights (fairy lights) todecorate their small sized treesas they are easily availablehere.Many people also decorateoutdoor trees with lights, headded.
Christian employees work-ing in the government depart-ments also enjoyed optionalholiday of December 26 that wasrecently approved for Christiancommunity.
Islamabad police has madeelaborate security arrangementsto enable the Christians to cel-ebrate the occasion with peaceof mind.
According to the policesource, more than 300 police-men were be deployed aroundchurches in Islamabad. Securityhas been tightened at entry andexit points of the capital andspecial checking has been or-dered for this special occasion.
Trekking, aburgeoning trend inyoung generation
ISLAMABAD—The ManagingDirector of Pakistan TourismDevelopment Corporation(PTDC) Mir Shahjahn Khetranon Monday said that there is noexaggeration if it is said that trek-king has become a burgeoningtrend in the young generation oftwin cities these days.
Talking to APP, he said itsliving example is Trail-3’s park-ing area that is always full ofhiking lovers vehicles in theevening.
“On weekends, people starttrekking from dawn to dusk ex-erting themselves for theirphysical fitness and pouring outtheir catharsis to get rid of theirroutine life” remarked him.
Margalla Hills, a lush greenmountainous terrain that en-hances the beauty of the capi-tal. Though there is a proper roadleading to Daman-e-Koh,Talhaar, Monal Restaurant, PirSohawa but in spite of all, na-ture loving people do like trek-king and enjoy the eye- catchingscenery and a bird’s eye view oftwin cities.
In fact, there are five trailsbut two of them ‘Trail 3 and 5’are having proper guiding boardsinstalled on the way going todifferent points like Monal Res-taurant and Murad Gali respec-tively.—APP
CDA plans to celebrateChristmas each year
ISLAMABAD—The Capital De-velopment Authority (CDA) isplanning to celebrate Christmasat official level each year.
This was stated by Chair-man CDA Syed Tahir Shahbazwhile addressing the first daycelebrations of two-day Christ-mas Festival organized byChristian Unity Forum in col-laboration with CDA to showsolidarity with the Christiancommunity and join them intheir annual festivity.
said the proposal in this regardwould be tabled before the CDABoard that will take any finaldecision.
He appreciated the Chris-tian community for their deepsense of patriotism and dedi-cated services for the progressand prosperity for the country.
He said that all the religionsbelieves in peace and brother-hood.
CDA Union General Secre-tary Ch. Yaseen, Member Plan-ning Syed Mustafien Kazmi,Member Admin Munir Ahmed
were also present. A large number of people
attended the first day celebra-tions of the two day ChristmasFestivals being celebrated atopen air theater at Shakarparian.
The festival comprising vari-ous events including musicalcontest, comic theater, musicalshow, painting and sports com-petitions will continue onWednesday also.
Religious leaders and theparticipants also prayed for theprogress and prosperity of thecountry on the occasion.—APP
CITY REPORTER
ISLAMABAD—Leading cul-tural institutions of twin cit-ies like Pakistan NationalCouncil of the Arts (PNCA)and Lok Virsa celebrated theyear 2012 with 200 culturalprogrammes to involve themasses in exploring the softexpressions of art as well aspromote cultural valuesamong the young generation.
The federal capital wasconsidered as a dull area interms of activities of visualand performing arts andboth of the leading organi-zations remained busy inbuilding the image of thecapital as cultural face of thecountry.
Leading institutions celebrated 2012with over 200 cultural programmes
“Cultural activities are away to portray soft image ofthe country across the world,as Pakistani nation has strongcultural values to eradicate ter-rorism and extremism, “ saidKhalid Javaid, Executive Di-rector, Lok Virsa.
Keeping in view, the Na-tional Institute of Folk andTraditional Heritage, Lok Virsaarranged over 100 programmesto promote cultural heritage ofthe country. Theseprogrammes included exhibi-tions, festivals, training work-shops, youth activities, musi-cal evenings and visits of thou-sands of students to HeritageMuseum under Lok Virsa’spopular theme, “HarnessingCulture towards Education”.
On the other hand, PNCAalso engaged general public incolorful activities through cul-tural shows, exhibitions of vi-sual art, musical evenings toacknowledge the life timeachievements of the artistes,drama and film festivals, cul-tural competitions, work-shops of unique arts, summerart classes and performing artshows for visiting dignitariesthroughout the year.
Besides these events, theNational Puppet Theater ofPNCA took the cultural val-ues to different rural areas ofthe country to create aware-ness among the rural massesabout the value of their cul-tural heritage. The talent huntshows continued throughout
the year to explore the hid-den talent of the young gen-eration in the field of sing-ing, dancing, acting andcompering.
Director GeneralPNCA, Tauqeer Nasir said,the PNCA serve the massesas an academy of various artforms where the people ofevery age can have informa-tive entertainment as well asget a taste of the skillsintrouced by the masters indifferent fields. “In the cir-cumstances of extremism andterrorism, the cultural and artactivities can play a role tonormalize the situation andcreate an ambiance which issoothing and relaxing forpeople of every age,” he said.
ISLAMABAD—Inspector Gen-eral of Police (IGP) IslamabadBani Amin Khan has directedall police officials to take fur-ther effective steps to controlcrime in the city and adopt aprofessional as well as respon-sible attitude to mitigate thesufferings of the people.
He stated this while ad-dressing a meeting held to re-view the crime situation in thecity and efforts of Islamabadpolice in ensuring foolproofsecurity arrangements. Themeeting was also attendedamong others by DIG (Head-quarters) Sultan Azam Temuri,SSP Islamabad Yaseen Farooq,all SPs, all Sub-Divisional Po-lice Officers, In-Charge ACLC,and CIA as well as StationHouse Officers.
The IGP ordered for strictpatrolling and vigilance to en-sure effective policing and spe-cial crackdown against the gam-bling dens and guest houses in-volved in immoral activities.
He ordered to ensure arrest
IGP directs to take effectivesteps for crime control
of proclaimed offenders andother criminals involved incrimes of heinous nature and arestill at large.
He also directed police of-ficials for strict monitoring ofthose ever faced imprisonmentin car lifting or involvement inother criminal activities.
Bani Amin Khan orderedall police officials especially in-vestigation officers to completeprobe on pending cases within14 days. He said that he wouldreview the overall performancein this regard himself on Janu-ary 15.
He categorically asked allpolice officials to focus on re-solving the public complaintsand take every possible step toprovide maximum relief to citi-zens. He said those police offi-cials responsible in delaying theregistration of cases and doingsluggish investigation wouldnot be spared and strict disci-plinary action would be takenagainst them.
Islamabad Police Chief said
that corrupt elements bringingbad name to the departmentwill not be spared and urged allpolice officials to serve human-ity. “Policing is a service ori-ented job and every police offi-cial must serve the humanitywith devotion,” he maintained.
The IGP directed the po-lice officials to improve ‘infor-mation and coordination sys-tem’ among various police wingsas well as police stations so asto effectively combat criminalelements.
He also directed all SDPOsand SHOs to ensure elaboratesecurity in their respective ju-risdictions on the eve of Christ-mas celebrations.
He also asked the officialsto be polite with their staff andbrief those deputed at the po-lice pickets to keep them alertto avoid any untoward incident.He also asked to take welfaresteps for policemen of lowcadre especially those perform-ing duties at police pickets dur-ing night.—APP
Re-balloting ofPark Enclave
CITY REPORTER
ISLAMABAD—The fate of‘Jewel of Islamabad’ yet hangsin balance as the Capital Devel-opment Authority is yet unde-cided whether to conduct re-bal-loting of plots to resolve the con-troversy of ‘fixed balloting’ tooblige favourites or not. “Still we are pondering variousoptions on re-balloting of ParkEnclave. However, the final de-cision will be made after con-sultation with the higher au-thorities,” said a senior CDAofficial.
On July 17 last, the CDAhad conducted the balloting ofaround 613 plots but it caughtcontroversy after media high-lighted anomalies in the process.
Consequently, the Na-tional Accountability Bureautook up the alleged irregulari-ties in the balloting process inwhich the influential peoplewere allotted plots on primelocations. ISLAMABAD: Pastor leading special rituals on the occasion of Christmas at Fatima Church.
Close circuitcameras at all
shopping centresISLAMABAD—Decision hasbeen taken to install close cir-cuit cameras in all shopping cen-tres federal capital to monitorcriminal activities and curb thestreet crimes.
Control rooms will also bebuilt to monitor the incidents ofcrime, purse snatching and mo-bile snatching etc. District man-agement has contacted the trad-ers’ community to address thesnags on the way to installationof cameras.
Sources said in the firstphase of this consultation pro-cess, deputy commissionerIslamabad has called the tradersof super market in his office onWednesday.—Online
Three injuredin fire outbreak
at hotelRAWALPINDI—In separatemishaps here on Tuesday, a ho-tel and a foam godown caughtfire and goods worth millions ofrupees were burnt to ashes.
According to Rescue 1122,in first incident, a fire broke outat the basement of a hotel inShamsabad area and immedi-ately engulfed the building whileonly three persons including twowomen received minor injurieswho were shifted to hospital.The fire was later controlled.In another incident, a foamgodown in Kolla center, Saddararea caught fire due to short cir-cuit at 09.58 am and after hecticefforts, the fire was brought un-der control at 1.25 pm.—APP
ISLAMABAD: Girls singing national song during a colourful programme in connec-tion with the Quaid-i-Azam Day celebrations at National Arts Gallery.
ISLAMABAD: Job seekers from different cities of the country, holding placards duringa demonstration in support of their demands outside National Press Club.
ISLAMABAD: IGP Islamabad Bani Amin Khan addressing a meeting held to review theperformance of all police stations and to enhance security measures in Federal Capital.DIG Headquarters Sultan Azam Temuri and SSP Islamabad Yaseen Farooq also presenton the occasion.
RAWALPINDI: Winners of national songs competition pose for a group photo with Member National Assembly TahiraAurangzeb.
RAWALPINDI—15 butcherswere issued challan chits bysuperintendent muttonslaughter house Dhoke RattaAmral for selling unhygienicmeat.
According to details, thesuperintendent SlaughterHouse, Dr. Azmat UllahChaudhary along with thestaff concerned on the spe-cial directives of District Co-ordination Officer (DCO)Rawalpindi, Saqib Zafar vis-ited various butcher shops tocheck quality of meat andchallaned 15 butchers. Thechallans have been sent tojudicial magistrateRawalpindi.
The superintendent alsoissued warning that thosefound involved in slaughter-
ing animals in houses andshops, sale of unhealthy andunhygienic meat would bedealt in accordance with thelaw.
He said the campaign inthis regard would continueand strict action would betaken against the violators.
Dr. Azmat UllahChaudhary said that the citi-zens should be supplied onlyhygienic meat.
FIRs in this connectionwould also be registered inthe respective police station,he added. It is pertinent tomention here that the sale ofunhealthy meat is on the risein the city and now on thecitizens demand, action isbeing taken against the vio-lators of the rules.—APP
15 butchers challaned forselling unhygienic meat
Showcausenotices issued to
43 traffic wardensRAWALPINDI—City TrafficPolice (CTP) Rawalpindi hasissued show-cause notices to43 traffic wardens as they werenot performing their dutiesefficiently. Deputy Superin-tendent Police (DSP) Head-quarters, CTP, ChaudharyYousaf Ali Shahid informedthat negligence on part of traf-fic police officials would notbe tolerated and action in ac-cordance with the law wouldbe taken in this connection.
The Traffic Wardens whowere served show-cause no-tices included Naveed Ahmed,Ghulam Shabir, Amjid Ali,Abdul Waheed, Asad Naeem,Wasiq Iqbal, Arif Mahmood,Shahzad Nazeer, MohsinKhan and others.
The DSP said all the traf-fic wardens have also beendirected to work with dedi-cation and commitment andensure the traffic flow on cityroads so that traffic mess par-ticularly on congested roadscould be averted and the citi-zens could be provided re-lief.—APP
CITY REPORTER
ISLAMABAD—Diplomats canplay vital role for promotingPakistan’s tourist destina-tions in their respectivecountries.
This was stated byManaging Director PakistanTourism Development Cor-poration Mir ShahjahanKhetran here on the occa-sion of reception hosted byPTDC in honour of diplomats.
He said that UNWTOhas launched a new cam-paign on 13th Decembertitled “One Billion Tourists -One billion opportunities”.
Pakistan has also joinedthis campaign by collectingcomments and remarks oftourists for improvement intourism sector who shall visitour Tourist Information Cen-tres, Hotels and Motels.
He appraised the audi-ence that Pakistan has a va-riety of products to offer tovisitors from the all over theworld. Mountains, whitewater sports, hiking areas inPakistan are ideal for adven-ture tourists, valleys,deserts, beaches for nature
Diplomats can play rolefor promoting tourism
lovers, Buddhist heritagesites of Gandhara, Sikh sa-cred shrines, Hindu holytemples, Indus valley civili-zation sites are best-suitedfor pilgrims, scholars andstudents.
Pakistan’s Himalayan hillstations of Murree, Bhurban,Patriata, Ayubia andNathiagali are a delightfulsummer retreat.
He informed that Paki-stan is already providing visaon arrival facility to touristgroups from 24 countries.
More interaction be-tween public and private sec-tor tourism organizations andincreased participation intourism exhibitions and con-ferences would also besought.
He added that PTDC be-ing a federal government cor-poration is offering tourismservices for foreign and Pa-kistani tourists through its
Tourist Information Centres,its Publicity and Promotiondepartment, Hotels, Motelsand Tours & Transport Sub-sidiaries.
PTDC, with its largestchain of Hotels, Motels andRestaurants, a fleet of touristtransport and professionalstaff, is well equipped to ca-ter for all needs of our guests.
PTDC’s subsidiary, Paki-stan Tours Limited is organiz-ing package tours and treks,renting tourist transport,booking of hotels and motelsand operating number of in-ternational and domestic busservices including Lahore -Delhi, Lahore - Amritsar,Nanakana Sahib - Amritsar,Pakistan - China andRawalpindi to Naran.
Besides offering tour andtransport services to Paki-stani and foreign tourists,PTDC is specialized in han-dling group tours and officialdelegates.
Diplomats and commer-cial counsellors from Indone-sia, Tajikistan, Iran, Thailand,Syria, Australia, Mauritius,Oman, Myanmar and Nepal,were present in the reception.
CITY REPORTER
ISLAMABAD—Water QualityLaboratory of Pakistan Coun-cil of Research in Water Re-sources (PCRWR) was inau-gurated here whereas 21 wa-ter quality testing laborato-ries are already functional indifferent cities.
These labs have state ofthe art equipment and arefunctional in different citiesincluding Lahore,Bahawalpur, Tandojam,Quetta, Peshawar,Gujranwala,Sialkot,Faisalabad,Sahiwal and Multan.
Some labs are alsopresent in Sargodha,Mianwali, D.G. Khan, NawabShah Karachi, Hyderabad,Abbottabad, Muzaffarabad,Dera Ismail Khan, Badin and
Water quality lab ofPCRWR inaugurated
Lora Lai. Talking to APP, Spokes-
person PCRWR LubnaNaheed said 6 research anddemonstration farms havealso been established to con-duct research on variousaspects of water resources.
It includes testing wa-ter conservation technolo-gies, developing efficient ir-rigation techniques/ meth-ods, evolving desertifica-tion control technologies,rainwater harvesting tech-niques and saline agricul-ture at Mithi, TharparkarMera Kachori, Peshawar,Hyderwali, Cholistan DesertBahawalpur,Toba Allayar,Cholistan DesertBahwalnagar,Sial More,Sargodha and DarkalaiKalan, Rawalpindi.
Besides,low cost artifi-cial groundwater rechargetechniques like leaky struc-tures/dams have been intro-duced in Balochistan to re-juvenate dried karezes andwells in the area of Marget(Quetta), Punjpai, ChashmaAchozai and Kan Metherzai.
She said PCRWR hasdesigned and installed 700chlorine dosing systems onwater supply schemes offlood affected areas of thecountry for providing safedrinking water.
“Low cost water qualitytesting kits have been devel-oped for main drinking wa-ter quality parameters andwater treatment technolo-gies for the removal of ar-senic, turbidity and micro-biological contamination”.Winter foods’
sale on riseISLAMABAD—Winter foodssale on the rise in twin citiesof Islamabad andRawalpindi as people arebuying winter delights andother eatables.
Several markets includ-ing Melody market, KarachiCompany, Jinnah Super Mar-ket, Super Market, AabparaMarket, F-10 markaz, BlueArea, Commercial market,Saddar, 6th road, Raja Bazar,Committee chowk and otherplaces are witnessing stallsof winter delights and aredoing good business, due tohigh demand for winterfoods.
Chicken Corn Soup is themost favorite and widely likesoup for the customers es-pecially in twin cities.—APP
ISLAMABAD—Leader of theHouse in SenateMuhammad Jehngir Baderon Tuesday said thatShaheed Benazir Bhuttowould be alive in the his-tory forever due to hergreat sacrifice for restora-tion of democracy.
He told APP that shewas a matchless and aleader of international stat-ure like her father ShaheedZulfiqar Ali Bhutto,hanged by a dictatorial re-
BB will be alive in history forevergime in the late of seven-ties but never surrenderedhimself in front of a dicta-tor for the establishment ofdemocracy.
“Though 5 years havebeen passed to martyrdomof Shaheed Benazir Bhuttobut she is still alive in thehearts of the people”, headded.
While paying tribute tohis legendary and visionaryleader, Bader expressed thatshe was a catalyst for
change and wanted to bringthe country out of political,religious, economical, socialturmoil but anti-state ele-ments murdered her brutallyon January 27, 2007 atLiaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi.
He emphasized that Pa-kistan Peoples Party (PPP)led government have beentrying to complete the mis-sion of Shaheed BenazirBhutto under the unwaver-ing leadership of the Presi-dent Asif Ali Zardari.—APP
CITY REPORTER
ISLAMABAD—The number ofkidney patients has increasedmanifold in the federal capitaldue to lack of awareness anddelay in proper medication.
According to data avail-able with Online, a total of7549 kidney patients receiveddialysis in 2011 from one ofthe major hospitals of thefederal capital Pakistan Insti-tute of Medical Sciences(PIMS). Importantly thisnumber has increased thisyear to over 8000 patients,
Number of kidney patientsmultiplying in city hospitals
most of them continuouslyreceiving dialysis.
During an exclusive inter-view with this agency Headof the Nephrology Depart-ment PIMS Dr. Ghias-ud-DinButt said early managementof the disease could securethe patients from dialysisprocess.
He said diabetes is themain cause behind kidney dis-eases and it has contributeda lot in increase of the patients.Besides, high blood pressure,Malaria, yellow fever, overconsumption of medicines
and physical injury are alsothe important contributors inspread of the kidneydisorder.Dr. Butt stated indi-viduals with the age of 25 to50 years are more vulnerableto get kidney disease.
Meanwhile, he informedthat feeling tired; blood andprotein in urine, shortness ofbreath and water retention arebasic symptoms of the disease.He further said if any one hasreceived such symptoms, he/she should contact with a pro-fessional Nephrologists imme-diately.
ISLAMABAD— The sub-Committee of Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC)of the cabinet will meet againtoday (Wednesday) in an ef-fort to develop consensuson a new compressed natu-ral gas (CNG) policy.
The Monday’s meetinghad failed to develop con-sensus on a new CNG priceformula due to absence ofAdviser to Prime Ministeron Petroleum and NaturalResources Dr. Asim Hussainand Petroleum Secretary DrWaqar Masood despite thefact that the already heldmeeting was called at the re-quest of Petroleum SecretaryDr Waqar Masood, who
Consensus on new CNG price formula:ECC sub-body meets again today
wrote letter to sub-commit-tee Chairman and Law Min-ister Farooq H Naek on De-cember 22 to hold meetingon urgency bases to deter-mine the CNG price issue.
That is why the meetinghas again been called onWednesday December 26for which the auditor, whoconducted audit of 11 CNGstations, will also take partin the meeting.
In the meeting of the ECCheld on December 18, has re-jected the CNG pricing for-mula proposed by the petro-leum ministry and consti-tuted a sub-committee underchairmanship of Law Minis-ter Farooq H Naek with the
mandate to formulate policyguidelines for the pricingformula.
According to Naek re-stricting CNG consumptionto public transport vehiclesonly and fixing CNG price at80 per cent of petrol pricewere the proposals of thepetroleum ministry and thesub-committee would re-view all aspects before com-ing up with a reasonableprice.
The committee will alsodiscuss other aspects andsubmit recommendations tothe ECC, which will then for-ward those to the federalcabinet for approval.—Online
Filtration plantfor Fazal AbadRAWALPINDI—Lack of filtra-tion plant has posed healthhazards to residents of FazalAbad area.
This is one of the mostcongested locality sprawlingaround Pir Widhai bus termi-nal and its population runsinto thousands but its in-mates are forced to drinkcontaminated water due toindifferent attitude of thecivic authorities towards pro-viding filtration plant to thearea. One or two members ofevery family settled in thisarea are suffering fromchronic abdominal diseasesdue to supply of pollutedwater, said Hakim Khan, ashopkeeper.
“We have to bring cleandrinking water from far off ar-eas by incurring additional ex-penses under petroleum head.As soon as we step in ourhomes on return from office wehave to face the inquiring looksof our family members “ lunchcould not be prepared due towant of clean water”. Thiscomes as shocking to us andwe have to return on the samefeet to the remote localities tocater to our vital need, saidHafiz Muhammad, a govern-ment employee. The residentsdemanded of the governmentto provide water filtration plantfacility on war footing basis toward off outbreak of any epi-demic.—Online
Taxis overchargingcommuters in
capitalISLAMABAD—Ever-increas-ing taxi fares have become abig problem for the massesin the capital, mainly due tothe shortage of proper localtransport on different routes.
People in the twin citiesare using taxis as a substi-tute for travelling and com-muting.
Passengers includingBadar, Zaka, Salman, Ziaand others complained thattaxi drivers were charginghigh fares, pretending to berunning the taxis on patrol,but almost al l such ve-hicles were being run onCNG.
They also claimed thattaxi drivers charged doublethe fare at nights.—Online
Vendors continuetheir business on
footpathsISLAMABAD—Vendors con-tinue to carry out their smallbusiness activities on foot-paths in the twin cities, caus-ing a number of hardships forthe pedestrians and motor-ists.
Various markets , in-cluding Aabpara, Faizabad,Sitara Market , Melody,Karachi Company,Faizabad, Double Road,6th Road Market, Commer-cial Market and Raja Ba-zaar, are reportedly occu-pied by encroachers.
Growing encroachmentshave not only marred thebeauty of both the cities butalso damaged roads, causinghardships for pedestriansand motorists alike.
A stallholder at G9 Mar-ket said that he had set up astall at a footpath, as he hadno other option due to theskyrocketing rents ofshops .
While justifying his il-legal practice, he said, “Wealso have to earn bread forour families.
I have set up my stall inthis market because I hadno other space to do busi-ness.”—Online
06:2001:3003:45
07:00
Zohr
Continuing
PAINTING exhibition byA Q Arif, at the TanzaraGallery, House No 14,Street 12, Sector F-7/2,Islamabad, continuing upto December 27.
*****EXHIBITION of paint-ings by Mashkoor Raza,Mughees Riaz, UfaqEhsan and ArjumandHusain, at the Nomad ArtGallery, 22, Justice AbdurRashid Road, Sector F-6/1, Islamabad, continuingup to December 30.
*****GROUP exhibition titled‘Bend in the Scapes,’ atthe Satrang Art Gallery,Serena Hotel,Khayaban-e-Suhrwardy,Islamabad, continuingup to January 8.
Unidentifiedbody recovered
ISLAMABAD—Unidentifiedbody of a young man wasrecovered from a grave yardin I-11.
According to police, anunidentified body of a manwas recovered fro I-11 graveyard in the jurisdiction ofSabzi Mandi police station.The police said that the bodyseems to be 2 or 3 days oldand the deceased is about 20to 22 years old but his iden-tity is unknown.
The body has beenshifted to PIMS for postmor-tem to ascertain the cause ofdeath.—Online Elaborate security
arrangements madefor Christmas
RAWALPINDI—Elaborate se-curity arrangements weremade by the city police forChristmas while over 1000police personnel were de-ployed in the city and spe-cial deployment was ensuredat churches and publicplaces. According to policespokesman, ladies police, thepersonnel of special branch,and elite force were de-ployed to make the securityarrangements foolproof. Noone was allowed to park ve-hicle near churches. Walk-through gates were installedat the entrance of thechurches and the visitorswere checked through metaldetectors. Foolproof securityarrangements were ensuredto avoid any untoward inci-dent in the city.—APP
SRINAGAR—Residents ofSaidpora Sopore have accusedthe security forces of deliber-ately destroying their belong-ings and apple orchards duringthe course of a 72 hour longencounter in which six mili-tants were killed by the armyand police in a joint operation.However, police has rejectedthe claims of the residents.Those affected during thecourse of encounter alleged se-curity forces of inhuman be-havior. They said their residen-tial houses and orchards weredestroyed by Police and Armywith out any reason or justifi-cation. The affected family al-leged that 13 kanal orchard was
completely destroyed and around100 fruit tress were uprooted byforces using earth excavationmachines.
Ghulam Mohammad Dar S/o Ghulam Rasool Dar and hisnephew Khursheed Ahmad Darsaid that forces during the op-eration rendered them homelessby acting recklessly, adding“Earnings of our whole lifewere burnt down to ashes bytroops”.
“This has reminded us bittermemories of 1995 when duringcrackdown various persons inour village were tortured by thesecurity forces and my brotherMohammad Nawab Dar suc-cumbed during torture and that
torture also made me physicallyweak”, said Ghulam MohamadDar while crying out loud.
While rejecting the claimsthat militants were present intheir houses, he said, “Our vil-lage was under siege for threedays. We were asked to comeout of our residential houses.There were no militants insideour house when we left. We hadheard some gun shots early inthe morning at 4 O’ clock. Whenwe came out of the house, Po-lice and security forces burntour residential houses alongwith two cowsheds. Forces firstburnt cowshed of GhulamMohammad Dar and then de-stroyed the single story residen-
tial house by dangerous weap-ons”, alleged Dar.
“Our joint orchard measur-ing 13 kanals having around 100fruit trees were uprooted by us-ing JCB by security forces”, headded. Khursheed alleged thathis residential house and cowshed was also set on fire the nextday. Widow of Nawab, Khatijawas not able to speak. “They(Police and Security Forces)killed my husband in 1995 andnow they made us homeless, de-stroyed our fruit trees whichwas only source of income ofour two families”, she whis-pered.
Meanwhile, Sub DivisionalMagistrate Sopore Dr. Sayeed
Hanief Balkhi while admittingthe uprooting of fruit trees ofvictims, said, “Two residentialhouses, two cowsheds havebeen damaged while uprootingof fruit tress in an orchard mea-suring 13 kanals have also beenwitnessed. I along with agricul-ture and revenue officers visitedthe area. We found cut downtrees in the joint orchard orKhursheed and Dar”. He saidthat the sufferers have beenshifted into local panchayat andgovernment school buildings.“They were provided 2 quintalration and two gas cylinderseach”, he informed.
However, while talking toKNS, Superintendent of Police
ISLAMABAD: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Chairman Hurriyat Conference exchanging views with AJK Education Ministerfor Colleges Muhammad Matloob Inquilabi.
MUZAFFARABAD: Chairman MDA Assad Habib Awan addressing a gathering before hisdeparture for Larkana.
MUZAFFARABAD: President PML-N, AJK Farooq Haider inaugurating the office of PML-N.
SRINAGAR—The veteranKashmiri Hurriyet leader, SyedAli Gilani has said that the un-precedented sacrifices renderedby the Kashmiri martyrs havecentre-staged the Kashmir dis-pute at the international level.
Syed Ali Gilani while ad-dressing a funeral processionof a martyred youth at Yariporain Kulgam over telephone fromNew Delhi demanded that In-dian troops involved in heinouscrimes including killing ofpeople and rape of womenshould be brought to justice. Heappealed to the world humanrights organisations to take no-
Sacrifices centre-staged Kashmir disputeProtesters demand justice for rape victims
tice of the brutalities beingcommitted by Indian troopsand police personnel in the ter-ritory. Pro-freedom and anti-India slogans were raised onthe occasion.
The forum patronized bythe veteran leader in a state-ment in Srinagar while term-ing the rage over a Delhi rapeincident as justified deploredthat such incidents were notinvestigated in occupied Kash-mir, rather the demonstratorsprotesting against such goryincidents were put behind thebars and booked under draco-nian laws.
On the other hand, protestdemonstrations were held inSrinagar and Shopian in thebackdrop of the Delhi incidentto seek justice for the rape vic-tims especially for those whowere raped at Kunan Poshporain Kupwara in early 1990’s.
Senior APHC leader,Shabbir Ahmad Shah speakingto the family members of an il-legally detained Kashmiri girlin Islamabad town said that theIndian army and police hadacted like the Hitler’s regimeand even innocent daughterswere not spared from suppres-sion and brutality in the terri-
tory. APHC leader, YasmeenRaja in her statement de-manded justice for the victimsof rape in the territory.
In Mumbai, PrakashAmbedkar, the grandson of thechief architect of the IndianConstitution, BabasahebAmbedkar, during a media in-terview warned India againstexecution of the Kashmiriyouth, Muhammad Afzal Guru.He said that Guru’s hangingwould raise ripples in insur-gency-hit north-eastern Statesof India, besides further trig-gering the demand for referen-dum in Kashmir.—KMS
SRINAGAR—The PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) patronMufti Mohammad Sayeed hassaid that lack of follow-up atthe state level was one of thereasons for slowing down theprocess of cross LoC relations.
“In spite of the fact that theresolution and reconciliationprocess received a set back dur-ing last many years, it was clearthat India and Pakistan willhave to pick up threads againand speed up the implementa-tion of Cross LoC relationsdecided between the two coun-tries last year. Instead of build-ing up on the initiatives of2003-2005 the present govern-ment was only raising slogansas they see the electoral moodbuilding up,” Mufti told a partyworkers meeting.
Mufti accuses Omar fornot pursuing LoC CBMs
He viewed that instead ofworking for removing thehassles in LoC trade and mak-ing travel across it easier, thepresent government had pickedup reunification of the erst-while state and opening ofJammu-Sialkote road in thenature of election timesloganeering.
The former chief ministersaid firm foundations havebeen laid for opening up of thestate and lifting the post parti-tion siege around it with the ac-ceptance of important prin-ciples by India and Pakistan bydispensing with the require-ments of visa, passport andcustom duty. “PDP’s idea ofchange is not just about chang-ing government but it encom-passes the issue of resolution
of Kashmir conflict throughdemocratic means, economicrevival and establishment ofinstitutions which could ulti-mately empower the people totake their own decisions. Thepresent mood among thepeople indicates that the stateis ripe for such a change,” hesaid.
Mufti said the reopening oftraditional routes had specialsignificance for areas likeBandipore which before parti-tion were important centres oftrade with Cnetral Asia. Hesaid reopening of roads likeBandipore-Gilgit could usherin a new ear of prosperity andcultural revitalization for thepeople who have been pushedinto a dead end following thepartition.—NNI
Sleep problemcommon in
KashmirSRINAGAR—Observing thatsleep problems were common inKashmir experts pitched for es-tablishment of Sleep Labs in thegovernment run hospitals in theValley. This was resolved atGovernment Medical College(GMC) Srinagar where experts,as a part of Continued MedicalEducation (CME), pitched theirviews on the issue.
Prominent psychiatrist DrRavi Gupta who is trained in SleepMedicine from US, elaborated on“sleep disorders and their relationwith medical disorders and impor-tance of sleep in normal heath.”Dr Gupta, who works at HimalayaInstitute of Health Dehra Dun, wasthe special guest on the occasionwhile incharge GMC PrincipalProf Qaisar Ahmed inauguratedthe event.
The CME, as per hosts, wasco-chaired by Dr MushtaqMargoob, HOD Medicine, DrSamia Rashid Prof of Medicine,Dr Rouf Ahmed of ENT, and DrNaveed. “At the end, interactivesession of 30-minutes was held inwhich medical students posedquestions and he(Dr Gupta) im-pressed that how important it is tohave a Sleep Lab in medical col-leges and associated hospitals,”said a host.—NNI
Army, police remindus of Hitler’s
regime: ShabbirSRINAGAR—Senior leader ofthe All Parties Hurriyet Confer-ence and Chairman of Demo-cratic Freedom Party, ShabbirAhmad Shah has said that thearmy and Police act like theHitler’s regime where even in-nocent daughters are not sparedfrom suppression and brutality.
The senior APHC leaderspeaking to the family mem-bers of a Kashmiri girl, Zahidawho has been detained on afake charge, at her residencein Islamabad town said, “Ourdaughters are now being de-tained. Zahida is the daughterof Kashmir and the people arewith her at this testingtime.”—KMS
Indian troopsmartyr 2 Kashmiriyouth in Kulgam
SRINAGAR—Indian troops intheir fresh act of state terrorism,martyred two more Kashmiriyouth in Kulgam district, today.
Indian troops of RashtriyaRifles, Central Reserve PoliceForce and Special OperationGroup killed the youth identi-fied as Mudisir Ahmad Sheikhand Tamim Ahmad during mili-tary operation at Dodhipora inthe district. Earlier a SpecialOperation Group man waskilled and trooper of RashtriyaRifles was injured in an attackat Kanipora in the same district,a police spokesman in a state-ment said in Srinagar.—KMS
S R I N A G A R — K a s h m i rSangbaaz League (KSL), agroup of stone-throwers thatclaims wide base, has warnedof attacks on security forces’installations and key govern-ment buildings in case AfzalGuru was hanged.
Around 20 media housesincluding Current News Service(CNS) received a seven-pagestatement sent through the cou-rier service of the General PostOffice.
“Lack of resources hasforced us to adopt stone-peltingas a weapon of war. We havebeen fighting with mere stoneslaunched by tender hands andfearless hearts.” reads the state-ment written in English under
Stone-pelters’ groupthreaten attacks
the letter-head of KSL withsketch of a masked stone-throw-ing youth. Warning againsthanging the Parliament attackconvict, Afzal Guru, the groupsaid, “Guru was implicated. Wepromise to unleash upon you inKashmir in case you hang ourbrother Guru. Tourists must ab-stain from visiting Kashmir incase Guru is hanged. They willhave to bear serious repercus-sions.” The group called uponthe youth to use petrol bombs,stones, sticks and all availableresources to inflict damage onIndian installations, securityforces, mainstream political par-ties and their supporters.
The group has identified anumber of targets in the Valley,
which include secretariat andradio stations, FM stations be-sides state police’s installations.A number of army interests toohave been identified by thegroup.
“All outsiders in Kashmir,including labourers, employeesand beggars must be forced toleave Kashmir,” it said. It hasalso asked youth to stay awayfrom police and the army-spon-sored programmes like gamesand musical shows.
The group even warnedmedia houses of dire conse-quences for distorting the state-ment. There has been no offi-cial reaction either from the po-lice or the state administrationto the statement..—NNI
SRINAGAR—The PeoplesDemocratic Party has describedas meaningless the admission of“mistakes” by chief ministerOmar Abdullah in handling2010 disturbances in Kashmir.
Mehbooba Mufti, the partypresident, said chief minister seemsto have learnt no lessons from thedebacle that cost more than 120 in-nocent people their lives.
She was addressing groupsof people from different walksof life including ex-servicemenfrom the valley and youth fromGurez who called on her to jointhe party. Mehbooba said chiefminister’s advice to the centralgovernment on handling thecurrent situation that has arisenin the wake of the unfortunategang rape of a young girlamounts to rubbing salt into thewounds of his own people.
She said that the situationin 2010 was also triggered by asingle unfortunate incident ofpolice excess that resulted in thedeath of a young boy Tufail
CM rubbing salt on Kashmirisinjuries: Mehbooba
Matoo. “What followed was anexpression of outrage and angeras is witnessed currentlythroughout the country againstatrocities committed on 23-year-old girl in New Delhi, butthe responses to the two situa-tions have been entirely differ-ent forcing the people to con-clude that different yard sticksare applied to them which areneither judicious nor demo-cratic,” Mehbooba said.
Condemning strongly thegang rape of the girl in Delhiwhere the women folk are feel-ing increasingly insecure,Mehbooba recalled how a simi-lar incident involving twowomen in Shopian had beenconducted differently. She saideven before an inquiry was heldthe chief minister declared thatthey had drowned in a river thathardly had any water and thenmanaged a cover up that hasbecome too familiar for Jammuand Kashmir. She said those un-fortunate women were denied
justice and such insensitive re-sponses have resulted in contin-ued alienation of people inJammu and Kashmir.
PDP president stated thatnow that the chief minister hasaccepted his “mistakes” wouldhe still not withdraw casesagainst thousands of youngpeople who have been framedunder serious charges. She saidthe chief minister had made an-nouncements at least on threeoccasions, the last on February25 this year that cases of stonepelting etc had been withdrawnbut it has turned out to be an-other hoax. “The lie about with-drawal of cases has finally beennailed with the arrest of Zahidaof Anantnag, a girl who lost herleg as a result of police firingand arrested on charges of stonepelting,” she said and added thatironically it happened on thevery day when the chief minis-ter was sharing his wisdom withthe central government on tack-ling the current agitation.—NNI
SRINAGAR—Chairperson ofAssociation of Parents of Dis-appeared Persons (APDP)Parveena Ahangar has said shewould continue to fight for thereturn of the disappeared rela-tives of people whose kith andkin were subjected to enforceddisappearance by troops andpolice till the last drop of bloodwas left in her body.
Ahangar, who heads an or-ganization of the Kashmiri par-ents whose children were sub-jected to enforced disappeared,speaking at ‘Convention onpeace and justice for Kashmiriwomen’ held at GandhiBhawan, Kashmir University,narrated how the successivegovernment had failed to trace
APDP Chairperson to continuefight for disappeared persons
out their dear ones. “Farooq Abdullah to Omar
Abdullah to Mehbboba Muftidid nothing. They even lied onthe issue,” Ahangar told thejam-packed audience. “But Iwill continue to fight for my andthe rights of other womenwhose sons were picked up byIndian agencies, never to return.I will fight till last drop of bloodis left in my body.”
Ahangar’s son JavedAhmad Ahanger, was arrestedby NSG commandos in 1990.It was the day she saw him last.
According to human rightsgroups at least 8000-10000people are missing in Kashmir.
Ahnagar said that in Kash-mir, troops were granted impu-
nity under legislations, whichhad been the main cause of hu-man rights violations.
She demanded that an inde-pendent commission should beset up to trace out the missingpersons in Jammu and Kashmir.
Ahangar spoke on the massgrave issue which she describedas an important one.
She said that an impressionwas given that all those missingpersons subjected to disappear-ance were buried in mass graves.
“I don’t agree with thisview. Our sons are not buried inmass-graves. They were pickedby agencies from their homes.The mass graves consist ofpeople who died on borders,”she said.—NNI
Delhi girl’srapists shouldbe stoned to
death: GeelaniSRINAGAR—Strongly de-nouncing the gang-rape of ayoung woman in New Delhi,the chairman of Hurriyat Con-ference (G) Syed Ali ShahGeelani has called for punish-ing the culprits under Islamiclaw. “The gang-rape of a youngwoman in New Delhi is a hor-rific crime against humanity andthe culprits should be stoned todeath under Islamic law,”Geelani said in a statement.
The Hurriyat leader, how-ever, questioned the “doublestandards of Indian people, whohave taken to streets to protestthe Delhi gang-rape incident butmaintained silence over numer-ous such similar incidents inKashmir during the past twodecades.” Referring to Kunan-Poshpora, Chanapora and the2009 Shopian double rape andmurder, Geelani said the “ac-cused in these cases were iden-tified but were let off and no onewas penalised or punished forthe crime.”
“In the Shopian doublerape and murder case, not onlywere the two women—Asiyaand Neelofar—raped but theywere also murdered. Yet no onein India raised voice against thisbrutal crime . In fact, India’sformer home minister LKAdvani went to the extent ofdeclaring that armed forces per-sonnel involved in rapes couldbe not punished for such an ac-tion would affect their so-calledmorale,” Geelani said.
“The horrific crime that hasbeen committed against ourdaughter in New Delhi has bro-ken our hearts, and understand-ably so, but if the Indian peoplehave even an iota of conscienceleft in them , they should alsoraise their voice against theatrocities committed againstKashmiri women and presstheir government to bring theculprits to book,” Geelanisaid.—NNI
Two militants,one policeman
killed in fightingSRINAGAR—Police in Indian-administered Kashmir said twosuspected militants and a policeofficer were killed in a gunbattle in the disputed Himalayanregion. Police officer ManojPanditha said in addition to thedead, one Indian army soldierwas wounded in the fighting lateMonday in the southern Kash-mir village of Dodhiporao.Panditha said Tuesday that po-lice believe men belonged to theLashkar-i-Taiba militantgroup.—INP
(SP)Sopore, Imtiyaz Hussaindenied that trees were cut inany orchard. “It is possible thatsome trees might have re-ceived minor damage as someCasper vehicles had to runthrough these orchards”, headded.
Meanwhile, out of sixmilitants who were killed inSopore encounter, five wereburied by locals at PaanzlahRafeyehabad. Sopore townobserved continued shutdown on day 3 against thedamaged caused to life andproperty during encounter.Some areas also witnessedminor stone pelting inci-dents.—Kashmir Watch
SRINAGAR—Protest demonstra-tions were held in Srinagar andShopian in the backdrop of mas-sive protests in Delhi followingrecent gang rape of a student toseek justice for the rape victimsin the territory. A group of stu-dents protesting outside the PressEnclave in Srinagar, said, ”Wewelcome justice for the rape vic-tim in Delhi but at the same timewe demand that justice for all suchvictims in Kashmir especiallythose who were raped in KunanPoshpora in early 1990’s.”
“We demand harsh punish-ment for the rapists,” saidOwais Ahmad, one of the pro-testers. The protesters as-sembled at Press Enclave underthe banner of Youth Brigade of
Protesters demand justicefor rape victims in IHK
Kashmir and later dispersedpeacefully. They were carryingplacards demanding justice forvictims of Kunan Poshpora andother such cases in Kashmir andalso held a candle light vigil.
On the other hand, hundredsof people under the banner ofMajlis-e-Mashawarat Shopianheld a peaceful protest demon-stration in the town against therecent Delhi gang rape. Thedemonstrators holding placardsand raising slogans demandedstern action against the rapists.
Spokesperson of Majlis-e-Masharawat Shafi Khan, on theoccasion said, “Who other thanthe people of Shopian could feelthe pain which the people ofDelhi are feeling.—KMS
In the end, all busi-ness operations canbe reduced to three
words: people,product, and profits.
—Lee Iacocca
QUETTA: Afghan Consul General, Ghulam Muhammad Bahadur and PIA MD, Captain (Retd) Muhammad Junaidcutting the ribbon to open PIA air service from Quetta to Kandhar, as its first flight PK-198 with passengers on boardtook off from Quetta Int’l Airport.
Quetta-Kandaharfirst flight takes off
STAFF REPORTER
ISLAMABAD—The food ex-ports of the country duringfirst five months of currentfiscal year increased by 2.35percent while the food im-ports into the country wentdown by 12.84 percent ascompared to same period oflast year showing an im-provement in balance oftrade in favor of the coun-try.
The exports of overallfood group were recordedat US $1.612 million duringJuly-November (2012-13)against the exports of US$1574.68 million during July-November (2011-12).
According to data of Pa-kistan Bureau of Statistics(PBS), the food exports of thecountry on month basis alsoincreased by 34.23 and 17.5percent during November2012 against November 2011and October 2012 respec-tively. The food exports in-
creased from US$ 278.969 mil-lion in November 2011 andUS$ 318.682 million in Octo-ber 2012 to US$ 374.465 mil-lion in November 2012.
The major food itemswhich recorded increase intheir exports during the cor-responding period includesugar (100%), meat and meatpreparations (42%), oilseeds, nuts and kernels(33.15%), spices( 1 9 . 3 0 % ) v e g e t a b l e s(34.11%), fruits(4.5%) andfish & fish preparation(0.57%). Similarly the foodimports into the countrystood at $1.859 billion duringfirst five months of currentfinancial year against im-ports of $2.133 billion duringsame period of last year.
The food imports duringthe November 2012 declinedby 30.74 percent againstsame month of last yearwhere as compared to lastmonth (October 2012) theimports edged up by 3.2 per-
Food exports up, imports down
STAFF REPORTER
ISLAMABAD—On 136thbirth anniversary of Fatherof the Nation, MuhammadAli Jinnah, National Bank ofPakistan paid tribute toQuaid-e-Azam’s untiring ef-forts for creation of Paki-stan, during a Media brief-ing at a local hotel.
While emotionally ce-menting to salute epitome toQuaid-e-Azam, Ibne-Hassan, Divisional Head,and Mr. Adnan AdilHussain, Senior Vice Presi-dent/Divisional Head, Con-sumer & Retail Banking Di-
vision, Commercial & RetailBanking Group, NBP, ap-prised the media about NBP’srecent achievements and ini-tiatives. “Let us pay tributeand salute to our QUAID”. Itwas the vision of Quaid thatNBP is serving to carve outthe picture that he wanted.“Let NBP foster the financialcause that Quaid wanted, awell-balanced Pakistan, thatincludes financially struc-tured Pakistan…a responsi-bility shared by SBP, NBPand all other banks”, was theversion of an old pensionerfellow talking to the partici-pants.
He said, “Despite numer-ous challenges, NBP’s per-formance during the past 5years stands out. Its prod-ucts and strategies are basedprimarily around national pri-orities and catering horizon-tally scattered population.It’s the vision of Mr. QamarHussain as our president thatwe are leaping our practicalsteps.” Targets are set totouch the dearest wood, andthen Dr. Asif. A. Brohi (ChiefOperating Officer is the bea-con and the touchwood forNBP”.
“Look you have financialneeds in Lahore, Karachi,
Islamabad and other big cit-ies growing vertically. Tell meabout the 121 districts in Pa-kistan, with over 50,000 vil-lages and around 180 millionmasses, are they growing ver-tically in financial needs? No,
obviously and NBP is the onlybank handling them with theirhorizontal root to rise needs”said Adnan while answeringa question. While represent-ing President Qamar Hussainand COO/Head C&RBG Dr.Asif A. Brohi, he proudly an-nounced the enhancement inlaunch of NBP advance sal-
ary, cash & Gold scheme, ag-ricultural products and NBPproducts in general.
NBP’s consumer financeinitiatives are directed to-wards horizontally scatteredpopulation. He cited exampleof NBP Advance Salarywhich is the single largestpersonal loan product in theindustry with a market shareof nearly 52%. Launched in2003, “Advance Salary per-sonal loan” finance facilitywas targeted towards publicsector employees who werealready NBP’s account hold-ers. The product was an in-stant success and to date,
NBP has disbursed morethan PKR 210 Billion andmore than 1.6 million govern-ment employees have beenbenefited from the scheme.Despite these huge volumes,the infection is only around2%. “All the governmentemployees receiving salariesthrough NBP can get per-sonal finance up to Rs. onemillion,” he proudly an-nounced. “The income rangeof 70% of more than our ad-vance salary borrowers isabout Rs. 20,000. NBP is ca-tering this income stratum”.“We are enhancing our ser-vices to the income strata
that can seek Rs. 1,000,000/(Rupees One Million Only).”He proudly announced whileanswering a question. He fur-ther narrated that since theadvent of considerable in-crease in salaries in Govern-ment employees, NBP is theonly bank to equate this sal-ary raise to financial needs.
Mentioning number oftransactions catering horizon-tally scattered population,handling of salaries, pen-sions, government businessand also personal loans be-ing handled by NBP, no otherbank comes even close tothese services. “Yet, NBP is
competing other commercialbanks in their domain as well”Adnan added. “Gold orna-ment is the best friend of awoman and a family culturalheritage” Adnan eloquentlyreferred to NBP Cash in Goldproduct, where borrowers,normally coming from middleclass strata, deposit theirgold ornaments and receivefinancing against it. This wasa unique and well thoughtout product and has very si-lently become a flagship forNBP consumer. “The Cash& Gold Product of NBP hasless than one percent infec-tion ratio.”
NBP pays rich tribute to Quaid’s untiring efforts for creation of Pakistan
TEHRAN—The National Ira-nian Gas Company has an-nounced that the construc-tion of the Iran-Pakistan (IP)gas pipeline in the territoryof Pakistan, is expected tobegin in the next 30 days.
Iran-based private com-panies have already under-taken work related to the IPpipeline construction in Pa-kistan, after the countryasked for Iran’s assistance toconstruct the pipeline.
As a part of the contractbetween the two countries,Iran will export 21.5 millioncubic meters of gas per dayto Pakistan as of 2014.
The participating compa-nies of both the countries will
Construction of IP gaspipeline to begin soon
form a joint venture to com-plete the project work in Paki-stan. Iran will build 300km ofthe remaining IP pipeline to theborder of Pakistan, whereasPakistan will construct 700kmof the pipeline inside the coun-try to transport gas.
In addition, Iranian bankswill also help Pakistan withthe financial resources forthe construction work. Iranhas offered a loan of $250mfor the project work as wellas equipments, and will fur-ther help Pakistan with a loanof $500m. Iran will also fundthe remaining financialneeds of the project, from thegas consumption taxes inPakistan. —INP
ISMAIL DILAWAR
KARACHI—The KarachiStock Exchange (KSE) andthe Society of Technical Ana-lysts Pakistan (STAP) held aprogram on the investors’awareness for the accountsprofessionals.
Held here at here the KESon Saturday, the programwas aimed to educate on eq-uity investment the studentspursuing the accountingprofession on the topic of“Managing Personal Fi-nance”.
The workshop wasconducted by SibtainMustafa (Head of SalesElixir Securities). In the Pre-sentat ion, at tended bymore than 100 Students,Sibtain Mustafa outl ined
the importance of Manag-ing Personal Finances.
Speaking to students,Sani-e-Mehmood Khan, theHead of Market Develop-ment at KSE said that “eachseason of your life bringsdifferent challenges, butwith appropriate blueprinti.e. planning and execution,you will gain stability andconfidence you have beenlooking for”.
Speaking on the occa-sion Ovais Ahsan, PresidentSTAP briefed the studentson market strategies and up-coming plans, while Market-ing Director of STAP UfaqZehra also gave an overviewof the upcoming launch ofcourses to be offered by Ca-nadian Securities Institute inPakistan.
KSE, STAP investorsawareness program
QUETTA—The Pakistan In-ternational Airlines (PIA)has kicked off an air serviceon Quetta-Kandahar route,as its first plane PK -198 car-rying 46 passengers, offi-cials among them leftQuetta on Tuesday morn-ing for Afghanistan. Man-aging Director of PIA CaptMuhammad Junaid Yunus,Afghan Consul Generalbased at Quetta GhulamMuhammad Bahadar wereprominent among otherswho attended the ceremonyheld here at Quetta Airport.
The GovernorKandahar Dr Taryalai, andPakistani Consul General atKandahar FarmanullahYousufzai received thepassengers of the f irstflight upon their arrival atKandahar Airport at about11 am.
Mr Turyalai hailed the
initiation of the air serviceof Pakistani flag carrier assaying i t would furtherstrengthen the bilateral re-lat ions between the twoneighboring countries.
Earlier, while address-ing the inaugural ceremonyat Quetta, Mr Junaind, theMD national airline said thetwo flights would be oper-ated in a week on Quetta-Kandahar route bringingmore closure the people oftow neighboring countries.Ini t iat ion of f l ights be-tween Quetta andKandahar was the longstanding demand of thetraders on both sides of theborder, he said adding themove would benefi t thetraders besides others whowanted to save their time.
Referring the publiccomplaints and improve-ment in the PIA services, he
said five new planes wouldbe included in the nationalairline fleet in next year. MrJunaind noted that PIA wasplanning to introduce moreroutes in coming days andChicago and Barcelona wasamong its priority. The Af-ghan Consul General MrGhualam MohammadBahadar on the occasionhailed the commencementof new fl ight routes byPIA. He said that recent de-velopment would ease thetravelling problems facedby the people living in twocities in Pakistan and Af-ghanistan. “It is an oppor-tunity for the businesscommunity to save theirtime and use means of trav-elling that would take veryshort time to come and goback after having their busi-ness act ivi t ies done,” headded.—APP
cent. The food imports dur-ing the period under reviewremained $345.153 millionwhile, the imports duringNovember 2011 and October2012 remained $438.31 mil-lion and $334.457 million re-spectively.
The major food itemswhich recorded decrease intheir imports during the pe-riod July-November (2012-13) include spices (32.01%),palm oil (16.62%), sugar(80.84%) and pulses (9.11%).The items which recorded in-crease in their imports in-clude milk andcreams(17.48%), dry fruitsand nuts (7.05%), tea (4.39%)and soyabean oil (38.32%).The overall exports from thecountry witnessed positivegrowth of 7.85 percent whilethe imports decreased by0.91 percent during first fivemonths of current financialyear, indicating a positivetrends in the overall tradevolume of the country.
Gas shortagebecomes 1.6BCF
STAFF REPORTER
ISLAMABAD—Gas shortagehas reached 1.6 billion cubicfeet (BCF) per day mark, re-sulting in closure of thou-sands of industrial unitsacross the country, a seniorofficial of Petroleum Minis-try revealed. The official saidthat at present Pakistan’s to-tal gas production stands at4.3 BCF against total demandof 6 BCF.
Consumers on the sys-tem of Sui-Northern GasPipelines (SNGPL), espe-cially in Punjab are facing upto one BCF shortage of gasas a result the managementhas forced to cut gas supplyto the industrial sector ofPunjab for 5 and half days aweek, besides three-day gassuspension for the Com-pressed Natural Gas (CNG)stations.
Currently, all the sectorsof economy using gas arefacing serious curtailment ofgas including industries inPunjab, fertilizer sector, CNGstations and commercial.
PHOTO ON PAGE 14
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
LAHORE—Two memoran-dum of understanding weresigned among the KhyberPakhtunkhwa government,the Wapda and Korean firmsto develop two hydropowerprojects in public-privatepartnership mode with cumu-lative power generation ca-pacity of 1,161 mega watt.
A statement said that themilestone had been achievedas a result of recent visit ofPresident Asif Ali Zardari toKorea. According to details,first MoU was signed withKorea Midland Power Com-pany (KOMIPO) for the 496MW-Lower Spat Gah Hydro-power Project, while the sec-ond with K-Water/Daewooconsortium for the 665 MW-Lower Palas Valley Hydro-power Project.
The Wapda ChairmanRaghib Shah, KPK ShydoManaging Director BahadurShah, KOMIPO ChairmanChoi Rak and K-Water repre-sentative in Pakistan No Hyuk
Park signed the MoU on be-half of their organisations.Korea Ambassador to Paki-stan Choong Joo Choi wasalso present on the occasion.Addressing the ceremony, theambassador termed signing ofthe MoU a milestone to bringthe two countries closer in thevital sector of hydropower. Heappreciated WapdaChairman’s efforts for thisachievement.
The Wapda Chairman saidthat the Korean firms, selectedthrough international competi-tive biddings, will togetherbring in with them an invest-ment of more than $2 billion forconstruction of Lower Spat Gahand Lower Palas Valley hydro-power projects. This invest-ment shows the confidence,the international financial in-stitutions have in Wapda forimplementation of the projectsin water and hydropower sec-tors, he added. Shah furthersaid that the two projects willcontribute more than 4.5 bil-lion units of electricity to theNational grid annually.
Korea to invest $2b intwo hydropower projects
Local currencyweakest in region
STAFF REPORTER
ISLAMABAD—Rupee depre-ciation, which fell by 7.8 percent in 2012 against the USDollar, is higher than most ofits peers in the region, as In-dian Rupee is down 3.7 percent against US Dollar, whileBangladeshi Taka gained by1.8 per cent, experts said. Theonly currency that displayedmore depreciation was SriLankan Rupee that is down10.3 per cent in 2012YTD.
Experts said that thecountry witnessed a steep fallin interest rates during thecalendar year 2012 while thelocal currency posted anabove average depreciationagainst the US dollar. Withinflation showing signs ofeasing in 2012, the centralbank of Pakistan switched itsfocus to accommodategrowth through process ofmonetary easing, expertssaid.
A noted financial expert,Nauman Khan observed thatstaggered in three-stages,SBP cut the policy rate by250bps points to bring itdown to 6.5-years low to 9.5per cent. Where inflation al-lowed the policy maker toaccommodate growth, thethreat came from rupee los-ing its ground against USDdue to falling forex reserves.According to him, during theyear, PKR depreciated 7.8 percent against the US Dollar,which comparesunfavourably with last 10-years and 20-years averagedepreciation of 3.7 per centand 6.2 per cent, respectively.
Though, inherent struc-tural issues continue to weighheavily on country’s economicperformance, but substantialdecline in the inflation pressureimparted positivity. DuringNovember 2012, CPI (Con-sumer Price Index) dropped torecord low of 6.9 per cent whileaverage inflation in FY13 isexpected to remain in singledigits after a lapse of 4-years.Average inflation in 11-monthsof 2012 remained 9.8 per cent.This coupled with realizationof CSF (coalition support fund)and subdued oil prices al-lowed the policy makers to fo-cus on growth.
Buyers remaineager for fine lint
STAFF REPORTER
KARACHI—Trading re-mained brisk with fine lint infocus amid firm spot rate,traders at the Karachi CottonAssociation (KCA) said.Spinners and mills madedeals for fine and othergrades on competitive pricesto fortify their inventorieswhile the KCA kept the spotrate intact at Rs 6,000 permaund, floor brokers said.
During the trading session,spinners and private sectorcommercial exporters in Punjaband Sindh stations purchasedall grades to meet needs of lintfor local market cloth and yarnorders, said traders.
General buyers madedeals for all grades onslightly higher rates even atRs 5,875 per maund while sell-ers withholding fine gradesoffered fine lint at around Rs6,200 per maund on growingdemand of the produce, floorbrokers said. Around 15,000bales changed hands withmore than 80 percent ofPunjab’s share in trading.
New SRO 1441 isblack law: APMDAKA R A C H I—All PakistanMotor Dealers Associa-tions (APMDA) has termedthe implications of newlyissued SRO 1441, which isaimed at restricting importof more than three-year oldcars in the country, as blacklaw which would only serveby widening class gap andcreating discord in the so-ciety.
The association highlight-ing negative aspects of theSRO asserted that the scopeof the SRO has been deliber-ately limited to cars althoughthe original SRO has the wordvehicle.
This means five-year oldSUV, vans, trucks and othersuch high vehicles can stillbe imported under this SROfor the rich and influentialpeople. The restriction ap-plies only to those peoplewho can afford small cars of660cc to 1000cc priced at lessthan 1.0 million. —Agencies
Teradata plans to scaleup business via PakStaff ReporterKARACHI—Pakistanpossesses significantgeographical importanceand talented humanresource in technologicalfields, making itself a hubfor different countriesseeking to adopt analyticalbased solutions in thebusiness. Stephen ABrobst Chief TechnologyOfficer (CTO) TeradataCorporation said Pakistan isthe land of opportunity forTeredata and a regionalplatform to access Gulf andAsian states in private andpublic sector entities inmaking them competitive inspecific sectors againsttheir competitors. Thequality of human resourcein Pakistan is exceptionhence Teredata has decidedto continue its investmentplans in Pakistan to accessthe GCC markets. Thecompany manages itsAfghanistan andBangladesh operation fromPakistan. Teredata has beenworking in Pakistan fordecades. Since then, it keptgrowing itself in terms ofcustomers in corporatesector and service volumeto different organisations.Telecom, banking, airlinesand manufacturing indus-tries are our target in thelocal market though wehave introduced tailoredsolutions to mediumenterprises as per theirneeds to enhance efficiencyof their business, TeradataCTO said.
Traders haveanti-smuggling roleStaff ReporterLAHORE—Directorate ofCustoms Intelligence andInvestigation is utilising allavailable resources to curbthe menace of smugglingbut since it is directlyhitting trade and industry,the business communitywould have to play its role.This was stated by Cus-toms Intelligence andInvestigation DirectorGeneral Samaira Nazir Khanwhile speaking at theLahore Chamber of Com-merce and Industry. The DGsaid that it was a wrongnotion that the CustomsIntelligence and Investiga-tion Department wascreating hurdles in the flowof goods rather she made itclear that the departmentacted on a specific informa-tion. She said that unlike anumber of other countriesof the world, Pakistan has avery long border with Iran,Afghanistan and China anddespite frantic efforts,smuggling was happeningthrough these borders.She said that the depart-ment had successfullycurbed the smuggling ofplastic moulding com-pound while things weremoving in the rightdirection on other fronts.
ISMAIL DILAWAR
KARACHI —3P Plas PrintPack Pakistan 2013 is distin-guished for business oppor-tunity, satisfaction and suc-cess in the industrial sectors.Serving as a premium platformfor companies to make con-tacts and keep abreast of thelatest industry trends and newtechnologies in plastic, print-ing, packaging machinery in-dustries and automation.
This year the exhibition isexpected to host over 300 ex-hibitors from 30 countries andattended by over 30,000 qual-ity visitors. The show has al-ready confirmed major partici-pation from Chinese, Indian,Turkish and European com-panies.
From 8th to 10th March2013 in Lahore expo Center 3P-Plas, Print Pack Pakistan 2013is the only event in Pakistanstrategically supported byPakistan Plastic Manufactur-ers Association (PPMA) andTurkish Plastics Manufactur-ers Research Developmentand Educational Foundation(PAGEV) and endorsed bythe leading relevant interna-tional and local authorities inthe country. The tradeshowis destined to engage theworld of plastics, printing andpackaging sector. The con-current event of Food andTechnology, along with theconference, will also be incor-porated with the main event.
3P- Plas, Print Pack Paki-stan 2013 is believed to pro-
9th int’l plastic printing, packagingexhibition from March 8
STAFF REPORTER
ISLAMABAD—The PakistanEconomy Watch (PEW) onTuesday lauded the decisionof the government to includerepresentatives of consum-ers and business chambersin formulating policy for fix-ing CNG prices.
Besides officials of Ogra,APCNGA, CNGDA, andMinistry of Petroleum, thesub-committee of the federalcabinet’s ECC has asked Net-work for Consumer Protec-tion, Islamabad andWomen’s Chamber of Com-merce to attend the meetingscheduled on Wednesdaywhich is a very positive de-velopment, it said.
Earlier committees lackedrepresentation of owners,
consumers and businesschambers making their deci-sions questionable, said Dr.Murtaza Mughal, PresidentPEW.
He said that inclusion ofall stakeholders will savestakeholders from losses andhelp government avoid con-troversies and in the futureputting an end to the crisisthat masses have been fac-ing since two months.
The committee headedby Law Minister Farooq HNaek seems to be interestedin resolving the issue lest itbring the graph of govern-ment down, he added.
He said that absence ofAdvisor to Petroleum andNatural Resources Dr AsimHussain and Secretary Petro-leum Waqar Masud during
Monday’s meeting hasraised concerns among somestakeholders.
Dr. Murtaza Mughal saidthat the CNG price can be re-duced remarkably if govern-ment reduces taxes or imposesimilar gas price and taxationwhich will provide relief tomillions. He said that this is apurely administrative or ex-ecutive domain but injustice,lack of interest on the part ofthe government functionar-ies and absence of sense ofurgency allows the interven-tion of the courts to safe-guard rights of masses.
A decision which ensuresa win-win situation for allstakeholders is possible onlywhen intentions are goodotherwise government willrisk its popularity, he warned.
I S L A M A B A D — B u s i n e s scommunity of Islamabad onTuesday asked the govern-ment to reconsider decisionto allow 100 per cent increasein the price of an importedHepatitis vaccine which isalready out of the reach ofpoor.
With around ten per centpopulation infected, Hepati-tis is number one killer dis-ease in Pakistan whichmostly infects the poor andmiddle-class, they said. Theysaid that majority of the pa-tients cannot afford costlyvaccines therefore govern-ment should promote indig-enous production to reducehealthcare costs drastically.
Government in a historicdecision reduced prices of 92pharma products on July 13,2012 in which the price ofimported Hepatitis vaccinewas brought down to Rs6500 from Rs 13000.
Fiscal Rule or Fiscal Crisis
ADB to holdconferenceon Jan 17
ISLAMABAD—The Asian De-velopment Bank (ADB) willhold a one day conference onJanuary 17,2013 in Japan toanalyze the determinants ofsuccessful fiscal policy con-solidation and the basis forfiscal rules to assure fiscalsustainability over the eco-nomic cycle. It will examine theexperience of advanced andemerging economies, withparticular reference to the situ-ation of Asian emergingeconomies.
The conference will gatherwell-known scholars and ex-perts on fiscal policy and ac-tively promote a discussion onrelevant issues which is ex-pected to contribute to thetheoretical and empirical litera-ture and regional policy dia-logue. The key issue to be ana-lyzed in the conference is thedeterminants of successful fis-cal policy consolidation andthe basis for fiscal rules to as-sure fiscal sustainability overthe economic cycle, with par-ticular reference to the situa-tion of Asian emerging econo-mies. The global financial cri-sis of 2007-2008 and its after-math, most notably the devel-opment of the euro zone sov-ereign debt and banking cri-sis.—Online
ISLAMABAD—Difficult eco-nomic decisions and re-forms undertaken by thepresent PPP led governmentand despite challenges dur-ing past four and half yearshad produced positive re-sults and ailing economy inthe country had been stabi-lized and put on the path ofeconomic resilience andgrowth. Highlighting themajor achievements of thegovernment, a senior officialof the Ministry of Financetold APP that the budgetdeficit had been broughtdown from 7.6 % of GDP in2007-08 to 6.6% of GDP dur-ing 2011-12, while it hasbeen estimated at 4.7% ofGDP in FY 2012-13.
Advisor to Finance Min-istry Rana Asad Amin saidthat due to tight monetarypolicy regime, inflation hadbeen brought down from25% in 2008 to 11% in FY
2011-12 and estimated at9.5% during FY 2012-13.
He added that subsidieshave been reduced from 3.5%of GDP in 2007-08 to around1% of GDP in the budget2012-13.
He further said that dueto stringent austerity mea-sures adopted by the presentgovernment the expenditureon civil government hasbeen reduced from 1.3% ofGDP to 0.9 % of GDP.
Rana Asad Amin said thatFBR collections increasedfrom around Rs. 1157 billionin FY 2008-09 to Rs. 1908 bil-lion in FY 2011-12 and esti-mated at Rs. 2381 billion inFY 2012-13.
He informed that work-ers’ remittances grew from
US$ 7.8 billion in FY 2008-09to US $ 13.2 billion in FY2011-12. “Exports increasedfrom US $ 19.1 billion in FY2008-09 to US $ 25.3 billion inFY 2010-11, stabilizing at US$ 24.6 billion FY 2011-12”, heremarked.
He said that the currentaccount deficit of $13,874million in 2008 was turnedaround into to a surplus of$423 million in Sept 2012. For-eign exchange reserves, hesaid rose from a low of $ 7.5billion in September 2008 to$18.2 billion in June 2011;currently they stand ataround $14.4 billion.
He added that debt toGDP ratio has been keptwithin the statutory limit (Fis-cal Responsibility and Debt
Limitation Act, 2005).The Advisor Finance
Ministry said that Economicgrowth of 3.7% was achievedduring FY 2011-12 and esti-mated at 4% during FY 2012-13. Regarding the Develop-ment spendings, he said thatthe Public Sector Develop-ment Programme (PSDP) overa period of 5 years was Rs. 3trillion.
“Current financial year’sPSDP outlay is Rs.873 billionas compared to Rs668 billionlast year”, he remarked. Hesaid that Rs 153 billion wereearmarked under People’sWorks Programme (Rs.118billion under PWP-II andRs.25 billion under PWP-I) in5 years for implementation ofhundreds of schemes for
electrification, gas supply,road, water supply and sani-tation.
Highlighting the employ-ment situation during thepast four and half years, RanaAsad Amin said that onehundred thousand intern-ships provided since 2008through the National Intern-ship Programme while a largenumber of sacked employeeswere reinstated.
He added that the gov-ernment facilitated employ-ment of at least 660 thousandPakistanis abroad and theban on employment partiallylifted. He added that twelvethousand public sector con-tract jobs converted into per-manent jobs while facilitationof self-employment through
Waseela-i-Rozgar schemeunder BISP was initiated tobenefit the poor segment ofthe society.
Highlighting the re-source transfer to the prov-inces, he said that under the7th NFC Award gave dueweightage to poverty/back-wardness, revenue collec-tion, revenue generationand inverse populationdensity, in addition to popu-lation.
He added that transferto the Provinces increasedfrom Rs.633 billion inFY2009-10 under 6th NFCAward to Rs. 999 billion inFY2010-11, Rs.1,090 billionin FY 2011-12; and Rs. 1459billion in FY 2012-13. RanaAsad Amin added that it in-
creased the share ofBalochistan to 9.09 percentfrom 5.11% and seventypercent of the divisible poolis now being transferred tothe Provinces and SpecialAreas, which reflectsgreater financial empower-ment of the Provinces.
Regarding the stepstaken for the Poverty Allevia-tion, he said that Rs. 138 bil-lion allocated till end of FY2011-12 to BISP; Rs. 70 bil-lion have been budgeted inthe current financial year2012-13.
He further said that un-der Benazir Employees StockOption Programme, 12 per-cent shares of 80 StateOwned Enterprises weretransferred to 500,000 em-
ployees, making them share-holders in the respectivePSEs. He added that underBait-ul Maal, more than Rs.7 billion distributed to thepoor over the past threeyears.
He added that Rs 52billion provided to floodaffectees under Citizens’Damages CompensationProgramme. He added thatpresent government’s Re-structuring Public SectorEnterprises policy in-cluded induction of Pro-fessional Boards of Direc-tors, Induction of profes-sional management fromthe market, reconstitutionof Boards of Directors ofPower Sector DistributionCompanies and restructur-ing of Steel Mills , PIA,PASSCO, Uti l i ty StoresCorporation and TradingCorporation of Paki-s tan.—APP
Ailing economy stabilized despite challenges
KARACHI—Three ships ar-rived at Port Qasim to load/ offload containers, fur-nace oil at FOTCO, phos-phoric acid on Monday.Berth occupancy was main-tained at 50% at the Portwhere a total of sevenships namely M.V KPS-IAlican Bey- Powership,M.V Meta, M.V BeautifulRena, M.V Maersk Mon-tana, M.V MSC Namibia,M.T Mire, M.T SivaMumbai were currently oc-cupying berths to load/offolad wheat, rice, palm
oil, furnace oil.Cargo handling opera-
tions were carried outsmoothly at the port with acargo volume 80909 tonnescomprising 47470 tonnes im-port, 33439 tonnes export and3227 (TUES) handled duringlast 24 hours.
M.V Nedlloyd Drake, MVMaersk Kingston, M.V Deriaat QICT, M.T Global Chal-lenge at LCT, M.T ArgentFreesia at EVTL, M.VDoganbey at FAP were toarrive on Tuesday as per ar-rival schedule.—APP
PQ shipping activity
ISMAIL DILAWAR
KARACHI—Karachi Chamberof Commerce and Industry(KCCI), in view of prevailingeconomic scenario, sluggishindustrial and commercial ac-tivities, has asked all theheads of political parties ofthe country to present their“Economic Roadmap for Pa-kistan” to boost the nationaleconomy.
Accepting KCCI’s invita-tion, Imran Khan, ChairmanPakistan Tehreek Insaaf (PTI)along with his economic teamvisited KCCI on Saturday.
Chairman BusinessmenGroup & former PresidentKCCI Siraj Kassam Teli, wel-coming Imran Khan, Chair-man PTI apprised that he asChairman of BMG was en-gaged in trade/business poli-tics since last two decades andable to meet all the leaders of
various governments on theissues and genuine problemsconfronting to the businessand industrial community ofKarachi.
He stated that BMG wassupported by more than 85percent business communityof Karachi and since last 15years BMG has not lost evenone-single seat in KCCI elec-tions which endorse publicservices by BMGians.
In prevailing difficult situ-ation of deteriorating law andorder situation, energy crises,and other problems the busi-ness community of Karachi iscontributing 68 percent rev-enue to national exchequer.
He asked Imran Khan,how he will implement PTI’seconomic roadmap and whatimportance will be accordedto Karachi? Having chosen agood economic team and eco-nomic road map necessary
legislation and majority in theassembly would be requiredto turn the vision into action,he asked.
He was of the view thatGovernments consult busi-ness community, takes inputhowever, it is not imple-mented. He urged Imran Khanto consult the genuine andreal representatives of thebusiness community andquestioned: After coming topower, how he will treat thebusiness and industrial com-munity?
He suggested that Chair-man PTI that he must beaware of who is who of thebusiness community. He wasof the view that for proposaland inputs Government’sministries/departments eitherconvince the business com-munity on policy or otherwiseaccept our input for imple-mentation across the board.
KCCI wants economicroadmap from politicians
K A R A C H I — T h eGovernment’s economicpolicies have failed to pro-duce people’s friendly re-sults as it has admitted thatfood cost has increased by130 per cent since 2005-2006 to 2011-2012, a busi-ness leader said Tuesday.
The wheat prices roseby 128 per cent, sugar161per cent , pulses194 percent , vegetable ghee151per cent and meat by158per cent during this period,said Malik Sohail Hussain,Chairman Media, Diplo-matic Affairs and PublicRelations (PR).
Speaking to businesscommunity, he said thateconomic mismanagementis so rampant that boguscompanies owned by influ-ential received Rs 63 billionas refund and illegal tax in-
put adjustments duringjust first four months of thecurrent fiscal.
At one hand people’slife has become economi-cally unbearable while onthe other terrorism is in-creasing of which the mostrecent example is the kill-ing of Bashir AhmadBilour, Senior Minister ofKhyber Pukhtoonkhwa, hesaid.
Malik Sohail said thatarmy is doing best to checkmilitancy and insurgency.It is doing whatever askedto do to assist the nationand the government whilei t has lost four thousandsoldiers and officers.
He said that renewingthe Lal Masjid issue candisturb the military strat-egy against mil i tancy asrefusal by personnel serv-
ing in various insurgency-hit areas can compromisearmy’s abil i ty to defendcountry from threats.
Questioning soldierswill open up floodgate forchaos as they are trainedto obey orders and sacri-f ice for the defence ofmotherland. Armed forcesare serving in life threaten-ing environment inSiachen, against TTP andBalochistan, he said.
National business lead-ers Tariq Sayeed, IftikharAli Malik and MunawarMughal of ICCI have al-ways acknowledged thesacrifices by army from topto bottom, he said addingthat business communityhas always paid tribute tothose who laid down theirlives in defence of mother-land, said Sohail.—NNI
Govt’s economicperformance dismal: Traders
ISLAMABAD: Senior Vice President Divisional Head, Consumer and Retail Banking Division, Commercial andRetail Group, NBP Adnan Adil Hussain during media briefing pay tributes to Father of the Nation Quaid-i-AzamMuhammad Ali Jinnah on the eve of his 136 birth anniversary.—PO photo by Sultan Bashir
vide one place for all the re-lated industry leads and as-sociations to promote busi-ness, enhance networkingand integrating decision mak-ers to build profitable rela-tionships in the long run. Theexposition will showcase thelatest and state of the art ma-chinery and equipment usedin the plastic, printing andpackaging industry.
The event is deemed toprovide several opportunitiesto grow business and employthe best practices that are rec-ognized worldwide to com-pete on international stan-dards. Tradeshows like 3P-Pa-kistan help countries to expe-rience growth, investment in-flows and economicsustainability in the future.
OBSERVER REPORT
KARACHI—GlaxoSmithKlinehas organized an educationaland fun-filled Orange Day2012 at the Maritime Museumin which approximately ahundred enthusiastic stu-dents from SOS Children’sVillage took part. The OrangeDay was divided into one onone interactive career coun-seling, creative writing/draw-ing contest around the theme‘My vision if I were the Presi-dent of Pakistan’, an engag-ing museum tour, singingcompetition, and lunch.
GSK leveraged itsstrength of a diversifiedgroup of people from variousacademic backgrounds and25 GSK employees, doingvarious roles across the or-ganization, volunteered as
counselors for the OrangeDay 2012. Each of thesecounselors had been desig-nated to counsel approxi-mately 4 students, who hadexpressed their interest inparticular fields prior to coun-seling, over a period of anhour and a half.
Meanwhile, other volun-teers were engaged in help-ing students through a cre-ative writing/drawing contestin which students used pens,colors and their wonderfulthoughts to create some mas-terpieces about their visionfor the country if they had allthe power. The students’ keen-ness to learn more from theprofessionals in the variousfields that they wished to bea part of was extremely en-couraging for the volunteersand counselors.
GlaxoSmith holdsOrange Day
CHINIOT: A long queue of vehicles waiting for their turn for filling at a CNG station.
Mitsubishi officesinspected over
latest recallTOKYO—Dozens of trans-port ministry officials in-spected Mitsubishi Motors’offices across Japan onTuesday after the automakerlast week widened a recall toabout 1.7 million vehicles.The inspection ofMitsubishi’s Tokyo head-quarters and quality-controloffices nationwide came af-ter the ministry criticised thefirm over the latest expansionof an oil leak recall.
“We are inspecting thecompany’s offices to seewhether the quality improve-ment programme thatMitsubishi submitted to usis appropriate,” ministry of-ficial Tsuneki Matsuo toldAFP. He added that the in-spection, which involvesabout 40 ministry staff, wouldinclude Mitsubishidealerships in Japan. Twoyears ago, Mitsubishi re-called nearly 250,000 ve-hicles, adding about 300,000more vehicles to the call backthis year, after anonymoustips to the transport ministryprompted officials to orderthe firm to revisit the glitch.Last week, the company saidit was adding another 1.2 mil-lion vehicles to the recall, thelatest in a string of safety andquality issues to dent Japan’sauto sector.
A faulty engine part couldtrigger an oil leak and light theoil pressure gauge on thedashboard. In a worst casescenario the engine couldseize, the company said, add-ing that no accidents hadbeen linked to the glitch. Thelatest recall prompted a rebukefrom transport ministry offi-cials, who said last week theywould meet with Mitsubishiofficials to press them on theissue, saying the companyhad not made proper disclo-sures to the public.
It ordered the firm to re-port on the status of internalmeasures taken to prevent arecurrence of the problem,and said it would ask gov-ernment-chosen experts toprobe the recall.—AFP
China leadsemerging nations
BEIJING—Drug companiesare increasing their M&Aspending in emerging markets,and China is garnering thelion’s share of activity, accord-ing to data. All together, in-cluding capital from both over-seas and domestic drug manu-facturers, M&A in emergingcountries has totaled $20 bil-lion this year. That’s a jump of67% over last year. China dealswere responsible for one-thirdof the total: $6.8 billion.
Sinopharm (China NationalPharmaceutical Group) andChina Development Bank re-cently signed a 40 billion RMB($6.4 billion) agreement that willhelp Sinopharm - and China’spharma industry as a whole -develop on several fronts. CDBwill supply the investment in acombination of investment,loans, debt, rent and other fi-nancial services. With the newcapital, Sinopharm will seek toadvance its R&D and manufac-turing, while it also internation-alizes the pharma industry.
Shanghai Fosun Pharmaand Dalian Wanchun Biotechwill establish a JV to developinnovative oncology treat-ments. Wanchun has in-li-censed China rights toplinabulin, a Class 1.1 inno-vative anti-tumor drug fromNereus Pharma of the US.Through the JV, Fosun willbuild Wanchun’s develop-ment ability and add poten-tial drugs to its pipeline.Wanchun will serve as an in-novative drug incubator forFosun.—Newswire
Daewoo wins$1.8b order
SEOUL—South Korea’sDaewoo Shipbuilding andMarine Engineering said Tues-day it had secured a 1.9 trillionwon ($1.8 billion) order to builda fixed platform for Norway’sStatoil ASA. Daewoo said itwould complete the 31,000-tonoffshore platform for the pro-duction of oil or gas by the endof 2016. The platform capableof producing 80,000 barrels ofcrude a day would be installedon the continental shelf in theBritish sector of the North Sea,it said. —AFP
Yen edges higherin Asian trade
TOKYO—The yen edgedhigher in Asian trade onTuesday after tumbling onspeculation that the Bank ofJapan would launch moreeasing measures in the faceof political demands forpolicy action.
The dollar bought 84.74yen in Tokyo morning trade,a shade lower than 84.82 yenin New York Monday after-noon, after climbing to 85yen, a level last breached inApril 2011.
The euro fetched 111.69yen and $1.3178 from 111.87yen and $1.3183 in US trade.The Japanese currency haddipped against the dollarand the euro on Monday af-ter incoming prime ministerShinzo Abe, whose LiberalDemocratic Party won alandslide national electionlast week.—AFP
Chavez ‘improves slightly’CARACAS —Venezuelan President HugoChavez’s condition has “improved slightly”after a cancer operation in Cuba, the infor-mation minister said on Monday, amiddoubts over whether the former soldier is ingood enough health to continue governing.“The patient has shown a slight improvementin his condition,” Venezuelan InformationMinister Ernesto Villegas said during a tersetelevised statement, adding the president hasmaintained contact with family members.
Chavez has not been heard from in two weeks following a fourthoperation for an unspecified type of cancer in the pelvic region.The government has said he suffered post-operatory complica-tions including unexpected bleeding and a lung infection, butoffered few details about his actual condition. His death, or evenhis resignation for health reasons, would upend the politics ofthe South American OPEC nation where his personalized brandof oil-financed socialism has made him a hero to the poor but apariah to critics who call him a dictator. His allies are now openlydiscussing the possibility that he may not be back in time to besworn in for his third six-year term on the constitutionally man-dated date of January 10. Opposition leaders say a delay to histaking power would be another signal that Chavez is not in con-dition to govern and that fresh elections should be called to choosehis replacement. They believe they have a better shot againstChavez’s anointed successor, Vice President Nicolas Maduro, thanagainst the charismatic president who for 14 years has been nearlyinvincible at the ballot box. But a constitutional dispute over suc-cession could lead to a messy transition toward a post-Chavezera. Maduro has become the government’s main figurehead inthe president’s absence. —Reuters
Kuwait worried over Iran nukesMANAMA —Kuwait urged neighbouringIran on Tuesday to cooperate more with theU.N. nuclear watchdog to allay Gulf Arabconcerns about the safety of an Iraniannuclear power plant that lies just across thewaterway from the emirate. The emir, SheikhSabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, said a recent shut-down at the Bushehr plant indicated Tehranhad to work with the Vienna-based Interna-tional Atomic Energy (IAEA) to ensure thesafety of the facility near the coastal town of
Bushehr. He was speaking in Bahrain at the annual summit ofthe Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a grouping of six oil-ex-porting Gulf Arab countries at odds with Tehran over a series ofissues and who see the Islamic Republic as a rival for regionalinfluence. Bushehr, a Russian-built symbol of what Iran calls itspeaceful nuclear ambitions, was shut down in October to limitany damage after stray bolts were found beneath its fuel cells, aRussian nuclear industry source said in November. The explana-tion for the procedure at the 1,000-megawatt plant contradictedassurances by Iran that nothing unexpected had happened andthat removing nuclear fuel from the plant was part of a normalprocedure. Sheikh Sabah said: “The news that was reported re-cently about the technical failure that hit the Bushehr reactor con-firms what we mentioned about the importance of Iranian coop-eration with the IAEA, and committing to its criteria and rule, toensure the safety of the region’s states and its people from anyeffect of radioactivity.”—Reuters
Mandela ‘much better’JOHANNESBURG—Former South Africanpresident and anti-apartheid hero NelsonMandela is looking much better after morethan two weeks in hospital, President JacobZuma said on Tuesday. Zuma, who visitedMandela on Christmas Day, said in a state-ment that doctors were happy with theprogress the elder statesman was making.“We found him in good spirits. He was happyto have visitors on this special day and islooking much better. The doctors are happy
with the progress that he is making,” said Zuma. The 94-year-oldNobel Peace laureate has been in hospital in Pretoria for morethan two weeks after being admitted for routine tests. He thenunderwent surgery to remove gallstones. Mandela, who came topower in historic elections in 1994 after decades struggling againstapartheid, remains a symbol of resistance to racism and injusticeat home and around the world. He has a history of lung problemsdating back to when he contracted tuberculosis while in jail as apolitical prisoner. But this is his longest stay in hospital since hewas released from prison in 1990. He spent time in a Johannesburghospital in 2011 with a respiratory condition, and again in Febru-ary this year because of abdominal pains though he was releasedthe following day after a keyhole examination showed there wasnothing serious. Zuma, who has just been re-elected as presidentof the ruling African National Congress party, last week describedMandela’s condition as serious. “The Mandela family truly appre-ciates all the support they are receiving from the public. That iswhat keeps them going at this difficult time,” said Zuma.—Reuters
Piers Morgan’s deportation urgedLONDON—Tens of thousands of people havesigned a petition calling for British CNN hostPiers Morgan to be deported from the USover his gun control views. Morgan has takenan aggressive stand for tighter US gun lawsin the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut,school shooting. Last week, he called a gunadvocate appearing on his “Piers Morgan To-night” show an “unbelievably stupid man.”Now, gun rights activists are fighting back.A petition created Dec. 21 on the White
House e-petition website by a user in Texas accuses Morgan ofengaging in a “hostile attack against the US constitution” by tar-geting the Second Amendment. It demands he be deported im-mediately for “exploiting his position as a national network tele-vision host to stage attacks against the rights of American citi-zens.” The petition has already hit the 25,000-signature thresh-old to get a White House response. By yesterday, it had 31,813signatures. Morgan seemed unfazed — and even amused — bythe movement. In a series of Twitter messages, he alternatelyurged his followers to sign the petition and in response to onearticle about the petition said “bring it on” as he appeared totrack the petition’s progress. “If I do get deported from Americafor wanting fewer gun murders, are there any other countries thatwill have me?” he wrote.—Arab News
Monti to be Japan trade MinisterTOKYO—Incoming Japan Prime MinisterShinzo Abe is likely to pick policy veteranToshimitsu Motegi as trade minister, whowill also take charge of energy and other keyeconomic policies, media reported on Tues-day. Motegi, 57, a former policy affairs chieffor the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), willtackle energy problems after last year’sFukushima nuclear crisis, as well as issuessuch as the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partner-ship (TPP) free trade pact, public broadcaster
NHK said. Motegi was a leading member of the LDP’s paneltasked with drafting an economic revival plan aimed at tacklingthe strong yen, deflation and preventing Japanese firms from shift-ing overseas. The LDP returned to power in the December 16election for the lower house, calling for radical monetary easingand big spending on public works. First elected to parliament in1993 as a member of a small opposition party, Motegi joined theLDP shortly thereafter and has served posts including parliamen-tary vice-minister for the trade ministry and senior vice-ministerfor foreign affairs. Motegi’s formal appointment is likely to bemade on December 26, when Abe is expected to be elected asprime minister in parliament and form a new cabinet.—Reuters
BAB AL-SALAMEH—Huddled inside thin plastic tentsin a makeshift camp after flee-ing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s bombs thousands ofrefugees say they face a new en-emy. “The cold is killing us,”many of them say.
Having survived a conflictin which more than 40,000people are estimated to havebeen killed, refugees at the Babal-Salameh camp on the Syrian-Turkish border say the winteris now a bigger threat to themthan the violence engulfingtheir country.
“The situation here is evenworse than being at home,” saidWaad Orfali, a 27-year-oldwoman, dressed in a pinkheadscarf, velvet pink gownand slippers, as rain poundedthe camp. “At least in the vil-lage there was a doctor,” saidOrfali, who escaped from thenorthern village of Marea abouttwo weeks ago after snipers andair strikes forced her and herfamily to relocate to the rela-tive safety of the camp.
The flimsy tents scatteredacross the encampment offerscant relief to the thousands ofmen, women and children fac-ing freezing weather and con-stant rain, and colder conditionsare still to come. Earlier thismonth, the United Nations refu-gee agency said more than halfa million Syrian refugees areregistered or waiting in otherMiddle Eastern countries, withabout 3,000 new people seek-ing refugee status and assis-tance daily.
“I’m three months pregnantand I’ve been bleeding,” saidOrfali, who suffered frommouth sores. She said her hus-band suffered from kidneystones, but that neither had been
Syrian refugees face worst winter in desperate conditionsable to receive medical care atthe camp. “At home there’s nowater or electricity and it’s thesame thing here,” anotherwoman chimed.
Tents reeked of damp as therain seeped through, soakingblankets, clothes and rugs, andwith no electricity in the camp,children, many wearing a singlelayer of clothing and slipperswith no socks, shivered in thecold. Mothers complained theyreceived little food. By the af-
ternoon, they said breakfast hadnot even been distributed. Withno running water, lavatories nearthe mosque stank of rubbish andsewage.
“Tell them Syria’s peopleare full of lice,” said Um Ali, amother of 12, said. She carriedher ID papers in plastic to pro-tect them from the rain in thehope that she could use them toget supplies from the camp au-thorities for her children. Somerefugees here are trying to
scrape together a living amid themisery. They set up stands to sellcigarettes, and children zigzagthrough the tents hawkingsweets and chocolate. IHH, a
Turkish relief group, is runningthe camp. Shawkat Gukman, theIHH coordinator at Bab al-Salameh, said the camp housedabout 870 tents and 6,000 peoplewith about 200 people stream-ing through each day.
Gukman said IHH had notbeen entirely in charge of run-
ning the camp until recently. Hesaid some 5,000 pairs ofchildren’s shoes had been givenout. Challenging conditions likea lack of water and electricity
made food preparation and dis-tribution particularly challeng-ing, Gukman said. “The crisismay last for years. It’s not clearbut the war could last for alonger time.”
As the war continues, moreSyrians are expected to flee. Thelatest estimates indicate that the
total number of Syrians whohave fled during the conflict hasalready surpassed the 700,000refugees that the UNHCR fore-cast by year-end, though morethan 200,000 of them have notregistered formally. Another 2.5million or more are believed tobe displaced inside Syria.
Um Ahmed, a mother of fivegirls and two boys, said shemoved to the Bab al-Salamehcamp four months ago from theHanano district of Aleppo.“When we first came, we weresleeping under the tyres oftrucks. The sun burned us,” shetold Reuters in her three-by-fourmetre tent, where she had lit acoal fire and was grilling onionsshe said would help fight herchildren’s infections.
Dressed in a purple sweaterand red wool skirt, Um Ahmedsaid she had been a supporter ofAssad at the beginning of theconflict, now in its 21st month.
“He said there wouldn’t bea drop of blood, and now there’sa river of blood. So now I’m themost opposed to Assad afterwhat I’ve seen with my eyes,”she said. Like many other refu-gees thrust into dire conditions,Um Ahmed has tried to keepsome semblance of a home inher tent. In a vain effort to keepthe tent dry, a mop is perchedagainst the tent’s corner, andthere is a red basin to bathe in.One side of the tent is decoratedwith the Syrian rebels’ flag.
Complaining of chaoticscenes when the camp authori-ties distribute supplies, she said:“We have too much pride anddignity,” to push throughqueues. “We don’t want money,food or water,” she said. “Wejust want the slaughter to stop.We dream of going backhome.”—Reuters
A Syrian hangs a carpet outside her tent at the refugee camp of Bab El Salama, between the Syrian town of Azaz and theTurkish town of Kilis.
YANGON—A flight packedwith Christmas tourists crash-landed on a road in centralMyanmar on Tuesday, killingthree people and injuring 11,officials said. Four foreignerswere among the injured on theAir Bagan flight, the airline said.It said the fatalities were allMyanmar citizens: a tour guideand an 11-year-old child onboard the plane and a man ridinga motorcycle on the road wherethe plane came down.
The flight was carrying 63passengers, including 51 foreign-ers, and six crew members fromthe city of Mandalay to Heho air-port in Shan State, the gatewayto a popular tourist destination,Inle Lake, Air Bagan said in abrief statement on its Facebookpage. Air Bagan identified the in-jured tourists as two Americans,a British national and a Korean.It described the incident as an“emergency landing.”
Authorities gave a differentand more dramatic account, say-ing the pilot mistook the road for
3 killed in Myanmarplane crash
a runway due to bad weather.“While descending, the planemistakenly landed ... due to fogbeside the runway,” state televi-sion reported. It said the aircraftmade a hard landing on a roadand then came to a stop in anearby rice paddy field.
“The rear end of the planebroke and caught fire,” state TVsaid, carrying a statement postedon Deputy Information MinisterYe Htut’s Facebook page. Res-cuers brought the fire under con-trol about 45 minutes later, hesaid. Witnesses said smoke filledthe plane when it hit the groundand was still rising from theplane’s badly charred wreckagehours later.
Airport officials in Heho saidthat injured passengers weretaken to a hospital in the nearbycity of Taunggyi for treatment.Air Bagan is one of five privateairlines that fly domestic routesin Myanmar. It is a unit of HtooTrading Company, which isowned by business tycoon TayZa.—AP
DUBAI—An Internet virus at-tacked computers at industrialsites in southern Iran, in an ap-parent extension of a covertcyber war that initially targetedthe country’s nuclear facilities,an Iranian official said. Iran, theworld’s No. 5 oil exporter, hastightened online security sinceits uranium enrichment centri-fuges were hit in 2010 by theStuxnet computer worm, whichTehran believes was planted byarch-adversaries Israel or theUnited States.
The unit tasked with fight-ing cyber attacks, the PassiveDefence Organisation, said a vi-rus had infected several sites inHormozgan province in recentmonths but was neutralised.“Enemies are constantly attack-ing Iran’s industrial unitsthrough Internet networks in or-
Iran defeats cyber attackon industrial sites
der to create disruptions,” AliAkbar Akhavan, head of theHormozgan branch of theorganisation, was quoted as say-ing by the Iranian Students’News Agency on Tuesday.“This virus has even penetratedsome manufacturing industriesin Hormozgan province, butwith timely measures and the co-operation of skilled hackers inthe province, the progress of thisvirus was halted,” Akhavan said.“As an example, the BandarAbbas Tavanir Co., a producerof electricity in the province andeven adjacent provinces, hasbeen the target of Internet at-tacks in recent months,” he said.
Bandar Abbas is the capitalof Hormozgan province onIran’s southern coast and hometo an oil refinery and containerport. Israeli officials have threat-
ened military action against Ira-nian nuclear facilities if West-ern sanctions on Tehran’s bank-ing and oil sectors do not per-suade the Islamic Republic toshelve its disputed atomic pro-gram.
Western powers suspect Iranis trying to develop the meansto produce nuclear weapons.Tehran says it is enriching ura-nium only for civilian energy.Iranian authorities said in Aprilthat a computer virus was de-tected inside the control systemsof Kharg Island - which handlesthe vast majority of Iran’s crudeoil exports - but the terminal hadremained operational.
Cyber attackers also slowedIran’s Internet and attacked itsoffshore oil and gas platformsthis year, Iranian officials havesaid.—Reuters
VATICAN CITY—Pope BenedictXVI wished Christmas peace tothe world Tuesday, decrying theslaughter of the “defenseless” inSyria and urging Israelis and Pal-estinians to find the courage tonegotiate. Delivering theVatican’s traditional Christmasday message from the central bal-cony of St. Peter’s Basilica,Benedict also encouraged Arabspring nations, especially Egypt,to build just and respectful soci-eties. He prayed that China’s newleaders respect religion, a refer-ence to persecution Chinese Ro-man Catholics have at times en-dured under communism.
As the 85-year-old pontiff,bundled up in an ermine-trimmedred cape, gingerly stepped foot onthe balcony, the pilgrims, touristsand Romans below backing St.Peter’s Square erupted in cheers.Less than 12 hours earlier,Benedict had led a two-hour long
Pope decries defenselessSyrians slaughter
Christmas Eve ceremony in thebasilica. He sounded hoarse andlooked weary as he read hisChristmas message and then holi-day greetings in 65 languages.
In his “Urbi et Orbi” speech,which traditionally reviews worldevents and global challenges,Benedict prayed that “peacespring up for the people of Syria,deeply wounded and divided by aconflict that does not spare eventhe defenseless and reaps innocentvictims.” He called for easier ac-cess to help refugees and for “dia-logue in the pursuit of a politicalsolution to the conflict.”
Benedict prayed that God“grant Israelis and Palestinianscourage to end long years of con-flict and division, and to embarkresolutely on the path to negotia-tion.” Hours earlier, in the ancientBethlehem church built over thesite where tradition holds Jesuswas born, candles illuminated the
sacred site and the joyous soundof prayer filled its overflowinghalls.
Overcast skies and a coldwind in the Holy Land didn’tdampen the spirits of worshippersin the biblical West Bank town.Bells pealed and long lines formedinside the fourth-century Churchof the Nativity complex as Chris-tian faithful waited to see thegrotto that is Jesus’ traditionalbirthplace. Duncan Hardock, 24,a writer from MacLean, Va., trav-eled to Bethlehem from the repub-lic of Georgia, where he had beenteaching English. After passingthrough the separation barrier Is-rael built to ward off West Bankattackers, he walked toBethlehem’s Manger Squarewhere the church stands.
“I feel we got to see bothsides of Bethlehem in a reallyshort period of time,” Hardocksaid.—Reuters
UNITED NATIONS—The U.N.General Assembly (UNGA) ex-pressed serious concern onTuesday over violence betweenRohingya Muslims and Bud-dhists in Myanmar and calledupon its government to addressreports of human rights abusesby some authorities. The 193-nation General Assembly ap-proved by consensus a non-bind-ing resolution, which Myanmarsaid last month contained a“litany of sweeping allegations,accuracies of which have yet tobe verified.”
Outbreaks of violence be-tween ethnic Rakhine Buddhistsand the Rohingyas have killed
UNGA voices concern forMyanmar’s Muslims
dozens and displaced thousandssince June. Rights groups alsohave accused Myanmar securityforces of killing, raping and ar-resting Rohingyas after the riots.Myanmar said it exercised“maximum restraint” to quellthe violence. The unanimouslyadopted U.N. resolution “ex-pressing particular concernabout the situation of theRohingya minority in Rakhinestate, urges the government totake action to bring about animprovement in their situationand to protect all their humanrights, including their right to anationality.” At least 800,000Muslim Rohingyas live in
Rakhine State along the westerncoast of Myanmar, also knownas Burma. But BuddhistRakhines and other Burmeseview them as illegal immigrantsfrom neighbouring Bangladeshwho deserve neither rights norsympathy.
The resolution adopted onMonday is identical to one ap-proved last month by the Gen-eral Assembly’s Third Commit-tee, which focuses on humanrights. After that vote,Myanmar’s mission to the UnitedNations said that it accepted theresolution but objected to theRohingyas being referred to as aminority.—Reuters
SANAA—Yemen’s army Tues-day launched an offensive againsttribesmen suspected of repeat-edly sabotaging an oil pipeline ineast Yemen, sparking clasheswhich left 17 people dead, tribalsources said.
The dead included 10 tribes-men and seven soldiers, said thesources, who added that the armyoffensive in Marib province’sHabab valley, 140 kilometres eastof the capital Sanaa, waslaunched in the early hours of themorning and was backed by airraids. In a separate incident,two gunmen riding a motor bikeshot dead Brigadier FadelMohammed Ali, an adviser to theminister of defence, outside theministry’s offices in Sanaa, a po-lice source said. Further detailswere not immediately available.
The fighting in turbulent
Brigadier among17 killed in Yemen
Maarib province broke out whengovernment troops backed by airstrikes tried to secure the pipe-line and repair damage inflictedlast month by local militants, theofficial said. Yemen’s oil and gaspipelines have repeatedly beensabotaged by Islamist fighters ortribesmen since an uprisingerupted last year, causing fuelshortages and slashing exportearnings for the impoverishedcountry.
The country’s stability is aleading security goal for theUnited States and Gulf Arab al-lies because of its strategic posi-tion next to top oil exporter SaudiArabia and shipping lanes, andbecause it is home to one of themost active wings of al Qaeda.Under an agreement reached ear-lier this month between tribalchiefs and the government.—AFP
JERUSALEM—Israel voiceddoubt on Tuesday about the ac-curacy of Syrian activists’ reportsthat chemical weapons had beenused against rebels fighting totopple President Bashar al-Assad. “We have seen reportsfrom the opposition. It is not thefirst time. The opposition has aninterest in drawing in interna-tional military intervention,” VicePrime Minister Moshe Yaalonsaid on Army Radio.
“As things stand now, we donot have any confirmation orproof that (chemical weapons)have already been used, but weare definitely following events
No proof poison gasused in Syria: Israel
with concern,” he said. The Syr-ian Observatory for HumanRights gathered activist accountson Sunday of what they said wasa poison gas attack in the city ofHoms. The reports are difficultto verify, as the government re-stricts media access in Syria.
The Observatory, a British-based group with a network ofactivists across Syria, said thoseaccounts spoke of six rebel fight-ers who died after inhaling smokeon the front line of Homs’s ur-ban battleground. It said it couldnot confirm that poison gas hadbeen used and called for an in-vestigation.—Reuters
Indian Jewsfrom ‘lost tribe’move to Israel
JERUSALEM—Dozens of Jewswho claim to be the descendantsof a lost biblical Jewish tribeemigrated to Israel from theirvillage in northeastern India,celebrating their arrival after afive-year struggle to get in. TheBnei Menashe say they are de-scended from Jews banishedfrom ancient Israel to India inthe eighth century B.C. An Is-raeli chief rabbi recognized themas a lost tribe in 2005, and about1,700 moved to Israel over thenext two years before the gov-ernment stopped giving them vi-sas.
Israel recently reversed thatpolicy, agreeing to let the re-maining 7,200 Bnei Menasheimmigrate. Fifty-three arrivedon a flight Monday. MichaelFreund, an Israel-based activiston their behalf, said nearly 300others will arrive in the comingweeks.
“After waiting for thousandsof years, our dream came true,”said Lhing Lenchonz, 26, whoarrived with her husband and 8-month-old daughter. “We arenow in our land.” Not all Israe-lis think Bnei Menashe qualifyas Jews, and some suspect theyare simply fleeing poverty inIndia.
Avraham Poraz, a former in-terior minister, said they were notlinked to the Jewish people. Healso charged that Israeli settlerswere using them to strengthenIsrael’s claims to the West Bank.When Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amarrecognized the Bnei Menashe asa lost tribe in 2005, he insistedthey undergo conversion to berecognized as Jews. He sent arabbinical team to India that con-verted 218 Bnei Menashe, untilIndian authorities stepped in andstopped it.—AP
Pilgrims rejoicein Jesus’
Bethlehembirthplace
BETHLEHEM—Pilgrims andlocals celebrated Christmas Dayon Tuesday in the ancientBethlehem church built over thesite where tradition holds Jesuswas born, candles illuminatingthe sacred site and the joyoussound of prayer filling its over-flowing halls.
Overcast skies and a coldwind didn’t dampen the spiritsof worshippers who camedressed in holiday finery and thetraditional attire of foreign landsto mark the holy day in this bib-lical West Bank town. Bellspealed and long lines formedinside the fourth-century Churchof the Nativity complex asChristian faithful waited eagerlyto see the grotto that is Jesus’traditional birthplace.
Duncan Hardock, 24, awriter from MacLean, Va., trav-eled to Bethlehem from the re-public of Georgia, where he hadbeen teaching English.—Reuters
BIPIN DANIOBSERVER
CORRESPONDENT
MUMBAI—Now the truevalue of Sachin Tendulkarwill come alive followinghis decision to retire fromODIs’. This was opined byMike Horn, the Guest Mo-tivational Speaker of TeamIndia’s 2011 World Cupwinning team.
Speaking exclusivelyover telephone from Swit-zerland, where Horn withfamily is based, said, “theend of one thing is alwaysthe start of something new! This applies to SachinTendulkar”.
“Sachin Tendulkar is aman that never stops learn-ing, can never grow old. For
What SRT has taken from cricket hasno value, but the true value is what
he has left behind: Mike HornSachin, he could neverachieve enough. He is an ex-ample to the world”.
“A wise man is a man thatknows when to stop. Muchlike my life as an explorer. Ihave to know when to turnback. Stopping is never easyif you do not have anythingplanned for the future, butmaking space for theyounger generation showsprogression. Holding ondoes not show you care. Set-ting free does”, Horn added.
Horn has seen andworked with SachinTendulkar closely. Last year,he obliged the requests fromTeam India’s then HeadCoach (Gary Kirsten) andMental & Conditiponingcoach, Paddy Upton whenhe conducted motivational
sessions for the IndianCricket Team. The teamwent on to win the 2011Cricket World Cup after 28years and SachinTendulkar’s life-time dreamwas fulfilled. All Indianplayers acknowledged thesignificant presence ofMike Horn’s role in the vic-tory.
Interestingly, his ser-vices have also beensought by Gary Kirsten forhis current South Africanteam.
“Now the true value ofSachin will come alive. Heis a man that wrote historyin the world of cricket. Whathe has taken from crickethas no value, but the truevalue is what he left be-hind”, he signed off.
BANGALORE: Gautam Gambhir dives in vain as Kamran Akmal flicks the bails, India v Pakistan, 1st T20.
ABU DHABI—Rafael Nadalwill make his long-awaited re-turn to tennis after anagonising six-month knee in-jury battle in the Gulf thisweek, but has warned he isnot expecting any title-win-ning pyrotechnics.
The 26-year-old Spaniardjoins world number oneNovak Djokovic and third-ranked Andy Murray in thesix-player, three-dayMubadala Championshipsahead of his return to the ATPcircuit at Doha from Decem-ber 31. Nadal hasn’t playedsince his shock second roundexit to 100th-ranked LukasRosol at Wimbledon in June,missing the Olympics, the USOpen as well as the Davis Cupfinal against the Czech Repub-lic which his country lost.
Although desperate toplay again, Nadal is equallykeen to play down expecta-tions. “Abu Dhabi is a test.My goal is not this week, notDoha or the Australian Open.My goal is to get fit, recoverall my feelings. The only thing
Tennis: Don’t expect miracles,warns returning Nadal
I care about is the knee,” theseven-time French Openchampion said.
“The idea is to go fromthere. I won’t give much value
to what will happen nextmonth or in two months. Myreal goal is to start in perfectcondition at Indian Wells andMiami and reach Monte-Carlo
with good feelings, to face theclay season in good condi-tion.”
Nadal, an 11-time GrandSlam title winner, has been
plagued by knee injuriesthroughout his career, alegacy of his all-actionstyle.—AFP
MELBOURNE—Australian captain Michael Clarke, Australian Chairman of Selectors John Inverarity and Australiancoach Mickey Arthur talk as Shane Watson pads up during an Australian nets session at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
BANGALORE—Two ofPakistan’s experienced handsguided them to victory intheir first game in almostthree months, and their firstbilateral tour of India in fiveyears. An early burst fromdebutant BhuvneshwarKumar, who began his inter-national career with a fabu-lous display of swing bowl-ing, rattled the Pakistan toporder but the calm presenceof Mohammad Hafeez andsome enterprising battingfrom Shoaib Malik put achase of 134 back on track.
Pakistan had anotherscare at the death, losing twoin quick time when victoryappeared secure, but Malikultimately saw them throughin the final over, sealing thegame with a six. The hostswere a specialist bowler short,as the pair targeted the non-
India vs Pakistan 1st T20
Pakistan crush India in nail-biting fightregulars, but a more signifi-cant a factor in India’s losswas their implosion with thebat, when they lost nine wick-ets for 47 runs in 52 balls.
A 36,000-strong crowdhad been silenced during animpressive display bowlingbacked up by some excellentgroundfielding that hadhelped Pakistan fight backafter India’s openers had laida strong foundation in an at-tractive stand of 77 in under11 overs. The decibel levelsat the Chinnaswamy Sta-dium, however, hit their peakwhen Bhuvneshwar swung itthis way and that, setting uptwo of this three victims withoutswingers before nippingone back in to dismantle thestumps. At 12 for 3, Pakistanwere reeling, their rebuildingwas steady, resulted in 24boundary-less deliveries, but
Hafeez and Malik pounced inat the right time.
Virat Kohli was one of thepart-timers used by India,
and Hafeez slogged him fortwo boundaries in the 11th
over of the chase, at the startof which the required-rate
had hit almost nine an over.Yuvraj Singh dragged the ball
too short on occasion andwas heaved for two sixes bythe pair and they eachstepped out to RavindraJadeja to dispatch him formaximums over his head.
The return of India’sseamers didn’t immediatelycheck Pakistan, as the equa-tion was brought down to16 off the last three overs,but Ishant Sharma dis-missed Hafeez and con-ceded just two in an over inwhich he had Malik caughtoff a no-ball for height.Ashok Dinda was given thepenultimate over and he leftPakistan needing 10 off thelast, which Malik helpedachieve with a straight sixoff Jadeja, who pitched onea length, to win with twoballs to spare.
Ajinkya Rahane’s su-preme timing was the featureof India’s opening partner-ship, as he lofted Pakistan’sbowlers over extra cover ef-fortlessly, though they hitback after he fell upper-cut-ting to third man. Umar Guland Saeed Ajmal were the ar-chitects of that comeback,after being struck for sixes intheir respective openingovers.
Gul was smashed overmidwicket by Gambhir, buthad Yuvraj Singh caught inthe deep off a slower ball inhis new spell before remov-ing two in two towards thedeath. Ajmal carted over ex-tra cover by Rahane, but re-turned to dismiss MS Dhoniand Suresh Raina withquicker deliveries at a timewhen India would havebacked themselves to reacha score of around or above150.—Agencies
India innings:Gambhir run out ............ 43Rahane c Umar b Afridi 42Kohli c Kamran b Irfan ... 9Y Singh c Umar b Umar 10Dhoni b Saeed Ajmal ...... 1SK Raina b Saeed Ajmal 10Sharma run out ................ 2Jadeja c Kamran b Umar . 2B Kumar not out .............. 6I Sharma b Umar Gul ....... 0AB Dinda not out ........... 3Extras: (lb 2, w 3) ............. 5Total: (9 wickets) ......... 133Fall of wickets: 1-77, 2-90, 3-103, 4-108, 5-115, 6-122, 7-123, 8-124, 9-124Bowling: ........... O-M-R-WMohammad Irfan . 4-0-25-1Sohail Tanvir ........ 4-0-22-0Umar Gul ............... 3-0-21-3Saeed Ajmal ......... 4-0-25-2
Shahid Afridi ........ 3-0-26-1Mohammad Hafeez2-0-12-0Pakistan innings:Nasir Jamshed b Kumar . 2Ahmed Shehzad b Kumar5Hafeez b I Sharma ......... 61Umar Akmal b Kumar ...... 0Shoaib Malik not out .... 57Kamran c I Sharmab Dinda ............................. 1Shahid Afridi not out ...... 3Extras: (lb 1, w 3, nb 1) .... 5Total: (5 wickets) ......... 134Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-11, 3-12, 4-118, 5-123Bowling: ........... O-M-R-WB Kumar .................. 4-0-9-3AB Dinda ............. 4-0-26-1I Sharma ................ 4-0-23-1V Kohli .................. 2-0-21-0Yuvraj Singh ........ 3-0-25-0RA Jadeja .......... 2.4-0-29-0
GLASGOW—Celtic managerNeil Lennon has warned hisplayers not to expect an easygame against Scottish PremierLeague basement side Dundeeon Wednesday.
The Dens Park side sit bot-tom of the table, six points fromsafety, while the Hoops are fivepoints clear at the top of theSPL. Dundee have found lifedifficult in the top division af-ter they replaced the liquidatedRangers in the summer, hav-ing won just three of their 18fixtures so far.
Current champions Celticare looking for their fifthstraight win in the league forthe first time this campaign butdespite his side being in a richvein of form Lennon says hewon’t be taking anything forgranted.
“I’m not going to take thegame lightly,” Lennon said.
“We have another threegames, Dundee, Hibs away
and Motherwell before thebreak, so I will try to use thesquad but everyone wants toplay. “The team is playing sowell that I don’t want to breakthe momentum up too much.But people are champing at thebit to play.”
With Celtic booking theirplace in the last 16 of the Cham-pions League it means theHoops remain in all four com-petitions at Christmas for thefirst time since legendary man-ager Jock Stein was in chargeof the club.
The Parkhead side’s 4-0win over Ross County on Sat-urday put them five pointsclear at the top of the leaguewith a game in hand over near-est challengers InvernessCaledonian Thistle.
And Lennon believes hissquad are in good enoughshape to continue this fine runof form before the winter breakbegins on January 5.
“I don’t expect us to pullaway, but I expect us to kickon,” he said.
“We are playing well at theminute and had an excellentsecond half on Saturday - areally good, top-quality perfor-mance from everyone, and withthe likes of James Forrest com-ing back to the team, he givesus an extra dimension as well.
It will be top versus bot-tom in the Scottish PremierLeague on Boxing Day asCeltic visit Dundee for anevening kick-off at Dens Park.
Ominously for the chasingpack, the leaders have wonfour on the trot in the leagueto open up a five-point gap,with a game in hand over mostof their rivals.
Dundee were widelytipped to struggle after receiv-ing a late invitation to the toptable and have picked up just12 points from their opening18 matches.—AFP
Football: Celtic won’t befooled by struggling Dundee
PPFL: KRL losefirst match of
the seasonKARACHI—Muslim FCended defending championsKRL’s winning run in the Pa-kistan Premier FootballLeague with a 1-0 win inChaman yesterday, whileKESC thrashed Wohaib FC5-0 in Karachi.
Muslim FC, who are play-ing their second season in theleague, impressed the homecrowd as they brought downKRL with MuhammadDawood’s goal in the 43rdminute of the match. Accord-ing to Dawood, who has beenwith the club for five years now,the win validated their placeamong the best clubs in thecountry.
“We didn’t expect to winthis match,” Dawood toldThe Express Tribune. “KRLis the best club in the coun-try. Every other team wantsto beat them because theyhave the best players. Butwinning a match at homemakes it even more special aswe performed the way thecrowd was expecting us to.”
Meanwhile, the resultcame as a shock to KRL whohave won 18 out of their 23matches in the league anddrawn four. Despite the de-feat, KRL dominated theleague with 58 points after 23matches.—APP
‘Sachin shouldretire after Pak-
India series’ISLAMABAD—Former Paki-stan captain and current teamcoach Inzamamul Haq hassaid that Indian batting mae-stro Sachin Tendulkar shouldhave announced his retire-ment after the Pak-India se-ries that started on Tuesdayin Bangalore.
Inzamam said Sachin‘searly retirement has markedthe end of a golden period ofthe game.
Sachin, who announcedhis retirement from One-DayInternational cricket on Sun-day, is the most prolific runscorer of 18,426 in ODIs and15,470 in Tests. The legend-ary batsman has served In-dian cricket for more thantwo decades.—INP
Pardewbuoyed up for
United tripNEWCASTLE (England)—Newcastle manager AlanPardew said on Tuesday theaway trip to English PremierLeague leaders ManchesterUnited on Wednesday wasless daunting now the Mag-pies had ended a poor run ofresults.
Newcastle’s 1-0 win overQPR last Saturday was onlytheir second win in their lasteight Premier League gameswhich had dragged themclose to the relegation zone– a far cry from last seasonwhen they did well enoughto qualify for the EuropaLeague.
However, Pardew saidregardless of only scoringone goal against QPR thefact they had won was farmore significant especially asthey are now entering a se-quence of tough games start-ing at Old Trafford wherethey have not won since Feb-ruary 1972.—Agencies
ANYONE with a brother or sister can attest to the inevitability of conflicts during childhood, but frequent clashes may
take a toll.Squabbling over two topics in particular,
researchers say, may put ado-lescents at risk for depressivesymptoms and anxiety.
Psychologists at the Uni-versity of Missouri reachedthat conclusion after survey-ing 145 adolescent siblingpairs over the course of ayear. The researchers quizzedthe kids on their sibling rela-tionships, and also askedthem to answer question-naires to measure their self-esteem and symptoms of de-pression and anxiety. Theyfound that kids with high self-esteem at the beginning of thestudy typically had fewerconflicts with their siblingsone year later. But those whoreported sibling conflict at thebeginning of the study weremuch more likely to develop new mood prob-lems over the following year.
“There are definitely aspects that are go-ing both ways,” says researcher NicoleCampione-Barr, an assistant professor of psy-chological sciences at the University of Mis-souri, about the possibility that sibling con-flict may contribute to future emotionalchanges, as well as the potential that existingemotional changes may also fuel moresquabbles . “But we believe that there are par-ticular types of conflict that are setting kidsup for problems,” she says.
In particular, Campione-Barr and her col-
leagues have identified two common themesamong the sibling arguments that they stud-ied. Kids who clash with their brothers andsisters about “equality and fairness issues”(things like who’s hogging the bathroom and
whose turn it is to do thedishes) appear to be at unusu-ally high risk of depressedmood one year later.
Conversely, arguingover “personal domain con-flicts” (like borrowing itemswithout asking, or hangingaround when the othersibling’s friends are over) isassociated with anxietysymptoms and lower self-es-teem one year later. The find-ings are published this weekin the journal Child Develop-ment.
Campione-Barr says theresults are somewhat surpris-ing since in previous re-search, experts had looked atsibling trust and communica-tion, but only found an asso-
ciation between the personal domain conflictsand reduced trust; there was no relationshipwith between trust and the fairness and equal-ity conflicts. It’s not surprising that conflictsover personal space may be particularlyimpactful for adolescents because they’re“going through the process of establishingan individual identity, and establishing au-tonomy,” Campione-Barr says.
She believes that arguments and fight-ing over fairness, in contrast, may often hitone child in the sibling pair harder than theother, and that may be what is bridging a linkto depressive symptoms.
Squabbling may lead to depressivesymptoms anxiety, among teens
KARACHI: Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhuttoo Zardari, Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah and membersof Provincial Cabint offering Fateha at Quaid-i-Azam mausoleum during special ceremony on the occasion of 136th birth anniversary of Founder ofthe Nation Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari awarding Nishan-e-Imtiaz to Governor Sindh DrIshratul Eban Khan at Governor House.
K A R A C H I — R e n o w n e dscholar and President AnjumanTaraqqi-e-Urdu Pakistan AftabAhmed Khan said Pakistanneeds a sincere leadership.
Quaid-e-Azam passedaway far too early and after theQuaid’s departure we startedfaltering which was manifest inthe secession of the erstwhilePakistan and the present divisivetendencies which are taking thenation away from the cardinalprinciple of national integrity.
However, there would be noneed for despondency once westarted following the Quaid’sideals in right earnest. He ex-
pressed these views while address-ing a conference as chief guest heldin Civic Center on Quaid-e-Azam’svision of national integrity” byKMC. Former Pakistan Ambassa-dor Shahid Amin, Rafi-uddin Raz,Prof. Dr. Farhat Azeem, Ali HassanSajid and others also present on thisoccasion.
Arshad Sabri, welcomed theguests and compered the function.A recording of a patriotic song wasplayed with lyric penned by ArshadSabri. In his keynote address,former diplomat Shahid Amin saidwe have lost track of the Quaid-e-Azam’s vision of Pakistan and havestrayed from the ideals he be-
queathed us. Hence today wesee divisive tendencies, lack ofjustice, and all that the Quaidopposed. This is not the Paki-stan the Quaid visualized.
He said Quaid founded thecountry on the ideal of Islamicbrotherhood but today thisbrotherhood was glaringly lack-ing. This, he said, was most glar-ingly reflected in the mayhemand the spilling of Muslims’blood by the Muslims.
He said that the Quaid haddreamt of a land where justicewould reign supreme but todayjustice in our system was a farcry. He said that “we ought to
KMC holds moot on Quaid-e-Azam’svision of national integrity
be ashamed of ourselves for therough deal we have given ourminorities and in this contextquoted the Quaid’s speech to thelegislative assembly on August11, 1947, wherein the Father ofthe Nation had expressly statedthat the minorities would be equalcitizens of Pakistan and that fol-lowers of all religions were freeto go their places of worship.
He said that despite the senseof despondency prevailing in thecountry today, “we must ac-knowledge that our people arevery resourceful and all that wasneeded to be done was to harnessthis resourcefulness in a construc-
tive manner.Prof Dr FarhatAzeem threw light on theQuaid’s towering personalityand said that there was dire needto infuse enthusiasm about theQuaid’s vision and his idealsamong the young generation.
She said that the Quaid andthe Pakistan movement weresynonymous. Director, MediaManagement, KMC Ali HassanSajid said each year the monthof December brought lot of painsto us as in this month Pakistanhad split and if people did notgive up these divisive trends,there could be a repetition ofDecember 16, 1971.—APP
KARACHI: People gathered near the car of leader of Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat AurangzebFarooqi who was killed with other 5 persons in an attack by unknown persons in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area Moti Mahal.
STAFF REPORTER
KARACHI—Sindh Governor DrIshratul Ebad Khan and ChiefMinister Qaim Ali Shah on Tues-day called upon the countrymento unite for the development ofPakistan as envisioned byMuhammad Ali Jinnah, thefounding father of Pakistan.
The call was made at Jinnah’smausoleum where the two lead-ers visited and paid homage to MrJinnah on his 136th birth anniver-sary. Chairman Pakistan People’sParty Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also
Ishrat, Qaim for nationalunity as per Quaid’s vision
accompanied them.They offered “Fateha” and
laid floral wreaths at Mazar-e-Quaid. Speaking to media on theoccasion‚ Governor Sindh DrIshratul Ebad Khan said Pakistancould be made stronger and stableif all strictly follow the 1973Constitution.He said the chal-lenges facing the country cur-rently could only be coped withthe employment of Quid’s three-pillar beliefs of “Ittehad,Tanzeem” and “Yaqeen-e-Muhkam”. The governor, whoTuesday was conferred upon by
the president the country’s high-est civil award, Nishan-e-Imtiaz ,for his meritorious pubic services,said the country could only be de-veloped as per golden principlesof Mr. Jinnah if the foundingfather’s vision is followed in let-ter and spirit.
He said Quid’s teachingswere always there to guide theleadership of Pakistan towards aprosperous and stable nation.
Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shahcalled upon the countrymen tounite against all sorts of anti-stateforces as unity only would even-
OBSERVER REPORT
KARACHI—PPP ChairmanBilawal Bhutto Zardari has ex-tended a very Happy Christmas toall the Christian citizensofPakistan, and those celebratingthe feast around the world hopingthis Christmas would bring joy andpeace to the country.
In his message on the occa-sion, Chairman PPP said, “I hopethat Christmas would be enjoyable& may the essence of Christmasremains always with the peoplecelebrating it with religious andtraditional fervor”.
Bilawal said PPP believed inthe ideology of Quaid-e-AzamMohammad Ali Jinnah. He onceagain assured all the minorities,
Bilawal, Altaf greet Christiansincluding Christian communitythat PPP would always follow theideology of forefathers to treatthem equally in all spheres of lifeas the citizens ofPakistan.
He pledged that his Partywould extend all kind of protec-tion to all the citizens of Pakistanwithout any discrimination to fol-low and observe their respectivereligions without any fear as hisgrand-father Shaheed Zulfikar AliBhutto and mother ShaheedMohtarma Benazir Bhutto losttheir lives during the struggle foran egalitarian democracy whereeverybody should have equalrights.
Meanwhile, the founder ofMuttahida Quami Movement(MQM) Altaf Hussain said
Prophet Isa (AS) gave the worldthe message of peace, love,brotherhood and dignity for themankind. He spent his life inpreaching this message and “ourmessage is also the same as thatof Hazrat Isa (AS),” said Altaf.The MQM leader said this whileaddressing at Nine Zero a prayergathering held on the eve ofChristmas. Pastors and bishopsfrom different churches of thecity, people belonging to theChristian community and otherreligions were present in theprayer meeting. Members of theco-ordination committee, mem-bers of the minorities committee,and office-bearers of variouswings of the MQM were alsopresent on the occasion.
tually get them sustainable peaceand stability in the beloved Paki-stan. Illustrating the Quide, thechief minister said father of thenation should be followed by thecountrymen to make Pakistanstronger and a progressive coun-try. Shah said all national institu-tions must not transgress theirconstitutional jurisdiction.
During its five-year reign,Qaim said, his government hadrendered unprecedented services tothe people who would again electtheir trusted leaders to the corridorsof power in general elections.
OBSERVER RPOERT
KARACHI—The MinoritiesCommittee of the MuttahidaQuami Movement (MQM) or-ganized a colorful programmedhere on the eve of Christmas.
Deputy Convener of the Co-ordination Committee DrFarooq Sattar and member of thecommittee Wasim Aftab con-gratulated the Christian commu-nity living across the country.
Held at the party’s head-quarter, best known as NineZero, the programme startedwith special prayers and pastorsand bishops from differentchurches of the city attended theprogramme.
MQM for religious indiscriminationto develop Pakistan
In-charge of the MinoritiesCommittee of the MQM AbdulAhad, other members of thecommittee, and a large numberof people belonging to differentminorities were also present onthe occasion.
Nine Zero and adjoiningarea were decorated in an el-egant manner. Christmas treeswere also placed near Nine Zero,and they attracted the attentionof the people. Children sangChristmas songs and presenteda tableau. Singers MuhammadIfraheem, Hassan Jahangir andAmjad Rana also presentedsongs suiting the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion DrSattar said that followers of ev-
ery religion have equal rights onPakistan. “We can put the coun-try on the path of progress byending discriminations on thebasis of religion. We will haveto give rights to everyone ac-cording to the true spirit of theconstitution.”
“Everyone knows aboutthe role played by the MQMfor the rights of the minorities.Mr Altaf Hussain has alwaysspoken about harmonious re-lations between different na-tionalities and faiths. TheChristian community of thecountry would also prove to bean iron wall against the con-spiracies being hatched to cre-ate instability in the country.
Hazrat Isa (AS)spread message ofpeace, love: Altaf
KARACHI—Muttahida QaumiMovement (MQM) chief AltafHussain has said that Hazrat Isa(AS) gave the world the mes-sage of peace, love, brotherhoodand dignity for mankind.
He was addressing a prayergathering held here at Nine Zeroon telephone on the eve ofChristmas, said an MQM state-ment on Tuesday. Altaf Hussaingreeted the Christian communityand said that Hazrat Isa (AS)loved the oppressed people. Heprayed for peace in Pakistan andthe rest of the world along withthe Christian community.
Pastors and bishops fromdifferent churches of the city,people belonging to the Chris-tian community and other reli-gions also attended in the prayermeeting.
Meanwhile, The leader ofMuttahida Quami Movement(MQM) Altaf Hussain hasstrongly condemned the mur-derous attack on MaulanaAurangzeb Farooqi in Karachion Tuesday. In a statement re-ceived here, he expressed griefand deep concerns over the kill-ing of his guard, driver and po-licemen in the attack.
He also expressed sympa-thies to Maulana Farooqi andprayed for his early recovery. Hesaid that the murder of any per-son is equal to murdering theentire humanity. Altaf Hussainalso expressed sympathies to thegrieved families who lost theirloved-ones in the attack.—APP
ICCBS-KU, FCCollege Lahore
ink MoUKARACHI—The InternationalCenter for Chemical and Biologi-cal Sciences (ICCBS), KarachiUniversity, has signed a memo-randum of understanding (MoU)with the Forman Christian Col-lege Lahore (FCCU), with an ob-jective to initiate academic andscientific cooperation between thetwo institutions. A statement hereon Tuesday said that the DirectorInternational Center for Chemicaland Biological Sciences, Prof. Dr.Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, onbehalf of the ICCBS and RectorFCCU Dr. James A. Tebbe, signedthe MoU in the MoU-Signing cer-emony, at Lahore. It said thatspeaking at the ceremony, Dr.Iqbal Choudhary said that theKarachi University was recog-nized as the premier establish-ment of higher learning and re-search in the sub-continent andin the developing world, gradedas 233 in world ranking of Uni-versities in natural sciences.
He said that the ICCBS hadbecome the largest and finestinstitution in this region. In lasttwo years,”we increased ourPh.D. enrolment from 310 to480, expanded our internationalcollaboration with 26 newMoUs, welcomed over 180 for-eign scholars from some 50 na-tions, published over 600 inter-national research papers.—APP
KARACHI—KMC Administra-tor Muhammad Hussain Syedwent to Quaid-e-Azam’s Mauso-leum on his birth anniversary andlaid the floral wreath on behalfof the citizens on Karachi.
He was accompanied byChief Officer Matanat Ali Khanand other officers.
He, on this occasion, whileregistering his views in thevisitor’s book paid tribute to the
Administrator Karachi urges youthto study life of Quaid-e-Azam
founder of the nation and de-clared him a great leader of theworld. The AdministratorKarachi said it would have beenimpossible to get the indepen-dence without his exemplaryleadership. He said Quaid-e-Azam loved this city and hewanted to make it a great city.
Meanwhile AdministratorKarachi Muhammad HussainSyed addressing to a program
held by Young Social Reform-ers to pay tribute to Quaid-e-Azam and Pakistan Army saidthat the nation had lot of expec-tations from its youth and theystill needs to play their activerole as they did during thestruggle for the country.
Chief Officer Matanat AliKhan, President YSR FahadRizvi and a good number ofyouth were present on this
LAHORE: Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Mian ManzoorAhmad Wattoo addressing Press Conference at Governor House.
KIDS who have food allergies or areoverweight may be especially likelyto get bullied by their peers, two new
studies suggest. Not surprisingly, research-ers also found targets of bullying were moredistressed and anxious andhad a worse quality of life,in general, than those whoweren’t picked on.
Bullying has become aconcern among parents,doctors and school admin-istrators since research andnews stories emerged link-ing bullying - includingonline “cyberbullying” -with depression and evensuicide.
“There has been a shiftand people are more andmore recognizing that bully-ing has real consequences,it’s not just something to bemaking jokes about,” saidDr. Mark Schuster, chief ofgeneral pediatrics at BostonChildren’s Hospital and aprofessor at Harvard Medical School, whowrote a commentary published with the newresearch. Studies suggest between one inten and one in three of all kids and teens arebullied - but those figures may vary by loca-tion and demographics, researchers noted.
The new findings come from two studiespublished Monday in the journal Pediatrics.In one, Dr. Eyal Shemesh from the MountSinai Medical Center in New York and hiscolleagues surveyed 251 kids who were seenat an allergy clinic and their parents. Thechildren were all between age eight and 17with a diagnosed food allergy. J u s t
Allergies, extra weighttied to bullying
over 45 percent of them said they’d beenbullied or harassed for any reason, and 32percent reported being bullied because oftheir allergy in particular. “Our finding isentirely consistently with what you find
with children with a disabil-ity,” Shemesh told ReutersHealth.
A food allergy, he said,“is a vulnerability that can bevery easily exploited, so ofcourse it will be exploited.”The kids in the study weremostly white and well-off, theresearcher said - a group thatyou’d expect would be tar-geted less often. So bullyingmay be more common inpoorer and minority childrenwho also have food allergies.But allergies aren’t the onlycause of teasing and harass-ment by peers.
In another study, re-searchers from Yale Univer-sity in New Haven, Connecti-cut, found that almost two-
thirds of 361 teens enrolled in weight-losscamps had been bullied due to their size.That likelihood increased with weight, sothat the heaviest kids had almost a 100 per-cent chance of being bullied, Rebecca Puhland her colleagues found. Verbal teasingwas the most common form of bullying,but more than half of bullied kids reportedgetting taunted online or through texts andemails as well. Shemesh’s team found onlyabout half of parents knew when their food-allergic child was being bullied, and kidstended to be better off when their familieswere aware of the problem.
LAHORE: Santa Claus giving Christmas gifts to children at Children’s Ward in Mayo Hospital on Christmas.
LAHORE: Peasant worker walks at the field of watermelon which is covered withpolythene sheets to avoid dew of winter season in the area of Sagian.
LAHORE—PML-N formerticket holder from PP-22Chakwal Pir Nisar Qasim hasjoined Pakistan MuslimLeague along with thou-sands of his colleagues.
He made the announce-ment when he called on Paki-stan Muslim League seniorcentral leader and DeputyPrime Minister Ch ParvezElahi at his residence heretoday. He was accompaniedby Sardar Ghulam Mehdi, ChMuhammad Ali, Ch GhulamHaider, Ch Qasim Ali, ChTanveer Ali advocate andseveral other local leaders.Ch Zaheeruddin Khan andMuhammad Basharat Rajawere also present on the oc-casion.
While making the an-nouncement, Pir Nisar Qasim
SALIM AHMED
LA H O R E—Quaid-i-Azamwanted Pakistan as an Is-lamic democratic welfarestate in which rule of law isobserved. Another Pakistanwill emerge from within In-dia for which Indian Mus-lims are eagerly looking to-wards the successes of Pa-kistan.
These thoughts wereshared by Justice (retd)Sharif Hussain Bokhari,Prof. Dr. Khwaja AmjadSaeed, Sajjad Mir, Engr.Abdul Majeed Khan, ZubairSheikh, Dr. MuhammadSadiq and Jameel Gishkoriin their speeches at TECHSociety Club on Quaid-e-Azam day seminar Tuesday.
They said, Jinnah’s Pa-
Tributes paid to Founder of Pakistan
Quaid-i-Azam was neither supporter ofsocialism nor secular system: Speakers
kistan was neither secularnor Mullah based. Quaid-e-Azam always emphasizedthe need of social equality,justice and fair play. TodayPakistan is in dire need of aleadership who conceive asachieved like Jinnah tocope with the obstacles inthe path of their destiny.
Unfortunately, presentleadership of Pakistan pro-ceed to USA or Englandeven if a minor stomachache is felt and that too onofficial expense whiledowntrodden people arenot able to get basic needsof life like food and shelter,they added.
Focus of Quaid’s ideol-ogy of Pakistan was thewelfare of common peoplefor which they stressed on
the economic developmentand education as the basisof public policies, theysaid.
Speakers also expressedthat Patel – the Hindu poli-tician who claimed that Pa-kistan could not survive formore than 6 months, but itsustained due to migrationof best brain from India toPakistan and then Pakistanwould stand forever. Quaidalso told that no countrycan develop without satis-fying the needs of public atlarge.
Pakistan is rich in natu-ral resources but speed ofdevelopment in this sectoris very slow as compared toother countries of theworld. Quaid-e-Azam in hisaddress to students that
they should focus on theirstudy, respect of the par-ents, elders, teachers anddevelopment of their coun-try to achieve their real ob-jectives of education.Quaid-e-Azam was neithersupporter of socialist norsecular system but Islamiceconomic system.
Speakers also empha-sized that minorities andmajorities all should respectthe constitution of Pakistanbecause in case of bilateraldisputes law of the land de-cides the fate. We areshameful in front of Quaid-e-Azam because poorpeople of Pakistan arecommiting suicides due topoverty elevation and mafiadriven political system,speakers expressed.
STAFF REPORTER
LAHORE—Senior Advisor toPunjab Chief Minister, SardarZulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa hassaid that the Punjab govern-ment under the leadership ofMuhammad Shahbaz Sharifhas completed public welfaredevelopment projects in theminimum time transparentlywith good governance andhas set up a high standard ofpublic service. The Punjabgovernment has taken revo-lutionary steps in education,health, infrastructure andtransport sectors which areunprecedented, he added.
He expressed these viewswhile talking to participantsof 14th National SecurityWorkshop of National De-fence University, led by Maj.Gen. Ziauddin Najam at 90-Shara-e-Quaid-e-Azam. 68-Member delegation includesSenators, Members of Na-tional and Provincial Assem-blies, officers of PakistanArmy, Ambassadors, bureau-
Revolutionary steps taken foreducation, infrastructure facilities
crats and representatives ofcivil society. Special Assis-tants to CM Syed ZaeemHussain Qadri, ZakiaShahnawaz besides Chair-man P&D Javed Aslam Sec-retaries of Energy, Health,Agriculture, Finance andEducation departments andother concerned officerswere present.
Sardar Zulfiqar Ali KhanKhosa told the delegation thatthe Punjab government is ply-ing air-conditioned buses forprovision of modern and qual-ity transport facilities to themasses and has started inter-national standard Metro BusSystem Project in the provin-cial metropolis which is at thefinal stages of its completion.He said that this project wouldbe completed from Gajumta toShahdara at a cost Rs.29.8 bil-lion.
He said that indoor andoutdoor patients are beingprovided free of cost medi-cines while the governmenthas also set up five medical
colleges in a short period offour and a half years besidesapproval has also beengranted for construction ofThal Medical College inBhakkar. Similarly, institutes ofcardiology have been set upin Rawalpindi and Wazirabadwhile 450-bed hospital inBahawalpur and a 200-bedhospital in Shahdra have alsobeen set up, he added.
Senior Advisor told thatcomprehensive steps havebeen taken for promotion ofeducation which include set-ting up of Daanish schools,Endowment Fund at with anamount of Rs.10 billion, dis-tribution of laptops to tal-ented students and sendingposition holder students onstudy tour to renowned uni-versities in Europe.
He further told that forpromotion of informationtechnology, an IT universityat Arfa Kareem IT Tower hasbeen set up. Similarly, IT labshave also been set up in 4286high schools at a cost of
Nisar Qasim joins PMLexpressed complete confi-dence in the leadership of ChShujat Hussain and ChParvez Elahi. Describing fiveyears tenure of Ch ParvezElahi as the Chief Minister asgolden era of the Punjab, hesaid that the prosperousPunjab of his tenure has beenrendered bankrupt by N-League, crime ratio has in-creased greatly, Mian Broth-ers even do not listen to theirparliamentarians and onlyimpose their orders becauseof not only people but mostof the N-League members ofthe assemblies are also un-happy and many N-Leagueparliamentarians will be an-nouncing quitting of theparty after the elections areannounced.
Welcoming Pir Nisar
Mashhoodurges youth tofollow Quaid’s
footprintsLAHORE—Deputy SpeakerPunjab Assembly RanaMashood Ahmed Khan hasurged the youth to follow thefootprints of Quaid e AzamMohammed Ali Jinnah.
Talking to a delegation ofYouth Talent Association athis Gulshan e Ravi residenceon Tuesday, he said, youngpeople are the asset of thecountry and they can put thecountry on road to progressand prosperity.
He advised them to comeforward for political as wellas economic uplift of Paki-stan.—APP
Qasim in PML fold, Ch ParvezElahi said with his joining thePML will become more stron-ger in Chakwal. He said pro-vision of basic facilities tothe people is our mission be-cause of this we have alsolaunched plans for providinggas to the villages while elec-tricity is also being suppliedin the far flung villages aswell. He said that he has al-ways given preference andspecial attention to the de-velopment of backward andrural areas. He said furtherthat as the Chief Minister, hegot more than 37 thousandkilometers of concrete roadswhich greatly benefitted thefarmers in the province andtheir crops are reaching fromfields to the marketstimely.—NNI
Bishop forreligiousharmony
LAHORE—Bishop of LahoreRev Rtd Irfan Jamil on Tues-day stressing the need forinter-faith harmony said thatPakistan needs such peoplewho believe in religious har-mony and could promotepeace, love and brotherhoodin the country.
Addressing the gather-ing at the Cathederal ChurchLahore on Christmas day, hesaid, the country was con-fronting multiple challengesand the situation demands acomplete unity among allpeople belonging to allschool of thoughts. No reli-gion allow terrorism in anyform, he said.
He said, those wantedprogress in the country werein majority while thosefavouring terrorism were inminority.
The Bishop hoped thegovernment would continueto strive for the fundamentalrights of minorities as en-shrined in the Constitution ofPakistan.
He felicitated the Chris-tian community on the birthof Jesus Christ and urgedthem to celebrate the occa-sion with jubilation.—APP
STAFF REPORTER
LAHORE—Mental HealthFederation of Pakistan(MHFP) will organize an inter-national seminar on “MentalHealth Issues-A recent per-spective” here at a local hotelon Wednesday, December 26.
President MHFP Prof DrIAK Tareen told in a meetingthat renowned internationalpsychiatrists Dr SaleemTareen, Dr Anjum Bashir, DrEaisha Tareen, Prof TanvirRana will deliver their researchpapers on the occasion, whileProfessor Emeritus King Ed-ward Medical University ProfKhalida Tareen and Chairman
Rs.five billion. He said thatland record has been comput-erized which will rid themasses of blackmailing ofpatwaris. He said that lowcost housing scheme,Aashiyana, has been startedfor provision of homes topoor people. Zulfiqar AliKhosa told that Rs.10 billionhave been allocated for en-ergy sector in the province.
Sardar Zufliqar Ali Khosatold that the Punjab govern-ment has evolved a compre-hensive strategy to curb thecrimes and the police offic-ers and officials have beentrained on modern lines withthe cooperation of Turkey.
Similarly 100 model policestations have been set up inthe province and ten CCTVcameras have been installedto monitor the performanceof these model police sta-tions, he added. He said thatcyber crime units have alsobeen set up at district levelbesides restoring the systemof ‘thekri pehra’.
Department of PsychiatryMayo Hospital Prof Aftab Asifwill be members of panel ofexperts.
Prof IAK Tareen, whileelaborating the importance ofthis seminar said that mentalhealth problems are increasingin the country and there is direneed to arrange training andeducational programmes forfamily physicians. He said in-ternational experts will high-light the issues like depres-sion, post traumatic stress dis-order, emotional disorders inchildren, stress and distress inwomen and management ofdepression during this semi-nar.
Mental Healthseminar calls for
curative steps
Steps taken tocheck obscenityLAHORE—A monitoringteam of the City District Gov-ernment Lahore has startedinspection of private theatresto check obscenity.
The team saw plays in Al-Falah, Naz, and Mehfil the-atres and issued warnings tosome actresses to obey thelaw and refrain from all kindof obscenity.—APP
Over dozenhealth projects
initiatedLAHORE—Health Depart-ment Punjab initiated morethan a dozen health projectsin the city out of which somehave been completed.
A spokesman of thehealth department said hereon Monday that a 200-bedGovernment Shahdra Hospi-tal had been completed re-cently and the recruitmentof staff for the hospital wasunderway.
He said that not onlyGovernment Shahdra hospi-tal has been completed inLahore but a number of megaprojects of expansion/ up-gradation of teaching hospi-tals had also been completedincluding Lahore GeneralHospital Master Plan Phase1, II and III on which billionsof rupees had been spent.
He said Out Patients De-partment (OPD) of ServicesHospital was near completionat a cost of Rs 804 million, up-gradation of Radiology De-partment and provision of spe-cialties in Services Hospital,up-gradation of Sir Ganga RamHospital with Rs.188 million,up-gradation of NeurosurgeryDepartment Sir Ganga RamHosptial, Fatima Jinnah Burnand Constructive SurgeryCenter at a cost of Rs.1223 mil-lion, establishment of ServicesInstitute of Medical Scienceswith Rs.1738 million, construc-tion of Forensic Departmentand Mortuary worth Rs.50.4million, construction of FatimaJinnah Institute of Dental Sci-ences on which Rs.510 millionhave so far been spent.—APP
Thick fogforces closureof Motorway
LAHORE—Many areas ofPunjab province are coveredwith thick fog, causing clo-sure of motorways and dis-rupting air traffic.
According to motorwaypolice, the Motorway hasbeen closed because the vis-ibility was down to zero. Thecommuters are advised touse GT Road with fog lightsand that too in convoys.
On the other hand, air traf-fic at Lahore’s Allama IqbalInternational has been affectedand various flights are beingdiverted to other cities due tolow visibility.—Agencies
