SNEAK PEEKRallies shutcapital for four hours

The federal capital wastaken as hostage onMonday as most of itsmajor roads, especiallybig chowks, remainedblocked by protestors

who had gathered at diQerent places todemonstrate against the government andin favour of their demands.

Page 02

mPs’ body to discuss uSactivity at karachi airport

Taking cognizance ofconstruction of TacticalCommand and OperationCentre Compound atKarachi’s JinnahInternational Airport by

the American Army, the ParliamentaryCommittee on National Security will takeup the issue on Wednesday.

Page 04

Attock district stillhouses over 20,000 Afghans

After the Soviet invasionof Afghanistan in 1979,over three millionAfghans took refuge inPakistan. Attock, whichborders Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa, is one those districtswhere the Afghans started living inlarge numbers.

Page 05

Rahim becomes first BDplayer to hit double century

Mushfiqur Rahim onMonday became the firstBangladeshi to crack adouble-century while NasirHossain hit a maiden tonas the tourists gained a 68-

run lead in the first Test against SL. Page 11

tueSDAy march 12, 2013 Rabi-us-Sani 29, 1434 I Islamabad/Rawalpindi I Vol, V, No. 327 I www.thespokesman.pk Pages 12 I Price 10/-

KRAMER VERSUSMALIK RIAZ –NOT AGAIN

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A shower possibleHIGH: 28 LOW: 15

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UNDERSTANDING THESTRUCTURES OF VIOLENCE– IMDAD HUSSAIN

PG I 06

TARNISHING RELIGIONFOR GREED–AAMIR HUSSAINI

cmyk

Ground broken for ‘peace pipeline’ dream� Nejad sees no excuse to oppose gas line � Project to complete in 2014 � Islamabad asks US to understand country’s energy needs

ANIS SHEIKH

GGAABBDD,, IIrraann:: The presidents of Iran andPakistan marked the start of constructionon a much-delayed gas pipeline on Mondaydespite the US pressure on Islamabad toback out of the project.Monday's ceremony comes just days

before the government's term is set toexpire and could be designed to win votesby making the ruling PPP look like it'saddressing the energy crisis. Iranian state television showed live

footage of President MahmoudAhmedinejad and Pakistani President AsifAli Zardari shaking hands and oQeringprayers after unveiling a plaque to markPakistan's involvement.Alluding to the US, Ahmedinejad

accused "foreign elements" of seeking toundermine Iran's relations with Pakistanand to thwart the Islamic Republic'sprogress by using its nuclear programme asa pretext. "I want to tell those individualsthat the gas pipeline has no connectionwhatsoever with the nuclear case,"Ahmedinejad said in a translated addressbroadcast live on state television thatfollowed the ground-breaking ceremony."With natural gas you cannot make atomicbombs. That's why they should have noexcuse to oppose this pipeline."Iran's deputy oil minister, Javad Owji,

told Iranian state television that Tehranalready built 900 kilometres (560 miles) ofthe pipeline, with about 320 kilometres(199 miles) remaining to be built insideIran. The Pakistan segment of the pipelineis expected to be about 780 kilometres (485miles). Owji said Iranian contractors willbe involved in building the Pakistaniportion of the pipeline. Gas is supposed tostart flowing in by the end of 2014,although few see that deadline as realisticconsidering the delays so far in the project.Speaking Monday morning before the

president and his entourage left for Iran, apresidential spokesman said the projectwill have a huge economic impact onPakistan. "We hope our friends understandour energy needs," said Farhatullah Babarin a veiled reference to the US."That timing is very important for the

PPP because they will build their campaignon this," said Shahid Butt, a senior politicalanalyst from Rajgarh.Dubbed the "peace pipeline", the

$7billion project has faced repeated delayssince it was conceived in the 1990s toconnect Iran's giant South Pars gas field toIndia via Pakistan.

The US has steadfastly opposed theproject, saying it could violate sanctionsimposed on Iran over nuclear activities thatWashington suspects are aimed atdeveloping a weapons capability. Irandenies this. India quit the project in 2009,citing costs and security issues, a year afterit signed a nuclear deal with Washington.

Agencies add: President Zardari in hisaddress termed the pipeline project as“very important” for Pakistan. He said theprosperity of Pakistan and Iran was inter-linked and the former was striving tobecome self-reliant. Zardari said theinternational community was unaware ofthe problems of regional countries and wasnot cognizant of appropriate solutions tomany issues, adding that the relationsbetween Pakistan and Iran werestrengthened through commonality ofreligion and culture.He said the world peace was correlated

with peace in Pakistan and stressed thatthe country was not against any other state.Nejad said, “The pipeline is the symbol of

determination of the two nations,” he said,adding that success was possible throughunity of regional states. He said the gaspipeline could be extended to the north ofPakistan as well and his country would alsoprovide electricity to the neighbouringcountry. The 1,600-kilometre long 42-inchdiameter pipeline will enable the import of21.5 million cubic meters of Iranian naturalgas to Pakistan on a daily basis. Iran hasalready completed the 900-km pipeline inits territory.Tehran-based Tadbir Energy

Development Group will undertake allengineering procurement andconstruction work for the first segmentof the project, which starts from theIran-Pakistan border. The Iranian firmwill also carry out the second segmentof the project, while the remainingamount is expected to be generated byPakistan through Gas InfrastructureDevelopment Cess (GIDC).

SALMAN ABBAS

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Drawing strengthfrom his affiliation with the rulingparty Pakistan People's Party, PPPactivist Moon Shah has establisheda banquet hall and a showroomillegally on a large plot of land infront of BhekaSyedan village nearthe affluent Sector F/11 in thecapital and named the place‘Benazir House’, apparently tointimidate civic authorities awayfrom evicting him.Despite his blatant violation of

CDA by-laws, the CapitalDevelopment Authority (CDA)seems reluctant to take actionagainst him.Such commercial

activity in residential areas hasbeen declared illegal by the CDA.But tarnishing the PPP's imagemost is that Moon has displayed apicture of late Benazir Bhuttooutside the place.Neighbourstold The Spokesman

that there was a regular house atthe said place prior to the PPPcoming into government but oncethe PPP came into power, MoonShah renovated the place andconverted it into a banquet hall,causing inconvenience to theresidents who now have to bear alot of noise late into the night.They said Moon built a carshowroom next door some threemonths ago. People's Party flags

fly on the building and asignboard with slain PPP leaderBenazir Bhutto's picture adornsthe facade.Moon Shahsaid the place was his

ancestral house but he renovated itas a banquet hall and showroomwithin the bounds of BhekaSyedanvillage, so the CDA could notimpose its byelaws on him. Headded that the CDA acted againsthim some months ago anddemolished a wall of the house. “Iam a PPP worker but despite beingan activist of the ruling party, CDAhas taken action against me,forwhich they will face theconsequences,” said Moon.CDA Director Enforcement

Naveedul Haq was not available forcomment but CDA sources saidthat some senior officials from theLand Directorate were supportingthe dwellers of Bheka Syedan,"including a PPP worker", due towhich action could not be takenagainst him. He said CDAhad theauthority to take action against alltypes of illegal civic activity inBheka Syedan.CDA Director General (Planning)

Ghulam Sarwar Sandhu told TheSpokesman CDA's comments to themedia were restricted. On beingpressed, he just said that the CDAhad right to take action against non-conforming use of houses in the city,including in Bheka Syedan.

PPP activist flaunts Benazir’s picture to intimidate CDA

MASOOD REHMAN

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Rejecting a Punjabgovernment report on the JosephColony incident, the Supreme CourtMonday took the Punjab governmentand police authorities to task byobserving that there was completeretreat of State in what happened atBadami Bagh incident.The court sought a fresh and

comprehensive report and observedthat politics at the cost of poor peoplewould not be allowed. A three-memberbench led by Chief Justice IftikharMuhammad Chaudhry rejected thereport on the grounds that it did notmention the reasons behind theincident and the action taken againstthe perpetrators.

Appearing on notice, PunjabAdvocate General Ashtar Ausaf Alipresented before the court apreliminary report of the incident,according to which compensation hadbeen paid to the victims of JosephColony. Besides, 150 suspects had beenarrested for allegedly being involved inthe arson attack on Christians’ housesand additional police personnel hadbeen deployed at the Joseph Colony tomaintain law and order situation.During the hearing, the chief justice

remarked that providing compensationwas government's responsibility andasked why precautionary measures werenot taken if there was informationpertaining to the attack. He said IGshould have quit if he was not aware ofthe developments. He said the IG police,

CCPO and SP City had failed to providesecurity to the citizens, despite havingprior information about the incident. Hesaid police seemed more engaged inproviding protection to the criminals.Reprimanding the acting IG Punjab, thechief justice remarked as to why thepolice chief was not trying to get to thefacts of the matter and whether he wascapable of performing his duties. He alsoinquired that why security measures hadnot been employed when there werereports of trouble in the area.The court summoned a report from the

commission on the Gojra riots and askedwhy the findings of the commission werenot made public. The court noted thatthe police failed to protect the citizens andif their negligence was proved, action willbe taken against them.

AGP report on Joseph colony rejected

SC takes Punjab govt to task

BBRRUUSSSSEELLSS:: The EuropeanUnion Monday oQered tosend observers to Pakistan’shistoric elections in May ina bid to ensure a “peaceful,credible” vote that will be“acceptable” to all.“The EU looks forward to

upcoming elections that arepeaceful, credible,transparent, inclusive andacceptable to the Pakistanipeople,” European Unionforeign ministers said in astatement released after talks.The European Unionministers also said they lookedforward to re-energising tieswith the next government andhoped quick contacts couldlead to a third EU-Pakistansummit. –AGENCIES

SAEED MINHAS

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Brushing asidethe objections of Federal LawMinister Farooq H Naek,Opposition Leader ChaudhryNisar and without waiting forwhat they call just a‘ceremonial’ approval ofPresident Asif Zardari, ElectionCommission of Pakistan (ECP)Monday ordered the printing ofnomination papers for theupcoming elections.The proposed nomination

papers are seeking from all theelected candidates to declarenot only their loans, degrees,defaults, tax details, list ofverifiable assets, court cases(both for and against), criminalhistory (or none of it) anddetails of their immediatefamily members. OppositionLeader Ch Nisar had objected tothe language of the ECP againstthe parliamentarians while LawMinistry through Farooq H.Naek had detested the inclusionof new clauses in thenomination papers.Based on the premise of

holding free and fair elections asper article 218 of theConstitution, ECP believed thatsince it’s the responsibility of theCommission to ensure free andfair elections therefore neitherobjections from the LawMinistry nor delay in approval ofthe form by the President needto be considered at this time in

point. The ECP official pressrelease says “time is too shorttherefore printing of nominationpapers has been ordered.”Drawing the courage from

Supreme Court’s verdict inWorker’s Party case that theECP “is empowered andindependent to do all that isnecessary to fulfill itsconstitutional mandate andinstruct that it do so,” ECP hasshown the door to Law Ministryofficials and presidency onraising objections over theinsertion of new clauses in thenomination papers. “Will it starta new tug of war between thePPP and ECP and will FarooqNaek be able to garner enoughsupport of loan defaulters, taxdebtors and fake degree holdersfrom within the exisitingassembly remains the questionmaking rounds in capital,” askedan ECP officials while talking toThe Spokesman.The ECP had sent its

nomination form to thePresident for approval undersection 107 of ROPA on 2ndFeb, 2013. Thereafter, theCommission did not get anyresponse until the meeting withthe Federal Law Minister onMarch 7 in which Mr. Naekraised a number of objections.The ECP asked the LawMinister to submit hisobjections in writingimmediately so that the samemay be considered by the ECP.

Nomination papers sent for printing

EC brushesaside objections

EU oQersobservers forelections

Stocks lose 400 pointsover sanction fearsKarachi stock market plummeted over400 points on Monday, the same dayas the Pakistani president and hisIranian counterpart inauguratedconstruction work on a much delayedpipeline between the two countries,despite repeated warnings ofAmerican sanctions.

Details on Business page

� Says time too short � Rules outneed for ceremonial nod from president

GABD: President Asif Ali Zardari and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmedinejad pose for the media at the opening ceremony of Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project. –ONLINE

CMYK

CMYK

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

SHANEL KHALIQ

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: As summer approaches, lawnexhibitions have hit the market in all nooksand corners of the capital city. The lawnexhibitions are categorised by anovercrowding, hoopla and jostling that onehas never witnessed before.The venue presents a picture of complete

chaos with women pushing each other andheading across to seize the limited number ofpieces available. Courtesy and mannerisms areseldom witnessed at these exhibitions and thescene is quite similar to one that could bewitnessed at any emergency situation. The

concept of these lawn exhibitions is a relativelynew one.Before the last decade, lawn was a simple

and casual fabric worn in summers to saveoneself of the scorching weather and it wasalso not a burden on the pocket. Lawn was thecheapest and most aQordable cloth availablein the market and was worn by elites andcommoners alike. It was always characterisedby elaborate prints wither floral or geometricand perhaps these made lawn the perfectblessing; comfort with beauty available at areasonable price.Ever since designer labels started launching

their own lawn collections, this whole idea

took a 360 degree turn. No one could haveimagined a few years ago how this wouldbecome a fad beyond control. The fabric thatwas once the most aQordable went beyondreach for the common person. The idea ofusing marketing strategies to build up the waitand then finally to hold an exhibition tolaunch the collection worked well for thedesigners who are now making millions onlythrough the sale lawn.It started with a few brands specialising in

lawn and soon every designer and every labelfollowed suit and today there are hundredsbeyond doubt. The whole concept haschanged altogether. The fabric is the same,

more or less the patterns and the colourcombinations are also the same but what haschanged is the price. Lawn is perhaps one ofthose commodities that the inflation has hitthe hardest. It could easily be ranked next topetrol in the price increase!Another phenomenon that has occurred

alongside is the making of copies of these“designer prints.” All one needs to do is to visitthe less elitist sectors and the markets thereare also flooded with lawn in the same designs.The only diQerence is that the prices arereasonable and these shops are giving thecommoners a chance to buy the same luxurywhich they cannot aQord.

Simplest lawns now passion of the elite

Capital spring treeplantation starts today

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The Capital DevelopmentAuthority is all set to launch its springtree plantation campaign from today(Tuesday). CDA Chairman Syed TahirShahbaz would inaugurate thecampaign. In this connection, a walkwould be held which will start fromMargalla Road F-11/3 to the planting siteE-11/4. Representatives from civilSociety, Traders union EducationalInstitution, NGOs, Environmentalists,employees from diQerent ministries anddivisions, CDA oPcers and large numberof general public would be involved inthis campaign. ONLINE

CDA silent on illegalwedding functionsIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Wedding ceremonies arebeing arranged illegally in the publicparks, roads and playgrounds of thefederal capital creating problems for thepeople. To add to this, laws prohibitingfireworks and aerial firing are beingviolated frequently in the Sectors of G-6,G-7, G-8, G-9, G-10, I-10, I-9 and otherareas. CDA oPcials were contacted totake their stance on the issue but theycould not be reached. ONLINE

103 officers promotedIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Prime Minister RajaPervez Ashraf‚ on the recommendationsof Central Selection Board‚ hasapproved the promotions of 103 oPcersbelonging to diQerent services andgroup. According to state media, thisinclude among others promotion of sixoPcers of Foreign Service from BS-19to 20; four of Information Group fromBS-20 to BS-21; four from BS-20 to 21and another five from BS-19 to 20 inIntelligence Bureau; two oPcers fromBS-20 to 21 and one from BS-19 to 20in Military Land and CantonmentGroup; 21 oPcers of Pakistan Audit andAccounts Service from BS-19 to 20; 23oPcers of Inland Revenue Service fromBS-19 to 20; 12 oPcers of PakistanAudit and Accounts Service from BS-20to 21; and 5 oPcers of Foreign Servicefrom BS-20 to 21. ONLINE

Youth commits suicideIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Noor Muhammad, 36,committed suicide for unknown reasonsin the area of Ali Pur on Monday. As perKoral police, Mubarak Ali, the father ofthe deceased while recording hisstatement, said that his son had shothimself dead. He said he did not want tohave any postmortem done. The police inthe wake of statement of father of thedeceased have registered report declaringthe death a suicide incident. ONLINE

OUR STAFF REPORTER

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The Japan government hasdecided to extend a grant of 226 million yen($2.62 million) to Pakistan through the UNInternational Children's Emergency Fund to

support the polio-eradication programme.About two million dollars, out of the total

grant, will cover the procurement of poliovaccine and the rest will meet the cost ofsocial mobilisation activities. Japan’s Chargéd’Affaires Akira Kono and UNICEF Deputy

Representative Karen Allen signed andexchanged the documents.Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination

Secretary Faridullah Khan was also present towitness the signing. Japan has focused onpolio eradication as a global challenge onpublic health of the human race. Since 1996,Japan has provided grant assistance for thepolio eradication every year through UNICEFand these efforts have accumulated toapproximately $91 million including today’ssigning.In 2011, Japan renewed its commitment to

this endeavour by providing a soft loan ofapproximately $65 million in order to makePakistan a polio-fee country. In his remarksat the signing ceremony, Kono said thatJapan’s commitment and strong partnershipwith polio infected countries as well asdevelopment partners would continue untilthe day of complete eradication of polio fromthe world.Kono took the opportunity of the signing to

renew Japan’s gratitude to the internationalcommunity including Pakistan for support toJapan after the Great East Japan Earthquakeand subsequent tsunami which took place onMarch 11, 2011, exactly two years ago. Today’ssigning, according to Kono, showed how Japanhas continued its commitment to socio-economic well-being in the world despite thechallenging situation in Japan.

$2.62m from Japan to fight polio

HOMER BALOCH

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The federal capitalwas taken as hostage on Monday asmost of its major roads, especially bigchowks, remained blocked byprotestors who had gathered atdiQerent places to demonstrateagainst the government and in favourof their demands.The first and the biggest protest

rally was brought out by the non-teaching staQ of diQerent educationalinstitutes. On Monday, theycontinued their protest on 5th day byblocking the highway at Peshawar

Morr for about four hours. Hundredsof the employees started their marchfrom Federal Directorate ofEducation and gathered at theKashmir Highway where they raisedslogans against the authorities. They also tried to stop diQerent

vehicles passing by them, whichprovoked the passengers resultingminor clashes between them.Joint Action Committee Chairman

Mohammad Sadaquat Abbas whiletalking to The Spokesman said thatthe authorities are not payingattention over their issues and arekeeping silence. He said that they aredemanding for their rights which are

educational allowances, nonteaching time pay-scale, and newvacancies, but still the authorities aretreating us like we are demandinglike something illegal. “During our protest, we did not

hurt children and their studies; weonly boycotted the administrativework of educational institutes,” hesaid and added that although theytried their best to control the crowd,some employees misbehaved withthe public.In the second protest, diQerent

religious scholars of ‘Wafaq-al-Madaris’ and students of Madrassasstaged a demonstration on D-Chowk

against the killings of many scholarsand students throughout the country.In order to record theirdemonstration in a diQerent way, theteachers of diQerent Madrassas heldtheir classes on the Jinnah Avenue,where hundreds of students fromTaxila, Rawalpindi and other areaswere the attendant. The teacherstaught the students for more thanhours while sitting on the mainavenue under the sky. The scholars while demonstrating

condemn the sectarian killings bysaying that those who have the HolyBook in their hands are not terrorists.They further said that before this, the

D-Chowk has been used for diQerentsort of protests but it is the first timewhen the scholars are using it to teachtheir students as well as todemonstrate peacefully.In the third rally, the employees of

diQerent health programmes ofFATA, including Mobile HealthHospital Programme, alsodemonstrated in front of IslamabadPress club by demanding theregularisation of the employees.Abdul Haq, the electro medicalengineer by profession, told TheSpokesman that the employees areworking on contracts for the last tenyears and now it is their right to be

regularised. He further said that theyhave also submitted their applicationto the concerned authorities but theyshowed no response, for which theyare demonstrating peacefully.Yet another demonstration, by the

employees of Special Educationprogamme, was witnessed outsideIslamabad Press Club. Theydemanded that the employees ofSpecial Education Departmentshould be awarded 100 percent ofSpecial Education Allowances. Theyalso said that they refuse thediscrimination in which the specialeducation department is beingignored by the higher authorities.

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Australian PrimeMinister's Special Envoy Air ChiefMarshal (retd) Angus Houston calledon Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashrafat the PM’s House on Monday anddiscussed issues related to humantraPcking. The PM said that Australiaand Pakistan enjoyed good relationsand had remarkable cooperation invarious areas. Appreciating the keen interest and

full support of the Australiangovernment, the prime minister saidthat the people of Pakistan appreciatedthe assistance provided by thegovernment of Australia, especially forestablishing facilitation centers. He said that Pakistan was

committed to the Bali Process andeliminating sufferings caused due tohuman trafficking. Angus Houstonrecalled the close relationship andthe importance attached to relationswith Australia. He briefed Rajaabout the policies and efforts beingmade by the Australian governmentto check human trafficking andreiterated that Australia would workclosely with Pakistan to reducehuman trafficking. APP

Pakistan toeliminatehumantraPcking

Rallies shut capital for four hours

HOMER BALOCH

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Six more cases of fakeregistration by ex-PM&DC registrar have cometo the knowledge of the PM&DC management,The Spokesman learnt on Monday. The numberof fake registrations now stands at 40.An official, requesting anonymity, told The

Spokesman that more cases are still expected toemerge as Dr. Ahmad Nadeem Akbar issuedfake registrations to various people by misusinghis authority. “In these cases, the actual records of the

registered doctors have been tempered in aconfusing way,” the official said. He revealedthat in the bogus registration documents,university of the registration certificate holderhas been mentioned a foreign universitywhereas the college they attended is local. Another official while talking to The

Spokesman said that Dr. Akbar possesses

domiciles from three different areas - Sialkot,Karachi and Islamabad, which is also illegal.According to him, Dr. Akbar issued the bogusregistration certificates “just to increase thenumber of his supporters who could vote forhim to get PM&DC council memberships. Two FIRs have already been lodged against

Dr. Ahmad Nadeem Akbar, and lodging of thethird FIR will depend on appearance offurther cases and of their nature, the official added.Dr. Ahmad Nadeem Akbar, who succeeded in

securing a pre-arrest bail for his first FIR, is stillto be arrested by the Ramna Police for thesecond FIR. SHO Abid Hussain said that policehave raided his home on Margalla Road as wellas many other places to arrest him. Meanwhile,Sub-Inspector Muneer Hussain, theinvestigating officer, has been replaced by Sub-Inspector Yaseen Bhutta on a complaint by thePM&DC management stating that the earlier IOwas not cooperating with them.

Fake registrations by ex-registrar swell to 40� Baulky investigating officer replaced on PM&DC management’scomplaint

Rligious scholars, students demonstrating at D-Chowk against killings. ONLINE Non-teaching sta1 of di1erent educational institutes continue protest on 5th day. ONLINE FATA Mobile Health Hospital Programme workers demonstrating at Press Club. ONLINE

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Senator Haman Das andSenator Amar Jeet Malhotra Mondaycalled on Prime Minister Raja PervezAshraf at the PM House and discussedissues pertaining to non-MuslimPakistanis. The senators welcomed thefederal government’s announcement toprovide assistance to the Christianfamilies aQected in the incident. Theprime minister said that theConstitution of the country guaranteesequal rights for all citizen of the countryirrespective of their caste, colour orcreed. He assured that the governmentwould take all steps to safeguard thelives and properties of non-MuslimPakistanis. He said that his governmentis taking all steps for the welfare of thenon-Muslim Pakistanis and has takenpractical steps in this regard. ONLINE

Non-Muslimsequal citizens,says PM Raja

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Citizens have demandedintroduction of metro bus system on routesbetween the twin cities of Islamabad andRawalpindi to overcome transport problem.Underlining their transport related woes,the citizens said that acute shortage ofpublic transport and highhandedness ofdrivers and owners of wagons havecompounded their miseries. The drivers allow those commuters to sit

in the wagons who agree to travel to thewagon stops under the choice of the driversand not their real destinations and theydon’t complete the routes. Due to noncompletion of routes by the public transportdrivers, the government and private sectoremployees are unable to arrive in theiroPces in time. The Capital DevelopmentAuthority had announced to run 100 CNGbuses besides providing quality transport tothe citizens but all these announcementshave proved empty slogans and a lip service.Bus service on the pattern of metro bus

service in Lahore be launched on the routesbetween Islamabad and Pind. ONLINE

Metro bus servicedemanded intwin cities

Akira Kono, Charge d'A1aires of Japan and Karen Allen, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Pakistan exchangedocuments after the signing ceremony of Inter-Provincial Coordination. —ONLINE

Canadian singer Tariq Bobby addressing a pressconference at National Press Club. ONLINE

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

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

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

POWER ALLEYS|

FFaarrooooqq HHaammeeeedd KKhhaann��@@FFaarrooooqqHHKKhhaann@arsched more terroristattks in Pakistan likely asIran Pak pipeline proj kicks

oU. US sanctions be met with blockingUS/NATO suppliesIImmrraann ��@@IImmrraannSSaaeeeeddKKhhaann11Proud momoents in Pak history with anindependent foreign policy decsion! Iran-Pakgas pipeline. Zardari sb big thank u &congrats PPP!RRaabbiiaa AAnnuumm ��@@RRaabbiiaaAAnnuummGGeeooProud Moment and President Asif ZardariDeserves a Big Thankyou:) Congrats PPP :)LOng live this Friendship and thisProject#PIGasPipelineDDrr SShhaahhiidd MMaassoooodd ��@@SShhaahhiiddmmaassooooddddrrWhy the Puppet Balochistan Assembly wasnot restored before signing the Gwadar PortDeal and now The Pak-Iran Pipeline byFederal Govt?JJuunnaaiidd QQaaiisseerr ��@@JJuunnaaiiddQQaaiisseerr#IPGasPipeline This dream only becomesreality with the vision, bravery & thereconciliatory politics of president #Zardari.AAssaadd MMuunniirr ��@@aassaaddmmuunniirr3388Amriki Pakistan Ko Meli Aank Se DekhRahay Thay,Zardari Ne Un Ki Aankh MeAankh Dall Ker Baat Ki- DPC should nowsupport him.

MalikRiazhas

pulled anotherrabbit out of hisBahria hat. Asthe Abu DhabiGroup backs outof the $45billion deal thatnever existed inthe first place —enter ThomasKramer.Again, the

same dazzlingpicture of the world class retreat,encompassing the world’s tallestbuilding 3.5 km oU the Karachi coastwas painted. Only the protagonist ofthe fairy tale was changed from theAbu Dhabi Group to US investorThomas Kramer. Geo TV quotedBahria Town spokesman claimingthat Kramer had committed $15 to20 billion investment in developing“Bodha Island city,” which will have“Net City, Education City, Health City,Port City and other infrastructureprojects.”The spokesman claimed,

“the worlds’ most modernshopping mall will also bebuilt” and link Karachi tothe Island through a six-lane bridge.Interestingly, the same

group had published newson Monday, quoting thesame spokesman, whobragged about aninvestment of 15 to 20billion ‘rupees.’ During theday, rupees turned intodollars. This goes withoutsaying that the news was written bythe same Editor of their Urdu dailywho had authored the earlier tensuch Bahria statements-turned-news. Bahria finds it moreconvenient to let its mega projects beannounced through news instead ofadvertisements. We don’t knowwhether it costs the same or more butsomething fishy is going on here —yet again.What is the real deal behind it?

Who is putting in how much money?Is this project legal? What are MalikRiaz’s credentials to do this project,which has been advertised twiceearlier? Is this another photo-upintended to fleece investors? Whowill guarantee that the public will notbe duped this time?Bahria’s is yet to explain its earlier

goof-up. Its advertisements to coverup in the name of “national interests,”

and an explanation authored by thesame Urdu newspaper Editor, wereshoddy. Merely saying that PML-Nleader Chaudhary Nisar got the dealcancelled amounted to insultingeverybody’s intelligence.Bahria is yet to explain why it used

the name of the Abu Dhabi Group asthe partner where it had signed anMoU with a much smaller DhabiContracting, which “showed mereinterest” with no financialcommitment. We may have the rightto think that the same drama mightbe at play again.Thomas Kramer, better known as

TK, is being presented in the sameglamourous way through carefully‘leaked’ news. The project may notmaterialize in the declared 10 to 15years but will allow its promoter tofleece the public by the hype builtaround it. Bahria has already beenfined by regulatory governmentorganisations for fraudulentadvertising and illegally receivingmoney in advance before thecommencement of the project. Thisproject has all the ingredients of a

scam. Consider.The very land on which this dream

project is supposed to stand is shaky.Serious doubts exists how Bahria wasgiven the Letter of Intent (LoI) fordeveloping the island by Port QasimAuthority (PQA). TransparencyInternational (TI) has filed seriousobjections repeatedly before the PQAChairman, Vice Admiral (R)Muhammad Shafi. It’s only a matterof time that this issue will comebefore the courts as the whole dealsmacks of — trust Malik Riaz — theshady maneuvering.TI maintains that the whole tender

was tailored to award the contract toBahria Town, which should havebeen disqualified before beingconsidered. Here’s why:TI questions that how could the

PQA give the project to a companythat had been “declared by three

statuary and regulatory authorities -the Federal Tax Ombudsman, theSecurity Exchange Commission ofPakistan and the LahoreDevelopment Authority - as cheatsand frauds.”TI quotes the State bank of

Pakistan and the SECP which issuedadvertisements on February 23warning that “the public shouldbeware and not be misled by thefraudulent activities of deposit, loan,and investments through suchadvertisement.TI took strong exception to the pre-

qualification criterion adopted by thePQA despite 10 serious cases ofdefault and litigation faced by BahriaTown. It mentions, among otherthings, the maximum fine imposedby the SECP against Bahria Town for“fraudulent practices” in the case ofits housing scheme Margalla Enclave.Bahria Town, it says, took advance

money from investors illegally,besides the tax evasion of Rs 119billion as mentioned by the FederalTax Ombudsman. The report lieswith the Federal Bureau of Revenue

and may be taken up by thenext government to recoverthis huge amount fromMalik Riaz. May be!TI mentions numerous

cases where Malik Riaz hasbeen found involved in, toname a few, “corruption,black-mailing, extortion,land-grabbing, forgery,fabrication of evidence.”The list of the TI

objections is long butparticularly mentions thehelplessness of the State that

cannot change one Tehsildar, namely,Imtiaz Pervez Janjua, who remainedposted on one job since 1998.So where does this leave the

glamourous project? Frankly, it suitsall the players. Malik Riaz got theisland through dubious means andwill not mind to give a huge stake tothe American investors. Money willcome from the public who are alreadybeing shown the dreamy image of therecreated Miami. The media storyflashed on Monday shed light on thedazzling projects that Kramer hadaccomplished in Florida and heturned around the pirates den acrossCuba into one of the pricest realestate in the US. And why shouldKramer not be interested. He gets agood deal — the island, the naivepublic dying to book an apartment inthe dream world, the conniving orsilent media, the oTcial approvals —

for just showing up. “Why the hell,not,” Kramer must have told all thedetractors who must have pointedout the Abu Dhabi fiasco. But theAbu Dhabi Group partly representedthe government with had huge stakesin Pakistan to be seen responsible forany scam here.Kramer is a venture capitalist who

made his riches through people likeMalik Riaz. Yes, the problem mightnot get through because of the legalconstraints; the next governmentmight not be so obliging to MalikRiaz; the courts might come afterthe Malik again; Malik Riaz, whohas already shown a huge loss in hisbooks, may not have any money tofund the project; he might just run

away in the end. Malik Riaz mightjust use him for building the hype forhis other projects, which mightbring him the money required forthis one.But then, who cares. He would

make sure that Malik Riazcompensates him enough even if itturned out to be just a photo-op.The good old TK had been accused

of three bad things in the US: Illegalelection financing for which he paidheavy fines after pleading guilty;gentrification, which basically meansenriching the elite by pulverizing thelower strata of the society and, finally,yelling on TV.He does have a lot in common with

Malik Riaz. Investors beware.

Kramer versus Malik Riaz—not again-IX

ZEESHAN JAVID

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: It’s my way or thehighway seems to be the messageemanating from the courtyards of thechief ministership of Punjab as a DCOfrom MuzaUargarh had to pack up hisluggage and make room for anotheroTcer just for refusing to raise fundsfor the party jalsa (rally) in his districton March 9. The district which happens to have

earned headlines because of not onlyMukhtaran Mai but also because of ourversatile foreign minister and hisfamily clan Khars, degree famedJamshed Dasti and Qayyum Jatoi whowas heard saying it a bit loud thatcorruption was as much justified forthe politicians as it was for the armyruling elite.Since party loyalists wanted Mian

Shahbaz Sharif to raise his archingfore-finger and listen to his maturingart of singing Jalib’s inqilabi(provocational) verses by inviting himto hold a political rally in the citycentre. “Main Nahi Manta” the versewhich Mian sahib, of late, has devotedfor himself seems to have fell hard onDCO Mirza because when he tried tosing the same without cameras flashingon him and without disturbing themicrophones or the sweeping aside thepedestal in front of the local partyworkers by refusing to foot over four

million for a political rally of thePunjab ruler.It’s an open secret now that all

political parties have oTcially triggeredoU their election campaigns by usingavailable oTcial resources across thecountry, therefore, such an eUort is nomore seen as a pre-poll rigging becauseneither ECP nor chief justice has raisedany eyebrows on this, especially whenit comes from Punjab’s pasture lands.Nevertheless, the desire of PML (N

leadership to have one more show

before the bells of exit starts ringing forthem in a week’s time, ended the roadfor one oTcer while paving the way foranother, Arshad Awan, to take chargeof DCO oTce in MuzaUargarh by notonly showing complete allegiance tothe court-yards and ensuring to deliveron the wish-list of ruling elite.A party insider from Circuit House

MuzaUargarh informed TheSpokesman that PML-N authorizedSaif-ul-Malook Khokhar a partymember of Punjab Assembly to make

arrangements for the rally of Khadam-e-Aala Punjab in MuzaUargarh onMarch 9.He informed that in the context of

rally, a high level meeting was held inCircuit House which was attended byPML-N’s district leadership as well asadministrative machinery of districtMuzaUargarh to review thearrangements.However, as usual, the party leaders

ended up pushing and shoving eachother when it came to collection offunds for the arrangements. Followinga classic mayhem, where abuses werehurled and accusations wereexchanged besides some physicalactivity, the wily political party leadersdecided to throw it upon theincumbent DCO to raise the fundsshowing it as an oTcial engagement ofhis political boss in the districts.A district party leader on condition of

anonymity informed that apart from alocal party leader Arshad JavaidGodaar none came up with anyfinancial pledge, therefore, it wasagreed that DCO would have toarrange for 1500 chairs, tents, redcarpets and food to ensure thateveryone can get a chance to have alook at the singing and mike dancing ofMian Shahbaz Sharif.He said that wise-guys of the district

even tried to fleece the partycontenders and even refused to

entertain the request from HinaRabbani Khar’s relative, Rafique Khar,who also happens to be the formertehsil Nazim from Kot Addu to bearthe expenses but only if the venue isshifted from city centre to his area ofinterest; i.e. Kot Addu.Once Abrar Mirza refused by singing

“Zulm key zabtey” (harsh rules ofinjustices), the party leaders ganged upagainst him and conveyed it to theparty leaders in Model Town’s controlroom (controlled by Tariq Azeem and

Ahsan Iqbal these day) that a DCO hasdared to say no to lay red carpet for theCM Punjab, DCO received a transferorders immediately. The vacantposition was henceforth filled withanother one waiting in line to ensurethe royal jalsa for the CM.Abrar Mirza was the one who also

opposed the misappropriation indistribution of laptops amongst thestudents of postgraduate collegedistrict MuzaUargarh. He had alreadysinned once by taking the bureaucraticregime of education sector to task byholding an inquiry against the oTcersincluding principal of the collegeKhalil-ur-Rehman Farooqi, deputydirector colleges Malik Bashir andsome others for depriving 51 brilliantstudents from getting their deservedlaptops during the distributionceremony honoured by CM himself,just a day before the proposed politicalrally in the same area. May be as areward, now the removed DCO hasbeen asked to immediately report tothe education secretary as additionalsecretary schools so that he can nomore pursue even the inquiry inmisappropriation of laptops. Whencontacted, the victimized DCOhesitantly denied saying that he wasnot instrumental in any way for theincidents at Circuit House inMuzaUargarh nor for the ultimatepostponement of the proposed jalsa. Sothe final news is that Jalsa could not beheld and viewers could not see CMPunjab in action against a standingdais, jingling microphones and haplessaudiences from MuzaUargarh.

It’s my way or highway A DCO hasdared to say

no to lay red carpet forthe CM Punjab, DCOreceived a transferorders immediately.The vacant position washenceforth filled withanother one waiting inline to ensure the royaljalsa for the CM.Abrar Mirza was theone who also opposedthe misappropriation indistribution of laptopsamongst the students ofpostgraduate collegedistrictMuzaUargarh.

“

”

TK comes in Town

In the mad rush to oblige as many as possible,the PPP government has promoted extra 40oTcers from Grade 20 to 21 just to promote

President Asif Zardari’s brother-in-law, Fazlul-lah Pechuho.Fazlullah was at number-132 down the pro-

motion ladder but a dubious board was createdto promote him. What if this may have elevateda few undeserving dozens besides killing thechances of many abler oTcers who were caughtoU-guard? This set into motion a wave of sulk-ing among deserving oTcers from Peshawer toKarachi, many of whom had not done theircourses in time.This may have been one of its-kind operation

where, over night, such a huge number of oT-

cers were elevated in absolute disregard of allprocedures. In sum, over 100 oTcers got pro-moted to Grade 21, nearly 84 of them from justone group alone—the all-powerful DistrictManagement Group (DMG) now called as Pak-istan Administrative Service (PAS). Already,over 170 oTcers wait in Grade 21 to be pro-moted.Imagine the strength of the exclusive Club of

grade 22 oTcers if the trend continues. TheClub-22 already stand at around 60 if one in-cludes those rehired on contract—the likes offossilized Salman Farooquis who will never giveway.More important, Prime Minister Pervaiz

Ashraf is being pressured to promote another

batch of oTcers to Grade 22 before he leaves.The PM had already obliged his sons-in-law andit was now his time to reciprocate.A board meeting was scheduled to take place

on Monday to get the beleaguered PM do thisfinal job, among a host of other hasty steps hemay have taken in the last days of the govern-ment. One such thing was to allow two plots toeach member of the exclusive Club of Grade 22oTcers. Another was to allow salary increases toelite departments. The bureaucrats who wants their promotion

to Grade 22 at every cost—for many this is thelast chance—the agenda could not be achievedtoday but they have not given up. A new eUortwill be made on Tuesday to get the job done

whatever it takes. Who cares how this will im-pact the structure of the bureaucracy; how itstop will become so heavy with so much extra ex-pense; how will the state constantly bear theconstant ballooning of the bureaucratic size.All of this in times when we are trying to have

devolution of resources to the provinces. Yet no-body is willing to go to FATA, let alone Balochis-tan. It seems there is no end to their greed asthey keep crating their own vacancies.We are told the provinces were asked to seek

more posts so that Fazlullah could be adjusted.The provinces were asked to multiply their de-mand as the number was much short of the re-quirement. Such is the camaraderie among thebabus that nobody in the province protested atsuch outrage. The more the better seems themantra.Until the final reports came in, the decision

has been challenged in the courts. But those whowant to be in grade 22 before this week are allset to make it happen. Hectic lobbying was ontill the filing of this report. The oTcers who arein the race include those who have been in jailfor corruption charges; another one is not evenfrom provincial service. —AMIR MATEEN

PoliticallyIncorrect

Amir Mateen

The lobbying forHafeez Sheikh asthe caretaker

Prime Minister seemedto have accelerated. ThePPP has reduced itscandidates to just one—the Sheikh. PML (N) isalso being pressured toaccept him—and not

just by the PPP.The whole rationale is being built around

him as the savior of the economy in thedays to come. The eventual deal with theIMF at the end of the day is being seen as adone deal. The Yanks too would like tohave their own person at the helm introubling times ahead. After all, a lot seemto be happening close to their withdrawalfrom Afghanistan. The antennas arebuzzing after Gwadar being given to Chinaand now the gas pipeline from Iran, not toforget Karzai’s sterness shown to the newSecretary of Defence. Who knows thingsmight deteriorate and the Americansmight need here somebody they knowbetter.Ishaq Dar is being convinced on this.

After all, he understands the economicrequirements better. In any case, the lasttwo IMF programmes were also signedduring the caretaker governments as noelected government would like to own that.So why not cry ‘wolf ’ and have your futureproblems straightened out and also pleasethe Americans at the same time. MalikRiaz seemed to have suddenly developedsome soft corner for Shakirullah Jan but sofar, Hafeez Sheikh it is.

Lobbying for Sheikh intensifies

Mojaan hi Mojaan for babus-VIII

Mad race to get Grade 22� 40 extra officers promoted to 21 for Zardari brother-in-law

PIA employees demandincrease in pensionIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The general body ofPIA's retired employees demandedimmediate increase in the pension ofretired employees of the airline as onlyonce in a decade the increase was givento them. Pakistan International Airlines'Retired Employees AssociationPresident Syed Tahir Hassan presidedover the general body meeting of theassociation which was well attended byhuge number of retired employees alongwith foreign and outstationrepresentatives. Currently, the nationalairline gives its employees 32 percent oftheir total salary as pension but theformula it applies in the end makes thepension calculated on their basic pays.So the airline should either give them 50percent pension on the basic pay ormake the 32 percent pension to be givenon their total salaries. “According to therules, the PIA Pension Trust Fundshould have Rs 25 billion to Rs 35billion earmarked for the retiredemployees of the national airline. So anyincrease in the pensions will not aJectthe PIA's budget,” he reasoned. �ONLINE

SC petition seeks contemptproceedings against QaimIISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: A petition demandingcontempt of court proceedings againstChief Minister of Sindh, Qaim AliShah, has been filed in the SupremeCourt. Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi hasfiled the petition, in which ChiefMinister of Sindh, Speaker of theSindh Assembly and ElectionCommission, Sindh, have been namedas relevant parties. The petitionerholds the stance that Chief MinisterQaim Ali Shah discussed the conductof superior judiciary in the SindhAssembly. Under Article 114 of theConstitution, the conduct of superiorjudiciary could not be discussed in theprovincial assembly, he maintained.Therefore, Qaim Ali Shah should bedisqualified for lifetime from holdingany public oIce, and be declared astraitor, the petitioner appeals. �ONLINE

10 arrested in Orangi TownKKAARRAACCHHII:: Police apprehended 10suspects in Mominabad, Orangi Townon late Sunday night. According toMedia Reports, police said the raid wasconducted in Faqir Colony on theinformation about presence ofmiscreants in the area. During theaction, 10 suspects were arrested.Further investigation is underway.Online Meanwhile, Mutahida QaumiMovement Organizational Committeehas said that everyone knows who ispatronizing criminal elements inKarachi. Member of the MQM’s localorganizational committee said inKarachi that up till governmentoIcials will continue patronizing thecriminal elements, till then crimeswould not come to an end in themetropolis. Criminal groups areinvolved in all crimes including moneyextortion, kidnap for ransom in the citywhile government representatives areopenly supporting these professionalcriminals here, added the MQMorganizational committee. �ONLINE

PTI accuses PML-N of deal with terroristsLLAAHHOORREE:: The agreement of PML-Nwith extremist groups and criminalneglect by Punjab government toprevent terrorist incidents is becomingmore and more visible every day. Thiswas said by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Information Secretary ShafqatMahmood in a statement issued onMonday. He said Punjab governmentshould respond these questions thatwhy it did not take any solid measureto prevent Badami Bagh incident ,when it had the prior knowledgeregarding the incident and after theincident why did the police acted asbystanders and did nothing to help theaJected victims. It seems a obviousdeliberate move and there was noteven a single reason that police did notintervene. He said that earlier Gojraincident took place iin which a similarattack was launched on the Christiancommunity, at that time Punjabgovernment not only made no attemptto stop the violence but also no realeJorts were made later on to hold thecriminals to account. �ONLINE

KKAARRAACCHHII:: Missionary schools were closed on Monday in protest against Lahore arson incident. �ONLINE

OUR STAFF REPORTER

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The Senate StandingCommittee for Water and Power, takingnotice of promotions in the NationalTransmission Dispatch Company onMonday, directed oIcials concerned toensure return of those NADRA employeeswho had joined the Water and PowerDevelopment Authority on deputation.The meeting held under thechairmanship of Senator Zahid Khan herein the Parliament House. Besidesmembers, oIcials of Water and PowerMinistry, WAPDA and NTDC werepresent in the meeting. The committeehas sought details of promotions inNTDC.The WAPDA secretary assured thelawmakers that he would present allrelevant details on promotions to thecommittee soon. During the meeting, thecommittee has issued directions forcompensating the bereaved familymembers of those labourers who gotinjured or were killed during the Jenepower plant tragic accident.Briefing the committee about variousenergy projects, WAPDA SecretarySikander Ahmed Roy said that USAIDhad issued $31 million for Kurram TangiDam and that the work on the dam wouldbe completed by March 2014. SenatorZahid Khan has called the meeting of thecommittee on March 22.

OUR STAFF REPORTER

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The Supreme Courtbench comprising Justice Nasir ul Mulkheard at length the arguments advancedin the case regarding filing of referenceagainst the accused in the appointmentof Adnan A Khawaja, managing directorof the OGDCL.NAB Prosecutor General KK Aghasubmitted his arguments in the courtclaiming that the Supreme Court couldnot interfere in the investigation in thecase and since NAB has filed referencesagainst certain accused, the court had nofurther jurisdiction under Article 184(3)of the Constitution.Barrister Syed Ali Zafar who isrepresenting Ismail Qureshi and KhalidIkhlaq Gillani submitted that the personwho had appointed Adnan A Khawaja wasformer prime minister and one who wasallegedly benefited was Adnan A Khawaja.He submitted that both these persons,according to NAB, were innocent. On theother hand, his clients had only issued thenotification for appointment of AdnanKhawaja in pursuance of the order of thethen prime minister and yet NAB hasdeemed it fit to file a case against theseinnocent public oIcials who happened tobe at that time secretary and jointsecretary at the Establishment Division.

Senate bodyorders returnof NADRAemployees

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Taking cognizance ofconstruction of Tactical Command andOperation Centre Compound at Karachi’sJinnah International Airport by the AmericanArmy, the Parliamentary Committee onNational Security has convened an importantmeeting on Wednesday to take up the issue.The committee has swung into action afterreports of the construction surfaced in mediaon February 26. In response of these reports,both secretary defence and spokesman of theforeign ministry, while speaking to media, hadsaid that they did not have proper informationabout the development.Then on the last of day of the last month,the American embassy issued a statementabout Pakistani Customs Drug EnforcementCell Project. It was stated that at the requestof the Pakistan government, specifically the

Customs Drug Enforcement Cell, the USDepartment of Defense was funding theconstruction of the centre at JinnahInternational Airport.The US Army Corps of Engineers’ recentlyannounced intent to solicit a Request forProposals for the project using the USGovernment Federal BusinessOpportunities website. The award for theproject will be completed in the summer of2014. This had sparked a heated debate inthe Upper House of the Parliament, whichhad also resulted in exchange of hot wordsbetween PCNS Chairman Mian RazaRabbani and Senate Chairman NayyarHussain Bokhari, resultantly, Rabbanistaged a walkout from the House for notletting his sentiments be expressed.Even Chairman Senate Standing

Committee on Defense and DefenseProduction Mushahid Hussain Syed alsocriticised the government for grantingpermission to US Army for the constructionof TCOCC. Well-placed sources on Mondaytold ONLINE that PCNS has included theissue of grant of permission to the US Armyto build TCOCC at the top of its agenda ofmeeting to be held tomorrow.The sources said that ParliamentaryCommittee had summoned the officials of theconcerned ministries and their departmentsto explain the situation. They have also askedto come before the committee equipped withrelevant information and answers of thepossible queries from the members.Moreover, the PCNS will also deliberate onthe finalization of its report on NationalSecurity. �ONLINE

MPs’ body to discuss USactivity at Karachi airport

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

SALMAN ABBAS

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The IslamabadHigh Court on Monday stayed thedecision of the ElectionCommission for allotting an openbook as election symbol to theJamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F andsought para-wise comments fromthe ECP secretary over the issue.A division bench comprisingChief Justice Anwar Khan Kasiand Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiquewas hearing the case filed by JUI-FGeneral Secretary Maulana AbdulGhafoor Haideri in which hecontended that JUI-F had been

contesting elections since 1996with closed book as the electionsymbol, but now the EC changedhis party’s election symbol withoutany justification.In the petition, the JUI-F leaderrequested the court to direct theelection body for allotting his partythe closed book as party supportershave aIliation with this symbol. Itis pertinent to mention here thatfollowing public’s complaintsagainst the JUI-F chief and hiscandidates, the EC has swappedthe book with open one with somealphabets and digits.The EC official says that they

received complaints that peoplewere given impression during thelast elections that the symbol wasa gateway to heaven. Haiderisubmitted through his counselthat symbol of the closed bookwas being used by JUI-F for thelast three general elections andthe same has been changed by theEC without summoning orhearing them.He stated that no material wasavailable on record regarding anycomplaint by a person or politicalparty to the effect that the closedbook has been used for some otherpurposes as complained by an

official of respondent namelyAzhar Abbas, adding that whenthe application to correct thewrong was made, the respondentfailed to exercise the jurisdictionvested to it.He contended that it was notknown that under which law thealteration in the symbol of ‘book’has been made. Justice Siddiqueremarked that “why you want toclose the book despite the fact thatone can gain or read nothing fromthe closed book.” After thearguments, the court stayed theEC’s decision and sought commentfrom the respondent.

No ‘open book’ symbol for JUI-F for now� IHC seeks para-wise comments from ECP secretary over issue

LLAAHHOORREE:: The Anti-TerroristCourt on Monday sent 14 of theriots suspects to jail on judicialremand. Earlier, policepresented 35 suspects in thecourt amid high security. Theywere brought before Judge Iran SaeedOIcials said out of the 35accused, 14 were nominatedwhile 21 were unknown. A largenumber of relatives of theaccused also gathered outside

the court, alleging that thesuspects were arrested by policeduring overnight raids.On the other hand, ChiefMinister Shahbaz Sharif has saidthat the Badami Bagh incident“is the worst example ofbarbarism”: Sharif said thoseinvolved in the incident shall notbe forgiven.A meeting headed by ShahbazSharif was held at the ChiefMinister’s House during which

the situation in Lahore after theincident was discussed and therestoration works were reviewed.The chief minister said that theburning of houses of theChristian community was not aservice to Pakistan or Islam.He further said that theChristian community wasmistreated and the burning theirhouses in Badami Bagh’s JosephColony after the arrest of thesuspect was unjustified. The

episode had spoiled Pakistan’simage in the internationalcommunity, he added.Moreover, the Punjab chiefminister said that thoseinvolved in the incident werebeing apprehended and wouldbe handed exemplarypunishments. Furthermore,CM Sharif also said that thoseaffected by the Badami Baghincident would be compensatedat all costs. �ONLINE

14 Badami Bagh ‘rioters’ sent to jail� Shahbaz Sharif says arson worst example of barbarism

OUR STAFF REPORTER

RRAAWWAALLPPIINNDDII:: The Rawalpindi Arts Council hosted yet anotherpainting exhibition titled ‘Psychedelic Spring’ here on Monday. SenatorNajma Hameed and MNA Tahira Orangzeb inaugurated the exhibitionwhich displayed the work of artists Nabeela Rashid and Madiha Saeed.The paintings highlighted feminine experience and expression ofspring. The colour scheme has been chosen very pertinently. Softimages of nature, human figures and bright colours are some of thedistinctive features of the works of Nabeela Rashid and Madiha Saeedwho have used watercolour, pencil work, charcoal and oil as mediumsto express themselves.The exhibition attracted a large gathering besides art students of theArt Council. Speaking on the occasion, Senator Najma said that the ArtCouncil has become a hub of art and cultural activities in the regionand that she always takes pride in attending such functions. She alsosaid that the colours used in the paintings displayed here depict thespring season quite aptly.MNA Tahira said that tolerance could be promoted in society byholding such positive activities. Addressing the select gathering,Naheed Manzoor said that the RAC equally encourages new talent andexperienced artists, and the group exhibition by Nabeela and Madiha,both the students of RAC Art classes, was an eJort in this direction.

LLAAHHOORREE:: The mother of alleged accused of Badami Bagh incident weeps as she maintainsthat her son is not involved in the incident, during hearing at Anti Terrorist Court. �ONLINE

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Taking cognizance ofvarious reports relating to majorviolations by the Punjab governmenton the mega projects of Metro Busand Ring Road contract’s award tovarious parties including NLC,without processing the case as per

rules, National Accountability Bureauhas decided to investigate these casesat NAB HQs. In this context alldocuments have been sought fromGovernment of Punjab along-withnames of functionaries responsible forthe award of these contracts. �ONLINE

OUR STAFF REPORTER

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The government hasengaged Barrister Syed Ali Zafar torepresent it in the petition filed in theIslamabad High Court challenging theappointment of Shahnawaz Mahmood, theson-in-law of the prime minister, as deputymanaging director of the Pak-ChinaInvestment Company.The case has been filed by Javed Mahmoodwho claims that he was appointed as deputymanaging director for three-year but theMinistry of Finance removed and replaced

him with Shahnawaz Mahmood who is notqualified. The chief justice of the IslamabadHigh Court had suspended the notificationon March 5, 2013.Barrister Zafar on behalf of the Ministryof Finance has filed a detailed reply andaggressively defended the ministry’s actionclaiming that Shahnawaz Mahmood was adouble MA from the London School ofEconomics, one of the most prestigiousuniversities of the world and has vastexperience of banking and finance, and fullyqualifies fitness test prescribed by the StateBank of Pakistan.

Paintings capturecolours of spring

SC benchhears AdnanKhawaja case

NAB probes Metro Bus, Ring Road

Govt to defend PM's son-in-law’s case

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Supreme Court has calledDirector General NAB in person and soughtthe report regarding filing of referenceagainst the oIcials responsible for sendingTauqir Sadiq, former DG OGRA, abroad.The court resumed the hearing of the caseregarding implementation of court decisionin OGRA embezzlement case on Monday.The DG Middle East, Ministry of ForeignAJairs Nasar Ullah presented report of thecase in the court. He told the court thatsome developments regarding bringingback Tauqeer Sadiq to the country hadbeen made on previous day. He said that thecase should be taken up at Foreign OIcelevel On which Justice Jawad S. Khawajaasked him that FO has not mentioned thispoint in its report. The step should be takenon state level and report be submitted in thecourt within 10 days. The investigationoIcer NAB Waqas told the court that coaccused and the front man of Tauqir Sadiq,Salim Shahzad was acquitted in the case onsurety bond. �ONLINE

SC for action againstoIcials who sentTauqir Sadiq abroad

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

SHABIR AHMAD

GGIILLGGIITT:: While summer is round thecorner in the rest of Pakistan, themountainous Gilgit–Baltistan is still reelingunder the impact of cold as a fresh spell ofsnowfall has added to the chill,necessitating warming of homes.The sound of hammering the axe on wood

can still be heard in every home at least oncea day as wood being the only and mostviable economic means of heating. In hishome at Gilgit, the young Hammad Dar iscutting wood into pieces to fuel the fire pan(locally known as ‘bukhari’- a traditionalheating system widely used in Gilgit–Baltistan during winter) in a room of histhree-room house. He repeats this exercisetwice a day at least; ensuring suQcientfirewood remains available rest of the day.“If I don’t do this, the whole family suRersbecause of severe cold,” says 19-year-old Dar,who is a grade 9 student.“You need to have stock of wood to keep the

house warm although it requires physicalexertion and money. But that’s how life is inthis part of the world. The weather is just notpredictable anymore.” In the recent past,almost the entire family of Dar has had ahacking cough and fever and he fears theillness may repeat itself if cold persist in theregion, just as it did last month. “You cannotrisk being without fire especially if you haveaged or minors in the home,” he says, addingthat they lit wood in a bukhari.With the temperatures still around zero

degree Celsius in most of the hilly areasincluding Astore, Hunza, Gilgit andBaltistan, heating is still required to keep thehomes warm even in March. It was furthernecessitated by a fresh spell of snowfall thatcontinues whitening mountains. The issuesof cold and the inflated prices aside, theregion has been facing 20 hours long load-shedding, for which authorities blame frozenlakes and rivers. But for government oQcials,there are certain facilities too, no matter ifweather is cold as the government allocates

budget for heating in oQces and hospitals fora period starting from November 16 andends on March 15 every year.“OQcials from Grade-17 and above are

entitled to 45 kilograms of firewood per daywhile oQcials from Grade-16 and bellow areentitled to use 23 kilograms per day,” saysRahman Shah, a senior districtadministration oQcial. But the luxury isn’tmeant for general public. Dar says that inDecember, they purchased 3,200 kg offirewood at Rs 40,000. But now they haverun out of stock. “The rate has jumped fromRs 500 per 40 kg to Rs 600 per 40 Kg,making it even harder for people like us,” heremarks. Many of the families failing toaRord regular heating end up in hospitals.“For children and the aged, the chill bringswith it new ailments such as acute chest andrespiratory infections,” said Dr Shujaat Ali ofgovernment city hospital. A sharp increase innumber of patients is observed fromNovember to February every year as a sightlaxity can make the whole family sick.

ATHAR LASHARI

BBAAHHAAWWAALLPPUURR:: The second major problemof the seasonal labourers is various diseases,including those caused by muddy water usedfor drinking and unhygienic food and the skin-related problems. They start working beforethe sunrise and continue well after the sunset.To complete the task on time, they can also beseen cutting and threshing in moonlight.There is no concept of breakfast for these

poor folks, as they have to remain contentwith lunch and dinner only. Around 1 pm,they have a break for two or three hours asthe blazing sun doesn’t allow continuingwork. During the short break, the tiredwomen cook some food for their familymembers. Interestingly, many of marriedpregnant women also do the job. Every year,there are many cases when the child deliveryhappens during work.Last year in Ahmedpur East, a pregnant

woman delivered a baby boy when she wasbusy in cutting wheat and interestingly sheagain started her work just after an hour.“There are many cases every year when the

women deliver the child in the wheat field,and you will be shocked that the deliveryprocess is completed with available minimumresources such kitchen knife and dirtyclothes,” Hajani Mai said.She further says sometimes, there is no

other woman to help her so the male familymembers do the job as per their ‘knowledge’.There are also some examples of the motheror child’s death because non-availability ofmedical care during delivery.During the hot noon, it is very diQcult to do

the hard work in the fields. Two ago, a 55-year-old women died in Chak 27 in Cholistanwhen she was cutting the wheat .The RohiCholistan is one of the most harsh area of thecountry where the temperature crosses the 54degree Celsius in May and June. And in theseconditions, lactating women also participatein the harvesting process. They have smallkids - even a week-old with them. When themothers are busy in cutting or threshing thewheat crop, they put their babies in a clothtied with a branch of any tree or with the cotas a cradle. The crawling babies mostly spentthe day in mud; therefore, they get skin

diseases and diarrhoea. Mostly, the childrenand their parents fall prey to asthma becauseof dust and husk.“My three family members - three-year-old

daughter, wife and I are asthma victims;therefore, we have to spend money on itstreatment, but there is no way to miss theharvesting season,” Ghulam Rasool said.During the threshing of wheat, the husk

aRects the surrounding one kilometre area. Itseems like fog. That is why various diseasesincrease in these areas. According to DrAnjum Naveed, during the threshing season,the ratio of asthma increases. “Because of thehusk, the respiratory system is damagedwhich causes cough and asthma. And even thewomen and children become patients.” Headded that there were also chances of fungusin the lungs which caused of TB.During the season, even those persons can

also be aRected by the husk who live withinthe vicinity where threshing machines areoperated. It is seen that the children aremalnourished when their parents are busy inharvesting for more than a month. The basicissue is the unhygienic food which they eat.

Mostly, they have lunch with onion or ‘gur’and dinner with daal or potato with curry.Because of the absence of a suitable place for

residence, they also remain a target of snakes,especially during night.

((TToo bbee ccoonnttiinnuueedd))

Seasonal labourers – wheat for survival (III)�Water-borne and skin diseases are part of their daily life �There are many cases of women delivering babies in the fields and starting work again in an hour or so

Gilgit-Baltistan still shivers from the cold

Unhygeinic and unhealthy food is a major problem of these casual workers. –FILE PHOTO

RASHID ALI

AATTTTTTOOCCKK:: After the Sovietinvasion of Afghanistan in1979, over three millionAfghans took refuge inPakistan. Attock, which bordersKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, is onethose districts where theAfghans started living in largenumbers. Before 9/11, theirnumbers stood around 50,000to 60,000 and the current is 20to 30 thousands. It is importantto note that there is no officialdata about the Afghans livingin the district.Although, refugee camps were

established in many parts of thecountry, especially in the thenNWFP (now KhyberPakhtunkhwa) and Balochistanfor them, but the Zia governmentallowed them stay and dobusiness across the country.Even after the Soviet

withdrawal majority of themopted to stay in Pakistan. Whenthe 9/11 tragedy happened, morethan two million Afghans werestill in Pakistan and many morestarted arriving. According tosome estimates, over 1,000Afghans were crossing intoPakistan in those days. And ourcountry has paid and is stillpaying a huge price for the policy.Over the past 30 years, the

high unemployment rate andthe growing resentment on thecontinuing presence of Afghanrefugees in Pakistan is adding tothe general instability whiletarnishing the social fabric.Like other regions, the huge

influx of refugees in Attock hasresulted in extensiveenvironmental damage, much ofwhich is probably irreversible.The impact of these refugees onrenewable natural resources is ofparticular concern as it can proveto be a long-term hazard.In Attock, they lived in the

neighbourhood of Mohalla BijliGhar and Awan Sharif, aroundthree kilometres from the citycentre. At one times, at least40,000 of them lived there, asthey got the accommodations onrent from the locals. Over

10,000 of them are still living inAwan Sharif.Around 17 years ago, the

Afghans also had an unoQcialcamp at Teen Meela Chowk, somefive kilometres from the Attockcity. Some of them, who aredependent on livestock and live asemi-nomadic life, are still foundthere. The Afghans are also foundscattered in many other areas.It clearly visible that they cut

down cut down trees forconstructing shelters or for usingit as firewood and charcoal.Foliage has also been destroyeddue to the indiscriminate use tofeed the livestock. Over the lastthree decades, the groundvegetation has been cleared tomake way for farming, whileunsustainable practices resultedin large tracts of land undercultivation becoming unfit foreven the most basic forms ofagriculture. Hence, thepopulation pressure and arbitraryuse of natural resources havedisturbed the whole ecologicalbalance of the area.Attock is a very sensitive area

because of housing the largestartillery centre of the country,Pakistan Ordinance FactorySanjwal, Pakistan AeronauticalComplex Kamra and many otherinstallations. Attock is also aborder district between Punjaband Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Dueto the unplanned inhabitation of

Afghan refugees, people of Attockare facing not only financialeRects but also the severe threatof terrorism, as many Afghansindulge in crimes such askidnapping, robbery, gambling,car thefts and smuggling.Smuggling of narcotics and

lethal arms has been a majorbusiness of Afghan refugees inAttock. You can seekalashnikovs and otherautomatic weapons freely inmarriages ceremonies which is agift of Afghans.Attock is now facing a very

dangerous trend of kidnappingfor ransom. These incidents arenow happening so freely that thepeople in Attock city are feelingunsecured in their own homes.Another social curse is five to tenyears old children begging on thestreets and snatching householditems from the men and womenof in the Fawara Chowk area. The locals are facing great

hardships socio-economicproblems, like initiating abusiness and hiring a residentialbuilding, because of theseAfghans who have caused anartificial increase in the rent ofresidential buildings by payingmuch more than the locals can do.In this scenario, the people in

Attock think that the Afghansshould now be sent back to theircountry or at least restricted tothe refugee camps.

MMIINNGGOORRAA:: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP)Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao Mondayannounced to approve special package forrehabilitation of destructed infrastructure in Malakanddivision particularly in Swat after gaining power inthe coming elections.He was addressing a public meeting in the

Gulkada area of Swat district to mark the 38thdeath anniversary of Shaheed Hayat MohammadKhan Sherpao.“Around 2.5 million people of Malakand division

were displaced and the infrastructure, including scoresof schools, bridges and roads were destroyed, which areyet to be reconstructed,” Sherpao deplored.He lamented that neither the President nor the Prime

Minister had paid any visit to the Malakand division toexpress solidarity with the militancy-hit people.The QWP leader said that his party would work to

chalk out a plan to tap the water resources ofMalakand division as the division have a large capacityto produce hydel power.Aftab Sherpao demanded an urgent exit of security

forces from Malakand Division and said that it shouldtransfer control to the civil administration.Other leaders of the party also addressed the

gathering where several activists and supporters ofAwami National Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz announced to join Qaumi Watan Party. –ONLINE

Attock districtstill houses over20,000 Afghans�Influx caused economic, environmental problems �Tarnished social fabric

Although Afghans provide cheap labour but locals feel they are usurping thealready limited economic opportunities. –STAFF PHOTO

Firewood is one of the most precious items forpeople in Gilgit-Baltistan. –STAFF PHOTO

Sherpao stressesMalakand rehabilitation

OUR STAFF REPORTER

AATTTTOOCCKK:: A man killed forhonour within the precinctsof Pindigheb Police Stationon Monday.Qasim Khan, resident of

Dhok Bhandar, told policethat his brother Shafiqmarried Samina (who wasalready married toMuhammad Akram) withher consent. “My brother,after contracting marriagewith Samina, shifted her toanother location. Last day,our father died and Iinformed my brother(Shafiq) about his death.When we were going to thegraveyard, Akram and hisaccomplice Aslam openedfire on my brother, killinghim on the spot.”The murderer disappeared

in the nearby jungle aftercommitting the crime. Policehave registered a case andstarted a search to huntdown the culprit.

Bus-service facilitatesjourney across LoCCCHHIINNAARRII:: Around 22 passengerscrossed the Line of Control bySrinagar-MuzaRarabad Bus Serviceon Monday. As per details, 16travellers reached the IndianOccupied Kashmir while six came toAzad Kashmir from the other side ofthe border. It is pertinent to mentionthat the people are willing for across-border Loc but there is adecrease in the number of passengersbecause of the negligence of theIndian administration. –ONLINE

Anti-polio drivein tribal belt on 23rdPPEESSHHAAWWAARR:: An anti-polio drive willbe launched on March 23 inPakistan’s tribal areas, media reportssaid. However, the children in Southand North Waziristan agencies wouldbe deprived from the immunizationagainst the crippling disease due tosecurity concerns. Politicalauthorities said during the three-daycampaign almost 700,000 childrenwould be administered anti-poliovaccine. They said 200,000 childrenin South and North Waziristan tribalregion would not be administered theanti-polio drops. –ONLINE

Free dialysis treatmentat major KP hospitalsPPEESSHHAAWWAARR:: Free dialysis treatmentwill be provided to underprivilegedpatients in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.According to media Reports, dialysistreatment approximately costs Rs150, 000 and several lives are lostdue to financial inability to pay forthe treatment. According to statics,at least 30-35 people die annually inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa from liverdiseases. –ONLINE

‘People from Afghanistanbehind law‚ order problem’DDIIAAMMEERR:: Interior Minister RehmanMalik has said that terrorists fromAfghanistan are creating law and ordersituation in the country. Addressingthe inaugural ceremony of passportoQce at Diamer in Gilgit-Baltistan onMonday‚ he said the terrorists aregetting funds from abroad. He said lawand order situation was being createdin Gilgit-Baltistan through promotingsectarianism. He dispelled theimpression that religious schools wereproducing terrorism. The InteriorMinister said that elections would beheld on time and the nation wantedcontinuity of democracy. He assuredthat local people would be recruited inGilgit-Baltistan Scouts. –ONLINE

Man shotdead forhonour

OUR STAFF REPORTER

AATTTTOOCCKK:: A protest rallywas held in the city over thetragic Badami Bagh incidenton Monday. The protestersmarched from the UPChurch Attock to KatchehryChowk.Father Joseph Johnson led

the rally while formerdistrict nazim Major (r)Tahir Sadiq, former memberof Punjab Assembly IjazHussain Bukhari and a largenumber of social and civicorganisation members werealso among the protesters.They expressed solidarity

with the Christiancommunity and chantedslogans against extremism.The marchers were holdinghold banner and play cardsinscribed with slogans whichexpressed their feelingsregarding the incident. Theprotesters said the amountannounced by thegovernment was notsuQcient to redress thegrievances of the aRectees.

ViolenceagainstChristianscondemned

PRE-QUALIFICATION NOTICEPunjab Highway Department invites applications upto 25-03-13 for

Pre-Qualification of competent Civil Engineering ConstructionFirms/Contractors of repute to whom tender documents can be issued forthe following project.

NNoottee:: The above mentioned work is time limit project and as such tenderdocuments shall be issued to the Firms/ Contactors who shall fulfill the following pre-requisites andundertake to complete the work within fixed period. In addition the firm shall have to fulfill the following pre-requisites:- 1. The interested firms/ contactors are required to submit applications withinformation/ documents duly page marked & indexed (in duplicate) so asto reach in the oQce of undersigned upto 25-03-13 during oQce hours. 2. Name of firm with full address of the person / persons dully authorizedby the firm with whom future correspondence is to be made and copy ofpartnership deed is to be attached therewith. 3. Year of establishment of firm supported by certificate from the registrarof firms. 4. Certificate of registration from Pakistan Engineering Council, Islamabadupto 31-12-2013 (duly attested by 1st class oQcer). 5. a) List of permanent business management, finance management andengineer/technical staR with their complete bio data/testimonials andproof of stay with the firm. b) List of staR to be deployed on these works also be provided alongwithcomplete bio-data and the date of attachment with the firm. 6. a) List of T&P and construction machinery which is available with thefirm and will be exclusively for these projects with its make/model,Condition and Location for verification alongwith proof of ownership. b) Detail of available machinery/equipment to be deployed on thesespecific work will have to mentioned alongwith there presentplacement/location. 7. Documentary proof of financial capacity to undertake the work appliedfor. The extent of bank transaction undertaken in past 12 months need tobe attached with certificated by the bank authorities. 8. Record and experience of similar works, photographs of completedprojects with detail such as brief design, data, location and cost etc. Detailof similar works executed in the past and works in hand is suppliedalongwith performance certificate from the concerned departments. 9. List and details of similar projects handled during last 03 years of samecost or above. 10. Certificate to the eRect that no contract of firm was ever rescinded inthe past for non-fulfillment of either the contractual obligations or the firmis blacklisted. 11. Registration certificate of Income Tax Department. 12. Any further particulars the firm wishes to furnish. 13. AQdavit to the eRect that firm has no litigation with the department. 14. Entire execution of work will be supervised by the consultants throughresident Supervision payments to contractor will be released only after theIPC's have been verified by the consultants.15. Contractors / firms with higher ranking category will be performed. The pre-qualified firms will have to get themselves enlisted with the

Communication and Works Department if not already born on theapproved list of contractors in the relevant category. Preference will begiven to firms who have completed similar projects of same cost or abovein recent past as time limit project. The Department reserves the rights to accept or reject any or all the

applications without assigning any reason. Preference will be given to firmswho have adequate experience & have successfully completed similar timelimit projects of same cost or above in recent past. Further particulars if desired may be obtained from the oQce of the

undersigned. Only pre-qualified firms / contractors will be eligible toreceive the tender documents for participation in tenders subject to theirenlistment / renewal in the C&W department Punjab for the year 2012-13and PEC for the year 2013 in relevant category.

S. No. Name of work Amount. 1. Extension / Relocation of Pedestrian Steel

Bridge as per Design/Drawing approvedby Competent Authority at G.T road (PESHAWAR SIDE) Pir Wadhai Morr Rawalpindi. 12 Million

2. Extension / Relocation of PedestrianSteel Bridge as per Design / Drawing approved by Competent Authority at G.T road (SADDAR SIDE) Pir Wadhai Morr Rawalpindi 12 Million

3. Extension / Relocation of PedestrianSteel Bridge as per Design / Drawing approved by Competent Authority atIJP road, Pir Wadhai Morr Rawalpindi. 15 Million

(FARHAT MUNIR)Superintending Engineer,

Provincial Highway Circle Rawalpindi

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

THE SPOKESMANChief Editor: Huma Ali

Executive Editor: Atif MateenResident Editor: Saeed Minhas

Consulting Editors: Jalees Hazir Samina Choonara

Tarnishing religion for greed

Women’s day comes every year inthe month of March and I attendvarious functions each year inwhich I hear big talk. But recently,I was in a remote place inKhanewal - Landhi Colony which islargely a Christian community -where I and other speakers held adialogue with very poor workingwomen to understand their livingconditions and state of mind.The dialogue was arranged in a

Church programme for women, amajority of whom work in thegovernment or are privatelyemployed in houses as cleaners andattendants. In the Church, I sawthese girls and women sitting andlistening keenly to the speakers.They told me that for them themeaning of freedom is to have theright to work and earn a living in apeaceful work environment wherethey are not harassed in any way.I spoke to them about the

historical background of theinternational women’s day and howit began when women protested inthe streets, demanding a decrease intheir working hours. Most youngand old women present in thegathering admitted that what theywanted was quite similar but theywere hesitant to talk untilencouraged by a young socialactivist and Sister Salma. When anatmosphere of trust was created,these women began to speak of theirneed for freedom of expression andof movement, both of which wereimpeded by the fact of belonging toa minority religious group in alargely intolerant and threateningmajoritarian social setting.I tried to challenge some of their

old beliefs and to talk about issuesthat are considered taboo but Inoticed how some of them hadexpressions of confusion and fear ontheir faces. I tried to explain myself,telling them that I was bringing upissues so they would begin talkingabout them. Women are generallynot encouraged to voice theiropinions and those from a religiousminority are under more pressure to

keep silent.A majority of women present in

that programme told me that due tothe fear of how easily anyone couldplay the blasphemy blame gamewith them, they kept their religiousideas to themselves, even when theywere being represented in adistorted form. Sometimes they areplainly told they are kafir andshould change their religion or fearthe wrath of God. People don’tgenerally try to argue or raiseobjections because they or theirfamily members may be booked forblasphemy which is a penalty thatonly carries the death sentence ever

since General Zia changed the laws.They told me about their dailyexperience of public humiliation towhich they have no defense.While we were in conversation,

emergency news reached the churchabout incidents of looting and arsonin Lahore in a Christian colony ofthe poorest people. I felt a deepsense of shame and helplessness atwhat I heard because I belonged tothe community that was carryingout this violence in the name ofreligion. According to oVcial reportsof the Punjab government, about10,000 people attacked a Christiancolony on trumped up charges ofblasphemy while the security forceswho had been posted there due tothe threat, proved to be insuVcientto stop the mob. No one from thesurrounding neighbourhood came

forward to stop this from happeningbut the traders hurriedly closed theirshops to protect themselves.This is yet another major incident

in the Punjab after Gojra, Khanewal,and the tragic fate of Shanti Nagar.The Punjab government has facedsuch acts of lies and larceny beforebut they do not seem to have learntfrom them or to have anycontingency plan in mind. Some ofthe young women I was in theprocess of talking to pointed out thatall three tragedies happened in thetenures of Pakistan Muslim Leage-Nawaz in the Punjab.Is this just chance or does some

responsibility rests on the shouldersof the leaders and policies of thePML-N? Another reality hiddenbehind such criminal attacks onlocalities of religious minorities isthat it is triggered by some personalenmity between two individualsfrom different faiths. A drunkenargument between a Muslim and aChristian may then result in theperson from the more vulnerablecommunity being targeted. In suchcases, it is all too easy to distort thefacts and transform the incidentinto a fight between religioussentiments. Some dishonest clericsand people with sectarian feelingsthen avail such opportunities toshine and raise people’s emotionsfor the wrong reason. We have seenthe demonstration of suchdishonesty by some so-called clerics

in the case of Rimsha and in Gojraand Shanti Nagar.In Shanti Nagar, a police oVcer

forced entry into the house of aChristian family in a drunken stateand not only disgraced the women ofthe house but threw the Bible on thefloor. Later, to save his own skin, hemade up a fictitious story of a case ofburning and disgracing the Koran inShanti Nagar, spreading thismischievous and untrue tale amongthe Muslim community. A chargedmob then attacked the community,torching the entire village,including shops, homes, and eventhe church. That incident tookplace in the second term of thePakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.Only much later did reality surfaceand the police officer and otherconspirators were exposed.All such tragic stories in the

Punjab expose the weakness of oursecurity institutions. The police donot have the ability to controlcharged mobs attacking and burningpublic and private properties andthey are ready to wait it out till anentire colony is razed to the groundbefore arrests are made. And yet,our chief minister speaks inadmiration of the police force. Inthis most recent incident in Lahoretoo, it was not the police thatevacuated people from their homesto a safer place. The families hadfled due to fear of an attack.The fact is that no religious

dispute was involved in all thesetragic incidents but other more vileinterests such as land grabbing weremasked under it. The value of landthat these vulnerable communitiesoccupy is precious property to otherindividuals who use the ploy ofblasphemy to set mobs on them. It isalso feared that some of these mobsare created by the mafias into landgrabbing and that it is not aspontaneous response ofneighbours, for instance. It is acrying shame that the name ofreligion is being tarnished in thismanner and people are made tosuWer for the greed of the powerful.

THEWRITER IS A FREELANCE COLUMNIST

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

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

Addressing a ceremony on the occasion of International WomenDay in Kabul on Sunday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said theTaliban were holding talks with the US in Europe and the Gulf butwere conducting blasts in Kabul and Khost. At the same time, hesaid that the Taliban were not his enemy, and that the people ofAfghanistan had been tortured in the name of Taliban. It is diVcultto make sense of his confused outpourings. President Karzaiappears to be sour for being kept of the loop; he had expected to beat the centre of peace talks and lead the negotiations. As a result ofKarzai’s remarks, a joint press conference of President HamidKarzai and US Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel was cancelled. InSeptember 2012 President Karzai had stated: ‘the US-led war onterror has not been fought the way it should have been and hasbrought only misfortune and grief to Afghanistan’. But he himself isto blame in equal measure, as he never raised the right demandswith the occupiers at the right time.Due to Taliban’s predominantly Pakhtun ethnicity, the set-up

propped up by the occupiers arrogantly treated the community as anoutcast in the power dispensation. Afghanminorities, mainly Tajik,were inducted in the Afghan army, intelligence, police andadministration, with Karzai presiding over these developments as amere showpiece. The community of erstwhile kings and king-makers was surely not to take kindly to the raw deal dealt to it.Karzai would surely know that it is not only the Taliban insurgencythat is blighting Afghanistan but also a resurgence of Pakhtunnationalism, which has swept not just the east and south but alsothe north and west of the country. Denied their rightful place intheir homeland, the Pukhtunmajority is now up in arms against theartificial power structure that the US has tried to erect over theirheads. The disrespect shown to Afghanistan’s ground realities byAmerican policymakers since their invasion has now become animpediment for a respectable end-game for them.The US has to understand that without giving the majority

Pakhtuns the due share in power, there would be no peace in theforeseeable future. If history is any guide, nobody should makelong term plans to stay in Afghanistan. It is true thatcontradictions have existed between Pakhtuns and Tajiks,Hazaras and Uzbeks for centuries but barring a few exceptionsin the past, they stayed together and put up a joint resistancewhenever foreigners invaded Afghanistan. They stand dividedthis time. If the Northern alliance and the Taliban do not reachan agreement on sharing power after the withdrawal of US andNATO forces, there would be a bloody civil war because bothsides are armed to the teeth. The end result could bedisintegration of Afghanistan, with more regional playersjumping in the fray to secure their positions, and the bloodiestgreat game in the region to date. Afghanistan’s neighboursshould get involved in the peace process and ensure that thepost-withdrawal set-up in Afghanistan reflects the groundrealities of the country.

Peace in Afghanistan

While we were in conversation,emergency news reached the churchabout incidents of looting and arsonin Lahore in a Christian colony of thepoorest people. I felt a deep senseof shame and helplessness at whatI heard because I belonged to thecommunity that was carrying outthis violence in the name of religion

Yes, I mean it: the worst ever!We’ve had JamesMonroe and his doctrine of

supremacy over Latin America. We’ve hadTheodore Roosevelt and his invasion of Cuba;Nixon, Reagan, Bush-Bush and their massmurder, and all the war crimes and genocidecommitted by most presidents. Yes, but wenever had a black man sit on the white throneof imperialism committing war crimes.And there he is, murdering evenmore people

in Afghanistan than Bush, backing coups inLatin America, continuing to undermine Iraq,sending drones, mercenaries, saboteurs toPakistan, Somalia, Yemen, Uganda, Libya andnow Syria. He bores deeper into severalAfrican countries, rich with oil andminerals,than his white predecessors, Democrats andRepublicans. The US is eliminating the fewsecular governments that there were in theMiddle East and North Africa.Obama is busier fulfilling total US

American world domination than even Bush,Reagan and Nixon.He is the president for US corporations.

With his black Kenyan roots he can walk intoAfrica’s rich parlors and black “White Houses”and communicate with these butchers betterthan any of the capitalist class’ earlierpresidents, all of themwhite.

Obama is worse than them, precisely becausehe betrays all his black “brothers and sisters” inthe US, all except a few rich and opportunisticones. He was the hope; he would improve theirlot, and that of the poor, the working people.But he has done nothing of the sort. Instead,he takes from them to give to the rich, theworst criminals onWall Street, the warindustry, the oil andmineral industries.Virtually all of his economic advisors hail fromWall Street and, in many cases, were centralfigures in the enormous economic crimes ofthe last few years that have stolen hundreds ofbillions, even trillions of dollars from thepoor and the middle class. His top militarists,Homeland Security thugs, and CIA killers aresome of those that Bush used - most of themRepublicans.As commander in chief, he has had the

national hero BradleyManning tortured. Heseeks to destroyWikileaks and its founderJulian Assange. I gave a speech in front of theUS embassy in Copenhagen when Obama wasto receive the Nobel Peace Prize, for ChristSake. Here are excerpts:‘We live in a state of permanent war and

Obama continues this system, as he must,because no president of the USA cansignificantly moderate or abolish that brutalsystem. It is of no consequence what one’scolor, gender or sexual preference is. Changingor abolishing capitalism and imperialism canonly occur when gigantic numbers ofproductive and service workers wake up andfight for such. And wemust do so with ourown political parties not the dominatingcapitalist parties, Democratic or Republican,or in Denmark with the current array ofpolitical parties.‘Tomorrow this black president for

capitalism and its wars-for-profit will receivethe so-called Nobel Peace Prize. This is anabsurd hypocrisy, evenmore so as it occurs justdays after he announced sending 30,000moremurdering US troops to Afghanistan wherethe resistance forces, fighting for theircountry’s legitimate sovereignty, willrighteously receive themwith weaponry.‘The media fail to mention that this is the

second time Obama has sent additional troopsto Afghanistan. Within his first 100 days inoVce, he ordered an additional 17,000 troops

to supplement the 38,000 then present. Soon,there will be nearly 100,000 US troops andsome 40,000more from other countries,including the Banana Republic of Denmark.’While Bush was tied down in Afghanistan

and Iraq, Obama takes up imperialism’sdemand for blood in Latin America. Thenine ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance of thePeoples of Latin America) countries haveformed a cooperative trade, political andsocial network in the past five years and aremaking deep inroads into capitalism’sterritory. Bush was powerless to combat thisdevelopment which was started by Cuba andVenezuela, in 2004. But the new “black”president saw a weak link in Honduraswhere the oligarchy and the thoroughly US-dominated military organised a coup d´etatwith Obama-backed generals assisting.Then came the illegal elections a week ago,held under an armed curfew, which Obamadeclared to be legitimate even as the realpresident (Manuel Zelaya) and his patrioticsupporters in the hundreds of thousandssought to have him reinstated.Since that speech, Obama also supported the

removal of progressive Catholic priest andPresident Fernando Lugo in Paraguay.The first “black” president ran on a peace

ticket, a position which he has reversed.Nor has he significantly fulfilled any otherof his somewhat progressive campaignpromises, such as closing downGuantanamo’s torture factory.“I Have a DreamDrone” has become

Obama’s mantra.I close with the words of Bolivia’s Evo

Morales, the world’s first indigenous president,excerpted from his 10 Commandments:Commandment 1: To End with Capitalism“If we want to start a serious and sincere

discussion on climate change we should knowthat it is about the struggle between two waysof living, between two cultures: the culture oftrash and death, versus the culture of life andpeace. This is the core of the discussion onclimate change. In order to preserve the planet,life and the human species, we must endCapitalism!”Hasta la victoria siempre!

(COUNTERPUNCH)

Obama is the worst US president ever

Courtroom drama

Some years ago I had pointed out inthese very pages that the court’s recordand orders were being traded in atleast one of the banking courts inKarachi and that no action had beentaken against the culprits so fardespite repeated complaints onrecord. One such instance is of a finalorder that was stolen in 2000 andcould not be retrieved or issued by theconcerned court, which, years later,

mysteriously could only supply acertified copy of the same bearing thecurrent date against the real date onwhich certified copies of the saidmissing order were applied for. After aseries of complaints were made to thelearned judge, what he did was have,instead, a copy supplied thereof withthe current dates by which time thelimitation had naturally expired,barring the defendant from his right toappeal.While the saidmissing orderwas kept in abeyance, the courtproceededwith the case by issuing thesale certificate to the plaintiW/auctionpurchaser against which seriousobjections were at once lodged by thedefendant but to no avail as the learnedjudge was not inclined to listen to thedefendant having self-admittedly saidthat he had been “pressurized” by theNational Accountability Bureau (NAB)and, in turn, “instructed” by somesenior judge to dispose of the case onthe deadline given. Obviously, that toowas to be done in favour of one of thebiggest bank defaulters whose namealready happens to be with theSupreme Court (SC). By favouringthem in the case, the aimwas to shunand oUoad the third party from legalinterruption with the obvious intention

of squeezing out a very substantial‘reward’ that NAB, as a rule, is said tocharge banks on such recoveries orfrom plea bargains.With the passing of the limitation

due to failure of the banking court toissue an appropriately dated andvalid copy of the stolen order, theappellate court was not inclined toentertain the appeal, thus deprivingthe defendant of his fair right tojustice. This being so, will thehonourable SC recall the matter andsee why action was not taken againstthat banking court for alienating thefinal order and not supplying it to thedefendant on the date it was appliedfor until this day? Needless to say, thedefendant cannot be held liable forthe delay in issuing an order by thecourt as also envisaged in theLimitation Act but, unfortunately,the courts rarely shift from theconventional practice of knockingout even merited cases on forcedtechnical grounds, therebyunconsciously condemning suchdefendants to being unheard. Indoing so, they unintentionally defeatthe service of justice to the alreadyaggrieved party. May I request thehonourable SC to check this ancient

trend in the courts as the same isoutrightly not what the SC aspiresfor?

MAZHAR BUTT

Malik Riaz – the realpower broker

All those who protect thuggishMalikRiaz after getting benefits out of him,will have to answer for their misdeedssomeday. Malik’s benefactors in highplaces are as much culpable of thecrime of robbing the poor andwidows of their properties as is Malikhimself. May they be bureaucrats,politicians, judges or generals. Anadage of wisdom is that behind bigmoney, there’s always crime. Thosewho support Malik are, needless tosay, partners in crime.

SURFERUPDATE4@YAHOO.COM

Naheed Khan strikes back Themoveis timely. Nobody can accuse them ofmanipulation for power at this stage.

They know politics well. I wish themluck. The PPP is acceptable withoutthe Zardaris.

BABAR KHATTAKGENIUSMINDZ2@GMAIL.COM

Pork-eatingparliamentarians

In fact it doesn't matter for thembecause they are used to it whether it'sharam pigs or money

GHAZANFAR

G_BHATI@HOTMAIL.COM

Innocent souls. Either they couldnot read menu tags being "properlyeducated" or didn't know what porkmeant.

PASSIVEVOICES

FMEDUCATION@GMAIL.COM

PTCL, MoIT involved intelephony cartel

CCP should first look at TelecomDeregulation Policy of 2003. Can

anyone answer why all the LDIlicensees, who had invested heavily,had to pack up?

PASSIVEVOICESFMEDUCATION@GMAIL.COM

Mobs have no religion

This article is extremely true.

AYZAMALIK

WITHERWINGSLIKEABOSS@GMAIL.COM

Turf war to conquerKarachi

Not a very well researched article.Author seems to have no knowledgeof actual happenings. The dynamicsof Lyari not amply covered.

HAMID BAIGHAMIDBAIG01@HOTMAIL.COM

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

EDITOR’SMAIL BOX

Feedback from the web

No religious dispute was involved in all these tragic incidents but other more vileinterests such as land grabbing. The land that these vulnerable communities occupyispreciousproperty to individualswhouse theployofblasphemyto setmobson them

Obama is murdering even more people in Afghanistan than Bush, backing coups in Latin America, continuingto undermine Iraq, sending drones, mercenaries, saboteurs to Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, Uganda, Libya andnow Syria. He bores deeper into several African countries, rich with oil and minerals, than his white predecessors

RON RIDENOUR

AAMIR HUSSAINI

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

There was a copy of The Brave NewWorld at my hotel in Negombo, SriLanka. I picked it up and readAldous Huxley’s foreword which gotme down very low. I felt caged in.Silva, the owner of this small hotel Istayed at, had a Bollywood look andappeal. I doubt that he’d even care if Itook the book. But I put it back afterreading several pages that had thesame eWect as the foreword. Huxleysaid that man was in search of sanityhaving to choose between the darkmodern industrial life and somethingthat was old and cruelly outdated.After not having hadmuch sleep in

a strange place and having walkedon the beach in the rain, I had soreairways and an irritating cough comeonme. Colds have a way of gettingme down too. I felt caged intoHuxley’s world.Some time later I am at the airport

for my return trip. In this same statewhich feels like a hangover, I amseeing fresh happy faces aroundme.There areMuslims in white Umrahcloth with their little girls in burqas -all looking happy. It’s fun to people-watch at the airport and at mostinternational ones one wouldprobably see a cross-section of theworld. It is a great distraction,especially when there’s enough timeto kill and when one is too tired tostick one’s nose in a book. I amlooking on and a German couple islooking on as this family of happy,energeticMuslims goes past with thelittle burqa’d girls riding the luggagecarts. It is astonishing tome to see aretrograde drift amongMuslims inthe physical aspect. I assume it is theappearance of their spirituality, theirfaith. Or is it that I’m just noticing itmore? Is there a spiritual need inmeseekingmanifestations of the sacred,be it man’s humble way of developingdark calluses on the forehead andwearing white cotton cloths for travelto the holy land. In Pakistan, thebearded, callused look is usuallytaken with a grain of salt, at leastamong people I knowwho’d knownPakistan free from this ultra-strangeneo-conservatism of otherwisedecent people.But at any rate I cannot help

watching happy Indonesian,Malaysian or Sri Lankan womenstanding by their men in nicely puttogether ensembles of purple abayaswith navy blue robes of silk or somesuch, if not black burqas. Laughingand running to catch flights with noappearance of oppression - in fact,with some of themost carefree,ringing laughs at sharing jokes withthemen.The Sri Lankan Armymen are

waiting to board the plane in thesame area as mine - fresh, shaven,happy, well dressed. Some of themare talking to someone on theirmobile phones with smile andexpressions of satisfaction on their

faces.Who are they talking to?Someone important.Meanwhile, I am trapped in

unhappiness. The eWect of the coldand waiting for my flight havereally got me feeling so down. Idon’t have the strength of hypocrisyin me to put on a happy face. I mustlook terribly sad.I remember a good American

friend of mine, who was a schoolteacher, once tell me about La Vie enRose when he said I should see thatfilm about the life of Edith Piaf, theFrench chanteuse. I remember himsaying that that filmwas a goodportrayal of people like us. I think hewas includingme in the trio.Whatwas common amongmy schoolteacher friend, Edith and I... Iwondered. Being a singer is not acommon thing. Being a drunk isn’teither. Unhappy? Eccentric? Lonely?I didn’t want to share those labelswith either Edith or my friend. Didhemean it in a positive sense? Peoplelike us, who are not banal, mediocreor ordinary? Possibly forwardthinking and extraordinary? I may bemore willing to accept thatcommonality. I’d rather be happyeven if the label of ‘mediocre’ is notremoved. A lot of people are happy .They look it. I doubt that all theseMuslims are wearingmasks ofhappiness at the airport. I should doa survey some day...People are mostly with their loved

ones here at the airport and thatseems to be why they’re happy.Together. Am I foolingmyself?Could this be these women’s one andonly outing of their lifetime whentheir men let them out of rigorousabusive slavery the 3 am cookery forRamadan and they too feel trapped,like me, in a Brave OldWorld?It might be that adopting or going

back to some degree ofconventionality might get me to ahappy balance in this Brave NewWorld. I’m saying this because I’dnever thought about doing theUmrah until today.Most peoplevisibly happy are the ones with theirfamilies. They can’t all be faking it.They look relaxed.Happy and relaxed is when I’m

most at peace. Being relaxed I feelI’m in the present moment andundisturbed bymemories of the pastor anxieties about the future.Are happiness andmediocrity

opposite terms? If I’m not famous ora great rocket scientist and there isno pomp and show tomy life, wouldI be all right? Did Edith Paif ’s beingFrance’s sparrow give her the innerpeace she needed, just like us - meandmy school teacher friend? I don’tthink happy people should worryabout any labels anyway... whichbrings me to re-consider this wholediscussion’s philosophical necessity.I’ll get happy once I shake oW thisdarned cold. I better.

THE AUTHOR IS A FICTION WRITER

Happiness andmediocrity

What’s the world’s biggest war profiteer to do ifit already owns the federal government but ishaving trouble kicking around the localgovernment of Montgomery County,Maryland, where it’s headquartered? Why,hire the state of Maryland to step in, of course.LockheedMartin lives by killing, although

nobody ever gives it a background check beforeallowing it another weapon. Such abackground check would reveal LockheedMartin to be the number one top oWenderamong U.S. government contractors. WhenCongress was defunding ACORN forimaginary crimes alleged by a fraudster who isnow having tocompensate his victims, oneCongresswoman proposed a bill to defundgovernment contractors actually guilty ofcrimes. Passing such a bill would stripLockheedMartin of some 80% of its income.The list of abuses by LockheedMartin

includes contract fraud, unfair businesspractices, kickbacks, mischarges, inflatedcosts, defective pricing, improper pricing,unlicensed exporting to foreign nations(LockheedMartin sells weapons togovernments of all sorts around the world), airand water pollution, fraud, bribery, federalelection law violations, overbilling, radiationexposure, age discrimination, illegal transfer ofinformation to China, falsification of testingrecords, embezzlement, racial discrimination,retaliation against whistleblowers, bid-rigging,and much more.Why, one might ask, does the federal

government give such a company a dime,much less $40 billion per year?Why is it intenton dumping over a trillion dollars intoLockheedMartin for the most expensive andleast functioning airplane in history, the F-35?Lockheed not only funds Republicans and

Democrats alike with over $3million perelection cycle, lobbies oVcials for another $30million, hires former oVcials, and shapescorporate news, but LockheedMartin alsocreates local panics by threatening to notifyevery one of its employees that they might befired if U.S. war preparations spending doesn’tcontinue to grow.The pseudo-debate of recent years between

those who want to cut healthcare andretirement spending and those who oppose allcuts is a debate that any news outlet interestedin selling advertising to LockheedMartin canaccept without hesitation. A debate over whatwe actually should cut and what we shouldinstead invest in more heavily would be adiWerent matter. Of course, we can all sendemails to Congress. LockheedMartin can too.But LockheedMartin, unlike the rest of us,also owns the email system through whichCongress receives our communications.LockheedMartin is based in suburban

Washington, D.C., inMontgomery County, Md.For years, LockheedMartin and its friends attheWashington Post have been trying to getthe local government to excuse the patrons ofLockheedMartin’s luxury hotel from payingtaxes. Montgomery County is home to terrificpeace activists who can, of course, get virtuallynowhere with Congress, but who canmaketheir voices heard locally. This has frustratedLockheedMartin no end. I recommendreading this article by Jean Athey from a yearago, describing the work she and others havedone. An excerpt:“Let’s put this tax exemption proposal in

perspective by taking a quick look at LockheedMartin’s finances. In 2010 the company tookhome $3.9 billion in profits from the portion ofits business that is paid directly by taxpayers(84 percent). LockheedMartin’s CEO, RobertStevens, received $21.9 million incompensation in 2011. So this company isdoing quite well for itself, thanks to thetaxpayers, and our largesse will continue intothe future. . . . When LockheedMartin’s ownemployees stay at the CLE, according to thePost, the corporation passes on the costs of thehotel tax to the appropriate federal contract. Inother words, LockheedMartin is alreadycompensated by the federal government forany lodging costs the company incurs, andgiven federal procurement regulations, thecompany can charge indirect costs on top ofthe local taxes it pays. This means thatLockheedMartin gets its money back, withinterest, on its employee lodging costs. Even ifLockheedMartin didn’t get that money back, itwould still make no sense to exempt thisextremely wealthy company from paying a taxon employee lodging costs.“The company also invites contractors and

vendors to stay at the hotel. Why should thesepeople not be required to pay a tax that theywould pay if they instead chose to stay at theMarriott? In reality, LockheedMartin rentsrooms to more than its employees, contractorsand vendors. It uses its world-class conferencecenter for . . . conferences. It is extraordinarythat the company would make an issue of thistax. Although the amount of money -$450,000 per year - is significant to

Montgomery County, it is essentially arounding error for LockheedMartin. There’smore: not only are LockheedMartin and TheWashington Post furious at the county councilfor questioning the wisdom of a specialmillion-dollar gift to LockheedMartin tocompensate it for having to pay the tax. Theyare also still irate that in 2011 the councilbriefly considered a non-binding resolutionasking Congress to support the needs of localcommunities and cut military spending.Lockheed Martin suddenly had a job for afew of its 91 lobbyists: kill the resolution,which they did.”Here’s Jean Athey, speaking this Saturday

about the latest developments:“Lockheed Martin lost the battle in 2011 to

convince Montgomery County’s council tochange the definition of ‘hotel’ so as toexempt guests at the company’s luxury hotelfrom being subject to a 7% hotel tax thateveryone else has to pay. Now, Maryland’sstate government is considering a bill to forcethe county to do so, and it looks very likely topass. This is an unbelievable and outrageousexample of corporate welfare, designed forone of the wealthiest companies in thenation. The bill is also an egregious exampleof state interference in a local issue and sofurther diminishes democracy.”This latest outrage has passed a state senate

committee, and a companion bill is beingconsidered by the Ways and MeansCommittee in the House of Delegates. Here’sthe Washington Post. This bill (PDF) wouldforce Montgomery County to exempt

Lockheed Martin’s conference hotel from thecounty’s hotel tax. In addition, it requires theCounty to reimburse Lockheed Martin $1.4million for taxes it has paid the County todate for hotel taxes. The state legislature, inintroducing this bill, did not go through thecounty delegation prior to presenting it, eventhough the bill will only aWect MontgomeryCounty. Senator Jamie Raskin, for example,only found out about the bill Saturdaymorning. He opposes it.He should oppose it. We all should. There is

still a glimmer of representative governmentin some of our localities. People are able toget involved in local issues, have someinfluence, and see majority opinion rule theday. This is, of course, why people concernedabout national and international issues takeresolutions to local governments. UnlikeCongress, local governments sometimeslisten. But sometimes when they listen toomuch, state governments or the federalgovernment will step in and overrule them.This is an assault on democracy, not just on

the budget of Montgomery County and thebalance of wealth in a nation that has createda Wall-Street-and-War-Making aristocracy.Well, what should we call a tax break for oneof the most profitable corporations in thenation, a tax break on expenses it’s going tobill to the government anyway? I’d call itwelfare for the undeserving rich, except thatit’s not really about their welfare. It’s abouttheir insatiable greed.

(COUNTERPUNCH)

The latest act of mob violence in theform of burning Joseph Colony, aChristian neighbourhood in BadamiBagh, Lahore, is highly worrisome. Itdraws attention to the urgency ofexplaining the structures of violencein the country. By structures ofviolence, I mean the actors,institutions and interests which createthe conditions of mob violence. Thequestion is under what conditionsindividuals formmobs? Psychologiststry hard to provide answers but theyare often left surprised by the strangeworkings of the humanmind.Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

acknowledged the complexity of thehumanmind by remarking thathumanmotivation was too complexand irreducible to simplerformulations. If understandingindividual human beings is diVcult, itis surely more diVcult to explaincollective behaviour in its disorderlyforms. Even the mystics who claim todeal with matters concerning thehuman heart, withdraw from any suchunderstanding of the collectivity.Sultan Bahu (1628-1691) is the finestexample in this regard.As a form of collective behaviour,

mob violence is at its apex in SouthAsia. Social scientists and local literatistruggle very hard to explain it.However, the more it is understood,the more it remains unexplained. TheLondon riots in 2011 surprised manyscientists. In his classic study, TheCrowd: A Study of the Popular Mind(New York: TheMacmillan Co., 1896),French sociologist Gustave Le Bonsaid mobs ‘are not to be influenced byreasoning, and can only comprehend

rough-and-ready association of ideas’.This book demands prudentialattention as it can help us understandmobs better. It is with the insightsprovided by earlier thinkers like LeBon and other social scientists that weshould examine rising incidents ofmob violence in Pakistan.The increasing number of incidents

invites us to move beyond our familiarand convenient religious framing ofviolence involving diWerentdenominations. Instead, we shouldlook into structures of violence whichnot only create the opportunity formob violence but also help mobsperform violence. The recent torchingin Joseph Colony is more a case ofmob violence, but in the haste toexplain events with ready-madeconclusions, commentators in thecountry have declared the torching ofJoseph Colony as a performance ofMuslim religious bigotry. The pointhas been emphasised to such anextent that the possibility of a saneanalysis has been virtually eliminated.No doubt, religious bigotry has

increased in Pakistan, but far moregruesome is the usage of religion forprivate/personal purposes. It is adangerous trend which must beexposed. Religious bigotry and the useof religion for private ends are not thesame. The tradition of using Stateinstitutions for personal and privatebenefits has colonial roots, and usingreligious institutions for privatebenefit is quite similar to that mode.Some people in Pakistani society havelearned to use religion as aninstrument of profit. Should not thisshameless use of religion for benefitbe exposed?In Joseph Colony, the mob actually

looted the homes before torching

them. An impartial inquiry may revealother material interests behind theevent. In this context, the tendency ofliberal intellectuals to explain mobviolence essentially in religious termsis ironic andmisplaced. With theimmense burden of shame, someliberal intellectuals are oWering anapology to Christians. Do theyapologise asMuslims? That remainsunclear. Read, for example, thisFacebookmessage posted by someliberals: ‘I apologise to my Christianfriends and brothers and sisters whosuWered so much. My head hung inshame for all that.’ I have seen parentssometimes expressing shame in thisway when their children do somethingobnoxious.What is the relationship of these

liberals with the mob that attackedJoseph Colony? I wish the circulatorsof this message had thought about theharmful eWects of this patronisingtone for the Christians of Pakistan.Our liberals should read HannahArendt. In her 1969 book, OnViolence, she laments the scholarlytendency of using words like“violence” “power” and “authority” in acasual manner. In her judgment, thecareless use of these words means“deafness to linguistic meanings,” and“a kind of blindness to the realities”.Matters involving religious diWerencesare highly sensitive and theimplications of misusing words maybe highly dangerous. Our liberalsshould exercise restraint and notimpose ready-made explanations of“religious bigotry” on whatever is badin Pakistan.The torching of Joseph Colony is a

tragedy but not entirely a matter ofreligious bigotry. The incidentillustrates that individuals can

mobilise mobs to exact privaterevenge. Most of the cases of mobviolence in Pakistan have had secularreasons. Remember the events ofburning alleged thieves alive?Remember the lynching of twobrothers in Sialkot? The stories ofmobs watching women stripped inpublic for falling in love or formarrying someone of their choice areso common. Newspapers and TVchannels report stories of how thefaces of thieves and drug addicts, andalleged sex-workers, were blackenedby the mobs.The rise in mob behaviour in this

country demands clear and non-ideological thinking. It is because thevictims of torching in Joseph Colonyand their sympathisers have alsoresorted to the samemob hysteria.While agitating, the agitators havealso torched public infrastructure. Itmeans that structures of violence cancreate herd mentality among both thevictimisers and the victims. In theend, the instruments of the victimsand victimisers are the same, violence,looting and torching.Religious framing of violence

between two diWerent denominationsreify the religious imagining of humanlife. It blinds us to those who usereligion to justify violence. The acts ofviolence are condemnable. Equallyimportant is to observe an ethics ofcondemnation of violence. Theincident must be investigatedjudiciously including multiperspectives by the scholars and Stateagencies. Scholars and activists fromall denominations should work toexpose the structures of mob violence.

THE WRITER IS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT

FORMAN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, LAHORE

Understanding the structures of violence

Are happiness and mediocrity oppositeterms? If I’m not famous or a great rocketscientist and there is no pomp and showto my life, would I be all right?

This is an assault on democracy, not just on the budget of Montgomery County and the balance of wealth in anation that has created a Wall-Street-and-War-Making aristocracy. Well, what should we call a tax break forone of the most profitable corporations in the nation?

A government of, by, and for LockheedMartinDAVID SWANSON

KEEKAR KANAIR

IMDAD HUSSAIN

We should move beyond our convenient religious framing of violence involvingdi0erentdenominations. Instead,we should look into structuresofviolencewhichnotonly create the opportunity for mob violence but also help mobs perform violence

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

Russia working on Navypresence in MediterraneanMMOOSSCCOOWW:: Russia has startedpreparations for the permanentpresence of its fleet in Mediterranean,Commander of the Russian Navy saidMonday. "The Defense Ministerordered us to create a large navyoperative unit for permanentdeployment in the Mediterranean Sea.We have started that work," AdmiralViktor Chirkov told reporters. He saidthe personnel have currently beentrained for service in that region.Russian Defense Minister SergeiShoigu told an expanded session of thecommand of the Russian ArmedForces earlier Monday that the RussianNavy possessed all capabilities to forma workable squadron in theMediterranean Sea. –AGENCIES

Italy confirms killing of 7foreign hostages in NigeriaRROOMMEE:: Italy's foreign ministryconfirmed on Monday that sevenhostages, kidnapped in Nigeria lastmonth have been killed as claimed byIslamic extremists. "The checks carriedout in coordination with the othercountries involved led us to believe thatthe news of killing the hostages seizedlast month in Nigeria was grounded,"astatement from the ministry said. Romeprosecutors have opened an investigationover the case, local reports said later onthe same day. All the seven workers takenfrom northern Bauchi state on Feb. 16,including four Lebanese citizens and oneeach from Britain, Greece and Italy, werekilled by the extremist Islamist groupknown as Ansaru, which is linked to AlQaeda and has claimed responsibility.The Italian victim, Silvano Trevisan,was a 69-year-old engineer fromnorth-western Lombardy region andhad been working abroad for anumber of years. –AGENCIES

Congo to sign peacedeal with rebels on 15thKKIINNSSHHAASSAA:: Democratic Republic ofCongo's government is due to sign apeace deal on March 15 with the M23rebels who have been waging aninsurgency in the east for the pastyear, according to a draft agreementseen by Reuters on Monday. The draftsays rebel fighters will hand in theirweapons ahead of a deployment ofUnited Nations peacekeepers in theirterritory, and those not facingprosecution will be integrated intothe army. Congo's government will,in turn, speed up the return of ethnicTutsi refugees from Rwanda, itadded. The deal seeks to endrecurrent conflicts in Congo'smineral-rich east, where localpolitics, ethnic rivalriesand tensions with neighboringRwanda have simmered for nearlytwo decades. –AGENCIES

Cardinals arrive at Vaticanbefore Papal conclaveVVAATTIICCAANN CCIITTYY:: Catholic cardinalsat the Vatican gathered for theirlast pre-conclave talks Mondaymorning before shuttingthemselves into the Sistine Chapelto elect a successor to PopeBenedict. The conclave is due tobegin Tuesday and will involve all115 cardinal-electors. They areexpected to vote until one manreceives at least a two-thirdsmajority, or 77 votes. Cardinalsmust be under 80 to vote. Vaticanofficials on Monday were preparingfor the announcement of the newpontiff. Curtains could be seenhanging on the balcony at the frontof St. Peter's Basilica, where thenewly elected pope will addresscrowds for the first time. –AGENCIES

OSCAR GUARDIOLA�RIVERA

HE wrote, he read, andmostly he spoke. HugoChávez, whose deathhas been announced,was devoted to the

word. He spoke publicly an average of40 hours per week. As president, hedidn't hold regular cabinet meetings;he'd bring the many to a weeklymeeting, broadcast live on radio andtelevision. Aló, Presidente, theprogramme in which policies wereoutlined and discussed, had no timelimits, no script and no teleprompter.One session included an opendiscussion of healthcare in the slums ofCaracas, rap, a self-critical examinationof Venezuelans being accustomed tothe politics of oil money and expectingthe president to be a magician, afriendly exchange with a delegationfrom Nicaragua and a less friendly onewith a foreign journalist.Nicaragua is one of Venezuela's allies

in Alba, the organisation constituted at

Chávez's initiative to counterneoliberalism in the region, alongsideCuba, Ecuador and Bolivia. It has nowacquired a life of its own having inviteda number of Caribbean countries andMexico to join, with Vietnam as anobserver. It will be a most enduringlegacy, a concrete embodiment ofChávez's words and historical vision.The Bolívarian revolution has beencrucial to the wider philosophy sharedand applied by many Latin Americangovernments. Its aim is to overcomeglobal problems through local andregional interventions by engagingwith democracy and the state inorder to transform the relationbetween these and the people, ratherthan withdrawing from the state ortrying to destroy it.Because of this shared view

Brazilians, Uruguayans andArgentinians perceived Chávez as anally, not an anomaly, and supported theinclusion of Venezuela in theirMercosur alliance. Chávez's SocialMissions, providing healthcare and

literacy to formerly excluded peoplewhile changing their life and politicaloutlook, have proven the extent of sucha transformative view. It could becompared to the levelling spirit of akind of new New Deal combined with amodel of social change based onpopular and communal organisation.The facts speak for themselves: the

percentage of households in povertyfell from 55% in 1995 to 26.4% in2009. When Chávez was sworn intooQce unemployment was 15%, in June2009 it was 7.8%. Compare that tocurrent unemployment figures inEurope. In that period Chávez won56% of the vote in 1998, 60% in 2000,survived a coup d'état in 2002, got over7m votes in 2006 and secured 54.4% ofthe vote last October. He was a rarething, almost incomprehensible tothose in the US and Europe whocontinue to see the world through theManichean prism of the cold war: anavowed Marxist who was also anavowed democrat. To those who thinkthe expression of the masses should

have limited or no place in the seriousbusiness of politics all the talking andgoings on in Chávez's meetings wereanathema, proof that he was both fakeand a populist. But to the people whotuned in and participated en masse, itwas politics and true democracy notonly for the sophisticated, thepropertied or the lettered.All this talking and direct contact

meant the constant reaQrmation of apromise between Chávez and thepeople of Venezuela. Chávez haddiscovered himself not by lookingwithin, but by looking outside into theshameful conditions of LatinAmericans and their past. Hediscovered himself in the promise ofliberation made by Bolívar. "OnAugust 1805," wrote Chávez, Bolívar"climbed the Monte Sacro near Romeand made a solemn oath." LikeBolívar, Chávez swore to break thechains binding Latin Americans to thewill of the mighty. Within his lifetime,the ties of dependency and indirectempire have loosened. From the river

Plate to the mouths of the Orinocoriver, Latin America is no longersomebody else's backyard. Thatproject of liberation has involvedthousands of men and women pitchedinto one dramatic battle after another,like the coup d'état in 2002 or theconfrontation with the US-proposedFree Trade Zone of the Americas.These were won, others were lost.The project remains incomplete. It

may be eternal and thus the strugglewill continue after Chávez is gone. Butwhatever the future may hold, thepeoples of the Americas will fight tosalvage the present in which they haveregained a voice. In Venezuela, they putChávez back into the presidency afterthe coup. This was the key event inChávez's political life, not the militaryrebellion or the first electoral victory.Something changed within him at thatpoint: his discipline became ironclad,his patience invincible and his politicsclearer. For all the attention paid to therelation between Chávez and Castro,the lesser known fact is that Chávez's

political education owes more toanother Marxist president who wasalso an avowed democrat: Chile'sSalvador Allende. "Like Allende, we'repacifists and democrats," he once said."Unlike Allende, we're armed."The lesson drawn by Chávez from the

defeat of Allende in 1973 is crucial.Some, like the far right and the state-linked paramilitary of Colombia wouldlove to see Chavismo implode, andwouldn't hesitate to sow chaos acrossborders. The support of the army andthe masses of Venezuela will decide thefate of the Bolívarian revolution, andthe solidarity of powerful andsympathetic neighbours like Brazil.Nobody wants instability now thatLatin America is finally standing up foritself. In his final days Chávezemphasised the need to buildcommunal power and promoted someof his former critics associated with thejournal Comuna. The revolution willnot be rolled back. Unlike his admiredBolívar, Chávez did not plough the seas.

(The Guardian)

Hugo Chavez kept his promise to the people of Venezuela

SSEEOOUULL:: North Korean state mediasaid Monday that Pyongyang hadcarried through with a threat tocancel the 60-year-old armistice thatended the Korean War, as it andSouth Korea staged dueling wargames amid threatening rhetoric thathas risen to the highest level sinceNorth Korea rained artillery shells ona South Korean island in 2010.Enraged over the South's joint

military drills with the United Statesand recent UN sanctions, Pyongyanghas piled threat on top of threat,including vows to launch a nuclearstrike on the US Seoul has respondedwith tough talk of its own and has

placed its troops on high alert.The North Korean government

made no formal announcementMonday on its repeated threats toscrap the armistice, but the country'smain newspaper, Rodong Sinmun,reported that the armistice wasnullified Monday as Pyongyang hadearlier announced it would.The North followed through on

another promise Monday,shutting down a Red Cross hotlinethat the North and South used forgeneral communication and todiscuss aid shipments andseparated families' reunions.The 11-day military drills that

started Monday involve 10,000 SouthKorean and about 3,000 Americantroops. Those coincide with twomonths of separate US-South Koreanfield exercises that began March 1.Also continuing are large-scale

North Korean drills that Seoul saysinvolve the army, navy and air force.The South Korean defense ministrysaid there have been no militaryactivities it considers suspicious.The North has threatened to nullify

the armistice several times in times oftension with the outside world, and in1996 the country sent hundreds ofarmed troops into a border village.The troops later withdrew. –AGENCIES

S Korea, US begin drills as N Korea threatens war

SEOUL: Anti-war activists, wearing masks and holding placards showing the Korean Peninsula, protest against a joint military exercisebetween South Korea and the US near the US Embassy in Seoul. –WIRE SERVICE

KKIIRRKKUUKK:: A suicide bomber killedthree people and wounded 165 innorthern Iraq on Monday, while fourpeople were killed in shootingselsewhere in the country, securityand medical oQcials said.The bomber struck at a police

station in the town of Dibis,northwest of the ethnically mixed oilcity of Kirkuk, district oQcialAbdullah al-Salehi told AFP.Many of the wounded were pupils

at an adjacent Kurdish girls’secondary school, Salehi added.Sadiq Omar Rasul, the head of the

Kirkuk health department, said thebombing killed three people andwounded 165.Dibis is part of a swathe of

territory that the Kurds want to jointo their autonomous region innorthern Iraq, over the objections ofthe federal government in Baghdad.Diplomats say the dispute poses

the biggest threat to Iraq’s long-term stability. Elsewehere, gunmen

killed one person in the Al-Amildistrict of Baghdad and anothernorth of the capital, security andmedical oQcials said.Gunmen also killed a blacksmith

near Baquba, north of Baghdad, anda soldier in the main northern city ofMosul. The violence came a day afterattacks killed 11 people, including ananti-government protest organiserand a city council member.No group has claimed

responsibility for the violence.Militants in Iraq carry out attacksagainst both security forces andcivilians in a bid to erode confidencein the government.Violence has decreased from its

peak in 2006 and 2007 whensectarian bloodshed raged betweenSunni and Shiite Arabs. But 10 yearsafter the US-led invasion, attacksremain common, killing 220 peoplelast month, according to an AFPtally based on security and medicalsources. –AGENCIES

Iraq attackskill seven,wound 165

KKAABBUULL:: A man in a policeuniform opened fire on USand Afghan soldiersMonday at a base in easternAfghanistan, killing twoAmerican troops in whatmay be the latest in a seriesof insider attacks byAfghans against alliedsecurity forces.Afghan news media

reported that three Afghansoldiers also were killed inthe shooting in Wardak, thevolatile province in easternAfghanistan wherePresident Hamid Karzailast month ordered USspecial forces troops tocease operations.US military oQcials said

it wasn't immediately clearif the gunman was anAfghan police oQcer orposing as one. AfghanoQcials in Wardak saidthere were multiplecasualties but declined todiscuss the incident furtherbecause investigators werestill working at the scene ofthe attack at an Afghanarmy base in remote Jalrezdistrict. Insider attacks inAfghanistan spiked lastyear, with members ofAfghan security forceskilling 61 personnel fromthe US-led coalition, thevast majority of themAmericans. Mondaymarked the deadline for USspecial forces to leaveWardak under orders fromKarzai. –AGENCIES

BBEERRLLIINN:: Americans are training Syriananti-government fighters in Jordan, theGerman weekly Der Spiegel said onSunday, quoting what it said wereparticipants and organizers.Spiegel said it was not clear whether the

Americans worked for private firms or werefrom the army but said some woreuniforms. The training focused on use ofanti-tank weaponry.Some 200 men have already received

such training over the past three monthsand there are plans in the future to providetraining for a total 1,200 members of the"Free Syrian Army" in two camps in thesouth and the east of the country.Britain's Guardian newspaper also

reported that US trainers were assistingSyrian rebels in Jordan. British and Frenchinstructors were also participating in theUS-led eRort, the Guardian said onSaturday, citing Jordanian security sources.Jordanian intelligence services are

involved in the program, which aims tobuild around a dozen units totaling some10,000 fighters to the exclusion of radicalIslamists, Spiegel reported."The Jordanian intelligence services want

to prevent Salafists (radical Islamists)crossing from their own country into Syriaand then returning later to stir up troublein Jordan itself," one of the organizers toldthe paper. The reports could not beindependently verified.A spokesman for the US Defense

Department declined immediate commenton the Spiegel report. The French foreignministry and Britain's foreign and defenseministries also had no comment.

More than 70,000 people have beenkilled and 1 million refugees have fled theSyrian conflict.It started as pro-democracy protests but

has turned into a sectarian war betweenrebels mainly from Syria's Sunni Muslimmajority and state forces defendingPresident Bashar al Assad, who follows theAlawite faith derived from Shi'ite Islam.The United States has said it would

provide medical supplies and fooddirectly to opposition fighters but hasruled out sending arms for fear they mayfind their way to Islamist hardliners whomight then use them against Westerntargets. Saudi Arabia and Qatar arewidely believed to be providing weaponsto the rebels, and Arab League ministersdecided on Wednesday to let membernations arm them. Syria jets bomb Baba Amr: Syrianwarplanes bombed the shattered Baba Amrdistrict in the central city of Homs onMonday, a day after rebels made a surprisepush into their former bastion, which hadbeen in army hands for a year.The communally mixed city of Sunni

Muslims and Alawites, the minority sectthat has dominated Syria since the1960s, has been a major battleground ina two-year-old revolt against PresidentBashar al-Assad that has claimed about70,000 lives.The Syrian Observatory for Human

Rights, which monitors the conflict, quotedan opposition activist in Baba Amr assaying the planes had attacked the outskirtsof the district, which was now partiallycontrolled by rebel units. –AGENCIES

Americans aretraining Syria rebelsin Jordan: Spiegel

Gunman kills2 US troopsin Wardak

The late president's Bolívarian revolution has been crucial to a wider Latin American philosophy

TTOOKKYYOO:: Amid growingdissatisfaction with the slow pace ofrecovery, Japan marked the secondanniversary Monday of thedevastating earthquake and tsunamithat left nearly 19,000 people deador missing and has displaced morethan 300,000.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo

Abe said that the governmentintends to make "visible"reconstruction progress andaccelerate resettlement of those lefthomeless by streamlining legal andadministrative procedures manyblame for the delays."I pray that the peaceful lives of

those aRected can resume as soon aspossible," Emperor Akihito said at asomber memorial service at Tokyo'sNational Theater.At observances in Tokyo and in

still barren towns along thenortheastern coast, those gatheredbowed their heads in a moment ofsilence marking the moment, at2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, whenthe magnitude 9.0 earthquake —the strongest recorded in Japan'shistory — struck oR the coast.Japan has struggled to rebuild

communities and to clean up

radiation from the FukushimaDai-ichi nuclear plant, whosereactors melted down after itscooling systems were disabled bythe tsunami. The government hasyet to devise a new energystrategy — a central issue for itsstruggling economy with all buttwo of the country's nuclearreactors offline.About half of those displaced are

evacuees from areas near thenuclear plant. Hundreds of themfiled a lawsuit Monday demandingcompensation from thegovernment and the now-defunctplant's operator, Tokyo ElectricPower Co., or TEPCO, for theirsuRering and losses."Two years after the disasters,

neither the government nor TEPCOhas clearly acknowledged theirresponsibility, nor have theyprovided suQcient support to coverthe damages," said Izutaro Managi,a lawyer representing the plaintiRs.Throughout the disaster zone,

the tens of thousands of survivorsliving in temporary housing areimpatient to get resettled, a processthat could take up to a decade,oQcials say. –AGENCIES

Japan marks twoyears since tsunami

Pyongyang cuts hotline with SeoulSSEEOOUULL:: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) hasreportedly severed an inter-Korean communication hotlinefollowing its threat to do so last week, the unification ministry saidhere Monday. The ministry said the DPRK seems to have cut theemergency link set up to deal with any contingency along thedemilitarized zone of Panmunjom, which separates the two Koreas,Yonhap News Agency reported. South Korea and the United Statesbegan "Key Resolve" joint military exercises on Monday, which isscheduled to run through March 21, despite DPRK's warning ofannulment of the armistice agreement that halted the Korean War(1950-53). Tensions have been running high since DPRK conductedits third nuclear test on Feb. 12, and the United Nations agreed toimpose tougher sanctions on the country for its renewedprovocations. –AGENCIES

Gold 10 Gms Dollar Interbank Kibor 6 months T Bills6 months Urea/Bag Coal Spot 10-Y PIB Furnace oilRs.51771 Rs. 98.15 9.15%-9.40% 9.47% Rs. 1742 $93.05/Ton 11.42% 78,446/MT

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

Punjab to beat foodscarcity throughmodern farmingFFAAIISSAALLAABBAADD: Punjab AgriculturalMinister Ahmad Ali Aulakh urgedthe farmers to adopt modernpractices to beat food scarcity. Hewas chairing a session of Universityof Agriculture Faisalabad’s 37thSenate meeting on Monday. Theminister said that Punjab cultivatesthirty three million acre ofagricultural land only out of 50million acre, lack of communicationbetween experts and farmers washampering the process of increasingper acre, he maintained. Talkingabout agricultural reforms, hementioned that the government haddistributed 30,000 tractors among thefarming community with the subsidyof six billion rupees, adding that thePunjab government was taking all-outeVorts to increase the per acreproduction. In the welcome address,Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan praisedthe Punjab government as it has givenfunds of Rs 500 million to the varsityin the last five years. –AGENCIES

Global stocks slip on Italy,China worries; dollar firmNNEEWW YYOORRKK//LLOONNDDOONN:: U.S. andEuropean shares slipped on Mondayas weak economic data from Chinaand worries about Italy following acredit downgrade underminedoptimism generated by last week'sstrong U.S. employment report. Thedollar held on to gains from thepayrolls data, trading near a 3-1/2-year high against the yen and a3-month peak to the euro andkeeping pressure on gold and oilprices. U.S. and German governmentdebt prices held steady, as prices ofItalian and other peripheral euro zonebonds fell in the wake of a cut inItaly's credit rating by Fitch Ratingslate on Friday. "I think the Italiandowngrade is acting as a bit of awake-up call," Alastair Winter, chiefeconomist at investment bank DanielStewart & Co. in London. –AGENCIES

‘Twitter, social media areground for stock hoaxes’NNEEWW YYOORRKK:: Prominent short-sellerDavid Einhorn raised eyebrows lastmonth when he popped up onTwitter to disavow that he hadtweeted about Herbalife Ltd."Apparently I have a twitterimpersonator," said the hedge fundmanager, adding that he had noplans "to tweet about stocks."What set oV Einhorn, founder of

Greenlight Capital, was a post by asince-suspended Twitter accountcalled @Greenlightcap that read:"The $HLF tug of war will in theend come down to who has moremoney to play with. I wouldn't wantto be in Bill's shoes right now#TeamIcahn." That may have misledpeople into thinking that Einhorn -whose infrequent tweets under@davidein tend to be about poker -was picking sides in the battle betweentwo other big-name investors, CarlIcahn and Bill Ackman, who haveopposing positions in Herbalife.Einhorn isn't the only shortsellerwho has been impersonated onTwitter, which has become animportant source of information formany investors. –AGENCIES

BY SAMAN ZAHRA

The mounting domain of Pakistan is citedas a country based on agriculturaleconomy with a massive diversity of

appropriate climatic conditions, a well fertileland and a world renowned system of irrigation. During the year 2005-2010, agriculture had an

average share of 24% in country’s GDP (grossdomestic production). In sector of employmentit contributes about 45% industry-wiseemployment. According to an estimate, 63% ofthe residents living in rural areas directly orindirectly earn from agriculture. (EconomicSurvey of Pakistan, 2010-2011) Despite of thisfactual importance of agriculture in country’ssphere, its significance is facing a refutation. The

enrolment trends, research and development inagricultural sector is showing a decline.A research elaborates that only 1.2% of the

students go for higher agricultural studiesamong the total number of students seekinghigher education in Pakistan. The reasonsbehind this extremely low rate in Pakistan are:person’s on input and choice agency; the lowprestige value and social image of theprofession; parental persuasion; lessopportunity structure and incentives; lack ofprofessional staV; gender label with profession;limited exposure; deficient curriculum;ineUcient technicalities; peer influence; dearthcounseling; deprived Governmental assistance;challenging scientific and humanities disciplineand resource limitation.

Owing to the given disparities in highereducational sector of agriculture, one can drawthe current picture of agricultural education inPakistan; which is required to be improvedcertainly. Reforms should be amended in both public

and private sector to improve the condition ofagricultural education. A) There must be aproper systematic organization by HEC (highereducation commission) regarding agri-basededucation. B) Students at secondary,intermediate, pre and post graduate levels mustbe counseled in such a way that they comeacross the importance of agriculture.C) Theover generalized views about the agriculturaleducation and profession must be bringing toan end. D) The over emphasis by the parents

and teachers to not opt such subjects has to bediscouraged. E) The status symbol becominghindrance in the path of higher agriculturalstudies must be reformed. F) Proper resourcesallocation in the universities impartingagricultural studies is required. G) Theinvolvement of agriculturists in policy makingis also admirableAfter doing such reforms , the man power in

agricultural sector would be skilled and welleUcient that will lead to betterment inagriculture which in turn will draw the graph ofcountry’s development in an ascending trendand contribute well in country’s economy.

—THE WRITER IS STUDYING AT ISCS, PUNJAB UNIVERSITY

Improving agricultural education

STAFF REPORT

KKAARRAACCHHII:: The trading week atKSE was off to a disastrousstart, While President Zardariwas inaugurating the gaspipeline project in Iran thestock market was in a nose divedue to the fears regardingpossible sanctions. The groundbreaking ceremony of US$7.5bnIP gas pipeline has createdextreme uneasiness amongst theinvestors. Though thegovernment has brushed asideconcerns and pressures of US,investors are fearful of project’s

implications on aid to Pakistanas well as its relations with otherinternational donors. UnitedStates has already expressed itsreservation over the project,which could potentially haveimplication on country’s aid aswell as trading environment.According to Market Analyst

Hasnain Asghar Ali, across theboard sell off pushed the liquidparticipants on back foot;adding to the pressure was areport linking ECC’ agendaitems to insider trading.Heavyselling was witnessed in almostall the sectors as investor

preferred to book profit atattractive rates. After breachingthe 17,500 level the benchmarkindex settled at 17,522 afterlosing 441 points at close.Volumes dropped a bit as only257 million shares changedhands during the tradingsession. While the results seasonis coming to an end and noother bull trigger includingfurther monetary easing in sighta bearish trend was expected.Although technical analystshave been predicting acorrection for quite some timenow the magnitude of fall was

no short of alarming. PTCL andENGRO led the rot losing PKR0.49 and 5.45 respectively.Analysts believe that marketstill has a lot of potential interms of payouts andconsidering the discount withregional peer. Technicallyspeaking though a negative startof such nature can initiate abear trend which can extenditself for a while.The end of the present

government sends the marketinto a volatile zone asuncertainty with regards to theformation of caretaker

government grips the market.Though the Budget is likely tobe presented by the newpolitical government in May orJune, but importantbackground work will continueduring interim governmentperiod. From the marketvintage point, selection of thecaretaker set-up holds vitalimportance on account ofrelations with IMF along withelections related preparation,which is why the person holdingthe Finance Ministry portfoliowill be the key figure for themarket.

Iran-Pakistan pipeline inaugurationinstigates KSE’s 441-point plummet

CURRENCY BUYING SELLINGUS Dollar 99.30 99.55Euro 127.91 128.13British Pound 146.25 146.43UAE Dirham 26.82 27.00Saudi Riyal 26.32 26.50Kuwaiti Dinar 346.09 349.97Canadian Dollar 95.15 96.59

AARRIIFFWWAALLAA:: Farmers are busy in their work on a farm, as they dig the ground to cultivate new crops amid seasonal change. —ONLINE

Caretaker govtand sanction talksOUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

As Pakistan National Assembly draws closer forthe first time to complete its 5-year tenure onMarch 16, 2013 political temperature is steadily

rising across the country. Within two weeks a newinterim caretaker government will be inducted in linewith the constitution. Where major parties are graduallylaunching their political campaign ahead of the generalelections due in May 2013, but are also jostling to have agreat say in the selection of the interim caretakergovernment. From the market vintage point, selection ofthe caretaker set-up holds vital importance on accountof relations with IMF along with elections relatedpreparation. Besides, development on IP (Iran-Pakistan) gas pipeline has also got investors’ eyes as thiscould strain Pakistan’s relationship with its largestdonor, US. US has expressed its reservation over theproject, which could potentially have implication oncountry’s aid as well as trading environment. Theuncertainty is creating a wave of uneasiness amongst theinvestors and was one of the reasons behind 1% or 221points fall in KSE100 last year.New government within 8-days after Mar 16:

With dissolutions of assemblies on March 16, all eyesare set on the appointment of care-taker set-up whichwould stir the country to its 9th-general electionslikely in May 2016. Constitution dictate that President(Governor) in consultation with Prime Minister (ChiefMinister) and Leader of the opposition will appointthe caretaker PM (CM) within 3-days of dissolutionsof assembly. In case of disagreement, both will forward2 names to committee formulated by the speaker ofthe national (provincial) assembly. Even if thiscommittee fails to finalize the name in 3-days, thenames goes to ECP (Election Commission) thatfinalize the name in 2-days.Major tasks for the Caretaker:With constitution

clear about the process, the task of care-taker set-up iswhat interests the market participants. We believe inaddition to organize free and fair elections the majortask will include preparations of Budget FY14 andrelationship with the IMF given expected weakness onthe external front. Though the Budget is likely to bepresented by the new political government in May orJune, but important background work will continueduring interim government period. That is why theperson holding the Finance Ministry portfolio will bethe key figure for the market.IP gas-pipeline: Risk of sanctions: In other

major development, ground breaking ceremony ofUS$7.5bn IP gas pipeline, today is creatinguneasiness amongst the investors. Though thegovernment has brushed aside concerns and pressuresof US, investors are fearful of project’s implicationson aid to Pakistan as well as its relations with otherinternational donors. To recall, sanctions imposed onPakistan have span over 3-phases i.e. 1979-1990,1990-1998 and 1998-2001. In the last phase, imposeddue to 1998 nuclear test, amongst other stepseconomic development assistance was terminated;foreign military sales were suspended; credits by theUS suspended; US banks withheld all loan trenches;loans from donors agencies, such as the IMF andWorld Bank, were suspended. However, severalimportant components of the sanctions were waivedduring 1998. Though, we flag that threat of sanction isstill in its infancy stages but it has created somenervousness amongst the investors.

Analysis

STAFF REPORT

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The All Pakistan CNGAssociation (APCNGA) Mondayannounced hunger strike to be startedfrom Tuesday against anti-CNG policies ofthe PPP government.Finding no other option to keep the

government away from anti-CNG policies,the CNG association (APCNGA) is nowgoing to opt hunger strike as a way to seeksome air of relief from petroleum ministryfor the once robust CNG industry alreadybearing heavy brunt of petroleumministry’s design to wipe it out from thecountry in phase wise.Ahead of general elections in the

country, with expected changes in power

corridors, the APCNGA viewing thegravity of situation and business interestsof the industry, Ghiyas Abdullah ParachaChairman Supreme Council APCNGA hasdemanded ‘reversal of all the anti-CNGmoves, abandoning projects which are tobenefit few and reduce gas loadsheddingduration in Punjab’.In a statement issued from the All

Pakistan CNG Association has announcedthe hunger strike will be starting fromTuesday and a hunger strike camp wouldalso be arranged near Kulsoom Plaza,Blue Area at 12 pm while a pressconference will be held at 4 pm, said anannouncement. All the office bearers andmembers of the APCNGA will participatein the hunger strike, it added.

We are protesting anti-CNG policies ofthe government, unjust gas distribution, 5-day gas load shedding for CNG sector inPunjab and continuous discrimination byauthorities, said Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha.He said, “Government has endangered

millions of jobs, deprived masses of facilityof economical transportation and destroyinginvestment of around Rs 400 billio. All thepolicies are being framed to destroy CNGsector since year. CNG operators are beingharassed while Punjab has been subjected tofive-day gas loadshedding which amounts topunishing 80 million masses. Someimportant oUcials, hand in glove withinfluential energy mafia, have laid siege tothe CNG sector and made life of massesmiserable in a bid to plunder the country.”

APCNGA launches hunger strikeagainst govt’s ‘anti-CNG policies’

STAFF REPORT

KKAARRAACCHHII:: Pakistan locally made car sales(including LCVs, Vans and Jeeps) havereached 82,979 units in 8MFY13 ascompared to 111,889 units in the sameperiod last year. Decline in sales isattributed to huge influx of usedimported CBU’s prior to restriction onimports, termination of Non EURO-IIcompliant cars (‘Alto’ and ‘Coure’) andabsence of taxi scheme.However, locally manufactured car sales

stabilized to 12,628 units in Feb’13compared to 12,811 units in Jan’13. Weattribute strong sales to the declininginventory of imported used CBU’s and

elections buying. Further, compared to 2%MoM decline in passenger cars to 11,344units, LCVs sales increased by 4% MoM to1,284 units in Feb’13.Amongst individual companies, Pak

Suzuki (PSMC) sales declined by 31% to48,328 units in 8MFY13 versus 70,162units in the same period last year. However,on monthly basis, PSMC sales remainedstable at 7,000 units as compared to 7,004units in Jan’13 primarily because of 11%MoM improvement in cargo vehicles to2,509 units in Feb’13. However, passengercar sales declined by 5% MoM to 4,491units in Feb’13 after booming sales inJan’13 due to ‘New year’ buying.Similarly, Indus Motor (INDU) sales

came down by 36% to 21,847 units in8MFY13 as against 34,366 units in thesame period last year. Decline in sales isprimarily attributed to 34% decline in‘Corolla’ sales to 19,062 units in 8MFY13and termination of ‘Coure’. However, onmonthly basis, INDU sales were recordedat 3,588 units in Feb’13, stable ascompared to 3,560 units last month dueto elections effect.With restriction on used imported CBUs

going into eVect coupled with expectationof strong buying in wake of elections, weforesee decent growth in local car sales incoming months. As sales nos. are in linewith the projections, we maintain ‘Hold’stance in PSMC and INDU.

February car sales flat at 12,628 units

SC stays LNG import till case’s final disposalSTAFF REPORT

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: A three-member Supreme Court benchon Monday issued a stay order against a contract ofthe import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), having$46-billion worth, and held that all the parties werebound to submit their written statements in the casetill March 18.The bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar

Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Gulzar Ahmed andJustice Sh. Azmat Saeed was hearing a suo motunotice regarding irregularities in the agreement signedfor import of LNG.The court also ordered the National Accountability

Bureau (NAB) chief to expedite the probe into theissue and carry out the investigation in anindiscriminate manner. The court noted that it wouldnot remark on the transparency of the currentcontract, adding that transparency could have beenmaintained if ministries for Finance, Petroleum andEconomic Affairs Division had kept in view the rulesand regulations in their true spirit.The court noted the Economic Coordination

Committee (ECC) was also not in the favour of thecontract, but even then haste was shown. Counsel forPetroleum Ministry, Salman Akram Raja, told thecourt that LNG was not given on lease. However thecourt ordered the parties to submit their stance inwritten and adjourned the hearing till March 18.

� Investors remain apprehensive about US sanctions over gasline

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

Lady Gaga to marry boyfriend Taylor KinneyKangana Ranaut turns nautch girl for Rajjo

LONDON: Lady Gaga is all set to get hitched this summer to her longtimeboyfriend ZeroDark Thirtymovie hunk Taylor Kinney, one of her closestfriends has revealed. DJ Lady Starlight, who has performed on stage and in thestudio with Gaga, has revealed that the BadRomance singer had told her thatKinney is the one for her, the Daily Star reported. She also said that Gaga is sodesperate to be near the actor that she is recovering from a recent hip surgeryin Chicago where Kinney is busy shooting his US TV series Chicago Fire. Shefurther added that an announcement could be expected soon, as there’s asummer period whenKinney’s shooting schedule will be clear and her concertand studio commitments will beminimal. The couple has been dating sinceSeptember 2011. -SHOWBIZ DESK

CMYK

SHOWBIZ DESK

Youdon't have a career if you are amarried woman or amother,they used to say in Bollywood.

Even today, people argue that it is fareasier for a hero to continue workingasmain lead even in his 50s than aheroine in her 40s. Several yesteryearactresses have, however, proved all thatwrong in the past few years and there'smore to come.We take a look at thestrong, beautiful heroines who take along break from their Bollywoodcareer, getmarried, build a family andplan a comeback with huge, ambitiousprojects. The original sex symbol ofBollywood is ready to set the silverscreen on fire once again.Zeenat Aman, the womanwho

brought oomph and glamour to Indiancinema, has been doing small, crucialroles for past few years. Amother oftwo kids, Zeenat is all set to come backto the silver screen with AshishBhavsar's next on beauty pageants andthe controversies surrounding thesecontests. Zeenat's next is a 3D film.Shehas beenmarried, divorced and planstomarry again soon. Zeenat Aman has

raised up two handsome sons Azaanand Zahaan, but none of this stops herfrom dfinwhat she wants. A toast toher spirit!sridevi, famous especially for her lead

roles in “Lamhe” and “Mr. India”addressed those in attendance in thepresence ofMinister ofMicro, SmallandMediumEnterprises K.H.Muniyappa. Since Sridevi made asuccessful comeback last year with heraward-winning performance in GauriShinde’s directorial debut, “EnglishVinglish”, the organization is hoping tobenefit by hiring her as their brand’snew face. The coveted actress ispopular across age boundaries, and hasevenwon international acclaim nowwith her endearing English stutter asShashi. An icon for the contemporaryIndian woman, Sridevi is a perfectblend of style, grace, intelligence andtalent, and is known for juggling homeand career well. This is one good newsfor Sridevi fans. The actor hasconfirmed that she will star in thesequel to the 1987 superhitMr India.The original film starred the actoropposite her brother-in-lawAnil

Kapoor.While it was reported thatAnil would do the film, it wasn’tknown if Sridevi would. Now, puttingall speculation to rest, the actor says, “Iwill be part ofMr India 2, but it is tooearly to talk about it as it is in thescripting stage.We are working on thesequel to No Entry.Mr India willhappen after that.” The 49-year-old,

whowas in the Capital on Friday, alsosaid, “Post English Vinglish, I’ve beenreading scripts but haven’t decidedanything yet. I only say yes to the scriptthatmakesme say wow.”Madhuri Dixit after gettingmarried

in 1999 at the peak of her career,Madhuri Dixit was not seen in anymajor roles for a long times. She did

have films like Gaja Gamini and AjaNachle with her as the protagonist butthese films did not domuch. The divanow plans a grand comeback withsequel to Vishal Bhardwaj's Ishqiya -Dedh Ishqiya. Themuch anticipatedsequel to Vishal Bhardwaj’s 2010 hitIshqiya is focuses onMadhuri Dixit’scharacter. She essays the role of a royal

begumwho expresses her love towardsherman bymouthing shayari.WhileNaseeruddin Shah plays her lover inthe film, ArshadWarsi will staropposite Kangna Ranaut. Ace Kathakdancer BirjuMaharaj would bechoreographingMadhuri for one ofthe songs. It is expected to release inthemiddle of this year.Madhuri,Padma awardwinner, has onemorebig project lined up for release thisyear - Gulab Gang. The story of GulabGang, directed by Soumik Sen andproduced by Anubhav Sinha, is basedon ex Bigg Boss contestant Sampat PalDevi who is also the founder of theGulabi Gang.Madhuri brokemany aheart in 1999when she gotmarried anNRI, Dr SriramNene. Shemoved totheUS to live with her husband andcame back to India in 2011. She nowlives with her husband and two sons inIndia.Madhuri's comeback to Indiaraised hopes of her Bollywoodcomeback and she kept those hopesalive, making appearances on TV andsocial events.Madhuri's fans are nowin for delicious treat as they await herDedh Ishqiya this year.

Bollywood recalls — heroines returning withmeaty roles

MUMBAI: Actress Kangana Ranaut is all set to play a nautch girl (mujrawali) in her next movieRajjo being directed by Vishwas Patil and the filmmaker is leaving no stone unturned to makeRajjo a feast to the eyes. According to reports, the author-turned-filmmaker was influenced by theopulence of Meena Kumari's 1972 Paakezah and has lavishly recreated an extensive red light inBorivali, Mumbai. If reports are to be believed, film's producers Four Pillar Films have spent awhopping Rs 5 crore to build the sets, as it was diPcult to shoot the scenes in a real red light area."We want to give a very realistic look to our film for which we are doing all our research. The writerof the film Atul Tiwari actually visited the bylanes of HiraMandi in Lahore, Pakistan to aide us inbuilding the sets of the places where mujra used to be performed in the yesteryears and we alsoroped inMunish Sappal for creating the sets," said Vishwas. Director Vishwas has also roped inacclaimed cinematographer Vinod , who for the first time after Devdas. -SHOWBIZ DESK

Khadijah Shah introduces Elan Lawn 2013�Launch tomorrow at PFDC, Lahore

LAHORE: One of Pakistan’s leading luxury fashion bra

nds Élan is set to introduce

their Spring/Summer collection this season, Élan Lawn

, in collaboration with one of

Pakistan’s premier textile houses. For Élan Lawn, design

er Khadijah Shah’s inspiration

comes from a diversity of local and international influen

ces with an underlying theme

based in the dominant use of bright bold colors and an a

bundance of intermixing

patterns. The designer introduces Nargis Fakhri as her b

randmodel. -SHOWIZ DESK

SHOWBIZ DESK

Mumbai: Ajay Devgn and BipashaBasu, who have earlier done filmslike Aakrosh, All The Best,Apaharan, Zameen to name a few,will be seen together once again. Butthis time it will be for the campaignpromo of Animal Planet's series tosave the tigers titled 'Where TigersRule'. Ajay and Bipasha have shotseparately with ad filmmaker RohitVaid for the same. News is that, a lot

of high-tech computer graphics havebeen used to 'show' that the duo haveshot with a real tiger. On her part,Bipasha has urged that we need tosave the tiger at any cost.Meanwhile, Ajay said that he isdelighted that 'Animal Planet' hasdedicated a month-long ofprogramming on the tigers. Thecampaign also features Olympic goldmedalist Abhinav Bindra and isexpected to start from April 1.

Ajay, Bipasha campaign to save the tigers

SHOWBIZ DESKMUMBAI: Superstar Shahrukh Khan andgorgeous Katrina Kaif are pitched againsteach other in mango drink advertisementbattle as brand ambassadors of Frooti andSlice, respectively and this coincidenceseems to raise a sense of awesomecompetition between the two greats.However, barbie doll Kat seems prettyconfident appearing against King Khan inher show. Katrina, who has beenendorsing the mango drink Slicesince2008, considers both brands and theirmarketing diQerently when she goes on tosay: “I think they are very diQerent brands,and I see them as diQerent messages interms of their marketing. Everything you

do in the market will have opponents thatis why the competition is so high,” saidKatrina. In the latest Slice ad, Katrina willshowcase her playful nature while roamingwith her boyfriend as a remix of the song“Haal Kaisa Hai Janab Ka?”plays in thebackground. While Shahrukh Khan for theFrootihas shot the ad with kids. How canviewers be sure as to how Frooti and Slicetaste without trying them out? Surely, thegreat Khan or the lovely Kat are not goingto tell them how the drinks taste.Hopefully, let us wait to see the result ofhow the juicy drinks will establish thesupremacy of the two competingsuperstars in both the ads or make theirdrinks a hit.

Katrina's bold standagainst SRK

Gangnamkid releasessingle

LITTLE PSY

KOREA: The 7-year-old boy from SouthKorea, who showedoQ his dance movesalongside PSY in"Gangnam Style", ishoping to go viral too.Nicknamed "LittlePSY", he's releasing anelectro pop song nextweek. The star, whosereal name is HwangMin-woo, says hewants to gain globalfame like his "bigbrother," PSY.Hwang is the latestrecruit in SouthKorean popmusic, K-Pop, even though he'sonly in primaryschool. Big PSY iscontinuing hisworldwide tour.The original videoreleased on YouTubelast July has had arecord 1.39 billionviews. -SHOWBIZ DESK

LOS ANGELES: The Evil Dead hasn't hitthetheatres yet but its director is alreadyplanning a sequel to the action-franchise.Director Fede Alvarez has said a sequel isalready in the works, reported EntertainmentWeekly. At the a recent premiere of the film,Alvarez said, "Weve already started writingEvil Dead 2." The film was screened on theopening night of the South by Southwestfestival. Sony is marketing the film as Themost terrifying movie you will everexperience. Evil Dead is a sequel to the filmreleased in 1981 by the same name. Two of itsother sequels are Evil Dead 2 and Army ofDarkness. The film will release on April 5 intheatres. -SHOWBIZ DESK

Evil Dead directorplans sequel

SHOWBIZ DESK

LONDON: After the huge success ofThe Pursuit of Happyness, Will andM. Night Shayamlam are back withtheir action thriller post- apocalypticfilm After Earth where Will Smith andhis son Jaden Smith will work theirmagical on- screen chemistry togetheronce more.A crash leading leaves teenager

Jaden Smith , a futuristic “Ranger”,along with his legendary father, WillSmith, a strict disciplinarian,stranded on Earth, 1000 years aftercataclysmic events forced humanity’sescape. With Cypher criticallyinjured, Kitai must embark on aperilous journey to signal for help,facing uncharted terrain, evolvedanimal species that now rule theplanet, and an unstoppable aliencreature that escaped during thecrash. Father and son must learn towork together and trust one anotherif they want any chance of returninghome. The trailer has already beenreleased and the movie is expected torelease in June this year. We just can’twait to see what the fathers-son duolooks like this time.

Will Smith and Jaden to startogether in ‘After Earth’

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2013

CMYK

SSWWAABBII:: Fawad Ahmed's cricketingjourney began in a graveyard in hisvillage in northwest Pakistan butcould yet culminate in an Ashes Testfor Australia at the home of cricket,Lord's. Friends and former team-mates of the 31-year-old, who fled toAustralia in 2010 claiming he wastargeted by extremists and now wantsto play for his adopted land againstEngland, said his talent was obviousat an early age but he never got thechance to shine in Pakistan.Syed Qamar, 35, who captained

him in the northwestern town of

Swabi, told AFP that even as a youngman he was a match-winner, bafflingbatsmen with the leg-spinner's fullrepertoire of deliveries. "He was a highly talented bowler,

his main advantage was his heightand he could deliver leg-break,flipper, googly with ease," he said.Ahmed played a handful of first-class matches in Pakistan, taking awicket in his debut match forAbbottabad in 2005, but Qamar saidhe became frustrated, as there waslittle chance for him to break intothe national side from Swabi.

Ahmed's relatives refused to discusshim or the threats against him, butfamily friend Mohammad Asgharinsisted they were genuine, thoughthere is no record of militantsthreatening cricketers in Pakistan orof attacks on domestic matches.Indeed, some of Pakistan's bestplayers have hailed from the restivenorthwest – former one-day captainShahid Afridi is from the lawlesstribal district of Khyber and fastbowler Umar Gul is from Peshawar.Ahmed's former teammate

Maqsood Ali, 38, said he always

played with a steely determination.Ahmed was granted a permanentAustralian visa in November andquickly made a name for himselfbowling for the MelbourneRenegades in the Twenty20 BigBash League. He will be eligible toplay for Australia once is grantedcitizenship, and the Cricinfowebsite reported that CricketAustralia is lobbying authorities tofast-track his application to makehim available for the start of theAshes in England in July.If successful he could find himself

pulling on the Baggy Green to representhis adopted land on the hallowed turfof Lord's – a far cry from his earliestmatches in his home village Marghuz,eight kilometres (five miles) fromSwabi. "There was no cricket ground inhis village and local people had reserveda plot of land for the village graveyard.He used to play cricket in a portion ofthe graveyard," said Sher Bahadur, ateacher at the government-run schoolin the village. Bahadur said Ahmed was‘quiet, polite and sober’, not exceptionalas a student but completely focused oncricket. –AGENCIES

Fawad Ahmed’s journey from graveyard to Baggy Green

GGAALLLLEE:: Mushfiqur Rahim onMonday became the first Bangladeshito crack a double-century while NasirHossain hit a maiden ton as thetourists gained a 68-run lead in thefirst Test against Sri Lanka. SkipperRahim hit a solid 200 and Hossain animpressive 100 as Bangladesh werebowled out for 638, their highest totalin 76 Tests, in reply to Sri Lanka'sfirst-innings total of 570-4 declared.The hosts reached 116-1 in their

second innings at stumps on thepenultimate day of the Test headingfor a draw in Galle. OpenerTillakaratne Dilshan was unbeatenon 63 and Kumar Sangakkara 49 notout. Rahim's memorable momentcame in the second over after lunchwhen he pushed paceman NuwanKulasekara for a single to the coverson a day when Mohammad Ashraful(190) missed out on his own Testdouble-hundred. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rahim, 24, was trappedleg-before by Kulasekara in the sameover, but not before helpingBangladesh surpass their previoushighest Test total of 556 against theWest Indies in Dhaka last year.Bangladesh, who dominated the

match for a second successive daywith their solid batting, also becameonly the third team after India andPakistan to score 600 or more in aTest innings in Sri Lanka. Rahim,

152 overnight, hit one six and 22fours in his brilliant 321-ball knock.He put on a record 267 for the fifthwicket with Ashraful and 106 for the

next with Hossain. Bangladesh'sprevious highest stand for any wicketin Tests was 200 between TamimIqbal and Junaid Siddique against

India in Dhaka in 2010. Sangakkaracaught at Hossain mid-wicket oNpart-time spinner Dilshan afterhitting nine fours. –AGENCIES

Rahim becomes first Bangladeshplayer to hit double century

Bangladesh’s Shahadat Hossain is bowled during the fourth day of the opening Test match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at theGalle International Stadium on Monday. –AGENCIES

BBRRIIDDGGEETTOOWWNN:: Zimbabwe's stutteringreturn to Test cricket continues in Barbadoson Tuesday (today) when they start theirfirst series in more than seven years againstWest Indies. Zimbabwe ended a six-yearhiatus from Test cricket two years ago buthave played just four single tests over the last19 months, leaving them with sparseexperience ahead of the Caribbean trip. Thetwo-test series against the Windies is theirfirst since India toured Zimbabwe inSeptember 2005 after which a playerdispute over political interference led to arapid decline in their fortunes.The opening encounter in Bridgetown is

followed by a second Test in Dominica,starting on March 20. It is the last forZimbabwe under coach Alan Butcher, whodeparts his post after the trip, leaving theteam's future direction unclear. CaptainBrendan Taylor was critical last month of adecision to leave home several key supportstaN from the tour party, including battingcoach Grant Flower and bowling coachHeath Streak. Marlon Samuels returns forthe West Indies after a two-month injurybreak and fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, whodebuted at Lords last year, has been recalled.Shane Shillingford has replaced ONspinnerSunil Narine in their 13-man squad. TheWest Indies registered a whitewash in threeODIs and two Twenty20 matches againstZimbabwe over the last three weeks. –AGENCIES

WWEELLLLIINNGGTTOONN:: New Zealand named anunchanged squad Monday for the secondTest against England, with coach MikeHesson saying he wanted to reward a fineperformance in the drawn first Test inDunedin. Seamer Doug Bracewell failed toreclaim his spot in the 13-man squad aftermissing the first Test when he cut his footwhile cleaning up after a house party. Hessonsaid he hoped to maintain momentum for theTest beginning in Wellington on Thursdayafter New Zealand dominated the earlystages of the rain-aNected opening fixture butran out of time as they pushed for victory. "I was very pleased with both the bowling

and batting eNorts in Dunedin and we planto build on that in Wellington," he said. Hesaid Bracewell would undergo a medicalassessment to determine if he will be fit forthe third Test in Auckland. However, the 22-year-old may find it diMcult to dislodge NeilWagner, who took his place in the side andclaimed seven wickets against the world'ssecond-ranked Test team. Spinner BruceMartin and opening batsman HamishRutherford both made their Test debuts inDunedin, with Rutherford hitting 171 in hisfirst innings, the seventh highest debut inTest history, and Martin taking five wickets.New Zealand squad: Brendon McCullum(captain), Trent Boult, Dean Brownlie, IanButler, Peter Fulton, Tom Latham, BruceMartin, Hamish Rutherford, Tim Southee,Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, KaneWilliamson. –AGENCIES

sCOrebOardSSRRII LLAANNKKAA FFIIRRSSTT IINNNNIINNGGSS 570-4 dec (LThirimanne 155, K Sangakkara 142, D Chandimal116, Sohag Gazi 3-164)BBAANNGGLLAADDEESSHH FFIIRRSSTT IINNNNIINNGGSS (overnight 438-4)Jahurul Islam c Chandimal b Eranga 20Anamul Haque b Mendis 13Md Ashraful c Mathews b Herath 190Mominul Haque c Mathews b Kulasekara 55M Mahmudullah st Chandimal b Herath 0Mushfiqur Rahim lbw b Kulasekara 200Nasir Hossain c Sangakkara b Dilshan 100Sohag Gazi c Vithanage b Mendis 21Abul Hasan not out 16Elias Sunny c Chandimal b Dilshan 0Shahadat Hossain b Eranga 13EEXXTTRRAASS:: (B 2, LB 1, NB 7) 10TTOOTTAALL:: (for all out; 196 overs) 638FFAALLLL OOFF WWIICCKKEETTSS:: 1-23, 2-65, 3-170, 4-177, 5-444, 6-550, 7-581, 8-618, 9-618, 10-638.BBOOWWLLIINNGGKulasekara 27-3-94-2Eranga 34-4-122-2Herath 62-11-161-2Mendis 36-3-152-2Mathews 9-2-18-0Dilshan 26-5-75-2Thirimanne 2-0-13-0.SSRRII LLAANNKKAA SSEECCOONNDD IINNNNIINNGGSSD Karunaratne c Hasan b Hossain 3T Dilshan not out 63K Sangakkara not out 49EEXXTTRRAASS:: (NB 1) 1TTOOTTAALL:: (for one wicket; 30 overs) 116FFAALLLL OOFF WWIICCKKEETT:: 1-17BBOOWWLLIINNGGHossain 5-1-18-1Hasan 5-0-15-0Gazi 9-1-37-0Sunny 5-0-14-0Mominul 3-0-13-0Ashraful 1-0-10-0Mahmudullah 2-0-9-0Toss: Sri LankaUmpires: Richard Illingworth (ENG) and Nigel Llong(ENG)Third umpire: Tyron Wijewardene (SRI)Match referee: David Boon (AUS)

Zimbabwe hopeto make up for losttime in Test arena

New Zealandunchanged for2nd England Test

MMOOHHAALLII:: Australia'spreparations for the third Test atMohali starting Thursday havebeen thrown into disarray withnews that four leading players havebeen omitted from the team owingto disciplinary reasons. ShaneWatson, James Pattinson, MitchellJohnson and Usman Khawajahave been dropped from the squadfor the Mohali Test after failing tomeet a deadline of Saturday nightto provide feedback to coachMickey Arthur on how Australiacan improve after beinghammered in the first two Tests.According to reports from the

touring Australian mediacontingent, Arthur had on Tuesdayrequested the players to presentthree ways in which they and theentire team could improve. Barringthe four aforementioned players,all of Australia's squad replied viaemail or SMS or on letterssubmitted to Arthur under hishotel door. This left a frustratedArthur, who set with skipper

Michael Clarke and team managerGavin Dovey, to term it a "line-in-the-sand moment"."After Hyderabad the whole

team was really hurting, we werediscussing ways of getting backinto the series," said Arthur"Unfortunately four players didn'tcomply with that. We prideourselves on attitude. We havegiven the players a huge amountof latitude to get culture andattitude right. We believe thatthose behaviours with what wewant to do with this team, how wewant to take this team to be the

best in the world, teams that arethe best in the world have bestattitudes and best behaviourpatterns and a good, hard,ruthless culture. I believe thosefour players unfortunately did notmeet my requirements so thosefour are not available for selectionfor this Test match.Watson and Pattinson featured

in the Chennai and HyderabadTests, while Khawaja looked set toreplace the struggling PhillipHughes in Australia's battingorder for the third Test. Watsonhas struggled so far, scratching

together just 77 runs in fourinnings. Pattinson was Australia'sbest bowler in Chennai with afive-wicket haul, but managedjust two wickets in the secondTest. This news comes as a majorblow for the tourists, who trailIndia 2-0 and need to win thethird and fourth Tests to retainthe Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Australia are already in personneltrouble with Brad Haddin calledup as back-up for wicketkeeperMatthew Wade, who injuredhimself playing basketball overthe weekend. –AGENCIES

Four Australians axed from thirdTest for disciplinary reasons

BBIIRRMMIINNGGHHAAMM:: World number one Lee ChongWei, who deferred retirement after theOlympics to make a few last attempts on themajor titles, found himself denied in Sunday'sfinal of the All England Open. Lee also foundhimself with an impressive new rival, ChenLong, a 24-year-old from Shashi, who fought offbrave fight-backs by the favourite in each game

to triumph 21-17, 21-18.Last year Lee lost the title to Lin Dan. Now the

Chinese legend may have a good successor, on theevidence of Chen's marvellous containment andrallying ability, and increasing patience andjudgement on when to make pouncing attacks.Chen also carried himself like a champion. Henever panicked when the match got tight, andhandled the pressure like a player who may go onto win many more big titles. "This is veryimportant – a top, world class tournament, andwinning it has given me a lot of experience," hesaid. "I am very excited about that." It suggests thatLin may not need to come out of semi-retirementand make an attempt to defend the world title inGuangzhou in August for China to win it again.Earlier, Tine Baun became the oldest All-

England women's singles winner of the open erawhen she beat the youngest singles finalist,Ratchanok Intanon, in an uniquely emotionalfinal. The 33-year-old's 21-14, 16-21, 21-10 winover the 18-year-old brought to an end thecareer of one of the outstanding players of thepast ten years, and the only one to threatenChinese dominance. The Dane decided tocompete this year as a "last adventure" butinstead, as seventh seed, surprised herself bywinning the All-England title back and taking ita third time. –AGENCIES

MMIIAAMMII:: Steve Strickercould be forgiven forregretting he helped TigerWoods with his puttingbefore the WGC-CadillacChampionship, but afterlosing to him by two shotson Sunday, Stricker said hesimply did what golfingbuddies do. Woods hadbeen unhappy with hisputting at the Honda Classiclast week, complaining ofhis inability to find thetouch he had displayed inhis January victory at TorreyPines. But a 45-minutesession with leading putterStricker put that right.Over 72 holes at Doral,

Woods needed just 100putts and Stricker could notchase him down in Sunday'sfourth round despite postingan impressive four-under-par 68. Asked how manystrokes he thought he mayhave saved Woods over theweek, Stricker replied: "Ihave no idea. Who knows?He might have putted just aswell without my help. "Buthe is happy, he feels reallygood about what he is doingon the greens and that's agood thing, even though heclipped me by a couple ofshots," he said. Woods,however, was not so surethat he would have beenable to correct his puttingtechnique without the helpof his friend. "I would like tosay that I probably wouldhave but...there is a butthere," he said. "I'd beenputting at home and it just

hadn't felt right. I still was alittle bit oN. But to haveStricks help me out likethat... "He's been a greatfriend. We tend to help eachother out with our putting. Iknow what he looks likewhen he putts his best andvice versa," he said.Woods had been sharp

with his putter at TorreyPines and said Stricker hadbeen able to get him back inthe same stance he hadexploited so well in thatFarmers Insurance Openwin. "Once he put me inthere where I feltcomfortable, I said, well, thisis not too foreign, this iswhat I was a month or soago and I started rolling itand it felt really good. "I justbasically carried it throughthe week." The session atDoral came about byaccident when Woodsbumped into Stricker afterhis practice round.The 46-year-old Stricker

said that it was not the firsttime he had helped outWoods or other players andsuggested that guidance foryounger players was part ofbeing a tour veteran. "It'skind of the nature of ourgame. Older players havedone it with me and now I'mone of those older players, Iguess, and when somebodyasks me for help, I tend togive it to them," he said.After Woods's displaythis week, there might be afew more players calling onhis expertise. –AGENCIES

Stricker’s generosityhelps Tiger to victory

Cadillac Open Golf Championship

MMIIAAMMII:: Tiger Woods poses with the Gene Sarazen Cup after his two-stroke victory inthe Cadillac Open Golf Championship on Sunday. –AGENCIES

MMIIAAMMII:: Former tennis WorldNo. 1 Jennifer Capriati is facingbattery charges and possiblearrest after being accused ofstalking and punching an ex-boyfriend on Valentine's Day.Capriati, a three-time GrandSlam champion who won 14titles and earned gold at the 1992Olympics, had an altercationwith Ivan Brannan at the OxygenHealth & Wellness gym in NorthPalm Beach, Florida on February

14, the local police departmentsaid. While Brannan wasworking out, Capriati, 36,"started screaming" at himbefore punching him "with aclosed fist four times in thechest," a police report said. Ayoga instructor then stopped theformer tennis pro fromcontinuing to punch Brannanand the 28-year-old managed tolock himself in the men's lockerroom and call 911. Brannan, a

former Florida State Universitygolfer, had red marks on his chestfrom the incident, according tothe police report. While fillingout an aMdavit, "his hands werephysically shaking," it added. "Itwas very apparent that he was infear of physical harm."Brannan, who dated Capriati

from May 2011 to February 2012,told police that Capriati beganharassing and stalking him shortlyafter the couple broke up. –AGENCIES

Chen Long and Tine Baun claimAll England Badminton Open titles

Capriati faces charges for attacking ex-boyfriend

Mitchell Johnson James Pattinson Shane Watson Usman Khawaja

China's Chen Long poseswith his trophy after winning.

Denmark's Tine Baun holdsher trophy after winning.

missionary schoolsclosed to protest riotsLLAAHHOORREE:: Pakistani Christiansclosed missionary schools onMonday in protest after a mobtorched more than 100 Christianhomes following allegations ofblasphemy. The schools areconsidered among the best inPakistan and are extremely popularwith wealthy Muslim families, withpupils taught in English in adisciplined and eQective learningenvironment. “Missionary schoolsof Lahore will remain closed onMonday on account of massacre inJoseph colony,” Bishop SebastianShaw, chairman of the Catholicboard, told reporters. Sadiq Daniel,bishop of the church of Pakistan inSindh said all missionary schools inthe province, including those inKarachi, would be closed onMonday. –AGENCIES

Landmine blast killsthree troops in kurramKKUURRRRAAMM AAGGEENNCCYY:: A PakistanArmy Captain and two soldiers werekilled whereas two others wereinjured in an improvised explosivedevice (IED) attack in UpperOrakzai tribal region, oPcialsconfirmed. “The attack took placelate last night when the securityforces convoy was targeted inArkhanjo Mamozai village in UpperOrakzai tribal region,” the FrontierCorps media spokesperson MajorFazl said. Two other Army personnelwere also injured in the attack,oPcials further said. Security forceslaunched a search operation in thearea after the incident. –AGENCIES

‘PPP to launch pollcampaign from 17th’TTAANNDDOO MMUUHHAAMMMMAADD KKHHAANN::Defence Minister Syed NaveedQamar Monday announced thatthe PPP will launch its electioncampaign from March 17‚ a dayafter the elected assembliescomplete their constitutionaltenure. Talking to newsmen here‚he said opposition parties'alliance in Sindh is not in aposition to challenge the PPP. TheMinister rejected the possibilityof any delay in the holding ofelections. –ONLINE

clashes rock Dhaka,Opp leaders heldDDHHAAKKAA:: Police said they haddetained the deputy head ofBangladesh’s main opposition partyand a string of top party oPcials in amajor crackdown after clashes rockedthe capital Dhaka on Monday. Thearrests came after police in armouredvehicles fired rubber bullets to disperseopposition demonstrators, turning thestreets of central Dhaka into abattleground for nearly an hour. Policestormed the headquarters of theBangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)and took into custody party leadersand activists. –AGENCIES

TUESDAYMARCH 12, 2013THE SPOKESMAN - RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD

TAHIR NIAZ

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: The minoritymembers in the National Assemblyon Monday warned that “Pakistanmay disintegrate in the name ofreligion even, the basis upon which itcame into existence”, as the Housepassed a resolution to call upon thegovernment to immediately form acommission to probe the cause ofBadami Bagh incident.The members feared that Pakistan

could possibly lose its reason forexistence when the minoritiesresiding in the country werecontinuously being targeted in thename of religion. Minority membersincluding Asiya Nasir, Akram MasihGill, Manwer Laal, Ramesh Laal andothers condemned the recent incidentof targeting Christians in Lahoreamidst a blame game amongst

diQerent parties and membersincluding even those who advocatedshunning the practice. The House suspended the question

hour and started discussion on theprevailing law and order situation inthe country with particular referenceto the Badami Bagh incident.Initiating the debate, minoritymember, Asiya Nasir stronglycondemned the incident and said thatthe Punjab government had failed toprotect the monitories in theprovince. Terming the Punjabgovernment as anti-Christian andanti-minorities, she said it wasexporting terrorism. She alleged thatthe PML-N leadership was involvedin such incidents. “I fear that thecountry may disintegrate in the nameof religion even”, she said. She

appealed the minorities in Punjab notto vote for PML-N in the upcominggeneral elections.The blame game started with

Ramesh Lal of the PPP criticizingPunjab government on the incident.At least three PML-N lawmakersincluding Junaid Anwaar Chaudhary,Sohail Zia Butt and Sheikh RohailAsghar were seen perturbed as theminority member from Sindh lashedout at the Punjab government for theincident. “The minorities are leavingSindh… you do the needful there”,Junaid Anwaar sounded as Rameshheld Punjab government responsiblefor the incident. Sohail Butt alsocontinued interrupting the minoritymember during his speech as thelatter demanded that eQectivemeasures must be taken by the

provincial government to safeguardthe minorities living there. Akram Masih Gill demanded of the

Parliament to grant a separateprovince to the minorities if thegovernment could not protect them.He warned those in power not tocreate the same circumstances whichled to the creation of Pakistan (in thename of religion). He said theparliament should also take steps foreQective legislation for checkingmisuse of blasphemy laws. ManwerLal said that the government hadfailed to provide protection to theminorities. Demanding resignationfrom the chief ministers of Sindh andPunjab on bad law and ordersituation, Khawaja Sohail Mansoorsaid that the government mustascertain the reasons behind the

violence in Punjab and otherprovinces. Khawaja Saad Rafiq saidthat Punjab government whileaccepting the responsibility had takenstern action against those involved inthe incident and 150 people had beenarrested who would be tried in courts.Abdul Qadir Baloch said that it was

an incident of intolerance andterrorism. He said “we should notindulge in the blame game rather joinhands to plan national strategy todefeat the menace of terrorism andextremism.” Bushra Gohar described itas an incident of extremism andterrorism and demanded that theculprits involved in this crime must bebrought to justice. Towards the end ofthe proceedings, PML-N femalelegislator, Anusha Rehman pointed outquorum thus frustrating thegovernment bid to pass a piece oflegislation pertaining to anti-terrorism.

KKAARRAACCHHII:: An explosionat a cigarette shop killed atleast two people andwounded seven others inKarachi’s Landhi area onMonday, police said.The incident took place

in the poor, crowdedKhurramabadneighbourhood of thesouthern port city of 18million people, which isplagued by murders,kidnappings andpolitically linked violence.“At least two people were

killed after the explosion ata cigarette shop,” localpolice oPcial MohammadKhalid. Bomb disposaloPcial Abdul Hameed saidinitial investigationsshowed that the bomb wasplanted under a motorcycleand detonated with a timer.According to the initial

report by bomb disposalofficials, the bombcontained two kilogramsof explosive material andwas placed near aneighbourhood pan andcigarette shop.A man and his twelve-

year old son were killed asa result of the bombexplosion, which, Khalidsaid, also damaged eightmotorcycles and threenearby shops. The injuredalso included two children.Dr Seemi Jamali, in-

charge of the emergencydepartment at Jinnahhospital, told DawnNewsthat some of the injuredwere in critical condition.

MASOOD REHMAN

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Rejecting a pleaseeking exemption from personalappearance, the Supreme Courton Monday gave a last chance tothe former ambassador to the USHussain Haqqani to positivelyappear before it within threeweeks, otherwise face a punitiveaction, which could deprive himfrom his Pakistani passport.A nine-member larger bench

comprising led by Chief JusticeIftikhar Muhammad Chaudhrywas hearing a case pertaining to acontroversial memo sent toformer US military chief AdmiralMike Mullen by Hussain Haqqaniseeking direct US intervention toavert a possible overthrow of thecivilian government by themilitary.The pleas seeking exemption

from personal appearance wasfiled by Haqqani’s counsel AsmaJahangir contending that herclient was unable to come to thecountry due to security concerns,which the court rejected andordered Haqqani to ensure hispresence before the court withinthree weeks, otherwise hispassport might be cancelled. Thecourt warned that a forced actioncould also be taken against himunder the law if he did not comeback, as in his affidavit he hadassured the court that he willappear before the court on fourweeks’ notice, when required.During the hearing, Attorney

General Irfan Qadir informed thecourt that foolproof securityarrangements will be made onHaqqani’s return. He saidHaqqani will be dropped toSerena Hotel directly fromairport through helicopter,adding that he could usehelicopter for movement.Asma Jahangir said she had

informed her client about thesecurity arrangements, however,he had refused to return backsaying he still did not trust thestate authorities, as thegovernment was incapable of

providing him security.The court expressed

displeasure, noting that he hadpromised to return. The courtsaid Haqqani should inform hiscounsel about his return withintwo weeks. The court directed theconcerned authorities to send acopy of the court order to thePakistan’s Embassy in the US.Later, the hearing was adjournedfor three weeks.The memo scandal had erupted

after Haqqani was first named inthe controversy by USbusinessman Mansoor Ijaz, whohad said that it was the formerambassador who had asked him(Ijaz) to deliver the memo to thethen US military chief days afterthe May 2, 2011 US raid onOsama bin Laden’s compound. Ajudicial commission appointed bythe Supreme Court has held thatHaqqani was the originator andarchitect of the memo. Haqqaniwas implicated in a scandal inwhich he had a memo delivered totop US General Admiral MikeMullen offering greatercooperation against the Pakistanmilitary in the aftermath of theAbbottabad raid on May 2, 2011.Earlier, on last hearing, the court

had repeated its earlier order to theinterior ministry to providesecurity to Hussain Haqqani uponhis arrival, stay and then departurefrom Pakistan. The court hadordered that Interior SecretaryKhawaja Siddique Akbar andInspector General of IslamabadPolice Bani Ameen Khan shouldmeet and make arrangements forHaqqani’s security.A letter written by Haqqani and

presented before the court on lasthearing had had stated that: “Anumber of self-appointedguardians of Pakistan’s integrityand ideology have targeted meand routinely send methreatening messages by email,twitter and on phone.” He hadadded that the authorities in theUS had also repeatedlyinvestigated the threats he wasreceiving.

ZEESHAN JAVAID

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Reacting strongly over theJoseph Colony incident in Lahore in which morethan 150 houses of the Christian citizens wereput on fire in the name of blasphemy, thelegislators in the upper house of the Parliamenttermed it total failure of the police, intelligenceagencies and misuse of the existenceblasphemous law in the country.The senators said that such types of shameful

incident badly damage the image of Pakistan somisuse of the blasphemous law was notacceptable. They regretted that nobody waspunished over the false allegations leveledagainst any non-Muslim. The Constitution

guarantees equal rights for all citizensirrespective of their caste, colour or creed butregretted that all security organisations failed toprotect them. The miscreants and terroristswere becoming so strong that they can targetany sect, any group and everyone across thecountry, saying the situation revealed that thegovernment totally failed in fulfilling itsconstitutional responsibilities of protectinghuman lives and properties. They termed thecontinuation of terrorist activities inBalochistan, Karachi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa andLahore were well-planned conspiracies over theexistence of the country.The senators expressed these view over

debating the issue on adjournment motion

presented by Mohsin Laghari and Saeed Ghani.Senator Laghari said the incident startedbetween the two persons (one Muslim and otherChristian) while they were drinking (wine) andmade allegations against non-Muslim. Latter,through a well-planned conspiracy, the housesof Christians first evacuated by the police thenlooted and latter put on fire. “It was thenegligence of the law enforcement agencies,” hemaintained. Senator Ghani said some times agosuch allegation leveled against Rimsha Masih,which later proved false but the perpetratorswere set free because they were Muslims. If thecomplainant in that case was punished then noone would have dare to give wrong statementagainst anyone either Muslim or non-Muslim.

He requested the religious scholars not tomisuse the blasphemous law.Senator Haji Adeel said that the world was

condemning Pakistan over this shamefulincident as the world condemned India whenhouses of Muslims were put on fire in Gujarat(India). He also questioned that why police notarrested the complainant when he was drunked.Senator Robina Khan strongly condemned theJoseph Colony incident and demanded strictpunishment for the persons involved in torchingthe houses of the Christian citizens in the nameof blasphemy.She also criticised the federal and the

provincial governments and termed theincident as the failure of the law enforcement

agencies. She recommended the house tosummon high ups of all security agencies andask them to brief the house about the law andorder situation in the country. SenatorMushahid Husssain Syed said that it was anorganised move against the minorities whichwas provide shield by the local police. He saidthat either federal government or provincialeven though the police, intelligencedepartments and other security departmentsalso completely failed to establish peace in thecountry, adding the Punjab government failedto deliver and provide protection to minoritiesand it was not acceptable. Senator KalsoomPerveen from the Balochistan National Partyalso condemned the Joseph Colony incident.

memo case

SC givesHaqqanilast chance

MASOOD REHMAN

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Hearing a plea filed byPrime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashrafrequesting Chief Justice IftikharMuhammad Chaudhry to set up acommission headed by Dr Shoaib Suddal toinvestigate the allegations of corruptionagainst him in the Rental Power Projects(RPP) case, the Supreme Court on Mondayissued notice to the NAB chairman, PML-Q leader Faisal Saleh Hayat and PML-Nlegislator Khawaja Asif, petitioners in theRPP case.During the hearing, the chief justice told

Wasim Sajjad, PM’s counsel, to keep inmind that when the court had alreadydelivered its verdict in the RPP case and thereview plea against the verdict had also

been withdrawn by the government, PM’sletter had landed. The CJ asked WasimSajjad to tell the court that what it shoulddo at this stage keeping in view the facts. Hesaid not only the PM, but 10 other peoplewere also in the matter. Justice GulzarAhmed said NAB was the government’sown institution and even then it had notrust over it. The counsel then stated thatthis was the main diPculty for them.The chief justice noted that if a PM will

question the credibility of the NAB, thenwhat other people will think and takeimpression from it. He said the PM hadwritten a letter to the chief justice, addingthat the chief justice was not a SupremeCourt. He said after the court order in theRPP case, constitution of a commission wasequal to a review of the whole verdict.

NA resolution asks govt to form commission on Badami Bagh incident

Pakistan may break in the name of religion: MPs

Senators react strongly to Joseph Colony arson

KARACHI: People gather near the site of a bomb blast in Khurramabad, Landhi No-2. –ONLINE

Cigarette shopbombing killstwo in Karachi

Pm’s letter to cJ

SC serves notice onNAB chief, others

cmyk

OUR STAFF REPORTER

IISSLLAAMMAABBAADD:: Leader of the Opposition inthe National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar AliKhan on Monday forwarded three names forthe position of caretaker premier to PrimeMinister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.In response to the letter of the prime

minister, Nisar suggested the names Justice(r) Shakirullah Jan, Justice (r) Nasir AslamZahid and Rasool Bux Palejo for the positionof the caretaker prime minister. Theopposition leader sent the reply to the primeminister after consulting other oppositionparties as well.Talking to media outside the Parliament

House, Nisar said the tenure of assemblies

would expire after five days and caretakersetup must be finalised in time. He furthersaid the homework on caretaker governmentin Punjab had been completed.He renounced the statement of

Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kairaregarding the names suggested for thecaretaker prime minister.It is important to note that Kaira had

termed the list given by Nisar as a joke andtargeted the PML-N for including the nameof Palejo. As the National Assembly’s tenureis going to end on March 16, the governmenthas failed to give any name for the caretakerpremier, which generated various rumoursin the country.Article 224 A of the Constitution

bounds both the parties to have aconsultative process on two names eachcoming from treasury and opposition. Incase of disagreement on the namesforwarded, the matter will be referred toa bi-partisan committee of treasury andopposition having four members eachand if in three days there is noagreement, the matter will be referred tothe chief election commissioner for finaldecision within two days. Sameprocedure will be adopted for theappointment of caretaker setups in theprovinces where governors and chiefministers will forge consensus. However,the PML-N is confident that the matterwill be resolved before March 16.

PM gets Nisar’s caretakers list

� Gill seeks separate province for minorities

� 3 weeks to appear or face cancellation ofpassport � SC calls for force if order not obeyed

� MPs term attack on Christians a failure of intelligence, police � Point out misuse of blasphemy law